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Monday, 1 February 2010
David Airlie's experiments with Lenovo W500
airlied: hybrid graphics on Linux
So someone thought it would be a good idea to make laptops with two graphics chips in them and switch betweem them to save power.
Now other OSes support this to varying degrees, I think XP + MacOSX require a logout cycle and Vista/Win7 can dynamically switch while running, while Linux basically falls over in a heap.
So I sat down today with a Lenovo W500 which has an Intel GM45 and AMD Radeon 3650 Mobility in it, and I wrote a patch to try and get closer to the XP/MacOSX level.
The result of one days straight hacking is at:
The patch is totally focused on the Lenovo W500, other switchers will need to add stuff to this codebase.
So what works?
Boot in switchable graphics - which boots with intel and radeon turned on
KMS drivers load for radeon and intel, radeon BIOS stored in start of VRAM (driver hacked to read it)
bind to both drivers + fbs for both.
mount debugfs - cat /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch
0 :0000:01:00.0
shows the 02.0 (intel) device is in charge of the MUX.
goto runlevel 5, play with X under the Intel driver, goto runlevel 3 kill X
at fbcon echo "0000:01:00.0" > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch
barely glitches console and switches
goto runlevel 5, play with X under the ATI driver, goto runlevel 3 kill X
echo "0000:00:02.0" > /sys/kernel/debug/vgaswitcheroo/switch
goto runlevel 5, play with X under intel again.
wash and repeat.
What does it do?
So far its just switching the MUX using the ACPI method and remapping all the console to the other framebuffer device,
it also reset the bits that denotes which devices is the boot vga device which X uses to pick the primary GPU. This
means X doesn't need an xorg.conf to switch. (I think all those patches are in upstream X server).
What does it not do?
It doesn't powerdown the radeon when its not in use yet. I know the ACPI call to power it off/on, and since I have
the BIOS I should be able to repost it. So I'll try adding the callbacks into the KMS driver to do this soon.
It doesn't poewrdown the intel when its not in use yet. Not sure what I can do here, since there is no ACPI method to turn
it off. I think I can just D3 the GPU, and use the normal s/r paths to bring it back. Again requires more investigation.
The whole what ACPI + methods map to what device, how the mux ids match etc will probably all need to be stored in the DMI table.
Anything not a Lenovo W500 - probably not that hard to add other Intel/AMD variants to this, add DMI and mux switching method.
nouveau isn't hooked up - this could probably be done by some interested party - the driver hooks so far aren't very hard.
No idea about ATI/ATI or NV/NV ones either.
Can we do dynamic switch without restarting X?
No. X needs a lot of work, a lot more than the day it took to hack the kernel.
How do we go forward?
We probably need to add gdm support to move this forward. A logout button that is "Switch GPU", that gdm kills the X server,
then hits the switch port and starts a new X server. I'll try and talk to some gdm hackers over the next few days.
I'll try and push this into a git tree against Linus current, and we can add tested patches for other machines as they go in.
Also the DMI section is only imaginary of what I think others might need, we might have to rip it all out. Also I've no idea
if there are ACPI methods to query the switchable modes etc. | <urn:uuid:7b3310be-7265-4f30-bcbd-239a7b33aeba> | http://linux-hybrid-graphics.blogspot.com/2010/02/david-airlie-experiments-with-lenovo.html | en | 0.931326 | 0.287939 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Recipes Wiki
Chicken with Sour Cream
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Description Edit
Contributed by Catsrecipes Y-Group
Ingredients Edit
Directions Edit
1. Sauté onions in margarine.
2. Add chicken and sprinkle with paprika and salt.
3. Mix together.
4. Gradually add water.
5. Cover mixture and cook until chicken is tender, about 1 hour. If mixture is too thick, dilute with more water.
6. Just before serving, add sour cream.
7. Pour sauce over chicken and serve over rice.
Ad blocker interference detected!
| <urn:uuid:2a9aa336-99f4-4c68-8449-a53549fa64a5> | http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Chicken_with_Sour_Cream | en | 0.873893 | 0.035819 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Edoardo Campanella, 12 August 2014
Separatism is on the rise in Europe. This column argues that, while the Eurozone Crisis is certainly reinforcing regional tensions, the underlying causes are globalisation and the deepening of the European project. Independence campaigners want access to the larger European market, while unfettering their regions from the centralised control of national governments. Renegotiating the terms of the relationship between national and regional governments is preferable to resorting to political threats or the use of force.
Angus Armstrong, Monique Ebell, 26 October 2013
In the debate over Scottish independence, the question of how the UK’s assets and sovereign debt would be divided has received insufficient attention. This column argues that the size of Scotland’s debt obligations would be crucial to its optimal choice of currency. Under plausible assumptions, fiscal tightening would be required to return Scottish debt to sustainable levels, and a self-fulfilling rise in borrowing costs might tempt Scotland to leave the sterling currency union. A debt-for-oil swap might be mutually beneficial for a newly independent Scotland and the continuing UK.
Marco Annunziata, 12 February 2013
Christopher Crowe, Ellen Meade, 31 July 2008
Theories arguing that independent, transparent central banks fight inflation better are widely accepted, but the evidence backing them is surprisingly scarce. This column presents new empirical estimates suggesting a payoff to central bank independence and transparency. | <urn:uuid:c4c2d960-488d-46e8-a56c-40985c1a981b> | http://voxeu.org/taxonomy/term/1086 | en | 0.939573 | 0.027376 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Update Feb 14 9am: American and US Airways have finally voted to merge, creating the world's largest airline. The company will keep the American name and wil be run by former US Airways CEO Doug Parker. Now it just needs to be approved by antitrust regulators
Feb 13 4:30pm: American and US Airways appear to be on the verge of nailing down a deal to merge; some sources say it could come as early as later today. [Editor's note: They have since announced the merger; see update above]. And it’s hardly a shocking surprise: there’s been talk about the two industry laggards joining to create one monster airline almost since AA went into bankruptcy more than a year ago. The deal could still unravel, of course, but US Airways is eager to tie the knot; it has been jilted by other would-be partners in the past (United decided it preferred Continental; Delta hooked up with Northwest). And many observers (including CNTraveler) assumed it would come right after the New Year once the unions got firmly behind it. So is there really anything left to talk about?
Actually, yes. The jumbo airline, which would fly under the AA colors, would rival, if not leapfrog, United and Delta, the No. 1 and No. 2 biggest airlines in the country (if not the world), with close to 1,000 jets in its mainline fleet and a workforce of nearly 100,000. But some of those workers would be redundant—in fact, the two lines have already said that they hope to squeeze ‘efficiencies’ out of the company.
Already, we’ve seen the trend arise from the airline behemoths that other mergers have created: outsourced customer service, capacity cuts, and more crowded planes. Plus, some airports and smaller communities might see sharp service cuts.
Consider just one aspect of this: The converging route maps of the two airlines, which would end up with nine hubs. AA’s strongholds in Dallas–Fort Worth, Miami, Chicago, LA, and New York, plus USAirways’ in Phoenix, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and Washington. If the past is any guide, mega-mergers usually mean some hubs get stronger while others slim down. For example, when American acquired TWA, the latter’s St. Louis hub withered. And Delta has severely cut service at some of its Midwest hubs like Cincinnati, after its merger with Northwest.
Sources say that the antitrust regulators might insist on the combined carrier cutting some services, especially at slot-constrained airports like Washington, D.C.
On the plus side, US Airways would leave the Star Alliance to join oneworld, a smaller loyalty-program group that could benefit from the presence of the newcomer.
But the bigger impact would be that this would be the final act of the long-running saga known as airline consolidation. Ten years ago, eight or nine major airlines, plus a host of smaller regional and upstart lines, offered consumers a serious choice. Now, four huge airlines (the three abovementioned legacies plus Southwest) would control roughly 85 percent of the domestic airline traffic in the U.S., givng them a huge say in where we fly and what we pay. While U.S. antitrust regulators should look at this closely, no one expects it’ll get turned down outright after so many other airline deals have gone through.
Finally, will fares go up? Most observers think the fares wouldn’t go up just because of this; they’re already trending up, but on some routes, like Chicago to Phoenix, fliers might see hikes especially if airlines ‘rationalize’ their schedules.
Stay tuned… | <urn:uuid:c1e4c1ba-e350-4818-9a0f-3bda382a1e93> | http://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2013-02-13/american-airlines-us-airways-merger-update-021313 | en | 0.954303 | 0.024535 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
• EDAG Motorcycle
Where the boundaries between engineers and fans become blurred
• Indian community inspires towards more sustainability
Why the Navajos use EDAG busses to protect the environment
• Formula Student
A case for EDAG
• Additive manufacturing (3D printing)
How the "EDAG Genesis" turned the automobile world upside down
718 results:
Search results 871 until 718 until 718 | <urn:uuid:493ad0ed-7a4d-4dad-b5ad-aeffb7cf8e7b> | http://www.edag.de/en/contacts/contact-edag/search/extsearch/88/0/webmail.html | en | 0.851287 | 0.13745 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Efficient LED luminaire for gardens and yards. Its anti-glare lighting is carefully directed to the illuminated area and the disturbing portion of scattered lighting has been minimized. Opera can be used in various outdoor applications like large gardens and market squares, pedestrian areas, parks, car parks and playgrounds. | <urn:uuid:dd55b14d-7574-4a43-a53f-443240ed7190> | http://www.ensto.com/de/produkte/beleuchtung/aussenleuchten/opera/ | en | 0.961008 | 0.02771 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Spinning Plates: Film Review
Episodic doc could use more focus on food preparation, but vividly captures the human element involved.
Joseph Levy’s foodie film profiles both professional chefs and self-schooled cooks.
A multiple audience-award winner on the domestic festival circuit, documentary feature Spinning Plates demonstrates how straightforward it can be to seduce a willing audience lulled into susceptibility by endless Food Network shows and celebrity-chef entertainment coverage. If its strategy exploring both everyday and Michelin-starred cuisine pays off in limited release, a modest run could ensue, predictably followed by home entertainment and broadcast formats.
Weaving together threads from three disparate styles of contemporary regional cuisine, filmmaker Joseph Levy attempts to demonstrate the rather obvious conclusion that they’re all equally a part of the crazy quilt of American gastronomy. The clearest candidate for recognition is star chef/restaurant owner Grant Achatz of Chicago’s revered Alinea and more recently opened eatery Next. A protege of culinary superstars Thomas Keller (Napa Valley’s French Laundry) and Charlie Trotter (Chicago’s Charlie Trotter’s), Achatz is an avid practitioner of molecular gastronomy, with a distinctly upper-Midwestern perspective.
Achatz’s bold, innovative style is contrasted with the down-home cooking of Tucson’s Gabby Martinez, who learned the art of Mexican cuisine from her mother and grandmother. Cheered on by her doting, boundlessly optimistic husband and La Cocina de Gabby restaurant co-owner, Francisco, Gabby works long hours replicating her family’s recipes for a meager trickle of customers.
Middle-of-the-road American comfort food is represented by Breitbach’s Country Dining, a Balltown, Iowa institution since 1852, now run by the sixth generation of the family, headed by Mike Breitbach. Specializing in steaks, seafood, fried chicken and homemade pies, Breitbach’s is a beacon of regional cuisine for both local residents and out of state visitors as well.
Besides Achatz’s overly arty creations, there’s really nothing exceptional about the food prepared by either of the other cooks. What the chefs and their restaurant staffs do have in common is a desire to express themselves creatively through their dishes and menus, but aside from Alinea, the film doesn’t focus much on the originality of the chefs’ recipes or the actual creation of individual dishes.
Engaging, although sometimes distracting, human interest is generated through the charismatic subjects, however -- Breitbach patriarch Mike Breitbach is an exemplary model of civic service and the Martinez’s family’s financial struggles make for a compelling immigrant allegory. Achatz’s contention to earn Alinea a coveted three-star Michelin Guide rating and dramatic struggle with a critical medical condition almost hijack the proceedings at one point, but the chef is low-key enough to underplay the drama.
With such a divergent group of cooks and restaurants, first-time feature documentary director and writer-editor Levy (a former producer for the Food Network’s Into the Fire reality series) appears to cast about a unifying theme, tentatively proffering the rather banal observation that “food is family.” Without a strong thematic throughline, Levy relies on a highly episodic structure, letting the subject matter lead him along, rather than shaping the material into a compelling package.
On a technical level, the film consistently delivers -- as much as when nimbly capturing often complex food preparation activities in crowded kitchens as it does when Levy coaxes refreshingly candid interviews from his varied subjects.
Opens: Oct. 25 (The Film Arcade)
Production company: Chaos Theory / Ambush Entertainment
Director-writer: Joseph Levy
Producers: Jacqueline Lesko, Miranda Bailey, Matthew Leutwyler, Joseph Levy
Executive Producers: Taz Goldstein, Philip Rosenthal, Sim Sarna
Director of photography: Erin Harvey
Music: Edward Shearmur
Editor: Joseph Levy
No rating, 93 minutes
Twitter: @CinemaPlanet
comments powered by Disqus | <urn:uuid:f493f35f-64de-4590-8e57-73254d99f3d8> | http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/spinning-plates-film-review-651072 | en | 0.913151 | 0.032451 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Social media giant Facebook has threatened to sue Mark Zuckerberg, but not the one you're probably thinking of.
Facebook is threatening to sue Israeli entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg after he recently legally changed his name from Rotem Guez for violating the Web site's terms and conditions.
Zuckerberg refused to disband his Like Store, a company that sells Facebook likes to companies, despite Facebook sending a cease and desist order in September. Facebook asked Zuckerberg to no longer even access Facebook's Web site, but he continues to utilize the social media platform.
If you ignore this letter and continue your current improper conduct, Facebook will take whatever measures it believes are necessary to enforce its rights, maintain the quality of its site, and protect its users' privacy and information, said a statement to Zuckerberg.
The man formerly known as Rotem Guez decided to legally change his name to Zuckerberg so that Facebook would face potential embarrassment for pursuing legal action against the name of the company's founder.
Facebook decided to sue me after I myself, filed a law suit against them, in Israel, he said in an email to The Huffington Post. I wanted that once they sue me, they'll face suing Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook accused me of selling ficticious (sic) Likes, which is not true, our Likes come from real users who want to receive our content, and instead of paying us with money, they pay us with Likes. The idea was, if only Mark Zuckerberg is allowed to sell likes, then for that matter, I'm Mark Zuckerberg.
Facebook has not officially filed a lawsuit against Zuckerberg, but is likely weighing its options. Zuckerberg is still on Facebook, despite the company's requests to get off the network. He has even created a Facebook page entitled, I'm Mark Zuckerberg, and has openly questioned whether it will sue him. | <urn:uuid:454b8650-8b6b-40b1-b17f-615d6c3f283f> | http://www.ibtimes.com/facebook-threatens-sue-mark-zuckerberg-384448 | en | 0.960756 | 0.041335 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How can I setup the JBuilder editor to show matching braces similar to how vi works (when you close a block)?
Vikram Lele
In JBuilder 4, Ctrl+] should do the job ..
This won't automatically match the braces like vi on block closing, but can be used to manually match braces at any time.
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Comment and Contribute
About | Sitemap | Contact | <urn:uuid:d85b4068-d25a-4aef-85c7-97250b8ac0bd> | http://www.jguru.com/faq/view.jsp?EID=320820 | en | 0.766994 | 0.020251 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Natalie Portman's Maternity LBD Is Under £75
Photo: Dan MacMedan/WireImage.
It's not surprising to see a celebrity step out in an LBD. It's a go-to for a reason. But it is surprising when that celebrity LBD is something you can actually afford. For the Oscar Nominees’ Luncheon, Natalie Portman didn't opt for her usual Dior gown. Instead, she stepped out wearing a £65 dress from Topshop Maternity. Since she debuted that baby bump back in September, Portman's been tackling maternity red carpet dressing like a pro, because she is. This isn't the first time she's hit the awards circuit while pregnant.
"We love Topshop Maternity!" Kate Young, Portman's stylist, told Vogue. "It’s cute! This was flattering and comfortable."
But it's not simply a matter of throwing a dress on off the rack. Young insists that even though the dress came from an affordable line, it was important for her to do a fitting with Portman beforehand to make sure that everything looked polished and perfect. Just because something isn't couture doesn't mean it doesn't get the couture treatment in the hands of celebrity stylist.
notes that the dress' flutter sleeves balance that growing bump while the coordinating belt accentuated Portman's belly without constricting it. And because she's a Dior spokesperson, the shoes were from the luxury French house. Portman didn't opt for a sky-high heel, though. Instead, her Dior slingbacks were completely flat.
Young adds that Portman's made appearances in Topshop Maternity before. She wore the British label during her previous pregnancy, too. Unfortunately, Portman's Topshop Maternity dress isn't available anymore, but the brand has plenty on offer that are worthy of red carpets and real-life alike.
More from Celebs & Influencers | <urn:uuid:b083d87f-61c1-4726-a339-15743f9376a7> | http://www.refinery29.uk/2017/02/139913/natalie-portman-topshop-maternity-dress | en | 0.963865 | 0.064151 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Wellington girls regain their winning ways.
Wellington's girls basketball team shot lights out in its first meeting against Augusta earlier this season.Though the Crusaders didn't light up the scoreboard and Augusta played much closer, it was a stretch of shots by Kailey Jenkins that proved to be the difference. On some plays, Jenkins got loose from screens. On others, she just made tough, well-defended shots. In all, Jenkins made four 3-pointers in a matter of a few minutes that carried Wellington to a 34-26 win Tuesday night, which spoiled Augusta's senior night. "We just did not do a good job of getting out on her. She's got a sweet stroke," said coach Tracy Anderson. Anderson added that it was a stark contrast to the first meeting, when Wellington made 10 3-pointers. Jenkins made two 3-pointers to close the first quarter, then two more to open the second quarter and give Wellington a 14-5 lead. Rather than let it get away from them, the Orioles came through with some big plays to get back into the game. Senior Kalie Robinson swished back-to-back 3-pointers to help pull Augusta within three by halftime. Taylor Childers scored a layup to pull Augusta within one early in the third, but the Orioles couldn't get over that hump to take the lead. Both teams managed just four third-quarter points. Wellington sealed the win early in the fourth quarter when Avery Lewellen made back-to-back 3-pointers to stretch Wellington's lead to 28-21. | <urn:uuid:643e14a9-b066-4dbf-9b6e-1f78b4294238> | http://www.wellingtondailynews.com/article/20130220/NEWS/130229877/0/News | en | 0.970068 | 0.022441 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The MERLIN robot has two kinds of visual sensors, AXIS camera and PMD camera. AXIS camera provides a high resolution color image with a large field of view, while PMD offers a range image of the scene. PMD (Photonic Mixer Device), based on optical time-of-flight principle, provides the possibility of measuring distances for 2D scene in real-time. With the LED array, it emits infrared light and measures the phase difference between the incident and internal reference signals. The distance information is thereby calculated for every pixel with the phase differences. Along with the range image, a grayscale intensity image and amplitude image can also be acquired for image processing, e.g. edge detection.
PMD can be used in various applications in fields as diverse as automotive, manufacturing, robotics, spacecraft docking and multimedia. With robust, high speed and accurate distance information for every pixel, previous computer vision techniques could be significantly strengthened. One major disadvantage of PMD is the relatively low resolution or corresponding limited field of view. The newest version of ToF camera has a resolution of 204x204 (PMD CamCube 2.0). For this reason, high resolution AXIS camera is combined in our research with PMD to generate an RGBZ image.
RGBZ image by fusion of color information from AXIS camera and range information from PMD camera
Students are always welcome to join the research activities based on this type of vehicles. For more information, please refer to the open thesis/praktika, or contact Kaipeng Sun ( | <urn:uuid:fbf2c35e-45b1-4ce9-9e60-5c23a2615284> | http://www7.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/forschung/mobile_robots/projects/pmd_camera_on_merlin/ | en | 0.912041 | 0.040558 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
MCS-388 Homework 5 (Spring 2009)
Due: April 27, 2009
This assignment is a variant of Exercises 8.4.1 and 9.1.3(a), but please use my instructions rather than those in the textbook.
This entire assignment concerns the matrix multiplication algorithm in Figure 8.10 on page 532.
As you complete the numbered tasks in this assignment, use the following bulleted guidelines:
Here are your tasks:
1. Produce three-address statements for the program.
2. Construct a flow graph from the three-address statements.
3. Eliminate the common subexpressions from each basic block.
4. Move the loop-invariant computations out of the loops.
5. Find the induction variables of each loop and eliminate them where possible.
Course web site:
Instructor: Max Hailperin <> | <urn:uuid:e99605a9-1850-445c-8f4d-244e078a9fef> | https://gustavus.edu/mcs/max/courses/S2009/MCS-388/homeworks/hw5.html | en | 0.896982 | 0.991318 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
ViscoSet (patent-pending) offers viscous damping to make bicycles safer by inhibiting the uncontrolled steering oscillation known as speed wobble. "Speed wobble" or "head shake" are vibrations that start small and get worse due to harmonics. This frightening shimmy can affect the handling of any bicycle under certain conditions and is the result of many different factors.
Utilizing specially designed damping plates above the bearing in the upper assembly, ViscoSet stops the oscillation before it can grow to a dangerous level. These micro-thin plates are inter-leaved and connected to both the frame and the fork's steerer tube. As they rotate against each other, a fluorocarbon gel between each layer provides maintenance free viscous damping, preventing the dreaded speed wobble and allowing riders to maintain control.
Damping Adjustment:
ViscoSet’s damping plates have the ability to be repositioned within the headset, creating several “tune” configurations. The 12 damping plates housed within ViscoSet come standard interlaced with fluorocarbon gel within the headset cup, forming 11 friction surfaces that create damping in
steering. If the damping force is too large for the desired ride experience, the damping plates can be reconfigured within the headset cup to achieve the appropriate amount of steering damping.
To perform this damping reconfiguration, remove the retaining ring from headset cup to reveal the damping plates and compression ring.
Once the compression ring and damping plates are isolated, begin reconfiguring the damping plates to reduce the amount of friction surfaces. Below are examples of reconfigured damping plates, take note of the amount of friction surfaces caused by the different orientations of the plates. To create the “mid-range” damping, three inner and outer shims are interlaced, followed by three inner shims stacked on top of each other, and then three outer plates stacked on top of each other, creating six friction surfaces. The minimum damping is achieved by stacking all six inner plates and then stacking all six outer plates, this creates only one friction surface. While performing this procedure, it is important to retain the fluorocarbon gel to allow smooth plate movement and retain damping function.
Cups and Covers
7075 T-6 Aluminum
Interlok® spacer compatible
Crown Race
Fully face-sealed crown race
Dependable black-oxide, sealed cartridge bearings
Pre-Greased cartridge. No Re-Grease needed.
Stack Heights
External Cup (EC) - 22.2mm Top
ZeroStack (ZS) - 13.5mm Top
Part Number
EC34: BAA0931K
ZS44: BAA0901K
Reviews comming soon
Live chat by BoldChat | <urn:uuid:bd20b34d-aefd-4ee0-9c66-e461bfb4d668> | https://www.canecreek.com/products/headsets/viscoset | en | 0.862705 | 0.074771 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Access to Astronomical Catalogues
← Click to display the menu
J/ApJ/611/821 A2125 in X-ray (Wang+, 2004)
X-raying A2125: a large-scale hierarchical complex of galaxies and hot gas. Wang Q.D., Owen F., Ledlow M. <Astrophys. J., 611, 821-834 (2004)> =2004ApJ...611..821W
ADC_Keywords: Clusters, galaxy ; X-ray sources Mission_Name: Chandra Keywords: cosmology: observations - galaxies: clusters: individual (A2125) - galaxies: evolution - galaxies: general - X-rays: galaxies - X-rays: galaxies: clusters Abstract: We present an 82ks Chandra ACIS-I observation of a large-scale hierarchical complex, which consists of various clusters/groups of galaxies and low surface brightness X-ray emission at z=0.247. This high-resolution Chandra observation allows us for the first time to separate unambiguously the X-ray contributions from discrete sources and large-scale diffuse hot gas. We detect 99 X-ray sources in a 17{arcmin}x17{arcmin} field. Description: The Chandra observation of A2125 (obs. ID 2207) was taken on 2001 August 24, for an exposure of 81.6ks. The instrument ACIS-I was at the focal plane of the telescope and in the "VERY FAINT" mode. File Summary:
FileName Lrecl Records Explanations
ReadMe 80 . This file table1.dat 98 99 Chandra Source List
See also: B/chandra : The Chandra Archive Log (CXC, 2002-) Byte-by-byte Description of file: table1.dat
Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
1- 2 I2 --- [WOL2004] Sequential running number 5- 23 A19 --- CXOU CXOU designation ( 26- 28 F3.1 arcsec e_pos Position uncertainty (1σ) 31- 35 F5.1 --- logP False detection probability (1) 38- 42 F5.2 ct/ks CR On-axis (exposure-corrected) source count rate in the 0.5-8keV band 45- 48 F4.2 ct/ks e_CR Uncertainty in CR 51- 55 F5.2 --- HR ? Hardness ratio, HR=(H-S)/(H+S) (2) 58- 61 F4.2 --- e_HR ? Uncertainty in HR 63- 67 F5.2 --- HR1 ? Hardness ratio 1, HR1=(S2-S1)/S (2) 70- 73 F4.2 --- e_HR1 ? Uncertainty in HR1 76- 80 F5.2 --- HR2 ? Hardness ratio 2, HR2=(H2-H1)/H (2) 83- 86 F4.2 --- e_HR2 ? Uncertainty in HR2 89- 98 A10 --- Note Band of detection and correspondance (3)
Note (1): The false detection probability P that the detected number of counts may result from the Poisson fluctuation of the local background within the detection aperture [log(P) smaller than -20.0 is set to -20.0]. Note (2): The hardness ratios defined as HR=(H-S)/(H+S), HR1=(S2-S1)/S, and HR2=(H2-H1)/H, where the net source count rates are: S1 in the 0.5-1keV band, S2 in the 1-2keV band, H1 in the 2-4keV, and H2 in the 4-8keV band, and S=S1+S2 and H=H1+H2. The hardness ratios are calculated only for sources with individual signal-to-noise ratios greater than 4 in the broad band (B=S+H), and only the values with uncertainties less than 0.2 are included. Note (3): The labels "B," "S," or "H" mark the band in which a source is detected (broad-band B=S=H, Soft or Hard); the detection with the most accurate position, as adopted in CXOU, is marked first. The label "r" and "o" denote the identification as the A2125 complex member galaxies in radio and optical.
History: From electronic version of the journal
(End) Marianne Brouty [CDS] 06-Apr-2005
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Win Free Tickets to See Dubner on Stage in Brooklyn on January 14
HWL_QOTD_Cover_1600x1600_Update012016_FinalWhen Stephen Dubner’s new podcast Question of the Day launched in August, it immediately shot to No. 1 on the iTunes chart. Last month it was selected as one of iTunes “Best of 2015.” (You can subscribe here.) Now you can come see a live taping of the show on Thursday, January 14, at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Join Dubner, his Question of the Day co-host, James Altucher, and their special guest Negin Farsad for an evening of conversation that will run from the ridiculous to the sublime (and occasionally both).
The concept of Question of the Day is simple: Dubner and Altucher take turns asking each other a question — for instance: “What are the secrets of being likable?” “What is the best possible future discovery or invention?“ “What social norms will be considered immoral in 100 years?” In the blink of an eye, their conversation will range from fact-based reality to unapologetic dogma.
With Dubner and Altucher, you never know where the conversation will go, or what you’ll learn. Throw in a live audience — and their questions — and the night is sure to be memorable, and a lot of fun.
Buy tickets here. Or submit your own question for a chance to win two free tickets. Post it below in the comments section or tweet it @QOD.
I was listening to the podcast 'this idea must die" and the last speaker ended by suggesting collaboration between fields to answer questions, for example: collaboration between philosophers and scientists to answer questions regarding happiness. I think obviously that's a great idea and would be a really fun project to work on. It would be great for philosophers especially, given the dismal employment outlook in that field. But why are scientists so 'science' and philosophers so 'philosophy'? We are all humans right? Don't we all kind of have the capacity to 'be' a little bit of everything? Why isn't this incorporated into our line of work?
Joey L.
I can't make it to the show so I don't want the tickets.
HOWEVER, do you think you can predict someone's personality type by observing how close (or not so close) one parks to the "parking block"? For example, some that parks right next to it may be more cautious and guarded while someone who parks further away may be more relaxed and carefree (or something else). Just a thought.
Catherine V
Why haven't we evolved as a species away from aggression?
Ann S, Roe
why are men still leaders of many world countries, banks and corporations, and yes, the Catholic Church, when there are just as many, if not more, talented women who could serve as well (and most likely do a better job ?
With the advent of on-demand streaming music will artists eventually stop producing albums and only produce singles?
No tickets wanted.
Questions: (1) Is there a way to distinguish university research, from the work product of an oligarch-funded think tank or, from an industry trade publication? And, does it matter, in terms of university community members, nation and world perceptions/policies?
As an example, a professor at a prestigious university, co-writes a paper with a Walton-financed pro-charter school organization. The paper is funded by the Waltons. And, the paper arguably reads like a marketing plan for charter schools.
(2) Does the opinion of the public matter (a) if a Silicon Valley executive corporatizes public schools, through his influence in the U.S. Dept. of Education and enriches tech companies and, (b) if a discount retailer, acting as plutocrat, privatizes public education, enriching hedge funds? The record shows, for their own children, the "reformers" choose schools that reject their designs.
Following up on my 2nd question- Levitt referred to Roland Fryer as his "brother" and shared a story about Fryer, in a Freakonomics post,"Fryer and Levitt Go Ghetto". Diane Ravitch's blog (23 million views) posted, "Who Is Roland Fryer?", written by independent education researcher, Mercedes Schneider. In the comments that follow the post, there is a link to a transcript of a Fryer interview in which he says, "I don't want a lot of standardized tests for my kids (in suburban Boston schools). It will crowd out things they need like Shakespeare...Kids at the bottom in failing schools should be tested every day....". A reporter with Mother Jones (Sept./Oct. 2015) interviewed an urban child, who is subjected to 266% more tests than her suburban counterparts. Her need for an equivalent diverse curriculum, similar to the schools that "reformers" choose for their own children, was palpable.
There was a time when America would have protected its young from the abuses of politicians, with their hands out to test and tech moguls and, from those who starve their schools of funds.
Misters Dubner, Farsad and Altucher, does, respect from one's own children, require empathy for others and, acts of conscience?
Will we ever be able to understand other species' languages?
My question to try to win free tickets: Do you know that there is a lot of physical evidence that the shot that killed JFK came from a secret service officer Hickey riding in the car behind JFK, who fired his AR-15 weapon accidentally when the car suddenly lurched? Evidence includes the fatal bullet hole in JFK's skull came from a hollow point bullet and is unlike the other two smaller bullet holes from Oswald's bullets, and doctor(s) in the hospital giving statements that secret service men later asked him to create phony X-rays to cover up this horribly embarrassing accident?
Noga M S
Why is air travel, still, such a big hustle? | <urn:uuid:e830e29a-2aec-4f47-b6f2-a876ba6834ff> | http://freakonomics.com/2016/01/07/win-free-tickets-to-see-dubner-on-stage-in-brooklyn-on-january-14/ | en | 0.956788 | 0.118568 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Inductive Bible Study
Inductive bible study involves the direct observation of the scripture context.
It helps the student learn how to dig into a bible passage to discover the facts, relate and interpret those facts and then finally apply them to his/her life.
It means mining the truths of the scripture by oneself.
Click thumbnail to view full-size
To be Inductive
This means seeking to understand the whole by studying parts.
Therefore, we don’t start with answers rather, we discover the answer.
Therefore, we move from particular to general, small to large, a single verse to totality of scripture.
It is a discovery that yields ownership of truth i.e. Personal revelation.
Click thumbnail to view full-size
To study means
To …
• Survey,
• Examine,
• Analyze,
• Inquire,
• Consider,
• Scrutinize,
• Research,
look at something carefully and finally generate a report.
Brief Detail About The Bible
The bible is a unique book…
Written in 1600years,
by more than 40 human authors,
each in different circumstances,
in 3 languages (Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew),
“Yet it remains consistent”
It is God’s changing power (Rom 1:16); it has a life-giving power. It embodies the quest for our lives. The scripture has the picture of our future.
Therefore, inductive bible study is a simple step-by-step method of discovering bible truth by ordinary people.
It involves the use of the bible itself as the primary source of information.
The main requirement here is the willingness to slowdown and look at what the bible is saying (the scripture speaks; therefore, it has a voice).
Employment of Inductive Bible Study
Why Employ Inductive Bible Study ?
1. To be equipped to study the bible on your own or as an individual.
2. To be independent of relying solely on another person’s interpretation by discovering what the author says and means to the original hearers or readers.
3. To be able to test various theological systems, thereby upholding the bible as final authority. Rom 11:17.
4. To grow in the knowledge of the word and strengthen personal faith. 1 Pet3:8, 2 Tim 2:16-17
5. Ultimately, to be transformed by God’s word. Rom 12:2
Life Illustration
1. Imagine a dentist tells you to say “ah”, looks into your mouth.To the untrained like us, we don’t really know what to look for, but he does. And after the observation, he will interpret his findings as a diagnosis. His application then becomes the patient’s prescription
2. Imagine you are in a crime scene investigation, with inspectors look for clues like hair, fiber, blood and a number of other things. Then those involved in the inspection exercise will interpret what their findings mean to determine what direction of the source and may be velocity which the droplet of blood was traveling from and so on…
Each profession described above behaves this way because it is their job, what is our job?
When you know what God says, means and how to put His truth into practice (reality), you will be equipped for every circumstance of life (2Tim. 3:16, 17)
How is inductive bible stud achieved?
1. Observation
2. Interpretation
3. Application
© 2014 Abba Elijah also known as elija_god (elijagod)
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abbaelijah 2 years ago from Nigeria Author
You are welcome Always Exploring !
always exploring profile image
always exploring 2 years ago from Southern Illinois
I must admit that i'm confused about the many differences in the bible, different men writing their own beliefs, yet written under God's hand. I believe in God and a hereafter. All will be made clear someday. Informative hub. Thank you for sharing.
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Spring is here! Here are 16 way to delight this fresh new season.
1. Make drinkable afters parfaits or crisp strawberry baking-powder biscuit
and top beside material whipped ointment.
2. Take your kids on a drive to the zoo.
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Popsicles on the frontal structure. Keep some walk calcite handy and
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6. Find a new, thick, and riveting innovative and sit outside - or in
front of an unscrew frame - and read for the oversimplified delight of it.
7. Just for the afternoon, widen all of your windows, even if it method
you need to put on a pullover. This is really good to do during those
first spring rains. The fragrance of precipitation is one of spring's richest
8. Tune up your scrambler and go for a sudden drive.
9. Blow froth.
10. Tonight, set a primitive table exterior and dine in al mural.
11. Treat yourself to a new double act of dark glasses.
12. Make seasoner sun tea.
13. Mix up a homemade fruit smoothie for breakfast.
14. Give all of your ancestral members a liquid camera, and run
a amble through your neighborhood. Document the signs of time of year and sort
the resultant photos in a springtime montage for your divider or refrigerator movable barrier.
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PolitiFact: Carbon Monoxide Still Used in Animals Shelters
Apr 10, 2013
State Sen. Kirk Watson of Austin, who wants to ban the use of carbon monoxide to euthanize dogs and cats in Texas shelters has a proposal working through the legislature.
Watson claimed 29 shelters use carbon monoxide to kill animals. Watson’s office told the Politifact Texas team that he relied on the Texas Humane Legislative Network, which lobbies on behalf of animal welfare. Representatives of the group sent us a list they said they based on contacting every city and asking about the use of carbon monoxide.
How did Watson's claim rate? Listen to the story. | <urn:uuid:16590bac-be40-4494-9216-c373daac05e8> | http://kut.org/post/politifact-carbon-monoxide-still-used-animals-shelters | en | 0.921858 | 0.086914 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Manufacturing Oxygen at Home – Circuit Diagram
The post will explain how to manufacture or make oxygen at home in bulk quantity, using our AC mans as the supply source and without using salt.
Everyone knows the possibilities of these kinds of two gases and how crucial they may be around the world. Oxygen is the life preserving gas without which no existing creature on this planet can exist, hydrogen on other hand features its own advantages which enables you to be looked at as the future fuel which might eventually power our vehicles and cook our foods as soon as all the easily accessible fossil resources goes out of stock and gets exhausted.
In school days everyone has discovered and observed the method known as the electrolysis of water, where water which can be comprised of two main ingredients H2O (two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen) is split up forcibly with the aid of electric current.
In spite of this within this procedure, usually a bit of salt is added or at some time a drop of sulfuric acid is added for improving the electrolysis method.
This leads to fast electrolysis method, and you can easily refer to large and thick amounts of gas bubbles show up across the two electrodes which can be linked to a potential difference source or simply to a battery.
On the other hand there may be an misunderstanding that the above practice produces oxygen and hydrogen easily, in reality that might not be the situation and if we cautiously evaluate the procedure you will discover it’s not the water but the added chemical which happens to be getting broken in the affect of the electric current.
Which means if we include salt to water, the electrolysis method will produce the gas chlorine and sodium deposits over the two electrodes and not oxygen or hydrogen… can imagine the generation of H and O, but in very minimal quantities.
For producing pure oxygen and hydrogen by means of the strategy of breaking down water parts we have to apply the means of electrolysis without the addition of any foreign chemical into water.
In easy terms the process ought to be performed breaking H2O directly without the assist of any catalyst medium.
In spite of this if you attempt to accomplish this, you will see the technique to be very lethargic and completely not possible, because the bond between the H2O elements are so terrific, it may turn out to be unachievable to disintegrate them into parts.
But it can be achieved by way of brute force, signifies rather than low power DC, if we utilize mains AC, and begin it into a container filled with water, we may indeed have the ability to force the liquid to split into its pure forms.
This Process Happens To Be Found BY ME, I Presume SO, Simply because Its Not Been Mentioned Elsewhere On The Web Up To Now.
OK, the technique is as effortless as it could be, while testing I discovered that by converting mains AC to DC, the procedure aggravates more quickly and thick fogs of gases can be viewed across the specific electrodes.
And it is certainly crucial that you make use of DC. otherwise the gases will alternately created over the two electrodes haphazardly totally ruining the results.
So….it’s all about producing a bridge rectifier circuit utilizing four diodes, 1n4007 will do. take four of them and develop the bridge rectifier module and next wire up the system as per the presented diagram.
The glass equipment will have to be cautiously fixed. As might be observe in the figure, the two glass tubes are inverted inside a container stuffed with water.
The two tubes needs to be filled with the water such that both the tubes share the container water among on their own.
A number of GRAPHITE electrodes are installed in such a way that they get inside the tubes water content just like demonstrated in the figure.
The electrodes are shut down out by means of particular wires connections which are usually even more attached to the bridge rectifiers positive and negative outputs.
The bridge rectifier inputs are in turn linked to mains AC.
The instance power is turned on, thick surfs of bubbles may be seen being deducted from the electrodes and exploding into the specific gas forms into the vacant area of the tubes.
Considering that there is certainly no external chemical needed right here, we are able to believe the gas formed and gathered inside the tubes to be pure oxygen and hydrogen.
As the method is permitted to keep on, you will discover the water level coming down and obtaining transformed into oxygen and hydrogen within the two tubes.
The tubes really should have a valve type arrangement at their top termination, to ensure that the stored gas could be either shifted to a larger container or instantly found from the nozzles by discharging the taps or the valve mechanism.
THE Whole Strategy Consist of High AC and DC Potentials, Death May Come Within Minutes if any of the parts of the system is Touched, even the water is highly Harmful to touched in Turned On Position. You Should Not Short Circuit The Electrodes, Which Can Lead To Fire and Huge Explosions, Great Caution Must Worked out while Working with This set up.
The above shows the circuit diagram for making oxygen at home in large quantities | <urn:uuid:4a419a7f-36ae-418b-9af1-7d2935ab5d84> | http://makingcircuits.com/blog/2015/10/manufacturing-oxygen-at-home-circuit-diagram.html | en | 0.94313 | 0.024022 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Free and Discounted Ebooks
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anger now almost completely gone. "Of course, I know that you didn't intend to shoot so near me; but in the future I advise you to empty your rifle before you come so near to a house."
"But I have wanted to put a bullet into that knot from the trees back there ever since I have been here, and now let's see if I struck it fairly."
As if he considered that he had made all necessary apologies for the shot which had startled Ralph, the boy started towards the barn, and in another instant he was pointing triumphantly to the offending knot in the board, which had been completely shattered by the bullet.
"There!" he cried. "Harnett said I couldn't hit it from that dead pine tree, and that even if I did succeed in hitting it, I couldn't split it. Now we'll see what he has got to say to that."
Ralph had nothing to say as to the argument between his friend and the stranger, and in the absence of anything else to say, he asked:
"Do you live here?"
"I am living here just now, and
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Marvel Database
Bor Burison (Earth-616)
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Ruler of Asgard
Trapped in the Snow
As the fight raged on, Bor was beginning to gain the upper hand. Thor knew that he couldn't stop Bor unless he had help. Thor cried "AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!" into the Heavens, but those who answered the call were not exactly the people Thor had in mind. Instead, Bor and Thor found themselves confronted by the Dark Avengers (sans Ares and The Sentry) who, upon making their grand entrance, went after both of them. However, Bor proved to be too powerful a foe for the Dark Avengers and easily defeated those who were left behind after The Iron Patriot was tossed out of the fight by Thor. With the Dark Avengers out of the way, Bor and Thor resumed their fight.[4]
Superhuman Strength: Being an Asgardian, Bor possesses superhuman strength. However, his strength far surpasses that of a regular Asgardian. He was able to match Thor blow for blow and even gain the upper hand once or twice during their fight, despite Thor being the physically strongest Asgardian. He also proved to be too much for the Dark Avengers. It is implied that he can further augment his strength through the use of his godly magic.
Superhuman Speed: Bor can move and react at speeds far surpassing even the finest human athlete.
Superhuman Stamina: A typical Asgardian can exert himself for about 24 hours before their bodies begin feeling fatigue. Since Bor is one of the oldest and mightiest of his race, it is implied that he can push himself for far longer than that.
Superhuman Durability: Bor's skin, muscles and bones are much tougher than even some of strongest Asgardians. His incredible durability allows him to go toe-to-toe with some of the heaviest hiters of the Marvel Universe. He was able to withstand full force blows from Thor's hammer, the same that were able to knock down Hercules with ease, who in turn held his own against an enraged Worldbreaker Hulk.
Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite his godly durability,it is still possible to injure him. However, even if he does get injured, his Asgardian metabolism allows Bor to heal from most wounds much, much quicker than an ordinary human or even fellow Asgardians.
Extended Longevity: As most Asgardians, Bor is extremely long-lived, being one the oldest Norse gods in existence. However, he is still not immortal.
Strength level
Bor wields a large axe with great skill.
Bor is one of few beings worthy of wielding Mjolnir, easily catching it after Thor hurled it at him in battle. Bor quickly discarded it however, not thinking it worthy of him.[4]
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Why You Should Never Write a Sponsorship Letter of Request
Stop SignThe only thing worse than a search-and-replace, gold-silver-bronze proposal is the “letter of request”.
I don’t even like the name. Seriously, do people sending these things actually think they can “request” marketing money, and it’s just going to come their way? That there’s no rigour or strategy that goes into spending all of that money? That it’s just there for the asking??
If so, here’s a letter I’d like to write…
Dear Lotteries Commission –
I’m a really nice person, but I have a really big mortgage. I would like to request that I win the lottery, so I can pay it off and take my daughter on holiday to Fiji.
Her next school holidays are at Christmas, so please ensure I win before the end of November, to allow us to plan the trip.
Thank you in advance,
Unfortunately, that’s more or less how most sponsorship letters of request read, as well. I understand that some people don’t know any better, and that some people are just intrinsically lazy, but let me tell you what those letters actually say to sponsors:
“Pretty please, give us some money. We’re really worthy. So worthy, in fact, that we don’t even have to make a business case to access your marketing budget!”
“Here’s a thumbnail about our event. Yeah, we know it’s not customised – or even targeted. Frankly, we sent it to about 400 people we culled from some directory. We await your call.”
“I have no idea what I’m doing, or even what a sponsorship proposal is supposed to look like. But I need it, so… um… here’s a letter telling you why we need your money. You’re the sponsorship manager. I’m sure you’ll know what to do from here.”
“I can’t be arsed doing the work to customise a proposal for you. Imagine what it’s going to be like working with me?”
Are those the messages you want to be sending? Are they going to get you the money you are looking for? No. In fact, you may even burn a bridge with a brand that could have been a great prospect, if you hadn’t demonstrated that you either don’t know what you’re doing, or you don’t care.
If you want to raise sponsorship, you need to put forth your absolute best effort the first time. The first document they ever see from you should be fully customised, include bespoke leverage ideas, and create a full business case for how it works for them. It needs to be complete enough so that your contact can use it to get internal buy-in from other departments. It needs to be complete enough for them to say “yes” without asking for more information.
How do you create a proposal like that? I’ve listed a few resources below to get you started. But whatever you do, don’t send another letter of request.
Need more assistance?
Download the Power Sponsorship Jump Start Brochure
If you could use some additional support, I provide sponsorship coaching, sponsorship consulting, and if you need a fast, cost-effective start, the Jump Start program (download the brochure at the right). If you’re interested in any of these services, please review the materials and drop me a line to discuss:
Kim Skildum-Reid
AU: +61 2 9559 6444
US: +1 612 326 5265
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Nothing says autumn like pumpkin bread and even better that this recipe is gluten free! As the saying goes: It’s delicious and nutritious. With the addition of flax seed your family will get a boost of fiber and Omega 3 essential fatty acids to go along with the homemade-ness of moist pumpkin goodness. This recipe makes two loafs so enjoy one immediately and then freeze individual slices for a quick breakfast (or snack!) on the go.
2 1/2 cups gluten free flour mix*
1/2 cup ground flax seed or flax seed meal
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons honey
1 (15-ounce) canned pumpkin
1/3 cup applesauce
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup coconut oil liquified
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
* You can use a store-bought gluten free flour mix our use the following recommended mixture: 1 1/4 cups coconut flour, 1/2 cup tapioca flour, 1/2 cup millet flour or brown rice flour, 1/4 cup gluten free oat flour
1. Preheat oven to 350° (Note: temperature will be reduced to 325° after the first 10 minutes of baking).
2. Prepare 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans with cooking spray and set aside.
3. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift flours and next 7 ingredients (through salt) together into a large bowl. Combine all dry ingredients thoroughly using a whisk.
4. Combine honey, pumpkin, applesauce, and eggs in a separate large bowl; beat with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the coconut oil.
5. Add the flour mixture to the honey mixture and stir until thoroughly combined (avoid over mixing). Fold in the walnuts.
6. Equally divide and spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
7. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° and bake for an additional 50-55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
8. Cool loaves in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool loaves completely before slicing.
Jennifer Bryman is the mother of two young children and a dedicated Red Tricycle reader who is developing anti-inflamatory recipes the whole family can enjoy. She is a graduate of the Robert Reynolds Chef Studio in Southeast Portland and a board member of the Portland Culinary Alliance. | <urn:uuid:de8236ae-4bac-42a1-a0ee-0f2b463d94d0> | http://redtri.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-bread/ | en | 0.873945 | 0.033987 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
MySQL DML - Querying Data
LESSON 3: Row Restriction - Part 2 - Working with character data types
We continue our journey of row restriction this time working with character data types. You are introduced to the LIKE operator. Also covered are issues pertaining to case sensitivity. The upper and lower functions are introduced.
MySQL Topics Covered | <urn:uuid:8f1610f6-51a3-4dba-a6a2-6cb453b8fea5> | http://sqlinfo.net/mysql/courses/DML-Querying_Data/lesson3-Row_Restriction-Part2.php | en | 0.854347 | 0.020946 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Stop Yawning and Start Building Trains and Other Infrastructure
Let's face it. American style capitalism just ain't what it used to be. If it were we wouldn't be witnessing countries like China running circles around the US in the number of "wind, solar, mass transit, nuclear and more efficient coal-burning projects that have sprouted in China in just the last year." That's Tom Friedman (not me) writing in his latest Op Ed, "Who's Sleeping Now," in Sunday's New York Times.
I've just finished reading Friedman and the piece brought me back to my first visit to China at the close of the Olympics in August 2008. My friend Paul Ross, a Sinophile if there ever was one, was coming to the end of a five-year stint in Shanghai as Director of Corporate Communications for Alcatel Lucent Asia Pacific. After me, Paul is the world's finest tour guide and his fluency in Mandarin, and German, French, and English to boot, didn't hurt any in my decision, after clearing it with my wife who had already been, to book a flight to Shanghai as quickly as I could. "Let me know when you are coming back to the States and I'll come visit before you leave China" was what I'd repeatedly told him over the prior five years. He'd called my bluff and I was fresh out of excuses.
As Lao Tzu said, "A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." Or in my case, a twelve and a half hour flight to Seoul's new Incheon Airport. Built out at sea, Incheon is a spanking new glass and steel affair that the South Koreans should be proud of. In addition to being an infrastructure marvel the restaurant and shopping options are plentiful and go well beyond the poor excuse for sustenance burgers, curly fries, pizza, and nachos sold at every US airport. Though US $18 for a package of kimchi doesn't hold much appeal, I was immediately hooked.
My first taste on this trip of real ingenuity and innovation that leaves the US in the dirt tasted good and, of all places, came at the airport. Aside from the terminal itself I was most impressed with the speed of the free WIFI provided by Naver, "the Google of South Korea" which had set up an inviting lounge just steps from my gate. While IT at my employer had failed me and there was in fact no Blackberry service here in Korea the free internet and great laptops provided by Naver got me through what would have been an interminable wait for the flight to China and helped me forget the half day I'd lost getting there from LAX. That said, any flight that long is best lived through chemistry and Ambien Air came through so well that when I awoke after 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep I had nearly missed the spicy octopus and rice served for breakfast. It was the cephalopod or an omelet and I made a good choice, though what's with the croissant, jam and yogurt on the tray next to the traditional Korean food?
From Seoul grace à Naver, I put out a few fires at work and wrote to family and friends, "All I can think is that the US should be ashamed of itself for how far it has fallen. The next president should do what Korea has done -- jump start the national economy by investing in major public works projects including efficient airports, mass transit systems, bridges, and roads." An hour in the Seoul airport and I'm already an expert on Korean innovation.
I sat in Naver's free Internet square killing as much time as I could before my flight to Shanghai and the service was probably the fastest Internet access I have ever experienced. The only hitch was figuring out which keys in Korean coincided with 'send', 'forward' and 'reply'. Before I knew it, it was time to board my flight to China.
Arriving at Pudong Airport in Shanghai following the endless trip from Los Angeles I was exhausted but pumped with the adrenaline of my first visit to the much talked about economic miracle. After making my way through Immigration and Customs and getting my first glimpse of Jing Jing the Olympic panda mascot I found Paul in the terminal jabbering away on his mobile and we headed off to the Maglev train that takes travelers into Shanghai. Though the high-speed train which can reach 350 km per hour (220 mph) in 2 minutes, with a maximum normal operation speed of 431 km per hour (268 mph), only goes most of the way into the city (for now), the speed, comfort, and efficiency left me looking like Gaby on his first trip to New York in On the Town. The train which takes 8 minutes to travel 30 kms was built by Siemens in part as a sales pitch to governments smart- and forward-thinking enough to make the investment.
If you're one of those who still thinks the US does everything best skip the taxi and take the German built, Chinese run Maglev from Pudong Airport to Shanghai.
Shanghai's scale and the contrasts to life there are not something one can fathom without experiencing it. The most interesting part of my first full day in the city was a walk thru a soon-to-be demolished slum, for lack of a better word, next to a Disneyland-like part of the old town. After lunch at a well-known restaurant where we devoured three different kinds of dumplings and had fun explaining to the prim young woman next to us what her T-shirt reading ''Porn Star in Training" means, we left the gilded collection of trinket shops and restaurants and descended into a series of alleyways through a largely Uighur neighborhood with hanging laundry and turn of the Century Lower East Side-like living conditions. Thanks to my intrepid and knowledgeable guide I was seeing a rapidly vanishing part of the city that the Chinese government would rather the outside world not know about.
The short ferry from Pudong to The Bund where we visited Shanghai's well-deserved architectural highlights including a number of impressive bank and hotel buildings that have been turned into - banks and fancy clothing stores - was equally memorable. The trip took just minutes but gave me a chance to spy up close the ubiquitous motor scooter and cart drivers, the rag and bottle collectors who make their living recycling every salvageable scrap left by the profligate public, hauling mountains of cardboard and such against the background of towering recently built skyscrapers to more lucrative capitalist pursuits.
A side trip by train to Hangzhou, a city of 2.5 million legal residents and countless others that most non-Chinese have never heard of, began at another infrastructure project that would be the envy of any American Mayor. The station on the western side of Shanghai is a masterpiece, tent like and pretty, airy and open in the round. After jostling our way into the station and to the gate, a sport the Chinese take almost as seriously as eating, we boarded a train worthy of the finest artist's renderings of the high speed rail line planned for California. "And ye shall beat your SUVs into trains and light rail lines..." I found myself mumbling as we rolled along at two or three times the speed of the 405 on that driver's Holy of Holies, Christmas day. And the train left on time to boot! In a matter of minutes we were out in the countryside flying through pretty green farmland and orchards interspersed with new neighborhoods of mostly small apartments buildings.
I'm no fool naïve enough to think that China has made its great leap forward without imposing terrible hardship on its people. I'll never forget what I learned in high school and college about the decades of oppression suffered by millions before the Maoists Became Shrubs up on the dais in Tiananmen Square and the Chinese leadership recognized that the Long March goes better with Coke. But, as Friedman has noted countless times, and most recently on Sunday, it's the Americans who are fast asleep at a time of critical importance to the world and to the country both economically and environmentally.
After Hangzhou it was on to Beijing, where we were treated to a city spruced up like never before for the Olympics and the eyes of the world. I'd been warned to watch for the greenwash, the skin- deep steps the Chinese had taken to make it look like they were taking meaningful action to reduce their infamous industrial revolution-era pollution. But before writing off the less smoggy than usual capital as a publicity stunt worthy of Hollywood's finest I will never forget the millions of young trees planted, the parks, and new train lines, roads, and airport constructed to move the proletariat and foreigners from their homes and hotels to the Birds Nest and Water Cube. Perhaps they are gone now (recycled?) but in the few days I was in Beijing I saw more public recycling bins than I see in a month in most American cities.
Progress in Beijing has of course come at considerable cost, including the destruction of hundreds of traditional hutongs where Chinese have lived in tightly knit communities for generations. But public works, as the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Summer Palace demonstrate, are nothing new to the Chinese, and there are few civilizations that rival their achievements.
I dare say the portrait of Mao at the entrance to the Forbidden City winked at me as I marveled at what I'd seen during my visit to China.
Since most of what I understand I learned at Alice's Restaurant, I know that "If you want to end war and stuff, you've got to sing loud." By the same logic, if we want to join the Chinese and other innovators in finding solutions to our clean energy and infrastructure challenges we need to wake up before we sleep through the Green Revolution. It's past time we stopped yawning and started building trains and other things we've neglected to build for too long and to fund innovation in the clean energy sector. From now on, it's no more Ambien for me. | <urn:uuid:39f87904-4169-41c8-8a5f-ebf0fa538000> | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joel-epstein/stop-yawning-and-start-bu_b_418106.html | en | 0.972911 | 0.036733 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
[Metroactive Music]
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[whitespace] Insolence
Revolution Rock: Insolence forges ahead despite conflict and rumors.
Insolence is Bliss
San Jose's Insolence ponders the future after an acrimonious split with its founding member
By Sarah Quelland
"YOU EVER been up here before?" Insolence vocalist Mark Herman asks me as we drive deep into the wilderness along twisting Hicks Road near the Guadalupe Reservoir. "This is where teenage boys take girls in Los Gatos to scare them with stories of albinos."
Sitting in the passenger's seat of Herman's hulking Pontiac Aztek, I'm not thinking about albinos. Rather, I'm hoping neither Herman nor bassist Paul Perry notices that I'm slowly turning five shades of green. I should have taken Dramamine.
As Herman rolls my window down, we talk about the future of Insolence and the brand-new tracks the band has committed to tape. Alluding to the title of its major-label debut, Revolution, Perry is quick to reassure: "The revolution's still going on. Despite what people think, our band is alive and well."
There's been speculation on the status of Insolence since Herman, Perry, vocalist Billy Rosenthal, guitarist Mike Rowan and DJ Jerry Dalalo parted ways with drummer Mando Cardenas and manager Angie Cardenas due to the oft-repeated refrain "irreconcilable differences."
Herman and Perry remain cautious and diplomatic when discussing the situation, but the bad blood is obvious. The last straw, they say, came when Mando tried to replace guitarist Rowan. According to Perry, when the rest of the band refused, Mando expected the group to break up and everyone to go their separate ways. "It's, like, 'What do you mean? We're the band,'" says Perry, incredulous. "Obviously, there's a problem if five people walk away from you."
The new group has written 18 songs and recently spent a week in Malibu recording a 13-track demo with new drummer Kevin Higuchi (Salmon, the Brownies, Neosoreskin). Insolence is shopping for a producer for the sophomore release on Maverick.
"We supposedly broke up, but yet we just recorded 13 tracks," Herman says. Perry nods in agreement from the back seat. "While all the drama was going on, we were in a studio locked away making mad-scientist music for the next generation."
The San Jose band built its fan base on an energetic fusion of rap, reggae, hip-hop and metal. Revolution may not have blown up, but it did spawn a minor hit with "Poison Well" and opened new opportunities. "Natural High" showed up on the Little Nicky soundtrack; Insolence did a cameo in the movie Driven; and "Poison Well" was featured in the trailer for the Robert Redford movie The Last Castle. More recently, the band toured Japan.
Around twilight, we park on a well-worn patch of grass near a small, still lake. Herman calls this his thinking spot. In these peaceful surroundings, with frogs croaking nearby and deer grazing in the hills, Herman plays the new Insolence material on his car stereo. The island-flavored music doesn't disrupt the quiet, natural setting but, rather, strangely complements it.
The new Insolence stays true to its street roots and shows a progression, adding touches of drum 'n' bass and dub. They've put their own unique stamp on the metal-meets-reggae sound, taking it in a more aggressive direction than other hybrid bands like 311 or Long Beach Dub Allstars. For the first time, both Herman and Rosenthal sing. Rosenthal's voice proves particularly expressive, merging masculinity with sensitivity on a love song he wrote titled "Gold."
Other song titles describe the struggles the band has faced over the past year: "Downfall," "So Long," "No More Lies," "Nothing Left" and the antiwar "War."
"I feel like this is the most uplifting, positive record we've written so far," Herman states. "And I think that just comes with age and experience and all the crap that we've gone through. It's all helped feed our fire."
They may need the energy. The guys are in the early stages of a legal battle with founding member Mando (who is now in a new rap-metal band called Lifted) to determine which side owns the rights to the name Insolence. Herman lets out a weary sigh. The future is a constant weight on his mind, and he's done carrying it for tonight.
"The band's more of a brotherhood now than it ever has been. Whether the name of the band is Insolence or not, we will still always be Insolence in our hearts. And the name of the band doesn't make a band. The songs make a band and we're the band writing those songs."
Insolence plays Saturday (May 18) at the Cactus Club, 417 S. First St., San Jose. Sikness, Sol Ascending and Two Steps Behind open. (408.491.9300)
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New Book Identifies Most Controversial Wikipedia Topics
July 18, 2013
New Book Identifies Most Controversial Wikipedia Topics
Enid Burns for - Your Universe Online
Warning, this article may be heavily edited. The preview of a new book reveals the top ten topics that spark "edit wars" on Wikipedia.
"The most controversial topics on Wikipedia: A multilingual and geographic analysis," written by Taha Yasseri, Anselm Spoerri, Mark Graham and Janos Kertesz; posted a draft chapter of a book that is to be published next year by Scarecrow Press.
BBC reported that three other institutions were involved in the research and writing of the book. The book looks into the most controversial topics that spur "edit wars" in ten different language versions of Wikipedia. In each language the authors visualize and analyze the similarities and differences that each language produces for hot-button topics.
The book preview teases with the top ten topics in English, German, French, Spanish, Persian, Czech, Hungarian, Arabic, Romanian and Hebrew. The top ten topics for spawning "edit wars" on Wikipedia for the English language are:
1. George W. Bush
2. Anarchism
3. Muhammad
4. LWWEe
5. Global warming
6. Circumcision
7. United States
8. Jesus
9. Race and intelligence
10. Christianity
"So it's not surprising that disputes arise over the wording of these articles. Indeed, the controversy can sometimes reach war-like proportions with one editor changing the wording and another immediately changing it back again," said the Technology Review article.
"The result is a fascinating insight into the way conflicts emerge in different languages and how they are resolved. Yasseri and co also reveal the controversies that are common across language groups and how they vary around the world," the Technology Review article said.
"Further research is planned to log how controversial topics change over time," BBC News reported.
The public who contribute to and regularly refer to Wikipedia will likely find the academic look the book gives to Wikipedia interesting. The challenge will be that the book will remain in control of the authors, and won't be subject to editing by the public. | <urn:uuid:35edce88-5e28-4b0f-8d57-4c01aa66edb3> | http://www.redorbit.com/news/technology/1112901301/wikipedia-top-controversies-outlined-new-book-071813/ | en | 0.92899 | 0.059005 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Faculty Majors Minors Courses Honors
Environmental Studies and Sciences
ESS Program Mission Statement
The Skidmore College Environmental Studies and Sciences Program builds upon and enhances the mission of the College. First, the program helps students become environmentally literate citizens. Such citizens as consumers, parents, voters, and community leaders will serve society by acting responsibly as we face the environmentally related challenges of the coming century. Secondly, the program provides an understanding of the connections between academic fields and an interdisciplinary perspective in the preparation of students interested in environmentally oriented career paths in a wide diversity of disciplines.
Students and faculty in the ESS program investigate the interrelationships among cultural traditions, social change, and institutions, and the physical and biological environment in which we live. Because of their increasing complexity, emerging environmental issues require knowledge, methods, and responses that flow from many disciplines. Hence, the program depends heavily on an appropriately balanced understanding of many perspectives drawn from the natural and social sciences, humanities, arts, and pre-professional programs. The ESS major culminates in a team-oriented capstone project, ES 375, that merges theory into practice by employing the student's environmental skills and knowledge in the examination and presentation of an environmental issue.
ESS Program Goals
Basic Concepts. The students should be able to:
a) understand ways that the social world and the natural world function as well as how they influence and are influenced by environmental issues.
b) understand the utility of an interdisciplinary perspective for studying interrelationships between humans and their environment and the issues that result from these interrelationships.
c) appreciate the complexity and importance of environmental issues across time and space. Specifically, students should be able to appreciate contemporary, historical and future environmental issues as well as the interrelationships of local, regional, national, international and global environmental issues.
d) understand various intended and unintended consequences of human responses to environmental issues.
e) appreciate environmental issues and personal responsibilities as a member of a community, which includes the Skidmore campus community and beyond.
Skills and application. The students should be able to:
a) work in collaborative and interdisciplinary contexts to address environmental concerns.
b) understand major methodologies for addressing particular environmental issues.
c) demonstrate basic problem solving and technical skills related to environmental issues (asking questions, analyzing empirical evidence, applying methodologies to answer questions, reporting results).
d) communicate effectively (both orally and in writing) regarding environmental issues.
e) examine personal and community values and ethical dimensions of environmental problems.
f) apply knowledge and skills to develop informed actions regarding environmental issues. | <urn:uuid:d28d5939-82ff-4a32-8f19-b044ab16081a> | http://www.skidmore.edu/environmental_studies/mission.php | en | 0.917817 | 0.033494 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The Only Thing Fred’s Advertising Is Eugenics
So, there’s a new Fred video on YouTube today, and it’s already gotten 380,000 views. I continue to not get it. But this new video sheds some revealing light on Fred’s own motivations for making these insufferable videos. The opening shot features Fred complaining that “Judy” (an imaginary character who it is important to point out despite being imaginary ALSO can’t tolerate him) hasn’t texted him all day, and he holds up some sort of My First Blackberry to show that she’s non-responsive. Fair enough. Except that in the description of the video, Fred advises people to check out his new website, and it’s an advertisement for the weird Blackberry thing, which it turns out is called a ZipIt? And the ad stars Fred? He is their spokesperson? I hope they paid him in punches to the face.
Whoops, that’s your brand image.
I think there are definitely a few things that I would totally buy after watching a Fred video, like noise-canceling headphones, or an industrial grade eye-shower, or a gun with one bullet in it. | <urn:uuid:adfc852d-794d-4b83-84ed-79c65b2512da> | http://www.stereogum.com/1780157/the_only_thing_freds_advertisi/vg-loc/videogum/ | en | 0.954958 | 0.087361 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Linux wins Nigerian school desktops back from Microsoft
It looks like the open letter to Steve Ballmer from Mandriva may have had an impact. From the article:
Mba-Uzoukwu wrote that Microsoft is still negotiating an agreement that would give TSC US$400,000 (£190,323) for marketing activities around the Classmate PCs when those computers are converted to Windows.
It’s not clear how much TSC would pay for each Windows XP licence. Efforts to reach senior managers at TSC, which is a subsidiary of Alteq.ict, an IT consulting business in Nigeria, were unsuccessful.
However, details on Mandriva’s deal with TSC have emerged. Mandriva is providing a customised OS for Nigeria for under $10 (£4.7) per licence, including support, according to its local partner.
It’s clear that Microsoft is willing to go to pretty great lengths to ensure that it’s able to put some stakes down in the growing third world economies. I’m not a lawyer, so don’t have any insight into the legality of this $400,000 “marketing” deal, but it seems that for now the machines are going to be delivered with Mandriva and stay with Mandriva. I have a feeling we haven’t heard the end of this story though.
An open letter to Steve Ballmer from Mandriva
The CEO of Mandriva just posted an open letter to Steve Ballmer:
How is it, you wonder, that a country like Nigeria has the money to not only buy the Mandriva+Classmate solution but also then throw Mandriva away and pay for all those Windows licenses? The answer, I’m sure, is that they don’t. Microsoft is probably marking the license cost to near $0 and may even be tossing in some kicker money (speculation on my part). The thing is, Microsoft has the money to do these kinds of things… and will for some time. Is that really fair competition though? I’d say no, but I’d say it’s also an admission that they can’t win with their old way of doing things. That has to be scary realization for a company that is so used to winning. Kudos to Mandriva for keeping up the fight and for winning deals like this one. I’d guess we won’t be seeing them sign one of the patent covenant deals any time soon. | <urn:uuid:1987ca97-a503-458d-ab89-fb2da5b8537b> | https://jeremy.linuxquestions.org/category/mandriva/ | en | 0.969035 | 0.188948 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Center Content:
Big Sandy HMA
Wild burros living in the Big Sandy HMA today are typically gray, though some may be brown, pink, or black. These animals weigh between 450 and 500 pounds and average 44 inches in height at the shoulder when fully grown. The burros generally inhabit the lower areas of the region, preferring river bottom areas. The current population is estimated to be about 1,000.
Location: The Big Sandy Herd Management Area (HMA) is in west central Arizona, 55 miles southeast of Kingman on either side of U.S. Highway 93. The HMA includes the areas of the Big Sandy River Valley south of Wikieup to Alamo Lake, Burro Creek to the confluence of Boulder Creek and west through the southern foothills of the Hualapai Mountains.
Size: The Big Sandy HMA encompasses almost 244,000 acres.
Topography/Vegetation: Vegetation includes plants typical to Arizona’s interior chaparral, grasslands and lower Sonoran Desert shrub communities. The waters of the Big Sandy River flow lazily into a valley between the Hualapai Mountains on the west and the Aquarius Mountains on the east. The HMA is known for its narrow river beds resting in broad valley troughs, deep gorges and sheer cliffs. The uplands are made up of sloping alluvial fans, dissected by sandy washes. The climate is generally warm, windy and dry with highs exceeding 120 degrees and lows approaching a freezing 30 degrees. The area rainfall averages between 7 and 14 inches annually, falling as intense thunderstorms in late summer and gentle wind-spread rain in the winter months.
Wildlife: Wild burros share this habitat with desert bighorn sheep, desert mule deer, quail, hares, and a variety of small desert mammals.
AML: 111-139
Right Sidebar Content:
Arizona HMA Map | <urn:uuid:6c3d5fce-e26c-422b-8da4-2217dc01916b> | https://www.blm.gov/site-page/programs-wild-horse-and-burro-herd-management-herd-management-areas-arizona-big-sandy-hma | en | 0.887244 | 0.022676 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Is Hopps an Italian surname?
1,051,871questions on
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"Hopps" is most likely not an Italian surname. Most Italian surnames end with a vowel, and the H sound does not exist in the Italian language (assuming the H is pronounced).
However, there's really no way to tell whether the person bearing this surname is actually Italian just by looking at his name.
Ad blocker interference detected!
| <urn:uuid:ac1536ba-2ff4-4b67-a7ee-045345830fd2> | http://answers.wikia.com/wiki/Is_Hopps_an_Italian_surname | en | 0.949576 | 0.830104 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Monday, November 08, 2004
So far, so good
We're almost a week into the mighty mandate. Martial law has not been declared yet, nor have we liberal bloggers been sent to Guantanamo. Now, that might just be because it's taking longer than expected to get our rooms ready, but I prefer to see it in a positive light. We're still here. Let's make some noise.
No comments: | <urn:uuid:617e21ea-3323-4439-9952-89b987e5d49f> | http://johnmckay.blogspot.com/2004/11/so-far-so-good-were-almost-week-into.html | en | 0.976293 | 0.024466 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How to Avoid Probate
By CelesteHarrison
Probate is the judicial process that distributes a person's assets after they die. It makes transfering property simpler by removing any title issues that could arise if you want to sell whatever you've been left. A probate court usually takes an inventory of the deceased's assets and liabilities and distributes those assets after paying any outstanding debts. In most states, probate is required if there's a will (testate), or if there is no will (intestate). If you want to avoid probate entirely to make things easier for your loved ones when you die, follow these steps.
First determine whether it's worthwhile to avoid probate. "Probate" sounds intimidating and expensive; but avoiding it could be more expensive and cumbersome. Speak with an estate planning professional to find out whether you should reorganize your assets to make avoiding probate easier.
Joint tenancy allows two people to have equal ownership over property--most commonly over real estate or bank accounts. Upon your death, the remaining person will become the propery's sole owner. You must take care to ensure that a joint tenancy is right for your property. In general, joint tenancy is usually best between spouses because of tax issues. Still, you can create a joint tenancy with anyone.
If you create a joint tenancy with one child to avoid probate but want to distribute your assets evenly between all your children, you can't do that with joint tenancy--even if you have a will. Additionally, transferring property of any significant value could have tax ramifications (either estate, gift or capital gains) that you must analyze before executing any transfer. Even if your property is owned by a joint tenancy, you still need a will in case your joint tenant dies with you.
Contract-controlled assets you want disbursed when you die are probate-exempt. Such contracts include life insurance, retirement accounts, or contractual trust obligations. Because the property passes through a contract and not a will, the probate court isn't involved in disbursing those funds.
You can also avoid probate by distributing your assets through a revocable living trust. With it, you create a legal entity that can own property. You avoid probate because the assets are not yours; they belong to the trust. To create a revocable living trust you must name a trustee and a beneficiary. You can name yourself (in most states), a bank or a trust company as the trustee. The beneficiary of the trust is the person you want to receive the assets. After creating the trust, you must fund it. Take care to treat the assets as the trustee's; they're no longer yours, although you may still have unrestricted access to the assets.
Perhaps the simplest way to avoid probate is to give away your property while you're alive. As of January, 2007, you can give up to $12,000 in gifts while avoiding any gift tax on the transfer of property. See the resources below for more information. If property does not belong to you when you die, it cannot be subject to probate. | <urn:uuid:bb798232-8750-4a98-9a54-480d67731b50> | http://legalbeagle.com/2019591-avoid-probate.html | en | 0.941628 | 0.562245 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Tag Archives: macleans
‘Third World America’ : How the world (or, er, one magazine in Canada) see the US
third world america
The Sept. 20, 2010 issue of Maclean’s Magazine (a Canadian newsweekly, much like Time or Newsweek) offers us an article entitled “Third World America: Collapsing bridges, street lights turned off…:the decline of a superpower.”
Do you you agree or disagree with that sentiment?
A pull-quote from the article:
A pared-down police force, how can people be safe, a county judge was asked: “Arm yourselves.”
So, is this the unvarnished truth or merely scare tactics? What do you think? Where are we headed as a country, economically- and culturally-speaking? | <urn:uuid:a8028e5a-ea50-42cb-b2de-35f789a76da6> | http://library.waubonsee.edu/wordpress/tag/macleans/ | en | 0.925728 | 0.205991 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
PMfun :: Lineage 2 Game Drop Calculator
Stolen Dignity - Quest
Stolen Dignity
Start Level :58
Start Location: Town of Aden
Type: Repeatable, Party
Rewards: Chance of A-grade weapon components
Races: All
Classes: All
1. To start the quest talk with Warehouse Frieghtman Romp in the Aden Warehouse. He asks that you to hunt mobs to retrieve Stolen Infernium Ore. You can play bingo with him and win A grade weapon parts.
2. Hunt ANY of those mobs. Once you obtain 100 of these, return to romp to play bingo.
You will receive solen infernium ore in your regular, not quest, inventory (so you can trade, setup shop, store them in warehouse, etc.).
Blazing Swamp
Forbidden Gateway
Forsaken Plains
Ancient Battlegrounds
Under Giants Cave
3. After you get 100 or more Stolen Infernium Ore go and talk to Romp and start to play. Pick 6 numbers!
If you get three sets of three in a row (so you need to get a diagonal, a row and a column), you will obtain a set of 4 A-grade weapon components (the type is random).
If you are so bad at bingo that you don't get ANY sets of three in a row, he will take pity at you for being so unlucky and give you a set of 10 A-grade weapon components (the type is random).
If you get neither of these two, you win nothing because you lost at bingo but didn't lose bad enough to make him pity you. | <urn:uuid:919bb12b-c302-4332-9ec9-34c092b70f1d> | http://lineage.pmfun.com/list/quest-more/stolen-dignity | en | 0.915815 | 0.49398 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Commoning in the New Forest
Who are the Commoners ?
Commoners of the New Forest are those who occupy land or property to which attaches one or more rights over the Forest. These rights are common of pasture, pasture for sheep, mast, fuelwood, marl and turbary. The situation is complicated by the fact that abutting the Forest there are a number of manorial commons over which varied rights are claimed by Commoners. In addition those who depasture stock on adjacent commons have the right of 'vicinage' allowing their animals to wander between commons and from the Forest to the commons. The rights are attached to property and not an individual; they have existed since time immemorial, undoubtedly predating the creation of the "New Forest" by King William I in 1079.
What are their rights ?
The most important of these rights today is that of pasture whereby commonable animals are allowed on the Forest. Ponies, cattle, donkeys and mules are commonable animals. Only a few properties have the right to turn out sheep on the Forest: scarcely any exercise it. Mast is the right to turn out pigs in the autumn to feed upon the acorns. This not only provides food for the pigs but helps other animals - eaten in excess acorns are poisonous to the ponies and cattle. Fuelwood is the free supply of a stipulated amount of wood to certain Forest properties. Many of these wood rights have been bought up by the Forestry Commission and their predecessors as the supply causes them some inconvenience.
Common of marl, the right to dig clay for improving agricultural land, is no longer exercised in the Forest: nor is common of turbary. Turbary is the right to cut peat for fuel. In each case the right existed for the Commoner's own use and not for resale.
How do they use their rights ?
Those who wish to exercise the right of common of pasture may do so on application to the Verderer's Clerk who will be able to confirm the existence of the right and allocate a brand for the animals to assist identification. Once they have been branded the animals may be turned out upon payment of a marking fee to the local Agister.
Many that exercise such rights are descendants of families who have been Commoners for generations. Commoning today does not provide a living, it is only economic as part of a system of farming. Many of the larger farmers use the Forest for some of their stock for a part of the year but it is not an economic system that is viable in itself. Most of the smaller Commoners continue with the system because they have always done so and enjoy the life and social aspects that it provides. A number of others have come into commoning for the interest it provides.
Will they continue to do it ?
Commoning, although a way of life to many, has probably never provided the total means of subsistence for any commoner. Many of those who exercise rights over the Forest today do so in addition to a main job, perhaps in local industry or forestry. Today few children of Commoners find it easy to continue the system because of the poor return involved, particularly in the pony market, and the difficulties of finding affordable land and housing in the right area. Many properties with common rights are purchased as retirement or holiday homes with the new owners having no intention of maintaining the old traditions.
Why does it matter ?
The ponies have been called the 'Architects' of the Forest, for it is through their browsing and grazing that the lawns and trees look as they do today. Without their 'work' and that of the cattle and deer the Forest would soon be overgrown with brambles, gorse and other coarse herbage. Without commoning its value for recreation and ecology as one of the major lowland pasture woodlands in Europe would not exist.
Who are they ?
The Agisters are employees of the Verderers of the New Forest. They are often Commoners in their own right for they must have an intimate knowledge of the area and the workings of the Forest. At one time they were called 'marksmen' which indicated a part of their purpose. The name is medieval in origin. Formally as officers of the Crown they were required to collect grazing fees from 'strangers'. Strangers were those who wished to depasture animals but had no right to do so. New Forest Commoners with rights of pasture did not have to pay a fee.
The work is rough and conditions are tough. Working hours can be long and Agisters have to provide round the clock coverage in the event of an emergency. On top of that they have ten bosses (the Verderers) and are required to be good ambassadors for the Forest in general and commoning in particular.
What do they do ?
Their work is to assist in the management of commoner's stock on the Forest. They ride the Forest on a daily basis observing conditions of both land and stock. They are then able to advise and often assist owners in the welfare of the animals.
They collect the 'marking fee' - a payment which helps offset the cost of their employment and the running of the Court of Verderers. They are required to advise the Verderers of unmarked stock and impound animals illegally depastured. The Agisters' busiest time is often the spring when animals 'go back' (lose body condition) quickly. Most Forest ponies are descended from animals that are well suited to local conditions but during a severe winter they may deteriorate rapidly. For this reason the Agisters are particularly alert, providing a continual inspection during the worst months.
How do they do it ?
In the late summer and autumn 'drifts' or roundups are held throughout the Forest. Foals and mares which are to remain on the Forest for the winter are suitably marked. Foals are branded and the tails of mares are cut to distinctive patterns enabling the Agisters to see at a glance that an animal has been paid for and indicating in which area their owner lives. The opportunity may then be taken to treat the ponies for worms and remove any that the owner wishes to sell or keep on his holding to over-winter. Separate drifts are held for cattle in conjunction with their owners.
The Forest is divided into areas with an Agister overseeing each one. The Agister is able to call on the assistance of his fellows and a head Agister. Much of the day to day routine will involve contact with both the animals and their owners so each Agister will develop a deep knowledge of his 'patch.
Animal Accidents
Despite speed limits, on average every other day an animal will be killed or injured on the Forest roads. Sadly one of the most common jobs in recent times is attending road traffic accidents. It is often the Agister's unpleasant but necessary duty to put the animal out of it's suffering. Ponies have less road sense than most 2 year old children and should not be expected to move out of the way of traffic. In the event of an accident the Agisters can be contacted at any time of the day or night through the police emergency service by dialling 999.
What are they ?
Stock turned out in the New Forest mainly comprises ponies, cattle and donkeys, together with a small number of pigs and sheep. In the Forest, the animals turned out to graze are known as "the depastured stock".
Who owns them ?
All the depastured stock in the New Forest is owned by people known as commoners who live in and around the Forest and occupy land to which certain common rights attach. Commoners who depasture ponies, cattle and donkeys occupy land which benefits from the right of common of pasture, whilst those who turn out pigs and sheep need to occupy land to which the right of common of mast and the right of common of pasture, for sheep respectively is attached. Each owner has his own individual brand so that the animals can be identified by the agisters if and when the need arises.
Why are they there ?
Stock has been allowed to graze on the Crown Lane and Adjacent Commons for generations and it is the animals who have helped to create the New Forest as it is today. Their constant grazing and browsing assist in the management of the open heathland and lawn areas. Indeed, they are often referred to as the "architects" of the Forest because without them the Forest would soon become an overgrown jungle. Pigs are allowed into the Forest during part of the autumn known as the pannage season. The pigs eat the fallen acorns which can be poisonous to other stock. Some sows are allowed on the Crown Land at other times of the year but their owners must first obtain written permission from the Forestry Commission. These pigs are known as privilege sows. The exception to this is on certain commons where different rules apply.
How do they live ?
Many of the ponies, cattle and donkeys live in the Forest all year round, grazing the Forest lawns in summer and browsing on gorse, holly and heather in winter. The ponies grow thick coats in winter to protect themselves against the cold.
Stallions which run on the Forest are all approved by the Verderers and a veterinary surgeon to ensure as far as possible that ponies bred on the Forest are of a suitable type; sturdy and able to thrive, whilst at the same time producing good strong foals. Only registered New Forest stallions are allowed.
Foals are mostly born during the spring and summer months. During the late summer and early autumn the agisters hold annual drifts or round ups at which time the ponies are checked over, branded when necessary, the tail hair is cut to indicate marking fees paid, and, if the owners have requested, wormed and fitted with reflective collars. The majority of ponies are turned back out onto the Forest after each drift, although some will be taken by their owners and may be sold at the local pony sales.
Reflective collars are fitted to many hundreds of ponies each year, particularly those which frequently graze the verges of the unfenced roads and are therefore at most risk from passing vehicles. Unfortunately, many Forest animals are killed or injured each year and efforts continue to try to reduce the numbers of animals involved in such accidents. The Verderers are very grateful for the support they receive from Hampshire County Council, the International League for the Protection of Horses (LPH), the Commoners' Defence Association and the Commoners' Animals Protection Society in the supply of the reflective collars, and from the Police in enforcing the 40mph limit.
Welfare is the uppermost consideration in the management of the Forest stock and the Verderers work closely with animal welfare organisations, including the RSPCA, International League for the Protection of Horses, British Horse Society, Donkey Sanctuary, MAFF, National Equine Welfare Council and local veterinary surgeons, visit the Forest twice yearly to monitor the animals' condition.
Updated: 17 Dec 2014
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Saddle Creek | Cursive | Reviews
Mama, I'm Swollen
Author: Nate Jackson
06/29/2009 | OC Weekly | | Live Show Preview
In the ever-expanding roster of introspective, self-deprecating, indie rock bands (avoiding the word "emo" here), there will always be a small handful of forefathers that people will always turn to for the good stuff. Cursive is certainly one of those bands. Not only do they provide a window into what any successful post hardcore band can look forward to, should they survive the music business into their 30s, but they also retain their ability to rock harder than a lot of bands in their 20s. We will get to witness it again first hand as these Omaha heroes roll into the Glass House (P-Town!!!!) tonight.
It's been a couple months since the release of their latest album Mama I'm Swollen (released March 10) and the band continues to tour the country, ingraining new tunes like "From the Hips" and "Mama, I'm Satan" (three words every mother wants to hear) into the hearts and minds of their fans. For those of you who haven't read the Weekly''s recent article on the band by Doug Wallen, music journalist to the stars, you can do that HERE. I also happened to have a little time to chat with lead vocalist/guitarist Tim Kasher and guitarist/vocalist Ted Stevens regarding the latest album, life on the road and Peter Pan. I've cut it down some to accommodate your short attention spans (it's okay, it's Monday and you're busy anyway). You can check that out.....after the JUMP. Oh, and for more details on the show tonight, check THIS out.
How do you feel the live show has changed or evolved at all as you tour on this record?
Ted Stevens: I guess I'd have to talk in terms of instrumentation. For this record we brought our friend Patrick [Newberry] who's been in the band since Happy Hollow. He's doing fugal horn and trumpet and keyboard/organ and synthesizer. So we really have adopted an idea that we are really best represented by a five piece.
It helps up cover the old material through the new stuff and having a guy who can switch up horns and do some of the Happy Hollow horns as well. So I think the live show has changed in that we've stripped down three players to one.
Tim has definitely changed his method of leading the band. Now he's playing a little less guitar and doing more singing and talking to the crowd and moving around and really trying to have a good time and making sure the band is having a good time. He keeps the band surprised, I'll tell you that. You never know where he's gonna end up or what he's gonna do, so that's fun.
I've read some different interviews or press releases where you
talk about the themes of some of the songs on "Mama I'm Swollen" that
center around the idea of grown men that are hesitant to grow up and
"settle down" (the words "Peter Pan Syndrome" seemed to be a
reoccurring theme as well). What are some ways in which you feel that
concept comes into your life now as a touring musician in your mid
thirties? Did finishing the album or writing those songs have any
affect on that?
Tim Kasher: I only had a basic idea of what I wanted to write this record about: I
wanted it to be about my experiences, now that I am here in my thirties... so, it's a little funny, the ideas that rose to the top, that permeated these songs. I think the central character is a bit bratty at times, which, again, is funny to me, as I feel a bit like a
brat refusing to grow up at times. But by acknowledging these inconsistencies, we can learn to correct!! Though I'm still known to throw quite the temper tantrum on stage.
In terms of A.J. Mogis' abilities as a producer, what made you guys want to work with him again for this album?
Ted Stevens: You know he produced the first couple records. And we formed a band with Mike and A.J. in the 90s called Lullaby For the Working Class. And the three of us kinda represented that band recording and on stage. So I guess the history with Cursive and the Mogis brothers just goes back to the very first album. And one of them has been involved in every record and both of them have been involved in the first three or four.
Their talents changed through time and Mike got into a very stylistic kind of production and really earned a name. He's worked with Bright Eyes and worked with other bands and shaped their sound. Cursive is one of them. Mike is largely responsible for Happy Hollow and why it sounds good. It sounds really hi-fi and the arrangements are really out of this world. We wanted, in Ugly Organ we were a lot younger and so was he and we were a different kind of band. You can definitely see his work and the method to the madness throughout the record. But I think that after those few records, we wanted to go back to something more like the first three.
Tim Kasher: AJ is really supportive, as a friend and as someone who has worked on
our records from the start, so we don't need to define much by way of what we're looking for in a record. It's inferred at this point. It's easy to depend on him; he wants to be proud of the record as much as we do.
Is critical success or response to the album affected you guys at this point in your career?
Ted Stevens: It's really hard not to. I think I've really been kinda out of touch as far as the last decade of technological leaps and the way the internet has changed journalism and the way it's changed the music industry and the way the internet has changed the world. I feel like I've been really slow to accept.
I feel like it has affected the band. But for me, I've really started to evaluate how it has changed stylistically. And its hard for me to put a lot of stock...I've noticed just a real decline in writing and it only goes to show that the internet has really widened everything and you can't argue also that it's allowed for some really bad writing to seep through. And with enough hits and with a popular spot, you have an online publication.
It's hard for me to get really sensitive about a bad review, especially if I think it's written poorly. If it's in a respectable paper and it's written well, then it kinda of cuts to the heart, that's good. All bands need that. We've really tried to sort the good from the bad. And I'm really trying to guess where we fit in and that's really hard to know.
Tim Kasher: Ergh... I wish it wasn't, but frankly, it's not altogether pleasant, getting panned. But the rejection/humiliation is quick to pass; I am wholly aware that what we write isn't for everyone. Must be more difficult for the Britney Spears' of the world, who actually ARE trying to write a record for EVERYONE.
Mama, I'm Swollen
Mama, I'm Swollen
LP / CD / MP3 | <urn:uuid:e2ad00dc-1830-435b-9dc7-6d9fa863286e> | http://saddle-creek.com/cursive/review/2368/ | en | 0.983289 | 0.045861 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Can't Judge A Zombie By His Poster
Another ancient blog entry (from 2007) that I'm reprinting instead of writing anything new, because I'm lazy.
A whole bunch of posts and half a year ago, I wrote that my friend Rod and I were stuck in bumper-to bumper traffic on the 405, trying to get to a movie playing in Santa Monica. That movie is now out on DVD, so I thought maybe I’d talk about it. The movie was....
Imagine that perfect 1950s suburbia from LEAVE IT TO BEAVER... combined with the bright, well manicured 1950s soap operas of Douglas Sirk (like ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS)... and throw in that wholesome all American 1950s classic TIMMY AND LASSIE...
But Lassie isn't a dog, it's a domesticated zombie.
That's FIDO.
This is not some scary zombie attack movie, no friends, after we won the zombie war (which seems a lot like WW2 in the newsreel footage that opens the film) zombies have been domesticated and are a servant class. Every suburban family hopes to one day have a zombie of their very own - to take out the trash serve meals, mow the lawn, wash the car, and any other task that sophisticated people may find distasteful.
You end up with a send up of 1950s TV & films, zombie movies, suburbia, the class system, government, Douglas Sirk films, and all kinds of other stuff. I actually laughed so hard at one point that I almost lost consciousness. My stomach hurt. This was the best film I've seen in a long time.
Carrie-Ann Moss is mom, Dylan Baker is very repressed dad, Tim Blake Nelson is the next door neighbor and Henry Czerny (the asshole political aid who double crosses Harrison Ford in one of those Tom Clancy movies) as the pipe smoking perfect dad down the street... and Billy Connelly as the zombie Fido (an amazing performance, since all he does is grunt and growl).
The film is supposed to be the most expensive Canadian film ever made (cast, probably) but only played on a couple of screens in the USA and the showing we went to wasn’t crowded at all. The plan was to expand to more screens if the film is successful...
But it never came to a cinema near you. Instead it vanished, only to appear a couple of weeks ago on DVD.
And, just like HOSTEL 2, I think the problem was in the marketing. (That’s *twice* I’ve blamed marketing - really unusual). Here’s the thing - you need to get the people into the cinema on a movie like this, so that they will laugh and then tell their friends that have to see it. That’s where marketing comes in.
The first problem with this film is the title: FIDO. When I read a list of new films opening over that weekend, I saw FIDO and skipped right past it. G rated family film about a dog. Not even a good title for a G rated family film - tells us *nothing* about the story. LASSIE COME HOME - hey, Lassie is lost and has to find his way home! So FIDO not only makes you think it’s a family film when it’s really a horror comedy, it also doesn’t tell us anything about the film. Your title is like a mini logline - it needs to tell us what the story is about. Some of you may be thinking, “Hey, it’s about a zombie named Fido!” But we only know that *after* we have seen the movie. We want the title to tell us what the movie is about *before* we see it.
The target audience for FIDO would never see a film with that title.
Then we come to the poster...
What the hell is up with that? The poster is supposed to sum up the story in an image... Can you tell from the poster that this movie takes place in the 1950s? Or that it’s about a boy and his zombie? That it is a comedy? Or that Billy Connelly is even a zombie? He looks kind of weird in the poster, and has that punk collar thing, but that poster tells us *nothing* about the movie. The artwork that was on the NuArt Theater’s flyer was much better - it had silhouettes of the 1950s family (iconic images) and the boy holding a leash... with a zombie on the other end. That sums it up... but it’s not the poster.
The poster is in collage style - and I hate that. I was in a book store a while back and bought a Greg MacDonald book about Inspector Flynn. MacDonald created Fletch - the clever investigative journalist who always gets involved in some murder mystery - you may know the character from the Chevy Chase movie. If you haven’t read the books - check them out. Great writing and fantastically witty dialogue. The paperback versions in the 70s used to have a dialogue passage on the *cover* instead of art work. That was the selling point - really clever writing. Inspector Flynn pops up in the 3rd Fletch book, accusing Fletch of murder and chasing him throughout the book. He spun off into his own series, and this was a recent book I didn’t know existed...
Even when I saw it, I didn’t know it existed. Because the book cover was some sort of collage with the title written with every letter in a different font. It looked like someone dumped a bunch of stuff on a table, glued it in place, and that was the cover. Huh? I probably looked at this book a hundred times before realizing that it was a Flynn book. And the cover gives me *nothing* about the story - actually, under the crap there’s a sketch of a guy with a nail in his ear. That’s part of the story. But the sketch doesn’t look like a crime novel picture, it looks like something you’d find on the cover of a Gay romance. Cover doesn’t match the contents at all. Though there is a boy with a nail in his ear, the main story is something entirely different and much more exciting: someone is sending death threats to a Harvard professor and breaking into his house. Flynn has only a few days to stop the killer from striking. The nail in the ear thing is a minor subplot... but the cover of the book. Was that because they could find a sketch of a boy and add it to the collage?
When you look at old movie posters, they are amazing. They tell the story, set the mood, and usually feature the star’s face, The lower the budget of the movie, they less they could depend on the star and the more they had to find an *image* the sums up the story. I just did an article for Script about creating the poster image for your screenplay - because I think it’s important to know how they are going to be able to market your work down the line. When some producer says, “I love the script, but kid, I have no idea how the hell we’re going to market it”, you can pull out your poster. If you can’t figure out what the poster for your movie looks like, how the heck do you expect some non-creative guy in a suit to figure it out?
The thing about collage posters and collage book covers is that it’s just gluing together existing elements. It’s not creating the one iconic image that sums up the book or film, it’s using someone else’s stuff. The movie posters of the past were amazing, but somewhere along the line, movie posters have become all about star faces. Instead of finding that image that tells us what the story is about, we get George Clooney’s face. “I have no idea what the movie is about, but George Clooney is in it, so I’ll see it!” Hey, that’s great for Clooney fans, but what about everyone else? What about people who want to know what the movie is about before they plunk down their $11.50 (what I paid last night at the AMC in Burbank). What happened to those folks who created the amazing images that summed up the story?
Did collages - the concept of using pieces of *someone else’s* creation - squeeze them out? Have we been breeding humans to think “collage” instead of “creativity”?
I read scripts (and even see movies) that are just collages. Take existing elements from popular films and glue them together. Quentin Tarantino is the king of Collage Movies. Take a Ringo Lam Hong Kong cop film about a jewelry store heist gone wrong and the band of bandits in a warehouse aiming guns at each other and wondering which one of them is an undercover cop and add the color name thing from PELHAM 1-2-3 and the... well, eventually you have a bunch of scenes from other people’s films processed into a new movie. Check out Mike White’s WHO DO YOU THINK YOU’RE FOOLING and YOU’RE STILL NOT FOOLING ANYBODY (about PULP FICTION).
Tarantino is a genius - he can take the pieces of other people’s work and turn them into something uniquely his own...
The funniest thing are the collage scripts that use bits from Tarantino movies - for a while it seemed like every other script was someone pretending to be Tarantino.
None of the other “collage scripts” I read seem able to do what QT does (make it work). All they have done is lifted scenes from better films. No creation involved, just some cut & paste. These scripts have no soul, no point of view, no theme... but they often have all kinds of scenes that would look good in a trailer. I think that’s why they sometimes get bought and made.
Now, I’m not talking about those homage scenes, or those scripts that have been influenced by some other writer (FIDO is influenced by Sirk and Lassie and George Romero - three things that don't seem like they'd work in the same movie)... I’m talking about the ones that are just collages. Nothing original about them. They were made on some assembly line somewhere. Nothing was created, it was just glued together.
I think fan fiction is the ultimate in collage writing. They take someone else’s character, someone else’s world, someone else’s basic situation... and they put together some sort of story *based on those existing elements*.
For me, movies and stories are *about* characters. The most important thing is to create your own, personal, characters.
One of the message boards where I regularly answer screenwriting questions has a large number of fan fiction people, all writing INDIANA JONES and STAR WARS and LORD OF THE RINGS and PIRATES movies. *Not* creating their own characters. Whenever I feel like tilting windmills and mention this, I get the “Every writer started off writing fan fiction” from a half dozen people. Well, I have no idea if that is true today... but it was not true when I began writing. The idea then was to create your own characters and stories and situations. Sure, you may have read a lot of Raymond Chandler (like me) and your early work is about a private eye and seems influenced by Chandler (mine was) but my stories were about a private eye in my home town area who had completely different character issues to deal with than Philip Marlowe and what was cool for me was to *create* his methods, his office, his weapons, his *world* and make it completely my own - based on things I loved and problems I was going through and the world I knew. My first stories were about a Private Eye named Nick Carrico who had an alcohol abuse problem after accidentally shooting his partner when he was a police detective. Now, none of that is Philip Marlowe. The idea of writing something back then - when dinosaurs ruled the earth - was to *create* something. To *create* your own characters and situations and worlds and dialogue and scenes. Not to write about the time Captain Jack Sparrow and Will went on a pirate adventure in Cuba... and fell in love.
How we went from that to fan fiction is beyond me. At what point in time did people say, “I’d rather not go through all of the trouble to create my own characters... I’ll just use somebody else’s work”? When did *not creating* become the norm? When did people begin thinking that someone else’s creation was better than theirs? That their original work wasn’t good enough, so they should use someone else’s? That collage is art?
Collage is not better than creation.
YOUR individual creation is YOURS.
George Lucas can send of C&D letters from his lawyers closing down fan fiction sites - because *he* owns those characters... but no one can take away original characters that you created. Original situations and worlds you created. Those are *yours*. The thing about fan fiction is that it diminishes the writer.
The collage poster for FIDO was used on the DVD box... what a mistake! Was this because no one in the marketing department is capable of creative thought? That evolution has created a generation of people who can cut & paste, but not create? Or was it just some lazy guy in marketing who thought the collage was good enough for the poster (that managed to kill a great film) so why not use it on the DVD?
Whatever the case - create your own material... and check out FIDO on DVD. It's really good on a bunch of different levels.
- Bill
TODAY'S SCRIPT TIP: Character Goals, The Hulk and Hulk 2 (with Ed Norton)... but not Hulk Hogan.
Yesterday’s Dinner: Fish Tacos at Islands in Burbank.
Movies: BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD. Okay... Marisa Tomei is nekkid in about a quarter of the movie. That may be a selling point for some of you - I read an interview where she said she didn't wanther parents to see the film because she's nekkid all the time. That is damned good PR work for a film with a story that is very low key, and looks like they dug it out of a 1974 time capsule.
My friend joked that it looked like they ran out of money and couldn't color time it.
Good dramatic thriller that escalates as one thing after another goes about as wrong as it could. Story does this thing where it backtracks and takes another primary character's POV for a bit - but there's no connective tissue between the segments, so there's no flow. It needed visual linking (like Sayles used in LONE STAR - that stuff has to be in the script). And sometimes it pulls you out of the story - or, at least, pulls you out of a character just when things are getting juicy.
You can also see a bunch of stuff coming from *way* down the pike - which is kind of lame plotting (in one instance) - setting up something that solves a problem later in the story, but actually creates a logic problem.
But I forgive all of the problems because what you end up with is some really tense material - basically a family drama with firearms. It's relentless.
DVDs: PULP... not PULP FICTION, but the film with Michael Caine playing a writer. One funny thing of note were the sight gags - all kinds of them. Many having to do with taxi cabs. The *same* taxi cabs heep coming back throughout the story - more and more banged up. Film is one of those comedies where you smile, but don't bust a gut. Mystery-based, with clues you can follow.
Pages: Nothing lately...
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Trailer Tuesday: Death Machines
This is an old blog entry from 2008, but since there is a remastered BluRay coming out TODAY I thought I'd rerun this entry.
This is for Bill over at Pulp 2.0... and anyone else who likes well aged cheese...
My connection to this movie? It was directed by Paul Kyriazi, who got me into the biz when he gave me 2 weeks to write NINJA BUSTERS. Paul went to the same community college that I did, and took the same film class. I would constantly bump into him at the movies - which was strange when it was some cinema 30 miles away from home showing some obscure samurai film. DEATH MACHINES was made for drive ins, shot on 35mm and probably Panavision (scope) for not much money. I saw it at the "premiere" at the Pleasant Hill Motor Movies... which is now a shooping center. No champagne at this opening, but beer was smuggled in, along with some friends, in the trunk of the car.
Paul tells a funny story about the plane explosion - they bought the plane from a guy, blew it up, then sold him back what was left for parts. The truck that drives through the restaurant? A real closed restaurant waiting to be torn down - they did it for real. The building that explodes - also set for demolition. That's how they could do this for pocket change.
The money for this film came from Ron Marchini, who wanted to be the next Chuck Norris. He wasn't much of an actor, so I think they made his character a mute. Ron has gone on to have a low budget career in action films.
DEATH MACHINES has so many bad lines, my friends and I quote them... and most of these guys worked on the film! "Hey, there go the guys that cut off my arm!" The Dragon Lady's accent is so thick you want subtitles. "I have him compweeetwy under my contwow!"
But here's the thing - this movie was made local, played drive ins, and was (I think) #11 in the USA when it opened in July 1976. It was a successful summer movie. Most of that is due to the big scenes on a small budget - which was creativity instead of cash. One of the things I learned from Paul, that's even in my article in the current Script Magazine, is to come up with a handful of "How Did They Do That? shots" - like the plane taxiing, starting to take off, then exploding. Did they kill the pilot for that shot? Doing something unusual or seemingly impossible on screen adds production value, and may not cost you very much money (just creativity).
And if you can sell back what's left of the plane as parts...
- Bill
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Thursday, November 24, 2016
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today is Thanksgiving, and I will be off eating turkey (the bird, not the country) and watching some film afterwards. I would like to take this time to thank *you* for reading the blog and the daily script tips and for putting up with me on those days when I'm a grumpy a-hole. I hate those days.
I think the great thing about Thanksgiving is that its the holiday where we set aside of differences and come together to celebrate all of the good things that have happened over the past year. Even if your life has not gone exactly as planned (and whose ever does?) you are still here and still plugging away. Find the joy in your life, even when things are not going right. Laugh.
I'm a big fan of silent comic Buster Keaton - his character had the worst luck of anyone on the planet... and that's where he found his comedy. My favorite Keraton short is THE HIGH SIGN, makes me laugh just thinking about it.
Hey, here's Keaton's feature THE GENERAL - view it online or download it free.
Tomorrow, tell the people you love that you love them. Forgive people. Be nice to complete strangers. Think of people other than yourself. And look at people who are different than you are and see the similarities. We all share this planet.
- Bill
There WILL be some BLACK FRIDAY deals tomorrow - click on the books to see if there is a discounted price tomorrow!
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
RIP: Dan Arnold - Mentor
From 4 years ago... but a good pre-Thanksgiving post, even if it is a bit sad. I'm thankful for having had teachers like Dan Arnold and Bob Olsen, and maybe you've had teachers who changed your life. Be thankful for them every day.
If you have ever taken one of my idea classes or bought the Ideas Blue Book you have heard me talk about the Magnification Method... which I learned from my teacher Dan Arnold in High School drama class.
Dan’s class was a refuge for the freaks and geeks who were shunned by all of the cool kids... so it was my home while I was in High School. If you couldn’t act, Dan put you to work building sets while he taught you the fundamentals. Eventually, everyone got up on stage - even if it was just to play some small role. We became a family - with everyone rooting for a performer when they landed their first role. There were no filmmaking classes in my highschool, a terrible creative writing class; so this was the closest I could get to doing what I loved. Dan was the father to all of us - or, maybe the favorite uncle. He encouraged us, teased us, gave us confidence - and pushed us when we needed a good push.
Dan passed away Thursday from a heart attack. I don’t know how old he was, but I am not a young man and he wasn’t one of those young teachers... I figure he was around 80. He lived a full life - and was one of those people who lived life to the fullest. He leaves behind his wife, Silva. He lives on in his students.
Dan had some unusual ideas about High School Drama - he *never* did a play that might be done on some local community theater stage. So we never did a musical. Never. Dan liked to pick edgy and interesting material - plays that were more likely to be banned in high school than performed on some high school stage. Yeah, we did a couple of Neil Simon comedies... but instead of playing a romantic lead, I was more likely to play a killer or a victim or a guy who discovers that his fiancé may be a lesbian, or one of those malcontents from an Albee play. Because there were more girls than boys in the class, one of Dan’s tricks was to do some dark edgy mostly male play... with the roles reversed. Robert Marasco’s thriller about violence in an all-boy’s Catholic school CHILD’S PLAY ended up being in an all-girl’s school - and the violence was even more shocking!
Before getting my first role, I built sets and usually ran the prop department for shows. Once I did some special effects on Gore Vidal’s cutting social satire VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET. These were great confidence building jobs for a geeky kid - we built flats from scratch and had to treat it as if we were doing a Broadway show. Things had to be done *right* and Dan would show us how to do something and then expect us to actually do it - and so we did. You lashed flats together as if a building inspector might be testing them later that day. If you screwed up, you kept at it until you learned to do it right. The cool thing with props is - there was no real budget, so you have to beg, borrow, steal. I had to make advertising deals with a local furniture shop so that we could get some banged up floor models to borrow for the show. Dan kind of forced us to do things that were frightening and required social skills we probably didn’t have - and this build our confidence so that we could do things we never thought possible. If I needed a sofa for a show and the furniture dealer didn’t want to give me one, I had to find some way to get him to change his mind. Trust me when I say the ad in the program of a high school play that no one was ever going to see isn’t much of an incentive. Dan pushed us to do those things that scared us, onstage and off. I think the first time I landed a role onstage... I still had to do props!
I could tell all kinds of stories about Dan and the drama department, but instead I have a better idea... I use his Magnification Method frequently - probably even used it today when I wrote a scene. So that Dan will live on, here’s how that method works:
Sometimes you have to play a character who is absolutely nothing like you - how do you *think* like them? How do you understand their motivations? How do you becomes them on stage so that you give a believable performance? I played killers a couple of times, and at that point in my life had not killed anyone... actually, at this point in ,my life I have never killed anyone, and I don’t think it is likely that I ever will. I’m pretty much a pacifist who would rather reason with people that get into any sort of fight. So, how do *I* play a convincing killer?
Have you ever gone to bed in the summer, turned off the lights... and had a mosquito buzzing around your face? They always seem to target your ears. You swipe at them in the dark, but hit nothing... so you get up and turn on the lights. And can not find the mosquito *anywhere*. So you flip off the lights and slip back into bed and... buzzz, buzzz, buzzz. You flip on the lights again and give a *thorough* search of your bedroom - can’t find the mosquito anywhere. Turn the lights off, climb into bed... buzzz, buzzz, buzzz! You become more and more frustrated and angry! At first your plan may have been to open your bedroom window and shoo the mosquito outside where it belongs... but after a while you just want to find it and kill it, and if this keeps on going - you want to *murder* that mosquito. This has happened to you, right? Maybe not a mosquito, maybe it was a fly. Once I had a cricket hidden somewhere in my apartment that would make a ton of noise as soon as I turned off the light. I tore my apartment apart one night trying to find it - and couldn’t. That cricket eventually stopped chirping - natural causes - but if I had found it I would have SMASHED it. Okay, if you can understand killing a mosquito, you can *magnify* those emotions and understand killing a person. Someone whose “buzzing” is driving you up the wall.
This is a technique that can help you get into the skin of someone completely unlike you. There is some similar small experience that you have had that can be magnified into that larger than life character - and you can know how they feel. Playing a character whose wife just died? Have you ever lost a pet? In one of the Blue Books, maybe Protagonist, I use Magnification to show how to identify with someone who has been falsely accused of murder. Since I write about many people unlike myself (I sit on my ass and type all day), I am constantly using the Magnification Method that Dan taught me many years ago to figure out how this character would think or react. You may never have had your best friend confide that he just offed his wife and made it look like an accident... but you’ve probably had a friend tell you some secret you wish they hadn’t, and then had to pretend like it didn’t effect the way you thought of them. Dan Arnold’s Magnification Method!
So, I hope that you will find some use for Dan’s Magnification Method, and keep part of him alive. He was (and is) a great teacher - and one of those people who made me who I am today. It’s sad that he has passed away, but I think he still lives on within all of us who found refuge in his class and learned how to be comfortable in our own skin... as well as the skin of the characters we played on stage.
Rest In Peace, Dan Arnold.
- Bill
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Trailer Tuesday:
BAD SANTA (2003)
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Writers: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Lauren Graham, Bernie Mac.
Glenn Ficarra & John Requa's BAD SANTA is about a foul mouthed, alcoholic, angry department store Santa played to perfection by Billy Bob Thornton. He's not a nice guy, not looking for redemption, and not someone we'd ever want to hang out with in real life... but for ninety minutes in a cinema he's a whole lot of (mean spirited) fun. Here are a few of the reasons we may not like Billy Bob's character, but we can't tear ourselves away from watching him.
1) He's a rogue and a rebel. After a few days of crowded malls, listening to the same Christmas music over-and-over again, we may want to say "bah humbug!" to the whole Christmas experience... but that would be wrong. So we try to be cheerful and happy. Billy Bob does what we wish we could do - he rebels against everything cheerful and commercial about the Christmas season. He's fed up with the holiday season, and not afraid to show it. We may fantasize about knocking people out of the way at the mall, he *does it*. We secretly like people who break the rules and rebel against society - and what's a bigger symbol of society than Christmas?
2) We understand his bad behavior. He hates his job as a department store Santa, and we'd hate it, too. Kids sneeze all over him, wet their pants on his lap, demand toys, seem to speak in a foreign language (the kids ask for toys that he's never heard of - but expect him to know exactly what they're talking about), the kids (and parents) feel like they own him - he can't even eat his lunch in peace! If people kept bugging me on my lunch hour I'd probably get mad, too. He deals with the most crass and commercial aspects of Christmas, it's no wonder he's a Bah Humbugger.
3) We understand his character. BAD SANTA opens with Billy Bob sitting in a bar telling us about his abusive father - this is a guy who has never known love. Even his parents treated him badly. He's spent his entire life being abused, and now he's a bitter drunk. That may not be someone we identify with, but we can see how he became this angry guy. We're taken inside his miserable life. He's a guy with a chip on his shoulder, but the film explains where that chip came from. When his father died Billy Bob was left nothing except a basic knowledge of safe-cracking... which explains his current career. He doesn't want to be a department store Santa, it's just part of the department store robbery scheme. The key to writing a script with an unlikable character is making sure that we understand the character.
4) Someone to love. At first the snot-nosed Kid (Brett Kelly) is a nuisance - hanging around him, overly cheerful, a happy stalker. Then the Kid is an accidental helper - fighting off the crazed Gay rapist in the parking lot and providing Billy Bob with a place to hide out. But eventually a bond grows between the two - Billy Bob helps the Kid deal with the skateboard bullies and deal with his self esteem issues. He sees himself in the Kid - both have gotten the short end of the stick from society and are filled with self-loathing. By helping the kid, he's really helping himself. He's kind to the Kid, cares about the Kid, and we're able to see a softer side of his character.
And because the Kid worships him, we really hope he gets his act together... and we end up caring about him. The same goes for the cocktail waitress (Lauren Graham) he shacks up with. She may just be interested in him because of that weird Santa fetish, but she likes him. By giving him relationships with others, we have a chance to see him through their eyes.
5) Goal & Obstacle. Give any character a goal that requires struggle and we'll wonder if they can achieve that goal. Here the goal is to do a very bad thing - rob the department store on Christmas Eve. But a goal is a goal, and the obstacles are many. First we have the torture of being a department store Santa before the robbery, then we have his verbally abusive partner (Tony Cox) and his mercenary wife (Lauren Tom), then we have the *very* straight-laced Personnel Director (the late John Ritter), and the dangerous Head of Security for the department store (Bernie Mac).
6) Humor. You can have the most unlikeable character in the world, but if they're funny we'll hang around them for a couple of hours. This guy is sarcastic, but he's also funny because his behavior is completely inappropriate. He's the opposite of everything we expect in a Christmas movie. Whether he's screwing plus-sized women in the changing rooms or drinking on duty, he does those things we never expected a guy in a Santa suit to ever do on screen. When he comes up the escalator passed out, you can't help but laugh. His explanation for why he's wearing a fake beard is outrageously funny, and becomes a running gag throughout the film (the Kid walks in on Santa having sex with the Cocktail Waitress later in the film and calls her "Mrs. Claus' sister"). He's got a cynical (and funny) response to every situation.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Lancelot Link Monday: Round Tables
Lancelot Link Monday! As we reach the end of the year, we get a lot of round table interviews from the trades focusing on what they think will be the Oscar nominated movies and artists... of course, they aren't always right and sometimes we just get some interesting discussions of film from a bunch of losers. Except they aren't really losers at all - sometimes their films are better than those which are nominated, because the Oscars are not much different than a beauty contest - the judges decide who is most beautiful and they work off their own criteria which may not match anyone else's ideas of beauty. So these interviews are often more informative than ones from the "winners". While you're thinking about that, here are this week's links to some great screenwriting and film articles, plus some fun stuff that may be of interest to you. Brought to you by that suave and sophisticated secret agent...
1) Weekend Box Office Estimates:
1 Fantastic Beasts ............... $75,000,000
5 Almost Christmas................. $7,040,000
2) Are Indie Films In Trouble?
3) People In Hollywood You Should Know!
4) Movie Producer Round Table Interview.
5) Film Composer Round Table Interview.
6) First Question To Ask Yourself When Writing A Novel...
7) Fall Film Fest Round Up - What Are The Oscar Contenders?
8) Michael Chapman On Restoring TAXI DRIVER.
9) Kenneth Lonergan - The Writer Behind MANCHESTER BY THE SEA and YOU CAN COUNT ON ME.
10) The Netflix/Amazon ATM For Actors.
11) Paul Schrader Talks Film.
12) Lew Archer Finds Lost Ross Macdonald Interview!
And the Car Chase Of The Week:
It's the word... it's also all over these french fries.
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Friday, November 18, 2016
Fridays With Hitchcock: John Michael Hayes
Around 8 years ago at this time we lost screenwriter John Michael Hayes at age 89 (November 19th, 2008).
Hayes was one of the first screenwriters I noticed. After watching a ton of movies, and realizing that someone had to write them, I started looking at the names of the writers in the credits of some of my favorite movies... and noticed Hayes’ name popping up again and again in Hitchcock film. He scripted REAR WINDOW from a short story I had read by one of my favorite fiction writers, Cornell Woolrich. Because I knew the short story, I also knew what was invented and changed for the movie - a bunch of stuff! Practically the whole movie is new material, since the story is about an invalid man and his male servant and the murder across the courtyard. Hayes also wrote the remake of THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH and THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY and TO CATCH A THIEF for Hitchcock.
But I also knew Hayes from his script of Lillian Hellman’s play THE CHILDREN’S HOUR, the version that starred James Garner. I played that role in my High School theater department version. I was talking about CHILDREN’S HOUR on the day Hayes died, because I had just seen a screening of DOUBT - which is pretty much the same story but set in a Catholic school. And I knew Hayes from HARLOW and THE CARPET BAGGERS and NEVADA SMITH... and WALKING TALL. His name popped up on a bunch of films I’d seen.
Hayes began his career as a radio writer for shows like SAM SPADE (I had some of those on tape when I was a kid) and INNER SANCTUM (had a bunch of those on tape, too). After writing 1,500 radio scripts, he started writing movies and became Hitchcock’s main writer... which made him one of the top writers in town. He adapted BUTTERFIELD 8 and PEYTON PLACE for the screen in addition to the Harold Robbins novels. His last produced script was the Disney dog sled movie IRON WILL in 1994. He will be missed.
What were the first screenwriters you noticed?
- Bill
My books on Hitchcock's films...
Only 125,000 words!
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Thursday, November 17, 2016
THRILLER Thursday: A Good Imagination
Good Imagination.
The spider web fills the screen, it's Boris Karloff's THRILLER!
Season: 1, Episode: 31.
Airdate: May 2, 1961
Director: John Brahm
Writer: Robert Bloch adapts Robert Bloch
Cast: Edward Andrews, Patricia Barry, Ed Nelson, Britt Lomond.
Music: great whimsical score by Morton Stevens
Cinematography: Benjamin Kline
Producer: William Frye
Boris Karloff’s Introduction: “Crime and Punishment. That in a nutshell is our story for tonight. Except instead of a neurotic student and his nemesis, our play is about a beautiful wife with an intemperate taste in men... and her discerning husband whose reservations will stop at nothing, not even murder. This good man however is not an ordinary killer. He has flair, imagination, a good imagination. That’s the name of our play. And our players are: Patricia Barry, Ed Nelson, and Edward Andrews as the injured bookworm. Join us now as we watch this bookworm turn... to murder.”
Synopsis: Handsome Randy Hagen (William Allyn) sleeps in his luxurious bachelor apartment... and is awakened by a noise. A door slamming? He walks into his living room, which has been ransacked. What? “Louise?” Meek Frank Logan (Edward Andrews) pops up from behind a table, “Louise isn’t here, I’m her husband.” Randy wants to know what’s going on, Logan says it’s obviously a case of burglary. “You tried to steal my wife. How do you think I got in here? With that key that you gave her.” He holds up the key in a gloved hand and says he knew about them all along. Randy asks what he wants, Logan replies that he must not have a very good imagination. “It will appear as if burglars broke into your apartment and you were killed trying to defend yourself.” Randy says “Don’t shoot me!” and Logan replies that he doesn’t have a gun, carefully puts his glasses in his pocket and grabs a medieval mace off a display on the wall, chases Randy into the bedroom and beats him to death. Comes out, puts his glasses back on, picks up a fallen copy of “Crime And Punishment” and sets it on the table before he leaves.
Louise Logan (Patricia Barry) comes home from Randy’s funeral and finds Logan in the living room reading a book. He says he came home early from the book convention, it was dead. Logan does a great job of needling her, asking how well she knew him. Why she felt the need to go to his funeral. How he died. “He was the type you’d expect to be shot by a jealous husband,” Logan says... and his wife turns white. Then Logan hands her the key to Randy’s apartment, says he found it on her dresser but it doesn’t fit any of the doors in the house. Louise grabs the key and leaves...
Louise tells her lawyer brother Arnold (Britt Lomond) that she suspects Logan may have murdered Randy. Arnold doesn’t believe someone like Logan is capable of murder... he’s a bookworm! Arnold agrees to hire Private Eye Joe Thorp (Ken Lynch) to look into Randy’s murder off the record.
Thorp comes into Logan’s bookstore pretending to be a customer, but Logan outsmarts him and gets him to admit he’s a Private Eye. That’s when Thorp turns the tables and says maybe they can make a deal... Thorp knows Logan took a flight out here from the book convention on the night Randy was murdered... and took a flight back to the convention a few hours later. He demands $10k for his silence. Thorp will meet Logan at 8pm at brother in law Arnold’s fishing cabin... Arnold will be there at 9pm and Thorp will tell him everything if Logan doesn’t show up with the money.
9pm, Arnold shows up at the cabin... and finds Logan sitting inside. Logan pours Arnold a drink and explains that Thorp demanded $10k to keep his mouth shut, and Logan gave him the money. Arnold is shocked, “He just took the money and ran?” No, he’s out back in a boat waiting for you. Arnold downs the drink, and Logan takes him out back to the dock where Thorp sits in a boat... dressed in fishing clothes. Arnold accuses Logan of killing him, and Logan explains that he’s just unconscious from the drugs I put in his drink, and yours. Carefully takes off his glasses and puts them in his pocket, then puts semi conscious Arnold in the boat with Thorp, rows the boat to the middle of the lake and capsizes it... swimming back to shore.
After Arnold’s funeral, Logan buys a house in the country so that Louise can escape the memories of her brother’s death in that fishing accident. No one around for miles. Logan will be working in the city, but come to the country house for the weekends. She’s stuck there alone... no man for miles.
Knock on the door... it’s local hunky handyman George Parker (Ed Nelson) wondering if Louise needs any work done? One thing leads to another and...
Logan comes home unexpected. George pretends to be inspecting the fireplace for repairs and leaves... but Logan suspects.
At the end of the summer, Logan decides to sell the country house... and George and Louise hatch a plan to steal the money from the house sale and run away together.
Logan asks George to help him brick up a section of the basement where rats might congregate before they hand over the house to the new owners. George asks where Louise is, Logan says she went into town to get the money for the house sale. When George has finished bricking the section of the basement, Logan hands him a beer. George asks if Logan is going to have one, and he says he never drinks around firearms. Logan has a gun, plays with it, puts it in his pocket. Gives George another beer and they examine the wall. The mortar has set, Logan asks if George can hear that noise behind the wall. Like a mouse. Then Logan tells George that he and Louise have separated...
Logan tells George that Louise was alive when he put her in the section, but George killed her when he walled her up in the section. Hasn’t George read Poe’s “Cask Of Amontillado”? Oh, that’s right... George doesn’t read. But George *does* freak out and runs away, as Logan laughs!
That night Logan is reading in the living room... when Louise comes home. Twist! She says a state trooper stopped her on the road to check her I.D. but wouldn’t tell her why. Logan says he knows why and it has to do with George. He was supposed to come and wall up that section of the basement... but never showed. Logan had to do it himself... would she like to see?
On the way down to the basement, Logan says that he got a call from the police that George had burst into the police station and accused Logan of murdering Louise and walling her up in the basement. Logan told them his wife was in town, which is why the state trooper stopped her on the road. Obviously George has gone crazy. When Louise breaks down, Logan takes her to the wall... which now has the bricks removed. She thought he had bricked the wall himself. Logan carefully takes off his glasses, puts them in his pocket, and says he will... “My alibi will be set, and so will the cement.” He finished walling her in the basement when...
The police chief shows up... with George! They thought if George could see Mrs. Logan again, he’d snap out of this strange delusion he has that she’s bricked up in the basement. Can Logan bring his wife to the door???
Review: One of the great things that both THRILLER and HITCHCOCK did was often tell stories from the *villain’s* point of view. We get to be mean and nasty and evil for a half hour or an hour and then go back to being nice people afterwards. All of use have dark fantasies, and these shows allowed us to safely explore them (without actually bricking our spouse inside a wall). Villains always seem to have more fun than heroes, so it’s fun to pretend to be one for an hour.
And this is an *understandable* villain. We can relate to him. He’s clever and witty and well read (this began as a short story by Robert Bloch, so readers were the primary audience for the story), and always several steps ahead of everyone else. If we aren’t that person, we’d all like to be that person. And whether you are quoting Bugs Bunny or Vizzini from THE PRINCESS BRIDE most people are morons. Here we have a cheating gold digger wife who seems to never learn her lesson. One lover dies under mysterious circumstances and she just keeps bleeding her husband dry as she searches for another. The people Logan kills aren’t innocent by a long shot... and also aren’t very bright. What’s fun about this story is that Logan *warns* his future victims ahead of time using book references, but they aren’t readers so they fall into his traps. Had they been more clever and better read, they would probably have survived!
The script is filled with the clever wordplay that Bloch is famous for, as I mentioned in an earlier entry his short stories and novels are filled with lines like “He cut off her scream... and her head.” He dances with language, finding dark puns and finding words that connect two different thoughts. The dialogue in this episode is fun!
One of the great elements of this episode is the perfect crime at the end, which is like an intricate chess game and requires George to go to the police and accuse Logan of murder while Louise is still alive (and the police can find her). There’s a stageplay by Lucille Fletcher (SORRY, WRONG NUMBER) called NIGHTWATCH (first staged in 1972) which does something similar, turning the only person who might be suspicious of the missing victim into a crazy lunatic by having them witness a false murder and make accusations... which are easily proven false because the victim is still alive at that point. This is also used to some extent in Hitchcock’s VERTIGO and DePalma’s BODY DOUBLE where a witness tells the police about a *false murder*. This is a great device, and in this case not only helps Logan get away with the murder but also gets revenge on George by making him look crazy.
This is a fun, dark episode with some great suspense and a twist ending. Next week we have a charming story about a little girl and her best friend... who happens to be dead.
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Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Death By.... Encoragement!
(originally posted eight years ago)
Many pre-pro writers send out their scripts to agents or managers or producers and (usually as a result of hammering away for a response) get a nice rejection note saying that their masterpiece is “Well written, but not right for us”, or they “Loved it, but we have something similar in development”, or some other exciting and positive thing about how much they loved your screenplay. They celebrate how close they came to selling their script and brag to all of their friends that they are almost over that big wall that surrounds Hollywood. Everyone loved their script! They are great writers!
When I was living in my home town dreaming of Hollywood I had a chance to give a copy of one of my scripts to my idol at the time, Paul Schrader. He wrote TAXI DRIVER and OBSESSION and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and THE YAKUZA and ROLLING THUNDER and OLD BOYFRIENDS and other films I loved... and he took a copy of my script and read it (or had someone read it) and sent me a great letter of encouragement. I sent the same script to my favorite director, Martin Scorsese, and he had someone read it, and they sent me this great letter of encouragement on Columbia Pictures stationery! My script was the greatest script on the world!
Of course, when I read that script today I cringe at how awful it is and am embarrassed that people I admired had to read it - or get their assistants to read it. That script just sucked.
Pauline Kael once said, “Hollywood’s the only town where you can die of encouragement.”
No one will ever tell you that your script sucks. The reason why is simple - they read your current script, which sucks, but what if you keep working hard at this screenwriting thing and improve and a few years later you write a great script. One of those scripts that everyone in Hollywood is fighting with each other over. There are bidding wars - and the winner not only gets to pay you a huge amount of money, they get that amazing script you have written. But if Joe’s Productions tells you that your earlier script sucks, they won’t be part of that bidding war. You will not take your script there. What Joe’s Productions wants is for you to be the *first* place you go with that great new script - so that they can maybe buy it before there is a bidding war... or at least be the friendly producer that you want to sell the script to. So, instead of saying “Your script sucks” they come up with a euphemism like “Loved it, but we have something similar in development.”
That really means your script sucks.
Here’s how to tell if they *really* loved it:
1) They buy it or option it (for real money).
2) They want to meet with you to discuss other projects.
3) They offer you a writing assignment.
4) They *request* your next script or ask to read other scripts you have written.
I have a script tip on this floating around on my website, but you should even beware of producers who want to option your script for $1 or no money. Basically, you get what they pay for. If they have a dollar invested, that is what your script is worth to them, and tells you how hard they will work to bring it to the screen. In that tip, I talk about a producer I know of who literally options every script he can get his hands on for $1 and never reads any of them. He is a “material pack rat” and his theory is that if he options 100 scripts for $1 (sight unseen) one of them has to either be good enough to set up somewhere or has some strange elements that some real producer may be looking for. This guy has you write down “keywords” about your script, then takes your script to a warehouse where it will be forgotten like the Lost Ark, and if any real producer is looking for a script with the keywords for your script - this guy tries to set up a deal. If you’ve read any of those strange script requirements in InkTip listings, you know how oddly specific some producer’s needs are. And this guy has a warehouse full of scripts he *owns*, and one may fit those strange needs. If not, he’s only out $1. The thing about options - if they pay you $1, that’s what they think your script is worth, and most likely it’s not a real option. Sure, sometimes there are underfunded legit producers looking to have control over a script when they take it into a studio... but usually the $1 option isn’t much different than no option at all. And how much can you celebrate when all you have is $1?
If they read your script and did have something just like it in development, but thought the writing was great, they will ask to read something else or want to meet with you. If they actively pursue you, you have something they want (writing). If they say nice things but don’t *do anything*, they don’t think the writing is strong enough to follow up on.
Just like in a screenplay, in real life - actions speak louder than words.
Producers will tell you all kinds of nice things, but what they *do* tells you want they really think. If they do nothing, well...
Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean your script *completely sucks*, but it’s just not there yet. Keep working at it, and eventually they *will* do something. They won’t just say, “We loved it but it’s not for us”, they will want to meet with you to discuss anything you may have that *may be* for them. Because producers need screenplays and they need screenwriters. Can’t make a movie without a script.
No matter how many great things they say about your script, look at what they *do* - that will tell you what they really think. And if they don’t do anything, all is not lost! You just need to keep writing until you get that script where they actually do something... not just tell you how much they loved it.
- Bill
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Scene Of The Week: THE GODFATHER
Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER has no shortage of great scenes, and this week we’re going to look at one of my favorites - Michael’s First Kill.
Irony and Contrast are two connected elements that make for a great scene. If a bad man has to do a bad thing, it’s not interesting. If a good man has to do a bad thing, *that’s* a scene! If a good man has to do something just plain evil for a good reason - that’s the stuff that makes a film memorable.
In THE GODFATHER we have three brothers vying for their father's love in order to inherit the family business - a Mafia crime family:
1) First born Sonny is strong, aggressive, combative... and won't take no for and answer. He's quick with his fists - again, we have traits that come to mind when we think of running a crime family.
2) Middle child Fredo loves drinking and gambling and women and will lie through his teeth to get what he wants. These are all traits that might be of value if he were running the criminal organization.
3) Then we come to Michael - he's studious, quiet, honorable, patriotic and could be the poster boy for traditional American family values. If you were to make a checklist of things that don't fit our image of mobster, you'd have Michael. He's completely at odds with the other characters in the film - he's NOT a criminal type at all. He's the least likely brother to be chosen to run the family... which why he is perfect for this scene.
Buy the dvd
With Michael as the protagonist of this scene (and the film) we have a story that is constantly interesting because it has built in conflict - Michael is NOT as tough as Sonny was, he is not as duplicitous as Fredo... How can he possibly survive as head of the family? The original reason why he's eventually chosen by his father is that he is the kind of "straight-arrow" non-criminal type who can lead the family out of criminal enterprises into legitimate business. But that choice hasn’t been made yet...
Michael (Al Pacino) has returned from WW2 a hero, has a girlfriend from outside the mob world Kay (Diane Keaton) and is on course to become a legit business man. But problems begin when Sollozzo (the great Al Lettieri) wants the Corleones to finance his heroin business, and the Don (Marlon Brando) refuses to become involved in the drug trade. Sollozzo causes some very violent problems like having Don Corleone shot while buying oranges. Now *someone* needs to get revenge and stop the assault on the family once and for all. Should they send violent Sonny (James Caan) or liar Fredo (John Cazale) - people who could easily pull the trigger? Problem there is that Sollozzo and his pet cop McClusky (Sterling Hayden) *know* they can’t trust those two. But the straight arrow law abiding Michael? He’s the good son, the one even the villains can trust.
Which makes him the perfect assassin... and also the most dramatic choice. Can Michael do it? Can a good man do a bad thing? Will he break down?
These questions create lots of suspense in the scene. But the scene is *filled* with suspense. Some of that comes from the good man doing the bad thing, but there are great moments - when he can’t find the gun behind the flush tank, and then that pause at the bathroom door where he wonders if he can do this. Then, we get a whole damned conversation with Sollozzo. As the conversation goes on, we wonder if Michael will ever pull the gun and do it. Time is running out. What if they finish dinner and Sollozzo and McClusky are still alive?
Because there are no subtitles for the conversation in Sicilian (it’s kind of a silent moment with talking) here’s what they say:
SOLLOZZO: "I'm sorry..."
MICHAEL: "Leave it alone." ( or ) "Forget about it."
MICHAEL: "I understand those things..."
[Waiter brings McCluskey's veal, then exits.]
SOLLOZZO: "Now let's work through where we go from here."
MICHAEL: "How do you say... ?" [Then Michael returns to speaking English.]
[After Michael returns from the bathroom]
SOLLOZZO: "Everything all right? I respect myself, understand, and cannot allow another man to hold me back. What happened was unavoidable. I had the unspoken support of the other Family dons. If your father were in better health, without his eldest son running things, no disrespect intended, we wouldn't have this nonsense. We will stop fighting until your father is well and can resume bargaining. No vengeance will be taken. We will have peace, but your Family should interfere no longer."
The great thing about a great movie is that everything gets tied together in a single scene: this is a *plot scene*, it's also a violent scene (and this is a gangster flick), and a character scene, and a story scene. It serves many purposes in the film, and is the thing that pushes Michael to the head of the family (also, Sonny gets machine gunned to pieces, so he’s kind of out of the running). It’s a fantastic scene from two fantastic movies (there is no GODFATHER 3 in my book), and there’s a good chance we’ll look at another film from one of the films later in the series. By the way, in the First 10 Pages Blue Book expansion that I’m working on, I have articles on *both* films’ opening 10 minutes. These are great films with great beginnings... plus great scenes like this one.
As usual, scene discussion in the comments section
- Bill
Monday, November 14, 2016
Lancelot Link Monday: PresiVeteran's Weekened
Lancelot Link Monday! We've had both Presidential Eleections and Veteran's Day in the same week! How patriotic can you get? Also, maybe due to one or the other, a record weekend at the box office! While you're thinking about that, here are this week's links to some great screenwriting and film articles, plus some fun stuff that may be of interest to you. Brought to you by that suave and sophisticated secret agent...
1) Weekend Box Office Estimates:
4 Almost Christmas................ $15,564,000
2) Why SUICIDE SQUAD Died...
3) SHUT IN Writer Sets Up New Deal.
4) Shane Black On Writing PREDATOR.
5) BEN HUR Remake Is Major Flop!
6) Eric Heisserer On Writing Arrival.
7) 5 Reasons Why ARRIVAL Scored.
9) More Suspects On ORIENT EXPRESS.
10) Someone Who Has No Idea WESTWORLD Was A Movie First, And Written By The Same Guy As JURASSIC PARK...
11) The Greatest Living Film Editor... Anne V. Coates.
12) Every British Swear Word In Order Of Nastyness!
And the Car Chase Of The Week:
Presidential Car Chase???
Buy The DVDs
Friday, November 11, 2016
Fridays With Hitchcock:
The Paradine Case (1947)
Screenplay by David O. Selznick.
Do I really have to say anything more?
Okay, for those of you who may not know who David O. Selznick was: He was the legendary producer who made the Best Picture Oscar winner GONE WITH THE WIND which is also the record holder for box office in adjusted dollars - yes, it even beat AVATAR. Name any film you think was a massive hit, GONE WITH THE WIND made more money in adjusted dollars. Selznick was also legendary for his ego and for micro-managing to the point of insanity. He would send lengthy memos to *everyone* involved in one of his films explaining what he wanted in minute detail. Often the memos were wacky - he once sent a 30 page telegram... and the last line of the telegram said to disregard the telegram! In the 1970s someone collected many of these crazy memos and published them in a book, MEMO FROM DAVID O. SELZNICK - I have a copy somewhere. At first, reading the memos made my brain hurt... then they became laugh-out-loud funny. He wrote memos on things so small and insignificant you wonder how he found the time to do anything else. So, imagine the lunatic, egotistical, head of production for the studio writing a screenplay...
To be fair, Selznick began in the story department at MGM - because in those good old days of Hollywood they promoted *screenwriters* and people who worked in the story department to producers and heads of production. Hollywood back then was not about deals and lawyers and agents, it was about *stories*. From the story department he worked his way up to producer at MGM, and produced a string of hits - which probably didn’t help that out-of-control ego of his. He married his boss’s daughter, Irene Mayer, and decided that he was too good for MGM, so he quit and started his own company - Selznick International. If you are ever on the Sony lot, you can still see his building. It looks much smaller than it does on film.
Selznick was the guy who brought Alfred Hitchcock over from England... and brought a bunch of European stars to the United States, including Ingrid Bergman. What he would do is sign them to a long term contract with his “studio”, which had yet to make a single film. Then he would “rent them” to another studio for more money... and make a profit. So, let’s say he was paying Ingrid Bergman $1X a month, he would rent her out to MGM for $5X and keep the difference. Bergman got paid the same no matter what. Because Selznick and Hitchcock did not get along, Selznick “rented” Hitchcock to other studios from 1941-1944 for five different movies, and basically lived off the money Hitchcock earned for him. Pimp-daddy Selznick. The director of an Oscar winning film could get top dollar... and all of that money went into Selznick’s pocket. During that period of time he made only one movie as a producer - SINCE YOU WENT AWAY... the rest of his money was from pimpin'.
Though he made a handful of successful movies at his “studio”, the film he made in 1939 was the one he’s best known for - GONE WITH THE WIND.
I think that film ruined him.
Imagine making the biggest box office film of all time *and* having it win Best Picture Oscar. What do you do for an encore?
Well, the year after he won Best Picture Oscar for producing GONE WITH THE WIND, he won Best Picture Oscar for producing REBECCA... directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
After that Selznick seemed to be *exclusively* trying to make movies that would be massive box office hits *and* win the Best Picture Oscar. Because Hitchcock was under contract to him, he was either being “rented” to some other studio or producer or making some film for Selznick. Some of these films, like SPELLBOUND, were “Hitchcock movies”, but THE PARADINE CASE is pure Selznick... a big glossy soap opera of a film that seemed created to pander to both the mass audience *and* the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences membership. The film starred his new discovery from Europe Alida Valli (THE THIRD MAN), who he hoped to rent out as soon as she became a star, and Gregory Peck - another contract player, and a young hunky French actor he was grooming for stardom, Louis Jourdan (SWAMP THING). Hitchcock disliked the project, but was under contract and had no choice but to make it. Hitchcock brought in his own writers, and Selznick didn't send anyone to pick one of the writers up at the airport - so he flew back home. Eventually Selznick took over and wrote the screenplay himself, which Hitchcock must have loved. Hitch and Selznick were battling every day on the set. It’s hard to believe that this film falls between NOTORIOUS and ROPE on Hitchcock’s resume, because it’s so unlike either one of those films... it’s overwrought.
It was also Hitchcock’s last movie for Selznick - he walked off the set at the end of shooting. His contract was complete, and he was now a free man...
THE PARADINE CASE was a massive box office flop.
Nutshell: In London, rich and beautiful widow Mrs. Paradine (Valli) is about to sit down to dinner when the police arrive and arrest her for the murder of her husband. She gets the most respected criminal barrister in England, Anthony Keane (Peck) to represent her in his robes and powdered wig...
Okay, while you’re wondering how Peck did with his British accent, we’ll get on with the synopsis.
Because Mrs. Paradine is the most beautiful and seductive woman in the world, Keane’s wife Gay (Ann Todd) becomes jealous and worries that she will lose her man. Keane’s older law partner, Sir Simon (Charles Coburn) also worries about this, but his college girl daughter hopes that Mrs. Paradine will break up the marriage and then dump Keane so that she can swoop in and take him, because she thinks he’s a dreamy older man.
Oh, speaking of older men, the trial’s Judge (Charles Laughton) is a complete letch and keeps hitting on Keane’s wife. It’s kind of implied that if she sleeps with him, he may favor her husband in the case. Though his character doesn’t show up for a while, Louis Jourdan plays the dead Mr. Paradine’s valet Latour who may or may not have been playing hide the salami with Mrs. Paradine while her husband slept in the next room. I know that I’m leaving out some people who were either having sex with other people or at least wanted to have sex with other people, but you get the idea.
The first 2/3rds of the story takes place before the trial while all of these people are trying to get into each other’s pants. The last third is all in the courtroom - but far from Perry Mason excitement. There are only two suspects and no surprises. The story isn’t about who the killer is, it’s about who is gonna sleep with who and who already slept with who. Sex for the mass audience, powdered wigs and frilly shirts for the Academy.
Peck doesn’t even attempt a British accent.
Experiment: I’m sure that the main experiment was trying to get through the film without killing Selznick...
But the film has one amazing shot - as Mrs. Paradine sits at the defendant’s table in court, Latour enters the court room behind her and walks to the witness stand, and Hitchcock does a great composite shot with Mrs. Paradine in the foreground (one element) and Latour walking in the background (the other element) with both images moving so that it seems as if she can *feel* him entering the courtroom and - without looking back - *sense* him as he walks around her. It’s a great shot concept - she knows he is there without ever seeing him.
There is also the reverse of the shot, from Latour’s POV when he leaves the witness stand. Basically one great shot done twice.
Oh, and a nice overhead of the courtroom when Keane leaves after realizing his client is guilty.
Hitch Appearance: Leaving the train station, carrying a cello.
Great Scenes: Well, no suspense scenes, so let me talk about some of the soap opera stuff.
The opening scene where Mrs. Paradine is arrested is shocking, and managed to find a way to sneak in the victim visually. A huge painting of Mr. Paradine hangs on the wall, and is the center of much of the scene. But there is some great confusion by Mrs. Paradine about how one is supposed to get arrested - they just served dinner, will she be allowed to eat first? And what about packing a bag? She has no point of reference.
At the police station, she is searched and stripped and a matron goes through her beautiful hair with a comb searching for contraband. Hitchcock has done similar scenes that were even better - involving fingerprint ink you can’t remove. I would have gone full-force and had them delouse her with spray hoses, but it seems like everything is blanded... probably due to Sezlnick’s screenplay.
There’s a great scene with Charles Laughton as the horny old judge who sits next to Peck’s wife on the sofa and grabs her hand and puts her hand on her leg (stealing a feel) and makes it pretty clear that he wants to screw her and that it would be good for her husband’s trial if she said yes. Laughton steals every scene he is in - almost rescuing the film. Almost.
There’s kind of a spooky scene where Peck goes to the scene of the crime - the Paradine country estate - and it’s closed up, dark, spooky... and has a Mrs. Danvers-like woman showing him around... and Louis Jourdan’s valet seems to appear and disappear without ever leaving or entering a room. There’s more atmosphere in that scene than in the rest of the film.
The courtroom trial is boring because we have two suspects: Mrs. Paradine and the valet Latour, and neither tries to blame the other or has any shocking witness stand reveals. The one and only is that Mrs, Paradine may have visited Latour’s room after dark.
In HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT, Hitchcock complains about all of the casting - and rightly so - but spends a great deal of time explaining why Louis Jourdan was dead wrong as Latour. If that is supposed to be the big shocker in court, it doesn’t work if she was sleeping with some beefcake guy like Jourdan. He’s better looking than she is!
There’s only shock if Latour is *ugly* - and this goes back to my problems with UNDER CAPRICORN - Hollywood often makes the mistake of hiring pretty people when the role requires really ugly people. That film was another woman-who-sleeps-with-a-man-beneath-her story, and Bergman and Joseph Cotton seem like a reasonable pair. In PARADINE, Valli is a beautiful woman, but Jourdan is a beautiful man. They belong together - no shock. You can “tell us” that Jourdan is a servant and Valli is wealthy and that it is scandalous for her to sleep with him, but there is no class distinctions on screen. There are only *physical* distinctions.
Hell, she goes to his room! If the script would have made him the groom and had him sleeping in an apartment in the stables and the first time they got busy was after a ride on the floor of the stable amongst piles of hay and manure, we have something! And that is something that a *screenwriter* can do to guard against casting issues. We can create a *situation* that is shocking, so the casting won’t kill the scene.
An *idea* doesn’t show up on screen, only the execution of the idea - the image or dialogue that turns the idea into something concrete that we can see or hear. The *idea* of sleeping with a man below her class needs to be turned into something we can see or hear. Since we are not involved in casting as screenwriters, it has to be a situation or dialogue. That roll in the hay (and manure) - whether we do that with actions (visual) or with courtroom testimony (dialogue) we need to get it out there. But we do not have shocking testimony or shocking visuals... Instead we have a very dull Q&A of suspects on the stand who do not want to incriminate each other so they don’t really say anything.
Sound Track: Excellent score from the always dependable Franz Waxman.
THE PARADINE CASE is basically a big glossy soap opera with a couple of interesting shots, that Hitchcock practically disowned. He walked off after his rough cut, leaving David O’Selznick to sort out the rest. I’m sure he sent a 30 page memo to Hitchcock afterwards.
- Bill
The other Fridays With Hitchcock.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
THRILLER Thursday: Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook
Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook
The spider web fills the screen, it's Boris Karloff's THRILLER!
Season: 1, Episode: 20. Airdate: February. 7, 1961
Director: Herschel Daugherty Writer: Alan Caillou Cast: Alan Caillou, Kenneth Haigh, Audrey Dalton, Alan Napier, J. Pat O’Malley Music: Jerry Goldsmith Cinematography: Benjamin Kline. Producer: William Frye
Boris Karloff’s Introduction: “Do you believe in witchcraft? Witches have plagued the human race since history first began. Although now a days, in America at least, they’ve become nothing more than an illusion with which to tease the childish imagination on Halloween. But no so in the old world. In Italy for example witchcraft is still called The Old Religion. And in England, even today, the legal definition of a witch stands on the statute books as a person who has conference with the Devil. And in a place like Dark Woods, deep in the mountains of the Welsh borders, where the village cowers in the shadows of the Druid stones, and ancient sacrifical circle put there, oh, who knows when. For these simple villagers, time does not move very fast. The old habits, the old fears, die hard. Our story tonight deals with the attempts to exercise a witch. Our leading players are Mr. Kenneth Haigh, Miss Audrey Dalton, Mr. Alan Caillou, Mr. Alan Napier, and Miss Doris Lloyd. Join us now, won’t you, as we try to beat the Devil at his own game.”
Synopsis: In the small village of Dark Woods on the Welsh border, there are not only Stonehenge like Druid Stone Formations... there are those who still practice Witchcraft and those who capture witches and burn them at the base of the stones. After a Farmer is the victim of a ritual killing, London detective Harry Roberts (Kenneth Haigh) and his new bride Nesta (Audrey Dalton) have their honeymoon plans changed at the last minute as he is sent to the remote village to investigate the murder. Some honeymoon!
No sooner do they arrive at the spooky crime scene at the Druid Stones than a creepy old man with a pitchfork (hay fork) confronts them. He wonders why anyone would be at this God forsaken place, used by Witches & Warlocks to sacrifice victims. Roberts says he’s a police officer, and the old man with the pitchfork says that is impossible because *he* is the only police officer in this area... he is Constable Evans (Alan Napier, Alfred The Butler from the TV show BATMAN). Roberts shows his ID, introduces his wife, and Evans lowers the pitchfork. Evans believes more in Witches than in city police procedures, thinking the whole idea of sending a city detective to deal with a rural issue like Witchcraft makes no sense. Roberts wants to talk to the “mayor” of the village, Sir Wilfred, and they walk down to Roberts’ car and drive down the winding country roads.
On those winding country roads, new bride Nesta screams “Watch out!” and pulls the steering wheel, forcing the car off the road and into a ditch. She claims she saw a black dog in the road, but neither Roberts nor Evans saw it. Evans says he’ll have the car towed and repaired in the morning, and they are close enough to walk to Sir Wilfred’s estate (a huge mansion which exists in stock footage).
Sir Wilfred (Alan Caillou) is a worldly and wealthy man, who explains that country folk are much different than city folk... and still believe in witchcraft. He also mentions that it would have been impossible for Nesta to see a black dog in the road, as no one in the village owns a black dog... because black dogs are associated with witchcraft. Legend has it that a black dog once turned into a woman, a witch! So no one in the village would own such an animal. Nesta insists she saw a black dog, and Evans clearly thinks she may be crazy. Sir Wilfred’s maid interrupts, saying that someone has stolen the clothes hamper... and this is sinister rather than silly because witches are traditionally burned in wicker baskets, like the missing clothes hamper. This is when Nesta notices the flicker of flames through the window at the Druid Stones, and they all race out of the stock footage mansion.
A woman has been burned alive as a witch!
In the local pub/hotel, Evans tells the locals that Nesta has seen a black dog, and everyone is shocked. The town drunk (J. Pat O’Malley) gives some nice exposition about the village’s recurring problems with witches and witchcraft. The question seems to be: is Nesta a witch?
That’s when Roberts and Nesta and Sir Wilfred enter, and we get another block of exposition which is less entertaining when Roberts says that this isn’t witchcraft, it’s the work of a lunatic. Roberts wants to know if anyone in town has mental issues. Sir Wilfred admits that his own father was institutionalized for a while. Since everyone in the village believes in Witches, that’s not going to be a clue to anyone’s insanity.
When Roberts and Nesta go up to their room for their honeymoon night, he asks if she’ll help with the investigation by doing research at the county seat a few miles away. Then Nesta goes wacky when she sees a black dog... where there isn’t one. Is she crazy?
Next day, Roberts is at Evans’ house with Sir Wilfred examining evidence and notices that the victim’s pocket watch is missing. Here we meet Evan’s Old Mum (Doris Lloyd) who makes the finest tea in the village... if you know what I mean, and I think you do. (Heck, she’s *ancient*!)
We get some cross cutting between Nesta searching the county records while Roberts and Sir Wilfred and some military guys with metal detectors look for the missing watch at the crime scene. Nesta shows up just as the find the watch, and Roberts says they should easily be able to lift some fingerprints and find the killer. He’ll need to send the watch to Scotland Yard, and since the day’s mail has already left, will the watch be safe overnight at the post office? Sir Wilfred assures him that it will, and later we discover this is all Roberts’ scheme: he will stake out the post office that night and who ever breaks in is the killer. Another night without the honeymoon consummation! (Is Detective Roberts secretly Gay? Dude keeps finding new reasons not to sleep with his new bride!)
That night while Roberts is watching the post office, Evans and his Old Mum break into the hotel and kidnap Nesta, take her up to the Druid Stones, and prepare to burn her alive in a wicker basket. Sir Wilfred sees the fire and races up to the Druid Stones to battle it out with Evans, who is his bastard brother! They have the second least convincing scythe vs. pitch fork battle in the history of television, and then Evans kills Sir Wilfred, shocking his Old Mum by killing is half brother! Evans prepares to burn Nesta... and that’s when Roberts sees the black dog at the post office and, like Lassie, the black dog gets Roberts to follow it up the hill to the Druid Stones where we get the *first* least convincing scythe vs. pitch fork battle in the history of television. After Roberts knocks Evans down, he rescues Nesta, and then all four of them just walk down the hill as if nothing had happened. WTF?
Review: This is one of those episodes that tries to do too much at once, and succeeds at doing nothing well. Biggest problem is that it’s essentially a mystery about Evan’s Old Mum being mother to both wealthy Sir Wilfred and yokel Evans, and Sir Wilfred’s father being insane, and that town drunks father being hanged for killing witches. Somehow all of those things are connected, and the story takes too much time trying to figure all of that stuff out. The spooky stuff and suspense take the back seat, which makes this thriller not much of a thriller. Caillou is a good actor (you’d know him if you saw him), but despite writing a pile of TV episodes I’m not sure he was much of a writer. Actors are often so focused on the character and drama elements that they miss the overall story part... and this story has so much going on in it that it ends up a mess. The pub scene lasts almost a quarter of the show, and gets stagey after a couple of minutes. The episode is filled with exposition at the expense of suspense and action.
Hershel Dougherty who directed 24 episodes of HITCHCOCK PRESENTS and 3 episodes of the hour long Hitch show, brings nothing to this episode. Might be because it was shot on a tight schedule or that the script was more focused on the mystery elements, but even a “schlock shock” moment in the country records room where Nesta removes a book from the shelf to expose a man watching her on the other side is shot from an ineffective angle. The black dog looks *cute* instead of dangerous, and the Druid Stones just end up bland. The fight scenes were awful, and I wish someone would explain the ending where everyone just walks down the his as if nothing has happened. A real WTF? moment. Again, this may be because the script focuses more on the mystery than the suspense and spooky elements... but the director didn’t save the script.
Add to that, Kenneth Haigh’s performance as Detective Roberts, which seems like a roadshow version of Robert Morse... only prissy. He spends half of his screen time rolling his eyes. Part of that may have been dialogue that focused on the conflict between city and country, but he seemed to turn every line into a minor complaint... and this became irritating after a while.
Napier does as great job as a superstitious local, and manages to make his dialogue work (a line about trees having nothing better to do than grow ends up an insult to Roberts). A shame that he’s only remembered for BATMAN.
Best thing about the episode is Goldsmith's score, which adds suspense and thrills where there aren't any. One of his best scores for the series - he was working hard to make the episode work despite its problems.
Not a great episode, but next up is another Brahm episode based on a novel... by THE KILLING’s Lionel White.
Buy The DVD!
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Morag (Ewoks)
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No escape, little flutter-glow. There's a great thirst in the forest, almost as great as Morag's thirst for vengeance. And you, our Wistie queen, are my newest servant in my battle with Logray and his cursed Ewoks.
~ Morag.
Morag is an evil witch and an antagonist of the relatively obscure Ewoks cartoon, which in turn is loosely affiliated with the expanded Star Wars universe - although described as a witch Morag is more accurately classed as a dark Jedi: she uses the dark side of the Force to simulate events and phenomena that are almost impossible to differ from magic.
Like many of the dark Jedi (known as witches and sorcerers to the Ewoks) Morag was a worshipper of the Night Spirit, which in some ways was a personification of the dark side of the force and greatly feared by the Ewoks as a god of evil - Morag proved herself to be more than a worthy devotee to this unseen being and dedicated her life to wickedness.
Morag's connection to the Night Spirit was sufficient to merit respect from other creatures that sought the favor of this deity, such as the Duloks - who would visit her realm to ask for her aid, Morag provided aid to these beings but not out of kindness - rather as a means to lord over them and demonstrate her own power.
Morag was a member of the alien species known as the Tulgah, who all had a natural connection to "magic" (most likely another word for the Force) - however while most of her kind used their gifts to become powerful healers she decided to go down the path of darkness and use her gifts to enslave, abuse and terrorise others.
Morag's greatest ambitions are to conquer Endor and either enslave or destroy all other species, she especially despises the Ewoks for their continual ability to foil her plans and as such has plotted revenge against them multiple times.
Ad blocker interference detected!
| <urn:uuid:c0ddd801-c086-45a9-9282-f423c915e16d> | http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Morag_(Ewoks) | en | 0.969099 | 0.086349 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Agile Data
Data Modeling 101
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The goals of this article are to overview fundamental data modeling skills that all developers should have, skills that can be applied on both traditional projects that take a serial approach to agile projects that take an evolutionary approach. My personal philosophy is that every IT professional should have a basic understanding of data modeling. They don’t need to be experts at data modeling, but they should be prepared to be involved in the creation of such a model, be able to read an existing data model, understand when and when not to create a data model, and appreciate fundamental data design techniques. This article is a brief introduction to these skills. The primary audience for this article is application developers who need to gain an understanding of some of the critical activities performed by an Agile DBA. This understanding should lead to an appreciation of what Agile DBAs do and why they do them, and it should help to bridge the communication gap between these two roles.
Table of Contents
1. What is data modeling?
2. How to model data
3. Evolutionary/agile data modeling
4. How to become better at modeling data
1. What is Data Modeling?
Data modeling is the act of exploring data-oriented structures. Like other modeling artifacts data models can be used for a variety of purposes, from high-level conceptual models to physical data models. From the point of view of an object-oriented developer data modeling is conceptually similar to class modeling. With data modeling you identify entity types whereas with class modeling you identify classes. Data attributes are assigned to entity types just as you would assign attributes and operations to classes. There are associations between entities, similar to the associations between classes – relationships, inheritance, composition, and aggregation are all applicable concepts in data modeling.
Traditional data modeling is different from class modeling because it focuses solely on data – class models allow you to explore both the behavior and data aspects of your domain, with a data model you can only explore data issues. Because of this focus data modelers have a tendency to be much better at getting the data “right" than object modelers. However, some people will model database methods (stored procedures, stored functions, and triggers) when they are physical data modeling. It depends on the situation of course, but I personally think that this is a good idea and promote the concept in my UML data modeling profile (more on this later).
Although the focus of this article is data modeling, there are often alternatives to data-oriented artifacts (never forget Agile Modeling’s Multiple Models principle). For example, when it comes to conceptual modeling ORM diagrams aren’t your only option – In addition to LDMs it is quite common for people to create UML class diagrams and even Class Responsibility Collaborator (CRC) cards instead. In fact, my experience is that CRC cards are superior to ORM diagrams because it is very easy to get project stakeholders actively involved in the creation of the model. Instead of a traditional, analyst-led drawing session you can instead facilitate stakeholders through the creation of CRC cards.
1.1 How are Data Models Used in Practice?
Although methodology issues are covered later, we need to discuss how data models can be used in practice to better understand them. You are likely to see three basic styles of data model:
• Conceptual data models. These models, sometimes called domain models, are typically used to explore domain concepts with project stakeholders. On Agile teams high-level conceptual models are often created as part of your initial requirements envisioning efforts as they are used to explore the high-level static business structures and concepts. On traditional teams conceptual data models are often created as the precursor to LDMs or as alternatives to LDMs.
• Logical data models (LDMs). LDMs are used to explore the domain concepts, and their relationships, of your problem domain. This could be done for the scope of a single project or for your entire enterprise. LDMs depict the logical entity types, typically referred to simply as entity types, the data attributes describing those entities, and the relationships between the entities. LDMs are rarely used on Agile projects although often are on traditional projects (where they rarely seem to add much value in practice).
• Physical data models (PDMs). PDMs are used to design the internal schema of a database, depicting the data tables, the data columns of those tables, and the relationships between the tables. PDMs often prove to be useful on both Agile and traditional projects and as a result the focus of this article is on physical modeling.
Data and Databases
Although LDMs and PDMs sound very similar, and they in fact are, the level of detail that they model can be significantly different. This is because the goals for each diagram is different – you can use an LDM to explore domain concepts with your stakeholders and the PDM to define your database design. Figure 1 presents a simple LDM and Figure 2 a simple PDM, both modeling the concept of customers and addresses as well as the relationship between them. Both diagrams apply the Barker notation, summarized below. Notice how the PDM shows greater detail, including an associative table required to implement the association as well as the keys needed to maintain the relationships. More on these concepts later. PDMs should also reflect your organization’s database naming standards, in this case an abbreviation of the entity name is appended to each column name and an abbreviation for “Number" was consistently introduced. A PDM should also indicate the data types for the columns, such as integer and char(5). Although Figure 2 does not show them, lookup tables (also called reference tables or description tables) for how the address is used as well as for states and countries are implied by the attributes ADDR_USAGE_CODE, STATE_CODE, and COUNTRY_CODE.
Figure 1. A simple logical data model.
Simple LDM
Figure 2. A simple physical data model.
Simple PDM
An important observation about Figures 1 and 2 is that I’m not slavishly following Barker’s approach to naming relationships. For example, between Customer and Address there really should be two names “Each CUSTOMER may be located in one or more ADDRESSES" and “Each ADDRESS may be the site of one or more CUSTOMERS". Although these names explicitly define the relationship I personally think that they’re visual noise that clutter the diagram. I prefer simple names such as “has" and then trust my readers to interpret the name in each direction. I’ll only add more information where it’s needed, in this case I think that it isn’t. However, a significant advantage of describing the names the way that Barker suggests is that it’s a good test to see if you actually understand the relationship – if you can’t name it then you likely don’t understand it.
Data models can be used effectively at both the enterprise level and on projects. Enterprise architects will often create one or more high-level LDMs that depict the data structures that support your enterprise, models typically referred to as enterprise data models or enterprise information models. An enterprise data model is one of several views that your organization’s enterprise architects may choose to maintain and support – other views may explore your network/hardware infrastructure, your organization structure, your software infrastructure, and your business processes (to name a few). Enterprise data models provide information that a project team can use both as a set of constraints as well as important insights into the structure of their system.
Project teams will typically create LDMs as a primary analysis artifact when their implementation environment is predominantly procedural in nature, for example they are using structured COBOL as an implementation language. LDMs are also a good choice when a project is data-oriented in nature, perhaps a data warehouse or reporting system is being developed (having said that, experience seems to show that usage-centered approaches appear to work even better). However LDMs are often a poor choice when a project team is using object-oriented or component-based technologies because the developers would rather work with UML diagrams or when the project is not data-oriented in nature. As Agile Modeling advises, apply the right artifact(s) for the job. Or, as your grandfather likely advised you, use the right tool for the job. It's important to note that traditional approaches to Master Data Management (MDM) will often motivate the creation and maintenance of detailed LDMs, an effort that is rarely justifiable in practice when you consider the total cost of ownership (TCO) when calculating the return on investment (ROI) of those sorts of efforts.
When a relational database is used for data storage project teams are best advised to create a PDMs to model its internal schema. My experience is that a PDM is often one of the critical design artifacts for business application development projects.
2.2. What About Conceptual Models?
Halpin (2001) points out that many data professionals prefer to create an Object-Role Model (ORM), an example is depicted in Figure 3, instead of an LDM for a conceptual model. The advantage is that the notation is very simple, something your project stakeholders can quickly grasp, although the disadvantage is that the models become large very quickly. ORMs enable you to first explore actual data examples instead of simply jumping to a potentially incorrect abstraction – for example Figure 3 examines the relationship between customers and addresses in detail. For more information about ORM, visit
Figure 3. A simple Object-Role Model.
My experience is that people will capture information in the best place that they know. As a result I typically discard ORMs after I’m finished with them. I sometimes user ORMs to explore the domain with project stakeholders but later replace them with a more traditional artifact such as an LDM, a class diagram, or even a PDM. As a generalizing specialist, someone with one or more specialties who also strives to gain general skills and knowledge, this is an easy decision for me to make; I know that this information that I’ve just “discarded" will be captured in another artifact – a model, the tests, or even the code – that I understand. A specialist who only understands a limited number of artifacts and therefore “hands-off" their work to other specialists doesn’t have this as an option. Not only are they tempted to keep the artifacts that they create but also to invest even more time to enhance the artifacts. Generalizing specialists are more likely than specialists to travel light. The Object Primer 3rd Edition: Agile Model Driven Development (AMDD) with UML 2
2.3. Common Data Modeling Notations
Figure 4 presents a summary of the syntax of four common data modeling notations: Information Engineering (IE), Barker, IDEF1X, and the Unified Modeling Language (UML). This diagram isn’t meant to be comprehensive, instead its goal is to provide a basic overview. Furthermore, for the sake of brevity I wasn’t able to depict the highly-detailed approach to relationship naming that Barker suggests. Although I provide a brief description of each notation in Table 1 I highly suggest David Hay’s paper A Comparison of Data Modeling Techniques as he goes into greater detail than I do.
Figure 4. Comparing the syntax of common data modeling notations.
Data modeling notation summary
Table 1. Discussing common data modeling notations.
The IE notation (Finkelstein 1989) is simple and easy to read, and is well suited for high-level logical and enterprise data modeling. The only drawback of this notation, arguably an advantage, is that it does not support the identification of attributes of an entity. The assumption is that the attributes will be modeled with another diagram or simply described in the supporting documentation.
The Barker notation is one of the more popular ones, it is supported by Oracle’s toolset, and is well suited for all types of data models. It’s approach to subtyping can become clunky with hierarchies that go several levels deep.
This notation is overly complex. It was originally intended for physical modeling but has been misapplied for logical modeling as well. Although popular within some U.S. government agencies, particularly the Department of Defense (DoD), this notation has been all but abandoned by everyone else. Avoid it if you can.
This is not an official data modeling notation (yet). Although several suggestions for a data modeling profile for the UML exist, none are complete and more importantly are not “official" UML yet. However, the Object Management Group (OMG) in December 2005 announced an RFP for data-oriented models.
3. How to Model Data
It is critical for an application developer to have a grasp of the fundamentals of data modeling so they can not only read data models but also work effectively with Agile DBAs who are responsible for the data-oriented aspects of your project. Your goal reading this section is not to learn how to become a data modeler, instead it is simply to gain an appreciation of what is involved.
The following tasks are performed in an iterative manner:
The Data Modeling Handbook
Very good practical books about data modeling include Joe Celko’s Data & Databases and Data Modeling for Information Professionals as they both focus on practical issues with data modeling. The Data Modeling Handbook and Data Model Patterns are both excellent resources once you’ve mastered the fundamentals. An Introduction to Database Systems is a good academic treatise for anyone wishing to become a data specialist.
3.1 Identify Entity Types
An entity type, also simply called entity (not exactly accurate terminology, but very common in practice), is similar conceptually to object-orientation’s concept of a class – an entity type represents a collection of similar objects. An entity type could represent a collection of people, places, things, events, or concepts. Examples of entities in an order entry system would include Customer, Address, Order, Item, and Tax. If you were class modeling you would expect to discover classes with the exact same names. However, the difference between a class and an entity type is that classes have both data and behavior whereas entity types just have data.
Ideally an entity should be normal, the data modeling world’s version of cohesive. A normal entity depicts one concept, just like a cohesive class models one concept. For example, customer and order are clearly two different concepts; therefore it makes sense to model them as separate entities.
3.2 Identify Attributes
Each entity type will have one or more data attributes. For example, in Figure 1 you saw that the Customer entity has attributes such as First Name and Surname and in Figure 2 that the TCUSTOMER table had corresponding data columns CUST_FIRST_NAME and CUST_SURNAME (a column is the implementation of a data attribute within a relational database).
Attributes should also be cohesive from the point of view of your domain, something that is often a judgment call. – in Figure 1 we decided that we wanted to model the fact that people had both first and last names instead of just a name (e.g. “Scott" and “Ambler" vs. “Scott Ambler") whereas we did not distinguish between the sections of an American zip code (e.g. 90210-1234-5678). Getting the level of detail right can have a significant impact on your development and maintenance efforts. Refactoring a single data column into several columns can be difficult, database refactoring is described in detail in Database Refactoring, although over-specifying an attribute (e.g. having three attributes for zip code when you only needed one) can result in overbuilding your system and hence you incur greater development and maintenance costs than you actually needed.
3.3 Apply Data Naming Conventions
Your organization should have standards and guidelines applicable to data modeling, something you should be able to obtain from your enterprise administrators (if they don’t exist you should lobby to have some put in place). These guidelines should include naming conventions for both logical and physical modeling, the logical naming conventions should be focused on human readability whereas the physical naming conventions will reflect technical considerations. You can clearly see that different naming conventions were applied in Figures 1 and 2
As you saw in Introduction to Agile Modeling, AM includes the Apply Modeling Standards practice. The basic idea is that developers should agree to and follow a common set of modeling standards on a software project. Just like there is value in following common coding conventions, clean code that follows your chosen coding guidelines is easier to understand and evolve than code that doesn't, there is similar value in following common modeling conventions.
3.4 Identify Relationships
In the real world entities have relationships with other entities. For example, customers PLACE orders, customers LIVE AT addresses, and line items ARE PART OF orders. Place, live at, and are part of are all terms that define relationships between entities. The relationships between entities are conceptually identical to the relationships (associations) between objects.
Figure 5 depicts a partial LDM for an online ordering system. The first thing to notice is the various styles applied to relationship names and roles – different relationships require different approaches. For example the relationship between Customer and Order has two names, places and is placed by, whereas the relationship between Customer and Address has one. In this example having a second name on the relationship, the idea being that you want to specify how to read the relationship in each direction, is redundant – you’re better off to find a clear wording for a single relationship name, decreasing the clutter on your diagram. Similarly you will often find that by specifying the roles that an entity plays in a relationship will often negate the need to give the relationship a name (although some CASE tools may inadvertently force you to do this). For example the role of billing address and the label billed to are clearly redundant, you really only need one. For example the role part of that Line Item has in its relationship with Order is sufficiently obvious without a relationship name.
Figure 5. A logical data model (Information Engineering notation).
Identifying relationships
You also need to identify the cardinality and optionality of a relationship (the UML combines the concepts of optionality and cardinality into the single concept of multiplicity). Cardinality represents the concept of “how many" whereas optionality represents the concept of “whether you must have something." For example, it is not enough to know that customers place orders. How many orders can a customer place? None, one, or several? Furthermore, relationships are two-way streets: not only do customers place orders, but orders are placed by customers. This leads to questions like: how many customers can be enrolled in any given order and is it possible to have an order with no customer involved? Figure 5 shows that customers place zero or more orders and that any given order is placed by one customer and one customer only. It also shows that a customer lives at one or more addresses and that any given address has zero or more customers living at it.
Although the UML distinguishes between different types of relationships – associations, inheritance, aggregation, composition, and dependency – data modelers often aren’t as concerned with this issue as much as object modelers are. Subtyping, one application of inheritance, is often found in data models, an example of which is the is a relationship between Item and it’s two “sub entities" Service and Product. Aggregation and composition are much less common and typically must be implied from the data model, as you see with the part of role that Line Item takes with Order. UML dependencies are typically a software construct and therefore wouldn’t appear on a data model, unless of course it was a very highly detailed physical model that showed how views, triggers, or stored procedures depended on other aspects of the database schema.
3.5 Apply Data Model Patterns
Some data modelers will apply common data model patterns, David Hay’s book Data Model Patterns is the best reference on the subject, just as object-oriented developers will apply analysis patterns (Fowler 1997; Ambler 1997) and design patterns (Gamma et al. 1995). Data model patterns are conceptually closest to analysis patterns because they describe solutions to common domain issues. Hay’s book is a very good reference for anyone involved in analysis-level modeling, even when you’re taking an object approach instead of a data approach because his patterns model business structures from a wide variety of business domains.
Data Model Patterns
3.6 Assign Keys
There are two fundamental strategies for assigning keys to tables. First, you could assign a natural key which is one or more existing data attributes that are unique to the business concept. The Customer table of Figure 6 there was two candidate keys, in this case CustomerNumber and SocialSecurityNumber. Second, you could introduce a new column, called a surrogate key, which is a key that has no business meaning. An example of which is the AddressID column of the Address table in Figure 6. Addresses don’t have an “easy" natural key because you would need to use all of the columns of the Address table to form a key for itself (you might be able to get away with just the combination of Street and ZipCode depending on your problem domain), therefore introducing a surrogate key is a much better option in this case.
Figure 6. Customer and Address revisited (UML notation).
Let's consider Figure 6 in more detail. Figure 6 presents an alternative design to that presented in Figure 2, a different naming convention was adopted and the model itself is more extensive. In Figure 6 the Customer table has the CustomerNumber column as its primary key and SocialSecurityNumber as an alternate key. This indicates that the preferred way to access customer information is through the value of a person’s customer number although your software can get at the same information if it has the person’s social security number. The CustomerHasAddress table has a composite primary key, the combination of CustomerNumber and AddressID. A foreign key is one or more attributes in an entity type that represents a key, either primary or secondary, in another entity type. Foreign keys are used to maintain relationships between rows. For example, the relationships between rows in the CustomerHasAddress table and the Customer table is maintained by the CustomerNumber column within the CustomerHasAddress table. The interesting thing about the CustomerNumber column is the fact that it is part of the primary key for CustomerHasAddress as well as the foreign key to the Customer table. Similarly, the AddressID column is part of the primary key of CustomerHasAddress as well as a foreign key to the Address table to maintain the relationship with rows of Address.
Although the "natural vs. surrogate" debate is one of the great religious issues within the data community, the fact is that neither strategy is perfect and you'll discover that in practice (as we see in Figure 6 ) sometimes it makes sense to use natural keys and sometimes it makes sense to use surrogate keys. In Choosing a Primary Key: Natural or Surrogate? I describe the relevant issues in detail.
3.7 Normalize to Reduce Data Redundancy
Data normalization is a process in which data attributes within a data model are organized to increase the cohesion of entity types. In other words, the goal of data normalization is to reduce and even eliminate data redundancy, an important consideration for application developers because it is incredibly difficult to stores objects in a relational database that maintains the same information in several places. Table 2 summarizes the three most common normalization rules describing how to put entity types into a series of increasing levels of normalization. Higher levels of data normalization (Date 2000) are beyond the scope of this book. With respect to terminology, a data schema is considered to be at the level of normalization of its least normalized entity type. For example, if all of your entity types are at second normal form (2NF) or higher then we say that your data schema is at 2NF.
Data Modeling for Information Professionals
Table 2. Data Normalization Rules.
Level Rule
First normal form (1NF) An entity type is in 1NF when it contains no repeating groups of data.
Second normal form (2NF) An entity type is in 2NF when it is in 1NF and when all of its non-key attributes are fully dependent on its primary key.
Third normal form (3NF) An entity type is in 3NF when it is in 2NF and when all of its attributes are directly dependent on the primary key.
Figure 7 depicts a database schema in ONF whereas Figure 8 depicts a normalized schema in 3NF. Read the Introduction to Data Normalization essay for details.
Why data normalization? The advantage of having a highly normalized data schema is that information is stored in one place and one place only, reducing the possibility of inconsistent data. Furthermore, highly-normalized data schemas in general are closer conceptually to object-oriented schemas because the object-oriented goals of promoting high cohesion and loose coupling between classes results in similar solutions (at least from a data point of view). This generally makes it easier to map your objects to your data schema. Unfortunately, normalization usually comes at a performance cost. With the data schema of Figure 7 all the data for a single order is stored in one row (assuming orders of up to nine order items), making it very easy to access. With the data schema of Figure 7 you could quickly determine the total amount of an order by reading the single row from the Order0NF table. To do so with the data schema of Figure 8 you would need to read data from a row in the Order table, data from all the rows from the OrderItem table for that order and data from the corresponding rows in the Item table for each order item. For this query, the data schema of Figure 7 very likely provides better performance.
Figure 7. An Initial Data Schema for Order (UML Notation).
Order in 0NF
Figure 8. A normalized schema in 3NF (UML Notation).
Order Fully Normalized
In class modeling, there is a similar concept called Class Normalization although that is beyond the scope of this article.
3.8 Denormalize to Improve Performance
Normalized data schemas, when put into production, often suffer from performance problems. This makes sense – the rules of data normalization focus on reducing data redundancy, not on improving performance of data access. An important part of data modeling is to denormalize portions of your data schema to improve database access times. For example, the data model of Figure 9 looks nothing like the normalized schema of Figure 8. To understand why the differences between the schemas exist you must consider the performance needs of the application. The primary goal of this system is to process new orders from online customers as quickly as possible. To do this customers need to be able to search for items and add them to their order quickly, remove items from their order if need be, then have their final order totaled and recorded quickly. The secondary goal of the system is to the process, ship, and bill the orders afterwards.
Figure 9. A Denormalized Order Data Schema (UML notation).
Order Denormalized
To denormalize the data schema the following decisions were made:
1. To support quick searching of item information the Item table was left alone.
2. To support the addition and removal of order items to an order the concept of an OrderItem table was kept, albeit split in two to support outstanding orders and fulfilled orders. New order items can easily be inserted into the OutstandingOrderItem table, or removed from it, as needed.
3. To support order processing the Order and OrderItem tables were reworked into pairs to handle outstanding and fulfilled orders respectively. Basic order information is first stored in the OutstandingOrder and OutstandingOrderItem tables and then when the order has been shipped and paid for the data is then removed from those tables and copied into the FulfilledOrder and FulfilledOrderItem tables respectively. Data access time to the two tables for outstanding orders is reduced because only the active orders are being stored there. On average an order may be outstanding for a couple of days, whereas for financial reporting reasons may be stored in the fulfilled order tables for several years until archived. There is a performance penalty under this scheme because of the need to delete outstanding orders and then resave them as fulfilled orders, clearly something that would need to be processed as a transaction.
4. The contact information for the person(s) the order is being shipped and billed to was also denormalized back into the Order table, reducing the time it takes to write an order to the database because there is now one write instead of two or three. The retrieval and deletion times for that data would also be similarly improved.
Note that if your initial, normalized data design meets the performance needs of your application then it is fine as is. Denormalization should be resorted to only when performance testing shows that you have a problem with your objects and subsequent profiling reveals that you need to improve database access time. As my grandfather said, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
5. Evolutionary/Agile Data Modeling
Evolutionary data modeling is data modeling performed in an iterative and incremental manner. The article Evolutionary Development explores evolutionary software development in greater detail. Agile data modeling is evolutionary data modeling done in a collaborative manner. The article Agile Data Modeling: From Domain Modeling to Physical Modeling works through a case study which shows how to take an agile approach to data modeling.
Although you wouldn’t think it, data modeling can be one of the most challenging tasks that an Agile DBA can be involved with on an agile software development project. Your approach to data modeling will often be at the center of any controversy between the agile software developers and the traditional data professionals within your organization. Agile software developers will lean towards an evolutionary approach where data modeling is just one of many activities whereas traditional data professionals will often lean towards a big design up front (BDUF) approach where data models are the primary artifacts, if not THE artifacts. This problem results from a combination of the cultural impedance mismatch, a misguided need to enforce the "one truth", and “normal" political maneuvering within your organization. As a result Agile DBAs often find that navigating the political waters is an important part of their data modeling efforts.
6. How to Become Better At Modeling Data
How do you improve your data modeling skills? Practice, practice, practice. Whenever you get a chance you should work closely with Agile DBAs, volunteer to model data with them, and ask them questions as the work progresses. Agile DBAs will be following the AM practice Model With Others so should welcome the assistance as well as the questions – one of the best ways to really learn your craft is to have someone as “why are you doing it that way". You should be able to learn physical data modeling skills from Agile DBAs, and often logical data modeling skills as well.
Similarly you should take the opportunity to work with the enterprise architects within your organization. As you saw in Agile Enterprise Architecture they should be taking an active role on your project, mentoring your project team in the enterprise architecture (if any), mentoring you in modeling and architectural skills, and aiding in your team’s modeling and development efforts. Once again, volunteer to work with them and ask questions when you are doing so. Enterprise architects will be able to teach you conceptual and logical data modeling skills as well as instill an appreciation for enterprise issues.
You also need to do some reading. Although this article is a good start it is only a brief introduction. The best approach is to simply ask the Agile DBAs that you work with what they think you should read.
My final word of advice is that it is critical for application developers to understand and appreciate the fundamentals of data modeling. This is a valuable skill to have and has been since the 1970s. It also provides a common framework within which you can work with Agile DBAs, and may even prove to be the initial skill that enables you to make a career transition into becoming a full-fledged Agile DBA. | <urn:uuid:e5a12606-55ab-4784-9c83-1e8dc19f5684> | http://www.agiledata.org/essays/dataModeling101.html | en | 0.921916 | 0.024303 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Bright Weather
Weather apps and widgets are aplenty, but a new app release from LevelUp Studios called Bright Weather promises to make your day with a balance of style and functionality. Bright Weather mixes stunning photography with minimalistic graphics in balancing information and functionality for checking out the weather.
True enough, while anyone can simply look out the window to check out the current weather conditions, weather apps like Bright Weather offer a few functionalities that can help you plan your day or week, including location-based weather alerts, weekend weather forecasts and hourly weather and temperature forecasts.
Bright Weather also comes with smart notifications, which let you customize weather alerts to your needs, including notifications for sudden changes in temperature or weather. Those into mapping and geo-location can also see live map-based charting of conditions, including cloud formations, temperature, humidity, rainfall and the like.
Recently, with news of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers melting and raising the ocean levels by as much as 3 meters in the next century, users might gain some interest in historical world temperatures. Bright Weather’s weather almanac gives users a bigger overview of the world weather.
Bright Weather is a free-to-download app on Google Play (source link below). The app comes with ads, which can be removed through an in-app-purchase
J. Angelo Racoma
Show 4 comments | <urn:uuid:a56e7951-d13f-4632-985e-511dbe5267e3> | http://www.androidauthority.com/weather-app-will-brighten-day-380566/ | en | 0.924254 | 0.046503 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
What to Talk About Now That the Super Bowl Has Passed - Image 1
Football season is great: it brings friends together, television commercials get better, the games give you an excuse to get your day-drunk on. Best of all, though, is that it provides you with perfect small-talk in instances when you have no desire or time for real conversation. Football talk transcends gender, race, class and age.
Saying something like "How 'bout the Giants?" can break the awkward silence in an elevator or help you avoid discussing your future with dad. It's a short enough phrase that you can yell it repeatedly at your deaf grandfather, but it's meaningful enough that it doesn't even demand a response. It's not even a question, is it? It's like saying "What's up?" when someone passes you in the hall.
So what the hell do you do now that the Super Bowl has passed? Here are some ideas:
Weather: It's such an obvious last resort for conversation, that sometimes people forget it. Unlike football, weather doesn't have an off-season. It's always there. Rain or shine, it's always fodder for small talk. Try these: if it's stormy, go "Ugh, can you believe this weather?" If it's beautiful out, smile big and go "Ooh, can you believe this weather?" Sometimes, you can just point outside and make a face. It gets the point across.
The Weekend: Brief conversation about the weekend can be a great way to fill the air while also keeping your co-workers or classmates emotionally at bay. You know why? Because when you say to an acquaintance, "Any big plans for the weekend?" or "How was your weekend?" you're making it clear to them that you are not friendly enough to already be in the know. Just be careful about your tone — you don't want to give the impression that you're genuinely interested! And here's a little bonus tip on how to decipher responses about the weekend: when someone enthusiastically responds, "It was really good!" it means they got laid. If they say something like, "It was nice… relaxing…" it means they stayed inside and ate a lot of ramen noodles.
Movies: Even if you don't go to the movies, this one is great because you see the trailers on T.V. You know the gist. So just lie. After all, you're not looking for an intellectual discussion on the cinematic value of Ashton Kutcher's latest film. If you're stretching for a minute + of conversation, try pairing this one up with "The Weekend."
Temperature: Not to be confused with "The Weather." This one is about you and how you're out of whack with your surroundings. If you can't think of anything to say to the person next to you, just go, "Is it hot in here?" They'll probably say "Yeah, kind of." If they disagree, tell them it is hot in here and to go fuck themselves.
Death: Most people outside of the funeral home business overlook this one. But death is a great icebreaker and can be a fun way to bring down the overly-cheerful. All you have to do is, every morning, check out the Obituaries section of the New York Times. That way you'll always be armed with a recent death for chewin' the fat. Not only will you be able to have a pocket-sized conversation, but you'll also have the chance to say, "I read it in the Times." | <urn:uuid:01fa9d72-1880-46df-884b-32a222f9deee> | http://www.collegehumor.com/post/6705205/what-to-talk-about-now-that-the-super-bowl-has-passed | en | 0.964314 | 0.321902 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
#0043f0 Color Information
In a RGB color space, hex #0043f0 is composed of 0% red, 26.3% green and 94.1% blue. Whereas in a CMYK color space, it is composed of 100% cyan, 72.1% magenta, 0% yellow and 5.9% black. It has a hue angle of 223.3 degrees, a saturation of 100% and a lightness of 47.1%. #0043f0 color hex could be obtained by blending #0086ff with #0000e1. Closest websafe color is: #0033ff.
• R 0
• G 26
• B 94
RGB color chart
• C 100
• M 72
• Y 0
• K 6
CMYK color chart
#0043f0 color description : Pure (or mostly pure) blue.
#0043f0 Color Conversion
The hexadecimal color #0043f0 has RGB values of R:0, G:67, B:240 and CMYK values of C:1, M:0.72, Y:0, K:0.06. Its decimal value is 17392.
Hex triplet 0043f0 #0043f0
RGB Decimal 0, 67, 240 rgb(0,67,240)
RGB Percent 0, 26.3, 94.1 rgb(0%,26.3%,94.1%)
CMYK 100, 72, 0, 6
HSL 223.3°, 100, 47.1 hsl(223.3,100%,47.1%)
HSV (or HSB) 223.3°, 100, 94.1
Web Safe 0033ff #0033ff
CIE-LAB 38.383, 51.292, -89.293
XYZ 17.732, 10.304, 83.488
xyY 0.159, 0.092, 10.304
CIE-LCH 38.383, 102.976, 299.874
CIE-LUV 38.383, -15.001, -124.232
Hunter-Lab 32.1, 42.429, -131.735
Binary 00000000, 01000011, 11110000
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A tone is produced by adding gray to any pure hue. In this case, #6f7481 is the less saturated color, while #0043f0 is the most saturated one.
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Color Blindness Simulator
Below, you can see how #0043f0 is perceived by people affected by a color vision deficiency. This can be useful if you need to ensure your color combinations are accessible to color-blind users.
• #434343 Achromatopsia 0.005% of the population
• #364366 Atypical Achromatopsia 0.001% of the population
• #0060ba Protanopia 1% of men
• #0065a1 Deuteranopia 1% of men
• #006c71 Tritanopia 0.001% of the population
• #0055ce Protanomaly 1% of men, 0.01% of women
• #005d9f Tritanomaly 0.01% of the population | <urn:uuid:96e3aab1-1eb5-470f-a28b-b117f83a70f4> | http://www.colorhexa.com/0043f0 | en | 0.699624 | 0.031211 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Singaporean molester sentenced to two years of jail
Molester sentenced to two years of jail Reuters
The 25-year-old Singaporean, Hsu Yisong, has been sentenced to two years of jail and three strokes of the cane for molesting a 27-year-old Chinese woman last January.
The Singapore court heard the entire incident in detail before the verdict was handed. The victim, who was then working as a performing artist, was walking on Mackenzie Road towards Bukit Timah Road when she realized that she was being followed. Deputy Public Prosecutor, Sruthi Boppana told the court that when the victim turned around at the open-air car park she saw Hsu behind her.
She assumed that it was safe to continue walking as there were many people at the car park, including Singaporeans Shashi Ramparch and Suvin Sasi, and their friends. But Hsu suddenly ran towards her, restrained her in a neck lock with his right arm, and used his left hand to lift her top before molesting her.
The victim could hardly breathe from the force of his right arm gripping her neck. But she still managed to shout out for help. She continuously tried to push Hsu's hand away. Although he continued his attack by trying to pull her shorts down, he failed.
Two men at the open-air car park on that road noticed her and somehow managed to catch Hsu as he was running away. The police were informed and Hsu was arrested soon after.
The victim was immediately taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The doctors reported that she was found to have suffered three scratch marks on her lower abdomen and small bruising on both her upper arms. | <urn:uuid:6b2ac8b1-f71e-4976-9fce-1e7f92c80740> | http://www.ibtimes.sg/singaporean-jailed-two-years-molesting-chinese-woman-1320 | en | 0.993899 | 0.048545 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Video lecture: hash tables Bloom filters
Optimising the compareTo method...
On the previous page, we saw an example implementation of the compareTo() method of the Comparable interface. Our implementation was methodical and easy to follow, but a bit "long-winded".
...so long as we're careful!
In some cases we can make the comparison method more succinct, but we need to proceed with caution as we'll see in a second.
Using a subtraction instead of a comparison
The first optimisation that can be made in certain cases is to use a subtraction instead of a comparison of numeric values. In principle, this works thanks to some extremely elementary mathematics:
• if a < b, then a - b will be negative;
• if a > b, then a - b will be positive.
Oh, and of course subtracting a number from itself gives zero. So our card comparison routine can now look as follows:
public class PlayingCard implements Comparable<PlayingCard> {
public int compareTo(PlayingCard o) {
int cardComp = this.suit - o.suit;
if (cardComp == 0) {
cardComp = this.number - o.number;
return cardComp;
Using subtraction is a very common idiom for comparing numbers in sorting routines, and is almost certainly the reason why compareTo() is defined to return an integer in the first place. Indeed, you may be wondering why we bothered with the previous version of doing comparisons and returning specific values. Well, it turns out that the subtraction method is incorrect for the general case, although it works here.
Problem with this method: comparing large numbers
The above method works because we know that the numbers we'll be comparing will be small. But ints can only store numbers up to a certain magnitude. So if we know that the difference between the two numbers can exceed about 2 billion (232) we should avoid the above method. Converting to longs gives us extra breathing space (the magnitude can now read 263), but the essential problem remains.
This means, for example, that if you're comparing database keys, you should check very carefully what your database's key allocation policy is if you intend to use this method. (Just because you only have 100,000 keys in your table may not mean that the keys are allocated from that range of numbers.)
Is it worth it?
In tests I ran (on Intel architecture), I actually found that:
• when the compareTo() involves a single comparison, using a subtraction instead of comparisons makes no appreciable difference;
• when two comparisons are involved, using subtraction as above (so that our method has just a single comparison with zero) makes the overall sort about 10% faster.
In other words, in the single-variable case, the "optimisation" appears non-existent and in the two-variable case, the performance benefits are minimal. Possibly the main benefit is therefore a readability issue, at least on modern architecture.
Next, you may wish to look at how to set an arbitrary sort order using the Java Comparator interface.
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Global Requirements Checklist
Content Requirements
1. The footer must contain the same copyright and terms of service text as the university’s home page footer located at and it must be linked to For example, the required text would be “(c) 2016 Loyola Marymount University | Terms of Service
2. All university visual marks (seals, logos, etc.) must conform to the university’s logo guidelines located on the Visual Identity Website. Sites may only utilize pre-approved logos or custom-designed logos from Web, New Media and Design.
3. The header or footer must contain a link to the text transcoding system in order to comply with Section 508 requirements. This is accomplished by using a “Text-Only” link to Alternatively, Web, New Media and Design will create a dynamic link that will link the user to the specific page’s text version.
4. All other content must conform to existing university policies and requirements related to appropriateness, tone and relevance to university business and marketing goals.
5. The footer must contain social media icons that link to the university’s or the unit’s presence in the following services: FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, iLMU Mobile and iLMU Video. Additional options may be added at the unit’s discretion.
6. The header or footer must contain a link to the current capital campaign and/or fundraising initiative and should be titled “Giving” and link to the Giving Home Page or the relevant unit’s landing page within that site.
7. The footer must contain the university or unit’s mailing address.
Design Requirements
1. The default target screen resolution for all designs is 1024 X 768. The required target resolution for mobile devices is 320 X 480.
2. All university web pages are required to utilize either (1) responsive design or (2) browser redirects to mobile accessible versions in order to maximize accessibility to multiple devices and screen resolutions.
3. The primary color palette utilized should either reflect the university’s colors as defined in the Visual Identity or derive from them in consultation with Web, New Media and Design. Additionally, color palettes used by identified competitor institutions may not be used. Additional information is available by contacting the Web Office.
Functionality Requirements
1. The website is required to reside in the university’s official content management solution and/or other related web solutions as defined by Web, New Media and Design.
2. The layout must contain a search engine form and button which is integrated with the university’s search solution.
3. The web page must utilize the university’s pre-approved analytics codes and customized SEO tags.
4. All interactive features will be implemented using JavaScript and CSS. We no longer support Flash.
5. Note: Other functional and technical requirements are not explicitly defined here as all units are required to have all programming, development, hosting and implementation work completed by Web, New Media and Design to ensure consistency, standards and support.
Updated January, 2013 | <urn:uuid:17f82cdb-1e5b-4d46-94f1-9effbe6dd87b> | https://comms.lmu.edu/policies/global-requirements-checklist-2/ | en | 0.866226 | 0.026133 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Why Honey Never Expires
Have you ever wondered why honey never expires? Ancient Egyptian tombs were excavated and archaeologists found pots of honey that were thousands of years old, and still edible. Raw honey can keep for an indefinite amount of time, as long as the container is sealed.
Save videos for later by signing up or logging in
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Q&A How do I know when Catalytic Converter is bad?
QandA Posted By QandA, Jun 9, 2007 at 5:07 PM
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
1. QandA
New Member 2.
Staff Member
Nov 27, 2012
have a wood burning stove with a catalytic converter. It is a "Federal Airtight" the medium size one, which is manufactured by Vermont Castings. I bought this stove new in 1990 or 1991. How do I know when a new catalytic converter is needed? Also, where can I purchase a new thermometer for it?
It's probably close to time for a new cat, as 5-7 years is the average use. There are two things to look for:
1. Physical degradation - the converter body is a honeycomb ceramic material - it can crumble after a period of time. Inspect it by removing the stove griddle or top.
2. Chemical degradation - the catalyst in the converter, which is actually made of "noble" metals such as platinum and palladium, does get used up...or more likely flakes off after an extended period of time. In this case, the stove will produce more creosote in the chimney. You will also notice less heat output.
The thermometer is a good way to monitor the catalyst. If the temperature is much lower than it used to be, then the catalyst should be cleaned (use either or a very soft brush) or replaced.
You can get the thermometer at any Vermont Castings dealer. There are over 600 in the US, so you should find one in your local phone book.
You may also be able to get a replacement catalytic and thermomoter at Condat - http://www.condar.com
Link: Condar Products Web Site
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I have come across real pharmaceutical potassium for my upcoming clen cycle.
It is called Span - K
The reason I'm posting is it is a sustained release tablet containing potassium chloride 600mg.
Most sources seem to indicate a 200-400mg daily dose before bed on an empty stomach.
Should I just break one in half and have half a day.
I wouldn't ask except this differs a bit from your garden variety health food store potassium. (Is health food potassium in the chloride form?) | <urn:uuid:70c6692a-3e0b-497f-bd5a-f2c43ca5a19e> | http://anabolicminds.com/forum/steroids/44970-sustained-release-k.html | en | 0.940175 | 0.248905 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Saturday, September 23, 2006
READER'S FEEDBACK: Extraction Program
READER'S FEEDBACK: Extraction Program
From: Charlotte
I sincerely hope that the [data derived from the] extraction program is more
reliable than the Ancestral File [database of patron entries]. I was in
charge of one of the *data entry* sites. There were 32 of them. We were not
allowed to make corrections to what the submitter sent in even when it was
obvious that a mistake was made, nor were we allowed to let the submitter
know he/she had made a mistake.
I know the extraction program is reading from the microfilm and that as
minimum of two people have to agree as to what it says, but I worked in that
too and often if the second reader saw that the first reader was someone
he/she respected as lot, if there was a question he/she always took what the
first person had put.
Charlotte in southern Utah
Data entry site was in Texas
Your Name Extraction Program experience differs from ours in the early 1990s
in Bradenton, Florida. We were extracting names from a Catholic parish in
Mexico City. We received the microfilm, and photocopies from the film to
distribute to volunteer participants. The UDE software provided for person
"A" to fill in the blanks for the individual's name, parents where listed,
date, place; as he interpreted it from the original text. Once the packet
was returned, we distributed the packet to another volunteer. The software
for person "B" provided the blind double-entry I described in yesterday's
article. Person "B" was specifically not to know who had previously
processed the packet of pages from the original
When there were difficulties in reading the text, it was possible for either
person "A" or person "B" to come back to the two of us coordinating the
project, so that we could look at the microfilm, zoom in/out, and reprint a
page positive/negative and such. We merely voted on our best guestimate.
However, we had been trained to look at the handwriting elsewhere on the
page to compare letter for letter, allowing for irregularities in
The computer software would compare both "A" and "B" entries for
differences, which I theorize were usually just typos.
COMPUTER. This meant that the extractor deciphered the handwriting from the
original document from a photocopy of the microfilm. He reported his
findings by hand writing the names and dates on little cards. Others typed
from those cards into a computer. This sounds like the *data entry* you
participated in, Charlotte.
THANKFULLY, THE ADVENT OF HOME COMPUTERS has facilitated the part "A" and
part "B" indexing of original records.
Somehow having two or more sets of eye looking at the cryptic handwriting in
an old church record seems a lot more reliable than trusting my
inexperienced, untrained eye. However, no process is without it's faults.
For that reason, Ol' Myrt continues to recommend that we obtain copies of
the original document (usually from microfilm) rather than rely on even an
extracted entry.
Happy family tree climbing!
Myrt :)
227 Bellevue Way NE PMB544
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As is the food, so is the Life!
As is the food, so is the thought!
A minute quantity of food become the "Thought"
“As is the food, so are the thoughts. As are the thoughts, so is the habit, as is the habit, so is the character and as is the character, so is the life”- Some wise man.
The above quote is the quintessence of mortal life. The man who breeds ill thoughts can never hope to lead a happy life. We have seen that pious people consume simple and wholesome food! The perverted minds hanker for spicy, hot deep fried food. The moment one consume such food, agitations will result in the mind. Such man is repositories of anger and hatred. They won’t tolerate goodness in any person. There is a third category of person who consumes stale food refrigerated for days. These induce ‘sloth’ and they tend to become lazy. They will sleep for hours. These are the results of faulty food habits!
There are certain foods which keep us calm and composed. Green leaves, nuts, whole wheat grains, pulses, sprouted seeds, fruits and a little milk go into the diet of holy, spiritually inclined people. They won’t consume flesh and meat. They like only green vegetables, fruits and little butter milk. This type of food is conducive to spiritual aspirants. Though Doctors all over the world recommend meat protein and fish, there are number of vegetarian items which contains equal amount of protein content like soya bean and other milk or dairy products like butter etc.
Clear warnings!
The benefit of vegetarian food!
Of course, there are certain regions of the world which remains extremely cold. It is inevitable for the people who reside there to consume fish and other available items. For those who live in temperament climates, plenty of vegetarian options exist. Meat eaters are prone to cardiac and other serious health problems. Hence vegetarian food is safer and conducive to mental well beings. Most of the ailments people suffer today are due to faulty and negative thinking. The mind is the main cause for ‘bodily ailments”. Hence, if we want to remain calm and composed in this stressful world, we have to select appropriate diet and avoid meat, fish and other such non-vegetarian foods! Lot of research has been made in this and it is proved beyond doubt that vegetarian food is far superior and healthy for human intake!
Most of the time, we find that thoughts emanate without our volition. In fact, a minute part of the food is converted as thought and hence the kind of thought we imagine is the outcome of the kind of food and its quality! In the ancient history of mankind, we come across a category ‘demon’. It is frequently found in Indian epics and scriptures. Their demonic disposition is surely due to the nasty food culture. Demons consume human beings as well apart from the meat of different animals. Those demons were very cruel and they have not even an iota of sympathy in their hearts. They are violent by nature!
Fire rituals for welfare of mankind!
Offerings to demigods through fire rituals ensure rain and prosperity!
Those demons are deadly enemies to demigods like Indra, Agni, Vayu and Akasa! These are nothing but the basic fundamental elements that form the universe and its beings. They are the earth, water, fire, air and ether! These elements are ruled by some demigods in heaven. These demigods consume the offerings made in fire by the recluses, sages, and pious people who maintain fire place to perform their rituals. The fire god conveys their offerings to different gods. This is like the postal system which is in vogue in the world. We write letters and messages, put them in an envelope, write the name and address of the receiver and affix a postal stamp and post it in a nearby post box! The Postal department takes care to see it delivered to the correct addressee in a day or two according to the distance.
In a similar way, the fire place is like a post box, wherein offerings of food, grains, fruits, cloths, medicinal herbs and other valuable items like even gold and silver coins and costly gems are put in with appropriate annotations or chanting addressing different demigods. The fire god duly conveys them to the demigods in charge for rain, water, ether, and other items. Hence in the ancient world, especially in India, there was copious rainfall, which enabled sumptuous crops and fodder for the cattle. There was all-round prosperity and all categories of people lived happily and amicably. The King took it as his responsibility to carry our periodical fire rituals for the overall prosperity of his Kingdom and the citizens. Only due to the invasion aliens from other parts of the globe, there was disruption in such fire rituals. This resulted in collapse in morals which led to the collapse of society on the whole. Hence many flourishing empires collapsed and the kingdom disintegrated due to famine and draught! Hence morality and culture of a Nation are two strong pillars of the Kingdom and citizens!
Being a good person...
Ancient Indian tradition and culture!
In spite of intrusion of alien people, India maintained truth and righteousness and the country gave asylum to many alien people who started living in India without any fear. All citizens were treated alike and justice meted out equally. Hence the basic unity was undercurrent for the sustaining culture of India.
Today, we are witnessing collapse of many countries due to misrule by the leaders. Human values were not adopted anywhere. Education systems have become purely materialistic in nature. In such a situation, nature retaliates due to the atrocities of many people in the world. There is no dearth of terrorism anywhere. Innocent people, women and children in some countries are targeted by those terrorists to instigate fear in the minds of people everywhere. The main reason is lack of morals and human values in people and the rulers. God alone can set right this grievous situation in the world!
Select such food items which will not infuriate the mind. Everyone in the world needs peace and happiness. Hence avoid killing innocent animals for the sake of filling up the bellies. Rather we can consume wholesome nourishing vegetarian diet!
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Williams' remote life is miles from Easy Street
Posted: Monday, February 08, 1999
After her morning coffee, Paula Williams home-schools her young son for a few hours, puts on a dab of makeup and jumps in her skiff to go seal hunting.
That's just part of a typical day for Williams, 34, of Redoubt Bay.
An Inupiaq Eskimo originally from Noorvik in Northwest Alaska, she lives much the same lifestyle as many Alaskans might have a century or more ago - or would like to today.
``I do pretty good out here,'' Williams said of her two-story cabin home, about a dozen or so miles south of Sitka on the west coast of Baranof Island.
``It's the kind of lifestyle I want. I'm happy - I need very little of anything.''
She's lived that life for about six years now, after spending about two years in Sitka with her husband, Richard. The couple built two cabins on property owned by Richard's mother, Alice Williams.
Paula's husband is a journeyman carpenter in Juneau. She comes to the capital city every few weeks to see her husband and to stock up on supplies, such as crackers, rice and flashlight batteries.
``I bring him a lot of Native food: seal oil, herring eggs and fish from camp.''
Time away is tough on a relationship.
``It's hard on both of us, since he works full time (in Juneau). We write a lot of letters and talk on the phone, when we can,'' she said. ``We've been married for 12 years and together 16 years, so we already know each other.''
The couple were commercial divers for a time, harvesting abalone and urchins. But the two decided to seek other occupations.
Alice Williams said her daughter-in-law is a woman's woman, and lives the way most Native women used to.
``I remember those days,'' said Alice, now 65, recalling her youth at fish camps. ``I learned how to shoot a rifle and how to run a boat - we did it by hand power in those days. Now they have motors.''
Alice said when Paula and her son first moved out of town, she had her doubts how long they would last in isolation.
``I wondered myself how they would do. But they do,'' Alice said.
Alice and Paula collaborate on artwork and Native apparel, everything from $10 sealskin key fobs to mukluks that cost several hundred dollars. Paula does all the skin sewing, while Alice, a Tlingit, does all the beadwork.
Paula sells the items to tourists on Sitka docks, or at shows and markets around Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
The mixture of Inupiaq and Tlingit craftwork makes for some unique items.
Paula learned to sew skins and shoot rifles from her grandmothers, about the same time most kids were learning to ride a bicycle.
She honed her skills by shooting squirrels, which are used to make parkas. Squirrels are not only small - they're fast. And a bullet has to be placed somewhere within its coin-sized head or the pelt is ruined, she said.
``I'm a pretty good shot, I think,'' she said.
Williams shoots about 25 seals and another 25 sea otters a year in the waters around Redoubt Bay. She also hunts deer and runs a trap line.
The animals are used to the fullest. Williams, like her ancestors, uses everything from the seal but the bark, so to speak.
``I don't waste anything. I just take what I need, when I need it. We eat the intestines, heart and liver and boil up the bones for the dogs.''
Her three German shepherds earn their keep by keeping bears at bay, she said. They also provide companionship for Paula and her 7-year-old son Leonty.
Paula speaks Inupiaq and some Tlingit. Her Eskimo name is Aaqauksraq, which means ``wise old lady.'' When she married Richard, she was adopted into the Eagle clan and given the Tlingit name Skagooni-tlaa.
So in addition to the three Rs, Leonty learns his Native languages during school at the cabin home. He's also learning much more, said his grandmother.
``She's teaching him about life out there,'' Alice said. ``She's teaching him about her culture and ours.''
Leonty is learning to scrape hides and sew skins. He's also learning what it takes to survive in a remote patch of Alaska.
It's not all work and it's not boring for a kid, Paula said.
``After we're done with home-schooling, he gets plenty of playtime,'' she said. ``He goes out and digs for crabs, swings on the hammock and hikes. He's a strong boy - he packs deer meat, hauls water and helps bring a lot of wood. He's ready for bed by the end of the day.''
She's a soccer mom, but instead of a minivan, she uses a skiff to take her son to Sitka for weekly art class, as well as softball and basketball games.
``She amazes me, everything she does,'' Alice said. ``She is still a woman. I know she uses a lot of hand lotion. She still has to look after things like that, you know.''
Paula knows some people envy her lifestyle, but it's not for everybody.
``I've had a lot of people say I live a real peaceful life,'' Paula said. ``But I stay busy. I chop a lot of wood and haul a lot of water. It's a lot of hard work out there. It keeps you healthy.''
This article first appeared in the Southeast Empire.
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Saturday, June 30, 2012
Defending Twilight
You're staring at the title in disbelief. How can anyone defend Twilight, you wonder? Well, I'm not going to defend the writing (not that I had a problem with it, but I don't always read to search out the bigger thesaurus, sometimes I just want to shut down and enjoy the story--and this is a young adult romance series... who the hell expects to have deep thoughts while reading a romance novel?). I'm not going to defend the main character (although seriously? Everyone has to be amazing and fantastical in their own heads? Romance novel heroines aren't there to be role models for anyone).
What I'm here to defend is largely misconceptions, unfair comparisons and outright geek affronts that I see on a very regular basis. Frankly, I'm not a Twihard, but the vitriol people have against this series and the energy they put into outright hating it really, really gets on my nerves. (As does my feeling the need to defend it)
I'm going to start with this: the vast majority of people who hate Twilight never should have picked it up (and if you're judging it based on the movie, just leave now, because you've already lost your case--and I'm sorry if you were dragged to those pieces of crap against your will) or have never even bothered to read it. However, just because you don't like something, doesn't automatically make it garbage.
I hate Stephen King's writer's voice viciously. He's also one of my greatest inspirations as a writer, because we write in the same linear, time-dependent fashion. Every minute I spent reading Dune was like torture. I choked the whole thing down and while I enjoyed the story, I couldn't force myself to read the second (though I tried). I decided I'd been punished enough. Anne Rice... well, I cannot get through Queen of the Damned no matter how I try. I have to skim her verbose, irrelevant, superfluous Nathaniel Hawthorne-esque voice to stay in the stories that I like (loved Interview, Lestat, Tale of the Body Thief and Vittorio, other than her writing).
These are three respected, good authors. They write very well. Their stories are not garbage, even if I absolutely despise reading them. I can't abide Harlequin Romance novels for the most part, but I like a nice, fat historical romance now and then. Most of those are about the heroine learning her place (I even read one where she was whipped with a crop until she stopped misbehaving for her later-to-be husband--yet Edward is a monster?) and doing as she's told (although the ones I enjoy tend to have stronger female leads, like Anne Bonnie: Pirate Queen).
It transfers into music, too. I'd rather be stabbed than listen to jazz (music of hell!), R&B, country (with a few exceptions), Kenny G (special kind of hell), most modern pop, hip hop (except Will Smith), reggae or anything with a floppy bass, bongos or brass or very staccato instruments. I can, however, still acknowledge the incredible talent in these musicians and their value in entertaining others--the people who do enjoy that sort of music. To say that someone should die because they entertain people, but you don't like their (non-hate-spreading) entertainment is disgusting and it shames me that so many people find it funny.
Now, onto my original theme. Let's start with this:
"Real vampires burn in the sun."
No, they don't. "Real vampires" don't exist, to start (unless you count the deluded masses who think they live on the life forces of others and drink clamato juice while disgusting goths with their bastardization of the original 'death walkers'). Second, the original vampires were shambling corpses who typically only woke during the night to feed on family members (causing illness, pregnancy, whatever needed a scapegoat). The sun didn't hurt them and, shockingly, they could be killed with a plain old bullet.
Dracula was the first really romanticized vampire and guess what? He walked around in the sun with nary an ill effect (unless you count him not being able to become mist, a wolf, a bat, et cetera). The first vampire to be killed by the sun was Nosferatu (who was originally supposed to be Dracula, but became his own vampire in the end... and it was the crowing of the cock that seemed to do him in). I'm not sure at what point they started burning, but if it wasn't a movie, then it was certainly a part of the Vampire Chronicles in the 70s.
"Sparkling is stupid."
Maybe, but that negates a lot of Hollywood through the years. I can't tell you how many bad guys sparkled on Star Trek (the original series). And most movies in the 80s employed some heavy glitter at some point. Quite frankly, us kids of the 80s grew up with a lot of sparkling going on and it's not a surprise to me at all that one of us had a dream about someone sparkling in the sunlight. A large chunk of MySpace was a glittering mess long before these books came out. I'm sure that gave plenty of people weird dreams.
The whole sparkling vampire is just one of many, many odd vampire mythos. Just because something wasn't written 200 years ago doesn't mean it can't be written now. I don't know why people are so obsessed with this--personally, it made me think of old Greek legends and gods. But it leads me into...
"The vampires in Twilight are gay."
Gay people love/have sex with people of their own gender. This is probably the first vampire series I've read where there wasn't any gay vampires. As someone who is not heterosexual, I find this incredibly offensive. You detest something, so you brand it gay? Yeah, Edward's a freaking prep. That doesn't make him gay. Having sex with Jacob would have made him gay, but that didn't happen (in the canon universe--calm down, slash fans). In fact, all the vampires were paired off in nice little heterosexual relationships. Being sparkly doesn't make them gay any more than a lisp makes a human guy gay. No H8.
This is gay:
...and one of my favorite screen captures
Jean-Claude & Asher
Asher and Jean-Claude, gay vampire couple supreme. Thanks to Spiffiness
This is not:
The less of Robert Pattinson's face, the better to me
Twilight, the Graphic Novel
And no, having a moral compass that matches the one he had when he was alive does not make Edward gay. His not wanting to have sex with her was partly because of, like Superman, what could happen if he lost control. Frankly, I'm still wondering why his sperm wasn't venomous when every other bodily fluid he had left was. Sheesh, condemn the guy for not wanting to look like a wife-beater.
"Buffy never would have put up with that."
This bothers me even more if they reference Spike. Both Angelus and Spike stalked Buffy, watched her sleep at night and slept with her. Further, Spike beat her, repeatedly and their sex was this side of non-con right up until he went too far because they never bothered with a safety word and he almost fully raped her.
Buffy, being bitten by Angel to save his life,
knowing that he might not be able to stop and it could kill her
In her loving relationship with Angel, they made love and he became a monster that tortured her friends and family and murdered people she was protecting. She did eventually kill him, right after his soul was restored and she watched him get sucked into hell to be tortured for who knows how long.
Don't challenge me on Buffy, it remains my single favorite television show of all time. Comparing anything to it is useless, as it stands in a class of its own. And you certainly can't compare a book with a younger target audience to it. Nor that book to any adult horror novel, urban fantasy, etc. I love the show, but Buffy totally ended up screwing her abusive stalker. They were in the middle of beating the shit out of each other when they stopped to have sex as the building they'd beaten each other into collapsed around them.
(although Spike and Angel both died for Buffy--
it's okay for guys to die for girls, but not vice versa)
Again, both Spike and Angel watched Buffy sleep at night
and tried to eat her.
Edward never tried to eat Bella--the exact opposite, he fought not to want to
and the only time he did feed from her was to save
her life
No, Buffy didn't throw herself to her death over a guy. She killed herself for her imaginary sister:
Cliff jumping: not okay. Actual suicide, where it breaks everyone around you: just dandy.
This was designed by someone who never
read the books: you can't stake marble.
Let's face it, with Buffy's track record, she'd have been on Edward in a hot second. He wouldn't have lasted, though, because as dangerous as he is, he had no intention of harming anyone at any point. And you also can't bring age into it if you bring Buffy into it. Angel and Spike were both older than Edward (although at least Spike wasn't chasing a 15 year old Buffy).
First: As I understand it, Blade doesn't hunt anyone who's not hurting anyone (maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like an Avenger wouldn't go for that shit). Second, my husband assures me that his sword is made of adamantium or similar, but I couldn't find anything supporting that claim. I don't know if an "acid-etched" sword is going to cut through a Twilight vampire. Pretty sure they can snap titanium without much difficulty. They may annoy the shit out of him, but he's not going to actually kill someone in cold blood.
Okay, that's all for now. I will say one last thing, though: Liking Twilight vampires is not the same as liking vampires. Because I'm sure you aren't liking James, Victoria or the Vulturi (unless you like your vampires good and evil. aka: normal). You like the neutered ones. That's valid. But if you were confronted by what a vampire really is, you'd probably pitch a fit and drop them in a hot second.
Hate Twilight all you like, but stop judging people for enjoying it and stop being so mean about it. I don't care if there's a Mormon agenda (people can find an agenda for anything that they want to in anything if they look hard enough) or that Bella's personality isn't as bright as her husband's skin. And maybe I sympathize because I have been that 'in love' as a teenager and still remember it (and heck, maybe you hate it for the same reason I like it!). And, if you've never read it? Shut up. Everyone can just move on now and enjoy this video of cute animals.
1. Yep - I've been that in love as a teen, and I think that's one of the reasons I like the series. Also? I've never seen Buffy. But I might have to go check it out if it's on Netflix instant ;)
1. It was there the last time I checked :D It starts out in a more humorous vein and gets darker as the series progresses.
2. I know this post is old, but I wanted to thank you for it. I am not a Twilight fan. Outside of seeing the first movie in theaters with friends and reading the books briefly in high school I didn't bother with it. I quickly forgot about the books and moved onto bigger and better things. I am now in my twenties, a horse trainer and I teach young girls (from ages 7-18) how to ride horses. My relationship with my students is almost like an older sister or a mentor. I love them, and I hear about their troubles, their days, the boys the like, the books they like, etc.
Recently one of my most intelligent and mature students was crying because she had been shamed--rather brutally--by her peers for admitting to like Twilight. She was accused of being anti-feminist, of having a fetish for guys who watch her sleep, and many other cruel things. She's in AP courses with a perfect GPA and is one of my best riders. She was very upset over what had been said to her. The entire event bothered me so much that I decided to evaluate Twilight once again under a more scrutinizing eye. I bought the books, and the movies, and sat through all of them with the commentary and without, and reread the books twice while taking notes on it the second time around.
The conclusion I have come to is much like yours--that there is not really anything in Twilight more offensive than other things that are out there. I too am a huge Buffy fan, and the comparisons between Buffy and Twilight make no sense to me. It's like comparing Lord of the Rings to Harry Potter. People talk about how objectively good the Harry Potter books are--how they're good literature--but those books are actually grammatically flawed, have multiple two dimensional characters and many out of character moments. I am the biggest HP fan I know and I can admit to this.
Am I suddenly a Twilight fan? No. Do I think Bella always made the best decisions? No. Do I think it's great literature? No. But I don't think it's anti-feminist, nor do I think Edward is that creepy. Let's face it, it's a 109 year old man who never sleeps. Watching the woman he loves sleep (while always making sure he never watches her change, always respects her privacy, etc) is among one of the least creepy things he could possibly do.
It's my opinion that a parent should be the role model for kids, not a book. If a teenage girl genuinely for some reason wants a 100 year old vampire to bite her and impregnate her, there's some serious parenting mistakes there. But most of them are just fantasizing and being silly. I've read plenty of teen books over the years and many of them encourage dating multiple boys, making out, sneaking out, spending lots of money on clothes, and gossiping. This is a fictional book series about fantasy characters that don't exist and will never exist in real life. It has not "set feminism back several decades" and from what I've seen it's not teaching our youth to let boys walk all over them.
Some of the strongest, most independent female teens are Twilight fans. And I'm really sick of seeing these very cruel comparisons and trying to tell people who are Twilight fans that they should be ashamed.
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Episode 30: Supercharging Your ‘Skill Set’ Using Advanced NLP In Your Business To Get Better Results For Your Clients and Your Business with Scott McFall of Hypnosis Connection and McFall Publishing
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Join us to discover the key NLP strategies you need to go from self-employed person to business owner utilizing the power of advanced NLP. Discover the difference ‘immersion’ training can make and learn how NLP mentoring can improve your business success. Scott is one of our featured guests because of his amazing track record helping other coaches and hypnotists become successful.
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Hi everyone. This is Robert Harrison with Coaching the Life Coach. Today we have the privilege and honor of having Scott McFall back again from hypnosisconnection.com and today we’re going to talk about the big picture with running your business and making it work really effectively, helping yourself and helping those that you work with.
Scott: What you want to see is that, in order to succeed when you’re training anyone, when you’re coaching anyone the first fundamental problem you’re going to have is that their awareness will be destroyed. Perhaps it’s a conflict at home with their spouse, perhaps it’s a conflict with their children, perhaps it is the ghost of a conflict with their parents, but they will be riveted on either what happened in the past or they will be riveted on the distractions of the present. One of the things you might ask yourself is what is their strategy for self-justification? What is the map that they fire off when they’re in difficulty or trouble to deflect, deny or destroy so that they’re putting the blame elsewhere?
Robert: Scott, thank you so much for being on the show again.
Scott: Hi Robert. Great to talk to you.
Robert: So Scott, tell us what is the big picture with really getting our businesses off the ground and running well?
Scott: Well, let’s talk about a couple of things. Let’s start with talking about awareness. Where is the individual’s awareness? Is their ability to take in the reality around them big enough to plan ahead in their business? I’m sure that you’ve noticed that great chess players are thinking several moves ahead and they’re thinking in terms of several possibilities, the side of their opponent. And so basically they’re considering a large picture. It’s that they’re looking at series of moves as a whole. Does that make sense to you Robert?
Robert: Yes.
Scott: So what happens with a business person who is really suffering is no different to what happens to a parent when they’re having difficulty raising a child. Usually the mistake happens in the beginning. Not being able to see how failing to hold a three year old accountable eventually means that you’re completely incapable of holding a 15 year old accountable. So frequently neurolinguistics, especially at the master practitioner level, begins to include the ability to hold the entire picture of not what is just happening now but where you’re going. The person is able – just like this person calling me right now -- the person is able to actually see that every single move they make has a cause and effect relationship with their ultimate success or their ultimate failure. And their ultimate success or failure is based upon whether or not their awareness, their actual sight, sound, what they hear, what they see, what they feel about their environment is based on the outcome or goal or if it’s just reactionary to the present. So on a very organic level, master practitioner and lp begins to, with some level of intensity, expand the ability for the practitioner to see the big picture, to plan based upon the outcome. To understand on a more thorough level that they need to back up and see the overview in order to achieve. And from the coach’s standpoint realizing that your clients are going to come in and be talking about the details of a problem left-brained, over and over again, under pressure, in fear 80% of the time your job is to get them to calm down, interrupt the pattern of being left-brained and analytical and get them to focus on where they’re going so that they can compare their choices through the filter of the outcome that they want instead of just reacting to what’s going on in the present. Does that make sense to you?
Robert: Yes. That makes sense. Can you give me a concrete example of that? I’m sure there’s a lot of people that are listening right now that are going “Okay. I have no idea what the big picture for my business should be. This sounds like a great concept. How do I actually figure that out?”
Scott: Let’s use war as an example. Although war is not a good analogy for business because it makes people too stressed out. But let’s use it as an awareness example. Robert, you can imagine a soldier on a battlefield and imagine the bullets whizzing over the guy’s head and the grenades going off all around him. And in the modern world it could be grenades going off all around her or him. Okay? Now the first thing you have to imagine is that the outcome is only to dodge the bullets or to shoot the opponent, there is no purpose is there?
Scott: No.
Robert: Right. This is frequently what happens when the brain goes into cowardice. Is the brain forgets what the point of the battle of life really is. It forgets the outcome, it forgets the reason, the goal of why we’re going through the details every day. So as a Master Prac you are taught to integrate all of the skills of master level and lp and use them interchangeably but you’re also expanding your ability to witness the whole strategy that an individual is using, witness the pattern of how they’re perceiving the world and being able to get in their space with them so that you can remind them perhaps maybe they’re trying to save an entire country. Maybe they’re trying to keep from having their family killed. Maybe they’re trying to save a liberty. Whatever it happens to be. But there’s purpose, persistence, and patience involved in great achievement. Purpose, persistence and patience. And that always means that you’re controlling your awareness to see where you’re going, not where you have been. And the only way that I can describe how most people run their lives, and I really do believe most people is an accurate generalization, it’s as though they’re looking out the side window of their car at the road while trying to drive forward. Their awareness is literally out the side window of the car looking at the pavement as it whizzes by and wondering why they keep running into stuff. So what you want to see is that, in order to succeed when you’re training anyone, when you’re coaching anyone, the first fundamental problem you’re going to have is that their awareness will be destroyed. Perhaps it’s a conflict at home with their spouse, perhaps it’s a conflict with their children, perhaps it is the ghost of a conflict with their parents, but they will be riveted on either what happened in the past or they will be riveted on the distractions of the present. Riveted on them. And so a huge percentage of your job is being able to get masterful pattern interruptions, meaning that you simply stop the direction of where their awareness is going. Now this is counter to rapport, which in practitioner level and lp and basic lp we spend an enormous amount of time on rapport, don’t we?
Robert: Yes.
Scott: Eventually rapport is something in that you take or leave ruthlessly based upon what will be best for the client. And you can backtrack to get that rapport back or you can interrupt that rapport at will to help to benefit the client. And at master practitioner you’re going to start to see that there is a time and a place where rapport hurts people. And there’s a time and a place where it helps people. What I see in many NLP practitioners, master practitioners, even trainers, is that they become placaters. They become idiotic people who need approval from others to the point where they can no longer genuinely help with any speed or efficiency because they’re too busy trying to be liked. And it becomes pathetic because it’s like a mutual admiration petting society. It creeps me out.
Robert: We’ve seen that. You and I recently were co-coaching a colleague of mine, going through that exact same problem. It was so much about him and about not saying no and wanting to be liked that he was making bad decisions that had a negative outcome, not only on his practice, but on the outcome for the client and ending up setting himself up and the client up for not getting the result in the first place.
Scott: Right. I’ve seen this quite often, even in world- renowned famous practitioners. I’ve seen this. I’ve seen it two ways. I’ve seen it where they get so frustrated that they become jaded and angry and wacko because they expect to have rapport always work. Or they think that just because they have good intentions everyone’s supposed to do what they say. And when they find out that isn’t true they become jaded. The other way that it goes is they think they’re like royalty and they get an ego so big that every time they walk through a doorway don’t hit their head on both sides of the door because it seems to be that big. And so, these concepts are based upon the idea that when you’re a coach, when you’re an NLP practitioner, when you’re a hypnotist, even the licensed therapy professions, because you’re helping people so often it is very easy to suffer from an attitude of superiority so we have to ridicule that attitude of superiority when we’re training people, have to make fun of it to save them from their own ego as they go through the career. And it’s a very important part of training an individual is getting their ego out of it. And that requires confrontation. It requires excellent accountability. It requires that they’re chasing the trainer’s approval not the other way around. And so on the Master Prac level that becomes really important. You know I’m teaching Master Prac June 5th through the 10th up in Bismarck. June 5th through the 10th. And that’s going to be a nice, small, intimate training. I think there’s only 13 people coming to that so far. So if there are people who have Prac, Prac is required of course, you have to have practitioner level training before you can take Master Prac and we are offering a Prac July 10th through the 14th and we’re offering a Train the Trainer the 21st through the 27th of August. So there are some trainings coming up. September brings us back around to the Complete Hypnosis Business Training the 12th through the 15th of September. But the one that’s coming up quick is Master Prac and that’s the one we’re talking about now and I want you to know that Master Prac is a very confrontation-oriented training. I really expect the people who are there to be okay with having director, theatrical director assessment taken of their performance, of their communication style, of their ability to follow the client, of their judgment when it’s okay to disagree with a client and when it’s not okay to disagree with the client. I also require performance from each level of NLP training, meaning that I make you take video of yourself doing all of the skills that you learned and then we do assess those videos post-training. Because I really believe that the NLP and communication skills that we’re teaching in seminar format that people pay for that seminar expecting to really have the skills.
Robert: I think it’s so important to do that Scott. Because there are so many training institutes out there that don’t hold people to that level of accountability and one of the things, when you and I co-hosted the NLP training back in February in San Francisco, that was unlike, and as you know I’ve done many NLP trainings in the past, that was unlike any one I’d ever been to before because we really connected with each and every person there. And I watched you maintain that big picture thinking, which is what does this person need. And you allowed it to…Yes, you covered all of the basics you would expect to get in a training like that. I think one of the things that’s very unique about your training style is that it has this component of being extremely organic also. What do the people need that are in front of me? So an opportunity, as you know, I’d be in North Dakota if I wasn’t having a son about a week later.
Scott: I think it’s so courteous of you to carry that kid for your wife, personally. I think that’s great.
Robert: If she could fit it in my stomach, she would make that happen.
Scott: You know Robert, what I think is important about what you’re saying and what I think is unique is that every time I teach the way that it has developed is from running a Weight Loss-Stop Smoking Clinic when I did the group classes every month you never knew out of the 150 or 200 clients that were active at any given time which ones were going to show up for the class, for the group class. So let’s say we had 40 to 60 people show up for each group class. What would happen is there would always be 10 or 12 people there who had unique needs and I would find myself altering the curriculum of the class based on who actually showed up each time we did group class. And I couldn’t help myself. I fell in love with that training concept because it makes each and every training like a life-altering, wildly effective experience for most of the attendees. And every once in a while, and this will really help the people who are on this call, what I look through in the lens of the Satir model when training people. And I look at them and say are they blaming others ruthlessly all the time or are they placating me constantly or are they over-analyzing everything, like a computer? Or are they distracting all the time? We had someone who will remain nameless at the training that we did in San Francisco who was in the constant analyzing and placating mode. That specific person did not come out of that mode, okay? And the reason is because that person had their allegiances split between multiple training companies. Now the reason that I’m pointing that out is that the whole time I was training I stopped offering new information to that person when I couldn’t get that person to stay leveling with me, okay? So one of the things that I want you to understand, and I want every coach to understand, is when you’re getting placated, when you’re getting smug attitude from another person, when they’re placating you, when they’re over-analyzing without dropping in to getting real, when they’re not leveling, when they’re in their normal defense strategies, you’re not getting any information across. You’re getting exploited as a trainer as long as they’re behaving that way. You’re not getting real information across to them. Because the model of what you’re teaching is values, beliefs, attitudes and skills. What most people fail to recognize is teaching the skills without teaching the values, beliefs and attitudes is criminally negligent in my opinion. So what we want to look at is the ability to know, as a trainer and as a coach, that the big picture includes their values, their beliefs, their attitudes, the ability for them to flexibly switch between thinking visually, auditorally, kinesthetically, being able to perceive reality in a way that is useful to them, that doesn’t foster dependency but rather teaches them to be great at what they do in the first place. Because what we’re messing with is their pattern of perceiving reality. And if their values don’t shift or if their beliefs don’t shift or their attitudes don’t shift then what you end up in is a relationship that is based upon exploitation in one direction or the other. Either we as coaches are exploiting the person because we’re getting paid and we’re not getting them the information they need, so we’re exploiting them or they’re taking information and basically sieving it for use in a way that is not benefitting themselves or others but is making them into a better exploiter of human beings.
Robert: Now Scott, we need to take a quick break here for our sponsors. I want to come right back to this when we come back. This is Robert Harrison with Coaching the Life Coach. We’re here with Scott McFall of hypnosisconnection.com. And more. That would be the addendum I would put on that. And we’ll be right back.
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Robert: All right, this is Robert Harrison with Coaching the Life Coach. Today we’re talking with Scott McFall from hypnosisconnection.com about really seeing the big picture and specifically how really learning neurolinguistics at the Master Practitioner level can really assist a person in doing that. Scott can you give the listeners some basic, maybe like one or two little NLP tools that they can take back to their office today if they’re sitting in their office listening to this podcast.
Scott: Let me give you the fastest, easiest, simplest one. When people are having problems in their life, motivationally, one of the things you might ask yourself is what is their strategy for self-justification? What is the map that they fire off when they’re in difficulty or trouble to deflect, deny or destroy so that they’re putting the blame elsewhere? So that they’re putting the blame elsewhere. So that they’re not taking accountability. How are they avoiding accountability for their own decisions, their own choices, their own way of being? So when you’re listening to your client one of the best things you’ll ever do is set them up to be able to accurately assess which parts of a situation that they can control. And what you need to see as you’re listening, as you’re watching is not the details and content of what they’re saying but rather the pattern of how they’re self-justifying. And obviously there are people who are mature enough to not be doing what I’m describing. But I think you’ll find that seven or eight out of ten of the people that you see are dealing with maturity drama where when things finally do go wrong they end up in overwhelming panic and they begin to deflect what their responsibilities really are. And so what I’m saying to you as the practitioner is that your eye for what is the secondary benefit of the behavior I’m watching in front of me and how can I get them that benefit and get them to be able to focus on their goal without firing off that self-justifying crap? Are you following me? That the idea is to look for what it is that they’re trying to prove about themselves by the way they’re behaving, see that pattern instead of the details. And make sure to give them that to get rid of that need, to get rid of that neediness so that they can focus.
Robert: I remember when you were doing a conference call on Weight Loss protocol for fifty or so hypnotists and I remember you talking with Michael, I believe it was at the time, who had failed to cover those four primary core ways, complainer, placater, distracter, computer, how they get in the way of their own learning, how they avoid holding themselves accountable. And Scott I’ve got to tell you that one nugget right there that you teach from that Satir model makes all the difference in the world. When I recently did the workshop with Project Management Institute here in the Bay area, I taught those four beforehand right after you had done that call. And I really got that point and it made all the difference in the world in terms of people really opening their ears and being attentive and listening and letting the information go in because it made them so painfully aware of what they were doing when they popped into that mode that they were able to stay out of it. And it seems like that’s a lot of what NLP really does, helps people pop out of those patterns so that the learning and the transformation can really take place. Can you say a little more on that?
Scott: Yeah. I will tell you this. Everyone who studies anything on earth studies it through their own filters. So when you’re talking about the Satir model, you’ll notice that Satir was one of the original people, Virginia was one of the original people modeled for NLP, okay?
Robert: Fritz Perls and Milton Erickson.
Scott: And what happened is that, and I’m talking about NLP as we know it today not NLP generally but the NLP that we know from the lineage here in the States. What I’m getting at is that Virginia’s personality is the personality that I come from the most when I’m doing NLP. I’ve studied Fritz Perls and I think that he gave a lot in the top dog-underdog concept, the idea that debate inside causes most behaviors that we don’t want and that decision has to happen, decision and integration has to happen before you take action. I think that was a great pearl from Fritz Perls, as it were. On the other hand, Erickson’s great gift to everything is holding people accountable and knowing when to disagree with people. The fact that he told stories and did metaphors is great but what Milton really personally was great at, really great at is confrontation and pattern interruption. And he was also great at validating people. So there’s things I love about the way Milton handled people. But truly the one that I think had a structure by which we can checkmate people into growth is Virginia. I really think she had it really, really well. What I’m saying is that because of the personalities who began to model Virginia, Milton, Fritz all that stuff, you’ve got a situation where they missed, in my humble/arrogant opinion, is that they missed what was truly great about Virginia.
Robert: So tell us what that is?
Scott: She really cared what happened in a brutal way that was almost self damaging. She wasn’t able to step back out. But when she modeled people, when she got rapport, she went into the same state as the person. Brutally.
Robert: The Florence Nightingale of therapy?
Scott: Kind of. Kind of. What I’m saying though is that the whole point of rapport is to match the neurology of the person you’re working on so much that your brain goes into and therefore you’re able to understand what’s going on with them at a level that you could not otherwise do it. And this is extra-verbal. It isn’t just what they’re telling you because of how you’re connecting. It’s extra-verbal because your neurology goes the same way and all of a sudden you are almost like psychic. I don’t want to use that word but I do want to get the point across. When you’re actually matched up and you have real non-verbal rapport, and you’re really matched up, your neurology and your thought process is in sync, you’re in simpatico with the person to the point where you immediately have a vision of what’s going on with them and if you have enough life experience that vision becomes wildly accurate. Now you’ve seen me read people.
Robert: Oh yeah. That’s one of the things you are known for is your ability to read people. When I came out to train with you in North Dakota as part of the mentorship program one of the first things you had me do was sit down with Candace Richter, one of your famous weight loss clients and she said “Boy. Scott’s ability to read me is the first thing” that really stuck in her mind and that that built rapport and trust very rapidly.
Scott: So I’m not getting rapport to get them to get along with me. I’m getting rapport to get my read on them. So the outcome of why I’m getting rapport is very different because I’m getting rapport out of curiosity to understand what in the heck is really going on. And that’s a different outcome than why most people get rapport. Most people get rapport to get in cooperation. I get rapport to get the feelings that I get, the images that I get in my mind, the sympathetic understanding in my neurology that gives me the ability to see everything’s that going on with them without them saying much. That’s the point of rapport to me. Now I believe that in the empathetic way that Virginia did it, that she probably experienced a very similar experience to my own. Now I have a DVD that I have yet to watch, which is really ludicrous, but it was sent to me by Dot Feldman and Kay Grask who were personal friends of Virginia’s, okay. Its’ a tribute to her, to Virginia and I’m very excited to watch it. And Dot and Kay are flying in here this week for more training on the Weight Loss program. But one of the things that I believe is that every NLP practitioner needs to spend more time on Virginia than most people teach when teaching NLP. I think more time needs to be spent understanding the coping stances that Virginia taught, understanding what leveling really means, because one of the purposes of rapport, one of the purposes of getting the read, one of the purposes of pattern interruption early on in these relationships that we have as a coach is to get this person firmly entrenched in reality and then focus them on the difference between their current reality and their goal and break down the steps to get what they dream of creating. So what happens is that’s impossible without actually using the model that Virginia taught in the first place. It’s impossible. The miracles, the real miracles, are there because of that ability to be an impact on an almost shocking level. If you do this right, what you know about people and how fast you know it is shocking. But the tragedy is that teaching this to someone with the wrong kind of life experience, not making the practitioner real enough in the first place, all that you teach them when teaching this technique is how to believe their own assumptions more. And that isn’t enough. Going in as a practitioner if you have wounded assumptions or wounded feelings about the opposite sex or wounded stuff going on in some way or another then all you do is go in and prove your biases. And so if I’m teaching something about relationships it isn’t based on my bias it’s based on thousands and thousands of clients showing me patterns over and over and over again. Okay? So when we see these patterns redundantly and we’ve had the cross-check of thousands of people all of a sudden the read becomes very accurate. Well you can jump start that by being trained by people who have already put in the position to make these assumptions. These assumptions begin more and more accurate because of the number of people they’ve cross checked them with. It’s simply a matter of experience. So what I’m basically pitching as the practical skill is understand how to get people to quit the patterns that came up in their family, magically, by vaccinating against it with the Satir model and begin to put your own awareness on the overview of how people are creating self-sabotage and simply find the route out of it.
Robert: So the big picture is really helping them pop out of that and then get clear on what they really want. What do you do Scott, or what would you recommend or how would the Master track help a person and the client comes in and they’re clearly on an agenda and they’ve got something they say they want and they’re biting onto it like a pit bull. You as a coach know that if you go down that path with them it’s not going to line up with what they really want? How do you kind of guide them to either see that or…
Scott: How did I do it? This is something I would like to ask you back. What was your experience with how I did that? Because you’ve experienced that with me. I mean, we’ve done this particular dance, together. What was your experience? Because I would frequently not respond to what you were saying or doing and take you a different direction than you originally intended to go. And what I want you to notice is just exactly how unbelievably frustrating that really is.
Robert: My experience was very frustrating because it was like there was what I thought I needed and it seemed like your way of showing me the distinction or teaching me that was to allow me to go out and skin my knees my way and then come back and go, “Well, that didn’t work. What else should I try?”
Scott: I would set you up, if you think back on it, I would set you up with a hint. Like if I thought it was going to be a disaster I would be brutally honest. But what I would do is I would foreshadow the outcome. Remember expectation plus realization equals belief. So my first step in my head is double check that I’m not just stressed for my client in some ridiculous way, double check myself. Go inside, just double check that my assumptions are based in what they need and it requires double checking for everybody. Then if I decide that I am headed in their best interest then I will foreshadow the potential downside of where they’re headed. And what it does to them, is it means that if it goes that direction once that it’s usually enough of a consequence that they’re willing to steer the outcome. If you buy beef that’s three days older to save money and one of your clients gets botulism, okay, that would be bad for you as a restaurant owner, right?
Robert: Only if you get caught, right?
Scott: So what you’ll have is a person who’s in enough stress that they’re starting to make judgment calls that are saving them massive stress and money in the short run but that are going to actually cause the vehicle of their business to completely crash in the long run. So what I find myself doing is if I see it as brutal or ridiculous I will risk my relationship with that consulting client by being really direct and really brutal about what’s going on and I will risk the relationship. Because there are certain people that you cannot help because they’re so judgmental and so ludicrous and they’re so manipulative that there’s nothing you can do for them. They’re usually the people that come to you…I’m thinking of one client who I desperately wanted to help who is here in the United States and it was a women who kept thinking that she was referring really high profile people to me that I already knew anyway. I mean these are people I already knew. And had competed with for years and years and years and dealt with for years and years and years. Many, many famous people in the industry who she had also called or been a student of or whatever. And she felt that by hooking me up with these people that I owed her. And she was sadly mistaken. And she set up a business that failed very drastically. And when she called me the first time, directly, personally it was two and half months after she had opened and collapsed and in that time she had not called me a single time.
Robert: Isn’t that part of that what you had talked about before which is some of your clients literally because of the fear of ridicule or the fear of…if they’re sorting by being liked which is [INAUDIBLE] that they will literally not... We’ve seen this. We’ve seen this with people where they don’t share the advertising so they go out and spend $5000 and throw it down the drain…
Scott: Or $20,000. Or $100,000. And so in her case, the basic situation wasn’t that she was afraid of ridicule at all, it was she was that she was royalty in her own mind. She was unable to take directive feedback at all or to know when she needed it. She was sort of marching forward randomly. A good example is when she was at the training that she took with me she left with another famous hypnotist redundantly when I was available for more feedback and going to dinner with participants and spending a lot of time. She, on every break, was going somewhere else. In other words, you could see her perception and her perspective and her priorities were not on where they needed to be from the very first times that I was around her.
Robert: She didn’t have her eye on the big picture.
Scott: Correct. Or on the outcomes correctly at all because she was living experientially, not living in terms of managing her life by a plan. Does that make perfect sense?
Robert: That makes perfect sense and it reminds me of the situation that I know that occurred in Florida where you had some people there who desperately, desperately needed the guidance and the experience. Because one of the things, Scott that we don’t talk about much but I really like about you is you have really been there and done that. You’re not one of these guys who’s out there coaching coaches and never having done it. You’ve been in the trenches, built the clinics. I sent a guy to Florida to come work with you. That guy needed what you had to offer but because he had been a trainer in a different domain and clearly lacked a whole set of skills, did not allow himself to go into a learning position there and then cost him dearly.
Scott: I know who you’re referring to and I really liked the guy and I really am disappointed at the direction he went because everyone who went there that he knew is kicking butt and doing well. And so it’s disappointing because I also know that there are so many people who what you can think of it’s like they’re filled up. It’s like they have a pitcher that you can put…or a bucket that you can put so much water in and their bucket is full. Because they’ve trained and they’ve been and they’ve done and they’ve had experiences, etc., etc. So their bucket is full of assumptions that the world works in the way that it used to work for them personally. And that bucket needs to get kicked over so that it’s empty. And there are some people who are at a turning point in their lives where, and this person you’re referring to is at a turning point in the life that that person is leading. And his ego will not allow him to dump his bucket.
Robert: Some people not only need to dump their bucket, they need to scrub it out.
Scott: So what you see is that usually what you notice with me is that I follow the credibility model of teach something controversial and then prove it. I don’t follow the rapport model half as much as I follow the model of teach something controversial and then prove it. And what that tends to do is separate the room from the people who can understand reality based on an outcome. If this outcome is what we want then these are truths that we would have to assume in order to get the outcome is the basic way I teach in the beginning. And I state something controversial and then I prove it to be true. Now if the person doesn’t come along with me then I know how my relationship with that person is going to be, don’t I? So I do this sometimes in a way that reduces people by, and it’s not my intention, but sometimes when they face themselves in those moments it’s quite emotional. So what I’m pointing out is if a person isn’t listening to you and learning from you in the first place then why would you as a coach or a consultant assume that they’re going to get better at it in the next week. Because it’s only going downhill from there baby. It’s like a marriage, man. It’s exactly like a marriage. If you’ve got problems in a relationship there is no problem in a relationship that is fixed by getting married. All problems in relationships are made worse by getting married because the marriage over time with the commitment actually amplifies the things that both people need to go through drastically as time goes on. And so your consulting and coaching relationships are exactly the same. If you can’t make it go great in the honeymoon phase you got a problem because it sure isn’t going to go up from there.
Robert: You said that, and we need to wrap up soon, but let’s conclude on this point. You have stressed time and time again the importance in that first screening or that first consultation really having your eye on the big picture. Making sure that the relationship is set up right. Like one of my apprentices right now as you know is setting up those relationships up wrong and so he’s wondering why he’s doing ten times the work with half the results. It’s setting up right from the beginning, having your eye on the big picture in the beginning, creating that agreement with the person right from the onset so that the outcome actually has a chance to come to fruition. It’s like planting the seed in fertile soil versus just throwing it down on rocks and wondering why it doesn’t grow.
Scott: The easiest way to put this to wrap up is this. I am an actor originally. I do need applause, approval, other people, connection like anybody else. In my role as a coach, in my role as a hypnotist, in my role as a neurolinguistic programmer, I don’t need anything from anyone at any time. And because of that they eventually are chasing what I need for them to know or learn or how to grow. Because I’m not fulfilling my needs at all. Does that make sense?
Robert: Yeah. What I hear you saying is you’re making it about them.
Scott: the reason that the coached person gets control of the coach is because the coach accidentally is filling their needs through their practice. And so eventually you want the approval of your client more than you want the outcome and it’s very, very important to want the outcome more than approval. There you have it man.
Robert: Listen Scott, I really appreciate you being on the call again today. I know we went a little bit over. But it’s always a pleasure. For those of you who want to get a hold of Scott go to hypnosisconnection.com. And Scott, you want to shout out your number for our listeners?
Scott: 701- 471-0939. 701-471-0939. If you have any questions about NLP training or hypnosis training please give me a call man. And have fun. It’s a pleasure. Talk to you later.
Find more great shows like this on personallifemedia.com | <urn:uuid:9fab0023-b6ca-4858-9163-212702d770eb> | http://podcasts.personallifemedia.com/podcasts/231-coaching-the-life-coach/episodes/3878-supercharging-skill-set-using-advanced | en | 0.976327 | 0.053768 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The Big Mo? No.
Job One for Democrats after they took over Congress was getting the President to change course in Iraq. The elections and the polls showed public support was behind them. They had the Big Mo going. But two months into the 110th Congress, the Big Mo has dissolved into, well, the Little Mo.
Maybe even the Stalled Mo.
Democrats thought President Bush's proposed troop surge in January would be the perfect catalyst -- the very thing that would convince Congress (including plenty of Republicans) to pass a strong, symbolic resolution saying the plan was "against the national interest."
In early January, Senator Joseph Biden (D) had drafted the Senate resolution saying it was "to try to convince the president that there are significant numbers and members in the United States Senate who think this proposal is a mistake, and, hopefully, this resolution will force him to reconsider." At the time, everyone predicted it would come to a quick vote. The House would then follow suit (with the help of a healthy number of Republicans): a slam-dunk for Democrats; a difficult blow to the President. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid precicted the vote would be "the beginning of the end of the present policy in Iraq."
Here's how it really went down.
Biden's resolution died a quick death. Republicans and some Democrats worried the language was too strong and could empower the enemy or be seen as unsupportive of the troops. It was replaced with a flurry of other resolutions and, to confuse things, some of those resolutions actually supported the President's troop surge. That wasn't part of Democrats' game plan. Dueling resolutions? Pro-Bush and anti-Bush... which stood to cancel each other out? That would hardly measure up as the strong push against the President's surge that Democrats had promised. In the end it didn't matter. None of them had enough support to even get to the debate stage in the Senate.
House Democrats sat watching plans go sour in the Senate, and decided to move ahead with their own resolution. Theirs was simple and somewhat softer than Biden's. It made no mention of the surge being against the national interest. And, concerned that it could be spun as though they don't support the troops, Democrats even included a sentence saying that House members "continue to support and protect the troops." It passed, but largely along party lines without major defections among Republicans. And with no similar action in the Senate, it hardly made the impact Democrats had hoped for.
Democrats in the House and Senate are now working behind the scenes to see what ideas on changing course in Iraq can get the support and momentum to pass. It's not proving easy. Three days into the work this week, they haven't been able to come up with the next step.
Congressman Jack Murtha (D) has said he's writing a plan that would essentially take a backdoor approach; not exactly cutting direct funding for the troops, but setting military goals that can't possibly be met . It would have the same result: it would be impossible to maintain the troop surge. For example, one Murtha idea is to say that military that tours of duty can't be extended. Without extensions, the troop surge couldn't be maintained.
A top Democrat told me that Murtha is floating his ideas to see how they play, and that other Democrats haven't decided whether to get on board yet. Even if Murtha says it's not a troop funding cut, if it walks like a troop funding cut, and it quacks like a troop funding cut ... will the American people see it as a troop funding cut?
That's pretty much where we are today. We'll know more in the coming weeks. For now, from Capitol Hill at least, the Big Mo on Iraq looks like the Status Quo Mo.
• Sharyl Attkisson On Twitter»
Sharyl Attkisson is a CBS News investigative correspondent based in Washington. | <urn:uuid:e3a10f2d-3ff4-4cdd-92fc-0237116aee5b> | http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-big-mo-no/ | en | 0.980857 | 0.130861 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Why Does a Greenhouse Trap in Heat?
Radiant heat from the sun enters the greenhouse through glass or plastic windows. The heat is absorbed by the ground, plants and other items in the greenhouse. This heat is then trapped and concentrated within the enclosed space.
Keywords: greenhouse trap heat, why is greenhouse warm, radiant heat greenhouses
About this Author
| <urn:uuid:663ed1c7-814d-47fc-aeca-a1ca0a38fa59> | http://www.gardenguides.com/87178-greenhouse-trap-heat.html | en | 0.913051 | 0.999968 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Outfit #1:
Nicole's Take: "I loved your leather pants outfit for many reasons. One, the coat makes a statement, but it's also black and can be worn many different ways. I love the leather pants because it's a great trend for fall, and it's also this nice bordeaux color. I love the monochromatic top with the leather pants. It's really elongating and a great look."
Outfit #2:
"I love your snakeskin olive dress. The fit was perfect. It's just a really feminine, beautiful silhoeutte on you, and I love the bomber jacket...the contrast...it's more downtown, and you'll wear that all the time. You can dress it with jeans, long dresses, anything. You can do booties with tights, or a high, over-the-knee boot, which is huge for fall."
In fact, I ended up wearing the olive snakeskin designer dress just the other night on the red carpet and paired it with my over-the-knee leather boots.
Outfit #3:
I didn't end up getting the sheath dress (below), which seemed a bit too tailored for my style, but I did buy the designer bomber leather jacket, which I'm sure I'll be wearing as soon as the weather decides to stop resembling summer in L.A.!
What's awesome is that T.J.Maxx wants you to dress for your personality and not what is flying off store shelves. In my case, it's the maxidress, which has never worked for me, and Nicole agreed. Whether it's my athletic frame, or just the fact that the style overwhelms me, it just doesn't work. Personality > trend. (In fact, take their personality quiz to determine your style by clicking here. I'm the Devoted Dresser type apparently!).
So how did Rachel Bilson's stylist get involved with T.J.Maxx? Well, it was actually a full circle moment as Chavez tells it. "I've been a fan of the brand since I was 16 and started my fashion career at T.J.Maxx! They approached me about this project, and I obviously have a huge passion for fashion and self-expression, and that's what this is about. It isn't about the brands and more that I can come in here and find anything and everything. I love that my possibilities are endless and they are constantly replenishing [their inventory]. I feel like I'm on this hunt for these hidden treasures, and it's a great reveal for me when I can find that great piece."
What's your key signature piece? "I'm a big fan of accessories. You can really say a lot through your accessories, and it doesn't have to cost a fortune to do so. I love my leopard scarf. I travel with it, sleep with it, basically live in it."
What's your best advice to those that want to follow in your footsteps? "Don't give up and stay true to whatever your passion is. I totally believe that dreams come true. I studied photography and didn't have any formal fashion training. It's also really important to know that you have to work hard and sometimes for free. Mostly I find that girls these days...girls and boys...they want this instant success. I've been doing this for over 10 years...styling people, and it takes time. There are certain steps and learning curves that come along with the fashion industry. It's important to respect people in the fashion industry and learn from them. Anyone who comes to intern for me, I am an open book. You can follow me around all day long."
One of your first jobs was in the wardrobe department on The O.C., which is where you met Rachel. Do you have a favorite outfit that you styled Rachel in over the years? "I remember Rachel wearing a dress to The Last Kiss premiere. It was a gray Brian Reyes dress with a little red belt with white shoes, and it was just a magic moment where we met Brian, and he was a new designer starting out, and it was Rachel's big movie. It brings back really fond memories."
So many of us love fashion, but what really inspired you to get into the business? "I'm actually really shy, so fashion is a conversation starter for me, especially when I make these bold statements with statement pieces. It allows me to make a statement and then let people approach me, and I feel more comfortable, because we're talking about fashion now, and that's what I'm comfortable with."
Finally, what are you most excited about for spring? "I'm excited that the crop trend is still alive. I was anxious about it, but it's actually really fun, as long as you find something that is a little higher-waisted, it's a really flattering look, no matter what size you are. You really have to be objective about your body type, and know what trends to dress for your body type, and then it's smooth sailing. Pick the piece that works best on your body and then go out and find that piece within the trend. That's really important."
To find your nearest T.J.Maxx store, visit the website's location tracker, and make sure to follow Nicole on twitter as well.
What's your favorite outfit from above, and let me know what great designer items you find at T.J.Maxx!
Photos: Getty Images; Jessica Radloff
Get the Newsletter | <urn:uuid:817c68f9-6ac4-4022-bc40-420524ab97c7> | http://www.glamour.com/story/we-have-your-new-fashion-obses | en | 0.976891 | 0.024397 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Mark Dampier: Europe is a happy hunting ground for Henderson fund
The Analyst
Click to follow
The Independent Online
Wider economic concerns dominated news flow during 2012. The eurozone crisis, a slowing Chinese economy and the prospect of tax rises and spending cuts in the US were the subject of many column inches. Some investors were wrong-footed in believing the worst of every outcome. Last year proved better for stock markets than most imagined.
I am not so complacent as to believe the world's economic and financial problems are resolved. The euro hasn't failed but peripheral economies remain debt-laden and uncompetitive. Chinese economic growth remains strong by Western standards but the road towards rebalancing from exports to domestic-led growth remains long and fraught with difficulty. The problems in the US have merely been kicked down the road.
Nevertheless, the events of 2012 show that the most uncomfortable investment decisions are often the most fruitful. At the end of 2011, Europe was almost completely written off. Private investors were selling their European funds in droves, but it turned out to be a good year. The FTSE World Europe Ex-UK Index rose 18 per cent, while the average fund in the IMA Europe Ex-UK sector was up 19 per cent.
The European sector is home to many experienced and successful fund managers. John Bennett is one. He took over the Henderson European Selected Opportunities Fund from Roger Guy, another respected fund manager, in February 2010. It was a strong act to follow, but I don't think he has disappointed.
The fund predominantly invests in large companies. Many fund managers struggle in this area as large companies are so well-researched it is difficult to have an edge over competitors. To outperform, you need to be aware of the benchmark's composition but not driven by it, according to Mr Bennett. This means he will take meaningful diversions and not just hold 5 per cent of a stock because it represents 5 per cent of the benchmark. The performance of the fund is therefore likely to differ significantly from the benchmark, especially over shorter periods.
Mr Bennett is a believer in mean reversion (the theory that prices or returns move back towards their historical average over the long term). Therefore, bad companies will not be forever bad and good companies struggle from time to time. He believes the way to achieve outperformance is initially to make sector calls rather than focusing purely on stocks. Presently, he has an overweight position in the healthcare sector, which represents about 25 per cent of the portfolio.
Pharmaceutical stocks peaked around the same time as the technology bubble, and have effectively de-rated ever since. Investors' concerns have included the patent cliff (whereby patents on blockbuster drugs expire, opening them up to competition), President Obama's healthcare reforms in the US, and the Western austerity drive putting downward pressure on prices.
Mr Bennett doesn't believe that the headlines tell the full story. Investors are extrapolating and assuming these problems will run indefinitely. They are well-documented though and probably factored into share prices already. He is focusing on the wider changes taking place in the European healthcare industry. Regulatory burdens are easing with new vaccines and medicines being approved for sale. He is also focusing on companies where improved management quality is having an impact, with key holdings including Novartis, Roche and Sanofi.
In contrast, the telecommunications sector remains popular with investors, but Mr Bennett has no exposure. Profits have been affected by increasing use of free services on internet-enabled phones, which are replacing previously profitable services such as SMS. He believes this trend has further to go, and sees falling cash flow and unsustainable yields across the sector
Overall Mr Bennett believes that European stock-market valuations look attractive on a cyclically adjusted basis. With uncertainly still surrounding the global economy, further stock-market volatility cannot be ruled out. However, for investors with a five-year-plus time horizon, current valuations could present a good entry point.
Looking for credit card or current account deals? Search here | <urn:uuid:3014d9ab-47a8-45bc-b263-f3cc6de2f57f> | http://www.independent.co.uk/money/spend-save/mark-dampier-europe-is-a-happy-hunting-ground-for-henderson-fund-8458133.html | en | 0.967058 | 0.022356 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Stuck Elevator
Stuck Elevator tells the story of Guang, a Chinese food deliveryman struggling for freedom from debt, human smugglers, loud-mouthed coworkers, and the temptations of General Tso. Based on the true story of an undocumented immigrant who survived 81 hours in a Bronx elevator, this comic-rap-scrap-metal-music-theatre work follows Guang’s increasingly fantastic attempts to escape a 4′ by 6′ by 8′ metal box.
at New York Theatre Workshop's Dartmouth summer residency
Jeremy Bloom
Brooklyn, NY, USA | <urn:uuid:486fd18d-0d5e-4ce7-b0b0-6e8711e7fe84> | http://www.jeremyb.com/sound-design-portfolio/stuck-elevator | en | 0.796549 | 0.130774 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Gren, The Iron Hawk . This is the third revamp of Gren I've posted, but before recently, I had Gren look very different, but I just could post him like that (and I had taken too many pictures), so I revamped him. Also, waist articulation! . Name: Gren Gender: Male Species: Matoran (Toa Form) Race: Le-Matoran Element: Air Occupation: Toa Nova Team Leader Title(s): Toa, the Iron Hawk Signature Kanohi: Great Deran (Mask of Sonics) Alignment: Orderly Good Status: Alive MOC status: upgraded Gren was originally a Matoran of Metru Nui, and as a result, Mata Nui. While on Mata Nui, he befriended a Ko-Matoran, named Fross, and they later went on adventures while exploring the Island. One such adventure resulted in them getting two unusual Masks, and they were the Mask of Sonics, and the Mask of Endurance. Both were very powerful Masks, that were made precisely so that even Matoran could use them, but only a little at a time. They eventually went back to Metru Nui along with the other Matoran of Mata Nui, and later they evacuated to Shperus Magna. Immediately after exiting, they took part in the Great Transformation, that turned a hundred Matoran into Toa. Gren, Fross, and a group of other Toa, were tasked with exploring Spherus Magna. They also were given a guide to the landscape, who was a Glatorian named Kotan. Their exploration mission was put to a halt when their Toa Team was attacked, and only Gren and Fross survived. After the attacked, Fross went missing for two days, and returned with a horrifying appearance. The two later began going from village to village, being their Toa guardians, until the Matoran/Agori Alliance (the government that the Matoran and Agori formed after Teridax's defeat) told them to join a new Toa Team that they were forming, and they excepted gratefully. That Toa Team is the Toa Nova, and Gren is currently the leader of that team. I don't know how he gained the title "Iron Hawk", but it is supposed to be a title reserved for a legendary Toa, with great power that would lead the greatest of all Toa Teams. Also, if anyone actually read his back-story, please do a sort summery of it in the comments, if it wouldn't be to much trouble. From the front. From behind you can see his flight pack, a piece of equipment that can be requisitioned by any Toa, from the Toa Guardians. From behind without his flight pack. His duel great swords. He can put his swords on his wings, and that unlocks the power of the Iron Hawk. From behind like that. Alternate wing positioning. Him with Fross and Kotan. Now I must say goodbye for now. Also, I will be posting more MOCs, including the revamps you see in the picture above, very soon. I might do it on a daily basis, but who knows.
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29/01/2015 14:14:00
Words by NeedleSports
Winter Climbing
Cartoon © Tami Knight
For sound advice on winter mountaineering, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland's Winter Essentials is essential reading.
Check out the latest Scottish Winter Conditions.
Basic Scottish Winter Climbing (Up to Grade III)
At this sort of grade, straight-shafted tools (or very slightly curved tools) such as the DMM Cirque are a good choice if you are only likely to be climbing in UK and alpine mountaineering - they are certainly easier to use in confined spaces such as chimneys and when plunging the shafts into snow or "daggering" with the ferules (the points on the bottoms of the shafts - common techniques on easier pitches. Leashes are not much of a problem at this grade and for the Alps are probably worth having.
Advanced Scottish Winter Climbing (Grade IV and above)
Fully rigid crampons may be preferred by some - They give firmer placements when frontpointing and less wobble on tiny rock holds. However, they are rather uncomfortable as walking crampons and Scottish mixed tends to involve a lot of walking. Models of semi-rigids such as the Grivel G14 are better for walking and have the advantage of forged front points that can be set as mono-points. This makes them ideal for all aspects of winter mountaineering from grade I gullies to harder mixed climbs, and they are good for steep water ice too. In mono-point set up they are particularly good on buttress climbs as a single point will go into a crack where two points won’t.
For steep ice and buttress climbs a pair of bent-shafted axes give a distinct advantage. The choice is between ultra modern leashless tools such as the Petzl Nomic and the Black Diamond Fusion that have no adze or hammer (though in some cases these can be rero-fitted) and slightly more traditional but still leashless tools such as the Black Diamond Viper and the Petzl Quark that come equipped with adze and hammer. Whilst the former are widely acknowledge to be the best choice for super-steep ice and buttress climbs, the lack of adze and hammer is likely to be a nuisance on more traditional mountain and alpine routes. If in doubt we’d suggest the latter, which also have the advantage that they can be fitted with clipper leashes if desired. Also, when considering what to buy, it is noteworthy that anything with too light a head is a pain if you are trying to hammer a peg into a crack or an icehook or warthog into frozen turf. On multipitch climbs a set of Axe Lanyards (aka spring leashes) are well worth the money as dropping an axe 6 pitches up Orion Direct will not be funny for you or anyone below you!
Continental-type Icefalls
Bent-shafted axes such as the Petzl Quark and BD Viper make climbing steep ice a grade easier than it would be with more traditional axes. Better still is making the leap to totally leashless climbing with axes like the Petzl Nomic and the Black Diamond Fusion. It's a bit like learning to hand-jam - once you have learned to relax, it all seems a lot easier. If going leashless on multi-pitch, consider using a special set of Axe Lanyards (aka spring leashes) to prevent the embarrassment of dropping a tool!
Other Kit
Originally designed as an icescrew, it is worth carrying at least one of these for frozen turf belays.
You'll be lost without one!
Colin Wells - steep on a frozen sea - Trappfoss (WI4), Rjukan, Norway
The Divine Mysteries of the Oromaniacal Quest
Scrambling, slipping
Pulling, pushing
Lifting, gasping
Looking, hoping
Despairing, climbing
Holding on, falling off
Trying, puffing,
Loosing, gathering,
Talking, stepping,
Grumbling, anathematising
Scraping, hacking
Bumping, jogging
Overturning, hunting
Straddling, -
- Norman Collie | <urn:uuid:7eaea79a-2558-4b55-8956-7f0e4e404213> | http://www.needlesports.com/content/winter-climbing.aspx | en | 0.956222 | 0.034969 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Prague is like a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, she's dead.
Don't get me wrong: I like Prague. But I don't see why I should wax lyrical about the town that drove Kafka nuts. It would be disrespectful.
Besides, Prague drives me nuts, too. Maybe it's because the police tried to put me in jail for forgetting to validate my subway ticket. Maybe it's because I went there twice to see REM, and both concerts were canceled. Or maybe it's because I got fed up with hearing about would-be Hemingway/Fitzgerald/Henry Miller clones writing the great American novel, of which none has appeared.
In the immediate aftermath of the Berlin Wall coming down, young foreigners flocked like geese on speed to "Paris on the Vitava." These entrepreneurial artistes, lacking Cobain irony, were sure they had found Nirvana, and it was as pretty as could be. And to Western eyes, most everything about Prague is pretty—and often pretty pretentious.
A case in point: they have the most beautiful McDonald's in the world. A few years ago, coming off an overnight train trip from Warsaw, I bought several McCoffees, found a seat and was preparing for a caffeine hit from hell when I noticed a young American sitting at the table across from me, his nose buried in a copy of Sartre's Being and Nothingness. I had to laugh. Existentialism and Egg McMuffins. You'd have to be an insomniac on a three-day benny binge to read that in the morning. But in 1992, Prague was slacker heaven, a place where you could pretend to be an artist while living on savings and teaching jobs.
Then the Firms moved in. The expats I admire are the ones who disdained the cape and fedora and did something really useful like founding a newspaper or a sandwich shop or selling multinational shampoo.
Like most Central and Eastern European capitals, Prague was exotic before the wall went down. It was a city like Paris or Cracow: too wonderful to be destroyed. Post-1989, it's a better Disneyland. But like Berlin, Prague without oppression is a flat cocktail—just a slightly more vibrant Vienna.
According to statistics I just invented, a staggering 90 percent of visitors to the Czech capital spend all their time staggering in and around Prague, soaking up culture. And why not? Everything that happens in the Czech Republic (which, other than ethnic cleansing, isn't a lot) happens here.
Prague is the heavyweight of Eastern European tourist destinations. Few cities in Europe or anywhere else are as fetching. Like Muhammad Ali, Prague never seems to stop saying: "I'm so pretty. Ain't I pretty?" Therein lies its charm. This is the town Walt Disney wishes he had invented.
But after that, what?
Here's Prague's history in a nutshell: one of 14th-century Europe's most important towns, it became a religious battleground for most of the next two centuries, with the Counter Reformation giving the city its celebrated Baroque style. Prague dozed for two centuries under the Hapsburgs, when it was a nice place for a cozy holiday getaway. Like Warsaw, Prague became the capital of a new republic following World War I, until the Nazis and then the Soviets did their more sinister imitation of the Hapsburgs, once again turning the city into a nice place for a cozy getaway.
That's Prague's story: always a beautiful bridesmaid, never a bride—until 1989, when Havel and Co. proved that Prague was more than just a pretty face.
But is it?
Unless you are a confirmed museum hound or an architecture buff, the best way to see Prague is to throw away your guide book and take to the streets. Don't act like a tourist; pretend you are still at home. You will be pleasantly surprised. That guide book you just threw away gives a complete rundown on available culture, but wouldn't it be more fun just to sit in a caf in one of the most beautiful squares in the world and loaf? Prague was built for elegant loafing.
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Remind Me Later > | <urn:uuid:9fffbd87-2396-4988-a367-5d5f9ecf3909> | http://www.ocweekly.com/news/prague-6389636 | en | 0.967706 | 0.081799 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
geowa4 geowa4 - 8 months ago 32
Python Question
Python try-else
What is the intended use of the optional
clause of the
The statements in the else block are executed if execution falls off the bottom of the try - if there was no exception. Honestly, I've never found a need.
However, Handling Exceptions notes:
So, if you have a method that could, for example, throw an IOError, and you want to catch exceptions it raises, but there's something else you want to do if the first operation succeeds, and you don't want to catch an IOError from that operation, you might write something like this:
except IOError:
# we don't want to catch the IOError if it's raised
If you just put another_operation_that_can_throw_ioerror() after operation_that_can_throw_ioerror, the except would catch the second call's errors. And if you put it after the whole try block, it'll always be run, and not until after the finally. The else lets you make sure
1. the second operation's only run if there's no exception,
2. it's run before the finally block, and
3. any IOErrors it raises aren't caught here | <urn:uuid:df6f84ab-41cb-4efc-be41-339c4673c610> | https://codedump.io/share/16uWjuhzVqsl/1/python-try-else | en | 0.897528 | 0.9983 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Everyone wants to know which lucky startup will be the Instagram for video, hoping to see if Facebook will spend another billion dollars to buy it--even if it's unlikely there is in fact an Instagram for video. Either way, Socialcam apparently just got a big angel funding round as it battles Viddy and others to be the next meal for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Honestly, though, I can't tell you from personal experience what Socialcam's prospects are for exit stardom, because I refuse to use it. Why? It's a bully. At least the Facebook version of the app is: In order to see videos on Facebook posted by friends using Socialcam, I have to agree to install the app. And here's what that installation allows Socialcam to do:
"This app may post on your behalf, including videos you watched, videos you shared and more."
"And more"? Seriously?
Given constant changes both apps and Facebook itself make in privacy and account settings, you'd think most people by now would be a little more cautious about installing stuff that gives a company carte blanche to scrawl all over your Facebook page. But apparently not.
Look, I know Socialcam isn't alone in this kind of coercion. The Washington Post Social Reader app does the same thing, so does Rdio, so do hundreds of others for all I know. Which is why I don't use those services either.
And yes, I know I can tweak my app settings so my video views can be seen on my Timeline only by "close friends," or even "only me." Supposedly. Forgive my cynicism, but how soon before Socialcam or Facebook makes some change in settings that suddenly reveals what I've been watching? (I'm sure they'll apologize, though.)
Some people also might argue that, well, don't watch anything you'd be embarrassed to reveal to the world, or at least your friends. Problem is, I don't necessarily know in advance from looking at the thumbnail that something is NSFW. Even at that, some of the videos I've seen friends post definitely don't look safe for work. I really wonder if they know that what they viewed was exposed to all their Facebook friends.
Ultimately, I don't want to think about it in the first place. I just want to check out the damn video, period, without someone, least of all hundreds of "friends," looking over my shoulder--unless I so choose to let them.
But mostly, I don't like being railroaded. You want me to watch and share this video? Then stay out of my business and let me do it. Otherwise, I can assure you that, even if you're the next Instagram, I won't be one of the users helping you run off with the next crazy bag of money. | <urn:uuid:e0e0f16b-d8d3-46cf-bf21-a93e86302879> | https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthof/2012/04/30/why-i-hate-socialcam-even-if-it-might-be-the-next-instagram/ | en | 0.967355 | 0.031498 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Personalize Your Gift Basket to Make a Lasting Impression
Everyone loves to gift to receive a gift that has been personalized just for them. Sending personalized gift baskets to friends, family members, and clients shows that you have put the extra time and thought into their gift in an effort to make it extra special. How do you personalize a gift basket, exactly? It’s easy! We offer personalized ribbon that can be tied around any gift or gift basket. Personalized ribbon features your repeating message across the entire length of the ribbon and is a great way to convey your sentiments. Other methods of personalizing gift baskets include engraved plaques. For personalized gift baskets that consist of leather or wood containers, adding an engraved plaque with a message or monogram is a great way to ensure the gift will be a lasting keepsake. Lastly, you can also add a silver hang tag to a personalized gift basket. Silver hang tags are elegant hanging tags that look beautiful when displayed around the neck of your favorite wine bottle.
Why Personalized Gift Baskets Are Preferred Gifts
Why are personalized gift baskets the preferred gift of many recipients? Because the personalized gift seems “made to order” expressively for the recipient, thereby making it more special than something that was simply store bought. Not only does the personalization add beauty and elegance to a gift, but it also adds personal meaning. It’s also worth mentioning that recipients enjoy displaying personalized gift baskets in the home or office. For instance, imagine a handsome leather trunk that featured a monogrammed brass plaque. This personalized gift basket could be used to hold that person’s special mementos, mail, and more. A silver hang tag with the recipient’s name on it could also be used to mark their favorite bottle of wine or to display a friendly message that will bring the recipient joy every time he or she sees it. Whichever type of personalization you choose to embellish your gift basket, chances are that the recipient will love and cherish the gift even more because of the extra effort you put into making it a keepsake.
Personalized Gift Baskets Make Memorable Gifts
Turn the ordinary into the extraordinary with the exceptional gift of personalized gift baskets. The magic of personalization is that transforms an otherwise plain gift basket into an adorned gift the recipient will be proud to display in the home or office. Each and every time the recipient sees the personalized gift basket, they will think of you, the gift giver, and remember you for your good taste and generosity. This in turn makes their personalized gift basket one of the most memorable gifts the recipients may ever receive. Personalized gift baskets are always cherished for their meaning, beauty, elegance, and keepsake value. Best yet, because of the high quality materials used in our gift baskets and gift containers, the personalized gift should last for decades and may even become a cherished family heirloom. Just imagine the recipient’s appreciation for your gift if it were to become an item to be passed from son to son or daughter to daughter. Personalized gift baskets possess incredible lasting power and are highly regarded for this special value as such.
Other Ways to Personalize Your Gift Basket
Personalizing your gift basket is not limited to adding an exterior embellishment such as silver hang tags, engraved plaques, or printed ribbons to the gift. We can also add corporate-themed items or promotional items to your personalized gift basket. This type of personalization is a great way to get your message across or to introduce a new product to a specific group of people. Other personalized gift baskets include custom gift baskets that have been made with requested items, such as certain bottles of wine, specialty foods and chocolate, or more. If your recipient has dietary needs or religious preferences, we can also personalize your gift basket to accommodate their needs. We can do Kosher baskets, non-alcoholic baskets, diabetic baskets and more: all you need to do is ask! At GiftTree, our personalized gift baskets are made to order for each and every recipient, every time! | <urn:uuid:fd2112fa-130d-4581-9119-c0d80524954e> | https://www.gifttree.com/v3/personalized-gifts/personalized-gift-baskets | en | 0.92317 | 0.021645 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Cisco Systems Interview Question: * Cisco's customer was offere... | Glassdoor
Interview Question
Systems Engineer Interview Singapore (Singapore)
* Cisco's customer was offered a "free network swap out
" by a competitor. How would you compete the "Free" vs "Paid" offer and convince Customer to stay or buy Cisco products
Add Answers or Comments
To comment on this, Sign In or Sign Up. | <urn:uuid:f87af9dd-456a-401a-934a-c11a3133790a> | https://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/-Cisco-s-customer-was-offered-a-free-network-swap-out-by-a-competitor-How-would-you-compete-the-Free-vs-Paid-offer-QTN_209170.htm | en | 0.939111 | 0.033847 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has appeared again in court for a retrial on charges of complicity in the murder of protesters.
Mubarak and his former interior minister, Habib el-Adli, were convicted and sentenced to life in prison last June for failing to stop the killing during the 2011 uprising that swept him from power.
But a court ordered a retrial in January after accepting appeals from both the prosecution and the defence.
Each cited different shortcomings with a trial that was criticised for the weak evidence offered by the prosecution.
After a three-hour session broadcast live on state television, during which the charges were read and the prosecution made a statement, the proceedings were adjourned.
The next hearing was set for 8 June.
The prosecution promised to offer new evidence, including some taken from the report of a fact-finding committee set up by President Mohamed Mursi in 2012.
The findings were not made public as promised by Mr Mursi, but leaks published by Britain's Guardian newspaper last month alleged the military was involved in torture, killings and forced disappearances during the uprising.
The military denied the allegations.
Mubarak, 85, sat upright on a hospital gurney as he was wheeled into a cage where defendants appear. As he entered, some in the courtroom chanted: "The people want the butcher executed."
Wearing sunglasses, he raised his arm to confirm his presence as Judge Ahmed al-Rasheedy read a list of the accused and said: "Present." He waved his arm in denial when asked by the judge to respond to the charges.
His two sons, Alaa and Gamal, stood alongside him dressed in white prison uniforms. They face charges of corruption.
The retrial at a police academy on the outskirts of Cairo had been due to begin last month but was delayed when the previous judge recused himself. | <urn:uuid:0f8c7366-76ea-459d-a1d2-b7446853d590> | https://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0511/391743-mubarak-appears-in-egyptian-court-for-retrial/ | en | 0.988758 | 0.026946 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
my story.
Discussion in 'Rants, Musings and Ideas' started by thething912, Jul 18, 2007.
1. thething912
thething912 Well-Known Member
I have asperger and all my life people have called me stupid because I can’t spell are write very well. I hate being stereotyped and discriminated agisnt. I hate bull shit and ignorance. A lot of people treat me like I’m trash for no reason .I’m sick of it. And, worse of all my friend gets bullied at school.
2. gentlelady
gentlelady Staff Alumni
So many people don't understand anything about aspergers. If they would take the time to find things out maybe they would not be so cruel. Just because you can't spell and may do things differently than they do does not make you any less a person. They don't do all things the same either. They need to meet the person you are inside. That is what is the most important. It is their loss if they don't take the time to get to know who you are. :hug:
3. thething912
thething912 Well-Known Member
Very true you're a smart person.
4. liveinhope
liveinhope Well-Known Member
Well as far as not being able to write or spell you bit a great job with your post. I agree with Gentlelady people are ignorant and if they are not prepared to meet the person inside they are not worthy friends, there are people out there that will see you for who you are and not what you have been diagnosed with, keep looking and in the meantime you will meet many friends here on SF that will just see you
Take Care:smile:
5. thething912
thething912 Well-Known Member | <urn:uuid:f0ab9ddb-405f-44d1-96b3-649481735386> | https://www.suicideforum.com/community/threads/my-story.19815/ | en | 0.972518 | 0.409598 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
One of the core principles of The Atlantic's business coverage has always been that economics should be kind of fun. Not just "readable." Not just "informative." Actually fun.
So, one month ago, we announced a new video explainer series called "Economics in Plain English" and asked you to submit questions. We sifted through more than 300 submissions, which ranged from the super-serious ("explain monetary policy's effect on long-term interest rates") to the super-not-serious ("why are cupcakes cheaper than Banh Mi sandwiches?").
We've picked our six favorites across a wide range -- from highbrow to lowbrow, trivial to weighty, practical to theoretical -- and filmed three-minute videos answering each question in a way we hope is not just watchable and not just informative (although hopefully both of those things) but also just plain fun.
In the next two weeks, we'll be rolling out the videos on the following topics, in roughly this order:
1) Why is bottled water so expensive?
2) Are bottomless drinks actually a good business?
3) Are the machines taking our jobs, and should we be scared?
4) Are the rich hoarding the economic pie?
5) What's the difference between fiscal policy and monetary policy?
... and, finally, because it seemed like an absurd challenge:
6) What is money?
Some of these topics naturally lend themselves to a bit more fun than others. We'll take any excuse to talk business over bottomless mimosas (#2) or visit a northeast D.C. pie shop to discuss income inequality (#4). On the other hand, comparing the effect of tax-based stimulus to quantitative easing (#5) in an accurate and amusing way was a slightly different challenge.
Thanks for your great questions. We hope you have as much fun watching the answers as we had fun filming them. | <urn:uuid:1e151e38-cb9b-4dfa-9980-41b82eadca73> | https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/08/economics-in-plain-english-introducing-em-the-atlantic-em-s-video-explainer-series/278584/ | en | 0.950901 | 0.268231 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Carl Schmitt, the Dolchstoßlegende and the Law of Armed Conflict
Scott Horton
A scholar reading Carl Schmitt's writings on international law topics today is overcome with a sense of a brilliant but fundamentally flawed mind that undergoes some radical mood shifts. There is the post-World War II Schmitt, carefully offering up cautious, traditional conservative understandings of international public law. There is the Schmitt of the 1930's with his astonishingly adventurous, and downright chilling interpretations in which the totality of international law is consumed, reprocessed and extruded so as to meet the short-term political objectives of the National Socialist Reich. Then there are the works of political theory, starting with Der Begriff des Politischen and developing in Nomos der Erde im Völkerrecht des Jus Publicum Europaeum (1950), which offer a take on international law which, it seems to me, is often difficult to distinguish from the international relations theory approach of Hans Morgenthau. This latter segment in particular helps to explain why Schmitt often seems so uncannily similar to current day Neoconservative writers like John Yoo, Jack Goldsmith and Eric Posner whose analysis is clearly indebted to Morgenthau. It often seems very difficult to reconcile these different manifestations of Schmitt other than by suggesting something very human: that careerist expedience plays a powerful role in the process. This is most evident of his writings in the core period of his advocacy of the interests of the National Socialist state, 1933-37.
A recent study by Prof. Dirk Blasius (University of Duisburg-Essen) makes an important contribution to the understanding of Schmitt's posture on international law issues in general, and his attitude towards the law of armed conflict in particular. In "Carl Schmitt und der 'Heereskonflikt' des Dritten Reiches 1934" (Carl Schmitt and the Third Reich's Army Conflict of 1934), Blasius pulls together a number of powerful texts from the period between the wars that put Schmitt's attitudes in a new light. The article is published in Germany's leading historical journal, Historische Zeitschrift, vol. 281, p. 659 (2005). The works that Blasius covers includes diary entries and archival manuscripts, the significant tract on the restructuring of the legal profession, Staat, Volk, Bewegung of 1933 (discussed in my last post), and the fairly obscure Staatsgefüge und Zusammenbruch des zweiten Reiches – Der Sieg des Bürgers über den Soldaten (State Structure and the Collapse of the Second Reich – the Victory of the Bourgeoisie over the Soldiers)(1934). These documents taken together reveal a crude and generally ahistorical take on Germany in the period between the war of 1866 and the founding of the Weimar Republic. At the same time they provide a key to understanding political views that drive Schmitt's legal posture, particularly on law of armed conflict issues.
The Frederican Military State
Schmitt is a Westphalian Catholic with notorious and even racist disdain for Prussia, a curious background for a Prussian State Councillor. In his diary he writes that Prussia constituted a "victory of the Slavs over Germans, because the Germans Germanized the area to the east of the River Elbe, and the Slavs who lived there were incorporated into the Germans, with the product being called Prussians." (Blasius 661) Nevertheless, he views the modern Sparta, Prussia, as the core of Germany, and its state structures as imbued with essential characteristics of the German Volk in a sense that combines Herder and Hegel. Frederick the Great "has become a symbol for the unity of state and army, of governance and the conduct of war. His life and his state contain examples for all situations in which the problem of state, army and economy can be portrayed" (from a lecture at the University of Berlin, Jan. 24, 1934). This state concept maximized potential from both economic and military perspectives. "The revolutionary significance of this total reform is not reduced, but rather strengthened by its hierarchical and authoritarian structure. At this time, in 1807, the indivisible unity of state, army and economy was strongly impressed upon the consciousness not only of the great fomenters, the Barons von Stein [sic: probably intended to refer to Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom Stein], Scharnhorst, Boyen – but also their opponents." For Schmitt, this is a silver age of efficient and enlightened authoritarianism, which laid the foundations for the creation of the modern German state.
The Encroachments of the Liberal Bourgeoisie
The silver age ends, however, with the arrival of a new middle class with liberal-democratic aspirations. "For Prussia, the leading German state, this period means an open or latent conflict between government and parliament, state and popular representation, and indeed a period of military and budgetary conflict."(Blasius 667) The second half of the nineteenth century presents a gradual process of accumulation of power by the bourgeoisie and extension of its political and economic rights. "The idea of a liberal democratic constitutional state gradually triumphed in domestic politics over the spirit of the German Volk, and then they triumphed militarily and in foreign policy through the disarming of the battling army."(Blasius 669)
The Dolchstoßlegende
The key to Schmitt's narrative lies in the Dolchstoßlegende – the suggestion that the German Army was "stabbed in the back," i.e., betrayed, by liberal democratic forces in the waning days of the Second Reich. The Dolchstoßlegende suggests that limitations imposed by the civilian authorities in the course of the Great War led inexorably to the failure of the Germany Army. This in turn led to the abdication of the Emperor Wilhelm, the termination of the Second Reich, and the creation of the Weimar Republic. The argument is preposterous – in fact Germany was in the last days of the Great War little short of a military dictatorship. Nevertheless, conservative nationalists in Germany used the Dolchstoßlegende as their principle political weapon in their struggle with the forces of liberal democracy. Given the demonstrated potency of this rhetorical device following a military defeat, it has made numerous repeat performances in other societies. As Kevin Baker argued in the June 2006 issue of Harper's, key figures in the present Bush administration are linked to efforts to argue that the failure of the United States in Vietnam during the Nixon and Ford Administrations is attributable to a "sell out" by forces in the United States which opposed the war; Baker cites several other uses of this line of argument in American politics in the end of World War II and during the Korean War. The Schmitt edition of the Dolchstoßlegende involves an interesting permutation. "During the Great War," Schmitt writes, "every deterioration of the military or foreign policy situation would work to the domestic benefit of the opponent, that is, the Parliament, with nearly mathematical precision; it would also furnish constitutional arguments for its claims to power." (Staatsgefüge, 39). However, Schmitt comes to a focus not on the end phase of the war, but rather on its outset: the decision to avoid a focus of the combat on the fortified Franco-German frontier by swinging quickly through neutral Belgium. "On August 4, 1914, the German Chancellor [Bethmann Hollweg] declared the German invasion of Belgium to be an 'injustice,' for which compensation would be necessary. A childish notion of law governing emergencies, combined with a servile fear of the appearance of this act in the eyes of foreigners, produced this shameful capitulation, and betrayed Germany's popular army to the constitutional ideals and legal concepts of its foreign and domestic enemies." (Staatsgefüge, 41-42)
This is an audacious characterization in light of what Bethmann Hollweg actually said in this address in 1914. The Chancellor in fact acceded to the proposal of the General Staff that the neutrality of Belgium be violated. Indeed, he did so reciting the Bismarckian mantra "Not kennt kein Gebot!" (Necessity knows of no limitation). His sole bow to the requirements of international law was a vague promise that some accommodation would be offered the Belgians after Germany had obtained its military goals.(Blasius 672)
The invasion of a neutral state by Germany at the outset of the Great War was a clear violation of international law principles, and German actions afterwards raised a slew of issues under the Hague Conventions and Geneva Conventions. Schmitt's ostensible position is that Germany should have taken these steps with no remorse. His analysis seems completely driven by the concept of Kriegsraison, the view that military expediency alone can drive the action, and that no effective legal constraints existed. This reasoning seems very close to that of Carl Lüder, a well known German law of armed conflicts expert of this era, who argued for robust military action that was unfettered by concern for international law.
Schmitt's ahistorical analysis suggests a dismissive attitude towards basic law of armed conflict rules and a will to be driven by his best assessment of the short-term political interests of his state. As I noted previously, this is the attitude which ultimately drove internal analysis in the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, not the more conservative and traditional analysis of the post-World War II Schmitt.
I'm trying to tie this wonderful piece to my more immediate and modest goal of better wielding the Schmitt example as a refutation of the Yoo influenced arguments of today's administration apologists. As I read your article I can almost forgive Schmitt his perhaps naive admiration of Prussia's "silver age of efficient and enlightened authoritarianism". Likewise I can forgive Schmitt and all others for arguing that "constitutional ideals and legal concepts of [a nation's] foreign and domestic enemies" impair military and government efficiency. Which is to say I can forgive anyone coming to Yoo's conclusions or parroting his rationalizations---if they haven't read their history. But we know what became of Germany with the help of Schmitt's legal analysis; Germany turned to evil. Nor was Germany the first great example of a nation state to give too much power to, or place too much emphasis on, its military might only to crumble under the weight of oppression or go down in the mire of debauch.
The problem with Yooish thought and the terror laws passed (and in the works) by this administration are not found primarily in the laws themselves, but rather in the people who, looking at what they hope to accomplish with those laws, refuse or are unable to see the evils to which those same laws can be turned. Folks don't much like to think about good and evil these days; the ascendancy of "economic" analysis has foreclosed evaluation by that criteria set for most folks. But maybe it is time to refresh that view. No one can credibly disagree that the systematic wholesale slaughter of six million Jews was evil; there's a starting point. No one can credibly disagree that holding an innocent person for years without even hope of being charged or knowing the evidence against her is evil. And while we rightly shy away from judging evils on some simple linear spectrum, it is still fair, if not fully accurate, to say that the evil of the Holocaust is greater than the evil of wrongly holding one innocent person without due process. Slippery slope reasoning is suspect, but attacks on due process do not slide down a slope to the evils of genocide; rather such attacks plow the soil in which the seeds of fascism can find a fertile home. That is the danger of Schmittian or Yooish thought. It is also the danger of foolishly elevating "economic" or utilitarian analysis to the level seen in early 20th Century Germany, and found in Chicago School economic analysis. Certainly there is much in the Constitution, by whatever means of interpretation one chooses, to support insisting we adhere to criteria sets other than simple utility. Justice, Freedom and Liberty each appear in the Constitution; economy, efficiency and utility are notably absent. Schmitt's prime mistake, then, might simply be a childish preoccupation with the goods of the burgeoning industrial age to the detriment of a non-empirical but epistemologically sounder Good (secular or otherwise) to which we all must answer.
Let me close by saying thanks for another great post, and I sure do envy you the depth of your scholarship.
Beautifully done, Scott.
It made me think of this recent comment by Immanuel Wallerstein, who is worried about the possible rise of a new "stab in the back" political atmosphere. He observes that a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would represent a second catastrophic military defeat after the one already suffered in Vietnam.
"Withdrawal from Iraq will, I predict, be even more traumatic than the flight from Saigon in 1975. Two defeats will be devastating and also persuasive of the real limits of U.S. power.
"There are really only two possibilities at that point.
"One possibility is that there occurs a sort of profound soul-searching which would lead the United States to reevaluate its self-image, its sense of what is possible in the world-system now and in the future, and what kind of values it really believes in.
"If that happens, maybe forces within the Democratic Party will come forward to incarnate this reevaluation. Or maybe the whole political framework of the United States and its parties will change to reflect such a reevaluation.
"But of course there is a second possibility. It is that the nation is overcome with deep anger about the "loss" of its primacy, will seek scapegoats (and find them), and eventually move in the direction of gutting the U.S. Constitution and the liberties it presumes to defend.
"Something like that happened in Weimar Germany. And while the situation is different in many respects, and while I am not predicting in any sense the emergence of a Nazi party, nonetheless it will be a grievous disaster for the United States and the world if the United States moves to any significant degree in this direction."
The author's reminders and insights are timely. It is too soon to say whether the soil tilled in our own most recent five years is a suitable analog for growth of societal governance ailments of a scope to match the pernicious inaction which yielded Weimar and Weimar's failure. Hopefully, our political system is preparing its legion self cure. But the alarums are abroad.
Regarding this question of Frederican authoritarianism that somehow led to all the destruction and evil that followed. I happened to run into a web site, psychiccorner.com where the ghost of Frederick confronts this question. Here's part.
What do you have to say about the Holocaust?
Frederick: Let's not assign guilt to these countries for the purpose of understanding what really
happened. We are talking about titanic geopolitical forces that are like hurricanes or earthquakes if they are not understood. There must be some explanation why these civilized European countries, could be forced into such desperate circumstances as occurred to all. These countries possessed society and a deep civilization. The events that occurred somehow didn't represent their civilized character, I mean Germans and Europeans in general. This is something important
to remember. Non-Germans need not accept responsibility for the Holocaust although they must accept responsibility for
the lack of common defense to which Europe gave in to, which was the larger cause of the Holocaust. With these things in
mind, one can then begin to examine what was involved and without assigning blame or passing judgement, one can actually
ponder how Europe could have salvaged itself or even prevented what happened.
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Subject: Re: What is your goal in life? Date: 10/11/2012 11:52 AM
Recommendations: 1
Good question.
I do have a wife and a son. My goal is to raise him to be a responsible member of society, to contribute to it instead of detract from it. Lord knows I'm not perfect and have made plenty of mistakes, but my son has a clean slate and I'm hoping I can use the mistakes I've made to teach him to avoid them.
I'd also like to own a house again, but to keep it this time. I think I found the house I want to own. It's near Ann Arbor, not in it, but close enough where I could still bike to work if I had to (not that I'd want to in the winter, it's on a dirt road, but I could.) It's still in the Ann Arbor school district (which is one of the best in the state) and is a bit off the beaten path (on two acres of land!) It would be at the high end of what I could possibly afford, but is a steal given where it is!
I just have to figure out how to get from where I am to a place where I can buy that house. We've been digging out of debt for years, and are most of the way out but, unfortunately, still have over $10,000 to pay off. Some months it's really tight, so saving for a down payment is very difficult. It would probably cost about the same to live in that house as it is to live in the apartment we live in now (and over time it will be cheaper to live in the house given that rent keeps going up, up up!) but I'm just in no position to get a mortgage yet.
That's stressing me. Having a small kid in an apartment is one thing, but my son's well into the "I'm going to play outside!" age and it would be nice to have a yard for him to play in, a dog for him to chase around, enough room to invite friends over (our apartment is cramped to say the least!), etc. If we got this house he'd be in a different school but the same district and would still be close enough to his friends that we could go see them (or have them over) regularly. Plus he's never had a problem making friends.
So, my immediate goal is to get my finances in order to get that house. My intermediate goal is to ensure that we keep our finances in order and long-term... just do no harm really. I'm pretty much set for life work-wise (provided I don't do something idiotic to get myself fired!) and while I won't be filthy rich I don't see abject poverty in my future either. Sometimes I dream about opening a store and selling cool stuff like Case pocket knives, automatic watches... stuff guys like. Maybe that could happen some day. Maybe I'll just do it online. Or maybe I'll never do it. I'm 34 so I hope to have plenty of time to work this all out.
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HOME > Chowhound > San Francisco Bay Area >
Dinner on Mondays and Tuesdays
Hi everyone,
Im going to be in town on a business trip in a few weeks and Im looking for a few restaurants to have dinner at where the food is solid and the service and ambiance wont detract from that.
Im staying in the SOMA area, but I get the impression that the restaurants around there are more about trendy loud spaces and less about the food. I would prefer quieter spaces for a more intimate experience. There is the posibility of an elderly coworker coming with me.
So far, Im looking at Chapeau ( http://bistrochapeau.citysearch.com/ ) and The House ( http://www.thehse.com/ ).
Any comments on the two places Ive listed, or additional recommendations would be welcome!
1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
1. I love both Chapeau! and The House, but they are two of the noisiest and most crowded restaurants. You can avoid the din at The House if you eat early and are on your way by the time it fills up at 7:30pm. I've taken my parents there and it's too loud for them when the room fill sup, but they do enjoy the food very much.
My recent post on The House -
6 Replies
1. re: Euxine
You don't want El Mansour, the majority of the seating is on ottomans and benches, which isn't really comfortable for the elderly.
You could try Aziza for Moroccan-style food in a more subdued setting. It's a ways from SOMA though.
I second the other poster on Incanto.
1. re: Sebby
Aside from the seating, how is the food and the atmosphere for El Mansour?
1. re: Euxine
Hmm, the food was just ok, imho, and I'm sorry, but I hate bellydancers when I'm eating. I don't want to be held in terror that I will be pulled up and made to dance.
I've only been there once and I won't be going back. Whereas, Aziza, I'll go any day of the week, anytime.
I have been to Morocco and don't expect truly authentic food here in SF, but a general idea of the flavors. Both of the restaurants do a good job with this. Aziza, gets bonus points because they use local organic produce.
1. re: Sebby
Aziza is highly recommended (one of my favorite spots), but a word to the wise... they're closed on Tuesdays.
2. My favorite Monday-night restaurant is Incanto, usually pretty quiet that night. They're closed Tuesdays.
Acquerello's the quietest restaurant I've been to in recent years. Open Tuesday- Saturday.
1. Any recomendations for chinese food, or other asian-ethnic/fusion food?
1 Reply
1. re: Euxine
For Asian Fusion, I like Tangerine in the Castro area. For Monday and Tuesday nights, it shouldn't be too loud there. www.tangerinesf.com
2. On a Monday or Tuesay, few restaurants fill up and SOMA has some of the best serious food restaurants in the city. You don't list a price range.
Just for solid American food there is Delancy Street. TownsEnd has some good food and is quiet at night. Not my personal favorite, but recommended by lots of people is South Park Cafe.
Somebody can help on the name, but there is that Asian (?) Vietnamese joint on 3rd and Folsom where Mel's was.
I like Aziza, but that is one long cab ride from SOMA. On a Monday or Tuesday Coco500 is not crowded and has great food. It goes on.
Since your mention a hotel in SOMA I'm guessing it is the one on 2nd and Folsom since any other decent hotels in the area would be considered other areas. Fly Trap is a half a block away. It is reliable food. You are not that far from Boulevard if that is your hotel area.
4 Replies
1. re: rworange
I'd say that Im looking for the main dish to be up to $30 a plate, total bill per person to be up to $60. And, Im staying at the Hilton, which is apparently next to Moscone Center(?).
1. re: Euxine
The Hilton is in the Tenderloin, in the block bounded by Taylor, O'Farrell, Mason, and Ellis.
Only the most expensive restaurants in SF have entrees over $30.
1. re: Euxine
if you're in SoMa and you want thai, try Basil. Not expensive, really good amtmosphere, well made thai cuisine. Between 7th & 8th on Folsolm
2. re: rworange
You're thinking about Bong Su on 3rd and Folsom. Fine vietnamese, but not worth the money. I second Blvd. | <urn:uuid:03a445de-1458-4f57-9bf3-7fb6c9d50a6f> | http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/337205 | en | 0.957562 | 0.184576 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Quiz: Which Condiment Are You?
Quiz: Which Condiment Are You?
By Bailey_Swilley
There are so many sauces, dips, and dressings out there. It can be so hard to choose one, but even more difficult is finding out which you are.
1. In your group of friends, you’re known as:
a. The smart, practical one
b. The sassy friend who always gets a laugh
c. The true blue and faithful friend
d. The friend is always up for a good time
e. The adventurous one that scares everyone a little
2. Which of these would you most likely wear on the first day of school?
a. A vintage outfit I thrifted for and love
b. A baseball tee, shorts, and sneaks
c. A black dress with white pearls
d. A short-sleeved sweater I knitted myself this summer
e. A sari I picked up on my passage to India vacation
3. Which of these, in your opinion, would be a great summer date?
a. A baseball game, complete with hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy
b. An outdoor barbecue, with pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, and baked beans.
c. A '50s diner date, complete with French fries, cola, and a milkshake
d. A family potluck, complete with all your favorite pasta salads, gelatin molds, and sandwiches
e. A visit to the city, where you’ll sample lots of goodies in Chinatown, Little Italy, and food trucks galore.
4. Which of these countries would you most like to visit someday?
a. Guten Tag! Germany for the win!
b. Beautiful Brazil
c. Italia forever!
d. Konichiwa! Japan please!
e. Viva Mexico!
5. Which of these is your summer jam?
a. “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams
b. “Paper Doll” by John Mayer
c. “Come & Get It” by Selena Gomez
d. “We Can’t Stop” by Miley Cyrus
e. “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams
6. Fill in the blank: ______ is my happy place.
a. Reading a book in a quiet coffee shop
b. Blasting music and dancing around my room
c. Watching my favorite movie with my best friend
d. Cooking dinner with my family
e. Trying new experiences and meeting new people
How did you do?
Mostly As: You’re the mustard master! Smart, introverted, and hip, you’re the envy of all your friends without even knowing it. You’re cool and collected and at times, a little sour just like the yellow sauce. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.
Mostly Bs: Hello, barbecue sauce! You are sweet, fun and the life of the party! Sometimes you can lay on your party-ness on a little thick, but who cares? Fiesta time!
Mostly Cs: You are ketchup! Like this timeless condiment, your personality and style is classic, elegant, and subtle. You’re a good friend to have and you’re also a natural romantic. Who knew tomatoes could be so dreamy?
Mostly Ds: Pass the mayo! You’re both self-sufficient and people-centered. Family gatherings, knitting circles, and gift-giving is your thing. In other words, you’re the glue that brings everyone together, much like the egg-based magical spread.
Mostly Es: You are hot sauce! Life is better when it’s full of danger, adventure, and new experiences. The only thing missing from your life is more time to travel and take new, strange classes. Hot-cha-cha!
Which condiment are you?
Topics: Life
Tags: food, personality, quizzes, personality quizzes, condiments
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Capacitors)
Jump to: navigation, search
"Capacitive" redirects here. For the term used when referring to touchscreens, see capacitive sensing.
Capacitors (7189597135).jpg
Electronic symbol
Types of capacitor.svg
Miniature low-voltage capacitors (next to a cm ruler)
4 electrolytic capacitors of different voltages and capacitance
Solid electrolyte, resin-dipped 10 μF 35 V tantalum capacitors. The + sign indicates the positive lead.
A capacitor (originally known as a condenser) is a passive two-terminal electrical component used to store energy electrostatically in an electric field. The forms of practical capacitors vary widely, but all contain at least two electrical conductors (plates) separated by a dielectric (i.e. insulator). The conductors can be thin films, foils or sintered beads of metal or conductive electrolyte, etc. The nonconducting dielectric acts to increase the capacitor's charge capacity. A dielectric can be glass, ceramic, plastic film, air, vacuum, paper, mica, oxide layer etc. Capacitors are widely used as parts of electrical circuits in many common electrical devices. Unlike a resistor, an ideal capacitor does not dissipate energy. Instead, a capacitor stores energy in the form of an electrostatic field between its plates.
When there is a potential difference across the conductors (e.g., when a capacitor is attached across a battery), an electric field develops across the dielectric, causing positive charge +Q to collect on one plate and negative charge −Q to collect on the other plate. If a battery has been attached to a capacitor for a sufficient amount of time, no current can flow through the capacitor. However, if a time-varying voltage is applied across the leads of the capacitor, a displacement current can flow.
An ideal capacitor is characterized by a single constant value for its capacitance. Capacitance is expressed as the ratio of the electric charge Q on each conductor to the potential difference V between them. The SI unit of capacitance is the farad (F), which is equal to one coulomb per volt (1 C/V). Typical capacitance values range from about 1 pF (10−12 F) to about 1 mF (10−3 F).
The capacitance is greater when there is a narrower separation between conductors and when the conductors have a larger surface area. In practice, the dielectric between the plates passes a small amount of leakage current and also has an electric field strength limit, known as the breakdown voltage. The conductors and leads introduce an undesired inductance and resistance.
In October 1745, Ewald Georg von Kleist of Pomerania, Germany, found that charge could be stored by connecting a high-voltage electrostatic generator by a wire to a volume of water in a hand-held glass jar.[2] Von Kleist's hand and the water acted as conductors, and the jar as a dielectric (although details of the mechanism were incorrectly identified at the time). Von Kleist found that touching the wire resulted in a powerful spark, much more painful than that obtained from an electrostatic machine. The following year, the Dutch physicist Pieter van Musschenbroek invented a similar capacitor, which was named the Leyden jar, after the University of Leiden where he worked.[3] He also was impressed by the power of the shock he received, writing, "I would not take a second shock for the kingdom of France."[4]
Daniel Gralath was the first to combine several jars in parallel into a "battery" to increase the charge storage capacity. Benjamin Franklin investigated the Leyden jar and came to the conclusion that the charge was stored on the glass, not in the water as others had assumed. He also adopted the term "battery",[5][6] (denoting the increasing of power with a row of similar units as in a battery of cannon), subsequently applied to clusters of electrochemical cells.[7] Leyden jars were later made by coating the inside and outside of jars with metal foil, leaving a space at the mouth to prevent arcing between the foils.[citation needed] The earliest unit of capacitance was the jar, equivalent to about 1.11 nanofarads.[8]
Early capacitors were also known as condensers, a term that is still occasionally used today, particularly in high power applications, like automotive systems. The term was first used for this purpose by Alessandro Volta in 1782, with reference to the device's ability to store a higher density of electric charge than a normal isolated conductor.[9]
Theory of operation[edit]
Main article: Capacitance
A simple demonstration of a parallel-plate capacitor
A capacitor consists of two conductors separated by a non-conductive region.[10] The non-conductive region is called the dielectric. In simpler terms, the dielectric is just an electrical insulator. Examples of dielectric media are glass, air, paper, vacuum, and even a semiconductor depletion region chemically identical to the conductors. A capacitor is assumed to be self-contained and isolated, with no net electric charge and no influence from any external electric field. The conductors thus hold equal and opposite charges on their facing surfaces,[11] and the dielectric develops an electric field. In SI units, a capacitance of one farad means that one coulomb of charge on each conductor causes a voltage of one volt across the device.[12]
C= \frac{Q}{V}
Because the conductors (or plates) are close together, the opposite charges on the conductors attract one another due to their electric fields, allowing the capacitor to store more charge for a given voltage than if the conductors were separated, giving the capacitor a large capacitance.
Sometimes charge build-up affects the capacitor mechanically, causing its capacitance to vary. In this case, capacitance is defined in terms of incremental changes:
C= \frac{\mathrm{d}Q}{\mathrm{d}V}
Hydraulic analogy[edit]
In the hydraulic analogy, a capacitor is analogous to a rubber membrane sealed inside a pipe. This animation illustrates a membrane being repeatedly stretched and un-stretched by the flow of water, which is analogous to a capacitor being repeatedly charged and discharged by the flow of charge.
• The more a capacitor is charged, the larger its voltage drop; i.e., the more it "pushes back" against the charging current. This is analogous to the fact that the more a membrane is stretched, the more it pushes back on the water.
• Charge can flow "through" a capacitor even though no individual electron can get from one side to the other. This is analogous to the fact that water can flow through the pipe even though no water molecule can pass through the rubber membrane. Of course, the flow cannot continue in the same direction forever; the capacitor will experience dielectric breakdown, and analogously the membrane will eventually break.
• The capacitance describes how much charge can be stored on one plate of a capacitor for a given "push" (voltage drop). A very stretchy, flexible membrane corresponds to a higher capacitance than a stiff membrane.
• A charged-up capacitor is storing potential energy, analogously to a stretched membrane.
Energy of electric field[edit]
Work must be done by an external influence to "move" charge between the conductors in a capacitor. When the external influence is removed, the charge separation persists in the electric field and energy is stored to be released when the charge is allowed to return to its equilibrium position. The work done in establishing the electric field, and hence the amount of energy stored, is[13]
W = \int_0^Q V \mathrm{d}q = \int_0^Q \frac{q}{C} \mathrm{d}q = {1 \over 2} {Q^2 \over C} = {1 \over 2} C V^2 = {1 \over 2} VQ
Here Q is the charge stored in the capacitor, V is the voltage across the capacitor, and C is the capacitance.
In the case of a fluctuating voltage V(t), the stored energy also fluctuates and hence power must flow into or out of the capacitor. This power can be found by taking the time derivative of the stored energy:
P = \frac{\mathrm{d}W}{\mathrm{d}t} = \frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}t}\left(\frac{1}{2} CV^2\right) = C V(t) \frac{\mathrm{d}V}{\mathrm{d}t}
Current–voltage relation[edit]
V(t) = \frac{Q(t)}{C} = \frac{1}{C}\int_{t_0}^t I(\tau) \mathrm{d}\tau + V(t_0)
Taking the derivative of this and multiplying by C yields the derivative form:[15]
I(t) = \frac{\mathrm{d}Q(t)}{\mathrm{d}t} = C\frac{\mathrm{d}V(t)}{\mathrm{d}t}
DC circuits[edit]
See also: RC circuit
A simple resistor-capacitor circuit demonstrates charging of a capacitor.
A series circuit containing only a resistor, a capacitor, a switch and a constant DC source of voltage V0 is known as a charging circuit.[16] If the capacitor is initially uncharged while the switch is open, and the switch is closed at t0, it follows from Kirchhoff's voltage law that
V_0 = v_\text{resistor}(t) + v_\text{capacitor}(t) = i(t)R + \frac{1}{C}\int_{t_0}^t i(\tau) \mathrm{d}\tau
RC\frac{\mathrm{d}i(t)}{\mathrm{d}t} + i(t) = 0
I(t) &= \frac{V_0}{R} e^{-\frac{t}{\tau_0}} \\
V(t) &= V_0 \left( 1 - e^{-\frac{t}{\tau_0}}\right)
where τ0 = RC is the time constant of the system. As the capacitor reaches equilibrium with the source voltage, the voltages across the resistor and the current through the entire circuit decay exponentially. The case of discharging a charged capacitor likewise demonstrates exponential decay, but with the initial capacitor voltage replacing V0 and the final voltage being zero.
AC circuits[edit]
X &= -\frac{1}{\omega C} = -\frac{1}{2\pi f C} \\
Z &= \frac{1}{j\omega C} = -\frac{j}{\omega C} = -\frac{j}{2\pi f C}
where j is the imaginary unit and ω is the angular frequency of the sinusoidal signal. The −j phase indicates that the AC voltage V = ZI lags the AC current by 90°: the positive current phase corresponds to increasing voltage as the capacitor charges; zero current corresponds to instantaneous constant voltage, etc.
Impedance decreases with increasing capacitance and increasing frequency. This implies that a higher-frequency signal or a larger capacitor results in a lower voltage amplitude per current amplitude—an AC "short circuit" or AC coupling. Conversely, for very low frequencies, the reactance will be high, so that a capacitor is nearly an open circuit in AC analysis—those frequencies have been "filtered out".
A capacitor connected to a sinusoidal voltage source will cause a displacement current to flow through it. In the case that the voltage source is V0cos(ωt), the displacement current can be expressed as:
I = C \frac{dV}{dt} = -\omega {C}{V_\text{0}}\sin(\omega t)
At sin(ωt) = -1, the capacitor has a maximum (or peak) current whereby I0 = ωCV0. The ratio of peak voltage to peak current is due to capacitive reactance (denoted XC).
X_C = \frac{V_\text{0}}{I_\text{0}} = \frac{V_\text{0}}{\omega C V_\text{0}} = \frac{1}{\omega C}
I = - {I_\text{0}}{\sin({\omega t}}) = {I_\text{0}}{\cos({\omega t} + {90^\circ})}
In this situation, the current is out of phase with the voltage by +π/2 radians or +90 degrees (i.e., the current will lead the voltage by 90°).
Laplace circuit analysis (s-domain)[edit]
• C is the capacitance, and
• s is the complex frequency.
Parallel-plate model[edit]
Dielectric is placed between two conducting plates, each of area A and with a separation of d
The simplest capacitor consists of two parallel conductive plates separated by a dielectric (such as air) with permittivity ε . The model may also be used to make qualitative predictions for other device geometries. The plates are considered to extend uniformly over an area A and a charge density ±ρ = ±Q/A exists on their surface. Assuming that the width of the plates is much greater than their separation d, the electric field near the centre of the device will be uniform with the magnitude E = ρ/ε. The voltage is defined as the line integral of the electric field between the plates
V= \int_0^d E\,\mathrm{d}z = \int_0^d \frac{\rho}{\varepsilon}\,\mathrm{d}z = \frac{\rho d}{\varepsilon} = \frac{Qd}{\varepsilon A}
Solving this for C = Q/V reveals that capacitance increases with area of the plates, and decreases as separation between plates increases.
C = \frac{\varepsilon A}{d}
The capacitance is therefore greatest in devices made from materials with a high permittivity, large plate area, and small distance between plates.
E = \frac{1}{2}CV^2=\frac{1}{2} \frac{\varepsilon A}{d} (U_d d)^2 = \frac{1}{2} \varepsilon A d U_d^2
We see that the maximum energy is a function of dielectric volume, permittivity, and dielectric strength per distance. So increasing the plate area while decreasing the separation between the plates while maintaining the same volume has no change on the amount of energy the capacitor can store. Care must be taken when increasing the plate separation so that the above assumption of the distance between plates being much smaller than the area of the plates is still valid for these equations to be accurate. In addition, these equations assume that the electric field is entirely concentrated in the dielectric between the plates. In reality there are fringing fields outside the dielectric, for example between the sides of the capacitor plates, which will increase the effective capacitance of the capacitor. This could be seen as a form of parasitic capacitance. For some simple capacitor geometries this additional capacitance term can be calculated analytically.[17] It becomes negligibly small when the ratio of plate area to separation is large.
Several capacitors in parallel
For capacitors in parallel
C_\mathrm{eq}= C_1 + C_2 + \cdots + C_n
For capacitors in series
Several capacitors in series
\frac{1}{C_\mathrm{eq}} = \frac{1}{C_1} + \frac{1}{C_2} + \cdots + \frac{1}{C_n}
Series connection is also sometimes used to adapt polarized electrolytic capacitors for bipolar AC use. See electrolytic capacitor#Designing for reverse bias.
Voltage distribution in parallel-to-series networks.
To model the distribution of voltages from a single charged capacitor \left( A \right) connected in parallel to a chain of capacitors in series \left( B_\text{n} \right) :
(volts) A_\mathrm{eq} &= A\left(1 - \frac{1}{n + 1}\right) \\
(volts) B_\text{1..n} &= \frac{A}{n} \left(1 - \frac{1}{n + 1}\right) \\
A - B &= 0
The power transferred in this arrangement is:
P = \frac{1}{R} \cdot \frac{1}{n + 1} A_\text{volts} \left( A_\text{farads} + B_\text{farads} \right)
Non-ideal behavior[edit]
Capacitors deviate from the ideal capacitor equation in a number of ways. Some of these, such as leakage current and parasitic effects are linear, or can be assumed to be linear, and can be dealt with by adding virtual components to the equivalent circuit of the capacitor. The usual methods of network analysis can then be applied. In other cases, such as with breakdown voltage, the effect is non-linear and normal (i.e., linear) network analysis cannot be used, the effect must be dealt with separately. There is yet another group, which may be linear but invalidate the assumption in the analysis that capacitance is a constant. Such an example is temperature dependence. Finally, combined parasitic effects such as inherent inductance, resistance, or dielectric losses can exhibit non-uniform behavior at variable frequencies of operation.
Breakdown voltage[edit]
Main article: Breakdown voltage
V_{\text{bd}}= E_{\text{ds}} d
For air dielectric capacitors the breakdown field strength is of the order 2 to 5 MV/m; for mica the breakdown is 100 to 300 MV/m; for oil, 15 to 25 MV/m; it can be much less when other materials are used for the dielectric.[20] The dielectric is used in very thin layers and so absolute breakdown voltage of capacitors is limited. Typical ratings for capacitors used for general electronics applications range from a few volts to 1 kV. As the voltage increases, the dielectric must be thicker, making high-voltage capacitors larger per capacitance than those rated for lower voltages. The breakdown voltage is critically affected by factors such as the geometry of the capacitor conductive parts; sharp edges or points increase the electric field strength at that point and can lead to a local breakdown. Once this starts to happen, the breakdown quickly tracks through the dielectric until it reaches the opposite plate, leaving carbon behind and causing a short (or relatively low resistance) circuit. The results can be explosive as the short in the capacitor draws current from the surrounding circuitry and dissipates the energy.[21]
Equivalent circuit[edit]
Two different circuit models of a real capacitor
R_\text{C}= Z + R_\text{ESR} = \frac{1}{j\omega C} + R_\text{ESR}
As frequency approaches infinity, the capacitive impedance (or reactance) approaches zero and the ESR becomes significant. As the reactance becomes negligible, power dissipation approaches PRMS = VRMS² /RESR.
Similarly to ESR, the capacitor's leads add equivalent series inductance or ESL to the component. This is usually significant only at relatively high frequencies. As inductive reactance is positive and increases with frequency, above a certain frequency capacitance will be canceled by inductance. High-frequency engineering involves accounting for the inductance of all connections and components.
If the conductors are separated by a material with a small conductivity rather than a perfect dielectric, then a small leakage current flows directly between them. The capacitor therefore has a finite parallel resistance,[12] and slowly discharges over time (time may vary greatly depending on the capacitor material and quality).
Q factor[edit]
Q = \frac{X_C}{R_C}=\frac{1}{\omega C R_C},
where \omega is angular frequency, C is the capacitance, X_C is the capacitive reactance, and R_C is the series resistance of the capacitor.
Ripple current[edit]
• Ceramic capacitors generally have no ripple current limitation and have some of the lowest ESR ratings.
Capacitance instability[edit]
The capacitance of certain capacitors decreases as the component ages. In ceramic capacitors, this is caused by degradation of the dielectric. The type of dielectric, ambient operating and storage temperatures are the most significant aging factors, while the operating voltage has a smaller effect. The aging process may be reversed by heating the component above the Curie point. Aging is fastest near the beginning of life of the component, and the device stabilizes over time.[23] Electrolytic capacitors age as the electrolyte evaporates. In contrast with ceramic capacitors, this occurs towards the end of life of the component.
Current and voltage reversal[edit]
Current reversal occurs when the current changes direction. Voltage reversal is the change of polarity in a circuit. Reversal is generally described as the percentage of the maximum rated voltage that reverses polarity. In DC circuits, this will usually be less than 100% (often in the range of 0 to 90%), whereas AC circuits experience 100% reversal.
In DC circuits and pulsed circuits, current and voltage reversal are affected by the damping of the system. Voltage reversal is encountered in RLC circuits that are under-damped. The current and voltage reverse direction, forming a harmonic oscillator between the inductance and capacitance. The current and voltage will tend to oscillate and may reverse direction several times, with each peak being lower than the previous, until the system reaches an equilibrium. This is often referred to as ringing. In comparison, critically damped or over-damped systems usually do not experience a voltage reversal. Reversal is also encountered in AC circuits, where the peak current will be equal in each direction.
For maximum life, capacitors usually need to be able to handle the maximum amount of reversal that a system will experience. An AC circuit will experience 100% voltage reversal, while under-damped DC circuits will experience less than 100%. Reversal creates excess electric fields in the dielectric, causes excess heating of both the dielectric and the conductors, and can dramatically shorten the life expectancy of the capacitor. Reversal ratings will often affect the design considerations for the capacitor, from the choice of dielectric materials and voltage ratings to the types of internal connections used.[24]
Dielectric absorption[edit]
Capacitors made with some types of dielectric material show "dielectric absorption" or "soakage". On discharging a capacitor and disconnecting it, after a short time it may develop a voltage due to hysteresis in the dielectric. This effect can be objectionable in applications such as precision sample and hold circuits.
Electrolytic failure from disuse[edit]
Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are conditioned when manufactured by applying a voltage sufficient to initiate the proper internal chemical state. This state is maintained by regular use of the equipment. In former times, roughly 30 years ago, if a system using electrolytic capacitors is unused for a long period of time it can lose its conditioning. Sometimes they fail with a short circuit when next operated. For further informations see Aluminum electrolytic capacitor#Capacitor behavior after storage or disuse
Capacitor types[edit]
Main article: Types of capacitor
Dielectric materials[edit]
Most types of capacitor include a dielectric spacer, which increases their capacitance. These dielectrics are most often insulators. However, low capacitance devices are available with a vacuum between their plates, which allows extremely high voltage operation and low losses. Variable capacitors with their plates open to the atmosphere were commonly used in radio tuning circuits. Later designs use polymer foil dielectric between the moving and stationary plates, with no significant air space between them.
Several solid dielectrics are available, including paper, plastic, glass, mica and ceramic materials. Paper was used extensively in older devices and offers relatively high voltage performance. However, it is susceptible to water absorption, and has been largely replaced by plastic film capacitors. Plastics offer better stability and ageing performance, which makes them useful in timer circuits, although they may be limited to low operating temperatures and frequencies. Ceramic capacitors are generally small, cheap and useful for high frequency applications, although their capacitance varies strongly with voltage and they age poorly. They are broadly categorized as class 1 dielectrics, which have predictable variation of capacitance with temperature or class 2 dielectrics, which can operate at higher voltage. Glass and mica capacitors are extremely reliable, stable and tolerant to high temperatures and voltages, but are too expensive for most mainstream applications. Electrolytic capacitors and supercapacitors are used to store small and larger amounts of energy, respectively, ceramic capacitors are often used in resonators, and parasitic capacitance occurs in circuits wherever the simple conductor-insulator-conductor structure is formed unintentionally by the configuration of the circuit layout.
Electrolytic capacitors use an aluminum or tantalum plate with an oxide dielectric layer. The second electrode is a liquid electrolyte, connected to the circuit by another foil plate. Electrolytic capacitors offer very high capacitance but suffer from poor tolerances, high instability, gradual loss of capacitance especially when subjected to heat, and high leakage current. Poor quality capacitors may leak electrolyte, which is harmful to printed circuit boards. The conductivity of the electrolyte drops at low temperatures, which increases equivalent series resistance. While widely used for power-supply conditioning, poor high-frequency characteristics make them unsuitable for many applications. Electrolytic capacitors will self-degrade if unused for a period (around a year), and when full power is applied may short circuit, permanently damaging the capacitor and usually blowing a fuse or causing failure of rectifier diodes (for instance, in older equipment, arcing in rectifier tubes). They can be restored before use (and damage) by gradually applying the operating voltage, often done on antique vacuum tube equipment over a period of 30 minutes by using a variable transformer to supply AC power. Unfortunately, the use of this technique may be less satisfactory for some solid state equipment, which may be damaged by operation below its normal power range, requiring that the power supply first be isolated from the consuming circuits. Such remedies may not be applicable to modern high-frequency power supplies as these produce full output voltage even with reduced input.
Tantalum capacitors offer better frequency and temperature characteristics than aluminum, but higher dielectric absorption and leakage.[25]
Several axial-lead electrolytic capacitors
Capacitors may have their connecting leads arranged in many configurations, for example axially or radially. "Axial" means that the leads are on a common axis, typically the axis of the capacitor's cylindrical body – the leads extend from opposite ends. Radial leads might more accurately be referred to as tandem; they are rarely actually aligned along radii of the body's circle, so the term is inexact, although universal. The leads (until bent) are usually in planes parallel to that of the flat body of the capacitor, and extend in the same direction; they are often parallel as manufactured.
Small, cheap discoidal ceramic capacitors have existed since the 1930s, and remain in widespread use. Since the 1980s, surface mount packages for capacitors have been widely used. These packages are extremely small and lack connecting leads, allowing them to be soldered directly onto the surface of printed circuit boards. Surface mount components avoid undesirable high-frequency effects due to the leads and simplify automated assembly, although manual handling is made difficult due to their small size.
Capacitor markings[edit]
Most capacitors have numbers printed on their bodies to indicate their electrical characteristics. Larger capacitors like electrolytics usually display the actual capacitance together with the unit (for example, 220 μF). Smaller capacitors like ceramics, however, use a shorthand consisting of three numeric digits and a letter, where the digits indicate the capacitance in pF (calculated as XY × 10Z for digits XYZ) and the letter indicates the tolerance (J, K or M for ±5%, ±10% and ±20% respectively).
Additionally, the capacitor may show its working voltage, temperature and other relevant characteristics.
For typographical reasons, some manufacturers print "MF" on capacitors to indicate microfarads (μF).[26]
A capacitor with the text 473K 330V on its body has a capacitance of 47 × 103 pF = 47 nF (±10%) with a working voltage of 330 V. The working voltage of a capacitor is the highest voltage that can be applied across it without undue risk of breaking down the dielectric layer.
Energy storage[edit]
A capacitor can store electric energy when disconnected from its charging circuit, so it can be used like a temporary battery, or like other types of rechargeable energy storage system.[27] Capacitors are commonly used in electronic devices to maintain power supply while batteries are being changed. (This prevents loss of information in volatile memory.)
Conventional capacitors provide less than 360 joules per kilogram of energy density, whereas a conventional alkaline battery has a density of 590 kJ/kg.
In car audio systems, large capacitors store energy for the amplifier to use on demand. Also for a flash tube a capacitor is used to hold the high voltage.
Pulsed power and weapons[edit]
Power conditioning[edit]
A 10,000 microfarad capacitor in an amplifier power supply
Power factor correction[edit]
A high-voltage capacitor bank used for power factor correction on a power transmission system
In electric power distribution, capacitors are used for power factor correction. Such capacitors often come as three capacitors connected as a three phase load. Usually, the values of these capacitors are given not in farads but rather as a reactive power in volt-amperes reactive (var). The purpose is to counteract inductive loading from devices like electric motors and transmission lines to make the load appear to be mostly resistive. Individual motor or lamp loads may have capacitors for power factor correction, or larger sets of capacitors (usually with automatic switching devices) may be installed at a load center within a building or in a large utility substation.
Suppression and coupling[edit]
Signal coupling[edit]
Main article: capacitive coupling
Polyester film capacitors are frequently used as coupling capacitors.
Because capacitors pass AC but block DC signals (when charged up to the applied dc voltage), they are often used to separate the AC and DC components of a signal. This method is known as AC coupling or "capacitive coupling". Here, a large value of capacitance, whose value need not be accurately controlled, but whose reactance is small at the signal frequency, is employed.
Main article: decoupling capacitor
Decoupling capacitors need not always be discrete components. Capacitors used in these applications may be built in to a printed circuit board, between the various layers. These are often referred to as embedded capacitors.[28] The layers in the board contributing to the capacitive properties also function as power and ground planes, and have a dielectric in between them, enabling them to operate as a parallel plate capacitor.
High-pass and low-pass filters[edit]
Further information: High-pass filter and Low-pass filter
Noise suppression, spikes, and snubbers[edit]
Further information: High-pass filter and Low-pass filter
Capacitors are also used in parallel to interrupt units of a high-voltage circuit breaker in order to equally distribute the voltage between these units. In this case they are called grading capacitors.
Motor starters[edit]
Main article: motor capacitor
Signal processing[edit]
Tuned circuits[edit]
where L is in henries and C is in farads.
Main article: capacitive sensing
Changing the dielectric:
Changing the distance between the plates:
Changing the effective area of the plates:
Capacitive touch switches are now used on many consumer electronic products.
Further information: Hartley oscillator
Example of a simple oscillator that requires a capacitor to function
Hazards and safety[edit]
Capacitors may retain a charge long after power is removed from a circuit; this charge can cause dangerous or even potentially fatal shocks or damage connected equipment. For example, even a seemingly innocuous device such as a disposable camera flash unit powered by a 1.5 volt AA battery contains a capacitor which may be charged to over 300 volts. This is easily capable of delivering a shock. Service procedures for electronic devices usually include instructions to discharge large or high-voltage capacitors, for instance using a Brinkley stick. Capacitors may also have built-in discharge resistors to dissipate stored energy to a safe level within a few seconds after power is removed. High-voltage capacitors are stored with the terminals shorted, as protection from potentially dangerous voltages due to dielectric absorption.
High-voltage capacitors can benefit from a pre-charge to limit in-rush currents at power-up of high voltage direct current (HVDC) circuits. This will extend the life of the component and may mitigate high-voltage hazards.
See also[edit]
1. ^ Bird, John (2010). Electrical and Electronic Principles and Technology. Routledge. pp. 63–76. ISBN 9780080890562. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
3. ^ Keithley, Joseph F. (1999). The Story of Electrical and Magnetic Measurements: From 500 BC to the 1940s. John Wiley & Sons. p. 23. ISBN 9780780311930. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
5. ^ Isaacson, Walter (2003). Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. Simon and Schuster. p. 136. ISBN 9780743260848. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
7. ^ Morse, Robert A. (September 2004). "Franklin and Electrostatics—Ben Franklin as my Lab Partner" (PDF). Wright Center for Science Education. Tufts University. p. 23. Retrieved 2009-08-10. After Volta’s discovery of the electrochemical cell in 1800, the term was then applied to a group of electrochemical cells
9. ^ "Sketch of Alessandro Volta". The Popular Science Monthly (New York: Bonnier Corporation): 118–119. May 1892. ISSN 0161-7370.
10. ^ a b Ulaby, p.168
11. ^ Ulaby, p.157
12. ^ a b Ulaby, p.169
13. ^ Hammond, Percy (1964). Electromagnetism for Engineers: An Introductory Course. The Commonwealth and International Library of Science, Technology, Engineering and Liberal Studies. Applied Electricity and Electronics Division 3. Pergamon Press. pp. 44–45.
14. ^ Dorf, p.263
15. ^ Dorf, p.260
17. ^ Pillai, K. P. P. (1970). "Fringing field of finite parallel-plate capacitors". Proceedings of the Institution of Electrical Engineers 117 (6): 1201–1204. doi:10.1049/piee.1970.0232. edit
18. ^ Ulaby, p.170
19. ^ Pai, S. T.; Qi Zhang (1995). Introduction to High Power Pulse Technology. Advanced Series in Electrical and Computer Engineering 10. World Scientific. ISBN 9789810217143. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
20. ^ Dyer, Stephen A. (2004). Wiley Survey of Instrumentation and Measurement. John Wiley & Sons. p. 397. ISBN 9780471221654. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
21. ^ Scherz, Paul (2006). Practical Electronics for Inventors (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill Professional. p. 100. ISBN 9780071776448. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
22. ^ Bird, John (2007). Electrical Circuit Theory and Technology. Routledge. p. 501. ISBN 9780750681391. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
23. ^ "Ceramic Capacitor Aging Made Simple". Johanson Dielectrics. 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
24. ^ "The Effect of Reversal on Capacitor Life" (PDF). Engineering Bulletin 96-004. Sorrento Electronics. November 2003. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
26. ^ Kaplan, Daniel M.; White, Christopher G. Hands-On Electronics: A Practical Introduction to Analog and Digital Circuits. p. 19.
28. ^ Alam, Mohammed; Michael H. Azarian; Michael Osterman; Michael Pecht (2010). "Effectiveness of embedded capacitors in reducing the number of surface mount capacitors for decoupling applications". Circuit World 36 (1): 22. doi:10.1108/03056121011015068.
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How to write a personal statement for your CV
A critical aspect of creating a CV that has a dynamic impact is writing a personal statement, sometimes called a profile or career summary that will enable the recruiter to quickly identify the strategic value you can add to their organisation. Your CV should be a self-marketing document aimed at persuading the recruiter to want to interview you and your personal statement is a critical part of making this happen.
Many candidates struggle with writing the statement part of their CV but it doesn't necessarily have to be a difficult as you may think. A well written statement can be between 50 and 200 words, although it is important not to ramble. Remember you always have your cover letter to include interesting and engaging information which will act as the gateway to them then wanting to read your CV.
It's important to read the personal specification of the job carefully and ensure not only that your skills and experience match but you reflect this in your statement. I am often asked whether a statement should be written in the first or third person and, while there are no definitive rules about this, my preference is always to write in the first person because the CV is all about you and your skill set. However, this doesn't mean that you have to add 'I' at the beginning of each sentence, the reader knows it's about you so avoid this type of repetition and keep the reader engaged in your value and transferable skills.
For example an opening statement without the opening 'I' could read:
As a highly-motivated and results orientated manager within the luxury hotel sector, I have a proven track record of providing exemplary levels of service to a broad range of guests, including VIPs and high-profile individuals.
This example reads naturally and flows for the reader, whereas if an 'I' was inserted at the start, while not hugely different, it would read more like a list and as you move forward with additional information it becomes difficult to break out of the format you have started.
As a general rule, it's best to break the statement into three sections:
Who you are
For example: As recent graduate from Durham University, with a 2:1 honours degree in media communications, I have undertaken several internships within leading organisations such as Bertelsmann and Times Warner. These placements have enabled me to develop not only specific media industry experience, but also a valuable and transferable skill set in this fast-paced sector.
The above opening has allowed the recruiter to quickly identify, where you are coming from, that you have had industry experience (something that may be in the selection criteria) and core transferable skills. This in itself could be enough for your opening statement, but it can be expanded upon by adding some additional information.
What you can bring to the table
For example: During placement with Bertelsmann, I worked within the media division contributing to projects such as the award-winning China Max Documentary and managed my own research, liaised with various divisions, formulated media reports and participated in group project meetings. Utilising excellent communication skills, I developed and maintained successful working relationships with both internal and external staff.
Your career aim
Looking to secure a position in a media organisation, where I can bring immediate and strategic value and develop current skill set further.
An example of a poorly written personal statement
Tim is a recent graduate from Durham University, with a 2:1 honours degree in media communications; I have undertaken several internships within leading organisations. Tim is now looking to secure a position in a media organisation where I can develop my current skill set.
The mismatch of first and third person copy is not only confusing to the reader but it almost sounds like a profile about different people. It also lacks specific detail and proof of what value the candidate could bring to the company.
Key points on writing a dynamic and interesting personal statement:
* Get straight to the point: avoid lengthy descriptions and make your testimonies punchy and informative.
* Keep it between 50 to 200 words maximum.
* If you have enough space, use 1.5 line spacing to make you statement easier to read.
* Match person and job specifications with well written copy.
* Read your profile out loud to ensure it reads naturally.
* Don't mix first and third person sentences.
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Marlins among teams that scouted FSU's Winston
Marlins among teams that scouted FSU's Winston
MIAMI -- Before striking a Heisman Trophy-winning pose and winning a national championship with Florida State University, quarterback Jameis Winston drew the attention of professional baseball scouts.
The Marlins were among the teams that explored selecting Winston in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft -- he ended up going in the 15th round, to the Rangers -- but they backed off because they knew of his commitment to FSU.
"We were told he was going to be basically unsignable," said Stan Meek, Miami's vice president of scouting. "He was going to go to Florida State."
Winston capped his remarkable redshirt-freshman season by hoisting the BCS National Championship trophy after FSU edged Auburn University, 34-31, on Monday night at the Rose Bowl.
With football season complete, Winston plans to turn his attention to baseball at FSU, where he plays outfield and pitches.
The Marlins did their homework on Winston in 2012, when he was coming out of Hueytown (Ala.) High School. Meek, who spearheads Miami's Draft, didn't watch Winston play baseball, but several scouts within the organization did, and they were intrigued with him as both a pitcher and an outfielder.
"Our guys liked him athletically," Meek said. "Good arm off the mound. He had power. He could run. You love to get those guys if you can. We just didn't feel like under the system we were in, we were going to be able to sign him. We didn't spend a lot of time on him. He made it known real quickly that he was going to go to Florida State."
Had Winston opted for baseball, the Marlins projected him as an outfielder.
"For us, I think, athletically we'd have liked him as a position player," Meek said. "Everything fit. It was just a matter of him going to play football."
Winston reportedly is considering playing two sports professionally. If possible, he would like to follow the steps of Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders and achieve both MLB and NFL fame. The reality is that Jackson and Sanders are on a very short list of those who actually made it in both sports.
The Marlins, who rely heavily on drafting and developing, are extremely careful when it comes to two-sport stars. Money and commitment are factors.
"A lot of those guys are just asking for astronomical amounts of money," Meek said. "Honestly, you better really feel like you want to play our game.
"A lot of guys will say, 'I'm not sure. I really like to play football.' When they start saying that, we know that's the way they're thinking, and it's hard to sign them."
Meek reminds that baseball is a game with lots of failure. A quarterback like Winston has achieved so much success, how would he react if he is batting .200 in the Minor Leagues? All that is taken into consideration when selecting a two-sport star.
"Those guys who have been really successful on the football field, it's hard to go out and play in front of 500 people instead of 80,000, and fail about eight out of 10 times at the plate," Meek said.
This doesn't mean the Marlins will shy away from football players. They just want to find out how serious they are about baseball.
Giancarlo Stanton was a baseball, football and basketball star coming out of high school in 2007, and the University of Southern California had a football scholarship on the table for him. He was recruited by then-coach Pete Carroll.
At the time, the Marlins heavily scouted Stanton, attending his games and practices. Meek was on hand in late March, about three months before the Draft.
"We just needed to find out what he's thinking," Meek said. "I went into the dugout and introduced myself. I asked him, 'What do you want to do?' He had that Stanton look, that stare. He said, 'I want to play baseball. This is what I want to do.'"
Looking for reinforcement, Meek kept pressing.
"I said, 'Well, you know, it's a failure game. You have to be committed,'" Meek said. "He said, 'I want to play baseball. That's what I want to do.'
"He was not timid. What was really impressive was his look. We had no doubt he meant what he said. It said a lot to me."
Another indicator the Marlins used was the fact that college football's national signing day passed and Stanton had still not committed to USC. Stanton became the Marlins' second-round pick in '07, and he has emerged as one of the most feared power hitters in the game.
The Marlins were less fortunate in 2003, when they selected outfielder Jai Miller in the fourth round. A "Mr. Football" in the state of Alabama, Miller opted for baseball, but his career never really took off.
Miller had one at-bat with the Marlins, in 2009. He also spent time with the A's and Royals before giving up baseball. Miller made news last January, when at the age of 28, he enrolled at the University of Alabama to play football.
In 2007, the Marlins showed heavy interest in another baseball/football player, outfielder Taiwan Easterling, but they were never able to sign him, as he decided to play football at Florida State.
The Marlins persisted and drafted Easterling again, in the 31st round in 2010, but again, he didn't sign. Easterling's football career was sidetracked by injury, and he is now in the Cubs' system.
"The key is them saying they're committed," Meek said. "Those guys have had football success. To walk that baseball path of failure, which virtually all of them are going to have [to do] for a while, it's tough.
"Those guys, they're difference-makers. If it works, they can be real difference-makers, impact guys."
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If you build an automobile or submarine, what safety requirements are required?
To My Most Dearest Matt:
Let's say that hypothetically I made an automobile. What sort of specifications and safety requirements would I have to meet in order to get it registered in the State of California? Would I be able to name my auto after myself? What about other types of vehicles, like a submarine that I made out of trash cans? Hypothetically speaking, of course....
-- Ryan Corey, Del Mar
Jeepers creepers, Ryan, some government bodies certainly lack imagination, not to mention a sense of whimsy. The Coast Guard was so horrified by the havoc a recreational sub might wreak in local waters, they could hardly spit out an answer. They trust you'll keep your doomsday machine on the drawing board. Once they'd calmed down, they admitted our coast isn't plagued with home-built subs, and they'd have to guess at the official answer, based on existing recreational boating regulations. You'd need the usual state- and federally required safety and navigation equipment (I'll leave the research to you), then you'd just run the big tin can through the usual inspection required of any recreation vessel. But that also means, if you can manage to keep the length under eight feet and you don't have an engine, you can just plop it in the water and take off (pedaling fast, I guess). No registration required. The Coast Guard does suggest that you would be building a Boat of Death and would be sliced in half by a ski boat or a carrier in short order. And no doubt you'd be pulled to the curb by harbor patrols so often, you'd eventually just stick the thing in your backyard and forget the whole idea.
As for the Ryanmobile Mark V Turbo, your patchwork of parts, the DMV knows exactly how to deal with your type. They see guys like you all the time. You'd be registering a "specially constructed vehicle" (per the state Vehicle Code: a vehicle made from a kit or new and/or used parts, not intended for resale and not built by a specially licensed manufacturer or remanufacturer). And the DMV, of course, hopes you have your paperwork in order. The critical piece of junk in your Ryanmobile is the frame, to which is affixed the vehicle identification number. The state needs all the paper that shows where you got the frame, where the person who sold you the frame got the frame, and so on, until it can be traced back to a legally recognized whole vehicle. And once you're ready to roll, Sacramento doesn't care if the fenders are Ford's, the roof a Rambler, the doors a Datsun, and the trunk a Toyota. If the frame's a Chevy, your car's a Chevy. You can put "Ryanmobile" in fancy script on the grill if you like, but the DMV will just ignore you. Naturally, you'll have to meet all the state and federal safety regs and specs...blah, blah, blah. By the way, if you're planning to construct your own frame, you'll throw the bureaucrats into such a paperwork crisis, you may never drive again. I couldn't find anyone who knew how to get an original VIN. Happy motoring.
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Bigotry and the English Language
George Lincoln Rockwell (center) attending Nation of Islam rally in 1961. Photo credit: Eve Arnold
Wes Alwan reaches for the dictionary in his effort to defend Alec Baldwin against the charge of being a bigot:
The problem with these responses is that they redefine “bigot” away from its well-established common usage. In fact, the primary function of a word like “bigot” is to very precisely exclude more conflicted, doubtful states of mind, as in: a bigot is “a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially: one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance” (Merriam-Webster). The obstinate devotion to certain avowed, intolerant beliefs is critical to the way that “bigot” traditionally has been used. The word has its origins in the general notion of close-mindedness: the idea is that a bigot is someone who is un-persuadable, who cannot be argued out of their beliefs. But accusing someone of being close-minded and un-persuadable requires that they adamantly hold the beliefs in question in the first place: it cannot be the case that they’re conflicted or akratic – that for example they sincerely favor gay rights as a matter of principle yet betray this principle during bouts of homophobic rage. Having unsavory impulses and poor impulse control is simply not the same thing as being closed minded and systematically intolerant. To extend the word “bigot” to someone like Baldwin is just to pervert it in order for the sake of exploiting its toxicity to his reputation.
The notion that bigot has "its origins in the general notion of close-mindedness" would be news to etymologists. The origins of the word "bigot" are unknown, but the current theory holds that it is an import from Middle French denoting someone who was sanctimonious or hypocritically religious. Alwan is concerned about the word bigot becoming "perverted," to exploit "its toxicity." But this happened long before Alec Baldwin. As late as the 1700s, the word was brought to English with its French meaning. That it was perverted into other meanings is unremarkable. Language does not exist encased in glass and formaldehyde. And the perversion of words is not a cosmic felony, it is how language actually works.
Article Continues Below
The word "bigot" has been perverted into many related, similar, meanings. One meaning is Alwan's. Here is another:
And another:
Another definition holds that bigot is "a person who is bigoted" as in "intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself."
My argument is simple: I hold that if you attempt to intimidate and threaten a man by calling him "a little girl" who "probably got raped by a priest," and then you call a gay man a "queen" and threaten to rape him, and justify this by claiming your threat "had absolutely nothing to do with issues of anyone's sexual orientation," and then you threaten someone else by calling them a "cock-sucking fag" and you attempt to excuse yourself by claiming you didn't know "cock-sucking" was a slur and that you didn't say "fag," and you blame your subsequent misfortune on "the fundamentalist wing of gay advocacy, that you are very likely a person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people; that you are someone who is refusing to accept another group of people as humans; that you are strongly partial to your own group; that you are a bigot.
Bigots come in all shapes and forms. Strom Thurmond tried to raise an entire political party on the basis of segregation, daring the federal government to intervene in the South's domestic affairs."There's not enough troops in the army, " charged Thurmond. "To force the southern people to break down segregation and admit the nigger race into our theatres into our swimming pools into our homes and into our churches."
But Thurmond was not without conflict. He had a black daughter whom he gave financial support, sired the career of black conservative Armstrong Williams, supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And Thurmond was not "unpersuadable." He later voted for the Voting Rights Bill, the Martin Luther King holiday, and in the 70s, became first Southern Senator to hire a black staffer. This a man who once claimed that segregation, left "our niggers...better off than most anybody's niggers."
Thurmond's racist views were defended by Senator Trent Lott, who argued that had his hero prevailed, "we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years." Later reporting discovered that this wa the second time Lott had made this comment. As a young man interested in politics, Lott worked for segregationist politicians, eschewing more moderate candidates. As a politician in his own right he frequently addressed the racist White Citizens Council. Lott's endorsements of segregation, some of which were louder than others, spanned some forty years. But as the fight over his more recentendorsement of Thurmond caught fire Lott came out in support of Affirmative Action.
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George Rockwell was a virulent racist, and a commander of the American Nazi Party. His embrace of White Power was total, and yet he was a fan of the Nation of Islam and praised them for having...
gathered millions of the dirty, immoral, drunken, filthy-mouthed, lazy and repulsive people sneeringly called ‘niggers’ and inspired them to the point where they are clean, sober, honest, hard working, dignified, dedicated and admirable human beings in spite of their color.
Was Rockwell without conflict? Was he a bigot? Who qualifies as "unpersuadable?" Do the former slaveholders who, having lost the Civil war, claimed that they'd never defended slavery make the cut? What of the neighbors of Jews who smiled at them one moment, and then looted their homes and turned them over to Nazis the next? And what are we to say of the promoters of "conversion therapy" who claim to "love the sinner" even as they deprive him of the right of family? Are they unconflicted? Are they unpersuadable?
Alwan's definition of a bigot, as a "global" label encompassing their humanity, as someone who is wholly unpersuadable, wholly without conflict, and wholly without doubt, is not a description of humans, it is a description of myth. And it a definition to which those who live under the power of actual bigots enjoy no access.
Alwan is unhappy that I am raising this point:
I worried, when I published a long post defending Alec Baldwin against charges of bigotry for calling someone a “cocksucking fag,” that I ran the risk of being seen as defending the indefensible. I knew that if the post got any attention, readers who are unfamiliar with my reputation as a (hardcore) liberal might interpret it as a particularly sophisticated piece of crypto-conservatism or closeted bigotry. And I also worried that friends who know me better might wonder how it is I could possibly make such a defense: my motives would be suspect. Indeed, the point of Coates’ marking a portion of my argument as “bizarre,” “terrible,” and “telling” is to signal – without openly calling me a bigot, a ploy that would be too embarrassingly obvious – the fact that my motives are in question: I’m a white guy defending another white guy, not someone making a principled argument (no matter how wrongheaded) about what I believe to be right. I am, possibly, a closeted bigot, dressing up my bigotry in a sophisticated argument; not, as I intend to be, a self-critiquing liberal who wishes to hold liberals – for the sake of consistency, intellectual honesty, and fairness – to their own liberal principles.
If I thought Alwan were a bigot, I would call him one and then make the argument. I am not questioning his motives. I am questioning his knowledge of the world. I am happy to read that he is "self-critiquing liberal." Hopefully he will take the following critique in that spirit: Wes Alwan's understanding of the word "bigot," is ignorant of the word's origins, history and its current usage, especially its usage by those most affected by bigotry. This ignorance is a luxury afforded him by identity. People who live in the thrall of actual racists, and actual homophobes, can't employ Alwan's definition because it would not accurately describe anyone they have ever met.
Very few white people in the 19th century—indeed very few slave-holders—were without conflict and without doubt when considering black people. Many of them were persuadable and akratic. (A great word, by the way.) Some manumitted the enslaved. Others taught them to read, even though it was against the law. Others bore children by them, and sometimes even loved those children. And others still argued that white people should be enslaved too. These people were conflicted, complicated and bigoted. I suspect that the same is true for many homophobic "love the sinner, hate the sin" bigots today.
Perhaps we are now entering a new age wherein we will do violence to our language and Osama Bin Laden will no longer be a terrorist, but "a person who enjoyed a career killing innocent people." Rush Limbaugh will not be a racist, but "a man who has made a career saying racist things." Nathan Bedford Forrest will not have been a white supremacist but "someone who seemed to believe that things would be better if white people held most of the power in our society." Louis Farrakhan will not be an anti-Semite but "someone who exhibits a pattern of making comments against people who identify themselves as Jewish."
I am doubtful that such an age is dawning. In the meantime, I hope a self-identified "self-critiquing liberal" like Alwan--and I mean this--will see that while some people reach for labels simply to conduct a mythical witch-hunt, others reach for labels because in their world witches are very real, and are not the hunted, but the hunters. We will see whether being labeled a "bigot" is ultimately toxic to Alec Baldwin's job prospects. There is no such need to wait on the toxicity of being labeled a "cock-sucking faggot."
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Sharon Jane Lansbury
Henry Wilmer at the Dentist
Henry Wilmer rose one day
to find that he, to his dismay,
had something wrong with his back tooth,
a broken filling to tell the truth.
He hurried to the breakfast table
where he sat with his Aunt Mabel.
He took a bite out of his toast,
and munched it where it hurt the most!
He screamed aloud, his mouth was wide,
his finger pointed deep inside:
Auntie Mabel looked to see
that Henry’s filling had broken free.
Henry thought without a doubt,
his troublesome tooth must be pulled out!
Auntie Mabel frowned and sighed:
‘The dentist’s drill must be applied! ’
Henry hid beneath a chair
but Auntie Mabel found him there,
she caught him gruffly by his ear,
she smiled at him, and called him ‘dear.’
And then their coats and hats went on,
and in a moment they were gone:
They waited for a big red bus
and Henry Wilmer made a fuss!
Said Auntie Mabel: ‘It won’t hurt!
But Henry’s tears dripped down his shirt.
The bus came chugging up the street
and henry was put into a seat.
He wailed aloud! He thumped his knees!
The conductor said: ‘Your tickets, please.’
Auntie Mabel paid the fare
and took a brush to Henry’s hair.
She dragged him off the Number Three
when they had reached the surgery,
then clinging to the garden gate,
Henry got into a state:
He then collapsed onto the floor
and was dragged in through the door!
The nurse looked up in great surprise
on hearing Henry Wilmer’s cries!
‘The dentist will see you now.’ she said,
and Henry wished he’s stayed in bed:
Auntie Mabel led the way
and Henry Wilmer went astray:
He hid behind some shrubbery
and feeling safe, whom did he see?
The dentist, nurse and Auntie Mabel,
he’d run away if he were able!
Strapped into the dental chair
with Auntie Mabel standing there!
‘Now open wide, ’ the dentist said.
Henry Wilmer was playing dead!
Finally his lips were parted
and work on Henry’s tooth had started,
the dentist said, ‘no need for fear,
the problem here is very clear:
However, for your information,
there are some signs of inflammation.
No need to pull this tooth, ’ he said:
‘A filling will do the job instead.’
Henry’s mouth was then stuffed full
of rounded balls of cotton wool;
a hole was drilled, it was quite chilling,
and then repaired with silver filling.
‘Now fill your mouth with this pink mixture,
and spit into that basin fixture.’
Henry Wilmer was a twit:
The dentist didn’t hurt a bit!
Submitted: Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Edited: Wednesday, January 22, 2014
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Nowadays, the common phenomena is to develop a website for a browser and then corresponding apps for Android phones, iPhone, tablets and so on.
Since all the platforms come with a browser, why aren't companies using CSS to accommodate them? Surely we can detect from the request which browser was used and from which platform the request came. Reading those values, why don't we just implement the corresponding CSS for different platforms. Like we do for IE, Chrome and Safari. This way we can use the platforms' browser capabilities and don't need to develop subsequent apps for a platform.
share|improve this question
I'm pretty sure most off-the-shelf CMS do this, or at least have plugins for it (WP, Drupal). But you're probably not thinking of those kinds of sites. – detly Sep 26 '11 at 6:35
@detly : Ya, i am thinking of more of interactive websites like ecommerce, deals or networking-ones. – Pankaj Upadhyay Sep 26 '11 at 6:37
We've been there (age of IE6+Netscape4+Mozilla+Opera) and we never want to go back there. Trust me. – SF. Sep 26 '11 at 7:09
Having an app allows you to be listed in the app market place, providing an additional form of advertising. This cannot be achieved by simply having a web based solution. – Gavin Coates Sep 26 '11 at 15:00
@SF: and in what aspect is the current state any better? different platforms use different APIs, languages, different acceptability restrictions... at least back then it was all different dialects of HTML/JS/CSS – Javier Sep 26 '11 at 18:57
6 Answers 6
up vote 9 down vote accepted
Making CSS specific for each platform is possible, but a lot of work. It also means maintaining multiple CSS files. Also, it is better to do feature-detection, instead of browser detection. I'm no expert on the matter, but you can just Google it, and you'll get enough results.
But, you say, isn't it also a lot of work to build and maintain multiple apps for multiple platforms? It is, but I think another reason comes into play here. And that is that native apps is what a lot of people expect these days. Native apps also have better/different capabilities than browsers, probably also better performance. Plus, native apps can be run when offline. And finally, native apps can be sold in an app store, creating revenue.
A mobile website probably also means using the lowest common denominator. So if a feature is supported by mobile browser X, but not by mobile browser Y, you can't use it or need a workaround. Then it's probably better to have native apps and use the full potential of the platform, without having to worry about the other platform.
So in short, the reasons can be
• customers expect it
• better performance and/or possibilities
• the ability to sell your app in an app store
share|improve this answer
+1 for feature detection – CaffGeek Sep 27 '11 at 20:10
Generally what you have is one website for platforms that may accommodate large screens (PC, Mac, tablets, etc.) and another website for smaller platforms. There is a reason to that.
Most companies I worked with tend to have short-term vision and as such, do not specify at all or/and do not prepare anything for a "lite" version of their website. Only when the full-sized website is ready and alive on the Internet do they start to think about the mobile versions... Now, this mindset is changing slowly but will progressively be in people's (ont only developers, but managers too) minds to think of all platforms at once before starting the development of a website. The fact is that it is generally much harder to design afterwards if it was not foreseen.
Also there is another "technical" reason for developing separate websites. The thing is that since you don't have that much screen space you not only need to effectively use CSS to display information in a user-friendly way, but you may also need to display "less" information, and only the most important one (by the way the "mobile" version of StackExchange is a perfect example of how information should be presented, it looks great!). You can hide secondary information with CSS, but some time will be wasted retrieving this information from your data-access layer, using this information in your dynamic pages... and then hiding it with CSS because it is not displayed on smaller screens. Time is money. We all know what happens when a website takes too long to load, we just don't use it anymore.
Now, we can all agree that it is achievable only with CSS (and some client and server side browser detection) but you need to develop your website keeping that goal in your mind from the start. Often you will realize for example that your navigation system with big menus and such cannot properly work on mobile phones, that your pictures take too much space/size, that your HTML code is ugly, etc. This is often the case of websites that exist for some time already, but not necessarily. This may be also because sometimes is "cleaner" to have separate websites/views.
That is why you so often have to make a decision between hacking mobile-specific CSS into your full fledged website, OR quickly developing a "lite" version for smaller screens.
Edit: I forgot to explicitly answer the question. My answer is that browser detection (client-size with JS AND server-side) and CSS are in fact used to display different views of your website depending on the size of screen readers.
Finally: check out this article, it has examples of the different approaches one can take to create a mobile version of a website.
share|improve this answer
The new/in-vogue thing to do with regards to browser detection is to use 'modernizers' in javascript to degrade gracefully in the face of browsers which are less feature-rich than others. In that vein, I personally would prefer websites to use a layout that looks good on both regular browsers and mobile devices, by arranging blocks in such a way that they flow well on screens of any resolution.
One can dream, I suppose...
share|improve this answer
Reasons why native apps are developed rather than HTML/CSS:
1. Richer API. You typically have more access to the hardware than a browser does. This could mean anything from better scrolling performance, to better multitasking/memory management, or access to the camera on the device.
2. The user is more likely to put the web-based application on the homescreen and use it. Yes, on the iPhone you can save an HTML website to the homescreen, but the end user may not be aware of or comfortable with the process.
3. Performance. This typically isn't an issue, but may be for gaming or graphics.
4. Ability to sell the app in the device's marketplace.
5. Network isn't necessarily required. Depending on what the website does, local caching of data means that basic functionality won't be affected if the device drops the signal and no longer has internet connectivity. (This disadvantage of HTML is being ameliorated with application cache support in newer browsers.)
6. Lastly, discovery and expectations. For example, I'm more likely to look for a native app for my iPhone rather than surf to my bank's website. Unfortunately, I expect the website won't be optimized, and I'll be faced with tiny text entry fields and buttons. It may be some time before users expect websites to be optimized for small devices and check the browser first for rich applications.
Also note that with HTML5 and CSS, you generally don't want to use browser detection through User-Agent, you want to detect browser support through the DOM. Modernizr is a javascript library which can detect browser capabilities and screen width.
share|improve this answer
some do already. its a matter of what you taking it upon yourself to doing it. you can use polyfills (aka modernizers) to fix other browsers and you can serve up specific css per browser/platform. developing natively will always have its perks, but html5 is gaining ground in the arena and imo will nearly be equal to native soon enough. you can serve up tons of different styles via media queries. all the tools are out there, it's really a matter of making it your prerogative.
share|improve this answer
I didn't quite understand it myself before I got my Android phone, but the user experience really is quite different between a mobile app and a mobile site.
As a user I almost always prefer using a native app to a mobile site (unless the mobile app is poorly done).
A site is fine for simple display of information, but if it's a web-app, it's much more natural to use a native app that takes advantage of the touch interface than a mobile web-app.
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Comment: Preparation & Community (Score 1) 700
by catdevnull (#48976621) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Pros and Cons of Homeschooling?
We've started homeschooling our kids after a couple of years in public schools. I won't go into why, but our kids are happier and less-stressed and they are learning at acclerated rates. Not having a rigid school schedule allows for more flexibiity with extra-curricular activities and they school day is leaner and not packed with redundancy that stifles curiosity.
If you home school, the biggest challenge will be finding curriculum. There are lots out there--some kooky some good. The reason most people home school in our state is for religious reasons (i.e, they want to teach creationism and eschew anything secular about science). You're going to find lots of "young earthers" out there and their materials. You will aslo find Wiccans, atheists, and Pastafarians. There's a niche for everything so be judicious. A plus to the Christian curricular materials is that they are great for learning Latin. We teach that as the first secondary language because it is great for grammar as well as all of the root words and scientific applications later. It also makes it easy to branch off into Italian, French, and Spanish. You can just ignore the religiosity of it if you choose.
Try to stay astride with the local school district as far as the core of the compentencies are concerned. Teach those first. You'll spend a lot of time trying to figure out your kids' learning style--the strengths AND weaknesses become quite apparent. You'll probably find that your kids pick up on the material faster when they're not waiting on a teacher to corral 23 other kids along with the unit. This gives you more time to learn. My kids love science experiments and organized field trips with other home schoolers. Find a good community of others you can team up with--parents can share their strengths. We have a French Canadian mom who helps teach French and another who is an engineer helping with science.
There is a great opportunity for success and failure--it's all in what you bring to it. The important thing is to keep your kids curious--it's the engine for learning. Public schools can kill that curiosity but an ill-prepared home school parent can underserve it!
Good luck!
Comment: Marketing, Branding, and Translating (Score 1) 242
by catdevnull (#35871208) Attached to: Are We Suffering Origin Story Fatigue?
The problem with Hollywood has several layers that contribute to the origin story fatigue issue:
1) Marketing
"Give me something I can sell" is the mantra of the salesman. Hollywood executives are in it for the money. Period. They don't give a flying fuck about the integrity of the story, character development, story arc, catharsis, or any of that artistic stuff that makes a good movie good. They think they can pay the rainmakers to make it rain craft be damned. If their marketing firms give them research data that says "teenaged vampires and werewolves is the sweet spot," they will make those movies. They are looking for projects that fit market analysis. When the average feature film marketing budget is $50M, your movie better be a rainmaker by their voodoo or it's not getting a green light for development much less going into production.
2) Branding
Because "the brand" is ever so important in our increasingly consumer-conscious pop culture, teenaged boys between 13 and 25 are the target audience for a "Brand" like Spiderman or any other comic book coming to the big screen. They will milk that cow dry and grind the meat for sequel burgers.
Here's where your fatigue starts to set in.
3) Lost in Translation
Production companies have become mills that hire production teams to crank out scripts for material we've already seen. (franchise fatigue).
The problem with comic books becoming movies is that the screenplay genre often generates a completely different storytelling form from the original work. Comics and graphic novels have a very unique and staccato language of storytelling that is negated by the transition to live action. The art of the comic or graphic novel is the craft of telling the story without telling you too much. This economy of words and pictures leaves much to the imagination--an abstract economy where the reader experiences the story in a world co-created between his imagination and the artist's craft. When you jump to to big screen, the viewers' intimacy of the details is hijacked by the director and the viewer is no longer an active participant. For this reason, I think adaptations of comic, graphics novels, and even regular novels will always disappoint those familiar with the prior art.
That said, producers, writers, and directors think that they can do better a better job than our imaginations so they keep trying to find formulas, remakes, reboots, and new origin stories to keep us interested when, really, it's already a losing battle for the reasons I posit.
This isn't to say that there are no good comic book movies--but most will agree that there are, in fact, very few in that category.
Audiences keep paying money to see movies they usually dont' like. We're enabling their behavior. Well, the 13-25 yr old males are anyways.
Comment: Re:Wisdom from Folly (Score 1) 450
by catdevnull (#32822382) Attached to: Prince Says Internet Is Over
Good point--one that was intended to be the understood other half of the argument I was making. I think the "over" part is probably describing the large percentage of users who fall into the unproductive category I mentioned. Programmers and content providers are a small percentage of diligent users; the unproductive types swarm in, graze until the grass is gone, and then move on.
Like all things pop, social media and the digital lifestyle are subject to the same boom and bust that dooms all fads as ephemeral. BUT Prince probably should have chose his words more carefully or taken his Geritol. ;)
I used to go to this really nice coffee shop years ago. Then, coffee became really popular and suddenly everyone discovered how cool "my" coffee shop was. The hipster-wannabe in-crowd popular types came in and didn't buy coffee. They just hung out to be seen for hours on end. I couldn't find a place to sit with my laptop to get any work done so I stopped going. Between the loss of the real paying customers (regulars who bought by the cup and bought roasted beans) and the complaints by neighboring businesses and residences about parking, they lost their lease and had to shut down. Ruined by success.
I'm sure I had a point...
Comment: Wisdom from Folly (Score 1) 450
by catdevnull (#32814818) Attached to: Prince Says Internet Is Over
Prince is right--sort of. A steady diet of instant gratification is bad for you. Make fun of his religion, sexuality, and eccentricities, but he has a body of work to show for his efforts and is successful by any measure. Most of us internet dweebs troll comments and dispense our own pious judgements from our own corners of Loservania but here's a guy with some credibility making a somewhat valid comment about social media--eccentric as it might be.
I think the internet is making us stupid if not just plain lazy. If you think about it, all the time we spend engaged with a glowing screen is kind of ridiculous when there are so many other life-enriching things we could be doing instead.
That doesn't make the internet or gadgets bad--it just spotlights our own weird constant need to escape "real life" by stimulating our brain's addictive center with a steady stream of mostly meaningless information.
Think about that every time you text, check Facebook status changes, click refresh on your e-mail client, reload news sites, or troll slashdot comments, and/or look at your smartphone (again) when you could be paying attention to your friends and family with real face-time.
It's got to be a weird if even Prince thinks it's kind of creepy, right?
Just sayin' (ironic as it is here on /.).
Comment: Re:It's all about education... (Score 1) 1306
by catdevnull (#27334407) Attached to: Texas Vote May Challenge Teaching of Evolution
I agree that the students should be well-versed in the sciences but the curriculum should include a diverse range of disciplines. Kids should be doing well in all courses for that matter. However, I don't agree that the problem is with limited time or with not enough academic focus in the classroom. I suggest that the problem is more systemic to our current culture of instant gratification and instant information and too many distractions and pressures outside of the classroom.
With the advent of "no child left behind," the peer groups of school-aged kids become watered down to the lowest common denominator. Kids who are not getting reinforcement at home from parents do not do their homework or value education. As a consequence, the classroom becomes unruly, distracted, and overrun with apathetic students--both bright students who are bored while the undisciplined ones play catch-up. Increasing the workload or paring down the curriculum does not solve that problem. Of course, increasing the breadth and depth with more stuff to learn doesn't either, but I digress.
Developmentally, middle-school (formerly junior high) and high school are times when forming peer groups, friends, and social networks are very important to kids as they learn to navigate those social structures. With cell phones, Twitter, e-mail, texting, and whatever the communication du jour may be, come distractions. Television, video games, and the internet also provide lots and lots of stimuli that is counter-intuitive to the needs of our school curriculums: they require focused studying and our kids are adapting to a rapid-fire short-attention method of dealing with stimulation and information.
My point is this: I think there are more layers to the education problem than just what's on the curriculum. Kids are not learning because, in my opinion, they are not equipped to learn or study nor do they have an atmosphere in the classroom or at home that is conducive to learning.
Perhaps I might be contradicting my earlier comments but I think the kids that are doing well will continue to do well and can handle a well-balanced academic plan that includes arts, sciences, and letters. We shouldn't remove material for the sake of those who can't keep up.
by catdevnull (#27330481) Attached to: Texas Vote May Challenge Teaching of Evolution
Look--this isn't about teaching kids to be religious but rather putting things in a less subjective perspective. Teaching a course in the "Theory of Evolution" as a science course is 100% appropriate. Teaching creationism as a science course is 100% wrong--religion and creationism belong to the realm of social sciences and humanities because of the political, historical, and philosophical contexts. Ignoring the world's largest religions and their impact on humanity because one doesn't "believe" in them is ignorant and small-minded. A "World Religions" course is 100% appropriate in public schools. Teaching a child which one to follow is not.
I'm not suggesting that science courses be taught differently but rather changing the method by which we expose school children to the world around them. Moving Creationism away from the "hard" sciences seems to be the logical compromise for dealing with the faith versus science argument.
Wouldn't you prefer a well-rounded education that includes an objective perspective of religion, science, and the socio-political world? I would.
If included in the arts, sciences, letters, kids also learned that Islamists have been fighting wars amongst themselves since the death of Muhammed, that the creation from the Bible is kind of a hodge-podge of religious ideas that trace back to Zoroastrianism, and the Darwin actually believed in God, I think kids would have a better understanding of other cultures and each other.
In the end, that's what education is all about.
Comment: It's all about education... (Score 1) 1306
by catdevnull (#27320495) Attached to: Texas Vote May Challenge Teaching of Evolution
In the end, it's all about education not being right or wrong.
I wish both sides could understand that being educated and informed doesn't necessarily equate belief, endorsement, or apostasy. You can study Christianity (or any religion) without believing in it and you can study evolutionary science (or any other scientific theory) without believing in it. Ignoring the other view is just, well...ignorant.
I think it's best to approach education from a perspective of learning and understanding rather than discriminating against information in which you do not believe while promoting one's own agenda or belief system. That's not education--that's brainwashing.
That kind of thinking led to the dark ages.
Ignorance reigns amongst the absolutists.
Comment: Silly article... (Score 1) 1064
by catdevnull (#27041579) Attached to: Why Doctors Hate Science
It's not about science or common sense--it's all about billing the insurance companies. That's how hospitals and clinic "businesses" make money. Doctors order tests because they are told to do so as often as they write prescriptions because they get "incentives" to do so from pharmaceutical companies.
It's all about money.
| <urn:uuid:512e4a5e-83e1-4d66-aa20-33b1852b1b8a> | http://slashdot.org/~catdevnull | en | 0.961431 | 0.115846 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Peter Holmes a Court, making NSW number one, and sporting carnivals for carpetbaggers
(Above: the NSW Olympic stadium, some time known as Telstra and ANZ stadium, the NSW Labor party's solution to failing state infrastructure, including power and public transport. Running late for dinner because the train's stopped running and there's no power in the house? Never mind, take a look at this photo and fondly remember all the fine sporting moments you've experienced in your life).
Peter Holmes a Court contributes a sterling piece of rhetoric to The Sydney Morning Herald, an edited extract of a speech he gave to the NSW Business Chamber's NSW: Reclaiming 1st campaign, run under the header Let's make our state a winner once again.
And so say all of us, at least those who reside in New South Wales, shaken by the recent savage beatings handed out by the toads, and the shame of watching Melbourne experience a bohemian cultural revival that's made it a place where you can enjoy a glass of wine in a cafe without thinking you have to worry about your status as an alcoholic (or buy food to placate the wowsers).
But then I noticed tucked away in his article a hint of what he might be looking for:
It is not enough for NSW to simply be in the game, when those around you spend their time working out how to get your business, how to stage your sporting events and how to steal your jobs.
Dearie me, sounds like more 'panem et circenses' is on the cards, as you might expect from someone who thinks a revival of the Rabbitohs rugby league club can somehow act as a metaphor for the kind of revival we need in New South Wales.
The next thing you know, grasping entrepreneurs and promoters will be huddled in the corridors of parliament house, lobbying for the right to take our money to subsidize their risks while either stealing sporting events from other states, or staging brand new sporting follies of the most rapacious and useless kind.
We're not talking here about the intergalactic tiddlywinks carnival, or the world chess championship, but the usual suspects, like the senile world of Formula 1 and similar sporting carnivals, which all are supposed to work on the idea of economic multipliers, proving that for every dollar you drop in Bernie Ecclestone's pocket, the state is supposed to enjoy four dollars of economic revival.
While what usually happens is that Bernie makes out like a bandit (and so might his wife in their divorce battle), the punters get three days of bread and circuses, there's nil impact on tourism, and marginal benefit to the economy, politicians get box seats, and the tax paying public get to pick up any shortfall.
This kind of sporting socialism reached a kind of nadir under Bob Carr, who refused to spend any money on infrastructure but found time to bung on an Olympic games and then conveniently toddled off into the sunset to leave his successors to pick up the mess and try to work out what to do with the white elephant used as the main Olympics stadium.
You won't usually find the right wing commentariat carrying on about this. You will find them bleating at every conceivable opportunity about funding for the arts, or films, or theatre, or music, or whatever, and what an incredible waste it is, but nary a word about why sport should be given this kind of 'major event' free kick on a regular basis.
Is it because they have abundant petrol head and sports jock tendencies? You betcha. They don't mind a little funding socialism (you can dress it up as a public private partnership if you want fine sounding gibberish) when it comes to sport, because they get to go off to their subsidized events, sniff the tang of gas in the air, and warble on about the true beauty of being on the world stage with our sporting champeens.
Proving once again that socialism is in the eye of the beholder, and isn't always a dirty word, at least if you call it something different and deliver sports action to the jocks. No talk then of the actual attendees paying full market price for their indulgence in their own pet enthusiasm.
When these dodos talk about arts funding, it's always about how the funding distorts the marketplace and inevitably leads to failed outcomes - like patrons being favored over the joe blows out in the sticks. Whenever they talk about slipping fast talking sports carpet baggers hard won taxpayer bucks, it's always about how it would be too dear to stage without a government handout (or too hard to steal it from the Victorians without some cash to tickle the trout our way).
The result's been the most childish of state based rivalries, and you'd hope that sometime soon it stops. Childish rhetoric about NSW being number one reminds me of the days when such was the paranoia between states that they all had different gauge railway lines, a fine mess that took decades to sort out.
If you must, talk about Australia being number one, and then let's get on to talking about how we can either abolish the state system of government, or make it a more effective managerial system to manage a state's resources and infrastructure.
Whatever you do, don't tell me how we have to steal from Queensland or Victoria, by stealing from taxpayers to shovel funds down the throat of clever carpet baggers only too eager and anxious to exploit state rivalries and make out like bandits.
If you want an example that doesn't involve sport, look at the bidding wars for runaway Hollywood productions, designed to lure Hollywood producers into producing a show in the state by giving them rebates, holidays, benefits, perks and anything else the producers can claw back from state governments and taxpayers. And what do you get after these millions have been flung away? Maybe three to six months of shooting time for a largely Australian crew, but not a cent from the actual main game, which involves exploitation of the rights in the marketplace.
Truth to tell, I'm so over this kind of state rivalry. Let Victoria have its grand prix (in their negotiations with Bernie next time let them pay a hefty price for stealing it from South Australia), let the Queenslanders go on acting like try hard ratbags, and let the minor BAPH states hand over cash to persuade people sports carnivals are so much more fine than a roof over head, decent public transport and food on table.
If Victorians wants to slobber over Tiger Woods, and pay the millions involved, fine, let them, but don't tell me this is the best way forward for a state government wanting to get NSW back in the game.
If NSW politicians manage to fix even half of the infrastructure problems this state faces, and we never get to see a Sydney Grand Prix or Tiger, then it's surely time for a great fireworks display on the harbor.
No comments: | <urn:uuid:080a2a61-ec90-45e5-967f-70424a418ff3> | http://themichaelduffyfiles.blogspot.com/2009/04/peter-holmes-court-making-nsw-number.html | en | 0.95434 | 0.174943 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Monday, February 04, 2008
Stickin' To My Guns
Or, If This Ain't A Lap Dance, My Underwear Is None Of Your Business
Or, Yes, Robinga, There Are Property Rights
And so on and so forth.
Several commenters have framed the question of one's right to keep'n'bear arms on private property as a conflict of rights; some have suggested that because property rights are so routinely violated by legislative fiat, one more ("in the aid of a good cause!") won't matter.
I luvs ya all (here's a big ol' snogg t'prove it: mmmmmwah!) but, well, BZZT! Wrong.
It's turtles property rights all the way down.
I'm in favor of "keep it in your car" laws and other laws that, in the words of the Bradys, "force employers to allow workers to carry concealed weapons into the workplace" because most employers don't have any way to keep folks from carrying -- nor do they go to any other effort besides saying, "Now, now, pretty please don't," which as we all know, works ever so well on the crazies and the ill-intentioned. Workplace rules against carrying work just like laws against carrying: they disarm only those who are minded to play by the rules. Striking them down levels the playing field and strengthens property rights. I explain below.
L. Neil Smith titled one of his essays "Why Did It Have To Be -- Guns," and just to make comprehension easier for everyone, I'm going to make my starting examples about something other than firearms. We're gonna talk about underwear and scary studded biker belts. Okay?
It all stems from property rights: the basic property right has nothing to do with land, with bricks and mortar; the basic right is property in your own person. Yer bod'. The coverings upon it, the coverings over them, and the various and sundry vade mecumbrances[1] you stuff into the pockets and interstices thereof, suspend from it, etc. etc. Stemming directly from this property right is your right to privacy in your person. You will find some allusion to it in the U. S. Bill of Rights, the Fourth Amendment in particular. Can we all agree that while the Fourth restricts its limitations to the government, the right to privacy in one's person and immediate effects is indeed inherent and universal?
If you disagree, consider this: I enter your business, go to work for you or enter your home under circumstances in which I will not be visible to anyone unclad. Do you have the right to dictate to me what sort of underwear I may wear? How do you propose to enforce your will? Is it any of your dam' business if I'm swathed in fine lace, sweating into a cotton knit, or tingling to oiled leather?
Now, if we were to become intimate and you've got some freaky hangup against cammo-patterned boxers and that's what I've got on[2], you'd be on pretty solid ground suggesting I had better leave. Conditions of our interaction will have changed.
Okay, rewind, strike out "underwear," substitute "concealed sidarm." It isn't any different.
The interface between your property rights and mine is right where your floor meets the soles of my shoes. I didn't lose or gain any rights when I stepped onto your floor and you didn't gain or lose any.
Okay, next. Say I like wicked-lookin' biker belts, the big wide black ones with studs 'n' eyelets and yadda yadda (and in fact, I do). And I'm invited into your house with one on and you don't like it. Oopsie. Well, I can go stash it in my car, or if that's not enough, seeya later! Likewise, an employer has some right to dictate what employees may wear, for safety, for the sake of providing some appearance the employer deems needful or fitting, that's pretty basic. Yes, they can tell me not to wear open-toed shoes, or T-shirts with political slogans or mean biker belts, even the superkewl one made of old drive chain. (Shucks!) May a business exercise a similar power over its customers? Well, fine, chum, but you don't make money by chasing customers away.
And if you sub in "openly-carried sidearm," it works just the same.
My car? Even parked on your lot, the inside of it belongs to me -- especially if I keep it locked. That's just practical good sense. (We'd like to think everyone around us respects the property of others, wouldn't we? Yes, and in Happy Unicorn Rainbowland, maybe they do. Not on this planet. Lock yer doors). My car, my house, my purse: mine. And mine to keep secure. What's in 'em is none of your beeswax.
Okay, there's the general case. Brass-tackage follows.
For corporations, my opinion is the bar's higher and they should be held to the standards of the Bill of Rights. YMMV.
Right of contract? Sure. You already can sign away a lot of your rights, ask any bail bondsman. On the other hand, my relationship with my employer's governed by a contract and it says not Word One about weapons; and yet I still respect their fears and refrain. In a practical sense, I'd likely lose anyway were I to press the issue and get caught, the courts bein' far from immune to animism with respect to handguns. On a higher plane, since they do supposedly have some silly rule I'm happy to let 'em suffer any negative consequences that may come of it. I'm usually well out of the likeliest lines of fire. That contract also includes some boilerplate about "...subject to the laws of the nation and state...."
The previous two paragraphs together start to point to the "drug-sniffing dogs that find guns" question. It seems to me that if Artifical or Real Person "N" goes a-sniffin' fer them horriawful, illegal drugs to be found in the private cars parked in the lot, he or she or it is once again acting as an agent of the State and ought to be bound by the Bill of Rights and whatever similar provisions are to be found in the state constitution and applicable statute an' case law, with an eye to things like "probable cause." Oooo, remember when that wasn't snickered at? In the real and present world, keepin' an ear to the ground would not be remiss.
Tam's hippie with a candleshop, same as my generic examples: let him be guided by what he sees. And let Tam and the other customers be guided by their good sense. Flashin' a gun you don't intend to shoot is as declasse' as flashin' your undies at someone you're not plannin' to sleep with.
This stuff is not that hard. There's no "conflict of rights" here. It's turtles all the way down.[3]
1. "Vade mecum" + "encumbrance." I'm so clever I could just erp.
2. Un-freaking-likely, Pilgrim.
3. This is in reference to a story Turk Turon delights in, about a lecturer on cosmology being confronted by a sweet little old flat-Earther lady who tells him, "You're wrong about the world being a ball. It's flat and it stands on the backs of four elephants and they stand on the back of a giant turtle." "Oh," he asks, "And what does the turtle stand on?" She replies, "I see what you're trying to do, young man, but it won't work. It's turtles alllll the way down."
Turk said...
Lap dances, studded belts ...and then you throw in Latin!? And top it off with turtles!? Have mercy!
Seriously, I'm glad you like the story. Supposedly it actually happened to Bertrand Russell, but the story is in one of Stephen Hawking's books.
Roberta X said...
"Write what you know," they say, an' I lived in the seedier neighborhoods for simply years. ;>
jed said...
Well, that wasn't what I was expecting. [cue trumpets]
And I can't even think of what to say, because you got me all distracted now. ;) (especially that tingling part)
Over in a different forum, I had a brief discussion with a friend over whether there are any rights so inaliable that one cannot, even willfully, give them up. The most extreme example I can think of would be whether you can enter into a contract to commit suicide in exchange for compensation (obviously, to be paid to a 3rd party of your designation). Well, obviously, you can. But is your right to life violated by such a contract? We can ratchet it down a bit and consider selling organs.
That said, I'll have to come back tomorrow and see whether I can connect your 'bod'/underwear argument with your later concession that people can voluntarily sign away their rights. Noting, as well, that I have heard of dress codes requiring brassieres for women. Well, that's usually easier to determine then whether you're clad in the appropriate shorts or not. But I think that's a side issue anyway.
Also, in the 'how can they tell' area, the some of the employment policies I've seen do contain permission to inspect your car. In the Weyerhaeuser case, IIRC, searches were conducted based on alerts from drug-sniffing dogs.
So, is asking you to open your trunk on par with asking you to drop your pants? And, if you sign an employment contract agreeing that you will wear only Fruit of the Looms, because that's whom you're working for, is there an implied right to verification?
jed said...
Dang. I'd'a' been first, if I weren't so damn wordy.
Now my verification string contains "xxx".
Alan said...
"tingling to oiled leather".
I think my brain just core dumped.
What were we just talking about?
Roberta X said...
Then my work here is done! ;D
Roberta X said...
P.S., Alan, I'm quoting you. :)
Anonymous said...
Well-reasoned. You have my applause.
Now here's the obligatory "Yes, but..."
I would argue that the Fourth Amendment -- like the Second -- because it makes no specific textual reference to state actors (as the First does in the phrase "Congress shall make no law"), makes an absolute proscription. No exceptions. Applies to everybody.
The right of the people ... shall not be infringed (or words to that effect).
That is to say that no actor -- state or private -- may conduct an unreasonable search (and I would argue that unreasonable must in this context be defined by the person being searched) without a warrant.
And this, of course, applies to all levels of government -- as, indeed, is recognized in application in the justice system.
The right b*tch is that the concept has been so corrupted by ill-use over the years.
As for waivers of rights, I suppose anyone may execute one. The problem comes when Jones' waiver of rights is taken by all and sundry to mean that it's OK to assume I've also waived mine.
Mark Alger
staghounds said...
You've changed my mind on this.
The underwear example is good, but a constitutionally protected example works the same- a cross or a swastika. The boss can tell me not to expose one at work, and he can probably tell me not to have one in my possession at the work place. But if it's in the car, he'll have a problem.
staghounds said...
In a real life discussion of this post, I mentioned the comparison of the gun at work to a Bible at work. This followed-
"Yes, it's a good example. But Roberta's will get more interest. More people like underwear than like the Bible."
"More people USE underwear than the Bible."
"Maybe if they made little lacy Bibles. Or crotchless Bibles."
"Or leather ones."
"They DO make leather ones."
"Not all the way through..."
Tam said...
Don't you just hate it when the person you're talking to is quicker to a keyboard than you are?
Pththththttt! :D
chris said...
it would be illegal for an employer to require everyone that entered to go topless, it would be illegal for them to require employees to smoke pot, it would be illegal for them to prohibit wearing glasses... but when it comes to the one tangible piece of property that is guaranteed by the constitution, its ok for them to prohibit that?
staghounds said...
Since going topless in a public place is a crime for women, and smoking marijuana is a crime for anyone, then yes, an employer could not lawfully require his employees to do those things. Nor commit robbery, either.
As to the third, I don't see why an employer could NOT prohibit his employees from wearing eye glasses.
You lose sight of the issue being discussed here- should a law be passed which PREVENTS employers from requiring employees to not bring guns to work? That is, should guns be made different from other things as they now are not?
Roberta X said...
I would argue that guns are already treated under the law as different from (many) other things, both for good -- "constitutionally-protected right" -- and ill in the form of the many, many changes rung on the "guns are bad" laws that restrict carry, limit purchase and track owners.
Under the Bill of Rights, the products and process of the press, the expression of our thoughtc, our faith and our firearms are to be treated "differently," as items of property ensured particular protection from authoritarian meddling. That issue was settled in the 18th Century...or so it was thought.
staghounds said...
I agree- to any honest English speaker reading the Bill of Rights, a pistol and a Bible have the same legal status.
Alas our courts have not seen it the same way. There just isn't the history of "guns are different" in the same way that we have a history of (say) "Nativity scenes are different".
There should be, but there isn't.
Anonymous said...
(1) Yes, if it's in the contract. (whether at the time you agreed to it, or if the contract was later amended by one side).
(2) Full body scanners at the entrance your workplace. | <urn:uuid:9727872f-31fd-4ace-b96c-a8c017657bff> | http://twowheeledmadwoman.blogspot.com/2008/02/stickin-to-my-guns.html | en | 0.967579 | 0.163132 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Black Monday
by R. Scott Reiss
BLACK MONDAY by R. Scott Reiss is my latest nightmare-inducer.
The premise of this tightly written, chilling work is fairly
simple: something has invaded most of the world's gas supply, thus
rendering a majority of internal combustion engines inoperative.
Planes fall out of the sky, food sits rotting, people get hungry
and the natives grow restless.
Reiss doesn't dawdle on the road to chaos. Just like those first
few raindrops in the middle of a picnic that herald the start of a
deluge, he kicks things off with a couple of early warnings: planes
mysteriously crash and cars suddenly stop running. There's a scene
near the beginning of BLACK MONDAY that is a homage to "The
Monsters Are Due On Maple Street" (arguably the best-known episode
of "The Twilight Zone" television series) and sets things up for
the disaster and horror that is to come. Gregory Gillette has the
best chance of figuring out how and why the gasoline supply has
become contaminated, and what to do about it. Gillette is an
epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control; while his
specialty is the study of disease microbes that attack human
beings, it becomes evident to him that something similar is
invading the world's oil supply.
While nominally assigned to a rapid response team designated to
identify --- and then find some way of destroying --- the deadly
microbe that has been code-named Delta-3, Gillette learns he has
been backbenched by the head of the team, a longtime nemesis who is
letting hubris stand in the way of salvation. Gillette quickly
realizes that he must either wait helplessly with his family while
their neighborhood and city descend into chaos, along with the rest
of the industrialized world, or come up with a way to neutralize
and destroy the Delta-3 microbe before the damage to the world (and
society) becomes completely irreparable.
Disobeying orders and violating protocol, Gillette embarks on a
dangerous and increasingly difficult mission across the country to
find the source of the manufactured microbe that threatens to bring
civilization crashing down in a matter of weeks. Even as the world
is descending into chaos, however, a mysterious assassin is moving
through the United States, making a series of apparently random yet
carefully chosen killings that are somehow related to the
biological attack on the world's oil supply --- and he is on a
collision course with Gillette.
Gillette is an interesting and engaging character, whose
ordinariness balances nicely with his fortitude and uncanny ability
to keep asking questions until he hits the right one --- even as he
is subject to baser temptations. For his part, Reiss does a
wonderful job of explaining the process by which oil makes its way
from a hole in the ground to the pump on the corner. If BLACK
MONDAY has a weak spot, it's Reiss's occasional subtle plea for
development of alternative fuel sources. Whether it be oil, wind,
sun or horses, any mechanism that attempts to distribute power
equally over a certain distance, regardless of source, will be
vulnerable to the whim of a clown who tries to throw sand in the
gears. The solution, as the book ultimately demonstrates, is to
make life difficult, if not impossible, for the clown.
In any event, the "what-if" factor of BLACK MONDAY will be more
than enough to make you think about it every time you unscrew your
car's gas cap and wonder, for just a moment, if you're putting
something in the tank besides gas. Don't miss this one.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub on January 7, 2011
Black Monday
by R. Scott Reiss
• Publication Date: February 13, 2007
• Genres: Fiction, Thriller
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• ISBN-10: 0743297644
• ISBN-13: 9780743297646 | <urn:uuid:62170bb5-4a7e-4dc3-930d-26aac328f050> | http://www.bookreporter.com/print/9113 | en | 0.933071 | 0.113877 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
From the February 2005 issue of Entrepreneur
The recent election, which gave President George W. Bush a second term and increased Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, came after a bitter campaign season. Now, some in Washington are preaching a message of conciliation between the two parties. But major divides remain.
Entrepreneur's "Point/Counterpoint" team, Arizona Republican congressman Rick Renzi, who just won re-election for the first time, and veteran New York Democratic congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, return to Congress ready to battle for what they believe in--and to reach across the aisle when they can help small businesses. They spoke with Entrepreneur shortly after the November election.
In your district, what were voters--and small businesses'--major concerns? What will be done about them in the next Congress?
Rep. Renzi: National security [and] the big threats to small business: the cost of energy and health care. Gas prices in Phoenix were some of the highest in the nation last summer. It shows how vulnerable we are to energy problems. We've got to allow U.S. energy reserves in domestic lands to be unlocked. We can't box ourselves into extreme environmental policies.
Rep. Velázquez: Regulatory reform. This administration holds the single-year record for the increase in the burden of paperwork on small businesses.
Regarding health care, what do you think we're likely to see in the upcoming Congress?
Velázquez: Bush hasn't moved at all on association health plans, which could help handle the health-care crisis.
Renzi: We need transferable health-care coverage, sold online, where [individuals] can buy it and own it, and it's portable. Health savings accounts and association health plans are gap-fillers, not real ways to reform the system.
What is the outlook for the SBA and its loan programs, including the 7(a) program?
Renzi: I support the president's proposed funding levels, and I will also work with my colleagues in Congress to pass legislation that would allow the SBA to guarantee more and larger loans.
There are other issues, too, that the SBA needs to focus on. Combining multiple contracts into a single larger contract puts small businesses at a disadvantage, reduces competition, and has not been proven to reduce the cost to taxpayers.
Also, small businesses should be able to treat their company vehicles like they do other pieces of business equipment. Small businesses that need delivery trucks, vans or small vehicles should not be disadvantaged because their vehicles weigh less than 6,000 pounds.
Velázquez: The president has said how committed he is to small businesses, but when we've proposed fully funding the SBA and increasing loan programs, he stalled. And he's made it harder for small businesses to get SBA loans, with more fees.
Do you expect Congress to be less partisan or more partisan now? What is the responsibility of each party in terms of partisanship?
Velázquez: President Bush came to [Washington,] DC, four years ago claiming to be a uniter, not a divider. But he's spent four years doing the opposite, and now we have a drastically divided country. Now the president says he wants to bring the country together. It's up to him.
Renzi: I think you'll see a bit of a grace period, but the nastiness will come back before the next election. Right now, we have to get together to tackle big issues, like health care and Social Security reform. Now is the time. We've got a president with nothing to lose.
Joshua Kurlantzick is a writer in Washington, DC. | <urn:uuid:b2a9c7e5-fd56-4a38-aabc-f6bfdcc41a35> | http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/75572 | en | 0.969574 | 0.031984 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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European Patent Convention (EPC 1973)
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Five Questions for: Amy Milenberg
FoodService Director - Five Questions for Amy MilenbergA couple of years ago the Veterans Affairs healthcare system's nutrition and food services department began remaking its programs to better serve patients. One of the areas where the biggest transformations have taken place is in the community living centers, formerly called nursing homes. FSD talked with Amy Milenberg, patient food operations manager at the William Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, S.C., to find out about the culture changes taking place at her facility.
You, along with many other VA facilities, are making significant changes with the foodservice operation at the community living centers. Tell me about these cultural changes.
The changes are intended to make living at a community living center a more home-like experience. When you are at home, you choose what you want to eat, when you want to eat and where you want to eat. The changes that are being implemented take these things into consideration. Flexible meal times, flexible choices, food availability, input into menu planning, special meals with family members and special holiday meals are just some of the changes.
Why are you making these changes?
VA nutrition and food services is committed to providing our veterans an enriched dining experience. These changes further our commitment to providing exceptional service.
One of the changes at your facility is the Dinner for 8 Program. How does that program works?
The Dinner for 8 Program is held monthly and designed for 8 people who reside within our community living centers (CLC). The program provides a smaller, relaxed, more home-like dining experience. Residents of the CLC sign up to attend in a reservation book. The first resident to sign up suggests the meal for the evening. Residents are welcome to invite guests within the limit of the 8 participants. The meal is prepared according to what was suggested and is served in a separate dining area. The residents sit around a table together as they dine, like they would if they were at home.
Another new program is the FAC (Friday Afternoon Club). What does that program entail?
Friday Afternoon Club is another monthly program held within our CLC. This program introduced our Therapeutic Libation Policy, which allows our residents to have alcohol. Residents may have an alcoholic beverage of their choosing, with an MD order, during the event. We also serve a special meal.
One of the components to these culture changes is creating a more social atmosphere among the patients and also between the patients and the foodservice staff. Why is this social aspect so important?
Increasing the social interaction, personalizing care and developing relationships between staff and the residents can improve the quality of life. That's what our jobs are all about.
To read more about the changes taking place in the VA system's nutrition and food services department, read the cover story in the September issue. | <urn:uuid:93a24a7d-e9b6-4a7d-9d4e-fdc432812a79> | http://www.foodservicedirector.com/industry-news-opinion/five-questions/articles/five-questions-amy-milenberg | en | 0.962138 | 0.052005 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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2.2 Changing the Output File Name
This option instructs ebrowse to generate a Lisp data base with name file. By default, the data base is named BROWSE, and is written in the directory in which ebrowse is invoked.
If you regularly use data base names different from the default, you might want to add this to your init file:
(add-to-list 'auto-mode-alist '(NAME . ebrowse-tree-mode))
where NAME is the Lisp data base name you are using.
By default, each run of ebrowse erases the old contents of the output file when writing to it. You can instruct ebrowse to append its output to an existing file produced by ebrowse with this command line option. | <urn:uuid:7f4d4c97-0673-4945-9f8d-5978c09ff8c2> | http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/ebrowse/Output-file.html | en | 0.830987 | 0.434866 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Weekend Project: How to Add Architectural Design to a Roof Gable
A decorative gable can add instant charm and curb appeal to any exterior.
Tools and Materials:
1x4 poplar boards
wood glue
screw gun and wood screws
sliding bevel
hand saw and miter box or chop saw
nail gun
primer, paint and wood putty
1. Prime and paint all of the wood that you will be using to create your gable decoration.
2. Measure the angle of the roof with a sliding bevel to determine the layout and length of the gable, beginning with the bottom.
3. Measure and cut a piece of 1x4 poplar to fit the bottom length of your triangle.
4. Next, measure the two sides of the triangle using the formula A2 + B2 = C2, which will allow you to measure a perfect triangle. The two legs of the triangle will be sides A and B while the bottom base will be side C.
5. Use a chop saw to cut the mitered edges.
6. Using a screw gun, screw the three pieces of the triangle together using a counter-sink bit to push the screws below the surface of the wood. Fill the holes with wood putty to make it water tight.
7. Mark the triangle where the remaining six beams will be placed and cut those pieces to fit inside the triangle.
8. Attach the six remaining beams inside of the triangle with a screw gun from underneath.
9. Attach the gable to the front of your home with a screw gun.
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Ouija Talking
Hasbro honcho talks game-to-film adaptation.
Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner promises that Ouija, the big screen version of the infamous talking board game, will not be some kid-friendly adaptation a la Jumanji but a genuinely scary supernatural thriller.
In an exclusive chat with MTV, Goldner, who is executive producing the film, said, "Half of the people that play Ouija as a séance think it's just a game. The other half thinks it's much more serious than that. So that idea, is this real or is this just sort of imagined? Is this something that's done by the participants or is this something that's really from beyond?"
He added, "In Ouija you ask questions and then you get these answers. And sometimes these answers are unintended answers. So be careful what you ask, that's the element of the game that I think is so fun. You sort of use that insight about really playing Ouija as the jumping off point for a story for a movie, and then you link it to something much bigger."
Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes is producing Ouija for Universal.
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Shavuot - Hag ha'Bikkurim or Festival of the First Fruits.
Hag Matan Torateinu or Festival of the Giving of Our Torah
Shavuot is celebrated this year on May 29th
click for shavuot recipes
“...you shall take some of the first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God will choose to establish His name...” (Deuteronomy 26:1-3)
by Diana Viola and Elinoar Moore
Shavuot is a holiday with a double celebration. Falling in spring, Shavuot celebrates the bounty of the harvest and the first fruits of the season. More profoundly, Shavuot commemorates the gift of the Torah, the crystallization of the ancient relationship of the peoples of Israel with their God.
Shavuot is both an end and a beginning as the winter barley crop is harvested and the wheat crop begun.
In the Bible Shavuot is called Hag Matan Torateinu, Hebrew for the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah, or Hag ha-Bikkurim which is Hebrew for Festival of the First Fruits, as well as Hag ha-Katzir or the Festival of the Harvest. Because it falls on the fiftieth day from Passover, it is also called Pentecost.
Shavuot means weeks in Hebrew. It has no fixed date, but is determined by its relation in weeks to Passover. Counting from the second day of Passover, Shavuot is celebrated seven full weeks from Passover. "On the day of first fruits, on your feast of Weeks, when you present to the Lord the new cereal offering, you shall hold a sacred assembly and do no sort of work." (Numbers: 28:26) Along with Passover and Sukkot, Shavuot is a pilgrimage holiday, one of three festivals when the ancient Israelites traveled to Jerusalem to offer thanks to God for bountiful crops.
Biblical Significance of Shavuot
Shavuot celebrates Moses' descent from Mount Sinai and his presentation to the peoples of Israel of the Torah (the books of the Pentateuch) and the two tablets on which were recorded the Ten Commandments. The emphasis on Shavuot is on receiving the Torah and accepting the revelations contained within it. That acceptance is a commitment to obey the laws given by Moses.
The Book of Ruth, written long after the books of the Pentateuch, is a narrative book in the Old Testament that relates the story of Ruth, a Moabite, who joined the Jewish people and who is the ancestor of King David. Though the story is told in narrative form, it stands as a metaphor for the acceptance of the Torah and is generally read on Shavuot. The story takes place at harvest time which brings a focus to the harvest, but, because Ruth was a convert who embraced Judaism fully and sincerely, she also represents the Jewish acceptance of the Torah.
The narrative centers on Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, an Israelite. Both women lived in Moab, but Naomi decided to return to Israel and her own people. Ruth, steadfast in her love for Naomi, determined to go with her. Ruth's simple statement of loyalty is used today as part of many wedding ceremonies, though Ruth was pledging devotion to her mother-in-law, as well as an acceptance of her mother-in-law's religion: "For wherever you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God will be my God." (Ruth 1:16).
The Agricultural Significance of Shavuot
All three pilgrimage holidays are tied to agricultural cycles. Passover marks the beginning of the barley season which ends with Shavuot when the barley is is harvested and the wheat crop is planted. In the days of the temple, some grain would be offered ritualistically. This, too, is commanded biblically: “When you enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a heritage.... you shall take some of the first fruit of the soil, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, put it in a basket and go to the place where the Lord your God will choose to establish His name...” (Deuteronomy 26:1-3:) Traditionally the offerings made to God were taken from what has come to be known as 'the seven species.' (see below)
Jewish families adorn the synagogue and their homes with flowers, leaves and plants on Shavuot. The agricultural aspect of Shavuot is obviously celebrated with these decorations, but, according to Midrash, Mount Sinai blossomed with flowers in anticipation of the Torah, and the decorations celebrate the double nature of Shavuot. In Israel, children wear wreaths and take flower bedecked baskets filled with fruits and vegetables to school.
Foods of Shavuot
The Connection between Shavuot and Dairy Foods
Food is an important ritual aspect of every Jewish holiday or celebration, and most of the foods eaten on a given holiday are specified by the Torah.
Shavuot is an exception, as there are no rules in the Torah to suggest how Shavuot should be observed ritually, but the holiday has long had links to to dairy foods, and a dairy meal is eaten at least once.
Dairy dishes are generally served during the day. A meat-based dinner, especially if Shavuot begins on a Friday night, may be served.
Lacking a direct biblical reference to the use of dairy, there are many theories about the development of the use of dairy products, especially cheese. One theory holds that in spring calves and kids would be weaned from their mothers and milk would be plentiful. Another theory points to verses in "The Song of Songs" that stand metaphorically for acceptance of the Torah: "Honey and milk on your tongue." In the Bible, the Jewish people are promised a "Land flowing with milk and honey." Dairy meals recall this description of Israel. Yet another theory holds that because the Jewish people were at Sinai for so long, their milk turned into cheese.
A symbolic way to start the holiday would be with a plate of cheese and some grapes, one of the seven species (see below). Decorate the dining table with bowls of olives in various sizes, shapes and colors and a bowl of mixed fruit. Pour chilled white or red wine. Wine would be served with any celebratory meal or holiday.
Jewish culinary tradition reflects the diaspora of the Jews, the wandering from country to country. Settling in many lands across Europe, throughout the Middle East, even in small communities in India and Asia, Jewish cooking varied according to the culture of the country and area, often a kosher adaptation of local cooking. (read in more depth about Jewish cooking)
Among the most famous Shavuot dishes are blintzes, cheese knishes, butter cakes, cheese cakes, cheese kreplach, salads of bread and cheese, soups with bread and cheese and many more. Because this is a celebration of a grain harvest, it is permissible to eat leavened bread. All recipes with cheese that don't have meat in them are acceptable. Fish recipes are fine, soups are popular and they may contain milk rather than cheese. Desserts with cheese or milk are prevalent, so prevalent that some people refer to Shavuot with a wink and an irreverent smile and call it the "cheesecake holiday."
The popular dishes for Shavuot reflect the world-wide variations that fall under the very large umbrella that is Jewish cooking. The main groups are Ashkenazi or Sephardic.
An Ashkenazi meal for any festive occasion follows European traditions. An appetizer starts the meal, and is followed by a cold soup or salad. The main course with vegetables would come next, with dessert to follow. Kreplach is an example of a food specific specific to eastern European Jews.
During Shavuot it is customary for Sephardic Jews to eat leftover Passover matzo softened with milk and sweetened with honey. Rice pudding and filo (cheese-filled filo, or phyllo, dough pockets) and sambousak with cheese are common dishes in Sephardic communities. Sephardic Jews also eat coriander cheese balls, or artichokes stuffed with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese and drizzled with olive oil.
Sephardic women take pride in baking a seven-layer cake for Shavuot called Seven Heavens. The cake is created in seven circular rising tiers, one smaller than the other with the smallest on top. Frequently it is decorated with various symbols made from dough. Jews of Kurdistan prepare a dish with ground wheat cooked in sour milk with butter and flour dumplings. A large cake or bread with raisins, known as floden is traditional as is baklava.
In Tripoli, women bake wafers in symbolic shapes. Among the symbolic shapes is a ladder which stands for Moses' rise up Mount Sinai. Another shape is that of a hand, denoting hands openly receiving the Torah. Frequently there are two tablets representing the Law.
Milk puddings with ground rice are a must in the Middle East. For the Jews they are the all-purpose dessert of the dairy table and the traditional sweet of Shavuot . Every community has its own traditional flavorings and presentation.
To learn more about cheeses, please visit Elinoar's site: cuisinemiddleast.com
The Seven Species of Shavuot
by Elinoar Moore
Deut. 8:8 describes the Land of Israel as a "land of wheat and barley, of (grape) vines, figs and pomegranates, and land of olives for oil and date for honey."
The offerings of the first fruits (bikkurim) brought to the Temple in Jerusalem on Shavuot were brought only from seven species, despite the fact that ancient areas of Israel were blessed with many other choices of products. The holiday takes place in the spring, in the time of new blossoms, and therefore symbols of the season prevail.
The seven species of agricultural produce that symbolize the fertility of Israel celebrated at Shavuot are wheat, barley, grapevines, figs, pomegranates, olives and honey (from dates). They were the staple foods consumed by the Jewish people in the Land of Israel during biblical times. In modern Israel with dozens of species in a diverse diet only wheat remains a staple.
Wheat - Chitah
Wheat has been a major foodstuff in the human diet since neolithic times, and was, of course, a main crop throughout Israel, Egypt and parts of Mesopotamia. In biblical times, as today, wheat ground into flour was the ingredient that made bread and earned it the term 'staff of life.'
Wheat is easily processed into various forms of breadstuffs: crackers, cookies, doughnuts, muffins, pasta, pizza, and many prepared dishes. Wheat is common thickener in soups and sauces.
Barley - Se'orah
Barley was an important grain to the ancient Israelites. Barley requires less water than wheat, and grows even in arid areas, such as the Negev (Southern Israel). Bread prepared from barley was called "poor man's" bread, and the grain was eaten as porridge and barley cakes. Barley provides feed for cattle and other livestock. In today's usage, you find barley in soups, stews, and mixed with vegetables for summer salads. Barley's most common modern use in Israel is as the basic ingredient for beer, sold in bottles and cans and served in pubs from the barrel.
Barley is the first grain to ripen in Israel. Because of this, it is barley that marked the start of the spring harvest season and is an integral part of Shavuot.
Grapes - Anavim
Man has cultivated grapes from the earliest times.The first vineyard mentioned in the Bible was planted by Noah after the Flood. Grapes provided fruit and wine, the latter, a symbol of joy, is used in many Jewish rituals. The spies that Moses sent into the Land of Israel, returned with grapes so large that the cluster had to be carried on a pole suspended between two men.
Ancient Israelites knew the taste of wine two thousand years before the first vine appeared in Europe. They planted the vineyards on the slopes of mountains, hoed and weeded the ground annually, and watched the direction of the growing vine. To prevent from the ground from slipping, they stacked terraces of stones. Harvest time was a time of celebration. In ancient times as in today's life, grapes were also used for seasoning and in vinegars. Today wine is a major industry, and over the past decade high-quality Israeli wines have become widespread. Moreover, because grapes, especially dark grapes, are rich in iron, the fruit is recommended to ward off heart disease. Stuffed with meat and rice, the leaves of the vine make a popular dish.
Figs - Te'enah
Figs are first mentioned in the bible when Adam and Eve covered their nakedness with fig leaves. Figs are of such ancient origin that the first recorded mention occurs in the tablets of Lagash in Sumer (2738-2371) BC and has since appeared in the recorded history from Egypt to Greece, where it was a staple food of both rich and poor .
This fruit ripens in the hot summer can be eaten fresh or dried. The Bible refers to the fig as a symbol of fertility. In biblical times the fig was eaten fresh, was used as a seasoning, or was used to make honey and alcohol. The fig itself, ripe in midsummer, is today an expensive delicacy. The biblical quote "each man under his own vine and fig tree" (1 Kings 4:25) has been used to point out peace and prosperity. to read more about figs and find more recipes, click here
Pomegranate - Rimon
The pomegranate is a dark red fruit with rich red flowers, and its abundant seeds serve as a powerful symbol of fertility. The tree becomes heavy with fruit for Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) .
In biblical times the pomegranate was used for making wine and seasonings in addition to its function as a dye. Today the pomegranate is traditionally eaten on the New Year. Discovery of the health properties of pomegranate has made it increasingly popular. Jewish tradition holds that a pomegranate has 613 seeds to represent the 613 commandments in the Torah. to read more and find more recipes, click here
Olive - Zayit (oil)
The olive tree is one of the oldest and most common trees in ancient Israel and surrounding lands. There are olive trees in the Galilee that are estimated to be thousands of years old. The tree's leaves are green all year round, and both black and green olives are harvested from the same tree. To this day in Israel, olive trees are so valued that it is against the law to cut them down if they are still living.
In ancient times, olive oil was used not only to cook,but also to light lamps. Its soothing qualities made it valuable as a soap and skin conditioner. Today, the olive is a very popular ingredient in recipes, and is eaten on its own. The luscious green-gold oil is valued above most oils. Olive oil has become increasingly popular since the discovery that it lowers cholesterol. Olive wood, with light and dark grains, is popular for small decorative items, while the olive branch persists as a symbol of peace ever since it was used by Noah as evidence that the flood had ended.
Date - Tamar (honey)
Honey is called d'vash in Hebrew, and Israel is called the "land that flows with milk and honey." In the biblical era dates were made into honey, and many believe the notion of the "land flowing with milk and honey" actually referred to date honey. Date honey was made by placing dates in a pot of boiling water and scooping the fruit sugar off what bubbled to the surface. The sweet dates, which ripen at the end of summer, are eaten fresh or dried.
Date palms were one of the few crop plants that could survive desert conditions, and became a reliable source of food in an otherwise inhospitable climate. Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, and other ancient people used the palm for house construction as well as for food. It spread across northern Africa along the coast and at oases by nomadic people, where it became a staple crop.
Shavuot and Numbers
*The number seven (sheva in Hebrew) is a significant "Jewish" number. Shavuot is celebrated seven weeks after Pesach (passover). The holiday is been symbolized with seven species. Jewish mourners sit "Shiva" (seven days) after the death of a close relative, there are seven days in the week, and Jewish tradition refers to seven planets. The seventh year in every cycle of seven years is the Shemitta year, in which the land must rest.
*The numerical value of chalav, Hebrew for milk, is 40. This matches the number of days that Moses spent on Mount Sinai studying the Torah which he then taught to the Israelites in the wilderness.
*One of the five names for Mount Sinai mentioned in midrashic sources is Gavnonim, which literally means "free from blemish", but whose Hebrew form indicates a dairy product. (The Hebrew for cheese is gevinah).
*Moses was born on the seventh day of the Hebrew month of Adar, hidden for three months by his mother Jochebed, and found by Pharaoh's daughter in the Nile bulrushes on 6th Sivan, the future date of Shavuot. According to legend, the baby Moses refused milk from his new non-Jewish mother, and his sister Miriam.
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Political Cartoons
Left, Right & Center
Jewish World Review / Aug. 5, 1998 / 13 Menachem-Av, 5758
Mona Charen
Mona Charen
The presumption of innocence
and the American way
AFTER DELIVERING A SPEECH in New Jersey last week, your servant was upbraided by members of the (mostly liberal) audience for "assuming that he is guilty." The "he" was of course the "big He" -- the world's most famous investigatee.
Can it be that sizable numbers of people are still in doubt on this point? The phrase "presumption of innocence" cropped up a lot, so much so that some clarification seems to be in order.
The presumption of innocence is a legal standard of proof. It requires that in a criminal case, the government must prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The defendant does not have to prove his innocence. We maintain this standard because we prefer to see 10 guilty men go free than one innocent man punished unjustly.
But as became evident during the long O.J. Simpson trial, many Americans believe that "innocent until proven guilty" is a national motto or a requirement that we suspend judgment on all matters of wrongdoing until a court or jury has spoken. In short, they cite the maxim as an excuse to check their brains at the door.
This notion is particularly out of place in the political context, where the sober evaluations of informed voters are all that stands between us and chaos. Sure, everyone is waiting for the Starr report -- and it is possible that the report will illuminate vast areas that have until now remained murky, like Travelgate and Filegate -- but there is already a corpus of undisputed facts on the table that can lead disinterested adults to certain conclusions.
Cast your mind back to the very first hours of L'Affaire Monica. President Clinton was asked about it by Jim Lehrer on the NewsHour, and the president stammered and looked terribly uncomfortable. At last, he worded a lawyerly answer, saying, "There is no sexual relationship." The Washington press corps, fed up to the eyeballs after five years of precious evasions by this president, immediately seized upon the tense.
Those New Jersey true believers might ask themselves this: How would an innocent man react to this charge? By mincing words? They might also ponder the rest of the president's subsequent behavior. The president promised to provide an early and comprehensive explanation of the matter. He then huddled with his lawyers and immediately clammed up. What does that suggest?
An innocent man would have been appalled and shocked at such an allegation. He would have opened all of his records, all of the Secret Service logs, perhaps even his diaries, in an effort to prove that the accusation was a terrible lie. Even as recently as last week, a remark from Press Secretary Mike McCurry betrayed the wink-and-nod approach this White House has taken to the accusation. Asked about Lewinsky's deal with prosecutors, McCurry said the president was glad "things are working out for her." Really? If she is lying about the relationship and destroying his presidency, why does the president even remotely wish her well?
Comparisons have been made between this scandal and the Iran/Contra affair. There are many differences, but here's a big one: Ronald Reagan threw open his entire administration to the investigators. He did not invoke a single privilege -- not attorney/client, spousal or executive. President Clinton has deployed them all and then some. His Justice Department has even attempted to invent a new privilege, the protective function privilege, to prevent the Secret Service from testifying.
This scandal has been with us for so long that much of the initial outrage has spun down. But it is worth remembering why this matters. When any American seeks redress through the courts, we expect him to be able to rely on the truthful testimony of witnesses. Nothing less than our system of justice rests upon it. Paula Jones was denied that.
The oath is a sacred thing -- particularly for the president, who is supposed to set an example.
The president's spinners have attempted to make Kenneth Starr and the rest of us the guilty parties. We are guilty for our interest in his sex life. But his sex life is the emblem of his character, and if we are guilty of anything, it is too much indulgence of the Adolescent in Chief.
8/03/98: An American hero
7/24/98: Making the military more like us
7/20/98: Disappointed by Cosbys
7/15/98: Feelings, not morality, rule
7/10/98: Guns as the solution?
7/8/98: Teacher preacher
7/6/98: The China behind the headlines
6/26/98: The Republican city
6/24/98: Poison pen
6/16/98: Senator mom?
6/12/98: Wisconsin: a trail blazer?
5/29/98: The truth about women and work
5/27/98: Romance in the '90s
5/25/98:Taxing smokers for fun and profit
5/19/98: China's friend in the White House
5/12/98: The war process?
5/8/98: Where's daddy?
5/5/98: The joys of boys
5/1/98: Republicans move on education reform
4/28/98: Reagan was right
4/24/98: The key to Pol Pot
4/21/98: The patriot's channel
4/15/98: Tax time
4/10/98: Armey states obvious, gets clobbered
4/7/98: A nation complacent?
4/1/98: Bill Clinton's African adventure
3/27/98: Understanding Arkansas
3/24/98: Jerry Springer's America
3/20/98: A small step for persecuted minorities
3/17/98: Skeletons in every closet?
3/13/98: Clinton's idea of a fine judge
3/10/98: Better than nothing?
3/6/98: Of fingernails and freedom
3/3/98: Read JWR! :0)
2/27/98: Dumb and Dumber
2/24/98: Reagan reduced poverty more than Clinton
2/20/98: Rally Round the United Nations?
2/17/98: In Denial
2/13/98: Reconsidering Theism
2/10/98: Waiting for the facts?
2/8/98: Cat got the GOP's tongue?
2/2/98: Does America care about immorality?
1/30/98: How to judge Clinton's denials
1/23/98: Bill Clinton, Acting Guilty
1/20/98: Arafat and the Holocaust Museum
1/16/98: Child Care or Feminist Agenda?
1/13/98: What We Really Think of Abortion
1/2/98: Majoring in Sex
12/30/97: The Spirit of Kwanzaa
12/16/97: Do America's Jews support Netanyahu?
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Libby Fischer Hellmann, Author
Libby Fischer Hellmann, Author . Poisoned Pen $24.95 (285p) ISBN 978-1-59058-101-8
Reviewed on: 01/12/2004
Release date: 01/01/2004
Mass Market Paperbound - 320 pages - 978-0-425-19504-8
Paperback - 470 pages - 978-1-59058-102-5
Book - 324 pages - 978-1-61595-093-5
Paperback - 285 pages - 978-1-59058-675-4
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Chicago filmmaker Ellie Foreman specializes in video documentaries, but her career has a way of sliding into harrowing murder investigations, as it does in this powerful tale, the third in the series after last year's A Picture of Guilt . Foreman's receipt of a hand-delivered, unmarked surveillance videotape, apparently showing the cold-blooded murder of a young woman, ensures she gets involved in the police hunt for the woman's killer, if only at the fringes. At the same time, Foreman is filming a documentary for wealthy mover-and-shaker Ricki Feldman, a lady in a position to throw money and opportunities Foreman's way—opportunities that have their own dangers. When the police run out of leads in the murder case, Foreman shifts into high gear and uncovers a web of deceit connected to the break-up of the Soviet Union and the ensuing chaos and crime. Hellmann is adept at welding technical information about film-making, diamond cutting and other arcane subjects to strong characters. With her somewhat disreputable past, Foreman comes across as a complex and flawed heroine, who grapples with issues as large as murder and as mundane as an overdue visit to her father. Foreman's pluck and grit married to Hellmann's solid storytelling should win a growing audience. (Feb. 19)
FYI: Berkley Prime Crime will release the mass-market edition almost simultaneously. | <urn:uuid:7949901f-ea3f-4eba-9233-9490fb782278> | http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-59058-101-8 | en | 0.896605 | 0.020683 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Republicans demand repeal of GOP health care plan
Tom Jackson
Sep 24, 2013
If you follow the latest dismal news from Washington, you know that Republicans in Congress are threatening to shut down government funding unless lawmakers go along with eliminating Obama Care. The deadline for passing a budget is Monday, Sept. 30.
Republicans so far say they are willing to shut down the government if Democrats don’t agree to defund Obama Care.
The odd thing about the standoff is that Republicans want to punish Democrats for pushing through what was essentially a Republican health care plan.
During Democrat Bill Clinton’s first term, the president and his Democratic allies in Congress tried to pass a program to provide health coverage to all Americans. The Clinton plan essentially was to require all employers to furnish health coverage, with an individual mandate to cover everyone else, and subsidies to help people who couldn’t afford the coverage.
Everyone would have been required to buy insurance from new regional health alliances. A key element of the plan was “managed competition,” i.e., there would be a standard benefits package, with insurers competing on quality and cost.
Republicans countered with their own plan, drawn up by the conservative Heritage Foundation. It would essentially have preserved the current system, but imposed an individual mandate for everyone to buy health insurance and provided subsidies to the poor.
The Romneycare plan that then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed into law in Massachusetts was very similar to the Heritage Foundation plan, and so was Obama Care, the plan that Democrats pushed through during Obama’s first term. The Obama plan, whatever you think of it, was much less radical than what many Democrats would have preferred.
Republicans, then, are trying to repeal a plan that’s very similar to what their 2012 presidential nominee back when he was a governor, and very similar to what Republicans backed during the Clinton administration.
One final bit of irony: The current leadership of the Heritage Foundation is pushing for the Obama Care repeal effort. This is a particular sore spot with conservatives who don't like Obama Care but who think shutting down the government will only hurt Republicans.
See, for example, this Wall Street Journal editorial, which complains, "These columns opposed ObamaCare before it was known by that name, and we may have even been the first to call it by that name. We also don't need any lectures about principle from the Heritage Foundation that promoted RomneyCare and the individual mandate that is part of ObamaCare. Or from cable TV pundits who sold Republicans on Mitt Romney despite RomneyCare." See also this column by James Taranto, who also thinks the defunding effort is a bad idea politically.
Re: "The odd thing about the standoff is that Republicans want to punish Democrats for pushing through what was essentially a Republican health care plan."
@ Mr. Jackson:
Reads like you picked up the Progressive rhetoric brush and joined them in painting a broad stroke.
There are a vast number of important structural and procedural differences.
For one, where are the medical tort reform provisions?
The fact remains: The ACA was essentially shoved down the throats of American citizens on partisan lines using Congressional gimmickry.
As Speaker Pelosi said on 3/9/10:
IMO, it's beginning to look more akin to:
We'll have to retch, plus have a case of diarrhea in order to find out what we ate.
The Big Dog's back
Everything you say should be prefix with IMO. (In My Opinion)
Clowntango ,
When Obamacare goes into effect , maybe you can take some affordable anger management classes .
Give it up pooh! It's the law!
Darwin's choice
Sorry, not a Law, its a tax. Pelosi said so....
Licorice Schtick
Actually, The Supreme Court said so.
Tango: it's common knowledge that the GOP proposed a universal health care plan basically the same as Obamacare, before doing a complete 180 on it after Obama proposed it. You aren't actually attempting to rewrite history again, are you? C'mon man, you're embarrassing yourself...
Re: "it's common knowledge that the GOP proposed a universal health care plan basically the same as Obamacare,"
Regardless, using a similar argument: Dems used to be anti-communist, now they wholly embrace the tenets of Marxism.
Besides, I wish to be ruled by neither of the political crime organizations.
Licorice Schtick
Contango can't make a better case for much of any of his extreme views, so he resorts to the ridiculousness position of calling everything he doesn't like, "communism."
Re: "the ridiculousness position of calling everything he doesn't like, 'communism.'"
But, tell me EXACTLY how these programs don't smack of Marxism?
With which of the ten planks of the Communist Manifesto do you disagree and why?
(Scoll about halfway down)
Why am I now reading that union leaders, who traditionally encourage their members to vote for Democrats, are now calling for getting rid of Obamacare since they seem to feel it is a bad idea?
It's just Republican propaganda to scare,confuse , and discourage America.
Darwin's choice
Speaking of BS...
Obama fakes, what a surprise! probably voted for him too!
Republicans are liars and fear mongers.
So is Darwin's choice your real name or a made up screen name?
Turn the channel bayshore!
2cents's picture
Spoken like Chicago land politics, take him out to the shed Vinnie!
Re: "take him out to the shed Vinnie!"
"Leave the gun, take the cannoli."
Big game tonite GO TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And these idiots wonder why people don't want to buy this garbage paper?
Like this comment!!!!
Dr. Information
I stopped buying it throughout the week. Its become a haven for liberal propaganda. How many more "Obamacare" articles do we really need to have. Why buy when you can get online and read it for free.
Mr. Jackson, IIRC the plan the Heritage Foundation came up with and was brought before the congress as S.1743, H.R. 3698, was under 100 pages long. Obamacare was well over 2200 pages long. If you wish to compare the two it would seem hard to believe they are basically the same. It would mean that the House hung over 2000 pages of meaningless crap ( well over 20 times what the bill from 93-94 was) onto a plan just to pass crap that wouldn't stand on its own merit. Adding 2000+ pages in 15 years seems rather excessive when some (including yourself) claim the bills are almost the same. I did read the Heritage plan, as it was more of an outline, and did read the bill from 93-94 that I referenced above,.. but didn't read the monstrosity of over 2200 pages that is misnamed ACA. I have also read that with all the needed regulations and procedures needed to fulfill the ACA takes nearly 16,000 pages, and it isn't all written... still, after 3 years since it passed.
Can you explain how it now takes over 20 times the pages to do "basically" the "same" things the ACA does? Just curious as to how you would attempt to do so. Let me get a tall glass of ice, some bourbon and a LONG cigar so I can have something to keep my mind on what your answer will cover. Should be an interesting read.
Darwin's choice
Mr. Jackson guilty of selective journalism? Say it ain't so....
The Big Dog's back
pooh, our Constitution was written on 6 pages. How many pages have been written on it's interpretation?
The Bush bank bail-out was how many pages? We all really like it's results (sarcasm).
Re: "The Bush bank bail-out was how many pages?"
Off-topic, however:
TARP was originally defeated by the Repubs, until Speaker Pelosi begged 'em to vote for it.
It was passed OVERWHELMINGLY by the Dems.
Unfortunately without TARP, Main St. woulda be the worst for it.
Dr. Information
Thanks for the insight Contango. It seems as though once again you right the ship with facts.
Darwin's choice
Ahhh, the three amigo's are cheerleading again...still...and again, there's nothing of substance, just attacking the subject, and anyone who doesn't blindly follow der leader like they do...!
No Dagwood, sometimes the spinach doesn't work and you lose! You lose!!!!!!!!!!
Darwin's choice
Now, poser, try to stay on track. There's no "race" baiting for you here..
You're a jackazz to even mention the word.
Darwin's choice
azzhat! You'll never learn!
You've got nothing to teach.
You've got nothing but Republican Kool-Aid.
Darwin's choice
Here's Clinton telling Obama his plan won't work..
It will work, that's what the lying Republicans are afraid of.
2cents's picture
Others thought the same thing!
Ahhh, some Republican Kool-Aid , drink it heartily.
there must be something wrong with you if you believe Obama is Hitler.
2cents's picture
You disappoint me , 2cents , I thought you were smarter than that.
Licorice Schtick
Licorice Schtick
By my math, there was less than 5% that was what Heritage and the bill I referenced earlier that might be basically the same. Leaving 95% + that is different, or crap that was hung onto a bill that would not stand on its own. If there is 95% of a bill that I don't agree with I am not surprised that the bill had no votes from repubes. The more that comes out about what is actually in the bill... the more folks, like many of the unions, want either expemptions like congress and their minions got, and the unions which want subsidies to pay for their end of it. The unions are rebaslling and are NOT happy at all. The longshoreman have revolted and I expect more will follow.
The Hero Zone's picture
The Hero Zone
This act by the Republicans would carry more credibility if there was a replacement waiting to take its place after defunding/revocation. Wanting to just stop it is as asinine as Pelosi wanting to pass it to see what'll happen. But, we have a law that even many leaders haven't a clue how it will play out (and are exempt from if I remember correctly?) that isn't turning out to be how it was sold, parliamentary tricks aside. I'm just as afraid of Republicans getting full power over legislature and the presidency as I am Democrats because this exact kind of stuff is shoved through as party pet projects wait in the wings.
For as many on the left who think the antics of the Republicans will swell the electorate with Democrats, I am not so certain that is the case. I have no comment for the Republicans as they already have arguing going on in their party. Independents are just as powerful and compelling a choice and we may very well see flight from both major parties as Americans are quickly getting fed up with the awkward and draining Thanksgiving dinner table bickering between Mommy Left and Daddy Right.
I also don't buy the "but it was based on...". Yeah. Crack is based on cocaine so clearly it isn't any worse of a drug. Opiates are based on the same plant that beneficial drugs like morphine are made from so clearly there is no harm in them. Nor has there been any societal, economic, nor technological changes since 20ish years ago. Or, perhaps to many as a severe blow, many movies are "based on" real events or other source material yet end up a steaming pile of...rotten tomatoes.
I agree with aspects of the ACA, but overall there is more confusion, cost, and ambiguity in this hastily-passed law than there is good. Especially because something so massive was passed so quickly along strictly partisan lines that featured all kinds of eyebrow raising asides like the "Cornhusker Kickback" and that trip Dennis Kucinich took on Air Force One that convinced him to go along with the plan.
If it was such a good law, there should have been NO NEED to connive, wheedle, and hastily pass something many knew (nor currently know) much about. Or, it could have been implemented in segments so that the good portions could be preserved while discarding the bad before they become tragic circumstances for individuals or massive budgetary cement shoes.
Also, while details weren't given, it was announced last Sandusky City Commission meeting that the city is going to be paying 25% more in health care premiums to its workers for what I imagine is the same plan. Is there a relation? I don't know. Probably? What would it have been otherwise if the ACA wasn't passed? I don't know. But it may be worth considering.
I don't think that many people read your large comments or anyone else's large comments.
The Hero Zone's picture
The Hero Zone
This could very well be true. A wall of text can be just that at times. I struggle with it because I want to make sure I am putting complete ideas out there instead of just going "this is good/bad" and leaving it at that. I haven't found that kind of happy medium yet. But, if you read my large comment, then thank you.
I tend to skip over the one liners that are simply name calling or rehashing whichever party line in one line "sound bites" they heard somewhere else. Those who take the time and consideration to state their thoughts and flesh out their positions usually have something worthwhile reading and responding to.
True. I stopped for this reason. All media outlets have found that the public has a short attention span and will not work to understand issues in depth.
The Big Dog's back
Correct eriemom.
Here is one that you haven't heard of, since the media, and most folks who follow the story on repealing of the ACA have only focused on what is happening on the ACA, not any competing bill, since the ACA passed, and face it new bills by the GOP that would replace the ACA would be pushed aside as sour grapes since the ACA passed and the SC deemed it OK as a "tax".
Both stories are of the same proposal, it isn't a bill yet as it hasn't been brought to congress yet.
"Wanting to just stop it is as asinine as Pelosi wanting to pass it to see what'll happen."
Don't really agree with this. I had no problem with my oldhealth care insurance, as my wife is a pharmacist for a large nursing home and rehab corporation, and our insurance is pretty good. Our insurance covered most of what we needed and we got a policy on the side to cover catastrophic care with a high deductible for cheap. That policy will not be available anymore since it doesn't fit what the ACA wants. Since it doesn't qualify the insurance company won't get enough who want it to keep offering it, or so the insurance company tells us.
Since I was happy with what we had, why would I want to replace it with something else? I expect many others feel the same, we are happy with our plan and our present doctors. That was one reason obama promised that we could keep what we have if we were happy with it, now we know the truth of that statement is rather lacking. Sorry but when something is not broken I don't tend to wish to "fix" it. It worked for me and many others. Maybe that is why there are few replacements around. If you wish to take a few parts of the ACA and put them in a separate bill, you might just get something that many would back.
It doesn't need a 2200 page bill to fix what was wrong with health care to begin with, A couple bills including a few things would be enough.
"The resolution condemned the health care law as "highly disruptive" to union benefits."
Terry O’Sullivan of the Laborers International Union of North America "needs to be changed and fixed now."
"Union leaders are concerned that without additional subsidies..."
Leaving the White House after the Friday meeting Trumka appeared disappointed when he said to the press core "We're continuing to work on problem solving."
So basement dwellers, without SUBSIDIES from the rest of us taxpayers, Obamacare will be "highly disruptive" to your health insurance? This just brings a HUGE smile to my face. You tools voted that moron into office, along with that vote you shall suffer the consequences.
Get used to being disappointed Trumka. It is about time you got a taste of your own medicine.
How's that 5% dues deduction working for you now?
Darwin's choice
^^ like ^^ !
What I find hilarious is Bayshore brought this up on the previous page. 4shizzle and deertracker automatically claimed it as propaganda from the Republicans or Fox News. So I quoted a union labor group, and all of a sudden they are silent.
I fail to see how someone can chug so much kool-aid that they cannot comprehend the truth. Obamacare is bad for all parties concerned. Many saw this when it was rammed through Congress. Even more after the details came out on implementation.
Make sure you pull the blinders on good and tight 4shizzle and deertracker. Only see and believe what your messiah tells you to. And never ever form an opinion or research a subject on your own. The Left loves minions. Keep up the good work.
The vast majority of Americans are financially illiterate.
According to a recent poll, 73% of Americans had no idea what Quantitative Easing was.
And now, many of these same people will be expected to navigate the new health care laws and plans on the insurance exchanges?
Good luck with that debacle!
The New World Czar
Why not retitle the article "Conservatives demand repeal of Clinton/moderate-GOP health care plan"?
The WSJ opinion is what favors the corporate-set (both political parties) and not that of the individual taxpayer.
McCain/Graham/McConnell, Rachel Maddow, and Piers Morgan are all up in arms over Ted Cruz and company right now...and this may be the roto-rooting needed over said RINOs.
"Ooooh, this is great!"- Kent "Flounder" Dorfman
Good points!
Why is health ins. in the U.S. largely provided through employers? Because of FDR's wage and price controls.
Damn those unintended consequences!
H*ll, at least having individuals buy their own ins. is a step in the right direction, but that's about the ONLY positive that I can see in Obama☭are.
Employers might as well be required to provide, grocery, auto, life and property ins.
FDR was a wise man , you're not.
4shizzle, I don't know if Contango is a man or woman, but I find what he/she writes as mostly thought-provoking, intelligent and well-reasoned. Mostly, because like almost every person who posts, including yours truly, each of sometimes shows our frustration in what we submit, and some of us more often than others.
The Big Dog's back
I was thinking all pooh posts are off topic hit pieces. But some people are easily impressed.
Well, OSUBuckeye59,
You admire him--- I don't.
There are differences between collecting facts, intelligence , wisdom , and bullsh*t.
Dr. Information
It seems as though all you spew is BS non fact based opinion and it shows that you have a really hard time with Contango and his credible sites he almost always links when he posts.
Not everything on the internet is true, however all the sites he posts links to are very reliable and fact given sites. Do you homework and quit the name calling.
You have a man-crush on Contango.
Awww, aint that sweet.
Love is blind and Contango is full of crap and so are you.
Great! While we are at it let's get rid of Social Security & Medicaid too! No government $$$ whatsoever.
Wait a few years, and since they are both already going broke, your wish will soon happen. That is what happens when they write bills that are financally nonviable, and then add more who can take assets out while not finding more input. A scheme that wasn't viable and then accelerating.
If I remember correctly, and I think I do ,I remember George W. Bush saying that HE was going to collect his Social Security when the time came.
Re: "George W. Bush saying that HE was going to collect his Social Security,
The difference is between "earned" and "unearned" entitlement programs.
If Republicans are so against Social Security , why do they collect it ?
Do you collect yours , Contango ?
Re: "why do they collect it ?"
Do rich Dems collect theirs?
So if someone took money from you forcibly, you wouldn't want it back?
Not currently collecting SS or Medicare.
Not eligible age yet for Medicare ?
Re: "Not"
Nor SS.
Again: So if someone took money from you forcibly, you wouldn't want it back?
Well, you will.
Re: "Well, you will and you will like it , won't you ?"
Damn right.
However, rather have it all back in a lump sum. I can do better in the Mkt.
I'll even take it without interest - my "charitable" contribution.
Too bad for all the 25 yr olds that are gonna get majorly (bleeped) by the Ponzi scheme though - whether I take it or not.
yeah, I changed it.
I thought you were older.
If you can be believed.
Re: "If you can be believed."
Why would I lie?
You won't answer but:
So are you collecting SS or Medicare?
Nope on both counts.
Re: "Nope"
Well, if we're gonna practice truthfulness:
The major source of my income is from personal self-directed investments - yours?
The same = personal self-directed investments.
Re: "The same,"
Guess that any semblance of "truthfulness" came to a screeching halt eh?
Back to your point:
And when eligible you'll be collecting your SS and Medicare right?
1. What do you mean?
2. Yep.
Re: "1. What do you mean?"
"The same = personal self-directed investments."
So who is doin' the personal directing - YOU? And I should believe this why?
You've given little indication of any financial acuity.
Dr. Information
There is no way 4 shizzle is making his pay from either the stock market, owning a business or home rentals. This poster has spoken out against all three plenty of times and uses such foul language to attack anyone else that doesn't agree with them. I call Bullspit on this.
@Dr. Information
This poster has spoken out against all three plenty of times-
................Not to my knowledge.
.............Not me and besides , isn't that one of the rules in this pissing contest ?
ObamaCare starts pretty soon - maybe now you can get the affordable psychiatric help that you've always dreamed of.
Dr. Information
Thanks for proving my point on the name calling. You just can't help yourself. I actually feel sorry for you.
I feel sorry for you too but now you can get affordable psychiatric help.
Is boasting about what I've got and what I've done an indication of financial acuity ?
I'm not trying to portray somebody I'm not.
I answered the question as I understood it.
Re: "financial acuity,"
Then I eagerly await your 'sage' Mkt. observations in the next "Future Files" et. al. :)
BTW, back to your original point:
If you're as independently wealthy as you claim, why will you choose to take your SS and Medicare? How does that not run counter to your Progressive sensibilities?
If Bush is going to collect his SS , why shouldn't I ?
Re: "Bush,"
Your previous quote:
"If Republicans are so against Social Security , why do they collect it ?"
So if you're FOR SS, you should collect it, but if you are against it you shouldn't?
What's the difference?
Third time:
So if someone took money from you forcibly (and you didn't agree with their methods), you shouldn't want it back?
BUT, if you enjoyed being robbed, you should want it back?
Your choice of words gives you away.
I paid into it, I'd like to have it.
Why do you hate America ?
Re: "Your choice of words gives you away."
Good to see that you once again, "answered the question as I understood it." :)
Have a nice day 4sh*t.
You are still a loser with all your financial acuity , Cuntango.
Dr. Information
More name calling. Having a fit today with facts are we?
No, Miss Information, are you ?
The Big Dog's back
pooh, shouldn't you disclose that check you get from the koch's?
"'Family glitch' in health law could be painful".."WASHINGTON — A so-called "family glitch" in the 2010 health care law threatens to cost some families thousands of dollars in health insurance costs and leave up to 500,000 children without coverage, insurance and health care analysts say.."....(usatoday 9-23-2013)..
Well what did they expect using the democrap theory of "passing it now and reading it later". My hope is that this burns all of the democraps that need this coverage and then we can listen to them whine about how they are getting screwed!
Mr. Jackson, whatever your personal beliefs (they are, by the way, all too clear here), it would behoove you to at least not publish lies based on either ignorance or propaganda.
Have you READ the ACA? Have you READ the Heritage proposal? From what you've written, the answer is pretty clearly "no" to both. What DID you read, an "analysis" by The Huffington Post?
IMO, some provision to have national catastrophic ins. plans (high deductible) with an accompanying health savings account is worthy of a discussion.
Shizz-ah ....take that as a yes from the heavy drinker.
Ha ha
The latest news. Just informed that Fed-Ex employees are losing the 100% Health Care that they have received for years. The Corporation informed them that they would no longer provide 100% coverage when the Bill takes effect. Just wait until all the local unions discover what the Health Care costs are really going to cost. A whole lot more money and a whole lot less coverage. Can't you people see that the way government has expanded, somebody has to pay? Homeland Security, Border Patrol, Millions more on welfare, 40,000 new IRS employees, 12 million illegals.
Tom Jackson,
You showed "Tunnel Vision" while writing this article. I'd make a small wager that you did very little if any research on the contents of O'Bama Care. If you did you should have wrote that it is much more complex than Health care. You failed to write the many, many taxes that are contained in the Bill.
I remember you supporting Marcy Kaptur at the Cafe on Columbus Ave. I read todays article on Her and Browns support of Veterans. She is a liar and I've told her office over the phone and would tell Her "Politely" to Her face. I received a call from a Iraq veterans Mother Monday and She received no Help from Marcy Kaptur's office. Really difficult, two phone calls and everything is taken care. Brown always says He supports my DAV Chapter in Lorain. Yeah they support us, Votes his self a $9500.00 raise and froze Veterans and Social Security raises. You give Me one person in government that I should trust, it sure isn't Dennis Mrray, Chris Redfern, Or the late Mark Waggoner, Marcy Kaptur, Sherrod Brown, or Dennis Kucinich. Yes, I worked opposite "Dennis the Menace" in the 80's. You are better People than any of these and I ask you, don't defend them.
............I assume these are all Democrats.
" You give Me one person in government that I should trust,"
.............Does this go for Republicans too ?
Do you trust any Republicans?
Dr. Information
Lets not forget all the pork shoved into the bill. More taxes paid on a house sale in a struggling market. The complete takeover of the student financial aid process (next big bubble to break). The list goes on and on.
Dr. Information
Do not think Pelosi is crazy? This is what she just said on CNN.
During an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” host Candy Crowley read Pelosi part of a letter signed by union goon James Hoffa Jr. that described Obamacare’s impact on employers as a way to “destroy the foundation of the 40-hour work week.”
nancypelosi“That’s pretty tough from a loyal Democratic constituency,” said Crowley, sometimes considered a pretty loyal Democratic constituency herself.
Pelosi was unfazed.
“Overwhelmingly, for the American people, this is a liberation,” the San Francisco millionaire said dreamily, possibly confusing “the American people” who have to make a living with her fellow guests at George Soros’s wedding Saturday in New York.
Actually, it’s about time she hung it up.
Re: During an interview,"
Click, whirl and spew the vapid phrases.
The woman is a vacuous-headed political automaton.
AJ Oliver
And the conservative plan to fix our broken health care system ??
(hiorribly expensive and ranks 37th in the world, with tens of millions not covered)
. . . waiting . . waiting . .
sound of crickets . . .
Re: "hiorribly (sp) expensive and ranks 37th in the world"
Based on who's stats and rating system?
Again: I once heard that three things cause 70% of health issues in the U.S.:
Smoking &
Lack of Exercise.
Until those are under control, no amount of Progressive central planning health care monkeying will fix the issue.
Also, 50% of health care spending is due to 5% of the population.
These are the people with acute medical issues.
Seems like a good place to look for improvement eh?
You're hearing crickets? Any other sounds or voices? Ya might wanna get that checked out.
Tom Jackson
Hi Contango, Grumpy, thanks for posting.
Yes, I painted with a "broad stroke" in a not terribly long blog post, but it's important to bear in mind what I actually wrote.
I wrote that ObamaCare is "essentially" the same as the Heritage plan, not that it was identical to it, and I spelled out what those "essentials" are: Keeping much of the current system in place, providing subsidies and imposing an individual mandate. I took no position on the merits of Obama Care, but I think it's a fair point that it closely resembles what the Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, signed into law in Massachusetts. If Obama Care is so loathsome, why did you guys nominate Romney?
ha ha
@ Mr. Jackson:
Thanks for the nod!
With all do respect, the term ‘still’ reads like equivocation.
"you guys nominate Romney,"?
ANOTHER broad stroke. In presidential elections, I've voted Libertarian since '92.
As I've written: I think that some form of catastrophic coverage (high deductible with a stop-loss), so individuals don't go bankrupt along with some form of health savings account to help pay for the first dollar expenses would be worthy of a discussion.
Mandates are an anathema to we freedom-loving free-marketers.
"..we freedom-loving free-marketers."
.....................Gotta have rules and regulations.
Re: "Gotta have rules and regulations."
Not disagreeing.
To use a sports analogy:
The govt. needs to act as the referee and let the players and coaches PLAY THE GAME.
we can debate this here over and over, however, the Supreme Court has ruled that ObamaCare is the law of the land. Talk of defunding it is just talk at this point because of the Supreme Court ruling I would think. Going back and forth by Republican and Democrat is nothing more than a "reason" to stay away from the real problem, dealing with the government budgets which should have been done long ago.
Until this Senate and House get busy and fix this country, we will continue to see things such as this. Little fights and small wars over nothing, while the big issues lay fallow. It has to stop or this country will end up with nothing.
Someone needs to be the bigger person and start the cooperation of bigger minds. If they can't do that we are surely doomed for the next three years and perhaps beyond. What a waste.
Ned Mandingo
bobama care is not a law or a tax. Its a corporate scam of epic proportions! Unless you are a jobless looser looking for another free handout, then its great. For people with good jobs or small business owners its a serious attack on their way of life.
This is nothing but a "dog and pony show" for the GOP. Romney, Bachman, Santorum, etc. all said they would repeal Obamacare if elected. Well they ""ALL LOST" The mostly conservative Supreme Court ruled in Obamacare's favor. Ted Cruz and the GOP are wasting time and taxpayer's money. They will oppose everything this President does even if it hurts the country.
Re: "They will oppose everything this President does even if it hurts the country."
And the counterintuitive point:
Pres. Obama will do as much as he can in order to FORCE his ideologically wrongheaded agenda, "even if it hurts (and divides) the country."
The Big Dog's back
Earth to pooh, the country was long divided before Obama.
Re: "country was long divided before Obama,"
True. But his political browbeating continuous campaign style and his coercive Progressive agenda has raised the tenor.
"Senator Says Politics Have Reached Civil War Levels":
Back to topic:
Since you're a big proponent and cheerleader for Obama☭are; third request:
So your health care benefits are provided how?
The Big Dog's back
Me and my employer.
Re: "my employer"
Your "employer" PROVIDES them - not YOU.
So, in other words: "Affordable" INDIVIDUAL health care plans & premiums on the exchanges are good for others, but NOT for you.
Is your employer a public or a private entity?
The Big Dog's back
My employer facilitates healthcare. We the workers pay for it. I know you can figure that out, but if not ......
Re: "We the workers pay for it"
100%? No employer subsidy?
Again: Public or private?
I brokered and sold group life & A&H ins. Also worked for an HMO. I've forgotten more than you'll ever know.
The Big Dog's back
Employer subsidy in place of wage increases.
Re: "Employer subsidy in place of wage increases."
Of course, better deductibility. Still money in the worker's pocket.
IMO, employer provided health care should be a taxable benefit to the employee. It would help level the playing field.
Why should individuals who buy it on the exchanges have to pay with after-tax dollars?
Third request: Public or private? Do you not understand the question?
AJ Oliver
Hey Tom Jackson -Nothing good can come from engaging with folks who lack the courage to post under their own names. All you get are ad hominum attacks, name calling and gibberish - kinda like Jr. High. Some of the stuff on the SR blog borders on cyber-stalking. Is the Register really OK with that?
Re: "folks who lack the courage to post under their own names."
It remains a weak argument presented by those who cannot intellectually articulate and factually support their positions in the forum as structured.
Yea, your previous "crickets" comment was 'real' mature. :)
Pot, kettle, black.
Dr. Information
Its the Sandusky register. Why do you think some of these liberal clowns rarely post on the NR anymore? Because they actually make an attempt to moderate it and ban people. The name calling shows the maturity and intelligence level of these posters.
Im still waiting for some moderation on this site. They have all these rules set in place but nobody moderates them. Hell, let me do it. I'll do it for free SR.
Like many of us continue to post, read and digest! Yes my post was over-loaded with Democrats which surely, in this case, was not my point but Mark Waggoner is a Republican. I am a registered Democrat until the next Primary, and I voted against O,Bama in both Primaries and in the General election. I feel sometimes it's more important to vote against a candidate than for one. This was My "OPINION" when I voted, anyone but Barack, even Hillary at the time. It din't have to be Hillary or Sarah Palin. I would have settled for Martha Stewart.
@ The Big Dog's back:
Here's an idea for you and the others that think that Obama☭are is such great sh*t:
Suggest to your employer to just cut you a check like Walgreen's, Trader Joe's and others are in the stages of doing for their employees and go buy your OWN insurance on the exchanges.
Buy the cheapest plan and hopefully pocket any left over bucks!
"As A Result Of Obamacare, Employer-Based Health Insurance Is Becoming Extinct":
Like excessive govt. regulation led to the demise of the traditional defined benefit pension plan and brought about the defined contribution 401(k) type plans in the private sector, Obama☭are is DESTROYING the employer sponsored health ins. system.
The Big Dog's back
Aaaaaa, I really wanted single payer.
Re: "single payer"
The Progressives had to design a private payer system that was destine to fail, blame it on the free market and then "ride to the rescue" with socialized medicine.
The Progressives don't care how much pain, misery and confusion that they cause in the process, because they're ruthless power hungry Machiavellians - the ends justifies the means.
"Atlas Shrugged":
@ Doggie:
So your idea is: Scr*w the "little people" on the exchanges, I've got MINE through my employer?
Fourth request for an answer:
Is your employer a public or a private entity?
Do you not understand the question and need clarification?
The Big Dog's back
The "little people"? By the way NOYB.
Re: "By the way NOYB."
Afraid to answer eh?
Since you're a cheerleader for Obama☭are, gotta figure that you're somewhat sheltered from this abortion of a program - scr*w everyone else eh?
Public or private doggie?
Ned Mandingo
It looks like the entitlement people won. Free healthcare, food stamps, child care, schooling, ect. Congratulation Obama you created a whole culture of losers with no ambition to accomplish anything for themselves.
The only question is what will these people do when the handouts dry up?
Daily Beast: 'Journalists Don't Retire, They Just Join the Obama ... › Blogs › Ken Shepherd's blog
Sep 13, 2013 - Looks like even in Sandusky the bias is there. | <urn:uuid:9d60f8ef-a2d9-4f70-b183-5652c6c90a84> | http://www.sanduskyregister.com/blog/blog-jackson-street-beat/4689006?page=4&topcomments= | en | 0.9637 | 0.055964 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
UPI en Espanol
The Almanac
By United Press International | Dec. 19, 2001 at 4:45 AM
Today is Wednesday, Dec. 19, the 353rd day of 2001 with 12 to follow.
The moon is waxing, moving toward its first quarter.
The morning star is Jupiter.
The evening stars are Mars and Saturn.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Sagittarius. They include women's suffrage leader Mary Livermore in 1820; novelist Eleanor Porter ("Pollyanna") in 1868; actor Ralph Richardson in 1902; Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in 1906; French dramatist Jean Genet, a pioneer in the theater of the absurd, in 1910; and actors Cicely Tyson in 1933 (age 68), Tim Reid in 1944 (age 57), Robert Urich in 1946 (age 55), Jennifer Beals in 1963 (age 38) and Alyssa Milano in 1972 (age 29).
On this date in history:
In 1777, Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army began a winter encampment at Valley Forge, Pa.
In 1958, the U.S. satellite Atlas transmitted the first radio voice broadcast from space, a 58-word recorded Christmas greeting from President Eisenhower.
In 1972, the splashdown of Apollo XVII ended America's manned moon exploration program.
In 1984, the United States formally withdrew from UNESCO in a effort to force reform of the U.N. cultural organization's budget and alleged Third World bias.
Also in 1984, the prime ministers of Britain and China signed an accord, returning Hong Kong to China in 1997.
In 1986, Attorney General Edwin Meese said President Reagan did NOT know that money Iran paid for U.S. arms was going to Nicaraguan rebels.
In 1990, a judge in Oshkosh, Wis., dismissed the case against a man convicted of sex assault against a woman with at least 46 personalities.
In 1991, the Bank of Credit and Commerce International agreed to plead guilty to federal racketeering charges, forfeiting $550 million.
In 1996, O.J. Simpson was called to the witness stand in his civil trial for damages in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
In 1997, the motion picture "Titanic" opened in U.S. theaters to generally favorable reviews.
In 1998, President Clinton became only the second U.S. president to be impeached when the House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment, charging him with perjury and obstruction of justice. The allegations stemmed from the actions he took to conceal his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
Also in 1998, House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston, R-La, announced he would not be a candidate and would be leaving Congress. Two days earlier, Livingston admitted he'd had extra-marital affairs "on occasion."
A thought for the day: George Bernard Shaw said, "There are no secrets better kept that the secrets that everybody guesses."
| <urn:uuid:2a66e772-6c85-49c9-afee-41157c61b1b3> | http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2001/12/19/The-Almanac/UPI-21211008755100/ | en | 0.927676 | 0.022003 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
A/N: First off this is my first fanfic ever so please be gentle with your reviews lol. But whether you love it or hate it let me know even flame it I don't care I can take it. I'd like to know if I'm a terrible author or if I'm good. And second, I challenged my cousin Fireless Fly to a contest of who could write a better fic, so when you review, and please review, Add a score of 1-5 of how good you think it was.
I don't own the Harry Potter universe... Just the plot and couple of OC's I make. In my opinion these disclaimers are unnecessary... If I owned Harry Potter... I wouldn't be posting on I would be publishing it and making tons of money. Oh well on with the story.
Chapter 1: Disappointing Appointments
Three men stood side by side in the morning sun, a light breeze tugging at their school robes. The tallest of them, standing in the middle, looked around and ran a hand through his messy black hair. He saw children and parents scurrying about pushing trolleys, carrying massive trunks to the train, hugging and kissing each other goodbye.
"Think mates," he said his hazel eyes lingering on the huge scarlet train, and the people milling about quickly boarding it. "This is the last time were gonna be here."
"Yup," the boy to his right said, his gray eyes settling on his best friend. "Don't worry Prongs old boy. This year will be the best one yet, one to remember forever." He clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder as he brushed his black hair out of his eyes.
The other boy grinned to himself, his blue eyes lighting up, "Yea guys, just think of how busy were gonna be. Prefect duties, Quiddich, and the NEWT level classes you get to take. You two just better hope I take good notes."
James turned to him and began messing up his light brown hair much to his protest. "Please Moony. We all know you will take incredible notes regardless." Moony smiled but did not respond. "As for you," he added looking to his right. "I have no idea how you managed a prefect position. You've outdone yourself Padfoot."
"Oh that's rich coming from: Head Boy James Potter." Sirius shot back. "Sides, it would seem as if I got an excellent recommendation to Dumbledore from last years Head Girl." He added with a sly grin, a nostalgic look in his eyes.
Remus rolled his eyes and laughed. "Let's get on the train. All prefects need to be in a meeting soon and we don't want to be late." He said a bit nervously gripping the handle of his trolley which held his enormous school trunk.
"Relax Lupin," James began. "Pete's not even here yet." He then added with a mischievous glance. "And I doubt the head boy is gonna start the meeting without us." Remus rolled his eyes again and Sirius erupted into laughter.
"Eh well, let's get on anyway before all the good compartments get nabbed up by the firsties." Sirius said as his laughter died down. "I don't wanna end up stuck next to the Slytherins and I'm sure Wormtail can find us." With that they nodded in agreement and began their final walk to the Hogwarts Express.
Lily Evans was sitting in the prefect's compartment reading her textbook for NEWT level potions. Her long red hair fell down her back and off her shoulders. She was paying no attention to the people around her as prefects trickled in taking their seats. She had been so excited when she got her head girl letter from Dumbledore. Ever since then she had been looking forward to the start of term intensely. She had to wait all summer to find out who the head boy would be. 'Probably Remus,' she thought as she read. 'He's smart. Well smart, other than his choice of friends that is.' Why he was friends with that fool Potter and that prat Black was one question she could never seem to answer. She finally looked up to see just those three. James grinned at her with his usual half smile as he ran a hand through his hair yet again.
"Hey there Evans," he said smoothly. "Keep reading. Don't let us disturb you." He smiled again and took a seat across from her.
"Yea Evans, keep on reading so Jamesey here can watch your eyes some more." This earned Sirius a punch from James.
"How did you put it?" Lupin mused aloud. "The way those beautiful green eyes dart back and forth across the pages" He finished quoting by heaving a sigh as he looked off into space grinning. He was quickly brought back by another punch from James who still only smirked at Lily. She looked down at her book quickly hoping the hair that fell in her face would help hide her slight blush.
"What are you two doing here anyway?" She questioned pointing at James and Sirius after regaining her composure. "This is the prefect's compartment." Sirius broke into a sadistic grin and proudly held up his prefect's letter to Lily. Her Eyes widened in shock and her mouth fell open. "But... How... Why..." She started to stammer in shock while Sirius fought to keep from laughing. "Oh no, not you too," she moaned looking at James.
"Of course not Evans," He grinned allowing for a moment of relief to wash over her. "Dumbledore would never make me a prefect." What she saw next nearly caused her to faint. "He did me one better," James added grinning as much as Sirius as he held up his letter for a stunned Lily to read. She stared in shock at the words tearing the letter away from him. 'It is my pleasure to inform you, Mr. Potter that you have been chosen as Head Boy for this coming school year.' She read the words and was looking at Dumbledore's signature over and over again. 'Nooo!' She screamed in her mind. 'This school year was supposed to be perfect. Now I'm going to be constantly plagued by these fools!'
"What's wrong Evans?" James asked. "You look like your about to cry. And we do have a meeting to conduct here."
Lily's emerald eyes flashed daggers at James. "I don't know what Dumbledore is playing at making you head boy. But you better behave yourself and act like a head boy!" she nearly shouted at him standing up and calling attention for the prefect meeting to begin.
Lily took lead of the meeting going over procedures for patrols, scheduling, and other duties that would be preformed. When she was done James stood up leafing through papers from a packet left for them by Dumbledore which he began talking about before Lily could snatch them up and continue the one sided meeting. James began listing items that were forbidden in the castle by Filch. As he read them Sirius periodically let out disappointed moans as several of his favorite items were banned from the castle. Lily crossed her arms upset that James was actually performing his duties giving her nothing to yell at him about. The meeting didn't last long and the prefects were dismissed from the meeting and they all went back to their own compartments on the train.
As soon as the meeting ended and everyone began to leave Lily stormed out of the compartment and back to her own to meet up with her friends, while James, Lupin, and Sirius met up with Peter in a compartment of their own.
Lily sat between her friends with her head in her hands while her friends consoled her. "I can't believe I'm going to be dealing with him all year now," Lily whined.
"Now Lily it's not that bad," one of the girls told her. She had long blond hair that came almost to her waist and had ice blue eyes. "Any girl at Hogwarts would die to spend all year with James Potter."
Lily gave her a look of disgust. "You mean spend a year with an immature git. Oh boy Jenny, I can barely contain myself." She laid the sarcasm on thickly.
"Oh come on Lil. He's not that bad, and everyone knows he fancies you," said the girl who was half paying attention half reading. She tucked a stray piece of lavender hair behind her ear and peeked her shockingly pink Asian eyes over the top of her book, a popular romance novel. "Plus you can get him to introduce us to his friends." She added with an unseen grin.
"Yumi, everyone in school knows Black, and Lupin. Those two and Potter are the most popular guys in school, and Black had dated just about every woman enrolled here. And he doesn't fancy me. It's just him trying to satisfy his over inflated ego. Plus you already know them." Lily declared exasperatedly.
"Yea," She started as she became reabsorbed into her book. "But we could get to know them better now."
Lily looked out the window and saw rain pouring down. 'That's fitting' she thought to herself. Suddenly a whistle blew announcing their arrival at the station and the train began to slow. "This is going to be an interesting year," she muttered grimly.
The doors of the train opened and people poured out running for cover from the driving rain. As the Marauders stepped out onto the platform each of them but James began to run as well. James stood in the rain and stretched his arms out and looked up. Sirius noticed him and slowed. "Hey Prongs what are you doin? Let's go mate I'm freezin here."
James didn't respond and just kept staring into the heavens as rain splashed off his glasses. Thoughts of Lily raced through his mind as the rain drenched him. "This is going to be an interesting year," he whispered to himself smiling broadly.
A/N: And that's chapter 1. Please R&R. Thanks. (Edited to fix spelling Lilly to Lily and fixed Slytherin. Got many many reviews on those) | <urn:uuid:cb9effec-1a55-4a5a-9f0f-c30286ebbe28> | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3253183/1/The-Marauders-Last-Stand | en | 0.990182 | 0.048558 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Every day after school for the past few weeks I would stand in front of that house trying to work up the courage to go back inside. I'm still very curious about who that boy is. Sometimes I feel like he's in there just waiting for me to go back inside. Or at least that's what I want to believe.
Vivian asks every day if I've been back but the answer is always the same; No. "Kisa, I can't walk with you after school today," Vivian said to me while we stood at our lockers. "Why not?" It was unusual for her to say something like this.
"Well, you know that boy Derek I was telling you about?" I knew him. He's not the best looking boy in the world, but he sure is nice. "Yeah?"
Vivian smiled wide. "Well we're hanging out after school. Well actually, it's for a project but I consider It hanging out!" I smiled with her. I knew she liked him!
"Okay, I'll walk home alone today."
. . .
The rain picked up when I was halfway home. When I stepped out of the school earlier it had only been sprinkling slightly.
Unfortunately for me, I left my umbrella at home. I held my school bag over my head and sprinted up the street. I think I misjudged a puddle because the next thing I knew, I was on the ground covered in water and my bag landed in someone's yard.
I glanced down at my stockings. There was a hole in the knee and sharp pain shot up my leg when I moved it. By now my hair was soaked and my clothes were sticking to me. I stood at walked over to my bag.
When I picked it up, I realized I was standing in front of that house. I stared at it for a moment; hoping to see those golden orbs… Then the door creaked open. Call me crazy, but I think I'm being invited in. I slowly walked over to the door which was still open.
It seemed like no one was inside but something told me that there were in fact people there. I stepped inside a bit curious. "Thank you…" I said to nowhere in particular.
I stood there shivering and looked around. When I turned to face the window, I found a white towel in my face. "You'll get cold…" someone said. I took the towel and pulled it out of my face. Standing in front of me was that boy from the last time I visited.
He was looking off to the side. I couldn't tell if he was nervous or just didn't want me to stare for so long. Wait…I'm staring? "Thanks again," I responded while drying my hair. It was a little awkward for a few minutes.
"You're all wet…" He said, his golden orbs eyeing me from head to toe. I blinked and felt my face flush a little bit. "I um…fell in a puddle."
I squeezed my shirt out onto the towel trying to get it as dry as possible. I felt the boy's eyes staring at me while I did my best to keep from dripping everywhere. Another awkward silence fell upon us like a ton of bricks. I coughed and extended my right hand. "I'm Kisa Tsuji. It's a pleasure to meet you!"
The boy stared at my hand a bit confused then shook it with his left hand. His skin was ice cold and it sent a tingle up my arm. "Niroa DeLuca…"
Niroa? That's an unusual name... "My mother gave the name to me…She's kind of crazy like that."
…..I think he reads minds. I pulled my hand away after realizing we were still shaking hands. I looked out the window to check if the storm let up at all. Nope. Still pouring out. Sigh, so much for getting home before Mom. I handed Niroa back the towel he had given me and walked over to the door.
"Where are you going..?" He asked me quietly. "Well...home of course."
"But it's still raining…"
"I know that but I don't want to bother you by being he—." I sneezed before I could finish my sentence.
"You're catching a cold…" Niroa started to walk up the stairs and motioned for me to follow. I hesitated a moment before actually doing it. He led me past five rooms before stopping in front of a door with purple ballet slippers hanging on it. "Wait here," He instructed me before going in.
I shifted my weight to my left foot and instantly felt the pain shooting up my thigh. I looked down at my knee and saw blood dripping down my leg. "Crap…" I mumbled.
I applied pressure to my knee to stop the blood from continuing to pulse out. Right now…I kind of wish I kept that towel.
The sound of something hitting the door made me look up to see what happened. Niroa dropped some clothes he was holding and covered his mouth with one hand. His eyes were no longer that beautiful golden color…but instead, scarlet red.
"Are you okay…?"
His body started to shake. First slightly, then it became more obvious something was wrong. "Niroa?"
Niroa suddenly stopped shaking and stared at my knee. His hand moved away from his pale face revealing…two fangs. | <urn:uuid:fb05e5a6-68d1-4e85-a9ca-2128b467d95d> | https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3095247/2/ | en | 0.987516 | 0.025755 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |