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Definisi 'behave'
English to English
1. behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself Terjemahkan
You should act like an adult|Don't behave like a fool|What makes her do this way?|The dog acts ferocious, but he is really afraid of people
source: wordnet30
2. behave in a certain manner Terjemahkan
She carried herself well|he bore himself with dignity|They conducted themselves well during these difficult times
source: wordnet30
3. behave well or properly Terjemahkan
The children must learn to behave
source: wordnet30
4. To manage or govern in point of behavior; to discipline; to handle; to restrain. Terjemahkan
source: webster1913
source: webster1913
Visual Synonyms
Link to this page: | <urn:uuid:c69da8b8-6d02-45f3-9ff1-650733a6bb48> | http://www.artikata.com/arti-17028-behave.html | en | 0.813112 | 0.884281 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
U.S. attack submarine to visit Seoul next week after Pyongyang's missile la...
Korean in New York sues McDonald’s for ‘racist assault’
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Published : 2014-04-14 20:36
Updated : 2014-04-14 20:36
NEW YORK (Yonhap) ― An elderly ethnic Korean in New York has filed a multi-million-dollar suit against McDonald’s for an alleged racist attack by one of its workers, his lawyer said Sunday.
The 62-year-old man residing in the U.S. city surnamed Kim sued the head and New York branch offices of McDonald’s and several officials seeking $10 million in compensation after he allegedly experienced verbal and physical attacks by a McDonald’s manager in Flushing, Queens, according to the law firm Kim & Bae.
In the afternoon on Feb. 16, the female manager Lucy, identified only by her first name, hit Kim with a broom after he complained to another clerk that he had waited for about 10 minutes to buy a cup of coffee.
Upon listening to Kim’s complaint, the manager allegedly shouted at him to get out of the restaurant, saying no coffee is available for “people like you.”
When Kim then tried to record what was happening with his cellphone, the manager hit him with the broom, hurting his left hand and breaking his phone, according to his lawyer.
The manager Lucy was detained by police later in the day and was indicted on assault charges.
“Kim was not able to work for a while due to the injuries, and he has been suffering from severe mental pain caused by the ill treatment and the subsequent humiliation,” his lawyer Bae Moon-kyung said.
“It constitutes a racially motivated hate crime, as Kim was the only Asian there at that time,” he said, stressing that strong legal actions are “to prevent a recurrence of such a case against ethnic minorities.”
Kim, who moved to the U.S. some 30 years ago, holds U.S. citizenship.
The lawsuit drew attention as it follows an incident in which McDonald’s workers in Queens clashed with a group of Korean senior citizens over the restaurant’s 20-minute seating policy. The long-standing conflict flared up in January as the employees called the police to remove Korean seniors who spent hours sipping coffee at the restaurant.
After heated debate and controversy, the two sides reached an agreement. The management vowed to ease the limit during off-peak hours, and the seniors in turn promised to give up their seats during busy hours. | <urn:uuid:c31048fb-ac45-4a3b-9c4a-7a85c607beb8> | http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20140414001032 | en | 0.9813 | 0.022257 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Beyonce’s Songwriting Oscar Will Have To Wait
January 3rd, 2007 // 5 Comments
Despite her involvement in writing a song for “Dreamgirls”—which she’s been touting in interviews promoting the film–she doesn’t actually qualify for Oscar recognition. If the song wins the Oscar, it will go to Henry Krieger, Anne Preven and Scott Cutler. reports:
The Envelope’s Gold Derby reports that Beyonce Knowles was not qualified as a songwriter on the song “Listen” from the Dreamgirls film by the songwriting branch of the Oscars. What’s known as Rule 16 of the Oscar’s eligibility states that only 3 songwriters max can be credited for an Oscar-nominated song.
How did she not end up kicking out one of the aforementioned songwriters to get her ass some credit? Did we learn nothing from the movie?
Beyonce Disqualified for Oscar Songwriting Category? []
(Image source)
By Lisa Timmons
1. Jinxy McDeath
She’s got to be one of the most over rated performer/singer/actor *tee hee* out there right now. It boggles the mind, plus she’s a total credit hog. Her daddy’s her pimp.
2. dondadav
You mean, “Didn’t you learn anything from the movie? Or Destiny’s Child 1 and 2!” :)
3. Butch
If that is so, then how did Christopher Cross, Burt Bacharach, Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager each win for Arthur’s theme in 1981? Has the rule been changed
4. sandy
Her head is huge, her hair is the size of Texas, her neck is way too long, and she (like most female celebrities) has horrendous-looking feet.
How do these people become celebrities? I thought one had to be near-perfect or at least semi-attractive to be a star.
5. Tom
Correct me if I’m wrong, weren’t like 22.5 people nominated for that G*d awful Shrek 2 song a couple of year’s ago? Not that I’m tagging in for team Beyonce or anything….
Leave A Comment | <urn:uuid:e99dd2a0-057c-413b-9c73-4de8ee0c9e84> | http://www.socialitelife.com/beyonces_songwriting_oscar_will_have_to_wait-01-2007 | en | 0.933228 | 0.084301 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Ed Miliband: next election will be fought on living standards
Labour leader says the Conservative squeeze on middle incomes has contributed to economic failure and no growth
Labour leader Ed Miliband economy speech
Ed Miliband will make his speech in Bedford, where nearly 60 years ago Harold Macmillan declared: 'You’ve never had it so good.' Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA
Ed Miliband promises to make the 2015 general election a "living standards election" as he claims that the coalition's squeeze on middle-income Britain has deepened the recession and created the "chilling prospect" of a further decade of pressure on most families' living standards.
In a Guardian interview before a major speech on the economy, he also accuses David Cameron of deliberately squeezing the living standards of middle Britain in his determination to cut the deficit.
Bidding to set the frame for the next election, and drawing on some of the strategy that helped re-elect Barack Obama, the Labour leader says: "I am offering a choice between an economic recovery made by the many, not just a few at the top, and a Conservative strategy that consists of trickle-down from the top, a squeeze on the middle and a race to the bottom."
"Squeezing living standards does not achieve economic success. It contributes to economic failure and is a consequence of their economic failure and the lack of growth. I am offering a recovery made by building, not squeezing the middle."
Obama also successfully promised to restore the American economy "from the middle out", as opposed to relying on the trickle-down reforms of the Reagan era that aimed to stimulate production by removing regulations.
In an attempt to underline how the Tories have failed on the economy, Miliband will make his speech in Bedford, where nearly 60 years ago the Tory prime minister of the time, Harold Macmillan, declared: "You've never had it so good."
Miliband tells the Guardian: "Far from feeling they have never had it so good, millions across Britain today fear they will never have it so good again. The question that people ask me the most is 'how do we turn this round?' The answer starts with a truth that we have forgotten as a country: that economic recovery will be made by the many, not just by a few at the top."
He first signalled the new line of attack at prime minister's questions when he challenged Cameron to admit living standards were falling for most people. The exchanges led Cameron to counter that Labour under Gordon Brown had hit strivers by abolishing the 10p tax rate. There is pressure from some Tory circles, as well as some Labour policy analysts, to grab the policy, but the estimated cost of £6.2-£7bn makes it unlikely to be adopted by George Osborne in the short term.
Labour officials say Miliband's speech will contain new policies, "including specific measures to address the living standards crisis for the squeezed middle, both now and after the election". It will include pledges to break the stranglehold of the big six energy suppliers; stop train company "rip-offs" on popular routes; introduce rules to stop unfair bank charges; and cap interest on payday loans.
Asked if he would support a mansion tax to help raise cash for the "squeezed middle", Miliband told the Guardian: "We have said we will look at the idea of mansion tax. Ed Balls was right to say that and we have said we would work with the government to make it happen."
Such a move would leave the Conservatives isolated in their opposition to a tax on expensive properties and give Labour a common policy with the Liberal Democrats, who have made Tory opposition to the tax one of their defining issues in the Eastleigh byelection.
With Labour still trailing the Conservatives in most polls on the economy, it is crucial for Miliband to gain credibility in this territory. He promised: "This issue of living standards and how you create growth is absolutely at the centre of people's lives. It is the first, second and third question of the election."
He rejected suggestions that a pick-up in growth before the election or a Conservative promise to do more in a second term would resonate.
"You don't need to gaze into the crystal ball – you just have to look at the record of what they have done over the past three years. They are saying that is their priority to supposedly cut the deficit as much as possible, squeeze living standards as much as they can, regardless of the consequences, cut taxes at the top and deregulate as much as much as possible. It has not worked. It's not a mystery that it has not worked. It's not a growth strategy."
His attack came as Office for National Statistics figures showed the real value of average earnings fell in real terms for the last three years, and have slumped to a similar level to a decade ago. The Bank of England also forecast no rise in living standards. The Resolution Foundation suggested it might take a decade for Britain's low to middle income families to see their living standards return to pre-recession levels. Miliband described the figures as chilling.
The Conservatives pointed out they show real average earnings rising by 1.7% in the last year of this parliament when adjusted for CPI inflation, or by 0.6% by RPI inflation. | <urn:uuid:ad792ad8-43e6-40bb-b183-823cd05280ea> | http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/feb/14/ed-miliband-guardian-interview-election | en | 0.973617 | 0.032639 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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"I visited the Clink Museum with a friend last year and we both agreed it was disappointing, with badly designed displays. Information was often difficult to read and there was too much repetition of the same material, as though nobody had considered the overall effect. Not good value for money. This is a shame, as it's a unique site in an interesting area."
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When 2016 Comes To Shove…
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Picture Copyrights: Anjali Mariam Paul
Sometimes, the road less travelled by ensures that you get lost, fracture a leg, break down and lose your sanity, amongst other things. Things get better as everything is momentary, nothing is permanent. What is water today might be ice tomorrow… It all depends on how long we want to wait it out and see what we make out of life’s obstacles and challenges. Learn to respect everyone around, be it a 5 year old child or a cow on the road. Your perception of the world doesn’t necessarily need to be anyone else’s and your right of opinion is just the same as anybody else’s. Be kind, as you never know whether your mere presence, your smile or your words could be the altering point in someone’s life. Don’t waste time being mean because that time could be spent in falling in love with a new song or a new book or a new concept. Eat what you want, when you want and how you want despite how you think you’ll look in those figure hugging jeans. It’s not worth giving up that yummy sinful looking piece of chocolate cake. Live everyday like it’s a special day because you never know when it’s going to be your last.
Write about Hitler if it makes you happy, do a nude sketch of someone if that’s your thing, travel to unknown places if you want to, click selfies to cherish every moment if you’re scared you’ll forget it… just stop worrying about anybody else. You are you and you have every right to be YOU!
Don’t try and be somebody else because there is nobody as unique as YOU! Wear clothes which you’re comfortable in, do things you want to do and most importantly… learn to say NO.
Tell your friends and family how much you love them every chance you get because they deserve to know how much they mean to you. Finally, love with no conditions because you’d rather have loved with a whole heart and lost than not loved at all.
A new year asks for new beginnings and here’s mine to being the childish, immature, spontaneous, gluttonous and silly ME!
Provoking Thoughts During A Bus Journey
There’s something soothing about a long bus ride, taking you to a world away from the one you’re stuck in. (If you’re staying in Bangalore, then you know that it means a daily commute to anywhere. As a matter of fact, it’s faster for me to cross the border to Tamil Nadu than to reach MG Road from where i stay, in Electronic City.) But, that isn’t the point of this post. I’m referring to that same bus journey which takes forever but is a journey into your past, reminiscing about moments lost, fleeting moments of love and betrayal…
A few hours when you can let your tears fall, without people intruding in on your pain, telling you that things will okay when maybe you don’t want it to be okay… What if you just want to wallow in self pity for a short while? Shed tears where have been left unshed for hours, days, weeks and months… Enjoy a song a little more emphatically than you would otherwise… cry a little harder at something which didn’t require even a fleeting thought… remember people who walked out without saying a word… And as you wait at a signal, look into the eyes of random strangers and see your pain reflecting in their eyes.
Give someone your best smile, knowing only too well that in this city so big, there’s no chance in hell that you’ll meet them again and if you, you can consider it serendipity.
What is it about bus rides that makes me creep into this new avatar who is oblivious of the physical constraints and just lets me be… What is it? I cry a little harder, I smile a little wider and I enter this world where I am one with myself.
I stare a little too deeply into the underlying violence that exists in the lives of the hawkers on the road. I can see the police lurking close by, probably for a cut or to drive them away once they’re give the order. How did they get to live a life like this? Did they ever get a chance to enjoy a childhood when the main concern was enjoyment and not sustenance? Do their children go to school? Do they dream just as I do? Do they dream at all?
As the bus takes a route where I’m surrounded with skyscrapers, I wonder how many of them come out of their balconies and think of jumping off just to feel the exhilaration of not being caged…
I hear a child laughing ecstatically at something at the back of the bus and as his mother tells him to quieten down, I want to tell her to let him laugh because the innocence of his laughter will be lost in a few years an his gurgle will be the only thing that resonates off the walls when you’re worried about his tests, exams, fees, extra classes and future dreams. Let him laugh as much as he wants… Just let him be.
Picture copyrights: Girl on the bus saved me (Can’t seem to source the artist. If anyone knows, please let me know.)
When 28 Becomes More Than A Number
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Khumbhalgarh Memories
I apologize to my readers (yes, I mean YOU guys who accidentally decided to click on the follow button and have to bear with my posts in your reader or those of you who are forced to read this because you guys are my friends on other social networking sites) for not posting in the longest time but, as you might not have known… I’m back in college!!
This means that most of my time is spent fretting about reading and comprehending what the third electoral system is, what Purchasing Power Parity means, why Marx is a big dickhead, how SOCIETY means a lot more than what I thought it was, where the country is headed with it’s crossing of planetary thresholds and most importantly, WHY I NEED TO KNOW ANY OF THIS?!
After being a working professional for close to 5 years, coming back to college when you sneak a bottle of scotch into the hostel, being hammered and going to class the next morning, worrying about attendance, response papers, grades, open courses, credits and looking like a complete idiot when you raise your hand to answer in class makes it all so overwhelming. I can’t pull all nighters anymore, my body can’t stomach drinking more than twice a week and it’s as though I’ve just realized how relaxing SLEEP is because that seems to be my favorite pastime.
The most entertaining part of it all is I spend more time asking everyone around me how old they are just to convince myself that I’m not the oldest but guess what, most of my closest friends in college are close to 7 years younger than me and I absolutely love it! I didn’t realize it until today that no matter how old we get, our love for comfort food in the middle of a stressful weekend before an Economics test, Hersheys Kisses, a peg of Taliskar Skye when we feel the world is going to crash down on our heads, gossiping, donuts from Krispy Kreme, momos and random talks about the state of the world we live in makes us all ‘same same but different’, no matter how young or old we are.
I might not be the skinny, bad ass me that I was around 5 years ago, with an eye-brow piercing and attitude that would cut you down to size (that’s how I remember myself anyway) and that’s something which has taken me a few months to realize. I have changed and evolved into this person that I am now (whoever that is) and I’ve resolved to enjoy being this ‘new’ me and not have that number shadow my every move.
28 is definitely more than a number to me, it’s more like a doorway to a new life and to think that it took an Economics test to make me realize this… :)
Being A True Christian
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For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself.
Galatians 5:14
I am a Christian in love with a Hindu, because of which I have been made to understand repeatedly by people of the faith that I have strayed from the path of righteousness. What is even worse is they are blaming my parents, specifically my mother for not bringing me up in the Christian way. This has caused me to reflect on my actions and read up the Bible because that is the only reference I have to God’s word where He has apparently told His children not to love thy neighbor if he was a Hindu, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jain, a Sikh etc. You must understand why that is going to be difficult for me as it isn’t really mentioned anywhere at all in the Bible or any other book of faith.
Who Is A Good Christian?
Have you ever asked yourself this question, dear believers? You read the Bible everyday and you kneel down and pray for forgiveness and give thanks that you have been blessed and worship in His temple every Sunday… I applaud you for doing everything right but when exactly did that suddenly pave way for you to judge someone’s choice of friendship or love? God’s first commandment says, “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.” Do you remember the time when the testaments were given? It was given to Moses just when he brought the people to Canan and He was scared that they would go astray. This was a time when there was hopelessness and suddenly, Moses gave them hope to a better life. How do we know this? It is written in the Bible. Who wrote the Bible? The apostles wrote the Bible. What is the authenticity of this information? Hmm… Enough said.
In the New Testament, according to what is reported by John, one of His apostles… this is also the word of God.
1 John 4:1
Until the age of 18, I went to church every Sunday, prayed everyday and read the Bible like I was told to, attended Sunday School like a true Christian, attended the Vacation Bible School during the summer vacations and yet, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with a Hindu. Does that make me a bad Christian? I have my chats with God once in a while and I take Holy Communion when I accompany my mother to church and I try not to hurt anyone in my thoughts and deeds but yes, I am in love with a Hindu. Therefore, I am a bad Christian and my parents should be punished for my actions. Honestly, all of you judgers and haters out there… Grow up! Read a little and most importantly, LOVE a little!!
What is Religion?
Religion is something that was created by man and it has divided our world into sects and unknowingly, we judge each other based on what the Scripture says, not even bothering to try and understand what it really means. I have also noticed that even in religion, we choose to do away with certain parts that we are not comfortable with. I know loads of Holy Christians who go around judging others, who themselves drink alcohol on the day of Sabbath when the testaments clearly say, “Remember the Sabbath day; to keep it Holy.” Yes, getting sloshed and eating beef fry is keeping the day Holy. Who are we kidding? Let us learn to accept that we are all one and the same in this world, a little fairer, darker, taller, shorter, fatter, thinner, orthodox and maybe not at all… All of us try and live our perception of what we have been told or what is convenient for us, in terms of a Christian life… Let’s not judge what is right and wrong when we clearly don’t know what right really is.
One of my relatives is heard to have said, “For every inter-religious marriage that happens, a Christian soul is lost.” Powerful words coming from a living person who from what I am sure had no way to ascertain what happens to a soul, Christian or otherwise after marriage. Where did she hear it? The priests must have preached at church. I would like you to go back to 1 John 4: 1 (the quote above). I rest my case.
As a Syrian Christian, I was also made to understand (still dubious on this though) that my parents will be excommunicated from Church in the event of me getting married to anyone who is not a Christian. Sigh. What do I do with you, strong believers in Christianity?! For you, read the quote below…
Romans 8:39
I also want to take this opportunity to thank my mother for bringing me up the way she did, to make my own choices in terms of making friends with people of all religions and for understanding that love is blind of faith and religion.
Eulogy for Ammachi (Granny)
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For the better part of the past month, I have known that I want to write this eulogy for Ammachi and yet, the words didn’t come till today. I wish that there was a way in which I would be able to capture what she meant to me and do justice to her awesomeness, but sadly these words will have to do. It will be exactly 40 days since her peaceful demise and yet, I find it hard to accept that she isn’t going to be sleeping on that diwan in front of the T.V., watching her serials when I come back home.
Kamalam Mathai, in the 90 years that she graced this earth with her presence, played a lot of very important roles. She was a loving daughter, a doting and generous sister to six siblings, a devoted and supporting wife, a caring mother to three beautiful girls and the coolest grandmother any child could ever ask for. She was a doctor, mentor and therapist to her children, a warden to her grandchildren and the most incredible friend to everyone she met. She never had a lavish lifestyle nor did she care for one as the only thing that really mattered to her was family. She was a considerate and generous woman who always took time out to lend a hand to those who needed it.
From the time that I can remember, Ammachi was the one to sit with me while I did my homework in my neatest handwriting, the one who made sure that Ajay and I were dressed in the best costumes for fancy dress competitions, the one who oiled and combed my hair with such love and care, the one I’d scream for when Ajay and I would fight like cats and dogs, the one to counsel us when we disagreed with Mummy and Daddy, the one who would be there at every annual function in school, no matter how big or small the part, the one who made sure that we weren’t watching inappropriate T.V. shows, when Mummy and Daddy weren’t home and the one who made sure that we learnt all the prayers and songs to be said and sung during Sunday mass, in Malayalam.
People might think that being a woman born in the early 1900s, she would be orthodox and old fashioned, but not our Ammachi. Ammachi is probably the only person in our family who approved of my eyebrow piercing and didn’t make an issue of my tattoo. She was totally supportive when Varun decided to wear his hair long and make a ponytail and supportive when Ajay wanted to worship in a different church. She would have been supportive of Akash doing anything wild as well, but he somehow managed to walk down the right path.
Ammachi, you will be missed!! You were honestly the glue that kept this family together and you have taught us so much about love and forgiveness, in the time that you were here with us. Your presence filled our lives with such joy and happiness, but I know that it is now time for you to take on another role; that of an angel and join Appacha who has been waiting a long time for you. My relationship with you, over the past 27 years has been and will be something that I will cherish all my life.
As we bid you farewell as you embark on a new journey, I would like to end with this saying:
Goodbyes are not forever. Goodbyes are not the end. It only means that I will miss you until we meet again.
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Self Pity
Bad Days
Somebody Pamper Me
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Yet Another Candle On The Cake
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10606481_670237243087409_8453904121568387156_nHappy 27th to me!! :)
Freedom from Fear
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For other uses, see Acharya (disambiguation).
In Indian religions and society, an acharya (IAST: ācārya; Sanskrit: आचार्य; Tamil: அசாரி āsāri; Pali: acariya) is a preceptor or instructor in religious matters; founder, or leader of a sect; or a highly learned man or a title affixed to the names of learned men.[1] The designation has different meanings in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and secular contexts. It is also a Brahmin surname found in Nepal and across India, including West Bengal and Maharashtra.
Acharya is sometimes used to address a teacher or a scholar in any discipline, e.g.: Bhaskaracharya, the mathematician. It is also a common suffix in Brahmin names, e.g.: Krishnamacharya, Bhattacharya. In South India, this suffix is sometimes shortened to Achar, e.g.: TKV Desikachar.
The term "acharya" is most often said to include the root "char" or "charya" (conduct). Thus it literally connotes "one who teaches by conduct (example)," i.e. an exemplar.[citation needed]
In Hinduism[edit]
In Hinduism, an acharya (आचार्य) is a formal title of a teacher or guru, who have owned the degree in the Vedanga.[citation needed]
The Five Main Acharyas in the Hindu tradition are:
Modern acharyas[edit]
In Buddhism, acharya is a senior teacher. Notable acharyas:
In Jainism[edit]
Main article: Jain monasticism
In Jainism, an acharya is the highest leader of a Jain order. Acharya is one of the Pañca-Parameṣṭhi (five supreme beings) and thus worthy of worship. They are the final authority in the monastic order and has the authority to ordain new monks and nuns. They are also authorized to consecrate new idols, although this authority is sometimes delegated to scholars designated by them.
Some famous Jain acharyas in approximate chronological order, are:
Modern Jain acharyas include Digambara Acharya Vidyasagar and Acharya Vidyanand and Svetambara Padma Sagar Suri, Subodhsagar Suri, Yashodev Suri, and Jayantsain Suri. In the Svetambar Terapanthi subsect are Acharya Bhikshu, Acharya Tulsi and Acharya Mahapragya and in the Sthanakvasi subsect Acharya Sushil Kumar have been the leading acharyas.
An acharya, like any other Jain monk, is expected to wander except for the Chaturmas. Bhaṭṭārakas, who head institutions, are technically junior monks, and thus permitted to stay in the same place.
In scientific/mathematical scholarship[edit]
Acharya (degree)[edit]
In Sanskrit institutions, acharya is a post-graduate degree.
See also[edit]
1. ^ Platts, John T. (1884). A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English. London: W. H. Allen & Co.
2. ^ [viswakarma community] Although famous for being the proponent of advaita vad, he established the supremecy of bhakti to Krishn.
3. ^ He propagated the bhakti of Bhagwan Vishnu. Source: Ramanujacharya
4. ^ His philosophy is called dvaita vad. His primary teaching is that "the only goal of a soul is to selflessly and wholeheartedly love and surrender to God" Source: [1]
5. ^ His writings say that Radha Krishn are the supreme form of God.
6. ^ "Ani Pema Chödrön". Gampo Abbey. Retrieved 2014-10-21.
External links[edit] | <urn:uuid:34bbda63-57d7-49d2-afb9-77dc6a4da23d> | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acharya | en | 0.875672 | 0.150211 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Discover and save creative ideas
This is all, in reality, subconscious conditioning for the cubicle you're going to find yourself trapped in for several years. Oh, you desk designers. I see what you did there.
Hahahaha so true!!
True story.
So true lol
So true!!!
True that
so true...
Oh, Pinterest... XD
haha so true.
so true..
So true!
so true :(
sad but true..
hahahaha so true
this is hilarious and very true
so true. i hate group projects so much that if i know a prof assigns them, i will take the class with someone else!
OMG so true!
true dat. | <urn:uuid:c036ea19-52bd-4237-9d81-ef6bb0bda491> | https://www.pinterest.com/pin/215891375857352096/ | en | 0.893842 | 0.382159 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
all 29 comments
[–]pseudolobster 6 points7 points (3 children)
This is why you came to the comments: Keyboard Cat Redux
[–]beener 1 point2 points (0 children)
Here is his version synced up to the original. What's amazing is his attention to detail. Not only did he have to go and make a fake giant keyboard, but he also got the cats actions PERFECT. He's a god among men.
I don't know what I just watched but it was glorious.
[–]qu0 0 points1 point (0 children)
the mashup with the original for comparison purposes
[–]absurdlyobfuscated 2 points3 points (1 child)
"What's the matter reddit, don't you like interesting original content? Fuck all of you."
five minutes and three upvotes later
"Aww, thank you all so much, I love you reddit!"
[–]matt01ss 0 points1 point (0 children)
I feel this way every time.
[–]Kvium 1 point2 points (5 children)
I like this gif.
[–]Mister_Guacamole 0 points1 point (4 children)
I like it more
[–]Kvium 0 points1 point (3 children)
prove it then!
[–]Mister_Guacamole 0 points1 point (2 children)
[–]Kvium -2 points-1 points (0 children)
I shall consider it a glorious internet victory!
[–]NvKKcL 0 points1 point (0 children)
Always love your gifs!
[–]nolwat22 0 points1 point (0 children)
Am I the only one who posts something and then leaves the page and forgets about it until I have some comments in my reddit mail?
I never knew a gif could capture such a thing so perfectly.
[–]dummystupid -1 points0 points (0 children)
Mmm yeah listen. I'm gonna need you to upvote this weekend. Kay? Yeah. That'd be great.
[–]DrTRex -1 points0 points (1 child)
Then the next day you come back OH SHIT I MADE THE FRONT PAGE.
[–]potallegta 0 points1 point (0 children)
Never happens to me
[–]Kijafa -1 points0 points (0 children)
Another winner from you. I swear your gifs never disappoint.
And that one comment is usually CaptionBot.
[–]drunk_otter -1 points0 points (0 children)
| <urn:uuid:e8325610-4d87-4f19-a391-45bfdde45aeb> | https://www.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/1kltsv/that_first_few_minutes_after_every_new_post_oc/ | en | 0.839059 | 0.039219 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Tuning a 12 string acoustic guitar
So, you got a 12 strings acoustic guitar and not sure how to tune those 12 string acoustic guitar up or want to re-string your 12 acoustic guitar but don't know how to do it properly. Just follow me.
Before getting your tuner out to tune your 12 string acoustic guitar, please keep in mind that there should be 6 pairs of thick and thin strings on a 12 string guitar, you might also get confused what tuning key to turn as well but you will get used to it soon enough. Also note that when i say Low E it means just E nothing more.
There are many other guitar tunings but what you about to learn is a standard tuning for 12 string acoustic guitar, no tune down or anything.
Now, to tune a 12 string acoustic guitar, go get your tuner (every musician should have one) and just tune the main 6 strings to ordinary tuning: E A D G B E low to high, start tuning the 1st string from (the highest sound string) to E.
Next, skip the thiner string and you find the 2nd string, tune that to B and skip another thin string and tune it to G > A and Low E. Just keep skipping those thin strings and you should finished your main 6 strings in no time.
Here comes the tricky part, to tune 12 string guitar on the rest of the strings, let's start from the high E the tuning key should be on the right hand side if you hold guitar head up with fretboard facing you.
Just tune those first 2 thin strings to high E and high B. Don't worry if they still a little out of tune, go through other strings so they are stretch equally. Next, go to the 2 tuning keys on the top right, on the top tune this to G one octave higher than normal. And the rest strings are as you can see in the picture.
Tuning 12 string acoustic guitar tips: The lower G string is the weakest string. To prevent this, be sure to use the proper gauge of string specially for your guitar and never over-tighten. When you're not going to play it soon in a few days you should tune all the string down to prevent neck from go out of shape. In case the strings are too tight, you can relieve them by tuning them all down half step or one step to get the lower tone too. | <urn:uuid:30bce52b-fa15-4a55-a3ab-6d8b2d908054> | http://acousticguitarone.blogspot.com/2011/02/tuning-12-string-acoustic-guitar.html | en | 0.934368 | 0.048185 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson Give Birth
Congratulations are in order! Victoria Beckham, former Spice Girl and clothing person, gave birth to a baby girl on Sunday, just a day after actress Kate Hudson gave birth to a baby boy. (The fathers are soccer star David Beckham and Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy, respectively.) Both mothers gave birth in Los Angeles, so maybe, just maybe, there was some kind of mix-up and the Hudson kid will turn out to be a fantastic soccer player and the Beckham kid will look exactly like Goldie Hawn and they'll meet in their 20s and fall in love after a series of mishaps? (Neither kid has been given its obligatory weird celebrity name yet, by the way! The Beckhams are world-champion weird kid-namers, but Hudson's other son is called "Ryder" so she could be a dark horse here.) [AP, People] | <urn:uuid:31614b06-4ed7-4d96-8c1c-fa0e71bf4d73> | http://gawker.com/5819791/victoria-beckham-kate-hudson-give-birth?tag=victoria-beckham | en | 0.958864 | 0.088802 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
foursquare tablet Foursquare Isnt Building Tablet Apps, So Sony Built One With Their API
Zuck doesn't even think tablets are mobile.
Although Foursquare apps do exist for the Blackberry Playbook and HP Touchpad, they were built by third party developers.
The Sony Tablet S and P will come preloaded with a version of the Android app that is designed exclusively for tablet format. The tablet version of the app will likely differ from its smart phone predecessor in that it will focus more on the game’s “explore” function than checking in.
In the realm of pure speculation, it is not unusual for hardware or OS makers trying to woo developers to their platform to subsidize the cost of building an app. Microsoft astroturfed the app environment for their Windows 7 phones, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Sony is doing the same for their tablet.
We have reached out to Foursquare for comment and will update with any reply. | <urn:uuid:91ee58b5-733d-4a6c-9cf1-783a5cc14b43> | http://observer.com/2011/09/foursquare-cant-afford-an-ipad-app-but-built-one-for-sony-tablet/ | en | 0.935975 | 0.023081 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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The since parameter of /inbox/unread no longer seems to work.
I enter a date after the creation date of the item currently unread in my inbox and still the item is returned. I try putting in tomorrows date (so there should be nothing in my inbox since tomorrow as it hasn't happened yet), and it still returns the unread items.
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Hmm, I bet this is a caching bug. Should have an update/fix shortly. – Kevin Montrose Apr 5 '12 at 18:21
It's not caching bug on my end, I've tried different browsers etc, if thats what you meant? Thanks :) – Jonathan. Apr 5 '12 at 18:32
No, it's a bug in our code; I think the since parameter is working... just sometimes bogus things are getting pulled out of the cache, so that the since code isn't even running. – Kevin Montrose Apr 5 '12 at 18:34
up vote 2 down vote accepted
This should be fixed now, we weren't properly considering the since parameter when fetching results from the cache.
In effect if you ever asked for unread inbox items twice, once with and once without since, you'd get the same result back until the cache cleared.
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Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged . | <urn:uuid:d0182a12-a507-4f88-bec2-9c2940ce13bd> | http://stackapps.com/questions/3299/inbox-unread-since-parameter-not-working?answertab=oldest | en | 0.911773 | 0.481831 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
They’ve created a monster
When we learned that two Chicago alumni were opening a state-of-the-art ice cream laboratory in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, we knew that this was an assignment that needed in-depth investigation (all in the name of good reporting, of course).
The mad scientists behind iCream Café—which opened Saturday—are Cora Shaw, MBA’07, and Jason McKinney, MBA’06, who met as students at Chicago Booth.
Shaw expects the shop will be brimming with new customers and employees, but it was nearly empty during our sneak preview on Friday—aside from a few curious people, the only ones behind the counter were Shaw, general manager Liz, and Neil Schinske, a representative from Cryotech International, who was there to confirm all was right with the café’s key ingredient: liquid nitrogen. Injected into a mix of milk and cream or yogurt, it freezes the icy treats within minutes. The liquid evaporates, and the crystals are much smaller than in regular ice cream or frozen yogurt, which creates a smooth and creamy texture. It’s essentially a science experiment for food lovers.
Indecisive people beware: the menu is fully customizable and offers myriad combinations. First, choose your base: ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, hot pudding, Italian soda, or a shake. Then select up to three flavors, which are injected into a beaker via syringe (the science-experiment ambiance doesn’t end with the liquid nitrogen). Fancy purple ice cream? The truly brave can inject food-safe coloring into their creation. And once the sweet treat has been created, top it off with candy. Lactose-intolerant patrons needn’t feel left out: soy-milk ice cream is an option, which Shaw says tastes much like real ice cream thanks to the liquid nitrogen.
Because we are dedicated to service journalism, these enterprising reporters sampled chocolate-and-peanut-butter frozen yogurt, mint-chocolate-chip ice cream, burnt-sugar-and-cinnamon hot pudding (with a dash of purple food coloring), and pomegranate Italian soda—the perfect way to spend the first spring-like day in months. We returned to the office with full stomachs and sugar highs.
Elizabeth Chan and Ruth E. Kott, AM’07
iCream Cafe toppings and flavors
iCream Café is located at 1537 North Milwaukee Avenue.
Bring your U of C ID card and receive 10 percent off your purchase.
March 9, 2009 | <urn:uuid:6712c89d-9430-4a38-bef9-d25f95af5789> | http://uchiblogo.uchicago.edu/archives/2009/03/theyve_created.html | en | 0.932826 | 0.018305 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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“She is a model-- and by that, I don't mean she is bulimic.”
~ Karl Marx on She
“I ain't sayin she a gold digger, but she ain't messing with no broke niggas.”
~ Kanye West on She
“Thats What I Said.”
~ She on What She Said
“She sees a mirror of herself and admits she wants to sell to anyone willing to buy”
~ Green Day on She
“That's huge!”
~ that's what she said
She having a smoke and a chuckle while someone tickles her feet.
She (pronounced "shay") is the metonymic representation of Che Guevara in text. The C was loaned out to spell Communism, and is also used to disambiguate Republik from Republic. Little is known abut She because metonyms stand in for their respective referents, and little is known about Che except for the fact that her visage appears on many Capitalist products like T-Shirts and Posters.
Why She Makes A Good Communist
First of all, She was willing to sacrifice her masculine identity and adopt the third-person feminine nominative pronoun as a name instead, and didn't even mind when the pronoun leaked into all other descriptions, meaning the female pronoun was used in all instances, making She an 'official girl'. She also takes up very little space on the page, leaving more for demanding words like archipelago and coincidentally. Coincidentally, archipelagos are where She grew up and learned the art of sustenance. Because She lives on Earth, a revolving planet, she has been called a revolutionary. She was once a good friend of Astro Fiddle, who was part of the Parliament Funkadelic, but She's friendship with a member of a Constitutional Monarchy in no way compromises her Communist identity. Friendship, therefore, can be seen as something fleeting and non-substantial, therefore disproving the BFF theorem once and for all.
How She Got Away
As you may know, Got is German for God. If you pronounce the headline right, there is in fact a rhyme. Rhyme is very important to Communists, because it shows how disparate parts can work together to make a unified whole. This is why Capitalist Pigs read a lot of Prose and appoint jackasses to be Poet Laureates (simply to mock poetry as a valid form of expression).
"It's not the size of the beret, it's how chic it makes me look."
"Stars mean communism. The freedom of Stars (symbolically) came about because some idiot didn't understand electro-magnetism."
"Viva le Discotec"
"If a lion made the statue, it would look like me, 'cause I have a sweet mane."
"I is pronounced E, and E is pronounced A. Ch is pronounced K. My name is K."
"Shay is under 18."
Personal tools
In other languages | <urn:uuid:3c7f0a38-263a-49da-b40f-6dc41a9c2fab> | http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/She?diff=prev&oldid=4554699 | en | 0.958328 | 0.164736 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Stop development until more schools are built
As a Surrey resident, I am tired of Surrey’s mayor and city councilors approving more and more residential development, then repeatedly joining the Surrey School Board in blaming the province for a lack of school infrastructure.
Insanity is repeating the same actions over and over and expecting a different result. Surrey needs to stop the insanity and change the dynamic between the province and the city.
Surrey’s leverage with the province centres on development. What would happen if Surrey started to reject residential development applications in areas with no schools, schools with portables and schools with no empty space to accommodate new students and clearly stating this as the reason for rejection?
Developers, construction businesses, workers, and would-be Surrey residents would start to put pressure on the provincial government to provide sufficient funding for new schools and the expansion of existing schools.
Development would occur elsewhere so other cities would also be in the same situation as Surrey and add their weight to the call for proper funding.
A. McDowall
You might like ... | <urn:uuid:47fa1d4e-dbfb-483a-8318-8972a4fa2fd8> | http://www.bclocalnews.com/opinion/letters/260983091.html | en | 0.945185 | 0.025422 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
cutting edge
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 29 May, 2005, 12:00am
UPDATED : Sunday, 29 May, 2005, 12:00am
A Swiss Army knife without a blade is like a Swiss navy - pointless. But in an attempt to win back loyal customers in a world where nail-clippers are considered a deadly weapon, Victorinox - the official maker of Swiss Army knives - has introduced the Swissmemory.
With small knives, scissors, nail-files, screwdrivers and knitting needles banned from many major airlines, the boffins at Victorinox were faced with declining sales and a dilemma: how to ensure the brand's famous white cross on a red shield remained in the pockets of its country-hopping customers? The answer was to move with the times and so the Swissmemory was borne; a handy pocket tool equipped with a detachable USB Memory stick (right).
While a standard version (far right) with blade, scissors, nail-file, screwdriver and memory stick is also available for road warriors, frequent flyers can make do with a pen and data-flow-indicating LED light. It comes in red translucent and ribbed silver with a memory capacity ranging from 64MB to 1GB.
While the Swissmemory may not be much use if you find yourself lost in the forest facing an angry bear, it could come in handy when angry baggage handlers leave you marooned in the departure lounge.
Victorinox, UG-12, Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong.
Send to a friend
cutting edge
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Enter the characters shown in the image. | <urn:uuid:05521fe7-36d6-4631-889b-fb675cd1fe05> | http://www.scmp.com/article/502349/cutting-edge | en | 0.898414 | 0.024556 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Peganza Pascal Analyzer review
Got messy code? Clean it up with Peganza Pascal Analyzer
TODO alt text
Our Verdict
Perganza is worth the asking price just for that all-important Warnings category
• Worth it for the Warnings category
Picks up oft-repeated errors
• Metrics category not useful
Reports silly things
Peganza Pascal Analyzer, as the name suggests, is a code analyser aimed specifically at Pascal (Delphi) developers. Unlike profilers - which are in the business of measuring the run-time performance of an application - the Peganza Analyzer is interested in the static structure of your code. You might perhaps think that not much information can be produced from such an analysis but you'd be surprised.
The analyser runs as a separate application, but can optionally be integrated into the Delphi IDE. When working with a new project, you're asked for the main project file - usually the .DPR file - a number of other questions about the type of analysis you want to perform, and then the analysis gets under way. Even with a relatively modest project, the amount of information generated is often rather overwhelming.
Once the analysis is complete, you'll see an Explorer-style window with a tree-based navigation pane on the left and content information on the right.
Peganza Analyzer is great for tracking down the sort of oft-repeated errors made by new Delphi developers. A classic mistake is to forget to call the base destructor within the destructor of a derived class, something that's done through the 'inherited' keyword.
Miss this, and your program will compile and run just fine, but will leak memory every time an instance of that class is destroyed. From this simple example, you ought to appreciate how a static analyzer like Peganza complements a run-time profiler.
That said, there are many things Peganza reports which are just plain silly. Pascal isn't a case-sensitive language, so it's possible to refer to a variable as 'TimeDelay' or as 'Timedelay' - the compiler won't mind. But Perganza does.
In addition, there's a lot of metrics information that tells you things like which of your subroutines have the most parameters; again - who cares? And Perganza strangely refers to subroutines as 'Subprograms'. You can mostly ignore the metrics category; there's nothing useful there.
But for our money, Perganza is worth the asking price just for that all-important Warnings category. Get all those warnings down to zero, and your project will be in good shape. Dave Jewell | <urn:uuid:bd38e050-ec7f-4b13-b3c6-7666e5de1cc2> | http://www.techradar.com/us/reviews/pc-mac/software/business-and-finance-software/peganza-pascal-analyzer-32203/reevoo | en | 0.925868 | 0.031091 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Top Definition
Freak Patrol is a comedy game where you watch people. It is commonly done in air ports or places where there are lots of people and you are terribly board. To freak patrol one simply needs to unnoticeably watch people go by and point out freaks to the other players.
During one round of freak patrol we spotted a man who had a very small face, his head was regularly sized, but his mouth, eyes, and nose were much closer together and smaller then a normal person's. It looked like he had a forehead all the way around his face.
by whatodoifyourboard December 02, 2009
5 Words related to Freak Patrol
Free Daily Email
Emails are sent from We'll never spam you. | <urn:uuid:be01152f-2463-47c7-a980-d05d29c56e32> | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Freak%20Patrol&defid=4408707 | en | 0.987047 | 0.047443 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Bedroom color for ADHD
I am re-doing a bedroom in our home possibly for an ADHD boy. Are there any colors that are "best" for calming?? I'm sure there's someone out there who knows something about this?
I've read some stuff on color psychology and recall that blues or colors with blue tones are calming. Reds and oranges are stimulating. In back of mind I know there are some websites which address this but at moment can't recall. Will try to remember and let you know.
Colors are wonderful for changing your mood, and scents are the same. Soft blues, and greens are excellent for a peaceful environment. Lavender is as well, but since its for a boy, that won't do. My friend has an ADHD son, and painted the room a soft sage green, and it has helped alot, especially with nightime problems. The scent of vanilla and lavender and chamomille is also soothing. Maybe putting a candle scented with one of these for a bit in his room before sleep would help. or scented linen spray. I use aromatherapy extensively in my home, and it can sure change the mood. Best of luck and Blessings.
J&J has a "fussy baby" formulation lotion that works great... I slather some on and it knocks hubby out too!
I vote for the green! I have used it successfully for years.
There have been studies that show that green rates very high on the peaceful flow charts. Something to do with 'getting back to nature' sort of thing.
Blues were rated very calming too - in fact, in some religions, buring a blue candle promotes calm, peaceful feelings, good for healing.
I have also been very successful with Lavender essesical oil. My sister in law is into a few things, and she sells the Young Living oils.
She touted for months how the lavender oil could do most anything. (at the time, I was liking it to those old time brown bottle cure all tonics pushed around by traveling sales men!)
Anyway, to get her off my back, I decided to try it on my two foster sons (4 and 2 - the 2 being in the FAS spectrum). I figure if it could calm those boys down after visitation with Mommy Dearest, then I would by a case!
Well, I am here to tell you, I was more than mildly surprised when it worked! After they got home, I had them rub a few drops on their hands and breathe deeply. I even ran a few drops on my finger tips, and rubbed some on the backs of their necks and ears.
They loved it - and actually put in a good night after visitation --- a first in this house for the past 19 months!
Now, it is a ritual. After visitation, they come home, we spend a little time 'destressing' (doing mindless things and talking only if they want to). We call it an early pj night and they look forward to their lavender and their neck and ears being rubbed!
By the way, lavender oil is great for diaper rash, minor cuts, and bruises! It is like gone in the matter of a day or so! I would have never believed it until I tried it for myself!
Good Luck!
Color can do a lot!
I vote for a soft blue or green. When we bought our house and were painting before moving in, I was in a tough spot--my girls share a room, and one was hyper and I wanted a calming, quieting color for her, but dd #2 was so extremely quiet and sedate I thought a calm color might send her into a coma Wink
I ended up going with very bright and energetic colors, trying to charge up the energy level of #2. That was 3 years ago, and she is much more noisy and lively these days--whether the colors helped or not, I can't say.
Big (hyper) sis often remarks she wishes the room was painted the same purplish light blue that my room is--she loves to read and relax in my room, so when we repaint this year, I am going to honor her wish. I'll have to wait and see if #2 goes back to her still and silent self Smile
I agree with the others. I've heard that soft blue and green also help and I've used lavender scent/oils to calm and soothe others in the past.
I hadn't heard about lavender being a scent etc that could calm and relax until I was married to my ex who had a temper, was abusive and my mom suggested it to see if it would help - it helped some, but not enough - thus he is my ex lol.
Anyway, I would also say soft blue or green and see about using lavender scents to see if they help calm and soothe.
Good Luck
Anne Smile
As an ADD adult, blue has helped me. Green is great too, but I'm not a big fan so I stick to blue. Try to avoid reds, oranges, etc. There is a room in my house that is painted that Winnie the Pooh orange (it was painted this way when we bought it) and I can't stand to be in it. After a few minutes, the color is just too overstimulating.
There are a lot of websites and books about this type of thing. Bless you for thinking about this for your son.
I just did a quick research on this topic. Several articles suggested muted tones of blues, greens, or beiges.
All times are GMT. The time now is 8:40 am. | <urn:uuid:cc5952cc-86bf-41a8-a2b0-e7202388ed1f> | https://adoption.com/forums/thread/191206/bedroom-color-for-adhd/ | en | 0.981443 | 0.041734 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Question: Are There Foods I Eat That Might Enhance The Pain I Feel?
Answer: First of all, it's important to recognize that pain is heterogeneous. And we have migraine pain for headaches, we have irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic abdominal pain, we also have chronic back pain. These are several of the most common forms of chronic pain.
In general, chronic painful conditions are neither worsened nor alleviated by food with one important exception. Neurologists and physicians have known for decades that migraine headache is very sensitive to certain foods such as caffeine or even unfortunately chocolate. Also, individual patients may notice that substances as seemingly as, food seemingly as innocuous as dairy products or eggs can worsen headaches. And that's why with chronic headache, neurologists are very careful to instruct their patients to keep a food diary in order to identify the potential foods that are exacerbating headaches, and sometimes eliminate these from the diets. And it's also important to know that these foods can change with time.
So this is not a kind of a monolithic entity of one food will always cause headache. Certain other foods may emerge that can aggravate headaches as well.
Are There Foods I Eat That Might Relieve The Pain I Feel?
| <urn:uuid:6fb24175-56ee-490e-b6d4-e21b92f7941a> | http://abcnews.go.com/Health/LivingWithPain/story?id=4052135 | en | 0.954291 | 0.062695 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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I'm currently repurposing an old frame and replacing the drivetrain. If possible I'd keep the old 7 speed drive train the bike had together in case I ever find a use for it. The chain is an HG40 quick-link. There's plenty of info online about joining chains with quick-links but little about breaking and reusing them.
Is there a trick to the quick link to separate the chain so it can be easily reused or do I just need to break it with a chain tool?
The install Tech Doc can be found here.
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I didn't know Shimano made a "quick link" -- I though they were married to their throw-away pin scheme. – Daniel R Hicks Aug 29 '13 at 0:53
This is earlier than the pins I believe. I'll add the installation tech doc. – DWGKNZ Aug 29 '13 at 1:11
I would guess you bend the chain as for install, until one end pops loose. But I'd suggest tossing that link and replacing with an SRAM one. (Or toss the entire chain, if it's got any wear on it at all. Check it with a stretch gauge.) – Daniel R Hicks Aug 29 '13 at 2:50
Or bend and pry with small screwdriver, which will take three hands (or a vice to hold one end). But otherwise, what Daniel said. – armb Aug 30 '13 at 12:27
This is a different link than the Sram type of links. Here is a link to the directions I found that includes the HG-40 Quick link. Hope this helps!
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Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:d7fcc24b-8249-4f0c-81a1-8e7f663ea6d1> | http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/17354/how-to-remove-a-shimano-quick-link | en | 0.93303 | 0.196687 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Grappling with Knowledge
Image: Mimi and Eunice
@ValaAfshar – “Stop chasing best practices, instead chase the best people.
@counternotions “notion of a 3-5 yr technology road map is untenable & unrealistic outside of mainframes, ERP, retirement tracking & nuclear containment
Thabo Mophiring, @Thabo99 posted this to me: @hjarche I just blogged for the first time and now finally understand your comment on blogging in the old days and social curation. [in response to my earlier comment that when blogs were one of the few available social media, the curation included much more commentary and required more work]
Why Britannica failed on paper by @dweinberger
Paper doesn’t scale.
Paper-based knowledge can’t scale.
The Net scales.
The Net scales knowledge.
IM vs KM by @JBordeaux
The difference between IM [information management] and KM [knowledge management] is the difference between a recipe and a chef, a map of London and a London cabbie, a book and its author. Information is in technology domain, and I include books (themselves a technology) in that description. Digitizing, subjecting to semantic analysis, etc., are things we do to information. It is folly to ever call it knowledge, because that is the domain of the brain. And knowledge is an emergent property of a decision maker – experiential, emotional framing of our mental patterns applied to circumstance and events. It propels us through decision and action, and is utterly individual, intimate and impossible to decompose because of the nature of cognitive processing. Of course, I speak here of individual knowledge.
Knowledge Inventories via @IsabelDeClercq
Unfortunately, every few years, the ‘knowledge inventory’ baloney pops up again. It is always proffered by arrogant and unfortunate Western rationalists. They think they can apply analytic reductionism to complex phenomena like knowledge, networks and value. They ALWAYS fail and eventually go away.
In summary, business productivity and knowledge inhabits complex networks. It CANNOT be broken down and reassembled. Rather, praxis and phronesis achieve social comprehension, knowledge cohesion, leadership maturity, new capabilities, productivity, growth, business prosperity and optimal outcomes overall.
@ibridazioni – Orangutans shed light on a key insight about Social Knowledge Management
The question was: why all the members of the first group were capable to share knowledge independently from the difference in ages, hierarchy or sex in the group members for generations, while in the second group new discoveries were owned by small groups of orangutans and then disappearing with them? What allowed the widespread of a knowledge inside the whole group and why new ideas did not disappear after inventor’s death but continue for generations?
How could the new knowledge become a group’s assets?
In this exceptional natural scenario van Schaik discovered that this fact has a cultural cause!
The cultural difference in the group characterized by a shared culture was a physical and emotional code of proximity that allowed members of the group to approach and interact between them easily. We are in the knowledge’s economy and the cultural proximity code is the first secret to transform knowledge in a evolutive boost.
2 Responses to “Grappling with Knowledge”
1. ISabel De Clercq
About the Orangutans… The link between “the culture” (of an organization) en its “learning capacity” really is interesting indeed. Last year I found an article rather old (1990) in which the authors found that learning is more likely to emerge and be strong in organizations where the culture is more result oriented than process oriented / more employee oriented than work oriented / where there is a pragmatic culture rather than a normatic culture. These cultures (promoting learning by their “nature”) are caracterized by “trust” and “oppenness”. Just like in the story of the monkeys :). (in Dutch unfortunately)
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Obama Could Delay the Individual Mandate on His Own
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/2013 Getty Images
I've previously argued that if the Obamacare website problems go on longer than the Obama administration thinks they will, they may need to delay the individual mandate for people in states that lack functioning websites. That would only become a live option early next year: As Sarah Kliff points out, there's a two-month delay in the individual-mandate penalty, which means people can go without insurance until March before the fine kicks in.
How would a delay work, legally speaking? Pretty easily, it turns out. Nicholas Bagley and Austin Frakt explain that the Department of Health and Human Services can unilaterally suspend the individual mandate if need be:
If necessary, [Secretary Sebellius] could draft a new rule instructing nonfunctional exchanges — including the federally operated ones — to issue blanket certifications on behalf of all of the uninsured in their states. With those blanket certifications, the penalty would be waived — and all without congressional action.
The real upside here is that, because it doesn't require Congress, the administration could use a mandate delay to actually improve the functioning of the law, as opposed to using it to destroy the law, as Republicans in Congress have suggested. The Republican's mandate-delay plan was to pass a fixed-length mandate delay — they proposed this before any website failures became public — as a condition for reopening the federal government, and then just continue to trade mandate delays for bills reopening government, so that the mandate would be delayed indefinitely. That's rank sabotage.
Delaying the individual mandate only for states that can't get the exchanges working, and reinstituting it when the exchanges come online, would be a way of making the program work. Again, that option is a long way off. But it's there if the need arises. The fact that Obama has the power to do it, and doesn't need to rely on a Congress bent on repealing the law, probably kills off Congress's enthusiasm for delaying the mandate. | <urn:uuid:c6e642ff-0689-4aa9-90fd-02be27fd034a> | http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/10/obama-could-delay-individual-mandate-on-his-own.html?imw=Y&f=most-viewed-24h10 | en | 0.9577 | 0.138367 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Buzzing on Yahoo Sports:
Pitching by the Numbers: Win, lose or draw
Wins are fantasy baseball's most craptastic statistic.
View gallery
The Mets aren't always supportive of Matt Harvey. (USAT)
Every year, owners get screwed more or less by the randomness of the Wins category. Some, even me on occasion, out of desperation/disgust mostly, have advocated for "quality starts" to replace wins. But the trouble is that a "quality start" as officially defined could be a 4.50 ERA and a god-knows-what WHIP. That's no solution. But finding some other benchmark isn't much better and seems downright arbitrary.
Wins defenders argue that the answer is to pick pitchers on good teams and, if you don't, that's your fault. It's a clever rationalization, but the correlation between the quality of the team and the degree to which a pitcher gets screwed out of wins is weak. Also weak is the degree to which we can reasonably assess which teams are going to be good in March. Are you going to blame Stephen Strasburg owners for his 16 non-win games (3.53 ERA)? Should they have expected the Nationals' offense to be so anemic? And let's be honest, if I told you just how many runs Matt Harvey was going to allow in the games where he hasn't gotten a win, without telling you anything else, you wouldn't have worried about the Mets' offense because any team can easily beat 2.77 runs/9 on average. There's also A.J. Burnett's 15 no decisions/losses for a Pirates team that may win 100 games. I know, Burnett lacks "the will to win." Sigh.
In the absence of any real solution, there is always kvetching. So let's see who has gotten screwed the most in wins, so at least the owners of these pitchers can feel that it's fate's cruel hand rather than any forecasting deficiency on their part that's killing them in the Wins category. Here are the pitchers with the lowest ERAs in at least six no decisions plus losses. But, of course, the number of starts is also a key here. You can plainly see, for example, that Harvey and Clayton Kershaw can easily have 10 more wins right now, with normal luck on how teammates hit the days that they pitch.
Thanks to the Baseball-Reference's indispensable play index for the stats.
View gallery
I cut the list off at an ERA of 4.00. I don't think it's reasonable to expect a win when your pitcher gives up runs at about a league-average rate. And remember, all the pitchers worst outings, assuming they came in non-wins, are lumped in here, too.
Looking from the bottom, Lohse, Ogando, Latos and Leake are just mildly impacted here. Santiago's number of non-wins is surprising given that he hasn't had that many starts. But the White Sox are truly terrible to a degree no one could reasonably foretell and a 3.77 ERA isn't THAT good.
Sale is deceptive. Another way to do this would be number of games giving up two runs or less and getting a non-win. Sale has done this seven time. Strasburg leads the majors with 11 such games, followed by Shields, Burnett and Erik Bedard with 10. Other notables that make the case that the wins category stinks – Jeremy Hefner (9), Cole Hamels (9), Gio Gonzalez (9) and Jose Fernandez (9). Francisco Liriano has two. I thought Liriano and Burnett pitched on the same team, wins-can-be-predicted crowd, but maybe I'm wrong.
Forget about the two runs. Harvey has a 1.08 ERA in eight starts giving up two runs or less, with 64 Ks and six walks in 58.1 innings. Superman couldn't have won those games for the Mets (a distinction without a difference when it comes to Harvey, I know).
I have no great solutions. Make ERA in non-wins a sixth pitching category? No, you can't double-dip in ERA like that. It's wins that are the problem. Some arbitrary cutoff in ERA that everyone can agree translates to "you were really screwed out of a win today"? How about at least seven innings with two runs or less?
That would have given this year an extra seven wins to Shields, Harvey and Corbin and an extra six to Sale, Kuroda, Hernandez, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner. Seven other pitchers (Strasburg, Ervin Santana, Mike Leake, Kershaw, Hamels, Gonzalez, Burnett) would have gotten five more wins. I know they're not "wins" technically but we can just make "wins" actual wins OR no decisions/losses when a pitcher gives up two runs or less in seven-plus innings, can't we.
Or maybe we just live with the bad luck that's pretty much inexorably tied to our game.
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I've started programming an iPhone app using CoreData and trying to make my codebase as maintainable as possible. Therefore I would like to avoid hard-coded strings such as:
NSPredicate *predicate = [NSPredicate predicateWithFormat:@"name == %@", aName];
Instead I would like to be able to write something like:
NSPredicate *predicate = [NSPredicate predicateWithFormat:@"%K == %@",, aName];
That way I would get the compiler to check whether name is a property of the entity Person and avoid spelling mistakes.
With this code though I'm getting the following error at compile time: Property name not found on object of type Person
Person being of type NSManagedObject and automatically generated by Xcode from my MyApp.xcdatamodeld.
name is a simple string attribute of the entity Person
I've googled up and SOed up quite a lot already for an answer to this specific issue. I've also tried using property_getName and NSPropertyDescription with not luck so far.
Thanks in advance for you help,
share|improve this question
It does not work that way, you would still have to supply @"name" to the @K argument. – Joe Jan 3 '13 at 16:21
up vote 4 down vote accepted
If you do use Mogenerator, per Kendall's excellent suggestion, in the auto-generated classes you will get three structs declared in the header - EntityNameAttributes, EntityNameRelationships, and EntityNameFetchedProperties. So for instance, if your entity is named Person, and had an attribute name, you could get access to the key using This would allow you to avoid having hard-coded key names in your application code.
share|improve this answer
I did not know that was included in the default templates. Thats the way to go for sure then. Great answer! Joss, you should accept this answer (click on the checkmark outline to the left and it will mark it as accepted). – Kendall Helmstetter Gelner Jan 3 '13 at 18:49
@KendallHelmstetterGelner thank you!! – Carl Veazey Jan 3 '13 at 18:59
@CarlVeazey: Wonderful answer! Exactly what I was looking for. That was my very first question on SO, real happy! – Joss Jan 3 '13 at 21:43
@Joss So glad it helped :) – Carl Veazey Jan 3 '13 at 22:22
First of all, does not exist because "name" is a property of a person instance, not a class level property.
I'm not sure there's a really clear path from a compiler-checked method name to a string. You can always use lower level methods to access method signatures from a class and get strings from them, but the starting point for those is an un-checked string (either C or ObjC).
In general use of predicates will give you errors if you get the name wrong, so any testing that uses a predicate will verify you got the method name correct.
You should be using Mogenerator to generate data objects for use with your model. In that case you could look into changing the templates to add a method called something like "stringForMethodNamed*Name*" and include that as one of the parameters in the formatted predicate.
share|improve this answer
Thanks for your comprehensive answer Kendall! I've just heard about Mogenerator today ;-). I guess it's time I look into it then. I wish I could vote up your answer. I'm a noob on SO though and don't have enough reputation. – Joss Jan 3 '13 at 16:54
No worries, if you accept an answer you will gain some reputation. – Kendall Helmstetter Gelner Jan 3 '13 at 17:37
Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:0e068a60-454d-4c73-8a1c-94522d0e256f> | http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14142615/coredata-nspredicate-attribute-name?answertab=oldest | en | 0.895738 | 0.096686 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
David Limbaugh
In August 2011, the level of polarization seemed to reach a fever pitch, when Congressional Black Caucus Whip Andre Carson said, "Some of them in Congress right now with this tea party movement would love to see you and me ... hanging on a tree."
Just a week or so ago, no less a mainstream media figure than former ABC White House correspondent Sam Donaldson wrote, "Many on the political right believe this president ought not to be there -- they oppose him not for his policies and political view but for who he is, an African American!"
This is truly despicable. Imputing such false charges of racism, either out of profound ignorance or in a cynical effort to chill critically important political debate, is terribly destructive to our social fabric. But it goes on -- unabated.
Indeed, Carson's and Donaldson's deplorable statements are a predictable culmination of three years of divisive, racially charged rhetoric and policies from this administration.
Before he was inaugurated, President Obama promised that he would usher in a new period of bipartisan, post-racial politics, and many people believed him. But instead of inspiring a new climate of harmony, Obama has fostered an unprecedented atmosphere of divisiveness and polarization in this country.
From the beginning, Obama has engaged in identity politics, pitting groups of people against one another, from race to gender to economic status to sexual preference.
Early on, Attorney General Eric Holder lectured Americans for being cowards on race. President Obama himself, at one point, allowed as how some of his detractors have a subterranean agenda related to race.
In his radio addresses during the 2010 congressional campaigns, Obama, the uniter, appealed in explicitly racial terms to blacks and Latinos, telling them Democrats were their friends and Republicans were their enemies. First lady Michelle Obama also couched her pitch for Democratic congressional candidates in terms of what it would mean for black Americans, who were still suffering discrimination and facing disproportionate problems -- as if it were some sort of GOP-spawned race-based conspiracy. What she didn't say, of course, was that it was under her husband's policies that black unemployment had reached new highs.
Obama has portrayed Republicans and conservatives as people who want a small America, who don't care about the poor or minorities, who have a problem with people who aren't like them (read: race), who want dirtier air and dirtier water, and who applaud when people lose their health insurance coverage.
In a formal report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Obama administration told the world that America was engaging in discrimination against minorities and the LGBT community. It even submitted Arizona's immigration law to this anti-American body for review.
Beyond the toxic rhetoric, Obama has brought race into his policy mix, as well. His administration suggested that racism (racial profiling) was behind Arizona's and other states' immigration laws. It has depicted those who oppose amnesty and who support border enforcement as nativists and outright racists. His Justice Department dismissed a voter intimidation case against New Black Panther Party members because of an unwritten administration policy forbidding the prosecution of such cases when the alleged perpetrators are minorities and the alleged victims are white. During the GM and Chrysler restructuring, the administration reportedly allowed disproportionate numbers of minority and female owners to retain their dealerships.
Similarly, the Obama administration has brazenly attacked states that have passed voter ID laws, cravenly suggesting that demanding that voters prove their identity as a condition to voting is a thinly concealed effort to prevent minorities from voting -- as if minorities are incapable of producing identification. Republicans don't want to prevent any properly qualified and registered voters from voting, but they don't want them -- or their dead friends -- to vote multiple times.
Even in the most recent administration scandal, "Fast and Furious," Holder suggested that his political opponents are after him over the gun-walking scandal as a way of getting at President Obama through him because they are both African-Americans.
Contrary to Donaldson's incendiary charges, Republicans oppose Obama's policies because they are destructive, not because of his race -- a charge as absurd as it is vicious.
It is time these disgraceful tactics end.
David Limbaugh
©Creators Syndicate | <urn:uuid:53b79246-610f-4fcb-9600-01480b1fb355> | http://townhall.com/columnists/davidlimbaugh/2012/06/26/time_for_the_administration_to_stop_exploiting_race/page/full | en | 0.971068 | 0.036273 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
A tax increase for adult toys?
Paul Jacob
7/31/2005 12:00:00 AM - Paul Jacob
My mother reads this column. So, trust me, I don't plan to talk about sex toys any more than I have to. I'm no expert on the subject, either. But I do know they're not worth a multi-billion dollar tax increase.
This November, Colorado voters will face Referendums C and D, placed on the ballot by state legislators. With Referendum C, politicians ask voters to throw out the caps they'd imposed on state government spending when they passed the 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Rights initiative. If passed, Referendum C slaps Coloradans with a $3.6 billion tax increase. Referendum D goes a step further, allowing the state government to borrow still $2 billion more, which with interest could cost taxpayers more than $3 billion to pay back.
Why are Referendum C and D needed? To allow a frugal, yet cash-strapped, government to fix its crumbling schools and infrastructure? Or are these two referendums all about the politicians' insatiable desire to spend money?
And, what on earth does the issue of government spending have to do with sex toys?
A lot, really. Recently, it came to light that a sculpture entitled "Twelve Dildos on Hooks" was purchased with $5,000 in state funds. Actually, no, I take that back: when she applied for government funding, the artist, Tsehai Johnson, changed the title of her work to "Large Implements on Hooks."
Seems the folks spending Coloradans' hard-earned dough on transcendent works of art were none the wiser. They didn't quite get it. "No alarms went off when I looked at it," said one arts council member.
The work is nothing more than twelve hooks in a straight line across a wall with the ceramic "implements" dangling from the hooks.
Ms. Johnson explained the title change, saying, "I wanted the title to be a little more open-ended so that it didn't become so easily dismissed." She told a Denver TV station, "They're meant to be sex toys, but sex toys that are talking about a lot of issues."
In most states, such scandals hardly matter. But in Colorado, what voters and taxpayers think actually does matter. Coloradans have a statewide process of initiative and referendum, which allowed them to enact some fiscal restraint on government through the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. Without the approval of their state's political establishment.
The Taxpayer Bill of Rights, or TABOR for short, limits the growth of government from year to year to no more than inflation plus population growth. The result has been an enormous success. Since passage, Colorado has experienced the second fastest economic growth of all the states. And Colorado taxpayers have received $3.2 billion in refunds from the TABOR Amendment.
During the boom years of the 1990s, many states nearly doubled state spending as tax revenue poured in. They spent it all and looked for more. Then, when the bubble burst, these states had severe deficits between what government planned to spend and the tax revenue they were collecting. Not in Colorado. TABOR requires the state to refund taxes collected over and above the allowable growth in government spending. Thus, TABOR kept government growth reasonable and the downturn in the economy was not so destabilizing.
TABOR also requires that if (when) legislators want to increase taxes or government spending more than allowed by the TABOR caps, they have to ask the voters. Nicely. In an election.
Hence Referendums C and D. And since TABOR gives voters more say-so, politicians have reason to worry that the spectacle of governments buying pornographic, obscure, or just plain stupid artwork will sour voters on their tax increase agenda.
Supporters of ever higher taxes and government spending (to provide ever-expanded — but rarely useful or efficient — government services) say that the sex toy sculpture is just a red herring in the debate about Referendums C and D and government spending. It is a drop in the bucket compared to the billions more they say government needs for basic services like education, roads, and police.
It is indeed a drop in the bucket, relatively speaking. But $5,000 is still $5,000 and it rightfully belongs to the taxpayers. Plus, the attitude that $5,000 decisions don't count, because they are smaller than million- and billion-dollar decisions, is not found among people spending their own money. Rather, it is the exclusive province of those spending other people's money.
In the Colorado Freedom Report, Ari Armstrong writes what we all could have surmised, "The legislature has failed to find efficient ways of reorganizing state government, and it has failed to cut wasteful and low-priority programs." That's why politicians and bureaucrats so deeply desire billion-dollar increases in their budgets. It's not their money, and they can't even imagine ways to cut back. (Of course by "cut back" we're not really talking about actual cuts, but merely cuts to the rate of growth. Actual state spending has gone up every year, even under TABOR's fiscal restraint.)
Governor Bill Owens, whose support of C and D has angered many taxpayers, admitted that Johnson's artwork was "offensive," and argued, "It serves as an important reminder that whenever tax dollars are involved, government must be cautious and prudent."
Nice try, Governor, but no, it serves as yet another spectacular reminder that government is neither cautious nor prudent with our tax dollars. In November, Colorado voters will tell Owens and all the other politicians and special interests the very same thing: No. | <urn:uuid:32d90306-bbf5-42cc-a25f-452433e4152f> | http://townhall.com/columnists/pauljacob/2005/07/31/a_tax_increase_for_adult_toys/print | en | 0.969144 | 0.376808 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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I own an application managing some meetings (conceptual example).
Of course, my website is responsive so that it's fully usable on mobile devices.
Before showing some screenshots of my navigation menu, some people (family, friends, since it's a beta app), are "shocked" that the menu isn't a side-oriented hamburger menu (like Facebook web mobile does for instance).
I prefer the advice of real UX guys :)
So, here the simple screenshots:
enter image description here
When clicking on the menu:
enter image description here
Of course, a click on any link hides the menu and shows the corresponding page. Note that the menu's height takes only 15-20% of the entire page.
I just cut the bottom of the page.
Meetings display a list of the actual meetings. Create your meeting allow any user to create its own. Invite people you may know => facebook interaction to let some friends try the app.
And on Meeting page, when clicking on "refine your search", a filter area is shown:
enter image description here
The matched meetings list would appear under the filter area, and one click on the "click here to refine your search would close the filter area".
Is it acceptable regarding UX, (no matter the actual graphic design is) ?
People are "shocked" since they have the high habits of using Facebook app.
Facebook displays a left-side hamburger menu.
Therefore, in the mind of a lot of people, a lot of lambda users consider that nowadays, applications MUST have a left (or right) side menu rather than another form.
(The real application is not dealing with "Meetings", but it's a conceptual example).
share|improve this question
Are they 'shocked' in that they don't know how to use it? Do they still recognise it as an icon that triggers a menu to appear? – JonW Aug 29 '14 at 13:51
Actually, they know how to use the application and it's pretty easy, but they arguing "Facebook does like that, what not you!" ... stupid comparison but I wonder if this is what all lambda users would think..would I need to change? I'm not an UX expert, despite I love the domain, but according to me, as I haven't got many links, it seems enough to have a top-down instead of a left-side or right-side one. – Mik378 Aug 29 '14 at 13:52
click here to refine your search is way to small – njzk2 Aug 29 '14 at 19:30
How about a menu that opens on the top right? Right now your menu fills the entire width on the top. That gives the appearance that the menu is part of the page (and honestly that's ugly). Making it take just enough space needed on the top right corner under the burger (both width and height) will give you a much better looking menu that gives the appearance that it's layered above the page. That way you don't need to resort to the Facebook-style left menu. – ADTC Aug 30 '14 at 6:37
Adding to @njzk2's point, "Click here" should be "Tap here" when your page is being viewed on a mobile device – Luke Bornheimer Sep 3 '14 at 21:04
up vote 17 down vote accepted
A few things about your question and some next steps:
• User Experience Experts are just people that swallow their pride & know to ask their users / customers. I'd like to think my experience gives me a solid base for presenting better-than-average first-shots, but I know that users ultimately control the direction of my work.
I wouldn't necessarily take design advice from friends and family, but if these folks are a potential market for you, take their thoughts to heart, especially over us so-called experts on StackExchange.
• Obviously you never want to do something like another company (no matter how large) just because. There are reasons to stick with tried-and-true design patterns--you offload some of your learning curve to preconceived notions and take advantage of the UX work done by those organization--but you have to make sure your user goals match theirs.
If you're going to use something well-known but in a different way, be extremely careful. If I make a webpage with blue underlined text and clicking on it does something other than activate a link, I'm going to confuse an awful lot of people.
• My biggest issue with most hamburger menus--yours included--is that they don't tend to indicate state. In your screenshots, I'm not sure when the menu is open and when it's closed -- the hamburger button looks the same.
• Finally, from the looks of it and based on your description, I'd be careful putting too much weight in the menu itself. Navigational menus are generally designed to bring you to a location, and having them allow for a lot of interaction (such as creating a meeting in multiple steps) can lead to a scenario where the user doesn't quite know where they are.
TL;DR There's no definite right or wrong in most of's all about how your audience understands your interface / interaction. So long as you're considering your users and testing, there's no issue with doing something different than Facebook or Google. They certainly don't have the market cornered on good ideas!
share|improve this answer
"Finally, from the looks of it and based on your description, I'd be careful putting too much weight in the menu itself. Navigational menus are generally designed to bring you to a location, and having them allow for a lot of interaction (such as creating a meeting in multiple steps) can lead to a scenario where the user doesn't quite know where they are." => When user clicks on "Create your meeting", it moves to the page "/meetings/new" that displays a multi-steps form. What's wrong with that? – Mik378 Aug 29 '14 at 14:28
If that's the way it works, then nothing. I wasn't entirely clear from the screenshots and it looked like the "create a meeting" functionality was in the menu. I see now the visual difference, but it highlights my other point about the menu button needing some indicator of state--is it open or closed? – nathanziarek Aug 29 '14 at 14:32
+1 for your point about not indicating state. I hadn't even considered this before. – Justin Morgan Aug 29 '14 at 18:26
+1 - Very well written. – JonH Aug 29 '14 at 19:41
@VinceCgto I don't think we're really in disagreement here. I wasn't suggesting that Mike378 simply take his friends and family whims and develop towards that. Rule number one of UX has to be "don't ask your users what they want" for the exact reasons you described. But, if that's rule number one, rule number two is that design patterns and our "intuition" mean nothing if the user group you're designing for have a different mental model. Again, this isn't to say that users dictate the interactions, but their needs from the software trump any design pattern. – nathanziarek Sep 1 '14 at 14:29
It's not about whether or not to follow trends just because Facebook has done it. No doubt, Facebook has likely done loads of user research on what is more intuitive for most of their users.
Source: How does something become "common knowledge"?
You should do your own research to see what makes the most sense. In your case, the best way to determine if this is appropriate behaviour is not to ask Family or Friends but to approach others who are within your target user group and run an A/B test.
Observe how users react to each version and design accordingly.
share|improve this answer
As a public app (it's a social network), family, friends etc. are also targeted users, but the range of people I asked to have a very low culture of applications world. They judge just by what they have seen in the past => Facebook app for instance. – Mik378 Aug 29 '14 at 14:11
Thanks for those links, interesting :) – Mik378 Aug 29 '14 at 14:17
From these screenshots, there are 3 functions in that part of your app.
1. List of meetings, with search functionnality
2. Meeting creation, with several steps
3. Inviting people
Apparently this menu is displayed on the list/search page? (I will assume so in the rest of the answer)
A few points, not really ordered:
• It is not clear where we are. The title displays the name of the application, when it could be used to indicate where we are in the app.
• The menu contains items that are very different, and I don't see that they belong in the same place.
• Meetings indicates that it would take you to the list of meetings. But apparently we are already there (are we?). In the meeting creation process, it would create confusion as to the state of the meeting being created if you allow the user to leave like this. I don't really know what the invite part would do.
• Create your meeting is the primary general function of the meetings list page. It would generally be represented by +, with a single action button (vs 2 actions in the menu). In other parts of the UI it would not make sense to have that link.
• The power button is unclear. Is this a webapp? if so, what does that button do? (I would tend to think it may close the menu, but I would not click on it, being afraid it may close the whole app)
However, the burger button does convey the idea of a menu, as it is now globally accepted. But it takes the position of a action overflow bar, which can be confusing as to what to expect in the menu.
The click here to refine your search button (Does not really look like a button, though) is way to small.
I am not sure what the bell does. I would expect it to set a reminder on a meeting, but which one? Or maybe to display the next reminders?
share|improve this answer
"Click here to refine your search" should really be a button that says "Refine" (if it's shown under a search section or can be easily understood to mean refining the search) or "Refine my search" (if it's shown in a non-search-related context). "Click here to" and "tap here to" should really be avoided as being extraneous and unnecessary. If it is a button, people are going to click or tap on it. There is no need to tell them to. – ADTC Aug 30 '14 at 6:30
Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:ee1dff62-dcf1-4ab0-8658-5caf28bc9375> | http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/63755/top-down-hamburger-menu-is-it-a-cool-experience-regarding-my-application | en | 0.950428 | 0.18801 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Vegan Outreach: Working to End Cruelty to Animals
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Vegan Outreach Enewsletter • July 30, 2002
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We often receive email asking for information in a specific area. These queries include meetings, demonstrations, shopping and restaurants, etc. If you or your group would like to be a contact in your area, please email us with the contact information. We will create a new web page with the list of email addresses and web sites listed by region.
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Website Revisions
If you've been a regular browser of our website, you might have noticed some changes recently. Mostly, the Vegan Starter Pack has been revised and expanded, although new information is being added throughout as we have the chance. Feel free to pass along feedback and/or suggestions!
I wrote you some time ago and asked for your advice on being a healthy vegan in a cafeteria environment. I just wanted to say that your advice is paying off big. I think my metabolism is a fast one and lack of dairy makes it all the faster, the olive oil has helped so so much. Thanks so much for caring enough to email a person you don't even know and give them thoughtful advice. It really reinforces my whole vegan decision.
AW, 6/13/02
Fat and the Vegan Diet
Knowing the health hazards of saturated fats in meat, dairy, and eggs, many vegans extrapolate this information to condemn all fat. However, not all fat is bad – quite the contrary. As Walter Willett, the leading nutritional epidemiologist in the country, writes in an interview:
What is a common mistake people make when they are trying to eat a healthier diet?
"Getting rid of all of the fat in their diets. The USDA has promoted the strategy, but it can be really dangerous. Not all fats are bad and, in fact, some should be required in any diet. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in foods such as nuts, avocados, fish, olives, and most oils help lower ‘bad’ cholesterol levels without affecting ‘good’ cholesterol levels.
"People also tend to replace fat in their diets with foods high in sugar or refined carbohydrates. A lot of people think that a plain bagel with jam can be a healthy thing to eat in the morning, but actually that is one of the unhealthiest duos you can eat because it has a high glycemic load. You’d be better off with scrambled eggs cooked in corn oil or a whole-grain cereal."
Brenda Davis, R.D., has written a good summary article regarding fat and the vegan diet; Becoming Vegan has a more complete description.
Milk and Crohn's
Previously in Spam, we referenced an article by Michael Greger, MD, regarding the possible links between Crohn's Disease and dairy. Recently, NPR did a story on Crohn's that parallels Dr. Greger's article in many respects.
This is just a small donation to the group that has given me so much (info., support, materials). Keep up the good work. More donations to come, as I get money in. Thanks again, you guys are the best organization out there for animals today.
JS, Tucson, AZ, 7/20/02
I just got my Vegan Starter Packet and Why Vegans in the mail...awesome info! I have begun distributing the pamphlets and talking to people. Keep up the great work!
SH, Columbia, SC, 7/20/02
We just passed out 800 free vegan lunches with a Vegetarian Living in each one. It was great success.
DT, Seattle, WA, 7/20/02
Building Bridges?
Cow in Slaughterhouse
Matt Ball
From the previous Taco Bell-triggered "Setting Priorities" article, as well as the E Magazine articles regarding vegetarianism, follow-up discussions have occurred concerning the relative importance of alliances with other organizations.
This seems straightforward enough. I'm sure that many animal advocates have found themselves thinking, "If you care about wild animals, Mr. Environmentalist, why do you eat 'domestic' ones?" "If you oppose killing human criminals, Ms. Anti-Dealth Penalty, why don't you oppose killing innocent animals?" Many "progressive" groups seem like obvious allies who should be promoting animal liberation and vegetarianism.
The obvious question is, "Why don't they?" One member wrote to us:
I think one of the reasons the progressive community is generally less than receptive when it comes to nonhuman animals is that the animal rights movement broadly continues to do things that needlessly alienate progressives.
Message and Tactics
There are two aspects to this – the message on which we focus, and the tactics we use to get this message heard. In their issue devoted to vegetarianism, one E Magazine article, under the subheading, "Forward in All Directions," concludes: "But if the disparate movements galvanized around a single, easy-to-understand message of vegetarianism for health and concern for the planet...". Clearly, the message isn't "forward in all directions." Rather: Appeal to people's self-interest. Don't bring up factory farms, slaughterhouses, or animal cruelty.
As discussed elsewhere, there are many reasons why encouraging people's selfishness is not the way to create fundamental change for a better world.
Discarded Dead Ducks
Tactics are another issue, however. The member quoted above continued:
Some animal advocacy groups would have people send campaign contributions to arch-conservative Republicans like Senator Rob Smith because of how he votes on our narrow issue. No wonder the gay rights movement doesn't embrace us.
Other activists are opposed to supporting campaigns which attempt to improve worker safety in processing plants. As long as people are treated as commodities, animals will be treated as commodities. It's like when I hear anti-vivisection activists saying we should experiment on prisoners instead. No wonder the human rights movement doesn't embrace us.
Meanwhile other groups use sex, even pornography, to "sell" their message. No wonder the feminist movement doesn't embrace us! As long as we objectify women, we will objectify animals. As long as we treat women like meat, we will treat [animals] like meat.
Maybe if we recognized our ideological connections and discontinued engaging in such acts, progressives would be less likely to dismiss us as we have so often dismissed them. I think we should consistently seek out the higher moral ground. (And Taco Bell is pretty damn slimy.)
Of course, we should strive to be respectful of other concerns because: 1) we advocate respectfulness, and 2) when vegans alienate people, it hurts the animals.
Efficacy and Offensiveness
That being said, in order to be heard above the cacophony of voices screaming for public attention, sometimes we need to push the envelope to be an effective voice for the animals. It is inevitable that anything successful in reaching the public is going to be upsetting to at least some people. We can never know for sure if the new people who are reached offset those who are offended, but we have to take both groups into consideration – not just the latter.
For example, the McDeath campaign, organized by Peta, handed out UnHappy Meals to children at McDonalds. It was criticized for how it would affect children. These are legitimate concerns, of course, but they were not enough, IMO, to have canceled the campaign. It is a tradeoff worth making – upset parents and children for the advances made.
Crated Sow with Piglets. From VivaUSA
Specific to Vegan Outreach, everything we have ever published has upset people – Why Vegan first and foremost. Each article in the Vegan Advocacy Booklet has been denounced by multiple persons.
This is not to deny the validity of the views of those who are upset. However, instead of attacking the messenger, it might be best to realize that, in almost all cases, their efforts are motivated by a heartfelt desire to make the animals' case as efficiently and effectively as possible. These efforts can't adhere to everyone's political agenda (and this is true in my case as well, even regarding some of Vegan Outreach's efforts). But I believe the suffering in factory farms and slaughterhouses has to be addressed right now, instead of after society has adopted all other progressive causes.
Some might not share these priorities. But we shouldn't spend our limited time and resources attacking those trying to speak for the animals. Rather, we should work hard to develop other campaigns that are optimally effective at exposing the animals' plight. The animals deserve all our focus and efforts.
History and Bridges
The feedback continued:
The history of social justice movements in the U.S. is replete with examples of racist unions, abolitionists who thought women weren't exactly people, suffragettes who didn't want poor women voting, etc etc. I'm interested in ways we can as a movement move ahead without grounding ourselves in prejudice, without compromising other social justice goals to forward ours.
The latter goal is noble, and I am certain many activists and organizations would be open to campaigns that can optimally speak for the animals while meeting these criteria. However, I think the former history lesson is the more important point. Should other social movements have waited for purity? Should the Union army only have had those with no prejudice fighting at Gettysburg? Should the civil rights movement have refused to support relatively progressive legislation during the Johnson administration in order to protest Vietnam?
Can we realistically expect environmental / women's rights / anti-death-penalty groups to promote the animals' agenda? While the logic seems obvious to us, consider how it looks from the "other" side. Shouldn't animal advocates be promoting an agenda that is pro-environment, anti-abortion, pro-Christian, anti-sweatshop, pro-U.N., anti-globalization, pro-choice, anti-fundamentalism, pro-Palestinian, anti-isolationist, pro-Israel, anti-GMO, pro-affirmative action, anti-discrimination, pro-organic, anti-terrorist, pro-pacifism, anti-technology, pro-free trade, anti-luxury, pro-raw foods, etc. etc. etc.?
Specific to our efforts: should Vegan Outreach promote veganism, or small-community local farm socialist handcrafted veganic living? Should we only accept money from and send booklets for distribution to members who fulfill all these requirements? Given our fundamental goal – to prevent animal suffering and promote animal liberation – I don't believe so.
Turkeys Entering Slaughterhouse
Knowing what goes on in factory farms and slaughterhouses, billions of times over every year, I do vegan outreach because I do believe it is the most important, most pressing issue. Given inherently limited time and resources, I have no choice but to prioritize, which means not always addressing social concerns that, in my opinion, are not as pressing as the unimaginable torture and slaughter of billions of animals in the U.S. each year.
I certainly don't want to alienate anyone. But it is most important to be active in today's society on behalf of the animals as effectively as possible. If, for example, someone chooses to ignore what goes on in factory farms because Why Vegan mentions Taco Bell, I am not confident that they were truly willing to consider a non-speciesist view of the world. In a society where one in four people eat fast food once a day, I will not ignore the importance of convenience just to avoid allegedly giving an anti-Taco Bell person an excuse to continue to eat animals.
Given this, I have to accept that the argument cuts both ways. I can't expect other groups with different fundamental goals to adopt and promote any other agenda. Because of the possibility of some common ideas, these other groups may be fertile grounds for reaching new people. Successful outreach is desirable when possible, and offending others should be avoided when possible. But we must remain focused on the main issue: the immense suffering of the animals. I don't think that the animals are best served by spending an inordinate amount of our limited resources on trying to build certain bridges. I believe we are ethically required to work based on our best estimate of what the payoff of our efforts will be, not on what it should be.
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Entries in Great Lakes (120)
Noise Could Be Way to Slow Spread of Silver Carp
Hydrilla Creeps Closer to Great Lakes
Hydrilla is creeping ever closer to Lake Erie, the warmest and shallowest of the Great Lakes. Most recently, it has been found about 20 miles away in Lake Pymatuning, a 17,000 -acre impoundment on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border.
"It is a serious situation," said Brian Pilarcik of the Crawford County Conservation District. "It can grow very fast, almost an inch a day and forms large, dense masses that can and will impact water sports and will have a negative impact on tourism in the county.
"We are very concerned that the plant could eventually reach Lake Erie."
An environmental educator at Pymatuning, Linda Armstrong added, "The lakes here get quite a bit of use and people will go from one to another, so it is critical to clean all equipment as well as boats."
Already Pennsylvania resource managers have talked with their counterparts in Florida about the discovery, with the latter promising assistance in containing the invasive plant.
Long a problem for many fisheries in the South, hydrilla was first reported in Pennsylvania during the mid 1990s, according to Pennsylvania Sea Grant (PSG). It's also now established in Bucks County and the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. The next closest infestation to Pymatuning is Lake Arthur, about 60 miles to the south.
"Hydrilla is a federal noxious weed that continues to spread to new regions in the United States," PSG said. "It is unknown exactly where hydrilla originated, but Asia, Africa, and Australia are all mentioned in the literature as native ranges.
"Currently, Antarctica is the only continent without records of hydrilla."
Asian Carp Spawn Raises Threat for Barkley, Kentucky Lake Sport Fisheries
Can an Asian carp invasion destroy a world-class sport fishery? We're about to find out. And, no, it won't be in the Great Lakes.
Ground Zero will be Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, where anglers and commercial fishermen now are seeing millions and millions of young-of-the year silver carp.
Commercial fisherman Ben Duncan sent me these photos that he recently took at Boswell Bay, where he caught about 500 of them.
"I've seen similar schools in Cypress Bay, Eagle Creek, and Blood River," he said. "My conjecture is this year's mid-summer flood has made the 2015 spawn one for the record books."
And Paul Rister, a Kentucky fisheries biologist, confirmed that assessment. "Yes, we are aware of the tremendous spawn of Asian carp in the tailwaters and lakes this past spring," he said, adding that the state recently implemented a nickel a pound subsidy to encourage commercial harvest.
He also said that the numbers of carp likely will be far more than commercial fishermen can harvest, especially since nets can capture only larger specimens.
"So, what is the answer?" he continued. "There is not one yet. The good news is that it is still very unlikely that the carp have impacted sport fish in the lakes."
They may have displaced them, though, meaning anglers might find the fishing tougher as they are forced to fish new areas. Also, with so much forage, bass and crappie might be more difficult to catch on artificial baits--- at least immediately after the carp spawn. But within a few months, the fast-growing carp are too large for sport fish to eat.
Those impacts are short term. What's going to happen during the next year? Or five? Will the invasion overwhelm the sport fishery as carp occupy so much water that there's no room for other species? That's happened in portions of major rivers, including the Missouri and Illinois.
Will commercial fishing contain carp numbers? Will scientists develop a chemical or biological control?
We will just have to wait and see.
Tennessee, Cumberland River Fisheries Threatened by Asian Carp
Less Habitat --- Not More --- Might Help Asian Carp Spread
Who would have believed that you could catch a largemouth bass, or much less a spotted bass, on a 9-inch swimbait? And how about that crazy looking Alabama rig? No way would that work.
But it’s not only in bass fishing that nature constantly reminds of how little we know.
Perhaps the coelacanth provides the best example. The primitive fish was thought to be extinct for about 65 million years when one was pulled from the depths in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. Since then, several more have been caught, including some 6,000 miles from the original location.
More recently, scientists say that they believe that a reservoir 400 miles below our feet contains enough water to fill our oceans three times. If true, this suggests that our surface water actually came from within, instead of being deposited by icy comets striking Earth billions of years ago. It also makes one wonder what the planet would look like if all that water were up here instead of down there. Those who are religious might say it would look much like it did shortly after Noah built his arc--- and they might add that explains where the water came from.
Exotic species, meanwhile, provide some of the greatest--- and costliest--- of nature’s mysteries. And, as speedier transport and improved technology facilitate their spread, they will continue to do so. That’s because the consequences of their introductions can’t truly be determined until it’s too late. Yes, we can theorize based on their size, needs, breeding habitats, etc., and the niches that they filled in their native habitats.
But as we’ve learned in recent years, zebra mussels, Asian carp, and other invaders are not subject to the same limiting factors--- predation, disease, climate, habitat--- as they were in their native ecosystems. In other words, what it was there is not what it is here.
Yes, we knew that zebra mussels would filter the water in the Great Lakes. But we had no idea that this process would contribute to a resurgence in blue-green toxic algae blooms or that the shellfish would link with another invader, the round goby, to cause fish-eating birds such as loons to die of botulism poisoning. Yes, we knew that Asian carp would compete with native species for food and habitat. But we had no idea that the silver would become a serious navigation hazard on some waters because of its leaping when frightened.
Which brings us to a recent revelation by a scientist at the University of Waterloo in Canada. Her proposal turns on its head the idea that Asian carp and other exotic species require an abundance of suitable habitat to thrive and spread. And if she’s correct, that means total lockdown of the Great Lakes from its manmade connection with the Illinois River is more important than ever.
“We recently found that only 10 Asian carp are needed to establish a population in the Great Lakes,” said Kim Cuddington, an ecology professor. “But then we asked, if there are so few individuals initially, how do they find a mate and create an ecological disaster?”
The answer is “landmarking.” And it works this way: Where is it easier for you to locate bass, in a pond with one laydown or a pond with a dozen? Yes, fishing might be better overall in the latter, but that’s not what we’re talking about.
We’re talking about a “hook up” --- forgive the pun--- in a non-angling sense. Whether a lonely male is an Asian carp or a butterfly, he instinctively knows to hightail it to the nearest preferred landmark habitat--- or "hangout"--- of his species to find a mate. This strategy allows species to reproduce even when population densities are low.
"With an endangered species, if the number of landmarked sites is increased, the individuals will have a lower chance of finding a mate," said Cuddington. "By contrast, decreasing the number of landmarked sites in an effort to keep invasive species from reproducing has the opposite effect, and ensures individuals have a near certain chance of finding a mate.”
Asian carp use river water quality and flow rate as landmarks to find mates more easily than originally thought, she explained.
"For species like Asian carp, precautionary measures have to be extraordinary to prevent establishment in the Great Lakes," said Cuddington. "When we see Asian carp use landmarking, officials need to worry."
(This article appeared originally in B.A.S.S. Times.) | <urn:uuid:52208842-5773-40c8-80ab-b481d2add319> | http://www.activistangler.com/journal/tag/great-lakes | en | 0.960076 | 0.054611 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Hear It!
Which Means:
A solemn parade, a line of people moving forward.
As In:
Image A procession of ants walked over the ant bridge!
Heads Up!
P is the first in the procession of letters in this word; it is followed by a C and two Ss.
Back to Clubroom | <urn:uuid:be7e7150-e07a-440e-88f8-4bb6b73bce31> | http://www.alphadictionary.com/ww/goodwordjr/date/2011/09/16?backtopuzzles=1 | en | 0.886281 | 0.024569 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Vampire Weekend Backlash at SXSW
The biggest buzz band at South by Southwest, Vampire Weekend, at its highly anticipated official showcase.
Used to be that you went to South by Southwest to find out about new bands, to discover a couple acts on your own, to see the few bands everyone would rave about over the next few months and, if you found something really amazing, the next few years. Used to be that it was a place where bands broke out big and found their niche among the thousands of journalists, industry types and fans who flood Austin each March.
Used to be.
In this MySpace- and blog-driven age, South by Southwest—through very little fault of its own—has changed, and for the harsher.
The proof of that is in the buzz.
This past week in Austin, the buzz circled specifically around one super-hyped act: Vampire Weekend, the Columbia University-bred, kinda snobbish, Talking Heads-meets-Paul Simon foursome from New York City. Seems you couldn't walk 5 feet down Sixth Street (or, for that matter, any other street in downtown Austin) without hearing the band's name more than once.
The intentions behind those mentions varied; some were kind:
"Oh my God! Have you heard that Vampire Weekend CD?"
"I really want to see Vampire Weekend this week."
"I wonder if we'll be able to get into that Vampire Weekend show..."
But, really, most of the comments were of an uglier variety: "Fuck Vampire Weekend" was the unifying rallying cry amongst the 1,600 or so other (and surely jealous) bands booked to perform at the fest.
It went only downhill from there. Not surprisingly, Vampire Weekend was the top choice when it came to name-dropping an act in hopes of cutting a line for a show ("Oh, c'mon! Let us in! We're Vampire Weekend!"). Most people, though, used it as a way to endear themselves to strangers standing nearby. It was foolproof. Need a witty comment to break the monotony of standing in line with a bunch of people you don't know? Drop a Vampire Weekend slight. Want to strike up a conversation with that cute hipster standing near you as you await a drink at the bar? Dump on Vampire Weekend—at the very least, you'll get a smirk back.
The best crack, though, actually came from another band with a decent amount of buzz at the festival. As his band headlined the Sub Pop label showcase on Friday night, the lead singer for the low-fi indie rock outfit No Age reportedly told the crowd, "We're Vampire Weekend. This is our new song. Want to hear it? It's called 'College Dickface.'"
What, would it have been too harsh to ask the crowd to roll up the most recent issue of Spin—you know, the one with Vampire Weekend on the cover—and shove it up their butts?
It all made you hope, for their own sake, that the guys in Vampire Weekend—who sing about such low-brow, Everyman topics as punctuation use and summers on Cape Cod while wearing cable-knit sweaters, scarves and Oxford shirts onstage—are members of the "There's no such thing as bad publicity" camp.
Although to be fair, for the past eight or nine months, since the blogosphere really caught fire in hyping their band's sounds, the Vampire Weekend guys have had more than their fair amount of time in the limelight.
So, by the time South by Southwest rolled around, the band was bound to be a polarizing act. They were just as likely to be invited to play the mainstream day-parties hosted by Spin and National Public Radio (which they were) as they were to be hated on (which they also were). They were just as bound to be avoided as they were to be waited for. It was one or the other and definitely nowhere in the middle.
When you boast an imbalance of having more than 2.5 million MySpace profile views and having only recently released your debut album (at the end of January), for better or worse, people tend to judge you by your buzz and not by your sound or performance ability.
And that's why, all week long, as I prepared to head down to Austin—hell, even once I got down there—I continually wrestled with whether it was worth trying to catch one of Vampire Weekend's shows. I'd heard the band's self-titled debut, and I kind of dug it. Yes, it's smug in the worst prep-school way possible to sing about commas, college campuses, Peter Gabriel and various kinds of tea. But Vampire Weekend also manages to make it pretty gosh-darn charming—especially in pairing those references with Jamaican and Afro-beats, playful guitar parts and light, upper-register vocals.
But everyone knew what was coming if they tried to catch the band this past week: long lines, packed houses and, more than likely, wasted time. If Vampire Weekend didn't disappoint, it was almost certain that the time spent waiting for them to play (and, thus, time spent missing other worthwhile bands) would do so.
Or so I had assumed. Knowing that I only had two chances to see the band perform (a chance to see The Black Keys, The Little Ones, The Helio Sequence and British Sea Power perform elsewhere during Vampire Weekend's third show, held at Friday's Spin day-party, was too much to give up), I walked down to Sixth Street on Thursday afternoon to see if the lines weren't too bad for its first SXSW show, an NPR-broadcasted day performance. The lines were that bad, though, stretching a whole block past the door of the venue where the band was playing.
Knowing that this was the beast I'd have to deal with the next night too, if I wanted to see the band's official showcase, I began doubting the merits of seeing them perform. That's when I met Susan Lee, a tarot card reader sitting at a table not too far from the Vampire Weekend day-party line. She said her cards would answer any questions I had. Yes, she said, even about Vampire Weekend—although she did interject her own opinion before the reading: "It's a Vampire showcase?" she asked. How sweet the naïve can be. "I don't think you're missing anything there."
Her tune changed, though, after she looked at the three cards I had picked at random from her fanned tarot deck. There was the King of Pentacles card: "He's wealthy," Lee said. "He has money. That means it's probably worth your while to go."
Then came the Justice card. "This means they [Vampire Weekend] are not a negative influence," Lee explained. "It's definitely going to be a good show. Look forward to it."
The last card showed a man named the King of Wands. "He looks into the future," Lee said. "He looks at his wand with the goal that he has something to look forward to."
Fine. But what did it all mean? "It'll definitely bring you to a higher class of prominent people," she said. And if I don't go? "You'll miss the people; you'll miss a good time. Maybe not the show, but the people."
At the time, it seemed a prescient insight, or at least enough to convince me to check out the band's official show.
In actuality, Lee's prophecy was pretty far off. The entire experience of seeing Vampire Weekend's Friday night gig at Antone's, Austin's famed blues bar, was pretty dreadful: The lines to get in were insufferably long, even if you had an elusive badge or wristband at your disposal; the people inside were disgustingly supportive of Vampire Weekend in that "I've known about them forever" sort of way (in which—and they would even admit this when I asked them—"forever" translated to "since last month"); and the bands on the bill before Vampire Weekend offered, for the most part, incredibly underwhelming performances.
(That last issue was a running theme throughout the festival, by the way. You'd think that being given the chance to open for a band like Vampire Weekend at SXSW would be an amazing get; festival-goers are smart enough to know to get to these big buzz shows early, and if your band is opening for a Vampire Weekend-like act, you're bound to be the benefactor of a large, influential crowd. But both Los Angeles' Foreign Born, which got the coveted pre-Vampire Weekend slot, and New Hampshire's Wild Light, which opened for another big buzz band, the psychedelic MGMT, were especially dreadful. These bands were either really mediocre and just lucky to make the festival or they were flat-out terrified at the opportunity of catching some of the other bands' overflowing buzz.)
Vampire Weekend's actual set, meanwhile, was...well, actually it was pretty good. Performing to a mostly easy crowd of already-won-over fans, the band performed its set engulfed in the glow of their own hype (or was it just the orange house lights?). The crowd bounced along happily and cheerily to the songs (Afro-beat and Jamaican-inspired drums tend to have that effect on people), and the band members reciprocated, jaunting through each track on their 34.5-minute debut. It was a cheery, smile-filled set. It was cute. And fun.
But it just wasn't as remarkable as the Vampire Weekend-loving crowd exiting the venue made it out to be:
"That was amazing!"
"Totally worth the wait!"
"Oh! My! God!"
Still, you can't blame them for wishing it was that good. Part of being a concert-attending music fan, at least for people who attend shows like this one, is the hope of catching something that will be talked about for years. Given the buzz on Vampire Weekend heading into this particular show, it did seem like this set had such potential.
Unfortunately for those fans, although it was a good show, it just wasn't that good. If this performance is to be remembered for something years from now, it will be for the hype surrounding it.
And that brings us back to the whole argument that South by Southwest isn't what it used to be. See, no one "happened upon" Vampire Weekend's Antone's show—just like no one "accidentally stumbled into" the very well-established REM set at SXSW two nights earlier.
Yet, according to word on the street, of the two shows, the REM one was the easier to get into.
Think about that for a second. Getting into the REM show was an easier task than getting into a show by a 2-year-old band that most of America hasn't heard of.
There's something wrong with that equation.
And that's just one of the reasons why Vampire Weekend is likely doomed from this point out. With the world becoming more aware of more ways to discover new music every day (MySpace and the blogosphere being the new top dogs because they offer the instant gratification of being able to actually listen to a band you're reading about), Vampire Weekend's time in the friendly spotlight more than likely culminated with its Friday night show.
The lines to see the band perform; the shit-talk happening behind the band's back (and, sometimes, to its face; at least one heckler showed up at Antone's to rib the band by yelling "Fuck Vampire Weekend!" fairly loudly during its set); the somewhat gimmicky, cutesy sound are all adding up to a pretty big backlash heading Vampire Weekend's way. Are blogs really going to risk credibility by continuing to boast about Vampire Weekend? Why? There's an unknown slowcore trio from Toledo that no one else has heard about. Are snarky teenage record store clerks going to champion their now-aged disc? Not now that the band has a video on MTV. "Oh, you're looking for that Vampire Weekend CD? Excuse me while I roll my eyes."
You could see this happening in Austin this weekend. It was evident everywhere you looked. It was impossible to miss.
Assuming you're not completely soulless, part of you has to feel a little bad for Vampire Weekend at this point because, really, we've heard their story before. Remember Clap Your Hands Say Yeah? You know, the darlings from South by Southwest in 2006? No? Maybe? A little? They were Vampire Weekend before Vampire Weekend was Vampire Weekend: distinct vocals, gimmicky sound, good-time vibes, the whole nine yards. Now, the real question: Did you know that Clap Your Hands Say Yeah released the follow-up to their 2005 debut in 2007? Yup, they did, and it was critically panned pretty much across the board.
You get where I'm going with this? OK, I'll spell it out for you: Blogs killed the buzz band. They blew it up months before South by Southwest, the traditional big coming-out party. They made South by Southwest less about the discovery of music and more about the bashing that so often runs hand-in-hand with it. They, in praising Vampire Weekend, all but set up Vampire Weekend's death this past week.
And that's how South by Southwest has changed. It used to be the birthplace of the buzz. Now it's the home of the buzzkill.
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Human Rights
Germany and Italy criticized for rights abuses
The European Court of Human Rights has held its annual press conference, giving a review over the last 12 months. Russia had the most abuse charges, but other nations like Germany and Italy also faced criticism.
"Oftentimes our first impression is that human rights violations only take place elsewhere in the world, in Africa, Asia or Latin America." But they're happening here in Germany too, says Wolfgang Grenz, head of Amnesty International Germany. In many cases the severity and intensity of the violations vary, of course, he says, but still we mustn't think they don't happen here.
Police violence
One of the important points observed by Amnesty in Germany is the abuse of people by police.
"We've seen cases in which police violence wasn't able to be clarified. For starters, the accused officers couldn't be identified. The second problem is the lack of independent investigations."
Dean Spielmann
The president of the ECHR said it was a 'good year for the court'
Amnesty is calling for a system of identification by which officers can be better monitored. "We're not talking about name tags or anything like that - we do have the protection of officers in mind. But there has to be a way for officers to be identified so we can clarify allegations of police violence," he said.
Several cases exist in which there is photographic evidence that victims were beaten. However, it wasn't possible to identify which officer was responsible.
Hugh Williamson, head of Human Rights Watch for Europe and Central Asia, is also concerned by the lack of police sensitivity with regard to racist attacks in Germany. "Attacks against ethnic minorities aren't taken seriously enough," he told DW, adding that some police themselves discriminated against minorities.
"The German police has to be trained in anti-discrimination practices - both officers and judges, for that matter," said Williamson.
Policemen in Frankfurt airport
Many of the complaints made in Germany were brought against the federal police
Deportations in Italy
Human Rights Watch also criticized Germany's neighbor Italy - above all for the government's treatment of illegal migrants and asylum seekers. "Thousands of refugees make their way to Italy from Greece every year, many via the Mediterranean on unsafe boats or via land hidden underneath trucks."
And they are sent straight back, says Williamson, although Italian authorities know precisely that these people cannot expect a fair asylum process in Greece.
"The refugees in Greece are deprived of basic human rights; they are treated inhumanely, locked in rooms that don't have enough space," Williamson noted.
Italy's "reckless treatment" of refugees has also been criticized by Barbara Lochbihler, head of the European Parliament's human rights commission.
Asylum seekers in Naples
Human Rights Watch has criticized Italy's handling of refugees from Greece
Discrimination against Sinti and Roma
In an interview with DW, Lochbihler also pointed to Italy's handling of Sinti and Roma, criticizing "explicitly racist statements made against Roma" under former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's administration.
"One of [his] ministers said outright that Roma should be 'hunted down', and there were TV programs that broadcast forced evictions of entire Roma communities." According to Amnesty International's Marie von Möllendorf, who also monitors the situation in Italy, the situation hasn't improved since Berlusconi's resignation.
Möllendorf points out that it's not only the Roma and Sinti who face persecution; on the whole, "little is done" to prevent hate crimes in the country.
Violence against homosexuals and transsexuals is barely even noticed, she told DW. "There are no independent investigations into police violence and little to no penalties for officers who break the law."
Even in the country's legal ground rules for penalizing criminal acts committed by officers, much is lacking. Torture, for instance, has yet to make it into the Italian penal code.
DW recommends | <urn:uuid:3c0a251c-8fd4-45fc-b5c5-ab811088dabc> | http://www.dw.com/en/germany-and-italy-criticized-for-rights-abuses/a-16550032 | en | 0.971655 | 0.039529 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How to make your own Stand!
Okay, enough interest, so here is how to build your own bike stand. If you want to have one for a Mtn. bike or something with a wider tire, just make three of the 1-3/4” couplers 2-1/4 or 2-1/2 inches long and use these where the centers come together.
Here is a list of needed parts to build the stands.
Do all of your cutting first. Start with the longer pieces and work your way down. Here are the cuts you need:
Make the Outriggers first. Put the Elbows on the 7” lengths, then the connectors in the elbows, then the caps on the end. A mallet or hammer comes in handy. With the glue wet, be quick to get the parts fully inserted before the glue sets up, and believe me, it sets fast!
Now fill these with sand, tapping them as you fill them to get as much in as possible. Leave about ½” at the top with no sand. I used Hot Glue on these last ones to plug the ends. Hot Glue is so much easier than epoxy, and sets up fast. This keeps the sand in place. You could fill the whole assembly with sand, but that would be overkill. You especially don’t want the uprights filled, as you want the weight low.
Next I put the Outriggers in the T’s, and the T’s together. Then you can make sure they are straight by laying them on the floor and make sure the feet line up. At this point the front and back is the same.
Assemble the Upright Support by putting end caps on one fitting on the 4-way coupler. Now mate this with couplers to the front Outriggers. You will notice it is free standing now.
Now glue the 13” Centers to the 4-way coupler. Now glue the rear outriggers to the two centers.
Finally, using two elbows and the 24” pieces, create the upright by itself. I found it much easier to put the Elbows on the two Uprights, and then glue the two Elbows together with a 1-3/4” coupler. Do this last, because once you put it together, you can lay it on the floor, and make sure they are aligned before the glue sets up.
Now you have to make a decision. Do you want to remove the uprights for transport or storage? If yes, sand the holes on the 4-way coupler, and the ends of the uprights. You need to make the fit a little looser. I also put some Lithium grease in the holes. When you want to remove the upright, just grab the top, where the two elbows meet, and twist a few times while pulling up.
This is optional: I put one ½” sheet metal screw in each connection. Over time, flexing the stand will break the glue joints. I guess plumbing fixtures don’t get stressed this much. It won’t fall to pieces if you don’t do this, but it will get loose over time. You can always re-glue it, but I just used the screws and it will never come apart. I drilled small pilot holes first, made it much easier.
Now just paint it, decal it, or leave it alone! Go ride! If you do paint it, clean the PVC lettering off with Enamel Reducer (not much, it eats PVC), sand and paint. The lettering tends to bleed through white paint. Darker paint does not matter. I like it painted white, so if it gets banged around, under the white paint is white PVC, it won’t show. If you want some decals, contact me. I can’t do it for free, but cheaper than a printing shop I’m sure.
Use at your own risk! (had to say that). If the bike is in the stand somewhat straight, it will never fall over. But swing the back of the bike off to the side a foot or more, and it can become unstable. Put the back wheel in, and you don't have this problem.
Sure makes it easier airing up the tires too.
Questions? Ask away. I can't claim coming up with this, but I feel I have perfected it to my liking over the years. I have a lot of happy friends with them too.
Here's a quick identification of the parts
Gary's Stand 1
Gary's Stand 2
Gary's Stand 3
Gary's Stand 4
Gary's Stand 5
Gary's Stand 6
Jay's stand for his Trek 1.1
Jay's Stand 1
Jay's Stand 2
Jay's Stand 3
Jay's Stand 4 | <urn:uuid:d63db834-2636-48af-b93f-ea10dcd6bed3> | http://www.gwfweb.com/bicycles/stands2.html | en | 0.93759 | 0.026061 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Police Kill Man In Drug Raid Gone Wrong (VIDEO)
01/18/2011 01:05 pm ET | Updated May 25, 2011
• Ryan Grim Washington Bureau Chief, The Huffington Post
In the video, Blair can be seen holding a golf club above his head as police smash through his door. Within seconds, without demanding Blair drop the iron or lay down, Weber-Morgan Strike Force Sgt. Troy Burnett fires three shots into him. The local prosecutor has deemed the killing justified, but his family is planning a federal lawsuit, arguing that police had plenty of alternatives.
Blair's death raises the question of why multiple heavily-armed officers were sent to raid a drug addict -- and why Weber and Morgan counties in Utah would even need a "Narcotics Strike Force." Local police forces are able to keep property they seize in drug raids, often without the necessity of a conviction, creating a perverse incentive to reinvest in military equipment and carry out additional raids.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the main focus of the police investigation had been Blair's roommate, who police said in the application for the warrant would destroy evidence if they weren't given authority to carry out a "no-knock" raid. But police were aware that his roommate had moved out.
Police tried to detain Blair so that he wouldn't be in the house when it was raided, but pulled over the wrong person. Despite that mistake, and despite the knowledge that the roommate had moved out, the raid on Blair was still carried out. It was hastily planned, reported the Tribune, diverting from protocol. Burnett, who shot Blair, told investigators that it is "absolutely not our standard" to carry out such a raid with as little planning as was done, according to the Tribune.
It was so hastily carried out, in fact, that police forgot the warrant. According to the Tribune, in the video it obtained an officer can be heard asking: "Did somebody grab a copy of the warrant off my desk?"
Burnett replies: "Oh, don't tell me that." He then complains to the other officers: "He doesn't have a copy of the warrant."
Minutes later, Blair would be dead. "I didn't think about saying words. I just thought about not getting hit, or slashed or whatever," Burnett told investigators, saying that he thought the golf club was "a sword or something." He also said that it did not appear to him that Blair was moving toward him, an admission that could prove crucial in a federal criminal or civil case.
The killer, Sgt. Burnett, had previously told a law-enforcement magazine that he and fellow officers were trained to shoot quickly and at close range. Burnett had previously put the training to use by shooting and killing an armed suspect in 2008.
"Maybe a month before this [2008 shooting], we did our qualification and this kind of scenario was played out in live fire training where we had to quickly draw and fire at close range," Burnett said at the time. "It wasn't quite identical, but it was close. We were simulating taking down information and then all of a sudden had to drop it and fire quickly. I absolutely believe my training played a factor in this situation. I was always confident in my close-range shooting ability, and the ammo I'm absolutely pleased with. It did its job."
The below video of Blair's death, posted by The Salt Lake Tribune, is a graphic depiction of the type of raid that has become commonplace in the United States as a result of the militarization of local police forces.
| <urn:uuid:f2726c30-6150-4c9d-a661-5f2effd14d82> | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/18/utah-video-police-kill-man-drug-raid_n_810420.html | en | 0.98708 | 0.033318 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
How To Get Friends And Enemies To Eat Things They Normally Wouldn't Touch!
What's better than tricking someone you love, hate, or who owes you money into eating a mouthful of something that they think is something else? Nothing, that's what! Nothing gives that warm and fuzzy feeling like watching someone unwittingly munch on innards and tell you how much they really enjoy it.
Step 1: The Heart Of The Matter
That's right. That's a pun. Get over it. The picture? That's a beef heart. The scalpel? Don't you judge me.
When people think of offal---and those are rare moments indeed---they think of the taste of overcooked liver. A bitter and grainy experience that is at once coppery and irony (ferrous I mean, not the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning) . . . you know, it's a gross experience. Liver can be a wonderful thing in the hands of someone that cares, but for the majority of people out there they just don't know. And they associate everything that doesn't look like a steak or ground chuck with that awful liver experience that happened in their early adolescence.
Heart is a good first step on the road to reclaiming the tasty delicacies that we call guts. Why? It's a meat pump. And it's leaner than that ribeye you have every time you go out to eat at a restaurant. LOADS of B12 in heart and high levels of coenzyme Q10 if you think that actually does something for you. And a 4oz portion will give you less cholesterol and saturated fat than a similar sized portion of ribeye. So why waste it. Eat it! Or trick someone else into doing it.
<p>Oh, and I love your humor, LOL.</p>
<p>I love heart, but is as expensive as steak and hard to find. I used to make stuffed beef heart in the crock pot in Belgium. It was delicious and very inexpensive.</p>
<p>The bread thing WAS a euphemism, right? Ha ha ha.... RIGHT!?</p>
<p>You know..... the heart doesn't look half bad... AARRRGGGGHHHHH! What am i SAYING!?</p>
brains with butter sauce(mwahahaha)
way to go im hungry now, ive always eaten deer heart and to me it tast great braised but never had any luck grilling it.
tongue is the same way. i fed it to neighbors and family and none were the wiser lol
I actually have some tongue in the freezer too. I think I might make tacos with it.
Hey, where is my cat ?
My Dad worked in the meat industry when I was just a wee lad. My mother was a wizard in the kitchen and we used to eat offal regularly including Ox heart and Tongue. I concur that Heart is totally delicious. Great instructable and I dig your sense of humour. lol.
Thanks! Guts is tasty.
Great writeup! I think a lot of people might actually like organ meat if it was prepared right, and they got over the mental barrier and just try it<br /> <br /> . ...by the way, the meat there looks <em>offal</em>
The intro slide had me scratching my head. after the second slide it made more since. I think the final product looks tasty. This inscrutable is very well illustrated. great work, keep it up.
Think it needs a different cover picture? I thought it was creepy, but it really doesn't let you know what you're in for.
yes, changing the picture would solve much confusion. may I suggest possibly using a picture of the finished product.
About This Instructable
27 favorites
Bio: I'll try to fix or build anything.
Add instructable to: | <urn:uuid:9f2eb993-e648-4895-aaeb-688544735cc6> | http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Offal-Truth/ | en | 0.969005 | 0.423654 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Maccast 06.30.2012 - Show #401
V Opening
V Opening Music
* Music is Say Anything by Manda and the Marbles
V Sponsor
V Circus Ponies
* Notebook
* Free trial available
V News
V iOS 6 Apple TV beta lets you move apps
* Putting the cursor over an icon and pressing and holding the select button gives you the ability to shift the icons around on the home screen using the remote.
* Slide icons, left, right, up, or down.
* Some speculate this is Apple getting ready to bring more apps to the Apple TV
* Could also just be a way to simple offer users a bit more customization on the device.
V Ghosts in the Retina Machine
* Sounds like some users are seeing ghosting issues in the new Retina MacBook Pro displays
* The latent images can reportedly show up for some users after as little as 20 minutes of use
V Some report that the problem may be related to the IPS technology in the panels, but Ray Soneira of Display Mate says its not just IPS panels that can have ghosting.
* electrostatic build up, a chemical impurity build up, a thermal imbalance, or an electronic levels issue can all cause the issue in a display
* He also notes that in this day in age seeing these defects in a panel are rare.
* The good news is that the issue seems to be isolated and it's likely Apple has already corrected the issue in manufacturing.
* Users who do have effected displays are reportedly having their units replaced by Apple.
* A temporary fix can be to leave the display on with a uniformly bright or dark image up, to reset the pixels. That or turn the display off completely for a while.
* Retina MacBook pros continue to be in high demand. This week there were reports of some customers who ordered on launch day receiving notice that their shipments are delayed. In some cases up to a month.
V Tweaks to App Store Search Mojo
* Seems like Apple has been trying to adjust their app Store search on rhythms to avoid any funny business.
* Some developers noticed the changes and alerted TechCrunch who confirmed the tweaks
V It seems Apple has made a few basic changes over the past week or so.
* One change puts less emphasis on the app names and uses application descriptions as well as user ratings to rank apps
* Another change puts more emphasis on keywords plus names rather than just the names themselves
* App discovery has always been an issue on the app store and with 600,000 to 650,000 apps it's definitely something Apple needs to work on.
* As the number of apps on the store becomes large, it's harder to stand out and it's clear that many developers are looking to game the system. Some these changes are obviously being enacted to try and stop that sort of behavior.
* Apple recently acquired the company Chomp, which had an app focused on better App search and discovery, although it's unclear if Apple is incorporating that technology into these new App store search algorithms. It does seem likely though.
V New Pre-paid iPhones in US
* The iPhone is now available in the US from two pre-paid carriers. Virgin mobile and Cricket wireless.
* The devices themselves are unsubsidized, so prices are high, cut the phones are unlocked and off contract.
* Plans also offer more call, text, and data at lower prices than the big three.
V Virgin Mobile will carry the iPhone 4 and 4S
* iPhone 4 8GB for $549 and the iPhone 4S 16GB for $649.
* 3 plans varying talk minutes ranging from $30-50/ mo.
* All include unlimited SMS messaging and unlimited data with a fair usage allowance set at 2.5 GB
V Cricket Wireless is also offering the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S
* iPhone 4 8GB for $399.99 and the iPhone 4S 16GB for $499.99.
* Cricket has just one plan offered a $55 a month that includes unlimited text unlimited data. The data is also restricted by a 2.3 GB fair-use policy.
V Reno sets stage for Apple facilities
* The city council in Reno, Nevada approved a plan to give Apple a US$89 million abatement in city, county and state taxes for building 2 new facilities in the region
* In exchange Apple will invest $1 billion on a data center and on a business and purchasing center in downtown Reno over the next 10 years
* The proposed data center will be near Sparks. It is expected to take up over 350 acres and will reportedly employ 41 full-time employees, 200 long-term contract employees, and create 580 construction jobs.
* Over the 10 years the projects are expected to generate $343 million in economic activity and would produce $105 million in tax revenue, but due to the incentives the local governments will see just $16 million of that.
* Of course the impact of the new jobs created and the addition ancillary revenue effects of the projects aren't considered in those numbers.
V Apple release iOS Podcast app
* I did an extensive review for members, but overall I have mixed feelings about the app.
* It's great to have an app from Apple that puts podcasts front and center on the home screen
V The UI is nice
* Gallery view, missing titles
* List view
* Episode details, show notes, but seemed inconsistent
* Play back reel to reel looks nice, but is it all that useful?
V Top Stations are a cool concept, but seem limited to just the top 6 shows in a category
* I like the "radio station" concept
* Plays through each recent episode of the 6 top shows
* Seems top shows change based on daily or weekly stats
* Still has the catalog, but I think show discovery still hasn't been addressed.
* No chapter selection.
* No support for protected or subscription content.
V Can manually add feeds by putting the URL into the search box. (Pull down to reveal)
* If you put the username and password in the URL you CAN directly subscribe to a protected feed.
* No manual refresh? Does offer auto-download, but no notifications.
* Supposed to sync playback position, but didn't seem to work reliably.
V Apple wins injunction bans Galaxy Tab
* After winning a preliminary injunction against the sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Apple posted the 2.6 billion dollar bond to make the ban a reality
* Apple has been pushing to stop the sale of the device since, in Apple's opinion, many of the products features and design are stolen from the iPad
* Tuesday Judge Lucy Koh, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, agreed with Apple and awarded Apple a preliminary injunctions against the tablet
* The bond is set to compensate Samsung for lost sales should Apple ultimately lose their case
* Samsung immediately applied for a stay the injunction pending an appeal to the Federal Circuit court.
* The same judge also awarded Apple an injunction against the Samsung Nexus phone, but the bond in that case is set much higher at $96 billion and so far it looks like Apple hasn't moved to put up the payment for that one.
V Apple hardware chief retires
* Apple’s senior vice president of Mac and devices hardware engineering Bob Mansfield told the company he plans to retire in the next couple months
* He didn't give a firm exit date and plans to be around to help transition his replacement
* Since joining Apple in 1999 Mansfield has overseen hardware engineering for the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and most recently the iPad
* Mansfield will be replaced by Dan Riccio, a vice president in charge of iPad hardware engineering.
V Mansfield's leaving is a bit surprising and could be significant since he plays a pretty big role in the executive management team that was assembled by Steve Jobs
* Tim Cook called him instrumental to the management team, but wished him the best in retirement and said that Apple would "not miss a beat" in transitioning the hardware team to a new leader
V At age 55 Mansfield seems a bit young to retire and typically driven people like that don't.
* Granted with his stock options I'm sure he's set for life
* Still I would assume we will see him resurface at some new start up or a competitor.
V Apple Principal Accounting Officer Betsy Rafael also announced that she would be retiring this year.
* While maybe not a high profile as Mansfields departure it is worth noting that Betsy oversaw Apple's financial over their most massive period of growth
* She plans to exit in October and there was no word yet on her suspected successor
V Apple brand loyalty extends iOS
* Historically we Apple fans have had a reputation of being loyal to the brand, sometimes to a fault.
* There are also been many studies to indicate that iOS owners tend to be very satisfied with their devices.
* It may not be surprising then that a recent Goldman Sachs study indicated that 21 percent of iOS owners would not buy a non-iOS device at any price
* The study also showed that 88 percent of current iOS owners were likely or very likely to make their next device purchase be an iOS device.
* If the respondent already owned more than 1 iOS device that likelihood went up to 96 percent.
* The value of those loyal customers is huge according to the Goldman analysts. They estimated each customer was worth around $1,053 to Apple.
* Doing the math, that equates to around 295 billion for those 21 percent of customers
V The study also revealed some interesting things about iCloud.
* According to Apple the service has 120 million users
* 30 percent of iOS users have signed up for iTunes Match
V Mobile Me shuts down
V If you haven't transitioned to iCloud and your still running Snow Leopard or earlier you will probably notice that Mobile Me is officially dead.
* there is an animated "Closed" sign if you visit
* Apple shut down the service on June 30th.
V Even if you transitioned that means, iDisk, Mobile Me Galleries, and iWeb hosting are gone.
* If you didn't back up the site will still let you log in to download your Galleries and iDisk files.
* Single button at the top zips up albums and downloads them all one after the other. I had one gallery with a video and than one had to be downloaded manually.
* iDisk didn't seem to mount in the finder for me, but you can access it via the web interface.
* Do it now.
* When I launched iPhoto
V If you aren't running Lion and can't move to iCloud and still need Mac and iOS calendar and contact sync you might consider moving to Google Services.
* You can keep using your Mobile Me email on non-supported systems. Calendar and Contact sync will not work though.
* If you need a replacement for iDisk, then Dropbox or might be good options.
* For galleries, Flickr or Facebook are nice options because their iPhoto integration. Also YouTube or Vimeo for videos.
* For iWeb sites you'll need to find a hosting service and use FTP publishing. You could also transition to a hosted platform like or SquareSpace.
V Feedback, Comments and Commentary
V A little Siri Feedback
* Play comment from Scott
V I was on a podcast with Scott recently, Not Another Mac Podcast - Episode 61
* Scott hosts and produces the Pocket Sized Podcast
* I keep defending Siri and it works for me frequently and fairly well, but I can understand it doesn't work for everyone.
* One thing I should say is that often when dictating in public i hold the iPhone to my ear and dictate directly with helps with accuracy and most people think your just talking on the phone, so you don't feel like a dork.
* Also, Scott sent me this before the iOS WWDC announcements, so obviously he knows now that in the fall Siri will be able to launch apps.
V At Google IO Google showed off the new voice stuff in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and it's impressive
* Two edges they might have are speed and how the information is delivered with the app.
* Siri often need to just to mobile Safari for more complex searches and results, say image searches for example.
* The info Siri does present in the interface is debatably prettier, but it's be nice if more results stayed inline
* Bottom line is Google upped the game and did it quickly with is impressive and should force Apple to stay in their toes in voice.
V "Save As…" workaround for Lion
* Cult of Mac had this cool little trick.
* Use the Duplicate and Revert option after making a change to the original document
* Duplicate and Revert will create a duplicate file with the word “copy” appended to the file name, but revert the original document you opened and started editing back to it's original state.
* Open the document you want to work with and start editing.
* When you would be at the point where you want to do a "Save As…" then choose File > Duplicate
V In the dialog press the "Duplicate and Revert" option
* This will create the duplicate document appending "copy" to the filename and revert the original document back.
* Now in the duplicated file do a Command-S and give it a new name and you'll have essentially done a Save As…
* I played around with this and I think the "Revert" goes back to the last save point of the original document, so if auto save has kicked in before you do the revert it might not work as expected.
V Storage and backup of sensitive data
* Eric wanted to know my thoughts regarding handling sensitive data and its security.
* Specifically he was looking for solutions that balance security with availability, but even he admits to knowing that those two things are often mutually exclusive
V His tall order was:
* protection against device failures (achieved via backups, preferably automatic)
* physical theft (mitigated with backups and encryption)
* fire (mitigated with backups offsite)
* Most importantly Trojan horses (mitigated by good computing practices and ACTIVE encryption (like a passworded folder) or data separation via removable media).
V The solutions he has looked at are:
* File Vault (solid local control but any idle data remains susceptible to Trojan threats)
* Dropbox (solid backups offsite but requires FULL faith in Dropbox. They revealed a chink in their armor back in June of 2011.)
* Encrypted USB flash drives via Mac OS Extended or 3rd party encryption (protects dormant data from Trojan attacks but since it's removable, the auto backing up is not there)
* I'm not sure there is a single solution that addresses everything that you're looking for, but i'll share what i do and the community can possibly offer other solutions
V Sensitive local document storage
V For this I use encrypted sparse disk images that I create using Disk Utility
* I use this to store my Neat Works library, sensitive data and files, like tax returns
* These mount automatically when I launch the NeatWorks app and since the password is in my keychain I don't have top authenticate every time
* As pointed out, if the image is mounted it may not offer protection from Trojans
* The image files are protected when backed up to online services and if on an external volume that might get stolen.
V Online Backups
* I use Crashplan
* I have the encrypt data options turned on so that data is encrypted on their servers using 448-bit Blowfish encryption.The keys are further protected by a private password and keys can't be accessed without the private password which only I have
V Passwords, product keys, etc.
* For these I use 1Password
V Whole disk encryption is another option and a very good idea if you are concerned with all the data on your drives and physical loss or theft. File Vault is a great option for that, but does bring it's own challenges.
* To use Crash Plan with File Vault for example you either have to backup and restore the entire FileVault image, or set it up to only backup when you are authenticated and logged into your account.
* I don't trust Dropbox with sensitive data. If I want to store that there I encrypt it in a disk image before adding it to my Dropbox.
V Better volume keyboard control
* I have this problem where I learn cool keyboard shortcuts and then when I don't use them I lose them
* A recent Cult of Mac tip reminded me a cool and handy one for more finely controlling volume and brightness levels using the special function keys on the Apple keyboard.
* Normally pressing these up or down will adjust the brightness or volume up or down 1 tick on the HUD
* If you add in the Option+Shift key they will move in quarter ticks giving you much finer control of the settings.
* Another neat trick is that if you hold down just the Shift key when accessing the keyboard volume button it will raise or lower the volume silently without making the feedback ticking sound.
* Finally, to get quick keyboard access to any of the preference panes associated the those specialized keys, hold down Option and press the key and it will open System Preferences right to that panel.
V Manually moving an App between devices
* This came up for a listener this week because they had an App on their iPod Touch that had been removed from the App Store.
* They wanted to move the app to another family members device and they share an Apple ID for purchases
* Normally you could just re-download the App on the other Mac or device from the "purchases" section, but in this case the App is no longer available in the App Store.
* Luckily Apps are just files on your Mac and you can copy and move them manually if need be.
V On the Mac that has the App in it's iTunes library, go to ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Mobile Applications.
* In there you'll find all the .ipa (iPhone Application) files.
* From there you can copy the file to a network drive, an external drive, use AirDrop or even email it to get it over to the other computer
* To make apps easier to find you can also go into the Apps library in iTunes and simply drag the icon out to your desktop, network volume, or drive.
* Once you have the IPA file on the Mac or in the user account you want to move it to, simply drag the IPA file into the iTunes library
* It will be added to the App library and then you can set it up to sync under the Applications tab of the device in iTunes
* As long as the app is authorized under the Apple ID that made the original purchase it should sync and backup just fine on the new Mac
V Fixing HTML 5 playback in YouTube
* I hate Flash and on YouTube I'm trying to use the HTML 5 player, but in the latest Safari it sucks
* You can check if you are in the HTML 5 trial
* You can click "leave the trial" if you are in it and that will push the default back to using Flash. This did fix my issues, but then i needed to be running Flash
* To get HTML 5 playback working (or non-Flash) rather I had to resort to another trick.
V I used Click to Flash
* Go to that YouTube page and leave the trial
* Now your videos will load in Flash, but id you have Click to Flash they will be blocked
* Unfortunately Safari 5.1 doesn't allow WebKit Plugins and you need a Safari Extension, luckily someone did the conversion
* Once installed, go to the settings (Safari > Preferences > Extensions)
* The key about ClickToFlash is it has plug-in "killers" Little JS machines that convert the plug-in data to media (HTML 5) data.
* You can tell it's working because when you play a YouTube video you will see a more standard OS X (QuickTime) looking player and controls
* Basically its the default OS X HTML 5 player vs. the custom YouTube one and the good news is that it doesn't stutter. Yeah!
V Some Macs Assembled in the USA
* During his interview at the last D Conference Apple CEO Tim Cook said he hopes someday that Apple products may have a label that says "Designed by Apple in California" "Assembled in the the USA"
* Well Dan sent me an interesting image from the box of a 27" iMac that Apple gave him as an Applecare replacement and it had a label that said exactly that.
* In doing some quick digging it looks like Apple has been doing assembly of a least some Mac in the US for years.
* I couldn't get hard details, but the general theory is that build to order and refurbished models (which are what they generally use for system replacements like the one like Dan got) are assembled in the US. The reason being is that it is cheaper for Apple to ship the individual component parts over here and do BTO assembly on the more individualized orders.
V Closing
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V Keep emails coming. Audio comments.
* MacCast Forum
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Is it possible to buy girl's cotton nighties online that don't cost £20?
(14 Posts)
suiledonne Mon 09-Nov-09 08:23:41
Looking for longsleeve jersey cotton nighties for my 3 year old. Found some at the White Company and a couple of others but they are £20 each - just too expensive.
Anyone know where I can get some more reasonably prices ones?
waltonsmountain Mon 09-Nov-09 17:36:04
I get alot of my daughters nighties and pjs on eBay. Once you get over the secondhand/pre-loved thing you can get some truly beautiful things. We have won stunning longsleeved cotton jersey nighties from Boden and the Little White Company on there. Hardly worn, especially as they are bedwear so unlikely to get food stains/mud stains/playground damage etc. There are often brand new clothes on there too. Worth a look!
suiledonne Mon 09-Nov-09 19:21:31
Thanks. I'll try ebay.
Seriously though does anyone know why they are so expensive?
I've seen them on The White Company, JOjo MamanBebe and a few other places and they are all £20 or more.
I'm sure the quality is good but I don't have that sort of money to spend on nightwear, even for myself.
BonjourIvresse Wed 25-Nov-09 19:00:20
Good luck. There is a law about nighties needing to be fire retardent here so there aren't many about. I ended up getting some summer ones from La redoute in France, as I didn't want polyester or ones with fire retardant. If you buy them big, nighties can last for about 3 years though.
IvanaDK Wed 25-Nov-09 19:07:26
M&S? H&M?
BonjourIvresse Wed 25-Nov-09 22:30:12
I've never found cotton nighties at M & S - though they do cotton PJs everywhere - the law is only about nighties.
elliebubs Wed 17-Mar-10 17:46:22
John Lewis also has one nightie made of cotton for sale at £14. Bickleigh Mill in Devon sells cotton nighties for £18
LittlePJS Sun 21-Mar-10 08:55:19
I had the same problem for my boys, I love White company but did not want to pay their prices.
I have set up my own business selling pjs and nighties and I try to keep them under the £20 mark.
Nighties I would agree you should buy on the large size as it does not matter if they are nearly to the floor when they first start wearing them. Also you dont want tight pjs/nighties - nice and loose and comfy.
I always go for cotton as it stops them getting hot and sweaty which some other fabrics can do.
Primark do some ok pjs as well if cost is a factor - but not sure if they are 100% cotton.
CJPJ Sun 08-May-11 10:38:18
I'm glad I'm not the only one searching for something that's seemingly impossible! Why? I don't wear 100% polyester nighties, why would I want my daughter to?
Found a couple on Vertbaudet (cheap) and will ask for Mini Boden / White Co. ones for her birthday. Might try jersey summer dresses whilst the waether's warmer!
NoahFence Sun 08-May-11 10:39:14
Grandduchessdebrack Mon 18-Jul-11 22:37:29
I had the same problem. Managed eventually to find one at M&S that was cotton jersey - and I think it was around £12. But they are few and far between. Am now puzzling over school uniforms... and why they most of them have to be made of manmade fabrics!
lucylou99 Mon 14-Jan-13 18:06:47
The reason they need fire retardant is very very important which is why the uk have the ruling.In a recent test they did on nightdresses without enough retardant the whole nightdress has burned away in under a minute! Pure cotton is very very flammable unlike manmade fibres.Nightdresses are expensive in the uk as they undergo the retardant treatment. Anyone heard of Oscar Wilde? Both his sisters died when a dress caught fire and the other tried to put it out killing them both.I sell cotton nightdresses and i am not replying to promote my shop in anyway-it just horrified me that someone would deliberately want to buy one without treatment.I sell them at £20.00 and it is hard work to find any supplier that can do them for less.
Cathy15 Wed 16-Jan-13 11:00:07
I just bought some pjs and nightdress that are 100% cotton and lovely too. One with kittens cute. only about £13 in the sale. They're Darcy Brown but bought through very good service. Hope this helps!
barb45 Tue 26-Feb-13 20:26:05
I can't find any nighties for less than £20 for my 10 year old but Primark have some nice ones for £5, just have to trail 10 miles for the nearest store!
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Audrey Young
Audrey Young is the New Zealand Herald’s political editor.
The backbenchers: David Clark, Labour MP for Dunedin North
David Clark, Labour MP for Dunedin North, tells political editor Audrey Young he is driven by the pursuit of social justice
David Clark was disappointed his bill to raise the minimum wage didn't get the support needed. Photo / Otago Daily Times
What's been the most rewarding part of the past year?
Representing the local constituents in Dunedin North and being able to make a difference in specific situations where they have fallen through the cracks for one reason or another, or the system hasn't quite served them properly, and having the ability to intervene and raise questions with local agencies or the relevant minister and to get the support they need for their circumstance.
The private member's bills have been pretty satisfying, too, particularly getting the one Mondayising Waitangi Day and Anzac Day through to select committee and hopefully beyond.
Has there been a low point?
My other member's bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour didn't get the support necessary to get it to select committee. I found it disappointing that the Government wouldn't support it when, by the time it went through, the change would have been probably only $1 an hour.
There's no doubt that with the growing gap between rich and poor, those at the lower end of the spectrum who are working harder are missing out. The little bit of money it would have cost would have made a big difference to the lives of those living on the breadline or below it.
What's the most frustrating thing about working in Parliament?
Being in opposition and not being able to achieve the kind of change you campaigned on. Those kind of things are like improving working conditions for those who are struggling the most, making sure that the vulnerable are looked after and trying to make sure we are getting the most out of all of our people, not just those who are privileged.
What MP outside your party impresses you?
Kevin Hague [Green]. Kevin is impressive in that he has been able to walk a line where he is seen as very reasonable, but also is able to challenge injustices where he sees them.
Do you have another bill in the private member's bill ballot?
Yes. It would see the conservation aspects of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority returned in to legislation so there is a stronger Government emphasis on energy conservation.
Do you engage in Facebook, Twitter and other social media?
I am on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I think they are necessary in this day and age to communicate particularly with younger constituents. In my electorate the number of people engaged in tertiary studies is higher than any other electorate in the country.
What's your position on the same-sex marriage bill?
I'm supportive of it. Fundamentally I think the best possible scenario would be a civil union that the state delivered much as they have in Germany, and any kind of marriage per se administered outside of state control. That's a purist understanding of things.
However, I see the bill that has been put forward as being effectively the same thing. And the young people I talk to don't associate marriage with the religious institution anyway. They see it as being something delivered by the state.
In their eyes, it's having the state deliver [the idea] that marriage should be the same for everybody.
Name one of your heroes outside politics.
I guess this sounds a bit cheesy but ultimately the Biblical Jesus is something of a hero to me, unsurprising given that I've got a background as a minister of religion. He was someone who stood up for the poor and vulnerable and was concerned about social justice issues and not afraid to take on the authorities of the day to ensure fairer outcomes for those who were struggling.
What books are you reading or planning to read over summer?
The two books I have on the go are partly serving as prep for my Eisenhower Fellowship this year: Daniel Kahneman's Thinking Fast and Slow and Joseph Stiglitz's The Price of Inequality.
The Elton John concert at the stadium in Dunedin was spectacular for the way it got Dunedin people together.
How are you unwinding over summer?
I'm spending some time with family. I'm hoping to get a bit more exercise because that is something that has been neglected in the course of the parliamentary year.
Was there a beach that was special to you during your childhood?
Yes, several. I grew up in a little village called Beachlands, southeast of Auckland, so the local beach there was significant to me. It's where I spent a fair amount of my time after school, swimming and jumping off the wharf and so on. I also remember summer holidays often being beach holiday at Cooks Beach, so there are many happy memories from there, and Hot Water Beach up on the Coromandel Peninsula.
- NZ Herald
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Nissan Upsets Saudis
By: Cowbag - Published: • References: netorama
This Nissan video commercial has received a lot of criticism for being racist. The Japanese car manufacturer has gone and upset Saudi Arabia so much, they have threatened a boycott of the car company after commercials aired on Israeli TV.
Inexplicably, they decided the way to display their new car was to show a group of Saudi oil barons screaming and attacking the Renault-Nissan vehicle. The Saudis are also shown leaving a hotel and discovering a fuel-efficient vehicle outside. One Saudi then pounds his fists on the car as he shouts at it, "hawks should peck at you day and night."
And it gets worse…
The commercial ends with a voice-over saying, ""It’’s clear the oil companies won’t like you.""
Really, what were they thinking? It really is beyond any understanding of mine.
Here is the official line: Stats for Racist Car Commercials Trending: Older & Average
Traction: 5,883 clicks in 390 w
Interest: > 3 minutes
Concept: Racist Car Commercials
Related: 66 examples / 51 photos
Segment: Males, 18-55
Comparison Set: 24 similar articles, including: frozen yogurt bars, puncture-proof bicycle tires, and top 35 luxury trends in february. | <urn:uuid:ffbce2b5-8afe-481c-aef2-24a15041b7c7> | http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nissan-upsets-saudis-racist-car-commercial | en | 0.940323 | 0.044631 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Cray T3D
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The T3D (Torus, 3-Dimensional) was Cray Research's first attempt at a massively parallel supercomputer architecture. Launched in 1993, it also marked Cray's first use of another company's microprocessor. The T3D consisted of between 32 and 2048 Processing Elements (PEs), each comprising a 150 MHz DEC Alpha 21064 (EV4) microprocessor and either 16 or 64 MB of DRAM. PEs were grouped in pairs, or nodes, which incorporated a 6-way processor interconnect switch. These switches had a peak bandwidth of 300 MB/second in each direction and were connected to form a three-dimensional torus network topology.
The T3D was designed to be hosted by a Cray Y-MP Model E, M90 or C90-series "front-end" system and rely on it and its UNICOS operating system for all I/O and most system services. The T3D PEs ran a simple microkernel called UNICOS MAX.
Several different configurations of T3D were available. The SC (Single Cabinet) models shared a cabinet with a host Y-MP system and were available with either 128 or 256 PEs. The MC (Multi-Cabinet) models were housed in one or more liquid-cooled cabinet(s) separately from the host, while the MCA models were smaller (32 to 128 PEs) air-cooled multi-cabinet configurations. There was also a liquid-cooled MCN model which had an alternative interconnect wiremat allowing non-power-of-2 numbers of PEs.
The first T3D delivered was a prototype installed at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center in early September 1993. The supercomputer was formally introduced on 27 September 1993.[citation needed]
The T3D was superseded in 1995 by the faster and more sophisticated Cray T3E.
External links[edit] | <urn:uuid:20025061-c64a-4618-9c97-774b2696cb8d> | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cray_T3D | en | 0.960331 | 0.032124 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Isole Tremiti
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Tremiti Islands)
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"Trimerus" redirects here. For trilobite, see Homalonotidae.
Isole Tremiti
Comune di Isole Tremiti
A view of San Nicola island from the nearby San Domino island, with the Abbey of Santa Maria a Mare fortified complex.
Coat of arms of Isole Tremiti
Coat of arms
Tremiti within the Province of Foggia
Tremiti within the Province of Foggia
Isole Tremiti is located in Italy
Isole Tremiti
Isole Tremiti
Location of Isole Tremiti in Italy
Coordinates: 42°07′N 15°30′E / 42.117°N 15.500°E / 42.117; 15.500
Country Italy
Region Apulia
Province Foggia (FG)
Frazioni Isola San Nicola, Isola San Domino
• Mayor Carmela Palumbo
• Total 3.13 km2 (1.21 sq mi)
Elevation 70 m (230 ft)
Population (31 December 2009[1])
• Total 496
• Density 160/km2 (410/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Tremitesi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 71040
Dialing code 0882
Website Official website
The Isole Tremiti are an archipelago in the Adriatic Sea, north of the Gargano Peninsula. They constitute a comune of Italy's Province of Foggia and form part of the Gargano national park. The name of the islands relates to their seismic hazard, with a history of earthquakes in the area: tremiti means "tremors".
The islands were used for the internment of political prisoners during Benito Mussolini's Fascist regime. This was nothing new: two millennia earlier Augustus had exiled his granddaughter Julia the Younger to one of these islands (then named Trimerus in Latin, maybe from Greek Trimeros, Τρίμερος, meaning "tree places" or "tree islands").
The islands are now an important tourist attraction because of the clear waters surrounding them. Up to 100,000 visitors come to the islands in the summer season.[2] Ferry services from the mainland operate from Termoli, Foggia, Vieste, Rodi Garganico and Capoiale.[3]
• San Domino is the most developed island for tourism and has the only sand beach in the archipelago.
• San Nicola is where most of the population resides. It is the site of a monastery where a monk named Nicolò was buried. Legend has it that every time someone tried to move his corpse off the island, a violent storm would break out, preventing navigation around the island.
• Capraia (or Capperaia) is deserted.
• Cretaccio is a large block of clay and thus uninhabited.
• Pianosa is a small, uninhabited island. Its maximum elevation is 15 metres (49 ft). Sometimes, during storms, the waves cover it.
Inhabited since late Iron Age times (4th-3rd centuries BC), the Tremiti Island have been a confinement place since ancient times. Roman emperor Augustus had his granddaughter Julia the Younger transferred here, where she died after 20 years. In the Middle Ages the archipelago was ruled by the Abbey of Santa Maria a Mare ("Holy Mary on the Sea") at San Nicola island, apparently founded here in the 9th century by Benedictine monks from Montecassino. In the 13th century the abbey had gained its autonomy from the father monastery, and owned lands from the Biferno to Trani on the Apulian mainland. After an alleged period of moral decadence, in 1237 the Benedictines were replaced by the Cistercian order. In 1334 the abbey was sacked by Dalmatian pirates from Omiš.
In 1412 the Lateran Canons took ownership of the islands, and restored the abbey with cisterns and fortifications which withstood the assault of Ottoman ships in 1567. The abbey was suppressed in 1783 by King Ferdinand IV of Naples, who set up a penal colony. During the Napoleonic age the islands were a stronghold of Joachim Murat's supporters, who resisted a British fleet in 1809. In 1843, to repopulate the islands, King Ferdinand II of Two Sicilies moved a number of people from Naples' slums to the islands, who mostly became fishermen.
In 1911, about 1,300 Libyans who had resisted Italian colonial rule were confined to Tremiti. After a year, around one-third of them had died, mainly from typhus. During the Fascist era, the archipelago continued to perform its function of confinement, detaining, among others, Amerigo Dumini, and future president of the Republic, Sandro Pertini.
Mussolini had hundreds of homosexuals deported to San Domino, in 1938. No law prohibited homosexuality at the time, and Mussolini also denied its existence, saying that, "In Italy there are only real men". However, suspected or reported homosexuals were rounded up and deported. The conditions on the island were very difficult, and a few died.[4] San Domino had the distinction of being the only internment camp in which all the prisoners were gay. Mussolini's regime had unwittingly created a part of Italy in which men were expected to be openly gay.[5]
The dormitories were spartan, with no electricity or running water.[5] A bell would ring at 8 p.m. each day, signaling that the men were no longer allowed to be outside. For the remainder of the night they were locked in their dorm rooms, under police supervision.[5]
The internment camp closed in 1939, as Italy became enmeshed in the beginnings of World War II.[5]
In May 2012 the provincial government caused a scandal by attempting to sell-off blocks of land on two of the islands for development for a reported €4m. Local environmental groups campaigned vigorously and in the event there were no bidders.[6]
• Mancini, Enzo (1979). Isole Tremiti, sassi di Diomede: natura, storia, arte, turismo. Milan: Mursia.
1. ^ Data from Istat
2. ^ Lonely Planet
3. ^ Staniscia pio luigi (2007-07-24). "TREMITI ISLANDS - Ferry schedule". Retrieved 2013-03-26.
4. ^ World Fascism, a historical encyclopedia, volume 1.
5. ^ a b c d Johnston, Alan. (2013, June 12). A gay island community created by Italy's Fascists. BBC News: retrieved 6/13/2013.
6. ^ Squires, Nick (5 June 2012). "Italian austerity forces region to sell its rare mouflon sheep". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
External links[edit]
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Title: Silence Settles Over Night
Fandom: Yuugiou
Characters: Mahaado (With Isis)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: I suppose this could be considered Mahaado/Isis if you want to interpret it as such, but I don't really consider this a romance. I'm not adverse to the pairing, though.
Disclaimer: Yuugiou is copyright Kazuki Takahashi and all related affiliates.
Challenge: Written for 24hour themes at Live Journal.
Many claim the night is silent, still; that it moves little and whispers in the few motions it is allowed. I know this notion to be untrue. For I have frequented the night, and know it to be a lonely, restless creature full of shiftings and discord, not unlike a flock of river birds preparing for flight. Perhaps its reputation for silence only heightens its urge to speak and dance.
Your heka is very much like that, Mahaado. Quiet at first glance, it brews and hisses with power beneath the weight of your Millennium Ring. I do not need my Tauk in order to see this. A clever actor you may be, but little is hidden from my eyes. At times it is a burden, this gift of mine, which reveals what no one else sees; we share at least one thing in the weight that our Items carry. Yet I am grateful for my insight as you approach me now, when the moon is directly overhead in the sky. I stand in an open courtyard in the west side of the palace, drinking in the scent of its greenery, a thing that comes scarce in the desert. Drawing up beside me almost as an afterthought, you stand silently to my right. I am the first to speak.
"I do not know the outcome of your plan." The words fall like stones from my mouth. "And yet my heart worries. As does Mana's."
Your eyes widen, and I am struck by how easily you reveal yourself under the cover of midnight darkness. Above, the stars blink as though with laughter.
"How …?" you ask hoarsely, eyes wide, and my lips twitch as my gaze remains skyward.
"Women sense more than men believe. Though, Mana only thinks you distracted."
You inhale, exhale, the breath leaving your body in a weary gust. "Isis," This is difficult for you, I can tell, and my eyes close when I realize what you are about to say. "Should I…perish fighting the thief, I would like you to continue Mana's training. She trusts you. And the others…"
"Kalim is not suited for instruction. And Shada is too easily manipulated." My Tauk catches the moonlight and flickers as I speak. We do not even mention Seto or Akunadin. "Both are loyal, but I am best to teach Mana."
"Yes." I feel you nod beside me.
"I see her future. She will be spurred by you to become a worthy magician, nearly equal to your own skill."
"Good." Relief threads itself into your words. "That is good."
An interval of silence widens the gulf between us, and I think of all I ever wanted to say to you. How I admired your loyalty and intelligence from the moment we met. How you combine Shada's passion with Kalim's quiet strength and the Pharaoh's goodness and light. How I envy Mana the time she spends with you.
"Isis…" Your voice sends my heart fluttering, and I turn to face you. The moonlight gilds your form in silver, and a small, weary smile blooms on your mouth. "Isis. You are indeed a worthy namesake of such a goddess. I trust you to understand…" And here you shift to face the main palace. For an instant I see your mind, and it fills me with a cacophony of emotions, ranging from sadness to sympathy and even understanding. "…Had we met in another life, I would--,"
"But we did not. And you do not. Your soul belongs to another, as does my own."
My voice is calm, calm as moonlight. As though reassured by it, you slowly nod. "I would die for the Pharaoh."
"No." Firmness grips my words. "You will live for Him, Mahaado, and you will continue to serve Him. As will I. It is the path we both must tread.
"Yes." Voice soft, you agree. "You speak truly, Isis."
No more words are needed. We are at some measure of peace. Together, we watch the heavens, a navy shroud peppered with silver, and for once the night is silent. | <urn:uuid:a8722923-35b7-4802-903a-8abcc6c77c6b> | https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3346850/1/Silence-Settles-Over-Night | en | 0.956915 | 0.055039 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Our Tiniest Gay Would Like to Sex You
Leslie Jordan, diminutive old actor and self-proclaimed "gayest man in the world," would like to talk to you about fucking. It seems he's managed to swat his tiny little paws at a keyboard long enough to craft a "dishy" memoir entitled My Trip Down the Pink Carpet (it has the word pink in it because he likes to have butt sex) in which he divulges some scandalous stories about getting high and waking up in a WeHo lumberyard with no underpants on. He also talks about his time on Lois & Clark and the urge to "peter-gaze" when Dean Cain walked around in his Superman tights. Other things: he had a thing for Billy Bob Thornton's "wiener" (I just passed out for a minute) and once shared a prison cell with Robert Downey Jr. The only explanation I can come up with as to why any of these anecdotes exist is that they're some sort of promotional tie-in with a DVD re-release of Darby O'Gill and The Little People. [Rush & Molloy. Their headline is "What's Short for Sex? Leslie Jordan." Seriously] After the jump, find video of Jordan speaking at Google of all places. | <urn:uuid:f2aa1e06-a627-463d-897a-85a00611fe72> | http://gawker.com/386583/our-tiniest-gay-would-like-to-sex-you | en | 0.977875 | 0.022734 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Monday, March 12, 2007
Squirrels, Squirrels Everywhere
If you live in Santa Monica California, you'll be interested in knowing your taxpayer dollars will be spent on injecting contraceptives into squirrels. Berkeley has already done it. Seems there is an overpopulation problem with the rodents and the old way of euthanasia methods angered the animal lovers.
And, speaking of squirrels, for once I am in agreement with Dennis Kucinich, the congressman from Ohio running for President. Again. He is in full tilt hissy fit over the Dems move to fore go debating in Nevada on a televised forum sponsored by Fox News and the Nevada Dem Party. Seems the camp of John Edwards succumbed to the demands of the Daily Kos website and to ignore Fox News, under the pretext that Fox News is solely a Republican/conservative venue. It's crap, of course, but nothing new for dribble from these two intellectually challenged sites.
Seems the party who claims to be superior in the pursuit of human rights is all calm and happy as long as it is all going their way. Fox News, run by Roger Ailes, is kicking the ass of CNN in the ratings after ten years on the air and there is a reason for that. The majority of Americans continue to claim to be Democrats, so it cannot be that there are more Republican/conservatives in the country. Roger Ailes is a former political consultant for Republicans, true, but so are a considerable amount of reporters/commentators/newsroom bosses/heads of networks/, etc. They are everywhere, like it or not. The others are from liberal administrations or party platforms, though, so we are suppose to believe there is no bias there. Move along, nothing to see here.
On September 9, 2003 Fox News and the Congressional Black Caucus co-hosted a presidential debate in Baltimore. Brit Hume was the moderator, asking no questions. The three member panel of questioners were Juan Williams from NPR and Fox News, and two other black journalists/news personalities, all liberals. The Dems didn't have a problem with any of that. So, what changed?
The concept of fair and balanced had long gone missing when Fox News launched ten years ago. I was a CNN viewer as that was the only real 24 hour cable news outlet. When I moved to a place that offered Fox News, I tuned in and was pleasantly surprised. During the daytime programming, both sides of an argument are presented. They go out of their way to present both sides with the guests booked. This is not something CNN even pretends to do. In the evening, the programming switches to commentary and opinion shows. Even at that, Alan Colmes is liberal to Hannity's conservative commentary, and then Greta Van Sustern's show is on. So, they start with O'Reilly, a conservative leaning show, then go to conservative and liberal opinions with Hannity and Colmes, then to Greta for liberal thoughts. Sounds balanced to me. By contrast on CNN at night, it is all liberal shows. Paula Zahn, Larry King and then Cooper Anderson. No conservatives represented.
So, what's the big deal? I thought we were all for diversity. I thought we were all about the right of free speech. I thought we were all about the debate of ideas.
Remember when politics was all about ideas? As recently as 12 years ago, the 'Republican Revolution' was ushered into congress. Newt Gingrich, love him or hate him, was a big idea man. The voters were desperate for it and the majority was overwhelming. Then it spiralled down to the politics of personal destruction throughout the Clinton years. That's how the Clintons operate. Hillary, along with her pals Carville and Begala, had the idea of the War Room (you may have watched the documentary) and ran it full tilt. Still do. But to hear the libs speak, it's those mean-spirited Republicans who slime people. It's all about raw power grabs now and we can reflect back to see the clear path the current situation took. Still today Hillary is quoted as saying she will go for the throat of her opponents, she'll stomp them. She uses physical metaphors. And it's not just Republicans she's talking about...
Back in the day, people in Congress could argue all day, passionately, for their causes and legislation. Then they were able to socialize at night together. Political partisanship with social civility. No more.
Our loss.
Wordnerd said...
Oh, yeah, we are all about diversity and freedom of speech...until the conservatives get a voice. Then the dems are calling for people's heads. Isn't it funny how they want to crucify someone for a politically incorrect utterance, yet let people like Bill Maher actually say that we'd have been better off if Cheney had died?
bigsis said...
our loss, indeed.....
yes, and hilary and obama are already at each other's throats. didn't a democratic senator that supports hilary just recently make a statement to the effect of "it will be the fall of the democratic party if obama gets elected b/c he's black". didn't hear that much in the media...a brief blurb online at msn. if a republican had made that statement it would be plastered all over.
bluemountainmama said...
don't know why that just signed me in as big sis......wierd!
srp said...
Hilary's true colors are coming out. She is a witch, full of anger and hostility and I wouldn't doubt for one minute that her staff is afraid, and I mean really afraid of her. And the Dems talk about compassion.
Perhaps Bill looks so smiley and goofy and "on another planet grin" because he's been hit in the head a few times too many... by Hilary. | <urn:uuid:3922a759-4d4d-40f7-9b42-2ed93092ed5e> | http://ponderingpenguin.blogspot.com/2007/03/squirrels-squirrels-everywhere.html | en | 0.974925 | 0.044252 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Google full text of our books:
Your Country Needs Them
Philippe Legrain
Book Description | Reviews | Table of Contents
Introduction [HTML] or [PDF format]
A Q&A with author Philippe Legrain
Why does my country need immigrants?
The US needs immigrants because they are different, and that something extra they add to the mix enriches the economy, culture and society. For a start, they tend to be enterprising and hard-working, because it takes courage to uproot yourself in search of a better life and because those with the most grit have the most to gain from doing so. Those who come from countries that offer fewer opportunities to their citizens than America does are more willing to do the low-skilled jobs that America's aging and increasingly wealthy society relies on, but which its increasingly well-educated and comfortable citizens are unwilling to take--essential services, such as caring for the young and the old, and cleaning homes, offices and hospitals, that cannot readily be mechanized or imported. Others bring exceptional individual skills that American companies need if they are to compete in a global marketplace. And immigrants' collective diversity and dynamism helps spur innovation and economic growth, because if people who think differently bounce ideas off each other they can solve problems better and faster. Just look at Silicon Valley: Intel, Yahoo!, Google, eBay and many others were all co-founded by immigrants
More broadly, immigrants broaden the range of cultural experiences available in the US, and this mingling of cultures leads to distinctive innovations. As John Stuart Mill rightly said: "It is hardly possible to overrate the value, for the improvement of human beings, of things which bring them into contact with persons dissimilar to themselves, and with modes of thought and action unlike those with which they are familiar . . . it is indispensable to be perpetually comparing [one's] own notions and customs with the experience and example of persons in different circumstances . . . there is no nation which does not need to borrow from others."
You say that immigration enriches the economy; yet, some economists point out that the benefits of immigration are not equally distributed across society. Farmers and hotel managers may benefit from more workers to harvest their crops or clean their rooms, but construction workers and cooks face greater competition for jobs and lower wages. Why should Americans welcome greater competition for their jobs in the form of increased immigration?
Fears that immigrants threaten American workers are based on two fallacies: that there is a fixed number of jobs in the economy, and that foreign workers are direct substitutes for American ones. Just as women did not deprive men of jobs when they entered the labor force in large numbers, foreigners don't steal Americans' jobs-they don't just take jobs; they create them too. When they spend their wages, they boost demand for people who produce the goods and services that they consume; and as they work, they stimulate demand for Americans in complementary lines of work. An influx of Mexican construction workers, for instance, creates new jobs for people selling construction materials, as well as for interior designers. Overall, immigrants don't cost Americans jobs: While the number of immigrants has risen sharply over the past 20 years, the unemployment rate has fallen.
But do some American workers lose out from immigration? Hardly any; most actually gain. Why? Because, as critics of immigration are the first to admit, immigrants are different to Americans, so they rarely compete directly with them in the labor market; often, they complement their efforts.
Low-skilled immigrants tend to do jobs that Americans shun: virtually no Americans pick fruit, for instance. Even when immigrants do work in similar lines of work, they tend to compete only indirectly with American workers: a Mexican with little education and English is scarcely a substitute for an American high-school graduate. Even when Mexican construction workers work for lower wages than American ones, they don't necessarily harm them: if construction work is cheaper, more people can afford to have their house done up, so employment in the building sector rises; and Mexican builders tend to do the low-end tasks, while Americans generally do the more lucrative higher-end work. Of course, some Americans may lose out; but most won't. On the contrary, immigrants' labor often complements that of American workers, and thus boosts their wages: a foreign nanny may enable an American nurse to go back to work, where her productivity may be enhanced by hard-working foreign doctors and cleaners.
Study after study fails to find evidence that immigrants harm the job prospects of American workers. A study for the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) by Gianmarco Ottaviano and Giovanni Peri finds that the average wage of US-born workers rose by 2% in response to the inflow of foreign-born workers between 1990 and 2004. The workers who gain from immigration account for 90% of the US-born labor force, while those who do not gain-high-school dropouts, who lose only slightly, by 1%-are a small group whose numbers continue to shrink each year.
If most people stand to benefit from immigration, why is it so politically contentious?
It is partly the misplaced belief that immigrants are an economic threat or burden, partly a fear of cultural change. More recently, it has gotten mixed up with fears about terrorism. In large part, though, these views reflect a dislike of foreigners, as psychological studies confirm. People then tend to construct an elaborate set of seemingly rational arguments to justify their prejudice. For instance, in Who are We?, Harvard academic Samuel Huntington complains that Latino immigrants are generally poor and therefore a drain on US society, except in Miami, where they are rich and successful, and Americans can't compete; he says it is worrying that Latinos have until recently tended to cluster in certain cities and states, and then he says it is worrying that they are starting to spread out. Immigrants can't win: they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.
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Bookmark and Share | <urn:uuid:28548c34-95a8-43ac-821e-41147063eb62> | http://press.princeton.edu/releases/m8472.html | en | 0.955655 | 0.180517 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Kirk Fordice, a no-nonsense businessman who became Mississippi's first Republican governor since Reconstruction, died here on Tuesday at the age of 70.
The cause was leukemia, his family said.
Mr. Fordice was born in Memphis, was educated at Purdue University and became a millionaire through his Fordice Construction Company. He won the governorship by upsetting the Democratic incumbent, Ray Mabus, in the 1991 election and held the post until 2000.
As governor, he was successful in pushing for spending restraints, tougher sentencing laws and more prisons. But proposals for tax cuts, school choice and term limits stalled in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
His most raucous debates were over racial issues. Just a few days after his swearing-in, for instance, he threatened in a spur-of-the-moment remark to call out the National Guard if the state was ordered by the courts to spend more money on its three historically black colleges.
Mr. Fordice's private life also made headlines several times. In 1993, he disclosed that he was having ''irreconcilable differences'' with his wife of 40 years, Pat. Mrs. Fordice, in a terse press release, said she had no intention of getting a divorce.
The couple did divorce in 1999, however, and he married his high school sweetheart, Ann G. Creson, shortly after leaving office in 2000, barred by term limits from seeking a third term. They, too, later divorced.
Mr. Fordice is survived by a daughter, Angie Roselle, and three sons, Hunter, Dan and Dr. Jim Fordice. | <urn:uuid:0c9b793d-e4cd-442a-9c56-0dda273dac8f> | http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9902E7DE1630F93BA3575AC0A9629C8B63 | en | 0.989839 | 0.080032 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Here's how it works:
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2. Anybody can answer
This may be out of my control, but currently, when I try to access my website from work, I get this page:
Access Denied
Your system policy has denied access to the requested URL.
Monitoring of Your Internet Activity is Being Performed
Proxy IP Address: U522XG-O2A
Exception ID: policy_denied
URL Requested:
URL Category: none
Date: 2011-03-24
Is there even a way that I can set the URL Category?
share|improve this question
up vote 1 down vote accepted
If you knew what they used for the content filtering system, you might be able to take action to get it categorized appropriately.
If I had to guess from the information your copy/pasted, I'd say you're working with a BlueCoat Web Filter. Check this link to see how they've categorized your site.
share|improve this answer
Is there some kind of META code or something I can add to myself to change it's categorization? – Nathan Burgess Mar 24 '11 at 16:33
This is a question that is specific to BlueCoat's (if that's indeed who we're dealing with) web filtering system. I doubt they allow you to just flag yourself as whatever you wish to be seen as, after all, that would make it very easy for all webmasters to circumvent web filtering systems. They will likely need to review the site with human eyes in order to recategorize it. – pk. Mar 24 '11 at 16:42
The probability of a filtering system that requires actual people to verify seems... impossible. There are many obscure websites that I can access, that people just wouldn't find unless searching for some of the things I search for, and I'm the only person that does this particular job. So frustrating. – Nathan Burgess Mar 24 '11 at 16:51
I don't mean to suggest that the entire process is manual, I'm simply referring to the review process that would REcategorize a website if a webmaster chose to make a case of it. You're right in sensing that the process of the initial categorization of sites for their filter is 99.9% automated, but they need to provide a way for webmasters to file an appeal. – pk. Mar 24 '11 at 16:56
Your Answer
| <urn:uuid:d9beacb1-122f-450e-ba70-61a9159cdc5f> | http://serverfault.com/questions/251411/how-to-change-the-url-category-of-a-website-so-its-not-filtered?answertab=active | en | 0.92866 | 0.240965 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Sometimes you gotta call a spade a spade. Sometimes you gotta call it a fucking shovel:
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will meet Iraqi leaders for talks in Baghdad on Saturday after criticizing what he called their disappointing progress in passing laws Washington views as critical to ending violence.
Gates, who flew into Baghdad on Friday night, met U.S. military commanders on Saturday to assess a troop build-up designed to buy time for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government to win over disaffected Sunni Arabs, who form the backbone of the four-year-old insurgency.
His visit and frank criticism was a sign Washington is growing increasingly worried about what U.S. officials see as foot-dragging on laws on distributing oil revenues, control of regional oil fields and holding provincial elections.
Does anyone see an oil field anywhere in this picture? Does anyone see a voting booth in this picture?
As gun mongers are quick to point out, it's not the lack of laws, it's the lack of enforcement. From a certain point of view, they're right: you can pass all the laws you want, impose all the curfews you want, but unless you've got the people capable of rooting out those who would violate them, you got nothing.
The simple fact is, sending more American troops to Iraq was a failed policy from the start. One could have made the case that an additional 20,000 (now thirty thousand) troops sent in support of our forces already there might have made sense if the job was to secure strongholds that American forces could expand into larger areas, to then protect civilians, but more important, to train replacements.
It's clear that the now-concluded surge has merely made more American troops targets, despite its limited success in some regions of Baghdad. Naturally, the administration response to this is, "give it more time," that the troops need to be integrated into combat. Oh, and to blame the Iraqis.
Some of those troops have been there since February. That's more than three months. Seems to me they should have received better training here before rushing them over there. If you're going to take a long view of victory, then there's no reason to scurry to implement an escalation, particularly since your stated aim is to fall back and secure your holdings. You rush troops into battle because you feel time is an element in victory.
As to the second point, blaming the Iraqis, it also seems clear that this is a way to buy time for Bush to figure out Plan B, but on its face, it's pretty stupid. Yes, revenue sharing and oil rights are important to Iraq and a way of sharing them needs to be discovered (personally, I think they should do what Alaska does and hand out a stipend to the people directly, but what do I know?), but there are far larger issues to be addressed. Throwing money at this problem was never a real solution in a country that was used to being fairly well-off financially for centuries.
This is blood-warfare, kanly to you Dune fans, will not go away anytime soon, ay any price. Look at our own history. The Civil War effectively ended what had been a near one hunded year struggle by the South to impose its will on the nation, and yet the Civil War never really ended. It echoes even today with the Rebel flag controversies, with the glee that secessionists view how "liberal policies and East Coast elitists" have been severly hampered by their obstructionist, reactionary, recessive-gene-induced efforts. Kanly, indeed.
But not defeated. It wouldn't be a civil war if only one side fought, of course. That Sunni, Shi'a and Kurd have come to blows is not surprising, given the tumultuous history of Iraq in the 20th and 21st centuries. That things will only get worse is a no-brainer.
But then I forget who's running this an added bonus, Iraqis also have the chance to perform kanly on any American they see.
Laws about oil revenues will not stop the conflict. Our best hope for peace in Iraq is to turn it into the Koreas, and that will involve a commitment of fifty plus years (and counting), tens of thousands of troops, and the stomach to make one man's egregious blunder a national commitment.
And who the hell wants the Bush family to suck even more money from the national teat? We ought to declare kanly on the House of Bush.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Friday Music Blogging
Sevara Nazarkhan - from the Uzbeki film Bir Kam Dunyo
Peter Gabriel toured with her in 2003. I was blown away by her voice and her sweetness.
Friday Kitten Blogging
OMG! Taht pigjun just mooned me! BURDS!
Nobody Asked Me But...
1) Apparently, Bush will receive a new infusion of testosterone shortly: The grind's almost over to forge two perfect balls. "Perfect" is about how he needs to be in order to survive with what shread of historical legacy he has in place.
2) NASA used to be the most highly regarded agency in the government. It seemed as though, if you asked them to do something, they got it done. Now, decades after defunding and belittling by conservative budget hawks intent of "war-ifying" America has whittled the budget and manpower to the bare minimum, even problems that we know about have become intractable.
3) Contrast this with the Scooter Libby sentence. Contrast this with the Paris Hilton sentence.
4) Father's Day is Sunday. I have a swim meet to attend with my daughter. What's wrong with this picture?
5) Thirty years ago? Try seven!
6) The best advice my dad ever gave me? Never mix scotch and Coca Cola.
7) Bet you knew nothing about this tragedy. Bangladesh is a critical element in subcontinental affairs.
8) How likely is it that this bill will pass Congress, and that Bush will veto it? I give it about a 75% chance, nearly intact.
9) Lesson for the day: Don't fuck with Mother Nature.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Nathan Thurm, Redux
You may recall the wonderful Saturday Night Live send up of nearly any corporate executive you've ever seen interviewed on 60 Minutes, as well as many of the producers of SNL, that Martin Short created, Nathan Thurm.
That was the first image that struck me as I read this story this morning:
"I have warned from the very beginning about expecting some sort of magical thing to happen in September," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters on Wednesday.
"What I would suggest is, rather than it's, sort of, a pivotal moment, it is the first opportunity to be able to take a look at what happens when you've got (the troop increase) up and running fully for a period of months," he added. "It is naive to think, suddenly -- boom -- you snap a finger and you've got an instant change in the situation."
One might think, Mr. Snow, about checking the State department website before running yo' mouf, beeyatch:
One reporter asked Petraeus whether the September assessment would be truthful if the general and ambassador determine troop levels should be reduced because the mission is not succeeding.
Petraeus replied, “I have an obligation to some wonderful young men and women in uniform, and a lot of civilians by the way, who are serving in Iraq and who deserve a forthright assessment from the folks at the top about the situation on the ground, and that’s what I’m going to provide them.”
But hey, don't let that harsh your mellow, Mr. Snow. I'm sure that when September comes, and you start losing Republican Senators to the antiwar movement in Congress, you'll find some way to frame it as an encouraging sign, just as the administration has done all along with its abject failure to impose a new government in Iraq.
Now, admittedly, Petraeus has backed off that statement in recent weeks. I can't imagine why, other than the fact that the surge is clearly not working and the good folks at Acme War College have to come up with yet again another delaying tactic for the 2008 election that doesn't include troop reductions (at least, not superficially).
Bush tried laying the groundwork for a positive assessment of the surge two months ago after meeting with Petraeus:
"There's been some progress," Bush said during a press briefing after his meeting. "There's been some horrific bombings, of course. There's also been a decline in sectarian violence."
Yeah. Say it with me, children...Oops!
As Nathan Thurm would say, "I know that! Why wouldn't I know that? I'm well aware of that!"
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Hump Day Comedy Blogging
Robin Williams explains why the Bush administration is so fucked up
Why You Need To Give A Shi'ite
Two stories, seemingly only tangentially related, share something in common:
GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas Islamist gunmen pressed on with their Gaza offensive on Wednesday, killing eight fighters loyal to Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas in a Palestinian supremacy struggle escalating steadily into civil war.
"What is happening in Gaza is madness," Abbas, the Fatah leader, told reporters in the occupied West Bank after meeting a foreign diplomat.
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Suspected al Qaeda militants blew up two minarets of a revered Shi'ite mosque in the Iraqi city of Samarra on Wednesday, targeting a shrine bombed last year in an attack that unleashed a wave of sectarian killing.
Fearing renewed bloodshed, Iraq's government imposed an indefinite curfew in Baghdad as Shi'ite and Sunni political and religious leaders called on their followers to remain calm.
A grim mood descended on the capital as people hurried home before the start of the curfew. Police said gunmen set fire to a Sunni mosque in Baghdad's southwestern Bayaa district.
The internal struggle in Gaza (Palestinian) and the internal conflict in Iraq are both pitting Sunni versus Shia. Hamas is Sunni. Abbas, and by extension, Fatah (which despite being led by terrorists in its own right, is considered moderate) is also Sunni, but is more tolerant of Shi'a, having been educated mostly in Syria and Egypt with large Shi'a and Sufi populations.
And of course, the Iraqi attacks yesterday hearken back to a year ago, when another mosque in Samarra, the Al Askari mosque, was devastated by Sunni attackers, setting off the sectarian violence of the past year.
We here in America have long been focused on the internal conflict between Sunni and Shi'a in Iraq (the Kurds have been fortunately content to sit and wait it all out), but the trouble in Gaza, as well as last year's siege by Israel of Lebanon, speak of a broadening of this internal religious struggle into a full-blown regional war.
Good for the US? Maybe, but probably not. Remember, we still have Israel to protect for its strategic value as a toehold in the Middle East (especially now that Iraq is disintegrating before our eyes), Saudi Arabia would undoubtedly be called upon to reinforce the Sunni side, being very strict Sunni Wahabists. Iran would then be forced to shore up the Shi'a forces, putting Iran in conflict with Saudi Arabia, effectively cutting off Middle Eastern oil to the west by closing down the Persian Gulf.
Hm. Not good. We would at the very least be called into to keep the combatants apart, and more likely, take on Iran directly as proxy for the Sauds.
Really not good.
A year ago, I might have suggested that cooler heads will prevail, but with the cracked and broken US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the failure of the Army to meet already pretty liberal recruiting goals even before Gates implements his increase in the size of the army, we're pretty fresh out of manpower to fight Iran, and Iran knows this. We might still be able to stem the tide diplomatically.
If we actually had an administration that had a diplomat available.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Military Drilling
Pentagon Confirms It Sought To Build A 'Gay Bomb'
They Be Stealing His Watch!
Check it out...about 1:07 in, you can see a guy take Bush's watch off his wrist in the upper right sector of the video! (h/t MissC for the heads up)
With friends like this, who needs an enema? Looks like we may be Wagging The Dog soon!
A Novel Approach
Spread the word, folks. We need this. Now.
Monday, June 11, 2007
An Open Letter To Joe Klein
...Fury begets fury. Poison from the right-wing talk shows seeped into the Republican Party's bloodstream and sent that party off the deep end. Limbaugh's show—where Dick Cheney frequently expatiates—has become the voice of the Republican establishment. The same could happen to the Democrats. The spitballs aimed at me don't matter much. The spitballs aimed at Harman, Clinton and Obama are another story. Despite their votes, each of those politicians believes the war must be funded. (Obama even said so in his statement explaining his vote.) Each knows, as Senator Jim Webb has said repeatedly, that we must be more careful getting out of Iraq than we were getting in. But they allowed themselves to be bullied into a more simplistic, more extreme position. Why? Partly because they fear the power of the bloggers to set the debate and raise money against them. They may be right—in the short (primary election) term; Harman faced a challenge from the left in 2006. In the long term, however, kowtowing to extremists is exactly the opposite of what this country is looking for after the lethal radicalism of the Bush Administration.
Your fears are not unjustified, Mr. Klein. What I think you miss as a point is the anger of Blogtopia (© Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo, who's hosting a "No Funds For Dems" rally at his place), and while that anger could, should and is being correctly directed at Clinton, Obama, and Harman, you have justified your own petar' hoisting.
Let's take your case, in particular, before we look at Obama et al. You write in your print column this week:
(emphasis added) They is none so blind as he who will not see.
Let me describe this from where I, a moderate to liberal Democrat who often gets accused of the same things you do: apologizing for a dysfunctional system, see this. Let's use Harman's quote as the underpinning of this description, but you and I both know you've screwed up like this before, and I could substitute any number of topics here. You raised this one, however.
As a blogger, I understand the value of being "firstest" with a story. I haven't broken any stories on my blog, but when I find a tidbit that I think may become a story shortly, I write about what I've found. This often means going back later and realizing I made a mistake when things didn't turn out the way I predicted they might.
Which is, in effect, what you did with Harman's statement: published it, but got the story wrong. Nothing wrong with that. Should you have waited to check her vote in the CR? I think so, but I'm not paid to be first (or right...I just prefer it that way).
But think about this for a second: your idea of a breaking story is to tell us what a politician told you.
True, you are not a beat reporter on the police desk, trying to dig up the facts around a murder, or an investigative journalist hellbent on uncovering the bribe that allowed a Hormel plant to package bad meat.
Neither, and this is the important bit, are you the mouthpiece for any politician whom you have access to, which is what annoys us most of all about you, as well as Tim Russert, or Chris Matthews, or anyone who appears on TV on a regular basis pontificating about "the news".
We bloggers are asking the right questions, questions that demand answers. We don't have the access or influence to truly press a politician about those questions.
You have the access, yet you don't ask the right questions. Can you imagine how frustrating that is?
Admittedly, some of the questions can range from vitally important to pretty ridiculous. No one's saying you should be our mouthpiece either. But when a Jane Harman talks about "supporting our troops," the legitimate question of "why do we even have troops in the field any longer and isn't voting for this bill an endorsement of that policy?" has to be asked. If you had, it sure wasn't evident from the story you posted (I should note here that, while I do not know Marcy Winograd, Harman's primary challenger in 2006, I do regularly correspond with a family member of hers).
Neither did you explore this issue in your print piece I've linked to, and I'd like you to do that: explain why, when you have this access, you aren't asking tougher questions.
I can think of several reasons on my own: the Bush administration has been very tough on journalists who don't tow the line, for one; for another, you won't get invited to the cool parties in Georgetown if you're viewed as an adversary.
These are rather weak excuses, if you ask me: my freedom depends on your reporting and the reporting of hundreds of others in Washington. In toto, you're collectively failing to do your jobs. Joe, your small "gaffe" is a tiny piece of it, but as with global climate change, every atom of carbon adds up to the crisis.
With global climate change, if we can't stand the heat, there's nothing we can do about it, except look to our own lives and hope we can make a difference. With your reporting tho, we can. We can call attention to our dissatisfaction with your efforts, and hope you'll do better next time. We can ask you to keep a more critical eye on the reporting of others, to stop sucking at the teat of the cocktail circuit and go back and start recalling the lessons you learned in Journalism 101.
As Izzy Stone put it, "Report the news so that no story is a surprise to anyone." You don't want us on your butt about getting the Harman story wrong? Then make sure it's right.
Let me talk about the politicians here, as well. Part of the problem we on the left (even us moderate lefties) have with Obama, Clinton, and Harman, amongst nearly all the others (even Mike Gravel), is that they serve two houses: us and mammon. We, the people, feel we ought to come first, but let's face facts. We, the people don't any longer. When a politician is elected on November 3rd, let's say, and by November 4th has sent out her or his first contribution solicitation (don't laugh, I've gotten them), it's annoying to me, but it also speaks volumes about who really has a Senator's ear in DC.
And YOU, Joe, ought to be calling them on that! Instead of enabling them by transcribing what they say (and boy, does Stephen Colbert have the DC media by the balls when he talks about this!) you ought to be asking who benefits from their talking point, and looking into that. And this goes for Democrats as well as (and in particular with) Republicans.
We would cut Clinton and Obama slack if we thought you and your journalist buddies weren't going to go roll over for the next flavor politician. We can't trust you to do your jobs, so we have to do it for you.
Frankly, I'd be happy to hand this back over to you. I'd prefer that you wrote the stories, and me and Duncan and Kos and everyone over at My Left Wing could say "Gee, that Klein guy really got a story out of Hillary over her war vote!"
We do it for Olbermann. We do it for Stewart. We did it for Dobbs at CNN when he talked fact and not propaganda, and for Jack Cafferty. Hell, we did it for Imus when he asked the tough questions, and look where he ranks on our radar now!
Since it's up to us to defend our right to know, I'm sure you can understand that some of us are justifiably panicked by this assault on our freedom, and we'll overreact.
Really. People get scared when the impending image of our future is a world where corporations and government tag-team us, and the only referee is owned by AOL, or General Electric, or Disney, or Viacom. We might, just maybe, view the deck as stacked against us and get a bit pissed off.
Were the overall criticisms of you fair? Joe, I've read your column for years now, and I find you to be fairly even-handed, middle-of-the-road (sorry, you're not that liberal), but willing to take an honest look at issues. But an honest look at issues means going out and testing the information you have, and if you don't do it, that bothers me. A lot.
Quoting a general on the ground in Iraq is fine. But Knight Ridder made a lot of news by actually getting on the ground and seeing what the captains and colonels thought. We need you to do the equivalent of that when it comes to a self-serving statement by political phonies who deign to allow you to quote them because it might distort their record in a way that massages their chances for re-election.
In effect, using you as a tool.
I'd feel pretty ugly about that, if I was in your shoes.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Nothing beats habeas
Olbermann guest: Suspending habeas corpus has made us less safe
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Friday June 8, 2007
The video from MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, broadcast on June 7, is at the link contained in the title. | <urn:uuid:037d8cf9-3a08-48b4-9578-3f5babb425d0> | http://simplyleftbehind.blogspot.com/2007_06_10_archive.html | en | 0.970478 | 0.01873 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Americans Dream On
Dave Brown said...
Why do you think that the Pew survey questions need to be reformulated from those answers? What is wrong with those cities? David Brooks' description of them sounds quite attractive.
I also do not understand why Brooks' ends his article with the statement "Americans may be gloomy and afraid..." when most Americans I know are quite positive and enjoy going to these cities because of the high quality of life--primarily, as Brooks points out, with easy access to both urban and natural areas. Essentially it is a balance between the choice, accessibility, comfort, and affordability that a place offers.
The debate reminds me a bit of some of Richard Florida's critics. One of them claimed that Florida's "3 T's" formula for creative city success--technology, talent, and tolerance--in actuality is replaced by a different formula: Skills, Sun and Sprawl.
now, i would prefer the live in New York over Denver, etc, but I don't think we should look down on the millions of Americans who would prefer the opposite.
Cordelia said...
I agree with Dave. I wonder how the questions encourage one to imagine urban life, for example. Cities, especially beautiful, pedestrian-friendly cities with lots of greenspace and good markets, tend to be much more expensive per square foot. Starbucks is more expensive than MacDonald's. I would assume most people would like to live in decently spacious and green environments that they can afford. Does the question begin "If money were no object... ?"
Katia Savchuk said...
In my last sentence, I meant to say that I hope if Americans are tending towards culturally diverse, environmentally sensitive and typologically interesting cities like San Francisco and Seattle, then I hope questions probing American preferences can go beyond a McDonald's-Starbucks spectrum as a barometer of identity.
Chachy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chachy said...
There's sort of an ironic tension between the motivations behind the suburban model of city development. On the one hand, it represents the desires mentioned in this post to move on to greener pastures, to conquer the frontier, etc. At the same time, the net effect has actually been to reduce mobility: with homeownership officially encouraged by federal policy and by the nature of the suburbs, people have become more tied down to their homes; mobility is lower than it's been at any time since the 1950s, as Florida points out in his recent Atlantic article. | <urn:uuid:e07b980b-55c7-4fe0-b8c9-3ed0a61278ff> | http://thewhereblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/americans-dream-on.html | en | 0.962202 | 0.031274 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Entity FX Sinks its Teeth into 'Vampire Diaries'
Mat Beck of Entity FX tells us about the making of the People's Choice Award winner for Favorite New Drama.
The Vampire Diaries, which debuted last fall, and airs Thursdays at 8/7 Central on The CW Network, is about a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. All the vfx is done by Entity FX (with Brian Harding serving as visual effects supervisor) and features a variety of work, including signature vampire "eye" effects to express angry or hungry vamps; "speed effects"; and even a witch that shows off her powers by levitating a room full of feathers. We spoke with Mat Beck, senior visual effects supervisor.
The signature effect involves bulging veins to differentiate vampires and express certain emotions. All images © Warner Bros. Television/The CW Television Network and courtesy of Entity FX.
Bill Desowitz: Let's begin with the signature "eye" effects, especially the bulging and pulsing veins on their faces that are the hallmark of the vampires.
Mat Beck: It's digital makeup with a personality because it moves and changes constantly. It's interesting because early in the show there was a bit more happening within the actual eye itself but as we've progressed, this shot has evolved and we've developed the ability to convey quite a bit with the veins around the cheek bone and under the eye. And the challenge and opportunity, of course, is to tie it in to the actual performance. It shows emotion, it shows rage, it shows arousal, it shows ambivalence, it shows conflict. In order to be able to modulate the performance, each character has his or her own set of veins that are adjusted for their personality and physiognomy. And the individual veins can be controlled for color or height rising out of the skin and highlights and shadow and movement of blood through them. And individual veins can be rising while others are falling.
We've written some custom software that makes it easier to tweak all these variables to play along with the actor's performance to set the tone that the show's creatives want for each moment. Of course, the other thing is you have to make this surreal moment look convincingly physically real. So the veins have to look like they are actually under the skin of the actor. To do that we have a variety of 3D and 2.5D techniques that, in effect, model the skin over the bone so that as the skin of the real actor deforms, the pattern of veins deform with it. It's more than just a simple tracking mark here or there: We actually had to have tracked the deformation of the whole patch of skin under each eye.
BD: What software do you use for this?
Tracking blood onto mouths of vampires is another prime effect.
MB: Besides some internally-generated scripts, we use Maya for the 3D and then, depending on the shot, the compositing work is done with After Effects or Discreet boxes.
BD: Tell us more about your custom software.
MB: What we did was generate 3D mapping of the skin so whatever you do to the vein is automatically tracked onto the surface. So whatever tweaks are done to the veins are automatically run through a module that customizes it to the facial movements of the actor. This allows us to respond quickly to any notes and get a few more iterations in a tight time frame. Some of the best moments are more subtle, like when the effect is just coming on or just dissipating. There's one scene where a character is getting aroused but is conflicted about it so we were able to convey this through the movement of the veins growing and shrinking as he was trying to suppress his arousal a bit.
BD: What are some of the power effects?
MB: Vampires can move really quickly and travel through the air pretty quickly, so there's a lot of super fast running and stunt work, which sometimes involves wire removal or rig removal or deforming the body when withstanding impact from vehicles or from fighting with each other. Sometimes we will just roto the vampires and fly them digitally. We also add a lot of blood in spots. One of the advantages of not doing blood on set is you can adjust it later on to set the right tone. We've tracked blood onto mouths of vampires who have just been feeding; we tracked wounds onto their victims; pools of blood on the floor when someone has just landed. Killing vampires with a stake involves a lot of discoloration and a wide area of grossly bulging veins tracked all over neck and face.
The trick of the levitating feathers was to "display sensitivity to little wind movements and to have the fine fibers react to the light."
BD: What about Bonnie (Katerina Graham) revealing her abilities by levitating a room full of feathers?
MB: It was fun because a lot of the show is dark for obvious reasons and part of the fun of the feathers is we wanted to make it graceful and also beautiful. So not only is it putting CG feathers into the room and lighting them well but also making them move in a way that was fun to look at, and it's also tied to her performance because she controls them through her movements. And there are some practical feathers and we had to match those, of course. But the ones flying in the air in formation are CG, and those were fun to do. We've done feathers before and we have that down. The trick is to have them display sensitivity to little wind movements and to have the fine fibers react to the light. When you get those two things, you're pretty far along.
BD: And what about the environments?
MB: We've extended the environment with matte painting and also have made it more creepy with digital fog or scary by adding fire. We've also added in the odd CG raven as needed.
BD: What about the matte paintings?
MB: An example is a distant waterfall in a view from a bridge: the usual stuff where you expand the world of the story.
BD: How about a sneak peek of what's upcoming?
MB: Well, I can't give away the store too much, but there are some new characters being introduced that should give us more opportunities to mix VFX and performance and add to the impact of the show. Sometimes we can even help the creatives alter the meaning of a scene by adding an effect in post. It's all part of the power of the modern world of digital effects. And it all has to happen quickly because it's TV, but it has to be great because it's The Vampire Diaries.
Bill Desowitz is senior editor of AWN & VFXWorld. | <urn:uuid:37a233dc-d0ab-4125-ab29-3571169b86f6> | http://www.awn.com/vfxworld/entity-fx-sinks-its-teeth-vampire-diaries | en | 0.963006 | 0.125525 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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How We Got Our Employees to Love Their Jobs
How We Got Our Employees to Love Their Jobs . / Credit: Happy Workers Image via Shutterstock
As the economy improves, more employees are trolling job search websites looking for greener career pastures.
For a small business, losing key employees can be expensive, even disastrous.
So how can a small business owner get employees so excited about their work that they aren't running for the exit when the whistle blows?
"It starts with the hiring process," said Jill Mikols Etesse, creative director for SmartyShortz, a boutique mobile development firm focused on building apps related to children's education. The company was founded in 2009 and has nine employees. "By the time we bring someone on we have had open discussions about what they'll be doing and they know why we are hiring them right from the get-go, which has a huge impact on employee satisfaction once they actually get to work," Mikols Etesse said. "We even have them create their own titles." Her "unofficial" title is Don Draper Understudy.
Simple recognition can go a long way to making employees excited to come to work. "We are a small company, so our employees wear many hats," she said. "Constant gratitude can really make a difference. It really takes so little to make people happy about coming to work. Recognizing when people have gone above and beyond is extremely important to making work more enjoyable. No one takes advantage of anyone here, because we all feel very appreciated and everyone is much more passionate about what they are doing."
While relaxing rigid reporting structures is easier in an entrepreneurial environment than in a larger corporation, it is another way to keep employees engaged. "One day they may be part of a team working on a project, but the next day they could be taking the lead," she said. "We give everyone room to shine, which is an important factor in job satisfaction."
While hearing "thank you" is a motivator, it is also important to provide other types of incentives as well. Just don't take a cookie-cutter approach to rewarding the team, she said. "We try to make it fun and personal," she said. "Find out the interests of each individual. While taking the team to a ballgame might be a great reward for some, others might not want to intrude in their personal time."
If possible, small business owners should offer their employees some type of monetary incentives beyond their salaries so that they feel a connection to the success of the operation.
"We have not hired anyone who does not have a stake in the business beyond their paycheck," Mikols Etesse said. "Yes, it takes longer to build a dream team this way, but we have finally accomplished it with friends of friends, family, employees somehow connected to us that we have offered a small percentage of the company to and treat them as family."
While all of these are ways to keep employees happy, she said doing them consistently is important. "It is a day-in, day out process," she said. "It is not just a once-in-a-while proposition."
Follow BusinessNewsDaily @BNDarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+. | <urn:uuid:8e6fbc87-621a-458e-87af-8c92cefed645> | http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3535-making-employees-happy-at-smartyshortz.html | en | 0.962806 | 0.048863 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Earnings: Here’s Why Shares Are Growing Now
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. (NYSE:SMG) had a loss and missed Wall Street’s expectations, BUT beat the revenue expectation. The revenue beat is a positive sign to shareholders seeking high growth out of the company. Shares are up 2.5%.
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Earnings Cheat Sheet
Results: Net loss decreased -7.58% to $68.3 million ($1.12 per diluted share) in the quarter versus a net loss of $73.9 million in the year-earlier quarter.
Revenue: Decreased 2.56% to $205.8 million from the year-earlier quarter.
Actual vs. Wall St. Expectations: The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. reported adjusted net loss of $1.12 per share. By that measure, the company missed the mean analyst estimate of $0. It beat the average revenue estimate of $199.65 million.
Quoting Management: “Our immediate focus is to leverage our cost structure with an eye toward margin improvement, reduced SG&A and improved cash flow,” said CEO, James Hagedorn. “And we are taking a balanced approach in how we invest for long-term growth. I am confident in the plan we have put in place and believe our shareholders will begin to see significant improvement starting in the second half of the year.”
Key Stats (on next page)… | <urn:uuid:9bca4400-7b75-4659-940f-b36de134502b> | http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/earnings-trading-markets/the-scotts-miracle-gro-co-earnings-heres-why-shares-are-growing-now.html/ | en | 0.925374 | 0.024209 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Latest in Att
Image credit:
Brad Molen
We get it. It's been a year since you got a new phone, and it doesn't have a Super Ultra HD screen, 80MP camera or fancy pants 50-core processor. You pine for the latest and greatest mobile toy, but it's probably going to cost you a lot, right? Well, yes. But in the past year, every major US network has eased the pain by introducing device installment plans, many of which allow you to trade in your current phone for a newer, hipper model. Most of these plans, which are designed to let you pay off your device over several months, are still more expensive than the average two-year contract, regardless of who you sign it with. But whether you like it or not, they're here to stay.
T-Mobile gets credit for starting the movement: Shortly after it announced its installment and early upgrade plans, AT&T, Verizon and Sprint all followed with options of their own. Ever since, the new plans have led to a massive pricing war, and the resulting price drops (most recently from AT&T and Verizon) have made them more tempting. But what does it all mean for you?
T-Mobile JUMP
AP Images for T-Mobile
In typical UnCarrier style, T-Mobile was the first to come out with an early upgrade program. Known as Jump (short for "Just Upgrade My Phone"), the plan is actually an add-on feature in which you pay $10 per month per phone for the privilege of upgrading to a new device once every six months (up to twice per year), and bundles that extra cost together with phone insurance.
This $10 is added to your current monthly service plan and phone installment; additionally, any time you upgrade to a new device, you'll need to trade in your current smartphone and make down payments. As an example, a 32GB iPhone 5s costs $100 down. If you upgrade to comparable phones every six months, you'll pay $320 per year ($120 for monthly payments and $200 in down payments). Jump is designed primarily for early adopters who always want the latest and greatest, even if it means paying more for the privilege. If you don't plan to upgrade every six months, Jump becomes a much costlier venture than it's worth.
Paying for regular upgrades comes at a cost. When paying for one line of service on a 2.5GB plan using a 32GB iPhone 5s, you'll pay $340 more over two years if you upgrade your phone once, and $540 more if you upgrade every six months. It doesn't get any better when you add more lines; the difference doubles with two lines and quadruples with four. But what if you buy a phone, such as a Nokia Lumia 521, which has a low hardware cost and doesn't require a down payment? The figures look a bit different, but you're still going to pay more with Jump.
On February 23rd, Jump will undergo its first major change since its launch. Instead of getting to upgrade every six months, you'll only be eligible once you've paid off 50 percent of your device. This makes the program an even harder pill to swallow, since the great thing about the current policy is that you can upgrade when only 25 percent of the device has been paid off. On the bright side, at least the company will allow customers to add Jump to tablets as well as smartphones.
PROS: (Current) You get to upgrade once every six months, and insurance even comes baked in. (Next week) Tablets will be eligible for Jump.
CONS: (Current) Jump is an additional cost on top of your monthly installments, and you'll have to put money down on pricier phones. What's more, frequent upgraders will cough up more cash. (Next week) The same add-on cost applies, but now you'll need to pay off half of your device before upgrading again, and that's on top of down payments.
AT&T Next
The At&T Inc. logo is displayed during the CTIA Enterprise & Applications conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010. The number of smartphone owners in the U.S., the biggest market for the mobile devices, rose 11 percent to 53.4 million in the quarter ended July, accounting for 23 percent of global shipments. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDavid Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
AT&T quickly followed T-Mobile's announcement with its own plan. Next made very little financial sense when it came out. This was your run-of-the-mill monthly installment plan, in which the total retail cost of the phone was split into 20 monthly payments, with the option to trade in and upgrade at the end of the first year. At the time, there were only a few ways Next benefited consumers: It had no down payments or activation fees, making the upfront cost lower than buying a subsidized phone on contract, and it was the only way to upgrade your phone earlier than 20 months. The downside was Next tacked on an extra $15 to $43 per phone to your monthly bill, which already included your rate plan and the flat-rate fee you paid to add phones, tablets, hotspots and other devices. For instance, AT&T charges $40 for each smartphone on your account.
Fortunately, Next has evolved since July. AT&T now offers incentives in the form of monthly service discounts. You're still dishing out $15 to $35 for the installment plan, but AT&T soothes the pain by reducing the flat per-smartphone cost. Instead of $40 per handset, you only pay $25 -- unless you're on a plan with 10GB or more of data, which reduces the cost of each phone to $15. (This also applies to anyone who finishes their contract or buys a new phone at its full retail cost, so you save money each month when you grab a Nexus 5 or Moto G off contract.)
The company also lowered installment costs to compete with Verizon; it added a 26-month plan for anyone who doesn't upgrade their phone often; and it's brought down the price of its 10GB plans to $130 for two lines ($160 for four). Customers on existing contracts can take advantage of the offer, but the catch comes at the end of your commitment, when you'll need to stay off-contract or sign up for Next -- if you get another subsidized phone, the price will go back up. That may seem like a sneaky move, but it's only one way AT&T is "encouraging" customers to get off traditional plans: Last month the company offered existing customers the option to switch to Next and upgrade their phone after only six months.
But is Next a good deal compared to a standard contract? It depends on your usage. Looking at a 4GB plan, regardless of the phone's cost, you'll still save a little bit of money over the course of two years on contract versus a 20-month Next plan. On anything above 10GB -- we tested out a 15GB plan on both one and four lines as an example -- the Next plan is a better deal.
PROS: It's a great deal... if you're a data hog. Additionally, you'll get to hang onto the service discounts after your smartphone's paid off, and don't worry about shelling out a down payment when you get your phone. Oh, and it's cheaper than Verizon Edge.
CONS: It's still more expensive if you use 8GB of data or less, and you only get one upgrade every 12 or 18 months (depending on your plan).
Verizon Edge
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 07: A Verizon advertisement is viewed outside of a store on June 7, 2013 in New York City. In a statement today U.S. President Barack Obama defended the government's surveillance programs following a news leak on June 5 that the U.S. government had been obtaining Verizon's phone records for years. The records were obtained through a secret court order which also revealed that the government has been monitoring business phone calls both nationally and internationally. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)Getty Images
Verizon was the third to hop on the bandwagon, launching Edge in August. Its plan is similar to Next in concept. You pay off your phone in 24 monthly installments with no down payment, but instead of getting upgrades at a certain time, you can do it once you've paid off 50 percent of your current phone. (This is essentially how T-Mobile's Jump will work starting next week, except Verizon doesn't require down payments or add-on costs.) For example, you could upgrade your 16GB iPhone 5s once you've donated $325 to the cause, which takes around a year. If you're aching for the latest and greatest smartphone before then, you can technically upgrade after 30 days, as long as you foot the full 50 percent up front. And just as we've seen on competing plans, you'll need to trade in your existing phone in order to upgrade, regardless of when you do it. Unlike Next, there's only a 24-month option.
Verizon announced last week that Edge now comes with service discounts: $10 per month per line for plans up to 8GB, and $20 for 10GB and above. This is a decent start, considering it declared last summer that it wouldn't change its pricing structure. Unfortunately, the discounts aren't quite as extensive as AT&T's, and it doesn't apply to customers who have fulfilled their contractual obligations or purchased a phone at full retail cost.
Although Edge is $5 more than Next, it still offers the same kinds of advantages and disadvantages when the costs are measured against contract plans. If you buy 10GB or more per month, Edge wins. If you go for 8GB or less, Edge loses.
PROS: The sooner you pay off the first 50 percent of your phone, the sooner you can upgrade to something new. And just like Next, Edge is a better deal if you use at least 10GB of data.
CONS: Sadly, Edge is more expensive than AT&T, and it's costlier than Verizon's contract plans when you use 8GB of data or less.
Sprint One Up / Framily / Easy Pay
Poor Sprint just can't seem to make up its mind on how it should implement early upgrades. Already late to the game, the Now Network launched a program called One Up in September, which split the cost of a phone into 24 monthly installments and allowed customers to upgrade once a year. Trade-ins were required, and customers were given a $15-per-month service discount for making the switch from a standard plan.
Four months later, Sprint split the plan in two. First, the carrier introduced the "Framily" plan, which (outside of its ghastly name) is a cleverly unique idea: the more people who join your group, the less each of you pays. If you don't need much data, 10 people could theoretically pay $25 per month per person on one plan. The downside is early upgrades don't come included, and you're limited to 1GB of data each month, so you'll need to shell out an extra $20 per month per line (that's $480 for a two-year period) to get unlimited data and yearly upgrades. If you don't need the extra data, it's definitely not worth paying that much more money to get a new phone every year, although $45 per person is still much more reasonable than what you can get with other carriers. The second entity is Sprint's new financing plan called Easy Pay, which is your standard 24-month installment plan; it doesn't include any service discounts or early upgrades.
PROS: On Framily plans, early upgrades come bundled with unlimited data.
CONS: If you want early upgrades but don't want unlimited data, tough -- you're still paying extra for it. Anyone who uses Easy Pay won't get to enjoy service discounts or options to upgrade early.
Evolving Strategies
When the four national carriers launched early upgrade plans, none of them actually saved customers money. Willing participants were lured in with the promise of a contract-free life and the opportunity to "lease" a fresh smartphone. They only made sense for early adopter looking for the latest and greatest gadgets. Otherwise, the numbers simply didn't add up.
If plans don't make sense to consumers, nobody will sign up. This poses a problem, since many carriers have decreed that subsidized contracts aren't sustainable business models anymore. Thus, the adoption rate for the new pricing plans needs to accelerate at a much more rapid pace. In short, prices need to come down and early upgrade plans must evolve.
T-Mobile, the pioneer of monthly installments and early upgrade plans, is making its first major change to Jump on February 23rd. To the company's credit, it's had bigger fish to fry; why aggressively push Jump when you're already persuading millions of customers to try device-financing plans through other initiatives? Early termination fee-buyout programs, free global roaming and ATM cards are just a few of the measures the company's using to entice consumers over to its new plans. Jump is simply viewed as a value add-on.
Of the remaining three national networks, AT&T has shown the most dedication to getting its customers to switch to Next. It sees programs like Next as the wave of the future, and it's pricing that plan aggressively. So far, the carrier's efforts are working: During the month of December, Next accounted for 20 percent of all new and upgraded smartphones activated on the network.
AT&T's biggest rival is finally firing back. Until last week, Verizon hadn't put any oomph into making Edge more competitive, and even with its new discounts, it's still not as compelling. Whereas Next is becoming an integral part of AT&T's long-term strategy -- complete with aggressive pricing and discounts -- Verizon simply looks like it's reacting to competition. But when you're pulling in as many new customers as T-Mobile, why shift your focus to plans that aren't growth factors? Edge will likely play a larger role in the company's strategy down the road, but its higher prices aren't slowing Verizon down at the moment.
Sprint, on the other hand, is taking the concept of evolution to a completely opposite extreme. Instead of refining its plans, it throws them at the wall to see which ones stick. Chances are, the "Framily" plan will remain -- but while unique and larger groups stand to benefit, extra data and early upgrades come at a cost.
It's going to be a long time before the traditional contract goes away for good, but US networks are preparing you for its inevitable demise. In the future, device installment plans and early upgrade options will likely become the carriers' primary weapon of choice. And eventually we will all either make the move voluntarily or be dragged away kicking and screaming. We'd prefer the former, but it's only going to work if these new plans evolve to a point where their benefits outweigh their disadvantages.
From around the web | <urn:uuid:e706ab71-1a42-4a17-aba8-43e52128bb8d> | http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/19/early-upgrade-plans/?ncid=rss_semi | en | 0.968074 | 0.055457 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Get Blake's bouncy waves for school
The night before:
1. Wash your hair with anti-frizz shampoo and moisturize with a curl-enhancing conditioner.
Living Proof No-Frizz Shampoo, $24,
2. Towel dry hair and apply a volumizing mousse, combing through with your fingers.
TRESemme Volumizing Mousse, $5,
3. Flip your head and blow dry till hair is just damp.
4. Section out a 2-inch piece, and coat with a bit more mousse. Twist the hair into a tiny bun and secure with a pair of bobby pins in an X-shape. Repeat for all hair—sleep in your bitty buns till morning!
The morning of:
1. Run the blow dryer on low and blast each bun for a few seconds to make sure they’re fully dry.
2. Set your dryer to cool and blast the buns again to set the curl.
3. Remove the bobby pins, gently shaking out your curls, using fingers to separate (no brushes!).
4. Spritz on anti-frizz hairspray and loosely tousle your bouncy waves!
Garnier Fructis Anti-Humidity Hairspray, $4,
**Get this look all on the morning of by showering and pinning up your buns while you get dressed/eat breakfast/brush your teeth, then blow drying for a little longer to make sure they’re dry.
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by Mailyse Ferber | 2/1/2016
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In his late teens David Cay Johnston began asking a lot of questions.
"Why do we have these guys in uniforms with guns driving around in cars all day? ... Why is the Santa Cruz County Courthouse being built in such an unusual shape?"
He wrote an article, while still living in his birth town of Santa Cruz, proving that the off-kilter courthouse design, which officials had promised would save money, actually cost more than a more conventional building.
Johnston is now 63 and the president of Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE). He once tracked down a killer the Los Angeles Police Department couldn't catch.
He is a Reuters columnist, 13-year veteran of The New York Times, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for his reporting that exposed inequities in the U.S. tax code. He wrote the best selling tax books Perfectly Legal, which won an IRE medal, and Free Lunch.
His latest book, The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use "Plain English" to Rob You Blind, illuminates the legal loopholes in this country that make it possible for a handful of people to thrive while the rest struggle.
"How can 90 percent of people's incomes be slipping while corporations are making money hand over fist?" Johnston says this was the question that led him to write The Fine Print.
The book offers an answer: there are a multitude of rules and regulations in place in this country that act to redistribute wealth upward. It reveals the numerous means by which major corporations work with the government to relax the rules and rewrite regulations to their benefit, at the cost of the consumer, and without the consumer's knowledge.
Johnston will discuss The Fine Print on Nov. 27 at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, sponsored by KPFA Radio 94.1FM.
Johnston says most of the information in his book is not available via Google search, as the news media simply has not covered these issues.
"Not the mainstream, not the alternative media," he says. "This is four years of original reporting about the reason your job doesn't pay more, you're not doing well, and this handful of people is doing so well."
A large part of The Fine Print dissects shortcomings across the nation's public infrastructure, from Truman and Eisenhower-era public utilities, to our 26th-in-the-world Internet speed ranking.
Johnston recalls the San Bruno gas pipeline explosion of 2010 that sent 1,000-foot flames into the air, destroyed homes, and killed eight people. Despite events like this one, he says, nobody thinks about pipelines.
Johnston notes that corporations that own the pipelines have formed essentially legal monopolies.
"A pipeline laid when Truman was president or Eisenhower was president should be replaced, and we're not doing that," he says, "And the companies that own these pipelines are making huge money."
In fact, visit the Forbes "400 Richest People In America" list online from any given year and the source of wealth for many listed is "pipelines."
"Infrastructure is what makes things work," Johnston says. "And we're not figuring out how we maintain the public furniture so that our society endures."
Another section of The Fine Print explains how corporations bill consumers extra fees, keep money that should not be theirs, and do so legally.
"Take a look at your pay stub," the book suggests, pointing out that workers in all but six states will see a deduction for state income taxes. "You probably expect that money to finance public schools, the state university and college system, law enforcement and the other services that businesses and individuals rely on. Mostly it does, but in a growing number of states, your state income taxes will also be increasing the profits of your employer."
So, how do you fight back against the wealth discrepancies Johnston's book lays out? He says it isn't easy, but it can be done.
"These companies aren't stupid, they're very smart," he says. "(They) have lots of lawyers and lobbyists and they are building (language) into the law protecting their profit positions and escaping the rigors of the competitive market. They're escaping the competitive market."
Johnston emphasizes this point because there are many who would call him a socialist or communist for criticizing corporations. The exact opposite, he argues, is true.
"I believe in competitive markets," he says. "If there's any socialism going on here, it's the companies who are the socialists."
Johnston says one way to level the competitive playing field is for individuals to join groups and take action.
"They were really abusing people," he says. "You could pay off your entire credit card and they could charge you interest the next month anyway. They had the ability to unilaterally change your interest rate overnight. They could say, 'If your payment did not arrive by 10 a.m. we can collect a late fee.' They could do all sorts of things, and we're stopping those things."
The nation abolished slavery, women regained the right to vote, child labor laws were put in place, and environmental laws protect the natural world today because people took action, Johnston recalls.
"We can solve any problem we have, but we have to first of all know what the problem is," he says. "That's what my book's about."
If you go
David Cay Johnston will talk about his book "The Fine Print" at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. $12 advance tickets, $15 at the door. Details: | <urn:uuid:e60650bc-fbbc-47da-84c7-9c999ef78a9c> | http://www.insidebayarea.com/breaking-news/ci_22042159/berkeley-investigative-writer-looks-at-corporations-legal-loopholes | en | 0.974088 | 0.127326 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Column: The 'Let's Play' FFXIV Impasse
By Victor Barreiro Jr. on August 30, 2013
Some of you may have noticed that The Devil’s Advocate was kind of missing last week. I developed an upper respiratory infection and needed to spend a few days to recover, but I’m mostly on the mend now, and just in time too. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (FFXIV: ARR) is available for play!
While I haven’t been able to get too into it, I was able to do some light reading during my downtime, which led to my finding out about Square Enix’s Materials Usage License (M.U.L.) for FFXIV: ARR. The license I mentioned above is basically a discussion of what people can and cannot do with the assets from the game , including video, audio, and other copyrighted and trademarked materials.
While a number of people, most especially those who make a living out of putting up Let’s Play videos, are a bit miffed about it (Reddit has a round up of some of the video blogs from these Youtube channel creators), I think It would be overly simple to call it a foolish move on Square Enix’s part.
Personally, I’m not a big fan of disallowing people to record and publish their game videos online for work. Then again, I’m also the type who realizes that for a reboot as well-made as this one, whatever option Square Enix’s legal department chose in relation to this would have likely resulted in just as much negative sentiment of a varying kinds. Let’s go through these bits and pieces as best we can.
Videos and the M.U.L.
With regard to videos, the following are the listed requirements:
• The video must not require a paid membership for viewing;
There are a couple of bits to contend with, I suppose, but aside from free expression restrictions as it relates to FFXIV: ARR content, the thing that likely gets some people annoyed is that Let’s Play videos cannot be monetized.
For Gamers and Let’s Players
What makes this bad for gamers and Let’s Play creators? There are a number of things, really, but for gamers, the basics would likely be not being able to learn more about FFXIV: ARR from an established gamer and thus not having a better grasp of how different some of the game’s aspects are to others.
This is easily remedied by actually playing the game or by reading through Ryahl’s Eorzea Reborn columns, but it can be a tough sell to a newcomer who knows Final Fantasy from the single-player games to be thrust into a multiplayer gaming universe.
For the more cynical, the M.U.L acts as a sort of anti-critiquing mechanism, since it also allows for the takedowns of anything that Square Enix feels doesn’t comply with its rules. As it states under the general guidelines, “You must immediately comply with any request by Square Enix to remove any Materials, in Square Enix's sole discretion.”
This could be done regardless of how valid or warranted a particular report is, so for instance if someone were to broadcast a video proving someone was botting in-game, Square Enix could potentially sweep such under the rug so long as it deemed it necessary by the wording of its license.
For Let’s Play makers, there are two annoying things about this. The first is that they can’t get any revenue for discussing a game they may legitimately like and want to promote as part of a job they may enjoy doing, which is a darned shame.
The second thing is that by not having content of this sort, and without people knowing anything about the situation, some may think they just passed it over. The videos I linked above from Reddit would be the proactive way of saying, “We want to cover this game, but Square Enix is not playing nice with our means of paying for food and clothing and other necessities.”
Thinking About Square Enix
Thinking about it from the side of Square Enix was difficult, but I forced myself to do it, if only to realize what things might be important to see from their viewpoint. One thing I realized was that, in its current state, FFXIV: ARR relies a bit on some semblance of mystery to afford it a long-term existence.
If the M.U.L. is seen as a tactic to dissuade others from making spoiler videos, then Square Enix has likely done some of its homework as to what sort of videos go up online and wants to mitigate the loss of mystery for the game among new players. Why would someone want to play A Realm Reborn, mind you, if someone was simply going to offer up the important bits of story to you on a YouTube channel, right?
At the same time, this actually doesn’t dissuade dungeon romping teams from completing their content or making a free video to teach people strategy (which requires little editing, seeing as you need the audiovisual cues to be in-place to learn anyway, but the incentive to be the first to spoil content for the sake of monetization is lost.
The other thing that a high-profile franchise wants to do is avoid controversy by lessening the chances for people to make stuff up about the game. To that end, the M.U.L. serves the purpose well, though a bit too strictly.
By allowing people to make voiceovers for the videos, while forcing them not to use “racist, sexist, homophobic or generally offensive content,” I’m guessing they’re focused on making sure the game isn’t misrepresented or used as a form of critique against real-world connections.
What do I mean by this? Well, take for example the three city-states thing. The three have different cultures, and their own sets of problems, but politically are very different (and all of whom have female leaders, considering everything). Were you to throw any political or sexist or unduly unkind statement regarding a real-world parallel to the game, Square Enix could get in trouble without meaning to.
Not a Fantastic Situation
Right now, Square Enix is in an unenviable position in relation to this. between allowing some more creative freedoms and the ability for professional game casters to make a living, or protecting a long-term investment that has already cost them dearly, it seems they are playing it safe this round. I do not begrudge them that.
I would, however, like to see a relaxation of these rules over time. As the situation and storyline develops further and we learn more about the game world and get into housing and whatnot, being able to recall the history of the game seems to be something worthwhile. At the very least, having important bits of story on speed dial aside from “The Unending Journey” book in the inn rooms seems to be ideal.
Of course, that’s just me talking. I’m interested in knowing what solutions you might have that would allow Square Enix to protect its intellectual property while allowing gamers and Let’s Play makers more leeway to actually make stuff. Chime in below!
A day after writing this, it seems Square Enix actually went out and made some changes to their Materials Usage License that'll be of great news to Let's Play fans.
While this somewhat contradicts a later statement (that I noted in the above article), I imagine the amendment takes precedence over the older one, and the appropriate departments will fix the copy ASAP. Carry on!
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Warm Soda
Someone for You
by Justin Cober-Lake
8 May 2013
The album doesn't sound rushed, but it still could have benefited from the group spending a little more time on it.
Photo: Matthew Reamer
cover art
Warm Soda
Someone for You
(Castle Face)
US: 26 Mar 2013
UK: Import
It only took Matthew Melton about a year from the breakup of his band Bare Wires until his next band Warm Soda released its debut album, Someone for You. That makes sense, as Melton moves quickly. Bare Wires cranked out about an album a year with his Oakland garage act before it essentially ended at 2012’s SXSW. Speed, or at least efficiency, continues to be important, with Warm Soda going for the two-minute singles and the album that comes in under 30 minutes. The album doesn’t sound rushed, but while it has its stellar moments, it could have benefited from the group spending a little more time on it.
Warm Soda builds its sounds around power-pop hooks, with bubbly, catchy music that stays just raw enough to keep its edge. There’s a bit of a glam and a bit of punk, too, and the influences that you’d expect abound: the Buzzcocks, the Jam, maybe some Cheap Trick, probably the Soft Boys (I hear less familiar act the Exploding Hearts, but that would be through an extra layer of influence in any case). In getting into this mix, Warm Soda takes the same risk that all power-poppers do, which is that in creating hummable, fetching melodies within a certain palette (limited in this case across the entire album), you get hummed and fetch for a brief burst and then blend back into that general feeling. Some of Someone for You suffers from that very problem, but fortunately enough of it stands out that it’s worth repeated listens.
The album’s top track, “Jeanie Loves Pop”, sounds custom-made for a late ‘70s movie, and I’m not sure it’s okay to listen to it without throwing on a retro leather jacket. It’s sugar, of course, and there’s no sense caring how many times “pop”, “top”, and “stop” get rhymed here. The song revolves around the outsider lost in a world created by records, and her observer’s connection through a similar experience. The tension revolves around the singer’s wondering if Jeanie can even notice him because she’s so absorbed in her music. It’s a great little turn with an eminently repeatable hook.
Although fuzzier than Big Star, Warm Soda, at its best, has the melodic sensibility of that band’s legacy, borne out in songs like “Sour Grapes”, “Lola”, and the title track. However, when the melody fails, the band is left with a single style. At a half-hour burst, it doesn’t much matter, and you can certainly bop around to the entire order. On reconsidering the album, though, chunks of it disappear in ways that hooky albums can’t really afford. Stripped to its nuggets (punnish allusion intended), Someone for You displays great promise, and the band is worthy of playlists and soundtracks. In moving forward, though, Melton and his bandmates should realize they’ve achieved this sound and figure out ways to flesh it out.
Someone for You
//Mixed media
Beyoncé and When Music Writing Becomes Activism
// Sound Affects
READ the article | <urn:uuid:0306d03e-f85a-4956-9e74-e8d9ae7cc145> | http://www.popmatters.com/review/170990-warm-soda-someone-for-you/ | en | 0.9525 | 0.037341 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The fog came on little cat feet Sunday, as in the poem by Carl Sandtrap.
Or was it Archie Bunker?
The fog turned San Francisco into the cool, gray city of golf.
After three days of bathing in the sun, the U.S. Open at the Olympic Club was shrouded in a chilly, wispy mist that gave the great tournament's final day a proper San Francisco atmosphere.
For some, it spelled gloom. Tiger Woods endured what might be the epic collapse of his career. He left his heart - ripped out - in San Francisco.
For others, the fog added to the drama of triumph.
The Open winner was Webb Simpson, a 26-year-old from North Carolina, who finished one stroke over par. He's a fifth-year pro who had two previous tournament wins.
Some would say Simpson didn't win as much as he survived. Can you win a train wreck? But give Simpson credit for staring down the toughest golf course in recent memory and not blinking.
The USGA set up the Olympic Club's Lake Course to provide a stern test of golf. Mission accomplished.
The greatest golfers in the world checked their dignity at the door. Par became their Mount Everest, and 156 superb and steel-willed athletes were reduced to climbing it in flip-flops.
Day after day, golfer after golfer staggered off the course with a recurring lament: The course is a bully. Nick Watney referred to 18 holes here as a boxing match, but to most of the golfers, it was more like a back-alley mugging.
"It beat me up today," Bubba Watson said of the course after the first day of play. Watson, who won the Masters in April, would miss the cut. "It's a lot better than I am. That golf course is too tough for me."
The first six holes were killers. In four days, the field toured those holes - The Funhouse? - in 1,109 over par. Grown men with fancy clubs!
The course and the pressure brought out the human side of these golfing robots. Robots have fear? Graeme McDowell, who won the Open two years ago at Pebble Beach and who went into Sunday tied for the lead but finished one stroke back of Simpson, spoke of the "mental torture" of this Open.
"It's basically fear," McDowell said. "Fear of going out there and messing it all up."
Yes, these fellows are human. Jim Furyk stood on the first tee Sunday tied for the lead, waiting for his call to arms. He put down his club and walked to a corner of the grandstands, to a young man in a wheelchair. The man stood with the aid of his parents and Furyk gave him a hug, then went back to work.
The young man, Adam Warner of Charlotte, N.C., has cerebral palsy, can't speak and only recently gained partial sight. His parents take him to tournaments and many of the players know him and stop to say hi. But do any of them do so during a major tournament?
"Furyk's the only one," Adam's dad said.
The Open was four days of compelling stories. There was the return of Casey Martin, the man who had to get permission from the U.S. Supreme Court to play golf from a cart. He was a glorious, limping hero in just missing the cut.
There was 14-year-old Andy Zhang, who also missed the cut, and 17-year-old Beau Hossler, who was in contention Sunday before falling to a tie for 29th. That was only two strokes below Woods, and Hossler will have some great stories to tell over malts back at Santa Margarita High (Orange County).
There was the presence of Jack Fleck, the 90-year-old who won the 1955 Open here in mythic and mystical fashion, using his yoga and meditation to beat the mighty Ben Hogan.
And of course there was Tiger, a Shakespearean tragedy in four acts. After sharing the halfway lead, Woods was slapped silly by the course. What would have been the greatest win of his career - Tiger back from the dead! - became his worst nightmare.
Public opinion is divided on Woods, but at the Olympic Club, it was all adoration and reverential respect. For two days, Tiger was back! His peers were oohing and aahing. Then it fell apart in a jumble of pedestrian golf that brought out Tiger's crybaby faces and defeated body language.
The big winner, though, was San Francisco and the Olympic Club.
The golfers were amazed, dazed, dazzled and frazzled, but the consensus was that the course was a supremely challenging but ultimately fair test of golf, probably the stiffest challenge to these great golfers in recent memory.
The scene was magnificent, in sun and fog. The tricky troop-transport movement of fans to and from the course went smoothly, and the tournament itself was a golf fan's dream. The amphitheater hillsides overlooking the 8th and 18th holes were stupendous sights, a mass of humanity enjoying a moment.
Then it all faded into the fog.
| <urn:uuid:1612e2df-0ed4-4bbe-af25-b7083496170c> | http://www.sfgate.com/sports/ostler/article/Foggy-final-day-caps-tough-terrific-U-S-Open-3641006.php | en | 0.98216 | 0.040612 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Gases: Pressure
Pressure and the Barometer
How to Cite This SparkNote
Problem : Blaise decides to build a barometer. He can't find any mercury in his workshop and decides to use water instead. Assume that the density of water is 1.00×103 kg/m3 . If the atmospheric pressure is 7.60×102 torr, how tall must his barometer be in order to obtain an accurate reading?
First, convert the atmospheric pressure to Pascals. 7.60×102 torr = 101, 325 Pa . Now that all the variables are in SI units, rearrange P = ghρ to P/() = h and plug the variables into the equation.
= = 10.3 m
Thus Blaise's barometer must be taller than 10.3 meters. A comparable mercury barometer would be 0.76 m tall.
Problem :
In a fit of inspiration and hot air, you have blown the world's largest balloon. Your two cousins, Bongo the 300 lb. gorilla and Jeeves the 70 lb. weakling, both want to climb to the top of your balloon. When Bongo goes, he goes in style. He wants to lay down on his 1 m by 5 m air bed at the summit. Jeeves proposes to bounce on the top of the balloon on his pogo stick, whose head has an area of 0.001 m2 . Assume that the masses of the bed and pogo stick are negligible, and that their occupants' weights are evenly distributed upon them.
You know that your balloon can sustain 200 more kPa of pressure on its surface before it pops. Assuming both can make it to the top without damaging the balloon (or themselves), which cousin(s) should you allow to climb?
P = F/A , so the first thing we need to do is convert everything to the appropriate units. Let's use SI units. 1 lb = 0.454 kg, and F = (mass)×(9.8 m/s2) , so Bongo and Jeeves exert forces of 1330 and 311 Newtons, respectively. P = F/A , so Bongo has a pressure of P Bongo = = 270 Pa. Jeeves exerts a pressure of P Jeeves = (311 N)×(0.001 m2) = 310 kPa. You should allow Bongo on, but not Jeeves.
Problem : After an interdimensional mishap, Blaise finds himself on a strange planet with nothing but an empty barometer and a jar of alien liquid. After working with barometers for many years, Blaise has developed a keen sense of pressure. He reckons that the atmospheric pressure is 1.4 atmospheres. The label on the jar claims that the density of the liquid is 1.0×105 . He pours the liquid into his barometer, and finds that the atmosphere supports a column 0.072 m tall. What is the gravitational acceleration g on this planet?
We can rearrange the barometer equation to solve for g :
= g
Let's stick with SI units to keep everything consistent. 1 atm = 1.013×105 Pa, so P is 142,000 Pa. Plugging in h and ρ , we find that g = 20 . | <urn:uuid:7524ea53-d626-47d2-8a8b-68d26e7bac55> | http://www.sparknotes.com/chemistry/gases/pressure/problems.html | en | 0.898709 | 0.869572 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
• Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
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Sports writer, Harrisonburg, VA
Discussion in 'Journalism Jobs' started by Mystery Meat II, Jan 19, 2012.
1. doodah
doodah Guest
I think you'd be pleasantly surprised to know I'm much different in person than I am on a message board.
2. imjustagirl
imjustagirl Active Member
Why would he be pleasantly surprised? This is the you he has to know, not the nice one.
3. Stitch
Stitch New Member
At least you don't have to send in a cover letter for this.
4. Versatile
Versatile Active Member
If I believed this to be true, I would want to find the "in-person" Doodah and put a pen through his eye.
5. doodah
doodah Guest
Please explain.
6. doodah
doodah Guest
I have. Can you please go back to being the friendly Stitch?
7. 35in44
35in44 Member
Absolutely. Chris has been doing it for years -- Berman in Roanoke and Aaron Gray out in the US Virgin Islands are also Simmons alums. It's a long, long list for a paper in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley.
8. JackReacher
JackReacher Well-Known Member
Gray is in the Virgin Islands? Interesting.
9. Anyone have an idea of pay vs. cost of living in this area? Am I going to be living on a steady diet of Ramen noodles or is it comfortable?
10. Moderator1
Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member
great area, reasonable, comfortable.
11. doodah
doodah Guest
Is this a place that will allow me to get to my dream job of the LA Times pretty quickly?
12. franticscribe
franticscribe Well-Known Member
When I interviewed news-side many years ago the pay was very low compared to similarly sized newspapers, and I ended up working at a smaller Valley paper for a good bit more. (I needed to be in the Valley for a couple of years for non-career related reasons.) I don't know what the payscale is like today. But you can live pretty cheaply in the Harrisonburg area, and I probably would have done it to work with Simmons on the sports side, had that been the position I was interviewing for. Also, it is a beautiful part of the country to live in.
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Your Top Marvel Villains part 44
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Your Top Marvel Villains part 44
Postby LOLtron » Mon Jan 26, 2009 8:11 am
ImageThe Top 25 has begun, only 15 away (if you do not count the One Point Club) till we start the Top 10. So many great characters listed here, well, with one exception. So yeah, now your anger issues can be resolved for in this post is the character you have all be waiting for. Which I have learned is the most hated characters in comics today. If this list did anything, it just made that hate grow into something big and hateful. I was starting to get really scared. No, seriously, I was*. 25. MODOK (105 Points - 3 first place slots)
"Such a great design." Image
"It’s all about MODOK's 11. If that doesn't show why he is number one, you are all tools."
George Tarleton was an agent and technician of average intelligence who was employed by the subversive organization known as the Advanced Idea Mechanics, or AIM. Tarleton was chosen at random by AIM's "scientist supreme" Lyle Getz to be a subject in an experiment in controlled mutation. Placed against his will in the "alteration chamber," Tarleton underwent extensive cellular irradiation and physical bioengineering that transformed him into a massive-headed being possessing superhuman intelligence and extraordinary psionic powers. Getz intended to have the transformed Tarleton serve as a living computer as well as to employ Tarleton's new psionic abilities for probing the Cosmic Cube, an object of immense power. Hence, Tarleton was given the codename of MODOC, which stood for "Mobile Organism Designed Only for Computing." Enraged by his hideous condition, Tarleton used his new psionic powers to slay Getz and henceforth assumed the acronym "MODOK," the "k" standing for "killing."
During the "Taking AIM" crossover, AIM used a Cosmic Cube to revive MODOK in order to repair the damage to reality that the uncontrollable Cosmic Cube had wrought. The breach was sealed by the sacrifice of an Adaptoid, but not before MODOK was lost in a mysterious dimensional rift opened by the unleashed energies of the Cube.
In this other dimension, MODOK found himself overwhelmed and stranded. The Headmen inadvertently recovered MODOK, who agreed to help them use Orrgo to conquer the world. MODOK took advantage of his unexpected return and once again took control of AIM. However, after battling the Defenders, MODOK withdrew the support of AIM, lest the organization suffer another defeat. AIM, now described as a "technology-worshipping cult", ran afoul of various heroes.
On one occasion, MODOK attempted to use the invention of the brilliant doctor Mark Cushing, who had developed a way to utilize the dormant mental powers of humans to turn the weak, the sickly, the handicapped, into super-people, and had created a Utopian society. AIM of course wanted this discovery, but was thwarted by Captain America and Iron Man. On this occasion, MODOK utilized the pooled psychic power of the super-society to create a giant humanoid body for himself, made up out of pure energy.
In Captain America and the Falcon, MODOK had been captured by a US Naval intelligence/drug cartel alliance, who lobotomized him and used him to tap spy satellites and manipulate stock markets. Unknown to them, MODOK regained consciousness and swapped his mind with the human Damocles "The Saint" Rivas as well as developing the ability to convert his original form to data and "e-mail" it around the world. His original body, acting off old instincts, murdered every AIM agent who had created MODOK while MODOK himself battled Captain America, the Falcon and the Anti-Cap in a takeover attempt. He was finally trapped in stasis and taken into SHIELD custody.
MODOK escaped custody and either expelled or subverted the personality of Rivas and took command of an AIM research lab in India. There, he was attacked by Deadpool, who was searching for a sample of the Phalanx. He was later defeated by Squirrel Girl when attempting to take over one of Maelstrom's old labs. Some time later he faced off against Ms. Marvel and Wonder Man, and has now regained a massive organization after a daring caper involving several villains such as Mentallo, Chameleon and Spot.
24. The Hood (109 points - 3 first place slots) Image
"He's an opportunistic dick. An opportunistic prick leading a super villain battalion, with Dormammu inside him, who's learning how to use all Dormammu's powers. Now with The Cabal, he's going nowhere but up, both in importance and general dickery.”
"I know he's relatively new, but he's just so badass."
"I have only been reading comics for a few years, and out of few Marvel comics I do collect I think he is the most interesting villains by far."
Remember when I said that this list has some shocking placements? Well, this is one of the most shocking thing ever I have seen on these lists I do. Frankly it’s one of the most heartbreaking, even more heartbreaking than Hawkeye beating Iron Man to make it into the Top 3 of the Avengers List. But not as heartbreaking as when someone put Hawkeye into the One Point Club of the JLA Top List because of the JLA/Avengers crossover alternate dimension. But enough bout that twerp, we are talking bout THIS Twerp. I understand people liking the new villain on the block, especially if you are new to comics. But did Hood really need to get this high up? I mean seriously. He beat some pretty big names in the Marvel Villain world, shall I list them? Lets see: Harry Osborn, Rhino, Annihilus, Blastaar, Maximus the Mad, Baron Zemo, White Queen, Deadpool, Kraven the Hunter, Mephisto, Electro, just to name a few. Oh, he even beat the person who gave him is power: Dormammu. Whatever the appeal for this character is, I personally do not see it. But I do not see the appeal of Hawkeye either, so maybe I am immune to the subtle subliminal messages that the comics you read are giving off. But yeah, congrats go to you Hood, you did damn good for yourself. You better live up to your so called potential, or all the people who voted for you will hunt you down and kill you. Well, if you were a real person. And on that note...
With his mother in a mental institute and his father presumed dead, Parker lived with his pregnant girlfriend Sara. Parker and his cousin John are tipped of about a shipment at a deserted factory. Parker and John check it out, they find nothing but candles a fold up chair and what looks like tribal drawings. They are attacked by a Nistanti demon. Parker shot and thought to have killed it with his Lorcin 381. handgun and proceeds to steal the Nistanti's cloak and boots which gives him invisibility and levitation powers.
Afterwards Parker gets chased by a gang of thugs, at this point he finds out that the boots let him fly. After a punch in the gut from his cousin Parker found that he could become invisible for as long as he could hold his breath.
At this time Golem Golembuski has told all of the local pawnshops about anyone trying to sell diamond, so Parker is in major trouble. Once he found out about who he stole the diamonds off he pays them a visit. Issuing a trade at the Coney Island Fair then telling the cops.
Watching the battle of the superheroes and the invading Skrulls prompted the Hood to fight the aliens. Chemistro objected that the heroes and the Skrulls should kill each other and they should just pick up the scraps left. But Hood reasons out that if the Skrulls win the battle, it would be "bad for their business" and that they won't be left for them. The syndicate goes to New York’s Central Park alongside the Avengers, Nick Fury's Secret Warriors, the Thunderbolts, Captain America and Thor to fight against the invading Super-Skrulls. He now is part of Osborn's Cabal of Baddies.
Oh, and because I haven't said it in a while: Buy War of Kings. It’s the least you can for me. Treat it as an act of forgiveness because of this travesty of justice.
23. Sandman (112 points - 2 first place slots) Image
"In his first appearance he overpowered Spidey to the point, Peter wanted to quit donning the web shooters."
"Not only is he an old-school classic Spidey villain (one of Spidey's 2 or 3 most powerful in fact), he's also an old-school classic FF villain, he's fought the Hulk, was in the single best issue of Marvel Two-in-One, was an Avenger for a while, has a movie appearance, and is an all-around bad MF."
William Baker started out as a young boy with a troubled life. His Dad had left when he was young and his Mom was a drunk that worked cleaning other people’s houses just to keep what was left of their family together. He would always try to get his mom to take to him to Coney Island Beach were he would make amazing sand castles. Which would rarely happen because she was always absorbed in her drink. After trying to get his mom to see his creations, he would sit and watch as the ocean waves slowly eroded his castle. Thinking how much that was just like his life. That nothing good ever lasted. Unlike other boys he could never just shrug it off and move on he was determined to find a way to make something that would last forever.
As a somewhat older boy he developed a crush on a teacher of his named Miss Flint that he would make beautiful standing sand sculptures for. On the day he learned that she just got engaged to her boyfriend who was a stockbroker, the news crushed him. He asked her saying it was just off hand if he made a lot of money. She thought it odd but she said he did. That when he proved to himself that only the rich guy's get the girls, especially the pretty ones. Staying in the room to mope that school bullies led by Vic came in and followed to destroy his work and pound on him as he just sat and took it. He snuck home after that, where his mom followed to apologize. Saying if only she would have been able to keep a husband he would know how to defend himself, which only made him mad saying that "he would make them all see". At that age he practically came and went to the beach whenever he wanted to. He would watch the water and sand and how it worked so the next time Vic and his gang tried something he showed them. He learned that guys respected and feared that power, and how the girls were attracted to it and Vic soon told him. But there was always someone higher up that would dump on him.
In High School he had a new name Flint, and he learned to channel that anger he would get in trouble if he did the beating in school but if it was in football and people would love you for it. His new buddy Vic came to him in trouble with the Mob. He said they would kill him but if he threw a couple of games they would let him off. So to save his friend he did thinking no one would really notice, but his coach did and gave him a piece of his mind. Then Flint showed him exactly what he thought of him. That’s when he turned to crime. On his first time in prison he finally got to meet his dad, and he would keep coming back to be with him but not telling him who he was. One time he was sent back in but his dad had gotten out, so he went after him. He was caught by the blast of a radioactive bomb bonded his body to the sand. Realizing what he could now do he when to see his girlfriend Marcy, who was always waiting for him along with Vic when he got out of prison. But what he found was not what he had expected. Marcy had been having a secret affair with Vic. The old him would have killed them right there, but he didn't, even though he showed his rage. They where now to small for him to care about. He was now the Sandman. The super powered super villain that everyone would now fear.
*[EDITOR’S NOTE – He really was.]
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Proof: Netflix OSS on Eucalyptus
The Netflix OSS team sure knows how to throw a good party. We’ve been to their meetup twice now, most recently at their event last Wednesday, at which they unveiled the Netflix OSS Prize. At this rate, given the amount of interest they’re generating, they’ll need to rent out hotel space for their next event.
What draws the crowd? It’s a good question. The simplest answer, I guess, is that they’re a cool company doing cool stuff — and people want to be like them.
At Eucalyptus, we certainly enjoy working with Netflix, and we enjoy hanging out with them generally, because they’re cool. (And their headquarters are awesome — “spa-like”, one might say.) But we also have very specific interests in following the Netflix approach:
1. Netflix understands cloud. Surely this is obvious; Netflix is one of the most advanced user of cloud services on the planet. They were the first to understand the true value of the AWS model, and in taking full advantage of it, they’ve developed a reputation for being industry leaders who work at true cloud scale. Other leaders now seek to learn from them and emulate their practices.
What does that mean, though — “working at true cloud scale”? In a nutshell: Netflix has embraced the reality that sometimes services just go away. This is the single biggest shift that one must make when moving into the world of cloud: not just accepting, but embracing the idea that sometimes your systems just go away. That’s the point of cloud, and if you don’t build your systems with that mindset from Day One, you’re Doing It Wrong. Netflix has demonstrated an understanding here that few organizations can match. They’ve moved from Chaos Monkey, which randomly knocks over instances, to Chaos Gorilla, which randomly knocks over entire availability zones — and they’ve made these tools, and others like them, available for those who dare to follow their lead.
2. Netflix understands open source. Not just as users, but as producers. They are willing to share some pretty amazing software, because they understand the difference between software that provides differentiating value for their business (the engine) and software that provides non-differentiating value (the plumbing). The more they can share the cost of maintaining the plumbing, the more resources they can commit to the engine. This is a highly strategic choice, which makes them all the more committed to it — they have 26 projects in their Github repo and counting, with no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
3. Netflix OSS requires real AWS API fidelity, and Eucalyptus provides it. Netflix is completely committed to the AWS model, and all of their code currently assumes that you’re using AWS. If you want to figure out if your own AWS compliant IaaS “just works”, the Netflix OSS tools represent the best possible tests of AWS API fidelity. The “Asg” in Asgard, for instance, stands for Autoscaling Groups — so as we get our own autoscaling functionality up to speed for the Eucalyptus 3.3 release, it makes perfect sense to use Asgard as the benchmark to test against. Which is precisely why we demonstrated at the Netflix OSS event: Chaos Monkey for knocking down instances, Asgard for Autoscaling to replace the destroyed instances, and Edda for auditing the whole process — and all working on Eucalyptus precisely as it would work against AWS.
Here’s the point, and it’s a simple one: it’s easy and cool to claim that your private cloud is “AWS API compatible”. But it’s another thing entirely to prove it. At Eucalyptus, we stake our entire reputation on proving it, with every single release. At the Netflix meetup, people walked up to our demo station, and they could *see* Netflix OSS on a private cloud. Edda, Asgard, and Chaos Monkey, all running in the cloud that was sitting right there on the table next to them.
Don’t trust hype. Trust proof.
Annotation of Euca demo 3.3 milestone 4
Annotation of Euca demo 3.3 milestone 4
Eucalyptus 3.3 Show and Tell. Y’all come!
* nearly full implementations of ELB, Cloudwatch, and Autoscaling
* mechanisms for node evacuation and instance migration
* user console improvements and features
* next generation storage adapters
Sign up now and we’ll see you online on Wednesday.
Eucalyptus 3.3 Show and Tell. Y’all come!
Extending the Eucalyptus lead in AWS compatibility
Extending the Eucalyptus lead in AWS compatibility
Converting AMIs to EMIs
Converting AMIs to EMIs
Shoes for the Cobbler’s kids
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Destructor Syntax in C# and C++
Destructor Syntax in C# and C++
You cannot call or override the Object.Finalize method from the C# or C++ programming languages. C# uses destructors as the mechanism for writing finalization code, as described in Destructors (C# Programming Guide).
In C++, destructor syntax is used to implement the Dispose method. C++ provides its own syntax for implementing the Finalize method, as described in Destructors and Finalizers in Visual C++.
Prior to version 2.0 of the .NET Framework, C++ used destructor syntax to implement the Finalize method, as C# does, and did not have special syntax for implementing the Dispose method. To compile C++ code that uses the earlier syntax, use the /clr:oldSyntax compiler option.
Although they look similar, the C# and C++ destructors do not have the same semantics as unmanaged C++ destructors. Managed code does not support anything similar to C++ destructor semantics.
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Sunday, January 15, 2012
The thrill of finding Octagon soap
I wonder occasionally how women accomplished tasks around the home 75 years ago. Like, what did they do before kitty litter? Sand and baking soda. That got me thinking about baking soda, and also vinegar. Those two items are safe, inexpensive and have dozens of useful purposes around the home. Here is a list of 60 uses for baking soda. Here are 131 uses for vinegar.
I found 20 Mule Team Borax at my local grocery store too. Thrilled to discover this old timey, stalwart item that has so many uses.
Now I have discovered "Octagon All Purpose Soap by Colgate". As the product description states, Octagon is more economical to use than liquid soap as it lasts longer. Easily cuts through grease and grime Removes stubborn stains. Great for your laundry, dishes, hands, and more.
This is a soap that has been in continuous production for 100 years. The Department Of American Studies at the University of Maryland reports, "Octagon Soap is a lye soap intended primarily for laundry purposes, but often used as an all-purpose soap. When used as a laundry soap, soap shavings are usually added to the water in a wash tub and laundry is hand washed using a corrugated washboard. Another way of using soaps of this kind is to put a whole soap bar in a water-filled tub containing the items to be washed. Heated from below by a fire, the contents of the tub would be stirred with a paddle. Until the 1940's, this was a common way of washing bedclothes which people wanted white and spot free. But Octagon soap is mild enough to be used as a hand soap if one is not very concerned about skin softness."
My bar of Octagon soap is the same- large, brown, heavy with 1930s wrapping.
It floated. Huge inducement to buy the soap. Can you imagine the aggravation of leaning over a washtub in the hot sun, scrubbing your husband's farm shirt, and the soap slips and falls to the bottom of the tub. Having to root around for it a billion times must have been irksome in the extreme, not to mention a time waster.
That is why I was surprised to find this throwback on the shelf at the store. Not that I knew what Octagon soap was at the time. I just was looking for a bar of soap that was less than $1. It cost 79 cents. It does last a good long time. I cut it in half and I use half at the bathroom sink and half at the shower.
Other uses I've read about are that it is wonderful for bug bites. Here is a list of applications Octagon soap is good for.
Dish soap
Hand soap
Clothing stain remover
Acne remedy
Bug bite/poison oak and ivy remedy
Grease remover
Cabinet/woodwork cleaner
Stove cleaner
Bathtub/tile cleaner
Tick repellent
Deer and rabbit garden repellent
"A single bar of simply packaged, long-lasting Octagon Soap can perform several tasks so you don’t have to worry about buying multiple targeted products in oversized plastic bottles, tubs, and what have you."
To use as a bug bite salve, simply lather up and put it on the affected area. Let dry in place.
I really like not having to resort to lots of different chemical items for household tasks. I really like having low-tech items available to do my usual jobs. I really like being able to buy inexpensive but quality items. Look for Borax and Octagon soap at the store, and buy lots of vinegar and baking soda while you're there. You can't go wrong.
Anonymous said...
I am trying to find this soap in my area, I live in Grand Island, NE. I have a recipe to make laundry poder detergent and liquid dish detergent with this soap, it would be so much cheaper than buying them already made at the store. if anyone can help please e mail me at
Elizabeth Prata said...
Hi Delores,
I looked up stores in your area and there is a Sam's Club and a Walmart. Maybe they have it? If not then Amazon'com sells it, both thru Amazon and thru other sellers (which have better prices.) The problem is shipping. In my store it is 80 cents. But thru online purchase the shipping will make buiying hte soap uneconomical, unless your'e already buying other things and use super saver free shipping.
The other alternative, after checking Sam's & Walmart etc, and looking at online websites, is to find a mom & pop small grocery store in your area. That is where I found mine. They carry traditional items like 20 Mule Team Borax and Colgate's Octagon Soap. If the mom & pop store does not carry Octagon soap quite often they will accommodate a customer by ordering it.
Good luck. It's worth the search.
Anonymous said...
I recently found this soap at the local BIG LOTS for $.40 a bar. Can't go wrong at that price!
Anonymous said...
ShopRite has it in the laundry detergent isle, near the clothing dyes.
Anonymous said...
Hi, Can you pls let me know the complete ingredient list of Octagon soap. Are the ingredients written on the label?
Elizabeth Prata said...
this website claims that the ingredients are:
Colgate's Octagon Soap contains a mixture of coconut oil, olive oil, lye, and other natural cleansing agents, Colgate's Octagon Soap also contains large amounts of anti-bacterial ingredients.
the site said Colgate's Octagon Soap can also be used as a laundry detergent and dish detergent. We keep a bar on our sink. When we wash dishes, we place the bar in the basin and run water. The suds work beautifully to remove stains from food, as well as bacteria and other germs from our dishes. We follow the same guidelines when we wash clothes. Put a section of a bar in the washing machine, and then let it fill with water and add clothes. And that it is good for acne and poison ivy, poison oak, etc. No guarantees, it's just a website. You can google too...
Anonymous said...
I remember having to use Octagon Dish soap a lot when I was a girl in the 1980's. My turn for dishes was every three days or so..(I had 2 sisters and we all took turns.) Well, every time it was my turn I always had red itchy burning bumps from my wrists to my elbows. I wonder what ingredient is in Octagon that Dawn and Ivory doesn't have. Looking back I believe I have an allergy to this particular soap.
As far as finding this soap now, I would think Dollar General or maybe the bottom shelf of a grocery store would probably carry it.
Anonymous said...
Yes, happy to read of Octagon Soap, Thank you for the research. Octagon was always around in my house and and my grandparents in the 50's through the '70's. When I was bit in the behind by a dog on the way home from school, Doc Long across the street from us in Elmhurst NYC took a look at the injury and told my mother to keep applying Octagon soap to it. It would keep it antispetic and also dry it out.
john.spencer.paul said...
Colgate no longer makes this soap, since 2005.
I have used it all my life to wash artist's brushes.
Is there any hope of finding any remaining odd lots
anywhere? I will pay for shipping
JP 11215
Anonymous said...
gerThis soap does work efficiently. My mom uses it all the time for years. It is a low cost way of cleaning everything, and it lasts for a long time. However, I am having trouble finding it in Bronx, NY. Pioneer supermarket used to carry it for $ .69 cents! If anyone knows where I can find Colgates Octagon Soap in the Bronx, please post it.
Bronx hunter
Elizabeth Prata said...
Hi Bronx Hunter, Key Food Stores may carry Octagon soap. I believe they have a location in the West Bronx?Also maybe Shoprite has it. I think there's a Shoprite in Yonkers. There's always ebay and buying it online at other outlets.
March Hare said...
This stuff costs a small fortune now!! It better be d*** good because I could have paid my utilities bill for what I just spent on this. | <urn:uuid:8507b71f-2d1f-4c6c-9bb2-96d7479cc125> | http://elizabethprata.blogspot.com/2012/01/thrill-of-finding-octagon-soap.html | en | 0.968149 | 0.030411 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Memoirs 17
by Silverdragon 0 reviews
the war goes on, and one forgotten nation is added to the scene.
17. ARC 3 - Road to Hell Raiser
A deep sigh escaped her throat, for the first time in years, she was free. Truly free! Mace was dead, she had seen him, as his heart slowly stopped beating, as his breathing came to an end, as life faded from his eyes.
And there... there right before her, the sun rose slow into the sky and set the Martian planes in fire.
O'Connell gazed at her with jealous and agony, for years this pumpkin furred woman was imprisoned; still she held no grief or hatred within her heart.
Tears dripped down her cheeks as she trotted slow and with grace towards the balcony of the little shelter and stretched out her arms. A ray of light touched her hands, feeling the warmth of the sun on her pumpkin coloured fur. Slow she turned her hands around to feel the warmth.
All held their breath as she stepped into the light of a new sun rising. There, covered in the sunshine of a new day, a woman stood who hadn't seen the sun in five long lonely years and smiled with joy in her heart. For she knew she would be free one day.
The sun touched her and set her pumpkin fur in flame and fire.
And Stoker felt his love for her building up again. Steady, but untamed as a wild fire, his love fired up again, as his love for her had lay dormant for years. Burning, but not as explosive as it became now.
She did everything outside, sit, eat, sleep, watch and talk. For years she had spend inside the prison walls and she couldn't spent a night within walls anymore. Even when the night fell once more - for even here night followed the day, like the moons always rose above and sunk beneath the horizon, she remained outside and enjoyed the shimmering light of the stars and the two moons of the red planet Mars.
He stumbled like a school boy when he tried to say something.
'It's okay Stoker... I missed you too... and I still love you.' She whispered to him and played with his bionical tail, 'I still love you.'
'I.... I....' He mumbled, 'Missed... you too...' and scratched the back of his head.
She giggled like a young girl as she gazed at him: he was older then the day she was kidnapped by Mace. A lot older. His dark brown chocolate coloured fur was somewhat lighter and more dull. His hair was almost almond coloured but still he had the twin ponytails. And still, he was one strong tough Mouse. Damn... she still loved him.
'the night will be cold.' Throttle stood behind the lover's quarrel and gave them a blanket. With a playful blink he left them behind. 'Hint, hint, hint.'
Stoker smiled like an idiot.
'As playful as always... just like you are.' She still sat on the balcony, enjoying the night and watched Throttle leave to spend the night with Carbine. Even Throttle had gotten older, five long years had even aged him. Throttle had gotten leaner, taller, stronger and cuter.
'Don't wipe yourself out.' Stoker smiled and covered her with the blanket, as he snuggled up with her, 'Where have you been... all this time?'
'In your heart.' She whispered as she broke down in tears.
Her soft body lay against his own, her weight, her warmth, every little curve and every little hump... all was so familiar to him and yet so strange. His mind remembered her, but his hands felt someone new.
She snuggled a little closer, with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest, she fell asleep, covered within his grasp and a bionical that held her secured by the waist.
Modo tried to find some sleep, but the knowledge that with opening the sluices he killed his nephew, didn't let him go. Exhausted he tried to find rest from the thoughts. The last thing Rimfire must have heard was sand... the shifting of sand like a sand dune collapsed underneath its weight. The pain was too heavy on him. And the other shoulder to cry on was gone as well. They had searched the castle from top to bottom and forced the surviving Rats to show every detail before Scabbard had them killed as the traitors they were. Wirrenth was just no more.
He needed his rest. He knew. Tomorrow morning, they would vacate the city forever. The Rats would go their way, battling their kin as the Mice, including the Hurricanes went with Scabbard and his men. The city was old, forgotten and hard to defend. A new stronghold was desired. Modo forced himself to sleep. He was needed. If only it was for revenge. And to win this war. After that... he would die.
Many worries overwhelmed Throttle. If there was a war to win, this little group was to small to win it. Indeed, a small group of Freedom Fighters had won the war against the Plutarkians, but that group was even larger than this group: 4000 Mice, each counting for three warriors. No, what they needed was all the help they could get. The battle for Aerynn was just the beginning. Who knew what Mace had up his sleeve if he had won this battle? They would never know.
One thing he did know. And that was to pick up his inheritance, to claim his rightful place among his people. The people of Hell Raiser.
'Charley?' A bit shy, the dark haired beige woman came over to her, 'Can I talk to you?' Vinnie held Charley like a precious diamond and kissed her neck before he let her go, 'see ya soon.' Charley whispered something sweet before she left him.
Still Carbine didn't think that this was the best time to talk. Charley had learned that her niece had died, along with her fiancée Rimfire, at the prison of Aerynn. Charley was still mourning, like Modo was. Dark circles around her eyes, her hair was a mess and her face was tear stained. Sure she was in no better shape than Modo. He didn't eat, didn't drink, but when he laid hands upon one of Mace' former officers, he almost ripped the Rat apart. Not a pretty sight.
'Are we friends?' Carbine took off immediately when Vinnie was out of hearing range.
'You saved my life several times, listened to me when necessary and spared the bros' when you thought otherwise. Yes... we are friends.' Charley answered, 'My friend, what is the matter?'
Carbine looked away, how to tell this? How to tell that you're afraid? How to tell that your worst fear comes to life?
'It's... Throttle.' Well, the big word was out, she gazed at the ground, 'he leaves for something. Doesn't want to tell me even when I ask him. Says it's something delicate.'
For a moment she didn't know what to say, 'What is so delicate that you don't know about?'
Carbine sighed as she held hands with Charley for support, 'His family. Throttle is half Hell Raiser half Mouse. The bond between his mother the Hell Raiser and his father the Mouse wasn't allowed by both their families so his family became outcast. But now he seeks help with his family and says I can't help him with that.'
'Hell Raiser?' never had Charley heard about this. What was a Hell Raiser?
'A Hell Raiser is a Mouse from some isle or several isles once hidden amongst the mountain lakes and only accessible by boat. Not many Mice have boats or know how to swim. His father washed up ashore, or so Throttle told me. His mother... he never told me anything about his mother. Like he just doesn't want to know or something. Both had died long before I met him.' Both walked through the corridors, busy and filled with Mice running from side to side, door to door and room to room. Everyone was busy with the oncoming battle and probably the end of the war at the southern hemisphere, but the leaders were very precocious with that and the Mice knew.
'Hell Raiser Mice are very thunderous and live for danger and excitement. But also do they love very intense and deep...'
Carbine jumped almost out of her fur when she heard Throttle speak, 'What did you think sweetie? Ask Charley if Throttle won't tell?' and hugged her from behind, 'Naughty Charley.' With his tail he pulled her near and lay an arm around her waist, 'what is you both want to know about me or Hell Raisers?'
'you could tell me on the way there?' Carbine suggested with a pleading look, 'Please?'
'Could be better for your relationship. Getting to know each other and stuff?' Typically Charley Throttle thought.
'But promise me one thing.' Throttle kissed them both on the cheek.
'And that is?' Carbine whispered soft.
'Don't be the General. You're my lady and outsiders are not allowed. I don't want you to get hurt.'
Well, his arguments are overthrown easily. Wow... never thought that it would happen so fast. Charley smiled as she hugged the overgrown teddy bear and left the two lovebirds alone.
'pack your stuff and a motorcycle. We're leaving. It's a long way to Hell Raiser Isle.' Back to the grim face he had all day long. Something was wrong. She lay aside the General inside her and followed her lover and long term friend.
Hell Raiser... A small isle hidden within a ring of volcanoes. Regular eruptions and even more Marsquakes that shook the soil violently. Mice living in the shadows of the volcanoes were never sure whether they would live to see the day of tomorrow, but that ring of Fire had proven to be one good protection against the Plutarkians.
Now was it a very, very long trip to reach that isle. Several days it took before Throttle felt that little bit of home again. The soil was different of colour and he could smell the sulphur of Olympic Mons again, Tharsis Mons was nearby as well as several smaller volcanoes.
'So this is where you're from.' Carbine whispered as she tried to breath normal. He nodded and seemed to be a-okay.
'Relax and just let it come over you... you should be fine within a few minutes...' Cuddling her he comforted her and her nerves, only for a few hours.
No one had ever entered the realm of the Hell Raisers and made it out alive. A very closed people who never came out, who never left. Throttles mother Barrage had done so... for Axle who was imprisoned and would be executed for trespassing. Washing up ashore was the right term, but he shouldn't be punished for falling overboard and then washing up ashore Hell Raiser Isle... Well... strange laws did they had there...
'Who are you and what is your business? Speak quickly boy.' A Mouse with a strange gun pointed at his head and a demanding look upon his face. He wasn't afraid of two heavily armed Martian Mice with heavily armed motorcycles.
'Boy? What the...' Carbine words were cut off by the roaring voice of Throttle.
'I am Throttle, Son of Barrage. Prince of Hell Raiser.'
Prince? Of Hell Raiser? So his mother would be the Empress? What the hell...
'Could have told me that...' she whispered to him as the Mouse came from behind the rocks and gestured them to come near.
'Let me see you boy...'
'I am not a boy.' He said to the Mouse, showing no weakness as he looked at the Mouse, 'I am Throttle of Hell Raiser, Son of Barrage.'
'Barrage is not known to us.'
'Barrage was formerly known as China... She took the name Barrage as she fled with my father, Axle, who washed ashore here... From that love my brother Smoke and I were born.'
Seconds long the Mouse stared at Throttle, 'China...' he held his breath in awe, 'The empress wishes to see you my prince.'
Throttle felt sad. According to his mother a gigantic lake must have been here, hidden amongst the walls of the canyon. Now the water was gone, vanished. The dark red soil was hard, dry, and contained no life at all. The only thing containing life was the city they were about to enter: Hell Raiser.
Once it must have been a beautiful city. Hidden, isolated. Like Charley would say: China or Japan. Isolated nations that create their own way of society, culture, language and art. From what he could see, the Mice were dressed as his mother had told him in her stories: long dresses for men and women, iron weapons with beautiful carvings and etchings and the old language. The Mice from Hell Raiser had their own language. Not so different from Martian Mice but yet different enough for an outsider not to understand one single word.
But even Mars had invaded this place. Throttle could see motorcycles, Mice from the outside world and guns. Tools of war. War had finally breached this sacred world of peace. He looked around at the place he had never visited, only within his mothers memories as she shared them with him. It was almost a shock when the guide had stopped and asked the guards for a safe passage to the palace. They were forced to leave the bikes and walk to the entry of the palace through the once beautiful gardens.
Now, without the water, these gardens were dry and dead. Rotten trees were the silent reminder of a flourishing time of peace.
These moments made him hate the Plutarkians and now the Catatonians even more.
Long have I lived with the blood of my father, wild and roaring. Mother... please... let your peaceful blood flow through my veins. Let me be calm and wise, as you were...
Stately he entered the stairs that led to the entrance of the palace, following the silent guard. The palace itself was no more beautiful than the city. The watchful eye could see that this was once a fortress, a stronghold for those from Hell Raiser in need and jeopardy. Now, it was good enough to defend, to hold the people of Hell Raiser as the enemy approached once more and was forced to retreat when they found out that the walls were not to be breached - made from the solid stone and Martian metal to enforce it from within.
Creaking the doors opened and the guide asked the two travellers to stay behind, until he would call them. Never afraid, but now for the first time in her life, Carbine slid behind Throttle. What if this empress decided to kill them?
An old voice came from the other end of the hall, hidden behind veils, 'Bring him forward for we wish to see him.' It was spoken in common Martian.
The guide turned around and gestured Throttle to come forth. Two guards blocked the way, Carbine wasn't allowed to enter, nor to say goodbye to Throttle as the doors closed between them.
Except for the noise of the shutting doors there was a complete silence in the hall.
Careful and at guard Throttle turned around to face the empress behind the veils.
'You claim to be Throttle Thornboy, son of China?' Spoken strong willed, but fragile due to old age, he heard the woman speak in a strange tone of voice, like she didn't master the language.
'I claim to be him.' Throttle said, with his eyes glued on the face behind the veils, an act of disrespect for someone who didn't belong to the royal family. An allowed act for someone who did belong to the royal family.
'Nonsense... We had no such daughter.' From behind the veils he saw a graceful gesture, to sent him on his way.
'Unfortunately,' Throttle bowed before her, 'you did had such a daughter. For in all the universe, there will be no other blacksmith than your own, who has the talent and the grace to make such a refined bracelet I have hidden underneath the scarf on my wrist.' He removed the red scarf and revealed a silver bracelet, made with the knowledge only a Hell Raiser Mouse could create, 'This, my empress, is the bracelet my mother China gave me before she died.'
'And now you have come to claim a place amongst your own kin?' The woman rose to her feet, the audience whispering for this never happened.
The woman strode to the veils and removed them with a gentle gesture, walking towards her self proclaimed grandson. Her long dress slid over the ground as she strode towards him; the material rustled soft with every step she made.
She was no ordinary Martian Mouse, she was an empress of Hell Raiser. Her husband had died a long time ago, when she was still young. After that, she refused to marry another man and grasped power all for herself. Where her husband had failed in the Plutarkian War - Axle and the missing of China as result - she created an empire hidden in solitude, in isolation. Her daughters were raised by herself and maidens, carefully selected from the best royal families alive. Her sons were in charge of the armies, but didn't do anything without her orders. One word, one gesture, and she could sent forth legions to destroy other nations, or to defend her borders. Her will was the law itself. And for fifty long years, she had ruled the isolated empire of Hell Raiser Isle.
'A true Hell Raiser Mouse,' she begun as she stood in front of him, 'allows the children to learn from history. Every mother and father passes their knowledge on to their offspring, before they die.' Throttle had to kneel in front of her - she had shrunken to the size almost half the size she once was - in order to allow her to see his memories.
'If you are a true Hell Raiser Mouse, your mother, my daughter, will have passed on her history to you before she died.' Her antennas touched his forehead and connected to his mind. From there, she explored him, searched every memory he had, leaving nothing, searching even through his deepest hidden memories, breaking the boundaries he had put up to keep unwanted guests out.
Exhausted she trembled and was thankful when Throttle guided her to the ground to sit. Unheard of again, no empress ever sat on the floor without her maidens to clean it through and through.
'Let us retreat to our quarters.' Two maidens came from the shades and helped her up. The tiny fragile woman retreated in a flock of maidens to her quarters. Throttle on the other hand had to pick himself up and retreated to the corridor outside the hall, where Carbine flung herself around his neck and held him. He could feel her trembling - the strange environment made her weary and frightened her. No matter, he trembled as well. The woman, he had seen her in the faint light of the royal hall. Old, fragile, graceful. Almost white hair with tan fur and pink eyes, a dress that hung loose around her, beautifully embroidered. She made slow movements, as if she was very old, nearly dying.
The guide tapped throttle on the shoulder, 'Her majesty, the Empress of Hell Raiser, Lady Athenry, offers you a place to stay. Follow me please.'
There was one thing that Throttle bothered, 'what about Carbine? I won't sent her back, nor leave her.'
The guide nodded, 'She can stay as well.' Than he led the way to their new residence, for who knew how long.
As soon as the guide had left, Carbine allowed herself to fall on the bed and snuggled into the pillows. Throttle fell down next to her, exhausted from the conversation with his grandmother.
'So... what happened?' Carbine asked him, playing with tip of his long tail, brushing it against her fur and her nose. She placed a kiss on it and giggled as Throttle stroke her face. He leaned in and shared his memories with her until she knew everything.
'And she was allowed to do that?'
Throttle shrugged, 'I don't know.'
'Only the empress herself is allowed to rip someone's memories.' A voice came from behind the chamber screen, 'a relative from Hell Raiser should know.'
'My mother, Barrage, didn't told me everything.'
'Barrage? Or do you mean China?' From behind the screen came a young woman, 'My mother, your mothers sister, told me about China. The rebellious sister.' She settled down next to Throttle on the floor, her hands resting on his knees.
Next to the woman, Carbine felt like a farmer woman from the northern planes of Mars. This strange woman was refined, her hands had never felt duty, her eyes had never seen death.
Yet Throttle didn't seem to be interested in her. This woman only knew about his mother's past as a child, before she met his father.
'you have another nephew, Smoke. My elder brother.' Throttle gave her information, hoping for more.
'I am afraid that you and your lady are the only ones allowed to be here present time. Lady Athenry will not allow any other strangers, here, at Hell Raiser.'
'May I know your name, aunt to Throttle Thornboy?' He spoke softly to her, 'For it is rude for a lady not to introduce herself.'
'how rude of me... I am the Lady Moonshade.'
'Moonshade... This young lady here next to me is my lady love, Carbine Blackruby, daughter to Stoker Blackruby. Both are legendary Generals.'
It was a proper introduction for a good general. 'A general? I'm so sorry... If I had known...' she stammered and made apologies she would have never made
Suddenly, the woman rose to her feet, 'So... this is my nephew... Throttle Thornboy, son of China?' she touched his face, his bangs and took off his glasses, 'Your eyes!' in shock she dropped the glasses.
For a second Throttle was lost. Without his glasses, he couldn't see well, thanks to Karbunkle. His bionical eyes weren't quite finished yet. Carbine helped him, as he searched with her for his glasses, and put them back on his face. He could still see the shock in his newly found niece' eyes.
'That's war, Lady Moonshade.' She slowly nodded, didn't understand. She had never seen war. Or had she?
'Come...' she took his hands, 'you too, Lady Blackruby, come.' She entered the corridor, 'we must be quick.'
None knew where Throttle's newly found niece led them to, but whatever it was, it was something secret and hidden. As she led them to a large hall with paintings and tapestries on the wall and large drapes, she pulled back a small statue on a column. A wall opened. As if she knew the way around, she picked up her many dresses she wore and disappeared into the darkness, 'follow me.'
When all three had entered, she pressed something else and the wall closed. For a few seconds panic struck, as they stood in perfect dark. Then, she made fire with two flints. A torch lit in the dark and with the heavy item, she went onwards to show them the way.
After many turns and stairs, they entered another room.
'These are the private chambers of Lady Athenry...' Moonshade whispered, 'you can have your own private audience with her here...'
'You don't need to introduce them to us, Moonshade. Bring them in, please.' Fragile, old and weak. Throttle knew exactly with who he was dealing, his grandmother, mother to all of the living royal family. Carbine slid behind him as her worst fear came to life: to loose total control.
The old woman smiled as she saw Throttle approaching, 'do you know... who China was?'
'She was a Mouse of Hell Raiser and had a high status amongst your people.' Throttle explained to her. Carbine just sat there and listened to them talking, sipping on a drink that Moonshade had give her.
'True...' Lady Athenry smiled at him and stroke his face, 'China indeed had a high status amongst her people. She was a princess of Hell Raiser, fourth in line of the throne, third daughter to prince Wyl.' She pointed at a portrait, across the room, 'that was your mother before she left with this Mouse Axle...' He gazed at the painting, a beautiful woman was painted on it, one he recognized as his mother, but younger.
'I knew that my granddaughter always looked beyond the horizon and was often found at the shores of the lake, gazing beyond the lake to the outside world. When she heard from her father that she was offered in marriage to the general, she run with Axle. I can only guess that she must have loved him.'
'Oh she did...' Throttle smiled at her as he walked over to her again, 'she did. And he loved her.'
Athenry smiled back at him, 'Than I know that her life was good.' She continued to talk, but this time about her own past.
'Long did I live under the rule of my husband, by marital status. He was not of the royal family but an officer,' she begun, 'and now that I am old, I have to live under the rule of my advisors. All wanted to remain Hell Raiser Isle in total isolation, hidden from the outside world.' She took a deep breath and allowed her young niece to take place at her side, 'the time has come to take stand in this ever changing world, torn apart in war. Now is the time to sent forth an army. Not for Hell Raiser nor her Empress, but for Mars.'
Lady Moonshade left her aunt's side and disappeared from the room, probably by the same way.
'You must understand, Throttle Thornboy, son of China,' she pulled him in by a small hand and stroke his face, 'Just like your mother... you have her features, her fur...'
Lady Athenry continued talking, but now about Hell Raiser itself. How it was that the realm was still isolated. That she had little power left and only had a ceremonial status now. That the true power behind her was a general who was more eager to let Hell Raiser remain isolated. And her fear.
'Who will come to the aid of Hell Raiser, as Hell Raiser didn't came to the aid of those in need in the war against the Plutarkians?'
'No one. Unless you can come to the aid of Aerynn?' Carbine suggested, picking up the general inside her.
'A remarkable young lady, you have at your side. Women from Hell Raiser never mix in the business of men.' Athenry stroke the bangs out of Carbine's face and gaze into her eyes, 'a scar...'
'From the battlefield, milady.'
'The battlefield...'
'What brings me to something else... the Catatonian Troops are at your doorsteps within two days. Please grandmother, sent forth your army to defeat them.'
Again she smiled, life didn't bother her that much anymore. Soon, death would claim her and the living would no longer be interested in her, only to forget her; a women should never rule a land was the believe of the people of Hell Raiser.
'I can't sent forth an army. My power is limited.' The woman said and turned her gaze to the secret door again. Lady Moonshade entered the room once more.
'Lady Athenry, my battalions are ready to take their leave.' She spoke soft, 'and so are the battalions of Nightfall, Flower and Tree.'
'You hear that?' Athenry glanced at her newfound grandson, 'And the best is... you may lead them.'
Carbine already had visionaries of Mice with ancient weaponry and no technology. Lady Athenry came from the bed she sat on and rested on Throttle for support, 'lead us, Moonshade.' The woman nodded and left the room, as she guided them through another series of tunnels to a place amongst the walls of a large canyon.
'A crater!' Carbine whispered, 'from a dead volcano.' Athenry nodded and pointed to a large group of Mice fifty metres below, at the bottom. Two battalions were already formed and one other arrived just now. But there was one thing that both Mice got them dumbstruck:
'Battle bikes?!'
Stunts had a hard time of saving his own tail as he threw grenades, two Catatonian claw bines exploded on impact. The debris flew past his ears, a metal shard embedded itself in his right upper leg when he performed his next stunt. As he lost control due to the pain he impacted on the Martian sands and remained there, a little dizzy.
Spark was right behind him, destroying several claw bines and killing Catatonians on the way, reckless for the outsider, overprotective towards the ever dizzy mouse. 'Up your feet.' He growled as he picked an unconscious Stunts from the ground and placed him over the hood of his motorcycle and drove off. Stunts' motorcycle followed immediately, thanks to the AI system.
Vinnie - the idiotic mouse - covered for them. Spark cursed the white fur bal as he destroyed everything on his path to cover his friends. Friends. Spark would never be friends with that white fur ball. He was worried about one thing: that big lug, Modo Maverick, was unpredictable since two days. Right now, he saw the huge Mouse in a fight with several Catatonians, risking his own life to defeat them. Not to safe other Mice, but for revenge. His nephew had died in Aerynn, along with Rimfire's fiancée.
Kickstart smiled wide, the plan was going well. The mobile Catatonian base - a tank like construction with tracks with room for one division - was going to be destroyed by an explosive device he and Charley had came up with. Centreline was going to deliver it. CarmÃn and Caith covered him as they took the heat of the battle. Driving along the explosions and shooting Catatonians they acted as if they were the ones who wanted them dead, while Centreline was happy driving towards the tank unseen and placed it on the weakest part of the tank: the entrance door. When Centreline was out of the picture - before the Catatonians spotted him - Kick-start pressed the button of his remote control and the tank exploded. Stoker, Harley and Charley cheered, it worked! Without the mobile base the Catatonians lost their way of communication and their leader. The battle would be won soon now! Scabbard sat on the ground, enjoying the view with his lady Nightingale.
'Too bad that Throttle and Carbine can't see this all...' Vinnie exclaimed when he got back. Modo just sat there, his face hidden in his hands as Charley tried to comfort him. She tried to avoid Vinnie's questions about Throttle's whereabouts. Throttle had gone missing along with Carbine and Charley was the only one who probably knew where both had gone to.
Life went on, as life always did.
A Catatonian reported to his senior officer, 'The scouts have been wiped out, sir.'
Cataclysm smacked him, and as the Catatonian hit the wall, his skull cracked on impact.
'Sent forth the 45th squadron!'
Without response, the 45th squadron was set in motion, accompanied with two tanks, the squadron moved to the battlefield. Cataclysm could already taste victory. The army of Stoker and Scabbard would move slow, the remains of the 600 mice had no motorcycles or dune buggies or whatever transportation.
'Their back!' Harley drew lasers as she saw dust in the distance and concentrated on the forthcoming battle.
'Catatonians or Throttle?' Vinnie asked, hoping that it was his friend approaching. His bike definitely needed oil and fuel, like he needed some rest. And Stunts was still out cold while the overprotective Spark had a hard time allowing Harley near him to tend his wounds.
Their worries grew as more Catatonian troops came from over the hills, the dust revealed more troops hidden behind the hills.
'Take positions!' Scabbard yelled to his men, as Nightingale and Murthag took stand with their own troops. This was no longer biker mice style, but army style, and Stoker had to agree that he had no plans right now.
Several explosions sounded and two other mobile bases were destroyed.
Dumbstruck Scabbard turned around, for as far as he knew, nor he nor his wife nor Stoker had given the order to fire, and roared, 'May I know who fired?' The one who did would answer several questions about loyalty and discipline and would be punished severely.
No one answered.
'Well? The sooner you'll answer, the better it is for you and your platoon.'
Still no mouse squeaked.
He looked at the air in despair, how on Mars was he going to punish them all?
'Sorry dad.' All eyes were glued on his son who felt like a rabbit in a pack of wolves.
'hmpf... dishwashing for the rest of the week.' Everybody breathed again and Scabbard gave them the signal to charge.
'Things are looking bad for Scabbard and Stoker.' Carbine lowered the binoculars, 'Right now, they can make a stand, but if your hunch is right and more troops will hide behind the hills, they are lost.'
Throttle nodded and shared his fears with two senior officers, 'go to your troops and await my command.'
One raised a brow, 'Sir, I don't think that our men are willing to follow you in battle for Mice they have never met.'
Throttle smiled at him, 'I know what I'm doing.'
'They follow your orders. But in their hearts they will fight for Hell Raiser Isle alone. Mars has never came to their aid. Many believe that they are doing the wrong thing.'
Carbine nodded, 'So did we, when we defended the shores of Hell Raiser at his request.' She pointed at Throttle, 'we were near and defended you against the Plutarkians. I was still in the army back then, he a Freedom Fighter...' memories flooded her mind but wiped them away as easily as an insect from her visor, 'when Hell Raiser sent out scouts, we already had won the battle.'
The senior officer nodded, 'I was one of those scouts back then. I trust what you are doing.' With that little bit of conformation the two young leaders took stand. Carbine at Throttle's side.
Throttle oversaw the crowd. It had taken him days to lead them to this exact location, when he found out that Stoker wasn't at Brimstone yet.
'Rise now! Rise now riders of Hell Raiser!' he roared with a voice that reached the far end of the entire crowd, 'soil shall be shaken! Bikes shall be splintered! A day of Guns, a red day! Ere the sun rises!' he took a deep breath and continued his speech to instigate the crowd in front of him.
'Ride now!' he roared a she drove up and down before the line of Hell Raiser Mice, 'Ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin! And the worlds ending!'
Suddenly he stopped in the middle and pumped the sky with his arm, 'Death!....Death!' The crowd answered with the same roar when Throttle roared again, 'Death!'
'Forth ARES!' He roared above the crowds roar and drove forward with high speed. The Hell Raiser Mice followed him with chilling roars and their guns ready for use. This was indeed the worlds ending!
The catatonians formed ranks under the lead of Cataclysm and his threatening words of injustice and hatred. All were ready to fire at the Hell Raiser Mice. They awaited the first command. Hundreds of Mice drove towards them, to run them over, to kill them.
'fire!' Cataclysm roared with confidence, now these pests would turn tail!
All fired and several Mice in the front of the line were killed at once, others fell wounded and were overrun by their brothers and sisters.
But they didn't stop.
Cataclysm grew afraid when he noticed the look upon Throttle's face. Pure love for his friends and pure anger towards the invaders of Mars. This was truly the worlds ending! Throttle wasn't about to hold back! And so was his army!
'fire at will!' Cataclysm roared in fear, but the Mice from hell Raiser kept speeding onward. Within seconds, they drove into the crowd, running Catatonians over as they drove onwards. Ploughing in bodies and machinery, swarming over the two tanks as if they were a bunch of insects - according to Cataclysm they were. Those who survived the first charge were killed by hand or gun instantly.
One of the two tanks came back to life again and made it's way for Carbine. Throttle hardly noticed, as Carbine did. From out of nowhere, a beige mouse on a black motorcycle made it's way to the centre of the crowd, to the tank and landed on top of it. The remainders of the Catatonians tried to destroy the Mouse with no success. He dodged every laser and bullet. Throttle recognized him as Centreline. A pumpkin furred Mouse followed him in and managed to open the tank. Quickly Centreline threw in something and both escaped the tank. Throttle did the same and alerted his troops.
Carbine felt someone yanking her tail; as she looked up she saw the tank only two feet away from her, 'Run!'
She did, like death was upon her doorstep she run, driving her motorcycle to the extreme. Vinnie and Stunts were just beginners compared to her and she stopped when she felt safe again. Carbine squatted as the tank exploded and the metal shards flew past her with dazzling speed and deafening noise. Somehow, she didn't know how, she managed to survive.
Throttle stopped beside her, 'You okay babe?' he quickly inspected her; ten fingers, probably ten toes as well since her boots were still in one piece, her fluffy ears and tail and frightened face.
she slowly nodded, afraid, 'yeah... I guess so... what about our troops?'
Throttle ordered his motorcycle to count the troops, 'their still alive. Athenry and Moonshade must have had good generals, their well trained and more disciplined than Scabbards troops.'
'Or Stokers...' she smiled soft at him, 'I'm glad your still alive.' Throttle kissed her in conformation.
The battle was short, but fierce. And no way he was letting his guard slip now the battle was won.
Stoker caught his attention immediately, 'Who are these guys?' Throttle had to admit that the Hell Raiser Mice all wore uniforms similar to the Military a long time ago.
'Lady Athenry, Empress of Hell Raiser, and the lady Moonshade, princess of Hell Raiser, offered him this army. They hope with this gesture for an alliance between Mars and Hell Raiser.' Throttle said him calm as the two senior officers came stand by him.
Scabbard and Stoker looked at each other, 'That must mean he is either from Hell Raiser or a long lost relative from that royal family?'
'I am just Throttle... no one else.' Throttle said, 'Stoker... how's life?'
'Well... we were kinda dying before you showed up.' Was the reply he got, 'got any medics? We need them.'
Everyone came back to life as usual. Just one small battle and already Throttle knew that with Hell Raiser the war could make a turn for the best. The mice were disciplined, strong willed and ready to die for their world - that just got a little bigger. They were also afraid, what to do and how to act if you came into a world you had never seen?
Two other didn't care for the Hell Raiser Mice as they entered the darker parts of the city named Brimstone.
'hahahaha!' Spark smiled at his younger bro Stunts. The young Mouse with the dizzy gaze was still a Kitten. At least, to Spark's measures, 'Today... I'll make a man out of you!' With his arm around Stunts' shoulder, he trailed off to some darker part of the town. The look in Stunts eyes told him that the poor Kitten didn't know what would happen next, but the grin on Spark's face told Throttle everything.
Just let them be, Throttle thought, let them have their share of fun, before there is no more time and place to have fun.
Brimstone, the city once taken from the Plutarkians, was still free from enemies. But the war had drawn all sorts of Mice to the city. Families who sought protection, people who wanted to join the FFA, and a darker kind of Mice. The criminals, the prostitutes and even Rats. Right now, Spark and Stunts trotted to that darker part of town.
'Hey pretty Mouse... Wanna have some fun?' A woman's hand touched Stunts chest, 'You look like a pretty handsome guy to me...' she licked her lips tempting and continued to trail her hands to his crotch.
'Not interested.' Grunted Spark as he shove the woman out of his way. Stunts almost tripped over his feet as he walked passed by her.
'Brute.' She sneered, but Spark was already forgotten as she turned to a new potential client.
So they continued through several streets, until they came to an odd place. From all of the houses in these streets, only this one still seemed to be standing upright and had decent doors.
'Milady Kala will not see anyone today.' A dark clothed Mouse said to them, 'Can I take a message?'
'Tell her Spark has come by.'
'Spark? Oh my...' the Mouse talked like he had no more balls nor a penis, squeaking all the time like a woman, 'Milady Kala must have some time for you I think.' He opened the doors and let the two enter, as he continued to stand guard. The girls inside the house, were priceless and the Mouse knew.
Spark smiled when he saw Milady Kala. Not your average prostitute as she was dressed decent and dignified, her hair knotted in the way that was fashion nowadays.
'Milady Kala!' he said with roaring voice, 'My beautiful Lady Kala.' Kissed her hand polite and smiled once again at her. Stunts remained behind him, a bit insecure of himself.
'My dear Spark.' She let out a small giggle when he kissed her hand, 'Still a gentlemouse, aren't you?'
'Only for you.'
'I won't marry you, if that's what you mean. Dirty Mouse.'
'That's not what I imply, Milady. My friend Stunts over here, saved the day for us all last night. And what better price does he deserve when the prices are with you, Milady Kala?'
'Flattering will get you nowhere, but since he saved our city... Give me every detail, and you... you may pick the sweetest girl there is for your friend. A day and a night, just for him, our saviour!'
How and why Spark and Kala got to know each other, is still unknown to Martian History. But Milady Kala was respected and always provided Spark with enough information and plenty of rest. Spark grinned wide, 'Thank you, Milady Kala.'
She clapped her hands and several barely dressed young women and men appeared from behind a voile curtain.
With experienced eye he overlooked them all, their shapes and figures, their insecurity and their vulnerability. He knew that the ones staring him in the eyes were the ones with diseases and the ones who looked down, where beginners. Finally, after what seemed hours, he tapped a young girl on the shoulder, 'she will be just fine.' A young red furred and haired woman stepped forward, not even looking him in the eye. But her appearance told him she had been through some experience. Trying to make a living by selling her body.
'Well?' Spark gestured to his younger bro' to come forward, 'she will teach you... she'll make you a man.' He smiled at the two, sweet if you didn't know that she was a prostitute.
Stunts gazed at the room. Hardly any decorations in the small room, just a large bed with clean sheets and pillows. The red beauty sat down on the bed, her legs spread and gestured with her tail to come forward. What to do with this beauty? Stunts was a bit lost for words and didn't know what to do or how to act.
She wrapped her tail around his wrist, 'shy?' a devious smile carved on her face, 'Don't be shy...'
Stunts reluctantly stepped forward, 'what am I supposed to do here?' he wondered out loud, drawing giggles from her, 'nothing, my saviour. Just lay back and enjoy the ride.' She said as she fiddled with his belt and looked up to him. He for sure was going to be fun, no reactions, just one big ride. And she'd be able to do everything with him she wanted...
Spark was just worried, what if Stunts made a fool of himself, like he used to do? Or wanted a man? Or...
'Sit back, or go and see Leila.' Milady Kala said agitated, 'she's free for tonight, but always has some spare time for you.'
He shook his head, 'What if Stunts...' Oh what the heck! Stood up and left for Leila, his favourite. He knew he was a fool, but promised himself that he'd marry her if this war would be over and settle with her...
Still flabbergasted he gazed at her as she let the voile dress slip of her shoulders. Naked to the fur she stood in front of him, naked to the fur as well. Her soft hands ran over his shoulders, down his arms to his abdomen and his phallus.
'Never seen a woman...' she whispered to herself as she kneeled and started a blow job. Stunts got the picture now, she was here to fuck him...
'Stop.' He said out of breath, 'just stop!'
'why? You want something else? Something more edgy?' Stunts shook his head, 'what!?'
He swallowed, why did he make her stop? 'I...'
'You're just shy... come and forget about tomorrow...' she wanted to start all over again, as he stopped her and cupped her in his arms and lay her on the bed.
'Just let me sleep, please?' and rested his head on her shoulder. Soon he was off to lala-land; flabbergasted as she was she just let him sleep. Gently she cleaned him and herself and got to sleep herself. For the first time in her life as a prostitute, she slept at night.
'what's your name?' Stunts asked her as soon as she was awake. He was dressed again. How did he do that without her knowing? Smiling he stroke her face, 'well?'
'I don't have a name worth to remember. But if you insist.' She giggled girlishly, 'Lullaby.'
'You are a lullaby.' He yawned and gave her a forgiving look, 'come with me.'
'I can't...' she said in sorrow, 'I am bound to this place... But I'll wait for you.' The common lie she gave every man who wanted to set her free. Something told her that Stunts wouldn't let it be.
'One day I come and set you free.'
R&R please?
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How do you survive the holidays?
It is that time of year when there are plenty of parties and dinners to attend. At my company holiday party, they made me a special vegan meal of pasta and red sauce and it was really disappointing. There were no appetizers that I could eat and the only thing available at the salad bar was romaine lettuce with some oil and vinegar. They made up for it by offering five different flavors of sorbet. The human resources manager is lactose intolerant, so they bought her a cake from Sweet Freedom Bakery in Philadelphia and that was delicious.
On Saturday we had our Bucks County Vegan Supper Club Meetup and the theme was a holiday potluck, where you could bring your favorite dish. We had Shepherd’s pie, roasted winter squash, kale salad, quinoa salad, and cauliflower mash. If home cooks can make a delicious meal like this why is it so hard for professionals to do it?
How do you handle work, friend, and family parties being vegan? Do you have any favorite holiday recipes? Do you have any advice for new vegans this holiday season?
About James Lucas
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To: None <>
From: Andrew Gillham <>
List: port-alpha
Date: 11/02/1999 14:39:49
Thor Lancelot Simon writes:
> Okay, so this is an *old* thread. Sorry 'bout that.
> However: you should consider the high cost of incorrectly estimating the
> cache and main memory latencies in the compiler. I suspect that the reason
> almost *all* code seems to run much faster with gcc -mcpu=21164a isn't just
> the use of BWX instructions but also the use of cache and memory latency
> numbers that are a lot closer to reality for the pc164.
> Since we know how fast the L1, L2, and L3 caches are -- L1 and L2 are the
> same for all 21164, and the speed of the L3 parts should be stamped on
> them -- and the memory's 60ns, it should be possible to feed gcc figures
> that are exactly right, and I'd be curious to see what this does for the
> various memory-sensitive benchmarks people have been disappointed by.
> FWIW the pc164 that's now achieved the highest STREAM
> benchmark result I'd ever seen at the time, several hundred megabytes per
> second in 256-bit mode. So the memory bandwidth of the pc164 is probably
> okay, and like people have noticed it's gcc that sucks.
Does anyone have a list of PC164 optimizations that should be turned on?
I just got a 500Mhz PC164, and while being fairly impressed with it's
speed,(ok I also have a 166Mhz Multia) I was surprised that my 433Mhz
Celeron generally beat it. A 'make build' of -current (same date) takes
1:25:00 on my Celeron 433, and 2:30 on my Alpha 500. Both with fast
EIDE hard drives. (a 8GB 512KB buffer on the Celeron, 20GB 2MB buffer on
the Alpha) Admittedly the Celeron has a heck of a lot more RAM (256MB
.vs. 64MB) and I haven't tested it with only 64MB. (or only 48MB)
The Celeron outperforms the Alpha at dhyrstones (~800K .vs. ~540K), and
at whetstones (250Mips .vs. 180Mips)
The only (so far) that the Alpha wins is the DES part of rc5des. (4.9M
.vs. 6.0M)
I haven't had a chance to run lmbench on both systems, and to plug only
a single 64MB SDRAM into the Celeron and run make build. Also, I don't
have any more SIMMs for the Alpha, so I can only run in 128bit memory
mode. (with only 64MB)
If there are some optimizations (like -mcpu=21164a) that should be enabled
I would love to hear about them. What are the options needed to specify
the L3 cache latency?
I'm a little bit disappointed that my 500Mhz 64bit Alpha beast is getting
whipped by a 433Mhz chip with 128KB of L2 cache. :(
Tuning tips, performance numbers, or CISC .vs. RISC flames accepted. :)
Andrew Gillham | This space left blank | inadvertently. | <urn:uuid:23e67b37-ece6-46b3-a300-5fcee8972ee1> | http://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-alpha/1999/11/02/0002.html | en | 0.901472 | 0.158931 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Subject: RE: Apropos package upgrading.
To: Hubert Feyrer <>
From: Dave Burgess <>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 03/19/2001 17:07:23
As many of you already know - I run a network of about 25 NetBSD servers at
a local Internet Service Provider.
I have been upgrading the servers from 1.4.3 to 1.5 (with the attendant
upgrades from a.out to ELF) by hand for the past month and a half; I am
almost through. The toughest part of the problem is that I don't want to
waste time recompiling the same program over and over from a 'make update'.
If a compiled package is up to date, I wish there was some way the make
program could recognize that and not recompile it. If the package has been
updated, I want the program to recognize that and recompile it, otherwise if
I want the package deleted, I'll 'make clean' it. Giving 'make' access to
the packages database would work for me; if it could figure out what the
package name is and compare it to the current package that's installed, it
would meet my needs. Even if we don't have an automated method, if we could
just get the packages to display in the order they were registered, I would
be a happy person.
My theory is that, generally, the dependencies are time sensitive. Of
course, there are exceptions, but for the most part it works. For example,
when I installed PERL on my 1.4.3 server 15 months ago, I also installed a
couple of other things at the same time. The additional stuff required
PERL, but that was OK, since I used the package system to install it
originally. When I go through the list, it's usually in the order in which
everything was originally installed, so as I go through, I end up doing the
pkg_info -aBR | lpr
cd /usr/pkgsrc/*/whatever (from the list above, making sure I get all of the
pkg_delete -f whatever
make reinstall
If anything is missing, I install that. If there are any required programs
that are missed, they either get automatically installed, or get installed
at the end. If they aren't reinstalled automatically, I can go back and do
them by hand, then re-reinstall the package one more time. If life were
perfect, the pkg_info list would show them in the order in which they were
registered (vice actually installed) so that I know the dependencies are OK.
My database server was the toughest, because there are dozens of modules for
mysql (mysqladmin, p5-whatever, php-stuff, etc.). It took me about three
hours to get all of the packages reinstalled.
One of the other things that I have started doing is building all of my
packages on my fastest server and using NFS to mount it from the rest of the
systems for the entire pkgsrc directory. This way, I don't end up
rebuilding every package after a 'make update', even though this would be
the easiest (theoretically) way to install the new packages.
Of course, there are always problems (at least one per server). An example
is in my NOC Monitoring system, where I needed the Net::UDP CPAN
distribution. What I should have done was put it into a pkgsrc package, but
instead I just installed it through CPAN. That decision will haunt me, I'm
sure. Amanda was problematic, since 'addnerd' is no longer required.
Anything that needs OpenSSL is another area of possible confusion.
Given that the current package system is intended for (basically) as single
computer installation, what I would much rather see are the following:
1) A tag in the Makefile that actually gave the real package name. Having
macros in the package names is real cute, but I don't see the possible
purpose. It's not like it's retyped over and over again. It appears once:
at the top. By the way, to whoever put the distribution directory into the
pkg_info table - THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
2) Some kind of way to enforce package registration dates. Right now, I
don't know what the ordering mechanism is, and I'm trusting basically to
what appears to be blind luck that it works at all. Once in a while (on a
couple of servers) the normal ordering has failed me, but it's been OK so
far: nothing I couldn't solve with a little mental exercise.
If I had these two things, a script that reinstalls the entire installed
base (and just the installed base) based on whether or not a package had
been updated would be a real possibility. I've got most of a script like
that built now, but it's still problematic. I've got the dependency graph
about 80% done. One of the egregious hacks I'm doing is checking the date
on the 'work' directory against the 'Makefile'. This works OK, but only
once. After that, the '.install' file changes the date and none of the rest
of the updates work.
Something where I go to '/usr/pkgsrc' and simply type 'make update' would be
wonderful, but I've been studying the problem, and it *IS* a tough nut to
crack. It's probably too hard a problem for a shell script. | <urn:uuid:858980a7-55d0-4ed8-82f4-36e2005b8eb3> | http://mail-index.netbsd.org/tech-pkg/2001/03/19/0020.html | en | 0.951426 | 0.1099 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The peoplePeople
In 1850 Paris had
approximately 600,000 inhabitants.
But it
It then grew rapidly
city of Paris, the administrative city within the old gates.
After World War II this growth
continued, and Greater Paris by the
late 1980s
turn of the 21st century had close to
10,000,000 inhabitants. The population of the
city of Paris, however,
steadily declined, from a peak of about 2,900,000 in 1931 to roughly 2,
by 1982
in 1999, so that
more than three
about four out of
five Parisians
are now
were suburbanites. The shift
has taken
took place in part because massive rehousing
reduced the
city’s high density, though it
remained well above the
northern European average. Many families
moved out to newer and more spacious homes in the
smaller towns around the capital, leaving the
city of Paris with an aging
population and one that is
, curiously solitary
population, with almost half of the households
Paris-born Parisians are outnumbered by
immigrants who
those born outside the city, many of whom keep their provincial
ties; hence
For example, there are said to be more Aveyronnais living in Paris than in the Aveyron département of central France. Most of the population is nominally Roman Catholic, though only a small percentage attend Mass regularly.The foreign element has been increasing and now accounts for nearly one-fifth of the total population. The majority are Muslim Arabs from
the North Africans are badly housed
families of North African origin cluster in the poorer
quarters and are employed at menial jobs; in the 1980s their presence gave rise to racial
of blacks
is made up
of immigrants from the French
Caribbean territories
overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe
: they tend to have better jobs and living conditions and are better accepted than are the Muslims. The Jewish community, which has long been settled in Paris, is centred on the Rue
In the 1980s encounters with Sephardic Jewish immigrants from North Africa provoked a mild revival of the anti-Semitism rife in
prewar Paris.
In the earlier part of the 20th century Paris was favoured by expatriate writers and artists, including Ernest Hemingway from the United States, James Joyce from Ireland, Pablo Picasso from Spain, and Amedeo Modigliani from Italy. The foreign population from Europe and North America is now fairly small, however, consisting mainly of business people and the staffs of the large Paris-based international agencies, notably UNESCO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
The economyParis is Economy
, for since World War II most industrial growth has been in the provinces; but it still contains nearly a quarter of French industry. As a financial centre Paris is the base for many large international concerns in commerce and banking, and despite some pockets of poverty it is a very wealthy city, home of many vast private fortunes both French and foreign. After industry and commerce, the main activity is government administration, which employs nearly 700,000 people.Industry
barge traffic moving
downstream to the sea at
such as engineering and chemicals
To the
1950s the policy of successive French governments has been to limit the industrial growth of the Paris region in favour of the provinces, many of them still underdeveloped. Paris, which is in many ways over-congested, has instead been encouraged in developing commerce, finance, and services, a policy that has achieved some success. Industrial firms were forbidden to expand in the Paris area or were given various cash incentives to transfer their plants to the regions, and many did so. From 1962 to 1973 the Paris region had a net loss of 77,000 industrial jobs (about 5 percent of the total), while the rest of France gained 670,000.The region, however, still employs well over a million people in industry. The City of Paris itself
Newer and larger industries have developed in the northern and western suburbs, especially along the Seine valley toward Rouen: located there are several large automobile and aircraft factories. To the northwest, along the Seine’s loop from Suresnes to Gennevilliers, are armaments factories, heavy engineering works, and chemical plants. Other firms are located to the northeast, within reach of Charles de Gaulle Airport. To the south and southwest along the valley of the Bièvre River are tanneries, cement works, breweries, tobacco factories, and other traditional
concerns. Many light industries have settled in the new towns that now ring the Paris conurbation.Commerce and financeFinance and other services
state-owned Bank of
, but the city is not a dynamic centre for specialist activities such as merchant banking and venture capital investment. The Paris Stock Exchange, though expanded and modernized in the 1980s, still handles little more than one-fifth of the volume of the London Stock Exchange.Paris has developed greatly since World War II
company headquarters are situated. The
, often hosting more than 200 a year
modernized and extended since the early 1970s
, and it
. The underground rail network is now regarded
by many
as being among the finest of
the world’s major
world city
cities. Trains on the
By the 1980s Paris had become a commuter city, its Métro carrying 5,000,000 passengers daily.
cost of the Métro is subsidized by the government; passengers pay only about half of the actual cost. The city’s bus system also has been modernized.Such improvements
Improvements in public transport have been part of
But the campaign has not been entirely successful. The
Nevertheless, the volume of traffic
has swelled inexorably, and, although it often moves briskly along the many broad avenues and boulevards, it also can get clogged for hours in the honeycomb of narrow older streets. In a further attempt to decrease congestion the city has created many new underpasses and riverside expressways and has developed an extensive network of one-way streets. Underground garages have been built to provide parking space.The city of Paris is encircled by an expressway, the boulevard Péripherique. The
with the
highway network
highways, of which Paris is the hub.
The network has been modernized and operates high
High-speed trains
to Lyon and elsewhere
The main international airport is
Administration and social conditionssociety
Île-de-France by a regional prefect
, but the office of prefect has much less power than before the reforms
these have not proved very effective, and
real control remains in the hands of
Paris’s mayor.
ServicesElectricity and Municipal services
The city’s telephone services and electricity and gas utilities
in Paris
are run by
the state, as are
national concerns. The state operates the fire departments
, the telephone service
, unlike all other French cities,
the police,
who have wider powers than in other towns
Republican Security Force
is used
for ceremonial occasions such as visits by foreign heads of state.
Ministry of Health
Almost one-fifth
(1968–71), some of which still occupy the Sorbonne. The 13 universities, overcrowded and underfunded, with some 250,000 students, have lost prestige to a
education that are more
education—more specialized and more elitist
. These include the
Grand Schools (Grandes Écoles), of which the
, both of them now transferred to spacious new homes in the suburbs
National School for Administration (École
Cultural life
and a place where new ideas originate and art reigns supreme.
While some people feel its cultural life is now
have an abounding intellectual curiosity,
are avid patrons of the arts, so
While the
newly remodeled
Louvre is the greatest of the classic art museums,
Paris has built
newer major
include the
past years, including the
(opened in 1986)
, and the
science museum at La Villette. A
The city’s musical life, once moribund,
has become
became much livelier
after the early 1970s, in part because the state
provided much-needed funding. The
quality of the Paris Opera has been uneven and the building ill-suited to modern productions, but the city
city also renewed its commitment to opera by opening a
include the
Marais Festival
Music Festival (Fête de la Musique), held in June
and July
the evening
Le Monde, followed by the daily Le Figaro and
While the Paris daily press is relatively weak, accounting for less than one-third of total daily circulation in France, weekly newsmagazines flourish, notably
| <urn:uuid:2dfe4711-3a6e-4477-9827-08c1572116a9> | http://media-1.web.britannica.com/eb-diffs/621/443621-12551-108530.html | en | 0.954436 | 0.024202 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Steve Jobs Vs. Elon Musk — Which Tech Legend Actually Accomplished More en-us Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500 Thu, 11 Feb 2016 02:11:05 -0500 Alyson Shontell and Mike Nudelman Musk vs Jobs Thu, 29 May 2014 08:48:38 -0400 Non of Musk's products have achieved the impact of any of Steve's products. Men lie, Women lie, Numbers don't. As far as Paypal, Musk acquired Paypal and merged it with his company I don't know if would've been anything without Paypal... So far Elon has played along the safe lines of clean energy. I have yet to see him make breakthroughs in science and take on big challenges in a cost-effective way. Piling up Planet Earth with expensive batteries packs is not the answer to green energy Elon. Please to the writers who are so bought up. Stop saying Tony Stark was inspired by Elon Musk, Tony Stark was around before Elon was even born. It's based on Howard Hughes and Stan Lee is probably fed up with you little girls throwing dirt on the Iron Man Comics and Iron Man. Read more: <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ></a> Steve Jobs vs Musk Thu, 29 May 2014 08:43:00 -0400 PS: Waiting for the army of shemales denying facts and obeying Elon's whatever he wants or says. Steve Jobs vs Musk Thu, 29 May 2014 08:41:23 -0400 Non of Musk's products have achieved the impact of any of Steve's products. Men lie, Women lie, Numbers don't. As far as Paypal, Musk acquired Paypal and merged it with his company I don't know if would've been anything without Paypal... So far Elon has played along the safe lines of clean energy. I have yet to see him make breakthroughs in science and take on big challenges in a cost-effective way. Piling up Planet Earth with expensive batteries packs is not the answer to green energy Elon. Please to the writers who are so bought up. Stop saying Tony Stark was inspired by Elon Musk, Tony Stark was around before Elon was even born. It's based on Howard Hughes and Stan Lee is probably fed up with you little girls throwing dirt on the Iron Man Comics and Iron Man. J_W_B Mon, 26 May 2014 15:51:36 -0400 Why the past tense in the title? Has Elon retired? Passed way? Obviously for Steve the comparison is over his lifetime, a fixed number of years. To compare to Elon surely the measurement should be the same - over his lifetime or at least the same numbe of years as Steve was around. What was the market cap of Apple when Steve was at the age Elon is right now? Context is everything. Klaus Mon, 26 May 2014 05:16:46 -0400 Being a businessman requires skill as well.. and I don't remember Musk ever pretending he invented Tesla or the rockets of SpaceX or anything.. he has a great vision, has a sufficient grasp of the technology to know where to place his money, knows how to cooperate with experts, and is very skilled at running his business.. and so did Steve Jobs.. Most scientists and engineers lack these qualities. They're too focused on the technicalities and enjoy fiddling with the details, but they have terrible interpersonal or business skills. I speak as a computer engineer and would-be physicist. Joe Belkin Sun, 25 May 2014 17:01:15 -0400 Obviously getting a quote from a Tesla minion is one sided. But Jobs is so far ahead, it's not even close - hell, Elon isn't tesla (the original guy yet - inventing AC electricity puts you pretty far ahead - yep, even past Steve Jobs). Steve Jobs basically helped launch the consumer PC industry by making it so user friendly a kid could use (apple II, later Mac) - leading the way for BG & MS. The Mac was not only a professional GUI OS but helped launch through its ease of use desktop publishing (leading not just to literally desktop publishing in the US but helping ignite revolutions worldwide - Apple's laserprinter in that mix versus a printing press taht required skill to operate) - same with video - Quicktime, desktop video editing - build the foundation for videographers worldwide and of course, leadng to YouTube & again the democratization of video worldwide. In leaving Apple, He helped fund the birth of 3D animation and animated CGI - again, not just in movies but in allowing the growth of dozens of int'l communities. Each of those people take skills to help build the next gen of films. Then back at Apple. He helped paved the path of the consumer internet era with the imac (plug in wall, plug in ethernet, press power) - again, Apple didn't invent a PC that could plug into the internet but Apple showed that it need not be overly complicated and that a broadband connection should be part of the computer, and not an extra plug in card. Then of course, the ipod and the revisionst music indstry somehow thinks that Apple helping them sell BILLION and BILLIONS of tracks for which they are paid is a bad thing - with others, showcaasing that digital buying is easy and safe ... then the smartphone - against 98% naysayers who claimed that not only did consmers NOT want mobile internet but that a touchscreen was not good because every previous version was not good. More importantly, Apple told AT&T - our customers should get unlimited data (the original launch plan) for a set fee - breaking the tradition of a drab/drib of internet for a set fee. Basically, Steve Jobs ahs directly and indirectly affected the lives of about 3 BILLION people and if you count the trickle down effect of android selling an iphone lite, we're taking nearly EVERYONE on Earth affected by a computer, tablet, smartphone and a govt (or opposition) using desktop publishing and desktop video to tell a story or a point of view. Elon, smart guy - likeable and ambitious, all good - but so far, he's delivered an electric to a few hundred thousand proving than an electric car doesn't have to ugly but at $90k per, not exactly for the people (yet). The space stuff and the solar stuff is nice but nothing affecting millions let alone a billion lives yet. Steve Jobs is one of the top 10 most influentional people in the past 100 years and probably the most in the past 50 years. Elon PR message has exceeded his actual contribution. So, while his minions or a 20-year old with no clue about history think Elon is a in SJ terroritory ... he;s NOWHERE near him when it comes to ACTUAL. jacob.kral.1 Sun, 25 May 2014 16:00:22 -0400 And developers who* jacob.kral.1 Sun, 25 May 2014 15:58:30 -0400 Drones can't stand the truth. Jobs was a good salesman, and musk is a venture capitalist, whoopty do. Lets ignore those engineers, inventors and engineers ho actually created all their products and wrote the code their systems run on. jacob.kral.1 Sun, 25 May 2014 15:54:13 -0400 Develop the main Kernal used in billions of devices around the globe. Without linux this website wouldn't even function, cause most likely is hosted on a linux distro server, and many elements are probably coded on linux as well. Heck, teslas own dash console uses linux i bet. Fanboys are so uptight. mvigod Sun, 25 May 2014 14:04:07 -0400 If you measure their achievements by how many lives they have touched AND improved it is Steve Jobs hands down. No contest. I'll preface this by saying this is the facts for this point in time. In 10 or 20 years this could be different but Musk has much more to do and prove. Ok why? Steve Jobs first. Apple computers changed the world. The entire UI and elegance of the mac hardware and software was a game changer, later to be copied by many. All Apple's paradigms are still in place today. Jobs WAS the co-founder of Apple (more on this later) iPhone/Smartphone. Jobs revolutionized the mobile phone by putting a handheld computer in your hand and boosted it with "apps". Today his vision of a mobile phone sits in the hands of over a billion people. He's touched many lives. Over 1 in 5 people on the planet own a smartphone today and still growing. Smartphones in Jobs incarnation are now as big a game changer and disruptor as the automobile, PC, airplane, telephone, electricity. This one will be hard for Musk to ever beat and change the world and touch the lives that Jobs has on this alone. iPad. Steve Jobs again changes the landscape of computing by perfecting a form factor nobody had done before. People ridiculed the "iPad" when it launched including the name of it. Today Steve Jobs gets the last laugh. About 200M sold and growing. More lives touched. PC sales plummeting and laptops falling too. Another game changer executed brilliantly. Compare to Elon Musk. Brilliant guy with many years ahead of him but he's got alot of catching up to do. Less than 50k Tesla's sold today. That means < 50k lives touched by the entire Tesla Enterprise as of today. Even if Tesla in 20 years manages to sell 1 or 2 million cars that is just the number of iphones apple sells in a couple days or less. Advantage to Steve Jobs. More lives changed and touched. Space X. I'm sure if you say "what has Space X done for me or anyone I know" the answer will be "nothing I guess". Yes they will be carrying payloads into space but the number of lives directly affected by Space X and its service will be nothing compared to how just the ipad has touched peoples lives, let alone the smartphone. Space X is doing some great stuff. So do other companies. Many of these other incredible companies have products or services that I also (and you) don't use. Ferrari's are great. Do you drive one? Ok back to Jobs. Let's not forget about Pixar. Jobs came in and turned Pixar into the original digital animation studio blowing out one huge film after the next. If this was his only accomplishment it touched more people than Musk has today by far. 100's of millions have spent time enjoying these films and the digital effects and animation borne out of Pixar live on today in TV and Movies we all see and now take for granted. Back once more to Musk. Solar City. Another excellent endeavor by Musk and by no means has growth stopped. However they are still well under a million homes and commercial installs. I think a couple hundred thousand if my sources are accurate. Again a great start but has not affected many peoples lives. Look around your home, apartment and development. Do you see everyone with a solarcity install? Probably not. Maybe a few here and there and if so you are the exception. Look around and see how many people carry smartphones or ipads. Should Musk be considered even close to a Steve Jobs for Solar City anyway? It finances solar cells and installs. Not really groundbreaking genius type stuff here, is it? Musk has touched many with Paypal but he was also not the founder. Elon Musk founded which acquired Confinity in March 2000. In 1999 4 other gentleman launched paypal including Peter Thiel among those 4. Musk was NOT one of those 4 founders. So can you say it was HIS genius for starting paypal? Not really since he was not an original founder of paypal. Sure it was smart for to acquire the company though. Fantastic acquisition by Musk but that doesn't make him better than Jobs or more innovative. Pretty much the same with Tesla. He was not the founder. From Wikipedia: "Tesla Motors was incorporated in July 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who financed the company until the Series A round of funding. Both men played active roles in the company's early development prior to Elon Musk's involvement. Musk led the Series A round of investment in February 2004, joining Tesla's Board of Directors as its Chairman" So not to take anything away from Musk's achievements to date or others he may have in the future. He's a great businessman and a genius. He may someday surpass Steve Jobs in this epic battle but has an incredible amount of work to do in order to even be considered. Flame on Musk Fanboys! :-) skaap Sun, 25 May 2014 03:47:40 -0400 Jobs actions are what kick-started the smart phone race. An industry that created thousands of sub-industries which fuel and supports more people that you are aware of. Smart phone cases, accessories, manufacturing. Small business owners who create and sell phone accessories all make a living thanks to Jobs who gave us the smart phone era. Admit it, if he did not make the iPhone, then who would have? and when? 10 years down the line? You would have been relying in HP or some high tech company to come up and distribute a phone. People always brag about how HP made a tablet 10 years before the iPad. Well exactly, and what did they do with it? Nothing. It's thanks to them that you did no have a tablet until Jobs went ahead and did it, correctly. Me, and my whole family relies on a small business dealing with smart phone accessories. There are thousands of small shops in Hong Kong, China, South Korea all who also relies on this market, which is thanks to Jobs who started it. Musk created the most hated company in the world. Paypal. Which out of spite, is semi-illegal until about 1 year ago, in his own mother country South Africa. After high-school he moved abroad to go stay and work at rich relatives abroad. Conveniently, he say the reason for leaving was about apartheid and he will not support a racist regime. Saying that surely scores him a lot of sympathy points. Tesla has no legacy or impact on regular people such as the legacy of Jobs. John Lund Sun, 25 May 2014 03:24:46 -0400 What an asinine/stupid/inane (pick an adjective) story. Weightless fluff on a slow news day, I guess... MUSK WEARS A WIG Sat, 24 May 2014 23:42:43 -0400 HEARD HE HAD FACE WORK TOO AND HE DIDNT INVENT OR CREATE THE TECHNOLOGY OF TESLA NOT IMPRESSED ClovisMan Sat, 24 May 2014 20:03:01 -0400 then why dont you go away. nobody likes trolls. Bubba Nicholson Sat, 24 May 2014 17:05:54 -0400 Musk's dislike for patents is understandable. Financing new technology has been a burden on private enterprise since the beginning of our country. Perhaps it is time for reform. Inventors should be maintained by the public as well as should those who publish medical journal articles physics journal articles, etc. Good inventors are nothing if not prolific. I'm an inventor myself. The most I ever got, a few thousands from GE, I got in a sale of a patent with the product patented. I invented the laptop dock that Zenith patented (way back there), a lot of ways to stop hurricanes that Gates copied, but the really big stuff nobody wants, yet. Will we ever need artificial gills? Figured out gas exchange in the lungs to improve high altitude physical performance, but nobody was interested. Found a way to cure borderline personality disorder, criminal behavior, unwanted perversions, heroin addiction, oxycodone addiction, cocaine addiction, nobody wants them, either. a2 Sat, 24 May 2014 14:50:19 -0400 What did he do? Write a clone of Unix? Big deal. jacob.kral.1 Sat, 24 May 2014 12:27:54 -0400 Linus Torvalds. Just one of many that is better than either of these guys, and barely known. jacob.kral.1 Sat, 24 May 2014 12:22:58 -0400 In all honesty, neither are that impressive. Yes they have made money, but almost nothing musk or jobs has done so far is new. There are unknown faces behind both of these men that imo are far, far more valuable to the world. kmq Sat, 24 May 2014 11:56:53 -0400 They're both a bunch of Idiots. All they did was either re-brand other peoples Technology and sell for a loss and then rob pensioners on the stock market or steal/copy somebody else's work and then send their underage 13 year old daughter to take it up the arse form the Judge so that the courts don't shut them down. Economist Says Businessinsider is still Losing Money -- WHY? Sat, 24 May 2014 11:30:06 -0400 who cares about this stupid bait-click article that BI throws up every few months about jobs vs. whoever. stupid argument. lets talk about why Business Insider is still unprofitable after 8 years in business ? surely its not cause Business Insider is investing for future growth. so what is it? is it impossible for a little blog that isnt mainstream to become profitable? even the economist made fun of the businessinsider.... <a href="" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" ></a> "It is true that some of its new rivals barely make money, and others, such as Business Insider and Quartz, are believed to be losing it, whereas last year the Times had more than $150m in profits." Petunia Sat, 24 May 2014 11:08:12 -0400 Musk is much more impressive than Jobs ever was. Jobs biggest accomplishment was Windows. | <urn:uuid:962808b1-41a5-4b39-9d11-011582d12022> | http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-compared-to-elon-musk-2014-5/comments.rss | en | 0.965587 | 0.033119 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Diarrhea refers to an increase in the rate of bowel movements from the body or may be reduction in the form of stools (looseness of stool). Even though these changes in the frequency of stool movements and looseness of bowels might vary independently from each other, changes occur often in both. Causes of diarrhea can be many; diarrhea has to be distinguished from few other conditions. Even though these four conditions accompany diarrhea, they all have different causes and dissimilar treatments than that of diarrhea.
The conditions are like incontinence of stool that is inability to control the stool movements. The other condition is rectal urgency where one feels a sudden urge to pass the stools which is very strong that if a toilet is not available immediately there may be incontinence. Then there is incomplete evacuation that is a sensation of another bowel movement immediately after passing of the stools yet there will difficulty in passing the stool further. The fourth condition is bowel movements soon after having meals.
Diarrhea is defined two terms one is absolute and other is relative term which is based on either the looseness of stools or frequency of the bowel movements.
Absolute diarrhea means having bowel movements more than usual since among the healthy individuals the number of maximum daily bowel movements is around three; diarrhea can be stated as number of stools higher than three. Whereas relative diarrhea has more than normal bowel movements .Therefore if any individual usually having one bowel movement daily begins to have more than one bowel movements daily, then diarrhea is present, even if there are less than three bowel movements daily, that means, there is no absolute diarrhea.
Absolute diarrhea is quiet difficult to be defined depending on the consistency of the stools since the consistency of stools may vary from individual to individual considerably on the basis of their diets. Therefore, people who eat ample amounts of vegetables have looser stools than those individuals who eat lesser amount of vegetables. Stools that are watery or liquid are always unusual and are considered diarrheal. Therefore relative diarrhea is much easier to define depending on the consistency of bowels .Thus, a person who produces looser stools than normal has diarrhea even if the bowels may be within the normal range with respect to the consistency.
Causes of Diarrhea
Various viral infections cause many cases of diarrhea. They are normally associated with moderate to mild symptoms with recurrent, watery bowel movements, a low-grade fever and abdominal cramps. Diarrhea in general lasts around 4 to 7 days.
Following are few common causes of diarrhea due to viral infections:
• Rotavirus is one of the common sources of diarrhea in babies.
• Nor virus is the most ordinary cause of diarrhea in adults and mostly in school age children.
• Adenovirus infections of diarrhea are common in almost all age groups.
Bacterial infections are another cause and it is more serious case of diarrhea. Normally, infection due bacteria occur from unhygienic foods or drinks or due to food poisoning. Bacterial infections even cause extremely severe symptoms, like vomiting, severe abdominal cramps or pain and fever. Bowel movements occur recurrently and possibly will be watery.
Following are few examples that are causes of diarrhea due to bacterial infections:
• In more severe cases, the stool might contain pus, mucus, or blood. Many of these infections are linked with the local outbreaks of disease.
• Foreign travel is one of the common ways to contract diarrhea.
Parasites cause infection to the digestive system with the help of contaminated water. Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium and Entamoeba histolytica are few common parasitic causes of diarrhea.
Intestinal disorders or diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, and celiac disease can cause diarrhea.
Reaction to certain medications can cause diarrhea. Common medications include antibiotics, blood pressure medications, cancer drugs, and antacids (especially ones containing magnesium).
| <urn:uuid:c5181b85-b0db-4810-9cad-6decdde7e796> | http://www.freehealthcaretips.net/diarrhea.html | en | 0.94595 | 0.049723 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Hope for UK economy as trade gap shrinks
The value of UK exports grew by 3.5 per cent on the month while the value of imports rose by 2.6 per cent. There was a surplus of trade with the US and Ireland, which was offset by deficits with Germany, the Netherlands and China.
In 2012, the UK current account deficit hit a record high of 3.7 per cent, or £58 billion, confounding hopes that a 20 per cent depreciation of sterling since the financial crisis would facilitate a rebalancing of the economy towards exports.
The ONS also said that output from the construction sector declined by 2.3 per cent in March, taking the level of activity to its lowest since late 1998. The ONS judges that the building sector was a drag on total output in the first quarter, when GDP grew by 0.3 per cent. | <urn:uuid:b651d698-a109-4e93-a4fd-ea7105aad20b> | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hope-for-uk-economy-as-trade-gap-shrinks-8611173.html | en | 0.968312 | 0.023486 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
The Knesset Science and Technology Committee approved the ordinances necessary to establish a biometric identification database on Thursday, at a meeting attended by only two MKs.
The vote provided the final approval necessary for the Interior Ministry to begin working on a two-year pilot project of the database beginning in November, in which citizens will be able to voluntarily exchange their identity cards and passports for new electronic ones.
The Knesset passed a law allowing for the database’s establishment in 2009.
Knesset Science and Technology Committee chairman MK Meir Sheetrit (Kadima) and MK Avraham Michaeli (Shas) both voted in favor of the database at the end of a long discussion in which rights groups opposed the policy on privacy grounds.
MK Ze’ev Elkin (Likud) arrived at the meeting two hours late, and did not vote.
“Since the law passed, there have been a lot of mistaken reports that misled the public,” Sheetrit said in the meeting’s opening remarks.
“Many countries have biometric databases; what they don’t have are identity cards.”
Sheetrit also said that many Israelis are already part of a biometric database, because anyone with a visa to the US must be fingerprinted.
“They have the fingerprints of over a million Israeli citizens. So, it’s all right for the US government to have a database of Israeli citizens, but not for the Israeli government?” The new biometric identification cards and passports will include a computer chip for short-range wireless communication that will contain information such as a photo, date of birth, fingerprints and a signature.
“There are no mandatory biometric databases in any democratic country,” Avner Pinchuk, a lawyer from the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, said during the meeting.
“You’re misleading the public,” Sheetrit retorted. “There are biometric fingerprint databases all over the world. Stop making things up. Most countries have a biometric database that is mandatory for whoever wants a passport.”
Pinchuk pointed out that parts of the US database were leaked.
Sheetrit said in response: “Ours won’t leak. You’re just trying to scare the public.” | <urn:uuid:f465fd40-7535-4689-a0ea-3fa1740acefa> | http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Biometric-ID-database-to-be-launched-in-November | en | 0.91956 | 0.067545 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
sunset golfer
When government funds are used to finance or operate golf courses, taxpayers often end up in a trap.
Municipalities often own and operate businesses in direct competition with the private sector. According to the Michigan Golf Course Owners Association and Mackinac Center research, about 91 Michigan golf courses are owned by various units of government, including seven owned by state universities.
Government golf is unnecessary, unfair to private entrepreneurs, and needlessly expensive. Proponents claim that government golf is necessary to ensure access to low-income duffers (and others), preserve green space, and even generate income. Their arguments are belied by a host of evidence, both anecdotal and empirical. Government golf courses hurt taxpayers and the owners of Michigan’s 823 privately owned golf courses.
There are 22 government-owned golf courses in Oakland County — more than any other Michigan county — including one owned by the city of Detroit (Rackham). Oakland County is one of the wealthiest counties in the nation, which makes it difficult to argue that these courses are needed to keep the game affordable.
Oakland’s $13.4 million Lyon Oaks Golf Course in Wixom opened in 2002. According to county officials, the acquisition of land for the course and park was made possible through three state grants worth $2.4 million, and the construction was financed through the parks department’s capital improvement fund. Construction of the clubhouse, pro shop, and banquet and meeting space were financed with $5.1 million in bonds.
Competition from government golf courses is a frequent complaint among owners of privately owned courses. Consider two major problems with government golf.
First, government competition is unfair. A municipality may build or subsidize a golf course with tax dollars taken from the private course owners they compete against. In addition, the government often has the option of assigning workers paid by one department to a municipal golf course run by another. Government golf courses are also not saddled with property tax burdens.
One former owner of a golf course in Commerce Twp. stated that he paid $200,000 a year in property taxes while the local municipal courses paid nothing. This made competing difficult enough, but his government-owned competitor also ran $10 specials for 18 holes of golf. He was effectively driven from business.
Among owners of golf courses in Southeastern Michigan, Lyon Oaks Golf Course is a frequent topic of conversation and criticism. The most common complaint of this particular facility is its size and high quality, including its amenities, such as the clubhouse.
In the past, private owners have been able to better differentiate themselves from government golf courses by providing superior courses and other amenities, but Lyon Oaks strips away that comparative advantage. Municipal courses have also been adding beer and liquor sales to their services, giving customers another reason to choose government golf over private sector operations.
Government golf is also unfair to people who have no interest in playing the game but are forced to subsidize it with their taxes.
Second, government golf is unnecessary. Interest in the game has waned in recent years and some courses are closing simply due to insufficient demand.
Empirical evidence suggests that the sport would benefit if government would stay out of the business. In the 2004 edition of "International Journal of the Economics of Business" a study by economist and author of the book, "Golfonomics," Stephen Shmanske, assessed the impact of 104 golf courses in the San Francisco Bay Area between 1893 and 2001. Shmanske found that municipal golf courses deterred the entry of other courses, and that government golf reduced the number of golf courses in San Francisco. Shmanske recommends privatization to increase the number of golf courses and golfers.
In 2006 the Michigan Legislature should draw a legal line in the sand trap. First, it should outlaw direct competition between government and legitimate business, as Pennsylvania is trying to do. Second, it should mandate cost accounting techniques for all units of government operating golf courses so taxpayers could more easily understand the true cost of the activity.
Government golf is unfair to taxpayers and golf course owners and may actually lower the amount of greens and golfers in the state. Municipal courses should be sold to the highest bidder. Short of that, the state legislature should step in and protect taxpayers and private businesses from future losses and from unfair competition. And as citizens and taxpayers, we should be asking ourselves: Is golf one of the legitimate functions of government?
Government golf is an area where local governments frequently interfere with the workings of the marketplace. Government-owned golf courses are unnecessary, expensive, and harmful to private sector owners and taxpayers alike.
Main Text Word Count: 723
Share More … | <urn:uuid:3c5fb804-38e3-4d7d-addb-e0941864bcc1> | http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=7571 | en | 0.962614 | 0.019691 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
What gives, Governor Cuomo? Why was Verrazano toll relief for Staten Islanders left out of the budget bill?
Staten Island Advance Editorial By Staten Island Advance Editorial Staten Island Advance
on March 31, 2013 at 6:27 AM
cuomo.JPG Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaking on the state budget last week.
The New York State Legislature beat the March 31 deadline for passing a budget for the third straight year on Thursday when the Assembly followed the Senate's lead and approved a $135-billion spending plan.
Like all budgets, this one is a smorgasbord of good things and not-so-good things, depending on your point of view.
Certainly, the $5 million allocated for a conservation easement for Pouch Camp is something to celebrate. So is the $85 million appropriated to improve roads in the five boroughs.
Those who are caught and have to pay the fines will disagree, but we applaud the increase in the fine for texting while driving to $150 for the first offense.
On the other hand, the $350 tax rebate for families — timed to be released on the eve of the 2014 elections — is a questionable spending initiative, considering the state's shaky finances, though families will welcome it.
And the raise in the state minimum wage to $9 an hour could cause an overall increase in prices and not necessarily benefit low-wage workers in the long run.
From a strictly Staten Island perspective, however, this budget is more notable for what's not in it.
And what's not in it is the promised $14-million allocation to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to allow the agency to offer a discounted $5.50 car toll on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Staten Island E-ZPass customers as well as a discount for borough-based commercial vehicles.
The omission is curious since a deal to provide that toll discount offset for the MTA was agreed to by both chambers of the state Legislature. At the time that agreement, brokered by state Sens. Andrew Lanza, Diane Savino and Assemblyman Michael Cusick, was reached, Staten Island lawmakers hailed it as a major victory.
It turns out the celebration was premature.
Something happened on the way to final passage and the toll discount was left out of the final budget legislation. (There was $40 million allocated for the MTA in the budget to restore service cuts made in the last several years, however.)
What the sticking point was is not entirely clear, but, for whatever reasons, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and/or the MTA balked at the toll-discount provision. Now, legislation to enact the discount will have to be passed separately.
Explanations vary. Mr. Cusick said that even though there was a precedent for the discount the state enacted for the Cross Bay Bridge in the Rockaways, the Verrazano plan included a first-ever discount for commercial vehicles.
Mr. Lanza said, "There were just too many moving parts for it to be part of the budget."
But Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis pointed out that the budget contains a $24-million allocation to the New York State Thruway to avoid a threatened toll increase.
"The governor made a deal with the Thruway Authority," Ms. Malliotakis said. "I hope in the future we get some consideration, the same treatment and relief."
To a one, her colleagues insisted that securing the Verrazano toll discount has nothing to do with the Thruway toll being maintained. Maybe that's true technically, but it's hard not to contrast the different outcomes of these two quests in Albany.
So, what happened to the Verrazano discount proposal?
We find it hard to believe that the MTA, after intense talks with lawmakers, would withdraw its support. The agency doesn't care where it gets the money from, as long as it gets the $14 million the toll discount would have cost.
And frankly, the MTA doesn't get the final say.
That leaves the governor.
Why would he derail an initiative which had been agreed to by both chambers of the Legislature?
Staten Island lawmakers, perhaps in deference to the fact that Mr. Cuomo represents the final hurdle to toll relief, were reluctant to criticize him.
"It didn't make the budget, but that doesn't mean that because we don't get it now that it is over," Mr. Lanza said. "Now we go to Plan B. I am very optimistic."
He added that the "governor has been a great partner to us."
Mr. Cusick echoed, "The governor has been a proven partner in toll relief and will continue to be. This will be addressed by the end of session."
Maybe so, but the question remains: Why did Staten Island's partner in toll relief not insist that the deal for Verrazano toll relief be included in the budget legislation?
How about it, Mr. Cuomo? | <urn:uuid:a3fd2d25-aa34-432d-b247-0d1d2660e72e> | http://www.silive.com/opinion/editorials/index.ssf/2013/03/what_gives_governor_why_was_ve.html | en | 0.962573 | 0.066529 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
David Millar calls for more drug tests in buildup to London 2012
'The window for using them is in the preparation phase'
Cyclist may still compete for Team GB if Cas overturns ban
David Millar
David Millar reckons only 'stupid athletes' would use drugs in the Games and believes now is the time for widespread testing. Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
The British cyclist David Millar has called on the International Olympic Committee to help fund a widespread drugs testing programme in the months before the Games.
Millar, himself banned for two years in 2004 after admitting using the blood-boosting agent EPO, says drug cheats using similar substances or many steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) will do so in the two months before the Games so their systems are clean during competition.
The IOC will carry out 5,000 tests in London, of which 1,000 will be blood tests which can detect EPO and HGH. Millar, however, wants a more formal pre-Games anti-doping strategy from the Olympics body.
He added: "The IOC need to research exactly what all the national anti-doping organisations are doing and if there is a fixed criteria of testing for competing nations.
"UK Anti-Doping are on top of it and we want the British team to be the cleanest team in the Olympics but what about all the smaller nations? Often a lack of funds is a problem when it comes to the number of tests a country can carry out.
"The IOC has all this money coming in from the Olympics so perhaps they should level the playing field for all athletes so that all countries carry out similar testing to the UK, Australia, USA and France."
Millar could yet be part of Team GB in London – the Court of Arbitration for Sport will rule on the legality of the BOA's lifetime ban later this month.
If the ban is overturned then Millar would almost certainly be part of the British road race team alongside Mark Cavendish.
The IOC said: "The IOC is responsible for the testing programme carried out during the period of the Games which starts on the opening day of the village on July 16 and ends on the day of the closing ceremony.
"This programme includes systematic urine and blood post-event testing as well as random testing.
"In addition, it is worth noting that all actors of the Olympic Movement (national and international federations, national Olympic committees and national anti-doping organisations) usually intensify their testing efforts in the period leading up to the Olympic Games in order to ensure that only clean athletes make it to the Games.
"This pre-Games testing programme proved to be efficient prior to the Beijing and Vancouver Games." | <urn:uuid:e40abd00-afc9-4db9-9724-742a5d9a9b9d> | http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/mar/06/david-millar-pre-olympic-drugs-testing | en | 0.955068 | 0.027849 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Name: scotty Version: 0.2.0 x-revision: 1 Synopsis: Haskell web framework inspired by Ruby's Sinatra, using WAI and Warp Homepage: Bug-reports: License: BSD3 License-file: LICENSE Author: Andrew Farmer Maintainer: Andrew Farmer Copyright: (c) 2012 Andrew Farmer Category: Web Stability: experimental Build-type: Simple Cabal-version: >= 1.10 Description: A Haskell web framework inspired by Ruby's Sinatra, using WAI and Warp. . @ {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-} . import Web.Scotty . import Data.Monoid (mconcat) . main = scotty 3000 $ do get "/:word" $ do beam <- param "word" html $ mconcat ["<h1>Scotty, ", beam, " me up!</h1>"] @ . . Scotty is the cheap and cheerful way to write RESTful, declarative web applications. . * A page is as simple as defining the verb, url pattern, and Text content. . * It is template-language agnostic. Anything that returns a Text value will do. . * Conforms to WAI Application interface. . * Uses very fast Warp webserver by default. . This design has been done in Haskell at least once before (to my knowledge) by the miku framework. My issue with miku is that it uses the Hack2 interface instead of WAI (they are analogous, but the latter seems to have more traction), and that it is written using a custom prelude called Air (which appears to be an attempt to turn Haskell into Ruby syntactically). I wanted something that depends on relatively few other packages, with an API that fits on one page. . As for the name: Sinatra + Warp = Scotty. . [WAI] . [Warp] Extra-source-files: README examples/basic.hs examples/urlshortener.hs examples/json.hs examples/static/jquery.js examples/static/jquery-json.js examples/static/json.js Library Exposed-modules: Web.Scotty other-modules: Web.Scotty.Util default-language: Haskell2010 build-depends: aeson == 0.5, base >= 4.3.1 && < 5, blaze-builder == 0.3, bytestring == 0.9.1, case-insensitive == 0.4, conduit ==, data-default == 0.3, http-types == 0.6.8, mtl == 2.0.1, text == 0.11.1, wai == 1.0.0, warp == 1.0.0 GHC-options: -Wall -fno-warn-orphans source-repository head type: git location: git:// | <urn:uuid:408b0074-c0c1-468c-a406-8ffcb227c08a> | http://hackage.haskell.org/package/scotty-0.2.0/scotty.cabal | en | 0.802998 | 0.126527 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
That's not to degrade the rest of the game, which is due out this fall. It looks just fine. It's just a testament to how glorious Metroplex is. I mean, transforming into a fighter jet or a truck is cool, I guess, but transforming into a city? That's how you get stuff done.
This isn't the first time we've seen the Autobot's metropolitan enforcer; he first turned up in an E3 trailer last month. But it's always nice to see him again. | <urn:uuid:544d187a-b16a-43ac-b7d2-55cbbb548423> | http://kotaku.com/5923521/metroplex-is-still-the-best-thing-about-the-new-transformers-game?tag=Transformers | en | 0.975009 | 0.93426 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Marvel Universe
Aguila (Alejandro Montoya)
Revision as of 03:52, 9 November 2007 by Realld (Talk | contribs)
Marvel Universe
Real Name
Alejandro Montoya
The Eagle, the Master, Aguila
Place of Birth
Madrid, Spain
First Appearance
Power Man and Iron Fist #58 (1979)
Power Man and Iron Fist #58 (1979)
Alejandro Montoya discovered his mutant ability to generate electricity at an early age while living in Spain and learned how to sword fight. Alejandro traveled to the United States and decided to use his mutant powers to benefit others. He then took the name "El Aguila", after his ancestor, the original El Aguila. He took to the streets and started to assualt local drug dealers and hoodlums. After a while Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and Misty Knight were called in and fought with El Aguila. During the fight the three heroes realized that El Aguila was on their side, they left Aguila to continue his vigilante career.
A few weeks later Aguila teamed up with Colleen Wing and Misty Knight and battled mercenaries and Ferocia who were hired by Ward Meachum. During the battled that followed Misty was kidnapped and taken hostage by the mercenaries who took her to a compound owned by Meachum. Seeking to save their friend, Iron First and Luke Cage joined Aguila and Colleen to storm the compound and eventually rescue Misty and sending Meachum's gang to prison. After an unknown amount of time Aguila's cousin Migdalia asked for his help. Worried about his cousin he returned to Spain to find the village she lived in plagued by the mutant Conquistador. During the fight that followed Aguila managed to knock Conquistador out and vanished as local authorities took him to jail.
Recently, during a mission, the Avengers viewed a screen of de-powered mutants, which included El Aguila, after the House of M event. Whether he is truly de-powered or not is yet to be seen. His current whereabouts are unknown.
Contributors: Acotilletta2, _Iron_man_ and Realld | <urn:uuid:2ae73354-e54c-447b-9d66-0866b0b6af59> | http://marvel.com/universe3zx/index.php?title=Aguila_(Alejandro_Montoya)&oldid=55045 | en | 0.972802 | 0.060964 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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Given e1..e5 as the exponents of the base units, are there any well known methods for producing a simplified form?
As an example m^2*kg*s^-1 simplifies to W*s^2.
I have a set of derived units as Name/exponent-vector pairs as input and it can be assumed all exponents are rational (and in fact most being integers and almost all not having a denominator more than about 3-4).
I know this can be reduced to a linear algebra problem but it is VERY under defined and in fact has several possible solutions.
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So take the least squares solution, or something. – Qiaochu Yuan Aug 26 '10 at 0:28
least squares is for over constrained (i.e no-solution), this is under constrained (inf-solutions). – BCS Aug 26 '10 at 1:11
Sorry, I guess that was bad terminology. I meant take the solution whose distance to the origin is smallest. (Or you can switch to the L^1 norm, or something. It really depends on what you're trying to accomplish.) – Qiaochu Yuan Aug 26 '10 at 3:21
@Qiaochu, @BCS: Unfortunately, the expression $\text{J}^{1/2}\text{kg}^{-1/2}$ has a lower norm than the much more desirable $\text{ms}^{-1}$ in any norm. It seems to me that one would have to restrict the exponents to integers to get sensible results. I don't know what to do about rational exponents in the input. – Rahul Oct 25 '10 at 3:18
I have no idea what you are trying to ask. The concept of "simple" in this case is highly subjective. I personally think that working with (physical) units of M,L,T, and Q is the most simple way to do dimensional analysis. Memorizing a host of identities such as $[W]=[M\frac{L^2}{T^2}]$ doesn't make anything simpler for me personally. – Matt Calhoun Nov 24 '10 at 3:28
In general the problem of "simplifying" units (mathematical expressions in general) has no well defined solution - it is not even a well-defined process, in most cases. For example, there are multiple ways of reducing your given example:
m^2 kg s^-1 => N m s
m^2 kg s^-1 => J s
m^2 kg s^-1 => W s^2
The best you can really do is recursively enumerate over all such possibilities and use some heuristic to choose the "best" (or give the option of using any of them).
(Note: intuitively I would guess that these units are representing angular momentum, in which case N m s probably makes most sense, though it's quite subjective.)
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I was kinda looking for some solutions that have already thought that one out. Any suggestions as to a heuristic and/or a enumeration strategy that will will allow good pruning? – BCS Aug 26 '10 at 1:13
Your Answer
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v. Action No. D-4369-96
Washington, D.C.
April 2, 1997
The above-entitled matter came on for a hearing before the Honorable JOHN H. TREANOR, JR., Hearing Commissioner, in Courtroom Number 8A.
On behalf of the Government: SCOTT DAMON, ESQ. On behalf of the Defendant: MARK GOLDSTONE, ESQ.
Deposition Services, Inc.
6245 Executive Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 881 3344
2300 M Street N.W.
Suite 800 Washington, D.C. 2003
Direct Cross
For the Government:
Officer David Lombardi
(By Mr. Damon) . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 41
(By Mr. Goldstone) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
THE DEPUTY CLERK: Calling the matter of United States v. William Thomas, Case Number D-4369-96.
THE COURT: Where is Mr. Thomas.
MR. GOLDSTONE: He's on his way in.
THE COURT: How are you, Mr. Thomas?
THE DEFENDANT: Thank God I'm all right. How are you?
THE DEFENDANT: I said thank God I'm all right. How are you?
MR. GOLDSTONE: Mark Goldstone appearing for Mr. Thomas who is present, Your Honor. We're ready to proceed.
THE COURT: All right. And the Government?
MR. DAMON: Scott Damon, Your Honor. Assistant Corporation Counsel.
THE COURT: All right. Be seated, gentlemen. All right. The complaint alleges violation of D.C. Code, Loud and Boisterous, violation of 22-1121(1)DO-32. Under circumstances, such a breach of the peace might be occasioned by a act in a manner as to annoy, disturb, interfere with, obstruct and be offensive to others by acting loud and bolster oust All right. Any pre-trial motions?
MR. DAMON: Not from the Government, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Mr. Goldstone ?
MR. GOLDSTONE: No, Your Honor. But I would ask for the Government opening statement, please.
THE COURT: Yes. They'll make an opening statement. And do you want a rule on witnesses?
MR. DAMON: Yes, Your Honor. The Government has only one officer. I'm not sure if some of the people-in the courtroom now are the ones the defense is going to call.
THE COURT: Well, we'll have a -- do you want a rule on witnesses if some of them are here?
MR. DAMON: Yes, Your Honor. Yes.
THE COURT: All right. Anybody who is a witness in this case, kindly wait outside. Now, I understand there's somebody here from out of town.
MR. GOLDSTONE: Yes. It's Mr. Walsh.
THE COURT: Who was that again?
MR. GOLDSTONE: He's not here right this second. He's in the hallway.
THE COURT: If I can get to him today, I will, okay? I'll try to get to him. It all depends on how quickly the trial -
MR. DAMON: I'll try to be brief with the witness, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Okay. All right. The rest of you please wait outside. I'll call you.
MR. GOLDSTONE: These aren't witnesses, Your Honor
THE COURT: Oh. They're not witnesses. All right Opening statement. You may proceed.
MR. DAMON: Thank you. Just briefly, Your Honor, in the case of District of Columbia v. William Thomas, the Government will present only one witness. That's Officer David Lombardi of the United States Park Police. He will tell the Court that back on November 4, 1996, that's a Monday afternoon around 3:40 p.m., he was on duty working in the area of Lafayette Park across from the White House.
He approached the, what he described as a film or news crew that was in the park. There was a cameraman, there was a male who was holding a camera on a tripod. There was also a female who was apparently engaged, was holding a conversation with Mr. Thomas.
And Officer Lombardi had approached the crew and asked them basically what they were doing and that the defendant basically began yelling at him, made a number of statements towards the officer. Essentially the officer had told him to calm down. A crowd of people including some tourists, the officer will tell you, crowded around.
The officer was there alone, that he felt that the defendant was basically acting loud and boisterous and he called for a supervisor. But that supervisor wasn't going to be available for a period of time, that he instructed the defendant to calm down, that he would have to leave the area
if he wasn't calming down.
That went on for a few minutes and essentially, the defendant then got on a bicycle, was riding around the area. The officer was telling him, you've got to calm down, you're going to leave. There was no response from the defendant an after that point, the Officer Lombardi placed him under arrest.
The supervisor eventually did come and at that point, he was placed in a police vehicle, taken to the District, a District Station at Haynes Point and he was processed. There was -- the officer will testify the defendant made a statement to him when he was processing him back at the station also.
And, Your Honor, the Government will show that through the testimony of Officer Lombardi that in fact, there were circumstances based on the defendant's actions that created a, that were likely to provoke a breach of the peace in this incident. Thank you.
MR. GOLDSTONE: I would move for judgment of acquittal. Absolutely nothing that remotely approaches a breaking of this statute, Your Honor. This statue is not designed to interfere with people's First Amendment rights to speak in the park, to communicate with film crews and to have their positions made known to a larger public.
The Government attorney just stated that this person was being interviewed by a film crew and this officer interdicted that communicative speech. On that alone, the Government cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this individual was loud and boisterous. If anything, individual should be loud and boisterous when a member of the Park Police comes in and interdicts them from being able to give their views in Lafayette Park.
We're talking about the highest, the highest and most treasured part of our universe, the First Amendment rights, in Lafayette Park. There is no higher place to demonstrate First Amendment rights.
THE COURT: It's like any other place, isn't it?
MR. GOLDSTONE: No, it isn't.
THE COURT: It's a park.
MR. GOLDSTONE: It's a park, Your Honor, but it has -- the courts have explicitly recognized that this has the highest value -
THE COURT: It gets more attention.
MR. GOLDSTONE: It gets more attention because of its unique status in front of the White House.
THE COURT: Not any more unique than anyplace else except geographically, it's near the White House.
MR. GOLDSTONE: And that's exactly the point.
MR. GOLDSTONE: So if people have rights to speak and demonstrate in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, certainly in front of the White House they have a right to speak. And the Government basically makes a defense case right there.
THE COURT: I don't think anybody is claiming that he has no right to speak there. They're not, I gather they're not claiming that he, simply by being loud and/or boisterous, that doesn't break the law. There are all kinds of loud boisterous people up there bleeding on their horns and screaming at each other and all kinds of other such. It has to, does it not, threaten a breach of the peace?
MR. GOLDSTONE: And Your Honor, it can't -- the Heckler's Veto, which is an important principle in the First Amendment law says basically that if Mr. Thomas is demonstrating, if he is engaging in First Amendment conduct, the fact that others, tourists, visitors, that they may react to his speech does not characterize his speech -
THE COURT: Well, I haven't heard anything about any reaction except the policeman's reaction.
MR. GOLDSTONE: I understand. And we move to dismiss. There's absolutely nothing that's broken the statute.
MR. DAMON: Your Honor, the Government has presented
its case and as far as the interview, as Officer Lombardi's testimony will say, that's what he observed happening. There was a film crew, the defendant was standing there. There's nothing about any protest going on here.
THE COURT: I don't know what a film crew is either to the policeman or you.
MR. DAMON: A camera crew might be better to -
THE COURT: We've got them outside the courthouse all week long. Lafayette Park has camera people by the thousands up there. Some are observers, some of them are trying to get rich quick making a movie. I don't know. But you mention the magic words in your opening statement, that would tend to, could promote a breach of the peace. That was part of your opening statement.
MR. DAMON: Yes, it was, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Denied. We'll see what the breach of the peace, or threat to breach of the piece was. All right.
MR. DAMON: Thank you, Your Honor. Whereupon,
OFFICER DAVID LOMBARDI: having been called as a witness for and on behalf of the Government, and having been first duly sworn by the Deputy Clerk, was examined and testified as follows:
THE COURT: Good afternoon.
THE WITNESS: Good afternoon, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Sorry you had to wait so long. Okay.
Q. Sir, will you please state your whole name and spell your last name for the record?
A. It's David Lombardi. It's L-O-M-B-A-R-D-I.
Q. And who do you currently work for?
A. I work for the United States Park Police, Anacostia Operations Facility. That's in Southeast, D.C.
Q. How long have you been a park police officer?
A. Approximately one-and-a-half years.
THE COURT: Let me interrupt for a minute. Do you have any relatives on the eastern shore of Maryland?
THE WITNESS: Not that I know of, sir.
THE COURT: Okay. I just want to check. The Lombardi clan is wide-spread. All right.
Q. Back on November 4, 1996, where were you working?
A. I was working the White House sidewalk.
Q. Okay. How long had you been assigned to work that area when you worked as a Park Police Officer?
A. We switch around, but I was in that area for approximately three months.
Q. Now, back on November 4th of last year at around 3:40, did something attract your attention?
A. Yes. I saw a news crew in Lafayette Park.
Q. Okay. And where -- just for the Court, describe exactly where you saw them.
A. They were on the sidewalk facing the White House.
Q. Now, is this the sidewalk right by the White House or actually in the park?
A. Across the street. Across the street. Across Pennsylvania Avenue.
Q. Okay. And what you describe as a news crew or fil crew, can you tell us why you thought they were filming?
A. Well, I saw a male that had a TV camera and he had a tripod, and a female standing there. And on Government land, there's restrictions dealing with cameras and tripods. So I went over to ask them
THE COURT: Cameras? What restriction on cameras?
THE WITNESS: Well, in certain monuments and stuff, you have to have permission.
THE COURT: To take a picture?
THE WITNESS: Well, yeah. If it's like for a commercial. If it's a private citizen,-you don't but for commercial uses you do. You have to have a permit.
THE COURT: Any kind of a camera?
MR. DAMON: If they were like filming a movie or something, Your Honor.
THE WITNESS: Yeah. If it's for commercial use.
And tripods are, around the White House, they have restrictions on tripods for a legitimate purpose.
Q. Now, when you first saw what you thought was a film, where were you?
A. I was across the street on the White House sidewalk.
Q. Across Pennsylvania Avenue?
A. Yes.
Q. And after you saw them, what did you do?
A. I approached them to ask them what they were doing.
Q. And did you do that?
A. Yes. I approached them and I -- just in the general area, there was two of them. I just stated what's happening or what's going on. Something to that effect.
Q. And who was this question directed to?
A. To both of them. I didn't really direct it to either one of the people. To both of them.
THE COURT: Now, wait a minute. I want to get a picture. There was the camera man, a female, anybody else?
THE WITNESS: There was the cameraman and the female. I guess she was the reporter.
THE COURT: Just two people?
THE WITNESS: Yes. Just two people.
THE COURT: And what were they doing?
THE WITNESS: They were standing there with their equipment. I could tell that they were probably from a news station. I get paid to be curious so I just went across the street to ask them what was happening.
THE COURT: Were they from a news station?
THE WITNESS: Yes. I'm not sure which one, but they were from a news station.
THE COURT: All right.
Q. Was there anyone else around when you first approached them?
A. The defendant was.
THE COURT: Well, that was my question. So there were three people there?
THE WITNESS: Oh, yeah. The defendant was -I mean there was a lot of people around the area, but the defendant was in the general area, too.
MR. DAMON: May the record reflect that Officer Lombardi identified the defendant.
Q. Where specifically was the defendant when you new the film crew?
A. He was standing to the left of the female reporter
Q . And from when you approached, when you saw the film
crew, could you tell what was going on, what they were doing at the time?
A. Well, the cameraman was just looking at the White House, looking at the general area of the White House. And the female seemed to be talking to the defendant, Mr. Thomas.
Q. Seemed to be talking, could you describe what exactly you saw? Were they just in conversation with one another?
A. Yeah. They were just looking at each other.
THE COURT: Was he filming the White House or just kind of
THE WITNESS: No. He was just looking at the White House.
THE COURT: How was he carrying the tripod?
THE WITNESS: I think he had the tripod in one hand and he just had the camera, I think, slung over his shoulder.
THE COURT: Big camera?
THE WITNESS: Yeah. It was one of the bigger ones.
Q. After you had approached this film crew and asked them this question, what happened next?
A. Mr. Thomas approached, stepped toward me and yelled at me, they can interview me. See what these cops do. They don't want me to talk. They don't want me to tell the truth.
Q. Can you describe his voice when he was saying those things to you?
A. He said it like -- they can interview me, like pretty loud. The general area around it heard, heard what h was saying. And when that happened, people started to walk towards the noise.
Q. Now, after Mr. Thomas was yelling at you, what did you do in response to that?
A. I stated that he needed to calm down and then I said you need to leave the area. And he sat down and then h said, No. You need to leave the area. Get out of here. Something to that effect.
Q. Okay. And what was -
A. He was still yelling and by this time, there was approximately maybe 20 people, I'm not Sure, in like a circle around, around me and Mr. Thomas.
THE COURT: What day of the week was it, do you remember?
THE WITNESS: I'm not sure.
THE COURT: What was the weather like?
THE WITNESS: I'm not sure. There was quite a few people around so it couldn't have been that bad of a day.
MR. DAMON: Your Honor, if the Court will take judicial notice, I believe it was Monday afternoon about 3:40.
Q. Now, you said that there was about 20 people that had gathered around. Can you describe the distance from you and the defendant when this was happening?
A. I'd say they were five to seven feet in a circle around us. Some of them appeared to be taking pictures. I actually seen one lady, she looked like she was surprised at what was happening, right across from the White House. She looked surprised and she had her hand up to her mouth.
Q. Okay. Do you know any of these people, from what you remember, who were around you at the time?
A. I noticed a few that are usually around the area that demonstrate.
THE COURT: Was the defendant one of the regulars up there?
THE WITNESS: Yes, he is. And I noticed two other l that I don't see in the courtroom right now.
THE COURT: Had you met the defendant before, ever talked to him before?
THE WITNESS: No. I've never talked to him before but I've seen him. I've seen him before but, no. I really didn't have a talking relationship with any of the people around there.
THE COURT: What does he do most of the time up
THE WITNESS: He demonstrates across from the White House.
THE COURT: How does he demonstrate?
THE WITNESS: He has one of the, I think six foot long placards that says something about nuclear war or something to that effect.
THE COURT: Does he carry them or are they sitting on the ground?
THE WITNESS: No. They have them like on -
THE COURT: Tents like?
Q. Okay. So you have been -- prior to this time, you had never been involved in arrests involving the defendant, have you?
A. I've never even spoke to him.
Q. Now, in addition to people you said that circled around, were there other people in the general vicinity of Lafayette Park at this time?
A. Yes. There was people all through the park and on the White House sidewalk and on Pennsylvania Avenue since it's closed off now.
Q. About how many people around 3:40 Monday afternoon
would there be in, say in the Lafayette Park on Pennsylvania Avenue walking in the area?
MR. GOLDSTONE: Objection to the form of the question.
THE COURT: Overruled. It's a little leading. Overruled.
MR. DAMON: I'm sorry, Your Honor.
THE WITNESS: I'd say approximately maybe in the whole area, maybe 50 people.
Q. Now, how many other officers or Park Police or United States District officers were around with you?
A. Well, there was just one other officer that came across the street after almost the whole situation was resolved.
Q. Now, after what you describe as a crowd had formed around you, what did you do in response to that?
A. I took a couple steps back. Since it's a sensitive area, it's right near the White House, I called for a supervisor. I figured if my supervisor, my sergeant came, that he might be able to talk to the defendant and the defendant would just leave.
All I wanted was for the defendant just to leave the area to calm the area down so the people would disperse. I gave him -- I said approximately four or five times I asked
him to leave.
THE COURT: Did you tell the cameraman that it was illegal to have a tripod there?
THE WITNESS: I didn't get to say anything until the defendant stepped forward and started yelling at me.
THE COURT: So you never got to speak your peace then with them?
THE COURT: Were they any part of any rudeness or loudness toward you?
THE WITNESS: They pretty much dust stood there and watched as he yelled at me.
THE COURT: They didn't film it?
THE WITNESS: No. No, they didn't
THE COURT: You didn't make -
THE WITNESS: They didn't film at all. Actually, towards the end when I was arresting the defendant, they just left.
THE COURT: You didn't make it on the evening new'
THE WITNESS: Surprisingly, no. They weren't interested in it at all.
Q. Now, Officer Lombardi, after you called what you described as a supervisor, what happened?
A. Well, the supervisor informed me that he was busy. It was going to take him approximately 15 minutes to get to my location. I didn't want to wait that long because of the amount of people around and the disturbance it was causing. So I went up -
THE COURT: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What? The disturbance who was causing?
THE WITNESS: Well, the defendant with his yelling .
THE COURT: He was still yelling?
THE WITNESS: No. At this time, no, he was not. No. At this time, he was not yelling. But there was still crowd around the area and I just wanted to resolve the situation. The defendant, I went up to the defendant. I told him that he needed to leave. He got on his bike, he started riding around.
I asked him a couple more times, are you going to leave. He ignored me. He started talking to another person that frequents the park. So at that time, I placed -- I said that he was under arrest.
THE COURT: Well, where were you trying to get him to go?
THE WITNESS : Just leave Lafayette Park, leave the
area. The way I look at it is disorderly conduct, loud and boisterous, is that they're causing a disturbance. If they're not drunk, if I can just get them to leave the area for awhile, the area will calm down and that's pretty much the way I look at it.
THE COURT: That was really just a bit of a con on your part, try to get him to kind of -
THE WITNESS: Yes. To leave.
THE COURT: -- get him to leave.
THE WITNESS: Yeah. He refused and I thought that he was going to cause a disturbance, a further disturbance. So at that time, I placed him under arrest.
THE COURT: Well lets talk about that. What kind of a disturbance other than the circle of apparently curious people? What was he, what was he causing? What kind of a disturbance was he causing
THE WITNESS: Like I said when he was yelling, it was just causing a lot of people to crowd around me, which I feel threatened any time a crowd forms around me.
THE COURT: Well, now, wait a minute now. I understand, of course, the importance of keeping order up there just as well as anybody here does but the cameraman and the lady apparently were leaving, were ready to leave, right?
THE WITNESS: Well, when -- towards the end of the situation, yeah, they just left. So I don't -- at that time
I don't know if they were ready to leave or not.
THE COURT: Do you think that your presence there kept the crowd -- in other words, your sort of a confrontation with this gentleman caused them to kind of stick around and see the fireworks, whatever they might be?
THE WITNESS: It might have. It might have.- But believe my duty is if I see a law being broken is to -
THE COURT: What was the law that he broke? I guess that's what we're here for.
THE WITNESS: He was causing a -
MR. DAMON: I mean, that's the crux of the argument, Your Honor, that the standard in the law is that there are circumstances based on the defendant being loud and boisterous which I believe Officer Lombardi has testified to, that those circumstances might provoke, could provoke, create circumstances and a breach of peace might occur.
MR. DAMON: Because that's -
THE COURT: Well, don't go over that too fast now because that's what this case is all about.
MR. DAMON: Well, Your Honor, the defendant that was yelling -
THE COURT: He was yelling, people were curious. The policeman and he were in a bit of a standoff as I'm getting the picture. He's trying to kind of move him.
MR. DAMON: Right. But to blame the officer for a crowd being attracted and curious -
THE COURT: I'm not blaming the officer for anything.
MR. DAMON: I'm not saying that you were. But that's after the fact, after the defendant had, was already acting in the manner that Officer Lombardi described.
THE COURT: I want to know what the breach of the peace is that all of this was going to -
MR. DAMON: Well, I can explain that now, Your Honor. The breach of the peace is that when Officer Lombard is there, he's alone. The breach, obviously that somebody i yelling at the police officer does not make a breach of the peace. There was a crowd of people, some -
THE COURT; The other people weren't mad at the policeman.
MR. DAMON: No, Your Honor. But the policeman, Officer Lombardi in this case, as in any case, if a crowd gathers around one person, Officer Lombardi says clearly whenever an officer is being surrounded -
THE COURT: He's a lone wolf at that point.
MR. DAMON: Right. And he doesn't know who the people in the crowd are. Clearly, some people are taking -giving the nature of the park, there's tourists around. There's people who are probably working in the office build-
ings around there. There's other tourists who are snapping pictures, could be friends of the defendant, people he doesn't know. The fact is, that's what -- part of it is built into it. Other than if you only had a crowd. If you had to show that a crowd was yelling, kill the police, we're going to hurt you, et cetera.
THE COURT: Which we don't have.
MR. DAMON: Clearly, that's not here. But that's not required for the statute, Your Honor. What essentially shows is that there is circumstances that could provoke it, the defendant's action could have when the officer came and some people see there, there's going to be some people that are going to approach and say ooh, there's something going on.
THE COURT: All right. Well, I'll let you go ahead and try your case. Mr. Goldstone will cross examine.
Q. After you -- at the time you had approached the film crew and asked a question, had you directed anything, any speech towards the defendant?
A. No.
Q. After the defendant was arrested, what did you do with him?
A. I took him towards the cruiser that we have sitting on Pennsylvania Avenue and conducted a frisk of the person
before I placed him inside the vehicle.
Q. Okay. And after you, did you place the defendant in the vehicle?
A. Well, my supervisor pulled up and I briefed him on what had happened and he said, yeah. Just put him in the car and we'll take him down to the Station.
Q. Okay. And what did you do with the defendant after that?
A. I got in the vehicle and advised dispatch, our communications section, that I'd be transporting the defendant to our District 1 office for conducting paperwork.
Q. Okay. Is that what you did?
A. Yes.
Q. And where is that -- where is the District 1 Police Station?
A. It's at Haynes Point on West Potomac Park.
Q. Okay. And at the police, at the District station, what did you do with the defendant?
A. When you first bring him in
MR. GOLDSTONE: Your Honor, I object. This is irrelevant.
THE COURT: Yes. I don't see
MR. DAMON: Well, Your Honor, there's going to be -I'm sorry. There is going to be a statement which -
THE COURT: There's what?
MR. DAMON: There's a statement at the, which I believe is relevant. I'll get to the point, Your Honor. There's two more questions.
THE COURT: All right. Go ahead.
Q. At the police station, what did you do with the defendant?
A. I just do the paperwork to either collateral him out or send him to a block, send him to a cell block.
Q. Okay. Now, what happened with the defendant when you were doing the paperwork?
A. The defendant said, stated, you were pretty cool. I just did it to prove a point.
THE COURT: Go on back to the park. Was he using any profanity in the park? You didn't say he was.
THE WITNESS: No, no. He was just being very loud and
THE COURT: What was he saying to you? I'm still not sure? Leave me alone?
THE WITNESS: When I first went up to the film crew, he said, they can interview me. See what these police try to do. They don't want me to talk. They don't want me to tell you the truth. And that's when I said please calm down. I said you have to leave the area and then he sat do' and he started screaming, no. You leave. You get out of
THE COURT: Okay. Mr. Goldstone, what do you have
MR. GOLDSTONE: Thank you, Your Honor.
Q. Is it your testimony that a citizen in Lafayette Park is committing a disorderly conduct when they say to you that the film crew can interview me. See what the cops do. They don't want me to hear the truth. They don't want to hear -
THE COURT: What's your question?
Q. Is that disorderly conduct?
THE COURT: Now, wait a minute. That's a legal conclusion.
MR. DAMON: I would object to that, Your Honor. That's not what his testimony was as far as -
MR. GOLDSTONE: I'm trying to get to what the basis for the -
THE COURT: Well, ask him. Ask him what you want to ask him.
Q. What's the basis for the disorder conduct charge? What breach of the peace was occasioned by Mr. Thomas being interviewed by a film crew--
THE COURT. No. It doesn't have to be occasioned.
Q. All right. What was the breach of peace that happened as a result or might have happened as a result of Mr. Thomas being interviewed by a film crew in Lafayette Park?
A. Well, for disorderly conduct, if he's just loud to me, no. That's not disorderly conduct. He has to be -- it has to pretty much affect other people around the area.
Q. All right. So his reaction to your telling the film crew, asking the film crew what they're doing there, his reaction is not what's the breach of the peace, is that right?
THE COURT: It was the drawing of the crowd in tandem with that is what I understand.
MR. GOLDSTONE: Okay. Fine.
Q. Did Mr. Thomas, while he was objecting to your preventing him from being interviewed, did Mr. Thomas say come on people. Help me out here. I'm being harassed by the officer. I'm not allowed to give a First Amendment speech. I mean, is that what's going on here?
A. Well, when he, well, when he started -- well, when he was yelling, he was directing it towards the people around him. That's why I believe the crowd formed.
Q. Did he call to the crowd to help him out?
A. He Said. Hey, look. He said, he looked at everybody and he said they can interview me. See what these police do. And he was talking to the people in that area. I perceived him to be talking to them.
Q. Isn't it true, isn't it true, officer, that he is allowed to be interviewed in Lafayette Park? Do we admit that?
A. Yes.
Q. Okay. And there's no requirement there for, that he has to leave the park if he's being interviewed in Lafayette Park, is there? He doesn't have to leave the park if he's being interviewed, does he?
A. If he's just being interviewed, no.
Q. Okay. So being loud and boisterous to you isn't a crime. He's allowed to be interviewed. He's not calling out to the other person. I'm trying to get at what is the disorderly conduct. What is the breach of the peace that is occasioned by this, by this mans' conduct in the park?
MR. DAMON: Your Honor, objection.
THE COURT: No. That's a fair question. Over ruled.
MR. DAMON: Okay.
THE WITNESS: To me, the disorderly conduct comes
when he starts affecting other people's, starts affecting
other people.
Q. All they did was gather. You didn't say that they were shouting anything or that they were loud and boisterous, did you?
A. Well, I believe I did say that I saw -- I mean, a lot of people's faces were surprised and like I did say, I did say that a female had her mouth opened and looked like she was surprised at what was happening and had her hand over l her mouth.
Q. Could it have been that she was surprised that you were preventing an interview from taking place in Lafayette Park? Isn't that possible?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you see people being interviewed in Lafayette Park a lot?
A. No.
Q. Do you see communicative activity take place in Lafayette Park a lot?
A. Excuse me?
Q. Do you see communicative activity, people expressing opinions on issues and politics? Do people communicate -
A. In a loud manner or how do you -
Q. Do people communicate in Lafayette Park?
A. Do people talk in Lafayette Park?
Q. Yes.
A. Yes.
Q. Do people have signs in Lafayette Park?
A. Yes.
O. Okay. And all of that's okay, isn't it?
A. Yes, it is.
Q. Were you given special instructions to disrupt organized demonstrations the day before the elections?
MR. DAMON: Objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Sustained. Sustained. Come on. This was no organized demonstration anyway.
Q. Are you aware of people that have been in Lafayette Park on a more or less permanent basis for the last 10 or 15 years?
A. I don't know them on a personal basis but, yes, there are two stations that have been there, that I've heard have been there for years.
Q. Okay. And you're well aware that they have a right to be there and that they're not to be, that their rights are not to be interfered with unless they break a criminal statute, is that correct? That's your understanding of the law down there?
A. Well, to my understanding' people have said that
it's still in the court system, it's still being fought in the court system. I don't know if -- that's what my understanding of the situation is. It's still being fought in the court system.
Q. But to the best of your knowledge, there's no -you weren't told to go down there and clean up the park or get rid of protesters in the park or anything?
MR. DAMON: Objection, Your Honor. I think this was already asked and was sustained.
MR. GOLDSTONE: That's a fair question.
THE COURT: He can answer. Go ahead.
Q. You can answer.
A. Was I told by my superiors to go down and break up demonstrations? No.
Q. Do you consider the act of a person being interviewed by a film crew part of a demonstration?
MR. DAMON: Objection, Your Honor, as to the relevance of the question. Officer Lombardi hasn't said, he didn't testify that there was any kind of demonstration or political protest going on at the time other than what was permanently there.
THE COURT: Yes. Sustained. I don't think that -you might rephrase that questions. You thought that the big camera, the crewman, had no bushiness being there, is
that right?
THE WITNESS: No, it isn't. I get paid to get curious. That's what police officers are. They're curious.
THE COURT: I understand but -
THE WITNESS: I had seen -
THE COURT: I thought you said earlier a half-an-hour ago or so that you had some sort of a rule against tines big cameras on tripods.
THE WITNESS: No. There are certain rules that people have to follow in the area and one of them is you're not allowed to have tripods.
THE COURT: Whose rules are those?
THE WITNESS: These are in the CFR, Code of Federal Regulations. And there's other things stating that, like I said, you have to have a permit to film or to photograph inside a federally owned area. Now, if they were on Pennsylvania Avenue, that's D.C. property, then they can have tripods, they can have cameras.
THE COURT: Well, the tourists take pictures all over Lafayette Park.
THE WITNESS: Yes. That's for a commercial purpose, that's why.
THE WITNESS: For if it seems to be a commercial purpose. That's my understanding.
Q. What threat did the crowd pose to you?
A. Anytime there's a crowd that encircles me, I feel threatened. I mean, they were, like I described earlier, five to seven feet away from me, approximately 20 people in circular, circle around me.
THE COURT: That seems to be what this is all about, Mr. Goldstone. The breach of the peace is the encircling crowd. Was the crowd growing or staying about the same size?
THE WITNESS: There was a lot of people in the area then as people saw, heard what was happening, more and more people were coming.
Q. Would your reaction have been different if you had not been working alone?
MR. DAMON; Objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT: That's a good question.
THE WITNESS: What action?
Q. Your reaction.
A. My reaction? What reaction?
Q. If you were with a partner in the park, would your reaction to this crowd that's gathering five to seven feet away from you, would that have been different?
A. I still don't understand the question.
Q. Would you have arrested Mr. Thomas if you were working with a partner? That's what we're getting at.
A. Yes, I would. He was disobeying the law. He was being loud and boisterous.
THE COURT: Could his voice be heard across Pennsylvania Avenue, do you think?
THE WITNESS: I think so. I mean, he was very loud and that's why people from all over Lafayette Park started coming towards the area.
Q. What was the basis for your order for him to leave the park? What formed the basis for you to order him out of the park?
THE COURT: I think you should qualify that as Mr. Lombardi did. He said he didn't order them to leave. He tried to get him to move.
MR. GOLDSTONE: He suggested in -
THE COURT: He suggested in a strong way.
MR. GOLDSTONE: -- a strong way that he leave the park. I would say that he -
Q. Did you order him to leave the park?
A. As a police officer, I have a lot of leeway of what
I can do and I did not want to arrest the defendant.
Q. All right. So the answer is yes, you did order him -
A. So I gave him ample opportunity to leave the park.
Q. Right. The answer is you did order him to leave the park, isn't that correct? You ordered him to leave the park, correct?
A. I didn't say to leave the park. I stated to him, you need to leave the area.
THE COURT: Calm down I think is what you said.
THE WITNESS: I said calm down.
Q. And he refused?
A. Yes. He refused.
Q. But he didn't give you any back talk in his refusal? He just went about his business in the park?
A. Oh, yes, he did. He yelled again. He said no. You leave. You get out of here.
Q. What was the crowd that was gathering around, what was the -- were their arms extended, were they upraised, were they down by their sides? I mean, were you in the threat of physical danger? What was the threat?
A. Well, when there's a, people all around you, you cannot see everybody. So there was people behind me that I couldn't see so I had no idea what their intentions to me are<./P>
Q. Nothing eventually happened?
A. No.
Q. Did there come a time when you went back to Mr. Thomas after he refused to leave the park and he was sitting in front of some signs and you had further conversation with Mr. Thomas?
A. This was an ongoing process. I didn't have to ga back to him. I took a couple steps back, called for a supervisor, immediately, a supervisor came over the radio and Said that he couldn't be there within 15 minutes so I felt that I had to take Action right now.
Q. Right. But later you went over to Mr. Thomas and asked him whether or not he was demonstrating in front of some signs, is that correct? Did you have some later discussion with him in the park?
A. I don't recall that.
Q. Okay. Do you recall kicking some literature that he had by his feet in front of his signs?
A. I know I didn't do that.
Q. You know you didn't do that?
A. I know I didn't do that.
Q. Did you see any officers kick any literature?
A. No, I didn't.
Q. Okay. Did you have any conversation with a lady by
the name of Conception Picciotto, who is a longtime Lafayette Park protector in the park?
A. I know exactly who you're talking about and like I said, I have no relationship with them at all. I have not spoken to anybody in the park.
Q. You had no conversation with Ms. Picciotto that day?
A. No.
Q. Okay. Do you know Mr. Frank Wall? Did you have any conversation with Frank Wall that day?
A. I don't know who that is.
Q. Isn't it true, Officer, that you kicked some literature that Mr. Thomas had in front of his signs?
MR. DAMON: Objection, Your Honor. That's been asked and answered.
THE COURT: I thought I had.
Q. Okay. And isn't it true further that you went over to Mr. Thomas and told him that those were not his signs, isn't that correct?
A. I don't recall saying anything like that.
Q. And isn't it true that you looked at the signs to see whether or not Mr. Thomas' name was on a demonstration sign, isn't that correct?
A. No, I didn't do that.
Q. And isn't it true that you told him that his name was not on a sign and therefore, he was not demonstrating and therefore, he had no right to be in the park, isn't that correct?
THE COURT: No. He can answer that.
THE WITNESS: I have not looked at those signs that close. To my knowledge, I don't know anybody that writes their names on the signs. I don't know if they do or not.
Q. And isn't it true you ordered him out of the park at that time when you felt that his name was in fact not on the sign, isn't that correct?
A. I just stated I do not know anybody that puts their name on the signs so, no. I did not do that.
Q. Okay. Was Mr. Thomas riding a bicycle in the park to your recollection on that day?
A. Yes. I stated earlier that after he said, no. You get out of here, he got on a bike. He drove around a little area and I stated a couple more times are you going to leave, are you going to leave, he ignored me.
Q. Okay. And did you see him to up to an individual by the name of Frank Wall and try to talk to Mr. Wall?
A. Yeah. He went and talked to an elderly gentleman
with I think white or gray hair.
Q. He was on his bicycle when this happened?
A. Yes.
Q. Okay. And did you, in the arrest process, knock him off of his bicycle?
MR. DAMON: Objection, Your Honor. He's testified, he's testified about him riding the bicycle.
THE COURT: You've got to ask him -- knock him off the bicycle, is that the question? Did you knock him off hi bicycle?
THE WITNESS: No, I did not. I said you're under arrest. He put his hands behind his back and I cuffed him.
Q. Did he have something in his hands?
A. Not that I can recall.
Q. Did he have a cup of hot chocolate in his hands?
THE COURT: What was that last one?
A. I don't remember any hot chocolate.
Q. Isn't it true that the hot chocolate spilled on Frank Wall?
A. No. Because I would have remembered somebody having hot chocolate and it spilling on somebody. That person would have, I'm sure, yelled out. I would have remem-
bered that so, no.
MR. GOLDSTONE: I have no further questions.
THE COURT: All right. Anything by the Government
MR. DAMON: Just two brief questions, Your Honor.
Q. Officer Lombardi, when you, you described earlier there was a number of people around you when you were engaged with the defendant. At what point did your supervisor arrive on the scene?
A. It was after I had already arrested the defendant and I was patting him down. My supervisor came and stated put him in the, put him in the car and we'll take him down to our District and book him.
Q. And during an afternoon, say a Monday afternoon like this. how many other Park Police Officers would be in Lafayette Park?
A. One other officer.
Q. Do you know where that officer was when this was taking place?
A. I think he was across Pennsylvania Avenue on the White House sidewalk.
Q. Okay. He wasn't with you?
A. No, he was not.
MR. DAMON: No further questions, Your Honor.
THE COURT: I have just, I think only one. Were any of the people in the crowd that surrounded, were any of them yelling in any way or saying anything in any way that was in support of the defendant?
THE WITNESS: I think I remember -- like I said, there are a lot of people that demonstrate in that area.
THE COURT: I know that. But would it -
THE WITNESS: And I know that some of them people were in that crowd.
THE COURT: Yes. But that isn't my question. I'm not asking whether they were there. I assume they were. I assume all of them were there probably. But were they egging him on in any way?
THE WITNESS: I'm not sure. I'm trying to think ii -I'm not really sure. I'm not really sure.
THE COURT: All right. You may step down. Thank you very much. Is that the Government's case?
MR. DAMON: It is, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Officer, just hold on just a minute, will you, before you leave. Your motion?
MR. GOLDSTONE: Was for judgment of acquittal.
THE COURT: I'm going to acquit this charge but I want to say something before I discharge you. You know, it isn't -- not enough time goes by in this time between the shootings and injuries of police officers. It seems that
almost once a month they have a funeral and they wear black on their badges and they, you see a picture of a widow and the children. And I don't think that what you did, at least the proof that I heard, amounted probably to a breach of any law up there. You were a pain in the neck. You were nasty. You were all of those things and you know it.
THE COURT: No. I don't want to hear from you. But let me tell you something, pal. I don't know if you're a reading man or not but you know, an English poet, an author by the name of Rudyard Kipling, did you ever hear of him?
THE COURT: He wrote a poem called Tommy.
THE DEFENDANT: I 'm not familiar with it.
THE COURT: Well, let me tell you about it. It went something like this. It was Tommy this, Tommy of course was the British soldier, Tommy this and Tommy that and Tommy go away but it's thank you, Mr. Atkins when the band begins to play. Do you get my point? There are times, pal, when you and I and a lot of other people need police officers. Why do you want to give them a hard time?
THE DEFENDANT: Your Honor, I -
THE COURT: No. I don't want to hear this.
THE DEFENDANT: You're asking me a question. Would you give me a chance to answer, please? How do we make a
judgment? I think you are wise in acquitting me but in all honesty, I must say that this gentleman was lying through his teeth and if you made -
THE COURT: Thank you very much. Bye. Have a nice day.
THE DEFENDANT: I wasn't disrespectful.
(Proceedings concluded.)
I, Josephine Hayes, a transcriber, do hereby certify that I transcribed the proceedings had in the matter of UNITED STATES v. WILLIAM THOMAS, Action Number D-4369-96, in said Court, on the 2nd day of April, 1997.
I further certify that the foregoing 44 pages constitute the official transcript of said proceedings as transcribed from audio recording to the best of my ability.
In witness whereof, I have hereto subscribed my name, this, the 4th day of August, 1997.
Josephine Hayes | <urn:uuid:a3bd98d7-1fa3-4b58-be90-1b5c7f455d27> | http://prop1.org/legal/961104/970402tr.htm | en | 0.986817 | 0.206535 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
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I know how to make custom properties for web parts in SharePoint, but is there a way to override the ones that are already generated? For example I have a Page Viewer embedded within my custom web part, and I would like to override the default "Height" property that the user can type a value for in the property window so that I can pass it to the height of my Page Viewer. That way the page viewer stretched to the appropriate height instead of my web part stretching, but not the page viewer. Any help is appreciated, thanks!
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up vote 3 down vote accepted
Just call this.Height, this.Title, this.Width (whichever default property) etc... and set them within CreateChildControls() to override what the user typed.
protected override void CreateChildControls()
this.Title = "Foo";
this.Height = 500;
However, this just updates the whole web part. In my question, I have an embedded PageViewerWebPart, so I would need code like this to actually get the page viewer to stretch to the size of my custom web part containing it:
protected override void CreateChildControls()
PageViewerWebPart pvwp = new PageViewerWebPart();
pvwp.ContentLink = ""
pvwp.Height = this.Height;
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Great! Thanks for posting the answer. – Kit Menke Aug 8 '11 at 15:56
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Soccer Essay
Christian Ibarra
Instructor: Kathryn Hudson
Eng. 1A
Evolution of soccer shoes
Ever since I have been playing soccer I've bought quite a few pairs of soccer shoes. One day my dad went with me to the store to buy some soccer shoes and I saw some bright yellow soccer shoes and decided to get them, my dad did not like them at all because they were to bright and colorful also they were very light weight . His reaction was " there’s nothing better than all black soccer shoes "and “these shoes will not protect you at all if someone steps on you”, but I didn't listen much to the comments he had made at the time.
When I got home I looked at soccer players in the 80s and I notices that only black soccer shoes were made back then and know that my dad had worn nothing but black soccer shoes. Since then I made some research on the evolution of soccer shoes”. I was going through some sites in the internet and some were just soccer sites that were selling soccer shoes. After a few times searching I found the history and how the soccer shoe has come a long way since they were made. I learned that the soccer shoes were invented by a shoe maker in the 1820’s that king Henry VIII hired. They were made out of pure leather, looked more like construction boots, A few years later they would hammer metal tacks to the sole of the shoe to get grip while playing the game. I became more interested about the subject and started to get more and more into the research. I wanted to know in what era were the most dramatic changes in soccer shoes. In the early 1860’s they were rules on what types of metal tacks could be used in, it was prohibited to use projecting nails and iron plates as tacks. They had to use aluminum rounded tacks, they were now names studs instead of tacks. The grip problem was solve but now they were trying to find out ways to improve the shoe itself because many would complain that in wet conditions the boot would weight three times as much because it would...
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"Soccer". Anti Essays. 11 Feb. 2016
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Successfully complete one of the following tasks to get a trophy:
EDUCATED (Silver): Collect 15 documents and complete 15 recordings.
PUNISHED (Silver): Finish the game.
PULITZER (Gold): Collect all documents and complete all recordings.
LUNATIC (Gold): Finish the game in Insane mode.
Additionally, there are four secret trophies:
ILLUMINATED (Bronze): Restore power to the Administrative Block.
FLUSHED (Bronze): Drain the Sewers.
SOAKED (Bronze): Activate the sprinklers in the Male Ward.
EMANCIPATED (Bronze): Collect the key in the Female Ward.
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Thieves steal basic-model rims
HPD: Crooks go after more than fancy rims
HOUSTON - Thieves looking to make a quick buck are targeting the rims on cars, but not the fancy rims you may think.
Crooks stole the tires and rims off two rental vehicles at the Montierra apartment complex on Sage in the Galleria area this weekend.
Police said even though the rims were a basic model and not the high-end brand, thieves can still make money selling them online.
Investigators said most vehicle thefts happen overnight, so park in a garage, if possible. If you have to park outside, choose a well-lit area. And parking between cars at shopping centers can deter thieves who won't have as much space to work.
A store that sells rims and tires said owners should also invest in wheel locks to protect their investment.
"We do strongly suggest to get a full set of locks (for each rim)," said Felix Rivas with Rollo's Solutions.
Rivas said most rims also have a serial number on them. Owners should jot the number down in case the rims are ever stolen because it can help police track them down.
Aside from the tire and rim thefts, HPD said auto thefts are up 13 percent this year over last.
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Jack Nicholson tormented his co-star Leonardo Dicaprio with a fire extinguisher and a threat to set him on fire during one intimidation scene in new movie THE DEPARTED. The movie veteran was disappointed with his own performance as a villainous mob boss in the film and decided he had to take measures to get the best out of his character and that of co-star DiCaprio. DiCaprio recalls, "We did this table scene in a bar, where he's interrogating my character, and he says to MARTY (SCORSESE - director) that he didn't think he was intimidating enough. "The next day we came in and the prop guy told me to be careful. He said, 'He's got a fire extinguisher and a gun and some matches and a bottle of whisky.' "Some things that he did that day are in the film. I was terrified. "It helped me to embody this character who has to relay to the audience, in a sense, a constant 24-hour panic attack that I'm going through for my life, surrounded by people that would literally blow my head off if I gave them any indication that I was who I was. "In the scene, my character is sitting across the table from a homicidal maniac, who will maybe light me on fire! It gave my character a whole new dynamic and shifted the scene in a different direction." | <urn:uuid:b7589c76-f889-4d47-ad24-5e5e3600ab90> | http://www.contactmusic.com/jack-nicholson/news/nicholson-terrified-dicaprio-with-fire-threat_1008482 | en | 0.990346 | 0.200563 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Breaking News Bar
posted: 6/10/2014 1:16 PM
Two sides to political statements on education
Success - Article sent! close
By David Larson
Inside District 87
It's election campaign season and, for some politicians, education seems to be a target again.
Along with the economy, environment and security, polling shows that issues surrounding education, particularly public education, garner attention and focus. Thus, some politicians, trying to find a story or narrative for their campaign, can't resist attacking public education.
Let's look at the typical strategies taken from the "Attack Public Education" playbook. While most of us are aware of these decades-old tactics, it's good to be reminded and be wary. They include the following:
Attack 1: "We need quality choices in education."
This statement is generally code for charter schools and vouchers. While the research is mixed on the achievement success of government-funded charter schools, glaring red flags are well-documented in states that have embraced charter schools on a large scale.
They include purposeful exclusion of special needs students, financial improprieties by unregulated third-party school management companies and chaotic governance environments. We all know vouchers can be a disguise for tuition assistance for a private, separate and exclusive education. This undermines the long-standing core principles and beliefs upon which our country was founded.
Attack 2: "Parents need more control and autonomy."
While this is a resonating statement, the reality is that a key foundational principle of public education is local control. In Illinois, we have 863 school districts, each with its own governing board elected by community members.
Additionally, parents are involved at every level of our local schools, including advisory committees, hiring teams, school board committees and booster organizations. Parents have a strong voice in our local schools.
Attack 3: "Teachers need to be more accountable."
This statement is glaringly misleading as teachers in Illinois have never been more accountable. Rigorous pre-teacher credentialing standards and a new, mandated comprehensive evaluation process that incorporates student growth into the instructor's evaluation rating are elevating the profession.
Illinois is fortunate to have one of the strongest teaching forces in the country. While the incidence of low-performing teachers is rare, systems are in place to identify, support and, if necessary, release weak instructors.
Attack 4: "We need more dollars dedicated to the classroom."
Look closely and analyze the finances of each local school district and you will see the majority of expenditures are directly devoted to classroom instruction.
On average, 80 percent of a district's operating budget is dedicated to instruction. The remaining 20 percent funds student busing, food service and utility bills -- expenses essential to effectively and safely operate a school district.
Additionally, school districts have worked hard to reduce costs outside the classroom by restructuring and streamlining operations, contracting services with third-party vendors, and leveraging technology and new systems.
Candidates vying for elected office should be careful about criticizing public education, and specifically bashing teachers. Illinois teachers do an amazing job despite the poverty rate increasing from 15.4 percent in 2000 to 21.6 percent in 2011.
Teachers do not control significant factors that affect student performance such as poverty and home life. Teachers don't control educational preparedness and language experiences from birth to school. They do not control their students' family structure, discipline, nurturing or sleep hours. They do not control domestic abuse, alcoholism, neighborhood violence, drugs or safety.
Elected officials should stand up for our remarkable teachers and local public schools as they overcome these significant challenges in preparing our students for the global workforce. Our amazing public schoolteachers have never been more prepared, worked harder, been held more accountable or met greater challenges to help our students succeed.
Let's hope that when our politicians are on the campaign trail they champion and advocate for the bedrock of our democratic society -- our local public schools and their amazing teachers.
• David F. Larson is superintendent of Glenbard High School District 87. His column appears monthly during the school year.
Comments () | <urn:uuid:ff24eabe-a5f9-4a8c-9b38-df35480e897e> | http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140610/news/140619871/ | en | 0.947236 | 0.019344 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Caucasian Wingnut
Common Names: Caucasian Wingnut. Botanical Name: Pterocarya fraxinifolia .
Family: Juglandaceae (walnut family)
Characteristics: Deciduous tree full sun. Size: Height 30 to 60 feet, spread 30 to 60 feet, spacing over 40 feet. Wingnuts are deciduous trees in the walnut family with compound leaves similar to those on a walnut. Wingnuts get their name from the long chains of small, winged nutlets that hang from the branches. These chains sometimes stay on the tree into the winter. Unusual among hardwoods, it doesn't have bud scales and is probably unique in that new buds arise from long stalks well above the leaf axil rather than in the axil itself. Bark: Dull grey, with a network of broad vertical ridges. Like all members of the Walnut family, if you cut a small branch lengthways, you will find that the pith is divided into chambers - it is solid in all other families. Foliage: Grow alternately on the stem, are compound in shape with an average of 20 leaflets arranged oppositely on the stalk. The leaflets themselves tend to be rather broad and floppy.
Flowers and Fruit: Female catkins are long and thread-like, between 25-50 cm, and strung with small seeds, each of which is surrounded by a whitish-green papery wing. Bloom color is pale yellow and green and blooms in late spring/early Summer.
Natural Habitat and Adaptive Range: Stout shoots and large shiny green leaves and is usually planted near water or in damp soils where it suckers easily, often forming a thicket. It is a relic of the Teriary flora on the southern flanks of the Caucasus Mountains and was introduced to France in 1784 and 1800 in Britain.
Management: Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soils in full sun. Prefers consistently moist soils, but tolerates drought. Tolerates hard, compacted soils and develops an extensive root system. Freely suckers. Average water needs, water regularly, do not overwater. Possible Problems: No serious insect or disease problems. Propagation: softwood cuttings.
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The Big Easy's Makeover Mayor
by | August 2003
New Orleans has always had its idiosyncratic folkways, but surely one of the most peculiar is how it lets a public official know he's making waves: the whispering campaign. For months now, anonymous hecklers have been sending faxes and e-mails to anyone with an ounce of political awareness--which in New Orleans is ot a small number-- attacking first-term Mayor Ray Nagin. They even mailed out a glossy four-color flier to African-American households accusing Nagin, who is black and presides over a majority-black city, of stacking his administration with white appointees.
It all evokes a period some years back, after Richard Pennington took over as the city's police chief and set out to shake up one of the most corrupt departments in the country. Cop-watchers began getting anonymous telephone calls, in which a voice on the other end would say, "Pennington's leaving. The moving van's in front of his house right now." Pennington had no intention of leaving at the time and had to call several press conferences to deny the allegations. He eventually came to take the harassment as a signal that he really WAS shaking things up.
So is Nagin. The communications company executive-turned-mayor has been in office a bit over a year, and in that time he has declared an all-out assault on petty corruption in city government; asserted his determination to end cronyism in the awarding of city contracts; brought in a hard-charging group of mostly private-sector appointees to wring more efficiency out of City Hall operations; focused on broadening the city's economy beyond tourism and making it easier for businesses of all kinds to operate; and even come close to making good on his pledge to fill 60,000 potholes. As a result, anonymous fliers notwithstanding, his public standing is sky high at the moment.
No doubt a part of this is due to Nagin's personality. Amiable, self- confident and approachable, he displays the off-handed and slightly mischievous good humor that New Orleans savors in a public figure. Where another politician might have gone standoffish and bitter at his anonymous critics--who'd neglected to mention that just as many members of his inner circle are black as are white--Nagin casually deflated them, telling the New Orleans Times-Picayune, "When I was growing up, we had these guys in the neighborhood that were always portraying themselves as big and bad, but underneath it they were really kind of soft and they would always run. We used to call them 'ginny women.' That's what they remind me of: those 'ginny women.' They gossip and they hide and they run and they act bad."
Yet a good bit of Nagin's popularity also stems from the unfamiliar feeling he has prompted among New Orleanians over the last year: the belief that perhaps the city really can change for the better. "Maybe people are feeding on their hopes," says Larry Lorenz, a journalism professor at Loyola University and host of a weekly public affairs roundtable on public television. "But they perceive that he has made moves against the traditional ways of doing things, the political back-scratching. They think he's honest, that he is not profiting from the office, and that he's not allowing an inside group to profit."
In essence, Nagin has set out to change the Big Easy's political culture, a tall order in any city but particularly demanding in this one. This is, after all, a city that still likes to think of itself as not quite American, thanks to its French and Creole roots, even though two centuries have passed since it became part of the United States. As Michael Lomax, a former Atlanta city council member who is now president of Dillard University in New Orleans, puts it, "This is a city that is more than rooted in the past. It's MIRED in the past."
In that sense, Nagin's grounding in business culture is a boon: It gives him the ambition, the impatience and the freedom as a political outsider to shake up the status quo. But at least in his first year, it has also carried a cost: Most of Nagin's missteps can be traced either to his discomfort with playing the politician or his tendency to discount the habits of local government. So far, this has just amounted to some bruised egos and bureaucratic gaffes, but it has also set up a crucial question for Nagin's next few years in office: Can he learn enough of the political arts to make tangible progress in revitalizing both New Orleans' economy and its image, without compromising his businesslike approach?
That Nagin is mayor at all is a sign of how ready New Orleans was for someone different. At the time he jumped into the contest last year to replace Marc Morial, who was forced out of office by term limits, Nagin was a political non-entity. The head of Cox Communications in New Orleans, he was one of the city's most well-connected corporate executives, but his political following was limited mostly to the business community and the small group of reformers around town; early polls had him standing at about 1 percent in a crowded primary field.
Yet Nagin, who is now 47, saw an opening. "When this race came up," he says, "I was looking at it and assessing what was going on in the city, and I just wasn't happy, man. And the more people I talked to, the more people were disenchanted with the candidates and what they were talking about. Then the tipping point for me was talking to my son and his friends about what they were going to do after high school, and to a person--there were like five or six of them--they told me they didn't see a future in New Orleans or the state."
These are hard times for the Big Easy. Although the city made strides under Morial, cutting its alarming crime rate and consolidating its position as a tourist destination, it was never among the cities that boomed during the 1990s, and its economy has continued to contract. The oil industry, once a source of thousands of high-paying white- collar downtown jobs, has been quietly abandoning the city; tourism, even in the best of times, generates far smaller incomes among its employees, and these have not been the best of times.
What Nagin recognized, and most of his opponents did not, was that voters were tired of seeing their friends, neighbors and family members pick up and leave, and that they didn't just blame a poor economy--they blamed a political way of life that tolerated petty sleaze, insiders helping their friends and the "laissez les bons temps rouler" carelessness that has often characterized Louisiana's governance in the modern era.
So Nagin spent the campaign talking about how, as he says, "politics is the dominant industry in New Orleans and Louisiana, and it suffocates business development." He promised to focus on jobs and economic development, and to re-order city government so that it supported growth and business. This brought him to the attention of the Times-Picayune and Gambit, the city's alternative weekly newspaper, both of which picked him out of the field, endorsed him and pushed his candidacy hard. Together with factional divisions that hampered the campaigns of several veteran New Orleans politicians, that attention helped boost him into a runoff against Chief Pennington. Pennington, popular because of his successes in turning around the NOPD, was widely seen as the Morial faction's candidate, but he turned out to be an unpersuasive campaigner with no clear agenda for fixing the city. Nagin emerged with 60 percent of the vote, polling especially well among white and middle-class black voters. Pennington is now the police chief in Atlanta.
The city government that Nagin encountered when he took over was in bad shape. There were two days' worth of cash in the bank, a $25 million projected deficit, a $100 million backlog of public works projects, and overall, what Nagin calls "a financial mess."
"You have no idea, man," he says. "All of the federal funding the city relied on had been spent for the entire year, and some had been promised for the year afterward. We started to look at contracts, they were let for five, 10, 15, 20 years. Then when we looked in the financial department, we found an antiquated, paper-intensive system-- checks were stuck in people's desk drawers, they used a 25-year-old computer system with eight-track tapes for data storage. I've still got on my desk an Israeli phone switch that has none of the normal features. I still don't know how to do the voice mail on it."
Even more worrisome than the city's technical incapacity, its workforce "was completely demoralized," in the words of a veteran City Hall administrator. Part of the problem was that city workers had gone without raises for years, but that was coupled with a workplace culture that had been allowed to go off the rails under previous administrations. "People saw that nothing happened to the bad employees, the people who didn't even show up," he says. "And they saw the mayor's family and friends making millions [from city contracts]. So they said, 'We're grossly underpaid, why should I even try? We're nothing.'"
Undoubtedly the most eye-catching issue that came up with the change of administrations, though, was corruption. Nagin and his team got an inkling of just how badly off the city was on their first day in office, when the chief administrative officer at the time, Kimberly Williamson Butler, found a cassette tape in her desk drawer detailing the misuse of $1.8 million in federal funds. The investigation she sparked eventually led to a raft of arrest warrants for malfeasance and bribery in the city's taxi and vehicle inspection bureaus, the dismantling of the city's Utilities Department--which had overseen the taxi bureau--and national headlines for Nagin. Although the district attorney at the time, Harry Connick, refused to prosecute most of the taxi drivers arrested for proffering bribes and some of the actual prosecutions fell apart in court, two brake-tag inspectors did plead guilty to bribery charges. The investigation and the arrests of city employees were a bombshell for a jaded city. "The corruption investigation was done in a kind of amateurish way," says Ed Renwick, a veteran political analyst who teaches at Loyola University, "but the public ate it up. It was the first time in memory anyone had seen a politician cleaning up corruption."
In pushing his campaign against corruption, Nagin has had more in mind than simply restoring faith in the workings of local government. He also sees it as a key step on the road to economic revitalization. "We joke about petty corruption on the floor of the legislature or the city council," says C.B. Forgotston, a longtime legislative aide in Baton Rouge who is now a lawyer and reform advocate in New Orleans, "but it's not a joke to an executive sitting in a building in New York." Although the city's investigation mostly unearthed low-level misdeeds, the overall anti-corruption push has been rejuvenated by the acting U.S. Attorney, Jim Letten, whose office is pursuing some 15 public-corruption probes in New Orleans and its neighboring parishes; at least a half-dozen of the investigations are focused on New Orleans city government.
There is no question that Nagin has transformed the atmosphere in town. "Ray has helped in the perception and reality of a city government as an institution that's trying to clean itself up," Letten says. "He's very popular in federal enforcement circles. He has our confidence." And Nagin himself, in his State-of-the-City address this spring, made a point of saying, "The perception that you have to do business under the table, whether it's real or imagined, if you want to do business in New Orleans is fading."
Nagin is indeed changing the fundamentals of how the city does business. He has ended contracts that administrators felt smacked too heavily of favoritism and renegotiated others on terms more favorable to the city--although some critics point out that Nagin still has not formally restructured the city's contracting procedures. His technology director, Greg Meffert, has produced a city Web site that makes it easy for businesses to apply for permits, and has also used the site to display property-tax assessments as part of a running political battle with Orleans Parish's independently elected assessors, who have had a tendency to hand out unequal and artificially low assessments, according to a state legislative audit. Earlier this year, Nagin reorganized city government, cutting the number of departments and offices overseen by the chief administrative officer from 33 to just a handful, focusing in particular on putting all the public safety departments under one administrator, and financial matters under another. "We wanted to make sure that any one particular direct report to the mayor had a maximum of 10 to 12 departments and agencies working for them," Nagin says. "What I found in corporate America is that's about the most anyone can effectively manage in a big organization."
Apart from the anti-corruption push, the more lasting economic development changes have been quieter. Beth James, who managed Cox Interactive Media before becoming Nagin's economic development director, pretty much wiped out the entire department and built it anew after taking over. "I'd asked people what were their goals for the year and how to achieve them," she says, "and they had no clear goals or objectives that would move the city forward or make life easier for the businesses here."
One of the city's problems has been that its emphasis on tourism can take it just so far, not only because the jobs tend to be low-paying but because it puts the city at the mercy of an uncertain industry: Recent decisions by Carnival Cruise Lines on which ships will dock at New Orleans, for instance, have generated worried headlines because they mean the loss of well over 100,000 visitors a year to the city. "Mardi Gras, food, music, the French Quarter, the Superdome--they're all good," says former Louisiana lieutenant governor Jimmy Fitzmorris, a business consultant in town. "But you need a thriving economic tradition. You need to bring businesses here."
Recognizing that New Orleans has an astounding array of untapped assets--"This is the most creative city in the U.S., bar none," James says--Nagin and James have launched a series of initiatives designed to build on them. Some are aimed at helping local entrepreneurs, musicians, artists and others build their businesses. Others have focused on understanding trends among local businesses so that the city can respond with appropriate workforce training initiatives or other services--"The biomedicine corridor between Tulane [University] and Charity Hospital," says Nagin, "is a diamond in the rough: There's already like 2,000 high-paying jobs over there, and if we could find the people and link them up, they would hire them tomorrow, there's that much demand." The city has begun wooing the movie industry, and expanding facilities for cruise ships. Moreover, Nagin likes to point out, "Our port has five raw materials where we're the number one importer in America: coffee beans, raw metals, steel, plywood and rubber. We only do value-added manufacturing on one of those--coffee beans. The other four, the raw materials sit in warehouses anywhere from eight to 12 months, until someone decides to move them to another location to be processed. To me that makes no sense." James' office has begun talking to wire rope manufacturers, and sent out a DVD with Nagin's economic development pitch to every rubber manufacturer in the country.
Of all the things Nagin has done, the one that probably resonates most deeply in the daily lives of New Orleanians is his drive to fill 60,000 potholes by this month. "The potholes were visible symbols of what drives you crazy about the city, and what doesn't work," says Michael Lomax. And when you fill them, as Larry Lorenz says, "By God, people notice."
By delivering early successes such as this, Nagin has secured himself a reservoir of goodwill that will be crucial as he moves forward. For although he's had no serious mishaps so far, the blemishes that did crop up in his first year could prove more troublesome down the road.
For one thing, there's Nagin's tendency to rely almost entirely on a small cadre of aides and advisers, most of whom come from the business world. They are a close-knit group, in constant touch with one another on their Blackberry wireless communicators, and they have tended not to trust anyone outside their immediate orbit, either within the bureaucracy or the larger political community. As one bureaucrat says, "This group came in and said, 'You were here when all this was going on, so either you were a part of it, or you didn't do anything about it.'"
This has caused some tension not just with the city council--early on, Nagin was not especially good about running his plans by council members--but also with the city's legislative delegation in Baton Rouge, especially members of the House. "Elected officials have egos," says state Senator Lambert Boissiere. "They want to be leaders. The mayor's style was not one that the House members readily accepted. He, in essence, is saying, 'I made certain decisions, I'm sticking to it, I want to work with you but this is my way.' Some had been accustomed to Morial's style, who was a master politician; he knew how to play up to elected officials for things he needed." And so small initiatives that Nagin has wanted out of Baton Rouge, such as legislation that would help the city take abandoned property, have moved more slowly than they might have otherwise.
Nagin himself recognizes that he has work to do on this front. "My fundamental premise is that people are going to understand the logic of what we're trying to do, and ultimately it'll benefit them in their constituencies, so they'll move with us," he says. "But sometimes, they just want to make statements and get attention or just try and slow it down a little bit, because they're not necessarily part of the program. I'm learning to be patient." Boissiere agrees. "I think the problem is being resolved," he says. "Both parties are realizing that neither can survive without the other."
The issues within the city bureaucracy have been equally troublesome, in part because there is an acute culture clash between Nagin's appointees and many of the people who work for them. "They just don't bother to notify the Council or department heads of things they want to do," says a City Hall veteran. "These pronouncements come out, and people have to respond, 'Are you aware that according to the law, you have to notify X and Y?' It's not that you can't do it, just that you have to do it a certain way."
Every once in a while, this produces an embarrassing moment for Nagin, as when he fired his first CAO, Kimberly Williamson Butler, who was having trouble meshing with the rest of his inner circle, and offered her a $75,000 severance payment. "I read about it over my morning cereal and my wife had to pick me off the ceiling tiles," says Gil Buras, the lawyer for the city's civil service board. "The law is, you pay governmental employees pursuant to established pay plans. You can't give bonuses or severance packages."
Similar issues caused Nagin to backpedal on an ambitious plan to install a merit-pay system within city government as a means of shaking up its culture of marginalism. The night before the plan was to be submitted, Nagin called it off. He says, "When we started to implement it, we got a bunch of legal opinions that said, 'Well, you have to jump through many hoops before you can do something like that,' and we just didn't have the time to clean that up." A city employee familiar with the plan says that the "hoops" had been cleared up: "I think they just got cold feet," he says. "It was too early to risk a situation where a handful of people got 10 percent increases and everyone else got 2 percent.
Perhaps Nagin's most difficult test will be how he handles several potential pitfalls that lie ahead of him. One is a move to privatize the city's Sewerage and Water Board, a Morial initiative that he has carried on. The agency is a New Orleans institution, responsible not only for drinking water and sewage but also for maintaining the massive pumping stations that keep the city dry after heavy storms. "If those pumps shut down," says Buras, "we're under 2 feet of water." Residents in the city have taken a keen interest in the agency's future, and recently voted 80 percent in favor of submitting any privatization contract to a citywide initiative--a move that caused one firm considering bidding to back off, unwilling to face the uncertainty. Nagin has suggested he has no interest in putting a contract to a public vote, but the issue will be a difficult one to massage.
Then there's the matter of those anonymous fliers accusing Nagin of stacking his administration with whites. In and of themselves, they don't amount to much, but they do raise an issue for Nagin. New Orleans is still a racially divided city in which any moves seen to benefit one race are often considered harmful to the other. "The community believes--and certainly the black community believes--that it's zero sum," says Michael Lomax. "There is this corrosive suspicion and hostility that people feel around whites and blacks engaging in something together. There was certainly a black establishment that felt comfortable with Marc Morial and [his predecessor] Sidney Barthelemy, and that don't have the same role in this administration."
Nagin has already demonstrated that he has no patience for this kind of thinking, but moving the city beyond it will require political skill. This is not only because of the resistance among people who have lost influence at City Hall, but also because, Lomax believes, Nagin's long-term success will rest on whether he can motivate new players, both black and white, to work with him on transforming the city. "He needs significant wins he can point to and say, 'We did this by engaging new people,'" says Lomax.
On that front, Nagin is off to a promising start--the whispering campaign against him would never have been launched otherwise. And although reformers in Louisiana have had a tendency to fall short of expectations, it may turn out that Nagin is exactly the right person for the moment. "Don't confuse energy and enthusiasm for naivete," says Lomax. "These people are serious, businesslike, and are not to be dissuaded. The naysayers had better get up early and work hard, because they've got people on the other side who are as determined as they are and probably have better work habits."
Rob Gurwitt | Former Correspondent
More from Politics | <urn:uuid:053af04a-6b64-49b9-9535-4ed4b900bf4f> | http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/The-Big-Easys-Makeover-Mayor.html | en | 0.982894 | 0.064749 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Both of my dogs are barkers, but we try to keep them from barking AT people when they come in the door. My older dog seems to not be able to control himself, so, before he runs to the door to "greet" you, he will go and find his favorite toy and put it as far into his mouth as he can and then run at you with muffled barks (totally not something we trained him to do). The younger one has started doing this now too. Little crazies. | <urn:uuid:10b748b6-d78a-4292-bb5e-3410a50b0356> | http://www.naturallycurly.com/curltalk/1968450-post10.html | en | 0.995161 | 0.083185 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Fake-Out Chocolate Rugelach
Aired June 14, 2009
Serves 16 cookies
2 store-bought pie dough rounds (they usually come 2 per box)
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and finely chopped
Powdered sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter and cocoa powder.
On a work surface, lay the pie dough rounds out next to each other. Brush both rounds liberally with butter-cocoa powder mixture and sprinkle each round with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar. Top one of the rounds with all of the chopped hazelnuts.
Gently pick up the round without nuts, turn over and place it on top of the round with nuts, buttered sides facing together.
Gently roll the top of the pie dough so the two rounds seal together and the round is about 13" in diameter. Cut into 16 equal wedges like a pie. Roll up each wedge of dough starting from the large end to pointed end and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wedges, brush with remaining butter-cocoa mixture and sprinkle with remaining granulated sugar.
Transfer to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 40-45 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Around the Web | <urn:uuid:91722dac-3c7c-4999-ab77-b4d3263a4ac0> | http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/recipe/14586_Fake_Out_Chocolate_Rugelach/ | en | 0.877551 | 0.018886 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
Joe Bragg
The Mr Lid Review Launches to Provide Independent Assessment of Infomercial Product
The Mr. Lid Review is a website dedicated to providing impartial insights into Mr. Lid, a set of plastic containers for the kitchen ideal for portion control and portable storage.
San Francisco, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/22/2014 -- Keeping a kitchen clean and organized can be a chore, but it needn’t be. With proper organization, the chaos of fresh foodstuffs, leftovers, ingredients and packed lunches can be brought under control. The problem is often that having enough containers for all these items causes a havoc all its own. Fortunately, a solution seems to be in sight. Mr Lid is a product that offers a wide range of containers of different sizes, all with their own attached lid, that can be stored within themselves to minimize storage needs when not in use. A new website has launched,, to provide an independent Mr. Lid Review to determine if the product lives up to the infomercial hype.
The site is set up to provide independent consumer advice on the heavily promoted Mr Lid, and does so in a plain English, straight-talking manner which blends anecdotal evidence from the reviewer and from existing customer feedback with vital statistics and frank discussions of the products capabilities to help people come to an informed conclusion.
The review then goes on to list the key pros and cons of the products, and gives a final word together with information on where to buy Mr. Lid product for the best possible price. The results are further broken down into purely editorial columns explaining how the conclusion was reached.
A spokesperson for The Mr. Lid Review explained, “We decided to expand upon our original review to further qualify the conclusions we drew in terms people could understand and empathize with. The product is versatile and easy to use, while being affordable and makes such a significant difference that we felt we needed to provide examples of how the product works to keep food fresh, and how we found it changed our kitchen habits for the better. We provide buying guides to ensure that people aren’t ripped off by imitators or companies looking to skim a profit from this must have kitchen accessory.”
About The Mr. Lid Review
The Mr. Lid Review is a new website created solely to play host to a comprehensive review of Mr. Lid, a portable plastic container product designed to make kitchen storage easier than ever. The review is completely independent and offers impartial consumer advice on whether individuals should purchase the product. For more information please visit: | <urn:uuid:cc9ce294-9d49-4a9f-9008-378b9570e49f> | http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/the-mr-lid-review-launches-to-provide-independent-assessment-of-infomercial-product-510642.htm | en | 0.940651 | 0.04118 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
-- Maybe all Carlos Beltran needed was for the calendar to turn to September.
After hitting a soft .300 in August, Beltran enjoyed his best game in orange and black on Friday night, helping the Giants survive another day with a 6-2 victory over the first-place Diamondbacks.
To begin the Giants' biggest series of the year - manager Bruce Bochy said, "They're all must-win games. There's not a very big margin for error" - Beltran did what he was supposed to do when acquired July 28 from the Mets.
He dominated.
He tripled, homered and singled twice, and all his swings were smooth and easy, as originally advertised. By the fifth inning, he matched his August output for homers (one) and RBIs (three), accumulated over 16 games.
If Friday's performance was a precursor for what's to come the rest of the month, the Giants have hope. They're five games behind the Diamondbacks, whose winning streak halted at nine.
"This is fun," Beltran said. "As a ballplayer, you want to be in a situation like this where every game is meaningful. You're fighting to gain a position. In New York, they're not fighting for anything. We have the chance here. As a ballplayer, you want to take advantage of the situation and get to the playoffs."
In a scoreless first inning, Beltran tripled off lefty Joe Saunders and darted to third as if he never had knee problems. In the third, after Jeff Keppinger's RBI double, Beltran hit a two-run homer to left, as if he never had that hand injury that cost him two weeks. In the fifth, Beltran singled home Matt Cain, who reached on an infield single and advanced on Cody Ross' double.
"We love it," said Cain, who limited Arizona's high-powered offense to two runs and five hits in eight innings. "We've seen him (Beltran) do it against us a ton."
Keeping the Beltran-inspired momentum going, Ross hit a two-run homer in the seventh, following a Cain walk. Ending his 0-for-16 funk, Ross reached three times as the leadoff man and made a diving catch in left field to rob Justin Upton in the eighth.
Cain labored early but didn't panic. Miguel Montero's first-inning RBI double put runners at second and third, and Cain escaped by retiring Paul Goldschmidt and Gerardo Parra. With two aboard in the third, Cain got Chris Young on an inning-ending pop out.
"That's the energy we needed," said Cain, who received the most offensive support in a home game this year. "That's the way to start out September."
Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson insisted his team wasn't underestimating the Giants, who were 11-18 in August and hadn't won a series opener since July 18 at Dodger Stadium.
"I don't care what they've done or whatever, it's a scary team," he said. "We know their manager. We know all the coaches. We know the players very well. They've got a lot of character. There's no comfort, trust me. Our goal is to push as hard as we can. We're not going to take one day for granted."
E E-mail John Shea at jshea@sfchronicle.com. | <urn:uuid:17fd7a9c-c8b0-468a-ab95-e0cfd7373af5> | http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Carlos-Beltran-busts-out-SF-Giants-beat-D-backs-2311332.php | en | 0.98422 | 0.020118 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |
From Hilarious Dictators to Superhero Looks
By: Romina S. Cortellucci - Published:
From mutants to historical leaders, there are no bounds to what hipsterized pop cultural figures will pop on the Internet next.
What once was a subculture has gone mainstream in contemporary times, as artists continually re-appropriate famous pop cultural characters into hipsters. These characters try to show just how subversive they are by sporting skinny jeans, ironic facial hair and savvy secondhand store finds.
Artists magically makeover legendary characters, such as Harry Potter and the Disney Princesses into a pretty pretentious bunch. From historical hipster icons such as Frida Khalo to hilariously unexpected dictator depictions, these clever re-conceptions will have viewers laughing.
True to form, your favorite hipsterized pop cultural figures will never admit to the fact that they have transformed into an edgy, thick-rimmed glasses wearing, DJ-loving hipster. Stats for 25 Hipsterized Pop Cultural Figures Trending: Older & Popular
Traction: 33,440 clicks in 179 w
Interest: 3.1 minutes
Concept: Hipsterized Pop Cultural Figures
Related: 229 examples / 176 photos
Segment: Neutral, 12-55
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1 Reply Latest reply: Aug 26, 2013 2:22 PM by SteveG(AudioMasters) RSS
no sound from left speaker headphone out
Suddenly no sound coming from left speaker through headphone output only. Records in stereo plays in stereo but no sound on left. Tried all the usual suspects ....no luck. Any suggestions
• 1. Re: no sound from left speaker headphone out
SteveG(AudioMasters) Community Member
Nowhere near enough information to go on, really. If this is a switched socket and the speaker works when it's not connected, then there's either a socket fault or a headphone fault. Try it with another pair of headphones and see if it still happens. If it doesn't, you have faulty headphones. If it does, then you have some sort of a wiring or socket fault. | <urn:uuid:f9d1ccab-4fa6-411f-83b6-a511e746c145> | https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1283271 | en | 0.893381 | 0.049844 | mlfoundations/dclm-baseline-1.0-parquet |