text
stringlengths 40
770k
| images
listlengths 0
0
|
|---|---|
REFILE-UPDATE 3-Khamenei factions look set to dominate in Iran vote
May 04, 2012|Reuters
(Fixes spelling of analyst's name in paragraph 14)
* Run-off vote unlikely to change results favouring Khamenei
* Parliament may be increasingly hostile to Ahmadinejad
* Complex system means allegiances are difficult to read
By Marcus George
DUBAI, May 4 (Reuters) - Iranians voted on Friday in a
run-off parliamentary election in which allies of hardline
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hoped to complete victory
over President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a conservative increasingly
criticised by the clerical elite.
Khamenei's expected majority is likely to mean a tougher
final year for Ahmadinejad in his second and last term.
With reformists mostly sidelined and opposition leaders
under house arrest, the vote is a test of the popularity of
Khamenei's clerical establishment rather than an opportunity for
fundamental change in the way the Islamic Republic is run.
Sixty-five of parliament's 290 seats are being contested
after Khamenei loyalists led the first round in March.
More than 50 percent of seats have already been
filled by new members, including a large number of independents,
so the Iranian Majles is undergoing an extensive face-lift.
The election will have no major impact on Tehran's nuclear
row with the West or its foreign affairs, which are already
determined by Khamenei.
Its significance lies in gauging just how deep the rivalry
between supreme leader and president has become and it could
also throw light on possible contenders for next year's
presidential elections.
Among the five candidates who have already secured seats in
Tehran, Gholam-Ali Haddad Adel, a key ally of Khamenei and
"We have to wait for the factions to be formed before we can
see what happened. But whatever happens the next parliament will
not give him (Ahmadinejad) an easy ride. I doubt he'll be very
happy," said analyst Mohammad Marandi of Tehran University.
The United Front of Principalists - an alliance of
conservative group tied to the Supreme Leader - was the largest
entity in the first round but analysts say Iran's political
system makes it tricky to forecast candidates' allegiance.
"This list contains many Ahmadinejad critics ... but many of
its candidates are newbies whose true political leaning is
uncertain. As such, we don't know how they will necessarily
behave," said Iran analyst Reza Esfandiari.
"Political groupings in Iran are not disciplined, and there
is no 'whip' in the Iranian parliamentary system that coerces
MPs to act one way or the other," he added.
The waters are muddied by the fact that many successful
candidates appeared on the lists of both the pro-Khamenei
Principlist Front and the equally hardline, pro-Ahmadinejad
Resistance Front, making it difficult to fathom who can count
more on the lawmaker in question.
The political persuasion of more than 70 independent
candidates elected in the first is also unknown.
"Many of them are from small provinces and are not known
politically. But some have been supported by Ahmadinejad during
the campaign and so they will very likely tend to support him,"
said Sadeq Zibakalam, an Iranian professor of political science.
Khamenei swiftly endorsed Ahmadinejad's re-election in 2009,
rejecting opposition allegations of widespread fraud that led to
eight months of unrest.
But a rift opened between the two leaders when Ahmadinejad
made several key policy decisions that his critics said were not
in line with the supreme leader and undermined the leading
political role of clergy.
Even before the current election, Ahmadinejad was already
regularly criticised by parliament and, in March, he became the
first president in the Islamic Republic's history to be summoned
to the assembly for questioning.
Parliament, which has the power to impeach the president,
accused him of economic mismanagement and making illegal
In the past months, dozens of Ahmadinejad allies have been
detained or dismissed from their posts for being linked to a
"deviant current" that his rivals say aims to sideline clerics.
Ahmadinejad has inflicted hardship on Iranians, critics say,
through soaring inflation caused in part by slashing food and
fuel subsidies.
Iran is also under ever-tightening economic sanctions driven
by western countries that believe Tehran may be developing
nuclear weapons technology, something it denies. It also faces
the threat of Israeli military strikes on its nuclear sites.
Tehran resumed nuclear talks with major powers in mid-April
after more than a year. A second round of talks is scheduled for
May 23 in Baghdad.
Khamenei called for a high turnout in Friday's second round.
"My suggestion is that they (people) should take the second
votes for lawmakers ... the better they can work," state
television quoted him as saying after he cast his vote.
Polling stations in 33 constituencies, including the capital
Tehran, opened to voters at 8 a.m. (0430 GMT). They were due to
close at 6 p.m. but Iranian media reported that vote time was
extended by two hours.
Hours after the voting began, state television showed
footage of some polling stations where queues of voters were
waiting to cast their ballots.
"I will vote because my vote will be a defeat for Iran's
enemies," television quoted a young man identified only by his
first name of Alireza as saying.
Turnout in the first round of parliamentary election was 64
percent. The interior ministry has said final results were
expected within 24 hours after the polls close.
The new parliament convenes on May 27.
(Additional reporting by Zahra Hosseinian; Editing by Robin
|
[] |
Mary River’s final hearings: Iqaluit, day 1
After over ten hours of presentations and discussions, the first day of Mary River’s final hearings closed at 9:30pm, two items behind schedule, with the intimation of many yet unanswered questions to come.
Baffinland president Tom Paddon opened the hearing with a speech, in Inuktitut and English, on the significant, long-term investment that a mine requires, for both the mining company and the impacted communities: “The largest expense, for a mine, takes place earliest on; these are our investment years, and Inuit have a significant investment to make as well. The development of a portion of Inuit land and the changes that will mean for traditional life must be considered carefully.”
But he added, “We are confident that we have had more than enough time to make a decision on the project.”
Paddon said that Inuit traditional knowledge made a significant contribution to the planning of the project, and then flew to Mary River for the rest of the day, handing responsibilities over to his over 20-person team of consultants—“a every expensive room”—to demonstrate the results of that research, supplemented with over six years of Inuit consultation, primary and secondary studies, collaboration with government agencies and regulatory requirements.
“The project may appear unprecedented,” said Erik Madsen, Baffinland’s vice-president of sustainable management, “but you will see that all of the elements of the project have been done before.” Perhaps in response to several government agencies’ concerns in their final submissions to NIRB that Baffinland’s baseline studies were insufficient, Madsen reiterated, “We are confident that we have adequate data for an impact assessment.”
Baffinland pointed out that it has responded to each of the intervenor’s concerns already in writing in a document uploaded to the NIRB ftp site last week.
After a brief overview of the project, the company discussed mostly environmental concerns over three presentations, summarized below:
One key issue identified by NIRB was the possibility of alternatives to the rail route, which Baffinland plans to run southeast of the Mary River site, veer around several lakes and rivers draining into Steensby Inlet and back west to the port site. Two locomotives will make a total of six round trips daily, travelling at average speeds of 30-40 km per hour—about one train every two hours.
Baffinland pointed out that QIA hired an independent consultant to examine the position of the railway and Steensby port site, only to conclude that Baffinland’s choices were indeed the most economically technically feasible choices, despite the fact that the Baffin Land Use Plan will have to be amended to allow to railway to pass through Inuit-owned land. QIA later corrected Baffinland, saying they did no economic studies on alternatives to the port site or railway, but confirmed the results of their feasibility studies.
Baffinland also said airborne dust will not be a significant concern because iron ore dust is much heavier than average rock dust and will fall to the ground almost immediately after flying from the tops of the moving train cars. As for dust emissions landing on the ground and coating ground vegetation, Baffinland plans to monitor dust emissions from rail cars early on in its operations, and said it would extend monitoring down the rail line if the train releases more dust than expected.
In response to NTI’s concerns about emergency plans for train derailment, Baffinland’s director of sustainability Oliver Curran said, “Because it is an enclosed railway with inspectors and heavy equipment stationed at both ends, we can respond to derailments quickly. We have a good emergency response plan.”
Curran began Baffinland’s second presentation with a general endorsement of shipping: “It’s the most environmentally favourable method of materials transport there is; in Nunavut, a large proportion of community supply comes depends on shipping; it’s strictly regulated and, compared to other methods of transport, it’s environmentally responsible.”
And the only environmentally and technically responsible choice of shipping port, he said, is Steensby. “Shipping experience, scientific technology, traditional knowledge…a $12 million detailed charting of a six mile swath of Steensby Inlet confirmed the navigability of the proposed route.” Baffinland, he said, examined routes west of Milne Inlet to the north, but the east Baffin shear zone—a row of ridges up to 20 m high—precluded them. They plotted a route to Iqaluit but it was too long to make environmental or economic sense. They tried Nuvuit, southeast of Steensby Inlet—and a popular proposed alternative—but the route was longer, would require two additional years of construction, and the port would be much too shallow. By contrast, Steensby met all the technical, environmental and social requirements,“makes an ideal deepwater port,” and has the backing of QIA’s independent consultant. None of the participants had any questions regarding the choice of the Steensby port site.
But Baffinland pointed out it had taken community concerns into consideration in plotting the shipping route itself; the original preferred route, far west of Rowley Island, was moved east to avoid important walrus harvesting grounds along the northeast Melville Peninsula, between Hall Beach and Igloolik.
Baffinland maintained that year-round shipping has no adverse effects on walrus and other marine mammals “where monitoring is efficient and committed,” but said it can adapt its operations, if need be, by reducing shipping speed, altering its route or periodically suspending shipping. When NIRB executive director Ryan Barry asked for clarification on what degree of impacts would trigger suspension of shipping and how long that suspension would last, Baffinland said it would have to make up for the loss in productivity by adding more ships during the open water season, increasing ore transport.
Ballast water, another contentious topic throughout the review process, will be sampled and monitored regularly, as well as filtered to extract potentially invasive, microscopic species. Baffinland will study bottom-feeding animals for baseline studies later this year.
Marine mammals discussions focused largely on the effects of shipping on marine mammals, including noise pollution and ship strikes. Baffinland’s marine mammal consultant Rolph Davis said that, in most cases, underwater noise will have a negligible impact on marine mammals. Unless they’re socializing or distracted, they will most likely get out of the way of ship strikes long before they happen. As for noise pollution affecting the hearing of seals or whales, “they would have to swim beside a ship for a very long time to experience hearing damage from the noise.” Ships generally emit low-frequency sounds, said Davis, and marine mammals hear best at high frequencies.
Davis concluded his presentation with a somewhat depressing comparative study of marine mammal populations’ ability to bounce back from resource extraction operations, to levels close, or equivalent, to their previous abundances.
During question period, QIA president Okalik Eegeesiak pointed out that many of Davis’ studies cited research carried out decades earlier on different species than those that will be impacted by the Mary River project. Davis responded by saying Baffinland is planning more studies on marine mammals abundance, distribution, and reactions to ship traffic and underwater noise, involving hydrophones and unmanned aerial vehicles in the early stages of the project.
Barry challenged Baffinland’s claim that, even though the project, as a whole, may be unprecedented, all of its operational elements have been done before: asked whether Baffinland had compared its shipping impacts with a vessel of similar size instead of the much smaller MV Arctic, Baffinland said, “None in ice-infested waters, there is nothing in the world of that size.”
After a short presentation on Baffinland’s plans to replace Mary River’s indigenous vegetation after the mine’s closure (it will work on experimental plots on disturbed areas to determine re-vegetation success throughout the project), discussions turned to the most contentious issue of the night: potential impacts on the enigmatic North Baffin caribou herd.
Most of Baffinland’s information comes from traditional knowledge on historical caribou populations and migration patterns, since there are almost no systematic western scientific data available. Baffinland consultant Mike Setterington also flew along the proposed rail route for three full days, logging thousands of kilometers, and walked the route twice, searching for caribou tracks. Though the current population is sparse—Setterington estimates it to be in the hundreds—in abundant periods, there were thousands—maybe even tens of thousands—travelling through Mary River in the 1980s. Baffinland has plotted its caribou crossings to align with old tracks left over from decades before, but no one knows what the herd will look like when it eventually does return in full force to the area, or how sensitive it will be to railway disturbance when it does.
Based on evidence from the Meadowbank gold mine in Baker Lake, the Ekati and Diavik diamond mines outside of Yellowknife, caribou are tremendously adaptable and simply avoid areas of high traffic. That said, given the low population of caribou in the North Baffin herd, Baffinland promised to investigate any caribou strikes and suspend railway transport in the meantime. For now, Baffinland is relying on the ghostly trails of a herd that no one knows for sure what has happened to. NIRB chair Elizabeth Copland asked some unanswerable questions: “Has there always been a low population? Where is the caribou now?” Before looking at her watch, saving the answer for the community roundtable discussions and closing the night.
About these ads
Leave a Reply
You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )
Twitter picture
Facebook photo
Google+ photo
Connecting to %s
Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.
%d bloggers like this:
|
[] |
Report an Event Problem
Event in question: Christmas Eve Services on 12/24/2012 at Hiland Presyterian Church
Your name:
Your e-mail address:
Description of problem:
Enter the characters exactly how they
appear. Letters are case-sensitive.
What is this?
|
[] |
Switches in Unity menus
About these ads
About thorwil
13 Responses to Switches in Unity menus
1. Jo-Erlend Schinstad says:
You’re absolutely right about the switches. They’re conceptually flawed, for the reasons you mention, and they’re certainly not _better_ on a 2d surface. I’ve also seen opposite implementations, where the label displays the alternate state instead of the current one. I remember someone once switching to 230V from 180V because of that. Or at least, that’s what he thought. In reality, he switched from 230V to 180V, which meant instead of starting his brand new computer, he switched on the smoke generator.
• Anonymous says:
Yes. And I always thought it was just me who did not understand those great new switches. I always try to change the setting (especially if it is off) to learnt what state it is in.
2. Roshan says:
What about the push down button with the next text indicting ON/OFF?
3. Camila Acolide says:
Why not make the menu open towards the left? This would avoid the diagonal movement. Also, this should already be the default behaviour anyway, since the indicators are in the right side of the screen, and as such the menus always get constrained against the right screen border.
• thorwil says:
Interesting idea. It would cause additional eye movment, though, if the user first focuses the menu icon, and then has to look leftwards, instead of finding the menu items start right below.
4. has this design got accessibility planned in? What would orca say if you were using such a menu?
• thorwil says:
I’m not familiar with the capabilities of the current framework. I would advocate a split between representations, such that it does not matter how it looks for how it is read out at all.
5. bennyp says:
The strikethrough concept is my favorite, but the on position is not clear enough for me. Maybe adding an outer glow to the text when on or something like that.
6. Aham says:
Yes i agree 100%.
7. Omer says:
I’m going to have to disagree with you on this. Switches are widely used in touch interfaces, especially in iOS. In the touch world, the action is also a press (like a click) rather than a slide. No one seems to be confused by this nor by the status of the switch and you can’t fault Apple’s UI for being unintuitive. The purpose of the switch is to clearly demonstrate a large target (clicking on the option name is not intuitive) and to provide a better analogy: you are switching functionality on or off, not filling out a form. The only possible issue I see here is that we have to make sure that this is compatible with themes and accessibility features.
• thorwil says:
You say no one seems to be confused. Well, there’s Jo-Erlend, Aham and myself, http://www.arwebdesign.com.au/blog/usability/ios-on-off-switch/, http://de-vita-sua.blogspot.de/2012/05/apples-worst-interface-widget.html and I heard enough complaints in informal chat.
The design being from Apple doesn’t make it good and I and others can and do blame Apple UI for being “unintuitive” in specific cases.
• Omer says:
Of course a design isn’t good just because Apple made it, I had just never heard any complaints from average users about iOS being unintuitive. But maybe I’ve been listening to the wrong people.
I do like the idea of using a “rocker switch” type metaphor similar to what Angus suggested, but where the depressed option is selected and the switch lights up when in the “on” position. This would solve the sliding confusion, maintain the large target area of the slider, and keep a relevant physical metaphor.
Leave a Reply
WordPress.com Logo
Twitter picture
Facebook photo
Google+ photo
Connecting to %s
%d bloggers like this:
|
[] |
View Full Version : Question about spawning items (K1)
08-21-2006, 04:43 PM
I was looking to replace the blaster rifle that you get in your personal footlocker on the Endar Spire (when you're a soldier) with a light repeating blaster. After tedious searching through the forums, I read somewhere that that particular footlocker was titled footlcker001.utp . I've looked through the tutorials, and because I can't find a list of those unique itemplaceholders, I was wondering if footlcker001.utp was a uniqure pre-existing containter or not. Do I have to go and make sure than any items I change aren't duplicated over and over again? Any insight?
And second question, what file do I change so that you get a brown Jedi KNIGHT robe as opposed to a brown Jedi robe after you complete your third Jedi trials?
Sorry for not wording this better; I couldn't find a way to say it to make it clearer. Thanks for putting up with me, and thanks for any help I can get.
Emperor Devon
08-21-2006, 06:26 PM
Using Kotor Tool to find the footlocker's template could've taken you less than a minute. ;)
footlcker001 is not a unique template. You will find that's used more than once throughout the game. There are two ways you could change the inventory of what's inside it. You could go to end_m01aa_s.rim and end_m01aa.rim and extract all the files to a folder. You would then open up the footlocker's template and change what you will, and then compile the module and name it end_m01aa.mod and put it in your modules folder. Since the template for the footlocker you edited is specific to a module, it won't change all the others. But just editing the footlcoker will give you the original inventory in addition to what you added.
The second way would be to try your hand at scripting. You should go to end_m01aa.rim, and extract the file k_pend_time01 from the scripts section. I think that's the one which triggers what goes in the footlocker, since it's placed in the part of the dialogue that exists before you open it. Anyhow, you'd have to decompile the script, (the tool to do that can be found at SWKnights) and change the refferance that gives you a weapon from g_w_blstrrfl001 to g_w_rptnblstr01. Then you should compile it, and drop it into your override folder.
08-21-2006, 06:43 PM
Thanks Emperor Devon. I'll give it a try.
Any ideas about the Jedi robes though?
08-21-2006, 07:12 PM
You'll want to edit the k_inc_end file - this is by far the easiest route.
You'll see at the top a short list of string constants. Something like this:
string sTraskTag = "end_trask";
string sTraskWP = "endwp_tarsk01";
string sCarthTag = "Carth";
string SOLDIER_WEAPON = "g_w_blstrrfl001"; // Change this to your custom ResRef
string SOLDIER_ITEM01 = "g_i_adrnaline003";
string SOLDIER_ITEM02 = "";
string SCOUT_WEAPON = "g_w_blstrpstl001";
string SCOUT_ITEM01 = "g_i_adrnaline002";
string SCOUT_ITEM02 = "g_i_implant101";
string SCOUNDREL_WEAPON = "g_w_blstrpstl001";
string SCOUNDREL_ITEM01 = "g_i_secspike01";
string SCOUNDREL_ITEM02 = "g_i_progspike01";
To edit what blaster rifle is granted change the part that I have marked. Save the file and plonk it in your override. And compile this script under the name "k_pend_area01.nss"
#include "k_inc_end"
void main() {
if(GetIsPC(GetEnteringObject())) {
if(HasNeverTriggered()) {
SetReturnStrref(FALSE, 32228);
SetGlobalNumber("K_CURRENT_PLANET", 5);
SetGlobalFadeIn(3.0, 1.5);
DelayCommand(0.1, AssignCommand(GetTrask(),
ActionStartConversation(GetFirstPC(), "m01aa_c01", FALSE, CONVERSATION_TYPE_CINEMATIC, TRUE )));
SetMinOneHP(GetFirstPC(), TRUE);
Place the compiled script in the override. It is now safe to remove the include file :). That should sort out your blaster rifle problems.
As to the Jedi Robe... I haven't played K1 in a while, so I'm not sure where you get this.
Emperor Devon
08-21-2006, 07:18 PM
Any ideas about the Jedi robes though?
Oh, the Jedi robes! I overlooked that while explaining the footlocker. Although you could change the script which gives you the robe, it would be pointless, as that item can only be found once in the game, which is from Master Zhar. Go to BIFs/templates.bif/Blueprint, Item/g_a_kghtrobe01. Change the template resref from g_a_kghtrobe01 to g_a_jedirobe01, and save it as that.
08-21-2006, 07:35 PM
Sorry, I'm still looking for a program that will decompile the .ncs scripts into .nss scripts for me to edit. Seems like there was something for that in Kotor II, but not Kotor I.
And you completely lost me about the Jedi robes, Emperor Devon. If I did what you told me to do, what would happen ingame?
Emperor Devon
08-21-2006, 07:41 PM
The game would recognize you as having the Jedi robes, but they would have the stats and name of the Jedi Knight robe.
08-21-2006, 08:16 PM
I changed the weapons with Pavlos's way. But just out of curiousity, is there a way to add a second weapon?
|
[] |
Lemon (automobile)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A lemon is a car, often new, that is found to be defective only after it has been bought. Any vehicle with numerous, severe issues can be termed a "lemon," and, by extension, any product with flaws too great or severe to serve its purpose can be described as a "lemon."
The use of the word "lemon" to describe a highly flawed item predates its use in describing cars and can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century as a British and American slang.[1] Julian Koenig used the term to refer to a defective model in Volkswagen's 1960s Think Small advertising campaign.[2]
Economist George Akerlof has also been credited with coining the term in his 1970 paper "The Market for Lemons: Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism."[3] Akerlof identified the severe lemon problems that may afflict markets characterized by asymmetrical information. A study of rejections of important economic papers noted that before Akerlof's paper was accepted, the first lemon law was proposed in California in 1980.
New vehicles[edit]
New vehicles may contain hidden mechanical flaws or defects in workmanship, caused by design flaws or by an error during the automotive factory build process. These errors can range from parts being installed incorrectly to a tool that was used to build the car not being removed or a batch of materials with structural or chemical flaws.
Consumer protection legislation typically labels vehicles as "lemons" if the same problem recurs despite multiple repair attempts (such as three times in a row over a short period, where previous attempts have not fixed the problem) or where defects have caused a new vehicle to be out of service for a prolonged period (typically thirty days or longer) for repairs.
Lemon laws primarily serve to force manufacturers to buy back defective vehicles or exchange them. Depending on the jurisdiction, a process similar to vehicle title branding may also be used to warn subsequent purchasers of the history of a problem vehicle. While this portion of a vehicle's history is usually not retained with the title when exporting it to another jurisdiction, at least one jurisdiction (California) has started compelling manufacturers to brand the titles of any previously reacquired vehicles that they import into or out of the jurisdiction.[4]
Used vehicles[edit]
While used cars may be plagued with the same problems that beset new vehicles, used vehicles may also have been abused, improperly maintained or poorly repaired, been unprofessionally rebuilt after a collision or tampered with in some manner to conceal high mileage, mechanical defects, corrosion or other damage.
One form of lemon is called a cut and shut or clipping, a form of body collision "repair" based on buying a wrecked car and sawing off the wrecked section to replace it with a matching section from another (similar) car. If improperly repaired these vehicles may be inherently dangerous; at high speeds, or in an accident, the car may come apart due to the weaknesses of the welds or pins connecting the two segments of the vehicle or mismatches of segments.[5][6] In the UK cut and shut cars are treated like any car that has had major repair work resulting in what is essentially a new car. They must first be inspected for road-worthiness, be assigned a new registration number and pass the standard MOT test. If this is successful they will be given a "Q" registration, meaning they are a kit, or composite car and not an original unit from the manufacturer. [7] In some states of the USA, the sale of cut and shut vehicles is illegal. Cars created using two or more large sections of previous ones are sometimes called "zipper cars".
Improperly repaired collision-damage vehicles also carry the risk of unibody problems. Unlike heavy trucks and lorries, most passenger cars manufactured since 1987 employ unibody construction instead of a separate body and frame.[citation needed] This saves weight, but the unibody is prone to bend (it is designed to do so in an impact, to absorb part of the energy of the shock) or suffer damage in severe collisions, causing the vehicle not to handle correctly or causing other mechanical parts to wear prematurely if the damaged unibody vehicle is driven after an accident.
Today, there are vehicle history services that can help a prospective used car buyer by providing a "history report" based on the vehicle's identification number(VIN). These reports will indicate items of public record, such as vehicle title branding, lemon law buybacks and recalls. They may indicate minor/moderate collision damage or improper vehicle maintenance. An attempt to identify vehicles which have been previously owned by hire car rental agencies, police and emergency services or taxi fleets is also made. However, consumers should research vehicles carefully, as these reporting services only report the information to which they have access.
Manufacturers have been known to "hide" lemon law buybacks from these reporting services through such unscrupulous methods as holding the buyback vehicle in a dealer's inventory for a short period of time, then funneling it through routine inventory (so-called "dealer only") auctions where the buyback vehicle re-enters the used market as a seemingly legitimate vehicle. While history reports can provide useful information and highlight trouble areas, consumers are still advised to have a trusted, independent mechanic perform a pre-buy inspection on any used vehicle of which they do not personally know the history.
See also[edit]
|
[] |
Transmission posted:
Since the end of World War 2, humanity has lived in a world tinged with paranoia about the end of the world, the apocalypse. We're afraid that one day, Russia will get pissed at America, and launch a nuke, followed by Korea and China and soforth until nothing on the planet remains alive. These bombs were created by humans, the smartest creatures on the planet. Throughout history, the greatest leaps and bounds have been made by humanity, being intelligent and adaptable like we are. The human race has been busy creating all the wonderful ideas, things, places and whatnot that we value so much today.
Behind almost everything we take for granted, there was some pioneering genius or geniuses. Although we can look at frozen food and television, and decide that this is all fine and dandy, look at the darker side. Guns, bombs, torture, poisons, WMDs, the internet and Goatse. Does all this intelligence benefit man when you weigh microwaves and the hydrogen bomb? Perhaps we enjoy all the luxury nowadays, but what happens when the next nuke is launched at another country? Will the chain reaction that could occur be equaled by all the benefits that intelligence and ingenuity has bestowed upon us?
So my question is this; do you think humanity would, in the end, be better off intelligent like we are now, or as mongoloids, incapable of conceiving complex things? Are we better off, in the end, sitting in chairs and surfing the web, or wandering around in huts and hitting things with sticks?
Thee Ol Boozeroony posted:
There has never been a Communist country. The teachings and writings of Karl Marx do not depict and condone the events in the USSR and China. Stupid people think that dictatorships and totalitarian governments are communist states. This is false.
I hope your post was a joke. I really hate having to explain this to everyone. Karl Marx was a very brilliant man who wanted all to prosper equally. Driven in disgust by the horrible sights of the Industrial Revolution, he wrote the Communist Manifesto and many other radical writings against capitalism. His writings inspired some of our founding fathers to rebel against the English. Learn what you are talking about.
ewokfarmer posted:
While we're on the subject, Thomas Jefferson & Co. were traitors and I'd like to see every single son/daughter of the American revolution hanged. Shit, while we're at it, let's hang everyone in history who has ever taken up arms in the defense of their home.
The South has a proud heritage. It's imperfect but it's ours.
If you seriously think the war of yankee aggression was primarily about slavery, you need to pull your head out of your ass. It was about power, pure and simple - who ruled and who was ruled.Eliminating the right to secede - holding people in a union against their will - was the end; Slavery was a footnote. Eliminating slavery wasn't even a goal until the emancipation proclamation, and that proclamation was primarily a strategic maneuver aimed at disrupting the Southern home territory and preventing European powers from recognizing and openly supporting the South.
Slavery was on its way out; it was no longer economically viable. Federal jackbooted thugs, however, persist to this day.
macserv posted:
Maybe we're attempting to solve the wrong problem. Outside of those who do it professionally, or are specially licensed, I'm kind of disappointed that humans are still in direct control of their vehicles, especially on main arteries of high-speed travel. Turning a wheel and manipulating levers... seems so arcane compared to so many other streamlined parts of our lives. Our brains are poorly suited to the task of controlling a car, and our track record speaks for itself.
You should be able to get in, tell the car where to go, and have it take you there, moving you along the highway at a brisk 200mph with a mile of space between you and the next guy. Text all you want. Heck, take a nap, shave, adjust your stockings, yell at your kids-- do all the things that used to be dangerous a couple of decades ago.
I know everyone gets paranoid about the thought of computers controlling their cars, but they're much better suited to the task than the human brain. In the event of a failure of a critical component, the computer can pull quietly to the side of the road and signal for help. Heck, even if everything goes haywire and there's an accident, maybe 100 people die per year. I'll take that compared to the current numbers.
More The Great Goon Database
This Week on Something Awful...
About This Column
Previous Articles
Suggested Articles
|
[] |
Accessing the document inside an iframe
When dealing with inline frames (iframe), it is common to have the need to access the document loaded into the iframe.
In order to support the most browsers with the least headaches, it is best to use the highly-compatible "DOM0" frames collection, which is a child of window.
For example, to reference an element with id="foo" in a frame with name="loader_frame", one would use the following syntax:
var elFoo = window.frames['loader_frame'].document.getElementById('foo');
Of course you can omit the window. when referencing the frames collection of the current window because window is the default scope.
For those developers who want more standardized DOM-centric code, I bring you the most compatible (current) cross-browser method for acessing the document contained within an iframe, directly via the iframe object in the DOM.
Browser Disagreements
contentWindow vs. contentDocument
Because Safari has no way to directly access the window object of an iframe element via standard DOM (or does it?), our fully modern-cross-browser-compatible code will only be able to access the document within the iframe. The resulting code follows.
Summary & Code
In summary, to access the document loaded inside an iframe, use:
Here is a working example that modifies the backgroundColor of the body of the document contained in the iframe:
This code has been tested on and is known to work in:
This code is known to not work in:
|
[] |
Sunday, April 26, 2009
I Like to Think I'm Tough! She's Really Good at Whining
Yesterday, when I was in Nicholasville, I was eating dinner at Bob Evans' Restaurant (the Chicken Pot Pie was very yummy!) and while I was eating that delectable pie, what should happen to me, but my rear lower left molar broke. It broke!
It did not hurt much at first, but this morning when I got up, I was having pain up into my ear, my jaw was hurting and my whole body felt "off". So I headed to Immediadent, the brutal barbarian dentist that is open from nine to nine seven days a week, walk-ins welcome!
Now, I've had braces (the assistant orthodontist was Turkish and had strong garlic breath), a root canal and some major fillings and I've even-by those barbaric Swiss government sponsored school dentists-had cavities drilled with no anesthesia-but today was dentally ROUGH.
I had a novel to read, so the long wait was not so bad. But then the waiting room chair had an ill-designed seam in the middle of the seat cushion and it made my butt hurt. Perhaps my dentally traumatized self was more sensitive to pain?
And then the dentist chair was making my lower back hurt. And I was in it for a LONG time.
It being the very back molar, and my mouth being rather smallish, it was tough having four instruments in it at the same time. Did I mention my over active gag reflex? It was not taking any breaks today and at one point I sat up and just spewed a whole wad of dental equipment out of my mouth. Saliva soaked cottons flying everywhere.
The X rays were painful, and buggered up my gums. The multiple shots of numb stuff they gave me made my heart race (epinephrin), and hurt worse than usual, and then my very numb tongue kept getting in the way of what they were doing back there with their little forest of instruments and gaging devices.
After getting drilled, the assistant screwed up the filling, had to chip it out, and do a do-over.
The, she built up the filling too high and had to drill it down. And drill it down some more, and some more and some more...etc.
I went in at 9:30.
At 1:30 pm I came staggering out. Hungry. High on meds. Sore. Aching. Woozy.
I called Wes and said I couldn't drive home, but there was a Bob Evans' (feels like coming full circle) across the parking lot, could he meet me there?
So I went in there. I needed food. Perhaps more Chicken Pot Pie! The crowd was spilling out the door. Sunday at lunch time. Go figure. So I went back out to the car. Called Wes to tell him I was coming home and whapped my head really hard on the car as I was getting back in. He could hear the whap over the phone. I started crying. It hurt.
He told me NOT to drive, he was on his way. So I sat. And waited.
Finally my Knight in Shining Armor arrived and took me to Steak 'n Shake. After a meal, I felt way way better.
Now that my numb stuff has worn off, I know they mangled the side of my tongue pretty good, too. My gums are really in bad shape from the work, since the break was below the gum line on one side and they had to cram the band on really deep to place the filling in there.
I cried. I wanted Ice cream. And I remembered how, when I was little and had to go to the barbaric Swiss denitst, my mom would buy me a present afterward.
Ah, Anbesol! And Ibuprofen. I think it's time for another dose.
k said...
Mercy! So glad you got through all that. I decided several years ago that for any future dental issues I'm just getting them yanked. I've gotten two back molars pulled out since then (instead of more fillings, or root canals), and couldn't be happier. But it's because of the shape of my tiny mouth that I can do this; none of the back teeth show at all when I smile or talk. I'm little younger than you, and I dread the future where teeth sometimes simply start breaking off!
Philippa said...
OMG!!! That was absolute butchery! How could they do that to you??
Whining? Absolutely not hon! You are not whining at all and deserve ice cream for the next year.
Your Knight In Shining Armour deserves ice cream for a year too! God bless him!
wendylf said...
I'll be praying for you, I can relate, just had a root canal done 2 weeks ago and yucky procedures, too!
I'll pray for quick healing and no more breaks!
elizabeth said...
oh man! that is no fun at all!!! glad your beloved could come... I can just imagine how sore you would feel sitting all that time... My mouth is small too and I find the opening my mouth hard...
feel better soon and hope you never have to go through that again! *hugs*
oh - and I do not think it was whining as much as relating what happened...
The Pickled Apple said...
Blegh, that sounds awful! So glad you survived! Ice-cream well deserved...
Kristen said...
I know how you are feeling. I woke up on Sunday to find that my back tooth has rotated half sideways. It hurts so bad and I can't bite anything. Unfortunately we can not afford dentist so I am just praying that I am soon out of pain.
Veiled Glory said... very sad and painful!
Ahavah said...
ermmm... wouldn't it have been less painful to have the tooth removed?
ps big careful hug with hot chocolate heading your way x
Amber said...
Definately not whining! You're very tough to put up with all that. :)
Mimi said...
Yikes, Yikes, Yikes! My prayers.
Tabitha said...
So sorry to hear "the rest of the story". Your youngest told us that the only other time she had been to Bob Evans was after last year's house fire. I realize none of this is the restaurant's fault, but I think I'd feel disinclined to return! :-) I hope you are completely recovered soon.
Pres. Kathy said...
Hope you feel better soon! I hate tooth aches.
|
[] |
Monday, February 6, 2012
Crane Flies
The best cat toy EVER.
They're so easy to bring indoors. Hanging out on your porch, idling. Just snag one and toss it inside. They can elude the any cat for hours, occasionally. In the meantime, your cats will not fight each other or chew or scratch your furniture/walls/valuables. They only want to watch the fly. Their sole feline mission is to catch and kill the fly.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Citrus Melon Chicken
This was an impromptu excuse to use the dutch oven indoors during triple digit heat.
Set regular oven to 350
Then place a dutch oven on a stovetop burner, set to med-high.
Add the following into the dutch oven in whatever amounts suit you:
olive oil
orange juice
worcestershire sauce
crushed red pepper
Stir. Just until it tastes spicy good.
Slice an orange into about 16 slices and lay them into the dutch oven with the sauce.
Place 2 chicken leg quarters on top of the oranges. I left them intact.
Then chop about 1/2 to 3/4 of a large cantaloupe and cover the chicken pieces.
Cover the dutch oven and bake in the reg. oven for maybe an hour? 45 min? Until the chicken doesn't kill your loved one. (clear juices ~ 180 in the thigh)
If you are as lucky as I was, the melon gets smoky and meaty savory, and the chicken gets melony tangy spicy.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
So I Built A Patio
We recently had a fence installed that makes the entire backyard nice and private. (So no more trespassers wandering in for illicit sex in my backyard.) It really happened. Apparently they had not heard of Leave No Trace and thought I'd appreciate their latex donations.
Tell me about it.
At least it wasn't in the garden.
Let's move on. Once the fence went up, an odd space between our backyard gate and the rest of the garden/workshop area appeared. It's shady in the afternoon and we decided it was the perfect spot for a installing a patio. Our front porch is great, but it's narrow, L-shaped, and best suited for accommodating only 4 or 5 people. It's also blazing hot after 2 pm.
First, I used some salvaged wood to build a frame for the bench and a flower planter. The bench's lid is hinged and provides storage inside. The boxed open end will be filled with soil, then herbs and flowers. I also installed an old 2x6 connecting the bench to the fence as a step.
By the way, one of the best things is that the whole project cost less than $20. I bought a box of screws, 2 landscape timbers, 2 hinges, and a few cedar fencing planks. OK, maybe $25, but it was all made possible by delightfully generous neighbors and scrounging around the neighborhood.
A neighbor putting in a driveway had extra fill and river rocks. Score #1. I laid them directly on the lawn, watered, and tamped them down several times.
He also had at least 3/4 cu. yd. of decomposed granite (DG) he needed removed. Score #2. Scattered that, watered, tamped, repeat. And the foundation is done.
Another neighbor is a landscaper and had flagstone he couldn't use and wanted to get rid of. Why, thank you kind sir. Score #3. So I laid it, leveled it, and filled the gaps with the DG. A little water and little adjusting... We'll see what happens when it finally rains for real again.
All it took was moving 1000s of pounds of rock one wheelbarrow at a time. My other neighbors surely thought I was crazy.
On Gentrification.
2 new homes have been built across the street over the past year or so. One was built where a condemned house once stood, the other 10 feet away on what used to be a lawn. I watched a team of maybe 3 guys knock that old house down by hand over the course of one weekend. They said I could have anything I wanted, so I dragged old lumber (nice lumber!), tin roofing, plywood, and rebar across the street and into my backyard. Material from that house made the chicken coop, rain barrel supports, sawhorses, and the frame for the patio and its bench. And I still have a huge stockpile.
The house that rose up from the ruins is hideous. I can't imagine why anyone would have bought it. I've casually met the tenant and pray she's just renting. But it's better than the boarded up death trap where kids and drug addicts once competed for the most dangerous place on the block to hang out.
I have a hard time reconciling my feelings about gentrification and my role in it. I was thinking about it the other day out back relaxing with a chicken (Boutros Boutros Chicken) and a beer.
How did I appear to my neighbors while I physically participated in the transformation of my block? Carrying timbers from a decrepit house that had been there as long as anyone could remember into the backyard of my new house? Were they resigned to change? Resentful of it? Happy? All of the above?
Am I gentrifying? I think I have/am. I haven't lived in a suburb since I graduated high school. I've never bought property, but for the last 12 or so years I have always rented in areas undergoing gentrification. And I'm talking some places where I was the white dude everyone knew. Cause I was practically the only white dude. And I'm friendly.
Once, while walking home from work, a woman dressed in her Sunday best yelled at me to "get out of Harlem white boy, and take that white trash with you." (referring to my girlfriend who was walking alongside me) And this was on Frederick Douglass Blvd. a block North of Central Park. We didn't say anything back- I was just shocked. But as I was silently contemplating the irony of the street name, a few of the ubiquitous corner guys who saw it go down approached and apologized to us. I appreciated that.
I'm not sure how to feel about the woman though. She was at least 60 at the time. Maybe she had a point. Maybe she had horrible experiences in the 50's and 60's in the south, moved to New York only to endure the 70's and 80's there. And just when Harlem was turning around and getting safer and nicer, all these newcomers started pushing longtime residents out. I'd probably be mad, too.
My block in Austin is diverse. Oddly diverse. And it is a tiny slice of East Austin. This really is my block: Poor college kids. Middle class, lower-middle class, poor people. Crazy people living in a defunct Winnebago in the side yard of a house full of maybe 8? people. Hispanic Multi-family compound- double digits. White yuppies that make at least 6 figures. African American families who've been in the neighborhood since segregation when East Austin was the only place they could settle. Even an Asian guy.
But it's clear which way the winds are blowing. And this close to downtown, money more than anything is the determining factor. Taxes will keep going up and jobs for unskilled workers keep disappearing. The incentive to sell to developers and move elsewhere will be unavoidable. This could be Hyde Park in 50 years.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
So If It Ever Rains...
In this wonderful Austin heat you could spend hours every week watering your garden. I find it soothing and relaxing, but it is time consuming. Not to mention wasteful, and a hassle when you leave town.
I mean what I say about a wonderful heat. It's remarkable. Even as Austin increasingly becomes the polar opposite of Winnipeg, I'd still prefer a 9 month summer to a 9 month winter. Hands down. Living up North, you prep for battle against the elements every morning before going outside. Gloves, scarves, hats, socks and more socks, layers of clothing, glacier-climbing boots, etc. In Austin you don't dig through yards of snow to get to your car. As much as people complain, it's only hot and dry. Just get on your bike, and soon you will arrive at your destination to find yourself ensconced in the chilly womb of air conditioning. And you will be very sweaty.
This Spring, before I realized it would never rain again, I installed an irrigation system for our backyard vegetable garden.
Dear Leader Rick Perry prayed for the health of my fruits and vegetables, God bless his heart, but it seems they were far too sinfully liberal to deserve any heaven-sent precipitation. So they've made due all year with my secular watering.
The system is just a "rain" barrel connected to the "rain" gutter on one side of the house. There's an on/off valve at the base of the barrel, and from there a hose connects to drip irrigation lines for the garden. Throughout this drought I've set a spigot timer on a hose (from the house) which fills the barrel halfway twice a day- at dawn and dusk. Gravity takes care of the rest since the barrel is about a meter off the ground.
It's easy to make and expand along with your gardening aspirations. My local brewery supply store that sells empty food-grade barrels for $10. I'm sure there are other sources, but I take comfort in knowing for sure what was in that barrel before I douse my garden with its contents.
The rest of the kit is a few washers, silicone caulk, a hose clamp, and the valve. Then you'll just need some garden hose, and the drip irrigation lines for however large your garden is. We've used the tape type and it's worked just fine. Just a short trip to the orange big box candy store. Drill a hole in the bottom of the barrel, place locking washers on each side of the valve, caulk the gaps, make a good seal, and you're done. I also put screens on top of the barrel to keep animals and debris out of the irrigation lines.
But the sad truth is we've stopped watering now. Except for the mushroom logs and the peppers. (bell, jalapeno, & serrano) They'll make it with a simple hosing every couple of days. Everything else is a lost cause. And when I'm out in the garden hanging with chickens, the sneaky tomatoes that bravely survived the heat and squirrels immediately find their way into my mouth. Too bad for them.
Special thanks to K. Crosier for engineering assistance.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Willie Covers Coldplay
Greenwashing! I abhor corporate greenwashing. You see it every day in advertising. But I'll make an exception with this Willie Nelson cover of Coldplay. I enjoy each of them. Plus a nice animated short film with a fine message.
I wholeheartedly embrace the concept, but highly doubt it is true in practice in large scale franchises like Chipotle.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Motorcycle Defense
Welcome to Texas. I bet no one cuts this guy off after they catch a glimpse of what's on his hip. Click on the image for a closer view.
I should get one for when I ride my bicycle. Or maybe just put a sling on my shotgun and carry it across my back. That might be better. I could attach one of those cute orange triangular flags to the barrel for added safety.
|
[] |
Despite the irony, it's still not art, nor are you an artist for painting it, despite your art school degree.
I guess the problem you run into is art is entirely subjective in the post-studio age, what isn't art to you can be art to another and despite whatever pent up feelings you may have, they're completely negated by the other party. So it's a bit comical when you try to make blanket false fact statements like that.
The piece she talks about for the bloodline I was not available for but I did see it later, the work is actually art because there's actual concepts behind the work, unfortunately for the masses, they hear these mediums being used and the first reaction is "ew, icky, grossness" and so on.
The removal of the blood image is probably a good joke though, you can show chainsaw massacres in game, car accidents in photo threads and other accidents but not a cup of blood. Gotta laugh at how backwards that is. read more
You have your own opinion and that's totally cool and should be respected. However, with all bigotry aside, this is art, sorry to disappoint you. Art is a form of expression, being an artist means that you express yourself, opinions, thoughts, etc through a medium, any medium. I would ask you to provide some concrete points to back up your statements but "eww that's gross" doesn't count. read more
I think provocation is a very integral aspect of art.....that in itself could be considered art I feel... read more
Actually, it was about the death of a bloodline. The work was a statement on feminism and the Asian culture where sons are highly valued over daughters because they are privileged with the family name. The reaction from the majority of male students in the class was just an unexpected side effect. read more
|
[] |
Konqueror Sidebar Gains Functionality
> Please have it turned off by default.
You don't even notice a difference between before and after. I think you should read the Headliner and the comment of this Topic again and look at the screenshots about what it does because I assume you are a bit missinformed. You are the person on your system and you decide wether you want to add these Sidepanel news or not it doesn't add stuff automatically. You have to click on the 'Add to my Sidepanel' (or how they things are labeled) on the Webpages and you get promted with a dialog wether you wish to add it or not.
If you want to remove something from your sidebar, just right-click it and click 'Remove' - just as if it was a panel button. If you are a KDE user it should not be very difficult to figure this out. Besides, the sidebar doesn't have very many buttons.
Now, I just realized that the right-click-and-remove trick does not work on toolbars - the toolbar menu only lets me use the Configure Toolbars dialog . . .
The other thing, the more features there are in KDE, the longer it takes for me to compile it from source!
By ThreeFarthingStone at Sat, 2003/04/05 - 6:00am
GCC got slower at compiling C++, I think that's what you're experiencing.
By Datschge at Sat, 2003/04/05 - 6:00am
I wish that instead of doing things like that, they could return the classical toolbar option. I miss that A LOT.
Someone have a idea how I can build a similar by myself? I can add a directory entry, but it will only show directories on sidebar, not things as .desktop files from services, for example.
Yes, just found how to do ;)
I will work a bit on it and release later (maybe this weekend) as a howto in kde-look.
What's the classical toolbar option?
Something like this... (see the attached image)
I'm not sure what the difference is. You can put the tabs on the left (see RMB->Show Tabs Left). The only change is that the tab name is now displayed. I guess that could be made a setting as well, but I think it's quite an advantage.
The point is having multiple entries on just one entry...
You know, instead of using root directory in the sidebar items you click in one of the items on the sidebar :) I know, a bit confusing...
I think the best way to explain it is: it's more like the explorer drivers in sidebar approach. Nothing like: OH MY GOD!, but more: I like this way better ;)
We all love popups right? Can't live without those, myself.
Anyhow, the point is, people using browsers without sidebar support can still go to the configure page and click the icon thingy, but instead of a sidebar entry you'll get a separate little window that you can pretend is your own personal sidebar. :-)
I haven't had chance to look at this yet, but it would be nice if you could configure it to check your history and remove entries you have already looked at.
By dpash at Sat, 2003/04/05 - 6:00am
Visited links are usually colored differently already.
|
[] |
Ham radio is people! Ham radio is all about people!
All kinds of people!
People just like you.....the folks next door, down the block, around your town and around the world.
Ham radio started long ago with nothing more than a SPARK of electricity!
Long before radio as we know it today came about, long before you and I were born, PEOPLE were experimenting with the latest technology around the turn of the last century, with something called ELECTRICITY and....HMMMMM, they wondered if there was any way that it could be used to send messages THRU THE AIR WITHOUT WIRES!
After lots of experimentation by lots of PEOPLE, they discovered that yes, in fact, you could send and receive messages with that spark thru the air over an unseen medium called an electromagnetic wave!
Radio was born!
These people, after much trial and error, soon learned how to build "Home brewed" spark generators and crude receivers that could "hear" the spark from
a few feet away. The next step was to increase the distance the spark could be heard and after much more experimenting with this new thing called electricity,
this was accomplished.
Now they knew that just detecting the spark was not enough to communicate messages, so an attempt was made to turn the spark on and off in a kind of
code called Morse Code.. They accomplished their goal after more trial and error!
They soon were able to send and receive messages over greater and greater distances by Morse Code using sparks and eventually learned how to modify
them to send messages over the Atlantic!
Other experimenters were just not satisfied with using Morse Code for the messages. They wondered.....HMMMMM!.....could it be possible to use the
human voice instead of Morse Code to get their messages heard!
More experimentation followed, again with lots of trial and error but, you guessed it...they did it! After many more years, broadcast radio came about...the same
that you can hear on the AM band on your radio.
During all this time when all this experimenting was going on in the early years,
Enter the first "Ham Radio operators"!
These "Ham Radio operators", were so amazed and interested in this new PHENOMENON, that they started tinkering around with it as a "hobby" with their own designs, trials and errors and continued experimenting with new ideas for this latest technology called radio.
Eventually, due to their experimentation, they sometimes would cause strange sounds and noises on their neighbor's radios and when anything out of the ordinary was heard on them, someone would ask "What is causing that?", and the response sometimes would be, "Oh, that's just that HAM, down the street!" Some believe this is why we are called HAMS today. Not because of the noise, but due to the phrase that stuck....the word HAM. Others say that the word ham is a slang term shortened from the word amateur with an "h" added on the front! Although no one knows for sure why we are called hams, we are HAPPY AND PROUD TO BE CALLED HAMS or AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS!
All of the hams back then did not have much information or knowledge about how radio worked, but when a ham would learn a new technique or tried something
that worked better, he would share his new found knowledge with other hams and they too would verify that the new idea would, in fact, be better, and they in turn would share their knowledge with other hams who would take the knowledge and improve on it and of course, share it again with their Ham Radio Friends. That's part of the pure JOY OF BEING A HAM.......THE SHARING OF KNOWLEDGE AND FRIENDSHIP WITH YOUR HAM RADIO FRIENDS WORLDWIDE!!
Hams back then, and even hams in our day and time are still experimenting with "radio" on a daily basis and are experimenting with, and discovering new modes of communication.
Many of your latest "toys" such as cell phones, shortwave radio, antennas, satellite radio and tv broadcast technology, computer, digital electronics, audio and video devices, deep space communications and other devices came directly from the results of experiments made by hams burning the midnight oil in their basements, garages and their kitchen tables with questions going around in their heads!
You can thank them..... the hams, for major improvements to technology that you know enjoy!
Not all hams have that same desire to experiment in our day and age and it is not a requirement of Ham Radio. Lots of us are in it just for the FUN, knowing we can communicate over radio
using lots of ways including our voice to our friends around the world!
We even use the computer without the internet, repeat, without the internet, to
communicate OVER THE AIR to other hams worldwide!
Experimenting is a matter of choice and FUN among some of us but you can bet your boots....there are still a lot of us PEOPLE who are hams out their in the world that are quietly "tinkering" with their own little questions!
WTC....SHUTTLE disaster....STORMS.....FLOODS....FIRE....
Ham Radio is there to provide primary communications
when all else fails!
During most major disasters, local police, fire, rescue, public, and other local radio and telephone systems usually are overloaded, down, or do
not have the capabilities to provide the emergency communications needed to save lives and property.
Cell phones become un-usable due to severe congestion or damage, electricity and emergency generators for
local authorities can be out of service for days or their systems are not designed to communicate over wide areas or with different departments, phone lines are destroyed and in short, most emergency communications
can come to a halt!
Ham radio operators are called in to re-establish vital communication
links using their own equipment, knowledge, skills and training to provide these most valuable services to the public and our government!
Hams can put together a complete radio station out in the middle of no where far from the nearest power pole. They are capable of transmitting around the world with very modest equipment!
Behind the scenes during STS -107! The Shuttle down over Texas!
During the shuttle disaster in Texas, only ham radio operators were able
to get communications too and from the remote debris search areas and they gave their time and skills in this massive undertaking.
During most situations, hams are always some of the, if not the first PEOPLE to respond in emergencies!
Hams work closely with the National Weather Service as trained"Spotters" for severe storms from their vehicles transmitting vital weather information
back to hams at the Weather Service offices.
There's nothing in weather technology like many pairs of trained eyes that can determine and report all types of dangerous weather situations!
When those of us who experiment and "tinker" with new ideas for communication are not "tinkering", or providing public service, we
usually can be found on the air talking to our ham radio friends around
the world or around the block about most any subject you can imagine and just plain having fun using radio to talk to other PEOPLE just like you and me!
As a licensed ham radio operator, we have many "modes" of communicating to other hams both locally and world wide. Some of the modes we use include voice (there are many voice modes like AM, FM, SSB, digital), Morse code, (that's that dit dit dit dit dit dit stuff) That was Hi, in Morse code to a ham who uses it!
We are also authorized to use computers interfaced with radio to send many digital modes and other fun stuff such as video signals, (That's real pictures both live and still). We can sit at our keyboard and "talk" using radio, to a station around the world from us in live real time. He watches his computer monitor and sees us typing out our message in real time to him...all over the radio...no internet or chat rooms to go down in the middle of a conversation.
And if we really want to "reach out much further" there are many Amateur radio satellites in orbit we are authorized to use (FREE) and we are also authorized to talk to the hams aboard the International Space Station!
Most of the astronauts are licensed hams. Ham radio can be used as a backup communication system aboard the Space Station!
Many "earth bound" hams have set up simple ham stations in schools for the purpose of letting the students ask the astronauts aboard the space station questions about space and space travel. The students love talking to the space station live over the radio as it passes hundreds of mile overhead! The crew aboard the Space Station get a big "kick" out of it also when they are answering questions from students on the earth passing below them!
But just talking to the Space Station is not the limit....there is the moon and beyond!
Yes...hams actually use the moon to reflect their radio signals back to distant places on the earth! "Moon bounce" as it is called, is just one fascinating aspect of ham radio and you don't have to be a genius to do it.
So you can see, with a ham radio license issued by the Federal Government, you can be on your way to this fascinating "hobby" and enjoy the fun and excitement that ham radio offers....It is not a government sanctioned hobby for everyone, but you just may be one of many that will do fine and really get into one of the many avenues that Amateur Radio offers you.
It won't come easy...you will have to "work" for it with a bit of study and pass a written exam to prove you are worthy to be issued your Call Sign and your license! But...when you do get your license, you will join the ranks of many thousands of "hams" just waiting for you to join in with the fun!
If you have read this far, you already know that you have an interest in radio communications and you have taken the FIRST STEP in getting a ham radio license....the next step is up to you....DO IT!
Don't worry, you will not learn how to do ALL of this at one time, that's way too much for any person to learn...but..as you progress in the license process and go up the ladder, you WILL learn how it's done by people just like YOU!
People from all walks of life are doing it every day......so can you!
HMMMMM!.....I just wonder?..... if there is a way to send this article
THRU THE AIR.....AROUND THE WORLD, USING RADIO WAVES and not over the internet.....WITH PICTURES.......... and SOUND?........YEP!
And they are PEOPLE, just like you....... AND ME!
Interested? You can do it with us!
What's that...got a question?
Click here to ask it!
JOIN US. Get the study material here
HMMMMMMMM? I WONDER!........ WHAT IF?.........
Written and copyrighted by N4UJW (A Ham)
|
[] |
C&F Terms of Sale, or INCOTERMS.
Obsolete, albeit heavily used, term of sale meaning "cargo and freight" whereby Seller pays for cost of goods and freight charges up to destination port. In July, 1990 the International Chamber of Commerce replaced C&F with CFR.
Captain's Protest
A document prepared by the captain of a vessel on arriving at port; shows conditions encountered during voyage, generally for the purpose of relieving ship owner of any loss to cargo and shifting responsibility for reimbursement to the insurance company.
A barge equipped with tracks on which up to about 12 railroad cars are moved in harbors or inland waterways.
Car Pooling
Use of individual carrier/rail equipment through a central agency for the benefit of carriers and shippers.
Car Seal
Metal strip and lead fastener used for locking freight car or truck doors. Seals are numbered for record purposes.
Freight loaded into a ship.
Cargo Manifest
Cargo NOS
Cargo Not Otherwise Specified. Usually the rate entry in a tariff that can apply to commodities not covered under a specific item or subitem in the applicable tariff.
Cargo Preference
Cargo reserved by a Nation's laws for transportation only on vessels registered in that Nation. Typically the cargo is moving due to a direct or indirect support or activity of the Government.
Cargo Tonnage
Most ocean freight is billed on the basis of weight or measurement tons (W/M). Weight tons can be expressed in short tons of 2000 pounds, long tons of 2240 pounds or metric tons of 1000 kilos (2204.62 pounds). Measurement tons are usually expressed as cargo measurement of 40 cubic feet (1.12 meters) or cubic meters (35.3 cubic feet.)
Carload Rate
A rate applicable to a carload of goods.
Carrier's Certificate
Usually refers to intracity hauling on drays or trucks.
Customs form permitting inbond cargo to be moved from one location to another under Customs control, within the same Customs district. Usually in motor carrier's possession while draying cargo.
Cash Against Documents (CAD)
Cash in Advance (CIA)
Cash With Order (CWO)
Abbreviation for "Cubic Meter."
Abbreviation for "Consumption Entry." The process of declaring the importation of foreignmade goods for use in the United States.
The construction system employed in container vessels; permits ship containers to be stowed in a vertical line with each container supporting the one above it.
Center of Gravity
The point of equilibrium of the total weight of a containership, truck, train or a piece of cargo.
- A document certifying that merchandise (such as of Inspection perishable goods) was in good condition immediately prior to its shipment.
- The document issued by the U.S. Coast Guard certifying an American flag vessel's compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Certificate of Origin
Charter Party
A written contract between the owner of a vessel and the person desiring to employ the vessel (charterer); sets forth the terms of the arrangement such as duration of agreement, freight rate and ports involved in the trip.
Abbreviation for "Cost and Insurance." A price that includes the cost of the goods, the marine insurance and all transportation charges except the ocean freight to the named point of destination.
Abbreviation for "Cost, Insurance, Freight." (Named Port) Same as C&F or CFR except seller also provides insurance to named destination.
Price includes commission as well as CIF.
Abbreviation for "Cost, Insurance, Freight And Exchange."
Abbreviation for "Cost, Insurance, Freight, Collection And Interest."
Cost, Insurance, Freight, Interest and Exchange.
Abbreviation for "Completely Knocked Down." Parts and subassemblies being transported to an assembly plant.
Abbreviation for "Carload" and "Containerload".
A publication,such as Uniform Freight Classification (railroad) or the National Motor Freight Classification (motor carrier), that assigns ratings to various articles and provides bill of lading descriptions and rules.
Classification Rating
The designation provided in a classification by which a class rate is determined.
Classification Yard
A railroad yard with many tracks used for assembling freight trains.
Clayton Act
An antitrust act of the U.S. Congress making price discrimination unlawful.
Clean Bill of Lading
Cleaning in Transit
The stopping of articles, such as peanuts, etc., for cleaning at a point between the point of origin and destination.
The size beyond which cars or loads cannot use Limits bridges, tunnels, etc.
A strip of wood or metal used to afford additional strength, to prevent warping, or to hold in place.
Refrigeration equipment attachable to an insulated container that does not have its own refrigeration unit.
Abbreviation for "Cubic Meter" (capital letters).
Abbreviation for "centimeter."
Water transportation along the coast.
Abbreviation for:
- Collect (cash) on Delivery.
- Carried on Docket (pricing).
Abbreviation for the Railway Service "Container On Flat Car."
A bank that acts as an agent to the seller's bank (the presenting bank). The collecting bank assumes no responsibility for either the documents or the merchandise.
A draft drawn on the buyer, usually accompanied by documents, with complete instructions concerning processing for payment or acceptance.
Combination Export Mgr.
A firm that acts as an export sales agent for more than one noncompeting manufacturer.
Combination Rate
Commercial Invoice
Commodity Rate
A rate published to apply to a specific article or articles.
Common Carrier
Common Law
Concealed Damage
Damage that is not evident from viewing the unopened package.
Confirmed Letter of Credit
Confirming Bank
Connecting Carrier
A carrier which has a direct physical connection with, or forms a link between two or more carriers.
A person or company to whom commodities are shipped.
Consignee Mark
A symbol placed on packages for identification purposes; generally a triangle,square, circle, etc. with letters and/or numbers and port of discharge.
(2) A shipment of goods to a consignee.
Construction Differential Subsidy
A program whereby the U.S. government attempted to offset the higher shipbuilding cost in the U.S. by paying up to 50% of the difference between cost of U.S. and nonU.S. construction. The difference went to the U.S. shipyard. It is unfunded since 1982.
A government official residing in a foreign country who represents the interests of her or his country and its nationals.
Consular Declaration
A formal statement describing goods to be shipped; filed with and approved by the consul of the country of destination prior to shipment.
Consular Invoice
A document, certified by a consular official, is required by some countries to describe a shipment. Used by Customs of the foreign country, to verify the value, quantity and nature of the cargo.
Consular Visa
An official signature or seal affixed to certain documents by the consul of the country of destination.
Consumption Entry (CE)
The process of declaring the importation of foreign-made goods into the United States for use in the United States.
Container Booking
Arrangements with a steamship line to transport containerized cargo.
Container Freight Station
See CFS.
Container Manifest
Document showing contents and loading sequence of a container.
Container Pool
An agreement between parties that allows the efficient use and supply of containers. A common supply of containers available to the shipper as required.
Container Terminal
Container Yard (CY)
Containerizable Cargo
Stowage of general or special cargoes in a container for transport in the various modes.
Container Load
A load sufficient in size to fill a container either by cubic measurement or by weight.
Cargo that is prohibited.
Contract Carrier
Controlled Atmosphere
Sophisticated, computercontrolled systems that manage the mixtures of gases within a container throughout an intermodal journey reducing decay.
Corner Posts
Vertical frame components fitted at the corners of the container, integral to the corner fittings and connecting the roof and floor structures. Containers are lifted and secured in a stack using the castings at the ends.
Correspondent Bank
Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF)
Countervailing Duty
Cross Member
Transverse members fitted to the bottom side rails of a container, which support the floor.
An abbreviation for "Cubic." A unit of volume measurement.
Cube Out
Cubic Foot
Customhouse Broker
Customs Bonded Warehouse
A warehouse authorized by Customs to receive duty-free merchandise.
Customs Entry
Customs Invoice
Customs of the Port
A phrase often included in charter parties and freight contracts referring to local rules and practices which may impact upon the costs borne by the various parties.
Cut-Off Time
Hundred weight (United States, 100 pounds: U.K.,112)
- Abbreviation for Container Yard.
- The designation for full container receipt/delivery.
Contact Us | Office Location: 188 W. Industrial Drive, Suite 130 Elmhurst, IL 60126 USA voice: 630.833.8500 fax: 630.833.4813
|
[] |
updated 3/15/2009 12:13:28 PM ET 2009-03-15T16:13:28
MR. DAVID GREGORY: Our issues this Sunday: Mixed signals for the economy. Stocks rally but wealth sharply declines, jobless claims reach another high, home foreclosures jump 30 percent in February. Despite that, the White House is determined to sound optimistic.
PRES. BARACK OBAMA: If we are keeping focused on all the fundamentally sound aspects of our economy, then we're going to get through this. And I'm very confident about that.
(End videotape)
MR. GREGORY: But is the White House doing enough to win what has been called an economic war? We'll hear from both sides of the debate. Chair of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, Dr. Christina Romer; and the man charged with mobilizing his party's votes in the House, Republican Whip Eric Cantor.
Then, halfway through his first 100 days in office, has the president's economic team lived up to expectations? Has the White House tried to take on too many problems at once? And on the Republican side of the aisle, more controversy over comments from the newly installed RNC chairman, Michael Steele. Our economic and political roundtable weighs in: columnist for The Week and a speechwriter for President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002, David Frum; Washington correspondent for BBC World News America, Katty Kay; senior economics reporter for CNBC, Steve Liesman; and host of PBS' "Tavis Smiley" and author of the new book "Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise," Tavis Smiley.
But first, Dr. Christina Romer, welcome to MEET THE PRESS.
DR. CHRISTINA ROMER: Great to be here.
MR. GREGORY: Nice, nice to have you here. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett described the economy and the crisis that the economy is in as an economic war. If that's the case, are we winning?
DR. ROMER: I think he's absolutely right, it is an economic war. We have inherited a crisis like none since we've--since we had the Great Depression. So absolutely, it is something we need to deal with. I think we are. We haven't won yet. We have staged a wonderful battle. So we have put in place just a host of programs: the stimulus package, the financial rescue plan, the housing plan. We think it's the right medicine and we think it will work.
MR. GREGORY: There's an effort across the administration to sound more confident about the economy. The president, speaking on Friday, said this:
(Videotape, Friday)
(End videotape)
MR. GREGORY: And yet last year during the campaign, Senator John McCain said something similar. This is what he said back then.
(Videotape, September 15, 2008)
SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ): You know that there's been tremendous turmoil in our financial markets and Wall Street, and it is--it's--people are frightened by these events. Our economy, I think--still, the fundamentals our--of our economy are strong, but these are very, very difficult time.
(End videotape)
MR. GREGORY: So back then during the campaign when Senator McCain talked about the strong fundamentals of the economy, it was then-candidate Obama and his team that roundly criticized McCain, saying he was out of touch, he didn't get it, he didn't understand how bad the economy was. And yet now the president's talking about the strong fundamentals of the economy. So what's different between then, the campaign, and now, except for the fact that the economy's gotten dramatically worse?
DR. ROMER: I think when the president says he's focusing on fundamentals, what he means is, is we're focusing on, on fixing the fundamentals; that we've always said we're not looking at the ups and downs of the stock market, we're looking for those crucial indicators: when are jobs turning around, when are sales turning around, when do we see consumers coming to life? That's the kind of thing that--certainly that I'm looking at in terms of when's the economy going to be doing better and, and when can we see some hope.
MR. GREGORY: Are the fundamentals of this economy sound?
DR. ROMER: Well, of course the fundamentals are sound in the sense that the American workers are sound, we have a good capital stock, we have good technology. We know that, that temporarily we're in a mess, right? We've seen huge job loss, we've seen very large falls in GDP. So certainly in the short run we're in a, in a bad situation.
MR. GREGORY: All right, but then what's different between now and then, when the economy was in even better shape than it, it is now, when McCain was saying the fundamentals were strong and then-candidate Obama criticized him?
DR. ROMER: I think--again, I think what, what we're saying is that the, you know, where we are today is obviously not good. We have a plan in place to get to a good place. I think that's the crucial--a fundamentally crucial difference, is to make sure that you have put in place all of the comprehensive programs that'll get us back to those fundamentals.
The other thing I think is so important, the president has actually said in terms of fundamentals, we need to make changes. That's why he's focusing on energy, education, getting the budget deficit under control, precisely because he said...
MR. GREGORY: Right.
DR. ROMER: ...when we get through this thing, we want to be in a better place.
MR. GREGORY: But perhaps Senator McCain was right when he said the fundamentals of the economy were strong, because you have President Obama saying roughly the same thing now?
DR. ROMER: I really think you're misinterpreting the president. I think the key thing that the president was saying is we have our eyes on the fundamentals, that is why we're concerned about.
DR. ROMER: And he was--I think very much has been drawing this distinction between the day-to-day ups and downs in the stock market, because that, we know, is a, a bad way to gauge policy.
MR. GREGORY: I want to talk about projections for the economy, where you see it going. You were asked on March 6th that very question, and this is how you responded.
(Videotape, March 6, 2009)
DR. ROMER: Most people are predicting some time in the second half of the year, and, and I expect that's when we'll start to see positive GDP growth again. And a little after that we'll start to see employment going up rather than going down.
(End videotape)
MR. GREGORY: Pretty strong prediction. What if you're wrong? What's plan B?
DR. ROMER: Well, so one thing--I mean, I should say my prediction is very much what most private forecasters are saying. We know that this last week the blue chip economic indicators came out that surveys lots of private forecasters. Almost all of them are predicting a turnaround in the third quarter and, and positive growth in the fourth quarter. Obviously I'm not a fortune teller and, you know, we're going to be watching this thing like a hawk. We've--we think we've put in place the right programs that will bring this kind of a change about, but the president has always said we'll do whatever it takes if it doesn't work.
MR. GREGORY: Well, would you disagree with the notion that government has fundamentally underestimated the scale of this problem going back to the previous administration?
DR. ROMER: I think, I think everybody underestimated the scale of this problem. I think inherently it, it surprised us.
MR. GREGORY: Right.
DR. ROMER: That's why...
MR. GREGORY: So if that's the case, there's pretty high probability that even your own prediction will fall short. Which leads to the question then, what's plan B? Don't Americans deserve to know what the administration is thinking about doing if those projects don't, don't bear out?
DR. ROMER: Well, there are a couple of things. One is that as--you know, as this has gone on, we're getting lots more information. So the chances that we're going to be surprised, I think, are going down. You know, I think the, the crucial thing, you know, we have put in place what is, is just simply the biggest, boldest recovery package in history, right; the stimulus package, biggest ever; the financial rescue, absolutely comprehensive; a housing plan--that is incredible medicine for the economy. And we fully expect it to work. That's why we put those, those policies in place.
MR. GREGORY: Do, do you see a need, though, as Speaker Pelosi indicated this week, the potential for additional stimulus, for a second stimulus package?
DR. ROMER: I think it, I think it's premature to be talking about that just simply because this one's just barely, barely been passed. I think it was passed three weeks ago. We've had the first checks go out to the state. We know people won't see any change in their withholding until April 1st. So we certainly have to give this one a chance to work before we start talking about anything else.
MR. GREGORY: But there are, there are economists, like liberal economist and columnist Paul Krugman, who say it's not premature at all if you look at the facts. This is what he wrote on Monday: "Many economists, myself included, actually argued that the [stimulus] plan was too small and too cautious. The latest data confirm these worries--and suggest that the Obama administration's economic policies are already falling behind the curve. To see how bad the numbers are, consider this: The administration's budget proposals, released less than two weeks ago, assumed an average unemployment rate of 8.1 percent for the whole of this year. In reality, unemployment hit that level in February--and it's rising fast. ... As a result, Mr. Obama's promise that his plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs by the end of 2010 looks underwhelming, to say the least. ... Three point five million jobs almost two years from now isn't enough in the face of an economy that has already lost 4.4 million jobs, and is losing 600,000 more each month."
DR. ROMER: I think the crucial thing to realize is that the fiscal stimulus that we've done is not the only thing that we've done. I love one of Secretary's Geithner's comments, is there's more fiscal stimulus in economic rescue than in stimulus, right? That we now that if we get, for example, our banks lending again, that's very good for spending. People can do investment, people can buy cars. And so it's not as though the stimulus package has to carry the whole weight. Likewise, our housing plan. One of the things that that does is allow a lot of people who hadn't been able to refinance to get the lower mortgage rates that have come about, and that's like a tax cut for them. Mark Zandi has estimated something like $30 billion of extra spending coming out of that. So I think if, if stimulus were the only thing carrying the lift...
MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.
DR. ROMER: ...Paul Krugman might be right. But to realize we've got a much more comprehensive plan.
MR. GREGORY: But is the figure of 3.5 to four million jobs being saved or created, is that unrealistic at this point?
DR. ROMER: I think it's not. I, you know, I'm, I'm the one that did those estimates.
MR. GREGORY: Right.
DR. ROMER: I certainly stand by the numbers. I think they are correct and we will certainly be monitoring to make sure.
MR. GREGORY: You just mentioned Mark Zandi. He thinks it's more like 2.5 million jobs at best.
DR. ROMER: So there is some, some range of differences. I think one of the things you have to realize is that we've always stated our goal as being at a point in time, as of 2010, quarter four, as sort of the timing of the spending changes. For example, you know, some of it, you know, comes earlier because we worked so hard to get it out. One of the things that that does is to create more jobs earlier, and that certainly would be very good for the economy.
MR. GREGORY: I want to ask you about a few items in the news. One is health care, the administration signaling that the president is now open to taxing employer health benefits for employees. This was something that John McCain proposed in the election and President, then-candidate Obama was opposed to it. Is he changing his view?
DR. ROMER: He is still opposed to it. He certainly was very critical and very skeptical of it. It is certainly not in our proposal. And we have proposed other ways to, to deal with health care and to fund it. And so no, it is not something that he supports.
MR. GREGORY: So the reports about him now considering this being open to it are wrong?
DR. ROMER: He--his, his, his skepticism from the campaign absolutely is, is still there.
MR. GREGORY: So he's opposed to it. It's off the table.
DR. ROMER: He is absolutely opposed to it and skeptical and...
MR. GREGORY: You're not saying it's off the table.
DR. ROMER: I, I'm not going to say one way or the other that...
MR. GREGORY: But he, he might consider it, in other words?
DR. ROMER: I think what he has said from the beginning is there are no such thing as Democratic and Republican ideas, there are just good ideas. He will listen to good ideas. This is not one that he has, has ever supported.
MR. GREGORY: OK, but he's not ruling it out.
Small business. There's a proposal that the administration is reportedly thinking about specifically targeted towards helping small businesses. Can you describe it?
DR. ROMER: Absolutely. We know that small businesses are the engine of growth in the economy, and we absolutely want to do things to help them. There are already a lot of things to help them in the recovery package, and some of what will be coming out are the things that were in the recovery package: increasing the SBA loan guarantees, lowering fees. But we also know that, that we've talked to a lot of small business owners, and one of the trouble they're having is just community banks don't want to lend to them because the secondary market in SBA loans has virtually disappeared. So one of the things we'll be...
MR. GREGORY: The secondary market, where most of the lending takes place, about 40 percent of lending takes place in the country.
DR. ROMER: Absolutely. And where, you know, banks go and they sell those SBA loans off their books, and then they can go back and make more of them.
MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.
DR. ROMER: And that market has just been frozen. And one of the things we'll be announcing is a program to get that market cleared and, and working again.
MR. GREGORY: And how will you do it?
DR. ROMER: Basically the government will go in and step up and, and buy those loans if, if there aren't private investors to do it, to get them...
MR. GREGORY: How much money? How much money will the government pump into the market?
DR. ROMER: I think that's all going to be announced tomorrow. I don't want to take all the thunder away. But it is a significant amount. It is--we want to, to, to demonstrate a genuine commitment.
MR. GREGORY: Right.
DR. ROMER: Because we know we're doing a lot of help for banks, we're doing a lot of help for homeowners. Small business people need it, too.
MR. GREGORY: What about AIG? The government has about an 80 percent stake in AIG. And on the papers, front pages of the papers this morning, the fact that they are now paying out hundreds of millions of dollars of bonuses. Treasury Secretary Geithner was opposed to it, talked to the CEO of AIG and said so. Nevertheless, these bonuses are going forward. A lot of people are going to be angry about that. Is there anything the administration can do to stop it?
DR. ROMER: Can I say, we're, we're, we're the first people to be angry. So absolutely Secretary Geithner has been furious and has been pushing back, urging them to renegotiate this. We're pursuing every legal means to deal with it. You know, I think the truth is AIG is just a problem. It's not a problem anyone wants to have to deal with, and it's unfortunately a problem we've inherited and are managing the best that we can with...
MR. GREGORY: What power does the administration have to stop AIG?
DR. ROMER: You know what, the, the administration certainly, as much as possible--I think, you know, there are, there are questions of contracts and what we're able to, to do with, with contracts that have been signed. But we will absolutely do everything possible to make sure that the money we put in there is spent in the way we think is appropriate.
MR. GREGORY: Does this make it more difficult for the administration to seek additional funds to help the banks and other companies like AIG down the road?
DR. ROMER: I mean, the administration very much knows that we've got to spend this money correctly, that, that there's an accountability on everything that we do. And we've, you know, when we did the recovery package, we, we have accepted that responsibility unbelievably to, to maintain good accounts, accountability, a Web site. And absolutely, we've got to watch everything that we do to, to make sure that, that we're spending the money responsibly for the American people.
MR. GREGORY: The president's economic team has come under some criticism, namely Treasury Secretary Geithner, for not install--instilling a great deal of confidence with regard to plans to shore up the financial system. And one of those areas focuses on something that you would think would be simple but apparently it's not, and that's staffing the Treasury Department. This is how the AP reports on it on March 5th: "Critics say part of the problem is that Geithner is flying solo: Not one of his top 17 deputies has been ... confirmed. And without senior leadership, lower-level Treasury employees can't make decisions or represent the government in crucial conversations with banks and others." If you go to Treasury's Web site, your own Web site, under the heading of "senior Treasury officials" there's one name on there, Tim Geithner, the Treasury secretary. If this is an economic war, isn't this akin to going to war without an army?
DR. ROMER: So I think we need to be clear that there are certainly people there, he has brought in people. They're obviously--not, not a large number of them are confirmed. I think I don't like the, the reference to the, the Fed--the, the Treasury staff unable to do anything. There is a huge professional career staff. And if you think of what most of the work we're having to do, or the, the nuts and bolts, getting all of these programs that we're putting into place right, it's that career staff that's absolutely crucial.
MR. GREGORY: Right. But Paul, Paul Volcker and other top economic advisers said it's shameful that these people are not in place, his top officials are not in place. You say the people--the career people--I've certainly talked to people who are in the Treasury Department who say the people responsible for communicating with Wall Street, for doing that nuts and bolts work are simply not there, it's all falling on the Treasury secretary. It's not as if this administration didn't see these problems coming back prior to taking office. Why wasn't this a priority, getting these people in place?
DR. ROMER: I mean, it absolutely is a priority. And then another thing, I do a little historical reference here, which is if you look at how many people we've gotten into senior positions in this administration, it's really very high in comparison, even at the Treasury.
MR. GREGORY: But we're talking...
DR. ROMER: I think that's the, the numbers I have...
MR. GREGORY: Really? What's the historical parallel when you don't have any of your top people that you've nominated in the Treasury Department serving during the biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression?
DR. ROMER: I mean, you're absolutely right that this, this is a very serious crisis and we certainly, you know, need all, all hands on deck. The Treasury secretary is working as hard as he can to get those people into place.
MR. GREGORY: Is part of the problem that the administration or, or the more political advisers in the administration don't want people from Wall Street, don't want people who are experienced, because they think they're tainted?
DR. ROMER: No, of course not. We want--right? We want the best people to be dealing with things, and...
MR. GREGORY: Right. So what's the problem? Where are they? You just had four people withdraw their nomination, including, including Rodge Cohen, who is one of the most senior people on Wall Street as a lawyer with Sullivan & Cromwell, who's advised all of these, all of these banks, and now he's pulled out.
DR. ROMER: I think one thing to realize, the--that the Obama administration is doing business in a different way. And we do have very strict rules on, you know, sort of the, the kinds of vetting requirements and whether you can have been a lobbyist and things like that. And it does tie your hands on some of the people you can hire. But we think the, the administration has made the decision it's worth it to have honesty and accountability and, and a sense of confidence for the American people.
MR. GREGORY: Most economists believe that until the financial system is shored up, until these distressed assets are removed from these banks' balance sheets, stimulus won't work and the economy won't recover. And yet the administration has yet to provide a detailed blueprint about how they're going to remove these assets. What's taking so long and what is the plan?
DR. ROMER: All right, so there are two things to say. One is I don't agree with the idea that you--that, that stimulus can't do anything until the financial rescue is done. I think in truth, those things go parallel. And if you think back to the Great Depression, it's actually--getting the real economy going was the main thing that, that helped to make--bring the banks around.
MR. GREGORY: But didn't FDR first shore up confidence? The bank holiday was what he did first before he got to fiscal stimulus.
DR. ROMER: Actually, you know, a crucial thing--when he did the bank holiday, it took the next two years to actually clean up the banks, that we actually did not get the things really cleaned up until 1935. And that a big part of that cleanup was he managed to turn around the real economy. We saw employment growing again, GDP growing again, and that inherently helps your financial system. On the financial rescue, again I got to say we've already done a tremendous amount, right? Just last week the, the consumer and business loan initiative got into place, that's going to be crucial for getting, again, those secondary credit markets going. We're in the middle of the stress test, right?
MR. GREGORY: Right.
DR. ROMER: We're doing, we're doing almost the equivalent of what Roosevelt did with the bank holiday, right. He shut it down, he checked all the books. Well, we didn't shut the banking system down, but we're checking all the books.
MR. GREGORY: But the hardest thing, but the hardest thing is valuing these assets on the banks' balance sheets. You know that's the hardest thing, that's what the previous administration knew was the hardest thing. They abandoned buying the assets because they couldn't figure out a price. That is the most difficult thing, and they have still not been a blueprint for how you're going to do it.
DR. ROMER: I can tell you that that kind of a blueprint is top on our agenda, and I expect it to come out very soon.
MR. GREGORY: Will confidence not--will there not be confidence in this administration's economic plan until we get that detail?
DR. ROMER: I, I actually think we're, we're already generating confidence. And I think, obviously, the more we get out, the faster we're doing things...
MR. GREGORY: That's right.
DR. ROMER: ...the more confidence we'll have.
MR. GREGORY: But what is the key to it? The government's going to provide the financing for private equity to come in and buy these assets, is that the plan?
DR. ROMER: That certainly is, is part of the plan. It's actually more than that. And so I will, again, I'll let the president and the secretary of the Treasury tell you all about it.
MR. GREGORY: Final point here. What is the responsible thing for consumers to do at the height of this global crisis?
DR. ROMER: That, that's an excellent question. I think we know that consumers have lost a lot of wealth and that normally what you'd say is they should be saving more. I think the truth is consumers have also not done a lot of spending for the last 14 months. So what I would predict and I think would be a perfectly reasonable thing is you go out and you buy that car that you've been thinking about for 14 months and you do some of the spending. And then over the long haul I'm hoping we'll come back to probably a higher savings rate, because we know we were at kind of a historic low before this all happened. I just said, one of the things that the president is very interested in is when we get through this, coming back to a healthier economy. Not an economy fed by bubble and then where we have the bust. And that's part of the whole program of dealing with health care, dealing with energy, dealing with education, so that the economy we have three or four years from now is a much more stable, much able to have a, a sound expansion.
MR. GREGORY: Dr. Romer, thank you very much for your views. Good luck with your work.
DR. ROMER: Great. Thanks.
MR. GREGORY: And coming next, the other side of this debate, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor. Plus, our economic and political roundtable, only on MEET THE PRESS.
MR. GREGORY: House Republican Whip Eric Cantor, after this brief station break.
MR. GREGORY: Congressman Eric Cantor, welcome.
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA): Good to be here.
MR. GREGORY: You heard Dr. Romer express confidence in the economy and certainly confidence in what they're doing, saying that they're, they're using the right medicine to win this economic war. Vice President Biden said this Saturday to the Associated Press. He called it the Obama factor. He said he believed that there were signs that the public's confidence is growing in the administration's ability to tackle the financial crisis, and he credited the "Obama factor." He said, "There is no doubt in our minds and there is no doubt in the presidents' mind that in fact we will overcome this. We will climb out of this hole. ... Consumer confidence is slightly up. The market is slightly up. ... The people are beginning to figure out that the president's got a plan and he believes we can work our way through this." Do you believe in the Obama factor?
REP. CANTOR: Listen, David, I want to believe that we're going to get out of this mess. I think all Americans do. But I'll tell you, on Friday I met with 25 small business people in my district, and times our tough. I mean, we know that 650,000 people lost their job last month. If my math is correct, that works out to be about 15 jobs a minute that people are losing. We've got to do something to help these small business people. We know that they're the job creators in this economy. And the problem with--I think we're seeing out of the Obama administration is a lack of focus on how to get things going again. If we're going, if we're going to get things going again, how can we have a budget that doubles the debt on, on our children? How can we say that we're going to raise taxes on the job creators? How can we see our way forward? And the way to do that is to try and address the problems here and now. As you have been saying with Dr. Romer, the real problem is the banking system. These small businesses that I spoke to, they can't get any credit lines. They, they're having difficulty in keeping the doors open.
MR. GREGORY: It sounds like the administration is going to announce tomorrow that they'll provide at, at least $10 billion to try to unfreeze the credit market for--specifically for small business. Are you aware of the, of their plan, and do you support it?
REP. CANTOR: Well, you know, David, I've read the same reports that many people are reading about the announcement tomorrow. I think the, the crux of the issue is the only credit markets that are working, by and large, are the credit markets where the government has stepped in to guarantee the issuance of the debt. We've got to get credit markets flowing again, get private capital into the system. And the problem has been there's a lack of confidence, because this administration has not come forward with a plan on how to take these impaired assets out of the markets.
MR. GREGORY: OK. Well, let's talk about that. Because on the one hand, you're, you're really concerned about how much spending is in this budget, how much spending was in the stimulus. And you were opposed to the stimulus and you sound like you're opposed to this budget, as well. What would you do to get these impaired assets off the books? You know that the budget calls for $750 billion of additional spending to help recapitalize the banks, to absorb some of the losses if they're going to provide financing to private equity to come in and buy those assets. What would you do?
REP. CANTOR: David, the, the, the difficulty is, as you have suggested, is trying to evaluate these assets and put a value on the assets underlying these toxic securities. That has always been the problem. This administration has, has had since November, after they were elected into office, to come up with a plan.
MR. GREGORY: Right. Well, it was the Bush administration that started it and couldn't figure out how to evaluate the assets, either.
REP. CANTOR: That, that is correct. But the difficulty is that we don't see Treasury Department now going in and doing the difficult work. If they were to come out and announce that blueprint to say, "Hey, we are going to divide the banks up into three: those that are healthy, those that are impaired and those that, frankly, cannot survive." And then they--if they would announce that there would be some type of RTC-like plan to take these assets off the books and off--and out of the market, you would, I think, begin to see some confidence come back on, on Wall Street.
MR. GREGORY: All right, but you just said that you want private equity to come back into the credit market, and private equity might do that if there's incentive to do that, if the government provides the financing for them to buy some of these distressed assets. My question to you: You're complaining about too much spending, how much are you willing to spend to buy these assets? Because they may be impaired at a level of at least $2 trillion.
REP. CANTOR: Right. Well, there, there's no question. Once you take these assets off the books, then you're going to have a hole on the balance sheets of the financial institutions that you're going to have to address. But if you recall back when the bailout was passed initially, House Republicans had a plan. What we did is said we need to have more protection for taxpayers, we've got to have the investors that hold these assets play a part and put some more skin in the game. And so we came up with an insurance guarantee plan which essentially allowed you to leverage the ability to have a government guarantee, have the investor pay for that guarantee and not have all the taxpayer dollars flow out. And what we're seeing now is what's working in the credit markets is exactly that. The FDIC and others has guaranteed the issuance of debt for some of these institutions, and that's how the commercial paper market has come back a little bit.
MR. GREGORY: Are you willing to vote for more money to capitalize the banks and to, in, in essence, absorb the losses if these assets continue to go down? How much are you willing to vote for?
REP. CANTOR: David, if you're talking about a TARP 3, we've got a long way to go. I think it goes back to the fact that this administration has not put out its plan as to how we're going to be accountable for those dollars spent.
MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.
REP. CANTOR: You just heard Dr. Romer, you know, have some difficulty explaining how some of the dollars are spent. You've not seen them come out with a blueprint on what to do with these toxic assets and what the structure is going to be so investors can know their exposure. Again, at the end of the day we want the debt markets to work again because the only way that the financial institution in the, in this country will survive is to get private capital back into the game.
MR. GREGORY: Are you going to vote for the president's budget?
REP. CANTOR: Listen, the budget process, as you know, David, is one that has just begun on Capitol Hill. There is a lot of, I think, reticence to embrace his budget on both sides of the aisle. This budget, frankly, doesn't have the focus that we need right now in this economy. The focus should be, job one, fixing this banking system and trying to get jobs created again.
MR. GREGORY: Right. But the, but the budget says there's $750 billion to help capitalize the banks. You, you have not offered a figure on what you think is necessary to do that, other than saying you got to do something to get private capital in.
REP. CANTOR: David, David, the Republicans will have a plan. We had a stimulus plan. You know, part of the problem with being in the minority is, David, that sometimes your colleagues in the press don't want to cover the ideas that the minority has. We had a plan on the stimulus. It was, it was tailored to small business tax relief. It was focused on what a stimulus plan should be, which is the preservation, protection and creation of jobs. And what we see in this president's budget is, is a lack of that kind of focus. I mean, what we're talking about with him is, is trying to address the energy situation, the health care situation. And you heard Dr. Romer here just today say if we can look long term, these short-term problems will just fix themselves. Well, that's not true. When you sit here and advocate long term, an energy tax and a tax that some have some have said will amount to about $3,000 per household of four, that means everybody that pays an electric bill will have an additional tax, everybody that pays a gas bill will have a tax, everybody that buys anything manufactured in this country will essentially have an $800 per man, woman and child tax. How is that something that will help create jobs in this economy? Again, they're trying to do entirely too much and not focus on the job at hand, which is to get these credit markets working again and have small business create jobs again.
MR. GREGORY: There's a concern about spending in this budget that you and other Republicans have talked about. And yet this was John McCain, the--obviously the standard-bearer of the party, the presidential candidate in 2008. Back in 2007, this is what he said about the Republicans.
(Videotape, May 15, 2007)
SEN. McCAIN: We didn't lose the 2006 election because of the war in Iraq. We lost it because we in Republican Party came to Washington to change government and government changed us. We let spending go out of control. We spent money like a drunken sailor.
(End videotape)
REP. CANTOR: Listen, I, I, I--there is no question that priority one has to be to restore the confidence in this economy, and, and we must do that which we have to do. But when you're talking about the type of budget--and look, look, over the last 50 days we have passed the stimulus bill, we have passed the omnibus spending bill. And it is striking to see the lack of change in that bill, the type of waste and pork barrel spending, the earmarks that exist in that bill. You've got that train from Disneyland to Las Vegas, you have, you know, you have other things like the, the money that goes to remove pig, pig odor.
MR. GREGORY: All right.
REP. CANTOR: I mean, come on.
MR. GREGORY: How many earmarks have you supported...
REP. CANTOR: Well...
MR. GREGORY: ...in the time in Congress?
REP. CANTOR: Well, I mean, I...
MR. GREGORY: Because Democrats provide data saying that you voted for more than 46,000 earmarks. Is that wrong?
REP. CANTOR: Well, in terms of the votes and the budgets in the past, clearly. But I for one, along with our leader, John Boehner, have said we ought to all embrace a moratorium on earmarks so we can get the process working again.
MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.
REP. CANTOR: And we're looking to President Obama. You know, he did promise, he said he'd come to Washington to get rid of the pork barrel spending. We saw him sign the omnibus spending bill without doing anything of the sort. And what I would say to him is we will work hard to sustain his veto if he will, you know, keep--deliver on his promise that he made. We'll work to help sustain his veto on these pork barrel spending bills. And frankly, if he wants to look at some of the things that he's already signed into law, we'll work as well with him to try and rescind some of those expenditures.
MR. GREGORY: But, but isn't the problem in the, in the public's mind, Republicans are calling for things now that they didn't actually do during the Bush years? And you look at some of the polling, here's our recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll: Which party would do a better job of getting the U.S. out of a recession? It's the Democrats that have, by a 48 to 20 percent margin, the advantage in terms of people's confidence. What do you do to change that as the minority party?
REP. CANTOR: Well, I mean, listen, as the minority party, I think part of our job is to be the honest opposition. And we also, I think, are charged with the task of bringing President Obama back to the center. That's what bipartisanship is about and, frankly, that's what the solutions are going to be about going forward. And what we see is very troubling given the last 50 days and the direction of the ideology of this administration and, frankly, of Speaker Pelosi and others in Congress. We've seen the failure of that ideology in the '70s in Great Britain, in the '80s in France. We, we understand in this country, I believe, that we're about free markets, we're about individual freedoms, and that is what our goal is. And when you apply that to the budget that we're going to be discussing over the next couple weeks, we've got a job to do. I mean, because I don't think that the American people are going to embrace this budget. I think you've seen the news reports that the administration now is on an all-out campaign to beef up the support for their budget. If it was a sane budget, I don't think you'd have to have some kind of multitiered campaign plan to get people behind it. It'd sell itself.
MR. GREGORY: Final point. You, you've mentioned that priority one needs to be fixing the financial system in this country. There's been a debate touched off this week about whether the financial press has done enough to sound the alarm prior to this bubble bursting, about how dangerous the financial system was. As a member of Congress, do you think you did something adequate to raise the alarm about what was happening on Wall Street in the financial system?
REP. CANTOR: David, I think there's a lot of blame to go around everywhere: regulators, members of Congress, the administration, the prior administration. All of us, I think, can, can take some of that blame. The press, always. But you know, at, at the end of the day it's about going forward. And I think what we're going to have to do is understand that there was so much risk out there in our system, and the old regulatory structure that we have in place just did not provide the transparency of that risk to the investors. And that's what we're going to have to improve and act quickly on, because part of this is about making sure this doesn't happen again.
MR. GREGORY: To be continued. We will leave it there. Congressman Cantor, thank you very much for your views.
REP. CANTOR: Thank you, David.
MR. GREGORY: We're going to continue our discussion online and ask Congressman Cantor some questions that our viewers have submitted via e-mail and Twitter. Watch our MEET THE PRESS Take Two Web extra, it's up this afternoon on our Web site. Plus, look for updates from me throughout the week as well there. It's all at mtp.msnbc.com.
And coming next, is the president's economic team living up to expectations? And more controversy for RNC Chair Michael Steele. Our roundtable weighs in on all the week's political and economic news: David Frum, Katty Kay, Steve Liesman and Tavis Smiley, only on MEET THE PRESS.
MR. GREGORY: We're back. We're joined now by David Frum, Tavis Smiley, Steve Liesman and Katty Kay.
Welcome to all of you. A lot to go over.
Steve Liesman, let me start with you. You heard Christina Romer on the program this morning talking about a level of confidence in the economy and their policy prescriptions to make the economy better. Certainly a shift this week in the administration trying to sound more confident, sounding a little bit like the very figures that they, that they criticized John McCain back in the campaign.
MR. STEVE LIESMAN: Well, we have a little bit of good economic news this week. We had the retail sales did a little bit better. Even the consumer confidence numbers, even though they're at really historically low levels, came back just a little bit. So they have a little bit of a leg to stand on. I guess I would say that relative to the amount of bad news out there, this--the amount of bad news is like this and the good news is like that. And look, they have put a bunch of programs in place. The Street hasn't really glommed on to them, doesn't really think that they're, they're, they're going to increase the, the economy too much. But they're in place now and we'll see if they work.
MR. GREGORY: Tavis Smiley, the news about AIG, hundreds of million dollars in new bonuses. The administration's angry about it. This is, you know, taxpayer funds. How much more difficult does it make their job as they go out to the public and say, "Hey, we need billions more to help keep these companies, banks and insurance companies like AIG, to keep them afloat"?
MR. TAVIS SMILEY: I think it doesn't make it easy. We are in the mess that we are in now, David, for eight years because we had no accountability. The rich kept getting richer, the poor kept getting poorer, the middle class stagnates. It would be one thing if everybody were getting rich and the richest were getting richer at a faster clip. But that's not the case. And so I think the American public has a difficult time trying to abide these companies being given more money for bailouts. Particularly, to your earlier conversation, when we know, one, that they're giving out these bonuses today, tomorrow, the next couple of days at AIG; when we know, secondly, that the partners, who some of this money went to through AIG, we still don't know from the Obama administration who these persons are. I think it's a hard sell.
MR. GREGORY: David Frum:
MR. DAVID FRUM: I think you, your question indicates the administration knows this week that it lost a little bit of control over the story. Christina Romer, your first guest, was at Brookings on Monday and she delivered a speech based on her deep expertise in the history of the Depression in which she said here are the lessons of the Depression. And everyone who read that speech reacted, the administration hasn't learned any of these things. You are not doing the things that Christina Romer, in her own research, said you need to do. And the administration was so conscious that she had delivered this warning that they sent Larry Summers on Friday back to Brookings. Brookings had to cancel an event. They got the call I think on Thursday that Larry Summers wants to come Friday. They had to cancel an event to empty the auditorium so that Larry Summers could...
MR. GREGORY: Well, what are the lessons that they're not learning?
MR. FRUM: Here, here are Christina Romer's lesson that they're not learning.
MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.
MR. FRUM: The stimulus needs to be big. Well, the administration's stimulus in 2009 is small. It's big in 2010 and 2011, but small in 2009. It has to be global. The administration is emitting protectionist noises. President Obama, in the $410 billion catch-up spending bill, signed new restrictions on Mexican trucking that violate NAFTA. The, the, the lesson is that the administration--that monetary policy remains tremendously important. The administration is saying, "We have no idea of what to do about monetary policy." Three others, as well. And...
MR. LIESMAN: Well, David, I, I think I'll stop you right there. The administration doesn't control monetary policy, and monetary policy has basically the pedal of the accelerator all the way down. Interest rates are at zero, the Fed is launching a trillion-dollar...
MR. FRUM: That, that's what, that's what they...
MR. LIESMAN: ...TALF program.
MR. FRUM: That's what they...
MR. LIESMAN: That is not...
MR. FRUM: That's what they're saying. But they have--they could actually print money, they can do quantitive easing. And I know that it's the Federal Reserve's job...
MR. LIESMAN: They're doing, they're doing it.
MS. KATTY KAY: But I would say it's an issue more of...
MR. FRUM: But to say, but to say we're hands off...
MR. GREGORY: All right.
MR. FRUM: ...it's nothing we can control...
MR. FRUM: ...Christina Romer is the one who says it's more important than anything.
MR. GREGORY: There's another element of this. The talk about stimulus and the size of the stimulus.
MS. KAY: Right.
MR. GREGORY: You're just back from Europe, Katty, and one of the big debates this week with the administration and Europe is that Europe does not want to do larger stimulus. And we know that some of the problems in Europe and around the globe with this recession are quite acute.
MS. KAY: You know, it's really interesting traveling through Europe this week, and two things really struck me. One is that there is less public concern about the nature of this crisis, and part of that is that Europeans have a broader social safety net. I was speaking to a journalist in Sweden who said to me, "You know, if I lose my job, I lose some of my income. But I still have very good health care and my children have very good state education." So people aren't as panicked by this recession as they are here. That means that there is less political pressure on European leaders to spend their way out of this and to act some kind of stimulus package, a global stimulus package, what the administration's been calling for. There is also a feeling in Europe that they don't want to have to submit to an American made solution to what is seen by many, by many Europeans as an American made problem. There is a real resistance here...
MR. FRUM: Right.
MS. KAY: ...to Washington coming over to Europe and saying, "You have to enact 2 percent of your GDP in stimulus packages," when you made this problem.
MR. GREGORY: Another--Tavis, one of, one of the things you get to in your book, of course, a key theme, is accountability.
And, Steve, I want to first pose this question to you. A nerve was touched this week. Jon Stewart on the "The Daily Show" raised some really tough questions for CNBC and other financial journalists about who was out there before this crisis came upon us to, to sound the alarm and say what was happening in our financial industry was fundamentally unsound? And so it goes to a question, I guess, Steve, of who can you point to in financial journalism who, you know, would get the award for sounding the alarm and saying, "Hey, wait a minute, guys, there's something we really ought to be paying attention to here"?
MR. LIESMAN: Well, first of all, that nerve was right back here, right in the back of my neck.
MR. LIESMAN: Which is the one that was touched. Look, I, I can't--see, there's a spokesman for a CNBC. That's not my job. I'm not management, I'm a reporter on the staff.
MR. GREGORY: And this is broader--this is not just about CNBC.
MR. LIESMAN: And it's...
MR. GREGORY: It's about financial journalism.
MR. LIESMAN: I've been reporting on the subprime crisis since 2006. I was--I did investigative work in 2007 that said the subprime crisis, despite what the Treasury secretary and the Federal Reserve chairman were saying, was going to spread beyond that. I think there's a lot of reporters at CNBC who've done a lot of work on that. I was a finalist for the Emmys when it came to that and my reporting in 2006, 2007. There are reporters at the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times all who have done great work on the subprime crisis.
Could we have screamed louder? Almost certainly. Were--did we explain enough what was going on? Probably not. But we were out there, we were doing it. The fact that they didn't notice is not my problem.
MR. FRUM: It was...
MS. KAY: I think part of the reason this is being--caught such fire in the American public this week is that we saw this in 2003 with the run-up to the war in Iraq.
MR. GREGORY: Mm-hmm.
MS. KAY: Where there was a failure of political journalists to ask the tough questions of the administration, as we went into Iraq, about weapons of mass destruction. President Bush was not hauled over the coals in the way that, for example, Tony Blair was back in Britain. But in this case it's even more complicated, because we rely on financial journalists. Most of us, and the American public in general, this is very complicated stuff. We don't have the jargon, we don't have the technical expertise, so we have to have the financial journalists acting as the people that...(unintelligible)...power.
MR. GREGORY: But here--but there's a fundamental question, Tavis, which is what is it that should have been said or exposed prior to everything going south? Because it gets to the larger question of precisely what caused this.
MR. SMILEY: Pardon my English, you ain't got enough time for that answer, David, because there's a whole lot that should have been exposed. Let's be honest about it. The bottom line is, one word, greed. Wall Street got greedy. And when they got greedy, it, it caused this entire economy to crash. And since they were greedy and have crashed the economy, we get a little talk about Wall Street, a little talk about Main Street. As I said last time on this program, still, David, not enough talk about the side Street.
Here's the problem. The American public, I think, could handle this crisis much better if, along with all of the bailouts, there was a poverty agenda in this country. With all due respect to President Obama and Mr. McCain, three presidential debates between McCain and Obama, the word poverty never came up. There is no poverty agenda in this country. There is no talk about the weak working class. That's the problem here. There's got to be some accountability here. The Obama administration, I think, is out front being aggressive on some of these issues. But still, as your conversation earlier pointed out, not enough details, not enough people looking out for the weak working class.
MR. GREGORY: All right.
But, David Frum, I want to stay on this question of accountability with regard to the financial press generally and what could have been done. Because what's left out of this conversation is average Americans who were taking the money, who thought, you know, on a salary of $40,000, $50,000...
MR. FRUM: Yeah. Right.
MR. GREGORY: ...they could afford a $400,000 mortgage. So it was all around. What should have been done or said, and at what point?
MR. FRUM: The administration that was in power at the time, Bush administration, which I served, had a problem through those years, which was there was not a lot of good economic news that affected the ordinary person. Incomes were flat, you could see the debt levels rising. There was one, there was one story, however, that you could tell that was a positive story, and that was the increase in the assets held by the average family because of the housing bubble. And nobody wanted to get in the way of that. Not, not the administration, not Congress. Because if, if they did, what other good news would there be?
And it's true that the financial press has tabloidized itself. And the multiplication of cable channels has meant that we, we talk about the news in a less serious way in all kinds of ways.
MR. GREGORY: And we have The Washington Post now folding its business section into the front page, so we have less financial journalism.
MR. FRUM: Right.
MR. SMILEY: But, but why, but why...
MR. FRUM: But we, we--but we had primarily a political failure...
MR. SMILEY: But why, David...
MR. FRUM: ...which was...
MS. KAY: (Unintelligible)
MR. FRUM: That, that, that's, that's a political point.
MR. GREGORY: Right.
MS. KAY: Isn't it, isn't it a question of what, you know, what journalists are here for, is to just...
MR. GREGORY: Right. That's, that is more of a political point. It doesn't go--doesn't speak to some of the main issues in, in the financial system.
MS. KAY: But the main issues are, are...
MR. GREGORY: Quickly here, and then I want to get into something else.
MS. KAY: ...that journalists are there to ask tough questions, whether is it...
MR. SMILEY: Exactly.
MS. KAY: ...the president who's in office or whether it's the businesses that they're talking to everyday who are their sources. And I think that's what happened. We--what are we here for? What are we paid for as journalists? We're paid to ask the tough question and then to ask the follow-up question if we don't feel we got the answer.
MR. GREGORY: Steve, final question of the--was what was wrong in the financial system, was it knowable, was it discoverable?
MR. LIESMAN: Yes, it was. It was way too much excess. Here's, here's the, here's the easy thing you could have known: Any time capital chases investments, you know you're in for a hard fall. It should be investment ideas that are looking for money. That's the normal way of the world. This was all backwards, it was the other way around, and that was how you could have known we were headed for a hard fall.
David Frum, does that represent the Republican Party?
MS. KAY: But...
MS. KAY: Isn't...
MR. GREGORY: Katty:
MR. GREGORY: Right.
MS. KAY: Right.
MR. GREGORY: All right, lot, lots more to talk about. Unfortunately, we're out of time. Thank you very much. We'll be right back.
Discussion comments
|
[] |
Reply to a comment
Reply to this comment
Snafu writes:
in response to jjohnjj:
More Bill0 deceptions: Medicare and Social Security are "entitlements": Wrong. They are benefits funded through payroll deductions.
It should come as no surprise that actual entitlement programs have gone from 9 to 16 percent of the budget. We're crawling out of the worst recession since 1929. Programs like food stamps, Medicaid, heating oil subsidies, children's health care and general relief are up because unemployment is up.
I know that BillO's and his audience of Angry Old White Guys want to believe that President Obama "bought" his re-election... but the fact is that Romney/Ryan offered a totally implausible road to recovery, and the voters rejected it... plain and simple.
Gee, isn't the phrase "angry old white guys" a racist, sexist, and age discriminating remark?
Why do liberals get a pass when they say things like this? What a bunch of hypocrites.
Featured Promotions
|
[] |
Computer Vision Syndrome Detroit
Computer Vision Symdrome, also known as CVS, is becoming a more and more common cause of visits to the eye doctor's office. As computer and hand-held device use increases, this problem will become more pervasive, but there are simple solutions to this problem.
What is CVS?
Computer vision syndrome, or CVS, is a combination of symptoms, including eye strain, fatigue, headaches and neck stiffness. Blurred vision may also be a component of this syndrome. Patients typically find themselves taking frequent breaks to ease their symptoms, and struggle to find an optimum position for their computer monitor.
How big a problem is CVS?
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that CVS affects 90% of people who spend 3 hours or more in front of the computer. These statistics were reported by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Healthy.
How do we treat CVS?
There is no treatment for Computer Vision Syndrome, but there are many measures that can be taken to help ease the symptoms. Probably some combination of the remedies listed below will be useful, but may not lead to complete resolution of symptoms.
|
[] |
Media multitasking is really multidistracting
May 3, 2011
(credit: stock image)
Multitaskers who think they can successfully divide their attention between the program on their television set and the information on their computer screen have proven to be driven to distraction by the two devices, according to a new study of media multitasking by Boston College researchers.
Placed in a room containing a television and a computer and given a half hour to use either device, subjects in the study on average switched their eyes back and forth between TV and computer a 120 times in 27.5 minutes, nearly once every 14 seconds.
The researchers said that the subjects were not even aware of their own actions. On average, participants in the study thought they might have looked back and forth between the two devices about 15 times per half hour. In reality, they were looking almost 10 times as often. Even if quick “glances” (less than 1.5 seconds) were removed from the equation, the subjects were still switching over 70 times per half hour.
Understanding the physical behavior of multi-media multitaskers raises questions about the level of comprehension among people who switch their eyes between the devices, specifically the impact on productivity or on children doing their homework. And for companies that rely on TV or the Internet to communicate with consumers, the findings raise questions about the effectiveness of the two channels as means to garner the attention of potential customers.
Note that the study doesn’t address your cell phone, tablet, and other devices.
Ref: S. Adam Brasel, James Gips, Media Multitasking Behavior: Concurrent Television and Computer Usage, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2011; : 110307160334058 DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2010.0350
|
[] |
Grandpa asks: Who pays grandkids' dividend taxes?
George SaenzDear Tax Talk,
If I open a stock account for my grandchildren, and they collect dividends but have them reinvested, I know a Form 1099 would be in their name. But taxes would have to be paid on dividends no matter what. So my question is: How and who would pay the taxes on dividends if the kids are from 1 year to 5 years old? I would be custodian on the accounts. Or would it be better for the parents to be custodians, and if they are, then would I have control of the account? Thank you.
-- Bob
Dear Bob,
It used to be so easy to transfer some assets to your grandkids and shift the tax burden to them as well. Over the years, the benefit of income shifting has diminished. However, it is still a great way to establish savings for your grandchildren and also get appreciating assets out of your estate. Since minors are not allowed to contract, the conveyance of property is done through the Uniform Gift to Minors Act, or UGMA. An UGMA custodian account is established with a broker or bank to invest in the assets the custodian chooses.
Current income on an UGMA is taxed to the minors. The parent or other guardian of a child with taxable income is required to file and pay the tax the child owes. The first $950 in unearned income is exempt as the child is allowed a standard deduction of that amount while claimed as a dependent of another. The next $950 in unearned income is taxed at the child's tax rate. A "kiddie tax" applies to any unearned income in excess of $1,900. The kiddie tax treats the unearned income in excess of $1,900 during the year as earned by the parents. This means the child's unearned income in excess of $1,900 is taxed at the marginal tax rate of the parents. However, since the maximum tax rate on dividends is 20 percent, this may have little significance.
If the dividends are reinvested, someone else will have to pay out of pocket for any taxes on dividends owed. Use Form 8615 to compute the kiddie tax when unearned income exceeds $1,900.
Ask the adviser
More From
Market Data
• Currencies
NamePriceChange% Chg
• Commodities
NamePriceChange% Chg
|
[] |
Encryption system developer Macrovision has introduced a new system to stall DVD ripping. The system is a format-based technology that uses a unique digital framework per title. RipGuard DVD is verified through a new program offered by THX, a San Rafael, CA, company that provides quality assurance services for the entertainment industry.
Macrovision said the RipGuard DVD could prevent 97 percent of the estimated $1 billion in annual lost movie industry revenue. RipGuard causes ripper software to crash or stall, thus preventing it from copying the content of a DVD. Similar schemes have been used for music CDs with mixed results; in some cases, protected CDs wouldn't play in some CD players, which caused consumer uproar in Europe and slowed to a dribble the introduction of protected discs into the United States.
For more information, visit www.macrovision.com.
Back to the top
|
[] |
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Specialists Path Kicking Footballs
This week's On A Specialist's Path is on the specific types of footballs that are used for NFL, College, and High School kicking specialists.
I learned at a young age that broken in footballs went much farther than brand new footballs. When would I kick a brand new ball for about a week I could see the ball started to jump off my foot. The ball would become darker and would sometimes go as much as 6-10 yards farther when it was broken in compared to a brand new ball.
What I didn't know in high school was that not only is it important to break in a football but it is also vital to choose the right type of football. As a kicking coach in the state of Tennessee I see the difference in footballs almost everyday with Tennessee kicking and punting lessons .
This is On A Specialist's Path-Choosing the Proper Football.
When it comes to a kicking ball Nike is king. The Nike football is what 9 of 12 SEC schools use on game day. Alabama, Florida, LSU and Georgia have used the Nike ball for quite some time and the Aero Elite Collegiate (pictured above) is the football of choice.
If the Nike ball is king than Wilson GST is the court jester.
Kickers and punters across the country have had to deal with this football for the past 6 to 7 years. In my opinion this is by far the worst kicking ball on the market. A brand new Wilson GST compared to a brand new Nike football is at least a 5 to 7 yards difference on a field goal or kickoff.
I experienced the difference first hand when I was entering my senior year of college and my friend Jad Dean, former kicker at Clemson and 2005 Lou Groza Finalist, came to Knoxville to kick with me in the Neyland Thompson Indoor Practice Facility.
Jad was using the the Nike balls that Clemson had provided him while I was using the Wilson GST football. As we started the workout I could see that Jad had a little more "pop" on his field goals than I did.
As the kicking workout continued we backed our way to the 40 yard line and attempted some 50 yard field goals. I was making my kicks by a few yards and Jad was making his half way up the uprights.
Finally I became curious to see if he was that much better than me or was the football making a difference? I finally decided to ask him if we could switch footballs.
I started kicking the Nike balls and he used my Wilson GST football. The moment we switched balls I could tell that the tables had turned in my favor. I moved all the way back to a 63 yard field goal and Jad was struggling to get distance from 55 yards!
The University of Tennessee is the only school in the SEC, to my knowledge, that still uses this football. Auburn and South Carolina use a different type of Wilson football rather than the GST.
I have seen some Tennessee fans on the message boards of Volquest.com ask why incoming freshman kicker Michael Palardy has had trouble kicking his kickoffs into the endzone.
In my opinion the problem is not with the kicker but with the football. When I saw Palardy's highlight tape I saw an extremely talented kicker but I saw him kicking a very old and broken in football. If I was a special teams coach in college I would always take that into account when evaluating a specialist.
I think that someone at Tennessee should take a hard look at using the Wilson GST football and make sure that other teams aren't gaining a competitive advantage.
My suggestion for college teams that are under contract with Wilson is to use the Wilson 1001 football. Wilson has tried to promote the 1005 football for some reason but the 1001 is a little fatter and has more surface area to kick.
A worn in Wilson 1001 is almost equivalent to a Nike football.
I personally don't have a dog in the hunt in regards to what football is used in high school and college but my suggestion is to have one standardized ball in high school and college similar to the NFL. This would help maintain the integrity of the game.
The NFL is very different from college and high school because they use one standardized football.
Over the past 6 to 10 years the NFL has tried to find ways to limit the distance of kickers through a few rule changes.
First, was moving the kickoff from the 35 yard line to the 30 yard line. Kickers have answered the bell and have started to increase their kickoff distance through additional technique work and weight training.
The other rule is making all the kickers use the same football called a "K" ball. The "K" ball has made a big difference in the game as kickoff distance has been decreased because of the ball, which has allowed for many more kickoff returns.
Before the standardized ball there use to be quite a few kickers and punters that were breaking in the ball by using alternative methods like putting the ball in the dryer.
I prefer the NFL's use of footballs because at least each specialist is on a level playing field.
In conclusion, I have had first hand experience with all types of footballs and what there affects are on kicking specialists. You will notice that at Tennessee football kicking camps the kickers and punters will gravitate towards the broken in Nike footballs and stay away from a brand new Wilson GST.
College and high school coaches should at least be aware that there are advantages to using one ball compared to another and should try and give their kicking specialists all the advantages they possibly can!
Visit: www.jameswilhoitkickingcoach.com
Follow me on www.twitter.com
1. You know, that is an extremely valid point ... when coming through high school, we always knew that our kickers and punters both used balls that were not "every down" balls ... I now know why ... why does the NCAA not have a "dimensional" rule for the contact area on the ball? I mean, there is a rule for everything else ... having more surface area to kick would be the equivalent of a pro golfer walking up to tee off with a Big Bertha driver
2. Have you told Coach Dooley about the nike ball difference? If not, when can you? You're a vol for life and I am sure he would appreciate the tip.
3. what he said ^^^^^
4. Very interesting, James. I'm a good friend of Andy Kerr's, and have met you several times over at his apartment (back in college days). Heard you on with Hooker yesterday. That is crazy. I hope the Vols can switch footballs soon.
5. Thanks for the comments. I had approximately 1,400 people view the blog over the past few days so obviously somebody is taken notice...
I just want for our Vols to be given the same opportunities as other teams
6. Great read James! I would have imagined there would be some difference in the footballs used but not that big a difference. I hope the Tennessee staff will take this into account.
7. Great info! What is the best way to break in a new football? I've heard deflating the ball and putting it into the dryer on fluff setting with no heat?
8. Best way to break in a football is to just kick with it honestly. Kick it for about a week and then just keep it for games. If you do this with about 5 footballs than you should have all the footballs you need for games. The dryer works though and NFL players use to do all sorts of things to the balls before they came up with the NFL "K" Ball
9. Thanks so much for the info. I'm actually a QB for a flag football team and I like to throw a "soft ball". My old ball, 10 yrs old, now how an air leak so I'm trying to rush the breaking in of a new ball. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
10. has anyone tested out the new nike vapor air lock for kicking , because im thinking about getting one.
11. Does it matter what football you use in high school as long if it has NFHS approved on it? I got 3 Nike airlocks. It's taking me awhile to break those in. I've heard soaking a deflated football in water for about a week and then letting it sit out in the sun and drying it works. The Spalding Jv5 is one of the best balls for kicking in my opinion. You can get them on wizard sports.com. I crush that football. But it will take some time to break in
|
[] |
Double Helix Jeopardy
DNA databases help solve crimes but aid and abet racial discrimination
Illustration: David Plunkert
On 4 January 1998, police in London arrested a man, whom court records call ”B,” on suspicion of burglary. The police swabbed the inside of the suspect's cheek to collect a sample of his DNA.
In August, B was acquitted and released. But in September, B's DNA profile was--accidentally and illegally--entered into the United Kingdom's national DNA database. The system automatically compares newly loaded DNA profiles against unidentified samples obtained from crime scenes. The system found a match--a sample recovered from a 1997 rape and assault case. The police arrested B, and the government successfully prosecuted him for those crimes.
Is there anything wrong with such a turn of events? Privacy advocates say there is, as do people worried about racial discrimination. Among these are lawyers working with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Council for Responsible Genetics, in the United States, and with GeneWatch and Privacy International, in the United Kingdom. Law-enforcement officials and forensic scientists, on the other hand, say the use of such a tool is invaluable for solving crimes, not only to match evidence from a recent crime to an individual in the database but also to link some unsolved cases, showing that they share an as-yet-unknown perpetrator.
Since that 1998 incident, governments have been rapidly expanding the collection of DNA for databases, and changes in database-searching technology that target near matches are raising new concerns. As a result, civil libertarians and privacy advocates are lobbying for restrictions, while some scholars are pushing in the opposite direction, arguing that the only fair way of building a DNA database is to create a universal one--that is, to record the genetic profile of each citizen.
The information loaded into such databases reflects a feature of DNA known as short tandem repeats (STRs). DNA contains a sequence of paired bases, or nucleotides, of which there are four types. The human genome contains about 3 billion such base pairs, arranged into 23 pairs of chromosomes. A small subset of the long sequence creates the 20 000 or so human genes, most of which code for the proteins that determine a person's biochemical makeup and physical characteristics. The rest--about 98 percent--is noncoding DNA. Although scientists are discovering that a surprisingly high fraction of these seemingly useless sequences may affect the body's functions, some of them seem clearly to be meaningless artifacts of evolution.
In certain sections of the human genome, the noncoding DNA contains repeated patterns of two to five nucleotides, the number of repeats in each sequence varying by person. For forensic typing, scientists consider repeats at several loci, or positions on the genome. The number of repeats at each locus is known as an allele. People have two alleles at each locus, one from each parent, that vary in length depending on the number of repeats.
In the United States, the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), established by the FBI in 1990 to link existing local, state, and federal systems, is based on STRs at 13 loci. In London, the Home Office currently relies on STRs at 10 loci. Although the estimated rarity is different for each DNA profile, the estimated rarities of complete profiles can be smaller than one in a trillion.
Illustration: David Plunkert
To gather DNA for forensic databases, a law-enforcement official typically swabs inside the cheek of a suspect or criminal to obtain a sample of cells. Although scientists can extract DNA from hair, semen, or blood, a cheek swab is the most efficient and least invasive way to collect a large sample of DNA. The swab goes to a laboratory, where a technician or a robotic instrument isolates the DNA from the other cellular components.
The extracted DNA goes through a second process: polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, a standard method of creating many additional copies of a selected segment of DNA. In this case, the PCR step targets all the relevant sites (10 in the UK, 13 in the United States). A genetic analyzer then separates the resulting 10 or 13 DNA fragments and measures the number of repeats in each. The numbers, one or two for each sequence, typically range from five to 20. There is just one number in some cases because a person can inherit the same number of repeats from both parents.
”An ’arrest-only’ database would have the look and feel of a universal DNA data-base for black males”
The DNA databases store those numbers, along with the sex of the individual. In the United States, the federal database alone contains more than 4.6 million such records. The UK's, which started in 1995 as the world's first national DNA database, has about the same number, drawn from a population one-fifth the size.
In the British rape and assault case , B demanded that the court exclude the DNA evidence from his trial because the police had added it into the database illegally. The trial judge agreed. The government appealed, but the Court of Appeal backed the trial judge, noting that Parliament, in establishing the national database, had created rules restricting the database to those convicted of certain crimes. Had Parliament wished to do otherwise, the appeals court argued, it could have done so. Parliament took the ruling as a call to action and in 2001 passed the Criminal Justice and Police Act, allowing law-enforcement agencies to retain DNA samples of individuals charged with a crime but not subsequently convicted.
The United States is now following the UK example. Today, FBI agents cannot legally store data from suspects who were not convicted or from individuals who volunteer their DNA samples for an investigation but are not suspects. But state officials can. Today, four states--Louisiana, Minnesota, Texas, and Virginia--mandate arrestee sampling. California voters in 2004 passed a ballot proposition that will establish by 2009 what should be the largest such database in the United States. New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has proposed including in the state database those convicted of all felonies and misdemeanors. In addition, a bill being considered in South Carolina would mandate the most aggressive arrestee-sampling program in the nation, demanding samples from those arrested for even the pettiest misdemeanors, such as shoplifting.
Some states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, and New York, though they don't mandate arrestee sampling, already retain data that may not be added to CODIS, such as samples voluntarily given by someone to eliminate himself as a suspect. The legality of such state databases is ”a cloudy area,” according to law professor David Kaye of Arizona State University in Tempe. Stephen Saloom, policy director of the Innocence Project, an organization in New York City that assists prisoners who could be exonerated through DNA testing, has called them ”rogue databases.”
Meanwhile, Virginia is experiencing an echo of the B case. Members of the state crime laboratory early this year reported that they had matched a crime-scene DNA sample to stored profiles of DNA from individuals who were arrested but not convicted. Because Virginia mandates that the DNA records be expunged if the suspect is not convicted, the samples were in the database illegally. The state legislature is now considering a bill that would facilitate that record clearing but also allow matches to illegally retained samples to be used in court if they were kept in ”good faith.”
The UK case and subsequent passage of legislation in other countries illustrate the central paradox of DNA databases: inclusiveness. The more samples in a database, the more useful it potentially is at solving and preventing crimes. If the law requires a criminal conviction to allow officials to record a DNA profile, then crimes such as the rape that B carried out in 1997 go unsolved, and B perhaps goes on to commit other rapes.
The problem with inclusiveness is that there is no obvious end to it. Because people arrested for one offense have a higher-than-average probability of having committed other crimes, the inclusion of samples from all those arrested but not convicted has a crime-fighting utility. But then again, so does the inclusion of a sample of the victim, who could also be the perpetrator of another crime. And, for that matter, why wait until B acquires a burglary arrest to include his DNA sample? If it were loaded into a database at birth, he would have immediately been identified as having committed the 1997 rape.
There is no limit to the theoretical utility of adding anyone's DNA profile to a database. Presumably, though, at some point the utility of inclusion no longer outweighs a free society's interest in privacy. But where is that point?
When law-enforcement agencies first developed DNA databases, most country and state statutes that dealt with DNA testing mandated it for specified categories of crimes, typically murder and rape. DNA is particularly useful in solving sexual assaults, because investigators often recover semen as evidence.
As public awareness of DNA databases grew, so did the scope of the databases. Politicians could appear tough on crime by extending DNA sampling to an ever-growing array of offenses. Many such moves, however, were merely statutory; politicians did not allocate funding to enable police to do the sampling and analysis. Law-enforcement agencies, sensibly, continued to focus on the most violent offenders and did not take DNA samples from pickpockets even when the law allowed it.
Recently, however, the inexorable expansion of DNA databases has gone beyond individuals convicted of petty crimes and reached people arrested but never convicted. Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department is now authorized to take DNA samples from anyone detained by federal agents--which means, principally, those suspected of immigration violations.
Unlike the laws expanding the reach of DNA databases to those convicted of petty crimes, the new laws extending inclusion to arrestees not only allow such sampling, they mandate it. In California at least, that means maintenance of the arrestee DNA database may divert resources from other important tasks. In particular, many law-enforcement agencies still have backlogs of semen samples recovered from rape victims that have not been subjected to DNA testing.
A 2005 U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report estimated that it would take 1900 additional workers and US $70 million to reduce the forensic evidence backlog to a manageable size. And in a February 2007 interview with The New York Times , Robert Fram, chief of the FBI Scientific Analysis Section, decried the mandating of new populations to sample without any increase in resources and noted that the FBI has a backlog of 150 000 samples.
Arrestee sampling can't possibly be a better use of resources than clearing that backlog. Most likely, such wholesale sampling would also divert money from other pressing needs, such as crime prevention and drug treatment.
Privacy advocates have other reasons for fighting against the inclusion of arrestees in DNA databases. Tania Simoncelli and Barry Steinhardt, both of the ACLU, have been particularly vocal on the subject. In the Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics , Simoncelli argued that ”the very existence of DNA databases turns the presumption of innocence on its head,” because those included in the database are treated as potential suspects every time a new crime is investigated.
Of course, governments have long maintained databases containing the fingerprints of convicts, arrestees, and various individuals who are not criminals, including teachers and immigrants. The law considers such databases acceptable intrusions into personal liberty. But civil libertarians say that DNA samples, unlike fingerprints, include personally sensitive information to which the state should not have access: people's ancestry, disease propensity, and perhaps even behavioral characteristics. They argue that such information could be abused by the state, by employers, or by insurance companies.
Scientists can identify weak correlations between fingerprint-pattern types and ethnicity. But people are generally more anxious about disclosing their genetic information than their fingerprints--a concern that typically generates a strong emotional response against broadly inclusive DNA databases.
Sociologist Amitai Etzioni and others who tend to value the interests of the community over those of the individual argue that broad inclusion might be a good thing. ”Collecting the DNA of convicted, nonviolent felons,” Etzioni says, ”may still be justified, because they have significantly lowered rights.” In his contribution to the essay collection DNA and the Criminal Justice System , Etzioni went further and argued that even ”suspects have diminished rights, including much lower rights to privacy,” and therefore he sees ”no obvious reason why suspects should not be tested and their DNA included in databases.”
Advocates for DNA databases also contend that because the DNA used for standard forensic profiling is noncoding DNA, the concern about genetic privacy is not an issue. But noncoding DNA may correlate with disease propensity, even if it does not cause disease, potentially allowing ”tracking” of genetic diseases. But however useful such information might be, what an insurer would really want would be not just a profile, but a complete biological sample--the original cheek swab.
And there's the rub. In all U.S. jurisdictions except Wisconsin, law-enforcement officials typically retain the samples themselves. Therefore, all the genetic information of those who are being tracked in the DNA database remains accessible to the state. There are a number of state statutes forbidding such uses of genetic information, but such laws will not necessarily remain in place.
The government could destroy the sample and record only the numeric values of its DNA profile. And that procedure could become the compromise struck between the desire for privacy and the need for crime control. But as yet, data-banking proponents are holding out against it, because such a compromise assumes that the DNA-database technology is mature. If forensic scientists develop a new scheme for DNA matching, they'll need original samples to re-encode the existing database population. To be sure, the current systems are powerful, robust, and widely accepted, and the existence of today's large databases is a powerful deterrent to changing the protocols. Nonetheless, the technology has advanced so rapidly during the past two decades that it would be naive to think that the existing systems represent an eternal standard.
Discrimination is another powerful argument against arrestee databases. Even convict-only databases risk being discriminatory. In the United States, courts convict some racial minorities at much higher rates than their proportion of the overall population. Criminologists are divided as to what extent the overrepresentation arises from discrimination in policing and in the courts, as opposed to a higher rate of offending, at least in the case of violent crimes. But when it comes to drug crimes, which constitute a large portion of the criminal caseload in the United States, discrimination is undisputed. And one wouldn't want the injustice to extend to inclusion in a convict DNA database (although the harm seems far less than the damage that is done in the first place by discrimination in the criminal convictions).
When it comes to arrestee databases, however, the issue becomes more salient. Criminologists agree that racial discrimination is greater at the level of arrest than it is at the level of conviction, because arrest depends so heavily on police discretion. Arrest discrimination is not based merely on race but also on class and geography. For example, you can use, or even sell, narcotics with a far lower risk of arrest if you are rich, white, and live in the suburbs than if you are poor, black, and live in the inner city. Some demographic sectors of American society, such as poor, black, inner-city males, have shockingly low probabilities of getting through adolescence without having at least one run-in with the police. If such encounters trigger inclusion in a DNA database, the database becomes discriminatory.
To glimpse the likely outcome in the United States, look at the United Kingdom, where the database covers a much larger portion of the overall population than in the U.S. There, 37 percent of black men, 13 percent of Asian men, and 9 percent of white men have had their DNA profiles included in the national database. The figures are even starker if one considers only younger males. Approximately 77 percent of black males between 15 and 34 are in the national database, compared with 22 percent of white males in that age bracket.
Such an arrestee database tends to include the maximum number of racial minorities and the smallest number of whites [see charts, ”Color Wheels ”].
As Kaye and the University of Wisconsin's Michael Smith put it starkly in their contribution to DNA and the Criminal Justice System , ”Such an 'arrest-only' database would have the look and feel of a universal DNA database for black males, whose already jaundiced view of law enforcement's legitimacy is itself a threat to public safety.”
When law-enforcement officials enter new genetic records from unidentified samples recovered at crime scenes into a DNA database, the system compares them with existing profiles. Some legal scholars say that this procedure amounts to daily searches of each person in the database--no different from stopping drivers for pat-downs without warrants. Other experts maintain that because the individuals aren't aware of the searches, no harm is done.
The risks might seem remote now, but even so, perhaps they should be borne by all citizens equally.
One risk, the possibility of false incrimination, either through DNA planting or laboratory error, is less remote. There simply isn't good current data on the false-positive error rate for DNA profiling. But although forensic DNA-profiling technology is robust, reports of recent errors abound. And it's not just the laboratories generally considered poor (like the police crime lab in Houston) but also those regarded as among the nation's finest (such as the FBI's and the Virginia State Department of Forensic Sciences) that are making mistakes. The errors, documented by Professor William Thompson, of the University of California, Irvine, and others, have led to wrongful convictions.
Planting DNA is possible as well, and it is likely to become increasingly easy and cheap to do, allowing more people to learn how. Of course, the planting of evidence is not new. But because DNA evidence commands such enormous trust and is conceived as scientific, the potential hazards of evidence tampering would be particularly pernicious. Again, perhaps the risks of such mistakes or malfeasance should be borne equally.
The newest trend in DNA-database searching exacerbates the discrimination problem. In the past, when a crime-scene sample failed to match any record in a database, investigators were stymied. Recently, however, they have begun exploring an alternative in such cases: search the DNA database again, looking for close matches. A near-match profile will not be that of the perpetrator, but it may belong to a close relative. The authorities can then investigate other family members. Crime investigators have used so-called low stringency or familial searches successfully in the UK, Canada, and the United States.
The legal issues surrounding familial searching are tricky, especially when combined with the practice of surreptitious seizure of ”abandoned” DNA samples from cigarette butts, soda cans, and other discarded objects. In the notorious Bind, Torture, Kill serial-murder case in Wichita, Kan., investigators obtained DNA from a tissue sample gathered for medical purposes from the daughter of the suspect, to avoid alerting him that he was under investigation. No significant constitutional barriers to such actions exist.
But familial searching also raises policy issues. A slight brush with the law that does not result in a criminal conviction puts not only the arrested individual but also effectively the person's entire family into the database. The individual's diminished privacy ripples through the family.
Today, DNA-database systems routinely search newly recovered crime-scene samples against the entire existing database. So the legal system subjects individuals and their families daily to suspicionless searches. In a society in which young black males in some neighborhoods have a one-in-three probability of ending up in state custody at some time in their lives (and an even higher chance of getting an arrest record), the racial overtones of such a practice are dramatic.
Experts debate whether familial searching is reasonable. At a 2006 symposium in Boston on forensic DNA, sponsored by the American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, Harvard scholars Frederick Bieber and David Lazer said that after having initially been skeptical of familial searching, they concluded from their research that the potential benefit to society in crime control outweighs privacy concerns. But an interdisciplinary team from Stanford led by law Professor Henry Greely concluded that familial searching is ethically questionable, stating that ”the way that familial forensic DNA puts African-Americans under much greater investigative scrutiny may not be unconstitutional, but seems unfair and quite possibly unwise.”
With experts voicing such concerns , why have so many jurisdictions opted for arrestee databases? The answer seems both obvious and troubling: the databases are popular with voters who see them as tracking people other than themselves.
Essentially voters are willing to legislate away the privacy rights of others--especially those they stereotype as potentially dangerous, such as racial minorities, the poor, and residents of economically disadvantaged neighborhoods--but are much more protective of what they perceive to be their own constitutional guarantees. This dichotomy is reflected in the U.S. government's 1940s decisions to reject universal fingerprint databases but allow law-enforcement agencies to maintain fingerprint records in arrestee databases.
Some scholars have decided that there is no longer any alternative than to propose what many would have previously considered unthinkable: a universal DNA database. Alec Jeffreys himself, the University of Leicester, England, geneticist who developed the earliest method of DNA profiling, has now declared that the existing UK database is racially discriminatory, and he has espoused an all-inclusive database as a solution. Jeffreys also proposed that the judicial system use DNA matches for investigative purposes only. That is, DNA would provide leads that would have to be corroborated by other evidence, and courts would never use DNA as evidence. Several American legal scholars, including Kaye, Smith, and Akhil Reed Amar, a Yale law professor, have also advocated for a universal database as the antidote to the discriminatory nature of existing arrangements. And in 2005, Portugal announced its intention to become the first country to include its entire population in its database of DNA profiles.
A universal database , on the surface, has a certain egalitarian appeal. Rather than those stigmatized by an arrest record being disproportionately burdened, all members of society who benefit from the database would bear the associated risks, including the release of sensitive personal information and repercussions from laboratory errors.
Another attractive aspect of the universal-database proposal is that it would engender a more honest appraisal of the risks of government genetic databases. Consideration of a universal database shifts the debate from being about whether other people's privacy rights are worth protecting to being about whether everyone's are. If voters and legislators aren't worried about the misuse of genetic information in a state-run database, let them be the first to offer their samples to it. Such voluntary contributions are rare, although in 1999, British Prime Minister Tony Blair provided his own DNA for the UK's database.
The egalitarianism of the universal database, however, may be a mirage. The facts that have led some scholars to embrace a universal database in the first place--such as discriminatory arrest practices--would not change with the advent of a universal database. In DNA and the Criminal Justice System , sociology professor Troy Duster of New York University writes, ”If the lens of the criminal justice system is focused almost entirely on one part of the population for a certain kind of activity (drug-related, street crime), and ignores a parallel kind of crime (fraternity cocaine sales a few miles away), then even if the fraternity members' DNA are in the data bank, they will not be subject to the same level of matching. That is, if the police are not stopping to arrest the fraternity members, it does not matter whether their DNA is in a national database, because they are not criminalized by the selective aim of the artillery of the criminal justice system.”
The police would still target racial minorities, the poor, and residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods differently, Duster argues, only the still-discriminatory police would have more powerful tools in hand.
Although the DNA-database debate will probably occupy judges, legal scholars, and legislators for some time, the most likely outcome is the least equitable--including only arrestees.
Indeed, if policy-makers were purposefully trying to find the most discriminatory system possible, an arrestee database would be the ideal choice. If an arrestee database is the least equitable solution, we are left with only two reasonable alternatives: a convict database or a universal database. The decision between those two alternatives depends on how much people trust their governments. But the merit of such a debate would be that it would not be about ”other people's” DNA but about our own.
About the Author
Simon A. Cole is an associate professor of criminology, law, and society at the University of California, Irvine.
To Probe Further
A special issue of the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics —Vol. 34, Issue 2, 2006—explores DNA and civil liberties in depth.
Simon A. Cole addresses this topic with coauthors Michael Lynch, Ruth McNally, and Kathleen Jordan in a forthcoming book, The Contentious History of DNA Fingerprinting (University of Chicago Press). Other works on the subject include DNA and the Criminal Justice System , edited by David Lazer (MIT Press, 2004); Forensic Identification and Criminal Justice , by Carole McCartney (Willan, 2006); and DNA Profiling, Science, Law, and Controversy in the American Criminal Justice System , by Jay D. Aronson (Rutgers University Press, 2007).
The American Society of Law, Medicine, and Ethics has a project on DNA fingerprinting and civil liberties and an extensive Web resource at
Excellent background material on this issue in the UK is in a Wellcome Trust report by Robin Williams, Paul Johnson, and Paul Martin, Genetic Information & Crime Investigation (2004), available at
Related Stories
|
[] |
Skip Navigation
Refuge Bird Counts
Delair Division Weekly Bird Counts
December 3, 2013
November 25, 2013
November 19, 2013
Migration Flight Surveys
Each week during fall and spring migration refuge biologists count waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, marsh birds and more to estimate the number of birds seen on the refuge. Survey numbers are used to describe general trends in the number of birds resting and feeding on the refuge through the years. Survey results are also used by managers, hunters and birdwatchers to monitor the progress of migration. Biologists use the number as a tool to assess bird use (often referred to as carrying capacity) in response to management actions. Bird use is influenced by off-Refuge factors such as continental populations and habitat and weather conditions throughout the flyway. On the refuge, food availability and the extent of human disturbance greatly influence the number of birds present.
Last Updated: Dec 04, 2013
Return to main navigation
|
[] |
tagNonHumanFalling Into Darkness Ch. 08
Falling Into Darkness Ch. 08
"That's it, keep pushing on me," Cael said as he drove. "Keep your focus."
"I'm trying," Anna snapped. How could he drive and be so calm when he was pushing her so hard?
"Because it's part of my magic," he explained.
"Ah!" she squealed in frustration. "How did you get back in?"
He chuckled rather wickedly, and in her current frustrated state it only served to annoy her. Damn him! It was impossible to keep him out of her mind. She wasn't used to things being difficult. Most things she tried came easily to her.
"It's good for you," he said.
"Stop it!" she screeched.
"Not until you work harder and block me," he returned. "I'm not even trying, Anna."
"This is hard," she whined.
"Your mind is more powerful than you think. You have incredible will. Use it."
"I'm trying!" she nearly shouted.
"You're funny when you're frustrated," he mused. "Almost like a petulant toddler."
"Are you intentionally trying to piss me off?" she snapped.
"If you don't like what I'm saying, then start blocking me, or I'll keep ripping your thoughts from your mind and using them against you."
She wanted to scream and leap across the center console and throttle him. At that thought he began to chuckle again.
Angrily she took a deep breath and closed her eyes to focus. She'd be damned if she'd keep letting him do this to her. She imagined a wall between them; imaginary a black line that severed her connection with him. She felt a sense of triumph! It was working. She couldn't feel his presence in her mind anymore, but the moment she severed their connection her head began to pound and her eyes filled with tears. Her fingers grew cold and she began to shiver even as she felt terribly dizzy. She gasped and let go of the wall between them panting.
"Cael," she cried. "I can't. It hurts." She shivered as a wave a pain and nausea overcame her. "Oh God," she moaned.
She felt his hand enclose over hers.
"Deep breaths," he said. "Breathe."
The moment he touched her, she felt better. Once again it was like he grounded her; he stopped the world from spinning and she felt drawn to him even more than before.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
There was something odd in his voice. It seemed subdued, quiet, and thoughtful.
"I feel sick," she admitted.
"We'll pull over at the next gas station and get you something."
She nodded and found herself clutching his hand. For all her tirades and seeming impatience with things, she wasn't stupid. The sickness had begun when she had finally successfully blocked him. Their 'connection' was getting strong; frighteningly strong.
"I think you had it," he finally said after a long moment of silence.
"Yeah, but I get the idea that it's not supposed to work against you," she said.
"It seems not. Forgive me. I understand this about as much as you do. I've never had a magical link with anyone, let alone a human. I have no idea how it will manifest itself."
"Obviously it doesn't like it when I block you out of my mind," she said. "It doesn't like it when I try to think of leaving you, and it makes me want to do anything and everything you ask of me. Why do I always have to be the weak and stupid human?"
"It's controlling me, too," he said softly.
"It is?"
"Of course. I'm just a little more used to feeling the pull of magic than you are. Such things are more familiar to me. You're not used to magic at all."
She shook her head. "I keep trying to pinch myself like this is some kind of dream and I'm going to wake up."
He nodded and pulled off the road into a lone gas station. Anna didn't like the looks of the place. It had that run-down feeling these isolated places seemed to have, and she suddenly wasn't so sure she wanted to purchase anything.
"You adjust to change much better than I do," Cael was saying. "Don't forget that for all the change you are experiencing, you've only lived for a few decades. I've been alive for two centuries."
"Two and a half," she corrected absently. She wasn't really feeling like teasing him, but she liked how he lied about his age, and she liked that she could always tease him about it.
He chuckled. "My point was that this is difficult for me, too."
She opened her mouth to reply, but her stomach soured and she clamped her hand over it at once. "I think I'm going to be sick."
He hopped out of the SUV and walked around the car to open her door.
She slid out of the truck and suddenly her world went dark again. If Cael hadn't been beside her she would have fallen over, but he put his arms about her and supported her. After a few seconds her equilibrium returned and she smiled wanly.
"What do you need?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Maybe some water and maybe some ant-nausea stuff."
"Come on," he said. "Let's get you taken care of. If you're not able to keep going we'll stop for the night."
It was the way he said it that made her look at him. Perhaps it was their practice in the car but she could sense his thoughts a little, too.
"You don't want to stop," she said. "Why?"
He shook his head. "I have a feeling we're being watched. In a hotel, we're vulnerable. I think if we push we'll make it tonight. I'd feel better knowing we're in my house with its security system."
Anna nodded. She knew when to suck it up and just do what she had to. Cael was a magical being and if he felt danger, then they were in danger.
"Let's get me some stuff and then we'll keep going. If worse comes to worse, I'll go to sleep. I can usually sleep off my nausea."
He nodded.
After buying a barrage of water, Dramamine, and some saltine crackers to settle her stomach, they headed back out. Anna could feel the tension in the air as they walked back to their car.
"I can feel it," she said quietly.
He nodded and took her hand. They pulled up as we were shopping. If they try to attack us, I want you to run back inside.
Anna stared at him in surprise. He was talking in her mind! She opened her mouth to say something.
Don't speak, just listen. I sense three vampires. If they are foolish enough to cross me, they will probably go for you since you are weaker. Even though vampires are fast, your best defense is to get somewhere you can lock yourself up. The car or the shop, whichever one is closer. They are foolish if they think I can't handle them.
She could almost hear his sensuous voice chuckling darkly.
Don't be afraid, Anna. You have become my life. I will protect you.
She wanted to argue with him. She was nobody. She'd been a measly accountant getting her MBA working for a no-name shipping company. He was a king. He was the most powerful person in America among his people.
You are my life, the voice in her head said firmly. You will run if there is danger. You will keep safe. You WILL. Understand?
She nodded.
As they made their way to the car she could feel eyes on her back and the malice in that stare made her shiver.
"Good evening," said a man's voice.
Anna had been around Cael enough to recognize the strange, melodious quality of the voice. This man was vampire.
"Do not get in my way," Cael cautioned. "You know who and what I am."
"I have no intention of attacking you, Great One," he replied. "I am here to deliver a message."
"Then deliver."
"Your kingdom is crumbling. You have outlived yourself. Kaiden wants you to know that he is coming and this time, he will kill you."
Cael chuckled. "It seems Kaiden's near success has made him cocky. Tell him to come. I am waiting for him."
Anna looked at the other vampire curiously. He didn't look any different from a human. He had shaggy brown hair, and was wearing a leather jacket with jeans, but his fangs were extended and his dark eyes seemed almost black. For a moment she felt drawn to him, as though she wanted to approach him. She felt a strange singing in her mind and she almost took an unconscious step forwards towards him before she realized what was happening. Without thinking she slammed up the black wall Cael had taught her and shoved the vampire's thoughts out of her mind violently.
It snarled at her.
Cael growled angrily and suddenly the vampire fell to his knees his nose bleeding and his hands clutching his head.
"Do not forget why I am king," Cael hissed. "I have the power to make your worthless brain explode with just a gesture. If you dare cross me again, what I do to you tonight will be a pleasant memory."
Anna's eyes widened as she heard the vampire scream suddenly. It was an unearthly sound; truly the wail of a monster, and she heard two other voices echo those horrible screams on either side. They had been surrounded. Cael's jade eyes glowed brilliantly, as he continued to do whatever he was doing to them that made them scream in such agony. Finally their screams of pain subsided to animalistic whimpers.
Without another word, he put his hand on her back and gently nudged her towards the car.
She didn't need to be told twice to get in.
"Are you okay?" he asked as he pulled away.
She nodded.
"Up to this point, I've been well-behaved about my driving," he said. "I know you're sick, but we need to make it to the house. On the road we're relatively defenseless. If they bring enough vampires, I will not be able to beat them. I'm going to push us to get there tonight. If you need to sleep, I'll put you to sleep."
"I feel better," she admitted. "I think the adrenaline helped."
"Okay. Let's get there."
She nodded mutely.
Cael wasn't lying. He peeled the SUV out of the gas station and took to the road driving aggressively. Though Anna didn't want to say anything, she had her foot on the "imaginary brake" and clutched her seat as the vampire's driving far exceeded the speed limit.
"Aren't you afraid we'll get pulled over?" she said between clenched teeth.
"No," he replied. "If an officer thinks of tailing us, I will mentally discourage him."
"Oh," she replied feeling foolish.
Obviously being a vampire meant that you could talk your way out of a ticket. She looked sidelong at him as he drove intently. The events were starting to sink in, now. She didn't know what he did, but it completely incapacitated three vampires without even touching them. They were literally screaming in pain, though he didn't even touch them. She remembered in the cave how he used to boast about how unstoppable he was...perhaps it wasn't just boasting? He seemed so normal when she was with him. He was so handsome; God-his body, his golden hair, those strange eyes. Anna felt desire pool between her legs as she thought about him like that and she squirmed a little in her seat.
For the last week, fleeing with him had been a fun adventure. He was so gentle, he took care of her, and they'd just talked for hours and hours as they made their way towards his house in Minnesota. Even when she freaked out for no good reason...okay, she had good reasons... he had been so gentle and reassuring. Tonight, she saw what made people fear him. He'd sent three of his people to their knees shrieking with only a thought. She started to understand his devastation at being locked in that cell to die. A creature as powerful as him...bailed out of death by a simple, musically inclined human like her.
She jumped as she felt him take her hand in his and bring it to his lips.
"An amazing human like you," he breathed.
"Do you always have to listen in," she asked a little embarrassed by her thoughts.
"I only came in towards the end," he admitted. "You got quiet and I got worried."
She nodded and then looked forward again. "How much further?"
"Two, maybe three hours," he replied.
"Are they following us?"
"I don't sense them," he admitted. "That doesn't mean he's not using other means to follow us. Kaiden has been studying what I can do for a long time, now. I'm sure he knows I can sense a vampire's presence within a mile, but humans are a different story. Their minds blend more into the surroundings and they can get much closer than that before I recognize them. I have a feeling he's going to use the human population to hunt us as much as possible."
"What are we going to do when we get there?"
"We're going to fortify ourselves and wait for reinforcements," he replied. "It's time to fight, Anna."
"Damn it, Darian," snapped Kieran. "You didn't tell me that we'd be roughing it like this." He gestured to the small sedan that he was driving down the empty roads in North Dakota.
"If he's alive, you know he's going to want secrecy," Moiree reasoned. "I get the feeling you, me, and a limo driver making our way through Montana and North Dakota isn't going to be a secret for long."
"What if this is a trap for us?" Kieran returned. "What if whoever got rid of Alexander has his sights set on us?"
"You," reminded Moiree. "The call was for you. So they shouldn't be expecting me. And between the two of us, and that house Alexander set up, we'd be in a fair fight against a small army. We could hold it until reinforcements got there."
Kieran grumbled. He didn't like it. He didn't like blindly driving somewhere without knowing what, if anything, was going to be there to meet him. The vampire kingdom in America was shaky. If all the key players were out of the way, whoever was trying to take over would have no problems.
"You're still trying to figure out who's doing this?" mused Moiree. "Come, son, I thought your deductive skills were better than that."
Kieran growled but said nothing. He had some suspicions but nothing solid enough. There was so much about this whole thing that was a mystery. First, no one gets to Alexander. No one. He was more powerful than any of them could imagine; the Ancient among the Ancients. Secondly, no one, especially a woman, had the balls to talk to him like that, even on the phone. Whoever that girl was, she either had no clue what she was dealing with, or she was mocking him. When this was all over, he was going to find that little thing and put her in her place; message from Alexander (he hoped) or not, no measly woman was going to get away with that.
Darian laughed. "Here I am trying to get you to think about who is behind all this, and you're still pissy about the woman who called. She knew the oath, Kieran. She's the least of our concerns. Kaiden Rice, that is our problem."
"Rice isn't powerful enough to pull something off like this," said Kieran.
"You're an idiot. Rice is the one who has spent the last two centuries killing off his predecessors. It's my guess he got very close to the end of his bloodline."
"He doesn't have the age to tap into the power, though."
"Not yet, but now the raw power is there. He's been trying to get Alexander since he rebuked him two hundred years ago for attacking his maker. He's wanted the power since the inception of this country. He wants America. He feels that America is his; he is one of the first of our kind who was made on this soil."
"I don't understand why," said Kieran thoughtfully. "America was populated by indigenous peoples long before the Europeans came. Why were there no vampires here?"
"Ask Alexander," shrugged Moiree. "He has the belief that our kind is some kind of magical creation that originated in Mesopotamia with the Ancient kings." He chuckled. "I'm sure when this is all over, he'll give you a long dissertation about what he thinks really happened. So. All the more reason to hurry. Do you have to go the speed limit?"
Kieran growled. "You sense for cops and I'll increase the speed."
Moiree nodded. "Done. I want to be there tomorrow."
"Anna," Cael whispered stroking her hair out of her face.
She cooed and moaned, then readjusted herself in the seat.
He smiled at her little sounds. They were like music to his ears. He hadn't realized how depraved his life had been until this delicate woman was thrown into it.
"Anna, wake up. We're here."
She moaned and stretched a little sighing in sleepy contentment. Finally those blue eyes opened and she looked around in confusion. He smiled at her as she took in the sights of the huge garage that was under the house. It was more like a parking garage with spaces for 25 cars inside. And she hadn't seen the large field outside in case there were more visitors. This was a dwelling of the Ancient One, secret though it may be; it had the ability to be self-sustaining and to accommodate a small army.
"Come on sleepy," he said unbuckling her seat belt. "We both need to rest. It's almost sunrise."
She nodded and climbed out of the truck. He could tell by her squinting, glassy eyes that she'd been in a deep sleep. Normally he was impatient with humans and the way they seemed to struggle with transitioning from sleep to waking, but he had to admit she was just cute as she stood there blinking groggily. Unable to resist, he covered her lips with his, delighting in the warm satiny texture of her skin. She kissed him back, though he couldn't help to chuckle as those blue eyes looked at him with sleepy confusion still.
"Let's get settled."
He handed her the bag with all her clothes and also another bag that had her makeup, hairspray, and toiletries. He pulled his own belongings out of the SUV, hoisted them over his shoulder and then led her to the entrance to the main house.
He'd never actually been to the place, even though he'd had a hand in designing it, so he had to orient himself when they entered. The place was certainly up to his standards; dark woods, lavish furniture...state of the art security.
"My rooms are this way."
He looked over his shoulder to see Anna looking around with wide eyes. He knew she hadn't been the wealthiest human when he'd surveyed her clothing; middle class, average American. This was probably an adjustment.
~Anna looked around feeling like a peasant who just stepped into a fairy tale. She was Cinderella to his Prince Charming- that was for sure. The décor of the place was...opulent. If she thought things were nice and expensive, they were probably too quaint to be in this place. She knew people with money: designer clothes, expensive cars, million dollar homes, but this was money. This was like the Hoffburg Palace money; Schlosse Shoenbrun, Versailles with a modern twist. She'd never really considered Cael's financial situation. He really was like a king to his people.
Damn. This was incredible.
She followed him up a flight of stairs and he opened a door solicitously.
"This is a series of rooms that are mine," he explained. "Usually if I was to come here, I'd be accompanied by about fifty or sixty staff plus bodyguards. This is my 'house' inside the 'house.'"
She nodded and looked around at a well-appointed living room with a small kitchenette in the corner. At least this place felt a little smaller; not so much like the magnificent palace the rest of the mansion seemed to be. She followed him across the room to another door that opened into an enormous bedroom with gorgeous wood floors covered in beautiful rugs. The windows were blocked out with thick velvet draperies in deep green lined with matching green satin. The carved mahogany bed was a huge, four-posted mammoth of a thing covered in luxurious velvet, and satin bed coverings in warm greens, browns and earthy tones. It seemed to be calling for her to dive into that fluffy softness and forget her troubles...preferably with Cael...naked...
Suddenly Cael chuckled. "Later," he breathed in her ear. "Come, sweet," he said opening another door in the room and turning on a light.
She stood in the largest bathroom she'd ever seen; the tiles were dark, tumbled marble in a rustic brown hue, there were elegant carven mahogany cabinets, soft lighting, but her eyes were drawn to the huge Jacuzzi tub in the corner. It looked like it could fit five people.
Report Story
byElianna© 48 comments/ 110631 views/ 45 favorites
Share the love
Report a Bug
Forgot your password?
Please wait
Change picture
Your current user avatar, all sizes:
You have a new user avatar waiting for moderation.
Select new user avatar:
|
[] |
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
IRS to “Back-Value” Heinous AMT to 2012?
In 2012, about 4m taxpayers will get stuck paying the AMT tax. As the WSJ headline suggests, that number could go to 33m in 2013. That’s a massive increase; it will cause all sorts of problems. From the IRS letter to Senator Hatch re the AMT:
(Note: The AMT patch actually expired in 2011; a one-year exemption was granted, but the exemption is not effective if not re-patched. This was a legislative “time bomb” that was included in the deal that created the fiscal-cliff (debt ceiling deal).
-It broadens the base.
As a ten-plus year payer of the AMT, I say to all, the AMT is truly a dreaded tax. If allowed to expand, it will wreck many taxpayers’ plans on how they should live and work:
-Childcare costs would no longer be deductible. (Don’t have that child)
-Charitable contributions would not be deductible. (Don’t give money to your Church or any other worthwhile charity)
-Real estate taxes would no longer be deductible. (Don’t buy a house, it will be much cheaper to rent than buy on an after-tax basis.)
I’m one of the 4m people who has been stuck with this tax for the past decade. I’m praying for relief. I want the AMT abolished. But, for the life of me, I can’t see how that can happen. If there were a compromise on the fiscal cliff that resulted in the +250K crowd getting their marginal tax rate increased from 35% to 39.5% (the Obama plan) then I would end up paying LESS taxes then if I was subject the current AMT.
So they can’t do that. Guys like me can’t be getting a tax break as a result of the fiscal cliff. That outcome would be a complete joke (I would love it). This argues in favor of making the AMT permanent (the 2012 look-back could be easily patched).
1. NONE of those things should be deductible, especially not mortgage costs. I’m someone that’s enjoyed all those deductions, btw, they’re just BS though.
It’s about time taxpayers finally started giving a ####. The few of us who pay have been getting ”crushed” long before this and no not ‘everyone’ agrees revenues need to be raised. I couldn’t disagree more. You don’t give a junky more heroin and expect him to become more responsible and kick the habit.
3. Hallelujah, I`m a bum!
4. The Obama regime is just voguing for the morons in the media — claiming a willingness to expand AMT when it has less than zero of gaining support even from congressional democrats. Eliminating state tax deductions will hurt all the democrat leaning strongholds the most …. CA, NY, IL, and all the New England states. Those are the places with the highest state taxes / property taxes.
Obama no longer needs to worry about what voters think (as if he did before) — but democrats in Congress still do. The democrats will lose control of the senate (and weaken in the house) if they start attacking their own electoral base.
While statutory tax rates might get jiggled around, the effective tax rate in the US is already pretty high. The government has shown itself unwilling to go after campaign supporting tax cheats like Govt Electric or Berkshire Hathaway (you have to consider all the tax free bailouts Warren takes — from the Salomon Bros free pass to FNMA to Wells Fargo to GEICO to GenRe to the insider trading scandal last year).
The facts are that the USA cannot afford the level of government that Washington DC wants. I think Obama is a moron, but even if Romney had won the cost of the federal bureaucracy alone has grown beyond Main Street *AND* Wall Street’s ability to pay for it.
The media gets lots of free meals and free rides on AirForce One and so forth, plus they tend to be rather left leaning profession to start with. They follow Obama around like teen girl groupies following a boy band. it feeds Obama’s ego, but does not change the constraints he has to govern under
Its easy for media pundits to make stupid populist claims; easy for politicians to make populist promises. Remember Obama 2008 promising us he would pull troops out of Iraq within hours of being sworn in? Remember his promises about universal health CARE, not universal insurance bills? Remember Obama screaming about racist police officers in Boston? Remember Obama
Like any other world leader — Putin, Merkel, Hu or Hugo Chavez– Obama has to balance his desire to spend with the country’s willingness AND ABILITY to pay. Making promises and proposals is easy. Reality is what matters
Read my lips, I did not have sex with my intern, WMD slam dunk, hope and change. All bullshit. Obama can’t raise taxes high enough to meet existing spending promises, never mind all the empty rhetoric. He doesn’t have a fillibuster proof majority in the Senate (and Dems from high tax states are vulnerable to tax deduction changes). He doesn’t have a majority in the House. Pelosi cannot openly bribe congress members on national TV and get away with it again — so Obama cannot jam through more tax increases.
Maine and Vermont (two democrat party leaning states) now both have “independent party” senators — they caucus with the Dems, but those state voters clearly aren’t drinking the Pelosi kool-aid. California is the original left wing state — but (repeat) governor Jerry Brown is still finding that he cannot spend recklessly no matter what the voters or legislature wants.
John Boenher can “read my lips” too — its not like he speaks for the growing tea party wing of his party, and its not obvious that he can speak even for “mainstream” republicans (if such exists).
Washington DC can talk about compromise and tax the rich all they want — the wealthiest counties are those surrounding Washington DC itself. Government employee union members enjoy salaries and benefits that vastly exceed the public they were meant to serve.
“Tax the rich” is a great campaign slogan, but it won’t be very popular inside the DC beltway where the really rich are concentrated.
• Not fooled in Nevada says:
Well written — thank you. It stands to reason then that very little will change in short order..Perhaps expedited global events will put the kabosh on any meaningful reforms, whether it be social security, medicare, or even Oshamocare..
5. Remember Obama promising to keep his heel on the throat of BP? Made for great press.
Then reality hit Obama square in the face: BP supplies most of the US military’s fuel, not to mention a huge amount of the UK government’s oil royalties.
Can’t “fight terrorism” / justify a bloated bureaucracy if your military runs out of fuel. Can’t talk about universal health care “working” in England if the British government needs another bailout.
Obama’s spending plans are just empty rhetoric for TV cameras
6. Harry Reid announced today that he will not tolerate any changes to Social Security in any fiscal spending compromises. Screw the next generation, they have no money to offer bribes or campaign contributions. Reid will max out our children’s credit cards before they are toilet trained, he doesn’t care
Just a matter of time before the crooks from bankrupt states (CA, NY, NJ, PA, MA, IL, HA, etc) announce they will not tolerate elimination of state tax deductions. Tax increases that result in government crooks losing their cushy jobs / pensions is not what the political class wants.
And before anyone asks: no you may not deduct the cost of keeping a mistress on the side. No you may not cheat on your taxes and then blame TurboTax. Those are privileges available only to the politically connected.
7. Those who follow Darwin will not be surprised when citizens asking for higher taxes and bigger govenment go the way of the dinosaurs, doodo birds and passenger pigeons.
8. Social Security only works if you have additional government assistance, handouts, relief and subsidies. It keeps you connected to the government teat!
9. Western Civilization is now self-destructing. Witness the financial insolvency (masked by counterfeiting and b.s.), the many gratuitous wars, the monumental immigration, the on-going destruction of the middle class, the growing illiteracy (partially created by government loans for higher education), the growing power of the Federal Reserve (a banking cartel), and you see some of the sources of the destruction. When the US goes, it will take everyone else with it, because they have accepted our fantasy of a nation of gezillionaires.
Thus we are following the lead of Ancient Egypt, Rome and countless other empires who considered themselves to be above it all. Want to check on a successful empire which avoided all this? There was only one. Ready? This one’s a shock. An empire which was almost as corrupt as the US. The Byzantines!!!! Check the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. There you will find an excellent chronological exhibit of Byzantine coins. After the fall of Rome, their coinage went from gold to silver to copper to base metals. At this point they must ave realized that they were flushing their society down the toilet (as the US is today), so they went back to gold coinage. As a result they survived the entire Middle Ages (with some help from the French during the Crusades), and were ultimately conquered by the Turks in 1450 just as the Renaissance was beginning. If you’re not up to traveling to Greece at this time, check out The Byzantine Economy (Cambridge Univ. Pr., 2007)
10. Wait a minute, I make about $40,000 gross a year of which I pay 35% in total taxes (federal,state, city, Fica and social security).leaving me a net income of about $26,000 to live on. I don’t have any deductions other than basic deduction to make. So does this mean that the tax rate for those making way more than me gets evened out since those extra deductions have been eliminated. I hope so because I am tired of paying more taxes than someone who has more earnings than me.
• You make $40K? You are **RICH**, and you must pay higher taxes,
The poor public servants only make $105,000 (average Federal government employee), plus health and pension benefits, plus a shorter work day, plus more vacation time.
Poor Jeffery Immelt (CEO at Govt Electric) only makes $2 million per year, plus benefits and unlimited use of company aircraft. How can you sit there in your warm apartment and not feel for his suffering?
• You don’t pay more in real terms, which is what matters – DOLLARS. Not even close.
You probably don’t even pay more in percentages when you count all taxes – fuel, sales, air, hotel, on and on and on.
WE NEED LESS TAXES. Not more, not for anyone.
11. FORWARD! 51million Americans voted for FORWARD
12. “‘Tax the rich’ is a great campaign slogan, but it won’t be very popular inside the DC beltway where the really rich are concentrated.”
The “rich” will find a way to get around the code. That’s why it is so important to flatten and simplify the tax code: no play to run; no place to hide.
• Romney’s tax rate was 14.1%? Does that bracket even exist? He obviously knows how to get around AMT.
• Getting around the AMT? It’s not rocket science, you just have to learn the rules. Surely Romney invests much of his wealth in tax-free investments. And what fool does not take maximum advantage of the income tax rules? It’s how the game is played. Just like the millions of shiftless Americans who play the welfare system for all it is worth. It’s how the game is played, and neither end of the financial spectrum is the least bit interested in changing the rules. So they ride the hard-working middle class over the cliff while blaming the other end for our woes. The rich players have their campaign donation power, the shiftless players have their voting power, and the hard-working middle class have no power.
May God have mercy on all of us for not stopping this sooner.
13. If the FAIR TAX were enacted the AMT and ALL federal taxes on income would go away. FAIRTAX.ORG
14. Making some extra cash is a thing that plenty of folks need to do these days just to get by, and you are going to see that there are multiple ways that this can be carried out. Many of these men and women end up turning to the Internet simply because they have heard that this can be a wonderful way to start earning some extra money or even making more cash than they do with their current job. In relation to making money online you’re going to see that loads of individuals want to do this but do not know how to start. If you’d like to start making money online you will be happy to realize that we are going over some of the techniques you could use in order to accomplish this.
[url=http://www.newjordansoutlet.com/air-max-c-346.html]womens cheap jordan shoes[/url]
Making some extra money is something which plenty of people need to do right now just to get by, and you are going to find that there are multiple ways that this can be carried out. With regards to earning this extra money, the Internet is just one of the places people are turning, simply because this is a thing that they’re able to do from home to be able to earn the extra money they need. Most of these people end up giving up on this venture simply because they don’t know the best techniques for getting started earning any money on the web. In this article we’re going to be checking out a few different methods that individuals have used to earn the extra income that they’re looking for.
[url=http://www.discount-airjordans.com/]jordans outlet for sale[/url]
15. Making some extra money is a thing that plenty of individuals have to do nowadays just to get by, and you are going to discover that there are multiple ways that this can be accomplished. A lot of these people wind up turning to the Internet simply because they have heard that this can be a great way to start earning some extra cash or even making more cash than they do with their current job. With regards to making money online you’re going to discover that a lot of folks want to do this but don’t know how to start. The truth is that there are few different ways you can begin making cash on the web and we will be discussing a few of them in the following paragraphs.
billig Nike Free Run
Mainly because the price of everything keeps going up every year many individuals are finding that their present income isn’t enough to cover their bills and so they search for ways to make some extra money. Something you may possibly or might not be aware of is the fact that there a lot of individuals these days attempting to make cash online simply because they heard this is a very viable option. Many of these folks wind up giving up on this venture because they don’t know the best techniques for getting started earning any money on the internet. In this post we’re going to be taking a look at a few different techniques that folks have used to earn the extra income that they are trying to find.
[url=http://www.buyjordansgo.com/air-jordan-shoes-c-145.html]jordan 13 for sale[/url]
|
[] |
Will it Ever Feel Like Christmas Again?
This is the extent of our decorations..and it's still 80 degrees..
This is the extent of our decorations..and it’s still 80 degrees..
The older I get, there are more sad associations build up around holidays. Especially this year because it’s 80 degrees, my nuclear family is a few thousand miles away, and hearts are broken all over my home state of Connecticut. The holidays just don’t feel as good and innocent as they did when I was little.
I remember being young and asking about Santa. I asked if he could get us anything, and my parents nodded, knowing that the huge box of markers I had in mind was already a done deal. I asked if he came to everyone’s house, they said he did. I asked why people who need money don’t just ask for it then, instead of presents. They didn’t have a good answer. Maybe they said the elves couldn’t make money in the North Pole, I’m not sure. I just remember that it seemed awfully unfair, but I didn’t stop believing just yet.
That’s the thing. The unfairness was harder to handle than disbelief, in some ways. It was awful, and yet there was nothing I could do. The elves can’t make money and toys don’t pay bills, so suffering would happen and my fleeting notion that I had solved the world’s poverty problem was thrown out the window.
The Difficulty of Grasping “It’s Just Unfair”
When it came to learning Santa was fake, it was far more simple. Okay, there is no Santa. Not a huge deal, I sorta saw it coming anyway. Being a big fan of magic, I was just happy that they taught my brain to believe in magic at all (Yes, that’s the kind of stuff I’d think about as a kid). It was harder to feel and hold the sadness and anger that I could get presents, but not get money to give to everyone that needed it.
Let’s go to the Connecticut tragedy for a second, because that feeds into this too. In the midst of conspiracy theories and extreme religious people saying that God planned it or something like that, I can’t help but feel like these mentalities are held by those trying to run from that feeling of how horrible it is that someone could do such a thing without being brainwashed or part of God’s master plan. Murder of innocent people is happening in so many places, so much of the time, and yet we can’t always picture it or feel sorrow. For me, it’s easy to picture a suburban Connecticut town in December right before Christmas; that was where I came from. Maybe if it happened in the high plains it would seem farther. But having the ability to visualize it and relate with the situation makes it feel more powerful to me, and I’m not going to feel guilty for that. I can use the high impact of the tragedy in my consciousness to lead to more empathy when I hear of the many deaths of children around the world, but the ones that are “close to home” are going to hit harder, I would imagine. It’s just how it is.
Back to the holidays, though.
Sure Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas Time
It doesn’t feel like Christmas and I don’t know if it ever will. Even if I was with my family on the East Coast, there is less of that feeling. Perhaps the holiday joy gets deeper and less sparkly as we age. Maybe it gets grainy and raw, a holiday feeling that has Sam Elliot’s voice and the grumble of a diesel engine. Maybe it isn’t light and fluffy like movie snow, but resistant and firm like a wrought iron crowbar from hundreds of years ago, being dug up from the dust.
Who knows.
But it’s okay. It’s fine. It doesn’t need to be any certain way, it just has never quite dawned on me that perhaps it isn’t just “this year” that feels off. Maybe the holiday spirit has taken on a permanent new form for me. The amount of friends I have who have lost parents or people close to them is growing, my heart goes to them as the holidays roll around, and there is sadness. It’s not just about trying to wish hard enough for new markers or crochet a dozen last-minute scarves. It’s about realizing that the holidays are as much a trigger for pain for some people I love as a reason to celebrate for others.
The Roots of the Magic Becoming Transparent
Part of it is the decorations and consumer-based nature of this beast.
Cute plush stockings are our only decoration this year, but I know that the places where they were made would probably make me a bit sick. There are so many illusions, all trying to support the idea of love, but distracting from it, too. Cut down trees, buy gifts, buy insane amounts of decorations. I imagine being in some faraway factory, bracing for the time when Americans go nuts for cheap treasures.
What am I saying here? I’m not quite sure. I am having a hard time thinking normal thoughts since the Connecticut shooting, and anything else seems rather trite. I wonder if other people are feeling the difference in holidays as they get older, and if this holiday season will feel like other holiday seasons to anyone who felt a connection to Connecticut and the other recent tragedies.
Are you having a good holiday season, whatever holidays it is that you celebrate?
Are you finding the joy in these times, even with the pain happening?
Do you feel like the holiday spirit changes as we get older, or does it change as a product of the times, with technology and blow-up decorations taking the place of hand-made presents and simple ornaments?
Any thoughts you have related to the above are completely welcome.
I hope you are all well!
Stuff, Gifts, and Heartbreak: The Holiday-Mixed-With-Moving Blues
Pot Pie with the Most Important Phrase
Right now, the value of “stuff” and the torment it can bring is taking up the bulk of my attention. The thing is, it’s the holiday season. The time you are supposed to buy stuff for other people. The other thing is that I’m packing to move to Austin, Texas from Connecticut.
I’m moving out of the home I grew up in, which has steadily accumulated the things that I have cherished throughout my life. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve left this terribly boring state many times. For the last ten years I have not been living here. However, each time I would get a new fantastic idea of where the wind was telling me to go, I would stop here and drop off everything that I wasn’t taking with me. So now there is a great pile of everything from My Little Ponies to little stones from India to stones I gathered while hitch hiking to letters my dad sent me from prison. All of these things are here, accumulated, and, for the most part, irritating.
On one hand, I love them. I cherish them. I want to keep them forever and ever so that I can remember the glorious moments of my childhood when I was playing. So that I can remember the thrill of catching perfect rides on the 80. So that I can remember sitting in random towns, with random people, feeling like the world was a big and exciting place. There’s even a love poem that some stranger wrote for me in Albuquerque while I was making jewelry at a coffee shop, and for the life of me I cannot throw it out.
On the other hand, I don’t want all this stuff. It takes up space. It takes up time. It causes me to remember the past and prevents me from living in the moment. I can live in the moment while remembering the past, but, well, that’s just not the same now, is it?
So what do you do with this stuff, how do you decide what to get rid of, and how do you decide what to get for people? They are just going to throw it away someday, heartbroken over the trash can, putting it in and taking it out, trying to not feel like they are insulting you by throwing it out. Or at least, that’s how I feel.
All of these gifts that have been bought for me over the years, they amount to guilt right now. The more expensive the gift, the more horrible I feel admitting that I have never used, worn, ate or burned it. If it’s something like a candle, I can do my best to burn it now, but there are only so many candles you can burn at once. And sometimes, you have to move to Austin. And sometimes, there is nowhere to leave all. that. stuff.
Some people suggest taking pictures of the things that we love. This is a great idea. But that quality of touching the things is so critical, at least for me, in truly remembering the times that they invoke. This is a magical process, and one that I am not easily willing to let go of. However, is it worth it? This is my big question. Is it worth it to have the memory? If I was stuck in a convalescent home with nothing left to live for, then yeah, maybe I would love to hold the things from my adventures and remember all the feelings involved. But there is no way that these things are going to make it THAT long. And there is also no way that I can predict whether or not I will end up paralyzed with nothing to do but rummage through my tangible memories. So what do I do?
Throw them away.
It all gets thrown away.
Every wonderful gift you ever made, bought or stolen for someone you love eventually gets thrown away. Maybe you get them something huge for their house that they cannot possibly fit in the trash. In that case, they are going to get sick of it and secretly resent you for making them feel guilty for even considering hiring someone to throw the damn thing away.
This is the problem.
Each year at this time, we are expected to get obscene amounts of gifts. Personally, I make my presents each year. Mostly because I’m consistently rather broke. However, the thought of someone feeling guilty and brokenhearted for throwing away or donating a thing I made for them is not a good feeling. Yet, I still want to give something to each person I love and am geographically close to. How do you win?
I don’t know. All I know is that dealing with stuff that has been accumulating for years is very stressful. So to all the people that have bought me heartfelt gifts over the past 28 years, I say, thank you. I love you. I love you independently of the things you have bought for me, and I hope that throwing them away does nothing to detriment our friendship and the quality of connection that we experience.
I also say that it is a great idea to think of things that add to someone’s life without ever taking up space in it. A gift certificate for a massage or to their favorite restaurant. Some hand-made bath salts. A candle. Some edible undies. It doesn’t matter. Anything that can be used without taking up extra space on this little planet.
Because the only time to live is now. And the only thing that memories offer you is the nourishment of the past. Sometimes, this nourishment is invigorating. Other times, it bogs you down. And there is no way to predict the future, to figure out whether or not this or that specific item is going to eventually nourish you. Sometimes you have to take a chance. Sometimes you have to throw away what you are sure of, and walk into what you are uncertain about.
Your whole life is waiting. The memories will be there, they just might take more effort. And your friends do not need you to go broke spending money on more stuff for them. They are just going to throw it out. Make them something that will break, give them something they can use. Make a good impact on their future by not going out of your way to add heartbreak to it.
And perhaps in this there is a deeper lesson. A lesson about walking away from what you have been holding onto too tightly. A lesson about letting to and feeling free in the present moment as you walk into the unknown. A lesson, even, on spending time with people without relying on your ability to find them gifts as a representation of your true feelings. But personally, I don’t even have time to reflect on it, because I have to figure out which journals to burn and which Pez dispensers deserve a spot in my allotted boxes.
|
[] |
Skip Navigation
small NCES header image
Education in States and Nations: 1991
(ESN) Indicator 17: Student use of technology
The forms of technology utilized in schools can affect both the types of skills taught in the classroom and the potential for academically sophisticated assignments and exercises. For example, in math courses in which calculators are used, students can spend more time solving complex and challenging problems and less on doing routine computations by hand. Likewise, students with access to computers can generate and edit work more efficiently and, thus, potentially free time to master higher levels of writing skill. Needless to say, student use of technology is affected by its availability. Therefore, varying levels of resources among countries and nations factor significantly into this measure.
• n 1991, 54 percent of students in the United States reported using calculators in school, a proportion that fell mid-range among all the countries included here. Ninety percentage points separated the country with the highest rate of calculator usage (France) and the countries with the lowest rate (Korea and Brazil). Half of all the nations providing data reported percentages of less than 50 percent.
• When students in the U.S. states were asked about calculator use, they also reported considerable variation. The range extended from 47 percent in Mississippi, the state with the lowest use of calculators in school, to 88 percent in Maine, the state with the highest use.
• The United States was also in the middle of the range of countries in the proportion of students using computers for school work or homework (37 percent). Slovenia and France had the highest percentages, 61 and 57 percent, while several countries had about 5 percent. Slovenia's rate was 24 percentage points higher than that of the United States. The difference between Slovenia's rate and that of S o Paulo and Fortaleza, Brazil, with the lowest percentage, was 57 percentage points.
• Even the U.S. state with the lowest rate had a higher percentage of students using computers for school work or homework than did half of the countries included here. No state had a rate of less than 25 percent, whereas nine nations did. Students in Maine matched those of Slovenia in the highest rate of computer usage among all the nations and states (61 percent).
Table 16b Processes and Institutions Indicators Figure 17
YES, I would like to take the survey
No Thanks
|
[] |
video thumbnail
MIN@HOU: Barnes ties the game with three-run homer
HOUSTON -- Astros outfielder Brandon Barnes provided some late-inning magic on Tuesday night to erase nine innings of frustration, which included the first road bump of starting pitcher Jarred Cosart's career and manager Bo Porter benching rookie shortstop Jonathan Villar in the third inning for unwisely trying to take an extra base.
For all that went wrong for the Astros, they were still in position to pull out a win when Barnes launched a two-out, three-run homer to tie the game in the ninth, only to watch the Twins push three across in the 12th to win, 9-6, at Minute Maid Park.
"You wish you could have just closed it out there [in the ninth], but we didn't," Porter said. "They did a good job of coming back and getting the win."
The winning run scored on a wild pitch by Astros reliever Kevin Chapman, who had his streak of 13 consecutive appearances to begin his career without allowing an earned run come to an end. The lefty allowed three runs and three hits in the 12th for his first career loss.
It was only an hour earlier when the Astros were down to their last strike with nobody on base against Glen Perkins, who hit Brett Wallace with a two-strike pitch and allowed a single to L.J. Hoes before Barnes shot an 0-2 pitch over the right-field wall to tie the game.
"We haven't lost the lead too many times with Perk in the game," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He just didn't have his stuff, though. Kid hit a fastball out and over the plate, about 95 mph, in the seats, and there you have it. He just couldn't locate the baseball, couldn't get it where he wanted to and they made him pay for it."
Barnes, who's hitting .375 in his last 12 games, went 3-for-4 with a career-high five RBIs.
"We've been fighting all year," he said. "We've been on the wrong side of some games, but we fight and we battle and we're young, and we're still learning."
Cosart, who entered the game with a 1.59 ERA in his first eight big league starts, labored through four innings and surrendered a career high four earned runs. He threw 90 pitches and failed to pitch at least five innings for the first time in his career.
"It's kind of what everybody has been waiting for," Cosart said. "I just didn't get the results. A starter's job is to keep the team in the game, and I didn't do that today. I thought I made one really bad pitch, and I fell behind some hitters and that's kind of how it went."
Cosart said he struggled to throw his breaking pitches over the plate consistently, but Porter thought the problem was fastball command.
"Whenever your pitch count's spiked that high, that fast, it's just a lot of deep counts and he just did not have a lot of fastball command," he said. "He wasn't able to get to his put away breaking stuff because he wasn't commanding his fastball."
Brian Dozier hit a two-run homer off Cosart in the first inning, and Trevor Plouffe hit a two-run homer in the third that followed a two-out walk and put the Twins ahead, 4-1. Chris Carter led off the second inning with a homer for the Astros.
Carter is the first Astros player to hit at least 27 homers in a season since 2008, when Lance Berkman hit 29 and Carlos Lee hit 28.
Trailing 4-1, the Astros cut into Minnesota's lead in the seventh inning on a two-run, two-out single by Barnes off reliever Casey Fien. The inning continued with the Astros putting runners on the corners with two outs, but Barnes was thrown out at the plate trying to score after Marwin Gonzalez was caught in rundown between first and second and Twins first baseman Chris Colabello briefly dropped the ball.
"He actually just broke too early," Porter said of Gonzalez. "I thought he had a chance once they dropped the ball, but they were able to recover the ball and throw Barnes out."
The Twins took a 6-3 lead in the eighth, when Alex Presley doubled home Josmil Pinto and then scored on a sacrifice fly one pitch after advancing to third on a wild pitch.
The Astros got three scoreless innings from both Lucas Harrell and Josh Zeid, who worked the ninth, 10th and 11th before handing the ball to Chapman.
"Lucas came in and did a good job, and Zeid came in and we stretched him about as far as we could stretch him," Porter said. "After that, they were able to get a few runs there off the next two guys, but we came back and tied it and they get the last few."
|
[] |
As Raw as It Gets (These Days)
Location Info
BB&T Center
1 Panther Parkway
Sunrise, FL 33323
Category: Music Venues
Region: Sunrise/Plantation
3 user reviews
Write A Review
Save to foursquare
Powered by Voice Places
Related Stories
More About
We've gotten more humane, replacing watching gladiators fight to the death with watching the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). And good thing: The prior was the source of entertainment for pretty much just the Roman Republic -- smaller niche than, let's say, the latter, which is entertainment for the whole world. Did you know that the WWE World Raw Tour is just returning from Yokohama, Japan? After that, they will have stopped in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before landing here at Hollywood's Coliseum, the BankAtlantic Center (1 Panther Parkway, Sunrise). Is there any excitement lost that wrestlers aren't slaves or condemned criminals fighting against live animals or the likes of other gladiators? They make the same exact faces as gladiators midslew. And since dying a glorious death is not at stake, the wrestlers can whine, whine, whine, throw hissy fits, and do dishonorable things. It's fun to watch a grown muscleman whimpering in underwear and grease. So yeah, we've totally come a long way since the first-century BC. Actually, perhaps WWE owes everything to the birth of Christianity -- because that's when these battles to the death didn't seem to be so appealing. Cheering didn't seem so right. Morals. But you can still go coco loca hooting and hollering watching people fight Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $20 to $75 at
My Voice Nation Help
Sort: Newest | Oldest
|
[] |
Posts Tagged ‘Secret societies’
Secret Society???
Secret Society???? HUH whats that… dang be care of the stuff you embrace…. read below Illuminati (plural of Latin illuminatus, “enlightened”) is a name that refers to several groups, both historical and modern, and both real and fictitious. Historically, it refers specifically to theBavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776. In modern times it is also [...]
|
[] |
Myanmar’s Shan State: a complex tragedy
by Richard Humphries
THAI-MYANMAR BORDER — Mae Sai is the end of the road in northern Thailand. This is not to suggest that the lackluster town is undeveloped: It does a roaring trade in gemstones (both real and fake), tourist trinkets, snacks and all kinds of contraband. It’s literal. The main street, Pahonyotin, runs north until it reaches the Sai River. Across that waterway, which forms part of the border between Thailand and Myanmar’s Shan State, is a “Friendship” bridge leading to the Myanmar town of Tachilek.
Not everyone in the area has used the bridge to cross the border. Some 300,000 Shans have found other ways to cross into Thailand — and have never gone back. While some were seeking better economic opportunities, many were fleeing any number of human-rights abuses in their homeland, as well as the fighting that has become endemic there.
“In Thailand, we Shans are like a can of worms,” said one undocumented woman. “Open the can and we can spread everywhere without too much trouble.”
She had a point. There is an ethnic affinity between Thais and Myanmar’s Shans, who are called Thai Yai in the Thai language. However, the huge, continuing influx is putting a strain on that traditional ability to blend in. Thailand wants most of the new arrivals to go back home by August. And the most recent border crisis has only made the overall situation worse.
In early February, the Myanmar Army, or Tatmadaw, seized a Thai military border post at Ban Pang Noon, some 50 km west of Mae Sai. Several Thais were taken prisoner. In strictly military terms it made sense. The Tatmadaw wanted to surround and capture nearby Doi Kaw Wan, a stronghold of its fierce enemy, the Shan State Army.
However, Association of Southeast Asian Nations members are not supposed to be in the business of seizing each other’s territories. An armed force, identified as Thai by local media, quickly evicted the intruders, much to the satisfaction of an enraged Thai public.
Tension mounted when the Tatmadaw shelled Mae Sai on Feb. 11, killing three Thais and injuring others. Thai light tanks were positioned near the bridge, now gated shut, with their turrets pointed north. The border was closed, but accusations flew across. Thai Third Army commander, Gen. Wattanachai Chaimuanwong, was quoted as suggesting that his Myanmar military counterparts “deserve the firing squad” for their actions. Friendship had its limits.
All this occurred during a changeover in the Thai government. Interestingly, the incoming leaders, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and especially his choice for defense minister, retired general and ex-Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, were seen, with good reason, as being more amenable than their predecessors to working with Myanmar’s military rulers.
Some observers thought Myanmar was simply pushing the envelope, testing the new government’s mettle. Others noted that Thai border policy is not so unified, with regional army commands, intelligence bodies, local politicians and business interests all possessing some degree of autonomy. Perhaps the Tatmadaw was trying to get Bangkok to curb that autonomy to Myanmar’s benefit. There are, for instance, disputes over borders and over Yangon’s claims that the Thais support the Myanmar junta’s armed enemies, something that Thailand denies.
Whatever the reason, the strife that spilled across the border and attracted international attention in February was nothing new. Myanmar’s political, economic and social problems are legion, and in Shan State, the largest geographical subdivision, they are and have been truly dazzling in their complexity.
Within the state, Shans make up just over half the population. Myanmars, Chinese, Wa, Kachin, Palaung, Lahu, Akha, Pa-O and other groups also live there. A kaleidoscope of armed militias, their political wings and other political and social organizations jostle for space and allegiance. Motives run the full gamut from idealistic ethnic activism to naked opportunism. And a booming narcotics trade with substantial cross-border tentacles fuels its own wars in the region and defies attempts at description. For baffled outside observers, much depends on the frame of reference chosen.
The central question is, and has long been, the power relationship prevailing between central Myanmar governments and outlying ethnic areas. As for the Shan region, it was once more united, but by the 16th century it had split into several dozen statelets. These were ruled by “saophas,” hereditary princes who, while often bickering among themselves, generally offered no more than nominal allegiance to Myanmar’s kings.
Britain’s colonial overlords had responsibility for both the Shan principalities and Myanmar-majority areas but maintained an administrative distinction. The saophas and their territories were included in the “Frontier Areas” while central Myanmar was managed as “Ministerial Burma.”
The end of British rule and the coming of independence brought matters to a head. In negotiations conducted in February 1947 at Panglong in Shan State, representatives from the Frontier Areas — including Shans, Chins and Kachins (but not Karens) — reached an agreement with Aung San, the Myanmar independence leader. In return for a unified state, ethnic minority areas covered by the agreement would continue to enjoy internal autonomy. That same year, the new constitution for the Union of Burma stipulated that two states, Shan and Karenni, had the right of secession after 10 years.
But instead of achieving concord, independent Myanmar descended into civil war. What’s more, an invasion of Shan State by Chinese Kuomintang forces retreating from Mao Zedong’s armies added more fuel to the fire. The KMT needed funds and supplies. Much came clandestinely from America and Taiwan, more from the revived and expanding opium trade.
To counter the KMT and other opponents in Shan State, Yangon boosted its military presence there and whittled away at local autonomy. It also refused to countenance any plebiscite on secession, despite the constitution. In 1962, Sao Shwe Thaike, an ethnic Shan and former saopha who had been Burma’s first president, tried to initiate discussions about a more equitable federal union. In response, the Myanmar military seized power and scrapped the constitution. Sao Shwe Thaike died in prison under circumstances not yet fully explained. Rising Shan discontent found a voice in an emerging nationalism that, despite decades of factionalism and other problems, survives today.
Aside from the Tatmadaw, there are three influential political groups and three Shan armies in the state. Half are “above ground” in the sense that they operate with Yangon’s acquiescence. One, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, is composed of MPs elected in the 1990 elections that were won by Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD. The SNLD won the most seats in Shan State and is in the unique position of being able to talk to different sides in Myanmar’s political impasse. With Yangon watching, though, it has had to be more circumspect in recent years.
Not legal in Myanmar, the Shan Democratic Union is a political organization formed in 1996 by emigre Shans. It includes highly respected figures from the nationalist struggles of the ’60s and ’70s. Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, a son of Sao Shwe Thaike, is an important adviser. The SDU’s position is that Shan State already has theoretical independence and that any acceptable future union depends upon a referendum and on reviving “the spirit of Panglong.”
Two of the three armed Shan groups are also in the “legal fold,” to use a term favored by Yangon. These are the northern and central wings of the Shan State Army, which are effectively separate groups with different histories, existing under the same umbrella. The southern wing requested a similar ceasefire with Yangon but was ignored.
The Shan State Army (South) has a political component called the Restoration Council for Shan State. Although a Shan group, it hopes other minorities in the state will join it on a basis of equality. At an interview, Aung Mart, the council’s vice chairman, said that their goal was “to establish Shan State as an independent nation and not as part of a federal union.” Stated objectives include “prosperity, peace, establishing a democratic system and combating drugs.”
The drug question is a pressing one. While opium is still grown in the Shan hills, transported to border refineries and processed into heroin, methamphetamine production has skyrocketed by comparison. Known in the area as “yaa baa” (madness drug), this variant of speed is both cheap to buy and simple to make. Easily transportable, it is causing a profound social crisis in Thailand. Senior Thai officials have repeatedly threatened drastic action against drug traffickers.
Myanmar’s state-controlled media like to pin the label of “drug dealers” on the SSA (South), citing its officers’ previous allegiance to opium warlord Khun Sa’s Mong Tai Army. How much merit there is to the allegation, like so much about the drug trade, is not clear. Yet, it must be added, persistent questions have been raised about Tatmadaw officers’ involvement in, and certain benefit from, that trade. The SSA (South) has attacked and destroyed several narcotics refineries in the region and insists it is committed to eradicating the scourge. This has earned it the quiet approval of some Thai military commanders. Speaking at Doi Kaw Wan, Colonel Yawd Serk, RCSS chairman and SSA (South) leader, asserted: “We are not being used by the Thais to do this. It is what we should do and is our group’s antidrug policy. Drugs are not just Thailand’s problem or one for the Thai Yai [Shan] but a global one.”
With the KMT armies long gone and Khun Sa in supposed retirement in Yangon, the largest, though hardly the only, narcotics power in Shan State is now the United Wa State Army. Originally, ethnic Wa were used as foot soldiers by Myanmar’s communists. When that party imploded in 1989 mutinies, the USWA came into being and quickly agreed to a ceasefire arrangement and de facto alliance with the Tatmadaw. The Wa army is large and powerful, with over 20,000 well-equipped soldiers. Described by the U.S. State Department as “the world’s biggest armed narcotics trafficking organization,” it does not lack for funding.
The Tatmadaw’s consistent point of view is that strong central government and state unity are the prime objectives. Independence — or even significant autonomy — for ethnic minority states is anathema. The means justify the ends even if they include savagery and concordats with narco-militias.
In Shan State, human rights are very often replaced by human wrongs. Between 1996 and 1998, some 1,500 villages were uprooted and over 300,000 villagers in central Shan State were forcibly relocated by the Tatmadaw to what might be termed “strategic hamlets.” Empty areas were declared “free-fire zones.” That meant if you stayed, you died. The ostensible purpose was to deprive the Shan State Army of supporters, recruits, supplies and a staging area, but the net effect was immense privation and brutalization. Myanmar soldiers wreaked havoc with numerous extrajudicial killings, rapes and systematic extortion. Concentrated populations also provided a very convenient source of forced labor. Thousands fled to Thailand.
After their ceasefire deal with the USWA, the Tatmadaw encouraged the Wa Army to attack Khun Sa’s forces in southern Shan State with the inducement of “you fight for the land, and you’ll get it.” After Khun Sa’s surrender, the Wa asked for and received two township sections, Mong Hsat and Mong Ton, north of the Thai border. Since October 1999, over 150,000 Wa have moved south from their homeland in the northern Wa Hills. A similar number are expected in further planned migration phases. At Mong Hsat, according to the Shan Herald Agency for News, a border news agency, “some of the migrants moved to open land, while others, maybe military people, took over people’s houses. Some people were paid, but others were chased out at gunpoint.”
Refugees continue to cross the border. Since March 27, over 600 Shan and Akha villagers have arrived in Thailand from just east of Mong Hsat. “We hope we are not driven back in a hurry, because we won’t be able to go back to our old homes and farms,” one refugee said. “They have been taken over by the Wa.”
Decades of discord in Shan State have not produced any enduring solutions. Endless cycles of violence, factionalism and repression have seen to that.
|
[] |
What lesson Penguin / Google penalty SHOULD teach a marketer
1 comment
There's a perfect "winning the web back" story I came across this morning thanks to this tweet from @sbrattin. The beginning sounds very familiar: They built a site, got high rankings and enjoyed the glory.... 88.37% of their traffic came from Google
Then the penalty happened and they lost 76.38% of Google traffic which left them thinking if they needed to close the company...
The way the penalty was handles was something to admire:
This unfortunate setback taught me a valuable lesson: relying so much on organic Google rankings was putting us entirely at the whims of something out of our control. We repaired a fraction of the damage to our ranking by removing the problematic links, but we knew we couldn’t rely on Google to always rank us number one for all of our keywords. Sooner or later, someone would outrank us.
Our only option was to focus on other areas: specifically, reaching higher conversion rates and diversifying our marketing.
Additionally, we amped up loyalty marketing by implementing personalized follow-up calls and e-mails for all of our clients based on the ideal time for them to reorder. To drive up word of mouth and referrals, we placed more emphasis on ensuring the impeccable quality of our products
Talk about seeing a bigger picture instead of getting lost!
I appload to this case study and I hate to say this but this is one of those examples when Google actually made the web a bit better by using the penalty against people who got it...
Nothing converts immediately like search...but....
Nothing converts like search traffic for new immediate sales. That is why companies are so addicted to it. But they need to get over it while they still have income and learn what this company did.
THIS is what EVERY company needs to be doing:
1) Increase loyalty of existing buyers
2) Learn to grow your list and become exceptional at using it.
3) Develop other channels online and off.
4) Improve site usability and increase conversions.
Thanks for sharing this, Ann. Sent to several people who need to see this.
Comment viewing options
|
[] |
Ron Paul’s big moment
See article
Readers' comments
I am a fiscal conservative and moderate on social issues. I think obama's term as president has been an unmitigated disaster and any candidate would be better, that is of course until Ron Paul enters the picture. I will campaign for obama naked if necessary to keep this guy out of office not that it would at all be necessary. Paul's foreign policy and national security "ideas" are so naive they border on childlike in their "logic". His desire to re implement the gold standard shows no modern economic understanding whatsoever. The morons on the show Alaska Gold Rush and other gold producing countries would essentially be in charge of our monetary policy and we would be dependent on what they could extract from the ground.
You are seriously deluding yourself if you honestly believe that Ron Paul stands a chance of winning. It would be the biggest landslide ever in obama's favor. This is something the U.S. cannot afford right now. Ron Paul is a novelty and distraction at best and really needs to go.
This is really a very biased and ill-analysed article from The Economist. I expected better, the author fails to get the ideas in deep
Missionpeak in reply to Nuraddin
I agree, this article is really biased.
Economist should spend more time to investigate and understand why Dr. Ron Paul has so many followers.
I am sadden to say Economist is joing CNN, New York Times, Fox, pretty uch all the main stream news media.... bashing Ron Paul.
Economist, are you willing to bet every penny you have? Ron Paul can not win?
JFK said something like: if non-violent revolution is not allowed, then violent revolution is inevitable......
If American people are upset and News Media keep on giving biased report, it will make more people upset.....
I remember when I was in Graduate School majored in Electrical Engineering during the Vietnam War.... we used to say: "just remember, when revolution comes...."
Go Go
Name another country that has done away with its central bank and is on the gold standard. Are there any worth mentioning? If not forgive people for thinking he's a crackpot.
David Kraemer
It's a shame that his position against the Federal Reserve is attracting conspiracy-theorists from abroad and being labeled as such by this newspaper.
Actually, a number of prominent economic thinkers (your often-cited Milton Friedman being the loudest) have proposed severe diminishing if not terminating the Fed.
"he could run as a third-party candidate..."
As a GOP presidential contender he has had to sign numerous forms vowing not to do this. Breaking such a contract would immediately get him kicked out of the party and cost him his position as chairman of one of the House Financial Services committees (this position gives him lots of face time with the Federal Reserve leaders).
PS - Here is Ron Paul's bill to end the Fed (for those curious):
DC View
In my humble opinion Dr. Paul's policies are wrong. If the Fed had not bailed out the "stupid" bankers our economy would be toast. The Fed is affectively recapitalizing the banks with "free" money.
The problem is not the Fed, but severe lack of banking regulation that allows these so called "bankers" to prosper at everyone elses expense. Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan Chase an other behemoth banks should be broken up and properly regulated. They are not generally helping society now, just think about our massive foreclosure problems.
As for as our defense spending it is basically a jobs program and an international police force. If not for the 5th Fleet Iran would probably be able to blockcade the Strait of Hormus and blackmail the rest of the world.
Who else will keep the international shipping lanes open? The Chinese?
Good luck,
429FirSt in reply to DC View
In reply to DC View. In my own, less than humble opinion, it is you, not Dr. Paul, who is wrong. The Fed is not just recapitalizing the banks with "free" money, it is robbing all earners and savers of FRN's of purchasing power by its actions, and delaying the necessary liquidation of unrepayable debts. It is not a lack of banking regulation, it is a lack of enforcement of simple anti-fraud laws. The regulatory agencies have fallen victim to "regulatory capture". Their employees fail to investigate and prosecute their future employers. Investigative units brought forward 10,000 referrals following the Savings & Loan fiasco, but none following the much greater recent financial debacle. There were thousands of indictments stemming from the S&L problem, nothing from the GFC. The FBI reported rampant fraud in real estate loans in 2004, but no political will supported any action to upset the gravy train. You are in agreement with Ron Paul on the break-up of the "too big to fails". Bankruptcy was the proper consequence of their activities. The pieces would be picked up by firms more honest or, at least, less leveraged.
Defense spending as a jobs program? Each job created by military spending (any tax supported spending) kills more than one other job in the productive sectors which provide the taxes in the first place. And why would you worry about keeping shipping lanes open? Don't you remember when Jimmy Carter threatened to cut off grain sales to the Soviet Union after they invaded Afghanistan? The American agricultural lobbied 'reminded' the president that farmer income depended on those sales. So, the USA did not send a contingent to the Moscow Olympics, but they did send the grain. In other words, the sellers of commodities have a relationship of mutual dependence with the buyers. The Iranians are not going to cut off their noses to spite their faces.
The world does not need an American global 'police' force, so let's quit pretending that they are doing anything other than favoring certain American interests over others, usually to the huge disadvantage of the American taxpayer.
Look at the US cash situation: annual spending of $3.7 Trillion, against revenue of $2.3 Trillion. This cannot go on. "Captain Kirk, she canna take it much longer."
DC View in reply to 429FirSt
429 FirSt as some very good points that I AGREE with. The regulators have not done their job enforcing the existing rules, but I believe that is due to the Congress and or the Executive Branch punishing them when they do. The SEC's budget is bare bones and no match for Corporate America.
I also note that the head of Countrywide paid a huge fine, about 1/2 of what he took out of the company, BUT received no JAIL TIME. I feel that fines are not enough to get these guys attention and change bahavior.
Re the military comment about jobs, I can also agree that the money maybe could be spent better, but remember the solar panel company Solyndar? that just failed. The intangibles that the strongest military force brings to the US are very hard to calculate. I think 2% yield on 10 year Treasury Notes and 3% on 30 year bonds, and then think Greece or Italy??
At the end of the DAY we do need more politicans like Ron Paul to tell the people the truth, BUT this will not do any good until all corporate money for SuperPacs (think Romney and Newt) and politicans goes the way of the Edsel!
Good Luck
WT Economist
"The newsletters shed light on some of the unsavoury fellow-travellers he has collected on his long political road."
That's the problem. The only people really invovled in poltics are powerful special interests (the one percenters, the public employee unions) and the wingnuts. By the time everyone else shows up to vote, if there are indeed to candidates to vote for, most of the decisions have been made.
You can get on the ballot in one of two ways. Get the wingnuts to collect your signatures. Or collect special interest money, and use it to hire professionals. It a disgusting situation, and is much worse for offices like the House and State Legislature, where far fewer normal people pay attention.
The author is cutting Paul some slack when he states.
"Anti-government conspiracy theories attract a lot of wingnuts, some of whom have never read Hayek or von Mises."
Von Mises and his crack pot free market anarchistic economics are just as bizarre as the neo nazis, gay bashers and bigots that Paul panders too.
You want Libertarianism.......go check out Somalia and see how small government works.
Partial Observer
Ron Paul as the Republican nominee would be a god-send. It is nice having him yell at the Romney and Gingrich for American imperialism and corporate ties - but just thing of the beauty of watching Obama be torn apart for his support of the Patriot Act and love for Israel.
Dear Editorial team ,
Can you please dedicate some of your precious time , as to why Senate and Congress , was allowed to pass Martial Law NDAA/ HR 1504 completely unchallenged by the so called ( OLD ) MSM ?
Can you please also cover in great detail, as to why the ( OLD) MSM has failed to report and scrutinize the biggest Corporate Welfare Cheque of 23.7 trillion dollars give away by FED ? 16 Trillion to bail out worlds financial system( Including Bank owned by Gaddafi ) and our TARP turned which turned out to be 7.7 Trillion.
We thank you in advance.
Blue Republican
it seems an unusually large number of those who either already have, or are about to, cancel their subscription to this newspaper continue to read it for some reason... hmmmm....
i happen to agree with some - but by no means all - of Paul's positions, but the article is completely correct when it states he can not win the presidency - nor will he win the GOP nomination. but those are 'fightin' words' to Paul supporters, and here they come in droves to both back him up and deride the paper to which they've already cancelled their subscriptions.
hardly a 'hit piece', i think the article is pretty much on target - the race gives him a voice, and he's using it to great advantage. but he's not going to get elected nor nominated.
Paul Marks
Turning back to the article (rather than left comment people such as New "Conservative").
Actually it is almost fair. The newsletters ARE a problem (even if Ron Paul had no idea what was in them - that raises the problem of competance, he should have known what was in his own newsletters).
And some of Ron Paul's opinions are a problem (for example the denial that there is any Islamist threat - that both the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, and so on, and the Shia "hastener" regime in Iran just hate American and the West because of interventionism, sadly they really hate us BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE not because of what we do).
However, his economic (his attack upon the cancer of the evergrowing "entitlement state", the real cause of the American [and general Western] fiscal crises, and his attack upon the credit bubble financial system) is sound - and needs to be understood (whether it will be is another question).
However, there are a couple of odd points in the article that raise a red flag.
The use of the word "wingnuts" - why that particular term of abuse? It reminds me of an agitprop book (with that word in the title) that was published a couple of years ago - a smear piece of agitprop directed againist conservatives.
I thought "Lexington" worked for a "free market" supporting magazine - what is he doing citing (and in a rather sneaky way) an agitprop book?
"It is just a coincidence that I used the same term of abuse - and anyway you read agitprop books, or you would not have spotted the reference".
Quite so - my apologies. And I do indeed read such works - although they have declined in quality from the old days, from the days when the Frankfurt School of Marxism (which was renamed the School of Social Research in the United States - operating out of Columbia in New York) came out with such classic smear agitprop campaigns as "The Authoritarian Personality" and "The Paranoid Style In American Politics".
The left have gone from fake (but a well done fake) science, and phony political history - down to rather childish attacks like "wingnuts".
The other point was the "conspiracy theory" smear.
Of course those people who are such uber nerds as to have looked into Cass Sustein know that a "anti government conspiracy theory" may be TRUE (his article admits that - but it is says that government should counter even a TRUE conspiracy theory, with various underhand tactics, which says a lot about Cass Sustein).
But most people reading the words "conspiracy theory" would assume that it meant that the charge (that the Federal govenrment, via the Federal Reseve, produces vast amounts of money FROM NOTHING and hands it out to politically connnected banks and other such) is not true.
Actually, of course, it is true.
Indeed there is an magazine that has long openly supported endless corporate welfate of this sort (vast sweetheart loans to banks with freshly created money - money created by the Fed, and by the Bank of England, and the European Central Bank - anther 500 billion Euros just last week).
This corporate welfare, "unlimited" (its own word) support for the banks (and so on) magazine is called the "Economist".
Have you heard of this magazine Lexington?
Or are you goint to say that claims that such a magazine exists are a "conspiracy theory"?
Paul Marks
Firstly (contary to New "Conservative" and so on) - it is the out of control Welfare State (the "entitlement programs" and so on) that are at the root of the United States fiscal crises - NOT "defence spending".
As for blaming the Jews (Israel) for America's problems - that is a vile thing to do. I think the vast majority of Democrats (and, of course, "New Conservative" actually is a Democrat - indeed my guess is that he is a person of the far left, down there with Obama and co) would be as disgusted by that as most Republicans would be.
When it becomes obvious that the "Arab Spring" is, in fact, a vast Islamist uprising (not a nice liberal thing at all) - the opinions of people like "New Conservative" will, hopefully, be discredited. As (of course) the Islamists do not want to just destroy Israel - they wish to wipe out all of the West.
New Conservative in reply to Paul Marks
Anything that costs 700 billion a year be it defense or social security is bankrupting the country.
Israel, the country, and Jewish people are not the same. Heck and it's not just the alliance with Israel (the alliance with Saudia Arabia causes the US just as many problems, though I don't think we veto UN resolutions on their behalf, but I could be wrong.) I was just bringing up Israel because it's a text book example of a tangled foreign relationship that causes the US problems but it's not the only one.
If the Arab Spring is a massive Islamist uprising, what is the appropriate response from the US? Send troops to occupy Syria, Eqypt, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen in addition to Afghanistan and what remains in Iraq?
Even if the worst case scenario is true, and all of these governments start working actively to destroy the US, they won't do it by conventional military means. We're not going to see the Islamic brotherhood staging an amphibious invasion of US territory. A massive conventional military makes the US feel safer but it's not terribly useful for stopping a smuggled bomb at an airport. The focus on new hardware has actually detracted from our safety. We should be spending that money on human assets, but that doesn't sit well with corporate donors.
For example, an F-22 costs 150 million dollars. For that same price you could offer thousands of people full ride scholarships on the condition that they study Pashtun, Arabic, Uzbek etc. and then spend two years in the Army as translators. For the price of one F-22, we could pay Afghani farmers 50,000 dollars for every Taliban insurgent they turned in. It's this sort of on the ground human intelligence that is the US's best defense, but our military is still obsessed with the shiny toys.
The argument for disengagement from these areas as much as possible is simple. Out of sight, out of mind.
Do you think the average Islamic radical has a strong opinion about the US? Of course. Do you think they have a strong opinion about Cambodia? Of course not. The difference is that America is very much present in the Middle East while Cambodia is not.
Paul Marks in reply to New Conservative
New "Conservative".
What has risen over the last half century, as a proportion of the economy and what has not risen?
Surely it is the thing (the "entitlement state" that has taken the rising share of the economy, that is the problem - that is the change that has thrown America (and the rest of the Western world) into fiscal crises - not the thing (defence spending) that has not taken a rising share of the economy.
What share of the economy will defence spending take in 2012. Will it be about 4% (if that)? It was over 10% of the economy under Jack Kennedy (pre Vietnam).
What percentage of the economy will the old age, education, welfare and health government schemes take in 2012?
What proportion of the economy did they take under Jack Kennedy?
Like the rest fo the Western world it is the WELFARE STATE (the entitlement state) that is bankrupting America - so to talk of defence spending is simply to divert attention away from the real issue.
However, I agree that the overseas wars are pointless - I certainly will not argue for Woodrow Wilson style wars-for-democracy in the Islamic World (I doubt even Wilson would have argued for wars-for-democracy in such a context).
Of course this does not tackle the other major problem facing the Western World - the credit bubble financial system
I hope we can agree that the vast increase in the money supply is scam - designed to enrich the already wealthy (and politically connected) at the expense of the general public. Not something worked out by Ron Paul - Richard Cantillon wrote about it in the mid 1700s, and he had run such a "monetary stimulus" scam himself, and had profited by it).
It astonished me that people weep fake tears over "inequalty" and then support "cheap money", "monetary stimulus" (and so on), as if an increase in the money supply of X per cent meant that everyone just woke up in the morning with X per cent more money in their pockets (which would be quite pointless anyway as prices and wages would adjust). The whole point of an "increase in the money supply" is to produce DISTORTIONS in the capital structure (the fake boom - followed by the bust). In this way people who get the money early (the connected) can benefit - and the losses fall upon the public.
As for Israel.....
There is a vast difference between saying - Israel must stand on its own feet, it must reject welfareism so that it can fund 100% of its own armed forces.
And saying - there is no Islamist threat to the West, 9/11 was just retribution for our interventions in the Middle East.
If Ron Paul just said the former I would support him - but, by saying the latter, he makes me want to punch him in the mouth.
Yes I know he is over 70 and I know that it would be wrong to violate freedom of speech.
I am NOT saying I actually would punch him.
New Conservative in reply to Paul Marks
Ron Paul's point is not there is no Islamist threat to the West, it's that they don't present an existential threat. Ron Paul never said that 9/11 was a "just" retribution for our actions in the middle East. He said it was related to our actions in the Middle East, which is something that no one else acknowledges.
By way of example, I'm sure you hate oppression and autocracy, yet you don't grab a shot gun, jump in a plane and try to liberate some North Koreans. If the North Koreans were in Ohio, however, you might be compelled to do something about it. You hate oppression in both cases, but you can ignore it as long as the North Koreans are far away. Similarly, Islamic radicals hate the West, but they get recruits because they can point to US troops in the base down the road.
If Defence spending was 10% of the economy before 1960 what percentage was the Federal government taking in total?
Also, you're negating your own argument because in your very next paragraph you say that the " the vast increase in the money supply is scam - designed to enrich the already wealthy (and politically connected) at the expense of the general public." So the only reason the defense budget is a smaller percentage is because of huge amount of nebulous fairy tale money being pushed through the financial system which gets counted when people calculate the total size of the economy.
In any case, a bloated defense budget is unnecessary and wasteful.
Paul Marks in reply to New Conservative
I am having great technical problems replying to stuff on the Economist magazine site (it is almost as if they do not like me) - however, I will have a go.
Yes Federal government spending in 1960 (or during the Kennedy years of 1961, 2 and 3) was a smaller percentage of the economy than it is now. But what is your point? After all it is still the case that Federal government spending on defence was a vastly HIGHER percentage of the economy then than it is now.
The burden of defence has DECLINED the burden of the health, education and welfare programs has EXPANDED - so which is the real problem?
As for "Islamism" (both Sunni and Shia) I have repeatedly heard Ron Paul say that there is no threat - that actions against America are just "retribution" for American interventionism.
That there is no Islamist threat to the West (or even to Israel - supposedly Israel is just hated because of "the way it treats the Palestinians") is the main line of the leftist crowd (Noam Chomsky and co) and it has gone into the Rothbardians (such as Lew Rockwell) and, from them, into Ron Paul.
I do not need you to tell me what Ron Paul believes - because I can listen to him myself, and I have done so.
Although I still believe this stuff is not "his ideas" as such - it is stuff he has been fed, by the people who whisper poison in his ear.
gao xia en in reply to Paul Marks
He's not blaming the Jews or Israel for America's problems. He's blaming America for America's problems. America gives Muslim countries four times what it gives Israel. I would think that would cause Israel problems. We could keep our money and everyone would be better off, except the war profiteers.
Paul Marks in reply to gao xia en
I agree that all government aid to Israel should be stopped, but I know some of things that Ron Paul has said (I have heard them, in context - obviously I do not trust editied stuff that is presented by his foes) and I do not like a lot of them.
Ron Paul is NOT an antisemite (that is a lie) - but he does not understand the nature of the Islamist threat (neither the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood and off shoots - or the Shia "Hasteners").
However, as for that guy "Clevelander" (what a wonderful example of statism that city is) - "Ron Paul is not a libertarian because he is against abortion".
Virtually everyone before the 1960s regarded abortion as murder. Is is really saying there were no libertarians before the 1960s? Because there is a "right to abortion".
One might as well talk about a "right to rape" - no doubt the "liberals" in the University Law Departments are working on creating such a "right" even as I type this.
Praneeth Karkera
It is very interesting to read the above article. What interested me is that the article is based on Ron Paul's economic policies & his beliefs. The article very successfully leads you to believe that Ron Paul is an isolationist.. but for what reasons & in what context?
I cannot imagine such detailed & crisp analysis such as above for the other candidates. Newt Gingrich & Mitt Romney are proved flip floppers who can easily change their stand in the wind's direction hence electing them for what they stand (I still cannot figure out what they actually stand for)will not make sense for the voters. Bachman & Santorum spread more hatred then logic & intelligence to the Americans, election of either of these candidates will only make Americans more unsafe. Rick Perry always gives the feeling as being someone who would be controlled by a remote just as George Bush.
This leaves us with 2 candidates Jon Huntsman & Ron Paul who have debated other candidates using logic & peace card, both have a mild view on the Iran Nuclear issue & a strong stand in getting troops home. However among these two Ron Paul is the only consistent candidate. He is the only candidate who declined to take the Anti Obama strategy, something which all the other candidates have capitalized on & in a very shameless & aggressive way.
Ron Paul is the only candidate who it seems believes in what he says & does not believe in preaching what the people like to hear or which is popular like the popular Anti Obama rant. He has an agenda in hand & work’s strongly & honestly in achieving it. Discounting such a stand as isolation & unachievable unjust & Criminal.
Praneeth Karkera
Dr. Paul is standing up for the rights of those who have tried to do "the right thing" by questioning the shadow world of Central Banks and buy your vote politics. The Economist wrote two years ago about how savers will be crushed with QE and working for a US money center bank I see the impact every day. Here is one more reader of The Economist who supports Dr. Paul.
this article is more proof the so-called conservatives media is anything but conservative.
as for the other republican candidates who are busily praising Obama and trashing Ron Paul, it's obvious they would actually vote for Obama if Paul wins the nomination! same for the MSM in the US, whether it be ABC/CBS/NBC/Fox/CNN - they'd all push for Obama if Ron Paul gets the nomination.
how funny is that?
Ron Paul has been living on the fringe of Washington politics for thirty years. But with a congress of single-digit popularity and a president unable to fix the economy, Ron Paul's unpopularity among birds of the same feather Washington demacrats and republicans, is not a liability but an advantage.
Explore trending topics
Comments and tweets on popular topics
Latest blog posts - All times are GMT
The Economist explains: Who invented crosswords?
The Economist explains December 19th, 23:50
Monetary policy: Sneaky stimulus
Free exchange December 19th, 17:47
The People's Bank of China: Open Weibo Operations
Free exchange December 19th, 16:24
Chicago's technology sector: Start-up city
Schumpeter December 19th, 15:35
Israel-Palestine talks: Snail's pace
Pomegranate December 19th, 14:42
Products & events
|
[] |
<< Previous - Next >>
BOTTRELL Albert married Lena RICHES 1896
Journal by tonkin
Information Journal.
Groom: Albert Edward BOTTRELL.
Birth place given as California Gully. (Suburb of Sandhurst)
Bride: Lena RICHES.
Birth place given as Donald.
Year married: 1896.
Place: Victoria, Australia.
Albert died 1914 in Eaglehawk, Victoria.
Age: 40 years.
Mother recorded as Mary Amelia BOTTRELL. Father unknown.
Birth note.
Albert was born 1872 in Eaglehawk, Victoria.
Mother named as Mary BOTTRELL. Father not recorded.
I'm not sure what become of Lena after Albert died.
The marriage index gave her birth place as Donald, but there is no record for her birth under this name. There is no death recorded for a Lena BOTTRELL and there is no second marriage recorded for her.
There was a death for a Kelina Agnes BOTTRELL that died in Eaglehawk in 1915, aged 44 years. Her parents were named as John RICHARDS and Margaret MACLAREN. I have a feeling this will be the death of Lena and the informant has given her father's name as RICHARDS and not RICHES. It's also possible her mother's maiden name of MACLAREN is also wrong.
Further searches of the birth records finds a Colina RICHES born in Colac, Victoria in 1873. The parents are named as John RICHES and Margaret MCLEOD. I think Colina RICHES may be the Lena RICHES married to Albert BOTTRELL in 1896, and will be the Kelina BOTTRELL that died in Eaglehawk in 1915 ... but I could be wrong.
Two children located Victorian records for Albert and Lena.
Charles Thomas BOTTRELL.
Born: 1899 Eaglehawk, Victoria.
Died: -
Married: Loveina BEAUMONT.
Year: 1921.
Place: Victoria.
Albert Edward BOTTRELL.
Born: 1907 Eaglehawk, Victoria.
Died: -
Married: Joyce Margaret MCKEAN.
Year: 1933.
Place: Victoria.
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.
JN 37179
Viewed: 791 times
on 2011-07-24 18:34:46
TONKIN lives in Victoria, Australia.
Do you know someone who can help? Share this:
Register or Sign in to comment on this journal.
|
[] |
Last updated on December 20, 2013 at 1:21 EST
Water vapor
The release of water molecules from liquid water is considered evaporation. The transition of these molecules from liquid to gas is done so by the absorption or release of kinetic energy which is defined as thermal energy and only occurs when there are variations in the temperatures of the molecules. Water molecules take a little heat with them as they turn to vapor. This process is called evaporative cooling. The amount of water vapor in the atmosphere determines how quickly each molecule returns back to the surface.
Evaporative cooling is limited to atmospheric conditions. The temperature of the atmosphere and the surface of the water determine the balance of vapor pressure. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere. 100% relative humidity occurs when partial water vapor pressure is equal to balanced vapor pressure. This condition is also known as complete saturation. Humidity ranges from 0 grams per cubic meter in dry air to 30 grams per cubic meter in saturated air at 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Sublimation is a form of evaporation that occurs when molecules become gaseous from ice or snow. Sublimation occurs when ice and snow disappears slowly in temperatures too low for melting to occur.
Condensation is what happens to water vapor when it forms on a surface that is cooler than the actual water vapor. When water vapor condenses onto a surface, a net warming occurs on the surface. The water molecules contain a parcel of heat that can make the air temperature near it drop slightly. In the atmosphere, condensation can produce clouds, fog and precipitation. The dew point determines how cool it must be before water vapor can condense. Condensation also occurs when the surface temperature is at or below the dew point temperature of the air around it. Deposition is the formation of ice or frost on a surface from water vapor. Deposition is a type of condensation.
Water vapor is both lighter and less dense than dry air. At the same temperature, a column of dry air will be denser or heavier than a column of saturated air. The buoyancy of water vapor in the atmosphere remains relevant with the balance in temperature. At higher temperatures, water vapor increases, making the buoyancy level greater. Increase in buoyancy can have a significant atmospheric impact. When the air and sea temperatures are at or above 77 degrees Fahrenheit, the water vapor in the atmosphere can create powerful, moisture rich, upward air currents. These air currents can lead to cyclonic and/or anti-cyclonic weather events (tornadoes and hurricanes).
Air pressure increases when the concentration of water vapor in the air increases. As the partial pressure contribution of water vapor increases, other gases in the atmosphere decrease in partial pressure contribution. As its concentration increases, it displaces other components in the air. This can have an effect on respiration in air temperatures greater than 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The proportion of water vapor in the atmosphere can be significant enough to cause stuffiness that is experienced in humid jungles or buildings with poor air circulation.
Water vapor represents an environmentally significant component of the atmosphere. Nearly 100% of it is contained within the troposphere. The condensation of water vapor is responsible for clouds, rain, snow, and other forms of precipitation that are all important elements of what we experience as weather. Latent heat, which is released to the atmosphere when condensation occurs, is also a significant factor in atmospheric conditions. Latent heat released into the atmosphere is directly responsible for powering destructive storms that ravage the planet.
As a greenhouse gas, water vapor plays a major role in climate warming due to increases in carbon dioxide that it produces. It is unclear how this process could affect cloudy conditions in the future. Fog and clouds form around cloud condensation nuclei. Without the nuclei, condensation would only occur at much lower temperatures. With global warming on the rise, this could possibly determine how future weather events shape the world’s atmosphere. Water vapor molecules remain in the troposphere for about 10 days of the water cycle. The water depleted from the troposphere is replenished by evaporation from the oceans, lakes, rivers, transpiration of plants, deposition of ice, and other geological processes.
Because water vapor molecules absorb radio wave frequencies, water in the atmosphere dampens radio signals. Atmospheric water will reflect and refract signals to an extent that depends on whether the water is gas (vapor), liquid (rain), or solid (ice). Radio signals lose strength the further they travel through water. Water vapor also reflects radar. Water vapor plays a key role in lightning production in the atmosphere. Though clouds are the real generators of static charge in the atmosphere, the capability of clouds to hold massive amounts of electrical energy is directly related to how much water vapor is present in the system. The amount of vapor in the system controls the energy of the air. In low humidity, static discharge is quick but light. Higher humidity produces fewer discharges that are more powerful.
Water vapor is not restricted to just Earth. Comet tails are made up mostly of water vapor. As the comet approaches the sun, the ice found on most comets begin to sublimate to vapor, which reflects light from the sun. Brighter tails on cold and distant comets suggests that the tail is formed of carbon monoxide sublimation. Scientists hypothesize that if water moves around on Mars, it does so as water vapor. The northern pole of Mars has ice that sublimates as the sun hits it during the Martian summer. This sublimation may enable the massive seasonal storms that could possibly carry water toward the equator. Water vapor circling an aging, massive star has been discovered by one of NASA’s satellites using an onboard spectrometer. Spectroscopic analysis of an extra-solar planet in the constellation Pegasus, provided the first evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere beyond our Solar System.
Photo Copyright and Credit
Water vapor
|
[] |
Femme Fatales: The 10 Most Kick-Ass Girl Fights
by Meghan O'Keefe (@megsokay)
9) Maggie Q vs. Lyndsy Fonseca in Nikita
Nikita is pretty much a show about a woman wronged who engages in spy practices and beats up a lot of people. Nikita is also chock full of insane female on female fight scenes. This one from the premiere of the second season just happens to be especially brutal…at least for one of the ladies…
|
[] |
Why Doesn't C# Implement "Top Level" Methods?
Why Doesn't C# Implement "Top Level" Methods?
Rate This
• Comments 58
UPDATE: More thoughts on considerations motivating this potential change here.
• I just want to echo some of the sentiments here. The benefits of scripting languages have been proven with Ericsson's derivation of Haskell and CCP's usage of Stackless Python in Eve Online. But in both cases, however, a part of that sucess is because those languages were developed, from the get go, to be scripting languages. C# is more along the lines of C++, Eiffel, and Java. It's better to keep the original design that has been through 4 iterations then to try and change it. If Microsoft wants to enter into the REPL language market, it would be better to devote reources to F# or just create .NET bindings for Haskell.
• I guess I'm just joining the chorus, but --- please don't do this to C#.
Strongly agree with the CPU wizzard, please don't make C# something its not, make it easier to interop with everything else. (Just like the dynamic keyword makes it easy to call into dynamic languages without surrendering and becomming dynamic ourselves.)
Now that there are actually several genuinely distinct .NET languages out there, the next innovation needs to be in the project system. I would like to be able to include a F# class in my C# project, or even an F# method in my c# class. Assemblies can't have circular dependencies, so just having two projects doesn't make it easy enough to elect a different language for a single class, I might have to re-factor my entire project structure to get all the dependencies to all the right classes with no cycles in the graph.
I think that the pressure to make C# more like everyone else would be a lot less if I could easially decide "language X is the most natural expression of this concept" and go from there.
• I agree with pmnieav that this is the singular distinction between static classes and namespaces, and that putting Math. in front of Sin, Cos, Abs, etc is just silly. I don't think the answer is free functions.
Provide a "static using" directive to introduce static members and subtypes of any class into the name resolution search space, make it be usable within methods as well as within types (don't need it file-wide), and there would no longer be any need for namespaces as a separate concept.
Namespaces as a separate concept are dangerous anyway. They don't respect visibility (can't be declared internal, stretch across assembly boundaries) and don't provide anything static classes don't, except at the level of syntactic sugar (the namespace name is optional when a using directive is in effect).
The significant advantages of "static using" are:
- it improves access to existing libraries
- namespace pollution is explicitly opt-in, unlike free methods and to a greater degree than extension methods
- visibility
- generics
Oh, I would also require a fully qualified name with "static using", no combinations with either "using" or earlier "static using" directives.
And haven't we had this discussion before?
• I do not see a benefit even in static using, given that we have extension methods. Forced static imports of modules is one of the reasons I do not use VB anymore.
I think there is much more important stuff that can make people's lifes simpler, "yield foreach" is one (small) example. Allowing global level methods, on the other hand, gives nothing a tool can't give just by transparently wrapping code int o a class. For example, when you create C# extension functions in XSLT, you do not have to create a class, XSLT compiler does that for you.
• @daniel:
Except that it's not. The class provides scoping, context, and it can be imported using an alias. Utility.Foo and Utility.Bar will conflict if they are in two different classes.
Sometimes you can find a useful class that actually provides context and makes those methods more easily discoverable. Sometimes you can work around it using extension methods (including some cases where you should not). Sometimes it's just getting in your way. At least it makes you think more about where to put it. And it provides a smell for code reviews. As long as you don't slide into procedural programming, it's only a minor annoyance.
Given all the pro's and con's, I find it hard to justify putting effort into this. There are far more pressing features that would actually effect our daily development tasks (how about the hypothetical metaprogramming features of that hypothetical next version BTW? they are so hard to justify if you just count votes and ignore the fact that the few developers asking for them provide frameworks for so many others...)
REPLs are going to need some additional stuff anyway, like ad-hoc variables. I don't see why any of that should be included in the "compiled edition" too.
• It feels like you're about to Jump the Shark...
• I like the idea of "static using" as described by Ben. I find that more desirable than having the functions themselves be free. That would solve the Maths.Sin problem without requiring any new maths API. I realise that I really don't object to the fact that the static methods live inside a static class, I just object to having maths-related code cluttered up with "Maths." all over the place.
I don't see how extension methods reduce the marginal value of "static using". I really don't think "x.Sin()" is an improvement over "Maths.Sin(x)", and the idea of "y.Atan2(x)" is terrifying.
• I agree with the majority of previous responders in my hope that this doesn't advance into positive points for implementation; and while I'm at it would second Stefan's interest in metaprogramming.
• @ShadowChaser
"Isn't that why Visual Studio contains other languages? I'd hate for the C# language to become a cluttered, horrible mess just for the sake of 'progress'.
Strong vote against this change!"
I completely agree with you ShadowChaser. C# is good at being C#, there's no reason to try to make it do all of these things that other languages do. It will only lead to the language becoming cluttered (much like VB).
I don't want C# to become like VB or JScript or any other language. I'd use a different language if I needed a feature that desperately, that's why other languages exist.
I'm not saying that the C# team should stop developing new features, I'd just like them do develop features that naturally fit in and are "in keeping" with the language. This would keep the language consistent and the features intuitive.
• Interesting Finds: June 23, 2009
• I really can't see this as a good thing. And I'll be very disapointed if I see this feature in a future version of C#. I don't want to have to tame my developers to don't do a completly mess again, as they did in the Delphi era. Top level functions leads to a completly messy and almost unmanageable/understandable code.
If one wants a scripty language, choose another one, not C#.
• While I do not strongly disagree with adding this feature to the language, I don't see a big benefit for it either.
In my projects I would not use this feature, because I like to use (static) classes to organize my "global" functions. I usually have no problem coming up with a name for these classes, since you can organize almost any function with a simple Noun.Verb-scheme. This has the benefit, that I can see at the call site which class (and file, see below) the function belongs to and can quickly navigate there.
It is also a matter of organizing the project. Usually I have one file per class. With global methods, would I put all methods in one big Global.cs, or even one function per file?
So for any larger project, I don't really see how this would help me. And making the language more complex, with no (or minimal) benefit is always bad. If you need to add something to support "global" functions, maybe extending the using clause to let us import static members of static classes would be an alternative, although I wouldn't use that feature in my projects either.
The only real use case for this feature in my eyes is for embedding C# as a scripting language in other applications. I have done this a few times and you can do a lot with a combination of sub classing and adding class constructs and using-statements automatically to the code the user entered. But this is of course fragile and I can see a real benefit here.
However for these scenarios, it would be even more useful to me if we had an extensible compiler pipeline like boo, so that we can modify the compiler itself for the specific scenario we need to support. I believe I've read somewhere that the compiler team is already working on something like this while they're also rewriting the C# compiler in C#. Do you have any more information on this Eric?
• I will stop programming in C# or .NET -once Microsoft tries to take this kind of direction.
It not only sounds crazy but it is like going backwards. Saying that C# need to match
other langugage features etc is just not right. I hope Microsoft will put people with OOP
background in C# team -not people with scripting background - as in charge
• Another interesting post by the great Eric Lippert .
• Another interesting post by the great Eric Lippert .
Page 2 of 4 (58 items) 1234
|
[] |
Expanding Fantasy Heroic Roleplaying: A D&D 4e Hack for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
Dave “The Game” Chalker recently made an excellent foray into a 4e D&D fantasy hack for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying. Simple, elegant, and iconic hacks like this really show how well and how easily Cortex Plus adapts to diverse genre and source material. This hack promises to fit my 4e group’s preferred playstyle better than even 4e does.
A warforged, as depicted in the 4th edition Monster Manual and the WOTC Daily Art Preview by Eva Widermann.
The following are my ideas for a few more of my favorite races and classes that Dave’s initial hack didn’t cover. Many are from Player’s Handbook 2 or 3, or campaign-specific player’s guides, so they’re a bit more involved than the core races and classes, but hopefully they’re just as fun to play.
New Races
New Classes
NOTE: Githzerai Limit edited based on good input from Danny Rupp (@bartoneus). Monk limit edited based on ideas from Dave Chalker.
From Dragon 366, “Ecology of the Genasi.” Sep 9, 2008
Choose one of the following manifestations for your power traits and SFX. All genasi share the Limits Inevitable Flux and Elemental below.
• Firesoul
• Fire Influence d6, Blast d8
• SFX: Fiery Body. On a successful reaction against a physical attack action, inflict physical stress with your effect die at no PP cost or step up +1 for 1 PP.
• Watersoul
• Water Influence d6, Enhanced Reflexes d8, Insubstantial d6, Swimming d6
• SFX: Second Wind. Before you make an action including a Genasi power, you may move your physical stress die to the doom pool and step up the Genasi power by +1 for this action.
• SFX: Water-breathing. You can breath underwater.
• Earthsoul
• Earth Influence d6, Durability d8
• SFX: Stone-skin. Spend 1 PP to ignore physical stress or trauma results caused by edged or blunt attack actions.
• Windsoul
• Air Influence d6, Speed d8, Airwalking d6, Cold Resistance d6
• SFX: Wisp. Spend 1 PP to add Speed (or step up by +1 if already in your pool) and reroll all dice on a reaction.
• Stormsoul
• Weather Influence d6, Lightning/Thunder Blast d8
• SFX: Promise of Storm. Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when inflicting wind, lightning, or thunder complication on a target.
Limit: Inevitable Flux. Inevitable Flux. Earn PP and step up mental stress when you misunderstand other races’ aversion to change.
Limit: Elemental. Turn largest Genasi power into a complication and gain a PP when facing opposing elements or elemental-specific magic or gear. Remove complication or conditions to recover.
Enhanced Reflexes d8, Psychic Resistance d8, Astral Senses d6
SFX: Iron Mind. When using Enhanced Reflexes or Astral Senses in your dice pool, redirect physical stress to mental stress at no cost. Spend 1 PP to step back redirected stress by –1.
Limit: Freedom. Gain a PP and take d6 Emotional stress when you take stress or complications related to being restrained, stunned, dominated, or mind controlled. Take d8 Emotional stress instead if thus afflicted by githyanki, illithids, or their thralls.
Magical Senses d8, Invisibility d6, Sorcery d6
SFX: Fade Away. On a successful reaction vs an attack action, convert your effect die into an Invisibility or Sorcery Stunt. Spend 1 PP to do so if the reaction fails.
SFX: Cantrips. Before rolling a pool that includes Sorcery, step back Sorcery for one roll and step up effect dice for illusion- and cantrip-related assets.
Limit: Slight. Gain a PP and step up physical stress or complications related to lack of strength and fortitude.
Limit: Mischief. Gain a PP and turn a Gnome power into a complication. Remove complication to recover.
Horns d8, Enhanced Strength d8, Bovine Stamina d6
SFX: Goring Charge. Step up or double Horns or Enhanced Strength (1 PP to step up and double), then shutdown that power. Recover on Opportunity.
SFX: Ferocity. When you are stressed out, you may inflict d6 physical stress on a nearby character. Spend one or more PP to inflict this stress on one or more additional targets.
Limit: Monstrous. Gain a PP and turn a Minotaur power into a complication when your monstrous heritage causes you trouble. Remove complication or otherwise establish yourself as benign to recover.
Enhanced Speed d8, Natural Weapons d6, Feral Stamina d6, Feral Senses d6
SFX: Tooth and Nail. Add d6 to your dice pool for an attack action and step back the highest die in pool by –1. Step up physical stress inflicted by +1.
SFX: Bloodied Shifting. Step up or add d6 to your mental stress to step up a Shifter power by +1 for the remainder of the Scene. No power may be stepped up more than once.
Limit. Soothe the Savage Beast. Gain a PP and step up or double any asset, stress, or complication used against you to calm or control you, if it appeals to your animal nature.
Limit: Stigma. Gain a PP and step up Emotional stress or complications related to being an outcast.
Enhanced Durability d8, Enhanced Stamina d8, Enhanced Strength d8
SFX: Warforged Resolve. Before you make an action including a Warforged power, you may move your physical stress die to the doom pool and step up the Warforged power by +1 for this action.
SFX: Construct. Spend a PP to ignore stress, trauma, or complications from hunger, thirst, suffocation, fatigue, sleep, or aging.
Limit: Stonesoul. Gain a PP and turn a Warforged power into a complication when you misunderstand non-warforged cultures or your role in society. Remove complication to recover.
Limit: Repair. Physical stress and trauma does not automatically step back during Transition scenes or new Acts. Recovery requires a successful action. (NOTE: Heal and medical specialties usually don’t apply to warforged repair; rather arcana, tech, artifice, or dungeoneering make more sense)
Sorcery d6, Weapon d6, Utility Belt d6
SFX: Tinker. Step up artifice assets made using Sorcery or Utility Belt.
SFX: Infusion. Add Sorcery or Utility Belt to your dice pool when helping others recover physical stress or complications. Spend 1 PP to step back your own or another’s complication.
Limit: Artifice Preparation. Shutdown Sorcery or Utility Belt to gain 1 PP. Recover during a transition scene.
Limit: Gear. Earn a PP and shutdown an Artificer power. Succeed vs Doom to recover.
Arcana Expert, Dungeoneering Expert (or Tech/Artifice if playing in Eberron)
Weapon d8, Enhanced Reflexes d8, Enhanced Speed d6
SFX: Flurry of Blows. Add d6 and keep 1 extra effect die for each target after the first.
SFX: Named Maneuver. Double or step up Weapon for one action. If that action fails, shutdown Weapon. Recover power by activating an opportunity or during a Transition Scene.
Limit: Unarmored. Earn a PP and step up physical stress from weapon or magical attacks.
Limit: Mental Discipline. Mental Discipline. When you take emotional stress, convert a Monk power to a complication to gain a PP. Recover when you recover your emotional stress. Shutdown Monk when suffering emotional trauma.
Acrobatics Expert, Combat Expert
Sorcery d8, Weapon d8, Warding d6
SFX: Swordmage Aegis. Spend 1 PP to add a Swordmage power to another character’s dice pool before they roll a reaction. If that character takes physical stress, take d6 mental stress.
Limit: Arcane Exhaustion. Gain 1 PP and shutdown Warding when you take Mental stress. Recover on opportunity or Transition scene.
Arcana Expert, Combat Expert
About Adam
|
[] |
main index
Topical Tropes
Other Categories
TV Tropes Org
Headscratchers: Hawkeye
• In issue 5 of Fraction's Hawkeye, it is revealed that Kate Bishop was posing as Madame Masque from the time Clint was grabbed to after the auction. How did she pull this off or even know where Clint was going? It is never explained or referenced.
• She probably tailed Clint.
• Look at the girl Clint stole the taxi from. Then look at the wig and glasses on Kate's mannequin head when she reappeared with Madame Masque bound and gagged. That answer your question?
• Avengers 64 the team, not just the reader, finds out Clint's name for the first time. Did no one ever bother to ask him at any point what his name was? He had a relationship with Black Widow, why did she never ask? It seems like a strange thing to have never come up.
• Meta reason: The writers hadn't thought of it or deemed it necessary. Particularly in the 1960's, villains (remember that Hawkeye started off as one) didn't often get real names (see also the Vulture from Spider-Man). In-universe reason: Clint was often hot-headed in the early days of joining the Avengers, so its quite possible that the others merely tolerated him and didn't want to spend time with him that much - thus explaining why they wouldn't know his real name. Add in the fact that his brother was a supposedly notorious criminal at the time, and it's quite plausible that Clint would have dodged any questions about his real name, not wanting to be be associated with a criminal when he was just starting to reform himself. As for the Black Widow, I don't recall her saying that she didn't know his name in that issue - it's possible that he could have told her off-panel.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available from
Privacy Policy
|
[] |
Steve Doocy Clarifies Obama Misquote
Fox News anchor Steve Doocy drew some unwanted attention yesterday for appearing to misquote President Obama during an interview with Mitt Romney. As we noted, by adding “unlike some people” to the start of the quote “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth,” he appeared to be shifting its focus away from himself and towards someone else, specifically Romney.
As expected, this morning Doocy clarified the remarks on-air:
“Last week President Obama talked about not being born with a silver spoon in his mouth. That was interpreted as being a big dig against Mitt Romney. When I was interviewing Governor Romney on this show I asked him about it, however I did some paraphrasing that seemed to misquote the President. So to be clear, the President’s exact quote was, ‘I Wasn’t born with a silver spoon in my mouth,’ and I hope that clears up any confusion.”
Doocy stood by the interpretation that the original quote was a dig at Romney, while also acknowledging that the quote he used in his question was not accurate. At least there was an on-air clarification, which is more than you can say for most TV news outlets.
Mediabistro Course
Get 15% OFF Microsoft Excel 101
|
[] |
(RNS) The Obama administration is pushing back against charges by the nation's top Catholic bishop that talks to create a broader religious exemption from a controversial birth control coverage mandate are “going nowhere,” and that White House officials are dismissing the central role of the bishops. By David Gibson.
I hope that the bishops will cooperate since so much good has come from the Obama administration. It would be a shame for this one issue to cloud the whole relationship, especially since the majority of Catholics have used birth control and have, in a certain way, presented the “sense of the faithful” on this issue to the world.
2. I hope they clean up their own backyard first…..Serious and critical law breaking Priests that shelter and hide the perverts in their ranks!
3. The story seems a little slanted. Some may claim that the staff handling the negotiations are “culture warriors” that often “take a harder line than the bishops themselves,” but the claim carries no weight since the staff represents the bishops. And where are the bishops who allegedly would take a softer line?
Secondly, who really is more believable about who took what off the table, a cardinal or a politician? Conveniently, the unnamed official refuses to be public and cannot be questioned. He or she should be asked: Is the administration willing to reconsider the definition of religious employer? If you don’t get a straight answer, then we can assume that the administration, not the bishops, are refusing to fully negotiate.
4. Odd, from communications from the Bishops and Archbishops it is clear. Either they are not tell the truth, which I do not believe, or the administration is not. For those of us that cherish religious freedom taking the administration to court will likely become necessary. The media is incredible. Not one word about female or male healthcare that could save lives being mandated. Just contraception. Why not mandate coverage for expensive heart drugs first? Thousands of women cannot afford them. Just making the point, this is a one-sided attack on the Church and the Bishops recognize it for what it really is, another witness like the one used in Roe vs Wade year ago. In this case, a 30-year old shill for the Obama administration.
5. 1. Why, when the White House “source” is quoting White House talking points, the need for anonymity?
2. Why no mention, ever, of the promises Obama has made, to Catholics and to the bishops, and then broken without compunction?
3. Doesn’t this “Catholic” reporter have any questions regarding the fact that Obama has ‘advised’ the bishops to take a lesson on doctrines and their teaching from the numerous “Catholics in name only” he has strategically placed in positions of power and authority as a means to his end?
4. Is Obama really so stupid as to believe that he can actually undermine the authority of the bishops, and appeal to the heretics who work for him, and think that ‘actual’ faithful Catholics will stand by and watch?
6. fathercarldiederichs, I am trying to think of what good has come out of the Obama admisnistration and so far I can not think of anything. What I can think of though is that fact that this administration under this president has waged a war against the the unborn babies of the world. That and that alone is what this presidnet and this administration should be remembered for. Also, please keep in mind that this is an issue where we, as Catholics, will be told what we can and can not believe in by a secular instituation
|
[] |
Take the tour ×
In a gauge theory (non-abelian for this question), I am told that two states $|\psi\rangle$ and $|\phi\rangle$ are to be identified if they are related by a gauge transformation $U(x)$
But means that two states are to be identified when the gauge transformation is homogenous, i.e. independent of $x$.
Does this formally mean that for the one-particle quark state, the red quark $|1_\text{Red}\rangle$, green quark $|1_\text{Green}\rangle$, and blue quark $|1_\text{Blue}\rangle$ are all identified as a single state, as they are all related by gauge transformations? I would say yes...
So then I ask, does this mean we are overcounting the number of color states when we calculate the color-averaged scattering amplitude? I want to say, no because there are many quarks in this world, and the color orientation of the incoming and outgoing quarks with respect to some other colored quark elsewhere is gauge-invariant....
Is this correct reasoning or poor thinking?
share|improve this question
add comment
1 Answer
up vote 2 down vote accepted
No, in a gauge theory, the two states are identified even if $U$ is the operator of the most general gauge transformation, i.e. one whose gauge parameter depends on $\vec x$. That's also a fact that is needed to eliminate unphysical (i.e. longitudinal and time-like) polarizations of the photon (or other gauge bosons).
Yes, a one-particle state with a blue quark is physically identified with the red quark state or the green quark state. (In QCD, we have confinement, so only color-neutral bound states may exist in isolation, anyway. That means that the ability to recolor particles doesn't give us any new freedom when we consider objects that may exist in isolation: they are color-neutral i.e. invariant under $SU(3)$, anyway.)
However, if there are at least two colored particles, e.g. two quarks, only the "uniform transformations" of their colors – not independent changes of the two quarks' colors, separately – are a gauge transformation. In the first paragraph, I said that the gauge transformation may depend on $\vec x$ so we actually can find an equivalent state in which e.g. all the quarks (at various positions) are changed to red quarks. But the gauge transformations needed to achieve this recoloring has $\lambda(x,y,z)$ that nontrivially depends on the location in space. And because it does, $\partial_\mu \lambda(x,y,z)$ is nonzero, and therefore the value of the gauge field (e.g. gluon field in this example) in between the quarks is also changing.
So every state with quarks at various positions may be changed, by a gauge transformation, to an equivalent state in which all the quarks are red; however, the value of the gluon field in between has to be changed, too. So if it was zero at the beginning, it won't stay zero after the gauge transformation. If you only consider gauge-equivalent states that don't change the gluon field, you have to consider gauge transformations whose $\lambda$ is location-independent, and those gauge transformations can never change the "relative color between two quarks" (or other colored particles).
We are not multiply counting anything when we're averaging because the average $(A+A+A)/3$ is nothing else than $A$ again, so it doesn't matter whether you average three equal things or not. And if you compute the inclusive cross section of a process in which colorful particles are produced, you have to sum up over all different colors of the final quarks because they're determined in an "absolute way": their color may be fixed relatively to the colors of quarks in the initial state etc. and relative colors are gauge-invariant (if we don't allow the gauge field to change), as I have mentioned.
So be sure that textbooks of QFT don't make any mistake if they ignore the fact that the differently colored one-quark states are physically equivalent.
Let me mention one more thing. At the beginning, you said that only states related by gauge transformations $U$ where $U$ is given by a location-constant $\lambda$ are identified. I said it wasn't true: $U$ may come from a location-dependent $\lambda(x,y,z)$ and they're still identified.
Correction: when careful, red quark and blue quark one-particle states are not identified
In fact, the truth was even "further in my direction" than what I said. It's true that states related by gauge transformations with location-dependent gauge parameters are identified. But if we are more rigorous, there is an extra constraint: we should only consider the transformations in which $\lambda$ goes to the identity ($1$ or $0$, depending on whether we use the multiplicative or additive notation: additive is usual for $U(1)$, multiplicative is needed in the non-Abelian case) when $|\vec x|\to\infty$. The physical states don't have to be invariant under gauge transformations that are nontrivial even at infinity. That's why the "global $SU(3)$ transformations" are actually not required to keep the physical states invariant, and we shouldn't consider one-blue-quark and one-red-quark states to be identified. That's a good thing because if we made this identification, the $U(1)$ counterpart of this assertion would be that a one-electron state and its multiple by $\exp(i\alpha)$ are identified – implying that the state is identified with the zero vector. That would be too bad because charged particles would be prohibited (unphysical).
share|improve this answer
Two questions: (1) Where does the constraint that states are identified only when related by a gauge transformation satisfying $\lambda\rightarrow 1$ as $|\vec x|\rightarrow\infty$ come from? (2) In the $U(1)$ counterpart, why does the identification of the electron state with its phase multiple $e^{i\alpha}$ imply that a state is identified with the zero vector? That doesn't sound right. – QuantumDot Nov 24 '12 at 16:15
Dear QuantumDot, (1) the actual physical reason why gauge symmetry is a part of physics is that it's needed to eliminate the negative-norm excitations of gauge bosons anywhere in the bulk of the space, and this job is already achieved by the gauge transformations that are trivial at infinity. It's consistent to require the invariance under these "at infinity trivial" gauge transformations only and it's really desirable because of (2) - we don't want charged states to be banned. – Luboš Motl Nov 26 '12 at 12:55
(2) If $\psi\sim e^{i\alpha}\psi$ where $\sim$ is an equivalence and the equivalence acts linearly on the Hilbert space, then one may simply subtract $\psi$ from both sides to get that also $0\sim (e^{i\alpha}-1)\psi$, so the state has to be equivalent to zero because the numerical prefactor isn't zero. I am not saying this is true for the single-electron state. On the contrary, I am saying that we surely can't afford this to be the case, so the assumption can't hold, either. We can't identify states that differ by the overall phase only because that would mean that we identify them with zero. – Luboš Motl Nov 26 '12 at 12:58
Many thanks for your response! So, to summarize if $\psi\sim e^{i\alpha}\psi$ then therefore $\psi\sim 0$. And because of this, we can't afford $\psi\sim e^{i\alpha}\psi$ to be true. Do I interpret your response correctly? – QuantumDot Nov 26 '12 at 21:52
add comment
Your Answer
|
[] |
Charlize Theron's Hair and Makeup Secrets
The silver-screen chameleon shares her Oscar-worthy tips and must-have products
Getty Images (Theron); Steven Krause (products)
It takes confidence for any woman—even an ex-model equipped with indisputable leading-lady looks—to gain 30 pounds and modify herself with prosthetics to appear on 50-foot-high movie screens worldwide. But that's just what actress Charlize Theron did to play Aileen Wuornos in 2003's Oscar-winning Monster. "There's no way I could have understood that character without having an emotional connection to her appearance," Theron says. In her current project, Diablo Cody's Young Adult, which hit theaters December 16, she plays a fiction writer with a penchant for alcohol and ex-boyfriends, and a nervous hair-pulling habit that leaves her with bald spots. Not exactly a glamorous role either, but Theron, 36, isn't concerned with looking pretty. "My job is to be a blank canvas and embody the character that I'm playing." Of course it helps that, off duty, said canvas is anything but blank; for seven years Theron has played herself in the très chic Dior J'Adore fragrance campaign—a role she feels connects her to every woman. "Perfume is a little piece of couture," she says. "I love being a part of something that makes women feel sexy."
Extensions are popular in Hollywood, but you've always worn your hair shorter. Why do you keep it that way?
I've never really had hair for myself. My style is always for playing a character, so I'm personally not superattached to any look. If I'm not working, I prefer something that's easy to care for and doesn't require a lot of styling—I'm not fussy! I try to be extra gentle on my hair since it endures a lot on set. My longtime stylist Enzo Angileri turned me on to hair oils for deep conditioning, so I'll do a treatment when I have a little bit of free time.
What about your signature blond?
Even my color is usually in a state of whatever my next character is. For the Dior J'Adore campaigns, however, I always go superblond, which I love. It's how I looked when the campaign started, and we've stayed loyal to it for the past seven years. It just feels right for J'Adore, which is all about glamour.
It's been seven years? But you look exactly the same!
I'm a massive believer in sunblock. Massive. I wear sunblock in the winter, when it's rainy and gray out—all the time. And not just SPF 15; I wear 50. Five-zero! It's a huge part of my moisturizing routine.
Your dermatologists must be so proud.
The importance of sunscreen has been instilled in me from a very young age through my mom, who is aging so well. She's helped me make peace with the little flaws I have. It's really inspiring to watch her age gracefully.
I play around with different moisturizers—I like to change up my skin care. Right now I love Dior L'Or de Vie, La Crème. It's very hydrating. I also keep cleansing really simple. I've stuck with Cetaphil for years now; it's very gentle.
What is your red-carpet approach?
I don't think of myself as a trendsetter. I've always been more casual and effortless. I try to keep my red-carpet look classic. My makeup artist, Shane Paish, usually does some sort of smoky eye by lining my upper and lower lash line with waterproof liner and coating my lashes with tons of mascara. I'm lucky enough to have worked with the same crew who create a cohesive look with my hair, makeup, and styling.
In an iconic J'Adore TV commercial, you strut down a hallway while taking it all off—from jewelry to gown. Where does that confidence come from?
I've practiced yoga for many years, and it gives me energy and makes me feel really great. A few years ago, I also picked up cycling, which is better on my knees than running. I've learned you're not ever going to have any real success unless you find something that you can really implement into your lifestyle and really love.
The South Africa native prefers soft, beige shades of lip color, favoring Dior Addict Lipstick in Miss Dior; Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser is Theron's drugstore go-to; makeup artist and friend Shane Paish uses Dior Bronze Original Tan in Spicy Tan to warm up Theron's fair complexion; a few spritzes of Dior J'Adore perfume "makes you feel like you're wearing something expensive," she says; her anti-aging secret: daily slatherings of La Roche-Posay Anthelios 50 Mineral Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid SPF 50; Kérastase Reflection Bain Chroma Riche keeps Theron's blond strands shiny; "I always have the great La Mer lip balm close by," Theron says of her suitcase, purse, and clutch staple.
This Is A Developing Story
Don't Miss
|
[] |
Widgetized Section
The right to veil
By Emily Butselaar / 19 January, 2010
Suggesting banning women from dressing how they please is deeply offensive says Jess McCabe
Once again, the issue of veiling has resurfaced, this time after UKIP’s former party leader Nigel Farage called for Muslim women to be banned from covering their faces in public places and public buildings, according to the Guardian.
No doubt enlivened by the proposals for similar bans in France and Denmark (in the latter country, a recent study found that only the three women wear the burqa, along with a handful of women who wear the niqab). Farage wants us to believe such a ban would be neither “radical nor ridiculous”. The Guardian reports that he wants to impose such a ban in the name of: “preventing extremists from imposing their culture — including Sharia law — on Britain”.
When he talks about Muslim women who chose to wear the niqab (and other forms of veiling which involve covering their faces), as “imposing their culture” on Britain, we can learn a lot about where this illiberal and intolerant desire to uncover Muslim women comes from.
For Farage, the mere glimpse of a woman who chooses to veil in this way, and is therefore visibly ‘different’ to his concept of what British culture constitutes, is a threat. But what’s the real threat to British culture? Muslim women choosing to veil –– or UKIP, who wish to make this sartorial and religious choice illegal in public places?
Writing for the ever-so-sharp blog Muslimah Media Watch last year, Alicia said:
The fact that women covering their faces makes some people uncomfortable cannot, in a free, liberal society, be a justification for forcing them to conform to UKIP’s notions of what women should be wearing, or force them to choose between veiling and the right to enter public places and participate fully in society.
Given that Farage literally wants to restrict already marginalised women from accessing public space, his misuse of the rhetoric of feminism and women’s rights is ironic at best. And, perhaps it is no surprise he’s confused over what would increase women’s rights and what would restrict them, if we look at UKIP’s record on gender issues.
Jess McCabe is the editor of The F Word.
Tags: | | |
Challenge censorship. Fight mass surveillance. Support Index.
5 Responses to The right to veil
1. Pingback: Why free speech is a feminist issue | Index on Censorship
2. Karl Pfeifer Reply
22 January at 19:57
How comes, that Muslim countries like for instance Turkey ban the veil at their Universities?
And how about the bad example a teacher who wears such a veil would give the pupils?
Should a woman have the right to present herself before a court in veil?
3. Jess McCabe Reply
22 January at 14:11
Yep, Emily is right, I don’t see this as a special case, all attempts to control what women wear in public places are wrong.
That said, there’s undeniably a different texture to the calls for banning (some forms of) veiling, which a simple position against ‘censoring’ sartorial decisions would ignore. This is because it occurs in the context of ongoing Islamophobia and also, of course, sexist notions that women’s bodies are somehow ‘in the public domain’, and the intersection of these two issues with Orientalist notions about Muslim women.
I’d really recommend reading the MMW post I linked to, which very clearly draws the connections between (overwhelmingly) male calls for ‘unveiling’ Muslim women and Orientalism.
Those implications add layers to the debates on this ban that simply don’t apply in the same way to other cases.
The issue of shopping centres banning teenagers wearing hoodies, though, is linked up to classism of course, and therefore has its own layers to untangle.
4. Emily Butselaar Reply
20 January at 12:35
@Cannonball Jones
I’ll email your question onto her but I think its unlikely she’d see this as a special case just because the veil has a religious meaning.
The idea of telling women what they can/can’t wear in public places is repugnant whether its the veil or a hoodie.
5. Cannonball Jones Reply
20 January at 03:39
It is offensive, but where was the furor over kids being banned from wearing hoodies which obscured their faces while in shopping malls? Or protestors being banned from wearing masks. Seems like half of the protests against the proposed ban come from the “it’s special because it’s religious/cultural’ camp rather than making a more general argument which would cover all forms of ‘dress code censorship’. Would be interested to hear the author’s views either way on the other two cases I mentioned.
Leave a Reply
More in Comment, News and Analysis, United Kingdom
Commemorating Hrant Dink: “Let’s talk about the living”
|
[] |
Why people call me Pink Lady —Bhaira Mcwizu
on / in Showtime People 7:47 am / Comments
Reality TV show winner, Bhaira Mcwizu, who came out tops in the Nigerian Breweries Plc organised Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) 3 had her opportunity and made good use of it.
Her winning the show got her a starting role in Cindy’s Note directed by Izu Ojukwu, where she starred alongside notable stars like Nonso Diobi and Clem Ohameze.
Since then, Mcwizu has never looked back. The sexy actress who wouldn’t talk about her marriage or having a baby, bares her mind in this interview, on the just ended nationwide strike embarked upon by the organised labour and civil society groups to protest against the fuel subsidy removal. She also disclose why she is called the pink lady by her admirers.
By OGBONNA AMADI, Entertainment Editor
What’s your take on the Fuel Subsidy removal?
Its a combination of the usual suspects..the good and the bad. I don’t think Nigeria lacks people with a good thinking head. It angles more towards accountability.
I said good in the sense that it seems someone is actually thinking and they thought of a practicable idea and thinking more importantly about the future of a great Nigeria that hasn’t plundered her resources. Hmm…but with eyes shut, someone will also think of how to plunder the benefits that such a righteous and laudable idea would have otherwise produced. It’s disjointed and its a familiar script.
Were you involved in Occupy Nigeria group and what role did you play?
I was. Who wouldn’t? Nigeria is a great country regardless of contrary opinions. I spent time listening to dynamic people speak and what they said was enlightening. It brought hope and courage to our youthful hearts.
Most people didn’t even understand what the word ‘subsidization’ means. And perhaps the government shot itself in the feet by not explaining what they meant in simpler terms. But one thing was certain, they were red-eyes tired of corruption.
At least, the government made us think they wanted to stop corruption by removing the fuel Subsidy. But who knows, some of them may have hidden agendas. So, I have no other choice but to keep hope alive.
For the first time in the history of strike actions, the entertainment industry was actively involved. How do you react to the roles played by the several celebrities at the rallies?
It was important to realise that this wasn’t a red carpet event. Activism isn’t an easy thing and many ugly incidents can happen so that it can produce something good. And I’m happy because we all came prepared for the protest.
It was inspiring seeing great people like Femi Kuti, Ufuoma Ejenobor, the son of late Gani Fawehinmi, Fela Durotoye, Steve Harris and Waje protesting on the streets with other. Nigerians. And I believe the souls of great Nigeria martyrs were present with us. It was awakening to hear their speeches.
Did you lose anything during the strike as in movie roles and delayed productions?
Everyone lost one thing or the other. The woman on the street who can’t go out to sell her goods or buy food for her family obviously lost something, even an okada rider lost his life. The kids who can’t go to school because of the strike, travellers who were stuck in their home towns because of the increase in transportation fare. Everyone present or absent at the rally lost something valuable. So, with the strike action, everything came to a halt.
Take away politics, what’s been happening to you lately?
I’ve been at the right places at the right time, enjoying the dividends of my work. I now combine acting with other personal projects.
What are some of the things you are involved in currently?
Art is such a vast world and everything is linked to the other. So, I don’t have to leave acting, I just combine it with other things. But it’s not yet time to make public what I’m currently doing.
People say the movie industry is no longer as vibrant as it used to be, would you say the same?
The film industry reached some sort of plateau and it erupted. So, we should give ourselves adequate time to heal and remember the lessons we’ve learnt. But I think we should all unite to make things stronger.
How active have you been since you won the reality show?
Since I won the Amstel Box Office show 3, I’ve been quite active, thanks to God and the wonderful people who gave me a chance to nurture my dream. Aside the opportunities, my mind has opened to a new world where great things are possible everyday outside of acting. So that’s why I said that I now combine other things with acting.
By the way, how well off are you today in terms of movie roles and all that?
I am content but not satisfied because there are still new grounds to be explored. I want to ride in exotic cars like my predecessors. So, I love my job with the perks that come with it and I can’t complain.
Are you satisfied with the progress you have made in your career and has it measured up to your dreams and aspirations?
I’m always careful whenever I use the word ‘satisfied’ because it’s a deadlock. What I can say is that I’m amazed by God’s grace and thankful for the patience he gave me to make giant strides. I’m still young and have so much energy in me. So, my achievements today don’t really count because I always look forward to achieving more. So I’m still learning, dreaming and aspiring.
Are there challenges that have militated against your progress?
There would always be challenges as long as I am still alive.
Were there instances were some older colleagues were offered movies roles ahead of you?
I have never experienced such before. In fact, I believe you cant go wrong when you are doing the right especially when you are really doing the right thing. So, if you do the right thing, every other thing will surely fall in place.
Some people talk about sexual harassment and lesbianism in the movie industry, do you think they exist?
Anything is possible but what I believe is that you can’t force a grown man to do what he doesnt want to do in the first place. So, if someone allows herself to be harrassed because she wanst to get movie roles, it means she’ll definitely repeat it for any other job.
Do you also agree that there are cabals in the movie industry?
Anything is possible.If there are cabals in the movie industry then, I’m in the right place. It means the movie industry is very lucrative. I remember when I first met Nse-I watched her at the Abuja movie premier of Reloaded. I was blown away being in their midst because they gave us a film industry I respect so much.
You have acted alongside some of the best actors/actresses in the land, would you say you have been able to hold yours against some of them?
I can’t start to mention the names of great artistes I’ve acted with. I’ve acted in great movies like Cindy’s Notes to Commandment 7,a movie I just recently featured in by the way. I’ve been blessed by the goodness and patience of great actors and I say thank you to them.
Which of your movies would you say was the most challenging, why and how were you able to excel?
I think it’s the next movies I’m about to feature in. Although for every movie script I get, they tend to pose their own challenges but I’m always able to overcome them. But it’s a beautiful feeling once I get into the act, the fears just go away.
And is there a movie you acted in that you have any form of regret and why?
Life is truly the best teacher. And really, I’ve awoken to the fact that there’s no need to complain at every point in time. Those experiences were necessary for my growth as an actress. And perhaps, if I didn’t go through all those experiences, I wouldn’t be where I am today. So I enjoyed every set I worked in.
The classroom of reality shows are different worlds, could you share the experience of the first time you were pitched with some of the big names on a movie set and do you remember the movie?
My first experience was in the movie, Cindy’s Notes and Mr Clem Ohameze was truly kind to me on that set. His character was completely hilarious and we all had trouble keeping a straight face while working. I remember when I first met him, I felt cold shivers run through my spine when I thought of my character being pitched against his. All I wanted to do was run to him and tell him how impressed I was watching his movies years ago. But he didn’t feel bad about it. He’s a true professional.
Every woman is gifted with a strong point or two, so what part of your body do think attracts the opposite sex more?
I think it’s my legs and lips. That’s why I love to apply pink lipstick which explains why people nicked named me as Fuchsia Pink.
Print Email
|
[] |
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Alley in downtown Washington, D.C.
Broadway Alley, a rare alley in Manhattan, is not near Broadway
An alley usually called a ginnel in Moss Side, Manchester
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane found in urban areas, often for pedestrians only, which usually runs between or behind buildings. In older cities and towns in Europe, alleys are often what is left of a medieval street network, or a right of way or ancient footpath in an urban setting. In older urban development, alleys were built to allow for deliveries such as coal to the rear of houses. Alleys may be paved, or simply dirt tracks. A blind alley has no outlet at one end and is thus a cul-de-sac.
Many modern urban developments do not incorporate alleys, but some may provide a service road to allow for waste collection, or rear access for fire engines and parking. Andrés Duany, American architect and urban planner, has long espoused the use of alleys as leading to a better integration of automobile and foot traffic in a neighborhood.[citation needed]
United States[edit]
In the United States alleys exist in both older commercial and residential areas, for both service purposes and automobile access. In residential areas, primarily those built before 1950, alleys provide rear access to property where a garage was located, or where waste could be collected by service vehicles. A benefit of this was the location of these activities to the rear, less public side of a dwelling. Such alleys are typically roughly paved, but some may be dirt. By 1950 they had largely disappeared from development plans for new homes.
Chicago, Illinois has about 1,900 miles (3,100 km) of alleyways.[1] In 2007, the Chicago Department of Transportation started converting conventional alleys which were made out of asphalt, into so called Green Alleys. This program, called the Green Alley Program, is supposed to enable easier water runoff, as the alleyways in Chicago are not connected to the sewer system. With this program, the water will be able to seep through semipermeable concrete or asphalt in which a colony of fungi and bacteria will establish itself. The bacteria will help breakup oils before the water is absorbed into the ground. The lighter color of the pavement will also reflect more light, making the area next to the alley cooler.[2]
New York City[edit]
Several residential neighborhoods in Austin, Texas have comprehensive alley systems. These include Hyde Park, Rosedale and areas northwest of the Austin State Hospital.
United Kingdom[edit]
• In England there are numerous words used locally to describe alleys that are narrow pavements between or behind buildings.
Scotland and Northern Ireland[edit]
Other countries[edit]
This 17th century doorway, a national monument of The Netherlands, at Smedestraat 33, Haarlem, opens to an alleyway.
• In Australia and Canada the terms lane, laneway, right-of-way[7] and serviceway are also used.
• In some parts of the United States and Canada, alleys are sometimes known as rear lanes or back lanes because they are at the back of buildings. "Mews" is also used for some alleys or small streets in Manhattan.
• In the Netherlands the equivalent term is steeg. Cities such as Amsterdam have many stegen running between the major streets, roughly parallel to each other but not at right angles to the streets. See [1].
• In Belgium the equivalent term is gang (Dutch) or impasse (French). Brussels had over 100 gangen/impasses, built to provide pedestrian access to cheap housing in the middle of blocks of buildings. Since 1858, many have now been demolished as part of slum-clearance programmes, but about 70 still exist.[8]
• In India the equivalent term is Gali which were prevalent during Moghul Period (1526 C.E. to 1700 C.E.)
Other languages[edit]
"Alley" is of French origin, meaning "a way to go", and has been adapted in English as above. It is also used in parts of Europe such as Croatia and Serbia as a name for a boulevard, an avenue or a parkway (such as Bologna Alley in Zagreb). The Swedish word "allé" and the German word "Allee" refers to any type of road lined with trees (such as Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin). Czech and some other Slavic languages use the term "ulička" instead,[9] a diminutive form of "ulice", the word for street.
Other meanings[edit]
See also[edit]
1. ^ Link text, Using alleys to fight heat, water runoff, Chicago Suntimes.
2. ^ Conscious Choice
3. ^ Gray, Christopher. "Streetscapes: Are Manhattan's Right Angles Wrong?" New York Times (23 October 2005)
4. ^ 'Putting SY on the wordmap', BBC, 22 August 2005
5. ^ Where I live:Sussex dialect words
6. ^ Jones, Mark W. A Walk Around the Snickelways of York
7. ^ "Rights-of-Way or Laneways in Established Areas- Guidelines" (pdf). Planning Bulletin No 33. Western Australian Planning Commission. July 1999. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
8. ^ Impasses de Bruxelles, Lucia Gaiardo, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale-Ville de Bruxelles, 2000
9. ^ " Translation of "ulička"". Retrieved 18 February 2010.
10. ^ Typographical definition of "Alley"
External links[edit]
• Media related to Alleys at Wikimedia Commons
|
[] |
Cyrano de Bergerac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Cyrano de Bergerac (writer))
Jump to: navigation, search
Cyrano de Bergerac
Born (1619-03-06)6 March 1619
Paris,[1] France
Died 28 July 1655(1655-07-28) (aged 36)
Sannois, France
Occupation Playwright
Life and works[edit]
He is the son of Abel de Cyrano, lord of Mauvières and Bergerac, and Espérance Bellanger. He received his first education from a country priest, and had for a fellow pupil his friend and future biographer, Henri Lebret. He then proceeded to Paris, and the heart of the Latin Quarter, to the college de Dormans-Beauvais,[1] where he had as master Jean Grangier, whom he afterwards ridiculed in his comedy Le Pédant joué (The Pedant Tricked) of 1654. At the age of nineteen, he entered a corps of the guards, serving in the campaigns of 1639 and 1640.[2]
The author Ishbel Addyman claims that he was not a Gascogne aristocrat, but a descendant of Sardinian fishmonger, that the Bergerac appellation stemmed from a small estate near Paris where he was born, and not in Gascony, that he may have suffered tertiary syphilis. He is likely to have been homosexual and around 1640 he became the lover of Charles Coypeau d'Assoucy,[3] a writer and musician, until around 1653, when they became engaged in a bitter rivalry. This led to Bergerac sending d'Assoucy death threats that compelled him to leave Paris. The quarrel extended to a series of satirical texts by both men.[3] Bergerac wrote Contre Soucidas (an anagram of his enemy's name) and Contre un ingrat (Against an ingrate), while D'Assoucy counterattacked with Le Combat de Cyrano de Bergerac avec le singe de Brioché, au bout du Pont-Neuf (The battle of Cyrano de Bergerac with the monkey of Brioché, at the end of the Pont-Neuf). He also associated with Theophile de Viau, the French poet and a suspected sodomite.
Statue in Bergerac, Dordogne (Place de la Myrpe)
The play suggests that he was injured by a falling wooden beam in 1654 while entering the house of his patron, the Duc D'Arpajon. However the academic and editor of Cyrano's works Madeleine Alcover uncovered a contemporary text which clearly points to an attack on the Duke's carriage in which a member of his household was injured. This is a much more likely scenario for Cyrano's fatal accident. It is as yet inconclusive as to whether or not his death was a result of the injury, or an unspecified disease.[4] He died over a year later on July 28, 1655, aged 36, at the house of his cousin, Pierre De Cyrano, in Sannois. He was buried in a church in Sannois. However there is strong evidence to support the theory that his death was a result of a botched assassination attempt as well as further damage to his health caused by a period of confinement in a private asylum, orchestrated by his enemies, who succeeded in enlisting the help of his own brother Abel de Cyrano.
In 1897, the French poet Edmond Rostand published a play, Cyrano de Bergerac, on the subject of Cyrano's life. This play, by far Rostand's most successful work, concentrates on Cyrano's love for the beautiful Roxane, whom he is obliged to woo on behalf of a more conventionally handsome but less articulate friend, Christian de Neuvillette.
The play has been adapted for cinema several times, in 1990 with Gérard Depardieu in the title role. That 1990 version's dialogue is in French with subtitles written by Anthony Burgess in rhymed couplets, mirroring the form of the dialogue in the original play. The most famous film version in English is the 1950 film, with José Ferrer in the title role, a performance for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Other works[edit]
Title page to 1919 edition of "The Adventures of Cyrano De Bergerac" by Louis Gallet
"The Adventures of Cyrano De Bergerac", by Louis Gallet, was published in English by Jarrolds Publishers (London) in 1900. This is a swashbuckling tale of adventure and romance bearing no resemblance to Rostand's play, other than the outstanding physical characteristics of the De Bergerac character.
Geraldine McCaughrean rewrote the play as a novel entitled Cyrano, which was longlisted for the Carnegie Award in 2007. In 1936, Franco Alfano composed his opera, Cyrano de Bergerac, to a libretto based on the play. Eino Tamberg composed another opera titled Cyrano de Bergerac in 1974, to a libretto by Jaan Kross, based on Rostand's play.[5] David Bintley, Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, created a ballet of the story in 2007. Most recently, David DiChiera rewrote the play as another opera entitled Cyrano, which was produced first by Michigan Opera Theater and then by the Opera Company of Philadelphia (February 2008).
In 1998, James L. Carcioppolo wrote and published The Lost Sonnets of Cyrano de Bergerac. The book fictionalizes a dying Cyrano writing a sequence of sonnets in an attempt to come to terms with his conflicted life. It portrays a Cyrano very close to the historical personage without diminishing his love for freedom and individuality.
See also[edit]
1. ^ a b Chronologie, Voyage dans la lune, Garnier-Flammarion 1970, p. 7
2. ^ a b c Wikisource Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Cyrano de Bergerac, Savinien". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press
3. ^ a b Addyman, Ishbel, Cyrano: The Life and Legend of Cyrano de Bergerac, (Simon & Schuster, 2008), ISBN 0743286197
4. ^ Afterword to Cyrano de Bergerac's The Other World - by Don Webb
5. ^ "Tamberg, Eino". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians 25 (Second ed.). London. 2001.
External links[edit]
|
[] |
My friend is trying to use LaTeXit on Mac OS X 10.6, but he is running into this error when he tries to run the program.
gs not found or does not work as expected
the current configurations of LaTeXit requires gs to work.
He has downloaded the MacTex installer and successfully installed it on his computer. TexShop works find, but I have no idea why this error would be coming up.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.
|
[] |
New York State Chemistry RegentsNew York State Earth Science Regents
Organization of Life
Living Environment Regents August 2008 Question 05 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2008
Correct Answer – Option 3 - Mitochondrion
Mitochondria provide the energy a cell needs to move, divide, produce secrete products, contract - in short, they are the power centers of the cell. They are distinct organelles with two membranes. Usually they are rod-shaped, however they can be round. The outer membrane limits the organelle. The inner membrane is thrown into folds or shelves that project inward. These are called "cristae mitochondriales".
Chloroplasts are specialized organelles found in all higher plant cells. These organelles contain the plant cell's chlorophyll, hence provide the green color. Chloroplasts capture light energy to conserve free energy in the form of ATP and reduce NADP to NADPH through a complex set of processes called photosynthesis.
Ribosomes are minute particles composed of protein and ribonucleic acid (RNA) that serves as the site of protein synthesis.
Vacuole is a membrane bound sac that plays a role in intracellular digestion and release of cellular waste products.
Living Environment Regents August 2008 Question 33 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2008
Correct Answer – Option 4 – D and F – gas exchange
D is the outer cell membrane of the cell and F are the lungs in the human body. Both these organs help exchange of gases. Hence, option 4 is the correct answer.
A is the nucleus of the cell which does not transmit nerve impulse. G is the liver which also does not transmit nerve impulse. Hence, option 1 is incorrect.
Photosynthesis takes place in chloroplasts and part B is mitochondria. Also, part E is the brain in the human body. Hence, option 2 is incorrect.
Plant cells respire using chloroplasts and not the cytoplasm in the cell which is part c. Also digestion in the human body occurs in the stomach and not the large intestine which is part H. Hence, option 3 is incorrect.
Living Environment Regents August 2008 Question 35 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2008
Correct Answer – Option 2 – both inside and outside the nucleus
Option 2 is correct since according to the table DNA is present in the nucleus and the mitochondrion.
According to the table DNA is absent in the cell wall and cell membrane. Hence, the interpretation thatDNA functions within cytoplasm and outside of cell membrane in option 1 is incorrect.
Nucleus is not an energy releasing structure. However DNA is functional and present in the nucleus also. Hence, the interpretation that DNA is functional only within energy-releasing structures in option 3 is incorrect.
There is no information about vacuoles in the table above. Hence, we cannot arrive at the interpretation that DNA is functional in the vacuoles. Hence, option 4 is incorrect.
Living Environment Regents August 2008 Question 40 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2008
Correct Answer – Option 2 – The cells of gland B and C contain different receptors than the cells of gland A
The receptors help in initiation of activity and specific receptors help in initiating generation of specific hormones. Hence, options 1, 3 and 4 are incorrect.
Living Environment Regents August 2010 Question 02 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2010
Correct answer: (2) excretory system-remove potentially dangerous materials from the body
The primary organ of the excretory system is the kidney, which filers the blood to remove wastes, thereby maintaining homeostasis. The basic unit of the kidney is a nephron, which serves as a filtering unit. As blood flows through the nephron and then to the capillaries of the glomerulus in high pressure, water, glucose, vitamins, amino acids, protein waste products, salts, and ions from the blood pass out of the capillaries into the Bowman's capsule. Since blood cells and most proteins are too large to pass through the walls of the capillaries, these components are retained in the blood vessels.
From the Bowman's capsule, the filtered liquid passes through a u-shaped tubule where most of the ions and water, and all of the glucose and amino acids are reabsorbed into the bloodstream to maintain homeostasis. Thus, excess water, waste molecules, and excess ions become urine, which flows out of the kidneys through the ureter, then into the urinary bladder, and, after which, exits the body through the urethra.
Incorrect answers:
(1) immune system-intake and distribution of oxygen to cells of the body
The immune system protects the body against invasion of disease-producing agents such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The body system in charge of intake and distribution of oxygen to the cells of the body is the respiratory system.
(3) digestive system-transport energy-rich molecules to cells
The main function of the digestive system is to disassemble ingested food into its simpler form so that it can be used as energy for the body. The transport of energy-rich molecules to cells is a function of the circulatory system.
(4) circulatory system-produce building blocks of complex compounds
The circulatory system transports nutrients, gases, hormones, blood cells, nitrogen waste products, from cell to cell of the body to help fight diseases, help stabilize body temperature and pH to maintain homeostasis.
Living Environment Regents August 2010 Question 04 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2010
Correct answers: (2) active transport, recognition of chemical messages, protection
The cell membrane is a semi-permeable membrane that separates and protects the cell from the outside environment. It controls the passage of molecules and ions in and out of the cell through passive or active transport. During passive transport, substances move through diffusion, while in active transport, energy and transport molecules are used to move substance through the cell membrane against concentration or electrochemical gradient.
Incorrect answers:
(1) protein synthesis, respiration, digestion of food molecules
Ribosomes are the sites where cell assembles proteins. On the other hand, respiration occurs in the mitochondria and digestion of molecules is a function of lysosomes.
(3) enzyme production, elimination of chemical messages, duplication of DNA codes
Lysosomes are membrane-enclosed sacs of hydrolytic enzymes that the cell uses to eliminate macromolecules. These enzymes can hydrolyze proteins, complex sugars, fats, and nucleic acids. DNA replication or duplication of DNA codes occurs in the nucleus.
(4) release of ATP molecules, regulation of cell reproduction, food production
Mitochondria are the sites of cellular respiration, the catabolic process that generates ATP by extracting energy from sugars, fats, and other fuels with the help of oxygen. Cell reproduction is regulated in the nucleus. Production of proteins occurs in the ribosomes.
Living Environment Regents August 2010 Question 05 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2010
Correct answer: (3) weakened viruses associated with the infection
Vaccines are harmless variants or derivatives of pathogenic microbes that stimulate the immune system to mount defenses against the actual pathogen. The term vaccine came from the word "vacca" which means cow in Latin. Edward Jenner, an English physician, formulated the first vaccine against smallpox virus in 1796. He learned from his patients in farm country that milkmaids who had slight cowpox (a milder disease that usually infect cows) were resistant to subsequent smallpox infections. He did his experiment by scratching a boy with a needle that contains a fluid from a sore of a milkmaid who had cowpox. The boy was later exposed to smallpox and he resisted the disease.
Incorrect answers:
(1) live bacteria that ingest viruses
Vaccines may contain weaker versions of pathogenic bacteria, but these will not ingest viruses. The bacteria will turn on the defense system of the body so that when the stronger bacteria invade the system, it has already formed the resistance against them.
(2) white blood cells from an infected individual
White blood cells are naturally occurring components of the blood produced by the hematopoietic stem cell that are involved in the defense against pathogens.
(4) a variety of microbes that will attack the virus
Vaccines cannot contain different types of microbes because these might cause various diseases to the individual.
Living Environment Regents August 2010 Question 06 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2010
Correct answer: (2) have the same genetic information but perform different specialized functions
Almost all cells in the body contain the same DNA or genetic information. However, not all genes in the DNA are expressed in all body parts. Expression of the genes is dependent of the function of the cells. For example, only the genes that code for the function of the heart are expressed in the cells of the cardiac muscles.
Incorrect answers:
(1) produce a hormone involved in respiration
The heart is an organ of the circulatory system which pumps blood all throughout the body. Thus, the statement is only true for lungs, which is the primary organ for respiration.
(3) use one part of the genetic code to synthesize all enzymes needed by the cell
Genetic codes are represented by nucleic acids that code for the formation of proteins like enzymes. Thus, different genetic codes are needed to form various types of enzymes depending on their structure and function.
(4) contain different numbers of DNA molecules
All cells in the body contain the same DNA molecules, whether it is in the nucleus of the cells in the heart or in the lungs.
Living Environment Regents August 2010 Question 12 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2010
Correct answer: (1) four types of base subunits
Each cell has a nucleus, where most of the genetic information is stored. In the nucleus, there are chromosomes, composed of coiled DNA molecules. Each segment of the DNA corresponds to a gene. Genes are made up of four types of nitrogenous bases-adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine. The combination of these bases will dictate which amino acids will be formed, which in turn will compose a protein (Kindly confirm).
The four macromolecules of life are protein, carbohydrate, lipids, and nucleic acids. Each of these is entirely different from the other, with different structures and functions.
Incorrect answers:
(2) folded chains of glucose molecules
A glucose unit is an example of a monosaccharide, which is a simple sugar or carbohydrate. A gene is a portion of the DNA, which is a nucleic acid.
(3) twenty different kinds of amino acids
Amino acid is the basic unit of a protein. Genes, which code (The word "code" seems awkward. Kindly explain this jargon further.) for the expression of proteins, are composed of nucleic acids which is an entirely different kind of macromolecule.
(4) complex, energy-rich inorganic molecules
Inorganic molecules are usually present in minerals, not in biological compounds found in the body.
Living Environment Regents August 2010 Question 19 PDF Print E-mail
NYS Living Environment Regents August 2010
Correct answer: (1) foreign antigens
Antigens are foreign molecules that do not belong to the host organism and that elicit an immune response. Pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, are the usual antigens encountered by the body. When an organ is transplanted from another individual (donor), some of the molecules in that organ may be recognized as foreign and harmful by the host's immune system. Thus, drugs are necessary to suppress the immune system from recognizing the components of the new organ as antigen.
Incorrect answers:
(2) foreign antibodies
Antibodies are antigen-binding immunoglobulins produced by the B cells that function as the effectors in an immune response. Antibodies are formed after the immune system recognizes the presence of an antigen. The immune system will only form antibodies in the donated organ once the system recognizes the presence of antigens.
(3) DNA molecules
The organ is composed of body cells that contain the DNA. However, the expression (the term "expression" seems awkward. Is this a jargon?) of the genes in the DNA do not elicit an immune response.
(4) pathogenic microbes
Pathogenic microbes are considered as antigens. When organs are transplanted from one body to another, the donor undergoes procedures that ensures that the organ for donation do not contain any pathogens that will be harmful to the host.
Page 1 of 9
Copyright Information
|
[] |
Back when SuperHero comics started in TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks, there were no "universes" at first. Each character's adventures took place in their own little bubble. This came to an end with the first team-ups, such as the JusticeSocietyOfAmerica, or the "war" between the original Human Torch and [[{{Namor}} Sub-Mariner]]. Slowly, individual characters became part of a greater whole.
This, however, led to a few questions. While it might make sense that a FreakLabAccident could increase someone's natural strength and speed to superhuman levels, the fact that {{million to one chance}}s had independently gifted fifty or sixty different people with different powers started to stretch {{Willing Suspension of Disbelief}}. And as the comics started appealing to an older target demographic, they started noticing such things more and more.
Thus, certain {{retcon}}s were set up, changing it so that there was a ''reason'' why so many people were suddenly receiving super-powers. Essentially, this was the origin of the origins; thus, the MetaOrigin.
ILoveNuclearPower, LightningCanDoAnything and similar tropes tend to be [[JustifiedTrope explained away]] by showing that the dangerous experience ''really'' just activated something latent, or brought one to the attention of an extradimensional force.
On a much smaller scale, this can also refer to the effect of a RetCon or reinterpretation that directly links individual character origins in ways not present in the original formulation.
This tends to be built into the world when new SuperHero worlds are created from the ground up.
A related concept is the MagneticPlotDevice, which could be considered the meta origin of all the weird stuff that happens to you. In many cases, the Meta Origin will become the Magnetic Plot Device for that particular story, although the two concepts aren't always the same.
Contrast with FantasyKitchenSink, AllMythsAreTrue. See MassSuperEmpoweringEvent for non-{{Ret Con}}ned starting events providing everyone's superpowers and thus linking everyone together. See RandomlyGifted for a similar setting-wide explanation for the random appearance of powers. Can lead to DoingInTheWizard.
[[folder:Anime And Manga]]
* In ''{{Naruto}}'' everything remotely powerful can be traced back to the Sage of the Six Paths. Ninjutsu? Created by the Sage. The powerful Uchiha and Senju clans? [[spoiler: Descendants of the Sage]]. The Tailed Beasts? [[spoiler: Was originally the Ten Tails but split by the Sage]]. Rinnegan? [[spoiler: Eyes of the Sage]]. The Uzumaki clan? Related to Senju.
* In the Stars storyline for the ''SailorMoon'' manga, the Galaxy Cauldron essentially functions as this.
* In ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'', all of the various superpowers in the series can be traced back to [[spoiler:the dragons allied with the Organization's nation's enemies. The youma were created through experiments performed on a pair of captive dragons' flesh, and the Claymores are merely humans with youma flesh implanted in their bodies.]]
* In ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'', almost every supernatural being seen in the series is related to Alucard. [[spoiler:All of Millenium's vampires are simply knockoffs created with the remains of Mina Harker, one of Alucard's past victims who still retained a bit of his vampiric power.]] The Captain [[spoiler:a werewolf]] is one of the few exceptions.
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* The MarvelUniverse has SufficientlyAdvancedAlien AncientAstronauts called the "Celestials", who did experiments millions of years ago on proto-humanity, creating the offshoot races known as the Eternals and Deviants, as well as putting in the "X-gene", which causes the wide variety of super-powered mutants in the MU.
** In ''EarthX'', '''everything''' is a direct-or-indirect result of Celestial manipulation. The superhumans, the Kree, the Skrull, and even the Asgardians.
** In ''Marvel Knights Comicbook/{{Spider-Man}}'' #9, it was explained that, after World War II, big businessmen had feared superheroes would start interfering with politics and business, so they created most of the early supervillains, to keep them busy and make sure that ReedRichardsIsUseless. This hasn't been mentioned again since, and may have fallen into DorkAge status. Although it should be noted that the fourth issue of Daniel Way's Bullseye miniseries threw out the same concept at the same time (they were published the same month) [[StrangeMindsThinkAlike with no apparent contact between the two writers.]]
*** The one who suggested this was [[UnreliableExpositor a B-list supervillain on behalf]] of [[UnreliableNarrator an A-list supervillain]] who [[BetterLivingThroughEvil made a living creating and arming B-list supervillains]]. Perhaps it's best to consider it the supervillain equivalent of NAMBLA, trying to justify its villainy by appealing to historical records of pedophilia and saying "things have always been this way". Well, we used to drill holes in people's heads to let out the evil spirits, and we stopped doing that, too. ShutUpHannibal.
**** Well, [[ technically]] we still do, to relieve pressure instead of release evil spirits, but that's neither here nor there.
** In UltimateMarvel, everyone who isn't a mutant, an alien or a god has their powers derived from the SuperSoldier project or one of its offshoots. The mini-series ''Ultimate Origins'' elaborates on the Meta Origin and how it connects everything else; [[spoiler: it seems that the {{mutants}}, too, owe their origin to the project]].
** The forgotten miniseries ''Conspiracy'' implied this was largely true of the 616-verse as well but everyone's forgotten about that.
** In the Golden Age flashback miniseries MarvelsProject, it's implied that the super-soldier serum was derived from Atlantean DNA.
** TheNewUniverse had the "White Event", a sudden flash of energy over the entire surface of the Earth that gave one out of every 500,000 people powers. Later revealed to be [[spoiler:the first Star Brand wearer trying to rid himself of his power]]. A similar event [[spoiler:destroys Pittsburgh when the next Star Brand also becomes unsatisfied with his power]].
*** In the [[UltimateUniverse reimagined]] ''[[TheNewUniverse newuniversal]]'' [sic] series, the Earth enters a region of space controlled by a vast, ancient computer system that empowers several humans as heralds to help humanity adapt to the new physical laws. It's shown that this has happened before, but was interfered with by other humans each time.
** NeilGaiman's ''{{Marvel 1602}}'' empowers Elizabethan-era [[CaptainErsatz Captains Ersatz]] of mainstream Marvel characters by sending [[spoiler:CaptainAmerica back in time during a failed execution attempt, which "signals" to the universe that it's time for superheroes to start showing up.]]
** GrantMorrison's ''New Comicbook/{{X-Men}}'' run revealed that {{Wolverine}} was the product of a larger project dubbed Weapon Plus, which was also responsible for the creations of CaptainAmerica and the Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} foe Nuke, among others.
** The MarvelUniverse takes this to its limit with the little known AnthropomorphicPersonification called [[ Origin]], the origin of ''every'' empowered individual.
** ''Comicbook/{{Infinity}}'' and the followup, ''Inhumanity'', reveal that numerous humans across the globe possess dormant [[TheInhumans Inhuman]] genes, which can activate when they are exposed to the Terrigen Mists.
* TheDCU copied the Marvel concept when they introduced the "metagene" in the 1988 CrisisCrossover "ComicBook/{{Invasion}}!". When someone with this gene underwent a moment of extraordinary physical stress, the gene would activate, giving them some ability that would allow them to handle it. Any character who doesn't have powers from some other, explicit source is assumed to be a "metahuman".
** The titular hero of ''ComicBook/{{Hitman}}'' once recapped his origin from the 1992 CrisisCrossover "Bloodlines", and said "Even ''I'' think it's embarrassing." Said origin involved said metahumans having a specialized reaction that allowed them to survive when aliens with a taste for spinal fluid fed on them.
** It also has the "Speed Force", which links most [[SuperSpeed super-speed]] heroes (like the {{Flash}}) by positing that they draw the energy needed to break physics like they do from an extradimensional power source; it's implied that the Speed Force has a will of its own and needs to "notice" you to give you its powers, and it's also implied to be a sort of Heaven/Valhalla for dead speedsters.
** As well, there's the "Godwave" from the CrisisCrossover "War of the Gods", which was explained as creating both [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] and super-powered humans, but that seems to have been [[DorkAge quietly ignored]] since.
** In MilestoneComics (now part of the DCU), many supers are "Big Bang Babies" who got their powers when a massive gang fight was broken up by cops deploying tear gas that had (without the cops' knowledge) been laced with "quantum juice".
** Creator/AlanMoore's run on ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' established that all characters with plant powers ([[Franchise/{{Batman}} Poison Ivy]], [[TheAtom Floronic Man]], etc.) were connected to "the Green". Creator/NeilGaiman later added ComicBook/BlackOrchid, and revealed most of them were at university together. ''ComicBook/AnimalMan'' parallels it by establishing that Animal Man and all animal-based characters ([[Comicbook/TeenTitans Beast Boy]], [[Comicbook/DemonKnights Horsewoman]], ComicBook/{{Vixen}} etc.) are connected to "the Red". TheNew52 keeps this.
* The ValiantComics universe was a fairly ordinary universe with no supernatural aspects until a scientist named Phil Seleski accidentally created a "wish machine" that gave him [[RealityWarper god-like powers]]. Due to events too long to summarize, he wound up collapsing the entire universe into a black hole. He tried to restore it, but, because he was a superhero fan, he subconsciously recreated the universe as a more fantastic version of the original, complete with invading aliens, evil robots, sentient PoweredArmor and mutant-like "Harbingers".
* In the ''{{Wildstorm}}'' universe (now also part of the DCU), the main sources of powers were either [[HalfHumanHybrid alien ancestry]] (like the [[{{Wild Cats}} Wild C.A.T.S.]], who were all part or full Kherubim) or the [[{{Gen 13}} Gen-Factor]], a SuperSerum whose results were [[SuperPowerfulGenetics inheritable]]. The Century Babies also often had mysterious abilities, but their origin is unclear.
** In ''{{Planetary}}'' it was revealed that all Century Babies are [[spoiler: part of the universe's immunity system, created to stop attacks from [[AlternateUniverse Alternate Earths]].]]
** The mysterious comet that passed Earth in the 1970's, which was the cause of the powers of the Seedlings, not to mention the all-powerful yet crazed [=WarGuard=].
* In ''{{PS238}}'', metahuman powers, which come from a [[FantasyKitchenSink *huge* variety of sources]], are inborn or obtained in an equally large amount of ways; it is eventually revealed that [[spoiler:an unknown cosmic determinant appears to be responsible for whether or not humanity will have access to metahuman powers. The process is circular; ever so often, humans will start to develop/be exposed to superpowers, and then, following a short 'trial period', this determinant will select a 'chooser' from humanity to decide if this state of affairs will continue. If the chooser says no, the powers will be removed and humanity will have a century or two without them. If yes, metahumans will continue to exist. So far, every chooser has elected to say no.]]
* In Defiant Comics' shared universe, the powers could all be somehow traced back to "dreamtime" - humanity's collective ID that existed on another plane of reality. All super-powered humans either learned to tap into dreamtime and wished superpowers for themselves or got powers from dreamtime's native lifeforms.
* ''SupremePower'' links all of the powered heroes' origins to Hyperion's arrival on earth.
* ''Spider-Man: Chapter One'' retconned and fused Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus' origins.
* In the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse, both Banner / [[Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk the Hulk]] and Emil Blonsky / the Abomination gained their powers through attempts to replicate CaptainAmerica's SuperSerum. Banner thought he was researching ways to resist radiation and had no idea what his superiors were really after. Emil Blonsky's version of the serum seemed to work just fine, but when the Hulk still curb-stomped him he got greedy and demanded they inject him with even more dangerous crap.
** It's implied the the arc reactor created by Howard Stark was created by studying the Tessaract (an Asgardian artifact discovered by the Red Skull) which in turn was adapted and miniaturized by Tony Stark for his IronMan armor, linking Iron Man to Asgard by way of the SuperSoldier project.
** For the sake of simplicity and [[PragmaticAdaptation pragmatism]], ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'' reveals that [[spoiler: the Tesseract/Cosmic Cube and Aether are both [[TheInfinityGauntlet Infinity Stones]]. In the original comics, there is absolutely no relation between either of those objects and the Infinity Gems]].
* In HeroDotCom and VillainDotNet by Andy Briggs, the six Core Powers qualify, all other superpowers in existence being only twisted and weakened descendants of the Core Powers. One is a TimeMaster ability, one is a GravityMaster power, and the third known gives power over life and death.
** On a lesser level, the titular websites for Downloaders, since they don't have powers permanently like Primes, and have to absorb them through the internet.
* In Salman Rushdie's MagicRealism novel ''Midnight's Children'', 1001 babies born at midnight on the day that India achieves its independence gain low-level superpowers. One can reverse gender, another can [[PortalPool teleport through bodies of water]], and the main character can [[SpiderSense smell disaster]] and other things no one can smell. They're also all able to maintain telepathic contact with one another, and try to form a sort of national congress (it fails miserably).
* In the classic pulp horror novel ''Darker Than You Think'' by Creator/JackWilliamson, all the monstrous creatures of worldwide myth and legend (and most of the evil in the world) spring from Homo lycanthropus, a werewolf-vampire species of "witch men" who have lived secretly alongside "real men" since prehistoric times and can interbreed with Homo sapiens.
* Creator/PhilipJoseFarmer's Wold Newton Family concept posited the Wold Newton meteorite as a source of mutation, which, while generally not producing metahumans, produced an extended family including Tarzan, Doc Savage et al.
* Christopher Stasheff's ''Literature/WarlockOfGramarye'' series reveals that the existence of so many mythological creatures on the world of Gramarye is due to the presence of "witch-moss," which can be psychically shaped.
* In the WildCards book series, all human supers get their powers via infection with the Wild Card virus. This also explains why so damn many of them live in New York City; that's where the virus was originally released.
* In ''WearingTheCape'', all superhumans are "breakthroughs"--individuals who's powers manifested in response to great physical stress or emotional trauma. Superhumans themselves began appearing in the aftermath of the Event (a worldwide phenomena where every living person experienced complete sensory deprivation for 3.2 seconds), but neither the Event nor the source of superhuman powers is every explained.
* In Literature/DarkLife, living at the high pressures of the undersea homesteads gives people "Dark Gifts".
* In ''Literature/TheGrimnoirChronicles'' books by Larry Correia, all powers come from a vast cosmic entity known as ... well, The Power.
[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Where the {{DCU}} has the Speed Force, ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' has the Morphing Grid. In ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers,'' the series' first incarnation, it was a term frequently tossed out in {{technobabble}} but never defined. Dusted off over a decade later, it seems that ''all'' Rangers, whether their apparent power source is magic, technology, GreenRocks, or some combination thereof, are actually powered by a connection to the Grid. The Grid is potentially explained in ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'' (that's season ''seventeen'') to be an energy field produced by the bioelectricity of living beings, but ''RPM'' never acknowledges it by name (it was described as a "grid" so we're assuming it's ''the'' Grid) and takes place in a separate universe from the rest. In any case, it's still not explained how the various apparent power sources and the Grid interact with each other.
** {{Fanon}} suggests that the morphing powers tap into the grid to access the uniform and weapons, it is sort of a canon HyperspaceArsenal. The Grid doesn't necessarily supply the power to the morphers but it instead channels that power into what they need. That's why the different teams with wildly different power sources can all use the morphing grid, you just need to figure out how to channel the grid abilities. This also explains why in teamups, the power-ups and weapons are easily compatible with other teams. There are other characters within the franchise that can "Morph" without being called Rangers, such as MaskedRider and (debatably) the [[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy Magna Defender]].
* All the superpowers on ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' supposedly come from certain people evolving a sort of "superpower gene," like in Comicbook/XMen. However, a few scenes, as well as some WordOfGod comments, suggest there might be a quasi-religious aspect determining which people are granted which powers.
** A two-parter in season 3 attempted to retcon an explanation that an eclipse was what caused the characters' latent powers to emerge, with another eclipse taking those powers away. Completely neglected is the fact that ''many'' characters had been using their powers ''before'' the first eclipse.
*** WordOfGod has suggested that an eclipse just marks some sort of significant event for people with powers and that this happens with every eclipse.
* Similar to the Morphing Grid concept, the CrisisCrossover GrandFinale of ''KamenRiderWizard'' introduces the Cross of Fire, which is stated to be the literal embodiment of the powers granted to each of the Franchise/{{Kamen Rider}}s throughout the franchise's history.
* The superhumans in the TV version of ''PainkillerJane'' were all either "[[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Neuros]]" who shared a neurological abberation, or were empowered by a Neuro.
** Also, all Neuros are, apparently, [[spoiler:rejected test subjects of the corporation investigated in the pilot, and their powers are unintended consequences of messing with the brain]]. Jane, with her HealingFactor, is an advanced Neuro who can't be [[PowerNullifier chipped]].
* In ''Series/TheFortyFourHundred'', everyone's powers are due to everyone getting a fifth neural transmitter, promicin, when they were kidnapped by the future.
[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* The entirety of ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' is one big Meta Origin, with the various types of Exalted having been literally Chosen By The Gods to receive their powers.
* The ''MutantsAndMasterminds'' setting ''Paragons'' has everyone's powers emerge in the past few years due to one source; however, that unified source is left deliberately vague, though the book heavily hints that the world of myth is leaking back into reality.
** The setting ''Shards: Unsung Destiny'', featured in the sourcebook ''Mecha & Manga'', has all powers come from special crystals deposited on Earth by a comet.
* In the TabletopGame/TrinityUniverse, Novas and Psions both have the same latent genetic potential that is later activated by some outside stimulus, particularly the presence of existing Novas or Psions. In ''Aberrant'', a large number of Novas were activated by the explosion of the ''Galatea'', and in ''Trinity'', most Psions are activated by dunking in one of the psi-orders' Prometheus Chambers.
* ''International Super Teams'', the official super hero roleplaying setting for ''{{GURPS}}'', traces powers back to the Seeders, [[{{Precursors}} Precursor-like]] aliens who uplift dead-end species by adding the potential for sapience and a racial super power (to be determined by its evolution and environmental stresses) to the species' genetic code. In the case of Earth, humanity's engineered ancestors suffered a solar radiation event which ''suppressed'' most of the Seeder genes; only intelligence evolved until another radiation event in the late 1920s reactivated the "power genes", which then began to express themselves more or less randomly from individual to individual.
* In ''Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark'', the members of the Sinister Six have their comic origins completely ignored. Instead, they're all researchers who end up BoundAndGagged and mutated by their former employer, NormanOsborn.
[[folder:Video Games]]
* The backstory of ''CityOfHeroes'' involves the original SuperHero and his RivalTurnedEvil opening Pandora's Box, unleashing the last four millennia of humanity's stored creativity. This was in the early 1930s, again paralleling TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks. In the novel ''Web of Arachnos'', it's claimed that the last time the box was opened, it led to the gods of Greek myth. But it's also said specifically that not ''all'' beings of legend were born of its power...
** There's also "the Nuclear 90", "90 children from around the world all born in one year with an unusual mutation that gives them natural magnetic nuclear fusion reactors for hearts, and the ability to channel energy from their internal reactor for a variety of super powers." The only one of these who's currently a character in the game is the {{NPC}} Fusionette.
** A story arc included in Issue 12 notes that the first mutants appeared after 1938, corresponding to the earliest human-controlled nuclear fission.
** There's also the MetaOrigin of the Origins themselves, and the apparent web that connects and entangles all super-powered beings -- meaning that there is, apparently, a reason that going through TrainingFromHell doesn't give everyone superpowers, or that scientific accidents don't always cause powers...
*** Many players prefer to ignore that explanation, especially with it being [[RetCon shoehorned in]] after several years of having no explanation for how origins really work. Plus many didn't like the implication that all origins, even TrainingFromHell, were really all due to some form of magic.
* ''Lionheart'' had King Richard the Lionheart's aggressive hoarding of [[ReligionIsMagic holy relics]] during the Third Crusade result in an [[PhlebotinumOverload explosion of magical energy]], the "Disjunction", that caused human beings to begin manifesting magical powers, significantly altered the geography of western Europe, and turned ordinary animals into mythological beasts.
* Most of the characters in ''FreedomForce'' got their powers from a mysterious form of energy imaginatively called "Energy X". This energy is explained as the "secret weapon" of the multiverse-spanning empire known as the Domain. Their leader, Lord Dominion, thinking that Earth, the only place he hasn't conquered, won't prove to be a challenge, orders his underlings to give Energy X to the most evil people on Earth in the hopes that they will destroy Humanity and each other. However, a rebel named Mentor steals all the Energy X canisters and tries to bring them to Earth, so he can give them to the most ''heroic'' people on Earth... only to be shot down by the pursuing fleet, causing the canisters to rain down on Earth, and giving powers to those who happened to be in their vicinity.
** This is taken even further by the sequel, ''Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich''. At the end, [[spoiler:it is revealed that Energy X is actually a sentient being]]. This was probably planned to be further explained in another sequel, but at this point that seems pretty unlikely.
** A few of the origins are questionable. Eve may or may not get her power from Pan, for instance. Another ''may'' be getting it from a Wiccan goddess, the origin video is actually ambiguous on that point but she thinks so. And it's never explained exactly who Blitzkrieg is and where he got his powers.
*** Pan himself is an example of a character who appears to have had powers long before the Energy X spill happened.
** Amusingly enough, the company that created FreedomForce would later go on to create Bioshock...
* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'', starting in ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha Alpha]]'', handles this surprisingly well, especially with how many series the games have to balance. Most of them involve HumanAliens, AncientAstronauts, and so on. A few games even mix the different varieties of [[AppliedPhlebotinum Phlebotinum]] as manifestations of some greater, overarching power in the universe.
** In ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha 3'' MassiveMultiplayerCrossover of many HumongousMecha anime reveals, that game's BigBad, Kaiser Ephes [[spoiler: was TheManBehindTheMan of game's original villains]] and made all anime's Big Bads, that appeared in game, choose path that led them against our heroes.
* ''Videogame/BatmanArkhamCity'' retcons Solomon Grundy's origin and ability to die and resurrect to [[spoiler:a Lazarus Pit in the swamp near Gotham City where his body was dumped, these Lazarus Pits are part of a big scheme by Ra's Al-Ghul]].
* Many characters from {{Mindmistress}} have connected origins. [[spoiler: Mindmistress and Forethought gained their intellect from the same source. Moodswing and members of Venegance Inc. mutated because of the same thing. Moodswing's belt and tsunami-causing rod of sea people were both created by Miraclemaker. And there's bunch of character created by mindmistress actions]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* In the WhateleyUniverse, people with the "meta-gene complex" may just manifest as a mutant (typically around age fourteen) for no known reason. However, at least a sixth of everyone on earth has this genetic structure, and yet there are only thousands of mutants. The roughly 600 mutants at Whateley Academy represent by far most of the high-school age mutants on the planet.
* ''AcademyOfSuperHeroes'' has the Magene, which gives one the ability to, essentially, break the laws of physics. The original holders in prehistory were powerful wizards, and the most powerful [[AncientAstronauts became the gods of mythology]]. In the modern day, the gene is far more diluted, resulting in superhumans. There are highly-detailed classifications detailing what kind and how powerful a particular individual's physics-violating abilities are.
* The ''GlobalGuardiansPBEMUniverse'' copied the Marvel solution by having SufficientlyAdvancedAlien AncientAstronauts, the P!k Gardeners, experiment on early protohumans millions of years ago, adding the metagene to human DNA, thus allowing the possibility of superpowers. The [[MassSuperEmpoweringEvent 1908 Tunguska explosion]] caused extraterrestrial biomolecules to spread around the world and bond to human DNA, causing superhuman children to be born.
* In the comicbook-styled Omega universe, all superpowers (be they [[RitualMagic magic]], [[PsychicPowers psychic]] or even [[KiAttacks chi]]), come from the same source i.e. all humans are at least latent psychics. [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual Omegas]] generally activate with a single power while mages use rituals to temporarily access their dormant psychic talents. The gods in the setting didn't create humanity, it was the other way around.
* In ''Literature/{{Worm}}'', [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual parahumans]] gain their powers through a process called a "trigger event," where the individual goes through a highly traumatic experience and gains superpowers from it. The reasons for this, and for disruptions in the pattern (such as Case 53s, or inhuman parahumans, and extremely powerful parahumans such as Scion and the Endbringers) are major plot points later in the story.
** [[spoiler: All superpowers (include the SuperSerum variants created by Cauldron) come from pieces of vast extra-dimensional beings often called "passengers" or 'agents'. One of these beings is [[PhysicalGod Scion]], the first "parahuman" to come into existence; the other one giving powers to humans is known as [[FanNickname Eden]], and has been harvested by Cauldron for the power-giving shards to turn into their [[SuperSerum Super Serums]].]]
* Some of the proposals for the [[ SCP-001]] article of the Wiki/SCPFoundation are about what's caused the Foundation universe to have so many paranormal entities and phenomenon.
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The 1990s ''SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'' has the science of "Neogenics", which is basically the science of applying LegoGenetics to an existing life-form (why take years to grow your super-mutant to adulthood when you can zap someone who is already an adult?) in a process that involves a kind of radiation. The spider that bit Peter hadn't been zapped by generic [[ILoveNuclearPower radiation]], but with a "neogenic recombinator". Neogenics goes on to be responsible for the transformation Lizard, Scorpion, Vulture, and Morbius, mostly preserving their comic-book origins but pulling them together in a way that makes it a bit more plausible than a bunch of MillionToOneChance accidents.
** Also, in the Six Forgotten Warriors arc, CaptainAmerica brand SuperSerum is responsible for six [[TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] heroes as well as Black Cat.
* Similarly, ''TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': Many of the previously unconnected villains now related back to Oscorp: Dr. Octopus worked as a scientist there, Toomes became the Vulture because Oscorp stole his technology (which is later used in the Green Goblin's glider), Sandman and Rhino get their powers from Oscorp experiments, Shocker gets his suit as the result of Norman Osborn's machinations, and so on. Interestingly, one of the few major villains in the series whose origin ''was'' related to Oscorp in the comics universe, Tombstone, has a criminal-working relationship with the company, and nothing more.
** ''Spectacular'' also makes use of the ESU genetics lab: For one thing, it's where Spider-Man himself got his powers. Then there was the accident with electric eels that created Electro, which in turn affected Doc Connors' Lizard serum. Doctor Warren later used the Lizard serum research to give Kraven powers. And to top things off, the symbiote later known as Venom was to be studied in the lab, too.
* In ''WesternAnimation/UltimateSpiderMan'', both Comicbook/{{Venom}} and Carnage are genetically-engineered from samples of Spider-Man's blood, while the Rhino and the Lizard are products of Doctor Octopus. Additionally, the Awesome Android is a [[{{SHIELD}} S.H.I.E.L.D.]] project created by Curt Connors, and {{Deadpool}} is a former S.H.I.E.L.D. trainee and protege of NickFury.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'', TheFalcon's wings and costume are actually a suit of PoweredArmor he made with help from his teammate [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]].
* In ''WolverineAndTheXMen'', Nitro is a mutant rather than the product of Kree experimentation like he was in the original ''[[{{Captain Mar-Vell}} Captain Marvel]]'' comics.
** The Wendigo is also introduced as {{SHIELD}}'s attempt at recreating the SuperSerum that turned Steve Rogers into CaptainAmerica. In the comics, the Wendigo was the product of an ancient Indigenous curse.
** Likewise, ''IronManArmoredAdventures'' makes the Extremis formula into an another attempt at recreating the SuperSerum, even though they're entirely unrelated in the comics.
* Bang Babies from ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock'' all got their powers from a single event.
* While much less overarchingly-celestial in origin, ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'' tended to interlink the origins of various characters that were previously not related in-comics, making for stronger continuity: For instance, rather than being made by an unaffiliated scientists, Metallo and Bizarro are now the direct creation of Lexcorp (though the latter was true in the comics canon as of John Byrne's PostCrisis ''Man Of Steel'' reboot). Brainiac is portrayed as a Kryptonian computer system with a direct link to the end of that world, rather than being an unrelated alien that [[EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse just happens to stumble across Earth]]. Toyman's origin is now the result of the actions of Intergang, which itself became a pawn to Darkseid's schemes, and so on.
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' did the same thing with a few characters, such as having TheCreeper gain his powers after being dumped into a vat of chemicals by TheJoker.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben 10}}'' verse, each sapient species has evolved a series of traits that they consider mundane, and others consider superpowers. The [[MacGuffin Omnitrix]] was designed to allow a single individual to use all those myriad powers.
** Oh, and Humanity's "superpower" is the [[WhatKindOfLamePowerisHeartAnyway ability]] to produce [[HalfHumanHybrid viable offspring with ANY other sentient life-form]]. [[HeartIsAnAwesomePower Which retain the strengths of both species.]] Theoretically, Humanity's mongrelized descendants could have [[AllYourPowersCombined every power in the universe]]. [[spoiler:In one alternate timeline, a future version of Ben used the Ultimatrix on his human body. "Ultimate Ben" is basically Ben if he was the result of generations of breeding with every other race in the universe, and is able to unlock any of the other races' powers at will.]]
*** Such beings include bipedal humanoids made of diamond-like rock, or '''fire'''. [[{{Squick}} It kinda makes you wish]] [[NoBiochemicalBarriers it WAS impossible.]]
* Season 2 of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' introduced the concept of the metagene into animation, with the explanation that a small percentage of the human race possessed the genetic potential to develop superpowers in times of duress. Comicbook/{{Static}}, Neutron, and [[CaptainErsatz Captain Ersatzes]] of the four CanonForeigner SuperFriends all got their powers from metagenes, as opposed to the comics, where they all had separate and wildly different origins.
** Another, minor example was Bumblebee. In the show, she was the sidekick of TheAtom and got her {{Sizeshifter}} powers from the same white dwarf star matter that her mentor used.
** Beast Boy manifests his abilities after [[SuperhumanTransfusion getting a blood transfusion from Miss Martian]].
* This is the basic premise of the WMG/FriendsAndTheHighCouncil [[WildMassGuessing WMG]].
|
[] |
Take the tour ×
I'm trying to find a way to link to an e-mail from my Google Spreadsheet. We use our spreadsheet as a way to track bugs, issues, to-dos, and milestone timelines (we've tried other apps, this works best). It would be great if we could reference/link to an e-mail so that we can provide additional information. Otherwise, I'm assuming converting the e-mail to a Doc and then linking, is that possible?
Thanks in advance!
Update: I would like to attach the body of the e-mail or at least link to it. For instance, say I got an email from Bob regarding the status of 'Feature A', I would like to link to that e-mail. I was thinking of converting relevant e-mails to documents and then putting it in the right folder, but I want to link to it, rather than say "Look at Document - Bob Email Re: Feature A".
share|improve this question
You have to be a little bit more detailed.. If I understand you correctly you have a list of members that have emails and some additional data like title, role etc and you want to display this info when you just writing their emails? – Lipis Jul 21 '10 at 17:54
Please make it clear if you want include an e-mail address, attach an e-mail as a file, or link to an email in, say, gmail. – Ben Gartner Jul 21 '10 at 19:07
add comment
4 Answers
My interpretation is that you want to add a link to your spreadsheet that leads to a Google Mail message?
Open the email message in Google Mail. The URL in the address bar is the link you want to use. I do this all the time with my own personal task tracking.
However, if multiple people are using your spreadsheet system and they all have their own non-shared accounts, I'm not so sure how useful that link to an email message will be. I believe only the person who's mailbox contains the message will be able to use the link.
share|improve this answer
add comment
There is Google Labs feature in Gmail to convert email conversation to Google Docs; then you can copy the URL of the Docs that you just created and insert it as a link from another Docs.
share|improve this answer
add comment
You could use the VLOOKUP function.
Example on how to use it:
Let's say you have table with your members like this:
| A | B | C |
1 | E-mail | Name | Company |
2 | bill@microsoft.com | Bill Gates | Microsoft |
3 | sergey@google.com | Sergey Brin | Google |
4 | steve@apple.com | Steve Jobs | Apple |
1. Select the table
2. Right click on it and Define named range...
3. Give it a name: data
4. Go to cell A20 and write there steve@apple.com
5. Go to cell B20 and write =VLOOKUP(A20, data, 2, FALSE)
6. Check what happened :)
share|improve this answer
I can give you more details if needed... :) – Lipis Jul 21 '10 at 19:57
add comment
Assuming you want the email there for more information, and you want others to be able to access this email, it might be best to import the email into Evernote or another note-taking application that you use and then give it a share url from there.
share|improve this answer
add comment
Your Answer
|
[] |
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Games lagging using a Radeon HD 5450
Last response: in Video Games
Even League of Legends lags (around 15-20 fps, sometimes it jumps up to 33 fps) IN MININUM GRAPHICS.
Computer specs:
Intel i7-2600 CPU @3.40GHz
ATI Radeon HD 5450
League of Legends even runs better using my old PC with shitty Intel HD Graphics, why am I lagging using this "gaming" PC?
Does this has to do with the BIOS configuration?
No its the 5450 its not a gaming card and just can't manage modern games. Its both out of date and was never a gaming card but the cheapest card only really mean't for dvds and youtube. A gaming PC should have a 6670 at the very least.
That is not a gaming PC in any real sense.
Yeah... ^^ I second that. Definitely not a gaming pc with a card like that. Your CPU is very good and ram also but the 5450 is very bad.
|
[] |
Teen beaten to death with baseball bat
April 07, 2008|By FROM NEWS SERVICES
The party in an Englewood home was supposed to be a haven for young teens Saturday night, a chance for them to drink Kool-Aid and dance to their favorite songs, free from the fear of violence that often stalks the streets outside.
But violence found a way in. At about 10:30 p.m., a scuffle broke out in the basement between two of the guests, and the fight ignited a chain of events that led to the death of Albert Vaughn, an 18-year-old man who was fatally struck in the head with a baseball bat as he tried to help the party chaperones usher the kids home.
"We're just trying to do something good for the 'hood because there's nothing but violence around here," said Sunday Turman, 33, who hosted the party. "Next thing you know, he hit the ground right in front of police. That's outrageous."
Vaughn, a student at Julian High School, was the 23rd Chicago Public Schools student slain this school year.
Witnesses said Vaughn was killed in front of a crowd of people that had amassed at about 11:10 p.m. on the 7000 block of South Throop Street after the party broke up.
"Police arrived as the incident was happening," Chicago police Officer Marcel Bright said. "Police saw the offender with a bat and chased and eventually apprehended him."
Authorities had a 22-year-old man in custody, but as of Sunday evening no charges had been filed.
|
[] |
Seeking Alpha
Seeking Alpha Portfolio App for iPad
By Abraham Bailin
In the investment process, once a high-level investment thesis or allocation decision has been made, the question shifts to how one can best gain exposure. While there are certainly a number of considerations, chief among them is cost.
This shouldn't come as a surprise. For years, cost of access has been a paramount concern. We can trace the trend all the way back to 1975, when, in founding The Vanguard Group, Jack Bogle built an investing empire on the back of low-cost investing. Even our research here at Morningstar has reinforced the idea that costs make a difference. We've shown that over the long term cost is an excellent predictor of relative performance; that funds with lower fees tend to outperform peer offerings.
Within ETF land, the traditional view of cost can be summarized with two words: "expense ratio." Investors often look to this metric as the all-in measure of an ETF's cost. Generally speaking, the expense ratio is a good yardstick. There are, however, a number of intangibles that, while frequently overlooked, do present the investor with very real costs.
I'd like to frame the question a bit differently here. I posit that when considering ETF costs, one should not merely ask what they charge. Instead, ask yourself what you initially expected to receive and whether or not it was what the product has provided historically.
Estimated Holding Costs
Most ETFs are index vehicles, and ideally, these funds should track their index, less the expense ratio. Under the performance tab, there is a table called "Total Cost & Risk." Our proprietary Morningstar data point that measures the gap in return between the ETF and the index is called "Estimated Holding Costs." In addition to the expense ratio, the estimated holding cost captures the realized cost of replicating an index. Indexes with high turnover or relatively illiquid constituents can be more costly to replicate. For funds that track these types of indexes, we would expect the estimated holding cost to be higher than the expense ratio.
Take for instance two funds tracking very similar indexes, the Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market and the Dow Jones U.S. Index. They are tracked by SPDR Dow Jones Total Market (TMW) and iShares Dow Jones U.S. Index (IYY), respectively. Given the similarity between the benchmarks, either could be used to gain the same exposure. They maintain a correlation of 1.00 over the past three years. Both funds charge exactly 20 basis points per annum. Year to date, IYY has returned 7 basis points less than the index. Given that we are roughly halfway through the year, the tracking error falls close to the size of the product's annual fee. The SPDR product, however, has trailed its index by a larger 18 basis points, year to date.
We can attribute this additional lag to the fact that the SPDR fund is tracking a total market index which includes all U.S. securities available to investors, 3,718 securities in total. The iShares fund tracks an index that includes only the top 95% of the available market cap, amounting to a total of only 1,340 securities. In other words, we think the reason for the SPDR fund's greater lag to the index is due to the fact that small-cap stocks are harder to track, given their lower liquidity.
Generally speaking, the gap in return between the ETF and the index can be thought of as an additional cost. Note, however, that these figures will fluctuate from year to year and sometimes can even be positive. Significant and persistent deviations from expected levels of excess return should raise eyebrows. A good way to gauge the potential for deviation from the index is the data point "Tracking Volatility" (which can be found next to the estimated holding cost figure), or rather the volatility of the excess return figure over time. Again, given TMW's greater exposure to small caps, we would expect this fund to have a higher Tracking Volatility figure relative to the iShares fund. As such, investors looking for the best index-tracking ETF would be better off in the iShares fund. Those who are more bullish on small caps and want that exposure can pick the SPDR fund, the trade-off being that this ETF won't track as well as the iShares product.
Market Impact
A second intangible cost comes by virtue of a product's liquidity. Liquidity can be thought of as the sensitivity of an asset's price to the act of buying or selling. Assets that can be bought or sold in large quantities without generating large impacts on the asset's price are said to be highly liquid. Conversely, assets that suffer large movements in price in response to small levels of buying or selling activity are said to be illiquid.
If the size of an order to buy or sell exceeds the number of shares being offered at the most advantageous price (for buyers the lowest price available, and for sellers the highest price available), to fill your order you must accept the next best price. Consider the following example:
You would like to purchase 10 shares of exchange traded fund XYZ. The best offer is $5.00 per share. There are five shares available at this price. You purchase all five. To complete the trade, however, you must purchase an additional five shares. The next best price available is $6.00 per share. There are 17 shares available at the $6.00 price. To complete the order, you purchase an additional five shares at the $6.00 price. The total purchase price of the order was $55.00.
By purchasing shares, you moved the price higher. In effect, your trade had an impact on the market price.
Illiquid markets provide for very serious implications. In the example above, you initially wished to purchase shares of XYZ at $5.00, but to fill this order immediately, you had to purchase half of the order at $6.00. Assuming no transaction fees, you spent a total $55 to acquire 10 shares. Had you expected to fill his entire order at the initial $5.00 level, the trade cost you 10% more than you expected it to. This exemplifies the idea that market illiquidity can pose a real cost.
While there are sophisticated statistical metrics that can be used to gauge and project market impact cost, they aren't necessary for the disciplined, long-term retail investor. Generally speaking, volume can serve as a decent proxy for liquidity. That said, trading in ETFs that maintain higher average daily trading volume numbers will leave you far less exposed to suffering these market impact costs.
Wrap Up: Best Practices
We don't aim to discount the relevance of the baseline expense ratio in your investment selection process. We do, however, posit that there are additional costs that are often less transparent but nonetheless important to consider. For those making decisions purely based on annual fees, note that the incidence of negative excess of return can represent a sizable cost relative to the expense ratio. While the excess return figure can fluctuate over time, any excessive or persistent substantial negative excess return should be taken into account. Also consider the impact your own trading activity may have on the ETF. If your trades are sizable, sticking with the most-liquid options can minimize the cost that your own market impact poses.
Source: The Intangible Costs Of ETF Ownership
Added to your bookmarks on the Seeking Alpha homepage
Remove Bookmark
|
[] |
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am sending some request on a server and it's reply me this:
{"COLUMNS":["REGISTRATION_DT","USERNAME","PASSWORD","FNAME","LNAME","EMAIL","MOBILE","FACEBOOK_ID"],"DATA":[["March, 17 2012 16:18:00","someuser",somepass,"somename","somesur","someemail",sometel,"someid"]]}
I tried a lot but nothing seems to working for me!
var xml2 = this.responseData;
var xml3 = xml2.getElementsByTagName("data");
For this code I get "null".
Any help would be appreciated!
share|improve this question
add comment
3 Answers
up vote 1 down vote accepted
If you're trying to use JSON format, your problem is that the data within the [...] also needs to be in pairs, and grouped in {...} like here.
For instance,
"sales": [
{ "firstname" : "John", "lastname" : "Brown" },
{ "firstname" : "Marc", "lastname" : "Johnson" }
] // end of sales array
So you might have:
{"COLUMNS": [
{"REGISTRATION_DT" : "19901212", "USERNAME" : "kudos", "PASSWORD" : "tx91!#1", ... },
{"REGISTRATION_DT" : "19940709", "USERNAME" : "jenny", "PASSWORD" : "fxuf#2", ... },
{"REGISTRATION_DT" : "20070110", "USERNAME" : "benji12", "PASSWORD" : "rabbit19", ... }
If the server is sending you something which you refer to as res, you can just do this to parse it in your Javascript:
var o=JSON.parse(res);
You can then cycle through each instance within columns like follows:
for (var i=0;i<o.COLUMNS.length;i++)
var date = o.COLUMNS[i].REGISTRATION_DT; ....
share|improve this answer
add comment
JSON objects work just like any normal javascript objects or dictionaries
// You can do it this way
var data = this.responseData["DATA"]
// Or this way
var data = this.responseData.DATA
In your case, COLUMNS and data are both arrays, so it looks like you're trying to get the element from data that corresponds to the "FNAME" element in COLUMNS?
var columns = this.responseData["COLUMNS"];
var data = this.responseData["DATA"][0];
if(columns[i] == "FNAME"){
EDIT: If you can't change the data on the server end, you can make your own object client side. This also helps if you have to refer to multiple columns (which you probably do).
var columns = this.responseData["COLUMNS"];
var realData = {};
realData[columns[i]] = data[i];
// Now you can access properties directly by name.
More edit: My answers only consider the first row in DATA, because I misread originally. I'll leave it up to you to figure out how to process the others.
share|improve this answer
If you have a way of changing the format the server responds, to make it look more like what Nick suggests, I recommend that. The format you've got now is pretty fugly to work with. – Mike Ruhlin Mar 18 '12 at 1:18
add comment
Testing out your code in http://jsonlint.com/, it says that your server's response is not a valid JSON string.
Additionally, I recommend checking out jQuery.parseJSON http://api.jquery.com/jQuery.parseJSON/
share|improve this answer
add comment
Your Answer
|
[] |
The Man Likely To Be The Next President Of France Has A Lot Of People Spooked — Here's Why en-us Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 -0500 Fri, 20 Dec 2013 12:47:37 -0500 Adam Taylor reviews Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:46:02 -0500 Great board. Very nice pieces. The quality of the game is up to you. Hoe Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:44:41 -0500 Hope he is better in deeds than words. I do not trust vocal politicians, since they usually are better in words than deeds. Tim Eddington Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:51:12 -0500 The Bank of England is still quantitative easing like there's no tomorrow and will soon hold no less than two-thirds of all British debt. That's the reason why yields on British gilts are so low, not because the United Kingdom is seen as a safe haven. Investors aren't fleeing into toxic British debt, the debt is being monetized. In other words, money is being created out of thin air to buy British government bonds up and thus artificially lower yields. Tim Eddington Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:45:37 -0500 Why do you, as someone from Britain (as you said in one of your previous posts), care so much about the currency of your European neighbours? The United Kingdom is not in the eurozone, so why do you care about the euro at all? Or worse even, want it destroyed? I'd worry about the pound sterling currency union instead. Scottish independence referendum in 2016, right? And speaking of printing worthless pieces of toilet paper, thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think the ECB following the Bank of England is a good idea. "UK inflation closes in on 20-year high" <a href="" target="_blank"></a> "Bank of England's QE2 may reach £500bn, economists warn" <a href="" target="_blank"></a> "Bank of England to print further £50 billion" <a href="" target="_blank"></a> hcho3 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:44:25 -0500 UK's bond is fine right now because they don't use Euro. They use Pound. However, UK is next likely going to be the victim of the crisis. Their Debt is over 600% from their GDP. That's F unsustainable. Their financial sectors are going to just meltdown. MikeA Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:17:22 -0500 Great, lets print more worthless pieces of toilet paper for a debt that can never be paid go euro, keep the elitist wetdream alive mje Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:04:02 -0500 your reporter should know that Merkel, Sarkosy, and Cameron sacked Europe. We hard Left to rescue the economy. Sarkosy promised to "kick but" accoring to Lagarde who was retired to the IMF. France has seen higher unemployment, higher fiscal deficits, and a lower rating S&P rating than Uk. It is time for change that we can believe on. Tim Eddington Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:13:47 -0500 "France’s Hollande Says He’d Favor Creation of Euro Bonds" <a href="" target="_blank"></a> It doesn't get much more pro-European than that. Eurobonds means pooling of European debt, a full-blown European fiscal union and a United States of Europe in all but name. pontius Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:58:39 -0500 If the above is true, to paraphrase Rick Ross: "they're gonna peel his cap back like JFK". Tim Eddington Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:21:05 -0500 Sorry Adam, but this is a terrible article. "...his appeals to anti-Europe populism" If you really knew Hollande you'd know that he's a fanatic pro-European. He doesn't appeal to anti-Europe populism at all, he's a strong defender of the euro and even in favor of eurobonds. That's also why he wants to renegotiate the European Union treaty. He wants much more European integration.
|
[] |
Home > Opinion > Article
Those poor little boys - why, Mr Ruddock?
July 25 2002
It's time this frenzied minister's addled assertions about asylum seekers were tested in court, writes Bob Ellis.
So now we're hunting down the fraudulent Afghan refugees who are really from Pakistan and we're paying them $2000 each to go home - to Afghanistan.
It's getting sillier and sillier. If they're prepared to go home to Afghanistan they probably came from there. Which means they weren't lying in the first place. And they're not Pakistanis. And they are, or were, "true refugees".
The reason Philip Ruddock is doing this, and the reason he's now saying 300 Afghans aren't really Afghans, they're Pakistanis practising how to pretend to be Afghans (watching videos he won't produce), is that he's been scared into a frenzy by two little boys.
None of what he's doing - locking up and tormenting people because they come from the wrong country - works if it's done to children. Children punished for their parents' deeds, children punished for their country of origin, children punished for going where their parents asked them to go, is not a good look.
So thus far he's talked of the children as victims. They didn't jump off sinking vessels, they were thrown. They didn't sew their own lips up, their parents held them down, and somehow held their lips together, and did it to them. They didn't escape from Woomera because they hated being there, political fanatics manipulated them into escaping from Woomera and lying about why they hated it there; they loved it there really, and they were being politically manipulated into saying otherwise by evil men.
He has to do this because kids don't fit in the propaganda model - of wicked hordes invading from the north with plans to blow up Australia. Kids don't look like terrorists and neither do their parents, really.
It's time by now, or I think it's time, that Philip Ruddock's addled assertions were tested in court. It's time Mr Baktiyari sued him for libel and asked for, say, $300,000 in damages to cover the years his wife and children have been locked up, humiliated, traumatised, and the damage done to his reputation.
For Philip Ruddock said he wasn't an Afghan at all. He said he was a lying Pakistani. He said he was "an electrical plumber" from Quetta, a man who attempted a fraud on Australia's foolishly welcoming people, the way 300 (was it?) other false Afghans did.
This, if untrue, is libel. And Mr Baktiyari, who is a human being, can sue for libel.
Mr Baktiyari is a human being. We should all keep that in mind.
In court Philip Ruddock would be forced to say where Mr Baktiyari's "electrical plumber" shop was, what his phone number was, and to come up with testimony from five or 10 of his Pakistani customers.
He would be forced to say why the two boys don't look like Pakistanis and don't have Pakistani accents; why they seem so adamant they come from Afghanistan where, they say, a playmate was beheaded by the Taliban. And he would be forced to say why, if this is so, they are not "true refugees".
He would be forced to explain why Mr Baktiyari was let in, and his wife wasn't; and why, when Mr Baktiyari found out she and his five children were in Woomera, and asked that they be allowed to come and live with him and share his freedom, this couldn't happen. He would be forced to say what the reason was. Why the wife and children of a "true refugee" were not also true refugees. How that made any sense at all.
He would be forced, in short, to give an account of his ministry, and how many lies - if any - he has told. Why he still thinks children went overboard. What he means by "these people" (Afghans? Muslims?) and "a more acceptable outcome" (a better life?) and "a political agenda" (wanting children to be not locked up and refugees given refuge?).
He would be forced to say why Australia is the only country that locks children up when they have committed no other offence than accompanying their parents on a journey.
Mr Baktiyari could sue the Prime Minister too. John Howard said on the weekend that Mr Baktiyari "came here illegally", implying that he broke some law by coming here in a boat. It's not illegal to come here in a boat and seek refugee status.
Then there's the issue of malice. Malice can be easily proved. Because neither Ruddock nor Howard would let Mr Baktiyari see his sons, not even for 10 minutes, after weeks of him fearing they had died in the desert. If this wasn't malice, what was it?
What possible good for either father or sons did this prohibition achieve?
The only good it did was for Ruddock, who didn't then have to classify images of a tearful reconciliation of a father and his two boys as "political manipulation".
I urge Mr Baktiyari and his sons to sue. If he wins, the $300,000 could buy him a house in Melbourne.
Or in some more merciful country. Like Canada, or Norway, or Holland, or the United States, or Afghanistan. Where they don't lock children up. Or call loving parents terrorists. Or "illegals". Where they have some respect for the difference between right and wrong.
Some country like that. Some country other than Australia.
Sydney author Bob Ellis has written speeches for several Labor leaders.
magnifying glass Search the Fairfax archives for related stories
(*Fee for full article)
In this section
Don't go counting out the Democrats just yet
Families, fertility and work: let the real debate begin
Admissions on admittance
In a cultured society, creed is good
Mother and child solution
Affluence erases the suburbs of my childhood
The feckless in pursuit of the faceless
Foreign policy likely to make US relations the most important
The dangers of an unexplained war
Let the defining battle begin
At last, corporate capitalism stares down its demons
Memo Liberals: beware the dog
Feminism's scorn for 'retro' mothers
|
[] |
The Blog
Hollywood's Great Constant
What the critical reaction to "The Great Raid" and "The Constant Gardener" tells us about the film industry's relationship with reality.
12:00 AM, Sep 7, 2005 • By EDWARD MORRISSEY
Widget tooltip
Single Page Print Larger Text Smaller Text Alerts
POINTING OUT the sorry state of filmmaking has become a summer tradition over the past few years, usually due to the target market of the movies released during this season. It seems as though half the films released after Memorial Day have roman numerals following the title and the other half are based on a comic books or defunct television series. The story of Hollywood's box-office slump parallels the decline in quality and original thinking.
However, two films released this summer actually aimed at adults, and the mainstream media's reactions to them provide insight into a significant disconnect from reality demonstrated by the film industry and the liberal media that covers it.
The first film, The Great Raid, told the true story of a rescue mission by Army Rangers behind enemy lines near the end of World War II. Scott Johnson recently noted the critical reaction to the film: At the website Rotten Tomatoes, where scores of film reviews are collected, only 34 percent of the participating critics gave The Great Raid positive notices, and the rate drops to 30 percent for prominent national reviewers.
Johnson noted New York Times reviewer Stephen Holden's objection to the stereotyping of Japanese camp commanders as "sadistic, slant-eyed fiend[s]." Others joined Holden in criticizing the realistic portrayal of Japanese treatment of American POWs. The Toronto Star found the picture dull, save for the "predictably sadistic Japanese commander"; Geoff Pevere writes that the movie feels like "a Rambo mission dispatched some time in the months following September 2001." The Village Voice's Mark Holcomb turned up his nose at the mere reminder of the very real atrocities:
Philippines B-movie luminary Eddie Romero wrung greater complexity from similar material 40 years ago, and his movies never trafficked in risible Japanese stereotypes or ultra-expendable Filipino bit players. The Great Raid is ultimately scotched by History Channel-worthy nostalgia.
Nearly all of these reviews take The Great Raid to task for not generating as much interest as fiction. The Dirty Dozen, Kelly's Heroes, and The Great Escape are frequently mentioned, and although the latter is based on a real escape, the studio rewrote the script in order to meet Steve McQueen's insistence on more action, more screen time, and motorcycle sequences that were entirely fictional.
It seems as though many film critics share an aversion to allowing reality to intrude on filmmaking. Or do they? The summer's other adult film aimed, The Constant Gardener, tells the tale of the murder of a British diplomat's wife who runs afoul of a pharmaceutical company while living in Kenya with her clueless husband.
Based on the John Le Carré novel of the same name, the film rehashes an almost identical plot from the 1993 film version of The Fugitive: a pharmaceutical company kills the wife of the protagonist to keep secret the deaths of its human-trial patients during the trials of its new wonder drug. The wife in The Constant Gardener, just as in The Fugitive, keeps revisiting the screen in flashbacks, although in The Fugitive Sela Ward is killed by accident. Rachel Weisz plays Tessa Quayle as such an annoyingly self-righteous campaigner that no one believes for a moment that her death was an accident. The cover-up eventually leads her diplomat husband (Ralph Fiennes) to investigate his wife's death and to complete her mission.
|
[] |
Hi All,
I have a problem, but I don't know if this has happen to anyone else. I already checked in the forum, but I don't seem to find out information. This is how it goes: Our server is ZCS NE 5.0.0 and I'm running the client on Firefox When I try to schedule an appointment in the web client, I start to put the information on the appointment and when I try to establish the date on the appointment it cannot be establish on today's date, but it put a date last year. This happens when I try to establish a new appointment or when I try to modify the appointment. The wierd thing is that this happens only on my machine and not on other peoples machines. any clues....
|
[] |
James Oseland
on Sep 19, 20120
Post comment as twitter logo facebook logo
Sort: Newest | Oldest
bravolite 5 pts
James, you make the show fun, positive, and interesting. You are fair to the chefs and give kind explanations that they usually agree with you on. I do not cook but understand cooking, food, and the critiques, on an intellectual basis. This show makes even me want to cook, although no one would want that! If the chefs could make me like escargot, lobster, shrimp (most fish), oriental flavors, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, beets, brussel sprouts, lima beans, and a long list of gag-inducing foods (without me secretly putting in a napkin) or covering my mouth to keep it in, I would have to say they are surprisingly successful!
|
[] |
Handling ADD and ADHD during summer months
Summer time, and the living will drive the parents crazy.
That can be especially true if their school-age child has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
While the temptation may be to cut back on the medication during the summer, a local pediatrician said the best course of action is to maintain the medication throughout the vacation break.
"Most people are recommending you stay on the medication," said Dr. Justin Smith of the Professional Association of Pediatrics. Smith added that there is no benefit on changing dosage just because the child isn't in school.
"If the kid needs the medicine, give it to him," he said. "There is no benefit at all coming off the medicine."
More important than maintaining the dosage, he said, was establishing routine to the child's schedule during the summer.
"Schedule and structure are primary in treating ADD, and then medicine," Smith said.
For example, a child should be given specific chores that need to be accomplished and a timetable by which to do it.
"It isn't enough just to say, 'Go do your chores,'" Smith said. "You need to, 'Go clean your room.'"
While it is a good idea to maintain medication during the summer, Smith said it wasn't such a good idea to experiment with different types of medication. The best proving ground for an ADD medicine is school, where the child is more likely to be in an environment where he or she must focus more and be less able to move around.
The summer time may be when parents are more acutely aware of their child's ADD or ADHD, but it is less likely that the condition will be diagnosed in the summer rather than during the school year. The symptoms are much more likely to manifest themselves in a structured environment like a classroom than at home, Smith said.
It also is more likely that a child will be diagnosed with the condition now than even a decade ago.
"People are really trying to understand it," Smith said. "Years ago, a child would have been labeled as lazy or a bad kid, but now we know that it is a condition that needs to be treated. You're now seeing a generation of adults with ADD."
If parents insist on weaning their children off their meds during the summer, Smith said it poses no danger to the child, although it might affect the parents' sanity.
"Stay off it at long as you can stand it," he said.
• Discuss
• Print
Comments » 1
fred_face writes:
A quick tip that works for us...We do step by step..put away legos..then when they are done we say put away books..then after they are done we say put away clothes..Its isn't time consuming to talk to your kid every 10 mins and they don't get off task and lose focus!
|
[] |
Shador (setting)
9 books mention “Shador”.
1. Barsoom
John Carter of Mars (Volume 1) (collective work)
The Princess of Mars & The Gods of Mars
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
2. The Gods of Mars
by Edgar Eice Burroughs
3. Barsoom
The Adventures of John Carter on Mars (collective work)
The Original Series
by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Know of another book that mentions this setting?
To add a book to this page, search for it and add “Shador” to its settings section.
|
[] |
Grand Prix Nagoya Finals: S.S.D. vs. P.S.2
• Print
Author Image
Things are not looking good for S.S.D. Their opponents, Masashiro Kuroda, Katsuhiro "Lightning" Mori, and Masahiko Morita have outstanding decks. Meanwhile Shuuhei Nakamura has a great deck, Kimio Imai has a passable deck, and Naoki Kabouchi has something that barely masquerades as a deck. It would be an uphill battle.
The tone of the finals was set early by Morita. He blazed out with Beloved Chaplain, Narcissism and Teroh's Faithful while Imai's Dwarven Recruiter and Krosan Archer looked on. Then came Rabid Elephant. Imai looked like he wanted to pack it in right there. He mustered his courage and tried to find a winning play.
At the other end Kuroda had a mittful of removal, but only three lands to work with. His Organ Grinder got stopped by Kabouchi's Magma Vein, and then it was just Rotting Giant and Nantuko Calmer staring at each other. While Kuroda waited to draw more lands, Kabouchi found an island.
Mori was under a lot of pressure from Nakamura's army of small creatures. Strength of Lunacy made a Patrol Hound particularly menacing. Mori kept his life total high while he looked for a solution, but he seemed outgunned.
The combination of Rabid Elephant, Beloved Chaplain and Narcissism was just too much for Imai. Morita didn't have to play another spell, he was too busy savaging Imai's blockers and life total. Mori could sympathize with Imai's plight. Nothing he could do could contain Nakamura's forces. He succumbed.
Kuroda had meanwhile drawn up to six land, while Kabouchi had had the misfortune of seeing nine. He had an Aquamoeba with Ghostly Wings holding Kuroda's Soul Scourge at bay, but couldn't mount an offence. Kuroda's hand of removal came to fruition, and Zombie Assassin took out the offending Aquamoeba. From there it was a short road to victory.
Morita's second game had stalemated, thanks mostly to the eleven land he drew. He had a Floating Shield on a Confessor to keep back a Rabid Elephant, and plenty of other good defenders, but nothing that could fight back. Meanwhile Mori was in trouble again in the second game. Nakamura had Grotesque Hybrid that was giving him fits.
Of course, waiting favors the deck with two Overruns. After negating a well-executed assault from Imai with Equal Treatment, Morita plucked one of his game-winners. He tossed it into the center of the table, and Imai sagged in his chair.
P.S.2 1 - S.S.D. 0
Kuroda's hand for the second game was a little awkward: Mesmeric Fiend, Rotting Giant and five land. He kept, and the Fiend stranded Repel over Cephalid Broker and Magma Vein. Kuroda drew two more land, and his Rotting Giant just sat there. Kabouchi drew into his fourth land and thought hard. He made a Broker and passed it back.
Mori and Nakamura were in a holding pattern, but Mori had effectively locked himself under his own Chamber of Manipulation. His decision to keep Animal Boneyard out of the deck (he was already running Patron Wizard and Overrun!) seemed to mock him. He had fewer cards in his library, and hoped against hope that there was something that could jump out and save him.
While Kabouchi Brokered his way through his deck, Kuroda found a Chainflinger and started working his life total. He also got a Dirty Wererat to answer Rabid Elephant. Metamorphic Wurm, however, would be more trouble. Kabouchi turned it up to "unrecoverable" with Seton's Desire. Conveniently, he was at threshold.
It ran in, and Kuroda shoved all his creatures in front of it, making sure his Rotting Giant could play by casting Waste Away on the Rabid Elephant. The last point was dealt by the Chainflinger. The beast was gone, but Kuroda had nothing left on the table.
Kabouchi's Broker went wild, and while Kuroda found a Famished Ghoul and Barbarian Outcast, Kabouchi dug to his eighth land and played Petradon. Kuroda's Zombie Assassin showed up only to be Repelled, and they were on to Game 3.
Meanwhile, the inevitable had happened to Mori. He was contributing nothing to the table and Nakamura was building a professional army. He scooped.
P.S.2 1 - S.S.D. 1
All eyes were on Kuroda and Kabouchi. Kuroda turned up a great seven for the deciding game. Kabouchi winced, but kept his seven. Mesmeric Fiend revealed his uncertainty. He had four land, Cephalid Broker, Treetop Sentinel and Rites of Spring. Kuroda, holding Flame Burst, didn't hesitate to take the Rites, preventing Kabouchi from thinning his deck and finding his second island.
Reckless Charge let the Fiend to extra damage, and a newly-drawn Flame Burst stopped Puppeteer, saving the original for the Broker in the wings. Kabouchi got a Halberdier to stop the Fiend. Kuroda missed his fifth land drop, stopping Soul Scourge from taking to the air. He passed it back.
Kabouchi let out a huge sigh of relief. He tried his Broker. It was Bursted. Kuroda slammed the top card of his deck down on the table: Swamp. Zombie Assassin joined the party. Kabouchi had no play. Soul Scourge visibly frustrated him.
Now Kabouchi was knocking. No island came. Nantuko Calmer was unimpressive. Kuroda didn't have a second mountain to go with his Liquid Fire, but he did have Waste Away at the ready, and his Scourge had brought Kabouchi to eight. Kabuchi swung with both his creatures and lost them to the Assassin, bringing Kuroda to eleven. He had no follow up.
Kuroda hit back for four. The entire crowd held their breath. Kabouchi's eight land spoke of endless possiblities. What would he draw?
Metamorphic Wurm. Waste Away swept it off the table and Kuroda's team ran back in. Kabouchi didn't even bother to play coy. As he extended the hand, Kuroda was beset by Morita, Mori and even Tsuyoshi Fujita. Everyone was cheering. After so long, they finally had a Grand Prix Title.
Final Result: P.S.2 defeats S.S.D. 2-1
• Planeswalker Points
• Facebook Twitter
• Gatherer: The Magic Card Database
• Forums: Connect with the Magic Community
• Magic Locator
|
[] |
Customer Order Management
4 Responses
1. Matthew Atkins Matthew Atkins
Hover state flyout for an order item in the orders table.
over 2 years ago
2. Joshua Iwata Joshua Iwata
I dig the dramatic hover state, looks good!
over 2 years ago
3. Eric Hoffman Eric Hoffman
I would simplify the "X" icon. flatten it to more so be inline with your hover. Dig it though.
over 2 years ago
4. Matthew Atkins Matthew Atkins
Thanks guys.
@Eric Thanks. I've been struggling for a decision on that one icon.
over 2 years ago
keyboard shortcuts: previous shot next shot L or F like
|
[] |
Forgot your password?
Comment: Re:Corrupt City of London (Score 1) 228
by donscarletti (#45653533) Attached to: British Police Censor the Global Internet
A square mile, and a square mile with a permanent population of 7000 people at that, a small, third rate town.
The courts and laws are still the Queen's, so they can't simply seize you and lock you up if they feel like it. Is this a toothless dictatorship or what?
If you cannot stand their silly "city", don't move there or invest there.
Comment: Predictable (Score 3, Insightful) 174
by donscarletti (#45618031) Attached to: FSF Responds To Microsoft's Privacy and Encryption Announcement
So, Microsoft finally does something no geek could object to and the FSF's response is "even if this looks like a good thing, this can't be a good thing because it's proprietary". It just makes me wonder why they bother making a statement; it's proprietary, it always is and it always has been.
Comment: Re:The public is free to participate in Internet t (Score 0) 110
by donscarletti (#45609613) Attached to: China Bans Financial Companies From Bitcoin Transactions
Oh yeah, the Liaoning right?
China buys a crappy 22 year old Soviet bucket, pretending it's a floating casino, puts a new coat of paint on it and calls it a warship.
Suddenly everyone's hangmu this and hangmu that, it's picture (any generic aircraft carrier picture they can find) is stuck on ads for anything a patriotic man might like to buy.
The whole thing is quite bemusing.
Comment: Re:this kind of comment system is dead (Score 1) 286
by donscarletti (#45599625) Attached to: The Challenge of Cross-Language Interoperability
Fine, unique_ptr then. Regardless, auto_ptr was only ever 10 lines of code, if it was to be removed completely, it could still be re-added in 2 minutes. Point is, in C++ you can write pointers that free themselves. Destructors are super useful for everything, I use them to free all kinds of memory, as well as to release mutexes and stop timers when the it returns, breaks or gotos out of a block.
by donscarletti (#45597917) Attached to: The Challenge of Cross-Language Interoperability
C++ is indispensable for 3d engine programming for the following reasons.
• You tend to use a lot of refcounting here and there to manage freeing of resources. C++ through constructors, destructors and operator overloading means it is hard to screw this up unless you try. Even when you don't need refcounting, you can use auto_ptr or something to make sure something's freed when it needs to be. I used to have memory leaks or heap corruptions regularly when using C, with C++ I run into that stuff maybe yearly.
• A lot of the most time-sensitive inner loops tend to need to work on multiple different types of buffers, like manipulating different vertex formats, different bitdepths/formats of textures, different lengths of index buffers, etc. Template functions let you write this in a way that will execute just as fast as if it was using define macros, but far easier to read and maintain, meaning one no longer has to choose between maintainability and efficiency, the easy way is also the right way.
• Mostly, the OO model fits really well. An "object" represents something that more or less actually behaves like an actual real world object with various behaviours peculiar to that type of object, that need to fit together in a heterogeneous collection of other objects in the scene graph. You can do this in C, but maintaining vtables and such gets tiresome and problematic. C++ makes this all rather easy.
• STL once again makes the easy way the right way. Using quicksort to sort a list, using red-black trees to store a dictionary, using a dynamically resizing vector to store an unknown length array is actually easier to implement things in the asymtotically efficient way and safe way than to do things in an inefficient or dangerous way. Stack/heap over/under runs are rare, since buffers can be allocated dynamically without the programmer even thinking about it. Templated functions and classes in the STL allow you to use your fastest data structures and algorithms wherever you like for less effort than it takes to write a bubble sort. You can re-arrange an array of any object you like into a heap in a single line without a single function call or malloc.
Comment: Re:Doubt it. (Score 1) 253
by donscarletti (#45575383) Attached to: Research Suggests One To Three Men Fathered Most Western Europeans
Sure, that's exactly why Y-DNA is useful. It's not a problem that a lot of Y gets lost along the way, as long as this happens uniformly you still wind up with a good sample.
Why would it be lost uniformly? Evolution relies on the fact that better chromosomes would be lost from the genepool at a slower rate because they would lead to greater fitness and worse chromosomes would be lost at a faster rate because they would lead to a lesser fitness. Y-chromosomes would be even more sensitive to this effect since men only have one and so (in my admittedly limited knowledge) it is impossible to be merely a carrier of any of the genes on it, meaning the effects of less capable chromosomes would quickly become manifest.
Comment: Re:The American Dream (Score 1) 629
by donscarletti (#45542499) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Are We Older Experts Being Retired Too Early?
At the same time young employees keeps repeating mistakes made already by programmers that were around in the 70's, 80's and 90's.
At some point in their careers, all programmers, after spending a month hunting down a heap corruption, or a race condition, or some other bug nasty like that, come to the realisation that they are spending more time fixing mistakes than writing code. At this moment, most, but not all programmers follow a very logical path of reasoning. They think to themselves, "well, if this code took me 1 week to write, then 4 to fix, that is five weeks, what if I spent 3 weeks writing it carefully, then it would be done right away and I wouldn't have to fix it, I could have been done two weeks earlier!".
From that moment on, this programmer becomes all but useless to their current and future employers.
"Why?" Seasoned veterans may ask. "It saves time in the long run! You are just focussing on the short term results, being distracted by smoke and mirrors and building upon pillars of sand!"
Well, that is occasionally the case, but not usually. What is more often the case is when something is implemented it is either not what we needed or not implemented how it should have been implemented. When something is more or less built, nomatter how badly it is built, it is so clear and obvious what we needed instead and how it should have been made. If you had done that useless feature badly in 1 week, it could have been thrown out and we could have moved on. Sure, your experience might have told you that this was a waste of time, great, could you have told everyone what we really need? Are you going to take the reigns and pull the project in the right direction, or are you just going to be content in doing nothing in preference to doing some useless task?
The thing is, sure, you might do the right thing, in the right way the first time and the twenty year old across the room probably will do the wrong thing, in the wrong way the first and maybe even the second time. However, are you so positive that you will be finished before that twenty year old has finished his third and correct solution? Are you sure that what you build will be better than what the twenty year old builds after two attempts? Is your stable and clean version so much more useful to your team than the twenty year old's buggy first attempt that they will be happy to go without even seeing it for another few weeks, when they could have continued using it as a prototype or placeholder for a less buggy version.
Anyway, a few general maxims to stay relevant as you get older: 1) bad code is not so hard to rewrite 2) useless code is even easier to delete 3) if you're stumped on a problem, just try something, if it's wrong, you'll find out very soon. 4) no amount of experience, no amount of guile, no amount of planning or foresight can compare to a little intuition, a flurry of activity and being willing to make mistakes.
Comment: Re:Porn browsing? (Score 4, Insightful) 415
by donscarletti (#45540839) Attached to: NSA Planned To Discredit Radicals Based On Web-Browsing Habits
• * You can't get STDs from porn.
• * Pornographic videos and literature are not human, so its distribution cannot be human trafficking.
• * If your wife catches you watching a bunch of porn, she is unlikely to divorce you.
• * Porn rarely gets beaten up by pimps and johns.
• * Almost everyone openly or secretly loves porn, criminalising it would be too hard.
Comment: Re:First sandwich (Score -1) 730
by donscarletti (#45515529) Attached to: Geeks For Monarchy: The Rise of the Neoreactionaries
Well, this is true, but wasn't the aeroplane, telephone, radio, computer, microwave, steam engine, train, electric motor, light bulb, antibiotics, refrigerator, liquid fueled rocket etc. invented by white middle/upper class males born in the US and UK? Didn't various other types white middle/upper class males also invent the helicopter, auto mobile, internal combustion engine, jet engine and nuclear power? Weren't gunpowder, the printing press, solid fueled rockets, the compass and paper invented Chinese middle/upper class males, who also score highly on these tests?
Nope, all a sexist, racist and classist conspiracy.
Comment: Re:Anyone surprised? (Score 2) 213
by donscarletti (#45452577) Attached to: Australia Spied On Indonesian President
In fact the only thing that will surprise me is if it later turns out that spying on each others presidents is all these two countries did.
I'd be even more surprised to find out that Australia had a president. Unless the Indonesians mistook the President of the Australian Senate for an important political leader.
Comment: Re:You answered yourself. (Score 1) 361
by donscarletti (#45404061) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Communication Skills For Programmers?
In my experience, the people drawn to startups over large companies, whether they be in engineering, sales, marketing, whatever tend to be those who favour directness and observable results over formality and working in an emotionally calm environment. I think he's right in that you _can_ in fact mostly tell things how they are in such an environment and in fact be appreciated for it.
However, what you cannot do is be unfairly abusive, unfairly critical or unfairly dismissive, since in the same measure that a fair comment is always justified nomatter how blunt, an unfair one is almost impossible to defend nomatter how benignly phrased. Furthermore, in such a small environment, it will always come back at you. Do not criticise what is in fact good or dismiss what is in fact correct, since this is no more accurate or truthful than a yes-man praising rubbish. Do not fail to praise those things done well as emphatically as you denounce what is bad. Try to be fair in word and deed and useful people will never dislike you too deeply.
Beyond fairness, directness must in fact be direct. Going out of your way to assign blame is going out of you way. A spiteful aside is an aside. If what you're saying is not a pleasantry then it must be relevant to the task at hand, one cannot expect others to willingly sit and listen to criticism if it serves no purpose besides your own gratification and emotional release. However if something is both relevant and true but a team member's pride rejects it, then that is their problem, startups have neither the time nor the money for such things.
Comment: Re:Default ding. (Score 1) 361
by donscarletti (#45403427) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Communication Skills For Programmers?
Whenever I have told an underling that his "communication skills need work" it's usually directly after pointing out that if the guy at the next desk had known what he spent the last three hours trying to achieve, he would have been told the answer and would have saved three hours of the company's time.
I don't even bother pointing out such things to the strongest coders, since their workmates tend to have the initiative to ask them clear questions and have the patience to decipher what they have to say. But for those lacking intuition, experience or both, it's a must.
And forget the email, nobody will read it apart from your manager who will read it out of obligation and possibly resent you for it. Just listen more carefully when other people talk to you, pay attention to what others around you are doing and once in a while drop into conversation what you are working on.
Comment: Re:First, learn the proper use of "exponentially" (Score 1) 361
by donscarletti (#45402977) Attached to: Ask Slashdot: Communication Skills For Programmers?
I think GP is objecting to "exponentially many", which although is a syntactically legal adverb + adjective combination, the issue is that "many" is not an appropriate adjective since it does not suggest any form of comparison or rate that could have an exponential relationship. I would suggest adjectives "more", "greater", or a participle like "increasing" to sound more natural and logical.
This is one of those things that would sound natural if said in conversation, but stands out as somewhat wrong in written English.
This is one of the few times in Slashdot where critiquing the story's grammar is completely on-topic and productive, since we have little else to judge the submitter's communication skills by.
Comment: Re: A synonym of "scourge" is "flagellate" (Score 4, Informative) 114
by donscarletti (#45387795) Attached to: Typhoon Haiyan Continues To Scourge Southeast Asia
Comment: Re:Slashdot is cheering for,,,, (Score 2) 183
Past success or failure is a poor indicator of future performance for a CEO.
That's something that incapable senior managers say when looking for a new company to ruin.
Something I've learned is if you have a new CEO that sucked in his last job, find a new job right away, while the company still looks like it means something on your resume.
Natural laws have no pity.
|
[] |
#86 - ironstrike (05/09/2013) [-]
That'd make one hell of a novelty piece.
Sure I'd be bummed that I didn't get the alcohol, but something that... weird would make a nice conversation piece, so to say.
#87 to #86 - decoyoctopus (05/09/2013) [-]
This image has expired
Why exactly wouldn't you be able to get the alcohol out? there are holes in between the welded struts/bars is there not? you could easily remove the cap and push the bottle up in order to get the liquid from inside...then just refill for effect and keep! simples....
#92 to #87 - ironstrike (05/09/2013) [-]
Where on Earth did I say I wouldn't be able to get the alcohol out...
I stated I'd be bummed that I didn't get the alcohol, because I'd rather have something like that on display. Partly for ***** and giggles.
It's just funny you decided to upload that picture, when you completely mistook what I was saying.
#98 to #92 - anonymous poster (05/09/2013) [-]
It's not his fault. The way you wrote it says that you "didn't get the alcohol." I see two major problems with that.
1: You got the alcohol, it's just in a cage.
2: Your sentence makes no sense.
You can't say you didn't get it because you'd rather have it on display. That makes absolutely 0 sense. You still got it, and you could still drink it.
The picture fits perfectly, as you obviously don't hold the basic language skills needed to convey what you are attempting to say. It's funny how you say he completely mistook it, when his inference of what you said was completely correct based on any language skills. You really shouldn't try to claim someone is misusing a picture like that when they are using it correctly. It isn't his fault you lack the intelligence to write a correctly worded sentence that would have both gotten your thoughts across and actually made sense.
User avatar #90 to #87 - TheMacDaddy (05/09/2013) [-]
There is always the possibility that he purposely made the bars far enough apart so you could see the bottle but not big enough to get the neck of the bottle out. I kind of think that is the point.
#96 to #90 - decoyoctopus (05/09/2013) [-]
This image has expired
I can clearly see the dimensions... it's possible, dude...
now don't ****** question me again, or ill rip your ******* head off and **** down your throat with the power of ten thousand sea-pancakes
Friends (0)
|
[] |
Well, tonight is the night.
Do the Edmonton Oilers land the first overall pick and continue the restructuring of their franchise?
Could Columbus jump up and find another candidate to centre Rick Nash and get them back into playoff contention?
Will the Toronto Maple Leafs...
...become the new best friends of the Boston Bruins?
Yea, that's right. This is the day where the Phil Kessel trade will get brought up again and again, and will be torn apart more than a wedding dress at a Bridal Basics sale.
And just so you all know: I had to Google that. I'm not getting married anytime soon, nor do I just naturally know the names of wedding dress designers.
Now with that out of the way, a few points before we start:
1. Brian Burke isn't watching: Look. It's not like Burke had a reason to watch anyways, unless it was to laugh at Peter Chiarelli when the trade works against them and they have to get stuck with a Brandon Gormley or Cam Fowler as a few teams jump him in the draft order.
Because that would just be so terrible.
2. People are calling this the "Haul for Hall" : Seriously? This is the best we've got? Two years ago I had called it the "Surge for Stamkos" . I liked it. I didn't try the same thing last year because all I could come up with is the "Tug for Tavares" .
Granted I'm no linguist, but I've got a few other solutions: "The Heave for Hall," "Hurl us at Hall," "Traction Towards Tyler," "Sidle up to Seguin," or "'The Year the 2010 Windsor Spitfires Re-shaped the NHL plus Tyler Seguin."
I like that last one.
8:00: Well we're underway. We've got Bob McKenzie alongside James Duthie and Bill Daly who will be unveiling the pick later. If we were to replace McKenzie with Pierre McGuire then we may have the shiniest pairing at any NHL event ever, but alas...maybe next year.
Have any two first-round picks ever had more similar first names? Would it be the most awkward moment in NHL history if an NHL GM approached the podium in June and said:
"With the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, we select Tyler...er...Taylor."
8:02: James Duthie: "Fourteen teams are waiting for the balls to drop—the lottery balls to drop."
It's awkward, but it's almost applicable to not rephrase it. I mean...your team is getting younger right?
8:04: Jobs you want with the NHL: the guy who just told Bill Daly there's over 1,000 combinations for this draft to unfold. See? It pays to pay attention in math class.
8:05: They're talking to Steve Tambellini about this being a historic moment for the Edmonton Oilers because they've never been able to draft a player first overall. Either player can vastly improve the Oilers roster.
8:06: Peter Chiarelli is the luckiest man in the NHL right now to be in the playoffs and have a chance at a top-three pick. It's like he had his cake, ate it, then traded a carrot for another cake.
8:08: With the New York Islander's Ken Morrow representing the team (their Director of Scouting), he's billed as their good luck charm.
In the meantime, no one is willing to own up to the "We prefer Seguin to Hall or vice versa" question. This is the point in time where I think Jim Rutherford should call in and say, "I'll be taking Tyler Seguin with this pick," if only to throw all five of them off and plant that seed for the next two months.
I would've said Brian Lawton and the Tampa Bay Lightning but...well...he's out of a job.
8:12: There was a montage coming back from the commercial break outlining the whole Taylor vs. Tyler debate. Yet again, it'll be interesting to see who goes first, even though Bob McKenzie's poll of NHL scouts shows Taylor Hall as the No. 1 overall pick.
It is interesting to see that Cam Fowler is still No. 3 on the list because of the man who's No. 4. Erik Gudbranson is high on a lot of lists based on the fact that he's tougher than Fowler and uses his size very well.
Some call him a smaller Tyler Myers. Then again, it's hard not to be smaller than Myers.
Another interesting note is that Brett Connolly is still listed at fifth overall despite being injured for a majority of this season. It'll be interesting to see if that stays the course come June.
8:16: Live from A-News Windsor, it's Taylor Hall! The associating of Hall with the Boston Bruins (like most Leafs fans have already done) just came from Duthie as they're talking about Bobby Orr, the number four, and Taylor Hall.
8:17: The Darkhorse tonight? The New York Islanders with an 8.1% chance of getting the first overall selection. I'm not sure I'd bet on those odds.
8:18: The fifth overall selection in 2010 goes to...the NEW YORK ISLANDERS!!!
I just lost $200.00. I also wish it was Eva Mendes opening these envelopes instead of Bill Daly.
No. 4: Columbus Blue Jackets.
Duthie is voicing this in between picks, which makes this awfully dramatic. Granted, there's barely enough time between picks for me to even write this sentence.
No. 3: Florida Panthers
Here's what every Leaf fan was worried about. No team moved up or down in the top five, so it comes down to Toronto (Boston) and Edmonton for the top pick.
Whether it's first or second though, this still stings.
No. 1: The...
Edmonton Oilers.
The city of Edmonton is abuzz now as the second spot is filled in with the Boston Bruins, as they'll have a brand new building block for their future.
While it's still up in the air, the popular consensus is for the Oilers to go with Taylor Hall and get that fast, goal-scoring winner who can hopefully play alongside Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson.
Not a bad young line if I do say so myself.
8:23: Steve Tambellini still won't tip his hat either way and says they won't announce their pick before the draft, which is a great strategy. That's something that the NFL does that takes all of the drama out of the draft.
Especially when you sign that pick to a $70 million contract before he even hits the major-league surface.
Thank goodness for the rookie cap.
8:27: Yet again we hear about how there has been no decision made on whether it's Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin—this time from Bob McKenzie.
What we did find out though, was that Dean Lombardi lived at Drew Doughty and Zach Bogosian's before he made the selection. Smart on the part of the GM, but how must Zach Bogosian feel?
Especially if he let Lombardi have the last Oreo.
I like running diaries like this: a quick half-hour of TV that's riveting for fans of 14 teams in the league while the other 16 still have a chance at the other-thing award in June that means something (the Stanley Cup of course).
Now? I get to spend the next 60 days filling out and fretting over playoff brackets and not who my team's first-round pick is going to be spent on.
Don't you love the spring?
Get in contact with BT by emailing him at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com or follow him at Twitter at Bryanthiel_88 . Also, be sure to check out his previous work in his archives and over at Hockey54.com—The Face of the Game!
|
[] |
TSA no-show angers lawmakers as they get few answers about TWIC
Friday - 6/29/2012, 5:52pm EDT
By Keith BieryGolick
Special to Federal News Radio
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee invited a senior Transportation Security Administration official to discuss its decade-old port security initiative, the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program, but was stood up.
Stephen Sadler, the TSA assistant administrator for Intelligence and Analysis, didn't come to the hearing to answer questions about TWIC, and the lack of answers frustrated committee members.
Instead, the Homeland Security Department — which TSA falls under — sent Joseph Servido, assistant commandant for preparedness in the Coast Guard, and Kelli Walther, assistant secretary in Homeland Security's office of policy, who both failed to satisfy the committee desire for answers to longstanding problems with TWIC.
"It's appalling that TSA would thumb their nose at the committee," said committee chairman John Mica (R-Fla.), who called for a recess during witness testimony because of his frustration over Homeland Security and TSA's inability to send informed witnesses to the hearing. "That they would send a witness who's so unprepared and then have the nerve to sit there and say, 'Well, TSA has the answer to that,' but they won't show them up."
Walther and Servido couldn't answer questions about the cost of the program, its timetable for completion or the reasons behind the lack of promised capabilities.
Congress mandated TWIC as part of the Maritime Transportation Security Act in the initial years after the 9/11 attacks. Under TWIC, lawmakers instructed TSA to provide maritime workers, who needed access to high security areas, with biometric identification cards in order to tighten security at our nation's ports.
Enacted in 2002, the program just "goes on and on spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars," Mica said. The failure to finalize standards for TWIC cards has cost taxpayers $3.2 billion and left the nation's ports unsecured, he said.
Lindsay McLaughlin, legislative director for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, said despite an unfathomable cost, TWIC cards don't even achieve a real increase in port security.
"It is difficult to comprehend what particular access longshore workers have that warrants the TWIC program's extreme degree of scrutiny and public expense," McLaughlin said. "In a modern container facility, the longshore worker has no access to the cargo because it is sealed or locked in a container. Nor does a longshore worker know what any particular container holds."
She said background checks required to obtain TWIC cards are misguided and have cost some workers, through no fault of their own, their life savings, McLaughlin said.
"In 2009, when Washington state port workers were required to get a security clearance, ILWU member William Ericson was unable to obtain it; a background check wrongly showed that there was a pending case of forgery against him," McLaughlin said. "Mr. Ericson had worked at the Port of Seattle for 12 years. Mr. Ericson was out of work for 6 months, had exhausted his savings, and came very close to having his house foreclosed upon even though he had done nothing wrong."
Another case saw a longshoreman born on a military base overseas drain his life earnings waiting for military documentation of his birth to satisfy immigration requirements in the law, McLaughlin said.
"The income losses and emotional suffering that TWIC caused these workers and others like them and their families cannot be remedied," she said.
Mica said he too disapproved of the program, and didn't understand why it was so difficult when the Defense Department already developed a secure ID card that meets all the criteria his committee looked for, including biometric, iris, thumb and palm capabilities.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security continues to go down a path that is wasting money, he said. TSA has handed out 275 readers without finalized standards, Servido testified.
"We've had GAO test what's out there, and they've found it's very easy to subvert what has been issued since we don't have a reader and we don't have full biometric capability in the card," Mica said. "You could take something you get out of a Cracker Jack box and probably take it to the port and get in."
That lack of security could be the most disappointing aspect of the TWIC program, Mica said.
"We've heard the frustration of both labor and also our ports; what we have in place is not acceptable. The delays are just beyond comprehension, the inability to put this program together is startling and then the cost to the taxpayers in financing this entire fiasco is just totally unacceptable," he said, before cautioning against throwing out TWIC completely. "If we don't have TWIC or TWIC doesn't work, we need to make certain we have something positive in place that does work and secures our ports and our country."
Keith BieryGolick is an intern at Federal News Radio
GAO: Improvement needed in three TSA screening programs
DHS coordinates interagency security at waterways, ports
|
[] |
Same Moon, different machine.
Source: Manan Vatsyayana/AFP/Getty Images
After the outstanding series on NASA missions that ran last month (they got Neil Armstrong!) "In the Shadow of the Moon", The Discovery Channel starts a new six-part series next week, called "Moon Machines." The second episode, which airs Tuesday night (7/8), focuses on the guidance computer NASA engineers developed and installed aboard both the Command capsule, and the LEM, the vehicle that actually landed on the moon. It's based on a book called, Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight, written by David Mindell, a professor who specializes in the history of technology at MIT. As he notes in the book, the relationship between man and machine is not a new story -- he cites the mythical John Henry, who won his battle with a steam drill at the cost of his life, and Charles Lindbergh, who used the word "we" to describe his partnership with his aircraft. In the 1960s, even as they incorporated the then exotic technology of integrated circuits and software, a word almost unknown as the project began, they had to figure out how these new machines would be used by the astronaut/pilots. The "man-machine" system they adopted kept the astronaut "in the loop", visibly and overtly in command, partly as the result of politics, partly to respect the professional dignity of the pilots and partly because there are times when there is no substitute for human judgment. Though the computer was programmed to land the LEM, every pilot who descended to the surface of the Moon, starting with Neil Armstrong, turned the automatic system off, and landed on manual. As we see ever more capable technology, including cruise missiles and the drones now widely used for military reconnaissance, it's a discussion that continues today.
1:58 - July 3, 2008
|
[] |
Take the tour ×
Our kitchen fixture won't come on for 3 to 5 minutes when the temperature goes over 90F (32.2C) and 90% humidity. It flickers and only reaches 80% brightness after that. It will occasionally flicker in lower, but still warm temperatures. It is fine below 60F (~15C).
We rarely get above 90F(32.2C) without going over 90% humidity so I can't tell if it is the heat or the humidity causing the issue.
share|improve this question
add comment
2 Answers
up vote 5 down vote accepted
By the sound of things you must be using the older ballastics with a starter plug. These ballastasts cause flickering of the bulb and this cosntant flickering causes damage to the ballast it self.
enter image description here
The ballast has to generate a very highvoltage to "spark" the tube. Once the tube is glowing the ballast can relax and give a constant power output. The state between changing from high out put to regulated is very stessfull for the components and the starter plug is also responsible for handling this change.
Tubes need to be replaced every 12-24 months because the gas inside the tube looses it health properties even though it still emits light. So technically it becomes bad for your eyes because it starts to produce unwanted uv light.
I would suggest removeing the olld light fitting and buying a new one and INSIST on an electronic ballast. The electronic ballast does not need any starter plugs and handles the initial output voltage much better. It does not cause flickering(but if there is a problem it just does not turn on) These ballasts MUST match the wattage of the tubes. Higher or lower wattage will result in shortened life of the tube or not turn on at all.
The electornic ballast will not be influenced by humidity or temperature that much. It just runs.
enter image description here
The differences...
enter image description here
share|improve this answer
add comment
share|improve this answer
add comment
Your Answer
|
[] |
can you block a thread in GHC by its threadID?
Bernard James POPE bjpop at
Tue Jun 22 01:11:05 EDT 2004
Hi again,
Ideally I'd like this function:
blockThread :: ThreadId -> IO ()
and thus:
unBlockThread :: ThreadId -> IO ()
However I can see that there might be some tricky issues to resolve,
such as what happens if you try to block an already blocked thread?
Perhaps the return type could indicate whether the request to block
succeeded, or if not why it failed.
I'm not very familiar with Concurrent Haskell, so if you can see any
pitfalls please point them out.
Why do I want this?
Again this is for my Haskell debugger. Basically I want the
debuggee to run in its own thread. The user of the debugger
should be able to request that the debuggee be suspended,
do some debugging, and perhaps later resume the execution of
the debuggee. If it helps for simplicity, assume that the
debuggee doesn't fork its own threads --- although of course
we'd have to support that situation also, eventually.
Thus I want the debugger to act as a controlling thread that
can influence the scheduling of the debuggee without the
debuggee knowing anything about it.
An alternative solution is to have the debuggee poll an MVar
periodically, but I think this has obvious drawbacks.
More information about the Glasgow-haskell-users mailing list
|
[] |
iOS app Android app More
Heba Morayef
Tahrir Square
Posted: 01/30/11 04:20 PM ET
Several thousand people remain in Tahrir Square; many say they're planning to spend the night and stay till Mubarak resigns. There was a huge cheer when we heard Mohamed ElBaradei was coming but unfortunately most of us couldn't hear what he said - no loudspeakers, apparently. A crowd of about 800 and lots of journalists crowded around to hear him speak but everyone else just carried on chanting, "Mubarak you must leave."
People were also very angry to hear that the Interior Ministry is ordering police back on to the streets - though the Army still has control in Tahrir Square. Yesterday they were calling for the minister's resignation, so they're very upset about that. It's been much more organized today, people going around with loudhailers urging people not to leave.
The square has emptied out since the afternoon but it's still a great atmosphere, a sense of solidarity, and very well-behaved - people are sitting around bonfires, or walking around picking up rubbish. Crowds who find occasional looters drag them over to the soldiers and hand them over. And no sexual harassment - which is not the norm downtown, especially when there are big groups gathering! We're happy to be eating koshary - thank goodness vendors are still selling street food because we're starving.
Live updates from Human Rights Watch staff on the ground:
Follow Heba Morayef on Twitter:
|
[] |
Leek Tomato Recipes
Enjoy our collection of leek tomato recipes submitted, reviewed and rated by ifood.tv community. Meet people who are looking for leek tomato recipes.
CA: 2
Leeks And Tomatoes
€¢ Clean the leeks and separate the white from the green as for Leeks Nature. Cut the white with only 1 green top into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. €¢ Pour the oil into an 8-cup (2 L) microwave-safe dish, heat 1 minute at HIGH. €¢ Add the onion and... - 31.298
Leeks Braised With Tomatoes
Cut the leeks into pieces about 2 inches long. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole which has a lid. Add the prepared leeks and cook over a moderate heat for 5 minutes, turning the leeks from time to time. Add the tomatoes and seasoning. Cover with the lid... - 23.9421
You May Also Like!
Julienne Of Leeks With Sun Dried Tomatoes
GETTING READY 1) Cut leeks into 2" long julienne. 2) Drain oil from tomatoes and reserve. 3) Cut tomatoes into cubes. MAKING 4) In a frying pan, heat butter with reserved oil from tomatoes. 5) Add remaining ingredients and toss till leeks are cooked but... - 35.4364
Tomato Leek Ragout
In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and saute the garlic until golden. Add the onions and leeks and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ketchup, and vinegar and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the espresso and cook until the liquid is... - 36.1247
Tomato And Leek Salad
GETTING READY 1) Get the prepared honey and lime dressing. MAKING 2) In a shallow serving dish, arrange the tomato and leek slices into layers. ... - 36.3073
Leek And Tomato Vinaigrette
1. Thoroughly wash the leeks and trim off the extra green and the roots. 2. Cut the leeks into 5-cm/2-inch slices and wash again to remove any possible trace of grit between the leaves. 3. Place about 2.5 cm/1 inch of water in a pan. 4. Add the leeks, bring... - 35.5435
Cauliflower Leek And Tomato Medley
1. Blanch cauliflower florets for 5 minutes in boiling water in a covered pan. 2. Drain and mix with leek. 3. Melt the butter in a deep skillet, add cauliflower florets and leek, and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes. 4. Add tomato slices and grated... - 32.7733
Warm Leek And Tomato Salad
1. Trim the leeks so that they are all the same length. Place in a steamer over a pan of boiling water and steam for 8 minutes or until just tender. 2. Drain the leeks thoroughly and arrange in a shallow serving dish. 3. Make a cross in the top of the... - 42.2101
Leek And Tomato Salad
Tear lettuce leaves into bite size pieces and place in a salad bowl, add tomato wedges and sliced leeks. Combine dressing and mustard and mix well, then pour over the salad and toss well. Sprinkle salad with parsley and basil. - 33.6224
Leek And Tomato Soup
GETTING READY 1. Cut and remove base and green tops from leeks. 2. Lengthwise cut through the center and wash thoroughly. 3. Shred the leek finely. 4. Wash tomatoes and cut into half. MAKING 5. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. 6. Stir in the shredded... - 42.3014
Fettuccine With Mussels, Leeks And Tomatoes
Scrub mussels under cold running water; cut off any hairy beards. Discard any that do not close when tapped. Trim leeks, discarding dark green parts. Slice in half lengthwise and wash well. Cut into thin 1 1/2-in/4 cm-long strips and set aside. In large pot... - 42.7726
Leek Tomato Soup
Saute leeks in butter until soft. Add chopped tomatoes, herbs and seasonings. Cover, bring to gentle boil, lower heat and simmer 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf and puree. Reheat with orzo and stock or cream if thinner soup is desired. Adjust seasonings and... - 39.5426
Leek Tomato Recipes By Category
|
[] |
NewsApp (Free)
Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp
Available on
Rediff News All News » Movies » Punjabi Cinema gets BIG!
Punjabi Cinema gets BIG!
Last updated on: June 24, 2013 17:19 IST
Punjabi Cinema gets BIG!
Aabhas Sharma
Jayanti Majri, home to the famous temple of Jayanti Devi, one the seven goddesses of Kangra, is a village about 25 km from Chandigarh. It's the peak of summer, and most villagers are inside their homes. A few stray dogs loiter in the dust. The only person in sight is a policeman.
A Punjabi film, Heer and Hero, is being shot and I am here to meet its director, Sagar Sharma.
"Where is the shoot happening?" I ask the policeman.
With a sheepish grin, the man says that he is actually an actor and waiting for his jodidaar, or fellow actor. The shoot is down the road.
Once the jodidaar turns up, it's clear why the actor dressed as the policeman chose to be away, out of Sharma's sight: the director launches a volley of Punjabi expletives at the two actors for making the crew wait. They duck into their vanity van, actually a truck with curtains on the side, and are ready for the shot in five minutes.
It is clear that Sharma has put together the crew with great difficulty -- so much so that he is even ready to shoot in this blistering heat.
In the particular scene being shot, the hero has to run away with the heroine, along with his two friends, on her wedding day. They are supposed to pass over a bridge on a stream. The bridge is fine but the stream has dried up in the heat. But koi gal nahin, the shot must be canned.
A few locals begin to grumble as the shooting has blocked the only road through the village and their tractors are stuck. Film shoots are no longer a novelty for them. After all, West is West, the British film, was shot here some time back.
A few hours later, as the day's work ends, Sharma gathers the entire crew in a huddle. "Tomorrow," he tells them, "we work harder, wrap up work quickly and make sure there are no delays."
Jo Bole So Nihaal, Sat Sri Akal, the crew acknowledges his passionate plea.
Image: A poster of Heer and Hero
The fascination with Jatts remains incurable
Prev Next
The chaos at Jayanti Majri reflects how Pollywood, the world of Punjabi cinema, has exploded in the last few years. The industry, which used to release barely six films till 2002, is gearing up to churn out 120 this year. That's a new film every third day of the year.
The stakes are getting bigger. Heer and Hero, for instance, is being made on a budget of Rs 3 crore and stars Bollywood actors Minissha Lamba and Arya Babbar.
Naturally, the quality has improved too. Loud action films like Jatt da Gandasa and Badla Jatti Da have given way to comedies like Carry on Jatta, Jatt Airways, Naughty Jatts, or Jatts in Golmaal and rom-coms like Jatt and Juliet. The fascination with Jatts (farmer-soldier Sikhs) remains incurable.
Bollywood production houses like Eros, Tips, T-Series and Big Pictures have sensed the opportunity and have ventured into this very boisterous industry in the last four years.
Cricketer Harbhajan Singh, too, is trying his luck on this new pitch: he has formed a production house and will soon appear in a film titled, for now, Paaji in Problem.
Image: The Carry on Jatta poster
Prev Next
'This is the best time for Punjabi cinema'
Prev Next
Akshay Kumar has bought the remake rights for Jatt and Juliet -- a first for Punjabi films -- for Rs 4 crore.
The 2011 blockbuster played to packed cinema halls for two consecutive weeks and made Rs 30 crore. Its sequel, Jatt and Juliet 2, will release later this month.
Eros has signed a four-year deal with Jimmy Shergill's production house, Jimmy Shergill Productions, because Pollywood has big potential "both in India and overseas".
Jinhe Mera Dul Luteya, a 2011 release and one of the biggest grossers in Pollywood, raked in Rs 5.5 crore from the overseas markets alone. Multiplexes have mushroomed. In 2007, Punjab had only four multiplexes; today there are 42. "This is the best time for Punjabi cinema," says Shergill over phone from Mumbai.
Such is the popularity of Punjabi films in the state that Hindi films don't get more than three or four shows a day in a multiplex.
"Aashiqui 2 (Hindi) and Lucky di Unlucky Story (Punjabi) released on the same day. While the Punjabi film got 22 shows, the Hindi one only got three shows," says a manager of Big Cinemas in Manimajra on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
Movies like Carry on Jatta, Saadi Love Story, Tu Mera 22 Mein Tera 22 [read as Tu Mera baayi, Mein Tera baayi] and Singh vs Kaur have raked in more than Rs 10 crore each. Given that none incurs more than Rs 4 crore in production costs, this is great return on investment. An average Punjabi film has a shooting schedule of 35-40 days.
Image: The Jatt and Juliet poster
Prev Next
'Money has come in at the right time'
Prev Next
"Punjabi cinema is undergoing a makeover," says Sharma, who is directing his second film and is delighted with getting known names like Babbar and Lamba in his movie. He wears a floppy hat, a white belt holds his denim trousers to his frail frame, and chooses to speak in a mix of Hindi and Punjabi.
Heer and Hero is produced by Harjeet Bhullar (also known as "H-B"), along with Theatre Army, a production house that is cashing in on the boom in Punjabi cinema. To understand what brought about this change, I meet Gaurav Sharma aka "Gabbar" of Theatre Army at the Cafe Coffee Day Lounge in Chandigarh's Sector-35.
While comfortable in English, he says if it isn't a problem, we can have the conversation in Punjabi. He comes across as someone who at a very young age -- he is 27 -- has learnt the ropes of the trade.
In fact, nobody in his outfit is above 30.
From doing location hunting and line production for Hindi films like Mausam, Sharma is looking to produce films.
"Money has come in at the right time," he says. Earlier, films were made by people who wanted to convert 'black into white'. A producer can show any amount of money being invested in a film. "And if it flops -- which most of them did -- he could write it off as a loss," explains Sharma.
Image: The Saadi Love Story poster
Prev Next
'Heroines earlier went to beauty parlours and then came to the sets, but now have vanity vans'
Prev Next
Unlike Bhojpuri movies, which are shot almost entirely in and around Mumbai, Punjabi films remain rooted close to home.
Places like Chandigarh and Patiala are the hubs; Nabha is another popular destination if the script demands shots of forts and havelis. So, film crews -- equipment suppliers, make-up artists, caterers, transporters, dress makers, extras, et al -- are busy like never before and hop from one movie set to another with practised ease.
"Heroines earlier went to beauty parlours and then came to the sets, but now have their own vanity vans," says Sharma. Jaswant, one of the production assistants on the sets of Heer and Hero, tells me his parents don't understand how and where he gets his money from. For looking after the catering and doing odd jobs on the movie set, he gets Rs 15,000 a month.
Darshan Aulakh, who heads one of the oldest production houses in Chandigarh, says on the phone that his crew is busy almost every day. "Earlier we did a lot of work for Bollywood films but, in the last two years, Punjabi films have grown bigger." Sunny, production head at Theatre Army, says getting "crowd actors" is a big challenge. These junior actors who are your quintessential faces in the crowd are in great demand.
"More than the lead actors, at times it is difficult to find their dates!" he says.
Sunny, dressed in jeans and T-shirt, is just 22 and this is his third year in filmdom. Spot boys and production assistants who used to be part timers earlier now have full-time jobs -- they work all year round on film sets.
Image: The Heer and Hero poster
Prev Next
'The clean shaven look is not macho'
Prev Next
Dubbing studios have popped up in Chandigarh. The Punjab government wants to set up a multi-crore film city at Mohali. Sharma rues the rising costs. "Earlier, the villagers were happy to give us their buffaloes for a shoot. Now they've become smart and demand Rs 500 for a buffalo," he chuckles. When the producers take along their own buffaloes or cows, the villagers ask to be paid for the use of chains.
The actors too are floating in money. Singer, actor and producer Gippy Grewal is one of the busiest men in the industry. He charges Rs 1-1.5 crore per film and does everything from singing to dancing and, of course, acting. Sherry Maan, Roshan Prince, Alfaaz are all singers who have now become actors.
The only rule for the hero is that he shouldn't have chocolate-boy looks. The much-anticipated Rangeelay, with Jimmy Shergill and Neha Dhupia in the lead roles, made only Rs 20 lakh on the first day, because, says a crew member of Heer and Hero, Shergill went for "the clean shaven look; it's not macho."
In his heart of hearts, the Punjabi still looks for the "macho hero", and not a metrosexual man.
Among the actresses it's Neeru Bajwa, 32, who reigns supreme. She charges Rs 70 lakh per film and every director wants to cast her as the lead. Bajwa has starred in hit films like Jatt and Juliet, Heer Ranjha and Pinky Mogey Wali. She now runs her own production house called Fresh Air Movies.
"I love that different sort of roles are being written for actors in Punjabi cinema now," she says over phone from Mauritius, where she is shooting for a film.
A Bollywood and national television discard, Bajwa, born and brought up in Canada, discovered her mojo six years ago when she decided to give Punjabi films a try.
Image: The Rangeelay poster
Prev Next
'A lot of the credit goes to Manmohan Singh'
Prev Next
A few days later, at the popular Sector-17 market in Chandigarh, a sequence of Heer and Hero is being shot. A curious crowd gathers around and although there are no big stars at the shoot, two bouncers are around to keep things under check. Sharma is calmer and in a chatty mood.
"A lot of the credit for the way the industry has changed goes to Manmohan Singh" -- no, he's not talking about the prime minister.
Manmohan Singh, or Man G, as he is popularly known, was, for several years, the cinematographer of Yash Chopra films, including Chandni and Lamhe
He came to Punjab in the early 2000s and brought about a sense of professionalism which was missing till then. Taking a leaf out of Chopra's book, he made films that appealed to the NRI audiences and were crossover films as they struck a chord with Punjabis both at home and abroad.
Before Man G made Jee Aayan Nu, starring singer-actor Harbhajan Mann, the idea of technicians and large budgets was not even considered in Punjabi films. Man G's last movie, Ajj De Ranjhe, was produced by Reliance Entertainment.
This was a welcome break from the past. The 1980s are considered a forgettable phase for Punjabi cinema. Mehar Mittal, a tax lawyer by profession, became the face of Punjabi films -- Fauji Chacha, Kartar Mama, Sheran de Putt Sher. Double, even triple, entendre was his forte.
Image: The Ajj De Ranjhe poster
Prev Next
Today, crowds are appreciative of serious cinema
Prev More
Next came the era of crass action films, of which the biggest star was Yograj Singh, cricketer Yuvraj Singh's father.
"These films didn't have any appeal outside of Punjab," says Anurag Singh, whose breakthrough film was Yaar Anmulle in 2011 -- a film about three college friends and their life in university. "It was a genre which was unexplored and the audience loved it," says Singh, who also has to his credit Jatt and Juliet.
To get a feel of the passion for Punjabi cinema, I go to the Fun Republic multiplex in Manimajra, where Sadda Haq is playing to a packed house. It is night but the crowds are chirpy and enthusiastic. There are youngsters and families.
"It's the third week and the crowds are still coming in," says the man at the ticket counter. A couple of years ago, a "serious" film like Sadda Haq wouldn't have run beyond one week, he says.
Today, the crowds are appreciative of serious cinema. That's perhaps why Punjabi films are now being released in territories like Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and even Madhya Pradesh. Overseas markets like Canada, US and UK have become attractive. Newer countries like Singapore and Malaysia have emerged on the radar of distributors. Pollywood's time has come.
Image: The Sadda Haq poster
Prev More
|
[] |
Monthly Archives: October 2012
How You Use Twitter Can Prevent You From Ever Working There
In years past, I noticed some Twitter employees didn’t even have a Twitter account before they were hired. No longer.
Now potential hires have their Twitter accounts carefully studied by CEO Dick Costolo’s staff before they are hired, to make sure it meets their criteria.
Only started your Twitter account in the last few weeks? Don’t expect a job offer, because it looks suspiciously like you might have set up your account just to try to get the job. Costolo and staff want to see Twitter accounts that are “truly embracing the organisation and its ethos.”
“I think it’s great [to] use that as a measurement of how suited they are to Twitter as a company,” Costolo enthused at the Internet Advertising Bureau’s Engage conference in London on Thursday.
HT @ej_butler
How Twitter’s Worldwide Outage Changed Klout Scores Worldwide Twice
On July 27, 2012 many folks had Klout scores that dropped dramatically.
The day before and the day after were not affected. This was the day of Twitter’s dramatic worldwide outage. On that day, Klout lost around 20% of the data it needed to calculate Klout scores accurately.
How Does Twitter Affect Klout Scores?
Klout measures a person’s “influence” each day, and then publishes an overall score that is the average of the last 90 days. The overall average is the number they publish. It’s your “Klout score.”
That means that a score from 90 days ago won’t count towards your score tomorrow. So if you had a really high score 90 days ago, it will go away tomorrow, lowering your overall score tomorrow (unless tomorrow is equally high.)
Klout’s “dashboard” shows how much each signal affects your Klout score. In the case of our @TweetSmarter account, Twitter accounts for just over 90% of our score.
How Much Will Klout Scores Increase?
On Thursday, October 25, the day of the Twitter outage was 91 days old, and no longer counted towards anyone’s Klout scores. When that day was no longer counted, scores went up around .2% for users whose Klout score was influenced heavily by Twitter.
Since Klout averages to only report whole numbers, scores that were just below a .5 (such as 33.4, 41.3, etc.) saw their score increase a whole number, as they pass over the .5 mark and are averaged up to the next whole number.
A very rough guess is that about 1 in 700 Klout scores went up…affecting hundreds of thousands of users.
HT to @Karen_C_Wilson for some proofreading
Twitter Bought 18 Companies—Do You Know Why?
Twitter never stops changing, it seems.
Have Millions of Fake Accounts Fooled Twitter?
Twitter CEO Dick Costolo has mentioned several times that millions of people use Twitter only for reading information, and rarely if ever tweet themselves.
But how much does he know?
Fake Twitter Accounts
Companies that sell followers create fake Twitter accounts that rarely tweet, and just have them follow people for money.
So the fact that there are millions of Twitter accounts that rarely tweet doesn’t mean those are people that use Twitter passively for reading without tweeting (much) themselves. Many—most?—of them are fake accounts being sold to people who want to buy followers.
Of course, some of them are real people, but Twitter can’t tell the difference! Twitter hasn’t figured out how to stop fake accounts from being created, and can’t tell the difference between them and real people in order to suspend them
So how many people are just using Twitter “passively?” No one knows…except perhaps the spammers creating fake accounts. But since automated hacking tools are widely available for creating fake Twitter acc0unts, and it’s estimated that selling Twitter followers brings in nearly $50 million each year, it’s fair to say there could be millions of fake accounts.
Of course, some fake accounts are created in order to send spam. Here’s a list of the latest spam, and spam accounts, for example. But accounts created only to be sold as fake “followers” never spam, because that would risk them getting suspended, and if they were suspended, they couldn’t be sold as followers.
Fortunately, even if hackers find a lucrative way to break into your account or computer just by getting you to click a link, those fake accounts are unlikely to switch over to sending spam, because they make a LOT of money being sold as followers.
And that’s good, because otherwise, millions of fake accounts could suddenly start spamming Twitter.
|
[] |
Ismail Mahomed
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ismail Mahomed
Chief Justice of South Africa
In office
Preceded by Michael Corbett
Succeeded by Arthur Chaskalson
Personal details
Born (1931-07-25)25 July 1931
Pretoria, South Africa
Died 17 June 2000(2000-06-17) (aged 68)
Justice Ismail Mahomed, SCOB S.C. (5 July 1931 - 17 June 2000) was a South African lawyer who served as the Chief Justice of South Africa and the Supreme Court of Namibia,[1] and co-authored the constitution of Namibia.[1]
Early life[edit]
Mahomed was born in Pretoria, his parents were Indian merchants.[1] He graduated from Pretoria Indian Boys' High School[2] in 1950. He received his BA from University of the Witwatersrand in 1953 and the following year received his BA honours with distinction in political science. He finished his Bachelor of Laws in 1957.[3]
Mahomed was refused admission to the Pretoria Bar Association, as it was reserved for white lawyers, but was able to join the Johannesburg Bar Association.[3] However, because of the Group Areas Act, he was banned from getting an office of his own, and was forced to practice out of his colleagues' offices while they were away.[1] In the 1960s he served as a lawyer in Botswana. Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.[3] In 1974 he became the first non-white in South African history to take silk.[3] In 1979 he was appointed to the appeal court of Swaziland and in 1982 was made an Appeal Judge in Lesotho, where he would later become president of the Appeals court.[3] He was made an English Barrister in 1984.[3] In 1991 he became the chair of the Convention for a Democratic South Africa[2][3] and the country's first non-white judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa.[2] He was later appointed to the Appeal Court.[2] He was made a judge of the Constitutional Court in 1995.[2] In 1996 he was made the Chief Justice of South Africa by President Nelson Mandela.[4]
Mahomed died of pancreatic cancer in Johannesburg on 17 June 2000, shortly after leaving the bench.[1] Sam Nujoma, the Namibian President at that time, spoke at his funeral.
Honours and Awards[edit]
At the Supreme Court of Namibia there is a statue in his honour.[5] He was posthumously awarded the Order of the Baobab (Gold) in 2002.[6]
1. ^ a b c d e CAUVIN, HENRI E (2000-06-19). "Ismail Mahomed, 68; Led Post-Apartheid Court". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
2. ^ a b c d e "Justice Ismail Mahomed". Retrieved 2008-08-31.
3. ^ a b c d e f g "Justice Ismail Mahomed". Retrieved 2008-08-31.
4. ^ "Mandela appoints Ismail Mahomed Chief Justice". bnet. 1996. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
5. ^ Mashuna, Timoteus (5 October 2012). "Ismail Mahomed: ‘The Leading Jurist’ (1931 - 2000)". New Era.
6. ^
Legal offices
Preceded by
Michael Corbett
Chief Justice of South Africa
Succeeded by
Arthur Chaskalson
|
[] |
Document Sample
scope of work template
INTRODUCTION BCSTA fully supports a review of current graduation requirements. We commend the Ministry for undertaking the review and appreciate the opportunity for continuing input to this important work. In its discussion paper, the Ministry states that the proposed changes, along with other objectives, are designed to “better support student achievement, and improve the quality of public education.” School trustees believe that we can and should move beyond “better support,” to “improvement” as the goal. Further, since we have agreed that the common Key Work of the Ministry and school boards is to improve student achievement, then it follows that any changes to improve student achievement will, by definition, also improve the quality of public education. We note also that there is still work to be done in creating a widely acceptable definition of student achievement, and we support the establishment of the Task Force to address this important subject. Consequently, the critical questions in assessing the Ministry’s proposed graduation requirement changes become: Will the proposed changes likely improve student achievement, and How will we know if they do improve it?
Although the discussion paper refers to these questions indirectly, unfortunately there is no direct discussion of how we would know if the proposed changes either individually or collectively would result in improved student achievement. Improved graduation rates are a possible measure, and so is improved satisfaction, but neither is adequate on its own. If we are interested in improving student achievement by making the proposed changes, then the absence of their rationale, based on field and research experience, is a critical omission. The reader is left with the impression not of change based on sound educational analysis, but rather of a lottery approach to picking some solutions that respond to legitimate issues expressed in the consultation process without the benefit of analysis. We are confident that this is not the Minister’s intent.
To remedy this omission, we believe it is imperative that our senior educators, particularly superintendents, be requested to analyze the proposed changes in terms of the following questions: Are the proposed changes an educationally sound means of improving student achievement? What resources, that is, people, money and time, would be required to successfully implement the changes? Another general comment relates to the Ministry’s opening statements about the education system: “Generally, both the BC education system and the Graduation Program are performing well. The province compares favourably to other jurisdictions in terms of graduation rates and overall student achievement.” It would be useful for the Ministry to inform the public of how it knows this statement to be true. To that end, we encourage the Ministry to publish in lay language a succinct statement of evidence supporting this claim. School boards would most certainly assist the Ministry in broadly communicating this important information to our local communities. Bearing in mind these considerations, we offer the following comments on the recommendations following the format of the Ministry’s discussion document.
1. IMPROVING ASSESSMENT In its discussion paper, the Ministry states: “…there is no provincial standard of assessment for graduates. This means students can successfully complete high school in BC without demonstrating any particular level of competence in academic subjects such as science, math or social studies – or in key areas such as critical thinking and problem solving, informational and technological literacy, community involvement and responsibility, and employability skills.” Statements of this nature published in a Ministry document, which also claims our education system is performing well, confuse the general reader at best, and at worst, impair the credibility of the Ministry in proposing these major changes. In reality, the current requirements do acknowledge competency in the form of passing marks in credited courses using standard curriculum. This includes required subjects to a Grade 11 level, plus Language Arts to a Grade 12 level.
The Ministry needs to state directly why it is recommending new exams. Does the Ministry believe that we need more information? Does the Ministry believe that the additional exams will actually provide more information than what is already available from the final marks provided by classroom teachers, who can generally provide the most accurate assessment of the knowledge and abilities of individual students? That said, it appears that the Ministry’s primary methods to improve achievement of graduates are to set provincial standards of educational attainment in four areas and to establish new means for assessing whether students meet those standards. Educational standards provide a common basis for discussing achievement, because they set out common expectations for students, parents, teachers, and the public at large. If desired, they can help gauge the progress of individuals, point to needed interventions, and also facilitate comparisons of performance, across classrooms, districts, provinces and countries. As such, establishment of standards is a legitimate element of public education, the graduation program included. However, in an attempt to establish uniformity through standards, we run the risk of failing to acknowledge the valued differences among students. Admittedly, the appropriate balance between uniformity and individuality in educating students is exceedingly complex to define and achieve. Thus, it is most appropriate that the Ministry has attempted to acknowledge the need for a balance by providing a variety of methods for students to demonstrate learning in addition to standardized tests. As noted writer Elliot Eisner says in The Schools We Need: There are many important tasks and skills that students need to learn – i.e., conventions – that are necessary for doing more important work and that educational programs should help them learn. The more important work I speak of is the work that makes it possible for students to think imaginatively about problems that matter to them, tasks that give them the opportunity to affix their own personal signature to their work, occasions to explore ideas and questions that have no correct answers, and projects in which they can reason and express their own ideas. (p. 181) Whereas it is relatively straightforward to develop common standards and achievement tests in core learning areas, it is much more difficult to set standards and establish accompanying assessments in areas that Eisner calls the “more important work.” While it is vital for the Ministry to establish expectations that provide appropriate accountability within the system, it is critical that we do not compromise potential outcomes for students by embarking on change in either area before we have a solid educational foundation. To that end, we trust that the Minister will ask senior educators to be the leaders in developing standards and assessment elements envisaged in both areas. In this way, we improve the chance of embarking on changes that are educationally sound, offer reasonable expectation for improving student achievement, and are manageable in practice.
In addition to involving educators and others with this expertise, government must be prepared to provide other appropriate resources such as money and time if we are to serve students well in changing the graduation requirements. Finally, we all recognize that accomplishing change in education is a long difficult and multi-faceted process that must start somewhere. Changing graduation requirements is one point of entry. BCSTA also welcomes the opportunity to make submissions on related issues under discussion by the Task Forces on Student Achievement and Rural Education. It is our hope that through all these efforts we will begin a process of thoughtful and effective change in public education that is focused on improving student achievement.
Grade 10 in Graduation Program Generally, BCSTA supports the idea of including Grade 10 in the graduation program, since students already take courses out of sequence. We agree that it would be helpful to provide students with earlier opportunities to spread out their exams and to start planning their high school program. Our major concern, however, is that Grade 10 may be too early for many young teenagers to begin making choices that would determine the remainder of their high school education, an implication that is inherent in the package, given the number of requirements and resulting limited flexibility. We believe that sensitive and engaged counselling would be critical for all students, and, in particular, for First Nations students who have serious problems succeeding in the current system. A. Core Examinations At the outset, it is hard to argue against the concept of testing basic competencies in Language, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts. However, our experience with the current Foundation Skills Assessment is that tools of this nature can take a very narrow approach to assessment, and we hope that the same problems would not be repeated in a new graduation program. For instance, most people have heard criticisms that teachers and students tend to work to the test in a test-driven system. In such a system the material and the student’s skill in taking tests are too often the measure of achievement. There is a difference between demonstrating competency and taking a test successfully. During the consultation period, concerns were expressed about the need for more balanced assessment in the current examinable subjects, with less weighting of the exams. This might suggest some contradiction with the notion that more exams provide a stronger picture of student competence. Furthermore, as discussed above, standardized tests often exclude the richness of learning that we want to see in “educated citizens,” and they don’t take into account student
learning styles, personal development and non-school factors. At a later point in the response, we will discuss the addition of a portfolio requirement, which we understand is intended to help broaden the assessment base and respond to these particular issues. School trustees also raise questions about another issue associated with core exams. Since all students would be required to take the same tests, we need to acknowledge the serious risk of ultimately reducing expectations in order to satisfy a common denominator. This outcome would not serve any students well. For instance, this situation would put into question BC certification for students who wish to pursue postsecondary education in BC or elsewhere. Another concern we have is that the School Leaving Certificate would be eliminated and would be replaced by Grade 10, 11, and 12 transcripts. It is not clear how this change would benefit students with special needs. The following questions arise from these issues: 1. Would the competency exams include a school-based component similar to current provincial examinations? If so, would the 60/40 ratio continue to be used? If not, what would be the proportion? 2. What would be the process for allowing students to improve their marks? 3. What would be the impact on a student’s graduation timeline if she were required to repeat a core requirement? 4. Would the new competency exams replace the current Foundation Skills Assessment? 5. Would the Ministry provide school districts with funding for students who do not complete their graduation program on time because of the need to improve their marks in core courses?
B. Provincial Grade 12 Exams in Non-Core subjects BCSTA does not question the view that students and parents believe a course is more valuable if it is examinable. We accept this view as one possible reason for reducing the number of “academic” exams in non-core areas. However, school trustees oppose allowing students to take courses without taking the exams, and allowing them to take the exams up to a year after course completion. We believe that if students take examinable courses, they should all be required to take the exam at the end of the course. To do otherwise would create inequities among students depending on whether they “audit” the course, take the exam at the end of the course, or take the exam later.
In addition to this concern, the proposal raises logistical and administrative questions, such as: 1. Would the course portion of the final grade be shown on the transcript immediately? How would it be shown? What weighting toward completion would be given? 2. Would districts be responsible for subsequent tutorials for students who do not take the exam at the end of the course? 3. Would districts be held accountable by the Ministry both for the achievement of their own students and for out-of-district students who took the course elsewhere? 4. Would districts receive funding for the additional administrative work resulting from implementation?
C. Required Portfolio BCSTA supports the portfolio concept as a way of broadening assessment. We also appreciate the Minister’s plan to begin implementation with a pilot project, because we identify a number of practical problems that need to be addressed before it is required for every student. First, we are happy to see that students would receive guidance in preparing portfolios through a new Grade 10 course that would replace Career and Personal Planning (CAPP) 11 and 12. In addition, teacher mentors would support them throughout their high school program. While we recognize that non-educators may have some role in reviewing portfolios, school trustees believe that educators should make the final determinations regarding eligibility for graduation. Questions that we identify at the outset are: 1. How would non-educators be involved in reviewing portfolios, recognizing that at least a portion of most portfolios would not be school-oriented? Would the Ministry fund the cost of training non-educators? 2. What is the process envisaged for assigning subject teachers to review portfolios, and how would this fit into current workloads? 3. What allowance would be made for gender, developmental and other differences among students, recognizing that a number of factors play important roles in verbal and project presentation skills?
4. Would school districts receive funding for the additional work of subject teachers and administrators resulting from implementation? At this time, we also wish to register our concern about a proposal to change the criteria for scholarship exams. In the Appendix to the Cabinet decision document, the Ministry proposes to include excellence in Grade 12 exams, four comprehensive exam areas, and portfolio assessment. By making excellence in all three mandatory, we would lose a valuable opportunity to recognize student talent and achievement each of the areas separately.
2. EXPANDING CHOICE AND FLEXIBILITY In general, it appears that the new graduation proposals expand student choice, but provide limited additional flexibility. For example, students would have only one more elective under the proposed system, although the potential number of new courses made available to them may be greater. While electronic delivery options may expand choices for some, the blocks of classroom offerings are limited, and in many cases are dropping due to enrollment declines.
A. Expanded Grade 11 Math and New Civics 11 Course In principle, school trustees support expanding access to the number of Grade 11 mathematics options, in light of widespread concerns about the current mathematics curriculum. Indeed, the 2001 and 2002 BCSTA AGMs adopted the following resolutions: Request the Minister of Education to review recent changes to the K-12 mathematics curriculum, and fulfill its responsibility by providing appropriate opportunities for all students, not just those who seek to attend postsecondary institutions. (AGM 2001 #4) Request the Minister of Education to review, and revise as necessary, the Mathematics Applications stream so that students who wish to attend university, but do not plan to enroll in mathematics or science, are not penalized at admission. (AGM 2002 #4) We wish to be clear that, while this change makes sense, the Ministry must be mindful of school district capacities to offer new courses, especially those with very small rural schools and few students. Although it expands access to options in Mathematics, this requirement may well reduce the options for students in other areas.
The following question, however, is relevant to school boards and schools of all sizes: What funding provision would the Ministry make for school boards required to offer new courses – for example, more teachers, busing between schools, better distance education capacity, more classrooms? Regarding a new civics course, BCSTA suggests that the solution is not to add another course, but to review the current curriculum for Social Studies 11, so that it can be made more interesting and relevant to students. In addition, we are very concerned about any proposal that would affect possible enrollment in First Nations Education 12, since we believe that all students should have the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of aboriginal people. This course was introduced in 1995 and is now offered in over half of BC school districts.
B. More Locally Developed Courses BCSTA fully supports this proposal, because we believe that local school boards are in the best position to develop offerings that are most relevant to their communities. School trustees also wish to acknowledge that we recognize that the Ministry has a legitimate and important role in ensuring that the quality of locally developed courses is of an acceptable standard for the province. The same role applies to establishing portfolio standards. (See Page 3 for comments on standard setting.)
C. Alternative Ways of Receiving Credit This proposal is clearly designed to provide students with more choice for study beyond the walls of their own school and the confines of the school district. Therefore, BCSTA has no argument with the proposal in principle. However, in practice, there are a number of implementation questions to consider: 1. How would the Ministry ensure that the new CAPP 10 course is designed and taught in a way that would adequately inform individual students about their options, in light of the other purposes intended for the course and the nearly universal dissatisfaction with the current program? 2. How would school boards and government ensure that graduation requirements satisfied under alternative methods meet a consistent quality standard worthy of a BC Dogwood Certificate?
3. How would non-educators be involved in verifying alternative avenues for learning? What costs would be incurred, and how would they be covered? 4. How would the new requirements fit into the current workloads of CAPP and subject teachers, in light of added responsibilities for guidance, monitoring and evaluating portfolios, etc.? 5. Would school districts be responsible for finding the new money needed to cover the additional work of subject teachers and administrators resulting from implementation?
D. Postsecondary Credit BCSTA fully supports the recommendation that students receive graduation credits for postsecondary education. However, we urge government to focus more attention on the more significant problem of ensuring greater access to higher education to students who receive a BC Dogwood certificate. We are very concerned about the number of graduates who are terribly discouraged because they are denied admission to BC postsecondary institutions due to artificially high admission averages. It is our understanding that current artificially high admission averages are primarily based, not on the academic ability of the student, but rather on seating capacity reflected in government funding to postsecondary institutions.
3. BETTER PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE A. New Grade 10 CAPP Course Given widespread dissatisfaction with the current Grade 11 and 12 CAPP curricula, school trustees believe that some change is definitely needed in how we prepare students for their future education, employment, or both. Furthermore, we have no argument in principle with the notion that it would be helpful for students to start thinking about their futures in Grade 10. However, we hesitate to conclude that one new course, regardless of the design or teaching quality would necessarily be the effective and successful tool intended, even if we were able to solve those issues. We must also consider important developmental and sociological factors that affect young teenagers. Because of these issues, BCSTA supports a trial project of curriculum and teaching methods for this proposal that considers gender, economic level, aboriginal background, etc.
A related question is: Would the Ministry be prepared to provide new curriculum and professional development to support teachers responsible for CAPP 10?
B. Pathway Concentration Areas Among all the proposals, this initiative possibly constitutes the most significant change to current graduation requirements. At the outset, we want to state how much BCSTA appreciates the Minister’s assurances that these proposals would not constitute streaming, since we strongly oppose such a practice. In addition, school trustees agree with the Minister that we need to make high school education more meaningful to students and more relevant to their futures, and commend the Ministry for the thought and intention behind this proposal. In addition, we are very concerned that students would enroll in particular pathways, based on a limited personal or an adult’s view of their capacities and/or appropriate future academic, training, or employment directions. This is a particular concern for aboriginal communities. In short, we would hate to see any student’s future limited by narrow pathway choices that restrict their ability to access postsecondary education, training or employment because of decisions made as young teenagers. That said, it would be beneficial for the Ministry to receive input from postsecondary institutions on how the new requirements would affect student prospects for successful admission. We are also concerned that pathway requirements may have the unintended consequence of constituting a serious barrier to graduation for students who would not have enough credits to graduate if they changed pathways partway through the program. This situation could delay graduation, or even cause a student to give up on school. We recognize that graduating with one’s peers is an important motivator for students.
If the Ministry does not expect this particular problem to materialize because it anticipates common courses to form part of all eight pathways, then the concept of differentiated pathways is not in reality what it appears to be, and it would not offer the choice that we understand is intended. In addition to these serious issues, the Ministry may wish to consider the following questions: 1. What role, if any, would the Ministry play in overseeing the composition of the pathways in school districts and/or schools?
2. How does the Ministry envisage small districts and/or small schools providing meaningful opportunities in all eight pathways? 3. Has the Ministry considered potential teacher shortages in the pathway areas for schools and districts of all sizes? 4. Who would provide reimbursement for non-educators involved in supporting pathways? 5. What extra training would the Ministry support for counselling staff who serve in the critical role of advising students regarding pathway and other options? 6. Would the Ministry continue to provide districts with funding for students who do not fulfill graduation requirements at the end of Grade 12 because they switched pathways after two or more courses?
C. Physical Education BCSTA shares the Minister’s goal of encouraging students to improve their physical wellbeing as preparation for a healthy life. However, school trustees have doubts about the proposal to extend mandatory physical education to Grades 11 and 12 and to provide alternative options for earning required credit. We believe that a more productive approach would be to review and revise the whole K-12 physical education program. At a minimum, school trustees recommend examining the current Grade 10 curriculum and teaching methodologies with a view to improving rigour and increasing student satisfaction. BCSTA offers the following initial questions about the proposal to help shed light on the issues we have raised: 1. Would the Ministry provide school boards with adequate funding for offering the new courses, building the necessary facilities, and/or for offering extracurricular programs that would meet provincial standards for physical activity? 2. How would non-educators be involved in programs providing student activity outside schools? Who would pay for external evaluation? 3. Would the Ministry provide funding for the additional administrative work necessary to coordinate and record non-school activity?
CONCLUSION BCSTA commends the Minister for boldly undertaking the important task of reviewing graduation requirements to improve student achievement. We believe that the broad elements of the Ministry’s proposals hold promise for accomplishing this purpose in that they: Set new provincial graduation standards and related assessments; Revise the current examination program; Add new courses and requirements; and Introduce the concept of career pathways and graduation portfolios.
Taken together, these proposals represent a large-scale complex educational design task. While our submission has raised many specific questions for the Ministry to consider in reviewing the proposals further, we strongly recommend that you undertake two key actions at this juncture: 1. Appoint a group of senior educators, largely superintendents, in consultation with other interested partners, to lead the development of graduation program changes and give them responsibility to make recommendations on: Standard-setting and assessment methods and tools that provide an appropriate balance between uniformity and individual skills and talents; Ways of implementing portfolios that are educationally sound and feasible; New “options” that demonstrably increase both choice and flexibility for students; and New curricula in areas such as CAPP, physical education and social studies rather than improving current offerings.
2. Provide for reasonable resource support in terms of people, time and money for development and implementation. We trust that the Minister will adopt this recommendation in concert with model projects and phased implementation, as BCSTA recommended throughout the submission. We also trust that the Minister and her officials will see their way clear to proceeding in this important work with the continuing assistance of school boards, senior educators and our other partners in education in order to achieve intended results and minimize unintended negative consequence for students. Finally, BCSTA needs to make a concluding comment about funding. We were heartened by the Premier’s public statement that the costs of implementing the proposals will not be downloaded to school boards.
Our strong recommendation regarding funding is that the Ministry provide adequate resources over and above current funding to school boards so that they are not forced to redirect funding from other program areas in order to meet the new requirements. Such a situation could very likely result in unintended negative consequences for elementary and junior secondary programs, which, in turn, would compromise achievement in the senior secondary and graduation programs. BCSTA supports the Minister’s commendable initiative to review BC’s graduation requirements, and appreciates the boldness and pioneering quality of the proposals generated by the Ministry. We are jointly dedicated to improving achievement of all students in BC through demonstrably improved graduation requirements.
How are you planning on using Docstoc?
|
[] |
Register Log in
Scientific Method / Science & Exploration
Richard Dawkins’ weasels beat random monkeys to Shakespeare’s work
One guy and his home computer are attempting to get an army of virtual monkeys …
Jesse Anderson, who's running the virtual monkeys on a home computer, describes his system using text and video on his site. One thing that's very clear is that he made the challenge a bit simpler than it might have been. Each virtual monkey on his machine only spits out a string of standard ASCII letters—no punctuation, no capitals or digits, not whitespaces. This cuts the potential space he's searching down considerably.
But that's not the only thing that's been simplified in order to make the monkeys' virtual lives a bit easier. Instead of being an attempt to reproduce Shakespeare with random characters, the algorithm Anderson is using is a bit closer to one used as a simple demonstration of the power of biological evolution (one that, coincidentally, also used Shakespeare as its text).
Recapitulating Shakespeare at random can be done in a number of ways. The simplest, and most difficult manner, involves adding a single random character at a time, just as a monkey on a typewriter would. If the monkey ever hits the wrong key, the whole work gets thrown out, even if the previous thousand were correct. That's the premise of the Simpson's skit that Anderson says was his inspiration to tackle the project.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have the weasel program, first discussed by Richard Dawkins in The Blind Watchmaker. In this example, the target text is the Shakespeare line "Methinks it is like a weasel." The random typing of characters is considered to be analogous to the results of random mutation. But Dawkins adds a new step, analogous to natural selection: if any of the letters are right, they're retained as "fit." The rest get reshuffled and are tested again. Adding this selection step radically shortens the time it takes to arrive at the correct solution, since the monkey will never have to throw out any of its successful work and start over.
Anderson's search process is a lot closer to Dawkins' weasel example. Instead of single characters, his monkeys bang out blocks of nine. Those blocks are then compared to a compilation of all the text in all of Shakespeare's work. If they match anywhere, that block is marked as complete. There are only 26 single characters being used by Anderson, and that creates 5.4 trillion potential nine-character sequences, so there are a fair number to crunch through (Anderson's monkeys have done over 500 billion combinations). But that's a far cry from having to directly match even a simple phrase like "Methinks it is like a weasel"—that's 28 characters long, and the 27 character alphabet (Dawkins didn't ignore the spaces) means that it's only one of 1.2 x 1040 possible combinations.
What Anderson has really shown is that a lot of very carefully supervised monkeys can eventually bang out fragments that cover a substantial proportion of Shakespeare's text, and we've now got the computing power to make virtualizing that process a manageable task. But we're not yet at the point where we've got enough computing power to make enough virtual monkeys so that one of them will likely be able to spit out more than a fragment in a single go.
Expand full story
You must to comment.
You May Also Like
Need to register for a new account?
If you don't have an account yet it's free and easy.
|
[] |
Dollar Days International, Inc. BBB Business Review
Unbelievable friendly customer service. Call us.
Be sure to sign in or register a new account.
Your search for products in Microwave Accessories on closeout yielded 2 results. You are on page 1 of 1. Revise or New Search
Closeout Corner
Wholesale Closeouts - As Seen On TV Microwave Pasta Boat
As Seen On TV Microwave Pasta Boat. Perfect pasta every time! Cooking pasta can be a hassle. This product makes it faster and easier to make perfect pasta every time right in your microwave oven. It's so easy - just put in the pasta, add water to the serving line, then pop it in the microwave. It's that easy. Pasta Boat keeps water at the perfect temperature - it actually does a better job than a pot on a stove. When finished, place on the strainer lid, drain out the water and you're ready to serve. The stay-cool handles are also designed to measure portion sizes of spaghetti and the bonus steamer rack can be used to steam potatoes or vegetables right in your microwave. It's one of the most useful cooking products you'll ever own. Holds 5 lbs. Dishwasher safe. Includes recipe book.
Closeout Corner
Wholesale Closeouts - Microwave Pizza Plate
Multi purpose microwave plate- For cooking/reheating pizza & cooking meats, made of plastic, dishwasher safe, measures 9.75" diameter.
BookWishlistHot Sellers
|
[] |
oneworld members
Founded: 1978
Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
Hubs: Berlin, Dusseldorf, Palma de Mallorca, Vienna
Since its launch in 1978, airberlin (AB) has grown to become Germany’s second largest airline serving over 160 destinations in 40 countries. It joined the oneworld alliance in 2012.
American Airlines
Founded: 1930
Fort Worth, USA
Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW),Chicago O’Hare (ORD),
American Airlines (AA) is a founding member of oneworld. Together with its affiliates, it serves more than 40 countries internationally and 260 destinations, of which 150 are located in the US.
British Airways
Founded: Traces its origin back to 1919
Headquarters: London, England
Hubs: London Heathrow (LHR), London Gatwick (LGW)
One of the founding members of oneworld, British Airways (BA) and its affiliates’ route network include approximately 165 destinations
in 75 countries across the globe.
Cathay Pacific
Founded: 1946
Headquarters: Hong Kong
Hubs: Hong Kong International (HKG)
Awarded ‘Best Airline of the Year’ by Skytrax in 2009 and a founding member of oneworld, Cathay Pacific (CX) services more than 110
destinations in Asia, the Pacific, North America, Africa and Europe.
Founded: 1923
Headquarters: Helsinki Airport, Vantaa, Finland
Hubs: Helsinki (HEL)
Finland’s largest airline, Finnair (AY), joined the oneworld alliance in 1999 and from its hub in Helsinki, serves as the ideal gateway between Europe and Asia. Finnair flies to about 70 destinations in Europe, North America and Asia.
Founded: 1927
Headquarters: Madrid, Spain
Hubs: Madrid Barajas (MAD)
The leading airline for flights between Europe and Latin America, Iberia (IB) joined oneworld in 1999. The airport in Madrid serves as a hub for more than 100 destinations in more than 40 countries in Europe, Africa, the Near East and America.
Japan Airlines
Founded: 1951
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Hubs: Tokyo Narita (NRT), Tokyo International (HND),
Osaka Kansai International (KIX), Nagoya (NGO)
With major hubs in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, Japan Airlines (JL) is one of the world's premier carrier serving some 75 destinations in 20 countries with focus on Asia and joined the oneworld alliance in 2007.
Founded: 1929
Headquarters: Santiago, Chile
Hubs: Santiago (SCL)
LAN Airlines (LA), one of Latin America's largest and most awarded carriers, joined oneworld in 2000 and operates an extensive route network in Latin America as well as North America, Europe and the Pacific region.
Malaysia Airlines
Founded: 1947
Headquarters: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Hubs: Kuala Lumpur (KUL)
Malaysia Airlines is one of the world’s leading 5-star airlines recognized for having one of the world’s best cabin service. With its main operating hub in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Airlines flies to over 60 destinations globally across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.
Founded: 1920
Headquarters: Botany Bay, Sydney, Australia
Hubs: Sydney (SYD), Melbourne (MEL)
A founding member of oneworld, Australia’s Qantas (QF) is one of the leading long-haul carriers worldwide and flies to more than 70 countries in Asia, the Pacific region, Europe, America and Africa.
Royal Jordanian
Founded: 1963
Headquarters: Amman, Jordan
Hubs: Amman (AMM)
The national carrier of Jordan, Royal Jordanian (RJ) joined oneworld in 2007 and has the most extensive route network in the Middle East, with services to more than 60 destinations in 40 countries, with numerous connections to Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.
S7 Airlines
Founded: 1992
Headquarters: Ob, Russia
Hubs: Moscow (DMO), Novosibirsk Tolmachevo (OVB)
S7 Airlines (S7) joined the oneworld alliance in 2010. It offers the most extensive route network in Russia with many connections to Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the South Pacific regions, where it serves more than 80 destinations in 20 countries.
|
[] |
Rollover text informationAmerican Experience Logo
Marcus Garvey: Look For Me in the Whirlwind
spacer above content
Online Forum: Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie
previous 4 of 15 next
Were Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie enemies?
Answered by Barbara Bair:
Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie were not enemies; nor were they friends. Garvey was initially a very strong supporter of Selassie as hostilities between Italian and Ethiopian troops began at Wal Wal in December 1934, and events began to unfolded leading into the Italo-Ethiopian War.
Garvey moved from Jamaica to London as Mussolini was increasing his belligerence against Selassie's rule. The UNIA leader often spoke supportively about Selassie and decried the Italian invasion of Ethiopia from Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park in London, defending the black nation's sovereignty rights and denouncing Mussolini's aggression. He used the pages of his _Black Man_ magazine to discuss the Italo-Ethiopian situation. But after Italian troops invaded Ethiopia in October of 1935 and Selassie was forced into exile in May, Garvey became increasingly critical of the Ethiopian leader.
When Selassie arrived in London, on his way to attempt further negotiations for help (which would not be forthcoming) from the League of Nations, he spurned Garvey along with other black activists then living in Britain. Garvey felt this rejection keenly, and at the same time he was attracted to the power dynamics at work in the rising fascism of Mussolini and Hitler. While African Americans in the United States, including Garveyites led by UNIA New York officer A. L. King in Harlem, rallied to the Ethiopian cause, Garvey began to blast Haile Selassie for his weakness in his _Black Man_ editorials, criticize him for his lack of identification with blacks and for turning to white officials (who would fail him) for help, and, at the same time, praised Mussolini for his forcefulness and his manhood.
Marcus Garvey was heckled off the platform in Hyde Park by African students who were so enraged by his criticism of Haile Selassie. Despite the actual differences the two men experienced, they have been lauded together and twinned spiritually in much of black popular culture and faith, and exist in important relationship to one another in Rastafarian belief, in the messages of reggae music, and in many other ways.
previous question | return to the forum | next question
Site Navigation
Life and Lessons | Interview Clips
© New content 1999-2000 PBS Online / WGBH
Exclusive Corporate Funding is provided by:
|
[] |
In bowling, when you just can't seem to get the ball to go where you want it to, some frustrated bowlers resort to drawing a fence on the score sheet.
It's a way of saying you're putting an end to low scores and the rest of the game will go better.
I've resorted to that a few times and know for a fact that it doesn't improve your bowling. Only better technique can do that. But at least it signals the intention to pay more attention to technique.
Having clear intentions is the first part of any improvement. And this is the time of year when many of us have clear intentions about changes we want to make.
We call it New Year's resolutions.
I hesitate to use that term because New Year's resolutions get a bad rap. Some believe the intentions we promise to keep disappear as fast as a snowman on a sunny day. But I believe in the power of a New Year and the change that can come with it.
A New Year is a fresh start. It can be an important time of reflection. We can use it to take a careful look at how we are going through life.
Few would drive a car endlessly without thought to direction or destination. But if we don't use the start of a New Year as a stop sign, that's exactly how we travel though life.
Just for fun, each year I usually ask people if they made any New Year's resolutions. This year, more than ever, I'm hearing people say they have made some serious resolutions.
Some scoff at the idea, saying if they wanted to make any kind of change in life, they wouldn't have to wait until New Year's to do it. They could embark on change any time of year.
They could. But few do.
A New Year is a fresh chance at our own self- improvement project.
According to national surveys as well as my own informal queries, the number one New Year's self improvement goal is to lose weight.
This is the time when gyms are most crowded and weight loss classes are filled with determined dieters.
A Quicken poll that resulted in a list of America's top New Year's resolutions revealed that most of us want the same thing. We want to lose weight, get more physically active and lead a healthier lifestyle.
But most of all, we want to slow down and enjoy life more. Spending more time with family and friends was on top of the resolution list for 50 percent of us.
I'm a big believer in New Year's resolutions and I made several of them this year. Heading my list was my intention to remember every day that life is short. I need to make the most of each day.
If we truly believe that life is short, we wouldn't stay mindlessly busy. We would put meaningful purpose in each day.
If we believed we didn't have forever we would never waste a day by spending it being angry or feeling vengeful.
If we believe life is short, we would have a "longer fuse." We would be gentler with the world.
We wouldn't cut friends and relatives out of our lives because of real or imagined slights. Instead, we would work to mend family fences and heal hearts.
If we believe life is short, we would keep in mind what is important and what is "small stuff" not worth worrying about.
If we remember that life is short, we would stop putting off important things for the tomorrow that might never come. We would make sure we have an up-to-date will and some sort of estate plan. It's amazing how many people never get around to doing that.
A lawyer friend of mine who drew up hundreds of wills for his clients never got around to updating his own legal affairs. Young and healthy, he thought he could do it "someday." When he died in a private plane crash, his ex-wife was still his named beneficiary and the legal battles were ugly and lengthy.
We all use the expression, "life is short." But if we really believed that, we would get around to doing what is important.
We would spend more time with family and loved ones, telling them every day in so many ways how special they are to us.
If we comprehend how short a lease we are given in this adventure called life, would we waste one night sitting in front of a TV watching mindless shows?
Replacing television with more worthwhile activities is a small part of my plan not to waste any of the time I am given.
I believe that when one combines good intentions with a specific plan, we can succeed in a goal.
I saw a sign at Christmas that said, "I believe."
I do believe.
I believe, too, in the power that can come in a new year and a new decade.
|
[] |
Nokia Lumia 720 + Amber
Good news for those with the awesome Nokia Lumia 720, as the 1334 Amber firmware and 10328 OS update (GDR2) is now sitting on Nokia’s servers.
If you're adventurous and use Nokia Care Suite or Navifirm+, you can download the ROM and manually flash your device (losing all information in the process); alternatively, you can wait until your carrier begins to roll it out over-the-air, which is what we recommend.
Nokia Lumia 720 + Amber
Manually flashing a Lumia 720 with Amber update
Nokia’s Amber update for the Lumia 720 (and the 620 and 520) have been slower to be released when compared to the high-end Lumias, though Nokia has promised that all devices should be updated by the end of September. Lots of people have been looking forward to the Lumia 720 update as that device is quite popular. With the new files on Nokia’s servers, it means the OS build is finalized and it should be rolling out to the various regions within the next few days.
Nokia Lumia 720 + Amber and Glance Screen
New Glance screen on the Nokia Lumia 720 + Amber
Windows Phone Central can confirm that Amber on the Lumia 720 brings with it Data Sense, Glance Screen, FM Radio, default-camera selection, Lumia Color Profile, Call + SMS filter and the Other Storage fix, amongst the top items. Although double-tap to awake is supposed to be there, we have not been able to find that feature enabled for the Lumia 720 on our device.
We’ll keep you posted when the update starts rolling out over-the-air. In the meantime, head into our Lumia 720 forums for further discussion: http://forums.wpcentral.com/nokia-lumia-720/
Thanks, husam2277, for the tip
There are 120 comments. Sign in to comment
gan1981 says:
This is cruel. AT&T where is my Lumia 920 update ?
erzhik says:
I think they might be waiting for GDR3 before pushing the update.
Ronny2756 says:
I guess we'll never know if thats what there doing until we actually get gdr3 ughh.. I thought I would get gdr2 in July
yup........u r ryt
I have waited so long but it still turns out to be "2 seconds ago"
jfa1 says:
the article says that Nokia has said that all Lumias will be updated by the end of this month. However on the don side Vodaphone Australia has said they are skipping GDR 2 and waiting for GDR 3. But maybe they will get the Am,ber firmware update. A little more patience.
lippidp says:
I thought they were skipping GDR2 only for the 8X.
wbadry says:
It was manufacturer decision"HTC" since the last update brought several issues. Nokia will receive this update
Long Syntax says:
Att 920? I know, they're still testing!
CPnextdoor says:
Testing as it coming?
ninny1176 says:
I bet they will skip gdr2 and go to gdr3 instead.
This happened to me with the att dvp, it was the LAST to get Mango.
theoldwolfus says:
Well, rolling out an update does require a lot of coordination with manufacturers, as they keep telling me on Twitter. So it's all Nokia's fault, you see. Even though they provided the exact same software to Verizon at the exact same time, and Verizon have managed to roll it out to 920s on their network weeks ago.
Still, Nokia's fault. Not AT&T's. Nope.
It's more complicated than that, I hope you know. It's not just AT&T tests it, pass, go. It's a back and forth process. So yes, it could be Nokia. It's also Nokia's firmware (Amber) that is the big news here and yes, it slowed things down for everybody.
Josh Harman says:
I think that the notifications not being on Glance, as they apparently intended, because they ran out of time shows that Nokia was indeed slowing things down.
(don't tell that to some because everything is always AT&T and Microsoft's fault, while Nokia is perfect in every way)
Hello please help
I installed the program nokia software updater for retail
and I got updated for lumia 720 However, the installation does not succeed
Showed me this letter Error code: InternalError."
Please help
Same problem here too! i dont know what to do now..
For me there was no error. smoothly installed. updated through nokia software updater for retail 3.0.8.
I am from India Kolkata.
SMS and Call filter is not yet available after the amber .. Double tap to wake is also not there.. :(
i didn't get glance screen after the update either.
but later on.. i receive a notification from the store that there's an update ready to download : glance :)
bguy_1986 says:
atleast you got a response back... I've yet to get one.
Josh Harman says:
There isn't a 920 on Verizon.
<p>lol! i think Nokia can not pay their engineer to it for them! :P so causing so much delay!</p>
Hoping that it will get to Kenya soon......
rodneyej says:
As far as the quality of comments is concerned,, it seems like WPC has made a turn for the worse since the big announcement was made... Some of these guys are getting on my last set of nerves.. They are either still bitching about the Nokia name, being over speculative, coming up with ideas that would never work, and sometimes just plain not making sense whatsoever at all... They all seem to have a "weird" name for some reason... Have you noticed this❔
At least the comments aren't depressing like it was during the Xbox games drought before skulls of shogun.
rodneyej says:
I'd have to disagree.. Sorry, but to hear so many WP fans threaten to leave the platform because of a name change is kind of depressing.. But, it's more annoying because I don't think they are really going anywhere...
maybe many of those "so many WP fans" are actually just Nokia fans. and they switched to WP just for Nokia.
in that case it's very much possible they will leave WP if Nokia goes.
Bloobed says:
I am one of those people, I guess. Not leaving the platform because of it, but I will certainly be much more vary of any changes that I perceive to be for the worse.
rodneyej says:
That's understandable, and we all should be that way if we see things not going right, or undesirable changes in Nokia hardware, and support... But, nothing has happened yet......
Jack Larson1 says:
' I swear, ONE moar week and I'm switching to android. Don't let me down nokia& att! I'll do it!!' or
'nokia should not have been Completely bought out by M$, they would have made Sooooo much money if they made an android phone...'
lol I think you are right.
rodneyej says:
I was about to say that you're crazy.... Lol❕
Tips_y says:
I've even seen some of those "weird" name posters copy-paste their negative comments from blog site to another blog site.
rodneyej says:
That just shows how these haters really have faith that WP will succeed further, and further...
wpceej989 says:
Hey Daniel with the acquisition of Nokia hardware, would this maybe streamline the update process?
rodneyej says:
Hey,, that's a idea....
korg250 says:
Or make it worse, since it's Nokia that is delivering constant updates.
rodneyej says:
Why be so negative❔ What good does it do❔.. Don't worry, if things aren't going right in the future we all will see it, so why do so many of you worry that we won't❔... The point is that things are expected to go right.. This is a team, and some of you players keep asking the coach "but what if we loose❔❔""".... Failure is not a option people, so get that out of your minds❗❗❗❗❗
korg250 says:
So, to keep denying it is being positive?
rodneyej says:
Keep denying what❔ What has happened❔ What has gone wrong as a result of this acquisition❔.... Keep denying the fact of what❔
No❕ To keep making something negative out of nothing is not being positive... So, that's why I ask what's the point of being negative❔What's your goal❔What are you hoping to achieve❔
I can tell you what most of us want to achieve with positive comments... We like to have something positive to look forward too, a place to share ideas that might work, and benefit WP users, address real issues so that a solution can be found, talk about upcoming devices, and services, promote apps,,, just overall provide a positive, but not naive, outlook for WP... To say that the acquisition won't work is pointless because it's going to happen.. To say that Nokia is dead is not positive. To determine a negative fate for WP is just plain annoying, and if I wanted to hear people talk negative about WP's future I would just go to Phone Arena and find "Troll".... For the last time this is WPCentral, and it's OK to have an opinion, but at this point it's time to quit mourning the past and look forward to the future.... Geezzzzzzzz.
korg250 says:
"Keep denying what❔"
That MS is slow at updating WP, and most of the sucess of WP can be attributed to Nokia efforts - not MS.
BTW, who said that "Nokia is dead"? I did not.
rodneyej says:
"Nokia is dead" is what's being said by others.. I'm not only addressing you... The idea is that Nokia will continue to do business as usual, so there's no reason to believe anything negative is going to happen,, unless you choose to... It's not like this is the first time that Nokia, and MS, have worked together, so I don't understand why someone of you continue to be so negative... If you say that MS has been so slow to release updates for WP before they bought Nokia, then what exactly is your point about what will happen after the acquisition? How, is this related❔Are you saying that updates are going to come even slower now❔... My point is that WP has always had shortcomings, but to bring these shortcomings up, and portray them now as they are a result of the acquisition is so pathetic... The thing is that nobody has any real problems that they can list, or anything negative that they cam say, that is valid, about the acquisition. So, why continue to just be negative over speculation, and fear❔.... The things you mentioned above have nothing to do with the acquisition, and the people who have been responsible for Nokias, and WP's, success are for the most part still in place.. What more do you need❔ What more can I tell you❔ What in this world can make you stop being so unproductively negative❔........negative comment in 3-2-1.....
wldcohso1 says:
I'm patient but why is at&t taking so long..
theavrgjoe says:
rodneyej says:
On somebody's server..... It'll come tomorrow.
andrew1967 says:
I've just got my update though AT&T just a moment ago, WOW I can't believe this is great.,,,,,,,,
ok, just kidding....
danj210 says:
Yes it's kinda crazy that I've been a huge windows phone fanatic for the longest time since launch, finally got my gf and two other co-workers to get a windows phone, and all three got their update two weeks ago! Makes me want to switch to Verizon and leave att for good. Att and Nokia should've been pushing the 920 update first. Yes I know, there are a lot of complexities, but I feel like we should've had a lot more updates by now than a gdr1, 2 and 3. Then the 2014 one. If all went on schedule then no biggie, but it's all over the place. I keep reading how redmonds money stores are practically unlimited... Then why can't Microsoft spend a million to get 20,000 people working on getting updates and software made, they want to catch up with apple and android don't they? Figured that would be their main focus considering their 4% market share.
Josh Harman says:
I don't think paying 20,000 people $50 would have helped much.
Jack Larson1 says:
Just take away the carriers approval. It won't solve everything but I would like to do updates the way apple does them: all at once!
rubenwidjaja says:
there are some issue with double tap such as a vibrate bug and draining battery.
Really waiting for this update :)
Ankmeyester says:
He said awesome Nokia Lumia 720 :)
shreyas15 says:
Hehe.. I grinned. And he's right too;)
Ah, finally! Good news!
Jaco Ra says:
Koodo 520 by the end of September? Hmmm
Vistaus says:
Dunno where you live but here in The Netherlands the 520 already had the Amber update.
nokiauser911 says:
No double-tap features...we r being ignored already...:(
they updated all phones as per their release order. 920, 820, 620.
then there should've been 520. it anyways has the largest user base!
and then the 720 should have come.
(nothing against 720 owners! i love that phone too! :P)
erfanullah says:
When they released update for 620 before 720, I thought it was unfair.
Vistaus says:
Not true. The 520 in The Netherlands got the Amber OTA before the 820.
Anubis99 says:
The fact is that the 720 cost more than the 620 and 520. It's not about the user base, it's about the support comming with the range of the phone. Just think of the HERE Drive + for the high-end Lumias vs the regional restriction of the app on the 720, 520 etc. It's normal to have more when you pay more ;)
Anubis99 says:
Anubis99 says:
mics_kiss18 says:
i really dont understand some people around here. When you bought your phones, it didn't have the features announced in this update yet you are able to use your phone. When this was announced and a time frame given as to when it will be delivered, end of September, people still complain. Get a life or at least practice how to be patient!
Vistaus says:
I bought the 720 after the Amber update was announced.
lippidp says:
Rad. Keep em coming! Rock n roll the updates!
Nokia has already said no double tap to wake up for 520/620 and 720 phones. :(
sj2202 says:
Ya..I was about to say the same thing.Due to some "hardware limitations",only the phones with 1 GB RAM are getting this feature.It is the worst for Lumia 620 as it isn't even getting the FM radio.
RetroMan71 says:
Think i might upgrade my 620 soon then...
Anubis99 says:
Then why the Att Lumia 520 have the feature? (just watch Daniel's unboxing)
erfanullah says:
I updated my Lumia 720 using Nokia Software Updater for Retail. This was so easy than Navifirm and Nokia Care Suite method I previously used. It downloads firmware and then installs it to your phone all by itself. There is an option to keep or delete user data. I chose to delete everything.
Kristijan87 says:
I'm tempted to do this with my 620. You know what really grinds my gears? According to Nokia's site, update for my device in Croatia is still "waiting for approval" even though there are unbranded 620s (mine is unbranded and unlocked) out there in the world already updated. And I've downloaded NSU and it found the update and it's the same version as some other updates for 620s in the world. So WHY is Nokia throttling the update process, I have no idea. I'm not buying all that "servers crowded" b.s., Nokia has state of the art servers and server farms.
And so I'm sitting here, staring at that Nokia Software Updater wondering whether or not to go through with it. "The end of September" really doesn't cut it for me, I rely on Skype on my phone and I'd like that improved stability asap, providing that it actually works as promised...
scooby boom7 says:
does it break any warranty??
SajId Shaikh says:
Flashing your phone even through Nokia software can void your warranty.
Bailey199719 says:
EE say it should be released mid of this month.
dhruv07 says:
Maybe double tap to wake not cming to 720 because of hardware limitations!! As per nokia conversations
Deanaaargh says:
I am a bit confused about what to do. I have an unlocked 720 I bought in Dubai, but I live in Rwanda and use MTN. Will I ever get an OTA update or will I need to go through the process of flashing the device? any help would be appreciated.
nokiauser911 says:
Unlocked phones will get updates irrespective of carrier
Nankom says:
You are going to recieve the OTA update. You just have to wait a be patient.
OSean says:
Amber killed my 810, so 720 users be warned...
scooby boom7 says:
If we use the nokia software updater to update to amber.. Does it effect on warrent? :/ i wanna knw
Nankom says:
Yes, it does
SaiKiran7474 says:
No.. It doesn't.. Unless u flash it correctly..
shreyas15 says:
Data sense comes along with the update irrespective of the carrier? Coz my 720 is unlocked and not branded(if that means no carrier dependence).
Mark4211 says:
I heard that Double tap to unlock is not available on the 720, is that true?
pankaj981 says:
Its not available to any Lumia
SaiKiran7474 says:
It is available to all lumia win 8 models.. With the Amber update
pankaj981 says:
Double to wake, not double tap to unlock
It is true: http://conversations.nokia.com/2013/08/30/lumia-amber-your-questions-answered/ "the ‘double tap to wake up the phone’ feature is not supported on Lumia 720, Lumia 720T, Lumia 625, Lumia 620, Lumia 521, Lumia 520, or Lumia 520T. ‘Flip to silence’ on the other hand is available to all Lumia Windows Phone 8"
Vistaus says:
Except for the Dutch 520 and the AT&T 520 which do have double tap to wake.
Hello please help
I installed the program nokia software updater for retail
Showed me this letter Error code: InternalError."
Please help
PepsimanLeh says:
Why is there an "i" icon where some other phone dont have it?
When you press the "i", opens IE and goes to the nokia page where they show the amber features: http://www.nokia.com/global/windows-phone-amber-update/
PepsimanLeh says:
Yes, I have the icon too. But what made me curious is why some other phone doesn't show the icon?
Maybe because the "i" appears when the update is near :).
s_a_r_k_i_s says:
Just forced the update on the 720 for Amber.....AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSOOOOME !!!
Gotta love that Nokia Software !!
Viva NOKIA !
hey buddy did you get the
Call + SMS filter
and double tap . feature ? coz i updated yesterday and i am missing them
Vistaus says:
Not sure about the filter but double tap isn't available for the 720.
Raphael Lins says:
My Nokia is getting hot when i turn on 3g and listen music after i've updated Amber =/
That was about time! I just can't wait. Doing via NSU
Ahmed Iqbal says:
Why the hell there are no notifications with in Nokia glance with clock.? Amber update is just only for this thing.?
i downloaded the Amber Update for nokia lumia 720 in india but with the update i did not got the :
Call + SMS filter
Double tap feature
grininja says:
Double tap feature is not available for Lumia 720. As for Call + SMS filter tou should update Nokia services, Extras+info and such...
Sriram S says:
Is it possible to roll back after updating using NSU?
Or when a new version is released will i receive on OTA? where can i get more info regarding this!
Tim Sell says:
Still haven't got it in U.K Im on T-mobile??
Aman Manot says:
Updated my Lumia 720 in India using the Nokia Software Updater for Retail and must say as of yet the update is clean. No issues whatsoever. Here is the changelist:
1. Glance Screen (No double tap to wake for lumia 720 )
2. Data Sense (Manage and track your data efficiently, Very neatly done)
3. Radio
4. Call + SMS Filter (Block SMS and Calls, also get notification + live tile updates when blocking is in action)
5. Colour profiles
6. Flip to Silence
7. Bluetooth 4.0 LE
8. CalDav and CardDav improvements in Email
9. Love to see the Nokia Smart Cam in action - Improved.
10. New Wallpapers (Though found the Lock Screen setting to crash and land me back to settings menu and selecting some new wallpapers)
11. And lot of other improvements unser the hood.
Not all updates will be available just after the update, you will have to update the nokia setting apps like "display + touch" , "extras + info", "audio" etc to get them all. Enjoy!!
bawajose says:
And finally.... the status is changed to "Coming Soon" for L720 (India).... so should be available by this weekend...!!!
Guys who installed the amber already, please also test the pro cam.... using the below method
1. Change region to US, then restart.
2. Connect to a WiFi network, Under Settings - WiFi, click on the WiFi network you are connected to, Switch 'Proxy' to on. Now type "" into "Server/URL". In "Port", type in "8888", then click on the tick at the bottom of the screen
3. Navigate to Pro Cam app in the store.
4. Tap install (it'll say attention required)
5. Keep net connected and turn off the proxy. (multitasking. Don't close store. Just press home button and continue with disabling proxy)
6. Tap install again. It'll work.
7. Resume region back to your country
Aman Manot says:
Works like a charm
I am waiting for Amber update for Lumia 720.
Please let me know how to update the same.
How I will see the notification if available the same.
In from Patna, India. My amber update for Lumia 720 has arrived. But I font have wifi. Can anyone tell how I can download itvdirectly using mobile data plan?
AkArora says:
I updated my Lumia 720 (in India) and the extras + info is not showing Amber, I did not get Call filter and Glance Screen, only got Data Sense and Radio...Anyone with the same issue?
ravi yadav1 says:
i had the same issue.All you need to do is install Lumia system updater app,after installing it just update the system apps using it.Problem solved:)
Kskishor says:
hey me to from INDIA facing same problem
i to have Lumia system updater
how to solve it ????
Danni5 says:
Just looking forwar for the Nokia event on the 22nd of October in Abu Dhabi a middle east city. I am expacting the release of a new Nokia Lumia tablet as stated by Axeetech in his recent post.
Frin Toni says:
My phone is nokia lumia 720(malaysia). Can or not these update by using a phone (phone update). Course my phone can't connect to a computer, my phone only show charging when it connected............
damianrivera says:
Hola alguien sabe, cuando saldrá la actualización amber para lumia 720 México operador telcel
ranoej says:
pls help. . mine is not amber update yet. . nokia enhancements version .the carrier is Australia but i am in philippines can i still have an amber update?
|
[] |
8 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Retiring
NEW YORK ( MainStreet) -- Pulling the trigger on retirement can be a costly mistake if your finances aren't in good shape.
"It's a very uncertain time for people," says Doug Kinsey, a certified financial planner with Artifex Financial Group . Luckily, there are steps you can take to make yourself feel more secure as you approach retirement age. How can you tell if you're ready to retire the way you imagined? Here's a checklist of questions every pre-retiree should examine.
What kind of lifestyle do I want in retirement?
Several studies have tried to pinpoint how much money people should specifically have on hand before they retire. The truth is, though, that this amount is going to vary dramatically depending on what type of lifestyle you're looking to lead once you've left the workforce.
"Your entire financial plan is going to stem from that vision," says Suzanna de Baca, vice president of wealth strategies at Ameriprise Financial (AMP) . She suggests considering where you see yourself living, whether you plan to get another job during retirement and how you plan on spending your time.
"Free time is very expensive," agrees Diana Palmer, a certified public accountant with Family Financial Planning . "If you like to travel, your budget needs to be set much higher."
Will my debts be paid off?
Unpaid debts will contribute to your monthly expenses and play a huge part in how much money you will need to have on hand before you go ahead and leave the workforce. This is not to say your house needs to be paid off in full before you retire.
"If you have a low interest rate on your mortgage , you'll have to ask, 'Do I want to pay this off in full?'" Kinsey says. On the other hand, if the mortgage is more substantial, you may want to consider taking money out of your investment portfolio so you don't have to worry about it moving forward. The point is, whichever option you chose will have a significant impact on your cash flow.
If you have other debts on the books, such as high credit card balances, you may want to look into what other factors may be behind the balances so you can get them paid off as much as possible before you abandon a steady paycheck.
How will I pay for health care?
All of the financial advisers we spoke with reiterated the importance of factoring in health insurance premiums and prescription drug costs when deciphering how much money you will need in retirement.
Additionally, under federal law, most Americans are not eligible for Medicare until they are 65 or older, so if you're looking to retire before then you will need to determine where your health care coverage would be coming from and factor that plan's cost into your overall budget.
|
[] |
Search tips
Search criteria
Results 1-10 (10)
Clipboard (0)
Select a Filter Below
Year of Publication
Document Types
1. Controlled Release of Dexamethasone from Peptide Nanofiber Gels to Modulate Inflammatory Response
Biomaterials 2012;33(28):6823-6832.
PMCID: PMC3445268 PMID: 22748768
Inflammatory Response; Peptide Amphiphiles; Controlled drug release; Self-assembly; Immune response; Cell therapy
2. Nanostructure-templated control of drug release from peptide amphiphile nanofiber gels
Soft matter 2012;8(13):3586-3595.
High aspect ratio peptide nanofibers have potential as biodegradable vehicles for drug delivery. We report here the synthesis of four self-assembling peptide amphiphiles (PAs) containing a lysine ε-amine-derivatized hydrazide that was systematically placed at different positions along the backbone of the peptide sequence C16V2A2E2 (where C16 = palmitic acid). Hydrazones were formed from each hydrazide by condensation with the solvatochromic dye 6-propionyl-2-dimethylaminonaphthalene (Prodan), which is typically used to probe cell membranes. All four compounds were found to self-assemble into nanofibers, and Prodan release was measured from filamentous gels prepared by screening PA charges with divalent cations. Near zero-order release kinetics were observed for all nanofibers, but release half-lives differed depending on the position of the fluorophore in the PA sequence. Dye release kinetics were rationalized through the use of cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence anisotropy, circular dichroism, and partition coefficient calculations. Relative release rates were found to correlate directly with fluorophore mobility, which varied inversely with packing density, degree of order in the hydrophobic PA core, and the β-sheet character of the peptide.
PMCID: PMC3487392 PMID: 23130084
3. Self-assembling peptide scaffolds for regenerative medicine
PMCID: PMC3355058 PMID: 22080255
4. A Peptide-Based Material for Therapeutic Carbon Monoxide Delivery
Soft matter 2012;8(25):2689-2692.
We report on the preparation of the first material for therapeutic delivery of CO. A peptide amphiphile was synthesized with a covalently attached ruthenium tricarbonyl. Self-assembled nanofiber gels containing this peptide spontaneously released CO with prolonged release kinetics compared to soluble CO donors. Oxidatively stressed cardiomyocytes had improved viability when treated with this peptide, demonstrating its potential as a biodegradable gel for localized therapeutic CO delivery.
PMCID: PMC3374652 PMID: 22707978
5. Peptide Self-Assembly for Crafting Functional Biological Materials
PMCID: PMC3224089 PMID: 22125413
Peptide amphiphiles; Self-assembly; Bioactive materials; Regenerative medicine; Bone regeneration; Enamel regeneration; Cartilage regeneration; Angiogenesis; Islet transplantation; Bioactive membranes
6. Antisense Oligonucleotides Delivered to the Mouse CNS Ameliorate Symptoms of Severe Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Science translational medicine 2011;3(72):72ra18.
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder caused by mutations in the SMN1 gene that result in a deficiency of SMN protein. One approach to treat SMA is to use antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to redirect the splicing of a paralogous gene, SMN2, to boost production of functional SMN. Injection of a 2′-O-2-methoxyethyl–modified ASO (ASO-10-27) into the cerebral lateral ventricles of mice with a severe form of SMA resulted in splice-mediated increases in SMN protein and in the number of motor neurons in the spinal cord, which led to improvements in muscle physiology, motor function and survival. Intrathecal infusion of ASO-10-27 into cynomolgus monkeys delivered putative therapeutic levels of the oligonucleotide to all regions of the spinal cord. These data demonstrate that central nervous system–directed ASO therapy is efficacious and that intrathecal infusion may represent a practical route for delivering this therapeutic in the clinic.
PMCID: PMC3140425 PMID: 21368223
8. End-functionalized glycopolymers as mimetics of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans†
Glycosaminoglycans are sulfated polysaccharides that play important roles in fundamental biological processes, such as cell division, viral invasion, cancer and neuroregeneration. The multivalent presentation of multiple glycosaminoglycan chains on proteoglycan scaffolds may profoundly influence their interactions with proteins and subsequent biological activity. However, the importance of this multivalent architecture remains largely unexplored, and few synthetic mimics exist for probing and manipulating glycosaminoglycan activity. Here, we describe a new class of end-functionalized ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) polymers that mimic the native-like, multivalent architecture found on chondroitin sulfate (CS) proteoglycans. We demonstrate that these glycopolymers can be readily integrated with microarray and surface plasmon resonance technology platforms, where they retain the ability to interact selectively with proteins. ROMP-based glycopolymers are part of a growing arsenal of chemical tools for probing the functions of glycosaminoglycans and for studying their interactions with proteins.
PMCID: PMC3026345 PMID: 21274421
9. Monotelechelic Poly(oxa)norbornenes by Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization using Direct End-Capping and Cross Metathesis
Macromolecules 2010;43(1):213-221.
Two different methodologies for the synthesis of monotelechelic poly(oxa)norbornenes prepared by living ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) are presented. The first method, termed direct end-capping, is carried out by adding an internal cis-olefin terminating agent (TA) to the reaction mixture immediately after the completion of the living ROMP reaction. The second method relies on cross metathesis (CM) between a methylene-terminated poly(oxa)norbornene and a cis-olefin TA mediated by the ruthenium olefin metathesis catalyst (H2IMes)(Cl)2Ru(CH-o-OiPrC6H4) (H2IMes = 1,3-dimesitylimidazolidine-2-ylidene). TAs containing various functional groups, including alcohols, acetates, bromides, a-bromoesters, thioacetates, N-hydroxysuccinimidyl esters and Boc-amines, as well as fluorescein and biotin groups, were synthesized and tested. The direct end-capping method typically resulted in >90% end-functionalization efficiency, while the CM method was nearly as effective for TAs without polar functional groups or significant steric bulk. End-functionalization efficiency values were determined by 1H NMR spectroscopy.
PMCID: PMC2943665 PMID: 20871800
10. Pulsed-Addition Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization: Catalyst-Economical Syntheses of Homopolymers and Block Copolymers
Poly(tert-butyl ester norbornene imide) homopolymers and poly(tert-butyl ester norbornene imide-b-N-methyl oxanorbornene imide) copolymers were prepared by pulsed-addition ring-opening metathesis polymerization (PA-ROMP). PA-ROMP is a unique polymerization method that employs a symmetrical cis-olefin chain transfer agent (CTA) to simultaneously cap a living polymer chain and regenerate the ROMP initiator with high fidelity. Unlike traditional ROMP with chain transfer, the CTA reacts only with the living chain end, resulting in narrowly dispersed products. The regenerated initiator can then initiate polymerization of a subsequent batch of monomer, allowing for multiple polymer chains with controlled molecular weight and low polydispersity to be generated from one metal initiator. Using the fast-initiating ruthenium metathesis catalyst (H2IMes)(Cl)2(pyr)2RuCHPh and cis-4-octene as a CTA, the capabilities of PA-ROMP were investigated with a Symyx robotic system, which allowed for increased control and precision of injection volumes. The results from a detailed study of the time required to carry out the end-capping/initiator-regeneration step were used to design several experiments in which PA-ROMP was performed from one to ten cycles. After determining the rate of catalyst death, a single, low polydispersity polymer was prepared by adjusting the amount of monomer injected in each cycle, maintaining a constant monomer/catalyst ratio. Additionally, PA-ROMP was used to prepare nearly perfect block copolymers by quickly injecting a second monomer at a specific time interval after the first monomer injection, such that chain transfer had not yet occurred. Polymers were characterized by gel permeation chromatography with multi-angle laser light scattering.
PMCID: PMC2787826 PMID: 19215131
Results 1-10 (10)
|
[] |
Naïve physics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Naïve physics or folk physics is the untrained human perception of basic physical phenomena. In the field of artificial intelligence the study of naïve physics is a part of the effort to formalize the common knowledge of human beings.
Many ideas of folk physics are simplifications, misunderstandings, or misperceptions of well-understood phenomena, incapable of giving useful predictions of detailed experiments, or simply are contradicted by more thorough observations. They may sometimes be true, be true in certain limited cases, be true as a good first approximation to a more complex effect, or predict the same effect but misunderstand the underlying mechanism.
Naïve physics can also be defined as an intuitive understanding all humans have about objects in the physical world.[1] Cognitive psychologists are delving deeper into these phenomena with promising results. Psychological studies indicate that certain notions of the physical world are innate in all of us.
Some examples of naive physics include commonly understood, intuitive, or everyday-observed rules of nature:
• What goes up must come down
• A dropped object falls straight down
• A solid object cannot pass through another solid object
• A vacuum sucks things towards it
• An object is either at rest or moving, in an absolute sense
• Two events are either simultaneous or they are not
Many of these and similar ideas formed the basis for the first works in formulating and systematizing physics by Aristotle and the medieval scholastics in Western civilization. In the modern science of physics, they were gradually contradicted by the work of Galileo, Newton, and others. The idea of absolute simultaneity survived until 1905, when the special theory of relativity and its supporting experiments discredited it.
Psychological research[edit]
The increasing sophistication of technology make possible more research on knowledge acquisition. Researchers measure physiological responses (like heart rate or eye movement) to quantify reaction to a particular stimulus. Concrete physiological data is helpful when observing infant behavior, because infants cannot verbally express their reactions.
Research in naïve physics relies on technology to measure eye gaze and reaction time in particular. Through observation, researchers know that infants get bored looking at the same stimulus after a certain amount of time.[1] That boredom is called habituation. When an infant is sufficiently habituated to a stimulus, he or she will typically look away, alerting the experimenter to his or her boredom. At this point, the experimenter will introduce another stimulus. The infant will then dishabituate by attending to the new stimulus. In each case, the experimenter measures the time it takes for the infant to habituate to each stimulus.
Researchers infer that the longer the infant takes to habituate to a new stimulus, the more it violates his or her expectations of physical phenomena.[1] When an adult observes an optical illusion that seems physically impossible, he or she will attend to it until it makes sense. Until recently,[when?] psychologists believed that our understanding of physical laws emerges strictly from experience. But research shows that infants, who do not yet have such expansive knowledge of the world, have the same extended reaction to events that defy what is physically possible. Such studies conclude that all people are born with an innate ability to understand the physical world.
Smith and Cassati (1994) have reviewed the early history of naive physics, and especially the role of the Italian psychologist Paolo Bozzi.[2]
Types of experiments[edit]
The basic experimental procedure of a study on naïve physics involves three steps: prediction of the infant’s expectation, violation of that expectation, and measurement of the results. As mentioned above, the physically impossible event holds the infant’s attention longer, indicating surprise when expectations are violated.[1]
An experiment that tests an infant’s knowledge of solidity involves the impossible event of one solid object passing through another. First, the infant is shown a flat, solid square moving from 0˚ to 180˚ in an arch formation. Next, a solid block is placed in the path of the screen, preventing it from completing its full range of motion. The infant habituates to this event, as it is what anyone would expect. Then, the experimenter creates the impossible event, and the solid screen passes through the solid block. The infant is confused by the event and attends longer than in probable event trial.[3]
An occlusion event tests the knowledge that an object exists even if it is not immediately visible. Jean Piaget originally called this concept object permanence. When Piaget formed his developmental theory in the 1950s, he claimed that object permanence is learned, not innate. The children's game Peek-a-boo is a classic example of this phenomenon, and one which obscures the true grasp infants have on permanence. To disprove this notion, an experimenter designs an impossible occlusion event. The infant is shown a block and a transparent screen. The infant habituates, then a solid panel is placed in front of the objects to block them from view. When the panel is removed, the block is gone, but the screen remains. The infant is confused because the block has disappeared indicating that he/she understands that objects maintain location in space and do not simply disappear.[4]
A containment event tests the infant’s recognition that an object that is bigger than a container cannot fit completely into that container. Elizabeth Spelke, one of the psychologists who founded the naïve physics movement, identified the continuity principle, which conveys an understanding that objects exist continuously in time and space.[1] Both occlusion and containment experiments hinge on the continuity principle. In the experiment pictured, the infant is shown a tall cylinder and a tall cylindrical container. The experimenter demonstrates that the tall cylinder fits into the tall container, and the infant is bored by the expected physical outcome. The experimenter then places the tall cylinder completely into a much shorter cylindrical container, and the impossible event confuses the infant. Extended attention demonstrates the infant’s understanding that containers cannot hold objects that exceed them in height.[5]
Baillargeon's Research[edit]
The published findings of Renee Baillargeon brought innate knowledge to the forefront in psychological research. Her research method centered on the visual preference technique. Baillargeon and her followers studied how infants show preference to one stimulus over another. Experimenters judge preference by the length of time an infant will stare at a stimulus before habituating. Researchers believe that preference indicates the infant's ability to discriminate between the two events.[1]
See also[edit]
1. ^ a b c d e f Goswami, U. (2008). Cognitive Development: the learning brain. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
2. ^ Smith, B.; Casati, R. (1994). "Naive Physics: An Essay in Ontology". Philosophical Psychology 7 (2): 225–244.
3. ^ Baillargeon, R. (1994). "How Do Infants Learn About the Physical World?", Current Directions in Psychological Science, 3(5), 133-140.
4. ^ Baillargeon, R. (2004). Infants’ Physical World, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(3), 89-94.
5. ^ Baillargeon, R. & Hespos, S.J. (2001). Infant’s Knowledge About Occlusion and Containment Events: A Surprising Discrepancy, Psychological Science, 12(2), 141-147.
|
[] |
Take the tour ×
I have yet another (baffling) question. Suppose I have the figure attached enter image description here
The question is how can I move the chapter numbers to align with the first line of the chapter title ? i.e using the figure, I'd like to move 11 to align with chapter 3 and 9 to align with chapter 2.
I appreciate all the help I get from here. Makes me understand faster this business of typesetting with LaTeX. By the way, I use Memoir class.
share|improve this question
Interesting question! I guess the desired style is very unusual. I suggest: have a quick look into the TOCs of 10 good books to check if anyone ever typesets the page number above and right of the last word of the title instead of following on the same line. If you are still convinced, we could work it out. Page 3 resp. figure 1 of the tocloft documentation shows a typical TOC entry layout. – Stefan Kottwitz Mar 2 '11 at 17:39
One "way" to do this is to make sure your chapter titles are short and don't wrap. :-) You can do this with the optional argument of the \chapter command. – Alan Munn Mar 2 '11 at 19:29
You can have a look at this answer of Herbert; it should be possible to solve your problem in a similar way (as suggested by daleif). – Hendrik Vogt Mar 3 '11 at 13:08
add comment
4 Answers
Solution using titletoc
I find that the titletoc package provides the best options for customization — as long as you really know what you want! Here is an implementation for the chapter entry:
% This command "floats" the page number to the far right of the current line.
\hbox to 0pt{%
{chapter} % 1. <section>
[0pt] % 2. <left> indent (none here)
{} % 3. <above code>: i.e. vertical space
{% % 4. <numbered-entry-format> for numbered chapters
{} % 5. <numberledd-entry-format> for unnumbered chapters
{} % 6. <filler-page-format> no filler needed
[\vspace{\baselineskip}] % 7. <after code>: i.e. vertical space
% I am not exactly sure what I should do here, but \chapternumberline has
% \@chapapp@head which is undefined when I use titletoc... This is an
% unexplained hack to get it working
\chapter{First chapter}
\chapter{Second chapter, in which many wonderful things happen, and then other things.}
titletoc solution
I first define the command \floatcontentspage:
\hbox to 0pt{%
This is intended to be inserted at the start of a contents line after the left indent (of \leftskip). It typesets its contents in a box of width 0pt so that it does not affect the rest of the line. I first insert some space to total \textwidth - \leftskip - \rightskip to obey the current margins, then set the page number using the \contentspage command which I have wrapped in \textbf{} to match the style of the original poster. This will push the page number out to the right after the inserted space.
I then use the \titlecontents command to define the formatting of the contents line. It takes arguments in the following order:
1. {chapter} specifies the section type.
2. [0pt] is the optional left indent (none here: you would probably want this for section etc.).
3. {} There is no above code (vertical space).
4. This is the main entry for numbered chapters discussed in a moment.
5. {} I have not defined anything for unnumbered chapters.
6. {} There is no filler-page-format since we have already typeset the pagenumber.
7. [{\vspace{\baselineskip}] I have added some space after the chapter entry. (You might like to do this before instead.)
The work is done by argument 4.:
This calls \contentspush which inserts some text and then indents the remaining lines accordingly. We insert our \floatcontentspage command first which will float the page number to the right but take no space, then we insert the \chaptername and \thecontentlabel (in \textbf{}) which gives "Chapter 1" etc. Finally we insert some space to separate the title from the number.
Finally, I had to redefine \chapternumberline to call \numberline: I do not understand exactly why, but \chapternumberline uses \@chapapp@head which is undefined...
As you can see, the titletoc package allows for great flexibility, but requires that you know exactly what you want, and you generally must define all of your entries (I have only provided the chapter definition here. How do you want the sections defined?) Provided that you have a clear idea, though, it is the best tool in my opinion.
share|improve this answer
add comment
As the desired style is rather unusual, there is no simple solution. You'll have to recode the \l@chapter command placing the title inside a \parbox that is aligned at the top line. Then it should be doable.
share|improve this answer
Nice to have here at tex.sx! I took the freedom to edit your answer to make it a bit clearer, OK? – Hendrik Vogt Mar 3 '11 at 13:04
add comment
You still have to rewrite \l@chapapp, using an overlapping box or \rlap. I would not us this, because it is realy ugly :-)
\ifnum \c@tocdepth >\m@ne
\vskip \cftbeforechapterskip
{\memRTLleftskip \cftchapterindent\relax
\memRTLrightskip \@tocrmarg
\parfillskip -\memRTLrightskip
\parindent \cftchapterindent\relax
\let\@cftbsnum \cftchapterpresnum
\let\@cftasnum \cftchapteraftersnum
\let\@cftasnumb \cftchapteraftersnumb
\advance\memRTLleftskip \@tempdima
\makebox[0pt][l]{\makebox[\linewidth-\@tempdima][r]{\myformatpnum{#2}}}%<<<NEW LINE
\null\nobreak\hskip -\memRTLleftskip
{\cftchapterfont #1}\nobreak
\chapter{This is the first chapter}
\chapter{This is the second chapter, This is the second chapter, This is the second chapter}
\chapter{This is the third chapter}
\chapter{This is the forth chapter, This is the forth chapter, This is the forth chapter}
\chapter{Appendix one}
share|improve this answer
nice one. I'm actually a but lost here. Where does the indentation in front of the outer make box come from? The leftskip isn't altered until the line after it. – daleif Mar 3 '11 at 19:43
@daleif Strange indeed. Looks if the box output is delayed until the paragraph is set (including the glues). I have changed the above code by moving the \makebox after the \leftskip setting. This is technically more correct i hope. – Danie Els Mar 5 '11 at 4:07
I'm tempted to add hooks to be able to do this. I actually have several undocumented hooks in the memoir TOC code, to be able to do interesting things like measuring stuff. I'll document them at some point. – daleif Mar 6 '11 at 14:45
add comment
Here's a minimal example that shows the problem, but I don't have a solution yet:
\chapter{First chapter, in which many wonderful things happen. And then other things.}
\chapter{Second chapter, in which many wonderful things happen. And then other things.}
Memoir section 9.2 has the ToC methods given, and says the code for typesetting a numbered chapter is more or less
{\cftchapterfont {\cftchaptername \cftchapterpresnum SNUM\cftchapteraftersnum\hfil} \cftchapteraftersnumb TITLE}
with substitutions made for the chapter number as SNUM, chapter title as TITLE, and the page number as PAGE.
The default definition for \cftchapterformatpnum should be something like
\hbox to \@pnumwidth{\hfil{\cftchapterpagefont #1}}}
but since the page number is limited to a box on the regular baseline, I don't know if there's an easy way of moving up a few lines before typesetting that box.
But maybe this will narrow down the problem enough for someone else to post a solution.
share|improve this answer
add comment
Your Answer
|
[] |
Points: 5
Cover Story: It Came From Outer Space!
Orange Box Afterthoughts
and The Future of Valve
continued, (page 4 of 6)
GFW: The austere setting ... I'm not pulling this out of my ass, you know.
KS: We were working with complex environments way back when, but that was the wrong idea for Portal. Because we're introducing a new concept, it was best to keep it bare bones. In one section, all you were supposed to do was put a box on a button and open a door. One player literally spent 30 minutes trying to push a shelf onto the button, meanwhile, the box was sitting right there. That's how the clinical test-chamber environment came to be.
JB: One reference we used was The Island, which was this movie about clones in a sterile environment. One breaks free, like in Logan's Run.
GFW: Did you set out to develop a short game?
KS: Well, we knew what we wanted to cover. If we added much more, the pacing wouldn't work as well. We wanted people to have a good time from beginning to end.
GFW: You're going up against very deepseated assumptions about what constitutes a proper game.
KS: But who came up with those? That's what I'm confused about.
GFW: Look at comic books. How long did it take to develop the graphic novel? Or for three-minute pop songs to make way for stretched-out prog songs? Granted, you're going the other way.
JB: Being able to see a game's beginning and ending in a single sitting adds extra perspective to the experience. As opposed to something like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., where every other week I pick it up and wonder what I'm doing in this electric plant or wherever.
GFW: Were you planning on Portal being as funny as it is?
KS: Oh, hell yes. [Laughs] Erik Wolpaw is probably one of the funniest men on the planet. I felt it was my personal duty to enable Erik to be as funny as possible.
JB: We'd say we wanted a boss battle ... asked if he could have her say funny things as she's hurt. The next day, he sends us this script, and we're laughing out loud.
GFW: Whose idea was the song?
KS: [Laughs] We've been Jonathan Coulton fans for a while. We talked to him at a show. After talking to Erik, he apparently had this master plan, a major ambition to work on a game with a musical ending.
GFW: Would you have liked to include more music in the game? Some switch on the wall you flip when you want GLaDOS to sing?
JB: [Laughs] Test chamber themes!
GFW: You've seen the speed runs on YouTube, I'm sure.
JB: They're amazing. "Eight Portals in 18" blows me away. He gets a bucket and a radio, knocks down one of turrets with the radio, grabs it, and runs, [and] then he takes and puts the bucket on the turret, stands on that, and uses it as a platform....
KS: Because he needs just a little bit more height to be able to make the jump. We stared with our mouths open, like, "Oh, god -- you have got to be kidding."
JB: I e-mailed immediately: "The ninja has been dethroned." [Laughter]
KS: Jeep was our resident Portal ninja.
JB: Ninja emeritus now. I'm retired.
GFW: The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device (ASHPD) looks like a pun on Adrian Shepherd [Half-Life expansion Opposing Force's protagonist].
KS: That was a complete coincidence. We think it's funny.
GFW: What are the odds, though? And then the keyboards' A, S, D, E, R, H, N, I, and P keys are highlighted in the Aperture observation rooms.
KS: We added those after people pointed out the ASHPD stuff.
GFW: So you're feeding the significance junkies, then?
KS: [Laughing] Yeah. It's a red herring, a tribute to the hardcore.
GFW: I'm hardcore. How do you explain the Combine energy orbs in Aperture's labs?
JB: Here's my explanation: Within the Half-Life universe, pure forms of energy just happen to form into balls.
KS: Perhaps the Combine stole it from Aperture. You never know.
See Also
• E-mail it
• 70
Please Recommend 1UP on Facebook
Comments (2)
Title Of Comment
Maximum characters for title is 120
Related Games
• Portal
Release Date: 10/09/2007
1UP Grade: A
• Portal
Release Date: 10/09/2007
• Portal
Release Date: 10/09/2007
Around the Network
IGN Entertainment Games
|
[] |
Chegg Guided Solutions for Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices 1st Edition Chapter S1B Problem 3A
0 Stars(0 users)
Consider the phonon E-K diagram of Figure S1B.7, for a crystal with two types of atoms, of mass M1 and M2 in a zinc blende lattice.
a) Since the lattice constants are nearly equal, we can assume the force between atoms to be comparable. For a material consisting of a single atom type (e.g. silicon), the lattice becomes a diamond lattice and M1=M2. Explain why the optical phonon energy for diamond (carbon) is greater than that for silicon, which is in turn greater than that for germanium.
View this solution... try Chegg Study
Upgrade now
|
[] |
Race for funds ahead of Deaf Olympics
Beth Lishman and Colette Doran are both at the top of their sport. Beth is the best deaf female hammer thrower in the country, while Colette is the leading javelin thrower.
Deaf athletes compete in the Olympics, but often face communication problems with event officials.
The main event in their sporting calendar is the Deaflympics, which has been part of the Olympic movement since 1924.
Beth and Colette put in hours of training every week, and are gold medal contenders for next year's Deaflympics in Bulgaria.
However, funding for deaf athletes has been cut, because money has been diverted to Paralympians.
The Cumbrian pair must now raise almost three and a half thousand pounds each if they want to compete in Sofia in 2013.
To keep up their training schedules and pay for travel, they now have to raise the money by next Spring, or miss out on their Olympic dream.
|
[] |
Do the Penske-Rattner Dots Connect?S
Just asking: Is it odd that deposed car czar Steve Rattner poured $35 million into Jay Penske's dubious internet adventure in October, and then arranged for Jay's father Roger Penske to buy Saturn from General Motors nine months later?
To be clear, we don't know if the two deals are connected, and certainly don't have any info to suggest there was anything untoward about them. But given Rattner's history of greasing deals—recall that he bought Chooch, a low-budget film by the brother of the chief investment officer of New York state's pension fund, shortly after the fund invested $100 million in Rattner's Quadrangle Group—we thought we'd throw it out there.
Here's what we know:
In September 2008, Quadrangle Capital Partners—part of Quadrangle Group—invested $35 million in, Jay Penske's would-be online empire. The money was for "selective acquisitions and new management hires," which means hiring Nikki Finke and Bonnie Fuller. Two of Quadrangle's partners got seats on's board. had little to recommend it at the time as a hot pick for internet supremacy, and the investment came shortly before Quadrangle would wind down its media-focused hedge fund amid 25% losses, but who knows? Maybe it'll turn out to be a rocket.
Four months later, in January, Rattner's name started getting bandied about as Obama's pick for "car czar," and six weeks after that Rattner left Quadrangle to join the Treasury Department with the goal of saving the auto industry.
One way to do that is to keep Saturn, with its 13,000 employees, alive. General Motors made clear that it couldn't keep Saturn going, so it went on the block. And in June, none other than Roger Penske, the billionaire car mogul who happens to be Jay's father—and perhaps the provider of seed capital to—emerged as a buyer. The terms of the deal haven't been disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal says Saturn's service and parts operation alone has been valued at $100 million.
And then last month, Rattner stepped down amid chatter that Quadrangle, and perhaps Rattner himself, was getting drawn further into the pay-to-play pension scandal that gave us Chooch.
Here's what we don't know:
Was Penske doing Rattner a favor in swooping in as Saturn's savior, or did Rattner hand it to Penske on a platter? Without knowing the terms of the deal, it's impossible to know. But the news of the deal sure made Rattner look like a hyper-competent technocrat calmly steering an industry in crisis. If Saturn had simply been liquidated, it would have been seen as a disastrous signal. On the other hand, according to the New York Times, the brand had attracted "16 potential bidders," so maybe Penske was the one looking for an edge, and maybe Rattner helped him find it. Or maybe Penske was the most rational buyer for Saturn, and it's a coincidence that the guy who was essentially running GM when it was sold happened to own a piece of Penske's son's business.
Given the timeline, it's virtually impossible that the deal itself was some kind of sweetener—coming as it did in September, Rattner would have to have had the foresight to know that Congress would bail out the auto industry, and that Obama would win, and that Obama would hire a car czar, and that Rattner himself could land the gig, and that Saturn would need to be off-loaded from G.M. Only under those circumstances would a relationship with Penske's son be something worth having in your back pocket, and Rattner would be a much richer man if he had that sort of vision. (Cf. Maxim.)
So is there any more connective tissue out there that might make render the above datapoints more sensible? Let us know.
|
[] |
Tell me more ×
How can you use Git without Sudo in multiple accounts in one Ubuntu?
My Ubuntu has many accounts. The creation of new accounts has made Git inaccessible by me without sudo.
I changed the owner to be me, masi, and the group to be admin where the masi belongs to. I have the following permissions for Git
800 -rwxrwxrwx 1 masi admin 813744 2009-02-20 23:01 /usr/bin/git
I get the following message in trying to use Git
git status
fatal: unable to create '.git/index.lock': Permission denied
I run find . -iregex ".*index.l.* which returns no matches so there seems to be no index.lock in locking the system. I run the same command also with sudo unsuccessfully.
share|improve this question
"The creation of new accounts has made Git inaccessible by me without sudo." You should take this as a sign that something is wrong with either your account, your system configuration, or your installation. That is extremely abnormal behaviour -- git is a normal userspace application, accessible by all ordinary users in a normal Ubuntu install. – kampu May 15 at 7:08
For reference, the correct permissions/ownership for /usr/bin/git* are 755 / root.root, as indicated in hillu's answer. You may have accidentally set the permissions so that only group members or the owner could execute 'git' (ie. permissions are 744 aka -rwxr--r-- rather than 755). Failing to correct those permissions represents a serious security risk to your system. – kampu May 15 at 7:16
add comment
4 Answers
up vote 12 down vote accepted
If I understand your question correctly, you need grant several *nix user accounts write access to the same git repository. Using the --share command line argument for git init should enable this. The GitWiki has a few words to say about this. This should do the trick:
git --bare init --shared=all
If you have already created your repository, you might be able to convert it to a "shared repository" by throwing this command:
git repo-config core.sharedRepository true
in your repository, as mentioned in a blog post at
share|improve this answer
Is there a way to retro-actively make a git repository --shared if you did an initial non-shared git init? – Steve Folly Sep 3 '09 at 11:28
@Steve Folly: I belive the second code sample in my answer should solve this. Havn't really tried this myself, though. – Jørn Schou-Rode Sep 3 '09 at 16:25
@Jørn Schou-Rode: doh! sorry, I should have been paying more attention! – Steve Folly Sep 3 '09 at 23:13
add comment
Git is meant to be distributed. So, every user should be having a separate repository of his/her own. The above method contradicts this methodology. Apart from that, I suspect the permissions of the .git directory.
share|improve this answer
add comment
I would guess the ownership of the .git directory are the problem.
You shouldn't use one source tree from different users - it's likely to lead to problems.
The git executable is not the issue. It should be owned by root, and have 755 permissions. (-rwxr-xr-x)
In other words you can use git from multiple accounts, but you shouldn't share a single working directory.
share|improve this answer
add comment
Having the permissions of any executable set so that a normal user can overwrite the executable is a considerable security risk. (Try overwriting /usr/bin/git with a shell script that calls rm -rf $HOME.)
Change the permissions back to 755 and make git owned by root:root again. (Ubuntu's package manager would reset the permissions on the next upgrade anyhow unless you used dpkg-statoverride(8))
I agree with those who say that it may not be a good idea to have multiple users share one git repository. If you still think that it is necessary, consider setting up a new group, chgrp the directory holding the repository and all the files therein to that group andset the setgid bit on the directories. (The --shared parameter to git init may do some of this for you, too.) Then, add all the users to the group that should have commit rights.
share|improve this answer
add comment
Your Answer
|
[] |
Source: Reuters
Comments Threshold
RE: my analysis
By someguy123 on 11/25/2012 3:54:19 AM , Rating: 3
The issue with sony runs deep and it seems to have stem from a massive restructuring plan led by its old CEO Idei. During his years as CEO he promoted an early retirement plan and drove literally flocks of seasoned sony designers and engineers over to competitors like samsung. This is probably the reason why you see nothing but mundane products coming out of sony these days when in the past they would have at least a few dominating products like trinitrons and walkmans.
I don't think they'll ever return to their former glory unless they can find ways to completely liquidate a substantial amount of their assets and use that money to draw talent back into their company. Kaz is going to have a hell of a time convincing people to jump on his sinking ship.
RE: my analysis
|
[] |
[ODE] how to glue bodies together ?
Roel van Dijk roelvandijk at home.nl
Sat Jan 31 17:49:23 MST 2004
On Friday 30 January 2004 04:18, Nate W wrote:
> Does Roel implement the mass-combining and mass-separating functions, or
> is his code implemented as multiple ODE bodies connected with fixed
> joints?
Now, I just modified the code that handles joints. Nothing fancy. I am not a
physics or math guy ;-)
The whole breakable joints thing works really simple. First I implemented it
outside ODE in my wrapper class for joints. I used the dJointFeedback struct
to get the forces working on the joint. Above a certain threshold I would
disconnect the joint.
Then to put it inside ODE I simply searched the source files for the place
where the dJointFeedback struct is filled (step.cpp line: 964). Now the code
that fills the dJointFeedback struct is executed both if the user called
dJointSetFeedback and if a joint is breakable. But a few lines lower the
comment says: "no feedback is required, let's compute cforce the faster way".
But I don't know exactly how much faster that is.
There's another part of the breakable joints that can be very expensive. In
the processIslands function (ode.cpp) I loop over all the joints the check if
they are breakable. If they are I check if they are broken. But if you have a
lot of joints then this could be expensive.
A possible solution would be to have a seperate linked list of breakable
joints and only loop over that list in the processIslands function to see if
they are broken. And each breakable joint should have a pointer to it's next
and previous breakable joint to speed up insertion and removal from that
When I have the time I can profile the breakable joints by comparing them with
original joints and with enabled and disabled breakable joints.
More information about the ODE mailing list
|
[] |
Outrageous assistant tasks
Executive and celebrity assistants tell all.
EMAIL | PRINT | SHARE | RSS
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
By Blake Ellis, contributor
An inside look at the Seraphic Society, the secretive club of assistants to high-profile CEOs.More
NEW YORK (Fortune) -- Becoming the assistant to a CEO or star may sound glamorous to some, but the job can be more trouble than it's worth (just ask anyone who has watched VH1's "I Want to Work for Diddy"). And it can make the people who do it feel like thankless "punching bags," as one assistant put it.
While the big names enjoy fame and fortune, it's the often Herculean labors of assistants who support them behind the scenes that make things work so well under the spotlight. So to find out just how demanding this job can be, Fortune asked elite assistants from across the country to share their most outrageous stories.
Conversations with ... cats?
As an assistant, even the strangest requests start to seem normal after a while. But being ordered to talk to the boss's cats was crossing the line for this assistant, who worked for an executive producer of a major national news show.
Notoriously bizarre, the producer asked the assistant to go to his house and have conversations with each of his cats. He even pre-scripted the chats, listing questions and specific statements he wanted his assistant to pose to the cats. This boss then asked his assistant to report back in full detail, telling him exactly how each cat "responded."
Power pampering
While working for the CEO of an investment bank, assistant Hector Rosario -- a member of the New York Celebrity Assistants professional association who has worked for actresses Fran Drescher and Kim Raver, and music mogul Diddy, among others -- was in charge of planning everything for her. And "everything" in this case included making sure her housekeepers were available at any given moment to put lotion all over her body directly after she stepped out of the shower.
High on e-mail
Being a Hollywood assistant has its drawbacks -- assistants have complained about such unexpected tasks as holding ice packs on their bosses' newly augmented breasts -- but for one assistant to a well known Hollywood manager, cocaine was the cause of the problem.
She forwarded one of the many nonsensical e-mails she received from her boss over one weekend, when he appeared to be under the influence, to Lilit Marcus, a co-founder of savetheassistants.com, who will use it in her upcoming book, "Save the Assistants: A Book for the Beleaguered."
This particular note ordered the assistant to "get socks" multiple times, to "move my 1:00 lunch to 1:03," and to "pre-order a yarmulke for Hanukkah" -- all in one e-mail. And the highlights continued: "My alarm clock rings funny -- find one that's more soothing." "Are bagels different with LA water? They seem different. Find out!" And finally, "Book a lunch with Pamela. Then cancel it two hours before. (hate her!)"
A man and his sheep
Even farm animals can play a role in the life of an executive assistant: The president of a major venture capital firm ordered his assistant to bring a sheep to his partner's birthday party, according to Leni Miller, the founder of executive assistant search firm EASearch. When the assistant finally got her hands on a sheep and brought it to the hotel where the party was being held, the doorman wouldn't let her take it onto the elevator because of health concerns. It wasn't long before the animal was in a crate on its way back to its farm, courtesy of the assistant, of course.
Fatal attraction
Booking a boss's travel isn't always as easy as it seems for some assistants. The CEO of a private company was on his way to Australia to spend a vacation with his girlfriend, and naturally, his assistant arranged his trip. But while he was in Australia, the CEO suffered a heart attack and died. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the CEO was legally married -- to someone else.
So to spare the family more heartache, not only did the assistant have to deal with the CEO's actual death, she also had to fly his girlfriend back home and handle the situation. "Even after he was gone," says an executive assistant recruiter who knows this assistant, "she was still taking care of him."
Ski trap
Whatever the hijinks, the bond between an executive assistant and her employer is a vital one -- in ways one might never expect.
The assistant of a Silicon Valley-based CEO had booked her boss on a weekend ski trip to Colorado. But when she arrived at the office Monday morning, he hadn't returned. His cell went straight to voicemail when she called, and his hotel told her that he had checked out. Just to be safe, she called the car rental company -- and found out he hadn't returned his car.
In a panic, the assistant quickly phoned one of the other skiers on the trip, only to find out that her boss had taken one more run down the mountain alone after his friends left for earlier flights.
So the assistant contacted the ski patrol, and finally -- around 11 a.m. the next day -- they found him, frostbitten and huddled in the woods with a dead cell phone. He'd gotten lost and disoriented because of the cold, and to this day, he credits his assistant with saving his life.
Bonnie Low-Kramen, assistant to Olympia Dukakis and author of "Be the Ultimate Assistant," heard this story from the hero assistant. But she maintains that all identities must remain anonymous -- because this particular CEO's wife still feels badly she didn't find him first. To top of page
Company Price Change % Change
Cisco Systems Inc 21.21 -0.01 -0.05%
Micron Technology In... 23.14 0.02 0.09%
Microsoft Corp 38.11 -0.60 -1.54%
General Motors Co 40.40 -0.50 -1.22%
Data as of Dec 10
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 15,973.13 -52.40 -0.33%
Nasdaq 4,060.49 -8.26 -0.20%
S&P 500 1,802.62 -5.75 -0.32%
Treasuries 2.80 -0.06 -2.10%
Data as of 1:06am ET
More Galleries
Kia Cadenza: A pleasant surprise Usually thought of as a budget brand, Kia has delivered a comfortable and engaging large near luxury sedan. More
Air pollution clouds Shanghai Thick smog in Shanghai has forced flight cancellations and school closures. More
Worry about the hackers you don't know
GE CEO: Bringing jobs back to the U.S.
Hamster wheel and wedgie-powered transit
|
[] |
Subscribe Feedback English
look up any word, like crotch-first:
1. Astrosnap
When someone or something is made a target of humiliation from a far away or unseen source. ie. like but not limited to karma.
That guy on the ground just stole that lady's purse and ran-head first into a light post. Looks like he'll be feeling that astrosnap for a while
rss and gcal
|
[] |
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Another Millionaires Budget
Cutting income tax make no sense to me at all, it is one of the few truly progressive taxes, the more you earn the more you pay. (That is until you get so rich you just avoid tax). The cut also gives employers an excuse to persistently refuse to increase wages in line with anything approaching inflation.
Osborne has chosen to cut income tax. This may seem like a good idea so I went on the BBCs budget predictor and put in my pay: I save £300 in income tax this year. Great you might think, not me... I then lied to the BBCs predictor to find out what would happen if I was a hedge fund manager instead of a Lecturer. I put in a salary of a million quid, just for a laugh. It wasn't funny. Osborne's budget would grant 'millionaire me' a £42000 tax cut. That's enough to give every child in my daughters primary school free school meals for a whole year.
Because the economy is not growing, such lavish tax cuts have to paid for: Osborne has told each 'government department' to cut an additional 1% on top of the cuts he has already inflicted. When terms like 'government department' are used it makes people think that it has no effect. What we are talking about here are public services. The Tories are giving the rich a tax cut and paying for it by cutting services that the rich can afford not to utilise.
This Chancellor is stubbornly sticking to plan A and this budget promises more of the same: More Champagne for him and his millionaire chums. The rest of us just have to make do with the pain bit.
Liam Carr
1 comment:
Syzygy said...
Brilliant idea and expose of Osborne's real intent to redistribute wealth... Upward and offshore!
|
[] |
Reply to a comment
Reply to this comment
martianorchid writes:
How sad so many heterosexuals believe being gay means having anal sex 24/7/365. All it means is you prefer the same sex. It isn't a decision you make, it is something you realize early on in life. Anyone who has earned the honor of being an Eagle Scout is of good character. It's not an easy achievement and takes years of dedication. Wake up people, Gays are everywhere, they always have been - you most likely have had friends in your life who are Gay who remained in the closet because they knew you are a narrow-minded hypocrite. Gays don't have an agenda other than to live a normal life and not be harassed by bigots and self-righteous Bible thumpers.
|
[] |
Bion of Abdera
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Bion of Abdera (Greek: Βίων ὁ Ἀβδηρίτης) was a Greek mathematician of Abdera, Thrace, and a pupil of Democritus. He wrote both in the Ionic and Attic dialects, and was the first who said that there were some parts of the earth in which it was night for 6 months, while the remaining 6 months were one uninterrupted day.[1][2]
1. ^ Diogenes Laertius, IV.58.
2. ^ Smith, William. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870), "Bion of Abdera".
|
[] |
Loading ...
Sorry, an error occurred while loading the content.
• Samwel Kongere
Dear Colleagues, As we try to understand the cause and to analyze the situation amid solution facts; we are convinced the real problem in the Kenyan mess is
Message 1 of 1 , Jan 4, 2008
View Source
Dear Colleagues,
As we try to understand the cause and to analyze the situation amid solution facts; we are convinced the real problem in the Kenyan mess is Kibaki. As a purported gentleman and African statesman, he should step aside and allow for an audit to the election result to be carried out by an independent electoral body. Secondly, he and his henchmen should desist from uttering inflammatory statements on the media. They should know that the larger populace of Kenya listens to their opponents than to them.
In the meantime, our leaders should meet as soon as possible to bring an end to violence because very many people are suffering out there in the countryside as leaders use the biggest of English vocabularies just to be seen as having contributed towards peace. Words alone aint't enough at this time but timely action is the most important.
Let us all first accept that we belong to Kenya and have the equal right to life. People can only be governed if they want to, and thus why we have the govt. In the case that the same govt. breaches the law, people have nothing but to withdraw their right to be governed and this is what we're seeing. By Kibaki stealing or if you like rigging the election, he showed the people that their time and patience by waiting for 5 yrs and going to the polls was nothing to him. The only option they are left with to exercise is what we are witnessing. Kibaki and co MUST leave Kenya to Kenyans and let the people be governed by whoever they chose. By you not condemning this act of thuggury by Kivuitu and ECK and The Chief Justice tells alot. Let's say No to kibaki
Most of the most peaceful people/countries in this world have passed this trying times, Kenyans must never believe that Dictators like Kibaki, will listen, grieve or sympathize with anything except power. To negotiate with him now, is to be respectful to those who has paid this democracy and a dream of freedom with their life. However hard it looks, it will be harder, if he is left of the hooks. Let our Kids judge us, before he re-write the whole history to justify the ends
The decent thing that Mr. Kibaki should do now for the sake our beloved country is to accept that his presidency is suspect. If he thinks he won the election, I guess he should have no problem with calls for a re-tallying of the presidential vote. The only reason he is sticking to his guns is because he knows he didnt win and should therefore be a re-tally, he will be put to shame. All evidence point towards fraudulent activities in the tallying of the presidential vote, including Mr Kivuitu now coming out to say that he was pressured to announce the results against his will. So for the sake of our beloved country, Mr Kibaki should just do the honorable thing and resign or at least agree that there should be a re-tally
It is a shame that Kibaki has sent out troops to kill innocent Kenyans. Why have they been ordered to shoot to kill? Why use live rounds? We cannot sweep the problem under the carpet and hope that they will be solved automatically. The problem is the stolen vote. After that theft, Kibaki rushes to swear himself. This is raping the laws of the land. If we have a recount, and ultimately a legitimate winner, the smoke will settle and reconciliation can begin. So long as the majority feels cheated, how can we even talk to each other? The buck stops right at Kibaki's feet. We need our freedom, and democratic rights back! The way to peace is through re-tallying and recounting the presidential vote, for that is the root of all evil in our country right now. Tackle it honestly, sincerely, once and for all Mr. Kibaki!
Now, some Kenyans notably from Central are asking why Raila is not stopping the violence. First of all he did not tell anyone to use violence. In the contrary he's asking everyone to remain peaceful. He has called for a peaceful meeting in Nairobi today. What does Kibaki do? He orders our national troops to stop the peaceful demonstrators, tear gas them, beat them up, shoot to kill them. Raila wants to reach out to his supporters and talk to them directly. His supporters want to listen to him speak. There is no lawful basis or logic whatsoever to stop this meeting. Constitutionally, we have the freedom of
speech, movement, assembly. Kibaki first abuses our democratic rights, then our freedom of movement, speech(media gag) and now freedom of assembly. How much more does he want to dictate to us?! Kenyans are saying,
Yesterday I could see the GSU on the Nairobi streets wearing no nonsese faces. For once I am ashamed of saying that I come from Kenya . I have always been proud to declare that am Kenyan but now its is different. The shame of blood let and political violence that is in Kenya is shameful to us in Kenyans and in Diaspora. What are we supposed to say when confronted as such? God help Kenya , God held Kenyans.
Raila may be the worst person alive. Kibaki may be the worst person alive. But what we really care about is knowing the truth of the votes; then we can live with whichever worst person the wanainchi chose to lead them. So, then, who's afraid of a properly monitored recount? that is what people should be clamouring for. Until that happens, Kenya is in for a long period of disaster.
Comment from Samwel.
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage.
• Changes have not been saved
Press OK to abandon changes or Cancel to continue editing
• Your browser is not supported
Got it
|
[] |