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Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics |
Who is the perfect partner and how do individuals find him or her? This question becomes relevant to every individual at some point in their lives, and is also the key to understanding many aspects of animal behaviour. The research of the department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics focuses on the evolut... |
Every individual of a species is unique. Individual variation can be found in morphology (for example in body size, in plumage and beak colour) as well as in behaviour such as mate choice strategies or competitive behaviour. What are the causes of this variation in natural populations and what maintains the variation? ... |
Our research focuses on the evolution of mate choice and sexual ornaments in birds. Which criteria do individuals use to select a short- or long-term partner? Why do birds divorce and why do they engage in copulation with multiple partners? Which signals are used in mate choice? Do they reflect individual quality? What... |
Our main study is on blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), a small songbird that breeds in nestboxes and remains resident in winter. Our study area is a protected oak-rich forest in Bavaria. Over the coming decades, we plan to monitor the life-history of all individuals in the population, using advances in transponder techn... |
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Today I feel like talking about something completely different. As many of you may know, I am a musician also. I have played in heavy metal bands during the 80s, I composed, arranged and recorded orchestral scores for computer games in the past and even though I can play a variety of instruments, the guitar has always ... |
The other day I realized that while there are many great guitar gods we have come to know, featuring names like Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson, Eddie Van Halen, George Lynch, Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Jeff Beck etc. it turns out that most of these are playing as the single guitarists in their respect... |
Therefore, I decided to take a look at some of music’s greatest guitarist pairs and why they should, in fact, be more celebrated. |
QueensrycheThe top of the list was very, very easy for me to pick. Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton of Queensryche are easily the most noteworthy guitar pair, because they have redefined how rock guitar arrangements are being made. With their album Operation Mindcrime, they treated guitar arrangement with such subtlety... |
John Lennon and George Harrison of The Beatles are my second choice. Vastly underrated, George Harrison was a phenomenal guitar player who always played off and expanded upon Lennon’s more straight forward playing. He added depth and nuances to melodies that could have turned out absolutely banal, but were enhanced to ... |
Judas PriestGlenn Tipton and K.K. Downing of Judas Priest. Constantly overlooked, Tipton and Downing are without a doubt one of the most accomplished guitar duos in the heavy metal scene. No one plays like these guys do and few guitar players mesh the way they do. Not only do they trade lines like there’s no tomorrow, ... |
Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC. The band’s music may be spartan in many ways and lacking the versatility of some of the other contenders but let’s get one thing straight. Angus and Malcolm will ALWAYS make your foot tap. Here it is Angus’ exceptional syncopating of chords and lines that contrasts wonderful with Malco... |
Brothers Mark and David Knopfler of Dire Straits were an equally contrasting pair. Sadly, David left the band fairly early in their career but the first few albums show just how wonderful David’s laid back strumming contrasts with Mark’s sharp syncopation and picking techniques. David provided the wool while Mark provi... |
Iron MaidenAnd then, of course, there are Dave Murray and Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden. Those guys make magic with their guitars, perfectly complementing each other with their different styles. While Murray’s sweeping legato play is perfect for the more lyrical aspects of the band’s music – delivered always with a big... |
For me, the list would not be complete without the addition of at least one Thin Lizzy line-up. To me, Scott Gorham and Gary Moore have always been the penultimate pair-up in the band’s history. Thin Lizzy was one of the first bands to fully explore two-guitar harmonies and they took it to a new level that was unheard ... |
ScorpionsGermany also produced one of the most remarkable guitar duos, Matthias Jabs and Rudolf Schenker of the Scorpions. Hardly anyone thinks of these guys when they talk about guitar line-ups but if you ever listened to “Blackout” through headphones you know that these guys were kicking in a league of their own. Sch... |
Rolling StonesAnd then, last but not least, there are Keith Richards and Ronnie Woods of the Rolling Stones. I debated with myself for some time whether to include them or not, but despite the simplicity of their songs and despite the recurring themes, these guys do their thing like no one else. Together they create th... |
I know, that no list can be complete, and I also know that I have forgotten many shining examples, no doubt. The moment I press the “Submit” button I will probably slam my palm against my forehead going “How could you have forgotten,” but let’s leave it at this for now. |
I want to point out however, that I have deliberately omitted the pair-ups of bands like Metallica, Pantera, Megadeth, Slayer, and others because I feel they are not remarkable enough as a unit. While successful, and often exceedingly accomplished players, I felt that none of these were really that outstanding in terms... |
Some of you may also note that virtually all of these pair-ups are from rock bands. The thing to note about that is that rock’n roll is really the home of guitar-centric music and guitar pairs. Most other music genres like blues and jazz, funk or fusion combine the guitar with other instruments or treat them more as so... |
Either way, I hope you enjoyed this little line-up and maybe you will have the chance to check out some of the guys on this list if you’re not familiar with their work. |
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Officers' Quarters: In defense of guild talents |
About a week ago, Blizzard revealed all the latest updates concerning their gameplan for Cataclysm. Among them were a host of changes to the new guild systems and UI overhaul that were originally announced at BlizzCon 2009. Today I'd like to focus on the removal of guild talents. In future columns, I'll address other c... |
Guild talents get the axe |
Two of the biggest announcements from last week were not new features but the cancellation of previously announced features: Path of the Titans and guild talents. I've heard a lot of complaints from people about removing the Path, which is to be expected -- it was considered a key feature of the expansion and a long-aw... |
On the other hand, I'm not hearing nearly as many complaints about the removal of guild talents. Again, perhaps, this is to be expected. After all, Blizzard's plan is to replace them with unlocked perks that you receive automatically as your guild levels up. In other words, every guild will get every talent. Awesome, r... |
I'm sure many people will disagree with me on this point. Ghostcrawler had this to say: |
Ghostcrawler -- Guild Talents |
Guilds are, for the most part, groups of friends. We don't want features to drive wedges between them. We don't want you to guild hop looking for the talents that suit you best; we want you to play (or in many cases keep playing) with your friends. With a talent tree, guilds would naturally have different talent trees,... |
I agree with him in theory. There is a risk (as well as a benefit) inherent to making your guild different from others, and it's not impossible to imagine that spec'ing your guild a certain way could have caused this scenario. In practice, though, I wonder if such a thing would really happen. |
I mean, what sorts of talents was Blizzard planning such that choosing one over another could actually drive people out of your guild? During BlizzCon, they listed examples such as increased gold drops, removal of reagents for raid-wide buffs, mass summon, mass resurrection, and reduced repair bills. If someone gquits ... |
Yes, if there were talents that gave you 10% more damage and healing in battlegrounds but not in raids, then I could see people moving to another guild if they wanted that extra 10% to apply to their raiding instead. I strongly doubt Blizzard would have implemented such game-breaking talents though. |
I wish Ghostcrawler had provided a few examples of talents that might have had a negative impact on your guild, because I just don't see how a realistic "perk" talent choice could make such a big difference that people would actually gquit. |
Why do I care? |
As I explain in Chapter 1 of The Guild Leader's Handbook, it's important to define your guild, to give your guild an identity that sets your organization apart from others on the server. Doing so provides a number of benefits, not the least of which is more effective, targeted recruiting. Of course, there will always b... |
To date, all such differentiators have been external, by which I mean they are chosen by the officers but they have no actual representation in the game itself. You need to speak to guild members or read the guild's policies on its website in order to understand what the guild is all about. |
With talents, Blizzard had a means for allowing officers to differentiate their guilds using the game's own interface. For that reason, talents could have been a huge win for officers, but now it looks like we won't get this functionality in WoW. (I should mention that the new recruiting feature in the UI may allow you... |
In my opinion, it is possible to provide talented differentiators that don't necessarily drive away players who aren't part of a guild's major activities. For example, in a progression-oriented raiding guild, you might choose a talent that provides 5% increased reputation gains for PvE factions (i.e., Sons of Hodir) ov... |
The risk of drama |
Ghostcrawler's other reason for removing guild talents is this: |
Ghostcrawler -- Guild Talents |
Furthermore, we felt like the decision-making, for many guilds, would be up to a relatively few people, possibly as few as the guild master. Talent trees work for classes because the decision is up to you. We didn't want to create the risk of drama over choosing those talents or even not being consulted in choosing the... |
GC, I take umbrage with you here. Call me sensitive, but this statement is an insult to your game's officers. You're pretty much saying, "We don't trust you to make decisions that won't cause problems." |
Officers have to make difficult decisions all the time. Sometimes it's better to talk to your players and achieve a consensus. Sometimes it's better to act alone for the benefit of the guild as a whole. Good officers know when to move forward with either method. By taking this power out of our hands, Ghostcrawler is te... |
Beyond that, I was honestly shocked by this statement. Never before has Blizzard so much as batted an eye at whether their game design would "create the risk of drama." Where was this concern when they decided to create a 5 > 10 > 25 progression path in Burning Crusade? Where was this concern when they were implementin... |
C'mon, GC. Some days I feel like you guys do nothing but sit around your office inventing new ways to "create the risk of drama." Seriously, that is not card you get to play at this point. Don't get me wrong: I love that it's finally occurring to you and I hope that this represents a shift in thinking. However, I'll be... |
Ghostcrawler also goes on to say that it's easier for Blizzard to make adjustments and add more perks over time without worrying about a talent tree, and that is completely understandable. At this point, anything they can do to get Cataclysm into our eager hands faster is a good thing. Even so, I also feel like the dum... |
What do you think? |
Filed under: Officers' Quarters (Guild Leadership) |
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2/3rds of US Corporations Pay Zero Federal Taxes: US Uncut Movement Builds to Make Them Pay Up |
From coast-to-coast, more than forty cities joined in a day of action protesting the tax-dodging of massive corporations that they see as the real source of the country's deficit. |
The following article first appearedon the Nation.com.For more great content from the Nation, sign up for theiremail newsletters here. |
Saturday marked US Uncut’s second big nationwide protest. From coast-to-coast, more than forty cities joined in a day of action protesting the tax-dodging practices of massive corporations that they see as the real source of the country’s deficit. |
“I’m tired of people calling for shared sacrifice and it’s all coming from the workers and nothing’s coming from the top,” says protester Dave Sonenberg. “I’m sick of companies like Bank of America not paying their taxes.” |
Bank of America hasn’t paid a nickel in federal income taxes for the past two years, and in fact raked in an additional $1 billion in tax “benefits.” The bank is enjoying these profits after accepting $45 billion from taxpayers, which the company then got to count as a deduction when they paid back the money. |
Big corporations get to play by a whole different set of rules, says tax expert Bob Willens of New York-based Robert Willens LLC: |
It's also not unusual for a company to pay no federal taxes, while still paying state and local taxes, Willens said. Items that can be deducted for federal purposes aren't always deductible for state and local returns, he said. State taxes can also be based on the amount of capital deployed in a state, not pre-tax inco... |
This is why two-thirds of corporations in America pay no federal income taxes. If they were forced to, we're told, the whole country would suffer. Jobs would be lost, salaries slashed. Thank heavens we’ve avoided such calamity by allowing corporations to shape legislation in their favor. |
In 2010, Bank of America handed out $2.2 million in campaign contributions to Congressional representatives and PACs (36 percent went to Democrats, 64 percent to Republicans). By throwing around that much cash, huge companies like BoA have a big say when it comes to crafting legislation that permits them to escape payi... |
“The reason it’s not illegal is because they have bought and paid for the people who make the laws. The laws are made to accommodate this sort of nefariousness,” he says, adding that the process is wrong, and ordinarily that would mean approaching Congress to ask them to fix it, but there’s no point in attempting that ... |
The rigged game has left citizens feeling burnt and angry. An activist named Sally says BoA’s practice of evicting people from their homes without the original mortgage notes is illegal, but that “illegal doesn’t seem to matter.” |
Organizers created fake checks that represent what Bank of America should have paid in taxes during 2009 ($1.5 billion). The plan was to go into BoA, attempt to cash the checks, and then ask for a manager when the understandably flummoxed teller didn’t know what to do. US Uncut planners reminded the protesters to be co... |
The bank’s manager recognized Meisel from being part of the Uncut protests and immediately asked for the police to remove us. Meisel said he was in the bank to cash the check, and when the officer discerned it was fake (because it looks incredibly fake), he told us to leave, claiming we were giving the tellers “a hard ... |
“Get out,” the cop ordered. “You want to get out or get a criminal summons?” At which point, my cameraman, Zach Roberts, stated he was a Bank of America customer, a credential that didn’t appear to impress the officer at all. |
“You want to play games?” he asked. “Give me your ID.” Meisel stated that he intended to leave, but he also produced his wallet and extended it to the officer, who grabbed it and shoved Meisel backwards. |
The police then detained Meisel inside BoA before ultimately giving him a ticket for disorderly conduct. Afterwards, Meisel harbored no ill feelings toward the officer. “It sounds like he had a bad day today, but it’s not anything personal. I know cops have it bad these days because there’s budget cuts coming from them... |
Allison Kilkenny is the co-host of the progressive political podcast Citizen Radio (wearecitizenradio.com) and independent journalist who blogs at allisonkilkenny.com. Her work has appeared in The American Prospect, the L.A. Times, In These Times, Truthout and the award-winning grassroots NYC newspaper The Indypendent. |
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Accused Florida Facebook killer pleads not guilty to murder charge |
Miami HeraldDecember 4, 2013 |
MIAMI -- Derek Medina, the South Miami man who fatally shot his wife and posted a photo of her bloody body on Facebook, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to first-degree murder. |
Prosecutors last week, in a long-expected move, presented Medina’s case to a grand jury, which indicted the 31-year-old for first-degree murder. |
He is now eligible for the death penalty, although a prosecutor told the judge Wednesday that the office has not determined whether they will seek execution for the August killing of Jennifer Alfonso, 27. |
Medina shocked South Florida when he shot Alfonso after a heated argument in their South Miami townhouse kitchen, then immediately posted a photo of her body along with an admission that started: “I’m going to prison or death sentence for killing my wife.’’ |
Miami-Dade police initially charged him with second-degree murder with a firearm, but it was long expected that prosecutors would elevate the charge, indicating they believe the killing was premeditated. |
The state attorney’s office has released an autopsy report that suggested Alfonso may have been on her knees trying to shield her face as he repeatedly shot her at point-blank range. Medina also admitted that he left the kitchen, went upstairs, retrieved a firearm and re-engaged his wife inside the kitchen. |
Medina’s lawyers have acknowledged that he shot Alfonso, saying he was merely defending himself after years of psychological abuse from a “diva” wife who constantly belittled him. |
In a videotaped sworn statement to police, Medina insisted he was acting in self-defense because Alfonso, who was unarmed, “kept on punching me like crazy,” near his temple or neck. Medina also claimed he posted the photo so that Alfonso’s family would immediately know about the killing. |
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Yvonne Colodny set a March trial date, although that could be pushed back if lawyers need more time to prepare their case. |
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