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0.120943 | <urn:uuid:36981a9e-91a1-4ae1-aa18-5f2a17225bde> | en | 0.946976 | The financial liquidity crisis is in full swing around the world. It is no wonder that experts and novices alike seek ways and means to prevent a future recurrence. Many different solutions are enacted and proposed. All of them center on wealth and money or votes.
Questions regarding the reemerging push for a return to a gold standard and our discussions of earlier Austrian school of economic theories abound.
Such discussions especially flourish during major financial crises.
Certainly, gold has been viewed by civilizations for some five thousand years as stable and desirable. Why? Simple – man cannot easily destroy it, nor create it. It has been considered both wealth and money.
It certainly meets both ancient and modern economics’ criteria for wealth. To a lesser degree, it meets the definitions for money.
First, it is a medium of exchange. Almost everyone agrees to trade if gold is involved.
It serves as a store of value. In other words, gold cannot only serve as money, but it is actually a tangible representation of wealth.
It is a standard of value. People can agree that one ounce of gold is equal to a fixed amount of some other good or service.
Since it is rare instead of plentiful, that standard remains in tact as long as people agree. Richard Nixon unilaterally arranged for the United States to leave the gold standard in 1971 for political and economic interests. Gold prices “floated” against other currencies, and no country since then has remained on a gold standard.. Nonetheless, gold has been and can remain a basis for contracts, debts and other private or national obligations.
Finally, it is a unit of account. That simply permits us to set prices, costs, or profits. In short, any money, whether gold or silver or fiat (paper) money issued by a government, gold can fulfill that function.
Without too much difficulty, gold can also simply exist to guarantee the use of fiat money. That places a currency on the gold standard, and simply means that a government certifies that it has enough physical gold (as in Fort Knox or the IMF vaults in New York) for every dollar of fiat money it issues.
Your, or a country’s credit, is limited by the amount of gold owned.
Enter the problem.
It may be simplistic, but bears repeating. It is, after all, the reason why economics came into being in the first place. Supply and demand.
The fundamental law of economics assumes that mankind wants an almost limitless amount of goods or services. That includes everything from basic foods to intangible things like religion.
Those “wants” may have both positive and negative effects.
In a world where all physical goods are limited, if supplies are finite while wants are unlimited, we instantly see the basis for having to make choices. The choices can be resolved in civil manner by trade or, in the extreme, by war.
Therein lies the fundamental problem of gold as a backing for fiat money, or as a direct global currency.
There simply is not enough gold on the planet, existing above ground or yet to be mined, to back all the fiat currencies that have been created to accommodate the continually rising population in this world.
Better yet, if we applied simple supply and demand laws, the price of gold would reach enormous proportions compared to the universally accepted world standard of the equivalent US$700 per ounce at today’s values. Careful, please, the price may rapidly move or down from that level!
We know reasonably well how much gold there exists on the planet. We also know approximately who owns how much, both in physical gold and in reserves still to be mined. With the expected gold craze to continue, major exploration and mining companies are hoping to bring those underground reserves to daylight to join in the speculative fever of potentially recovering gold.
For example, Northgate Minerals Corporation (TSX: NGX, AMEX: NXG) announced September 8, 2008 that it found new mineral reserves at its Australian site, including some 140,000 ounces of gold. In their press release, the company stated that the find “will extend the current mine-life by an additional 18 months until the fourth quarter of 2011.” ( (
If you do simple math and use today’s value at $700/oz., that results in some $98 million. At a cost of some $20/oz, that results in a nice profit for the company and its shareholders.
However, that amount pales on a macroeconomic level.
It would make little difference on a world-wide basis for the United States, the International Monetary Fund, South Africa, Russia or Canada as countries. Russia, for example, recently announced continued progress in its Kamchatka gold discoveries.
Trans-Siberian Gold’s Asacha mine is estimated to process some 608,000 ounces of gold over the expected six and a half year life. It has not yet commenced drilling. The company is traded on the London stock exchange. (TSG-L)
In short, the supply of gold is reasonably fixed with only relatively small increases foreseen in the near future.
We can also reasonably predict general industrial and commercial uses for gold, such as electronics, medicine and personal jewelry.
With normal supply and demand predictable, the excess demand for speculation drives the price on the international gold market. It is a speculator’s and gambler’s heaven!
There are good and bad aspects to a national or world-wide gold standard.
Making gold convertible into a certain amount of dollars, yen, Euros or whatever would certainly restrict the amount of money each nation could spend. As such, it would artificially impose a certain financial prudence on the part of government issuance of fiat money. It would be likely to sharply curtail spending and investment.
It should certainly cause policymakers to think twice before wasting assets in such futile endeavors as wars not designed merely to defend a nation’s borders against intruders.
However, a return to the gold standard would impose a limit on growth, and thus on employment. History shows that unemployment was far more extensive under the gold standard than without it. Despite the speculation, irresponible credit use and eveb criminal activity, no one can challenge the tremendous growth in entrepreneurship worldwide sice the Reagan and Clinton administrations.
Whether it is the Federal Reserve or another central bank, interest rates would still have to be adjusted – even in a 100% gold-backed currency – to maintain that currency’s value relative to the arbitrary value agreed to and set upon an ounce of gold.
It all ultimately depends whether you want to put your trust in your fellow man (or woman) based on a shiny metal to back your country’s currency or on a piece of paper backed by the “full fait and credit” of the United States or any other country.
If you truly believe more in gold than in the ultimate productivity of the dollar, the yen or the countless others, by all means buy some gold directly through any one of dozens of legitimate gold currency dealers. Not issued by any bank, but backed directly by the gold you purchase, some of that gold is denominated in Dinars or Dirhams or Rials. Islam does not believe in interest or usury, but fixed fees. Remember, though: the value of your gold could rise or fall, depending on what the market dictates. | http://www.citizeneconomists.com/blogs/2008/11/21/ | dclm-gs1-145330002 | false | false | {
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0.070221 | <urn:uuid:56f70758-f853-4220-9dec-c0e09b7e51e7> | en | 0.975487 | Sunday, February 25, 2007
I was downtown early this morning, but unfortunately I was too busy with my new job and I could not see this personally. I was so deep in the Hilton's corridors at the time, I didn't even hear the implosion. I'm sure I could have heard the building implode had I been standing out on the Hilton's balcony. So I'll just have to make due with the News 8 Austin footage.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Congratulations! Your life has shipped. You should recieve it in 35-37 weeks.
So I was going to make a post to respond to this post on Kris' blog. Sort of a list of advice for thier little baby as it grows up. But it turned out it was sort of generic. It was a pretty good list of advice. But, you can learn stuff like 'eat your vegetables, know how to do math in your head, excercise' from anyone. But during the list, I came upon a realization. Now it's no secret that kids growing up now are going to have a completely different existence than the generation before them. But the next generation is going to have it very different, about as different as my working on the internet is from my great grandfather working on the railroads.
What I'm trying to say is that if you're being born now, any discussion about your future life is going to be tinted by the way life is going to change for everyone in the 21st century. The technological singularity is on it's way! And this is the way I understand it: bascially because of our advanced technology, the progress of technology is increasing at an ever-increasing rate. No one is sure whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing. Doomsayers believe that right after scientists invent a viable artificial intelligence, it will be able to invent new ways to make itself smarter almost immediately. They think that this effect may spiral out of control and cause the A.I. to turn on it's creators and exterminate the lot of us. I'm a little more pragmatic, I think even a superintelligent A.I. should be able to reason that it doesn't have the right to deprive anyone of thier existance, no matter how much they fuck up the planet or disrespect each other's existance. But that doesn't make for particularly compelling doom-saying or science fiction movies. Regardless, little Maxwell child, your value in the future will be primarily be determined by how smart you are, so know how to do math in your head. Some think that the singularity means that we're all going to merge with our machines or upload our brains into computers or get matrixed. However I think those predictions are a little out there, and all rely on the assumption that advanced technology will continue to get cheaper and propigate itself around the world in an egalitarian fashion. Which we know is simply against human nature. If major corporations invent a cure for cancer or self-replicating nanomachines or an advanced artificial intelligence, they are going to make us pay to use them. That sucks for people who are going to get cancer, but it might reduce the risk of the solar system being consumed by grey goo. Regardless, the next century will probably mean the start of some kind of new existance using computers or biotechnology or somesuch. Possibly the beginning of some kind of technological immortality. Lucky for you, little Maxwell child! When it arrives, you will be in your mid-thirties, the perfect age to be stopped at for all eternity. So make sure you eat your vegetables and excercise. Also, you need to be rich enough to afford this fabulous made-up technology I am imagining. So be rich. That's the first and most important piece of advice I can give.
Next time: Less doomsaying and more pithy observations about Star Wars.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
First Post
Let me preface this by saying I don't think this first post is going to be any good.
I say that for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, I don't think anyone should consider the first version of anything to be any good. Whether it's a movie or a book or a play or whatever. First cuts, first drafts, first prints all by an large suck. It's no one in particular's fault. It just that making genius moves on the first try is by it's very nature is nearly impossible, it would only happen purely by chance. However, because it happens on extremely rare occasions makes one think that it may happen to them and people who expect to strike gold on a first try set themselves up for failure every time.
The second reason I think this first post is going to suck is that I am up late at night once again. I've given myself insomnia worring about my future and what fate has in store for me. Even though I have a job that will provide me with some much needed audio/visual skills and a modest amount of money, I don't see any significant future in it beyond a few years of steady employment. This means in order to make a better future for myself I am going to have to pursue other opportunities. This means producing short films, helping other people work on thier projects, entering contests, and most importantly: writing.
That brings me to why I'm doing this blog. I not blogging for people to read, or to foist my opinions on others, although I do enjoy the latter. I'm doing it for the practice. I didn't major in English in college, I should have taken more writing courses. So unless I go back to school, the only way I have of improving my craft is writing in, on or around anything I can. Practice is the only sure fire way to get good at anything. It's like the old joke: "How do you get to Carnagie Hall? -- Practice." Not quite as old as "What's the difference between a rowing boat and Joan of Arc? -- One is made of wood and the other is Maid of Orleans." but the first is more apropos to my situation, the latter is not.
So what I plan to do is try and do at least two blog entries a week. Yeah, it was hard to type that with a straight face. But I need to do it. It's just like any other skill that's remotely worthwhile, whether it's excercise or drawing or math. It's either use it or loose it. I've already lost math a long time ago, I'm not going to give up on this damnit! | http://www.collincannaday.net/2007_02_01_archive.html | dclm-gs1-145390002 | false | false | {
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0.235841 | <urn:uuid:9dae845e-d032-46fc-8482-16a03ff6a74d> | en | 0.950983 | Woman Ties Her Stroke to Toxic Leak on Plane
CHICAGO (CN) - A known neurotoxin used in nerve gas and other fumes leaked into an airplane's passenger cabin, causing one woman to have a near-fatal stroke, she claims in court.
Vida Chenier sued the Boeing Co. pro se in Cook County Court.
On March 26, 2008, Chenier allegedly boarded a Boeing 757 aircraft operated as American Airlines flight 2073 from O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
"Approximately three or four hours after flight number 2073 departed ORD on March 26, 2008, Vida began experiencing hypoxia, also known as oxygen deprivation," the complaint states. "She felt extreme pressure in her ears, which began to pop and ache."
At the same time, the aircraft allegedly experienced problems with its ventilation system that allowed toxic fumes to enter the passenger cabin.
"The toxic fumes to which Vida was exposed comprised bleed air," the complaint states. "Bleed air is the outside air fraction of the cabin supply air that is first compressed in the aircraft engines or auxiliary power unit and which can become contaminated with high temperature oil or hydraulic fluid and their byproducts."
Chenier said she began having difficulty breathing and coughing violently three or four hours after takeoff.
Her chest burned, her ears popped, her head ached and the urge to vomit was strong, according to the complaint.
After landing in San Juan, Chenier allegedly began coughing up blood.
She suffered "a nearly fatal stroke" about a week later, according to the complaint.
Chenier allegedly discovered that leaking bleed air could have caused her stroke in 2009 when she spoke with an American Airlines pilot at an estate sale in Chicago.
"The pilot told Vida that bleed air is common onboard American Airlines flights, and its existence is shared knowledge among those in the airline industry, but less so among the general public," the complaint statees.
Bleed air can allegedly contain tricresyl phosphate, an anti-wearing agent added to jet engine oil and aircraft hydraulic fluid, which is also a known neurotoxin, and an ingredient in nerve gas.
"Vida's doctors attribute her stroke, illness, and symptoms to her exposure to the contaminated air on the subject aircraft," the complaint states.
It adds: "At all relevant times hereto, Boeing knew or reasonably should have known about the risks of bleed air contamination."
Chenier and her husband seek damages for negligence. Records show that the couple also sued Boeing in 2011, and Vida sued American Airlines the year before that. | http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/09/19/61275.htm | dclm-gs1-145430002 | false | false | {
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0.146001 | <urn:uuid:5e891a8c-921a-4b05-b274-43f5fea09400> | en | 0.866902 | 08/10/12 defined subobject classifier, did examples for the category of Sets, Sets^(1+1), groups acting on sets, monoids acting on sets 15/10/12 introduced sieves, proved the bijection between sieves on C and subfunctors of yC, did the subobject classifier in the general case of Sets^(C^op) introduced sheaves (of sets) for topological spaces, partially discussed sheafification 22/10/12 discussed the subobject classifier in simplicial sets (as \n."co-scott-topology on 2^n), discussed a generalization of the subobject classifier for graphs, tried to find the connection. Tried to get it by collapsing standard simplices, calculated the number of antichains in 2^n and concluded that the collapsing will not work for cardinality reasons. 29/10/12 Paolo: reviewed smooth manifolds as a source of examples of bundles (and sheaves), introduced tensor bundles and general vector bundles, briefly mentioned complex manifolds, principal bundles and covering maps. Paolo: continued with germs and sheafification, stated that the sheaf of sections of germs of a sheaf F is isomorphic to F, started a proof. Christian: devised a purely categorical definition of the sheafification functor for $\mathcal{C}$-valued sheafs, where $\mathcal{C}$ is any category with colimits and equalizers. 05/11/12 discussed Christian's idea of defining * : Presheaves -> Sheaves (the Sheafification) as a filtered colimit (works only in some cases) started with Grothendieck topologies: definition of a topology in a small category, definition of a base, some simple lemmas 12/11/12 skipped 19/11/12 Venanzio: repeated Grothendieck topology, base (basis), discussed topology generated from base and vice versa, refinement of bases, bases and topologies for Heyting algebras. Observations: If X is a space, O(X) is a complete Heyting algebra. O(X)^op is a complete lattice, but no Heyting algebra (no exponentials/no infinite distributiv law). Further, a the notions of "complete lattice" and "complete small category" are the same. 26/11/12 Venanzio continued with examples of topologies, defined sheaf over a topology, +-construction with proof 3/12/12 Paolo started discussing elementary topoi 13/12/12 (replacement for 10/12) Paolo continued with elementary topoi, in particular the construction of exponentials [Christmas break] 06/02/13 (?) Venanzio talked about subobjects as a Heyting Algebra 07/02/13 (?) Nicolai: Categorical Semantics of Type Theory 0 11/02/13 Nicolai: Categorical Semantics of Type Theory I, Contextual Categories from universe 18/02/13 Nicolai: Categorical Semantics of Type Theory II - using a universe to get coherence (repetition), structure for 0, 1, identity types | http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~ngk/logTopoi.txt | dclm-gs1-145450002 | false | false | {
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0.018935 | <urn:uuid:512b16b9-ffaa-4c37-b50e-011566c5cccf> | en | 0.938299 | 12 votes
Court to Consider Constitutional Challenge of Strict New York Gun Law
By Alex Thomas
February 2, 2013
A New York State judge has agreed to hear a Constitutional challenge to a strict gun law passed in the state in the wake of the horrific Sandy Hook mass shooting.
Supreme Court Justice Gerald Connolly granted the request by the plaintiffs who are challenging the law due to the fact that Governor Andrew Cuomo waived the three day period that any law is supposed to adhere to before being voted on.
A report by Fox News highlighted the plaintiffs claims, complete with one of the plaintiffs accusing Cuomo of acting like a king:
read more http://theintelhub.com/2013/03/02/court-to-consider-constitu...
Comment viewing options
ANY law relating to
ANY law relating to restricting gun ownership by anyone for any reason is unconstitutional. What part of "shall not be infringed" do these people not understand? Constitutionally you cant even ban a felon or madman from owning a gun....which is fine by me, as long as my right to bear arms is also not infringed.
New York SAFE Act is Unconstitutional
Here are two examples:
Question one - is example 1 an ex post facto law in violation of the Constitution if criminal punishment is levied upon the owner of the Persian rug who does not comply with the registration requirement?
Example 2. Substitute "semiautomatic shotgun" for " Persian rug".
Question two - is example 2 an ex post facto law and in violation of the Constitution if criminal punishment is levied upon the owner of the semiautomatic shotgun who does not comply with the registration requirement?
The answer to both examples is an unqualified "Yes". Laws that punish citizens for acts that were lawful prior to the enactment of the new statute are ex-post facto and prohibited by the Constitution.
| http://www.dailypaul.com/276688/court-to-consider-constitutional-challenge-of-strict-new-york-gun-law | dclm-gs1-145500002 | false | false | {
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0.705772 | <urn:uuid:d714be6d-fe7d-4fdd-a220-00d21e07ba62> | en | 0.967292 | 0 votes
Equality in human society
Equality can only refer to rights when discussing humanity as a whole. There will never be an equality of material wealth, intellectual ability or motivation throughout any population of humans. Equality refers to rights and rights belong to individuals primarily and every other thing secondarily. A right implies a choice. A choice implies a mind able to distinguish between different possibilities, make decisions and act based on the decisions made. The concept of rights is based on a rational beings existence among other rational beings. Rights however exist by the nature of one's existence and even in a society which denouces rights, a rational being, that is a human who acts on his its own judgement, still has its rights inherently. All individuals have a right to their own life, by virtue of the fact that they live; they do not have a right to the life of another. All individuals have a right to that which they produce or gain through mutual benefit and consent; no individual has a right to take from another individual. All individuals have a right to use their own mind to take actions so long as they dont innitiate force against another and are responsible for their own actions, no individual has a right to force another individual to act against their own judgement. These are rights, this is the equality possible in reality. Any aim to make material wealth equal or intellectual capacity equal or motivation equal across a population is an aim towards economic failure and collapse. The only way to make these things equal is to take all of the most able, most motivated and most intelligent and bring them down to the level of the incompetent. The result is an incompetent society defined by its highest virtue of equal poverity, stupidy and laziness for all. | http://www.dailypaul.com/292866/equality-in-human-society | dclm-gs1-145510002 | false | false | {
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0.019525 | <urn:uuid:7595e30e-b7d5-48a9-9a0e-e21149713ff8> | en | 0.963926 | Lightning hit a tree and damaged a home in the Green Mountain area of Lakewood on Monday morning, where the storm also knocked a person off a bicycle.
The wild weather happened about 9 a.m., scorching a home in the 12300 block of West Atlantic Driver, said Shift Cmmdr. Mike Berg, a West Metro Fire Rescue spokesman.
Lightning hit a tree and the charge likely flowed into the ground, where it followed a sprinkler line and cracked a water main, Berg said.
"The house had some scorching," Berg said.
No one was injured.
Meanwhile, a person riding a bike in the area was knocked to the ground by the stormy weather in the vicinity.
The bike rider, near West Jewell Avenue and South Wright Street, was not hit by lighting and was not injured.
Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822, or | http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_24306092/lightning-hits-tree-lakewood-damages-green-mountain-home?source=rss | dclm-gs1-145540002 | false | false | {
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0.027751 | <urn:uuid:492e8f91-403b-44ca-bf14-d082a46f95f3> | en | 0.927309 |
Live Chat or 1.877.364.3865
Gear Review
5 5
sick boots
Alex Bass
Member since
really happy with these. not too many features, just what's needed, such as the velcro on the tongue that keeps it from slipping and shifting, really nice feature. took a while to break in, but that's what i get for not heat molding them. not the warmest boots ever, but warm enough with regular snowboard socks above about 20 degrees or so, after that toe warmers arent a bad idea. overall really stoked, another great product from 32. | http://www.dogfunk.com/dogfunk/review/sick-boots/200090397.html?redirected | dclm-gs1-145570002 | false | false | {
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0.020768 | <urn:uuid:590609f1-ce1a-4b61-b4fe-57fff44e0268> | en | 0.965769 | The Sky Might Fall On David Price
Unbridled lust met by brutal reality. Many questioned whether the Rays were motivated by non-performance issues when they assigned David Price to Durham way back in the spring. As it turns out, they may have known better.
Areas of approval:
- Striking people out
- Stranding runners (unsustainably, may I add)
Areas needing improvement
- Getting batters to chase him out of the zone
- Avoiding walks
- Throwing a third pitch
To date, we've experienced six Price starts this season. That's it. Going start-by-start; we saw jittery Price do horrible against the Indians, then turn it around five days later and dominate the Twins like nobody's business. A shaky start against the Yankees was met with back-to-back solid, progressive starts against the Angels and Rockies. Then last night happened, and now all hell has broken loose.
Okay, so Price isn't an ace out of the box. That's fine. He's been inconsistent, that's a given. Not many pitchers can walk nearly six per nine and be ‘consistent'. Then again, not many pitchers can strikeout 10 per game either. The homerun rate will drop and should be evened out by his strand rate dropping.
Let's focus on the bad things listed above.
Price's swinging strike rate is down to sub-8%. Somehow the strikeouts are still near 10 per nine, but he's just not getting a boat load of whiffs. Batters are fouling 20% of his pitches off which is how Price is getting ahead in the count more often than not. 7.4% whiffs for someone with his stuff isn't great, Andy Sonnanstine has 6.7% swings-and-misses and some of you think Sonnanstine is throwing a beach ball to hitters using oars instead of bats.
52% of Price's pitches are registering inside of the strike zone. That's the same percentage as Roy Halladay, as Scott Baker, as Matt Cain, James Shields is only at 54%, and even CC Sabathia is at 51%. The problem for Price is not "throwing more strikes" the problem for Price is "get more strikes". Yes, there is a difference. Throwing more strikes implies that Price needs to locate within the zone more often, getting more strikes means Price needs to generate strikes via batters swinging outside of the zone.
Right now, 19% of Price's pitches outside of the box are inducing swings. The closest comparables I could find were Tim Wakefield, Joe Blanton, and Brad Penny. Price has better stuff than those guys. He should be closer to Shields/Sabathia at 27%. Why isn't he?
I went back and looked at two-strike count situations from last night. 49 pitches contributed to them. Of those 49, one pitch was a change-up, 30 were fastballs, and the remaining 18 were sliders. When I say contribute, I mean Price used those pitches to get to a two-strike count, not that he threw 49 pitches on two-strike counts. From there, I decided to look at how Price dealt with righties who get to _-2:
Rollins: FB, FB, FB, SL
End result: Grounder to third, misplayed by Longoria
Victorino: FB, SL, FB, FB, SL, SL
End result: Walk
Werth: FB, FB, FB, FB, FB, SL
End result: Single
Ruiz: FB, CH, FB, SL, FB, SL
End result: Ground out
Werth: FB, SL, SL, FB, FB, FB, SL, FB
End result: Walk
Feliz: SL, FB, FB, SL, FB, SL, FB
End result: Fly out
Price is comfortable throwing sliders, but he's not burying them against righties at all. Below is the graph, I cut it off at the 3.5 mark because that's the top of a normalized zone. The bottom is at 1.5, and in between -1 and 1 is the plate. Exactly one slider is below the strike zone, and two, maybe more pitches are inside to righties. When Price is using his slider against righties, it's inside of the zone.
So here's my crackpot theory about this whole thing. Price is struggling to get swings outside of the zone despite having good stuff because most guys aren't chasing his fastball out of the zone. Price is doing anything but burying his sliders. Instead he's trying to run the pitch inside to righties and either have them ground out or miss completely. The two sliders put into play by righties in these at-bats resulted in outs, the rest were either taken for balls or fouled off.
After hits foul off his zone pitches and lay off on fastballs outside of the zone, Price ends up walking them. It's not so much a control issue with him, more of a command and finishing issue. Price needs to throw his change-up or alter his slider placement. Once he does either of those things, I think we're looking at a pretty good pitcher.
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0.377739 | <urn:uuid:96411c03-4a6c-40e0-9f4a-d871ff6e4dd7> | en | 0.773755 |
Bits and Pieces of Python
“Man tager om man så hafva kan…”
Creating an Endless Sequence
This example shows a simple and straightforward way to do this, using a custom sequence wrapper. This works in all versions of Python.
Example: creating an endless sequence
class over_and_over_again:
def __init__(self, seq):
self.seq = seq
self.len = len(seq)
def __getitem__(self, index):
return self.seq[index % self.len]
# zip stops when the shortest sequence ends
print zip(range(12), over_and_over_again("spam"))
In more recent versions, it’s possible to do the same thing in more “interesting” ways, using iterators and/or generators. More on that later.
Populating a Dictionary Inside a Lambda
In the following example, the “for k, v in x” part represents any function or expression returning a sequence of key/value pairs, where all keys are unique. The goal is to turn this into a dictionary. In 2.2, this is easy. In 2.1, it’s possible to do this on a single line, without help from outside. In earlier versions, it’s probably worth adding a helper function similar to 2.2’s dict factory…
Example: populating a dictionary inside a lambda
# python 2.4 and later
func = lambda x: dict((k, v) for k, v in x)
# python 2.2 and later
func = lambda x: dict([(k, v) for k, v in x])
# python 2.1 and later (this is ugly!)
func = lambda x: ([d for d in [{}], d.setdefault(k, v) for k, v in x])[0][0]
Note that the 2.1 version creates a tuple containing two list comprehensions, and it returns the first item in the first tuple member.
The first one creates an empty dictionary, and binds it to the d variable in a rather roundabout way: while you cannot use ordinary assignments inside a lambda, nothing stops you from using a list comprehesion to do the job for you. Instead of writing:
variable = value
you can simply write:
[variable for variable in [value]]
The list comprehension converts a list with a single value to another list, containing the same value. But as a side effect, it assigns the value to the given variable.
But let’s go back to the lambda. The second list comprehension loops over the key/value pairs. For each pair, it calls the d.setdefault method, which adds the key/value pair to the dictionary d if the key is not already there. Which, assuming that all keys are unique (or that we don’t really care which value to use if they’re not), is good enough for this task. | http://www.effbot.org/zone/python-bits-and-pieces.htm | dclm-gs1-145650002 | false | false | {
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0.076039 | <urn:uuid:87894973-51aa-4efa-9c1c-dbf1c2775073> | en | 0.942186 | From: Andy Soos, ENN
Published June 12, 2013 12:54 PM
Shale and Where it Lies
Shale oil is a rapidly developing source of oil and natural gas. Where does it lie? Estimated shale oil and shale gas resources in the United States and in 137 shale formations in 41 other countries represent 10% of the world's crude oil and 32% of the world's natural gas technically recoverable resources, or those that can be produced using current technology without reference to economic profitability, according to a new report released today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). More than half of the identified shale oil resources outside the United States are concentrated in four countries--Russia, China, Argentina and Libya--while more than half of the non-U.S. shale gas resources are concentrated in five countries--China, Argentina, Algeria, Canada, and Mexico. The United States would be ranked second after Russia for shale oil resources and fourth after Algeria for shale gas resources if compared with the 41 countries assessed.
Oil shale, an organic-rich sedimentary rock, it does not have a definite geological definition nor a specific chemical formula, and its seams do not always have discrete boundaries. Oil shales vary considerably in their mineral content, chemical composition, age, type of kerogen, and depositional history and not all oil shales would necessarily be classified as shales in the strict sense.
Oil shale contains a lower percentage of organic matter than coal. In commercial grades of oil shale the ratio of organic matter to mineral matter lies approximately between 0.75:5 and 1.5:5. At the same time, the organic matter in oil shale has an atomic ratio of hydrogen to carbon (H/C) approximately 1.2 to 1.8 times lower than for crude oil and about 1.5 to 3 times higher than for coals. The organic components of oil shale derive from a variety of organisms, such as the remains of algae, spores, pollen, plant cuticles and corky fragments of herbaceous and woody plants, and cellular debris from other aquatic and land plants.
For further information see EIA Report.
Shale image via Wikipedia.
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0.150799 | <urn:uuid:dae9ab9e-f39f-469d-8b40-c6d61a12be11> | en | 0.950402 | #9204226, By Rusty_M Countdown to Unemployment thread
• Rusty_M 5 Dec 2012 11:14:26 4,144 posts
Seen 41 minutes ago
Registered 7 years ago
Basically, 0-hour contracts have their place, but when you're using it to support a mortgage/family, you're on thin ice as your hours can suddenly disappear.
The world is going mad. Me? I'm doing fine.
Log in or register to reply | http://www.eurogamer.net/forum/post/125786/9204226/ | dclm-gs1-145700002 | false | false | {
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0.082151 | <urn:uuid:182abf06-be5b-4acd-b647-5a4b051dc9c4> | en | 0.854576 | Short Movie Creator makes it simple to combine your movie footage, photos and even your Motion Snapshots into one short movie that’s easy to share.
Incredibly easy-to-use, you only need to select your files, choose a visual style and click ‘create movie’. The software preserves the quality of every photo or frame of footage you shoot, and you can use your own music files for the soundtrack.
Key features
Simple to use: automatically combines your movies, still images, Motion Snapshots and music into a single MOV movie file.
Supplied with Nikon 1 digital cameras.
Easy sharing: movies are saved into the commonly used MOV file format so you can easily share them, upload them to your favorite social media sites, play them back on a computer or TV, or save them to your camera’s SD card and view them in-camera.
Visual styles: create an ambience that matches the mood your footage. Choose from arange of transition and background styles.
Soundtracks: select from a range of music tracks or add your own music files. You can cut and mix tracks so you only hear the parts you want, and it’s easy to level the volume of your soundtrack so it blends with the original sound of your movie.
Titles and Credits: add professional-looking movie titles and credits. There are a range of animated text styles to choose from, and you can select different colored backgrounds or use a background image.
Motion Snapshot: string multiple Motion Snapshots together to create a unique movie experience. Short Movie Creator automatically merges your Motion Snapshots into one MOV movie file that’s easy to share.
Creative Control: advanced settings let you adjust the transition effects you use in your movies.
Fully integrated with ViewNX 2: still images, movies or Motion Snapshots that you’ve worked on in View NX2 can be imported directly into Short Movie Creator.
Technical Specifications | http://www.europe-nikon.com/en_GB/product/software/short-movie-creator | dclm-gs1-145710002 | false | false | {
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0.401157 | <urn:uuid:aeab0c16-f752-4bd2-aa0a-05578f6c2d3a> | en | 0.950355 | The Girl in the Dark is Carmel Myers, who has no idea why a gang of Chinese villains are chasing her. Carmel and her beau Ashton Dearholt undergo several thrilling adventures and deadly close calls before the object of the bad guys' obsession is revealed. It turns out that Carmel is in possession of a seal ring, which contains valuable clues to a hidden treasure. In fine old Hollywood tradition, the main Chinese are played by a Japanese (Frank Tokanaga) and an occidental (Frank Deschon). This was based on The Green Seal, a blood-and-thunder novel by Charles Edmund Walk. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Movie data provided by AMG | http://www.fandango.com/thegirlinthedark_v93093/plotsummary | dclm-gs1-145720002 | false | false | {
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0.048177 | <urn:uuid:9eaefcae-6d59-49e3-b497-ec883f595d24> | en | 0.959826 | Fast Company
Where and when is the next KIVA.ORG going to happen
I've asked the question everywhere, I'll ask it here. In order to answer, you need to understand what makes KIVA.ORG unique.
Kiva is funded by tax deductible donations and grants.
Loans do NOT pay interest, except in the feeling of helping others thrive through hard work.
There is no commission on payments via PayPal in either direction. When you load someone $25, you are charged $25 and $25 goes into the loan fund. If you take out the $25 at the end of the loan after repayment, you do not pay a commission.
You choose the people you wish to help and can follow their progress if you care to do so.
You can give people a KIVA gift certificate and chances are they will also catch the bug and become members.
The average Kiva lender has made 2.3 loans. I have 62 out currently in 24 countries. All of us Kiva Friends are thrilled to be able to do this.
Now, how can we replicate this model to do good in other areas like scholarship funding? | http://www.fastcompany.com/689856/where-and-when-next-kivaorg-going-happen | dclm-gs1-145730002 | false | false | {
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0.038495 | <urn:uuid:8c9d19e8-5c3e-4e93-af1d-42f447641499> | en | 0.980385 | Home News Breaking News
McCririck 'ageism' tribunal begins
Racing pundit John McCririck's employment tribunal over alleged age discrimination is to begin today.
The 73-year-old is taking former employer Channel 4 and TV production company IMG Media Limited to a tribunal, alleging his sacking last year was motivated by age discrimination.
The case, at the Central London Employment Tribunal, is expected to last up to seven days.
McCririck - known for his bling, sideburns and deerstalker - was dropped when the station unveiled a new presenting team headed by Clare Balding.
The pundit, who has appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, was given the go-ahead to take the case to a final hearing after a pre-hearing review in June.
Speaking ahead of the start of the tribunal, he told the Press Association: "It (age discrimination) is a scourge on so many people.
" The law is quite clear in the equality act, nobody can be dismissed because of their age. Unless somebody is better than you, you can't be dismissed because of your age.
"The anonymous suits and skirts who run organisations, and not just in the media, make their decisions unaccountable to anybody.
"Nobody can appeal against them and they just get rid of people like this. They want younger people to come in and that is against the law."
McCririck said the tribunal was a "daunting ordeal", but added: "This is a chance for all people wherever they are employed who fear that they are going to be sacked because of their age, it's a time for all of them to take heart if the verdict goes for me.
"I'm not in this for the money, all I want is my job back, it's all I have ever asked for.
"It should never have come to the tribunal but they never back down, the suits and skirts can't be seen to back down."
He said a "punitive exemplary financial penalty" would help end age discrimination, adding: "The only way to end age discrimination for hundreds of thousands of people across the country is to make it a whopping great penalty that no employer will ever again dare use age discrimination against people."
The tribunal at the Central London Employment Tribunal is due to start at 10am today.
More from the Formby Times
From around the web | http://www.formbytimes.co.uk/news/formby-breaking-news/2013/09/30/mccririck-ageism-tribunal-begins-66401-33900368/ | dclm-gs1-145790002 | false | false | {
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0.145217 | <urn:uuid:dc407d75-9095-413b-adf8-d33a2b2608b8> | en | 0.83948 | Pin It Samsung Galaxy S4 Mobile
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mobile
In the frame of a certainly curious keynote presentation, Samsung has taken the wraps off of the new S4. Samsung’s new S-liner is slimmer than the S3, but shares the same form-factor and almost the same size, whilst boasting a bigger 5-inch screen. The 5-inch Super AMOLED display is able to display 1920 x 1080 pixels, in short 441 ppi crispness. Further hard facts are 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, 2GB of RAM and 16, 32 or 64 GB storage, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, Wi-Fi and GPS, a 2600 mAh battery, a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The Samsung flagship further features a huge list of software including Knox security suite for enterprise-level security viá separated profiles, Dual Camera, allowing you to use both cameras a the same time, Air View, a content preview hover function, Smart Scroll, a scrolling system controlled by your face movements and wrist gestures and numerous more integrated stuff. | http://www.gentlemansgadgets.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-mobile/ | dclm-gs1-145840002 | false | false | {
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0.336633 | <urn:uuid:d8a109b9-4016-4fde-abd1-47b9bc67cc0b> | en | 0.982764 | Picross 3D and why it has ruined my life.
I'll start this blog off by saying that no matter what I say after this statement, I love this game. But it's not without it's faults. First of all, why are there so many puzzles? Every time I complete a level of puzzles another one appears. This may seem like a positive but I assure you that it is in fact not. It just means I have to play the game that much more when I should be doing other things. Secondly, why are the damn puzzles so fun? I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a puzzle game this much. Probably the original Picross for the DS. Again this certainly seems like a positive thing to say about the game but really the incredible fun this game offers only serves to make other puzzle games look that much worse by comparison. And that's hardly fair to them now is it? That is all. | http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/drbashir/blog/ | dclm-gs1-145850002 | false | false | {
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0.034787 | <urn:uuid:8ad577da-e9ac-43b8-9c38-9feefd886e6a> | en | 0.928203 | Reply to a comment
Reply to this comment
Rick_Smith writes:
in response to thebaglady:
Thank you Rick. If there are any other witnesses, it would be helpful to offer any information that you have.
TBL, that's basically all we know. I checked in on the goose Saturday and she seems to be doing OK so far.
I recorded a short video of her doing a tango with a blind duck. (The goose seemed a little cranky with the duck, but aren't they always cranky?)
You can see the video at:
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0.917626 | <urn:uuid:afeded6b-9999-482b-8900-a5b59a139325> | en | 0.962122 | Reply to a comment
Reply to this comment
Bigfootwrl writes:
in response to turboman14#215209:
I dont have to worry about it any more.
Nope you sure don't, but that nice steak that you are enjoying is bad for you. That alcoholic drink is bad for you. These things endanger your life and cause a burden on others and the animals you are eating. What's that? You are a vegetarian and don't drink? Then you're safe, at least till they find something you do that they don't like. Hint: sarcasm can be found in my post, but doesn't mean these things can't happen and that there are not people who would like to see these things happen. Oh that's right, it can't happen to me.
Sign up for email updates
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0.03439 | <urn:uuid:34655fad-7434-44c1-939b-aad03c2f6e82> | en | 0.948733 | Lpk Jobs Forum
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0.021747 | <urn:uuid:b4991634-2ad9-4fa1-a440-49b194f56b2e> | en | 0.871989 | Publicity Intern
Bookmark This
Interest in learning about book publishing is preferred, basic knowledge of Microsoft Office and various social media is preferred, strong work ethic, excellent written and verbal communication skills. Naturally, a strong love of books is mandatory.
How To Apply
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0.040575 | <urn:uuid:b9dac988-4688-48da-9017-d9e23ee6f196> | en | 0.89489 | IRS Logo
Explanations for the Top Ten Tips to Prepare for an Efficient Audit - Be Prepared to Explain Internal Administrative Processes
A major part of all audits is an evaluation of internal controls. Internal controls are the actual checks and balances in place to ensure that all of the procedures are being properly applied.
Example - The proper determination of compensation is an integral part of plan administration in determining the allocation of contributions on a compensation to total compensation ratio in a defined contribution profit-sharing plan. Some questions that should be asked are:
• How is compensation determined internally and by whom?
• Are those involved with the employer’s payroll administration knowledgeable about the plan’s definition of compensation?
• How do those involved with the employer’s payroll provide compensation data to those who administer the plan?
• Who coordinates and checks that the requested compensation data is accurate and in accordance with the plan's definition of compensation?
The coordination and review of compensation is needed by the individuals to ensure the correct compensation, per the written plan document, is applied in operation. This is just one example of the need for and being able to explain the internal controls and procedures.
Page Last Reviewed or Updated: 17-May-2013 | http://www.irs.gov/Retirement-Plans/Explanations-for-the-Top-Ten-Tips-to-Prepare-for-an-Efficient-Audit---Be-Prepared-to-Explain-Internal-Administrative-Processes | dclm-gs1-146130002 | false | false | {
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0.022471 | <urn:uuid:eccb239b-49b5-425f-837c-1d9daf7c2ccb> | en | 0.95792 | Preparing for the Big Day
Preparing for the Big Day
By Jobie Weetaluktuk
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Tomorrow the filming of Journals of Knud Rasmussen (JKR) begins. The pre-production preparations have been in the works for months. There are over 60 cast and crew for this production and many crafts persons on commission. This is a big deal for Igloolik. It's a big deal in Nunavut. It's a big deal for Canadian film making.
Zacharius Kunuk, the co-director of JKR is eager to get started, but Sunday afternoon he's gone rabbit hunting at Avajaa. There is always time to chill and get away from the predominant presence of JKR. "Once we get started, we just keep on going" says Kunuk, saying he is eager to get started and not anxious. For standing on the cusp of his biggest project to date, he is the picture of serenity. Taking his Yamaha VK skidoo to go rabbit chasing.
There are two sets of igloo complexes ready and waiting. One is buckling seriously under it's own weight. The consistency of snow being the main problem. The buckling has become a concern for the production team. The Aua's igloo palace was constructed in three days. It comprises seven domes clustered together with a common entrance and gathering place. It was a marvel of snow architecture when it was completed.
Captain Comer's ship is ready for shooting. Felix Lejeunnesse has been acquiring the props for this location for months now. Antique shops, film prop warehouses, and Ebay have been his hunting places for props circa 1920.
Rehearsals have been going on since March. Individuals learning their lines. Groups learning collective songs. Actors are bonding in family style relations. The main person to facilitate the rehearsals is Lucy Tulugarjuk. Tulugarjuk is best known as Puja, the devious second wife of Atanarjuat in Isuma's last film. She has been making sure the actors' needs are met, that the actors remain focused, in addition to many other jobs that come to her weekly.
The costumes department has been busy all winter. They have to make a costume for all the Igloolik/Naujaat actors and extras. Authentic period costumes. Qulitaqs, atigiis, qalliit, pualuit and so much more. The main challenge was to get all the skins they needed. Somehow, with many costumes doing double duty, they will have everyone dressed. The day of the fittings for the actors was one of the highlights for humour. Michelline Ammaq is the Director of Costumes, as well as an extra playing Taqunnaq. Her husband Palluq is played by Samson Qangnguq, a small dark man. When he was fitted with his parka, he was delighted. "It's so me" he exclaimed about the parka and the room erupted into laughter.
A camp is being constructed on north -western Baffin Island. The location is called Siorakjuk. It is as wild as any location in the arctic can get, 42 kilometres from Igloolik The cast and production crew will get there by dog-team and snowmobile. With every piece of nail and lumber coming through Igloolik, it's a major project. The entire camp will be powered by gas generators. Two executive shacks, six tents, a mess hall, and office. Water source remains the main challenge for the camp. There is no water in the liquid state for many kilometers. Glacial ice is the main source.
Then there will be the challenge of feeding the hungry lot. Jacques the cook, has been preparing the meals for two weeks now. He has ten coolers full of about 100 portions. Then he has some more pre-cooked vacuum bags in the freezer. About 800 meals in all and he has another month of cooking.
Louis Uttak is the Art Director. He is an unilingual Inuk in his 60's. Kunuk gushes that Uttak is "like a professor." His knowledge and judgment are highly regarded. He has seen much of the Igloolik implements, tools, weapons, and artifacts that are now being made into props. They are authentic replicas made by knowledgeable and skilled craftsmen. Men and woman who learned at their father's and mother's side.
Then there is Paulusie Qulitalik. An elder of in Igloolik and a co-founder of Igloolik Isuma Production Inc. The defender and promoter of all things Inuit in a humorous and gruff manner. Sometimes all in one action. He scrutinizes all things linguistic and cultural.
The production of the film has a helmsman in the person of Norman Cohn. Cinematographer of Atanarjuat, as well as co-founder of Igloolik Isuma Productions and Kunuk Cohn Productions. He is the businessman in the company: making things happen is his business. He has co-producers, sponsors, funders, and their individual and company concerns to deal with.
There are four Greenland Inuit, the Danish cast and representatives of the Danish co-producer Barok Films. They all have their needs and professional requirements. In the midst of all this is organism is the Arctic Films Ltd, Unit Management. Owned and operated by Francis Choquette, deals with everything from pillows to camp construction.
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Mas información de opciones de formateo | http://www.isuma.tv/es/nasitti-scanning-landscape/prepartion-big-day | dclm-gs1-146140002 | false | false | {
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0.031258 | <urn:uuid:4d8ad135-152d-44b9-9013-0171ef94e3db> | en | 0.951872 | Proper Christmas Tree Disposal - KCOY Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo - News
Proper Christmas Tree Disposal
Posted: Updated:
CENTRAL COAST - Now that Christmas is over, cities across the Central Coast are encouraging you to properly dispose of your Christmas tree.
So instead of throwing it out with your Holiday leftovers, why not consider recycling your greens?
Tom Martin of San Luis Garbage says not only is it good for the planet, it's law: "Number one, it's important because of AB 939, the State Law. In addition to that, it also keeps the tree out of the landfill."
Russ Hicks from Santa Barbara County Waste Management in Santa Maria agrees: "There's no reason to just take the trees and throw them in a landfill. The trees are able to be ground up and used as mulch." He continues, "They're able to be re-used, and basically live again."
At the Cold Canyon Landfill in San Luis Obispo, we see the process in action. Trees are ground, put in a wind row, rotated, and watered. Eventually, the piles become mulch so pricey, it's known as "black gold."
Martin explains, "After about ten weeks at this time of year, it'll turn into what we call black gold, which is compost."
Right here on the Central Coast, the "black gold" compost goes back to good use in the local fields, even in vineyards. Some call this "completing the cycle."
For those with an artificial tree, the debate continues as to whether it's best to keep a fake tree for years at a time, as opposed to buying a new, live tree every year. Tom Martin of San Luis Garbage adds, "It's really tough. If you have a fake tree, and it gets broken, and you throw it away, there's nothing really that we can do with it. It gets thrown in the trash, and it gets buried in the ground, and it's there for 100 years years before anything really happens to it."
For those interested in taking the environmental effort one step further, Martin suggests: "An even better idea is a live tree that you have in a pot, and you can bring it in-and-out of the house once a year."
If you do choose to recycle your tree this year, make sure the tree is stripped of all its decorations. No flocking is allowed, as it pollutes the process of turning the greens to mulch.
Each city has its own regulations and times, click here for Santa Barbara County, and click here for San Luis Obispo County.
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0.029818 | <urn:uuid:fb5b60b7-99fa-4bec-a7a5-cd100aa02aeb> | en | 0.942168 | Reply to a comment
Reply to this comment
TNRiverCaptain writes:
in response to pctngrad:
Useless law and tremendous waste of time. I have to really stretch my imagination to come up with a scenario where anyone really needs a gun at work ( except at a shooting range? ) and those scenarios tend to flow more like a comic book where some gun owner sees him(her)self as like a Rambo saving the day by making his way to the car, pulling out the weapon and fending off the terrorist(s) or deranged maniac. Is there not more important work for our state legislators? And I don't mean social issues...I mean real governing issues.
How about Police Officer, Armoured Truck Driver, Gun Shop worker, Bail Bondsman...
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0.120854 | <urn:uuid:09a07453-5286-4f1e-b8dc-b7fc32693e77> | en | 0.946637 | Background Checks for Businesses - KULR-8 Television, Billings, MT
Background Checks for Businesses
Posted: Updated:
The recent arrest of the alleged Billings rapist, who is a registered sex offender, is leading to questions about companies and background checks.
Background checks are not full proof and are not mandatory. Background checks can be anything from matching the resume with social media to a thorough criminal check.
Toby Griego worked at Mattress Land for seven months and then was arrested Monday for two sexual assaults of Billings women.
Although a Google search of Toby Eugene Griego shows that he is a registered sex offender, employment specialists say using Google for background checks is inconsistent.
"The most important thing is for an employer to have a consistent process and to make sure that they're pulling background checks and checking references that are consistent with the position they're hiring for," said Maria Sewell, Billings Job Services employment specialist.
Mattress Land president Craig Barthel tells us in the twelve years he has run the business, he does not know of an employee committing a crime. He says no one knew Griego was a registered sex offender in New Mexico. Barthel could not comment on the exact process his company goes through for background checks because of pending investigation
Employment specialists say businesses must follow the same specific process of checking and things can be missed.
"Often times, employers will pull background checks on somebody statewide so if they are not pulling a full nationwide background check they may not necessarily know that that person has been convicted in another state of a crime," Sewell said.
Background checks don't always mean criminal checks either.
"Basically character references," Sewell explained. "It's basically a way for an employer to know that they're hiring the right person for the right job."
Mattress Land's Barthel says his heart goes out for the victims and he commends law enforcement for the great job they did in arresting Griego.
Employment specialists say companies conduct checks based on the kinds of jobs people apply for. Employers pay for the background checks. | http://www.kulr8.com/story/23276039/background-checks-for-businesses | dclm-gs1-146270002 | false | false | {
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0.059129 | <urn:uuid:21424abf-7368-4331-a542-8315fa60f52f> | en | 0.961359 | (CNN) -
Foot-and-mouth disease is an extremely communicable viral disease affecting mainly cattle and pigs, but can affect sheep, deer and other cloven-hoofed animals. It is normally harmless to humans and not considered a public health risk, but the virus can be spread to animals by humans on clothing and shoes. Foot and mouth disease is different from hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is only seen in humans.
About: It is a member of the genus Aphthovirus in the family Picornaviridae,. There are seven serotypes of foot-and-mouth disease and over 60 subtypes.
The disease is not generally fatal but the resulting debilitation can lead to severe losses in milk and meat production. The average mortality rate is less than 1% but can be as high as 40%.
Symptoms include fever and blisters or lesions on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, between the hooves and on the teats and decreased milk production, lameness, and reluctance to move.
The incubation period is 3 to 5 days from contact to showing signs in an infected animal.
Transmission is mainly from one infected animal to another both directly and indirectly.
The virus can also be passed from human to animal via the human respiratory system where the virus can live for 24 to 48 hours.
Human clothing and footwear that has come in contact with infected animals as well as the vehicles used to transport them, holding pens, meat, meat by-products and semen of infected animals can cause contamination, as well as a water source common to sick and healthy animals.
There is NO universal vaccination for the more than 60 different strains of the virus.
North America, Central America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Chile have programs that have effectively eliminated the virus.
Africa, South America, Asia and Europe have all had some form of the virus.
Terror Threat of Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Because it spreads so fast and does great damage to the agricultural economy, foot-and-mouth disease is considered a potential terror threat.
Security officials have said the pathogens that cause foot-and-mouth disease would be easy for terrorists to obtain and spread through U.S. food distributors.
As of January 1, 2013 - There are approximately 89.3 million cattle in the U.S.
As of February 2013 - There are 67.5 million hogs and pigs and 5.34 million sheep and lambs.
2003 - Classified a national security issue by the Dept of Homeland Security.
The disease is one of the subjects studied at Plum Island, New York, a government research facility once under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, now under Homeland Security. Plum Island is 100 miles northeast of New York on Long Island Sound.
Outbreaks: The U.S. has not had an outbreak of foot-and-mouth since 1929.
There were outbreaks in the U.S. in 1870, 1880, 1884, 1902, 1908, 1914 and 1924.
2001 - The United Kingdom has a severe outbreak: -Four million animals in the U.K. are destroyed in order to eradicate the disease. (Some sources say six million animals were destroyed.)
-The crisis costs Britain $12 billion, including $4.5 billion the British government pays to farmers affected by the outbreak.
August 3, 2007 - The British Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announces that the foot and mouth disease virus was found in 38 samples from cattle on a farm, near Guildford in Surrey, England. -All 38 infected animals were culled, as well as animals on an adjacent farm. One of the additional cows tested positive for the illness, according to DEFRA.
-Merial Animal Health, a pharmaceutical company that manufactures animal vaccines for the authorities in the U.K. and abroad, suspends production at its Pirbright laboratory near the farm where the virus was detected. The strain of the highly infectious virus responsible for the foot-and-mouth outbreak is the same as one produced at the Pirbright facility.
August 6, 2007 - The European Union Commission announces a ban on all live animals, fresh meat and milk products from Great Britain -- except Northern Ireland.
November 2010 - After a severe outbreak in South Korea, authorities impose quarantines, initiate a vaccination campaign, and cull 2.2 million livestock. The overall estimated cost is around $1.6 billion. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) | http://www.localnews8.com/lifestyle/health/Foot-and-Mouth-Disease-Fast-Facts/-/461628/21747094/-/ubha4m/-/index.html | dclm-gs1-146310002 | false | true | {
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0.022693 | <urn:uuid:2385fce9-a887-4c2f-91b4-e1deda50d740> | en | 0.921037 | Low Carb Friends
- Celiac / Gluten-Free (http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/celiac-gluten-free/)
- - GF shopping for cooking/baking staples (http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/celiac-gluten-free/776731-gf-shopping-cooking-baking-staples.html)
linstar45 06-29-2012 03:44 PM
GF shopping for cooking/baking staples
Hi! I've recently started a low carb lifestyle and, after realizing how much better I felt without breads, pastas, etc. and feeling nauseous, having headaches, and sinus symptoms after consuming those things when I wasn't being so good, I've decided to go to the Dr to get tested for gluten allergies/sensitivities... So, I'm looking into certain things to buy at Trader Joe's (what I can) and ordering whatever else I might need from Netrition... I'm noticing a lot of coconut flour, almond flour, xanthan gum in recipes that intrigue me, but I'm wondering what else I should look into buying to get off to a good start.
My question: For LC/GF cooking and baking, what do you order the most and always try to keep on hand in the way of "specialty" swaps, etc? (I think I'm good with the stuff I can get at the standard grocery store.)
Thanks for your help! This is all new to me, but this site has been nothing short of AWESOME! Thank you all for being so inspirational! :0)
MauraV 06-30-2012 12:26 AM
I use a lot of coconut flour and usually keep a supply of gluten-free all-purpose flour around. I just don't eat a lot of baked goods anymore in general, though.
Gretchen Grainfree 10-31-2012 09:09 AM
My staples are almond flour, coconut flour, coconut oil (refined and virgin both), butter, cream cheese, eggs, nuts and nut butters (especially almond and cashew butter), Swerve sweetener is good, liquid Stevia also. I go through more almond flour and virgin coconut oil than anything else "specialty" though.
Good luck and welcome to a much healthier way of eating :)
LowCarbRachel 10-31-2012 01:11 PM
I agree with Gretchen's list. Coconut flour, almond flour, Swerve, nut butters, cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, eggs, coconut oil.
I would advise staying away from rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, etc. Those items are all gluten free but also very high in carbs. Many gluten free baking mixes are centered around those ingredients.
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0.123905 | <urn:uuid:54b03553-ce0a-4d70-8756-d78d96f2bd66> | en | 0.938674 | Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics
Critic score distribution:
1. Positive: 12 out of 15
2. Negative: 0 out of 15
1. All the added features of the nicely-priced expansion pack provide an absolutely enjoyable and unique city-building gaming experience that will keep you entertained each and every visit you make to the sunny beaches that make up the sultry and sometimes dangerous paradise of Tropico.
2. This expansion improves on all aspects of the game from basic mechanics to the soundtrack.
3. Kudos to the development team for speeding up the build times, including a plethora of new structures and edicts, and adding even more great tracks to the excellent soundtrack.
4. 85
It really does fix most of the main annoyances even if some issues are still prevalent. The new additions and the new fantastic music all are worth the time to experience.
5. Tropico was a great game, and Paradise Island does exactly what you want from an expansion--it makes it even better.
6. 81
If you enjoyed the lethargic pace of Tropico, you will likely find Paradise Island a decent enough expansion, but if you couldn't bear the seemingly endless waits for each building to be constructed, this add-on doesn't provide enough to make it worth a second try.
7. This expansion pack has nothing drastically new to offer, but instead, it makes up for all the flaws of the original and expands it, giving it new qualities and an increased replay value.
8. Tropico has a great Caribbean soundtrack, and the visuals are colorful and for the most part well animated, even if they look a little blocky sometimes too.
9. 80
Buildings are built noticeably faster now. Especially huge projects like the airport. Now there is a random damage element courtesy of the elements themselves, occasional storms will pass through and they can put a final nail in your faltering economy, or at least slow down a burgeoning one (this feature is optional).
10. 80
If you enjoyed the tourism aspect of the original game then this add-on is a definite must for you.
11. The add-ons are too few to be really interesting, and I found they don't really tip the scales one way or other when it comes to increasing this game's appeal. [Apr 2002, p.85]
12. It's about as straightforward as an expansion pack gets. There's just more of everything, and one or two minor interface tweaks.
13. Whilst the new challenges offered in the expansion will amuse and frustrate those megalomaniacs amongst us for some considerable time, there is nothing spectacularly new about Paradise Island.
14. Barely a step above a patch. An expansion pack like this makes you ask, "Is that all?" [May 2002, p.91]
User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings
User score distribution:
1. Positive: 2 out of 2
2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
3. Negative: 0 out of 2
1. Jun 21, 2011
The absolute best city-building game I've ever played, without exaggeration. From overarching policy shifts such as encouraging the populace to eat better, to micromanagement specific enough to assassinate individual citizens, this game truly has everything I could want in a sim. Full Review »
2. NicholasL.
Mar 21, 2002
Very Very Good expansion back to a very very good game. | http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/tropico-paradise-island/critic-reviews?dist=neutral | dclm-gs1-146360002 | false | false | {
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0.049159 | <urn:uuid:20e5fb8f-2ebb-4524-93b9-70a95764161e> | en | 0.975544 | Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary Composer Biographies
Georges Bizet
Born: October 25, 1838 in Paris, France
Died: June 3, 1875 in Bougival, France
Nationality: French
Era: Romantic
Main genre: Orchestral
Main works:
Les Pecheurs de perles
Don Procopio
La Jolie fille de Perth
Orchestral Music:
Symphony in C
Petite Suite
L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1
L'Arlesienne Suite No. 2
Piano duet:
Jeux d'enfants
Chants du Rhin
Brief biography:
Born to musical parents, Bizet was considered a prodigy and entered the Paris Conservatory of Music at the age of nine. He played the piano and was taught by the virtuoso, Antoine-Francois Marmontel.When Bizet was about 17 he wrote the Symphony in C, which was considered the work of a genius.
His time at the conservatory ended when he won the Prix de Rome in 1857 and went to Italy where he continued his work and later developed a chronic throat infection. Bizet had a son with his parents' maid in 1862. In 1869 he married Genevieve Halevy. Their marriage was an unhappy one. They had a son who later committed suicide. In 1872 Bizet wrote Djamileh. It was met with little success, but with this work Bizet felt he had found his true calling. He began work on what would become his most famous opera, Carmen.
Carmen premiered in 1875, but was not received well by critics, who called the work obscene. Bizet became depressed and his health deteriorated rapidly. He died three weeks later of two heart attacks in Bougival on June 3, 1875. At his funeral, a moving performance of Carmen was performed. Carmen, once rejected by critics, is now praised by them worldwide. Carmen is one of the most produced operas in the world.
Composer Nationality Listing | Appendix Index | | http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/appendix/Composers/B/GeorgesBizet.html | dclm-gs1-146410002 | false | false | {
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0.053176 | <urn:uuid:3dc07738-1141-49a9-8c83-77295a80464e> | en | 0.961139 | 90 feared dead in NATO air-strike in Kunduz northern Afghanistan
by Albert Milliron | September 3, 2009 at 10:27 pm
826 views | 71 Recommendations | 19 comments
Afghanistan: Bundeswehr forderte Luftangriff an Dutzende Taliban getötet
see larger video
sourced by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
Afghanistan: Bundeswehr forderte Luftangriff an Dutzende Taliban getötet
Afghanistan | Photo 13
Afghanistan | Photo 13
see larger image
uploaded by Albert Milliron
Several News services are reporting a tragic event in Kunduz which is in Northern Afghanistan. A NATO air strike was targeting Taliban insurgents who stole two fuel tankers. Early estimates related severely burned casualties and about forty fatalities. The Pakistan News is now reporting ninety fatalities and scores of burn victims. Iran's Press TV is calling all of the casualties 'Civilian'.
KUNDUZ, Afghanistan — An airstrike carried out by the NATO force in Afghanistan targeted a fuel tanker hijacked by Taliban insurgents causing dozens of casualties on Friday, officials and witnesses said.
"Last night, the Taliban tried to take a fuel tanker that they hijacked on the highway to Angorbagh village," said Baryalai Basharyar Parwani, police chief of the Ali Abad district in northern Kunduz province.
"The fuel tanker got stuck in the river. There were local civilians with them as well. The Taliban were bombed. More than 60 people have been killed and injured," he said.
A spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under NATO told AFP: "It was an ISAF airstrike."
Wounded people with horrific burns crowded a hospital in Kunduz, the capital in the northern province which lies on a main supply line for the more than 100,000 foreign troops based in Afghanistan, said an AFP reporter.
Early reports from Sky News reported 40 Dead. As news breaks the casulty rates usually rise
At least 40 people were dead following the blast, which Afghan officials said was caused by a strike on the tankers in Kunduz province.
Police chief Gulam Mohyuddin said the Taliban hijacked two trucks that had been delivering fuel to international forces.
A spokesman for the Nato-led mission said they carried out an airstrike in Kunduz and that the "target in the air raid was insurgents".
However, he added he was unable to comment on reports of the blast.
NATO carried out strike where Afghan blast reported
Asked about reports the blast may have been caused by NATO forces firing on fuel tankers, Captain Jon Stock, press officer for U.S. and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan, said: "I can confirm that there was an air strike last night or early this morning."
He confirmed that the strike took place in Kunduz province where the blast was reported, but gave no further details.
flagged this story as Breaking
at 02:38 on September 4th, 2009
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NATO killed villagers along with the insurgents.I simply cannot understand how this strategy will ever bring peace to this land?
This will breed hatred and animosity, and Taliban dont have to do anything but portray west as enemy and whole lot of taliban will be ready to sacrifice there life.
The total number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 is estimated at 31,000.
Albert Milliron
I agree that the Taliban uses civilians as cover in the event of attacks. They know that Civilians will be involved and put a negative skew on any military action. my friend in Syria had a Triple A Machine gun in his back yard for years. If any force took out that triple A machine Gun designed to kill and shoot down aircraft the local news would focus on the dead civilians around where the AAA Gun was taken out. Now, the question, who is responsible for the deaths/ Is it the gunner in the plane who is shooting to protect his aircraft or is it the military who uses civilians as a propaganda scheme?
While we all want peace, a military that uses its own people in combat areas is immoral. At the same time, one wonders if Americans should continue to be there at all.
Does anyone seriously think that if America pulled all of its troops out of afghan tomorrow that the killing will stop and civilians won't die? if one answers yes, they need to look at the long history of tribal warfare in the region.
I am attending a funeral on saturday of a soldier killed in Afghan... I am tired of the death as well and would like to figure out a peace solution.
Any logic cannot justify killing, irrespective of by whom for whom. You are going to attend funeral of soldier, but what about those found in mass grave in western Pakistan.
Russia was there in last decade, and tried to control the tribes, but result known to all. The factors behind the clash is long debated topic.
The issue is why so much interest in Afghanistan? Is it so much geoplitically important that countries prefer to waste there soldiers there in deserts. It is not simple philanthropy or peace motive, that is killing thousands, WHAT IS THAT?
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
This flies in the face of General McChristal's and Obamas strategy in Afghanistan, restricting use of air power to save civilian lifes. This incident also shows that the Taliban are gaining the upper hand. Recent attacks in Kabul and now the stolen tankers in Kunduz show that the Taliban are extending their operations outside of Southern Afghanistan (Khandahar and Hellmand Province).
The incident is the biggest accusation of civilian deaths since General Stanley McChrystal took charge of Nato-led forces vowing he was more interested in protecting Afghans than hunting the Taliban.
New tactical advice has cut the number of air strikes blamed for turning Afghans against international forces because of accidental civilian casualties.
A spokesman for the Nato forces said two tankers were stolen at 10pm on Thursday evening by a band of insurgents including Chechen fighters.
They were later spotted on the banks of the Kunduz river, near the Tajikistan border, and blown up “after assessments that only
insurgents were present”.
To properly frame this comment, I wrote an article yesterday where I made clear my view that wars are supposed to be ugly, and that we shouldn't be involved with them with unless we have a declaration of war by Congress. And here's what happens...
We are discussing how horrible it is that civilians died in a military air strike. Okay it was a NATO strike, but Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal assumed command of U.S. and other Western forces in Afghanistan in mid-June, so regardless of who did it, we're involved directly. However, I propose that this should be a non-issue IF this was a war declared by Congress for several reasons.
First and foremost our role in Afghanistan would be over. We would have toppled the Taliban and left the mess of cleaning up the aftermath of war to the UN. If they refused to do it, then we could just shrug our shoulders and eject them from New York and the funds we bring to the table, and just ignore the place. After a war is won, if it is done right, the conquered nation isn't likely to invoke a round two and bring further calamity upon themselves.
The next reason is that with a formal declaration of war, we are at war with a nation. And although you don't target civilians, it's not your problem if civilians are in the vicinity of military targets. If the Taliban uses human shields, then I'm sorry but that isn't our problem. Eventually people would not want to be near them, or they would just suffer the consequences.
I can't help but notice that every article on this is blaming NATO and General McChrystal, no word about Obama or any reasonable degree of scrutiny. The press is too busy protecting Obama, and not busy enough just doing what reporters are supposed to do... report the news and ask tough questions.
Amy Judd
Very sad news.
Its the setup of the Taliban indeed! Nato drops bombs in their funeral or in their wedding because of the setup. They force the the Afghans to get married at day time and ask them to invite as much guest as possible, so that Nato can fire missiles at their wedding and can kill maximum number of civilians.
They also invite mass Afghans so that they can join the funerals of these killed civilians and carry the flag where they ask the US soldiers to fire some missiles at them.
They also carry membership cards in their pocket (that u can detect from the sky) where it is written that they are Talibans and not civilians. These cards are issued for women, children and elderly peoples as well.
Yes, Israeli military also use the same arguments. Kill the civilians and blame the insurgents thats a funny game alright.
Drop phosphorus bomb, shot the unarmed innocent children, women and blame that there were insurgents nearby who were planning attack!
And more: http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/israel/occupied-palestinian-territories/page.do?id=1011175
Because ... "which is kind of an odd time to be having a wedding", they must be terrorists and killing them is justified ... ?! So wedding has to be in American time, otherwise its not a valid wedding, eh?
Without having accurate information how can u act and drop missiles in a wedding?!
I think Taliban are just cruel criminals I think there should be there harsh retaliation against any taliban action without any mercy. The only kind of person taliban respect if it just as ruthless as they are. I'm from that area i know that people want support them they are just scared what will happen if americans will leave tomorrow. You can't be no confident with the taliban. They have to know that there is punishment. If americans pullout anyway why not to try to ease rules of engagement. Protect local civilians, close radical mosques, increase more air surveliance. It's ok for taliban kill hundreds of civilians in pakistan and everywhere else. Nobody talks and makes demonstrations about that. But than someone dies from americans all media all people in afghanistan are mad.
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
The new commander of NATO and U.S. forces in the country, General Stanley McChrystal, has made curbing such casualties a main focus of his strategy. The incident also demonstrates the mounting insecurity in the north of the country, an area that had been seen as safe but where Taliban attacks have become increasingly frequent. Mohammad Sarwar, a tribal elder in the province, said Taliban fighters had hijacked the tankers and were offering fuel to a crowd of villagers when the tankers were bombed. "'
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
According to CBC Newsworld morning news there are conflicting stories on this. NATO is not talking or at least giving information. While most locals say this is the result of an airstrike, the Governor apparently says it was the result of RPGs. If it is RPGs, of course, it would be a Taliban attack. More to follow.
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
According to the German video the airstrike was ordered by the German Army
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
Good points politisite. There is no reasonable solution to get us out that will stop the killing. The question is can you eliminate the Pashtun/Taliban. The answer to that is a resounding NO. I also doubt that NATO forces can win the "Hearts and Minds" given the history of the region.
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
That's winning the Hearts and Minds. Unfortunately the Taliban set up those situations. This also reflects the problem of being able to occupy villages and assure security to the local populace. The Taliban are part of the local populace.
Albert Milliron
I should remind you that America teamed with Afghanistan to get the Soviets out of the region. Our problem was we were more interested in bringing down the soviets we forgot about the Afghans following the conflict. Many folks are not aware that The CIA provided weapons including stingers to win that battle.
Why are we there now... not to sure anymore. We were there because of 911 and OBL. The folks in the pentagon need to work on an end game.
I am a Gulf War Vet... I don't have to be instructed on mass graves.
Albert Milliron
I added a quote from a NATO Commander in the story. Unless they are back tracking, they stated that the tankers were stolen, a strike was called in, The civilians were there to steal the petrol and were hit. If you look at the scene, it was not a community.
Like you stated, air strikes kill large amounts of people. I am not so sure Afghanastan is a place to make a stand for democracy.
lorac, here's what happened...
It was 2:45am to be exact. But I realize that all too many Americans blame us and believe terrorists first. Typically the same folks who now wont connect the word "Obama" with the failures in Afghanistan.
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
Thanks for your comments akmal.
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0.027215 | <urn:uuid:136ce421-5ccd-4b40-be31-0337ef7ac630> | en | 0.978448 | Crazy things fundamentalists say about shooting in Connecticut
by JerryM | December 14, 2012 at 11:46 pm
131 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments
As I was listening to talk radio today and a number of callers stated that a reason for this horrific shooting in a grade school in Connecticut this Friday, was the removal of religion/prayer/God from schools. Simply, it was not. First of all children can pray all they want, the only change since 1962 has been that the government itself was prohibited from organizing bible readings and prayers.
Which of course it shouldn't, because religion isn't something that the government should take a position on. After all, how many Christians would want the government/schools instructing children on my views on religion/Christianity? I being an atheist/humanist by the way. They would be strictly opposed to that, as would I.
Well, a Bryan Fischer, a rabid anti-gay bigot, is blaming the shooting on people like me, who support a strict neutrality approach to religion when it comes to the government. He said on his radio talk show, supposedly speaking for the god he believes in, "I will be glad to protect your children but you got to invite me back in."
So in other words this god would have stopped the killing of 27 people, including 18 small children but we aren't praying enough for him. Maybe we should sacrifice some gay men for this god, that would probably be something Fischer could support.
Fischer on his show doesn't even understand the concept of the First Amendment's, Free Exercise Clause. It is not to have organized prayers and bible readings but allow citizens, including students, to pray or practice a religion if they so choose. Since this nincompoop is at least 20 years older than me, he is a classic example how age doesn't necessary equal wisdom.
By the way, Fischer also believes if we don't use as much oil, coal and natural gas as possible, we are hurting this god's feelings. Because as Fischer states, these fossile fuels are like a birthday present from this god. No, I am not making this up. This is what he really said. It's kind of intriguing that he compares this god to an unemotionally unstable person. The sad and pathetic thing is, millions of people take this guy seriously.
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0.020997 | <urn:uuid:db83dfdf-3b51-4f33-8466-a2ee19b75636> | en | 0.958302 | Business Day
Ivester Is Named to Top Posts at Coca-Cola
Published: October 24, 1997
As expected, the board of the Coca-Cola Company elected M. Douglas Ivester chairman and chief executive yesterday, replacing Roberto C. Goizueta, who died on Saturday at the age of 65.
But the 13-member board did not select a president to replace the 50-year-old Mr. Ivester, setting up what beverage executives and analysts believe to be a three-way race for the job.
''Doug wants to spend some time getting familiar with the new job before he chooses a new president,'' said James B. Williams, chairman of Suntrust Banks Inc. and chairman of the Coca-Cola board's finance committee. ''There is no requirement for a new president right now.''
Mr. Ivester (pronounced EYE-vuh-stur), the 10th chairman of the board in the company's history, is expected to focus more attention on developing the enormous global network built up by Mr. Goizueta during his 16-year reign.
''His challenge is to grow worldwide volume 7 to 8 percent,'' Andrew J. Conway, a securities analyst for Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, Discover & Company, adding, ''He'll also need to develop marketing programs that connect with global consumers worldwide, and insure that the Coca-Cola icon becomes more valuable in the eyes of consumers.''
''We could be sitting here years from now and still wondering about the succession,'' Roy D. Burry, a securities analyst for Oppenheimer & Company, said. ''Roberto Goizueta needed to have an operating person under him, but Doug Ivester does not. So why fill the post?''
But Andrew J. Conway, a beverage analyst for Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, Discover, said, ''History and tradition at Coca-Cola have dictated that there is a president to complement the chief executive.''
Mr. Williams noted that the Coca-Cola presidency was unfilled from April 1993 until July 1994, when Mr. Ivester was named to the post. ''There is no urgency to choose,'' he said.
''But there is an argument for having a No. 2,'' Emanuel Goldman, a securities analyst with Paine Webber, said. ''As Mr. Goizueta has shown, life has twists and turns that cannot be forecasted, and the issue of succession will have to be addressed sooner or later.''
In the speculation over presidential succession, ''all the group presidents are possible contenders,'' said Mr. Conway of Coca-Cola's six worldwide regional operating officers, who report to Mr. Ivester.
Beverage executives and analysts say the leading candidate is E. Neville Isdell, the Northern Ireland-born, 55-year-old president of Coke's Greater Europe Group.
Mr. Isdell has the international experience lacked by another strong contender for the job, Jack L. Stahl, the 45-year-old president of the company's North America Group.
Another possibility for future advancement is Douglas N. Daft, who heads the Middle and Far East Group and is, like Mr. Isdell, 55 years old, five years older than Mr. Ivester.
Mr. Isdell, a red-haired 6-footer, is a 29-year Coca-Cola veteran who joined the company in 1968 as a manager in Zambia. A witty conversationalist, Mr. Isdell is known for his retentive memory. ''And you do not want to have him at a dinner party if you have any doubt about keeping up your end of the conversation,'' said a beverage executive who knows him well.
As for Mr. Stahl, he is a Boston-born financial expert who went from the Wharton School Of Business to Arthur Andersen & Company, and began his Coca-Cola career in 1979. He became controller in 1988 and was named chief financial officer the following year. He is viewed as a candidate for more top-management seasoning.
Mr. Daft was born in Sydney, Australia, and during his 28-year career at Coca-Cola has managed operations in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand.
As for the presidency, Mr. Ivester ''probably in his own mind knows who he wants already,'' said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, an industry newsletter in Bedford Hills, N.Y.
One succession scenario, Mr. Goldman said, is that ''they name Isdell or Daft, or both, to the presidency.'' ''Then they retire before Doug Ivester does,'' he added. ''And so, Jack Stahl is elevated to president and becomes the new chairman.''
Coca-Cola's shares closed at $57.6875, down $1.625, on the New York Stock Exchange during a day when the market was down 186 points. | http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/24/business/ivester-is-named-to-top-posts-at-coca-cola.html?src=pm | dclm-gs1-146550002 | false | false | {
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0.043214 | <urn:uuid:edeafc3f-ab4e-41e2-b5f1-8bfdb3265b4f> | en | 0.88687 | Message Him
Find better matches with our advanced matching system
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27 / M / Straight / Single
Hamlin, New York
His Details
Last Online
Nov 7
5′ 11″ (1.80m).
Body Type
Used up
Trying to quit
Other and laughing about it
Taurus but it doesn’t matter
Working on college/university
Doesn’t have kids, and doesn’t want any
Has dogs and has cats
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My self-summary
This site is a joke. I really can't see myself using it much anymore.
What I’m doing with my life
Still trying to make "fetch" happen.
Back in school pursuing my unfinished degree in physical Anthropology.
I did things backwards; I went out and got nearly a decade's worth of work experience and now I'm in college.
I’m really good at
Martial arts, I suppose. That 3rd degree black belt has to be worth something.
My resting asshole face is perfect.
In fairness, I suck at:
Trusting people.
The first things people usually notice about me
It's always either the hair or the tattoos.
I also have a sizable chunk of flesh missing from my right eyebrow.
Correctly guess why and win a prize.*
Favorite books, movies, shows, music, and food
+ Tolkien. Gibson. Gaiman. Thompson. Roy. Rowling. Lovecraft.
+ Serenity. Drive. Collateral. Senna. Hot Fuzz. Hackers. Reclaiming The Blade.
+ Black Books. Firefly. The West Wing. Game of Thrones. Ghost In The Shell. How I Met Your Mother. The Guild.
+ Mostly ambient/folk black metal and electronic. Other random acts like: Nick Cave, Kylie Minogue, Blitzkid and Fleetwood Mac.
+ Asian. Oldschool French. Apples.
The six things I could never do without
1. Autumn.
2. Books.
3. Glasses (sun or otherwise).
4. My cat.
5. Music.
6. Something to learn about.
I would also be pretty sad without cardigans and the BBC World Service.
Just for fun: Six things I could definitely do without
1. Weak coffee.
2. Student loans.
3. My bad right knee.
4. Rochester drivers.
5. Overly sweet food.
6. Long winters.
I spend a lot of time thinking about
Oh lord, I don't know. My brain is always too noisy.
On a typical Friday night I am
Probably studying.
And drinking alone.
The most private thing I’m willing to admit
I recently had to move back in with my father to save money while working through college.
Financial security and my education far outweigh the embarrassment of living at home, especially in this economy.
So if that bothers you, tough! :D
*Oh, and there is no prize. Deal with it.
I’m looking for
• Girls who like guys
• Ages 21–99
• Located anywhere
• Who are single
• For new friends
You should message me if
You'd be smart not to.
BTDubs: If you go out of your way to mention how "sarcastic" and "quirky" you are, I assume you're a dipshit. | http://www.okcupid.com/profile/MostUnseelie?cf=profile_similar | dclm-gs1-146580002 | false | false | {
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0.052245 | <urn:uuid:3894a3df-de85-49bd-84da-980cf1676b7b> | en | 0.969711 | Sponsored by
Obama: US Should Take Military Action Against Syria
CNN -- President Barack Obama said that the United States "should take military action against Syrian targets" in a Rose Garden address Saturday. However, he said he would seek congressional authorization when federal lawmakers return from recess
• NEW: Obama to seek congressional approval on military action against Syria
• Aim is to determine whether CW were used, not by whom, says U.N. spokesman
• U.S. intelligence shows al-Assad's government killed more than 1,400 people with gas, Kerry says
• Britain balks, but Turkey and France are ready to join
Editor's note: Should the West intervene in Syria? Tell us what you think.
[Breaking news alert 2:05 p.m.]
[Previously published story 1:05 p.m.]
"The aim of the game here, the mandate, is very clear -- and that is to ascertain whether chemical weapons were used and not by whom," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters Saturday.
"It needs time to be able to analyze the information and the samples," Nesirky said.
White House, lawmakers huddle on Syria
'We have to do something' about Syria
What steps will the U.S. take in Syria?
McCain: Syria is different from Iraq
But more consultations are needed with Congress and allies before any "response" is taken, a senior U.S. official told CNN Saturday. It was not clear what implications this might have for the timing of any possible U.S. strike on Syria.
Syria missile strike: What would happen next?
The inspectors will share their findings with Ban, who has said he wants to wait until the final report is completed before presenting it to the U.N. Security Council -- which could take a week.
Ban met Saturday with Angela Kane, the world body's high representative for disarmament affairs, for more than an hour, Nesirky said.
Syria's prime minister appeared unfazed by the saber-rattling. "The Syrian Army's status is on maximum readiness and fingers are on the trigger to confront all challenges," Wael Nader al-Halqi said Saturday during a meeting with a delegation of Syrian expatriates from Italy, according to a banner on Syria State TV.
Obama said he's determined to hold Syria accountable for what U.S. intelligence experts have concluded were chemical weapons attacks against Syrian civilians.
5 key assertions: U.S. intelligence report on Syria
"There is no question that Assad regime used CW indiscriminately against Syrian people on Aug 21," National Security Adviser Susan Rice tweeted Saturday. "Question now is how to hold Syrian govt accountable, keep Assad from using CW again."
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said the rockets carrying chemical payloads landed in areas held by Syria's own troops. Why would his government gas its own soldiers? he asked.
Not true, Kerry said Friday.
Map: U.S. and allied assets around Syria
"We know rockets came only from regime-controlled areas and went only to opposition-controlled or contested neighborhoods," he said.
Syrian crisis: Latest developments
"We know that for three days before the attack, the Syrian regime's chemical weapons personnel were on the ground in the area, making preparations," Kerry said. "And we know that the Syrian regime elements were told to prepare for the attack by putting on gas masks and taking precautions associated with chemical weapons."
The assertion that the Syrian government used chemical weapons "is utter nonsense," Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters in the far eastern city of Vladivostok on Saturday, state media reported.
Then, in remarks directed at Obama as a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Putin said, "Think about future victims in Syria."
He told the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti that he had seen no proof that al-Assad's government was behind any chemical weapons attacks.
"If they say that the governmental forces used weapons of mass destruction... and that they have proof of it, let them present it to the U.N. inspectors and the Security Council," Putin said.
"Claims that the proof exists, but is classified and cannot be presented to anybody are below criticism. This is plain disrespect for their partners," Putin said.
Putin said he was hoping to take up the matter with Obama during the upcoming G20 summit in Russia's Saint Petersburg on September 5-6.
A year ago, Obama said that such an attack by the Syrian regime would cross a "red line," which he would not tolerate, but as he mulls military options, he is facing resistance even from those close to him.
Obama accused the council of being unable to "move in the face of a clear violation of international norms."
Kerry blamed this on "the guaranteed Russian obstructionism."
Syria: Who wants what after chemical weapons horror
Britain's Parliament has voted against joining any coalition.
But Kerry brushed off the vote, saying that the United States "makes our own decisions on our own time lines, based on our values and our interests."
UK lawmakers say 'No' to military action
What intel does U.S. have on Syria?
Syrian group claims it hacked NY Times
Does the public care about U.N. support?
In Washington, some likened the claims that Syria had used chemical weapons on its own people to the claims -- made in the 2003 run-up to the U.S.-led war in Iraq -- that Baghdad had amassed weapons of mass destruction. They were never found.
After meeting Friday with administration officials, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, said he had warned against "a kinetic strike" before the completion of the U.N. report and without the support of "a large number of nations, including Arab nations."
Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he urged the administration to get lethal aid "to vetted elements of the Syrian opposition."
Kerry has insisted that the Syrian situation differs from Iraq.
In this instance, he said, the intelligence community has "reviewed and re-reviewed" its information "more than mindful of the Iraq experience." He added: "We will not repeat that moment."
The president said he was not considering any option that would include "boots on the ground" or a long-term campaign.
Bergen: Syria is a problem from hell for the U.S.
He previously ruled out setting up a no-fly zone.
Obama bemoaned international and domestic apprehensions. "A lot of people think something should be done, but nobody seems willing to do it."
"It's important for us to recognize that, when over 1,000 people are killed, including hundreds of innocent children, through the use of a weapon that 98 or 99% of humanity says should not be used even in war, and there is no action, then we're sending a signal that that international norm doesn't mean much," Obama said. "And that is a danger to our national security."
What do Syria's neighbors think?
Obama said he was looking at a "limited, narrow act" to ensure that Syria and others know the United States and its allies won't tolerate future violations.
Why Russia, China, Iran stand by Assad
"I think it's a secondary matter to point out who used it. Accountability can come later."
Military intervention would nix that possibility.
"Now we will have quarrels, if the U.S. goes ahead, rather than a united Security Council."
Kerry cited support from the Arab League, Turkey and France.
But Turkey disagreed.
"The intervention shouldn't be a one- to two-day hit-and-run," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late Friday. "It should bring the regime to the brink of giving up."
While the British vote was a blow to Obama's hopes of getting strong support from key NATO allies and some Arab League states, regional NATO ally Turkey on Friday backed the U.S. contention that al-Assad's regime was responsible for using chemical weapons.
Opinion: Why strikes in Syria are a bad idea
"The information at hand indicates that the opposition does not have these types of sophisticated weapons," said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. "From our perspective, there is no doubt that the regime is responsible."
Australia also weighed in, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying the evidence against al-Assad was overwhelming and, "therefore, the focus now legitimately lies on the most appropriate form of international response."
Syria's cyberattack: First wave of a bigger war?
CNN's Tom Cohen, Chelsea J. Carter, Barbara Starr, Lesa Jansen and Elise Labott contributed to this report.
Page: [[$index + 1]]
comments powered by Disqus | http://www.ozarksfirst.com/story/obama-us-should-take-military-action-against-syria/d/story/frQi3vvzvUKt0stMXtEDZg | dclm-gs1-146610002 | false | false | {
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0.120344 | <urn:uuid:6a7a5289-d830-4812-a188-22f79924c742> | en | 0.964045 | If there's an indispensable portion of the internal-combustion technology that provides your automobile the energy it must have to do what it needs to do, it's the Hyundai Xg350 fuel pump-a part that shouldn't be taken lightly. If, by chance, you're running on a impaired fuel pump, you'll undoubtedly feel the ill-effects of this sooner than later; you see, your Hyundai Xg350 is dependent upon a practical pump to carry out its job properly.
If you're fortunate, you'll immediately feel the engine misfires caused by a damaged Hyundai Xg350 fuel pump; if you're not so fortunate, you'll promptly be treated to stalling. If your Hyundai Xg350 even starts at all, it'll be a challenge for your engine; should the pump fails when you're driving, you'll likely be stopped dead in your tracks. With a defective fuel pump, you can only hope for a soiled, more inefficient engine-a guarantee of diminished gasoline consumption, as well as even deeper holes in your wallet.
If you've troubles with your Hyundai Xg350 fuel pump, you've come to the right website: Parts Train, we sell a variety of pumps from trusted brand names like OES Genuine, Spectra, and Motorcraft; while these products are of top quality, a fast look into our catalogs can tell you that they're also very, very affordable. | http://www.partstrain.com/ShopByDepartment/Fuel_Pump/HYUNDAI/XG350 | dclm-gs1-146620002 | false | false | {
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0.102598 | <urn:uuid:444e653a-0d90-4b18-9a1b-30ce2333efe5> | en | 0.937969 |
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70,311 News Articles
All UK homes to get 'super-fast' broadband
Internet access is the electricity of the digital age
Every home in the UK will have access to "super-fast" broadband by 2020, according to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The government has already pledged to offer super-fast internet connections to 90 percent of the country by 2017, as part of the Digital Economy Bill, paid for by a 'broadband tax' - a £6 per year levy on telephone lines.
Now, Brown has revealed it will take just three years to ensure the remainder of the country also has access to the service.
While Brown did not elaborate on the speed of "super-fast broadband", he did say it is "the electricity of the digital age" and "must be for all - not just for some".
"We can allow the market to provide a solution on its own terms and according to its own timetable. The result would be super-fast broadband coverage determined not by need or by social justice, but by profitability," Brown said in a speech.
Brown also said faster broadband speeds would bring "new, cheaper, more personalised and more effective public services to people".
The Conservatives, however, have slammed the 'broadband tax'.
Instead they believe the BBC should set aside some of the licence fee to pay for the roll-out of faster broadband.
See also: Gov't group to oversee roll-out of 100Mbps broadband
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IDG UK Sites
What 4K monitors will be available for Apple's new Mac Pro? | http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/internet/3217932/all-uk-homes-to-get-super-fast-broadband/ | dclm-gs1-146640002 | false | false | {
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0.022759 | <urn:uuid:153fa603-5184-4c24-987a-8b4fe6502452> | en | 0.9354 | free shipping on $49
Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements are nutrients (minerals and vitamins) that are artificially synthesized by man. These nutrients are added to your guinea pig's daily, weekly or monthly diet to maintain proper nutrition. The ideal natural diet does not require supplements, but it is rare that ideal situations are created for humans or their pets.
Fortunately for pet owners, laboratories and pet food companies have gone to great lengths to design foods that meet pet requirements. Commercial brands of pet food are formulated with a proper balance of nutrients, without the possibility of overdose or error.
Prepackaged guinea pig pellets originally designed for use in laboratories take the guesswork out of nutrition. Pellets provide all the nutrients your guinea pig needs except for vitamin C. See below for more information on vitamin C.
• You administer the nutrients to your pet.
• You know that your pet's daily requirements are being met.
• You must do the measuring - which means taking pains not to overdose or under dose.
• You must administer - which is not always an easy task.
• You must not miss a day - missing a day might not hurt your pet, but repeated or prolonged absence of nutrients will lead to poor health, illness or even death.
Important Nutrients
Your guinea pig will easily consume all the other nutrients -- except for vitamin C -- he needs in his daily diet. The most important thing to remember is that your guinea pig requires vitamin C and does not have the necessary enzymes to make or store enough vitamin C to survive on his own. This vital nutrient must be added to his diet in fresh foods or by a supplement in his food or water.
Vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) is a severe disease; muscle, bone and soft tissues lose strength due to the body's inability to produce and maintain collagen. The first signs of scurvy might be difficulty walking, bleeding gums, slobbering, skin conditions, or swelling joints. If left untreated, scurvy will result in death.
You must be certain that your pet is getting his daily requirement of 15-30mg/day of vitamin C. This is easily obtained with a combination of prepared pellets and fresh foods (such as kale, broccoli, strawberries, oranges, etc.). If you are unable to provide fresh food to your guinea pig, you must provide vitamin C in a dietary supplement. While pellets are balanced in nutrition, they should not be relied upon to be the only source of vitamin C. It is too risky as vitamin C breaks down rapidly in pellets.
Because it is a major issue for guinea pigs, vitamin C supplements are readily available. You can also use vitamin C tablets and grind them up. Measure these supplements to the proper amount and add them to tasty food or to the water source.
If you add it to the water source, there are some things to know. Vitamin C is water soluble, unlike the fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) which need a dietary fat to be broken down, water soluble vitamins (B and C) will break down in water. Since you have to change your guinea pig's water daily, you must add vitamin C each time the water is changed. Tap water often contains large amounts of chlorine that can render Vitamin C inactive. If you have a large bottle or more than one guinea pig, it might be harder for you to determine just how much each guinea pig is getting. | http://www.petco.com/Content/Article.aspx?id=734 | dclm-gs1-146650002 | false | false | {
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0.025198 | <urn:uuid:8b8ad066-74e5-4d74-94c7-34f3abb63830> | en | 0.944122 | How exactly do you refine an existing sports car concept? By adding one thing after another, piling more and more on top, and packing even more in?
Many would think so. We don’t. The result is the new Cayman R.
What does this mean for the driver? Even better dynamics, even greater agility, and even more Porsche. | http://www.porsche.com/kbase.aspx?pool=usa&type=kbase&id=987-2nd-c7r-concept-idea&lang=none&callpath=%2Flatin-america-en%2Fmodels%2Fcayman%2Fcayman-r-987%2Fdetail%2F | dclm-gs1-146690002 | false | false | {
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0.064626 | <urn:uuid:9ecb511e-416e-4e8e-9a95-03f933933a76> | en | 0.987477 | In Which I Talk Steelers With Jimmy Johnson
Written by tecmo on .
Thanks to my friends Rich and Christian, I was able to prepare for yesterday's eventual Steelers win by talking Pittsburgh football with a legendary NFL personality. Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson, owner of a few big, shiny rings, was in town near where I was going to watch the game, so I decided to take the opportunity to ask him about the upcoming season.
He was promoting Proctor and Gamble's partnership with the NFL, so I'd be a jerk not to at least mention that. Without Febreez, Head and Shoulders, Old Spice, Prilosec and other random "Official Locker Room Products of the NFL," I wouldn't be able to get this guy's thoughts on the Steelers for all you. So respect to them.
JJ: The thing about the Steelers is that they haven't lost anybody. They've lost what, 1 or 2 guys? We have a team that just won the Super Bowl, and has almost the same personnel the next year. That's good for stability and chemistry. They always have a good team, and that's the same this year.
JJ: Yeah, Holmes is a very good, young receiver. He's kept getting better, so there's no reason to believe he wouldn't have a good year. I think he can come back out and do exactly what he did in the Super Bowl tonight and over a full season (ed: 'Tone DID exactly what he did in the Super Bowl, 9 catches, 131 yards and a score. JJ is a clairvoyant!)
Tec: I got one last question, and it partly involved a guy you used to coach. Big Ben is a guy who has had an incredible amount of success, and continues to win games. However, he gets the same flak that Troy Aikman got...that he isn't the main reason the team wins. Troy always had great players and a great team around him, so critics use them to justify his championships. Now they do the same with Ben, saying his defense and skill players are the reason he's been so successful. Have you seen a parallel in how both QBs are received by the critics?
Thanks to Jimmy for taking a few minutes to talk Steelers. Oh, and it totally looks like I'm flipping off the camera with the way I was trying to hold my Terrible Towel, so there's that, too. Who else can say they're almost flipping off a Cowboys coach while holding a Terrible Towel? I mean, besides any Steelers fan at any Steelers/Cowboys game ever, that is. | http://www.psamp.com/2009-articles/september/in-which-i-talk-steelers-with-jimmy-johnson.html | dclm-gs1-146730002 | false | false | {
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0.021662 | <urn:uuid:c4298f8b-1731-4ffb-8af0-bde594129a15> | en | 0.956249 | HARD AS NAILS: A Joe Kurtz Novel
Dan Simmons, Author . St. Martin's Minotaur $24.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-30528-4
After last year's well-received Hard Freeze, Simmons stumbles with this disappointing mishmash, the latest entry in his series featuring ex-con-turned-PI Joe Kurtz. The book opens promisingly enough with a (literal) bang: "On the day he was shot in the head, things were going strangely well for Joe Kurtz.... Later, he told himself that he should have known that the universe was getting ready to readjust its balance of pain at his expense." The shooting leaves Kurtz with the headache of a lifetime and a female probation officer on life support. As if that weren't enough, Kurtz has to deal with Toma Gonzaga, the gay don who owes him a debt—in blood. On top of that, someone is killing heroin addicts in Buffalo and hauling away the bodies. And on top of that, a serial killer known as the Artful Dodger (why do fictional serial killers always have colorful names?) launches a bizarre plot. There's more, much more, leading to a climax that's well-nigh incomprehensible. Any one, or two, of these plots would have made for a suspenseful mystery. Why Simmons insists on cramming them all into a 288-page novel is a mystery in itself. Surely he can't lack the courage of his fictional convictions? Unfortunately, it seems that way, and with so much going on, the novel lapses into a welter of absurdities. One can only hope for better things from this talented writer—and Joe Kurtz—in the future. Regional author tour. (Oct. 13)
FYI: Simmons's latest SF novel is Ilium (Forecasts, May 26).
Reviewed on: 09/15/2003
Release date: 10/01/2003
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Not Registered? Click here. | http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-312-30528-4 | dclm-gs1-146740002 | false | false | {
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0.052864 | <urn:uuid:6b7e999e-f679-45c4-b90b-1652b7dcc3a1> | en | 0.905547 | Dark Circles: Q&A
Ask a Question
What Causes Darkening of Eyelids and Skin Around Eyes?
3 doctor answers:
Dark eyelid skin
The darkness in the lower lids can come from the vascularity with dark blood in the veins showing through. Also, if there are tear troughs then shadows across the hollows will look dark.
Web reference: http://www.randcosmeticsurgery.com
Dark circles around eyes.
There are two different kinds of darkening. The traditional darkening is due to the thin skin and visibility of the underlying muscle. Just like veins can look blue under your skin. Your muscle under your eye skin can look blue.
Alternatively, the skin can have a brown appearance that is related to pregnancy or hormones and is called chloasma or commonly knownw as the "mask of pregnancy."
Web reference: http://www.bodysculptor.com/eyelid.html
Vascular and Pigmentation
The color is an interplay between vasculature, including any blood which may have leaked out of the blood vessels, and pigmentation. Blood in this area breaks down into its own hemosiderin pigment. Then there is the natural pigmentation of this area, pigmentation which may be increased by sun exposure.
Arnold R. Oppenheim, MD
Virginia Beach Dermatologist
Ask a Question | http://www.realself.com/question/Causes-darkening-eyelids-skin-around-eyes | dclm-gs1-146760002 | false | false | {
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0.211913 | <urn:uuid:03743e99-76a2-4623-8ba0-eca463844494> | en | 0.974615 | you are viewing a single comment's thread.
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[–]Brwncoat 0 points1 point ago
I'd lean Smith, we haven't seen much, but he's hot now and I have a feeling that he will stay hot in a heated game against Atlanta. | http://www.reddit.com/r/fantasyfootball/comments/14j5rx/unofficial_weekend_wdis_thread_flex/c7dqjdd | dclm-gs1-146770002 | false | false | {
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0.29821 | <urn:uuid:c8ebe730-b915-48a1-8588-cf91166b406f> | en | 0.978922 | you are viewing a single comment's thread.
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[–]almostkool -1 points0 points ago
i would love to have a santa hat, i've been playing for over 5 years and it just seems like i could never save up enough money for a discontinued item, i can remember when they were like less then 10 mil...
hopefully ill win it because i won't sell it, i'm going to wear it until one day i finally quit, ill pass it onto someone i know that wont sell it and pass it on yet again. | http://www.reddit.com/r/runescape/comments/17cen6/giving_away_my_santa_hat/c848k4u | dclm-gs1-146780002 | false | false | {
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0.220329 | <urn:uuid:93d005ba-3c38-4ca7-b6c4-d978d0d164cc> | en | 0.932611 | you are viewing a single comment's thread.
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[–]la_izquierda 0 points1 point ago
the real true is that there are more deaths but the news wont tell all the real numbers!!! easily in 6 years against all drug cartels there are 300,000 deaths!!! :( | http://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/t8621/til_that_in_2011_there_were_more_violent_deaths/c4kg8f1?context=3 | dclm-gs1-146790002 | false | false | {
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What is an upbeat song with a cruel/depressing/ creepy lyrics? by Unqualified_Expertin AskReddit
[–]ClassyMotherFuck 1 point2 points ago
Breezeblocks by Alt-J | http://www.reddit.com/user/ClassyMotherFuck?sort=hot | dclm-gs1-146800002 | false | false | {
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The Meaning of China's Crackdown on the Foreign Press : The New Yorker by xiefeilagain China
[–]hoyahoya 0 points1 point ago
So edgy. DAE down with westernism?
[–]hoyahoya 0 points1 point ago
There are definitely wu maos in here!!!
American Soldier Loses Both Legs in Front of the Camera by yeadudein MorbidReality
[–]hoyahoya 4 points5 points ago
I couldn't do it. I love intimacy too much.
I molested my step-daughter 20 years ago and cheated on my wife multiple times. by [deleted]in confession
[–]hoyahoya 0 points1 point ago
This is a good confession.
Auburn 109 Yard Field Goal Return to win Iron Bowl by nike215in videos
[–]hoyahoya -2 points-1 points ago
DAE [le] sir?
China Patrols Air Zone Over Disputed Islands by hoyahoyain China
[–]hoyahoya[S] 0 points1 point ago
China Patrols Air Zone Over Disputed Islands by hoyahoyain China
[–]hoyahoya[S] 3 points4 points ago
THE NEW YORK TIMES China has said that noncommercial aircraft entering the zone without prior notification would face “defensive emergency measures.”
In an editorial, Global Times, a populist newspaper that often strikes a nationalist tone, said Japan, not the United States, was the target of the new zone.
“If the U.S. does not go too far, we will not target it in safeguarding our air defense zone,” the newspaper wrote. “What we should do at present is to firmly counter provocative actions from Japan.”
Kanye West on The Breakfast Club by westside_artgoonin hiphopheads
[–]hoyahoya 0 points1 point ago
I really don't like Charlemagne after that interview.
U.S. Flies B-52s Into China’s Expanded Air Defense Zone by hoyahoyain China
[–]hoyahoya[S] -3 points-2 points ago
I feel like if your argument were true, that the main reason that China is making the ADIZ claims is because of civil aviation reasons, then China would have much broader international support for its appeals. I also find it hard to believe that the BBC, AJE, NYT and WAPO all are so western biased as to miss this crucial bit of information.
To me, the narrative that applies to most all the South China Sea territorial disputes holds true in this case. Access to shipping lanes, natural resources and better defensive positioning is the primary purpose of this. Can you find any sources that verify what you're saying?
Edit: upvoted op for good discussion even though I disagree for now.
[–]hoyahoya[S] 1 point2 points ago
WASHINGTON — Two long-range American bombers have conducted what Pentagon officials described Tuesday as a routine training mission through international air space recently claimed by China as its “air defense identification zone.”
American officials said the pair of B-52s carried out a mission that had been planned long in advance of the Chinese announcement this past weekend, and that the United States military would continue to assert its right to fly through what it regards as international air space.
Officials said there had been no Chinese response to the bomber run.
Within hours of the Chinese announcement this weekend that it had declared what Beijing termed an “East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued a statement expressing deep concern over the action.
“We view this development as a destabilizing attempt to alter the status quo in the region,” Mr. Hagel said. “This unilateral action increases the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculations.”
Mr. Hagel noted that “this announcement by the People’s Republic of China will not in any way change how the United States conducts military operations in the region.”
Pentagon officials said the training sortie by the two B-52s could be seen as underscoring that commitment to preserving traditional rules of international air space.
Mr. Hagel’s statement said the United States had conveyed “concerns to China through diplomatic and military channels, and we are in close consultation with our allies and partners in the region, including Japan.”
His statement concluded by noting the United States is “steadfast in our commitments to our allies and partners. The United States reaffirms its longstanding policy that Article V of the U.S.-Japan Mutual Defense Treaty applies to the Senkaku Islands.”
The move by China appeared to be another step in its efforts to intensify pressure on Japan over the Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea that are at the heart of the dispute.
The declaration, from a Ministry of National Defense spokesman, Col. Yang Yujun, accompanied the ministry’s release of a map, geographic coordinates and rules in Chinese and English that said “China’s armed forces will take defensive emergency measures to respond to aircraft that do not cooperate in identification or refuse to follow orders.”
“The objective is to defend national sovereignty and territorial and air security, as well as to maintain orderly aviation,” Colonel Yang said in comments issued on the ministry’s website.
[–]hoyahoya[S] 11 points12 points ago
IMO, Good move by US. China has a long way to go before it can compete with NATO, and it must be checked when it makes overly aggressive moves to a very important US and Western ally.
The CCP can use this to drum up nationalistic support and bitch and moan about Western "aggressiveness", while not escalating because a military conflict would destroy the CCP, whose most important objective is to maintain power in China. Japan gets US reassurance, China gets increased support for CCP, nothing effectively changes-everyone wins.
Military Operating table (NSFW) by staticbleakin MorbidReality
[–]hoyahoya 1 point2 points ago
One of my (Sophomore) student's thoughts on CNN's coverage of the Tienanmen Attack. by [deleted]in China
[–]hoyahoya 1 point2 points ago
These people are giving you such a hard time but this kid is a US college student and he can't write in English holy fuck!
Modern Mao (as seen on Weibo) by IsJewBoyMarriedYetin China
[–]hoyahoya 1 point2 points ago
He said in a politburo meeting that it was acceptable for the rural peasants to starve so long as the industrial cities could eat their fill.
Modern Mao (as seen on Weibo) by IsJewBoyMarriedYetin China
[–]hoyahoya 0 points1 point ago
Actually, this is wrong. Mao new during the great leap forward that his policies were causing mass starvation and he then decided to tax even more grain from the rural communes. Watch the documentary Mao's great famine on YouTube.
Chinese Warehouse Owner Crucifies Mice Caught In His Building by marklyonin WTF
[–]hoyahoya 0 points1 point ago
I thought I was the only one who thought this was hilarious! They're fucking mice, people! Jeeze... Also, the translation means, "I wronged and I regretted"
What if any are the positive effects of NAFTA? by flyersfan314in Ask_Politics
[–]hoyahoya 5 points6 points ago
This is the best answer. Free trade allows for economies to become more efficient by producing what they have a comparative advantage in producing. For example, Let's say that Michigan can produce cars cheaper and more efficiently than Georgia, but there is no free trade between the two states. Cars will still be produced in Georgia and sold to Georgia consumers who now have to pay a higher cost for the same product. If there were free trade, the car manufacturing industry would leave Georgia and move to Michigan, allowing Georgian consumers to enjoy lower costs thanks to free trade. Georgia will now produce the products in which it has a comparative advantage. There will be job losses in the car industry, but job gains in other areas.
This is very simplistic but it should give you an idea of what the advantages of free trade are and why free trade is good for everyone involved (usually).
This girl killed two girls that I went to school with because she was "2 Drunk 2 Care" by alexis411in MorbidReality
[–]hoyahoya -27 points-26 points ago
I feel bad for her man. She clearly has demons. It's no excuse for what she did, but this is perfect morbid reality material for a reason.
'The Wall Street Journal' and Reuters Blocked in China by antdudein China
[–]hoyahoya 1 point2 points ago
Mmmm yessssssssss | http://www.reddit.com/user/hoyahoya | dclm-gs1-146810002 | false | false | {
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0.042941 | <urn:uuid:659f632c-c8e8-4de9-a810-677eddecd684> | en | 0.900118 |
Building my new PC
Discussion in 'Processors and Motherboards' started by Tronex, Nov 10, 2006.
1. Tronex Newcomer, in training
So ive decided to build my own gaming pc this time around and after a while of "shopping" i have come up with these parts:
AMD Athlon Dual Core 4200 AM2
Geforce 7900GS 256MB TV out DVI
Seagate 160GB SATA2 7200.9
GeIL 1GB DDR2-667 (PC2 5300) Retail
Raidmax Ninja 918 Gaming Tower Case
ASUS M2NPV-VM MicroATX AMD SK AM2 PCI Express x16 GLAN 1394
Samsung SH-S182D 18x DVDRW
I would like to know if all the hardware is compatible and if not, reccomendations of similar parts within the same price bracket.
Thankyou very much for you time!
2. twite TechSpot Paladin Posts: 1,083
Yes, everything is compatible.
3. Tronex Newcomer, in training
Awsome, thanks alot
4. F1N3ST Newcomer, in training Posts: 1,088
I suggest a Core 2 Duo, it is cheaper, and better.
5. Tronex Newcomer, in training
Please excuse my lack of understanding but,
How is the Core 2 Duo better than the AMD Athlon Dual Core and if i did decide to choose to swap to Core 2 Duo, what motherboard would be best suited (within the price range of the original mobo).
Any help would be much appreciated
6. Sharkfood TechSpot Guru Posts: 1,194
Core 2 Duo are the new CPU's from Intel. They use less power, generate less heat and have much more power. You can see reviews and benchmarks for them here:
and here
As you can see, even the $299NZ Core 2 Duo 6300 will be much more powerful than your $279NZ 4200 AM2.
As it's an Intel CPU, you'd need a different motherboard (socket 775 with support for Core 2 Duo) as well as prefer DDR2-800 memory in dual-channel configuration (i.e. memory in identical pairs).
7. Tronex Newcomer, in training
Awsome, thanks very much for your help sharkfood
8. korrupt Newcomer, in training Posts: 1,060
Yes, core 2 duo will beat amd X2 hands down:)
9. F1N3ST Newcomer, in training Posts: 1,088
Beat? More like rape. | http://www.techspot.com/community/topics/building-my-new-pc.62730/ | dclm-gs1-147100002 | false | false | {
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0.019912 | <urn:uuid:288cf3b4-22a0-485e-96c2-c9dcae1d1609> | en | 0.923739 |
Computer case for $60?
Discussion in 'Other Hardware' started by stonarda, Mar 6, 2013.
Post New Reply
1. stonarda TechSpot Enthusiast Posts: 155 +17
Hey everyone! It's jsut a quick post, but I recently finished a brand new computer build, but I am worried my case doesn't supply enough cooling, but also don't like the nosie it produces during gaming, so I am wondering if anyone knows of any good cases under £50/$60. I have looked at the powercool dominator and am wondering if it will be enough (
My build is as follows:
- AMD 8350 CPU with stock heat sink/fan
- Gigabyte 7950 triple fan graphics card
- 16GB RAM
- SSD & Hard Drive (not performance, but more energy saving)
- CIT basic case modded with an additional fan on the side
- ASUS M5A99X Motherboard
- 880w PSU
Thank you for any advice! It will need to have high cooling abilities, but also quite quiet!
2. St1ckM4n TechSpot Evangelist Posts: 2,775 +472
- Noise from case is 95% the fault of the fans. More expensive cases provide quieter fans, but you're paying a lot more to start with anyway. Plus, you'll have to provide your own additional fans in most cases (pun not intended) anyway.
- PSU fan could be loud..?
- Cooling performance is a combination of how neat your build is (cables etc), the amount of components, the type of cooling on your devices, fans used, and airflow provided by case. This is a lot of variables, so it can be hard.
- The case you linked is a budget case. Don't expect miracles.
- My suggestion - stick with what you have, tweak the fan speeds a bit. | http://www.techspot.com/community/topics/computer-case-for-60.190450/ | dclm-gs1-147110002 | false | false | {
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0.083378 | <urn:uuid:f2149358-ab3d-49d6-bf94-274a3a3e67a8> | en | 0.978279 | Boardwalk Empire
Spaghetti & Coffee
Episode Report Card
Joe R: B | 2 USERS: A+
New York State of Mind
Nucky and Billie are fooling around in bed, but they're not in the swanky confines of the Atlantic City Ritz, so they must be in that 57th St. apartment Rothstein was talking about last week. The one he owns. Billie gets up, naked of course, because putting on a goddamn robe to change the pan beneath the radiator just is not the HBO way. She has Nucky help her dispose of the water, and then answers the phone with some cryptic but very flirtatious comments that Nucky can't help but overhear from the next room. Billie doesn't appear to be doing too much to hush herself, so maybe it's nothing. Nucky doesn't ask about it, either way.
Afterwards, they make some sexy small talk about some product logo I'm unfamiliar with, and Nucky spots a man's razor that sure doesn't seem to be his in the medicine cabinet. Again, he says nothing (though he does remove the razors). She's excitedly spitballing an idea for her cabaret routine about a hummingbird, including the part where she flirts the men out of their money, so obviously this is a sophisticated relationship where Billie can be open about how she makes her money, though Nucky doesn't seem to be enjoying that aspect of it very much. She asks him if he's being a Gloomy Gus, and he attempts to snap out of it. He tells her he has a meeting today at the Hotel Astor and that he also intends to talk to her landlord about this flooding radiator. She says she doesn't like to bother Mr. Rothstein, but Nucky says he quite enjoys it, which seems like a fine arrangement, then.
Back in Atlantic City, Chalky White is working on some furniture, while his former jailhouse nemesis turned right hand man Dunn Purnsley plays the piano, and Samuel, the nice young college boy who's courting his daughter Maybelle, sits quietly and wonders if there might be a better time to talk. Chalky inquires about Samuel's education -- he's graduating in two years, to become a doctor. Nucky makes a brief reference to Samuel's parents, who he calls "respectable folk." Samuel assures Chalky that they've always held him in "high regard," which is the kind of condescending shit Chalky must have to put up with all the time.
So the purpose of this visit is that Samuel intends to make a life with Maybelle -- to marry her, not in so many words -- and he wants to ask Chalky's permission before he asks her. Chalky doesn't answer, but instead asks this aspiring doctor to check him out. Samuel asks if anything is bothering him. "I don't know," says Chalky, seemingly on the level. "I ain't no doctor, am I?" So Samuel proceeds to take Chalky's vitals, sans instruments, which means he takes his pulse by touching Chalky's neck, in an oddly intimate gesture, and listens to his breathing by holding a glass to his ear. Purnsley, by the way, is watching this all like a total creep. Anyway, Samuel's very professional diagnosis is that Chalky has a mineral deficiency (haha, "chalky," mineral deficiency, I get it); he should start eating more leafy vegetables. So Chalky tells Purnsley to tell the cook to whip up a big pot of greens, then welcomes Samuel to the family.
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The Latest Activity On TwOP | http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/boardwalk-empire/spaghetti-coffee-1/3/ | dclm-gs1-147130002 | false | false | {
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0.019596 | <urn:uuid:6e3de9c0-48cf-4d68-904d-47b0b9e7851b> | en | 0.966594 | The Register®
Original URL:
By Trevor Pott
Posted in Cloud, 8th June 2013 11:59 GMT
Liberty versus freedom
Some things are worth dying for
When a country goes off the rails, why should we trust its computing systems?
As the US has spent the past 30 years going completely off the rails we've spent that same time becoming absolutely addicted to the technology and services it produces. So deeply embedded are we that disentangling ourselves from American technology providers, cloud vendors and what-have-you is a process of years, even decades.
While undertaking this difficult, painful and expensive task may not be absolutely required for pragmatic business reasons, I argue that it is a moral and ethical obligation we collectively bear to defend that which we believe. We could simply remain apathetic and allow privacy to evaporate as our laws are synchronized with those of the US, but is that what we want to have occur?
No terrorist actions, war, trade sanctions, international politics or other traditional tools of revolution and statecraft will turn America around. Americans have so deeply forgotten the concept of "liberty" that they no longer speak of their freedoms as innate but rather as rights granted them by their government. They see themselves as helpless before an unstoppable and inscrutable juggernaut and their own belief in this makes it so.
America, her people having abdicated their duty of care, is a country entirely run by politicians and civil servants with no oversight except in pleasing donors, and no master but the almighty dollar. The only sound that those in charge are capable of hearing is that of a closing wallet.
Our addiction to US technology and services leaves us vulnerable to the whims of those who make the laws. For those of us from countries that still believe in the ideals our ancestors died for this is a problem. As business owners we have a duty of care to our customers and employees to treat their data and privacy with respect. We are still expected to defend their liberty as if it were our own.
We cannot do this if that data ever comes within legal reach of the USA. Foreigners have no right to privacy within the US; indeed, we've even lost the right to habeas corpus there.
We cannot lobby for change because the American lobby machine is so huge that it would take all of our nations combined to even make a dent; a political impossibility, if the European Union's influence is anything to go by. Instead, US industry has spent incomprehensible amounts of money lobbying our governments to seize our rights from us!
Abort, retry, fail?
If enough of us start to pull our technology purchases out of the US they will indeed sit up and take notice; money leaving the country may well be one of the only things that will ever cause them to do so.
America still believes in its own manifest destiny; the problem is that it has lost its way and the very values it seeks to export to the rest of the world have become corrupt. I do not want the legal solution to the Western world's US privacy and liberty dichotomy to be the export of America's neo-Orwellian panopticon. (If you are Australian or Canadian you can download 1984 for a reminder here.)
We can no longer afford to allow apathy to direct our judgement. We must show our governments that we stand behind them; that we believe in privacy and personal liberty enough to invest only in privacy-bloc countries. Through our actions – which can be as simple as choosing which cloud vendor you use for e-mail – we need to give our nations a sense of international unity and the strength of will to stand up to American negotiators and say "hold, enough!"
The power to quite literally change the world rests not in the hands of the unknowable, inscrutable government suit that negotiates agreements in secrecy on your behalf. That power belongs to each and every one of us expressed through something as simple as where we choose to invest the money we spend. I believe it is our duty to choose wisely and to make those choices based on more than mere pragmatism.
| http://www.theregister.co.uk/Print/2013/06/08/what_about_a_us_tech_boycott/ | dclm-gs1-147230002 | false | false | {
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0.06467 | <urn:uuid:acca30a1-b82c-4e94-bf77-e99f175c68bb> | en | 0.91909 | X Close
Published: Tuesday November 5, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday November 5, 2013 MYT 7:50:07 AM
Bullets and pistol seized after Malaysia Cup final
SHAH ALAM: Police seized a pistol and seven live bullets in the men’s toilet after the Malaysia Cup final at the Shah Alam Stadium.
They also rounded up 90 people for multiple offences, including burning of flares during the match, hurling bottles and selling fake tickets.
Shah Alam OCPD Asst Comm Zahedi Ayub said the Browning pistol and the bullets were found in the toilet at the stadium’s Quadron C after the match between Pahang and Kelantan Sunday night.
“We are still tracing the owner,” he said. “It is alarming that spectators would bring a weapon to a football match,” he said yesterday.
ACP Zahedi said those detained had since been released on police bail.
“Besides the isolated incidents, the match went on without any trouble. There was no fighting between rival fans as both sides were assigned specific routes,” he said.
The match ended with Pahang clinching the coveted cup with a 1-0 victory over their east coast rivals.
Tags / Keywords: Sport, Courts & Crime, malaysia cup final, trouble, shah alam ocpd
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1. Home Ministry: Mat Sabu has Syiah links
3. Missing model who saw 'ghost' safe and sound
4. From Playboy bunny to hijab model
5. Manhunt for fake sign interpreter in Mandela's memorial
6. Highland Towers: Ghostly town in many ways
7. Ancient treasures for sale on modern eBay
8. New-look Proton Perdana launched as official goverment car
10. Teen rapes and sodomises kindergarten teacher | http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2013/11/05/Bullets-and-pistol-seized-after-Cup-final.aspx | dclm-gs1-147240002 | false | false | {
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0.737954 | <urn:uuid:3b9a0e90-fca0-425f-8cba-3c502946c51b> | en | 0.914684 | Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
October 10, 1969
Album Review
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) extends the British-oriented themes of Village Green Preservation Society, telling the story of a London man's decision to move to Australia during the aftermath of World War II. It's a detailed and loving song cycle, capturing the minutiae of suburban life, the numbing effect of bureaucracy, and the horrors of war. On paper, Arthur sounds like a pretentious mess, but Ray Davies' lyrics and insights have rarely been so graceful or deftly executed, and the music is remarkable. An edgier and harder-rocking affair than Village Green, Arthur is as multi-layered musically as it is lyrically. "Shangri-La" evolves from English folk to hard rock, "Drivin'" has a lazy grace, "Young and Innocent Days" is a lovely, wistful ballad, "Some Mother's Son" is one of the most uncompromising antiwar songs ever recorded, while "Victoria" and "Arthur" rock with simple glee. The music makes the words cut deeper, and the songs never stray too far from the album's subject, making Arthur one of the most effective concept albums in rock history, as well as one of the best and most influential British pop records of its era. [Castle's 1998 CD reissue of Arthur contained ten bonus tracks, including mono and stereo versions of the non-LP singles "Plastic Man," "Mindless Child of Motherhood," and "This Man He Weeps Tonight," mono versions of "Drivin'" and "She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina," the B-side "King Kong," and the previously unreleased "Mr. Shoemakers Daughter."]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
Track Listing
1. Victoria
2. Yes Sir, No Sir
3. Some Mother's Son
4. Drivin'
5. Brainwashed
6. Australia
7. Shangri-La
8. Mr. Churchill Says
9. She's Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina
10. Young and Innocent Days
11. Nothing to Say
12. Arthur | http://www.thesun.net/Music/Album.aspx?id=812938 | dclm-gs1-147250002 | false | false | {
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0.025095 | <urn:uuid:1ce75b5d-fd5d-4ac8-8a53-b73e85f472c6> | en | 0.961918 | January 18th
Advertisement | your ad here
2) The JETS Are Who We THOUGHT They Were
3) Dallas Needs To MAN-UP
4) Guess Who’s The Best Team In Texas?
5) The Saints Ain’t Marching A DAMN Place
C’mon bruh, are you SERIOUS?
Monday Night Football Prediction: {Current Record 1-1}
This Is Your Conscience
This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2012 at 4:16 AM.
Categories: Sports.
11 Comments, Comment or Ping
1. lincolnanthonyblades
Ladies & Gentlemen, What Are YOUR Thoughts On Week 2? How Did YOUR Team Do??
2. Gotta luv the way the Eagles got the W. I just knew they were down, but what do you know? They had the heart to pull out the victory. That's one of the reason why they are one of my favorite teams.
I don't know what the deal is with the Cowboys. I think they can get it together, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.
All I can do is SMH at the Saints. I can't call it.
No doubt RB3 should be 2-0…but it's early in the season…I think he is only getting started.
3. Robert Johnson
Rams should be 2-0 right now, but I'll take it. A win is a win, but I'm not looking forward to the Rams – Bears matchup in Chicago. them Bears might have a chip on their shoulder
4. Ameley
I give the Rams credit for not giving up and closing out the game. The Bears will definitely have a chip on their shoulder … they aren't gonna be giving up 7 sacks again like they did last week.
5. lincolnanthonyblades
I think Luck and RG3 Are gonna have beast seasons this year.
6. lincolnanthonyblades
Don't get greedy bruh! Y'all should be 1-1 like you are, because you lost the game you shoulda won and you won the game you shoulda lost
7. lincolnanthonyblades
The Bears better man up because I have them winning the NFC.
8. MistaHarsh
how many times/years do we have to hear about the new and vastly improved Flacco? This guy is a joke and he himself admitted so during a PLAYOFF press conference last year. This guy has a wicked PR team behind him…
Are the Seahawks the best spoiler team ever or what?
What the Jets were in week 1 the Bills are in week 2.
Giants are an elite team no matter what their record will be this season. They are Super Bowl contenders.
The lions ain't ish and how long will KC keep believing in Cassel?
What happened to Chris Johnson?
9. lincolnanthonyblades
Chris Johnson proved that RB's shouldn't be overpaid…and made the Jacksonville Jaguars look like geniuses.
10. fourpageletter
im so glad i didnt watch the eagles/ravens game – woulda sent me to the hospital.
if. only. they. didnt. turn. the. ball. over. so MUCH!!!!!
other thoughts
-the niners scare me. if they keep playing like this…i might hafta make a prediction. lol.
-tb's coach better hope he never has a kneel down. he said they practice that and have caused 3 fumbles. cool. there was 5 secs left on the clock. you wouldn't have recovered with time on the clock. that's a douche move and you know it.
-that's a crappy way for redskins to lose (but…im not mad about it)
-dallas. smh. they are so…i dont even know the word. (but that hit by tate tho?? >>>)
11. lincolnanthonyblades
Shout out to the Denver Broncos for ruining my Monday Night prediction, but providing me with this:
<img src="http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/article/media_slots/photos/000/548/609/VonMiller_sackDance_original.gif?1347942481">
Reply to “2012 NFL Week Two Review: Eagles Prove They’re The REAL Birdgang”
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0.018784 | <urn:uuid:228e55c7-ffc2-4268-830a-4035bc3b2462> | en | 0.779857 |
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Royal Oak Computers
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look up any word, like thot:
143. Religion
1. A beautiful establishment that celebrates the gifts of everyday life, and the lives of others.
2. The most detrimental/harmful belief system every created (no pun intended) that is responsible for the most consistent acts of violence, bigotry, hate, years of insurmountable differences, witch burnings, the degrading of women, child abuse, 9/11, political and social exploitation, tithes, corruption, extortion, genocide, suicide, Sarah Palin, pedophilia, bestiality, self mutilation, self deprivation....................Sarah Palin, psychological torture, physical torture, fasting, annihilation, and eventually the complete decay of society as we know it.
Bullshit religion, Horse shit, kangaroo shit, duck shit, dog shit, armadillo shit, HOLY shit
Religion images
Pix leftarrow of 1 Pix rightarrow
1. religion
"Religion is the child of Ignorance and Fear"
by ShadeeFan April 18, 2003 add a video add an image
2. Religion
A cult that dosn't end with suicide.
by Treg August 27, 2003 add a video add an image
3. Religion
by DesPERRYado November 01, 2004 add a video add an image
4. religion
4)islam, christianity, wicca, satanism, jewdism
5)cults and a form of brainwashing
2)Sick person-mommy i dont want to die
Mother of person-it's ok u'll be with god
5. religion
A series of fanciful concepts that people believe as to:
- Feel superior to other people.
- Justify war or general hatred of other groups.
by Stuart October 13, 2003 add a video add an image
6. religion
A lame excuse for abstaining from sex
7. religion
by Matt July 19, 2005 add a video add an image
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look up any word, like fishermans haircut:
1. Vaus
The name of the "scout ship" (i.e. the "paddle" you play with) in Arkanoid - Doh it Again. From this point on it will be a perfect nickname as it is both unique and an inside reference, starting with the next cat I get.
We sent our scout ship, the "Vaus" to perform initial colinization surveys.
by Bubby April 19, 2005 add a video add an image
2. vau
Someone who is doing something funny
You're pulling such a vau
3. vau
to not blaze (inhale the marijuana smoke)
Whoa man, he's such a vau.
I know, he doesn't even blaze.
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look up any word, like poopsock:
3. chowzer
an example of a chowzer is someone that waits outside 7 11 with a melting icepop who wears cheetah pants with old 80's high top sneakers and a lime green jacket who likes to listen to mickey avalon and hall and oates and occasionally listens to old brittany spears cds, this person also likes to eat large amounts of clam chowder and has a small winkie.
Mia: Hey lets go to 7 11
Sarah: Alright, maybe that weird chowzer will be there
Mia: If he is there im gonna have to pop a cap in his toe!
Sarah: that will be just dandy
1. chowzers
an expression of excitement
Chowzers, I can't believe I won.
by Bill Thomas February 27, 2005 add a video add an image
2. Chowzer
Chowzer; an asain person or a person of asian decent.
"Hey where the fuck is my fried rice u chowzer cunt????"
by [T-Bro] April 21, 2004 add a video add an image
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0.03588 | <urn:uuid:31982544-cc4a-465f-b4de-32ff245c5e7f> | en | 0.861427 | First: Mid: Last: City: State:
Dwight Coontz in Stanford, KY
Are you looking for details about Dwight Coontz in Stanford, KY? If so, then you are in the right place as USA People Search is excellent at providing people search data such as address, phone number, and email for people like Dwight Coontz. Additionally, with so much information about people with the last name Coontz in Stanford in our records, you are certain to find the person you are searching for.
To ensure that the process of locating data about the Dwight in KY you are looking for is a simplified process, we provide results in four categories – name/aliases, age, location, and possible relatives. This way of categorization allows users to quickly research all the people with the last name Coontz and determine which of them is the best match. Once you discover the Dwight Coontz you are looking for, click through the View Details link on the right hand side for more information.
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Name/AKAsAgeLocationPossible Relatives
1. Coontz, Dwight D
Associated names:
57 Danville, KY
Stanford, KY
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0.06109 | <urn:uuid:55106099-d28d-4012-be15-fb4fdd4823ea> | en | 0.898337 | Natural Pain Relief
12/12/13 05:36:36VoyUser Login optional ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 12[3]4 ]
Date Posted: 14:47:39 07/29/03 Tue
Author: Ghanima
Subject: However...
In reply to: The Cannabist 's message, "If Franks said it's not canon... then it's not canon. It's that simple." on 13:59:35 07/29/03 Tue
You have to admit that it was written with obvious intent to be an actual "document", flaws and all, from the era after some of Leto's writings, etc. were found.
Naturally it's NOT canon (it does not contain totally accurate facts, contains some outright wrong ones and is incomplete with respect to the entire original series), and anyone who actually reads it knows that. It is meant to be an entertainment, putting yourself into the Dune universe as a participant rather than as an observer. So, no, its not canon, but I think that in the spirit that it was written it can be taken as fitting into the Dune Universe.
Also, in a way, I think it was also a bit of a poke in the eye of scholars and historians, kind of a joke. There are even entries in the D.E. that contain inside jokes between Frank and McNelly.
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0.0781 | <urn:uuid:683f22a2-d70d-482d-ae35-f76de7bdfebd> | en | 0.895415 | Page is a not externally linkable
- Google
-- Google Gmail Advertising
---- GMail storage now unlimited...
Elijah - 2:38 am on Apr 2, 2005 (gmt 0)
If you change your computer clock to April 2nd, instead of the counter the following text will be displayed:
The reason this works is the counter is written using Javascript and thus is running client-side. So it looks like the nifty counter is only for April 1st. :)
Thread source::
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0.028711 | <urn:uuid:f1be9959-9280-4161-8d2e-36299bfc9d6b> | en | 0.946035 | BRAIN FINGERPRINTING: lie detectors of the 21st century
AS great programmes such as CSI will show us, science plays a central role in catching a killer or criminal in the 21st century. In the past, innocent people have been fried in electric chairs or had a noose put around their neck due to shoddy evidence against their names.
Modern day lie detectors (or polygraphs) have made judgment of crime suspects a little easier, yet they are not 100% accurate. However, a neuroscientist in Seattle has recently developed a device that incorporates his concept of ‘brain fingerprinting.’
Brain fingerprinting involves using an odd looking headband, flashing words and images on a computer screen, and a couple clicks of a mouse to determine whether or not a suspect is guilty or plain unlucky.
"It's a game changer in the field of global security," said Dr. Larry Farwell, Chairman of Brain Fingerprinting Labs who developed "brain fingerprinting" - a lie detector test for the 21st century.
Brain fingerprinting in action
Brain fingerprinting a nervous inmate
A rather nervous looking inmate takes the test
While polygraph tests rely on emotional responses, brain fingerprinting records how your brain reacts to words and images related to a crime. Obviously the reaction of someone who recognises such images would be notably different than the brain reactions of an innocent suspect.
"If the person was there, they get an 'ah ha!' response in the brain waves," said Farwell, “and it is this ‘ah ha!’ moment that can’t be covered up.”
"It’s an involuntary response that happens very quickly; it's not something you can control," he said. The solidness of such evidence is further backed by the idea that the brain can’t tell a lie.
Farwell claims that his technology is fool-proof, and unlike polygraphs, brain fingerprinting can be admitted in court. However, there is still resistance from some law enforcement agencies to employ the use of such technology.
"It took some time, it always takes time," Farwell said. "It took time for fingerprints, for DNA and now for brain fingerprinting." But Farwell feels confident that his guarantee will help more people accept it.
• Dr. Farwell has worked with the CIA, FBI and law enforcement agencies around the United States. His cases include an innocent Iowa man finally freed after 23 years, and a serial killer in Missouri who eventually confessed.
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Biometric Fingerprint Technology: The Eikon Fingerprint Reader
Your fingerprint may soon replace your forgeable signature, and will do away with the need for usernames and passwords. Biometric fingerprint technology has already made it possible to do banking and identity analysis with your fingertip, and have now released a device that grants you unique access to your personal computer.
The Eikon fingerprint reader is a portable USB device that has been primarily developed for remote employees to gain access to corporate resources and networks with a swipe of their finger. According to a press release, this more convenient way of logging into corporate networks has resulted in increased productivity and has reduced the risk of major data breaches.
To put it simply, the fingerprint reader allows users to effortlessly swipe their finger across a device (instead of typing in usernames and passwords) to log into Windows, access password-protected websites, encrypt and decrypt files, switch users, and launch favorite applications.
The Eikon Fingerprint Reader
Eikon Fingerprint Reader (image: www.bromba.com)
The Eikon Fingerprint Reader (image: www.bromba.com)
The Eikon fingerprint reader is a product of UPEK Inc., which is hailed as one of the global leaders in enterprise and consumer biometric fingerprint solutions. Their authentication hardware and software are integrated into laptops from the world's top five largest PC makers, as well as USB flash drives, external hard disk drives, and mobile phones from leading manufacturers. In other words you’re not likely to escape this wave of technology if you buy a new phone or laptop in the near future.
I burnt one of my fingertips (fingerprint included) beyond recognition in a freak stove-related accident when I was younger. But luckily for me (and others who have similar war-stories) we still (hopefully) have nine fingers left with prints intact. I’m just worried that one of my other fingers will get chopped of by a mugger when word of this technology hits the streets.
The Eikon fingerprint reader works with Internet Explorer and Firefox, and is compatible with both Windows XP and Vista. It goes for $39 (roughly R300).
Related post: Your finger or your life!
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BIOMETRICS: Finger scanning could replace keys, bank cards & passwords
Finger scanning technologies have been a focal point of futuristic films such as Minority Report for years, yet they are currently finding their ‘footing’ in the real world. In fact they are likely to become an integral part of people’s everyday lives just as keys, bank cards and passwords are today.
A recent example of a finger-scanning technology is a cash machine developed by Hitachi in Japan, which uses a biometric security system that allows users to pay by simply having their finger scanned. The system scans and identifies the user’s veins on their finger – serving as a regular credit or ATM card.
Hitachi plans to launch an experiment in September this year to see whether it is commercially viable to introduce the system to banks, shops and other businesses. However, related technology is already being used by Japanese banking giants such as Mitsubishi to identify clients.
Fingerprint Reader
Biometric cash machine
Today such technologies can be found in police stations, high-security buildings and on PC keyboards. The pros and plentiful – such as not having to carry around credit cards, memorize PIN numbers and access codes, and being freed from the anxiety of losing one’s digitized identity as a consumer (it’s not exactly easy to lose one’s fingerprint). However, several cons exist too: instead of being asked for “your money or your life” you might now be faced with having to give up a finger instead!
Movies have already illustrated this worst case scenario (i.e. using a severed hand or finger to get past a scanner security system), yet technological innovations are finding ways to equip machines with heat and pulse detectors to verify whether a finger is in fact alive or not. However, all is not cream and cake; such systems can still be fooled by the more skillful criminal making use of gelatin or print molds of a real finger.
Although the pros seem to outweigh the cons when it comes to unleashing finger-scanning technologies on a mass scale, one can understand the anxieties of the everyday consumer. What it basically boils down to is that if “somebody steals your fingerprints, you’re pretty much out of luck for the rest of your life”.
Related post: The Power of Thumb
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0.023106 | <urn:uuid:5717d5bf-5a1a-4b99-bdeb-d552d304ea77> | en | 0.862901 | Rick Santorum thinks he`s Nelson Mandela, and Obamacare is apartheid
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“Mandela stood up against a great injustice… we have a great injustice going on right now in this country.”
Mrs. Brit Hume`s horrible Obamacare dilemma
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Mrs. Hume is blaming her doctors’ refusal to accept ACA plans on the program itself, when it’s her doctors’ call.
Video: CNN employee`s own mistake crashed Obamacare Web page
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CNN’s “expert” decided, bizarrely, to refresh the Obamacare Web page while his application was being processed.
Halle-freaking-lujah, the Obamacare Web site makeover ROCKS
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3 clicks and you can see every plan, in detail, and its price. No account creation necessary. Simply Brilliant.
“Texas’ Other Death Penalty“
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A look at health care in America.
Why is the ACA (Obamacare) so complicated?
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The only customers that Obama, Messina and Baucus listened to were doctors, hospitals and drug companies.
She`s cutting premiums 23% with Obamacare. Want proof? Here you go
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She’s saving $100 on health insurance premiums because of Obamacare, but was told “you lie!” Here’s the proof.
During the worst of Hurricane Katrina, George Bush celebrated John McCain's birthday in California, Aug. 29, 2005.
The Obamacare Web site is not Obama`s Katrina
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I can haz Obamacare
I can haz Obamacare: My premiums are going down 23%, $100/month
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I’m going to save over $100 per month in my health insurance premiums, nearly 25%, with Obamacare.
President Obama announces and administration move to permit insurance companies to continue previously-cancelled health care plans for an additional year.
BREAKING: Obama to permit 1 year delay in health insurance cancellations
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Obama’s smart move effectively pulls the rug out from under GOP, and Dem, efforts to undercut the law.
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0.043515 | <urn:uuid:f5ca9500-b6bf-461c-86c3-bdde4fd006bd> | en | 0.967954 | You are here: Home>Collections>Gir
Threat to conservation: Lion bone trade on rise
TNN Jun 25, 2013, 06.44AM IST
AHMEDABAD: The international market value of lion bones range between $ 300 and $ 500 for every kilogram. The bones are used in China for traditional Chinese medicines. Lion bones are being used as substitutes for tiger bone potions, finds Empower Foundation, a Mumbai based NGO working on Sanjay Gandhi National Park's man-animal conflict.
In 2007, eight lions were killed in Gir by poachers from MP. Investigations carried out by CID (Crime) officials had concluded with the arrest of several poachers including Sarkas Lal, leader of this poachers' gang.
In that case too, CID officials had concluded that the lion bones were passed off as tiger bones and were smuggled to China for "medicinal purposes."
The report submitted to the government stated that South Africa has been supplying a considerable volume of lion bones to mainly Laos, Vietnam and China. A warning against such trade has been issued by LionAid, an organisation which is into lion conservation. LionAid has warned that such trade could well stimulate a demand that would increasingly involve poaching of lions.
The South African trade involves lion breeders, canned lion hunters and taxidermists. The value of a lion skeleton could therefore be in excess of $10,000. "In China, lion bones are soaked for a variable period in rice wine, whereas in Laos and Vietnam, the bones are made into a paste with added ingredients like herbs. The paste is then dissolved in rice wine. Such bone tonics are used to treat a variety of ailments. Bones from wild lions are considered more efficacious than those bred in captivity. In South Africa, Vietnamese and Thai nationals have been arrested at O R Tambo International Airport with illegal lion bones in their luggage, but levels of the illegal trade are considered much higher than such occasional seizures suggest.
The report stated that lion carcasses should now be treated with the same degree of suspicion. As per LionAid, in India, all carcasses of tigers are considered poaching incidents and same treatment has to be given to lion carcasses. | http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-25/flora-fauna/40184311_1_lion-skeleton-lion-bones-lion-conservation | dclm-gs1-147710002 | false | false | {
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0.095128 | <urn:uuid:e84f3e50-98b5-4c8b-81a1-c0b0dcbb8b27> | en | 0.836887 | Tell me more ×
I want to convert the audio track of a MKV file to HE-AAC (AAC+/AACplus). The audio track is AC3. But there seems no GUI for HE-AAC encoding? I only found out there is a Command Line Tool (CLI) from Nero, but I don't know if this can do HE-AAC.
Any help? Any recommendation for a GUI that can convert AC3 to HE-AAC? Also should be able to handle surround sound (5.1/6-channels).
share|improve this question
To answer your other question: The Nero AAC encoder only accepts WAV as input format. Please use comments for interaction, not answers. – LiveWireBT Sep 9 '12 at 14:59
I have updated my answer with a new command line that uses avconv for input format conversion. – LiveWireBT Sep 10 '12 at 23:45
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1 Answer
Nero AAC Encoder usage
neroAacEnc does support HE-AAC and HE-AAC v2 via -he and -hev2 parameters.
This encoder is (still?) considered to be the best encoder quality wise. Nero offers it free of charge but doesn't give support for it. One problem you will encounter with large files like 5.1 WAV is the file size limitation. It is not due to this encoder being crippleware, but how to handle large numbers in a program. To workaround this you need to pipe the input with another program to the encoder and use the -ignorelength parameter. If you input format is already WAV the following should work:
cat $myfile | neroAacEnc -q 0.5 -he -ignorelength -if - -of $myencodedfile
You can also use avconv (formerly known as ffmpeg, now forked and with the CLI tool being renamed) to do the conversion to WAV.
avconv -i $myfile -f wav - | neroAacEnc -q 0.3 -he -ignorelength -if - -of $myencodedfile
Note that the resulting file is a MP4 with a AAC stream in a MP4 container, not a raw AAC stream. You can extract the raw stream with MP4Box from the gpac package if you want to.
Nero AAC quality setting
The quality setting depends on the profile you use. With LC-AAC you can go up to -q 1.0. HE-ACC is limited to -q 0.5, I think, and HE-AAC v2 even lower. This is due the techniques behind those profiles that are centered around low bitrates. Using -q 0.5 will result in a file larger than common AC3 6ch audio from a DVD, using -q 0.3 will cut the file size in half.
Advice for codec and quality choice on multichannel audio
The situation is (still?) really messy, which is why there exist no easy to use GUI like Handbrake. The most efficient codec is HE-AAC v2 but it is not well supported in Ubuntu, due to licensing/patent issues in some countries. Vorbis is good too, but less efficient. Multichannel mapping should be fixed in the latest LTS release (12.04, it wasn't in 10.04). Leaving out MP3, AC3 comes in third place. FLAC is 4th on efficiency and the most supported lossless format. DTS is a complete looser and should be also left out, like MP3. Convert to FLAC if you can.
So if you have AC3 encoded audio, you probably leave it at that if the device and container format supports it. The chart for supported media formats on Android might be helpful.
Appendix: neroAacEnc help file
<input-file> : Path to source file to encode.
Specify - to encode from stdin.
Note that multiple input files can be specified, they will be
encoded together into a single output file with chapter marks
indicating source file divisions.
<output-file> : Path to output file to encode to, in MP4 format.
==== Available options: ====
Quality/bitrate control:
-q <number> : Enables "target quality" mode.
-br <number> : Specifies "target bitrate" mode.
<number> is target bitrate in bits per second.
-cbr <number> : Specifies "target bitrate (streaming)" mode.
<number> is target bitrate in bits per second.
When neither of above quality/bitrate options is used,
the encoder defaults to equivalent of -q 0.5
Multipass encoding:
-2pass : Enables two-pass encoding mode.
Note that two-pass more requires a physical file as input,
rather than stdin.
-2passperiod : Overrides two-pass encoding bitrate averaging period,
<number> : in milliseconds.
: Specify zero to use least restrictive value possible (default).
Advanced features / troubleshooting:
-lc : Forces use of LC AAC profile (HE features disabled).
-he : Forces use of HE AAC profile (HEv2 features disabled).
-hev2 : Forces use of HEv2 AAC profile
Note that the above switches (-lc, -he, -hev2) should not be
used; optimal AAC profile is automatically determined from
quality/bitrate settings when no override is specified.
-ignorelength : Ignores length signaled by WAV headers of input file.
Useful for certain frontends using stdin.
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Your Answer
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0.031533 | <urn:uuid:7d50943b-e175-499b-b3e4-e035b812a12d> | en | 0.990035 | Dawn Breaks in England
The reformation was the result of two significant factors, a revival of learning and the return of the Word of God. While the Bible was the principle cause of the Reformation, without learning, it could not, by itself, have caused the great changes of the Reformation. Without the benefit of learning, the work that Wycliffe began in England would not have had the lasting affect it did. It would have been much like the brief bursts of light that had from time to time shone forth in earlier times; they shone for a little time, only to be crushed out by the darkness that everywhere prevailed. Times, however, were changing, and a new era was beginning.
The greatest scholar of his age was Erasmus. Born in Rotterdam in the middle of the 15th century, his works contributed greatly to the intellectual and ecclesiastical history of 16th century Europe. Although he was a devoted Roman Catholic, his Greek New Testament was widely used by the Reformers and his work greatly influenced the Reformation that resulted in the establishment of Protestantism. So great was his contribution that he has by some at times been referred to as the father of the Reformation. However, Erasmus lacked that distinguishing quality of character that was so necessary in the lives of the Reformers; that of courage.
About the end of the fifteenth century, the learning that was taking place in Florence, Italy, began to make its way to England. Caxton imported printing from Germany, and the dawn began to break more fully over England.
While learning was reviving, Henry VII, the first of the Tudor kings, succeeded to the throne, starting a new dynasty. Henry asked the hand of Catherine of Aragon for his oldest son, Arthur. Catherine was the daughter of Ferdinand, the king of Spain, and was the richest princess in Europe. The marriage of the Catholic Catherine to Arthur, however, was an ill-fated marriage, and one that was to change the course of not only English History, but also of Europe.
Henry VII
A short time after the marriage, in the early part of 1502, Prince Arthur died. As soon as it become evident that Catherine would not become a mother, Arthur’s younger brother, Henry, was declared to be heir to the crown.
A difficult question now surfaced. Henry VII had received from Spain, two hundred gold ducats as a dowry for Catherine. With her husband dead, having left her without a son, the question was raised as to whether Henry would be obliged to return the dowry. To this misfortune, was added the very distinct possibility that such a rich heiress might marry a rival of England. In order to avoid this, Henry decided to unite her with his second son, and heir apparent to the throne. There were, however, serious objections raised. Archbishop Warham, the primate, opposed the marriage and pointed out that according to Scripture, it was not proper for a man to marry his brother’s wife. (See Leviticus 20:21.)
As a solution to this dilemma, a special dispensation was sought from the pope. In December, 1503, Julius II issued a formal written statement declaring that for the sake of preserving union between the Catholic princes, Catherine was authorized to marry the brother of her first husband. The two parties were engaged, though the marriage was delayed because of Prince Henry’s youth.
Soon after the engagement, the king, who had earlier lost his queen, became ill. The thought presented itself to his mind that perhaps these misfortunes were judgments from God and he began to have second thoughts about the proposed marriage. Many people were still unhappy about the idea of the young prince marrying his brother’s wife and questioned the right of the pope to authorize something forbidden by God. Young Henry, learning of his father’s change of mind and taking advantage of the popular feeling that was running high, declared he would never marry Catherine.
However, on May 9, 1509, Henry VII died and the Prince of Wales became Henry VIII. Seven weeks later he married Catherine.
Catherine of Aragon
During the Middle Ages, the orders of the church had come above the law. A member of a religious order could commit any crime but could be tried only by the church. Parliament, seeking to correct this abuse and to check the growing power of the church in England, in 1513 passed a law that subjected any ecclesiastic accused of theft or murder should to trial before a secular court. In reality, the law changed very little, as exceptions were made that exempt bishops, priests, and deacons, essentially exempting nearly all clergy of the church. This however, failed to satisfy the church, and a long train of priests, led by Cardinal Wolsey, sought an audience with the king. With hands uplifted, Wolsey protested that it was a violation of God’s laws for a church clerk to be tried outside the jurisdiction of the Church.
Henry, clearly saw that to put the clergy above the law was to put them over the throne, and he replied that it was by the will of God that the kings who reigned in England were kings. Furthermore, the kings of England in time past had recognized no superior, other than God. He therefore, affirmed the right of the crown above that of the church.
Baffled in their attacks on Parliament, the priests sought others on which to vent their fury. There were still many Lollards in England, as the followers of Wycliffe were called, and a persecution now broke out against them.
At this time, Erasmus was in visiting England and next to the heretics, the priests most dreaded and hated the scholars. Of all the scholars in England the man they hated most was Erasmus. Not only was he the head of the scholars in England, but he also had great influence at court. He must, they determined, be driven out of England.
Erasmus, sensing the brewing storm, quickly left England and returned to the Continent where he immediately set about to complete his work on the Greek New Testament. When he published his finished work, he little realized the impact it would have on the world. When some of his friends questioned the wisdom of the work he had set himself to accomplish, he replied: “ ‘If the ship of the church is to be saved from being swallowed up by the tempest, there is only one anchor that can save it: it is the heavenly Word, which issuing from the Father, lives, speaks, and works still in the gospel. . .’ Erasmus, like Caiaphas, prophesied without being aware of it.” D’Aubigne, History of the Reformation, book 18, chap. 1
The clergy were horrified. They pointed to some passages where the differences were most glaring and accused Erasmus of trying to place himself above Saint Jerome in seeking to correct the Latin Vulgate. “Look here! This book calls upon men to repent, instead of requiring them, as the Vulgate does, to do penance! (Matthew 4:17)” Ibid.
On none of his works had Erasmus worked so carefully. He had compared all of the best manuscripts. He had corrected many obscurities and errors found in the Vulgate and had even placed in his version a list of the errors he had found. Nothing else went as far to prepare the way for the Reformation as the Bible being restored in its purity.
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0.126061 | <urn:uuid:73fa18c3-d57b-4b1d-97ab-67c5466a8d5d> | en | 0.908469 | Blind Items A-Plenty! Get Out Your Skank Detectors!
Categories: Scandal
Blind gossip items are the theme of this week's column, which is a cavalcade of tawdry yet somehow educational items about the things "who" did to "who else" because "who" never told "whom" that...
Oh, heck, it's a pulsating extravaganza of querulousness.
Filled with lots of whos, whats, whens, wheres, why, and why nots.
Get ready for some tops and bottoms, a smattering of hustler boyfriends, some polite urination on a sitcom star, a lovely bout of breastfeeding a possum, and a whole batch of entitled behavior, which leads to much huffing and puffing when no one recognizes the frustrated star in question--and not because of their surgery either!
In other words, it's a typical day on the funny farm.
A lot of this behavior isn't tawdry at all, actually. It's just the fact that they try to hide it so shamefully!
My Voice Nation Help
I suck at these, but I'm guessing Zooey Deschanel because of the 'quirky' descriptor and Meryl S for the long running actress who beds all co-stars.
...and they think porn stars are "sick" least they're honest.
bethesda topcommenter
This is one of the best ones ever. Love all the Broadway stuff. | http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/2013/02/blind_items_a-p.php | dclm-gs1-147860002 | false | false | {
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0.114767 | <urn:uuid:fdadc04d-89a3-4d12-9ac6-7dc0fd309eea> | en | 0.91748 | Show Us Do Not Tell Us
One covenant of a successful live performance is adherence to the “Show, Don’t Tell” mandate. In its most essential form, that mantra means action has much more value to the human heart than mere listening.
When you show instead of telling, you are allowing the audience to reconcile what you say against what you actually do.
Everyone is full of talk.
Few people are capable of full action.
Anyone can say something; only a special few can take those ethereal words and make them meme something in a concrete world.
Amateur Playwrights love to tell instead of show. They will always choose to have two characters have a telephone conversation instead of putting both characters in the same room to fight it out.
They will tell us the long history of a situation instead of letting that history become our now and unfold in the real time of the theatre.
They will always actively choose to kill a scene with dead narration rather than inspired live action.
You see a lot of telling on television, in the movies and on the live stage — but that doesn’t mean it is correct, dramatic or right — and as audience members you must demand the author does righteous work by showing you a story instead of merely telling you what has already happened.
Lavonne Mueller is a favorite Playwriting teacher of mine during graduate school at Columbia University. She showed us the secret of how she always ends her plays: “End on an action. Always. Leave the audience with a final, active, image they will never forget.” Her example of that demand was the ending of the stage version of “Driving Miss Daisy” where Miss Daisy’s driver slowly and silently feeds her a piece of pie from a fork. There is no dialogue. There is only the two of them — and that unforgettable final semiotic of love in the name of duty is burned into our eyes forever.
I have followed Lavonne’s excellent example ever since and my writing across all arcs and schemas have benefited from her wisdom.
7 Responses
1. That’s a very common mistake, Gordon, and people make it because they see so much of it being performed in live and recorded performance! You create what you’ve seen before — and if you haven’t worked with a non-telling form of showing… then you never know how to identify the mistakes and correct them.
2. Pingback: Camille Paglia Scolds Lady Gaga’s Nattering Vagina | Celebrity Semiotic
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0.840627 | <urn:uuid:b79fe103-a769-4650-a289-a66e93189261> | en | 0.966946 | Should women be allowed to buy Mace and pepper spray over the counter?
Yes, they deserve a fighting chance against an attacker
71% (1436 votes)
No, it could be taken away and used against them
2% (32 votes)
Yes, and they should be able to buy guns over the counter, too
25% (513 votes)
No, the best policy is to turn and run
2% (40 votes)
Total votes: 2021 | http://bostonherald.com/2013/07/should_women_be_allowed_to_buy_mace_and_pepper_spray_over_the_counter | dclm-gs1-147910002 | false | false | {
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0.038223 | <urn:uuid:dc86242f-3a12-45ab-9206-dc33a02c38b9> | en | 0.942528 | Letters to the Editor
Spending is way out of recovery
It would be interesting to note that Sweden was the first country to recover from the Great Depression and is also the most resilient and recovering economy in the current recession. How you ask? In both cases, Sweden practiced straight Keynesian economics. In other words, government spending to stimulate the economy without obsessing about balancing the budget at the time. Their budget was balanced once the economy stabilized. Even with the programs Franklin Roosevelt installed, he held back to keep the budget in balance and recovery was not strong enough. The current administration is holding back and many economists are stating the stimulus is only failing because not enough is spent.
Germany, Great Britain and the US were the next to recover from the Depression by enormous, beyond-the-budget spending. It took impending war to convince the three governments to spend. Sweden did it before war loomed and without defense spending. It wasn’t the war that cured the Depression, it was the spending that stimulated the economy. Don’t confuse the impetus (war) with the action (heavy government spending).
Nancy Silver
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0.027357 | <urn:uuid:e14b22f4-8c91-47bd-ad66-5dc4c4d031f7> | en | 0.923217 | Streaming video to kids in car. The Video.
Really pleased with how well this is working with the N770 tablets and Mediatomb running on EEbuntu. Now going to try Android, iPhone and N95-8GB a streaming clients. Have already got it working with Windows Media Player. Less success on the Linux video players without hacking.
If someone knows how to lock the N770 screen without causing the video to pause and creating a catch-22, let me know.
6 thoughts on “Streaming video to kids in car. The Video.
1. It looks like the N95-8GB can play streaming media in theory but not in any useful way. First the setup, like everything on Symbian, is buried down in some mental 6-deep menu rather than built-in the video player. Second, the N95-8GB uses the braindead RealshitePlayer for video so it cannot play any of the AVIs I have converted to work with the *NOKIA* N770. I also tried an MP4 which should work and it just sat there “processing” for 5 minutes.The resurgence of Maemo inside Nokia makes my heart glad. A good platform using standard tools.
2. Android seems to be a bust. There is a client which can browse the UPnP server but not a renderer which can play the videos.iPhone seems well covered. I’m going to try the PlugPlayer now on that.
3. Dashboard would be awesome. But we have a power-connector in the boot too :-) Will update on iPhone and N95-8GB later. I think the solution to my problem is to move all the conversions from AVI to MP4.
4. Testing Update:* Got the iPhone working perfectly using the pay-for PlugPlayer application and with the videos converted to MP4 using Handbrake.* Have given up on the N95-8GB. This multimedia computer in your pocket bullshit really is a joke Nokia. I bet a fiver the N97 is just as crap doing this.* Android: Andromote can browse the list but tries to download the entire movie before playing it. So giving up there too until something better comes along.I had hoped to use 320×240 MP4 as the default format that works on all of the above mobile devices but for some reason the N770 won’t stream MP4s, it’ll only do AVIs (but will play the MP4 locally off memory card!). I think 2 x N770 + iPhone plus 2x laptops should cover it for the 5 brats in worst case scenario. Will test live over Easter.
5. The Nokia N95-8GB just made me laugh. I forgot that I’d left it “processing” when I tried to stream a video. Suddenly 30 minutes later, it started playing. So it had downloaded all 230MB of the movie first. FFS Nokia.
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0.068197 | <urn:uuid:b69ea6ba-2530-47fb-a828-20d3101c6235> | en | 0.877929 | Oracle7 Server Distributed Systems Manual, Vol. 1 Go to Product Documentation Library
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Network Administration
This chapter introduces networking concepts and terminology that anyone planning to implement a distributed system must be familiar with. It also discusses the tasks that network administrators must perform to set up client-server systems and integrate Oracle's network products into a distributed system.
For related information of interest to DBAs, see Chapter 4, "Database Administration". Chapter 3, "Network Administration Tools", provides an introduction to Oracle's network administration tools.
It is assumed that you have read and are familiar with the concepts and terms in Chapter 1, "Understanding Distributed Systems", and in Understanding SQL*Net.
Note: This chapter is not intended to be a step-by-step guide to implementing networked distributed systems. References in most sections are provided to the relevant Oracle Network Products and Oracle7 Server documentation which does contain step-by-step instructions and detailed reference material.
Oracle's Network Products
Oracle's Network Products provide all the tools necessary and an ideal architecture with which to implement client-server, server-to-server, and distributed systems. This section describes the Oracle's Network Products and how they work together to provide the basis for distributed systems.
Oracle's Network Products Architecture
Oracle's Network Products architecture enables integration with most network services, including the transport, naming, and security services provided at the network level. User applications are insulated from these encapsulated services so programmers need not write special code to take advantage of them.
This architecture insures that user code developed in one network environment can be redeployed in a different network environment, without the need for changes. This flexibility provides you with the freedom to adopt any type of new computing or networking platform (or integrate existing systems) without regard to connectivity issues at the user or application level.
SQL*Net uses the communication protocols or application program interfaces (APIs) supported by a wide range of networks to provide for a distributed Oracle7 system. A communications protocol is a set of standards, implemented in software, that govern the transmission of data across a network. An API is a set of program functions or calls that allow an application to make use of, or communicate with, an underlying program or system. In the case of networks, the API provides the means to establish remote process-to-process communication over a communication protocol
SQL*Net's networking products transparently integrate disparate clients, servers, and gateways into a unified information resource, using any combination of industry-standard or proprietary network protocols.
Additional Information: See Understanding SQL*Net for more detailed conceptual information about SQL*Net.
MultiProtocol Interchange
A MultiProtocol Interchange is a node that acts as a translator of communication protocols using protocol adaptors. SQL*Net version 2 works with the MultiProtocol Interchange to allow clients and servers to communicate transparently across networks running dissimilar protocols. A single node anywhere on the network that is loaded with two or more protocol stacks and a MultiProtocol Interchange enables all nodes on the attached networks to transparently connect to services on the other side of the Interchange. The MultiProtocol Interchange is discussed in more detail [*].
SQL*Net's layered architecture, shown in Figure 2 - 1, allows standard applications to run transparently over any type of network by simply using the appropriate Oracle Protocol Adapter.
Figure 2 - 1. Oracle's Network Products Architecture
Other Services
Oracle's Network Products include several services that are critical for managing large-scale distributed environments, such as an enterprise-wide distributed naming service--Oracle Names.
Also provided are Native Naming Adapters for use with existing name services such as NIS (Network Information Services), DCE's CDS (Distributed Computing Environment's Cell Directory Service), Novell's NDS (NetWare Directory Services), and Banyan's StreetTalk.
These naming adapters enable customers to integrate Oracle into their existing naming environment, while preserving their existing network infrastructure.
A centralized configuration management facility--Oracle Network Manager--provides both a topological and hierarchical view of the network, enabling administrators to easily configure services, such as databases and name servers in the network.
Where network security is required, the optional Secure Network Services product adds full data-stream encryption and integrity checking to SQL*Net. Included with Secure Network Services version 2.0 are authentication adapters such as Kerberos V5, which allow users who have the appropriate credentials to automatically and securely access any Oracle application or server without specifying a user name or password.
Oracle Network Products and Distributed Systems
In today's highly distributed information systems, networking is one of the most important architectural components. This section describes some of the ways that Oracle network products can be implemented to create an efficient distributed system.
Transparency in a Distributed System
The functionality of a distributed system must be provided in such a manner that the underlying complexities of the system are transparent to both users and administrators. A network implementation in a distributed system must be able to deliver:
Network Transparency
SQL*Net's layered architecture allows standard applications to run transparently over many types of protocols by simply using the appropriate Oracle Protocol Adapter. Thus, Oracle applications developed with a local database can be distributed across a network to access the same, or a similarly formatted, Oracle database with no changes to the application.
SQL*Net is responsible for forwarding application requests for data from an Oracle client or server to a server and returning the results to the initiator of the query. From the application developer's or application user's perspective, all data interaction using SQL*Net is invisible to the application and user.
Additionally, it is possible to change the network structure beneath the application without changing the application. This capability is known as network transparency.
Figure 2 - 2 illustrates a possible distributed systems scenario.
Figure 2 - 2. Possible Distributed Systems Scenario
Location Transparency: Database Links, Synonyms, and Service Names
Oracle7 server provides the means to make data objects such as tables in remote databases look to an application developer or user of that data object like they are in the local database. This is called location transparency. The database link and synonym allow the database in which they are created to identify a remote data object and make the location transparent. Establishing and maintaining location transparency is a joint function of the network administrator and the DBA. The network administrator is typically responsible for database links which are discussed later in this chapter, while views, synonyms and other forms of transparency are the responsibility of the DBA. They are discussed[*], "Database Administration".
Location transparency removes all need for references to the location of the data from applications when the synonym is used. Should the location of the remote table be moved to another machine or database, only the synonym and database link need be updated to reference the new location. No changes to applications are required.
If the database link connection is specified as a service name (or symbolic name) in the network configuration file (TNSNAMES.ORA), the database links accessing the data do not have to be changed if the remote database is moved. The only update required is to the TNSNAMES.ORA file. Similarly, if Oracle Names is used, only the central network definition needs to be changed.
TNSNAMES.ORA, and other configuration files are created using Oracle Network Manager. The configuration files are described in Appendix A of Understanding SQL*Net. For detailed instructions on creating the network definition and the configuration files for SQL*Net and other Oracle networking products, see the Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide.
Application Transparency
Another benefit of SQL*Net's encapsulated network architecture is that client-server applications can be built on one class of system and deployed on another. An application system back-end developed on a PC server can, for example, be redeployed on a large minicomputer server without the end-users needing to know that the location of the application has changed.
This flexibility means that server systems can be selected for current requirements, rather than for some large future need. Likewise, a system developed on a mainframe can be moved down to smaller, more cost-effective servers without reworking any of the code. This flexibility also allows exactly the same application code that is running on a large, central processor complex to be run on small, workgroup servers on remote PC LANs.
SQL*Net and Network Environment Independence
Just as SQL*Net connects clients and servers that operate on different nodes on a network, it also connects database servers across networks to facilitate distributed transactions. For example, when an application requests data from a remote database, the local database server communicates with the remote database through the network, using network communications software and Oracle's SQL*Net.
SQL*Net's advantage is that it runs on most networks. The particular type of network protocol, brand, or topology does not matter. In fact, it is feasible for a distributed system implemented using SQL*Net to work over different types of communication networks simultaneously.
Media/Topology Independence
SQL*Net supports most third-party network software packages, which in turn, support a wide variety of network hardware devices. On some platforms, a single Oracle Protocol Adapter can operate on hundreds of different network interface cards. This compatibility allows you to deploy applications in virtually any network environment, including Ethernet, Token-Ring, FDDI (Fiber Distributed Data Interface), ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode), wireless, and others.
When a request for a connection is made successfully, SQL*Net passes control of the connection to the underlying protocol. At that point, all media and/or topologies supported by the underlying network protocol are indirectly inherited by SQL*Net. SQL*Net allows the network protocol to use any means of data transmission, such as Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, or SDLC, to accomplish the low-level data link transmission between the two computers.
In addition, because SQL*Net connects to the network infrastructure through standard, high-level protocols, it also works with network components at lower levels such as bridges, routers, gateways, and packet switches.
Protocol Independence
SQL*Net provides protocol independence to its applications. Any application built on any computer running any protocol can be distributed without change to other computers running other protocols. An application using SQL*Net can run over any network protocol. SQL*Net's architecture provides the industry's broadest support for network transport protocols, including TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol), Novell SPX/IPX (Sequenced Packet Exchange/Internet Packet Exchange), IBM LU6.2, DECnet, OSI, and others.
In addition to supporting different protocols, SQL*Net also supports many vendor's protocol stacks, eliminating the need to purchase and install additional protocol support hardware or software. Without changing your existing infrastructure, you can transparently connect any combination of PC, UNIX, legacy, and other systems, using the network software you already have.
Any connection that works reliably at the protocol level will work with, and be transparent to SQL*Net, regardless of the number of physical connections and transformations the packets go through between the two machines.
When connectivity is required between different high-level protocols, such as from SPX/IPX to TCP/IP, the Oracle MultiProtocol Interchange can provide automatic protocol conversion, a task that cannot be performed at lower levels in the network stack. This means that networks running different protocols can communicate with each other.
The MultiProtocol Interchange
Oracle's client-server and server-to-server models provide connectivity across multiple network protocols.
Data Access Across Transfer Protocols
Oracle's MultiProtocol Interchange can be used with SQL*Net to enable transparent data access across protocols, allowing a client using one protocol to communicate with a server using a different protocol. This way, clients and servers running different network protocols can communicate using only their native protocols. This eliminates the need to purchase and maintain multiple protocol stacks.
All of the advanced Oracle7 capabilities, such as basic replication, the advanced replication option, stored procedure calls, and automatic transaction recovery mechanisms, can operate transparently across any number of protocol boundaries.
Multiple Interchanges can be combined to provide multistage protocol conversion, all transparent to programmers and users alike. Applications simply ask for services by name, and SQL*Net automatically calculates the most efficient route to take through the network and establishes the connection.
When the network topology changes, such as when a new server is added to the network, users and applications are completely unaware of the change, because SQL*Net transparently calculates a new route automatically at request time. Where there are multiple possible routes, SQL*Net will use the most efficient route based on high-level weighting provided by the network administrator.
This product is described in detail in the Oracle MultiProtocol Interchange Administrator's Guide. For information on configuring the MultiProtocol Interchange, see the Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide.
MultiProtocol Interchanges in the Client-Server Configuration
With SQL*Net version 2, the client and server can belong to different communities connected by one or more MultiProtocol Interchange(s). A community is a group of computers that can communicate using the same transport level protocol, such as TCP/IP. That is, computers that use the same protocol are members of the same community.
For example, a MultiProtocol Interchange can be installed on a node that is loaded with two protocol stacks, TCP/IP and DECnet. Then, it can enable a network running TCP/IP to communicate with a network running DECnet. The result is a higher-level application network in which any two applications can communicate. Using an Interchange as an intermediary, applications on the client and server machines can communicate even though they are using different protocols. Any data exchanged in the client-server applications is forwarded through the Interchanges along the path.
Figure 2 - 3 shows a connection between a client (protocol A) and a server (protocol B) in adjacent communities. A MultiProtocol Interchange joins the two networks. SQL*Net and an Oracle Protocol Adapter specific to Protocol A are installed on the client while SQL*Net and an Oracle Protocol Adapter specific to Protocol B are installed on the database server. The Interchange has adapters for both Protocol A and Protocol B. In a sense, it is bilingual (or poly-lingual). When communication is requested between the two communities, the MultiProtocol Interchange translates between the two protocols.
Figure 2 - 3. Heterogeneous Networking with a Client-Server Connection
MultiProtocol Interchanges in the Server-to-Server Configuration
In a server-to-server configuration, this same heterogeneous network capability is extended to include database-to-database communications. Two types of server-to-server connections are possible using SQL*Net:
Figure 2 - 4. Heterogeneous Networking in a Distributed Database Transaction
The example in Figure 2 - 4 shows both types of connections.
In this example, Server 1 is a member of two communities, Community A and Community B. A client application in Community A accesses the database server (Server 1) within the same community. Server 1 determines that the transaction must be distributed further to retrieve data from tables in Server 2 and Server 3. Server 1 initiates a connection to Server 2 in Community B to which Server 1 also belongs. Server 1 also initiates a connection to Server 3 through the MultiProtocol Interchange installed between Community B and Community C.
Server 1 does not have to use an MultiProtocol Interchange to initiate an additional request for data from Community B since it belongs to both Community A and Community B, but it must use an Interchange to access a server in Community C.
Note that using the Interchange imposes no new restrictions on a SQL*Net connection. If used in a client-server connection, clients have a standard peer-to-peer connection between the client and server although they are in different communities.
Similarly, if a server initiates a connection with another server through an Interchange using a database link, the standard database link restrictions apply.
SQL*Net Version 2 Architecture
This section provides a more detailed discussion of SQL*Net and the role it plays in distributed systems.
SQL*Net version 2 uses the Transparent Network Substrate (TNS) and industry-standard network protocols to connect a client to a server and establish an Oracle session.
The next few sections describes the following architectural concepts:
Transparent Network Substrate (TNS)
Forming the basis for Oracle networking products, the Transparent Network Substrate (TNS) enables Oracle to provide a network of applications above all existing networks of computers. With TNS, peer-to-peer application connectivity is possible where no direct machine-level connectivity exists. Peer-to-peer is an architecture in which two or more nodes can communicate with each other directly, without the need for any intermediary devices. In a peer-to-peer system, a node can be both a client and a server.
TNS provides two key features to a TNS-based network product and, in turn, any application built using TNS:
TNS is the foundation component of all current and planned network products from Oracle. Today, TNS networks connect Oracle clients and servers through SQL*Net version 2. In the future, Oracle Corporation will provide additional TNS-based application connectivity tools.
SQL*Net's Communication Role
In a distributed transaction, SQL*Net is responsible for sending information across various networks on behalf of a client application or database server. In such a configuration, there are commonly two types of computers acting as the client and server. Two-Task Common (see page 2 - 14) ensures that all differences between clients and servers, such as internal datatype representations or NLS character sets, are resolved, allowing the client and server to communicate transparently. SQL*Net relays all communication tasks to TNS through its common entry points. SQL*Net is unaffected by the specific communication mechanism used underneath TNS (for example, TCP/IP, DECnet, shared memory, and so on).
Communication between client and server proceeds in a stack-like fashion with corresponding levels communicating in a peer relationship. The logical exchange unit at each layer of the stack conveys the level of generalization employed at that level. The Oracle client and server exchange SQL statements and data rows. At the UPI/OPI (User/Oracle Program Interface) layers, these exchanges translate into series of calls to SQL routines such as logon, parse, execute, and fetch. The SQL*Net layer handles these calls as a series of Oracle send/receive messages, and TNS in turn processes the packets over the network. The network protocol, not provided by Oracle (typically provided with each particular platform by its vendor), guarantees a reliable means of communication between the two tasks.
Figure 2 - 5. Oracle Client-Server Components
SQL*Net in Distributed Processing
SQL*Net is responsible for enabling communications between the cooperating partners in a distributed transaction, either client-server or server-to-server. Specifically, SQL*Net enables clients and servers to connect to each other, send data such as SQL statements and data responses, initiate interrupts from the client or server, and disconnect when the session is complete. During the life of the connection, SQL*Net resolves all differences between the internal data representations and/or character sets of the computers being used.
When a client or server makes a connection request, SQL*Net receives the request. If more than one machine is involved, SQL*Net passes the request to the TNS, to be transmitted over the appropriate communications protocol to the appropriate server. On the server, SQL*Net receives the request from TNS and passes it to the database as a network message with one or more parameters (that is, a SQL statement).
Except for the initial connection, the local and remote applications generate the same requests whether they run on the same computer or are distributed across multiple computers. The initial connection differs only in that the application or user must specify the name of the remote database.
Components Involved in Distributed Processing
Several software components complete a distributed transaction, whether it is a client-server or server-server transaction. Figure 2 - 5 shows the components of a client-server session. These components are described in the following sections.
Client Side Interaction
The following paragraphs discuss the components of the client-server transaction process, beginning with the client application and concluding with the Oracle Server.
Client Application
The client application provides all user-oriented activities, such as character or graphical user display, screen control, data presentation, application flow, and other application specifics. The application identifies any SQL database operations to send to the server database and passes them through the User Program Interface (UPI).
User Program Interface (UPI)
The UPI code that contains all information required to initiate a SQL dialogue between the client and the server. It defines calls to the server to:
The client application uses some combination of these calls to request activity within the server. Often, all UPI calls can be combined into a single message to the server, or they may be processed one at a time through multiple messages to the server, depending on the nature of the client application. Oracle products attempt to minimize the number of messages sent to the server by combining many UPI calls into a single message to the server. When a call is performed, control is passed to SQL*Net to establish the connection or transmit the request to the server.
Two-Task Common
Two-Task Common provides character set and data type conversion between different character sets or formats between client and server. This layer is optimized to perform conversion only when required on a per connection basis.
At the time of initial connection, SQL*Net version 2 is responsible for evaluating differences in internal data and character set representations and determining whether conversions are required for the two computers to communicate.
The role of SQL*Net is to establish and maintain a connection between the client application and the server and exchange messages between them. The network listener receives connection requests for a particular database and passes control to the server.
Transparent Network Substrate (TNS)
TNS receives requests from network applications, in this case SQL*Net, and settles all generic machine-level connectivity issues, such as:
The generic set of TNS functions (open, close, send, receive) passes control to an Oracle Protocol Adapter to make a protocol-specific call.
Additionally, TNS optionally provides encryption and sequenced cryptographic message digests to protect data in transit. See Secure Network Services Administrator's Guide for more information.
Oracle Protocol Adapter
The Oracle Protocol Adapter is responsible for mapping TNS functionality to any industry-standard protocol used in the client-server connection. The adapters are responsible for mapping the equivalent functions between TNS and a specific protocol.
Network-Specific Protocols
All Oracle software in the client-server connection process requires an existing network protocol stack to make the machine-level connection between the two machines. The network protocol is responsible only for getting the data from the client machine to the server machine, at which point the data is passed to the server-side Oracle Protocol Adapter.
Server-Side Interaction
Going up the process stack on the server side is the reverse of what occurred on the way down the client side. See the right side of Figure 2 - 5.
The one operation unique to the server side is the act of receiving the initial connection. The server has a process (the network listener) that regularly checks for incoming connections and evaluates their destination.
The network listener is a process on a server that listens for connection requests for one or more databases on one or more protocols. It is discussed in "SQL*Net and the Network Listener" [*]. Based on the Oracle Server ID (SID) specified, the connection is passed to the Oracle Server.
The components above SQL*Net, the OPI and the Oracle Server, are different from those on the client side.
Oracle Program Interface (OPI)
The OPI has a complementary function to that of the UPI. It is responsible for responding to each of the possible messages sent by the UPI. For example, a UPI request to fetch 25 rows would have an OPI response to return the 25 rows once they have been fetched.
Oracle Server
The Oracle Server side of the connection is responsible for receiving dialog requests from the client UPI code and resolving SQL statements on behalf of the client application. Once received, a request is processed and the resulting data is passed to the OPI for responses to be formatted and returned to the client application.
Server-to-Server Interaction
When two servers are communicating to complete a distributed transaction, the process and dialogues are the same as in the client-server scenario, except that there is no client application. See Chapter 5, "Distributed Updates" for more information. The server has its own version of UPI, called NPI. The NPI interface can perform all of the functions that the UPI does for clients, allowing a coordinating server to construct SQL requests for additional servers. Figure 2 - 6 shows a server-to-server connection and all associated layers.
Figure 2 - 6. Oracle Server-Server Components
SQL*Net Operations
SQL*Net provides functions, described in the following sections, that belong to the following classifications:
All the functions work with tools and databases that use SQL*Net for distributed processing, although none of them are visible to the user.
Note: The information contained in the following summary is for the benefit of the network administrator, who needs to understand what role SQL*Net version 2 plays within the network.
Connect Operations
SQL*Net supports two basic connect operations:
Connecting to Servers
The connect operation is initiated during any standard database login between the client application and the server, with information such as the client machine name and user name being passed to the remote machine. This information is required to support externally- identified logins.
A client application initiates a request for a connection to a remote database (or other network service) by providing a short name for its desired destination. That short name, called a service name, is mapped to a network address contained in a connect descriptor stored in the network configuration file TNSNAMES.ORA or in a database for use by Oracle Names. For more information on service names and connect descriptors, see "Global Naming Issues" [*]. See also Understanding SQL*Net.
Note: If the network includes Oracle Names, the service names and associated connect descriptors are stored in a database that is accessed by the Names servers, and the TNSNAMES.ORA file is not needed. Similarly, if a native names adapter (such as NIS) is being used, this information will be stored in the corresponding native name service.
Disconnecting from Servers
Requests to disconnect from the server can be initiated in the following ways:
User-Initiated Disconnect A user can request a disconnection from the server when a client-server transaction completes. A server can also disconnect from a second server when all server-server data transfers have been completed, and no need for the link remains (the simplest case).
Additional Connection Request If a client application is connected to a server and requires access to another user account on the same server or on another server, most Oracle tools will first disconnect the application from the server to which it is currently connected. Once the disconnection is completed, a connection request to the new user account on the appropriate server is initiated.
Abnormal Connection Termination Occasionally, one of the components below SQL*Net will be disconnected or will abort communications and SQL*Net will not be immediately informed.
During the next SQL*Net data operation, the TNS module will recognize the failure and give SQL*Net a notice to clean up client and server operations, effectively disconnecting the current operation.
Timer Initiated Disconnect or Dead Connection Detection (SQL*Net release 2.1 and later only). Dead connection detection (Keep Alive or Dead Man's Handle) is a feature that allows SQL*Net to identify connections that have been left hanging by the abnormal termination of a client. On a connection with Dead Connection Detection enabled, a small probe packet is sent from server to client at a user-defined interval (usually several minutes). If the connection is invalid (usually due to the client process or machine being unreachable), the connection will be closed when an error is generated by the send operation, and the server process will exit.
This feature minimizes the waste of resources by connections that are no longer valid. It also automatically forces a database rollback of uncommitted transactions and locks held by the user of the broken connection.
Data Operations
SQL*Net supports four sets of client-server data operations:
The concept of sending and receiving data between client and server on behalf of the UPI and OPI is relatively straightforward. A SQL dialogue request is forwarded from the UPI using a send request in SQL*Net. On the server side, SQL*Net processes a receive request and passes the data to the database. The opposite occurs in the return trip from the server.
All send and receive requests are synchronous. That is, when the client initiates a request, it waits for the server to respond with the answer. It can then issue an additional request.
SQL*Net version 2 adds the capability to send and receive data requests asynchronously. This capability was added to support the Oracle7 multi-threaded server, which requires asynchronous calls to service incoming requests from multiple clients.
Exception Operations
SQL*Net supports three exception operations:
Of these three operations, only the initiation of a break can be controlled by the user. When the user presses the Interrupt key (Ctrl-c on some machines), the application calls this function. Additionally, the database can initiate a break to the client if an abnormal operation occurs, such as during an attempt to load a row of invalid data using SQL*Loader.
The other two exception operations are internal to some products using SQL*Net to resolve network timing issues. SQL*Net can initiate a test of the communication channel, for example, to see if new data has arrived. The reset function is used to resolve abnormal states, such as getting the connection back in synchronization after a break operation has occurred.
SQL*Net and the Network Listener
TNS includes a protocol independent application listener that receives connections on behalf of any TNS application, over any underlying protocol. Referred to as a network listener, it runs as a single process or task and can service the needs of all TNS applications over all protocols available on a machine.
Network Listener and Native Listeners
The network listener is available for all standard transport protocols supported by TNS. In addition, there are protocols that have application generic listeners or connection acceptance methods, such as DECnet and APPC/LU6.2, that may receive TNS connections.
Additional Information: For information on SQL*Net version 2 connections with a native connection acceptance method, see the Oracle operating system-specific documentation for that protocol and platform.
SQL*Net and the Network Listener
SQL*Net version 2, as a TNS-based product, uses the network listener on a server to receive incoming connections from SQL*Net clients. The network listener listens for SQL*Net connections on a specific port or socket, which is defined in the ADDRESS portion of the connect descriptor.
Prestarted Dedicated Server Processes
SQL*Net release 2.1 and later provides the option of automatically creating dedicated server processes. With this option, when the listener starts, it creates Oracle server processes which are then available to service incoming connection requests. These processes may last for the life of the listener, and they can be reused by subsequent connection requests.
Note: Prespawned dedicated servers requires SQL*Net release 2.1 or later, and requires Oracle7 Server release 7.1 or later.
Prestarted dedicated server processes reduce connect time by eliminating the need to create a dedicated server process for each new connection request as it comes to the listener. They also provide better use of allocated memory and system resources by recycling server processes for use by other connections without having to shut down and recreate a server. The use of prestarted dedicated server processes is particularly useful in systems where the Oracle7 Multi-Threaded Server is unsupported, or where the creation of a new server process is slow and resource-intensive.
Figure 2 - 7 shows the role of the network listener in a SQL*Net connection to a server connected to two communities.
Figure 2 - 7. Network Listener in SQL*Net Connection
The steps involved in establishing a connection (as shown in Figure 2 - 7) are:
Step 1. A connection request is made by any client in the TNS network and arrives through one of the communities to which the listener is attached.
Step 2. The network listener identifies that a connection request has arrived in one of its communities.
Step 3. a. The network listener spawns a dedicated server process and passes control of the incoming connection to it, or, b. the address of a shared dispatcher process (multi-threaded server) is provided, and the incoming connection is directed to it, or, c. the incoming connection is redirected to one of the prespawned dedicated server processes.
At the completion of a connection, the network listener continues to listen for additional incoming connections.
How SQL*Net Establishes Connections to a Prespawned Dedicated Server
Prestarted (commonly referred to as "prespawned") Oracle7 Servers are server processes that are pre-started by the Listener before any incoming connection request. They improve the time it takes to establish a connection on servers where the Multi-Threaded Server is not used or not supported on a given machine. Their use in a heavily loaded distributed system can be beneficial.
The following parameters must be specified for each SID to be prespawned and are located in their respective SID_DESC in the LISTENER.ORA file. They control how the server is spawned.
The maximum number of prespawned servers the listener creates. This value should be a large number and at least the sum of the POOL_SIZE for each protocol.
The number of unused prespawned server processes for the listener to maintain on the selected protocol. The number must be greater than zero, but no larger than the PRESPAWN_MAX value. Set this value to the average expected number of connections at any given time.
The time that an inactive server process should wait for the next connection before it shuts down. This parameter is used to prevent server processes from being immediately shut down after a client disconnects. For greatest efficiency, provide a short time value for this parameter.
An additional feature of prespawned servers is the ability to set specific parameters for each SID. Thus, systems with heavy use can be tailored to accommodate the larger number of connection requests by setting PRESPAWNED_MAX and POOL_SIZE to large values. Similarly, when systems require mostly shared connections, the number of prestarted servers can be set to a low value.
Following is the sequence of events that occur when you are using prestarted servers to service client connection requests.
The above sequence of events continues until the PRESPAWN_MAX is reached, at which point the listener will cease spawning new servers.
When clients disconnect, the prespawned server associated with the client is returned to the idle pool. If then waits the length of time defined in the TIMEOUT parameter to be assigned to another client. If no client is handed to the pre-spawned server before TIMEOUT expires, the pre-spawned server shuts itself down.
See the Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide for more information.
How SQL*Net Establishes Connections to a Multi-Threaded Server
A multi-threaded server enables many clients to connect to the same server without the need for dedicated server processes for each client. Using the Multi-Threaded Server enables you to minimize the memory and processing resources needed on the server side as the number of connections to the database increases.
The sequence of events that occurs with the Oracle7 multi-threaded server can occur in two stages:
What Happens When an MTS and Listener are Started
During initial startup of the Oracle7 multi-threaded server and the listener, the following sequence occurs:
Note: A wildcard listen is where the server process listens, but informs the underlying protocol stack (or operating system in the case of the IPC Protocol Adapter) that it has no preference as to what address it listens for other than specifying the protocol on which it wishes to perform the operation. As a result, many operating systems will choose a free listening address and automatically assign this to the requesting server process.
Note: If step 2 is performed before step 1, the dispatchers will be unable to contact the listener in step 3. If this occurs, each dispatcher loops and attempts to reconnect to the listener every 60 seconds. Meanwhile, incoming connection requests will be handled through other means (prespawned dedicated or newly-spawned dedicated server processes).
The listener and the Oracle7 multi-threaded server should be ready for incoming connections, at this point. You can check which dispatchers have registered with the Listener by typing
lsnrctl services listener_name
How a Multi-Threaded Server Connection Request is Handled
The following is how a multi-threaded server connection request is handled:
When an Oracle7 Server has been configured as a multi-threaded server, incoming connections are always routed to the dispatcher unless the connection request specifically requests a dedicated server (by having SERVER=DEDICATED in the CONNECT_DATA portion of the connect descriptor) or no dispatchers are available.
Global Naming Issues
The following sections explain Oracle's naming scheme and how references to network objects are resolved within a distributed system.
Global Database Names (Service Names)
Every database in an Oracle network has a global database name, more commonly referred to as a service name. The global database name uniquely identifies each database in the global network. A global database name typically consists of a database name (DB_NAME) and a hierarchical domain name (DB_DOMAIN).
For example, HR.US.ACME.COM is a global database name for the "HR" database, which is located in the US.ACME.COM domain. From the viewpoint of SQL*Net and Oracle Names, HR.US.ACME.COM is also the service name. The network domain component of a global database name must follow standard Internet conventions. Levels in domain names are separated by dots, and the order of domain names is from leaf to root, left to right.
For example, Figure 2 - 8 illustrates a representative hierarchical arrangement of databases throughout a network and how a global database name is formed.
Note: Do not confuse Oracle global database names with SQL*Net community names. A SQL*Net community is a group of machines and network services that communicate using the same protocol. A global database name consists of a database name and a domain name. Domains only exist for naming and administrative purposes, and have no functional relationship to community names.
Figure 2 - 8. Network Directories and Global Database Names
Notice that throughout the network there are several databases with the same name (such as SALES). However, also notice that each database has a unique global database name because of its location within the network domain structure. From left to right, global database names are as follows:
Because each database has a unique global database name, each database and its objects can be uniquely identified with the objects' global object name. For example, notice that each HQ database contains a table named EMP. However, each EMP table can be uniquely identified with its global object name. In Figure 2 - 8, the global names for the two EMP tables are:
Each local data dictionary in an Oracle distributed system stores object names and names of containing schemas only, not complete global object names. However, because each database can have a unique name within a network, and because each object name is guaranteed to be unique within the scope of a single database; each object in a database in the distributed system has a unique global object name.
Network Domains and Network Naming Services
Figure 2 - 8 illustrated a fictional network domain structure that follows standard Internet conventions. Network domains are similar to the file directories used by many operating systems (such as UNIX). However, unlike file systems, network domains may or may not correspond to any physical arrangement of databases and other structures in a network. Network domains might simply be name spaces. The availability and functionality of a network naming service dictate what is possible.
If Oracle Names servers are available, they can be configured into your network to perform name resolution. For example, Network Manager creates and drops network domains, controls access to network domains, creates and drops network objects (such as databases) within the network structure, and enforces the unique naming of objects within the network.
Oracle's architecture uses network naming services, such as Oracle Names, Network Information Services (NIS), and Domain Name System (DNS). Whether you are using a network naming service, such as Oracle Names or TNSNAMES.ORA name lookup files, to resolve names to addresses, you still need to follow global database naming conventions. Also keep in mind the following:
You can define a database link so that the user accessing remote data connects to the remote database either with the local username and password or an explicitly-specified username and password. In other words, a database link can be defined so that all users of the link connect to the remote database with either a central, explicitly-specified remote account or an implied individual remote accounts.
Local Object Names
In a distributed or non-distributed environment, Oracle guarantees that each database has a unique set of schemas. Within each schema, an object name is unique within its name space. Therefore, each schema object's name is guaranteed to be unique within the context of any given Oracle database, and the local Oracle node easily can resolve any references to objects within the local database. Each local data dictionary stores only the names of local objects (and synonyms), not remote object names.
Database Links
Oracle uses database links to facilitate connections between the individual databases of a distributed system. A database link defines a path to a remote database by uniquely identifying and specifying the location of a remote database.
Note: Remember that a global database link is created automatically for each database defined in Network Manager. However, public and private database links are typically created by users or database administrators.
Database Link Name same as Global Database Name
A database link defines a path to a remote database. The two components of a path are a remote account and a database string. Database links are essentially transparent to users of a distributed system, because the name of a database link is the same as the global name of the database to which the link points. For example, the following statement creates a database link in the local database. The database link named SALES.DIVISION3.ACME.COM describes a path to a remote database of the same name:
At this point, any application or user connected to the local database can access data in the SALES database by using the global object name (SALES.DIVISION3.ACME.COM). The SALES.DIVISION3.ACME.COM database link implicitly facilitates the connection to the SALES database. For example, consider the following remote query that references the remote table SCOTT.EMP in the SALES database:
National Language Support (NLS) and Database Links
When a user session connects to an instance, the values of NLS parameters used by the instance for that user session are defined by the value of the initialization parameter NLS_LANG for that session. This applies to direct and indirect connections.
If the values of the NLS parameters are changed during a session by an ALTER SESSION statement, the changes are automatically propagated to all instances to which the user session is connected, either directly or indirectly. For more information on National Language Support features, see the Oracle7 Server SQL Reference.
Types of Database Links
Oracle uses several types of database links to resolve users' references to global object names:
private database link
Created on behalf of a specific user. A private database link can be used when the owner of the link specifies a global object name in a SQL statement, or in the definition of the owner's views or procedures.
public database link
global database link
Created and managed by a global naming service such as Oracle Names. A global database link can be used when any user of any database in the network specifies a global object name in a SQL statement or object definition.
Public and private database links are stored in the data dictionary of a database. Global database links are not.
Each type of database link has advantages and disadvantages, as compared to the other types. For example, you can maintain tighter security with private than with public or global database links. The use of a private database link is at the discretion of the owner of the link.
Database Links in SQL Statements
The owner of a private database link can use the link in his/her own SQL statements and selectively allow other users to use the private link by creating views, procedures, or synonyms that reference the link in their definitions. Otherwise, there is no way to restrict the use of a public database link selectively (that is, any local user can connect to the remote database specified by the public database link).
Database Links and Security
In a distributed system, application developers and individual users are often allowed to create private database links. However, you must account for the extra security responsibilities required in a distributed system. See page 6 - 11 for more information on security issues to consider when implementing a distributed system.
Database Links and Connection Qualifiers
Connection qualifiers provide a way to have several database links of the same type (for example, public) that point to the same remote database, yet establish those connections using different communications pathways.
A connection qualifier is a method of aliasing a database link to a particular communication pathway (or instance in the case of the Oracle Parallel Server). The connection qualifier is an identifying string appended to the database link name It is preceded by an at sign (@) (for example, emp.scott@HQ.ACME.COM@DBMS1).
For example, you have a database that is connected to the HQ.ACME.COM database DBS2 by an ethernet link and by a slower modem link. You want to access the DBS2 by both communication links allowing higher priority applications to use the faster ethernet link. You could define the following database links:
USING '';
USING '';
Note that in the above examples, the connection qualifiers (@ethernet, @modem) are appended to the database link name. The connection qualifier does not necessarily specify how the connection is to be established; this information is specified by the USING clause.
Based on the connection qualifiers specified above, the following statement would use the ethernet connection to HQ.ACME.COM:
Connection qualifiers can also be defined to use different instances at a node where the remote database is managed by the Oracle Parallel Server.
Additional Information: For more information about database links and connection qualifiers, see the Oracle7 Server SQL Reference and your operating system-specific SQL*Net documentation. Oracle Names can also be used to define database links (except those in a replicated environment). See the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide for more information.
Oracle Names
Oracle Names is a distributed name service that resolves database service names and database links to network addresses, and makes them available to all clients in the network. When Oracle Names servers are used, it is no longer necessary to update every TNSNAMES.ORA file on every client whenever a change is made to an existing server or a new server is added to the network. Oracle Names is configured through Oracle Network Manager, so changes to an environment only need to be made at a single point for them to be available to all clients and servers.
The advantages of using Oracle Names servers are:
For more information on Oracle Names, see the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide.
Automatic Creation of Global Database Links with Network Manager
When you define a network that includes Oracle Names, Network Manager automatically creates a global database link to every database server you define from every other database server in the network. These database links do not reside in the data dictionary, but in the network definition to which the Names servers refer. The default database links created do not initially include a CONNECT TO clause (that is, a username and password), so users reach the linked database using the same usernames and passwords as they use to reach the first database.
Explicitly Defined Database Links
You can edit global database links to include a username and password using Network Manager. When you edit a database, you can specify a single default username and password for the database link. See the Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide for details on how to edit global database links.
Connection Qualifiers
You can also define connection qualifiers to global database links through Network Manager. Connection qualifiers provide a way to create more than one link to a given database. These alternate links are a useful way to access different accounts on the same database with different sets of access privileges. The alternate link created by a connection qualifier must include a reference to a database by its global database name (or service name). See the Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide for details on how to create connection qualifiers using Network Manager.
How SQL*Net Resolves Service Names
When a user types in a service name, SQL*Net resolves it to an address using a variety of mechanisms in the following order:
If all attempts to resolve the name fail, Oracle issues the error message ORA-12154 TNS: could not resolve database name.
How Oracle Names Resolves Service Names
Service names (also called global database names) are translated to addresses in SQL*Net using the following method:
Consider the following example:
SQLPLUS scott/tiger@hr
will connect to the database HR.US.ACME.COM if the client profile contains a default domain of US.ACME.COM.
SQLPLUS scott/
is fully qualified and properly identifies the database HR.US.ACME.COM.
How Oracle Names Resolves Database Links
Similarly, for database links, the database looks at any defined private or public database link definitions and if not fully-qualified, the database domain (the GLOBAL_NAME minus the part preceding the first dot) is tacked on the database name of the link. If no USING clause is specified in the private or public database link definitions, and the database's client profile specifies one or more Oracle Names servers, these servers are called to resolve the database link name.
SQL*Net then receives either the database link's USING clause or the information returned by the Oracle Names server. If the USING clause contains a name, the name resolution process described above is then used to get the address. If the USING clause contains an address, the database link definition returned by Oracle Names is passed to SQL*Net, and name resolution is bypassed because an address has been directly provided.
Note: Though an address (SQL*Net connect descriptor) could conceivably be specified in the USING clause, a global database name is typically specified.
Consider the following example on the database MFG.US.ACME.COM:
A public database link HR@FIN exists and a user performs:
The database will translate the database link name to HR.US.ACME.COM@FIN and call Oracle Names for link resolution because no USING clause was specified on the created link.
See Understanding SQL*Net and the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide for more information on service name and database link resolution.
Using a SELECT Statement across a Database Link
When you issue a select of a table across a database link, you acquire a transaction lock and a slot in the transaction table for the rollback segment for the local database. The lock can be released only by a commit or rollback.
Network Issues to Consider When Implementing a Distributed Database System
This section describes some things the network administrator must consider before deciding on the structure of a distributed system. Read this section before using the Oracle Network Manager to configure the network.
Planning your Network
When planning your SQL*Net network, think about future needs as well as present requirements. Select a layout that is flexible and expandable. If you foresee your network growing, select computers that have the capacity to handle additional connections. When naming the components in your system, think about how your naming conventions can be extended to handle future components.
Draw the Network Layout
It is a good idea to draw a picture of your network layout as you decide about its composition. Especially if your network includes multiple communities, Interchanges and Names servers, it is much easier to understand and modify if you have a diagram. Two types of diagrams are useful:
Physical diagrams show every component in a network, including the physical connections among them. A physical diagram can help show what pieces are required and demonstrate the connections between components.
Logical diagrams show the relationships between network components without going into detail about their physical placement. The figures throughout this book are good examples of the sort of graphical representation that is needed. In general, the more complex the network, the more necessary a visual mapping.
Select Network Protocols to be Used
The first decision to make when designing a network is whether it will include only one protocol or more than one protocol.
As explained in "SQL*Net version 2 Architecture" [*], SQL*Net runs above TNS, which in turn runs over a transport level protocol, with an Oracle Protocol Adapter acting as an interface between TNS and the protocol of choice. The specific hardware below the transport layer is irrelevant to SQL*Net's functioning.
You may be able to choose a single transport level protocol that works well on all the components in your network. Protocol adapters are available for most of the major protocols on many platforms. If you have only one protocol in your network, as shown in Figure 2 - 9, then all the components are members of the same community.
Figure 2 - 9. A Single Community Network
For reasons of necessity or efficiency, you may choose to have more than one protocol running in your network. You may do this by having multiple protocol adapters on the computers in your network, or, more efficiently, you may have an Interchange between the computers running one protocol and the computers running another.
Using SQL*Net and the MultiProtocol Interchange, individual computers can communicate across the protocols that are most compatible with their operating systems. For example, you can have personal computers running Novell's SPX/IPX connected to a VAX server that uses the DECnet protocol. If your network uses one or more Interchanges, as shown in Figure 2 - 10, it is a multicommunity network.
Figure 2 - 10. A Multicommunity Network
Choose Nodes as Interchanges
If you decide on a multicommunity network, you must choose what nodes to use for Interchanges to connect the communities. Considerations include:
For more information about Interchanges, see the Oracle MultiProtocol Interchange Administrator's Guide.
Choose a Node to Run Network Manager
Select a location for Network Manager from which it is relatively easy to transfer configuration files to other network components. The Network Manager includes a utility, NetFetch, which helps you do this, but a SQL*Net network (either version 2 or release 2.1) must be up and running before it can be used.
For more information about using the Oracle Network Manager to create SQL*Net configuration files, see the Oracle Network Manager Administrator's Guide.
Decide on the Structure of Network Administration
Most networks have one central point of administration, that is, one installation of the Oracle Network Manager. However, if you are using Oracle Names and your network is quite large or widely distributed geographically, you may choose to have several regions of network administration.
If your enterprise-wide network includes both the United States and Europe, you might want to have administrative decisions about the network made locally.
For example, it would be more efficient if a network administrator in Chicago had jurisdiction over the names and locations of US network services, while an administrator in Brussels was responsible for decisions about a European network.
For more information about centralized and decentralized administration, see the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide.
Decide which Nodes will Run Oracle Names Servers
If you use Oracle Names to provide a centralized naming service for your network, you must decide what nodes should contain Names servers, which provide name and address information to enable connections throughout the network. Currently, you must have a name server in every community. In general, Oracle recommends that Names servers in a multicommunity network be placed on MultiProtocol Interchange nodes, thereby minimizing the number of Names servers required.
For more information about Oracle Names, see the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide.
Decide on a Organizational Naming Standard
When you name entities such as nodes in a networked environment, you should ensure that object names are unique within the network. This can be a challenge if your organization is large, and network administration is not handled centrally.
You may be able to guarantee that all services in your building or jurisdiction have unique names, but that does not guarantee that the name is unique within the organization. Your goal should be to avoid the occurrence of duplicate names if multiple independent TNS communities are joined by installing an Interchange between them.
Selecting Domain Names
A recommended network naming technique is to use hierarchical groups or domains in which each administrative unit is assigned to a unique domain based on the function it provides. Many of the examples in this guide feature the fictitious company, ACME Inc., which has segregated its naming domains as shown in Figure 2 - 11.
Figure 2 - 11. Naming Domains at ACME
In this figure, each of the boxes represents a separate domain. The domains are related hierarchically; that is, FIN and HR are the children of HQ, which is one of the children of ACME. A network object (such as an Interchange or a server) within a given domain has a unique name within that domain. This is generally manageable because one or at most a few people have authority to pass out names for that domain. The global name for that object includes the parent domains.
For example, consider the corporation shown in Figure 2 - 11. The sales organization (the SALES domain) could have a server named VAULT. The human resources group (the HR domain) could also have a server named VAULT. The global names of these servers would be unique. The finance group's server would have the global name
while the global name of the human resources server would be
This structure is especially important if you are using a Oracle Names server to access any of the addresses or other information used within the network.
Names can go to the company level (the ACME stem) or can go to the inter-network level (for example, the ACME.COM stem) in support of inter-company communications such as mail or Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). If your organization belongs to the Internet, or you expect that it might join the Internet in the future, the domain names should include the appropriate stem (such as COM, GOV, or EDU).
If your organization already has global naming conventions, your network components should follow those conventions.
Network Manager automatically appends the default domain .WORLD to the name of all network components unless you provide alternative domain names. See the Oracle Names Administrator's Guide for more information.
Default Domain
Every client and server has a default domain listed in its SQLNET.ORA file. The default domain is the domain to which most of the clients' connection requests are directed. The service names of databases in the default domain do not need to be fully qualified; that is, the domain name does not need to be included.
For example, if a client wanted to make a connection to a database in its default domain with the service name PROFITS.SALES.ACME.COM, it could do so using the following command:
% sqlplus scott/tiger@profits
However, if the PROFITS database were not in the client's default domain, the command would be:
% sqlplus scott/
Note: The default domain is not necessarily the same as the domain of the client itself. For example, clients in one domain may frequently access Oracle servers in another domain.
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Former VP, Microsoft & Co-Founder & Director, Microsoft's Virtual Worlds Group/Social Computing Group
Breathtaking New Technologies
In the past few years, I have been thinking and writing about "attention", and specifically, "continuous partial attention". The impetus came from my years of working at Apple, and then, Microsoft, where I thought a lot about user interface as well as our relationship to the tools we create.
I believe that attention is the most powerful tool of the human spirit and that we can enhance or augment our attention with practices like meditation and exercise, diffuse it with technologies like email and Blackberries, or alter it with pharmaceuticals.
But lately I have observed that the way in which many of us interact with our personal technologies makes it impossible to use this extraordinary tool of attention to our advantage.
In observing others — in their offices, their homes, at cafes — the vast majority of people hold their breath especially when they first begin responding to email. On cell phones, especially when talking and walking, people tend to hyper-ventilate or over-breathe. Either of these breathing patterns disturbs oxygen and CO2 balance.
Research conducted by two NIH scientists, Margaret Chesney and David Anderson, demonstrates that breath holding can contribute significantly to stress-related diseases. The body becomes acidic, the kidneys begin to re-absorb sodium, and as the oxygen and CO2 balance is undermined, our biochemistry is thrown off.
Around this same time, I became very interested in the vagus nerve and the role it played. The vagus nerve is one of the major cranial nerves, and wanders from the head, to the neck, chest and abdomen. It's primary job is to mediate the autonomic nervous system, which includes the sympathetic — "fight or flight," and parasympathetic — "rest and digest" nervous systems.
The parasympathetic nervous system governs our sense of hunger and satiety, flow of saliva and digestive enzymes, the relaxation response, and many aspects of healthy organ function. Focusing on diaphragmatic breathing enables us to down regulate the sympathetic nervous system, which then causes the parasympathetic nervous system to become dominant. Shallow breathing, breath holding and hyper-ventilating triggers the sympathetic nervous system, in a "fight or flight" response.
The activated sympathetic nervous system causes the liver to dump glucose and cholesterol into our blood, our heart rate increases, we don't have a sense of satiety, and our bodies anticipate and resource for the physical activity that, historically, accompanied a physical fight or flight response. Meanwhile, when the only physical activity is sitting and responding to email, we're sort of "all dressed up with nowhere to go."
Some breathing patterns favor our body's move toward parasympathetic functions and other breathing patterns favor a sympathetic nervous system response. Buteyko (breathing techniques developed by a Russian M.D.), Andy Weil's breathing exercises, diaphragmatic breathing, certain yoga breathing techniques, all have the potential to soothe us, and to help our bodies differentiate when fight or flight is really necessary and when we can rest and digest.
I've changed my mind about how much attention to pay to my breathing patterns and how important it is to remember to breathe when I'm using a computer, PDA or cell phone.
I've discovered that the more consistently I tune in to healthy breathing patterns, the clearer it is to me when I'm hungry or not, the more easily I fall asleep and rest peacefully at night, and the more my outlook is consistently positive.
I've come to believe that, within the next 5-7 years, breathing exercises will be a significant part of any fitness regime.
The Brain's Schrödinger Equation
Cultural Anthropologist; President, Institute for Intercultural Studies; Author, Willing to Learn: Passages of Personal Discovery
Making and Changing Minds
Greenland changed my mind
Back in 1968, when I first heard about global warming while visiting the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, almost everyone thought that serious problems were several centuries in the future. That's because no one realized how ravenous the world's appetite for coal and oil would become during a mere 40 years. They also thought that problems would develop slowly. Wrong again.
I tuned into abrupt climate change about 1984, when the Greenland ice cores showed big jumps in temperature and snowfall, stepping up and down in a mere decade but lasting centuries. I worried about global warming setting off another flip but I still didn't revise my notions about a slow time scale for the present greenhouse warming.
Greenland changed my mind. About 2004, the speedup of the Greenland glaciers made a lot of climate scientists revise their notions about how fast things were changing. When the summer earthquakes associated with glacial movement doubled and then redoubled in a mere ten years, it made me feel as if I was standing on shaky ground, that bigger things could happen at any time.
Then I saw the data on major floods and fires, steep increases every decade since 1950 and on all continents. That's not trouble moving around. It is called global climate change. It may not be abrupt but it's been fast.
For drought, which had been averaging about 15 percent of the world's land surface at any one time, there was a step up to a new baseline of 25 percent which occurred with the 1982 El Niño. That's not gradual change but an abrupt shift to a new global climate.
But the most sobering realization came when I was going through the Amazon drought data on the big El Niños in 1972, 1982, and 1997. Ten years ago, we nearly lost two of the world's three major tropical rain forests to fires. If that mega Nino had lasted two years instead of one, we could have seen the atmosphere's excess CO2 rise 40 percent over a few years — and likely an even bigger increase in our climate troubles. Furthermore, missing all of those green leaves to remove CO2 from the air, the annual bump up of CO2 concentration would have become half again as large. That's like the movie shifting into fast forward.
I've changed my mind about the manner in which our future on this planet might evolve.
I used to think that the power of science to dissect, inform, illuminate and clarify, its venerable record in improving the human condition, and its role in enabling the technological progress of the modern world were all so glaringly obvious that no one could reasonably question its hallowed position in human culture as the pre-eminent device for separating truth from falsehood.
I used to think that the edifice of knowledge constructed from thousands of years of scientific thought by various cultures all over the globe, and in particular the insights earned over the last 400 years from modern scientific methods, were so universally revered that we could feel comfortably assured of having permanently left our philistine days behind us.
And while I've always appreciated the need for care and perseverance in guiding public evaluation of the complexities of scientific discourse and its findings, I never expected that we would, at this stage in our development, have to justify and defend the scientific process itself.
Yet, that appears to be the case today. And now, I'm no longer sure that scientific inquiry and the cultural value it places on verifiable truth can survive without constant protection, and its ebb and flow over the course of human history affirms this. We have been beset in the past by dark ages, when scientific truths and the ideas that logically spring from them were systematically destroyed or made otherwise unavailable, when the practitioners of science were discredited, imprisoned, and even murdered. Periods of human enlightenment have been the exception throughout time, not the rule, and our language has acknowledged this: 'Two steps forward, one step back' neatly outlines the nonmonotonic stagger inherent in any reading of human history.
And, if we're not mindful, we could stagger again. When the truth becomes problematic, when intellectual honesty clashes with political expediency, when voices of reason are silenced to mere whisper, when fear alloys with ignorance to promote might over intelligence, integrity, and wisdom, the very practice of science can find itself imperiled. At that point, can darkness be far behind?
To avoid so dangerous a tipping point requires us, first and foremost, to recognize the distasteful possibility that it could happen again, at any time. I now suspect the danger will be forever present, the need for vigilance forever great.
The Mechanical Worldview
Physicist, Harvard University; Author, Warped Passages
When I first heard about the solar neutrino puzzle, I had a little trouble taking it seriously. We know that the sun is powered by a chain of nuclear reactions and that in addition to emitting energy these reactions lead to the emission of neutrinos (uncharged fundamental particles that interact only via the weak nuclear force). The original solar neutrino puzzle was that when physicists made experiments to find these neutrinos, none of them were detected. But by the time I learned about the puzzle, physicists had in fact observed solar neutrinos — only the amount they found was only about 1/3 - 1/2 of the amount that other physicists had predicted. But I was skeptical that this deficit was really a problem — how could we make such an accurate prediction about the sun — an object 93 million miles away about which we can measure only so much? To give one example, the prediction for the neutrino flux was strongly temperature-dependent. Did we really know the temperature sufficiently accurately? Were we sure we understood heat transport inside the sun well enough to trust this prediction?
But I ended up changing my mind (along with many other initially skeptical physicists). The solar neutrino puzzle turned out to be a clue to some very interesting physics. It turns out that neutrinos mix. Every neutrino is labeled by the charged lepton with which it interacts via the weak nuclear force. (Charged leptons are particles like electrons — there are two heavier versions known as muons and taus.) It turns out the neutrinos have a bit of an identity crisis and can convert into each other as they travel through the sun and as they make their way to Earth. An electron neutrino can change into a tau neutrino. Since detectors were looking only for electron neutrinos, they missed the ones that had converted. And that was the very elegant solution to the solar neutrino puzzle. The predictions based on what we knew about the Standard Model of particle physics (that tells us what are the fundamental particles and forces) had been correct — hence change of mind #1. But the prediction had been inaccurate because no one had yet measured the masses and mixing angles of neutrinos. Subsequent experiments have searched for all types of neutrinos — not just electron neutrinos — and found the different neutrino types, thereby confirming the mixing.
And that leads me to a second thing I changed my mind about (along with much of the particle physics community). These neutrino mixing angles turned out to be big. That is, a significant fraction of electron neutrinos turn into muon neutrinos, and a big fraction of muon neutrinos turn into tau neutrinos (here it was neutrinos in the atmosphere that had gone missing). Few physicists had thought these mixing angles would be big. That is because similar angles in the quark sector (quarks are particles such as the up and down quarks inside protons and neutrons that interact via the strong nuclear force) are much smaller. Everyone based their guess on what was already known. These big neutrino mixing angles were a real surprise — perhaps the biggest surprise from particle physics measurements since I started studying the field.
Why are these angles important? First of all neutrino mixing does in fact explain the missing neutrinos from the sun and from the atmosphere. But these angles are also are an important clue as to the nature of the fundamental particles of which all known matter is made. One of the chief open questions about these particles is why there are three "copies" of the known particle types — that is heavier versions with identical charges? Another is why do these different versions have different masses? And a third question is why do these particles mix in the way they have been measured to do? When we understand the answers to these questions we will have a much greater insight into the fundamental nature of all known matter. We don't know yet if we'll get the right answers but these questions pose important challenges. And when we find the answer is is likely at this point that neutrinos will provide a clue.
Author, The Big Switch
The Radiant and Infectious Web
Gerontologist; chairman and chief science officer of the Methuselah Foundation; author, Ending Aging
Curiosity is addictive, and this is not an entirely good thing
The words "science" and "technology," or equivalently the words "research" and "development," are used in the same breath so readily that one might easily presume that they are joined at the hip: that their goals are indistinguishable, and that those who are good at one are, if not necessarily equally good at the other, at least quite good at evaluating the quality of work in the other. I grew up with this assumption, but the longer I work at the interface between science and technology the more I find myself having to accept that it is false — that most, scientists are rather poor at the type of thinking that identifies efficient new ways to get things done, and that, likewise, technologists are mostly not terribly good at identifying efficient ways to find things out.
I've come to feel that there are several reasons underlying this divide.
A major one is the divergent approaches of scientists and technologists to the use of evidence. In basic research, it is exceptionally easy to be seduced by one's data — to see a natural interpretation of it and to overlook the existence of other, comparably economical interpretations of it that lead to dramatically different conclusions. It therefore makes sense for scientists to give the greatest weight, when evaluating the evidence for and against a given hypothesis, to the most direct observational or experimental evidence at hand.
Technologists, on the other hand, succeed best when they stand back from the task before them, thinking laterally about ways in which ostensibly irrelevant techniques might be applied to solve one or another component of the problem. The technologist's approach, when applied to science, is likely to result all too often in wasted time, as experiments are performed that contain too many departures from previous work to allow the drawing of firm conclusions either way concerning the hypothesis of interest.
Conversely, applying the scientist's methodology to technological endeavours can also result in wasted time, resulting from overly small steps away from techniques already known to be futile, like trying to fly by flapping mechanical wings.
But there's another difference between the characteristic mindsets of scientists and technologists, and I've come to view it as the most problematic. Scientists are avowedly "curiosity-driven" rather than "goal-directed" — they are spurred by the knowledge that, throughout the history of civilisation, innumerable useful technologies have become possible not through the stepwise execution of a predefined plan, but rather through the purposely undirected quest for knowledge, letting a dynamically-determined sequence of experiments lead where it may.
That logic is as true as it ever was, and any technologist who doubts it need only examine the recent history of science to change his mind. However, it can be — and, in my view, all too often is — taken too far. A curiosity-driven sequence of experiments is useful not because of the sequence, but because of the technological opportunities that emerge at the end of the sequence. The sequence is not an end in itself. And this is rather important to keep in mind. Any scientist, on completing an experiment, is spoilt for choice concerning what experiment to do next — or, more prosaically, concerning what experiment to apply for funding to do next.
The natural criterion for making this choice is the likelihood that the experiment will generate a wide range of answers to technologically important questions, thereby providing new technological opportunities. But an altogether more frequently adopted criterion, in practice, is that the experiment will generate a wide range of new questions — new reasons to do more experiments. This is only indirectly useful, and I believe that in practice it is indeed less frequently useful than programs of research designed with one eye on the potential for eventual technological utility.
Why, then, is it the norm? Simply because it is the more attractive to those who are making these decisions — the curiosity-driven scientists (whether the grant applicants or the grant reviewers) themselves. Curiosity is addictive: both emotionally and in their own enlightened self-interest, scientists want reasons to do more science, not more technology. But as a society we need science to be as useful as possible, as quickly as possible, and this addiction slows us down.
Philosopher, London School of Economics; director and founder Darwin@LSE; author, The Ant and the Peacock
More dumbbells but more Nobels: Why men are at the top
What gives rise to the most salient, contested and misunderstood of sex differences… differences that see men persistently walk off with the top positions and prizes, whether influence or income, whether heads of state or CEOs… differences that infuriate feminists, preoccupy policy-makers, galvanize legislators and spawn 'diversity' committees and degrees in gender studies?
I used to think that these patterns of sex differences resulted mainly from average differences between men and women in innate talents, tastes and temperaments. After all, in talents men are on average more mathematical, more technically minded, women more verbal; in tastes, men are more interested in things, women in people; in temperaments, men are more competitive, risk-taking, single-minded, status-conscious, women far less so. And therefore, even where such differences are modest, the distribution of these 3 Ts among males will necessarily be different from that among females — and so will give rise to notable differences between the two groups. Add to this some bias and barriers — a sexist attitude here, a lack of child-care there. And the sex differences are explained. Or so I thought.
But I have now changed my mind. Talents, tastes and temperaments play fundamental roles. But they alone don't fully explain the differences. It is a fourth T that most decisively shapes the distinctive structure of male — female differences. That T is Tails — the tails of these statistical distributions. Females are much of a muchness, clustering round the mean. But, among males, the variance — the difference between the most and the least, the best and the worst — can be vast. So males are almost bound to be over-represented both at the bottom and at the top. I think of this as 'more dumbbells but more Nobels'.
Consider the mathematics sections in the USA's National Academy of Sciences: 95% male. Which contributes most to this predominance — higher means or larger variance? One calculation yields the following answer. If the sex difference between the means was obliterated but the variance was left intact, male membership would drop modestly to 91%. But if the means were left intact but the difference in the variance was obliterated, male membership would plummet to 64%. The overwhelming male predominance stems largely from greater variance.
Similarly, consider the most intellectually gifted of the USA population, an elite 1%. The difference between their bottom and top quartiles is so wide that it encompasses one-third of the entire ability range in the American population, from IQs above 137 to IQs beyond 200. And who's overwhelmingly in the top quartile? Males. Look, for instance, at the boy:girl ratios among adolescents for scores in mathematical-reasoning tests: scores of at least 500, 2:1; scores of at least 600, 4:1; scores of at least 700, 13.1.
Admittedly, those examples are writ large — exceptionally high aptitude and a talent that strongly favours males and with a notably long right-hand tail. Nevertheless, the same combined causes — the forces of natural selection and the facts of statistical distribution — ensure that this is the default template for male-female differences.
Let's look at those causes. The legacy of natural selection is twofold: mean differences in the 3 Ts and males generally being more variable; these two features hold for most sex differences in our species and, as Darwin noted, greater male variance is ubiquitous across the entire animal kingdom. As to the facts of statistical distribution, they are three-fold … and watch what happens at the end of the right tail: first, for overlapping bell-curves, even with only a small difference in the means, the ratios become more inflated as one goes further out along the tail; second, where there's greater variance, there's likely to be a dumbbells-and-Nobels effect; and third, when one group has both greater mean and greater variance, that group becomes even more over-represented at the far end of the right tail.
The upshot? When we're dealing with evolved sex differences, we should expect that the further out we go along the right curve, the more we will find men predominating. So there we are: whether or not there are more male dumbbells, there will certainly be — both figuratively and actually — more male Nobels.
Unfortunately, however, this is not the prevailing perspective in current debates, particularly where policy is concerned. On the contrary, discussions standardly zoom in on the means and blithely ignore the tails. So sex differences are judged to be small. And thus it seems that there's a gaping discrepancy: if women are as good on average as men, why are men overwhelmingly at the top? The answer must be systematic unfairness — bias and barriers. Therefore, so the argument runs, it is to bias and barriers that policy should be directed. And so the results of straightforward facts of statistical distribution get treated as political problems — as 'evidence' of bias and barriers that keep women back and sweep men to the top. (Though how this explains the men at the bottom is an unacknowledged mystery.)
But science has given us biological insights, statistical rules and empirical findings … surely sufficient reason to change one's mind about men at the top.
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John Brockman, Editor and Publisher
Russell Weinberger, Associate Publisher
contact: editor@edge.org
Copyright © 2008 by
Edge Foundation, Inc
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0.060118 | <urn:uuid:df10dfab-ec67-4f6c-bc1d-30328722ac50> | en | 0.963034 | Romney now losing on every issue except the deficit
The news is getting better for President Obama almost on a daily basis. The last NYT/CBS/Quinnipiac polls show Obama with a huge lead over Mitt Romney in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. From Quinnipiac:
This is basically as bad as it could possibly be for the Romney campaign. Not only is Romney trailing significantly in the horse race polling in two must-win swing states, but he is also losing on almost every question. Romney’s favorablity rating is sharply negative in all three states while Obama’s is positive in all three. On nearly every issue from the economy to immigration, voters think Obama would do a better job than Romney. The only issue Romney has a small advantage on is the budget deficit. Romney is now losing even on the economy, which was supposed to be the whole focus of his campaign.
Voters don’t like Romney and they don’t think he could do a better job than Obama. A candidate can’t win if that is how the electorate views them. | http://elections.firedoglake.com/2012/09/26/obama-up-big-in-florida-and-ohio/ | dclm-gs1-148190002 | false | false | {
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0.036245 | <urn:uuid:b8b5a85b-5eac-43c0-bc23-d8bc519ef067> | en | 0.940976 | Dan Gilroy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Dan Gilroy
Born (1959-06-24) June 24, 1959 (age 54)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Nationality American
Occupation Screenwriter
Years active 1997-present
Spouse(s) Rene Russo (1992-present)
Children Rose (b. 1993)
Parents Frank D. Gilroy
Ruth Dorothy Gaydos
Dan Gilroy (born June 24, 1959) is an American screenwriter.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, he has written the movies Freejack, the Dennis Hopper-directed Chasers, and Two for the Money starring his wife, Rene Russo. He was also one of the (many) writers to contribute to the defunct film Superman Lives. He will write the upcoming film The Annihilator.[1]
Personal life[edit]
Dan is the son of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Frank D. Gilroy and sculptor/writer Ruth Dorothy Gaydos. His brother Tony Gilroy is a screenwriter and director, and twin brother, John Gilroy, is a film editor. He has been married to Rene Russo since 1992 and they have one child together, a daughter Rose, born in 1993.
1. ^ Everett Rosenfeld (2012-06-19). "Avengers Creator Crafting 'Perfect' Chinese Superhero". Time.com. Retrieved 2012-07-15.
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0.025323 | <urn:uuid:18dc04bb-d60b-4c1d-8625-0e64bab0594b> | en | 0.893693 | From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Hyperreality is a term used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy to describe an inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically advanced post-modern societies. Hyperreality is seen as a condition in which what is real and what is fiction are seamlessly blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins.[1] It allows the commingling of physical reality with virtual reality (VR) and human intelligence with artificial intelligence (AI).[2] Individuals may find themselves for different reasons, more in tune or involved with the hyperreal world and less with the physical real world. Some famous theorists of hyperreality include Jean Baudrillard, Albert Borgmann, Daniel J. Boorstin, Neil Postman, and Umberto Eco.
Origins and usage[edit]
The postmodern semiotic concept of "hyperreality" was contentiously coined by French sociologist Jean Baudrillard in Simulacra and Simulation. Baudrillard defined "hyperreality" as "the generation by models of a real without origin or reality[3] ", it is a representation, a sign, without an original referent. Baudrillard believes hyperreality goes further than confusing or blending the 'real' with the symbol which represents it; it involves creating a symbol or set of signifiers which actually represent something that does not actually exist like Santa Claus. Baudrillard in particular suggests that the world we live in has been replaced by a copy world, where we seek simulated stimuli and nothing more. Baudrillard borrows, from Jorge Luis Borges' "On Exactitude in Science" (who already borrowed from Lewis Carroll), the example of a society whose cartographers create a map so detailed that it covers the very things it was designed to represent. When the empire declines, the map fades into the landscape and there is neither the representation nor the real remaining – just the hyperreal. Baudrillard's idea of hyperreality was heavily influenced by phenomenology, semiotics, and Marshall McLuhan.
Italian author Umberto Eco explores the notion of hyperreality further by suggesting that the action of hyperreality is to desire reality and in the attempt to achieve that desire, to fabricate a false reality that is to be consumed as real.[4] Linked to contemporary western culture Umberto Eco and post-structuralists would argue, that current cultures fundamental ideals are built on desire and particular sign-systems.
While hyperreality is not a relatively new concept, its effects are more relevant today than when it was first conceptualized. There are dangers to the use of hyperreality within our culture; individuals may observe and accept hyperreal images as role models, when the images don’t necessary represent real physical people. This can result in peoples desire to strive for an unobtainable ideal, or it may lead to a lack of unimpaired role models. Daniel J. Boorstin cautions against confusing celebrity worship with hero worship, “we come dangerously close to depriving ourselves of all real models. We lose sight of the men and women who do not simply seem great because they are famous but who are famous because they are great”.[6] He bemoans the loss of old heroes like Moses, Ulysses, Aenas, Jesus, Caesar, Mohammed, Joan of Arc, Shakespeare, Washington, Napoleon, and Lincoln,[7] who didn’t have public relations (PR) agencies to construct a hyperreal image of themselves.
Key Relational Themes[edit]
Simulation/Simulacra: The concepts most fundamental to hyperreality is that of simulation and the simulacrum, first conceptualized by Jean Baudrillard in his book Simulacra and Simulation. The two terms are separate entities with relational origin connections to Baudrillard's theory of hyperreality.
Examples: The Royal Crown: A king/queens crown symbolizes his/her title and extent of their power; the crown itself is meaningless (reformed metal with jewels), but it takes on the connotation that society has given it as a form of representation of the monarchy. The reality of the crown and the hyperreality of what it stands for: wealth, power, and fame are interwoven.
"Henceforth, it is the map that precedes the territory - precession of simulacra - it is the map that engenders the territory and if we were to revive the fable today, it would be the territory whose shreds are slowly rotting across the map." - Baudrillard, "The Precession of Simulacra," Simulacra and Simulation
Other examples[edit]
• A well manicured garden (nature as hyperreal).
• Professional sports athletes as super, invincible versions of the human beings.
• Many world cities and places which did not evolve as functional places with some basis in reality, as if they were creatio ex nihilo (literally 'creation out of nothing'): Disney World; Dubai; Celebration, Florida; and Las Vegas.
• A high end sex doll used as a simulacrum of an unattainable partner.[20]
• Weak virtual reality which is greater than any possible simulation of physical reality.[21]
See also[edit]
1. ^ Tiffin, John; Nobuyoshi Terashima (2005). "Paradigm for the third millennium". Hyperreality: 1.
3. ^ Baudrillard, Jean (1994). Simulacra & Simulation. The Precession of Simulacra: University of Michigan Press. p. 1.
4. ^ Eco, Umberto. "Travels in Hyperreality". The fortress of Solitude. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
11. ^ Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation, p. 1.
12. ^ "Hyper-needs: the things you just can’t live without?!". Retrieved December 22, 2012.
13. ^ "Reflection for the 6th week.". Retrieved December 22, 2012.
16. ^ Eco, Travels In Hyperreality, p. 44.
17. ^ Eco, Travels In Hyperreality, p. 48.
19. ^ Baudrillard, "Simulacra and Simulations," pp. 166-184
20. ^ Burr-Miller, Allison. and Aoki, Eric. "Idollators and the Real Girl(s): Males Performing Traditional Femininity for Heterosexuality’s Sake". Paper presented at the annual meeting of the NCA 94th Annual Convention, TBA, San Diego, CA. Allacademic.com. Retrieved 2009-05-23.
• Albert Borgmann, Crossing the Postmodern Divide (1992).
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0.032598 | <urn:uuid:80a2bd7e-3a34-4c8b-b767-5abc765d249d> | en | 0.9627 | FWIW: Energy Security Trust involves neither carbon, nor tax.
The Energy Security Trust, as outlined by President Obama in his State of the Union address, calls for a portion of federal revenue generated through domestic energy production to be directed to support the research and development of alternatives to oil in the transportation sector. The proposal is based on a recommendation SAFE made in its National Strategy for Energy Security. For our part, we welcome the President’s proposal and look forward to working with his Administration and with leaders in Congress, such as Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who has also proposed establishing an energy security trust fund, to iron out differences and implement this important initiative. While important details –such as whether revenue should come from expanded production (as SAFE and Murkowski support) or from existing production (as in the White House proposal)—are likely to be visited during negotiations, there is one thing that the initiative absolutely does NOT contain: a carbon tax. Unlike a few blogs and articles that we’ve seen have asserted, none of the proposals have anything to do with taxes. Or carbon. The fund that we proposed in our National Strategy for Energy Security is about reducing our dangerous dependence on oil by investing in technologies to transition our transportation fleet to other fuels—namely, vehicles and energy storage systems powered by electricity, natural gas, and advanced biofuels. If carbon emissions decrease as a result, that’s icing. But make no mistake: such an impact would not emerge through increased costs to consumers of oil or other fossil fuels. So if it’s not a tax, then where will the money come from? Energy producers pay royalties to the government for the right to drill for oil on federal lands. These payments are derived from three separate streams: bonus bids, lease payments, and production royalties. A free market bidding process determines which company gets the lease, and how much they will pay for it. A portion of those payments will be redirected specifically into the Energy Security Trust. There are profound disagreements on major aspects of energy and environmental policy between politicians and pundits alike. In the case of improved energy security through oil displacement, however, a broad range of the political spectrum can forge a crucial consensus that represents perhaps the only realistic opportunity to advance in a complementary way the goals of reduced oil dependence, stronger economic growth, and lower emissions. | http://energypolicyinfo.com/2013/02/fwiw-energy-security-trust-involves-neither-carbon-nor-tax/ | dclm-gs1-148250002 | false | false | {
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0.263406 | <urn:uuid:a68f0ac9-83b8-48b0-be07-e9552a810715> | en | 0.967156 | Advice. Come on I'm a 37-year-old bald, fat man who drinks and smokes too much. What do I know?
Series on Comedy Central
There's some sort of twisted genius going on here. "Twisted"—we're not talking about Einstein or Orson Welles or fill in the blank. This is the sort of genius that comes up with pet rocks or those things that hold down picnic tablecloths. The sort of thing that cries out "Only in America!"—and not the real Don King, a synchro-voxed Don King on the TV set behind Conan O'Brien, busy hawking Mike Tyson's latest pay-for-view special in which he goes grocery shopping—"the melee at the Safeway"—followed by "only $29.95!" Yeah, some kind of weird mutant genius like that.
It's a simple premise. Has to be. But it is the simplicity that makes it work and makes it last. You take a guy—comedian Dave Attell—someone used to and who actually likes staying up all night. A self-professed insomniac. You give him cameras, editors, a fistful of cash, and a cable network. Then set him loose. Since May 2001, the half hour show has had the comedian visit a different city and spend the night (though his homebase, New York City, has been the subject a few times). Mostly cities in the United States but he's visited Canada (Montreal), England (London), Ireland (Dublin—for Saint Patrick's Day), and the Netherlands (Amsterdam). All cities that are familiar to viewers (at least by name) but it really doesn't matter. That's the beauty of it all: it could be any moderately sized city. As long as there's stuff open during the night, it can be show fodder.
He just seems to wander around the place (all nicely edited together), hitting restaurants, bars, night clubs, bars, museums, concerts, bars, factories, and just about any place a normal tourist might visit during the day (as long as it's open past 11 PM). Part travelogue, part bar (pub) crawl. The best of both worlds. And true to his comedic roots, funny.
First saw Attell in the third spot (usually a band or comedian) on Conan O'Brien. A wise ass, balding-shaved head thirty-something with what once might have been called a Don Johnson half-beard. Perpetual five o'clock shadow. A bit racy and definitely vulgar, his New York sensibility clearly evident—but also keeping things personal and deprecating. Maybe not always laugh out loud funny (though often enough), but funny, nonetheless. And never ingratiating. A quick wit, even through a haze of inebriation: the perfect tour guide to drink and smoke his way across geography.
Each episode starts with him doing his stand-up act (he's still an active comedian) in some town. He wraps up the "show," establishing the location at the same time (titles at the bottom of the screen keep track of the locations and times as the episode progresses). He then exits the club and it's time to go. "Follow me!" for your night on the town. Then the viewer gets maybe a dozen or so (it's a half hour show) vignettes/living anecdotes as he visits places around the city. Or just talks to people he finds on the street. Besides the three or four actual bars (he often finds other attractions that serve alcohol), he hits late night coffee shops, conventions; he's gone ice fishing in Montreal, helped catch feral chickens in the Florida Keys, hung with the piercing set in Ohio, watched his sister's rock band play in a small club, visited his Mom (same episode; his mission: to drink his way from his Long Island birthplace all the way to Manhattan). He's gone to a sewage treatment plant, the Gibson guitar factory, seen how fortune cookies are made, attended late night sporting events (semi-pro football, female boxing, an all-night chess shop), and rode with a street cleaner. He visited Alaska during its "midnight sun" where he went fly fishing and visited new agers. On and on. Every show has its highlights and people (granted they are less inhibited given the amount of alcohol flowing) seem comfortable talking to this sarcastic bald dude and happy to let him snap pictures with his omnipresent camera.
There's plenty of bleeped expletives and blurred/pixillated nudity (drunk people enjoy exhibitionism). And he purposely goes places where the likelihood of it is higher—a fetish bar, a sex convention, an adult bookstore (where he and the manager make male and female blow-up dolls battle it out and Dave models a chin strap "prosthesis"). Sometimes he's clearly drunk and a bit off (or just a bit off). The patter is pretty much all improvised and the editors do a great job at putting it all together into some sort of coherent whole without sacrificing the anarchic spirit of it all. And the charm and enthusiasm behind the smirking grin and the dangling cigarette helps carry things along if there are any slow moments or lulls.
Not only a touch of genius in its creation, but as an occupation. Dave has a job where he gets to travel to interesting places and meet interesting people. He gets to drink about as much as he wants (there's more drinking per episode than The Long Weekend...or a couple of episodes of "The Drew Carey Show") and smoke pretty much whenever he wants. And he gets paid for it. How could one turn that down? A dream job.
And Dave's always there with an eager "Follow me!", moving on to the next parade or attraction or people gathered on the street. It's pure entertainment and a show can just go on and on. There's no need for plot or character development or continuity beyond the tick of the clock through the night. And there's just too many cities and too many bars to run out of material. And the big cities? Multiple visits.
No, it's not a favorite show by any means. It's not going to get archived on videotape for later viewing and there will be no eager anticipation for the DVD sets. But if it's on, I'll watch it. I'll laugh, enjoy myself and want to tag along. Marvel at the genius. And wish I'd come up with it first.
The opening theme song, written by Robert Golden and apparently sung by Attell, is a great intro, sounding like middle period Tom Waits.
The problem (and joy) of the show is that there are so many cool bits (which increase exponentially as one sees new episodes or old ones for the first time) that the list could grow into the thousands of words. Better to stop now.
Sources: the show and the show's page at Comedy Central (; opening quote came from an "interview" there)
Get some sleep!
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0.068052 | <urn:uuid:9d20c2ca-4b78-495a-a264-b5e756315f94> | en | 0.983522 | produced/written by G. Matthew Smith
EPISODE #117 (Tuesday, 4/23/02) click here for a printable version of this episode
A Few Days Later
March, 1936 - Afternoon
Douglas DavisThe Offices of Callison Pubications & the Daily PostDouglas Davis leaned back in his chair and carefully reviewed the notes that he'd made about Francis Callison's defense. True, the trial wasn't scheduled to start until June, but he was well aware that the district attorney could be relentless. In this case, there was no such thing as being too prepared.
"Mr. Davis," his secretary's voice came over the intercom. "You have...a visitor."
"Myrtle, tell whoever it is that I'm not seeing anyone today," he replied into the speaker. "I've got Mrs. Callison's case to work on and I..."
"Um...Mr. Davis," Myrtle continued, "I think you really should speak to him. It's...the police."
Douglas furrowed his brow and let out a heavy sigh upon hearing the identity of his unexpected visitor. The police? Why would they want to see him? Could it have something to do with Francis' defense? Realizing that he didn't have much choice, he took a deep breath and pressed the intercom button again.
"Okay, Myrtle, send him in." As he hurriedly put away the papers he'd been working on, he tried to put on his best professional demeanor.
He was certain that the only reason that the police could possibly want to see him would be to gather more evidence that would be detrimental to Francis' defense and he was determined not to let them have anything that might harm his case.
click here to view the For Now and Forever Flash opening sequence
76 Mapleton Way"Are you ready to leave for the airport?" Dr. Fred Rutherford asked as he watched Leticia Stokes slowly come down the stairs carrying the urn containing her husband's ashes. Her maid Ruby Thomas followed closely behind carrying several large suitcases.
"No," Leticia muttered as she reached the foot of the stairs. "I don't think that I'll ever be ready to do this."
"Darling, I know how difficult this is going to be," he sighed as he put his arms around her, "but it's what your husband would have wanted. He would want to be in a city that he felt was his home. Albanyville just isn't it."
"How the hell do you know what Daddy would have wanted?" Judith Linford spat as she walked in from the living room. "You have no business being here!"
"Judith, please don't do this now," Leticia begged with a shake of her head. "This is hard enough for me as it is."
Judith Stokes Linford"Mother, this man has no business going anywhere with you to honor Daddy's memory!" Judith quickly stepped between her mother and Fred so that she could address her mother directly. "You should let one of us go with you. Let me go with you to New York. If anyone else is going to be there, it should be me."
"Judith, no. I wanted to do this alone, but...well...I need Fred there with me." She turned to address her maid. "Ruby, just set those bags over by the door and let us have a some time alone."
"Yes, ma'am," Ruby nodded before doing as directed and hurrying out of the room.
"Mother, you can't go to New York with this...this quack," Judith hissed through clinched teeth and grabbed Leticia's arm tightly. "You know Daddy would be rolling over in his...well..." She glanced down at the urn in her mother's arms. "You know what I mean."
Dr. Fred Rutherford"Judith, this is hard enough for your mother as it is without you making it harder." Fred reached over and forcibly removed her hand from Leticia's arm. "Just because you feel guilty over your father's death isn't any reason for you to act like this."
"How dare you throw that in my face!" she snapped back. "You have no right! You're not even fit to lick my father's shoes let alone be in the presence of his ashes!"
"Judith! Stop it this instant!" Leticia ordered. "Why do you have to do this to me? Why do you have to cause some sort of problem wherever you go?"
"Me? Causing problems?" Judith took a step backwards, aghast at the accusation. "Mother, open your eyes! See this man for the snake that he is!"
"Judith, I know that you're suffering through some horrible grief over your father," Fred spoke up calmly as he tried to maintain a proper demeanor, "but that's no reason to lash out at others. Maybe if I made an appointment for you at the hospital with a doctor who could..."
"I don't want or need your help!" She paused and returned her attention to Leticia. "Mother, please don't let him go with you to New York!
Leticia Stokes"Judith, I'm through discussing this with you," Leticia replied firmly. "Fred and I have a plane to catch. I'll see you when I get back."
Turning on her heel, Leticia took Fred by the arm and led him towards the door while Judith silently seethed.
Judith clinched her fists tightly as she thought about how her mother was trashing her father's memory by carrying on with the vile Dr. Rutherford. As a look of determination covered her face, she realized that she had to do whatever to took to get him out of their lives.
Meanwhile, outside, as Fred helped Leticia into the car, he made his own realization. Judith was clearly going to be a force to be reckoned with and if he had any hopes of getting his hands on Leticia's fortune, he had to do whatever it took to get Judith out of the way.
The Offices of Callison Publications & the Daily Post"I really don't understand why you'd want to talk to me," Douglas said curtly as he leaned forward onto his desk. "I have nothing to say to you as far as Francis Callison is concerned."
"Mr. Davis, this doesn't exactly concern Mrs. Callison," Detective Jim Fitzpatrick replied as he stood in front of the desk. "As far as my department is concerned, that's a closed case. It's in the D.A.'s hands, now. What I want to discuss with you pertains to another case I'm working on."
"Another case?" Douglas furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out what Jim was talking about. "What kind of case and what does it have to do with me?"
"I really can't go into specifics," Jim explained and then paused awkwardly, unsure about how much of his unofficial theories he should reveal. "However, I know that not only were you Annabelle Lake's boss but you were also her attorney and..."
"I thought that you said that this didn't have anything to do with the Francis Callison?" Douglas shot back, immediately suspicious of the detective's visit.
"I said that it didn't exactly concern Mrs. Callison," Jim corrected. "However, it might have something to do with the murder and...um...well..."
"You must be crazy if you think that I'm going to help you nail down the D.A.'s case against her!"
"Now, Mr. Davis, that's not what I'm trying to do." Jim paused and took a deep breath. "In fact, well, as this current case relates to your client, I'm here in a completely unofficial capacity."
"What?" Douglas furrowed his brow and eyed the detective curiously. "I don't think I understand what you're trying to say."
Jim Fitzpatrick"Mr. Davis, I'm beginning to think that we might have made a mistake," Jim confessed. "Now, I can't be certain but...well...some new evidence has appeared in regards to a current case that might have some bearing on the Lake murder. As I said before, that case is officially closed, but...well...I'd like to settle my own curiosity. You can help me kill two birds with one stone."
Douglas leaned back in his chair and considered what Jim was telling him. However, how could he be certain that he wasn't being fed some kind of story in order to gain his confidence.
"What kind of information are you hoping to find in Annabelle's personal records?" Douglas finally asked.
"To be honest, I'm not sure," Jim sighed. "It's one of those things that I'll know when I see it. I'm actually looking for some information concerning her husband."
"Stephen Lake?" Douglas paused as he tried to make the connection to Annabelle's death. "Truthfully, I don't understand why you'd want any information about him. The man's been dead for years."
"Did Mrs. Lake ever confide in you any intimate details about her husband?"
"No, not really," Douglas shook his head. "Annabelle and I never had a very close, personal relationship. She was my secretary. She didn't talk about her personal life much outside of her daughter."
"If I'm not mistaken, you dated her daughter at one time, didn't you?"
Douglas Davis"I...um..." Douglas grimaced at the thought of his brief romantic involvement with Stephanie Lake. "Yes, she and I dated briefly last year and it...well...didn't work out. I assure you, detective, that nothing serious ever happened between us, if that's what this is about. And besides, she had already turned 18 and..."
"No, Mr. Davis," Jim laughed, rather amused by Douglas' reactions, "that's not what this is about." He paused again. "Do you still have Mrs. Lake's personal papers?"
"Well, yes, of course," Douglas nodded. "I keep all of the files for each of my clients."
"And what kind of work did you do for Mrs. Lake?"
"Basic legal matters," he explained. "It was all pro bono. I did it as a favor in appreciation of her work for me. I drew up her will---not that it mattered because she really didn't have a lot of money. Annabelle liked to put on airs, somewhat. She liked to appear better off than she really was. In fact, when she died, she really left Stephanie in some pretty severe financial straights."
"Can I see those files, Mr. Davis?"
"I...guess so." Douglas took a deep breath and slid his chair back so that he could open his file cabinet. "Let's see...Abbott...Ames...Alden...Bauer...hmmm...Frame...Horton...Hughes...ah, here it is. Annabelle Lake." He pulled out the file and turned around to spread it out onto the desk. "As you can see, detective, there's really not much here. A copy of her will, a few other papers that really don't have much importance, anymore, and..."
"What's that?" Jim asked as he quickly spotted something poking out from the bottom of the file.
"It...looks like an envelope," Douglas replied as he pulled it out so that he could further examine it. "Oh, yes! I remember this, now. Gee, I'd forgotten all about this."
"Mr. Davis, what is it?" Jim eyed him curiously.
"Well, a few years ago, Annabelle gave me this envelope with explicit instructions in the event of her death," he explained. "She never told me what was inside and I never felt it was my place to ask. I just filed it away and I guess that I forgot about it."
"Well, Mrs. Lake is dead, now," Jim reminded. "It's time to open that envelope. I'd really like to know what's inside."
"Oh, I couldn't do that." Douglas shook his head. "She gave this to me with the utmost confidence that I would do as she'd asked."
"Mr. Davis, you don't understand how important this is. My entire investigation could hinge on what's inside that envelope."
"I'm very sorry about that," Douglas sighed, "but I'm bound by a code of ethics. I cannot betray a client's trust even after death. Annabelle put her trust in me and I have to honor her final wish. This envelope can only be opened by one person---the person whose name is on it."
Jim grumbled slightly as he tried to figure out a way to convince Douglas to reveal the mysterious envelope's contents. "And who might that be, Mr. Davis?"
"Her daughter," Douglas replied matter-of-factly. "Who else?" | http://fornowandforever.net/episodes/1936/arc1/117.htm | dclm-gs1-148320002 | false | false | {
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0.299505 | <urn:uuid:d0bc1fe1-2ebc-4838-92a3-71d8789c8c53> | en | 0.937199 | View Full Version : [Gameplay] Exp System addition
10-18-2010, 08:10 PM
To me the exp system could do with a reconfiguration.
Unrelated. Dota added a +200 range for exp range from 1.2k from 1k.
That change made me think along the lines of why the exp range was a set boundary with everything inside it getting full and everything outside getting none.
The exp range is 1000 for any kill. But why? Why not 1001, or 1002? You get my point.
That means if somehow you are 1001 range outside a kill and you contribute to that kill, you get 0 exp!
There are also other skills which are impacted slightly by this.
Take for example Tundra's Piercing Shards. Your chasing someone and your waiting for the cooldown for your Shards to go down. As they run away you hit them with a max range Shards getting a nice amount of GOLD and EX.... oh wait, no EXP.... Kind of sux doesn't it?
I think a system should be added on top of the current exp system to award some sort of diminishing exp for finishing blows that are on a kill. Attacks don't generally break the 1k rule and it's mostly skills.
What I'm suggesting - A diminishing exp return rate for player of finishing blows for Heroes outside the full 1k exp range. -
Players should be rewarded in both gold and exp for their kills.
This is not a direct buff to any hero that I had in mind, nor a direct buff to any sort of category of heroes (Carries or Support etc). It mostly affects gankers because they have most of the spells which deal damage but this affects a wide range of heroes.
List of such spells that currently are impacted from 1k exp.
(Instant on the spot damage)
Tundra - Piercing Shards (1300 range)
Defiler - Wave of Death (1110 range) (Checked from DotA's DP)
Glacius - Tundra Blast (1100 range)
Behemoth - Fissure (1200 range)
Devourer - Guttling Hook (1100 range)
Pebbles - Chuck (1100 range)
Andromeda - Aurora (1400 range)
Gladiator - Pitfall & Call to Arms (1725 range - 1400 range)
Hellbringer - Summon Malphas (1800 range)
Flint Beastwood - Explosive Flare (1100 range)
Forsaken Archer - Piercing Arrows (1300 range)
Dark Lady - Taint Soul (1200 range)
There are other spells which have extensively large range (>2k) that I have not listed because I feel they are such a distance away which feels plausible not to gain any benefit of exp from a kill, however if such a suggestion is implemented they will be affected. (Spells such as Valkyrie Arrow to TB's Lightning Storm). There are also other spells which are arguable and contain a component such as a DoT or no specific limit on range.
Whilst this has never been a real issue in the HoN. I think this could improve a few things to the game because....
1. It rewards an aspect which S2 want the game to revolve around. Ganking. Ganking involves kills and the only reason you miss hero kill exp is because you've done a successful gank/kill, this helps alleviate that.
2. The hero affected gets a portion of the exp that they would normally get for successfully involving themselves in the kill. I can't think of any way to abuse an implementation of this.
3. It increases the pace of the game because getting extra exp speeds up the game.
4. You don't get jipped out on exp for being just 1 range away from full exp range.
Few extra things that could be considered.
1. You must have maintained vision for at least a small period during the prior 10 seconds before the kill. This helps to keep it fair rewarding gankers who are actively chasing players rather pot-luck kills in the blind. (IE Valk Javelin, Damage over Time spells)
2. Exp decreases exponentially as you move further away from 1k. A simple formula could be 1000^2/X^2 where X is your current range when the finishing blow happened. (1k = 100%, 2k = 25%, 3k = 11.11%)
I'd really appreciate feedback for this to maybe address issues or changes of implementing such an addition. | http://forums.heroesofnewerth.com/archive/index.php/t-175489.html | dclm-gs1-148340002 | false | false | {
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0.024447 | <urn:uuid:b78ef456-631e-4433-b53c-94857cb2ca23> | en | 0.956628 | ajaxFor some time now a lot of us have been asking who is today's top war sound hailing from Bronx, New York. This is a question that has proven to be very difficult to answer. Despite Bronx being a major contributor to the dancehall culture in New York and with a legacy that stems back to the glory days of sounds like African Love and Down Beat the Ruler; venues like Stardust Ballroom, Act III and Parkside Plaza, today there is no new Bronx sound the reigns supreme. After the Down Beat era, the only Bronx sound that temporarily carried the 'war/juggling' torch was a sound called King Barker. King Barker reigned for a number of years and was a major competitor throughout New York; facing off with some of the best sounds/selectors at that time which would include: Tony Matterhorn (King Addies), Stereo Fish (LP Int'l) just to name a few. Since the absence of King Barker over 15 years ago, no one has occupied the throne which has not been a good look for the Bronx.
Nevertheless I am a firm believer in the saying, 'nothing happens before the time'. This summer in an effort to fill the void and lack of representation by the sound system community in the Bronx, two of today's popular Bronx names have agreed to face off. Blunt Posse vs Young Hawk!!! This clash is more meaningful than many seem to understand. Both sounds have been around for years thriving to clinch fame outside of their local community but have never face off in the clash arena. This should be a very interesting and exciting clash and I'm urging clash fans not to miss it.
Zooming in on these two contenders, this is how I view it - Young Hawk has achieved more than Blunt Posse because of their ability to both clash and juggle. Over the years, they have been frequent travelers making their mark in both the juggling and clash arenas outside of their community. Their major clash victory was scored a few years back when they won the Irish and Chin's US Rumble securing a spot at both World Clash NY and UK Cup Clash in London. What amazes me about Young Hawk is, when compared to many of the other sounds in their league, they have a limited dub plate arsenal but nevertheless they use it lethally. As a bonus Jamie, the selector/mic man of the sound is very witty and knows to get himself out of situations.
To date I will argue that Blunt Posse is one of, if not the most equip sound system in New York. Their dub plate arsenal is ridiculous and they love the war. Tune wise Young Hawk could never stand up to Blunt Posse. Young Hawk's fame is one thing but at the end of the day steel haffi clap and dub haffi talk. Blunt Posse is also a frequent traveled sound. Over the years, they have secured performances in the international sound clash arena but have not yet clinch a title which would grant them bragging rights. They do juggle but their popularity solely lies in clashing. As I have stated publicly in the past, I credit Blunt Posse's mic man, Ajax as New York's top MC. I admire the fact that in addition to his mic skill he shows the necessary aggression and willingness that does not allow him to be intimidated by his opponents. At the end of the day this clash will come down to popularity vs tune and wit vs aggression. May the best man win!
Source: Chin
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0.086407 | <urn:uuid:e7d7b5b7-063b-402f-9552-92fe6ee4549a> | en | 0.9373 | TY - JOUR T1 - THe good physician AU - Bhadula R Y1 - 2013/09/04 N1 - 10.1001/jama.2013.276135 JO - JAMA SP - 909 EP - 909 VL - 310 IS - 9 N2 - There exist in this world infinite measures and parameters by which we judge the goodness of things. In the field of medicine, in particular, a mastery of these measures is considered the most noble of quests. Thus as physicians we are trained to be confident in our science. In that incredible, edible, empirical! We make recommendations to our patients on a daily basis: Mrs S should lower her cholesterol, Mr M should take that antibiotic. Advice offered reassuringly on our collective confidence in tangible outcomes. Yet a physician is more than the sum of her scientific chutzpah. Medicine in its entirety is as much art as it is science. To the novice physician this concept is unformed, theoretical at best. To the seasoned physician it is care within the context of a profound awareness of the human condition. Mastery of this art is a key component of good physicianhood. Yet unlike science, art is a study of intangibilities. Beautiful, spiritual, elusive. When judging the relative goodness of our art, we are confounded. Who then is the “good” physician? What makes a physician “good” vs “average”? This distinction seems subjective, threatening. In the empirical world, we have tests that can determine the extent of our knowledge, but what scales exist to measure the weight of our empathy? SN - 0098-7484 M3 - doi: 10.1001/jama.2013.276135 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.276135 ER - | http://jama.jamanetwork.com/downloadCitation.aspx?format=ris&articleid=1734708 | dclm-gs1-148470002 | false | false | {
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0.030462 | <urn:uuid:61b69bb4-6598-4852-b3d5-6a75633cee9c> | en | 0.918933 | Jean-Michel-Basquiat Oil Painting
so we’re working on an anti-oppression policy at firestorm! Shoutout to aorta collective who has all the graphics.
René Maltête
Genius Party- Studio 4c
an anthology of short animated films.
It’s 18 degrees outside but the sunrise is pretty. c:
Tom Waits (on Jim Wilson): “Wilson, he’s always playing with time. I heard a recording recently of crickets slowed way down. It sounds like a choir, it sounds like angel music. Something sparkling, celestial with full harmony and bass parts - you wouldn’t believe it. It’s like a sweeping chorus of heaven, and it’s just slowed down, they didn’t manipulate the tape at all. So I think when Wilson slows people down, it gives you a chance to watch them moving through space. And there’s something to be said for slowing down the world.”
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0.019146 | <urn:uuid:111e2093-c2e3-4966-ae2c-11f877827788> | en | 0.949437 | [kwlug-disc] Python
William Park opengeometry at yahoo.ca
Thu Jan 12 04:03:17 EST 2012
On Wed, Jan 11, 2012 at 11:38:55PM -0500, Steve Izma wrote:
> So if people are dealing with structured or structurable data, why
> shouldn't they be taught (e.g.) SQL? Even better (and tied into this
> and related threads) simple scripting languages like the Shell, awk,
> etc.
My opinion of SQL was never good. But it's getting better, simply
because people are more receptive to SQL. Also, from company's point of
view, they probably invested in SQL in some manner already, and don't
want to be supporting another "database".
> > Hence, my interest in your use of Python in what seems to be
> > spreadsheet related business case.
> much too expensive. It's probably much cheaper now. But the
> concept looks good.
For Appgen... yes, it's cheap. In fact, not only is it the cheapest
ERP/Accounting solution in Linux market, but it's probably the only
solution below SAP and Oracle. Unfortunately, they missed SQL boat. If
Appgen developers early on changed their business model to run on top of
SQL database, then things would be different.
I'm trying to avoid mistakes of others. (1) If you look at other
projects that went nowhere, they failed mostly because they wrote their
own "language" or "interface", and ended up spinning wheel in order to
support it. (2) Another reason is they came up with "integrated"
solution, and ended up spinning wheel again because every company has
different business logic.
C or Python looks good. C is faster and better debugging (ie. gdb).
Python is already tapping into areas that I'm interested in tapping.
I'm also looking into Go (golang.org) which is C-like language sponsered
by Google.
One interesting potential of Appgen (if re-written properly) is that it
is capable of massive parallel processing. Currently, it goes through
list of records sequentially. But, each record is complete and
independent, and they can be processed in any order. That means, they
can be processed in parallel. For example, instead of posting 10
records sequentially, you can run 10 postings simultaneously each
processing 1 record. Of course, you need to serialize at some point
when it hits the database, but that's orders of magnitude improvement.
We'll see. :-)
More information about the kwlug-disc mailing list | http://kwlug.org/pipermail/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org/2012-January/009613.html | dclm-gs1-148540002 | false | false | {
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0.028561 | <urn:uuid:d6194337-7bf3-49db-ac37-655d06fd5fe4> | en | 0.900052 | "Microclimates" are created within forests. A valley bottom collects water and cold air, mountain habitats will be drier on one slope than the other because of the rainshadow effect, and south-facing slopes in northern temperate zones are warmer on average than those facing north. These microclimates affect only relatively small areas within one type of forest.
A valley creates a microclimate, collecting water and cool air. Photo courtesy Al Walters.
The forest affects the overall climate, plus the microclimates. The tree canopy softens the fall of precipitation hitting the forest floor, protecting smaller plants from being crushed under the weight of a heavy snowfall. Water vapor evaporates from trees' leaves, contributing to moisture levels in the area. Shade from the tree cover helps keep snow from melting too quickly and causing spring floods. Forests keep soil temperatures cooler and create shelter from wind. Without this impact the forest has on the climate, many species could not persist.
climate -- page 4 of 5
related topics
[water] [soil]
view the condensed version of the climate article for faster printing/reading
return to the forest importance article | http://library.thinkquest.org/17456/climate4.html | dclm-gs1-148590002 | false | false | {
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0.676033 | <urn:uuid:c00b4a84-d047-478d-9a51-cc8ac94c4f60> | en | 0.750399 | Tell me more ×
For all $s>0$ define for $\epsilon\in(0,1)$ the function: \begin{equation} g(\epsilon)=\sum_{k=0}^{\infty}(1+k)^s(\sqrt{1-\epsilon})^k. \end{equation} Prove that $\exists C>0$ and $\phi(s)$ such that: \begin{equation} g(\epsilon)\leq C \epsilon^{\phi(s)}. \end{equation}
share|improve this question
Where does this arise? What makes you think this is true? – Captain Oates Feb 18 at 19:36
A professor gave us this exercise, but my colleagues and I weren't able to solve it, even if we found it very interesting. – Felice Feb 18 at 22:13
So why not ask this professor? – Captain Oates Feb 19 at 1:31
add comment
1 Answer
up vote 0 down vote accepted
$$ g(\epsilon)=\sum_{k\ge 1} k^se^{\frac {k-1}2\ln(1-\epsilon)} \lesssim \int_0^{+\infty} x^s e^{-a\epsilon x} dx= \int_0^{+\infty}x^s e^{-ax}dx\epsilon^{-s-1} $$ where $a$ is a fixed constant. So $$ C=\int_0^{+\infty}x^s e^{-ax}dx,\quad \phi(s)=-s-1. $$
share|improve this answer
I think that the constant $a$ depends on $\epsilon$. I would like to find an estimate such that the constant $C$ doesn't depend on $\epsilon$. – Felice Feb 18 at 21:52
Anyway I have some difficulty understanding your inequalities. For example: \begin{equation} e^{\frac{x-1}{2}ln(1-\epsilon)}\leq e^{-a\epsilon x}. \end{equation} Is that inequality true for $x=\frac{1}{2}$ and $\epsilon \rightarrow 0$? – Felice Feb 18 at 22:04
$\epsilon \rightarrow 1$, sorry. – Felice Feb 18 at 22:06
The only problem is when $\epsilon$ is small, and you do have a singularity at $\epsilon=0$. Now for $x>1,0<\epsilon<1/4$, $$ \frac{x-1}{2}\ln(1-\epsilon)\le\frac{x(-\epsilon/2)}{2} $$ so you can take $a=1/4$. The bounded values of $x$ are unimportant. – Bazin Feb 19 at 8:25
add comment
Your Answer
| http://mathoverflow.net/questions/122215/an-interpolation-inequality | dclm-gs1-148640002 | false | false | {
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0.090667 | <urn:uuid:b63d9e93-99a6-4bc9-9c0d-144337ecc6d3> | en | 0.959064 | Where you're 18 times more likely to find a job
@Luhby August 29, 2012: 11:42 AM ET
College Degrees
Having a college degree can give you a leg up on those with only a high school diploma, but just how much of an advantage depends on where you go.
Some of the widest gaps between job openings for workers who have college educations and those who don't are in central California, according to a new report by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program.
In the Bakersfield, Calif., metro area, there were 18 times the number of job openings for college grads versus those with high school diplomas or less in 2010.
One of the main problems there is that the residents have little education so they don't have many opportunities. Most of the jobs are in agriculture or oil production.
"A high school degree is no longer going to cut it," said Richard Chapman, head of the development organization, noting that companies are looking for skilled workers. "The worst thing is to have a job opening and no one to fill it."
Related: Best places for job growth
The Brookings report analyzed the educational requirements for new jobs in the nation's 100 largest metro areas. It found that places with a greater concentration of college graduates have better job prospects for both those with degrees and those who just finished high school.
That's because educated workers tend to be paid more and spend more on restaurants, shopping and personal services -- all of which are often staffed by people who didn't go to college, said Jonathan Rothwell, senior policy analyst at Brookings, who authored the report.
"Metro areas with highly educated workers create opportunities for less educated workers," said Rothwell.
For example, upstate New York had the narrowest gaps. In the Rochester and the Poughkeepsie metro areas, the differential between jobs for the college educated and the non-college educated was only 1.7 times.
That's due in part to the University of Rochester and affiliated Strong Memorial Hospital, which both offer jobs that require a lot of education and not a lot of education.
"You need a lot of support staff in addition to doctors and professors," said Ryan McDevitt, an assistant economics professor at the university's Simon Graduate School of Business.
Two jobs, hard times
American workers' education levels have come into the spotlight as the nation struggles to pull itself out of the Great Recession. Many employers have complained that they have job openings, but can't find workers with the skills needed to fill them.
Those without a college education have many fewer jobs to apply to, the Brookings report found. Only 24% of jobs in 2012 were available to those in this category, as opposed to the 43% of postings open to those with college diplomas.
"The problem is that there aren't enough job openings for less educated workers," Rothwell said.
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CNNMoney Sponsors | http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/29/news/economy/jobs-education/index.html | dclm-gs1-148690002 | false | false | {
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0.208025 | <urn:uuid:c58cb409-a2d7-4300-b072-c79cc4cdd0ab> | en | 0.935761 | To all of my followers who are battling suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harming, or any kind of mental illness: I am so glad that you are still here. You wanna know why? Because you are beautiful. Because you are amazing. Because you are unique. Because you are strong. Because you are a little fighter. Because your are a survivor. Just know that the world would not be the same without you. Stay strong!
(Source: iamsmilingatyou, via iamsmilingatyou)
Haven’t had disordered thoughts in a while… I guess we all have good days and bad. Today is just a bad body image day for me | http://moody-street.tumblr.com/ | dclm-gs1-148700002 | false | false | {
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0.022603 | <urn:uuid:9ddf794c-4ec0-4750-8136-74b57a960d2d> | en | 0.875849 | Learning with Librarians
1. Wordle - creating word clouds
2. Blogs - Global2 for Victorian school teachers in government and Catholic schools
3. diigo for bookmarking
4. twitter for searching and networking
5. Scoopit for curating
6. skype for videoconferencing
7. bubbl.us and diagram.ly for brainstorming
8. booktrailers
9. qr codes
Further resources
3. The best lists on technology use by Larry Ferazzo
4. Long live libraries for life long learning
5. Curation for Teenage Librarians
7. Long live libraries for lifelong learners
8. These are a few of my favourite things
9. Parents-Partners in Teaching and Learning
10. Latest Happenings at Sandy Beach Public School Library
What tools or resources would you suggest for librarians to use?
About these ads
8 Responses to Learning with Librarians
1. Thanks Anne, that has been great.
We will be in touch again.
2. Maureen O'Loughlan
Wow! So much information…have had a valuable day at Hawkesdale with Anne, Faye and Britt. I have lots to pass on when I get back to school and I will be hoping to inspire teachers and students.
Thank you!
3. Very interesting, but a lot to try and take in when not real computer mind.
But great for getting to know one and another by face and not just voice on photo.
Explained very week
4. Ann, You are a humble genious. Your ICT skills are mindblowing! Today’s information have been most enlightning. Being apart of writer’s class was most valuable. It was an honour to be apart of it. Thankyou.
• I use blogging with students, so we use edublogs. However, if the blog is just for you and a personal type blog, I suggest wordpress or blogger. (I use wordpress but my son uses blogger.) Both have some great features and allow videos, images and podcasts etc. If you go to this site, scroll down and on the right hand side bar, is Starting a blog. http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/ Go there and there are some great tips etc for starting a blog. All the best.
6. Pingback: What is EarlyWord? | Deb's Answers
7. Pingback: The Power of Library Blogs: What is their potential use for media specialists, students and schools? | SLM508KRS
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0.307165 | <urn:uuid:a77d4f82-2e3b-4a39-81b0-b6ccec4db47f> | en | 0.962594 | Wednesday, August 21, 2013
What You Can Expect at your Embryo Transfer
I am feeling extremely honored to say that I have had a few emails recently from surrogates very early in the process, or ladies who are considering applying to be a surrogate. Quite of few of those have asked me if I could share some more details with them about how the embryo transfer actually works. I will share with you how things went for me this time. I think it goes without saying that each clinic, each doctor, each nurse has their own way of doing things. So please take this as a personal experience, not a manual for how yours will go.
You probably already have the gist of it from my previous posts. The "tenative transfer date" is usually included on your med calendar. This calendar shows you the planned medical protocol.
Everything is subject to change. Always. You will never know for certain the date and time of the actual transfer until the last minute. There have been plenty of examples of surrogates on the table, knees in the air, still not sure if the transfer would be taking place that day. In fact, I was one of those with my first transfer. For us, it was a matter of logistics. Other times it has to do with embryo quality, or reaching the intended parents to get final approval (if they aren't attending the transfer).
So, you follow your calendar and take all of your medications. You will probably have at least one appointment at a local monitoring clinic (This might be your regular OB, but many of them don't do outside monitoring. My first time, I went to a large hospital's fertility center. This time I am going to a smaller, specialized fertility center in a nearby city). They will do a vaginal ultrasound to check how your uterine lining looks, as well as making sure your ovaries do not look like you're about to ovulate (NOT what you want to happen). They might do blood work, also. My first surrogacy, I had 3 of these checks leading up to the transfer date. In my current journey, I only had one. They might adjust your medications if it seems necessary. After your last monitoring appointment, the clinic where your transfer is taking place will let you know if you are "go" for the planned transfer. Plans will be made for your travel, etc as necessary. It is typical that you will be heading out with a date, but not a specific time. The time is often not scheduled until the day before.
Transfer Day:
You will have received instructions from your nurse on how to prepare for your transfer. In my experience, transfers were in the morning. I was permitted to eat as normal, but drinking has parameters. I was given a specific time which was my last chance to urinate. From that time until transfer, I needed to drink exactly 1 liter of water, and could not use the restroom until after the transfer. This gives the doctor and nurses an ideal view of the uterus as they use ultrasound to assist in the procedure.
I was also given 1 Valium (only with one of my transfers) and told what time to take it while we were in the waiting room. This is because it relaxes the muscles of and around the uterus, and helps with transfer success. When it's time, the nurse takes you to the room. You undress from the waist down and cover with a sheet. You are put on the table just like you were having a regular women's or prenatal exam. The nurse performs a quick look on the ultrasound to just be sure your bladder is ideally full and she can see what they need to see. Once you are ready, they will bring in the intended parents (if they are coming, and weren't already in the room). The doctor will come place the speculum, same as when you are having a pap. The entire procedure feels much like a pap, and only lasts a few moments longer. Instead of scraping the cervix as in a pap, the doctor will place a catheter through it and into the uterus. They will do a practice run first, making sure they can reach where they want to with no trouble. Then the embryologist will come in. The microscopic embryo is transferred to the doctors catheter tool. He goes back through the catheter, and the embryo is dropped off. You will likely be able to see all of this happening on the screen via ultrasound. I was able to see clearly where the catheter was going and a tiny white dot where the embryo was placed. The doctor will keep everything in place for just a moment as the embryologist goes to a microscope and verifies that the embryo(s) was, in fact, removed from the tool. In that quick moment - you just might have gotten pregnant! The speculum is removed and you can put your feet down, but you'll have to stay lying down for a little bit. Protocols vary a lot. On my recent transfer, a timer was set for 5 minutes. I was allowed to get up and walk to the bathroom right away. I have heard of other ladies have to wait upwards of 30-45 minutes. This is NOT fun (especially the more pregnancies you have already had!) but you will feel SO relieved when you can go pee!
Again, protocols vary quite largely. Some doctors insist on strict bed rest for 24-48 hours. Some just say "Take it easy." My first transfer I was told to be a couch potato for the rest of that day, and have someone else carry my luggage when I flew home the next day. This time, the doctor would have been perfectly ok with me flying home the same day. The intended mother, though, requested we stay a few days before flying home. We were fortunate we could work out the time away to oblige. For the first 24 hours I was restricted from swimming pools or baths, and repeatedly lifting over 25 pounds. Tampons are also a no-no, as well as drinking alcohol, smoking, etc of course - because you now consider yourself pregnant! You are also on 'pelvic rest' at this time. The length of restriction varies by doctor and patient. You may have already been told to abstain from sexual activity prior to the transfer, but you definitely will afterward. This means anything that induces an orgasm is off limits, because the contraction of the uterus could interfere with implantation. This and other restrictions will last until a time determined by your doctor. Sometimes it is until your beta blood test. Sometimes it is longer - until your ultrasound. Sometimes it is extended because you may have some bleeding. There isn't an amount of time I can tell you is the same for everyone.
Two Week Wait:
The standard time between the transfer and your first blood test is around 12 days. Those who have been through it dread the "Two Week Wait". It is so hard to keep your mind off of that test! Once you reach that point, it's just a blood draw.
They will check for hcg hormone indicating pregnancy, as well as your estrogen and progesterone levels. If the test is positive, it is possible they will send you for at least one repeat test. This is to make sure the hcg levels are increasing, indicating the embryo is developing. If anything was high/low, your hormone medications may be adjusted. You will remain under the supervision of the RE (reproductive endocrinologist - doctor who performed the transfer) until roughly 10-12 weeks. At that point you are 'released'. You are weaned off of medication. That doctor is no longer involved in your care at all. You will begin seeing your OB, etc for regular prenatal care. You are not considered high risk simply because you've had an embryo transfer and/or are a surrogate. Unless other complications arise, you can now enjoy a (anything but!) normal pregnancy. Congratulations!
1. Great info, thank you! How far away was your monitoring clinic?
1. With my first surrogacy, it was about 45 minutes away, plus about 15 for parking and walking through the building. This time it's about 25 minutes away.
Thanks for stopping by my little bloggy and sharing in our story! | http://mybelly-theirbaby.blogspot.com/2013/08/what-you-can-expect-at-your-embryo.html | dclm-gs1-148730002 | false | false | {
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0.050518 | <urn:uuid:1c3f15ac-c11e-487c-a47c-1aa6cbd14ee3> | en | 0.978673 | Before I go any further, let me go ahead and make the disclaimer that any statements I make here should be merely treated as anecdotes and not facts. Also, the discussion below is primary concerned with international students. Seriously, American credit card companies couldn’t be more confused. I mean, first of all there are like a zillion of them chasing unsuspecting customers in their mailboxes. Sometimes I wonder if even they understand all of the jargon they throw into those card agreements.
Anyways, what got me really irked was the difference in policies across the companies. On one hand of the spectrum we have our beloved American Express. Those of you who have read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy would recall that even Ford gets an AmEx card!! So there’s this general feeling that you know, if nothing else, you’ll definitely get an AmEx card :)
Now I’ve had an AmEx card since last year, and a Visa card as well. What was missing in my repertoire was a Mastercard. (don’t ask me why, but I’ve always wanted to have one card each from AmEx, Visa and Mastercard) . So I thought I’d apply for a Citi card. This was a long time back (6 months+). I went to their website, filled out the application for a college credit card and sat back. Few days later I get a letter saying that they can’t issue me a credit card coz I have a permanent address outside the United States. Go figure.
So then I talked to the people at my school, and they said that international students on F-1 Visa’s are **required** by federal law to maintain a permanent address outside the United States. So that left me nowhere. I called up Citi cards, told them the problem. The response I got was that Citicards was prohibited (again, by Federal law) from accepting applications for credit cards from any international student!
So I asked them how come AmEx and so many other companies are giving away credit cards to students? Infact, a lot of my friends have Citi cards as well. To that, they didn’t have any appropriate answer, other than to keep repeating that they can only comment on Citi’s policy. Anyways, so they gave me this number to call up at, saying it was specifically for international students. Apparently, that number **did not go through**, it was preposterous. And here were these people happily giving away that number. And this happened not on one occasion, but on multiple occasions — I even had one of their customer service representatives try and call up, and even he didn’t get through. So far so not good.
Eventually I left all hopes of getting a student credit card from Citi, but just for the heck of it, I applied for a regular (non-student) credit card from Citi, and guess what, I got it in 2 days! Can you believe that?!!
Leave a Reply | http://old.floatingsun.net/2005/01/07/confused-2/ | dclm-gs1-148780002 | false | false | {
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0.111991 | <urn:uuid:0674ab60-19a9-4105-b929-50cd2a92598a> | en | 0.936989 | The Kala Fellowship award - USA
The Kala Fellowship award is an international competition open to artists from the U.S. and around the world. Hosting nine new artists at Kala each year helps to ensure that the artistic energy and vision of Kala’s entire community of artists in residence is continually re-energized and rejuvenated.
Artists producing innovative work in book arts, electronic/digital media (video, sound, animation, etc.), installation art, social practice, photography, and printmaking are encouraged to apply. Fellowship Awards will be given based on conceptual creativity, originality and artistic excellence as well as technical knowledge.
We select nine artists and each receives a fellowship consisting of:
* a $3,000 cash award
* up to six months of studio residency at Kala Art Institute
* 24/7 access to Kala´s studio (An individual studio space may be also available depending on proposed projects and schedules.)
* a free class or equivalent tutorial sessions.
* an exhibition opportunity at the Kala gallery of the artwork created during the residency
Eight of the nine Kala Fellowships awards are available to artists from the US and around the world.
Additionally, one of the nine Kala Fellowship awards is available to artists from the US and around the world working in Social Practice. Social Practice can be loosely defined as a form of collaboration that engages social and public interaction as the primary component of the work. Examples include but are not limited to the following: alternative exchanges of goods and services, community-based projects, activating non-typical art viewing situations, social and political activism.
The Fellowship does not include housing.
Deadline for applications: 18 May.
Find all the details online. | http://on-the-move.org/news/topic/article/14656/the-kala-fellowship-award-usa/ | dclm-gs1-148800002 | false | false | {
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0.037481 | <urn:uuid:61c33002-1d7b-47d0-ae22-13b88bf9b2bd> | en | 0.925487 | • Graft survival;
• marginal donor;
• organ allocation;
• renal function
We previously proposed a quantitative approach to assess donor organs for cadaver renal transplantation. To improve on our original scoring system, we studied 34 324 patients who received cadaver renal transplants from adult donors between 1994 and 1999 and were reported to the UNOS Scientific Renal Transplant Registry. A scoring system was developed from five donor variables (age, 0–25 points; history of hypertension, 0–4; creatinine clearance before procurement, 0–4; cause of death, 0–3; HLA mismatch, 0–3) that showed a significant correlation with renal function and long-term graft survival. Cadaver kidneys were stratified by cumulative donor score: grade A, 0–9 points; grade B, 10–19; grade C, 20–29; and grade D, 30–39. The influence of donor score on renal function and graft survival was most severe above 20 points, designated ‘marginal’ kidneys. In summary, a donor scoring system developed from a large population database was useful in predicting outcome after cadaver renal transplantation. The improved system provides a quantitative approach to evaluation of marginal kidneys and may improve allocation of these organs in cadaver renal transplantation. | http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1034/j.1600-6143.2003.00111.x/abstract | dclm-gs1-148820002 | false | false | {
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0.112071 | <urn:uuid:804980be-b57f-4f8a-8cc0-86024b8daa78> | en | 0.966633 | Previous Page
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Support Test
The final part of the test for dependent status requires that you provide more than half of the person's total support during the calendar year.
Save Time
Save Time
In practice, most parents of minor children are assumed to provide at least half of the support. They don't need to do the formal calculations described below unless the dependent received a significant amount of income during the year and spent it on "support items" as described below.
Technically speaking, to apply the support test you must first calculate the total amount spent for the individual's support during the year, and then calculate how much of that support was provided by you (or your spouse, if filing jointly). If you provided more than half, the individual meets this test to be your dependent.
Total support for the year. The first step is to determine how much was actually spent on the individual's support during the year.
"Total support" includes amounts spent to provide food, clothing, lodging, education, medical and dental care, health insurance, recreation, transportation, and similar necessities. Other items can be included, depending on the situation. For example, if you pay someone to provide child care or disabled dependent care, you can include the payments as support even if you claim a tax credit for them.
Items not included as support are federal, state and local taxes, life insurance premiums, funeral expenses, savings and investments, and scholarships received by your child if the child is a full-time student.
Each item you provided is valued at its actual cost. In the case of lodging, the cost is determined as a portion of the fair rental value of the home provided to the dependent. The fair rental value usually includes utilities and furnishings.
Where the precise cost of the support items provided to the dependent can't be determined (e.g., the value of groceries consumed by the person is unknown), you must compute the cost of the item for the entire household in the year, and assign a proportionate share to each member of the household.
Where did the support come from? Once you know the total value of support received by the individual, you must compute how much of it was provided by yourself (and your spouse, if filing jointly) and then compare the amounts. If you provided one-half or more of the total support, the individual is your dependent under this test.
In some cases, the individual may be receiving income from outside sources such as Social Security, a welfare program, an educational institution, or other individuals. None of this income is treated as support provided by you.
If you are an employer of the individual (for example, if you hire your child to perform office work), the wages you pay are not treated as support provided by you. Also, if the individual takes out a loan and uses the proceeds for educational or other expenses, the loan proceeds count toward total support but not toward support provided by you.
However, the fact that the individual is receiving outside income does not automatically mean that it is being used to support that individual. Amounts that the person saves or invests, or spends on non-support items like life insurance, are not treated as support. This is true even if you encourage the person to save his or her own money (and perhaps to open an IRA) and you make up for the amount saved by providing a comparable amount of support.
Planning Tools
Planning Tools
You can use this dependent support worksheet to see whether a particular dependent qualifies under the support test.
Copyright 2006, CCH INCORPORATED - a Wolters Kluwer business.
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0.026627 | <urn:uuid:b864befe-c051-45aa-837f-68632b4b2f6d> | en | 0.93459 | Population All Reason.com articles with the "Population" tag. http://reason.com/favicon.ico http://cloudfront-assets.reason.com/media/images/reasonlogo_187x40.png?r=4825 tag:reason.com,2009-04-07:/tags/population/atom.xml 2013-12-12T00:00:00-05:00 Reason.com malissi@reason.com http://reason.com/ Diderot Deux China's Easing of Rules Likely Won't Lead to New Baby Boom tag:reason.com,2013-11-16:217757 http://bigstory.ap.org/article/easing-china-policy-may-not-result-baby-boom AP 2013-11-16T11:15:00-05:00 2013-11-16T11:15:00-05:00 2013-11-16T11:15:00-05:00
Changes in one-child rule happening too incrementally to result in increase, experts say
Study: Chinatowns Getting Whiter tag:reason.com,2013-10-10:214574 http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/chinatown-increasingly-white-wealthy-study-article-1.1481430#ixzz2hJzHAGzj New York Daily News 2013-10-10T09:10:00-04:00 2013-10-10T09:10:00-04:00 2013-10-10T09:10:00-04:00
In Boston, Philly, and New York
"More and more young single people with much more wealth than immigrants are moving into these buildings," said Bethany Y. Li, a staff attorney at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund in New York.
Germany's Population Drops tag:reason.com,2013-08-14:209601 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/14/world/europe/germany-fights-population-drop.html?hp&_r=1& New York Times 2013-08-14T18:40:00-04:00 2013-08-14T18:40:00-04:00 2013-08-14T18:40:00-04:00
Other European countries may follow suit
Population Explosion Again? tag:reason.com,2013-07-19:207167 2013-07-19T14:15:00-04:00 2013-07-19T14:15:00-04:00 Ronald Bailey http://reason.com/people/ronald-bailey
Increasing economic freedom will defuse it.
Population projections
The fertility replacement rate is about 2.1 children per woman. The 2012 Revision estimates that 48 percent of the world’s population lives in countries with below replacement rate fertility, the largest of which are China, the United States, Brazil, Russia, Japan, and Vietnam. According to the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World 2012 report, China’s index number increased from 3.74 in 1980 to 6.16 in 2010; Brazil from 3.83 to 6.42; Russia from 4.43 in 1995 to 6.35; Japan from 6.88 to 7.61, and Vietnam has just begun to be measured, but the trend is toward more economic freedom; and the United States fell from 7.92 to 7.70.
Another 2010 study, “Examining the Relationship between Life Expectancy, Reproduction, and Educational Attainment,” in Human Nature by University of Connecticut anthropologists Nicola Bulled and Richard Sosis confirmed Low’s finding. They divvied up 193 countries into five groups by their average life expectancies. In countries where women could expect to live to between 40 and 50 years, they bear an average of 5.5 children and those with life expectancies between 51 and 61 average 4.8 children. The big drop in fertility occurs at that point. Bulled and Sosis found that when women’s life expectancy rises to between 61 and 71 years, total fertility drops to 2.5 children; between 71 and 75 years, it’s 2.2 children; and over 75 years, women average 1.7 children. The 2012 Revision notes that global average life expectancy at birth rose from 47 years in 1955 to 70 years in 2010. Recall that over that time the average global fertility rate fell from 5 to 2.4 children today.
The crucial point is that increasing economic liberty correlates with increasing life expectancies, and thus falling fertility rates. As data from the Heritage Foundation’s Economic Freedom Index shows, average life expectancy for free countries is over 80 years, whereas it’s just about 63 years in repressed countries.
The U.N. demographers expect global average life expectancy at birth to rise to 76 years by 2050 and 82 years by 2100. If the evolutionary biologists are right, rising life expectancy will result in falling fertility. Unfortunately, the demographers estimate that life expectancy in the world’s poorest countries - many of which are severely afflicted with HIV/AIDS - is now just 58 years and they project that it will reach the current global average of about 70 years by 2050 and eventually rise to 78 years by 2100.
On the other hand, life-history predictions with regard to fertility rates do appear to pertain to countries such as Mali, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Ivory Coast, and Afghanistan where average female life expectancy stands at 53, 54, 51, 54, 60, and 61 years, respectively. Their corresponding total fertility rates are 6.9, 6, 6, 6.1, 4.9, and 5 children. Social, political, and economic chaos afflict those countries. George Mason University’s Center for Systemic Peace has devised a State Fragility Index as a way to measure a country’s stability with scores ranging from 0, meaning no fragility, to a high of 23, denoting a failed state.
Latinos Poised to Equal White Population in California tag:reason.com,2013-07-01:195100 http://www.sacbee.com/2013/07/01/5536254/latinos-poised-to-catch-up-with.html Sacramento Bee 2013-07-01T19:40:00-04:00 2013-07-01T19:40:00-04:00 2013-07-01T19:40:00-04:00
Any day now
Perhaps today or certainly sometime very soon, another baby will be born or a new immigrant will arrive and the number of Latinos in California will equal the state's non-Hispanic white population, according to official state population projections.
The change, to be marked today by a noon event at the state Capitol, has long been predicted by state demographers. It won't instantly make Latinos an equally powerful political force in California, or bring their incomes into parity with non-Hispanic whites, or close the school achievement gap.
But it is an important milestone – and a reminder that these other goals will become easier to achieve as the number of Latinos continues to grow, several leaders and activists said.
Jeb Bush Praises Immigrants as Economic Boon tag:reason.com,2013-06-14:193548 http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/14/18957325-jeb-bush-touts-pro-family-fertile-immigrants-as-economic-boon?lite NBC News 2013-06-14T14:23:00-04:00 2013-06-14T14:23:00-04:00 2013-06-14T14:23:00-04:00
Says they create more businesses and are more "fertile"
Census Shows That Germany's Population is Lower Than Initially Thought tag:reason.com,2013-05-31:192185 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22727898 BBC 2013-05-31T18:20:00-04:00 2013-05-31T18:20:00-04:00 2013-05-31T18:20:00-04:00
1.5 million fewer people
Germany has found that it has 1.5 million fewer people than was generally assumed, following the first census since reunification in 1990.
The new data revealed a population of 80.2 million, the federal statistics office Destatis said.
The census in the EU's most populous country was carried out on 9 May, 2011.
Until now, the census figures dated back to a West German one conducted in 1987, and a 1981 one in the former communist East Germany.
How Free Markets and Human Ingenuity Can Save the Planet tag:reason.com,2013-04-12:187388 2013-04-12T13:30:00-04:00 2013-04-12T13:30:00-04:00 Ronald Bailey http://reason.com/people/ronald-bailey
A review of The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas.
The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet, by Ramez Naam, University Press of New England, 352 pages, $29.95.
“We are a plague on the Earth. It’s coming home to roost over the next 50 years or so,” warned the famed British television naturalist David Attenborough in the January Radio Times. He added: “It’s not just climate change; it’s sheer space, places to grow food for this enormous horde. Either we limit our population growth or the natural world will do it for us.” Would-be prophets of disaster from Malthus to Paul Ehrlich have been preaching imminent ecological doom for centuries now. All such prophecies have so far failed. But is Attenborough right; is it different this time?
Probably not, Ramez Naam argues in The Infinite Resource: The Power of Ideas on a Finite Planet. Naam is no cock-eyed optimist. He takes seriously the environmental challenges that currently confront humanity, from man-made global warming to the depletion of fisheries, fresh water, and forests. And he believes in peak oil. Nevertheless, he argues that “it’s possible for humanity to live in higher numbers than today, in far greater wealth, comfort, and prosperity, with far less destructive impact on the planet than we have today.”
Naam is a professional technologist. He is a former Microsoft executive, where he worked on Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook, and he’s a fellow at the Institute of Ethics and Emerging Technologies. He is also the author of More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement and the science fiction novel Nexus. In The Infinite Resource, he argues that human ingenuity combined with the incentives of free markets can yield a world of “almost unimaginable wealth, health, and well-being.” Knowledge, he writes, “acts as a multiplier of physical resources allowing us to extract more value (whether it be food, steel, living space, health, longevity, or something else) from the same physical resource (land, energy, materials, etc.).”
Take agriculture. 10,000 years ago it took an average of 3,000 acres to feed one hunter-gatherer; farmers today can feed one person using less than one-third of an acre. “Our innovation in farming technology has multiplied the value of a plot of land by nearly 10,000,” Naam notes. If crop yields per acre had remained stuck at their 1960 level, half of the world’s remaining forests would have been plowed down by now.
Infinite Resource
The energy needed to produce a unit of nitrogen fertilizer has fallen nearly 90 percent since 1900. The energy required to produce a ton of steel has dropped five-fold since 1950. The amount of energy used to heat an average house in the U.S. is down 50 percent since 1978. The amount of energy needed to desalinate a gallon of water has plunged 90 percent since 1970. LED lights use about 10 times less energy than incandescents. Humanity has gotten richer over the past couple of centuries not chiefly by doing more of the same old things, but by developing better recipes.
To illustrate his point, Naam suggests that readers melt down their iPhones and try to sell the raw materials. Of course, they would be worth just a few cents. The value is in the design, which derives from centuries of accumulated scientific and technical knowledge. Not only can an iPhone connect you to nearly anyone on the planet, you can access vast amounts of information instantly, take and store photos and video and audio, navigate the streets of a strange city, check your flight times, and...well, as of January 2013, there were 775,000 apps available in Apple’s App Store. “The accumulated knowledge of materials, computing, electromagnetism, product design, and all the rest that we’ve learned over the last several centuries converts a few ounces of raw materials worth mere pennies into a device with more computing power than the entire planet possessed fifty years ago,” Naam writes.
Naam acknowledges that there are environmental problems that, if unaddressed, could overwhelm technological and economic progress. The solution, he suggests, lies in the market, which is “far superior to any competing system for producing innovation, for reducing poverty, for growing wealth, and for increasing productivity.” Markets achieve these laudatory effects by means of price signals; if a resource has no price, users can take as much as they want. So all around the world we find rivers, lakes, forests, fisheries, aquifers and the air being “treated as socialist resources, free for anyone to use, exploit, or damage without direct repercussions to themselves.”
Naam argues that the solution to most resource problems is to put a price on them so that market actors pay for the damage they cause other users of these resources. Surely that is right, but there is prior step that he largely overlooks: property rights. Prices in markets are negotiated between owners and buyers; the overexploitation of rivers, lakes, fisheries, aquifers, forests, and airsheds occurs chiefly because those resources are unowned. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates, for example, that a third of the world’s fisheries are overexploited or crashed already, and more than half are fully exploited now with no room to grow. Naam points out that the production of capture fisheries has been hovering around 90 million tons per year for the past two decades. Aquaculture, by contrast, has gone from producing 14 million tons of fish in 1991 to 63 million in 2011. That’s a good example of technology and innovation coming to the rescue, but he could have mentioned that aquaculturists enjoy property rights, and that capture fisheries can be protected and restored by giving those fishers property rights as well. Once the fish are owned, fishers have a strong incentive to protect stocks and work to increase their numbers.
Another resource problem cited by Naam is the ongoing depletion of aquifers and streams around the world, chiefly by farmers who are irrigating their crops. Once again, assigning property rights can allow a market price to emerge, forcing users to take into account how they consuming a resource. For example, unitization, a property right system used to manage oil and gas reservoirs, could be applied to aquifers. Similarly, riparian rights can be recognized in rivers and streams. (Another important way to preserve water resources is for governments to stop subsidizing irrigation water and pumps.)
Naam believes the biggest commons problem confronting humanity is global warming, stemming from the fact that burning coal, oil, and natural gas are loading up the atmosphere with extra carbon dioxide. He does a good job of examining the evidence that this could be a significant problem by the end of the century. He properly fears the crony-capitalist distortions that accompany proposals to put a price on carbon dioxide emissions through cap-and-trade schemes. Instead, he argues for a simple per-ton carbon tax imposed at the wellhead and the minehead. For the first five years the tax would be zero, permitting people to begin to make future adjustments and investments. In year six, it would be set at $10 per ton—about 10 cents per gallon of gasoline, and 0.7 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. The price would rise each year aiming to reduce emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
Naam sets an eventual ceiling of $100 per ton, equivalent to $1 per gallon of gasoline and 7 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity. “Pricing carbon is not a big-government initiative,” he insists, because all of the revenues would be divvied up equally and sent back to every American. To level the trade playing field, tariffs would be adjusted to take account of carbon taxes for both exports and imports. Assuming that policymakers are going to do something, Naam’s proposal is the something that would do the least damage to the economy. Although Naam is likely underestimating the inventiveness of fossil fuel producers, setting a price on carbon would speed up the process of weaning humanity off of fossil fuels and thus allay concerns about reaching peak oil.
Naam has confidence that innovators can dramatically improve solar and wind power, allowing those technologies to deliver the bulk of energy humanity will be using at the end of the century. He points out that the cost of photovoltaic modules has dropped by a factor of 20 since 1980. Nevertheless, he acknowledges that other energy options will likely be necessary for a transition to renewables. Consequently, he urges environmentalists to embrace nuclear power, highlighting the economic and safety advantages of small modular nuclear reactors. In some designs, the reactors can be fueled by the nuclear wastes produced by conventional reactors over the past 50 years, solving both an energy supply problem and a waste problem simultaneously. He also wants to jettison the Price-Anderson Act, a law limiting liability for nuclear accidents to just $12 billion. That will encourage nuclear innovators to come up with safer designs.
That said, Naam does think government-funded research and development can help jump-start many of the technologies he anticipates, especially in energy. I would argue that allocating property rights to common pool resources, and the market prices that would thus result, could well be enough to encourage innovators to develop resource-conserving technologies without recourse to handouts.
While Attenborough laments that humanity is a plague upon the earth, Naam asks an intriguing question: “Would your life be better off if only half as many people had lived before you?” In this thought experiment, you don’t get to pick which people are never born. Perhaps there would have been no Newton, Edison, or Pasteur, no Socrates, Shakespeare, or Jefferson. “Each additional idea is a gift to the future,” Naam writes. “Each additional idea producer is a source of wealth for future generations.” Fewer people means fewer new ideas about how to improve humanity’s lot. In any case, Naam shows that current demographic trends suggest that world population will peak below 10 billion before the end of this century.
“If we fix our economic system and invest in the human capital of the poor, then we should welcome every new person born as a source of betterment for our world and all of us on it,” Naam writes. He makes a persuasive case that human ingenuity will enable both people and planet to flourish.
Nick Gillespie on What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster" tag:reason.com,2013-03-28:185991 2013-03-28T10:00:00-04:00 2013-03-28T10:00:00-04:00 Nick Gillespie http://reason.com/people/nick-gillespie
In the latest issue of Bookforum, I review Jonathan V. Last's much-discussed What to Expect When No One's Expecting: America's Coming Demographic Disaster.
It's an interesting, extremely well-written book that starts out by rightly mocking Paul Ehrlich and other early '70s doomsayers for fretting over a "population bomb" that had already been effectively defused by the time they were predicting massive starvation around the globe. Which isn't to say that Last doesn't stint on what he considers to be the real apocalypse: a horrifically underpopulated planet.
He's totally convincing on two points. First, fertility rates are declining and will likely continue to. Second, that there's very little that can be done to reverse that. From the review:
Last’s conservatism guides his recognition that there is essentially nothing that governments can do to reverse declining fertility rates. Japan, the country that represents the leading edge in “demographic disaster,” has tried for decades to boost its population by giving parents stipends and cash bonuses, creating nationalized networks of day-care centers, and more. The results? Continuously falling birthrates, a subculture that dresses dogs like babies and pushes them around in carriages, and a booming market in hyperrealistic-looking robot babies.
Nothing has worked on a large scale to promote fertility. Stalin awarded “Motherhood Medals” to women with six or more living children, but the program did nothing to increase the next generation of new Soviet men and women. Authoritarian Singapore has thrown money, housing, ad campaigns, tax incentives, and sex instruction at couples, but all for naught. “If Singapore,” sighs Last, “can’t convince its modern, sophisticated population to have babies, what hope does anyone have? The answer may well be, ‘not much.’”...
All merits aside, I find Last's gentle millenarianism unconvincing in the final analysis:
But many, if not all, of the issues raised by [declines in population] are less clear-cut emergencies than Last contends; they may not be serious problems at all. For instance, consider Social Security. Everyone agrees that the program as currently structured is unsustainable. Benefits will be cut, taxes will be increased, or policy makers will use some combination of these approaches. We all may have differing views on how—or even whether—to provide taxpayer-funded income to retirees. But there’s no reason to believe that older Americans, already the wealthiest slice of the population in terms of total assets, will be reduced to eating cat food.
Read the whole review here.
Come for the review, but stay for this enjoyable rant against Bookforum's editor, Chris Lehmann, for assigning a review of Last's book in the first place and giving the job to me in the second. From the ballpoint pen of "Louis Proyect: Unrepentant Marxist":
What the fuck? Nick Gillespie reviewing some book about “America’s Coming Demographic Disaster”? Gillespie is the editor of Reason Magazine, a Koch-funded libertarian publication that fancies itself “rebellious” after the fashion of Spiked Online in Great Britain. In fact Gillespie has adopted the slightly punkish look of many Spiked writers, wearing a black leather jacket for his occasional Bill Maher appearance. My only advice to this 50-year-old man is to stop dyeing his hair. The shoe polish tint is just a bit too Reaganesque.
My first reaction to spotting this article in a magazine I paid good money for was akin to seeing a hair on an entrée that had just been delivered to my table at a pricey restaurant. It turned my stomach. At least in a restaurant I could send the dish back but what was I supposed to do with the Bookforum? Send it back to Chris Lehmann with instructions to replace Gillespie’s article by something written by Scott McLemee or Liza Featherstone? Fat chance of that.
After taking a swig of Kaopectate, I sat down to read Gillespie’s article. I figured that Lehmann, being a pretty smart young fellow, might have seen some wisdom in it that made it worth publishing. Boy, was I wrong.
For the record - and as my colleagues can plainly attest - I don't dye my hair, which is more full of silvery strands every goddamn day. To paraphrase the historian Eugene Genovese regarding a communist victory in Vietnam, I don't fear my hair turning gray, I welcome it. And, kind Louis, Kaopectate is mostly for diarrhea, not indigestion. For the latter, I recommend Pepcid, Zantac, or another over-the-counter acid blocker.
New York City Showing Population Growth for First Time in Decades tag:reason.com,2013-03-14:184666 http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/move-nyc-1st-time-decades-18729702 AP 2013-03-14T14:15:00-04:00 2013-03-14T14:15:00-04:00 2013-03-14T14:15:00-04:00
Record high of 8.3 million people
Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Thursday cheered the reversal as a sign of the city's quality of life.
The finding comes from new census estimates that put the city's population at a record high of 8.3 million.
China May Change One-Child Policy tag:reason.com,2013-03-13:184574 http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-03-13/will-china-change-its-one-child-policy#r=glo-lst Bloomberg Businessweek 2013-03-13T17:40:00-04:00 2013-03-13T17:40:00-04:00 2013-03-13T17:40:00-04:00
Economic changes mean less pressure for big families even as more workers are desirable
China’s provocative newsweekly magazine Caijing features on its March 11 cover a photograph of a young woman cradling two small children. The cover text asks: “Population-Control Policy, Stay or Go?”
Discussion of the arguments for changing China’s controversial one-child policy, and possibilities for that happening, has been heating up in Beijing in recent years. In addition to human rights concerns (gruesome photos of a 23-year-old woman forced to abort a 7-month-old fetus last year were posted online by her husband and aroused public ire), there’s the stark demographic logic: Fewer babies mean fewer workers to support a population with an increasing proportion of elderly people, and little in the way of a social safety net.
America Needs More Immigration, Not Less tag:reason.com,2013-02-06:181156 2013-02-06T10:30:00-05:00 2013-02-06T10:30:00-05:00 Shikha Dalmia http://reason.com/people/shikha-dalmia
Reforms should focus on marketing America to prospective immigrants.
Immigration reformers must get over their parochial understanding of world trends and position America to effectively compete for foreign workers come crunch time.
All this is bad news for America and other Western countries. It will close off the best—and perhaps the only—chance to avoid the collapse of the retirement welfare state.
But the intensifying global demand for young workers will make it far more difficult for America to attract immigrants—especially since economic liberalization has opened many attractive opportunities for them at home.
To date, immigrants, even highly skilled ones, have radically altered their lives to fit America's immigration policies. They have dutifully applied for their temporary work visas. And those lucky enough to get them have waited patiently for decades for their green cards—their spouses, all this time, barred from working.
Unfortunately, neither President Obama nor Senate reformers seem to appreciate any of this. Otherwise, they wouldn't be talking about handing the task of determining annual visa quotas to a commission—with union representatives, to boot. They are paying lip service to immigration. But they act as if America's immigration challenge still consists in turning away foreigners flocking to its doorstep—not courting them from near and far.
This column originally appeared in the Washington Examiner
Shikha Dalmia in the Washington Examiner on America's Future Immigration Problem tag:reason.com,2013-02-01:180808 2013-02-01T12:55:00-05:00 2013-02-01T12:55:00-05:00
The most striking thing about the immigration discussion currently underway is that it is stuck in the past rather than looking to the future. All the reform measures that even pro-immigrant lawmakers from both parties are discussing are based on the assumption that foreigners will always keep flocking to America's doorstep. That, however, might not be the case for much longer. The global population deciine means that America's future immigration problem won't be too many — but too few — foreigners. Notes Reason Foundation Senior Analyst Shikha Dalmia:
Go here to read the whole thing.
<em>Slate Magazine</em> Misses the True Cause for Declining Global Fertility: Liberty tag:reason.com,2013-01-11:178706 2013-01-11T12:04:00-05:00 2013-01-11T12:04:00-05:00 Ronald Bailey http://reason.com/people/ronald-bailey
Already out of dateAs my colleagues at Reason 24/7 noted yesterday, Slate is running an article, "About That Overpopulation Problem," the subhed of which notes, "Research suggests we may actually face a declining world population in the coming years."Perhaps it's a bit churlish of me, but I can't help but observe that it's about time that the folks over at Slate caught up with the data.
The article cites projections from Austria's International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis that suggest that the global population will top out at 9 billion some time around 2070 and then begin declining. In fact, Slate notes, if fertility rates subsequently hover around the European average of 1.5 children per woman, world population will be cut in half by 2200 and drop to about 1 billion in 2300.
So why are fertility rates declining? Slate argues:
Well, yes. But Slate's answer begs a prior question: What causes countries to develop? Short answer: Liberty and the rule of law. In my 2009 column, "The Invisible Hand of Population Control" I reported:
Let's take a look at two intriguing lists. The first is a list of countries ranked on the 2009 Index of Economic Freedom issued by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. Then compare the economic freedom index rankings with a list of countries ranked by their total fertility rates. Of the 30 countries that are ranked as being free or mostly free, only three have fertility rates above 2.1, e.g., New Zealand at 2.11, the Bahamas at 2.13, and Bahrain at 2.53. If one adds the next 53 countries that are ranked as moderately free, one finds that only 8 out of 83 countries have fertility rates above 3. It should be noted that low fertility rates can also be found in more repressive countries as well, e.g., China at 1.77, Cuba at 1.6, Iran at 1.71, and Russia at 1.4.
Don't get me wrong: Educating women is vitally important. Unfortunately, it tends to be a following rather than a leading indicator of economic development.
In a 2011 column, "Trading Ferility for Prosperity," I reported research that shows that free trade (that liberty thing again) correlates with declining fertility rates:
Doces cites research [PDF] that shows “increasing international exchange and communication create new opportunities for income-generating work and expose countries to norms that, in recent decades, have promoted equality for women.” As a result, trade-induced demand for human capital expands to include women, further cutting fertility rates even in poor countries.
Just as high fertility rates and rising population encouraged would-be global saviors to demand drastic interventions into the fertility decisions of individuals, I fear that falling ferility rates and population will do the same. Choosing to have or not have children is an intensely private issue and should be left entirely up to individuals without interference from governments.
Hat tip Marion Tupy.
The Real Population Issue: The Coming Decline tag:reason.com,2013-01-10:178581 http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/01/world_population_may_actually_start_declining_not_exploding.html?google_editors_picks=true Slate 2013-01-10T13:08:00-05:00 2013-01-10T13:08:00-05:00 2013-01-10T13:08:00-05:00
Expected to start dropping worldwide within a generation
And then it will fall. | http://reason.com/tags/population/atom.xml | dclm-gs1-148920002 | false | true | {
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0.065455 | <urn:uuid:92155f0e-5dce-4474-b76b-81ac5876d636> | en | 0.854542 | Tell me more ×
I am trying to allow sub urls on my apache/rails/phusion passenger install so that I can have php files at the top level and then rails apps in sub directories like blog for example:
I've followed the documentation here:
here is my httpd.conf virtual host entry:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName xx.xx.xx.xx
DocumentRoot /var/www/html
<Directory /var/www/html>
Allow from all
RailsBaseURI /blog
<Directory /var/www/html/blog>
Options -MultiViews
the apache user owns /var/www/html and here is my shortcut link: made with the ln command
and here is the error:
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1 Answer
up vote 1 down vote accepted
The apache group must also be able to read and execute the the config and public folders and all parent folders. Try changing the permissions and restarting apache.
Your symlink should have the same name as the suburl, so your symlink should be named "blog". It looks like it's named "public" right now. You may want to place your symlinks in a separate folder in your www directory.
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like this? – arcanine Sep 29 '12 at 17:22
Yes, but in this case, /var would also have to be given group read/execute for apache. Also check /var/www/html/, var/www/html/blog, and the parent directories to your app + railsapp/config, and railsapp/public. – claptimes Oct 1 '12 at 11:30
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Your Answer
| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12652697/no-such-file-or-directory-config-environment-rb-phusion-passenger-apache-cento | dclm-gs1-149090002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "phusion"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.045006 | <urn:uuid:1eba46d8-9419-495f-b7a8-661e539d96ec> | en | 0.757959 | Tell me more ×
I'm trying to make Https connections on the Android phones, using HttpClient. Trouble is that since the certificate isn't signed I keep getting " Not trusted server certificate".
Now I've seen a bunch of solutions where you simply accept all certificates, but what if I want to ask the user? I want to get a dialog similar to that of the browser, letting the user decide to continue or not.
Preferably I'd like to use the same certificatestore as the browser. Any ideas?
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5 Answers
up vote 68 down vote accepted
The first thing you need to do is to set the level of verification. Such levels is not so much:
Although the method setHostnameVerifier() is obsolete for new library apache, but for version in Android SDK is normal. And so we take ALLOW_ALL_HOSTNAME_VERIFIER and set it in the method factory SSLSocketFactory.setHostnameVerifier().
Next, You need set our factory for the protocol to https. To do this, simply call the SchemeRegistry.register() method.
Then you need to create a DefaultHttpClient with SingleClientConnManager. Also in the code below you can see that on default will also use our flag (ALLOW_ALL_HOSTNAME_VERIFIER) by the method HttpsURLConnection.setDefaultHostnameVerifier()
Below code works for me:
HostnameVerifier hostnameVerifier = org.apache.http.conn.ssl.SSLSocketFactory.ALLOW_ALL_HOSTNAME_VERIFIER;
DefaultHttpClient client = new DefaultHttpClient();
SchemeRegistry registry = new SchemeRegistry();
SSLSocketFactory socketFactory = SSLSocketFactory.getSocketFactory();
socketFactory.setHostnameVerifier((X509HostnameVerifier) hostnameVerifier);
// Set verifier
// Example send http request
final String url = "";
HttpPost httpPost = new HttpPost(url);
HttpResponse response = httpClient.execute(httpPost);
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This code works for me. – jnylen Jan 4 '11 at 5:43
I can't make this code work unfortunately, I still get the "Not trusted server certificate". Are there any extra permissions that I have to set in order to make it work? – Juriy Feb 24 '11 at 21:59
It would be great if you would explain what the code does. – Octavian Damiean Dec 7 '11 at 9:51
I'm using org.apache.http.conn.ssl.SSLSocketFactory why do I want to use ?? – Someone Somewhere Mar 14 '12 at 20:30
Can you explain how this code is any better than disabling certificate verification entirely? I'm not familiar with android's ssl API, but at a glance this seems completely insecure against active attackers. – CodesInChaos Dec 20 '12 at 11:40
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The following main steps are required to achieve a secured connection from Certification Authorities which are not considered as trusted by the android platform.
As requested by many users, I've mirrored the most important parts from my blog article here:
3. Load the keystore in your android app and use it for the secured connections (I recommend to use the Apache HttpClient instead of the standard (easier to understand, more performant)
Grab the certs
Create the keystore
Download the BouncyCastle Provider and store it to a known location. Also ensure that you can invoke the keytool command (usually located under the bin folder of your JRE installation).
Verify if the certificates were imported correctly into the keystore:
Should output the whole chain:
Use the keystore in your app
public class MyHttpClient extends DefaultHttpClient {
final Context context;
public MyHttpClient(Context context) {
this.context = context;
protected ClientConnectionManager createClientConnectionManager() {
SchemeRegistry registry = new SchemeRegistry();
// Register for port 443 our SSLSocketFactory with our keystore
// to the ConnectionManager
return new SingleClientConnManager(getParams(), registry);
private SSLSocketFactory newSslSocketFactory() {
try {
// Get an instance of the Bouncy Castle KeyStore format
KeyStore trusted = KeyStore.getInstance("BKS");
// Get the raw resource, which contains the keystore with
// your trusted certificates (root and any intermediate certs)
InputStream in = context.getResources().openRawResource(R.raw.mykeystore);
try {
// Initialize the keystore with the provided trusted certificates
// Also provide the password of the keystore
} finally {
// for the verification of the server certificate.
SSLSocketFactory sf = new SSLSocketFactory(trusted);
// Hostname verification from certificate
return sf;
} catch (Exception e) {
throw new AssertionError(e);
// Instantiate the custom HttpClient
DefaultHttpClient client = new MyHttpClient(getApplicationContext());
HttpGet get = new HttpGet("");
// Execute the GET call and obtain the response
HttpResponse getResponse = client.execute(get);
HttpEntity responseEntity = getResponse.getEntity();
That's it ;)
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This is by far the best solution listed here and solved a problem I was having with a misbehaving Motorola Milestone. Thank you very much for the detailed writeup. Any chance you could mirror the salient parts here so that it's preserved forever on SO? – Steve Pomeroy Jun 10 '11 at 5:03
This is only useful for getting certificates before shipping your application. Doesn't really help users accepts their own certs. for your application – Fuzzy Jan 30 '12 at 8:59
is this code useful for getting item from a digital server??? – andriod_testing Feb 28 '12 at 11:12
Awesome! It solved my problem!Thanks very much! – Roger Alien Mar 2 '12 at 5:57
Hi all can some one tell me the validation process for keystore with truststore for the above implementation??? thanks in advance.. – andriod_testing Mar 2 '12 at 7:29
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Here's how you can add additional certificates to your KeyStore to avoid this problem: Trusting all certificates using HttpClient over HTTPS
It won't prompt the user like you ask, but it will make it less likely that the user will run into a "Not trusted server certificate" error.
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Disabling SSL makes errors less likely as well... – CodesInChaos Dec 20 '12 at 11:43
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Maybe this will helpful... it works on java clients using self-signed certificates (there is no check of the certificate). Be careful and use it only for development cases because that is no secure at all!!
Apache HttpClient 4.0 Ignore SSL Certificate Errors
Hope it will works on Android just adding HttpClient library... good luck!!
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This is problem resulting from lack of SNI(Server Name Identification) support inA,ndroid 2.x. I was struggling with this problem for a week until I came across the following question, which not only gives a good background of the problem but also provides a working and effective solution devoid of any security holes.
'No peer certificate' error in Android 2.3 but NOT in 4
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Your Answer
| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2012497/accepting-a-certificate-for-https-on-android | dclm-gs1-149110002 | false | false | {
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0.279611 | <urn:uuid:e983b6c8-ff4e-426c-966b-861aeb8cbf57> | en | 0.874659 | Tell me more ×
I use local subversion/tortoisesvn for code repository.
I want to also use github on the same code.
Will simply installing the github repository and client etc.. work without removing the files from the subversion repository?
It seems to me like there should be issues. for example which client decides which icons will be shown near the files in the windows explorer etc....
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Why do you want to do this? They follow completely mechanisms and will surely conflict with each other. – Ryan Li Dec 16 '11 at 15:05
I want to keep the local svn which I use for history tracking while testing working with github to see if it fits my needs. – Nir Dec 16 '11 at 15:12
then I guess you should use a site that provides svn hosting… – Ryan Li Dec 16 '11 at 17:21
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2 Answers
up vote 1 down vote accepted
You don't want the working trees to be on top of each other.
Look into using git-svn, which lets you treat your svn repository as a remote git repository.
Create a git repository, populate it with a pull from the svn repository via git-svn, and push that to github.
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1. Github is service, which manage copy of local Git repository
2. You want to use Git
3. You can have svn working copy and Git repository in the same tree, just create git-repo in SVN WC root and correctly write *ignore patterns for both systems (and maintain these lists)
4. Using bidirectional bridge (and one VCS instead of two) is more natural and easy way
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Your Answer
| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8535992/will-installing-git-repo-on-current-subversion-repo-work | dclm-gs1-149140002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
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