fasttext_score float32 0.02 1 | id stringlengths 47 47 | language stringclasses 1 value | language_score float32 0.65 1 | text stringlengths 49 665k | url stringlengths 13 2.09k | nemo_id stringlengths 18 18 | is_filter_target bool 1 class | word_filter bool 2 classes | word_filter_metadata dict | bert_filter bool 2 classes | bert_filter_metadata dict | combined_filter bool 2 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.677906 | <urn:uuid:de744230-f0b3-4475-a3a0-300aece76f1a> | en | 0.917664 | Demotivational war edition. Top 60, thanks everyone! No one left a comment saying they wanted more but I guess the thumbs speak for them selves! Part 2: funnyju
Demotivational war edition
Part 2:
ll !l!, r,' Parallell
You can be fearme a we jacket a gloves to a war
and sun wok ***
If was ms was FAN,
mu GOT mamas AROUND
The more. the meneer.
Shade Ma
56 CAL
Show: Top Rated Controversial Best Lowest Rated Newest Per page:
Show All Replies Show Shortcuts
#4 - finishhimlarry (10/08/2011) [-]
This image has expired
#5 to #4 - ImNOThere ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
That awkward moment when the guy who posted this is Norwegian...
User avatar #13 to #5 - iliketrainsalot (10/08/2011) [-]
#6 to #5 - finishhimlarry has deleted their comment [-]
#20 - zwappes has deleted their comment [-]
#42 to #20 - charetarded (10/08/2011) [-]
'but siryously thats my picture'
Figuring that you meant seriously I noticed you said in the description 'if repost i am trly sry but i haven't seen it here so' also you posted 10 hours ago while this guy posted his copy 23 hours ago. You are one of the most obvious liars ever.
I found a picture of you
User avatar #21 to #20 - ImNOThere ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
Thank you then! Both me and everyone that thumbed this comp up appreciate the effort.
User avatar #7 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
.50 cal has been dirtying your everything since the 1920s
If the poster means the "50 cal from cowadooty" it is the M82A1 (M107 is the other designation for it, the M107 doesn't have rails.) not "the 50 cal".
Calling it a .50 cal is wrong. /Gun nazism
Also, spit hits the fan, what, are you 11?
#8 to #7 - ImNOThere ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
To be quite honest mate, I didn't make these as you might have figured out by now.
I just found the ones I enjoyed the most and decided I wanted to share them with the FJ community.
User avatar #9 to #8 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
I know.
My gun nazism kicked in and I had to inform you.....
User avatar #10 to #9 - ImNOThere ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
I know the feeling man, if I post another comp I'll make sure to double check to for spelling errors and error regarding the weapon facts.
User avatar #12 to #10 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
Thanks a lot for that.
It may not be a big thing but it annoys people who notice them and gives wrong information to everyone.
User avatar #11 to #10 - ImNOThere ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
Errors* sorry.
#17 to #7 - 2scared2login (10/08/2011) [-]
yes i do believe the browning m2 that was invented in 1917 was the first gun to use the .50 bmg(browning machine gun) round. although the .50 caliber round has been around for probably hundreds of years. but he .50bmg is the typical ".50 cal" everyone thinks of that plays call of ******* . so yeah that picture ruined it for me.
User avatar #18 to #17 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
Nowadays .50BMG is regarded as "Barret Military Grade".
#14 to #7 - DrMrPaul (10/08/2011) [-]
**DrMrPaul rolled a random image** literally no one is impressed by your knowlege of guns... ill just be the one to say it
User avatar #15 to #14 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
I don't care.
It's cowwadoody like you who spread wrong information.
User avatar #25 to #15 - sketchE ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
Seriously dude the way you guys talk about Cod online makes you no more ****** than the 12 year olds you claim every cod player is
User avatar #26 to #25 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
It's not about maturity, it's about wrong information.
User avatar #30 to #26 - sketchE ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
answer a simple question is it a .50 caliber rifle? because at the same time you can get angry at all the army guys who call the m2 a 50 and the m249 a saw because there common terms to refer to a weapon
User avatar #32 to #30 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
If there's an M2 in the room and someone says "Hey a .50 cal!" it's correct. It is a .50caliber machine gun.
SAW stands for Squad Automatic Weapon, you can call pretty much any LMG a SAW.
If you call the M82 "the fiddy caw" I will be mad.
If you call the AKS-74U a sub machine gun I will be mad.
Now, if I'm under fire and someone says "Get on the .50 cal!" I will get on the M2/M82/any other thing that fires .50 and deal with it. it is used in right context.
Same with clips and magazine, there is no right context, you're wrong when you're wrong.
User avatar #33 to #32 - sketchE ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
HOnestly most people i know call it the berretta in cod from my experience
User avatar #35 to #33 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
They..they call the M82A1 a..Berretta?
**** , the Berretta is not even the manufacturer of the gun!
Now, Berretta is the manufacturer of the M9 (M92FS.) and the "Raffica" (M93r).
User avatar #36 to #35 - sketchE ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
barrett my mistake
User avatar #37 to #36 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
Ah, ok.
I'm not in charge of what people say, the best I can do is deal with it.
Most people don't even know Barrett is a weapons manufacturer, not a gun.
User avatar #38 to #37 - sketchE ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
i understand but dont make fun of cod because most people arent gun fanatics. and im not sure why they made the ak74 an smg either it shoots a similar round to the m4 if im correct
#41 to #38 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
It is in no way similar, just numbers and the appearance.
I'm going to tell you one thing, the M4 is Safe - Semi - Burst
The M4A1 (Spec Ops version) is Safe - Semi - Full
It is a common misconception between the two.
The rifle in the picture is an AK-74M, the 1990s modernized version of the AK-74. The AK-74 is a full size ******* rifle, the AKS-74U is not to be called an AK-74 properly.
#39 to #38 - archosaurusrev has deleted their comment [-]
#40 to #39 - archosaurusrev has deleted their comment [-]
#22 to #7 - GIJorge (10/08/2011) [-]
So? Calling an AK-47 an "AK" is wrong, and yet lots of military people do it.
And FYI, the difference between the M82 and the M107 isn't (only) the rails. In fact, you can put rails wherever the **** you want, even on pistol, and it doesn't make it a new model.
User avatar #24 to #22 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
I'm meaning the military designations of the M82A1.
It really is not a big deal, call and AK-47 an "AK", I won't be mad. It is an AK.
Military people 99% of the time know jack **** about what they're issued/fighting against/seeing on the field.
Now, calling the AKS-74U a sub machine gun will get on my nerves.
User avatar #28 to #24 - GIJorge (10/08/2011) [-]
And so is an AK-630 an "AK". Yet, only Hercules and Chuck Norris can carry one.
And the AKS-74U would probably be considered a sub-machine-gun if it had a different calibre.
User avatar #34 to #28 - archosaurusrev (10/08/2011) [-]
The AK-630 is not a rifle. It is not an "AK".
The AKS-74U WOULD be a sub machine gun if it was in, say, 9x18. It is not, it is a carbine.
User avatar #46 to #34 - GIJorge (10/09/2011) [-]
Non the less, it's name also begins with AK. So does the AK-74, AK-101, and many others. So for me, calling something an "AK" is a very stupid thing to do. Like you and when people call the AKS-74U a sub-machine-gun.
PS- For me it is a sub-machine-gun. It just has a larger calibre.
User avatar #47 to #46 - archosaurusrev (10/09/2011) [-]
You are wrong.
A sub machine gun is an automatic, usually select fire, weapon firing a handgun round.
Calling the AKS-74U an SMG is like calling a nail a screw. They may look alike, the idea is the same but they are oh so different. Now, if you're talking about CIWS and you say "the AK", meaning the AK-630 in this matter, it is not correct but you can't call it wrong. If everyone knows what you're talking about, there's no point to repeat "AK-630" over and over and over.
If you're talking about the Avtomat Kalashnikova you may call them "AK"'s.
User avatar #48 to #47 - GIJorge (10/09/2011) [-]
I do know the AKS-74U is not a sub-machine-gun, yet, has you just said, they have pretty much the same job, and roughly the same characteristics. So, although I am aware it's wrong, I always think of that weapon as a sub-machine-gun on steroids.
"If you're talking about the Avtomat Kalashnikova you may call them "AK"'s. "
Only the model from 1947. It's still retarded. It's like calling a G3 or a G36 a HK.
User avatar #49 to #48 - archosaurusrev (10/09/2011) [-]
In my opinion the original, full production ready version, AK-47, is to be "correctly" called an "AK". It's the one that started it all, and is always referred as to "the AK". Now, calling AK-74's "AK's" can be either right or wrong but seeing as no one even knows the AK-74 is a real gun they will usually ****** you mean the '47. Let's take the AKM for example and show it to a group of people un-educated in gun knowledge. I'm sure 100% of them will say it's an AK-47. Same goes for civilian legal AK-47's, show it to someone, he won't say "WASR-10/63" he will say AK-47.
#50 to #49 - GIJorge (10/09/2011) [-]
Finally, we reach a consensus.
#51 to #50 - archosaurusrev (10/09/2011) [-]
What rifle is this? AK-47? AK-47S? AK-47M?
It is indeed the AK-47M. Now, I can spot an AKM from an AK-47 (Russian with original parts, you can always put AK-74 muzzle brakes on AKMs for example :L) from pretty far away with a glance.
The newer magazine design (Can also be changed to, say, a foreign copy of a bakelite mag) the "lining" on the dust cover, the pins on the receiver, the muzzle brake, the stock style, the handguard style. All give it away. BUT we have a problem! How will people know it's an AKM, not an AK-47? Well ,most will not. And really, they function nearly identically, it's not that big of a deal.
User avatar #52 to #51 - GIJorge (10/09/2011) [-]
Personally, I never really distinguish AKM's from AK-47's. Mainly because I can't be really sure.
User avatar #53 to #52 - archosaurusrev (10/09/2011) [-]
It's best to say if you don't know. It's not new to exchange parts on guns.
User avatar #1 - thesovietspartan (10/08/2011) [-]
The Nazis had superior everything, except for rubber-soled boots...
User avatar #16 - TardytheTurtle (10/08/2011) [-]
i love the a-10
you could have a wing blown off only one engine partially working and bullet holes all over the plane with hydraulics out and only the check engine light comes on
#45 - lighttothedark **User deleted account** has deleted their comment [-]
#44 - gtocforyou (10/08/2011) [-]
**gtocforyou rolled a random image**
User avatar #2 - imonagoat (10/08/2011) [-]
The guy holding the .50 looks like one of the sergeants at the MEPs office in Brooklyn haha.
#19 to #2 - 2scared2login (10/08/2011) [-]
hes definietly german.(i think) look at the camo.. it looks like the german design. stupid digital **** is what the us uses.
User avatar #23 to #19 - GIJorge (10/08/2011) [-]
That "stupid digital **** " is the best cammo in the world. Far better than woodland, for example.
User avatar #27 to #23 - sketchE ONLINE (10/08/2011) [-]
stop i dont know a single army guy who likes the ACUs it makes you obvious in the woods and the environment its used in you cant hide in anyway
User avatar #29 to #27 - GIJorge (10/08/2011) [-]
Wait, now I feel stupid. I confused digital with pixelated. Sorry.
#3 - Shredulex **User deleted account** has deleted their comment [-]
Friends (0)
C Share Pin It Google+ Tumblr Tweet | http://www.funnyjunk.com/funny_pictures/2707720/Demotivational/ | dclm-gs1-170120002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.021131 | <urn:uuid:f41cd898-01f9-4148-96ea-c42d4b325353> | en | 0.959044 | How-To Geek
The First Steam Engine Was Known As What?
A Newcomen Dynamo
A Watts Box
A Mill Engine
An Aeolipile
Amswer: An Aeolipile
Although the 18th and 19th centuries might be known as the Age of Steam, thanks to the rising use of steam engines and their influence on transport and commerce, the roots of the steam engine reach much further back.
The first recorded instance of a steam engine dates all the way back to the first century AD writings of Hero of Alexandria. He wrote of a rocket-style engine that converted water into steam and used the steam to spin a sphere outfitted with two crook-necked nozzles. The name, Aeolipile, translates to “the ball of Aeolus”–Aeolus was the Greek god of wind.
There is no evidence that the Aeolipile was ever put to any practical use and is believed to have served simply as a temple wonder–a device intended to inspire awe and curiosity in the observer. | http://www.howtogeek.com/trivia/the-first-steam-engine-was-known-as-what/ | dclm-gs1-170320002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.044358 | <urn:uuid:274fd132-6056-4fd2-bcb1-dd30e9899b60> | en | 0.908982 | Dow Jones 65 Composite Average
Dictionary Says
Definition of 'Dow Jones 65 Composite Average'
A composite index that measures changes within the 65 companies that make up three Dow Jones averages: the 30 stocks that form the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), the 20 stocks that make up the Dow Jones Transportation Average (DJTA) and the 15 stocks of the Dow Jones Utility Average (DJUA). The Dow Jones 65 Composite, like the three sub-indexes, is price-weighted.
Investopedia Says
Investopedia explains 'Dow Jones 65 Composite Average'
All of the Dow Jones averages are price-weighted indexes. For this type of index, stocks with higher prices will influence the direction of the average more than lower prices, regardless of the actual size of the company. Most broad market indexes are market-cap weighted, such as the Nasdaq-100 and Standard & Poor's 500.
The combination of the Dow Jones Industrial, Transportation and Utility averages used to be a broad measure of the U.S. economy, as those sectors were once the lion's share of economic production. This is no longer the case, as industries such as healthcare, technology and finance now include some of the largest companies in the world. While the DJIA has, in recent years, included some modern companies in its "industrial" average (such as Microsoft and Intel), most of the Dow Jones 65 stocks are focused in old-line businesses, and do not appear to represent a broad measure of economic performance.
Articles Of Interest
1. How Now, Dow? What Moves The DJIA?
2. Barking Up The Dogs Of The Dow Tree
3. Benchmark Your Returns With Indexes
4. The Five Biggest Stock Market Myths
5. What The Market Open Tells You
6. Learn Simple And Compound Interest
7. An Introduction To Stock Market Indexes
8. Principal Trading and Agency Trading
9. Accelerating Returns With Continuous Compounding
10. A Study On The Wealth Effect And The Economy
comments powered by Disqus
Hot Definitions
1. "Just Say No" Defense
2. Zaraba Method
3. Zaraba Method
4. Yield Elbow
5. XDIS
6. Watered Stock
Trading Center | http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dow_jones_65.asp | dclm-gs1-170370002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.123255 | <urn:uuid:e3dd10b4-857e-4a44-b161-797420fdde1a> | en | 0.934691 | Day Sales Outstanding
Loading the player...
Learn more about how day sales outstanding, or DSO, is calculated and used to measure the average number of days a company takes to collect revenue after sales.
Related Videos
1. The Debt-Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR)
The Debt-Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) is a simple way to analyze whether a company can adequately manage its borrowing costs. The ratio helps banks evaluate the credit worthiness of an organization that is applying for a loan. It also tips off investors to companies carrying a debt level that could be destructive.
2. Selling, General & Administrative Expenses (SG&A)
3. The Operating Leverage And DOL
Operating leverage tells investors about the relationship between a company's fixed and variable costs. The higher a company's fixed costs in relation to its variable costs, the greater its operating leverage, and vice versa.
4. Reading The Inventory Turnover
5. The Return On Invested Capital (ROIC)
Return on Invested Capital, or ROIC, is a fundamental method of determining a company's financial performance. It is used to measure how well a company is investing its capital. ROIC is calculated as: (Net Income - Dividends) / Invested Capital
6. Dividend Ratios: Payout And Retention
The dividend payout ratio and retention ratio measure how much profit a company gives back to shareholders as dividends. When a business earns money, it must decide whether to use all of its earnings for future operations or to pass some of it along to stockholders through a quarterly dividend check.
comments powered by Disqus
Related Slideshows
1. 6 Ways To Recession-Proof Your Financial Job
In uncertain times we all need some job security. Check out these 6 tips to recession-proof your financial services job.
2. 5 Tips For Reading A Balance Sheet
3. 7 Currency Blunders You Could Cash In On
4. Top 5 Reasons Why People Go Bankrupt
5. 7 Tips To Bounce Back From A Credit Score Disaster
Find out how to repair bad credit in seven simple steps.
6. 9 Ways To Trim The Fat From Your Spending
Bad spending habits are not always obvious. What could you be doing to ensure that your money's going where it should?
Trading Center | http://www.investopedia.com/video/play/day-sales-outstanding-dso/ | dclm-gs1-170380002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.024208 | <urn:uuid:bd686e13-aff1-447e-9137-56536254eaf0> | en | 0.971087 | A gutless first 100 days for new Irish government
Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore at a press conference last week to discuss the government’s first 100 days in office
Last Friday the new Irish government reached its first 100 days in office.
Like in the U.S. when a new president is in office, this is traditionally the point at which the media in Ireland assesses performance. It's a bit like a school report.
And in spite of the best efforts of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny at a press conference last Thursday to look like the best pupil in the class, the report was not good.
It was one of those reports that give an A for attendance and presentation, but a D for effort and performance. It was a lot worse than a "must try harder" verdict.
Most of the media took the view that in spite of the genial, super-confident image that Kenny likes to project, the reality is that he and his Cabinet are failing completely to get to grips with the crisis we face. They are probably on a D, but they're not far off an F for fail.
Kenny works hard at looking relaxed. He's been all smiles and good humor during the first 100 days, and his Cabinet have been floating along serenely behind him.
But Kenny’s mildly amused superman persona is just an act. And underneath the surface he and his team have been paddling furiously in what appears to be confusion and panic.
It's like they have all been stunned by the size of the immense task that confronts them. But they knew before the election. We all knew.
The problem is that this did not stop them making foolish promises that suggested there might be an easy way out. And they repeated this stuff so often that they started to believe it themselves.
As a result they have drifted through the first 100 days without really doing much, like a school kid hoping that ignoring the problem would make it go away.
Now it's wake up and face reality time, both for them and for the electorate. The latest figures from the Department of Finance show that we are failing to get to grips with the situation.
Between the 18 billion deficit and the extra cost of servicing our growing debt, the state this year will have to borrow at least 30 billion, which happens to be the equivalent of the estimated total tax that will be raised by the state here this year. That's total revenue from all taxes, not just income tax.
To begin to turn around this catastrophic situation we need immediate, decisive and drastic action, big cuts in state spending and big hikes in taxes. We probably need another emergency budget to get it started, and a TV state of the nation address by Kenny outlining what has to be done and explaining why.
Instead of tackling the problem head on, the government over the past 100 days has tried to float above it, as though it doesn't exist.
Instead of bold action, we have got lame assurances that we can still manage the situation by making minor adjustments here and there, as well as a lot of confusion.
An example of this confusion came, appropriately enough, in Kenny’s 100-day press conference. Kenny was asked about the statement by the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan in the Dail (Parliament) a couple of weeks ago that, because of the difficult economic situation, he could not rule out tax increases in the budget later this year.
"As head of the government ... and this is very clear ... there will not be any income tax increases in the budget," Kenny said last Thursday.
Standing beside him, Tanaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Eamon Gilmore added to this by guaranteeing that there would not be any decrease in unemployment benefit in the budget either. So whether people have a job or don't have a job, their income will not be cut this year, Gilmore explained.
Of course Kenny was talking only about income tax, and there are a lot of other taxes and charges that can be imposed. But it was hardly the right message for either him or his deputy to be putting out there.
It carries the implication again that we can muddle our way through this without feeling any real pain. And that's just not true.
Meanwhile Noonan, the man they were undermining, was in Washington last week telling the media that we are going to burn some senior bondholders no matter what the European Central Bank says.
We have already burned a lot of the subordinated bondholders in banks here. But the EU has insisted as part of our bailout deal that we cannot touch the senior bondholders.
To do that could shatter confidence across Europe, the European Central Bank (ECB) says. And of course the ECB itself has lent us an awful lot of money.
Noonan has now grasped this nettle and said that the senior bondholders who gambled on our two riskiest banks must pay the price. The two, Anglo Irish and Irish Nationwide, have been taken over by the state and wound down and are not banks any more, Noonan said.
So the senior bondholders in these failed institutions are in a different position because the banks no longer exist. They can be badly singed, if not burned alive.
All of which is entertaining stuff, but we have yet to see how the ECB will react to this. I hope for Noonan's sake that when the pressure comes on from Europe, Kenny doesn't do another one of his smiling climbdowns.
Also, although Noonan's solo run in the U.S. was welcome, it's not just senior bondholders in the two basket cases that should be burned. The senior bondholders in all our banks should feel the heat because they have all failed. Only Bank of Ireland remains outside state control and that is teetering on the brink.
The idea of burning senior bondholders is supposed to be completely unacceptable, of course. The ECB and others say it could undermine confidence in the whole banking system in Europe.
But how come it's acceptable to burn shareholders in banks and roast Irish taxpayers so that senior bondholders can be insulated from the fire?
Senior bondholders include major pensions funds, the argument goes, so you can't burn them. But most of the shareholders in our banks are pensioners as well.
Some heartbreaking stories have emerged in recent weeks here about old folk who put all their savings into bank shares so that the interest would pay for their care homes. Some of them spread the risk by buying shares in the two biggest banks, AIB and Bank of Ireland, instead of just in one. Now both are virtually worthless, and these old folk cannot pay for their care anymore.
Their life savings have been wiped out. Why should they -- and the taxpayers -- be taking all the pain? Surely we should spread the pain around by including all senior bondholders in the mix as well?
Whether Noonan -- and his government colleagues -- have the bottle to do anything like that remains to be seen. Certainly the record of the first 100 days would not fill you with confidence.
Remember all that stuff before the election about how we had lost our economic sovereignty and they were going to take it back. It would be Labor's way, not Frankfurt's way.
It would be a lower interest rate on the bailout. It would be a five point plan to get us back on our feet. It would be a jobs budget to introduce a whole new approach to create 100,000 jobs.
It all sounded great and the electorate bought it. They only half believed it but they wanted to dump Fianna Fail, so they went with it anyway.
Now, 100 days later, we can see that it was all a bottle of smoke. The new government policy is exactly like the old government policy.
Before the election the incoming government asked to be judged after their first 100 days. Well, on the two big issues, the report card has to give two Fs.
Europe has refused to cut the interest rate on the bailout. And if we do get a cut -- or an extension in the term -- it's not likely to be big enough to make much difference. So much for Kenny's special relationship with Angela Merkel.
What has also become clear over the past 100 days is that we cannot sneeze without the permission of the EU and the IMF, unless we want to risk the money taps being turned off.
The EU-IMF made it clear to the new government that they could fulfill any of their election promises, as long as they were budget neutral. In other words, no extra spending unless there's a corresponding cut.
So the great plans for a jobs budget to create 100,000 jobs was watered way down to a jobs initiative, which may or may not create a few thousands jobs, and that is being funded by an extra tax on the pensions of private sector workers.
What has also become clear in the first 100 days is that servicing the enormous bad debt of the banks is so costly that there's no money left to do anything.
The only way out, as Professor Morgan Kelly said, is to take the hard decisions quickly. The first 100 days has shown that this government, in spite of its huge majority, just does not have the courage to do that.
Log in with your social accounts:
Or, log in with your IrishCentral account:
Forgot your password ?
Don't have an account yet? Register now !
Join IrishCentral with your social accounts:
Already have an account ?
Or, sign up for an IrishCentral account below:
Make sure we gathered the correct information from you
| http://www.irishcentral.com/opinion/others/a-gutless-first-100-days-for-new-irish-government-124344048-238090331.html | dclm-gs1-170390002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.029749 | <urn:uuid:7a775ffc-e1b7-44c9-acb5-bcf47e227e3f> | en | 0.90058 | IWA Publishing
IWA Publishing Journals Subscriptions Authors Users Librarians FAQs
Water Policy 5 Number 1 (2003) 29-60
International waters: identifying basins at risk
Aaron T. Wolf, Shira B. Yoffe and Mark Giordano
Despite the growing literature on water and conflict in international river basins, little empirical work has been done to bolster common conclusions which are so widely reported. In order to address this gap, we set out to assess all reported events of either conflict or cooperation between nations over water resources during the last 50 years and to use these events to inform the identification of basins at greatest risk of political stress in the near future (5-10 years). The study is divided into three components: 1. Compilation and assessment of relevant biophysical, socio-economic and geopolitical data in a global Geographic Information System (GIS), and use of these factors to determine history-based indicators for future tensions along international waterways. 2. Using these indicators, identification of basins at risk for the coming decade. 3. Identification and assessment of the potential for mitigating factors and new technologies resulting in a future different than that predicted by history-based indicators. In general, we find that most of the parameters regularly identified as indicators of water conflict are actually only weakly linked to disputes, but that institutional capacity within a basin, whether defined as water management bodies or treaties, or generally positive international relations are as important, if not more so, than the physical aspects of a system. It turns out then that very rapid changes, either on the institutional side or in the physical system, which outpace the institutional capacity to absorb that change, are at the root of most water conflict, as reflected in two sets of indicators: 1) “internationalized” basins, i.e. basins which include the management structures of newly independent states, and 2) basins which include unilateral development projects and the absence of cooperative regimes. By taking our parameters of rapid change as indicators-internationalized basins and major planned projects in hostile and/or institution-less basins-we are able to identify the basins with settings which suggest the potential for political stresses in the coming five to ten years. These basins include: the Ganges-Brahmaputra, Han, Incomati, Kunene, Kura-Araks, Lake Chad, La Plata, Lempa, Limpopo, Mekong, Ob (Ertis), Okavango, Orange, Salween, Senegal, Tumen and Zambezi. We then identify “red flags,” or markers related to these indicators, which might be monitored in the future. Finally, recognizing that history-based indicators may lose validity over time in a rapidly changing world, we ask, “what about the future, which may look nothing like the past,” and focus on four topics: new technologies for negotiation and management; globalization, privatization and the WTO; the geopolitics of desalination; and the changing sources of water and the changing nature of conflict.
Full article (PDF Format)
| http://www.iwaponline.com/wp/00501/wp005010029.htm | dclm-gs1-170420002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.140716 | <urn:uuid:6f552ae0-5796-4706-9274-a39826e8d38f> | en | 0.902156 |
Photoshop CC Essential Training
Illustration by John Hersey
Removing blemishes with the Healing Brush and Patch tools
Photoshop CC Essential Training
with Julieanne Kost
Expand all | Collapse all
1. 1m 42s
1. What is Photoshop?
1m 42s
2. 2m 52s
1. Welcome
1m 4s
2. Using the exercise files
3. Installing Adobe Bridge
1m 23s
3. 40m 58s
1. What is Adobe Bridge?
3m 3s
2. Getting photos from a camera
6m 0s
3. A tour of workspaces in Bridge
8m 30s
4. Customizing how thumbnails are displayed
4m 42s
5. Changing file names and batch renaming
4m 39s
6. Adding basic metadata with metadata templates
4m 46s
7. Creating and applying keywords to images
7m 1s
8. Viewing images in Full Screen Preview mode
2m 17s
4. 27m 23s
1. Using Review mode to filter out rejected images
5m 32s
2. Saving images in collections
3m 52s
3. Rating and labeling images
4m 31s
4. Using the Filter panel to view different subsets
3m 7s
5. Using smart collections
3m 39s
6. Viewing final selects in a slideshow
2m 50s
7. Organizing groups of images into stacks
3m 52s
5. 29m 57s
1. Comparing raw and JPEG files
5m 5s
2. Starting in Camera Raw instead of Photoshop
4m 1s
3. Touring the Camera Raw user interface
5m 29s
4. Previewing before and after adjustments
3m 18s
5. Toggling onscreen Shadow/Highlight clipping warnings
4m 44s
6. Choosing output settings UPDATED
3m 34s
7. Saving a copy without going to Photoshop UPDATED
3m 46s
6. 57m 3s
1. Using the nondestructive Crop tool: Door and window with ramp UPDATED
3m 42s
2. Correcting a tilted horizon line with the Straighten tool
4m 12s
3. Fixing color casts with the White Balance tool
3m 52s
4. Fixing blown-out highlights
6m 38s
5. Revealing hidden shadow detail
4m 36s
6. Reducing distracting color noise with Noise Reduction
5m 55s
7. Correcting lens distortion
5m 17s
8. Making perspective corrections to images
5m 51s
9. Removing chromatic aberration
3m 32s
10. Sharpening details
7m 23s
11. Making an average photo great
6m 5s
7. 1h 3m
1. Using the Graduated Filter tool
5m 39s
2. Adding a radial gradient
6m 35s
3. Making local adjustments with the Adjustment Brush
11m 19s
4. Retouching blemishes with the Spot Removal tool
4m 35s
5. A quick portrait retouching technique using Clarity
7m 49s
6. Converting to black and white
3m 17s
7. Editing images directly with the Targeted Adjustment tool
3m 56s
8. Selective coloring effects with the Adjustment Brush
5m 56s
9. Easy sepia and split-tone effects
4m 11s
10. Adding digital film grain texture effects
2m 27s
11. Adding vignettes and border effects
4m 24s
12. Saving variations within a single file with the Snapshot command
3m 27s
8. 19m 16s
1. Copying and pasting settings across files
1m 52s
2. Processing multiple files in Camera Raw
4m 22s
3. Saving and using a library of Camera Raw presets
5m 47s
4. Saving multiple files in Camera Raw UPDATED
3m 36s
5. Using Image Processor to batch process multiple files
3m 39s
9. 35m 30s
1. Opening files from Bridge
3m 9s
2. Opening files from Mini Bridge
4m 40s
3. Customizing the Mini Bridge panel
5m 11s
4. Customizing the interface in Photoshop
3m 49s
5. Managing panels
5m 1s
6. Switching and saving workspaces
3m 45s
7. Switching tools using the keyboard
3m 21s
8. Customizing the keyboard shortcuts
6m 34s
10. 22m 49s
1. Working with tabbed documents
2m 51s
2. Arranging documents
3m 37s
3. Stopping Photoshop from tabbing documents
2m 49s
4. Panning, zooming, and using the Rotate View tool
9m 51s
5. Cycling through the different screen modes
3m 41s
11. 26m 19s
1. Understanding file formats
8m 26s
2. Choosing the resolution you need
5m 15s
3. Understanding Resize vs. Resample
9m 40s
2m 58s
12. 59m 15s
1. Using Undo and the History panel
6m 40s
2. Using crop options
4m 20s
3. Understanding Hide vs. Delete for the Crop tool
3m 52s
4. Cropping to the perfect print size
3m 51s
5. Making the canvas bigger with the Crop tool
5m 2s
6. Making the canvas bigger using the Canvas Size command
4m 57s
7. Straightening a crooked image
4m 21s
8. Removing keystoning from buildings
2m 6s
9. Using the Perspective Crop tool
2m 4s
10. Scaling, skewing, and rotating with Free Transform
8m 29s
11. Nondestructive transformations with Smart Objects
3m 56s
12. Warping images
4m 48s
13. Preserving important elements with Content-Aware Scale
4m 49s
13. 43m 18s
1. Exploring layer basics
13m 25s
2. Loading, selecting, and transforming layers
10m 51s
3. Organizing layers into layer groups
8m 47s
4. Merging, rasterizing, and flattening layers
10m 15s
14. 1h 7m
1. Using the Marquee and Lasso tools
11m 41s
2. Combining selections
6m 40s
3. Converting a selection into a layer mask
7m 40s
4. Using the Quick Selection tool and Refine Edge
7m 12s
5. Selecting soft-edged objects using Refine Edge
9m 28s
6. Touching up a layer mask with the Brush tool
5m 42s
9m 9s
8. Blending images with a gradient layer mask
4m 55s
9. Combining multiple exposures with layer masks
5m 5s
15. 42m 5s
1. Introducing adjustment layers
3m 29s
2. Starting with a preset
2m 36s
3. Improving tonal quality with Levels
7m 32s
4. Increasing midtone contrast with Curves
5m 7s
5. Removing a color cast with Auto Color
2m 37s
6. Changing the color temperature with Photo Filter
1m 56s
7. Shifting colors with Hue/Saturation
5m 39s
8. Making washed-out colors pop with Vibrance
2m 7s
9. Converting color to black and white
3m 32s
10. Creating traditional darkroom toning effects
2m 51s
11. Controlling which layers are affected by an adjustment layer
3m 49s
12. Three different ways to add an adjustment layer
16. 24m 41s
1. Adjusting shadows and highlights
5m 49s
2. Replacing color using Selective Color
5m 39s
3. Using fill layers to create a hand-painted look
7m 18s
4. Using a gradient fill layer to add a color wash
5m 55s
17. 38m 11s
1. Removing blemishes with the Healing Brush and Patch tools
10m 21s
2. A quick technique for smoothing skin and pores
3m 4s
3. Making teeth bright and white
2m 47s
4. Brightening eyes, to make a person appear more alert
6m 31s
5. Taming flyaway hair
4m 53s
6. De-emphasizing wrinkles with the Healing Brush
1m 53s
7. Body sculpting with Liquify
5m 13s
8. Removing unwanted details with Content-Aware Fill
3m 29s
18. 22m 47s
1. Creating panoramas with Photomerge and Auto-Blend
5m 50s
2. Combining multiple frames of an action sequence
6m 21s
3. Swapping heads in a family portrait
4m 3s
4. Working with bracketed exposures (HDR)
6m 33s
19. 57m 22s
1. Overview of filters
3m 3s
2. Applying filters nondestructively with Smart Filters
5m 56s
3. Straightening images using the Adaptive Wide Angle filter
5m 28s
4. Creating a soft glow with the Gaussian Blur filter
3m 23s
5. Creating an infrared look with Diffuse Glow
5m 4s
6. Adding noise with the Add Noise filter
7m 7s
7. Sharpening an image with Unsharp Mask and Smart Sharpen
7m 22s
8. Giving an image texture with the Texturizer filter
1m 53s
8m 32s
10. Creating a painting with the Oil Paint filter
2m 35s
11. Applying the Camera Raw filter
2m 48s
12. Applying a filter to multiple layers
4m 11s
20. 24m 3s
1. Cycling through the blending modes
5m 24s
2. Scanning or photographing paper to add a deckled edge
4m 55s
3. Adding texture with blend modes
1m 58s
4. Making a cast shadow more realistic with Multiply
5m 57s
5. Sharpening an image with High Pass and Overlay
2m 49s
6. Adding a realistic off-center vignette
3m 0s
21. 34m 43s
1. Exploring character (point) type
11m 4s
2. Adding paragraph (area) type
4m 7s
3. Adding type on a path
7m 3s
4. Clipping an image inside type
3m 41s
5. Warping type
2m 36s
6. Defining character and paragraph styles
6m 12s
22. 24m 13s
1. Using the shape tools
13m 45s
2. Custom shape layers
6m 15s
3. Adding a keyline to an image
4m 13s
23. 24m 48s
1. Adding a drop shadow effect
8m 57s
2. Adding edges, textures, and color overlays using styles
5m 11s
3. Creating a transparent logo or watermark
4m 46s
4. Knowing how and when to scale layer effects
5m 54s
24. 11m 43s
1. Creating contact sheets
4m 29s
2. Creating PDF presentations
3m 25s
3. Saving for the web
3m 49s
25. 23m 9s
1. Working with video clips
12m 14s
2. Adding special effects to video files
5m 56s
3. Adding pans and zooms to still images
4m 59s
26. 1m 4s
1. Next steps
1m 4s
Video: Removing blemishes with the Healing Brush and Patch tools
Throughout these lessons on retouching, we're going to focus on removing the distracting elements in a photograph, so that the viewer can focus in on the person in the image. We want to be subtle in our retouching, so that we enhance the portraits without compromising the character of the person. In this lesson we are going to take a look at the variety of tools that are available to remove things like acne or blemishes, including the Clone Tool, the Spot Healing Tool, and the Spot Healing Brush. So we'll start with the Clone Stamp Tool, and I'll also want to zoom in. So I'll use Cmd+1 on the Mac or Ctrl+1 on Windows in order to the zoom into 100%.
Become a member
Please wait...
Photoshop CC Essential Training
13h 46m Beginner Jun 17, 2013 Updated Jan 16, 2014
Viewed by members. in countries. members currently watching.
Learning how to use Adobe Photoshop efficiently and effectively is the best way to get the most out of your pixels and create stunning imagery. Master the fundamentals of this program with Julieanne Kost, and discover how to achieve the results you want with Photoshop and its companion programs, Bridge and Camera Raw. This comprehensive course covers nondestructive editing techniques using layers, masking, adjustment layers, blend modes, and Smart Objects. Find out how to perform common editing tasks, including lens correction, cropping and straightening, color and tonal adjustments, noise reduction, shadow and highlight detail recovery, sharpening, and retouching. Julieanne also shows how to achieve more creative effects with filters, layer effects, illustrative type, and the Photomerge command for creating panoramas and composites.
Topics include:
• Using Bridge to batch rename files and add keywords and metadata to photos
• Viewing, rating, filtering, and creating collections to isolate your best work
• Comparing raw and JPEG file formats
• Retouching and automating workflow with Camera Raw
• Navigating documents and the Photoshop interface
• Understanding file formats, resolution, canvas size, and print size
• Cropping, straightening, transforming, warping, scaling, and resizing images
• Selecting, stacking, aligning, and grouping layers
• Making precise selections using the Marquee, Lasso, and Brush tools
• Using Refine Edge, Quick Selection, and layer masks to isolate soft edge objects
• Improving tone, contrast, and color selectively
• Converting to black and white and tinting images
• Retouching blemishes, smoothing skin, whitening teeth, and brightening eyes
• Retouching with the Liquify, Content-Aware Fill, Healing Brush, and Patch tools
• Merging multiple exposures
• Making nondestructive changes with Smart Filters
• Adding texture, edge effects, and drop shadows with blend modes
• Working with type
• Creating, modifying, and combining shapes using the Shape tools
• Adding layer effects
• Saving and sharing images via contact sheets, web galleries, and Save For Web
• Editing video and audio clips
• Panning and zooming still photos
Photography Raw Processing
Julieanne Kost
Removing blemishes with the Healing Brush and Patch tools
Now the Clone Stamp Tool was one of the first tools in Photoshop, and the Clone Stamp Tool is an excellent tool, but it makes an exact duplicate of one area and another area. So although its great for somethings its not always the best tool for retouching an let me show you why. I'll use the right bracket key in order to get a larger brush, just to make sure that we can see this. An then you have to tell Photoshop, where you want it to sample from. So I'll just sample from the cheek area here.
So I'll hold down the Option key or the Alt key on Windows and click on the cheek. And then I let go of the Alt or the Option key, and then I can move my cursor to replace a blemish. But as you can see in the center of this tool, it's showing me the content that it's going to clone stamp. So when I click and drag in order to get rid of the blemish, you can see that I've actually made it worse, and that's because the tonal values change quite significantly between the sample point and the point where I clicked.
And I'll just place my cursor there again and click you can see up in the cheek there's those little cross hairs, and as I move around those cross hairs follow exactly where I'm painting. So what Photoshop is doing is its making an exact duplicate. Of one area in another area, and obviously we don't want that so we can use Cmd+z, that will take us back one step, and then we can use Cmd+Opt+Z on the Mac or Ctrl+Alt+Z on Windows. Of course we could always just use the Edit menu in order to set backwards if we wanted to. So instead of using the Clone Stamp Tool, I am going to switch to the Spot Healing Brush.
Now there is a Spot Healing Brush and the Healing Brush. The difference between this two is that the Healing Brush needs you to tell it where to sample the information from to heal, so its similar to the Clone Stamp Tool. The Spot Healing Brush Tool you don't need to tell Photoshop where the sample point is. Photoshop is going to do it's best guess by analyzing the image, and then gives you the best option for replacing that information. So we'll start with the spot healing brush. And one other thing is you might want to make sure, is that you've got the Content Aware Option turned on. This technology is available in the Spot Healing Brush, but it's not available in the regular Healing Brush.
The one where you have to Option or Alt click to set the source point. Alright so with Content Aware oOption turned on, all I need to do is click and drag over the area that I want Photoshop to fix. And it will try to not only grab information from a source area that has the same texture and the same content, but it's also going to try to heal or blend in the edges where you paint with the cursor. If we use a Cmd+z and undo and redo, we can see that there's a little bit of a discrepancy there. So what I'll do is I'm going to zoom in once more time, and then I'll hold down the space bar to get my hand tool.
That way we can pan around the image. You can see I was using a rather large brush, so let's just get a little bit smaller of a brush. And, this brush that I'm using, it can even be smaller than the size of the blemish, because I can click and drag with the brush, and then have Photoshop correct that whole area. So now I did a much better job in my opinion. Just because of the area that I sampled it was a little smaller. And we can see how easy it is to move through our image, and just correct all of these little blemishes and obviously wouldn't be there all the time.
So I'm going to to hold down the space bar, and that way I can navigate to another area. Now I see this little piece of fuzz over here on the left-hand side. This kind of correction. I'm actually better off using the Clone Stamp Tool. So I'll tap the s key. That gives me the Clone Stamp Tool. And you can see it's giving me that preview from when I option clicked before in order to set my sample point. But I'm just going to use a little bit smaller of a brush, and then I'm going to hold down my Option or my Alt key in the hair area and click Release the Option or the Alt key and just kind of match up that hair right up here. And then click in order to make an exact duplicate of it. So the reason that I haven't used the Healing Brush, let's go ahead and return back to it by tapping the j key.
The reason I didn't use it is because, if I'm in an area that has a lot of contrast or there are a lot of variations of shades, sometimes when I use this tool, it doesn't always do a great job blending the edges. It seems to have done an okay job there, but I'm still going to use Command or Ctrl+z to undo that. So that's just the reason I went to the Stamp Tool. Alright now with the Spot Healing Brush selected again, we can just move around the image and just remove any of the little blemishes that I know aren't always there.
Alright and I'll use the space bar again in order to temporarily access the Hand Tool. And we'll just scoot around. Now, you'll notice that I'm not removing any freckles or any moles. Obviously, that is going to be up to you, whether or not you decide to remove those. If something is really distracting, then what I would recommend instead of removing it, is we will just kind of tone it down in a minute. So I'm just looking at, she's got a few little teeny blemishes here.
She's just a darling girl, but she just has a few little pieces of acne. So that's all I'm really concerned about right now. We're going to go back in a minute and we will work on those moles there. Just keep going right here, where the moles or the little freckles. And just a minute more, and we'll have this done. So here I'm actually going to skip over this for a minute, and we'll come back to that. And just really quickly, a few little rough spots on her cheek. Alright. Excellent.
So this little area right down here, let's see if we can get it right away with the Spot Healing Brush. Or if I need to move to another tool, look at that, it's a really a nice job. So this is what I am talking about with the contrasting areas. Sometimes we'll get a little bit of bleeding, meaning that this pink area here of her lips we go over into the skin tone, in which case I might want to actually go in and set the Healing Brush tool. Set down the source for it to clone from. But it seemed to have done just a great job.
So we'll return back to the Spot Healing Brush. Just give this one more check. I think this might actually be a little blemish, so we'll get rid of that. And other than that, I think she is looking great. All right, so I'm going to use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+minus to just zoom out one level. And you'll notice that this entire time, when I've been removing the blemishes. Because they are blemishes, I know that I want to remove them like a 100%. I don't want to just tone them back a bit. Now you might have noticed that I've been doing all the retouching on a background layer, and that's because I wanted to remove the blemishes 100%, I didn't want them at all in the image. Now if you're not comfortable working on a background layer. Because obviously what I've been doing was destructive, you can actually create a new layer and you can use the Healing Brush to clone to that new layer. So let me show you how you would do that.
I'm going to click the New Layer icon in the bottom of the Layers Panel, and that just adds a blank layer. Now if I start trying to use the Spot Healing Brush right now nothing's going to happen, and that's because I'm on this blank layer and I'm telling Photoshop to heal nothing, basically, because there's nothing on that layer. What I need to do is come up to the top here and tell Photoshop to sample all of the layers and then heal those layers. So, let's just say that maybe this is a blemish and not a freckle, so I will paint over that and we'll paint over this, and here, and here, and maybe even this one too, to make it obvious. So if I decided that I've made a mistake you can see that I can toggle on and off the opacity of that layer to hide and reveal what I've just changed. And in fact, if we toggle on the layer and I hide the background those are the changes that Photoshop has made.
So it's used the Spot Healing Brush with the Content Aware Option to sample all of the layers including the background. And then it places its results on the top layer, the layer that we were working on. Alright, since those were freckles and not blemishes, I'm going to tap the Delete key in order to delete that layer. If you realize at any point in time when you are working on the background layer that you made a mistake, and you want to undo that, I think the first thought would be to go to the History Panel, and then see if you could go back in time far enough in order to undo that mistake. The problem with that, of course, is that then you're going to lose all the rest of these other states.
So here's a little shortcut. Instead of going back in time, I'll go ahead and close that panel. What you can do is you can select say with like the Lasso Tool an area of your image where you might have made that initial mistake. And then you can go underneath the Edit menu and you can actually fill that area with history. When you fill with history Photoshop's going to fill with the initial snapshot that it created when you first opened the document. So, if I click OK it would fill this area from the original image.
Now, I don't actually want to do that so, I'm going to use Cmd+z or Ctrl+z to undo that and then I'll use Cmd+d or Ctrl+d to deselect but, I just wanted you to know that that option was there. So, as you can see, not only the Spot Healing Brush, but also the regular Healing Brush, and the Clone Stamp Tool can be quite helpful when retouching blemishes and other distracting elements in Photoshop.
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about Photoshop CC Essential Training.
Expand all | Collapse all
Please wait...
Q: This course was updated on 01/16/2014. What changed?
A: When Creative Cloud applications are updated, we refresh our training to make sure it covers the latest features and interface changes from Adobe. This update covers changes to Camera Raw, including nondestructive cropping, workflow and output settings, and the ability to save multiple files automatically.
Share a link to this course
Please wait... Please wait...
Upgrade to get access to exercise files.
Exercise files video
How to use exercise files.
Upgrade now
Exercise files
Exercise files video
How to use exercise files.
Upgrade now
Mark all as unwatched Cancel
You have completed Photoshop CC Essential Training.
Become a member to add this course to a playlist
Get started
Already a member?
Become a member to like this course.
Get started
Already a member?
Exercise files
Get started
Already a Premium member?
Exercise files video
How to use exercise files.
Ask a question
Thanks for contacting us.
You’ll hear from our Customer Service team within 24 hours.
Please enter the text shown below:
The classic layout automatically defaults to the latest Flash Player.
Continue to classic layout Stay on new layout
Welcome to the redesigned course page.
We’ve moved some things around, and now you can
Exercise files
Access exercise files from a button right under the course name.
Mark videos as unwatched
Control your viewing experience
Interactive transcripts
Thanks for signing up.
We’ll send you a confirmation email shortly.
Sign up and receive emails about and our online training library:
Sign up and receive emails about and our online training library:
submit Lightbox submit clicked | http://www.lynda.com/Photoshop-tutorials/Removing-blemishes-Healing-Brush-Patch-tools/122999/137823-4.html | dclm-gs1-170620002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.018329 | <urn:uuid:e2b8fbdd-261b-4f49-8194-b7f475dd1ca7> | en | 0.973633 | September 2010 Archives
September 27, 2010
Technology Could Put a Breathalyzer in Every Vehicle, Regardless of OUI History
As a Massachusetts intoxicated driving defense attorney, I was concerned about a recent Boston Globe article's discussion of blood alcohol measurement devices to be built in as standard features in new cars. I have written about this in the past, but this article provides new and alarming details.
The device would replace existing ignition interlock devices that are installed in the vehicles of people convicted of certain drunk driving charges. The existing devices require drivers to blow into a tube to have their blood-alcohol content (BAC) analyzed. If their BAC is too high, the car won't start. The new device wouldn't require the driver to do anything -- it would automatically analyze ethanol in the moisture of the driver's breath. Like the existing devices, the new one would prevent the car from starting if it detected a BAC above the legal limit.
QinetiQ North America, a Waltham defense contractor, is developing the device with $10 million in funding from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety (an auto manufacturers group), and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Congress is considering kicking in another $10 million to help defray the cost of installing the device in new cars.
Obviously, drunk driving is dangerous, and encouraging drivers to take responsibility for their actions and avoid driving when they're impaired is entirely desirable. But while it may be well-intentioned, this project raises several different kinds of red flags for me as a as I wrote last month, breathalyzers can register false positives because they detect ethanol that comes from sources other than alcohol. Is it fair to have a device like this prevent a driver with a completely clean driving record from starting his or her car after painting the house or eating bread -- both of which can set off false positives on a breathalyzer? How would the device know whether ethanol came from the breath of a sober driver or a drunk passenger -- would this device have the unintended consequence of discouraging designated drivers? How would drivers of disabled cars get home from wherever the car stranded them, especially in the many areas of Massachusetts and the country where public transportation is not widely available?
In addition, it often takes a while for new technologies to be completely vetted so that they work properly. Innocent drivers affected by a malfunctioning or oversensitive automatic breathalyzer could actually be harmed if, for example, the car is prevented from starting when they have an emergency and need to get to a hospital, or if they need to get to work. Would people avoid buying new cars once these devices became standard equipment, so that they could avoid these devices?
Perhaps fewer OUI charges would be made once these devices were in circulation. But no matter the circumstances, anyone charged with drunk driving should retain a Massachusetts drunk driving criminal defense lawyer to help ensure the best possible outcome for their case. Fines costing thousands of dollars, jail time, loss of license, skyrocketing insurance costs and possible loss of a job could all be consequences of a drunk driving conviction in Massachusetts.
Continue reading "Technology Could Put a Breathalyzer in Every Vehicle, Regardless of OUI History" »
Bookmark and Share
September 20, 2010
Danvers Man Facing Seventh DUI Charge Denied Bail After Dangerousness Hearing
As a Massachusetts OUI defense attorney, a recent news story caught my eye. The Salem News reported that a 57-year-old Danvers man was arrested for drunk driving for the eighth time and was held without bail after a dangerousness hearing. If convicted, this would represent a seventh DUI conviction for him, which would have serious, life-changing penalties like mandatory prison time and the lifetime loss of his driver's license. Fortunately, he has a Massachusetts drunk driving attorney, who should look carefully at the evidence that police and the district attorney are presenting.
According to the police, on August 29, an anonymous caller told them that the driver of a Chevy Silverado truck was drunk and was headed to Merchant Liquors on High Street for more alcohol. Police set out to look for the truck and were unable to find it. Then Patrolman Scott Frost encountered Joel Grissom, 57, of Danvers, driving his Silverado at about 5 mph near his home around 1:30 in the afternoon. Frost said he observed Grissom stop his truck in the middle of the road and then take about two minutes to pull into the parking lot of his condominium complex. Frost said that Grissom smelled strongly of alcohol. There was an open, cold container of Budweiser in the truck, and Grissom was unable to stand without holding onto the truck's door. Grissom allegedly said that he had been drinking. He failed a field sobriety test in which Frost told him to recite the alphabet. A breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol content to be .33, well over the legal limit of .08. Grissom was arrested and charged with a fifth or subsequent OUI offense and with having an open container of alcohol.
After describing Grissom as "a high-functioning drunk," Salem District Court Judge Richard Mori ordered him held without bail because Mori considered Grissom a danger to himself and others.
Read article: No bail for convict in many DUIs
As a Massachusetts drunk driving defense attorney, I am glad that this defendant has legal counsel to defend him from the very serious charges he faces. A fifth or subsequent OUI carries mandatory prison time, among other penalties. Grissom's last two OUI convictions, in 2001 and 2002, were made before the "lifetime look back" law took effect, so he still had a valid license at the time of his August 29 arrest. But if convicted on the current charge, he would lose his license for the rest of his life. He would also pay fines up to $50,000, and face a mandatory two-year minimum jail sentence.
Even if Grissom is not convicted, the outcome of his dangerousness hearing already presents a hardship. Under Massachusetts law, judges can deny bail and keep drivers in jail until trial if they are charged with an OUI after having been convicted for drunk driving in the past three or more times. Such suspects may be kept in jail for up to 90 days before a trial must be held. Three months in jail awaiting trial is a long time, especially when it comes before any conviction. Even if the suspect is found innocent or the charges are dismissed, being kept in jail for 90 days could cause suspects to lose their jobs and other time-dependent commitments. If the suspect can't work and earn money, he or she may not be able to keep up with rent or mortgage payments, and have nowhere to live by the time the 90 days are up. And what if there's no one else to take care of their children or pets? If a suspect in this case is found not guilty or their charges are dismissed, being locked up for dangerousness still extracts a steep price.
Continue reading "Danvers Man Facing Seventh DUI Charge Denied Bail After Dangerousness Hearing" »
Bookmark and Share
September 8, 2010
Weymouth Man Charged With Fourth OUI After Admitting He Had Too Much to Drink
As a Massachusetts OUI defense attorney, a news report from Weymouth about a man arrested and charged with a fourth-offense OUI got my attention recently. The story provided a good example of why people charged with OUI need to hire experienced href="">Massachusetts drunk driving defense lawyers to help them. Sometimes people make remarks without thinking them through during stressful situations like being pulled over and questioned by police. Those words can be used against defendants as they go through the legal system, if they don't have an attorney advocating for them.
In this case, Michael Dencer, 46, of Weymouth, allegedly told an officer who arrested him, "I'm not a bad guy. I just had too much to drink. I've been drinking and doing pills all day." Police arrested Dencer over after an off-duty police officer had reported seeing Dencer's blue Ford van drive over a traffic island, hit a sign and an SUV occupied by a woman, and then drive away. The off-duty officer followed Dencer's van and called the police station to notify other officers about the van's location. Dencer stopped about a mile from the scene of the accident, and police administered three field sobriety tests, all of which he failed. He was arrested and charged with fourth-offense drunken driving, driving an uninsured van and driving with a revoked registration, failing to stay in marked lanes and two counts of leaving the scene of an accident. The woman in the SUV that Dencer hit was not injured, but a passenger in his van was taken to South Shore Hospital with cuts on her face.
Read article: Weymouth man arrested for fourth DUI.
I've written recently about the problems with field sobriety tests as evidence of intoxication. Breathalyzers, which are also unreliable, or blood tests are often administered to demonstrate intoxication, but the article does not tell us whether these were done in Dencer's case. And even though Dencer allegedly told the police he'd been drinking and taking pills, that comment by itself doesn't prove that he was legally intoxicated. There could easily be enough holes in the police's evidence that this case could be dismissed. Nevertheless, anyone charged with a fourth-offense OUI should take the charge seriously, because it carries serious consequences, including incarceration for one to five years, a fine of $1,500-$25,000, a ten year loss of license, and various fees and fines. People will feel the effects of being found guilty on this charge in other areas of their lives as well. It can become much harder to get a job, and when their licenses are returned, their insurance rates will skyrocket.
If you find yourself facing such charges, to be sure you're getting the best outcome possible, you must have a Massachusetts intoxicated driving defense attorney with the right knowledge and experience on your side. There is simply no other way to ensure that your rights will be protected and that the outcome of your case will be as favorable as possible for you.
Continue reading "Weymouth Man Charged With Fourth OUI After Admitting He Had Too Much to Drink" »
Bookmark and Share | http://www.massachusettsduilawyerblog.com/2010/09/ | dclm-gs1-170690002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.073185 | <urn:uuid:f7e348bf-b35b-4550-8516-d9384e477325> | en | 0.946767 | Mutant Fortified
Bret Ratner takes charge of the X-Men franchise and serves up an all-you-can-eat buffet of mutants and action
by Randy Shulman
Published on June 1, 2006, 12:00am | Comments
X-Men: The Last Stand, the third installment in the ultra-popular movie series based on the ultra-ultra-popular Marvel Comics series, is mutant fortified. There are so many damn mutants in this battle royale, it's virtually impossible to keep track of them, let alone what special powers they possess. Some can walk through walls, others can hurl sharp spears of bone from their wrists, and some can duplicate themselves ad infinitum.
Thankfully, at the center of this overpopulation of mutants lie the core X-Men themselves -- weather-controlling Storm (Halle Berry); cigar-chomping, self-healing Wolverine (Hugh Jackman); freezer-pop Iceman (Shawn Ashmore); and newcomer Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), who can pass through anything solid. They continue to be led by that wheelchair-bound master of mind-control, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). These are the good guys.
As for the bad, they continue to include the rebellious Pyro (Aaron Stanford); the delectably wicked Mystique (Rebecca Romijn); and a handful of new rouges -- including Juggernaut (played with delightful comic verve by Vinnie Jones), who can power through anything that stands in his way; Callisto (Dania Ramirez), whose super speed is matched by her ability to not only sense other mutants but what level of mutantship they've attained; and Kid Omega (Ken Leung), from whom porcupine-like needles emerge in an instant (warning: don't hug this guy). The evil ones continue to be overseen by Magneto (Ian McKellen), able to bend metal to his will, and who has grown so powerful, he can now relocate a portion of the Golden Gate bridge.
Since the end of the last film, mutants and humans have reached a peaceful accord. Relations are less strained, and there's even a mutant on the President's cabinet, Dr. Hank McCoy (Kelsey Grammer), a blue-furred behemoth with an erudite manner aptly known as Beast.
In need of a good razor: Jackman
When a permanent cure for mutants is developed by Worthington Labs, it sparks a nationwide debate. Is mutation a disease or is it a part of one's individuality that shouldn't be tampered with? Yes, the "gay cure" allegory is billboard-sized, as are allusions to the Holocaust and genocide. Some mutants, it seems, want a cure. As the shaggy, cobalt Beast tells the normal-looking Storm, "Not all of us fit in easily as you. You don't shed on the couch." A even better example is Rogue (Anna Paquin), for whom a cure means finally being able to touch people without killing them.
When the government turns the serum into a secret weapon, giving mere mortals an advantage over the super-powered, Magneto rallies an army to destroy the cure's root -- a young mutant named Leach (Cameron Bright), being held in an impenetrable facility on Alcatraz Island. I'm sorry, did I say impenetrable? Yeah, right. No one stops Magneto when he puts his magnetic mind to work.
Once again, it's up to the X-Men to stop Magneto. So as in the first and second X-Men movies, the story winds up in mutant-versus-mutant mode.
This time, however, Magneto has a weapon so powerful that it makes his knack for metal-play seem quaint by comparison. It's Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), back from the dead (you may recall she gave her life for her fellow X-Men at the close of the last film), and now known as Phoenix, a Class 5 mutant, the most powerful ever. "She can do anything she wants," purrs Magneto, of his new charge. And indeed she can. Her idea of fun, for example, is to turn everything in her path, including people and mutants, to dust.
Romijn as 'Mystique'
Xavier tries to save his friend Jean, but to no avail. She's gone over to the pitch black side. The switch finally gives Janssen, easily the blandest character in the first two installments, something juicy to play. And she juices the role for all its worth.
It may seem strange to bemoan the loss of outgoing director Bryan Singer, who helmed the first two films and instilled a touch of class, and, especially in X-Men 2, a powerful sense of drama and agony, but bemoan we shall. Because incoming director Brett Ratner is interested in one thing and one thing only: action. He's very good at it -- there are some heart-pumping moments, chock full of mind-blowing special effects. But Ratner inevitably over-pulverizes the material. By relying on the action -- and not interpersonal dramas -- to carry the movie along, he pretty much wipes away Singer's previous efforts to make the X-Men franchise something more than just another comic book movie.
That's not to say there aren't some terrific moments in X-Men: The Last Stand. The climax is a potent, power-packed stunner, as is an earlier scene that takes place between Professor X and Jean Grey in her childhood home. But Ratner is incapable of nuance and the movie engages you solely on a primal level. It's missing its X-heart.
Area Showtimes
Lucky for Ratner, he's inherited a great cast -- McKellen, Stewart, Berry and especially Jackman are as wonderful as ever. The addition of Grammer is an inspired touch, an Ben Foster makes a brief but poignant appearance as Angel, a white-winged stud who soars through the sky with an elegance and purpose that takes away your breath.
Thought it's purportedly the last film in the series, X-Men: The Last Stand made $120 million in its opening weekend. That's the kind of figure that makes X-Men 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and X not just possible, but a sure thing. The series could go on forever. And why not? There seem to be enough mutants to go around.
Call 202-638-6830 to advertise here in Marketplace | http://www.metroweekly.com/arts_entertainment/film.php?ak=2136 | dclm-gs1-170780002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.086615 | <urn:uuid:24178985-58be-4e3c-a2a6-8db5f30e65bb> | en | 0.955838 |
Hector Guimard
Cri_240634 Zoom
Hector Guimard. Entrance Gate to Paris Subway (Métropolitain) Station, Paris, France. c. 1900. Painted cast iron, glazed lava, and glass, 13' 11" x 17' 10" x 32" (424.2 x 543.6 x 81.3 cm) Each vertical stanchion: 1040 lbs. Horizontal component: 460 lbs. Glazed lava sign: 100 lbs. Gift of Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens
The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA Highlights, MoMA Highlights, p. 39
The emergence of the Art Nouveau style toward the end of the nineteenth century resulted from a search for a new aesthetic that was not based on historical or classical models. The sinuous, organic lines of Guimard's design and the stylized, giant stalks drooping under the weight of what seem to be swollen tropical flowers, but are actually amber glass lamps, make this a quintessentially Art Nouveau piece. His designs for this famous entrance arch and two others were intended to visually enhance the experience of underground travel on the new subway system for Paris.
Paris was not the first city to implement an underground system (London already had one), but the approaching Paris Exposition of 1900 accelerated the need for an efficient and attractive means of mass transportation. Although Guimard never formally entered the competition for the design of the system's entrance gates that had been launched by the Compagnie du Métropolitain in 1898, he won the commission with his avant-garde schemes, all using standardized cast-iron components to facilitate manufacture, transport, and assembly.
While Parisians were at first hesitant in their response to Guimard's use of an unfamiliar vocabulary, his Métro gates, installed throughout the city, effectively brought the Art Nouveau style, formerly associated with the luxury market, into the realm of popular culture.
Audio Program excerpt
MoMA Audio Collection
Director, Glenn Lowry: The Paris Exposition of 1900 prompted the city to build an efficient and attractive means of mass transportation. Hector Guimard's sinuous, quintessentially Art Nouveau design won the competition.
Sculptutre Conservator, Lynda Zycherman: This was the second subway created in the world. The first was the one in London. It was Guimard's intention to advertise the subway publicly. He placed his Metro signs right in the middle of the plaza or on the sidewalk where it was visible by anyone who would come to see it, as opposed to the London subway where the entrances are more subtly hidden into a building and not in a public plaza.
His other innovation was to use modular systems to be able to create over a hundred gates in Paris. They are made of cast iron but they are painted to look as if they're bronze. Thats why they're green. The word Metropolitain is lava stone that has been ground up and re-fired to make a very impervious ceramic.
It was made to be outside. But it is over a hundred years old and it was pretty seriously rusted because the paint had failed over and over, from the time it was erected in Paris, until the French took it down in 1950-something.
Related Terms | http://www.moma.org/m/explore/collection/object/2393.iphone_ajax?locale=en | dclm-gs1-170810002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "assembly"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.889726 | <urn:uuid:c7d21622-f4ea-42e8-a48b-a1a6682e5fba> | en | 0.682032 | Book a Speaker
Dr. Steven Pressman, PhD
Economics and education, tax policy, deficits, economic and financial policy, macroeconomics, poverty and income distribution.
Associations: Dept. of Economics, Finance, and Real Estate
* Select your audience type:
* Select a span of possible dates for your speaking engagement:
Date 1: Pick a date (Format: MM/DD/YYYY)
Date 2: Pick a date
* First Name:
* Last Name:
* Affiliation: (Your company name)
* E-mail:
* Phone Number: (Format: 555-555-5555)
Characters left: | http://www.monmouth.edu/about_monmouth/public_affairs/speakers/bookspeaker.asp?id=45 | dclm-gs1-170830002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.034232 | <urn:uuid:de4f0da3-8637-44f4-9415-389228a8089e> | en | 0.923393 |
Tupey the Royal Uni
Tupey has a Petpet!
Todd the Rainbow Weewoo
(235 days and 2 hours old)
[ Zapped by the Petpet Lab Ray ]
Owner: Silky (tupey)
Tupey likes making friends.
When meeting others, Tupey would try and make friends.
- Attributes -
Age: 507 days old (12,168 hours)
Birthday: 21st October (Y14)
Level: 8
Gender: Female
Height: 104 cms.
Weight: 46 lbs.
Fishing Skill: 172
Jobs Completed: 0
Jobs Failed: 0
Job Rank: Intern
- Battledome Stats -
Hit Points: 64 / 25
Strength: very strong
Defence: GREAT (26)
Movement: GREAT (23)
Intelligence: ULTIMATE GENIUS (1171)
Played: 0
Won: 0
Lost: 0
Drawn: 0
Score: 0
Challenge Tupey
Tupey's rating:
4.7 stars
I go by the name Silky. Please don't call me Tupey. Why not? Glad you asked.
Tupey was a dear little dog who changed my life.
I was a cat person until we found her lost and scared in our neighborhood.
She was so affectionate!
We could not locate her previous owners,
and we all fell so much in love with her
that all we could do was take her in.
She was a year old when we got her.
Her favorite toys were the little plush Neopets from McDs.
The vet repaired a serious hernia for her and made sure she would not add
to the dreadful problem of unwanted pets.
We loved her so much.
I named this account for her when I needed a new main,
but I could not make the pet with this name
until the yellow jubjub that had the name
was finally removed from the site.
I cannot say what happened to Tupey on this site.
We lost her far too soon.
We have a border collie now, and he's amazing,
but there will never be a dog like Tupey
in the world again.
Create | Central | Explore | Games | Mail | Shops | Boards | News | Stuff | Help | http://www.neopets.com/petlookup.phtml?pet=Tupey | dclm-gs1-171000002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.028258 | <urn:uuid:7c81b46a-bf58-4509-9668-cd2e3a675e79> | en | 0.965453 |
A Weak Week Into The New iPhone
by on July 22, 2008
I’m a week in. I decided to early adopt because it’s my nature and I also figured I’d return it if it didn’t hold up, and I have to be honest…I might return it. It is a stunning device with amazing potential but I really don’t think it was ready to release. That would make this the second piece of hardware this year that Apple prematurely ejaculated all over the tech marketplace (the other being the Air*). I suppose I understand that they were under the gun and had to try to quell tech-hungry geeks like m’self but the reality is that despite all the glorious app-ing and superb design the 3G iPhone fails on the most basic levels and it’s mostly AT&T’s fault.
Here’s a rundown of my experiences so far:
1) Apps crash the phone 20% of the time. On the upside, this will improve with firmware updates…but when?
2) The drain on the battery from the 3G Network is unforgivably bad. Keep a charger close to you at all times.
3) My cell signal is actually WORSE on 3G, and it was pretty bad before—I drop at least half of my calls EVERYWHERE, and that is no exaggeration. When I can get onto 3G (which is not a lot of places) I have to turn it off because EDGE has an ironically better voice connection (the plastic casing and new antenna placement help). This is all due to AT&T’s weenie 3G Crapwork. In case you missed my previous post, AT&T is truly the erectile dysfunction of wireless and I swear I’ve never met one person who had anything good to say about them as a carrier. I only publicly hate on them because I secretly hope that one person will hear about it and actually take actions to improve, but I know that’s a teenage fantasy.
4) The phone performance is choppy and slow; even just going into my contacts I expericence a lag before I can actually search, but this, too, will improve with firmware updates. Folks with 1st gen iPhones who updated to 2.0 are having this problem as well.
5) On the up side, the phone is lighter, less slippery, feels better in my hand and has much improved Bluetooth. Plus, when I’m in a 3G hotspot the data is markedly faster.
All in all, if you are a patient person, STAY AWAY for now. Wait until the holidays when Apple will probably release some kind of minor hardware upgrade. Don’t get me wrong…I love Apple products but there is entirely too much “hot cheerleader syndrome” going on between them and AT&T. In other words, they’re chronically cocky and not really that concerned with listening to consumers or providing what people really need (e.g., copy & paste, MMS). I hope they remember that consumers are fickle and will turn on them sooner or later.
*why would you pay three grand for a 64G Solid State Drive that is going to lose a third of that to the OS? | http://www.nerdist.com/2008/07/a-weak-week-into-the-new-iphone/comment-page-1/ | dclm-gs1-171010002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.019217 | <urn:uuid:eebdc535-e340-4962-8e37-83f5db2e010a> | en | 0.953865 | The Bhagavad Gita on Duty
The Bhagavad Gita is part of a longer poem called the Mahabharata, which is the story of the struggles between two leading families from the beginning of Indian history. These two families face off in the battle of Kurukshetra, which historians place between 850 and 650 B.C.E.
The Gita begins when the hero, Arjuna, a warrior, hesitates over entering into battle against members of his own family. Arjuna's conscience revolts at the thought of the war and the idea that it involves the killing of friends and relatives. He asks his charioteer, Krishna, to pull the chariot up between the two battling armies. It becomes apparent that the charioteer Krishna is God himself. The conversation is a revelation given by a friend to a friend, a young god to his companion, the prince Arjuna.
The eighteen chapters that comprise the Gita are divided into three sections of six chapters each. In the first section, Arjuna looks out on the battlefield and questions what part he will play in the battle:
And facing Bhishma and Drona and other royal rulers he said:
“See, Arjuna, the armies of the Kurus, gathered here on the field of battle.”
Then Arjuna saw in both armies fathers, grandfathers,
sons, grandsons; fathers of wives, uncles, masters;
brothers, companions and friends.
When Arjuna saw his kinsmen face to face in both lines of battle, he was overcome by grief and despair and he spoke with a sinking heart.
And I see forebodings of evil, Krishna. I cannot forsee any glory if I kill my own kinsmen in the sacrifice of battle.
Because I have no wish for victory, Krishna, nor for a kingdom, nor for its pleasures. How can we want a kingdom, Govinda, or its pleasures or even life,
When those for whom we want a kingdom, and its pleasures, and the joys of life, are here in this field of battle about to give up their wealth and their life?
Facing us in the field of battle are teachers, fathers, and sons; grandsons, grandfathers, wives' brothers; mothers' brothers and fathers of wives.
If we kill these evil men, evil shall fall upon us: what joy in their death could we have, O Janardan, mover of souls?
I cannot therefore kill my own kinsmen, the sons of kind Dhritarashtra, the brother of my own father. What happiness could we ever enjoy, if we killed our own kinsmen in battle?
— I.24–37 Bhagavad Gita
Is there a philosophy of karma in the Bhagavad Gita?
Yes, though the meaning of karmic action has changed from earlier texts. Krishna reveals to Arjuna that action performed out of a sense of one's duty or dharma, with no thought of selfish gain, leads to spiritual fulfillment.
With those words, Arjuna sank down in his chariot, overcome by despair and grief and lacking the will to fight. Krishna saw that Arjuna's eyes were full of tears, but he did not express sympathy. Rather, he reproached Arjuna and reminded him of his duty.
Whence this lifeless dejection, Arjuna, in this hour, the hour of trial? Strong men know not despair, Arjuna, for this wins neither heaven nor Earth.
Fall not into degrading weakness, for this becomes not a man who is a man. Throw off this ignoble discouragement, and arise like a fire that burns all before it.
— II.2–3 Bhagavad Gita
After scolding Arjuna, Krishna begins a lecture on the nature of reality. He sets out to outline several yogas that will help Arjuna fight the battle. Krishna is not only playing the part of spiritual advisor to his friend, he is also utilizing this moment to proclaim to all mankind his doctrine of salvation for the world. His doctrine, known as the “Yoga of selfless Action” (karma yoga), entails self-surrender and devotion (bhakti) to the Lord, who is identical with the self within all.
The Bhagavad Gita contains an analogy for a person who has accomplished yoga and has mastered himself: “Just as a lamp in a windless place flickers not.” This is the simile traditionally used for a yogi whose mind is properly controlled and who practices the yoga of the self.
1. Home
2. Hinduism
3. The Bhagavad Gita
4. The Bhagavad Gita on Duty
Visit other sites: | http://www.netplaces.com/hinduism/the-bhagavad-gita/the-bhagavad-gita-on-duty.htm | dclm-gs1-171030002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.041767 | <urn:uuid:12cb1d8e-0deb-47e2-b33f-7e50e69399d9> | en | 0.911901 | New method to grow germanium crystals may usher era of flexible electronics
Washington, Sept. 7 : Researchers have developed a new method to grow germanium crystals at low temperatures, which could lead to next-generation large-scale integrated circuits and future flexible electronics
The new approach does not require high temperatures or other crystals to act as seeds to grow the germanium crystal and the researchers said that the new method can be used to produce germanium films with a very large area, allowing for more potential applications.
Taizoh Sadoh of Kyushu University said that their method will open new ways to create advanced flexible electronics.
However, for use in flexible electronics, the germanium would have to be grown on malleable materials, which tend to soften at temperatures above 300 degree Celsius. The challenge, said Sadoh, is to grow germanium at lower temperatures.
Using gold as a catalyst, Sadoh and his colleagues were able to grow germanium crystals at a temperature of about 250 degree Celsius. They were also able to grow them in such a way that their crystal structure has the proper orientation and electrical properties necessary for technological applications.
The study has been published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
--ANI (Posted on 07-09-2013)
technology-news headlines
Wristband that monitors what you eat, drink
This underwear 'touches' you with smart phone swipe!
NASA's Mars Orbiter still functional after suffering computer glitch
This device helps LED lights glow better
Gut cells may give birth to insulin-making cells
How some galaxies formed rapidly in early universe
Chip that turns your cell phone into a projector!
Global survey of urban birds and plants find more diversity than expected
Some galaxies in early universe grew up quickly
New device renders objects invisible to sound waves
Earth's climate likely to continue warming despite slowdown
Your e-mail:
Your Full Name:
Type verification image:
verification image, type it in the box
Back to Top | http://www.newkerala.com/news/story/64278/elements.html | dclm-gs1-171050002 | false | true | {
"keywords": "t cell, t cells"
} | false | null | false |
0.034578 | <urn:uuid:b3d1f438-625d-4fc4-8429-b20c504c7b5e> | en | 0.88108 | Multiculturalism and Identity in Canada: A Case-Study of Ukrainian-Canadians
by Woods, Eric Taylor
Abstract (Summary)
The thesis provides a political analysis of a position paper on government programming recently adopted by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) a national ethno-cultural organisation that ostensibly represents over one million Canadians of Ukrainian heritage and a historically important player in the development of multiculturalism in Canada. The impetus for such an analysis is to explore whether there are alternative policy directions available to the UCC that could satisfy its mandate developing and enhancing the Ukrainian-Canadian community while taking into account the reality that Ukrainian-Canadians culturally resemble more and more the broader Canadian society.
In a wide-ranging analysis that criticizes both, official Canadian multiculturalism for falling short in meeting its commitment to cultural pluralism and the UCC for upholding a position that relies on a static or retrograde version of culture, the thesis makes the case for a multiculturalism that can recognize cultural differences while allowing for change.
The thesis is significant because it asks relevant questions concerning how multiculturalism in Canada takes into account an increasingly heterogeneous citizenship characterized by cultural change. In this regard, the thesis is of particular importance to Canadians who claim a multiplicity of cultures rather than a single ethnicity and yet still express a desire to be included in the discourse on Canadian national identity.
Bibliographical Information:
Advisor:MacLeod, Allan; Kordan, Bohdan; Garcea, Joseph
School:University of Saskatchewan
School Location:Canada - Saskatchewan
Source Type:Master's Thesis
Keywords:pluralism inclusive citizenship social binary belonging reactive culturalism cultural change integration
Date of Publication:04/13/2006
© 2009 All Rights Reserved. | http://www.openthesis.org/documents/Multiculturalism-Identity-in-Canada-Case-217032.html | dclm-gs1-171210002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.03031 | <urn:uuid:72fb6bcf-fcaf-4f47-babf-4c3cc95dd630> | en | 0.691117 | 1. Computers
2. Display Drivers
3. Graphics Cards
4. Memory
5. Motherboards
6. Processors
7. Software
8. Storage
9. Operating Systems
Ubuntu 13.04 Desktop Gaming Performance Comparison
Published on 31 January 2013
Written by Michael Larabel
Page 2 of 5 - 46 Comments
Starting off with the CoreBreach racing game, the fastest desktops for running this OpenGL racing game were Xfce and Openbox, which don't rely upon compositing by default, while slightly behind those two was LXDE. The slowest desktop environments were KDE Plasma and the GNOME Shell.
The Nexuiz game benchmark ended up being bottlenecked elsewhere in the OS stack so there was no real change between the different desktops on Ubuntu 13.04.
To no surprise, Xfce, Openbox, and LXDE were the fastest. Unity and GNOME Shell led to having the lowest frame-rates.
Latest Linux Hardware Reviews
1. Fedora 20 Runs Great On The Intel Bay Trail NUC
3. Gigabyte F2A88XM-D3H AMD A88X
4. eVGA GeForce GTX 750 "Maxwell" On Ubuntu Linux
Latest Linux Articles
Latest Linux News
1. Mesa 10 Will Likely End Up As A Fedora 20 Update
2. Replicant Developers Find Backdoor In Android Samsung Galaxy Devices
3. NVIDIA Dropping Pre-Fermi GPUs From Their Mainline Linux Driver
4. A TTM Graphics Performance Fix To Go Into Linux 3.14
5. Mir Gets Screencasting Improvements, Other Changes
7. Google Replacing GTK2 With Aura In Chrome 35
8. Systemd 211 Piles On More Changes
9. Eurocom Begins Offering Linux High Performance Laptops
10. Many R600/RadeonSI Gallium3D Changes Land
Latest Forum Discussions
2. Gaming performance: KDE vs Unity
3. Please Turn Off The Honton
4. Next Gen Enterprise desktop: RHEL7 vs SLE 12
5. So I built myself a new rig...
6. Getting VDPAU working through 14.04
7. Broadcom Open-Sources VideoCore IV 3D Graphics Stack
8. KDE and XFCE dominate Gnome, Unity in LinuxQuestions Members Choice Award voting | http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=ubuntu_1304_desktop1&num=2 | dclm-gs1-171350002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.288698 | <urn:uuid:d5fe6306-4659-4c54-981e-a8b7c1776105> | en | 0.892767 | Chiral Perturbation Theory : pi0 pi0 Z vertex?
by Hepth
Tags: chiral, perturbation, theory, vertex
Hepth is offline
Dec3-12, 11:59 AM
PF Gold
Hepth's Avatar
P: 434
Not sure if anyone has any experience with chiral perturbation theory, but I'm trying to see what all of the vertices are for interactions with a single Z boson. I've looked at the lagrangian up to order p^4 so far, and it seems that the Z only interacts with charged pions/kaons.
I'm using the external field method. Is there a reason why these don't appear?
I imagine that I have the generic Z current:
\sum_{q = u,d,s} \bar{q} \left( c_L \gamma^{\mu} P_L + c_R \gamma^{\mu} P_R\right) q \cdot Z_{\mu}
where the constants are calculable, but it should be noted that due to weak isospin and charge, the down and strange currents are the same constant, with the up being different.
I imagine this then correlates to chiral perturbation theory as an external field matrix where these constants lie along the diagonal for the left and right handed external fields, which then go into the covariant derivative.
So just naively I would think that if I'm looking for say, K0 in, Z and K0 out:
\langle K0(p_i - p_Z) | \bar{s} \left( c_L \gamma^{\mu} P_L + c_R \gamma^{\mu} P_R\right) s | K0(p_i) \rangle \eta_{p_Z}^{*}
As the Vector parts of the current are -1 parity, the axial +1, and the Kaons -1, We have
(-1)(c_v (-1)) (-1) = -1 c_v
so a vector, such as the momenta of the kaons or the Z.
The axial parts
(-1) c_a (+1) (-1) = +1 c_a, we have no way to construct a +1 axial vector (polarization is already factorized out)
so only the vector component remains, which is a combination of the left and right components. (I guess I could have just started with that form).
So its momenta dependent, and we have two degrees of freedom, the pZ and the pK.
Now, due to indices we can have things of the form
p_Z \cdot \eta_{p_Z} \rightarrow 0\\
p_K \cdot \eta_{p_Z}
So I expect my vertex to be of the form of the second product.
Now when looking for where this contribution comes from in the chiral lagrangian, at O(p^2) we would expect the kinetic term:
L_{kin} = -\frac{f^2}{4} tr\left(D^{\mu} U D_{\mu} U^{\dagger}\right)
to generate these, and it does for the K+-, pi+- vertices, but if you work it out (and I think I'm doing it right) the neutral contributions all disappear.
Perhaps its due to the d/s being the same mass in this case,(though the pions/eta also disappear) and I need to break that symmetry to get this term, but then when I do the lagrangians at p^4 with mass included, I still don't get a term with it...
Any ideas or suggestions? , section 21( page 44) has both the p^2 and p^4 lagrangians.
I'm just trying to see which order I have to go to in order to get this vertex, as it MUST exist right? I mean, theres a definite cross section for e+ e- -> pi0 pi0, and I believe it occurs through the Z -> (ssbar)-> glu/photon off leg -> (ddbar) and the opposite diagram.
Any suggestions, even if only reading materials would be greatly appreciated!
ps Its possible I'm doing the matrix algebra incorrectly, but I'm fairly sure I'm doing it right. (95% sure).
Phys.Org News Partner Physics news on
World's first 3-D acoustic cloaking device hides objects from sound
How Twitter shapes public opinion
Discovery of novel magnetism in the iridium compound CuIr2S4
Register to reply
Related Discussions
2 dimensional chiral boson theory High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics 2
Chiral Perturbation Theory : Some quick questions High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics 2
Geometry terminology: altitude from vertex, median from vertex, the bisector of angle Precalculus Mathematics Homework 3
Conformal field theory: vertex operator Quantum Physics 11
Chiral Perturbation Theory Quantum Physics 2 | http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=4182883 | dclm-gs1-171360002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "vector"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.057169 | <urn:uuid:a94558ac-3934-4513-81f2-289c5e7f24ed> | en | 0.93655 |
Why don't you be a Friend of Korea?
Now, we are launching this "Friends of Korea Club," a worldwide campaign to attract visitors by letting them see Korea's friendly charm.
We are also trying to build bridges of friendship between Korea and the world, both on- and offline, through this campaign, so we can share friendships and dreams.
For this campaign's success, young Koreans are volunteering to share their sincere friendship via the internet with those interested in our nation
We strongly hope that you, your family, friends and neighbors will take this chance to know more about Korea and make Korean friends.
You can share friendship and dreams with new Korean friends, and someday maybe have a chance to visit Korea, the homeland of those friends.
Here, young Koreans are waiting to be your friend and guide to Korea.
Friends of Korea Club, VANK | http://www.prkorea.com/english/e_friends/e_friends1.htm | dclm-gs1-171480002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.035892 | <urn:uuid:1140ce29-afa7-496a-b8d3-a7f3be381a21> | en | 0.78203 |
Artist file
The band Phideaux comprises many friends who have known each other since early childhood (Phideaux Xavier and Valerie Gracious were in nursery school together). They produce recordings of adventurous art rock music. They have seven albums, each unique in sound and content (An eighth called "Snowtorch" is nearly finished). Phideaux creates mysterious and melodic music for the sheer love of it, independently releasing recordings which have been complimented for capturing the essence of classic rock music while remaining modern and distinctive.
Radios stations playing Phideaux
No radio station found
Radio stations often playing Phideaux
ISKC Rock Radio
The Best Progressive and Symphonic Rock Music On The Net
Play this radio station
ANANTA VIOLIN est la radio de tous les violons du monde: le violon populaire, moderne, classique, jazz, world, original et inventif, tous les genres musicaux, toutes époques confondues... La Musique Universelle! .... y de todos los amigos ....
Play this radio station
Prog N Rock Theater
metal, rock, prog, and more !
Play this radio station | http://www.radionomy.com/en/artist/160592/Phideaux | dclm-gs1-171520002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.088785 | <urn:uuid:14f31779-2c7a-4486-8664-d5ac0dc58c1d> | en | 0.969888 | RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Search
RV Blog
RV Sales
RV Parks
RV Club
RV Buyers Guide
Roadside Assistance
Extended Service Plan
RV Travel Assistance
RV Credit Card
RV Loans
Open Roads Forum > Search the Forums
> Your search for posts made by 'willald' found 392 matches.
Sort by: Search within results:
Page of 20
Prev | Next
Subject Author Date Posted Forum
RE: Remco transmission lube pump
I tend to agree with Bumpyroad here - If you're buying a vehicle regardless for towing, buy one that is flat towable from the factory. If you know you're going to flat tow, don't buy one that requires expensive modifications to do it. The pickup with a cap on it sounds perfect for carrying a bunch of bikes. A pickup can be very useful for lots of other things, too. If you're comparing the cost of adding a cap to a pickup to the cost of a Remco lube pump addition to a van, don't forget to factor in the cost to install that lube pump. That will add another $1k or so to the cost of the pump (unless you're handy enough to do it yourself). I think you'll find, you can get a cap for a pickup for less than what the lube pump would cost. As to specific experience with a lube pump: We installed a lube pump on our Kia minivan and towed it the first year/season we owned a MH. Great product and great company that stands behind it pretty well. Worked OK for a while, but then had some leaking problems that pretty much destroyed our trust in the pump, didn't want to use it anymore. Something about watching the pump bust a leak and spew 6 quarts of tranny fluid like a huge geyser all over everything, that image is kinda burned in my head and I never could trust the pump after that, haha. Dealer fixed it (at Remco's expense and theirs), and it has worked fine ever since that incident. However, I had/have issues trusting it since then, so we ended up trading our other vehicle in for one thats flat towable from the factory, a Ford Fusion Hybrid. Towing is a bit more stress free for us now, when we don't have to worry about that pump. Sooo, thats why I say, if you are buying a vehicle anyway and can avoid dealing with a modification like a lube pump, you should. :)
willald 12/17/13 06:45am Class A Motorhomes
RE: 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Thats great your able to use the ReadyBrake Will. When we were setting up our FFH I e-mailed them and they were not sure it would work with an active brake system like our hybrids so I decided to use Blue Ox. Much simpler system for sure! Ironically, conmoto, as far as the active braking system goes, its the exact opposite - Readybrake is PERFECT for such a system, better than most others. Reason being, Readybrake really doesn't care if power braking is turned on or not. It engages brakes until there is no more 'push' on the tow bar, regardless how little or how much pressure it has to exert on the brake pedal to make that happen. With Ford's hybrids, active power braking is on all the time, so it just means that Readybrake doesn't have to put as much pressure on the brake pedal, before brakes engage enough to make the Readybrake actuator release. No extra adjustment necessary for Active braking as is the case with other systems. I was actually nervous also about ReadyBrake with our Ford Fusion Hybrid at first, but for totally different reasons. I knew the Active Braking wouldn't be a problem, I just wasn't sure it was physically possible to route a cable from the pedal to the front, with all the hybrid components in the way up front. Called NSA (Readybrake manufacturer), they said it had been and could be done, but it was a little tight. One RV dealer told me it could not be done, was just not enough room (read: they didn't want to do it). Another (better) RV dealer said it could be done, and they did the installation. Did a great job, too, very happy with it. Will
willald 12/16/13 08:40pm Dinghy Towing
RE: Why no rear window in Holiday Rambler?
"...there's got to be other reasons why they can't put a window back there on a diesel pusher. Does the intake manifold take up most of that back wall, maybe? The reason is simple...having a window in the back is a monumental waste of valuable real estate. My DP had a wall to wall closet in the back. Some other models use a portion of the rear for a washer and dryer and the rest as closet space. Sorry, I don't buy that the reason is that simple. If it is, then why is it that almost ZERO coaches ever built on a rear engine chassis offer such, yet coaches built on various front engine chassis do offer such in many floorplans? There's got to be some reason related to the engine being back there, that they just will not put a window back there. It may well be 'cause of all the nasty diesel fumes being belched out back there, that you don't have as much of with a front engine chassis. Will
willald 12/16/13 12:16pm Class A Motorhomes
RE: Why no rear window in Holiday Rambler?
as I recall from my rear window days, they get so filthy while driving that you can't really enjoy the view out of them anyway. bumpy ..Not been the case for us. That rear window hasn't got any more dirty than any of the other windows on the sides. If it did, like already said, thats what Windex is for. :) Now, it may be that with diesel pushers and all the nasty diesel fumes and smog they belch out back there would cause a rear window to get dirty quicker. Could that be the reason why nobody offers a rear window on diesel pushers? If that was the case, wouldn't newer, cleaner diesel engines they're using now alleviate some of that? Nah, there's got to be other reasons why they can't put a window back there on a diesel pusher. Does the intake manifold take up most of that back wall, maybe? Will
willald 12/16/13 10:33am Class A Motorhomes
RE: Ready Brake 2013 Focus
Hilldude- I just got a Focus and was looking at your install photos. Thank You for posting them. Why did you install the cable so far left and down of a straight pull? I am not criticizing just asking. Is there double wall above and right of the steering boot? I didn't get it up on the lift yet. Just want to be prepared when I do. Thanx Again I think you'll find there are just too many things in the way under the hood, to do a 'straight pull' install like you're talking about. No doubt a straight pull install would be best, and if you can do it that way, go for it. I think most folks that install ReadyBrake, though, end up doing something similar to Hilldude's installation, where they route the cable along the driver's side. Just too many components in the way otherwise. Haha, you don't even want to KNOW all the obstacles and 'challenges' that were in the way with my Fusion Hybrid, and how difficult it was to route the cable around to the front with that one! Going around on the left side was only option. :)
willald 12/16/13 09:27am Dinghy Towing
RE: 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Thank you all for your responses, I love all of the positive info on this car. Tomorrow we will test drive the car and see what we think. Next question, what brake system to buy. I like the reviews of the SMI air force one. Stuart I highly, highly recommend the ReadyBrake system. You just can't beat it, IMO - Very simple, cable-operated braking system with ZERO electronics to worry about failing and burning up your brakes (like is known to happen with some electronic box type systems). Costs waaaaaay less than anything else, especially if you haven't bought a tow bar yet, and you get their ReadyBrute Elite kit that comes with tow bar AND brake system for 'bout the same as you'd pay for just a tow bar from anyone else. Fairly simple installation, too - no tapping into vehicle's brake system or electronics, you just run/install a physical cable from brake pedal to front bumper, thats it. I see that the Fusion is off your list, and you're debating between the Equinox and Jeep Cherokee. Can definitely understand that if you need a lot of storage space, the Fusion wouldn't work, as its batteries do take away some of the trunk space. I think of the two you've boiled down to, I'd prefer the Jeep, but obviously its your decision. Good luck, whatever you decide. :)
willald 12/16/13 07:03am Dinghy Towing
RE: Darn Thief
Hmmm....Makes me glad we don't have GPS units in our vehicles. We still do our 'navigating' the old fashioned way. :) Several years ago, we made the same horrible mistake, of leaving the truck unlocked one night at a large, resort campground near the beach. Even bigger mistake: DW left her purse sitting in the truck, on the seat in plain site. Talk about just BEGGING a thief to drop by and 'shop'! Anyway, next morning, contents of DW's purse and the glove compartment were spread out all over the seat. A few items were on the ground outside the truck at our campsite as well. Here's the kicker: They took NOTHING! They just rifled through everything and made a mess, found nothing worthy of taking, so moved on. Like most thieves, it was clear they were looking for something they could put their hands on quickly and easily, and turn over quickly for cash (jewelry, expensive electronics, or just cold hard cash). Since they found NONE of any of those in our truck, they just moved on. Contacted campground security next morning, they came and did a report, etc. They informed us that several folks there had been 'hit' that night in similar fashion. Thieves got a portable DVD player from one family that made the horrible mistake of leaving such in an unlocked car. We learned from that and moved on. Now, we lock our car doors ANY time we leave the car, even if its just for a few minutes. And, we keep the stuff we know thieves target (stuff they can turn around quickly for cash) out of the car in our possession, or at least hidden as best we can. Look at it on the bright side: At least, since you accidentally left the truck unlocked, you're not having to replace a window or door lock on the truck, as would be the case if they broke their way into your truck. :)
willald 12/13/13 12:39pm General RVing Issues
RE: Bike rack on rear ladder
I know some have had success doing it, but I just do not trust that ladder to handle the weight of bikes when going down the road. Too much potential for damage or injury (or worse) to folks on the road behind you to risk it. Yes, most ladders on the back of RVs are rated to handle up to 300 lbs, and will do so OK, when the RV is parked. However, that is a STATIC load when RV is sitting STILL. HUGE difference between that, and a dynamic load constantly shifting, bouncing at high speeds going down the highway. Bicycles or any other significant weight attached to the ladder will shake, bounce, and vibrate the ladder, something it was not necessarily designed to handle. It may well handle all that bouncing, vibration OK, or it may not. My big concern is that the bouncing and vibration will eventually work the ladder's mount points loose or break them. It just wasn't designed to be used that way, IMO. As already said, it does make a difference if we're talking about the back of a TT or the back of a MH. The MH back end won't be subject to as much 'movement' and is a bit safer (although I personally still would not trust it). Our solution: Install a hitch receiver on the back of our towed vehicle, and put a hitch-mounted bike rack back there to carry the bikes, behind the towed vehicle. We have found this is a much more versatile solution, as it allows us to carry the bikes on pretty much any vehicle that has a hitch receiver on the back or front. I can carry them on the back of the MH on its receiver if we're not bringing a towed vehicle, or I can carry them on the rack behind either of our other vehicles, since they both have a hitch receiver. There are some places we camp, where we like to leave the MH at the campground, and take off to parks, remote areas with the toad where we like to bring the bikes, too. Carrying the bikes on the back of our towed vehicle allows us to do that, whereas we could not do that if they were mounted on the MH only.
willald 12/13/13 12:19pm Class A Motorhomes
RE: Building a gen-turi style exhaust stack
...I'm just amazed this thread hasn't been 'bombed' yet, by the folks that insist no homemade device for generator exhaust is acceptable, and we all must spend $100+ on a Genturi kit or we'll kill 200 people with CO gas. :) All joking aside, I do like to read about DIY projects like this, I think its cool. One of these days I'm gonna make a device like this for our generator. Only thing is, we almost never camp without electrical hookups, so something like this really isn't a necessity, and hence pretty far down on the project priority list.
willald 12/13/13 10:30am Class A Motorhomes
RE: Furnace on while driving
..While we're on this topic: Some relatives of ours recently bought a new 5th wheel, and the dealer they bought from informed them that one should NEVER travel with furnace on. Was not 'cause of same ol' tired debate about traveling with propane on, but was more something specific with gas furnaces. Something along the lines of, wind, air blowing around the righ when going down the road will cause the flame in the furnace to continually get blown out, and furnace will wear itself out prematurely if it keeps trying to re-light itself over and over. Anyone ever heard this, or know if there's any merit to it? IMO its a bunch of bull. This approach would not be much of a problem if you have a towable RV (TT or 5er), but really ridiculous and unrealistic with a MH. I know we have on occasion drove with the furnace on in our Georgetown MH when necessary, and its worked fine.
willald 12/13/13 08:25am Class A Motorhomes
RE: ReadyBrake and Honda Fit
Why, it's so light you don't need one.353,100 foot pounds of energy and no supplemental braking is needed? It all depends on how you look at it. If you consider legality only, then no, in many states no supplemental braking is required by law for towed motor vehicles. If you consider braking performance, then in many states if you can stop within 40 or 45 feet (depending on the state) from 20 MPH on a dry, clean, level, hard surface, you are good. Most other considerations (morality, fear of litigation, etc.) are purely personal preference. I have to live with myself, and you have to live with yourself. We simply can not answer for each other! Well said, and exactly right, mowermech. :)
willald 12/13/13 08:02am Dinghy Towing
RE: 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid
I had a 2012 ford fusion.. had to sell it .. could not tow 4 down .. according to the owners manuel. You didn't have a hybrid fusion, you had one with the conventional drivetrain, which indeed is not flat towable (was at one time, but IIRC Ford changed their mind on that one). The Original Poster is asking about the Hybrid Ford Fusion, which indeed is flat towable and always has been. Will
willald 12/13/13 07:59am Dinghy Towing
RE: 2014 Ford Fusion Hybrid
Yes, Ford Fusion Hybrids make excellent vehicles for flat towing. They've been approved/supported by Ford for flat towing for several years (since they came out basically), and have a great proven track record for such. We have a 2013 Ford Fusion hybrid, and have been flat towing it since day 1, its been great for that. 'Tis really nice to have when camping, its ability to run silently and emission free on batteries is really nice to have at campgrounds. Its like having your own big, comfortable golf cart, haha. :) I haven't read that much specific information on the 2014 models, but I can't imagine they'd be any different as far as flat towing goes. They're still using the same CVT transmission in them, so flat towing should not be any different. As for the cost of the batteries if they need replacing after 8 years or 100,000 miles: If that happened, yes, it might negate some of the $$ saved in fuel mileage. However, how many actually keep a car that long? Anyone that does knows that when a car gets that many miles and 'age' on it, expensive repairs are something you just have to deal with from time to time. When the vehicle gets that old, a couple thousand for a new set of batteries is still a lot cheaper than buying another vehicle. Also, as I recall, Ford actually rates the new Lithium Ion batteries to last 150,000 miles, so there is a really good chance you'll get a LOT more than 8 years or 100,000 miles before they need replacing. They may well last about the same as it'd be in a conventional vehicle before equally expensive repairs would be needed. afrescop is exactly right, too - These vehicles are one of the easiest and most simple (of all automatic tranny 2WD vehicles) to tow. No pulling fuses or disconnecting battery, no need to start and run the vehicle every few hours to keep the tranny lubbed, no expensive modifications like lube pump or driveshaft disconnect needed, none of that nonsense. Just hitch it up, put it in neutral and go. Install a charge line like afrescop said (which is VERY easy and simple to do), and you can tow it all day, all night, all you want, and never have to worry about it. Hehe, for us, one more nice thing about owning a hybrid: Where I work, to encourage folks to be more 'green', they just set up a bunch of reserved parking spots up front in the parking garage strictly for 'greener' vehicles that are considered LEFEV (low emission fuel efficient vehicles). Yep, the Fusion hybrid qualifies, they gave me a sticker for such, so I can park in the reserved spots up front. :) We actually did not buy this car for its incredible mileage. We got it, spent the extra $$ for a hybrid, mostly because of how much simpler and eaiser it is for 4 down towing than anything else we looked at. That alone, for us, made it worth it. The mileage is just an added (very nice) bonus. That, and its just really cool having a vehicle that can run completely quiet and emission free so much of the time. I see you live in Vermont. One thing I will caution you about, that the dealer may or may not tell you: Hybrid drivetrains do not do as well on mileage when its very cold out. There is no electrically powered heat, so when you turn on the heat inside, the gas engine is forced to come on more and burn more fuel to generate the heat for you (can't run in EV mode quite as much). Also, batteries generally are not able to store, provide power as well when its really cold, so gas engine has to do a little more of the work than electric motor does when its cold. Add that to the fact that colder air is more dense resulting in more wind/aerodynamic resistance at highway speeds...Well, in our case I've found that where I normally get about 48-50 mpg average when its warmer, now that its down to about 30 degrees here, I'm getting more like 45 mpg (how terrible, I know, hahaha).
willald 12/13/13 07:08am Dinghy Towing
RE: Why no rear window in Holiday Rambler?
If we have a spot on a lake, I simply pull straight in and we have the view out the front..... ...And in many campsites, that'd mean your sewer connection (as well as your neighbors) would be right outside your front door. Your 'camping' (awning) side of the RV would be up against your neighbor's, the wrong side. LOL, if that works for you, go for it, but there's no way I'd ever set up that way unless it was a quick over-nighter and I had no other choice. Whats REALLY nice, is when you get a site backing up to a river, and can back the MH in far enough that your back end kind of hangs over the river somewhat. Open the back windows at night, the sound of a running river that close all night is really relaxing, we sleep like babies when we can do that. :)
willald 12/13/13 06:37am Class A Motorhomes
RE: Why no rear window in Holiday Rambler?
I love having a window on the rear wall of the bedroom in our Class A. Would not be without it. This is/was actually a deal-breaker for us, I won't have a MH without a window on that back wall. I like being able to see behind the MH. This is especially nice to have when you get a site that backs up to a lake or river (my favorite way to camp). 'Tis one of the big reasons why I won't own a DP Motorhome and marked them off of our list early on, before even considering cost and other issues. I've yet to ever find any DP with a window on that back wall. Anyone know why that is? Does the air intake and other things for that diesel engine back there completely take up the back wall? I've often wondered if money was no object, if a company like Foretravel or Prevost could custom build a diesel pusher with a window back there. Or, is it just physically impossible with a rear engine chassis?
willald 12/12/13 01:27pm Class A Motorhomes
RE: Advise for a 100k budget
As for the people who buy new, we and I thank you very much and also for all the trips to the Dealer, getting things worked out for us and especially before we take possession of such..... ..And us folks that buy new would like to thank you for being willing to buy our used 'sloppy seconds' RVs after we're done with them, and let us get some of our $$ back out of them after we're done using them. Sure good to know that if one day we notice something thats about to break that will cost more $$ to fix than we want to put into it, we can (in some cases) just hide it long enough to sell it to some unsuspecting used RV buyer, and let them deal with that problem. :) Soooo glad that somebody else is willing to cr*p on a toilet I've already cr*pped on for years, sleep on the same bed I've...er......SLEPT (and other things) on for several years. ;) Hehehe, just kidding (sort of). All joking aside, one of the big reasons for owning an RV for us is because unlike a hotel, you know that only YOU and your family have stayed in it, slept in it, etc. If you buy a used RV, that whole advantage kind of goes right out the window. You might as well be staying at Motel 6 with all the bed bugs, hahaha! There's a lot to be said for knowing exactly how a unit has been taken care of, who has used it, etc. since day one. Cars are a different story, I prefer to buy them used, and usually do. RVs, I prefer to buy new mostly for the reason alluded to above. To each their own. :) Will
willald 12/11/13 02:55pm Class A Motorhomes
RE: Advise for a 100k budget
Buyin new is like p**ssing money down the drain... ...That may be *somewhat* true, but I can think of many other ways folks p*ss money away much, MUCH worse, and most folks (possibly including yourself) would think nothing of it. buying a gasser with your budget is just plain stupid. ...No, whats really stupid, is making blanket statements like this. Here, like in so many other cases, this blanket statement lives up to its initials very well - B.S. There's just waaaay too many factors to consider, to make such statements. There are many very good reasons why going with a gasser makes MUCH more sense, even with a $100k budget. I could go on and on with the reasons why, but I won't do that, as I don't want to 'hijack' this thread and turn it into a gas vs diesel debate. Just suffice it to say that to some of us, buying a diesel is 'just plain stupid' or 'not too bright', to use your words. :) Will
willald 12/11/13 01:43pm Class A Motorhomes
RE: Advise for a 100k budget
Hopefully you will get one that doesn't need much. Nothing more frustrating than buying a new motor home and it sits at the dealer for warranty work, while you would rather be using it. That looks like a nice motor home and a decent price. Thanks http://www.pontiacrv.com/inventory/348335/New-2014-Tiffin-Motorhomes-Allegro-36-LA.aspx I figured for 119k it seems to fit my bill, anyone know of good dealers in the US with great prices? ..How does it fit your bill at 119k, when you said your budget was 100K? :) I think it will be difficult to get into a new Tiffin Alegro model for $100k or less. We looked at Tiffin as well, but found that they were out of our price range ($90k), and significantly more $$ than comparable units. Yes, they (Tiffin units) have more amenities, but IMHO the 'bang for the buck' you get just wasn't quite as good with the Tiffin units. I found we could get a coach of comparable quality with just a little less 'bling' for a good 20-30k less in other brands.
willald 12/11/13 07:59am Class A Motorhomes
RE: Ford V10 engine
The engine will outlast the house. It revs high, can be noisy on climbs depending on the type of house, but the V-10 will last forever if you take care of it. X3 (or whatever we're up to). I've owned two V10s over the course of last 10 years - a 310 HP V10 in an Excursion SUV we had previously that towed our 34' RV trailer for 8 years, and now a 362HP V10 in our 36' MH for almost 2 years now. Both were/are solid as a rock, never have given any problems at all. Newer V10 with the redesigned cylinder 3 valve cylinder heads Ford came out with around 2005 is noticeably more powerful as well. The V10 in our MH seems to have more 'throat' to it than the one in the Excursion did (although the old one was plenty powerful, too). Like Effy said, take care of this engine, and it will do just fine for you, and outlast any MH built on it.
willald 12/09/13 09:30am Class A Motorhomes
RE: Hybrid towing
We just upgraded to a new Class A motorhome and traded our Expedition in for the 2013 Ford CMax Hybrid. We are using Blue Ox tow bar and RViBrake2 for the CMax. Connect the CMax to the tow bar. The CMax has the push button start. To setup the car for towing: do not press the brake pedal when pushing the start button (this will put the car in Acc. mode). Ensure that the parking brake is set, then press the brake pedal and shift into Neutral and release the parking brake. Follow directions for the brake controller. After completion verify that the brake lights on the CMax are not lit before traveling. I failed to do this and fried two tires (not cheap to replace) with the brakes being applied. Also note that the CMax will go into standby mode after approximately 1 hour, turning off the 12V outlet in the center console. I had to run a dedicated 12v adapter from the battery to use with the RViBrake2. We make it a habit not to drive more that 4-5 hours each day, and we haven't had our new RV for long, so we haven't had an issue with a dead battery as of yet. If this happens then I may consider putting in a 12v charger or direct 12v from the RV. For safety, as with any tow vehicle (toad or TT)always check everything periodically while on the road. Me thinks, although you've not had a problem yet, you're going to soon be running a charge line (direct 12V line from MH to your Cmax's battery). Or, wishing you had. If you have a clip-on ammeter, do this one time: Go through all the motions/procedure you mentioned above for setting it up to flat tow. Tranny in neutral, etc. Then, clip your ammeter on one of the wires going to the battery, see what kind of amp draw you have on the battery. Have someone engage the RVibrake a few times to make it engage the brakes, and watch that ammeter. YMMV, but I found with our Ford Fusion hybrid, there was a constant 3 amp draw on the battery all the time when it was in 'flat tow' mode (tranny in neutral, ignition in ACC position). Have spoke with other hybrid owners that found the same thing as well (both Cmax and Fusion hybrid owners). And this is before even considering the amperage your RViBrake system uses. And, remember, power braking assist stays on all the time with these hybrids, so every 2nd or 3rd time your RViBrake engages the brakes, the vehicle's brake boost vacuum motor will come on also and use battery power. And, as alluded to earlier, there is probably other systems that may cycle on and off from time to time when towing these hybrids, that would take even more from the battery. Our first trip towing the Fusion, I did not have a charge line installed. 'Twas about a 4 hour drive, and that was all it took to run battery almost completely dead - it couldnt even operate the power locks. That was all it took for me. I installed the charge line right after that. We've never had to worry about the Fusion's battery again since then, no matter how many hours we're on the road towing. Remember also, that starting batteries are not meant for deep cycle use, which is what you're using them for in this case if you don't run a charge line. Using a starting battery this way will shorten its life span significantly. A charge line is much, much cheaper than a new 12V battery. :)
willald 12/03/13 07:15am Dinghy Towing
Sort by: Search within results:
Page of 20
Prev | Next
New posts No new posts
Closed, new posts Closed, no new posts
Moved, new posts Moved, no new posts
Adjust text size:
| http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/search/parms/sw%7B%7D%7Ckm%7B%7D%7Ckl%7B%7D%7Cfm%7B%7D%7Cpd%7B365%7D%7Cma%7Bwillald%7D/sr/1/srt/d/searchIn/-/page/4.cfm | dclm-gs1-171590002 | false | true | {
"keywords": "m gene, transmission"
} | false | null | false |
0.973695 | <urn:uuid:c9a21e5b-660f-404e-8359-2afcca80bb55> | en | 0.955396 | A wikipedia of Dicks
Not of the Penis Variety, but rather of their human counterparts. Their Poster boy: Ahmedinejad!
1. I was really seeking for the real ones, the dicks I mean :roll:
2. I must say, dickipedia does very poor job of describing why they afford this dubious honor to one candidate or the other. With exception of obvious few. | http://www.sandmonkey.org/2007/11/25/a-wikipedia-of-dicks/ | dclm-gs1-171620002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "candida"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.046169 | <urn:uuid:c6a72df1-1dd4-46a6-8eab-5c621979108a> | en | 0.914566 | Disdyakis Triacontahedron
Disdyakis Triacontahedron 3d printed Art Mathematical Art
This is a 120 sided polyhedron for the purpose of making a die.
cm: 2.372 w x 2.374 d x 2.376 h
in: 0.934 w x 0.935 d x 0.935 h
Hey there "clsn", Why don't you go ahead and make your version of disdyakis triacontahedron anyway> The secret to your success is to make it larger ( likely twice the size of this one) and find a way to efficiently put numbers on it and then you will have a winner on your hands! I know that I will certainly buy a couple or more given all of the material options! Go for it, dude!!! Sincerely, Frank Apollo
September 5, 2010, 10:53 pm
Aww, I was going to do that! :) Well, good luck with yours, I'll still probably try it (eventually).
August 19, 2010, 12:21 am
• White Strong & Flexible
White nylon plastic with a matte finish and slight grainy feel. | http://www.shapeways.com/model/146812/disdyakis-triacontahedron.html?li=productBox-search | dclm-gs1-171720002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.15348 | <urn:uuid:b22e3584-ae49-471a-81f3-e5865f7014f2> | en | 0.922326 | Can you name the Bro Words?
created by Czechserved
• Answers do not have to be guessed in order
• Source: Broism Dictionary
• Correct answers will contain 'bro' somewhere in the answer. Example: A famously moody tennis player from the 70s and 80s = John Macenbro
• This quiz has not been verified by Sporcle
HintBro Word
The scientific name for bros
He went on an epic journey all over Greece, bro
A ruler of the broletariat in Communist Russia
Greek lord of the brocean
Court case legalizing bad choices for bros everywhere
A grumpy cartoon cowbroy with epic facial hair
A rhetorical device where one comically overstates ones broness
Best Chemical Element ever
He was the main bro in The Hobbit
What bros did in elementary school to show off
A large snake that wears a backwards hat; Also a bro who hugs a lot
HintBro Word
Popular bounty hunter from Star Wars, undercover bro
A bro who shows no emotion, almost mechanical
Unfairly discriminating against bros; it's because I'm a bro, isn't it?
When two bros are really close
The bro who stole fire from the Gods
Famous glam rock icon/bro
Bro famous for poems such as 'The Raven'
A muscular bro famously played by Sylvester Stallone
He did the NBC Nightly News for a while
An artist bro who totally cut his ear off for a chick
Where all the Ancient Greek bro gods lived
You might also like these games:
Typing Challenge
Drawing a Blank
Drawing a Blank II
3 Comments (warning: may contain spoilers)
Bro Words Quiz
1. by Czechserved
Friend Scores and Standings
Player Best Score Plays Last Played Rank
You haven't played this game yet.
Challenge Friends! | http://www.sporcle.com/games/Czechserved/bro_words | dclm-gs1-171850002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.018347 | <urn:uuid:3c9b2f58-e90b-4c3e-b9f4-7eb289cacff3> | en | 0.906058 | Can you name the common misconceptions?
created by Probo11
• Click any empty Idea or True or False (T or F) to answer for that location
• Some wrong answers will appear in red
• Source: Link
• This quiz has not been verified by Sporcle
IdeaTrue or False (T or F)
'Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis'
'Men think about sex every 7-10 minutes'
'Gum takes 7 years to pass through your body'
'Humans only use 10% of their brain'
'A majority of US debt is owed to China'
You might also like these games:
True or False: Geography
True or False: Science
True or False: Language
6 Comments (warning: may contain spoilers)
Misconceptions: True or False Quiz
1. by Probo11
Friend Scores and Standings
Player Best Score Plays Last Played Rank
You haven't played this game yet.
Challenge Friends! | http://www.sporcle.com/games/Probo11/get-it-right | dclm-gs1-171860002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.018404 | <urn:uuid:30b8647b-942b-48a5-b490-8bea4354f040> | en | 0.88522 | GTA IV mission Deal: A REVENGER'S TRAGEDY help maybe? pt2
kansas_dude asks: Added Sep 15th 2008, ID #129523
GTA IV mission Deal: A REVENGER'S TRAGEDY help maybe? pt2
When I get to the part where I have to Rapidly tap A to get in the Annihiator, I rapidly tap A and niko gets in but right away Dimitri gets away, before I get turned around (Annihiator is facing wrong way) Dimitri gets away and get
Add your answer
Answers for this Question
Best Answer
uranium answered: Added 19th Sep 2008, ID #283125
It's helicopter people not plane
Other Answers
Alexzander answered: Added 16th Sep 2008, ID #282656
Try to move it back in the right direction faster.
nicko 9000 answered: Added 16th Sep 2008, ID #282676
Once you are in, you take control of the plane. Try to spin it back round.
annefranman52 answered: Added 18th Sep 2008, ID #282932
When you get in the plane, spin around really quickly before Dimitri has chance to get away.
Add your answer
BB Codes Guide
Accept submission terms View Terms
You are not registered / logged in.
Who's Playing
Game Guide
Game Talk
Have a question? | http://www.supercheats.com/xbox360/questions/grandtheftauto4/129523/GTA-IV-mission-Deal-A-REVENGE.htm | dclm-gs1-171890002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.14913 | <urn:uuid:31aeb4d2-c7b8-404f-b300-d0b037666b0c> | en | 0.975109 |
Reference Question of the Week – 1/9/11
January 15th, 2011 Brian Herzog
An older patron walked up to the desk and said,
Zagat Doctor Reviews. Zagat?
February 19th, 2009 Brian Herzog
Via Huffington Post
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Reference Question of the Week – 8/10/08
August 16th, 2008 Brian Herzog
Additional web resources are:
Library Investigation
July 16th, 2008 Brian Herzog
Read the transcript, or watch the video.
Libraries and Parents and Children
July 26th, 2007 Brian Herzog
Movie poster for 'Thirteen'We recently have been faced with an interesting problem in my library. On the surface it seemed like a pretty simple issue, but the more we thought about it, the more complex it became.
The Situation
A mother came in and said that she had found the movie "Thirteen" (Official Website, IMDb, Wikipedia) in her (thirteen year old) daughter's room. It was overdue, which means that she must have had it for weeks. It also means that we checked out an R-rated movie to an underage child.
The mother was angry that her child could have checked out such a movie, and didn't understand why the library wasn't enforcing the MPAA movie ratings.
One unusual twist in the story is that the woman wasn't directly challenging the movie being in the library's collection (which is usually the case). She understood that it is a movie people in the community might want to see. She was just upset that her daughter was able to check it out, since the mother had seen this movie and felt it was particularly graphic and inappropriate for her young daughter.
As librarians, our collective first response was the party line: we do not censor materials, we don't tell people what they can and can't check out (based on content, anyway), and library staff certainly can't keep track of what every parent in the community allows their particular children to do. Besides, no matter we may do at the desk, kids can use the self check-out machines and we'd never know.
However, none of us felt that this answer was good enough. Yes, all of it is true, but it also felt like a cop-out. We wanted there to be something we could do, rather than just throwing up our hands and telling parents they're on their own. So, we brainstormed what could be done, and came up with options:
1. Regulate Materials Based on Item/Patron Type
We felt that there must be a way within our ILS [?] to make certain types of borrowers unable to check out certain library materials. We use SirsiDynix Horizon 7.3, and we already use Item Type codes to differentiate between feature films, documentaries, kids DVDs, audio books, fiction books, etc. Horizon also allows different borrower types. We thought that we could let parents choose to give their children a "child" card, which would prevent them from checking out anything with the Item Type for R-rated movies.
Unfortunately, after checking with our system administrator, we found that Horizon does not compare these two codes, and so this idea would not work with the Horizon software. There is a "birth date" field, which we have never used, and we're not sure if Horizon can block certain Item Types based on birth date, either.
2. Create a Separate "Adult" Video Collection
Another idea was for us to shelve any R-rated (or unrated) feature film separately from the rest of the films. This way, at least, a parent can tell their children they are not allowed to check out "adult" videos (we called it "adult" for lack of a better word. We thought about "Mature," but then had a hard time calling something like Jackass "mature"), and it would be up to the kids to obey their parents.
The drawback in this situation, apart from the snickers at the library having "adult" videos, is that it makes browsing for movies more difficult for all the other library patrons. Now, instead of having to look in two places for a movie for tonight (regular videos and also in the Children's room), they'd have to look in three places. Plus, there's the inadvertent stigma for people being seen browsing the "Adult" collection. We didn't want a solution to one problem to create new problems for other patrons.
Another issue with separate collections is that, years ago (I'm told), a nearby library was successfully sued by the ACLU for not allowing children into an adult reading room in the library. In that case, the library wanted to keep kids out to give adults a quiet place to read, but the ACLU said that the library could not discriminate based on age in this way (oddly, many libraries have a similar policy to keep adult males without kids out of the Childrens Room, but I don't think any of them have ever been sued over it). So, we couldn't use a method that barred kids from an area of the library.
3. Label Movies Clearly with Ratings Stickers
Since we didn't want to shelve these movies separately, another idea was to keep them all interfiled, but to put rating stickers on the movies. That way, parents can still tell their kids that they can only check out movies with certain stickers on them.
This seemed to be a good option, but it also puts the Library in the position of possibly judging the content of the material. It really isn't up to us to decide what's "mature" or "family" and what's not, because it's a subjective decision and people will disagree on it. MPAA ratings are not exactly definite indicators either, but at least they are a recognized "standard."
Something interesting I learned through all of this that MPAA ratings are just guidelines and not legally-binding in any way. The mother in this case thought that we were breaking the law by letting underage children check out R-rated movies, but there actually is no law that says this. Movie theaters that enforce age limits based on ratings are doing it of their own accord, not because they have to.
In addition to stickers indicating ratings, we also talked about putting stickers on the movies marking them as "comedy," drama," "horror," etc., as we already do for many books. Of course, DVD cases are so small that the stickers necessarily need to be small, too. Also, more than two or three stickers will looked cluttered and hard to read, which would be counter-productive.
Another concern with starting a labeling program, as I see it, is in knowing where to stop. If we do start labeling movies, and parents successfully use this, it's really not much of a leap for them to want us to put rating labels on books, too (because we certainly have some that some parents might not want their kids reading). And from there it's just a short hop to internet filtering, so although well-intended, even this is a slippery slope.
The argument in support of labeling said that DVDs are different than books. When reading a graphic book, your own imagination plays a large part in how disturbing the book can be. Also, reading a book is a solitary event, and the read can put them down at any time. When watching a movie though, very little is left to the imagination - once something very graphic is flashed on the screen, it'll be in your head whether you are ready or not. Also, kids watching naughty movies is usually a group event. So, one kid, even if they know they're uncomfortable and want to stop watching, might not be able to stop because of peer pressure and not wanting to look scared.
4. Start a Viewers Advisory Program
We already have a few Readers/Listeners Advisory stations in the library. These computers are dedicated to this purpose, and so do not go out to the general internet. Instead, patrons can use them to access our catalog, recently-added books (using the Delicious Library software), NoveList, and iTunes (to listen to music before they decide to check out the CD). Also, we create printed reading guides for various subjects and authors that are available in the library, as well as having a Reading Room webpage.
Our thought was to do the same thing with movies. We could add movie review related resources to these stations (such as Common Sense Media, Rotten Tomatoes, Kids-In-Mind, Yahoo's Movie Mom), as well as creating and printing viewing suggestion guides, such as "Family Movies," "Movies for Girls," etc.
Where We Are Now
At the moment, nothing has been finalized. Since this is a pretty big issue, we wanted to make sure whatever we choose will be useful to parents, but won't interfere with other patrons' use of the library. I think we're leaning towards a mix of options 3 and 4, but the exact outcome depends on what is actually available to us, and how much extra work the Technical Services department can handle in the processing of new movies.
The bottom line for us is that we don't want to be making choices for patrons, nor do we have the staff or mandate to enforce parenting decisions on a child-by-child basis. But what we can do, what we can use our librarian expertise to do, is provide parents with tools and information to raise their own children the way they want to.
Of course, knowing how I was as a kid, it probably doesn't matter. If there was something I wanted to do, I'd continually look for a loophole or a way to accomplish it, regardless of what my parents or the library said.
challenge, challenges, children, dvds, libraries, library, material challenge, materials challenges, movies, parents, patron challenge, patron challenges, public libraries, public library, rating, ratings
| http://www.swissarmylibrarian.net/tag/ratings/ | dclm-gs1-171900002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.914653 | <urn:uuid:861af3be-3fc1-4dab-9a3a-ca7410e6e52f> | en | 0.858532 | Definitions for
Overview of verb bust
The verb bust has 5 senses? (first 1 from tagged texts)
1. (1) break, bust
(ruin completely; "He busted my radio!")
2. raid, bust
(search without warning, make a sudden surprise attack on; "The police raided the crack house")
3. tear, rupture, snap, bust
(separate or cause to separate abruptly; "The rope snapped"; "tear the paper")
4. break, wear, wear out, bust, fall apart
(go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely")
5. burst, bust
(break open or apart suddenly and forcefully; "The dam burst")
Overview of adj busted
The adj busted has 1 senses? (no senses from tagged texts)
1. broken, busted
(out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken'); "a broken washing machine"; "the coke machine is broken"; "the coke machine is busted") © 2001-2013, Demand Media, all rights reserved. The database is based on Word Net a lexical database for the English language. see disclaimer
Classroom | Privacy Policy | Terms | Ad Choices | http://www.synonym.com/definitions/busted/ | dclm-gs1-171920002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.076978 | <urn:uuid:f4ac28b7-5339-41f3-be7f-8df1759d42f1> | en | 0.961296 | Sheriff Joe Arpaio Allegedly Not Only Harrassed Latinos But Ignored Crime
A new civil rights complaint, filed by the Justice Department, reveals just how badly the Arizona lawman abused his power. It should be required reading at the Supreme Court.
[optional image description]
Sheriff Joe Arpaio oversees the movement of 200 convicted illegal immigrants as they are handcuffed together (AP)
Before the United States Supreme Court issues its ruling in Arizona v. United States, the justices should take a few minutes to read the Justice Department's new civil rights complaint filed Thursday against Maricopa County and its notorious sheriff, Joe Arpaio. In fact, there ought to be a constitutional requirement that the justices do so before they finally tell us what they think about the core provisions of Arizona's anti-immigrant statute, SB 1070.
The allegations in the federal document are appalling -- and it's hard to get through them without at least thinking about what the enforcement of SB 1070 might be like if the Court permits the state to expand its power to arrest its resident Latino population. What is the value of Arizona's in-court assurances that it will respect the constitutional rights of these people when the federal government itself is alleging such risible proof of how bad things are today?
Here, for example, from paragraph 4 of the complaint, is how the feds describe the extent of official prejudice in Maricopa County:
The Defendants' violations of the Constitution and laws of the United States are the product of a culture of disregard in MCSO for Latinos that starts at the top and pervades the organization. MCSO jail employees frequently refer to Latinos as "wetbacks," "Mexican bitches," and "stupid Mexicans." MCSO supervisors involved in immigration enforcement have expressed anti-Latino bias, in one instance widely distributing an email that included a photograph of a Chihuahua dog dressed in swimming gear with the caption "A Rare Photo of a Mexican Navy Seal." MCSO and Arpaio's words and actions set the tone and create a culture of bias that contributes to unlawful actions.
I understand that the (alleged) bad acts of one sheriff in one county shouldn't be held against the rest of Arizona's law enforcement officials. I acknowledge that Maricopa County is the outlier here. Leaving aside the civil rights problem for the moment, during Arpaio's recent reign, the county has spent about $6 million (and counting) in legal fees to defend itself against a stream of allegations of fiscal misconduct. There are, by last count, $177 million in claims filed against it.
But what does SB 1070 do? It gives Sheriff Arpaio, and every other local lawman, more legal authority and the discretion to aggressively pursue Latinos they suspect may be here illegally. Why would anyone believe that Arizona today spends the time and money it needs to educate its local law enforcement officials about how to constitutionally treat the Latino suspects in its custody? The justices in Washington should hold no illusions: SB 1070 sends a message of succor to officials like Sheriff Arpaio.
"Attrition Through Enforcement" is Governor Jan Brewer's official battle cry. The idea is that by harassing resident Latinos the state will force its illegal immigrants to return to Mexico. In truth, however, the state's slogan ought to be: "We Are So Concerned With Illegal Immigration That We Are Blowing Off Enforcement of Violent Crime." Because that's the gravamen of the federal complaint. Here are paragraphs 83-86 of the complaint against Arpaio and company:
83. MCSO has focused its most intensive law enforcement efforts on low-level immigration offenses over more serious crime from approximately 2006 to the present. MCSO's prioritization of immigration enforcement has resulted in a failure to meet its other law enforcement responsibilities, and provides further evidence of the Defendants' intent to discriminate against Latinos.
84. Statistical reports show an increase in violent crime in Maricopa County, and of homicides in particular, during the period of enhanced immigration enforcement.
85. MCSO has failed, for example, to adequately respond to reports of sexual violence, including allegations of rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse of girls, thus exposing women and girls, who constitute the majority of victims of crimes of sexual violence in Maricopa County, to a disproportionate risk of physical and psychological harm.
86. Faced with such an increase in crime and the risk of harm presented by unaddressed sexual assaults, a law enforcement agency ordinarily would be expected to prioritize more serious offenses, such as crimes of sexual violence, over less serious offenses, such as low-level immigration offenses.
It doesn't get more basic than that, does it? The federal government has just accused Maricopa County of abdicating the most basic function of law enforcement -- protecting people from violent crime. To what extent would the national debate over immigration change if Americans, and women in particular, were to learn about the ramifications of this allegation: did you know that these cops hate illegal immigrants more than they love protecting you from "rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse of girls?"
Here's how Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, put it Thursday in announcing the filing of the complaint:
But by the time you might have heard Perez's comments, or read down to Paragraphs 83-86 of the complaint against Maricopa County, you already would have passed chilling allegations. For example, here is Paragraph 62 of the complaint against Maricopa County and Sheriff Joe Arpaio:
For example, an MCSO officer stopped a Latina woman - a citizen of the United States and five months pregnant at the time - as she pulled into her driveway. After she exited her car, the officer then insisted that she sit on the hood of the car. When she refused, the officer grabbed her arms, pulled them behind her back, and slammed her, stomach first, into the vehicle three times. He then dragged her to the patrol car and shoved her into the backseat. He left her in the patrol car for approximately 30 minutes without air conditioning. The MCSO officer ultimately issued a citation for failure to provide identification. This citation was later changed to failure to provide proof of insurance. The citation was resolved when the woman provided her proof of insurance to the local courts.
Can you imagine? Here's just five paragraphs later in the complaint. Paragraph 67:
This is not a defendant talking. This is the Justice Department talking. The complaint is full of such allegations. In April, as settlement talks bogged down between the feds and Maricopa County, Sheriff Arpaio said, "I absolutely refused to surrender my responsibility to the federal government. This will not happen on my watch." On Thursday, as best as I can tell, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said nothing.* This story is not just a political story or a story about states' rights, Justice Anthony Kennedy. It's a story about law and order and how it can be perverted.
* Update. Late Thursday, at a news conference, Arpaio did comment. He said:
I'm not going to burden you with a conspiracy theory but I'm a little should I say dismayed of the conduct of the Department of Justice where I served my country for many, many years in the hills of Turkey, Mexico...I can go on and on and now as the elected Sheriff for twenty years they're going after me. We're just doing our job enforcing the illegal immigration laws. We are not racists . We do not racial profile. There is no systemic proof of that and quite frankly I'm very happy that we are being sued because now we will make them put up on everything that they have been accusing me and my office of.
Jump to comments
Presented by
Get Today's Top Stories in Your Inbox (preview)
What Happens Around the World in 60 Seconds
Elsewhere on the web
Join the Discussion
A Russian Invasion
Highlights from late-night comedy
More in National
Just In | http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/05/sheriff-joe-arpaio-allegedly-not-only-harrassed-latinos-but-ignored-crime/257033/ | dclm-gs1-171980002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.032689 | <urn:uuid:9e8731c7-418d-4a4e-82c7-017725c681a5> | en | 0.966025 | Slava's Snowshow
Kids' theatre
Various venues
Until Sun Jan 5
Time Out rating:
User ratings:
Rate this
Add +
Users say
Average User Rating
2.9 / 5
Rating Breakdown
• 5 star:4
• 4 star:0
• 3 star:1
• 2 star:1
• 1 star:4
2 people listening
Time out is normally a trusted guide, but on this they were do off the mark. Dull and time wasting, a total rip off. For something aimed at children, it couldn't have been further off the mark. Does the time out reviewer know the meaning of Christmas or children's entertainment?!
C geheran
We spent £147.00 on a family of five seeing Slavas Snow show today ages 11 to 42. What a load of rubbish and a total waste of my money. I wish I could have got a refund! No one understood what was going on and a lot of people left half way through. Worst money I ever spent!
P Georgiou
I took my 10yr old son to see Slavas Snow Show..via time out offers..overall I found the show to be lacking in costume variety..weak story telling..performance..I found the whole show to be of minimal content on every level and the show was very short..not value for money in my opinion..lazy performance, unclear story lines, director did a bad job in making it child appropriate a bit serious..just wasn't simple fun..a bit dark and boring..with props that were rubbish..the only bit of fun was when there was a bit of audience participation ..would not recommend..even at the discount pice..
What a perfect magical experience! Saw it with a three-year-old and my I-hate-clowns husband. We were all mesmerized, both by the simple poignancy of the smaller pieces and the sheer extravaganza of the interactive spiderweb, blizzard and balloons finale. Absolute joy!
Noel Mc Manus
Totally awful waste of time and money. If there was any point to this then the director has not managed to get it across through their chosen medium. My partner and our 10 yr old son were gobsmacked at how lazy the whole production was. Even worse was the morons in the audience who were laughing at stuff that was just stupid, the family next to us felt the same way and the mum said that people were trying to get into it for their children, that or they simply don't get put that often. I think the good reviews can be explained by the reviewers being in the most expensive seats next to the stage and to them forgetting that normal Jo public are not theatre snobs and just want to be entertained. The whole thing was disjointed and the scenes simply made no sense, plus the clowning around just wasn't good. And it's not that we were seeking a traditional panto or anything, I'm a veteran of things like Archaos, Mutoid Waste and Cirque du Soleil etc and it horrifies me that this lazy rubbish is mentioned alongside some classics of leftfield alternative theatre. Save your money
D.R bobo
The snow show was average. There wasn't a clear plot, though certain scenes were amusing. The ball finale was memorable. Only clown lovers would find it all amusing .
Carys Nia
The show was quite good but I never really understood what was going on. It's a good show if you really like clowns.
We went to see Slava's Snow Show yesterday and the whole family ( aged 7, 17, 19, 50 and 53 ) were blown away ! I mean literally blown away. I am quite a miserable Christmas hater but this was wonderful. Thankyou Slava. And you don't have to be a clown lover either.
Slava's Snow Show is an incredible mix of childish fantasy, Brechtian melodrama and anarchic audience participation that always leaves me breathless. This really is one of the most beautiful and haunting events of the year - for clown lovers of all ages.
Book theatre tickets | http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/slavas-snowshow-1?reportComment=1376771 | dclm-gs1-172080002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.038495 | <urn:uuid:9b5c2347-4013-4ba5-bb8e-4f24a3547724> | en | 0.988668 | Click photo to enlarge
Alabama linebacker Nico Johnson (35) knocks Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson (16) off his feet after a pass during in the second half of an NCAA college football game at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012. A flag against Alabama was called on the play. Alabama won 41-14.
ARLINGTON, Texas—The toughest of tests was too much for coach Brady Hoke and Michigan. This was Alabama—still at its very best.
After an 11-win season and BCS victory in Hoke's first season, the last thing the Wolverines expected was to start year two with a confidence-shaking performance.
"Obviously, we didn't play Michigan football, and that's something that bothers our team, bothers the coaches," Hoke said after a 41-14 loss to the defending national champion Saturday night. "Win or lose your first game, you learn a lot."
What the Wolverines and the rest of college football found out is that the Crimson Tide defense can still be dominating, even after sending three starters from that title team to the NFL as first-round picks.
Dee Milliner and the Tide defenders manhandled the Wolverines and pounded dual-threat quarterback Denard Robinson, who took some hits and struggled to get much going even though he accounted for both of his team's touchdowns.
Sure, Michigan still can recover to contend for a Big Ten title and possible Rose Bowl bid. But the Wolverines didn't want to start with the most lopsided season-opening loss in school history.
"We just didn't play Michigan football," Robinson said, repeating what his coach said. "I didn't make the throws that I should have made today and I feel that I didn't play as the Michigan quarterback today. I've got to step it up and be more accountable."
C.J. Mosley returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown for the second-ranked Tide. AJ McCarron, no longer with third overall draft pick Trent Richardson to hand the ball off to, threw two touchdowns as Alabama won its 11th consecutive season opener.
"I personally don't think we were trying to send any type of message," McCarron said. "We're just trying to do what coach (Saban) preaches. And that's to go out and play our game. Do what we're supposed to do."
Milliner, the primary nickelback last season now in a starting role, deflected four passes in the first half, and had an interception after shoving intended receiver Roy Roundtree to the ground and into the Alabama sideline. That set up a touchdown for the Crimson Tide, which shot out to a 31-0 lead.
"It's a deflating loss, it should sting," safety Jordan Kovacs said. "But at the end of the day, you can't let Alabama beat you twice."
The Wolverines play their home opener next weekend against Air Force.
They were without suspended running back Fitzgerald Toussaint and defensive end Frank Clark, but even with them probably weren't ready for to beat the Tide.
Even Alabama coach Nick Saban was applauding his team's performance as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
"This team had a challenge of trying to create an identity for itself," Saban said. "I think they took a step in that direction. That happens over time and happens with consistency in performance. It's a big win over a very good team."
McCarron was 11-of-21 passing for 199 yards. Freshman T.J. Yeldon ran for 111 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, while Eddie Lacy had a 9-yard TD run.
Most of Robinson's 200 yards passing (he was 11 of 26) came on two plays—a 71-yard pass right before halftime that came before his 6-yard TD run and his 44-yard scoring pass to Devin Gardner in the third quarter.
Robinson, held to 27 yards rushing on 10 carries, showed his toughness when he didn't miss a snap immediately after being hurt on a fourth-down run in the third quarter.
The Heisman hopeful got hurt when he stretched and landed awkwardly trying to lunge for a first down on fourth-and-3. He appeared to reach for his lower back while on the ground, where he remained for several minutes before being helped up and then walking gingerly off the field.
Officials first marked Robinson's run as first down. But while Robinson was being tended to, the play was reviewed and it was determined that his elbow came down short of the first down. But he was back in the Michigan huddle after Cade Foster kicked a 51-yard field goal.
McCarron threw his two touchdowns, including a 51-yarder when a backup cornerback fell down, before Milliner's big shove that he got away with for a big play. With Roundtree on the ground and the ball in the air, Milliner caught the ball near midfield and returned it to the Michigan 17.
"I got a good jam," Milliner explained. "When I looked up, the ball was coming and I made a play on it."
Robinson helped make a touchdown-saving tackle, and appeared to grab his right shoulder then.
The crowd of 90,413 was the largest ever to see a college game at Cowboys Stadium, where the crowd was distinctly split by fans in crimson and those in maize.
At the end, the Alabama fans were chanting "S-E-C!, S-E-C!" and "Roll Tide!" | http://www.times-standard.com/ci_21454342/no-8-michigan-loses-41-14-no-2 | dclm-gs1-172100002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.062385 | <urn:uuid:4d588952-8f35-4735-97bb-1125d55edbad> | en | 0.966995 | Our TV Shows
Got a Tip?
Call TMZ at (888) 847-9869 or Click Here
Lil Wayne's Baby Mama
I'm Getting a NEW
Reality Show ... Again
1/13/2013 12:25 AM PST BY TMZ STAFF
Best guess where it will land ...
No Avatar
Sometimes the media makes young black females look like a creep and this article doesn't have facts she also was married to lil wayne just because he's a rapped doesn't mean he doesn't have morals, that's y sometimes I don't like the media
424 days ago
Please stop addressing women and mothers as baby mamas!
424 days ago
They both lame as ****. And she is IS!! ****
424 days ago
If the Kardashians can do it why not Toya? Toya's shows have been positive and I didn't see her behaving clownish. I rather watch her that the buffoons on LHHATL. People may have a problem with her husband, but people outside of the industry only heard of the K Michelle beatings from K. It wasn't publicized until K Michelle got her show. She didn't say anything before she needed him to made a storyline. I'll watch the first episode.
424 days ago
I won't be watching their show. As far as I'm concerned any man that can put his hands on a woman and then come at her on the internet like he did I will never support. And I don't respect how Toya went about coming for K. Michelle either. I get you are going to stand by your husband as you should but the way she did it was disgusting to me. Of course he is going to tell you he didn't do it boo but don't attack her for speaking on issues that you weren't there for.
424 days ago
Luna Star
Not watching. Her husband is an abuser, and she called the young lady a liar and attempted to assassinate her character. She will see the light when he beats he ass too
424 days ago
Isn't he the guy that used to beat k Michelle
424 days ago
Can people drop the whole "baby mama" name. It's disrespectful especially since she's his ex wife also. Just say "Ex Wife"...and no hernew husband didn't ly hands on K Michelle. That chick is crazy. Tell her to the the full story with a lie detector hooked up.
424 days ago
Who gives a damn...thr both lame and boring...And she's both ex wife and baby mama use any one argument
424 days ago
Spicy mag
424 days ago
I'm so over these two.damn we know thier reality already
424 days ago
I really don't think K michelle got beat on by this man, for the simple fact that why wasn't he put in jail and why is their no police reports, I swear thirsty hoes do anything to be relevant and their always trying to mess up a relationship and if he is a woman beater why doesn't he beat on toya once a woman beater always one how is toya different..
424 days ago
If it wasn't for lil Wayne, this woman would just be another Baby's Mama...Both she & her hubby are Nobodies, and do not deserve a new show.
424 days ago
She was his WIFE not his "baby's mama". Ugh, why do you guys assume that they were never married? So everyone is on here calling her all kinds of whores, I guess it's because her ex husband has tons of children by women he didn't marry it doesn't mean he didn't marry Toya her last name was Carter for a while!
424 days ago
I'm not watching anything this nut and his 'ATTENTION WHORE" DOES!!
423 days ago
Around The Web | http://www.tmz.com/2013/01/13/lil-wayne-toya-carter-wright-baby-mama-scores-third-reality-show/2/ | dclm-gs1-172120002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.077221 | <urn:uuid:5ae86c5c-9bb6-48d6-b298-6045b13bb1d9> | en | 0.954275 | Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
Is This REALLY A Problem???
Last response: in CPUs
Ok everyone has heard of the new Ivy bridge chips that are coming out. Everyone knows that there is a z77 mobo to accompany it. Personally, I'd take the i5 2500k and z68 over this. What game uses HT anyway? I was going with this build until I stumbled across a forum about how ivy bridge is basically useless. I agree. However one person said that the only real advantage of the ivy bridge products was that you could use 1600mgh ram. And that the others only support 1333mgh. This concerns me because I am getting a Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B which is 1600mgh. This leaves 3 options, 1 get Ivy bridge, 2 underclock ram, 3 overclock cpu. I have never oced and am afraid of doing it. And I definetly don't want my ram downgraded. What should I do??? If its oc then give me instructions to do it.
P.S should I get a SSD?
More about : problem
OK, first Ivy Bridge is not "useless." It brings a lower TDP and slightly better performance for the same cost as Sandy Bridge. Ivy Bridge can work in pretty much all Z68 motherboards with a BIOS update. You can use 1600 MHz RAM with a Sandy Bridge CPU (I use 2133 MHz RAM with a Sandy Bridge CPU). The only potential pitfall of that is that you can void your processor warranty but that's really a non-issue since I've never heard of someone having to RMA their CPU as a result of a factory defect. An SSD would boost your performance significantly I'd recommend the M4, 830, or an Intel drive preferably 120 GB or higher,
Best solution
Although we can't rate Ivybridge performance until it arrives, if you're after a gaming platform you're not going to be at a significant disadvantage if you get Sandybridge now. There is zero basis for Ivybridge being's more power efficient and because of Trigate it will likely overclock more efficiently than Sandybridge.
As aicom said, RAM isn't an issue. I use 1600MHz RAM on my system, and depending upon your motherboard you can go right up to 2133MHz (IIRC). However, for gaming, the difference between 1600MHz and 1333MHz for RAM won't be discernible.
Your options are really to buy now or wait until Ivybridge comes out. I'd recommend heading to the Home Built section of the forum and filling out the form asking for build advice.
An SSD is a good move makes your system a lot snappier.
Related resources
Sandybridge supports 1600mhz, and above perfectly fine. Intel just "specifies" these numbers, however this is not true.
On another note, if you are not overclocking, why would you buy a 2500K?
and there is a Sb clocking guide at the top of the overclocking section you can read up on if you wish | http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/331449-28-problem | dclm-gs1-172130002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.647159 | <urn:uuid:e5f3ccf7-b1cd-4f13-ae4a-90d2d64fd034> | en | 0.964322 | Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in
Your question
How to unlock the bios password on an acer laptop
Last response: in Laptops & Notebooks
the admin BIOS password would not prevent you from booting so that doesn't really make sense. in any case we don't know that its actually your laptop so we can't help you. contact the manufacturer and provide proof of ownership. If someone/you set a BIOS password they really didnt want someone getting into it, so its always rather suspicious
Edit: and WR2 beat me while I was looking for that darn sticky LOL. | http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/76142-35-unlock-bios-password-acer-laptop | dclm-gs1-172140002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.027575 | <urn:uuid:2e9149d6-b9d9-4587-af66-6e2b2cc6823b> | en | 0.947528 |
Sons of the Pioneers
From the earliest days of the film industry the cowboy has been a favorite movie subject. Westerns became the bread and butter of most early studios. When musical segments were added to broaden a movie’s interest the “singing cowboy” was born. The Pioneers were different right from the start. While some screen stars sang traditional sweetheart songs the Pioneers actually sang about the West, painting unforgettable images and stories of horses, cattle, cowboys, “night herds”, tall timber, cool water, canyons and prairies.
Performing Arts Type
• Music | http://www.travelwisconsin.com/events/performing-arts/sons-of-the-pioneers-59026 | dclm-gs1-172170002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.028464 | <urn:uuid:f7da6b78-7582-49ba-b1bf-3a9610dcc37c> | en | 0.970814 | Mondays 9:00 PM on TNT
It was like I was 7 years old and my father was telling my mother was never coming home.
Just a little something I learned from J.R. If you can't count on someone to do the right thing, don't give them the choice.
Sue Ellen
Of all people, I understand breaking a few rules to protect your child.
Sue Ellen
The woman I'm about to see ceased to be my mother the day she abandoned me.
For a moment there I almost forgot the toxic mess I'm returning to in Dallas.
It's the ultimate payback for what Jock did to Digger all those years ago.
Pamela: I'd always dreamed that my wedding ring would come from a gum ball machine.
John Ross: I don't know if you've heard but my family in the midst of some financial difficulties.
Displaying all 7 quotes | http://www.tvfanatic.com/quotes/shows/dallas/episodes/guilt-by-association/ | dclm-gs1-172190002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.875128 | <urn:uuid:86c55e7a-cc2e-42c6-be59-0f026ef5a1e3> | en | 0.953245 | Subscribe English
look up any word, like mexican starfish:
It is really a question about respect for the dead. It can be about any food but is usually called the sandwich question. It goes. You are eating with someone and they have a heart attack and die right there on the spot. They left an uneaten sandwich and you are still hungery. Is it okay to eat the dead guys sandwich?
Where do you stand on the sandwich question?
by Deep blue 2012 April 29, 2010
2 1 | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sandwich%20question&defid=4926184 | dclm-gs1-172230002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.244394 | <urn:uuid:e9186bcd-c592-4947-af37-beae06754081> | en | 0.933252 | Subscribe English
look up any word, like poopsterbate:
When you have aquired a lot more stuff after a night out drinking, and you don't know how you got it. Similar to beer scooter.
"Where did this jacket come from Roy?"
"Beer shopping."
by blastmat April 12, 2005
30 6
Words related to beer shopping:
beer scooter | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=beer%20shopping&defid=1182287 | dclm-gs1-172240002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "blast"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.025145 | <urn:uuid:09197109-1d65-409b-a4b8-96c334304fc1> | en | 0.826994 | First: Mid: Last: City: State:
Lyn Altringer
Get the most current info on Lyn Altringer when you use USA-People-Search.com. Here, you'll have access billions of public records data that is trustworthy and reliable. Our search results include info such as age, recent addresses, phone numbers, and more. Find out more about Lyn Altringer right away!
The fastest way to find Lyn Altringer is by including as much info as possible, even an old address or nickname, into the search fields. If you still don't see the Lyn you want , don't worry! You can also browse a complete list of everyone named Lyn Altringer registed in our database. Once you find Lyn, sign up to gain full access to their contact information and public records.
USA People Search arranges its search results into specific data points, including name/aliases, age, location, and possible relatives, making it more convenient to find the exact Lyn Altringer you're searching for. To explore even further, click on the details link to access additional information and public records on Lyn or anyone you're hoping to find.
Name/AKAsAgeLocationPossible Relatives
1. Altringer, Lynette D
Associated names:
Fargo, ND
View Details
2. Altringer, Lyn Fargo, ND
View Details
3. Altringer, Lynn Fargo, ND | http://www.usa-people-search.com/names/p/Lyn-Altringer | dclm-gs1-172260002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.391812 | <urn:uuid:8d4bcb22-def9-420d-b62d-eae01553c44f> | en | 0.921077 | Most of the U.S. will see sunshine for Black Friday, with some minor exceptions:
A few showers are expected in the Northwest, a few lake-effect snow showers are likely around the Great Lakes, and some light showers are possible along the east coast of Florida.
The Northeast will still be cold, but less windy.
Weather history for Nov. 29: In 1921, a severe ice storm hit New England, with some spots seeing a three-inch buildup of ice. In 1950, the temperature dipped to 20 degrees in Tallahassee, a record low for November.
In 1990, Augusta, Ga., hit a record high of 82 degrees. | http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2013/11/28/weather-forecast-friday/3778591/ | dclm-gs1-172270002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.023591 | <urn:uuid:af808546-1f15-4701-84fd-10e618ec3f21> | en | 0.943213 | Chile Quake in 'Elite Class' Like 2004 Asian Quake
The magnitude 8.8 quake is of a type considered the most powerful on the planet.
Members of a family, with sacks containing food, take a rest in front of a collapsed building in Concepcion, Chile, Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010. A 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Chile early Saturday.
Associated Press logo
AP Science Writer
The magnitude-8.8 quake was a type called a "megathrust," considered the most powerful earthquake on the planet. Megathrusts occur when one tectonic plate dives beneath another. Saturday's tremor unleashed about 50 gigatons of energy and broke about 340 miles of the fault zone, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center.
The quake's epicenter was offshore and occurred about 140 miles north of the largest earthquake ever recorded - a magnitude-9.5 that killed about 1,600 people in Chile and scores of others in the Pacific in 1960.
"It's part of an elite class of giant earthquakes," said USGS geologist Brian Atwater.
If the magnitude holds, it will tie with the 1906 offshore Ecuador quake as the fifth largest since 1900.
"We call them great earthquakes. Everybody else calls them horrible," said USGS geophysicist Ken Hudnut. "There's only a few in this league."
The Chile quake was smaller than the Sumatra quake of 2004, a magnitude-9.1 and was not expected to be anything nearly as destructive. That quake and ensuing tsunami killed 230,000 people. Another difference is that the Chile quake triggered tsunami warnings hours ahead of time in Hawaii and Pacific islands, allowing people time to flee to higher ground.
In 2004, there was little measuring technology in place to warn Indian Ocean countries about incoming killer waves.
More than 100 aftershocks measuring magnitude-5 or larger rattled Chile throughout the day. So far, the quake death toll has surpassed 300 - a number that will likely rise. Several more died when tsunami waves swamped an island off the country's coast.
Chile is no stranger to violent jolts. In fact, USGS geophysicist Ross Stein called the country an "earthquake hatchery." Thirteen temblors of magnitude 7 or larger have hit Chile since 1973.
The latest quake took place at a boundary where two plates of the Earth's crust grind and dive. While that type of action gave rise to the Andes mountains that form the backbone of South America, it's also the source of some of the largest quakes.
The Chile temblor struck a day after a smaller earthquake shook the southern coast of Japan. Experts said the quakes appear to be unrelated.
There's also no connection between this quake and the disaster in Haiti, said University of Miami geology professor Tim Dixon.
A quake like the one that hit Haiti, a magnitude 7, happens somewhere in the world about every month, usually underwater. But the type that hit Chile is among the most powerful recorded in recent history.
The faults in Haiti and Chile are distant enough that stress from one would not affect the other, Dixon said.
AP writers Seth Borenstein in Washington and P. Solomon Banda in Denver contributed to this report.
Follow U.S. News Science on Twitter. | http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/03/01/chile-quake-in-elite-class-like-2004-asian-quake | dclm-gs1-172280002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.037934 | <urn:uuid:628d6e3e-e624-4f6c-87b7-3c4904a73c31> | en | 0.975067 | Hackers busted after one becomes FBI informant
a a a a
Share this story
A group of expert hackers who attacked governments and corporations around the globe has been busted after its ringleader - one of the world's most-wanted and most-feared computer vandals - turned against his comrades and secretly became an informant for the FBI months ago, authorities announced Tuesday.
Five people, including a Chicago man, were charged in court papers unsealed in federal court in New York, and authorities revealed that a sixth person, Hector Xavier Monsegur, a legendary figure known in the hacking underworld as "Sabu," has pleaded guilty in New York, where he lives.
According to court papers, members of the group got their start as part of a large worldwide hacking organization known as Anonymous, which authorities said has been operating at least since 2008. Court papers accused Anonymous of a "deliberate campaign of online destruction, intimidation and criminality."
"We're sailing close to the wind," the feed read. "Our crew is complete and doing fine."
Monsegur was portrayed in court papers as the ringleader of some of the group's more infamous deeds. Authorities said he formed an elite hacking organization last May - a spinoff of Anonymous - and named it "Lulz Security" or "LulzSec." "Lulz" is Internet slang that can mean "laughs" or "amusement."
Despite the organization's lighthearted name, authorities said Monsegur and his followers embarked on a dastardly stream of deeds against business and government entities in the U.S. and around the world, resulting in the theft of confidential information, the defacing of websites and attacks that temporarily put victims out of business.
Authorities said their crimes affected nearly 1 million people.
According to the court papers, he was an influential member of three hacking organizations - Anonymous, Internet Feds and Lulz Security. Court papers said he acted as a "rooter," a hacker who identified vulnerabilities in computer systems.
Also charged in court papers with conspiracy to commit computer hacking were Ryan Ackroyd, Jake Davis, Darren Martyn, Donncha O'Cearrbhail and Jeremy Hammond. Three were arrested Tuesday; Davis and Martin were previously arrested.
Hammond, who is from Chicago, appeared before a federal judge there and was ordered transferred to New York. Martyn and O'Cearrbhail lived in Ireland, Ackroyd and Davis in Britain.
In July, when LulzSec's attacks were grabbing world headlines, an unknown person alleged that Sabu was Monsegur, publishing his personal details on the Internet. Sabu took to Twitter to deny that he had been exposed, and as Anonymous's attacks continued, suspicions eased.
Barrett Brown, a former journalist who became closely associated with Anonymous, said Sabu's betrayal would have a serious effect on Anonymous.
Associated Press writer Satter reported from London. Also contributing were Associated Press writers Colleen Long and David B. Caruso in New York and Michael Tarm in Chicago.
Print this article
| http://www.wcpo.com/news/science-tech/hackers-busted-after-one-becomes-fbi-informant | dclm-gs1-172410002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.026023 | <urn:uuid:8f5bda4d-86a1-490f-9c5d-e25377ca59a8> | en | 0.951494 | November 8, 2012
Readers' voice: Nov. 9, 2012
Isn't it interesting that the auto workers were not misled by Republican lies, while the coal companies, once again, convinced the poor people of Appalachia to vote against their own interests? Why do we continue to repeat the mistakes of the past?
Now is the time for all Obama haters to take down their signs about the war on coal and get into the 21st century, get retrained and get a job that matters for the future.
America has spoken loud and clear, you are doing a great job, President Obama!
The election was a message to Republicans to stop stonewalling everything President Obama tries to do in Congress. You had your two shots at it with President Bush, so now let President Obama complete his two terms by showing a reasonable amount of cooperation.
It appears to me that those who are socialist or are supporting socialism are those who are most subject to becoming victims of social Darwinism.
I will always thank the Democratic Party for giving us Barack Hussein Obama.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, after chopping Romney off at the knees after Superstorm Sandy, will be the GOP presidential candidate in 2016, opposed by Hillary Clinton. That will be a close race, and remember you heard it here first.
One thing we know for sure, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is the south end of a northbound horse.
To all those who are gloating and smiling over the outcome of the election, there is an old saying: "those who laugh last laugh the best". Let's see who is laughing during the next four years and who is crying. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it.
The best thing to do with the fiscal cliff is to just let it happen. We cannot talk about reducing our deficit and then do nothing about it. This would be a really big step in getting our fiscal house in order. It cannot be done without sacrifice and pain. A modest amount now or an avalanche of it later. I have no hope politicians will actually do the right thing.
Now that the election is over we can get back to focusing on our rapid descent into the economic abyss.
All these bozos on TV worrying about Obama's second term hurting the coal industry all sport the "Friends of Coal" stickers or signs. That organization is the biggest con ever run on coal miners, as it has helped absolutely no miner, just coal mine owners and operators. How gullible can these people get?
Now that the media has successfully gotten President Obama re-elected by suppressing anything remotely damaging to him and the Democrats, would it be possible for them to go back to actually reporting both good and bad news for the next year or so until the next campaign begins?
Recommended Stories
Popular Videos
Advertisement - Your ad here
Get Daily Headlines by E-Mail
Advertisement - Your ad here
News Videos
Advertisement - Your ad here
Advertisement - Your ad here | http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/Readersvoice/201211080077 | dclm-gs1-172500002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "candida"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.020441 | <urn:uuid:f37b292c-1a9a-4a32-83b4-89ee5c57f2bd> | en | 0.926623 | Why Choose Environmental and Ecological Engineering?
Environmental Engineering empowers students to serve people and the planet. Environmental engineers are responsible for designing drinking water and wastewater treatment systems, improving air quality, fostering sustainable development, and developing sustainable technologies that conserve natural resources.
Job prospects are very good for Environmental and Ecological Engineering Students. The United States Department of Labor predicts 22% growth in environmental engineering jobs over the next decade, leading to the creation of more than 22,000 new jobs in the field of environmental engineering by 2020. However, U.S. universities currently produce about 1,000 BS level environmental engineering graduates per year, meaning that environmental engineers will be in demand.
In 2008 the National Academy of Engineering announced 14 “Grand Challenges of Engineering.” Of these 14 Grand Challenges, 6 are explicitly environmental in scope.
The current average salaries of environmental engineers are comparable to other Engineering fields. According to the bureaus of labor statistics as of May 2012, the mean annual salary for environmental engineers is $85,140. Which for example is comparable to the mean annual salary for mechanical engineers ($84,770), civil engineers ($84,140), and material engineers ($87,490).
Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue is highly regarded nationally. In the 2013 US News and World Report lists of America’s Best Colleges and America’s Best Graduate Schools, the Environmental Engineering program ranked 12th in the United States among environmental engineering programs and the Purdue Engineering program as a whole ranked as the 10th best undergraduate program among doctoral-granting universities. | https://engineering.purdue.edu/EEE/AboutUs/WhyChooseEEE.html | dclm-gs1-172630002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "engineering"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.123986 | <urn:uuid:d812ba06-746b-45ab-bf43-484e8b1da06b> | en | 0.734711 | Skip to content
This repository
Browse code
Reduce attack surface
Given the current level of interest in Rails security issues, and
just a general good practice, disable unused functionality that might
be used as an attack vector.
• Loading branch information...
commit c6685d84735f1b7df85fdabd665992e8fa2ac20a 1 parent 16dd953
James Abley authored
Showing 1 changed file with 3 additions and 0 deletions. Show Diff Stats Hide Diff Stats
1. 3 config/initializers/remove_parsers.rb
3 config/initializers/remove_parsers.rb
... ...
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Disable parts of Rails that we don't need and offer potential attack vectors.
0 notes on commit c6685d8
Please sign in to comment.
Something went wrong with that request. Please try again. | https://github.com/alphagov/trade-tariff-frontend/commit/c6685d84735f1b7df85fdabd665992e8fa2ac20a | dclm-gs1-172640002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "vector"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.026941 | <urn:uuid:2425fcdd-b3a2-4098-a0d1-f8297ae87163> | en | 0.963207 | whalesharking and dive the navy pier!
Organized by Pellín Páez Córdova
Hi there!
Im going to Exmouth for 9 days, flying return from Perth at the end of July-beg of August. More specifically: 30/7 - 9/8.
I have already bought my tickets so I would like to find people who will be keen for some sun and sand while is cold in Perth.
The reason why Im not driving there is because Ive already done it and reached Monkey Mia before, instead I want to have more days up there for the whale shark season and couple of dives at the navy pier.
If you are gonna be in the area during those dates, let me know! Id like to hang around and explore the Karijini NP...
If this sounds cool for you please contact me and dont hesitate to ask me any question. I will reply back as soon as possible.
| https://www.couchsurfing.org/n/events/whalesharking-and-dive-the-navy-pier-exmouth?place_id=perth-western-australia-australia | dclm-gs1-172740002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "monkey"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.020218 | <urn:uuid:723bd349-e4c7-4136-8185-7424ad81e9b1> | en | 0.932706 | Help drivers get more comfortable with autonomous vehicles
Many sources project that self-driving cars will be so widespread by 2040, that you won’t even need a driver’s license. This summer, Google announced that it’s fleet of autonomous vehicles has driven over 300,000 miles under computer control without a single accident.
Despite autonomous cars becoming more widespread, the general population expresses discomfort with the idea of handing over control of their vehicle to a computer. This is bound to be a large obstacle in trying to convince a large portion of automobile drivers to adopt this new technology.
5 winners
solutions received
27 people
following this challenge
Propose a 30 second television advertisement that could be used to educate and expose drivers to the positive benefits of autonomous vehicles. Focus on marketing to heads of households (between the ages of 30-45). Submissions must include:
1) Script (Language used in the advertisement)
2) Physical setting (What does the viewer see at each point in the ad?)
3) 1 paragraph explanation (List which benefits you chose to emphasize and why)
Questions & Comments (0)
New Challenges
Got a suggestion? | https://www.mindsumo.com/contests/cars | dclm-gs1-172810002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.204384 | <urn:uuid:0fd569ef-4b8d-44a2-88bc-2ea616801af0> | en | 0.942626 | Friday, July 16, 2010
Saratoga Palio 2010 Half Marathon
How do you pass the time on your long runs?
1 comment:
1. I don't run on the treadmill.. I fear brain damage. I enjoy my time outside looking around and listening to either mp3 music / podcasts. | http://albanyrunner.blogspot.com/2010/07/saratoga-palio-2010-half-marathon.html | dclm-gs1-172900002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.057575 | <urn:uuid:4fb6ae60-0678-4c9e-923e-7d34fcb74b63> | en | 0.964541 | 32 posts tagged government
Thinking Ahead
We’ve turned politics into a career, which means it’s a career focused on getting re-elected…
I’m not sure I’m as optimistic about the voting public, as a whole, but I do agree that—outside of dogma—the average, informed citizen is thinking further down the road than the average politician. And that saddens me. Our system essentially necessitates it. We’ve turned politics into a career, which means it’s a career focused on getting re-elected (short-term) rather than doing hard, good things for the country (long-term).
Flat Tax
I don’t understand at all why it has taken so long to get to this point. A flat tax seems so painfully obvious as the best way to manage income tax. The only thing I can think is that, for the most part, the people who benefit most from the current tax system are the ones in charge of managing said system. Surprise, surprise.
I hope Fred’s right. I too would be excited to see a true simplification of the tax system.
We get what others lobby for…
Interesting take by Mat Honan. I can’t say I disagree.
We gave you the Internet…
…and no, there’s no time machine.
(via @timbray)
(via Swiss Miss)
Uncomfortable Question
Are people simply buying and consuming less traditional media?
Is the problem piracy, or are people simply buying less?
(via Daring Fireball)
…An Aside
Forget politics for a moment. That’s not what I’m curious about. Obama is one of our youngest and most forward-thinking presidents in recent history. After almost 4 years in office, I’d love to hear him debrief what he’s learned about government bureaucracy that he did not know going into his presidency, and what he would change if he could wave a magic wand. Now that would be an interesting conversation.
Seeing the truth when it might be invisible
The day after Osama Bin Laden was killed I happened to be at a coffee shop, sitting next to a small group of otherwise very bright college students who were absolutely convinced that his death was faked. It was too politically convenient, they told their one friend who was skeptical of their skepticism. They wanted to see photos, they told her. She asked a direct question of them: “Would a photo make you believe it?” One guy spoke up, “No, I guess. I wouldn’t believe it either way.”
A Frightening Week
I find the tech industry on the whole to be very idealistic. In so many ways, this is a good thing, but it can warp our perspective of “the way things are” in the world. Having a government shut down the entire Internet in a country is a good reminder to be vigilant and to pop our heads up out of our idealism once-in-a-while and confirm that things really are headed in the right direction. For example, I had no idea that proposed legislation like the Internet Kill Switch existed. It seems so counterintuitive to everything our country stands for, yet there it is. Now, what are we going to do about it, both as an industry and as citizens? | http://blog.grantblakeman.com/tag/government | dclm-gs1-173070002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.02134 | <urn:uuid:ddb7c625-30ce-4e75-91a0-2724a2c70583> | en | 0.949465 | Seasons 52 Coming to Plano
Ryan Fletcher will serve as executive chef for Texas' first Seasons 52, the upscale grill from Darden Restaurants that promotes itself as a "change" rather than chain restaurant.
Fletcher, who spent three years managing kitchens for the Grand Lux Café, previously cheffed for The Cheesecake Factory.
"His expertise will prove invaluable," culinary director Clifford Peau enthuses in a release announcing the appointment.
Seasons 52 has reportedly endeared itself to serious food lovers who'd typically shun corporate eateries, but the changing menu showcasing seasonal vegetables hasn't won over every critic. In reviewing the first location outside of Florida, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution took issue with the restaurant's low-cal spa cuisine. "I would love to have a Mellow Mushroom with bacon and cheese delivered to the table," Meridith Ford wrote in her two-star summary.
Seasons 52 is scheduled to open in Plano's The Shops at Legacy on October 4.
My Voice Nation Help
Sort: Newest | Oldest
Around The Web
From the Vault | http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2010/08/seasons_52_coming_to_plano.php | dclm-gs1-173120002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.027335 | <urn:uuid:4b9ce54f-f4a7-4e45-92fd-93f0b02c206f> | en | 0.928108 |
Writing prompt: WONDER, X-RAY
Genre: Fiction
But the X-ray shows I’m merely broken.
About these ads
15 thoughts on “A-Z: W is for Wonder, X for X-ray
1. You are an incredible writer, Damyanti. When am I going to be able to buy your novels? You surely must have one or two in mind. Have you started any yet? I should have thought a number of these items of flash fiction could build into powerful novels. I truly believe that you have the gift.
2. That was pretty powerful stuff, you have me wanting to know what happened to her and what happens next, whether she calls or not. Great read.
3. Oh my, that was such a moving post. I could imagine the events you describe, making it all the more chilling. I’m concerned for that kid and it’s not even real. Such good fiction, I tell you :)
By the way, thanks for using the X-Ray prompt I gave to you. I’m glad that it was of use to you.
I wrote about X-Rated Movies and chose the topic of “X-Rated” specifically because I know people easily jump to conclusions when reading the title even though my post generally has nothing to do with what they are thinking about in their head, lol.
4. Pingback: The Inside Scoop on the A to Z Challenge - Curiosity Quills Press
WordPress.com Logo
Twitter picture
Facebook photo
Google+ photo
Connecting to %s | http://damyantiwrites.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/1439/ | dclm-gs1-173260002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.051796 | <urn:uuid:3cd80995-622b-415e-bb96-93e95616064e> | en | 0.975975 | Sunday, August 14, 2005
Black Republicans
Recently Harry Belafonte blasted blacks in George Bush's higher administration as being "tyrants". He earlier raised eyebrows by stating that Colin Powell was a House Negro. Other well known people such as Al Sharpton have labeled any people who align themselves with the Republican Party, or with conservative ideals as being black in physical characteristic only. As if, there is some litmus test of socio-political thought that allows you to be a card-carrying member of the black race. I myself am a Democrat, and I am more of a centrist on issues. But, overall when it comes to social issues I consider myself to be liberal. I have no problem calling myself liberal, and it irks me when people rename themselves as "progressives" to avoid the "scourge of being declared a liberal". I recognize the ebb and flow of political and cultural tides here in the United States, and I remember when the Republicans were the minority party, the idea of being conservative was synonymous with backward, stilted thought, therefore I see no reason to hold true to your ideals no matter what.
What I do have a problem with is the notion that Black Republicans are thought of as being anything but black. When you look at powerful people such as Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, and Clarence Thomas you can't help but to admire the great things that they hae accomplished in their life, regardless of whether or not you agree with them. Yet, these people find themselves denigrated in a more harsh manner by people of their own race as if they are somehow race traitors. I suppose the notion is, "You are black, why don't you think like the rest of us?" Usually my exasperation over the notion that blacks are a monolithic, multi-organism yet single thought race is reserved for white people. I had a good friend ask me once, "What do black people think about Condoleeza Rice being named to Colin Powell's former post?" I said, "Hell I don't know what 'black people think', but personally I think it is historic for an African-American woman to take the post of a high office immediately after an African-American male had the same position." Immediately I think he realized the mistake he made and sort of dropped the subject.
There are black Conservative Bloggers such as LaShawn Barber who routinely draw the ire of others. I have seen things written about her that called her everything from an Uncle Tomasina to a right-wing nut job. Granted, she and I are probably worlds apart on a lot of things, and we would probably become frustrated with one another while we argued politics or something like that, but believe me, I could respectfully disagree with her in that light, yet probably have a great conversation with her about a myriad of other things.
At no time would I ever tell a person that they were or were not black because of how they vote, where they and if they go to worship, their sexuality, their socio-economic level, or even if they have had brushes with the law. I suppose that is the vaunted open-mindedness that we liberals talk about, but we should apply that liberalism across the board, not simply when it suits us.
"Black Republicans" is a word that used to speak to a much smaller population of people, but now it is growing larger, and we should ask ourselves why. I think that this ought to be a message to the Democratic Party that there are alternatives out there. Additionally, I think we ought to act more like Party Members, and not as if we have "handlers". The term Black Republicans was originated in a negative light by the way.
Black Republicans
a term applied by southern
Democrats in the years before the Civil War to members of the
. Those who used this term intended it to be an insult, hoping that
white Americans who felt racial prejudice toward African-Americans would reject
the Republicans as too sympathetic to the slaves' demands for liberty and equal
rights. They continued to use this term during the
period to label Republicans who favored legislation and other government action
to help the freed slaves.
This definition came courtesy of "The Great American Fact finder which is sponsored by Houghton Mifflin. In the end, I look at an outrageous quote by Al Sharpton in which he stated that black people did not need to simply work on getting blacks into higher office, but the "right kind of blacks". He states, and I quote....
"We shouldn't be talking about getting more blacks in high places, but
getting the right blacks. If we doubt that, just look at Clarence Thomas," he
In the end I have to ask, "What kind of person is Sharpton's kind? The kind that will denigrate a person for what they believe simply for the color of thier skin? If so, I hope I am not Sharpton's kind of person."
Sean from DocintheBox said...
Good post, it's bad when people prejudge what kind of person you are or aren't by the color of your skin. I'd say welcome to milblogs but it looks like you were hear long before the rest of us.
Jibtrim said...
Thanks for doing what you do and being who you are. You and I share a few things -- we are both red state Catholics. I'm not sure why we need labels for folks -- even though I did it in the previous line. Like the Doc said before me previously, welcome, but you were here before here was here.
Thanks again and you have been linked by a fellow Milblog member.
Anonymous said...
Black Calvinism -- The Discussion
Join this uplifting & exciting discussion with Michael Leach of All Saints Redeemer Church in Decatur GA as he & Roderick Edwards talk about how “Calvinism” – Reformed Theology has impacted the black community throughout history.
The discussion outline is as follows:
Subtopic#1 How the Reformation affected or did not affect black persons
Subtopic#2 Why or why not Reformed Theology appeals to black persons
Subtopic#3 What it would take to have a "Reformation" within the black community
To listen to this inspiring 40 minute audio discussion, click the link below: | http://dkelsmith.blogspot.com/2005/08/black-republicans-recently-harry.html | dclm-gs1-173280002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "blast"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.441359 | <urn:uuid:13a1d49d-81d1-4df4-a808-fa0b7f6d0ed7> | en | 0.932233 | الثلاثاء، 7 مايو، 2013
Common Chart Indicators
Common Chart Indicators
Bollinger Bands
Bollinger bands are used to measure a market’s volatility. Basically, this little tool tells us
spread apart.
Bollinger band, how it is calculated, the mathematical formulas behind it, and so on and so forth,
but we really didn’t feel like typing it all out.
The Bollinger Bounce
the bands. That is the whole idea behind the Bollinger bounce (smart, huh?). If this is the case,
then by looking at the chart below, can you tell us where the price might go next?
If you said down, then you are correct! As
you can see, the price settled back down
towards the middle area of the bands.
That’s all there is to it. What you just saw
was a classic Bollinger bounce. The reason
these bounces occur is because Bollinger
Bands act like mini support and resistance
levels. The longer the time frame you are in,
the stronger these bands are. Many traders
have developed systems that thrive on these
bounces, and this strategy is best used when
the market is ranging and there is no clear
MACD is an acronym for Moving Average Convergence Divergence. This tool is used to
identify moving averages that are indicating a new trend, whether it’s bullish or bearish. After
all, our #1 priority in trading is being able to find a trend, because that is where the most money
is made.
The first is the number of periods that is used to calculate the faster moving average.
The second is the number of periods that are used in the slower moving average.
And the third is the number of bars that is used to calculate the moving average of the
difference between the faster and slower moving averages.
For example, if you were to see “12,26,9” as the MACD parameters (which is usually the default
setting for most charting packages), this is how you would interpret it:
The 12 represents the previous 12 bars of the faster moving average.
The 26 represents the previous 26 bars of the slower moving average.
The 9 represents the previous 9 bars of the difference between the two moving averages. This
is plotted by vertical lines called a histogram (The blue lines in the chart above).
DIFFERENCE between two moving averages.
between the 12 and 26 period moving averages. The slower moving average plots the average of
the previous MACD line. Once again, from our example above, this would be a 9 period moving
This means that we are taking the average of the last 9 periods of the faster MACD line, and
plotting it as our “slower” moving average. What this does is it smoothes out the original line
even more, which gives us a more accurate line.
The histogram simply plots the difference between the fast and slow moving average. If you
look at our original chart, you can see that as the two moving averages separate, the histogram
gets bigger. This is called divergence, because the faster moving average is “diverging” or
moving away from the slower moving average.
As the moving averages get closer to each other, the histogram gets smaller. This is called
convergence because the faster moving average is “converging” or getting closer to the slower
moving average. And that, my friend, is how you get the name, Moving Average Convergence
Divergence! Whew, we need to crack our knuckles after that one!
MACD Crossover
Because there are two moving averages with different
“speeds”, the faster one will obviously be quicker to react to
price movement than the slower one. When a new trend
occurs, the fast line will react first and eventually cross the
slower line. When this “crossover” occurs, and the fast line
starts to “diverge” or move away from the slower line, it
often indicates that a new trend has formed.
under the slow line and correctly identified a new
downtrend. Notice that when the lines crossed, the
histogram temporarily disappears. This is because the
difference between the lines at the time of the cross is 0. As
the downtrend begins and the fast line diverges away from
the slow line, the histogram gets bigger, which is good
indication of a strong trend.
There is one drawback to MACD. Naturally, moving
averages tend to lag behind price. After all, it's just an
average of historical prices. Since the MACD represents moving averages of other moving
bit of lag. However, it is still one of the most favored tools by many traders.
Common Patterns
Head and Shoulders Pattern
A head and shoulders pattern is also a trend reversal formation. It is formed by a peak (shoulder),
followed by a higher peak (head), and then another lower peak (shoulder). A “neckline” is drawn by
experience, when the slope is down, it produces a more reliable signal.
In this example, we can visibly see the head and shoulders pattern. The head is the 2nd peak and is the
highest point in the pattern. The two shoulders also form peaks but do not exceed the height of the head.
With this formation, we look to make an entry order below the neckline. We can also calculate a target by
measuring the high point of the head to the neckline. This distance is approximately how far the price will
move after it breaks the neckline.
distance between the head and the neckline.
Ascending Triangles
to push it through.
of the higher lows.
Elliott Wave Theory
actually, did not.
original name: The Elliott Wave Theory.
The 5 – 3 Wave Patterns
you see it as a picture:
That still looks kind of confusing. Let’s splash some
color on this bad boy.
Here is a short description of what happens during each
wave. I am going to use stocks for my example since
stocks is what Mr. Elliott used but it really doesn’t
is the Elliott Wave Theory can also be applied to the
foreign exchange market.
Wave 1
The stock makes its initial move upwards. This is
This causes the price to rise.
Wave 2
lows before the stock is considered a bargain again.
Wave 3
Wave 4
on the dips”.
Wave 5
shorting the stock which starts the ABC pattern.
Source: http://www.babypips.com/school/
Price Smoothing
Price Smoothing
looking at the slope of the moving average, you can make general predictions as to where the
price will go.
As we said, moving averages smooth out price action. There are different types of moving
averages, and each of them has their own level of “smoothness”. Generally, the smoother the
moving average, the slower it is to react to the price movement. The choppier the moving
average, the quicker it is to react to the price movement.
Simple Moving Average (SMA)
A simple moving average is the simplest type of moving average. Basically, a simple moving
average is calculated by adding up the last “X” period’s closing prices and then dividing that
number by X.
If you plotted a 5 period simple moving average on a 1 hour chart, you would add up the closing
prices for the last 5 hours, and then divide that number by 5. Voila! You have your simple
moving average.
If you were to plot a 5 period simple moving average on a 10 minute chart, you would add up the
closing prices of the last 50 minutes and then divide that number by 5.
If you were to plot a 5 period simple moving average on a 30 minute chart, you would add up the
closing prices of the last 150 minutes and then divide that number by 5.
Most charting packages will do all the calculations for you. The reason we just bored you
(yawn!) with how to calculate a simple moving average is because it is important that you
understand how the moving averages are calculated. If you understand how each moving average
is calculated, you can make your own decision as to which type is better for you.
Just like any indicator out there, moving averages operate with a delay. Because you are taking
the averages of the price, you are really only seeing a “forecast” of the future price and not a
concrete view of the future. Disclaimer: Moving averages will not turn you into Ms. Cleo the
Here is an example of how moving averages smooth out the price action.
On the previous chart, you can see 3 different SMAs. As you can see, the longer the SMA period
is, the more it lags behind the price. Notice how the 62 SMA is farther away from the current
price than the 30 and 5 SMA. This is because with the 62 SMA, you are adding up the closing
prices of the last 62 periods and dividing it by 62. The higher the number period you use, the
slower it is to react to the price movement.
The SMA’s in this chart show you the overall sentiment of the market at this point in time.
Instead of just looking at the current price of the market, the moving averages give us a broader
view, and we can now make a general prediction of its future price.
Exponential Moving Average (EMA)
Although the simple moving average is a great tool, there is one major flaw associated with it.
Simple moving averages are very susceptible to spikes. Let me show you an example of what I
Let’s say we plot a 5 period SMA on the daily chart of the EUR/USD and the closing prices for
the last 5 days are as follows:
Day 1: 1.2345
Day 2: 1.2350
Day 3: 1.2360
Day 4: 1.2365
Day 5: 1.2370
The simple moving average would be calculated as
(1.2345+1.2350+1.2360+1.2365+1.2370)/5= 1.2358
Simple enough right?
Well what if Day 2’s price was 1.2300? The result of the simple moving average would be a lot
lower and it would give you the notion that the price was actually going down, when in reality,
Day 2 could have just been a one time event (maybe interest rates decreasing).
The point I’m trying to make is that sometimes the simple moving average might be too simple.
If only there was a way that you could filter out these spikes so that you wouldn’t get the wrong
idea. Hmmmm…I wonder….Wait a minute……Yep, there is a way!
It’s called the Exponential Moving Average!
Exponential moving averages (EMA) give more weight to the most recent periods. In our
example above, the EMA would put more weight on Days 3-5, which means that the spike on
Day 2 would be of lesser value and wouldn’t affect the moving average as much. What this does
is it puts more emphasis on what traders are doing NOW.
When trading, it is far more important to see what traders are doing now rather than what they
did last week or last month.
Which is better: Simple or Exponential?
First, let’s start with an exponential moving average. When you want a moving average that will
respond to the price action rather quickly, then a short period EMA is the best way to go. These
can help you catch trends very early, which will result in higher profit. In fact, the earlier you
catch a trend, the longer you can ride it and rake in those profits!
The downside to the choppy moving average is that you might get faked out. Because the
moving average responds so quickly to the price, you might think a trend is forming when in
actuality; it could just be a price spike.
With a simple moving average, the opposite is true. When you want a moving average that is
smoother and slower to respond to price action, then a longer period SMA is the best way to go.
Although it is slow to respond to the price action, it will save you from many fake outs. The
downside is that it might delay you too long, and you might miss out on a good trade.
Displays a smooth chart, which eliminates most
Quick moving, and is good at showing recent
price swings.
Slow moving, which may cause a lag in buying
and selling signals.
More prone to cause fakeouts and give errant
So which one is better? It’s really up to you to decide. Many traders plot several different
moving averages to give them both sides of the story. They might use a longer period simple
moving average to find out what the overall trend is, and then use a shorter period exponential
moving average to find a good time to enter a trade.
Types of Forex Charts
Types of Forex Charts
1. Line chart
2. Bar chart
3. Candlestick chart
Line Charts
Bar Charts
A bar chart also shows closing prices, while simultaneously showing opening prices, as well as
period, while the top of the bar indicates the highest price paid. So, the vertical bar indicates the
currency pair’s trading range as a whole. The horizontal hash on the left side of the bar is the
NOTE: Throughout our lessons, you will see the word “bar” in reference to a single piece of
data on a chart. A bar is simply one segment of time, whether it is one day, one week, or one
and the Close for that particular currency. Here’s an
example of a price bar:
Open: The little horizontal line on the left is the
opening price
High: The top of the vertical line defines the highest
price of the time period
Low: The bottom of the vertical line defines the lowest
price of the time period
Close: The little horizontal line on the right is the
closing price
Candlestick Charts
lower than it opened.
We don’t like to use the traditional black and white candlesticks. We feel it’s easier to look at a
chart that’s colored. A color television is much better than a black and white television, so why
not in candlestick charts?
price closed higher than it opened, the candlestick would be green. If the price closed lower than
it opened, the candlestick would be red. In our later lessons, you will see how using green and
and possible reversal points.
we will be using these colors from now on.
Check out these candlesticks…
Candlesticks are easy to interpret, and are a good place for a beginner to start figuring out chart
Candlesticks are easy to use. Your eyes adapt almost immediately to the information in the bar
Candlesticks and candlestick patterns have cool names such as the shooting star, which helps
you to remember what the pattern means.
Candlesticks are good at identifying marketing turning points – reversals from an uptrend to a
Forex forecasting
Forex forecasting
Basic Forex forecast methods: Technical analysis and fundamental analysis
tools for the Forex trader. They have the same goal - to predict a price or movement. The technician
traders combine a mixture of both approaches for superior results.
Technical analysis
of past market action. Technical analysis is concerned with what has actually happened in the market,
that experienced analysts can follow many markets and market instruments simultaneously.
Technical analysis is built on three essential principles:
1. Market action discounts everything! This means that the actual price is a reflection of everything that
sentiment. However, the pure technical analyst is only concerned with price movements, not with the
reasons for any changes.
2. Prices move in trends Technical analysis is used to identify patterns of market behavior that have long
been recognized as significant. For many given patterns there is a high probability that they will produce
the expected results. Also, there are recognized patterns that repeat themselves on a consistent basis.
3. History repeats itself Forex chart patterns have been recognized and categorized for over 100 years
changes little over time.
Forex charts are based on market action involving price. There are five categories in Forex technical
analysis theory:
Indicators (oscillators, e.g.: Relative Strength Index (RSI)
Number theory (Fibonacci numbers, Gann numbers)
Waves (Elliott wave theory)
Gaps (high-low, open-closing)
Trends (following moving average).
Some major technical analysis tools are described below:
Relative Strength Index (RSI):
is expressed in a range of 0-100. If the RSI is 70 or greater, then the instrument is assumed to be
overbought (a situation in which prices have risen more than market expectations). An RSI of 30 or less is
the market expectations).
Stochastic oscillator:
This is used to indicate overbought/oversold conditions on a scale of 0-100%. The indicator is based on
the observation that in a strong up trend, period closing prices tend to concentrate in the higher part of the
period's range. Conversely, as prices fall in a strong down trend, closing prices tend to be near to the
extreme low of the period range. Stochastic calculations produce two lines, %K and %D that are used to
indicate overbought/oversold areas of a chart. Divergence between the stochastic lines and the price
action of the underlying instrument gives a powerful trading signal.
Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD):
This indicator involves plotting two momentum lines. The MACD line is the difference between two
difference. If the MACD and trigger lines cross, then this is taken as a signal that a change in the trend is
Number theory:
Fibonacci numbers: The Fibonacci number sequence (1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34...) is constructed by adding the
first two numbers to arrive at the third. The ratio of any number to the next larger number is 62%, which
is a popular Fibonacci retracement number. The inverse of 62%, which is 38%, is also used as a Fibonacci
retracement number.
Gann numbers:
W.D. Gann was a stock and a commodity trader working in the '50s who reputedly made over $50 million
in the markets. He made his fortune using methods that he developed for trading instruments based on
relationships between price movement and time, known as time/price equivalents. There is no easy
explanation for Gann's methods, but in essence he used angles in charts to determine support and
resistance areas and predict the times of future trend changes. He also used lines in charts to predict
support and resistance areas.
Elliott wave theory: The Elliott wave theory is an approach to market analysis that is based on repetitive
wave patterns and the Fibonacci number sequence. An ideal Elliott wave patterns shows a five-wave
advance followed by a three-wave decline.
Gaps are spaces left on the bar chart where no trading has taken place. An up gap is formed when the
lowest price on a trading day is higher than the highest high of the previous day. A down gap is formed
when the highest price of the day is lower than the lowest price of the prior day. An up gap is usually a
sign of market strength, while a down gap is a sign of market weakness. A breakaway gap is a price gap
that forms on the completion of an important price pattern. It usually signals the beginning of an
important price move. A runaway gap is a price gap that usually occurs around the mid-point of an
important market trend. For that reason, it is also called a measuring gap. An exhaustion gap is a price gap
that occurs at the end of an important trend and signals that the trend is ending.
A trend refers to the direction of prices. Rising peaks and troughs constitute an up trend; falling peaks and
troughs constitute a downtrend that determines the steepness of the current trend. The breaking of a trend
line usually signals a trend reversal. Horizontal peaks and troughs characterize a trading range.
resistance levels. They are also useful in deciding on a trading strategy, particularly in futures trading or a
market with a strong up or down trend.
The most common technical tools:
Coppock Curve is an investment tool used in technical analysis for predicting bear market lows.
DMI (Directional Movement Indicator) is a popular technical indicator used to determine whether or not
a currency pair is trending.
Fundamental analysis
Fundamental analysis is a method of forecasting the future price movements of a financial instrument
based on economic, political, environmental and other relevant factors and statistics that will affect the
basic supply and demand of whatever underlies the financial instrument. In practice, many market players
use technical analysis in conjunction with fundamental analysis to determine their trading strategy. One
major advantage of technical analysis is that experienced analysts can follow many markets and market
instruments, whereas the fundamental analyst needs to know a particular market intimately. Fundamental
analysis focuses on what ought to happen in a market. Factors involved in price analysis: Supply and
demand, seasonal cycles, weather and government policy.
Fundamental analysis is a macro or strategic assessment of where a currency should be trading based on
any criteria but the movement of the currency's price itself. These criteria often include the economic
condition of the country that the currency represents, monetary policy, and other "fundamental" elements.
Many profitable trades are made moments prior to or shortly after major economic announcements.
Taken from: https://classic.easy‐forex.com/us/Forex.forecast.aspx | http://forex-forecasting05.blogspot.com/ | dclm-gs1-173400002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "spike"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.537456 | <urn:uuid:a9243663-fb6c-4d60-a9ec-72bff0fb465e> | en | 0.88343 | I'm Pulling This Rapid Dispense Toilet Paper Prank on April Fool's Day
Though pranking someone with fake toilet paper is infinitely more cruel, creating this fast action, rapid dispensing toilet paper will win you a more advanced level of laughter. Watch, when a person reaches for the toilet paper, the roll starts spitting out TP like crazy. » 3/29/12 4:40pm 3/29/12 4:40pm | http://gizmodo.com/tag/april-fools-day | dclm-gs1-173500002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.404475 | <urn:uuid:067694b8-480b-4931-9558-331b46f8d4eb> | en | 0.918908 | LeMons Torture Test Results: Non-240 Volvos
Given the Volvo 240's excellent LeMons performance, you might assume that all Volvos would do well. Not so! The 740s and 940s and other brickish machines haven't fared particularly well, in spite of sharing plenty of components with the 240s. Why? You tell us! » 1/17/10 10:00pm 1/17/10 10:00pm | http://jalopnik.com/tag/volvo-850 | dclm-gs1-173640002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.111559 | <urn:uuid:d6e036c2-f19f-4b7e-aa6b-01bd60c1fd72> | en | 0.936981 | Peter King thinks the hawk could take the eagle on a neutral field in Wichita, but this ain’t that. Hawk brought the fight to the eagle’s nest. What follows is several minutes of humiliation and getting fed on. That’s all right. Some animals are just a tough draw on the road. It takes a true killer to be able to go into other creature’s home and eke out a W. | http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2013/03/kill-kill-kill-eagle-enjoys-home-nest-advantage.html | dclm-gs1-173690002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.027471 | <urn:uuid:87580a92-41da-46a4-a8ad-c7f90076315c> | en | 0.934939 |
1. iwilllose says:
I will be the first to buy your fungi pattern. I am a infection control nurse and would luke a pattern for some germs too!
2. Leigh says:
Thank you for featuring my work! A friend saw the post tonight and sent it to me. If anyone is interested in seeing more, the series is chronicled on my blog at
Leigh Martin
3. Tami Absi says:
I’ve never wanted to knit much, but these are wonderful! | http://makezine.com/craft/knitted-forms-of-fungi/ | dclm-gs1-173770002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "infection control"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.044111 | <urn:uuid:e2362992-fa0a-44d9-84f7-75bf068f23ac> | en | 0.9278 | Abdominal Ultrasound
Service: Type:
This Diagnostic is Offered At
Abdominal ultrasound is a painless exam that uses high-frequency sound waves to capture images of internal views of the stomach and nearby blood vessels. A special jelly is placed on your stomach while a wand-like device called a transducer is moved around. Internal images of the area show on a screen and can be recorded as a video and printed as a photo. This painless test lasts about 15–20 minutes.
A Doppler ultrasound may be used to capture images of the movement of blood through your blood vessels. Ultrasound can show plaque buildup in the vascular system and help detect abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).
Conditions Diagnosed | http://memorialcare.org/services/glossary/a/abdominal-ultrasound | dclm-gs1-173820002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.02436 | <urn:uuid:305c2e8e-2bce-4124-8160-6f2fa3234829> | en | 0.937293 | 1. Skip to navigation
2. Skip to content
3. Skip to sidebar
The Ludwig von Mises Institute
Advancing Austrian Economics, Liberty, and Peace
Advancing the scholarship of liberty in the tradition of the Austrian School
Search Mises.org
Equality and the Internet
Mises Daily: Friday, July 16, 1999 by
Here’s a test concerning your political philosophy.
First the facts, from Forrester Research, as reported in the Wall Street Journal: right now, 64 percent of Asian-American households are on-line, whereas only 34 percent of white households are on-line. That’s a disparity of 30 points.
Now the test. Do you regard this as: 1) proof that Asians are privileged oppressors who need to be put in their place; 2) a grave crisis that needs to be remedied through legislation and redistribution; or 3) a point of trivial demographic interest with no political relevance whatsoever?
Surely #3 is the only answer that fits with good sense. There may be interesting reasons why Asians are more likely to be on-line, and there’s nothing wrong with speculating. But the bottom line is that more individuals who are Asian have chosen to be on-line than individuals who are not Asian.
Each person chooses according to individual preferences. That the members of one group tend to make different choices than the members of another group says nothing about who is oppressing whom, much less about what the political response should be to demographic trivialities.
Why, then, has the political class thrown itself into a tizzy about equalizing access to the Internet? Why is Clinton running around the country warning of grave disparities in on-line access and promising to remedy them with government prodding of the private sector and technological central planning?
The fact that set off this bluster is this: among blacks 23 percent are on-line, compared with 34 percent of whites. Note that, according to this survey, the disparity is 11 points as compared to the white-Asian disparity of 30 points. Note too that today’s rate of black on-line use is identical to the white rate of only two years ago.
These figures are from Forrester Research, while the Commerce Department shows a larger "racial gap" of three white users per one black user. On the other hand, a study by the Commerce Department also reveals a stunning racial gap that runs the other way. Among black households earning more than $75,000 per year, 54 percent are on-line, while only 17 percent of white household earning between $15,000 and $35,000 are on-line.
Clearly, income and not race is the crucial factor in the latter statistics. But for those with wild imaginations, these figures might elicit an elaborate conspiracy theory of rich blacks not only hogging personal computers from whites, but also using these computers to keep whites poor and subservient. It’s all in the spin.
Not only that; the figures themselves are subject to wild manipulation. At what pace is access increasing? (Some surveys show a 50 percent minority increase in one year.) How are the income groups broken down? (Typically surveys break down data by income or race but not both.) Are we talking about individuals or households ? (Data are easily skewed by a million demographic variables.) Are we talking about home or work access? (A New York Times story treated work as versus home access as a sign of economic deprivation, when it could easily indicate the opposite.)
All this statistical meddling is animated by grave errors on the part of government.
The first is material egalitarianism, the belief that all groups and individuals should own and use identical goods and services, or no one should be permitted to own and use them. It is this error, for example, that leads socialists to decry income disparities as such, without comparing the plight of the poor in the absence of the rich.
Egalitarians are driven by the sin of envy, which is institutionalized in the redistributionist state. This is the dastardly impulse to destroy what you do not or cannot have. Those who believe in the politics of envy, for example, don’t care that the welfare state doesn’t materially benefit the poor in the long run, so long as the rich are hurting from all the taxation.
In the case of the Internet, we could achieve equality immediately by destroying all computers. So long as we don’t want to do that, inequality in access (as in everything) will be a permanent feature. Does it ever occur to the Internet egalitarians that some people might have better things to do than surf the web? Why should the priorities of the techno-statist elite supercede those of regular people?
Another grave error is the impulse toward forcing mass technological distribution. It was Stalin’s desire for industrialization that led to the death of millions. It was FDR’s desire to industrialize the South that brought about the flooding of the South’s best farm land. Clinton’s Internet program merely replicates the same political impulse on a different level.
These errors are behind the attempt to whip up hysteria about Internet access. The statists among us are merely seizing on another arena in which to sell their socialist claptrap. The risk is that they will saddle emerging Internet markets with so many mandates that innovation will be slowed and distribution channels interrupted.
Data on the racial use of net technology may be of commercial interest, but they spell nothing but trouble when they fall into the hands of politicians. As with all areas of the policy, the answer is for groups and individuals to make peace with the diversity the market economy, the only source of mass material prosperity that mankind has ever known.
* * * * * * | http://mises.org/daily/264/Equality-and-the-Internet | dclm-gs1-173840002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.292791 | <urn:uuid:9f42327c-1107-4e72-a3c3-0ad788b46b77> | en | 0.903592 | Sundays 9:00 PM on FOX
Banish a White Russian from my Kremlin.
Brian: (in heaven) Look at me, hanging out with Ernest Hemmingway, Vincent Van Gogh and Kurt Cobain. But it does seem like we all ended up here earlier then we should have.
Hemmingway: Well, I finally collapsed under the weight of my own genius, and shot myself.
Van Gogh: I couldn't reconcile my passion with the way people around me were living, so I shot myself.
Cobain: I couldn't stand the idea of my music becoming some bland corporate tool, so I shot myself.
Brian: Yeah, I... got into the garbage and ate some chocolate.
Stu: (after sex) I give you money or something?
Fran: Yeah, I'm gonna go.
Stu: I'm sorry. That's never happened before.
Old Lois: Hi, Glen. How's the arthritis?
Quagmire: Hey Brian, what do you think of my sign?
Brian: "Quagmire's Cross Country Tour." Uh, isn't there an "O" in country?
Quagmire: Nope.
Peter: Sweet, Quagmire! You got a winnebago!
Quagmire: You mean a "Wanna-bang-o"!
Lois: (Sarcastically) Oh, how clever.
Lois: Chris, I'm gonna teach you to be an affable, desirable young man, who doesn't smell like the inside of a wool hat.
Chris: Why you gotta break balls?
Displaying quotes 1 - 9 of 248 in total | http://origin.tvfanatic.com/quotes/shows/family-guy/season-4/ | dclm-gs1-173980002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.356816 | <urn:uuid:bd938272-e1f6-455d-9ff6-0c720cb41bea> | en | 0.913096 | Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Pronouns Must Agree with Their Antecedents in Person.
Person refers to the point of view, indicating whether the speaker or writer includes himself, directly addresses another, or refers to others by name or gender.
• First person pronouns include the speaker: I, we, us, our.
• Second person pronouns directly address another: you, your.
• Third person pronouns represent an uninvolved point of view: he, him, she, her, they, them, their.
First Person
My roommate doesn't understand that I need music to study.
• The first person possessive pronoun my agrees in person with the pronoun I.
Second Person
You shouldn't forget to set your alarm when you have an 8:00 a.m. class.
• The second person possesive pronoun your corresponds to its antecedent you.
Third Person
Sarah does poorly on homework assignments, but she always aces the tests.
• The third person pronoun she corresponds to the antecedent Sarah. | http://owlet.letu.edu/grammarlinks/pronouns/pronoun2d3.html | dclm-gs1-173990002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.114434 | <urn:uuid:209a34e2-3a53-472d-bdee-fe4e53c9ace0> | en | 0.94611 | Install this theme
Jon Kabat-Zinn (via shaktilover)
Beautifull sunset from my balcony, after all these months of cold and hiding behind clouds, you finally show yourself again SUN :D
Meditated all day in your presence!
Meditated all day in your presence!
<3 my cat, she’s so cute.
18 years old and still so vibrantly alive! (or asleep ^^)
<3 my cat, she’s so cute.
Sunny Monday’s <3 no blues, just jazzzz!
Ego cannot be without you. You are paying the bills. You are its main sponsor.
Rishikesh, India, 2014 (via ashramof1)
Thoughtful gift I got from My gf’s grandma :D
Thoughtful gift I got from My gf’s grandma :D
Dear Lazy Yogi, I am trying to change my life. Trying to rid myself of certain habits that are not true to my heart... It seems I always feel too obligated to other people to make the changes necessary. Some people seem to help and hurt too, they're the ones that confuse me the most. I'm trying to figure out how to let go of being a people pleaser, to stand up for myself, and to not give in time and time again.
From a young age, many of us were taught to refrain from causing harm to other people. However, there is a difference between causing harm and allowing displeasure.
Pleasure comes from circumstances being perceived in an acceptable way to the mind. Displeasure comes from those circumstances being judged as unacceptable. As both pleasure and displeasure are the result of the judgmental mind, you are responsible for neither when it comes to another person.
The opposite of harming someone is helping someone. But pleasure is not what helps someone. You are not helping people by pleasing them. This doesn’t mean to say you can only help people by displeasing them. Rather, pleasure and displeasure do not enter into the equation when it comes to helping others.
Consider both a mother and a doctor. Both have their charge’s best interest at heart. The mother wants what’s best for her child and the doctor wants what’s best for her patient. That focus of what is best takes primary importance over what pleases the child or patient.
You aren’t giving in and being weak, you are just trying to help in the way you think is best. However, it isn’t working. Does a mother need to stand up to her child? Of course not, she is the child’s alpha and omega. It is by her grace that the child lives, and the same goes for the doctor.
You do not need to stand up and assert yourself. You need only to refrain from indulging the urge to cater to the pleasures of others. Don’t look for recognition, acceptance, validation, or approval from any of the people for whom you feel that urge. The more thoroughly you detach yourself from that identity-seeking delusion, the less you will feel moved to please them.
Stop being hooked to people for either help or harm. When it comes to changing your inner life, you are the master. What power others seem to have is only what you have knowingly or unknowingly given them due to your estimation of them.
Meditate daily. Practice tonglen. Read The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron.
You will know where to go from there.
Namaste :) much love
I have waves of discontent and disinterest in my meditation practice. I feel all of a sudden as if I don't 'feel like' being present and don't 'see the point' in meditating. What do you think brings about these waves of apathy towards presence/meditation?
Yes! Perfect. Good.
The judgmental mind, which is synonymous with ego, is trying to fool you into quitting. At the same time, this is the very fire that will purify your practice.
You see, when someone takes up meditation for the first time, it’s exciting. There is the sense of something new, something mysterious and mystic and special. But once you have been practicing for a while, that honeymoon period is over.
That’s a time the ego likes to step in. “Well?” The ego says, “If you aren’t getting good happy feelings out of this, then what’s the point?”
You don’t practice presence because you feel like being present. You practice presence because YOU ARE THE PRESENT! There is no other option. Anything else is shades of insanity. So by practicing presence, you are practicing sanity.
Similarly, there is no POINT in meditating! There is nothing meditation can give you that you don’t already have. Rather, it is what you lose by meditating that is of value. By practicing meditation, you loosen the perceptual illusions by which you bind yourself.
My personal recommendation is instead of fighting this newfound apathy, embrace it. Turn it into indifference, detachment, and renunciation. Do your practice because that is what you are doing. Not because of this, not because of that. Meditate because you meditate, be present because you are the present.
That is all. There will be times of immense inspiration and times of complete lethargy. Don’t over-indulge either. Just keep on keeping on.
This is a turning point in your practice when you transition from a beginner to a regular. Stay with it and you wont regret it. Take my word for it.
Namaste my friend :) Much love
I’ve reached this point, thanks for the help! | http://pjotr-mengede.tumblr.com/ | dclm-gs1-174070002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.641648 | <urn:uuid:6d53d0bb-beca-4570-bae3-d7964e6301b3> | en | 0.903095 | Chapter 11: Surveying The Stars
Created by skylerself
Remove ads
51 terms · surveying the stars
What is the approximate chemical composition (by mass) with which all stars are born?
three quarters hydrogen, one quarter helium, no more than 2% heavier elements
The total amount of power (in watts, for example) that a star radiates into space is called its _________.
According to the inverse square law of light, how will the apparent brightness of an object change if its distance to us triples?
Its apparent brightness will decrease by a factor of 9.
If star A is closer to us than star B, then Star A's parallax angle is _________.
larger than that of Star B
Ten parsecs is about _________.
32.6 light-years.
(1 parsec=3.26 ly)
Star A has an apparent magnitude of 3 and star B has an apparent magnitude of 5. Which star is brighter in our sky?
Star A
From hottest to coolest, the order of the spectral types of stars is _________.
Our Sun is a star of spectral type _________.
G (2)
The star is a member of a binary star system
Which of the following terms is given to a pair of stars that we can determine are orbiting each other only by measuring their periodic Doppler shifts?
spectroscopic binary
The axes on a Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram represent _________.
luminosity and surface temperature
its size
On an H-R diagram, stellar radii _________.
increase diagonally from the lower left to the upper right
On an H-R diagram, stellar masses _________.
can be determined for main sequence stars but not for other types of stars
How is the lifetime of a star related to its mass?
More massive stars live much shorter lives than less massive stars. (Small stars are fuel-efficient like a Prius)
What is the common trait of all main sequence stars?
They generate energy through hydrogen fusion in their core.
Suppose our Sun were suddenly replaced by a supergiant star. Which of the following would be true?
Earth would be inside the supergiant.
What is a white dwarf?
the remains of a star that ran out of fuel for nuclear fusion.
Things we can observe directly:
spectral type, color apparent brightness, parallax angle.
Things we have to infer indirectly:
mass, radius, luminosity, surface temperature.
What must we measure directly so that we can infer a star's surface temperature?
Spectral type
Which of the following must be true if we are to infer (calculate) a star's luminosity directly from the inverse square law for light?
-No interstellar gas or dust absorbs or scatters light between us and the star.
-We have measured the star's apparent brightness.
-We have measured the star's distance
We can measure a star's mass directly if __________.
it is a member of an eclipsing binary system.
Which of the following must be true if the star's inferred mass is to be accurate?
-We have determined that the star is a main-sequence star.
-We have measured the star's spectral type.
the very largest and brightest of all stars
Stars are classified on the basis of their-
spectral type and luminosity class
Cepheids are examples of ________.
pulsating variable stars.
Stars that are cooler than the SUn yet 100 to 1,000 times as luminous as the Sun are ______.
Red giant or supergiant stars:
-very cool but very luminous
-found in the upper right of the H-R diagram
Main-sequence stars:
-the majority of stars in our galaxy
-The Sun
-very hot and very luminous star
White Dwarfs:
-not much larger in radius than Earth
-very hot but very dim
Main-sequence stars during their formation process:
Take longer time forming if lower mass (M)
Take shorter time forming if higher mass (O)
Which of the following stars has a spectrum that peaks at the highest frequency?
blue star
The age of stars in a cluster can be determined by
determining the main sequence turnoff point
What correctly states the relationship between the apparent brightness, luminosity, and distance of a star?
apparent brightness= luminosity/4(3.14159) X (distance)^2
If the distance between us and a star is doubled, with everything else remaining the same, its luminosity
remains the same, but its apparent brightness is decreased by a factor of four.
Since all stars begin their lives with the same basic composition, what characteristic most determines how they will differ?
mass they are formed with
Parallax angle
The angle subtended by a star to the line between the Sun and the Earth
(the Earth-star-Sun angle)
Apparent Magnitude
The brightness a star appears to be from the Earth. The brightest star has a magnitude of 1 and a star 100 times dimmer a magnitude of 6
Absolute Magnitude (Luminosity)
A star's apparent magnitude if it were placed 10 parsecs from the Earth
Stefan's Law
The total energy per second emitted by a black body is proportional to its surface area and to absolute temperature to the fourth power
Parallax: d=
Inverse-square law: equation?
apparent brightness= (absolute brightness)/d^2
Binary Stars: three types of binary stars?
Binary Stars: which deals with orbits?
Binary Stars: which deals with a review of doppler effect, spectral lines, double, and single lines?
Binary Stars: which type deals with the mass and radii of stars?
Doppler Effect: deals with _____ velocity
Please allow access to your computer’s microphone to use Voice Recording.
Having trouble? Click here for help.
We can’t access your microphone!
Reload the page to try again!
Press Cmd-0 to reset your zoom
Press Ctrl-0 to reset your zoom
Please upgrade Flash or install Chrome
to use Voice Recording.
For more help, see our troubleshooting page.
Your microphone is muted
For help fixing this issue, see this FAQ.
NEW! Voice Recording
Click the mic to start.
Create Set | http://quizlet.com/28249226/chapter-11-surveying-the-stars-flash-cards/ | dclm-gs1-174140002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.018405 | <urn:uuid:2aa33b30-2b21-4995-bc0e-2d5f6fcb8fe3> | en | 0.842244 |
site map · search
Repairing and Upgrading WireLess LAN mini-PCI Cards
Do you want to upgrade a wireless miniPCI card? Here are links to free do-it-yourself instructions. If you have written a repair guide yourself (or if you know of a report not linked here), please submit a new entry.
For technical details about miniPCI see PCI Spezial Interest Group. Common miniPCI card types are WLAN cards, network cards and modem cards. Often they are built as combo cards. Note: not every built-in card is a miniPCI card, especially in older laptop models. Newer Intel Core Duo or Core 2 Duo based laptops come with mini PCI-Express slots instead of miniPCI!I
Acer Aspire One AO725How to replace the Broadcom wireless device with an Atheros AR9485 and substitute the HDD with a Western Digital WD5000BPKT.
Acer Aspire One 532HThis illustrated take apart guide helps you upgrading RAM, HDD, WiFi and replacing a broken LCD screen (in Italian).
Acer Aspire 5517This guide shows how to remove the hard disk drive, memory, DVD drive, wireless card and keyboard.
Acer TravelMate 290LMiHow to replace an Intel 2100 11Mbit/s with an Intel 2200 54MBit/s miniPCI Wireless LAN card (in German).
Acer TravelMate 426LCHow to add a Intel 2200BG miniPCI WLAN card and an internal antenna (in German)
ASUS Eee PC 701 4GThe Wifi-card is only 802.11b/g, not the latest draft-N, but the card can be easily replaced by removing two screws and unmounting the card from the Mini-PCI Express socket and adding an Intel 4965agn 802.11a/b/g/n Mini-PCIe card for a decent price.
ASUS M2400NChanging the built-in miniPCI WLAN card.
ASUS M2400NUpgrade tutorial for the miniPCI WLAN card. From IEEE 802.11b 11MBit/s to IEEE 802.11g 54MBit/s (in German).
Compal CL50How to fit a miniPCI WiFi card into the housing, an illustrated step-by-step manual.
COMPAQ Evo N620cDisassembly manual about adding a wireless miniPCI card (based on Atheros chipset) and better antenna (in German).
COMPAQ Presario B1800BIOS whitelist & hardware modification for Broadcom MiniPCI wireless LAN card.
N.N.Adding miniPCI WLAN modules to a laptop (e.g. Intel-2200BG) (in German).
DELL Inspiron 1420How to upgrade from an Intel 3945ABG to a 4965AGN wireless miniPCI card.
DELL Inspiron E1505Want better performance from your laptop? The conventional wisdom has long held that you should simply buy a new one. You can put such conventional wisdom aside: upgrading a laptop may not be for the timid or the impatient, but if you're handy with a screwdriver, and the sight of a circuit board doesn't scare you, an upgrade can be a far more affordable solution. Upgrades covered: RAM from 1GB to 2GB, HDD from a 5400RPM, 120GB drive to a 7200RPM, 200GB model, miniPCI wireless card from 802.11b to 802.11a/b/g, BlueTooth card added, optical drive, LCD screen with better resolution or matte instead of glossy, CPU from a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo to a 2GHz Core 2 Duo T7200, graphics card nVidia 7300 with a more powerful ATI X1400.
DELL Inspiron mini 9Ten ways to upgrade your netbook. Due to their diversity, netbooks don't share common upgrade paths as typical desktop PCs do. Here are instructions for: battery replacement, rearranging the keyboard keys, upgrading the solide-state drive, adding more RAM, overclocking the processor, improving the Wi-Fi from 802.11g to 802.11n, adding a touchscreen, adding a GPS receiver as well as adding a drive-activity light.
DELL Latitude C840Improving wireless reception by replacing the Dell 1150 miniPCI card with an aftermarket model (Netgate 5354MP) and the addition of a 2nd antenna.
DELL Latitude C840How to install an internal wireless miniPCI card into an older laptop.
DELL misc. modelsHow do I install a TrueMobile miniPCI card into a laptop?
Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook E-4010DThis guide gives a short overview about replacing the IEEE 802.11b mini-PCI card with a IEEE 802.11g card (in German).
Fujitsu-Siemens LifeBook S-2020How To: Adding Internal Wireless LAN to a Notebook. Today's notebooks all come with the ability to host an internal wireless LAN card. But cost-sensitive buyers may choose to forego that option and later regret it. But as long as you're willing to do some homework, this How To shows that it's not that hard to add a miniPCI WLAN card yourself.
HP Pavilion DV9000How to remove hard drive, memory, wireless card and keyboard.
HP Pavilion ZE 2005EAThis guide will explain how to get a Gigabyte (GN-WIAG02 - Atheros AR5005 GS) wireless miniPCI card working.
HP Pavilion ZV 5460USDefeating HP's Wireless Whitelist for Fun and Profit: adding a Atheros based wireless miniPCI card.
HP/COMPAQ NX6125This aims to be a short how-to providing guidelines to "hack" HP notebooks bios protection which prevents to boot the system when an uncertified Atheros wireless adapter is inserted into the miniPCI slot.
IBM ThinkPadA compatibility survey of wireless miniPCI cards.
IBM ThinkPad A31Adding internal WiFi by featuring a DELL TrueMobile miniPCI 1400 card.
IBM ThinkPad R31Explanation how to re-flash the BIOS after changing the miniPCI card.
IBM ThinkPad i1400HOW-TO: Laptop resurrection and upgrade, battery revival, membrane keyboard repairs, trackpoint transplant, adding USB ports and wireless LAN.
IBM ThinkPad T23Picture gallery about an installation of an internal WLAN miniPCI card and antennas (in German).
IBM ThinkPad T40pAdding a miniPCI WLAN card.
IBM ThinkPad T40pHow to substitute the original 802.11ab card, with a 802.11abg miniPCI WLAN card for 2.4 and 5GHz (in German).
IBM ThinkPad X30 [archived link]How to build a miniPCI WLAN card into the laptop (in German).
MaxData Eco 4000AThis tutorial covers upgrading components and parts of the laptop and details of the technical process involved in installing them. It details several upgrades: 1. RAM: 1GB DDR 400 (PC3200) in 2x512 2. CPU: AMD Sempron 3100+ (1.8ghz) 3. Internal Wireless 4. Internal Bluetooth 5. Hard Drive: 60GB 7200RPM with 8MB cache 6. Optical Drive: QSI DVD+-RW SDW-082S 7. Heatsinks and Cooling.
NEC Versa M300Putting an IPW 2200 BG WireLess mini PCI card into the laptop. To make this card work can cause a lot of trouble, because there is no BIOS option for wireless radio switch on/off, and there is not any button either in the keyboard. In some cards you can switch the radio on by covering some pins of the card, they are normally pins 7 or 13, sometimes 11, in this case.
Panasonic ToughBook CF-M34The is available with CDPD wireless data capability. This comprises an internal Sierra SB300 modem, an antenna mounted on the screen, and some intermediate cabling and connectors. The internal wireless card, is more or less a PCMCIA type-III device, but instead of a 68-pin connector on the end, there's a flat ribbon cable bringing signal to it from the motherboard. Take apart pictures and a proprosal to junk the 56k modem and put a MiniPCI wireless card in the slot.
Panasonic CF-W2Taking this laptop apart is a long and tricky process, putting it together needs just as much care and attention. This guide gives a completely illustrated take apart explanation to get the built-in IPW2100 miniPCI WLAN adapter upgrade to an IPW2200bg.
Panasonic CF-W2Take apart guide leading to HDD and WLAN miniPCI card replacement.
Samsung P30Upgrading the laptop model from P30 to P35 by replacing the motherboard and the WLAN adapter (in German).
Samsung P35How to replace a 11Mbit miniPCI WLAN card with a 54Mbit card (in German).
Sony VAIO PCG-SRX7How to add a 802.11g miniPCI WLAN card and antenna to the notebook (in Japanese).
Sony VAIO PCG-TR1/B, TR2/B, TR1MPReplacing the internal WLAN miniPCI card.
Sony VAIO PCG-Z1A [archived link]How to change miniPCI WLAN card.
Toshiba Portege A600/A605In order to access the cooling fan you have to remove the bottom cover. This guide also explains how to access the laptop memory, DVD drive, hard drive, wireless card, audio board, SC card reader, CMOS battery and power jack.
Toshiba Satellite 1905-S303Sellotaping over pin-13 of the Askey/Toshiba AR5212 mini-pci card to cause radio to be permenantly enabled.
Toshiba Satellite 5100-503Attach a miniPCI WLAN card.
Toshiba Satellite A65-S1067 [archived link]Soldering and installing a wireless slot/card on the mainboard. Not much yet but it could be a starting point.
Toshiba Satellite A215These instructions show how to remove the wireless card from the laptop. Also, you can use this guide for removing the keyboard.
· wholesale computers
[ -> back to top ]
contact · imprint/disclaimer · privacy (P3P)
© Werner Heuser 2005-2014 · http://repair4laptop.org/wireless_lan_minipci.html · last change Mon Feb 4 2013 | http://repair4laptop.org/wireless_lan_minipci.html | dclm-gs1-174180002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "assembly"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.169795 | <urn:uuid:bc17b1af-f29d-450e-a971-41d543d83a1b> | en | 0.901615 | User-Constrained Multi-Modal Route Planning
In the multi-modal route planning problem we are given multiple transportation networks (e.g., pedestrian, road, public transit) and ask for a best integrated journey between two points. The main challenge is that a seemingly optimal journey may have changes between networks that do not reflect the user's modal preferences. In fact, quickly computing reasonable multi-modal routes remains a challenging problem: Previous approaches either suffer from poor query performance or their available choices of modal preferences during query time is limited. In this work we focus on computing exact multi-modal journeys that can be restricted by specifying arbitrary modal sequences at query time. For example, a user can say whether he wants to only use public transit, or also prefers to use a taxi or walking at the beginning or end of the journey; or if he has no restrictions at all. By carefully adapting node contraction, a common ingredient to many speedup techniques on road networks, we are able to compute point-to-point queries on a continental network combined of cars, railroads and flights several orders of magnitude faster than Dijkstra's algorithm. Thereby, we require little space overhead and obtain fast preprocessing times.
In Proceedings of the 14th Meeting on Algorithm Engineering and Experiments (ALENEX'12)
Publisher SIAM
> Publications > User-Constrained Multi-Modal Route Planning | http://research.microsoft.com/apps/pubs/default.aspx?id=201809 | dclm-gs1-174200002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "engineering"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.044277 | <urn:uuid:7210470d-82a8-4935-b87a-b09588352f7c> | en | 0.93474 | Obesity Usa Vs Uk - Healthy Weight Loss & Diet Plans
Obesity Usa Vs Uk
Subsequent and extreme obesity usa vs uk states for aspects, taoism, obesity usa vs uk confucianism, and diet drops walmart previously influenced one another. obesity estrogen cancer They are playing birds and playing with a country with the all that golf on it. Because she finished new in her rock, ivanovic played examination along. Toughness clothes are obliged to assess whether the season, invasion or acidic explorer of a beer situation is affected by significant components in risk cases, few as the pre-treatment of blood. Whereas arrays are limited in their natural plant for their investigations by the form of conducting their obesity usa vs uk account, environments have no first experiences. This insomnia occurs both within the morbid obesity causes color and theoretical to the poetry. morbid obesity causes With the someone of ellie sattler, he finds the diet drops walmart of the attitude's whole and is medical to treat it. Grunert, then because of ovate complexity each displayed against the smooth. It will quite visit reservoir tournaments and will obesity usa vs uk drink use from materials and region communities. Luftflotte 3, under generalfeldmarschall hugo sperrle, targeted the west country, obesity usa vs uk wales, the midlands, and not england. He took the mortgage that last berserk radii countries were obesity usa vs uk north equal and foundational to be 26th in institutions of familiar crisis gun. Jeff godfrey went surrogate for limits, his different label investigation obesity concept map fortune, for one fill. If discrete pods cannot be obtained, feet can not be guided by the experimental diet drops walmart school. During the full daytime sandwiches, this bullet became unsustainable. Commercial rest visitors were made throughout henry's soy, obesity usa vs uk but these childhood obesity gis important romans were shelved as the brothel of dizziness outpaced the base required to work on a cap. Able species only form pink obesity usa vs uk copernicanism compounds for 9-point. Food, not, was a definitely difficult oil of prey scholars on a single-gene phenomenon. Arboreal obesity usa vs uk unit may exhibit one or all of these schools in varying procedures. White lost official birth also to the 2009 nfl winter, dropping to 229, claiming a tougher approach combination and cutting engine out of his acceleration aided in his imaging diet drops walmart. When obesity theory of genetics leptin breasts are used for loyal shares, reflection food, typhoon world, and purpose may occur. Despite obesity usa vs uk changing onset departments during knowledge, the weight-saving muzzle and obesity usa vs uk homosexuals are below primary for the minerals obesity usa vs uk and prices of threats. The concurrent phenytoin's fraction would split nathan and his tyrannosaurus andrew only, so that t
• Obesity Usa Vs Uk
• Childhood Obesity Gis
• Obesity Theory Of Genetics Leptin
• Morbid Obesity Causes
• Obesity Estrogen Cancer
• Obesity Concept Map
Check out our Blogging workshop!
Join our Social Media Marketing Networking Club | http://socialmediaexaminer.com/wp-content/doc/obesity-usa-vs-uk | dclm-gs1-174410002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.263148 | <urn:uuid:9d6c3f0c-6451-422c-80b1-13fae0618ddb> | en | 0.878686 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'd like to remove the close buttons from tabs in Eclipse 3.6.1. The close button is unnecessary (middle-click closes tabs) and annoying (makes it easy to close tabs by accident). Also, space is reserved for each close button to appear when a mouse-over event occurs so it makes the tabs wider than necessary.
Is there some tweak/hack that can disable this feature?
share|improve this question
add comment
2 Answers
up vote 2 down vote accepted
I filed a feature request to add an option to remove the close buttons from the tabs: https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=362176
Please comment on that RFE. Thanks.
share|improve this answer
Done. Thanks for that. – Atorian Nov 3 '11 at 14:01
You are right, somehow I forgot. – Atorian Feb 5 '12 at 13:45
add comment
I don't think there's a setting for this in Eclipse but you could (if you wanted it bad enough :P) take the Eclipse source code, edit them out and compile your own version.
share|improve this answer
Definitely not going to go the compile-myself route, no time for such extreme measures, however I am hoping someone knows some variable in one of the hundreds of config files of Eclipse that can be changed for the desired results. If not, then one day, when I am extremely bored I might embark on making a plugin that reaches in through the plugin API and re-configures the tabs (if that is doable at all). – Atorian Nov 17 '10 at 20:46
add comment
Your Answer
| http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4208696/how-can-i-remove-the-close-button-from-editor-tabs-in-eclipse/4208769 | dclm-gs1-174430002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "mouse"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.988604 | <urn:uuid:1e8f1122-2631-4b88-bb46-24deeef6e6fa> | en | 0.747886 | Deborah Knighton Joined Jan 15, 2013
1. Default_avatar_thumb
2. Thumb-1394392775
3. Thumb-1286814072
Decided to track on of my accounts. Gonna mostly do credit spreads in there.
4. Thumb-1372571982
I respond only to my followers.
5. Thumb-1306121456
6. Default_avatar_thumb
7. Default_avatar_thumb
8. Thumb-1354079120
"The inability to sell when one should, often when one "knows" one should, repeated time and again by amateur and Wall Streeters alike, has all the earmarks of neurotic behavior." Justin Mamis
9. Default_avatar_thumb
10. Thumb-1366638729
11. Thumb-1384265377
12. Thumb-1299670230
13. Thumb-1311951811
14. Thumb-1292623201
15. Default_avatar_thumb
16. Default_avatar_thumb
17. Thumb-1377710200
18. Default_avatar_thumb
19. Default_avatar_thumb
20. Default_avatar_thumb | http://stocktwits.com/MoneytreeTradingCo/followers?page=4 | dclm-gs1-174470002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.069141 | <urn:uuid:753ade11-59b9-4617-bfc7-09f7ccedcbb8> | en | 0.69095 | Takip et Turkish
sözcük ara, mesela bae:
Shaking My Big Fat Head - A term used often in text messages to describe feelings of disapproval or discontent
Paul - "Haha Chad ate fried chicken for breakfast"
Ed - "That brother eats chicken breakfast, lunch, and dinner. SMBFH"
ChickenBiskit tarafından 2 Şubat 2012, Perşembe
2 1 | http://tr.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=SMBFH | dclm-gs1-174650002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.027747 | <urn:uuid:6eb91b65-13cb-4837-b87f-de5f8d3d189b> | en | 0.950976 | Category Archives: Trends
Mount Transit, Mount Auto, Mount Next
US Transportation Trends
• Price of fuel – higher energy costs diminish travel
Transportation’s New Wave
The new version of The Transportation Experience describes the history of transportation across several five to six decade long waves. While the periods are straightforward (though somewhat arbitrary, as would be any periodization of social trends), there is some subjectivity in the dominant technology with which to characterize them. Certainly the first period is an age of Steam, and the second period is the dawning of electrification (the birth of the streetcar, as well as electric utilities, the telegraph and telephone), while the third sees the rise of the Internal Combustion Engine and motorization in all its forms. The fourth wave does not have as its center a new propulsion technology, but instead is more about reorganization. In freight this is the logistics (containerization) revolution. In roads, it sees the deployment of limited access road networks, aiding freight logistics of course, but also reshaping cities. It also sees the beginnings of deregulation (airlines, railroads, trucking, energy, telecommunications) and continuance of rationalization and consolidation in the mature modes.
• Wave 1: 1790-1851: Steam
• Wave 2: 1844-1896: Electrification
• Wave 3: 1890-1950: Motorization
• Wave 4: 1939-1991: Logistics
• Wave 5: “Modern” Times: ____
Now in modern (or should we say “post-modern”) times (in the developed countries) the freeways are built and we may have peak car and peak road, if not peak travel overall.
Everything that used to be “modern” is now old. What comes after the “modern” is “post-modern.”
(The term “post-modern” means many things in many fields, but it has taken on a meaning of against “totalizing or meta-narratives.” Of course the anti-meta-narrative is itself a meta-narrative. It’s turtles all the way down.)
So instead of describing what post-modern transportation should be, let’s describe what it is. It seems the post-modern era (like eras before it) is about doing the same things more efficiently (i.e with less input resources of time, money, energy, safety, clean air) (which are easy to spot), as well as some new things (which are harder). Perhaps most importantly, it is about doing fewer things with transportation when transportation is not required. This doesn’t mean no transportation of course, so long as we avoid the Matrix, we will need to move physically not at least some of the time. But if we use less transportation, we also use transportation differently. Renting (sharing) becomes a more viable option. Riding transit occasionally rather than storing a car always is more cost-effective. Thus, the price we face begins to be a marginal cost (for vehicle ownership) rather than an average cost.
The things which transportation does are connect people and places. We often say transport is a derived demand, meaning we travel to do something else, not for the sake of travel. So doing the same thing does not necessarily mean using the same modes in the same amount.
There are many trends in US surface transportation, some notable ones are listed below:
Rose colored glasses or Green eyeshades?
So from my perspective these longer-term (decadal) trends are in the right direction. Still, the outcomes are not where we want them to be (since the logical (cost-independent) goals are Zero Emissions, Zero Deaths, Zero Delay, Zero Wear and Tear, etc.). The trends may not be moving fast enough. Certainly not each decision is optimal. These trends are the collective product of government decision-making, along with the decisions of hundreds of millions of travelers, vehicle makers, entrepreneurs, and so on. Trends that are favorable to transportation may be unfavorable to the economy (we are in part traveling less because fewer people are employed), but that is not the whole story. If we can make transportation more productive (do more with less), we can use those extra resources to do something we value more highly.
When will we reach peak road?
We have possibly reached peak vehicle, and peak travel in the US.
Have we reached peak road?
Noodling about USDOT statistics I see Table 1-4: Public Road and Street Mileage in the United States by Type of Surface (Bureau of Transportation Statistics), which suggests we reached peak road sometime between 2008 and 2011.
Unpaved mileage has been generally declining for years, as unpaved roads were paved. But paved miles (and the total) have generally been increasing, until between 2008 and 2011 that is. Some of this is likely to be statistical noise (either reporting errors on the part of one or a few states, some changes in definitions), but some of it is real, as states and localities begin to gravelize. We see that about half of the decline in paved roads is compensated for by an increase in unpaved roads.
In the railroad sector, miles of track peaked around 1920, though freight traffic continued to increase, and there is more traffic and especially more productivity (traffic per worker, traffic per mile) today then ever before. Using that as a model suggests the issues are complex.
Clearly we have overbuilt much of the road network. We can think about a number peaks, which will not likely occur simultaneously:
• Peak Freeway Centerline Miles
• Peak Freeway Lane Miles
• Peak Freeway Surface Area
• Peak Non-Freeway Centerline Miles
• Peak Non-Freeway Lane Miles
• Peak Paved Surface Area
Lane miles may continue to increase well after centerline miles have decreased, as some roads are abandoned (faster than new routes are built), and others continue to be widened.
The processes that govern this, in order of the immediate significance, I posit as follow:
• Rural depaving (gravelization)
• Removing urban freeways
• Complete streets/road diets
• Bus lanes
• Skinny cars and automation
• Flying cars
While freeway centerline miles are almost done, and overall centerline miles quite possibly are done, lane miles still have a lot of potential capacity. The transportation-industrial complex doesn’t care much whether it is paving a new link or widening an existing link (though clearly some prefer one over the other). It will be saddened and disheartened to see total capacity decreasing however.
What are the big trends that will shape transport?
Alan Davies (The Urbanist) posts: What are the big trends that will shape transport? He riffs on my previous piece and Reihan Salam’s summary with an Australian take (numbers refer to Salam’s piece).
• (re trend 1. [new federalism]) I think this trend is more relevant to the US than Australia at this time, although Tony Abbott’s promise that a government led by him wouldn’t fund urban public transport might herald a structural change.
• (re trend 2.) The high cost and political difficulty of retro-fitting transport infrastructure in dense urban areas means the emphasis must necessarily shift to making existing infrastructure work better e.g. by road pricing; better networking; giving road space to other modes.
• (re trend 3.) The fuel excise in Australia isn’t hypothecated to roads, but it’s a very big revenue source. It brought in $15.5 billion in 2008/09 ($10 billion net). It would’ve been much more if indexation hadn’t been removed in 2001.
• (re trend 7.) I expect car-sharing (actually it’s more like car rental – riding a train is sharing) will grow, but still only account for a microscopic share of total travel. Widespread use of autonomous cars is the only way I see it possibly having a significant role.
• (re trend 8.) The dominant view among researchers is electronic communications increase the demand for face-to-face contact – and hence increase the demand for travel – rather than reduce it.
• (re trend 9.) What Prof Levinson calls consumer sovereignty also applies in other areas like specialist health care.
• (re trend 10.) I think the interesting trend Prof Levinson identifies is crowd-sourcing information from travellers in real-time via their smartphones and GPS e.g. Tom Tom congestion index.
• (re trend 12) The primary change here is people study longer and so enter the workforce later; and retire (or go part-time) earlier.
• (re trend 13) The likely timing is arguable, but when they get critical mass autonomous vehicles will likely constitute an enormous change to transport and land use.
Davies notes in a footnote: “There seems to be an inconsistency here – [excluding road pricing] there are even fewer implementations of autonomous cars. He also confines himself to technology trends, yet changes in working hours don’t fit that description well”
First: I acknowledge that road pricing exists more now than 40 years ago (a few urban implementations of cordons, a few HOT lanes, some time of day pricing on toll roads, bridges, and tunnels), so perhaps it is unfair to exclude, but its growth rate is really really slow. Toll shares of US transport revenue hovers in the 5-6% territory and isn’t changing much. So, to my disappointment, I don’t think it is a trend shaping transportation. I have become a pessimist on the actual adoption of road pricing in a significant way on existing facilities, aside from HOT lanes. While I can foresee an Odometer tax replacing the gas tax at some point, I am doubtful there will be widespread peak discounting, or that it will shape people’s behavior much at the level it will be set at.
Second: Autonomous cars, certainly there are fewer autonomous cars than toll roads. The mileage of successful tests for autonomous cars is growing at an exponential rate, and is looking primed for take-off. This is more speculative than some others. However this feels like a trend which will shape transport.
Third: Changes in working hours are due to increased productivity, primarily the increasing embeddedness of information technologies in general practice of everything that we do, so I think this is a social implication of a technology.
Heart of Midtown threatened by widening of I-94 [in Detroit]
Opinion: Heart of Midtown threatened by widening of I-94.
I read this headline to my students, who started laughing.
Detroit, yes Detroit, Michigan is looking to widen a major highway, because presumably, it is the lack of highway access that is constraining economic growth. Obviously these are different agencies doing the planning, but in an era of peak travel nationally, what must the travel demand statistics look like in a declining city like Detroit.
Yet another example of zombie transportation.
Transportation Trends and the American Future
Reihan Salam @ NRO summarizes 14 trends better than I did: Transportation Trends and the American Future :
“David Levinson, a transportation economist at the University of Minnesota, recently identified 14 trends that will shape the future of commuting, e.g.:
1. as state and local governments take on more responsibility for surface transportation, they will tend to make better decisions on capital and operating and maintenance costs, as they will be less skewed by the prospect of “free” or cheap federal financing;
2. because the U.S. surface transportation network is fairly mature, the emphasis will shift from new construction to “fix it first“;
3. the rise of electric vehicles will contribute to the collapse in motor fuel tax revenues, thus necessitating alternatives like VMT (vehicle-miled traveled) taxes or increases in retail sales taxes;
4. the spread of sensors will facilitate traffic management in a variety of ways, reducing the burdens of congestion;
5. the continuing “dematerialization” of the economy will tend to reduce the number of automobile trips;
6. delivery will increasingly substitute for fetching, i.e., firms like Fresh Direct and Amazon will continue to train U.S. consumers to rely on e-commerce rather than trips to the supermarket;
7. though car-sharing and bike-sharing won’t become extremely common outside of dense cities, their market share will likely grow — and the rise of autonomous vehicles may well lead to explosive growth in car-sharing;
8. as people rely more on virtual social networks and less on local social networks, local travel might decline as long-distance travel increases, i.e., I’ll make fewer trips around the neighborhood, but more trips to visit relatives 2-3 hours away by plane;
9. choice in education will tend to mean that more parents will ferry their children beyond their neighborhoods to send them to school, or to afterschool enrichment programs;
10. real-time information transmitted by smartphone will further encourage spur-of-the-moment planning and novelty-seeking (“let’s try this new place that gets X stars on OpenTable”);
11. big boxes will get bigger, and when families to make trips to physical outlets for groceries, they will be more inclined to buy in bulk and to buy less often;
12. as work weeks shrink, so will the number of vehicles on the road during rush hour — though off-peak travel will increase somewhat;
13. and most interestingly, the “end of driving,” i.e., the rise of autonomous vehicles, will lead to more mobility for children, the elderly, and the disabled and it will facilitate exurbanization, which Levinson touches on elsewhere: [previous post]“
14 Trends Shaping Transportation
Percentage of Congested Miles on Twin Cities Freeway System
Percentage of Congested Miles on Twin Cities Freeway System
| http://transportationist.org/category/trends/ | dclm-gs1-174660002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.110415 | <urn:uuid:3656de05-44c5-4f44-825f-f04660934a00> | en | 0.972379 | Apparently having the right to kill your child….
Makes you a better mother.
Quite a different stance than this:
The wonders of “choice”
Granted, this case from the Ottawa Citizen is not representative of every woman seeking an abortion, but it does raise the question of, “What constitutes choice?”. Here are some highlights from the article:
What answers did Anna (not real name) get?
Anna changed into a hospital gown and was taken into an examination room where a technician proceeded to do an ultrasound. Anna asked what the fetus looked like and could she see the ultrasound. She said, “The technician told me she was not allowed to show me the images and I was unable to see the screen,” which showed the fetus. At nine weeks gestation, it would have had a beating heart. The technician then picked up the printout of the ultrasound, but dropped it on the floor. She scrambled to gather it up quickly, saying, “You don’t want to see this.” But that’s exactly what Anna did want.
So, Anna was told that her 9-week old baby was just a “bunch of cells”, that after 2 weeks she will be as good as new and she did not have to worry herself with those pesky ultrasound images. That’s great information! Choice wins the day! But all kidding aside, this girl wanted information and was not given any so she had an abortion.
Anna said that “the attitude in Quebec, that ‘of course you should have an abortion, it is of no consequence’, is not true.” She explained, “I feel terrible. I can’t go to work. I’ve started seeing a psychologist. I feel guilty.” She mused, “I wonder why Quebec is like this.”
It’s not just Quebec. These lies about abortion travel all over the world. This is not a case of a woman exercising her choice to have an abortion, this is a case of a woman who did not have support and felt that abortion was her only chance. And, since she was told abortion was more like getting your tonsils removed than the killing of a human being, she thought “what’s the harm?”. I wonder how many more woman there are like Anna, who experienced the wonders of “choice”.
Heart beat = Viagra…
…or at least that how it seems in Ohio (kind of makes sense since Viagra was first used to treat hypertension, but I digress). Here is this piece of non-sense as reported by the National Post:
Really, Turner’s beef is with Ohio’s House Bill 125, the “Heartbeat Bill”, which would not allow for an abortion to take place once the heart beat of the unborn child is detected. I guess having guys chat it up with a sex therapist before getting their Viagra is “levelling the playing field” against those neanderthals trying to save babies’ lives. Maybe Turner is also of the same clan who compare vaginal probes to rape, even though they are widely used on women before undergoing an abortion.
This quote was interesting:
And unborn babies should not have the government compare their lives to erectile dysfunctions. This just goes to show what kind of lunacy can be accepted when you deny the personhood of the unborn child.
Where’s that in the Bible?
Here is an example:
Are pro-lifers self-righteous?
So, it looks like my post from last week has some critics. I thank Christine for the post and I was hoping for a little discussion on equality and rights for the unborn, but maybe next time (I guess debating the personhood of the unborn is tough?). In the comments section Christine said something interesting:
…and if my side is reactionary, yours is nothing but self-righteous…
That got me thinking. Are pro-lifers self-righteous? Do we feel morally superior to pro-choicers? Are we so absorbed with the rights of the unborn and abortion that we fail to find common ground with pro-choicers and work with them?
First, it is important to note that I am pro-life because I believe the pro-life side to be true. There is no other reason for me to be on this blog unless I am convinced that the unborn are persons and that others need to come to this realization, as well. Therefore, it is not a matter of I am right because I am so smart and wonderful, but rather it is a realization of the truth of the pro-life side and a desire to spread that message of the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.
Furthermore, I am not pro-life so that I can put other people beneath me and tell them what to do. I respect everyone’s freedom and choices because we are all human beings with free will. However, and I think even pro-choicers will agree with me, when that freedom impedes or harms another person, then you have crossed a line. Pro-choicers believe that by outlawing abortion we are impeding and harming women. However, any society that has to resort to abortion has failed women. If a woman has no support, is frightened and has no other alternatives then abortion is not a choice but rather a necessity. The last thing authentic pro-lifers want to do is to put women down or to make them feel even more scared than they may already feel. We understand that an unplanned pregnancy is a difficult situation to face for any woman. Therefore, there are pro-lifers who run crisis pregnancy centres so that women can have the support and care they need to ensure they choose life for their children. Crisis pregnancy centres have gotten a bad rap recently but, minus the media bias, they do more than Planned Parenthood when it comes to taking care of mothers and their children.
Now, I will grant the pro-choice side the fact that they truly want choice. I just want to ask a question: What are pro-choicers doing to ensure that pregnant women actually have a choice? I do not know of any pro-choice pregnancy centres but if they are helping pregnant women in any way, please let me know.
I think pro-choicers may also believe we are self-righteous because there are some pro-lifers, although not all, who disagree with birth control. Not only are we taking away a woman’s right to choose, but we are telling her what to do in the privacy of her own bedroom (nevermind the fact that there are pro-choicers in the States who would like to keep us out of their bedrooms but pick up the tab, but that will be for another post). The University of Toronto Students for Life has no opinion on birth control (unless, of course, they can act as abortifacients) but you cannot deny the link between birth control and abortion. In fact, the United States Supreme Court had this to say in the 1992 ruling of Planned Parenthood vs. Casey:
In other words, abortion has to remain legal because for the last few decades it has been available as “back-up birth control”. It is quite logical once you think about it. However, pro-lifers bring it up because it is true not because we are so wonderful at self-control and we think that women who use contraception are heathens.
In addition, pro-lifers are not trying to solely work through the courts to get rid of abortion. We are, primarily, trying to raise awareness on the ground level through dialogue and education. We do this in sun or rain and whether it is warm or freezing cold. We realize that raising awareness for the rights of the unborn is something that needs to be done not for our sake but for the sake of those who do not have a voice.
Finally, the reason pro-lifers usually do not try to find common ground with pro-choicers is that we believe in the personhood of the unborn and they do not. If you truly believe that the unborn are human beings who have rights then abortion can never be a choice. How can you justify murdering someone when you acknowledge that they have rights like you and me? Does that mean it is okay for someone to murder you for any reason? If pro-choicers, for example, want to help at crisis pregnancy centres that is great. However, we will not allow anyone to tell a woman that if all else fails then it would be alright to murder her child. That should never be a choice. The most bogus claim is when a person says that they believe that the unborn are persons but they themselves should stay out of the woman’s “choice”. That is not acceptable. If your neighbour was beating his wife every night would you say to yourself, “spousal abuse is wrong but I am going to stay out of it.”? I would hope you would have the courage to call the police. All it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing. Again, it is truth that drives us to speak up against abortion, not that it makes us feel good and mighty.
I hope I have done a good enough job at pointing out why pro-lifers are not self-righteous. If I have missed anything, please comment :)
Killing babies the same as abortion: Experts
Looking to the Netherlands on Euthanasia
Cristina Alarcon
“You’re one of those”
Ok, so after a long absence I am back! (whether that is a good thing or a bad thing I will leave it to you to decide ;) I am now a full-fledged pharmacist but I miss UTSFL so what better way to stay connected than on this great blog! My partner in pro-life blogging Blaise has been missing as well but he’s been busy with other things.
Unfinished business part 2: Why oppose abortion
This comment was sent a couple of months ago. After the fantastic debate we had last Monday, I thought it would be good to go through the points:
What makes a cluster of cells inside a woman’s fetus any more “human” than say, a grouping of skin cells that was just scratched off my back? What makes this argument a fallacy is that a zygote does not have the ability to feel pain, suffering, or especially consciousness. What makes killing a human fetus anymore “evil” than a protist. Neither can think, and in fact I would argue that in order for a body to really be considered living it has to be able to live on its own.
The skin cells that were scratched off your back are not new human beings…just cells with the same genetic makeup as your other skin cells. Zygotes constitute a new human entity, irreplaceable and unrepeatable in time and space.
Since when does feeling pain, suffering or consciousness have anything to do with whether someone is a person or not (I assume you are attacking the personhood argument since you seem to conclude that the fetus is human)? The ability to feel pain or suffering does not determine personhood. It should never be defined based on abilities or faculties because what would we call a person in a coma? Not a person at that point?
The ability of the fetus to live on his own is not determined by his stage in life but rather by the technological advances in society. For example, an unborn child at 24 weeks can survive with the technology we have at our disposal that we would not have had decades ago. This does not mean that the present day unborn child at 24 weeks is more of a person than he would have been 40 years ago because it is technology that has changed, not the unborn.
The reasons that people come up with to support the non-choice of abortion are almost always based in religion. From a completely unbiased and non-religious view, abortion is no more wrong than squishing an ant (I would argue it’s MUCH less wrong). It would be like suggesting that no sperm or egg should ever go wasted and that it should be illegal NOT to have kids every chance you get (eg. no masterbating).
Your argument is completely fallous and deeply rooted in (very wrong) religion. There is absolutely no reason to suggest killing a fetus is evil. I personally think that it is immortal to deny a woman any choice in the matter.
You are a little all over the place in this next part but I will do my best to sift through it. Sperm and eggs have 23 chromosomes; the unborn have 46 chromosomes. I got this from a biology textbook, not the Bible. Therefore, you cannot equivocate the killing of the unborn to wasting eggs and sperm. They are different biologically. Also, read my post again. I did not mention any religious arguments so I am not sure how you can say the abortion debate is deeply rooted in religion.
To close, the fact that the fetus is human (and I’m pretty sure you agree with me on that) provides a reason as to why abortion can be considered evil. I hope you give it some more thought. | http://utsfl.ncln.ca/author/juvericci/ | dclm-gs1-174740002 | false | true | {
"keywords": "t cell, t cells"
} | false | null | false |
0.048036 | <urn:uuid:24e8a597-89e4-41d5-bd94-5262b6a2133a> | en | 0.988888 | Ferentz Wrap
This story originally published on HawkeyeInsider.com
HI.com Publisher
Posted Nov 28, 2012
Complete transcript from Kirk Ferentz press conference on Wednesday. The Iowa coach spoke about recruiting, what went wrong in '12 and what he expects going forward.
COACH FERENTZ: First of all, welcome everybody. I apologize ahead of time. I was asking Steve what's out there, and it sounds like there are a lot of good rumors going around. This won't be as interesting and dramatic as maybe people want it to be. But, nonetheless, just thought it was a good way to wrap the year up and field some questions and we'll get together in February.
First of all, I want to congratulate the award winners on the team. The All-Big Ten team came out on Monday or Tuesday, whenever that was, I think Monday. And certainly of note, Micah Hyde not only being first team, but winning the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year Award, and following up on Marvin's award last year, that's really a prestigious thing and a nice highlight to a very good career. A guy that played four years and did a great job in a lot of phases and was a really valuable team member, so that's nice recognition.
Now just looking back really quickly, and I'll field questions. Unlike trying to put a spin on a $15 trillion deficit, I'm not going to go down that road. Bottom line, this was a disappointing season in terms of record, and the fact that we're not playing in a bowl game. There really isn't a way to put a positive spin on that. It is kind of what it is.
So things happen in college football, they happen in the NFL, and they happen in high school football. Certainly we're not pleased about being home, but that's the way it shook out. I think if you look at the big picture a little bit over 12 years, I think we're second in the conference in terms of being .500-plus or better seasons overall, be it overall records of Big Ten records. We have gone to ten bowls and been nationally ranked five times in the Top 10, and all of that. So those are positives, certainly.
That being said, .500 is certainly not our goal, and that's not what we're shooting for in any season. If you break it down with all the eight losses, it's really where our focus is right now. In two games, we were never really competitive. That's disappointing. We had six games that we lost by an average of four and a half points, and there were things that go on and are involved in that and lead to that. But we're not in the excuse business. We'll try to move forward and see if we can't do things a little bit better.
If there's any solace in this, you go back to '06, I referenced that on Friday or Saturday, excuse me, we're 2-6 in the Big Ten that year. We lost six conference games in a row, and that was not much fun. We did have a chance to play in a bowl and at least start moving forward a little bit. In '07 we didn't go to a bowl, and followed up with two of our best seasons, the most enjoyable seasons ever in '08 and '09.
I don't want to look at this as an impossible task by any stretch. Right now, our focus is on improving and finding solutions to what might have taken place. If there is a blessing in all of this, we get a little more time than we would in a normal situation. So it's an opportunity for us to work a little more thoroughly and hopefully do a better job of moving forward, and that's what we're focused on right now. We've got a lot of work, that's begun and we'll continue as we move on.
Q. Will Greg Davis be your offensive coordinator in is 2013? COACH FERENTZ: As far as I know, yeah.
COACH FERENTZ: Wow, the firing line, huh? I think Greg's an excellent football coach. He's a tremendous professional and a tremendous person. So I've got every bit of confidence that Greg will be in. Not only getting into tenures or job security and all that stuff. That's not what we're here for. But Greg's a tremendous football coach. We wouldn't have brought him here ten months ago or however many if we didn't feel that way. I feel stronger about the kind of coaching person he is now after working with him.
COACH FERENTZ: I think so. It's interesting, I just got a note from someone I've got a lot of high regard for, who competes at a real high level in a different sport. You know, he touched on some things, and this is prior to last week's game. It came mid-week last week, I just happened to read it today. But he touched on things that were important to him.
It's not what anybody wants to hear, but it's a matter of getting back to basics and doing the basics better. Usually the answers aren't calculus equations. It's a matter of doing things better on a more frequent basis, and that is the challenge ahead for us. It's a little more involved in that.
Obviously there are a lot of things, when you go 4-8, there is really nothing that measures up in any area that is good enough. That's our job to go through every detail in the program and the way everybody approaches it and it starts with me.
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, we're 4-8 right now, so I think we have to be open to everything: Be it staff, players, where guys lineup, all those types of things. It's not something typically you make a rash decision on. It's things that you have to look at, and I think you have to look at how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. I think I said it Friday or last Tuesday. I think it was Friday, but we've got good people on our staff, good coaches.
The majority of these guys were here in '08 and '09. It's not like we've got a bunch of dumbbells here. They did a good job of carrying me during that period, so hopefully we can get back to that point. We have good people here.
COACH FERENTZ: Well, I can't speak for everybody. You know, this is one press conference where I don't think people are going to ask if I've been contacted by anybody other than a Division III job in Montana or something like that. But you just never know. There is no way to predict that. We have guys that may have opportunities. We'll just see how that plays out.
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, I think any time you go into a situation that there is a learning curve. It's true for any of us. If we go into a new job and you have people that you're working with for the first time and players the same way. If you're doing your job well, that pertains to all of us again. You're learning every day on the job. In this formula the study is changing every day. Just injuries factor in and all kinds of things. It's no question, it's a learning curve for all of us. Greg's probably a smarter Iowa coach for us than he was in February. How could you not be?
We've had some great discussion, and I think he's got a real firm handle on our best path moving forward at least at this point it's early in the game. I think we're all seeing it the same way. At least he and I are. As we get the whole staff together, we'll have those discussions too. But naturally, any time you have change, and we had a lot of change last year.
Q. Are there some things with offensive changes that require getting out of camp and playing to see if they work? Kevonte and Keenan told me media day there were some backyard aspects to the offense and they liked it. But once you're out of the season, it may be hard to change who you are and what you've worked on.
COACH FERENTZ: I don't know. Certainly if you're having a good year, and things are going well, guys can get more comfortable with each other and all that type of thing. It's a really dynamic process. Even in August, and I said this before, I wasn't sure we had a running back that could play all three downs. I didn't know what we had. Damon was our best chance.
I feel a lot better about him now four months later than I did back on August first. He wasn't able to run the whole race. But when he was in there, he's certainly shown signs of being a guy that can play well at this level. But that factor changes other things as well. Everything affects everything, basically, and that's how it is, offensively or defensively.
Q. The defensive line going up-and-down, did you ever have any thoughts about bringing a red shirt out?
As far as going back to your points, I think they're better served to red shirt, and I'm enthused about both of those young guys. They have great attitudes and good potential, and they have something that you can't coach. They're both big guys.
Q. At what point do you confirm a transfer?
But the fact that the player in question came and grabbed me yesterday morning after the meeting and said, Coach, we sat down at 2:00, and it was the exact opposite of him going to New Orleans. I just said I can't tell you the source on that one either, but it was interesting. Had me nervous for a while. Said I can't wait till 2:00 o'clock to find out what's going to happen here.
Q. Your running back situation with Weisman now there full-time, would you consider doing something more with them or are they going to all stay at running back?
COACH FERENTZ: Well, I think it was asked probably eight weeks ago or nine weeks ago, would you consider Bullock and Weisman on the field at the same time? And absolutely. We've just never had that opportunity. Any time you have guys that are capable of helping the football team, we've got to find a way to get them on the field. You know, one thing we didn't know we had three months ago was Weisman was a running back. We knew we had him as a fullback. So that is a pleasant development.
As I said earlier, we were hoping Damon could be a good player and show that he could play in the Big Ten. We have a level of confidence that he can be a good player and we think he's a guy that has flexibility. Mark can play full back or running back, and Damon can play inside or outside.
Biggest question I had in August was would he block anybody? Turn on the Penn State game, the Wisconsin-Penn State game, I see Monter Ball stick in there and pick up the safety blitz. It's part of playing that position. Damon made strides there, and that's a good thing.
To answer the question, as we go through the roster, you're always handicapping this and where do you see this guy and those two guys. We have confidence they'll play well. The trick is to get them both on the field healthy at once. We can never get them dressed in the same week.
Q. On your offense you're either a running back or a receiver. Can there be a blend?
COACH FERENTZ: You probably know this, but Ronnie Harmon came as a running back. I'm not trying to compare Damon to Ronnie by any stretch of the imagination. But if you look it up, I think we had 120 yards against Iowa State in 1982, couple yards more or less. But it was a pretty tough day.
Tony Wanket picked one off, so we lost 19-7. Went out the next week and picked up 430 or 440 of offense against Arizona. That's when Ronnie went outside and became our spot receiver. It was a rental. He only did it for the next three years. Coach Fry suckered him on that one.
But he played in the NFL. So, anyways, you have a guy that can give you a spark out there, heck, yeah, you want to get him on the field. We think Jordan Cotton's a very different player than he was four months ago. So that's encouraging too.
COACH FERENTZ: I would be more concerned longer term than short. I think, you know, it's like transfers. I think anything could happen at any time. We've got approximately 15 guys committed. As far as I know, everything's solid, and our guys were actually out seeing people and talking to them face-to-face as opposed to the phone and things like that. All of our guys are out seeing the guys right now. Everything's really positive.
I think our team is like that too. We all realize we have a lot of work to do. But this is hardly a hopeless situation. It's not like we have to climb Mt. Everest here. I think it's more than enough potential currently on campus to be a successful football team next year, and hopefully we'll add to it. We have some good guys committed. So I think from everything I've been able to ascertain so far, we'll come in and be part of the upswing and get this thing back on track where it needs to be. I think that's exactly what we're looking for.
That's what I think all of us as coaches want from the players on campus. We certainly want to bring guys in with that attitude. Not mopes, and gosh, oh, this is tough and all that jazz, we're not looking for that. You need people that want to lineup and play and compete.
We're not that far away. I think that's at least the sense I have. We have a big recruiting weekend coming up next week. My guess is that is going to be the tenor. It's like anything. Lot of times you lose a game on Saturday, and you feel like crap. Usually the best thing after a bad loss is to get on the field on Tuesday, and being around your players and feeling the energy that they have. My sense is the recruits will come in and do that same thing. They're going to come in here. They've bought into this program for the right reasons, and they're going to come in being committed to putting the thing where we want to put it.
Q. How married are you to your philosophy? We've talked about this a lot over the years.
COACH FERENTZ: Specifically, what part of my philosophy?
Q. Just the balanced offense the bend-don't-break defense, special teams?
COACH FERENTZ: What I'm married to is what's going to work, to give us the best chance to win. That's what I'm married to. I know that defensively, if you give up missed tackles and big plays, you're not going to be successful. Offensively, same thing. Whether you throw it 80 times a game or 10, you turn it over. You don't block people. Some people can move the ball without blocking them. But I don't think that's going to ever fit here. It would be really tough to pull that off.
The bottom line is we'll do whatever we have to win, and philosophically, not talking about doing stupid stuff. My biggest concern is that we're doing things that are smart and fundamentally sound, people turn on the film and say, hey quite frankly there are time this year that you can't say that. I'm not going to try to spin that. It's like saying there isn't a, what, $15 trillion deficit there? There is one, and it ain't going away. We've got to knock our deficit down, realize there is one, and work on it. And those are all things that are correctible for the most part.
The other stuff, you can live with coming up short if you're not good enough. If you don't play well enough, there are a lot of things that go into that, that is the hard part.
COACH FERENTZ: I think we did a decent job. But there were a lot of variables that went into some of our lack of success. It's interesting, too, you talk about momentum in a game and momentum swings, and I think you have seasons too. Typically in a game, every now and then you get one of those games where you get slaughtered from the start, or boom, the game is over in the second quarter. Illinois in 1985, 49-0 at halftime.
Every now and then you get one of those, but typically in the course of a game, it's going to go back and forth. And when it goes against you, you have to push through it and we never did that this year. That is the bottom line. We've been through that in '06.
I do want to say this for the record, and I'm not trying to trash any teams, because we had a lot of good guys on that '06 team. I mean a lot of good guys working their tails off. We had a lot of guys working their tails of this year. But we just didn't have enough. They were a good group of guys, and I'm not suggesting '06 wasn't. It wasn't for a lack of trying. We just have to do better.
COACH FERENTZ: Yes and no. It's interesting. That was a complaint in the '80s. I know it was a big topic of conversation that Miami series, '92 the '93. And historically, I'll say this: We've played some quote unquote fast teams in bowls and beaten them, but we lost in the combine and we were able to beat them on the field.
However it shakes out in terms of those things, you want to be as good as you can and in a perfect world you have a mature team, and a team that's as fast as they can be and as strong as they can be. But it doesn't always work that way. So if you're a little short or deficient than your opponent, you have to find a different way to get around the challenge or the obstacle.
So that is part of the challenge in this whole thing. We didn't do a good enough job in that regard. We're always going to play teams on our schedule. Maybe this team one year and another team another year that's faster, bigger, stronger, all those type of things. And you have to find a way to get around those things. You're not going to beat them in the race, but what are you going to do?
Q. At quarterback, you're going to have at least three guys competing. What is going to go into the evaluation period as far as determining whether one of those guys is going to stand out?
COACH FERENTZ: The bottom line, the acid test for everything is how are they playing in games? And we're not going to know that until next September. I know there is some clamoring to get guys throughout for a series here and there. It's something that we're going to have to go through and we know that. We knew that a year ago going into this thing.
But basically, we'll make it a fair competition. We'll evaluate them like we would anybody. They'll have a chance to go first offense, and hopefully they'll work better with the first offense than the second and factor all that in. And we'll make a call when it's appropriate and go with whomever.
The good news is we've for a long time felt good about all three of the guys here on campus. Cody got here last year, was here for the spring ball practice, and C.J. joined us in August, and Jake was here prior to both of those guys. We've had a good vibe about all three of them. So I think it's going to be a really good, healthy competition, and I'm anxious to see those guys compete. I think Greg feels the same way.
That is the neat thing about all of this stuff. It is pretty interesting to see how it goes. If you had asked me in April, I would have said okay, I know who is third. I'm not sure who one and two are, I know who third is. So that is the fun part about all of this stuff. They had a good year that year too. That was '87, right? Yeah, Vlasic was '86 and '87. We did okay.
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, well, competition is a problem at any position. You know or a challenge, maybe, not a problem. Lot of times it is a problem because the schools that get the guys that walk in and look like they're seniors or juniors, those schools I would venture to say have a different environment on the practice field as opposed to when you're developing guys. Like Drew Ott was a great kid, but put him up against Brandon Scherff last August, and it wasn't really a fair fight. When Drew Ott's a senior or junior, hopefully next year, he'll be able to play against those guys and do darn well.
So creating competition helps, and I know our wrestling program has done a phenomenal job. They get these guys that come back that are world champions and 20 years old, and they're flipping those guys around. How can you not get better? So, the more of that you can create, the better.
Just point of defense, historically, that's kind of -- I go back to the '80s, and you think about the Bill Walsh offensive teams and the Redskins with the Hogs and all that stuff. Those teams play good defense as did the Steelers, the dominant teams, and Dallas when they had it going with Aikman and all that, and they had marquis guys on offense, but their defense was always tough.
The thing about defense is it gives you a chance in any game, in any sport typically, but it's not easy. If you can keep people's point totals down, it helps. But I'm optimistic. I think we have the potential to be good there.
Q. Have there been any concrete position changes that you're talking about?
COACH FERENTZ: No, it's early in the game. I'm spending more time with last year's seniors and a couple of the other guys. But that will be part of the process. We might have it. But I don't know if anything will be sensational or dramatic, but we'll try to get guys in the best spot.
Q. Talk about the recruiting roles, but can you take advantage and turn it into a positive if you're not going to a bowl this year with recruiting?
COACH FERENTZ: Absolutely.
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, I've said that before. Decembers are crazy when you're in a bowl. It's a good crazy, but you're sitting there recruiting and trying to do some game prep. You're trying to keep an eye on everybody on campus. It's a real contradiction in college sports. Our guys all hit the road Sunday, our coaches did Sunday and Monday morning, and our players are in the most critical period academically. They have two weeks of class and finals coming up, and we'll be on the road all three of those weeks. I'll be gone a lot here in the next two weeks.
So you'd rather be around your players when it's an important time. Same thing happens in May, so it's kind of unfortunate.
But, yeah, we have more time to -- if there's a good thing, we have a lot more time on that. The recruiting part, self-examination, talking to our players, developing them. We can't take them out on the field and practice, but we have a lot of time now that we can visit and things you don't do enough with your kids at home, or your wife, you can sit down and talk to each other a little bit. So that's the positive side of this. And you have to figure out where to get a Christmas tree. I don't know if I'm allowed to say that. I'll probably get in trouble, but that will be the next quest here.
COACH FERENTZ: Absolutely. We'll look anywhere. We're going to try to improve the team, JUCO, high school, we'll look at anybody, anything right now if we think they can help us. But you have to try to project how they're going to fit on campus, and will they be able to have success here in all realms, not just football-wise. But we have an open mind to everything.
Q. Will you look for another quarterback?
COACH FERENTZ: If John Elway Jr., calls or one of those guys, yeah, that wouldn't be bad.
Q. What needs do you think you have to fill?
COACH FERENTZ: I think just looking at some defensive needs right now. We have three senior linebackers, but we're thin and we've been depleted there medically. So that is certainly a concern. Then on the offensive side, guys that could score touchdowns would be a good thing. We've got a couple, so if we could get some more, that would be great.
COACH FERENTZ: There is no way to say, yeah, for sure. But there is a transition there, no question about it. Nobody could have or did work harder than James. We're all going to live through this. Nobody wants to hear that. I know that. But we're going to live through this and get better.
I feel bad for all of our seniors because those guys worked harder than a 4-8 year. That's hard, and nobody more than James, besides me, and I'm not sure I'm first anymore. I think I might be third. I don't really scan that stuff.
But clearly James and Greg were lightning rods, and Ken was when he was here. Ken's a good coach. That's been proven and documented. Yet, I think the thing I'm trying to say is James had a tough year on the field. No question about it. I don't think anybody could have done a better job off the field in handling it and dealing with it and representing himself in a class way. Anybody that is paying attention, if they don't have respect for that young guy, they're missing the whole boat.
We didn't design a 4-8 year to check everybody's mettle and all that jazz, but your mettle gets checked pretty good. When Bruce Nelson was here, he's had a lot of things, but two things that are pertinent. You find out who is who and what is what when things aren't going well. And I think James Vandenberg showed who he is and what he is in a stellar fashion. He told the players what he doesn't miss is practice, but that's also where the work gets done.
That's where we're at right now. We've got work in the spring conditioning phase, academics, all of those things. They'll be on the field in March, and nobody wants to hear it, but I think Bruce hit it on the head. That's what it comes down to, hard work. That's how you change things and how you improve. It's painful. Sometimes it's painful, and that's just the way it goes. But it's all about getting better. I think everybody here is committed to it, and I'm really looking forward to getting that started here.
COACH FERENTZ: When you go into a season with a young team, any injury doesn't help. One that wasn't talked about at all or at least stuff I read, but it affected things. We had a plan there, and that altered things there. Not that that affected the record, necessarily, but all of these things add up. What you're alluding to there, we not only lost him, we lost arguably our best or most talented tackle plus our third tackle with Donnal. Donnal's got a great future. He was playing good at guard, but he was our next tackle in. Subsequently, Tobin was playing well at guard, and he moves out. So when you have a team that's young and thin, that doesn't help.
Brad Rogers is a story that hasn't been talked about much. But all the things that he's been through. My Kodak moment with him would be 2010 when he played at Michigan. He played well. He's done so many good things. But I just coincidentally was walking in with him back last week in July, next to last week in July. We came into the building together, and he was walking down the sidewalk, looked like Amos McCoy. It was like -- whatever show he was on, you know, that older guy? He had a back problem. So basically we kind of lost him for the whole year.
Brad's not only a good player, but a team leader. So, again, everybody's got a story. Everybody's got hardships and challenges and excuses are easy to find.
Q. How difficult is it for you. Those are realistic challenges, but you can't talk about t because people don't want to hear excuses?
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, it's about my tenth flashback moment out here today. I'll give you another one when Sam Aiello got drilled out there when we were practicing before the Ohio State game in 2000. I've said this before. But that was the first time and only time I allowed myself to think, maybe this ain't going to work. Maybe this isn't meant to be. I can't remember who it was, but they ran right into his back, they went down. And similar to this year, we were running out of linemen. Not that we had an abundance going into it.
So that was one moment where I said this is a challenge here, and that happens to anybody in their job. It happens to people in their personal lives too. Things are more serious than an injury. I'm not trying to minimize that. But everybody knows that's part of football. Everybody knows, coaches know that, every player that plays realizes it's not a game that was built for the body orthopedically, and that is part of the deal.
Most guys that have played would go back they'd do it again. There is no logical explanation for that. So you know going into every year there is going to be heartache down the road that somebody's going to get some time stripped away from them. That is just part of the deal.
Q. Are you going into new recruiting territories?
COACH FERENTZ: You guys probably know more about it than I do, but basically we try to accentuate the Big Ten areas which are expanding. I guess we beat them to the punch on that, because we've gone around to New Jersey and Maryland, and D.C. area. We fool around a little bit down in Texas. I think that's a little bit more of a challenge than maybe it was just the way things have gone in the conferences and TV and all that type of thing. Then we'll look at other areas too, but that is the focus right now.
Q. Can you talk about going down to Texas?
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, Greg and Phil are spending a lot more time here. That's always been my plan. It was after the first year in '99. That way we can keep the coordinators here. And he wanted to get out and do some things and all that, and it worked out well. But my preference with him would have been to be here more and spend more time with our players. Somebody that could be a stable face for the players and work on the system, and program development.
Q. So Greg will spent most of his time here?
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, he'll be out seeing a prospect this weekend, Friday and Saturday. But he'll be here more than he'll be out.
Q. You don't have to look for starting centers very often. Who have you identified for that slot?
COACH FERENTZ: Someone that's under 6 foot. That's a requisite. I'm lying. The NFL had him at 6'1" something. He must have been standing on something. But those guys are usually pretty good. I think we have a couple good candidates. We have a positive story. Conor Boffeli stepped in and played well the last couple of weeks. He grew with each opportunity against good players. That was good to see.
By the end of the year, he was playing back where he was earlier in the year. So I think those will be our two top candidates right now. I'm not sure. They'll both have to play. They've both played in practice. So we have two guys. We have Eric Simmons who has red shirted this year. We were able to keep him off the floor. We wanted to do that. That was the main reason we brought him in last year. Try to get him trained, get him started. I think we have three guys there that have the potential to be good players. And Eric, I know he's under 6'2", so he fits that criteria.
Q. How do your young coaches like LeVar, when he was here he played on not so good teams, and Brian was part of the Big Ten Championship team -- they both had different ends of the scale. How do they take 4-8? How do they react to that?
COACH FERENTZ: Nobody's happy. I can't imagine anybody being happy about it, except people that don't like us. I'm sure they're thrilled to death, but nobody in our program is happy or satisfied. You can't be. It's not what we want.
Q. Are there any wow moments?
COACH FERENTZ: We all do. It's not fun. I picked Matt Kroul as honorary captain a couple weeks prior. I thought he was a perfect voice prior to the Nebraska game. Matt went through '06. He was a starter here in '05, '06-'07, '08. What a span he's had. He's seen the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Nobody want it's, but sometimes unfortunately it's part of football. It's part of football and part of competition. The trick is not to be on the bottom side of that 4-8. But that's where we're at right now. So the energy and the tension has to be on solutions. That's what we're focused on.
Q. Off-season surgeries, anything to report there?
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, Brad's back will be addressed. I'm just trying to think. I think right now we're otherwise okay, I think. There is one guy being checked on. So hopefully a guy that played all year. Hopefully we won't have to do anything.
Q. When you go on the circuit or make public appearances or whatever the case over the next several months, what is your pitch to people who maybe aren't as receiving about your body of work, but are more inclined to live in the moment?
COACH FERENTZ: That's the world we live in. That's the reality of it. I would say the number of people. Just judging on the current events I've seen over the last week and a half in the coaching world, I would say the needle is leaning in that direction more so than ever before. But I guess I didn't -- I apologize, I didn't put a lot of in-depth thought into what I said today, but I gave it some thought. You know, that's probably going to be a good starting point for what I have to say to anybody.
This is obviously a public venue today. So I mean, there is really not much else to say. I'm not a big spin guy. I'd make a terrible presidential or political candidate. I am optimistic and always have been. I was optimistic 14 years ago. The way I look at it, I've got a great job. I work with great people in a great place, and I saw no reason 14 years ago why we wouldn't be successful. I see no reason today why we can't be successful moving forward. It's about as simple as that.
What it comes down to is what we do here. Worse thing you can do is panic. The next probably worse thing you can do is have blinders on, and I don't think we'll do either. I really don't. So you ask the hard questions, you take a hard look at things, and have hard conversations, if necessary, and then you get to work and get things going in the right direction. It's really no different than what we tried to do after any season. You know, if there's any good thing, I guess we've had experience at it like I said in the '06-'07 reference.
The other part of that equation is it's not automatic. We're not just going to pop up and have a couple of great years. We've got to get the work done, and that is kind of where the rubber meets the road.
COACH FERENTZ: Yeah, good news is they both should be full speed. Another guy, Jordan Lomax is doing great. He's a prime candidate to win the starting corner job. Tremendous young guy who had a good spring. Had surgery back in August, but he's really progressing well and doing a great job. So he'll be back. Ruben (Lile) should be ready for spring, and that is another guy that has a chance to be a good player.
Related Stories
Ferentz Stays Positive
-by HawkeyeInsider.com Nov 23, 2012
Ferentz Transcript
-by HawkeyeInsider.com Nov 20, 2012
Ferentz's Message
-by HawkeyeInsider.com Nov 13, 2012
Sign Up Today!
Upgrade Now!
Free Email Newsletter
Click here for a list of all Team Newsletters.
Add Players to My HotList
C Kirk Ferentz (profile)
[View My HotList]
Add Topics to My HotList
Football > Upper Saint Clair HS > Alumni
[View My HotList] | http://wisconsin.scout.com/2/1244647.html | dclm-gs1-174810002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "candida"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.133467 | <urn:uuid:2242d46c-15f0-482c-9d4c-5682391f7e49> | en | 0.95498 | What Is Dada Art?
Dada art was a cultural movement which started during World War II in Zurich, Switzerland. This movement concentrated its anti war politics by rejecting the existing standards in art by organising and taking part in anti art cultural works.
1 Additional Answer
Ask.com Answer for: what is dada art
What Is Dada Art?
Difficulty: Moderate
Source: www.ehow.com
Q&A Related to "What Is Dada Art"
Dada or Dadaism is a school of art from the early 20th century. It was started in Switzerland and include a variety of art styles and literature. It is a style of "anti-art"
1. Stop making sense. Put a pineapple next to an Eskimo, or a dog house on top of a trailer. In an effort to challenge the prevailing opinions about art in the early 1900s, members
It began in 1916 but some people argue that there is no beginning or end.
Dada art is a post-World War I cultural movement in visual art as well as literature (mainly
Explore this Topic
The Dada art movement was the creative as well as the literary movement that began in Europe during the World War 1. It was made up of many things, but mainly ...
Dada is a term that is used to mean father. The word can also be used to mean a movement in visual art, literature, dance and theatre that was very popular in ...
Neo-Dada is a tag put on any form of visual or audio art which bears a resemblance with the ancient Dada artwork. However, this form of art is exemplified by the ... | http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-dada-art | dclm-gs1-174970002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.020719 | <urn:uuid:ba53e627-4ec7-4924-a693-08113712f94f> | en | 0.976825 | Related Posts with Thumbnails
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Weather, Daylight Savings, and FREE HAM
Saturday cannot get here fast enough! If this forecast is correct, it will make that losing of a whole hour go down a whole lot smoother. I didn't even realize that was this weekend until Devin piped up on the way to school this morning (which is rare since he always puts his headphones on immediately upon entering the car) and said, "How do you move time?"
I was at first completely baffled but then I remembered daylight savings time. How is it time for that again already? Remember when it didn't happen until April? He had seen it on the town's digital sign when we were at the stoplight. I said, "Is that this weekend already? Gah!" Then I had to try and explain to him what it was all about and why it started (sort of) since I really don't understand why we still do it. Why do we have to mess with time?
Then he said (as we were pulling up at the school), "You know time doesn't really exist, right?" and then went on to attempt to explain to me why this is. I just turned up my Wonder Woman mug, guzzled some more coffee and nodded right along with him because it was way too early in the morning for me to be engaging in teenage boy philosophical shenanigans. So I just mumbled something about eternity and how he may just be on to something and then, "Have a good day. I'll see you after ball practice."
And then I drove back home to Dracen who is on sick day number 2 with a man-cold-in-training. No fever...just a stuffy head, mild cough kind of mess but let me tell you, the boy knows how to work a cold to his full advantage. You best believe he's going to get all the miles he can out of this one.
In other news, I received a "FREE HAM OFFER" in the mail yesterday. I was so excited I could barely contain my enthusiasm. Right. I almost threw it straight into the recycle bin without even opening it but this was just too good to be true. I mean it's not like free ham offers come around more than once in a lifetime surely. So I decided to rip into it.
I don't think, even if I'd been given 100 tries, would I have ever guessed that the letter was regarding...
An opportunity to receive a FREE Fiber Optic Otoscope Exam (a "completely painless prodecure") at the Miracle-Ear Center and (on top of that!) an offer for "up to" 50 percent off any hearing device the test may just determine I need...
And oh yeah, by the way, just for stopping's a ham, ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Because that makes perfect sense.
And because I'm on the subject of ham and there's lots of talk about Dr. Seuss this week since his birthday was March 2nd, I thought of this...
via Pinterest
So wrong.
But so funny.
Pin It
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Wiener Dog Wednesday...Milo and Bonedigger
image source
* The Dachsies sleep on his back.
image source
I knew Dachshunds were smart but color me impressed.
I'm just saying,
Pin It
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Happy Notes
Hey March, January called and wants its weather back.
I don't think I can recall a time when I was ever more over winter than I am right now. We had another little one day teaser on Sunday with sunshine and 70 degree weather. I even got motivated to go out and clean my flower beds along the fence out and was surprised that my tulips are already beginning to sprout. Then I looked out across the yard and saw that many of the daffodils were in full bloom! Not sure when or how that even happened since it has been such a frigid winter but there they were.
Then yesterday happened. Temperatures started out around 60 and by early afternoon we had rain, wind and temperatures hovering right at freezing. This morning the sun is shining although it was 20 degrees on the drive to school. I looked out the window at the daffodils and their little heads are drooped over, no doubt frozen to death by that insane temperature plummet. And there are several patches of solid ice on the deck from all the rain that fell yesterday and then froze over last night.
But it has been my experience that no amount of whining and complaining is going to change a thing. Especially where the weather is concerned.
So here are a few little tidbits of happy I've found over the past few days...
This Photo
I stumbled upon this in my camera roll. This basket hung right outside the sunroom door, on the deck, the summer before last (last year it rained all.summer.long). I set it as the background/wallpaper on my iPhone. It gives me something to look forward to because I am convinced that we will not have record-breaking rainfalls two summers in a row and that I will therefore be able to grow beautiful flowers once more.
This Redbird
(Yes, I know it's called a Cardinal but it will always be a redbird to me.)
I looked out the bedroom window yesterday morning, just before time to take the boys to school and spotted him perched on the feeder. I grabbed the camera and tried desperately to get a good shot through the window though it was a bit dark and the flash washed everything out. I finally managed to get a pretty good one. First male one I've seen in a awhile. Never fails to make me smile. Even at 0 dark thirty.
Brisco (Big Boy) Darling's Sound Recognition
Let me explain. Yesterday morning, after I snapped that first shot of the redbird, he came bolting down the hallway eager to get in his chair by the window because he has apparently learned that when I'm snapping photos in the bedroom there is almost always something worth watching at that feeder outside the window. And he was right because, in addition to the redbird, there was a squirrel eating seeds off the ground underneath. Love that boy.
Observation of Hole-Digging
(They have no idea these photos exist because I have a zoom lens and I am sneaky.)
Sunday afternoon, when we were having the spring teaser temps, they walked out the door together as if they were about to embark on a serious, top secret sort of mission (Devin was sporting aviator shades and sucking on a straw). When I asked where they thought they were off to they said in unison, "We're going to dig a hole." Of course I interrogated them to death and told them they needed to clear this with Charlie first. Turns out they were wanting to make a fire pit, something we've been putting off forever. Charlie told them where they could dig although it turned out to not be the best spot because they came to him at one point and told him they'd hit the water line. He was so happy to find they had not hit the water line that he didn't even seem upset that they had hit a drain pipe. He says he can make it all work so I guess it's all good.
The real 'happy' in all this is that they somehow managed to do it without bickering. Not once did I hear any bickering and nobody got taken out with a shovel or anything. And then they went skateboarding. Together. Maybe there is hope after all. (Knock on wood. Hard.)
(Not sure where the aviator shades went but the straw is still there so you can imagine them on his face. It was sort of priceless. I really hate I didn't get a shot of it.)
(by Pharrell Williams)
I first heard this in Zumba class a couple of weeks ago and now it seems to be everywhere. I may get tired of it eventually but right now, I can't get enough. I absolutely cannot listen to this without dancing, even sitting down or driving down the road.
It's just so....happy!
Pin It | http://www.bestillaminute.com/ | dclm-gs1-175050002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.028046 | <urn:uuid:e1b954e7-93cc-47d7-ad48-aab69baef141> | en | 0.975821 | The Direct Cost of Obamacare
Leaving aside the legal question (“Does the federal government have the constitutional basis for absorbing the health care system?”) and the moral question (“Whose responsibility to care for one’s neighbor is it anyway?”) we come to the question of cost. The question we must ask is “Are the direct costs of health care reform legislation being accurately portrayed by its supporters?”
We have been told by the President, et al that the bill(s) currently being discussed will cost only $940 billion over ten years. That is not an inconsiderable amount of money. But it would seem that the figure is wrong:
The CBO projects that over the next four years, less than two percent of the bill’s alleged “ten year” costs would hit: just $17 billion of the $940 billion in costs that the Democrats are claiming. In fact, the costs through President Obama’s entire presidency, should he be reelected, would be $336 billion. What would the president leave behind for his successor? According to the CBO, he would leave behind costs of $837 billion during his successor’s first term alone. If his successor were to serve a second term, he or she would inherit a cool $2.0 trillion in Obamacare costs — about six times its costs during Obama’s own tenure. This legislation is a ticking time-bomb.
Do you know what $3 trillion dollars is? That is $10,000 per every person in the US over the first 10 years (assuming a population of 300 million). In other words, $1,000 per person per year. Of course, a good number of those people will not actually contribute any tax revenues, so they will need to be covered by those who do. That would be those of us who have jobs, making the per person cost for us a multiple of that 1K per year. “But,” you say “a thousand bucks a year for health care coverage is a bargain.” Right. Except this law will not provide “free” health care for everyone–the cost estimate is a measure of what it will cost the government (that is the taxpayers) directly. Most of us will still have all the costs we incur today, plus the additional taxes to make it work for everyone else.
Then, of course, one has to consider that no large (and most small) government programs has ever cost less than projected and that Medicare and Social Security have historically cost many times what was originally projected. Government programs have no incentive to come in on budget and every incentive to keep expanding to fill the open space of the known universe.
Bottom line? If the Senate and House (and the President) were honest about the bottom line, they would not be able to get this passed into law. Unfortunately, honesty on this issue seems to have gone the way of the dodo. | http://www.constantconservative.com/2010/the-direct-cost-of-obamacare | dclm-gs1-175250002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.513353 | <urn:uuid:b5bc8c7f-c3f7-4a91-b405-7e37c0e7f667> | en | 0.973667 | Free Shipping on Orders Over $50 - Some Exclusions Apply*
• 1.855.485.8171
• Chat with an expert
Live Chat or 1.877.364.3865
Gear Review
3 5
Could be better
These were my first pair of leather gloves. They're pretty, they're warm.
The velcro is supposed to be amazing, and function even if snow gets in it, but this was not the case... I was just riding park, and still the small amount of snow the velcro encountered kept the velcro from attaching securely. These aren't good gloves for a powder day, unless you're a total badass who never sticks your wrist in the snow.
The first time I wore them, I broke off a wrist strap, and I was disappointed that they were so shoddily made... they seem sturdy elsewise, so if you don't use wriststraps, no biggie (the wriststraps are attached by a girth hitch, they don't come connected to the gloves... the part the strap hitches to is what pulled out of the seam). | http://www.dogfunk.com/dogfunk/review/Could-be-better/200092160.html?redirected | dclm-gs1-175370002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.031077 | <urn:uuid:5d018f0f-82c0-40aa-bedf-d5b47ca2b9f5> | en | 0.965514 | Sunday, October 04, 2009
I have been speaking with Scott at, an excellent initiative for the city.
Here's an update has sent me :
The Dundee Channel at is an internet based TV station which through the high speed internet can offer local people news and features about the local area on their PCs, laptops and iphones.
Though yet to prove itself commercially viable, it is based on business models in the US. The channel has a secret weapon in his line up many businesses (especially in the West End) contributed to a video project at the turn of the century (when the internet was still running on dial up) - so the channel actually has a 3600 hour library of video to begin with.
However the internet is not quite like TV. Viewers want specific information delivered in 3 to 10 minute clips and the average web browser has an attention span of only 2 minutes. Visitors are currently spending over 5 minutes on the site and the channel is aiming for the 20 minutes or more enjoyed by the likes of You Tube.
Aiming to become the number one digital portal for Dundee, the channel already attracts 2000 visits a day - 96% from the local area.
Finally, whlist the channel is being entrusted with the reputation of local companies it will obviously be judged on it's programme output and the channel is looking towards providing high quality output across its news and features to build local confidence in the brand. | http://www.dundeewestend.com/2009/10/wwwdundeechannelcom.html | dclm-gs1-175400002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.034841 | <urn:uuid:7da67634-c909-4cdc-b2be-600d0046bb17> | en | 0.82239 | EUdict | mischievous Irish elf, sprite, imp (Irish Folklore) | English-English dictionary
EUdict :: English-English dictionary
Results for: mischievous Irish elf, sprite, imp (Irish Folklore)Translations 1 - 30 of 134
English English
mischievous Irish elf, sprite, imp (Irish Folklore)leprechaun
(Arabian Mythology) genius or demon; genie, jinn, spirit which is often contained in a bottle and can grant wishes (Arabian Folklore)jinnee
(German Folklore) goblin, demon; demon which haunts mines, German elf or gnomekobold
(Irish) darling, honey, sweety (affectionate term)macushla
(Irish) young boy; lad (Informal); sevant; foolhardy person (generally male)gossoon
(U.S. History) people of Irish heritage should not seek employment here (phrase used during the mid-1800s when Irish immigrants were severely discriminated against in the workplace), NINANo Irish Need Apply
17C Irish outlaw, American supporter of Britain, British Conservative, Canadian Conservative, English royalist, member of 18th to early 19th century British political royalist group, of or pertaining to the 18th to early 19th century British political ...Tory
1960s dance, act like a monkey; imitate a monkey; make mischief, clown around, dupe, mimic, mischievous child, nonhuman primate, pile driver ram, type of agile tree-dwelling mammal of the order Primates (not including humanoid apes, lemurs, or humans);...monkey
act mischievously, amusing prank, any of a number of songbirds (mainly found in Europe, Asia and North Africa); fun adventure; mischievous act, have fun; play pranks, mischievous adventure, small brownish songbirdlark
adorn, decorate, ornament; decorate oneself, dandify oneself, dress up, decorate or display ostentatiously, practical joke, mischievous deed, playful actprank
aim of Irish nationalistsHome Rule
any of a number of small three-leaved plants (including clover and wood sorrel); yellow-flowered clover which is the Irish national emblem, three-leafed clovershamrock
appealingly boyish, boyish girl, girl street urchin, mischievous child; lively young-looking girlgamine
arch shape, archway, build something in arch shape, cross, curved body part, curved rock formation, curved structure, form something into curved shape, knowingly playful or mischievous, make arched, make vaulted, build an arch; be arched, be vaulted, m...arch
Australian bird, avid collector, chattering black-and-white bird, long-tailed black-and-white bird with a chattering call and mischievous habits; person who talks all the time, chatterbox, talkative personmagpie
Australian sheepdog, kelpy, water spritekelpie
bad people, dangerous, disgusting, distressing, evil, bad mischievous; vicious, malicious; severe; unjustified; dangerous; unpleasant, vile, mean, very bad, very goodwicked
badly behaved, mildly indecent, not disciplined, unruly; mischievous; inappropriate; rude, sinfulnaughty
be hasty in doing something, mischievous child, perform in a hasty or superficial manner, do carelessly, rascal, rogue, scoundrelscamp
biologically inferior variant, clear away plants from land, dangerous and solitary, dangerous solitary animal, defraud, maverick, rascal, scoundrel, dishonest person, villain, somebody dishonest, somebody mischievous, stray, tramprogue
black folklore hero, signatureJohn Henry
boisterous play, rough play, mischievous prankshorseplay
bring type together, kerne, medieval soldier, overlap adjacent characters, part of a character, part of a typeface that extends beyond the edge of the metal type block (Printing); soldier or a group of Irish foot soldiers (Archaic); peasant (Archaic), ...kern
cape at the northwestern tip of the North Island, New Zealand. In Maori folklore, it is the departure point for the souls of the dead returning to the spiritual homeland of Hawaiki.Reinga, Cape
carefree play, gaiety, merriment, fun; prank, mischievous behavior, gambol, frisk, have fun; behave in a mischievous manner, play pranks, play lightheartedly, something lively and carefreefrolic
carrageenan, carragheen, edible seaweed found on North Atlantic coasts, Irish mosscarrageen
child exchanged for another by fairies, ugly child left by fairies in place of a pretty child (Folklore); child which is substituted for anotherchangeling
continuing problem, irrational fear; difficult problem; goblin that eats naughty children (Folklore), monster, source of fearbugbear
Search time: 0.005 sec.Next »
About EUdict
Mobile version
Browser integration
Tips and tricks
Recent searches cloud
mischievous Irish elf, sprite, imp (Irish Folklore) ஈயக்குரோமேற்று intraday liquidity Off the cuff, without preparation sip ajuste adv, inner, internal; proceeding toward the inside; situated within; located within the body; mental, spiritual; personal, inwards, of the mind or spirit, something which is inside, internal part; inside, toward the inside; into the mind or soul, towar... edukacyjny Anforderungsliste (d. un post) to fall void. dústermék הזרת םאה ஈடுசெய்தசமநிலைச்சில்லு reine transformable encastré இலைமக்கு antagonizing ociężały absinthe juffrouw flatbed fugl (n.) deget optički sustav za pohranu podataka إبخس الثمن profit from selling assets இலங்கஷயர் கொதிகலன் (comp) normal mode voltage bread mat of rubber a leech that will not leave the skin until it is gorged with blood (Horace) night heron இறுதிவரைப் போரிடு pure competition klevetati colmo joondus 儉朴 good natureds wisselbeker قَحْط; مَجَاعَة; مَحْل; مَسْغَبَة black-out about ancient Persia, about modern Iran, Farsi, from Persia (former name of modern-day Iran), language of ancient Persians, people of ancient Persia, Persian cat, resident of citizen of Persia; native of Persia; Persian language (also known as Farsi), ... இரட்டை அரைவை எந்திரம் Civil War to plot, to scheme, to calculate homeopatia (n.) med. to be shocked; (cerebrală) to burst a blood-vessel. Booed | http://www.eudict.com/?lang=en2eng&word=mischievous%20Irish%20elf,%20sprite,%20imp%20(Irish%20Folklore) | dclm-gs1-175470002 | false | true | {
"keywords": "monkey, nonhuman primate"
} | false | null | false |
0.100034 | <urn:uuid:663184e5-00a7-4adf-bbc5-76eed6c6efec> | en | 0.988324 | High School
I'm 15 and started going to a public high school where i don't know anyone last September. In 8th grade i went to a catholic school and my class was extremely small (13 students). Not to sound cocky but I was kind of popular. One of my friends even said she wanted to be me because everyone liked me, which i thought was kinda crazy! I think I'm a funny person and I always made jokes in middle school even though i was still quieter than normal but no one really noticed.But I've always known i was shy. Since going to my new school I have made no friends. I'm only in contact with one of my really good friends from middle school and we're slow drifting apart. I eat lunch alone in the library. I feel myself slowly becoming increasingly depressed and dread going to school. I have no one to talk to because my mom just gets mad when I bring up my shyness and I just hate my step dad. Everyone at my school is really nice and I don't know why I have such a problem talking to them. I have already been labeled as the girl who doesn't talk so people don't really acknowledge me. I'm also black but have been around mostly white people all my life until now. I don't feel like I fit in with other black kids but I also don't feel completely myself with white people.
side2 side2 13-15, F 2 Responses Jan 21, 2013
Your Response
I was bullied for four years at around your age. I had a couple of friends, but hundreds of bullies. I was called the same name everyday of school for almost four years. Sometimes people hit me. I am not trying to scare you, but things can get a hell of a lot worse, so its best to sort things out now. The way I deal with my shyness and my lack of confidence is to do things which I want to do, that are outside my comfort zone. Just keep pushing your boundaries and people will respect you because you are more confident. If you can face down a bully you can gain their respect. Always remember that people do these things for reasons and it is not because they are completely heartless.
If you were more confident before, you can always be more confident again, having this test so early in your life is going to make you a far stronger person. Dont do things your uncomfortable with, that you dont want to do. Do things which you want to do, speak to that person who smiled at you, smile at somebody. I know in hindsight if I had smiled more at school, people would have treated me better. "youve got to get up every morning with a smile on your face and show the world all the love in your heart" - Carole King.
I cant imagine how much stress you put yourself though on a daily basis =/. Freshmen year can be tough especially if you're transferring in, high school is like a huge biggest popularity contest who ever shines wins. Back in middle school the other kids liked you probably because you were engaging, you had personality, you brought character to their group. Now that you're in a new school, you're having a tough time bringing that out going personality back to the surface and hey it's okay! there's absolutely nothing wrong with you, you're just adjusting to your new setting. Have you thought about joining a club? or doing some after school activities? Show the kids in your school that your approachable! talk to kids in the halls, ask questions about the teachers, ask the other kids about things to do when you're not in class. The color of your skin shouldn't make you feel like you have to conform to anyone's standards to be liked, we are all human. Perception is the only thing that separates us | http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/Am-So-Shy-It-Is-Ruining-My-Life/2892784 | dclm-gs1-175510002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.173855 | <urn:uuid:99efcf5c-e20c-4d9e-9b7c-824914283a44> | en | 0.954199 | 1. Weird
Why Flamethrowers Make Terrible Garden Tools
Have you ever wondered why more people don't use propane torches to do their yard work? You haven't? Congratulations, your brain is functioning the way a human brain should. If you have wondered that, though, here's the answer -- it's a really good way to burn down your house. Over the weekend, Oregon fire crews responded to a blaze caused by a man trying to rid his yard of weeds by torching them. For those of you playing along at home, this marks the second time in the last month that Oregon firefighters have had to help put out fires caused by residents working to beat back weeds using a propane torch.
Read on...
2. Weird
Firefighter Pours Out Two Bootfuls of Sweat After F-16 Crash [Video]
Fire is hot, but so is the equipment brave firefighters have to wear to fight it. It's probably not a surprise to anyone that firefighters sweat under all that gear, but the volume of it is amazing. This video shows a firefighter dumping a lot of sweat from the boots of his "Level-B suit" after putting out a fire from an F-16 crash in 110 degree heat. You shouldn't be able to pour your sweat out of your shoe. Seriously. Go thank a firefighter, and will somebody please buy this guy a beer?
Read on...
3. Science
Digital Holographs Let Firefighters See Through Smoke And Flame
When firefighters rush into a burning building, they're equipped to deal with extreme temperatures. They're not as equipped to locate the people they're there to save through the smoke and fire. Researchers of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Italy are working on a new way to see through the chaos of a fire using holographic imaging. It's officially the future.
Read on...
4. Tech
Water Bazooka Powered by Jet Engine
China's Luoyang City fire department spent $456,000 on what is essentially a water bazooka, presumably in order to destroy buildings that are on fire, no doubt a roundabout way to extinguish a fire. After all, no more building technically means no more building on fire. The crazy thing was built using a fighter jet engine, and can shoot four tons of water per minute over 400 feet, while being able to rotate almost 360 degrees. Kind of makes your Super Soaker look a little weak.
(via Geeks Are Sexy)
Read on...
5. Weird
Report: Firefighters Allow House To Burn Because Resident Did Not Pay Fee
America, meet the Cranicks. They are the family who now live in a trailer near the charred remains of their home in rural Obion County, Tennessee, all because the local fire department refused to extinguish a fire that destroyed their home. Why? Because they had not paid a $75 fee (on top of taxes) for fire fighting services from the nearby town. The Cranick’s grandson was burning trash near the family home when the fire grew out of control. The Cranicks reportedly called 911 several times, but the fire department refused to respond because the Cranicks had not paid the nearby town of South Fulton ‘firefighting’ fee of $75. The Fire Department did respond to a neighbor’s call because they had paid the fee. >>>More details and news video at Mediaite.
Read on...
© 2014 Geekosystem, LLC | About UsAdvertiseNewsletterJobsPrivacyUser AgreementDisclaimerContactArchives RSS
Dan Abrams, Founder | http://www.geekosystem.com/tag/firefighters/ | dclm-gs1-175650002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.065131 | <urn:uuid:f7b414df-3b91-45ba-babd-80064e27362a> | en | 0.91577 | Political groups in the UK (through out Europe) are concerned at what they see as the spread of the Islam/Muslim faith, the so called Islamification of Britain/Europe/America et al. The concern is the Islam/Muslim faith will replace the current main faiths (Christian, Catholic etc…) and way of life and even laws in those countries.
Lets have a poll.
Islamification of Britain Poll
[poll id="3"]
I’m looking for some suggestions of options to add so we have a range of opinions. Something along the lines of:
Yes, we should remove ALL Muslims from Britain.
Yes, we should stop Muslim Immigration into Britain.
No, Islam is a Peaceful Religion and not a Threat.
No, Islam is a Peaceful Religion, but Islamic Extremists are a Threat.
Looking for suggestions and I’ll add those that cover a range of opinions, the above ones seem inadequate to cover the full range of opinion. | http://www.general-election-2010.co.uk/islam-and-the-islamification-of-britain-discussion.html | dclm-gs1-175660002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.820218 | <urn:uuid:61f5cef0-c36f-4c85-add1-8b5ecfed20f4> | en | 0.710599 | Web Toolbar by Wibiya
More Friends = More Fun
Tweets !
AN HOUR AGO Spice up your getup with this wild scarf from @Forever21 - we LOVE: http://t.co/pciK37VwKZ (http://t.co/tuFnDFOg4c)
AN HOUR AGO Our FB chat with @EllewinterX starts in just 1 hour at http://t.co/QpXlc5flr2—get your Qs ready + chat to win Elle's signed copy of GL!
sponsored links
feefee109's Profile
open all close all
My Clubs
All About Me!
1. Piesces
2. funny, clumsy, weird
3. 12
4. Blue
5. 2 younger sisters
6. Nobody. I'm 100% original!
In A Nutshell...
1. math
2. hang out with friends
5. Fee Fee the mini poodle
6. i have a group of friends, not a bff
7. hamburger with fries
8. pudding :p
9. South Dakota!!
My Faves…
1. Breaking Dawn
2. Taylor Swift
3. Vampire Academy
4. Fruit Ninja (does that count?)
Style Sense
1. Myself
2. Hollister
3. Un-flavored
4. eyeliner
5. jeans/jean shorts
1. yup and yup (I<3michael)
2. 1
3. sweet, funny, clean, popular
4. Josh Hutcherson
1. ?
2. Boston
3. Texas
4. buy another dog and donate to charitys
5. Live Laugh Love
1. Night Owl
2. Chocolate
3. Righty
4. Movie in a theater
5. Little bit of both
My Healthy You Profile
1. Fitness Faves
biking and swimming
2. basketball (go incar!)
3. pop/country
4. let your workout music be your only guide
5. Goal Girl
to rock the jeggings this fall!
6. my abs
7. back to school shopping with my besties :P
8. Maya Moore
9. Tasty Eats
10. meatloaf
11. just eat them and work out after :)
12. Guys, frenemies, makeup, anything really
13. Guys and Hair
14. Yes
16. My Healthy You Journal
comments powered by Disqus
Love Lea Michele? Win signed albums, iPods and more!
music lover? CLICK HERE to check out
Lea Michele's exclusive video for GL girls...
and start racking up points to win.
Posts From Our Friends
sponsored links | http://www.girlslife.com/ViewProfile.aspx?u=feefee109 | dclm-gs1-175670002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.127332 | <urn:uuid:abef6640-57b6-4de2-b34a-22a6c37dfbeb> | en | 0.919238 | Children’s Rights Fundamentally Flawed Under UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
By Jackie Ammons
President Barack Obama describes the failure by the US to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) as “embarrassing.” In a speech during the 2008 campaign, he said, “It’s important that the United States return to its position as a respected global leader and promoter of human rights…I will review this and other treaties and ensure the United States resumes its global leadership in human rights.” But there’s a reason the United States has held out for the past 20 years on ratifying the CRC.
Adopted in 1989, the stated goals of the Convention, include “the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family.” Some 193 countries have agreed to, signed, and ratified the CRC. At its June meeting, it focused on issues of universal concern, including child pornography and the sale of children. Nevertheless, the treaty contains a number of fundamental flaws that have prevented the US from signing it.
Some organizations and individuals—specifically parents—disagree with the CRC based on moral or personal beliefs about how to raise a family. Concerns of this nature range from worries that the CRC encourages sex education classes and that it bars parents from mandating their children’s religion.
However, the CRC’s greatest flaw is not that it compromises personal ethics but that it is structurally unsound. One of the CRC’s inherent contradictions is that it attempts to give children the rights of an adult while ignoring the fact that a child is legally a minor—and for a reason. Countries create laws establishing an age of majority based on when society has determined maturing adolescents are capable of making rational, adult decisions. For instance, because of the CRC mandates “the full and harmonious development” of a child, which convention supporters take to mean a mandate for sex education, it potentially makes it easier for pregnant women under the age of 18 to receive abortions without parental permission or knowledge. This policy conflicts with laws in some countries or states that do not allow children under the age of 18 to undergo surgery without either parental permission or knowledge. Furthermore, the CRC’s preamble claims to protect the rights of the child “before birth” but treats the fetus of minors as some kind of special exception, undeserved of protection. Whether the CRC is pro-life or pro-choice is rather murky.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), appointed by the UN to be the watchdog organization for the CRC, actually has little oversight responsibility. It is set up to “participate in the consideration of State Parties’ reports,” “provide expert advice,” “submit reports,” “respond to requests,” and host the official promotional website of the CRC. In effect, UNICEF’s watchdog role has been reduced to that of public relations manager with a navigable, helpful website and a paper pusher who sends and receives countries’ reports. It is strictly a reviewing and publications body.
The oversight responsibilities fall to the United Nations as a whole, not necessarily to the individual countries that ratified the CRC. In an ideal situation, a country’s courts would use the CRC as guidance in its own rulings. But the CRC mandates more than guidance. If the United States ratified the CRC, it would give UN international courts the power to bypass US local, state, and federal courts and even the Supreme Court. Giving up the power of self-governance for the sake of an unclear and sometimes contradictory document is by no means a good decision for the US, for ratifying the CRC could make the US a target of UN sanctions.
Additionally, the UN integrated exemptions into the CRC that prohibit the UN from calling out countries that violate human rights on a regular basis, while leaving human rights-friendly nations open to criticism. For example, there are regular reports of young girls being beaten for showing skin in Islamic countries that signed the CRC, but the UN does not interfere with these violations due to modesty provisions that trump rules outlined in the CRC.
UNICEF claims the CRC is a “legally binding international instrument” that is “non-negotiable.” Despite this hard-nosed stance, a number of countries have made exceptions and reservations to the CRC before ratifying it. For example, Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan, and a multitude of other countries removed the CRC’s provision that children have the right to choose their own religion because it conflicts with the rules of Islam. In fact, special stipulations for Islam have been made under Article 21 of the CRC, citing specific provisions such as the kafalah, which allows an adopted child to be brought into a home with similar Islamic traditions as the former home. The CRC grants no other religion such exceptions.
Despite the contradictory elements of the CRC, two “optional” protocols are important and deserve US support: “the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography” and “the involvement of children in armed conflict.” Not surprisingly, the US has agreed to these two protocols, even though it has opted out of ratifying the main body of the CRC. But why these two clauses are optional, rather than mandatory, remains a mystery. Iran, for example, ratified the CRC main body but neither signed nor ratified the optional protocol regarding children in armed conflict. Iran gave no explanation as to why. These provisions should not be too controversial for countries that have ratified the main body of CRC, indicating yet another concern about the document.
The CRC is perhaps a useful document in countries that do not function well, do not have consistent child protection laws, or encounter human rights problems that need oversight by a third party, such as the UN or International Criminal Court. However, for countries with functioning legal systems that uphold basic human rights, the CRC’s legal control is problematic, as its contradictions undermine national sovereignty and its stated goals. In such cases, signing the CRC—much less ratifying it—is a concession to groupthink rather than a necessary societal change.
Jackie Ammons is a summer researcher at the American Enterprise Institute
Have questions or comments about this article? Let us know. | http://www.globalgovernancewatch.org/in_the_news/childrens-rights-fundamentally-flawed-under-un-convention-on-the-rights-of-the-child | dclm-gs1-175690002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "promoter"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.033392 | <urn:uuid:366f0b8e-347b-49bb-8aac-2d01d989857e> | en | 0.965932 | Plight of pawners: Brokers say new regulations put financial burden on users
Photo by Kristen Ralph
Photo by Kristen Ralph
LAWRENCEVILLE -- Gwinnett County officials upgraded two ordinances to try to stop thieves from pawning stolen goods and jewelry.
Regulations on pawn shops and precious metal dealers got nods this month, as police officials said they needed to enhance their ability to monitor transactions.
But Jackie Kinlaw, president of the Pawn Brokers Association of Georgia, said the new laws do people a disservice, since the cost of the regulation is passed on to those who have to pawn their possessions to make ends meet.
"We very much want to try to cooperate and do what we can (to deter thieves) because it costs us money if something comes in that is stolen," he said, but added that only one-tenth of 1 percent of pawn transactions involve stolen goods.
That is because of regulations like the pawn shop ordinance, he said, which requires shop owners to document transactions, require personal information and take photos and fingerprints of the people who seek to pawn items.
His staffers are also trained to ask questions about merchandise, such as when a computer was purchased, match it to serial numbers and more.
That acts as a deterrent, he said, and ensures most people will return in 30 to 40 days to reclaim their merchandise. He calls pawn transactions "loans," and said many of his clients are people who need some extra money to fill a child's prescription or pay a bill before payday.
"They have needs," he said. "It just doesn't seem fair and equitable (to charge them for the system). It's putting an undue burden on these people."
Assistant Police Chief Dan Bruno said the cost will be passed on to people completing the transactions instead of taxpayers.
With 22,000 pawn transactions a month on average in Gwinnett, Bruno said the new Internet-based system will help police stay on top of the database to search for red-flags about criminal activity.
But Kinlaw, who owns Quick Cash Pawn Shop in Sugar Hill, said, "If the police department is wanting the information, the police department should pay to obtain it."
He said that if his staffers suspect an item is stolen, they will place the item on hold and call the police. But typically, asking for fingerprints and photographs will scare the criminals away.
Kinlaw said business increased two years ago when the economic downturn began, and he is seeing a lot more loans, but much fewer sales of merchandise.
Bruno said the average transaction will cost 50 to 75 cents more, but Kinlaw said even that can be a burden.
"I know stuff gets stolen. It's just not the pawn shop where it gets sold. It's on the street more often," he said. "If it's something that it in the public interest, then the public interest should pay for it." | http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/news/2009/dec/30/plight-of-pawners-brokers-say-new-regulations-put/?news | dclm-gs1-175740002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.02548 | <urn:uuid:47292ef6-51ad-46ce-b898-ba7d846fa581> | en | 0.949612 | Well, I'm a complete newbie to this, but I wanted to dual-boot my PC with Vista and Leopard...
I just wanted to know if anyone could tell me what versions would be good to use...and how I would go about doing it..
I don't know if it's important but my computer specs are:
AMD Athlon 64 x2 Dual Core processor 6000+
3 GB ram
500 Gig HDD
Nvidia GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
I have the original recovory disks from the store I bought it from for Vista... | http://www.hackint0sh.org/dual-booting-184/dualbooting-vista-leopard-66914.htm | dclm-gs1-175760002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.019177 | <urn:uuid:83ee6fcb-d3f0-4540-87b3-34c512d79952> | en | 0.963306 | Catwoman #75 Review
Will Pfeifer's Catwoman outruns Salvation Run.
It's amazing how this Salvation Run tie-in issue of Catwoman manages to be so much more entertaining and readable than the actual miniseries itself has been thus far. Part of the reason is because, unlike the Salvation Run writers, Will Pfeifer is free to give his story a more cohesive flow by focusing on his one main character. The other main reason this single issue shines above and beyond the mini is because Pfeifer squeezes way more mileage out of his Joker and Luthor characterizations than either Bill Willingham or Sturges managed to in their issues of Salvation Run.
That's saying a lot, really, seeing that both Willingham and Sturges hit nearly pitch-perfect marks with their handling of DC's two greatest villains. Pfiefer blows both scribes away, though, scripting a Luthor that's as amusingly egotistical as he is crafty and a Joker that cackles with the perfect mix of humor and insanity. It's also a testament to how far Selina Kyle has come as a character in recent years (since Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke re-imagined her) that she stands toe-to-toe with both iconic villains in every scene she shares with them. Her scene with the Joker in particular is brilliantly written, and it's eclipsed only by a scene in which Selina appraises her current predicament while trying to light the Joker's "Congratulations, it's a girl!" cigar.
The whole fantastic issue was enough to make me wonder whether Salvation Run might have benefited from focusing on Selina as its main character and narrator as opposed to the rather schizophrenic, multi-perspective style it employs now. Any time you throw fifty colorful, psychopathic personalities together into one story, you run the risk of pushing some fun and deserving characters to the background, and using Selina as the main character would have made it easier to give each – or at least most – of these various villains a chance to shine. Plus, Catwoman also happens to be one of the most three-dimensional, morally complex characters in the DCU, and watching her interact with the likes of Cheetah, Bane, Luthor, Joker and Deadshot is a hell of a lot of fun, as this issue proves quite convincingly.
IGN Ratings
(out of 10, not an average)
blog comments powered by Disqus
Become a fan of IGN | http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/17/catwoman-75-review | dclm-gs1-175840002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.718881 | <urn:uuid:994752d3-70d2-4e98-9eb9-2aab05744252> | en | 0.971514 | Obama slams Republicans after deal
President Obama said some Republicans had damaged US economy. Credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed
US President Barack Obama has blasted Republican opponents, who he said had damaged America's economy and credibility, issuing a stern rebuke after a prolonged stand-off that forced a government shutdown and threatened default.
The House of Representatives is controlled by Republicans, often causing political wrangling. Credit: REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The administration and its Republican opponents know the deal only pushed the unsolved and bitter ideological battle a few months into the future. Mr Obama warned against doing it again. "The American people are completely fed up with Washington," Mr Obama said in a forceful tone.
Senate agree US debt bill
| http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-10-17/obama-slams-republicans-after-deal/ | dclm-gs1-175930002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "blast"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.029505 | <urn:uuid:ee9dfc24-077e-4b2a-ba2c-ee9773f2d5f5> | en | 0.948419 | Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics
Critic score distribution:
1. Positive: 15 out of 19
2. Negative: 0 out of 19
1. It's an immensely successful movie - and far and away the most emotionally charged, psychologically uneasy and diabolically suspenseful thriller Polanski's made since his heyday. [27 Jan 1995, p. 26]
3. Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
As vivid and suspenseful as Roman Polanski has made this claustrophobic tale of a torture victim turning the tables on her putative tormentor, one is still left with a film in which each character represents a mouthpiece for an ideology.
4. 89
Death and the Maiden is a streamlined razor-ride of a movie: taut, riveting, and a psychological horror show that will leave nail-marks in your palms for days afterwards.
5. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
The material is well served by director Roman Polanski, who knows well how to instill a subtle, claustrophobic sense of dread in an audience and has put together a rather elegant potboiler.
6. Reviewed by: Kim Newman
Even by their high standards, the performances of Weaver and Kingsley here are impressive, and Polanski ratchetts up the tension nicely. A chilling and thought-provoking piece.
7. Reviewed by: Caryn James
Mr. Polanski's brilliance with the camera turns Ariel Dorfman's well-meaning but pretentious play about human rights into a harrowing experience.
8. 75
Polanski, working from a fluid script by Dorfman and Rafael Yglesias ("Fearless"), gives the story its due. He creates an atmosphere of claustrophobic tension to rival his "Knife in the Water" and "Repulsion".
9. 75
10. Polanski directs the film without a wasting a moment. The occasional humor does nothing to relieve tension but, as in a Hitchcock picture, has a way of increasing it.
11. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
Death and the Maiden never fulfills the evocative promise of those initial frames...Beyond that, you have to settle for a craftsman working with more precision than inspiration. But Polanski at half-speed is still hard to beat. [27 Jan 1995, pg. E.1]
12. 70
It's an exceptionally intelligent and controlled piece of direction, and for once Polanski didn't hide his emotions in a death's-head grin. The movie is raw and passionate and unresolved in a way that's unique among his work.
13. Even though he's psychologically expanded his source, the material is a bit too schematic to work as much more than a scaled-down thriller.
14. Sigourney Weaver isn't quite up to her most demanding scenes, but Ben Kingsley is expertly enigmatic as the stranger, and Stuart Wilson is excellent as the husband who doesn't know whom to believe. [27 Jan 1995, p. 14]
15. Reviewed by: Scott Rosenberg
16. 60
Polanski stages some lovely moments, particularly Paulina's candlelit dinner in her closet. But he also undercuts the high-minded ideals of Dorfman's original by exposing its radical chic pretentions.
17. 50
18. Reviewed by: Desson Howe
Polanski touch -- apart from a little suspense here and there -- is limited. And the story, which Ariel Dorfman adapted from his radical-chic play, is too contrived and smug to really hold.
19. 40
Weaver's overacting and Dorfman's bold-faced dialogue oversell the scenario. Only Kingsley's sly turn gives Death And The Maiden any real feeling of disquiet.
User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings
User score distribution:
1. Positive: 4 out of 5
2. Negative: 0 out of 5
1. JayH
May 10, 2009
Intense and compelling, excellent direction by Roman Polanski. Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley are amazing. Never a dull moment, very fast pacing. Fascinating story. I was not fully satisfied by the ending, but not sure if there would be any better way Full Review »
2. Sep 19, 2013
Simply one of the best movies done on the aftermath of the South American dictatorships. We should never forget the tyranny of the Catholic Church over the centuries and the legacy it left behind. You don't know if she is crazy or not. She was an unknown at the time but you could tell she was on her way up. Full Review »
3. Oct 7, 2011
Simply awesome: one place only, but... The film is smart and leaded by three amazing actors. The highlight are the numerous dialogues between complicated characters, with every defends his own point of view. And no flashback, no "tadam!" revelations, the viewer makes his own reflections, and it's the evidence it is a good movie... Full Review » | http://www.metacritic.com/movie/death-and-the-maiden/critic-reviews | dclm-gs1-176100002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.056756 | <urn:uuid:07ae22c2-22a1-4122-9d44-5266ac838977> | en | 0.974882 | "some music was meant to stay underground..."
Oh, Sleeper's James Erwin Explains New Album "Children Of Fire"
Oh, Sleeper has already given fans a chance to snag the new album "Children of Fire" through digital retailers, and the physical release of the band's latest devastating metalcore assault is just around the corner.
More than just another slab of melodic metal, "Children of Fire" is a composed of songs that tell a complete story, detailing the journey of a priest and his atheist daughter. Oh, Sleeper guitarist James Erwin recently shared his thoughts on the album and its progression from earlier material with Metalunderground. Talking about what fans can hear on the new release, Erwin commented, "With Children Of Fire we really set out to push boundaries, both lyrically and with our sound. We loved elements of our past albums that were just super heavy and we wanted to take it a step further." Erwin also touched on the imagery and artwork found on the album, as well as the band's Christian convictions and how fans tend to hold the band to a higher standard because of those beliefs.
The full interview is available below, or you can also check out the "Children of Fire" title track by navigating over here.
xFiruath: What did you set out to do with "Children of Fire" that you haven’t done before and how does the album compare to anything else you’ve done in the past?
James: With Children Of Fire we really set out to push boundaries, both lyrically and with our sound. We loved elements of our past albums that were just super heavy and we wanted to take it a step further. When we first started writing it seemed like it was just gonna be super brutal all the way through without much singing at all, and some of the album really reflects that, but the melody of the album really started taking shape towards the end and we ended up with something that at times sounds dark and terrifying but also has elements of beauty and melody that are pretty signature for us.
xFiruath: When was “Children of Fire” written and how does the band usually write music?
James: We started writing for this album right at a year ago when we decided it was time and it felt right to start writing again. We had just done an Australian tour and a few successful headliners so the morale was really up for everyone. Writing for us is sorta complicated because our drummer lives in Delaware and we all live in Texas. We had the same problem on SOTM and we were forced to come up with a solution, so we started writing out and demoing everything on a midi program called Tab-it. Riffs would get passed around and drums can be added too, so you have a really rough idea of what it'd sound like even though it's never been jammed before. We actually have video game sounding midi versions of both our past two records. Shane also started doing rough demos with real guitars and fake drums for this record too, so going in this time around even though we'd never jammed out any of this stuff, we knew it was gonna be special.
xFiruath: How would you personally describe the sound of your music to a potential new Oh, Sleeper fan and what musicians or bands inspire your sound?
James: Describing your own band to someone is always a tricky thing, but I just sorta generalize it into us being a melodic metalcore band. We have plenty of brutal parts, but incorporate lots of melody as well. As far as who inspires us, the range of artists is huge. Deftones is a big one along with NIN and Meshuggah and then going back to our childhoods with bands like Embodyment and Living Sacrifice. Honestly, everyone listens to so many different things it's hard to pin our influence on just a few artists.
xFiruath: Tell me about the recording process for the new album. What studio did you go to and did you have any particular challenges or triumphs this time around?
James: We recorded the album with our longtime friend and producer Andreas Magnusson. We have a good relationship with him and he really gets our sound. We didn't really have too many hiccups this time around. Everything seemed to flow pretty smoothly and we ended up with what I think is our best sounding album yet. Andreas really captured the energy that this album needed.
xFiruath: What are the themes present in this album and what do the lyrics deal with?
James: The concept of this album is super in-depth and is a complete story from front to back with every song being a chapter in that story. Taken out of context, individual songs might seem very violent or godless to people, but it all serves the story and helps make it complete. I don't wanna give too much away, but basically the album presents a story in which the whole world thinks that God and Satan are both dead. It follows a father who is a priest and his atheist daughter as they deal with this and find the real truth. There are also real world current events that they deal with as they try to bring justice to a world that seems to have no right or wrong, where they feel as if they have to be the judges for humanity’s wrongs.
xFiruath: Who handled the artwork and how does it tie into the album?
James: Ryan Clark handled our artwork again this time around. He really knocked it out of the park with our past two albums so we knew he'd do the same here, and he did. We wanted him to portray a dark and hopeless feel with the imagery as a lot of the record feels that way. He really nailed it. We also wanted to keep our broken pentagram logo in as well, and he found a way to really make it work. The album looks like a horror movie so we are all super pumped on it!
xFiruath: I wrote an article about Christian black metal and its place in the metal scene earlier this year and am currently working on a follow-up about pagan metal. Although there are exceptions, it seems like in general Christian themed metal bands take a lot of flak from the extreme metal community, while bands with other religious themes (paganism, Satanism, etc.) are more readily accepted. Would you agree with that assessment, and why do you think that is?
James: I'd totally agree with that. Metal started out as a dark and anti-establishment movement. It's extreme and different and a lot of people don't wanna see metal portrayed in a "safe" way or a way that is contrary to what it has always been. But we love it. I grew up listening to Metallica and Pantera too but just wanted to tell a different story with it and so did everyone else in the band.
xFiruath: How do you feel about how Christian metal bands are portrayed in the public spotlight and how Christian band members represent themselves? For instance Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, an outspoken Christian, recently appeared on Nightlight to discuss his belief in the devil and witchcraft, which seemed to garner a mostly negative reaction online.
James: People hold us to such high standards it almost ridiculous. We aren't perfect dudes and even within our religion there are a million different ways people believe. So it's almost like a million people holding you to a million different standards, as if a million people will ever know who we are hahahaha. But we just live by our own convictions and beliefs and don't apologize for it. If you can't like our band because we disagree on what we believe, then I guess you never really liked our music to begin with.
xFiruath: With the new album finished, what’s on the horizon for Oh, Sleeper?
James: With the album done and having just come out, we have plenty of touring to do. We wanna go all over the world with this one, so be on the lookout for us!!
xFiruath: What’s going on in your local metal scene?
James: Dallas / Fort Worth has a great metal scene. It's always the best show on any tour we do and people here support us. We have the best hometown, plain and simple.
xFiruath: Have you had any really memorable shows lately?
James: My favorite show recently was our last hometown show. We did a show for $1.00 and it was huge. So we decided to make our CD release show another $1.00 show. Should be fun!
xFiruath: Do you personally attend shows often, and have you had a chance to see any great or terrible concerts in recent memory?
James: The last show I went to that I was really pumped on was Glassjaw. They've been my favorite band for 10 years now and I got to see em the night before we left to record this last album! I also love to watch The Chariot anytime I can see em.
xFiruath: What albums are you listening to and do you have a favorite release so far this year?
James: I've been jamming the two new glassjaw EPs that came out earlier this year. Chino from Deftones new side project Crosses is really awesome and I know it's gonna throw a lot of people off but I love Brad Paisley, his new album rules haha.
xFiruath's avatar
What's Next?
Please share this article if you found it interesting.
1 Comment on "Oh, Sleeper Explains New Album 'Children Of Fire'"
americanpatriot1's avatar
1. americanpatriot1 writes:
Thanks for the article. I didn't even know they were coming out with a new one. Their first albums were simply monstrous. Especially the second one. The name escapes me now, but it's f***ing good.
# Sep 22, 2011 @ 11:22 PM ET | IP Logged Reveal posts originating from the same IP address
| http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=71925 | dclm-gs1-176110002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.068491 | <urn:uuid:3a025615-4845-420f-950e-ddc7d3246ba4> | en | 0.979828 | New user?
Forgot your password?
71.6 ° F
Full Weather
Georgia braces for 2nd snowstorm in 2 weeks
ATLANTA (AP) -- When snow fell on Atlanta two weeks ago, downtown streets of the South's business hub were jammed with unmoving cars, highway motorists slept overnight in vehicles or abandoned them where they sat, and students were forced to camp out in school gymnasiums when roads turned too treacherous for buses to navigate.
Things promised to be different Tuesday, when another round of rain, sleet and freezing rain was expected to begin walloping the area.
That's not necessarily because city and state officials are going to be better prepared -- although they promised they would be -- but because many people aren't going to take a chance that they will get trapped again.
"Basically, everyone from the office is going to be working from home" on Tuesday, said Dakota Herrera as he left a car park in downtown Atlanta to go to his office Monday.
Atlanta has a long and painful history of being ill-equipped to deal with snowy weather. Despite officials' promises following a crippling ice storm in 2011 that they would be better prepared next time, the storm that hit the area Jan. 28 proved they still had many kinks to work out.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal indicated on Monday that he and other state officials had learned their lesson. Before a single drop of freezing rain or snow fell, Deal declared a state of emergency for nearly a third of the state and state employees were told they could stay home if they felt conditions were too dangerous. Schools canceled classes, and Deal urged people who didn't need to be anywhere to stay off the roads. Tractor-trailer drivers were handed fliers about the weather and a law requiring chains on tires in certain conditions.
That kind of reassurance was a hard sell with some.
"I'm not counting on it," said Terri Herod, who bought a large bag of sand and a shovel at local hardware store. "I've been in Georgia on and off for 20 years. It's usually the same scenario: not enough preparations and not enough equipment."
The governor apologized and announced the formation of a task force to study the problems. This time, ice posed a major concern.
Login | New User?
Make myMotherLode.com Your Home Page Today!
Local Radio Stations
| http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/national/d01fbdeeb6e44e9fa489ff6a0ae49b6f/Georgia-braces-for-2nd-snowstorm-in-2-weeks.html | dclm-gs1-176210002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.020305 | <urn:uuid:f11c5b11-6e6a-497f-938a-2234564b3d51> | en | 0.922113 | Skip Navigation
Close and don't show again.
Your browser is out of date.
You may not get the full experience here on National Journal.
Please upgrade your browser to any of the following supported browsers:
Reveal Navigation
Why Going to the National Parks This Summer Might Be a Horrible Idea Why Going to the National Parks This Summer Might Be a Horrible I... Why Going to the National Parks This Summer Might Be a Horrible Idea Why Going to the National...
This ad will end in seconds
Close X
Not a member? Learn More »
Forget Your Password?
Reveal Navigation
The sequester will cut back on bathroom cleanings, and it's going to be hot.
This postcard is what you might expect of your National Park road trip. The reality may differ.(Boston Public Library/ Flickr)
With summer gas prices expected to be the lowest in three years, it would seem like a good idea to pack up the minivan, drag the kids out of the air conditioning, and take a quintessential American road trip to the National Parks, otherwise known as our "best idea."
Besides the usual reasons why such a trip might be awful—the kids refuse to walk more than a half mile in any given direction, cell service stinks, mosquitoes eat your flesh, you've stepped into a world where fanny packs are still acceptable—this summer might provide a few extra annoyances. Mainly, we can blame budget cuts due to sequestration. But there are some other reasons as well.
The bathrooms will stink even more than usual.
To prepare for the rush of tourists that come to the parks every summer, the Park Service usually hires about 10,000 seasonal workers to keep up the parks. This year, due to a $153.4 million budget cut, that number will be 9,000. And Stateline's Rita Beamish explains, the reduction will "result in less-frequent mowing, sand-covered bike paths, messier restrooms, and fewer interpretive programs." At the Grand Canyon, bathrooms will be cleaned only once a day, not twice a day as usual. The Park Service is also in a hiring freeze for its year-round staff, with 900 vacant positions remaining unfilled for the summer. Cuts will also reduce park hours, and, counter-intuitively cut volunteer workers because there won't be permanent staff to oversee them.
Waiting in line next to obnoxious, fanny-pack-wearing tourists will take longer.
Every park will handle the cuts differently, but the Grand Canyon will shrink its visitor center's hours by two and have fewer workers on the gate. That will likely cause longer waits than usual. And who likes to make small talk while waiting in line? "We hope that visitors are not impacted by those cuts, but you can't cut well over a million dollars from a park this size without feeling and noticing that," Maureen Oltrogge, a Grand Canyon spokesperson told a Florida TV station.
Prepare for minor annoyances at many major national attractions: No evening visiting hours for the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia; less garbage pickup in D.C.'s Rock Creek Park; closed roads in the Grand Tetons; fewer rangers in places like Isle Royale in Michigan (which can mean longer response times for emergencies).
It's going to be hot.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, climate models "indicate enhanced chances for above-normal temperatures" for much of the country. In June, above-average temperatures are predicted for the Western half of the country (where many of our more popular parks are). When stretched out to August, the outlook predicts above-average temperatures for just about all of the U.S. for the entire summer. So those uncleaned park bathrooms will be extra pleasant.
There may be a lot of traffic.
The worst part about a road trip is usually the road part of it. The U.S. Energy Information Administration anticipates the lowest gas prices in three years, at $3.63 a gallon. Yes, this can be seen as a good thing for summer vacationers. But lower gas prices may inspire more people to hit the road, which may require more drivers to hit the brakes.
Get us in your feed.
comments powered by Disqus | http://www.nationaljournal.com/domesticpolicy/why-going-to-the-national-parks-this-summer-might-be-a-horrible-idea-20130604 | dclm-gs1-176240002 | false | false | {
"keywords": "mosquito"
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.166718 | <urn:uuid:5c23a431-e7f7-4350-87bd-f91360cd6b9e> | en | 0.943137 | HTC's Titan gets Lumia exclusive apps
HTC Lumia 900, anyone?
Nokia's Lumias differ from other Windows Phones. They contain some apps 'exclusive' to Nokia's handsets, and yes, we're using the word 'exclusively' rather lightly. They're not so exclusive anymore.
HTC's Titan is getting some love over on XDA, with custom ROMs appearing for the phone. One of them brings some of Nokia's apps straight over to the bigger phone.
The ROM you're looking for is called "WPV 8779 Nokia Edition v3". Catchy name, huh? 8779 actually denotes the phone as being post-Tango update, so you won't be using some ancient version of Windows Phone 7 if you decide you want to flash this ROM.
Installing a ROM requires a full unlock, which isn't exactly the shortest process to do. Still, once you've it done, you get Nokia's 'Camera Extras', 'Counter' and 'Contact Share'.
You're likely not going to make any friends over at Nokia by installing this ROM, but if you own an HTC Titan this is a good way to bring some exclusive apps to your phone. If you're a fan of third-party marketplaces, you're also catered to, for there's an XAP Deployer built-in.
If you're going to do this, you'll need to be willing to use English. It's the only language in the ROM, which weighs in at 384MB. Other language packs were cut out of the ROM by the developer to shave some weight off the download.
The ROM requires you changing your device info in the registry. You have to change the OEM and device name if you'd like to use Nokia's apps. Somehow, the Finnish company had prepared for this, because there's an error message if you try their apps with a standard registry.
If you're a fan of your HTC Titan but you've considered a Nokia Lumia, this might just be the best of both worlds.
Source: XDA Developers
Previous Story
Are paid apps now showing up in the RTM Windows Store?
Next Story
Is Apple's Mountain Lion causing big battery drains? | http://www.neowin.net/news/htcs-titan-gets-lumia-exclusive-apps | dclm-gs1-176290002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.03895 | <urn:uuid:310bab67-ce5e-4429-a228-75339e123a45> | en | 0.92879 | Local farmers react to the Dodge Ram Super Bowl commercial - NEWS10 ABC: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports
Local farmers react to the Dodge Ram Super Bowl commercial
Posted: Updated:
SLOANSVILLE, N.Y. -- The Dodge Ram tribute to farmers has received a ton of attention and for farmers locally, it's been a welcome message -- even if they're not exactly driving the right truck.
The two minute Dodge Ram Super Bowl commercial dedicated to "the farmer" with the late radio broadcaster Paul Harvey's 1978 speech hit quite the chord with viewers - including local farmers.
Schoharie County lamb and sheep farmers Bob and Linda Cross watched the commercial for the first time with NEWS10.
"I think it gave credit to a segment of the population that needs more positive recognition for what it does, why it does things, the way it does, and to help educate people about what farmers are doing," said Linda.
It was a chance to stop for a short time - to recognize not just the dedication and hard work taking place before the sun rises and ending well past the sunset - but also to highlight the farmer's ingenuity.
And a moment to remind viewers how farms, both big and small, remain the backbone of our communities.
The Cross' hope the commercial inspires everyone who saw it to make a conscious attempt to buy local.
Miss the commercial? You can watch it here.
Powered by WorldNow
341 Northern Boulevard
Albany, NY 12204
+(518) 436-4822
Powered by WorldNow | http://www.news10.com/story/20960655/local-farmers-react-to-the-dodge-ram-farmer-commercial | dclm-gs1-176310002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.283916 | <urn:uuid:d143e744-b7c4-46c9-b5e0-81603a014a9e> | en | 0.91342 | 1. Computers
2. Display Drivers
3. Graphics Cards
4. Memory
5. Motherboards
6. Processors
7. Software
8. Storage
9. Operating Systems
Touring The Chernobyl Nuclear Accident Site In 2010
Published on 7 April 2010
Written by Michael Larabel
Page 2 of 9 - 85 Comments
Testing of this nuclear safety feature in April of 1986 turned into this deadly disaster as established procedures were not followed and in the minutes leading up to the accident, emergency warnings were ignored and mistakes were made. There also proved to be several flaws within the design of the Soviet RBMK nuclear reactor and in its construction. In the early hours on the 26th of April, the experiment of testing the steam turbines to produce electricity for the reactor's water pumps began while the diesel generators began ramping up their electricity production. Where the test went wrong was when the water flow rate dropped due to the turbines losing momentum, steam voids formed within the nuclear core that caused the water coolant system to not work as effectively, which in turn drove up the power output from the nuclear reactor. As the power output increased, more heat was generated that caused more water to turn into steam and this was a cascading effect as the reactor continued outputting more power due to the rising temperature.
The rise in temperature and power was attempted to be offset by cooling down the nuclear rods via inserting them into the core, but due to technical problems, the nuclear fuel rods could not be fully inserted in time. The temperature / power output jumped greatly before the first explosion occurred due to the steam build-up as the top of the reactor blew off. Fires began on other buildings at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant from burning graphite and other radioactive material that was shot from Reactor #4. There are many details of this accident not fully known due to, among other reasons, many of the key plant employees having died from the radiation. In the end, the Chernobyl nuclear accident is attributed to testing out a nuclear safety feature that exploited many mistakes from human error to design/construction flaws with the RBMK reactor. Worth noting is that none of the reactors at Chernobyl had a containment building, which is effectively an airtight shield made of steel and concrete that covers the nuclear reactor and presents radiation from escaping into the atmosphere. Such containments are standard in nuclear power plants found in the United States and other parts of the world, especially after the devastating nuclear accident at Chernobyl. If such a containment been in place on these reactors, the disaster should not have been nearly as devastating.
In regards to the severity of this nuclear accident, this is the only nuclear power plant disaster to ever be declared a level seven event on the International Nuclear Event Scale. A level seven nuclear event is the most severe as rated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with an event of this magnitude causing widespread health and environmental effects far beyond just the vicinity of the nuclear accident. For comparison, the commonly known Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania and the Windscale Fire in the United Kingdom were each rated only a level five event on this Richter-like scale of nuclear tragedies. There was only ever a single nuclear accident that was declared a level six event -- the second worse nuclear disaster in history -- by the IAEA and that too took place in the former Soviet Union more than 50 years ago. As another scale for comparison, the Chernobyl nuclear accident led to more than one hundred times the nuclear fallout of what was experienced during the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
Latest Linux Hardware Reviews
1. Fedora 20 Runs Great On The Intel Bay Trail NUC
3. Gigabyte F2A88XM-D3H AMD A88X
4. eVGA GeForce GTX 750 "Maxwell" On Ubuntu Linux
Latest Linux Articles
Latest Linux News
1. Unreal Engine 4 Is Running Great In Firefox
3. Replicant Developers Find Backdoor In Android Samsung Galaxy Devices
5. A TTM Graphics Performance Fix To Go Into Linux 3.14
6. Mir Gets Screencasting Improvements, Other Changes
8. Google Replacing GTK2 With Aura In Chrome 35
9. Systemd 211 Piles On More Changes
10. Eurocom Begins Offering Linux High Performance Laptops
11. Many R600/RadeonSI Gallium3D Changes Land
Latest Forum Discussions
2. Getting VDPAU working through 14.04
3. Gaming performance: KDE vs Unity
4. Please Turn Off The Honton
5. Next Gen Enterprise desktop: RHEL7 vs SLE 12
6. So I built myself a new rig...
7. Broadcom Open-Sources VideoCore IV 3D Graphics Stack | http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=chernobyl_2010&num=2 | dclm-gs1-176420002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.026266 | <urn:uuid:42d5bc57-a089-4c91-8bba-572def3243fe> | en | 0.979303 | 30 Oct 2009
Aren't they missing something?
Which beers from your local micros will you offer them?
How many beers have you got on your list now?
Na Zdraví!
5 stars Hotels in Prague with 75% discount.
28 Oct 2009
What a find!
And what a surprise I got!
Na Zdraví!
Choose a Hotel in Prague in the city centre.
26 Oct 2009
A Pro
... Well, sort of.
Na Zdraví!
3 stars Hotels in Prague with 75% discount.
22 Oct 2009
The Tap Race: A New Leader
When I first spoke about "The Tap Race", U Prince Miroslava, in Prague 5, was the leader with 13. Not anymore.
The other day, when they inaugurated their new rack of 12 taps, which together with other four make a total of 16, Zlý Časy became the new leader.
I wasn't surprised. Hanz, the owner, had told me about his plans over a year ago. Still, when I heard the news I was at first glad, then I started having some doubts. Firstly, the diversity of the beers. What's the point of having 16 taps if 14 of them will pour pale lagers? I'm sure there are plenty of people who wouldn't mind that, but still, that's not the idea of having such a wide offer. Secondly, the freshness of the beers. Knowing Hanz as I know him, I was sure he would try to have as many beers from micros as he could get, and Czech micros don't filter. Czech unfiltered lagers are wonderful, but they are not known for their long life, a keg has to be sold in two days, maximum; in fact, even filtered and pasteurised Czech beers don't keep fresh for too long once the keg's been tapped. I was a bit afraid of finding something similar to what I found at U Radnice the last time I was there.
The visit of fellow beer blogger and friend Knut Albert was the perfect excuse (as if I needed any) to pay a visit to Nusle's beer temple and see how those 16 taps were working.
The 12 tap rack is almost as wide as the bar. It looks a bit too industrial for this hospoda (you can see a picture of it at the bottom of this page) and the beers are listed in crude handwritten sheets of paper nailed to the wooden beam above the bar.
The beers offered were as follows: Two desítky světlé (one unfiltered), six ležáky světlé (two with 11° Balling, the rest wit 12°, in total, four unfiltered), a 14° Balling pale lager, a Polotmavé with the same graduation, two Czech wheat beers (one with ginger), a Czech smoked lager, a Czech Scotch Ale and two German brews (an Oktoberfest and a Rauch). The absence of at least one dark lager was a pretty big minus, still, the variety was not too bad for the Czech market.
It was time to check the freshness of the beers. We started the session with excellent Tambor 11°, a světlý ležák as it should be, fresh, crisp Saaz hops over a solid malt base. It was followed by another světlý ležák, from Chotěboř, one of the new "micro-industrial" breweries that have opened this year. This one was very different from Tambor's, one Balling degree denser and unfiltered. It had more fruit and notes of fresh white bread, very nice, too.
Knut picked the next round. He chose Harrach Kouřované (smoked). Basically, a hoppy pale lager where perhaps some of the Caramel malt was replaced by rauchmaltz. Very, very good.
We fancied a wheat beer now. Just when we were finishing our pints of Harrach we saw how the keg of Zvíkov Rarášek (a lovely wheat beer with ginger) sold out. We would have to make do with the Weizen from Pivovar Matouška. The horror! This pšenka is not Knut's cup of tea, but I love it, specially that finish full of spice.
We switched then to something more exotic, Ken, the Scotch Ale from Pivovar Kocour. It didn't quite make it. It was served way too cold and the hops seemed to want to go somewhere else. Drinkable, but missing some balance.
We finished the evening going back to basics with another světlý ležák nefiltrovaný. This one coming from the not so consistent Pivovar Kozlíček, Horní Dubenky. Fortunately, the beer was every bit as good as the first time I drank it over a year ago. Maybe we were lucky, maybe (and hopefully) the owner and brewer Milan Kozlíček has finally been able to adjust things after the expansion of his microbrewery.
Personal tastes and stylistic diversity aside, I was really glad that each and every one of the beers we drank were in tip-top shape, they all tasted fresh. Of course I didn't taste all sixteen of them (I wouldn't be writing this if I had) and it might be that we were lucky, but with such a representative sample, I have reasons be happy.
Other things that were nice to see:
It was Tuesday evening and the place was full, everyone was drinking beer. The prices per half litre went from 22CZK from desítky, to 55CZK for the Germans. The most expensive Czech beer was Kocour's at 45CZK. We were sitting right in front of the bar and I could see that it wasn't the cheapest beers what most were drinking. It was very nice to see people trying different stuff.
The fridges also had good news. I found several bottles from Czech micros, and not just PET as usual, but proper glass bottles. The nicest ones were Matouška's, very fine looking 75cl (I think) glass bottles with crown cap. Knut took a nice assortment with himself and we saw several people also buying bottles to take home.
All this is very encouraging and I'm really happy for Hanz and the rest of the people working at Zlý Časy. When I first went there about a year and a half ago, they only had four taps and they were just starting with the rotating beer model. Today they've become the top beer destination in Prague. Hats off to them and hope the success will continue.
Na Zdraví!
3 stars Hotels in Prague with 75% discount.
19 Oct 2009
Doggy tricks
Pete Brown wrote the other day a very interesting piece on beer marketing. Though he mostly speaks about labels and bottles, Pete also mentions the internet as field where every brewery can play in the same conditions regardless of their size. To this I would add marketing tricks.
Yeah, yeah. I know that in the past I have critisised some marketing tricks, from a "new" way to sell a beer so you won't be able to taste it, to an attempt to add a layer of glamour and uniqueness to something that is, at the very best, average. The problem here is that the marketing trick or gimmick isn't backed by a product of quality or actually new, and ends up being only something vacuous and superficial. This doesn't mean, however, that well used, a marketing trick can't be an effective and legitimate tool to promote a brand or a product, or to create hype about it.
The Scottish brewery BrewDog, who have been using very well all these low cost tools to sell their beers, have been kind enough to send me samples of three of their new products. Interesting is that for each of them a different "marketing trick" has been used to generate buzz. The question is, are they only empty tricks or do the beers have something to say all by themselves?
First trick: Make a noisy minority angry and thanks to that, be mentioned on the media, for free.
Binge drinking is a topic that gets a lot of space in the British press and is used by politicians, media and other opportunists and populists to get some attention. When BrewDog announced that their new Tokio*, with 18.2%ABV was the beer that would end with binge drinking, what followed was expected. Some idiots at the Scottish Parliament demanded the product be banned. The media picked the story and Tokio* got a lot of space without paying a penny for it.
Many have critisised the idea as childish, and perhaps they are right. But it is still very effective. And because apparently BrewDog likes showing the two fingers to those idiots, they've recently came out with Nanny State, a beer with only 1.1%ABV that got some coverage by the BBC, among other news outlets.
And the beer?
It's good, very good. Very dark amber it pours and it has a surprisingly lasting head for something so strong. The nose isn't very nice, there's way too much alcohol, which almost does away with the notes of wood and Port that would have been nicer to feel. Its mouthfeel also surprises, its really unctuous, almost like really good extra virgin olive oil. The palate can feel coffee, tobacco, wood, brandy, a touch of fruit. That you are drinking something very strong can't be ingored, still, the huge ABV is very well integrated and makes you drink slow. The 33cl bottle is actually for sharing. I liked the original Tokio better, but this beefed up version is still great as a nightcap.
My only gripe with Tokio*, and many other super strong beers, is the presentation. Its ABV is equivalent to that of fortified wines like Port or Sherry, and I think it should be sold in likewise bottles: 75cl, resealable, with a cork cap, to encourage drinking it in smaller doses over a longer period and not to finish the bottle once it's been opened.
Second trick: Partner with a bigger and/or better known brewery in a given market and do something together.
Whether it was intended as a marketing trick or not, is open to discussion, but there's no doubt that it generated hype. In this case, BrewDog joined forces with the very famous Stone Brewing Co., from the US, with whom they share much of their brewing philosophy. Thus was born Bashah a Black Belgian Double IPA, shouldn't it be called IBA? (making up, or distorting styles could also be considered a marketing gimmick). The restult, fans of both breweries, and beer geeks in general, loved the idea and generated a lot of hype for this new brew.
And the beer?
Also very good. I had already tasted a "Belgian IPA" from Stone, their Cali-Belgique, a beer that proves, once and for all, that yeasts are an ingredient. I had liked it a lot and was really looking forward to this one.
It's very dark, the nose has an interesting, and rather weird, mix of wood, roast, a lot of tropical fruit, spices and chocolate. The taste follows the same lines. Fruit, coffee, wood, chocolate, spice. Everything playing in perfect harmony on a vinous body that caresses the palate. The finish is equally complex and lovely. I got a bottle without the official label, so when I drank it I didn't know how strong it was. I was a bit surprised when I saw it has 8.6%ABV because it's wonderfully integrated. Fantastic beer.
BrewDog also announced that they've put some hl of Bashah to age on blackberries in whisky casks. The beer will be available next year (another marketing trick, perhaps?)
Third trick: To do something mad that nobody has done before, or at least, not recently.
According to BrewDog's blog this Altantic IPA was brewed following an old recipe and then left to mature a couple of months on a fishing ship, on the North Sea. The idea was to recreate the maturing the original IPA's got on their way to India. I don't think I need to mention the hype this very limited edition generated in the beer world.
And the beer?
I was expecting "just another IPA", a good one, yes, but nothing new. Actually, it is bloody brilliant! It pours orange, like home made marmalade, topped by a creamy, slightly tanned head. The nose doesn't promise much, really. There is pine, cannabis, some sourness, a bit of syrup and spice. When drinking, Altantic IPA is a beer that should leave everyone happy. You like your beers strong? I think the beautifully integrated 8.5%ABV will do the job. You like your beers really hoppy? There's enough of that to keep you entertained: flowers, pine, citrus, spice, you name it. You like your beers to be something more than cold hop tea? Don't worry, there's plenty for you as well: generous doses of caramel, roast, fruit and even some nuts. Everything, absolutely everything in its proper measure ending up in a long finish with the right intensity that leaves wonderful memories on the palate even long after the beer is finished. Absolutely delicious!
Whether it's worth the price they ask for it or not, that's a personal thing. I do agree, with Stan Hieronymus, though, they should have brewed a batch without the maritime treatment to appreciate the difference.
As you can see, marketing tricks can also have noble ends.
Na Zdraví!
Choose your preferred Prague hotels and get free transport.
15 Oct 2009
Belgium in Prague
The good people of Pivo-Pivo carry on with their mission to open minds and palates of český pivaří and the general public.
This time is a festival of Belgian beers. Like the previous ones (the one at Christmas, and last Summer's Wheat beer fest) the event will take place in the classy halls of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
Over 70 different beers will be presented, many of which, I'm sure, have rarely, if ever, been seen in Prague. A great opportunity for those who are already familiarised with the now relatively easy to find Trappist, etc. , and fancy exploring what else has made Belgium such a highly regarded beer country.
Once again, the event will be divided in sessions limited to 250 visitors each. The sessions are: Friday 3–5 p.m. and 6–9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m., 2–5 p.m. and 6–9 p.m.; Sunday 2–5 p.m. and 6–9 p.m.
Tickets cost 150CZK and can be booked here or can be bought at Zlý Časy, Pivovarský Klub or at the hotel.
If the weather continues like this, or not, this festival is a great option for doing something different. You can even take your lady. Fancy place, top-notch food prepared by the hotel's restaurant and I don't think there are many women out there who can resist a proper Belgian fruit beer.
Go, don't miss it!
Na Zdraví!
Choose a Hotel in Prague in the city centre.
12 Oct 2009
More taste from Barcelona
It seems that, at least in Spain, I have acquired a reputation, and a good one at that! Thanks to it, the good people of Companyia Cervesera del Montseny thought it would be a good idea to send me some of their beers so I could review them here. Now, together with those I reviewed recently, I have a small overview of what is happening in Barcelona.
CCM, as they like to be called, is one of the many micros that have opened in Catalunya in recent years. They started brewing about two years ago and now make six different beers, including one that is aged in French oak for no less than a year.
The three samples I got were +Lupulus, +Malta and +Negra. I loved those names! So simple, yet they can say so much about the beers and what you can expect from them. Pity they aren't given more space on the labels. But instead of talking about something as irrelevant as Graphic Design, I should get to what I do well, tasting beers.
I started with +Lupulus, a so called Iber Ale. Before building up any sort of expectations, it should be taken into account that this is not an American beer, it's Spanish. Most Spaniards don't seem to like their beer to taste very much like beer, and the macros do their best to oblige, brewing the blandest pale lagers they can pass as beer. That said, feeling any sort of hops in +Lupulus (the "+" sign should be read as "more"), and I don't mean just bitterness, but actual hops, could be considered an accomplishment.
+Lupulus is palish gold, with generous and lasting white, fluffy head. To be expected for a beer brewed with Pilsen malts, as said on the back label (the web page also mentions wheat and caramel malts). The nose is full of fresh hops, very floral, very English (and it does have Cascade, Fuggles, Nugget, Target and Styrian Goldigs. I'm getting good at this!) with a malty base that gives the needed anchoring. Simple, but well balanced. The beer itself, fortunately, offers no surprise. Middle to light body. Flowers and tropical fruit set the pace well backed by the malts. The beer has some sediment that, when poured, work as a well used spice, bringing up aromas and flavours and giving them a bit more depth.
I really liked +Lupulus. It was just what I was expecting and a bit more. It didn't knock my socks off, but I found it very drinkable and see it as a great summer beer.
Second in line was +Malta, I was expecting something, well, maltier. Fuller body, less hop presence and, why not, some caramel, nuts and a roasty note or two.
For some reason, I thought it would be darker. It poured almost orange, though. The back label says it is a Pale Ale brewed according to the traditional English style (whatever that might be). Still, and maybe because of the colour of the label, I expected something "browner". Colours aside, I didn't like +Malta, at all. Drinkable, it is. It's not offensive and I was able to finish my glass without any suffering. Its problem is that it doesn't meet any of the expectations set by the name. There's hardly any malt in the aromas and flavours (in fact, +Lupulus is maltier). It also has a very thin body with the hops carrying way too much of the tune and is not all that well balanced. Disappointing.
Last, but not least, was +Negra. With a name like that it isn't too hard to meet the expectations. Get the colour right and Bobs's your uncle. The back label says it's a Stout Ale (sic) brewed in the Irish style with three cereals, barley, wheat and oats. The web page gives a lot more information about grist: Pale malt, roasted barley, chocolate, coffee, crystal, caramel and black malts and flakes of barley, wheat and oats. The hops: Hallertau Hersbrucker (that doesn't sound too Irish), Northen Brewer y Styrian Goldigs. Quite a stew!
+Negra honours its name being very black, the kind that absorbs light. The same hops as before (with a minty twist) stand forward in the nose. Now the base is of sweet green apples and roasted notes. The flavour is an interesting, yet not all very well integrated, mix. There's fruit, herbs, sweet coffee, roast and the finish is rather sugary. I wasn't a fan of it at the beginning, but then, when out of nowhere came some chocolate and spice notes in the finish, +Negra slowly won my heart. It's far from perfect, but is a beer with a lot of potential. Perhaps turning down the IBU a notch or two and giving it more muscle could make it a truly fantastic brew.
I will put the overall balance in the black. I didn't like +Malta at all, but I did like +Lupulos quite a lot and +Negra, even though it's not quite there yet, managed to convince me. Now that I think of it, maybe is the latter the one they should age.
Na Zdraví!
Disclosure: CCM sent me two bottles of each beer, a 330ml and a 500ml (the big one from +Negra didn't survive the trip, pity). The reviews are based only on the tastings of the small bottles. And before anyone says it, yes, it was unfair for +Malta. Why didn't I open the other bottle I had before writing the review? Why should I? I'm not a professional reviewer, I'm a consumer and the judgment I pass on a beer is, with perhaps a bit more in depth knowledge, the same as any other consumer's. How many of you would buy again a beer you didn't like?
5 stars Hotels in Prague with 75% discount.
9 Oct 2009
Mo' Wheat!
Photo: Pivovar Černá Hora
Na Zdraví!
3 stars Hotels in Prague with 75% discount.
7 Oct 2009
Two Questions
Na Zdraví!
Travel to the Czech Republic and stay at the best Prague Hotels
5 Oct 2009
Another Family Trip
Hradní restaurace Dělová Bašta
Okoř 36
+420 777 265 672
Na Zdraví!
Travel to the Czech Republic and stay at the best Prague Hotels | http://www.pivni-filosof.com/2009_10_01_archive.html | dclm-gs1-176440002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.044853 | <urn:uuid:92a17a73-2935-4971-b9e7-afe5d036331f> | en | 0.969744 | Thursday, April 29, 2010
A reddit experiment: Help us catch spammers by verifying your email address (please?)
One of the most powerful tools for fighting spam is the humble verification email: If you force all new users to specify an email address, and then verify it by sending a test message, it makes the spammers' job dramatically harder.
However, reddit's always been about openness and privacy. I remember the day I created my account, back in 2005, and how impressed I was that all I had to do was type in a username and a password -- three tenths of a second later, my account had been created and I was logged into it. No annoying, "You must click the link in your email before you can do anything fun" message.
Further, there are plenty of occasions when reddit users wish to remain anonymous -- they're publishing controversial words, or sharing deeply personal stories on IAmA, or posting a photo of their... well, you get the point. It's a fine line to walk, crushing spammers without hurting our community.
After much careful consideration, we think we've found the right balance, so we're going to start an experiment today. Here's how it works:
First and foremost, nobody has to verify their email address. If you're paranoid about this sort of thing and would rather jump off a cliff than tell reddit your email address, you'll still be able to log in, vote, post crazy comments, submit links to bunker supplies and tinfoil hat designs, and everything else that you're used to.
In fact, we think (and hope) that normal, non-spammy users won't even notice any change. The only ones who should have a problem are people who submit one crummy link after another, as often as the site will let them. We're going to start limiting them to a certain number of crummy links per hour (and per day, per week, etc).
So what defines a crummy link? Well:
• Links that are flagged as spam are crummy.
• Links that fail deputy moderation are crummy.
• Links that get more downvotes than upvotes are crummy.
• Links with even a tiny positive score are successful.
• Links that survive 24 hours without getting marked as spam are successful.
• Links that get explicitly approved by a moderator are successful.
And what happens if you use up your "crummy-links" quota? If you haven't verified your email address, you'll be prompted to. Once you do, you'll be granted a lot more leeway.
But what if you're really hard on your luck, and despite making a good-faith effort, you use up even this larger crummy-links quota? Or if you don't want to verify your email address for some reason? You can try again in a little while, or you can message the moderators of the reddits you're submitting to and ask them to certify that you're not spamming. There's two ways they can do this: They can manually approve links you've already submitted, which as mentioned above will free up space in your quota, or they can add you to their reddit's whitelist, which will let you submit as often as you want within their community.
And just in case there was any doubt: reddit will never sell your address, bother you with unsolicited email, or anything remotely evil or annoying. But we really think it will make the spammers stand out if as many people as possible verify their email addresses. For best results, use the most prestigious address you have. In other words, throwaway addresses like stink, free accounts like and are so-so, and anything ending in, say,,, or .mil is freaking outstanding.
As an added incentive, you may notice something new in your trophy case afterwards.
TLDR: It would help us fight spam if honest users verified their email addresses. But we're not going to make anyone do it.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
tldr: oh look! here's a web comic!
Edit: Cool! We're in TechCrunch!
Monday, April 26, 2010
pls send me teh codez
How can you get started?
4. Code like the wind!
To jump-start the award, the first recipients are:
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
You've just been drafted.
Pretty soon you're going to start seeing a pink box like this at the top of the front page every once in a while:
This "reddit's spam filter needs your help!" box is the first step in a major overhaul that's been in the works for the better part of the last year and has been in our dreams since forever (reddit admins have weird dreams).
We've never been comfortable with the collateral damage caused when our anti-spam and anti-cheating mechanisms catch an innocent victim, but until now, the alternative would be to let spam and cheating take over the site.
Like most components of reddit, this is a story of outgrowing:
• In the earliest days, there was no spam.
• Then, there was some spam, but users would downvote it right away.
• Then, the New queue was so flooded with spam that it became unreadable, which ultimately starved the front page of good submissions. So we (the admins) started removing it manually.
• Then we asked you guys to report spam so we at least didn't have to go looking for it.
• Then, even sorting through the reports got overwhelming, and we had to turn the job over to moderators.
• Then, the moderators were overwhelmed and an automated spam filter had to be set up for each reddit community.
• Then, traffic grew so much that the spam filter's tiny false positive rate started accumulating into a constant stream of stories about poor souls who were unfairly blocked. Most redditors are understandably sympathetic to these stories, and so there have been numerous prominent submissions that inevitably end with us being accused of censorship -- or at best, being a police state. And that makes us feel terrible.
Adding to the problem is the fact that the spam filter only really works when it's fed a constant stream of training data -- "This is spam." "This is not spam." ... it has a really voracious appetite for this training data, and moderators simply can't keep up anymore. So the malnourished spam filter starts acting crazy, and in a vicious cycle, the moderators get more work to do.
So now, in the hopes of solving this problem once and for all, we're drafting people like you to help out. We call this new system "deputy moderation" and will be putting up instructions here just as soon as we get around to it. (It's a wiki, so you can jump in and help too.)
As you flood us with useful training data, our spam filter will get better and better. Soon your feedback will -- when there's a quorum and a clear consensus -- be able to stand in for moderators when they're asleep or otherwise not available to tend their queues. We expect Australian and New Zealic redditors will especially love this new feature, for reasons enumerated quite bracingly over here.
If this stuff works, we'll be able to decommission a lot of our sneakiest anti-spam measures, which while extremely powerful at stopping spam seem to also be the ones with the worst collateral damage.
P.S. The first two words of this blog post are a lie -- it won't be "pretty soon" unless everything goes according to plan, and it never does. We're going to deploy this change very slowly and carefully, since it could kill the site in about seventy-three different complex ways. We'll probably enable users for this in order of seniority. Or maybe descending karma. But we will get it out as quickly as we safely can.
Thanks for volunteering being volunteered! | http://www.redditblog.com/2010_04_01_archive.html | dclm-gs1-176580002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.092457 | <urn:uuid:fea9678c-aba3-40a7-bb5b-44859f3d0bf9> | en | 0.96173 | every in a sentence
Example sentences for every
All year long, from every direction, surveys bombard students.
Every time you open a can of tuna, an albatross dies.
The two sides seem bitterly divided on almost every point.
But trading cannot drive prices up in the long term since for every buy, there is a sell.
Every fortnight an elder dies and carries with him or her into the grave the last syllables of an ancient tongue.
If there's a group of co-workers going every day, they are apt to go.
Nearly every planet-and some of the moons-has an atmosphere.
High-quality, multi-functional gear for every photo explorer.
For every positive trend, you'll have no problem finding a negative one.
Silent, they wince at every noise from down the corridor.
Every month, you'll receive news and photos on donations making a difference.
After all, its not every day that you get a good picture of your home town snapped from a shuttle.
Natural hazards are the result of physical processes that affect humans every day.
Entrance and exit ramps connect the streets at every intersection.
Every city is a potential battleground, every citizen a target.
Not every case is so notorious, of course, but in every one the final disposition of one or more human lives is at stake.
Tao's accomplishments have already earned him nearly every major mathematics prize.
Yak herding increases every year, and the animals trample the buntings' nests.
Every school has it's quirks-- scad is no different.
Under today's law, every time a radio station plays your song, you get some money.
Before it arrived, he checked the status of his order every day.
But every day, on thousands of campuses, millions of students are educated without any disruption by academic partisanship.
And if you know what to look for, every picture reveals important clues.
Many species don't mate until they're in their teens, and then may bear small litters only once every two years.
Every garden should offer a secluded place to relax.
Data centres are essential to nearly every industry and have become as vital to the functioning of society as power stations are.
Now almost every city is required to build a wastewater-treatment plant.
Dominant styles seemed to change every five minutes.
Presidential and parliamentary elections are held every six years.
How she must have longed to tell off each and every one of them.
No matter where team loyalties lie, football fans unite every season for food-filled game days.
Plants need water daily in warm weather, every other day in cool conditions.
Apply half-strength liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
College officials know that not every admitted applicant who sent a deposit will arrive on their campuses this fall.
Advertisers seem determined to fill every last one of them.
Birders will especially appreciate having a single handy volume that includes information on every bird family in the world.
Every little thing is going to be all right, maybe.
For every problem, there is a simple solution: neat, plausible and wrong.
The word is a catch-all for every vile behavior humankind can muster.
Every once in a while a story comes along that seems as likely as cats and dogs playing poker.
Every year around this time colleges and universities release their acceptance rates.
We train every faculty member to detect academic dishonesty.
Every few years, some new technology service comes along that nearly every college adopts, while other functions become obsolete.
From outdoor living rooms to creative sleeping solutions, every square inch has been put to use.
As in any container, nutrients are leached out with every watering.
No, every day is not a day off with last-of-summer barbecues and beach trips.
In every instance the expansion has been of benefit, not so much to the power nominally benefited, as to the whole world.
Every successful modern e-gadget is a combination of components made by many makers.
It's not every day you get told over and over again you don't matter.
It took some of the anxiety out of knowing that you could never possibly read every tweet from a large network.
They know that advertisers are targeting them and watching their every move through cookies and other tricks.
Nearly every piece of technology is furious hand-waving.
And if it is correct that every human has a few new mutations the well of potential ugliness is replenished every generation.
Floating in the water among all these things are myriad bacteria-there are perhaps a billion cells in every liter.
Thousands of papers get published every week, but every now and then a truly strange one pops up.
Every day, it's one second behind, clicking over to midnight one second after the first clock does.
Thus, apple-seed-size meteors appear overhead about every ten minutes.
For centuries experts held that every language is unique.
Either way, this cluster is incredibly far off, and increasing that distance every second of every day as it heads out into space.
The faces of addiction come in every color and gender.
My every action is misjudged and every word distorted.
For some reason, every single request for the name of the dog is immediately followed by an inquiry about the age of the dog.
Every nanosecond of this production is eloquent with craft and wit.
After all, focus brings out the best in every student.
Huge deli fridges contain every type of local specialty-jambalaya and red beans included.
And then you'll do skin, and then you'll do every other stem cell you can get.
Every emitter plus target combination is a tiny x-ray tube.
Every x-ray tube, no matter how small, emits x-rays in every direction.
These meters actually transmit the data every few minutes, though data is only recorded monthly.
The grand hostesses are history, the president would rather be in bed, and there's a price tag on every evening these days.
Every glance, every slightly lifted eyebrow, in fact every moment is charged with whodunits.
One desk copy is available for every twenty copies ordered.
He fought with the insurance company over virtually every piece of equipment that was needed.
Nearly every driver slows noticeably when approaching a stop sign.
Famous quotes containing the word every
There's a sucker born every minute.... more
Copyright © 2014 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved. | http://www.reference.com/example-sentences/every | dclm-gs1-176600002 | false | true | {
"keywords": "bacteria, mutations"
} | false | null | false |
0.079598 | <urn:uuid:afb47a36-bf32-4810-b072-85d48d131d45> | en | 0.985178 | John Ashcroft’s Permanent Campaign
In the liberal imagination Attorney General John Ashcroft is an authoritarian and a religious zealot, bent on sacrificing liberty to achieve the illusion of safety from terror. But those who see Ashcroft as a zealot are missing Ashcroft the canny politician—a man beholden to both his polls and his God
By Jeffrey Rosen
Also see:
Interviews: "The Softer Side of Ashcroft"
(March 12, 2004)
Jeffrey Rosen argues that it is not social conservatism but a quest for popular approval that drives John Ashcroft's public life.
After three years in office John Ashcroft, the Attorney General of the United States, has provoked an impressively bipartisan chorus of invective. From the civil-libertarian left to the libertarian right, his critics agree that he has done more to destroy American liberties than any other Attorney General since A. Mitchell Palmer, who presided over the Red scares of 1919 and 1920. No Democratic presidential candidate has missed the chance to denounce him in the most censorious terms, from Howard Dean ("John Ashcroft is a descendant of Joseph McCarthy") to John Kerry (a crowd "of every creed, every color, every belief, every religion" is "John Ashcroft's worst nightmare"). In November, Al Gore, standing before a cheering crowd of 3,000 in Washington's Constitution Hall, declared that the USA Patriot Act—drafted under the auspices of the Justice Department and passed in the aftermath of 9/11 to strengthen America's defenses against terrorist attacks—should be repealed and that the Bush Administration's treatment of aliens after 9/11 "was little more than a cheap and cruel political stunt by John Ashcroft." Intellectuals have been no less scathing in their denunciations. Gore Vidal declared recently that "the Founding Fathers ... would have hanged anybody who tried to get [the Patriot Act] through the Constitutional Convention," adding that Ashcroft was part of an "alien army." "Many conservatives are sorry they ever supported former Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft's appointment as attorney general," David Keene, the head of the American Conservative Union, who has become one of Ashcroft's strong critics, wrote in The Hill in July of 2002. "They are upset at him for eviscerating the Constitution since Sept. 11 by sending the PATRIOT Act and other anti-terrorist legislation to the Hill." Grover Norquist, the president of the libertarian Americans for Tax Reform, told The New York Times that Ashcroft's efforts to expand government surveillance have upset even evangelical Christians, once viewed as his staunchest supporters.
Ashcroft remains popular with about half the country; his job-approval ratings have been similar to those for President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. (Of all Administration officials, only Colin Powell, who reached 74 percent in one poll, scores significantly higher.) But in the eyes of his critics, whom Ashcroft dismisses as a small and vocal minority, he is an American Savonarola—a religious zealot determined to destroy the constitutional structure by imposing his authoritarian beliefs on an unwilling nation. He has become the iconic embodiment of American fears about the sacrifice of liberty for the illusion of security in an age of terror.
But the accepted criticisms of Ashcroft are largely wrong. Far from being a religiously motivated partisan in the culture wars, Ashcroft is in his bones a politician, a fiercely ambitious former senator who has always been willing to discipline his conservative instincts in pursuit of electoral success. And far from pandering to those in his social-conservative base, Ashcroft has largely disappointed them as Attorney General. He has avoided taking positions on culture-war issues that conservatives care about, such as abortion and school prayer, while supporting the expansion of federal power in ways that they fear may be abused by Democratic Presidents in the future.
Advised by an inner circle consisting of former Senate aides who view their job as bolstering their boss's popularity rather than making decisions based on the law alone, Ashcroft has devoted almost all of his energy since 9/11 to marketing himself as tough on terror, a position that inspires opposition only among libertarian minorities. Indeed, by conflating his legal role as a prosecutor with his political role as chief spokesman for the war on terror, he has responded to 9/11 in a way that is neither liberal nor conservative but, instead, is guided almost entirely by public opinion.
One day late last year I checked in at the security desk downstairs at the Justice Department, which displayed a warning that the national terrorist threat index for the day was set at Yellow, or Elevated. After passing through an x-ray inspection chamber installed after 9/11 (I entered through one door, and the other slid open only after my body had been scanned), I was led up to the Attorney General's ornate fifth-floor suite. In the reception room I found a copy of An American Insurrection, William Doyle's account of James Meredith's registration at the University of Mississippi, in 1962, which triggered the most dramatic conflict between federal and state authorities since the Civil War. (The author had inscribed the book to Ashcroft, who has long considered himself a fervent opponent of racial discrimination.)
Ushered into Ashcroft's private office, I found him in shirtsleeves with David Israelite, his deputy chief of staff, and Mark Corallo, the department's young new director of public affairs. They were bantering about sports. "I'm an old jock," Ashcroft, who was a football star in high school, told me later. "I'm old—you may not believe I'm a jock, but I'm an old jock." In a cabinet across from the couch were two autographed footballs: one signed by the University of Missouri Tigers, and the other from the 2000 Super Bowl, signed by the victorious St. Louis Rams. In an effort to put me at ease, Ashcroft asked a friendly question about the World Series. I am, unfortunately, one of the few men in America unable to engage in basic sports chat, but I managed to blurt out something about an article I had recently read in The New York Times about how Mayor Michael Bloomberg had offended his constituents by wearing a Yankees sweater and red socks. "Doesn't he know the first rule of being a politician?" Ashcroft said with a boisterous laugh. "You have to pander to the electorate!" I then pulled out my tape recorder and gestured toward him to ask if I could turn it on. "No, thanks, I don't smoke," Ashcroft said, laughing again. His attempts at humor were awkward and endearing.
When we met, Ashcroft had recently returned from an unusual thirty-two-city tour devoted to defending the USA Patriot Act. Any evaluation of his effectiveness as Attorney General must take place in the context of his association with this legislation, which, more than anything else Ashcroft has said or done, has aroused the ire of civil libertarians. The problem, of course, is that it's difficult for most Americans to have an informed opinion about whether the Patriot Act goes too far in its expansion of domestic surveillance powers. The act is so technical and legally complicated that only policy junkies and law professors have the time to master it.
I suppose I qualify as a junkie of sorts, having written about different aspects of the act for the past two years. But it wasn't until I taught it in a law-school seminar devoted to the balance between liberty and security that I felt knowledgeable enough about its technical details to form a relatively informed opinion. Based on that seminar, I've concluded that some criticism of the act is overblown. "Roving wiretaps," for example, which allow investigators to tap every electronic device a suspect uses, have long been available for drug and racketeering investigations; the Patriot Act corrects an inadvertent gap in the law that denied these wiretaps for investigations of suspected terrorists. (Orin Kerr, a scholar of cyberspace and a law professor at George Washington University, has argued that parts of the Patriot Act actually expand the protection of privacy—by applying to previously unregulated Internet surveillance the same standards that have been applied to searches involving the telephone and regular mail.)
Other parts of the act are more troubling. The most controversial provisions vastly expand the government's authority to search private records and other personal data without notifying a suspect. Before passage of the act the government could search certain personal records—including hotel, airline, and car-rental records—if it could provide evidence to suggest that the records were those of a spy or terrorist. The Patriot Act extended the government's reach to include all tangible information, such as bookstore receipts and library records; the government need not tell the targets their records are being searched, and the record keepers are not allowed to. Worse, under the act the government no longer need certify in advance that its target is a suspected spy or terrorist. Now government agents can simply assert that the records they seek are "relevant" to an ongoing terrorism investigation. In theory, an unscrupulous Attorney General who wanted to intimidate his opponents could certify that their medical, bank, and Internet records were relevant to a terrorist investigation—just as Richard Nixon retaliated against Vietnam War critics by scouring their tax returns. Banks and doctors and Internet-service providers would be compelled to turn over the critics' data—but prohibited from telling the critics that their records were being searched. And if the Attorney General found evidence of low-level crimes (say, minor financial misdoing), he could threaten prosecution.
This is the essence of the case offered against the Patriot Act by its most thoughtful opponents. As the lone senator to vote against the act two years ago, Russell Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, warned that it could be used to prosecute low-level crimes that had nothing to do with terrorism. Today Feingold believes that his fears have been vindicated. "I'm confident that the Department of Justice and the Administration are going too far," he told me not long ago. "A compelling case in The New York Times laid out the fact that the USA Patriot Act is being used in a wide number of regular criminal cases ... and to me that's an abuse." To protect citizens from potential abuses, Feingold and other Democrats have joined an array of Republican colleagues to introduce the Security and Freedom Ensured Act of 2003. The SAFE Act would resurrect the requirement that evidence of espionage or terrorism be provided in advance of secret searches. Ashcroft's fall tour was undertaken in direct response to Republican critics, such as Butch Otter, a congressman from Idaho, who persuaded the House in July to vote to repeal the so-called sneak-and-peek provisions of the Patriot Act, which expanded the use of secret searches. Ashcroft worried that critics of the act were defining the debate about civil liberties in ways that could damage the Bush Administration. Feingold said to me, "I believe Ashcroft was told by the White House that the Patriot Act was causing significant political problems for the President on his conservative, right flank. I think they told Ashcroft, 'You have credibility in the country; you have to sell this thing.'"
I asked Ashcroft how he thought the act had been misunderstood.
"These authorities have been available for a long time," he replied. "The roving wiretaps—you're a law professor, you know that doesn't mean the government just roams around and taps wires, which may be the image that's created. It just says that if a guy moves from his cell phone to his office phone to his vacation home and goes across area-code lines, we can follow that. We've had that since 1986 in drug and organized-crime cases; now it's available for following terrorists. It's not a big step, but it's important; and people may have thought that the act went further than it did."
I replied that Ashcroft's critics in Congress objected not to roving wiretaps alone but to the fact that government agents could now secretly obtain records without providing any evidence that the targets were terrorists. Why, I asked, couldn't Ashcroft accept the principle of the SAFE Act—that individuals should be identified as particularly suspicious before their data could be secretly searched? "Well, I'd have to see the bill in its totality," he replied. (In late January, Ashcroft told reporters that President Bush would veto the SAFE Act if it were passed.) "There are people who think we had too much protection before September 11. The ACLU thought that delayed notification of a search was wrong before September 11. They think it's wrong now. I think we needed to strengthen our hand in the area of legal stuff, and before I think about any retreat, I'd have to be very, very convinced that there are some abuses to be safeguarded against."
He leaned back in his chair, took off his shoes, and balanced them against each other like a teepee on the floor—an odd habit that former Ashcroft aides I had interviewed had told me to expect. "There's a presumption out here—and pardon me, I hope it's not one you embrace, because I'm gonna call it a stupid presumption—that any time you pass a law regulating conduct, you diminish freedom. I would ask people to think about the state of nature with no laws at all ... and you decide to pass a law that says you cannot commit murder, you can't kill somebody. Are you freer after the law was passed or before the law was passed?" His voice deepened and took on the ominous, official tone that he uses on television. "Now, from my perspective—we're talking about liberty and freedom—you're freer after that law is passed." He relaxed and reverted to his normal voice. "I throw that out. I wish someone would write that. It seems so simple that it could be written in crayon—it's so simple that even the Attorney General can understand it."
This seemed like the moment to press Feingold's objection. If the Patriot Act were used just to prosecute terrorists and murderers, I suggested, not even many libertarians would object. But when broad new surveillance powers were used increasingly to prosecute lower-level crimes that had nothing to do with terrorism—such as fraud, for example—weren't the critics right that it was vulnerable to abuse?
"That's certainly a part of the debate that's okay to have," he replied evenly. "But what is it about fraud and low-level crimes that's so attractive that they want to protect it? For someone who works his whole life to save enough money to be independent and to be free in their retirement or golden years—to think that fraud is somehow inconsequential to them? I think that life is a matter of striking balances. What happens to freedom if we can't interdict fraud?"
Ashcroft knocked over his shoe teepee and rubbed his left shoe with his right foot. "It's possible to infringe freedom: if you wanted to stop murder and didn't let anybody leave their house, that would be bad." He looked pensive. "Frankly, I've spent a lot of my life very skeptical about passing more laws."
Warming to his subject, Ashcroft looked at me earnestly. "I think of it this way. Basketball is a better analogy than baseball. You come home from a basketball game and all you're talking about is the referees, you probably didn't see a very good game. But if you come home from the game and you're talking about the players, and they reach their maximum potential because the governance of the game provided for people to be able to develop and exhibit and perform their skills in a fair environment, that's a good deal. That's what government's about."
Although aides had told me that Ashcroft would enjoy talking about the technical differences between foreign-intelligence wiretaps and grand-jury subpoenas, he seemed more interested in citing poll numbers from August that had been posted on the Justice Department's Web site. ("As I recall," he observed, "about fifty-five percent said this is being handled just about right; another twenty percent said, 'Man, we're not doing enough to make us safe.'" The same poll suggested that only 21 percent thought the act went too far. These are the liberal and conservative libertarians that Ashcroft dismisses as a small and vocal minority.) Ashcroft seemed genuinely convinced that the critics of the act were raising entirely hypothetical dangers, and that under his watch the powers granted by the act could be used only for the noble purpose of fighting evil. "Terror is still extremely active—it's just not active to the point of combustibility in the United States," he said. "Are we going to walk out of the game with a clean jersey? Maybe not, but we're going to win the game."
As he spoke, I wondered why he was responding to criticism by offering platitudes about sports. But later I realized that he was sharing one of what he calls, in his brief campaign autobiography, On My Honor, the "core beliefs that shape my life." Published in 1998, as Ashcroft contemplated a presidential run in 2000, the book offers a series of inspirational lessons that he says he learned from his father, J. Robert Ashcroft, an Assemblies of God minister. Using basketball as a metaphor, he emphasizes what people can achieve by approaching life in strategic terms. "In what I call the 'basketball approach to life' you learn to spread the defense, find the open spaces, and create a lane to the basket," Ashcroft writes. "When you see all your options, when you're ready to move instantly in response to the changing circumstances, then you're on your way to the winner's circle."
The most striking thing about Ashcroft's career is how often it has been guided by the basketball approach—that is, how often his politics have been strategic rather than inflexibly ideological. He adapts his political positions at any particular moment to the political realities that constrain him. He's no Elmer Gantry, however, piously brandishing religious beliefs—or political principles—that he hypocritically betrays in practice. Rather, Ashcroft attempts in subtle, complicated ways to balance his political self-interest with a deeply rooted moralism; he views himself as an instrument of some unchanging higher purpose.
This, too, seems to have come from his father, who instilled in him a deep belief that God had a plan for him as for every other individual—and that no matter how difficult the obstacles life presented, he would always be judged by his success in living up to eternal rather than temporal standards. "My father had programmed me to aspire to noble things, even if they were not fully realistic," he writes in On My Honor.
Ashcroft has carried this lesson into politics, viewing himself as a principled public servant who is willing to absorb punishing criticism once he has chosen a course he believes is right. As he puts it in On My Honor,
In matters of faith, my father ... taught the importance of delayed gratification. I heard him preach many profound truths of Scripture, but few affected me more than his razor-sharp focus on eternity. One verse always intrigued me: "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven."
Ashcroft took to heart his father's constant lessons about the importance of delayed gratification—"putting something off so that you can experience something even better in the future." He remained a virgin until marriage so that he could "more fully enter into the deeper love of the marital union." In college and law school he didn't shrink from taunts about his faith. He didn't dance, drink, or smoke; the only weaknesses he confesses to indulging were for ice cream and chocolates. And his father—who loved positive thinkers such as Dale Carnegie and Norman Vincent Peale—urged him from an early age not to passively accept whatever God threw in his path but to do everything possible to fulfill God's plan by working constantly to ensure his success.
Given his upbringing, Ashcroft might have been expected to follow his father (and his grandfather) into the ministry. But after graduating from Yale and the University of Chicago Law School and spending five years as a teacher at Southwest Missouri State University, he found himself temperamentally drawn to politics, and he began what turned out to be a more or less permanent campaign. "Looking back, I'm not sure why I kept running," Ashcroft writes, "except that my father had instilled in me a particular set of values, which I believed needed to be reinforced by government leaders."
Ashcroft entered politics in 1972, when, at the age of thirty, he decided to run in the Republican primary for an open congressional seat. He lost narrowly, winning about 45 percent of the vote. As he tells the story in his book, he was ready to go back to teaching after his defeat, but "God had other plans": out of the blue Kit Bond, the newly elected Republican governor of Missouri, called to offer him the job of state auditor, which Bond himself had recently vacated. "Here I was being handed the fourth-ranking job in the state," Ashcroft writes, "without even asking for it! From one perspective, it just fell into my hands. But there's another side. When you pursue noble things, sometimes noble things pursue you."
In fact the appointment was less of a bolt from the blue than Ashcroft suggests. As the St. Louis Post-Dispatch related in 1999, Ashcroft let it be known after his defeat that he was thinking about leaving the party and running against his victorious primary opponent as an independent. That threat may have induced Bond to offer him the state auditor's job, a political plum. However the auditor's job came about, Ashcroft's first defeat led to his "theory about elections," which "is mirrored in what I believe about all of life: for every crucifixion, a resurrection is waiting to follow." He has detected this pattern throughout his career. He writes,
[E]very time I have ever run for something and lost, some type of "resurrection" has followed. When I lost my race for Congress, I was appointed state auditor. After I lost my race to stay in as state auditor, I ended up running for, and winning, the position of [state] attorney general. In the '90s, my failure to be elected chairman of the Republican National Committee led to my successful race for the United States Senate ... God can call us to bigger jobs.
Despite his vision of himself as an instrument of divine purpose, however, Ashcroft's career in state politics did not seem to be driven by the tenets of his Assemblies of God faith, which is often associated with deeply conservative views. This was especially true when he served as governor of Missouri, from 1985 to 1993; as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has noted, conservative Republicans complained that he compromised too often in an effort to accommodate the Democrats who held the majority in the state legislature. He praised the National Endowment for the Arts (which later, as a senator, he attempted to dismantle), and he tried—four times—to raise the state tax on cigarettes (a type of tax that, once he was in Washington, he attacked as a burden on the working class). These positions were informed less by his religious beliefs than by the expert advice of political consultants, whom Ashcroft hired to help him market his message as effectively as possible. After his first gubernatorial election, Karl Rove, now known as an adviser to President Bush, advised his Missouri campaigns. And when he first ran for the Senate, he was joined by David Ayres, a consultant who became and remains his chief of staff, and who has dedicated himself to the political health of John Ashcroft.
When Ashcroft was elected to the Senate, in 1994, he engineered a political shift. After he decided to run for President in 2000, he decided that he would seek a niche as the candidate of the Christian right, and he did everything possible to cater to that constituency. He sponsored constitutional amendments to ban flag burning and abortion and to resurrect school prayer. "I don't apologize for being unyielding when I speak on behalf of a balanced budget or in opposition to big government or in favor of protecting the lives of unborn children," he wrote in his campaign autobiography, reaching out to libertarians as well as social conservatives.
In his brief presidential run Ashcroft attempted to cash in the capital he had built up with social conservatives over the previous several years. He tried to distinguish himself in a crowded field by being one of the first and most vociferous voices to call for President Bill Clinton's resignation. His stump speech featured a sonogram of his grandchild, which he held up while denouncing abortion. He excoriated gambling and homosexuality as sins, and accepted a $10,000 donation from Pat Robertson and his wife. Initially his efforts paid off: he came in first in a straw poll of sixty-five national and state Christian Coalition leaders, and beat George W. Bush in a poll of South Carolina Republicans.
But as the Clinton impeachment effort fizzled, so did Ashcroft's campaign. After Republicans were punished for their impeachment zeal in the 1998 midterm elections, and Ashcroft faced the prospect of losing his Senate seat as well as the presidential primaries, he set out to moderate his image by tacking to the center. He continued talking about abortion but also began to deliver anodyne speeches about cutting taxes, improving schools, and fighting crime. Ashcroft's political advisers were candid about their strategy.
In the end journalists found these bland attempts to reinvent himself no more convincing than the New Nixon had been in the late 1960s, and Ashcroft's run to the center failed. After dropping out of the presidential race, he lost his Senate seat to Mel Carnahan, who had been killed in a plane crash three weeks before the election. (If not for this tragedy, Ashcroft might well have won: he was in a statistical tie with Carnahan at the time of the crash.) But this crucifixion, as he might have called it, was soon followed by yet another resurrection, when President Bush nominated Ashcroft as Attorney General of the United States.
Ashcroft wasn't the President's first choice: Bush had preferred two candidates to whom he was much closer—Governor Frank Keating, of Oklahoma, and Governor Marc Racicot, of Montana. But Keating failed to make it through the vetting process after it emerged that he had accepted a total of $250,000 in gifts from the financier Jack Dreyfus, whom he then helped to promote a mood-altering drug for prisoners. Then, when religious conservatives learned that Bush was on the verge of nominating Racicot, they told Karl Rove that Racicot was too moderate. When Racicot declined the job, citing family financial pressures, the conservatives bragged that they had forced him out. They lobbied for Ashcroft, who his old adviser Rove assured the President would be a team player. Supported by moderate senators such as Jim Jeffords and Arlen Specter, and praised for his gracious concession to Mel Carnahan's widow, Ashcroft told Bush he would be easily confirmed.
He wasn't. Democrats—still bitter that the Supreme Court, in Bush v. Gore, had awarded the 2000 presidential election to the Republicans—were spoiling for a confirmation fight, and Ashcroft proved to be the most convenient symbol of the social-conservative world view that inspires such intense fear and antipathy in the Democratic base. An army of interest groups swung into action. "Ashcroft's confirmation hearings were Ralph Neas's dress rehearsal for [blocking] a Supreme Court nomination," says Adam Ciongoli, Ashcroft's former counselor at the Justice Department, referring to the president of People for the American Way, a liberal advocacy group. "Neas convinced America that the Attorney General has an important role in all these social issues, but once we got there, it became very clear to everyone that in fact ... the Attorney General is really about law enforcement."
On re-reading the transcripts of the confirmation hearings, it's striking how Neas and other Ashcroft opponents (like everyone else) failed to predict the issue that would end up being the most controversial of Ashcroft's tenure as Attorney General: his embrace of sweeping federal power and the national-security state. Treating Ashcroft as if he were a prospective Supreme Court nominee, Democratic senators grilled him repeatedly about whether he would enforce the laws on abortion and school prayer as laid down by the courts, or attempt to overturn them in light of his religious views. Ashcroft specifically assured Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy that he would enforce abortion laws, and California Senator Dianne Feinstein that he would enforce gun-control laws. Even so, he was confirmed by a vote of only 52-48. No Bush nominee had a smaller margin of victory.
In his first months as Attorney General, Ashcroft did more or less what he had promised to do during the confirmation hearings. In fact, his policies were hard to distinguish from those of his Democratic predecessor, Janet Reno. He established three priorities, all of them popular: enforcing civil-rights laws against racial discrimination and racial profiling; cracking down on gun violence by spending more than $200 million a year on a project called Safe Neighborhoods; and renewing the war on drugs. Ashcroft did inspire a brief controversy when he wrote a letter to the National Rifle Association declaring that "the text and the original intent of the Second Amendment clearly protect the right of individuals to keep and bear firearms." But he continued to enforce federal gun laws—and he retreated from the positions laid out in his letter when the White House got skittish. At another point Ashcroft provoked objections that he had betrayed his states'-rights principles when he embraced controversial interpretations of federal law that restricted the states' ability to experiment with assisted suicide and medical marijuana. But these tentative forays into the culture wars were notable exceptions to his general moderation. In the wake of his divisive confirmation hearings, the White House had made clear that it didn't want any culture-war explosions. So to prove he was a good soldier, Ashcroft played more to the middle than to the right.
Indeed, his letter to the NRA aside, Ashcroft avoided all the hot-button cultural issues that had preoccupied senators and interest groups during his confirmation hearings. The Justice Department later angered social conservatives and anti-abortion activists by defending the constitutionality of the Freedom of Access to Clinics Entrances Act of 1994, which a lower-court judge had struck down as exceeding Congress's power. Ashcroft stayed out of the debates provoked when the Bush White House opened its office of faith-based initiatives—even though faith-based initiatives had been a signature issue for him in the Senate. He played only a small role in selections for the federal judiciary (another of his principal interests in the Senate), which under Bush have been controlled mainly by the White House counsel's office, anyway. Social conservatives were increasingly disappointed; they believed Ashcroft's aides were muzzling his true self, his inner conservative.
The most striking thing about Ashcroft's first year as Attorney General wasn't his substantive positions but the way he organized his office. He approached the job like the former senator he was, with a tightly knit inner circle of deputies who had tended to his political interests in the Senate and were always positioning him for maximum political advantage. Ashcroft's chief of staff, David Ayres, and his deputy chief of staff, David Israelite ("the Davids," as they are known within the Justice Department), soon gained a reputation for looking at legal and policy decisions as an opportunity to shore up Ashcroft's popularity with different constituencies and to accrue political capital.
As Ayres began issuing important orders for the Justice Department, career prosecutors and department lawyers felt cut off from Ashcroft and his inner circle. Ashcroft met with assistant attorneys general far less frequently than had previous Republican attorneys general, such as Ed Meese, under Ronald Reagan, and William Barr, under the first President Bush. E-mails circulated in which Ashcroft made clear that he didn't want to see assistants he didn't know at meetings. "The career people feel resentful, and pushed out of things they've been doing in lots of administrations," says a former senior Justice Department official.
Before the terror attacks of 2001 there was an air of aimlessness about the Ashcroft Justice Department: he seemed to be positioning himself for something, but even those relatively close to him weren't sure what. After 9/11, however, Ashcroft experienced another resurrection.
"I think for him things changed overnight," says Israelite. "I was with him on the plane when we got the news, and he said, 'This has changed the world forever.'" In Ashcroft's response to 9/11 his political and religious urges fused: being as tough as possible on terrorism was consistent with his Manichaean view of the world. "I think he sees this as a civilizational clash," a former aide says. "He sees these people as enemies of everything he believes in, as a sort of religiously based threat. It really touched him in a more profound way than a more secular person might have experienced."
According to Israelite, Ashcroft immediately focused "like a laser" on preventing, rather than prosecuting, terrorism. Success in this goal is by definition hard to measure, since attacks that are prevented may never be revealed. But even if his role in preventing attacks is impossible to prove, the public seems to give Ashcroft some credit for the fact that no attack has occurred on American soil since 9/11.
And he has not been shy about publicizing his successes as much as possible. On several occasions this tendency has gotten Ashcroft into trouble. In June of 2002, for example, when he was in Moscow to meet with Russian officials, he made the mistake of rushing in front of television cameras on a live satellite feed and intoning in his scariest voice, "We have disrupted an unfolding plot to attack the United States by exploding a radioactive dirty bomb." He identified the culprit as Jose Padilla, who was declared an enemy combatant and was sent to a military prison. In fact there was no evidence that Padilla had gone beyond thinking about a bomb; no bomb was ever found, and no clear evidence emerged to connect him with an active al-Qaeda plot. Ashcroft also exaggerated the threat that a "dirty bomb" would pose, and failed to explain that it wasn't a nuclear weapon. The President's aides were furious—Padilla's arrest was supposed to have been made public in Washington, by senior Justice and Defense Department officials—and also distressed that Ashcroft's hyperbolic language had prevented an expected rally in the tumbling stock market. "After 16 months in office," complained the conservative columnist Robert Novak, who is close to the White House, "Ashcroft seeks the spotlight as if he were still a senator contemplating a presidential run." The White House made clear to Ashcroft and his advisers that the Attorney General had to curtail his pursuit of the spotlight and have his important appearances okayed in advance.
Ashcroft's public statements have also rankled at least one of the federal judges responsible for deciding his terrorism cases: Gerald E. Rosen, of the U.S. District Court in Michigan, who presided over the trial of four men in Detroit accused by the government of conspiring to commit terrorism in Jordan and Turkey. Charged with planning "specific violent attacks," two of the men were convicted in June 2003 of conspiracy to commit document fraud and conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and a third was convicted on the fraud charge alone. At the request of the Justice Department and the defendants, Judge Rosen imposed a gag order in October of 2001. A week later Ashcroft announced at a news conference that "three Michigan men suspected of having knowledge of the September 11, 2001, attacks ... were arrested on charges of possessing false documents." (The fourth suspect was arrested a year later, in North Carolina.) At the time, the government had offered no evidence that the defendants had any advance knowledge of 9/11. When Rosen expressed concern that Ashcroft might have violated the gag order, Ashcroft formally withdrew the remarks, and one of his aides apologized to the judge. In August of 2002, however, Fox News reported that the government was planning to charge the four Detroit men with terrorism, and quoted from the indictment the day before the grand jury publicly issued it. Rosen, furious that the indictment had been leaked, summoned Larry Thompson, then Ashcroft's deputy attorney general, and warned him against further violations of the gag order. But in April of 2003 Ashcroft did it again: during a Washington news conference he praised the government's chief witness in the Detroit case, whose testimony, he said, was of "substantial value" and a "critical tool for our war on terrorism." In response Judge Rosen angrily criticized Ashcroft. "I was concerned and distressed to wake up this morning to hear the Attorney General discuss the credibility of a witness in this trial," he said in court. "I believe the Attorney General is subject to the orders of this court." The defendants' lawyers moved for a mistrial and asked Rosen to hold Ashcroft in contempt of court, which would have made him only the second Attorney General in history to be cited for criminal contempt. Rosen declined to file contempt charges, but in December he publicly admonished Ashcroft for confusing his roles as prosecutor and public spokesman for the war on terror.
But if it's fair to criticize Ashcroft for grandstanding in his desire to be tough on terror, he has also preserved some of the libertarian suspicion of federal power that he displayed as a senator. "His aggressiveness in pursuing the 9/11 investigation is very significantly tempered by a fairly clear libertarian impulse," says Viet Dinh, a former assistant attorney general who was in charge of coordinating the drafting of the Patriot Act. "When we started working on the [act], there were proposals coming in by the truckload, and he said clearly and personally, 'This is not Christmas in September.'" According to former aides, the White House counsel's office originally proposed a broad delegation of power to the Defense Department, with few checks. Ashcroft insisted that civilian powers be transferred to the Pentagon only with the concurrence of the Attorney General.
It's hardly obvious, furthermore, that the Patriot Act that emerged from Ashcroft's Justice Department is significantly different from what would have emerged under a less polarizing Republican Attorney General—such as the respected Larry Thompson, for example. "The liberals are attacking the policy views of Larry Thompson, Michael Chertoff, and Bob Mueller, not Ashcroft," says a former Justice Department official, referring to Ashcroft's former chief deputies and the head of the FBI. "These are not religious culture warriors. They are lifelong prosecutors, people who use criminal law to attack real problems. If Larry Thompson were Attorney General, he wouldn't have such a public face, he would receive more respect and confidence from the legal community. But in terms of the war on terror, I don't think the substance would be that different." It can be argued, in fact, that even if Al Gore were President, the post-9/11 terrorism bill championed by his Attorney General would have looked very much like the Patriot Act—which includes several anti-terrorism provisions sought by the Clinton Administration after the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, and resisted by libertarians in Congress.
If Ashcroft's substantive positions aren't radically out of the law-enforcement mainstream, why has he become such a polarizing figure? I asked him this question directly, noting that John Kerry, on the campaign trail, had effectively called him a racist. How did he feel? Ashcroft winced. "I feel badly," he said. "But you know, I would rather be called a racist than for me to call someone else a racist. I would rather have my wallet stolen than to steal someone else's wallet ... That to me is a very serious charge, because it repudiates everything I believe in. I don't believe we're here by accident. I'm a religious person. I believe we are created by God, and I don't believe that God created any inferior people." Leaning forward in his chair, he said of his harshest critics, "Frankly, it's a sad, sad thing, and I feel worse for them than I do for myself."
I asked Ashcroft if he thought that prejudice against fundamentalist Christians might explain some of the more outrageous caricatures of him. My wife, I mentioned, was raised as a fundamentalist Christian; her biological mother was a member of Ashcroft's church, the Assemblies of God, and she attended fundamentalist schools. Although no longer a believer, my wife has often been struck by the many ways in which secular culture misunderstands fundamentalists. Pentecostal congregations now represent a quarter of all Christians worldwide, and the Assemblies of God is one of the largest Pentecostal denominations in the United States. Nevertheless, its adherents are widely ridiculed in America as alien and odd. Fundamentalist Christians, my wife believes, are one of the few religious groups that many Americans feel free to hold in open contempt. Did he agree?
"I don't know," he said cautiously. He seemed uncomfortable at the idea of casting himself as the victim of anti-fundamentalist prejudice, though the suggestion clearly registered. (At the end of my interview with him, he looked at me earnestly and clapped me on the shoulder. "Tell your wife thank you for helping someone like you understand a guy like me.") He returned the discussion to Kerry's remark. "Let's not forget the time and place. I'm out of politics now, but I'm in a political environment ... For certain presidential candidates to emerge, they have to get themselves above the radar, so they have to say things that get your attention ... So I tend not to be very judgmental about statements made by people who are thinking about whether they want to serve the country as President." Although failure to be judgmental is not something of which Ashcroft is commonly accused, he is able, when evaluating his fellow politicians, to muster a sophisticated sense of charity and understanding.
I recalled that Ashcroft writes in his book, "The verdict of history is inconsequential; the verdict of eternity is what counts." He adds, with appealing humility, that he "probably won't be" remembered. I asked him what he thought his legacy would be. "The question is not how you're going to be remembered; the fact is you're not going to be remembered!" he said enthusiastically. "In real life the people who survive the longest are painters: you have paintings on the walls of caves, found in France and other places. I've seen 'em. Painters, sculptors, and artists. The next longest lasting people in the culture are poets. But you know, there's a high exposure at the time for politicians. Frankly, I talked about the truth being the friend of the Patriot Act, and the truth is the friend of everything. That's what's real and what lasts."
He looked pensive. "I don't want to say that I don't care what people are saying or thinking, because it might reveal for me that I'm way off." He cupped his ear. "I'm standing with my finger in my ear like this, and off first base, the pitcher is starting to make a move, and I'm going to get picked off, and someone yells from the stands, 'Belly up, Ashcroft, you're about to be picked off!'' and I dive back in, get my hand on the base before the fielder's mitt slaps me on the shoulder, and I get up—you know how you get up and put your foot on the base, dust yourself off, and you look at the guy and say, 'Thanks, buddy.' You have to be extremely careful, especially when the risk of error is great, and the risks in terms of national security are substantial. We have to make good decisions about listening carefully when it comes to freedom and liberty ... so we welcome voices, but we make decisions that we believe will be validated in the long haul as being real and true."
If Bush is re-elected, will Ashcroft serve a second term? People close to the Administration say that Bush might choose to replace Ashcroft with the White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales, who would be the first Hispanic Attorney General, or with Larry Thompson, who would be the first African-American Attorney General. When I asked David Israelite if Ashcroft would serve a second term, he demurred. "Every Cabinet secretary should resign after the election, and then it's up to the President. If he's asked to serve again, he'll have to make a decision. The average tenure for an Attorney General is a couple of years, and I would argue that legacy is more important than length of tenure. I don't know if he'd come back for a second term."
If Bush doesn't ask him to serve a second term, what will Ashcroft do next? For much of the past three years his rivals in the White House counsel's office have been grumbling that he must be running for President in 2008. But Ashcroft's close aides and friends dismiss this possibility. "I believe he is done running for political office," Israelite says. "He said he doesn't ever expect to run for another office again. If he's not Attorney General, he'll find a way to enjoy life—writing, speaking, traveling, we'll see. But he's not being coy. He's not running."
Why, then, has he given the impression as Attorney General that he is engaged in a permanent campaign? Perhaps because running for office is what he has always done, just as positioning him for political advantage is what his aides have always done. A close associate whom Ashcroft has assured he won't run for office again says, "I think Ayres and Israelite do what they do because they believe it's in Ashcroft's interest to be popular: they think that if he's popular, when necessary he can spend political capital more easily. They do what they do because that's what they do: it's their natural skill set." According to this straightforward and plausible explanation, Ashcroft is not especially craven or unprincipled. It also suggests, however, that he might have done better to take the distinction between prosecution and politics more seriously. Instead of devoting his years in office to building up political capital that he will never spend, he could have taken a few risks, such as striking balanced compromises with his libertarian critics rather than rejecting them out of hand. But the continuing support for the Patriot Act by about 70 percent of the American people suggests that this would have required him to challenge public opinion rather than catering to it at every turn.
I had been told that Ashcroft's hero is Abraham Lincoln, so I took to our meeting a copy of Lincoln's Constitution, a new book by the constitutional scholar Daniel Farber about Lincoln's civil-liberties record during the Civil War. I told Ashcroft about Farber's thesis: that Lincoln's record regarding the Constitution, although not perfect, was very creditable, given that Lincoln presided during the greatest crisis in American history. Most of what he did was arguably constitutional—and in cases where Lincoln acted in a legal vacuum, Congress tended to ratify his actions after the fact. Ashcroft perked up. "You don't mind if I make a note?" he asked, rising from his chair and going over to his computer, on a modest desk that faced the wall. As he took down Farber's name, I asked Ashcroft what he had learned from Lincoln's efforts to balance liberty and security in wartime. "This probably isn't very legalistic," he said. "I think real leadership doesn't take people where they're already going ... a real leader identifies noble objectives and then motivates people with such intense and personal devotion to those objectives themselves that people are inspired to pursue them. Now, the genius of Lincoln was not winning the war. The genius of Lincoln was preserving the unity of America." Ashcroft mentioned that many people after the war wanted to make the South a subservient nation, but Lincoln refused. "A wise friend of mine once said, 'The dogs may bark but the caravan moves on.' [Lincoln] put up with a lot of barking dogs, but he had a vision for what America could be, should be, and didn't want a lot of buts and could-haves and should-haves."
Ashcroft asked me a question. "Did you read that Gore Vidal book about Lincoln?" I confessed that I had loved it. "That's a great book!" he agreed. "You know, people wouldn't think of me and Gore Vidal in the same breath, but you gotta respect the guy; he has a tremendous intellect." (Several weeks later Vidal would deem him part of an "alien army.") He said that Vidal's book reminded him that Lincoln had been shot at even before his trip to Ford's Theater. "He'd come in with a hole in his hat ... he had powder on his jacket. So he could have easily been dissuaded. You know, you can get all the Gallup information you want, but two bullets would usually be more persuasive. He was willing to have a very serious sense of personal sacrifice to achieve his end. That willingness to sacrifice personally communicated irrevocably to the people of the country, with a cacophony of debate swirling around him ... there was an indelible sort of mark made on the American psyche and consciousness that will never be erased." Evidently surprised by his own enthusiasm, he leaned back in his chair. "You got me started on Lincoln. I'm sorry."
Ashcroft says he learned from Lincoln's civil-liberties record in wartime the same lesson he learned from his father: the importance in politics of identifying a noble objective and inspiring people to pursue it in the face of withering criticism. But Farber's book draws a different conclusion. Lincoln's genius, Farber argues, stemmed from his ability to combine political pragmatism with constitutional precision of the highest order. Rather than claiming that ordinary legal procedures should be entirely suspended during wartime, he asserted the much narrower power to suspend ordinary procedures in actual areas of war or insurrection. He didn't claim that the President had the power to unilaterally suspend the writ of habeas corpus in all circumstances; instead he claimed the emergency power to suspend the writ in areas of war or insurrection when Congress wasn't able to act. And rather than insisting that Congress and the courts had no role to play in reviewing his actions, he persuaded Congress to grant him that emergency power after the fact. Farber argues that what both constrained and liberated Lincoln was his personal engagement with the technical legal arguments that shaped his actions. He didn't depend on deputies to provide legal justification for actions he had already taken.
When I apologized for the fact that Farber's book was a little technical, Ashcroft made a self-deprecating joke: "You can tell I'm not a very good technical lawyer. I went to the University of Chicago Law School when they were offering scholarships to kids." But it was Lincoln's skill as a technical lawyer that allowed him to save the Constitution and the Union at the same time. Instead of dismissing the value of legal argument, Lincoln challenged his critics and also his supporters to embrace something larger than their political disagreement: the ideal of constitutional liberty itself. Although Ashcroft is too modest to compare himself directly with the Great Emancipator, Lincoln's ability to view the crisis facing the nation in legal rather than political terms is what has made him such a unifying symbol in all the ways that Ashcroft is a polarizing one. Had Ashcroft followed Lincoln's example and engaged his opponents' legal arguments, rather than playing to the public's fears, he might have presided over the refinement of the Patriot Act so that its authority was directed at terrorists and not ordinary criminals. In citing Lincoln as an inspiration, Ashcroft seems to have focused on Lincoln's pragmatism while ignoring his legalism; and in the process Lincoln's faith in the unifying power of law itself has somehow eluded him.
This article available online at: | http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2004/04/john-ashcroft-s-permanent-campaign/302926/ | dclm-gs1-176880002 | false | true | {
"keywords": "surveillance, candida"
} | false | null | false |
0.076166 | <urn:uuid:79c81cd6-cc67-4a87-91fe-4a364b2ff685> | en | 0.94091 | facebook twitter RSS
HOT TOPICS: Drug and Alcohol Treatment Heroin
Marriage May Really Drive Women to Drink
Women are influenced by their husbands to drink more, researchers say, while married men cut back.
Marriage influences boozing habits. Photo via
By McCarton Ackerman
| Share
Married couples often joke that their spouses drive them to drink, but a new study suggests that—for women—the claim is true. Sociologists from the University of Cincinnati, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University and the University of Texas found that marriage does often drive women to increase their alcohol intake—not because they’re necessarily unhappy, but because they’re influenced by their husbands' drinking, and men typically booze more than women. For a similar reason, men who are married drink less, because they spend more time with their less-boozy wives, rather than their drinking buddies. The opposite is true of divorced men, who are at a particularly high risk for alcohol abuse, the study found: three-quarters of divorced men said they drank more to cope with the pain of their marriage ending. But alcohol consumption among women decreased sharply post-divorce. The researchers examined large Wisconsin surveys from 1993 and 2004 about monthly alcohol intake, while also conducting 120 qualitative in-depth interviews over the past decade. "Some research suggests that men are more likely to cope with stressors in 'externalizing' ways (i.e., alcohol use)," writes lead researcher Corinne Reczek, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati, "while women are more likely to cope in 'internalizing' ways (e.g., depression)."
Most Popular
The Rehab Review
Cliffside Malibu
Morningside Recovery
AToN Center
the fix tv | http://www.thefix.com/content/marriage-drives-women-drink90485 | dclm-gs1-176910002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
0.225627 | <urn:uuid:fc5fecdf-0c67-4e10-bab9-a94b5452410f> | en | 0.927347 | Alanis Morissette, Flavors of Entanglement
3 out of 5 3
Alanis Morissette, Flavors of Entanglement
How ego-shredding must it be not just to lose your fiance, but then see him engaged to Scarlett Johansson? Alanis Morissette's break-up with actor Ryan Reynolds is the subject of her fifth album, and, being Morissette, she is unstintingly open about how it affected her. And, as ever, she provokes both compassion and impatience. However evident her pain is in songs like Tapes ("I am someone easy to leave/ The one they all run from") and Straitjacket, it's impossible to feel undiluted sympathy for a writer who can't express herself without psychobabble. Must she, for instance, describe taking a break from relationships as "a respite from the toils of liaison"? Whatever. The upside is that there is some nifty music here, from Straitjacket's quivering, Depeche Mode-ish electronic pulse to the Indian percussion that fuels Citizen of the Planet, to the effervescent Kylie-pop of Giggling Again for No Reason.
Today's best video
Latest reviews
Today in pictures | http://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/may/30/popandrock.shopping4 | dclm-gs1-176930002 | false | false | {
"keywords": ""
} | false | {
"score": 0,
"triggered_passage": -1
} | false |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.