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0.020429 | <urn:uuid:becf002f-38a6-4b8e-917a-80fb59020a7d> | en | 0.938604 | Written by Noy Tawa
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Topics: missile, test,
Thursday, 12 April 2012
image for Philippines Brace For North Korea Rocket Impact - Nuclear Warhead Could Destroy Cebu
US Made Philippine Counter Strike Against Ballistic Missiles
Philippine President Noynoy Aquino has ordered the Philippine Armed Forces to DEFCON 1 as North Korea's Kim Jong-un orders a rerouting of North Korea's ballistic missile towards the Philippine islands. North Korea rerouted the launch path after Japan warned it will stop sending sushi to Seoul if the rocket passes over any part of Japan. The launched could happen anytime now and we can't just sit and watch, says President Aquino.
Calculations predict the rocket could hit the City of Cebu and Philippine Intelligence Agencies worry because according to their information gathered from deep-penetration agents within North Korea and Philippine spy satellites, the rocket contains a powerful nuclear warhead, about 100 kilotons, enough to obliterate the so called Queen City of the South. Should the bomb-tipped rocket hit Cebu, a million kilos of the famous Cebu dried Danggit could vaporize in seconds putting an end to the city's most reliable source of income. President Aquino however assured Cebuanos there's nothing to worry if that happens as no Cebuanos will survive anyway, thus no need for the Dried Danggit industry. President Aquino is said to have conducted a closed-door meeting and came up with plans to transform the entire Cebu City into a sugarcane plantation.
The Philippine Navy has sent two of its 5 aircraft carriers towards the China sea in a move military analyst claims is a warning to North Korea. Three Philippine nuclear submarines were also reported to have been deployed at unknown locations ready to counter strike. Philippine Air Force bombers have been on standby for the past 24 hours, ready to strike anytime the President orders.
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0.047572 | <urn:uuid:8c28454e-9922-4f00-b0d3-b540d3ad4e8d> | en | 0.965801 | Our TV Shows
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Call TMZ at (888) 847-9869 or Click Here
14-Year-Old Talk Show Host
Gays Choose Perversion
No Matter What Gaga Says
breaking news
No Avatar
He has a right to his opinion, misguided as it may be. I'm more disturbed by the fact that he thinks Lady Gaga is an authority on anything. I like Gaga, love her music, but I wouldn't turn to her for anything more than an opinion. She has no credentials and limited education. She is a musician not an academic.
867 days ago
Quinn Stone
Shoving your religious beliefs down someone's throat (no pun intended) is more offensive then a gay person. By the way, Washed-up Limbaugh called he wants his act back you misguided, homophobic redneck, little turd.
867 days ago
have you checked out joe bidens ass? lookin good !!
867 days ago
Look at him he is as Gay as Gay come for a 14 year old....................his parents notice his gayness so they are trying to convince him gay is wrong this bastard has been brainwash
867 days ago
We need to start questioning why and how so many gays "from birth."
867 days ago
Something is seriously wrong with this guy...he needs to learn a few things before spouting off like a moron... On another note, trying to convert someone to your religion is one of the biggest problem with today's society, we should all be free to have our own beliefs and not hold it against someone who believes differently...In this case I don't mind that he believes its wrong that is up to him, but keep it to yourself and stop trying to change other people by going on air and blasting something you don't understand.....However maybe he understands it quite well...maybe he is "choosing" to be straight and that is why he is so against think he protests too much :)
867 days ago
Joey Boots
ummm little caiden, going up to someone and telling them they are evil and they are going to burn in hell is bullying - not everyone wants to hear you and yours "testifying" as you put it.
867 days ago
smh.THIS kid is going to hell and satan is going to show him the way...into his pants.
867 days ago
Timmy Boy
Smartest kid yet.
TMZ, why is this news?
867 days ago
Men u know what, im actually gay and heard this kind of things don't hurt me anymore cause i understand something: we got one life and i don't wanna spend it being afraid about what people say. honestly i'm not concerned about mariage even if im gay...why would we be like straight people i mean divorced, violence etc...and i think that gay people ain't do nuthin wrong, me i ain't do nuthin wrong, i don't kill people, i try to be a better person, i try to be honest with people around me, just make my life and stay in the right a day people fight each other in the name of God. U sure that god will like this !? i don't think so...look urself man u can't tell dat u believe in god if u hurt people, if u kill. sorry but can't believe it. this world is a mess maybe im a garbage lol. God is peace, faith and love, not rage and revenge. All gay people do is love each other (most lol) maybe some gay are pervert but we ain't in the same bag. I didn't choose to be homosexual i just let my feels talkin. Where the truth is when history were build on lies ?
867 days ago
You should get ripped apart for ignorance and hate! Freedom of speech is fine but not when you are promoting hate, ignorance and discrimination! Keep your ignorance and hate to yourself!
867 days ago
Well, it totally looks as though he's been coached long and hard, on his views about people. So, I actually think to give him a slight break, because he has no idea what he's saying anyway---he's a kid.
But I also have to add that, although I have many gay friends, and I don't believe what goes on in ANYONES bedroom is ANYONE ELSES business if they are not harming anyone, a lot of my gay friends are quite promiscuous - not all but the majority. They will get their freak on when and where they want. Not that I care, again it's none of my business, but many times I've seen them shove their sexuality in peoples faces, and then wonder why those folks are offended.
It's a strange thing for me, because I love my friends, but when you shove your sassy ass in front of people in public, you're opening yourself up for their opinion. Personally, I don't care to watch anyone make out in public, straight or gay, but strangely enough my gay friends do it more often then my straight friends. It's almost as if they are putting on a show sometimes. I just laugh and turn my head, but some others may not.
867 days ago
You know the old expression - when I point the finger at someone, I got three pointing back at me!
That is the key here with all this anti-gay ranting.
They are all a bunch of screaming closet-queens! And the bad word in that sentence is "closet" not queen.
867 days ago
mike hunt
I'm betting this little gay queen is just trying to hide that he wacks off to pictures of guys and fantasizes about getting ****ed in the ass daily. She also doesn't know how to speak proper English and has been brainwashed by religious zealots. Does she know that the preachers are the most gay of everyone?
867 days ago
OH NO god forbid this kid have a different opinion. keep preaching kid.the way society is going you are a refreshing voice.
867 days ago
Around The Web | http://www.tmz.com/2012/06/06/14-year-old-talk-show-host-homosexuality-perverted/9/ | dclm-gs1-434435528 | false | false | {
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0.216631 | <urn:uuid:08410dfb-9a89-4c2f-8bd8-a98ea7b36318> | en | 0.962311 | look up any word, like blumpkin:
1)A description used for when a girl sits on your face. IE; it looks like you have on an ass helmet 2)When you pull your dick out of an ass and it has some shit on the tip.
1) She gave me an ass helmet!
2) DAMN! She gave me an ass helmet!
absurd variation of the infinite number of "ass+noun/verb" formulaic constructions commonly found on message forums: assmuppet, assnog, asswipe, assgoblin, etc.
Later taken as a mantra by the Taleban Thread Krew of FuckedCompany.com.
May be ordered from a "hatmonger".
do0D ~ you're a total asshelmet!
by zem January 11, 2005
when you sit on somebodys face until its stuck in your ass
hold him down while i give him an ass helmet
by brian November 01, 2004
Formerly an insult used to infer that a person was so stupid, they had their head up their ass, making it a hat or helmet. Asshat is the more commonly known adjective.
Today asshelmet refers to a poster who frequents the message forum asshelmets.com who, shortly around 9/11 adopted the term to refer to themselves.
They decided to adopt the insult and own it as a badge of pride, refusing to give into PC mindthink about how America deserved to have 9/11 happen.
Currently asshelmets is a haven for free speech and self-expression that most message boards will not allow.
Asshelmets is the Internet's premiere center of morality. We have architected and blueprinted new paradigm shifts moralitywise.
Who they hell are these freaks and where did they come from?
Oh, those guys? They're asshelmets...
by DammitBoy! March 03, 2007
When someone's ass is so hairy, it looks like their ass is wearing a helmet.
Donnie took off his pants at the Bucs game and his friends asked him if that was a football helmet or just an ass helmet.
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0.01838 | <urn:uuid:1f587e19-d095-46a3-9545-abc274e27237> | en | 0.971866 | GERSON: Giving up on America's children
The boldest use of the waiver power, however, has come on the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). More than half of the states have been granted exemptions from the law's requirement that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014. When a law's provisions are ignored in a majority of cases, it can properly be considered overturned.
In this instance, the overturning has not provoked much controversy. The political constituency for NCLB was always limited. Many conservatives reject any federal role in education. The educational establishment has been in a decade-long revolt against NCLB's onerous performance requirements and obsessive focus on test results. Right and left ---- Republican governors and teachers unions ---- have found rare ideological agreement on educational federalism.
NCLB defined a limited but assertive federal role ---- schools were required to show improvement on standardized tests of reading and math for every subgroup of students or face penalties. By 2011, math proficiency had risen to 17 percent for African-American fourth-graders and 24 percent for their Hispanic peers. Progress was initially dramatic. Lately, it seems to have stalled.
"To label an improving school a failure is the worst thing you can do," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently observed. Really? Worse than labeling a school a success that doesn't teach the educational basics to most students? The problem here is not diagnosis; it is performance.
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0.030705 | <urn:uuid:3968b0af-f830-44ed-96c4-e266720ee2da> | en | 0.968624 | Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Lyrics (pops up)
Color Ball by Les Visible
Sunday, May 29, 2005
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose- Part One.
One of the strange ironies of life is in how the simplicity becomes so complex. Even stranger is how we can go through permutations of the same thing over and over again and continue to be deceived, not just day after day but lifetime after lifetime.
We have the mind and the emotions, reason and desire. The emotions are in the mind though we seem to experience them in the chest and visceral area; perhaps other locations as well. Why is it that we don’t know what’s going on when it is going on right in front of us? Why can we not step outside of ourselves, step apart from our feelings and reactions and view with dispassion our circumstances and surroundings? Why do people fail to see; refuse to see, insist and prohibit, control and punish, demand and destroy?
Although there are certainly more than 2 worlds, for the sake of argument, I am going to deal with two. There is also very good argument that no worlds exist at all; that everything is mind- but lets not concern ourselves with that right now.
Two worlds; one is ruled by what we would call The Devil and his/her agents. The other is ruled by God and his/her agents. One is the deceiver into bondage and the other is the liberator from. They are both the same force. This is why, in The Lord’s Prayer we ask, “Lead us not into temptation.” The worlds interpenetrate and may simultaneously be the same place while appearing to be one or the other to those so disposed. As I have said before; The Devil is God in the way that he appears to the wicked. You are of course familiar with the phrase, “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.”
Donald Trump; Rupert Murdock, David Rockefeller, The Bush Family, members of Bilderberger, scads of celebrities and pornographers of all stripes, merchants, stockbrokers, doctors, priests and lawyers- the list is enormous... all work for some aspect of The Devil’s corporation- “you got to serve somebody”. This corporation is a living thing and it is sensitive to your every thought, word and deed. It is a living web with a spider at the center that is intimately aware of everything that takes place upon the web. One of the names for this web is The Sub-Matrix. Some might call it Maya.
One often sees images of Buddha within a lotus, upon a lily pad. The root of the plant rises out of the murk below yet rests above it, untouched. We have heard the phrase, “in the world but not of it.” We have heard some form of the phrase, “Where your heart is, there your treasures are also.” We’ve heard a lot of things, seen a lot of movies; live in a movie but don’t recognize the fact; watch life unfold in its timeless outworking of the same moral tale within a million rooms where the furniture is different. There is only one life.
We’ve heard some permutation of the phrase about how wide the highway is that leads to destruction and how narrow is the path that leads to life and how few there are that find their way. We actually see it taking place in front of us; hear about it on the radio, see it on TV, watch it passing in the streets, live surrounded by it and just don’t seem to see it or make the connection.
We have observed History and seen what terrible things leaders have done with the support of the people and often without the support of the people or with the support of some of the people. It is very clear what was right and wrong. The exact same thing is taking place in front of us right now but we don’t see it. The behavior of people in private and in public and upon the highways; in the workplace, at recreational pursuits and in organized forms of worship display many a peculiar pathology; one thing we often see is that people are not paying attention even while they appear to be paying attention.
People do not see, they do not recognize, interpret or compute anything except in terms of what they value and what they want. They have formed themselves into advertisements for what they want. Why do they want it? They don’t know. It’s going to hurt though.
If one observes life impartially and objectively for any length of time they come to inescapable conclusions but... Unless one is honest with themselves and interested in the truth regardless of what it may require of them, they won’t see truth; but that should go without saying.
It becomes patently clear that life is a game; a movie, a labyrinth-maze, a puzzle, a living Rubic’s Cube- something designed for discovery and solution. Most people stop looking or inquiring once they have found what they think they were looking for. At one end of life you have a force with a pitchfork prodding you on toward someone you can’t see waiting in the heights beyond.
The whole psycho drama is God playing hide and seek with himself; you looking for yourself. All romantic love is- is about you thinking you have discovered yourself in another- and boy that hurts too. None of this would work without the whole of it interacting as it does. One of the biggest concerns and sources of confusion is, “Why does it hurt?” We’ve heard that pain is educative. It is also instructive. Perhaps you are going the wrong way? Pain may well be a warning. Everything is designed to lead you to freedom and bliss. Most everyone fights the process. That is why it hurts. Sanity is actually insane. What appears to be madness is sanity. Nothing is worth having- you will lose it all. Everyone will betray you. You will be dishonored and slandered if you tell the truth and you will be honored and elevated if you lie, steal, murder and betray. I’m laughing as I write this.
But it’s so and you can’t really defend yourself against any of it. Wise souls have uniformly kept out of sight knowing this. Of course, sometimes you have a job and there is no avoiding the consequences. But, it is a game; the game is fixed and so, no matter what appears to happen you are going to be fine, depending. Depending on what I shouldn’t have to explain.
Yes Sodom and Gomorrah are Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Yes, the things you saw on that bad acid trip were actually there; every bit as much as what you see otherwise. The problem is in your perception of where the power lies. It appears to reside outside you and so you give fealty and allegiance to the infernal side of the power equation. It actually resides within you and so nothing has any power over you. So it comes down to this; what do you need to convince you? As I mentioned about Ceremonial Magic in a recent piece- it is all about convincing yourself that you are sincere. It is all about convincing yourself that something is real. Do you need to be raised from the dead? Do you need to be cured of cancer? Do you have to go to prison or be brought in front of Pilate? What do you need?
Do you need to be convinced of the ramifications of being rich; or beautiful, or powerful, or celebrated? Do you need to ‘be’ Elvis? His doing it wasn’t enough? You are going to get what you need. And it is going to hurt.
Not the slightest detail is overlooked. Every single event in your life, no matter how insignificant it may appear, is a personal interaction between you and God. Your turn will come, your time will come; you don’t need to hurt yourself in the frenzy of persistence to possess or achieve. Learn to be graceful. Learn to dance. Most importantly remember that you are always on camera. Would that change the things you say and do if it were a fact? It is...
Friday, May 27, 2005
Who Wrote the Book of Love...
When you think of all the books on all the shelves in all the rooms in the world; when you think of the seed ideas of all the books unwritten and yet to be written and all the books long gone; books written by forgotten Shakespeares and Miltons from long gone Atlantis’s and apostles of teachers who went before they started recording it all again this time; when you think about all those ideas and all those words... well...
I remember sitting on a wide empty beach and letting handfuls of sand run away through my fingers.
This morning I was reading through some information about various areas of Pure Land Buddhism; or Amitabha Buddhism- for which I have a certain natal, spiritual affinity and I have noticed as I have gone on reading, on days before this as well as today that something which I understand in a very simple way has a capacity shared with every other idea- to become increasingly more complex. There’s a chant for this and a chant for that. There are so many directions to bow in while repeating something so many times for so many days and the permutations just logarithmically extend.
Some years ago I was fascinated with the occult and Hermetic Science and that led me to Ceremonial Magic and far more than I could go into here. At one point it occurred to me that all of the trappings of Ceremonial Magic, all the rituals and routines and all of the complexities, shared a common reality with all forms of theurgy and religious ritual from the most primitive level to the most intricate and that was... it all happens in your mind. The whole point of drawing a magic circle and dressing up in ceremonial robes and waving your wand and repeating those words was just to convince your mind that you were serious.
That’s what fasting is about; what all austerities are about, what all denial and intense aspiration are about. They are about convincing your mind that you are sincere. The idea that we can impress God with anything is absurd; this mostly arises because we think of God as being a larger version of ourselves, complete with similar prejudices and more powerful emotions. There is a powerful message here regarding the propensity we all have for lying to ourselves.
There was a time when I would have made a great effort to learn the ins and outs of a given path. In fact, I applied myself diligently to a number of them. This usually trailed off or plateau-ed because I somehow knew I wasn’t going to understand the ocean by counting the grains of sand on the beach; much less memorizing them. There’ve been some great efforts at remembering and categorizing; certainly Confucius would be an example. You can strike a golden spike where that cat wailed but you won’t have gone over the rim of the bowl that contains us as surely as our definitions do.
Somehow it just doesn’t seem to me that knowing all of this stuff is important. I feel somehow that I will know who all of those beings in the tapestry are without having to memorize what their names and functions are. I should add a small disclaimer here. It behooves anyone heading into unknown territory to take a map and to familiarize themselves with what information may exist concerning the environment and the inhabitants. But that would be common sense.
So, I expect these books are good for something if they provide an outline or some sort of a guide in the preliminary portion of out journey. However, the time will come when you have moved beyond the dimensions of the chart. That is when you head into that special area that has only to do with you. That is that period when you are coming on to breaking through from the personal into the cosmic. As you are discovering, you are being changed. You die and become something entirely new while all the time your mind is focused upon something to the extent that you are unaware of what is actually taking place until it has already happened. I, for one, appreciate that.
How many times I have found myself shaking my head and laughing as I see the hierarchy of the Catholic Church on some special day of the year; or any church for that matter- but they are the biggest in the area of display- got all up in these outrageous outfits with miters and scepters and jewels dripping like they were a human Las Vegas light show or some kind of Druid Christmas Tree; giving a whole new ironic meaning to the phrase of being, “all dressed up with nowhere to go.” You see it everywhere. You see it in Buddhism and Hinduism and some more and some less than others. The Muslims are less into the glitter but they make up for what absurdity they lack in that dimension with the addition of Sharia and other less than human friendly devices. I suppose all of this came out of books too.
I love books. I read for pleasure and that would include learning as well because it is a pleasure for me to learn. Sometimes I will read something and a thrill will go up my spine because an electrical connection has been made between something I am reading and an actual archetypal location where the pure idea resides. It’s a sex act.
The more I look around me the more it becomes clear that this world is a product of bad information; or perhaps a product of good information misunderstood or just missed. Now a lot of this bad information is transmitted as a result of bad parenting. A lot of bad information comes out of the libraries of rationalizations made available for our use when we need to justify acting on our appetites and desires; the ego is the librarian here- it is his/her good pleasure to go and find the right volume and open it to the right page. Fear is the other main motivator and there you have a library full of reactions. Something tells me that all fear is based on a lie and therefore no reaction is required, nor shall any fearful thing approach the one that holds that light which illuminates all things; showcasing the real and dissolving the unreal.
The varieties of advertising are amazing; the hot honey leering from the billboard- all that leg, those eyes and the drink in the beaded glass... where’s she inviting you to? Is there such a place? And the guy dressed up like he’s headed for The Hookers Ball in San Francisco; he’s got The Bible in one hand and the collection plate in another and where is he inviting you to? Is there such a place? They’ve got thousands of people in Banana Republic suits driving new Land Rovers all over the African continent looking for photo-ops for their Hunger Porn Industry. “Now I want you to brush some sugar water on the kid’s eyes, we need more flies. Now you come over here and sit on Daddy’s lap and say ‘cheese’.”
All those books and lifetimes; all the adventures and opportunities that eventually end or become exhausted; the endless movie reel- we make whatever sense we intend to make out of it depending on what we want. And we sure do want... endless thirst.
I believe all you have to do is ask with real sincerity and believe regardless of appearances; the appearances are changing immediately in accommodation of your belief whether you can see it or not- that is the job of faith to sustain you through the transition. You’ll attract a real teacher and from that point on- no worries. If you’re going into business you’re going to need some books. If you’re going out of business you can close those books. The only book any of us ever need to read is open in front of us at all times. Depending on what you have trained yourself to see depends on what you are going to experience and whether you are going to be manipulated by events.
“Yeah, I wonder, wonder who... who wrote the book of Love.”
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Good Grief; now what am I going to talk about?
Monday, May 23, 2005
Just Passing Through and thought I'd uh....
Well, I'm back and I expect I'll get around to having something to say shortly. I had a wonderful time and got a lot of things done. Actually, I'm pretty much always having a wonderful time and getting a lot of things done. Sometimes life is a postcard and we have to figure out what we are going to say in that small space. We want to send the card but...
It just didn't work out for me to post from afar. I could have but... I didn't.
I am sorry that so many of you tried to leave comments here and were unable to. I intentionally cut off that feature while I was gone. But you were able to reach me by email and so...
Boy, I keep winding up with these dots...
Okay, I'm going to go have another cup of tea and probably I'll get around to having something to say in the flow of it all.
Much Love trailing across the ethers. Commence downloading.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
Walking Through the Mundane and Listening for God.
Greetings one and all; today is the day before I set out for France where I will be for most of the next three weeks. For some reason, many holiday homes don’t have phones and it follows that internet would be problematic too. The owner, who lives nearby, says we can use the internet at his house whenever we want but you know how that goes. So, looking at that and my plans for that time which include a lot of physical activity; an extended, daily sauna detoxification process, visitors from far away, a trip to Portugal to view a property I am seriously considering acquiring and the finalizing of a pretty extensive musical project, it is likely that I won’t be contributing much here. Heh heh, I’ll be lucky if I get those things done. But I will.
I’ll try to get by at least once a week. Upon my return things should even out even if focus turns to packing and moving and the vast complexity of home acquisition and financial juggling acts. It seems doable at this point though it could be squeaky too. I’m considering regular lottery ticket purchases. Writing this isn’t easy with the speakers blasting as I am reviewing and burning CD’s for commitments I must fulfill before hitting the road. Now I’ve been sitting here for a couple of minutes in an ironic exampling of just that.
Coming here and embracing the discipline of producing regular essays has been a rewarding addition to my life. I tried for a long time to practice this in another location but it was usually more akin to war zone correspondent work. It is a funny thing about life and projects and any directions a person may choose to engage themselves in or head off into that- life just seems to automatically accommodate them. There is a profound magic in concentration and application. No one thinks much about getting in their car and driving to the store for something, but it’s magic too. It seems so ordinary. Our repeating functions of eating and sleeping; our occupations and relationships, they are magic too. It really comes down to what kind of magic we get up to; what our intentions are, because life will follow them out whether they be good, bad or indifferent; though indifferent probably occurs indifferently.
The more I think about it, it becomes increasingly clear that we could accomplish most anything we wanted to if we could just decide just what that was. I think most people get bogged down by too many interests, with too little direct and consistent focus on any of them. We are made poor by a multitude of desires. Often we don’t even want what we think we want. We may not be always aware of this on the surface but a part of us knows just what we are about. One might ask, “Well what about world peace? According to you I can make that happen if I want.” Actually you can. We all live in a world of our own that inter-penetrates with all other worlds. You can achieve world peace in your world and to that degree it will influence the entire.
Not everyone has the same idea of what conditions will achieve world peace. This, itself, creates conflict. Every idea and intention we have is opposed to someone else; many someone else’s. This is why, in my mind, it is always best to align all of your ideas and desires with original intention. The one thing you do not want to be in conflict with is the divine; being in accord with the divine guarantees success in the right things and a natural forgetfulness of the rest. Again we can see where our problems come from. All conflicts arise out of a difference between the individual and the cosmic in terms of understanding and value.
One might ask how are we to comprehend the mind of the divine in terms of our personal thoughts and efforts. There are things upon which all of the major faiths agree. Surely these are a good starting point. Sometimes following the simplest rules will automatically resolve even the most complex issues.
Once again, it all comes down to whether there is a God or not. If there is a God then this God resides everywhere, within and without you; in it we live and move and have our being. This God regulates all activity according to its own absolute balance in the midst-connected to and aware of every thought, desire and action.
We hear the world around us because we are listening to it. A recording engineer hears an entirely different musical piece than the layman, even though they are listening to the same thing. A naturalist in the forest hears differently than someone out for a Sunday walk. We hear what we are listening for. We hear what we have trained ourselves to listen for. Add in the quality of our minds; a drunk hears and sees differently than one who is sober. A person of strong religious and political beliefs perceives the world very differently than one without them. One with an intense spiritual nature apprehends things differently than one with a strong religious nature. They are not the same. These things might be thought of as gases that rise up and affect perception. One with a strong objective reasoning capacity sees far more aspects to a situation than one who is subjectively inclined. Bodhisattva’s and psychopaths can both possess strong objective reasoning skills and come to very different conclusions.
What I am hoping to illustrate here is that if one were to practice listening to God, after a time one would get some evidence of God. It may be that the aperture is very narrow. The water moving through it will eventually widen the walls and the flow would increase. If one were tunneling to a location there is a constant effort toward that location. But why would one bother tunneling to a location they had no faith in the existence of? I can easily convince myself that if I tunnel under a house I can come up on the other side; mindful of obstructions of course. Some things require faith.
I’m trying to listen. I’m trying to comprehend where I am wrong as immediately as possible. If what I was after were more important that the needs and benefits of others then I wouldn’t be listening for that. I’d only be listening to and hearing what served my purposes. There you have it, ‘your’ purposes and ‘the’ purpose. This is the thing upon which our destiny hinges. Are you to become yet another example of self will set forth upon defeat, or an example of the divine will glorified within? Few people look long and deeply upon this matter. They should. Especially since the divine has their best interests in mind far more than they do. That’s odd isn’t it? That bears thinking about too.
Listening to and for God means often hearing that you are wrong and precipitous; listening to God means a sometimes uncomfortable fashioning and diminishment of ourselves. It means hearing what we don’t want to hear some times. Numerous New Testament quotes come to mind. For one who would persevere, continue to tunnel through their darkness in search of God, the rewards are incalculable; they beggar description, they transcend imagination; “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, those things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
The more that time ‘seems’ to pass, the more gratitude becomes my most constant companion. Sometimes just the smallest thing will set me off. Some mornings just a look around presents me with an aura of wonder shining from everything I see. I cannot imagine that anyone possesses anything better than this and this... is early on I think.
So, I hope you will all be nice to yourselves during my temporary absence. I’ll always check my emails when I can and I hope to visit with you again soon. Cave Dei Videt.
'The Sacred and The Profane'
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0.079028 | <urn:uuid:ee1111eb-f2df-4e32-ac92-04b88fe084ed> | en | 0.974334 | inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #26 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Fri 19 Sep 03 15:46
Whether Dylan wanted to be a rock star as badly as a poet or spokesman
I can't say for sure, but I think he definitely wanted to be a rock
star, or perhaps more precisely a pop superstar. The same for a lot of
others, perhaps most, who were in folk-rock at the time: the Byrds, the
Lovin' Spoonful, Paul Simon, the list goes on. Even Phil Ochs, who
some might view as the folk musician (and eventually folk-rock
musician) with the greatest social conscience and integrity of all,
craved stardom; at least, that's the impression given by reading his
Steve Boone of the Lovin' Spoonful put a frank light on his
aspirations when he talked with me about why the group decided to go
with Kama Sutra records rather than Elektra, a small label with much
greater credibility among folkies:
"[Elektra founder/president] Jac Holzman, obviously, was a friend of
John's [John Sebastian's] and Zally's [Zal Yanovsky's] and Erik's
[Spoonful producer Erik Jacobsen], and they were all known to each
other as folkies. I had a lot of respect for the Elektra label, just
because of the artists that I knew to be on it at the time. But we as a
group, and our management and production, all agreed that going with
Jac Holzman and Elektra was risky in that we wanted to be clearly
identified as a rock band. We wanted the benefits of being on Dick
Clark, we wanted to be in Teen Beat magazine, we wanted to ride around
in limousines and act like rock stars. We really felt that Elektra
would be a label that would deliver the quality that we were looking
for, [but] couldn't deliver the oomph in the rock and roll department."
What's remarkable to me is that so much folk-rock music -- not all of
it by any means, but a lot of it -- was so commercial, yet of such high
quality, without much in the way of obvious commercial compromise of
what the musicians wanted to do artistically. It would have been easy
for a lot of them to sell out or milk formula until they faded away,
but they often took chances, sometimes paying off in sales too,
sometimes not. With the Byrds, for instance, it might have been an easy
way out to just keep recording Dylan and Seeger covers until the
public tired of it. Instead, they came up with "Eight Miles High,"
which besides being self-penned instead of a cover, was radically
different from anything they or anyone else had done.
As Mamas & the Papas producer Lou Adler pointed out to me when I spoke
to him, we should be wary of using the term "commercial" as a synonym
for a certain style of music, or to connote whether something's good or
not. "I don't think I thought commercial or non-commercial," he told
me. "I was just making records. They either were commercial if they
sold, and they were non-commercial if they didn't...I don't know the
difference in commercial folk and non-commercial folk. Once again, it
sold or it didn't sell. "
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #27 of 254: John Ross (johnross) Fri 19 Sep 03 22:18
Richie, I'm not sure your description of the roots of is entirely on target.
While it's true that much of the English tradition is unaccompanied, there
was plenty of instrumental music in the folk clubs. The scots and the Irish
were big on jigs and reels, and there's a lively English insitrumental
tradition that goes along with Morris dancers. And there's certainly a lot
of that kind of dance music in the sound of Fairport after they shifted away
from American material.
And as you say, there's also a much bigger jazz influence on the likes of
Davy Graham and Bert Jansch. Their American parallels, such as Sandy Bull
and John Fahey were far less significant in the evolution of folk rrock.
And how about the skiffle fad of the fifties? Seems like it was an important
precursor. And it was one of the reasons that Lomax and MacColl went looking
for truly English repertoire. They even made a strange skiffle record (Alan
Lomax and the Ramblers) with English songs rather than the usual American
stuff. I haven't found a copy, but there's a track on the great Electric
Muse set of LPs.
I've never figured out how much of a purist Ewan MacColl really was.
Certainly the whole "policy club" controversy that said singers had to do
songs from their own country was a political effort to create awareness of
English and Scots songs, but I don't think he objected to instrumental
music, even when electrified, in other context. And the one time I talk to
him about his daughter Kirsty's singing as a solo act and with the Pogues,
he was quite approving. He and Peggy were very supportive of political
singer-songwriters, and distributed many good songs through their New City
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #28 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Fri 19 Sep 03 23:05
I found some conflicting assessments of British folk "purism," both in
print and in talking to performers and journalists. But, for what it's
worth, I did get these comments from prominent figures in British
folk-rock, Joe Boyd (who though American as noted produced Fairport
Convention, Incredible String Band, and Nick Drake), and Robin
Boyd: "The British folk tradition is not an instrumental tradition.
It?s primarily an unaccompanied tradition. The folk scene that I found
in Britain when I arrived in 1964, if you went into a pub on a folk
night, I would say that 90% percent of the music that you heard was
unaccompanied. It was either solo unaccompanied, or harmony
unaccompanied. The stars of that scene were Louis Killen, Anne Briggs,
the Watersons, that kind of thing. The Ian Campbell Folk Group, with
[future Fairport Convention member Dave] Swarbrick on violin, was
considered a sellout.
"This tradition never really existed in America, of unaccompanied
singing. It just wasn?t something that people really did much. If you
they were in prison and couldn?t get out their guitars. [In Britain],
the idea of singing with accompaniment was already, in and of itself,
untraditional. People who were interested in tradition accepted the
likes of Dylan and Phil Ochs because there was a political edge that
natural. The authentic American performance was Woody Guthrie: a guy
with a guitar, or a guy with a banjo. But in Britain, [unaccompanied
singers] Jeannie Robertson, the Young Tradition, the Copper Family,
Shirley Collins: that was authenticity, this was all the real stuff. So
therefore, the presence of instruments just in and of themselves takes
it away from authenticity. In America, everybody was used to seeing
Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt, and instrumental virtuosity. It was
recognized and very authentic. From there, there wasn?t such a big leap
to electric guitar."
Robin Williamson, in a much briefer comment on Ewan MacColl:
"[MacColl] didn't approve of using instruments."
It's difficult to compare the influence of Davy Graham and Bert Jansch
with Sandy Bull and John Fahey. I think it's definitely true that
Graham and Jansch influenced *British* folk-rock far more than Bull and
Fahey influenced *American* folk-rock, though Bull and Fahey were
cited to me as influences by a couple of the American figures who moved
into folk-rock-psychedelia. Graham-Jansch's influence on American
folk-rock, however, was small. Graham was virtually unknown in North
America, though he was certainly known to Paul Simon, and Jansch was
much less known in North America than the UK, though he did have some
big fans in North America, such as Neil Young. John Renbourn (who
played with Jansch in Pentangle) did express his admiration of Sandy
Bull to me, as "about the only American player I can think of who was
doing comparable stuff" to Graham and Jansch.
While the skiffle music of the 1950s was an interesting precursor of
sorts to the blending of folk and rock, I don't hear it as a huge
influence on folk-rock in the form it actually took in the 1960s. Many
teenagers who played skiffle in the 1950s went on to form rock groups
(like the Beatles), but they didn't retain too many folk roots after
they went electric, being far more influenced by American electric
rock'n'roll, R&B, and blues.
As for people who'd been in skiffle that went into less commercial
music than the British Invasion bands, I'd agree with the estimation of
British critic Pete Frame (most noted for his Rock Family Trees series
of books), who told me that it "went two ways. Some went into rhythm
and blues, like Alexis Korner, who'd been in skiffle, and some went
into traditional English folk music." It took a quite a while between
the demise of skiffle and the rise of the first British folk-rock
performers, and the form that British folk-rock took wasn't very
similar to skiffle. So I don't see skiffle as that direct an ancestor
of '60s folk-rock, also considering that the songs in the skiffle
repertoire were less diverse and original to my ears, and made far less
use of electric instruments and full, varied band arrangements and
studio production.
That's my take, but I did try to represent some different shades of
opinion. John Renbourn's view of skiffle sees it as more similar to
what became called folk-rock: "[folk-rock] appeared old hat when it did
arrive. The folk scene in England had been preceded by skiffle and
also R&B, so when electrified folk appeared it wasn?t anything amazing.
In fact it was a step back. Even in skiffle the bands were playing
with a straight beat, and later on Lonnie Donegan had Les Bennetts on
electric guitar."
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #29 of 254: Berliner (captward) Sat 20 Sep 03 02:13
There is, however, an instrumental tradition in English folk, which
Liza Carthy and all are doing their best to remind people of. Possibly
one reason those folkies rejected instrumental music was that it was in
part tied to morris dancing, which was considered embarrassingly
old-fashioned and retrograde, and in any event, as in America, a large
part of the British folk revival was tied up in the anti-nuclear
campaign after the first Aldermaston march, and thus lyrics were
paramount in the esthetic.
One thing I was wondering about was the folkies who *didn't* make such
an easy transition to folk-rock, or didn't make one at all. I'm
thinking of people like Tom Paxton, Eric Andersen, Tom Rush, and even
to some extent Phil Ochs, whose folk-rockish attempts always seemed
fairly forced to me. Why do you suppose it was so hard for these
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #30 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sat 20 Sep 03 07:59
It's hard to pinpoint common factors among artists such as the ones
you mention that didn't make such an easy transition to folk-rock; I'd
add Joan Baez to the list. Part of it seems to be less comfort in
working with other musicians, or just not being so much in their nature
to rock out (at least some of the time) as it might have come to other
solo artists like Dylan and Donovan. Also, even when these musicians
were moving into folk-rock on their records, often they were still
playing solo acoustic sets live, whether because they were more
comfortable continuing to play live that way or they couldn't afford to
take a band on the road. As you can hear on the posthumous Phil Ochs
"Live in Vancouver 1968" release, he was still performing solo acoustic
much as he had on 1966's "In Concert" album, even though many of the
songs he was presenting had been or would be released in folk-rock
arrangements on studio albums. I think Ochs undoubtedly *wanted* to
adapt to folk-rock and orchestral arrangements well, but that doesn't
mean he and his material were always well-suited to do so. I like
Ochs's folk-rockish records more than Ed, but definitely find them
While Dylan is legendary for his strange, oblique way of communicating
to his backup musicians both live and in the studio, he just seemed to
have the temperament, more extroverted and daring perhaps, to make it
work when he did rock. His greater facility can't be attributed to his
touring with electric bands, really; he'd recorded the electric side of
"Bringing It All Back Home" and the "Like a Rolling Stone" single in
the studio before he went electric onstage at Newport.
Some different factors affect every case, and to briefly go through
the names you mention, Paxton seems to me just to be way more
comfortable as a storytelling solo singer than a frontman for rock
arrangements. He admitted to me, "I never really got very interested in
electric guitars or anything like that. It just wasn't what my
sensibility was, that's all."
I think Andersen's transition to folk-rock was impeded a little by
Vanguard Records' decision to make his third album an electric version
of his second album, using exactly the same songs. "The original album
hadn't been released in Europe, so they were gonna release this one
instead," Andersen told me. "Then it got released everywhere, and it
got totally confusing. They just got greedy. They thought they could
make money."
While I'm not a huge Tom Rush fan, I think he was better at the
transition than the other figures you mentioned, though to some degree
his way was to do some white R&B (on one side of "Take a Little Walk
With Me") and then orchestrated folk (on "Circle Game") rather than
take the more usual route to blending folk and electric rock.
With Phil Ochs, with the exception of an obscure 1966 single with an
electric version of "I Ain't Marchin' Anymore" (with backing by the
Blues Project), he made a delayed entry into folk-rock, in part because
he didn't record for much of 1966 and 1967 as he left Elektra Records
and settled a new contract with A&M. According to his brother/manager
Michael Ochs, Phil Ochs wasn't just thinking of mixing folk and rock:
"When I took over managing him in ?67, he wanted to make his Sgt.
Pepper album. Having grown up in the movie theaters, he wanted to make
Pleasures of the Harbor the John Wayne movie Long Voyage Home. He
wanted to do it full orchestral. When he wrote songs like Pleasures of
the Harbor and Crucifixion, he wanted to do more with the songs. He
wasn?t, like, thinking about going into folk-rock. He wanted to be the
Beatles. He wanted to be mixing every form of music, from classical to
Hollywood-type to rock to you-name-it." I think his ambitions might
have been a little too grandoise, particularly for someone who until
that point had only recorded with acoustic guitar. When the orchestral
arrangements worked for Ochs, I actually quite liked them. But there
were other instances where they were too busy or ornate, and even on
some of his conventional folk-rock, it sometimes had a flat L.A.
session musician feel. His studio version of "Crucifixion," with
musique concrete-like backing, is the song usually held up by fans and
critics as the composition that was most inappropriately smothered by
an unsympathetic arrangement.
As a side issue, I've found out a bit puzzling that some figures who
made a very good transition to electric folk-rock on record continued
to emphasize folk acoustic arrangements live. Donovan never had nearly
as full a sound live as he did on his records, and on some live sets of
his in the late '60s that I've heard, the whole thing's solo acoustic,
even rocking hits like "Sunshine Superman" and "Hurdy Gurdy Man."
Simon & Garfunkel usually (though not always) played acoustically live,
though their records had very ambitious (and in my view successful)
folk-rock and orchestral arrangements. Yes, it would have been much
more expensive for Donovan and S&G to re-create their studio
arrangements in concert than it was for them to just bring an acoustic
guitar. But in both of their cases, they were so successful in the late
1960s that it seems like they could have afforded a good backup band
if they wanted one.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #31 of 254: John Ross (johnross) Sat 20 Sep 03 08:59
The Boyd line that the British tradition is not an instrumental one inspired
my earlier post. I don't agree. It's accurate to say that there's a
tradition of unaccompnaied singing that essentially didn't exist (outside of
some of the southern mountain singers) in North America, but that's not the
same as saying that there wasn't also an instrumental tradition.
In the notes to the Electric Muse collection, Karl Dallas says that the
Young Tradition were unaccompanied folk rockers (I'm quoting from memory, so
I may not have that verbatim). I don't think they ever got out of the folk
club ghetto in the UK or the festivals-and-coffee houses circuit in the US,
but that may have been a matter of timing. Certainly Royston Wood was
involved in a bunch of later folk rock things, while Peter Bellamy moved
back to traditional material and presentation. Do you have any thoughts
about YT?
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #32 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sat 20 Sep 03 09:37
I don't hear the Young Tradition as folk rockers; more as an influence
on British folk-rock, perhaps. Particularly on their early records
(which were solely vocal, without any instrumental accompaniment at
all), I don't hear any rock influence at all. But you can hear their
influence -- which to me sounded rather gothic-medieval in feel -- on
some British folk-rock harmonies, especially Pentangle's "Lyke-Wake
Dirge" (which had been recorded a little earlier by the Young
Tradition). To bring up one of Ed's favorite UK music critics again,
Ian Anderson had a different take on the Young Tradition than Karl
Dallas; when I talked with him, he didn't see the Young Tradition as
part of the folk-rock scene, calling them a "hard-line traditional
harmony singing group."
Arlo Guthrie told me he loved the Young Tradition dearly, though I
don't hear their influence in his music. Another surprising mention of
the Young Tradition came in my interview with Dave Cousins of the
Strawbs, who said that the Strawbs' late-'60s song "Where Is This Dream
of Your Youth," which has Young Tradition-like harmonies, written as a
possible single for the Young Tradition, as "I was trying to write
them a pop song." That would have been interesting to hear.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #33 of 254: Berliner (captward) Sat 20 Sep 03 09:58
One of the very few times I'd agree with the vile Mr. Anderson.
Speaking of sung works, you talk some about the way folk-rock inspired
a higher quality of lyrics in pop music, mentioning people like Ed
Sanders (who was a published poet and a scholar of no mean ambition)
and Pete Brown in England (lyricist for Cream). But wasn't this merely
an outgrowth of Dylan's abstract lyrics, which showed you could do it
and people would accept it? Certainly (although I can't think of any
examples off the top of my head) there were plenty of second-raters out
there stringing words together in the hopes that someone else would
get it. In the end, most of these "literary" lyricists didn't get very
far: Sanders is far more effective as a poet and prose stylist, and
Brown's Piblokto! band fell straight on its face (as well it should
have, as I remember from listening to the album). Weren't people who
were writing good *song* lyrics ultimately more successful,
commercially and esthetically, than the "poets?"
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #34 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sat 20 Sep 03 10:59
When folk-rock inspired a higher quality of lyrics in pop music, I
don't think by any means that it was solely because it inspired people
who were also poets to move into rock songwriting. Actually, the great
majority of good folk-rock (and overall rock) lyricists were figures
who did no or very little published prose poetry, before or after the
start of their recording careers. I think the increased sophistication
of rock lyrics, instigated to a large degree by folk-rock, did allow
the entry of some of those poets, but that's more an interesting side
branch than the main part of the scene.
There are many more instances of non-poetic/literary musicians
following Dylan and others into a more ambitious, abstract songwriting
than there are of actual poets doing it. As just one example, Arthur
Lee of Love published no poetry that I know of during the 1960s, but
certainly went into abstract lyric writing that was distinctly
different than Dylan's (particularly on Love's classic "Forever
Changes" album).
Also, though Dylan's influence was immense, I think folk-rock
lyricists didn't necessarily have to be abstract to raise the level of
words to a higher level. Stephen Stills, Donovan, Joni Mitchell, the
Byrds, Sandy Denny, Tim Hardin, Paul Simon, and many others all wrote
songs that for the most part I would say weren't nearly as abstract as
many of Dylan's mid-'60s compositions were, and in some cases were far
more direct and literal than abstract. The more common trait as I see
it was that they were trying to do something new and more sophisticated
with lyrics than had usually been done in pre-folk-rock rock, whether
using an abstract flavor or not.
Though generally I'd agree with Ed that the people writing good song
lyrics were more successful commercial and aesthetically than the
"poets" who went into songwriting, there was some very good music
written (or co-written) by people with poetic/literary backgrounds.
Leonard Cohen's a good example, and I do like much of Ed Sanders's
songwriting for the Fugs, though he might be ultimately more remembered
for his work as a poet/author. I also like Pete Brown's lyrics for
Cream, though his non-Cream stuff wasn't nearly as successful, due in
large part to not having nearly as talented musicians as collaborators.
I should also mention Richard Farina, who did some very good early
folk-rock as part of a duo with his wife Mimi, though he's more known
now for his novel "Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me."
As a side note, often it's turned out that folk-rock songwriters'
published poetry and literature isn't nearly as good as their music; I
never enjoyed Dylan's prose or poetry, for example. It's pretty rare
that someone's comparably talented as a poet/literary figure as they
are as a musician/songwriter; perhaps Leonard Cohen comes close. Also,
we should remember that Dylan didn't solely do abstract lyrics; there
was the more topical songwriting of his early folk days, but also his
move to simplicity in the late 1960s and the "Nashville Skyline" days,
which in its own way was influential on getting other people in rock to
move to a "back-to-basics" or country-rock sound.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #35 of 254: Berliner (captward) Sat 20 Sep 03 11:14
Cohen, I think, will likely be remembered as much for his prose and
published poetry as for his songwriting. I'm certainly not a fan of it:
the only person I want groaning at me in that register is Mathlatini,
and he's dead. And nearly every time the rock guys went "literary,"
they fell flat on their faces. Dylan's one good example (ever read
Tarantula?), Jimbo Morrison (speaking of groaning) is another.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #36 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sat 20 Sep 03 11:47
Speaking of Dylan going literary, I wonder how his upcoming
autobiography is going to read. I've heard that it's supposed to be
five parts (!). The first installment was supposed to come out a year
ago, but nothing appeared. Someone in the business told me that it's
done, though I don't know if that means just the first volume is done,
or the whole thing is done.
And as well as putting Dylan on the list of rock guys who didn't go
literary with good results, we might also put him on the list of rock
guys who couldn't make good films when they tried to expand in that
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #37 of 254: Dan Levy (danlevy) Sat 20 Sep 03 12:00
Is there a list of rock guys who *did* make good films?
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #38 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sat 20 Sep 03 12:53
I guess not. The lists of rock guys who made good or bad films period
-- as film writer-directors-conceptualists, rather than as actors,
performers, or soundtrack composers -- isn't too long. There have,
however, been a few major rock artists other than Dylan who've been
involved in disappointing films in which they've taken a strong role on
the nonmusical/acting side -- Paul McCartney's "Give My Regards to
Broad Street," the Doors' seldom-seen "Feast of Friends," Prince's
"Under the Cherry Moon," Neil Young's "Human Highway" and "Journey
Through the Past," Paul Simon's "One Trick Pony."
In the realm of folk-rock, "Alice's Restaurant" might count as a
folk-rock guy (Arlo Guthrie) who did a good film. He didn't direct it
or write the screenplay, but it was based, albeit loosely, on his song.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #39 of 254: Darrell Jonsson (jonsson) Sat 20 Sep 03 14:39
Trying to catch up on this topic...
As for folk-rockers making movies - the Monkees did very
well at it with Head. Easy Rider as well was a folk-rock work...
both classics of the era.
I think Dylan made the transistion to rock because
as a rock music/R&B fan - he got it. Others
perhaps made the transistion less gracefully because
they just did not have an eclectic twist in their heads,
or the tones and moves of R&R rolling through thier
impressive years.
Isn't another factor the *folk music community*
which seems a warmer cozier place than the world of rock
McGuinn seems to have made a transistion from
the folk world to the center of eclectic rock cyclone back
to the folk world, I admire something about that. Donovan
did sort of the same thing. Albeit the tranjectory of their
less than perfectly managed careers were also a factor in this.
In the end though weren't these people beatniks with a considerably
different agenda from the likes of Jagger or Bowie?
I suppose their is some element in the background of the
poets who made some impression in rock, as in the case of
Pete Brown, it was a direct inheritance from jazz poetry
jams. Robert Hunter, Pete Sinfield... their have been some
talented lyricists with undeniable literary talent in the game.
Although why would somebody with a royalty stream from records
be motivated to hustle chapbooks, sit through boring poetry
readings, and do the petty scramble of trying to compete with
the beats who so solidly dominated the spotlight of poetics
in the last part of the 20th century. Painting might be a
more welcome creative outlet for the diversifying folk-rocker.
Unless they were bibliophiles from the beginning it is
a bit pretentious.
In the end though the most effective poetics of rock seem to me
to be more about voodoo and its variants than anything we relate
to in the west as being canonically literary. Joyce gets closer to it
than Cohen. Folk gets there sometimes. Singers like Baez though I
somehow don't exactly relate to epiphany. Fred Niel, yes, Dylan yes,
Buffy Saint Marie yeah, Farina, David Crosby and so on. Somehow these
folk musicians were likely about something else from the start in their
artistic approach, and motivation.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #40 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sat 20 Sep 03 15:50
Thanks for your comments Darrell, and a few notes:
When I was talking about some rock stars who've made movies, I was
limiting myself to ones where the artists actually took a strong role
as movie*makers*, and not just actors/performers/soundtrack composers.
"Head" was directed by Bob Rafelson and its screenplay written by Bob
Rafelson and Jack Nicholson, though its surreal structure does leave
the impression there was room for ad-libbed/improvised contributions
from the Monkees themselves.
For those wondering, were the Monkees folk-rock? Well, the ties were
stronger than might be assumed from their big hits. Mike Nesmith and
Peter Tork were both ex-folkies, and some of Nesmith's songs for the
Monkees strongly anticipate the country-folk-rock of the late '60s.
Nesmith went on to become a country-rock musician of some note on his
early post-Monkees solo records, and long before that had written
"Different Drum," a big 1967 folk-rock hit for Linda Ronstadt & the
Stone Poneys. (Few know that the first version of that song was
recorded by a bluegrass group, the Greenbriar Boys.) As for Tork,
there's a 1968 Monkees outtake (since issued on CD) called "Lady's
Baby" with Stephen Stills on guitar and Buddy Miles (!) on drums that
sounds like the Buffalo Springfield's folk-rock. Tork and Stills had
known each other as folkies, and played together briefly in a trio
before the formation of the Springfield and the Monkees.
While folk-rock artists were not involved in the writing, direction,
and performing of "Easy Rider," that movie did use folk-rock by the
Byrds and the Holy Modal Rounders prominently on its soundtrack. Peter
Fonda, a friend of the Byrds, even told Roger McGuinn that the role
models for Fonda and Dennis Hopper's parts in "Easy Rider" were based
on McGuinn and David Crosby respectively.
Expanding folk-rock movies to include documentaries, anyone interested
in the subject should see "Don't Look Back," the documentary of Bob
Dylan's spring 1965 (still acoustic) UK tour, and the much
harder-to-watch "Eat the Document," which focuses on his 1966 European
tour. Also the folk-rock seen in the festival documentaries "Monterey
Pop," "Woodstock," and "Message to Love" (the last of the 1970 Isle of
Wight Festival).
As to Dylan's transition to rock being easier because he was a rock
fan, actually Tom Rush, Phil Ochs, and Eric Andersen have all gone on
record as being big fans of rock when they were growing up in the
1950s, as have many (perhaps most) folk-rock musicians. [I don't think
Tom Paxton, however, had been a rock fan.] For whatever reason, going
rock did seem to come easier to Dylan as a performer.
I don't know if the likes of McGuinn-Donovan were *that* much more
beatniks with a different agenda than Jagger and Bowie. McGuinn and
Donovan wanted rock stardom very badly too. (And going the other
direction, for a brief phase around 1969, Bowie played acoustic music
influenced by Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel, as heard on a bootleg of
1969 demos.) But I don't think McGuinn and Donovan were nearly as set
on, or adept at, manipulating the media and celebrity spotlight as the
likes of Jagger and Bowie.
I don't know whether Darrell was suggesting this, but the far greater
ecomomic rewards of songwriting in popular music was a definitive
incentive for some poets to enter rock. Ed Sanders told me, "I needed a
way of earning a living. I had just graduated from college. We had
just had a baby. My bookstore [the Peace Eye in New York] made some
profit, but not a lot at the time. It was more of a postmodern hangout
center than an actual bookstore." Leonard Cohen's shift of
concentration on music was also at least partially financially
motivated; he was already well-known as a writer, but he wasn't making
a lot of money at it. He told Rolling Stone a few years after starting
his recording career, "A lot had to do with poverty. I was writing
difficult to pay my grocery bill. So then I started bringing some songs
But even after "making it," numerous songwriters have wanted to
publish poetry (Jim Morrison, John Lennon) or write novels (Bob Dylan)
or make movies (Neil Young, Dylan again) or paint (Joni Mitchell), even
though it seems apparent there's not nearly as much money in that as
music. The urge to succeed in more than one type of media seems very
strong, although it's rarely pulled off.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #41 of 254: the invetned stiff is dumb (bbraasch) Sat 20 Sep 03 16:04
I've got a print of a drawing by John Lennon when he was living in
Japan. It's called 'The Poet', but the poet has a guitar in his hands.
I've also got a copy of _In His Own Write_, poetry by John Lennon.
Putting your poetry to music, I suppose, makes it more accessible.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #42 of 254: Darrell Jonsson (jonsson) Sun 21 Sep 03 01:45
How much of making the transition folk>rock (and keeping the
transition) had to do with psychological makeup of the person/s
involved being inherent 'bandleader' or 'bandmember' material. I often
wonder about the bandleader thing with people like Fripp, Zappa, and
especially John Mayhall. These people seem/ed to somehow revel & bloom
in the role of being bandleader. Not everybody has the people skills
to pull that off, even though they may be talented musically.
At least by all public appearances the Beatles were completely
thrilled and comfortable with being bandmembers.
These may not be roles that many ex-folkies would take to as easily,
although I do remember quite a few folk groups. What was the
difference if any in how these different genres organized themselves?
As to clever word usage, one of the most interesting from the 60's
for me was early T.Rex. I don't know if you consider that folk
rock, but Bolan sure was having fun spinning the language. I get the
impression though they were a bit like the San Francisco bands
you mentioned, working acoustic until they could get their hands on
some amps.
Back to the film thread artists like Bowie, Jagger, Alice Cooper,
Zappa... had/have naturally (or developed) their theatrics, that may
make them better suited for film. Somehow Folk and Folk-Rock are not
genre's we associate with the theatrics of rock. Some would say that
much of rock by it's very roots in minstrelsy is an act to begin with.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #43 of 254: Dennis Wilen (the-voidmstr) Sun 21 Sep 03 02:01
Bob Dylan was in a rock bands in the midwest, ISTR, long before he
became a folk-rocker,
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #44 of 254: Dan Mitchell (mitchell) Sun 21 Sep 03 06:40
Yep, I was just going to post that. And he had been a huge fan of
Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, Elvis, etc. before he discovered
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #45 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sun 21 Sep 03 07:27
Yes, Dylan had played rock before he was a teenager. Though his 1965
Newport Folk Festival gig is known as where he "went electric,"
actually it was only his first electric rock performance since he'd
become a recording artist, not his first electric rock show ever. (Plus
he'd already been recording electric in the studio for six months by
There are numerous other examples of notable folk-rock figures having
played or even recorded rock'n'roll prior to going folk, before going
back to rock with folk-rock. Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel actually made
the middle of the Billboard Top 100 in 1957 with their Everly
Brothers-styled "Hey, Schoolgirl," under the name Tom & Jerry, and
recorded (together and separately) a bunch of tame rockabilly and teen
idol-type material in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Fred Neil did
some rare rock singles and played guitar on the demo of Bobby Darin's
"Dream Lover." Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane did teen idol-type
rock singles in the early '60s. Neil Young did instrumental rock as
part of the Squires. Ian Tyson played rockabilly, Richie Havens sang
doo wop, Gram Parsons did rock'n'roll with the Legends, a group that
also included Jim Stafford and Lobo (!).
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #46 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sun 21 Sep 03 07:45
On Darrell's bandleading question, I think that did have something to
do with how well some made the transition to folk-rock. A lot of the
musicians had been used to playing solo acoustic for years, and I think
that in some cases it made it hard for them to adjust to either
leading/working with bands onstage and in the studio as a
frontman/woman, or to being in electric groups.
Sometimes the transition never took too well, but sometimes it took
well despite a halting start. In spring 1965 during his trip to
England, Dylan actually tried to record "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" with
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers as his band. There's just one verse from
this session on bootleg, which is pretty untogether and comes to a stop
with one of the Bluesbreakers saying, "You haven't worked much with
bands, have you?" But then Dylan went on to do some of the most
acclaimed music of the mid-1960s in front of bands, studio and live. In
fact, he already had recorded the electric side of "Bringing It All
Back Home" in early 1965 in the US.
In some cases even when ex-folkies gelled into great folk-rock bands,
the groups were instable, with short lives and many personnel changes;
much less stable than major British Invasion bands like the Beatles,
Who, Rolling Stones, and Kinks. (I know the Who, Rolling Stones, and
Kinks all had vicious in-fighting going on, but they did last very
long, without too many regular personnel changes.) Contrast that with
the Byrds, who had changed lineups so many times that by late 1968
McGuinn was the only member left from the original quintet, and Buffalo
Springfield, where Neil Young and Bruce Palmer left and came back
several times, and the band only lasted two years and three albums.
I suggested to Roger McGuinn that maybe the band members' background
in solo folk might have made it more difficult to share the spotlight
in a group situation. He said, "That's a good thought, that the folk
solo background was to blame for that to some extent. It never occurred
to me. I know the Beatles had a very stick-together kind of
brotherhood. It was kind of amazing. I mean, if you'd ask one of them a
question, they'd go, 'Oh, we don't know about that yet.' It was a
gestalt. They were four people with a common mind, and they would stick
up for each other, in ways that I was envious of. Like, if somebody
would insult me in front of David Crosby, he'd agree with them. Every
time [laughs]. And if you insulted George [Harrison] in front of John
[Lennon], he would punch 'em in the nose. It was like a different
mentality. Crosby could go off on his own any second and do a solo
In the Mamas & Papas' case, the group's prior experience within
singing folk groups was, I think, at the outset very beneficial. John
Phillips had already recorded with several vocal groups (most notably
the Journeymen), as had Denny Doherty (with the Halifax Three and then
the Mugwumps, which also included Cass Elliot and Zal Yanovsky) and
Cass Elliot (with the Mugwumps and before that the Big Three, which
also included Tim Rose). In their case, though, they might have gotten
too close. In part due to John Phillips's stormy relationship with
Michelle Phillips, and inter-band affairs and jealousy, it was only
two-three years before they broke up.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #47 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sun 21 Sep 03 07:53
About T. Rex: I'm not a big fan in either that artist's acoustic or
electric phases, but on the early T. Rex records, there definitely was
a folk-rock air. To me it always did sound rather like an electric band
who'd lost both their rhythm section and their electric equipment.
Andy Ellison of Marc Bolan's previous band, John's Children, said that
all of John's Children's equipment had been confiscated during a
controversial German tour (opening for the Who), and that Bolan didn't
have money or electric equipment when he got back from England. So "the
easiest way to start making was to sit there, grab his old acoustic
guitar again, and things went on from there. He started having success
that way, but I feel that he really still wanted to do the electronic
thing again." Ellison also remembers Bolan seeing a Ravi Shankar
concert on the way back from Germany and being very impressed by the
sitar-bongos setup.
On T. Rex's early albums there was definitely a very Tolkienesque and
mystical feel to the lyrics, something also heard in some of the
British folk-rock of the time, most notably in Donovan and the
Incredible String Band.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #48 of 254: Berliner (captward) Sun 21 Sep 03 09:00
Interestingly, in light of the soloists-make-bad-bandmembers
discussion, I just read an article on Mike Seeger in the current issue
of No Depression, where he says that he broke up the New Lost City
Ramblers for just that reason: "I knew that if I were playing on my own
I wouldn't have any arguments about what we're going to do next...I
could never do enough of what I wanted to do within the Ramblers..."
As for Marc Bolan, I think he was an opportunist in many ways. Sure,
he wound up without his electric gear, but he could have done a Donovan
ripoff instead of the hippie drivel he did. (I think his pop period,
at least for a while, had some amazing stuff in it -- not the most
intellectually satisfying stuf around, but great pop).
One thing I've been meaning to bring into the discussion is blues. A
lot of folkies mixed blues into their repertoires without becoming
specialists. With the coming of folk-rock, a lot of the impulse to plug
in, as you've noted, was courtesy of the Beatles, who did a lot of
black American numbers on their early records, but also of the Rolling
Stones, who were much more oriented towards Chicago-style blues.
You hardly mention a band that did one of my favorite folk-rock
numbers (or it was back then: I haven't heard it in years), the Blues
Project, whose reading of Eric Andersen's "Violets of Dawn" was
anything but a blues number. Blues being folk music, I was wondering if
there were other bands besides the Blues Project who you might have
considered, but decided didn't fit under the folk-rock umbrella.
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #49 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sun 21 Sep 03 09:44
Actually there's a little about the Blues Project in "Turn! Turn!
Turn!," but you're right, I didn't cover them much. They seem to me
more a band that went to folk-rock occasionally (in addition to
covering "Violets of Dawn," they also covered Donovan's "Catch the
Wind," Bob Lind's "Cheryl's Going Home," and Patrick Sky's "Love Will
Endure") than a group that made it their main staple. That's not to
their detriment at all, but to keep the books more focused I usually
only mentioned in passing the artists who delved into folk-rock as more
of a sideline.
In addition to the Blues Project's own occasional folk-rock tracks,
some of their members made noteworthy folk and folk-rock contributions.
Al Kooper, of course, played with Dylan in the mid-1960s in the studio
and (less extensively) onstage, and also played keyboards on many
early folk-rock records as a session musician. Danny Kalb had played
acoustic folk-blues, and was a second guitarist on Phil Ochs's second
album. Steve Katz had been in the Even Dozen Jug Band, who also
included John Sebastian, Maria Muldaur, Stefan Grossman, David Grisman,
and Joshua Rifkin (later to arrange for Judy Collins). And as noted
earlier, the Blues Project backed Phil Ochs on the rare 45-only
electric version of "I Ain't Marching Anymore."
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band really didn't record folk-rock, though
they did somehow cover an early Mike Nesmith song, "Mary, Mary," on
their "East West" album. But they were cited as a key inspiration
toward going electric by a few of the musicians I interviewed,
including some you might not automatically expect, like Barry Melton of
Country Joe & the Fish. They also were the first Elektra Records act
to do a really all-out electric band album for the label, which
generally encouraged the label (at that time primarily a folk label) to
move into rock and folk-rock. They were also important in opening up
clubs on the folk circuit to electric music. As session musicians, they
also played on some early folk-rock recordings. The most notable of
these endeavors, of course, was Mike Bloomfield's guitar work on
Highway 61 Revisited, but also they played on one of Peter, Paul &
Mary's first (and not very good) folk-rock recordings, "The King of
Names," and also played on the rare, obscure album by the most
ludicrous mid-1960s Bob Dylan imitator, Dick Campbell.
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, as mentioned a little earlier, made an
abortive attempt to record with Dylan in 1965. Mayall's own late-1960s
records went into a somewhat folky acoustic direction, particularly on
"The Turning Point," and I did consider covering that, but ultimately
felt that the folk-rock influence on Mayall wasn't too strong.
The Siegel-Schwall Band, who were kind of a minor Paul
Butterfield-type group, had a peripheral role in folk-rock when they
were the backing group for electric folk-rock Joni Mitchell demos,
about two years or a little less before her first album came out. Those
are very strange tracks, with violin, trumpet, drums, bass, and cello
in addition to electric rock instruments.
Al Wilson and Bob Hite of Canned Heat were very much part of the
folk-blues community before Canned Heat formed. In a well-known story,
when country bluesman Son House was "rediscovered" in the 1960s and
prepared to go back to live performing, Wilson actually taught House
how to play his old songs, as House hadn't played for about 20 years.
Wilson and Hite had been in a jug band, and Hite especially was a big
part of the collector community that rediscovered pre-1940 acoustic
blues in the 1960s. Canned Heat differed from many other blues-rock
bands in taking much of their repertoire from pre-World War II acoustic
rural blues. Ultimately I did feel that Canned Heat were much more of
an electric blues-rock band than a folk-rock band.
Blues is indeed a part of folk, but what was classified as folk-rock
in the 1960s and since then has usually been artists that drew from
other parts of folk, or as Ed says, incorporating blues (as Dylan
certainly did) but not becoming specialists. Keeping the focus more
manageable was part of my decision not to expand into more blues-rock
bands too; then we'd also be drawing in numerous British Invasion bands
that made blues-rock much of their repertoire (the Stones, the
Animals, the Yardbirds), and also later bands from the British blues
boom (much of Cream, the early Fleetwood Mac, Mayall, Ten Years After).
inkwell.vue.196 : Richie Unterberger: "Eight Miles High"
permalink #50 of 254: Richie Unterberger (folkrocks) Sun 21 Sep 03 09:54
In another note about the blues, it seems to me that the blues and R&B
was the weakest facet of many of the best folk-rock artists'
repertoires. Not Dylan's, but examples would include the Jefferson
Airplane, who did a lame version of "Kansas City" live in their early
days; Ian & Sylvia, whose sporadic attempts to do down'n'dirty blues
make me cringe; the Byrds, whose instrumental "Captain Soul" is a low
point of their incredibly uneven "Fifth Dimension" album; the Lovin'
Spoonful; and Fairport Convention, whose "Mr. Lacey" (on their second
and best album) I always disliked.
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0.124519 | <urn:uuid:9849dfb3-bb8a-44eb-8a2c-26d12c5765e9> | en | 0.951357 | North America’s Moose Populations Are Dying Off, and No One Knows Why
For the last two decades, wildlife officials have noted a steady, mysterious decline in moose populations throughout North America. Now, as moose numbers hit a critical low, scientists are scrambling to uncover the culprit.
Moose in Minnesota have taken the hardest hit. As recently as the 1990s, two separate populations collectively boasted 12,000 animals. Sadly, the latest statistics reveal that this number has fallen by almost 75 percent ― and one of the populations has seemingly vanished, declining from 4,000 to roughly 100 in the span of 15 years. Montana, British Columbia, and the Northeast have also reported a similar, albeit less severe, drop in moose populations.
As New York Times correspondent Jim Robbins notes, the moose epidemic goes far beyond the animals themselves. For one, they generate significant revenue; moose-watching tours in New Hampshire alone bring in $115 million on an annual basis, and many states and provinces have been forced to cut the number of moose hunting permits issued each year. Moose also play a vital role in ther local ecosystems, so fewer moose could have major implications on other forest-dwelling species.
So far, the cause behind this massive die-off has eluded wildlife officials ― but many believe invasive parasites are to blame. Scientists in Minnesota have discovered brain worms and liver flukes inside dissected moose corpses. In New Hampshire, biologists are blaming winter ticks. And the findings of a recent study in Canada’s Cariboo Mountains seemingly point to pine bark beetles, voracious insects that gobble up acres of forests every year and rob moose of a major food source.
These parasitic creatures share a troubling common bond: all of them thrive in relatively warm climates. For this reason, many scientists now believe that climate change is indirectly responsible for the moose die-off.
Another popular theory related to global warming is that moose populations nationwide are suffering from heat stress, which occurs when temperatures reach a certain threshold during the winter months. Moose who suffer from heat stress are forced to use up more energy than their huge bodies can handle, and the result is often death by sheer exhaustion.
But as wildlife biologist Mike Schrage told Minnesota Public Radio, simply pointing a finger at climate change is a problematic strategy. “I do think global warming is having an impact on our moose,” he said. “I think it gets complicated between climate change and a dead moose. Because I don’t think I’m ever going to walk up on a moose carcass and be able to say, oh, it died of climate change. I think there’s a lot that happens in between.”
So, what can be done? Well, for starters, wildlife biologists should pay close attention to the Yukon Territory, where moose populations have remained fairly stable. Three separate surveys were conducted last year, and all found that moose populations in the province were actually higher than expected. Wildlife officials currently estimate that 70,000 healthy moose reside in the Yukon.
Temperature may be the key here, as well, since the Yukon has remained relatively frigid as regions to the south have reported higher temperatures in recent years. Additionally, the province imposes strict regulations on moose hunters; female moose are off-limits, and hunters must apply for tags before and after killing a moose so a game warden can verify the dead animal’s sex. Earlier this year, one party was fined $30,000 and banned from the sport for 10 years after posting photos of their illegal hunting expedition on Facebook.
Kristine Rines, a biologist with the New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game, has posed another potential solution: hunt more moose to curb the number of parasitic infections. A large number of animals would die immediately, but future generations would potentially be spared from wood ticks, liver flukes, and the like.
There are plenty of different theories floating around about how to address the problem, but all of them are accompanied by the same caveat: no one knows for sure what’s causing the moose die-off in the first place. That’s especially bad news for North America’s second largest mammal as another long, presumably-warmer-than-usual winter rears its ugly head.
Unless otherwise stated, images sourced from Thinkstock Images. | http://www.wengerna.com/blog/north-americas-moose-populations-are-dying-off-and-no-one-knows-why/ | dclm-gs1-434765528 | false | false | {
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Patents The Courts Apple
Posted by Soulskill
from the surprise-surprise dept.
Misunderstanding of Prior Art May Have Led to Apple-Samsung Verdict
Comments Filter:
• Use him for appeal (Score:5, Informative)
Samsung can use his misunderstanding during their appeal.
Jury Misconduct. Plain and Simple.
• by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @02:50PM (#41170235)
"We skipped that one" turns into "we skipped that one and came back to it"
It didn't "turn into" anything.
Here's the original context from the link you were too lazy to click:
Now tell me, tell me where it says they returned to it? In 2-3 days they skipped it and returned to it? It happened fast and they skipped at least one instance of prior art. Please come to terms with it and deal with it instead of being blindly pro-Apple.
• by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @02:52PM (#41170271)
appeals courts don't have juries either you retard.
The forman, Velvin Hogan is, IMHO, a patent troll. His "invention" [google.com] is a TiVo, with options for a few minor and obvious additions (removable storage!, how inventive). He filed for the patent 3 years after TiVo first shipped.
• by DanTheStone (1212500) on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:04PM (#41170455)
Jury Misconduct. Plain and Simple.
Agreed. Having served on a jury, this is the kind of thing a foreman is supposed to prevent / report. It turns out that they chose the wrong foreman.
• by coinreturn (617535) on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:05PM (#41170461)
You don't read the news on the intarwebs much do you?
No, I'm just no so egotistical that I think I'm superior to a jury when I've only seen a tiny fraction of the evidence as presented on opinion sites.
• by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:12PM (#41170571)
Ha, Slashdot is so pro-Apple it's painful. "We skipped that one" turns into "we skipped that one and came back to it" and that gets modded up despite there being no such context in the original source [cnet.com]! Oh Slashdot, you so funny when you act like a kid and mod up the other kids!
You are a fool. First off, even without any references to check, the implied meaning in that statement is almost crystal clear. But I suppose in case you are too stupid, we can reference the interview the juror gave (which is actually the REAL original source).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9cnQcTC2JY [youtube.com]
In it, at about the 4:00 mark he talks about trying to not get hung up on one question, so they do the simple things FIRST, so that when they come back it would be easier. At the 5:15 mark he says "we're gonna move on and come back to this". At the 6:10 mark he talks about how eventually they would come back to those question, and having moved on and answering the other questions taught them enough that it made those skipped questions easier to answer.
• by Zordak (123132) on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:16PM (#41170641) Homepage Journal
Read the first couple pages of this [ua.edu] and then tell me that this verdict is going to get overturned on appeal for jury misconduct.
It is very hard to toss out a jury verdict. (In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law) (Seventh Amendment).
This will get appealed to the Federal Circuit, and if Samsung wins, it will be on grounds other than the fact that the jury foreman had an axe to grind. I'm not aware of any issue in this case so juicy that the Supreme Court is likely to take it up.
• Re:Hey now, (Score:4, Informative)
by Enderandrew (866215) <{moc.liamg} {ta} {werdnaredne}> on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:23PM (#41170733) Homepage Journal
• by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:25PM (#41170765)
100% Agree. The appropriate action would have been to return a question requesting the parameters to define prior art to the court rather than relying on the "expertise" of a jury member. Jury FAIL.
• by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:28PM (#41170801)
You must be joking....
Patent 915 is the pinch-to-zoom patent that Samsung was found to have violated.
• by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:38PM (#41170933)
Normally, post-verdict comments by jury members about how they reached a verdict are not admissible as evidence for overturning the jury verdict. The major exception to this is egregious juror misconduct, which is different from simply misapplying the law or misunderstanding the facts.
• Re:Runaway juror (Score:5, Informative)
by msauve (701917) on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @03:51PM (#41171117)
This is a civil case. It's criminal cases which have guilty/not guilty verdicts. The standard for making a decision is very different, too - reasonable doubt vs. preponderance of evidence.
• Re:Runaway juror (Score:5, Informative)
• by cdrudge (68377) on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @04:18PM (#41171485) Homepage
From page 4 of the document you linked to:
Under Rule 606(b), there are only two situations where jurors may testify
to invalidate a verdict. âoeA juror may testify regarding (1) any extraneous,
prejudicial information that was brought improperly to the attention of the
jury or (2) any outside influence brought to bear upon any juror."
I'd say the foreman telling the jury improperly why prior art should be dismissed would count as #1.
• by NardoPolo88 (1417637) on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @04:38PM (#41171723)
Funny....I found it. How did you miss it?
Vel Hogan: Oh. We read. First off, before closing arguments was given, the judge read to us the final instructions, instruction by instruction. Then she allowed the closing arguments, then she dismissed us. And so we had those closing argue..., those ah, instructions and we had them open there and then we took patent by patent and got hung upon the first one but the day was almost over by then and so I said to the jury, *******>>>>>>>>>>>>"We're not going to allow ourselves to get hung up. We're going to, if we find a debate like this, we'll move on. We'll do the simplest things first.” So then when I came back the next day...
• by amicusNYCL (1538833) on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @05:13PM (#41172099)
That comment is wrong in many ways. The AC above me makes the legal points why your comment is nonsense. In my own experience on a jury, we couldn't even get the judge to clarify his instructions to us. Every time we asked the bailiff to clarify a certain instruction she would go to the judge to discuss it and she always came back with the response for us to read the instruction again and follow it as best we could. In no instance did the judge ever reword the instruction or give any other details. The instruction was there in relatively plain language, and we needed to follow that instruction. We weren't allowed to assume the instructions meant anything other than what was specifically stated. The same goes for the evidence, we weren't allowed to consider any evidence other than what was presented in court. We could question each side's interpretation of the evidence to determine how relevant it was, but we were only allowed to consider what was presented to us. That made all the difference too, the relatively young prosecutor had a minor problem with one of her charges that caused us to find the defendant not guilty of that specific charge, when in fact he should have been found guilty of something that he wasn't charged with. We were not allowed to reinterpret that charge or the judge's instructions in order to find the defendant guilty of what he actually did versus what he was being charged with. We deliberated for hours on that until it became clear exactly what we were being asked to do, and after that it took minutes to reach a verdict.
If you actually watch the video, you'll see that the patent he is talking about is the "460" patent, is a Samsung patent on a method of transmitting emails from a mobile phone with a camera [theverge.com]. Indeed, the jury did rule that Apple had not proved that Samsung's patent was invalid [groklaw.net]. However, they also ruled that Apple did not violate it, so even if the jury had found Samsung's patent invalid based on prior art, it would not have changed anything.
• Re:Runaway juror (Score:5, Informative)
• by Jherico (39763) <bdavis@sai[ ]ndreas.org ['nta' in gap]> on Wednesday August 29, 2012 @07:31PM (#41173499) Homepage
If he held a patent and it didn't come up in jury selection, well that's the fault of the lawyers. If it did come up in jury selection and he lied, I'd assume that would have a heavy impact on appeals, maybe even void the verdict. He'd probably get some jail time too. If it did come up in jury selection and he told the truth, it's up to the judge to decide if it constitutes bias (and they'll often base that off of asking the person if they feel they'd be biased) and it's up to the lawyers to decide if they want to use one of their limited number of juror exceptions.
If it's worth doing, it's worth doing for money. | http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/08/29/1819201/misunderstanding-of-prior-art-may-have-led-to-apple-samsung-verdict/informative-comments | dclm-gs1-435015528 | false | false | {
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"Smart" Parking Meters Considered Dumb
NetNifty Re:Park Plus (863 comments)
If there is no grace period then what happens if you park up, get out of the car to pay, and a photo van takes a picture of your car before you manage to pay for your ticket?
more than 5 years ago
Is Flash Really On 99% of Net Devices?
NetNifty Re:Even if true it'll drop thanks to Netbooks, HTM (383 comments)
Moonlight can be compiled against ffmpeg (my Gentoo box has Moonlight compiled like this and it works fine) so the codecs from MS are not necessary.
more than 5 years ago
UK Outlines Plan For Internet Black Boxes
NetNifty Re:Where is the storage coming from (419 comments)
33 TB per day at £200 per TB (regular 1TB 3.5" hard disks can be bought for about £80 now, guessing high for redundancy) works out to only £2,409,000 per year costs in storage. Not a massive amount compared to how much our government throws away on other things.
more than 5 years ago
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New US Airstrikes In Iraq Intended to Protect Important Dam
sTERNKERN Would some please... (215 comments)
...change the motto of Slashdot? It is so annoying to read "news for nerds" all the time while I am browsing through my beloved war/politics related articles.. /sarcasm
about a month and a half ago
UK May Kill the EU's Net Neutrality Law
sTERNKERN UK vetoing EU stuff? (341 comments)
I thought they are the ones contemplating on leaving the EU... or is it just "let's mess things up before we shut the door"?
about 5 months ago
UN to Debate Use of Fully Autonomous Weapons, New Report Released
sTERNKERN Re:let me predict how this will go: (180 comments)
Homing missiles are fired by a person. We are talking about machines here which can have only a vague order like "protect this facility" or "advance to this point" and during the execution of these commands they can identify encountered people as hostile based on some criterias and can "decide" to eliminate them. That does not even come close to a homing missile.
about 5 months ago
Skydiver's Helmet Cam Captures a Falling Meteor
sTERNKERN Re:Two years? (142 comments)
about 7 months ago
Skydiver's Helmet Cam Captures a Falling Meteor
sTERNKERN Two years? (142 comments)
How come it made into the news now but not at that time?
about 7 months ago
Bennett Haselton: Google+ To Gmail Controversy Missing the Point
sTERNKERN Google plus (244 comments)
Just make it stop. I go to G-Mail to send mails, I go to Youtube to watch videos. If I wanted to socialize, I would have gone to Twitter/SnapChat/Facebook/MySpace (is there still such a thing?)/SecondLife... Google was famous for it's tools being simple, powerful and not forcing anything on the user. Good old days, eh?
about 9 months ago
Google's Wind, Solar Power Investments Top $1B
sTERNKERN Great Scott! (74 comments)
I was told 1.21GW was enough.
about a year ago
Drone Comes Within 200 Feet of Airliner Over New York
sTERNKERN Superman is getting lazy (339 comments)
It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a drone.
about a year and a half ago
Spoiler Alert: Your TV Will Be Hacked
sTERNKERN Shopping channels (211 comments)
As long as the h4ckZ0rs only switch my channel from NatGeo to CNN I do not really care much, but I bet they will be after things like credentials of people buying stuff on shopping channels.
more than 2 years ago
Amiga Returns With Lackluster Linux-Powered Mini PC
sTERNKERN Forget the names please (343 comments)
Back in the old days Amiga, C=64, ZX81, etc. names meant something.. just let them die peacefully, do not tread on their graves by naming a plain today's PC as one of those.
more than 2 years ago
Scientists Build Graphene From Scratch, Atom By Atom
sTERNKERN Obvious question... (185 comments)
When can I buy myself a replicator?
more than 2 years ago
Looking Back At the Commodore 64
sTERNKERN SYS 49152 (263 comments)
Still owning one... one day I showed it to my 4 and 6 year old sons. I expected some loud "Boo!"s as they do play games on my PC but they enjoyed it a lot :) I guess the C64 has a charm that does not fade with time.
more than 2 years ago
DARPA To Sponsor R&D For Interstellar Travel
sTERNKERN to send humans to another star, (364 comments)
- Good news everyone! Our spaceship has landed at our designated destination. - Yey! - Bad news is that it is around 6000 celsius degrees out there so our ship will melt in 1.53 seconds.
more than 3 years ago
Plasma Plants Vaporize Trash While Creating Energy
sTERNKERN I see the newspapers of tomorrow.. (618 comments)
The plant used super-hot 10,000 degree Fahrenheit plasma to generate enough power to effectively vaporize 50,000 homes creating 1,500 tons of trash.
more than 5 years ago
In Response To Restraining Order, Real Networks Pulls RealDVD
sTERNKERN Why this one? (193 comments)
I can count several other program doing exactly the same job and there are some which are not freeware but can be bought. Probably only because they got too much attention?
about 6 years ago
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Scientific American Gives Up
schaefms 10,000 peer reviewed scientific articles (523 comments)
It's amazing how much science has become a religion. We can't learn from the past. Here's an example of someone who had the audacity to buck the system. Obviously anyone who disagrees that Evolution is a fact, because it has been "backed by over 10,000 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals," is a religious fool, as Scientific American clearly shows. Emphasis added to quoted story below:
A brilliant Hungarian doctor of the last century named Ignaz Semmelweis, understood the control of deadly infectious diseases. Articles in the book, None Of These Diseases by S. I. McMillen, M.D., and in the Encyclopedia Britannica documents the work of Semmelweis.
As a young doctor in Vienna in 1845 he was appalled by the staggering death rate by infection of women who gave birth in hospitals. While most children were born at home at that time, usually the homeless or sick, gave birth to their children in the local hospitals.
The level of infectious puerperal (childbed) fever was horrendous with between 15 and 30 percent of such mothers dying in hospital. At that time this tragic situation was considered normal. Dr. Semmelweis noted that every morning the young interns examined the bodies of the mothers who had died and then immediately, without washing their hands, went to the next ward where they would examine the expectant mothers.
Semmelweis insisted that the doctors under his supervision wash their hands vigorously in water and chlorinated lime prior to examining their patients. Immediately, the mortality rate caused by infection among the expectant mothers fell to less than 2 percent dying due to these infections. Despite these fantastic improvements the senior hospital staff despised Dr. Semmelweis's medical innovations and eventually fired him. Most of his medical colleagues rejected his new techniques and ridiculed his demands that they wash their hands because they could not believe infections could be caused by something invisible to the naked eye.
Later he took a position in the St. Rochus Hospital, Pest, Hungary [Budapest],which was experiencing an epidemic of puerperal fever in the ward where mothers were giving birth. Immediately, his new sanitary procedures had a positive effect, with the mortality rate dropping to less than 1 percent instead of the 15 percent that was normal in other hospitals.
During the following six years, he received the approval of the Hungarian government which sent medical advisory letters to all district authorities demanding that all medical staff follow Dr. Semmelweis's sanitation instructions. Although the beneficial results of washing hands were obvious, the medical establishments of Europe and North America continued to ignore his techniques. Patients continued to die needlessly of infectious diseases while they were in the hospital. Decades of rejection by his colleagues finally drove Dr. Semmelweis to a nervous breakdown that placed him in a mental institution. Tragically, due to an infection he received through a cut on his hand during an operation in 1865, Dr. Semmelweis succumbed to the same disease he spent his life trying to alleviate. Dr. Joseph Lister, the father of modern antisepsis (the science of fighting infection), said of him, "I think with the greatest admiration of him and his achievement."
more than 9 years ago
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At $35K, Would You Buy Tesla's "Mass Appeal" Model?
July 28, 2014, 12:00 AM
What's the Latest?
Despite having a backorder of vehicles to complete, Tesla has closed its San Francisco manufacturing plant in order to launch its sport-utility model. Industry observers say the company's emphasis on the SUV is a response to sales trends: "SUVs (and crossover models) passed a milestone in May by outselling sedans in the American market for light vehicles (36.5% to 35.4%)." But if Tesla is truly looking for mass appeal, it may find it in the upcoming Model 3 vehicle. "At a starting price of around $35,000, a third of the cost of a top-range Model S, Tesla wants the car to compete against the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class sedans."
What's the Big Idea?
Purely electric vehicles--ones which use no gasoline at all for power--currently represent just 1% of the American market. At fault more than America's gasoline guzzling car culture is the limited abilities of rechargeable batteries. Even the most sophisticated ones are massively expensive, have limited range, and take too long to charge. But Tesla aims to change that. Using a network of so-called "Superchargers," 440-volt DC systems that can yield an 80% recharge in about 30 minutes, Tesla made a coast-to-coast 3,300-mile drive from California to New York in 76 hours.
Read more at the Economist
Photo credit: Shutterstock
At $35K, Would You Buy Tesl...
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0.022611 | <urn:uuid:e6f98888-34df-436f-bfcd-6330c4eef60d> | en | 0.95144 | Custom Feed - The BioLogos Forum;tags-topics=34&tags-format=82&sort_by=newest&utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication This is a custom feed of BioLogos resources. Make a new feed at en Copyright 2014 BioLogos 2014-10-21T15:05:38-08:00 Custom Feed - The BioLogos Forum;tags-topics=34&tags-format=82&sort_by=newest&utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication Can science and scripture be reconciled?;utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication;utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication In Christian belief, God reveals himself in both the written book of the Bible and the created “book” of the natural world. Thus, the truths we find in scripture should not conflict with the truths we find in nature. Yet at times the two revelations seem to be saying contradictory things about how God made the world. Since God does not lie, the conflict must occur at the level of human interpretation: either a misunderstanding of what God is revealing in nature, or a misunderstanding of what God is revealing in scripture. Conflicts motivate us to reevaluate both interpretations. Christians may disagree on whether the scientific or the Biblical interpretation needs to change, but we can agree that God speaks to us in both revelations. (Updated on March 10, 2012) Two revelations
We know God by two means:
since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book
in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters
to make us ponder the invisible things of God:
Science: Interpreting God’s revelation in Nature
Interpreting God’s revelation in Scripture
An Historical Example
Interaction between science and biblical interpretation
Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:44:04 -0700
On what grounds can one claim that the Christian God is the creator?;utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication;utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication The science of evolution is consistent with many religions and with atheism. Science alone cannot prove or disprove the existence of God. Some scientific evidence, such as fine-tuning, points to a Creator, but even this does not support Christianity over other religions. However, Christian doctrine is broadly compatible with scientific accounts of our origins. Though belief in the Christian God is not scientifically provable, it is not irrational. Commitment to Christ is a reasonable choice supported by a variety of evidence from history, philosophy, and the testimony of others. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit works in each person’s life to bring them into relationship with Jesus. (Updated on March 10, 2012) Introduction
The science of evolution is compatible with many faith traditions. Muslims, Jews and Christians alike can align their faith with the scientific account of our origins, and there is no way to give a scientific proof for one monotheistic faith over another. Therefore, instead of arguing that science supports Christianity over other faiths, this response will simply show the compatibility of Christianity with a scientific understanding of the universe. The Bible’s description of God is consistent with what is seen in the world around us.
Christian doctrine is broadly compatible with the scientific accounts of our origins. The Genesis creation story, for example, speaks of beginnings in a way that reminds us of the Big Bang theory, although this concept would certainly not have been a part of the author’s worldview.
Science shows us a universe that reflects many of the Christian God’s characteristics, such as omnipotence, love and perfection.1 For example, God’s omnipotence and perfection are evident through the laws of nature, all of which are finely tuned to allow life to develop. From a scientific standpoint, these features of the universe are surprising and warrant further explanation. But in light of the Christian narrative — in which a rational God intentionally created a universe congenial to life — the fine tuning of the universe makes sense. The Bible also claims that human beings have been created in God’s image.2 Our ability to love others and engage in meaningful relationships is therefore consistent with the existence of a loving God. And although radical altruism challenges evolutionary explanation, it resonates nicely with Christianity. Why, for example, would Mother Theresa of Calcutta spend her life with the poor? Why would a soldier sacrifice his life for people he does not know? These examples fit comfortably within the story of a God who sacrificed his own life for his creation, and whose image we bear.
Consider the words of Albert Einstein: “The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility.”3 The simple fact that we have the intellect and skills to inquire and test and make scientific discoveries is remarkable. But with a rational, all powerful God in whose image we are made, it is no surprise that we are able and eager to make scientific sense of the world around us. Oxford University professor Alister McGrath puts it well:
"The Christian vision of reality offers us a standpoint from which we may view the natural world, and see certain things that others might indeed regard as puzzling, or strange — such as fine-tuning — as consonant with the greater picture that the Christian has to offer."4
Many of the underlying themes of the monotheistic traditions are shared. Benevolence and justice, for example, are valued in many faiths. The central difference between Christianity and other faiths is the purpose and meaning of Jesus Christ’s life and the truth of his resurrection. There is nothing about evolutionary science that conflicts with the central Christian trinitarian understanding of Jesus.
Read Darrel Falk's essay A Rational Belief for more on why Christian faith can have a rational basis.
Though belief in the Christian God is not scientifically provable, it is not irrational. Commitment to Christ is a reasonable choice supported by a variety of non-scientific evidence from history, philosophy, and the testimony of others. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit works in each person’s life to bring them into relationship with Jesus.
Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:06:41 -0700
Many voices today say that science and Christianity are opposed to each other. Some atheists claim that science has debunked religion and superstition of all forms. Many in the general public think that the church is anti-science. And within the church, science is often portrayed as challenging important Christian beliefs. None of these voices, however, hint at the positive and fruitful relationship between Christianity and science. Here we review several ways to view the relationship between science and Christianity.
Are Christianity and science at war?
For a review of Galileo and other historic interactions between science and Christianity, see “Christianity and Science in Historical Perspective” by Ted Davis (blog series, PDF) and “The Galileo Affair: Emblematic or Exceptional?” by Matt Rosano (blog)
Mark Noll, a leading historian and evangelical, gives 16 reasons why the warfare model is a mistake. (blog series)
Are Christianity and science completely separate?
Artist Mark Sprinkle writes on the importance of music and poetry in understanding God’s world.
Though science cannot prove or disprove God’s existence, it can provide clues that support belief in God. See “What is the fine-tuning of the universe?” and “On what grounds can one claim that the Christian God is the creator?”
Science and Christianity interact, correcting and enhancing each other
For more on God’s two revelations, see “Can Science and Scripture Be Reconciled?”
See “Science as an Instrument of Worship” by Jennifer Wiseman (PDF) (blog series)
Finally, Christianity can provide the belief framework for how and why we do science. Christians need not set aside their faith when they sit down to do science. Read on to the next question for more.
Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:22:23 -0700
Many people assume that Darwin’s theory must have shaken the foundations of the Christian faith because of the stark difference between evolution and the idea of a six-day creation. In truth, the literal six-day interpretation of Genesis 1–2 was not the only perspective espoused by Christian thinkers prior to the publication of The Origin of Species in 1859. The works of many early Christian theologians and philosophers reveal an interpretation of Genesis compatible with Darwin’s theory.
Early Christian Thought
To understand how Genesis was interpreted during ancient times, see John Walton's Reconciling Science with Scripture and Denis Lamoureux's The Ancient Science in the Bible and The Message-Incident Principle from our Science and the Sacred blog.
Origen, a third-century philosopher and theologian from Alexandria, Egypt—one of the great intellectual centers of the ancient world—provides an example of early Christian thought on creation.
Best known for On First Principles and Against Celsus, Origen presented the main doctrines of Christianity and defended them against pagan accusations. Origen opposed the idea that the creation story should be interpreted as a literal and historical account of how God created the world. There were other voices before Origen who advocated more symbolic interpretations of the creation story. Origen’s views were also influential for other early church thinkers who came after him.1
St. Augustine of Hippo, a bishop in North Africa during the early fifth century, was another central figure of the period. Although he is widely known for Confessions, Augustine authored dozens of other works, several of which focus on Genesis 1–2.2 In The Literal Meaning of Genesis, Augustine argues that the first two chapters of Genesis are written to suit the understanding of the people at that time.3
In order to communicate in a way that all people could understand, the creation story was told in a simpler, allegorical fashion. Augustine also believed God created the world with the capacity to develop, a view that is harmonious with biological evolution.4
Later Christian Thought
There are many other non-literal interpretations of Genesis 1–2 later in history. St. Thomas Aquinas, a well-known thirteenth-century philosopher and theologian, was particularly interested in the intersection of science and religion and was strongly influenced by Augustine. Aquinas did not fear the possible contradiction between the Genesis creation story and scientific findings.
In Summa Theologica, he responds to the question of whether all six days of creation are actually a description of a single day, a theory Augustine had suggested. Aquinas argues in favor of the view that God created all things to have potential:
On the day on which God created the heaven and the earth, He created also every plant of the field, not, indeed, actually, but “before it sprung up in the earth,” that is, potentially.…All things were not distinguished and adorned together, not from a want of power on God’s part, as requiring time in which to work, but that due order might be observed in the instituting of the world.5
Augustine’s creation perspective can be seen even as late as the eighteenth century—just before Darwin published The Origin of Species—in the works of John Wesley. An Anglican minister and early leader in the Methodist movement, Wesley, like Augustine, thought the scriptures were written in terms suitable for their audience. He writes,
The inspired penman in this history [Genesis] … [wrote] for the Jews first and, calculating his narratives for the infant state of the church, describes things by their outward sensible appearances, and leaves us, by further discoveries of the divine light, to be led into the understanding of the mysteries couched under them.6
Wesley also argues the scriptures “were written not to gratify our curiosity [of the details] but to lead us to God.”7
In the nineteenth century, Princeton Theological Seminary was known for its staunch defense of conservative Calvinism and the absolute authority of Scripture. Perhaps the most noted Princeton theologian of that era, B. B. Warfield, accepted evolution as giving the proper scientific account of human origins. He believed that hearing God’s voice in Scripture and the findings of solid scientific work were not at odds. As historian Mark Noll puts it, “B. B. Warfield, the ablest modern defender of the theologically conservative doctrine of the inerrancy of the Bible, was also an evolutionist.”8
Augustine offers this advice:
Tue, 14 Apr 2009 23:06:03 -0700
Many believe that before Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859, Christians as a whole maintained an entirely literal, six-day interpretation of Genesis in which the earth was only a few thousand years old. In fact, however, the idea of an old earth had already become increasingly popular among Christians throughout the half century leading up to The Origin of Species. 1
Another misconception is that the arrival of Darwin’s theory led the scientific and theological communities to immediately take up positions opposing each other. But history reveals that one of the earliest supporters of evolutionary theory in the American scientific community was a devout Christian botanist named Asa Gray. And among theologians, BB Warfield—an architect of the contemporary evangelical understanding of biblical inerrancy—believed that certain forms of evolution were also compatible with a high view of Scripture.
The First Christian Response to Origin of Species in America
Darwin did not invent the idea of evolution. By the time The Origin of Species was published, the idea of evolution in many natural processes was already popular, and the term development was used in its place for discussions of society’s change or the history of the solar system.2 What’s more, it was widely accepted that the earth was much older than previously thought. Most of the groundwork for this understanding resulted from geological work done earlier that century. Through meticulous study of the fossil record, naturalists helped spread the view that the earth was old rather than young.
Though many people like to focus on Christian hostility to evolutionary theory, a careful look at history reveals some surprising facts. For instance, the first American scientist to carefully review and publically support Darwin’s Origin of Species was a devout Christian named Asa Gray, now regarded as one of the most prominent American biologists of the 19th century. A shy person who avoided politics, Gray worked quietly and does not have the same name recognition as scientists like Louis Agassiz and T.H. Huxley—both flamboyant self-promoters who provoked public debate. But, his brilliant research during his 30-year career at Harvard University helped usher in the era of modern biology in the United States.
Asa Gray made his commitment to Christ in 1835, a few years after completing medical school (much like Francis Collins of our own era). 3 As a professing Christian, Gray was a committed churchgoer and member of a local congregation in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a professional scientist, he insisted that science was neutral in matters of religion and metaphysics. Gray found evolutionary theory incredibly stimulating to his scientific research, but never found it threatening to his faith. Both before and after reading Origin of Species, Gray remained firmly grounded in the Nicene Creed, a profession of faith that Christians have shared since the early Church. 4
What happened when Origin of Species burst onto the scene? Gray’s extensive research on American and Japanese plants—which he published after corresponding with Charles Darwin—had already convinced him that species and genera found in both countries resulted from common ancestry, not separate creations. He responded to Darwin’s book by writing the first major review5 of Origin on his side of the Atlantic, and he defended Darwin’s scientific theory in a series of meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1859 and 1860. Gray was determined that Origin would get a fair reading from the scientific community, and he even took a leading role in negotiations to reprint Origin in the United States in 1860, ensuring that Americans could have the most accurate edition in their hands.
Regarding the theological implications of evolution, Gray believed that Darwin’s theory was not atheistic, although he recognized that some would use it as an “excuse” for unbelief. Henceforth, he concluded, we need “to reshape” the argument from design “in such wise as to harmonize our ineradicable belief in design with the fundamental scientific belief of continuity in nature, now extended to organic as well as inorganic forms, to living beings as well as inanimate things.” The question of whether or not life evolves should not be confused with the issue of God’s existence. Instead, Gray thought that each issue should be investigated using methods appropriate to the subject of inquiry. His refusal to argue for either extreme in this contentious debate upset both anti-evolutionists and radical popularizers of science, both of whom were eager to believe that evolution implied atheism.6
Early Theological Concerns with Evolution
In the decades after Origin of Species was published, theologians began to ponder the compatibility of Darwin’s theory and Christian doctrine. Some of them adopted Gray’s view that evolution was God’s method of creation.7 Others argued that since Darwin explained away the apparent design in nature, it was compatible only with atheism.8 Some scholars accepted Darwin’s argument for common ancestry, but rejected the idea of natural selection, either for scientific, philosophical, or theological reasons.9 Others resisted evolution specifically for the human species, partly due to concerns that evolution could conflict with Christian claims that human beings are created in the image of God.10
With time, however, even some of the more conservative theologians became comfortable with evolution. B.B. Warfield, for instance, developed a powerful and enduring legacy in American evangelicalism for his belief that the Bible communicates revelation from God entirely without error. Yet while he defended biblical inerrancy, Warfield was also a cautious proponent of the possibility that God could have brought about life through evolution. His basic stance was a doctrine of providence that saw God working in and with the processes of nature, rather than completely replacing them. In Warfield’s mind, a high view of biblical authority was fully compatible with a divinely guided process of evolution.11
Rise of Young Earth Creationism
Although many Christians were concerned about the implications they found in Darwin’s theory of evolution, by the end of the nineteenth century very few Christian authors argued for a young earth. Enthusiasm for this was largely confined to the Seventh-day Adventists, who followed the writings of their founding prophet, Ellen G. White. She claimed to have seen the creation of the earth in a vision from God. In another vision, God revealed to her that Noah’s flood produced the fossil record.12 Early Adventists thus explained the geological data found in the early nineteenth century with their interpretation of the flood story of Genesis 6-8.
Between 1910 and 1915, a group of conservative Christians wrote a large collection of papers titled The Fundamentals.13 They clarified the beliefs of conservative Christians intent on preserving the faith from the threats of their time. Interestingly, The Fundamentals put no emphasis on Noah’s flood as an explanation of geological data and the contributors accepted an old earth. Even William Jennings Bryan, a fundamentalist who crusaded against the teaching of evolution in public schools, accepted an old earth.
Nevertheless, the modern Creationist campaign gained traction as an anti-evolution movement in the decades that followed. The 100th anniversary of Darwin’s publication in 1959 brought with it a cry from academics to make the public more aware of Darwin’s theory. Around the same time, the federal government funded the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS), which produced a series of textbooks that taught evolution without reservation. Many conservative Christians at the time saw this as an attempt to “ram evolution down the throats of children.”14
As if in response to this outcry, John Whitcomb and Henry Morris updated Adventist flood geology in their 1961 book, The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and Its Scientific Implications.15 Whitcomb and Morris gave an explanation for how Noah’s flood could account for the geological evidence for an older earth. Soon after, small groups of conservative Christian scientists began to form in support of this research. They came to be known as Young Earth Creationists and referred to their flood geology as scientific creationism. The movement continued to grow, and by the 1970s the term “Creationism” increasingly came to mean only the narrow belief that God created in 6 days and the earth is young, not the larger, foundational belief that God is the Maker of heaven and earth, regardless of the time scale involved.
Going back to the original publication of Origin of Species in 1859, we have seen that the original Christian reception of Darwin’s theory was not universally hostile, and that Asa Gray even found it scientifically insightful. With his faith firmly grounded in the creeds of the early church, Gray conducted brilliant scientific research and maintained an unwavering commitment to Christ.
It was actually not until the second half of the 20th century that Young Earth Creationism became a mainstream view within the evangelical community. Knowing this, many Christians today have decided to stop perpetuating a “war” with science. Prominent scholars like Asa Gray and BB Warfield demonstrate that it is indeed possible to maintain a high view of scripture and accept scientific evidence of evolution.
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0.071997 | <urn:uuid:5ec3fa86-67ee-4f6c-885c-16ed217548d0> | en | 0.978447 | Entries in "Films"
December 31, 2011
Amazing tracking shots
December 27, 2011
James Garner
December 21, 2011
Why this remake?
December 19, 2011
Film review: Hot Coffee
Here's the trailer for the film.
December 09, 2011
The Room and film clichés
November 04, 2011
Guy Fawkes day
Tomorrow (November 5th) is Guy Fawkes day. The mask used to represent him in the film V for Vendetta, has become the symbol of those who fight oppressive governments and systems. I predicted back in 2006 when it was released that it would become a cult classic, and I am particularly glad to see that come true.
(Image courtesy of reader Norm.)
November 01, 2011
Documentary: Hot Coffee
Stephen Colbert interviews Susan Saladoff, the creator of the documentary with the above name, that challenges the myth put out by the corporate industry and its pliant media allies that trivial lawsuits are out of control and that people need to be limited in their ability to take big corporations to court.
Here is the trailer for the documentary.
September 29, 2011
The strange case of disappearing color in films
You see, flesh tones exist mostly in the orange range and when you look to the opposite end of the color wheel from that, where does one land? Why looky here, we have our old friend Mr. Teal. And anyone who has ever taken color theory 101 knows that if you take two complementary colors and put them next to each other, they will "pop", and sometimes even vibrate. So, since people (flesh-tones) exist in almost every frame of every movie ever made, what could be better than applying complementary color theory to make people seem to "pop" from the background. I mean, people are really important, aren't they?
September 26, 2011
Trailers for films
September 18, 2011
Disco scene from Airplane!
I just watched this film for the umpteenth time.
September 07, 2011
Film review: Taxi to the Dark Side
I finally got around to watching Alex Gibney's Academy Award winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) which recounts the sordid story of the American government indefinitely detaining, torturing, and murdering people in its custody as a result of the so-called war on terror. I had avoided seeing it, since I knew I would be both sickened and angered by the images and descriptions of the treatment of prisoners. But the recent emergence from under whatever rock he lives in of Dick Cheney, the chief force behind these abhorrent policies, to promote his book made me decide that I had to see it.
The film takes its title from two key themes. One is the story of a young Afghan man named Dilawar who drove a taxi for a living but one day was picked up by Afghan security forces and turned over to the US as a suspected terrorist. He was taken to Bagram base and within five days he ended up dead, his body covered with bruises and his legs beaten into pulp, resulting in homicide being listed as the cause of death by the medical examiner. The other was Cheney's statement that in the war on terror it was necessary for the US to go to the 'dark side' and do things in secret that were necessary to keep America safe.
I am glad that I saw the film but it is not for the squeamish. It vividly reminds one, using still and video footage and re-enactments, of the ghastly horrors that took place in US prisons at the Bagram base in Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib in Iraq, and Guantanamo. Here's the trailer.
The whole torture process was an example of cynical manipulation. Aided by its legal advisors like Alberto Gonzalez, John Yoo, and Jay Bybee, the Bush administration created a policy that allowed even the most heinous of treatment. Yoo even refused to categorically rule out the right of the president to order the crushing of a child's testicles in order to coerce the child's father during interrogations.
This policy also seemed to be designed expressly to protect the high level people in the Bush administration (George W. Bush, Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, Paul Wolfowitz, David Addison, Donald Feith, Lewis Libby, and other civilian and military high command) from any repercussions while allowing them, if things got messy, to pin the blame on the low-level people who actually carried out the acts. The way this was done was to let the word go out that the normal rules of operation (such as those specified under the Geneva Conventions and in standard US military guidelines known as the Uniform Code of Military Justice) were no longer operable but not specify in writing what the new guidelines were. Instead the low-level interrogators in the military and CIA were given a wink and a nod, suggesting that anything goes in the drive to get information. As a result, the interrogators were allowed to run amuck. And they did. We saw with the infamous Stanford prison experiment that even ordinary undergraduates can, in just a couple of days, become sadistic monsters when given unchecked power over other students who were just like them. You can imagine what can happen when soldiers in war are given even greater freedom over people whom they perceive as the enemy and are so different from them and who speak a different language.
Even in the face of stiff competition from a morally bankrupt administration, Cheney is clearly the most contemptible, a cowardly sadist, someone who seems to have a weird sense of pride in having caused the suffering and death of others, who has a grandiose image of himself as the savior of the country. This is a man who should be treated as a pariah, shunned by all decent people, not treated as simply another retired politician. While the whole Bush crew deserves to be tried for war crimes, he is the most deserving. Lawrence Wilkerson, who was Colin Powell's chief of staff, now says that he thinks that Cheney, for all his bravado, fears being tried for war crimes and that he would be willing to testify against him at a war crimes trial.
But of course, this will not happen in the US because, as Glenn Greenwald points out, Obama has shown himself to be as complicit in torture and war crimes as any member of the Bush regime and anxious to protect his predecessors and has effectively granted them blanket immunity. He does so because he is continuing and even expanding the detention and torture of prisoners. Obama even claims the right to execute US citizens abroad if he thinks they deserve it. The only way that any of these people will be prosecuted as war criminals is if they go abroad and encounter an independent-minded prosecutor in another country, since crimes against humanity have no jurisdictional or time limits.
As the documentary emphasizes, habeas corpus and the right of an accused to a trial by jury is the bedrock of the rule of law, a foundation of a civilized society, the violation of which was one of the crimes of British rule that was specified in the Declaration of Independence that precipitated the American revolution. Yet the US now casually disregards it. We accept as normal the indefinite detention of people without trial or access to lawyers merely on the government's say so, kangaroo courts that are custom designed to secure pre-ordained verdicts, and the abuse, torture, and even murder of anyone the government decrees to be an enemy.
The moral corruption of the US government is deep and bipartisan. Perhaps the best we can hope for is that some day Americans will look back at the things that were done in its name by the US government in the war on terror and wonder with amazement how it could have been that such acts, though widely known, did not rouse the public into righteous anger at the subversion of all the values that a decent society should hold dear.
August 26, 2011
Mythic hero films
When I was a teenager in Sri Lanka, there seemed to be a never-ending supply of adventure films involving bare-chested muscular heroes (usually played by body builder Steve Reeves) portraying mythic characters fighting evildoers and monsters. The films had titles like Goliath and the Barbarians, Ursus, Hercules, Hercules Unchained, and Hercules and the Three Bears (ok, I made the last one up). These films were made in Italy and the actors' lines were badly dubbed into English. The films were low-budget and cheesy, and although they and made for some campy fun, one quickly grew tired of them.
By the time Arnold Schwarzenegger came along, I had no desire whatsoever to revisit that genre and in fact have not seen a single film of his. I will not see the current remake of Conan the Barbarian either, but I found Stephen Whitty's review to be hilarious.
July 22, 2011
Film review: The Company Men
The film looks at the effect of the loss of jobs in the current economy, but from the point of view of the upper middle classes. It centers around the character played by Ben Affleck, a well-paid executive who suddenly loses his job as a result of his division in a conglomerate being shut down. The reasons for the shut down and layoffs are the usual: the top management of a manufacturing company shifts production overseas to take advantage of cheaper labor and tries to goose up its stock price (thus increasing their personal wealth via their stock options) by eliminating jobs to increase profits, especially laying off older workers who are paid more, all the while paying its chief executives high salaries and providing them with fancy offices, corporate jets, and other perks.
Also in the film are the always watchable veteran actors Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper as much older senior executives who also lose their jobs, the former because he tries to protest the lay-offs, especially of long-time employees like Cooper. The film looks at how they try to adjust to suddenly feeling useless, the shame they feel at their friends and neighbors and relatives knowing about their sudden drop in status, and the sting of not having calls returned and being rejected for job after job.
This is not a great film but it is worth seeing. Initially it is hard to feel any sympathy for the Affleck character who plays the role of a shallow yuppie jerk, living in a large suburban house, driving a Porsche, regularly playing golf at his country club, thinking that he is so good that the recession will not touch him and that he will be snapped up for a similar high-paying job immediately, and refusing to accept the fact that his new reduced circumstances may last a long time and require him to adjust to a much more modest lifestyle. He also looks down on his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner) who is self-employed as a home-builder who does much of the work himself and hires one or two people to help him. But Affleck manages to humanize this character so that you do eventually start feeling sorry for him.
Since I do not move around in such corporate or social circles, it was hard for me to get a sense of how realistic the situations and portrayals were. The firings of even the very senior executives seemed too abrupt and secretive to me. It also seemed odd that people who had earned so much money over such a long period did not seem to have sufficient savings or other reserves to ride out not having an income for a few months, so much so that they cannot even pay their children's college tuition. Do such people actually blow almost their entire incomes living high on the hog, thinking that they will never face any setbacks in life?
The US is notorious for having a very low savings rate. I wrote in an earlier post about how 50% of the population are economically fragile, in that they would find it hard to lay their hands on $2,000 in 30 days if a sudden emergency should require it. I thought that this would apply to mostly the middle class and poorer who had less disposable income but this film suggests that this may extend to the more wealthy upper-middle class too. Maybe these people try too hard to emulate to the lifestyles of the people profiled in David Sirota's "Such it up and cope" article and feel that a fancy house, a Porsche, country club membership, and fancy vacations are essentials, not luxuries, and thus spend as much as they make, if not more.
One interesting side note in the film was seeing how the executive outplacement system, which is a benefit offered to executives to ease the sting of being fired, works. It seems to be much like working in an office in that you are given a desk, a computer, a phone in a shared cubicle (and maybe a private office if you are a fired senior executive), plus some coaching on how to find a job, except that it is for a limited time and your job is to find a job.
Here's the trailer.
June 25, 2011
Peter Falk, 1927-2011
There was something very likeable about stage, screen, and TV actor Peter Falk. Just seeing his rumpled everyman persona appear on the screen made you smile, just as you would when an old friend enters a room. So his death yesterday brought some sadness.
He will be best remembered for his recurring character of Lieutenant Columbo. The TV series was formulaic but in a good way. There was no violence, no car or foot chases, no explosions, just old fashioned storytelling. The beginning showed the crime being committed so there was never any mystery involved. The plot revolved around how Columbo pieced together the sequence of events that resulted in him determining the culprit, and the ensuing cat-and-mouse game leading to the capture of the guilty. This focus on the 'how' rather than the 'who' also solved the problem that besets traditional whodunit TV mystery series which like to cast a well-known guest actor each week because the most meaty guest role is usually that of the villain, which gives away the surprise.
As an added bonus (for me at least) there was also a class element to the Columbo stories. In every episode that I saw, the criminal was very rich and moved in high society and viewed with condescension the disheveled cigar smoker in the worn and grubby raincoat, driving a beat up old car, and alluding to his never-seen blue-collar family and background. The criminals would draw the conclusion that he could not be very smart and that they were safe, and the slow dawning on them that that they had underestimated him and that this befuddled character would be their Nemesis always added a pleasant zest to the ending in which they received their comeuppance.
June 18, 2011
A feature film that deals with atheism
I came across a film called The Ledge that supposedly has an explicit atheist as a main character. The film's website has this press release:
Here's the trailer.
May 24, 2011
Film review: Gasland
This award-winning documentary provides a stark warning about the danger that hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking' as it is popularly known, poses to the water supply in the nation and to its air quality. It blasts the notion that natural gas is a 'clean' source of energy. It may be clean when it is used but the way that fracking extracts it from shale rock formations underground creates very serious environmental and health hazards.
Here's the trailer for Gasland:
Fox travels the country to talk with the people whose lives have been impacted by fracking. In investigating the effect of such drilling, he discovers that it can result in destruction of the environment and the health of the people in the vicinity. People's wells become contaminated and the air gets polluted, resulting in people and animals developing serious health problems.
The people in the Tea Party and other groups who rail against 'big government' and think that 'drill, baby, drill' is a cute and catchy slogan, are being played for suckers by the big corporations and the oligarchy. I wonder how many of the ordinary people that Fox interviewed in the film, whose lives and livelihood were destroyed by the oil and gas industry, were among those who had bought into the idea that government is too big, and whether they now realize that they were duped.
May 23, 2011
Film review: Inception (no spoilers)
Inception has lots of special effects, such as an entire cityscape being folded over so that the streets of one part get placed upside down on top of another part so that cars drive along a street that turns upwards and then come back upside down. But I find that with the advent of sophisticated computers, these effects don't wow me anymore. Since Star Wars came out in 1977, we know that computers can produce all these spectacular visual effects and creating these effects have become the province of graphic artists. Although they do require a lot of painstaking work, they don't arouse any more wonder than the effects produced by cartoon animators because animations and computers both enable you to ignore the laws of science,
Here's the trailer for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
April 23, 2011
Phone calls in films
In the 2003 Jim Carrey comedy "Bruce Almighty," God's phone number (776-2323, no area code) appears on the Carrey character's pager, so of course moviegoers called it and asked to speak to God. That's kind of funny, unless you happened to own that number in your area code.
I have wondered why, with their multi-million dollar budgets, film companies don't simply purchase a few dozens of real numbers that are sufficiently varied and nondescript so that no viewer would likely remember that they have seen them before in other films.
April 09, 2011
Title song from Singham
Apparently a new film has been released in India with the title character sharing my last name. The way my last name is spelled in Tamil leads to a slight ambiguity in transliterating to English, with those favoring a hard g sound writing it as Singam and pronouncing it 'Sing gum' with heavy stress on both syllables while those favoring a soft g (as my family does) writing it as Singham, to rhyme with Bingham.
The Singham/Singam in the film seems to a tough but honest cop in the Dirty Harry mold, as you can see from this music video created around the title song.
April 08, 2011
Some time ago I wrote a review of the documentary Marjoe of a Pentecostal child evangelist/faith healer in which Marjoe Gortner (an unbeliever and now an adult) gives an insider's account of how the racket works.
You can now see the entire film online. It is quite fascinating
March 28, 2011
The lessons of V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta.jpeg v-for-vendetta-logo-wallpaper.jpg
A recent communiqué further explains its mission.
March 26, 2011
Elizabeth Taylor, 1932-2011
March 22, 2011
Review: The Nature of Existence
You can see clips at the film's website.
February 28, 2011
Inside Job Oscar acceptance speech
January 23, 2011
100 best movie quotes of all time
Jerry Coyne provides links to film clips that show the 100 best movie quotes of all time. Can you guess which one is #1?
Here's the first twenty.
Rather than quibble with the list or its rankings (after all, these were done by some anonymous person and reflect just his or her opinions), I found it fun to watch all the clips and note how many I had seen.
January 18, 2011
Film review: Good Hair (2009)
Hair is an important issue in the black community, getting way beyond the level of attention that people of other ethnicities give it. I first became aware of this fact a long time ago back in Sri Lanka as a student when I first read The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1964). As a young man of the streets, he adopted the then common practice of 'conking' (straightening his hair) and he vividly describes his first experience. As he became radicalized he decided that this attempt to adopt the hair styling of white people was a symbol of how much black people had internalized their sense of inferiority and subservience and he went back to his natural look. The 1960's was probably the high point of black acceptance of their natural hair. Nowadays it seems like the black community, especially women, has gone back to accepting straight hair and to even see it as desirable. One wonders what Malcolm X would have thought about this development.
I had not paid much attention to this question until I saw the documentary Good Hair (2009) last week. It is produced by comedian Chris Rock who acts as the viewer's guide through the incredibly complex world of hair products and styles aimed at the black community. Rock said his interest in this topic was piqued when one of his very young daughters came to him one day and asked him why she did not have 'good' hair. In searching for an answer, he and his film crew explored the economics, psychology, and sociology of the hair business and its users and it is a fascinating journey.
One way to get 'good' (i.e., straight) hair is to simply straighten it. I was vaguely aware that this involved the use of some chemicals but was stunned to learn that the main chemical in question in the 'relaxers' (as they are called) was sodium hydroxide. I recall almost nothing from my high school chemistry classes but one thing I do remember is being warned about how dangerous this chemical was (it even goes by the name 'caustic soda', which should be warning enough) and to avoid any contact with skin. And here were people regularly and routinely putting it on their heads.
Rock does not shy away from pointing out the dangers, having many of the people he interviews describe the pain of the process. They report that is produces an excruciating burning sensation and that if it is not washed off in time can result in serious scalp burns. If it gets into the eye it can cause blindness. To emphasize the dangers, Rock has a scientist put a few drops of it on a piece of supermarket chicken and shows how it burns a hole through the skin and into the flesh. The scientist also keeps an aluminum soda can in a vat of sodium hydroxide and after a few hours the entire can had dissolved. But despite this, even the parents of children as young as three put this product on their heads.
As I watched this, my mind immediately connected it to the former practice of foot binding in China, in that this was another sign of the extreme burdens imposed on women by the demands of society. A group of young high school graduates said that they felt that a black woman with natural hair simply would not be taken seriously in the business world and would be at a strong disadvantage when it came to being hired at all. It seems bizarre that if a black woman lets her hair grow naturally, she is perceived to be making some sort of militant political statement. This may be a relic of 1960s attitudes.
The other process of getting 'good' hair is known as 'weaving' and this involves braiding the hair tightly onto the scalp, sewing a tight mesh onto the hair, and then sewing hair that has been bundled into thick strands onto it. This process is also quite painful but at least it avoids putting dangerous chemicals on the scalp. The downside is that it is expensive (running into thousands of dollars) because it has to be done by a professional and takes a long time to complete, almost a whole day. Furthermore, once you get a weave, you are quite restricted in your activities. Going to a steam room or swimming, or even getting your hair wet in the rain, are some of the things that are out of the question. You cannot let anyone touch your hair either.
Where does the hair in the weaves come from? It turns out that it comes mostly from India. Apparently when Hindu women make vows to their god, in return for the sought-for favor they have their heads shaved. Hair is a sign of vanity so shaving one's head is a sign of one's devotion, a willingness to sacrifice for god. This shaving happens at the Hindu temples in assembly line fashion with people lining up to get it done, a process known as 'tonsure'. The hair that is cut is then collected by temple officials and sold to hair dealers, and one suspects that some religious leaders may be cynically exploiting the devotion and gullibility of believers to make a tidy profit by encouraging this practice and selling something that they are given for free. India has about a billion people and Rock says that about 85% of them have had their heads shaved at least twice in their lives. That is a lot of hair.
The hair dealers then clean and sort the hair into thick, long clumps (10-14 inches is about the desired length but the longer the better) that are then sealed in plastic packs and shipped off to the US. One Beverly Hills dealer who had a carry-on sized suitcase containing these packs of hair said that he could sell the whole lot in a few hours for about $10,000 to $15,000, which gives you some sense of the scale of the business. Some black women will spend enormous amounts of money on weaves and other hair products, even as they are struggling to pay the rent and utilities and buy food. The irony is that while the majority of customers who buy any kind of hair product are black (they purchase 80% of all hair products sold), the industry is owned and controlled by mostly white or Asian people.
The documentary spends quite a lot of time on the Bronner Brothers International Hair Show held in Atlanta. This is a huge extravaganza where vendors show off their latest products and it culminates in a contest in which four finalists compete to win the award for best stylist. But don't think that this contest consists of people simply styling hair. It is more like performance art with elaborately costumed choreographed dancers on sets with lights and music and involves stunts like cutting hair while hanging upside down or underwater. It is quite an amazing thing to see.
The politics of hair is tricky and Rock has to walk a fine line. While he clearly wants his own daughters to take pride in the hair they were born with and not want to straighten it or add weaves, he avoids being judgmental about the people who have taken the other road. He wanders through the world of hair with a genial attitude and a bemused expression and gives the film a nice light touch.
This is an excellent documentary that I can strongly recommend. To people like me, it opened up a world that was all around me and yet of which I was almost completely unaware.
Here's the trailer:
January 10, 2011
Trailers before films
I like to watch film trailers. They usually serve the intended purpose, which is to tell me whether I want to see the film or not.
What I do not understand is when I borrow a DVD of a film and they show the trailer of the very same film before the film begins. What is the point? Presumably film makers make trailers to persuade people to watch the film. Surely if I have gone to the trouble of borrowing the film, inserted it into the player, and sat back in my chair, it is pretty clear that I have committed myself to watching it. I don't need any more persuading.
This practice is especially senseless with modern trailers that seem to practically give away the entire plot. If you see it a long time before the actual film, you likely forget all but a few moments and so no harm is done. But watching a trailer just before seeing the film is bound to ruin the experience.
Just last weekend, it was even worse. I sat down to watch the film The Man Who Would be King (1975) and not only did they start with the trailer, they even had a "The making of…" type documentary before the film, with interviews with the stars and director discussing the characters and script, showing how the scenes were set up, and so on. I like such documentaries in general but only after I have seen a film. Seeing it before would ruin the suspension of belief needed to enjoy films.
I of course immediately skip past the trailer and documentaries as I am sure almost everyone else must be doing. So why do some film companies do this? Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be the reasoning behind such a practice?
January 02, 2011
O Lucky Man
Here is Alan Price singing the title track from Lindsay Anderson's great 1973 film.
I particularly like the line: "If you can't be tempted with heaven or hell, you are a lucky man."
So true.
The future of humankind
British director Lindsay Anderson produced a trilogy that began with If... (1968), continued with O Lucky Man (1973), and ended with Britannia Hospital (1982). Anderson's films were surreal and took swipes at all the stupidity and hypocrisy of society. No one was spared: politicians, clergy, business, trade unions, scientists, education, all were targeted with biting class-based satire.
That great British character actor Graham Crowden plays a mad scientist Professor Millar who was introduced in O Lucky Man, a wonderful, sprawling, surreal film with the best sound track ever (by rocker Alan Price). The role was expanded in the final film from which this scene is taken.
December 31, 2010
Casino Jack
December 29, 2010
Film review: Clockwise (1986)
October 19, 2010
Pope Joan trailer
Apparently the German film about the female pope may get a US release soon. Here's the trailer (thanks to reader Norm).
August 25, 2010
Film Review: The Lives of Others and Quantum of Solace
It's been a couple of decades since I watched a James Bond film. I saw almost all of the Sean Connery originals, then a couple of the Roger Moore versions, and then gave up on the franchise, thus missing out on what George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan added to this iconic figure of cold war fiction.
But the book Bottlemania, this years' common reading choice at my university that deals with the crisis of water, mentioned that Quantum of Solace (2008) starring Daniel Craig had as its villain someone who was trying to corner the supply of fresh water and so I decided to check it out to see if it had any possibilities as a program to tie in with the book.
If Quantum of Solace is any indication of where the Bond franchise has gone since the Moore days, then I have clearly not missed anything by giving these films a wide berth. Ian Fleming's stories were always highly improbable but Quantum of Solace raised the improbabilities by several orders of magnitude, substituting non-stop action for storytelling and making the film laughable. The film has a grand slam of chases, involving separate ones for cars, on foot, motorcycles, boats, and airplanes, the first four occurring within the opening half hour. All this left almost no time for any dialogue, let alone plot advancement, but did leave room for plenty of corpses, mayhem, and destruction. The amount of broken glass alone was astounding. When the pace slackened a bit later, the film improved but by then it was too late. I had started laughing at the film's absurdity, like with No Country For Old Men, and once that happens it is hard to take the film seriously. Like the characters in No Country, Bond seems to have discovered the amazing healing power of new clothes.
The old Bond films with Connery had a slightly tongue-in-cheek quality with humorous banter leavening the action. The Moore Bond went even further and became somewhat campy, with a sly wink to the audience that the film was not to be taken seriously. Craig's Bond, on the other hand, is dead serious, never cracking a smile let alone making a joke. The filmmakers seem to have decided to strip out everything that stands in the way of action and the film is a lot poorer for it.
The plot, such as it is, consists of the usual evil arch villain seeking to corner the market on some commodity, in this case fresh water in Bolivia. On top of this is slapped a thin veneer of geopolitical clichés and world weary cynicism about the corruption of governments, no doubt to give the film a patina of gravitas. There is also double-crossing galore so that you are never sure on whose side anyone is, not that anyone seems to care. To make it worse, the villain looked like a weenie and resembled New Orleans governor Bobby Jindal, so that at any minute you expected to hear him talk about what the gulf oil spill was doing to the shrimp industry
The apex of absurdity, the jump-the-shark moment in the film, occurred when the villain and his fellow plotters hold an important meeting. Where would be a good place to discuss their top secret plans? What could be better than during a live performance of the opera Tosca? There they all are, dressed in tuxedos, scattered all over the concert hall, and talking to each other through wireless transmitters while the opera is going on. Really, I kid you not. The whole point of this seemed to have been to show Craig in a tuxedo. Of course, Bond immediately figures this out, gets hold of one of the devices and listens in, spoiling this plan.
Here's the trailer for the film:
I watched this waste of time the day after seeing The Lives of Others (2006), a German film that takes place in 1984 (before the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989) and tells the story of a playwright and his actress girlfriend and the member of the East German secret police Stasi who is monitoring their lives through the bugging devices scattered all over their apartment.
It is an excellent film that won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film.
What is interesting is that unlike Quantum of Solace, how suspenseful this film was. For all its fast-paced action, the Bond film had no drama. You knew how it was going to end and who was going to win. There was no mystery. Each character's motivations were obvious and their actions predictable. One did not feel any connection with any of them.
In The Lives of Others on the other hand, there was no fast-moving action or physical violence or even the threat of violence. There was no ominous music signifying impending danger. But there was a lot of suspense as you wonder what the characters will do as they are placed in increasingly complex morally challenging situations. Will they stay true to their principles and their friends and lovers or give priority to their careers and the government and the state? The viewer is drawn in and made to empathize with all three main characters as they grapple with decisions about what to do, and you constantly wonder what you might do if you were placed in such situations.
Of course, it is somewhat unfair to compare films made for purely mindless entertainment like Quantum of Solace with serious films like The Lives of Others. They are made for different audiences and the only reason I compare them is because I happened to see them on consecutive days. But they do illustrate how important it is to have the audience care about the characters and the issues involved. The kind of plentiful action that Quantum of Solace had was, quite frankly, boring, whereas watching the main characters in The Lives of Others struggle with moral dilemmas was deeply engrossing.
POST SCRIPT: If real life had a soundtrack…
Ominous Music Heard Throughout U.S. Sends Nation Into Panic
August 09, 2010
Film review: No Country for Old Men and the Coen brothers' oeuvre
POST SCRIPT: Annoying actors
In the above review, I mentioned in passing that Nicholas Cage is insufferably annoying. His appearance in a film makes it very likely that I'll give it a miss. There are other actors who fall into the same category: Hugh Grant, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, and Renee Zellweger immediately come to mind.
March 10, 2010
Film review: Up (no spoilers)
Up is a truly outstanding film that I can strongly recommend to anyone.
This latest animation coming out of Pixar Studios tells the story of Carl, a 78-year old curmudgeonly man who, on the verge of being forced out of the home he lived in with his beloved late wife Ellie and sent to a retirement home, decides to carry out their unfulfilled joint childhood dream of following in the footsteps of a legendary explorer who disappeared long ago in South America in search of a mystical place called Paradise Falls that harbors an exotic bird that no one else believes exists.
The explorer used a blimp to travel and this inspires the old man to attach a huge number of helium balloons to his house and use it too as a blimp to get to his destination. But a complication arises when a little boy named Russell, a novice member of a children's explorer's club, accidentally ends up as a stowaway on his journey.
You get a good sense of the set up of the film from the trailer below, though it does not hint at what happens later.
The film has comedy and adventure in abundance and never drags. After watching it, it struck me how much superior it was to the film Avatar, despite all the hoopla generated by the latter. (See my review of Avatar.) Both films are fantasy adventures. Both have highly predictable storylines, Up even more so than Avatar. You have no doubt that both will have happy endings with some bittersweet elements thrown in. Both use computer graphics extensively, though Avatar is far more advanced and has 3D.
So what makes Up so much better? The answer is simple: it has a much better story, writing, and characters with depth. It does not hurt for a dog-person like me that it also has lots of dogs. Even though the main characters are a grizzled old man and a rotund little boy, you soon find yourself really caring about them in a way that you did not about the much better-looking lead couple in Avatar. There was one short and silent sequence early on, showing the life of Carl and Ellie from childhood to old age, that was extraordinarily beautifully done. I am not usually emotional while watching films but this sequence was so exquisite and poignant that it brought tears to my eyes.
It seems to me that it is the creators of animations that are making some of the better films these days. I recently saw another excellent animation Ratatouille and that managed to make a rat (a rat!) a highly engaging character. And going back to 1967, Walt Disney's Jungle Book has remained one of my favorite films of all time, combining great songs with humor and suspense. Perhaps the reason that animations tend to be among the better films is that the creators of animations know that they cannot depend on film-star power and sex and violence to overcome a weak plot or clunky dialogue. The story, writing, and direction are always the keys to good films, and for animations they are even more important.
A good guide to how good a film is is the extent to which I pay attention to implausibilities, incongruities, and inconsistencies. In the case of Avatar, several such elements struck me even while watching the film, as I noted in my review. But while watching Up I simply did not care if there were any. Looking back, Up had a lot more plot holes than Avatar but I still don't care. Maybe the reason is because it was an obvious animation while Avatar looked more realistic, and one gives animations more slack. But I think another important reason is that when you get absorbed in a film and its characters, one does not want to let small things destroy one's enjoyment.
I have never quite seen the appeal of awards and so am baffled that there is so much anticipation about the Oscars and that people actually watch over three hours of the awards show. Having said that, I am glad that Up won for best animated feature film and was also nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards. If that gets more people to see it, that is a good thing.
POST SCRIPT: On being an art critic
"People have pointed out evidence of personal feeling in my notices as if they were accusing me of a misdemeanour, not knowing that a criticism written without personal feeling is not worth reading. It is the capacity for making good or bad art a personal matter that makes a man a critic. The artist who accounts for my disparagement by alleging personal animosity on my part is quite right: when people do less than their best, and do that less at once badly and self-complacently, I hate them, loathe them, detest them, long to tear them limb from limb and strew them in gobbets about the stage or platform.... In the same way, really fine artists inspire me with the warmest personal regard, which I gratify in writing my notices without the smallest reference to such monstrous conceits as justice, impartiality, and the rest of the ideals. When my critical mood is at its height, personal feeling is not the word: it is passion: the passion for artistic perfection - for the noblest beauty of sound, sight and action - that rages in me. Let all young artists look to it, and pay no heed to the idiots who declare that criticism should be free from personal feeling. The true critic, I repeat, is the man who becomes your personal enemy on the sole provocation of a bad performance, and will only be appeased by good performances. Now this, though well for art and for the people, means that the critics are, from the social or clubbable point of view, veritable fiends. They can only fit themselves for other people's clubs by allowing themselves to be corrupted by kindly feelings foreign to the purpose of art."
- George Bernard Shaw, quoted in Bernard Shaw: His Life and Personality by Hesketh Pearson (1961), p. 126
February 19, 2010
Film review: The Invention of Lying
In a series of recent posts titled The Noble Lie (part 1, part 2, and part 3), I explored the idea of whether lies can have some positive benefits. The highly enjoyable film by comedian Ricky Gervais adds interesting perspectives to this question. (Note: Almost everything in this review about the film can be seen in the trailer below, so there are no real spoilers.)
For those not unfamiliar with the film's premise, it uses the alternate reality concept that starts by assuming that the world is pretty much the same as it is now, except for one key feature: people don't tell lies. Everyone tells the truth. The concept of a lie is unknown to them. As a result, people live miserable lives because there is no escape from reality. The idea of a 'white' lie, told with good intentions to cheer someone up, is totally absent. People tell each other the truth about what is on their minds, however brutal and unkind it might be, such as that they are ugly or losers or that they hate them. Old people in nursing homes, for example, are told that they are going to die soon. What would seem to us to be cruel or callous behavior is normal in this world.
Invariably telling the truth also leads to some comical setups. For example, there is no such thing as fiction or feature films or TV programs as we know them. They do have films and TV but all they show are people reading scripts that describe actual historical events. They don't even have re-enactments of real events. The stars of these films and TV shows are the readers and the scriptwriters. The 'advertisements' of products are hilarious because they tell the truth about them. For example, a spokesman says that Coke is nothing but brown sugared water and causes obesity but that he hopes people will continue to buy it.
The film starts with Gervais' character Mark Bellison being fired from his scriptwriting job because he had the misfortune to be assigned to write scripts about the 14th century and the depressing events of that period about the plague and so on did not attracts lots of viewers. He is also not physically attractive, being fat with a snub nose, as the attractive woman he is wooing repeatedly keeps pointing out to explain why she cannot have a relationship with him.
Unable to pay the rent and in danger of being evicted, he goes to the bank to withdraw the last of his money. The computers are down and the teller asks him how much he has in his account. As he is about to answer truthfully, there is a misfiring of synapses in his brain and he blurts out a figure that is way more than he knows he has. Although the computers start working at that point and give a much lower figure, the teller assumes that the computer must be wrong and he is right, and gives him the larger amount he asked for.
Stunned, Bellison tries to digest what had just happened and tries out various lies on people to see the effect. He finds that he can be successful and make other people happy by, for example, telling his depressed and suicidal neighbor that things will get better. He spreads sweetness and light all around by telling the kind of white lies that we all tell to those we know and love: that they look good, that their clothes suit them, of course they have lost weight, and so on. So these lies have a positive effect and Bellison enjoys spreading joy.
Here's the trailer:
What the trailer does not hint at is that the second half of the film has a lot to say about religion. It happens because Bellison's attempt at spreading joy by telling little white lies snowballs into eventually telling people the Christian myths about heaven and of god as an omnipotent invisible man in the sky, although of course he does not use the words 'heaven' or 'god' because those words and concepts did not exist prior to his invention of the myths. When the people are told for the first time about the invisible man in the sky, they ask obvious questions, such as: Where in the sky? In the clouds? The troposphere? Deep space? Bellison makes up stuff as answers and the people believe him.
Gervais is making some interesting points with this film. One is that although Bellison's lies result in something that resembles the claims of the religions we have today, the big difference is that in our reality, children are indoctrinated with these stories at an early age and are discouraged from questioning them, so that as adults they either unquestioningly accept them or accept 'answers' that are riddled with contradictions, and told to have faith that it will all make sense after they die. A second point is that although little white lies can bring about happiness, the big lies about heaven and god eventually lead to unhappiness as people now focus on the promises of heaven and how to get there, rather than living in the here and now.
The Invention of Lying is a very clever film. It is not easy to make alternate reality films that change just one key element of life as we know it now without creating gaping plot holes or inconsistencies but Gervais manages to pull it off pretty well. The film makes important points about religion while not losing sight of the fact that it is a comedy. It stays funny and does not become preachy. The fact that I agreed with the point of view of the film about the essential falsity of religion undoubtedly increased my enjoyment of it, and people who are religious may not like it as much.
But it was refreshing to see a film that treats religious beliefs without bogus or fawning reverence. The Invention of Lying tells the truth.
POST SCRIPT: Upcoming speaking engagements
On Saturday, February 20, 2010 at 10:30 am, I will be talking about the continuing efforts to undermine science to the North Coast Fossil Club at the Cuyahoga County Library in Parma, 2121 Snow Road, OH.
Then on Monday, February 22, 2010 I will be on a panel called Mythbusters: Religion Edition where people from various religions (and myself as the atheist) will briefly speak about one or two major misconceptions about their religions (or atheism), and then answer questions from the audience. This event is at 8:00 pm in the Great Room of House #4 of the Village at 115 (the new apartment-style dorms at Case Western Reserve University) at 1665 E. 115th Street, Cleveland.
Both events are free. The first one is open to the public while the second (Mythbusters) event is for students and faculty and staff at Case.
February 02, 2010
Film review: Avatar (Spoiler alert!)
I suspect that my spoiler warning will not matter much because going by the box office records this film is setting, I may have been one of the last people to see it last weekend.
I don't usually go to see much-hyped blockbusters as they are often overly focused on action for its own sake and thus not the kinds of films I enjoy but I felt that I should see Avatar. At the beginning of each semester, I ask my students various questions to help me get to know them better and one of these is their favorite film. Many of them replied that it was Avatar, which made me intrigued as to what was so appealing, especially since some of my faculty colleagues also said it was their favorite film ever. (I also ask students their favorite book and this year for the first time many students said Harry Potter, which suggests that the first generation of students for whom those books were a formative reading experience are now entering college.)
I was also intrigued by reports of the 3D effects and the new special effects using avatars that went into its production. The idea of using computer-generated avatar technology to tell a story about the use of avatar technology was clever.
First the good points about the film. The 3D and special effects are quite stunning. The vistas that we are shown of the fictitious planet Pandora are truly beautiful. I am persuaded that writer-director James Cameron has revolutionized filmmaking, as so many reports suggest.
But while Cameron (none of whose films I have seen before) may be a pioneer in technique, his storytelling leaves a lot to be desired. Avatar is very long (160 minutes) and weighted down with one cliché after another, coupled with often clunky dialogue. What we have is the well-worn premise of the conflict of civilizations. On one side we have the Noble Savage, a tribe of lithe and graceful (and blue) people known as the Na'vi who live on the distant planet Pandora. The Na'vi blue people are close to nature, worship a tree-god (yes, they are really tree-huggers), use bows and arrows as weapons, ride horse-like animals and pterodactyl-like birds, and kill animals only when they must, and do so with regret and reverence. There is a good deal of talk of eternal spirits that unify plants and animals. Against them is pitted the US military-industrial complex, the 'modern' world, who kill and destroy indiscriminately, callously, and with impunity. To drive home the point, we are repeatedly exposed to juxtapositions of highly sophisticated modern technology at the American base camp with the simple dress and life of the Na'vi.
There is also the cliché of the good-hearted but ignorant and arrogant American who blunders into a culture he does not understand, committing one faux pas after another, grinning all the while, before eventually learning the ways of the natives and gaining their acceptance and eventually becoming one of them. Think of the old cowboys and Indians film clichés, except with the Indians as the good guys as in Dances with Wolves and Little Big Man, and you get the idea.
Cameron heavy-handedly loads the film down with obvious political and social messages, the primary one being the evil of the military-industrial complex. The overwhelming might of the US military is placed at the service of a private company that seeks to mine the precious and rare ore called Unobtainium (really, that's its name) that is available on Pandora. The catch is that the richest vein of ore lies slap in the middle of the area occupied by the Na'vi and their most sacred tree. The stage is thus set for conflict, as the US military unleashes its full power on the Na'vi, even destroying the holy tree, in order to force them to move.
These allusions to the actual history of the US using its massive military to invade defenseless countries in order to secure their raw materials for the profit of private companies are unmistakable. In case you are too dense to get it, one character even refers to the policy as 'shock and awe', which must make that character a military history buff since the events of the film take place in 2154.
The problem is that even if the allusions are valid, the evil characters lack depth and are merely cartoon villains. The colonel in charge of the military is totally heartless and single-minded in his pursuit of victory, a crude caricature of Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. At any moment I expected him to yell out "I love the smell of burning Na'vi in the morning!" He and the soldiers under his command are all stereotypical 'ugly Americans' (except for one) and show no hint of any regret at the slaughter they unleash on people who simply want to live on their traditional lands. The head of the mining company is only concerned about his company's profit report and shows only the slightest hesitation at the thought of the havoc he is about to unleash on the peace-loving Na'vi.
But despite its attempts to expose the cruelty of US policy, there is one American conceit that Cameron cannot bring himself to give up. The leader of the Na'vi revolt that defeats the machinations of the military-industrial complex is an American marine who switches sides. Cameron may have felt that allowing the US to be defeated by a purely Na'vi opposition would lose him audience sympathy (and thus ticket sales). After all, many Americans cannot still accept that the 'primitive' Vietnamese were able to defeat the US. Or maybe even he is unable to conceive of American forces being defeated by non-Americans. So ultimately the film becomes a battle in which the good Americans defeat the bad ones, with the Na'vi in supporting roles. The ending in which the evil colonel and the renegade marine go mano-a-mano is another cliché, but an excusable one.
Apparently some people dislike the film because of its portrayal of an evil alliance between the US military, government, and exploitative companies, even though such an alliance manifestly exists. There is also the inevitable Christian reaction that the film gives credence to pagan religious beliefs like tree gods, and Jesus does not make even a cameo appearance. The renegade marine even ends up praying to the tree-god and his prayers are apparently answered in the usual oblique way that all gods are expected to behave according to their union rules. Of course, the very idea of life on other planets undermines Christianity, so one can see why the fundamentalists might be bothered by the film.
From the point of view of scientific consistency, I found Cameron's futuristic vision to be not persuasive. Pandora and its inhabitants seemed very Earth-like, just a little more exotic. That is fine if he takes the defensible position that only Earth-like conditions can support life. But we are also told that the atmosphere is not suitable for Earth people, which suggest that the wildlife should be more different. Although there is a reference to Pandora's low gravity, people seemed to move around the same way that they do on Earth. If gravity and the atmosphere are different, it is not clear that the military aircraft could function on Pandora. It may have been better to make Pandora's atmosphere and gravity similar to that of Earth to avoid some of these difficulties. What Cameron needed was a science fiction writer of the caliber of Arthur C. Clarke to make his scientific vision better. Stanley Kubrick's decision to have Clarke work on the screenplay of 2001: A Space Odyssey was undoubtedly one of the things that made that film so great.
The weapons used by the military seemed very similar to what are used now, even a little old by today's standards. There were no drones, for example, of the kind being used extensively in Afghanistan and Pakistan right now.
One oddity in the film was that the head of the scientific program (played by Sigourney Weaver) was a smoking addict. It was an odd, jarring, and gratuitous touch and one wondered why Cameron included it. It is unlikely that smoking will still exist in 2154, let alone be allowed inside research facilities in distant planetary locations. Is Cameron a smoker, striking a small blow for beleaguered smokers against the current campaign to curb that practice?
Today is the day the Academy award nominees are announced and someone on NPR said that Avatar is a strong contender for winning the best film award. This amazes me. I can see it getting awards in technical categories. I have to give credit to Cameron for using the 3D technology tastefully. We were not constantly exposed to crude in-your-face shocks. Instead it was used to create beautiful images of the planet and its exotic life forms. But I cannot see how people can overlook its weaknesses in the more important areas of filmmaking, such as story, dialogue, and acting.
Halfway through while watching the film, I decided to not let the trite story and the often-painful dialogue bother me, but enjoy the film as I would a wildlife documentary. And for that, it was worth it.
POST SCRIPT: South Park parody of Avatar
You can see the full South Park episode titled Dances with Smurfs here. The episode is also a parody of Glenn Beck and the teabaggers.
February 01, 2010
Film review: Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
POST SCRIPT: Obama's disingenuousness
January 19, 2010
Film review: Rashomon and The Outrage
Rashomon is the classic 1950 film by the then unknown but later highly acclaimed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, that first brought him to the attention of the western film world. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and an honorary Academy Award (Oscar) for the most outstanding foreign language film released in 1951.
The story is set in 11th century Japan and is about the death of an aristocratic man and the rape of his wife by a notorious bandit in a secluded grove in a remote area of Japan. The events are told in a series of flashbacks, by a bewildered woodcutter and a priest to a cynical thief they meet while huddled for shelter in an abandoned and dilapidated building during a fierce rainstorm.
Their stories recount the testimonies given to a court or tribunal by four people: the bandit who raped the woman, the woman, the dead man (speaking through a medium), and the woodcutter himself, who was also the one who found the dead body. These testimonies are spoken directly to the camera, placing the viewers in the position of the unseen and unheard judges.
But the testimonies don't quite match, leaving the viewer at the end uncertain about exactly what happened and, more importantly, about the motives of each person. Kurosawa himself talked about the film this way:
The trailer for the film captures the atmosphere well.
The Outrage is a 1964 remake of the Kurosawa film, except that it is shifted to the US west in a time just after the Civil War. It has an all-star cast of Paul Newman, Claire Bloom, Lawrence Harvey, Edward G. Robinson, and a young William Shatner (before he took over the helm of the Starship Enterprise)
The director Martin Ritt had worked with Newman before in such films as Hud, The Long, Hot Summer, Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man, and (later) Hombre.
Given the proven quality of the director and the cast, why did the remake end up (in my opinion) to be so bad? It was not because Ritt had broken a cardinal rule of remakes, which is that you should never remake a good film because you can only end up looking worse. That rule does not apply when it comes to remaking foreign films where few people in the west are unlikely to have seen the original. After all, Kurosawa's 1954 film The Seven Samurai was also remade by director John Sturges as that excellent 1960 western The Magnificent Seven. Similarly Kurosawa's (1961) Yojimbo was also successfully remade as the 1964 western A Fistful of Dollars, directed by Sergio Leone, that catapulted starring Clint Eastwood into stardom.
So what went wrong here? There were many problems with the Rashomon remake, starting with the casting.
Paul Newman was simply over the top as a brutal and coarse Mexican bandit. Grimy, with a drooping mustache, speaking in bad guy clichés with a broad accent that reminded me of Chico Marx, it was a performance that reinforced all the stereotypes one might have about Mexican baddies. At least the film was in black and white so we were spared the further incongruity of Newman's famous ice-blue eyes. Newman is one of my favorite actors and I desperately wanted him to succeed but I just could not take him seriously. By contrast, in Rashomon, another fine actor Toshiro Mifune played the bandit as almost animal-like in his wildness, and while his performance too occasionally risked crossing over into parody, he was able to pull back in time.
Lawrence Harvey as the murdered aristocratic man, has a cold and wooden acting style that worked well for him in The Manchurian Candidate and also helps him somewhat here, but he never quite grips you with his performance.
To my mind, the raped woman is the center of the story. In the original, she is an enigma and one is never quite sure what she actually did and what her motives are and with whom her loyalties lie and that is the central ambiguity. In the remake, Claire Bloom is given many more words to say and a bigger role but while this makes her character and her relationship with her husband more transparent, it also makes her less sympathetic and less compelling, a case of more is less.
The basis for Rashomon was a short story In a Grove by acclaimed writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927). In the story, even the question of who actually committed the killing varied according to the testimonies but Kurosawa made one significant change from that story by wisely (in my opinion) removing that ambiguity, and focused his film on the ambiguity of the motives of the people involved, thus lifting it up above the genre of a mere whodunnit. The Outrage unfortunately did not follow Kurosawa's example.
See the trailer of The Outrage:
Another problem with the remake may have been the period. Instead of taking just the central concept of Rashomon and re-visioning it to the new time and place as the other successful remakes of Kurosawa did, this remake stuck very closely to the original screenplay. But what seems plausible in 11th century Japan may not be so in the 19th century American west. Take for example, the testimony given by the dead man through the agency of a medium. While one can conceive of judges in Japan in the dark ages taking such testimony seriously because the existence of spirit worlds were a basic part of their beliefs, I cannot imagine a judge in the US in the late 19th century doing so. The sight of an Indian shaman, gripped in a trance, and speaking in the voice and words of a dead man to a judge in a frontier court setting was just too much to take.
Also the shock and disbelief of the woodcutter and the priest at the differing testimonies they heard, and their bafflement as to the motives of the people, seemed much less convincing in the later film. In both cases, the priest's faith in humanity is so threatened by what he sees as human evil that he is willing to renounce his calling. But while that seemed to make sense in the context of a remote part of Japan and strong ancient Japanese traditions of honor, it was much less so in the context of the American west where murder, rape, brutality, and lying must have been facts of life that would not be unfamiliar to a priest.
In the end, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that The Outrage was simply an enormous waste of talent.
October 19, 2009
Film review: Capitalism: A Love Story
I finally managed to get to see Michael Moore's new film Capitalism: A Love Story after travel and other duties prevented me from seeing it as soon as it came out. I am sorry that I waited so long. It is a film that must be seen.
Unlike most feature films where once you have seen the trailer you pretty much know what the entire film is about, the trailers and what you read in articles and in mainstream media commentary about Moore's film capture only a tiny slice of it. The film is much richer.
Moore shows that this is not because of the actions of evil people but is the inevitable result of capitalism. Capitalism has an internal logic and dynamic that, in its early and healthy stages, produces competition and the manufacture of useful goods, resulting in growth and prosperity for large numbers of people. But in its later decadent stages, when wealth has become concentrated in a few hands, it results in a few people making money (and lots of it) not by producing any useful goods and services but by manipulating their money to make more money, which is what 'derivatives' and 'credit default swaps' are all about. It is all about taking bets (literally) using other people's hard earned money stored in pension funds and the like. Wall Street is a casino.
As we know (and I have discussed exhaustively in my series, The brave new world of finance), this process of decay is now in the end stages in the US where the financial interests have essentially taken over the government. Moore's film masterfully shows how Goldman Sachs now pretty much runs government economic policy and that they have both parties almost completely under their thumb.
Only a few people in congress, notably Ohio congresspersons Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich are willing to speak openly about what is essentially a coup d'etat by the wealthy that has taken control of the country, rushed through the near trillion-dollar bailouts of Wall Street in secret deals behind closed doors, and then railroaded Congress to approve it.
POST SCRIPT: Michael Moore interview
Moore is interviewed on ABC.
August 06, 2009
Film review: Woodstock
I watched the film again last week. There is a new director's cut that has added 40 minutes more so that the film, already long, now runs to almost four hours.
Country Joe McDonald and the Fish singing the Vietnam protest Feel like I'm fixing to die rag was also another high point.
One of the oddest acts was a very brief song by the 50's nostalgia group Sha Na Na, which seemed totally out of place.
I have posted this last clip before, of Joe Cocker's rendering of the Beatles' A little help from my friends, a gentle song sung by Ringo Starr, which Cocker turned into an over-the top, weird, air-guitar-playing, frenzied, incoherent performance that looked like he was having some kind of seizure. Throughout it, you kept wondering what the hell he was singing since the lyrics seemed to have only a passing resemblance to the original.
Some helpful soul has now provided captions for Cocker's words.
It all makes sense now. Or maybe not.
February 23, 2009
Portrayals of the developing world
I remember the first time I read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, hailed by critics as a masterpiece. I was appalled at the blatantly racist portrayals of Africans and could barely get through the book. Many years later, I re-read it. The shock and anger that the original reading had aroused in me had worn off and I could see and appreciate Conrad's skill with words in creating the deepening sense of foreboding as Marlow goes deeper into the jungle in search of Kurtz.
Ironically, Chinua Achebe gave a talk criticizing the book and saying that Conrad's novel, whatever its other merits, perpetuated African stereotypes. The talk attracted a lot of attention and Conrad's many admirers leapt to his defense, saying that Conrad was a product of his times and merely reflecting the views then current and that his book was actually a critique of the evils of colonialism.
POST SCRIPT: The need for green spaces
January 01, 2009
And now for something completely different…
POST SCRIPT: Happy New Year!
June 30, 2008
2001: A Space Odyssey
The American Film Institute recently ranked the top ten films in each of ten genres. All such 'best of' rankings are, of course, just for fun and meant to provoke vigorous debate about films that did not make the cut as well as the unworthy ones that did. They are not meant to be taken more seriously than that. I was puzzled, however, as to why comedies were not included as a separate genre, the closest category being the vaguer 'romantic comedies.' The omission of musicals as a genre was also puzzling. Maybe those lists will come out later.
POST SCRIPT: How to avoid discussing the election
October 19, 2007
Soaps and Soap
Perhaps the most eccentric character was Bert's son Chuck who always went around with his ventriloquist dummy Bob. Chuck acted like Bob was a real person and would hold conversations with him while Bob would insult everyone and leer at women. The humor arose because other members of the family also sometimes ended up treating Bob as a real person and speak and argue and get angry with him, while not holding Chuck responsible for Bob's words. (It is an interesting thing to speculate as to what you would do if someone you knew acted like Chuck did. In order to spare his feelings, wouldn't you also treat his dummy like a real person, even if you felt ridiculous doing so?) In one such scene, Chuck plans to go out on a date leaving Bob behind but Bob harangues him until Chuck agrees to take him along. When they both finally leave, Mary asks Bert (who have both been watching this) whether they shouldn’t get professional help for Chuck, to which Bert replies, "Chuck doesn't need professional help, he should just learn to discipline Bob more."
POST SCRIPT: Class politics
Here's another provocative clip from the 1998 film Bulworth (strong language advisory).
October 17, 2007
Film shorts
There are some things that really annoy me when watching a film (or play).
The most annoying are when people act idiotically, not at all the way that normal people would. I described one such annoying plot device case earlier when I pleaded for no more daft women!
Another example is the absurd miscommunication device, where one person misunderstands the actions or motives of another person and because of this, endless complications ensue. This occurs in two versions. In one the person trying to explain some very important thing that would clarify everything has, for some reason, only a limited time to do so and either babbles incoherently or digresses so much or is so unclear that the other person goes off with the wrong impression. In the other, one person is trying to explain but the listener is so impatient or exasperated or in such a snit that she (I have noticed that it is usually a woman who does this) refuses to listen, either walking away or banging down the phone.
In both cases, a few moments of calm speaking and listening would have cleared up everything satisfactorily, but this does not happen because of these people's irritating mannerisms. My question is: Do real people ever behave like this? Have any of you ever been in such a situation? I cannot conceive of not even listening when someone is trying to explain something to me, especially if it is important. I may not agree with what is said but I cannot imagine slamming the phone down or otherwise closing the door on such communications before that person can even begin to speak.
Another plot device that annoys me is when people jump to idiotic conclusions. Although I like Shakespeare in general, two plays that really bug me are among those that are considered his greatest, Othello and King Lear. Whenever I read Othello, I always think that the title character acted like an idiot. How could he not see that Desdemona was a wonderful and faithful wife and that there must be something wrong in what Iago was implying? Why didn't he ask her a few simple questions that would have cleared up everything? I understand that Shakespeare was trying to show that jealousy can overcome love and reason and even sanity, but this just wasn't plausible. Sorry, Will, we need a rewrite.
Lear also strikes me as an idiot, so easily misled by flattery that he makes a series of disastrous decisions that lead to death and misery all round. What is amazing was that the three main people he misunderstood were his own daughters, people whose characters he would have been able to observe over many years. And yet, on the basis of a few statements, he dumps the nicest and most loyal daughter in favor of the two schemers. Was he some kind of absent father that he had no sense of the characters of his own children?
Jurassic Park has to be one of the most absurd films ever made. I don't mean the central scientific concept of someone finding a way to recreate dinosaurs from their DNA trapped in amber. That part if fine. Writers and filmmakers have to be allowed to be able to stretch the bounds of reality so that they can create a workable premise. And the special effects with dinosaurs were very well done. What really annoyed me about that film was how the characters behaved, completely at odds with any normal person's behavior.
For example, what does the person who has made an amazing, Nobel-prize winning quality scientific discovery by creating dinosaurs do? Announce in a press conference his spectacular result? No, he decides to build a dinosaur theme park in secret!. And despite hundreds of scientists and technicians and construction workers going in and out of the facility being built, it remains a secret. But that's not all. The owner then sends his fond niece and nephew on an unprotected train ride through the region where the deadly animals roam and sure enough, they get terrorized by the some vicious specimens. Wait, there's more! After making their escape and managing to get some rest by sleeping in a treetop, the children wake up to find a dinosaur at their head level looking at them. After their previous night's experience, you would think they would freak out. Instead, they calmly pat it on the head, somehow knowing that these particular animals are friendly. I cannot begin to list all the other things about Jurassic Park that really annoyed me.
And while I am on the topic of annoying things in films, I hate it when the credits continue well into the films. You get absorbed in the story and then they still break into it with more credits. One of the nice things about very old films is that they open with the credits, get them done in about thirty seconds, and then get on with the story.
Then there are actors who simply annoy me simply by their very presence. I cannot really explain why. Off the top of my head, here are a few: Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, the later John Wayne when he stopped being an actor and became merely a macho symbol, Nicholas Cage, Renee Zellweger, and Tom Cruise. Seeing such people in the cast is enough to make me try and avoid the film.
There are other actors who I think are over-rated such as Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, and Scarlett Johansson. (I think I am in a distinct minority on this one!)
But there are also actors whom I like, whose names on the credits are enough to make me seriously consider watching a film even if I don't know much else about it: Burt Lancaster, Alec Guinness, Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, Peter Sellers, William Holden, Audrey Hepburn, Susan Sarandon, Cary Grant, John Cusack, Peter O'Toole, Michael Caine, Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Gregory Peck, Julie Christie, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Paul Newman, Peter Sellers, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Charlotte Rampling, Kevin Spacey, and Kevin Bacon.
All these lists are off the top of my head and I am sure I can add to them as other names strike me.
Those who like political films should see the excellent Warren Beatty film Bulworth (1998). The main plotline is far-fetched and the best parts of the film are the scenes about the underside of the political process, the powerful role of money, and how politicians pander to their various target audiences. Here's a nice clip from it.
Another good political film I saw recently was the fascinating documentary Street Fight (2005). Made by first-time filmmaker Marshall Curry, it tells the story of 32-year old Cory Booker's attempt in 2002 to unseat four-term incumbent Sharpe James as mayor of Newark, New Jersey. It is raw, bare-knuckle, down and dirty, street-level politics, with the 66-year old incumbent using all the power of the city against his young challenger. As a city council member, Booker had tried to tackle the serious issues of city hall corruption, crime, and drugs and in the process angered many powerful people who were benefiting from those things.
While the filmmaker's sympathies are clearly with Booker, James does not help his cause by deliberately shutting him out and very roughly too. If you see the film on DVD, make sure you watch the extra interview with the director as he discusses what happened in the years following that election.
The influential The Black Commentator website has strongly criticized Booker, arguing that he is completely in the pockets of rich, right-wing, white, power brokers who are pushing school vouchers and seeking to co-opt the next generation of black leadership to serve their needs. Whatever the merits of that charge, watch out for the name Cory Booker in national politics. I think we are going to hear a lot about him in the next 5-10 years.
October 15, 2007
In praise of parodies
Any suggestions for good parodies that I might have missed?
June 22, 2007
Film reviews: Network and Matewan
Network (1976)
The people in the entertainment division of the network see the chance to gain huge ratings by converting the news into a kind of entertainment, complete with segments involving soothsayers and the like, the whole thing showcased by Beale, now nicknamed 'the mad prophet of the airwaves', ranting on some topic, as can be seen in this clip, where he denounces the dangerous control that TV has on the minds of the public.
(Nowadays, nowhere is this film's critique of how 'news' has become trivialized more apparent than in the ridiculous amount of coverage given to Paris Hilton. The best commentary on the media frenzy about the non-event that was her recent jailing was that given by Tommy Chong in an interview with Stephen Colbert.)
Network is one of those films that I saw when it first came out and is still good after all these years. It is a film that has become a cultural touchstone, with the line "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore" familiar to people who may not know from where it originated.
Matewan (1987)
I want to direct films that no one else is going to make. I know if I don't make them, I'm never going to see them. Of course, I hope some people will want to see my movies as well, but I won't pander to the public. I won't try to second guess what a Hollywood studio would like to see in a low-budget film, so that they will hire me the next time around. I know I will always do better work if I do projects in which I really believe. And if I never get to direct again, I will have made some movies I can feel proud of.
Sayles is very good at capturing the mood of a time and an event, and does not shrink away from showing the politics of race and class. For him, what a film says is more important than how it looks. As he said, "I'm interested in the stuff I do being seen as widely as possible but I'm not interested enough to lie. . .[A movie] may not look the way we'd like it to look or sound the way we'd like it to sound or get seen by as many people as we'd like to have see it but at least it will say the stuff we want it to say."
June 20, 2007
Film reviews: Hearts and Minds and Medium Cool
Hearts and Minds (1974)
This has to be one of the best war documentaries ever, winning an Academy Award in 1975. It was filmed during 1972 and 1973, at a time when American combat troops had been largely withdrawn from the battlefield and 'Vietnamization', the process by which the South Vietnamese army was being built up and trained by the US to replace it in fighting against the National Liberation Front and the North Vietnamese Army, was well underway. The editing of the film was completed in 1974, just before the complete collapse of that US-trained army began, and was released late in 1975, the year in which South Vietnam was completely overrun, Saigon captured, and the country unified under the government in Hanoi.
At the time the film was being made, US public opinion had turned against the war and the US was clearly facing defeat. Director Peter Davis said that he set out to address three questions: "Why did we invade Vietnam? What did we do there? What did the war do to us?"
The director deliberately omitted a voice-over narration, to avoid the 'voice of god' effect common to documentaries As a result, there is little explanatory filler material and this might make the sequence of events a little hard to follow for people for whom the Vietnam war is ancient history and the people interviewed (such as Clark Clifford, Walt Rostow, Daniel Ellsberg, William Westmoreland) are unfamiliar. This would have not been a problem when the film was released since the events were fresh. But since the film is largely about the effects of war rather than a historical analysis, this lack of detailed information does not affect the film's power.
When I first saw the film (in 1976, I think) it made a huge impact on me. The immense tragedy of the wanton destruction of a people and a country and the passionless cruelty of the bombing and the napalming showed an ugliness to war that left a searing impression. During the Vietnam war, news crews were free to roam the battlefield and so you had plenty of footage of the effects of the bombing and the shattered lives and property of the people at the receiving end of it. You also saw the casual brutality of the occupying forces towards the people of Vietnam.
The US military learned from that experience not to allow journalists such free access in future wars and nowadays, with 'embedded' journalists, one gets largely the sanitized point of view of the military, boasting about the sophistication of its weaponry, and avoiding showing what a devastating effect war has on ordinary people, killing people, destroying homes, and tearing apart entire communities.
I was doubtful if the film would have the same impact on me thirty years later but it did. The interviews with villagers whose family members had been killed, their mud and thatch homes set on fire or brought to rubble by high altitude bombings were heartbreaking. The sequence near the end of a little boy's grief during the funeral of his father, a South Vietnamese soldier, was almost unwatchable because of the naked emotion on display. The interviews with the US soldiers and bomber pilots who fought in the war, some now sad and angry and bitter at what they had done, what they had become, and what had happened to them, others still gung-ho, showed the effects of war on those who carry out the orders to fight.
In the end, the film provides answers to the questions "What did we do there? What did the war do to us?" but the first question "Why did we invade Vietnam?" remains unanswered, even to this day, just like the question "Why did the US invade Iraq?"
In fact, the parallels with Iraq are eerie. By 1968 or so, it was clear that US policy makers had realized that Vietnam was 'lost.' But rather than admit it and stop the war, they hoped to create some distance from the looming defeat by withdrawing US combat troops and replacing them with South Vietnamese forces so that when the end came, the US might avoid being seen as the loser. But in order to provide cover for the withdrawal, they unleashed a massive bombing campaign (including the infamous 'Christmas bombing' of Hanoi that destroyed hospitals and other civilians targets) that created enormous additional casualties and destruction. The film argues that this bombing was largely meant for US domestic consumption, to signify that the US retained muscular power, although the US the government had already accepted the fact that the forces opposed to them would never give up until they achieved full victory.
We can see the same thing happening in Iraq now. I suspect that the US government has realized that Iraq is 'lost' and is desperately seeking a way to disengage from the fighting while still maintaining a significant military presence in the massive permanent bases it is building there. The training of the Iraqi forces and the "As the Iraqis stand up, we will stand down" mantra are the equivalent of 'Vietnamization'. There is also currently a escalation of the bombing campaign in Iraq, largely unreported in the US, creating an increasing number of civilian deaths. Even railway stations are being bombed. As William S. Lind observes, increased bombing is usually a sign of failure: "Nothing could testify more powerfully to the failure of U.S. efforts on the ground in Iraq than a ramp-up in airstrikes. Calling in air is the last, desperate, and usually futile action of an army that is losing. If anyone still wonders whether the "surge" is working, the increase in air strikes offers a definitive answer: it isn't."
Hearts and Minds is a landmark film and should be seen by everyone. I was so startled that it could provoke such strong emotions in me after so many years that I did something I never do, which is watch the film yet again, this time with the director's commentary on, to see what went into the making of it.
Medium Cool (1969)
The other film that dealt, although not directly, with the Vietnam war was Medium Cool. This film tells a Chicago TV newsman's story in the turbulent year 1968, which saw the Tet offensive in Vietnam, massive antiwar protests in the US that led to President Johnson's decision not to seek re-election, and the murders of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.
Chicago's mayor Richard Daley essentially created a police state during the Democratic Party convention, complete with tanks and armored carriers patrolling the streets, and riot police clashing with demonstrators. The film captures the contrast between what was going on in the convention hall with balloons and streamers and party hats and speeches, and the pandemonium and mayhem in the streets just outside.
The film tries to capture the mood of the times, when TV was becoming ubiquitous in people's lives. Its director was Haskell Wexler, the acclaimed cinematographer, and it was natural for him to try to portray the events of that time through the eyes of a TV journalist.
Like most cinematographers, Haskell Wexler's name is largely unknown to the general public but he has been behind the camera of so many high-quality and well-known films that he has to be ranked among the best at his craft.
I would not call this is a great film. But it captures a slice of life during a very turbulent time in the US.
March 15, 2007
The Power of Film
But there the similarities ended.
POST SCRIPT: Mr. Deity returns
For all the Mr. Deity clips, see here.
March 08, 2007
A low-brow view of films
Next: A low-brow view of books.
February 20, 2007
Peter O'Toole
It is time for him to get his due.
POST SCRIPT: And now, awards for the Bush Administration
Worst President Ever: George W. Bush
Worst Vice-President Ever: Dick Cheney
Worst Secretary of Defense Ever: Donald Rumsfeld
Worst Secretary of State Ever: Condoleeza Rice
Worst National Security Advisor Ever: Condoleeza Rice
Perhaps these awards should be called the Bushies in their honor.
February 14, 2007
The Western and the Courtroom
. . .
POST SCRIPT: Mr. Deity Super Bowl Extra
January 31, 2007
Film talk-3: The film ratings mystery
What I can't stand nowadays are those films that drag out the opening credits interminably, interspersing each and every name (and there are many more names now) with a brief segment of the film, so that it seems as if by the time the director's name mercifully comes on, we might be ten minutes into the film. I find this annoying and distracting and wish film makers would stop this practice.
On the other hand, there are some modern films that have no opening credits at all or just the title of the film, leaving all the credits to the end. I think that both the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series were like this. You might think I would prefer this, but I don’t. The reason is that I tend to remember actors' faces and find it distracting when I see a character appear onscreen whom I know I have seen before somewhere and cannot remember the name. When I read the opening credits for actors and see a familiar name, that prepares me for when the actor appears and thus don't get distracted trying to remember what his or her name is or previous films were.
POST SCRIPT: Documentary on the dialogue about terrorism
Sponsoring organizations:
January 30, 2007
POST SCRIPT: Battle in Najaf
January 29, 2007
Film talk-1: Fail Safe and Dr. Strangelove
POST SCRIPT: The battle for Haifa Street
November 24, 2006
No more daft women!
POST SCRIPT: CSA: Confederate States of America
September 19, 2006
Film: The Road to Guantanamo
Connors' review said the following:
. . .
. . .
September 06, 2006
The entangled media, business, and political monopolies
. . .
June 27, 2006
Lagaan and the Bollywood film tradition
Next: Cricket and the class system.
POST SCRIPT: So that explains it
June 26, 2006
Next: Lagaan and the Bollywood film tradition.
April 10, 2006
The politics of V for Vendetta (no spoilers)
Any of this seem remotely familiar?
POST SCRIPT: The Shooting Party
April 08, 2006
Don't miss V for Vendetta!
I don't normally post on the weekends but last night I saw the film V for Vendetta and it blew me away. It is a brilliant political thriller with disturbing parallels to what is currently going on in the US. It kept me completely absorbed.
I'll write more about it next week but this is just to urge people to see it before it ends its run.
April 04, 2006
No more daft women!
POST SCRIPT: CSA: Confederate States of America
March 13, 2006
The politics of terrorism-1: The origins of al Qaida
Documentaries, as a rule, do not have actors and fictionalized events. But they are never just a collection of facts. Like feature films, they have a narrative structure imposed on them that tries to select and order the facts into a compelling story. This always opens them to a charge of bias. But good documentaries are more like a well-reasoned argument that does not bury contradictory facts but weighs them in the balance as well.
Last Monday I went to see documentary film The rise of the politics of fear by Britain's Adam Curtis, which was produced as a three-part series shown by the BBC in 2004. In this and the next post I will describe the message of the documentary, and in the third part I will analyze its strengths and weaknesses.
The documentary itself was fascinating and informative. (See a review of it in the Guardian.) It brought together in a coherent narrative much information that was already available in scattered form. It "connected the dots," to use a current cliché. Although it was three hours long, it was very entertainingly put together and I did not find the time dragging, so if you get the chance to see it, I would recommend doing so.
The main point of it was that al Qaida has been deliberately overrated as a threat. It said there was little or no evidence that it had any kind of organized structure or sleeper cells worldwide or even a militia. The idea that Osama bin Laden or Ayman al Zawahiri had cadres of militants at the ready to carry out their orders was wrong. It asserted that al Qaida was basically just an idea that had had gained some adherents around the world. As such, believers in its message might carry out attacks but these would be independent of any central command and control structure. bin Laden and his few followers were portrayed as isolated and weak, with only the power to urge others to take action, but not having any actual capabilities themselves. They did not even have the name al Qaida "until early 2001, when the American government decided to prosecute Bin Laden in his absence and had to use anti-Mafia laws that required the existence of a named criminal organisation." So the US government coined the name al Qaida and bin Laden and his followers adopted that name later.
There is some plausibility to this charge that al Qaida is not a vast organized conspiratorial network. Despite a massive and covert surveillance operation that has violated all kinds of civil liberties that we have taken for granted, it is telling that there have been no convictions of anyone for being part of an al Qaida "sleeper" cell. The few highly publicized arrests that have occurred (like the people in Lackawanna) have had the charges quietly dropped or reduced to insignificance.
So why is al Qaida perceived as such a bogeyman in the US? To answer this question, the documentary narrative traces the history of two parallel ideological movements that grew out of the late 1940s. One was an Islamic puritan movement that allied itself with Islamic fundamentalism. The other was the neoconservative movement in the US that allied itself with Christian fundamentalism. Each needed and used the other in order to grow itself.
al Qaida had its roots in the visit to the US in the period 1948-1950 of Syed Qutb, an Egyptian scholar and theorist who came here to study. What he saw of US culture dismayed him. He saw it as decadent and weak and superficial, and on his return to Egypt he saw that secular Egypt was being infiltrated with these same values from the West and also becoming decadent.
In order to combat this, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood, to create a society based on Islamic values. He felt that Islam provided the framework for creating a humane and just and moral society. But the Egyptian government of Gamal Abdel Nasser was determinedly secular and eventually Qutb was arrested and tortured from 1954-1964 for his political activities. This harsh treatment, rather than taming him, radicalized him even more, convincing him that these kinds of evils were the inevitable consequences of having a secular state, and did not dissuade him from pursuing his goals upon his release. He was soon arrested again and in 1966 was hanged.
The Muslim Brotherhood hoped that the killing of President Sadat in 1981 (who took over as Nasser's successor following his death in 1970) by army officers who were members of the Muslim Brotherhood would be the spark the revolutionized Egyptian society and incite the people to spontaneously rise and overthrow its secular structure and embrace an Islamic theocratic state. When that did not happen, they decided that the Egyptian people had become hopelessly corrupted and had effectively ceased to be Muslims. Thus ordinary people were also now fair game for attacks. Ayman al Zawahiri, the current close associate of bin Laden, was an Egyptian doctor who was a disciple of Qutb and was arrested briefly as part of the crackdown on those who had killed Sadat. The documentary has dramatic video footage of him defiantly speaking (in English) while under arrest.
While the ideas embraced by the Muslim Brotherhood had some success initially, they were brutally crushed by governments, in Egypt and Algeria especially, and the movement became fragmented and weak. Eventually, people like al Zawahiri and bin Laden ended up in Afghanistan where they became involved in the battle against the occupying army of the Soviet Union. bin Laden was portrayed in the documentary as someone who was welcomed because he had the money to fund groups, but was also portrayed as being used by al Zawahiri, who seems to be the brains and theorist.
The attacks of September 11, 2001 was an effort by them to give the Muslim world a dramatic example of striking at the heart of the West and it was hoped that this would galvanize Muslims around the world to spontaneously rise up and seize their countries from their governments, throw out all western influences, and convert the countries into theocracies. But here too their hopes were dashed, just as they had been for the aftermath of the killing of Sadat.
Tomorrow: The rise of the neoconservative movement in the US as a mirror image of the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood.
POST SCRIPT: The closing of Abu Ghraib
The Daily Show comments on the closing of the torture factory that is Abu Ghraib.
January 31, 2006
Revisiting The Manchurian Candidate
What I mainly liked about the original was that all the gaping plot holes in the sequel that made it absurd were explained away by a few lines of dialogue here and there in the original. I hate it when films don't take the trouble to make the plotlines coherent and believable, and assume that audiences won't notice when things don't make any sense.
POST SCRIPT: Putting the terrorist threat into perspective
He quotes historian Joseph J. Ellis who in a New York Times op-ed says: "My first question: where does Sept. 11 rank in the grand sweep of American history as a threat to national security? By my calculations it does not make the top tier of the list, which requires the threat to pose a serious challenge to the survival of the American republic...Sept. 11 does not rise to that level of threat because, while it places lives and lifestyles at risk, it does not threaten the survival of the American republic, even though the terrorists would like us to believe so."
December 05, 2005
Hotel Rwanda and post-colonial ethnic conflicts
This is not to say that the local population did not share in the blame. There were enough so-called 'leaders' who were willing to build on these inflamed feelings to gain power, and they in turn had enough followers who could be persuaded that meaningless differences generated largely on accident birth (ethnicity, skin color, religion, language, etc.) were important enough to fight one another over.
To be continued tomorrow...
Post Script 1: Take that!
James Wolcott demonstrates the spirit of the current holiday season.
Post Script 2: The future is already here
November 29, 2005
Hollywood remakes
POST SCRIPT: What on earth is going on?
February 01, 2005
Synthetic rage II
The fact that Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ did not receive any nominations in the major categories for Academy Awards (it did receive nominations for makeup, cinematography, and original score) has created a fresh gusher of synthetic rage.
The inevitable press conferences are being held with the usual suspects denouncing this omission as indicators of the evil-mindedness of people in the film industry (“There’s no question that bigotry and prejudice rank among the liberal elite of Hollywood� - Rev. Louis Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition) and alleging that this was another example of how Christians are under siege in the US (“It is well known that the Hollywood community has been anti-Christian for many years.� -Tim Wildmon, American Family Association), which is a curious charge to make in what is arguably the most overtly Christian country in the world, where its leaders (particularly the current president) often make public professions of their faith.
People, people, people, let’s get a grip. We are talking about the Oscars, for goodness’ sake, that annual orgy of self-congratulation by the film world, where success is as much dependent on talent and quality as it is on politicking, schmoozing, money, advertising, reputation, and boot-licking and back-stabbing skills. Why would anyone other than those actually involved in the making of a film much care whether it won awards or not?
And where were all these protesters some years ago when the obviously best film of ALL time, one that featured religion, political intrigue, the Sermon on the Mount, crucifixions, stonings, Roman soldiers, and a Pontius Pilate with a speech impediment, was not nominated for an Oscar in even a single category? Yes, I am talking about Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
The many admirers of this landmark film bore this travesty of justice with equanimity. We did not feign outrage. We did not hold press conferences to protest. We were stoic, knowing that history would give Life of Brian the recognition it deserved long after pretenders to greatness like Citizen Kane had faded into obscurity. We are still waiting patiently… | http://blog.case.edu/singham/films/index | dclm-gs1-435495528 | false | true | {
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0.056334 | <urn:uuid:31751e20-8b6c-4d29-bff8-2a9a0d28d353> | en | 0.970497 | Mandy Dawson Gets Six Months for Tax Evasion
Categories: Politics
Dawson was sentenced to six months in prison today after pleading guilty in April to charges that she failed to pay taxes on about $200,000 in income in 2004 and 2005 and not filing income tax returns in 2006, 2007, or 2008. In case you didn't know: She was representing Fort Lauderdale in the state Legislature during that time.
She was hiding this money, imprisoned Republican lobbyist Alan Mendelsohn said, because he'd sent some of it to her as part of a "pay-to-play" system engrained in the state Legislature. From the Miami Herald:
Dawson's lawyer had asked for her to be sentenced for house arrest so she could receive treatment for arthritis and depression -- balls of steel, that lawyer's got. The judge called shenanigans and sentenced her to six months, plus two years of supervised release. She also has to pay $29,000 in back taxes.
My Voice Nation Help
She is a criminal excepting money from a criminal,this is why they continue to do these despicable illegal things because they are not punished enough.One year in prison a hefty fine and pay all court expenses and money owed.And why not make her pay for the cost of her prison time as wel.l That time at club fed is paid by us the taxpayers,wouldnt that be something if criminals had to pay to more free ride!!!
82k for 6months time. Does that seem fair to anyone?
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0.029833 | <urn:uuid:0fd98320-6dba-4eab-8183-5bff01e0fdc4> | en | 0.94106 | Teachers: help your kids detect cosmic rays
By Phil Plait | June 27, 2012 10:30 am
One thing I like to see is kids getting their hands on doing science. There’s something about being involved with something, actually doing it for yourself, that gives you a sense of ownership over the knowledge, makes you part of something bigger.
Here’s another chance to do that for students across the world: the ERGO telescope project. ERGO stands for "Energetic Ray Global Observatory" and the idea is to build simple cosmic-ray detectors that can be sent to classrooms all over the world. Here’s a short video describing the project:
Cosmic rays are energetic subatomic particles that come blasting in from space. They’re created by the Sun, by exploding stars, but distant galaxies… basically, by cool, interesting objects. By distributing these detectors across the world, students can share their data and come up with their own ways of examining them.
If you’re a teacher and you want your students to not just learn science, but to experience it, then this sounds like a good way to do it! They even have a simple form you can fill out to apply for a grant to get started.
Related Posts:
- Something powerful lurks nearby
- Attack of the galactic subatomic particles
- No, a new study does not show cosmic-rays are connected to global warming
- Bobbing for extinctions
CATEGORIZED UNDER: Astronomy, Cool stuff, Science
MORE ABOUT: cosmic rays, education, ERGO
Comments (24)
1. Jay Fox
Video not posting even after refresh.
2. shunt1
How about making these available for amateur astronomers also?
Once again, I must use my home schooling teacher certification to qualify for one of these student programs. When you get down to the actual funding, I am probably paying for it anyway.
Outstanding idea and I fully support these simple but global projects that can provide new research data which could not be obtained in any other way.
3. SkyGazer
@1 Jay Fox
This helps?
4. shunt1
The video was working for me just fine.
Outstanding concept and something that I fully support.
It is also a good training device to learn about natural background nuclear radiation, with is sadly ignored by many physics classes in today’s public schools.
5. shunt1
Using our knowledge of physics, electronics and software, can the followers of Bad Astronomer figure out a cheap method of obtaining the same data?
This is the design of the ERGO imaging array:
1) The ERGO Beta detector units are based upon simple Geiger-Müller (G-M) detector tubes excited by several hundred volts of electrical charge.
2) We know that a simple web cam can detect high-energy charged muon particles that are easy to detect as bright pixels, that can be detected when the sensor is located in a light-proof container.
3) Software capable of counting bright pixels at 30 frames per second from a web cam image, is rather easy to create. Reporting the events over the Internet would also be a simple software task.
4) Any heavy metal container (such as metal pipes from the local hardware store) could be used to reduce natural background radiation events from striking the web cam sensor.
5) The GPS coordinates (Latitude, Longitude and altitude) of the station is fixed and need only to be located once.
6) This one still has me stumped, since they are trying to use the speed of light to triangulate the source of the muon particle events:
Amateur scientists have always been amazingly creative. Can we invent something that would provide the same scientific quality data at a fraction of the cost?
6. Tara Li
How much are the bloody things? All you really need is a scintillation block, and an iPad/other tablet with GPS. Close in dark box, let app run. Question – would different phosphors in the scintillation block allow for the detection of different particles?
7. shunt1
Tara Li:
This is a rather simple project (other than the timing issue) that most amatures could build at home with spare computer parts laying round.
The Apollo crew were reporting flashes in their eyes because of the muon particles. Any CCD camera will detect these events and is often a problem with photography.
How can we solve the timing and location problem? Two stacked cameras and have the software triangulate the direction from the two bright pixels?
How much do these things cost? Hard to guess, but for custom hardware as shown on thier website, I would estimate a minimum of $20,000 per unit.
8. shunt1
Tara Li:
I had a mental block and did not realize how simple your solution was!
Any smart phone with GPS and camera capability would work as a muon detector.
Just put some black tape over the camera lens and let the software run. Report the number of event counts for each GPS second obtained for that location.
9. Tara Li
Hadn’t really thought of the CCD itself directly as the scintillation block. Should work, though.
10. shunt1
Think of thousands or even millions of smart phones reporting their significant muon events once every 24 hours. Simply cover your lens and let the software run and have it report the results once a day. Super simple and the phone’s capabilities are still there for you at any time.
Plot the global results each day and identify locations where there were sudden spikes in the muon count data. When there is a significant cosmic ray event, the muons will spread out in a cone formation from their initial impact upon Earth’s atmosphere.
Thinks about a bolide (an especially bright meteor) and how the reports of those events are clustered around a specific location. Astronomy software is often capable of using that raw information to identify its original trajectory and orbital parameters.
Software similar to this could be adapted for a global smart phone network to identify the origin of major cosmic ray events.
Amateur astronomers have a long history of making complex technology simple and affordable.
I love this global muon monitoring concept and support it fully!
11. ACMESalesRep
Regarding the use of a smartphone as a cosmic ray detector: There’s already an iOS app (at least; there may be others) that handles the data processing – http://wikisensor.com/ No timestamps that I can see, but if nothing else it demonstrates that the principle is sound.
12. MadScientist
Hey – now *that’s* fun. :) I hadn’t built a cosmic ray detector in decades. All you need is a large scintillator, a high gain photomultiplier, and a discriminator circuit.
Although CCDs will occasionally interact with a cosmic ray, (a) the cross-sectional area is very small and (b) the device is very thin and chances of an interaction if a cosmic ray passes through are low. At the earth’s surface (and if I remember correctly) the flux is only about 4 per second per square meter. Detectors the size of CCDs will need to run for incredibly long times to gather statistically significant results; their geometry further complicates things because the orientation would be somewhat random if people walk around with it.
Hmm .. even a Geiger-Muller tube has a very small area and since it is a gas-filled tube I doubt it is good at detecting cosmic rays at all (chances of interaction are too low). A scintillator tube wouldn’t be much better since the scintillator is small and thin. A bulk scintillator is really the best detector. I have my doubts of any real science coming out of that project.
13. shunt1
Give your own digital camera a test and see how many bright pixels you get with a 10 minute exposure.
Try making your own bubble chamber and count how many events you see per minute. A super simple project that only requires some dry ice, alchohol and an aquarium.
When I obtained some Trinitite at WSMR, that was the first thing I made when I got home. How radioactive was this stuff?
Those of us who use digital cameras for astrophotography know all about those little spots that appear in the images we worked so hard to obtain.
Don’t worry, I have spent 40 years specializing in exploiting people that “know” how something should be done, but can never quite make it work.
Give me 10% of the money requested for this ERGO project and I will make it work. To insure a wide global coverage, perhaps paying each person $0.10 per day for any valid data that they download? That alone would insure coverage in many third world countries.
I deal with results and not theory!
14. MadScientist
I thought I’d search for “scintillation block” since I can’t even remember where I got mine last, and this came up:
Now there’s a serious cosmic ray detector; without looking at the documentation I would guess that 2 photomultiplier tubes are used as a “correlator” which helps sort genuine cosmic ray signals (which generate a burst of photons in the block) from detector noise or gamma or X rays which might set off a photomultiplier. I’ll even forgive the author for calling Dow Corning “Dowel Corning”.
16. SkyGazer
Build your own “Cloud Chamber” on a shoestring:
17. Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thanks for all your ideas and comments!
18. MadScientist
19. shunt1
Tom Bales:
First off, I fully support your project in every way!
20. shunt1
Well heck, someone has already done this:
Running this application on my Android smart phone now…
21. shunt1
22. shunt1
Vindication of the theory!
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0.06816 | <urn:uuid:4983c0b7-516e-4996-9386-ca7ef250e50d> | en | 0.953466 | Report: Boston marathon bombed -- two explosions, many injured, at least three dead
Two explosions at the finishing line of the Boston Marathon killed at least three people and left at least a dozen more injured, according to news reports. Law enforcement officials said they were caused by small, home-made bombs.
Photos and videos posted within minutes by witnesses showed scenes of chaos and bloodshed, with emergency services swarming the scene on Boylston street and smoke billowing into the sky.
The organizers of the Boston Marathon reported that two bombs detonated seconds apart, about three hours after the front-runners crossed the finishing line. A third device was destroyed later in a controlled detonation. Flight restrictions were in force late Monday afternoon.
The death toll looks set to rise, with some sources already reporting many more dead, and police still working to evacuate streets near where the explosions took place.
Updates below, timestamps in Eastern.
Read the rest
Exclusive excerpt - Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Biruté Galdikas
Here's a sneak preview of Primates, Jim Ottaviani's upcoming nonfiction graphic novel about the three most famous primatologists. It looks terrific!
Read the rest
Barbie without makeup
Barbie without makeup, Eddi Aguirre. (Via Sociological Images)
The Grifters, by Jim Thompson
I've read a number of Jim Thompson's excellent crime noir novels, but for some reason I'd never gotten around to reading The Grifters. I saw the movie when it came out (screenplay by Donald Westlake!) and enjoyed it, so when I found the book at a free book exchange in Rio Verde, Arizona a couple of weeks ago, I grabbed it. It's an extremely bleak story, but it's also enthralling.
The story focuses on Roy Dillon, a short con artist in Los Angeles. He's in his early 20s and maintains an impeccable appearance. People like him. He keeps a pair of loaded dice in his pocket to rip off drunk sailors, and he knows how to trick bartenders and shopkeepers into giving him $20 in change instead of the dime he's owed. He's amassed a small fortune this way, and he keeps a straight job as a door-to-door salesman so no one can get suspicious.
Roy's mother, Lilly, is only about 15 years older than her son, and she works for a creepy mobster who keeps her on a short leash. Roy hasn't seen his mother for years, because she was a rotten mother and Roy doesn't want anything to do with her. But when a dimestore clerk punches Roy in the gut with a sawed off baseball bat and sends him to the hospital, mother and son are reunited and the relationship takes a new turn.
That's just the beginning of this hardboiled, noir story. I was fascinated by Roy's life -- Thompson does a great job of following Roy around as he goes about his daily business, struggling with urges to drop the grifter life and become an honest man, but always falling back into his role as a short con artist. Roy's sort-of girlfriend, Moira Langrty, is just as interesting. She's a former long con artist who relies on her stunning good looks and rapidly-shrinking treasure to pay the bills. She's becoming increasingly aware that her beauty is fading, and that she needs to come up with a plan to set herself up for the rest of her life. Lilly takes an immediate dislike to Moira, and cooks up a scheme to drive her and Roy apart.
If you've seen the movie, you know how it ends, but don't let it stop you from reading the novel, because Thompson's writing is terrific.
The Grifters
12 million Americans believe lizard people run the USA
From Public Policy Polling: "Do you believe that shape-shifting reptilian people control our world by taking on human form and gaining political power to manipulate our societies, or not?"
Do 4%
Do not 88%
Not sure 7%
(Via The Atlantic Wire)
Music with Children: Playing the Recorder (1967)
NewImageHere is some delightful music for a Monday morning: "Music with Children: Playing the Recorder" by music educator Grace Nash (1909-1990) and friends. (via Toys and Techniques)
Inside Dan Brown's Inferno
Dan Brown's Inferno will be released on May 14, 2013. Teasers point to Florence, Italy and Dante Alighieri but until this great work of American literature is upon us, it is all speculation. Fueled by the possibility of what secrets lie inside those pages, The Daily Grail's Greg Taylor published an ebook where he explores the strange subjects Brown likely raises in the new novel. Over at TDG, Greg posted some bits from his book, Inside Dan Brown's Inferno:
The Lost Leonardo A number of art scholars believe that the Palazzo Vecchio (mentioned above) has hidden somewhere within it a lost painting by Leonardo da Vinci, The Battle of Anghiari. Da Vinci is, of course, intimately connected to Dan Brown's works, and so given the likely use of Palazzo Vecchio as a location, this is certainly a topic that could easily be used in Inferno.
There is further support for this possibility in the fact that, on the cover of the Italian cover for Inferno, instead of the coded letters CATROACCR, we find the letters CATROVACER. This seems to be a direct anagram of 'Cerca trova' ('Seek and you will find').* This phrase is directly related to the search for the 'lost Leonardo': an Italian expert in the analysis of art through technological analysis, Maurizio Seracini, has claimed that a mural by Giorgio Vasari within the Palazzo Vecchio, the Battle of Marciano in Val di Chiana hides a clue to Leonardo da Vinci's lost work. In the upper part of Vasari's fresco, a Florentine soldier waves a green flag with the words "Cerca trova" scrawled upon it. So far, however, no-one has managed to find the lost painting.
"Secrets of the Inferno" (TDG)
"Inferno" by Dan Brown (Amazon)
"Inside Dan Brown's Inferno" by Greg Taylor (Amazon)
Hey Jude reworked in a minor scale
Ukrainian engineer Oleg Berg has done the major-minor switch on several pop songs, but he says his favorite is this rendition of The Beatles' "Hey Jude." Take a sad song, and make it sadder.
(Last month, NPR ran a piece about this recent spate of major-minor reworkings.)
Yet another reason why jargon sucks
Yes, it's useful for communicating within your group, but as soon as you step outside that circle jargon becomes a problem. That's true even for scientists trying to communicate between disciplines and sub-disciplines of a field. At Ars Technica, John Timmer talks about jargon acronyms that look the same, but mean totally different things depending on what science you do. One of his examples: CTL. If you study flies, this can refer to a specific gene. For people who work with mice, it's a reference to curly tails. For immunologists, it's a type of white blood cell — cytotoxic T lymphocyte.
Amateur astronomers find lost Russian Mars probe
Excellent shadow theater performance
Yes, it's from "Britain's Got Talent," but Attraction's shadow theater performance is fantastic (and yes, a bit cheesy too).
Sun Hives: pollination and health before honey
Old-school bOING bOING pal Jim Leftwich says:
What does ambergris look like?
Rendered stack of rubbery penile noodloids, falling
Logitech4873 spent 62 hours rendering an interlocking, Jenga-like stack of tumbling, penile, rubbery thinngums falling in slow motion: "The reason for the excessively long rendertime was the use of high quality indirect lighting, SSS materials (Sub-Surface Scattering) and the high quality of the motion blur."
I'm so sorry (via JWZ)
Yeah for yeast
| http://boingboing.net/2013/04/15 | dclm-gs1-435655528 | false | true | {
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0.025032 | <urn:uuid:db1584e9-2b42-4838-99f1-5b20f8f4186b> | en | 0.937362 | How falling oil prices affect the big banks
Falling oil prices is not expected to materially impact loan growth at the Canadian banks, but it could be a headwind to underwriting revenues, says a new report Scotia Capital Inc.
The natural gas trade isn’t over
Is the U.S. poised to dominate global light oil supply?
‘Age of gas’ seen as sideshow to U.S. producers preoccupied by oil
Investors pile into energy ETFs
Commodities hit 2014 highs
Commodities climbed to the highest since December as extreme weather fueled supply concerns for crops and energy at a time of rising imports by China
How the U.S. shale boom is putting pressure on Alberta’s light oil
The U.S. shale boom is poised to cut demand for Alberta’s light oil, amid mounting fears of a glut and calls from energy companies to ease restrictions on exporting crude from U.S. shores
OPEC hasn’t pumped this little crude in more than two years
U.S. as crude competitor driving need to reach Asia: Joe Oliver
Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver said the prospect of the U.S. becoming the world’s biggest crude producer will transform it from a customer into a 'competitor,' underscoring the need to build Canadian pipelines to reach Asian markets
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0.019662 | <urn:uuid:bee84626-2c8b-429d-8ad6-ab50e0d47421> | en | 0.984159 | The Charmed Wiki
Victor Bennett
4,479pages on
this wiki
Victor Bennet
Biographical information
February 16th, 1949
Victor Jones
Physical description
Hair color
Eye color
Skin color
Family information
Family members
Character information
First appearance
Thank You For Not Morphing
Last appearance
Last Witch Effort
Portrayed By
Victor Bennett is a mortal and the ex-husband of Patty Halliwell. He is the father of the original Charmed Ones; Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell.
After their divorce and Patty's death, Victor left his daughters to be raised by their grandmother after constantly fighting with her about how to raise the girls. Victor reappeared in his daughters' lives after they became witches and restored the relationship with his daughters.
Early Life
Victor was born into the Bennett family, and may have had a "manic" sister, an alcoholic niece or nephew and an aunt named Sylvia. According to the family tree his birthday is actually February 16, 1949.
Marriage to Patty Halliwell
Victor 3x10
A picture of Victor during the '70s
Victor Bennett married Patty Halliwell sometime before Prue was born in 1970. Patty's mother, Penny, was not pleased that her daughter had married a mortal. She had low expectations for men, especially mortal men.
Sometime between Prue and Piper's births, Victor found out that his wife and mother-in-law were witches--and his daughters were witches as well. Victor attempted to adjust to his wife's Wiccan life with little success. He and Patty fought constantly over how to handle their daughters' magical heritage. Victor thought that magic was dangerous, and would hurt his girls. He wanted to raise them as normal girls, while Patty (with Penny's support) wanted to raise them as witches. It didn't help that he and Penny sparred constantly in a Bewitched-style, Darrin Stephens-Endora type relationship.
Sometime after Piper was born, Patty started spending more time with her Whitelighter, Sam Wilder. Victor was increasingly frustrated with Sam's growing involvement in their lives and with magic in general, and left the family for a brief time in 1975. However, he returned after finding out Patty had given him a third daughter, Phoebe.
When Prue was six, Victor rescued her from the Nothing found within the Ice Cream Truck used to capture demon children. According to Victor, while he managed to save Prue, Grams was horrified, believing that Victor only got lucky since he didn't have powers.[1] Shortly afterward, Victor found out Patty and Sam were having an affair (whether or not it was a physical one was left ambiguous), and the two divorced sometime in 1977. Unknown to Victor, Patty was pregnant with a daughter by Sam, Paige Matthews.
Victor was still around for his girls after Patty's death in February 1978. However, unable to deal with Penny's overbearing nature, he left for good after a demon attacked on the night of Piper's fifth birthday.[2] Prue and Phoebe were seven and three at the time, respectively. After Victor left, Grams warned the girls that he was a threat to them.
His daughters didn't hear from him again for twenty years. Victor suddenly appeared in San Francisco in 1998, not long after the girls' powers were unbound. Prue was suspicious of him, but Piper and Phoebe were more open to seeing him, as they had scarcely any memory of him. However, they grew suspicious of him after Victor admitted he wanted to take the Book of Shadows from the girls in order to protect them. When he persisted, Prue made her feelings clear on the situation by using her telekinesis to violently fling him across the room. It turned out that a trio of shapeshifters were using him to get the Book. By betting his own life to protect the girls, he finally re-earns their trust, including Prue's. However he leaves the sisters without a proper goodbye, instead leaving a home movie from the '70s of the girls on Christmas morning, on the Manor doorstep.[3] Victor wasn't heard from again for three years. Piper tried to keep in touch by sending him birthday cards, but only reluctantly because he never sent them one.
Redeeming Himself
Prue Man Victor 3x10
Prue and Victor helping the Ice Cream Man
Victor and Phoebe.
Unknown to her sisters, Phoebe began keeping in touch with their father through instant messages and e-mails. However, Victor doesn't appear again until 2001, when he comes to San Francisco for a job interview. While in town, he assists the sisters in helping to capture the demon children and bring them to the Ice Cream Man's truck. By saving Prue from the Nothing once again, Victor finally proves himself to Prue, and he and all of his daughters leave on good terms. Victor, finally regaining his place in his daughters' life returns to meet Piper's fiancee Leo while also to ask for Phoebe's magical assistance when he attempts to put stock into a ghost town.[4]
Victor has an immediate distrust of Leo once he found out he was a Whitelighter, as he believes that Patty's affair with Sam was one of the contributing factors to the end of their marriage. He is especially skeptical when Leo tells him Piper has a "higher calling"--it was the same line Sam used on Patty. Once Leo explains to Victor that despite what happened to Piper's parents, he is still marrying Piper no matter what, Victor seems to warm up to him, and is a witness to Piper's marriage to him. Victor also was shocked when Patty was temporarily brought back from the dead, however, they were able to come together to motivate Piper into going through with her wedding.[5]
Oldest Daughter's Death
Phoebe Victor 4x01
Victor hugging Phoebe on the day of Prue's funeral.
After his oldest daughter Prue dies, a visibly saddened Victor returns to help put her to rest. Victor is outraged when arguing about the police case involving the demon who attacked her occurs at her wake. [6] Months later, Victor gives Phoebe away at her wedding to Cole Turner. Victor seems to accept his girls' newly found sister, Paige.[7]
Second Marriage and the Birth of First Grandchild
Victor Demon Wife
Victor and his then demon wife Doris
Sometime in 2002, Victor goes on a singles' cruise to Mexico, where he meets Doris, a demon in disguise. While it is not known for sure whether he was under the influence of a spell or not, Victor and Doris quickly fell in love and married. When he brought her home to meet his daughters, Doris showed her true colors and stabbed Victor in the abdomen, nearly killing him, before attempting to steal Piper's baby. She is eventually vanquished. Victor proves vital in this: despite being seriously wounded, he manages to climb down the stairs, pull Doris' partner away from an in-labor Piper, and throw him over the railing, saving Piper and allowing the girls to vanquish him and Doris. Afterwards, Victor witnesses his first grandchild, Wyatt, come into the world.[8]
Meeting his Second Grandchild
Victor meets his grandson from the future.
When Chris Halliwell comes to the present from the future to save his brother Wyatt from becoming evil, Piper calls on her father to help understand why he is so distant towards her. To Victor's surprise, Chris is excited to see him; according to his grandson, they have a very close relationship in the future, and were drawn closer after Piper's death when Chris was only fourteen. Victor advises Chris to try and get close to his mother because he couldn't during his life, and tells him that he possibly already changed his bleak future by coming to the past. Additionally, Chris tips Victor to stop smoking cigars, telling him it will have a big impact on his health in the future and Victor does so immediately.[9]
Finally Getting a Chance to Parent
Victor and Patty finally get to parent their children.
After baby Chris is born, Wyatt expresses some jealousy towards him, using his powers to orb him away; one time, he orbed him right to Victor, who brought baby Chris home. From there, Victor gets involved with the problems surrounding Chris' Wiccaning and Wyatt and Chris' sibling rivalry. When a temporarily resurrected Penny casts a spell that accidentally transfers Wyatt and Chris' rivalry into the sisters, they are turned back into their adolescent selves. Victor and Penny bicker about the best way to handle the situation, and eventually summon Patty to work out their issues. Patty sides with Victor, causing Penny to leave. Patty and Victor ruminate on what kind of parents they would have been had they stayed married, and Patty lived to see the girls as teenagers.[10]
When the sisters prepare to fight the demon Zankou, they leave Wyatt, Chris and the deeds to the manor and Piper's nightclub P3 with Victor, making him their official guardian in case they do not survive.[11]
Victor and Patty with their two oldest grandchildren.
Before the sisters' last Ultimate Battle that kills Paige and Phoebe, Piper leaves her sons with Victor to protect them. Wyatt is taken by the demon Dumain in order for antagonists, Billie and Christy to have enough power to summon the Hollow. Victor finds out that baby Chris has received his powers and encourages him to use them to orb Wyatt back, successfully. When Piper and Leo go back in time with Coop's Ring to bring Paige and Phoebe back to life, they meet a younger Victor and Patty in the 1970s, on the day that they conceive Phoebe. When they bring the Patty from the past to the future, she meets an older Victor, who tells her that they divorced. Afterwards, she stays with him to catch up. Victor also informs Patty of Prue's unfortunate fate and the two part on good terms.
Victor advising Henry.
Nearly two years later, when Victor comes to the Manor to watch over the kids while the battle with Neena is occurring, he realizes from Paige's husband Henry's bad attitude that he is having doubts about his life with Paige. Victor tells him about his own troubles being married to a witch and the struggles they faced and his regrets about walking out on his family. Victor tells him that if he wasn't who he was, Paige wouldn't be able to do her duty; Victor advises Henry to give Paige strength. Henry thanks Victor and generates a new attitude. When Victor asks about the seventh baby, Henry names him "Henry, Jr". Coincidentally, this is the only time when Victor and Sam are in the same place at the same time, though it is unknown if they had any interaction.
When all magical beings were stripped of their powers and mortals gained the ability to use magic, Victor was forced to take seven of his eight grandchildren into hiding to keep them safe from the chaos that resulted from the switch. Phoebe only kept the newborn Parker because she didn't want to add Victor more stress, but eventually has to hand her into his care as well when they travel to the All to battle the darklighter Rennek. After the order was restored, Coop, Henry and Leo go to retrieve the kids.
Professional Life
• Businessman: Victor's actual job is left ambiguous, though whatever it is, it has allowed him to move back to San Francisco, giving him the chance to be near his daughters and grandchildren.
Old Victor
Victor as portrayed by Anthony Denison in "Thank You for Not Morphing".
• Victor was originally portrayed by Anthony Denison in the season 1. Denison was not asked to return when producers found him more fitted as a love interest for Shannen Doherty's character, Prue Halliwell. The character of Victor was recast for season 3.
• Victor was initially named Victor Halliwell[12], however, we later learned that Penny's last name was Halliwell which she took from her husband, Allen.[13] Therefore, his last name was changed to Jones[14], but was finally settled on Bennett[15]. His name was once misspelled as Bennet.
• Victor was the first parent to appear in the series and has appeared in each season except for the second season. He has appeared in 14 episodes, which is the same amount as Penny Halliwell, but 5 more than Patty Halliwell.
External Links
Notes and References
Around Wikia's network
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0.223482 | <urn:uuid:a315a227-f963-4031-afe5-3619f75d25f5> | en | 0.976216 | HOME > Chowhound > Home Cooking >
Ruined pie dough -- what now?
• 9
So, I tried to halve a pie dough recipe, but idiotically neglected to halve the water. I now have a soggy lump hanging out in my freezer, but I don't want to toss it out! Is there anything I can do with it?
1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
1. You can add some flour and bring it back to useability. You can make a sugar pie with it, or you can also make simple round cookies with it.
1. Add more flour and make biscuits.
1. I think I'd mutter a few oaths under my breath and toss it. working in more flour is going to give the gluten in the flour that's already there a pretty good workout, which is *not* conducive to a tender, flaky crust.
You've got a few pennies invested in flour and shortening...cut your losses and start over.
6 Replies
1. re: sunshine842
I'm with you, sunshine. Why throw good ingredients after bad? The key to a good pie crust is working it as little as possible, which would be impossible were you to try to add more flour to the dough.
1. re: roxlet
This is why it can be repurposed for biscuits.
1. re: ipsedixit
Well, for me, biscuits take as little handling as pie crust does -- maybe even less -- so I wouldn't use this wet dough for biscuits unless you're talking about beaten biscuits.
1. re: sunshine842
thanks for your tips, guys! I agree that biscuits would've been too risky -- probably would not have turned out either.
what I ended up doing was making a version of Dorie's mustard batons: http://doriegreenspan.com/2010/09/fre...
after cutting into strips, I brushed them with an egg wash and sprinkled each piece with poppy and sesame seeds, and then twisted them up and baked them. they were well received at my oscar viewing party, and no one was the wiser... | http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/835713 | dclm-gs1-435775528 | false | false | {
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0.078764 | <urn:uuid:39910e11-71e7-4c4d-bfb9-08c190ba0e17> | en | 0.949449 | Introduction and materials
'Living' introduces the people who live and work in Antarctica. We explore the personal and professional qualities they need, the effects of isolation and the constraints of their temporary home. It also shows how people chronicle their individual experiences and provides a springboard for discussing career options.
Careers in the Antarctic
Antarctic stations provide a useful microcosm of many of society's jobs since they operate as small, self-sufficient villages or communities. The following activities lead students to a greater understanding and awareness of job and career opportunities, not just in Antarctica but also in Australia.
Career paths
Career path activities identify the education and training requirements to develop possible career paths, and raise the issues of what can influence job selection and the ability of individuals to shape their careers.
At home - those left behind
What would you look for in a potential Antarctic expeditioner?
Selection - choosing the right people
Antarctic expeditioners need to be highly qualified in their occupation and possess the special personal qualities that will enable them to live and work harmoniously in a small, isolated community.
Conflict resolution
The Antarctic framework is very useful in stimulating students' understanding of conflict, whether it be minor discomfort or serious confrontation. The conflict resolution and mediation skills developed in these activities can be adapted to most situations.
Women and Antarctica
It was not until 1959 that an Australian woman officially visited Macquarie Island as part of the Australian Antarctic programme.
Children and Antarctica
Children are still relatively rare visitors to Antarctica.
Food for thought
Meals are very important, especially when heavy work is done in extreme cold. Five thousand calories or more could be needed. Vitamin and protein content must be watched carefully and, as the air is so dry, there must be plenty of fluids to drink.
Your Antarctic expedition
Have the students plan 'the youngest expedition to the South Pole'. They will research, prepare for and carry out a simulated trek to the South Pole on foot. Their aim will be to become the youngest group to ever make a successful expedition to the South Pole. Along the way they will strike many difficulties in this remote and dangerous place, and learn about the Antarctic climate, terrain, wildlife and the importance of being suitably equipped.
Diary writing
Since the earliest days, many expeditioners have kept a diary of their activities while living in Antarctica. There are now many diary accounts of the experiences of Antarctic expeditioners from different nations to be found on the web.
Midwinter celebrations
One of the biggest events in the Antarctic calendar is Midwinter, around 21 June, which celebrates the halfway point in the long polar night.
This page was last modified on July 3, 2014. | http://classroom.antarctica.gov.au/living | dclm-gs1-435805528 | false | false | {
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0.341637 | <urn:uuid:9694a1df-15cf-46a0-a061-0cf19d360f19> | en | 0.954144 |
by Categorized: Consumer, Retail Date:
Two Subway Footlongs bought in Hartford measured up fully.
9 thoughts on “Subway to N.Y. Post: A Foot-Long Sandwich is a Foot Long
1. Matt
This has been going on for years, I love the BMT and that sandwich used to be made with 10 slices of salami, 10 slices of peperoni, 4 slices of ham and 3 slices of bologni. Now its made with 6 slices of salami, 6 slices of peperoni, 2 slices of ham and no bolongi. Subway just adds more lettuce to cover the fact that they are shorting you.
1. myron302
So true. Raise the price but decrease the product. Subway used to be ok and I stress ok because they were never nothing special. D’Angelo’s is the way to go nowadays.
2. Someone
Actually, if you’re looking at a footlong, it ought to be 4 slices of ham. At times, when employees cut corners, they double slices of meat so it may look like two when it is four.
2. Trey Fischer
I think the amount of meat you get is different depending on location. The subway in our town still provides the same amount of meat they have for 15+ years. I have been to other locations, most notably a subway located in Holyoke where there was a big difference!
3. Edward
With regards to the actual size, like in the lumber business it’s considered nominal when talking about a the actual size, so Subway could use that in it’s defense.Like other chains, everyone has cut back to try and keep the retail price the same as it has been for a long time. In Subways case they just keep telling their franchise owners what to do to keep the same margins and the hell to joe public. If they were really in the customer care business they would keep the same insides to make it the best Sub on the market and not worry about their competition. Anyway, just like Washington, we get it the short end of the stick, or in this case the short end of the “Footlong”.
4. Professor Poop
That is the way I used to measure my own foot-long grinder to my baby until she pulld out her own ruler and then I was called to task for the descripancy.
Comments are closed. | http://courantblogs.com/dan-haar/subway-to-n-y-post-a-foot-long-sandwich-is-a-foot-long/ | dclm-gs1-435835528 | false | false | {
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0.020211 | <urn:uuid:64811b2b-4ece-4f15-99a7-8c17eea7c61e> | en | 0.921653 | Everything in moderation. Yes! #oscarwilde #quote #moderation
02:20 pm, by dahmeh
Need to start doing that. I say ‘yes’ too much and then run around like a maniac stressing about it. #quote #warrenbuffett #yes
06:44 am, by dahmeh
So true. #Cowardice #quote #standup
09:39 am, by dahmeh
#Negative people are sooooooo draining! #bepositive #joelosteen
01:50 pm, by dahmeh
#GabrielGarciaMarquez #quotes
06:14 am, by dahmeh
Live #NOW! #quote
07:10 am, by dahmeh 1
So happy @buddhistbootcamp has an Instagram account. (#Repost with @repostapp) —- “Training the Mind” (Chapter 2 in Buddhist Boot Camp)
Your mind is like a spoiled rich kid! You have raised it to think whatever it wants, whenever it wants to, and for however long, with no regard for consequence or gratitude. And now that your mind is all grown, it never listens to you! In fact, sometimes you want to focus on something, but your mind keeps drifting away to whatever IT wants to think about. Other times, when you really want to stop thinking about something, your mind “can’t help it.” Training the mind means being in charge of your decisions instead of succumbing to cravings and so-called “uncontrollable urges.” Can you think of a better method for training a spoiled rich kid than some serious boot camp?
First things first: stop granting yourself everything you crave. Doing so only conditions the spoiled kid to know that it can continue having whatever it wants.
Please do not mistake this for deprivation, because that’s not what I’m suggesting. You can still have ice cream, for example, but only when you decide to, not when a craving “takes over.” There is a difference.
So when a thought arises, just watch it; don’t react to it. “Oh, I really want ice cream”… that’s nice; see what it’s like to want something but not always get it.
The first few times that you try to train your mind you will see the little kid in you throw a tantrum, which is actually hilarious. But it’s understandable; you’ve never said “no” to it before. It’s time you start!
You will eventually notice that you actually have more freedom to choose once you’re in control of your choices. It’s tricky; I just hope this chapter makes sense.
07:20 pm, by dahmeh
I will #neverforget that day…
12:27 pm, by dahmeh
So true, but hard to do sometimes. #happiness
06:23 am, by dahmeh 1 | http://dahmeh.tumblr.com/ | dclm-gs1-435885528 | false | false | {
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0.089309 | <urn:uuid:04f2645a-acca-4564-ad0b-c472ebb43ff9> | en | 0.937583 | Area code 213
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It was one of California's original three area codes created in October 1947, covering the southern third of the state from the Central Coast to the Mexican border. With the rotary dialing technology available at the time, care was given to keep the number of "clicks" to a minimum for large cities. For this reason, Los Angeles, which had already grown to become the third-largest city in the United States, was assigned a code with six clicks, the second-fastest (tied with 312 in Chicago, with the fastest being 212 in New York City) that could be dialed under the original NANPA guidelines (0 and 1 were not allowed as the first digit, the second digit was either 0 or 1, and the third digit could not be the same as the second digit). It was pushed slightly to the north in 1950, bringing the southern portion of the Central Valley, including Bakersfield, over from area code 415.
Due to California's explosive growth during the second half of the 20th century and the proliferation of pagers, fax machines, multi-line phones and, later, mobile phones, 213 has been split numerous times. The first split came in 1951, when most of the southern portion became area code 714. In 1957, 213 was restricted to Los Angeles County, with most of the old 213's western portion becoming area code 805. In 1984, the San Fernando Valley and the San Gabriel Valley became area code 818—thus making Los Angeles one of the first major cities in the nation to be split between two area codes (along with New York, which was split between 212 and 718 that same year). In 1991, West Los Angeles and the South Bay became area code 310. The 213 area code was reduced to its current size in 1998, when practically all of the old 213 territory outside of downtown became area code 323.
The area code historically has been associated with Southern California and Los Angeles. And it is the largest city where 7-digit dialing is still possible within the area code.
In popular culture[edit]
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
North: 323
West: 323 area code 213 East: 323
South: 323 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_code_213 | dclm-gs1-436055528 | false | false | {
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0.01832 | <urn:uuid:0968e0d4-bd6e-4044-8283-f5ed243eb0e3> | en | 0.96655 | Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 2.djvu/147
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completeness may be obtained even with very vague structure in the music; whereas in instrumental music, unless the form is clear and appreciably denned, it is impossible for the most intelligent hearer to realise the work as a whole. So that, in point of fact, vocal music can do without a great deal of that which is vital to instrumental music; and therefore the Lied is just the member of the group which it is least satisfactory to take as the type: but as this form has been classified under that head, it has been necessary so to review it fully, in order that a just estimation may be formed of its nature, and the reason for taking exception to the title. The form itself is a very important one, but inasmuch as it admits of great latitude in treatment, it appears that the only satisfactory means of classifying it, or making it explicable, is by putting it on as broad a basis as possible, and giving it a distinctive title which shall have reference to its intrinsic constitution, and not to one of the many kinds of music which may, but need not necessarily, come within its scope.
LIED OHNE WORTE, i.e. Song without words (Fr. Romance sans paroles), Mendelssohn's title for the pianoforte pieces which are more closely associated with his name than any other of his compositions. The title exactly describes them. They are just songs. They have no words, but the meaning is none the less definite—'I wish I were with you,' says he to his sister Fanny in sending her from Munich[1] the earliest of these compositions which we possess—'but as that is impossible, I have written a song for you expressive of my wishes and thoughts' … and then follows a little piece of 16 bars long, which is as true a Lied ohne Worte as any in the whole collection. We know from a letter of later [2]date than the above that he thought music much more definite than words, and there is no reason to doubt that these 'Lieder,' as he himself constantly calls them, have as exact and special an intention as those which were composed to poetry, and that it is almost impossible to draw a line between the two.[3] He had two kinds of songs, one with words, the other without. The pieces are not Nocturnes, or Transcripts, or Etudes. They contain no bravura; everything is subordinated to the 'wish' or the 'thought' which filled the heart of the composer at the moment.
The title first appears in a letter of Fanny Mendelssohn's, Dec. 8, 1828, which implies that Felix had but recently begun to write such pieces. But the English equivalent was not settled without difficulty. The day after his arrival in London, on April 24, 1832, he played the first six to Moscheles, and they are then [4]spoken of as 'Instrumental Lieder für Clavier.' On the autograph of the first book, in Mr. Felix Moscheles' possession, they are named 'Six songs for the Pianoforte alone,' and this again was afterwards changed to 'Original Melodies for the Pianoforte,' under which title the first book was published (for the author) by Mr. Novello (then in Dean Street), on Aug. 20, 1832, and registered at Stationers' Hall. No opus-number is given on the English copy, though there can be no doubt that Mendelssohn arranged it himself in every particular. The book appeared concurrently in Berlin, at Simrock's, as 'Sechs Lieder ohne Worte, etc.[5]Op. 19.' The German name afterwards became current in England, and was added to the English title-page.
The last of the six songs contained in the 1st book—'In a Gondola,' or 'Venetianisches Gondellied'—is said to be the earliest of the six in point of date. In Mendelssohn's MS. catalogue it is marked ' Venedig, 16th Oct., 1830, für Delphine Schauroth'—a distinguished musician of Munich, whom he had left only a few weeks before, and to whom he afterwards dedicated his first P.F. Concerto. An earlier one still is No. 2 of Book 2, which was sent from Munich to his sister Fanny in a letter dated June 26, 1830.
Strange as it may seem, the success of the Lieder ohne Worte was but slow in England. The books of Messrs. Novello & Co., for 1836, show that only 114 copies of Book 1 were sold in the first four years![6] Six books, each containing six songs, were published during Mendelssohn's lifetime, numbered as op. 19, 30, 38, 53, 62, and 67, respectively; and a 7th and 8th (op. 85 and 102) since his death. A few of them have titles, viz. the Gondola song already mentioned; another 'Venetianisches Gondellied,' op. 30, no. 6; 'Duett,' op. 38, no, 6; 'Volkslied,' op. 53, no. 5; a third 'Venetianisches Gondellied,' and a 'Frühlingslied,' op. 62, nos. 5 and 6. These titles are his own. Names have been given to some of the other songs. Thus op. 19, no. 2, is called 'Jägerlied' or Hunting song; op. 62, no. 3, 'Trauermarsch' or Funeral march; op. 67, no. 3, 'Spinnerlied' or Spinning song: but these, appropriate or not, are unauthorised.
[ G. ]
LIEDERKREIS, LIEDERCYCLUS, or LIEDERREIHE. A circle or series of songs, relating to the same object and forming one piece of music. The first instance of the thing and the first use of the word appears to be in Beethoven's op. 98, 'An die ferne Geliebte. Ein Liederkreis von Al. Jeitteles.[7] Für Gesang und Pianoforte … von L. van Beethoven.' This consists of six songs, was composed April 1816, and published in the following December. The word Liederkreis appears first on the printed copy. Beethoven's title on the autograph is 'An die enfernte Geliebte, Sechs Lieder von Aloys Jeitteles,' etc. It was followed by Schubert's 'Die schöne Müllerin, ein Cyclus von Liedern,' 20 songs, composed 1823, and published March 1824. Schubert's two other series, the 'Winter-
1. Letters from Italy and Switzerland, June 14, 1830.
2. To Souchay, Oct 15, 1841.
3. The Herbstlied (op. 63) was originally a Lied ohne Worte (MS. Cat. No. 204).
4. See the Translation of Moscheles' Life. i. 207, for this and the following fact.
5. There are two opus 19, a set of six songs with words, and a set of six without them.
6. For this fact I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Henry Littleton, the present head of the firm.
7. Of the poet of these charming verses little information can be gleaned. He was born at Brunn June 20, 1794, so that when he wrote the Liederkreis he was barely 21. Like many amateurs of music he practised medicine, and he died at his native place April 16. 1858. | http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:A_Dictionary_of_Music_and_Musicians_vol_2.djvu/147 | dclm-gs1-436085528 | false | false | {
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0.711605 | <urn:uuid:5386c1e1-9ef2-4c93-8fad-27fb6b4aa180> | en | 0.93818 | Entertainers Attempt to Pass Themselves as Media
24 hour “news” networks have had quite the interesting effect on how information is transmitted and received. Between the Internet and these media outlets, ignorance should slowly erode away.
Yet somehow, fewer and fewer people understand where they stand in the timeline of history. A probable explanation for that is that Americans today listen, watch and occasionally read information that could possibly have some truth to it, but the spin is so grossly distorted that hardly anyone realizes that what they are tuning into is simply entertainment. The political junkies of today are not all that different from fans of pro wrestling. The major difference is that these junkies think what they are watching is real and not entertainment.
Take this “journalism” for example. In this 1 minute and 24 second clip can the viewer count the number of sensationalized and inaccurate statements?
1) Americans have been assassinated by drones. Anwar al-Awlaki and Abdulrahman al-Awlaki who was 16 years old.
2) Americans (including children) have been slaughtered by their government on American soil with no due process. Waco and Ruby Ridge tradgedies.
3) “Of all of the issues that we are looking at in the country, insolvency, war in north Africa…” Huh? Why is the country looking at war in North Africa?
4) “… Iran going nuclear.” This one’s a favorite from the entertainers. While there is a nuclear program in Iran, it is used solely for low enriched utility and medical purposes and multiple American intelligence agencies have repeatedly confirmed this. “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Reich’s Minister of Propaganda.
5) Why is Krauthammer defending Eric Holder’s failure to confirm that it is unconstitutional to murder an American on American soil? While Holder claimed that it wouldn’t be “appropriate” and eventually stated that it wasn’t constitutional, he and Senator Ted Cruz are keeping the loophole of “Absent an Imminent Threat.” Whatever that means.
It’s simply amazing. Anyone can try this by reading any article or watching CNN. It comes down to what is reported (and not reported) and what kind of talking head explanation is mixed in the following segments. There could be some actual facts in there. It could be a bombing in Syria or a conflict between China and Japan, but then come the commentary “experts” who have no fundamental understanding of history, economics or even the politics of these countries. Their entertaining perspective draws completely the wrong conclusions, it’s transmitted to millions and Voilà! Opinion is molded based on a mountain of lies!
Luckily, there are still people who think from themselves, trying to free their destiny from the realm of Idiocracy.
This should be the opening for one of our favorites:
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0.98776 | <urn:uuid:51ff1aaa-75f0-4fb5-927c-c3e85b139937> | en | 0.753682 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
Wikipedia states:
Is there an equivalent German word for German citizens born in the US? Amerikanerdeutsche doesn't sound correct to me.
share|improve this question
I would use the same word (and write it with a hyphen). Note that the context of the Wikipedia article is the US. – starblue Jun 9 '13 at 8:35
Amerikanerdeutsche is completely uncommon. Wouldn't work at all because as user unknown noted in German Amerika does not denote a single country. – his Jun 10 '13 at 21:58
1 Answer 1
up vote 2 down vote accepted
US-Deutsche würde funktionieren. Amerika ist größer als die USA. :)
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US-Deutsche klingt meinem Sprachempfinden nach auch besser als Amerika(ner)deutsche. – sizzle beam Jun 10 '13 at 19:46
Your Answer
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0.087409 | <urn:uuid:2d94df5b-70eb-4fa9-a08d-90f6bdd64345> | en | 0.845539 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
The accepted answer was votes as shown in wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilateration in conjunction with a conversion to Radians before and after.
Is there a way to incorporate Vincenty's formulae http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenty%27s_formulae to this process to bring a more accurate answer?
Kind Regards
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1 Answer 1
For a discussion of various problems in ellipsoidal trigonometry, see Sections 10 and 11 of http://arxiv.org/abs/1102.1215
Some similar problems are also discussed in http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00190-012-0578-z
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Your Answer
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0.073234 | <urn:uuid:a54364d0-255f-4f9c-8a7b-50742d79244b> | en | 0.981973 | Diflucan yeast infection how long
Common Questions and Answers about Diflucan yeast infection how long
So I went to my OB with irritation and discharge, and turns out it was a yeast infection, so he prescribed me the single dose Diflucan pack. I took it Tuesday, and as of today, my symptoms have definitely improved, but are not yet completely gone. How long does it take to be completely gone?
I have a yeast infection and took the oral pill and got some external cream. How long do i need to wait before having intercourse again? I have had problems for 3 years and finally got a hysterectomy. I have finally found an understanding man and we are very sexually active more than daily.. I want to know how long we have to wait before having sex?
what do they give you for a yeast infection and how long after did it go away
Hi there! Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. Possibilities that may need to be considered include infections (STDs/ non STDs), inflammations, foreign bodies etc. I would suggest getting this evaluated by a primary care physician or a gynaecologist for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate managements. Hope this is helpful. Take care!
Once when I had a yeast infection from antibiotics, I took the diflucan and used a 7 day otc treatment. I just hate those infections! Hope you feel better soon.
it will remains in my body for many days. but how come, i still have the burning sensation? how long should i wait to get a relief? is this normal?
Around the middle of Feb. I began to have vaginal irritation & i thought it was going to be another yeast infection(i have at least 3-4 a year). However this was different. It started out with itching & then what felt like small tears & cracks around the vaginal area(mainly labia majora) and i also felt the cracks in my anal area...bowel movements have since been painful and bleeding occurs.
as for the sex question, nevermind, that would be just gross right now, but I'd really like to back to normal soon! also, how long does the gross discharge last??? I did a treatment and 24 hours later, there's still messy stuff coming out.
Just read your postand I can tell you what i experienced with my yeast infection....It was so long ago but I will tell you I remember the itch and redness down there, and some disharge, but nothing too bad....it wasn't that bad, but I remember being sooooo itchy that part of it was awful... For now until you go to the doctor, keep a cold cloth down there, it will help.(hahasounds funny.)..
Hey everyone I posted earlier this wk about having a yeast infection. I went to the doctor and her wrote me out a prescription for diflucan. I mean I trust my doctor. He's a high risk OB and I'm pretty sure he knows what hes doing. But I always worry about everything. Have any of you all taken this while pregnant?? If so how did it go?
How long were you on the treatment? I forgot what I was given when I got a yeast infection from the antibotic I was on. But it was just one pill, and plus a 3 day cream treatment. Sounds like you need another dose of medicine.
Did you get the week long rx for it? I was prescribed this after find out I had a yeast infection (5 years undiagnosed). I was given a week long rx, and yes the symptoms did get worse while I was on the treatment. It is the meds cleaning everything out, for me the entire canal was plugged with cottage cheese (it was so gross!). I did have a few more infections after that which i then treated with o/n meds along with a pill called Azo yeast.
He also directed me to buy monstat topical cream to apply three times a day and selsun blue to apply once daily for 20 minutes, wow! I am not noticing anything getting better and was wondering how long before I should notice anything changing. My stomach cramps have subsided but not the infection on my penis tip.
I am diabetic and have had a yeast infection for more than a year, I use Monistat a couple times a month but it doesn't help. Is it dangerous to have one this long and how can I get rid of it?
One week after that, the discomfort was getting worse and I was starting to notice two reddish areas, slightly raised, on the my penis. At this time my wife came down with a yeast infection. I went back to the doctor, he gave me diflucan, She also got diflucan. After three days on the diflucan, her symptoms were gone and mine were 90% gone. I then began to apply a diluted vinegar solution. The symptoms were gone for a few days, including the redness, but then they came back.
Also, are there any complications or long-term risks associated with having a disorder like this for so long? How urgent is my condition? Thank you very much for your help.
Diabetes has run in my fathers family for years long time. So how should i go about my health now? And does PCOS or yeast infection indicate that, its sexually transmitted? And would it be revealed that I'm no longer a virgin, to my family?
I know it's only been one day, but I haven't noticed any marked improvement so I am wondering if it is safe to use hydrocortizone cream to help alleviate the external irritation. Or maybe an OTC yeast infection cream? How long does it take to feel the effects of Diflucan? Should I get my refill and take it? This feeling is driving me crazy. I just want it to go away.
Hi, for really severe case of yeast the course of diflucan needs to be quite extended. How long was the course? When I had yeast that wouldn't go away I ended up taking diflucan for about 4 weeks. that finally did the job.
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0.0192 | <urn:uuid:2112eb14-acc2-47f5-af3d-5cc38622b6af> | en | 0.785192 | Keress bármilyen szót, mint például: thot
A beautiful lady with the raptured soul of a bluebird in glorious flight, capable of the deepest love, the sharpest wit, and lighthearted manner. A true soulmate, should one be among the extremely lucky one in existence to have the love of this delicate and gorgeous specimen. Blessed with sparkling ebon eyes, shining dark hair, a smile that actually possesses the ability to break through dark clouds, she is a hearth to the heart, a boon to the spirit, and a true friend and lover on every level.
Girl: "I hung out with Rochell today; I was in a bad mood but her spirit just picked me back up! I love her!"
Boy: "So do I! Whoever she loves is a lucky person indeed!"
Beküldő: firefly84 2010. február 6.
Words related to Rochell
jeff's girl martika mommy tika
N. (row-shell) Ususally a middle name for the name TIKA (see TIKA) It means a lovinig and caring mother of 2 (or more) children. Also, when used in combination with TIKA, it reffers to the most loving wife a man could ever ask for. They are partial to the soft whispers of "JEFFERY's."
nothing comes close to the real "Rochell"... so you just have to meet her.
Beküldő: reeljeenyus 2010. február 2. | http://hu.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Rochell | dclm-gs1-436625528 | false | false | {
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0.033224 | <urn:uuid:a9561ba9-cec5-4bc9-b069-aec6ec0e27d3> | en | 0.972657 | Friday, November 26, 2010
Go On Ireland, Tell Us How You Really Feel About Your Government
I don't think American journalism would be in nearly so much trouble if prominent U.S. daily newspapers regularly let it all hang out like this. (There's a pleasant, post-Thanksgiving sentiment for you all, I guess.)
Friday Morning Videos: "Pop Musik"
For the last couple of years, I kept trying to get Gary Numan's "Cars" video to stick. I'll try something different, but similarly old-skool electronic, this time around.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Just Say No, You Rich Elite Individualist, You
Friday, November 19, 2010
What I Saw in Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Friday Morning Videos: "Don't Dream It's Over"
Last year at this time, I shared a Madness video, but along the way took a swipe at Crowded House, and a couple of friends pounded me for it. Consider this my mea culpa.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Summing Up the Left-Liberal Case Against Obama (and Pointing to the Localist-Communitarian One Along the Way)
Peter Levine has long been one of my favorite writers on the internet. He's a guy who is on the left, certainly, when it comes to matters of social equality and economic justice and so forth--but his real focus has always been civic matters. The health of our democracy, our concern for one another as members of a shared community, the operations of our elections and the level of our participation: these have been his primary concerns. So it isn't surprising that he was deeply impressed (as I was as well) with the maturity with which Obama, as a presidential candidate, sounded populist, communitarian, and civic republican. And since that time, Peter--though by no means an unthinking Obama fan--has routinely defended the president's participatory and (small-d) democratic rhetoric, frequently against opponents on the liberal left. And there has been no fiercer opponent than Paul Krugman.
Levine sees Krugman's latest NYT column as really a summation of his whole complaint with the way Obama has, in his view, compromised and temporized away the progressive advantage which voters handed him in 2008. Krugman writes:
[T]he roots of current Democratic despond go all the way back to the way Mr. Obama ran for president. Again and again, he defined America’s problem as one of process, not substance — we were in trouble not because we had been governed by people with the wrong ideas, but because partisan divisions and politics as usual had prevented men and women of good will from coming together to solve our problems. And he promised to transcend those partisan divisions. This promise of transcendence may have been good general election politics....But the real question was whether Mr. Obama could change his tune when he ran into the partisan firestorm everyone who remembered the 1990s knew was coming. He could do uplift--but could he fight? So far the answer has been no.
This isn't an usual criticism; as Peter notes, you see it from Sean Wilentz and many other prominent liberals as well. Obama is too much an intellectual, too concerned with social movements and common goods and democracy, too focused on the process, to be able to do what's necessary: namely, the hard, implacable, sometimes vindictive work of calling down ones enemies and fighting back. Some of his critics go so far as to shake their heads: didn't Barack learn anything in Chicago?
For Peter, Obama did learn something: he learned that, fundamentally, "debate wouldn't solve anything," and that "we need to build new relationships--relationships of trust between citizens and the government and among diverse citizens." That, of course, is exactly the sort of pie-in-the-sky, idealistic, civic-republican/communitarian talk which many liberals love to dismiss, so as to better portray themselves as "realists" in the LBJ mode, leaders who will get stuff done. But Peter isn't just throwing this stuff out there as feel-good sop; he's quite intelligently articulating all of the good reasons why there is a distrust which opposing interests and anti-egalitarians of various stripes can feed upon. He lists seven reasons, in fact:
One reason is a natural and healthy distrust of a large and distant federal government. No other diverse, continental-sized country has a central government that has addressed national problems and won broad popular support. The European democracies are far smaller; Russia, India, and China have worse governance problems than we do. Governing from Washington is a tough task.
A second reason is poor results. We devote large amounts of our income to taxes, but because of military spending, wasteful health spending, and misconceived programs like the Farm Bill and the mortgage income deduction, we don't get very good value for our money.
A third reason is distaste for political leaders who appear to squabble and score points rather than cooperate to solve our problems. Krugman wants Democrats to pin the blame for bad policy and obstructionism on Republicans. But Americans hear the counter-charges as well as the charges and decide that they don't want to entrust large amounts of their money to any of these people.
A fourth reason is exclusion from public life. For a generation, we have been replacing democratic participation in public institutions (like schools) with technocratic governance: with efficiency measures, accountability systems, and other tools that ordinary people cannot control.
A fifth reason is "the Big Sort"--our mass migration to enclaves (whether neighborhoods, news sources, or organizations and associations) where we only encounter others who agree with us. The Big Sort lowers trust in government because individuals believe that most other people agree with them, yet the government acts contrary to their values. They underestimate the degree to which we actually disagree with one other. Our opponents, meanwhile, become shadowy enemies motivated by terrible values, instead of flesh-and-blood neighbors with different life experiences.
A sixth reason is the collapse of powerful intermediary organizations, associations with grassroots chapters and national lobbies that once connected people to the policy process. Those associations included fraternal and ethnic clubs, unions, and churches (of which only the evangelical conservative ones remain strong). They gave people a feeling of ownership by multiplying their power.
And a final reason is a terrible process. As long as elections are privately funded, districts are gerrymandered, and legislative procedures are rigged, it doesn't matter who makes what argument or what the people believe who govern us. Policy will be determined by power.
That's the condition of the American democratic polity today: generally speaking, it is 1) too big; 2) debilitated by wasteful, interest-group-driven-and-defended, poorly administrated economic policies; 3) run by politicians who, thanks to our sound-bite media environment and our winner-take-all election systems, communicate in crude and partisan terms; 4) administered mostly by experts and institutions closed to effective popular inputs; 5) balkanized into mutually distrustful (and, for purposes of marketing and scandal-mongering, media-enabled) class- and ideology-based cohorts; 6) suffering from a lack of strong intermediate associations, churches, unions, and other forums that both offered participatory opportunities and routes towards mutually respectful civic identifications; and 7) handicapped by a "democratic" process that is, by and large, lacking in both responsiveness and accountability to the American people.
Now I suppose if your view of democratic politics is of an elitist/pluralist variety--in which you assume that, by and large, the people are not to be trusted with political decisions and/or are not likely to care or know much about politics anyway, and hence giving them occasional choices between well-defined party groups is all "democracy" truly requires--then presumably you likely find much of the foregoing list irrelevant to the "real" questions of governance. But then, if that were the case, then you probably supported Hillary Clinton in the Democratic party primaries back in 2007 and 2008, assuming you voted Democratic at all. For better or worse (and I, unsurprisingly, think it's mostly the former), Obama presented himself and seems fairly committed to a more republican, communitarian, and participatory form of democracy, at that means trying to transform or repair some of those problems listed least, ideally. In practice, even Peter admits that the Obama administration "has tried to negotiate its way to satisfactory policies and explain their merits to the American people, instead of changing the system itself....We need the kind of transformational presidency that Barack Obama promised and that Paul Krugman considered a mistake."
What would that transformation involve, if not a huge, much-needed-though-philosophically-flawed piece of social justice legislation--namely, the Affordable Care Act? Well, I have my own list of nominees: returning more real economic and cultural power to the states, adopting more clearly parliamentarian democratic structures, focusing on what would be necessary to create equal conditions of political participation in localities across the country, making corporations more subject to populist and democratic other words, a grab-bag of social democratic and localist reforms. Many of them may not be workable; many more of them may create all sorts of unforeseen complications, which would mandate continuing compromises, of the sort which Progressive movement, for all it's faults, exemplified. The Progressives have lately emerged as big-state bogeymen, but what they were really about is trying to find a way to deal with the massive, undemocratic power of turn-of-the-century corporations, and return power to the people. They were, in short, the civic reformers of our time. Civic reformers today necessarily will have to take some other shape. Obama and his supporters have, I think, through their legislative efforts, provided part of one possible answer--a communitarian, social welfare one. But the localist component needs to be part of the equation as well. And here we come around to a different vision of democracy, and a level of trust in the people which Krugman doesn't share. Because one thing he'd never be caught dead saying is that the Tea Party might actually have something to contribute to America's civic health. And the truth is, they might. I'm pretty doubtful myself, but stranger things have happened. The civic forest is a much larger, and much more complicated place, than Krugman's smart but limited ferocious left-liberalism allows.
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Tea Party and the TSA
[Cross-posted to Front Porch Republic]
Let's just get the basics out of the way: the new "advanced imaging technology" which the Transportation Security Administration is spreading out at hundreds of airports around the country is a ridiculously invasive, disrespectful, and only dubiously effective way of making certain nobody brings anything remotely suspicious onto an aircraft. For my part, I'm signing up for National Opt-Out Day, at least in principle. No one in my family will be flying anywhere on November 24th, but I will be flying the first week of December--to Hong Kong, no less--and then my whole family will be flying to Hawaii in January. I don't know what sort of embarrassment and delays and possible harassment my wife and I will choose to subject ourselves to, or tolerate our children being subject to, but when I'm on my own, I'm choosing the pat-down. I would far prefer to share the humiliation of being groped in public by a TSA flunky than pose like a criminal to allow someone in an isolated room (no matter what promises the TSA makes regarding privacy) to view my naked body.
I doubt it; what is more likely is that the rhetoric of safety has provided sufficient cover for an ordinary government bureaucracy to treat its business as a mere technical problem, to be solved by continually refining technology and training processes, and of course, by hiring more people and buying more machines. All other concerns fail to register in such an innocently managerial environment. I find myself comparing all this to the enormous--and paranoid--build-up around the White House and other federal buildings and landmarks during the 1990s and early 2000s. Yes, on some level, such berms and barriers and obstacles made these buildings safer...but they also made them uglier, more removed, less accessible. (Not to mention unnecessarily causing traffic headaches up the wazoo, as anyone who remembers how downtown DC physically changed over that decade could tell you.) Is that really a way to show respect to the citizens whose taxes, you know, pay for those buildings? Oh, but of course, that's a question of aesthetics and community and democracy, and when put up against the individual demanding his or her safety, and a government bureaucracy empowered to act on their behalf, such questions have little purchase.
For someone whose sympathies lie on the left side of the political spectrum, I'm not especially worried about the rise of the Tea Party and the Republican sweep in the last election; despite their numbers, I really don't think they're in a position to drive our national government in any particular direction whatsoever, and consequently I expect that the next two years will show Obama engaging in Clinton-style triangulation and the Republican majority in the House putting out brush fires, and little else. It would be nice to see in the TP a genuine drive for the decentralization and redistribution of political power, as opposed to just a simplistic, unprogrammatic demand that the federal government stop exercising so much of it, since in my view, the latter demand only sets the stage for a vacuum regarding health care, or the environment, or labor and business regulations, which private and corporate interests will happily step into. But in regards to the TSA, I'd be delighted to see some "simplistic" refusals--a demand to simply say no to this increasingly ridiculous operation that, however genuine its intentions, has obviously become locked into a way of thinking about airport security that sees the whole matter as a balance between "privacy" and "safety," with all other values--like dignity--being non-quantifiable and therefore irrelevant. Yes, I think it'd be wonderful to see the Tea Party movement turn on the TSA, perhaps if the organization's latest actions can be painted as "unconstitutional" somehow. Let's try to make sure that Glen Beck has to fly on a commercial airline sometime in the near future, and see what he thinks of it all. No doubt he'll find a way to connect it all to an Obama-inspired communist conspiracy, but at least that might mean TSA could find itself facing a serious Congressional inquiry, for once.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Holy Caine, Now There's Two Three of Them
(hat tip: LGM)
I haven't seen The Trip, but after this clip, I'm simply going to have to. As for the Caine impression, Rob Brydon (the first speaker) captures Caine's voice amazingly well, but I'm going to have to give the prize to Steve Coogan (the second speaker), for absolutely nailing Caine's intonation. Man, that was almost scary.
Friday Morning Videos: "Overkill"
Hmm, two whole years of videos to choose from. Juice Newton, or Men at Work? Definitely the latter.
Yes, I know what you're thinking of. Here it is:
I aim to please.
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
A Letter to a Nervous Graduate
This afternoon a student I've never met, but who has heard me speak about politics here at Friends before, wrote me out of the blue, asking me for directions as to where to find helpful information about the country's oncoming financial collapse. She was, very generally, worried about the future--her future, in particular. She wrote:
I'm really interested in politics, but I'm not sure where to turn for good information or how to learn more. All my information comes from Fox News, radio programs, online research, or terribly long-winded lectures from my dad! I feel so helpless in these crazy times and keep hearing that we're headed for a massive dollar crash. I'm graduating in one semester and the future just does not look bright! What would you recommend that I do/read to stay informed and be prepared?
This is what I wrote back. I don't often get to go into Wise Old Counselor mode; I hope I didn't overdo it:
I don’t want to tell you not to trust your father and/or your news sources of choice, but you should be aware that stories about economic catastrophe and political meltdowns are a dime a dozen. I’m not saying it can’t happen, only that there is a desperate, conspiratorial way of viewing the world that some people really indulge in, and I don’t think it’s healthy. We need to be cautious, practical, and responsible with our economic choices, obviously; it’s never a good idea to run up a great deal of personal or consumer debt with no immediate plans in mind to pay for it. But I don’t think you should head into graduation terrified that the car you’re making payments on is nonetheless going to be repossessed tomorrow, or your credit card’s interest rates will jump to 30% a month by May, even though you’re well below your credit limit. I wouldn’t tell you not to pay attention or not to worry--I do, and my family and I are trying to pay down our debt and live frugally and sustain ourselves as much as possible. Times are bad, and it's quite possible that worse times are coming. But I would also tell you that the government and economic structures around you, despite their many flaws and weaknesses, are not nearly so ready to blow up as some people think.
As for news sources, I check many, and so should you. If you really are interested in politics, then don’t restrict yourself to any one source of information, and particularly be suspicious of sources that claim to be “unlocking” or “revealing” the “real story” behind the news. The real story about anything having to do with the government or the economy is almost always a slow, complicated one, in which many political and private actors (politicians, parties, interest groups, businesses, etc.) make deals and hope to move the law or the economy slightly in one direction or another. That sort of story usually isn’t exciting, but it is much more likely to be truthful. So read the New York Times and the Washington Post online, as well as the Wall Street Journal and The Economist--not all of them every day of course (no one has the time for that!), but often enough to get a sense of the range of news out there. And look for unexpected, unconventional new sources as well, like Sojourners, or Mother Jones. Identify different voices that you trust. Look around enough, and you’ll be able to find voices--liberal or conservative, Christian or secular, mainstream or radical, etc.--that you keep coming back to, because they make sense to you.
Trust your instincts. You’re a college graduate; that means you’ve learned how to read seriously and how to think critically. Use those skills to examine the huge range of opinions out there, and don’t trust anyone who says they’ve got it all figured out. Everything, always, takes a long time to figure out, because everything is always changing. Maybe not in regard to God or morality or the people you love and care about; those things are probably pretty stable (or so I hope!). But in regard to international trade and health care and taxes? There will always be something new or different to say about all of those.
Good luck—and take care.
Friday, November 05, 2010
Friday Morning Videos: "Nothing Compares 2 U"
According to my dashboard, this in my 100th Friday Morning Video--done over a period of exactly two years. I don't know how or why exactly it worked out like that, but it did. Cool. Well, anyway, onward and upward. A year ago--and, for that matter, two years ago as well--I shared Go West's "King of Wishful Thinking." But if they had another hit that made it onto the music video circuit, I can't find it. So how about another one from the same year? I can't believe it's taken me so long to get around to this gem.
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
This Ain't No 1994
Despite my promise, I suppose I have something to say about tonight after all--and it's not just a bit of reluctant and conflicted but still undeniable moderate joy at the fact that Harry Reid is apparently still going to be around the U.S. Senate. No this has something to do with something else--a feeling of gratitude, but also concern, that Newt Gingrich isn't the mastermind behind the Republican and Tea Party victories tonight.
As I write this, it looks as though the GOP will end up taking over more than 60 seats in the House--which is more than they won in 1994, when Gingrich became Speaker of the House, having ridden his "Contract with America" throughout the country. But in that same year, the insurgent GOP--pushing back against a Democratic party that had taken control of Congress and the White House--also captured eight Senate seats, taking control of that chamber as well, which will not be the case this year. (That assumes some deal isn't struck to get both Lieberman and Nelson to jump ship to the Republicans, which could happen--but isn't, I think, likely. [Update, 6:13am, CST: With Washington and Colorado breaking for the Democrats in a couple of close, it looks like it wouldn't happen even then.) So that's one difference, but not the biggest one. The biggest one is the environment upon which this election has played out. It is an environment where economic times are much worse than they were in 1994, but which also an environment in which the incumbent Democrats have been far more successful in getting legislation passed. So in other words, this was a year with a lot of free-floating anger and frustration, and a big target in Washington DC to attack.
Which wasn't, if you recall, for those of you who were paying attention and can remember from back then, quite the case in 1994. Bill Clinton won the election in 1992 with much of the same aspirational rhetoric which surrounded Obama when he won two years ago--not to the same degree, of course, but still, there were plenty of similarities. (The fact that Clinton and Obama both road in on a message of "Hope" is only the most obvious example.) But Clinton faced even more bad luck and more Congressional opposition than Obama did. Clinton was going to reform our health care system--it didn't happen. Clinton was going to end the military's policy of court-martialing gay soldiers--instead, he ended up with "don't ask, don't tell." Sure, there was plenty of anger and frustration on the part of the same people who always oppose, for good reasons or bad, liberal and/or progressive government policies (the "Angry White Males," if you remember the parlance of the time), but Clinton just didn't provide them with such a clear target. He was easy to attack as a cultural figure, but not so much in terms of his actually governing of the country. Which is where Gingrich came in. Whatever else you wish to say about the man, he truly wanted to govern. He wanted to take all the angst and anger that he saw and marshal it on behalf of a very specific, intellectually coherent policy agenda. And that's what the Contract with America was: a serious, responsible (that is, internally consistent) agenda of action. And it brought him and the GOP to power, exactly as they intended.
Of course, there are numerous other factors at play distinguishing 2010 from 1994. But I can't help but suspect that the Tea Party wave of today is far more reactive, negative, and oppositional, then anything which the Republicans of sixteen years ago ran on, and that difference speaks to both what this rush of new House and Senate seats will make possible, and what it will not. Everyone knows, generally speaking, what this new crop of conservatives coming to Washington want: they want to tear down, to stop, to freeze that which they see Obama and the Democrats as having built. But how are they they going to do that? What is their plan of action? What, in short, have they contracted with the voters to accomplish? Besides saying "no!," the answer is unclear. And given the fact that ours is a system filled with "veto-points," with ways in which interests can rush in to fill a vaccuum (and don't forget that Democrats have their corporate interests, just as surely as the Republicans do), not having a concrete of who is being invited into the tent and who isn't, is perhaps emblematic of a movement which is perhaps fully respectable in its political passions and ideas, but not so much in its political theory. All of which is just another way of me saying that I think that this particular electoral sea change isn't going to be nearly as effective as the Republicans of the 1990s were in forcing changes and compromises (and, arguably, in some ways, real improvements) from and with the federal government they claimed to oppose. I think that, without a Gingrich, without a platform, but only with a guy in the White House to attack, the new Tea Party majority may find that actually doing something about those laws and polices and expenses they swear to hate will be far more difficult than it appears.
There is a downside to this. Part of the accidental genius of parties and platforms is that you can hold them accountable at elections, as the GOP winners of 1994, and Gingrich himself, were ultimately held accountable by voters. And if tonight's new Republican and Tea Party victors come together around a consistent, presumably thoroughly libertarian (since that is the best way to articulate their general concerns about the size of government, should one desire to express it as an actual platform, as opposed to an emotional state) plan of attack, then voters will be able to follow up, provide support, or take them to task, as time goes on. But if they remain mainly oppositional and leader-less (with all sorts of money in the background making the Tea Party possible, but providing them with little intellectual structure, perhaps because those writing the checks actually just want to see things burned down, rather than, you know, actually changed), then the anger, confusion, and resentment will only increase. I don't want that to happen, because I fear the consequences, and I hope it won't. But if it isn't going to happen, I think tonight's victors need to find their Gingrich. Without such a organizing and focusing agent, far from a Republican Revolution, 2010 may just go down as an electoral spasm, one either soon to be swallowed back into the "liberal America" which 2008 supposedly promised, or to continue on its current, Glenn Beckian path, to who knows what end.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Torn Between Irony and Earnestness
And yet, I also, just what is it, exactly, that we "get done"? Which is why I also felt the power of this:
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0.217564 | <urn:uuid:e10d2842-d53d-4a35-bfdb-0a20feffdeb6> | en | 0.958114 | Main | Thursday, January 02, 2014
Coulter: I Recommend Capital Punishment For Pro-Gay Television Pundits
"We know A&E is not the government. It may shock your tiny little pea brains, but free speech existed even before we had a Constitution. Free speech is generally considered a desirable goal even apart from its inclusion in the nation's founding document. Suppose TV networks were capitulating to angry Muslims by suspending people for saying they opposed Sharia law? Would that prompt any of you pusillanimous hacks to finally take a position on the state of free speech in America? Or would you demand that we stop the presses so you could roll out your little cliche about a television network not being the government? A&E didn't dare cross the gays, never anticipating that the Robertson family wouldn't back down -- and the rest of the country wouldn't, either. Even non-Christians can have only contempt for the network's utter cravenness in suspending Robertson for stating basic Christian doctrine. The first time someone stands up to a bully and the sky doesn't fall, the tyranny is over. The gay mafia was out of control, drunk with power. This time, they got their wings clipped. Christians, 1; Angry gays: minus 1,000. Cliche-spouting hack TV pundits: I recommend capital punishment." - Ann Coulter, writing for Townhall.
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0.033345 | <urn:uuid:e0f73fd8-2567-40ad-9420-78c9086e6f70> | en | 0.950887 | Technological regression: necessity as the mother of invention
In this ongoing essay I chart unexepected and fascinating examples of technological regression in times of shortage and crisis.
Here I provide some weird and wonderful examples of what is known as technological regression. My thoughts on this have been strongly influenced by David Edgerton's highly readable book, The Shock of the Old: Technology and Global History since 1900 (2006), which I read during my undergraduate degree. This BBC interview with David here gives some excellent insights into the book. Since then, I enjoyed many discussions at Imperial about how we can develop and use this approach.
Just as it is not obvious how technologies will be developed or used in the future, it is also not obvious how they have been used in the past. Also, inventions do not simply emerge in a linear, predictable fashion, gracefully upgrading themselves from one advancement to the next. Innovation can be a messy, multi-directional, or even non-directional business. Shortages, sieges, embargos, poverty, natural disasters, wars, and many other things can force people to innovate in interesting ways. Here are some examples, which I shall be updating now and then:
1. The Soviet city of Magnitogorsk in 1936 was remote, suffered severe supply problems, and resources were almost always diverted towards factory building:
Within 600 kilometers of the city there were only two small furniture factories whose production was earmarked for residences. So some people began making their own furniture, a few even using nickel, which for a time was a bit less scarce than wood. [1]
2. A besieged monastery in the south of Spain at the outbreak of civil war in summer 1936:
In the south, near Andújar, a detachment of 1,200 civil guards and Falangists was holding out in the mountain monastery of Santa María de la Cabeza under Captain Cortés. Nationalist pilots devised an original method of dropping fragile supplies. They attached them to live turkeys which descended flapping their wings, thus serving as parachutes which could also be eaten by the defenders. [2]
3. Of course, not all technological regression has to involve machines or gadgets. Techniques can regress too. Having failed to spark the world revolution, and having adopted a rigid, old fashioned military hierarchy, the communists who arrived in Spain were quite different from the revolutionary poets most Spaniards were expecting:
As soon as they arrived, the German communists put up a large slogan in their quarters proclaiming 'We Exalt Discipline', while the French posted precautions against venereal disease ... The International Brigades followed the 5th Regiment in introducing the saluting of officers. 'A salute is a sign that a comrade who has been an egocentric individualist in private life has adjusted to the collective way of getting things done. A salute is proof that our Brigade is on its way from being a collection of well-meaning amateurs to a precision implement for eliminating fascists'. [3]
4. The topical movie Chariots of Fire (1981) depicts many advancements that had been made by the time the 1924 Olympic games came around. This image of the running track, which we have little reason to doubt, suggests that one element of track athletics - in this case the method of lane division - has actually been de-scientised since:
As far as I know, the 1924 Olympics were the first Olympics in which similar lane dividers were used in swimming pools. Unlike the track dividers in the picture above, they're still in use in swimming pools all over the world to this day.
5. In the late 2000s, unskilled Albanian labourers were used to repackage bullets and artillery shells by hand, so that illicit (and sometimes low quality) armaments could be sold as legal and new:
The work involved removing the component parts of the shells from the crates, setting to one side the fuses and projectiles, and then opening the casing, from which the detonators and gunpowder were removed. This was all undertaken in the most primitive way, by hand. The only mechanized equipment at the site was a military bulldozer, which pushed the piles of projectiles towards the nearby field. They filled two fields of about 2,000 square meters. [4]
6. With the ongoing debates over the role of central banks and the Euro, don't forget that methods of exchange can regress too. During the Spanish Civil War, central peseta supplies were so short that rural anarchist collectives issued their own transaction vouchers. In a move reminiscent of present-day debates on localised monies, it is interesting that these coupons relied on trust and could only be redeemed locally:
7. There has been no historical period of technological regression so massive in scale and scope as the collapse of the Roman Empire. As time went forward from c.400-850AD, features of daily life under the Romans such as literacy, law, administration, currency, religion, and even house size appeared to go backwards by hundreds of years.
Decline and Fall: despite much modern-day discussion of relative decline,
some entire civilizations have completely disappeared.
But this process was far from even. As G.M. Trevelyn noted in 1959, the Roman settlements at Bath, Canterbury, Chester, Lincoln, London, and York remained relatively populated due to their proximity to trading channels such as rivers and the already ancient, but sturdy, Roman roads. In contrast:
Silchester, Wroxeter, Verulamium, and many other towns ceased for ever to be inhabited. St Albans stands half a mile from the site of Verulamium, on the other side of the river; it is as though the old side had been purposely avoided. Villas and cities are constantly being dug up out of the ground, in places given over to tillage, pasture, or moor. But for some centuries the Roman ruins must have stood, as familiar a sight as the roofless abbeys under the Stuart Kings, a useful stone quarry sometimes by day, but at night haunted in the imagination of the Saxon peasant by the angry ghosts of the races that his forefathers had destroyed. Fear lest the dead should rise shrouded in their togas, may have been one reason why so many sites were never reoccupied at all. [6]
(c) Michael Weatherburn (November 2011-October 2013)
References (so far):
[1] Steven Kotkin, Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as a Civilization (London: University of California Press, 1997), p.271. My thanks to Matthew Paskins of UCL for reminding me of this example.
[2] Antony Beevor, The Battle For Spain: The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 (London: Phoenix, 2007 edn.), p.138.
[3] Ibid., pp.180-1.
[4] Andrew Feinstein, The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade (London: Hamish Hamilton, 2011), p.350.
[5] Diego Abad de Santillan, 'A Note on the Difficult Problems of Reconstruction' in Sam Dolgoff (ed), The Anarchist Collectives: Workers' Self-Management in the Spanish Revolution, 1936-1939 (New York: Free Life Editions, 1974), p.72.
[6] G.M. Trevelyn, A Shortened History of England (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1959), p.46.
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I just want to scoop him up and protect him from this triflin ass world
I want people who say it’s not that big of a deal to look a bunch of black kids like him in the eye and answer that question, why can’t he see someone like him as a hero?
where is this from??????
The new S.H.I.E.L.D. show.. It’s decent
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Motoi Yamamotos Incredible Saltscapes
There’s also a beautiful book by Motoi that showcases some of his art called Return to the Sea: Saltscapes by Motoi Yamamoto.
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0.025228 | <urn:uuid:e46db261-f801-49c8-bb9e-605276c783de> | en | 0.927061 | Submitted by -Mezzo- 467d ago | opinion piece
Third Party Publishers Worry About Wii U Sales Figures
Forbes - Nintendo ‘s Wii U has struggled since launch and now third-party game publishers are starting to worry. (Wii U)
David88Corn + 467d ago
Dreamcast all over again?
Omegaman 467d ago | Spam
mewhy32 + 467d ago
Well let's not forget that game developers are in the business to make money. If they are developing a game for a console that isn't selling well then they don't make money right? Nintendo needs to come up with a way to get their console moving off shelves and into people's homes. That will settle the minds of the developers.
PSjesus + 467d ago
Unlike WiiU the fail of Saturn and SEGA CD was the reason for developer to stay away from DC,WiiU killed by low quality first party games and last gen technology they got lucky with wii gimmick but touch screen isnt
Concertoine + 467d ago
Dreamcast had great 3rd party support given the circumstances. I mean the thing has 700+ games (almost double the n64 and more than the gamecube) and it was only relevant for like 2 years. Just because EA didnt support it doesnt mean it had bad support.
3-4-5 + 467d ago
Mario Kart 8 = 5 million sold
Super Mario 3D World = 3 million
Super Smash Brothers = 4-6 Million
Legend of Zelda U = 5+ million
All these games will sell systems. There are other games that we don't even know about that will also help sell the system. It's just going to be a late starter like the PS3 is, except easier to dev for, so once it picks up, it will pick up fast.
The Wii U is only selling like 200,000 units less than the PS3 was at this same time after release.
Give it some time.
deafdani + 467d ago
Not likely.
killerips 467d ago | Spam
CalamityCB + 467d ago
Jesus Christ, if your a developer and realize there are not a lot of third party games being released, THEN RELEASE ONE. It's a perfect time to release a games as what else will WiiU gamers play?
kayoss + 467d ago
The problem with your idea is that if developers release a new game for the Wii U and it doesnt sell, then they will lose a lot of money. This is what all this debate is about. The only thing that keep the Wii U going is their first party games, but the problem is that Wii U adoption are so low that they are not making any profits.
Hopefully the new Monster Hunter will help push the Wii U sales.
If they are struggling now, how can they compete against PS4 and XBox One when they are released. The question need to be answered is, Will Developer spend the time to optimize games meant for the PS4 and XboxOne and port it to the Wii U?
#3.1 (Edited 467d ago ) | Agree(0) | Disagree(1) | Report | Reply
Donnieboi + 467d ago
Umm, have u actually read the article?
PopRocks359 + 466d ago
It's a double-edged sword. Which third party games have sold well on Wii U? Zombi U did okay-ish (around 500k I believe) and Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed initially sold most on Wii U across all platforms.
Keeping this in mind, Black Ops 2 apparently did not do well nor did any of the other big names like Assassin's Creed. Yeah Wii U needs content, but even the ports that were not so bad wound up not selling. It's a shame, I agree but what developer is going to risk losing that much money?
Trago1337 + 467d ago
Maybe if they advertise the gamepad features, the consumer might make sense of it.
Dj7FairyTail + 467d ago
maybe if they put the same amount of effort and money into the Wii U version we will buy em
Trago1337 + 467d ago
That too haha. But advertising really helps too.
Brasi1989 + 467d ago
Truer words have not been said.*
*In this articles comments.
Omegaman 467d ago | Spam
PigPen + 467d ago
I am not worried about games on Nintendo console. Since when have a Nintendo console not receive any third party support. Nintendo may not get all third party but they will always get some. That make more room for Nintendo first party games to sell on its own hardware. If a average Wii U owner isn't all that worried, why are they.
shibster88 + 467d ago
No way in hell will the ps3 outsell the ps4 not a chance its next gen it will sell more because people want an upgrade.
shibster88 + 467d ago
Omegaman you said that the wii u will sell more than all the other consoles this hoilday season are you high or drunk must be one of them, wii u would be lucky to come 6th place with console sales, when the ps4 hits ps vita will go up in sales a heep load.
kayoss + 467d ago
Sony would be smart to have a PS4 bundled with the PS Vita. I have two PS vitas (one for the wife and one for myself). If SOny offer a bundle at a good price, i will drop the money to get a third Vita! I will wait a while for the xbox One to see how it plays out.
Currently my Wii U is sitting at home un-touched for the last 2 months (I unplugged). I won it through a raffle and gave it to my wife. She's a hardcore Mario fan and so far she didnt even bother finishing the new Mario game. Stating that, "Its the same crap over and over again". But i had a blast with Zombie U tho, but it got old pretty quickly.
#8.1 (Edited 467d ago ) | Agree(2) | Disagree(4) | Report | Reply
PigPen + 467d ago
I'm sorry, the Vita is dead. The PS4 doesn't have that star power demand to bring the Vita back to life. Wii U and 3DS bundles for Black Friday will sell. I looking for a 3DS bundle to get myself for this holiday season. Sony is not king of the world, if that was true they wouldn't be in the situation that they are in.
kayoss + 466d ago
why in hell will the Wii U be bundle with the 3DS?? The Wii U already have its own screen whats the point of having a 3DS bundle?
Have you seen the weekly sales report lately my friend? yes the PS vita is not selling like the 3DS, but it consistently outselling the Wii U every week even the damn PSP is outselling the Wii U. If anything, the Wii U is dying a slow death. I hope not tho but at the rate that its going its not looking good.
_QQ_ + 467d ago
Sony will be lucky if their stocks don't go from Junk to disgusting heap of trash, WiiU will Sell the most come xmas :D
Dj7FairyTail + 467d ago
Nintendo Fans aren't stupid.
PigPen + 467d ago
Save the insults, we don't have to like what you like. Nintendo makes some of the best games ever. You are talking crazy.
Dj7FairyTail + 467d ago
I am talking about Third Party not not Nintendo.
I am a Nintendo Fan.
Firan + 467d ago
Hopefully Nintendo's upcoming games will sell the system so it gets more support.
StraightedgeSES + 467d ago
It would have sold better if 3Rd party devs released new games instead of old ports.
Concertoine + 467d ago
Im sure the system will find its place by christmas next year. Me personally, ps4 and wii u all the way :P. I think the wii u will be my main console at least until the end of 2014 because at the moment it has more games coming im interested in.
Crillvirus81 + 466d ago
Say what you want wii u wii be the best selling console this holiday disagree if you want..they have a line up that's not to be played with they all sell millions unlike the other company's that hope to sell a million.. And if 3rd party's can't see that there stupid please name me a game that's going to sell millions and move units like Mario or donkey kong or Zelda lol ...and we all know there's going to be a price drop right before the other 2 release there consoles ....which will light up sales
BuffMordecai + 466d ago
Wii U and Vita owners feel the same pain regarding third party support.
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0.109192 | <urn:uuid:9d78682c-55f8-4698-a459-f05702c7ec05> | en | 0.984408 | There's a red fox living on the grounds of the White House. The elusive critter has called the presidential residence home since last fall, and no one's been able to catch him. WSJ's Carol Lee reports from Washington, D.C.
He also has pointy ears and a bushy tail.
The fox lacks the deference typically exhibited by White House guests. He tore through the White House garden when it was left unattended during the shutdown. He graduated to tripping alarms in the middle of the night, napping wherever he pleases and generally living the high life on a campus overseen by dozens of highly trained Secret Service agents.
Even President Barack Obama was stunned, aides say, when he looked outside the Oval Office one morning to see the fox running down the same open-air colonnade along the Rose Garden that has been traversed by American presidents and world dignitaries for the past century.
No one can catch the fox, although it isn't for lack of trying. White House groundskeepers bought a handful of metal traps and scattered them around the complex, with no success. The idea of shooting him was never considered, officials say. Instead, the crew that tends the grounds at the White House spent hours plotting to lure him into the traps with rotting hunks of chicken, so they could relocate him some 3 miles south to a park along the Potomac River.
"We don't mind that he passes through, but we don't want him to stay," said Dale Haney, the superintendent of the White House grounds, who has worked in the 18-acre park since 1972. "No overnight guests."
For many people who work at the White House, the fox is a myth. Few have seen him and only one staff photograph is known to exist. Reporters spotted him in February, trotting across the South Lawn moments before Mr. Obama landed there in Marine One.
Josh Earnest, a deputy White House press secretary, saw him at night late last fall. Mr. Earnest was leaving the West Wing from a side entrance onto a closed street when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye.
"I thought it was a cat," he said. "But then as I focused on it, it was clear it was much bigger than a cat." The fox looked at him, moved between some cars and jumped the fence to the South Lawn.
"I was like, 'Oh I should take a picture. This is crazy. There is a fox at the White House,' " Mr. Earnest said. "And he was gone."
Danielle Crutchfield, the White House director of scheduling and advance, had better luck. She was leaving the White House one evening late last summer when she saw the fox snoozing in the bushes. She got about 10 feet from him and snapped a photo. "It just woke up and looked at me," she said. "Any normal fox may have been a little nervous and ran away, but he didn't seem fazed by me at all."
She added: "I haven't seen it since."
Mr. Haney and his team first spotted the fox in a small garden next to the tennis courts last summer. It was around 7 a.m. They followed him up the driveway to the president's putting green. "He was marking everything really heavily," Mr. Haney recalled. "Lifting his leg, leaving his scent."
The White House hosts plenty of wildlife, but a fox was unusual enough that Mr. Haney made a note of it. He had a group of eight groundskeepers spend about 45 minutes each morning checking ivy beds and poking around in shrubs to look for dens or any signs of nesting. They didn't find any. The hunt has subsided, although traps remain. Some think there is more than one fox, although Mr. Haney said there is no evidence of that, either.
Secret Service officials won't provide details of alarms the fox has set off and how they have had to respond. "We can't discuss the alarms and capabilities," said Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie. "But we also have cameras that monitor that stuff."
A red fox runs across the South Lawn at the White House in February. Getty Images
When George H.W. Bush was president, staff in the residence started noticing the slow disappearance of goldfish in a small pond on the president's private patio adjacent to his study. They discovered raccoons were coming in at night and nabbing the fish. The pond was covered with chicken wire.
To save President Richard Nixon from the mating calls of starlings nesting along the White House windows, Mr. Haney said residence staff would stand under the windows at dusk banging trash-can lids together to keep the birds from settling in. Eventually they installed a system that emitted quieter noises to deter them.
During the Clinton administration, a handful of deer, including several bucks, jumped over the fence along the North Lawn and temporarily made the White House and neighboring Treasury Department their home. Mother mallard ducks can be seen taking their babies to swim in the fountain on the South Lawn. The ducklings don't always last long, however, often becoming prey to crows and other large birds in the White House trees.
Smokey the gray cat seems to have hung around the White House the longest. Smokey was a sad-looking stray with a missing tail. He spent years wandering around the lawns, living off tuna fish from sympathetic White House aides. He died last year of old age.
A red fox is less of a pet. With a sleek coat of burnt orange fur, they are typically about 3 feet long, 2 feet tall and weigh up to 15 pounds. They will eat fruit—that is why first lady Michelle Obama's garden is a target—but prefer rodents and other small animals.
The fox, or perhaps his doppelgänger, seems to be making his way around Washington power houses. Jeffrey Goldberg, a foreign-policy columnist, tweeted last week: "Just saw an actual fox outside the State Department. Kind of just looking around."
Write to Carol E. Lee at | http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/SB10001424052702304512504579491822429006440-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwODExNDgyWj | dclm-gs1-437425528 | false | false | {
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0.031766 | <urn:uuid:38242b87-afcb-405e-b50f-4f0588fcdd11> | en | 0.951299 | Mongol Empire rode wave of mild climate, says study
Mar 10, 2014
New research suggests that unusual weather aided the rise of the Mongol empire in the 1200s. Many modern Mongolians live as their ancestors did -- but climate change may finally drive them off their land. Credit: Kevin Krajick/Earth Institute, Columbia University
"Before fossil fuels, grass and ingenuity were the fuels for the Mongols and the cultures around them," said lead author Neil Pederson, a tree-ring scientist at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. "Energy flows from the bottom of an ecosystem, up the ladder to human society. Even today, many people in Mongolia live just like their ancestors did. But in the future, they may face serious conditions."
In the late 1100s, the Mongol tribes were racked by disarray and internal warfare, but this ended with the sudden ascendance of Genghis (also known as Chinggis) Khan in the early 1200s. In just a matter of years, he united the tribes into an efficient horse-borne military state that rapidly invaded its neighbors and expanded outward in all directions. Genghis Khan died in 1227, but his sons and grandsons continued conquering and soon ruled most of what became modern Korea, China, Russia, eastern Europe, southeast Asia, Persia, India and the Mideast. The empire eventually fragmented, but the Mongols' vast geographic reach and their ideas—an international postal system, organized agriculture research and meritocracy-based civil service among other things—shaped national borders, languages, cultures and human gene pools in ways that resound today. Genghis Khan's last ruling descendants ran parts of central Asia into the 1920s.
Annual tree rings vary in relation to moisture and temperature, and can be read like a book. Study co-leader Neil Pederson of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory takes a cross section from a dead tree that may be well over 1,000 years old. Credit: Kevin Krajick/Earth Institute, Columbia University
In a series of expeditions, Pederson, Hessl and colleagues sampled the pines' rings, sawing cross-sections from dead specimens, and removing harmless straw-like cores from living ones. They found that some trees had lived for more than 1,100 years, and likely could survive another millennium; even dead trunks stayed largely intact for another 1,000 years before rotting. One piece of wood they found had rings going back to about 650 B.C. These yearly rings change with temperature and rainfall, so they could read past weather by calibrating ring widths of living trees with instrumental data from 1959-2009, then comparing these with the innards of much older trees. The trees had a clear and startling story to tell. The turbulent years preceding Genghis Khan's rule were stoked by intense drought from 1180 to 1190. Then, from 1211 to 1225—exactly coinciding with the empire's meteoric rise—Mongolia saw sustained rainfall and mild warmth never seen before or since.
"The transition from extreme drought to extreme moisture right then strongly suggests that climate played a role in human events," said Hessl. "It wasn't the only thing, but it must have created the ideal conditions for a charismatic leader to emerge out of the chaos, develop an army and concentrate power. Where it's arid, unusual moisture creates unusual plant productivity, and that translates into horsepower. Genghis was literally able to ride that wave." (Each Mongol warrior had five or more horses, and ever-moving herds of livestock provided nearly all food and other resources. The rest probably depended on the Mongols' brilliant cavalry skills, smart political maneuvering and savvy adaptions of urbanized peoples' technologies.)
"This last big drought is an example of what may happen in the future, not just in Mongolia but in a lot of inner Asia," said Pederson. "The heat is a double whammy—even if rainfall doesn't change, the landscape is going to get drier."
More rainfall means more grass, which would mean more war horses for Mongol cavalry. Ecologist Byambasurem Oyunsanaa plots plant abundance on the modern steppe. Credit: Kevin Krajick/Earth Institute, Columbia University
The researchers "make a compelling argument that climate played a role in facilitating the Mongol migration," said David Stahle, a paleoclimatologist at the University of Arkansas who has studied the mysterious disappearance of the English Roanoke colony off North Carolina, coinciding with what tree rings show was a disastrous drought. "But," said Stahle, "we live in a sea of coincidence—something like that is hard to prove. There could be a lot of other factors. They've provided an incredibly important climate record, and put the idea out there, so it will stimulate a lot of historical and archeological research."
Explore further: Recent decades likely wettest in four millennia in Tibet
More information: "Pluvials, Droughts, the Mongol Empire and Modern Mongolia,"
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2.3 / 5 (6) Mar 10, 2014
But, but...this study says it gotten wetter in Tibet in recent times.
Tree rings by themselves cannot determine whether enhanced growth is because the climate has gotten warmer or wetter.
3.5 / 5 (6) Mar 10, 2014
Keep in mind Tibet is about 1300 miles southeast of Mongolia. About the distance between Death Valley and Portland.
2.3 / 5 (3) Mar 11, 2014
The main take away from this study is that climate change is the norm - both in historic as well as geologic timeframes - and long before there were SUVs. | http://phys.org/news/2014-03-mongol-empire-rode-mild-climate.html | dclm-gs1-437545528 | false | false | {
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0.118996 | <urn:uuid:2071f2a3-423a-4ec5-908e-76690e59cb28> | en | 0.673554 | Procure por qualquer palavra, como eiffel tower:
When you are feeling too lazy to sweep and then mop, so you just mop, and skip the sweeping
The boy wanted to be out of work early, so he decided to wetsweep the floor to save time.
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0.062943 | <urn:uuid:5dd84915-3e7f-4528-afad-ebbf09ac2b2e> | en | 0.947613 | Thursday, November 15, 2012
Fixing Illegal Immigration
For John, BLUFHave you ever stumbled across the fact that the way we treat Mexican citizens is a lot more open than the way they treat our citizens. Nothing to see here; just move along.
I had been mulling over in my mind a radical solution to illegal immigration from Mexico, but I waited too long and Roger Kimball basically beat me to it.
As we know, from our Commonwealth's Attorney General, "it isn't illegal to be illegal in Massachusetts". So, lets make it that way across the US and Mexico.
You can click on the link to see the Roger Kimball plan. My plan is more formal. I would have House Majority Leader Eric Cantor introduce legislation authorizing and directing the Administration to open negotiations with the Government of Mexico to provide reciprical rights for citizens with an open border. Examples called forth would include rights concerning ownership of property and employment rights. They should be the same for citizens of each nation in the other nation. There should be reciprical accommodations with regard to government interactions, to include having forms in both languages. With regard to education, residence, as opposed to citizenship, should determine tuition and fees, on either side of the border. Both nations would agree to provide special language assistance for students from the other nation.
Regarding voting, it would be based on citizenship. One's right to vote would be based upon where one was born, until one changed one's citizenship. The Eric Cantor Bill would provide that citizenship change would be based upon ten years continuing residence in the other nation (with exceptions for reasonable vacations and family visits), the passing of a citizenship test, and a renunciation of one's previous citizenship (i.e., no dual citizenship).
Having dealt with Mexico, we could then turn to the problem of illegal immigrants from Ireland.
Hat tip to the InstaPundit.
Regards — Cliff
1 comment:
kad barma said...
Kimball's snarky excess is more than a bit offensive, but your suggestions are quite reasonable. We have a labor arbitrage problem solved best to our advantage by allowing the labor to flow here, instead of the jobs in the other direction. (Such workers spend their wages here, pay payroll and other taxes here, etc.) Complaints that businesses should "hire 'Americans'", beside being more than a bit offensive, fly in the face of the reality that US citizens reject the jobs that immigrant workers embrace. This is a win/win proposal. Where do I sign the petition? | http://right-side-of-lowell.blogspot.com/2012/11/fixing-illegal-immigration.html | dclm-gs1-437765528 | false | false | {
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0.019933 | <urn:uuid:a293fc20-ae4f-46e5-90d7-6d53de28cabd> | en | 0.939694 | Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you
There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.
deanpendragon: #notice that merlin is standing in the back of the room #behind the knights and the councilmen and whoever else #and yet still #he is who arthur looks to #the king looks past everyone who should be of importance to him and the kingdom #to share a look with his servant. #that is all goodbye cruel world #a once and future love
This really is every representation debate in sci-fi and fantasy ever.
"We can’t have people of color in this story - its in the middle ages."
Imagining dragons and elves and hobbits is fine, but imagining a world not inhabited entirely by white people? That would be unrealistic.
This was such a good episode.
DS9 was so fucking good.
this makes me happier than you will ever know
What were you reading?
"The Princess is everything Luke wants to be. She is socially conscious, whereas he is thrown into things; intellectually, she is a strong leader, and he is just a kid."
- George Lucas
People often talk about how Han influenced Luke, but we should also look at how Leia influenced Luke.
(via apolla-savre)
I’ve always really liked this idea—that they’re the exact same age, but their different lives have given them very different levels of maturity, and Luke is envious, but fascinated, and idolizes her a bit.
(via another-skywalker)
It’s kind of weird to think of Han as being a big influence compared to Leia. I mean, yes, they were close. But it’s made reasonably obvious that close male friends aren’t something Luke’s ever lacked. If anything, I’d say they’re mutually influential. Han’s experience and training help temper Luke’s youth and inexperience, and his cynicism demands that Luke account for his own faith. Luke, in turn, cracks Han’s shell with hope and faith, and his earnest belief that Han can be better than what he’s let himself become won’t let him crawl back into the hole he’s dug for himself.
But Leia?
I mean, come on. Luke’s got these vague intentions to run away and do…something. He’s dissatisfied with his home life, he’s dissatisfied with the future he sees for himself, and he resents, in an equally vague way, the expectations of his family. He thinks of joining the rebellion because he’s romanticized it. He thinks of going to the academy because it’s anywhere but where he’s at. All of his ambitions amount to this sort of nebulous, Anything But What I Have aspiration. He goes running after Kenobi on the strength of a shitty, recorded hologram because it seems exciting. He has no real idea about what this sort of mission would entail, or cost, or achieve. It’s an Adventure, and he’s bored.
Then he meets Leia, and she’s literally everything he ever had some mindless daydream about being. Only instead of being a cardboard cut-out hero in some story he’s using to distract himself from a shitty frontier subsistence-farmer life, she’s a real person who’s actually fucking doing it. She’s a leader. She’s a fighter. She’s risking life and limb for a cause she completely and utterly understands and absolutely believes in. This isn’t some thing she ran away to do because she got sick of being a princess and a senator. People look up to her, and follow her, and obey her, because she’s spent her life earning it.
He’s looking around and going “Empire bad? We blow up ships?” and she’s going “Here’s ten political treatises on why the Empire needs to go, here are the details of troop movements and expected reinforcements and supply lines for the upcoming battle, and here are the family photos of everybody in the next ten systems that are going to get stomped into bloody paste in retaliation if we fail here.” He finds her, and within five minutes she’s gone from the princess he’s rescuing because that’s what action heroes do to the person he needs to emulate if he’s ever going to make something of himself.
(via stuckinabucket)
somebody you didn’t know likes star trek says they like star trek
merlin fandom rn
merlin fandom yesterday
merlin fandom tomorrow
merlin fandom forever
Voyager - First & Last | http://saladriel.tumblr.com/ | dclm-gs1-437835528 | false | false | {
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0.026 | <urn:uuid:abd86938-b25d-4858-a049-bb8aa9e02362> | en | 0.89436 |
Well it wouldn’t be an unpaid internship in the 2014 if the bosses upstairs didn’t have me doing a listicle, so I’m proud to present to you a new feature: The Savage Minds Rundown. Every week, I’ll be bringing you an informative list of items that I think you should be paying attention to, if you want to impress your colleagues. This week, I bring you the top 11 big thinkers that you, as an anthropologist, should be reading right now.
You won’t believe who’s on this list. Number seven nearly stopped my heart! Without further ado:
1. David Brooks has cracked the culture of poverty.brooks
2. Amy Chua is practically the MacArthur Genius of figuring out why some races are better than others.chua
3. Nicholas Kristof has a clear line-of-sight over academia and professors, and has time and again made genius prescriptions for the betterment of our careers.kristof
4. Elaine Morgan is doing groundbreaking work in human evolution that finally explains why my fingers wrinkle when I take long baths.morgan
5. Nicholas Wade offers us a unique and timely 21st century perspective of the role that genetics plays in human biocultural diversity.wade
6. Richard Dawkins has this cool new idea called “memes” in which he supposes that cultural practices behave like genes.dawkins
7. Jared Diamond has time traveled all the way to Papua New Guinea to see how our ancestors lived.diamond
8. Steven Pinker is the authority on determining the behavior of human ancestors by how Americans behave.pinker
9. Thomas Friedman is a leading authority on Islamic history and thought.friedman
10. Paul Ryan doesn’t have a degree in social science, but he has somehow figured out why black people are poor without relying on theoretical frameworks like structural racism.ryan
11. Ted Cruz is a fountain of knowledge and insight on women’s bodies, sexuality, and gender studies and uses that wisdom for the good of his constituents.cruz
(Edit 04.01.2014 @ 09:01EST: I’ve added some links to each person’s monumental achievements on behalf of anthropology.)
15 thoughts on “11 Cutting-Edge Thinkers That Anthropologists Should Be Paying Attention to Right Now!
1. But let us take similar perspectives on the thinkers that LOOK good.
By the way can you imagine Cruz losing his sheen and being ‘old’?
2. Most of the people on this list would probably tell you that the lack of women in a list of “Big Thinkers” must surely indicate that men have some sort of innate ability that that allows them to “think bigger” than women. Also, it’s April Fools Day.
3. I am aghast that you would leave off Malcolm Gladwell. Hang your head in shame, sir!
4. Are you kidding with Amy Chua on the list? No disrespect but it sounds like a bad joke.
Comments are closed. | http://savageminds.org/2014/04/01/11-cutting-edge-thinkers-that-anthropologists-should-be-paying-attention-to-right-now/ | dclm-gs1-437845528 | false | false | {
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0.332877 | <urn:uuid:754e7365-1070-49b8-9cd9-24332481536f> | en | 0.883634 | SEO News
Measurement Analytics Solution
1. Cross-Device Measurement: Believe the Hype
As multi-device consumption becomes the standard for consumers, marketers need to clearly understand mobile measurement and the analytics available to stay ahead of the curve. Why Cross-Device Measurement Matters
2. Driving Consumer Insights With Mobile Analytics
In-App Measurement in Google Analytics On the web analytics side the web measurement model is really centered around things like pageviews referrals, search, visits, etc.whereas, on the mobile side the measurement model is less about referrals and...
3. How to Create a Social Media Editorial Calendar
Measurement: Watching the results in growth and also what is popular in content via tools such as Google Analytics will give you valuable information for future editorial ideas. Microsoft Excel: This is the trusted standby and go-to solution that...
5. Top 10 Web Analytics Myths… Dispelled
Don’t get me wrong, Avinash is brilliant, but none of the experts in analytics know your business well enough to provide a plug-and-play measurement strategy. There are several reasons why free software is never the best solution. | http://searchenginewatch.com/topic/measurement_analytics_solution | dclm-gs1-437905528 | false | false | {
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0.046066 | <urn:uuid:29fff63b-0ca2-4998-aa8a-1e8eb5aeee25> | en | 0.937748 | SEO News
Public Access Television
Since Twitter is open and public, it acts as television’s backchannel filled with real-time commentary and conversation – And it’s not just about TV series but also TV commercials giving producers and marketers instant feedback about their content.
CBS Television; the CNET division of CBS has almost the exclusive distribution of things like LimeWire, Kazaa, Morpheus, BitTorrent, etc. One huge problem with COICA was that if you knew the IP address of the site you wanted to access, you could...
Television Broadcasters At issue originally were four YouTube videos, which were ruled "insulting" to the republic's founder Mustafa Kernal Atatürk, so access to the site was blocked. Benefits of .technology to individuals, businesses and public...
Print publications and television networks are under state control and cannot cover many controversial issues. Jin Liwen, the technology analyst, came of age in China just as Internet access was becoming available and wrote her thesis at M.I.T.on...
5. Welcome to Your Google-Branded Life
Gaming devices, the Apple TV and Vudu offer the ability to access YouTube on your television. Finally, at the office you turn on your Chrome OS-powered notebook, which provides access to company information using Google Apps.
6. Social Media Madness - The Final Four
Key losses: Hulu and others will prove to be stiff competition in the future as all television and entertainment content moves online. It's used to store bookmarks online, which allows you to access the same bookmarks from any computer and add... | http://searchenginewatch.com/topic/public_access_television | dclm-gs1-437915528 | false | false | {
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0.116679 | <urn:uuid:355565e0-8786-44bb-a028-caa70feeb909> | en | 0.931382 | Save Money With DIY Phone Wiring
RHEL useradd Syntax
Unlike other flavors of UNIX, RHEL does not have a command like adduser which walks you through the process step-by-step, so you have to remember the four flags useradd requires, and in what order it expects to receive them. Since I don’t manually add users unless I’m installing a new server, I don’t run the command enough to remember the syntax… It’s basically the same as it is on Solaris.
useradd -g group -c 'User Name' -d /path/to/home/directory -s /bin/bash username
The iPhone is Still Not Quite There
Example LINUX init Script
From time to time, people want me to create LINUX init scripts for them. I usually just take an existing one for another service and change it up to work for my new application, but most of them have become so long these days that I end up having to hack out a ton of code just to reduce them down to the very basic script I need. I decided to create this very simple template so I wouldn’t have to keep trimming down the more complex scripts that one tends to find in /etc/init.d these days.
This script is chkconfig compatible, so call it the name of your new service and put it in /etc/init.d
The chkconfig: 235 section indicates the the default runlevels. For instance, if we called this script /etc/init.d/new-service and ran chkconfig new-service on, it would be active in runlevels 2,3 and 5.
The 98 and 55 numbers indicate the order of startup and kill. This means that using this tag, the startup symbolic link would be named S98new-service and the symbolic link to kill the process would be named K55new-service.
#### SNIP ####
#! /bin/sh
# Basic support for IRIX style chkconfig
# chkconfig: 235 98 55
case "$1" in
echo -n "Starting new-service"
#To run it as root:
#Or to run it as some other user:
echo "."
echo -n "Stopping new-service"
#To run it as root:
#Or to run it as some other user:
/bin/su - username -c /path/to/command/to/stop/new-service
echo "."
echo "Usage: /sbin/service new-service {start|stop}"
exit 1
exit 0
#### /SNIP ####
Obviously change all instances of “new-service” to the name of your actual service… Enjoy!
Bash For loop Example
Registering Solaris CLARiiON Hosts With QLA 2310 HBAs
Sun Microsystems likes the QLA 2310 Fiber Channel HBA. It’s only a 2Gig card, but it works with the Sun native driver, which makes it wonderful for us Solaris Administrators. Unfortunately, it does not integrate perfectly with EMC CLARiiON SANs because it does not register properly with Navasphere. Even if you manually register the host, the LUNs will not be presented to the host because the agent can’t pass commands to the array.
To remedy this situation on my Solaris 8 host, I used the following procedure:
Edit the /etc/system file and add the following line:
set fcp:ssfcp_enable_auto_configuration=1
Next, I rebooted my Solaris host with the “-r” flag:
reboot -- -r
Next I checked Navisphere to make sure my paths have logged in. They were, so I logged into the Solaris host and ran the following commands:
I then saw the storage that was presented to my host. Finally, I restarted the Navisphere agent and started using my new LUNs.
Brattleboro Selectmen Ban Public Nudity
| http://spiralbound.net/blog/2007/07/ | dclm-gs1-438075528 | false | false | {
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0.26735 | <urn:uuid:41f23003-2c18-47d2-a672-a85309765a79> | en | 0.871261 | Take the 2-minute tour ×
At the moment my Mail.app under Mac OS 10.7 shows the plaintext part of every e-mail by default and I have to switch to HTML view manually. Is there a way to have HTML as the default viewing option?
share|improve this question
Cannot reproduce. Have you tried to temporarily reset Mail's preferences by moving the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Mail.plist to see whether that helps? – Daniel Beck Jul 23 '11 at 18:27
That worked a treat. You should probably add this as an answer since we haven't found an actual way of doing it. – Alexey Blinov Jul 24 '11 at 11:11
If you restore the previous preferences file, it occurs again? If so, could you provide the output of defaults read com.apple.Mail in Terminal? – Daniel Beck Jul 24 '11 at 11:13
2 Answers 2
up vote 0 down vote accepted
Try to reset Mail's preferences by quitting Mail, removing the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.Mail.plist and launching Mail again. Unfortunately, this will also reset pretty much everything else in Mail.
share|improve this answer
Enter the following in the terminal, worked for me:
defaults write com.apple.mail PreferPlainText -bool FALSE
share|improve this answer
Your Answer
| http://superuser.com/questions/314002/how-to-view-e-mails-in-html-by-default-in-mail-app-in-lion/314382 | dclm-gs1-438135528 | false | false | {
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0.021501 | <urn:uuid:2f973e09-f39a-4621-88f6-cbab73299807> | en | 0.954825 | Why I Love Neal, part XX
Jeez, what could have possibly happened?
News from Iran:
Mystery Surrounds Fordow Blast
Paging Mossad to the white courtesy phone, please…
via Ace
A nifty way to contact your congresscritter-
…and all the rest of your so-called ‘representatives’. Ruger makes it easy. I had already done this through the NRA, but a little extra reminder never hurts; I suspect those folk have extremely short attention spans.
Speaking of the NRA, you should join- they aren’t perfect but right now, if you own or wish to own a gun in the future, they’re pretty much the only friend (with any juice) that you have. $25 is a small investment.
Ruger link via The Blogfather
Semi-relevant Serenity Quote
“There has been no war here. It was the Pax. The G23 Paxilon hydrochloride acid that we added to the air processors. It was supposed to calm the population, weed out aggression. Well it worked. The people here stopped fighting, and then they stopped everything else. They stopped going to work, they stopped breeding, talking, eating. There’s 30 million people here and they all just let themselves die.” | http://technochitlins.com/wordpress/?cat=19 | dclm-gs1-438175528 | false | false | {
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0.075347 | <urn:uuid:1c616678-3add-4ab3-b3a8-294e9d150931> | en | 0.65059 |
Create your own wall, sign in free!
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What else is happening...?
Min 61. Primer cambio en el Barça. Se va @neymarjr y entra Sandro #FCBlive #UCL
Laughter #bungacitralestari #bcl #christianbautista #backstage
Perrita encontrada hoy 21/10 en NICARAGUA Y THAMES, PALERMO esta muy asustada y busca a su familia,por favor difundir
Retweeted by Pau Chaves
Oppo akan hadirkan perangkat virtual reality akhir Oktober? ->… via @GadgetGaul
What a great performance by our incredibly talented friends @littlebigtown! | http://twiends.com/ibagumi/-dir | dclm-gs1-438405528 | false | false | {
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0.99996 | <urn:uuid:3f82a98e-073e-4265-b2d4-2afa7c4ca974> | en | 0.862548 | (Source: thedeviltopay)
(Source: elsa-eisenberg)
Why is it everytime there's a fight and black people around they start howling like monkeys in a jungle? Dead ass every time.
Why every time a white guy gets grounded he shoots up his school? every time
(Source: fuckyeahitsdomi)
(Source: negativealx)
Who's ritz?
Rytz* like da cracker. She dis wild af zoo animal lesbian gurl who’m I call my best friend. LMAO, all tea and all shade left aside, she is my platonic life partner. Our friendship operates like a “been married for 20 years” couple. u can follow ha, dis ha blog: hucci-peach | http://viacrucis.tumblr.com/ | dclm-gs1-438495528 | false | false | {
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0.023899 | <urn:uuid:66ff368c-5f4b-445a-ab06-2029031536ec> | en | 0.966689 | Gnarly crash for Gjermund Braaten
Yep, the pros crash sometimes too! Here’s an example of one that could have gone WAY worse. Gjermund Braaten narrowly escapes landing on a vertical pole after flying 80+ feet, in what must have been a pretty scary few seconds.
The questions every one will be asking are 1) what was he going for? And 2) how did he end up drifting so far right? Well, by the looks of the in run it’s pretty hard to say – backside rodeo perhaps? Although that doesn’t explain the toe-edge take off which is what ultimately had him sailing towards the post. One possible answer for the error in judgement comes from the YouTube comments: “maybe he was trying to avoid that filmer who was standing in the middle of the knuckle like one of those dads from Florida.” It’s possible.
How rad would it have been if he’d landed a backside 5 after bouncing off the knuckle?
Also in WLTV
Head Jib Factory 2012 Bonus Footage II
Read More | http://whitelines.com/videos/wltv/gnarly-crash-for-gjermund-braaten.html | dclm-gs1-438575528 | false | false | {
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0.072999 | <urn:uuid:217eefe8-b816-42da-96ee-06ac33fd773b> | en | 0.971395 | 100 lb. Club - New Pill??????
View Full Version : New Pill??????
11-11-2004, 10:31 AM
:cofdate: Heard on the news last night that some drug company claims to have a pill that will effect weight loss. It works on the pleasure centers in the brain. They said it'll take the Food&Drug Adm a year to approve it. I have to wonder what other "pleasures" it might effect. :fr: :rofl:
11-11-2004, 02:25 PM
if I remember correctly, this drug may also be used to help people stop smoking. I am really wary of any drug that is supposed to help weight los. I guess we will just have to see:-)
11-11-2004, 02:30 PM
I used to take 5HTP which helped me lose some weight, but the way it helped was it took away carb cravings, and helped ease anxiety and depression. So I had a lot more energy, and was eating all the right kinds of foods. It turned out that if it was slightly tainted, it would cause an incurable blood disease. Sounded too scarey for me, but my brother's gf continues to take it. But I try to stay away from pills that promises weight loss, just doesn't sound right.
11-11-2004, 03:01 PM
i don't trust pills or the FDA, they'll approve anything to make a buck, I know some meds help people but they've appoved drugs with too many KNOWN risks that have been recalled just because they're head were in their pockets. Vioxx, Fen Phen (I think that's how it's spelled) Propulsid check out some more on www.adrugrecall.com
11-11-2004, 04:36 PM
the drug is rimonabant, also called Acomplia. it's a drug that blocks a cannabinoid receptor in the brain [which is a normal part of the brain chemistry that marijuana just happens to plug into].
this receptor is thought to control cravings, and there has been some success in smoking cessation and overeating. it also curbs the marijuana munchies... the company that makes it thinks it's looking at a multi-billion dollar blockbuster.
it's a nice idea. an attractive idea. and there's lots of data to support this approach. BUT, will it REALLY work outside of clinical trials?? i have absolutely no idea!!!! | http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/archive/t-49195.html | dclm-gs1-438655528 | false | false | {
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0.090217 | <urn:uuid:2c2ddb52-fd18-410a-b56d-b3de9d7860b5> | en | 0.959504 | Latest news:
October 1, 2013:
You have probably met people with the kind of anosognosia that does not come with a physical disability. For example someone who thinks that they are "all that" when they aren't.
More info:
This site is always being updated, so check back!
What is Anosognosia?
Neurocognitive Issue and Problems Treating People Who Refuse To Believe They Have A Problem
What is Anosognosia? Basically it is a denial of a disability, or an inability to see a problem that is obvious to everyone else. As a neurological impairment, it is common following brain injuries or disease. For instance, people with Alzheimer’s disease may display anosognosia and insist that they do not have a problem with dementia or lack of memory. Naturally, the family member or caregiver who has to deal with this problem can become frustrated.
Similarly, the Dunning-Kruger effect is often seen as a form of anosognosia. Basically, it indicates that a person who is unskilled or incompetent may not have the mental tools available to understand his or her own incompetence. For example, a bad web designer may think his designs are great and he is a force to be reckoned with, despite protests from friends, family, and clients about the poor nature of the design and its lack of user-friendly content. The effect (named after its discoverers) references Darwin’s maxim that ignorance begets confidence. As part of the definition of the Dunning-Kruger effect, people tend to overestimate their own skill, fail to recognize the skill in others, and fail to see the depth of their incompetence. If you have ever met an unfunny person who thinks he is hilarious, then you have probably run across this effect in real life. David Dunning, the discoverer of this effect, defines it as the “anosognosia of everyday life.”
Is Anosognosia a psychosis? In some cases, it is possible that it is. For instance, in schizophrenics it may be a form of frontal lobe damage. It can also be problematic in that people with anosognosia and mental illnesses will continue to be re-hospitalized or refuse to take medication because they do not recognize their need for it. In a long term care situation, people with anosognosia are often trained to work around their particular disabilities (if it is related to inoperable limbs, sight or hearing loss) even if the person in question is still unable to recognize the disability.
Notes and Special Information
Special note: Dual Diagnosis and Co-morbidity is common with anosognosia since schizophrenia or traumatic brain injuries may have contributed to the condition. | http://www.anosognosia.org/ | dclm-gs1-438865528 | false | false | {
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0.020849 | <urn:uuid:5164ffb8-0791-4ca8-8111-d01cf97d7850> | en | 0.936003 | Beat the dust and dirt in your car with the high power of the Metro Vac Metropolitan 500 Hand Vacuum. This 500-Watt vacuum boasts more power than most home vacs, so it's sure to get even the messiest seats and carpets clean. Best yet, all this power is crammed into a compact hand-held unit that weighs under 3 pounds so you can take it anywhere.
Dig out the dust from behind your seat cushion, pull the dried mud and crud off your floor mats, and liberate the potato chips lurking under your seats. The Metropolitan 500 Hand Vac includes an array of attachments so you can get between and under anything in your vehicle. Plus, it includes a 4-stage HEPA filter to block 99.97% of airborne allergens. Its all-steel construction is tough and rugged, and its stainless finish gives the Metro 500 Vacuum a classic retro look and feel.
Keep your car detailed and looking great with the Metro Vac Metropolitan 500 Hand Vacuum. Backed with a 5-Year Warranty. | http://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com/aag/ajax/get-text.do?type=group&label=description&id=3934 | dclm-gs1-438955528 | false | false | {
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0.528519 | <urn:uuid:e6d5c0f5-8dcf-4734-b017-6ce686b54e12> | en | 0.909078 | What Baby Emerson Was Really Scared Of
It wasn’t just his mom blowing her nose. It was tons of other relevant pop culture stuff, apparently.
Facebook Conversations
Hot Buzz
What’s Your Strangest One-Night Stand Story?
Now Buzzing | http://www.buzzfeed.com/dailypicksandflicks/baby-emerson-parody-2ghf | dclm-gs1-439165528 | false | false | {
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0.044649 | <urn:uuid:af10262c-f639-4c38-be59-1ef2c2a2c3f8> | en | 0.90646 | Shopping Tools
2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
First Drive Review
2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor
Suburban appliances don't have to look like suburban appliances.
Every crossover SUV needs a roomy interior with lots of cup holders, a truck-tough look, a car-soft chassis, and enough power to scale Target's intimidating speed bumps. Those in hand, each automaker then has to somehow make the resulting crossover stand out. From beak to flamboyant wing fenders to angular tail plumage, Mitsubishi's new 2004 Endeavor stands out.
Mitsubishi has sold SUVs in North America since 1983, but the Endeavor is the first assembled in, and engineered for, this market. It's built atop a new front-drive, unibody platform from which will also spring, most likely, the next Galant sedan and Eclipse coupe to be assembled alongside it at Mitsu's plant in Normal, Illinois. Stretching 190.2 inches over a 108.7-inch wheelbase, the Endeavor is about two inches longer than the Honda Pilot in both those dimensions and almost an inch longer than an Explorer (which has five inches more wheelbase). That puts the V-6-powered Endeavor in the main stream of the mainstream-SUV market.
But it looks positively Venusian. This product of Mitsubishi's California design studio is relentlessly interesting--sometimes in good exuberant ways and sometimes in not-so-good exuberant ways. The roof rack with crossbars (standard on midlevel XLS and upmarket Limited models) is a piece of thick-piped art, but the side mirrors look like afterthoughts. The small glass side panels where the A-pillars and the cowl meet just ahead of the front doors are neat, but do the Limited model's tiny round fog lamps need big square bumper holes? If its major competitors are bland toasters, the Endeavor is the aftermath of a meteoritic strike on a KitchenAid warehouse.
Under the off-planet cubist skin is a conventional mechanical package. The only engine is a transverse-mounted 3.8-liter SOHC 24-valve V-6 feeding a shiftable Sportronic four-speed automatic and, in all-wheel-drive models, a center differential distributing torque 50/50 front to rear. The front suspension is a strut type; the rear is a multilink. It's all typical crossover-SUV stuff.
Based on the 3.5-liter V-6 offered in the Montero Sport (itself based on that SUV's standard 3.0-liter V-6), the 3.8's extra displacement results from a bump in bore from 93 millimeters to 95 and a jump in stroke from 85.8mm to 90. Unfortunately, the iron-block, aluminum-head V-6's big cubes don't translate into large power numbers. Its rating of 215 horsepower at 5000 rpm tops the Montero Sport 3.5's 197 horsepower but lags behind both the Pilot's 3.5-liter VTEC V-6's 240 horses and the Toyota Highlander's 220-hp, 3.0-liter V-6. In compensation, the Mitsu's motor makes eight more pound-feet of peak torque than the Honda's and does so 750 rpm earlier (3750 rpm). Sure, the Honda has a fifth gear in its transmission, but it also weighs about 300 pounds more than the Endeavor.
The visual onslaught continues inside. The easily read main instruments sit under a binnacle and glow blue at night but are otherwise ordinary. The center of the dash is styled like a Bangles-era Aiwa boombox with a metal-like finish and large dials and buttons to control the sound and ventilation systems, capped by a pictographic LCD display that provides a slew of information, including outside temperature, a compass, and news of ventilation status. Base LS models have a CD player; the two higher lines have an in-dash, six-disc changer. For some, the Circuit City looks are too much. For us with fond memories of Susanna Hoffs in spandex, it's rad!
Mitsubishi has done a fine job with interior textures such as the pebbled and dimpled surface of the steering wheel and the soft feel of the vast dash pad. The seats are flat but comfortable, legroom is good, especially in back, and there are enough 12-volt outlets to power a cell phone, a computer, an Xbox, and a margarita blender. But conspicuously absent are a navigation system and a third row of seats. Who cares about a nav system? But having no third row may be a strategic mistake as the five-passenger Endeavor confronts the nominally eight-seat Pilot.
Other Stories You Might Like
View Mobile Site | http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2004-mitsubishi-endeavor-first-drive-review | dclm-gs1-439275528 | false | false | {
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0.041694 | <urn:uuid:b3ceacba-24b5-498f-8ab0-e95fa6913da7> | en | 0.96511 | Caribbean News Now!
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Letter: Grenada's Mitchell facing the IMF guillotine!
Published on September 11, 2013 Email To Friend Print Version
Dear Sir:
The Grenada Conference of Churches’ call for the Keith Mitchell NNP administration to resist the draconian measures to be soon implemented on the advice of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is mere fantasy and symbolism than reality. The hands of Prime Minister Mitchell, permanent secretary Timothy Antoine and his economic team of advisers are carrying a burden of 2.5 billion dollars, Grenada's national debt.
Chairman of the Conference of Churches Dr Raphael Osbert James in a letter sent to the government states, “We, the leaders of the member churches of the Conference of Churches in Grenada are deeply concerned about the hardship being suffered by so many of our people in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. People are now finding it difficult to provide for the expenses of daily living, repaying mortgages taken out in more prosperous times and even, in some cases, providing food for their families. There are numbers of persons, even those with sound academic qualifications, who are unable to find jobs. The social problems have reached alarming proportions.
“It is against this background that we strongly urge our government to resist any pressure to increase taxes or to make further cuts to social, medical or educational services. We are convinced that further austerity measures are not the way out of Grenada’s debt crisis. We strongly support the government of Grenada in its resistance against austerity and we are actively mobilising support internationally towards this end. We are strengthened in this stance by a working paper produced by the personnel of the International Monetary Fund which suggests that such strategies have not worked in the past.”
The reality of the situation is that, with a national debt of over 2.5 billion dollars -- 110% of GDP -- Grenada is under an economic and financial guillotine that is ready to cut off the head of the country. It's impossible for the country to walk on its own feet far less to resist the hydras of the IMF owing creditors billions of dollars.
How did Grenada arrive at this precarious position? Years of failed fiscal policies on the part of the Mitchell-led NNP administration for 13 consecutive years have plunged the island into severe debts and deficits. Uncontrolled spending on projects done by party cronies and sympathisers and gross mismanagement of the island's resources also contributed to these deficits. Millions were spent on the non-productive sector and today the country is producing very little for export or even local consumption. The food import bill is extremely high. Grenada imports over 70% of the food consumed locally. A recipe for disaster. With such a bad fiscal situation the prime minister doesn’t have the leverage to fight the IMF. He has to either accept the IMF package or continue to default on the country’s debt payments. There is no good option: both are bad. His best option is to unite the country and get the population to buy into whatever his government believes is best for the island at this time. Despite all the rhetoric about unity and inclusion, he has polarised the country even further. Grenada is in a similar position to Greece.
Mitchell's NNP, after defaulting on loan payments to the island's creditors, has no choice but to face the music of the IMF if ever the debt restructuring he requested is to be successful. Given the experiences of the creditors with the previous NNP administration following the passage of hurricanes Ivan and Emily, they are not willing to enter into any arrangement with the government unless it is guided by the IMF. Reverend James must be aware of the biblical quote, “Give unto Caesar what is due unto Caesar.” Creditors are not willing to forgive their debts under these difficult economic circumstances.
The ramifications for the island would be worse if PM Mitchell refuses to accept the IMF proposals, These proposal may include an increase in VAT, or having fewer items zero rated, introduction of personal income tax which was removed by the NNP in 1995, debt service levy, retrenchment of public servants, the sale of state properties, freeze on employment, among others. IMF proposals for Grenada would be similar to that of Greece. Greece, however, is in a much better situation because the country is part of the European Union (EU).
The world is definitely a cycle. Former Minister of Finance Hon Anthony Boatswain predicted that the NDC administration will have to turn to the IMF but his NNP party won't because they can manage the economy much better. What is Hon Boatswain saying now? Is he singing a different tune or he has placed his thoughts on pause. Mitchell's NNP is responsible for racking up the island's massive national debt so it is right and proper for his administration to fix. If he can't fix it then it would be time for a new captain.
Hon Nazim Burke has proved that he can keep the economy stable. There are very few renowned economists in Grenada and one of them is the Hon Nazim Burke. Bernard Coard is highly prestigious and it's not surprising if Dr Mitchell seeks his counsel. Prime Minister Mitchell is a statistician by training and a politician by profession and as such he isn't the person best suited to negotiate with the IMF. He has to get a team of smart and well trained economists, including Dr Patrick Antoine.
Grenada can't escape the IMF guillotine. The Conference of Churches suggestion may be welcome, but it is too little too late. The genie is already out of the bottle and it would take great skill, creativity, innovation and national unity to caution the effect of the IMF guillotine. The Conference of Churches played quarterback for too long and so trying to play striker now will prove very difficult. They have sat idly by when the country was grossly mismanaged and said nothing. They have quietly colluded with the powers that be to inflict pain and hardship on the poor and vulnerable. So, Bro James, it's either the IMF medication or Grenada relegated to junk status and be blacklisted.
It would be more productive and progressive for the Conference of Churches to call for accountability, transparency and good governance and prepare their congregations for what is to come: the IMF Guillotine. Mitchell can't hide, he can't run. He just has to face it like a man and hope and pray that the masses don't take to the streets. It will be the start of the Caribbean yellow revolution. Grenada is well known for making history.
Grenadian Class
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anthony david:
very interesting article,it certainly lays out some of the economic problems gda faces.However to suggest that former MOF is a renowned economist is wishful thinking,Mr.Burke is an attorney and from many reports not a very good one.He had his chance and in my view the worst MOF in gda's short history.On the other hand the expertise of former MOF Bernard Coard is well documented and I agree he could be helpful to gda in this period.The question is does Dr.Mitchell possess the humility to ask him and has the Grenadian people come to the point where they are willing to forgive him for past mistakes and put the country's interest and future as priority one.It would helpful for Mr.Coard to begin to produce a series of papers as to his answers to some of the economic issues facing my beloved country grenada.Please Dr.Mitchell invite all parties to the table to map gda's future,for your legacy is at stake.
I was wondering myself who, apart from the writer, designated or considers Nazim Burke a renowned economist. Certainly, not the people of St George North East and not the voters of Grenada.
Jimmy the voters of St.Georges North East and those throughout Grenada who voted against the previous government are not having nightmares knowing fully well that the country have to drink the IMF medicine. They were fooled into voting for false and pie in the sky promises. Hon Burke didn't try to hoodwink the populace. He made it clear to every one that things are rough and the country was experiencing a severe cash flow problem. He was accused of servicing the debt , a debt he inherited at the expense of capital development. It was virtually impossible for him to do otherwise. Given the situation he inherited, such as a broken economy, huge debts and deficits, a political PS , internal division within the government , a vicious character assassination campaign etc he did a good job in stabilising the economy and keeping the country afloat. We need to appreciate that. The reason why the country is in such a state today it is because the voters didn't appreciate what Burke was doing in their interest. Just imagine where the country would have been if Hon Burke didn't stabilised the economy and just continued to barrow madly as was the case from 1995-2008. The voters are no always right and sometimes make mistakes especially in those poor third world countries where money influences the outcome of elections. Sadly Grenada has a very dirty history in this rum and corn beef politics and that is why the country continues to spin top in mud. No one can deny the part that rum and corn beef politics play in the outcome of many elections since the days of Gairy. That mentality is still in many people including the young unemployed and uneducated. As for Coard maybe he can assist Grenada as path of his community service to the country for the pain he has cause the country.Can you imagine how much progress Grenada would have made if the Revolution had survive and Maurice Bishop was still Prime Minister. Can you imagine how united the country would have been the key to national development. Bernard Coard like his pal Pedro failed the people of Grenada miserably. Their are anti- progressive in their deeds. You have t give Burke the benefit of the doubt. His tenure as MOF was not normal times. Jimmy and Anthony you guys have to be honest and fair. Burke made his mistakes but he made a gallant effort to keep the country afloat. He didn't have to take Grenada to the IMF. An outstanding accomplishment. Bernard Coard and George Brizan were also able to keep the IMF out of Grenada. Burke is in good company. He will only learn and become better as he learn more about the economies of the world.
Okay, Leslie. If I get you, what you saying is 32,000 Grenadians - many who voted NDC in 2008 - got stupidee in 2013 and voted NNP. They should smarten up now and extend gratitude to Mr Burke, return him not just as Finance Minister but as Prime Minister.
But I want to know if there is any lessons the NDC learnt from their experience between 2008 and 2013. You and other NDC blaming the election loss on stupidee Grenadians who were fooled and voted for pie in the sky; all you blaming the rum and corn beef mentality of Grenadians; all you blaming Peter David; and blaming everybody you could find. Is there any blame the NDC should take, especially the people who led them into the election, such as Tillman Thomas and Nazim Burke?
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0.181555 | <urn:uuid:2f2280e1-be7f-45f0-9b27-8e5de3cbb754> | en | 0.960229 | Democracy and Political Ignorance
The Extent of Ignorance
Political ignorance in America is deep and widespread. The current government shutdown fight provides some good examples. Although Obamacare is at the center of that fight and much other recent political controversy, 44% percent of the public do not even realize it is still the law. Some 80 percent, according to a recent Kaiser survey, say they have heard “nothing at all” or “only a little” about the controversial insurance exchanges that are a major part of the law. The shutdown controversy is also just the latest manifestation of a longstanding political struggle over federal spending. But most of the public has very little idea of how federal spending is actually distributed. They greatly underestimate the percentage that goes to entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security, and vastly overestimate that spent on foreign aid. Public ignorance is not limited to information about specific policies. It also extends to the basic structure of government and how it operates. A 2006 survey found that only 42 percent can even name the three branches of the federal government: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. There is also much ignorance and confusion about such matters as which government officials are responsible for which issues. I give many more examples of public ignorance in my book.1
Rational Ignorance
Some people react to data like the above by thinking that the voters must be stupid. Butpolitical ignorance is actually rational for most of the public, including most smart people. If your only reason to follow politics is to be a better voter, that turns out not be much of a reason at all. That is because there is very little chance that your vote will actually make a difference to the outcome of an election (about 1 in 60 million in a presidential race, for example).2 For most of us, it is rational to devote very little time to learning about politics, and instead focus on other activities that are more interesting or more likely to be useful. As former British Prime Minister Tony Blair puts it, “[t]he single hardest thing for a practising politician to understand is that most people, most of the time, don’t give politics a first thought all day long. Or if they do, it is with a sigh…. before going back to worrying about the kids, the parents, the mortgage, the boss, their friends, their weight, their health, sex and rock ‘n’ roll.”3 Most people don’t precisely calculate the odds that their vote will make a difference. But they probably have an intuitive sense that the chances are very small, and act accordingly.
In the book, I also consider why many rationally ignorant people often still bother to vote.4 The key factor is that voting is a lot cheaper and less time-consuming than studying political issues. For many, it is rational to take the time to vote, but without learning much about the issues at stake.
The Rational Irrationality of Political Fans
All of this makes little sense if the goal is truth-seeking. A truth-seeker should actively seek out defenders of views opposed to their own. Those are the people most likely to present you arguments and evidence of which you were previously unaware. But such bias makes perfect sense if the goal is not so much truth as enhancing the fan experience. Economist Bryan Caplan calls this approach to information “rational irrationality”: when your purpose is something other than truth-seeking, it is often rational to be highly biased in the way you evaluate new information and also in your selection of information sources.6Unlike Caplan, I contend that widespread political ignorance would be a menace even if voters were always rational in their evaluation of what they know.
The problems of political ignorance and irrationality are accentuated by the enormous size and scope of modern government. In the United States, government spending accounts for close to 40% of GDP, according OECD estimates.7 And that does not include numerous other government policies that function through regulation of the private sector. Even if voters followed political issues more closely than they do, and even if they were more rational in their evaluation of political information, they still could not effectively monitor more than a fraction of the activities of the modern state.
Increasing Knowledge through Education
The most obvious way to overcome political ignorance is by increasing knowledge through education. Unfortunately, political knowledge levels have increased very little over the last fifty to sixty years, even as educational attainment has risen enormously. Rising IQ scores have also failed to increase political knowledge. This suggests that increasing political knowledge through education is a lot harder than it seems.
Moreover, political leaders and influential interest groups often use public education to indoctrinate students in their own preferred ideology rather than increase knowledge. In both Europe (where it was established in large part to inculcate nationalism) and the United States (where a major objective was indoctrinating Catholic immigrants in true “American” values), indoctrination was one of the major motives for the establishment of public education in the first place.
Shortcomings of Information Shortcuts
Some scholars argue that voters don’t need to know much about politics and government because they can rely on “information shortcuts” to make good decisions. Information shortcuts are small bits of information that we can use as proxies for larger bodies of knowledge of which we may be ignorant.
In Chapter 4 of my book, I discuss many different types of shortcuts and explain why they are usually not as effective as advocates suggest. Shortcuts can indeed be useful, and political ignorance would be an even more serious problem without them. But they also have serious limitations, and sometimes they make the problem of ignorance worse rather than better. The major flaws are that shortcuts often require preexisting knowledge to use effectively, and many people choose information shortcuts for reasons unrelated to truth-seeking.
Unfortunately, effective retrospective voting requires more knowledge than we might think. In order to reward or punish incumbents for their performance, it’s important to know what events they actually caused, and which ones were beyond their control. Studies show that voters routinely reward and punish political leaders for events they have little control over, particularly short-term economic trends. Incumbents also get rewarded or blamed for such things as droughts, shark attacks, and victories by local sports teams.
The second common shortcoming of shortcuts is that we often choose them for reasons other than getting at the truth. For example, some argue that “opinion leaders” are useful shortcuts. Instead of learning about government policy themselves, voters can follow the directions of opinion leaders who share similar values but know more than the voters themselves do. Unfortunately, if we look at the most popular opinion leaders, most of them are not people notable for their impressive knowledge of public policy issues. They are people like Rush Limbaugh or Jon Stewart, whose main asset is their skill at entertaining their audience and validating its preexisting biases. Because there is so little incentive to actually seek the truth about political issues, it is often rational for “political fans” to choose their opinion leaders largely based on how entertaining they are, and whether they make us feel good about the views we already hold. When we choose information shortcuts in this way, it increases the likelihood that they will mislead rather than inform.
In the book, I also criticize arguments that voter errors caused by ignorance can cancel each other out through a “miracle of aggregation,” thereby creating collective wisdom out of individual ignorance. Such a happy outcome is theoretically possible, but highly unlikely in the real world.8
Foot Voting vs. Ballot Box Voting
There is no easy solution to the problem of political ignorance. But we can significantly mitigate it by making more of our decisions by “voting with our feet” and fewer at the ballot box. Two types of foot voting have important informational advantages over ballot box voting. The first is when we vote with our feet in the private sector, by choosing which products to buy or which civil society organizations to join. The other is choosing what state or local government to live under in a federal system - a decision often influenced by the quality of those jurisdictions’ public policy.
If you are like most people, you probably spent more time and effort acquiring information the last time you decided which car or TV to buy than the last time you decided who to support for president. Is that because the presidency is less important than your TV, or deals with less complicated issues? More likely, it’s because when people choose a TV, they intuitively realize that the decision is likely to make a difference, whereas ballot box decisions are highly likely not to.
The key difference between foot voting and ballot box voting is that foot voters don’t have the same incentive to be rationally ignorant as ballot box voters do. In fact, they have strong incentives to seek out useful information. They also have much better incentives to objectively evaluate what they do learn. Unlike political fans, foot voters know they will pay a real price if they do a poor job of evaluating the information they get.
That doesn’t mean that foot voters are always well-informed or perfectly unbiased. Far from it. But, on average, they do a much better job than ballot box voters do. In the book, I discuss some dramatic cases of foot voters acquiring and effectively using information even under highly adverse conditions.9 For example, millions of poorly educated and sometimes illiterate African-Americans in the early 20th century Jim Crow South determined that conditions were relatively less oppressive in the North (and also in some parts of the South compared to others) and migrated accordingly. This, despite the fact that southern state governments deliberately tried to keep them ignorant by impeding the flow of information about opportunities in the North. Foot voting certainly did not solve all the problems of oppressed African-Americans in the Jim Crow era. Nothing could in a society as racist as early 20th century America. But it did significantly improve their situation. And it is an important example of how foot voters can effectively acquire and make use of information even under highly unfavorable conditions.
The informational advantages of foot voting over ballot box voting strengthen the case for limiting and decentralizing government. The more decentralized government is, the more issues can be decided through foot voting. It is usually much easier to vote with your feet against a local government than a state government, and much easier to do it against a state than against the federal government.
It is also usually easier to foot vote in the private sector than the public. A given region is likely to have far more private planned communities and other private sector organizations than local governments. Choosing among the former usually requires far less in the way of moving costs than choosing among the latter.
Foot voting has downsides as well as upsides. In the book, I cover several standard objections, such as the problem of moving costs, the danger of “races to the bottom,” and the likelihood that political decentralization might harm unpopular racial and ethnic minorities.10 Each of these concerns is sometimes a genuine problem. But I suggest that each is a less severe challenge than commonly believed. For example, moving costs can be reduced by decentralizing to lower levels of government or to the private sector, and such costs are in any case declining thanks to modern technology.
2 See Andrew Gelman, Nate Silver, and Aaron Edlin, “What is the Probability that Your Vote Will Make a Difference?” Economic Inquiry 50 (2012): 321-26.
4 Somin, Democracy and Political Ignorance, 66-72.
5 Ibid., 78-82.
7 Somin, Democracy and Political Ignorance, 163.
9 Ibid., ch. 5.
10 Ibid, pp. 144-50.
Also from This Issue
Response Essays
• Don’t Voters Get Things Right? by Sean Trende
• Ignorance, Yes. Rational, No. by Jeffrey Friedman
The Conversation | http://www.cato-unbound.org/2013/10/11/ilya-somin/democracy-political-ignorance | dclm-gs1-439305528 | false | false | {
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0.020702 | <urn:uuid:ea412203-db8e-43df-bc46-185b5574f08f> | en | 0.964713 | Blimie Corporation was organized on January 3, 2012. Blimie was authorized to issue 50,000 shares of common stock with par value of $10 per shate. On January 4, Blimie issued 30,000 shares of common stock at $25 per share. On July 15, Blimie issued an additional 10,000 shares at $20 per share. Blimie reported income of $33,000 during 2012. In addition, Blimie declared a dividend of $.50 per share on December 31, 2012.
The Ammount reported on the Corporation's December 31, 2012 balance sheet as stockholders' equity was...
(A) $400,000.
(B) $550,000
(C) $950,000
(D) $963,000
Could you also explain how you got the answer? I'm still new to accounting and I am confused by this.
Best answer:
Answers (2) | http://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/blimie-corporation-organized-january-3-2012-blimie-authorized-issue-50-000-shares-common-s-q4256406 | dclm-gs1-439365528 | false | false | {
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0.024317 | <urn:uuid:3682d180-79ea-4717-85d1-ad98fb94bcb6> | en | 0.935824 | Beijing Forbidden City
Beijing Private Tour Especially for Women
Destinations: 6 Days Women Tour to Beijing
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Beijing, Flight not included
Airport Transfer (Beijing)
Day 2: The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Hutong Tour in Xicheng District, Donghuamen Night Market, WangFujing Shopping Street
Beijing Forbidden City
- Donghuamen Night Market (1 hour): Located west of Wangfujing Street, Donghuamen Night Market has dozens of stalls selling street food. It serves more common things like dumplings, noodles and fresh strawberry kabobs, but also some of the exotic snacks such as silk worm, scorpion, starfish, centipede and many other unusual delicacies. It’s safe to try the food.
- WangFujing Shopping Street: Wangfujing is considered the central heart of the city of Beijing. Along the 810-metre-long street and in an area of about 810 square meters are over 200 shops. The new street provides convenience for pedestrians since vehicles are prohibited from most of the shopping area. In spite of being modern, the renovated Wangfujing Street has retained its traditional cultural atmosphere. The street combines traditional and modern styles with culture and commerce.
Day 3: The Mutianyu Great Wall(with round way cable car), Liang Zi Massage Center (Foot Massage. 90 minutes)
mutianyu great wall beijing
Liang Zi Massage Center (Foot Massage. 90 minutes): Offer health, pass and inherit culture With many years of clinic explore and research, combine with health care idea of Traditional Chinese Medicine, buddish health care allegory in Buddhism, the morality cultivate edigos of Taisht and Confucianism, the Liangzi Group has created some characteristic health care projects such as the Life Tree, the Buddhish massage etc. by using the orignal health care method these projects escort and convoy for your health! Jianguomen Store is the flagship store in the new undertaking of Liangzi. It blends the oriental traditional heath care culture and modern fitness concept, succeeds with high starting point and taste and takes the lead in business circle leisure in Beijing.
Time: 11：00-01：30
Day 4: Temple of Heaven, Panjiayuan Market, Xiushui Street
temple of heaven in beijing
- Panjiayuan Market (1 hour): This weekend market is a huge, eclectic mix of goods from all over China: old, new, curios, antiques, fakes, craft and treasure, with some amazing items for sale. It's fascinating just to wander, even more fun if you can find a bargain. It's well-organised, full of life and color, the stalls are under cover, open-air, and in shops, and mostly closed on weekdays. Open from Saturday to Sunday.
Day 5: Lama Temple, Yaxiu Cloth Market, Sanlitun
Beijing Lama Temple
- Lama Temple (1 hour): The colourful Yonghe Lamasery is the largest and most famous Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet. It's still very active, and the beautiful halls and courtyards are thronged with devotees come to worship or seek good luck. You can see the world's largest wooden statue (the Matreiya Buddha) and Tibetan exhibitions.
- Yaxiu Cloth Market: Located on Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District, near the northeast embassy area, is similar to the Silk Market. It's an indoor 4-floor store, Beijing's clothing market. Here you can find a lot of clothing and other daily necessities, including calligraphy materials, army surplus gear, tea sets, farmer's paintings and luggage.
- Sanlitun: Sanlitun covers a wide area of Chaoyang District which houses many bars and clubs (popular with both expatriates and locals) and international brand-name stores and other entertainment. It is one of the most famous entertainment areas in Chao Yang district. You can spend your day exploring the stores and the night in one of its many bars. The Ya Show market is also in Sanlitun area and is a popular destination for tourists wishing to buy fake name-brand clothes.
Day 6: Depart Beijing, Flight not included
Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing)
Interested? Each tour can be tailored. | http://www.chinahighlights.com/tour/beijingtour/cht-wt-06/ | dclm-gs1-439385528 | false | false | {
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Path of The Warrior
US Embassies in Ebola-Stricken Countries Are "Expediting" the Processing of Visas for Non-US Citizens to Enter US
The primary responsibility of the leader of “any” country is to safeguard the wellbeing, security, and health of the citizens of their country. Current polls indicate that the American people have lost confidence in the elected leader of the United States, because the Obama administration is not taking the necessary steps to restrict potentially infected passengers from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in West Africa from entering the United States, in order to safeguard the lives and security of American citizens from being infected with the Ebola virus. The occupant of the Oval Office responsibility is to protect the health and safety of all Americans from being infected with diseases being carried by millions of infected Illegal aliens flooding across the wide open southern border.
To date 22 countries have imposed travel bans on passengers with passports from West African countries (including the African nations of Togo, Gabon, the Ivory Coast, Senegal, Rwanda, Chad, South Sudan, Namibia, Angola, South Africa, Botswana, Congo, Lesotho, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, and Madagascar) and 14 other countries have imposed travel restrictions on passengers with passports from West Africa. Yet CDC Director Thomas Friedman and senior Obama administration officials have said restricting passengers, who may be infected with the Ebola virus, from entering the United States would be racist and can’t be done because it would negatively affect the economies of those countries. So the US Embassies in Ebola infected countries continue to issue visas for non-US citizens so they can enter the United States. According to Judicial Watch, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has even been “expediting” visas for the “Ebola countries.” DHS officials would not have been doing so, if they had not been instructed to expedite those visas by officials in the Obama administration.
It has been 1 month since a 42 year old Liberian passenger from West Africa, infected with the Ebola virus arrived in Dallas. He lied while being screened on departure from West Africa and lied a second time on being screened on entry to the US, he was then permitted to enter the United States without being quarantined (his lies are proof that screening does not work). He eventually came down with Ebola, and after prolonged treatment, succumbed. Subsequently two highly trained infectious disease health care nurses, who had been following the inept CDC guidelines while treating the infected passenger, also became infected with the Ebola virus; 75 people who came in contact with the deceased passenger and the 2 nurses are being monitoring for Ebola. In addition hundreds of passenger who were on a Frontier Airline with one of the infected nurses, after the CDC allowed her to fly on a commercial airline, are also being monitored.
Just one infected airline passenger has resulted in a requirement for health officials to monitor over 300 Americans because they have the possibility of coming down with Ebola. Despite the massive health care controls and costs that have resulted from only one Ebola infected incoming passenger from a West African country who entered the United States, CDC Director Thomas Friedman, who was a community organizer following his graduation from Oberlin College in 1982 and who is recognized as an extreme social justice advocate, is firmly against a travel ban. Even though Friedman knows that the US Health Care system in the United States does not have the capacity to isolate and treat more than 4 Ebola infected patients at any one time, he continues to vigorously opposed a travel ban on arriving passengers with passports from West Africa or by quarantining them.
Obama has refused to put a procedure in place to either restrict the entry passenger from West Africa or quarantining them. We know that 150 passengers from West Africa are being allowed to enter the United States every day. The American people have been told that only 94% of those 150 passengers entering the US each day are being screened at 5 US International Airports, when passengers from West Africa are flying into 9 US International airports (and we know that screening does not work). So the screening procedures that do not work, and established up by CDC Director Friedman to control a killer disease are so poorly established that they still allow 3285 passengers from Ebola infected West African countries to avoid the screening measures Friedman set up (we know screening has not work, because passengers lie).
The polls indicate the American people are very concerned about the transmission of the Ebola virus and that 66% of them want a travel ban imposed on all passengers arriving in the United States from West Africa. Yesterday The Washington Times reported that experts in infectious disease control, point to an experiment 25 years ago that proved one Ebola strain in monkeys had the potential for becoming airborne. Yet Judicial Watch, the government watchdog group, alleged on Friday that Obama is formulating plans to admit Ebola-infected non-US citizens into the US for treatment---we are finding it hard to believe that report is accurate, because it would be an insane indefensible new Obama administration policy if it were true.
From the turn of the century until Illegal Immigrants from Mexico were allowed to violate Federal Immigration Laws, no immigrants were ever allowed to set foot on the US mainland unless they were first landed on an island in New York Harbor, Ellis Island, so they could be screened to determine if they were carriers of infectious and communicable diseases. For the last 6 years, CDC Director Friedman has not done his job and looked the other way while millions of Illegal aliens have flooded across the wide open southern border, with the knowledge that many have been carriers of infectious diseases. Because in the past illegal aliens clinics processing them have found that a percentage of them have been infected with many communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, smallpox, cholera, diphtheria, plague, yellow fever, measles, leprosy, pertussis, enterovirus D-68, etc.
Most recently 90,000 Illegal aliens up to age 18 from Central America, improperly referred to as children by the Obama administration and the left of center liberal media establishment, flooded across the wide open southern border, along with Illegal aliens adults masquerading as their chaperones. Yet CDC Director Friedman did not insist that those illegal alien children be medically screen for infectious diseases nor did he quarantine any of them, before they were immediately transported to all 50 states. After the Illegal alien children entered the United States, the Obama administration acted as human smugglers and flew the Illegal immigrant children to all 50 states forcing their enrollment in public grammar schools.
Hospitals across the nation began reporting an explosion of a severe respiratory illnesses among children and have been reporting an outbreak of an epidemic of the enterovirus (referred to as either D-68 .or EV-D68). That enterovirus epidemic occurred only after the surge of Illegal alien children flooded across the wide open southern border from Central America, a region where the D-68 is prevalent among young children. Up until the surge there was no enterovirus epidemic in the US and D-68 was rare; between 1970 and 2005 only 26 cases of D-68 were reported in the US. In the below listed article, to date 27,876 cases of D-68 in 46 states have been reported to the CDC since August 18th, but those cases have been covered up. Six children and 2 adults have died to date from the epidemic. CDC Director Friedman refuses to explain where the epidemic that infected more than 27,000 children came from and has been spreading misleading information about the epidemic.
Children’s Hospital Colorado treated 3,600 children between August 18 and September 24, and at least 692 since. On September 5th, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital saw a one day record of 540 children. The emergency room was filled to capacity in USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Mobile, Alabama that reported 340 cases by September 12th. Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri had 450 patients as of September 7th, 60 of whom required intensive care. At least 6 Chicago area hospitals were so overwhelmed that they stopped admitting patients under 18 “until further notice.” Many infected children across the nation are experiencing some form of paralysis. The Obama administration and the left of center liberal media establishment have covered up the epidemic brought to the United States by Illegal alien children up to age 18 being allowed to enter the wide open southern border without being quarantined.
Obama administration officials and CDC Director Friedman have been telling the press and the American people that deploying 4000 (the number has increased from 3000) improperly trained members of the US Armed Forces the Reserves into an Ebola plagued and infectious environment will not result in their being infected with the Ebola virus. Yet we know that 277 doctors, nurses, and health care professionals in Western Africa who took every conceivable precaution possible to avoid contracting Ebola are now dead. So when CDC Director Friedman blamed the poor nurses who contracted Ebola, and said they “breached protocol” and repeated the Obama administration mantra that it is extremely hard to contract Ebola---he wasn’t telling the truth, but the American people are now becoming very familiar with Obama administration politically appointed officials lying to the American public.
Because of how the Obama administration has handled this very serious Ebola crisis, resulting from just one Ebola infected case, and because medical professionals in infectious disease control have warned that there is a very serious risk in deploying 4000 untrained military personnel from the 101st Airborne Division and military Reservists to West Africa’s Ebola infested environment, the American people have a high degree of concern for their safety. Americans have watched while Obama has disregarded warnings about the health and safety of military personnel being improperly trained and then deployed to an infectious disease environment. We have been informed that members of the US Armed Forces and Reserve personnel with only receive 4 hours of training before being deployed to Ebola infested West African.
Common sense and sound judgment should have dictated that Obama only send highly trained civilian contractors with in depth medical experience who knew how to deal with infectious disease control. To order military personnel who have been involved in combat for 13 years, are suffering mentally from the prolonged combat, and are not able to resist an order to be deployed to fight an infectious killer disease. To take military personnel away from their families, and expose them to the incredible risk of contracting Ebola is unconscionable. It is another example of a string of extremely poor judgment calls by Obama in his handling this Ebola health crisis. The mission for the US Military is not to deploy throughout the world to fight dangerous infectious disease; the mission of the US Armed Forces is to combat enemies of the Republic, to combat terrorist throughout the world, and to secure the borders of the United States.
Health care professionals and civilian contractors who are professionally trained in infectious disease prevention should have been sent to West Africa; common sense dictates that doctors, nurses, and lab technicians who are properly trained and understand how to deal with Ebola are the personnel who should deal with Ebola. CDC Director Friedman is now telling the broader medical community in the US that all hospital and medical personal in the US must be “retrained,” because they haven’t seemed to be able to handle the medical procedures designed to prevent them from contracting Ebola. If that is true, then members of the 101 Airborne Division and Reservists, with 4 hours of training, who have never been involved in controlling infectious diseases can’t possibly be expected to protect themselves from the Ebola infectious disease.
If the occupant of the Oval Office ordered the CDC to quarantine all arriving passengers with passports from Ebola infected countries in West Africa, he would also have had to require the quarantining of Illegal aliens flooding across the wide open southern border. It would not be politically correct to close the wide open southern border----so political correctness is hazarding the health of the nation. For one month, the American people have heard representatives of the Obama administration and CDC Director Friedman poorly presented and inept augments about why the United States should not restrict entry of passengers with visas from West Africa or quarantine them for the 21 ingesting period. Yet 22 countries have already imposed a travel ban and have restricted all travel, and 14 other countries are imposing other control procedures on passengers with passports from West Africa.
Because the Secretary of Health Education & Welfare, CDC Director Friedman, and the occupant of the Oval Office haven’t been able to properly deal with this health care crisis, the Occupant of the Oval Office decided to appoint someone qualified to deal with the problems he is faced with. Instead of appointing a public health medically trained professional in infectious disease control, Obama appointed another Czar who is an attorney (which is nonsense on the face of it), and has him reporting to Susan Rice (a further indication of extremely poor management). The new Ebola Czar is simply a political appointment to take the pressure off of himself ,and CDC Director Friedman, who has proven to be incompetent in his handling of the epidemic affecting over 27,000 children, and he has also proven to be way over his head in dealing with this Ebola crisis.
There is no reason why for the next 6 months Obama should not order the State Department to instruct the Consular Service to cease issuing visas to all travelers from West Africa; that action would permit health care medical teams and hospitals throughout the nation with the required time to be properly trained to deal with the potential of an Ebola epidemic. Once that is accomplished, and for the health and safety of all Americans, all Immigrants with the potential risk of carrying infectious disease, whether entering the nation as airline passengers or entering the United States across the wide open southern border, must be quarantined as they once were on Ellis Island (and just as CBP Inspectors currently quarantines dogs and cats). That can only be accomplished if Obama will deploy 4000 US Military personnel to the wide open southern border to secure it once and for all.
We encourage you to support the election of the 31 endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress listed on the Endorsements page through the above website menu, they will work to close the wide open southern border.
How an Obama Administration Policy is Destroying Lives
James Simpson — October 16, 2014
28 Comments | Printer Friendly
The timing of the outbreak is also unusual. While human enterovirus (HEV) are common in the summer, they mostly infect the gastrointestinal tract. Human rhinoviruses (HRV), which cause the common cold, are the usual suspects in respiratory illnesses, but those become prevalent in flu season—the winter months.
Criminal Negligence
The report concludes:
Information Blackout
County Comparison of Enterovirus Breakout with UAC Placements
Los Angeles
San Diego
San Francisco
Baton Rouge
Kent County
New Jersey
New York
New York
Rhode Island
6,159 6,159
a Influenza-Like Infections
Child Deaths
W.H.O. Contradicts CDC; Ebola can be Spread via Coughing, Sneezing & Touching Contaminated Surfaces
In the below listed article, the World Health Organization (W. H. O.) is contradicting the Obama administration appointed bureaucrats at CDC who keep telling the American people, that sending 3000 members of the US Armed Forces to fight Ebola in Western Africa will not negatively affect their health.
CDC has also been assuring the American people that there is no need to control entry of all people arriving from West Africa or canceling those flights, when other countries health care professionals are controlling entry of people trying to entry from West Africa and cancelling all flights from West Africa.
Any infectious disease initiative in West Africa should have been initiated by the United Nations, mobilizing representatives from W. H. O. who are well-trained healthcare workers, doctors, and nurses specializing in infectious disease control. Controlling Ebola in the world is not a US Military mission.
Lt Gen William Boykin said. “At a time when our military has been at war for 13 years, suicide is at an all-time high, [post-traumatic stress disorder] is out of control and families are being destroyed as a result of 13 years of war, the last thing that Obama should be doing is sending people into West Africa to fight Ebola.”
Lt Gen Boykin pointed out that there will be no inoculation for Ebola prior to troop deployment. Defense Department spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said that the only preparation service members will receive before heading to West Africa will be “a briefings” on the disease. The Obama administration has been repeatedly warned that Ebola will be contracted by those military personnel who are being forced to go to West Africa, regardless of the fear the military member has for their own health, and the military member in west Africa has for the health of their families and children.
“It still comes back to the question whether this is a military mission,” Lt Gen Boykin said. “At this point, no. It is not a military mission, and given the 13 years of war, this is the last thing we should be doing.”
Instead of deploying 3000 US military personnel to the southern border of the United States to secure it, the current resident of the Oval Office is sending 3000 members of the Armed Forces to West Africa with the threat that they may be infected by Ebola.
The serious threat of infectious diseases in the United States is being enabled by the Obama administration and the inept leadership of the Congress who are doing absolutely nothing while thousands of Illegal aliens, carrying infectious diseases, enter the nation thru the wide open southern border.
Following the entry of thousands of Illegal alien children, the Obama administration is acting as human smugglers by flying those Illegal infected aliens to populate all 50 states and forcing enrolment of their children in public schools. Those newly entering Illegal aliens children are suspected of being the carriers of infectious disease, infecting American children with various diseases, including new strange infectious diseases never experienced before in public schools.
The stakes are so high, that the American people can’t possibly trust politicians at the CDC and the Obama administration who are telling them not to worry, because they are taking proper steps to prevent Ebola spreading in the country-----every preventive measure should be taken, including restricting entry of people from West Africa unless they are held in isolation off shore for 2 months before allowing entry, and replacing 3000 US Armed Forces personnel deployed to West Africa with properly trained healthcare professionals.
Wednesday, October 08, 2014
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Tags: Ebola transmissiondirect contactaerosolized particles
(Natural News) The World Health Organization has issued a bulletin which confirms what Natural Newshas been asserting for weeks: that Ebola can spread via indirect contact with contaminated surfaces and aerosolized droplets produced from coughing or sneezing.
"...wet and bigger droplets from a heavily infected individual, who has respiratory symptoms caused by other conditions or who vomits violently, could transmit the virus -- over a short distance -- to another nearby person," says a W.H.O. bulletin released this week. [1] "This could happen when virus-laden heavy droplets are directly propelled, by coughing or sneezing..."
That same bulletin also says, "The Ebola virus can also be transmitted indirectly, by contact with previously contaminated surfaces and objects."
In other words, the WHO just confirmed what the CDC says is impossible -- that Ebola can be acquired by touching a contaminated surface.
CDC remains in total denial, spreading dangerous disinformation about Ebola transmission vectors
This information published by the WHO directly contradicts the ridiculous claims of the CDC which continues to insist Ebola cannot spread through "indirect" means.
According to the CDC, Ebola can only spread via "direct contact," but the CDC is basing this assumption on the behavior of the Ebola outbreak from 1976 -- nearly four decades ago.
The CDC, in fact, continues to push five deadly assumptions about Ebola, endangering the lives of Americans in the process by failing to communicate accurate safety information to health professionals and the public.
Because of the CDC's lackadaisical attitude about Ebola transmission, the Dallas Ebola outbreak may have been made far worse by people walking in and out of the Ebola-contaminated Duncan apartment while wearing no protective gear whatsoever.
Because the CDC sets the standards for dealing with infectious disease in the United States, when the CDC claims Ebola can only spread via "direct contact," that causes emergency responders, Red Cross volunteers and even family members to conclude, "Then we don't even need to wear latex gloves as long as we're not touching the patient!"
Not "airborne" but can spread through the air
Both the CDC and the WHO continue to aggressively insist that Ebola is not an "airborne" disease. "Ebola virus disease is not an airborne infection," says the WHO bulletin. But that same bulletin describes the ability of Ebola to spread through the air via aerosolized droplets.
The medical definition of "airborne," it turns out, is a specific, narrow definition that defies the common understanding of the term. To most people, "airborne" means it can spread through the air, and Ebola most certainly can spread through the air when it is attached to aerosolized particles of spit, saliva, mucus, blood or other body fluids.
The CDC has now admitted there is a slight possibility of Ebola mutating to become "airborne" but says that chance is very small. [2] However, all honest virologists agree that the longer Ebola remains in circulation in West Africa, replicating among human hosts, the more chances it has to mutate into an airborne strain.
But the virus doesn't need to mutate to continue to spread. It has already proven quite capable of spreading via indirect contact in a way that all the governments of the world have been utterly unable to stop. Despite the best efforts of the CDC and WHO, Ebola continues to replicate out of control across West African nations. Even in the United States, the Dallas "patient zero" incident has reportedly caused 100 people to be monitored for possible Ebola infections.
This is why government claims that "we have this under control" are just as much hogwash as the claim that Ebola can only spread via "direct contact."
But that seems to be the default response of government to all legitimate threats: first, deny realityand misinform the public. Keep people in the dark and maybe the whole thing can be swept under the rug... at least until the mid-term elections.
Pink Slips For 90,000 Military Veterans; Replaced by Unscreened Illegal Aliens
On September 25, 2014 the Obama administration announced it would, once again, act unilaterally to provide Illegal alien “DREAMERS” with the opportunity to join the U.S. Armed Forces and be rewarded with an expedited pathway to United States citizenship. While US Military at the same time, personnel serving in Combat in Afghanistan began receiving pink slips. The Obama administration is planning to discharge 90,000 American citizens who are members of the US Armed Forces, many of whom are fully trained Combat Veterans, and speak, read, and comprehend fluent English. Obama is intent on replacing hose American citizens in the US Armed Forces with Illegal aliens, many of whom can’t properly speak, read, and comprehend English. Please review the below listed article by William Hamilton, J.D., and Ph.D.
Obama is planning on replacing loyal American Combat Veterans, who need their paying billets, with Illegal aliens at a time when 40 million Americans are unemployed, on food stamps, and would gladly join the US Armed Forces to obtain a paying jobs. This program of replacing US Citizens in the US Armed Forces with Foreign Nationals, who can’t properly speak, read, or properly comprehend English. That latest Obama initiative is extremely dangerous to the National Security, of the Republic, and is being supported by leftist and Marxist elected members of Congress.
Consider the fact that under the provisions of Title 18 U.S. Code § 922 - Unlawful Acts (Firearms) it is a felony for an Illegal alien to possess a firearm.
While the Obama administration has been adamant about making it more difficult for United States Citizens to possess firearms, they are initiating a policy in violation of Federal Law, to clear the way to arm Illegal aliens. Those Illegal aliens have been granted temporary lawful status without so much as a face-to-face interview, let alone a field investigation, yet they are being authorized to possess firearms in violation of another of the many federal law Obama illegally continues to violates, he will be providing those Illegal aliens but with some of the best firearms training in the world. Illegal aliens are not the sons and daughters of American Citizens, we believe the sons and daughters of American citizens would not fire on their fellow American citizens if ordered to do so, but the Obama administration knows foreign nationals would fire on American citizens if ordered to do so.
The Illegal aliens will be recruited to join he US Armed Forces from the Obama administration’s ill-conceived Deferred Action-Childhood Arrival Program (DACA) that has already provided hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens, up to age 31, with temporary lawful status and has provided them with identity documents, without so much as a face-to- face interview by ICE or Immigration officials. None of them have been screened to determine if some of them might be Islamic Terrorists posing as Mexican nationals or fugitive criminals who have avoided criminal prosecution in the United States. The Obama administration knows there are no resources to conduct field investigations on hundreds of thousands of DACA Illegal aliens, being given blank temporary lawful status, in order to check their applications, to uncover fraud, or to determine if they have criminal records.
On October 28, 2013, Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) posted a commentary about the dangers posed by the current failures of the Immigration System’s ability to determine if Islamic Terrorists and criminals who have been designated in the DACA Program, to determine if they pose a serious threat to National Security, to threaten public safety, and to determine if they can game the system.
The Obama administration will direct the US Armed Forces to recruit Illegal aliens, many of whom cannot speak, read, or comprehend English, from the those in the DACA program, in order to replace the 90,000 well trained American citizen Combat Veterans, who speak, read and comprehend English (many of whom are being given pink slips to be discharged early while actively engaged in combat in Afghanistan). Dumping thousands of the files of those Illegal aliens in the DACA Program, who are being recruited into the US Armed Forces, on to the desks of Immigration Officers, who already cannot handle their daily workload, would only serve to exacerbate the required careful review of the files of those Illegal aliens---they just won’t be properly reviewed and will result in an extremely dangerous National Security issue. The primary function for the occupant of the Oval Office is to protect the National Security of the nation and the American citizens.
Obama and his allies in Congress are posing a very serious National Security threat to the Republic, to the US Armed Forces, and to the safety of all American citizens in the Republic. We encourage every person who receives this E-mail to support members of Congress who oppose Obama’s program to discharge US citizens in the US Armed Forces who are trained Combat Veterans, in order to replace them with Illegal aliens whose loyalty is with Mexico not to the Republic. The 31 endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress listed in the attachment will oppose Obama’s very dangerous threat to our National Security.
"Central View," by William Hamilton, J.D., Ph.D.
National Defense: Fire U.S. citizens, replace with illegals.
The Eisenhower Administration relied primarily on the nuclear weapons of our Navy and Air Force to deter Soviet and Red Chinese aggression. Consequently, many U.S. Army units were hollow shells. But President Kennedy's more aggressive foreign policy called for more combat troops and, in particular, for more Special Forces. In Augsburg, West Germany, our battalion received several hundred "legal-immigrant," Spanish-speaking recruits who agreed to serve on active duty in exchange for an accelerated path to U.S. citizenship.
While we welcomed the additional warm bodies to fill our ranks, having to teach them English and how to be soldiers was an enormous burden on our officers and NCOs. We scattered the Spanish speakers throughout our company, giving them the best chance to learn English as rapidly as possible. Other companies kept them segregated into their own platoons. Those recruits learned little English. But some of our "total-immersion" recruits learned the skills of the infantry soldier so well that they even earned the coveted Expert Infantry Badge (EIB).
But now, the Obama Administration plans to pour "illegal" immigrants into an Army that is already issuing pink slips to over 90,000 active-duty soldiers who are U.S. citizens and dumping our volunteer soldiers onto a dismal civilian job market. Question: Why would you fire 90,000 volunteer soldiers who are already U.S. Citizens and who have already learned their military job skills and replace them with illegal immigrants with limited or no English and no previous military training? We report. You decide.
But wait! There's more: Under the Obama Plan, the "illegal" immigrant relatives of the "illegal" immigrant recruits cannot be deported while their "illegal" immigrant soldier or sailor or Marine is serving on active duty. Also the path of the "illegal" relatives to U.S. citizenship is accelerated the same as the "illegal" immigrant soldier or sailor, or Marine. Again, we report. You decide.
Our military leadership, to include the current commander-in-chief, is dysfunctional enough already. If you read "Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution," by Richard Whittle, you see that inter-service rivalry, the egos of certain senior officers, and in-fighting between the White House, the Pentagon, and the CIA almost killed our most valuable drone asset before it was even born. Under President Bush, on the first night of our attacks against the Taliban, Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban, was spotted by a Predator drone but, because of twisted lines of authority, he was allowed to escape unharmed.
If you read "American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant,"by Ann Scott Tyson, you learn that Jim Gant's idea of winning the war in Afghanistan "One Tribe at a Time" was sabotaged by other officers putting careerism before the mission of getting the Afghan tribes on our side. Wonder what the Taliban thought when President Obama set the date for our withdrawal from Candidate Obama's "good" war? You decide, in November.
President Obama is asking Congress to provide $500 million to the Syrian rebels. When asked by Congress to name the rebel leader to receipt for the $500 million, Secretary of Defense Hagel appeared clueless. That $500 million could keep a lot of loyal GIs from getting pink slips.
©2014. William Hamilton.
National Suicide by Political Correctness
Please read the below listed article by Col Lawrence Sellin, Ph. D, concerning the history of the progressive political correct propaganda programs first developed by the Communist Party and promoted by progressives in the US since the early 50s. Over the last 6 years the progressive movement has been implemented by the Obama administration by integrating progressive and politically correct policy in all Government Bureaus with the help of 45 czars appointed by Obama who were never confirmed by the US Senate. The progressive and political correctness indoctrination has been force fed to the captive US Armed Forces negatively affecting Combat Effectiveness, unit cohesiveness, and moral. While this has been on going, the left of center liberal media establishment has been promulgating progressive political correctness in their media, in order to indoctrinate the American people. At the same time, the Obama appointees at the Department of Education have promoted Obama’s progressiveness and political correctness in the new anti-American Common Core teaching curriculum for secondary and college educational courses, in keeping with the progressive indoctrination of unsuspecting students by leftists college professors that has been going on since the early 60’s.
Unsuspecting students at all levels of education are being indoctrinated with this new progressive political correct Common Core agenda approved by the Obama administration which has eliminated civics courses, information about the Founding Fathers, study of the Bill of Rights, analysis on the US Constitution, positive history about how the US abolished slavery, the impressive history about how the US Armed Forces freed millions of people in foreign lands from oppressive dictators and returned the land to the people in those countries, how the free enterprise created the most effective economic engine in the history of mankind, and cover up the Socialism has never worked in any country where it has been tried.
Now progressives in the Obama administration appointed to the Center for Disease Control are doing nothing to keep American citizens safe from the Ebola epidemic, and are delaying the required precautionary steps necessary to prevent the spread of the Ebola infectious disease from spreading throughout the Republic, because it would not be politically correct. Obama administration officials have been insinuating that it would be racist to restrict the entry of travelers with passports from countries in West Africa where the Ebola epidemics are rampant. However, in order to protect their citizens from an Ebola epidemic, the intelligent leaders of African and European countries are restricting flights from West Africa from entering their countries. The primary function of the leader of any country is to protect the lives of their citizens.
US Immigrations and Customs Officials are not properly screening arriving international passengers insuring where they have traveled, asking the passenger if they have a fever, screening passengers to see if they are sick, and are not thermo-scanning passenger’s temperatures. Yet,
US Immigration and Custom Officials are quarantining dogs and cats entering the US, and demanding to examine the medical records of those animals. Even though the citizens of West African countries have been exposed to a serious Ebola epidemic---and despite repeated calls for restricting flights from West Africa to the United States as African and European countries have restricted those flights from arriving in their countries, the Obama administration refuses to restrict flights from West Africa from entering the US----------after all it would be racist and politically incorrect.
A postscript:
When the Obama administration asked Israel to send members of its Armed Forces to provide medical assistance to Ebola infected countries in West Africa, their Defense Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, said “The hell I’ll expose my troops to Ebola.” It kind of makes you feel warm inside to know that Obama is exposing 3000 US military personnel to Ebola where the infectious disease is rampant in the countries in West Africa where they are being sent---no other member of the 192 United Nations states is exposing their sons and daughters to that killer disease.
However, Obama won’t deploy one member of the US Armed Forces to seal the wide open southern border, in order to prevent drug smugglers, human smugglers, Islamic terrorists, 200,000 illegal youth from central America, and Ebola infected Illegal Immigrants from entering the United States. The 31 endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress will fight to close the wide open southern borders and push to restore US History in educational institutions, vote for them in your Absentee Ballot or at the polls.
"Obama is the architect of American decline, and progressivism is the ideology of American suicide. Decline is a choice, but so is liberty. Let us resolve as Americans to make liberty our choice".
Dinesh D’Souza
Family Security Matters
National suicide by political correctness
by LAWRENCE SELLIN, PHD October 1, 2014
Barack Obama said "ISIL is not Islamic. No religion condones the killing of innocents."
That definition includes: al- Qa'ida, Abu Sayyaf, Gama'a al-Islamiyya, Hamas, Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e Tayyiba, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Asbat al-Ansar, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, Jemaah Islamiya, Ansar al-Islam, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, al-Shabaab, al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula, Boko Haram, al-Nusrah Front, Ansar al-Shari'a in Benghazi, Ansar al-Shari'a in Darnah, Ansar al-Shari'a in Tunisia - Well, you get the idea.
As noted recently by Diana West, Americans continue to be perplexed as to how the Obama Administration and the media keep repeating the politically correct propaganda that Islam has nothing to do with jihad. Such widespread, politics- and mass-media-driven brainwashing is not new.
Just as today's politicians, journalists and academics seek to separate Islam from its radical impact; brutal conquest, forced conversion, sex slavery and beheadings. Past opinion-makers worked equally hard to separate communism from its own brand inhuman impact; brutal conquest, forced collectivization, concentration camps and mass murder.
Few Americans realize that political correctness, a policy implicitly promoted by Democrats and established as the de facto totalitarian legal system on American universities, was designed by communists in the 1930s to undermine western civilization and democracy while disguising the nature of the threat.
After the successful 1917 communist revolution in Russia, it was widely believed that a proletarian revolt would sweep across Europe and, ultimately, North America. It did not. The only two attempts at a workers' government in Munich and Budapest lasted only months.
As a result the Communist International began to investigate other ways to create the state of societal hopelessness and alienation necessary as a prerequisite for socialist revolution.
Political Correctness is cultural Marxism translated from economic into cultural terms. Just as in classical economic Marxism, certain groups, i.e. workers and peasants, are a priori good, and other groups, i.e., the bourgeoisie and capital owners, are evil. In the cultural Marxism of Political Correctness certain groups are good, such as feminist women, blacks, ethnic minorities and those who define themselves according to sexual orientation. These groups are deemed to be "victims," and therefore unquestionably good. Similarly, white males and, by extension Western civilization, are determined to be automatically evil, thereby becoming the equivalent of the bourgeoisie in economic Marxism.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, American universities now represent the largest concentration of Marxist dogma and political correctness in the world. This is not the academy of a republic, but Hitler's Gestapo and Stalin's NKVD rooting out deviationists in the guise of racial, ethnic, gender and cultural sensitivity.
The policies of the Obama Administration reflect what David Horowitz described as an unholy alliance between leftists and radical Islam. They have been brought together by the traits they share - their hatred of Western civilization and their belief that the United States is the embodiment of evil on earth. While Islamic radicals seek to purge the world of heresies and of the infidels who practice them, leftist radicals seek to purge society's collective "soul" of the vices allegedly spawned by capitalism -- those being racism, sexism, imperialism, and greed.
Given the existential threat posed by such ideologies, political correctness can no longer be considered merely a peculiarity of cowardly politicians, a biased media or tenured radicals, but a dangerous subversive element of an anti-American and anti-Western strategy.
But frankly, Mr. Obama, I don't care if ISIL is "Islamic" or not. Wanting us all dead is a sufficient reason to take the war directly and aggressively to them.
Dinesh D'Souza's Speech to the Combat Veterans For Congress
The below listed speech is the most important speech, in support of the Republic, that I have listened to, since I listened to many important speeches by President Ronald Reagan over a 14 year period. I believe I can speak with a degree of authority and confidence, because of my association with President Ronald Reagan and the Reagan administration over that 14 year period. The below listed keynote speech was given by Dinesh D’Souza, author and producer of the most successful documentary film in history, “America”; the address was given on September 6, 2014 at the Town and Country Hotel in San Diego, California during a Gala Event to introduce the Combat Veterans For Congress to the national press corps.
I was very fortunate to work with and for President Reagan, on and off, for a 14 years period. I began my association with former California Governor Ronald Reagan during his campaign for the Republican nomination for President, when he was running against President Gerald Ford. That campaign took us to the Republican Convention in Kansas City, where Gov Reagan lost what was until then, a very close nomination race, but because of the power of incumbent who was able to offer delegates from key states with certain benefits, Gov Reagan lost. I continued to work with President Reagan during his two terms and for 2 years after he left office; when his staff in Century City would ask me if I would volunteer to do advances for the former President, when he was scheduled to make speeches to various audiences.
I encourage you to pass this very important video on to everyone in your address book who cares about the survival of the Republic envisioned and created by our Founding Fathers. That Republic that we knew and raised in our youth is under relentless attack by the occupant of the Oval Office, and is intent on changing it to a Socialist State. The endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress, listed in the attachment who are running in 2014, will fight to protect our Judeo-Christian Heritage, the “Freedoms” outlined in The Bill of Rights, and will fight to protect and defend the US Constitution-------the US Constitution they raised their right hand and swore to protect and defend, and did so on foreign fields of combat, while repeatedly putting their lives on the line.
U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy Puts The Nation At Great Risk
September 12, 2014
U.S.' Nuclear Weapons Policy Puts Country At Great Risk
• From 1993-2003 Congress explicitly made it illegal to carry out any research or development on low-yield nuclear weapons, which are vital to deter today's grave new nuclear threats. This established the wrong mindset in a generation of lab scientists which still exists.
Congress delayed, then killed, all three programs.
• In 2005 the Reliable Replacement Warhead program was proposed. Because it had no new military capabilities, it gained fragile bipartisan support. However, Congress soon backwatered on it, and Obama killed it in 2009 as not befitting his "world without nuclear weapons" vision.
• The urgently needed modernization program for the labs and America's nuclear weapons infrastructure, formally agreed to by Obama in return for Senate approval of New START treaty ratification in 2010, has been progressively dismantled by both branches ever since.
These eight actions — and many others — by our national leadership have emasculated the labs' ability to protect us from technological surprise in nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, for two decades Russia has been following exactly the opposite course. Its nuclear weapons labs have focused on low-yield weapons research, design, testing and production. It's pursued advanced concepts, fifth-generation weapons and greater use of fusion and less of fission (possibly achieving pure fusion).
Such weapons might well emit only neutrons and gamma rays, and their tactics of use would be ones we've never seen. Furthermore, Russia's new strategy calls for early use of nuclear weapons in all conflicts, large and small.
America's current nuclear weapons course is one of grave risk. Our policy documents emphasize that "nuclear stability" must be our goal, yet the technological surprise we are encouraging by our actions is the antithesis of stability. We must return to a policy of nuclear strength.
• Monroe is a retired Navy Vice Admiral and former director of the Defense Nuclear Agency.
In the Middle East, for the past 3 years, Obama has avoided exercising traditional US leadership in the world community to mobilize support for the prevention of the continued slaughter of Christians (by his inaction, by taking no action, he has signaled ISIL that it is safe to continue slaughtering Christians. Obama continues to state almost daily, that there will be no boots on the ground in the Middle East; ISI has become emboldened by his telling them what he will not do.
Instead of inserting boots on the ground with small Special Operations units in the Levant of what used to be Iraq, to coordinate command & control, US air operations & strikes, and gathering of actionable intelligence, and instead of putting 3000 military boots on the ground along the southern border to stem the massive influx of Illegal Immigrants, drug smugglers, human smugglers, and terrorist flooding across the southern border, Obama is executing a very dangerous plan to deploy 3000 US military personnel to the Ebola infected jungles of Liberia. Obama has placed the 3000 military personnel under the command of the State Department not the Defense Department..
Helping contain Ebola is not the duty for the US Armed Forces to perform, the US Military is not an organization that contain contagious and infectious diseases that have no cure. It is something the UN Health Organization together with the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention should be doing, it is not a military mission the military was properly trained to execute. US Armed Forces personnel should be employed in combat operations; this is just another abuse of US Military personnel by Obama. (please read the below listed article).
The Obama administration representatives could not answer some very basic questions: was there adequate protective and preventive medical equipment and health training procedures that they would provide to the 3000 military personnel, to make sure military personnel would not get infected with Ebola. The Obama administration had no answers to those question posed by the press. In recent days, health officials around the world have become alarmed by the prospect that the Ebola virus could mutate and go airborne, then the spread of infection would be virtually be impossible to contain.
Obama’s order to deploy 3000 boots on the ground in West Africa to help contain Ebola is risking infecting the nation with a killer plague that has no medical cure. This latest unsound and flawed initiative by the occupant of the Oval Office, hazarding the lives of 3000 US military personnel with the possibility of being infected with Ebola, further displays a lack of cautious and intelligent leadership. The Speaker of the House endorsed Obama’s perilous policy, that risks the security of the nation and hazards the lives of children and the elderly in America.
Obama’s initiatives will be praised and celebrated by the left of center liberal media establishment. Obama’s very dangerous decision will be hazarding the entire nation, especially when the 3000 military personnel return---they should all be quarantined, off shore, for at least 2 months before they are allowed to set foot back on CONUS. This risky initiative, will result in more of the American people not trusting the judgment of the President or the Speaker of the House, since they are both supporting a policy, that is endangering the safety and security of the American people.
Can't answer questions posed at congressional hearing on crisis
Published: 12 hours ago
author-imageJEROME R. CORSI About | Email Archive
WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday on Ebola, government health workers were unable to answer specific questions posed by Republicans skeptical of President Obama’s decision to deploy 3,000 U.S. troops to Liberia to combat the disease.
None of the government health witnesses testifying were able to answer basic questions, including how many physicians and nurses would be among the 3,000 troops allocated or what type of protective equipment and training would be employed to prevent infection.
The witnesses explained the State Department was in charge of the military mission, not the Pentagon.
“Who do we call when there is a problem with the troops in Liberia?” asked Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, a physician and a guest on the committee.
“You call USAID,” replied Nancy Lindborg, assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID.
She explained the situation in Liberia is a medical emergency, and USAID is directing the Obama administration’s response in West Africa.
USAID reports to the State Department, not to the Department of Defense.
As WND reported, retired Lt. Gen. William G. Boykin has charged that sending American troops to combat Ebola in Liberia is “an absolute misuse of the U.S. military.”
Rep. Christopher Smith, R-N.J., began the questioning by asking the government health witnesses whether or not the Obama administration has allocated sufficient funding to support the military mission in Liberia. Smith also asked what steps the administration plans to take to protect the health of the troops deployed there.
Unable to directly answer Smith’s questions, Lindborg stressed the U.S. wants to provide “command and control” in Liberia, coordinating international efforts to provide physicians and nurses.
Lindborg promised to deliver after the hearing a breakdown of the roles the 3,000 U.S. troops would play.
She explained the goal of the military mission is to establish a Joint Force Command headquartered in Liberia to serve as a regional command for U.S. military activities in the region. The plan is also to establish an Ebola “training boot camp” to train up to 500 local health care workers weekly and to set up a 25-bed hospital in Liberia open to all health care aid workers in West Africa who contract the disease.
“When will the 3,000 military be in theater?” Smith asked. “Can you also reassure the American people that the military deployed to Liberia will have adequate protective medical equipment and training to make sure our troops do not get infected with Ebola while in the region”
Lindborg was unable to provide Smith precise timelines for the arrival of U.S. troops nor was she able to detail the protective medical equipment and training the troops will be provided prior to arrival.
Coming to Limburg’s defense, Dr. Beth Bell, director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Disease at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explained the CDC has prepared material regarding what medical personnel dispatched to West Africa to combat Ebola need to know before they arrive in the disease hot zone.
In her prepared opening statement, Bell appeared to minimize the risk presented by the current outbreak, stressing Ebola is “not a significant health threat to the United States.”
She argued Ebola is not easily transmitted and does not spread from people who are not ill She also noted cultural norms that contribute to the spread of the disease in Africa, such as burial customs, are not a factor in the U.S.
“There is a window of opportunity to tamp down the spread of this disease, but that window is closing,” Bell testified. “The best way to prevent the Ebola virus from reaching the United States is to contain the virus outbreak in West Africa now.”
She told the committee that the $600 million the United Nations believes will be needed to get supplies to West African countries to get the virus under control is “an underestimate.”
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained the NAAID has begun active human testing of various alternative therapies and experimental drugs to combat Ebola. The effort includes working with Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. to develop MB-003, a combination of three antibodies that has successfully prevented Ebola from developing in monkeys when administered as late as 48 hours after exposure.
In combination with the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, NIAID is testing an experimental vaccine that uses a chimpanzee virus similar to the common cold virus, Chimp Adenovirus 3 (Cad3), as a carrier, or vector, to introduce the Ebola virus genes into the body, with the goal of stimulating an immune response.
Fauci, under questioning from the committee, argued that while it is possible the Ebola virus could mutate in Liberia to become airborne, it is unlikely.
“The American public should not lose sleep over the possibility Ebola will go airborne,” he said. “But we have to contain the virus right now, because the more the virus escalating, infecting additional people, the greater the chance the virus will mutate.”
The Macro Plan to Crush the Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL)--Hon Bud McFarlane
All Midshipmen and Cadets, while matriculating at one of the US Service Academies, are taught to fight to “Win” in academics, on the athletic field, and ultimately in combat---they learn that there is no substitute for victory!!
Unfortunately, the resident in the Oval Office’s plan to defeat the Islamic State in the Levant (ISIL), is not a serious plan; there is no consistency, no clarity, and no obvious will to “Win” Allies have observed that Obama is calling the world to ride to an uncertain trumpet when he is not committed to it. The failure to execute an effective air campaign (the 150 air strikes over many weeks should have occurred on the first day of air campaign and everyday thereafter). The repeated statements by Obama that there will be no boots on the ground, and failure of the air campaign to strike supply lines, long convoys of armed terrorists, and weapons depots in Syria has signaled ISIL that the plan is not a serious plan.
The allies have watched over the last 6 years as Obama walked away from the victory in Iraq & refused to leave a residual US military force in Iraq overriding his own generals, Obama walked away from air strikes in Syria 3 years ago when Assad crossed the red line, he took out a friendly leader in Libya then walking away from a destabilized Libya that resulted in Al Q’ieda taking over Libya, walked away from the friendly Egyptian Army Junta after it removed the Moslem Brotherhood Mosci who was killing Christians, and Obama has sent a signal that he will walk away from Afghanistan leaving it to the Taliban and Al Q’ieda---Middle East & NATO allies are not interested in joining a consortium with a quitter who can’t be trusted to “Win” anything.
US air power, the Kurdish Forces, the Iraqi Army (with an anti-Sunni Government), and the free Syrian Army cannot possibly defeat the 30,000 man ISIL army which is projected to soon grow to 60,000 men (ISIL is selling $3 million in black market oil to Turkey every day to fund its military operation). Air strikes will not be sufficient, when there is no effective command and control organization on the ground, there is no effective reconnaissance operation on the ground, when the US does not have the ability to capture combatants in order to develop actionable intelligence. The US is planning to spend one year to train 5000 Free Syrians Army personnel, while ISIL grows from 30,000 to 60,000 in the same year.
After 9/11 the US inserted small Special Operation Units and CIA Paramilitary forces on the ground in Afghanistan to coordinate with the Northern Alliance, in order to drive the Taliban, Al Q’ieda, and Osama Bin Laden out of Afghanistan The failure of Obama to commit small Special Operations and CIA Paramilitary forces units on the ground in Iraq is dooming Obama’s plan to failure---Obama keeps telling ISIL that there will be no boots on the ground-----what other occupant of the Oval Officer in 238 years has ever told the enemy what the US will not do?.
The Obama administration continues to send confusing messages to reluctant US allies who are being asked to join a coalition to defeat ISIL, to the American people who are being asked to support Obama’s inept plan to defeat ISIL (68% of the American people believe Obama’s plan to “Win” is folly), and to Obama’s leftist allies in the Democratic Party to prevent them from being alarmed before the November election (the leftists, Socialists, and Marxists in the Democratic party do not want Obama to carry out a comprehensive “War Plan” to defeat ISIL they want to take funds away from the US military and use those funds to expand the bloated and inept welfare state rift with fraud).
Obama doesn’t have the strength of purpose to do what Presidents Lincoln, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan did to protect the homeland. Obama’s political policies are allowing ISIL terrorists to flood across the wide open southern border and threaten American citizens, while he hollows out the US Armed Forces, and creates a $1 trillion annual US deficient leading the nation to the brink of bankruptcy. .
For the last 6 years, the Obama administration used drones to kill Al Q’ idea leaders who were immediately replaced by the next Al Q’ieda terrorist in line. They killed one leader after another who had a great deal of valuable intelligence, instead of employing small Special Operations units to capture the leaders, interrogate them, and develop the requisite intelligence to oppose the spread of Al Q’ieda worldwide. The net result of the killer drone policy that the Obama administration bragged about, has been that ISIL metastasized and Islamic terrorism spread throughout the world like cancer---while the Obama administration was blinded because they lacked actionable intelligence from captured Islamic terrorists.
Obama didn’t want to capture, interrogate, and jail terrorists in Gitmo, all he wanted to do was to kill terrorists in the field so he could close the Gitmo operation. The Gitmo interrogations developed an incredible amount of actionable intelligence, including providing the intelligence that led to the location of Bin Laden’s messenger, and that messenger ultimately led to US forces to the location of Osama Bin Laden’s lair in Pakistan, where SEAL Team SIX took out Bin Laden.
There is no Obama administration plan to pull out all the stops to “Crush” ISIL. We encourage you to read the below listed macro approach to Crush ISIL written by the former National Security Advisor in the Reagan Administration, the Hon Robert C. McFarlane, USNA '59, Col-USMC (Ret); he is calling for the effective employment of diplomacy, applying economic pressure, training & support of Special Operation Forces, and not to continue following the past policy of “leading from behind”, but to exercise traditional effective US leadership to “Win”. Robert “Bud” McFarlane is the Senior Advisor for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and supports the endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress.
McFARLANE: A plan for crushing the Islamic State
Toothless diplomacy is no longer an option
By Robert McFarlane - - Wednesday, September 3, 2014
It is astonishing that nearly six years into the tenure of any administration the commander-in-chief would acknowledge publicly that he has no strategy for addressing an evident, serious threat to American interests.
Last week, marauders from the so-called Islamic State overran Tabqa air base in Syria, where MANPADS, or man-portable air-defense systems, are stored. These are the weapons that can bring down commercial aircraft. Considering the pledge of this group’s leader to take the war to the United States, they now have the means to do so whether targeting the takeoff of a U.S. commercial airliner from Dubai, or in a few weeks after penetrating the Mexican border, from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in Dallas.
Historically, every new administration spends the first year of its tenure enunciating goals — essentially, to keep the peace and establish a climate at home and abroad in which American interests can be advanced — and then developing strategies for achieving them in specific regions of the world. The process begins with the president stating his view of what our regional interests are, inviting the intelligence community and the Cabinet to identify how those interests are threatened, and then tasking these principals and staff to develop a range of integrated political, economic and military measures for defending and advancing American interests throughout the world. By the end of the first year, the president has evaluated the options submitted to him and has made decisions among them. He then goes about implementing them by publishing and explaining them to three constituencies — the American people, the U.S. Congress and our allies. While this process involves hard work and disciplined leadership, it’s not rocket science. Doing it well yields enormous benefits. It engenders confidence among the American people and nurtures cohesion and support among our allies. Finally, it puts adversaries on notice that we are a serious nation that has the will, the capability, a strategic plan and the resources to prevail against any challenge they might consider posing.
Since World War II, U.S. presidents have engaged this strategic process as a proven means for defining and announcing our interests overseas, assessing how they are threatened, and developing effective strategies designed to deter, or — if deterrence fails — to prevail in any conflict well in advance of any such conflict. In the Reagan administration, I had the privilege of managing that process, and in the ensuing years, it proved invaluable not only in identifying — and pre-empting — challenges still over the horizon, but in crisis management as well. In the remaining years of the current administration, there is still time for President Obama to lead in the resolution of the plethora of crises before us — starting with the threats posed by the Islamic State and concurrently in Ukraine, China and Iran.
Modern terrorism by Islamist groups has posed a “clear and present danger” to our country for more than 30 years. In Iraq, we are faced with an especially challenging form of it. A well-financed, well-armed and well-trained barbarous force has declared its intention, inter alia, to conduct operations against the United States on its way to establishing an Islamic caliphate of global reach and jurisdiction.
Given the plausibility of their executing such a plan, the first comment our president must make is that this movement of uncivilized savages puts us all at risk — from Irbil to London, Chicago, Tokyo and Beijing — and that there is no basis for trying to reason with brainwashed, ideological, totalitarian, genocidal criminals bent on pursuit of an imperial strategy. The second is that they must be destroyed. Mr. Obama’s statement from Estoniaon Wednesday was a good, though belated, beginning.
Developing a political, economic and military strategy for containing and then destroying the Islamic State is not something that will come easily for the president, given his proclivities toward engagement and toothless diplomacy. Yet in some respects, his task has been rendered less onerous. Politicians in every civilized state — especially European states that have known this menace was coming for years — understand that if they don’t join in countering this scourge in Syria and Iraq, they will face it in their own countries before long. This week, the president’s task is to forge consensus among his political counterparts in Western Europe to direct NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Philip Breedlove and the NATO military committee to work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop a plan for overcoming this menace.
Economically, it’s time to lean hard on the Gulf Arabs to shut down their formal and informal funding of radical Islamists. The diplomacy needed to get this done ought also to be a little easier than it would have been even five years ago. Their tenure is at risk, and they are palpably conscious of it. Separately, our work with European allies should involve closing their financial institutions to Islamist transactions.
The U.S. military must work with Kurdish, Kuwaiti, Egyptian, United Arab Emirates, Saudi, Jordanian and Iraqi forces to forge a strategy, first to contain and then to destroy the Islamic State’s forces. U.S. and allied tactical aviation can help limit the enemy’s mobility and provide fire support during engagements. However, the training and supervision of ground forces from the aforementioned countries in the struggle to regain lost territory must fall to experienced U.S. special operations advisory personnel — several thousand of them.
By their brashness and brutality, the Islamists may have provided an impetus and a window for the civilized world to come together and reverse their gains. It will take extraordinary leadership from Washington to oversee this battle and stay the course. That window may not remain open for long.
As soon as we have stemmed this tide — a year from now — we must turn to the agenda that we have for so long avoided — bringing the moderate Arabs, Kurds and Israel into a sustained conversation on regional security that leads toward reconciling their differences. To do so offers a revered place in history for the American president. Yet it will require a far better understanding of the nature of the challenge than has thus far been apparent, together with the courage and commitment to lead such an effort successfully.
Robert McFarlane served as President Reagan’s national-security adviser. He is currently a senior adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
UN Small-Arms Treaty, Major Second Amendment Threat
The assault on Americans Citizen’s rights to own and bear arms in accordance with provisions of the Second Amendment of the US Constitution is being threatened by the Obama administration’s support for the UN Small Arms Treaty. This UN Small-Arms Treaty threatens individual firearm ownership with an invasive registration scheme.
The below listed Op-Ed by Admiral James A Lyons’52 USN (Ret) (former Commander of the US Pacific Fleet and the Senior US Military Representative to the United Nations) is a warning all Americans of the threat posed by Obama to void provisions of the Second Amendment by signing the UN Small-Arms Treaty, allowing the UN to control small arms in the United States.
Obama has the support of the elected Democrat Senators to approve the UN Small Arms Treaty. Those Democrat Senators who agree with Obama, standing for re-election in November should be defeated at the polls. The endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress listed on the Endorsements page, running for election in 2014 (three of whom are running for the US Senate), support the rights of all Americans to acquire and bear arms in accordance with the US Constitution.
LYONS: Small-arms treaty, big Second Amendment threat
Ceding Senate constitutional authority to the U.N. would be unwise
By James A. Lyons
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
• Lost Gun Rights Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times
Enlarge Photo
Lost Gun Rights Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times more >
In a little-noticed action, the U.N. General Assembly on April 2, 2013, adopted by "majority vote" an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) with the objective of regulating the international trade in conventional arms from small arms to major military equipment. The treaty's lofty objectives were to foster peace and security by limiting uncontrolled destabilizing arms transfer to areas of conflict. In particular, it was also meant to prevent countries that abuse human rights from acquiring arms.
While the record of the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty discussions makes no mention of it, the genesis for regulating the unrestrained transfer of conventional arms to conflict areas, Third World countries and human rights violators was a key policy of President Carter's administration. Shortly after his inauguration in 1977, he initialed a policy of restraint on conventional-arms transfer and linked such control to the human rights record of potential recipients, particularly in Latin America. To implement this policy, the Carter administration proposed to the Soviet Union, the world's second-leading supplier of arms, that it open negotiations to conclude such an agreement. These meetings were known as the Conventional Arms Transfer Talks.
The first region selected was Latin America, because there was less competition there than anywhere else in the world between the United States and the Soviet Union. As the director of political-military affairs, I was the Joint Chiefs of Staff representative in the U.S. delegation, which was headed by Les Gelb from the State Department. Suffice to say, after four meetings over a 12-month period and the "delusion" that a successful agreement could be achieved, the talks collapsed. The esoteric objectives may sound good in the faculty lounge, but they fail to pass muster in the real world.
The Soviets were always the reluctant suitors in this enterprise. They were not about to restrict the transfer of arms in areas that they viewed to be in their political interests. Certainly, there was not unanimity of purpose in the Carter administration. The Joint Chiefs of Staff viewed the objectives as an unnecessary infringement on our strategy and sovereignty.
For the record, the Obama administration's Conventional Arms Transfer policy issued on Jan. 16 embraces many of the objectives of the Carter administration's policy, as well as the current U.N. Arms Trade Treaty. However, it makes no mention of either one.
A number of major defects in the U.N. treaty were detailed in a letter sent to President Obama in October 2013 by 50 senators — both Republicans and Democrats. The first problem was that the treaty was adopted by majority vote in the U.N. General Assembly, not by consensus, a condition called for by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. After entry into force, the senators contend, the Arms Trade Treaty can be amended by majority vote of signatory countries, effectively negating the Senate's constitutional treaty power and handing it to foreign governments. Even the State Department concedes, the senators wrote, that the treaty "includes language that could hinder the United States from fulfilling its strategic, legal and moral commitments to provide arms to key allies such as the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the State of Israel."
Of most concern is the infringement on our constitutional rights, the senators charged. The Arms Trade Treaty "includes only a weak nonbinding reference to the lawful ownership, use of, and trade in firearms, and recognizes none of these activities, much less individual self-defense, as fundamental individual rights." When coupled with the treaty's ceding of interpretive authority to other countries, this poses a direct threat to the Second Amendment.
It should be noted that neither of Virginia's senators, Mark Warner or Tim Kaine, signed the Senate letter against a U.N. treaty that threatens Americans' right to keep and bear arms, and undermines American sovereignty.
Failing to sign the letter is not the first time Mr. Warner went AWOL on the Arms Trade Treaty. In January 2013, before Secretary of State John F. Kerry signed the treaty, the Senate passed a budget amendment sponsored by Sen. James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican, to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund for the purpose of "upholding Second Amendment rights, which shall include preventing the United States from entering into the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty." Mr. Warner and Mr. Kaine were among the 46 voting "nay" on the amendment.
Supporters of the treaty say there's nothing to worry about, because the Second Amendment is a constitutional protection, and nothing in a treaty can undermine it. Gun rights champions strongly disagree. "The Obama administration is once again demonstrating its contempt for our fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms," said Chris W. Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, following Mr. Kerry's signing of the treaty. "This treaty threatens individual firearm ownership with an invasive registration scheme. The NRA will continue working with the United States Senate to oppose ratification of the ATT."
With 50 senators opposed to the Arms Trade Treaty, we can hope its prospects for Senate advice and consent are small — with or without the support of liberals such as Mr. Warner and Mr. Kaine. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also need to indicate clearly their concern, as it affect our strategy and sovereignty.
Third Major Event Introduced Combat Veterans For Congress to National Press
The third major event in five years to promote the candidacy of endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress with the National Press was held in San Diego on September 6th at the Town and Country Hotel. Seventeen media representatives from throughout the nation attended, received Press Credentials, and represented 40+ outlets. The media representatives and journalists made press releases, will periodically release follow on articles, and over the next two months will be airing video presentations on their TV Networks about the endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress.
The event gained the endorsement and attendance of nationally known Patriotic Americans most of whom addressed the gathering-----Writer and Producer of “America” Dinesh D’Souza, Texas Governor Rick Perry, National Syndicated KABC Radio Talk Show Host Larry Elder, One American Network News Anchor Rick Amato, Tea Party Express National Strategist Sal Russo, FOX/CNN/CNBC Commentator Gary Berntsen, Congressman Barry Goldwater, Jr. Congressman Kerry Bentivolio, Actress/ Singer/Producer Connie Stevens, Singer/Producer Pat Boone, the Thomas More Law Center Director of Mission Advancement Thomas Lynch, and the endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress who were able to break away from their tightly contested races in 21 states.
Patriotic Americans from Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Michigan, Montana, Florida, Illinois, Wyoming, and California traveled to San Diego to support the event, including the attendance of Wounded Warrior, returning Afghanistan Combat Veterans, Naval Flag Officer, Iwo Jima Monument West Representatives, Senior Business Executives, Attorneys, and Combat Veterans from WWII. Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The evening’s events and the speeches motivated the attendees to return to their home states, in order to mobilizelocal support for the most important Congressional election in 238 years, an election that will decide the course of history of the Republic. The event did not generate the amount of funds hoped for to donate to the 32 endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress, two of which will be elected to the US Senate with proper financial support. The below listed letter is an appeal for donations to support the election of the 32 endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress running in 2014, would you kindly review it, donate funds in “any amount” that you can afford, and please pass it on to those in your address book who would support the elections of the endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress listed in the attachment.
My Fellow Americans,
In less than 56 days, the most important Congressional election in 238 years will take place. It is an election that will determine whether The Free Enterprise System that built the most effective economic engine in the history of mankind will continue, or whether we will become a Socialist State.
This election will determine if repeated violation of the US Constitution by the occupant of the Oval Office, Attorney General Holder and the Democrats in Congress will be allowed to continue.
It is an election that will determine if the out of control spending and taxing by irresponsible members of Congress will continue, or if Congress will stop the insane spending and taxing.
This election will determine if the unilateral disarmament of the US Armed Forces will continue, or if the newly-elected Congress will put a stop to the hollowing out of the US military.
We need a Congress appreciative of the values that have made our country great; we can achieve that by electing Combat Veterans For Congress who repeatedly put their lives on the line to defend the nation and our bedrock principles.
Over the past 5 years, the Combat Veterans For Congress PAC has endorsed and contributed greatly to the election of 22 Members of Congress. This year, thus far, we have endorsed 32 Combat Veterans For Congress in 21 state who are running for election in November 2014 (please view them on the endorsements page)
The “Endorsement page” of our Web site provides photos and biographies of each of the endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress. Each of those Combat Veterans raised their right hands and swore to protect and defend the US Constitution. They still continue to live by that oath, and our traditional Judeo-Christian values.
At one time in their lives each endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount “up to and including their lives.”
To paraphrase President Reagan, most people go thru their lives wondering if they’ve made a difference. The endorsed Combat Veterans For Congress don’t wonder if they made a difference. You can make a difference by helping us elect them to Congress.
The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC has no paid staff. We need your help. All donations are used to recruit, do background checks on candidates, endorse, and campaign for Combat Veterans For Congress. Once a year, we make this appeal for financial support. Please consider making an important difference by sending a generous donation using the below listed form, at a minimum, please make a donation in “any” amount that you can afford. Whether your gift is $25, $50, or $100, we would be deeply grateful for your support. The future of our Country depends on us! If not now, when? If not us, who?
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Nicole V. Parsons, Treasurer | http://www.combatveteransforcongress.org/ | dclm-gs1-439515528 | false | true | {
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0.081048 | <urn:uuid:a65d0adc-149d-451e-90fa-e697a6c5ded7> | en | 0.969316 | The critics, Cubs-White Sox wont get under Sveums skin
The critics, Cubs-White Sox wont get under Sveums skin
May 17, 2012, 2:39 am
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Almost two years ago, the Chicago media crowded around Lou Piniella as the Cubs manager sat down in the Wrigley Field dugout.
A crosstown game against the White Sox meant wall-to-wall coverage. One reporter asked a harmless question about how encouraged Piniella must be by the development of Tyler Colvin and Starlin Castro.
That set off Piniella, who fired back at the critics questioning how he handled young players. He blasted White Sox broadcaster Steve Stone and the ridiculous way media personalities did their jobs.
Ive won over 1,800 games as a manager and Im not a damn dummy, Piniella said that day. There are only 13 others that have won more games than me, so I guess I think I know what the hell Im doing.
Dale Sveum has a much longer fuse, and we havent seen him explode yet. Theres almost no chance the Cubs manager will go viral when the White Sox come to the North Side for a three-game series that begins Friday.
Ozzie Guillen who was replaced by the low-key Robin Ventura and Carlos Zambrano and Milton Bradley wont be there to light a match.
Sveum has an answer for everything Castro bunting, using or not using Kerry Wood and he explains baseball mechanics in great detail. He understands that the second-guessing is part of the job.
Its gonna happen, Sveum said Wednesday. I dont read the papers. Im not a guy that Tweets, or whatever you call that thing. Im not a big computer guy. I dont read the news.
(During) my free time, I watch the NFL channel as much as I canto keep up on (things) for fantasy reasons.
Cubs executives Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer had managerial candidates meet with the media as part of the interview process last fall. They knew that Sveum took the heat as an aggressive third-base coach with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 and 2005.
There was about a two-week period where I got about 10 guys thrown out at home, Sveum recalled. Thats the animal you deal with when youre in the big markets. If I got 10 guys thrown out in Milwaukee, I wouldnt have had press conferences. I was having press conferences as a third-base coach.
I understand how fans react when youre in a passionate place.
Sveum shows no signs of nervous energy. Reading his body language behind the desk, youd have no idea whether the Cubs won or lost when you walk into the managers office after the game.
Sveum thought back to Tuesdays walk-off loss in St. Louis, how the Cardinals won it when Yadier Molina hit a ball past diving second baseman Darwin Barney, who was shaded one way because thats where the data said he should be.
Theres nothing you can do about it, Sveum said. Sometimes it is a game of inches. As long as you know that your team is giving everything theyve got, and the preparation is there through the coaching staff, (you live with it).
You know somebodys got to lose that night. Put it that way. (When you do), you dwell on it for a little while. Maybe (its) should-a, would-a, could-a, but I dont take it home with me. That woulddrive you crazy.
Sveum has been disciplined and stayed on message. His quotes dont go out on Twitter the way it could when Mike Quade said things like Im not a lunatic.
Sveum has shown patience with young pitchers and trusted them in big situations. He has set the tone for a quiet, purpose-driven clubhouse. He has the hammer that comes with being a former big-leaguer, and being Epsteins guy.
The Cubs president hired Sveum so he could grow into the job and become the next Terry Francona (instead of bringing in the actual Terry Francona).
It helped having 16 games as Milwaukees interim manager in 2008. But its not easy when you have to tell Carlos Marmol that hes losing his job. Six weeks in, the manager is settling into the job. The White Sox shouldnt knock him off his game.
You can sit here and say youre prepared and want to manage and all that, Sveum said. There are still many things that are going to come up, (like) when you take somebody out of the closers role.
(Its not) the nine-inning strategies you go through or the double switches and all that. Sometimes, thats the easy part of managing the game. Its a lot of the other stuff behind the scenes. | http://www.csnchicago.com/blog/cubs-talk/critics-cubs-white-sox-wont-get-under-sveums-skin | dclm-gs1-439645528 | false | true | {
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0.924591 | <urn:uuid:d3db1c4f-66ef-4d57-ae2a-6f4810579428> | en | 0.905853 | Comment: Can Someone, Anyone, Answer My Question?
(See in situ)
Can Someone, Anyone, Answer My Question?
OP wants less conspiracy talk. OK. Then someone please tell me how you talk about 911, Waco, OKC, Columbine, Aroura, Sandy Hook, Boston bombing, etc, etc, etc -All The Things That Really Matter- and not talk conspiracy?
Remember when the word 'conspiracy' was so un-PC that people used a euphamism to refer to it and called it the 'dreaded' C word?
This is NOT the time to be muffled. This IS the time to be heard!
Say CONSPIRACY and say it LOUD!
OP, war, war on drugs ARE conspiracies. Everybody TALKS CONSPIRACIES and they don't even know it.
What the? > | http://www.dailypaul.com/comment/3051533 | dclm-gs1-439655528 | false | false | {
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0.04688 | <urn:uuid:9523731d-7257-4079-81fb-ead969a2627b> | en | 0.915737 | Definitions for GOOGLE
This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word GOOGLE
1. Google(Verb)
2. Google(Verb)
To investigate, using Google.
She Googled everybody she dated as soon as she could.
3. Google(Verb)
To search on the Internet using Google.
4. Google(ProperNoun)
A particular Internet company.
5. Google(ProperNoun)
A search engine that popularized the company of the same name.
6. Google(ProperNoun)
A service mark owned by w:Google Inc..
7. Origin: From googly.
1. Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational corporation specializing in Internet-related services and products. These include search, cloud computing, software and online advertising technologies. Most of its profits derive from AdWords. Google was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University. Together they own about 16 percent of its shares. They incorporated Google as a privately held company on September 4, 1998. An initial public offering followed on August 19, 2004. Its mission statement from the outset was "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful", and its unofficial slogan was "Don't be evil". In 2006 Google moved to headquarters in Mountain View, California. Rapid growth since incorporation has triggered a chain of products, acquisitions, and partnerships beyond Google's core search engine. It offers online productivity software including email, an office suite, and social networking. Desktop products include applications for web browsing, organizing and editing photos, and instant messaging. The company leads the development of the Android mobile operating system and the browser-only Google Chrome OS for a specialized type of netbook known as a Chromebook. Google has moved increasingly into communications hardware: it partners with major electronics manufacturers in production of its high-end Nexus devices and acquired Motorola Mobility in May 2012. In 2012, a fiber-optic infrastructure was installed in Kansas City to facilitate a Google Fiber broadband service.
The New Hacker's Dictionary
1. google
[common] To search the Web using the Google search engine, Google is highly esteemed among hackers for its significance ranking system, which is so uncannily effective that many hackers consider it to have rendered other search engines effectively irrelevant. The name ‘google’ has additional flavor for hackers because most know that it was copied from a mathematical term for ten to the 100th power, famously first uttered as ‘googol’ by a mathematician's nine-year-old nephew.
1. Google
Find a translation for the GOOGLE definition in other languages:
Select another language:
Discuss these GOOGLE definitions with the community:
Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:
"GOOGLE." STANDS4 LLC, 2014. Web. 21 Oct. 2014. <>.
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Alternative searches for GOOGLE: | http://www.definitions.net/definition/GOOGLE | dclm-gs1-439715528 | false | false | {
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0.018684 | <urn:uuid:4d03f2fe-86de-4fb7-8c3a-8973685422f7> | en | 0.968033 | Eden M. Kennedy
you've come to the right place
Filtering by Tag: Lakers
Litmus test
1. Carnation Breakfast Drink before 6:30 a.m. practice
2. Neon pink laces in my high tops
3. Sleeping with that one really tall guy
5. Brushing my teeth at least four minutes a day
6. And flossing!
7. Seriously, I floss all the time
8. I'm flossing as I write this
9. Ignoring people who think I lie about flossing
10. LAKERS 2-1, BABY!
Get Well, Chick
New Yorkistan
According to the latest New Yorker cover, Pam and Kim live in Pashmina, Lisa and Regan live in Liberaci, Alba and Steve live in Nudniks, Jack's Aunt Susie lives in Mooshuhadeen, Steph and Charley live in Khandibar, and my former apartment (a.k.a. "The New York Real Estate Miracle") is in Fuhgeddabouditstan. The Lakers won a spectacular game against the Mavericks last night (during which Jack gave me no end of shit for saying that Steve Nash is cute). Afterward, Jack gave no end of shit to Joe for being a lifelong Dodgers fan. Joe held his own without being insulting, though I'm sure he could have been. | http://www.emkennedy.net/blog/?tag=Lakers | dclm-gs1-439895528 | false | false | {
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0.018622 | <urn:uuid:b91f35a1-30df-4d03-91f3-cf4dbbcf0ed9> | en | 0.804232 |
Obstacle Avoiding Robot Without Microcontroller
Rachana Malviya, Technido
Obstacle Avoiding is a task which is used for detecting the objects placed in the path of your robot or any vehicle. So, to protect robot from any physical damages.
An obstacle avoiding robot is an intelligent device, which can automatically sense and overcome obstacles on its path. It is developed without micro-controller in order to eliminate critical circuits, difficult programming etc. All you want to do is to just understand the circuit diagram and start doing this robot. This simple technique can be incorporated in wheeled robots to keep them away from damages and accidents.
Obstacle Avoidance is a robotic discipline with the objective of moving vehicles on the basis of the sensorial information. The use of these methods front to classic methods (path planning) is a natural alternative when the scenario is dynamic with an unpredictable behavior. In these cases, the surroundings do not remain invariable, and thus the sensory information is used to detect the changes consequently adapting moving.
Block Diagram
Explanation of block diagram
IR module are used to avoid the obstacle if obstacle comes on the front of the IR module. Here 555 timer IC are used to generate the IR signal and TSOP (thin small outline package) are used to receive the IR signal.
Comments (2)
Good attempt !!!
Good attempt !!!
can i use a l293b instead of
can i use a l293b instead of a l293d. also can i use a tsop1736 instead of a tsop1738
Energy Harvesting
MEMS Technology
OpenSource Hardware
RF Wireless
Wireless Charging
You are here | http://www.engineersgarage.com/contribution/obstacle-avoiding-robot-without-microcontroller | dclm-gs1-439935528 | false | false | {
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0.045505 | <urn:uuid:46773881-fde2-4c5e-b752-5b58cb93b148> | en | 0.849872 | Algonquin Gas Transmission, LLC
Fifth Revised Volume No. 1
Contents / Previous / Next / Main Tariff Index
Third Revised Sheet No. 502 Third Revised Sheet No. 502
Superseding: Second Revised Sheet No. 502
1. DEFINITIONS (continued)
Cubic Foot. The term "Cubic Foot" shall mean the volume of gas which
occupies l Cubic Foot of space, measured according to Boyle's and
Charles's Law for the measurement of gas under varying pressures with
deviation therefrom as provided in Section 5 of these General Terms and
Conditions and on the measurement basis likewise specified in such
Section 5.
Customer. The term "Customer" shall mean the entity that has executed
a Service Agreement with Algonquin under one or more of Algonquin's
rate schedules.
Day. The term "Day" or "Gas Day" shall mean a period of 24 consecutive
Hours, beginning at 9:00 a.m. Central Clock Time.
Dekatherm. The term "Dth" or "Dekatherm" shall mean the quantity of
heat energy which is equivalent to 1,000,000 British Thermal Units.
One "Dekatherm" of gas shall mean the quantity of gas which contains
one Dekatherm of heat energy.
Discount Confirmation. The term "Discount Confirmation" shall mean an
electronic mail (e-mail) message sent by Algonquin to Customer to
confirm the terms of the discount granted pursuant to Section 45 of the
General Terms and Conditions of Algonquin's FERC Gas Tariff.
Elapsed Prorata Capacity. The term "Elapsed Prorata Capacity" shall
mean that portion of the capacity that would have theoretically been
available for use prior to the effective time of the intraday recall
based upon a cumulative uniform hourly use of the capacity.
Hour. The term "Hour" shall mean a period of 60 consecutive minutes.
Imbalance Management Services. The term "Imbalance Management
Services" shall mean the options available to Customers for resolution
of imbalances prior to the application of the cash-out mechanism set
forth in Section 25 of the General Terms and Conditions. These options
include, but are not limited to, OBA (where applicable), Park and Loan
Service, and Imbalance Netting and Trading. | http://www.ferc.gov/industries/gas/gen-info/fastr/htmlall/000310_000100/000310_000100_000290.htm | dclm-gs1-440085528 | false | false | {
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0.030751 | <urn:uuid:0371f20a-5313-498f-9fcd-e01696f3bbd2> | en | 0.948571 | Latest Headlines
Latest Headlines
Perrigo recalls 367,000 tubes of nicotine lozenges
Smokers often turn to over-the-counter nicotine lozenges to cut their urges when they are trying to quit smoking. It turns out that products made by Perrigo and sold through a whole host of retailers like Wal-Mart and CVS might not work that well.
Bloomberg: Sale of OTC specialist Omega could top $5.3B with bids from Bayer, Sanofi
What's an OTC drugmaker worth in the race to the top of the consumer healthcare space? Potentially more than $5.3 billion, if that drugmaker is Belgium's Omega Pharma.
Dublin-based Perrigo could be up next for a tax-inversion deal
OTC generics maker Perrigo could be the next tax-advantaged company in line for a buyout. And while Perrigo hasn't confirmed any M&A plans, speculation has been enough to send shares soaring.
Over-the-counter drug specialist Perrigo has been on an expansion roll the last two years, culminating with its $8.6 billion buyout last summer of Ireland-based drug company Elan. Its latest earnings reflect that growth, with sales up 11% and adjusted net income jumping 45%.
Perrigo pulls 18 batches of acetaminophen for infants on dosing fears
The FDA has asked drugmakers to recall several products with dosing systems or potency variations that could lead to dangerous overdoses.
Pharma M&A gets soft in second quarter
Which are pharma's top 4 innovators? Hint: It's not the big guys
There's been a lot of talk about a dearth of innovation in the pharma business. But some drugmakers don't lack creativity. In fact, a few of them actually made Forbes' latest list of 100 most innovative companies on the globe.
OTC specialist Perrigo nabs Elan and its tax rate for $8.6B
Perrigo has snatched up Elan for $8.6 billion in a cash-and-stock deal. Call it a case of opposites attracting: U.S.-based Perrigo specializes in cheap, store-brand generics, while Elan is an Irish biotech best know for its longstanding--and now dissolved--partnership with Biogen Idec on the multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri.
UPDATED: Perrigo targets Ireland tax perks in $8.6B Elan buyout
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0.023118 | <urn:uuid:e87b9bd4-b0da-48af-a532-498070fce61e> | en | 0.969497 | - FrontPage Magazine - http://www.frontpagemag.com -
Iraq’s ‘Bloody Monday’
Posted By Rick Moran On August 16, 2011 @ 12:43 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 22 Comments
At least 80 people were killed and more than 350 injured when a coordinated series of bombs were set off across the length and breadth of Iraq on Monday. Believed to be the work of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQIR), the bombings have shaken the people’s confidence in the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and called into question the competence of Iraq’s security forces. The attacks also raise concerns about the US withdrawal deadline of January 1, 2012 being met, as insurgents rev up the frequency and severity of their strikes in advance of that date. As America makes plans to leave, Iraq drifts evermore into Iran’s orbit and the Shia-dominated government does little to stem the attacks on Christian churches, while Sunni on Shia violence threatens to break out once again.
Occurring in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, authorities count at least 31 attacks that targeted seventeen cities. A similar series of attacks occurred last year at this time and were traced to AQIR. The worst attacks took place in the city of Kut, where a bomb planted in a juice machine exploded in a crowded market, killing dozens. Then, the AQIR signature to the attack occurred when a car bomb detonated as a crowd gathered to assist the wounded and tend to the dead from the first attack. At least 60 Iraqi civilians lost their lives, with more than 80 wounded.
Iraq’s security forces were also targeted on Monday
as a car bomb went off outside a police station near Karbala, killing eight, and a suicide attacker dressed as a policeman walked into a police station in Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit and detonated his vest, killing three.
Even the Sunni Awakening Councils — former insurgents who laid down their arms to fight AQIR in 2007 — were not immune from the violence. Several gunmen dressed as policemen entered a mosque just south of Baghdad and called out seven members of the local council. They were summarily executed.
The attack on the Sunnis may be seen as an attempt to revive the sectarian violence that tore the country apart in 2006-07. The Sunnis are already suspicious of the Shia-dominated government, which snubs the religious minority in government contracts, recruitment for the army and police, and even in the treatment of Sunni holy sites. For their part, Sunni militants attack pilgrims who are coming and going from revered Shia mosques. The violence is constant and has called attention to the government’s inability to secure the country from the attacks of extremists.
Christians in Iraq say that the government doesn’t even attempt to protect them from radical Islamists — both Sunni and Shia — who have attacked several churches recently, killing worshipers and destroying centuries-old structures. A bomb blast outside of St. Ephraim Syrian Orthodox Church in Kirkuk caused severe damage, although no one was hurt. That was not the case on August 2, when a bomb detonated near Holy Family Syrian Catholic Church, injuring 15 people. On that same day, another bomb was defused before it could damage a Presbyterian church. At one time, Iraq had a large Christian minority representing several strains of Christendom, including Coptics, Russian and Greek Orthodox, as well as many protestant sects. But most have fled the country or live in fear from the increasing Islamization of the country that tolerates attacks on them, their clergy, and their churches.
The growing extremism is a consequence of Iraq’s drift into the orbit of Iran. If any evidence is required regarding how close that relationship is getting, one need look no further than the shocking statement by Prime Minister Maliki last week taking the side of Syrian President Assad against the protesters seeking to bring him down. While every other Arab government in the region has condemned Assad’s brutal crackdown, only Iran and Iraq have offered words of support. Maliki accused the protesters of trying to “sabotage” the state while hosting a Syrian government delegation. Maliki also welcomed Syria’s foreign minister last month. A Shia ally of the prime minister was quoted in the New York Times saying that the goal of Israel and the Gulf States “is to use the sectarian differences between the Shiite ruling family in Syria and the Sunni majority” for their own purposes. He said that if the protesters win, al-Qaeda will rule in Syria — a parroting of the official Syrian government line justifying the crackdown.
But Maliki owes everything to the Iranians and Syrians. They engineered his selection as prime minister following elections last year despite his secular rival, Ayad Allawi and his Iraqiya party, winning the election. “Maliki is very reliant on Iran for his power and Iran is backing Syria all the way. The Iranians and the Syrians were all critical to bringing him to power a year ago,” said Joost Hiltermann of the International Crisis Group.
The real disease that afflicts the Iraqi government is indecision. With 40 ministers in the cabinet, a fractious parliament, and beset on all sides by extremists, the Maliki government gets very little done. For example, the speaker of the Iraq parliament — a Sunni — is not following the government line on the crackdown in Syria, issuing a statement saying, “For the sake of the Syrian people we demand the government, out of its responsibility to safeguard the lives of its people and their property, take the bold and courageous steps to stop the bleeding.” Indeed, as Hiltermann points out, the Syrian crackdown is serving as a wedge issue, with Shias supporting Assad, and Sunnis sympathizing with the protestors. Maliki is caught in the middle, making feeble attempts at reform, but as the bombings today show, he has very little room to maneuver. People are angry and are laying the blame at his doorstep.
There is also the depressing reality that questions the loyalty of the Iraqi army to the state, and the machinations of the Interior Ministry that has always been a hot bed of Iranian influence in the government. A professor of political science at Baghdad University, Hamid Fhadil, points out that the security forces are often more loyal to al-Qaeda or the Shia militias. “It’s hard to talk about the existence of an Iraqi Army and a Ministry of Interior without them being loyal to Iraq,” he observed.
Monday’s attacks highlight the dilemma for both the prime minister and the US government. President Obama wants out of Iraq. He has always wanted out of Iraq, only staying on when it became clear that a precipitous withdrawal would have meant that the nation would have almost certainly sunk into chaos, with Iran standing by vulture-like to move in and feast on the pieces. This would have exposed the president to critics who sensibly argued that telling the enemy when we’re leaving would be tantamount to an open invitation to ratchet up the violence as the deadline approaches — as they are doing.
But Obama is also sensitive to the strategic threat posed by even a weak Iraq joining the Iranian-Syrian-Turkish axis, so it is probable that if Maliki asks some troops to stay on, he will reluctantly agree to such a proposal.
Thus, the Maliki government is in the process of negotiating. And despite fierce resistance from the radical Shia faction headed up by the Iranian-backed cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who promises to hold mass demonstrations and attack American troops after the deadline, Maliki appears to be out of options. There has been tremendous progress in the last five years in training and equipping the army and police, but fighting an urban insurgency while seeking out and destroying al-Qaeda fighters demands more than the security forces appear able to accomplish at this point.
Other factions would also be unhappy if more than a token number of American troops would be allowed to stay. Such a decision would put a tremendous strain on Maliki’s coalition of Iranian-backed Shia parties that want the Americans out. Radical cleric Sayyid Al-Sadr especially can cause the prime minster a lot of trouble. He only controls 40 seats in the 325-member parliament, but his following is much larger. And while poorly armed, his Mehdi Militia is composed of fanatics willing to die at his command. Al-Sadr is so unpredictable that he is just as likely to turn his fighters loose on the government as he is on the Americans.
The government is so fragile and riven with divisions that the negotiations will probably be excruciatingly slow, extending beyond January 1, 2012. This would hugely complicate matters for the American military, which needs advanced preparation in order to bring home the troops that will be leaving and make accommodations for any that will be staying. While it seems likely that the Obama administration will agree to a small number of trainers remaining in Iraq (away from population centers and maintaining a very low profile), issues such as the actual number of troops, what their role will be, and whether or not they will be immune from Iraqi justice, clouds the future of any talks.
“Bloody Monday” in Iraq will long be remembered by the families of the victims. But given all the complicating factors, it is a day that the Iraqi prime minister would almost certainly like to forget.
Article printed from FrontPage Magazine: http://www.frontpagemag.com
URL to article: http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/rick-moran/iraqs-bloody-monday/
Copyright © 2009 FrontPage Magazine. All rights reserved. | http://www.frontpagemag.com/2011/rick-moran/iraqs-bloody-monday/print/ | dclm-gs1-440255528 | false | false | {
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0.067869 | <urn:uuid:14c02ca8-fad9-4889-9a15-e0dd7c504fa5> | en | 0.79708 | Simple Software for a Simple Life!
Simple Software for a Simple Life!
ERROR: "Unable to Locate DLL" when running ListPro on Windows 2000
Views: 7483 Created: 08-14-2007 22:55 Last Updated: 07-03-2013 14:49
ListPro 5.0 is not designed to run on Windows 2000, and only officially supports Windows XP or higher. If you try to run ListPro on Windows 2000, you may receive this error:
"The dynamic link library gdiplus.dll could not be found in the specified path..."
To resolve this error, you need to install the gdiplus.dll file on your computer. You can download it from Microsoft here.
1. Run the file you downloaded, and let it extract the gdiplus.dll file onto your desktop.
2. Right-click on the gdiplus.dll file and pick Copy.
3. Click Start, then Run, and type in %systemroot%\\system32 and press Enter.
4. In the Explorer window that pops up, pick Edit -> Paste.
If you do not have system permissions to add files to the system32 folder, add the file to C:\\Program Files\\Ilium Software\\ListPro instead.
Custom Fields
• Platform: Windows PC | http://www.iliumsoft.com/support/article/AA-01423/144/ERROR%3A-Unable-to-Locate-DLL-when-running-ListPro-on-Windows-2000 | dclm-gs1-440595528 | false | false | {
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0.03983 | <urn:uuid:3a2e1887-f9e1-41d9-abda-37721ac977f5> | en | 0.960857 | Documents reveal NSA has capability to record 100% of country’s phone calls
Washington, Mar. 19: Classified documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden reportedly reveal that the US’ National Security Agency (NSA) has the capability to record an entire country’s phone calls.
The documents further reveal that the US spy agency can playback any individual call from the stored data for up to 30 days.
According to The Verge, the voice interception tool, dubbed MYSTIC, was launched in 2009 and became fully operational in 2011.
It has been revealed that the tool is currently deployed in at least one country and has been considered for use in as many as six other countries.
The voice interception programme is said to be a comprehensive and all-encompassing wiretap, recording ‘every single’ conversation, and storing it for retrospective analysis up to a month after the fact.
The report said that other US agencies also have access to the MYSTIC database, making it uniquely valuable when a new suspect or phone number is discovered.
However, an NSA spokesperson reiterated that the agency’s job was to identify threats within the large and complex system of modern global communications, and that all the agency’s work is strictly conducted under the rule of law. (ANI) | http://www.indiatalkies.com/2014/03/documents-reveal-nsa-capability-record-100-countrys-phone-calls.html | dclm-gs1-440645528 | false | false | {
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0.212456 | <urn:uuid:d851d702-4be1-4371-9780-ba1b47bd9b86> | en | 0.982535 |
Manuel Joyner was arrested at his home in Bowie and charged in relation to a prank and evacuation at a movie theater in Largo, Maryland, on May 24, Prince George's County fire officials said. The theater was evacuated after someone used a device described as a "bottle bomb," in which an acid and a base are combined inside a sealed plastic bottle, causing it to explode.
The chemical reaction caused by combining the chemicals rapidly releases gas, which bursts the sealed vessel. Authorities didn't say which chemicals were used in the Maryland and Virginia cases, but baking soda and vinegar are sometimes used to achieve the reaction.
Another of the devices was set off at a theater in Alexandria, Virginia, in early April, though Joyner hasn't been charged in that case.
A person who answered the phone at Joyner's home on Sunday said she was unaware of the arrest and did not say whether he had an attorney.
Following his arrest, officials said, Joyner's home was searched by investigators from several jurisdictions, as well as the FBI and ATF.
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0.112332 | <urn:uuid:34bcf74b-3adb-420f-97f1-5db07fbbb9ef> | en | 0.925958 | Where can I find additional scholarships?
Endowed Scholarships
Should I apply for outside scholarships?
Will I be eligible for other Monterey Institute scholarships?
Where can I find additional scholarships?
Endowed Scholarships
What types of financial aid are available for my fifth year?
There are two main components financial aid at the Monterey Institute: merit scholarships and federal financial aid (Federal Work Study, Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, and the Federal Graduate PLUS Loans) based on financial need.
If I had financial aid at Middlebury, do I need to reapply to attend the Monterey Institute?
Yes. All applicants who apply to the Monterey Institute by one of the priority scholarship deadlines are automatically considered for our merit scholarship. Students eligible for federal financial aid (US citizens, permanent residents, and qualifying non-residents) must apply annually. There is no formal deadline to apply for federal
Why are there multiple deadlines for scholarship consideration?
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0.02716 | <urn:uuid:4ee0ec21-e130-4966-a9e5-03b916f7f6eb> | en | 0.955052 | Indian market to be world’s 3rd by 2030
Timothy Moe
Goldman Sachs
Timothy Moe, chief Asia-Pacific regional equity strategist of Goldman Sachs, is responsible for communicating his views to the firm’s institutional investor base. In an exclusive interview with Ravi Ranjan Prasad, he said the share of emerging equity markets in the global equity market is going to rise very significantly over the next 20 years, and India will play a very strong role in the shift. Excerpts:
n What are views on foreign inflows to Indian market in the New Year?
The developed world’s institutional fund managers, which are basically pension funds, insurance companies and mutual funds, chronically and structurally still have an underweight exposure to emerging growth areas of the world. Today, you can see a very strong and secular trend of money flowing from developed market’s asset managers to emerging market equities. This may fluctuate from time to time, but overall the trend will continue over the longer term and is a very positive one.
n What are your perspectives on growth for Asia region in 2011?
Goldman Sachs sees 15 per cent earnings growth for Asia based on our top-down analysis. We also expect a roughly 1 – 1.5 point increase in the price/earnings ratio, which is about a 10 per cent improvement in valuations. The combination of those two factors leads us to expect a 20 - 25 per cent increase in prices. If a 3 per cent dividend yield and some currency appreciation against the US dollar is added, we could even see up to a 30 per cent overall total return to the region next year. This is more likely to take place towards the second half of the year compared with the beginning due to the need to tighten macro policies to combat inflation in the nearer term. In the beginning of the year, in terms of market performance, we see the northern part of Asia, including countries like Taiwan, Japan and Korea, outperforming the southern parts of Asia, namely Asean markets and India.
n Can you elaborate on Goldman Sachs’ views on Indian market for 2011?
Two quarters ago, we lowered our view on India to underweight and that is something that has played out during the last quarter. Our tactical and more conservative view on the market basically revolves around valuations, and also to some extent cyclical issues. Our underweight view on India is not so much of something being wrong with India, it is more the question of the underlying positive story being discounted by a very strong appreciation in the markets, which have caused valuations to go up to quite high levels.
A review of data has shown any time the Indian market has reached more than a 25 per cent premium in valuations to the rest of the region, the following two quarters have tended to underperform. If the market goes to the level of 40 per cent above the regional valuations, then historical evidence shows it has tended to underperform to a reasonably significant degree. Consequently, when June 2010 India got to above a 40 per cent premium to the region, we lowered our stance on India to ‘underweight’. In addition to high valuations, we also note that listed companies have been reporting earnings below consensus forecasts for the past two quarters. Moreover, we note a range of macro concerns, such as inflation pressure, a large fiscal deficit and a rise in India’s current account deficit to over 4 per cent of GDP.
Most importantly though, all these factors are cyclical in nature and do not structurally impair the underlying strong growth fundamentals India clearly possesses.
n How will emerging markets fare vis-à-vis global markets?
Overall, the share of emerging equity markets in the global equity market pie is going to rise very significantly in the next 20 years and India will play a very strong role in the shift.
In terms of global projections, we believe by 2030 China will be world’s largest equity market, the US will be number two and India will likely be number three. Consequently, we are optimistic about the overall longer-term structural growth potential for India. Overall, our full year target for the Nifty is 6,800, which is about 15 per cent increase from the present level. So even though we are underweight on India, we still hold quite a constructive full year view. However, our anticipation is returns are likely to flow in towards the later part of 2011 as opposed to the beginning.
n How does Goldman Sachs view Indian equities? any sector-specific views?
If you look at Indian software stocks, we are looking for positive surprises in earnings and I think there are decent candidates for overweight positions within the market. Additionally, given inflation is an issue, we will be looking for upstream stocks in steel and energy sectors, which may benefit from rising commodity prices. The third area is infrastructure, where we have a long-term structural view and there are specific ideas, which appear quite compelling due to their growth prospects and valuations.
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0.019898 | <urn:uuid:a3cdaf47-2eb9-44a7-909f-b2f2036b930a> | en | 0.975084 | Digital Kills Beauty: Supermodel Photographer
Sante D'Orazio, a photographer at the heart of the supermodel era, said Friday the switch to digital cameras means greater detail than ever before, but the loss of something more important: beauty.
"The sense of emotion is gone. It creates a detachment from the subject. The character of the personality is gone," D'Orazio said of the digital production chain and its torrent of perfect, heavily-edited pictures.
"That's the danger of post-production in digital. People kill anatomy. They have no sense of anatomy. The sense of realism takes away from the sensuality."
D'Orazio, speaking at the opening of a sale in New York of some of his most famous fashion shots, knows a thing or two about beautiful women.
After getting his first job with Andy Warhol, the New York-born photographer went on to become famous for his late 1980s and 1990s pictures of models like Kate Moss, Helena Christensen, Christy Turlington and Eva Herzigova.
The pictures are variously poetic, even sculptural, often smoldering and sometimes borderline pornographic.
D'Orazio, 57, said the supermodel era that he's credited with helping to create is truly over.
"The term started with these girls," he said, gesturing at the huge, provocative prints of models in the private sales gallery of Christie's in Manhattan. "Everybody else is just usurping the title."
His former muses are still world famous, but for the most part have moved on. "They're busy with their kids and that," he said.
But their now iconic images have become "collectible" -- a development he hopes will fuel sales at his Christie's exhibit, titled "Other Graces."
According to D'Orazio, commercial fashion photography is not what it was and the abandonment of film has a lot to answer for.
In film, "there's an emotional quality that the digital loses. Digital creates a facade. Film has depth to it," he said.
"Thank God, I kept all my film cameras. Nobody wanted to buy them anyway."
But a broader loss in quality comes in the shift from the likes of the ethereal Kate Moss to famous-for-being-famous celebrities like Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton.
It's a "trash" world where "the new pop is porn," said D'Orazio.
D'Orazio dropped out of the fashion frontlines for several years, but said he's found a way to navigate this new terrain while maintaining his integrity: turning porn into art.
In his newest works, which he hopes collectors will discover after being lured in by his conventional fashion images, he took "old '70s porn and scratched out the faces and their privates and what it did was make a moving abstract," he explained.
"As an artist, you basically do a portrait of what you see," he said, referring to Western society's embrace of pornography. "That's what our culture is."
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0.138691 | <urn:uuid:81ae633e-1438-4bb5-b341-f1722dcd496e> | en | 0.977116 | Be a Supporter!
Credits & Info
Jun 9, 2010 | 2:00 PM EDT
If you liked this, check these out!
Author Comments
Yeah I know you're already going to hate it but meh bring on the hate. Occasional constructive criticism would be nice. The controls aren't very good because you have to use your mouse randomly to answer questions as well as your keyboard.
This is my grade 12 assignment for computer studies. I ran out of time but I would have made it longer. The good thing about it being short is that it doesn't waste that much of your life. Also if you are annoyed about me wasting your life, think about how much time I wasted of my life making it. (I spent a lot of time adding unnecessary details instead of actual game).
It has to be educational since that's what part of the criteria for my assignment is. You are in the forest of maths therefore expect maths questions.
11/06/2010 Edit: It's now a bit longer and a bit harder and a bit better.
Rated 2.5 / 5 stars
It's not that bad
You're clearly trying, and your artwork and animation aren't bad at all. You probably should work on something else though. A drawn-out math game doesn't sound that interesting.
People find this review helpful!
Rated 3 / 5 stars
Nice animations
Good Luck to you! :D
People find this review helpful!
Rated 2 / 5 stars
Art Alone
The art and movement alone scored you the 4.
As you were not expecting to get a good review here is what I give ya.
The game itself has the ability to become something much more then what it was. As you already know it was way to short. And the questions had very little to do with anything related to anything. But once the context is changed, and the rest of the game is complete it could end up being a nice side scroller.
Good work on the mechanics of the game, art, and fluid movement.
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0.037846 | <urn:uuid:52484208-f1d1-4ec2-9a70-4fd55c256d60> | en | 0.895053 | Skip to content
Mice Expressing Human Genes Bred to Help Unravel Mental Disorders
Science Update
New mouse strains engineered to express human genes related to mental disorders are being developed under a recently-launched grant program from NIMH’s Division of Neuroscience and Basic Behavioral Science. The new models are designed to help scientists understand the molecular workings of variations in genes that may predispose for – or even help protect against – illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. They will also explore how duplications or the differences in the amount of genetic material affect brain function, and how genes influence response to treatments.
The new studies follow a spate of recent discoveries using such mouse models to replicate features of mental and developmental disorders. So far, eight new grants have been awarded in response to an NIMH program announcement issued last year.
“Knock-In” to Model Bipolar Features
In one of the newly launched studies, Elizabeth Simpson, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia, is following-up her recent discovery* of eight variants of a suspect gene in people with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and aggressive disorders that were not found in healthy controls. Conserved through evolution, this gene is important for brain development and birth of new neurons in both the mouse and human forebrain. Simpson initiated her search for variants in humans after finding that mice lacking the gene are hyperactive, aggressive and otherwise behaviorally impaired.
Instead of such a “knock-out,” her new study will “knock-in” combinations of the suspect human gene variants in an effort to create mouse strains that mimic features of the mental illnesses, particularly bipolar disorder. The researchers will generate five different mouse strains and test them for differences in brain systems, behavior, and any effects of the gene variants on response to lithium, the medication commonly used to prevent episodes of mania and depression. They hope their findings will ultimately contribute to better diagnosis and treatment of the disorder.
Depression Gene Riddle Examined in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
In another of the newly-funded studies, Beverly Koller, Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina, will genetically engineer mice to express human gene variants at the center of a controversy in psychiatric genetics.
A series of studies has implicated in depression one of two common versions, called the short variant, of a gene that produces a protein that recycles the chemical messenger serotonin. The most widely prescribed class of antidepressants act by blocking this serotonin transporter protein, suggesting a pivotal role for the protein in the disorder. However, the short variant’s statistical association with depression remains in dispute. Also, determining how it might work differently than the long variant to affect serotonin function and behavior has proven difficult in living organisms – especially if the difference stems from how the gene is expressed rather than the structure of the encoded protein.
To address this issue, Koller has devised a unique method for replacing the mouse serotonin transporter gene with either the short or long version of the human gene in mouse embryonic stem cells. This will yield mouse strains that differ only in the precise variation associated with risk for depression in humans, permitting any effects on protein function, development and behavior to be detected.
Schizophrenia Features Produced in Mice by Candidate Gene
Among recent discoveries made possible by animal models similar to those discussed above, versions of a gene implicated in schizophrenia were found to trigger behaviors and neurological features characteristic of the human illness in mice. Two separate teams of NIMH-supported researchers at Johns Hopkins University produced somewhat different components of the human illness in genetically-engineered mouse strains with the gene, called DISC1 (for Discovered In Schizophrenia).
The DISC1 gene codes for an enzyme in the brain’s cortex and hippocampus important for mood and memory, as well as for brain development. Different variants of the gene have been linked to schizophrenia and mood disorders in different samples.
Mikhail Pletnikov Ph.D., and colleagues, inserted altered forms of the human DISC1 gene into the forebrain of mice – areas comparable to the human circuits implicated in schizophrenia, creating strains with both strong and weak expression of the gene’s protein. Also, the timing of the expression was selectable, so it could be used to study the function of the DISC1 protein at various stages of prenatal development, when schizophrenia is thought to originate. Expression of the human mutant form triggered a significant decrease in expression of the mouse’s natural protein and other key proteins critical for normal brain development. As in human schizophrenia, there were sex differences in symptoms; male mice moved around more and socialized less, while female mice showed memory problems. Like humans with schizophrenia, the affected mice had enlarged ventricles and stunted neuron growth.**
In the other Hopkins study, Akira Sawa, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues, showed both behavioral and anatomical features of schizophrenia, including enlarged ventricles (cavities filled with spinal fluid) and hyperactivity in genetically engineered mice with altered DISC1 genes. The animals also displayed anxiety and depression-like behaviors. The researchers point out that the differences seen are subtle, in keeping with the idea that additional genetic and/or environmental insults would be required for the full-blown syndrome. ***
**Pletnikov MV, Ayhan Y, Nikolskaia O, Xu Y, Ovanesov MV, Huang H, Mori S, Moran TH, Ross CA. Inducible expression of mutant human DISC1 in mice is associated with brain and behavioral abnormalities reminiscent of schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry. 2008 Feb;13(2):173-86, 115. Epub 2007 Sep 11. PMID: 17848917
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0.155231 | <urn:uuid:9ec3c5d0-55b5-4f23-8b34-476dbdd74d2b> | en | 0.940698 | Novell Home
Why Windows Vista will suck
Novell Cool Solutions: Tip
Digg This - Slashdot This
Posted: 2 Mar 2006
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols lays it out for us: Why Windows Vista will suck. He gives good insight and some surprising statistics about Microsoft's new operating system, and why it isn't up to par.
Expensive? Yes. Awful? We'll see.
Read the entire article here.
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0.026375 | <urn:uuid:2d11a319-dcaf-4dd3-baaf-20d563b380b1> | en | 0.956159 |
Article |
Omron Helps Major Automotive Supplier Implement New Instrument Panel Assembly Line in Record Time
To achieve fast, accurate communications, ensure quality, and meet tight demands of major automakers, tier one supplier links Omron CJ2 programmable controllers via an EtherNet/IP network.
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FILED IN: Controls > Networking
For nearly half a century, Vuteq Corporation has been supplying logistics services and automotive assemblies to the world’s major automakers. Founded in 1965 in Japan to specifically service Toyota, the company has grown to include 19 bases of operations in the United States, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Mongolia, and Argentina. Vuteq’s global operations are largely involved in engineering-related operations, such as the assembly of automobile glass, the production of plastic-mold inspection gauges, and supplying a range of interior and exterior automobile parts.
Vuteq Canada, based in Woodstock, Ontario, assembles an instrument panel beam for the General Motors’ Equinox SUVs. The production line producing these elements was becoming obsolete in the face of change and demand.
“We had a line that was 14 years old,” says Tim Ward, electronic designer at Vuteq Canada. “It began as a very basic line; as the product evolved over model years, our efforts to respond to change and improve the line were difficult to implement because the line’s technology made the process cumbersome.”
For instance, none of the PLCs on the line talked to each other. “There were checks that involved getting information back, but the lack of communications meant we didn’t know if an operation had been performed correctly or even bypassed,” says Ward. There was no easy means of accessing, documenting, and recording the data.
Time for a New Line
Sometimes problem situations offer multiple advantages. In this case, Vuteq needed to repurpose the floor space where the instrument panel assembly line was located, and so determined to build a new line, killing two birds (i.e., the space issue and the outmoded line issue) with a single stone.
Vuteq wanted to make sure that the new line was versatile. If new elements need to be added over time, they need to be able to make those changes quickly. Additionally, the communications problem that had compromised tracking of test functionality had to be addressed by integrating it with a data acquisition system.
“Downtime is very critical,” says Ward. “We have about two and a half hours from the time we are told what to build to the time it gets installed in the car.”
Quality also was a key consideration. In the assembly process, Vuteq uses a number of different torque guns on the line. The torque has to be recorded for warranty purposes, with torque readings married to the specific part number as well as the CSN of the panel beam assembly.
Vuteq had worked with Omron previously; they chose to build the new multi-station instrument panel assembly line by linking 16 Omron CJ2 programmable controllers (two CJ2H and 14 CJ2M) via an EtherNet/IP network. These PLCs offer a built-in multifunction EtherNet/IP port for high-speed data exchange between PLCs, HMIs, and I/O devices.
“The built-in EtherNet/IP communications is a key advantage of the CJ2s,” says Ward. “By allowing the transfer of information over the network, we can communicate and collect vital information. In our case, it also marries into one main conveyor system. The line and the conveyor system can talk back and forth, so we can get signals from the conveyor system to the PLCs on the line that are doing quality checks to tell them when to start and stop the checks. If one doesn’t get finished, the system allows us to stop the line until all the checks are complete. A plus is that there’s no hardware necessary—it’s all over EtherNet.”
In addition to enforcing the quality checks, the CJ2s communicate over EtherNet/IP to third-party barcode scanners and torque guns and serial based barcode scanners, providing essential traceability. The line also incorporates Omron MX2 drives for motion control, integrated via DeviceNet, and Omron NSJ and NS displays as the principal HMI interface.
“This application is doing exactly what the CJ2 is designed to do,” says Rick Tomaszewski, account manager at Omron Industrial Automation. “It's a peer to peer PLC—a very powerful, cost-effective one, with networking capabilities that really shine in the application. The 16 PLCs constantly share data between each other. This is done quite seamlessly, and it was easy to set up. In the past, we would have had to use an external DeviceNet and controller to do what is done with the CJ2s and EtherNet/IP. This topology allowed Vuteq to network all these devices within a few hours. At the same time, Vuteq can use that same network to talk to third party system elements or transfer data collection. It's a textbook case of how Omron recommends using EtherNet/IP.”
Quick Implementation and Return on Investment
According to Ward, Vuteq had only a short time to implement the line. A new building was being built to house the line, limiting access until construction was completed.
“Part of the benefit of going to EtherNet/IP was that it condensed the implementation. It eliminated a tremendous amount of hard wiring, and allowed us to set up in a fraction of the time that would have been required otherwise,” says Ward.
“This is a very large line,” adds Tomaszewski. “It's very impressive how one programmer, Tim Ward implemented this system. Support from our distribution application engineer supported Tim and accelerated the process. This made the implementation extremely cost-effective.”
Ward is particularly pleased with how the new line works with its 10in6 data acquisition system. The “10in6” name comes from the idea of 10 percent improvement in six months. Vuteq has done much better than that. By having the information available and being able to get it easily through the communications protocol, Vuteq can tie it into the system and monitor the downtime, as well as use it for line balancing. If the line was stopping in one area because some function wasn't getting done in a timely fashion, it can now redistribute the work on the line to correct the bottleneck.
“Before, it was very difficult,” says Ward. “We knew that the line was stopping in a certain area, but we didn't know how many times and for how long. By tying all the information from these Omron PLCs into the 10in6 system, we can now pinpoint how many times the line stops and for how long during the shift. This allows production to effectively rebalance the line faster and easier than before.”
One result: exceptional gains in productivity. According to Ward, Vuteq has achieved 90 to 95 percent efficiency on the line. This keeps the tight schedules on time, and the major automakers Vuteq serves happy with their performance.
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0.027474 | <urn:uuid:4c928d38-ac4d-41f4-9db2-366fd6545fc5> | en | 0.978345 | Pittsburgh Criminal Law Blog
People who want to study criminal law in the UK, can start the process by studying for an LLB degree. The LLB stands for Bachelor of Law and getting this qualification makes you a lawyer. In the justice system of the United Kingdom, being a lawyer is not the same thing as being a Barrister-at-Law. A lawyer is the individual who has bagged the LLB degree but has not been called to the Bar. To become a Barrister-at-law, the right step is to attend law school for a year or two. After this period of training, the lawyer gets the Barrister-at-Law (BL) qualification and is called to the Bar. This means that apart from just being a lawyer, the person in question is also a barrister and an advocate. It is vital for lawyers to have the right qualifications so that they can serve in ppi claims companies effectively.
Learn more about ppi claims companies
Specializing in criminal law in the UK
A lawyer in the UK who has both the LLB and the BL qualifications cannot be considered a specialist in criminal law. People who want to become specialists in this branch of law should study criminal law at post-graduate level. This programme takes 12-18 months and it involves research and taught courses. In some universities, this course is called the Master's in Criminal Law and criminology. In other institutions, it is called the Master's in Criminal Law and Jurisprudence. The important thing is that at the end of the programme, the lawyer comes out with a Master's degree in criminal law. At this point, the lawyer in question can be considered an expert in criminal law.
Becoming a specialist through experience
The post-graduate programme in criminal law is not the only way to become a criminal lawyer. In some cases, lawyers who work in large and reputable legal firms may become experts in criminal law if they serve in the criminal law department of the firm for a number of years. In this case, the lawyer in question will work under a senior lawyer in the firm who is an expert in criminal law. The idea is that the younger lawyer will learn the ropes by serving as an assistant to the senior lawyer.
Handling claims and related criminal matters
There is no point in having excellent qualifications if these qualifications cannot be put to very good use. An effective criminal lawyer is the one who can use his or her qualifications to get favourable judgement for clients in the court of law. To do this effectively, the lawyer and the client need to work very well together. The best way to get favourable judgement from the court is to follow due process. In this context, the legal expert should file papers at the right time to avoid any problems later. Again, the client should be honest to the lawyer. This is because legal experts work better when they have all the facts of the case. Finally, lawyers who want to get the best results for their clients should take all cases serious. This is how to achieve great results in both small and large cases. | http://www.pittsburghcriminallawblog.com/ | dclm-gs1-441775528 | false | false | {
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0.507893 | <urn:uuid:62c9f56a-ccef-4709-9c85-90d597b1923f> | en | 0.929317 | View Single Post
Old 07-15-2012, 09:34 PM
MeeraReed MeeraReed is offline
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: East Coast, U.S.
Posts: 351
I think this argument gets muddled because when you're talking about innate biology, you can either mean the overall biology of humans as a species, or the innate biology of individuals.
For example: As a species, humans are very sexual creatures. (We are MUCH more sexual than most other primates). This is basically a true statement.
But: to say that all humans are innately sexual is flat-out wrong. Individual humans have a whole range of sexual-ness, from super-sexual to asexual. And each individual human's sexuality/asexuality may be innate, something they were just born with.
So I think a lot of people get upset at the generalization about humans as a species because individual humans have such a range and variety of "innateness."
Personally, I find it useful and interesting to talk about humans as a species, but a lot of people don't.
Single, straight, female, solo, non-monogamous.
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0.044114 | <urn:uuid:93a95810-ba56-4f97-9590-49acb7ad3b1a> | en | 0.932856 | Return to the Purplemath home page The Purplemath Forums
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Talifu A. ...I enjoy teaching and helping students understand math in depth. If you have any questions for me, I will be happy to answer them. If you think you might be interested, please contact me, so that we can plan a session.
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Chayanne Albums, Discography Albums
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Chayanne Albums, Discography
List of all Chayanne albums including EPs and some singles - a discography of Chayanne CDs and Chayanne records. List includes Chayanne album cover artwork in many cases, and if we are missing an album cover feel free to upload it in wiki fashion. This full Chayanne discography is alphabetical, however you can sort Chayanne album list by any column. Note that this complete list of Chayanne releases is based on official releases and does not always include promotional-only discs, although they are listed when we have data on them. This is a list that includes items like Greatest Hits and Desde Siempre. You may want to copy this list to build your own just like it, re-rank it to fit your opinions, then publish it to share it with your Twitter followers, Facebook friends or with any other social networks you use regularly. (15 items)
1. 1
Chayanne 1987
2. 2
No image
Es Mi Nombre 1999
3. 3
Sangre Latina 1986
4. 4
Tiempo de Vals 1990
5. 5
Provócame 1992
6. 6
Influencias 1994
7. 7
Atado a Tu Amor 1998
8. 8
Simplemente 2000
9. 10
Sincero 2003
10. 12
Cautivo 2005
11. 13
Mi Tiempo 2007
12. 14
No Hay Imposibles 2010
items 1 - 15 of 15
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Heartwarming Hats
December 2010
Worsted / 10 ply (9 wpi) ?
19 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette st
US 7 - 4.5 mm
135 - 310 yards (123 - 283 m)
Toddler, Child, Woman, Man
This pattern is available for $3.99 USD
buy it now or visit pattern website
This simple pattern is worked in the round, without the use of double pointed needles. No knowledge of Fair Isle technique is necessary, as the intricate color combinations are uniquely created by working just one color yarn at a time. | http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/heartwarming-hats | dclm-gs1-441945528 | false | false | {
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Plinkett reviews
Pardon me, I'm just recovering from pounding every review on this section of Red Letter Media, and trying to figure out just why they were so compelling. (I'd recommend watching at least the Phantom Menace review, just to get a taste. Trust me, it's worth it.) They're the first reviews I've ever seen that are in some cases almost as long as the films themselves—but they're so enjoyable I watched the ones even for movies I hadn't even seen before. Anyway, here's my bullet-point list:
1. They're really funny. That's the most obvious good part. The timing, delivery, and visuals are really good, and show some obvious hard work. The dude's wheedling drone was also great. I'm hearing it in my head now reading other people. The joke about how Lucas changed the title of Return of the Jedi (in the Sith review) had me cackling hours later. (The rape jokes, on the other hand, for me went too far in places.)
2. They go through the plot with a fine-toothed comb. I've never seen someone take so much care in explaining just how everything in these prequels makes no sense on the most basic logical level. I've been chipping away at a novel, and it gives me a good sense of how you would go through to tighten up the plot and make sure everything fits together.
3. They're great criticism. I thought at first that they would just be funny takedowns, but they actually reveal serious love of film and of the original series. They explain really clearly why the original films work so well. Obviously the first Star Wars weren't super-great art, but they clearly got something right. As a hyper-literal science guy, good, clear art criticism that I can understand is rare. As Keith Humphreys said the other day when talking about the usual art critics:
Perhaps I am too “low church”, but when I read art critics, I usually think three things:
1) I have doctoral level education, and I can barely understand what you are saying
2) I suspect that you are writing more about yourself than the artist in question
3) You are making it harder rather than easier for people to get something out of the experience of art
Many people are intimidated by art and thus shy away from it. Jargon laden art criticism makes this problem more rather than less acute, and that makes me mad both on my own behalf and on behalf of other people who miss out on the richness of art because high-end criticism makes it seem over their head. In contrast, although it probably gets derided as mere “art appreciation class” instead of serious criticism, I am quite grateful when an expert relates plain-spoken observations about a painting that help me understand it better.
Good stuff.
Feb 26, 2012
Sunday chemistry blogging
Got a cold, and can't be bothered to jump through the increasingly obnoxious hoops to get some cold medicine? Witness this awesome paper from, apparently, the Journal of Apocryphal Chemistry:
Nice to know that good old American spirit of innovation is still alive and well.
How Nelson Mandela helped create South Africa's unemployment crisis
In case you didn't know, unemployment in South Africa is spectacularly high: about 24 percent at last measure. This is no fluke, either; it's been at least that high pretty much since the end of apartheid:
Obviously I'm no economist, but I've been trying to come up with a lay story about why this is. Here are my picks for proximate explanations:
1. The education system is atrocious in many places. And I mean atrocious, as in teachers don't set foot in the classroom and Grade 12 kids can neither read nor write nor multiply simple numbers in their heads. Though there are many top-notch schools in South Africa, mostly in the cities, in rural areas there are a lot more awful ones. This is surely behind the persistent demand for high-skilled people in government and business while millions sit idle—the unemployment rate is highly correlated with educational attainment. This raises the question, though, of why nobody sets up China-style sweatshops to take advantage of all that cheap labor.
2. Minimum wage laws set rates too high and are too strict. Turns out unskilled labor isn't that cheap in South Africa. Take a look at this NYT piece to see how this could work. Basically, if workers can't generate enough revenue for a company to justify their wages, then they won't have jobs. Set the minimum wage too high, and this effect will start to bite.
I should note that I agree with Jared Bernstein that this argument doesn't hold at all for the US situation. Econ 101 says that a tiny increase in the minimum wage should result in immediate unemployment, which does not seem to be true. But the principle does make some sense: if we jacked up the minimum wage to an absurd rate, say $20-$30 per hour, we would surely see a lot more unemployment. (Also, there are some enormous loopholes in the US minimum wage laws in the form of internships and food service exemptions.)
3. Labor unions are too strong. This is strongly related to both the previous factors. In South Africa, increased wage demands are so common there is a "strike season." I hadn't been paying attention to this for some time, but sure enough, I consult Google, there's a violent mine worker strike going on right now near Rustenburg. Wages have been increasing far faster than productivity for years. In addition to pricing people out of jobs, that's a recipe for inflation, and it looks like a serious wage-price spiral in 2008 (with an inflation spike to nearly 14 percent) was halted only by the financial crisis.
When I lived in South Africa, I was often struck by a strong current of naked, corrosive greediness in society. During a public sector strike, teacher would describe their interests in utterly self-serving terms. The interests of the students, who were in this case put out of school for five weeks, did not enter into the conversation.*
These factors** raise the ultimate question: why doesn't someone in government change these things? The simple answer is the African National Congress (ANC), which has won every election since 1994 with over 60 percent of the vote, doesn't want to. Labor unions, especially the public sector ones, are a key base of support for the ANC, and are obviously behind the incessant strikes and high wages. From the 2010 Times piece:
Teacher's unions also fight accountability and standards hammer and tong, which partially accounts for the rot described in #1.
In other words, the unemployment problem is essentially political.
Mandela is responsible for this in that he governed as, and remains, an ANC partisan. He thereby lent his enormous (and, to be sure, well earned) moral credibility to the ANC and thus guaranteed them smashing electoral success. Something similar to this happened in most African countries as they shook off the colonialist yoke, and there were similar, though much more severe, problems. Outside of East Asia at least, single-party states are doomed to failure and stagnation. As this more recent piece on crime in South African slums put it:
None of the above, of course, should diminish Mandela's stunning accomplishments in the struggle against apartheid. He is a great man, and one of the great moral leaders of our time. But even he was not enough to inoculate South Africa against pervasive political dysfunction.
UPDATE: I should clarify that this explanation is about the lowest-hanging fruit. If South Africa managed to take care of my pet problems, undoubtedly unemployment would fall some and then hit a probably much more intractable barrier caused by lingering damage from Apartheid and hysteresis.
*It would be easy to look at this argument and conclude I'm some kind of right-winger, which is not the case. I believe good economic outcomes, other things equal, come about when power is more-or-less equally distributed throughout the economy, when neither labor nor capital is running roughshod over the other. Give one group free reign, and bad things happen, as we see in the US with the plutocrats trampling everyone.
**Here are some explanations I don't find convincing.
1. Too much government support in the form of pensions, child credits, etc. These may have some other effects, but there are lots of people willing to work who can't find jobs. The pool of unemployed would have to be vastly smaller before this would be a primary cause.
2. Too much inequality. This one doesn't make sense to me either. Brazil is hugely unequal and hit less than 5 percent unemployment recently.
In case of low blood pressure emergency
Via Atrios, witness the abject, soulless NIMBYism from the well-fed aristocrats on the Upper East Side:
They are fears normally associated with the less-charming realities of urban life, like a homeless shelter or a late-night dive bar. But in this case, they are focused on something quite different: new entrances to a subway station.
Some New Yorkers can only dream of having a subway train ferry them straight to their front door, but residents of East 69th Street say the entrances have no place on what they believe to be one of the prettiest streets around.
That kind of entitlement has to create its own weather.
Feb 24, 2012
I'm with Rand Paul on this one
This law looks to be totally bogus. Even if we grant that enforcing laws is all well and good, those who may have committed a crime deserve a speedy trial. You know, I think I read that somewhere.
Collected links
4. The fall of Scott Ritter.
Feb 23, 2012
Good writing
I really enjoyed this Men's Journal piece on the rise of bodybuilding I linked earlier. It's written in a kind of goofy, exaggerated, hyper-manly style that fits the subject perfectly:
"Wherever Arnold went, his Rat Pack followed; he rolled eight-deep, even to breakfast."
"No one had to hunt and peck for a source, either: Mexico’s farmacias were two hours south, every shelf stocked with prime gear."
Well done.
Economics and climate
3. The assumption that prices are fully flexible.
5. The assumption that individuals have rational expectations.
7. The assumption that labor markets clear.
Xhosa is hard to say
Over at The The Crux, Julie Sedivy has an interesting breakdown of how clicks are used in both African languages and English:
It's a good post, and that might be an easy thing for toddlers to learn, but as a grown adult, it is devilishly tricky to master even the three basic click sounds in Zulu and Xhosa. Especially the "q" sound, which involves popping your tongue off the roof of your mouth. During a vacation in Eastern Cape once, it took me hours of practice to just be able to make the noise right, let alone stick it in a word with anything approaching accuracy.
Collected links
1. Big NYT piece on Iran and war. Much better than the last go-round.
2. The rise of muscle culture.
3. Mark Kleiman has a basically reasonable piece on Mexico and the drug war.
4. Matt Yglesias' new book is coming out March 6th. Reserve your automatically delivered e-copy now, only $4!
5. Conor Friedersdorf has a magnificent piece on beer in his life. Utterly wonderful.
Feb 22, 2012
Everyone hates Utah
Kevin Drum has a crazy chart looking at the favorability ratings of each state:
Coincidentally, Colorado (where I lived from age nine) is the fifth-most popular state, while Utah (where I was born and lived until age nine) is the fifth-least popular state. This is nuts, in my view. Sure, Utah has more than its fair share of crazies, but that's more than balanced out by its superior scenery and generally high-quality governance.
Parfit on the morality of abortion
Karl Smith complains that the discourse around the morality of abortion lacks philosophical rigor:
Abortion seems to me to be a particularly poor example of a lack of moral resolution. From listening to the discourse from almost every corner its clear that bordering on no one takes the issue seriously and is primarily just posturing.
I have heard no mention of whether or not fetuses or infants for that matter are p-zombies and if so would that matter. I have heard no serious treatment of the difference between the duty to prevent miscarriages and the duty to prevent abortion. I have heard no mention of whether or not all potential existing persons have moral relevance. I have heard no mention of wrongful life. These are trivially basic issues underpinning all this, yet the conversation does not even try to address them. Not fail. Not wave away. They simply don’t try.
Now, it seems here Smith is talking about the mainstream conversation, not academic philosophy, but since I've been plowing through Derek Parfit's Reasons and Persons (on the recommendation of Tyler Cowen and Yglesias), I feel like hoisting a bit out of that book. It's from the section dealing with personal identity. Here "Reductionist" refers to a view saying that identity of a person is reducible to certain physical and psychological facts, which has the implication that personal identity is fluid. I may be just as much a different person compared to a nearby friend as compared to my younger self. "Non-Reductionist" means rejecting that view. (I'm probably bungling it a little, but that's pretty close.)
On the Non-Reductionist view, since my existence is all-or-nothing, there must have been a moment when I started to exist. As in my imagined Spectra, there must be a sharp borderline. It is implausible to claim that this borderline is birth; nor can any line be plausibly drawn during pregnancy. We may thus be led to the view that I started to exist at the moment of conception. We may claim that this is the moment when my life began. And, on the Non-Reductionist View, it is a deep truth that all the parts of my life are equally parts of my life. I was as much me even when my life had only just started. Killing me at this time is, straightforwardly, killing an innocent person. If this is what we believe, we shall plausibly claim that abortion is morally wrong.
On the Reductionist view, we do not believe that every moment I either do or don't exist. We can now deny that a fertilized ovum is a person or a human being. This is like the plausible denial that an acorn is an oak-tree. Given the right conditions, an acorn slowly becomes an oak-tree. This transition takes time, and is a matter of degree. There is no sharp borderline. We should claim the same about person, and human beings. We can then plausibly take a different view about the morality of abortion. We can believe that there is nothing wrong in an early abortion, but that it would be seriously wrong to abort a child near the end of the pregnancy. Such a child, if unwanted, should be born and adopted. The cases in between we can treat as matters of degree. The fertilized ovum is not a first, but slowly becomes, a human being, and a person. In the same way, the destruction of this organism is not at first but slowly becomes seriously wrong.
[Quick note here that late-term abortions are almost always for medical reasons.]
I think most liberals, seeing that argument, would probably accept it, but the underlying architecture is a bit more difficult to accept. One of Parfit's famous thought experiments involves a tele-transportation device, which destroys my body in one location and constructs an exact replica somewhere else. On Parfit's view of Reductionism, the question as to whether or not I survive this experience is empty, or devoid of meaningful information. He thinks also that the survival of my Replica is about as good as ordinary survival; or, stated differently, ordinary survival is about as bad as being destroyed in one place and rebuilt in another.
That's a tricky thing to believe, but he has about convinced me. (There are, as you might imagine, a lot more to these arguments.) It's a good book, though dense. I've had to stop a couple times and chow through a quick Terry Pratchett just for a breather.
Feb 21, 2012
Pointless accumulation
Steve Randy Waldman brings us an equation, with a graph and some comments:
Yet throughout the Great Moderation, increases in unit labor costs were the standard alarm bell cited by Fed policy makers as an event that would call for more restrictive policy. And all through the Great Moderation, except for a brief surge during the tech boom, labor’s share of output was in secular decline. (More recently, the Great Recession has been accompanied by a stunning collapse in labor share. Record corporate profits!)
In case it's not clear, the graph is showing labor's share of total economic output. Steve goes on to make the point that if the Fed uses rising labor costs as a proxy for dangerous inflation, and tightens fast at the faintest whiff of such an increase, while doing nothing if the opposite happens, you will tend to see a secular decline in labor compared to capital.
Meanwhile, Karl Smith brings a similar graph, this time of the price markup over unit labor costs:
One more related fact: Apple has accumulated a staggering hoard of $100 billion, and it's increasingly clear the firm's management isn't going to give it back in the from of dividends or stock buy-backs. Instead they look like they'll invest it in other things, which means either accumulating even more money or squandering it on some boondoggle.
This discussion gets rapidly technical, but on a basic level, here's the picture I'm forming in my head. Roughly speaking, capital has thoroughly beaten labor in the last 30 years, and has used the increased leverage to direct large and increasing profits to owners and managers. Because the small cadre of very rich couldn't possibly spend all this money, it resulted in a global savings glut, which in turn sparked huge demand for AAA-rated investments and thus a large part of the 2008 meltdown. Since then, the Lesser Depression walloped labor again, even harder, and now that the economy seems to be picking up, pointless accumulation seems to be accelerating again.
The decreasing leverage of labor is certainly partially caused by globalization, but as Steve notes in his comments:
I don’t know the magnitudes. I don’t think anyone does, and attempts to estimate would be very contestable. Globalization, communications, and cheap transport have certainly created “real” headwinds for labor bargaining power. Labor is not as scarce a factor as it once was. But then, for much of the decade preceding 2008, we had a “global savings glut”. In the US, capital was not at all a scarce factor, Wall Street was cheating to invent means of deploying it. That should would have militated towards to an increase in labor share, but we certainly didn’t see that.
The main point in favor of trying to increase labor share, and thus restrain corporate profits, would be to prevent this pointless accumulation. Worldwide, vast hoards of money are inherently unstable, and that money would be less dangerous placed in as many hands as possible.
UPDATE: Here's Karl Smith's version. It's actually surprisingly similar, though I suspect Smith would not be too sympathetic to my more power-based version:
Labor’s share began a secular collapse sometime in the 1990s, leading to a large run-up in loanable funds. That run up put large downward pressure on the natural rate of interest. This was offset for a time by finding ways of expanding the pool of credit worthy borrowers through financial innovation. Once a major set of those methods was revealed to be untenable [RLC: as in, financial apocalypse] the natural rate of interest collapsed not only below the Funds rate but well below zero. The large gap between between the natural rate and the Funds rate put large downward pressure on aggregate labor demand resulting in the Great Recession.
To have cleared the labor market with the pool of borrowers available in 2009, real wages would have had to make up for over a decades worth of missed decline. This was exacerbated by the fact that falling nominal wage disbursements (whether from pay cuts or layoffs) further depress the pool of eligible borrowers by raising real debt levels, requiring even further falls in the real wage.
On the strict economics, that seems reasonable. Just why "labor's share" collapsed is the next question, and that's where Smith has some fairly wild theories.
Big-time bloggers have fathers too
Yglesias pulls one of my old tricks: outsourcing a post to the old man!
Good stuff. It even kind of sounds like my dad. Rafael Yglesias, I should note, is actually a very successful novelist in his own right.
Collected links
1. Science has spoken: the rich really are more morally depraved.
2. Chunks of virus DNA has been found in critical human genes.
3. Physics have built a "single atom transistor." Not quite as miraculous as that headline sounds, but still cool.
4. Christina Romer's favorite books.
5. Obama's idiotic, and inexplicable, hard turn against medical marijuana. WTF, man?
Feb 20, 2012
Speaking of God
Here's Daniel Larison making a fairly obvious riposte against Rick Santorum's vicious swaggering:
This seems uncontroversial from a Christian perspective.
Listening to the King James
So far I'm nearly done with Exodus, and it is by turns tedious and astonishingly beautiful. (Well performed by Alexander Scourby, I should add.) The verse that has thus far stuck in my mind the most is from Genesis 41: 47. It's when Joseph is in Egypt and running the Pharaoh's business. Pharaoh has a dream which Joseph interprets as seven years of good harvests followed by seven years of famine. Here's how the KJV describes the good years:
Isn't that something? Compare that to the New Living Translation:
As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops.
It's as written by an accountant. Blah.
Feb 16, 2012
The morality of content
Kevin Drum has a provocative thought:
Can anyone come up with a better principle?
Feb 15, 2012
Ta-Nehisi Coates and the unbearable whiteness of journalism
Here's the great man riffing off the latest racism directed at Jeremy Lin (people claiming he only gets attention because he's of Asian descent):
Coates is right on this score, and his forthrightness is as always impressive. I always think about this sort of thing in the context of journalism, which is (as Coates has said before) surely one of the white-malest professions out there. At the Monthly, all of the editorial staff are white men (save the new intern, who is a Chinese woman, and an amazingly good fact-checker, I might add). Of the Atlantic bloggers, seven out of nine are white men. Now, I should note that I don't think there is much in the way of conscious racism on the part of most publications in journalism, certainly not on the part of the Monthly. But something has developed which has fenced out most minorities and women in some way.
That is bad for a lot of reasons, most of them well-trodden. But one which comes up unbidden in my own mind is selfish irritation about being lost in the crowd. No wonder I can't get a job—I'm just another mid-twenties balding white guy in a profession (and city) that has them like a plague of locusts. But I really do have an interesting background, pleads the whining child in my head. I didn't go to an Ivy school! I grew up working-class, in an absurdly small town in an interesting and beautiful state! My parents met in Grand Canyon! My dad builds awesome tables out of stone! I lived in South Africa for two years!
It's hard to imagine anything more preposterous than a decently accommodated white man whinging about his lot. And yet, I have these thoughts. No point pretending I don't, except to make like I'm better than I really am. What interests me is that this is just one more example of the harm that oppression inevitably inflicts upon its perpetrators as well as its victims, how it erases our personhood into the various categories. In that video above, it's telling that Folds' parody band is composed of a bunch of copies of himself.
Today in appalling moralizing
Witness Vanessa Rossi, at a New York Times roundup:
Portugal has failed to cut its external deficit for a different reason: it has had virtually no internal devaluation. Nominal G.D.P. remains at its 2008 peak. The nation has export capability (over 30 percent of G.D.P.), but it must do more to boost net trade. Portugal may actually be a country that would find adjustment a whole lot easier if it could have a little more wiggle room on its exchange rate.
The failure of internal devaluation can only reflect on the moral weakness of the Portuguese, never on the policy itself.
By comparison, Ireland may be struggling with the sudden appearance of bank bailout debt, but early fiscal austerity coupled with internal devaluation were effective in stimulating net exports and eliminating its boom-time current account deficit. And export-led growth will at least help to stabilize the Irish economy and improve a budget position now saddled with debt servicing costs.
Ah yes, the great Irish success of austerity. How's that going again?
Ireland Export Adviser Warns of Weak Growth:
The economic adviser to the Irish Exporters Association—representing small and large exporting firms—warned Wednesday that Ireland's economic outlook has worsened significantly as the economy will, at best, not grow at all this year.
The best sentence is at the end, though: "Debt restructuring alone is insufficient and may even encourage a return to laxity." Oh, the dreaded laxity. Where would we be without elites to castigate the moral failings of the masses?
Feb 14, 2012
How the Bahrain Spring was crushed
The Monthly has a special sneak preview of the new issue with a long piece on Bahrain. The thing was a beast of a fact-check, but it's a really interesting and a great read. Take a look.
Feb 13, 2012
Longform depreciation
Matt Yglesias on the immortal digital back catalog:
The existence of this deep back catalog is great for readers, but not necessarily as rewarding for the forward-looking production of longform pieces. Each day—each hour, even—all previous "newsy" items become obsolete and the demand for new newsy items is robust. But the existing stock of well-hewn blocks of substantial prose is already very large and it no longer depreciates the way it did in print.
His point is well-taken, but it seems to me it would be a rare piece indeed that would last more than a couple years. Novels have a much longer shelf life, and that never stopped the frantic production of new ones, even back in the pre-digital days of yore. Now, I grant that large collections of great longform stuff might have a substantial draw in the aggregate, but I still suspect the large majority of that kind of content will be topical and quickly forgotten, and the back catalogs will be of most interest to the curious few and historians.
Biggish news
So, I've finally got a job, sort of! Last week was the end of work for the old business manager at the Washington Monthly, so I've been asked to step in and pinch hit until they hire someone permanently.
The big question now is if I should apply for the real thing. On the one hand, it is a lot of administrative busywork—don't get me wrong, I don't mind that kind of work, I just wonder a bit if I would be sidetracking my career. On the other hand, I really need money. On the third hand, I do think it's important, particularly as the media landscape is shifting beneath our feet, for up-and-comers to be familiar with the nuts-and-bolts of how journalistic outfits make their money. Plus I feel like the Monthly is due for a big overhaul in their business model; I would be very interested in doing something like that. On the fourth hand, I know and like everyone here, and even if I were just doing admin stuff, I'd still be in journalism and in a perfect place to pitch stories and the like.
I suppose I'm leaning toward apply. Any advice out there?
Collected links
1. Awesome old-timey photos of celebrities.
2. A good case for 2011 as Obama's worst year so far.
3. A middle aged man enthusiastically endorses the use of Ecstasy.
4. The latest from Taibbi.
5. Gay marriage's top foe.
Feb 10, 2012
Contraception? Really, GOP?
This never ends. The GOP has managed to whip their base into a frenzy over contraception:
Kevin Drum is righteously pissed:
Adam Serwer provides some background:
The mind reels.
Feb 9, 2012
New York City books bleg
Some time ago I finished The Power Broker, on the recommendation of Kevin Drum, and I think I agree that it's the best nonfiction book I've ever read. So good that I'm still mulling over the lessons therein, and trying to think up a good post on it.
But it left me wondering. At the end of the book New York is nearly a smoking ruin. Yet I lived there for a time in 2008-2009 and it was actually quite pleasant. Well governed, at least by US standards.
So does anyone know of a good book that could bring me up to present day, and tell me how on Earth they manage to salvage the place? I would be most grateful.
Washington passes marriage equality
Huzzah! And, for once, a Republican is on the right side of this one:
Feb 6, 2012
A table for the ages
Here are the legs, ready to be welded together:
Here's my dad taking the sharp edge off with some sandpaper:
Here you can see my dad's custom legs and frame:
The finished product:
Eurodoom update
I've said this before, but things look to be coming to a head in Greece. Felix Salmon explains:
His conclusion:
Paul Krugman brings the pessimism:
And here’s the thing: when this started, Greece was running a large primary deficit — which meant that even if it repudiated all its debt, it would still have been forced to make a major fiscal contraction. This is no longer true. So we’re now looking at a scenario in which Greece is forced into killing levels of austerity to pay its foreign creditors, with no real light at the end of the tunnel.
This is just not going to work.
Matt Yglesias explains the political calculus underlying the insanity:
Bild, the super-high-selling right-of-center German tabloid is out with a new poll which shows that fifty-three percent of Germans want Greece out of the euro, and just 34 percent want it to stay in.
On the merits, I think a "Greece out, everyone else stays in" solution was perfectly possible 24 or 18 or 12 months ago. Today, however, it's not going to work. The exit of Greece from the system would likely lead to a run on Portugal. And while "Greece out, everyone else in" in a psychologically and politically plausible stopping point "Greece and Portugal out, everyone else stays in" isn't. If Portugal is out then Spain is out and if Spain is out then Italy's out, and if Italy's out then France is out, and if France is out there's no point. So you're left with either a big bailout of Greece or a big bailout of Portugal, and the basic technical logic of just doing it for Greece rather than mucking around is very sound. The political case is much weaker, however, as the poll illustrates. So what's happening right now is that European officials are trying to get Greek politicians to agree to vicious austerity measures not so much because the austerity per se will actually solve anything, but because the politics of Northern Europe demands that Greece pay a pound of flesh in exchange for its bailout.
Ezra Klein, meanwhile, is still convinced that this will determine the 2012 election:
Krugman parries, noting European exports only account for 2% of GDP, while Yglesias adds that the slow grind of crisis has given US elites a long time to prepare themselves:
What's interesting is that a few months ago I was incredibly alarmed about Europe dealing a hammer-blow to the American financial system. We turned out to be much more intertwined with the European banking system than one would have thought. But these various deals that European leaders have worked out over the past several months have been a boon to the United States from this perspective. For one thing, they've bought time. European banks haven't collapsed, and American officials, American banks, and American non-financial firms have all had time to start thinking through the implications and insulating themselves. That's been an extra source of problems for Europe but it's good for us. The other factor is that while Europe's leaders haven't hit upon a way to forestall a years-long span of catastrophically high unemployment and falling living standards, they do appear to be really really really really committed to saving banks. This kind of "bankers and and rich people first" approach to coping with an emergency is terrible for the average European, but it does take care of our main concern from Europe which was that we might get hit with a sudden credit crunch.
I sure hope he's right about that, but I'm still skeptical.
Feb 5, 2012
Collected links
1. Welcome to Cancerland. The Komen idiocy has a lot of people looking hard at what they actually do, and some of it isn't great.
2. Really good article on the rise of Pitchfork.
3. Potheads in DC.
4. A theory of consulting. This sounds very convincing to me.
5. Seven lessons from the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.
Feb 3, 2012
One damn thing after another
On the heels of Koman's shamefaced backpedaling from its decision to defund Planned Parenthood:
...here comes the latest culture war awfulness, from some chowderheaded bigots in Louisiana:
It only gets worse from there.
The week in review
The best Onion stuff is usually just the headlines.
The Huffington Post bit is the best from this one:
Feb 2, 2012
Department of WTF, pets bureau
Susan G. Komen For the Cure sucks
Jeff Goldberg has the goods:
Not that I have any money to give away, but when I do, these chumps won't be getting any of it until they reinstate Planned Parenthood on their hands and knees. As Atrios wrote, now it's okay to say they suck.
This Onion piece seems appropriate: 6,000 Runners Fail To Discover Cure For Breast Cancer.
UPDATE: Here are some ways to help.
Easy green stimulus
Sorry to keep banging on this particular patch of dirt, but this previous post is a textbook example of what Yglesias is talking about here:
The photo above is of a building under construction at 2400 14th Street NW here in the District. It's a pretty big multifamily dwelling and the energy cost of heating the units will, due to the efficiencies inherent in multi-family construction, be substantially less than one a single family detached structure would run you. It's also near a Metro line, near the city's most frequent bus service, and walkable to a wide variety of amenities on the 14th Street and U Street corridors. But like basically all DC real estate projects, it won't be built out to the profit-maximizing height because regulations prohibit the construction of tall buildings. This is precisely the same kind of "jobs" scenario as is at issue with Keystone XL—the private sector wants to finance more building trades employment, but government rules won't let it—except instead of a fossil fuel pipeline it's an energy efficient building. And these stories play out all across America.
Obviously my example (at right) is not quite as great as right in downtown DC, but the point still holds. Bigger buildings would mean more and longer construction jobs while getting a significant efficiency boost compared to all those single-family homes. Besides, if one is thinking only slightly more long term, the benefits are even more apparent. More density means more people means more businesses, jobs, and less need for cars. This vacant lot here could be the start of a walkable corridor centered around the metro station, but instead it's just a tiny patch of lame suburbs.
Feb 1, 2012
Intern jams
Caught this joint on Pandora. For some reason electronic is my favorite style for writing and research. | http://www.ryanlouiscooper.com/2012_02_01_archive.html | dclm-gs1-442095528 | false | true | {
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0.049586 | <urn:uuid:9c5bc0bc-546f-4fa0-aa9c-592d784b5d93> | en | 0.980899 |
What Stratfor said
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Malware hits the Mac but is it worth worrying about?
Malware hits the Mac but is it worth worrying about?
At the start of this week, the main theme around Stratfor was the strength of the Anonymous assault and the brashness in publishing email addresses.
From this I read some interesting perspectives; cyber security expert Jeffrey Carr called it no big deal, as he publicises his email address on the web and an "email in and of itself means very little"; while we looked at some analysis of the passwords used that had been uncovered.
Looking at the Christmas attack itself, Eddy Willems, security evangelist at G Data, said: “Groups like Anonymous are now regularly and illegally taking down the real functionality of the internet as we know it, causing damage and destruction. This makes it increasingly problematic for any user wanting to put their credentials online.
“Companies like Stratfor need to ensure that all effective security measures are in place, which includes educating their employees about ever-changing threats.”
However, with the publication of a statement by founder and CEO George Friedman, that level of education seems to have been missed by the company entirely as he admitted that credit card files had not been encrypted.
He also admitted that he had previously been informed of a hack of the Stratfor website in early December, where customer credit card and other information had been stolen. He said the FBI had informed him there was an ongoing investigation that he was "not compelled to undermine".
Friedman appeared to announce that he was well aware that it had not encrypted the credit card files, saying "we were under no illusion that this was going to be kept secret" and "we knew our reputation would be damaged by the revelation".
Despite taking full responsibility, Friedman appeared to blame the error on the company's rapid growth, saying that as it grew, the management team and administrative processes didn't grow with it.
He also said that Stratfor worked to improve its security infrastructure within the confines of time "and the desire to protect the investigation by not letting the attackers know that we knew of their intrusion".
However, the second attack on Christmas Eve proved its fallibility, as hackers, apparently from the Anonymous group, posted "a triumphant note on our homepage saying that credit card information had been stolen, that a large amount of email had been taken, and that four of our servers had been effectively destroyed along with data and backups".
Friedman said this attack was clearly designed to silence Stratfor by destroying records and the website, yet his attention was focused on trying to understand why anyone would want to do this.
In an indirect message to the attackers, Friedman said: “I don't know if the hackers who did this feel remorse as they discover that we aren't who they said we were. First, I don't know who they actually are and, second, I don't know what their motives were.
He further questioned how successful they felt to have been, saying that the consequence of this action and others "will not be a glorious anarchy in the spirit of Guy Fawkes, but rather a massive repression".
“That's why I wonder who the hackers actually are and what cause they serve. I am curious as to whether they realise the whirlwind they are sowing, and whether they, in fact, are trying to generate the repression they say they oppose,” he said.
He concluded his statement with a "we're still here" message, and seemed to want to reassure customers that its security infrastructure was going to be stronger in future.
Carr said the worst aspect of the hack wasn't the release of email addresses, but Stratfor's "atrocious" handling of its members' credit card data and the state of its own network security.
Graeme Batsman from Data Defender previously said that a perfect network could be built by buying 70 desktop computers, a server and a method to back it up using encrypted tapes and, once a day, taking a copy of the server, encrypting it and placing it onto a tape. Store it offsite, he said, and that is a bullet-proof network.
“Companies, governments and military departments should really think about this method because attacks by Anonymous, LulzSec and foreign states will not decrease,” he said.
I asked Batsman what he thought of Friedman's comments; he said failing to encrypt credit card data and passwords is pretty bad, as most scripted websites have some form of basic one-way encryption (hash) on passwords.
He said: “If the password is weak it can sometimes be reversed. Even our website has one-way hashing on the database. We are a tiny company but we isolate each step. The website sits by itself and stores no data apart from front facing, while our email provider is totally separate and our core client data is not stored on the PC but on an external document management system and downloaded when needed, then uploaded and shredded.
“Obviously its too late now and they should have secured it before. With so many massive clients and military, you would even think the US military might audit them.”
Speaking to SC Magazine, Carr said he felt Friedman had exhibited a common phenomenon unique to C-level executives who've been hit with their first major attack: “An ego boost. Friedman actually thinks someone wanted to silence Stratfor, which is ridiculous. It's more likely that an insider was really pissed off.”
Carr called Friedman's statement "pretty much a standard apology and attempt to diminish the effect of the attack". He said others will probably follow suit, but it's hard to expect anything different coming from a corporation.
Among the responses to a cyber incident, this will stand out as being one of the most thorough and honest to come from a CEO. Friedman detailed the incident, took the blame and delivered a message of resiliency to customers and attackers alike. However, as the Liquid Matrix revealed, the site was later offline again due to the sheer volume of traffic, or a possible denial-of-service attack.
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New approaches are needed to overcome security concerns related to use of big data analysis suggests Andy Grant, with 'containerising' data and merging data on the fly among options suggested. | http://www.scmagazineuk.com/what-stratfor-said/article/223027/ | dclm-gs1-442185528 | false | false | {
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0.027432 | <urn:uuid:a5c8fe81-4a85-4134-83fe-de94cf304e2b> | en | 0.967524 | Suburban Chooks
Suburbia is humming with the contented sounds of crooning chooks. Young couples and children who once went for a family dog to practise resposibility are now choosing chooks as pets for their companionship and fresh supply of eggs. There are even established companies in the business of renting chooks and creating the ‘try before you buy’ concept.
Housing chooks is by no means a new concept with people on the land enjoying fresh 'free range' home-grown eggs for generations. It is the suburban 'chook' (as it's affectionately known in Australia) that is making the new appearance. This environmentally sustainable pet turns your leftover scraps into up to 6 eggs per chook per week. There is nothing like the taste of a fresh egg from your beloved pets. However, they won't eat everything you throw away - rockmelon and banana skins for example need first to be put in the compost bin, then they can distribute the contents after they have broken down along with their poultry mulch, which is great to put all around the garden. It is advisable to put out the scraps in the morning, so the chooks have all day to clean them up – you don't want to attract any unsavoury visitors in the evening (such as mice or possums). This is a general rule for all pet food.
Pets with no demands
Chooks are happy residing in either a simple construction 'Made with Love' or an extravagant fortress found in produce or hardware stores. Traditionally they are a combination of chicken wire to keep them in (and predators out), wooden structures and some corrugated iron. The chooks like to lay their eggs in a nesting box of some kind, lined with hay or straw for warmth and comfort. To encourage laying, place a golf ball as a 'dummy egg' in their nesting box to give them a subtle hint!
You can pick up a bag of 'chook' food from most produce or pet stores as well as some shell grit to help keep their egg shells hard. Lime is useful to sprinkle around the ground once in a while to keep any smell or mites under control, particularly if there's been a lot of rain and they are unable to have their regular 'dust' bath. Another good hint is to trim their flight feathers on one side to prevent them from getting airborne.
Sustainable system for bugs and weed control
So how do they weigh up in the companion stakes? There's something quite relaxing about sitting and watching chooks go about their daily routine. Whether their scratching about in the garden searching for a buried treat (perfect for keeping certain bugs and weeds at bay), enjoying a good old 'bath' in the soft dirt or just laying down spreading their wings to sunbake when the weather allows. Are they trainable? Yes, I have seen firsthand a chook jumping up into the air to get food out of their owners hand as well as chasing after a ball.
So, what are you waiting for, the chook pet can help your household to eat healthier, act greener and find a new way to enjoy your free time!
more on pets articles
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0.354327 | <urn:uuid:73a99de7-d22b-42d4-ac14-064f796fdb91> | en | 0.961097 | Best Computer Systems Technician Certification | Top Computer Systems Technician Certifications | Online Computer Systems Technician Certification
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There is a wide selection of colleges to choose from should you wish to pursue a career as a computer systems technician. Regardless of where you start out from, such colleges are capable of making you into a competent, marketable member of the growing IT workforce. It's undeniable that a strong background in related subjects such as math, science, and physics may help you succeed as a budding computer systems technician, but they are in no way a necessary part of the equation. Colleges exist to give you a way to enter the field on an equal footing. Arguably the most efficient and widely-adopted method of becoming a certified computer systems technician is to attend a one- or two-year program at a vocational college or technical institute. These colleges offer an attractive balance between the time and effort invested and the jobs that become available after graduation. The skills you learn in these colleges are usually tailored specifically for the job market, so that you can immediately find an employer looking for a computer systems technician with your accomplishments. Computer systems technician colleges aren't limited to producing this one type of student, however. Should you choose to delve into a more thorough study of computer systems, you can usually find an option for an associate's degree (usually two years) or a bachelor's degree (three or four years). One thing to keep in mind when you search for more advanced degrees: you might not find one specifically titled 'computer systems technicians'. Different colleges will offer the same general knowledge packaged under different names.
The school you choose can have a great impact on what kind of computer systems technician you will turn out to be. That's why it's so crucial to do your research beforehand, well before you've committed to a school that doesn't have what you're looking for. So then the next logical question arises: how are you to determine which schools are best suited to an aspiring computer systems technician? Before you begin investigating the details of course schedules, instructor credentials, and other such nitty-gritty facts, first know that there are several broad categories of computer systems technician schools. The first type includes community colleges, vocational schools, and technical institutes. These offer relatively short computer systems technicians programs that are geared towards getting you into the job force. The second type includes any organizations, institutions, or schools that prepare you for certification exams relevant to computer systems technicians. These are geared towards passing the examinations rather than being relevant to specific jobs, though of course the certifications themselves will help you qualify for job positions eventually! The third type includes more traditional schools that offer associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees. They do take the longest to achieve, but usually compensate for that extra time by giving you the chance for higher starting salaries. Don't forget that you don't have to commit to one school for your computer systems technician education, or even do it all at one time. A common approach is to start with an associate's degree or certification in computer systems, join the workforce for a period of time, and then return to a four-year school to receive a more advanced degree. Oftentimes, schools will allow previously earned credits to count towards your computer systems-related degree. There are many ways to become a successful computer technician.
Just a few classes in computer systems can jumpstart your lucrative career as a computer systems technician. Don’t let the job title scare you. Computer systems technicians might work with the highest and most complex levels of computer technology; their job descriptions might include fixing problems and perhaps even designing innovative solutions to highly technical programs. However, here are plenty of entry-level jobs, available after completing relatively few classes, that allow computer systems technicians to work as helpdesk operators, troubleshooters, and even computer marketers. Of course, what you end up being capable of doing as a computer systems technician relies primarily on what classes you do end up choosing to take. That’s why it’s important to give serious consideration to all your education options. Remember that a commitment to classes involves investing more than the weeks or months of actual class time—the effects will carry far into your future career. To start at the most basic level, you might choose to take classes that prepare you for a certificate. Entry-level computer systems technicians usually have these classes on their resumes. Certification classes can take under a year to complete. They are a relatively simple and quick introduction to the work of a computer systems technician, and are quite a popular choice. However, many computer systems technicians don’t stop there. After completing certifications classes, they sometimes continue on to achieve more advanced degrees that qualify them for higher-placed job opportunities. Depending on what you aim for, consider both options carefully.
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0.061071 | <urn:uuid:86bdeec7-d46d-41fd-a2f0-902c06088cd2> | en | 0.956452 | Microsoft says it's "doubling down" on PC games
By Emil
Oct 26, 2010
Post New Reply
1. klepto12
klepto12 TechSpot Paladin Posts: 1,364 +9
Steam is the only way to go M$ doesnt have a chance here steam is to far ahead and has to many people using it. M$ keeps sticking there foot in there big money hungry mouth by saying this and saying that if only they can deliver such promises.
2. grvalderrama
grvalderrama TS Enthusiast Posts: 196
Well, they could consider selling Microsoft games only in Microsoft's browser, so that they don't have to compete with Steam. Also, that would mean that they'll have to develop more games, in order to get into the market... I mean, it's Microsoft, they have the resources!
3. mtrenal
mtrenal TS Rookie Posts: 45
I dunno, call me old-fashioned but I enjoy having hard copies of the games. The last thing I want is a war over who can produce the best online-only content. Maybe that's just me though.
In response to Microsoft's "doubling down on games", it feels to me like they made a serious mistake a month or two ago when they bashed PC gaming, and are trying to make up for it. I'll be interested to see if they actually follow through and truly focus on PC gaming in the long run.
IAMTHESTIG TS Enthusiast Posts: 410 +37
Yeah... well i'll believe it when I see it. I think the picky PC gamers (lets face it, we are a bit more picky about our games than casual console gamers) and piracy are probably the primary reasons why companies are spending less money and time on their PC titles. It's unfortunate but in a way out own doing. This kind of crap going on now is why I encourage my friends to buy the game if they like it and play it... I usually hold off and wait until its on sale on Steam but sometimes I spring on a game that is near full price. I refuse though to pay for a game right on release when it is like $50 or $60. Rushed releases are usually buggy anyway (although they have been getting better about this it seems).
5. Mushroom
Mushroom TS Rookie Posts: 32
so steam but a lot shittier, PC GAMING IS SAVED!.
6. Eddo22
Eddo22 TS Enthusiast Posts: 156 +6
IMO Microsoft is going to have to do a lot more than launch a stupid browser based game purchase program. They need to drop Xbox and instead release a similarly priced upgradeable gaming PC for starts and position themselves against Nintendo and Sony's ancient 3-4 year old consoles. Imo having a console that competes on some level with the PC is a major kick in a crotch for a company that is supposedly focused on PC gaming.
Product cycling in the PC industry could also be a problem since the new stuff comes out crazy fast to the point where it's difficult for the average $30000 and minus household to keep up. Pc's should not only be the leader when it comes to technology but it perhaps needs to compete on a direct level with consoles.
Also there needs to be more effort and thought put into games. IAMTHESTIG says we're picky.. in a nutshell that says to me that most PC gamers are older..aka probably not kids or teens. Therefore there should be a distinctive split between Kids/Teens/Adults and a big push in each category...perhaps by redoing and releasing a bunch of the top console games for PC (no lame ports) and focusing on idea's and how to make better use on current and future technology.
Anyway, Those are just some pent up thoughts in my head about the whole PC vs consoles war. Take it as you will. Some of the idea's may not be the best.
7. mtrenal
mtrenal TS Rookie Posts: 45
Yeah I agree with you- on some level we PC gamers collectively brought this upon ourselves with pirating, even though some of us have never pirated a game. Realistically, what company wants to spend serious money on something that people are just going to steal? Some companies lose millions dollars from a major title being pirated. If you go on any torrent site and look at how many times a mainstream game like Modern Warfare 2 has been downloaded, figure that maybe 5% (max) are repeat downloaders (for whatever reason) or already rightfully own the game, you'll see that the revenue lost on such games is a huge figure. What's the incentive for producing PC games anymore?
8. scout2of3
scout2of3 TS Rookie
It's my opinion that in order for their web based game store to be accepted, they will have to compete with their prices between Steam, D2D, Impulse, etc.
9. whiteandnerdy
whiteandnerdy TS Member Posts: 71
i know one thing they should bring back in their "doubling down", that thing that allowed PC gamers to play those on consoles. just for some laughs and to hear them complain again.
10. Timonius
Timonius TS Booster Posts: 584 +33
Again, DITCH the points system! This is what is holding back Microsoft's 'dedication' to the PC gamer crowd.
11. ruzveh
ruzveh Banned Posts: 124
Doesnt sound exciting to me. Dunno but i prefer to play offline games at my own convinence
12. Mydnight
Mydnight TS Rookie
Call my cynical but I'll believe M$ when I see it. As others have mentioned M$ has both bashed & "Supported" PC games. Actions speak louder than words.
13. T3x
T3x TS Rookie
If they want to be taken seriously by PC gamers they need to start releasing alot more of the xbox games for the pc as well. Halo, Gears, ect
14. freythman
freythman TS Enthusiast Posts: 124 +10
PC Gaming will forever live on in my heart. I'm not sure how this will compare to Steam, as I'm not in favor of having to "buy points" to buy a game. I'd much rather just straight out buy the game. Just my two cents.
15. Rage_3K_Moiz
Rage_3K_Moiz Sith Lord Posts: 7,286 +24
GFWL Marketplace looks like a MSFT version of Steam; they need to do more than that (or bring something new to the table) IMHO to boost PC gaming, if they're really intent on taking on Valve's already-established juggernaut.
16. ional10
ional10 TS Rookie
About time! for years the windows pc gaming services have seriously lagged behind while steam and other vendors (direct2drive) have drastically improved. Hopefully this new store will be choc-a-block full of good games. If they can get good customer support services (i.e. people you can actually talk to about issues with a purchase or what not) then the store will SUCCEED! let's hope for the best here and of course, frequent sales with heavily reduced gaming prices!!
17. ElDaFree
ElDaFree TS Rookie
Great to see some support for PC gaming from Microsoft. Their sleek new Windows Live interface will be interesting to check out. As a Gold member I am certainly hoping for some quality new content and competitive pricing. Cross platform play would be a great element for them to work on. How often would I have liked to play GTA IV with my peers on Xbox. Sure, mouse/keyboard setups can be a real advantage in multiplayer matches, but games like Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3 seemed to take the right approach by letting users filter servers by the control method that is being used.
A must-have feature for Windows Live should be the ability to create backups of your game library, like Steam. An invaluable feature, making Steam my main platform of choice for digital content at the moment.
18. omega00
omega00 TS Rookie Posts: 37
This is just another avenue for Microsoft to tap into in order increase sales, i.e. make more money. It's almost like Netflix's decision to move away from DVD mail orders to an increasingly popular and more cost-effective enterprise of streaming content directly into our TVs. I hope this works out for Microsoft, because in the long run, it should help propel further the video game industry.
19. limpangel
limpangel TS Member Posts: 65
My question is why didn't MS do this any sooner. They put the Games for Windows tag on retail copies of games since Vista, but it really had no use except for the newer games which include achievements.
Also it would be nice to integrate somehow the retail copy with the online account like Steam does with some games or Blizzard with their own.
Anyway competition is always good and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a game from GfW if it has a better offer than Steam.
20. fritz123
fritz123 TS Rookie Posts: 56
i think its a good idea to do this. they gonna catch up with other providers. i hope they put out more title from the xbox to the pc since i suck using the controller for fps games. they should also put out the points system. it kinda bothers me at times. but for the Windows store, i think its a good idea and will lead to cheaper games and much more convenient purchasing. well, in my opinion..
21. XnaX
XnaX TS Rookie Posts: 39
I hope this is the microscopic tip of the enormous iceberg, because saying the words "doubling down" and making a marketplace, is just admidding how careless you were before that..
22. AbsolutGaloot
AbsolutGaloot TS Rookie Posts: 92
This is an interesting change from what seemed to be a popular consensus a little while back that the PC was a dead platform regarding games. Good to see people are taking it seriously.
23. fpsgamerJR62
fpsgamerJR62 TS Rookie Posts: 489
If Microsoft is serious about PC gaming, how about reviving the Mechwarrior 5 project ? I still can't believe that they dumped a great franchise to promote their X-Box 360 mech game.
24. abe10tiger
abe10tiger TechSpot Paladin Posts: 782 +10
NO!!! Don't Microsoft! :(
25. Storagebox
Storagebox TS Rookie Posts: 17
i was a big console gamer, until i decided to buy a real gaming rig, and now im mostly on pc sooo much better, console is nice for RPG and platform games, but for the Rest PC is the way to go and Steam really got it down for it
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0.195138 | <urn:uuid:fe0dafca-fbb3-4fa8-969f-be1164378b97> | en | 0.941522 | Sun in 3rd House
sun,3rd house, astrology, zodiac, horoscope,
A person with Sun in the 3rd house tends to shine in learning environments. A sense of purpose and destiny involves writing, communication or social interchange, and the central theme of development will be in the cultivation of the intellect.
The individual is longing for movement both in the physical and mental sense of the word, and usually a strong curiosity and powerful urge to learn, and fulfillment is found through mental interests and the accumulation of knowledge. The Sun in the third house is usually an excellent placement for teachers, publishers, advertisers, or any other area that involves illuminating information. The third house describes what we think about and rules all forms of communication, travel, speech, thought, letters, e-mail and phone.
Traditionally, the third house rules our early education and environment, short journeys, siblings and neighbours. The Sun in the third house finds these areas important and discovers joy and purpose through developing language skills, proficiency in interpretation and sharing knowledge. A sibling may have been important in their life, and the individual's school life is highlighted, a job may also involve driving, traveling short distances, social media or networking.
Those with Sun in the 3rd need to feel heard and be noticed in the immediate environment. Consequently, rivalry with siblings and competitiveness among peers could be issues worth investigating. Some may project their own need for power and authority onto a brother or sister. Or knowledge itself is worshipped like the Sun. Difficult aspects to the Sun could indicate problems with early schooling. No matter how clever or articulate the 3rd house Sun appears to others, those with this placement normally feels that they could still know more or communicate better. The Twelve Houses
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0.455008 | <urn:uuid:fffe8ee5-0ea9-40d7-8858-67913c1ddd72> | en | 0.761921 | How about we… Gossip: The Split Everyone Saw Coming, JGL on the DL + the Coolest Couple Ever
Pin it
ScarJo helps keep JGL on the DL? (Jezebel)
Cameron Diaz calls Diddy for a Booty Call. (ICYDK)
| http://www.thedatereport.com/dating/pop-culture/2085-ashton-demi-break-up/ | dclm-gs1-442715528 | false | false | {
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0.025363 | <urn:uuid:b5be93ce-ab10-4e6f-917e-99e31a8b6214> | en | 0.904809 | [01/31/05 - 12:00 AM]
John Larroquette's Acting Career Goes to the Dog
[via press release from The Hallmark Channel]
Not every actor enjoys sharing the screen with animals. Sometimes it's because the critters can be difficult to work with; other times, it's because the animals prove to be adorable scene-stealers. About Kuma, his canine costar in the Hallmark Channel Mystery Movie franchise "McBride," five-time Emmy� Award winner John Larroquette concedes, "Because a dog is an independent being, it doesn't always do exactly as it's told." But, he quickly adds, "Nor do most actors." "Murder Past Midnight," the third installment of the "McBride" franchise, premieres Friday, February 4 (9/8c) exclusively on Hallmark Channel.
[january 2005]
(series past and present)
(series in development)
(tv movies and mini-series)
[10/21/14 - 12:09 PM]
[10/21/14 - 11:55 AM]
FX Cancels "The Bridge" After Two Seasons
[10/21/14 - 10:42 AM]
[10/21/14 - 10:39 AM]
TLC Orders New Series Hosted by Roma Downey
[10/21/14 - 10:04 AM]
FXX Scares Up Tricks and Treats for Halloween
[10/21/14 - 09:48 AM]
[10/21/14 - 09:21 AM]
[10/21/14 - 09:16 AM]
[10/21/14 - 09:01 AM]
[10/21/14 - 09:01 AM]
[10/21/14 - 09:01 AM]
Nominee Voting Opens Today for "People's Choice Awards 2015"
[10/21/14 - 08:54 AM]
NBC spins the numbers for Monday, October 20.
[10/21/14 - 08:42 AM]
Monday's Broadcast Ratings: NBC Tops Demos for Fifth Consecutive Week
[10/21/14 - 08:31 AM]
NBC further spins the numbers for Sunday, October 19.
[10/21/14 - 08:06 AM] | http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2005/01/31/john-larroquettes-acting-career-goes-to-the-dog-17743/20050131hallmark01/ | dclm-gs1-442735528 | false | false | {
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0.144028 | <urn:uuid:0b27673c-8072-4fdd-bfac-6b148db51f1d> | en | 0.977941 | Written by Gee Pee
Print this
Sunday, 2 March 2014
WHITEWASHINGTON, DC - During the previous presidential election, former president Bill Clinton suppressed his true feelings for his wife's arch rival. To project the appearance of political unity within the Demcats Party, Clinton refrained from criticizing Barack Obummer. However, now that his wife has expressed interest in running for the presidency again in the next election, her husband has unleashed a scathing rebuke of the lame-duck president, insisting that Obummer is a "wuss" and a "fool."
Specifically, Clinton has criticized Obummer for the president's reluctance to go "head to head and toe to toe" with Russia's president Vladimir ("The Impaler") Putin. "To go 'mano a mano' with an alpha male like Putin, you have to be a man," Clinton said, "and, whatever else he may be, Barak Obummer is certainly not a man."
Later, Clinton said that he had been "misquoted" or "quoted out of context." "What I said," he said, "is that Obummer is not man enough to go 'mano a mano' with Putin."
Obummer's "dubious manhood," Clinton further suggested, "is discernible in his constant deference to political polls." Polls indicate that only 15 percent of Americans support military action against Russia in the Ukraine. "A man, if he's manly enough," Clinton insisted, "will buck the polls and do what's right, rather than what's popular."
"Barak Obummer is nothing more than a wuss and a fool," the former president charged.
Asked why Clinton would make such statements about him, Obummer said, "He's a racist, like everyone else who disagrees with me." Clinton's criticism, he said, "is, simply put, the foolish attempt by a white bigot to diss a sitting black president by branding him a 'wuss.'"
Clinton maintained that "Obummer's skin isn't so much black--he is a mulatto, after all--as it is thin."
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0.063587 | <urn:uuid:c17ea607-7fe6-49cc-9f0a-c6d5ddd734b9> | en | 0.949522 | Our TV Shows
Got a Tip?
Call TMZ at (888) 847-9869 or Click Here
Confessed Craigslist Killer
Even For Church of Satan
2/19/2014 12:45 AM PST BY TMZ STAFF
Confessed serial killer Miranda Barbour is giving Satan a bad name -- so says the high priest for the Church of Satan who says she's just too wicked.
TMZ broke the story ... Barbour confessed to committing between 22 and 100 murders ... saying she was compelled to kill by the devil after joining a cult in Alaska.
High Priest Peter H. Gilmore tells TMZ ... the official Church of Satan has never had any involvement with Barbour ... and would NEVER accept her as a member.
Gilmore tells TMZ ... true Satanists don't believe in murder (not even sacrifices) ... and if Barbour is truly a killer she should get the death penalty.
Gilmore says his church is not a cult but a legally recognized atheist organization ... adding Barbour is simply using Satan as justification for her crimes.
In other words, the devil DIDN'T make her do it.
No Avatar
Um considering that there are crazy people who drink goat blood and worship Lucifer I have to say that these guys aren't Satanists. The name of this group is very misleading. You can't be an atheist and called yourself a Satanist.
245 days ago
They're Satanist so of course they are going to lie to the public and say they don't worship the devil.
245 days ago
TMZ nice going, making a murderer and the church of Satan guy celebrities.
Right up there with all your porn, racism, and instigation.
If you wonder why I would come here, well sometimes posters are funny, and sometimes a counter voice is needed.
Shock sells, but show some social responsibility TMZ.
245 days ago
Satanists DO NOT WORSHIP THE DEVIL...they dont even believe in thr people commenting need to educate yourselves on religions
245 days ago
Um I know actual Satanist, unfortunate, they do worship the devil. The issue is that you have groups like this who call themselves Satanists as an Anti-religion group, and people we call cults who literally worship the devil. The "bible" of Satanism (the cult) devotes itself to the seven prince of hell and is a messed up thing to read. To deny their existence or say that the people who literally worship Satan are fake Satanists is literally the dumbest thing one can say.
245 days ago
....I thought atheists didn't believe in Any gods or even satan.... So how could you be listed at an atheist organization...if you're not an atheist?? Comfused ovahea......
245 days ago
Typical TMZ sensationalist spin. I seriously doubt HP Gilmore said any such thing. In fact, this is exactly what HP Gilmore has to say on the matter:
Many of TMZ's readers would do well to read the Church of Satan FAQ ( as they seem to have no clue what Satanism is.
244 days ago
Evil is evil their is no lesser of two evils. I don't believe a thing that the guy from a church of satan has to say and I am not sure I believe the craigslist killer either. They are sick people who like to play sick games. Sorry pal but nobody is going to look at a church of satan as something that is good. The world would be a better place without you that is factual.
244 days ago
I used to be creeped out by Satanism, but then I had a friend that was a Satanist and he explained to me that one of the major rules is to not do any harm to others or yourself. He said true Satanists don't drink or smoke either. Satanists believe in God, they just believe that the roles of Satan and God have been reversed over the years. People use the whole Satanism scare tactics to take advantage of ignorance on the subject. Now, if she said she was part of a cult, that is a whole different subject. Cults are insane.
244 days ago
How can Satanists be Atheists? You can't believe in Satan without believing in God, no matter which side you align yourself with.
244 days ago
Don't give Alaska a bad name hooker!! She needs to be put down.
244 days ago
Can we please respect the idea of Satanism? Think about it, it's just another religion like Christianity or Islam or Judaism or Hinduism etc. Let them believe what they want and you believe what you want. I don't see the big deal here. Religious tolerance people. Religious tolerance.
244 days ago
I looked up the general aspects of Satanism and while I am no expert, it's not this demonic cult most people think it is. From what I gathered, it's more about pleasing yourself, I never saw anyrhing like, "Kill everyone you see," or "Burn churches." It's just different.
244 days ago
I don't oppose the death penalty but I do find it heinously ironic how badly the high priest of Satan has contradicted himself. "... true Satanists don't believe in murder (not even sacrifices) ... and if Barbour is truly a killer she should get the death penalty. " So, you don't believe in murder but you want to see Barbour murdered for her crimes.. I guess we normals just going about our day to day lives without any religious brainwash will never understand the logic of religion. Incidentally more likely than not, the only reason he denies any involvement with Barbour is purely political.
244 days ago
If the devil didnt, who did
244 days ago
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0.386884 | <urn:uuid:589d77e6-4887-417d-9ca2-47f06b91e1c1> | en | 0.950987 | look up any word, like cunt:
When someone edits their own wikipedia page. If a wikipedia page includes so many details that only a major stalker would have written it, or it whitewashes negative aspects of a person's life, it was probably wikibated.
"Surely no one's that big a fan to know that much about Steve Sax. He's obviously been wikibating."
by Sic Em February 04, 2009
Words related to wikibating
editing masturbate page personal wiki wikipedia | http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=wikibating&defid=3686533 | dclm-gs1-443205528 | false | false | {
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0.026904 | <urn:uuid:44c57e24-23aa-413c-aa41-6dac979e214a> | en | 0.950652 | Learn How To Grow A Garden Organically
Organic gardening has gained popularity from people who no longer wish to consume produce that has been treated with chemicals and pesticides, which can damage the environment and a person’s health. Organic gardening methods are extremely cheap for the most part. The following tips will help turn you into a successful organic gardener in no time at all.
TIP! Add aspirin to your plants to help them fight sickness. Crush and dissolve one and one-half 325mg tablets in two full gallons of plain water.
To be more efficient when working in your organic garden, have your tools close at hand. You could do this by using a big bucket, or just wear old pants that have some deep pockets. Tools you’ll need to garden efficiently include towels, gloves, pruning shears and other plant-specific tools.
TIP! Add coffee grounds to your garden’s soil. Coffee grounds have a lot of nutrients that plants can use.
When planting your organic garden, spacing is an important thing to keep in mind. You can underestimate how much space you need when they are growing. This will give you enough room to work around your garden without smashing any plants. Because of this, you should always take the time to ensure that there’s enough distance between all your seeds.
Apply equal portions of dried plant material and green into your compost pile. Examples of good green material to use for compost include grass clippings, flowers, leaves, and weeds. Dried plant material, however, can include items such as cardboard, sawdust and shredded paper. Never use ashes, meat, charcoal, diseased plants or carnivorous animal manure in your compost pile.
A useful technique for organic gardening, is to gently disturb your seedlings by using your fingers or a piece of cardboard one or two times daily. Believe it or not, aerating the soil in this manner can actually make your seedlings grow larger.
If you have problem slugs in your organic garden, get rid of them naturally with a beer trap. Bury a glass jar in your garden so that its open mouth is level with the top of the soil. Fill this jar up with beer almost entirely. The slugs will be attracted to the beer and will end up being trapped within the confines of the jar.
Adjust your watering according to season and current climate. You should consider water quality and soil type when watering your plants. Try to water your plants at the same time every day, as time of day also affects how much water they need. Overzealous watering in an already humid climate can lead to leaf fungus. Instead focus on watering the root system.
TIP! While all kinds of gardening can help you feel more connected to the planet, gardening organically is especially good for this. Any form of gardening gives a basic outline for all others; teaching you the general methodology behind sewing, planting, and harvesting properly.
Applying the knowledge you learned here to your garden will help ensure you have a thriving, toxin-free garden of your very own. Planting a natural garden also encourages wildlife to enjoy your garden, and this even benefits the plants growing within. | http://www.vegetablegardenplanting.com/learn-how-to-grow-a-garden-organically/ | dclm-gs1-443265528 | false | false | {
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0.181267 | <urn:uuid:73bf5345-dead-4d96-bc64-2562e66b15b0> | en | 0.940972 | Edit Article
• 5 Editors
• Edited
Nobody wants to go to their first Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting. Everyone is afraid. AA welcomes everyone, and you don't need to meet any requirements. If you've ever thought of going, or have been told you must go, here's what to do.
1. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 1.jpg
Find a meeting. There are lots of sources. Call the nearest Alcoholics Anonymous Intergroup office, visit http://www.aa.org, ask a church pastor or anyone you might know in recovery. Many cities have hundreds, or even over a thousand AA meetings each week.
2. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 2.jpg
Pick a compatible meeting. If you're going because you are curious about AA, go to an "open" meeting, which is for anyone. Closed meetings are only for people who have decided they have a problem with alcohol and want to stop drinking. Some meetings are for men only or women only, are foreign language speaking or are for other special groups. The sources above can guide you to the right meeting.
3. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 3.jpg
Ask for a ride if you don't have a way to get there. The local AA office can usually arrange for someone who is going to the meeting to pick you up.
4. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 4.jpg
Get there early. Many meetings are held in churches. Watch what door people go in so you can follow them to the right room. If you aren't sure if you're at the right place, ask someone if it is the meeting for "friends of Bill W" Or ask someone you see if they are a "friend of Bill W"
5. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 5.jpg
Expect to see all kinds of people there: young, old, worn-down, elegant. They may be very different than you. You might be surprised that so many people look healthy and happy. They are all there for the same reason no matter how they look on the outside.
6. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 6.jpg
Relax. You aren't required to do or believe anything. You don't have to say a word. As they say, "Take the cotton out of your ears and stick it in your mouth." - Just listen.
7. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 7.jpg
Watch how the meeting works. They usually begin with volunteers reading from AA literature, followed by a group discussion, book study or featured speaker.
8. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 8.jpg
Sometimes the leader will ask if anyone is at their first AA meeting. If you want, you can raise your hand and give your first name.
9. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 9.jpg
Listen. You will get a lot out of your first meeting by hearing others' experiences. You might not understand all the discussion, but try to find something you can relate to. Look for similarities, not differences.
10. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 10.jpg
When they pass the basket for donations, you do not have to contribute. If you want to, the normal contribution is $1 or $2 in the U.S. Don't give more than what others are giving.
11. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 11.jpg
Take a white chip or "start-over/beginner" token if offered. Some groups give chips/tokens to people that have been sober for a particular length of time. They also give a white chip to anyone who doesn't want to drink just for one day. Chips/tokens are reminders to help you stay sober. They are free.
12. Get Through Your First Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Step 12.jpg
Ask the chairperson after the meeting for a directory that shows where and when meetings are held. You can go to as many meetings as you want. If you go to a second meeting located near the first one, you might recognize people that were at the first meeting.
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• Go to a different meeting if you don't hear anything that you can relate to. Each meeting has a unique personality.
• There is a lot of laughter in AA meetings. It's also OK to cry.
• If you get there late, it's OK. Just go in and sit down.
• If people give you their phone numbers, they want to help if you need it. Call them before you take a drink. Say that they gave you their number at the meeting and you want to drink.
• Tell someone you are new. They will probably introduce you to others.
• Meetings start on time. Plan to get there early and stay late so people can introduce themselves.
• There is a requirement to be a member of AA, a desire to stop drinking. How ever there are no dues or fees for membership.
• If you see someone there that you know, don't worry that they will "tell on you." They are probably there for the same reason you are.
• During the meeting, don't ask questions or talk to anyone in the group directly, even if it seems like someone is talking directly to you. Stay after the meeting to ask questions or tell them your story.
• Go sober and not high. Otherwise the experience won't be very useful.
• Once you get home don't talk about who was there or what they said. One of AA's mottos is "Who you see here, what you hear here, let it stay here."
• Never drive with alcohol in your system, even if you think you need to get to an AA meeting right away. Get someone to give you a ride instead.
• The group might ask you to leave and come back another day if you are disruptive or start rambling about something other than alcohol.
Article Info
Categories: Alcohol Addictions
Recent edits by: Teresa, Tryme2, Maluniu
In other languages:
Español: Cómo ir a tu primera reunión de Alcohólicos Anónimos, Русский: решится на первую встречу собрания анонимных алкоголиков
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 60,557 times.
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Write an Article | http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Through-Your-First-Alcoholics-Anonymous-Meeting | dclm-gs1-443415528 | false | false | {
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0.040659 | <urn:uuid:7e8e4104-53ec-4e14-8bc7-c7ff6f0aa214> | en | 0.890156 | Graves Damaged
Fifty gravesites at the same cemetery where the late actress Ava Gardner is buried in Smithfield have been damaged.
Authorities found tombstones pushed over and a cement cross broken.
Smithfield Police have charged two teenagers with grave defacement.
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0.545807 | <urn:uuid:2805920f-1209-4063-be27-93001babcff5> | en | 0.76345 | Skip to definition.
Noun: bung búng
- spile
2. [Brit] Payment made to a person in a position of trust to corrupt his judgment
- bribe, payoff, backhander [Brit], kickback
Verb: bung búng
"Remember to bung the waiter";
- tip, fee
2. Close with a cork or stopper
3. [Brit] (informal) put, throw
"bung it in the cupboard"
Derived forms: bungs, bunging, bunged
Type of: close, gift, give, payment, plug, present, shut, stopper, stopple
Part of: barrel, cask
Encyclopedia: Bung, Nepal | http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/BUNG | dclm-gs1-443455528 | false | false | {
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