id
stringlengths 50
55
| text
stringlengths 54
694k
|
|---|---|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97894
|
Agile Zone - Comments for "“The 4 Questions” of a Retrospective and Why They Work" Comments for "“The 4 Questions” of a Retrospective and Why They Work" en Great article, thanks for <!--paging_filter--><p>Great article, thanks for sharing your experiences with retrospectives.</p><p>I've been using the 4 retrospective questions, both with agile and non-agile teams. For me they have shown to be very effective. I like the question "What went well", it's a Solution Focused approach to find strengths which can be deployed to improve further. Also the question "what puzzles us" has given very useful insights for teams, by revealing things which had remained unspoken before I asked the question.</p><p>As an example, my blog post <a href="" target="_blank">Getting Business Value out of Agile Retrospectives</a> describes several techniques that I have used in retrospectives. It also mentions the Prime Directive from Norm Kerth: <em>“Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job they could, given what they knew at the time, their skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand”. </em>This directive is useful to set a culture where people are open to learn and improve, in stead of seeking blame. </p><p>I'm always interested to hear about experiences with retrospectives, there is still a lot that we can learn! </p> Mon, 21 Jan 2013 14:47:33 -0500 BenLinders comment 93103 at
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97910
|
20 February 2009
The Workhorse Group
Another note from today's New York Times:
• Enforcement of the mandate via a tax penalty;
• Community rating for private health plans;
• Expansion of Medicaid eligibility.
Still up for debate:
1. This is encouraging. When Obama talks about bipartisanship he isn't necessarily talking about working with those in Congress who have taken a vow of opposition. He is talking about engaging various ideologies. That's a much better tact that just saying hell with it, and returning to the 50.1% rule. He's a pretty good leader.
2. I hope something happens before my student health insurance runs out this summer. Even if I can buy some insurance somewhere! (try getting health insurance as a non-affiliated consumer)
Wow. I would argue that the reason Hilliarycare failed was that most of the policy was developed behind closed doors with special interests (like the current Kennedy approach). Further, the fact that you are happy that special insterests are directing health care policy rather than those delivering the care is, well, stunning in it's own right. Are we not excluding the ultimate "stakeholders" in the debate: the doctors, nurses, and their patients in this debate?
Oh, I forgot, they're just there to pay for the pork.
4. Mandated health care?? Mandated minimal coverages...mandated, mandated, mandated!!!
Dear God what happened to freedom in this country??
5. My that's a handsome horse. Percheron?
Anyway...it concerns me that a mandate that I must buy insurance does not imply that I will actually be able to receive care. I tend to agree with you guys in terms of getting "skin in the game" as a patient; further strengthening the role of the intermediary who may or may not pay for my care is not the way to do that, IMO. I don't think the insurance companies are the players that need help in our system right now.
6. Wes,
First of all, though I too am a member of the "Doctors are so awesome" club, I have to say that most doctors I have known, when it comes to health policy, couldn't find their asses with two hands and an ass-finding device. This applies in spades to more than a few MD bloggers, present company excepted. So I don't know that doctors as a group deserve a primary role in developing the policy. We should be represented, though, and you should have noted that the AMA is one of the groups at the table. I think you and I both share a lot of concerns about the AMA in terms of its effectiveness and how well it represents the interests of physicians, but to Washington, they *are* the physician lobby and at least they are there.
As for "why" the Clinton plan failed, well, there were a *lot* of reasons. One was the fact that they tried to ram it down the throats of the business and insurance lobbies. I do not think the lack of transparency in itself was a cause of its demise. The "secret Clinton meetings" were railed against by those who were opposed to the plan from the very beginning, and used as a pretext for further opposition. But it wasn't the secrecy that doomed it -- much more determinative was the strength of the opposition, and the clumsy way the administration handled the politics.
7. Kipper,
Yes - percheron. Much bigger and more impressive than the puny Clydesdale (joke).
You are right that health insurance reform is not itself a guarantee of access to health care. As Kevin MD has pointed out many times, once we all have insurance, there will not be enough primary care doctors out there to see us all. So getting funding for all is only one step in the process.
And this is hardly an insurance company giveaway. It actually has the potential to compete them out of existence, if the public plan is properly implemented.
Freedom is an illusion. You are mandated to buy car insurance, you are mandated to pay taxes, you are mandated to stay the hell off my lawn. Best get over it.
8. Isn't that essentially the plan John Edwards was proposing in the primary, if you add in the public plan?
Sounds like a good start to me.
9. shadowfax,
Perhaps freedom is an illusion, but if it is, then our value as human beings has just been taken from us and we are nothing more than a bunch of drones for whomever happens to be in power at the moment. OR perhaps freedom is not an absolute, and thus we have laws limiting that freedom, which is nonetheless real. I prefer the latter idea, and as a result of that, resent more and more encroachment on that freedom. What made this country the greatest in the history of the world was freedom, not an unfettered free-for-all, but a freedom to do our best, to take risks, to live our lives as we wanted to do, as long as it didn't impinge on another. The thought of a bureaucratic clerk somewhere, I don't care if he/she is in the government, the better business bureau, or wherever, telling me what is good for me and what I must do for "the common good" sticks in my craw. It is the very antithesis of what this country, its people and its heroes, have always stood for.
Sorry, putting soap box away now, but I am so sad at what is happening to the country and its people, and when I look at all of these freaking mandates, my blood starts to boil (is that hemohyperthermia, perhaps??). I can't help but rage as I watch us turn into a herd of brain dead sheep being led to slaughter.
10. Having a practitioner to see is certainly an important part of access. Cost is another. More and more lately it seems that seeing cash-only practitioners is less expensive to me than the balance billed after my insurance has had their say, plus I know the cost up-front rather than being surprised to learn that I owe a few hundred dollars 60 days on. I suppose that by making sure the practitioner receives some token payment if I turn out to be a deadbeat the insurance is providing some sort of benefit in this relationship...but not being a deadbeat, I feel like I get taken coming and going (and it's *not* the payment to the practitioner I begrudge, aside from the lack of transparency).
I play contact sports, so I really can't go without health insurance. I really, really wish it was easier to kick it to the curb and actually talk payment directly with my care givers in the vast majority of non-traumatic situations where insurance seems to be doing more harm than good, though.
What's worst about this is that I understand I'm speaking from a pretty privileged position (good income, good savings, good health, no dependents)...I can't imagine the health care cost trade-offs I'd be making if this was not the case, assuming I was insured to the same level as at present.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97927
|
February 3, 2005
Getting to love satellite radio.
Driving around in my new sports car, I'm getting to love satellite radio. (I chose XM over Sirius.) I've always preferred radio in my car. When I first got a nice CD player in my car, in 1999, I thought I'd listen to it all the time. But the truth is, I'd listen to talk radio, whatever was on -- advice about pets (though I have no pets), tips about health (though I abhor fussing over ailments and dietary particularities) ... whatever. I like the feeling of being tuned in and connected.
So I love the satellite radio in my new car, with all the 170 or so channels. It's fun finding my way around. I set it to scan among the news channels or maybe the rock channels. I use the preset buttons to get to my early favorites: the "Decades" channel where it's always the 60s, "Deep Tracks" where it's always classic rock (today, I was driving on Mineral Point, listening to Led Zeppelin, thinking how strange it was that so much intense emotion was expended over a line like "We're gonna go walkin' in the park every day"), "Fred" (alternative music of the 70s and 80s), "Bluesville," and "Soul Street."
I'm going to gradually collect my favorites and dedicate my preset buttons, but today, I enjoyed clicking through the channels, happening upon what amused me. I don't normally care about country music but I liked "Hank's Place," the traditional cowboy-style channel, and "Bluegrass Junction," the bluegrass channel. And I see there's "The Village," where Bob Dylan resides in amongst the country offerings. I'll have to check that out. And I haven't begun to explore all the talk channels. Today, I happened upon a channel that played soundtracks from movies: they were playing dialogue from "The Great Escape."
How fun to see what's on the radio!
No comments:
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97951
|
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Six Songs
Not as dramatic as Margo Stilley and Kieran O'Brien, admittedly, but some thoughts about some recent videos I've been seeing
Weezer's "Beverly Hills": The video is shot at the Playboy Mansion. Which is actually in Holmby Hills. In other words, in plebian Los Angeles. Oops.
Gwen Stefani's "Cool": The best song of 1982 meets the best picture of 1957. One expects Tab Hunter or Troy Donahue to ride up on a scooter to sweep Gwen away.
The Black Eyed Peas's "Don't Phunk With My Heart": Wonderful re-creation of a 1970's gameshow. But where's Charles Nelson Reilly? Hee haw!
Kanye West's"Gold Digger": Wonderful Varga-style pinups come with Jaime Foxx doing backup. Hopefully the video world will not make a trend of featuring Best Actor Oscar winners. I don't want to see Ernest Borgnine and F. Murray Abraham bopping with Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. Well, I would like to see Abraham in a cover of Falco's "Rock Me Amadeus".
Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words": How could anyone resist a song which rhyms "Keats" with "hip hop beat"?
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Hail to the Supremes!
Henry Regnery used to be the thinking conservative's publisher, issuing serious books about conservative philosopy, e.g. Russell Kirk. But in recent years the company decamped from the Windy City to the Sodom-on-the-Potomac and has issued a series of best-selling books that make even dyed-in-the-wool troglodyte conservatives blanch, books such as Barbara Olson's posthumous best-seller The Final Days or Gary Aldrich's Unlimited Access. The latest of these screeds intended to preach to the choir rather than convince an audience is Men in Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America by Mark R. Levin, who has a radio show on WABC-AM in New York City and is president of the Landmark Legal Foundation in Northern Virginia.
There are a number of little mistakes that grated. He misspells the name of Justice Brandeis, for example. And in the Pledge of Allegiance case, Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow, he writes of the Supremes that "the Court bent its own rules and gave Newdow permission to argue the case himself." Well, Newdow did go to law school but even if he didn't that's irrelevant. The United States Code, specfically section 1654 of title 28 (the text is here) gives everyone the right to argue his own case in all Federal courts. That Levin is a lawyer and be oblivious to this is suprising. It has only been law since 1911. He also wrongly states Ex parte Merryman was a Supreme Court case. I also saw a case citation that was clearly wrong.
The chief problem is how deeply schizophrenic this book is. Levin denounces Marbury v. Madison, the 1803 case in which the Court declared the right to declare laws unconstitutional. Similar scorn is directed at Roe v. Wade, the abortion case, and Wickard v. Filburn, in which the Court upheld the interstate commerce clause as giving Congress unlimited power to regulate anything and everything. But yet he's delighted when the "activist" Court does things he agrees with, e.g. the 1935 decisions declaring unconstitutional various parts of the New Deal. He approves of the rulings in the "sick chicken" case, Schechter Poultry v. United States; Carter v. Carter Coal; and the Railroad Retirement case. "In these rulings," Levin writes, "the Supreme Court was merely upholding the Constitution and preserving the Constitutional balance between the federal government and the states." Isn't it unprincipled to object to judicial activism but support it when the Court supports your own side.
But essentially, Levin is a defender of the Bush regime, not principle. How else to account for his chapter eight, "Al Qaeda Gets a Lawyer", where he objects to the Supreme Court's rulings in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld and Rasul v. Bush, two cases concerning the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, comparing Bush favorably to Abraham Lincoln's mass arrests and suppression of opposition newspapers. "Indeed, he hasn't taken any actions to silence his critics." There are a lot of people who would disagree with Levin's characterization, to start with the North Carolina college student who the Secret Service called upon for having an anti-Bush poster. (See the story here.) What the Bush administration tried to do was declare that Guantanamo was outside the reach of law, a twilight zone where the government could do anything it liked. Wasn't the whole point of fighting the Revolution to end such tyranny? When President Truman tried to take over the steel industry under his power as "commander-in-chief", the Supreme Court said in Youngstown Sheet and Tube v. Sawyer that he was commander only of the military, not the whole country. Assuming Youngstown is still good law in the eyes of the present government, then the Bush administration position is the government could take away the life and liberty of anyone it liked, but not their property.
Levin also tried to make a distinction between "persons" and "citizens", trying to say that foreigners don't have rights under the Constitution. Just look at the plain text of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights, notably the Fifth Amendment with its guarantees for the accused, talks of "persons" and not "citizens". The Fourteenth Amendment, which he also cites, speaks of both "citizens" and "persons" in such a way that it is clear "persons" have rights too. One rule of interpreting laws is that the authors knew how to draft statutory language and it is clear that his claims about foreigners are bunk.
Certainly there is material that both conservatives and liberals can agree with, notably his chapter ten, "Silencing Political Speech", about the First Amendment Repeal Act of 2002, which the Supremes upheld in McConnell v. Federal Elections Commission. But you know that Levin would have loudly cheered had the Court not deferred to Congress and struck down the campaign finance law. Levin's book is about getting what his side wants from the courts (as evidenced my the long section, including copies of Democratic strategy documents, on appointing right-minded judges to the Federal bench.
It is most decidedly not, as its title implies, a call for judicial restraint. But it is doubtful any but the converted will be reading this volume in the first place. No harm, no foul.
When Will They Ever Learn?
"This too shall pass" applies to so many things. Infatuation. Grief. Incarceration. But one exception is that the old folks never tire of talking about how awful the young generation is. How they're dumb, lazy, sex-crazed, and what not. Rich Karlgaard, editor of Forbes Magazine, had a piece in the April 11 issue, titled "Real-World Advice for the Young", which is more of the same nonsense:
Apart from the blue-collar kids who are fighting in Iraq, most American kids today are soft. That's a harsh statement, isn't it? But cultural anecdotes back it up. Kids weigh too much. Fitness is dropping. Three American high schoolers ran the mile in under four minutes in the 1960s. It's been done by one person since. Parents sue coaches when Johnny is cut from the team. Students sue for time extensions on tests. New college dorms resemble luxury hotels. College grads, unable to face the world, move back in with their parents and stay for years. Does this sound like a work force you'd send into combat against the Chinese? I don't know the answer here. But the trend is bad, and we can do better. For our kids we must do better.
The Times of London reports that Japanese youth are terribly rude here.
Talk to someone older than yourself and you'll find his parents and grandparents said the same thing about his generation, that they just weren't worth a damn. And undoubtedly his parents and grandparents heard the same thing from their forebears. You doubt me? Jeff Greenfield on NewsNight on May 12 had this to say:
How far back does our discontent with the young go? Well, here's how Socrates described the young Athenians of his day. Quote, "The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority. They show disrespect for elders. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs and tyrannize their teachers."
I'd bet Socrates heard the same thing from his parents. It just shows you that, even after two and a half millennia, human nature never changes. To continue quoting Greenfield:
In the 1920s, parents wondered what was going on when young people's courting moved from the front parlor to the backseat of an automobile.
In the 1950s, now seen as the golden age of innocence, violent comic books, drag racing and sexually provocative rock n' roll were the culprits.
In the '60s, sex, drugs and rock n' roll became the axis of evil, and enough of the baby boomers were out in the streets to make the generation gap page one news.
Today, the same fears are fed by different sources. What are they getting from MTV, from rap, from video games, from the Internet? Well, a good deal of it is the basic impulse of young people to begin staking out emotional territory of their own.
Here are a couple of things you might want to ask yourself. First, how would your parents have reacted if they learned all about your teenage conversations, fantasies, desires, inner feelings about your life or your family back then? Today, while the language, the music, the dress may all seem to be coming from another planet, is it really all that different?
The times, they are a changin', but the kids are alright.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Cover Girls
You can judge a book by its cover. One with a black and white photo of its author, especially one with has the ruffled edges of a 1950's snapshot, is going to be a heartwarming yet bittersweet tale of how great the author's youth was in Lower Armhole, South Dakota, or some such place. A cover that is a bold or metallic color and has the author's name in Second Coming type is an author who has written a baker's dozen previous novels practically indistinguishable from this one, all of which had sales in the six figures and not one of which was reviewed in The New York Review of Books.
And the Gossip Girl novels--there are now seven of them, all by Cecily von Ziegesar--are exactly what you'd expect from their cover art: catty novels about the sort of people who will be the first to go before the firing squad when the dictatorship of the proletariat comes to power, people who deserve a Digby Baltzell or Thorstein Veblen to chronicle their extravagance. Von Ziegesar chronicles the type who never leave their Upper East Side pads, with monthly rents of six figures, unless clad tip to toe in the sort of garments pictured in the hundred pages of advertisements before Graydon Carter's editor's letter.
These characters are young, they're in love, but so far they have not followed Bonnie and Clyde's lead by killing anyone--but it's only a matter of time. Prep school types, like those seen in the film Cruel Intentions, they have those oh so tough decisions to make. Princeton or Yale? Aspen or Sun Valley? Prada or Gucci? Sephora or Bloomingdale's? Jimmy Choos or Manolos? You know, the questions that are the bane of human existance, the sort of issues the existentialists are eaten up by.
Our heroine is Blair Waldorf, the first fictional Blair I've encounted since the days of the similarly situated character played by Lisa Whelchel. Her on-again-off-again boyfriend is the stoner Nate Archibald, who she's been trying to bed but because of various complications her best laid plans . . . well, only the plans are getting laid. Nate, however, has hooked up with Serena van der Woodsen, Blair's ex-best friend whose name puts me in mind of the late Mauritian Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam. Serena, a glamazon who naturally struts into a big modeling career and winds up on the runways in Bryant Park during Fashion Week, even gets a perfume named for her: Serena's Tears. (As Dave Barry likes to put it, sounds like a good name for a rock band.)
Blair and Serena go to school with Jenny Humphrey, a ninth grader with an endowment bigger than Harvard's, who is horribly insecure about her figure, a fact we are reminded of every time she appears, the type of girl who writes those anxious letters to Seventeen about "My Most Embarrassing Moment". Her brother Dan is a poet whose work is the kind Robert Frost had in mind when he said "writing blank verse is like playing tennis with the net down." But the tiny mummies of The New Yorker publish one of his poems, one with the soigne title "Sluts". How did this happen? Well, in this alternative universe his girlfriend Vanessa (I love that name) picks a name off the masthead and sends it in and it is plucked from the slush pile. Or maybe slush piles don't exist in this Manhattan. After all, there The New Yorker has a masthead. (Or is that an "oops!" by the author.)
Vanessa is the most interesting character here and not merely for the Swiftian name. With her shaved head and filmmaking dreams, she's different and realizes the vacuity of the other characters. (Unlike fellow fictional teenage filmmaker Dawson Leery, she's interested in artsy films that'll only play at the Angelika and be reviewed by Stanley Kauffman rather than Speilbergian popular entertainments.
I could go on with the characters, but they're all pretty much the same facing the same poor little rich kid problems. That Mad TV sendup of The WB's lineup, "Pretty White Kids With Problems," sums it up. Is any of this believable? Not for a moment. But I read five of these novels in a weekend. So what if they're chewing gum for the mind--I'm waiting for the next one coming this October. "You know you love me," writes Gossip Girl and she's right, even if some of us are more inclined to break into a Yip Harburg lyric, you know
Down with love,
Let's liquidate all its friends,
The moons, the Junes,
The roses and rainbows' ends,
Songs that talk about night and day,
Down with love
Yes take it away,
Note to self: remember to abide by own rules about book covers in making selections.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Is That All There Is?
Random House told readers to "Open the door to first fiction" in its three page ad in the Library Journal for March 15th. It's no wonder most of us can't get an agent let alone a book deal because all these books seem the same. They profiled thirty books and fully half of them are chick lit:
*Whores on the Hill by Colleen Curran. "A sensual evocation of sexual awakening played out against a backdrop of adolscent angst . . . as three adolescent girls run wild through the last all girl parochial school in Milwaukee." So except for Milwaukee, it's a new Gossip Girl novel?
*Emily Ever After by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt in which a girl gets a job at a New York publisher. Hasn't this already been written half a dozen times?
*Exclusive by Barbara Fischkin. About two sparring reporters. Anyone heard of Hildy Johnson?
*Soapsuds by Finola Highes and Digby Diehl. A book about an actress on a soap opera by an actress on a soap opera. Better I suppose than the character herself supposedly being an author as AMC's Erica Kane supposedly was. And I doubt it could be as good as The Confessions of Phoebe Tyler. Say, wasn't there a movie like this with Teri Hatcher and Sally Field?
*The Perfect Manhattan by Leann Shear and Tracey Toomey. Cassie, a name I love, is the lead in "a novel about the bartending life and uppercrust society in New York City." Hopefully, it comes with a coupon for booze to distract oneself from the novel.
*The J.A.P. Chronicles by Isabel Rose. "Sex and the City meets Jane Austen." A description which speaks for itself.
*Pounding the Pavement by Jennifer van der Kwast. "Twenty-something living in New York City". Noticing a pattern?
*They're Not Your Friends by Irene Zutell. Three reporters (again?) in, guess where? That title is the quintessential chick-lit caption.
*FAB by Kieran Batts Morrow and three others. "A chick lit-side splitter" about four girls in Gotham and Lalaland. Nothing wrong with southern California that a rise in the Pacific couldn't fix, right?
*Man Camp by Adrienne Brodeur. Two women from the Big Apple don't like the guys they date so they send them to re-education camp. Can you imagine the fury from the NOW-crowd if a man wrote a book about doing this to women?
*The Butcher of Beverly Hills by Jennifer Colt. Two crime-fighting redheads "out to rid L.A. of various criminals." Including the people who decided to put this sort of thing between two covers?
*Alternate Beauty by Andrea Rains Waggener. In an alternative universe, the Reubenesque is in. So Roseanne would be more attractive than Paris Hilton? Talk about a Hobson's choice.
*Making It Up As I Go Along by Maria Lennon. "Wanting to save the world in Africa, Saffron Roch finds herself pregnant and in love with a cheating doctor." Quick, do Finola Hughes's writers at GH or AMC or whichever program she's on now know about this plot?
*Fashion Victim by Sam Baker. Yet another reporter, this writer doing the Jessica Fletcher bit by tracking down the killer of a fashion designer and a gang of trademark infringers. Oh. My. God.
*Passing Roscoe by Debra Borden (not listed in Amazon so I can't link to it). Kitchen-sink drama about the travails of a mother dealing with her kids and her mother. Random comes up with exactly one book about a real person with a real life and even that doesn't sound appealling.
Gentle Reader, this post is far too long already, so I'll save the remaining first fiction for another time. I'm also working on another review for you: the Gossip Girl series. So stay tuned.
Friday, May 13, 2005
We Don't Need No Stinking Congress!
Mark Twain, to whom all good quotes of uncertain provenance are attributed, is supposed to have said that "no man's life, liberty, or property is secure while the legislature is in session." On March 3, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 814 (see information on it here), which would direct the states to swiftly hold special elections in the event one-hundred or more members are dead or missing.
This bill, similar to one passed in the 108th Congress, is a product of fears following the September 11th attacks, Congress worried it would be put out of business as was hypothesized some years ago in one of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan novels. Norman Ornstein, the public-policy guru who is a fixture on the television news, organized at the American Enterprise Institute the Continuity of Government Commission, which put out an informative report on the subject. Certainly, I feel that special elections take too long--look at the long delay in South Dakota last year following Bill Janklow's conviction. Yes, something needs to be done, but I'm of mixed feelings about Congress taking action like this rather than the states.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Oh, Really?
Sarah Glazer's piece "How to Be Your Own Publisher" in The New York Times Sunday Book Review on April 24th claims that The Times will not review books issued by vanity publishers. Well, how does she explain the review in the Book Review for Decembert 20, 1998, of Andrew Heiskell's book Outsider, Insider, issued by something called the Marian-Darien Press? Perhaps Glazer's claim is only applicable to those not married to members of the Sulzberger clan? Marian of Darien is the former Marian Sulzberger, sister of former publisher Punch and aunt of current publisher Pinch Sulzberger.
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Less Than Nine-tenths of the Law
After seeing Neil LaBute's excellent cinematic adaptation of A.S. Byatt's Booker-prize winning novel Possession, I was eager to read the underlying book as its themes were similar to the stories that captivated me in Richard Altick's The Scholar Adventurers (how's that for a title!) and Nicholas Basbanes's volumes on bibliomania. Having slogged through Byatt's five-hundred page tome, I regret my eagerness.
The plot's summation (unlike its execution) is simply put. Roland Michell, a literary scholar employed by the British Library, finds a letter by a great Victorian poet, Randolph Henry Ash, to a mystery woman and he decides to chase down the elusive romance. Alas, Byatt is so caught up in concocting Nineteenth Century letters, diaries, and poems--which undoubtedly was great fun--that the novel sinks under the weight of all this spurious material. It is not unlike how Boswell's Life of Johnson is simply unreadable because the author insists on giving us endless verbatim letters to, from, and about people we don't know or don't care to, often in untranslated Greek and Latin.
One diary, that of Mrs. Ash, seemed all too precious and deliberate, not resembling diaries I've read, such as Quincy Adams's or Pepys's. It reads very much like she had an eye to the press, not unlike Evelyn who rewrote his "diaries" for publication. Real diaries reflect the extemporaneous nature of their composition.
This artificial tone infects the characters' dialogue as well. While they all sprang, Athena-like, from Byatt's head, she herself lacks any affection for her brainchildren. Michell is penurious, messy, and cold, saddled with a Xanthippic girlfriend who is always in a sulk. Maud Bailey is an undersexed feminist academician. Mortimer Cropper, apparently modeled on the University of Texas's Harry Ransom, is a crude American acquisitor always waving his checkbook about. Leonora Stern is a vulgar, oversexed American academician who tries to seduce Maud. Beatrice Nest, a self-loathing woman, is lost in her own erudition, having spent two decades editing Mrs. Ash's journal for publication and is nowhere near completing her task. James Blackadder, Michell's boss, is a typical cold, stoic Scotsman. And Ash's modern-day heir is a money-grubbing twit.
Byatt describes Cropper as engaging in a "reverse hagiography", determined to bring his subjects down to earth. Byatt as a biographer would have the same affliction. Undoubtedly, she would do it quite colorfully. Byatt is learned, having no qualms of showing her knowledge of literature, geology, mythology, art history, and countless other fields, so much so one wishes Dr. Nest could supply us with explanatory footnotes. Lorraine Adams, reviewing A Whistling Woman, one of Byatt's more recent books, correctly tags the author as "a melodramatic pedant" whose allusions are in "a kind of endless mitosis."
Which is a shame, as from Michell's discovery in the London Library we are taken on a wild Gothic adventure. Hikes in Yorkshire, lectures on biography, seances, lost children, adultery, family secrets, family feuds, suicide, penurious heirs to a home they cannot afford to maintain, musty archives, and even grave robbing! All elements the creator of the detective story, a contemporary of Ash, would have loved. Think what a novel Edgar Allan Poe could have made of this.
As for the film, hardly anyone saw it, despite it starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, and Aaron Eckhart. It's quite good and terribly unlike the pieces LaBute usually does. Get the movie, not the book.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97954
|
how to have sex with sheep?
Related Answers
Explore the latest questions and answers related to "how to have sex with sheep?"
Answered: How to get your step brother to have sex with you and you are gay
Answered: Why not have sex with sheep?
I don't know, why not. Can't dance.
Answered: Could you tell me what sex feals like im about to try wiyh my boy friend
Look everyone it's different! but the first time it's painful and you have to think well what you are doing, your age and talk to your mom about it so you can have pills so you don't get pregnant. I would advice you to wait but just you know what you are going to do or not so better advice. Be sure ...
Answered: What kind of sheep lived in the territory of ancient Israel? Were the
This web site has references to sheep in the Old Testament. The answer to the second part of your question: most likely.
Liked this question? Tell your friends about it
More Questions
How to humiliate my man using sex
If I am whey intolerant can I use sheep's milk cheese
Whey is made from cow's milk. No wonder it gives you problems. Goat cheese, there are jokes about goat cheese, won't hurt you. Goat's milk is very much like human "mother's milk". It shouldn't bother you. Do not use soy in place of goat's milk. Read about soy on the internet and see what I ...
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97955
|
what is the value of my national lampoon magazines?
Related Answers
Explore the latest questions and answers related to "what is the value of my national lampoon magazines?"
Answered: What is the valueof my jet magazine purchased in 1968 dedicated to the
Most people check on ebay for the value of their possessions. Usually there is something similar and you can get an idea of what your own item is worth.
Answered: Value of a jet magazine 1968 (auto generated) janet league and neil
Jet is owned by Johnson Publishing Company. You can write to them and ask if the 1968 magazines you have are worth anything today. Here is their web site .
Answered: Does the Shiela Wood Magazine have a web site?
Did you goggle it first? it works real good for finding things like this.
Liked this question? Tell your friends about it
More Questions
Value of original time magazine, 1945, the big three
I definitely think it's worth something but I'm not sure what the number value is. You might try taking it to an appraiser to find out. Good luck.
I have numerous copies of Gourmet Magazine, mostly 60's and 70's. What
Cut out the pretty pictures and put them in a scrapbook.
I have national geographic magazines dated from ...
whoa... you can sell it to magazine collectors... that will surely worth something especially if your collection are mint ones...
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97960
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I have a new PC. I have never used auto sync because I have more data than space on my iPod and I swap songs, movies, photos, and apps back and forth. My new PC now has all my music and photos on it in the Windows folders as well as all the songs in my iTunes library now. I have backed up the iPod through iTunes. I have done the transfer purchases thing, but only 48 of my apps are on my PC and my iPod right now because my old computer died and, as I said, my iPod is small.
Some of my apps are for scrapbooking and are over 100 MB and have cost a fair bit of money with all the add-ons and in-app purchases I've made. My songs will be ok. My photos will be ok. But what about my apps? I am terrified I won't have access to all my apps after I upgrade. Or maybe I'll only have the 48. I cannot use sync because obviously I am a control freak; I mean, obviously the new PC is an issue and the amount of storage space on the iPod and need to swap is an issue and WAY too confusing and time-consuming to have to use the checkmark method. I have to do it manually.
I was hoping to put all the songs and apps in the Cloud once I upgraded and purchase the $25 non-iTunes songs storage thingy so I can swap on the go until I go and get a bigger iPod, lol. But: will my apps be gone after the upgrade? Can I not go to iTunes and just reinstall the apps on my iPod when I want them like I have been doing? Will I have to buy them all over again?
My head is very fuzzy, so if this is not making sense, please tell me. I know someone out there knows the answer to this and likes to help techno-duds like me.
share|improve this question
1 Answer 1
iCloud can be used to back up your device, but it's not a repository for Apps not in use. However, once you've purchased an app you can redownload it from the iTunes store, free of charge, as long as the app is still available.
You will lose the configuration files and any data files that wasn't saved out to an external source. (This would be the same for any app removed from the device.
To download a purchased app:
1. Open the App Store app on your device.
2. Tap the Updates tab in the lower right hand corner
3. Tap the Purchased pane at the top of the apps list.
4. Tap the Not On This iPod tab near the top of the screen.
5. Tap the download from the cloud icon for the app you want to install.
Screenshot of Updates and Purchased tab of App Store app for iPhone
share|improve this answer
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97961
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
How can I open a file with an application, other than the default, using a keyboard shortcut? I dont want to change the default application for the filetype.
eg. sometimes I want to open a .html file using editor instead of browser.
share|improve this question
The closest I get is if I know the name of the app, I press Cmd Shift /, then start typing the name, and use the down arrow to select Open With > App – Redandwhite Nov 27 '12 at 12:44
3 Answers 3
I'm afraid there's not shortcut. You can, though, create your owns.
To do so just:
2. Click the + button.
3. Choose Finder, from the drop-down list.
4. On the menu title field add the exact name of the menu bar item. It this case it should be Other... instead of Open with.
5. Pick your keyboard shortcut and click Add.
You'll be able to test the shortcut right away. Just mind the Open always with option!
share|improve this answer
I dont think this works. I just tried and looks like Finder confuses Open With and Always Open With (10.7.5): The keyboard shortcut pref and the error message – Nivas Nov 27 '12 at 12:37
Also, as a side effect of adding the shortcut, the Open With context menu item (ctrl+click) becomes Always Open With whenever the keyboard shortcut is mapped: Before and After – Nivas Nov 27 '12 at 12:43
@Nivas Indeed, that's why you have to write Other... instead of Open with.... This is how it should look like. It's in Spanish, but you see my point. – Thecafremo Nov 27 '12 at 12:57
@Nivas And here the preferences panel, in case I didn't make myself clear enough. – Thecafremo Nov 27 '12 at 13:02
Ah... I did not know that. Other... does work. (It does amaze the programmer in me though that there is an implicit assumption that the menu items should have unique names. What if another submenu has an Other? But that is beyond this question...) – Nivas Nov 27 '12 at 13:07
I have used FastScripts to assign a shortcut to this script. It can also be used to select the open recent menus in other applications.
set l to {"Open With", "Open Recent", "Open Recent File", "Recent Projects", "Open Recent Set"}
tell menu bar item 3 of menu bar 1
repeat with x in l
menu item x of menu 1
click menu item x of menu 1
exit repeat
end try
end repeat
end tell
end tell
end try
I also used scripts like in 10.6 and earlier:
tell application "Finder"
open (get selection) using path to application "TextMate"
end tell
end try
There is a bug that makes them unusable in 10.7 and 10.8 though. It could be avoided by focusing another application at the start, but it results in a visual glitch.
You could also use Automator services, but there is another bug where the shortcuts for services don't always work until the services menu has been shown from the menu bar.
share|improve this answer
Right click on the file > press h key > use arrow keys to navigate
share|improve this answer
This does not appear to work on OS X 10.9. Do you have any third party utilities installed that may be providing this functionality? – Graham Miln Mar 6 at 17:03
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97969
|
Directly to content
1. Publishing |
2. Search |
3. Browse |
4. Recent items rss |
5. Open Access |
6. Jur. Issues |
7. DeutschClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings
Differential Equations and Finite Groups
Matzat, Bernd Heinrich
PDF, English
Download (193Kb) | Terms of use
This note is devoted to linear differential equations with finite Galois groups. It is a famous conjecture due to A. Grothendieck that the finiteness of the differential Galois group should be equivalent to the triviality of the p-curvature for almost all p. The p-curvature is just the first integrability obstruction for the reduced differential equation in characteristic p. In the case all such integrability obstructions vanish in characteristic p we obtain a so-called iterative differential equation or iterative differential module, respectively. For these a nice Picard-Vessiot theory has been developed by M. van der Put and the author. In particular, the differential Galois groups are linear algebraic groups and there is a Galois correspondence. Thus a natural question arises, wether there exists a reasonable reduction theory preserving Galois groups etc. The corresponding objects in characteristic zero are iterative differential modules over iterative differential rings. The latter are suitable Dedekind subrings of algebraic function fields over number fields, here called global differential rings. These and the corresponding global differential modules are studied in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 presents the construction of global Picard-Vessiot rings (PV-rings) over global differential rings and proves that such PV-rings are generated by globally bounded power series as introduced by G. Christol. In Chapter 3 the reduction of global differential modules and their PV-rings is studied. The main result is that a global PV-ring in characteristic zero is algebraic if and only if for almost all primes p the reduced PV-ring is algebraic. Moreover, for almost all p the reduced PV-ring and the PV-ring of the modulo p reduced global differential module coincide. According to Grothendieck's p-curvature conjecture all global PV-rings are algebraic. Using the result above, this fact might be proven directly. This would already imply a nice algebraicity criterion for formal power series over number fields used by G. Eisenstein and could become a significant step towards the proof of Grothendieck's conjecture.
Item Type: Preprint
Series Name: IWR-Preprints
Date Deposited: 17. Jan 2005 13:55
Date: 2005
Faculties / Institutes: Service facilities > Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing
Subjects: 510 Mathematics
Controlled Keywords: differential algebra, Galois groups, Picard-Vessiot theory, iterative differential equations, p-curvature
About | FAQ | Contact | Imprint |
OA-LogoLogo der Open-Archives-Initiative
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97981
|
About your Search
Search Results 0 to 1 of about 2
hill in benghazi in the next hour. growing privacy concerns over a proposed device by verizon wireless antenna can listen in on customers conversations and use that information for private ads. trace gallagher is live with more. reporter: as you know, when you get a cable box, you get the box to control things like your dvr in your channel guide and your on demand movies. now, verizon wireless would like to control another mix. such is infrared cameras and sensors. the conversations that people are having, even the types of objects that are in the room. it is to target advertising based on what is happening at that moment. the sensors are so cute that if you are arguing, you would see an advertisement for counseling. order if you're snuggling, you will see an advertisement for contraception. it could target your current mood for something. you could see it pop up on the screen. it's kind of creepy. if you are holding a tablet or a cell phone, you will have an advertisement directed to your tablet or phone. and it says that verizon might have to notify you about this, or they might tell
politics changes overnight. and that the benghazi investigation is still looming. she is going to be testifying that that could somehow have a boomerang effect against her popularity. there is lots of things that could happen in the next four years but you sound pretty certain? >> there are plenty of things and secretary clinton on benghazi has accepted responsibility. i think she has been forthright. of course plenty of things can happen in four years but bottom line she has been popular for a long time. her popularity only increased during her very successful tenure as secretary of state and i have every reason to believe she will be as popular if not more popular two years from now. alisyn: all right. you heard it here first. doug schoen. >> absolutely. thank you. alisyn: kids may be downloading a whole lot more than they bargained for. why apps could be spying on your kids. who is behind that and what can be done to stop it? >>. >> then the items in one christmas catalog using very colorful language, making them more naughty than nice. causing an uproar. we're live with tha
Search Results 0 to 1 of about 2
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97985
|
The Bottom Line On The Cost Of Wine
Roberto Viernes
Wednesday - April 21, 2010
| Share
A Champagne that sings
Wines come at almost any price. Does anyone remember Two Buck Chuck? I remember being in a French grocery store and seeing a bottle of wine for one Euro. (No, I didn’t buy it. Although I should have to see what it tasted like.) They can also be as expensive as a car, worth $10,000 and more.
So what can make a wine so expensive? How do these wines get priced and why can they be worth so much? They are, after all, just fermented grape juice, right?
First, let’s look at production costs, beginning with the land. An acre of land can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $1.5 million per acre. That’s a big difference. Then you factor in the cost of farming it. Depending on where you are and the source of labor, the prices can vary significantly. The price of equipment, fertilizer/pesticide as well should be factored in. And don’t forget that your yield can be different with each vintage because of the vagaries of nature.
OK, now you have a winery or someplace you can make the wine. How much do you want to spend on that? What type of equipment you purchase all goes into the bottom line.
Storage is at a premium. Where are you going to age your wines? Will the cellar be big enough or not?
Lively and refreshing
Then you have to get all the bottles, corks, labels to make the wine stand out in a crowd.
Don’t forget the winemaker, assistant winemaker and the pickers during harvest. They need to eat and drink too. Some winemakers drink and eat better than others.
All of these factors can have varying degrees of severity, which leads to the diversity of prices for wine.
Now think about supply and demand. Economists have the classic graph with two lines in the basic form of an X. One line or curve is for demand and the other for supply. As the supply curve goes down, the demand curve goes up, and they meet at only one point. That point on the price scale is different for each wine. For a “no name” or perhaps “new” brand, that price point is usually fairly low. But with more established wineries that have history, higher scores, better winemaking, better terroir and/or better marketing, that price will go up.
(I forgot to add the price of marketing, too.)
Let not denial cover our eyes. The market is not the only factor in the way that wines are priced. Yes, there are many wines that are priced according to the price of their neighbors. “My vines are just next to his, so I can charge the same price,” is what they think. It does-n’t matter to them that they over-crop their vineyards and don’t take as good care of their wines. They feel entitled to it. The over-inflated ego can certainly drive the price up.
Call it what it is - greed. Yes, greed also can influence the price of a wine. The amount that one person will mark up the wine will be different from others. At every level of our three-tiered system there can be those swayed by the almighty dollar. You can see it on the Internet very easily. If you try to find a bottle of wine, you will see just how disparate some wines can be. I’ve seen the same wine offered for anywhere from between $199 all the way to $500 - for the same bottle! Don’t these people check out the Internet themselves?
In the end, the market will correct how wines are priced. If the price is too high for its quality, it will not sell. Conversely, the price of a wine will rise until it finds the point where no one will buy it. Wine will sell at any price only if there are consumers willing to spend the money on it, no matter how much that amount is.
Recommendations: NV Camille Saves Brut ($55) my new found “fave” Champagne is from the Grand Cru village of Bouzy; it sings with gorgeous fruit and ends with a complex and intense flavor. 2008 Pascal Jolivet Pouilly Fume ($25) this has an awesome nose of guava and grapefruit. It is so lively and refreshing with a decadent citrus tanginess that grips your palate.
Most Recent Comment(s):
Posting a comment on requires a free registration.
Auto Login
Forgot Password
Times Supermarket
90+ point rated wines under $20
Tiare Asia and Alex Bing
were spotted at the Sugar Ray's Bar Lounge
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/97991
|
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Happy Easter
I will be away until after Easter but wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Resurrection Sunday.
"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the Head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Col. 2:9-12 emphasis mine)
In Him alone do we have life now and forever!
God Bless,
Jnorm888 said...
Have a happy holy week and a happy Easter
Billy Birch said...
Hey guys,
Happy Resurrection to you both as well. I count you both as dear brothers in the Lord and am so utterly grateful to know you through the internet.
Thank you both for being patient and kind towards me as I was struggling three weeks ago over theology. I praise and thank the Lord to have you in my life.
God bless!
kangaroodort said...
Hey Billy,
I count you as a dear brother in the Lord as well and I would not even have this blog if not for your support and encouragement.
God Bless,
Dawn said...
Happy Resurrection Day to you, Ben and to everyone else reading here.
Stay safe!
Abigail said...
I hope you all have a happy Ressurection Day and may our eyes be fixed securly on the one who is The Ressurection and the Life. :) Praise Yeshua for all He is and all He has done.
Thankyou Ben for your reply. Nice and swift, just the way I like it. :P I am sorry but I just realised that if I click on 'contributors' I actually find your email address. :P I am a newbie blogger!
To all my brothers and sisters, be diligent in the race set before you and remember .... (Galatians 6:9)
God bless you all... always,
wrecks said...
Yeah Happy Resurrection day from an Arminian here in the Phils. ^_^
Im glad i found these blogs and the blogs on the blog roll.
BLOG! ^_^
Pizza Man said...
Happy Easter. He is risen!
J.C. Thibodaux said...
He is risen indeed! said...
Cheap Flights to Dubai
Cheap Flights to Melbourne
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98016
|
Join 3,433 readers in helping fund MetaFilter (Hide)
How does auto adjust work on an LCD monitor?
October 15, 2008 4:53 PM Subscribe
How does the auto-adjust feature on LCD monitors work?
Specifically, in what ways does it take the current image on the screen into account? Does the source matter? Are there test patterns that would produce better results than a random image of whatever happens to be on the screen?
posted by wastelands to Technology (11 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
What really needs to be adjusted, besides the brightness and contrast? I thought they used a phototranny to measure ambient light, and adjusted brightness/contrast according to a table to match the room lighting conditions.
posted by Class Goat at 5:17 PM on October 15, 2008
The ambient light sensor on my MacBook Pro is under the left hand speaker grille -- I can make the screen and keyboard change brightness by covering/uncovering it with my hand.
I don't use the auto-brightness because it always comes out too bright for me in a pitch-black room. I manually turn both screen and keyboard down to only one notch above "off." But I did a test for you...
My quick experiment shows that it seems to "take into account" the screen's image, but only in the sense that that image, if bright white, shines ambient light into the sensor the same as any other source might. It doesn't seem to get special treatment.
posted by rokusan at 5:27 PM on October 15, 2008
A clarification: One of the things I'm wondering about in particular is how it aligns the image to the screen. You know how when you change to a new resolution or install video drivers and the whole screen is off to the left, or whatever?
posted by wastelands at 5:33 PM on October 15, 2008
Well, unlike CRT's, LCD's have an exact amount of pixels in known positions. Educated guess: it intercepts the video cable signal and looks for lines of 0's (dark, unused pixels) and moves the image over accordingly.
posted by Mach5 at 6:08 PM on October 15, 2008
I'm not sure whether @Mach5 is right about finding black pixel signals, but he's on the right track.
A CRT is an analog device. It always has its little beam shooting the phosphors, at a known rate. Then, in a fantastically analog way, it uses whatever the current video signal is to light the current pixel phosphor at the current time. If your monitor is pretty good, and your video card is pretty good, you can usually get all of that synched up pretty close.
The sync portion of the signal tends to be VBLANK, which is the "vertical refresh period", or the time that it takes for the gun to return from the bottom right to the top left of the screen when it's finished a frame. We can deduce that a pixel arriving before VBLANK must be from a previous frame, and so the first pixel after a VLBANK must be the first pixel of the frame--we're synched. That doesn't mean, however, that the pixel the computer sends at time t is actually the pixel that should appear at the gun's coordinates at time t. We can get the timing, but not anything spatial (other than overall resolution), from the signal.
Of course, you can play with those knobs under the monitor and point the electron gun at a different place. You can tweak its scan pattern extensively. All of those knobs vary the relative strength of the deflection coils at various points in the cycle. If you slide the thing off the side, you can get the electron gun to shoot portions of the glass that haven't been treated with phosphor.
An LCD is a digital device. Unlike the rube-goldberg contraption of shooting electrons of various strengths* from a gun on an uncontrollable rail at a specially treated and masked piece of glass, we just tell each pixel how opaque it should be. There's nothing to slide around, because should does the monitor go about setting the opacity of a pixel that doesn't exist?
So, with an analog (VGA) connection, your LCD is going to do the same sort of signal synchronization as the CRT would. Except that the LCD knows where its pixels are already--there's no option for sliding the picture around.
Also, the whole process is made far easier by a digital connection (HDMI or DVI).
So, long story short: your LCD isn't really auto-adjusting. It's just doing the only thing it can with the given signal and its pixel array. You should really be asking why your CRT can't auto-adjust, where it might actually be useful.
*Oversimplification. All electrons are indistinguishable.
posted by Netzapper at 7:43 PM on October 15, 2008
how it aligns the image to the screen
They only do that with analog signals, because they only need to do that with analog signals. Basically, yeah, it's finding the edges of the VGA signal and aligning them with the screen. Pretty much any image will do for that.
posted by kindall at 7:46 PM on October 15, 2008
Netzapper, I'm sure you've used LCD monitors where the phase and pitch aren't correctly applied. This is of course the case when taking the analog VGA signal and applying it to the fixed-pixel screen. Digital connections don't have the adjust feature. They always get applied to only the visible area by their very nature, but if you are hooked up with a VGA cable, that's not a digital signal.
posted by odinsdream at 8:08 PM on October 15, 2008
Although if you're talking about the all-digital DVI to HDMI connection, it's not exactly a 1:1 map, for some reason. I'd love to learn more about that, since it's giving me a serious headache getting my computer to display a full image on an HDTV.
posted by odinsdream at 8:10 PM on October 15, 2008
If I had to guess, I would say the auto-adjust just advances or retards the time when it samples the analog rgb values to maximise the difference between two adjacent pixels.
I've just done a quick non scientific experiment on a dell 2407wfp over vga (native res 1920x1200), by trying the auto adjust with an all black image displayed then switching to a checkboard pattern (alternating black and white pixels) and seeing how good the adjustment was. Turns out an all black image doesn't auto adjust very well, but both my normal desktop and the checkboard pattern seem to produce the same good results.
odinsdream, the problem I have with using hdmi out from a PC to an LCD TV is that the LCD has a native resolution of 1360x768 whereas the PC will only output a stock 720p signal over hdmi (1280x720). So to fill the screen the TV scales the picture, which looks fine on a games console or a video signal but absolutely awful with the PC output. I don't know enough about HDMI, but if my understanding that the video signals are the same as DVI is right, the PC should be able to output any valid resolution - however TVs may only accept the stock resolutions.
posted by samj at 2:13 AM on October 16, 2008
The auto adjust adjusts the clock-pitch and phase of the signal to accurately map the incoming signal from the video cable to the separate, discrete pixels on your monitor.
A detailed explanation is here.
To see the process at work, visit this page, go full screen, and hit auto adjust.
posted by Pastabagel at 10:46 AM on October 16, 2008 [2 favorites]
Pastabagel, that link is awesome. I can actually see it happening. Thank you.
posted by wastelands at 6:47 PM on October 16, 2008
« Older ObamaFilter: How to organize p... | Are there any good notebook co... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98019
|
Bacterial roles in the formation of high-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter in estuarine and coastal waters: Evidence from lipids and the compound-specific isotopic ratios
Zou, Li, Xu-Chen Wang, Julie Callahan, Randolph A. Culp, Robert F. Chen, Mark A. Altabet, Ming-Yi Sun
Limnol. Oceanogr., 49(1), 2004, 297-302 | DOI: 10.4319/lo.2004.49.1.0297
ABSTRACT: High-molecular-weight dissolved organic matter (HMW-DOM, > 1,000 Daltons) is actively involved in the global biogeochemical cycling of many elements, but its carbon sources and detailed formation pathways are still not well understood. In this study, we measured bulk stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios, lipid composition, and compound-speciï¬c carbon isotopic ratios of HMW-DOM samples collected from four U.S. estuaries (Boston Harbor/Massachusetts Bay, Delaware/Chesapeake Bay, San Diego Bay, and San Francisco Bay). Analytical results show (1) a fraction of HMW-DOM (lipid associated) in estuarine and coastal waters is derived from bacteria and phytoplankton; (2) this fraction of HMWDOM is formed by various release processes of bacterial membrane components and bacterial reworking of phytoplanktonderived material; (3) this fraction of HMW-DOM is generally present in all samples from different coastal systems despite variable organic matter inputs and environmental conditions, suggesting an important bacterial role in HMW-DOM formation.
Article Links
Please Note
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98043
|
A Clash of Kings-Chapter 45
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Jump to: navigation, search
Catelyn VI
A Clash of Kings chapter
Page475 UK HC (Other versions)
Chapter chronology (All)
Catelyn V
Tyrion X ← Catelyn VI → Bran VI
Catelyn VII
Catelyn reflects on how she has always done her duty, remembering that she never comforted Littlefinger after Brandon had injured him, nor did she bid him farewell when her father sent him off. Later, Maester Vyman shows her a letter from Lord Elwood Meadows, the new castellan at Storm's End. The man does not make note of Edric Storm, and she wonders again why Stannis is so interested in the boy, thinking he might mean to use the boy’s appearance as proof of Joffrey’s ill heritage. Catelyn is considering the nature of bastards and their fathers, and recalls Roose Bolton’s recent missive where he calls his bastard, Ramsay Snow, a boy of tainted blood and that he counts himself "well rid of him". Bolton states that he hopes Robb will weigh his capture of Harrenhal against the crimes of his bastard son.
Catelyn is drawn away as fighting begins across the Red Fork, yet each time Lord Tywin’s troops attempt to cross, Edmure’s men repel them, raining arrows down upon them as they attempt to ford the river. Catelyn is unimpressed despite the victory her brother has won against one of the most famous battlefield commanders alive. She sends wine to Cleos Frey, and then attempts to gain information from him, but the man knows little of use. All she learns is that Ser Cleos saw only Sansa at court, and she looked drawn; Catelyn muses that either Cersei is keeping Arya hidden for fear of what she might say or do, or her younger daughter is dead. Catelyn does consider Tyrion a man who might be trusted at his word, despite what has transpired between the two of them. She then learns the results of the great victory, that Leo Lefford has drowned, Gregor Clegane was badly wounded, and the great knight Strongboar taken captive. Yet despite the fact that they were winning, she is still afraid.
References and Notes
Personal tools
Connect with Us
Notable Releases
In other languages
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98047
|
Westbrook boy
First name origins & meanings:
1. Old English: Westerly direction
2. English: Brook on the west side
First name variations: Weston, Westby, Westcott, Weston, Westleigh, West
Last name origins & meanings:
1. English: habitational name from any of various places named Westbrook, for example in Berkshire, Kent, and the Isle of Wight, from Old English west ‘west’ + brōc ‘brook’.
2. Altered spelling of Dutch Westbroek, a habitational name from a place so named near Utrecht.
Comments for Westbrook
7 Fun Driveway and Sidewalk Games for Kids
Kindergarten Readiness App Wins Gold
Best Sun Safety Practices for Babies
Find out what is happening in each day of your pregnancy!
My due date:
Pregnancy Day By Day
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98055
|
Information for "Template:Missouri"
Jump to: navigation, search
Basic information
Display titleTemplate:Missouri
Default sort keyMissouri
Page length (in bytes)4,402
Page ID5098
Page content languageEnglish (en)
Indexing by robotsAllowed
Number of redirects to this page1
Page protection
EditAllow all users
MoveAllow all users
Edit history
Page creatorKristinpedia (Talk | contribs)
Date of page creation16:52, 18 April 2008
Latest editorGpallay (Talk | contribs)
Date of latest edit16:52, 11 April 2014
Total number of edits22
Total number of distinct authors13
Recent number of edits (within past 91 days)1
Recent number of distinct authors1
Page properties
Transcluded templates (5)
Templates used on this page:
Pages transcluded on (3,456)
Templates used on this page:
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98097
|
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
I Have Nothing To Say About Runescape
There was a discussion over at Spinksville the other day in the course of which I rashly mentioned Runescape. Spinks suggested that if I had something to say about the game maybe I'd like to say it instead of pointing out that no-one else was saying anything.
I've never played Runescape. No, that's not strictly true. I did play it a handful of times, for a few hours in total. The first time was November 2011 which is spectacularly late to the party for a game that started in 2001. I really have no explanation for why it took me ten years to get around giving it a try. I'd known about it for years and back in the pre-WoW era there weren't so many English language MMORPGs going around that you could afford to ignore one. I bought and played all the other big names of that generation - UO, EQ, AO, AC, DAOC, the whole alphabet soup. I even jumped on lesser-knowns like Rubies of Eventide and Endless Ages and played the heck out of them for a while.
I've been racking my brains over why I wouldn't have given Runescape a run and I can't come up with a good answer. For some reason it literally never occurred to me. I had nothing against it, indeed I knew very little about it. Still don't, which is particularly surprising since Runescape isn't just any old MMO, it's a Guinness Record holder: the world's largest free MMORPG with over 200 million accounts created. And more than that, it's British.
I don't have any pictures of Runescape.
That's why I used it as an example in Spinks's discussion when I was commenting on how many MMOs there are that never get written about on any of the blogs I read. Spinks and I are both based in Britain and this game is British, far and away the biggest MMO ever made in this country and the biggest F2P MMORPG in the world and neither of us has played it to any degree nor considered writing about it.
Well, as Spinks points out, she's only one person. So am I, one who complains constantly that I don't have time to play all the MMOs I'm interested in let alone write about them all. It really makes no sense for any of us to start writing about ones we don't play. But someone must. All those players, there must be blogs. So I went to look for them.
Runescape blogs seem to operate entirely differently from the MMO blogs I'm used to reading. No-one seems to use Blogger or Wordpress. Most of the google results took me to Sal's Realm of Runescape which appears to host blogs through a forum. As far as I can tell, this precludes adding them to a blog reader although maybe someone reading this knows how that can be made to happen. The other excellent, extremely informative blog I found was on something called Wizzley, another blog-hosting service I've never heard of. It's no wonder I never ran across any of these. It's like a mirror world.
All these are from Wingnut's Steam Fair
So, what's hot in the Runescape blogosphere? Pay-to-win. It's a dirty word almost anywhere (alright, three dirty words) but the dust is really flying over there. Apparently veteran players are leaving in droves and all the active Runescape blogs I tracked down seemed to be talking mostly about the death of the game as they'd known and loved it.
In the extensive, heated discussions on cash shops and microtransactions that I've read and taken part in over the years Runescape has rarely if ever come up. I couldn't have told you if it had a cash shop or not. Apparently it didn't but now it does and this is a very big deal indeed to the Runescape community.
Until this year Jagex, creators and publishers of Runescape, funded the game through a combination of premium accounts (subs) and advertising. In February this year they introduced something appealingly called the Squeal of Fortune, a form of roulette where players can win items including some that give xp. A mere two months after that a microtransaction currency was added, allowing players to buy turns on the Squeal for real money. This month they added a full Cash Shop.
EQ2, Freeport server, Medium Homes. Go visit it. It's free!
That's a decision at least on a par with SOE selling Europe to PSS1 in terms of controversy and ethics. Oh come on now, Bhagpuss? Ethics? Bit strong, what? Well, I didn't bring the word into the discussion. Jagex's Chief Executive Mark Gerhard did in an interview he gave to The Guardian. After soundly rubbishing the entire concept of funding an MMO via microtransactions he finished by saying "Ethically you can say it devalues the product".
That leaves disgruntled Runescape players in the place disgruntled SOE players know so well. Get used to it or get out. One response of Everquest players to a never-ending sequence of changes they didn't like was Project 1999. Runescape has RS2006 for which almost 125,000 people have signed up.
All this happening in my own country, in my main hobby, right now and yet I didn't know about any of it. You don't find if you don't look. I still can't tell you why I never played Runescape but it doesn't look like this is a good time to start.
Gone Cogging: EQ2
Boy, is Tinkerfest popular this year. I'm used to Norrathian holidays drawing a crowd. EQ2 players are a tolerably cheerful bunch as MMO players go (raiders excepted) and they do like a party. Throw in something to collect and you'd have to run 'em off with a cattle prod. Even so, this particular Tinkerfest seems exceptionally busy and there aren't even any new quests. I found one that I thought was new but it turns out I did it last year. Bummer.
So what's the big attraction? Well, it's mounts, isn't it? For the first time the gnomes have put their tinkered platforms up for sale and they do look good. Naimi Denmother has pictures of all of them along with details of everything Tinkerfest, old and new.
Kajigger is a technical term
I do like a nice hovercar but I have a lot of ground mounts and I probably wouldn't use another. The chance of a new one certainly wouldn't drag me back from fragging werewolves in Carpathian Mountains and put me to grovelling for cogs. And smart as the hovercars are, I doubt they'd bring out these crowds.
No, it'll be the Wings. Oh yes, wings. Wings were introduced into the Station Store with some controversy quite a while back. Not nearly as long ago as I'd "remembered", as it happens. Had you asked me (and why wouldn't you?) I'd have said we'd had flying wings for a couple of years. Then perhaps I'd have remembered that we couldn't fly at all until the Destiny of Velious expansion and that didn't arrive until February 2011.
How much???
According to TAGN, which is almost as good a Journal of Record for the Everquest games as Allakhazam and a lot more entertaining, the first wings that actually let you fly appeared just under a year later in January 2012. They cost $20 in the Station Cash Shop then and they still do.
No-one's looking, grab it!
I've always fancied a pair but I'm not crazy enough to spend real money for them. Not twenty dollars of it, anyway. 500 cogs, though, that's a very fair price. A lot fairer than the bottom-floor ask of 50 gold a cog the gougers are asking on the broker. No wonder it's busy. That's how I came to spend more than two hours this morning grubbing up Shiny Tinkerfest Cogs from all over Norrath.
The Blue Batonga
I did try yesterday but it was far too busy. Three ratongas to a cog is no fun. It was still busy this morning. I tried and abandoned Inventor's Outlook in Freeport, Gnomeland Security in Steamfont, the Drednever Crash Site in The Bonemire and Dropship Landing Zone in The Moors of Ykesha. All being picked over in a frenzy by elves, arisai, even ogres. In the end I settled for Indigo Hollow in Neriak on the grounds that most goody-goodies won't or can't go to Neriak. Another advantage is that the Neriak authorities keep their gnomes penned up in a very small corner so the cogs don't roll too far. Makes them very easy to pick up.The cogs, not the gnomes.
I'd listened to two radio plays and a comedy show before I had my 500 cogs. Painless, even enjoyable. I've always found gathering in MMOs relaxing. Then off to buy my wings. I chose the blue ones to go with my blue pirate outfit. Ok, a ratonga with wings is technically a bat but I fly like a bird!
I'm halfway to my second pair already.
Monday, 30 July 2012
Smile! You're In Transylvania! : TSW
11:20 AM British Summer Time. Monday morning. The west coast of America is sleeping, the east just beginning to stir. I log onto the Arcadia server. It's Full. It was full all day yesterday and felt it. As we approach the end of the first, free month, the population appears to be doing better than holding steady.
Oi! You'll have that tree alight!
I will be re-subbing for at least a month. Were Guild Wars 2 not looming I'd probably take a longer option. I may yet. I'm far from sure I'll be done with TSW in just another four weeks, particularly if the monthly content updates appear as promised. Mrs Bhagpuss, I think, will not re-sub. Despite it being her interest that got us into the game in the first place, she finds it too depressing a world to want to spend much time in.
Vampire Fast Food
Depressing wouldn't be my choice of words. I'd go for grim. Also disturbing. I'm not a fan of the horror genre, never have been, but as a long-term consumer of science fiction and fantasy, in books, movies, comics and video-games a certain exposure to its tropes has been unavoidable. Little that I've seen in The Secret World has been unfamiliar but quite a lot of it has been mildly uncomfortable. A handful of images (like the one on the right) I'd probably rather not have seen at all.
The real-world setting sharpens up the emotional response as does the relative realism of the graphics. I've yet to see anything in The Secret World in essence more viscerally vile than the disjointed, dismembered dwarves hanging on meat-hooks in the Troll city of Grobb, nor a game concept more repulsive than the casual use of body parts of player races in the craft of Baking, but the difference is that the 1990s graphics and fantasy setting of Everquest dilute the force of the horror, rendering it whimsical and fey whereas in The Secret World it comes at you raw and undiluted.
Gnomes on a roundabout! This is what we want!
Which is not to say that The Secret World doesn't have a whimsy all its own. The whole game soaks in it. Every other character seems to raise an arched eyebrow or adopt an ironic tone. The clutter in every house and street could be an art installation satirizing How We Live Now. Even the ambient soundscape quirks the corners of my mouth. But it's a dark humor. Laughing into the night. Whistling to keep your spirits up.
For me, far from being depressing traveling through this world has largely been a joy. The New England zones were fascinating. The towns and hamlets were charming and attractive, the sunlight through the trees and over the water beautiful, the coastline begging to be explored. It made me feel that Maine, on which I believe it's based, would be a very good place for a holiday. The endless dimming Fog and the constant zombie attacks were wearing, though, and those bloody moths really put a damper on the whole holiday vibe. I think it's my least favorite region.
A CRT? When will these fey-folk join the modern world?
About Egypt I have only good things to say. The sun shines all day and the stars come out at night. The gold of the sands and the blue of the sky lift the spirits. The ruins are fascinating, the locals and the visitors all have compelling stories to tell and the monsters have the grace to die quickly when you shoot them. I'm not done there and I'll be happy to go back.
And then we come to Transylvania. What must the Romanian Tourist Board be thinking? If we take it (and I think we must) that Funcom have done a lot of research and made a great effort to portray their locations as close analogs of their counterparts in our not-so-secret world, Transylvania does not look like much of a holiday destination.
Visit Traditional Village!
People do go there on vacation. I sometimes sell them the guide books. Somehow I don't imagine Harbaburesti figuring in anyone's itinerary. Even without the ghouls using uprooted roadsigns to dig up the dead and half the cars overturned and set on fire, it wouldn't look very appealing, what with the litter and trash in the untended gardens, everything looking used and worn out and the factories pouring pollution into the streams.
Further on the prospects improve a little. The Shadowy Forest looks, well, shadowy and forested. The Carpathian Teeth are snowy and open. I plan to explore those a little over the next couple of days, now that I'm strong enough to do more than just jog along the main roads. I have high hopes for Transylvania.
A grim world it may be, but it's an enthralling and compelling one, too. I want to see as much of it as I'm able.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Hey, Take A Little While - EQ2
Tinkerfest is here again
The skies above are clear again
So let’s sing a song of cheer again
Tinkerfest is here again !
Tinkerfest, finest of all Norrath's public holidays! How happy we are to see you! How much longer than one short year seems the wait for your annual appearance. How all too brief your stay with us when at last it arrives.
The crowds gathered in breathless anticipation as the hour approached. And passed.
Pardon me. I didn't realize it was formal dress.
Had the gnomish alarm clock failed to go off? Had Bristlebane finally defeated Brell in an arm wrestling contest and become the Gnome owner he'd always believed he was born to be? Would there be no tinkering til Bristlebane Day and nothing but clockwork whoopee cushions in the new blueprint?
Or had SOE chosen this most hallowed of holidays to trot out their party piece yet again? Ladies and gentleman, a big hand for the Mr Bean of MMOs, the one company incapable of organizing a drinking contest in a Dwarven alehouse, I give you Sony Online Entertainment. At least one of those words always spoken with an ironic intonation. Probably not the first one.
Time passed. News came there none. The crowds grew restive, then restiver (is that a word?). The discovery that one of the gnomes in Gnomeland Security was killable led to repeated and entirely unjustified reprisals. If in doubt, kill a gnome. It's the Norrathian way.
Sorry mate. Not my department.
The four celebratory aether races continued. The gnomes responsible for those had miraculously assembled them both instantaneously and on time. They had no comment to make about the ongoing absence of their tinkering compatriots. It was Hamlet without the Prince, Queen without Freddie. It was bloody annoying is what it was.
Adding insult to injury since 1999
Some eight and a half hours past the scheduled time, with no fanfare nor even a Broadcast "Better late than never", up popped the gnomes. Just at the exact time the Sunday shift would have arrived at work, sat down at their desks, checked their messages and... "Geez! Can no-one do anything right? FFS, ok, give me ten minutes to finish my coffee and I'll sort it".
I've lived in Norrath for a dozen years. I'm British. I grew up in the 1970s. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. Seriously.
In case you're interested, Tinkerfest is here until August 8th. Or until someone remembers to switch it off.
In other news, Qeynos got revamped. You may have missed it. Even if you were there. Since I waxed apprehensive then relieved about Freeport, I felt duty-bound to visit Qeynos, to take some screenshots of the changes. I went but I couldn't find any. Wilhelm did, sort of, so go look at his.
And a No Prize (remember those?) for the first person who correctly identifies where the post title comes from.
Saturday, 28 July 2012
A Better Pair of Pants: GW2, TSW
As I contemplate the upcoming launch of Guild Wars 2 I find myself giving quite a lot of thought to just why I'm looking forward to it so much. Taking the abstracts (entertainment, amusement, excitement, satisfaction) as givens, there's a single cord that binds me to any new MMO more securely than any other. Not all MMOs have it but I believe GW2 does.
It's not a convincing, believable virtual world, compelling, involving gameplay or an intriguing, well-written story, important and welcome though any and all of those may be. No, the one thing that draws me in and holds me more securely and certainly than any other is the feeling that I'm making my own way in a world indifferent to whether I live or die.
No-Pants Cat. Don't be this guy.
At its best it's like being a cross between Robinson Crusoe and Huckleberry Finn. Here I stand, a naif about to set out on a journey from ignorance to understanding, bouyed up by strength of will, filled with indefatigable self-belief and with my pants held up by string. In the end it all comes down to that: walking out of the city gate in a torn shirt and a pair of ragged trousers, a cracked stick in my hand and two coppers in my pocket. Forget the heroics, forget the plot. Just let me find a decent belt.
In the Guild Wars 2 beta how did I spend most of my time? Trying out builds and classes? Exhaustively testing and submitting reports? Making a useful contribution to my own journey of self discovery or to the good of the game? A bit of that, yes, but that wasn't most of what I did. Nothing like.
Yes, I took photos of my Discoveries in Beta. What are you, my therapist?
What then? What did I do while playing a character that I knew had no future, a mayfly born to die? Make a fleeting reputation for myself by filling hearts? Pursue my heroic destiny through the medium of personal story? Nope. I spent hour after hour hunting Skales for leather and Bandits for cloth to make my own armor, that's what. Chopping down trees to make my own bow. Roaming the Ash Plains like a one-Charr barbarian horde, filling anything and everything with arrows until it fell over and I could see if it had anything I could use. And I did it with no purpose other than the sheer pleasure of doing it.
Amazing what a creature with no pockets can carry.
Change the scene. Why am I nailed onto The Secret World, eager to start playing as soon as I come home from work, itching right now to stop typing this and log in? Is it the compulsive storytelling, the finely-drawn characters, the emotionally involving voice acting, the intellectually engaging gameplay? They all figure, but mainly it's so I can kill an inordinate amount of ghouls in the hope that one might drop a thing that's better than a thing I already have.
Drill down into this and it becomes clear that I'm not doing it to get better at anything in particular or to get stronger so I can do anything specific. Nothing, that is beyond getting better and stronger so I can go further, see more and thereby get better and stronger to go further and see more still. That's my motivation. Get better, get stronger, see more.
#1 priority for Headstart. Get this hat.
It's why The Secret World works, why Guild Wars 2 works, why Everquest, EQ2 and Vanguard work. Start off weak in a wide and wonderful world, discover how to become strong enough through your own efforts that you might go out and explore it all. And along the way, try to look less like a hobo and more like a hero.
Ah, there's that word. The one that, in the end, causes all the problems. I do want to look like a hero, or at least an anti-hero. Like Keith Richards, perhaps, or Phaid the Gambler, an ironic grin, a ready quip and a twist of crystal in my watch-pocket. I want to look like a hero, yes, but I don't much want to do anything heroic, certainly not slay dragons or delve dungeons.
Am I too early?
I put in all those hours, weeks, months pulling this look together. Now I just want to sit in the city square, sip absinthe and savor the envy. Which, of course, works fine if the city square in question is the Placa Reial in Barcelona but not so well if it's Execution Plaza in Freeport. And that's where alts come in.
Here's my recipe for happiness in each new MMO: start with nothing, work your tail off (metaphorically speaking, for all the ratongas and charrs out there) til you have everything, then gracefully retire stage right. Re-enter stage left in fresh rags and do it all over again.
A dozen years in and it's beginning to look as though that process is infinitely recursive. My pleasure fails to diminish. The luster does not dim. It's good to find new worlds in which to repeat it because a change of scenery is welcome now and again but if the flow of new worlds ever stopped (it won't) I believe I could step out over and over into Norrath or Telon or Tyria and bootstrap myself up as a fox or a rat or a gnome for the tenth, hundredth, thousandth time with an anticipation almost indistinguishable from the first.
Everything else, the story, the socializing, the adventure, all of them trail along behind, supporting cast to the never-ending search for a better pair of pants.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Getting Back To The Plot...: The Secret World
For a while I veered off the main storyline in The Secret World. It's allowed. Recommended. Funcom plug the idea repeatedly in the loading screen tips, which I've had ample time to commit to memory. I haven't seen load times this long since the glory days of Everquest, when I could sometimes read two pages of a novel between Butcherblock and Greater Faydark
Don't tempt me. No, seriously...
Don't try to do all the main story at once, they warn. As if you could. When last I was following the main plot I was supposed to find someone in Blue Mountain, which I heard as "hey, wanna come score some sulphate tonight? Someone told me there's a guy, I think he might be biker? Its over at that place where the police won't go after dark so it's like totally cool. No, I don't know exactly where. Just somewhere around there. No, I don't know what he looks like, no, nor his name neither but I bet we'll know him when we see him, right?". I mean, what could go wrong?
The colors, man!
So I left it for a while and then another while but eventually the Egyptian sun toughened me up enough that I thought I'd give it a go and it all went a lot better than I expected.
I only had to look up a couple of things, locations mostly. The fights were just right, stretching but with success rarely in doubt. The plot was twisty and hooky and the end was really very good indeed. Can't really say too much, spoilers and all that, but someone got what was coming to them and someone else I'd forgotten all about did the giving.
There was one very dodgy bit right at the end that I thought came down to poor design. I was sufficiently cagey to google before I committed myself and I found lots of other people who hadn't been so cautious bitterly regretting it. They have my sympathy. Having the game mess with the personality of your character through an unclear game mechanic isn't really on.
Handy, comic shop right next door
My non-spoiler warning? Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. No, really. Don't. Keep your hands in your pockets and walk away.
The storyline took me back to London, what with me being a Templar, where it turned very dark and nasty. I sort of enjoyed it and sort of didn't at the same time, like reading a crime novel and having to skip over the gruesome parts but not giving up on it because the characters and plot are so compelling. No, not like that. That.
It did give me the opportunity to explore London again and remind myself just what a superb rendition of the real city it is. Well, if Everything was True. I've been crediting Grant Morrison for inspiring much of The Secret World but I found evidence it may have been one of his contemporaries instead. Or more likely as well. I present my evidence in visual form. Oh, and as they say on the buses, Read Comics.
Never look in the kitchen in a place you're going to eat.
The Haitian market is a real work of art. I knew that but I hadn't come across the Rastafarian cook in the gumbo parlor before. He's a real highlight. Once I found him I couldn't stop watching him skanking around his kitchen pulling ganja out of his hat. He's how I found out the in-game video options don't work. Just a screenshot, then.
Another chat with the ever-amusing Sonnac and it was back to Egypt, on official business this time. Having already explored just about the whole zone saved a ton of time. Whenever someone mentioned something, instead of scratching my head for half an hour then giving up and googling I was able to go "oh I know exactly where/who/what you mean! I went there/talked to her/shot at them indiscriminately only the other day!"
Said at a disadvantage. Relish it.
My favorite character so far, Said the three-thousand year-old Jay McInerney wannabe turned up. Oops, sorry. That's sort of a spoiler. But you knew he had to be more than a mission terminal in a panama hat, right? Monty and his very close friend at the dig also have a hand in things it seems. Egypt is really rich on strong characters, but then where in the game isn't?
After pounding through seventeen stages of story mission almost without a hitch I finally ran into the wall on Tier 4 of Red Sun Black Sand. It's not even a difficult puzzle, just a tough mini-boss I can't beat. Can't be bothered to beat, truth be told. I know how but it's too much like hard work actually doing it so I'm going exploring again. Don't go away Mr Fire Golem, I'll be back for you when I'm all togged up in Q8 and then we'll see who leeches whom.
Monday, 23 July 2012
What To Do 'Til GW2
What to do with the thirty-three days until then?
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Hey! This Thing's Sticky! : City of Steam
Contrary to whatever plans I might have had, I spent most of the afternoon playing City of Steam. Just as I remember from the Sneak Peak, it's a disturbingly compulsive experience. Only the knowledge that nothing I'm doing will count for anything long-term gives me sufficient leverage to disengage. Well, that and a strong desire to get back to The Secret World.
If only I could swim...
Anyone still harboring a prejudice against browser games ought to take a look at this one. It uses the Unity engine, with which I've had problems in the past, but which here performs impeccably. From password to play takes but a moment and once there you might be in any client-based MMO. Sure beats the customary multi-gigabyte download, especially when it comes to short-term testing.
Think of the scrap value alone
Leveling proceeds at a satisfyingly stately pace. After several hours my Warden is a shade into level eight. One thing I'm glad to see changed from last time around is the experience you get from killing mobs. In Sneak Peak it was exceedingly tiny, making questing obligatory, a mechanism I abhor. This time progressing just by exploring and hunting feels comfortable. Quests add direction, purpose and flavor, as they should. And a nice little reward at the end, naturally.
Nowhere near as cute as they look
As a Warden in heavy, albeit rusted and worn, armor, most fights seem exceptionally unchallenging. Whether this is due to untuned alpha content, my current lowly level or an indication of intended gameplay is hard to say. Death comes infrequently, usually when the mob I'm chasing flees around a corner, where half a dozen of his chums are lying in wait. Mobs here really love to run and dodge and the otherwise-welcome combat autofollow can get you into trouble sometimes.
The fights themselves last seconds. Sometimes not as long as that. Coin and loot flies out of the falling bodies like clowns from a clown car. It's very much the action rpg that way, but the sparse and well-considered mob placement I liked back in Sneak Peak remains, allowing an unaction-like tactical pace. It's an odd combination but for me it works very well indeed.
The new Abilities tree is elegant and easy to follow, although I foresee that the usual complications and decision making dilemmas will surface before long, what with points to spend in Judgment, Leadership and Duty and options in all of them for both skills and buffs. Blast these developers and their expectations of our intellectual capacity!
Hmm. Dog walker wanted.
There's a plethora of places to explore and a variety of locales from sewers and crypts to open coastland and the inside of houses. There's plenty to do in the city too. Each district seems to have a Dungeoneer, a Hunter, a Historian, a Trophy Seeker and a Ranger and all of them have ideas about how you should be spending your time. The helpful Quest Board (needs a less generic name, I can't but think) brings this to your attention and autoruns you where you need to go in the same innovative and immersive fashion as the signposts.
City of Steam has quite a few wrinkles like this, new twists of the old rope. The Trophy Seeker in Meluan's Gate, who wants you to find eight Trow Trophies, for example, actually has an example of a Trow Trophy on the floor next to him so you at least know what you're looking for. I also appreciated the way the corpses of the creatures you kill lie around indefinitely so you can admire your handicraft and use them as landmarks. Also worth mentioning, this has to be the only MMO I've ever played that has both Elves and indoor plumbing.
British developers? Check.
There are quite a few bugs showing up, as you'd expect in an alpha, but all in all it's eminently playable. So much so that I think I might go and play it a little more right now. I just need an altigrator and a chem cell and I can fix my cousin's re-canter, and you know how important that's got to be.
Settling In: City Of Steam
The first City of Steam Alpha Weekend has started and boy, have the Mechanist Games team been busy. I expressed some puzzlement back in the Sneak Peak a few months ago about the alleged "pre-alpha" description of a game that I would have played as it stood, which probably says a lot more about my standards than theirs.
The difference between the current "Alpha" build and the game I saw back in March is like watching a movie on TV and seeing it at the cinema. Everything is bigger, brighter, fuller, deeper. What looked like an intriguing world to peer in at from the outside is now a fascinating world to inhabit and explore. I have my graphics slider set to "Beautiful", a choice of nomenclature that might sound a tad arrogant but which turns out to be fully justified. And there's a setting above that!
In the couple of hours I've given it so far I've mostly wandered around gawping at stuff, although first I had to struggle through the new tutorial, which is one of the few things I didn't find much of an improvement. I don't like tutorials to begin with, as I may have mentioned, but the one we saw in the Sneak Peak wasn't bad. It took things at a nice pace, didn't rush you and did a good job of introducing you to the basics.
The new one tries to add an entirely unnecessary sense of urgency and loses a good deal of the quirky charm of the old one in the process. It also commits the unpardonable sin for any tutorial in that it makes the controls seem harder to use than they actually are. Needs more work.
Our Founder
Spin Arounder
Don't let that put you off, though. Indeed, never let a tutorial put you off. They rarely resemble anything you'll find when you step out into the actual world. And what a world this one is. The Nexus teems with refugees, great airships cruise overhead, the air is thick with racial tension and the warnings of the ever-present guards. Maybe it's as well only human refugees are getting in this weekend. Little enough love seems lost between their four races even without the inevitable greenskin prejudice to stir things up still further.
I tidied up last year!
No-one arrives at Nexus alone. In true refugee style we all de-train with family in tow. I haven't quite worked out our relationships yet but whoever my companions are they seem to have taken the full NPC training course. They're stationed in front of my house making demands of me, complaining about ratlings under the floorboards and not very subtly suggesting I'm the one who should Do Something About It.
Yes, we have a house. I went in the wrong one at first, having forgotten the name of my race (Heartlander, since you ask). I was shocked by the state the Stoigmari leave their homes in, or at least I was until I found my own in exactly the same condition. Last tenants were probably Goblins, that must be it.
Some cleaning and shopping later and the place is looking half-decent. Apparently the odd items I mentioned last time , pleap, toap, hawte and the like, are house items. I have a pantry full of them now so that's one mystery cleared up.
Don't I know you from somewhere?
Speaking of Goblins, not to mention Hobbes and Draug, I met some celebrities. The three from the amusing trailer turn up in an early quest. I recognized them immediately and it had a curious effect, not dissimilar to seeing someone mildly famous in real life, something that happens where I work at least once or twice a week. (Coming fresh from The Secret World it's also strange to see a Draug and not want to shoot it in the head. Although...).
I did manage a little dungeon run. Ratlings spread disease, don't you know? Got to keep the numbers down. Fighting seems to be moving to a place somewhere between MMO hotbar style and ActionRPG "mow 'em down". I notice the FAQ now describes City of Steam as neither, preferring to style it an "online RPG".
Fair fight, ratling style.
Whatever it is, I like it a lot. This is a very busy weekend and I don't think I'll be able to do the human alpha justice. I hope to get a much better run at it when the elves arrive next weekend. Elves. Can't believe I'm looking forward to playing one.
Wider Two Column Modification courtesy of The Blogger Guide
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98100
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I'm looking to convert my fixie to a front wheel disc brake set up. I've narrowed down a fork that looks promising, and I'm on to the wheel.
I've got 700x23c tires I want to keep, so I want the wheel to fit. I understand the hub needs to be disc brake compatible. When I search for it (700x23c disc wheel OR 700x23c disc hub wheel).
What's the right term to search for that I'll get results for the product type that I'm looking for?
share|improve this question
MTB 29'er is a 700C. Also what terms do Cyclocross use - 29'er or 700C? Therefore 29'er might help, as MTB almost exclusively use disks - although wider rims. – mattnz Mar 18 '13 at 20:46
Also note that the x23 refers to tire size and not rim size (and that you can fit a range of tires onto a rim, to a point.) You need rims that are between 13-17mm wide internal measure (maybe 15-19mm wide external) to support a weenie little 23c tire. That is where you're going to get stuck, because hardly anybody rides disc wheels with skinny tires. You may have to liberate yourself from the 23mm tires or have a front wheel made to order, unfortunately. – WTHarper Mar 18 '13 at 20:53
Keep in mind that you'll probably need a new fork. (Trying to save the tires is probably false economy, BTW.) – Daniel R Hicks Mar 18 '13 at 20:57
Yeah, I mentioned about the fork already. It's easier if my front and rear wheels have the same tires than having to buy different widths. – Robin Ashe Mar 18 '13 at 21:32
@Mac The On One Pompetamine, it comes in black and white (I was specifically looking for white). The Kona P2 was another option, in black only, but it comes in a few variations for wheel size and also has canti versions. – Robin Ashe Mar 19 '13 at 1:16
1 Answer 1
A search for cyclocross disk wheels turned up plenty of options. Maybe this wheel would work for you.
share|improve this answer
That wheel does look like it could do the trick. I think I might have to ask a new question about the quality I can expect from various price ranges. – Robin Ashe Mar 18 '13 at 21:51
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98101
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Are separate hex (Allen) keys better than a multi-tool for adjusting and maintaining a bike at home?
Some of the separated sets also have ball-ends for the 4/5/6mm keys:
Apart from Torx T25 screws for the disc brakes*, my bike has hex screws mostly everywhere — so a small multi-tool would do the trick:
Park Tool
In other words, if you had to pick one or the other:
1. Does having each hex wrench separate offer any notable advantages? What about torque (e.g. for pedals)?
2. For day-to-day purposes on a modern bike (where most screws are easily accessible), will the ball-ends be useful?
* In my case, I only need the Torx T25 to adjust disc brake pads — little force required.
share|improve this question
FWIW, I think the ball ends are evil. They make the larger keys very slightly easier to use, but on the smaller (<= 3mm) ones you will just quickly round out the bolt. – Ken Hiatt Jun 3 '13 at 7:06
Actually, if I had to pick one or the other I'd probably go with the multi-tool, or, better, a similar tool with only Allen wrenches in it. The tool fits just about everywhere on a regular bike (bikes don't tend to have fasteners in confined areas), and the handle provides better leverage than the separate wrenches. (Plus you always know you have the right size, vs poking around for a handful of separate wrenches that "look about right".) – Daniel R Hicks Jun 3 '13 at 17:06
4 Answers 4
up vote 12 down vote accepted
Separate keys can be bought and replaced individually and very inexpensively -- not so with a multi-tool.
I wouldn't buy the ridiculously expensive set of keys you show in your post. Just buy the keys you actually need. Drop by any local hardware or automotive parts store and buy the hex keys you actually need. They are inexpensive and should last a lifetime as long as you don't buy the cheapest thing they have. Like all tools, it pays to buy quality. Although you can buy them online, I prefer to buy tools where mechanics buy them. Automotive supply shops such as NAPA in the US are usually your best bet. They cater to mechanics so they won't sell cheap crap.
Torque: There's no way you'll ever produce correct torque with a multi-tool unless you're an experienced mechanic who "knows by feel" from thousands of repair jobs. Individual wrenches are also longer and give you more torque than a multi-tool. If you need even more torque in order to remove things like pedals, you just use a bit of pipe to add leverage. I keep a narrow piece of steel pipe about 12 inches long in my toolbox just for this. You just slip it over the long end of the Allen key and it gives you all the torque you'll ever need. Some people prefer the wrenches with plastic handles attached such as those made by Park Tools, but that's purely a matter of personal preference. I prefer plain wrenches with no handles on them since the handle means it can only be used in one orientation, not two like a wrench without a handle.
Losing them: My set of Allen wrenches dates to the 70s. I don't understand how you lose tools from your own garage.
But on the road? Yeah, sure, I carry a multi-tool like everyone else; but your question was about home use.
share|improve this answer
How do the ball ends reduce the number of tools you have to carry? They allow you to turn the screw without being perfectly straight out from the head, which are really nice when you have obstructions in the way. – Ehryk Jun 3 '13 at 15:38
"Those are a set, not separate at all." I agree with everything in the answer but this. It's much more economical to buy a set of tools than to buy each one individually. And if you want them to be "seperate," you can then throw out the plastic piece that holds them together. :) – amcnabb Jun 3 '13 at 16:01
@Ehryk You and amcnabb are correct and I've edited my answer accordingly. – Carey Gregory Jun 3 '13 at 16:32
@Baumr Edited to clarify the pedals thing. – Carey Gregory Jun 3 '13 at 18:09
Thanks, I ended up purchasing the multi-tool because when buying the separate set, I'd also need to buy a single T25, which can be costly if you include postage. I think the multi-tool should give enough torque for pedal changing, but will confirm that. – Baumr Jun 9 '13 at 0:53
As regards flexibility, an example that springs to mind is fixing a bottle cage to your frame. Sure, you can do it with a multitool (your photo has got maybe an inch stem?) but it'd probably be easier (i.e. less awkward) with an individual key (with a three or four inch stem).
Also you mention torque - a good multitool can give quite a bit of torque, so I wouldn't get too stressed about that, but I would certainly suggest that a dedicated torque wrench is a good investment over and above what you're talking about here. For many bike parts I'd be just as worried about over-tightening than under-tightening (especially if your bike is carbon).
share|improve this answer
Ball ends can help when you can't got a straight shot at a bolt and have to try to mate the wrench at a gentle angle, it has more chance of stripping your bolt though.
I find that separate keys can give you better torque, but I find that more useful for removing stuck bolts (or overtightened seatpost clamps) than tightening.
I also recommend carrying a multi-tool that has a chain tool on it. When you need it, it's a godsend. If you're running a 9 or 10 speed bike, a spare quicklink is very good to have. Additionally, depending on the bike, I like to carry a separate small crescent wrench with a 15mm capacity for track nuts, cantilever cable hanger yolks, and rack or brake nuts.
share|improve this answer
You definitely need the multi-tool to take it with you on your rides. Most multi-tools also come with a flat- and cross-blade, which can come in handy.
I'd only look at the separated set as an addition to multi-tool. Though, I don't see much of a reason to get them. Unless maybe when you do a lot of bicycle work - but then you should know better and wouldn't be really asking this question.
share|improve this answer
Thanks for your answer. Both are actually small enough to take on a ride (at least for me), but I am most concerned about using them at home – Baumr Jun 2 '13 at 19:52
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98102
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Manufacturer specifies a seat clamp/collar size of 36.6mm. I was wondering if a 36.4mm clamp will work?
How much tolerance is there with a seat clamp?
share|improve this question
Anecdotally, a seatpost that's not a good fit is really creaky and annoying. Not sure how far mine was out, but it drove me nuts and had to be tightened up far to tight. – alex Aug 23 '13 at 9:54
If you're talking purely about the collar, there is probably at least 1mm of "play". The seat tube, OTOH, will not have as much, but likely will have 0.2mm. – Daniel R Hicks Aug 23 '13 at 11:27
1 Answer 1
up vote 2 down vote accepted
0.2mm on seatpost clamp will make no difference! The tolerence is small maybe 1-2mm. a 0.2mm difference is pretty much how far the clamp moves when you tighten the binder! maybe even more. Youll see how far it moves when you take the binder off the frame and tighten it a little. the clamp goes smaller basically clamping down. so in practice it clamps the seat tube down onto the seatpost tightening all in its place. long explanation, I know but thats the just of it.
share|improve this answer
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98109
|
View Full Version : Sharking....
04-02-2007, 03:48 PM
I'm normally a good sportsman but yesterday I could see that I was about to suffer an embarassing defeat,and decided that anything to avoid this was justified.I had a whole generation to defend....
The game was chess, and my opponent was my friend's 5 yr old son. He knows how to play.....I know the names of the pieces.
I'm thinking why didn't I read Walter Tevis's "The Queen's Gambit" instead of "The Color of Money"?
Should I employ the Sicilian defense...or the French defense, which calls for an early surrender?
I'd never live this down if I lost....
At first I tried to dazzle him with some terms like "The Ruy Lopez" and "The Guico Piano/Two Knights Defense" openings, but he was more interested in removing two of my pieces from the board.
Finally though, I wore him down, by yelling "checkmate" after every one of my moves.... he quit in disgust....(well, if you can't stand the heat....)
04-02-2007, 04:34 PM
Woolfy -- Do what i did. I play chess "Loozemz". To win u must looze, ie looze your King. Everything else iz the same, the only new rule iz that "if u can take a piece, u must". Of course if u can take a number of pieces, then which one u take iz up to u. madMac.
04-03-2007, 08:25 AM
<blockquote><font class="small">Quote wolfdancer:</font><hr> Should I employ the Sicilian defense...or the French defense, which calls for an early surrender?<hr /></blockquote>
During a battle in WW2, an Italian and a German tank backed into one another. The Italian driver jumped out and surrendered. The German shot him. Reported by a Frenchman cowering in the weeds.
04-03-2007, 09:48 AM
LOL !!!!
04-03-2007, 10:27 PM
The French Defense is very passive, I must admit. Its playing for a draw.
The Scicilian was also passive till Kaspaov came along and showed the possibilities for attack.
Great game chess, wish I could play.
04-04-2007, 01:57 AM
Q, the story is mostly true, except i didn't know any of the terms until I got home and Googled "chess"....
Now I might just join a chess site, learn to play......then go kick some 5 yr old's butt.......
Gayle in MD
04-04-2007, 08:10 AM
That's sounds like something I'd enjoy. My Dad and I used to play a lot of chess when I was growing up. Man, I sure miss my parents. I'm afraid I've forgotten most of what he taught me, now, but Chess is a great game.
Gayle in Md.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98113
|
Bitch Media - Young Adult en Punk Rock and String Theory: An Interview with New YA Author Kari Luna <p><img style="float: right; margin: 5px;" src="" alt="The cover fo the theory of everything has a girl kissing a fuzzy panda" height="320" width="223" /></p> <p><a href="" target="_blank">Kari Luna</a>'s debut young adult novel, <a href="" target="_blank"><em>The Theory of Everything</em></a>, is a bright, shiny antidote to the dystopias and vampire love stories that dominate today's YA shelves. The story follows 14-year old protagonist Sophie Sophia on a soul-reckoning journey from the suburbs of Chicago to New York City to find her missing father – an eccentric physicist who left Sophie nothing but a box full of '80s-music mix tapes and a propensity for bizarre visions.</p> <p>In Sophie's world, the Ramones break into song in a high school lunchroom and a marching band of pandas appear spontaneously. Accompanied by her best friend Finny, a gay, budding physicist, and her shaman panda, Walt, Sophie puts boys and high school politics aside to find her father and discover the truth about the "episodes" she seems to have inherited from him.</p> <p>Brought up by Methodists in Garland, Texas, Luna eventually bucked Southern good-girl tradition. The only woman in a half dozen post-punk, garage-soul bands, she toured the U.S. in the mid-'90s to early 2000s, navigated the machismo of the Dallas advertising industry for over a decade, then flew west to Portland, Oregon, where she dreamt up the character of Sophie Sophia. Over cocktails at Portland's Liberty Glass, Luna and I talked about quantum physics, growing up Texan, and the power of young adult novels. </p> <p><em> </em></p> <p><strong>Why is it important to rewrite the teen love story? </strong></p> <p>Oh my God, it's huge. The YA market is flooded with love clichés. There are a lot of good writers writing in this genre, but there are a lot of: girl meets boy, does boy like me? There are very few stories that revolve around: Do I like myself?</p> <p>I've always been drawn toward books where the girl does something. She makes something of herself. She's not just interested in boys. I don't say this egotistically, but I wish that somebody had written this book when I was young. Probably the closest thing was [Judy Blume's] <em>Tiger Eyes</em>. There were probably three books that kind of catapulted me in different ways. <em><a href="" target="_blank">Betsy in Spite of Herself</a> </em>[by Maud Hart Lovelace]<em> </em>is about a girl who wants to be a writer. She's like a super early feminist. The whole series is probably why I ended up becoming a writer. And <em>Little Women.</em></p> <p><strong><em>Betsy in Spite of Herself</em></strong><strong>? (laughs) Like, she just can't help it? She's too smart? </strong></p> <p>Yes! Harper and Rowe. 1946. This whole book is about her wanting to be a writer and giving up time with her friends. She goes through all the things that we go through right now. And in the end she picks writing. You know? She picks writing over a boy. And I remember thinking, "Wow."</p> <p><strong>That was really modern. What was expected of women where you grew up? </strong></p> <p>It's not like it's archaic. But family is really important where I grew up. It's Texas. So it's Southern. It's Republican. It's: get married, have kids. Get a house. Have a fence. I mean obviously now, anything goes 'cause come on? It's 2013. But, I think me putting writing above everything has been really uncomfortable for a lot of people for a long time.</p> <p>But, I actually think that I wouldn't have this voice, I wouldn't have this humor if I didn't grow up in Texas. I think there's something very special about growing up there. Humor and love of story definitely comes from growing up in that place. There's an element of thinking big. I'm not afraid to think big. I'm not afraid to have a lot of imagination and just throw it out there. I grew up in a very strict religious household, went away to college and was like, "Screw this I'm gonna find my own path." To me, my religion's always been music and writing.</p> <p><strong>I'm interested in your relationship to science growing up. Did you have one? And if not, then how did the scientific element become a part of this book for you? </strong></p> <p>I'll just say first that I had curious relationship with science in high school. I think I was more curious than most, but I didn't make good grades in science and math. I was discouraged from going further in the things I was bad at. You know, it's a lot more acceptable in a small Texas town to have a boyfriend than to join the science club.</p> <p><strong>I think if women don't pick it up right away but they do show curiosity, it's like, 'Oh that's cute,' but it's not facilitated or nurtured. </strong></p> <p>From the minute I heard the phrase "quantum mechanics," I was like, "Oooh." Anytime early on that anyone talked about alternate dimensions or any of that stuff.</p> <p>I was looking for something to help me explain an actual, physical broken heart. I read Einstein's biography, which is huge. His theory of everything kind of explains why everything exists, how everything is connected, where everything is going.</p> <p><strong>What do Sophie's visions allow her to access that other girls her age cannot? </strong></p> <p>They allow her to see without boundaries. I think it's the idea that you're allowed to see what you see. And just because it's different than what someone else sees doesn't mean it's not valid. She got glimpses into other universes basically. So it's widening her perspective for her entire life.</p> <p>The payoff of the idea is that literally, physically, scientifically, anything is possible. For a young person, giving more weight to that idea? That's the time to figure out what's important to you and what resonates and developing authenticity. Yeah, there's a lot of drama. Everything's so big and sad. But if you can figure out what you're into? It's like my tattoo. (Displays small tattoo on inner wrist that reads I*S*A).</p> <p><strong>What is your tattoo? </strong></p> <p>Integrity, soul, and attitude. It's based off of Muddy Waters' idea of music that it has to contain integrity, and soul, and attitude. But it's also based off of my Tim Kerr learnings and In the Red Records and all these band people that kind of schooled me and their phrase for a long time was, "What are you doing to participate?"</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Love YA? Read our blog series on <a href="/blogs/girls-of-color-in-dystopia" target="_blank">race and gender in dystopian YA</a>, including a resource list for finding <a href="/post/great-books-and-writers-for-racial-diversity-in-young-adult-sci-fi" target="_blank">books featuring people of color</a>. Plus, check out this list of <a href="/post/from-the-library-100-young-adult-books-for-the-feminist-reader" target="_blank">100 books for the young feminist reader</a>. </em></p> <hr /> <p>Want the best of Bitch in your inbox? <a href="/subscribe-to-the-weekly-reader" target="_blank">Sign up for our free weekly reader</a>!</p> <p><a href="/issue/59" target="_blank">Read and buy <em>Bitch</em> magazine's current print issue!</a></p> Kari Luna science YA Young Adult Books Mon, 22 Jul 2013 18:53:26 +0000 Nina Lary 23565 at <em>Young Adult</em> Trailer Released, Features "The Girl You Hated in High School" <p>You know how the past decade or so has brought us countless films with a male protagonist who is juvenile and irredeemable, and it's kind of a problem? Wouldn't it be so <strike>equally problematic</strike> edgy and trendy and subversive if filmmakers started casting WOMEN in those roles instead of men?! Well, it didn't work in <em><a href="/post/dark-of-the-matinee-celebrity-hate-crush-bad-teacher"target="_blank">Bad Teacher</a></em>, so Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody are giving it a try with <em>Young Adult</em>:</p> <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="625" height="377" id="gorillanationPlayer_cs001_playlist_71_cs001_video_369375"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent" /> <param name="swliveconnect" value="true" /> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="" /> <param name="flashvars" value="wmode=transparent&e=4bffc0037b3a3a49328d685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f0947d4e15d253124c7d296b9a2a5d695fdd446d15f64f11765e48e3969f68734f4c9db0c0796&width=625&height=377&pid=cs001" /> <embed src="" name="gorillanationPlayer_cs001" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="625" height="377" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" swliveconnect="true" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="wmode=transparent&e=4bffc0037b3a3a49328d685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f0947d4e15d253124c7d296b9a2a5d695fdd446d15f64f11765e48e3969f68734f4c9db0c0796&width=625&height=377&pid=cs001&allowscriptaccess=always&usefullscreen=true&esnapshot=4bffc0037b3a3a493b90685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f094ccde2702233248cc2a6b5afbdd088f1de4cd0586fe15d6ea5d87835adc773b1dfdb0d0b8a7aa526798fcd&trueurl="></embed></object><p> Charlize Theron is "the girl you hated in high school." She also appears to be "the woman you will hate in this movie." A two-minute trailer isn't enough to determine whether <em>Young Adult</em> will be worth watching (especially not a David Bowie-filled Diablo Cody trailer—I'm onto you and your tricks, lady) but it is enough to get a sense of what the filmmakers are going for: That a (white, attractive, straight) woman behaving badly—and we're talking really badly, like marriage-ruining badly—is worth watching. </p> <p>Are you buying it?</p> bad teacher Charlize Theron movies trailers Young Adult Movies Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:22:16 +0000 Kelsey Wallace 13039 at
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98127
|
Estate tax in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article
Jump to: navigation, search
In addition to the federal government, many states also impose an estate tax, with the state version called either an estate tax or an inheritance tax. Opponents of the estate tax call it the "death tax".[1]
If an asset is left to a spouse or a Federally recognized charity, the tax usually does not apply. In addition, up to a certain amount varying year by year, amounting to $5,250,000 for estates of persons dying in 2013[2] and $5,340,000 for estates of persons dying in 2014[3] can be given by an individual, before and/or upon their death, without incurring federal gift or estate taxes.[4]
Federal estate tax[edit]
Estate tax returns as a percentage of adult deaths, 1982 - 2008.[5]
The federal estate tax is imposed "on the transfer of the taxable estate of every decedent who is a citizen or resident of the United States."[6] The starting point in the calculation is the "gross estate."[7] Certain deductions (subtractions) from the "gross estate" amount are allowed in arriving at a smaller amount called the "taxable estate."
The "gross estate"[edit]
The above list of modifications is not comprehensive.
Deductions and the taxable estate[edit]
Tentative tax[edit]
Lower LimitUpper LimitInitial TaxationFurther Taxation
0$10,000$018% of the amount
$10,000$20,000$1,80020% of the excess
$20,000$40,000$3,80022% of the excess
$40,000$60,000$8,20024% of the excess
$60,000$80,000$13,00026% of the excess
$80,000$100,000$18,20028% of the excess
$100,000$150,000$23,80030% of the excess
$150,000$250,000$38,80032% of the excess
$250,000$500,000$70,80034% of the excess
$500,000$750,000$155,80037% of the excess
$750,000$1,000,000$248,30039% of the excess
$1,000,000and over$345,80040% of the excess
Credits against tax[edit]
For a person dying during 2006, 2007, or 2008, the "applicable exclusion amount" is $2,000,000, so if the sum of the taxable estate plus the "adjusted taxable gifts" made during lifetime equals $2,000,000 or less, there is no federal estate tax to pay. According to the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, the applicable exclusion increased to $3,500,000 in 2009, the estate tax was repealed for estates of decedents dying in 2010, but then the Act was to have "sunset" in 2011 and the estate tax was to reappear with an applicable exclusion amount of only $1,000,000.
Requirements for filing return and paying tax[edit]
Exemptions and tax rates[edit]
tax rate
2002$1 million50%
2003$1 million49%
2004$1.5 million48%
2005$1.5 million47%
2006$2 million46%
2007$2 million45%
2008$2 million45%
2009$3.5 million45%
2011$5 million35%
2012$5.12 million35%
2013$5.25 million[25]40%
The $5 million exemption specified in the Acts of 2010 and 2012 (cited above) apply only to U.S. citizens or residents, not to non-resident aliens. Non-resident aliens have only a $60,000 exclusion; this amount may be higher if a gift and estate tax treaty applies.
Noncitizen spouse[edit]
Inheritance tax at the state level[edit]
Many U.S. states also impose their own estate or inheritance taxes[32] (see Ohio estate tax for an example), and some, such as Kentucky, impose both.[33] Some states "piggyback" on the federal estate tax law in regard to estates subject to tax (i.e., if the estate is exempt from federal taxation it is also exempt from state taxation, e.g. Pennsylvania, 72 P.S. Section 9111(r). Some states' estate taxes, however, operate independently of federal law, so it is possible for an estate to be subject to state tax while exempt from federal tax. In Kentucky, the inheritance tax operates separately from either the state or federal estate tax; the inheritance tax is imposed on beneficiaries and based on the amount received from the estate, with some close relatives exempt from this tax by statute.[33]
Washington state[edit]
In 2005, the Washington estate tax law was challenged in a class action suit Hemphill, et al. v. State of Washington. [34][dated info]
Tax mitigation[edit]
Estate tax rates and complexity have driven a vast array of support services to assist clients with a perceived eligibility for the estate tax to develop tax avoidance techniques. Many insurance companies maintain a network of life insurance agents, all providing financial planning services, guided towards providing death benefit that covers paying estate taxes. Many suggested techniques involve costly or overcomplicated products. Brokerage and financial planning firms, and charities, also use estate planning and estate tax avoidance as a marketing technique. Many law firms also specialize in estate planning, tax avoidance, and minimization of estate taxes.
Structured in this way, life insurance proceeds can be free of estate tax. However, if the parents have a very high net worth and the life insurance policy would be inadequate in size due to the limits in premiums, a charitable remainder trust may be recommended, but should be critically reviewed. The client, however, may lose access to the asset placed in the CRUT. Proponents of the estate tax, and lobbyists for high commission financial products, argue the tax should be maintained to encourage this form of charity.
The estate tax is a recurring source of contentious political debate. Its status as a political football has been exhibited in recent years by the wide variation in policies, from the extended phase-out under President George W. Bush's administration, and its corresponding sunset clause, followed by continuing adjustments to the rates and exemptions under the presidency of Barack Obama. Generally the debate breaks down between a side which opposes any tax on inheritance, and another which considers the tax legitimate and necessary, with little dialogue about where a reasonable rate would be set.
Arguments in support[edit]
Proponents of the estate tax argue that it is a rational point of taxation, with major benefits compared to other types of taxes such as income taxes, wealth taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, or business taxes.[38][39] For instance, William Gale and Joel Slemrod discuss three reasons for taxing at the point of inheritance. "First, the probate process may reveal information about lifetime economic well-being that is difficult to obtain in the course of enforcement of the income tax but is nevertheless relevant to societal notions of who should pay tax. Second, taxes imposed at death may have smaller disincentive effects on lifetime labor supply and saving than taxes that raise the same revenue (in present value terms) but are imposed during life. Third, if society does wish to tax lifetime transfers among adult households, it is difficult to see any time other than death at which to assess the total transfers made."
"While death may be unpleasant to contemplate, there are good administrative, equity, and efficiency reasons to impose taxes at death, and the asserted costs appear to be overblown." -William Gale and Joel Slemrod
Since some type of tax is necessary for the operation of government, but taxes also present a burden on society, questions of tax policy tend to focus on what types of taxes can generate revenue most fairly and with the least negative economic consequences. Supporters of estate taxes argue that they are fair, compared to other taxes, since, unlike with other types of taxes, the person who acquires the money did not provide any goods or services in return. As noted by William Gale and Joel Slemrod in their book, Rethinking Estate and Gift Taxation, "Supporters of estate taxes claim the advantages created by unequal inheritance are unearned and unfair." By the same token, to tax earned income but not to tax inheritance is seen to promote classism, and as unfair. In the 2006 documentary, The One Percent, Robert Reich commented, "If we continue to reduce the estate tax on the schedule we now have, it means that we are going to have the children of the wealthiest people in this country owning more and more of the assets of this country, and their children as well.... It's unfair; it's unjust; it's absurd."
To some extent, arguments relating to fairness derive from the concept of equal opportunity as a basis for the social contract. To tax most types of economic transfers, but not large gifts or bequests, is seen to conflict with these concepts of political ethics. This viewpoint highlights the association between wealth and power in society -- material, proprietary, personal, political, social. If wealth equates to power in many forms, and these powers are unequally divided from the beginning, then fairness demands at least some consideration of this state of affairs. The same arguments that justify wealth disparities based on individual talents, efforts, or achievements, it's noted, cannot support the same disparities where they result from the dead hand. The concept of unlimited giving and concepts of social fairness -- with its assumptions about the division of power in society -- are therefore noted to be in tension with each other. Of course, the value of inheritance may be defended on other grounds, but not so as to negate the considerations in favor of taxation, at some level. These views are bolstered by the concept that those who enjoy a privileged position within the social contract should have a greater obligation to pay for its costs. The fact that this last consideration alone largely supports the system of progressive income taxation in the United States may explain the "absurdity" that proponents of the estate tax see in opposition to a tax which seems to be supported by the same logic, only more starkly. This opposition to the estate tax, proponents argue, would not be defended from behind a veil of ignorance, or to use John Rawls' term, from the original position.[40][unreliable source?]
Proponents further argue that the economic impact of an estate tax should be less disruptive than other types of taxes which directly target economic activity. To lower taxes on earned income while raising taxes on inheritance, for instance, would provide a greater net return on time and effort spent working (excepting, perhaps, instances where the primary motive to work is to pass on wealth and the estate tax is very high). To the extent that an estate tax also increases the incentive to give to charity, rather than to pass wealth to individuals, this is also seen by proponents[citation needed] of the estate tax as a reason to favor it over other taxes.
In response to the concern that the estate tax interferes with a middle-class families' ability to pass on wealth, proponents point out that the estate tax currently affects only estates of considerable size (over $5 million USD, and $10 million USD for couples) and provides numerous credits (including the unified credit) that allow a significant portion of even large estates to escape taxation. Proponents note that abolishing the estate tax will result in tens of billions of dollars being lost annually from the federal budget.[41] Proponents of the estate tax argue that it serves to prevent the perpetuation of wealth, free of tax, in wealthy families and that it is necessary to a system of progressive taxation.[42]
Moreover, some argue that allowing the rich to bequeath unlimited wealth on future generations will disincentivize hard work in those future generations.[41] Winston Churchill argued that estate taxes are “a certain corrective against the development of a race of idle rich”. This issue has been referred to as the "Carnegie effect," for Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie once commented, "The parent who leaves his son enormous wealth generally deadens the talents and energies of the son, and tempts him to lead a less useful and less worthy life than he otherwise would’." Some research suggests that the more wealth that older people inherit, the more likely they are to leave the labor market.[44] A 2004 report by the Congressional Budget Office found that eliminating the estate tax would reduce charitable giving by 6–12 percent.[45] Chye-Ching Huang and Nathaniel Frentz of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities assert that repealing the estate tax "would not substantially affect private saving...." and that repeal would increase government deficits, thereby reducing the amount of capital available for investment.[46]
Proponents of the estate tax tend to object to characterizations it operates as a double or triple taxation. They point out many of the earnings subject to estate tax were never taxed because they were "unrealized" gains.[43] Others note double and triple taxation is common (through income, property, and sales taxes, for instance) or argue the estate tax should be seen as a single tax on the inheritors of large estates. Proponents consider this argument, like reference to the tax as a "death tax" and claims about the loss of family farms, to be a disingenuous attempt to cloud the issue by individuals wanting to bestow unlimited advantages on their offspring without regard for broader social vitality. Chye-Ching Huang and Nathaniel Frentz of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities assert that large estates "consist to a significant degree of 'unrealized' capital gains that have never been taxed...."[47]
Arguments against[edit]
Many countries have inheritance tax rates at or near zero[citation needed]. The disparity between rates encourages wealthy individuals to relocate to avoid or minimize taxation. This moves the wealth -and all associated future tax revenue- outside the United States. As a result of transferring wealth abroad, the 'estimated' tax generation claimed by proponents of the estate tax will likely be far less than that claimed and will likely lower the future tax base within the United States.
The Tax Foundation, a think tank tied to various conservative groups, has published research claiming that the estate tax acts as a strong disincentive toward entrepreneurship. Their 1994 study found that the estate tax’s 55 percent rate at the time had roughly the same disincentive effect as doubling an entrepreneur’s top effective marginal income tax rate. The estate tax has also been found to impose a large compliance burden on the U.S. economy. Similar past economic studies from the same group have estimated the compliance costs of the federal estate tax to be roughly equal to the amount of revenue raised—nearly five times more costly per dollar of revenue than the federal income tax—making it one of the nation’s most inefficient revenue sources.[51]
The term "death tax"[edit]
The term "death tax" is a neologism used by policy makers and critics to describe the estate tax in a way that conveys additional meaning. The terms "death duties" and "inheritance taxes" are also sometimes used.
On July 1, 1862, the U.S. Congress enacted a "duty or tax" with respect to certain "legacies or distributive shares arising from personal property" passing, either by will or intestacy, from deceased persons.[55] The modern U.S. estate tax was enacted on September 8, 1916 under section 201 of the Revenue Act of 1916. Section 201 used the term "estate tax."[56][57] According to Professor Michael Graetz of Columbia Law School and professor emeritus at Yale Law School, opponents of the estate tax began calling it the "death tax" in the 1940s.[58] The term "death tax" more directly refers back to the original use of "death duties" to address the fact that death itself triggers the tax or the transfer of assets on which the tax is assessed.
Many opponents of the estate tax refer to it as the "death tax" in their public discourse partly because a death must occur before any tax on the deceased's assets can be realized and also because the tax rate is determined by the value of the deceased's assets rather than the amount each inheritor receives. Neither the number of inheritors nor the size of each inheritor's portion factors into the calculations for rate of the Estate Tax.
Proponents of the tax say the term "death tax" is imprecise, and that the term has been used since the nineteenth century to refer to all the death duties applied to transfers at death: estate, inheritance, succession and otherwise.[59] This also is how the phrase "death taxes" is used in the United States' Internal Revenue Code.[60]
Political use of "death tax" as a synonym for "estate tax" was encouraged by Jack Faris of the National Federation of Independent Business[62] during the Speakership of Newt Gingrich.
Death elasticity[edit]
A few commentators have been concerned that changes in estate tax provides incentives to change the timing of death, a phenomenon termed "death elasticity." G. Stuart Mendenhall has warned that large discontinuities in the estate tax rates, as planned in 2010 and 2011, may provide incentives to hasten death (late 2010) or prolong life (late 2009) with large financial implications for the inheritors.[65]
IRS audits[edit]
Related taxes[edit]
See also[edit]
2. ^ a b [1]. Rev. Proc. 2013-15 (see page 11, item 13)
3. ^ Revenue Procedure 2013-35, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Dep't of the Treasury.
4. ^ "Estate Tax", Retrieved 2011-09-29
5. ^ IRS, SOI Tax Stats - Historical Table 17
6. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2001(a).
7. ^ Defined at 26 U.S.C. § 2031 and 26 U.S.C. § 2033.
8. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2034.
9. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2035.
10. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2036.
11. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2037(a)(1).
12. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2037(a)(2).
13. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2038.
14. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2039.
15. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2040.
16. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2041.
17. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2042.
18. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2053.
19. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2055.
20. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2056.
21. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2058.
22. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2056(d).
23. ^ See 26 U.S.C. § 2056A.
25. ^
28. ^
30. ^ a b c Stein, Jacob. "Tax Planning for Foreign Investment in California Real Estate". Los Angeles Lawyer. Retrieved March 15, 2013.
32. ^ :Death and taxes: Inheritance taxes
34. ^
35. ^ [2]
36. ^ [3]
37. ^
38. ^
39. ^
40. ^ Generally, see Equal opportunity and Inheritance Taxation, by Anne L. Alstott
41. ^ a b Stuart Taylor, Gay Marriage and the Estate Tax, The Atlantic Monthly, June 13, 2006.
42. ^ Death and Taxes, Washington Post, Editorial, June 6, 2006.
45. ^ The Estate Tax and Charitable Giving, Congressional Budget Office, July 2004.
46. ^ Chye-Ching Huang & Nathaniel Frentz, "Myths and Realities About the Estate Tax," Aug. 29, 2013, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, D.C., at [4].
48. ^ A Good Year To Die by Investor's Business Daily,[6], [7]
49. ^ A Good Year To Die by Investor's Business Daily
50. ^ Getting more links to those taking each position should be fine.
51. ^ "Noting that this compliance burden is largely the result of widespread tax avoidance, Aaron and Munnell conclude that estate taxes are effectively 'penalties imposed on those who neglect to plan ahead or who retain unskilled estate planners' rather than actual taxes." The Economics of Federal Estate Taxes
52. ^ [8], [9]
53. ^
58. ^ "How We Got from Estate Tax to 'Death Tax'", National Public Radio, attrib. to Professor Michael Graetz, Dec. 15, 2010, at [11].
60. ^ Politicizing the Internal Revenue Code, De Novo, May 6, 2007.
63. ^ "Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes"
64. ^ Homer Gets a Tax Cut: Inequality and Public Policy in the American Mind
65. ^ Death and Taxes
Further reading[edit]
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98131
|
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Debian Purity, iMacs & the usbserial problem
I'm moving my ham-oriented computing (digimodes, logging, etc.) to a 333 MHz purple Apple iMac. A beautiful older machine with plenty of zip for these uses. Since it is PowerPC based with only 384 MB RAM, my Linux choices are restricted. Happily (I thought), Debian would do the trick. One of Debian's virtues is that they provide Linux for many less common machine architectures.
All is well and good. I've got my USB-attached sound system working. (A story for another time.) I set up the build environment for Hamlib rig control and managed to compile the latest stuff from Sourceforge CVS. Fldigi and Xlog compile, too. So what remains?
I need to connect the iMac to my TenTec Orion's serial port. No problem, just move the 4-port Keyspan USB-serial box from my main x86 computer (running Ubuntu) to the Debian iMac. Surprise - the Keyspan's LEDs don't light. The Keyspan driver module doesn't load. Wait, the Keyspan driver module (part of Linux kernel) does not exist!
Cut to the chase: The Keyspan usbserial driver for my device has been deemed "impure" by the Debian group. This driver passes all the legal and policy hurdles for Fedora and Ubuntu, but Debian seems to have a "one drop" rule. Any hint of restriction on a software module means it's not going to be in a Debian release. Apparently, the Keyspan driver uses code that carries a phrase like "only for use on Keyspan products".
(It is possible to get the driver source and recompile the kernel to include it, but this would take time that I don't want to spend.)
My solution? Use a different USB-serial device. I happen to have one based on the FTDI chip and driver, which is supported on Debian (plug and play). This one-port gadget has no manufacturer's name on it, but I recall buying it at Staples, possibly under the Belkin name.
One problem with USB devices and Linux is that you can't easily tell if a particular device is supported, because the Linux drivers support particular chipsets, and the vendor's packaging rarely tells you what chipset is being used. At least one on-line vendor, USBgear, does tell you. I have no experience with them, but they do offer a number of 4 port units in the $70-90 range.
Debian's "purity" philosophy (similar to GNU's?) is very strict. They have a point, but flexibility is good, too. This idea of "freedom" is going to cost me $80 and several hours of head-scratching. For me, that will be the price of PPC support.
Post a Comment
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98157
|
What's the carbon footprint of reading Passport?
The internet is generally seen as a "green" technology -- emails can cut down on paper waste, teleconferencing can save on CO2 emitted by flying, and smart grids can help reduce overall energy consumption. But, according to the Guardian's series on carbon footprints, the internet releases about 300 million tons of CO2 each year -- as much as all the coal, oil, and gas used for energy in Turkey and Poland.
The British newspaper acknowledges that carbon footprints are, in general, tough to calculate. However, it arrived at this rough estimate by accounting for the power used up by data centers ("buildings packed top to bottom with servers full of the web pages, databases, online applications and downloadable files that make the modern online experience possible") and personal computing devices. Data centers are one of the less visible factors in understanding the global carbon trail left by our emails, blog trolling, and facebooking, but they are quite significant. A Harvard physicist last year estimated that just two Google searches generate about 14 grams of CO2--or enough to bring a kettle to boil.
A recent UK study determined that in 2005, consumer and commercial information and communication technology (ICT) accounted for about 1.2 percent of fossil fuel emissions. The report predicts that ICT's footprint could climb by 60 percent by 2030.
The Guardian feature highlights some other carbon footprints. Among them:
The Iraq War: 250-600 million tons of CO2 since 2003
The World Cup: 2.8 million tons of CO2 ("more than a billion cheeseburgers")
The 2009 Australian bushfires: 165 million tons of CO2
A banana: 80g CO2 each
How about that LRA strategy?
A horrifying report from Human Rights Watch today catalogues a recent campaign by the once-Ugandan now-regional rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) that has kidnapped nearly 700 and left 225 dead in the Central African Republic. The kidnap victims were, it's believed, mostly children -- taken to fill out the ranks of a shrinking LRA. Many of the dead were killed by "crushing their skulls with clubs."
It's clear that age has not mellowed this quarter-century-old rebel group.
Unfortunately, the LRA's escapades into the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and still in Northern Uganda are not news. A study released by University of California, Berkeley, researchers earlier this month offered revelations of equally depressing measure about the humanitarian conditions in the Central African Republic, a country where people are dying off at a rate five times faster than in the rest of Africa. So great is the particular havoc wrought by the LRA of late, the Barack Obama administration signed a bill that legally mandates the United States to have a strategy to "eliminate the threat to civilians and regional stability posed by the Lord's Resistance Army."
So how about that strategy now? It's still in the planning stages, but the law itself offers some hint of what it could look like -- probably a hybrid of diplomacy in the region, humanitarian assistance on the ground, additional support and funding for the United Nations and its various operations, and perhaps military aid of the sort that the United States is already providing to Uganda. They would do well to consider training local civil police who might be able to offer some semblance of government security in regions of the Central African Republic and Congo that rarely see much benefit from the state.
The Central African Republic has had little help combating the LRA, and it's about to have even less. A U.N. peacekeeping mission in the north of the country, which has largely kept rebel groups there at bay, will pull out of the country soon. Any local response to crisis will likely be directly there, as the rebels in the north pose a far greater challenge to the government than the LRA (which is more interested in kidnapping and killing than actually running the show.) All around bad new for a Friday the 13th.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98171
|
Designing a RESTful API using Flask-RESTful - miguelgrinberg.com
Designing a RESTful API using Flask-RESTful
This is the third article in which I explore different aspects of writing RESTful APIs using the Flask microframework.
The example RESTful server I wrote before used only Flask as a dependency. Today I will show you how to write the same server using Flask-RESTful, a Flask extension that simplifies the creation of APIs.
The RESTful server
As a reminder, here is the definition of the ToDo List web service that has been serving as an example in my RESTful articles:
HTTP MethodURIAction
GEThttp://[hostname]/todo/api/v1.0/tasksRetrieve list of tasks
GEThttp://[hostname]/todo/api/v1.0/tasks/[task_id]Retrieve a task
POSThttp://[hostname]/todo/api/v1.0/tasksCreate a new task
PUThttp://[hostname]/todo/api/v1.0/tasks/[task_id]Update an existing task
DELETEhttp://[hostname]/todo/api/v1.0/tasks/[task_id]Delete a task
The only resource exposed by this service is a "task", which has the following data fields:
• uri: unique URI for the task. String type.
• title: short task description. String type.
• description: long task description. Text type.
• done: task completion state. Boolean type.
In my first RESTful server example (source code here) I have used regular Flask view functions to define all the routes.
Flask-RESTful provides a Resource base class that can define the routing for one or more HTTP methods for a given URL. For example, to define a User resource with GET, PUT and DELETE methods you would write:
from flask import Flask
from flask.ext.restful import Api, Resource
app = Flask(__name__)
api = Api(app)
class UserAPI(Resource):
def get(self, id):
def put(self, id):
def delete(self, id):
api.add_resource(UserAPI, '/users/<int:id>', endpoint = 'user')
The add_resource function registers the routes with the framework using the given endpoint. If an endpoint isn't given then Flask-RESTful generates one for you from the class name, but since sometimes the endpoint is needed for functions such as url_for I prefer to make it explicit.
My ToDo API defines two URLs: /todo/api/v1.0/tasks for the list of tasks, and /todo/api/v1.0/tasks/<int:id> for an individual task. Since Flask-RESTful's Resource class can wrap a single URL this server will need two resources:
class TaskListAPI(Resource):
def get(self):
def post(self):
class TaskAPI(Resource):
def get(self, id):
def put(self, id):
def delete(self, id):
api.add_resource(TaskListAPI, '/todo/api/v1.0/tasks', endpoint = 'tasks')
api.add_resource(TaskAPI, '/todo/api/v1.0/tasks/<int:id>', endpoint = 'task')
Note that while the method views of TaskListAPI receive no arguments the ones in TaskAPI all receive the id, as specified in the URL under which the resource is registered.
Request Parsing and Validation
When I implemented this server in the previous article I did my own validation of the request data. For example, look at how long the PUT handler is in that version:
@app.route('/todo/api/v1.0/tasks/<int:task_id>', methods = ['PUT'])
def update_task(task_id):
task = filter(lambda t: t['id'] == task_id, tasks)
if len(task) == 0:
if not request.json:
if 'title' in request.json and type(request.json['title']) != unicode:
if 'description' in request.json and type(request.json['description']) is not unicode:
if 'done' in request.json and type(request.json['done']) is not bool:
task[0]['title'] = request.json.get('title', task[0]['title'])
task[0]['description'] = request.json.get('description', task[0]['description'])
task[0]['done'] = request.json.get('done', task[0]['done'])
return jsonify( { 'task': make_public_task(task[0]) } )
Here I have to make sure the data given with the request is valid before using it, and that makes the function pretty long.
Flask-RESTful provides a much better way to handle this with the RequestParser class. This class works in a similar way as argparse for command line arguments.
First, for each resource I define the arguments and how to validate them:
from flask.ext.restful import reqparse
class TaskListAPI(Resource):
def __init__(self):
self.reqparse = reqparse.RequestParser()
self.reqparse.add_argument('title', type = str, required = True,
help = 'No task title provided', location = 'json')
self.reqparse.add_argument('description', type = str, default = "", location = 'json')
super(TaskListAPI, self).__init__()
# ...
class TaskAPI(Resource):
def __init__(self):
self.reqparse = reqparse.RequestParser()
self.reqparse.add_argument('title', type = str, location = 'json')
self.reqparse.add_argument('description', type = str, location = 'json')
self.reqparse.add_argument('done', type = bool, location = 'json')
super(TaskAPI, self).__init__()
# ...
In the TaskListAPI resource the POST method is the only one the receives arguments. The title argument is required here, so I included an error message that Flask-RESTful will send as a response to the client when the field is missing. The description field is optional, and when it is missing a default value of an empty string will be used. One interesting aspect of the RequestParser class is that by default it looks for fields in request.values, so the location optional argument must be set to indicate that the fields are coming in request.json.
The request parser for the TaskAPI is constructed in a similar way, but has a few differences. In this case it is the PUT method that will need to parse arguments, and for this method all the arguments are optional, including the done field that was not part of the request in the other resource.
Now that the request parsers are initialized, parsing and validating a request is pretty easy. For example, note how much simpler the TaskAPI.put() method becomes:
def put(self, id):
task = filter(lambda t: t['id'] == id, tasks)
if len(task) == 0:
task = task[0]
args = self.reqparse.parse_args()
for k, v in args.iteritems():
if v != None:
task[k] = v
return jsonify( { 'task': make_public_task(task) } )
A side benefit of letting Flask-RESTful do the validation is that now there is no need to have a handler for the bad request code 400 error, this is all taken care of by the extension.
Generating Responses
My original REST server generates the responses using Flask's jsonify helper function. Flask-RESTful automatically handles the conversion to JSON, so instead of this:
I can do this:
return { 'task': make_public_task(task) }
Flask-RESTful also supports passing a custom status code back when necessary:
return { 'task': make_public_task(task) }, 201
But there is more. The make_public_task wrapper from the original server converted a task from its internal representation to the external representation that clients expected. The conversion included removing the id field and adding a uri field in its place. Flask-RESTful provides a helper function to do this in a much more elegant way that not only generates the uri but also does type conversion on the remaining fields:
from flask.ext.restful import fields, marshal
task_fields = {
'title': fields.String,
'description': fields.String,
'done': fields.Boolean,
'uri': fields.Url('task')
class TaskAPI(Resource):
# ...
def put(self, id):
# ...
return { 'task': marshal(task, task_fields) }
The task_fields structure serves as a template for the marshal function. The fields.Uri type is a special type that generates a URL. The argument it takes is the endpoint (recall that I have used explicit endpoints when I registered the resources specifically so that I can refer to them when needed).
The routes in the REST server are all protected with HTTP basic authentication. In the original server the protection was added using the decorator provided by the Flask-HTTPAuth extension.
Since the Resouce class inherits from Flask's MethodView, it is possible to attach decorators to the methods by defining a decorators class variable:
from flask.ext.httpauth import HTTPBasicAuth
# ...
auth = HTTPBasicAuth()
# ...
class TaskAPI(Resource):
decorators = [auth.login_required]
# ...
class TaskAPI(Resource):
decorators = [auth.login_required]
# ...
The complete server implementation based on Flask-RESTful is available in my REST-tutorial project on github. The file with the Flask-RESTful server is rest-server-v2.py.
You can also download the entire project including both server implementations and a javascript client to test it:
Download REST-tutorial project.
• #1 Kuan said :
Great Tut! thumb up!
• #2 rick said :
Loved your previous article. This looks exactly like what I was looking for - using classes instead of individual methods. I really like your clean examples and explanations. Thanks for your posts.
• #3 Marco Massenzio said :
Great post, thanks! Very timely too, as this is exactly what I needed for a project of mine. Very minor point: you may want to add links to the other two articles. Good luck with the book!
• #4 Daniel Donovan said :
Loving your tutorial very much. I would love to see how you would create RESTful api's from SQLAlchemy models.
• #5 Danny said :
Your tutorials are some of the best I've ever read. You are a champion.
• #6 Dan said :
Miguel, Thanks for the great tutorial. Having started with Flask based on one of your previous tutorials and then implementing Flask-Restful, it was great to see your examples and comments to compare notes... Cheers, Dan
• #7 Akshay said :
Great articles Miguel, not only for the insight into Flask but also designing a Rest API. Would be awesome if you could discuss multi tenant design in Flask. Can't wait for your book
• #8 Tim said :
Thanks for the example code. It was immensely helpful in getting going with flask_restful. I am not sure if the implementation has changed since you published this code but I would just like to point out something that tripped me up. The args object returned by parse_args() will have an entry for each argument. Any that were not passed in the PUT request have a value of None. Calling args.get() will give unexpected results as the default value will never be used. For example it seems that rather than doing: task['title'] = args.get('title', task['title']) you need to do: if args.title != None: task['title'] = args.title
• #9 Miguel Grinberg said :
@Tim: not sure what's going on. Flask-RESTful defines this little class called Namespace, which inherits from dict. That is the type of the args. My approach uses the regular dict interface, yours uses the namespace syntax. Both should work the same.
• #10 Chitrank Dixit said :
Thank you Miguel , I have searched a lot about writing the Flask-RESTful API a quick review but what you explain is really awesome.
Leave a Comment
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98180
|
One-skein of the day: Eye pillow
eyepillow.jpgView full sizeI just love the "om" symbol on this. What a cool way to include a cable!
Now, honestly, is there anyone among us who wouldn't like to get away from it all, just for a little while? Especially during the holidays? Especially after some evil person has just clubbed you in the ribs "by accident" as she lunged for the last on-sale sweater in the store?
Here's a pattern that can help, and help rack up the karma points: a nice, quick eye pillow that you stuff with flax and lavender. It's knit in reverse stockingnette, with a spiffy little "om" symbol to jazz it up and keep the knitter's interest. After you make it as a gift, be sure to try it out in the name of quality control . . . especially before you head out to the malls.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98189
|
Google weeding the farms
Google is down on the farm.
Late Thursday, the Mountain View search company announced a major change to its algorithm designed to lower the rankings of sites that copy content from elsewhere or are otherwise not particularly useful. Though Google didn’t use the term in its blog post, it was widely perceived as another attempt to foil what have come to be called content farms.
A number of businesses, like Demand Media and Yahoo Inc.’s Associated Content, specialize in throwing up quick stories, videos or how to instructions on popular topics, often relying heavily on original material from other publications.
Though the quality is often low, the material frequently ranks highly in search results thanks to the use of headlines and popular keywords that catch the attention of search algorithms. Consumers and technology critics have increasingly complained that the material clutters up search results, and undermines the value of Google.
As such, the company has been working to address the issue for more than a year.
The change announced on Thursday has already been implemented in the U.S. and will roll out overseas eventually. It noticeably impacts 11.8 percent of queries, dropping the rankings of low-quality sites and boosting those with original content, research and analysis, the company said.
“Google depends on the high-quality content created by wonderful Web-sites around the world, and we do have a responsibility to encourage a healthy web ecosystem,” Google Fellow Amit Singhal and Principal Engineer Matt Cutts wrote in the blog post. “Therefore, it is important for high-quality sites to be rewarded, and that’s exactly what this change does.”
Google is wading into tricky territory by acting as the arbiter of what’s legitimate content and what isn’t. It essentially requires training its algorithm to distinguish good writing from bad, original content from re-purposed and valid analysis from bunk.
Some of these matters are subjective, not technical. One notable challenge is that lots of legitimate blogs use material from elsewhere, but still provide a thoughtful layer of analysis. Meanwhile, some argue that sites like the Huffington Post, which AOL recently agreed to purchase, do a lot of important original work, as well as a fair amount of what can be construed as content farming.
The company didn’t discuss the specific signals it’s using to distinguish one type of site from the next, as those sort of hints could possibly be exploited to work around the changes.
“You can expect sites with shallow or poorly written content, content that’s copied from other websites, or information that people frankly don’t find that useful, will be demoted as a result of this change,” is as specific as the company got, in a prepared statement.
Early last week, Google launched an experimental tool for its Chrome browser that allows users to block what they believe to be low-quality sites and send that information to Google. The company said at the time it will study the feedback and potentially use it as a signal in future search results.
Among the top several dozen most-blocked domains so far, the new algorithmic change addresses 84 percent of them, the company said.
The Atlantic did a quick independent analysis of Google’s old and new results by performing the same search in the United States and again through a proxy server that made it appear the query was coming from India.
The domestic query only surfaced one. The other top results from the new algorithm were mostly specialty sites and discussion forums, and included a link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page on the health risks of drywall dust.
“The information delivered by the new algorithm is much, much better,” Madrigal said.
Demand Media, which operates sites like and, disputes the content farm label often attached to it. In a blog post on Thursday, Executive Vice President Larry Fitzgibbon said the company applauded Google’s change, stressing that Demand Media focuses on “creating the useful and original content that meets the specific needs of today’s consumer.”
“As might be expected, a content library as diverse as ours saw some content go up and some go down,” he continued. “It’s impossible to speculate how these or any changes made by Google impact any online business in the long term — but at this point in time, we haven’t seen a material net impact.”
Categories: Uncategorized
Seattle p_i_newmedia
Comments are closed.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98233
|
IKEA feeds a family of 4 for less than $15
Categories: Dining Deals
So it's not Lucia's, but if you were otherwise headed to Friday's or Applebees...
Where's the best place to feed a family of four for less than $15? The IKEA cafeteria-style restaurant makes a bid for it with cheap meals for kids (Swedish meatballs) and adults (organic pasta with marinara and a drink), priced such that two of each costs a total of $11.54. They also do $.50 hot dogs and $.99 breakfasts of scrambled eggs, has browns, and bacon--plus, between 9:30 and 10 a.m., coffee is free. But is the food worth fighting all the traffic to the store?
Having only eaten at IKEA once, I'm curious to know what people think. I haven't tried the breakfasts, but I remember liking the Swedish meatballs (the meatablls themselves were a little underseasoned, but I liked the gravy and the lingonberry jam), some sort of open-face shrimp sandwich, and the Daim torte (made from the addictive Swedish toffee candy). But I also tried a few dishes that tasted about like some of the stuff I was served in my elementary school cafeteria, which is to say that I wouldn't recommend them. That said, it was a pretty inexpensive gamble.
My Voice Nation Help
Sort: Newest | Oldest
Now Trending
From the Vault
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98242
|
« Previous | Main | Next »
December 31, 2006
Now they're using toilets.
Toilets with a hand-break?
So, who was driving?
Makes me think of that Japanese video we saw a while back, where people went into the public toilet and it turned into a motor scooter.
... um ... LBFF ... that'd be so that a person can slow down ... um ... certain ... um ... procedural functions ... um ... so as to ... um ... enjoy? ... 'em more ... um ... merely ... um ... sayin' ...
Din't mean to intrude upon your Hat Trick, LBFF ...
It counts tho, 'cuz your half of our simul is ... um ... prior to mine ...
I'm still counting it OtU ;-)
Is your outhouse running?
Talk about bowel movement!!!
LBFF: Sorry, didn't notice your previous post.
Okay, now I've got one:
Since they're on wheels, have handbrakes and are British, I'm assuming these toilets also come with an oil leak (owners of MGs or Triumphs will laugh here).
*snork* @ lairbo (and twisted minds...and all that...)
The Traveling Turds might BAGNF something.
Then again, maybe not.
The blog's tagline Now they're using toilets led me to believe that Osama had installed new low flow toilets in his cave!
This is an example of what closes toilets.
In my experience, it's Bob from Accounting that closes toilets... . He really needs to lay off the Indian food!
Har! snorks to jon
The toilets punched a hole in a brick wall but weren't damaged? What on earth were they make of? Titanium?
"This is an example of what closes toilets."
There is a handbrake? All that nagging gone to waste - I only had to release the brake.
Swami suggests: Loo's parked at the bottom of the hill will remain in place in the event of a loosened brake. Or was that hand break?
Thank you very much
The comments to this entry are closed.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98255
|
Computer Science Teacher
Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson
December, 2011
• Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson
One Compile A Day
A recent blog post by Ian Bogost (The Virtues of Long Compiles) has me thinking once again about the trouble with fast compiles. How would you program differently if you could only compile your project once an hour or perhaps once a day? Actually its more complicated than that. What would you do between compiles? Would you work on other programs or perhaps new modules for the compiling program? There are risks associated with working on modules that have to work with code that hasn’t actually been tested yet. Would you read the manual or textbook looking for new ideas? (That is one thing that comes up in Ian’s post BTW.) This is a hypothetical or theoretical question for most students today. For some of us old people it means trying to remember how did we do thing back in the day of card readers and line printers.
The first thing I remember is that I put a lot more thought into the code before I hit the compile button. Well actually before I gave the operator my card deck. Smile I didn’t compile after each syntax error was corrected for example. Or even some few number of them. I tried pretty darn hard to identify and correct each syntax error that the last compile had reported. The trick here is that one really had to understand what the error was. There was no time to try random changes and see if they worked. One did some analysis and you were always looking for the one fix that would correct several (or many) errors. Forgetting to declare variables was a killer. Today good IDEs (well Visual Studio which is what I use for most everything) help with the syntax errors are you type. Once doesn’t always have to run a full compile to catch the missing variable declaration for example. That doesn’t mean that errors that are a combination of syntax and logic such as bad assignments with mismatches of type always get caught of course. But one doesn’t have to wait for a long compile to catch most syntax errors.
With long wait times between compiles there was also an incentive of sorts to write as much code as possible before submitting to compile. This is not so much a good thing. It is much easier to debug a small piece of code than a large complex piece of code. On the other hand you really wanted to make sure your logic was sound, your interfaces clearly defined, and expectations well mapped out. This may be a win for the fast compile crowd in the long run but I’m open to opinions.
Once one handed in their card deck to the operator there was time before you got the results. Depending on that facility or school that could range from under an hour (the small liberal arts university I attended) to the next day sometime (the larger NYC university my wife attended). So what to do? Sometimes that was time used to prepare test data for when you did get a clean compile. Sometimes it was spent going over the assignment and seeing if anything was missing. Sometimes designing yet another module. Often it was in discussion with others waiting for their run to return. Still other times it was on to some other project for some other subject entirely. In some ways that mental break was a good thing. All in all one did learn some patience. Patience is a noble and necessary virtue for software developers – and other people as well.
The instant edit, compile and run cycle of modern high speed compilers has changed the way we develop code. In many ways for the better but in the process I sometimes fear we have lost something as well. Patience, careful consideration, attention to detail, and maybe solid planning. Back in the card punch days we saw more women in software development than we do today with the fast edit/compile/run system. Coincidence? I wonder. Does today’s way lend itself less to the way women work than the “old way?” I have no idea. I know of no study. But it is something I just happen to wonder about.
[EDIT: See also Eugene Walligford's blog post at "I Love The Stuff You Never See"]
• Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson
Computer Science Education Blog Roll
Ben Chun teaches computer science at a large urban public school in California.
Doug Semple A particular focus on teaching materials for International Baccalaureate Computer Science but also his general musings on ICT, e-Learning and Education.
Rebecca Dovi - I am a teacher on a mission. Every student should have access to computer science, it starts in my classroom.
Deepa Muralidhar writes a blog at on their experiences teaching CS Principles. They occasionally display students work samples there.
Kathleen Weaver - Teaching CS in Dallas Kathleen teaching computer science in the Dallas Independent School District and a good friend. An independent thinker.
Mike Zamansky, is a highly-regarded CS teacher at New York’s elite Stuyvesant public high school. He's also involved in the new Software Engineering High School that will open in September 2012.
Leigh Ann Sudol In need of a Base Case Leigh Ann Sudol is currently a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University but was a high school computer science teacher in New York state for a number of years. Leigh Ann is the person who trained me to grade the AP CS exam the year I was a reader. She has an amazingly quick mind and talks fast at times as well. Fortunately she writes well; unfortunately she doesn’t write as often as I’d like. But what she writes is very good.
CSTA Blog The CSTA blog is updated by various members of the CSTA board and by their amazing Executive Director, Chris Stephenson. I find it essential for keeping up with news from CSTA. I highly recommend CSTA membership for anyone who teachers computer science in pre-collegiate education.
Hélène Martin used to teach high school computer science but now lectures for the introductory computer science courses at University of Washington. Scary smart and full of ideas I learn a lot from her.
A couple of other good university faculty blogs for you to take a look at:
• Jim Huggins Kettering University
• Computer Science Teacher - Thoughts and Information from Alfred Thompson
Could You Pass the AP Computer Science Exam?
There is an article in the Washington Post about a school board member who took a standardized test for 10th grade students. To say he didn’t do well would be an understatement. This got me to wondering – how would professional developers do if they took the Advanced Placement Computer Science exam? I remember the first time I looked at one. At the time I was most recently a professional developer with about 18 years of experience and a masters in Computer Science. I confess that I would not have enjoyed taking it “cold.” Now since then I have taught the APCS curriculum and even served as a reader (i.e. grader) of the exam. I think I could do ok today even after having been out of the classroom for a while. Many professional developers would also do just fine I am sure. This is especially true for those recently out of school. But I wonder how well experienced but self-taught professionals would do?
There are some sample APCS questions at the College Board web site that you can look at. The biggest complaint many people have with the exam is that it is too Java specific. This suggests that people who program in other languages might have some particular problem with the exam just on that basis. But most professionals pick up languages fairly quickly and Java is enough like other languages in the C family that this should not be an insurmountable problem. I think for most professionals the free-response part which involved coding would probably be the easy part of the exam. Maybe no trouble at all. The multiple choice questions might actually be the hard part.
There are sample multiple choice questions in the AP Computer Science A Course Description (.pdf/1.6MB) and some of them are just tricky. Actually I had one student tell me they were all examples in how not to code. Not completely fair because of the constraints of the exam but still something that would give a lot of professionals pause. I can see some of them preferring, as I might, to just re-write the code so that it makes more sense. This highlights a limitation of all computer science exams though – the need for artificial constraints just to make the test “work.” For this reason many teachers I know greatly prefer to grade projects than tests and quizzes.
It’s hard to evaluate the quality of one’s programming knowledge and ability. We are in a society that values easily quantifiable metrics and standardized tests give us that. or at least the illusion of that.
If you are a professional developer, especially someone who was largely self-taught, have you looked at the APCS exam? What do you think of it? A piece of cake for you to take and pass? Too academic and not practical enough? Something else again? I’m just wondering. Something to think about today. But I’d really love some comments from others.
Page 1 of 7 (21 items) 12345»
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98256
|
Had to work hard on that one, stand on a standard, but… Ok, ok, the AppxUpload does stand on a standard. Really.
The standard is the OPC standard and I guess that the Phone file as well as the Windows 8 store files are both based on this, although it is difficult to trace these file formats back to the OPC outside of just someone saying in one article and posting this link as proof (but it is only about the Office formats):
1. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc163372.aspx
The more comprehensive article is here, but seems to be off a little bit:<<I wrote this article seemed a little off, but I was incorrect, that statement was about a DirectX article I was reading at the time, so my apologies to the author of the article. In re-reading the article it is actually a good example for the C++/DirectX team to follow.
2. http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh464929.aspx
Exploring the AppxUpload file
First create a simple AppxUpload file, you must change the extension AppxUpload to zip and then unzip it. Then you will have an Appx file, change that extension to zip, unzip it and now you can view what is in the file.
For a simple construct2 file I had on my machine the appxupload file unzipped to reveal these files (Scroll down to see more discussion):
image(From the reference 2 above)
These are the description of the various files in the directory:
App payload
App code files and assets
Payload files are the code files and assets that you author when you create your Windows Store app.
App manifest
App manifest file (AppxManifest.xml)
The app manifest declares the identity of the app, the app's capabilities, and info for deploying and updating. For more info about the app manifest file, see App package manifest.
App block map
App package’s block map file (AppxBlockMap.xml)
The block map file lists all the app files contained in the package along with associated cryptographic hash values that the operating system uses to validate file integrity and to optimize an update for the app. For more info about the block map file, see App package block map.
App signature
App package’s digital signature file (AppxSignature.p7x)
The app package signature ensures that the package and contents haven't been modified after they were signed. If the signing certificate validates to a Trusted Root Certification Authorities Certificate, the signature also identifies who signed the package. The signer of the package is typically the publisher or author of the app.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98293
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
The contracting player leads a trump. As the next player I make an obvious hesitation before playing my singleton 10 of trumps. At the end of the hand my opponent, who did not call the director, complained that I made an "unethical" hesitation, which he took to mean I had the jack of trumps.
Does he have a case?
share|improve this question
2 Answers 2
In an ACBL tournament, yes, your play is improper.. In fact, hesitating in this situation is specifically called out as unacceptable. From the Laws of Duplicate Bridge, in the section under Proprieties: (emphasis mine)
"A player may not attempt to mislead an opponent by means of remark or gesture, through the haste or hesitancy of a call or play (as in hesitating before playing a singleton), or by the manner in which the call or play is made."
share|improve this answer
Should you always wait exactly the same time before playing then? This rule seems rather ridiculous. You might as well have a rule of "A player may not infer anything about another's hand based on their remarks, gestures or through haste or hesitancy." – Nick Oct 30 '12 at 10:10
Ah looking at the rest of the rules both giving and acting on any information are against the rules. It seems it is best to always play a card after a short pause, to avoid breaking the rules. – Nick Oct 30 '12 at 10:18
Yes, you are supposed to attempt to play with an even tempo. In fact, if you're about to make an unexpectedly high bid, you are supposed to call "Stop" beforehand--then your next opponent is required to pause before bidding anyway, so not undue information is gained. pagat.com/boston/bridge.html – sitnaltax Oct 30 '12 at 11:53
@Nick - No. You MAY act on a hesitation made by your opponent. If you do so and you are wrong, then it is your choice and your problem. You are NEVER allowed to hesitate to confuse an opponent, or to provide information to partner. – user3264 Oct 30 '12 at 14:33
The "ethics" of bridge are higher than for other games, such as poker.
In poker, it is perfectly ethical to bluff. Not so, in bridge.
Basically, you should not hesitate when the choice is obvious. You ARE allowed to falsecard when you have, say, J-T. Then if you hesitate, it makes more sense (but you should then falsecard the J if you hesitate).
The only excuse for hesitating with the single T is if you ALWAYS hesitate. Then you aren't giving information, false or otherwise.
share|improve this answer
You are allowed to bluff (called "psych" normally) in bridge in certain situations, for example you bid a suit you don't actually have. The important thing is that your partner must not know anything more than the opponents.. – StefanE Jan 15 '13 at 8:37
@StefanE: "Psyching" is "bluffing" in BIDDING. That much is allowed. What is not allowed is bluffing in playing, because your opponents are more likely to be confused than partner. In "psyching," your partner is also likely to be confused. – Tom Au May 10 at 19:33
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98295
|
The Motley Fool Discussion Boards
Previous Page
Personal Finances / Living Below Your Means
Subject: Re: Dead Dishwasher Date: 12/13/2012 6:12 PM
Author: LQu Number: 869572 of 883924
Also, on the off-chance you might want to take a look at it yourself, in case it's something you can figure out better than the repair people (yes, that does happen!), here is a list of appliance repair links that have been helpful to me over the years: (a series of tips, also sell parts)
(has a video on dishwasher installs here too) (parts)
This might sound silly and obvious, but did you check that the internal filter/drainage area is clean & unclogged? Pull it out and check that the drain hose is clear? I had someone give away an older dishwasher once as "broken" when all it had was a dirty, partially clogged drain line.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98326
|
Tom Ahern
Tom Ahern is the author of three collections of short fiction, The Petrus Borel Stories, Hecatombs of Lake, and The Capture of Trieste, and of two poetry chapbooks, The Sinister Pinafore and Superbounce. Holder of an M.A. and B.A. in English from Brown University, he is also a journalist and the director of Ahern Communications, Inc., based in Rhode Island and France.
The Burning Deck Festival
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98339
|
Free Link
A link in a wiki that does not require the WikiCase LinkPattern, but is instead composed of text bracketed by delimiters (e.g., [[A wiki link]]). Most newer wikis support free links. Free links solve the WikiSingleWordProblem handily, and mollify those who just don't care for the look of WikiNames. [The term comes from UseMod - see - though it was invented in parallel by other wikis and WikiClones.]
There is no standard for free link syntax. UseMod and MediaWiki use doubled square brackets; other wikis use single square brackets, doubled parenthesis, or curly braces.
An extension of FreeLinks is the ability to provide a display name for a link (like HTML does). A made-up example: [[Robert Anton Wilson|author]] would appear as the link author.
[moved from WikiSingleWordProblem]
Just a suggestion, but what if "?" is used just before single words, and "?" before strings? For example, a single word link could be like:
and a multiword link could look like:
?"New Zealand"
and the above examples could look like: A sentence using the above format could look like:
?"Link Pattern" suggests to write two more specific words,
e.g. ?"Java Language" instead of ?Java.
I've been trying out the above pattern in RebolLanguage in my own wiki script, and so far it seems to work out OK.
-- AndrewMartin
If implemented, best to require a link to be preceded and followed by whitespace or start/end line (to prevent consecutive links, and because "?" is used in some URLs (and in Spanish too).
MoinMoin and UseMod use ["link with spaces and stuff"].
[Moved from WikiPlacenameProblem]
A SimpleMinded Solution? The algorithm is simple: treat all characters following the backtick until a space (or newline) is encountered as a WikiWord. One treatment for a host of problems. -- AnonymousOnPurpose
Why not just dump wiki words altogether and go exclusively with the backtick syntax? For a new wiki, I would be in favor of such syntax, but when a wiki such as this one already has 25000 pages using a standard syntax, adaptation seems a less radical procedure. It is simple, can be easily programmed, is comprehensive and solves a multitude of representational issues as demonstrated in the illustration above. It allows the normal use of () {} {} or any other delimiters to their normal meaning in code snippets, as well as in qualifying enclosures. It is also to be favored over a bracketed syntax which is more invasive visually to a textual presentation. The backtick has low visual impact and requires only one keystroke. `SeeWhatI'Mean? -- AnonymousOnPurpose
Backtick syntax is used by VQWiki which we have been using for some time without problems (as far as WikiWords are concerned). The convention is that CamelCase words and strings enclosed in backticks (e.g. `Test`, or `Extended Test on 2nd September 2005`) are interpreted as WikiWords. -- Ant...
From WikiAlphabet:
How about extending the formatting rules to treat a period to be equivalent to one or more lowercase letters? For example, W.C.Fields, ArthurC.Clarke, I.B.M. would all be WikiWords. It looks to me to be an almost natural extension to the wiki rules that's consistent with English punctuation.
My 'parse rules use "?" followed by an Alphanumeric character (and several other characters) to detect single word links, and detect URLs before looking for link words. So far it seems to work OK on the above test line. Anyone got any ideas for more difficult tests?
-- AndrewMartin
What happens when the markup for a link with spaces is split across lines or uses multiple spaces or tabs?
"I can't type tabs." :) Parsing stops at the end of a line. And, if it doesn't fit the format, it's left unchanged (or falls through to detecting the URL and making that the link. Then the writer can see that it looks wrong and correct appropriately, by adding in the extra {"} or what ever. The parse rules are written in Rebol and are available from my site or from my mailing list.
I've put my Wiki Rebol script on this Wiki at RebolWiki. I think it's a practical solution to the WikiSingleWordProblem.
-- AndrewMartin
I like the {CurlyBrackets} suggested above, or <<DoubleAngleBrackets>>: <<CIA>>. I'm setting up a wiki (<--see?) for the CSCL2003 conference and I doubt that people will take the time to write ComputerSupportForCollaborativeLearning? every time they will use the term (and that will be a lot).
Related: I can't see why double capitalization is a problem? (DennisOHara, SwimmingInALake)
-- KurtGeorgeGjerde
I'm no Wiki expert, but it seems like if you tried to have a page called, say, CIA, it would print the title as C I A less than preferable behaviour I think
-- JobyElliott
It's impossible to have a page called CIA. You could do TheCia, which would render as "The Cia" or (ugh) CiaAcronym, which would render as "Cia Acronym". Of course, CentralIntelligenceAgency would be the best name here.
My own pet peeve (with CamelCase) happened when I tried to implement a WikiCalendar. There's just no F***ing way (in CamelCase) to construct the names of dates such that they are 1) compact 2) easy to read 3) sortable in any meaningful fashion 4) usable as links.
Trying to use a Wiki as a general-purpose data store (for me personally) fails on this point. There are other nuisance link problems, but I'm pretty sure that whatever would solve the calendar problem would solve the rest.
I imagine that some variation on [["2004-05-04" "May 4,2004"]] would be right. Anyone seen a usable calendar/journal/diary implementation in Wiki? What notation?
PhpWiki provides some date and calendar functions. I've created a small example at the SourceForge site (apparently currently regrettable slow, but...) -- HansWobbe
See CamelVsNonCamel for a comparison of these link methods.
The biggest problem I see with WikiWords is they only work with alphabets that differentiate syntax using capitalization and/or whitespace. Can anyone demonstrate a successful adaptation of WikiWords to Chinese? -- Roan. See ChineseWiki
I admit the code to implement WikiWords in wikinehesa is a tad large, confusing to understand, and generally annoying to me. implementing FreeLinks is MUCH simpler. Here is the code I just honked up- python code- and it is VERY simple and straightforward:
def makelink(word):
if (word[0]=='[' and word[-1]==']'):
return '<a href="./'+word[1:-1]+'">'+word[1:-1]+'</a>'
return word
That sure is a lot simpler than 50 lines of code working as a state machine...
now I may implement it in the next generation of software, a complete rewrite, but this would entail hodging up some code to search through existing pages and converting them over to the new format for links.
-- KirkBailey
I do not know whether this is the right page, but why could one not allow an underscore for a Camel_Case delimiter and convert it into a whitespace:
<a href="?Camel_Case">Camel Case</a>
I do not like the double square brackets syntax, especially on a non-english keyboard. -- FlorianBlatt?
Underscores would still not solve the WikiSingleWordProblem. -- JuergenErhard
See a notion that is related to FreeLink at SpecialCharacterPrefixAssociation
There is always the solution offered in LiterateProgramming:
EditText of this page (last edited July 21, 2014) or FindPage with title or text search
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98341
|
Issue 6 Horticulture Spring 2002
No Hair of the Dog
Jesse Lerner
In the 18th century, the eminent French natural historian, the Comte de Buffon, searched for evidence to support his theory that New World species were inferior to European ones. Buffon would have been hard pressed to find an animal better suited to his purposes than the dog called xoloescuincle, known colloquially in Central and South America as escuincle. The name derives from the Nahua xoloitzcuintle, meaning "dog of Xólotl," a reference to Quetzalcóatl's twin brother, Xólotl, the Mesoamerican god of twins and the deformed. The breed's name can also be translated to mean strange or monstrous dog. This Mexican dog is strange indeed, generally hairless, barrel-chested, and with a mouth either featuring an incomplete set of teeth or utterly devoid of them. The puppies look as much dinosaur as mammal. But escuincles are much more than canine oddities. They also refute the widely-held belief that there were no dogs in the New World prior to the arrival of the first Europeans.1 Escuincles lead us on a trail into Mexico's past.
Hairless dogs are not unique to Mexico. Similar breeds are indigenous to Peru, Manchuria, Paraguay, southern India, Turkey, and parts of Africa, especially Ethiopia and the Congo. Some have suggested that the similarities between the hairless dogs of the Pacific coasts of Mexico and South America are evidence of commerce conducted centuries before the Spanish Conquest.2 The archeological evidence suggests that even before the Conquest the escuincle played multiple roles within the societies of the western states of Colima, Nayarit, Michoacán, and Jalisco. For the most part, this area of Mexico lacks the pyramids and other spectacular monumental structures associated with other pre-Columbian Mexican cultures. Until about 600 A.D., however, the inhabitants built elaborate underground tombs with one or more chambers, accessible only through narrow, vertical shafts that were sometimes as deep as 50 feet. Typically, the dead were supplied not only with goods such as axes, jewelry, blades, ceramics, crystals, and awls but also with clay dogs. Some of the burnished ceramic objects excavated (or, more often, looted) from the tombs represent the escuincle in a variety of poses: sitting attentively, sleeping curled in a ball, nursing puppies, scratching fleas, holding a bone or ear of corn in its mouth, and wrestling playfully with other escuincle while standing on hind legs. Such poses would not be unfamiliar to those who know the modern-day descendents of these pre-Columbian puppies. The diverse forms of these ancient ceramics make them greatly appealing: Some escuincle are grossly overweight; others are mere skin and bones; others are marked with patterns that seem to represent wrinkles. Even more intriguing are the less naturalistic depictions, such as an escuincle sprouting antlers or in mid-transformation between dog and human forms or (seemingly) between dog to snake, in Mexico City's National Anthropology Museum. These multiple examples of double-headed dogs reinforce their connection to twins, a reproductive category with great supernatural significance for pre-Columbian cultures.
Escuincle wearing a mask with a human face. Courtesy Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
These sculptural objects, as well as a number of ceramic dogs wearing humanoid masks (the only animal so represented in this region) and human bodies with heads of dogs, led many archeologists to consider the escuincle to be supernatural animals. Such evidence contradicted the conclusions of many archeologists who believed that the absence of monumental architecture in West Mexico was proof that these had been secular societies. Marxist nationalists had even suggested that these Mexican societies were more egalitarian than the imperial, theocratic, and rigidly hierarchical Aztec or Maya. The subsequent work of archeologists, especially Peter T. Furst, has overturned these orthodoxies by suggesting the centrality of shamanism and the magical.3
The Spanish chroniclers of the Conquest noted the strange hairless dog of Mesoamerica. In the Historía general de las cosas de la Nueva España (1579), Fray Bernadino de Sahagún wrote that most of the dogs were born with hair but it had been removed with a substance made from pine resin. The exceptions to this rule, according to Sahagún, were the dogs of Teotlixco and Toztlán, where the dogs are born hairless. The modern day names or locations of these towns are difficult to identify with certainty, though they are probably on the Pacific Coast. In his Historia de Tlaxcala (1585), Diego Muñoz de Camargo describes the sacrifices of several hairless dogs to the rain god. Believers conducted canine sacrifices by piercing them with arrows, suffocating them, or throwing the bound animals on rocks before extracting their hearts, which were later cooked. West Mexican myths compiled after the Conquest also suggest an intimate relationship between escuincle and humans. In his Relaciones de los indios Colimas de la Nueva España (1581), Juan Suárez de Cepeda records that the gods had once punished humanity with a disastrous flood. Those who survived had to resort to fishing for the only available source of food. Unfortunately, the smoke produced while cooking the fish enraged the gods, who decapitated the humans and stuck their heads up their asses as punishment for the humans' pollution. The headless humans were transformed magically into hairless dogs.
In addition to its supernatural significance, the escuincle fulfilled some of the more pragmatic needs of the ancient Mexicans. Though in general domesticated animals played a much less important role in the pre-Columbian diet than in that of Europeans, ancient Mexicans raised escuincles to be cooked and eaten, often prepared in green sauce and served with pigweeds. Comala-style earthenware vessels with decorative representations of foodstuffs along their rims occasionally incorporate the figure of an escuincle; one unusual ceramic piece depicts a life-sized roasted dog ready for carving. Diego Durán writes that at the time of the Conquest, hundreds of dogs were for sale at the Market of Acolman near the pyramids of Teotihuacan in Central Mexico. Diego de Landa and Clavijero reported that the meat was delicious. Perhaps it was the growing taste for escuincle meat that brought the dogs beyond their original turf into more temperate climates, where inevitably they needed special care; De Sahagún reports that in the Central Valley they were wrapped in blankets during the winter.4
After the Conquest, the popularity and reverence for the escuincle was largely replaced with the arrival of European dogs, and the animal survived only in Western Mexico, the area of its origin. Fortunately, the escuincle did not suffer the same fate as the dogs indigenous to the island of Hispaniola, which were hunted to extinction by Columbus's famished crew. Instead, throughout the colonial era and well into the 19th century, numerous laws enacted to control the problem of stray dogs effectively reduced the escuincle population.5 On occasion manufacturers used the dogs' skins for gloves made for export. It is also rumored that, during WWI, military scientists experimented on the dogs with poisonous gases because of the similarities between the animals' skin and that of humans, which hastened the dwindling population even further. It was not until the mid-20th century that the escuincle had a reversal of fortunes. With the fevered nationalism of the post-revolutionary era, the dogs began to attract the attention of Mexican artists. For Diego Rivera, this most Mexican of animals functioned as a symbol of national pride; escuincles frolicked in the gardens and patios of Rivera and Frida Kahlo's "Blue House" in Coyoacán, as documented in numerous photographs of Lola Alvarez Bravo and others. In the corner of Rivera's 1941 mural Colonization (or The Disembarkation of the Spanish at Veracruz), painted in Mexico City's National Palace, an escuincle filled with the spirit of indigenous resistance can be seen snarling at the European mutt imported by a green-faced, microcephalic Hernán Cortés. Rivera's private collection of ancient art, now housed in the Anahuacali Museum, includes several of his pre-Columbian ceramic escuincles. Escuincles also populate the artwork of Frida Kahlo, Maria Izquierdo, and others of the post-revolutionary generation.6 Even more so than Rivera and his circle, however, it was British Colonel Norman P. Wright who prompted the revaluation of the hairless dog. In 1955 and 1956, Wright made three trips to isolated villages in West Mexico along the shores of the Rio Balsas (in the state of Guerrero), where escuincles were found both as domestic animals and as strays. Since the peasants were by nature suspicious of outsiders who coveted their dogs, the colonel dressed in a straw hat, huaraches, and the white cotton shirt and pants typical of the rural farmers there, hoping the disguise would help him win their trust. He returned to Mexico City with several escuincles, which he bred successfully. In 1957, after the U.S.S.R launched the satellite Sputnik with the Siberian Husky Laika onboard, Guerrense locals erroneously associated the two events. Even years later, they maintained that a stray escuincle had been sent into outer space through the intervention of the eccentric English colonel in the disguise of a Mexican peasant.7
The escuincle found a champion in Norman P. Wright. He participated in a subcommittee of the Asociación Canófila Mexicana (Mexican Dog-Lovers' Association) that established norms for the breed, which served to boost the escuincle population. Wright followed the model established by fanciers of the German Weimaraner, another breed once in danger of disappearing. Escuincle puppies with desired traits were given to breeders on the condition that they cooperate with the association. The exportation of female escuincles from the country was prohibited. The successful efforts of the Association were publicized in both general interest periodicals such as Life, Time, and The Illustrated London News as well as in specialty publications including La vie canine, The Kennel Review, and Tail-Wagger. Today, Mexican dog breeders and pet owners have fostered a more widespread appreciation for their native pooch. Since 1974, the Federación Canófila Mexicana (Mexican Dog-Lovers´ Federation) has organized dog shows; as a result, escuincles can now command astronomical prices. New interest in the dog has also encouraged its scientific study, which has helped to clarify many misconceptions that have surrounded the breed. The escuincle's hairless condition, for example, is apparently the result of a dominant gene that also may be related to the dog's irregular dentition. That gene, in fact, can be fatal. If two hairless escuincles mate, and the dogs' offspring inherit the hairless gene from both parents, it will be still-born. Puppies that receive the recessive gene from both parents live to maturity and grow hair.
A casual survey of the current conditions of the escuincle reveals that the situation has improved radically from the times of Wright. Now the breed can be found in many parts of the world. In Mexico, the dogs are found not only in the homes of the cultural and social elites, like museum director and escuincle fancier Dolores Olmedo Patiño, but also in households of much more modest means throughout the republic. In addition to the dogs' roles as household pets, Valadez Azúa and Mestre Arrioja report the persistence of belief in their medical functions and at least one case of an escuincle used for rescuing humans.
Video still from Yoshua Okon, Chocorol, 1998
Yet the ending to the happy story of the escuincle—where a nation's dog fanciers have recognized (however belatedly) the value of their cultural heritage after centuries of colonization—is more ambivalent and nuanced. Mexican dogs, like their human counterparts, still live in a highly stratified world defined by race and class. In the heady nationalism of the post-revolutionary era, escuincles have attracted artists such as contemporary video makers Miguel Calderon and Yoshua Okon. Okon's short video Chocorol (1998), for example, records an escuincle mounting a French poodle, dogs more amorous than the ones depicted in Rivera's mural. Okon relates that the poodle owner was irate upon learning that the animal had been fornicating with a Mexican hairless. Okon's work reveals the mutual fascination that Mexico and France seem to hold for each other, from Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, Napoleon III, and other French lovers of all things Mexican, to the elites of Porfirio Díaz´s Mexico and other Francophiles that populate the Mexican middle class today. Okon's work also documents the canine equivalent of the pintura de castas, those taxonomical oil paintings of the colonial era that obsessively categorized the racial mixtures of the New World. The violent response to the mating on the part of the poodle's owner suggests that the legacy of eugenics lies beneath the dog breeder's preoccupation with purebreds.8 Today, the ideal escuincle, as codified by the standards of the Comité Izcuintle de la Asociación Canofilo Mexicana, A.C. and maintained by selective breeding, is inaccessible to the indigenous population that first reared these animals. In fact, some of the terminology employed (e.g. "saltoatras" is used in both contemporary dog breeding and colonial racial taxonomies) is identical to that of the colonial administrators preoccupied with categorizing every possible kind of miscegenation. As it happens so often, humans have projected their destructive neuroses onto the animal world, imposing their worst impulses on their species' best friend.
To read Norman P. Wright's Standard for the Large Mexican Hairless Dog (Standard Xoloitzcuintle) as adopted by the Mexican Dog-Lovers' Association on 1 May 1956, click here.
1. For example, Antonio de Herrera makes this assertion in Historia General de los Hechos de los Castellanos en America (1601–1604).
2. Alana Cordy-Collins, "An Unshaggy Dog Story," Natural History (February 1994), pp. 34–40.
3. Peter T. Furst, "West Mexican Art: Secular or Sacred?" in Dudley T. Easby, Jr., ed., The Iconography of Middle American Sculpture (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1973), pp. 98–133.
4. Much more could be said about the medical, culinary, funerary, and religious uses of the xoloescuincle in ancient Mexico. A useful summary of this subject is provided in the catalogue of ceramic dogs from the Colima region in the holdings of Mexico City's National Anthropology Museum. See Carolyn Baus Czitrom, Los perros de la Antigua provincia de Colima (México, D.F.: Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia, 1998).
5. A compendium of such laws is provided by Raúl Valadez Azúa and Gabriel Mestre Arrioja's valuable Historia del Xoloitxcuintle en México (México, D.F.: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1999), pp. 104–109.
6. A survey of escuincles in Mexican visual arts, both modern and ancient, is provided by the exhibition catalogue El xoloitzcuintle en la historia de México (México, D.F.: Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño, 1997).
7. Wright gives a brief account of these trips in El enigma del xoloitzcuintli (México D.F.: Instituto Nacional de Antrpología y Historia, 1960), pp. 67–68. The association of Wright's visit with the Sputnik launch was documented during the retracing of the Englishman's journeys, as told in Valadez Azúa and Mestre Arrioja, op. cit., p. 62.
8. Okon's account of this incident is published in Luna Cornea no. 20 (2000), pp. 164–165.
Jesse Lerner is a filmmaker living in Mexico City. He is an editor-at-large for Cabinet.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98371
|
Guidance, please.
This is a discussion on Guidance, please. within the C Programming forums, part of the General Programming Boards category; Hi, I have read through all of C for Dummies and am currently reading though the wonderful tutorials on this ...
1. #1
Registered User
Join Date
Nov 2008
Smile Guidance, please.
I have read through all of C for Dummies and am currently reading though the wonderful tutorials on this site. I am, however, having trouble absorbing the material. As with C for Dummies, I read along with the text (and often re-read it) and write and compile the practice programs that go along with each lesson. Unfortunately, this isn't (it seems to me) leading to any real skill in C or any real understanding of how to program on my own.
In the lab I work in, I learn assays that require lots of steps, very much in the same way as programming has been presented to me. What I know of myself from learning the assays is that I wont understand something or be able to perform a task unless I actively do it, myself. I.e., I can watch the assay be performed many times and not "get it."
I am wondering I can some guidance from the C wizards of this forum in terms of learning the language. I feel as if I could actually write a real program (with lots of help, of course) that it would greatly improve my ability to learn.
Please, any thoughts or guidance would be very much appreciated!
2. #2
Malum in se abachler's Avatar
Join Date
Apr 2007
Once you understand the basic syntax of the base language, you need to move on to problem solving. Just like learnign how to use a hammer wont teach you how to build a house, learning how to use the commands wont teach you to program, but you need that skill first. Once you have a grasp of that, pick some problem you would like to solve using the computer. Don't pick graphics or games, as those involve more complex programming than you are ready for just yet, pick something simple that you already know how to do, like solving quadratic eqautions using the FOIL method. Now figure out how you will go about making the computer do that.
3. #3
Registered User slingerland3g's Avatar
Join Date
Jan 2008
I would navigate around the C Book Recommendation forum. As to really understand the language you must try by example in coding, coding and coding that can not be stressed enough. Run some simple math addition/subtraction programs and move on to division with floats, doubles and note what their limitations are and actually try to break your program and see what happens. Then move on to working with chars and string functions. Understand how .h files work and #defines and #includes and what they do.
In addition to working with the language you must get familiar with the compiler as well, such as gcc or g++.
Once you get comfortable, check out source forge for some good programming techniques and learn a bit on the side of software development the open source way.
Start small and work from there.
My 2 pennies
Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed
Similar Threads
1. Need some guidance.
By Kinto in forum C Programming
Replies: 10
Last Post: 05-31-2009, 12:02 AM
2. need guidance to connect to serial port
By gnychis in forum Linux Programming
Replies: 1
Last Post: 06-02-2005, 10:10 AM
3. Guidance Councilor (rant...sort of)
By dP munky in forum A Brief History of
Replies: 16
Last Post: 04-03-2003, 03:03 PM
4. Audio guidance.
By Sebastiani in forum Windows Programming
Replies: 6
Last Post: 12-22-2002, 08:14 AM
5. advice and possibly guidance
By nazri81 in forum C++ Programming
Replies: 3
Last Post: 11-07-2002, 09:19 PM
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98393
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I knew a Chinese woman who taught me a lot about Chinese languages. One of them was about 汉语's etymology.
I was told that all parts of these characters had a meaning connected to the History of Chinese language. Well, the story was like this:
China was once divided into 5 parts, each one had an emperor. Each emperor had a single language spoken among his people. That's why it is easy to identify characters as five (五), mouth (口). It is also easy to identify the "language" character and the water prefix in the first character. So, when China was unified, only a single language was spoken by everyone.
Is this story true? If not, what's its etymology? How is it different from 中文?
share|improve this question
Olá Gustavo! Eu corrigi a sua gramática e ortografia. Espero que não se importe. – Orion Dec 15 '11 at 5:57
4 Answers 4
up vote 5 down vote accepted
Not sure about the story, but to answer the difference between "汉语" and "中文".
Literally, "汉语" means "the language of Han Chinese", while "中文" means "the language of China". As defined in Wikipedia, they are interchangeable terms.
"汉语" expresses the ethnic root of the language, as it may be created or first widely used by Han Chinese. There are other minor ethnic Chinese people, many have their own languages. E.g. 满语 is the language once widely used by 满族 people.
Meanwhile, the expression "中文" seems to be a direct conclusion that the main language of China is Han Chinese, which actually is true in many aspects.
Further discussions may have deeper roots in Chinese history and culture, e.g. how come the term of Han, or complex political implications, e.g. if you agree to consider 藏语 as one of the the languages in China or even one of the Chinese languages, or do you agree 藏族 people are one type of Chinese, etc.
share|improve this answer
Is this story true?
Sorry, but no. If it helps you remember how to write the characters, then knock yourself out. In fact, there is a whole book of such mnemonics (as well as an unfavorable review of said book, followed by a fascinating discussion in the comments)
If not, what's its etymology?
That depends on what you mean by etymology (a term often stretched to mean very different things in the context of Chinese). It seems that the story you were told was an attempt to explain the form of the characters, rather than the history of the word, so I'll stick with that. Let's call it character analysis.
• Character formation
Chinese characters can be grouped into several categories based on how they are constructed. By far the largest category is phonetic-semantic compounds. Each character in this category can be broken up into two simpler characters. One (called the radical) is a hint as to the meaning. The other part refers to the pronunciation. Unfortunately for those of us not living in Han-dynasty China, the phonetic elements often seem poorly chosen, due to the huge changes in pronunciation over the centuries ( = 'mo4' has the = 'hei1' phonetic).
• Analysis of 漢
is a phonetic-semantic compound.
(the 3-dot water radical) is the radical. Besides referring to the Chinese ethnicity, also is used in a word for "galaxy" or "milky way": 雲漢. In this light, the choice of water radical makes more sense.*
The right side of the character is the phonetic. It no longer exists as an independent character, but it shows up in the phonetics for these (rare) characters, which are also pronounced 'han4': and
• Analysis of 語
is also a phonetic-semantic compound.
is the radical, meaning speech.
is the phonetic (pronounced 'wu2').
How is it different from 中文?
As other people have explained, 汉语 means the language of the Han people, while 中文 means the script of China (the "middle" kingdom).
Chinese teachers will probably tell you that the former refers exclusively to the spoken language, and the latter exclusively to the written language. Heed not these pedants! You will find that 汉语 and 中文 are used pretty interchangeably by actual Chinese people.
* It's also possible that once made reference to an earthly river as well, but I can't find any good citations for that.
share|improve this answer
Not true. It's more like a tale other than history.
汉语 is just Han’s language. While 中文 is Chinese script(or language).
漢語 was already used in ancient China, while 中文 appeared in modern times.
share|improve this answer
I believe that the Chinese script has a much longer history than modern spoken Chinese language. We may take a look at the characters of 中文 and 漢語. The simplicity of "中文" suggests that it comes earlier in history. – AngelLeliel Jun 20 '12 at 3:14
The difference between 汉语 and 中文 is that, although both mean the chinese language, 语 clearly makes reference to the spoken language, because of the talk or speak radical (言) and 文 was originally an ideogram of a man's chest with a tattoo, denoting writing.
share|improve this answer
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98396
|
HOME > Chowhound > Philadelphia >
HELP, I can't find decent pizza in Chester County!!!!
• 42
• Share
I have lived in Chester county for 4 years now and I still have not found any decent pizza. I live in Honey Brook, right near Lancaster county. I think we've tried everything in HoneyBrook; Coatesville; Downingtown and Exton areas. I'm hoping someone knows of a hidden gem that I haven't found yet. I'm originally from Delaware county, and I know of lots of suggestions from other Chowhounds for there, but haven't heard of many for Chester or even Lancaster Counties. Help a pizza lover out, PLEASE!!!!!
1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
Posting Guidelines | FAQs | Feedback
1. I'm a fan of K&G Pizza myself - they do a good deep dish and the BEST stromboli. All of my friends comment on how Culinary Deliveries has great pizza. Riggtown has a good honey mustard chicken, but sans that I think they cater to the 2am crowd if you catch my drift.
Good luck!
4 Replies
1. re: Prax1134
Thanks so much for the recommendations, where are these places located. I love stromboli, what kind is good? So could you tell me where the K&G pizza and Culinary Deliveries are located. The 2 am crowd is too young for me.
1. re: jficco
Both are in West Chester. K&G is on the corner of 5 Points Road and West Chester Pike. Culinary is in the borough on Gay Street. Neither are mind-blowing but I'd say they are probably two of your better options in WC. As for other parts of Chester County I really can't speak from experience though.
As for stromboli at K&G they are all good - I either get the italian (genoa, capicola, mmmmm) or really anything covered in meat and cheese. So horrible for me yet so good.
1. re: Prax1134
I've given up on good pizza in CC and make my own. I live in the northern part of Chester County. Its the only pizza my husband will eat now. Its great when my basil is growing like a tree. I use Wolfgang Pucks dough recipe and bake on a pizza stone.
2. re: Prax1134
Try Ron's Schoolhouse in Lionville. Their pizzas, particularly their unique "oval" creations, are to die for. The dough is some of the tastiest I have had anywhere in the country and the toppings are always fresh and plentiful.
3. Riggtown may have a great late night crowd, but they also have a crowd beginning at 7 am with all kinds of people - families, businesses and students. The honey mustard is so good because most of the stuff they make is home-made. Don't knock it til you've tried it.
1. Not too far, and a bit more upscale in Kennet Square is Savano Bistro. Woodfired pizzas are authentically delicious as is the chefs seasonal bistro menu. Well worth the trip and money!
1. That's because it doesn't exist. At least in West Chester. K&G, Riggstown and Culinary are below mediocre. Ron's is ok but not worth the drive from Honey Brook. Buy a pie at Clanks in Marcus Hook and heat it up at home.
1 Reply
1. re: JTN 3
Really need to disagree here. I grew up on K&G and it is a nice thick slice of pizza. Riggtown honey mustard is really good, but with a 2am rush I sometimes feel they know (and take advantage of) the fact that they can serve mediocrity.
Say what you will, but to me a good piece of pizza is simple - not filet mignon. I guess I'm not too picky when it comes to dough, sauce and cheese, sorry. :(
2. As a pizza person - I can tell you that Jack's Pizza in the Whiteland Shopping Center. If you go to my profile and click my website, I did a review a while ago. Basically, it's great super crisp (semi thin crust) pizza. They always have great selections of pizza. All of the workers are Latino and they always have soccer on the TV. Wehn you're eating the pizza, you'll think you're in NYC.
1 Reply
1. re: DrZibbs
I will have to try Jack's in Exton. I agree w/ your website regarding John's in Frazer - that is probably the best pizza in Chester County.
Not all the pizza at Roccos goes into the wood fired oven - when it does it is good.
If a pizza has honey mustard on it, it is not a pizza. It's ingredients on a pizza shell.
2. OK, OK, OK...I'm a NY'r, and I agree it is not easy here, but try Rocco's in the colonial 100 Shopping Ctr on Rt. 100 north of the Exton Mall. Delish!
1 Reply
1. re: collih
I eat a slice of Riggtown pizza every day for lunch and I think it is deliscious.
2. Personally, I like the pizza from the Italian Village located on 30 business in Downingtown (in a shopping center). Its definitely not fancy - more like eating pizza while in a beer store ha - but Great pizza and also their stromboli's are excellent. We order the stromboli just as much as pizza there. Check it out. Prices are good too.
1. My favorite place in WC is Brother's Pizza, in the shopping center across from the Daily Local News
1. I feel your pain... I am originally from NY, and even after living in chester county 10 years, still have problems finding good pizza. Believe it or not, my favorite comes from the food court in the Exton Mall - it is delicious - like authentic NY pizza.
1 Reply
1. re: laziedazie570
Good call on the Exton Mall pizza - a little expensive for a slice of cheese, but it does have that NY style flavor. Brothers has a good white pie and a good tomato pie, but in my opinion the crust is too chewy.
Speaking of the mall, has anyone been to Rino's lately? That used to be good pie, but have not been there for 5 or 6 years.
Keep the recommendations coming! This is good stuff.
2. I grew-up on Five Points Rd and I have to give K&G the thumbs down ... rather chewy crust and overly salted sauce. A decent pie in Chester County is hard to come by imho, however in West Chester, my rec is Las Vegas Pizza on Gay Street. But here's the caveat ... only get plain slices that they will reheat. Las Vegas has a thin a crispy crust and a quick reheating in their oven makes for an extra flaky and crispy treat. Not great but the best in W.C.
If you're in northern Chester County on a Thursday and want to cross the border, check out "A Taste of Italy" on route 422 in Douglassville. It's an authentic Italian deli with terrific sandwiches and takeout. Thursdays is "pizza day" (the only day you can get a pie). I highly recommend their grilled vegetable topping. Thin crust, quality ingredients and stunningly delicious.
1. Has anyone been to New Haven Pizza lately? I haven't been there in .... wow... almost 10 years - but when I lived in the boro we did take out from there almost every week! Their pizza and sandwiches were always very good.
Does it still have the reputation as best of the borough of WC?
2 Replies
1. re: laziedazie570
There are some fans of New Haven around - I was not a big fan of the pie I just got there - the cheese is not really gooey.
1. re: JTN 3
I'll second both Rocco's and New Haven. They're the best we have found in the area so far. But, like other NY exilees, we're still looking.
2. I like Giordano's in Kennett Square.
1. K&G Pizza (pepperoni) is the BEST EVER!!! My family has been getting pizza there for over 30 years! I now live in Colorado and wish that I could find something even half as good.
Brothers Pizza (West Chester) is also good, and Giordanos (Kennett Square) has good, cheesy pizza calzones.
1 Reply
1. re: Linds71
I agree with you 100% about Giordano's calzones. I love the pizza one but my favorite is the broccoli and tomato. I think the reason they are so good is the rectangular shape. You can get more uniformity in each bite, compared to a moon shaped...
2. After reading this post - my husband and I stopped by K & G's for pizza one day to try it out. Seems as if their specialty is actually deep dish. We prefer thin crust. Needless to say we didn't end up eating there because they don't sell by the slice thin crust - we were just wanting to grab a quick late lunch.
Does anyone recommend their thin crust (neopolitan i think they called it) pizza?
3 Replies
1. re: snowy11480
I finally tried K & G's and unfortunately it was not what I was hoping it would be. The stromboli was pretty good, but the husband and I did not like the pizza. It reminded me of a frozen pizza from the box. The search goes on for me. Any new recommendations are always appreciated.
1. re: jficco
Appreciate you giving them a try and sorry that it didn't work out for you. I grew up on the pepparoni (definitely had its moments of greasy and chewey but that's what I'm down with), but it looks like deep dish has become their selling point. Glad to hear that the stromboli was good because I have had my fair share of poor strombolis in the area.
1. re: Prax1134
I think next on my list to try will be John's in Frazer as was recommended. I'll update on how that goes.
2. Giovanni's in Royersford PA (Montgomery County but 1 mile from the Chester County border at Spring City) has good pizza. I understand it's run by the same family that owns a pizza place by a different name (can't recall it at the moment) which is in/around the Coventry Mall in Pottstown (Chester County). Anyway, we like their pizza and stromboli - it's always been good.
Rino's Restaurant and Pizzeria by the Exton Mall is also good - I've only ever had a slice there but I enjoyed it.
1 Reply
1. re: jayellobee
I second both of these recs - Giovannis in Rofo is really good. And Rino's in Exton as well!
2. Have you given Mom's pizza in Thorndale a try? You typically order the pizza and bake it in the oven yourself, which is sometimes better than having the pizza stores here bake it for you.
Another option is Jack's in Thorndale.
2 Replies
1. re: percyn
Also, there's a Moms-Bake-at-Home in Ludwig's Corners as well. Buy the basic red or white and take it home and dress it up yourself. They also carry whole wheat and multi-grain crusts.
1. re: gardens4me
I was addicted to Mom's White pizza with broccoli - and tons of garlic - on a whole wheat crust, wow, have't had that since I moved from E OakLane (phl) 20+ years ago!
thanks for the memory!
2. Sals Pizza in Lionville. Great italian food - best pizza in the area IMHO. see my review on YELP.
1. This is a fairly old post, but since it's been revived I'll throw my two cents in, too. In the southern part of the county, Sovana Bistro and Floga Bistro (near Genuardi's on Rt. 1) both turn out really great pizzas.
1 Reply
1. re: CindyJ
Totally agree w/you on Sovana Bistro. Ate at Floga a while back. Very mediocre. My wife swears by Anthony's located in the Festival Center, Rt. 30 Whitford Road in Exton. We just had an eggplant pizza from there the other night (she got Pizza, I stopped at Han Dynasty and picked up Chinese) and the pizza was very, very good.
2. I also like Sal's in Lionville. Ron's isn't bad. Parkside in Eagle is okay. We used to love Malvern Pizza years ago when we lived there.
But I actually like Peace a Pizza the best. Okay, so you might not even call it pizza if you are a stickler but the mediterranean salad slice is always calling my name...
1. New member and just came across this post. Try Rainbow Pizza on Business 30 in Coatesville, about a mile east of Airport Road. Very good, and the toppings are under the cheese so they don't get overcooked.
1. Brothers Pizza in West Chester - off of 322 (Giant Shopping Center). Always impressed with the pizza and other menu items. If you sign up on their website they send coupons via email.
1. We LOVE the pizza at Palermo's in Phoenixville (rt 23 & 113, next to Hollywood Video). The owner is from Naples, very nice guy. We have pizza from there about once a week for the last two years. Consistent, thin crust, and he uses good cheese. Whenever we have tried other places, we always end up saying - Palermo's is better! :)
1 Reply
1. re: CucinadiNana
I'll second this and add that their spot in Royersford is also really really good.
2. New member here that just ran across this post... We live in Downingtown and have tried all of the pizza places around. The best pizza in the area that we've found is Anthony's Pizza in Downingtown (Next to the Downingtown School District Offices). Excellent pizza, salads and hoagies. They are pretty consistent in their food and ingredients. Everything is very fresh (It takes a few extra minutes for sandwiches because they slice the meat and cheese fresh to order.)
Anthony's Pizza
Bay Rd, Dover AFB, DE 19902
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98399
|
HOME > Chowhound > New Orleans >
Sour pickles? Any sour pickles out there?
• 10
• Share
Sour pickles are my most favorite food. So much so that I just googled them, found some for sale on eBay, and had to be talked down from the purchase of food products from "some random dude online" by my ever-practical boyfriend.
I've read all about Guss' pickles in NY, but I live in New Orleans, and a gallon of Guss' pickles shipped to my house costs about $75...plus, I am then the proud owner of a GALLON of pickles. And, let's face it, a gallon of pickles in a two person home can't go that fast...even if one of us could eat several a day. (And just how does one store an open gallon of pickles, anyway? Must they be refrigerated?)
So, my question/issue is clear: are there any sour pickles available in my region? Am I forced to be an online pickle consumer for life? And, if I must choose this technologically-advanced option, where are the best sour pickles in the country that will deliver to my door in NOLA?
Thanks for your help!
1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
Posting Guidelines | FAQs | Feedback
1. Head over to Kosher Cajun Deli; multiple pickles are served with each sandwich, and the attached small kosher grocery has a variety of pickles for sale. I'm partial to the pickled green tomatoes & pickled red peppers (can't remember the brand).
Have you tried Cochon's bread & butter pickles? Full of allspice...super delicious, but a bit pricey.
1. I think that one of the two spears you get with your sandwich at Stein's Deli is a sour pickle.
2 Replies
1. re: uptownlibrarian
Dorignac's, in the back of the store by the seafood, sells Ba-Tampte Half Sour pickles
1. re: Suzy Wong
Awesome! I am headed there right after Thanksgiving. THANK YOU!
2. If you're interested in some interesting pickles, try Mickle's Pickles. You can find them online at http://www.micklespickles.com/index.htm The "Not Hot Jalapeno Pickles" are tasty as are their original ones.
3 Replies
1. re: jolieblonde
Mickle's Pickles are so good.
1. re: mrsfury
Mickles Pickles will be a vendor at this weekend's New Orleans Hot Sauce & Gourmet show http://www.nolahotsauce.com/vendors/ Sat & Sun, at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.
1. re: Hungry Celeste
Oooh maybe I can make that on Sunday.
2. I don't know if you have ever tried them, but super Walmart sells sour pickles, Mt. Olive brand, in pint jars, at least they do in southern Mississippi anyway. You might be looking for a more upscale brand, but these aren't too bad, and cheap also.
1. I second Butchers pickles they are awesome
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98426
|
katallasso <2644>
katallassw katallasso
Origin:from 2596 and 236
Reference:TDNT - 1:254,40
In Greek:katallagentev 1, katallaghte 1, katallaghtw 1, katallasswn 1, katallaxantov 1, kathllaghmen 1
In NET:be reconciled 1, Be reconciled 1, have been reconciled 1, reconciled 1, reconciling 1, we were reconciled 1
In AV:reconcile 6
Definition:1) to change, exchange, as coins for others of equivalent value
1a) to reconcile (those who are at variance)
1b) return to favour with, be reconciled to one
1c) to receive one into favour
from 2596 and 236; to change mutually, i.e. (figuratively) to compound
a difference:-reconcile.
see GREEK for 2596
see GREEK for 236
Also search for "katallasso" and display in [NET] and Parallel Bibles.
created in 0.06 seconds
powered by bible.org
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98433
|
4734.03 Compensation and expenses of members.
Each member of the state chiropractic board shall be paid at the appropriate rate for those days on which the member's services or duties are required. Each member of the board shall be paid at the rate established pursuant to division (J) of section 124.15 of the Revised Code and shall not receive step advancements. In addition, each board member shall receive the member's necessary expenses.
Effective Date: 04-10-2001
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98448
|
Last modified on 9 July 2012, at 08:53
Category:Henri Chapu
Henri Chapu (1833–1891) Link back to Creator infobox template wikidata:Q654201
Henri Chapu
Alternative names Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu
French sculptor
Date of birth/death 1891
Location of birth/death Mée-sur-Seine Paris
Authority control
Pages in category "Henri Chapu"
This category contains only the following page.
Media in category "Henri Chapu"
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98451
|
I'M SO MAD doctor vent
Bargain Hunters
Join group
Group Detail
Public Group
64,551 members
261,250 posts
Created: 02/29/2008
Group Owners
All Members ()
Report this group
Snooping through older kids room/stuff
Comments (51)
1 2 3 4 5 6
Posted 10/23/2012
HIPPO. My mom used to snoop through our stuff. We never knew. When we had kids she finally fessed up and said if you want to keep your kids safe and out of trouble, you must snoop - its your job as a parent to know what is going on and once they hit a certain age, they won't tell you. My sister was 16 when she started hanging sound the wrong people and drinking, etc. My mom found out by reading her diary that she got piss drunk and threw up at a public event. She grounded my sister by not allowing her to ever sleep out again among other things. My sister never did it again. It was a mystery for years how my mom found out - As 30 year olds we would beg her to tell and she wouldn't. She finally confessed that she read the diary after my sister told her that she reads her daughters diary! It's not about privacy - children have no privacy - its about protecting your kids. Snoop away IMO.
Posted 10/23/2012
I won't do it unless I am seriously suspicious. Growing up my jerk father used to make a ritual of going through our rooms, except he would have my siblings in the room to "set an example"(I'm the oldest). He would also check through my back pack in front of friends, and read our notes to eachother and what not.
I was not a.bad child or teen at all, so i think the lengths he went through to find something were way too far.
My mother on the other hand never even looked through my journal when it was left out, and told me to rip up anything in writing.
My father treated me like I was in the military and he could do as he wishes. Looking back i wouldn't have minded it so much if he at least had the decency to hide his distrust in me. I wouldn't embarrass my children like that, ever.
Posted 10/23/2012
ComeAlive · Pass a Note!
Posted 4 hours ago
Tobacco is no big deal?!
IMO, no. Not when he was 17 years old at the time. It is pretty typical of baseball players, which he will not be forever. He was a great student (A's & an occasional B), didn't drink (yes I know I said I found alcolhol once but that is a long story), had a job, helped out around the house, played two sports, didn't really "hang out" with friends a lot, hung out at home a lot.
I guess it is all relative. When I was 17, I already had a child and had been doing WAY worse things than tobacco. He clearly was not doing it at school, work, home...so it really left him with little time to do it. I chalked it up to something he would grow out of. He still plays baseball now in college, but I have NEVER seen him chewing even when I see a lot of his teammates doing it.
Posted 10/23/2012
My mom did that shit to me, and I had nothing to hide. She went through EVERYTHING. My room, all of my stuff, my backpack, my purse. It made me feel like a piece of shit. I don't hold a grudge (I'm 35) but it damaged our relationship badly when I was a teenager and THEN I DID start hiding things from her because I didn't trust her not to go digging around in my stuff.
Ill never damage my relationship with my kids that way.
Now if my kid were caught with drugs or something then yes, that would be different. But just cause I can? Hell no.
Posted 10/23/2012
I want my kids to keep their rooms reasonably clean. If not I will "help" them with that. They should know that if I find something while doing that it will certainly be addressed. My kids are stll relatively young though and they are not spending alot of time with their peers without supervision (though that will change soon as ods will be in H.S. next year Straight Face
Ds14, ds13, ds11, dd10, ds8, dd7
Last edited 10/23/2012
Nope, I still remember the feeling whenever I caught my mom snooping in my room. I never had anything to hide and whenever I told her that she would just call me a liar. Really? Unless there is a legitimate reason, I don't know why she would go snooping through my things in the first place since I always did what they asked. SMH.
Posted 10/23/2012
I guess I was kinda like Mattysmommy's Mom. I would snoop to know what was going on, then randomly bring up conversations if I felt I should give ODS a reminder. Like when I saw some of his buddies were drinking on FB. I never accused him of drinking, I just brought up the whole "Don't drink, call if you need a ride, don't ride with people who have been drinking, don't stay at a party with drinking" talk AGAIN within a few days of me finding out that buddies were drinking more as a reminder.
So in 30 years when he is asking me how I knew about XYZ...I may admit it or maybe I will just point him to this thread! :)
Posted 10/23/2012
Story time!
Last edited 10/23/2012
Here's a tip. If you go snooping through your almost 18 year old trash and see something you don't like (used condom). Don't throw the trash all over the room then ignore her for 3 days. There's my story!
(01/09) (02/11)
Posted 10/23/2012
my mom snooped in my room. i had a make up bag in one of dresser drawers that was full of condoms-i wasnt sexually active at the time but i guess i wanted to be prepared and i gave them to my friends a lot of times.
after i started driving i started smoking-but a pack lasted me 1-2 weeks easy LOL. i dont think she ever found those-i should ask because i always wondered. i hid them inside a box of tissues in my car. im pretty sure if she had found them she woulda grounded my ass for forever so im assuming she didnt. i out grew it. i only did it because my friends did, my family did, i wanted to see what the big deal was. i could care less about it, im okay doing it, im okay not doing it. so i chose not to because its a waste of money and obviously not healthy lol
What's on your mind?
Create a new post
Please sign in
This field is required.
This field is required.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98453
|
Jump to content
responses to canceled events
• Please log in to reply
1 reply to this topic
#1 Moneylender
• Members
• 60 posts
Posted 06 April 2009 - 07:41 AM
I pretty much expect this question to appear at the nationals, and probably at a very crucial moment:
If a reinforcement event is played, and canceled by for example the queen of thorns, can you still respond to it being played, like with Men with no King?
Or does it have to be played "successfully" ?
Thanks in advance!
Ps. feel free to ridicule me if could have found the answer easily in the rules
#2 ktom
• Members
• 7,412 posts
Posted 06 April 2009 - 03:07 PM
A canceled event card is still considered to have been played. After all, if it hadn't been played, it wouldn't be in your discard pile, right?
In other words, Men With No King is Responding to the initiation of the event, not its resolution. Canceled events are still initiated, so the Response trigger is still valid.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98456
|
The keto-enol tautomerization is an interesting system for probing relative energies of subtle effects, playing off different bond type (and their associated strengths) with conjugation and hydrogen bonding and strain. Lawrence and Hutchings have now extended this to include the interplay of aromaticity and antiaromaticity in the keto-enol tautomerization of benzodifurantrione 1.1 The keto form 1k looks to be the favotable tautomer, containing an aromatic phenyl ring. The enol tautomer 1e requires the loss of that aromatic ring. Nonetheless, the enol structure is the only tautomer present in the crystal phase, and the enol tautomer is the dominant structure (if not the exclusive structure) in all solvents tested, including acetic acid, acetone, acetonitrile, chloroform, DMF, DMSO, propanol and toluene. The only solvents where the keto form is dominant are toluene and o-dichlorobenzene.
So, how does one rationalize this equilibrium? The B3LYP/6-311G(2d,p) structure of the two tautomers are shown in Figure 1. Note that there are two isomers of the enol form, differing on the orientation of the hydroxyl hydrogen. The syn isomer is the lowest energy form, in both the gas phase and in solution (PCM modeling acetonitrile, chlorobenzene and THF). So the enol form is the lowest energy structure when there are no special interactions involving hydrogen bonding or dipolar interactions with the solvent – there is an inherent energy preference for 1e.
Figure 1. B3LYP/6-311G(2d,p) structures of the tautomers of 1.1
To address that, they computed the NICS(0) values for each ring in the two tautomers. The pendant phenyl group is aromatic in both structures, as expected. The lactone ring has NICS values near 0 in both structures. The interior phenyl ring is aromatic (NICS = -7.5) in 1k but is non-aromatic in 1e, with NICS=-0.4. So the aromaticity of this ring is lost upon enolization, and thus would favor 1k. However, the terminal ring in the keto tautomer has NICS = +7.2, suggesting that it is antiaromatic, and upon enolization, the ring becomes slightly aromatic, with NICS = -2.1. Thus, the keto form is plagued by an antiaromatic ring, which is then lost in the enol form. The result is the interplay between losing an aromatic ring and its stabilization when the enol is formed balanced by also losing an antiaromatic ring with its destabilization. The authors do not offer any quantization (rightfully so!) of the stabilization/destabilization associated with these rings. But very subtle effects are clearly at play.
(1) Lawrence, A. J.; Hutchings, M. G.; Kennedy, A. R.; McDouall, J. J. W., "Benzodifurantrione: A Stable Phenylogous Enol," J. Org. Chem., 2010, 75, 690–701, DOI: 10.1021/jo9022155
1k: InChI=1/C16H8O5/c17-14-10-7-11-9(6-12(10)21-16(14)19)13(15(18)20-11)8-4-2-1-3-5-8/h1-7,13H
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98458
|
Go to:
Online Doc
Meeting Request
Mary Ghikas (staff)'s picture
Report from the 2009-2010 Poster Session Subcommittee
On behalf of Luke Vilelle, co-chair of the 2009-2010 subcommittee and chair of the 2010-2011 subcommittee, I am posting the subcommittee's report. There was extensive discussion of the poster sessions at the DC meeting of the ALA Conference Committee. Based on that discussion, I have forwarded to Luke Vilella the link to the 2009 Midwinter *virtual* poster sessions ( http://presentations.ala.org/index.php?title=2009_Virtual_Posters ), done as part of 2008-2009 ALA President Jim Rettig's presidential program. The chair for the virtual poster session was John Budd.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98463
|
Baby Born on Plane Headed for Chicago
From CBS2 Chicago:
A 42-year-old woman gave birth to a healthy girl late Wednesday aboard a plane destined for O’Hare International Airport from Mexico, officials said Thursday.
The birth on the Mexicana Airlines plane came nearly an hour before the midnight landing, airport spokeswoman Wendy Abrams said.
The baby, a Mexican citizen, is eligible for U.S. citizenship if born over U.S. airspace. By the way, isn’t this why pregnant women aren’t supposed to fly after x-y-z-whatever months? Turns out one of the passengers was a doctor. Do we smell a sitcom plot?
“There was a doctor who happened to be flying who also happened to be an obstetrician-gynecologist,” Chicago Fire Department spokesman Richard Rosado said. “So she couldn’t have been in better hands.”
“The people on board the aircraft — they were cheering and clapping and congratulating her as we exited the aircraft,” paramedic Al Trigl told CBS station WBBM-TV in Chicago.”
Well, ain’t that some human interest. We wonder if they charged her for an upgrade. —MEGHANN MARCO
Baby Born On Plane Headed For Chicago [CBS 2 Chicago]
Edit Your Comment
1. acambras says:
Hah! And we thought BREASTFEEDING on a plane freaked some people out.
2. Hoss says:
The mexican (and age) aspect of the story is quite unneccessary. Congrads new mother!
It’s a good thing it wasn’t United, or they would have charged her for another seat.
4. haha sounds like a plot to secure U.S. citizenship for the baby to me.
5. homerjay says:
Glad I wasn’t the one to say it, Beadprincessk.
Let me translate this:
“So she couldn’t have been in better hands.”
really means:
“She was the luckiest person in the air that day.”
6. dickius says:
The baby isn’t “eligible for U.S. citizenship.” The baby is a U.S. citizen.
7. levenhopper says:
dickius: the story doesn’t specify if the baby was born in american or mexican airspace. however, i’ll bet that since it was only an hour before landing in chicago, it was us airspace
8. Triteon says:
Yeah, unless the flight was on an SR-71 Blackbird I’m fairly certain they’d have been in US airspace.
And I’m wholly offended the mother was allowed to uncover her naughty bits in public! I certainly hope they made her cover up with a blanket. Or at least excuse herself to the lavatory, a more acceptable area for such awful behavior! Couldn’t she hold it until they reached the terminal?:P)
9. “We wonder if they charged her for an upgrade.”
Haha I was thinking that from the start, this being Consumerist.
10. Pelagius says:
I wonder if they cleaned the seat afterward…
And to Hossofcourse – the nationality of the mother has everything to do with the story. Immigration is checking the flight logs very carefully to determine whether the baby is technically allowed American citizenship or not. If this catches on, the GOP is going to have to build a very high border wall indeed.
11. ckilgore says:
After I had my son the nurses in the hospital ran me a shower, but because of some sort of malfunction, there was no hot water on my floor. (I didn’t cry during labor, but let me tell you, I cried taking that cold shower.) Now, every time I want to complain about that, I will think of giving birth on plane.
12. ElizabethD says:
This could start a trend. Who needs to outsmart the border patrols?
13. Hoss says:
Pelegius, not everyone in Mexico is poor enough to want to live near you
14. Triteon says:
Pelagius– that the border issue is a GOP-only issue will be of great surprise to Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. Once again, let’s remember this is a consumer blog, not a political one.
15. Pelagius says:
Jesus jumping pogo stick Christ. Did I imply that this is a desperate ploy by the mother to immigrate to the US? No. But is is part of the story, whether that offends your uber-sensitive sensibilities or not. Google the story – almost every headline is concerning the child’s citizenship. It might interest you to know that Mexico also follows the doctrine of jus soli, which is why my cousin is a dual Mexican-US citizen.
16. mfergel says:
***** It might interest you to know that Mexico also follows the doctrine of jus soli. ***** What’s the benefit??? All the burittos you can eat??
17. Trai_Dep says:
Sounds like the lil’ tyke should be a WORLD citizen, it being spawned in the ether and all…
Hey, sounds like they should have charged everyone a pay-per-view surcharge.
And, yeah, mom better watch her credit card to make sure the airline doesn’t sneak on another fare after-the-fact.
18. acambras says:
What is jus soli?
19. acambras says:
Never mind — I overcame my laziness and looked it up. I get it now.
20. magic8ball says:
My question is, How did she get onto the plane that late in her pregnancy? When I’ve asked airlines about their policy, most of them told me they wouldn’t let pregnant women on their flights after their seventh month of gestation. I suppose it’s possible that the baby in this case was two months premature, but in that case I doubt she would have been described as “healthy.”
21. acambras says:
I copied this from Mexicana’s website (the English part at least):
Pregnant Women
What do I have to do if I’m pregnant and would like to travel?
Pregnant woman in good health will be accepted for travel without a medical certificate except under the following circumstances:
When pregnancy is estimated to be at more than six months.
The pregnancy is not progressing normally and/or complications are expected at birth.
If any of the above circumstances apply, you will need to supply the following: A medical certificate, issued within 7 days of travel. For pregnancies in the sixth month or later, you will also need to fill a limited liability form.
22. JeffreyK says:
Ahhhh… there’s the real story. It sounds like, according to acambras post, this woman flew against Mexicana’s Airlines pregancy policy. So, who’s accountable if there had been complications? If the child or mother died, or perhaps either were injured, or if passengers were placed in jeopardy (we’re talking about body fluids in an enclosed space and likely without much sterilization or protection), who’d have been at fault? The airline for not raising a flag, or the mother for not asking or giving thought in advance?
Things to ponder.
23. IRSistherootofallevil says:
Um the baby’s an American citizen unless the Mexicana flight had a stopover in Montreal.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98469
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I am looking to buy good silver ware both for cooking and serving purposes. Would be helpful to know of some places online which are vetted by the culinary community here.
share|improve this question
closed as not constructive by rumtscho, BaffledCook, derobert, KatieK, TFD Oct 1 '12 at 23:30
1 Answer 1
I go to Replacements.com. They're not cheap, but they have anything you might want or need.
share|improve this answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98484
|
2014/03/01 Sebastien Bihorel * Simplified set and get methods: - neldermead.set: replace neldermead.configure - neldermead.get: code from previous neldermead.get and neldermead.cget consolidated into a single function. * deprecated function: neldermead.configure, neldermead.cget 2014/01/26 Sebastien Bihorel * Change vignette data location to comply to R 3.0 requirements * Add NAMESPACE * Rename .Rnw file due to creation of optimbase.tex doc file * Formal creation of "existing" or new classes: - optimbase: this class replaces the T_OPTIMIZATION attribute and optimbase function replaces optimbase.new function - optimbase.functionargs: this class replaces the T_FARGS attribute for the costargument level of optimbase object. - optimbase.outputargs: this class replaces the T_FARGS attribute for the outputcommandarg level of optimbase object. - optimbase.outputdata: this class replaces the T_OPTDATA attribute in the output of the optimbase.outstruct object * Add as, is, summary, and print methods for optimbase class objects * optimbase.configure: - verbose and verbosetermination levels in optimbase objects are now booleans (this is reflected in functions using those levels of optimbase objects). - costargument level set to a optimbase.functionargs object - outputcommandarg level set to a optimbase.outputargs object * optimbase.function: updates to take into account new classes * Rename 'assert.type' functions to 'assert.class' * deprecated function: optimbase.new, optimtypeof 2011/03/30 Sebastien Bihorel * Corrected encoding of vignette source (latin1 instead of utf8x) 2011/03/16 Sebastien Bihorel * optimbase.gridsearch: restricted grid expansion to avoid over use of memory. 2011/01/09 Sebastien Bihorel * optimbase.gridsearch: corrected bug with alpha. Must contain values greater than 1. * vignette: correction of a typo in the description of the optimization problem section 1.1: gi(x) must be greater or equal to 0, and not lower or equal to 0. 2010/10/15 Sebastien Bihorel * added optimbase.gridsearch function * optimbase.function: modified tests for T_FMINSEARCH into tests for T-FARGS because passing argument to a cost function should not have been restricted to the specific fminsearch algorithm * optimbase.outputcmd: modified test for T_FMINSEARCH into test for T-FARGS 2010/05/18 Sebastien Bihorel * optimbase.checkcostfun: corrected bugs in the calls to optimbase.function (wrong arguments were set up) * optimbase.isinnonlincons: corrected the f, g, c and gc assignments to use tmp instead of this. 2010/05/11 Sebastien Bihorel * DESCRIPTION: added dependency to the Matrix package (needed for the norm() function)
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98489
|
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Woodward dream cruise
Hanging out at the cruise. The weather is warm and the cars are hot! Wish you were here!
1. I wish I was there too! The weather is miersable here!
2. You need to make a visit to Reno during their annual Hot August Nights festival - it is usually the first week in August - complete with a sock hop and a concert by the Beach Boys!
3. Oooh, Reno sounds like a good idea. I love the Beach Boys too! I have a high school friend who lives in Sparks and keeps asking me to come out. One of these days I'm going to do it!
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98493
|
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
What is Your Game About?
For such a derivative medium, the gaming world has a lot of distinctive brands and properites. Glancing over a lot of newer releases and big-name franchises, it's very easy to identify the unique qualities of all of them. Alan Wake is about a writer dealing with his own inner demons made real. Borderlands is about fighting monsters on an alien world while feeding the random loot demon. Call of Duty is about intense action and high-grade military gun porn. Fable is about exploring a large, reactive world and watching your hero grow and develop. SSX is about impossibly steep mountains and even more impossible snowboard tricks.
Almost every single gaming franchise of any note can be easily described in a few short words, as far as brand and aesthetic go, and this is how games are marketed, why players become attached to them, and what generally separates successes from failures - if your game isn't memorable and distinct, it doesn't matter how good it is mechanically. Competition is just too steep to not stand out, and there are so many games crowding the marketplace that being able to communicate to players exactly what a game's strengths are in a manner of seconds is often more important than all the work put into the game itself.
However, while questions about image, aesthetic and so on are integral to the success of a game, we rarely take the time to address what a game is about mechanically and structurally. Distinctiveness is something we express in terms of looks, not in terms of the fundamentals that actually drive the gameplay experience in the first place. Even among experienced and successful developers, much of this comes down to "feel" rather than any particular critical understanding. In this article I'd like to take the time to draw attention to a few aspects of games that we don't always think about, but have a bigger say in defining our experiences than all the branding in the world.
Success and Failure States
One rule that has yet to be seriously rewritten in the mainstream games industry, beyond more than a few experiments, is what the terms of success and failure are. Almost any single game can be summed up as: overcome obstacles for rewards. If we fail, we try again, and if we succeed, we typically move on to the next challenge or complete the game. This definiton of what constitutes a game is so fundamental to our understanding of the medium that key ideas tied into success and failure - game over, respawning, cinematics, inventory, character progression - are all expected in just about every game; despite this, we rarely stop to think about why they are there, or why they take the forms they do. It's possible to create great games without even knowing why a multiplayer mode should revolve around attaining the greatest number of frags, or why an RPG should feature disposable loot - we just take these as givens. More generally, our reliance on success and failure states is so great that even when we talk about games that deviate from the norms, we tend to think of them as non-games.
Unfortunately, this mentality can be backed up by players as much as by developers, and experiments with failure states are often met with anger or confusion. Ubisoft's Prince of Persia (2008) attempted to reinvent both the aesthetic and gameplay of the series by effectively removing the consequence from death - though players would always have to overcome specific challenges to proceed, failing would not result in lost progress. This was enough to set off a torrent of complaints from many gamers, especially the more traditional fans of the series - even though Prince of Persia, since its revival with The Sands of Time years before, had featured this exact same consequence-free gameplay, albeit with a limit imposed. Tale of Tales' The Path also experimented rather boldly with the idea of failure and success states by providing different endings for different play-styles, without sticking to obvious good and bad outcomes - the result was a game that was praised for its innovation, but many players simply did not "get."
Because it was familiar, Ubisoft's Prince of Persia series went back to convention with The Forgotten Sands regardless of whether it improved gameplay.
Interestingly, in the multiplayer space, failure and success states play by very different rules, and deviation from the norm is common. Minecraft is an obvious example with no clear success or failure (or even strict rules save for the laws of physics and crafting system that govern the game world), but this is appealing primarily because players enjoy the game more as a social experience than as a traditional game. However, Minecraft is not as different at second glance as it initially appears - MMO games have shown for years that players are often less interested in direct competition and winning as they are with simply occupying a space with others. Different players get different things out of different games, of course, but Minecraft scratches a very particular itch without feeling the need to tie itself to more traditional structure. In this sense it is not so much innovative for what it does so much as what it doesn't do - fetter itself with unnecessary baggage. In this light, its success is easier to comprehend.
Considering exactly how a game will be "won" or "lost", or whether such terms will have any meaning at all, is something fundamental to design that we almost never think to question. Even death is so much a synonym that violence can often work its way into games where it may be wholly inappropriate, such as titles aimed at children. Many game concepts are never even considered because of this - how many titles do we see that seriously build themselves around social interaction, exploration for exploration's sake, or freeform building and creation? If designers (and publishers) want to distinguish their games, looking to and toying with the very basics of what constitutes "game over" opens many doors.
Input & Interface
There are hundreds of different factors about a game that can be fine-tuned when it comes to input, controls and game feel - from more general things like button layout and user interface, to camera distance and field of view, to smaller details like the threshold of action required to move a character at different speeds, or consistency of certain control functions (should B always cancel, or does the Back button make more sense sometimes?).
It may seem obvious, but creating games that work with the strengths of their interfaces can mean fighting downhill rather than uphill.
Understanding how these methods of input affect gameplay is crucial to actually building it in the first place, especially in the broad strokes of interface. Though I don't go into each and every one, below are some of the most common forms we see, as well as their implications on gameplay:
1. First-person perspective. Conventions for controls tend to vary based on standards set by the biggest shooter (for a long time inverted controls were standard due to the legacy of flight simulators), but these games almost always rely upon striking some sort of balance between positioning and facing - in the case of a shooter, it might be aiming a gun while dodging bullets, while in a role-playing game, interacting with objects may take on the same function. Despite the cosmetic differences, the method of action is effectively identical. Sometimes, the limited field of view can be used to interesting effect, as well.
2. Third-person perspective (3D/over the shoulder). Generally third-person games place more emphasis on navigating an environment. Due to the fact that the player's spatial and situational awareness are no longer hampered by what is immediately visible by the avatar, instead the challenge relies less in identifying and pointing at targets, and more on piloting the avatar - complex dodges, rolls, jumps and so on are almost always impossible to pull off effectively in first-person games, but work just fine when the player can see how their avatar moves.
3. Side-scroller. Whereas third-person games usually rely on dodging obstacles through positioning, side-scrollers tend to be much more about mastery of controls and understanding whole game worlds. The limited (usually 2D) perspective means that challenge is not about navigating on a micro-level (do I dodge forward or forward-left?), but rather about performing complex sequences of input that form larger chains of action (jump from platform X to Y, duck, shoot, duck, jump down, etc. - see Contra for a classic example). In some cases, the focus also turns to navigation of an overworld environment and sub-levels, especially common in the Metroid and Zelda games.
4. Isometric/point and click. These types of games are only common on devices with pointer-style controls or touchscreens, and with good reason - in almost all cases the challenge comes down to speed and precision of the pointer device, coordination of complex input combinations (as in the case of strategy games like StarCraft) or managing large tasks that would be impossible in any other interface (such as ordering groups of soldiers around a map) - whereas most games put the emphasis on the player's ability to manipulate an avatar held by certain constraints, isometric games usually emphasize the player's own dexterity. Necessarily, games played from this perspective are generally larger-scale, although of course there are exceptions.
Granted, there are always exceptions, and there is also a lot of overlap - some strategy games are not so different from side-scrollers, for instance, in that much of the difficulty comes in managing difficult chains of input (correct timing, sequence, etc.), and a racing game is not unlike a 3D platform game in that the goal is to avoid obstacles (cars or, say, rolling boulders) while piloting an avatar. However, paying particular attention to the effect perspective and input mechanism have on potential for gameplay can help emphasize strengths while minimizing weaknesses in design. Games like Mirror's Edge or Fallout: New Vegas demonstrate that unless your level design and gameplay accommodate input and perspective, you're going to run into problems (overly difficult navigation, in their case), while Super Metroid is successful precisely because it so expertly builds itself around the inherent strengths of its interface, and Portal because its portals literally open new perspectives for the player.
Gameplay Systems & Structure
There are generally two approaches to game design on a broad level - go for a very tight, well-balanced, focused mechanic and stick to it, making sure to master the essentials and create a pure gameplay experience, or try to manage the interactions between multiple systems (mini-games in themselves) and make sure that the balance between all of these is able to make up for the general deficiency in the individual mechanics. One isn't necessarily better than the other, although smaller games may be suited to the former approach to avoid feature creep and bloat; defining and managing the systems that make up a game is crucial to understanding how or why something works, or doesn't.
Both the games on older consoles (Atari, NES/SNES, Master System/Genesis, etc.) and the newer mobile games (iPhone/Android) tend to fall into the former category, with games whose designs effectively polish a single idea to a mirror finish, adding only what's needed to keep the experience fresh for its intended duration. Cut the Rope might be absurdly simple mechanically, for instance, but the challenges it presents and variable scoring system repurpose those mechanics in new contexts to keep things interesting. Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog puts heavy focus on replayability and speed-running, featuring levels that reward fast completion and facilitate it for players who are skilled enough. Neither of these games are especially "deep", but they are able to leave lasting impressions precisely because their core mechanics are so polished.
Castlevania 2 may be one of the best examples of a game trying to strap on too many mechanics to a relatively simple design, and buckling under its own weight.
Conversely, many games opt for sheer size and the interaction of many mechanics to produce their fun. Although applicable to the largest games, like The Elder Scrolls series, many smaller-scale games also rely upon this interplay. Consider how Call of Duty requires players manage health, ammo capacity, risk/reward in terms of movement and exposure, reload time, and even killstreak reward use in order to force constant movement, repositioning, and ensures things are always tense. We might think of it as a "mindless shooter" at times, but the truth of the matter is there is a lot going on that we never even stop to think about. Some of the most successful mechanics in Call of Duty, such as the aforementioned killstreak rewards, work so well precisely because they tie into the continual risk/reward systems at play, whether that's in accumulating them (through either consistent or risky play), or in using them (pick the wrong time and the reward is wasted).
Most games are going to sit somewhere in the middle. The reality of game creation is that while on paper it's easy to specify and articulate many aspects of gameplay, actually turning it into something fun requires months of tweaking, and with modern production values being what they are, developers rarely have the resources to perfect their mechanics. The interplay between mechanics is very often enough to make up the difference, however, so much so that players are willing to forgive a lot of balance problems or shallow mechanics if the interactions are interesting and addictive enough. A bloated or anemic game will give players pause far more than one with balance issues or endgame pacing concerns.
Closing Thoughts
We too easily attribute the success of games to the aesthetics that surround them - and this is often very tempting to do, because as fans of games we tend to see what fans see, and even experienced designers can sometimes fixate on the surface elements. Granted, game design is as much about creating interesting mechanics and understanding the impact of control scheme on challenge construction, as it is about being able to unite narrative and art style, or create the perfect rise in tension through a game level by using subtle audio cues, but just as knowledge of music theory is important to composition, being able to understand exactly how and why a particular element of a game influences how it plays can allow for the crafting of more compelling experiences.
More broadly, I also hope that, as gamers and game creators develop critically and intellectually, and the vocabulary for understanding games grows, the answers we give to the question "what is your game about?" will change. This might sound a bit game design 101, but even so it can be easy to get caught up in the minutia and miss out on the fundamentals driving a game. Ideas are all well and good, but in focusing too much on genre and on image, we restrict the articulation and precision of our expression, as well as dampen our understanding of what constitutes a game in the first place.
1 comment:
1. Hey Eric, this is Errick :) I've read some of your blogs on here and on Gamasutra and they are always a great read that's really insightful. I'm also an aspiring game designer but am having a hard time getting started. I'm looking at getting a game design degree but was hoping I could ask you a few questions about what you think since you've already graduated and been working in game design. If yes would you send me an email @ [email protected]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98501
|
California State University, Long Beach
Generic icon
Summer Session 2014
May 27 – August 15
Key Dates
Key Dates
Key dates & deadlines
Schedule of Classes icon
Schedule of Classes
Spring and Fall 2014
This Week at the Beach Icon
Great White Shark
Endangered? Not so Fast
Study finds Great White Shark population in good health
Kelp Watch 2014
Fracking Impact
Professor sees impact of fracking on one North Dakota community
Website Index
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98507
|
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Parents vs. Life
At the SF Weekly, Matt Smith writes movingly about the death of three-year old Olive Woo Murphy, who was in his daughter's pre-school class:
On March 29 Olive's mother, Linda Woo, brought her two children and a portable barbecue into a Subaru Outback at their Ingleside home. When a neighbor found them, Olive was dead from the barbecue's fumes. Her brother Carter, 4, was unconscious. Woo was still awake. She had reportedly been distraught over a recent separation from her husband. The resulting murder and attempted murder charges carry 25 years to life...
A jury will soon attempt to fathom what Linda Woo's demented thoughts were when she killed little Olive. So there's no point doing that now. We're merely left pondering whether, or when, there will be a next time, and if we're doing enough for children and their caregivers, and for people struggling, or who appear as if they might be struggling, with depression or other mental illness. We're left looking around us at a city that, despite its plethora of playgrounds, programs, and beautiful places for children to live, can be a lonely, stressful, even anguishing place for a mother. If you know one, this might be a good week to ask how she's doing, and listen. Ask if she needs any help. Then follow through if she does...
I recently discovered that a mom close to me is seriously depressed and even afraid that she might hurt her baby. Many parents I know in San Francisco feel pushed to the very edge. It's mostly moms, but stay-at-home dads -- not to mention working dads and moms - are also struggling to keep their heads above water. We face criticism from relatives, stress over money and work, conflict with our spouses, anxieties over status - the list is endless.
I guess I only want to second Smith's call to ask a mom how she's doing, and really listen. And ask a dad, too, especially a stay-at-home dad: in our culture (and in many cultures) men are punished, in ways large and small, subtle and obvious, for revealing anxieties or sharing emotions. That doesn't mean that they're not anxious or emotional. Dads and moms: when someone you trust asks how you're doing, don't be afraid to tell the truth. There are so many barriers that divide us; but if we can step over them, we might just help each other out.
[By the way, the photos for both today and April 10 were taken by our friend, Negar Siadatnejad. The April 10 photos of the immigration march in San Francisco were all taken by my wife Shelly.]
1 comment:
Anonymous said...
Dear Jeremy,
Matt Smith
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98527
|
DC Reads Finale and Reception with John Muller
Thursday, November 14, 2013 - 7:00pm
Join us in the great hall for the DC Reads finale. Enjoy a discussion with author John Muller. Questions and answers precede the reception. Books sold by Politics and Prose bookstore. Refreshments provided by the DC Public Library Foundation.
Have you read the DC Reads title? Check out Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia.
Learn more about DC Reads.
See all DC Reads events.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98532
|
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Better Google Searching
Google returns very good search results with basic effort, but as a graduate student you can make Google results even better with some helpful tips and tricks. Legal Productivity has a great list of ways to improve your search results here.
And don't forget the Hofstra Law Library's Spring 2014 workshop which goes over even more ways to improve your Google skills. View the archived webcast here.
Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat
No comments:
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98554
|
Forgot your password?
Slashdot Items Tagged "go"
Date / TimeStory
Friday November 12, 2010 @12:22PM The Coming War Over the Future of Java
Monday March 09, 2009 @03:45AM Computer Beats Pro At US Go Congress
Forgot your password?
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98555
|
14 Bruce to Curtin
Cablegram 121[A] LONDON, 2 August 1942, 7.50 p.m.
My telegram S.34 of 4th June. [1] There have been developments
during the past week of which it is desirable that I should inform
you. After the Cabinet Meeting on Monday last, I had a short
preliminary conversation with the Prime Minister with regard to
our representation here. It is unnecessary to indicate the tenor
of that conversation as subsequent developments make it clear.
On Tuesday I wrote to the Prime Minister the following letter:-
'After our meeting last night, I dictated a short note to try and
clear my mind. Although in our conversation I said to you I did
not think anything in writing would be helpful, on reading the
note I am inclined to think it might be useful as a basis for
discussion when we meet again. I accordingly enclose it herewith.'
The note referred to is contained in my immediately following
telegram, No. 122[A]. [2]
Yesterday I had a long talk with Attlee who told me that the Prime
Minister had shown him my note and asked him to discuss it with
As a result of that conversation I have today written to Attlee
following letter [3]:-
'With reference my note to the Prime Minister of 27th July and my
conversation with you yesterday, the position as I understand it
is that, without any precise formula being laid down, we will
endeavour in the light of the frank exchange of views that has
taken place to work out in practice a mutually satisfactory
arrangement. I realize your difficulties and you can rest assured
that whatever I can do, consistent with my obligations to my
Government, to help you to overcome them, I will willingly do.'
I am hopeful that it will be possible to work out the 'mutually
satisfactory arrangement' referred to in my letter to Attlee and
subject to any instruction from you I propose to go ahead on this
1 On file AA: M100, June 1942. It outlined Bruce's conception of
his task as Accredited Representative of the Commonwealth Govt.
2 Document 15.
3 There is a copy of this letter (in fact dated 1 August) on file
AA:M100, August 1942.
[FA:A3195, 1942, 1.30566]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98557
|
Sushi Zushi
The Dallas location of temporarily closed Sushi Zushi. Photo Credit: CBS 11 News's Jay Gormley.
Government Audit Forces Dallas Sushi Restaurant To Close
A popular sushi restaurant in Dallas and Southlake have been temporarily closed after an audit kept key employees from showing up to work.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98566
|
a table on a map, chart, or the like, listing and explaining the symbols used. Compare key1 ( def 8 ).
Numismatics, inscription ( def 8 ).
a collection of stories about an admirable person.
Obsolete. a collection of such stories or stories like them.
prelegend, noun, adjective
fable, legend, myth (see synonym study at the current entry).
1. fact.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Cite This Source Link To legend
World English Dictionary
legend (ˈlɛdʒənd)
1. a popular story handed down from earlier times whose truth has not been ascertained
2. a group of such stories: the Arthurian legend
3. a modern story that has taken on the characteristics of a traditional legendary tale
4. a person whose fame or notoriety makes him a source of exaggerated or romanticized tales or exploits
5. an inscription or title, as on a coin or beneath a coat of arms
6. explanatory matter accompanying a table, map, chart, etc
7. a. a story of the life of a saint
b. a collection of such stories
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History
mid-14c., from O.Fr. legende (12c.), from M.L. legenda "legend, story," lit. "(things) to be read," on certain days in church, etc., from neuter plural gerundive of L. legere "to read, gather, select" (see lecture). Used originally of saints' lives; extended sense of "nonhistorical
or mythical story" first recorded 1610s. Meaning "writing or inscription" (especially on a coin or medal) is from 1610s; on a map, illustration, etc., from 1903.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
legend about the stone.
May your wines be good, your legend lasting, and all alligators absent.
Copyright © 2014 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
• Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98568
|
corps engineers
Corps of Engineers
a branch of the U.S. Army responsible for military and many civil engineering projects. Unabridged
Cite This Source Link To corps engineers
Previous Definition: corps diplomatique
Next Definition: corps man
Words Near: corps engineers
More from
Synonyms and Antonyms for corps engineers
More from
Search for articles containing corps engineers
Copyright © 2014, LLC. All rights reserved.
• Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98569
|
Nansen passport
a passport issued after World War I by the League of Nations to refugees unable to establish citizenship.
1920–25; after F. Nansen, on whose initiative an agreement to issue such passports was signed Unabridged
Cite This Source Link To nansen-passport
World English Dictionary
Nansen passport
a passport issued to stateless persons by the League of Nations after World War I
[C20: named after F. Nansen]
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2014, LLC. All rights reserved.
• Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98570
|
World English Dictionary
rescript (ˈriːˌskrɪpt)
1. (in ancient Rome) an ordinance taking the form of a reply by the emperor to a question on a point of law
2. any official announcement or edict; a decree
3. something rewritten
4. the act or process of rewriting
[C16: from Latin rēscriptum a reply, from rēscribere to write back]
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2014, LLC. All rights reserved.
• Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98571
|
World English Dictionary
velites (ˈviːlɪˌtiːz)
pl n
[C17: from Latin, pl of vēles light-armed foot soldier; related to volāre to fly]
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
Cite This Source
Previous Definition: velitation
Next Definition: velivolant
Words Near: velites
More from
Synonyms and Antonyms for velites
More from
Search for articles containing velites
Copyright © 2014, LLC. All rights reserved.
• Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98582
|
Search Discussions:
Advanced Search...
Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
New Member
Posts: 2
Accepted Solution
Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
how do i close microsoft lync? it's draining my battery..
is it okay if i delete it?
help please.. thank you!
Please use plain text.
Posts: 6
Re: Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
I deleted it from my C7-00 (Belle) and I did not recognize any Problem.
It was very annoing because it always startet when I startet the Phone.
But you can also close it every time using the task manager (push the menue button for a few seconds, then you see als tasks opened and you can close those you do not want do run).
Please use plain text.
Posts: 25
Re: Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
I also find this program very annoying. First, there is nothing that says what this program is or what it's for. Do I need it on my phone? It starts when the phone starts. I have to close it every time I start the phone. VERY annoying. There is no option for not starting the program when the phone starts.
If I don't need it, is it ok just to delete it?
Please use plain text.
Posts: 22
Re: Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
i ve doubt in that.. After uninstalling, sw update shows microsoft apps again.. I ve doubt tht if i dont install this, will m able to update belle in future??
If you want to thank someone, just click on the BLUE STAR at the bottom of their post
Please use plain text.
Posts: 325
Re: Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
Microsoft Apps are Business apps to be honest, so I don't see why you should keep them, besides, they eat up a whole lot of space, so get rid of them if you aren't using them. And you'll be able to get future updates, with or without installing them.
Only waiting for the MS Office package.....
N8-00,Galaxy Tab 10.1
Please use plain text.
Technical Expert
Posts: 427
Re: Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
Removing Microsoft Lync from Installed applications is ok, and you can keep and use others.
Please use plain text.
Mobile Visionary
Posts: 1,127
Re: Microsoft Lync on c6-01 belle
Microsoft apps is an optional update. It has nothing to do with any other updates on offer. You can install those updates as and when you wish.
In Love With My C6-01:Now running on Nokia Belle!
Please use plain text.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98586
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
I now have a wonderful hole in a bathroom door, as a result of door-stop not being installed in the proper place, and the door being shoved up against a towel rail (picture attached). As can be seen, this door is of the cheap variety and consists of plywood (right name?) front and back.
My options at this stage are:
1. Replace the entire door (expensive);
2. Replace the entire back of the door (big job, and possibly pricey);
3. Some "localised" fix (ugly, but maybe there's some "magic" of which I'm not aware).
Any advice would be appreciated. Hold In The Door
share|improve this question
"Replace the door" if it's a cheap door is about $40-60 at your local big box hardware store. Just look for door blanks. – The Evil Greebo Oct 2 '12 at 14:47
3 Answers 3
up vote 4 down vote accepted
You can try something similar to the fix for a drywall hole, just with glue instead of screws due to how thin the material is:
1. Cleanup and smooth the opening and make a replacement piece that fits the hole.
2. Install a small piece of wood across the back side of the opening. You need this to attach your patch to. Use a strong glue (liquid nail perhaps) to have it stick in place. Because of how thin the material is, you may want to install a few pieces to provide support at the edges. If you don't have a small piece of wood, pickup a paint stirrer at the hardware store, they're usually free.
3. Glue the patch in place.
4. Wood filler or spackle around the edges.
5. Sand.
6. Prime and paint.
share|improve this answer
since it's wood to wood, wood glue will suffice for gluing the brace and the patch. – Tester101 Apr 27 '11 at 11:56
You'd be surprised at how not-ugly the patch job can be with a little care and a coat of paint. Spackling and sanding will make it almost invisible. – Alex Feinman Oct 2 '12 at 15:08
When attaching the piece in the back (inside) to hold the patch, you can simplify the gluing process by tying a string around the back patch and tying it to a pencil on the face of the door until the glue dries. – bib Oct 2 '12 at 17:51
Some people cover such a hole with a thin wood board or metal plate that extends across the full width of the door. (Or most of the width, minus an inch or so on one side or the other or both). The added material also reinforces the door, making it less likely the door stop will punch another hole in the door.
kick plate and mop plate illustration (illustration from Atlanta Lock and Key)
share|improve this answer
Everything you do is going to look like a patch job.
Replacing the door is really not that expensive. I think I saw some of those doors at home depot for $25-$30. You may have to buy the hole saw for the door handle tho.
share|improve this answer
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98592
|
Skip to end of metadata
Go to start of metadata
Module Maintainer:
Jesse Eichar
Email Help:
IP Review:
Recent Development
The shapefile module seen a vast improvement in quality, particularly with regards to index support and interactive editing.
This branch is still actively patched for uDig 1.1.x series.
Shapefile index extension was folded back into the core plugin.
A single ShapefileDataStoreFactorySPI was made that will create either a ShapefileDataStore or IndexedShapefileDataStore as the occasion requires.
This release has a known fatal deadlock when editing.
The shapefile code was rewritten to hide all file access behind a single read/write lock - fixing the fatal deadlock above.
Duplicate code removed (between ShapefileDataStore and IndexedShapefileDataStore)
Some Attribute index code was donated, although it has not been folded in yet.
We really want feedback on this one!
Module Status
The shapefile module is stable, we could use some help supporting attribute indexs.
IP Review
Outstanding Issues
• No labels
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98594
|
From Joomla! Documentation
< Template:Userlist
Revision as of 14:16, 8 February 2013 by Tom Hutchison (Talk | contribs)
This is a documentation subpage for Template:Userlist.
To view the template page itself, see Template:Userlist.
This template requires and uses the Arrays Extension for Mediawiki allowing parameters to entered separated by a comma (,).
This template provides a method to list users with their page, talk page, and a contribs link.
Page of user lists or contribution credits at bottom of an article
Example output
Parameter Parameter description req./opt.
{{{1}}} username1,username2,username3,...so on required
Known Issues
None known currently.
See also
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98595
|
Sun Java System Web Server 6.1 SP12 Administrator's Guide
Using Schedulerd Control-based Log Rotation (UNIX/Linux)
You can configure several features of your Sun Java System Web Server to operate automatically and set to begin at specific times. The schedulerd control daemon checks the computer clock and then spawns processes at certain times. (These settings are stored in the schedulerd file.)
This schedulerd control daemon controls cron tasks for your Sun Java System Web Server and can be activated and deactivated from the Administration Server. The tasks performed by the cron process depends on various servers. (Note that on Windows platforms, the scheduling occurs within the individual servers.)
Some of the tasks controlled by the schedulerd control daemon include scheduling collection maintenance and archiving log files. Restart the schedulerd control daemon when you change the settings for scheduled tasks.
ProcedureTo restart, start, or stop the schedulerd control daemon
2. Click the Cron Control link.
3. Click Start, Stop, or Restart to change the schedulerd controls.
For starting schedulerd daemon from the CLI, run the following commands:
> ADMSERV_ROOT=$SERVER_ROOT/https-admserv/config
> export ADMSERV_ROOT
> cd $SERVER_ROOT/bin/https/bin
> ./schedulerd -d <server_root>
For example:
> ADMSERV_ROOT=/export2/iws61sp1/https-admserv/config
> export ADMSERV_ROOT
> cd /export2/iws61sp1/bin/https/bin
> ./schedulerd -d /export2/iws61sp1
> server scheduler daemon started#
For stopping schedulerd from the command-line, kill the schedulerd process and remove the pid file as shown below:
export PID_FILE=/opt/SUNWwbsvr/https-admserv/logs/scheduler.pid
kill -9 -`cat $PID_FILE`
- rm $PID_FILE
Note –
Whenever you add a task to the schedulerd daemon, you must restart the daemon
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98603
|
Published: 11 Oct 2007
By: Pinal Dave
A list of tips for enforcing coding standards in SQL.
Each organization has its own coding standards and enforcement rules. It is sometime difficult for DBAs to change code following code review, as it may affect many different layers of the application. In large organizations, many stored procedures are written and modified every day. It is smart to keep watch on all stored procedures, at frequent intervals, before code comes to final code review. Pre-code reviewing in this manner will save lots of time. I run a few scripts every day to check the status of the all stored procedures on our development server. Doing so gives me a good indication about which stored procedures are not up to coding standards.
The document for stored procedure coding standards is long. I have identified a few rules which I think are the most important. All the examples in this article are written assuming the DBA is a member of the System Administrator (sa) role.
I use the following script to search in all stored procedures.
Listing 1: SQL Server 2000 Example using systemtables.
• All the columns in the SELECT clause must follow the two-part naming convention: tablename.columname. This will prevent ambiguity when searching for that column in all the stored procedures. If you use the stored procedure shown above to search for tablename.columnname it will give a more accurate result than columnname only.
• Usage of * in the SELECT clause is not recommended, for two reasons. First, it decreases readability. Second, if columns retrieved in SELECT * are not used by the application, performance is degraded.
All the stored procedures that use SELECT * can be listed using the stored procedure displayed in listing 1, as follows:
The result set will return all the stored procedures which have used * anywhere in the text. Using this method is much faster than going through all the stored procedures and determining which ones use the '*' character.
• In the ORDER BY clause, it is advised to use tablename.columnname instead of numbers to identify the ORDER BY sequence. Use ORDER BY tablename.columnname1, tablename.columnname2, tablename.columnname3, instead of ORDER BY 1, 2, 3. This method is good for readability as well. It will be consistent with other SELECT statements where columns are used in the ORDER BY clause but are not used in the SELECT clause. To list all the stored procedures which have an ORDER BY clause, run the stored procedure displayed in listing 1 as follows:
• Dynamic queries reduce the performance of stored procedures, as usage of EXEC or sp_executesql forces recompilation of the stored procedure. To list all the Stored Procedures which have an EXEC or sp_executesql clause, run the stored procedure displayed in listing 1 as follows:
• Formatting is important, but excessive spaces between different clauses makes it harder to search in the database by running a query on system tables.
Likewise, if you wish to search for any keyword or restricted word defined in your company coding standard, the above stored procedure can be used to quickly make a list of stored procedures using them. Although this example searches for only one word, it can be easily modified to search for multiple words in a stored procedure.
When searching the list of stored procedures, I usually run the following code, which generates the commands that return the text of a stored procedure. This is an easy way to see all the stored procedures in the result pane. In this way, each stored procedure does not have to be opened to view its text; or run sp_helptext to see it.
Listing 2 shows a stored procedure called usp_SearchStoredProcedure_GenerateHelpText, which generates the code to display the text of searched stored procedures.
Listing 6: Stored procedure to retrieve the text of searched stored procedures.
First, change the results to display in text. Then, run stored procedure in listing 2, as follows:
Result Set:
Notice that the result set contains the object prefixed with the object owner. This is required for sp_helptext to execute without any error. If you want to skip this step and go to the next step where you can see the text of the stored procedure, all you need to do is run the stored procedure in listing 3, usp_SearchStoredProcedure_Generate_ViewSPText. This generates the text of all the searched stored procedures.
Listing 9: Stored procedure that generates the text of all the stored procedures.
First, change the results to display in text. Then, run the procedure in listing 3 as follows:
This stored procedure will display the code text of all the stored procedures in the results window. These tricks will help Senior DBAs to do code reviews faster for all stored procedures.
Another interesting fact to note about listing 1: If you run the SQL Server 2000 version and SQL Server 2005 together in the same transaction, the performance is quite noticeable. In the SQL Server 2005 version, the query cost is 8% (relative to the batch). As shown in figure 1, in the SQL Server 2000 version the query cost is 92% (relative to the batch). Another reason to migrate to SQL Server 2005!
Figure 1: Cost of SQL Server query
Listing 11: Find created/modified stored procedures.
• Sometimes it helps to check how many stored procedures are changed and created since last code review. I create reports of changed/created stored procedures and visually inspect a few of the stored procedure. Create the stored procedure shown in listing 4 and execute it as follows to find created/modified stored procedures in the last 10 days:
You can pass any other value instead of 10. The above stored procedure will list all user-created stored procedures as well as all system stored procedures. If a stored procedure is not modified after it was created, the modify and create dates will be the same.
There are few additional things should be quickly visually inspected.
• Important logic in stored procedures and functions should be properly documented.
• If possible, all the tables should be joined on indexed columns. That improves performance significantly.
• Table names should be aliased for readability. I like to alias table names; however, every organization have their policy about table aliases.
• All newly created tables should have a primary key and a clustered index.
The rules mentioned here are not final rules and they can be modified as per organization policy and business requirements. These rules are for pre-code review. Final code review may include all the rules of the pre-code review, including coding standards and performance testing.
This article has shown a list of tips for enforcing coding standards in SQL stored procedures.
About Pinal Dave
Other articles in this category
Identifying currently running SQL queries
What's blocking my running SQL?
SQL Azure to Developers: Part 1
You might also be interested in the following related blog posts
Data-binding Telerik CoverFlow for Silverlight + some Routed Commands goodness read more
November's Toolbox Column Now Online read more
Postgresql - Day 2 read more
Migrating to Postgresql with my friend NHibernate read more
How do I deploy an application and its prerequisites? (Mary Lee) read more
Migrated from Community Server to DasBlog read more
October's Toolbox Column Now Online read more
ObjectContext.SaveChanges is now Virtual/Overridable in EF4 read more
Web Deployment Tool has gone RTW read more
Subject Author Date
placeholder dynamic queries Jeffrey Hamby 1/3/2008 9:58 AM
RE: dynamic queries Sonu Kapoor 1/3/2008 10:00 AM
Please login to rate or to leave a comment.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98607
|
I wonder if I shouldn’t take a break off of this tumblr. I took a break from both of my twitters (okay fine, so one has lasted close to two years and they probably all think I kicked the bucket by now), I took a break from lj and my other tumblr, too. maybe I should disappear from this one for a while.
I normally take breaks because the people I know are annoying me and I choose to distance myself but this one feels a little different. it’s something else on top of that. in the mean time, though…
good things about my day: my skin is looking great, so is my hair, only one bout of sleep paralysis last night, got to hear louie chat about his uniform (a word he can’t even pronounce correctly, bless), no migraine, entrapped nerves in my elbows are feeling fine (less so the intercostals).
bad things about my day: everybody I’ve spoken today aside from my dad has mispronounced my surname, still slept like shit, more dizzy spells, my foot, about 50,000 paper cuts that came from nowhere, my asthma is acting up in a big way, still mad about seeing my mother the other day, back to hating all my aunts and uncles, feeling like I’ve wasted a lot of my time in the past few days.
just business as usual, really.
Sorry. I stuttered.
(Source: baddroid, via excelsagas)
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98616
|
Dungeons and Dragons Wiki
Radiant Melody (4e Power)
9,553pages on
this wiki
Created By
Sam Kay (talk)
Date Created: 2009/08/12
Status: Complete
Editing: Please feel free to edit constructively!
Radiant Melody Songweaver Attack 1
You sing a song of the light and the good, and a bright light glows around you.
Usage::Encounter ✦ Arcane, Radiant, Implement
Action Type::Standard Action Close burst 1
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Charisma Vs. Reflex
Hit: 1d8 + Charisma modifier radiant damage. Until the end of your next turn, you or one ally in burst gains a +2 bonus to AC and Reflex against ranged attacks.
Harp of Time: The bonus is equal to 1 + your Wisdom modifier.
Around Wikia's network
Random Wiki
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98626
|
Lives of the Necromancers, by William Godwin
Thus obscure and general is our information respecting the Babylonians. But it was far otherwise with the Greeks. Long before the period, when, by their successful resistance to the Persian invasion, they had rendered themselves of paramount importance in the history of the civilised world, they had their poets and annalists, who preserved to future time the memory of their tastes, their manners and superstitions, their strength, and their weakness. Homer in particular had already composed his two great poems, rendering the peculiarities of his countrymen familiar to the latest posterity. The consequence of this is, that the wonderful things of early Greece are even more frequent than the record of its sober facts. As men advance in observation and experience, they are compelled more and more to perceive that all the phenomena of nature are one vast chain of uninterrupted causes and consequences: but to the eye of uninstructed ignorance every thing is astonishing, every thing is unexpected. The remote generations of mankind are in all cases full of prodigies: but it is the fortune of Greece to have preserved its early adventures, so as to render the beginning pages of its history one mass of impossible falsehoods.
Deities of Greece.
The Gods of the Greeks appear all of them once to have been men. Their real or supposed adventures therefore make a part of what is recorded respecting them. Jupiter was born in Crete, and being secreted by his mother in a cave, was suckled by a goat. Being come to man’s estate, he warred with the giants, one of whom had an hundred hands, and two others brethren, grew nine inches every month, and, when nine years old, were fully qualified to engage in all exploits of corporeal strength. The war was finished, by the giants being overwhelmed with the thunderbolts of heaven, and buried under mountains.
Minerva was born from the head of her father, without a mother; and Bacchus, coming into the world after the death of his female parent, was inclosed in the thigh of Jupiter, and was thus produced at the proper time in full vigour and strength. Minerva had a shield, in which was preserved the real head of Medusa, that had the property of turning every one that looked on it into stone. Bacchus, when a child, was seized on by pirates with the intention to sell him for a slave: but he waved a spear, and the oars of the sailors were turned into vines, which climbed the masts, and spread their clusters over the sails; and tigers, lynxes and panthers, appeared to swim round the ship, so terrifying the crew that they leaped overboard, and were changed into dolphins. Bacchus, in his maturity, is described as having been the conqueror of India. He did not set out on this expedition like other conquerors, at the head of an army. He rode in an open chariot, which was drawn by tame lions. His attendants were men and women in great multitudes, eminently accomplished in the arts of rural industry. Wherever he came, he taught men the science of husbandry, and the cultivation of the vine. Wherever he came, he was received, not with hostility, but with festivity and welcome. On his return however, Lycurgus, king of Thrace, and Pentheus, king of Thebes, set themselves in opposition to the improvements which the East had received with the most lively gratitude; and Bacchus, to punish them, caused Lycurgus to be torn to pieces by wild horses, and spread a delusion among the family of Pentheus, so that they mistook him for a wild boar which had broken into their vineyards, and of consequence fell upon him, and he expired amidst a thousand wounds.
Apollo was the author of plagues and contagious diseases; at the same time that, when he pleased, he could restore salubrity to a climate, and health and vigour to the sons of men. He was the father of poetry, and possessed in an eminent degree the gift of foretelling future events. Hecate, which was one of the names of Diana, was distinguished as the Goddess of magic and enchantments. Venus was the Goddess of love, the most irresistible and omnipotent impulse of which the heart of man is susceptible. The wand of Mercury was endowed with such virtues, that whoever it touched, if asleep, would start up into life and alacrity, and, if awake, would immediately fall into a profound sleep. When it touched the dying, their souls gently parted from their mortal frame; and, when it was applied to the dead, the dead returned to life. Neptune had the attribute of raising and appeasing tempests: and Vulcan, the artificer of heaven and earth, not only produced the most exquisite specimens of skill, but also constructed furniture that was endowed with a self-moving principle, and would present itself for use or recede at the will of its proprietor. Pluto, in perpetrating the rape of Proserpine, started up in his chariot through a cleft of the earth in the vale of Enna in Sicily, and, having seized his prize, disappeared again by the way that he came.
Ceres, the mother of Proserpine, in her search after her lost daughter, was received with peculiar hospitality by Celeus, king of Eleusis. She became desirous of remunerating his liberality by some special favour. She saw his only child laid in a cradle, and labouring under a fatal distemper. She took him under her protection. She fed him with milk from her own breast, and at night covered him with coals of fire. Under this treatment he not only recovered his strength, but shot up miraculously into manhood, so that what in other men is the effect of years, was accomplished in Triptolemus in as many hours. She gave him for a gift the art of agriculture, so that he is said to have been the first to teach mankind to sow and to reap corn, and to make bread of the produce.
Prometheus, one of the race of the giants, was peculiarly distinguished for his proficiency in the arts. Among other extraordinary productions he formed a man of clay, of such exquisite workmanship, as to have wanted nothing but a living soul to cause him to be acknowledged as the paragon of the world. Minerva beheld the performance of Prometheus with approbation, and offered him her assistance. She conducted him to heaven, where he watched his opportunity to carry off on the tip of his wand a portion of celestial fire from the chariot of the sun. With this he animated his image; and the man of Prometheus moved, and thought, and spoke, and became every thing that the fondest wishes of his creator could ask. Jupiter ordered Vulcan to make a woman, that should surpass this man. All the Gods gave her each one a several gift: Venus gave her the power to charm; the Graces bestowed on her symmetry of limb, and elegance of motion; Apollo the accomplishments of vocal and instrumental music; Mercury the art of persuasive speech; Juno a multitude of rich and gorgeous ornaments; and Minerva the management of the loom and the needle. Last of all, Jupiter presented her with a sealed box, of which the lid was no sooner unclosed, than a multitude of calamities and evils of all imaginable sorts flew out, only Hope remaining at the bottom.
Deucalion was the son of Prometheus and Pyrrha, his niece. They married. In their time a flood occurred, which as they imagined destroyed the whole human race; they were the only survivors. By the direction of an oracle they cast stones over their shoulders; when, by the divine interposition, the stones cast by Deucalion became men, and those cast by Pyrrha women. Thus the earth was re-peopled.
I have put down a few of these particulars, as containing in several instances the qualities of what is called magic, and thus furnishing examples of some of the earliest occasions upon which supernatural powers have been alleged to mix with human affairs.
The early history of mortals in Greece is scarcely separated from that of the Gods. The first adventurer that it is perhaps proper to notice, as his exploits have I know not what of magic in them, is Perseus, the founder of the metropolis and kingdom of Mycenae. By way of rendering his birth illustrious, he is said to have been the son of Jupiter, by Danae, the daughter of Acrisius, king of Argos. The king, being forewarned by an oracle that his daughter should bear a son, by whose hand her father should be deprived of life, thought proper to shut her up in a tower of brass. Jupiter, having metamorphosed himself into a shower of gold, found his way into her place of confinement, and became the father of Perseus. On the discovery of this circumstance, Acrisius caused both mother and child to be inclosed in a chest, and committed to the waves. The chest however drifted upon the lands of a person of royal descent in the island of Seriphos, who extended his care and hospitality to both. When Perseus grew to man’s estate, he was commissioned by the king of Seriphos to bring him the head of Medusa, one of the Gorgons. Medusa had the wonderful faculty, that whoever met her eyes was immediately turned into stone; and the king, who had conceived a passion for Danae, sent her son on this enterprise, with the hope that he would never come back alive. He was however favoured by the Gods; Mercury gave him wings to fly, Pluto an invisible helmet, and Minerva a mirror-shield, by looking in which he could discover how his enemy was disposed, without the danger of meeting her eyes. Thus equipped, he accomplished his undertaking, cut off the head of the Gorgon, and pursed it in a bag. From this exploit he proceeded to visit Atlas, king of Mauritania, who refused him hospitality, and in revenge Perseus turned him into stone. He next rescued Andromeda, daughter of the king of Ethiopia, from a monster sent by Neptune to devour her. And, lastly, returning to his mother, and finding the king of Seriphos still incredulous and obstinate, he turned him likewise into a stone.
The labours of Hercules, the most celebrated of the Greeks of the heroic age, appear to have had little of magic in them, but to have been indebted for their success to a corporal strength, superior to that of all other mortals, united with an invincible energy of mind, which disdained to yield to any obstacle that could be opposed to him. His achievements are characteristic of the rude and barbarous age in which he lived: he strangled serpents, and killed the Erymanthian boar, the Nemaean lion, and the Hydra.
Nearly contemporary with the labours of Hercules is the history of Pasiphae and the Minotaur; and this brings us again within the sphere of magic. Pasiphae was the wife of Minos, king of Crete, who conceived an unnatural passion for a beautiful white bull, which Neptune had presented to the king. Having found the means of gratifying her passion, she became the mother of a monster, half-man and half-bull, called the Minotaur. Minos was desirous of hiding this monster from the observation of mankind, and for this purpose applied to Daedalus, an Athenian, the most skilful artist of his time, who is said to have invented the axe, the wedge, and the plummet, and to have found out the use of glue. He first contrived masts and sails for ships, and carved statues so admirably, that they not only looked as if they were alive, but had actually the power of self-motion, and would have escaped from the custody of their possessor, if they had not been chained to the wall.
Daedalus contrived for Minos a labyrinth, a wonderful structure, that covered many acres of ground. The passages in this edifice met and crossed each other with such intricacy, that a stranger who had once entered the building, would have been starved to death before he could find his way out. In this labyrinth Minos shut up the Minotaur. Having conceived a deep resentment against the people of Athens, where his only son had been killed in a riot, he imposed upon them an annual tribute of seven noble youths, and as many virgins to be devoured by the Minotaur. Theseus, son of the king of Athens, put an end to this disgrace. He was taught by Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, how to destroy the monster, and furnished with a clue by which afterwards to find his way out of the labyrinth.
Daedalus for some reason having incurred the displeasure of Minos, was made a prisoner by him in his own labyrinth. But the artist being never at an end of his inventions, contrived with feathers and wax to make a pair of wings for himself, and escaped. Icarus, his son, who was prisoner along with him, was provided by his father with a similar equipment. But the son, who was inexperienced and heedless, approached too near to the sun in his flight; and, the wax of his wings being melted with the heat, he fell into the sea and was drowned.
The Argonauts.
Contemporary with the reign of Minos occurred the expedition of the Argonauts. Jason, the son of the king of Iolchos in Thessaly, was at the head of this expedition. Its object was to fetch the golden fleece, which was hung up in a grove sacred to Mars, in the kingdom of Colchis, at the eastern extremity of the Euxine sea. He enlisted in this enterprise all the most gallant spirits existing in the country, and among the rest Hercules, Theseus, Orpheus and Amphion. After having passed through a multitude of perils, one of which was occasioned by the Cyanean rocks at the entrance of the Euxine, that had the quality of closing upon every vessel which attempted to make its way between them and crushing it to pieces, a danger that could only be avoided by sending a dove before as their harbinger, they at length arrived.
The golden fleece was defended by bulls, whose hoofs were brass, and whose breath was fire, and by a never-sleeping dragon that planted itself at the foot of the tree upon which the fleece was suspended. Jason was prepared for his undertaking by Medea, the daughter of the king of the country, herself an accomplished magician, and furnished with philtres, drugs and enchantments. Thus equipped, he tamed the bulls, put a yoke on their necks, and caused them to plough two acres of the stiffest land. He killed the dragon, and, to complete the adventure, drew the monster’s teeth, sowed them in the ground, and saw an army of soldiers spring from the seed. The army hastened forward to attack him; but he threw a large stone into the midst of their ranks, when they immediately turned from him, and, falling on each other, were all killed with their mutual weapons.
The adventure being accomplished, Medea set out with Jason on his return to Thessaly. On their arrival, they found Aeson, the father of Jason, and Pelias, his uncle, who had usurped the throne, both old and decrepid. Jason applied to Medea, and asked her whether among her charms she had none to make an old man young again. She replied she had: she drew the impoverished and watery blood from the body of Aeson; she infused the juice of certain potent herbs into his veins; and he rose from the operation as fresh and vigorous a man as his son.
The daughters of Pelias professed a perfect willingness to abdicate the throne of Iolchos; but, before they retired, they requested Medea to do the same kindness for their father which she had already done for Aeson. She said she would. She told them the method was to cut the old man in pieces, and boil him in a kettle with an infusion of certain herbs, and he would come out as smooth and active as a child.
The daughters of Pelias a little scrupled the operation. Medea, seeing this, begged they would not think she was deceiving them. If however they doubted, she desired they would bring her the oldest ram from their flocks, and they should see the experiment. Medea cut up the ram, cast in certain herbs, and the old bell-wether came out as beautiful and innocent a he-lamb as was ever beheld. The daughters of Pelias were satisfied. They divided their father in pieces; but he was never restored either to health or life.
From Iolchos, upon some insurrection of the people, Medea and Jason fled to Corinth. Here they lived ten years in much harmony. At the end of that time Jason grew tired of his wife, and fell in love with Glauce, daughter of the king of Corinth. Medea was greatly exasperated with his infidelity, and, among other enormities, slew with her own hand the two children she had borne him before his face, Jason hastened to punish her barbarity; but Medea mounted a chariot drawn by fiery dragons, fled through the air to Athens, and escaped.
At Athens she married Aegeus, king of that city. Aegeus by a former wife had a son, named Theseus, who for some reason had been brought up obscure, unknown and in exile. At a suitable time he returned home to his father with the intention to avow his parentage. But Medea was beforehand with him. She put a poisoned goblet into the hands of Aegeus at an entertainment he gave to Theseus, with the intent that he should deliver it to his son. At the critical moment Aegeus cast his eyes on the sword of Theseus, which he recognised as that which he had delivered with his son, when a child, and had directed that it should be brought by him, when a man, as a token of the mystery of his birth. The goblet was cast away; the father and son rushed into each other’s arms; and Medea fled from Athens in her chariot drawn by dragons through the air, as she had years before fled from Corinth.
Circe was the sister of Aeetes and Pasiphae, and was, like Medea, her niece, skilful in sorcery. She had besides the gift of immortality. She was exquisitely beautiful; but she employed the charms of her person, and the seducing grace of her manners to a bad purpose. She presented to every stranger who landed in her territory an enchanted cup, of which she intreated him to drink. He no sooner tasted it, than he was turned into a hog, and was driven by the magician to her sty. The unfortunate stranger retained under this loathsome appearance the consciousness of what he had been, and mourned for ever the criminal compliance by which he was brought to so melancholy a pass.
Cicero 22 quotes Aristotle as affirming that there was no such man as Orpheus. But Aristotle is at least single in that opinion. And there are too many circumstances known respecting Orpheus, and which have obtained the consenting voice of all antiquity, to allow us to call in question his existence. He was a native of Thrace, and from that country migrated into Greece. He travelled into Egypt for the purpose of collecting there the information necessary to the accomplishment of his ends. He died a violent death; and, as is almost universally affirmed, fell a sacrifice to the resentment and fury of the women of his native soil. 23
Orpheus was doubtless a poet; though it is not probable that any of his genuine productions have been handed down to us. He was, as all the poets of so remote a period were, extremely accomplished in all the arts of vocal and instrumental music. He civilised the rude inhabitants of Greece, and subjected them to order and law. He formed them into communities. He is said by Aristophanes 24 and Horace 25 to have reclaimed the savage man, from slaughter, and an indulgence in food that was loathsome and foul. And this has with sufficient probability been interpreted to mean, that he found the race of men among whom he lived cannibals, and that, to cure them the more completely of this horrible practice, he taught them to be contented to subsist upon the fruits of the earth. 26 Music and poetry are understood to have been made specially instrumental by him to the effecting this purpose. He is said to have made the hungry lion and the famished tiger obedient to his bidding, and to put off their wild and furious natures.
This is interpreted by Horace 27 and other recent expositors to mean no more than that he reduced the race of savages as he found them, to order and civilisation. But it was at first perhaps understood more literally. We shall not do justice to the traditions of these remote times, if we do not in imagination transport ourselves among them, and teach ourselves to feel their feelings, and conceive their conceptions. Orpheus lived in a time when all was enchantment and prodigy. Gifted and extraordinary persons in those ages believed that they were endowed with marvellous prerogatives, and acted upon that belief. We may occasionally observe, even in these days of the dull and the literal, how great is the ascendancy of the man over the beast, when he feels a full and entire confidence in that ascendancy. The eye and the gesture of man cannot fail to produce effects, incredible till they are seen. Magic was the order of the day; and the enthusiasm of its heroes was raised to the highest pitch, and attended with no secret misgivings. We are also to consider that, in all operations of a magical nature, there is a wonderful mixture of frankness and bonhommie with a strong vein of cunning and craft. Man in every age is full of incongruous and incompatible principles; and, when we shall cease to be inconsistent, we shall cease to be men.
It is difficult fully to explain what is meant by the story of Orpheus and Eurydice; but in its circumstances it bears a striking resemblance to what has been a thousand times recorded respecting the calling up of the ghosts of the dead by means of sorcery. The disconsolate husband has in the first place recourse to the resistless aid of music. 28 After many preparatives he appears to have effected his purpose, and prevailed upon the powers of darkness to allow him the presence of his beloved. She appears in the sequel however to have been a thin and a fleeting shadow. He is forbidden to cast his eyes on her; and, if he had obeyed this injunction, it is uncertain how the experiment would have ended. He proceeds however, as he is commanded, towards the light of day. He is led to believe that his consort is following his steps. He is beset with a multitude of unearthly phenomena. He advances for some time with confidence. At length he is assailed with doubts. He has recourse to the auricular sense, to know if she is following him. He can hear nothing. Finally he can endure this uncertainty no longer; and, in defiance of the prohibition he has received, cannot refrain from turning his head to ascertain whether he is baffled, and has spent all his labour in vain. He sees her; but no sooner he sees her, than she becomes evanescent and impalpable; farther and farther she retreats before him; she utters a shrill cry, and endeavours to articulate; but she grows more and more imperceptible; and in the conclusion he is left with the scene around him in all respects the same as it had been before his incantations. The result of the whole that is known of Orpheus, is, that he was an eminently great and virtuous man, but was the victim of singular calamity.
22 De Natura Deorum, Lib. I, c. 38.
23 Plato, De Republica, Lib. X, sub finem.
24 Batrachos, v. 1032.
25 De Arte Poetica, v.391.
26 Memoires de l’Academie des Inscriptions, Tom. V, p. 117.
27 De Arte Poetica, v. 391, 2, 3.
28 Virgil, Georgiea, Lib. IV. v. 461, et seqq.
29 Georgiea, iv, 525.
30 Metamorphoses, xi, 55.
31 Philostratus, Heroica, cap. v.
The story of Amphion is more perplexing than that of the living Orpheus. Both of them turn in a great degree upon the miraculous effects of music. Amphion was of the royal family of Thebes, and ultimately became ruler of the territory. He is said, by the potency of his lyre, or his skill in the magic art, to have caused the stones to follow him, to arrange themselves in the way he proposed, and without the intervention of a human hand to have raised a wall about his metropolis. 32 It is certainly less difficult to conceive the savage man to be rendered placable, and to conform to the dictates of civilisation, or even wild beasts to be made tame, than to imagine stones to obey the voice and the will of a human being. The example however is not singular; and hereafter we shall find related that Merlin, the British enchanter, by the power of magic caused the rocks of Stonehenge, though of such vast dimensions, to be carried through the air from Ireland to the place where we at present find them. — Homer mentions that Amphion, and his brother Zethus built the walls of Thebes, but does not describe it as having been done by miracle. 33
32 Horat, de Arte Poetica, v. 394. Pausanias.
33 Odyssey, Lib. XI, v. 262.
Tiresias was one of the most celebrated soothsayers of the early ages of Greece. He lived in the times of Oedipus, and the war of the seven chiefs against Thebes. He was afflicted by the Gods with blindness, in consequence of some displeasure they conceived against him; but in compensation they endowed him beyond all other mortals with the gift of prophecy. He is said to have understood the language of birds. He possessed the art of divining future events from the various indications that manifest themselves in fire, in smoke, and in other ways, 34 but to have set the highest value upon the communications of the dead, whom by spells and incantations he constrained to appear and answer his enquiries; 35 and he is represented as pouring out tremendous menaces against them, when they shewed themselves tardy to attend upon his commands. 36
34 Statius, Thebais, Lib. X. v. 599.
35 Ibid, Lib. IV, v. 599.
36 Ibid, Lib. IV, v. 409, et seqq.
Abaris, the Scythian, known to us for his visit to Greece, was by all accounts a great magician. Herodotus says 37 that he is reported to have travelled over the world with an arrow, eating nothing during his journey. Other authors relate that this arrow was given to him by Apollo, and that he rode upon it through the air, over lands, and seas, and all inaccessible places. 38 The time in which he flourished is very uncertain, some having represented him as having constructed the Palladium, which, as long as it was preserved, kept Troy from being taken by an enemy, 39 and others affirming that he was familiar with Pythagoras, who lived six hundred years later, and that he was admitted into his special confidence. 40 He is said to have possessed the faculty of foretelling earthquakes, allaying storms, and driving away pestilence; he gave out predictions wherever he went; and is described as an enchanter, professing to cure diseases by virtue of certain words which he pronounced over those who were afflicted with them. 41
37 Lib. IV, c. 36.
38 Iamblichus.
39 Julius Firmicus, apud Scaliger, in Eusebium.
40 Iamblichus, Vita Pythagorae.
41 Pluto, Charmides.
The name of Pythagoras is one of the most memorable in the records of the human species; and his character is well worthy of the minutest investigation. By this name we are brought at once within the limits of history properly so called. He lived in the time of Cyrus and Darius Hystaspes, of Croesus, of Pisistratus, of Polycrates, tyrant of Samos, and Amasis, king of Egypt. Many hypotheses have been laid down respecting the precise period of his birth and death; but, as it is not to our purpose to enter into any lengthened discussions of that sort, we will adopt at once the statement that appears to be the most probable, which is that of Lloyd, 42 who fixes his birth about the year before Christ 586, and his death about the year 506.
Pythagoras was a man of the most various accomplishments, and appears to have penetrated in different directions into the depths of human knowledge. He sought wisdom in its retreats of fairest promise, in Egypt and other distant countries. 43 In this investigation he employed the earlier period of his life, probably till he was forty, and devoted the remainder to such modes of proceeding, as appeared to him the most likely to secure the advantage of what he had acquired to a late posterity. 44
He founded a school, and delivered his acquisitions by oral communication to a numerous body of followers. He divided his pupils into two classes, the one neophytes, to whom was explained only the most obvious and general truths, the other who were admitted into the entire confidence of the master. These last he caused to throw their property into a common stock, and to live together in the same place of resort. 45 He appears to have spent the latter half of his life in that part of Italy, called Magna Graecia, so denominated in some degree from the numerous colonies of Grecians by whom it was planted, and partly perhaps from the memory of the illustrious things which Pythagoras achieved there. 46 He is said to have spread the seeds of political liberty in Crotona, Sybaris, Metapontum, and Rhegium, and from thence in Sicily to Tauromenium, Catana, Agrigentum and Himera. 47 Charondas and Zaleucus, themselves famous legislators, derived the rudiments of their political wisdom from the instructions of Pythagoras. 48
But this marvellous man in some way, whether from the knowlege he received, or from his own proper discoveries, has secured to his species benefits of a more permanent nature, and which shall outlive the revolutions of ages, and the instability of political institutions. He was a profound geometrician. The two theorems, that the internal angles of every right-line triangle are equal to two right angles, 49 and that the square of the hypothenuse of every right angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides, 50 are ascribed to him. In memory of the latter of these discoveries he is said to have offered a public sacrifice to the Gods; and the theorem is still known by the name of the Pythagorean theorem. He ascertained from the length of the Olympic course, which was understood to have measured six hundred of Hercules’s feet, the precise stature of that hero. 51 Lastly, Pythagoras is the first person, who is known to have taught the spherical figure of the earth, and that we have antipodes; 52 and he propagated the doctrine that the earth is a planet, and that the sun is the centre round which the earth and the other planets move, now known by the name of the Copernican system. 53
To inculcate a pure and a simple mode of subsistence was also an express object of pursuit to Pythagoras. He taught a total abstinence from every thing having had the property of animal life. It has been affirmed, as we have seen, 54 that Orpheus before him taught the same thing. But the claim of Orpheus to this distinction is ambiguous; while the theories and dogmas of the Samian sage, as he has frequently been styled, were more methodically digested, and produced more lasting and unequivocal effects. He taught temperance in all its branches, and a resolute subjection of the appetites of the body to contemplation and the exercises of the mind; and, by the unremitted discipline and authority he exerted over his followers, he caused his lessons to be constantly observed. There was therefore an edifying and an exemplary simplicity that prevailed as far as the influence of Pythagoras extended, that won golden opinions to his adherents at all times that they appeared, and in all places. 55
One revolution that Pythagoras worked, was that, whereas, immediately before, those who were most conspicuous among the Greeks as instructors of mankind in understanding and virtue, styled themselves sophists, professors of wisdom, this illustrious man desired to be known only by the appellation of a philosopher, a lover of wisdom. 56 The sophists had previously brought their denomination into discredit and reproach, by the arrogance of their pretensions, and the imperious way in which they attempted to lay down the law to the world.
The modesty of this appellation however did not altogether suit with the deep designs of Pythagoras, the ascendancy he resolved to acquire, and the oracular subjection in which he deemed it necessary to hold those who placed themselves under his instruction. This wonderful man set out with making himself a model of the passive and unscrupulous docility which he afterwards required from others. He did not begin to teach till he was forty years of age, and from eighteen to that period he studied in foreign countries, with the resolution to submit to all his teachers enjoined, and to make himself master of their least communicated and most secret wisdom. In Egypt in particular, we are told that, though he brought a letter of recommendation from Polycrates, his native sovereign, to Amasis, king of that country, who fully concurred with the views of the writer, the priests, jealous of admitting a foreigner into their secrets, baffled him as long as they could, referring him from one college to another, and prescribing to him the most rigorous preparatives, not excluding the rite of circumcision. 57 But Pythagoras endured and underwent every thing, till at length their unwillingness was conquered, and his perseverance received its suitable reward.
When in the end Pythagoras thought himself fully qualified for the task he had all along had in view, he was no less strict in prescribing ample preliminaries to his own scholars. At the time that a pupil was proposed to him, the master, we are told, examined him with multiplied questions as to his principles, his habits and intentions, observed minutely his voice and manner of speaking, his walk and his gestures, the lines of his countenance, and the expression and management of his eye, and, when he was satisfied with these, then and not till then admitted him as a probationer. 58 It is to be supposed that all this must have been personal. As soon however as this was over, the master was withdrawn from the sight of the pupil; and a noviciate of three and five, in all eight years, 59 was prescribed to the scholar, during which time he was only to hear his instructor from behind a curtain, and the strictest silence was enjoined him through the whole period. As the instructions Pythagoras received in Egypt and the East admitted of no dispute, so in his turn he required an unreserved submission from those who heard him: autos iphae “the master has said it,” was deemed a sufficient solution to all doubt and uncertainty. 60
To give the greater authority and effect to his communications Pythagoras hid himself during the day at least from the great body of his pupils, and was only seen by them at night. Indeed there is no reason to suppose that any one was admitted into his entire familiarity. When he came forth, he appeared in a long garment of the purest white, with a flowing beard, and a garland upon his head. He is said to have been of the finest symmetrical form, with a majestic carriage, and a grave and awful countenance. 61 He suffered his followers to believe that he was one of the Gods, the Hyperborean Apollo, 62 and is said to have told Abaris that he assumed the human form, that he might the better invite men to an easiness of approach and to confidence in him. 63 What however seems to be agreed in by all his biographers, is that he professed to have already in different ages appeared in the likeness of man: first as Aethalides, the son of Mercury; and, when his father expressed himself ready to invest him with any gift short of immortality, he prayed that, as the human soul is destined successively to dwell in various forms, he might have the privilege in each to remember his former state of being, which was granted him. From, Aethalides he became Euphorbus, who slew Patroclus at the siege of Troy. He then appeared as Hermotimus, then Pyrrhus, a fisherman of Delos, and finally Pythagoras. He said that a period of time was interposed between each transmigration, during which he visited the seat of departed souls; and he professed to relate a part of the wonders he had seen. 64 He is said to have eaten sparingly and in secret, and in all respects to have given himself out for a being not subject to the ordinary laws of nature. 65
Pythagoras therefore pretended to miraculous endowments. Happening to be on the sea-shore when certain fishermen drew to land an enormous multitude of fishes, he desired them to allow him to dispose of the capture, which they consented to, provided he would name the precise number they had caught. He did so, and required that they should throw their prize into the sea again, at the same time paying them the value of the fish. 66 He tamed a Daunian bear by whispering in his ear, and prevailed on him henceforth to refrain from the flesh of animals, and to feed on vegetables. By the same means he induced an ox not to eat beans, which was a diet specially prohibited by Pythagoras; and he called down an eagle from his flight, causing him to sit on his hand, and submit to be stroked down by the philosopher. 67 In Greece, when he passed the river Nessus in Macedon, the stream was heard to salute him with the words “Hail, Pythagoras!” 68 When Abaris addressed him as one of the heavenly host, he took the stranger aside, and convinced him that he was under no mistake, by exhibiting to him his thigh of gold: or, according to another account, he used the same sort of evidence at a certain time, to satisfy his pupils of his celestial descent. 69 He is said to have been seen on the same day at Metapontum in Italy, and at Taurominium in Sicily, though these places are divided by the sea, so that it was conceived that it would cost several days to pass from one to the other. 70 In one instance he absented himself from his associates in Italy for a whole year; and when he appeared again, related that he had passed that time in the infernal regions, describing likewise the marvellous things he had seen. 71 Diogenes Laertius, speaking of this circumstance affirms however that he remained during this period in a cave, where his mother conveyed to him intelligence and necessaries, and that, when he came once more into light and air, he appeared so emaciated and colourless, that he might well be believed to have come out of Hades.
The close of the life of Pythagoras was, according to every statement, in the midst of misfortune and violence. Some particulars are related by Iamblichus, 72 which, though he is not an authority beyond all exception, are so characteristic as seem to entitle them to the being transcribed. This author is more circumstantial than any other in stating the elaborate steps by which the pupils of Pythagoras came to be finally admitted into the full confidence of the master. He says, that they passed three years in the first place in a state of probation, carefully watched by their seniors, and exposed to their occasional taunts and ironies, by way of experiment to ascertain whether they were of a temper sufficiently philosophical and firm. At the expiration of that period they were admitted to a noviciate, in which they were bound to uninterrupted silence, and heard the lectures of the master, while he was himself concealed from their view by a curtain. They were then received to initiation, and required to deliver over their property to the common stock. They were admitted to intercourse with the master. They were invited to a participation of the most obscure theories, and the abstrusest problems. If however in this stage of their progress they were discovered to be too weak of intellectual penetration, or any other fundamental objection were established against them, they were expelled the community; the double of the property they had contributed to the common stock was paid down to them; a head-stone and a monument inscribed with their names were set up in the place of meeting of the community; they were considered as dead; and, if afterwards they met by chance any of those who were of the privileged few, they were treated by them as entirely strangers.
Cylon, the richest man, or, as he is in one place styled, the prince, of Crotona, had manifested the greatest partiality to Pythagoras. He was at the same time a man of rude, impatient and boisterous character. He, together with Perialus of Thurium, submitted to all the severities of the Pythagorean school. They passed the three years of probation, and the five years of silence. They were received into the familiarity of the master. They were then initiated, and delivered all their wealth into the common stock. They were however ultimately pronounced deficient in intellectual power, or for some other reason were not judged worthy to continue among the confidential pupils of Pythagoras. They were expelled. The double of the property they had contributed was paid back to them. A monument was set up in memory of what they had been; and they were pronounced dead to the school.
It will easily be conceived in what temper Cylon sustained this degradation. Of Perialus we hear nothing further. But Cylon, from feelings of the deepest reverence and awe for Pythagoras, which he had cherished for years, was filled even to bursting with inextinguishable hatred and revenge. The unparalleled merits, the venerable age of the master whom he had so long followed, had no power to control his violence. His paramount influence in the city insured him the command of a great body of followers. He excited them to a frame of turbulence and riot. He represented to them how intolerable was the despotism of this pretended philosopher. They surrounded the school in which the pupils were accustomed to assemble, and set it on fire. Forty persons perished in the flames. 73 According to some accounts Pythagoras was absent at the time. According to others he and two of his pupils escaped. He retired from Crotona to Metapontum. But the hostility which had broken out in the former city, followed him there. He took refuge in the Temple of the Muses. But he was held so closely besieged that no provisions could be conveyed to him; and he finally perished with hunger, after, according to Laertius, forty days’ abstinence. 74
It is difficult to imagine any thing more instructive, and more pregnant with matter for salutary reflection, than the contrast presented to us by the character and system of action of Pythagoras on the one hand, and those of the great enquirers of the last two centuries, for example, Bacon, Newton and Locke, on the other. Pythagoras probably does not yield to any one of these in the evidences of true intellectual greatness. In his school, in the followers he trained resembling himself, and in the salutary effects he produced on the institutions of the various republics of Magna Graecia and Sicily, he must be allowed greatly to have excelled them. His discoveries of various propositions in geometry, of the earth as a planet, and of the solar system as now universally recognised, clearly stamp him a genius of the highest order.
Yet this man, thus enlightened and philanthropical, established his system of proceeding upon narrow and exclusive principles, and conducted it by methods of artifice, quackery and delusion. One of his leading maxims was, that the great and fundamental truths to the establishment of which he devoted himself, were studiously to be concealed from the vulgar, and only to be imparted to a select few, and after years of the severest noviciate and trial. He learned his earliest lessons of wisdom in Egypt after this method, and he conformed through life to the example which had thus been delivered to him. The severe examination that he made of the candidates previously to their being admitted into his school, and the years of silence that were then prescribed to them, testify this. He instructed them by symbols, obscure and enigmatical propositions, which they were first to exercise their ingenuity to expound. The authority and dogmatical assertions of the master were to remain unquestioned; and the pupils were to fashion themselves to obsequious and implicit submission, and were the furthest in the world from being encouraged to the independent exercise of their own understandings. There was nothing that Pythagoras was more fixed to discountenance, than the communication of the truths upon which he placed the highest value, to the uninitiated. It is not probable therefore that he wrote any thing: all was communicated orally, by such gradations, and with such discretion, as he might think fit to adopt and to exercise.
Delusion and falsehood were main features of his instruction. With what respect therefore can we consider, and what manliness worthy of his high character and endowments can we impute to, his discourses delivered from behind a curtain, his hiding himself during the day, and only appearing by night in a garb assumed for the purpose of exciting awe and veneration? What shall we say to the story of his various transmigrations? At first sight it appears in the light of the most audacious and unblushing imposition. And, if we were to yield so far as to admit that by a high-wrought enthusiasm, by a long train of maceration and visionary reveries, he succeeded in imposing on himself, this, though in a different way, would scarcely less detract from the high stage of eminence upon which the nobler parts of his character would induce us to place him.
Such were some of the main causes that have made his efforts perishable, and the lustre which should have attended his genius in a great degree transitory and fugitive. He was probably much under the influence of a contemptible jealousy, and must be considered as desirous that none of his contemporaries or followers should eclipse their master. All was oracular and dogmatic in the school of Pythagoras. He prized and justly prized the greatness of his attainments and discoveries, and had no conception that any thing could go beyond them. He did not encourage, nay, he resolutely opposed, all true independence of mind, and that undaunted spirit of enterprise which is the atmosphere in which the sublimest thoughts are most naturally generated. He therefore did not throw open the gates of science and wisdom, and invite every comer; but on the contrary narrowed the entrance, and carefully reduced the number of aspirants. He thought not of the most likely methods to give strength and permanence and an extensive sphere to the progress of the human mind. For these reasons he wrote nothing; but consigned all to the frail and uncertain custody of tradition. And distant posterity has amply avenged itself upon the narrowness of his policy; and the name of Pythagoras, which would otherwise have been ranked with the first luminaries of mankind, and consigned to everlasting gratitude, has in consequence of a few radical and fatal mistakes, been often loaded with obloquy, and the hero who bore it been indiscriminately classed among the votaries of imposture and artifice.
42 Chronological Account of Pythagoras and his Contemporaries.
43 Laertius, Lib. VIII, c. 3.
44 Lloyd, ubi supra.
45 Iamblichus, c. 17.
46 Iamblichus, c. 29.
47 Ibid, c. 7.
48 Laertius, c. 15.
49 Ibid, c. 11.
50 Plutarchus, Symposiaca, Lib. VIII, Quaestio 2.
51 Aulus Gellius, Lib. I, c. 1, from Plutarch.
52 Laertius, c.19.
53 Bailly, Histoire de l’Astronomie, Lib VIII, S.3.
54 Plutarchus, de Esu Carnium. Ovidius, Metamorphoses, Lib. XV. Laertius, c. 12.
55 Iamblichus, c. 16.
56 Laertius, c. 6.
57 Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromata, Lib. I, p. 302.
58 Iamblichus, c.17.
59 Laertius, c. 8. Iamblichus, c. 17.
60 Cicero de Natura Deorum, Lib. I, c. 5.
61 Laertius, c. 9.
62 Ibid.
63 Iamblichus, c. 19.
64 Laertius, c.1.
65 Ibid, c. 18.
66 Iamblichus, c. 8.
67 Ibid, c. 13.
68 Laertius, c. 9. Iamblichus, c. 28.
69 Laertius, c. 9. Iamblichus, c. 18.
70 Ibid, c. 28.
71 Laertius, c.21.
72 Iamblichus, c.17.
73 Iamblichus, c. 35. Laertius, c. 21.
74 Laertius, c. 21.
Epimenides has been mentioned among the disciples of Pythagoras; but he probably lived at an earlier period. He was a native of Crete. The first extraordinary circumstance that is recorded of him is, that, being very young, he was sent by his father in search of a stray sheep, when, being overcome by the heat of the weather, he retired into a cave, and slept fifty-seven years. Supposing that he had slept only a few hours, he repaired first to his father’s country-house, which he found in possession of a new tenant, and then to the city, where he encountered his younger brother, now grown an old man, who with difficulty was brought to acknowledge him. 75 It was probably this circumstance that originally brought Epimenides into repute as a prophet, and a favourite of the Gods.
Epimenides appears to have been one of those persons, who make it their whole study to delude their fellow-men, and to obtain for themselves the reputation of possessing supernatural gifts. Such persons, almost universally, and particularly in ages of ignorance and wonder, become themselves the dupes of their own pretensions. He gave out that he was secretly subsisted by food brought to him by the nymphs; and he is said to have taken nourishment in so small quantities, as to be exempted from the ordinary necessities of nature. 76 He boasted that he could send his soul out of his body, and recal it, when he pleased; and alternately appeared an inanimate corpse, and then again his life would return to him, and he appear capable of every human function as before. 77 He is said to have practised the ceremony of exorcising houses and fields, and thus rendering them fruitful and blessed. 78 He frequently uttered prophecies of events with such forms of ceremony and such sagacious judgment, that they seemed to come to pass as he predicted.
One of the most memorable acts of his life happened in this manner. Cylon, the head of one of the principal families in Athens, set on foot a rebellion against the government, and surprised the citadel. His power however was of short duration. Siege was laid to the place, and Cylon found his safety in flight. His partisans forsook their arms, and took refuge at the altars. Seduced from this security by fallacious promises, they were brought to judgment and all of them put to death. The Gods were said to be offended with this violation of the sanctions of religion, and sent a plague upon the city. All things were in confusion, and sadness possessed the whole community. Prodigies were perpetually seen; the spectres of the dead walked the streets; and terror universally prevailed. The sacrifices offered to the gods exhibited the most unfavourable symptoms. 79 In this emergency the Athenian senate resolved to send for Epimenides to come to their relief. His reputation was great. He was held for a holy and devout man, and wise in celestial things by inspiration from above. A vessel was fitted out under the command of one of the first citizens of the state to fetch Epimenides from Crete. He performed various rites and purifications. He took a certain number of sheep, black and white, and led them to the Areopagus, where he caused them to be let loose to go wherever they would. He directed certain persons to follow them, and mark the place where they lay down. He enquired to what particular deity the spot was consecrated, and sacrificed the sheep to that deity; and in the result of these ceremonies the plague was stayed. According to others he put an end to the plague by the sacrifice of two human victims. The Athenian senate, full of gratitude to their benefactor, tendered him the gift of a talent. But Epimenides refused all compensation, and only required, as an acknowledgment of what he had done, that there should be perpetual peace between the Athenians and the people of Gnossus, his native city. 80 He is said to have died shortly after his return to his country, being of the age of one hundred and fifty-seven years. 81
75 Laertius, Lib. I, c. 109. Plinius, Lib. VII, c. 52.
76 Laertius, c. 113.
77 Ibid.
78 Ibid. c. 111.
79 Plutarch, Vita Solonis. Laertius, Lib. I, c. 109.
80 Plutarch, Vita Solonis. Laertius, Lib. I, c. 110.
81 Ibid.
Empedocles has also been mentioned as a disciple of Pythagoras. But he probably lived too late for that to have been the case. His principles were in a great degree similar to those of that illustrious personage; and he might have studied under one of the immediate successors of Pythagoras. He was a citizen of Agrigentum in Sicily; and, having inherited considerable wealth, exercised great authority in his native place. 82 He was a distinguished orator and poet. He was greatly conversant in the study of nature, and was eminent for his skill in medicine. 83 In addition to these accomplishments, he appears to have been a devoted adherent to the principles of liberty. He effected the dissolution of the ruling council of Agrigentum, and substituted in their room a triennial magistracy, by means of which the public authority became not solely in the hands of the rich as before, but was shared by them with expert and intelligent men of an inferior class. 84 He opposed all arbitrary exercises of rule. He gave dowries from his own stores to many young maidens of impoverished families, and settled them in eligible marriages. 85 He performed many cures upon his fellow-citizens; and is especially celebrated for having restored a woman to life, who had been apparently dead, according to one account for seven days, but according to others for thirty. 86
But the most memorable things known of Empedocles, are contained in the fragments of his verses that have been preserved to us. In one of them he says of himself, “I well remember the time before I was Empedocles, that I once was a boy, then a girl, a plant, a glittering fish, a bird that cut the air.” 87 Addressing those who resorted to him for improvement and wisdom, he says, “By my instructions you shall learn medicines that are powerful to cure disease, and re-animate old age; you shall be able to calm the savage winds which lay waste the labours of the husbandman, and, when you will, shall send forth the tempest again; you shall cause the skies to be fair and serene, or once more shall draw down refreshing showers, re-animating the fruits of the earth; nay, you shall recal the strength of the dead man, when he has already become the victim of Pluto.” 88 Further, speaking of himself, Empedocles exclaims: “Friends, who inhabit the great city laved by the yellow Acragas, all hail! I mix with you a God, no longer a mortal, and am every where honoured by you, as is just; crowned with fillets, and fragrant garlands, adorned with which when I visit populous cities, I am revered by both men and women, who follow me by ten thousands, enquiring the road to boundless wealth, seeking the gift of prophecy, and who would learn the marvellous skill to cure all kinds of diseases.” 89
The best known account of the death of Empedocles may reasonably be considered as fabulous. From what has been said it sufficiently appears, that he was a man of extraordinary intellectual endowments, and the most philanthropical dispositions; at the same time that he was immoderately vain, aspiring by every means in his power to acquire to himself a deathless remembrance. Working on these hints, a story has been invented that he aspired to a miraculous way of disappearing from among men; and for this purpose repaired, when alone, to the top of Mount Aetna, then in a state of eruption, and threw himself down the burning crater: but it is added, that in the result of this perverse ambition he was baffled, the volcano having thrown up one of his brazen sandals, by means of which the mode of his death became known. 90
82 Laertius, Lib. VIII, c. 51, 64.
83 Ibid, c. 57.
84 Ibid, c. 66.
85 Ibid, c. 73.
86 Plinius, Lib. VII, c. 52. Laertius, c. 61.
87 Laertius, c. 77.
88 Ibid, c. 59.
89 Ibid, c. 62.
90 Laertias, c. 69. Horat, De Arte Poetica, v. 463.
Herodotus tells a marvellous story of one Aristeas, a poet of Proconnesus, an island of the Propontis. This man, coming by chance into a fuller’s workshop in his native place, suddenly fell down dead. As the man was of considerable rank, the fuller immediately, quitting and locking up his shop, proceeded to inform his family of what had happened. The relations went accordingly, having procured what was requisite to give the deceased the rites of sepulture, to the shop; but, when it was opened, they could discover no vestige of Aristeas, either dead or alive. A traveller however from the neighbouring town of Cyzicus on the continent, protested that he had just left that place, and, as he set foot in the wherry which had brought him over, had met Aristeas, and held a particular conversation with him. Seven years after, Aristeas reappeared at Proconnesus, resided there a considerable time, and during this abode wrote his poem of the wars of the one-eyed Arimaspians and the Gryphons. He then again disappeared in an unaccountable manner. But, what is more than all extraordinary, three hundred and forty years after this disappearance, he shewed himself again at Metapontum, in Magna Graecia, and commanded the citizens to erect a statue in his honour near the temple of Apollo in the forum; which being done, he raised himself in the air; and flew away in the form of a crow. 91
91 Herodotus, Lib. III, c. 14, 15. Plinius, Lib. VII, c. 52.
Hermotimus, or, as Plutarch names him, Hermodorus of Clazomene, is said to have possessed, like Epimenides, the marvellous power of quitting his body, and returning to it again, as often, and for as long a time as he pleased. In these absences his unembodied spirit would visit what places he thought proper, observe every thing that was going on, and, when he returned to his fleshy tabernacle, make a minute relation of what he had seen. Hermotimus had enemies, who, one time when his body had lain unanimated unusually long, beguiled his wife, made her believe that he was certainly dead, and that it was disrespectful and indecent to keep him so long in that state. The woman therefore placed her husband on the funeral pyre, and consumed him to ashes; so that, continues the philosopher, when the soul of Hermotimus came back again, it no longer found its customary receptacle to retire into. 92 Certainly this kind of treatment appeared to furnish an infallible criterion, whether the seeming absences of the soul of this miraculous man were pretended or real.
92 Plutarch, De Genio Socratis. Lucian, Muscae Encomium. Plinius, Lib. VII, c. 52. [Errata: dele Plinius]
The Mother of Demaratus, King of Sparta.
Herodotus 93 tells a story of the mother of Demaratus, king of Sparta, which bears a striking resemblance to the fairy tales of modern times. This lady, afterward queen of Sparta, was sprung from opulent parents, but, when she was born, was so extravagantly ugly, that her parents hid her from all human observation. According to the mode of the times however, they sent the babe daily in its nurse’s arms to the shrine of Helen, now metamorphosed into a Goddess, to pray that the child might be delivered from its present preternatural deformity. On these occasions the child was shrouded in many coverings, that it might escape being seen. One day as the nurse came out of the temple, a strange woman met her, and asked her what she carried so carefully concealed. The nurse said it was a female child, but of opulent parents, and she was strictly enjoined that it should be seen by no one. The stranger was importunate, and by dint of perseverance overcame the nurse’s reluctance. The woman took the babe in her arms, stroked down its hair, kissed it, and then returning it to the nurse, said that it should grow up the most perfect beauty in Sparta. So accordingly it proved: and the king of the country, having seen her, became so enamoured of her, that, though he already had a wife, and she a husband, he overcame all obstacles, and made her his queen.
93 Plinius, Lib. III, c, 61, 62.
One of the most extraordinary things to be met with in the history of ancient times is the oracles. They maintained their reputation for many successive centuries. The most famous perhaps were that of Delphi in Greece, and that of Jupiter Ammon in the deserts of Lybia. But they were scattered through many cities, many plains, and many islands. They were consulted by the foolish and the wise; and scarcely anything considerable was undertaken, especially about the time of the Persian invasion into Greece, without the parties having first had recourse to these; and they in most cases modified the conduct of princes and armies accordingly. To render the delusion more successful, every kind of artifice was put in practice. The oracle could only be consulted on fixed days; and the persons who resorted to it, prefaced their application with costly offerings to the presiding God. Their questions passed through the hands of certain priests, residing in and about the temple. These priests received the embassy with all due solemnity, and retired. A priestess, or Pythia, who was seldom or never seen by any of the profane vulgar, was the immediate vehicle of communication with the God. She was cut off from all intercourse with the world, and was carefully trained by the attendant priests. Spending almost the whole of her time in solitude, and taught to consider her office as ineffably sacred, she saw visions, and was for the most part in a state of great excitement. The Pythia, at least of the Delphian God, was led on with much ceremony to the performance of her office, and placed upon the sacred tripod. The tripod, we are told, stood over a chasm in the rock, from which issued fumes of an inebriating quality. The Pythia became gradually penetrated through every limb with these fumes, till her bosom swelled, her features enlarged, her mouth foamed, her voice seemed supernatural, and she uttered words that could sometimes scarcely be called articulate. She could with difficulty contain herself, and seemed to be possessed, and wholly overpowered, with the God. After a prelude of many unintelligible sounds, uttered with fervour and a sort of frenzy, she became by degrees more distinct. She uttered incoherent sentences, with breaks and pauses, that were filled up with preternatural efforts and distorted gestures; while the priests stood by, carefully recording her words, and then reducing them into a sort of obscure signification. They finally digested them for the most part into a species of hexameter verse. We may suppose the supplicants during this ceremony placed at a proper distance, so as to observe these things imperfectly, while the less they understood, they were ordinarily the more impressed with religious awe, and prepared implicitly to receive what was communicated to them. Sometimes the priestess found herself in a frame, not entirely equal to her function, and refused for the present to proceed with the ceremony.
The priests of the oracle doubtless conducted them in a certain degree like the gipsies and fortune-tellers of modern times, cunningly procuring to themselves intelligence in whatever way they could, and ingeniously worming out the secrets of their suitors, at the same time contriving that their drift should least of all be suspected. But their main resource probably was in the obscurity, almost amounting to unintelligibleness, of their responses. Their prophecies in most cases required the comment of the event to make them understood; and it not seldom happened, that the meaning in the sequel was found to be the diametrically opposite of that which the pious votaries had originally conceived.
In the mean time the obscurity of the oracles was of inexpressible service to the cause of superstition. If the event turned out to be such as could in no way be twisted to come within the scope of the response, the pious suitor only concluded that the failure was owing to the grossness and carnality of his own apprehension, and not to any deficiency in the institution. Thus the oracle by no means lost credit, even when its meaning remained for ever in its original obscurity. But, when, by any fortunate chance, its predictions seemed to be verified, then the unerringness of the oracle was lauded from nation to nation; and the omniscience of the God was admitted with astonishment and adoration.
It would be a vulgar and absurd mistake however, to suppose that all this was merely the affair of craft, the multitude only being the dupes, while the priests in cold blood carried on the deception, and secretly laughed at the juggle they were palming on the world. They felt their own importance; and they cherished it. They felt that they were regarded by their countrymen as something more than human; and the opinion entertained of them by the world around them, did not fail to excite a responsive sentiment in their own bosoms. If their contemporaries willingly ascribed to them an exclusive sacredness, by how much stronger an impulse were they led fully to receive so flattering a suggestion! Their minds were in a perpetual state of exaltation; and they believed themselves specially favoured by the God whose temple constituted their residence. A small matter is found sufficient to place a creed which flatters all the passions of its votaries, on the most indubitable basis. Modern philosophers think that by their doctrine of gases they can explain all the appearances of the Pythia; but the ancients, to whom this doctrine was unknown, admitted these appearances as the undoubted evidence of an interposition from heaven.
It is certainly a matter of the extremest difficulty, for us in imagination to place ourselves in the situation of those who believed in the ancient polytheistical creed. And yet these believers nearly constituted the whole of the population of the kingdoms of antiquity. Even those who professed to have shaken off the prejudices of their education, and to rise above the absurdities of paganism, had still some of the old leaven adhering to them. One of the last acts of the life of Socrates, was to order the sacrifice of a cock to be made to Aesculapius.
Now the creed of paganism is said to have made up to the number of thirty thousand deities. Every kingdom, every city, every street, nay, in a manner every house, had its protecting God. These Gods were rivals to each other; and were each jealous of his own particular province, and watchful against the intrusion of any neighbour deity upon ground where he had a superior right. The province of each of these deities was of small extent; and therefore their watchfulness and jealousy of their appropriate honours do not enter into the slightest comparison with the Providence of the God who directs the concerns of the universe. They had ample leisure to employ in vindicating their prerogatives. Prophecy was of all means the plainest and most obvious for each deity to assert his existence, and to inforce the reverence and submission of his votaries. Prophecy was that species of interference which was least liable to the being confuted and exposed. The oracles, as we have said, were delivered in terms and phrases that were nearly unintelligible. If therefore they met with no intelligible fulfilment, this lost them nothing; and, if it gained them no additional credit, neither did it expose them to any disgrace. Whereas every example, where the obscure prediction seemed to tally with, and be illustrated by any subsequent event, was hailed with wonder and applause, confirmed the faith of the true believers, and was held forth as a victorious confutation of the doubts of the infidel.
Invasion of Xerxes Into Greece.
It is particularly suitable in this place to notice the events which took place at Delphi upon occasion of the memorable invasion of Xerxes into Greece. This was indeed a critical moment for the heathen mythology. The Persians were pointed and express in their hostility against the altars and the temples of the Greeks. It was no sooner known that the straits of Thermopylae had been forced, than the priests consulted the God, as to whether they should bury the treasures of the temple, so to secure them against the sacrilege of the invader. The answer of the oracle was: “Let nothing be moved; the God is sufficient for the protection of his rights.” The inhabitants therefore of the neighbourhood withdrew: only sixty men and the priest remained. The Persians in the mean time approached. Previously to this however, the sacred arms which were placed in the temple, were seen to be moved by invisible hands, and deposited on the declivity which was on the outside of the building. The invaders no sooner shewed themselves, than a miraculous storm of thunder and lightning rebounded and flashed among the multiplied hills which surrounded the sacred area, and struck terror into all hearts. Two vast fragments were detached from the top of mount Parnassus, and crushed hundreds in their fall. A voice of warlike acclamation issued from within the walls. Dismay seized the Persian troops. The Delphians then, rushing from their caverns, and descending from the summits, attacked them with great slaughter. Two persons, exceeding all human stature, and that were said to be the demigods whose fanes were erected near the temple of Apollo, joined in the pursuit, and extended the slaughter. 94 It has been said that the situation of the place was particularly adapted to this mode of defence. Surrounded and almost overhung with lofty mountain-summits, the area of the city was inclosed within crags and precipices. No way led to it but through defiles, narrow and steep, shadowed with wood, and commanded at every step by fastnesses from above. In such a position artificial fires and explosion might imitate a thunder storm. Great pains had been taken, to represent the place as altogether abandoned; and therefore the detachment of rocks from the top of mount Parnassus, though effected by human hands, might appear altogether supernatural.
Nothing can more forcibly illustrate the strength of the religious feeling among the Greeks, than the language of the Athenian government at the time of the second descent of the Persian armament upon their territory, when they were again compelled to abandon their houses and land to the invader. Mardonius said to them: “I am thus commissioned by the king of Persia, he will release and give back to you your country; he invites you to choose a further territory, whatever you may think desirable, which he will guarantee to you to govern as you shall judge fit. He will rebuild for you, without its costing you either money or labour, the temples which in his former incursion he destroyed with fire. It is in vain for you to oppose him by force, for his armies are innumerable.” To which the Athenians replied, “As long as the sun pursues his course in the heavens, so long will we resist the Persian invader.” Then turning to the Spartan ambassadors who were sent to encourage and animate them to persist, they added, “It is but natural that your employers should apprehend that we might give way and be discouraged. But there is no sum of money so vast, and no region so inviting and fertile, that could buy us to concur in the enslaving of Greece. Many and resistless are the causes which induce us to this resolve. First and chiefest, the temples and images of the Gods, which Xerxes has burned and laid in ruins, and which we are called upon to avenge to the utmost, instead of forming a league with him who made this devastation. Secondly, the consideration of the Grecian race, the same with us in blood and in speech, the same in religion and manners, and whose cause we will never betray. Know therefore now, if you knew not before, that, as long as a single Athenian survives, we will never swerve from the hostility to Persia to which we have devoted ourselves.”
Contemplating this magnanimous resolution, it is in vain for us to reflect on the absurdity, incongruity and frivolousness, as we apprehend it, of the pagan worship, inasmuch as we find, whatever we may think of its demerits, that the most heroic people that ever existed on earth, in the hour of their direst calamity, regarded a zealous and fervent adherence to that religion as the most sacred of all duties. 95
94 Herodotus, Lib. VIII, c. 36, 37, 38, 39.
95 Herodotus, Lib. VIII, c. 140, et seqq.
The fame of Democritus has sustained a singular fortune. He is represented by Pliny as one of the most superstitious of mortals. This character is founded on certain books which appeared in his name. In these books he is made to say, that, if the blood of certain birds be mingled together, the combination will produce a serpent, of which whoever eats will become endowed with the gift of understanding the language of birds. 96 He attributes a multitude of virtues to the limbs of a dead camelion: among others that, if the left foot of this animal be grilled, and there be added certain herbs, and a particular unctuous preparation, it will have the quality to render the person who carries it about him invisible. 97 But all this is wholly irreconcileable with the known character of Democritus, who distinguished himself by the hypothesis that the world was framed from the fortuitous concourse of atoms, and that the soul died with the body. And accordingly Lucian, 98 a more judicious author than Pliny, expressly cites Democritus as the strenuous opposer of all the pretenders to miracles. “Such juggling tricks,” he says, “call for a Democritus, an Epicurus, a Metrodorus, or some one of that temper, who should endeavour to detect the illusion, and would hold it for certain, even if he could not fully lay open the deceit, that the whole was a lying pretence, and had not a spark of reality in it.”
Democritus was in reality one of the most disinterested characters on record in the pursuit of truth. He has been styled the father of experimental philosophy. When his father died, and the estate came to be divided between him and two brothers, he chose the part which was in money, though the smallest, that he might indulge him [Errata: read himself] in travelling in pursuit of knowledge. He visited Egypt and Persia, and turned aside into Ethiopia and India. He is reported to have said, that he had rather be the possessor of one of the cardinal secrets of nature, than of the diadem of Persia.
96 Historia Naturalis, Lib. X, c. 40.
97 Plinius, Lib. XXVIII. c. 8.
98 Pseudomantis, c. 17. See also Philopseudes, c. 32.
Socrates is the most eminent of the ancient philosophers. He lived in the most enlightened age of Greece, and in Athens, the most illustrious of her cities. He was born in the middle ranks of life, the son of a sculptor. He was of a mean countenance, with a snub nose, projecting eyes, and otherwise of an appearance so unpromising, that a physiognomist, his contemporary, pronounced him to be given to the grossest vices. But he was of a penetrating understanding, the simplest manners, and a mind wholly bent on the study of moral excellence. He at once abjured all the lofty pretensions, and the dark and recondite pursuits of the most applauded teachers of his time, and led those to whom he addressed his instructions from obvious and irresistible data to the most unexpected and useful conclusions. There was something in his manner of teaching that drew to him the noblest youth of Athens. Plato and Xenophon, two of the most admirable of the Greek writers, were among his pupils. He reconciled in his own person in a surprising degree poverty with the loftiest principles of independence. He taught an unreserved submission to the laws of our country. He several times unequivocally displayed his valour in the field of battle, while at the same time he kept aloof from public offices and trusts. The serenity of his mind never forsook him. He was at all times ready to teach, and never found it difficult to detach himself from his own concerns, to attend to the wants and wishes of others. He was uniformly courteous and unpretending; and, if at any time he indulged in a vein of playful ridicule, it was only against the presumptuously ignorant, and those who were without foundation wise in their own conceit.
Yet, with all these advantages and perfections, the name of Socrates would not have been handed down with such lustre to posterity but for the manner of his death. He made himself many enemies. The plainness of his manner and the simplicity of his instructions were inexpressibly wounding to those (and they were many), who, setting up for professors, had hitherto endeavoured to dazzle their hearers by the loftiness of their claims, and to command from them implicit submission by the arrogance with which they dictated. It must be surprising to us, that a man like Socrates should be arraigned in a country like Athens upon a capital accusation. He was charged with instilling into the youth a disobedience to their duties, and propagating impiety to the Gods, faults of which he was notoriously innocent. But the plot against him was deeply laid, and is said to have been twenty years in the concoction. And he greatly assisted the machinations of his adversaries, by the wonderful firmness of his conduct upon his trial, and his spirited resolution not to submit to any thing indirect and pusillanimous. He defended himself with a serene countenance and the most cogent arguments, but would not stoop to deprecation and intreaty. When sentence was pronounced against him, this did not induce the least alteration of his conduct. He did not think that a life which he had passed for seventy years with a clear conscience, was worth preserving by the sacrifice of honour. He refused to escape from prison, when one of his rich friends had already purchased of the jailor the means of his freedom. And, during the last days of his life, and when he was waiting the signal of death, which was to be the return of a ship that had been sent with sacrifices to Delos, he uttered those admirable discourses, which have been recorded by Xenophon and Plato to the latest posterity.
But the question which introduces his name into this volume, is that of what is called the demon of Socrates. He said that he repeatedly received a divine premonition of dangers impending over himself and others; and considerable pains have been taken to ascertain the cause and author of these premonitions. Several persons, among whom we may include Plato, have conceived that Socrates regarded himself as attended by a supernatural guardian who at all times watched over his welfare and concerns.
But the solution is probably of a simpler nature. Socrates, with all his incomparable excellencies and perfections, was not exempt from the superstitions of his age and country. He had been bred up among the absurdities of polytheism. In them were included, as we have seen, a profound deference for the responses of oracles, and a vigilant attention to portents and omens. Socrates appears to have been exceedingly regardful of omens. Plato tells us that this intimation, which he spoke of as his demon, never prompted him to any act, but occasionally interfered to prevent him or his friends from proceeding in any thing that would have been attended with injurious consequences. 99 Sometimes he described it as a voice, which no one however heard but himself; and sometimes it shewed itself in the act of sneezing. If the sneezing came, when he was in doubt to do a thing or not to do it, it confirmed him; but if, being already engaged in any act, he sneezed, this he considered as a warning to desist. If any of his friends sneezed on his right hand, he interpreted this as a favourable omen; but, if on his left, he immediately relinquished his purpose. 100 Socrates vindicated his mode of expressing himself on the subject, by saying that others, when they spoke of omens, for example, by the voice of a bird, said the bird told me this, but that he, knowing that the omen was purely instrumental to a higher power, deemed it more religious and respectful to have regard only to the higher power, and to say that God had graciously warned him. 101 One of the examples of this presage was, that, going along a narrow street with several companions in earnest discourse, he suddenly stopped, and turned another way, warning his friends to do the same. Some yielded to him, and others went on, who were encountered by the rushing forward of a multitude of hogs, and did not escape without considerable inconvenience and injury. 102 In another instance one of a company among whom was Socrates, had confederated to commit an act of assassination. Accordingly he rose to quit the place, saying to Socrates, “I will be back presently.” Socrates, unaware of his purpose, but having received the intimation of his demon, said to him earnestly, “Go not.” The conspirator sat down. Again however he rose, and again Socrates stopped him. At length he escaped, without the observation of the philosopher, and committed the act, for which he was afterwards brought to trial. When led to execution, he exclaimed, “This would never have happened to me, if I had yielded to the intimation of Socrates.” 103 In the same manner, and by a similar suggestion, the philosopher predicted the miscarriage of the Athenian expedition to Sicily under Nicias, which terminated with such signal disaster. 104 This feature in the character of Socrates is remarkable, and may shew the prevalence of superstitious observances, even in persons whom we might think the most likely to be exempt from this weakness.
99 Theages.
100 Plutarch, De Genio Socratis.
101 Xenophon, Memorabilia, Lib. I, c. 1.
102 Plutarch, ubi supra.
103 Plato, Theages.
104 Ibid.
Last updated Monday, March 17, 2014 at 17:11
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98633
|
The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence is a novel set primarily in New York’s elite classes in the 1870s. Newland Archer, favored son of “Old” New York, is on the brink of announcing his engagement to lovely May Welland, favored daughter of a family much like his own, when the Countess Ellen Olenska, May’s cousin, returns unexpectedly to New York. Archer initially sees Ellen and her personal and social problems primarily as an annoyance. Following the announcement of his engagement to May, however, he is reintroduced to the set customs and deeply conventional thinking of his own and May’s social set. He gradually begins to see the cosmopolitan and unconventional Ellen as a tempting alternative to May and what she represents. The complications arising from this situation (which I won’t reveal, so as not to deprive first readers of the interest of the plot) comprise the rest of the novel.
As this summary suggests, Wharton’s plot for this novel is not particularly original. What is original and what makes this novel decidedly worth reading (surely it is one of her two or three best works) is her handling of her material. Newland Archer, the central character, is utterly believable in both his strengths and his weaknesses. May and Ellen, the other central characters, are vivid; Wharton suggests a great deal about them, even while adhering to Newland’s point of view.Age is also a fascinating historical novel, one that depicts both the surface of its world–clothing, books, paintings, manners–and its deeply held beliefs. Written after World War I, it describes the social world of Wharton’s youth in terms that are both nostalgic and critical.
Discussion Questions:
1. The novel is told primarily from Newland Archer’s point of view. What kind of person is he? What are his strengths? His weaknesses? How does he change over the course of the novel? How might the same story be related from Ellen’s or May’s point of view? How does each central character see the others?
2. What is the role of social convention in the novel? Why has this society tacitly agreed to avoid all discussion of things that are “unpleasant”? (What are the advantages and disadvantages of avoiding “unpleasant” topics?) What role do rumor and innuendo play in this society? Explain the narrator’s remark that “They all lived in a kind of hieroglyphic world, where the real thing was never said or done or even thought, but was only represented by a set of arbitrary signs” (Ch. VI).
3. How would members of Newland and May’s set describe the role of women? of men? (See especially Ch. VI.) What do they find vexing about Ellen Olenska’s behavior?
4. Once you have read the entire novel, consider the following. In The Writing of Fiction, Wharton acknowledges that “the first page of a novel ought to contain the germ [seed, essence] of the whole” (39). In what ways do Age’s first two chapters contain the “germ of the whole” novel? Be sure to look not only at the opening scene but also at statements by individual characters (e.g. May’s question in Ch. II, “Why should we change what is already settled?”).
5. What role do minor characters–for instance Julius Beaufort, Mrs. Manson Mingott, the Van der Luydens, Newland’s mother and sister Janey, and others–play in this novel?
6. How do you interpret Newland’s decision not to visit Ellen Olenska in the final chapter of the novel?
7. Watch the film based on this novel made by Martin Scorsese. Generally Scorsese stays very close to the novel, but the film is nevertheless (as it must be) an interpretation of the novel. How does he see–and present–the central characters? What is his final “take” on Newland Archer and his life decisions? (Note that in the film, Scorsese has reversed the appearance of “Ellen” and “May.” That is, in the novel May is tall and blond; Ellen is smaller and dark-haired. What, if anything, do you make of this reversal?)
8. If you have read Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady, how would you compare this novel? Both are novels about marriage; both feature an “Archer” (James’s main character is Isabel Archer). In what ways is Wharton revising or re-imagining James’s central theme?
A note on texts:
For those interested in some critical readings, Carole Singley has edited a critical edition of this novel with Riverside. The Norton Critical Edition, ed. Candace Waid, is also available. Both are excellent sources of additional commentary and readings.
–Contributed by Julie Olin-Ammentorp, LeMoyne College
Leave a Reply
You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )
Twitter picture
Facebook photo
Google+ photo
Connecting to %s
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98640
|
Elizabeth Reaser Fan
Home > Other > Appearances > 2010 Appearances > Eclipse Premiere
Click to view full size image
pre-eclipse001.jpg pre-eclipse002.jpg pre-eclipse003.jpg pre-eclipse004.jpg pre-eclipse005.jpg
Designed by Purple Haze - Part of Elizabeth-Reaser.Org
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98659
|
Memory Alpha
Michael Gerbosi
37,230pages on
this wiki
Michael Gerbosi was a writing assistant on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the last three seasons.
After leaving Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Gerbosi wrote Auto Focus, a film based on the life of Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane. Gerbosi participated in an audio commentary on the DVD release of the film.
External linkEdit
Around Wikia's network
Random Wiki
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98661
|
Memory Alpha
Talk:Karemma starship
37,231pages on
this wiki
Back to page
What is an appropriate name for this vessel? It looks like a freighter really. Tough Little Ship 21:45, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Karemman Freighter or Karemman Trade Vessel would suffice, but I see no need to change the title.Gul Reid 21:54, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
I'll wait until Gvsualan gets here. He's the authority on starship designations. Tough Little Ship 21:56, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
True.Gul Reid 22:01, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Have we seen other Karemman vessels? Is there a problem with leaving it here? Even then, if it needs to be changed you should use what it was referred to in the episode as (I'm gonna take a stab in the dark and say it was called a "Karemman Freighter"). Also, I don't believe Gvsualan's the "Authority", he's just knows more about Memory Alpha's naming conventions. -AJHalliwell 22:04, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Actually it was only mentioned as " the Karemman vessel " or " The karemma ".Gul Reid 22:07, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Hanok was a Karemma minister, so I suppose it would be unlikely he would travel in a freighter. Tough Little Ship 22:10, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
The rule of thumb I have been using for the articles I've created is a) go with what it was called in the episode or b) go with what it was referred to in the script (in the writers comments), or to a lesser degree c) go with what it is comparable to -- without making any speculation. For example you can't lose with [Species name starship]. In this case the episode described it as the "Karemma ship". Personally, I think, "starship" is the most accurate descriptor in this case, just like Tamarian deep space cruiser or Klaestron starship -- to differentiate it with any other kind of "ship". Anyway, I vote Karemma starship. --Gvsualan 22:11, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Then it's agreedGul Reid 22:12, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Thanks Gvsualan. I'd have done that myself but I didn't have a clue how...I'm logging out now, anyway, to whom it may concern.Gul Reid 22:17, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
I know there is more to add about the ship in the events that occurred in that episode, I just haven't the time right now to look it up. By the way, does anyone have a screencap? DS9 season 4/5 are not in my DVD catalog. --Gvsualan 22:21, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Nevermind seems someone slapped an inuse on it before/as I was making its edits. --Gvsualan 22:22, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
Sorry. I was also going to ask if it was a reuse of an existing model. It was used as a Bajoran ship in Season Seven wasn't it? Theres a picture of the Micro Machine model here-- Tough Little Ship 22:42, 7 Jul 2005 (UTC)
CGI or physical model?Edit
Since the starship type was reused in what looks like a fleet of CGI ships in "Shadows and Symbols" and apparantly in Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica, was it a CGI model in "Starship Down"? -- Tough Little Ship 11:30, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
No, it was a physical model in "Starship Down". That model was recently sold at the Christie's auction. I think the first time we saw it as a CG model was in Voyager's episode "Drive". It's strange that they went to the trouble of making a CG model of a ship that belonged on the other side of the Galaxy, but they did the same with one of those Bajoran freighters as well. When has it been seen in BSG? --Pearse 14:29, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
It's both actually. In the scenes that take place in the atmosphere of the gas giant and the scenes that show the Karemma ship enter the atmosphere, the Karemma ship, the Defiant and the Jem'Hadar ship were CG models. That explains why they had a CG model of the Karemma ship at hand to use in "Drive" and "Shadows and Symbols". --Jörg 15:48, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
That's very interesting. I suppose this was season 4, so they were just starting to get into CGI. Would be worth adding that info to the article.--Pearse 15:56, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Here's an interesting link that sheds some more light on the CG models in Season 4. It doesn't mention the CG Karemma ship, that is something I researched for an article at Ex-astris-scientia that Bernd has yet to upload. It's another of those "Re-uses of the XXX starship" articles. Anyway, here's the link. --Jörg 16:02, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
I love those articles. It's satisfying to know I'm not the only one who saw the alien of the week's ship and said to myself "oh, I recognise that!". Great little article on that site, too. I had no idea they were using that much CGI in season 4. I don't know why, but I'd always assumed it began in season 5. It's a shame almost all the pages linked to no longer exist, I wonder what else might've been revealed on them.--Pearse 16:45, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
Around Wikia's network
Random Wiki
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98662
|
Memory Alpha
Visionary (episode)
37,230pages on
this wiki
Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)
DS9, Episode 3x17
Production number: 40513-463
First aired: 27 February 1995
62nd of 173 produced in DS9
62nd of 173 released in DS9
354th of 728 released in all
Two obriens
Teleplay By
John Shirley
Story By
Ethan H. Calk
Directed By
Reza Badiyi
Unknown (2371)
After receiving a minor dose of radiation poisoning, O'Brien inexplicably begins experiencing a series of jumps into the near future. Meanwhile, a Romulan delegation arrives on the station, expecting an intelligence report on the Dominion.
Bashir helps O'Brien in Ops - Visionary
Bashir helps O'Brien in Ops
Dr. Bashir is tending to Chief O'Brien in the Ops pit. When O'Brien asks what happened, Commander Sisko tells him that one of the plasma conduits blew out while he was attempting to re-route a phase inducer. Bashir tells him that he has a mild case of radiation poisoning, before injecting him with a dose of hyronalin to counter the effects. The doctor recommends O'Brien be placed on light duty for the next few days. Sisko agrees. Before they can discuss the matter further, Major Kira interrupts with news that a Romulan delegation has arrived and is requesting permission to dock. Sisko allows them to dock at bay 12; he and Kira will meet them there. Before heading out, the Commander gives O'Brien one word of advice. "Light means light," he says. Sisko doesn't want O'Brien spending the night crawling through Jefferies tubes looking for power surges. The Chief jokingly replies, "You won't get any arguments today, Commander."
On the Promenade, Kira and Sisko are on their way to meet the Romulan delegation when a drunken Klingon staggers out of Quark's, assisted by two Bajoran security guards. Constable Odo explains that a Klingon freighter had to dock with the station and, due to a computer error, will not be able to depart until it is repaired, which will take at least two more days. Sisko takes Odo aside and asks him to keep a close eye on the Klingons, as the commander doesn't want them to get in the way of the Romulans. Odo acknowledges Sisko's request and the drunken Klingon is taken to a holding cell.
Kira and Sisko continue to the docking port, where two Starfleet security guards are waiting. The circular doors are wheeled back and a Romulan named Ruwon steps out, followed closely by his aide, Karina, and two guards. Sisko offers them accommodation after their long trip but all Ruwon is interested in are intelligence reports on the Dominion. The commander exchanges a brief glance with Kira, before escorting their guests to the wardroom.
O'Brien sees himself talking to Quark
A confused O'Brien sees himself talking to Quark
In his bar, Quark is hanging up a dartboard for O'Brien, but he is skeptical it will bring him any profit. The chief, in his confidence, notes that "darts and bars go together like bacon and eggs" to which Quark reminds him that people actually order bacon and eggs, and no-one has yet asked to see a dartboard. In an attempt to convince, O'Brien hands Quark some darts and challenges him to hit the bulls-eye. Quark, unaware of how to play the game, throws them all at once, hitting Morn non-fatally in the process. The Ferengi points out how dangerous the game is; after all, if one of his customers was injured, he could be held liable. But the chief doesn't give in and picks up a dart, intent on showing Quark how the game is properly played. As he aims for the board, there is a bright flash of light and he is transported to the upper level of the Promenade. But something isn't quite right. O'Brien looks across the way and sees himself, arguing with Quark about the damage the Klingons are doing to two of his holosuites. A confused look comes across his face as the other O'Brien tells Quark to keep the Klingons out of the holosuites from now on. Finishing his conversation, he turns away, and the two lock eyes, both incredibly confused by what is happening. But before they can say anything, the original O'Brien is back in Quark's. His dart hits the bulls-eye and he falls to the floor, disoriented.
Act OneEdit
In the infirmary, Doctor Bashir explains that the chief's earlier collapse was due to a sudden decrease in his serum calcium levels, a common side effect of the radiation poisoning, and gives him a dose of asinolyathin for the pain. The doctor continues to explain that his "vision" was also likely a mild side-effect, though the Chief isn't fully convinced. He explains it to Bashir, who jokingly mocks him, saying he has a "sadly deficient fantasy life". On that note, O'Brien sarcastically "thanks" the doctor for his help and leaves.
In the wardroom, Ruwon proclaims that the Dominion is the greatest threat the Alpha Quadrant has seen in the last century and wants to know exactly what Sisko and his crew have obtained through use of their cloaking device on the USS Defiant. When the commander admits they know very little, Karina responds, asking about Odo, incorrectly referring to him as a Founder. She believes he can tell them all they need to know about the Dominion, though Major Kira soon corrects her, informing her that Odo may be a Changeling but he is not a Founder and wants nothing to do with them. The commander backs her up by telling them it is the truth, "whether they chose to believe it or not". Ruwon reminds Sisko that they agreed to install the cloaking device in exchange for information on the Dominion, but they have received very little so far. He goes on to demand every piece of information Starfleet has on them no matter how insignificant, including any classified reports made to Starfleet Command. Sisko says he will have to clear it with his superiors first.
O'Brien saves himself from a Klingon
O'Brien saves his future self from a Klingon
On the upper level of the Promenade, Quark is complaining to O'Brien about the damage the Klingons have caused to the holosuites. In the middle of his sentence, O'Brien stops and, remembering his previous vision, looks across the way to where he was standing before. Another O'Brien is standing there, watching them. This time, Quark sees him too and observes that O'Brien has bigger problems than his holosuites. A few seconds later, the other O'Brien disappears.
In Sisko's office, Jadzia Dax reports that she did detect a minor temporal disturbance in Quark's, and another later on the Promenade, round about the same time O'Brien had his visions. It soon becomes apparent that O'Brien did travel to the future and then back again, to the same moment he left. Dax theorizes that the ionizing radiation he was exposed to earlier may have something to do with it and wants to examine Doctor Bashir's medical scans. Before she can explain further, the chief flashes back to Quark's in the middle of a bar fight and sees himself fighting with a Klingon. After finishing off a Romulan, another Klingon takes out his d'k tahg and heads towards him. O'Brien quickly grabs the Klingon's arm, knocking the dagger away and throwing him to the floor. Just as he avoids a bar stool being thrown at him, he flashes back to the Commander's office, where he again collapses to the floor. Dax and Sisko quickly rush to his aid, but he doesn't respond; he is unconscious.
Act TwoEdit
O'Brien in infirmary - Visionary
Commander Sisko and Major Kira check in on O'Brien
Back in the infirmary, Bashir has run a micro-cellular scan and has detected damage to O'Brien's cerebrospinal nerve cells, which he thinks has been caused by the timeshifting. The doctor explains that while he can repair the current damage, the effect is cumulative and that there may come a time, if the timeshifting continues, when he can no longer repair the damage, and O'Brien could die. Sisko comforts him, saying Dax is using every scanner on the station to hunt for any temporal abnormalities, which is of some relief to O'Brien. "If anyone can find the cause of the timeshifts, it's Dax", he says with a relaxed smile. The commander goes on to ask him if he was aware how far ahead the timeshifts are taking him, in case it affects the meeting with the Romulans, but he doesn't know. Sisko decides to ask Odo to increase security around Quark's just in case.
At that moment, Major Kira walks in and, after asking how O'Brien is, she walks Commander Sisko onto the Promenade. As they pass a Bajoran stall, she explains that the Romulans want to debrief everyone who was on the Defiant when it was captured by the Founders and unrestricted access to the ship and all personal logs. Sisko immediately rejects access to personal logs, but decides to permit them limited access to the ship and debriefings of crew. He explains to Kira how the Romulans are completely dependent on them for information to which a frustrated Kira suggests they send their own ships through the wormhole. He continues to explain how the Romulans generally prefer to sit back and pull the strings from a distance if they can, and though Kira replies she is one puppet who doesn't like her strings pulled, she accepts his orders. As they part ways, Sisko reminds her to be diplomatic, to which she replies "I'm always diplomatic!".
Kira confronting Ruwon
An emotional Major Kira
In the wardroom, Kira yells at the Romulans for insinuating she abandoned the Defiant prematurely during the battle with the Jem'Hadar but they only see her emotional outburst as evidence that they are correct. Relaxing a little, she continues to explain how she was trapped in a hand-to-hand fight below decks and was knocked unconscious, before Odo put her on the shuttle. She says she only came to after they had left the ship and there was nothing they could have done. Ruwon begins to question why Odo didn't help any of the other crew but Kira defends him, insisting they were blocked in. Karina then asks her why she was in Odo's quarters before the attack and rather keenly suspects the Odo might be harboring feelings for Kira, which pushes Kira further over the edge. She puts an abrupt end to their questioning saying they can rip the cloaking device from the Defiant and advises them not to ask Odo the same questions or they may just find themselves on the other side of the bulkhead, floating home. Ruwom and Karina share a nervous glance as Kira storms out of the room, pushing the guards to one side.
In Quark's, Bashir has just beaten O'Brien in the tenth game of darts in a row. He tells the chief that because he has told them what happened he has changed the future, and with the increased security and Quark's promise not to let the Klingons in, the fight won't happen, though O'Brien isn't entirely convinced. Just then, three Klingons make their way down from the holosuites. The chief grabs Quark by his arm and demands an explanation as to why they are in the bar. Pulling out a bar of latinum, he replies that the Klingons weren't in the bar, they were in the holosuites, and besides, they are paying him triple to use them. The three Klingons walk over to the two Romulans sat down and call them "filthy petaQ". Another suggests they "show them the way out". Not ones to take insults, the two Romulans stand and confront their aggressors.
OBrien checks his pulse
O'Brien checks his future self's pulse
In the security office, Kira is telling Odo what Ruwon said about them, which makes Odo feel slightly uncomfortable given that he does have feelings for her. They are suddenly interrupted by a call from Quark; a fight has broken out in the bar. O'Brien gets into a fist fight with a Klingon, knocking him to the floor. He then sees his younger self, who attacks another Klingon wieldying a d'k'tagh thereby fulfilling his second vision. As he warns his past self about the flying bar stool, Odo rushes in and breaks up the fight. But before O'Brien has a chance to recover, he is again flung into another future. This time, he appears in a corridor in the habitat ring where he sees his future self opening a panel. He calls out to him but before he can do anything a sharp bolt of energy is fired out from the panel, knocking his future self to the ground. The chief rushes to see if he's alright, but after feeling his pulse, he realizes he is dead.
O'Brien awakens in the infirmary where he was taken after the fight. Bashir tells him everything is OK and he's going to be alright, but O'Brien knows otherwise. "No, I'm not" he says, "In a few hours I'm going to be dead!".
Act ThreeEdit
Odo scans panel for surveillance device - Visionary
The device hasn't been planted... yet
Sisko, O'Brien, and Odo are in the corridor where the accident happened. The chief believes it was some sort of phaser or high-energy laser that killed his future self but a scan of the bulkhead reveals nothing. Odo carefully opens the panel but again there is nothing by the computer display inside. They theorize that the perpetrator has yet to plant the device but he will do so in the next few hours. Odo suggests placing a surveillance device in the corridor so they can observe if anyone does indeed try and tamper with the panel, at which point they are interrupted by Dax over the comm system. She wants Sisko and O'Brien to head up to Ops; she says she has found a clue as to the chief's timeshifting.
Up in Ops, Dax explained she tried several scans of the surrounding space but got nothing until she ran a scan on the lower subspace bandwidths with turned up some curious tetryon emissions. O'Brien remarks he hasn't seen emissions like that outside of a neutron star. Dax, however, suggests the presence of a quantum singularity, the only strange thing is that it isn't affecting the gravimetric field signature of the station as it should. Sisko, assuming that a quantum singularity is responsible, turns to Bashir and asks how its effects can be combated. Bashir theorizes that the singularity is attracted to the delta series radioisotopes in O'Brien's body, effectively pulling him along like a magnet. And if that's the case, he may have a cure for it, but it's going to take time. He warns the Chief that he could experience one or two more time jumps before the process has been completed. O'Brien wants to get started right away, and so heads down to the infirmary with Bashir. Meanwhile, Sisko orders Dax to continue to pinpoint the singularity in an effort to get rid of it. Just then, Major Kira enters Ops and informs the commander she had to move the Romulans to alternative quarters as the replicators were malfunctioning. It just so happens that the quarters she has moved them to are on level 2, section 47, directly adjacent to the area where the future O'Brien was killed. Kira suggests moving them to a different room, but Sisko objects so as not to alert those responsible. Instead, he tells her to inform Odo and let the scenario play out before they make any further moves.
A short while later, Sisko is summoned to Odo's office where he informs him that someone has planted a class 5 surveillance device in the bulkhead, though he doesn't know who as they used a low energy transporter to put it there. He goes on to say that although they cannot trace the transporter signal, he believes it originated from the station as there were no ships in range at the time. The Klingons are the prime suspects but Odo also intends to investigate the Bajorans, Quark, and the visiting Terellians just to make sure.
OBrien corpse
O'Brien sees his own dead body
In Quark's, Bashir and O'Brien are waiting out the time he has until his death in the other future when Quark arrives with the drinks they ordered. Being his usual self, he also asks O'Brien to keep an eye out for the numbers on the dabo wheel next time he jumps into the future. O'Brien doesn't pay any attention to him and suggests he and Bashir leave. As they exit the upper level, O'Brien is again flung into the future, this time he is in the infirmary. He notices a body on one of the biobeds, covered in a white sheet. He slowly walks towards it and lifts the top to reveal his own corpse.
Act FourEdit
O'Brien covers up his dead body lying on the biobed when Bashir walks round the corner. He had been expecting him and has some important news for the chief to pass onto Bashir's past self. The radiation had damaged the basilar arteries in O'Brien's brain stem which hadn't shown up on any scans and was only picked up in the autopsy. Bashir instructs him to tell his former self to run a basilar arterial scan so he can detect and repair the damage in time. Flashing back to the upper level of the Promenade, O'Brien falls to the floor. Bashir taps his comm badge and requests a nurse and an emergency medkit there immediately.
Odo shows Sisko Klingon device
Odo shows Sisko the Klingon device
In the habitat ring, Odo explains to Sisko that he was finally able to trace back the source of the transporter beam to some empty quarters. Sisko speculates that they brought in a portable transporter but Odo quickly discounts it as the technology is too bulky to be dragging around the halls. Sisko nods in agreement as Odo continues to explain how they modified the replicator, turning it into a mini-transporter by realigning the matter energy conversion matrix; a very sophisticated and professional job. Reaching into the replicator circuitry, Odo pulls out a device which he says is manufactured on Davlos III, a planet on the Klingon border and which does ninety percent of its trade with the Klingon Empire. Sisko doesn't think it is enough to hold the Klingons and Odo agrees but there's more. A friend at Starfleet Intelligence that used to be assigned to the Federation embassy on Qo'noS put him in contact with an old Klingon operative who provided him with information showing the three Klingons currently on the station are part of a covert strike force, reporting directly to the High Council. They now have enough to hold the Klingons for questioning, questioning that Odo feels can continue until after the Romulans have left the station. Sisko agrees though tells Odo to be careful, to which he replies, "There is no careful way to question a Klingon".
O'Brien is back in the infirmary where Bashir is scanning him. He wakes up and tells Bashir he needs to run the basilar arterial scan or he'll die within a few hours. "Well, who am I to argue with me?", Bashir jokes.
Meanwhile, Odo has arrested the three Klingon operatives: Bo'rak, Atul and Morka and has placed them in a holding cell for the time being. He accuses them of being spies and saboteurs, to which they simply reply with threats of vengeance. Odo tries a threat of his own by telling them if they help him he will forgo telling the Klingon Intelligence service that they have been captured. He says from what he hears they frown on operatives who fail their missions. The Klingons look at each other thinking about his offer.
Ds9 destruction
Deep Space 9 is destroyed
Back in Ops, Bashir informs Sisko that he has eliminated almost all of the radioisotopes from O'Brien's system and the last treatment is in a couple more hours, after which there should be no more timeshifting. Dax also reports that the quantum singularity is orbiting the station in a roughly elliptical pattern. O'Brien continues by saying the anomaly radiates temporal energy at certain points in its orbit which seems to be causing his timeshifts. At that very moment, he shifts again. There are lots of people scrambling into a runabout. His future self is at the helm and initiates an emergency escape protocol, disengaging the docking clamps and immediately engaging full impulse. All three of the station's runabouts hastily escape the vicinity as explosions cascade across the habitat ring. The future O'Brien explains he was sleeping when an explosion rocked the station and was on his way to Ops when the evacuation alarm sounded, so got as many people as he could to the runabout before leaving. He tells O'Brien that doesn't know what happened or if the other senior staff made it off the station, and urges him to find out what happened and prevent it. As the runabout flies away, the explosions engulf the station, destroying it. Back in Ops, Sisko asks the chief what's wrong. "We've got a new problem, sir" he replies.
Act FiveEdit
Sisko questions O'Brien on his latest timeshift, asking for any clue of how the station may be destroyed. O'Brien says he noticed some explosions along the habitat ring but it all happened so fast that he couldn't get a clear sense of exactly what was going on. The commander orders a silent preparation for evacuation should it need to come to that, but he doesn't want to do anything that would alarm their enemy into attacking sooner. He also orders Dax to do a complete systems check on anything that could potentially cause this type of disaster. The chief also has an idea. If they could cause him to travel into the future on purpose, this time only by two or three hours, he may be able to find out what the threat is and stop it happening in their timeline. Bashir notes the problem with the plan; in order to do this, O'Brien's body would need to be flooded with delta series radioisotopes and prolonged exposure would kill him. But the chief knows the risks and is willing to do it if it means saving everyone on DS9. After thinking on it for a few seconds, Sisko approves his plan and they get to work.
Bashir explains about radiation device
Bashir explains the injection device
In the infirmary, Bashir instructs O'Brien on a rectangular device designed to inject him with a two rad dose of delta isotopes. He explains to him that the device is already calibrated for the return trip so all he has to do it press it again to return to the present. Bashir warns him that he cannot wait too long or his body will fail due to severe radiation poisoning. On another note, O'Brien mentions a message to Keiko that he has left in his quarters. He wants Bashir to deliver it should the plan fail. Bashir understands.
Upon activating the device, O'Brien is transported to his quarters where the future O'Brien is asleep. He manages to wake him and explains the situation. The two of them quickly head for Ops and on arrival a Romulan warbird decloaks and opens fire on the station, taking out the shield generators in the first shots. Kira orders return fire but it is no use, the Romulans have hit the power core. The future O'Brien realizes the orbiting quantum singularity was the power source of the Romulan ship and tells O'Brien to go back and stop it. But he can't. The radiation poisoning has taken its toll on his body and he would die if he did. Instead he takes off the device and hands it to future O'Brien, convincing him to go back in his place.
The new O'Brien wakes up in the infirmary next to Doctor Bashir, who asks how it went. After confirming it worked, O'Brien immediately contacts Sisko in Ops, who raises the station's shields and readies weapons. Bashir quickly realizes that this O'Brien is different; he doesn't have nearly as many delta isotopes in his body and his metabolic readings are completely different.
Kira, Sisko and Odo confront Ruwon
Sisko, Kira and Odo confront Ruwon
In the wardroom, the Romulans are interviewing Quark, when Sisko, Kira and Odo barge in. The commander tells him to leave before revealing what he knows to Ruwon and Karina. He tells Ruwon how he remembered what he said about the Dominion being the greatest threat to the Alpha Quadrant for a century and that if he truly believed that he would want to close the wormhole for good. Kira finishes by saying that the Federation and Bajor wouldn't just stand by and watch them do it so they would have to destroy the station as well and make it look like an accident. The two Romulans deny the allegations calling it a mere "theory". But Sisko responds by informing them he has about fifty photon torpedoes locked onto their ship. He then asks Odo to escort their "guests" to the nearest transporter room.
In Quark's, over darts, O'Brien tells Bashir how weird it is to be living in the past, that it is like living the other O'Brien's life. Bashir says that he's the same O'Brien, just with a few extra memories. As he leaves, he whispers in Quark's lobe, "dabo." Quark doesn't understand what O'Brien means until a small crowd at the wheel yells, "Dabo!" Quark then yells for O'Brien to come back, who simply walks away, laughing.
Memorable QuotesEdit
"Well, you do have one problem...if all you can hallucinate about is Quark's maintenance problems, you do have a sadly deficient fantasy life."
- Bashir, to O'Brien
"I'm always diplomatic!" [screen cut] "That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard and I resent the implication!"
- Sisko and Kira (the latter speaking to Sisko and to the Romulans, respectively)
"But don't worry – I plan to investigate the Klingons, the Bajorans, Quark, the visiting Terrelians..."
"You think Quark had something to do with this?"
"I always investigate Quark."
- Odo and Sisko
"Why didn't you just say so?"
"Well sometimes I have to remind you just how good I am."
- Sisko and Odo, on Odo's investigatory process
"I think we have enough evidence to at least hold the Klingons for questioning, don't you?"
"Absolutely. And I think I can question them until the Romulan delegation leaves the station."
"Just be careful."
-Sisko and Odo
"I think you're lying, Quark."
"About which part?"
"All of it."
"Well, at least I am consistent."
- Ruwon and Quark
"Who told you that?"
"You did. In the future."
- Bashir and O'Brien
"I hate temporal mechanics."
- O'Briens, past and future
Background InformationEdit
Story and scriptEdit
• The pitch for this episode was taken by René Echevarria, who saw it as "a very different, clever science fiction premise with a twist. A story that had a nice built-in clock element." He further commented that the episode was "a nice twist on the time-travel show that could be a bottle show to save money." In the original story for this episode, Odo jumped forward in time to witness DS9 destroyed. According to Echevarria, this was changed because the writers felt that they had done too many Odo stories that season. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 217; Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 93)
• In his pitch, Calk had used Nausicaans as the villains, but these were rejected as not familiar enough. In response, he created the Romulan-Klingon intrigue plot. ("New Voyagers", Star Trek Magazine, issue 127)
• Ira Steven Behr asked a friend of his, John Shirley, who was well versed in complicated science fiction concepts, to write the teleplay. "He hadn't written for television and he wanted to take a shot at it," said Behr. He later said of Shirley's experience, "I won't say it was the most pleasant experience he ever had in his career." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 217)
• The script of this episode received an uncredited rewrite by Ronald D. Moore. (AOL chat, 1997) It was Moore's idea to kill the present O'Brien and replace him with a duplicate from the future. Moore was also part of the writing staff for the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Second Chances", where the team temporarily considered killing off William T. Riker and replacing him with his own transporter duplicate. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 218)
• Bashir's use of hyronalin as a treatment for radiation poisoning is a reference to the TOS episode "The Deadly Years". This reference was added by Ron Moore, a noted fan of the original Star Trek series. He commented, "There's a lot of references from the original series rattling around in my head, because I watched it fanatically as a kid. Somehow it's easier to remember those references than the stuff I worked on a few years ago on TNG." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 218)
• Science advisor André Bormanis had two major tasks: to find a technical explanation for why O'Brien was jumping through time, and to determine how the Klingons could transport surveillance equipment into a bulkhead. Figuring out the first wasn't too difficult, according to Bormanis, as he merely had to create "a description of what mechanism might allow O'Brien to do what he's doing". He did admit, however, that the use of radiation as a trigger was "a little on the campy side." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 218)
• As for the surveillance equipment, Bormanis thought it quite plausible that "somebody had gone to the trouble of hollowing out a space inside the wall for the object and then used a very carefully tuned transporter beam to get it there." However, he was concerned about modifying a replicator to work as a transporter, as it had been established previously that replicators only operate on a molecular level, whereas transporters require quantum-level resolution. Bormanis' belief that such a modification would have required a great deal of skill was briefly addressed through Odo's line that the culprit had performed a "very sophisticated, very professional job". (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 218)
• Robert Hewitt Wolfe noted that the darts game was useful when plotting the episode: "It gave us a way to establish that O'Brien's time jumps weren't taking any time [in the present]. He could throw the dart, go through a five-minute experience in the future, and then return to see the dart hit the wall." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 218)
• Ira Steven Behr felt that O'Brien's predicament in this installment was well-suited to the character, feeling that O'Brien was the "most fun" character to do such episodes with as Behr considered him to be "so human." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 111)
• When the two security guards walk Bo'rak out of Quark's, he says "Du'cha Kovah! Estah!" which, according to the script, translates as, "Leave me alone! Let me go!" (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion - A Series Guide and Script Library)
• Director Reza Badiyi recalled some of the unique problems the show presented. He stated, "The challenge was creating two people. Colm [Meaney] played two parts, which is kind of tough. He is such a wonderful actor, and I really like him, but you cannot keep him on the set. He has to go outside and get a little fresh air. So when he's in every scene twice, and we have to shoot it three times and lock the camera, and then he's coming to do this part and then he has to do the other part, it's very difficult. They didn't want to do it all in blue screen because it's so time consuming, because it would take nine days. They gave us seven, and we shot it in seven and a half days." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 93)
• Though the final scenes may look convincing in the finished episode, they weren't easy to produce, as Visual Effects Supervisor Gary Hutzel explained: "It was always confusing for the actor, because although the director and I have extensive discussions, until we arrive on set, we don't know ourselves exactly what's going to happen." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 218)
• Destroying the station proved to be the biggest special effect of the episode. Hutzel commented, "Blowing up the station was a very very big deal. We'd decided that the station had to blow up, and it had to be particularly spectacular. So it was a very elaborate deal." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, pp. 219) Hutzel connected this commitment to a larger change occurring behind the scenes. The producers of Deep Space Nine were now much more interested in showing feature-quality special effects than they had been during the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Consequently, Deep Space Nine was granted a much larger budget for visual effects than its predecessor. (Hidden File 07, DS9 Season 3 DVD special features)
• For the actual destruction, Special Effects Master Gary Monak had Model Maker Tony Meininger pull two new castings from the station's original six-foot mold. The duplicates were very similar to the original but lacked any lighting elements. Monak said of the whole process, "We rigged it so that it would go off in about ten stages: ten separate explosions that had to go off within half a second." The explosions were shot with a high-speed camera at ten to fifteen times normal speed; the half-second multi-blast took up five to seven seconds of film. Monak and his partner, R.J. Hohman, rigged the two models somewhat differently, so that they could decide after filming which explosion looked better. On what goes into making an explosion, Monak explained, "There's a little bit of everything: glitter, black powder, rubber cement, sparkle flash, sometimes a little high explosive primer-cord-stuff." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 219)
• With the increasing use of CGI in television, VFX Coordinator Judy Elkins defended the decision to use a live model, saying, "You can't get the same effect with a computer. You don't get the fireballs, the fire effects, the shards, the pieces flying away. When you're working on a big scale like this, there's nothing like blowing up a big model. It's just beautiful." Though several shots of the station's destruction were filmed, only a small portion made it into the final episode. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 219)
• Bashir uses a familiar-looking tool to adjust the armband that O'Brien uses to shift forward in time. It's a warp nacelle from a Romulan Warbird model. The tool is slightly modified; it's colored gray instead of green, and blinking lights are added on the inside.
• The footage of the Romulan Warbird firing on Deep Space Nine is footage previously used to depict a warbird firing on Admiral Jarok's shuttle from "The Defector".
• Overall, O'Brien experiences six temporal jumps:
1. he sees his future self;
2. he sees the brawl in Quark's;
3. he sees himself mortally wounded by a phaser shot;
4. he sees himself dead due to medical complications;
5. he sees Deep Space 9 evacuated and subsequently destroyed, along with the wormhole;
6. he is sent three and a half hours into the future to investigate the disaster, where he dies and is replaced by the other O'Brien.
• The Chief O'Brien that appears from this point on in the series is the one from a few hours in the future.
• This is the first and only time we see Deep Space 9 destroyed.
• This is the episode in which Miles O'Brien introduces darts to Quark's, a game which will be featured throughout the rest of the series. The board itself was first shown in the previous episode, "Prophet Motive".
• This episode features the first appearance of the D'deridex-class Romulan warbird in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
• This episode features numerous references to the battle between the USS Defiant and the Jem'Hadar in "The Search, Part I".
• When Kira tells Odo that the Romulans suspect he may have feelings for her, he responds by saying, "Ridiculous!" in an incredulous manner. However, the audience already knows it to be true after he confessed to it in "Heart of Stone".
• The writing staff were pleased at Jon Shirley's ability to keep the potentially confusing plot comprehensible for viewers. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 217)
• Director Badiyi opined, "I felt it worked, and the effect and the relationships worked fine. I liked the show." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 93)
• Moore saw this episode as a good departure from standard time travel plots. He commented, "A very cool story because it was a different way to do time travel that we hadn't really played yet, which was going a short distance into the future and returning with that knowledge. Seeing yourself die and the station explode – it just became fun to try and play those scenes out, to enjoy the plot and not get bogged down in 'Oh my God, we're changing history.' You can play the gag of seeing yourself dead and bitching to the doctor because he didn't save your life." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 93)
• After the show aired, Moore heard comparisons made between this episode and TNG: "Time Squared". Disagreeing with this assessment, he remarked, "I watched the episode again, and it's so ponderous. They agonize about what to do the whole show. All right, already! We just quickly decided we weren't going to be that concerned and just went forward." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 93)
• Although Ira Steven Behr doesn't dislike this episode, it isn't one of his favorites: "it was good but it seems like a show we could have done on TNG. I prefer our shows to be Deep Space Nine-specific. 'Visionary' is kind of a tech mystery, and it's more TNG's kind of show." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 218)
• Similarly, René Echevarria remarked, "It turned out pretty well, although it may have been a little confusing. Overall, it was a straight-on Star Trek that could have been done on any of the series." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 93)
• Authors Mark Jones and Lance Parkin wrote of this episode, "A peculiar episode, if we are being charitable. The fact that O'Brien from now on is not technically the same as the one before is at first an astonishing revelation but in practice means nothing. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the rest of the episode, which descends to The Next Generation-levels of technobabble at the expense of the emotional story." (Beyond the Final Frontier, p. 213)
• Star Trek author Keith R.A. DeCandido described the episode as, "yet another TNG story that wandered into the wrong studio on the Paramount lot by accident", citing the high use of technobabble and "made-up science that sounds clever but isn’t because it only works at all because the script says it does." However, DeCandido did praise the inclusion of the Romulans and enjoyed some of the episode's character moments. Overall he awarded this installment a "warp factor rating" of 6/10. [1]
Home video releasesEdit
Links and referencesEdit
Main castEdit
Guest starsEdit
Uncredited co-starsEdit
Stunt doublesEdit
Alpha Quadrant; artificial quantum singularity; asinolyathin; autopsy; Bajorans; Bajoran wormhole; basilar artery; basilar arterial scan; brain stem; cerebrospinal nerve cell; cloaking device; dabo table; darts; D'deridex-class; Davlos III; Defiant, USS; delta-series radioisotope; Dominion; Dominion cold war; embassy; emergency medkit; Federation; fortune teller; Founders; Gamma Quadrant; Gowron; gravimetric field; habitat ring; high-energy laser; holosuite; hyronalin; Jefferies tube; Jem'Hadar; kilometer; Klingons; Klingon Empire; Klingon freighter; Klingon High Council; Klingon Intelligence; laser; lie; Markalians; matter-energy conversion matrix; microcellular scan; muscle spasm; neutron star; O'Brien, Keiko; personal log; phase inducer; phaser; portable transporter; power coupling; Promenade; Qo'noS; quantum singularity; Quark's; rad; radiation poisoning; replicator; Romulans; runabout; shield generator; Starfleet Intelligence; subspace bandwidth; surveillance device; temporal energy; temporal frequency; temporal mechanics; Terrelians; tetryon; tricorder
Previous episode:
"Prophet Motive"
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Season 3
Next episode:
"Distant Voices"
Around Wikia's network
Random Wiki
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98664
|
Andy Capp's fries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Andy Capp's cheddar fries
Andy Capp's is a brand of flavored corn and potato snack made to look like French fries. The product was created in 1971 by Goodmark Foods, Inc., which licensed the name and likeness of the comic strip character Andy Capp from Creators Syndicate. Until recent years[when?] the strip was featured on the back of packages. In 1998 Goodmark Foods was acquired by ConAgra Foods, which manufactures and distributes the product to this day.[1][2]
Andy Capp's fries come in .85 ounce (24 grams) 1 ounce (28 grams), 1.75 ounce (50 grams), 3.0 ounce (85 grams), 3.5 ounce (100 grams), 6 ounce (170 grams), and more recently, 8 ounce (227 grams) packages in three flavors: Hot Fries, Cheddar Fries, and BBQ Fries. Hot Fries were the first popular flavor in this line of snack foods.[2] On the back of some packages, Zesty Ranch was listed as one of the flavors, but it was never produced.[3] The Pub Fries, Salsa, Hot Chili Cheese Steak, and White Cheddar Steak Fries flavors have all been discontinued.[4] [5]
The BBQ Fries, after being discontinued,[4] resurfaced in 2011 in a new bag design made to match with the current Hot Fries flavors.[6]
List Of flavors[edit]
• Hot Fries
• Hot Chili Cheese Steak Fries (discontinued)
• Salsa Fries (discontinued)
• Cheddar Fries
• White Cheddar Steak Fries (discontinued)
• BBQ Fries
1. ^ GoodMark Foods Company History
2. ^ a b ConAgra Foods: Andy Capp's - ConAgra Official Page
3. ^ "Andy Capp's Cheddar Fries". Selavy, Ltd. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
4. ^ a b "Discontinued Products - Clean out your coupon file". RefundCents. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
5. ^ "Hometown Favorites: Discontinued Foods". Hometown Favorites, LLC. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
6. ^ "ConAgra Foods Brings Bold New Flavors To America's Favorite Snacks With New Items From Slim Jim®, DAVID® Seeds and Andy Capp's®". ConAgra Foods. ConAgra Foods Inc. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98666
|
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the 1986 Italian film, see Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime).
The first official use of the word dates from 1735, when a royal decree authorised the establishment of eight gambling houses in Naples. The word is almost certainly a blend of "capo" (boss) and a Neapolitan street game, the "morra".[3][4] (In this game, two persons wave their hands simultaneously, while a crowd of surrounding gamblers guess, in chorus, at the total number of fingers exposed by the principal players.)[5] This activity was prohibited by the local government, and some people started making the players pay for being “protected” against the passing police.[3][6][7]
Camorristi in Naples, 1906
Refuse crisis[edit]
With the assistance of private businessmen known as "stakeholders", the numerous Camorra clans are able to gain massive profits from under-the-table contracts with local, legitimate businesses. These "stakeholders" are able to offer companies highly lucrative deals to remove their waste at a significantly lower price. With little to no overhead, Camorra clans and their associates see very high profit margins. According to author Roberto Saviano, the Camorra employs children to drive the waste in for a small price, who do not complain about the health risks as the older truckers might.
As of June 2007, the region has no serviceable dumping sites, and no alternatives have been found. Together with corrupt local officials and unscrupulous industrialists from all over Italy, the Camorra has created a cartel that has so far proved very difficult for officials to combat.[17]
In November 2013 a demonstration by tens of thousands of people was held in Naples in protest against the pollution caused by the Camorra's control of refuse disposal. Over a twenty year period, it was alleged, about ten million tonnes of industrial waste had been illegally dumped, with cancers caused by pollution increasing by 40-47%.[18]
Efforts to fight the Camorra[edit]
The trial that investigated the murder of the Camorrista Gennaro Cuocolo was followed with great interest by the newspapers and the general public. It led to the conviction of 27 leading Camorra bosses, who were sentenced to a total of 354 years of imprisonment, including the head of the Camorra at the time, Enrico Alfano.[20][21]
Unlike Cosa Nostra, which has a clear hierarchy and a division of interests, the Camorra’s activities are much less centralized. This makes the organization much more difficult to combat through crude repression.[22] In Campania, where unemployment is high and opportunities are limited, the Camorra has become an integral part of the fabric of society. It offers a sense of community and provides the youth with jobs. Members are guided in the pursuit of criminal activities, including cigarette smuggling, drug trafficking, and theft.[23]
The government has made an effort to combat the Camorra's criminal activities in Campania. The solution ultimately lies in Italy’s ability to offer values, education and work opportunities to the next generation. However, the government has been hard pressed to find funds for promoting long term reforms that are needed to improve the local economic outlook and create jobs.[23] Instead, it has had to rely on limited law enforcement activity in an environment which has a long history of criminal tolerance and acceptance, and is governed by a code of silence or omertà that persists to this day.[24]
The arrests in the Campania region demonstrate that the police are not allowing the Camorra to operate without intervention. However, progress remains slow, and these minor victories have done little to loosen the Camorra's grip on Naples and the surrounding regions.[23]
Outside Campania and Italy[edit]
Despite its origins, it presently has important ramifications in other Italian regions, like Lombardia,[27][28][29] Piedmont[30][31] and Emilia-Romagna,[32][33] in connection with the centers of national economic power. It has also spread outside the Italy's boundaries, and acquired a foothold in United Kingdom and United States.
Camorra in the United Kingdom[edit]
Scotland has had its brush with the Camorra. Antonio La Torre of Aberdeen, Scotland was the local "Don" of the Camorra. He is the brother of Camorra boss Augusto La Torre of the La Torre clan which had its base in Mondragone, Caserta. The La Torre Clan's empire was worth hundreds of millions of euros. Antonio had several legitimate businesses in Aberdeen, whereas his brother Augusto had several illegal businesses there. He was convicted in Scotland and is awaiting extradition to Italy. Augusto would eventually become a pentito in January 2003, confessing to over 40 murders and his example would be followed by many of his men.[34]
However, the suggestion that the city remains in the grip of mobsters has been strongly denied by leaders of the 300 strong Italian community in Aberdeen. Moreover, Giuseppe Baldini, the Italian government's vice-consul in Aberdeen denies that the Camorra still maintains its presence in Aberdeen.[35]
Camorra in the United States[edit]
The Camorra existed in USA between the mid-19th century and early 20th century. They rivaled the defunct Morello crime family for power in New York. Eventually, they melded with the early Italian-American Mafia groups.
Many Camorra members and associates fled the internecine gang warfare and Italian Justice and emigrated to the United States in the 1980s. In 1993, the FBI estimated that there were 200 Camorristi in the United States. Although there appears to be no clan structure in the United States, Camorra members have established a presence in Los Angeles, New York and Springfield, Massachusetts.[36] The Camorra is the least active of all the organized crime groups in the United States.[37] In spite of this, the US law enforcement considers the Camorra to be a rising criminal enterprise, especially dangerous because of its ability to adapt to new trends and forge new alliances with other criminal organizations.[38]
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation:
In 1995, the Camorra cooperated with the Russian Mafia in a scheme in which the Camorra would bleach out US $1.00 bills and reprint them as $100s. These bills would then be transported to the Russian Mafia for distribution in 29 post-Eastern Bloc countries and former Soviet republics.[36] In return, the Russian Mafia paid the Camorra with property (including a Russian bank) and firearms, smuggled into Eastern Europe and Italy.[38]
In 2012, the Obama administration imposed sanctions on the Camorra as one of four key transnational organized crime groups, along with the Brothers' Circle from Russia, the Yamaguchi-gumi (Yakuza) from Japan, and Los Zetas from Mexico. The U.S. media was virtually silent on the issue. [40]
In popular culture[edit]
See also[edit]
1. ^ Italian: [kaˈmɔrra]; Neapolitan: [kaˈmorrə].
2. ^ Mafia and Mafia-type organizations in Italy, by Umberto Santino, in: Albanese, Das & Verma, Organized Crime. World Perspectives, pp. 82-100
3. ^ a b Behan, The Camorra, pp. 9-10
4. ^ (Italian) Il gioco della morra, Biblioteca digitale sulla Camorra (accessed May 25, 2011)
5. ^ Purity, Time Magazine, July 30, 1923
6. ^ Jacquemet, Credibility in Court, p. 23
7. ^ (Italian) Camorra, alle radici del male, Narcomafie on line, October 29, 2001
8. ^ a b Behan, The Camorra, pp. 12
9. ^ Sales, La camorra, le camorre, pp. 72-73
10. ^ a b Jacquemet, Credibility in Court, p. 24
11. ^ Behan, Camorra, pp. 184
12. ^ „Die Mafia ist Italiens führendes Unternehmen“, Die Welt, 23. Oktober 2007
13. ^ Behan, The Camorra, pp. 191
14. ^ Man who took on the Mafia: The truth about Italy's gangsters - The Independent, October 17, 2006
15. ^ (German) Mit mehr Polizei gegen die Camorra, Tagesspiegel, November 6, 2006
16. ^ Roberto Saviano on the Italian Camorra -, 8-10-2007
17. ^ Loewe, Peter (2007-04-07). "Här tvättar maffian sina knarkpengar". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish) (Stockholm: Bonnier AB). Retrieved 2008-08-15.
18. ^
19. ^ Says Politicians Hire The Camorra; Capt. Fabroni Declares Nobody Can Be Elected in Naples Without Its Aid, The New York Times, July 13, 1911
20. ^ Behan, The Camorra, p. 24
21. ^ The Cuocolo trial: the Camorra in the dock, Museo criminologico (Retrieved 24-01-2009)
22. ^ Behan, The Camorra, p. 114
23. ^ a b c Analysis: Naples, a city in the grip of the Camorra, The Times, November 1, 2006
24. ^ Behan, The Camorra, p. 129
25. ^ "Sub-committee on East-West Economic Co-operation and Convergence and Sub-committee on Civilian Security and Co-operation Trip Report: Visit to Rome / Palermo Secretariat Report 6–8 May 1998 (Prefect Gennaro Monaco, Deputy-Chief of Police and Chief of the Section of Criminal Police)". NATO Parliamentary Assembly. 18 August 1998. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
26. ^ Mafia 'big man' arrested, BBC News, July 11, 1998
27. ^ Camorra: 60 arresti tra Campania e Lombardia, anche 16 Giudici Tributari, Notizie Radiocor, March 19, 2012
28. ^ Camorra: sequestrato a Milano il Gran Caffe' Sforza, Ansa, July 4, 2012
29. ^ Camorra, sequestrati beni per 20 milioni; Anche un bar in centro a Milano, Il Fatto Quotidiano, July 4, 2012
30. ^ MAFIE AL NORD/ ‘Ndrangheta, camorra e mafia: ecco come le piovre conquistano il Paese (accessed July 14, 2012)
31. ^ Camorra, sotto sequestro un ristorante di Torino: tra i proprietari Cannavaro (accessed July 14, 2012)
32. ^ L'ombra della Camorra in Emilia Truffa e riciclaggio: 11 indagati, Il Resto del Carlino, March 8, 2012
33. ^ “Renato” è il nuovo boss della camorra in Emilia (accessed July 14, 2012)
34. ^ [1].
35. ^ a b c d Horne, Marc (27 January 2008). "Dons on the Don: Aberdeen revealed as the British power base for Italy's most deadly crime family". Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh). Retrieved 21 December 2013. (subscription required)
36. ^ a b Liddick, The Global Underworld, p. 34
37. ^ Capeci, The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Mafia, pp. 5
38. ^ a b Richards, Transnational Criminal Organizations, p. 7
39. ^ Italian Organized Crime - Overview, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Further reading[edit]
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98669
|
Drew Curtis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the fictional Home and Away character, see Drew Curtis (Home and Away).
Drew Curtis
Drew Curtis.
Born (1973-02-07) February 7, 1973 (age 41)
Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Nationality United States
Alma mater Luther College
Occupation Publisher
Years active 1993—present
Known for Founder of Fark.com
Partner(s) Heather
Children 3
Drew Curtis (born February 7, 1973) is the founder and an administrator of Fark.com, an Internet news aggregator. He is also the author of It's Not News, It's FARK: How Mass Media Tries to Pass off Crap as News in May 2007. He is a guest on WOCM's morning show The Rude Awakening Show every Tuesday.
Fark began in 1993 when Curtis was in England, sending links back to his friends.[1] Curtis registered Fark.com in 1997 but did not begin posting links on the site until 1999.[2][3] The first story on Fark was a news article about a fighter pilot who crashed while attempting to moon another fighter pilot.[4] Since then, the site has become one of the most popular link dump sites on the internet[2] with nearly 50 million pageviews a month.[1] As of 2006 the site was getting over 2,000 link submissions every day.[5] It was the first indie blog to earn one million dollars a year in profit[1] and its classifieds section alone generates as much as $40,000 per year.[6]
Although Fark is a million-dollar business, Curtis takes a yearly salary of $6.00. The rest of the money goes to the site's legal 'war chest' and to pay other expenses.[6] Under Curtis, Fark has purposely shied away from the Web 2.0 mantra of total user control.[5] "I don't care what anyone says, the masses are morons. My own grandmother is an idiot. You can't count on them to pick good stuff. Just check out Network TV to see what the masses want for entertainment. There's certainly a place for that kind of thing but it's not on Fark. Now go away and let me finish taking a crap!"[5] According to Drew, Web 3.0 will be "something called Good Editing."[5] Speaking at a media conference in Washington, DC hosted by the Poynter Institute, Curtis stated, "The 'wisdom of the crowds' is the most ridiculous statement I've heard in my life. Crowds are dumb. It takes people to move crowds in the right direction, crowds by themselves just stand around and mutter."[7]
In 2006, Curtis was featured on the cover of Business 2.0 magazine as the feature in a story about successful websites.[1] Lexington Weekly named him one of their businessmen under 40 to watch.[2]
On November 28, 2007, Curtis filed an application to trademark the phrase "not safe for work" a common phrase on Fark.com.[8] His application was denied.
It's Not News, It's FARK[edit]
Curtis published his first book, It's Not News, It's FARK: How Mass Media Tries to Pass off Crap as News in May 2007.[9] It soon became a bestseller. An in depth analysis of the state of modern media, It's Not News, It's Fark slams news organizations for running smaller versions of his not-real-news. In his review of the book, Farhad Manjoo of Salon.com said that "[Curtis] even seems to go after the audience -- his audience -- for indulging in [not-real-news] Curtis seems to want us to be repulsed by them instead."[10]
Curtis's book peaked at #12 on Amazon.com's non-fiction bestseller list. Media critic Jack Shafer noted that despite the book's success, it (un)surprisingly received "scant attention" from mainstream media outlets.[11] The book was later released in paperback.[12]
Personal life[edit]
Drew Curtis graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1995.[13] From 1996 to 2002, he owned and operated DCR.NET, an ISP based in Frankfort, Kentucky.[14] He is a graduate of the Berkeley-Columbia Executive MBA program, a joint venture of New York’s Columbia University and the University of California at Berkeley.[15] Curtis lives in the suburbs of Lexington, Kentucky with his wife, Heather, and children, Chance, Storm, and Sierra.[6][16]
1. ^ a b c d Sloan, Paul;Kaihla, Paul (2010). "Blogging for big bucks" (CNN News). CNNMoney.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b c Silcoff, Mireille. "LYPA Rising Stars". Lexington Weekly. Retrieved 2008-06-06.
3. ^ Curtis, Drew (June 2007). It's Not News, It's Fark: How Mass Media Tries to Pass Off Crap as News. New York City: Penguin Group (USA), Inc. p. 278. ISBN 978-1-59240-291-5. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
4. ^ "Panel of Web Community Founders: Utter Defiance of the "Venture Capital" Model" (Online video). guykawasaki.com. February 22, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
5. ^ a b c d "Media Orchard Interviews Drew Curtis of Fark.com". ideagrove.com. July 14, 2006. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
6. ^ a b c "Fark.com: Making Money Off of Goofy News". NPR. May 7, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2008.
7. ^ Nagesh, Gautham (June 29, 2010). "Fark creator says wisdom of crowds is overrated". The Hill. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
8. ^ "Not safe for work". trademork.com. July 12, 2007. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
9. ^ "It's Not News, It's Fark (Kindle Edition)". Amazon.com. 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
10. ^ Manjoo, Farhad (June 26, 2007). "News you can abuse". Salon.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
11. ^ Shafer, Jack (October 4, 2007). "Fark Founder Flattens Fourth Estate". Slate.com. Retrieved 2008-06-06. "For all its insight, Curtis' book has gotten scant attention from the mainstream press."
12. ^ "It's Not News, It's Fark (Paperback Edition)". Amazon.com. 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
13. ^ "Drew Curtis '95, Fark.com creator, to speak on campus Oct. 7.". Luther College. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
14. ^ Hawkins, John (2010). "An Interview With Fark's Drew Curtis". rightwingnews.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
15. ^ Eblen, Tom (February 13, 2012). "Fark.com founder planning his next steps.". The Bluegrass and Beyond (Lexington Herald Leader). Retrieved May 9, 2012.
16. ^ Curtis, Drew (May 11, 2012). "Personal communication from Drew Curtis via Fark.com discussion boards.". Retrieved May 11, 2012.
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98670
|
Hafez al-Assad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Hafez al-Assad
حافظ الأسد
Hafez al-Assad.jpg
Hafez al-Assad in 1996
President of Syria
In office
12 March 1971 – 10 June 2000
Prime Minister
Vice President
Preceded by Ahmad al-Khatib
Succeeded by Abdul Halim Khaddam (acting)
Prime Minister of Syria
In office
21 November 1970 – 3 April 1971
Preceded by Nureddin al-Atassi
Succeeded by Abdul Rahman Khleifawi
Regional Secretary of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch
In office
18 November 1970 – 10 June 2000
Preceded by Nureddin al-Atassi
Succeeded by Bashar al-Assad
Secretary General of the National Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Assumed office
12 September 1971
Deputy Abdullah al-Ahmar
Preceded by Nureddin al-Atassi
Succeeded by Abdullah al-Ahmar (de facto; al-Assad is still de jure Secretary General, even though he is dead.)
Minister of Defense
In office
23 February 1966 – 1972
Prime Minister
Preceded by Muhammad Umran
Succeeded by Mustafa Tlass
Member of the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch
In office
27 March 1966 – 10 June 2000
In office
5 September 1963 – 4 April 1965
Personal details
Born Hafez ibn 'Ali ibn Sulayman al-Assad
(1930-10-06)6 October 1930
Qardaha, Alawite State, Syria
Died 10 June 2000(2000-06-10) (aged 69)
Damascus, Syria
Resting place Qardaha, Syria
Political party Ba'ath Party (Syrian faction) (since 1966)
Other political
Ba'ath Party (1947–1966)
Arab Ba'ath Party (1946–1947)
Spouse(s) Aniseh (née Makhluf)
Relations Jamil al-Assad (brother)
Rifaat al-Assad (brother)
Children Bushra (b. 1960)
Bassel (1962–1994)
Bashar (b. 1965)
Majd (1966–2009)
Maher (b. 1968)
Alma mater Homs Military Academy
Occupation Statesman, politician
Profession Air Force Pilot officer
Religion Alawite Islam
Military service
Allegiance Syria
Service/branch Syrian Air Force
Years of service 1952–1972
Rank Syria-Feriq Awal.jpg General
Commands Syrian Air Force
Syrian Armed Forces
Battles/wars Six Day War (1967)
War of Attrition (1967–1970)
Black September (1970–1971)
Assad de-radicalized the Ba'ath government when he took power, by giving more space to private property and strengthening the country's foreign relations with countries which his predecessor had deemed reactionary. He sided with the Soviet Union during the Cold War in turn for support against Israel. While he had forsaken pan-Arabism—or at least the pan-Arab concept of unifying the Arab world into one Arab nation—he did seek to make Syria the defender of Arab interest against Israel.
When he took power, Assad instituted one-man rule and organized state services into sectarian lines (the Sunnis becoming the formal heads of political institutions, while the Alawites were given control over the military, intelligence and security apparatuses). The formerly collegial powers of Baathist decision-making were curtailed, and were transferred to the Syrian presidency. The Syrian government stopped being a one-party system in the normal sense of the word, and was turned into a one-party state with a strong presidency. To maintain this system, a massive cult of personality centered around Assad and his family was created.
Having become the main source of initiative inside the Syrian government, Assad began looking for a successor. His first choice as successor was his brother Rifaat al-Assad, widely seen as corrupt. In 1983–84, when Assad's health was in doubt, Rifaat al-Assad attempted to seize power, claiming that his brother wouldn't be fit to rule if he recovered. When Assad's health did improve Rifaat al-Assad was exiled from the country. His next choice of successor was his own son, Bassel al-Assad. However, things did not go according to plan, and in 1994 Bassel al-Assad died in a car accident. His third choice was his son Bashar al-Assad, who had by that time no practical political experience. This move was met with open criticism within some quarters of the Syrian ruling class, but Assad reacted by demoting several officials who opposed his succession plan. Assad died in 2000 and was succeeded by Bashar al-Assad as President and Syrian Regional Branch head.
Early life and education: 1930–1950[edit]
Main article: Al-Assad family
Hafez was born on 6 October 1930 in Qardaha to an Alawite family[1] of the Kalbiyya tribe.[2][3] His parents were Na'sa and Ali Sulayman al-Assad[4] Hafez was Ali's ninth son, and the fourth from his second marriage.[4] Sulayman married twice, had eleven children[5] and was known for his strength and shooting abilities; locals nicknamed him Wahhish (wild beast).[6] By the 1920s he was respected locally, and like many others he initially opposed French occupation.[7] Nevertheless, Ali Sulayman later cooperated with the French administration and was appointed to an official post.[8] In 1936, he was one of 80 Alawite notables who signed a letter addressed to the French Prime Minister saying that "[the] Alawi people rejected attachment to Syria and wished to stay under French protection."[8] For his accomplishments, he was called al-Assad (a lion) by local residents[7] and made the nickname his surname in 1927.[9]
Education and early political career[edit]
Alawites initially opposed a united Syrian state (since they thought their status as a religious minority would endanger them),[10] and Hafez's father shared this belief.[10] As the French left Syria, many Syrians mistrusted Alawites because of their alignment with France.[10] Hafez left his Alawite village, beginning his education at age nine in Sunni-dominated[1] Latakia.[9] He was the first in his family to attend high school,[11] but in Latakia Assad faced Sunni anti-Alawite bias.[10] He was an excellent student, winning several prizes at about age 14.[10] Assad lived in a poor, predominantly Alawite part of Latakia;[12] to fit in, he approached political parties that welcomed Alawites.[12] These parties (which also espoused secularism) were the Syrian Communist Party, the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) and the Arab Ba'ath Party; Assad joined the latter in 1946,[12] and some of his friends belonged to the SSNP.[13] The Ba'ath (Renaissance) Party espoused a pan-Arabist, socialist ideology.[12]
Assad was an asset to the party, organizing Ba'ath student cells and carrying the party's message to the poor sections of Latakia and Alawite villages.[9] He was opposed by the Muslim Brotherhood, which was allied with wealthy and conservative Muslim families.[9] His high school accommodated students from rich and poor families,[9] and Assad was joined by poor, anti-establishment Sunni Muslim youth from the Ba'ath Party in confrontations with students from wealthy Brotherhood families.[9] He made many Sunni friends, some of whom later became his political allies.[9] While still a teenager, Assad became increasingly prominent in the party[14] as an organizer and recruiter, head of his school's student-affairs committee from 1949 to 1951 and president of the Union of Syrian Students.[9] During his political activism in school, he met many men who would serve him when he was president.[14]
Air Force career: 1950–1958[edit]
Group of soldiers next to a plane
Hafez al-Assad (above) standing on the wing of a Fiat G.46-4B with fellow cadets at the Syrian AF Academy outside Aleppo, 1951–52
After graduating from high school Assad wanted to be a medical doctor, but his father could not pay for his study at the Jesuit University of St. Joseph in Beirut.[9] Instead, in 1950 he decided to join the Syrian Armed Forces.[14] Assad entered the military academy in Homs, which offered free food, lodging and a stipend.[9] He wanted to fly, and entered the flying school in Aleppo in 1950.[15][16] Assad graduated in 1955, after which he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force.[17] Upon graduation from flying school he won a best-aviator trophy,[15][16] and shortly afterwards was assigned to the Mezze air base near Damascus.[18] In his early 20s he married Aniseh Makhlouf, a distant relative of a powerful family.[19]
In 1954, the military split in a revolt against President Adib Shishakli.[20] Hashim al-Atassi, head of the National Bloc and briefly president after Sami al-Hinnawi's coup, returned as president and Syria was again under civilian rule.[20] After 1955, Atassi's hold on the country was increasingly shaky.[20] As a result of the 1955 election Atassi was replaced by Shukri al-Quwatli, who was president before Syria's independence from France.[20] The Ba'ath Party grew closer to the Communist Party not because of shared ideology, but a shared opposition to the West.[20] At the academy Assad met Mustafa Tlass, his future minister of defense.[21] In 1955, Assad was sent to Egypt for a further six months of training.[22] When Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956, Syria feared retaliation from the United Kingdom, and Assad flew in an air-defense mission.[23] He was among the Syrian pilots who flew to Cairo to show Syria's commitment to Egypt.[22] After finishing a course in Egypt the following year, Assad returned to a small air base near Damascus.[22] During the Suez Crisis, he also flew a reconnaissance mission over northern and eastern Syria.[22] In 1957, as squadron commander, Assad was sent to the Soviet Union for training in flying MiG-17s.[15] He spent ten months in the Soviet Union, during which he fathered a daughter (who died as an infant while he was abroad) with his wife.[19]
In 1958 Syria and Egypt formed the United Arab Republic (UAR), separating themselves from Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Turkey (who were aligned with the United Kingdom).[24] This pact led to the rejection of Communist influence in favor of Egyptian control over Syria.[24] All Syrian political parties (including the Ba'ath Party) were dissolved, and senior officers—especially those who supported the Communists—were dismissed from the Syrian armed forces.[24] Assad, however, remained in the army and rose quickly through the ranks.[24] After reaching the rank of captain he was transferred to Egypt, continuing his military education with future president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak.[15]
Runup to 1963 coup: 1958–1963[edit]
Assad was not content with a professional military career, regarding it as a gateway to politics.[25] After the creation of the UAR, Ba'ath Party leader Michel Aflaq was forced by Nasser to dissolve the party.[25] During the UAR's existence, the Ba'ath Party experienced a crisis[26] for which several of its members—mostly young—blamed Aflaq.[27] To resurrect the Syrian Regional Branch of the party, Muhammad Umran, Salah Jadid, Assad and others established the Military Committee.[27] In 1957–58 Assad rose to a dominant position in the Military Committee, which mitigated his transfer to Egypt.[15] After Syria left the UAR in September 1961, Assad and other Ba'athist officers were removed from the military by the new government in Damascus, and he was given a minor clerical position at the Ministry of Transport.[15]
Assad played a minor role in the failed 1962 military coup, for which he was jailed in Lebanon and later repatriated.[28] That year, Aflaq convened the 5th National Congress of the Ba'ath Party (where he was reelected as the Secretary General of the National Command) and ordered the re-establishment of the party's Syrian Regional Branch.[29] At the Congress, the Military Committee (through Umran) established contacts with Aflaq and the civilian leadership.[29] The committee requested permission to seize power by force, and Aflaq agreed to the conspiracy.[29] After the success of the Iraqi coup d'état led by the Ba'ath Party's Iraqi Regional Branch, the Military Committee hastily convened to launch a Ba'athist military coup in March 1963 against President Nazim al-Kudsi[30] (which Assad helped plan).[28][31] The coup was scheduled for 7 March, but he announced a postponement (until the next day) to the other units.[32] During the coup Assad led a small group to capture the Dumayr air base, 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Damascus.[33] His group was the only one that encountered resistance.[33] Some planes at the base were ordered to bomb the conspirators, and because of this Assad hurried to reach the base before dawn.[33] Because the 70th Armored Brigade's surrender took longer than anticipated, however, he arrived in broad daylight.[33] When Assad threatened the base commander with shelling, the commander negotiated a surrender;[33] Assad later claimed that the base could have withstood his forces.[33]
Early Ba'ath Party rule: 1963–1970[edit]
Aflaqite leadership: 1963–1966[edit]
Military work[edit]
Not long after Assad's election to the Regional Command, the Military Committee ordered him to strengthen the committee's position in the military establishment.[34] Assad may have received the most important job of all, since his primary goal was to end factionalism in the Syrian military and make it a Ba'ath monopoly;[34] as he said, he had to create an "ideological army".[34] To help with this task Assad recruited Zaki al-Arsuzi, who indirectly (through Wahib al-Ghanim) inspired him to join the Ba'ath Party when he was young.[34] Arsuzi accompanied Assad on tours of military camps, where Arsuzi lectured the soldiers on Ba'athist thought.[34] In gratitude for his work, Assad gave Arsuzi a government pension.[34] Assad continued his Ba'athification of the military by appointing loyal officers to key positions and ensuring that the "political education of the troops was not neglected".[35] He demonstrated his skill as a patient planner during this period.[35] As Patrick Seale wrote, Assad's mastery of detail "suggested the mind of an intelligence officer".[35]
Assad was promoted to major and then to lieutenant colonel, and by the end of 1963 was in charge of the Syrian Air Force.[31] By the end of 1964 he was named commander of the Air Force, with the rank of major general.[31] Assad gave privileges to Air Force officers, appointed his confidants to senior and sensitive positions and established an efficient intelligence network.[36] Air Force Intelligence, under the command of Muhammad al-Khuli, became independent of Syria's other intelligence organizations and received assignments beyond Air Force jurisdiction.[36] Assad prepared himself for an active role in the power struggles that lay ahead.[36]
Power struggle and 1966 coup[edit]
In the aftermath of the 1963 coup, at the First Regional Congress (held 5 September 1963) Assad was elected to the Syrian Regional Command (the highest decision-making body in the Syrian Regional Branch).[37] While not a leadership role, it was Assad's first appearance in national politics;[37] in retrospect, he said he positioned himself "on the left" in the Regional Command.[37] Khalid al-Falhum, a Palestinian who would later work for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), met Assad in 1963; he noted that Assad was a strong leftist "but was clearly not a communist", committed instead to Arab nationalism.[38]
During the 1964 Hama riot, Assad voted to suppress the uprising violently if needed.[39] The decision to suppress the Hama riot led to a schism in the Military Committee between Umran and Jadid.[40] Umran opposed force, instead wanting the Ba'ath Party to create a coalition with other pan-Arab forces.[40] Jadid desired a strong one-party state, similar to those in the socialist countries of Europe.[40] Assad, as junior partner, kept quiet at first but eventually allied himself with Jadid.[40] Why Assad chose to side with him has been widely discussed; he probably shared Jadid's radical ideological outlook.[41] Having lost his footing on the Military Committee, Umran aligned himself with Aflaq and the National Command; he told them that the Military Committee was planning to seize power in the party by ousting them.[41] Because of Umran's defection, Rifaat al-Assad (Assad's brother) succeeded Umran as commander of a secret military force tasked with protecting Military Committee loyalists.[41]
In its bid to seize power the Military Committee allied themselves with the regionalists, a group of cells in the Syrian Regional Branch that refused to disband in 1958 when ordered to do so.[42] Although Aflaq considered these cells traitors, Assad called them the "true cells of the party"; this again highlighted differences between the Military Committee and the National Command headed by Aflaq.[42] At the Eighth National Congress in 1965 Assad was elected to the National Command, the party's highest decision-making body.[43] From his position as part of the National Command, Assad informed Jadid on its activities.[44] After the congress, the National Command dissolved the Syrian Regional Command; Aflaq proposed Salah al-Din al-Bitar as prime minister, but Assad and Ibrahim Makhus opposed Bitar's nomination.[45] According to Seale, Assad abhorred Aflaq; he considered him an autocrat and a rightist, accusing him of "ditching" the party by ordering the dissolution of the Syrian Regional Branch in 1958.[25] Assad, who also disliked Aflaq's supporters, nevertheless opposed a show of force against the Aflaqites.[46] In response to the imminent coup Assad, Naji Jamil, Husayn Mulhim and Yusuf Sayigh left for London.[47]
In the 1966 Syrian coup d'état, the Military Committee overthrew the National Command.[36] The coup led to a permanent schism in the Ba'ath movement, the advent of neo-Ba'athism and the establishment of two centers of the international Ba'athist movement: one Iraqi- and the other Syrian-dominated.[48]
Jadid as strongman: 1966–70[edit]
After the coup, Assad was appointed Minister of Defense.[49] This was his first cabinet post, and through his position he would be thrust into the forefront of the Syrian–Israeli conflict.[49] His government was radically socialist, and sought to remake society from top to bottom.[49] Although Assad was a radical, he opposed the headlong rush for change.[49] Despite his title, he had little power in the government and took more orders than he issued.[49] Jadid was undisputed leader at the time, opting to remain in the office of Assistant Regional Secretary of the Syrian Regional Command instead of taking executive office (which had historically been held by Sunnis).[50] Nureddin al-Atassi was given three of the four top executive positions in the country: President, Secretary-General of the National Command and Regional Secretary of the Syrian Regional Command.[50] The post of prime minister was given to Yusuf Zu'ayyin.[50] Jadid (who was establishing his authority) focused on civilian issues and gave Assad de facto control of the Syrian military, considering him no threat.[50]
During the failed coup d'état of late 1966, Salim Hatum tried to overthrow Jadid's government.[51] Hatum (who felt snubbed when he was not appointed to the Regional Command after the February 1966 coup d'état) sought revenge and the return to power of Hammud al-Shufi, the first Regional Secretary of the Regional Command after the Syrian Regional Branch's re-establishment in 1963.[51] When Jadid, Atassi and Regional Command member Jamil Shayya visited Suwayda, forces loyal to Hatum surrounded the city and captured them.[52] In a twist of fate, the city's Druze elders forbade the murder of their guests and demanded that Hatum wait.[52] Jadid and the others were placed under house arrest, with Hatum planning to kill them at his first opportunity.[52] When word of the mutiny spread to the Ministry of Defense, Assad ordered the 70th Armored Brigade to the city.[52] By this time Hatum, a Druze, knew that Assad would order the bombardment of Suwayda (a Druze-dominated city) if Hatum did not accede to his demands.[52] Hatum and his supporters fled to Jordan, where they were given asylum.[53] How Assad learned about the conspiracy is unknown, but Mustafa al-Hajj Ali (head of Military Intelligence) may have telephoned the Ministry of Defense.[53] Due to his prompt action, Assad earned Jadid's gratitude.[53]
In the aftermath of the attempted coup Assad and Jadid purged the party's military organization, removing 89 officers; Assad removed an estimated 400 officers, Syria's largest military purge to date.[53] The purges since 1963, when the Ba'ath Party took power, left the military weak;[53] when the Six-Day War broke out, Syria had no chance of victory.[53]
Seizing power[edit]
The Arab defeat in the Six-Day War, in which Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria, provoked a furious quarrel among Syria's leadership.[54] The civilian leadership blamed military incompetence, and the military responded by criticizing the civilian leadership (led by Jadid).[54] Several high-ranking party members demanded Assad's resignation, and an attempt was made to vote him out of the Regional Command, the party's highest decision-making body.[54] The motion was defeated by one vote, with Abd al-Karim al-Jundi (who the anti-Assad members hoped would succeed Assad as defense minister) voting, as Patrick Seale put it, "in a comradely gesture" to retain him.[54] During the end of the war, the party leadership freed Aflaqites Umran, Amin al-Hafiz and Mansur al-Atrash from prison.[54] Shortly after his release, Hafiz was approached by dissident Syrian military officers to oust the government; he refused, believing that a coup at that time would have helped Israel, but not Syria.[54]
The war was a turning point for Assad (and Ba'athist Syria in general),[55] and his attempted ouster began a power struggle with Jadid for control of the country.[55] Until then Assad had not shown ambition for high office, arousing little suspicion in others.[55] From the 1963 Syrian coup d'état to the Six-Day War in 1967, Assad did not play a leading role in politics and was usually overshadowed by his contemporaries.[56] As Patrick Seale wrote, he was "apparently content to be a solid member of the team without the aspiration to become number one".[56] Although Jadid was slow to see Assad's threat, shortly after the war Assad began developing a network in the military and promoted friends and close relatives to high positions.[56]
Differences with Jadid[edit]
Assad believed that Syria's defeat in the Six-Day War was Jadid's fault, and the accusations against himself were unjust.[56] By this time Jadid had total control of the Regional Command, whose members supported his policies.[56] Assad and Jadid began to differ on policy;[56] Assad believed that Jadid's policy of a people's war (an armed-guerrilla strategy) and class struggle had failed Syria, undermining its position.[56] Although Jadid continued to champion the concept of a people's war even after the Six-Day War, Assad opposed it because the Palestinian guerrilla fighters had been given too much autonomy; they raided Israel continuously, which had sparked the war.[56] Jadid had broken diplomatic relations with countries he deemed reactionary, such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan.[56] Because of this, Syria did not receive aid from other Arab countries; Egypt and Jordan, who participated in the war, received £135 million per year for an undisclosed period.[56]
While Jadid and his supporters prioritized socialism and the "internal revolution", Assad wanted the leadership to focus on foreign policy and the containment of Israel.[57] Several issues concerned the Ba'ath Party: how the government could best use Syria's limited resources, the relationship between the party and the people, party organization and whether the class struggle should end.[57] These subjects were discussed heatedly in Ba'ath Party conclaves, and when they reached the Fourth Regional Congress the two sides were irreconcilable.[57]
Assad wanted to "democratize" the party by making it easier for people to join.[58] Jadid was wary of too large a membership, believing that the majority of those who joined were opportunists.[57] Assad, in an interview with Patrick Seale in the 1980s, stated that such a policy would make Party members believe they were a privileged class.[58] Another problem, Assad believed, was the lack of local-government institutions.[58] Under Jadid, there was no governmental level below the Council of Ministers (the Syrian government).[58] When the Ba'athist Iraqi Regional Branch (which continued to support the Aflaqite leadership) took control of Iraq in the 17 July Revolution, Assad was one of the few high-level politicians wishing to reconcile with them;[58] he called for the establishment of an "Eastern Front" with Iraq against Israel in 1968.[59] Jadid's foreign policy towards the Soviet Union was also criticized, with Assad believing it had failed.[59] In many ways the relationship between the countries was poor, with the Soviets refusing to acknowledge Jadid's scientific socialism and Soviet newspapers calling him a "hothead".[60] Assad, on the contrary, called for greater pragmatism in decision-making.[60]
"Duality of power"[edit]
At a meeting someone raised the case of X. Should he not be brought back? Asad gave the questioner a hard look but said nothing. A little later the subject came up again and this time Asad said: I've heard something disagreeable about this officer. When he was on a course in England in 1954, his brother wrote asking for help for their sick mother. X took a £5 note out of his pocket, held it up and said he wouldn't part with it to save her life. Anyone who can't be loyal to his mother is not going to be loyal to the air force.
—General Fu'ad Kallas on the importance in which Assad laid on personal loyalty[61]
The conflict between Assad and Jadid became the talk of the army and the party, with a "duality of power" noted between them.[60] Shortly after the failed attempt to expel Assad from the Regional Command, he began to consolidate his position in the military establishment[60]—for example, by replacing Chief of Staff Ahmad al-Suwaydani with his friend Mustafa Tlass.[60] Although Suwaydani's relationship with Jadid had deteriorated, he was removed because of his complaints about "Alawi influence in the army".[60] Tlass was later appointed Assad's Deputy Minister of Defense (his second-in-command).[61] Others removed from their positions were Ahmad al-Mir (a founder and former member of the Military Committee, and former commander of the Golan Front) and Izzat Jadid (a close supporter of Jadid and commander of the 70th Armoured Brigade).[61]
By the Fourth Regional Congress and Tenth National Congress in September and October 1968, Assad had extended his grip on the army, and Jadid still controlled the party.[61] At both congresses, Assad was outvoted on most issues, and his arguments were firmly rejected.[61] While he failed in most of his attempts, he had enough support to remove two socialist theoreticians (Prime Minister Yusuf Zu'ayyin and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Makhus) from the Regional Command.[61] However, the military's involvement in party politics was unpopular with the rank and file; as the gulf between Assad and Jadid widened, the civilian and military party bodies were forbidden to contact each other.[62] Despite this, Assad was winning the race to accumulate power.[62] As Munif al-Razzaz (ousted in the 1966 Syrian coup d'état) noted, "Jadid's fatal mistake was to attempt to govern the army through the party".[62]
Two men shaking hands, with mustachioed man in background
Assad (center) and Nureddin al-Atassi (left) meeting with Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, 1969
While Assad had taken control of the armed forces through his position as Minister of Defense, Jadid still controlled the security and intelligence sectors through Abd al-Karim al-Jundi (head of the National Security Bureau).[62] Jundi—a paranoid, cruel man—was feared throughout Syria.[62] In February 1969, the Assad-Jadid conflict erupted in violent clashes through their respective proteges: Rifaat al-Assad (Assad's brother and a high-ranking military commander) and Jundi.[63] The reason for the violence was Rifaat al-Assad's suspicion that Jundi was planning an attempt on Assad's life.[63] The suspected assassin was interrogated and confessed under torture.[63] Acting on this information, Rifaat al-Assad argued that unless Jundi was removed from his post he and his brother were in danger.[63]
From 25–28 February 1969, the Assad brothers initiated "something just short of a coup".[63] Under Assad's authority, tanks were moved into Damascus and the staffs of al-Ba'ath and al-Thawra (two party newspapers) and radio stations in Damascus and Aleppo were replaced with Assad loyalists.[63] Latakia and Tartus, two Alawite-dominated cities, saw "fierce scuffles" ending with the overthrow of Jadid's supporters from local posts.[63] Shortly afterwards, a wave of arrests of Jundi loyalists began.[63] On 2 March, after a telephone argument with head of military intelligence Ali Dhadha, Jundi committed suicide.[63] When Zu'ayyin heard the news he wept, saying "we are all orphaned now" (referring to his and Jadid's loss of their protector).[64] Despite the fact that Assad drove Jundi to suicide, he is said to have also wept when he heard the news.[63]
Assad was now in control, but he hesitated to push his advantage.[63] Jadid continued to rule Syria, and the Regional Command was unchanged.[64] However, Assad influenced Jadid to moderate his policies.[64] Class struggle was muted, criticism of reactionary tendencies of other Arab states ceased, some political prisoners were freed, a coalition government was formed (with the Ba'ath Party in control) and the Eastern Front—espoused by Assad—was formed with Iraq and Jordan.[65] Jadid's isolationist policies were curtailed, and Syria reestablished diplomatic relations with many of its foes.[65] Around this time, Gamal Abdel Nasser's Egypt, Houari Boumediene's Algeria and Ba'athist Iraq began sending emissaries to reconcile Assad and Jadid.[65]
1970 coup d'état[edit]
Assad began planning to seize power shortly after the failed Syrian military intervention in the Jordanian Black September crisis, a power struggle between the PLO and the Hashemite monarchy.[66] While Assad had been in de facto command of Syrian politics since 1969, Jadid and his supporters still held the trappings of power.[66] After attending Nasser's funeral, Assad returned to Syria for the Emergency National Congress (held on 30 October).[66] At the congress Assad was condemned by Jadid and his supporters, the majority of the party's delegates.[66] However, before attending the congress Assad ordered his loyal troops to surround the building housing the meeting.[66] Criticism of Assad's political position continued in a defeatist tone, with the majority of delegates believing that they had lost the battle.[66] Assad and Tlass were stripped of their government posts at the congress; these acts had little practical significance.[66]
When the National Congress ended on 12 November 1970, Assad ordered loyalists to arrest leading members of Jadid's government.[67] Although many mid-level officials were offered posts in Syrian embassies abroad, Jadid refused: "If I ever take power, you will be dragged through the streets until you die."[67] Assad imprisoned him in Mezze prison until his death.[67] The coup was calm and bloodless; the only evidence of change to the outside world was the disappearance of newspapers, radio and television stations.[67] A Temporary Regional Command was soon established, and on 16 November the new government published its first decree.[67]
Presidency: 1970–2000[edit]
Domestic events and policies[edit]
Consolidating power[edit]
Mustachioed man in military uniform
Assad in November 1970, shortly after seizing power
According to Patrick Seale, Assad's rule "began with an immediate and considerable advantage: the government he displaced was so detested that any alternative came as a relief".[68] He first tried to establish national unity, which he felt had been lost under the leadership of Aflaq and Jadid.[69] Assad differed from his predecessor at the outset, visiting local villages and hearing citizen complaints.[69] The Syrian people felt that Assad's rise to power would lead to change;[70] one of his first acts as ruler was to visit Sultan Pasha al-Atrash, father of the Aflaqite Ba'athist Mansur al-Atrash, to honor his efforts during the Great Arab Revolution.[69] He made overtures to the Writers' Union, rehabilitating those who had been forced underground, jailed or sent into exile for representing what radical Ba'athists called the reactionary classes:[69] "I am determined that you shall no longer feel strangers in your own country."[69] Although Assad did not democratize the country, he eased the government's repressive policies.[71]
He cut prices for basic foodstuffs 15 percent, which won him support from ordinary citizens.[71] Jadid's security services were purged, some military criminal investigative powers were transferred to the police, and the confiscation of goods under Jadid was reversed.[71] Restrictions on travel to and trade with Lebanon were eased, and Assad encouraged growth in the private sector.[71] While Assad supported most of Jadid's policies, he proved more pragmatic after he came to power.[71]
Most of Jadid's supporters faced a choice: continue working for the Ba'ath government under Assad, or face repression.[71] Assad made it clear from the beginning "that there would be no second chances".[71] However, later in 1970 he recruited support from the Ba'athist old guard who had supported Aflaq's leadership during the 1963–66 power struggle.[71] An estimated 2,000 former Ba'athists rejoined the party after hearing Assad's appeal, among them party ideologist Georges Saddiqni and Shakir al-Fahham, a secretary of the founding, 1st National Congress of the Ba'ath Party in 1947.[71] Assad ensured that they would not defect to the pro-Aflaqite Ba'ath Party in Iraq with the Treason Trials in 1971, in which he prosecuted Aflaq, Hafiz and nearly 100 followers (most in absentia).[72] The few who were convicted were not imprisoned long, and the trials were primarily symbolic.[73]
At the 11th National Congress Assad asured party members that his leadership was a radical change from that of Jadid, and he would implement a "corrective movement" to return Syria to the true "nationalist socialist line".[74] Unlike Jadid, Assad emphasized "the advancement of which all resources and manpower [would be] mobilised [was to be] the liberation of the occupied territories".[74] This would mark a major break with his predecessors and would, according to Raymond Hinnebusch, dictate "major alterations in the course of the Ba'thist state".[74]
Large group of men sitting in rows
Assad's first inauguration as President in the People's Council, March 1971. L–R: Assad, Abdullah al-Ahmar, Prime Minister Abdul Rahman Khleifawi, Assistant Regional Secretary Mohamad Jaber Bajbouj, Foreign Minister Abdul Halim Khaddam and People's Council Speaker Fihmi al-Yusufi. In the third civilian row are Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass (MP in the 1971 Parliament) and Air Force Commander Naji Jamil. Behind Tlass is Rifaat al-Assad, Assad's younger brother. On the far right in the fourth row is future vice president Zuhair Masharqa, and behind Abdullah al-Ahmar is Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Haidar.
Assad turned the presidency, which had been known simply as "head of state" under Jadid, into a position of power during his rule.[75] In many ways, the presidential authority replaced the Ba'ath Party's failed experiment with organized, military Leninism;[75] Syria became a hybrid of Leninism and Gaullist constitutionalism.[75] According to Raymond Hinnebusch, "as the president became the main source of initiative in the government, his personality, values, strengths and weaknesses became decisive for its direction and stability. Arguably Assad's leadership gave the government an enhanced combination of consistency and flexibility which it hitherto lacked."[75]
Assad institutionalized a system where he had the final say, which weakened the powers of the collegial institutions of the state and party.[76] As fidelity to the leader replaced ideological conviction later in his presidency, corruption became widespread.[76] The state-sponsored cult of personality became pervasive; as Assad's authority strengthened at his colleagues' expense, he became the sole symbol of the government.[77][76] Because Assad wanted to become an Arab leader, he considered himself a successor to Nasser since he rose to power in November 1970 (a few weeks after Nasser's death).[78] He modeled his presidential system on Nasser's, hailed Nasser for his pan-Arabic leadership and publicly displayed photographs of Nasser with posters of himself.[77] Pictures of Assad—often engaged in heroic activities—were ubiquitous in public places.[78] He named a number of locations and institutions after himself and family members.[78] In schools, children were taught songs praising Assad.[78] Teachers began each lesson with the song "Our Eternal Leader, Hafez al-Assad",[78] and he was sometimes portrayed with seemingly divine attributes.[78] Sculptures and portraits depicted him with the prophet Mohammad, and after his mother's death the government produced portraits of her with a halo.[78] Syrian officials were compelled to call Assad "the sanctified one" ("al-Muqaddas").[78] This strategy was also pursued by his son, Bashar al-Assad.[79]
While Assad did not rule alone, he increasingly had the last word;[80] those with whom he worked eventually became lieutenants, rather than colleagues.[80] None of the political elite would question a decision of his, and those who did were dismissed.[80] General Naji Jamil is an example, being dismissed after he disagreed with Assad's handling of the Islamic uprising.[80] The two highest decision-making bodies were the Regional Command and the National Command, both part of the Ba'ath Party.[81] Joint sessions of these bodies resembled politburos in socialist states which espoused communism.[81] Assad headed the National Command and the Regional Command as Secretary General and Regional Secretary, respectively.[81] The Regional Command was the highest decision-making body in Syria, appointing the president and (through him) the cabinet.[81] As presidential authority strengthened, the power of the Regional Command and its members evaporated.[82] The Regional and National Commands were nominally responsible to the Regional Congress and the National Congress—with the National Congress the de jure superior body—but the Regional Congress had de facto authority.[83] The National Congress, which included delegates from Ba'athist Regional Branches in other countries, has been compared to the Comintern.[84] It functioned as a session of the Regional Congress focusing on Syria's foreign policy and party ideology.[84] The Regional Congress had limited accountability until the 1985 Eighth Regional Congress, the last under Assad.[84] In 1985, responsibility for leadership accountability was transferred from the Regional Congress to the weaker National Progressive Front.[82]
Four men in suits
Assad with Sunni members of the political elite: (L–R) Ahmad al-Khatib, Assad, Abdullah al-Ahmar and Mustafa Tlass
When Assad came to power, he increased Alawite dominance of the security and intelligence sectors to a near-monopoly.[76] The coercive framework was under his control, weakening the state and party. According to Hinnebusch, the Alawite officers around Assad "were pivotal because as personal kinsmen or clients of the president, they combined privileged access to him with positions in the party and control of the levers of coercion. They were, therefore, in an unrivalled position to act as political brokers and, especially in times of crisis, were uniquely placed to shape outcomes".[76] The leading figures in the Alawite-dominated security system had family connections; Rifaat al-Assad controlled the Struggle Companies, and Assad's son-in-law Adnan Makhluf was his second-in-command as Commander of the Presidential Guard.[76] Other prominent figures were Ali Haydar (special-forces head), Ibrahim al-Ali (Popular Army head), Muhammad al-Khuli (head of Assad's intelligence-coordination committee) and Military Intelligence head Ali Duba.[85] Assad controlled the military through Alawites such as Generals Shafiq Fayyad (commander of the 3rd Division), Ibrahim Safi (commander of the 1st Division) and Adnan Badr Hasan (commander of the 9th Division).[86] During the 1990s, Assad further strengthened Alawite dominance by replacing Sunni General Hikmat al-Shihabi with General Ali Aslan as chief of staff.[86] The Alawites, with their high status, appointed and promoted based on kinship and favor rather than professional respect.[86] Therefore, an Alawite elite emerged from these policies.[86] Assad's elite was non-sectarian;[86] prominent Sunni figures at the beginning of his rule were Abdul Halim Khaddam, Shihabi, Naji Jamil, Abdullah al-Ahmar and Mustafa Tlass.[86]
However, none of these people had a distinct power base from that of Assad.[87] Although Sunnis held the positions of Air Force Commander from 1971 to 1994 (Jamil, Subhi Haddad and Ali Malahafji), General Intelligence head from 1970 to 2000 (Adnan Dabbagh, Ali al-Madani, Nazih Zuhayr, Fuad al-Absi and Bashir an-Najjar), Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army from 1974 to 1998 (Shihabi) and defense minister from 1972 until after Assad's death (Tlass), none had power separate from Assad or the Alawite-dominated security system.[87] When Jamil headed the Air Force, he could not issue orders without the knowledge of Khuli (the Alawite head of Air Force Intelligence).[87] After the failed Islamic uprising, Assad's reliance on his relatives intensified;[87] before that, his Sunni colleagues had some autonomy.[87] A defector from Assad's government said, "Tlass is in the army but at the same time seems as if he is not of the army; he neither binds nor loosens and has no role other than that of the tail in the beast."[88] Another example was Shihabi, who occasionally represented Assad.[88] However, he had no control in the Syrian military; Ali Aslan, First Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations during most of his tenure, was responsible for troop maneuvers.[88] Although the Sunnis were in the forefront, the Alawites had the power.[88]
Islamic uprising[edit]
Assad's pragmatic policies indirectly led to the establishment of a "new class",[89] and he accepted this while it furthered his aims against Israel.[89] When Assad began pursuing a policy of economic liberalization, the state bureaucracy began using their positions for personal gain.[89] The state gave implementation rights to "much of its development program to foreign firms and contractors, fueling a growing linkage between the state and private capital".[90] What ensued was a spike in corruption, which led the political class to be "thoroughly embourgeoised".[90] The channeling of external money through the state to private enterprises "created growing opportunities for state elites' self-enrichment through corrupt manipulation of state-market interchanges. Besides outright embezzlement, webs of shared interests in commissions and kickbacks grew up between high officials, politicians, and business interests".[90] The Alawite military-security establishment got the greatest share of the money;[91] the Ba'ath Party and its leaders ruled a new class, defending their interests instead of those of peasants and workers (whom they were supposed to represent).[91] This, coupled with growing Sunni disillusionment with what Hinnebusch calls "the regime's mixture of statism, rural and sectarian favouritism, corruption and new inequalities", fueled the growth of the Islamic movement.[92] Because of this, the Muslim Brotherhood of Syria became the vanguard of anti-Ba'athist forces.[93]
The Brotherhood had historically been a vehicle for moderate Islam during its introduction to the Syrian political scene during the 1960s under the leadership of Mustafa al-Siba'i.[93] After Siba'i's imprisonment, under Isam al-Attar's leadership the Brotherhood developed into the ideological antithesis of Ba'athist rule.[93] However, the Ba'ath Party's organizational superiority worked in its favor;[93] with Attar's enforced exile, the Muslim Brotherhood was in disarray.[93] It was not until the 1970s that the Muslim Brotherhood established a clear, central collective authority for its organization under Adnan Saad ad-Din, Sa'id Hawwa, Ali Sadr ad-Din al-Bayanuni and Husni Abu.[93] Because of their organizational capabilities, the Muslim Brotherhood grew tenfold from 1975 to 1978 (from 500–700 in Aleppo); nationwide, by 1978 it had 30,000 followers.[93]
The Islamic uprising began in the mid-to-late 1970s, with attacks on prominent members of the Ba'ath Alawite elite.[94] As the conflict worsened, a debate in the party between hard-liners (represented by Rifaat al-Assad) and Ba'ath liberals (represented by Mahmoud al-Ayyubi) began.[94] The Seventh Regional Congress, in 1980, was held in an atmosphere of crisis.[95] The party leadership—with the exception of Assad and his proteges—were criticized severely by party delegates, who called for an anti-corruption campaign, a new, clean government, curtailing the powers of the military-security apparatus and political liberalization.[95] With Assad's consent, a new government (headed by the presumably clean Abdul Rauf al-Kasm) was established with new, young technocrats.[95] The new government failed to assuage critics, and the Sunni middle class and the radical left (believing that Ba'athist rule could be overthrown with an uprising) began collaborating with the Islamists.[95]
Bombed-out buildings and rubble
Section of Hama after attack by government forces
Believing they had the upper hand in the conflict, beginning in 1980 the Islamists began a series of campaigns against government installations in Aleppo;[95] the attacks became urban guerilla warfare.[95] The government began to lose control in the city and, inspired by events, similar disturbances spread to Hama, Homs, Idlib, Latakia, Deir ez-Zor, Maaret-en-Namen and Jisr esh-Shagour.[95] Those affected by Ba'athist repression began to rally behind the insurgents; Ba'ath Party co-founder Bitar supported the uprising, rallying the old, anti-military Ba'athists.[95] The increasing threat to the government's survival strengthened the hard-liners, who favored repression over concessions.[95] Security forces began to purge all state, party and social institutions in Syria, and were sent to the northern provinces to quell the uprising.[96] When this failed, the hard-liners began accusing the United States of fomenting the uprising and called for the reinstatement of "revolutionary vigilance".[96] The hard-liners won the debate after a failed attempt on Assad's life in June 1980,[96] and began responding to the uprising with state terrorism later that year.[96] Under Rifaat al-Assad Islamic prisoners at the Tadmur prison were massacred, membership in the Muslim Brotherhood became a capital offence and the government sent a death squad to kill Bitar and Attar's former wife.[96] The military court began condemning captured militants, which "sometimes degenerated into indiscriminate killings".[96] Little care was taken to distinguish Muslim Brotherhood hard-liners from their passive supporters,[96] and violence was met with violence.[96]
The final showdown, the Hama massacre, took place in February 1982[96] when the government crushed the uprising.[97] Helicopter gunships, bulldozers and artillery bombardment razed the city, killing thousands of people.[97] The Ba'ath government withstood the uprising not because of popular support, but because the opposition was disorganized and had little urban support.[97] Throughout the uprising, the Sunni middle class continued to support the Ba'ath Party because of its dislike of political Islam.[97] After the uprising the government resumed its version of militaristic Leninism, reverting the liberalization introduced when Assad came to power.[98] The Ba'ath Party was weakened by the uprising; democratic elections for delegates to the Regional and National Congresses were halted, and open discussion within the party ended.[98] The uprising made Syria more totalitarian than ever, and strengthened Assad's position as undisputed leader of Syria.[98]
1983–1984 succession crisis[edit]
Two men in suits, standing
Assad (r) with his brother, Rifaat al-Assad, 1980s
In November 1983 Assad, a diabetic, had a major heart attack complicated by phlebitis;[99] this triggered a succession crisis.[100] On 13 November, after visiting his brother in the hospital,[101] Rifaat al-Assad reportedly announced his candidacy for president; he did not believe Assad would be able to continue ruling the country.[100] When he did not receive support from Assad's inner circle, he made, in the words of historian Hanna Batatu, "abominably lavish" promises to win them over.[100]
Until his 1985 ouster, Rifaat al-Assad was considered the face of corruption by the Syrian people.[101] Although highly paid as Commander of Defense Companies, he accumulated unexplained wealth.[101] According to Hanna Batatu, "there is no way that he could have permissibly accumulated the vast sums needed for the investments he made in real estate in Syria, Europe and the United States".[101]
Although it is unclear if any top officials supported Rifaat al-Assad, most did not.[102] He lacked his brother's stature and charisma, and was vulnerable to charges of corruption.[102] His 50,000-strong Defense Companies were viewed with suspicion by the upper leadership and throughout society;[102] they were considered corrupt, poorly disciplined and indifferent to human suffering.[102] Rifaat al-Assad also lacked military support;[102] officers and soldiers resented the Defense Companies' monopoly of Damascus' security, their separate intelligence services and prisons and their higher pay.[103] He did not abandon the hope of succeeding his brother, opting to take control of the country through his post as Commander of Defense Companies.[104] In what became known as the "poster war", personnel from the Defense Companies replaced posters of Assad in Damascus with those of Rifaat al-Assad.[104] The security service, still loyal to Assad, responded by replacing Rifaat al-Assad's posters with Assad's.[104] The poster war lasted for a week, until Assad's health improved.[104]
Shortly after the poster war, all Rifaat al-Assad's proteges were removed from positions of power.[104] This decree nearly sparked a clash between the Defense Companies and the Republican Guard on 27 February 1984, but conflict was avoided by Rifaat al-Assad's appointment as one of three Vice Presidents on 11 March.[104] He acquired this post by surrendering his position as Commander of Defense Companies to an Assad supporter.[104] Rifaat al-Assad was succeeded as Defense Companies head by his son-in-law.[104] During the night of 30 March, he ordered Defense Company loyalists to seal Damascus off and advance to the city.[104] The Republican Guard was put on alert in Damascus, and 3rd Armored Division commander Shafiq Fayyad ordered troops outside Damascus to encircle the Defense Companies blocking the roads into the city.[105] Rifaat al-Assad's plan might have succeeded if Special Forces commander Ali Haydar supported him, but Haydar sided with the president.[105] Assad punished Rifaat al-Assad with exile, allowing him to return in later years without a political role.[105] The Defense Companies were reduced by 30–35,000 people,[106] and their role was assumed by the Republican Guard.[106] Makhluf, the Republican Guard commander, was promoted to major general, and Bassel al-Assad (Assad's son, an army major) became influential in the guard.[106]
Autocracy, succession and death[edit]
Family portrait: parents seated in front, and five grown children (four sons and one daughter) standing behind
Assad and his wife, Anisa Makhlouf; back row, left to right: Maher, Bashar, Bassel, Majid and Bushra al-Assad
Assad's first choice of successor was his brother Rifaat al-Assad, an idea he broached as early as 1980,[107] and his brother's coup attempt weakened the institutionalized power structure on which he based his rule.[108] Instead of changing his policy, Assad tried to protect his power by honing his governmental model.[108] He gave a larger role to Bassel al-Assad, who was rumored to be his father's planned successor;[108] this kindled jealousy within the government.[108] At a 1994 military meeting, Chief of Staff Shihabi said that since Assad wanted to normalize relations with Israel, the Syrian military had to withdraw its troops from the Golan Heights. Haydar replied angrily, "We have become nonentities. We were not even consulted."[108] When he heard about Haydar's outburst, Assad replaced Haydar as Commander of Special Forces with the Alawite Major General Ali Habib.[109] Haydar also reportedly opposed dynastic succession, keeping his views secret until after Bassel's death in 1994 (when Assad chose Bashar al-Assad to succeed him);[110] he then openly criticized Assad's succession plans.[110]
Bassel al-Assad became a security officer at the Presidential Palace in 1986, and a year later he was appointed Commander of the Defense Companies.[111] About this time, rumors spread that Assad planned to make Bassel his successor.[111] Bassel al-Assad continued his climb to the top; at the time of the 1991 presidential referendum, citizens were ordered to sing songs praising him.[111] Vehicles belonging to the military and the secret police began bearing images of Bassel,[111] and Assad began to be called the "Father of Bassel" in official media.[111] Bassel al-Assad went on his first foreign mission representing his country, traveling to Saudi Arabia to visit King Fahd.[111] Shortly before his death, he represented his absent father at an official event.[111] On 21 January 1994, Bassel al-Assad died in a car accident.[111] In his eulogy, Assad called his son's death a "national loss".[111] Bassel al-Assad, in death, played as great a role in his country's life as he did alive: his picture appeared on walls, cars, stores, dishes, clothing and watches.[112] The Syrian Regional Branch of the Ba'ath Party began indoctrinating youths with a Bassel al-Assad course.[112] Almost immediately after Bassel's death, Assad began to groom his 29-year-old son Bashar al-Assad for succession.[112]
Abdul Halim Khaddam, Syria's foreign minister from 1970 to 1984, opposed dynastic succession on the grounds that it was not socialist.[107] Khaddam has said that Assad never discussed his intentions about succession with members of the Regional Command.[107] By the 1990s, the Sunni faction of the leadership was aging; the Alawites, with Assad's help, had received new blood.[113] The Sunnis were at a disadvantage, since many were opposed to any kind of dynastic succession.[114]
After [Assad's] illness [in 1983] this matter was too sensitive to be discussed. His love for the family was even stronger than his duty as president. The decision was very wrong. This decision was in total contradiction to all laws and regulations in Syria. In the late 1990s, when he was becoming more and more sick, this sentiment grew stronger and stronger.
—Abdul Halim Khaddam, on Assad's succession plans[107]
When he returned to Syria, Bashar al-Assad enrolled in the Homs Military Academy.[115] He was quickly promoted to Brigadier Commander, and served for a time in the Republican Guard.[116] He studied most military subjects, "including tank battalion commander, command and staff"[116] (the latter two of which were required for a senior command in the Syrian army).[116] Bashar al-Assad was promoted to lieutenant general in July 1997, and to colonel in January 1999.[117] Official sources ascribe Bashar's rapid promotion to his "overall excellence in the staff officers' course, and in the outstanding final project he submitted as part of the course for command and staff".[117] With Bashar's training, Assad appointed a new generation of Alawite security officers to secure his succession plans.[116] Shihabi's replacement by Aslan as Chief of Staff on 1 July 1998—Shihabi was considered a potential successor by the outside world—marked the end of the long security-apparatus overhaul.[116] Skepticism of Assad's dynastic-succession plan was widespread within and outside the government, with critics noting that Syria was not a monarchy.[116] By 1998 Bashar al-Assad had made inroads into the Ba'ath Party, taking over Khaddam's Lebanon portfolio (a post he had held since the 1970s).[118] By December 1998 Bashar al-Assad had replaced Rafiq al-Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon and one of Khaddam's proteges, with Selim Hoss.[119]
Several Assad proteges, who had served since 1970 or earlier, were dismissed from office between 1998 and 2000.[120] They were sacked not because of disloyalty to Assad, but because Assad thought they would not fully support Bashar al-Assad's succession.[120] "Retirees" included Muhammad al-Khuli, Nassir Khayr Bek and Ali Duba.[120] Among the new appointees (Bashar loyalists) were Bahjat Sulayman, Major General Halan Khalil and Major General Asaf Shawkat (Assad's son-in-law).[120]
By the late 1990s, Assad's health had deteriorated.[121] American diplomats said Assad had difficulty staying focused and seemed tired during their meetings;[122] he was seen as incapable of functioning for more than two hours a day.[122] His spokesperson ignored the speculation, and Assad's official routine in 1999 was basically unchanged from the previous decade.[122] Assad continued to conduct meetings, traveling abroad occasionally; he visited Moscow in July 1999.[122] Because of his increasing seclusion from state affairs, the government became accustomed to working without his involvement in day-to-day affairs.[122] On 10 June 2000, at age 69, Assad died of a heart attack while on the telephone with Lebanese prime minister Hoss.[123] His funeral was held three days later.[124] Assad is buried with his son, Bassel al-Assad, in a mausoleum in his hometown of Qardaha.[125]
Satellite photo of lake and dam
Tabqa Dam (center), built in 1974
Assad called his domestic reforms a corrective movement, and it achieved some results. He tried to modernize Syria's agricultural and industrial sectors; one of his main achievements was the completion of the Tabqa Dam on the Euphrates River in 1974. One of the world's largest dams, its reservoir was called Lake Assad. The reservoir increased irrigation of arable land, provided electricity, and encouraged industrial and technical development in Syria. Many peasants and workers received increased income, social security, and better health and educational services. The urban middle class, which had been hurt by the Jadid government's policy, had new economic opportunities.[126]
By 1977 it was apparent that despite some success, Assad's political reforms had largely failed. This was partly due to Assad's foreign policy, failed policies, natural phenomena and corruption. Chronic socioeconomic difficulties remained, and new ones appeared. Inefficiency, mismanagement, and corruption in the government, public, and private sectors, illiteracy, poor education (particularly in rural areas), increasing emigration by professionals, inflation, a growing trade deficit, a high cost of living and shortages of consumer goods were among problems faced by the country. The financial burden of Syria's involvement in Lebanon since 1976 contributed to worsening economic problems, encouraging corruption and a black market. The emerging class of entrepreneurs and brokers became involved with senior military officers—including Assad's brother Rifaat—in smuggling from Lebanon, which affected government revenue and encouraged corruption among senior governmental officials.[127]
During the early 1980s, Syria's economy worsened; by mid-1984, the food crisis was severe, and the press was full of complaints. Assad's government sought a solution, arguing that food shortages could be avoided with careful economic planning. The food crisis continued through August, despite government measures. Syria lacked sugar, bread, flour, wood, iron and construction equipment; this resulted in soaring prices, long queues and rampant black marketeering. Smuggling goods from Lebanon became common. Assad's government tried to combat the smuggling, encountering difficulties due to the involvement of his brother Rifaat in the corruption. In July 1984, the government formed an effective anti-smuggling squad to control the Lebanon-Syria borders. The Defense Detachment commanded by Rifaat al-Assad played a leading role in the smuggling, importing $400,000 worth of goods a day. The anti-smuggling squad seized $3.8 million in goods during its first week.[128]
Green banknote, with man's portrait on right
Assad's portrait on 1,000-Syrian-pound note
The Syrian economy grew five to seven percent during the early 1990s; exports increased, the balance of trade improved, inflation remained moderate (15–18 percent) and oil exports increased. In May 1991 Assad's government liberalized the Syrian economy, which stimulated domestic and foreign private investment. Most foreign investors were Arab states around the Persian Gulf, since Western countries still had political and economic issues with the country. The Gulf states invested in infrastructure and development projects; because of the Ba'ath Party's socialist ideology, Assad's government did not privatize state-owned companies.[129]
Syria fell into recession during the mid-1990s. Several years later, its economic growth was about 1.5 percent. This was insufficient, since population growth was between 3 and 3.5 percent. Another symptom of the crisis was statism in foreign trade. Syria's economic crisis coincided with recession in world markets. A 1998 drop in oil prices dealt a major blow to Syria's economy; when oil prices rose the following year, the Syrian economy partially recovered. In 1999, one of the worst droughts in a century caused a drop of 25–30 percent in crop yields compared with 1997 and 1998. Assad's government implemented emergency measures, including loans and compensation to farmers and the distribution of free fodder to save sheep and cattle. However, those steps were limited and had no measurable effect on the economy.[130]
Assad's government tried to decrease population growth, but this was only marginally successful. One sign of economic stagnation was Syria's lack of progress in talks with the EU on an agreement. The main cause of this failure was the country's difficulty in meeting EU demands to open the economy and introduce reforms. Marc Pierini, head of the EU delegation in Damascus, said that if the Syrian economy was not modernized it would not benefit from closer ties to the EU. Assad's government gave civil servants a 20-percent pay raise on the anniversary of the corrective movement that brought him to power. Although the foreign press criticized Syria's reluctance to liberalize its economy, Assad's government refused to modernize the bank system, permit private banks and open a stock exchange.[131]
Foreign policy[edit]
The October War[edit]
Main article: October War
Since the Arab defeat in the Six-Day War, Assad was convinced that the Israelis had won the war by subterfuge;[132] after gaining power, his top foreign-policy priority was to regain the Arab territory lost in the war.[132] Assad reaffirmed Syria's rejection of the 1967 UN Security Council Resolution 242 because he believed it stood for the "liquidation of the Palestine question".[132] He believed, and continued to believe until long into his rule, that the only way to get Israel to negotiate with the Arabs was through war.[132]
When Assad took power, Syria was isolated;[132] planning an attack on Israel, he sought allies and war material.[133] Ten weeks after gaining power, Assad visited the Soviet Union.[133] The Soviet leadership was wary of supplying the Syrian government, viewing Assad's rise to power with reserve and believing him to lean further West than Jadid did.[134] While he soon understood that the Soviet relationship with the Arabs would never be as deep as the United States' relationship with Israel, he needed its weapons.[134] Unlike his predecessors (who tried to win Soviet support with socialist policies), Assad was willing to give the Soviets a stable presence in the Middle East through Syria, access to Syrian naval bases (giving them a role in the peace process) and help in curtailing American influence in the region.[134] The Soviets responded by sending arms to Syria.[134] The new relationship bore fruit, and between February 1971 and October 1973 Assad met several times with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.[135]
Assad believed that Syria would have no chance in a war against Israel without Egyptian participation.[136] He believed that if the United Arab Republic had not collapsed, the Arabs would already have liberated Palestine.[136] For a war against Israel, Syria needed to establish another front.[136] However, by this time Syria's relations with Egypt and Jordan were shaky at best.[136] Planning for war began in 1971 with an agreement between Assad and Anwar Sadat.[136] At the beginning, the renewed Egyptian–Syrian alliance was based upon the proposed Federation of Arab Republics (FAR), a federation initially encompassing Egypt, Libya, Sudan (which left soon after FAR's first summit) and Syria.[70] Assad and Sadat used the FAR summits to plan war strategy, and by 1971 they had appointed Egyptian General Muhammad Sadiq supreme commander of both armies.[137] Libya was not included because its Muammar Gaddafi was considered erratic.[137] From 1972 to 1973, the countries filled their arsenals and trained their armies.[137] In a secret meeting of the Egyptian–Syrian Military Council from 21–23 August 1973, the two chiefs of staff (Syrian Yusuf Shakkur and Egyptian Sad al-Shazly) signed a document declaring their intention to go to war against Israel.[138] During a meeting of Assad, Sadat and their respective defense ministers (Tlass and Hosni Mubarak) on 26–27 August, the two leaders decided to go to war together.[139]
Egypt went to war for a different reason than Syria did.[140] While Assad wanted to regain lost Arab territory, Sadat wished to strengthen Egypt's position in its peace policy toward Israel.[140] The Syrians were deceived by Sadat and the Egyptians, which would play a major role in the Arab defeat.[141] Egyptian Chief of Staff Shazly was convinced from the beginning that Egypt could not mount a successful full-scale offensive against Israel; therefore, he campaigned for a limited war.[141] Sadat knew that Assad would not participate in the war if he knew his real intentions.[141] Since the collapse of the UAR, the Egyptians were critical of the Ba'athist government; they saw it as an untrustworthy ally.[141]
The war[edit]
Uniformed men in a foxhole
Assad and Mustafa Tlass on the Golan front
At 14:05 on 6 October 1973, Egyptian forces (attacking through the Sinai desert) and Syrian forces (attacking the Golan Heights) crossed the border into Israel and penetrated the Israeli defense lines.[142] The Syrian forces on the Golan Heights met with more intense fighting than their Egyptian counterparts, but by 8 October had broken through the Israeli defenses.[143] The early successes of the Syrian army were due to its officer corps (where officers were promoted because of merit and not politics) and its ability to handle advanced Soviet weaponry: tanks, artillery batteries, aircraft, man-portable missiles, the Sagger anti-tank weapon and the 2K12 Kub anti-aircraft system on mobile launchers.[143] With the help of these weapons, Egypt and Syria neutralized (or slowed) Israel's armor and air supremacy.[143] Egypt and Syria announced the war to the world first, accusing Israel of starting it; Israel had accused the Arabs of starting the Six-Day War.[143]
The main reason for the reversal of fortune was Egypt's operational pause from 7–14 October.[143] After capturing parts of the Sinai, the Egyptian campaign halted and the Syrians were left fighting the Israelis alone.[144] The Egyptian leaders, believing their war aims accomplished, dug in.[145] While their early successes in the war had surprised them, War Minister General Ahmad Ismail Ali advised caution.[145] In Syria, Assad and his generals waited for the Egyptians to move.[145] When the Israeli government learned of Egypt's modest war strategy, it ordered an "immediate continuous action" against the Syrian military.[145] According to Patrick Seale, "For three days, 7, 8, and 9 October, Syrian troops on the Golan faced the full fury of the Israeli air force as, from first light to nightfall, wave after wave of aircraft swooped down to bomb, strafe and napalm their tank concentration and their fuel and ammunition carriers right back to the Purple Line."[146] By 9 October, the Syrians were retreating behind the Purple Line (the Israeli–Syrian border since the Six-Day War).[147] By 13 October the war was lost, but (in contrast to the Six-Day War) the Syrians were not crushed; this earned Assad respect in Syria and abroad.[148]
On 14 October, Egypt began a limited offensive against Israel for political reasons.[149] Sadat needed Assad on his side for his peace policy with Israel to succeed,[149] and military action was a means to an end.[149] The renewed Egyptian military offensive was ill-conceived. A week later, due to Egyptian inactivity, the Israelis had organized and the Arabs had lost their most important advantage.[150] While the military offensive gave Assad hope, this was an illusion; the Arabs had already lost the war militarily.[151] Egypt's behavior during the war caused friction between Assad and Sadat.[151] Assad, still inexperienced in foreign policy, believed that the Egyptian–Syrian alliance was based on trust and failed to understand Egypt's duplicity.[151] Although it was not until after the war that Assad would learn that Sadat was in contact with American National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger almost daily during the war, the seeds of distrust had been sown.[152] Around this time, Sadat called for an American-led ceasefire agreement between Egypt, Syria and Israel; however, he was unaware that under Kissinger's tenure the United States had become a staunch supporter of Israel.[153]
Angry man at a press conference
Assad in a rage after Sadat visits Israel, 1977
On 16 October, Sadat—without telling Assad—called for a ceasefire in a speech to the People's Assembly, the Egyptian legislative body.[154] Assad was not only surprised, but could not comprehend why Sadat trusted "American goodwill for a satisfactory result".[154] Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin visited Cairo, urging Sadat to accept a ceasefire without the condition of Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories.[155] While Sadat was reluctant at first, Kosygin returned on 18 October with satellite images showing 300 Israeli tanks in Egyptian territory.[155] The blow to Sadat's morale was such that he sent a cable to Assad, obliquely saying that all hope was lost.[155] Assad, who was in a better position, was still optimistic.[156] Under Soviet influence Egypt called for a ceasefire on 22 October 1973, direct negotiations between the warring parties and the implementation of the US Security Council Resolution 242.[156] The ceasefire resolution did not call for Israeli withdrawal from its occupied territories.[156] Assad was annoyed, since he had not been informed beforehand of Sadat's change in policy (which affected them both).[156] On 23 October the Syrian government accepted the ceasefire, spelling out its understanding of UN Resolution 338 (withdrawal of Israeli troops from the occupied territories and the safeguarding of Palestinian rights).[157] The Israelis continued their attacks on Egyptian troops in the Sinai, and only when Brezhnev threatened Kissinger with a Soviet intervention in the region did they comply with the ceasefire at the behest of the United States.[157]
Lebanese Civil War[edit]
We did not go into Lebanon to achieve any regional ambitions, nor for any selfish or opportunistic motives. On the contrary, it was at the expense of our economy and our daily bread.
—Assad, reviewing Syria's intervention in Lebanon[158]
Syria intervened in Lebanon in 1976 during the civil war which began in 1975.[159] With the establishment of an Egyptian–Israeli alliance, Syria was the only neighboring state which threatened Israel.[160] Syria initially tried to mediate the conflict; when that failed, Assad ordered the Palestine Liberation Army (PLA),[161] a regular force based in Syria with Syrian officers,[162] troops into Lebanon to restore order.[161] Around this time, the Israeli government opened its borders to Maronite refugees in Lebanon to strengthen its regional influence.[163] Clashes between the Syria-loyal PLA and militants occurred throughout the country.[163] Despite Syrian support and Khaddam's mediation, Rashid Karami (the Sunni Muslim Prime Minister of Lebanon) did not have enough support to appoint a cabinet.[163]
In early 1976 Assad was approached by Lebanese politicians for help in forcing the resignation of Suleiman Frangieh, the Christian President of Lebanon.[164] Although Assad was open to change, he resisted attempts by some Lebanese politicians to enlist him in Frangieh's ouster;[164] when General Abdul Aziz al-Ahdāb attempted to seize power, Syrian troops stopped him.[165] In the meantime, radical Lebanese leftists were gaining the upper hand in the military conflict.[165] Kamal Jumblatt, leader of the Lebanese National Movement (LNM), believed that his strong military position would compel Frangieh's resignation.[165] Assad did not wish a leftist victory in Lebanon which would strengthen the position of the Palestinians.[165] He did not want a rightist victory either, instead seeking a middle-ground solution which would safeguard Lebanon and the region.[165] When Jumblatt met with Assad on 27 March 1976, he tried to persuade him to let him "win" the war;[165] Assad replied that a ceasefire should be in effect to ensure the 1976 presidential elections.[165] Meanwhile, on Assad's orders Syria sent troops into Lebanon without international approval.[165]
While Yasser Arafat and the PLO had not officially taken a side in the conflict, several PLO members were fighting with the LNM.[165] Assad attempted to steer Arafat and the PLO away from Lebanon, threatening him with a cutoff of Syrian aid.[165] The two sides were unable to reach an agreement.[165] When Frangieh stepped down in 1976, Syria pressured Lebanese members of parliament to elect Elias Sarkis president.[166] One-third of the Lebanese members of parliament (primarily supporters of Raymond Edde) boycotted the election to protest American and Syrian interference.[166]
On 31 May 1976, Syria began a full-scale intervention in Lebanon to (according to the official Syrian account) end bombardment of the Maronite cities of Qubayat and Aandqat.[167] Before the intervention, Assad and the Syrian government were one of several interests in Lebanon; afterwards, they were the controlling factors in Lebanese politics.[167] On Assad's orders, the Syrian troop presence slowly increased to 30,000.[167] Syria received approval for the intervention from the United States and Israel to help them defeat Palestinian forces in Lebanon.[167] The Ba'athist group As-Sa'iqa and the PLA's Hittīn brigade fought Palestinians who sided with the LNM.[167]
Within a week of the Syrian intervention, Christian leaders issued a statement of support.[168] Muslim leaders established a joint command of all Palestinian groups except As-Sa'iqa,[168] which was driven by the PLO to its stronghold near the main airport.[168] Shortly afterwards, As-Sa'iqa and other leftist Damascus forces were absorbed by the Syrian military.[168] On 8 June 1976 Syrian forces were pushed back from Sidon, encountering stiff resistance in Beirut from the LNM.[168] Assad's actions angered much of the Arab world however and the sight of Syria trying to eliminate the PLO brought criticism upon him.[168] There was considerable hostility to Assad's alliance with the Maronites in Syria.[169] As a result, the Syrian government asked the Arab League to assist in the conflict.[168] The Arab League began to mediate, establishing the Arab Deterrent Force (ADF) for peacekeeping.[168] Syrian strategy at this point was to gradually weaken the LNM and its Palestinian collaborators, continuing to support the Christian militia.[168] However, the Syrians were unable to capture the LNM's stronghold of Aley before the Arab League called for a ceasefire on 17 October.[170] The Arab League strengthened the ADF to 30,000 troops, most Syrian.[170] While some heavy fighting continued, by December 1976 and January 1977 most Palestinian and Lebanese groups had disposed of their heavy weaponry.[170] According to Charles Winslow, the "main phase" of the Lebanese Civil War had ended by 1977; until the early 1990s most violence was attributed to turf, proxy, inter-communal and state wars.[171] Assad used terrorism and intimidation to extend his control over Lebanon.[172] Jumblatt died in a 1977 assassination allegedly ordered by Syria; in 1982, Syrian agents assassinated Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel (who was helped to power by the Israelis during the 1982 Lebanon War).[172] Jumblatt and Gemayel had resisted Assad's attempts to dominate Lebanon.[172] Assad caused the failure of the 1983 Lebanon–Israel agreement, and by proxy guerrilla warfare forced the Israeli Defense Forces to withdraw to southern Lebanon in 1985.[172] Terrorism against Palestinians and Jordanian targets during the mid-1980s thwarted the rapprochement between King Hussein of Jordan and the PLO, slowing Jordanian–Israeli cooperation in the West Bank.[172]
1. ^ a b Reich 1990, p. 52.
2. ^ Bengio 1998, p. 135.
3. ^ Jessup 1998, p. 41.
4. ^ a b Alianak 2007, pp. 127–128.
5. ^ Seale 1990, p. 5.
6. ^ Seale 1990, p. 3.
7. ^ a b Zahler 2009, p. 25.
8. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 20.
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Alianak 2007, p. 128.
10. ^ a b c d e Zahler 2009, p. 28.
11. ^ Amos 2010, p. 70.
12. ^ a b c d Zahler 2009, pp. 29–31.
13. ^ Zahler 2009, pp. 28–29.
14. ^ a b c Zahler 2009, p. 31.
15. ^ a b c d e f Reich 1990, p. 53.
16. ^ a b Alianak 2007, p. 129.
17. ^ Tucker & Roberts 2008, p. 168.
18. ^ Seale 1990, p. 49.
19. ^ a b Zahler 2009, p. 34.
20. ^ a b c d e Zahler 2009, p. 32.
21. ^ Leverett 2005, p. 231.
22. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, pp. 50–51.
23. ^ Zahler 2009, p. 33.
24. ^ a b c d Zahler 2009, pp. 32–34.
25. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 98.
26. ^ Seale 1990, p. 65.
27. ^ a b Seale 1990, pp. 60–61.
28. ^ a b Zahler 2009, p. 38.
29. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 75.
30. ^ Seale 1990, pp. 76–78.
31. ^ a b c Reich 1990, pp. 53–54.
32. ^ Seale 1990, p. 76.
33. ^ a b c d e f Seale 1990, p. 77.
34. ^ a b c d e f Seale 1990, p. 89.
35. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 90.
36. ^ a b c d Reich 1990, p. 54.
37. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 87.
38. ^ Seale 1990, p. 88.
39. ^ Seale 1990, p. 94.
40. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, p. 95.
41. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 96.
42. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 97.
43. ^ Devlin 1975, p. 330.
44. ^ Rabinovich 1972, p. 187.
45. ^ Rabinovich 1972, p. 192.
46. ^ Seale 1990, p. 100.
47. ^ Seale 1990, p. 101.
48. ^ Seale 1990, p. 102.
49. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 104.
50. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, p. 105.
51. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 110.
52. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 112.
53. ^ a b c d e f Seale 1990, p. 113.
54. ^ a b c d e f Seale 1990, p. 142.
55. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 143.
56. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Seale 1990, p. 144.
57. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, p. 145.
58. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 146.
59. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 147.
60. ^ a b c d e f Seale 1990, p. 148.
61. ^ a b c d e f Seale 1990, p. 149.
62. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 150.
63. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Seale 1990, p. 151.
64. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 152.
65. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 153.
66. ^ a b c d e f g Seale 1990, p. 162.
67. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 164.
68. ^ Seale 1990, p. 169.
69. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 170.
70. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 190.
71. ^ a b c d e f g h i Seale 1990, p. 171.
72. ^ Seale 1990.
73. ^ Seale 1990, p. 175.
74. ^ a b c Hinnebusch 2001, p. 61.
75. ^ a b c d Hinnebusch 2001, p. 63.
76. ^ a b c d e f Hinnebusch 2001, p. 65.
77. ^ a b Reich 1990, p. 57.
78. ^ a b c d e f g h Pipes 1995, pp. 15–16.
79. ^ Zisser 2006, p. 50.
80. ^ a b c d Hinnebusch 2001, p. 69.
81. ^ a b c d Hinnebusch 2001, p. 72.
82. ^ a b Hinnebusch 2001, p. 74.
83. ^ Hinnebusch 2001, pp. 72–73.
84. ^ a b c Hinnebusch 2001, p. 73.
85. ^ Hinnebusch 2001, pp. 65–66.
86. ^ a b c d e f Hinnebusch 2001, p. 66.
87. ^ a b c d e Batatu 1999, p. 226.
88. ^ a b c d Batatu 1999, p. 227.
89. ^ a b c Hinnebusch 2001, p. 85.
90. ^ a b c Hinnebusch 2001, p. 86.
91. ^ a b Hinnebusch 2001, pp. 86–89.
92. ^ Hinnebusch 2001, p. 89.
93. ^ a b c d e f g Hinnebusch 2001, p. 90.
94. ^ a b Hinnebusch 2001, p. 94.
95. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hinnebusch 2001, p. 95.
96. ^ a b c d e f g h i Hinnebusch 2001, p. 96.
97. ^ a b c d Hinnebusch 2001, p. 97.
98. ^ a b c Hinnebusch 2001, p. 98.
99. ^ Thomas Collelo, ed. (1987). "1982 – 1987 Political Developments". Syria: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
100. ^ a b c Batatu 1999, p. 232.
101. ^ a b c d Batatu 1999, p. 230.
102. ^ a b c d e Batatu 1999, p. 233.
103. ^ Batatu 1999, pp. 233–234.
104. ^ a b c d e f g h i Batatu 1999, p. 234.
105. ^ a b c Batatu 1999, p. 235.
106. ^ a b c Batatu 1999, p. 236.
107. ^ a b c d Blandford 2006, p. 55.
108. ^ a b c d e Batatu 1999, p. 237.
109. ^ Batatu 1999, pp. 237–238.
110. ^ a b Batatu 1999, p. 238.
111. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pipes 1996, p. 29.
112. ^ a b c Pipes 1996, p. 30.
113. ^ Blandford 2006, p. 56.
114. ^ Blandford 2006, pp. 55–56.
115. ^ Blandford 2006, p. 53.
116. ^ a b c d e f Ziser 2001, p. 154.
117. ^ a b Ziser 2001, p. 160.
118. ^ Blandford 2006, p. 69.
119. ^ Ziser 2001, p. 161.
120. ^ a b c d Ziser 2001, p. 166.
121. ^ Seddon 2004, p. 76.
122. ^ a b c d e Zisser 2002, pp. 552–553.
123. ^ Ball 2010, p. 110.
124. ^ Freedman 2002, p. 105.
125. ^ Ahmad 2010, p. 313.
126. ^ Reich 1990, p. 56.
127. ^ Reich 1990, pp. 59-60.
128. ^ Olmert 1986, pp. 683–684.
129. ^ Zisser 1995, pp. 728–729.
130. ^ Zisser 2002, pp. 598–599.
131. ^ Zisser 2002, p. 599.
132. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 185.
133. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 186.
134. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, p. 187.
135. ^ Seale 1990, p. 188.
136. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 189.
137. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 192.
138. ^ Seale 1990, pp. 193–194.
139. ^ Seale 1990, p. 194.
140. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 195.
141. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, p. 197.
142. ^ Seale 1990, pp. 197–199.
143. ^ a b c d e Seale 1990, p. 205.
144. ^ Seale 1990, p. 207.
145. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, p. 208.
146. ^ Seale 1990, p. 209.
147. ^ Seale 1990, p. 210.
148. ^ Seale 1990, p. 211.
149. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 212.
150. ^ Seale 1990, pp. 212–213.
151. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 213.
152. ^ Seale 1990, pp. 214–215.
153. ^ Seale 1990, pp. 215–218.
154. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 219.
155. ^ a b c Seale 1990, p. 220.
156. ^ a b c d Seale 1990, p. 221.
157. ^ a b Seale 1990, p. 224.
158. ^ Dawisha 2005, p. 273.
159. ^ Winslow 2012, p. 194.
160. ^ Seale 1990, p. 267.
161. ^ a b Winslow 2012, pp. 194–195.
162. ^ Gilmour 1983, p. 131.
163. ^ a b c Winslow 2012, p. 195.
164. ^ a b Winslow 2012, p. 197.
165. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Winslow 2012, p. 198.
166. ^ a b Winslow 2012, p. 199.
167. ^ a b c d e Winslow 2012, p. 201.
168. ^ a b c d e f g h i Winslow 2012, p. 202.
169. ^ Gilmour 1983, p. 139.
170. ^ a b c Winslow 2012, p. 204.
171. ^ Winslow 2012, p. 205.
172. ^ a b c d e Reich 1990, p. 61.
External links[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by
Muhammad Umran
Minister of Defense of Syria
Succeeded by
Mustafa Tlass
Preceded by
Nureddin al-Atassi
Prime Minister of Syria
Succeeded by
Abdul Rahman Kleifawi
Preceded by
Ahmad al-Khatib
President of Syria
Succeeded by
Abdul Halim Khaddam
Party political offices
Preceded by
Nureddin al-Atassi
Secretary of the Syrian Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Succeeded by
Bashar al-Assad
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98671
|
Infragravity wave
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Infragravity waves)
Jump to: navigation, search
Classification of the spectrum of ocean waves according to wave period.[1]
Infragravity waves are surface gravity waves with frequencies lower than the wind waves – consisting of both wind sea and swell – so corresponding with the part of the wave spectrum lower than the frequencies directly generated by forcing through the wind.
Infragravity waves consist, among others, of long-period oceanic waves generated along continental coastlines by nonlinear wave interactions of storm-forced shoreward-propagating ocean swells. These differ from normal oceanic gravity waves, which are created by wind acting on the surface of the sea. Normal gravity waves typically have a frequency on the order of 50 millihertz (i.e., a period of 20 seconds). Interactions of these waves with coastlines filters out the frequencies with periods about 30 seconds, but nonlinear processes convert some of this energy to subharmonics with periods ranging from 50 seconds (20 mHz) to 350 seconds (3 mHz). Infragravity waves are these subharmonics of the impinging gravity waves.[2]
Technically infragravity waves are simply a subcategory of gravity waves and refer to all gravity waves with periods greater than 30 s. Although they include phenomena such as tides and oceanic Rossby waves, in the common literature their use is limited to gravity waves that are generated by the topography of the bottom.
The term "infragravity wave" appears to have been coined by Walter Munk in 1950.[1][3]
Surf can be seen breaking as it crosses the sand bar offshore. Sandbars aid in generating infragravity waves and in turn are shaped by them.
As a result of geology, infragravity-wave-induced large-scale bedforms (e.g., bars), and biologic process (e.g., reefs) the shoreline and the near-shore features of the sea floor often has a periodic character. Coastal sand bars are a significant contributor to the generation of infragravity waves and are shaped by them. On the inner side of a sand bar, the size of the bar is determined by the length of short wavelength wind-generated gravity waves. On the outer side of the bar the bar shape is dictated by the length of the infragravity waves which correlate to and are driven by the groups of short waves.[4] Similarly, coral reefs are effective in generating infragravity waves; in the case of coral reefs, the infragravity periods are established by resonances with the reef itself.[5][6]
Ice shelf processes.
Infragravity waves generated along the Pacific coast of North America have been observed to propagate transoceanically to Antarctica and there to impinge on the Ross Ice Shelf. Their frequencies more closely couple with the ice shelf natural frequencies and they produce a larger amplitude ice shelf movement than the normal ocean swell of gravity waves. Further, they are not damped by sea ice as normal ocean swell is. As a result they flex floating ice shelves such as the Ross Ice Shelf; this flexure contributes significantly to the breakup on the ice shelf.[2][7]
1. ^ a b Munk, Walter H. (1950), "Origin and generation of waves", Proceedings 1st International Conference on Coastal Engineering, Long Beach, California: ASCE, pp. 1–4, ISSN 2156-1028
2. ^ a b Bromirski, Peter D.; Olga V. Sergienko and Douglas R. MacAyeal (2010). "Transoceanic infragravity waves impacting Antarctic ice shelves". Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union) 37 (L02502). Bibcode:2010GeoRL..3702502B. doi:10.1029/2009GL041488.
3. ^ Kinsman, Blair (1965). Wind Waves: Their Generation and Propagation on the Ocean Surface. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. pp. 22–23. OCLC 489729.
4. ^ Leont’yev, I. O. (April 2009). "Generation mechanism of an alongshore bar on a sandy beach slope". Oceanology 49 (2): 281–289. Bibcode:2009Ocgy...49..281L. doi:10.1134/S000143700902012X.
5. ^ Lugo-Fernández, A.; H. H. Roberts, W. J. Wiseman Jr. and B. L. Carter (December 1998). "Water level and currents of tidal and infragravity periods at Tague Reef, St. Croix (USVI)". Coral Reefs 17 (4): 343–349. doi:10.1007/s003380050137.
6. ^ Péquignet, A. C.; J. M. Becker; M. A. Merrifield; J. Aucan (2009). "Forcing of resonant modes on a fringing reef during tropical storm Man-Yi". Geophys. Res. Lett 36 (L03607). Bibcode:2009GeoRL..3603607P. doi:10.1029/2008GL036259.
7. ^ "Breaking waves: The coup de grace that shatters ice shelves is administered by ocean waves". The Economist. February 18, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-25.
External links[edit]
Media related to Gravity waves at Wikimedia Commons
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98672
|
James Mangold
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
James Mangold
James Mangold.JPG
Mangold at Hollywood Life Magazine’s 7th Annual Breakthrough Awards, December 9, 2007
Born New York City, New York, United States
Alma mater Columbia University
Occupation Film director, screenwriter
Years active 1995–present
Spouse(s) Cathy Konrad (m. 1998)
James Mangold is an American film and television director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for Walk the Line (2005), which he co-wrote and directed.
He produced and directed pilots for the television series Men in Trees (which ran from 2006 to 2008) and Vegas (which ran from 2012 to 2013).
Life and career[edit]
James Mangold was born in New York City and is the son of artists Robert Mangold and Sylvia Plimack Mangold.[1] He was raised in New York State's Hudson River Valley.[1] After graduating from Washingtonville High School, Mangold was accepted into and later attended the California Institute of the Arts film/video program.[2] While there, he mentored under Alexander Mackendrick. During his third year, Mackendrick suggested that Mangold should study at CalArts School of Theater as an actor alongside his regular film studies.[citation needed]
In 1985 Mangold secured a writer/director deal at Disney.[2] He wrote a television movie and co-wrote the animated feature Oliver and Company.[2] A few years later, Mangold moved to New York and applied to Columbia University's film school,[2] where he graduated with an MFA in film. [3] While there, he studied under Miloš Forman and developed both Heavy and Cop Land.
Mangold subsequently wrote and directed Cop Land starring Sylvester Stallone, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel and Ray Liotta;[4] Girl, Interrupted,[2] which won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1999 for Angelina Jolie; Kate & Leopold,[5] starring Meg Ryan and Hugh Jackman, for which Jackman was nominated for a Golden Globe as best actor in a musical or comedy in 2001, and the 2003 thriller Identity which starred John Cusack.[6]
In 2005 he co-wrote and directed Walk the Line, a film about the young life of singer-songwriter Johnny Cash and his relationship with June Carter Cash. It stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon and was released on November 18, 2005. It was nominated for five Oscars and Witherspoon won Best Actress for her performance as June Carter Cash. Mangold also appeared as an actor in The Sweetest Thing as a doctor and love interest to Christina Applegate as well as in his own Kate & Leopold playing a movie director.
In June 2011, Mangold was hired to direct the X-Men movie The Wolverine. Along with screenwriters Chris McQuarrie, Scott Frank and Mark Bomback, Mangold adapted the screenplay based upon Frank Miller and Chris Claremont's Japanese Wolverine saga and entered production in Japan and Australia in July 2012. He completed photography in November of the same year. It was a box office success, ending up with a worldwide gross of $414,828,246 with a budget of $120 million according to Box Office Mojo.[7]
Filmography (director)[edit]
Year Title Director Writer Oscar nominations Oscar wins
1995 Heavy Yes Yes
1997 Cop Land Yes Yes
1999 Girl, Interrupted Yes Yes 1 1
2001 Kate & Leopold Yes Yes 1
2003 Identity Yes
2005 Walk the Line Yes Yes 5 1
2007 3:10 to Yuma Yes 2
2010 Knight and Day Yes
2013 The Wolverine Yes
1. ^ a b Cashill, Robert, in Esther, John (Winter 2007). "Avoiding Labels and Lullabies: An Interview with James Mangold". Cineaste 33 (1). Retrieved July 21, 2013.
3. ^ http://arts.columbia.edu/film/james-mangold
7. ^ "The Wolverine". Box Office Mojo.
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98673
|
Kenichi Matsuyama
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Kenichi Matsuyama
Kenichi Matsuyama (松山ケンイチ) at TIFF 2008.jpg
Kenichi Matsuyama at the Toronto International Film Festival 2008
Native name 松山 ケンイチ
Born (1985-03-05) March 5, 1985 (age 29)
Mutsu, Aomori, Japan
Occupation Actor
Years active 2001–present
Spouse(s) Koyuki Katō
Kenichi Matsuyama (松山 ケンイチ Matsuyama Ken'ichi?, born March 5, 1985) is a Japanese actor.
He is known for his affinity for strange character roles, and he is best known internationally for playing L in the 2006 films Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name and L: Change the World in 2008, as well as voicing Gelus in the Death Note animated adaptation. He was cast to play lead character Toru Watanabe in the movie adaptation of Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, which was released in December 2010. His real given name written in kanji as "研一".
Personal Life[edit]
On April 1, 2011, he married Koyuki Katō, who co-starred with him in Kamui Gaiden.[1] Together they have a son (born January 5, 2012).[2] and daughter (born in 2013) in South Korea [3]
Year Title Role Film production
2003 Wining Pass
Bright Future Jun UPLink Company
Guzen nimo Saiaku na Shonen
2004 The Locker 2 Yosuke Shinohara
The Taste of Tea Matsuken Grasshoppa
2005 Linda Linda Linda Makihara Covers&Co
Nana Shinichi "Shin" Okazaki
Furyo Shonen no Yume
Custom Made 10.30 Tamotsu/Shin-Getsu KlockWorkx
Otoko-tachi no Yamato Katsumi Kamio (15 years old)
2006 Oyayubi Sagashi
Death Note L Warner Bros. Pictures Japan
Death Note: The Last Name L Warner Bros. Pictures Japan
2007 Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea Juchi Shochiku (Japan)
Ten Nights of Dreams
Shindo Wao
Southbound Officer Niigaki
Tsubaki Sanjuro Iori Isaka
Dolphin Blue: Fuji, mo Ichido Sora e
2008 L: Change the World L Warner Bros.
Don't Laugh at My Romance Mirume
Detroit Metal City Souichi Negishi/Johannes Krauser II Toho
2009 Kamui Gaiden Kamui
Kaiji Makoto Sahara
Ultra Miracle Love Story Yojin
2010 Norwegian Wood Toru Watanabe Toho
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac Yuji Miwa Toei Company
2011 Gantz Masaru Kato
Gantz: Perfect Answer Masaru Kato
My Back Page Umeyama
Usagi Drop (film) Daikichi Kawachi Showgate
2012 Train Brain Express Kei Komachi Toei Company
2013 The Kiyosu Conference Hidemasa Hori
2014 Going Home Jiro Sawada
Climbing to Spring
Year Title Role Network
2002 Gokusen Kenichi Mouri Nippon TV
2003 Kids War 5
2005 1 Litre of Tears Yuji Kawamoto Fuji Television
2006 Tsubasa no Oreta Tenshitachi Shingo
Sono 5 fun mae Yuka Takashi
2007 Sexy Voice and Robo Iichiro Sudo/Robo Nippon Television
2009 Zeni Geba Gamagori Futaro NNN Tvs
2010 Love of 99 Years ~ Japanese Americans Hiramatsu Jiro Tokyo Broadcasting System Television
2012 Taira no Kiyomori Taira no Kiyomori NHK
Vocal roles[edit]
Year Title Role Network
2006 Death Note (anime) Gelus (voice) NTV
2008 Detroit Metal City (OVA) Makoto Hokazono Studio 4
Year Award Category Nominated Work Result
2006 Hochi Film Awards Best New Actor Death Note Won
2007 Yokohama Film Festival Best New Talent Death Note Won
Japanese Academy Awards Best New Actor Death Note Won
2008 2nd Asia Pacific Producer's Network Award Best Actor Death Note Won
2009 Japanese Academy Awards Most Popular Actor Detroit Metal City Won
Television Drama Academy Awards Best Actor Zeni Geba Won
2010 Mainichi Film Awards Best Actor Ultra Miracle Love story Won
Takasaki Film Festival Best Actor Ultra Miracle Love Story Won
Nikkan Sports Film Awards Best Actor Norwegian Wood Won
1. ^ The Mainichi Daily News, 20 April, 2011[dead link]
2. ^ "First child on the way for Matsuyama Kenichi, Koyuki". Tokyograph. 2011-09-03. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
3. ^ "Japanese Actress Gives Birth in Korea". The Chisunilbo. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98676
|
Notitiae Episcopatuum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
The Notitiae Episcopatuum (singular: Notitia Episcopatuum) are official documents that furnish Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church.
In the Roman Church (the Patriarchate of Rome), archbishops and bishops were classed according to the seniority of their consecration, and in Africa according to their age. In the Eastern patriarchates, however, the hierarchical rank of each bishop was determined by the see he occupied.
The principal documents (by church) are:
Church of Constantinople[edit]
All these Notitiae are published in:
The later works are only more or less modified copies of the Notitia of Leo VI, and therefore do not present the true situation, which was profoundly changed by the Islamic invasions of the region. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453, another Notitia was written, portraying the real situation (Gelzer, Ungedruckte Texte der Notitiae episcopatuum 613-37), and on it are based nearly all those that have been written since. The term Syntagmation is now used by the Greeks for these documents.
Church of Antioch[edit]
We know of only one Notitia episcopatuum for the Church of Antioch, viz. that drawn up in the sixth century by Patriarch Anastasius (see Vailhe in Echos d'Orient, X, pp. 90-101, 139-145, 363-8).
Churches of Jerusalem and Alexandria[edit]
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem has no such document, nor has that of Alexandria, although for the latter Gelzer has collected documents that may help remedy the deficiency (Byz. Zeitschrift, II, 23-40). De Rougé (Géographie ancienne de la Basse-Egypte, Paris, 1891, 151-61) has published a Coptic document that has not yet been studied. For the Bulgarian Church of Achrida, see Gelzer, Byz. Zeitschrift, II, 40 66, and Der Patriarchat von Achrida (Leipzig, 1902). Other churches having Notitiae are those of Cyprus, Serbia, Russia, and Georgia.
• J. Darrouzès, Notitiae episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae: texte critique, introduction et notes (Paris, 1981).
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98678
|
Fars Province
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Persis)
Jump to: navigation, search
Fars Province
استان فارس
A number of historical attractions in the Fars province
A number of historical attractions in the Fars province
Map of Iran with Fars highlighted
Location of Fars within Iran
Country Iran
Region Region 2
Capital Širâz
Counties 23
• Total 122,608 km2 (47,339 sq mi)
Population (2006)[1]
• Total 4,569,292
• Density 37/km2 (97/sq mi)
Time zone IRST (UTC+03:30)
Main language(s) Persian
Dialects of Fars
Fars Province (Persian: استان فارس - Ostân e Fârspronounced [ˈfɒː(ɾ)s]), is one of the thirty-one provinces of Iran and known as the cultural capital of Iran. It is in the south of the country, in Iran's Region 2,[2] and its administrative center is Shiraz. It has an area of 122,400 km². In 2006, this province had a population of 4.57 million people, of which 61.2% were registered as urban dwellers (urban/suburbs), 38.1% villagers (small town/rural), and 0.7% nomad tribes.[1] The etymology of the word "Persian" (From Latin Persia, from Ancient Greek Περσίς (Persis)), found in many ancient names associated with Iran, is derived from the historical importance of this region.[3]
Fârs, or known in Old Persian as Pârsâ, is the original homeland of the ancient Persians. The native name of the Persian language is Pârsi.[4] Persia and Persian both derive from the Hellenized form Πέρσις Persis of the root word Pârs. The Old Persian word was Pârsâ.[5]
The word Fârs is derived from 𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿 Pârsâ, the Old Persian name for Persia and its capital, Persepolis. Fârs is the Arabized version of Pârs, as Arabic has no [p] phoneme.
"Persis" redirects here. For other uses, see Persis (disambiguation).
The ruins of Persepolis
The ancient Persians were present in the region from about the 9th century BC, and became the rulers of the largest empire the world had yet seen under the Achaemenid dynasty which was established in the late 6th century BCE, at its peak stretching from Thrace and Macedonia in the west, to the Indus Valley in its far east.[6]The ruins of Persepolis and Pasargadae, two of the four capitals of the Achaemenid Empire, are located in Fars.
The Achaemenid Empire was defeated by Alexander III of Macedon in 333 BCE, incorporating most of their vast empire. Shortly after this the Seleucid Empire was established. However it never extended its power beyond the main trade routes in Fars, and by reign of Antiochus I or possibly later Persis emerged as an independent state that minted its own coins.[7]
A Sassanid relief showing the investiture of Ardashir I
Artabanus marched a second time against Ardashir I in 224. Their armies clashed at Hormizdeghan, where Artabanus IV was killed. Ardashir was crowned in 226 at Ctesiphon as the sole ruler of Persia, bringing the 400-year-old Parthian Empire to an end, and starting the virtually equally long rule of the Sassanian Empire, over an even larger territory, once again making Persia a leading power in the known world, only this time along its arch rival and successor of Persia's earlier opponents (the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire); the Byzantine Empire.
The Sassanids ruled for 425 years, until the Muslim armies conquered the empire. Afterward the Persians started to convert to Islam, this made it a lot easier for the new Muslim empire to continue the expansion of Islam.
Administrative divisions[edit]
Climate and wildlife[edit]
The geographical and climatic variation of the province causes varieties of plants; consequently, variation of wildlife has been formed in the province. Additional to the native animals of the province, many kinds of birds migrate to the province every year.[10] Many kinds of ducks, storks and swallows migrate to this province in an annual parade.[10] The main native animals of the province are gazelle, deer, mountain wild goat, ram, ewe and many kinds of birds.[10]
• Hermoodlar Protected Zone, which is located east to Larestan.[10]
The main ethnic group in the province constitutes of Persians (including Larestani people), while Lurs, Qashqai, Kurds, Arabs, Georgians, and Circassians constitute minorities.[12]
Due to the geographical characteristics of Fars and its proximity to the Persian Gulf, Fars has long been a residing area for various peoples and rulers of Iran. However, the tribes of Fars including Qashqai Turks, Mamasani Lurs, Khamseh and Kohkiluyeh have kept their native and unique cultures and lifestyles which constitute part of the cultural heritage of Iran attracting many tourists.
The province has a population of 4.4 million approximately.
Higher education[edit]
The Fars Province is home to many higher education institutes and universities. The main universities of the province include Shiraz University of Medical Sciences,[14] Shiraz University, Shiraz University of Technology and Islamic Azad University of Shiraz.
Notables from Fars[edit]
1. ^ a b [1] National Census 2006
5. ^ Richard Nelson Frye (1984). The History of Ancient Iran, Part 3, Volume 7. C.H.Beck. pp. 9–15.
10. ^ a b c d Iran fars-shiraz
11. ^ Aref, Farshid. Indian Journal of Science and Technology. www.indjst.org/index.php/indjst/article/download/29952/25909 (PDF). 2011, Web. 01/22/14
12. ^ "FĀRS vii. Ethnography". 31 May 2014.
13. ^ "FĀRS vii. Ethnography". 31 May 2014.
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98679
|
Pitts Special
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Pitts Special
S1 / S2
Pitts S-1S
Role Aerobatic biplane
National origin United States
Manufacturer Aviat (current)
Designer Curtis Pitts
First flight September 1944
Status In production
Lil Stinker in the Smithsonian
Modified S-1S
Modified S-1S
Christen Industries S-2B Pitts Special belonging to the Pitts Specials Formation Aerobatic Team
2001 Aviat Pitts S-2C
S1-11b Pitts Special
Pitts S-2A
Cockpit of Pitts S-2A
Pitts S-2B
Pitts S-1E
Pitts S-1T
Pitts Special in flight
Design and development[edit]
Curtis Pitts began the design of a single-seat aerobatic biplane in 1943–1944.[3] The design has been refined continuously since the prototype's first flight in September 1944, however, the current Pitts S2 still remains quite close to the original in concept and in design.[4]
In 1962 Curtis Pitts set up Pitts Enterprises to sell plans of the S-1C to homebuilders.[6]
Operational history[edit]
The aircraft was popularized by Betty Skelton, Caro Bayley and other air show performers, which led to the offering of plans in 1962.[6]
Pitts produced limited numbers of aircraft during the 1940s and 1950s. It is widely accepted that the Pitts Special is the standard by which all other aerobatic aircraft are judged. After a number of homebuilt aircraft were produced from rough hand-drawn plans produced by Pitts, more professionally drawn plans went on sale in 1962. While many homebuilt aircraft were built in the 1960s, earning the S1 a reputation as an excellent aerobatic aircraft, Pitts worked on the design of a two-seat aerobatic trainer version, the S-2, which first flew in 1967 and gained its type certificate in 1971. Factory-built aircraft produced by the Aerotek company at Afton, Wyoming were joined in production by the single-seat S-1S in 1973.[7][8]
The design's popularity grew significantly following Bob Herendeen's participation on the USA Aerobatic Team in a Pitts Special in the World Aerobatic Competition in Moscow, Russia in 1966.[citation needed]
In 1972, the US National Aerobatic Team won the World Championships flying only Pitts biplanes.[2]
In 1977 Curtis Pitts sold his interests in the Pitts S1 & S2 to Doyle Child.[6] Child later sold the rights in 1981 to Frank Christenson, who continued production at the Afton plant under the guise of Christen Industries.[8] The rights for homebuilt versions of the Pitts were sold in 1994 to Steen Aero Lab,[9] with the Afton factory and production rights being transferred to Aviat.
Curtis Pitts died in 2005 at age 89. At the time of his death, he was working with Steen on the prototype of the new Pitts Model 14, a brand new, two-seat biplane designed for unlimited aerobatics powered by the 400 horsepower Vedeneyev M14P radial engine. The rights to the Pitts name is currently owned by Aviat which also owns the similar model to the Pitts in the Christen Eagle.[10]
The current world record for the number of consecutive flat spins is 81, held by Spencer Suderman in 2014 in a Pitts S2-B from 23,000ft altitude.[11]
Current versions[edit]
Certified versions of the compact Pitts are now produced by Aviat in Afton, Wyoming. It is available as an S1 single-seater with an up to 200 hp (150 kW) flat-4 Lycoming engine and a 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) wingspan, or as an S2 two-seater variant featuring a 260 hp (194 kW) flat-6 Lycoming and a 20 ft (6.1 m) wingspan. Pitts Specials have been equipped with engines of up to 450 hp (338 kW).[1]
On March 13, 2014 air show performer Spencer Suderman broke the inverted flat spin world record in a Pitts S-2B by completing 81 full rotations from an altitude of 23,000' over the California desert in El Centro, CA.[12] The previous record was held by a Giles 202 monoplane and stood since 1999.
Today, the single-seat Pitts S1-S plans are available from Aviat Aircraft. The S1-C and derivative S1-SS plans and kits are supplied by Steen Aero Lab in Palm Bay, Florida. The S1 continues to provide extremely high performance at relatively low cost. Many hundreds of homebuilders have successfully completed and flown the Pitts since plans became available in 1960.[10]
Basic single-seat Pitts aerobatic biplane with a flat M6 aerofoil section and lower wing ailerons only, fitted with a variety of engines.[13] Two were built, the first named Special and the second Li'l Stinker.[14]
Amateur-built S-1 single-seat aircraft, flat bottom wing with ailerons on lower wing only, designed for 100–180 hp (75–134 kW) engines. First flown in 1960, the S-1 is currently available as a plans-built aircraft from Steen Aero Lab.[15][16]
Amateur-built S-1C with ailerons on all four wings, generally similar to S-1S.[13][17]
Amateur-built S-1C using factory-produced kits. Uses symmetrical airfoil.[13][17]
Aerotek-built certified S-1C for competition aerobatics, round airfoil section, four ailerons and powered by a 180 hp (134 kW) Lycoming AEIO-360-B4A; 61 built.[13][17] This model is also available from Aviat Aircraft as a plans-built aircraft.[18]
Similar to the certified S1-S "Roundwing". 180–200+ hp (134–149 kW), single-seat, homebuilt, symmetrical wing, four symmetrical "Super-Stinker" style ailerons, 300 degree/s roll rate, fixed-pitch propeller. This model is available in plans and components form from Steen Aero Lab.[19]
Aerotek-built S-1C with a 200 hp (149 kW) Lycoming AEIO-360-A1E and minor changes; 64 built.[13] Four-aileron, single-seat, factory-built, symmetrical wing, symmetrical ailerons, constant speed two- or three-blade Hartzell propeller. The top wing was moved forward compared to the S-1S for weight and balance. This model was in production in 2008 from Aviat Aircraft as an "on-demand" manufacture product.[4][10]
Known as Model 11 "Super Stinker", 300+ hp (220 kW) Lycoming, four-aileron, single-seat, experimental-plans or factory-built and factory component parts, symmetrical airfoil, three-blade constant speed prop, rolls better than 300 degree/s, climbs better than 3,000 ft/min (15.3 m/s).[10][20]
Aerotek-built S-2A with a 200 hp (149 kW) Lycoming AEIO-360-A1A or -A1E piston engine, constant speed propeller, later builds has a longer landing gear and a 2-inch-wider (51 mm) front cockpit; 259 built.[13][17]
Four aileron, two-seat, factory-built, symmetric airfoil, 260 hp (194 kW) Lycoming driving constant speed three-blade propeller, current production model. This was an evolution of the S-2B model, with improved ailerons and rudder, flat bottom fuselage, lower profile bungee gear, better inverted handling and certified for +6 -5g. It is in production in 2008 by Aviat Aircraft.[10]
Amateur-built S-2A from factory-produced kits.[13]
Amateur-built S-2S from factory-produced kits.[13]
The "Big Pitts", it had a 450 hp (336 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-985, originally designed for Jess Bristow and was used as an air show airplane.[citation needed]
Military operators[edit]
Civil operators[edit]
Specifications (S-2B)[edit]
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89 [4]
General characteristics
See also[edit]
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
1. ^ a b Montgomery and Foster 1992, p. 92.
2. ^ a b "Plane and Pilot" 1977, p. 84.
3. ^ Taylor 1980, p. 899.
4. ^ a b c Taylor 1988, p. 381.
5. ^ The Pitts Model 12 Palmer Aeroworks Limited, 2 May 2008. Retrieved: 6 August 2008.
6. ^ a b c Simpson 1991, p. 125.
7. ^ Donald 1999, p. 683.
8. ^ a b Donald 1999, p. 684.
9. ^ Taylor 1999, p. 585.
10. ^ a b c d e f g Pitts Overview
12. ^ World record attempt for inverted flat spins
13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson 1991, p. 126.
14. ^ "American airplanes: Pa - Pi". Aerofiles.com. 2009-05-02. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
15. ^ Taylor 1976, p. 527.
16. ^ "1999 Plans Aircraft Directory" 1999, p. 69.
17. ^ a b c d e Taylor 1982, p. 187.
18. ^ "1999 Plans Aircraft Directory" 1999, p. 53.
19. ^ "The Pitts S1-C and S1-SS." Steen Aero Lab, 2008. Retrieved: 8 August 2008.
20. ^ "Pitts S1 Historical Information." Steen Aero Lab, 2008. Retrieved: 8 August 2008.
21. ^ Andrade 1982, page 138
• Andrade, John Militair 1982. London:Aviation Press Limited, 1982. ISBN 0-907898-01-7.
• Aviat Aircraft
• Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London: Aurum Press, 1999. ISBN 1-85410-642-2.
• Montgomery, M.R. and Gerald Foster.A Field Guide to Airplanes, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1992. ISBN 0-395-62888-1.
• "1999 Plans Aircraft Directory." Kitplanes Magazine Volume 16, Number 1, January 1999, Belvior Publications, Aviation Publishing Group LLC.
• "Plane and Pilot." 1978 Aircraft Directory. Santa Monica CA: Werner & Werner Corp., 1977. ISBN 0-918312-00-0.
• Simpson, R.W. Airlife's General Aviation. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1991, ISBN 1-85310-194-X.
• Taylor, John W.R., ed. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1976-77. London: Macdonald and Jane's, 1976. ISBN 0-354-00538-3.
• Taylor, John W.R., ed. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsden, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1988. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
• Taylor, John W.R., ed. Jane's Pocket Book of Light Aircraft - Second Edition. Coulsden, Surrey, UK: Jane's Publishing Company, 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0121-2.
• Taylor, Michael J.H., ed. Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000 Edition. London: Brassey's, 1999. ISBN 1-85753-245-7.
• Taylor, Michael J.H., ed. Janes's Encyclopedia of Aviation, Vol. 5. Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Educational Corporation, 1980. ISBN 0-7106-0710-5.
• "2008 Kit Aircraft Directory." Kitplanes Magazine Volume 24, Number 12, December 2007, Belvior Publications, Aviation Publishing Group LLC.
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98681
|
Ronald Radosh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ronald Radosh
Born 1937
New York City[1]
Education PhD (history)
Alma mater University of Wisconsin
Occupation Writer, professor, historian
Known for Rosenberg espionage case
Religion Jewish
Spouse(s) Alice Schweig (m. 1959; divorced)
Allis Rosenberg Radosh (m. 1975)
Ronald Radosh (born 1937) is an American writer, professor, historian, and former Marxist. He is known for his work on the Cold War espionage case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and his advocacy of the state of Israel.
His most recent book, co-authored with his wife, scholar Allis Radosh, is A Safe Haven: Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel, published by HarperCollins in 2009.[2]
Early life[edit]
Radosh was born in New York City. His parents, Reuben Radosh and Ida Kretschman, were Jewish immigrants from Russia. He has stated that his earliest memory is of being taken to a May Day parade in New York's Union Square.[3]
During the 1940s and 1950s, he attended the Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, both of which were private schools attended mainly by the children of New York's Communists. He also attended the Communist-run Camp Woodland for Children in the Catskill Mountains.[4] His memoirs vividly describe school-day encounters with Mary Travers, Woody Guthrie and Peter Seeger.[5] On June 19, 1953 he demonstrated in Union Square with other members of the Labor Youth League against the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.[6]
Radosh began attending the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the fall of 1955. He has said that his desire at the time was to study history, which Karl Marx considered queen of the sciences, and to become a leader in America's communist movement.[7] Despite being raised to always defend the actions of the Soviet Union, Radosh developed a close friendship with Prof. George Mosse, a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany and anti-Stalinist.[8]
In 1959 he arrived at the University of Iowa intending to work towards his Master's Degree. Despite being raised as a red diaper baby in a Stalinist family, Radosh was shocked by revelations of the dictator's crimes which began to be released during the Khrushchev thaw. Although he had been a leader of Madison's Labor Youth League, he eventually broke with the Soviet-backed Communist Party USA of his parents and became a founding father of the American New Left.[9] Radosh's fondness for the writings of Isaac Deutscher enraged the Madison Communist Party cell. Their attempts to bring him back into the Party line was a major part of Radosh's break with Communism.[10] In 1963, he returned to New York City with his wife and children.
Vietnam War[edit]
Main article: Vietnam War
After teaching at two community colleges in Brooklyn, Radosh joined New York's chapter of the Committee to Stop the War in Vietnam. He recalls,
When Norman Thomas died in 1967, I wrote what may have been the only published negative assessment of his life. Most obituaries heralded Thomas as the nation's conscience, a man of principle who had turned out to be right about a great deal. Of course, Thomas was against the war in Vietnam; he had made a famous speech in which he said he came not to burn the American flag but to cleanse it. But for radicals like myself, that proved that he was a sellout. His opposition to the war was so tame, I argued, that he actually helped the American ruling class. I claimed that Thomas' opposition to LBJ's bombing campaign was only a "tactical" difference with the President. Thomas' chief sin, in my view, was to have written that he did not, "regard Vietcong terrorism as virtuous." He was guilty of attacking the heroic Vietnamese people, instead of the United States, which was the enemy of the world's people. My final judgment was that Thomas had "accepted the Cold War, its ideology and ethics and had decided to enlist in fighting its battles" on the wrong—the anti-communist—side.[11]
Soon after Radosh also joined the New York chapter of Students for a Democratic Society.[12]
Radosh is currently an Adjunct Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C.,[13] and professor of history emeritus at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York.[14] His commentaries on the Rosenbergs and other topics have appeared in The New Republic, The Weekly Standard and National Review, and the blog His memoirs are entitled Commies: A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left, and the Leftover Left.
In the 1983 book, The Rosenberg File, he and co-author Joyce Milton conclude that Julius Rosenberg was guilty of espionage and that Ethel was aware of his activities. A second edition in 1997 incorporates newly obtained evidence from the former Soviet Union. Radosh also condemns prosecutorial misconduct in the case.[citation needed]
Ronald Radosh married Alice Schweig on the summer of 1959. He recalls, "Our wedding was on Labor Day weekend, and after the ceremony we drove into New York to spend one night in town. We celebrated our wedding by watching the annual proletarian Labor Day parade that still marched through downtown New York."[15] They separated in 1969 and later divorced.[16]
In October 1975 Radosh married Allis Rosenberg,[17] an American History PhD, with whom he has co-authored two books. The couple reside in Martinsburg, West Virginia.[18] Radosh's son Daniel is an author, blogger and staff writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Controversy over American Betrayal[edit]
Main article: American Betrayal
Radosh reviewed Diana West's American Betrayal in FrontPage Magazine. He criticized her limited knowledge of the scholarly literature and called her thesis a "yellow journalism conspiracy theory."[19] Michael J. Totten also praised Radosh's "masterful takedown".[20] John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, scholars of Soviet espionage, came to the defense of Radosh in an article rejecting the crucial contention that Roosevelt's right-hand man, Harry Hopkins, was a soviet spy.[21] Vladimir Bukovsky, a Soviet dissident describes Radosh's review as dishonest and full of distortions.[22]
• American Labor and United States Foreign Policy. New York: Random House, 1969.
• Debs. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1971.
• A New History of Leviathan: Essays on the American Corporate State. Editor, with Murray Rothbard. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972.
• Prophets On The Right: Profiles of Conservative Critics of American Globalism. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1975.
• The New Cuba: Paradoxes and Potentials. New York: Morrow, 1976.
• The Rosenberg File: A Search for Truth. With Joyce Milton. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1983; Reissued with new introduction: New Haven: Yale University Press, 1993.
• Divided They Fell: The Demise of the Democratic Party, 1964–1996. New York: Free Press, 1996.
• The Amerasia Spy Case: Prelude to McCarthyism. With Harvey Klehr. University of North Carolina Press, 1996.
• Commies: A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left, and the Leftover Left. San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2001.
• Spain Betrayed: The Soviet Union in the Spanish Civil War with Mary R. Habeck and Grigorii Nikolaevich Sevostianov. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001.
• Red Star Over Hollywood: The Film Colony's Long Romance With The Left. With Allis Radosh. San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2005.
• A Safe Haven Harry S. Truman and the Founding of Israel. With Allis Radosh. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.
1. ^ Ronald Radosh, Commies; A Journey through the Old Left, the New Left, and the Leftover Left, Encounter Books, 2001. Page 1.
2. ^
3. ^ Ronald Radosh, Commies; A Journey Through the Old Left, the New Left, and the Leftover Left, Encounter Books, 2001. Page 1.
4. ^ Commies, Chapter 2, "Commie Camp", pages 15–24.
5. ^ Commies, Chapter 3, "The Little Red Schoolhouse," pages 25–48.
6. ^ Commies, pages 47–48.
7. ^ Commies, pages 49–50.
8. ^ Commies, pages 51–52.
9. ^ Commies, pages 65–82.
10. ^ Commies, pages 78–79.
11. ^ Commies, pages 89–90.
12. ^ Commies, page 90.
13. ^
14. ^
15. ^ Commies, page 63.
16. ^ Commies, page 103–106
17. ^ Commies pages 113, 119–120
18. ^
19. ^ Nicholas Goldberg (August 8, 2013). "Why scholars are challenging Howard Zinn and Diana West". Los Angeles Times.
20. ^ Michael J. Totten (August 10, 2013). "Diana West's Junk History". World Affairs.
21. ^ John Earl Haynes; Harvey Klehr (August 16, 2013). "Was Harry Hopkins A Soviet Spy?". Front Page Magazine.
22. ^ Vladimir Bukovsky; Pavel Stroilov (September 28, 2013). "Why Academics Hate Diana West". Breitbart. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98682
|
Saturday Night Live parodies of Sarah Palin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Tina Fey as Sarah Palin (left) and Amy Poehler as Hillary Rodham Clinton (right) in their first sketch, "A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton"
The sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live aired several critically acclaimed sketches parodying then Alaskan Governor and vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin in the lead-up to the 2008 United States presidential election. The sketches featured former cast member Tina Fey, who returned as a guest star to portray Palin. Fey won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her impersonation of Palin.[1]
Soon after the 2008 John McCain presidential campaign's August 29, 2008 announcement that Alaska governor Sarah Palin would be McCain's vice presidential nominee,[2] people noted a physical resemblance between comedian Tina Fey and Palin.[3][4] Fey had decided she would play Palin after her daughter saw a picture of the Alaskan governor and mistook her mother for Palin.[5]
Viewers began to speculate who would play Palin on SNL during the run up to the November 4 presidential election. Days before the broadcast of the sketch, SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels said "there are [ongoing] discussions" about Fey playing Palin.[6] On September 13, 2008, NBC announced that Fey would appear in the thirty-fourth season premiere.[7]
"A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton"[edit]
The first sketch, "A Nonpartisan Message from Governor Sarah Palin & Senator Hillary Clinton," aired during the thirty-fourth season premiere of SNL on September 13, 2008. The sketch starred Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as Palin and Clinton, respectively.[8] Fey, the series' former head writer and repertory player, made her third appearance on the series since officially leaving SNL in 2006 to work on 30 Rock, a series which she created.[9] The sketch was written by Poehler, Fey, and head writer and Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers.[10]
Poehler and Fey are featured in a fictional speech playing New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, respectively. The pair discuss the presence of sexism in the 2008 United States presidential election, and the differences between Palin and Clinton. Governor Palin was the Republican Party vice-presidential nominee and Senator Clinton was a contender for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Through the course of the message, Palin tries to present herself as the candidate for the job, and Clinton gets progressively more and more disgusted at Palin's sudden rise to fame as John McCain's running mate, despite her background. It also features references to Clinton's campaign.
Critical reception[edit]
The sketch was well received by critics. Erin Fox of TV Guide wrote that Tina Fey "nails [Sarah] Palin's mannerisms and accent. [Amy] Poehler is amazing as Hillary [Clinton]; her timing is better than ever. My favorite line was Tina saying 'I can see Russia from my house!'" Fox added that "this was a much anticipated and hoped-for pairing and we got it!"[11] Annie Wu of TV Squad thought that Fey's "impression wasn't perfect but it was more accurate than Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton, which [she] still find[s] incredibly off." Wu added that "the mugging for the camera was absolutely hilarious."[12] James Poniewozik of Time Magazine wrote that "Fey's Palin was perfectly good enough" and that "the skit itself did a good job of what SNL—which has lately cultivated a strong set of female comics—tried hard to do through Hillary's campaign, which is try to address sexism without either simply going for the easy stereotypes or letting female candidates off the hook".[13] The Huffington Post's reviewer wrote that "Fey bears a striking resemblance to Palin and nailed the candidate's distinctive accent."[14]
Palin's response[edit]
When asked how she felt about Fey's portrayal, Sarah Palin replied, "I watched with the volume all the way down and I thought it was hilarious... I didn't hear a word she said, but the visual was spot on."[15] Palin "and the press corps watched the sketch in the back of her plane, laughing at Tina and Amy's satirical take on the two politicians",[16] and Palin later claimed that she had once dressed up as Fey for Halloween.[17] However, Carly Fiorina, a spokeswoman for the John McCain campaign argued that the sketch portrayed Hillary Clinton as "very substantive", but Fiorina thought, in the case of Sarah Palin, that she was portrayed as "totally superficial". Fiorina thought the sketch was "disrespectful in the extreme" and "sexist".[18]
In a series of interviews, Palin made some "flubs" leading her to joke that "[she] was just trying to give Tina Fey more material". She also joked that it was to provide "job security for SNL characters."[19] Sarah Palin later remarked that she should appear on SNL to spoof a series of American Express commercials which featured Tina Fey.[20]
Further Palin sketches[edit]
Due to the popularity of the sketch and Fey's impression of Palin, Fey reprised her Sarah Palin role during the September 27, 2008 episode of Saturday Night Live. That sketch featured Palin being interviewed by Katie Couric who was played by Amy Poehler; that sketch parodied an interview which took place between Palin and Couric which aired days before the sketch's broadcast.[21] In the sketch, Fey quoted near verbatim one of Palin's answers from the actual interview and mimed Palin's gestures. The following episode featured a skit parodying the debate between Palin and Joe Biden (played by Jason Sudeikis). Queen Latifah also appeared in the skit as moderator Gwen Ifill.[22]
Palin herself appeared on the October 18, 2008 episode of SNL, along with Fey in the cold opening.[23] Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg also appeared in that sketch as themselves.[24] On the October 23 episode of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, Fey as Palin appeared alongside Darrell Hammond as John McCain and Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush.[25]
On November 1, 2008, Fey once again portrayed Palin, this time in a sketch featuring the real John McCain, the last of numerous sketches featuring the Arizona Senator. In the sketch, McCain poked fun at himself and his campaign, as well as Barack Obama's purchase of airtime on several major networks earlier in the week.[26][dead link] In the sketch, McCain and Palin can only afford to buy airtime on QVC, a home-shopping channel. McCain's wife, Cindy, also made an appearance in the sketch as herself.
After Sarah Palin's memoir, Going Rogue: An American Life, achieved best-seller status through pre-orders,[27] Tina Fey announced she would resume impersonating the former Governor despite having "retired" the act months previously.[28] On April 10, 2010, Fey hosted SNL, and once again played Palin, who unveiled her own television network featuring shows such as "Hey Journalist, I Gotcha", "Todd!" starring her husband Todd Palin (Jason Sudeikis) and "Are You Smarter than a Half-Term Governor?"[29] Another time, Fey hosted SNL in May 2011, while pregnant. A new sketch was made in which parodies of Mitt Romney (Jason Sudeikis), Newt Gingrich (Bobby Moynihan), Michele Bachmann (Kristen Wiig), Palin (Fey), Donald Trump (Darrell Hammond), and Jimmy McMillan (Kenan Thompson) fought in a Republican Party debate between undeclared candidates, with Shepard Smith (Bill Hader) coordinating.
On March 11, 2012, on the episode hosted by Jonah Hill, Palin was impersonated by Andy Samberg in the Weekend Update segment. The dialogue leads the audience to think that it was supposed to be another appearance by Fey and that Seth Meyers wasn't aware of the change, but Samberg convinces Meyers to finish his part.
See also[edit]
2. ^ Nasaw, Daniel (2008-08-29). "US election: John McCain chooses Alaska governor Sarah Palin as running mate". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
3. ^ Waldman, Allison (2008-09-01). "Palin comparison ... GOP VP choice looks like a bunch of TV characters". TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
4. ^ "Tina Fey "likely" to play Sarah Palin on SNL". Yahoo. 2008-09-13. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
5. ^
6. ^ Cordova, Gonzalo (2008-09-12). "Tina Fey Might Play Sarah Palin". Comedy Central. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
7. ^ Huff, Richard (2008-09-13). "Saturday Night Live recalls Tina Fey to play Sarah Palin". The New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
8. ^ "Tina Fey Guest Stars On Saturday Night Live Season Premiere As Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Gov. Sarah Palin" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-09-14. Retrieved 2008-09-16. [dead link]
9. ^ "Tina Fey: Biography". Yahoo. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
10. ^ SNL Transcripts
11. ^ Fox, Erin (2008-09-14). "Episode Recap: Michael Phelps Hosts, Lil Wayne Performs". TV Guide. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
12. ^ Wu, Annie (2008-09-14). "Saturday Night Live: Michael Phelps/Lil Wayne (season premiere) - Videos". TV Squad. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
13. ^ Poniewozik, James (2008-09-14). "Fey's Palin? Not Failin'". Time. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
14. ^ "Tina Fey As Sarah Palin On SNL (Video)". The Huffington Post. 2008-09-13. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
15. ^ J. Gough, Paul (2008-09-18). "Palin: Tina Fey's impersonation was "spot on"". Yahoo. Retrieved 2008-09-21. [dead link]
16. ^ "McCain camp calls Fey's Palin portrayal "sexist"". MSNBC. 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
17. ^ "Sarah Palin reacts to Tina Fey Impersonation". Entertainment Tonight. 2008-09-15. Archived from the original on 2008-09-16. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
18. ^ "Carly Fiorina Criticizes Tina Fey As "Disrespectful...Sexist"". The Huffington Post. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
19. ^ Rhee, Foon (2008-10-06). "Palin jokes about Tina Fey". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
20. ^ Rovzar, Chris (2008-10-06). "Sarah Palin Wants to Spoof Tina Fey on SNL". New York Magazine. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
21. ^ "Tina Fey As Sarah Palin: Katie Couric SNL Skit (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
22. ^ "Saturday Night Live Welcomes Back Tina Fey And Queen Latifah For Their Take On The Vice Presidential Debate" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-10-05. Retrieved 2008-10-07. "SNL alum and 30 Rock star Tina Fey returned to SNL tonight to reprise her wildly popular rendition of Republican VP candidate, Gov. Sarah Palin. Fey was joined in the parody of the debate by special guest Queen Latifah as moderator Gwen Ifill and cast member Jason Sudeikis took on the role of Democratic VP candidate Sen. Joe Biden in the opening of tonight's show" [dead link]
23. ^ "Sarah Palin to appear on SNL". CNN. 2008-10-17. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
24. ^ "Governor Sarah Palin Makes Long-awaited Saturday Night Live Appearance, Leading A Celebrity-packed Episode Featuring Host Josh Brolin, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Oliver Stone and Mark Wahlberg" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-10-19. Retrieved 2008-10-26. "After weeks of speculation, Vice Presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made her SNL debut tonight, shouting the program's signature opening line: "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night." Palin appeared as herself in the opening sketch of the show, alongside executive producer Lorne Michaels, surprise guests Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg as well as her SNL doppelganger, Tina Fey." [dead link]
25. ^ "Will Ferrell returns to Saturday Night Live as President George W. Bush, Tina Fey reprises role as Governor Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday October 23" (Press release). NBC Universal Media Village. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2008-10-26. "Coming off the record breaking ratings of last Saturday's SNL—the highly-rated SNL live primetime Weekend Update Thursday finished its three-week run tonight with the return of SNL alum Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush, joined by the current talk of the political world—Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin. The show opened with President Bush giving a public endorsement of the McCain—Palin ticket." [dead link]
26. ^ "McCain shows funny side on 'Saturday Night Live'". AFP. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
27. ^ [1][dead link]
28. ^ Farber, Jim (2009-10-07). "Tina Fey ready to bring Sarah Palin impersonation out of retirement for Palin's book, 'Going Rogue'". Daily News (New York).
29. ^ Leo, Alex (2010-04-11). "Tina Fey Unveils Palin's Next Career Move In Return To SNL". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98684
|
Talk:Sampling bias
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
WikiProject Statistics (Rated C-class, Mid-importance)
WikiProject icon
WikiProject Philosophy (Rated C-class, Mid-importance)
(to Martin) Hi, this is your namesake, Mrdice. I'm into the logical fallacies at the moment, and I noticed you moved some articles around. For example, you put the spotlight fallacy together with biased sample. Is it alright with you if I give each fallacy, however closely related it is to another, its own page? Most fallacies are in some way or another related to eachother, and if we're going to put similar ones together, it would be a huge job, even more so because some of them belong to different catagories at the same time. My idea is to give each one its own page, and then mention at the bottom of the page to which ones they're related. Mrdice 03:19, 2004 Feb 16 (UTC)
"At best, this means the people who care most about an issue will answer"[edit]
This isn't necessarily best; it can be quite the opposite. Those who care most aren't bound to be true reflections of the population, especially if there's more room or inclination for people to care (or not) one way than the other. I can imagine this: Some government proposal has already been given the green light or even just been implemented. Many people were in favour of it, but they are already set to get their way and so might not bother voting. OTOH those who are against the idea are likely to flood the poll in protest.
It's also possible that the statment of a poll can be biased, by stating only one side of the argument. I can imagine this leading to biased results.... -- Smjg 15:31, 17 Jun 2005 (UTC)
Some bad splitting occured here...[edit]
This article has turned into a childish description of one specific type of misuse of statistics. Biased sampling has many forms and is sometimes unavoidable, but when the type of bias in the sampling mechanism is known it can be taken into account and possibly corrected in the analysis (that is, one can draw inference for the unbiased population given a biased sample). So it needs a major rewrite I cannot provide at the time.--Boffob 18:23, 12 January 2007 (UTC)
Cleaning up[edit]
This could use an overhaul in spelling and grammar check. If it weren't so late I'd do it myself. I'll come around and do it sometime if no one else wants to. (forgot to sign my post!)Imasleepviking 13:46, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
There are some sentence fragments as well: "Provided that certain conditions are met (chiefly that the sample is drawn randomly from the entire sample) these samples."??? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nimajji (talkcontribs) 02:53, 25 March 2009 (UTC)
Biased samples and parameter estimation[edit]
I don't have time to discuss it much now, but I want to mention that there are many methods that can take different forms of biased sampling into account (not just reweighting of badly balanced samples), and there are cases where ignoring the bias will still lead to consistent (if inefficient) estimates of the parameters of interest (or a subset of them). So saying that estimates will always be erroneous and that statistical methods always assume that samples are representative of the target population is simply untrue. Though I reverted some recent changes made by an anonymous IP, I agree that the "problems with biased samples" section needs some rewriting.--Boffob (talk) 01:35, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
This may sound like a quibble, but the article should not then say that any statistic calculated form a biased sample has the potential to be erroneous (I think that was part of the point of my edit, but I haven't checked). First of all, a stratified sample is classified by the article as a biased sample, and its accuracy can be estimated; in that sense it has no potential to be erooneous. Seondly, if by potential to be erroneous we mean that that the statistic calculated from a sample may be markedly different from the parameter, that is true of any sample, so it's not a distinguishing characteristic of biased samples. Perhaps the point could be that a confidence interval cannot be calculated.
I would also like to raise the issue of whether this article is needed in addition to Stratified sampling and Non-probability sample. Phrenesiac (talk) 00:29, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
I did write this in the hope to reword some contentious parts of the article. Of course, any estimation is bound to errors. The issue here is that ignoring biased sampling can lead to, surprise, surprise, asymptotically biased estimators of the parameters of interest, as opposed to consistent estimators, but there are actually cases where some parameters will be consistently estimated despite biased sampling. The other thing is that a biased sample is not necessarily a stratified sample (deliberate sampling method over well-defined strata, but stratified sampling may still have biased sampling issues) or a non-probability sample, as in many cases, the probability of sampling an individual from the target population can be computed, the issue is that it is not uniform over that target population (which would make it a random sample proper, and I realize that the Nonprobability sampling article does not define random sample properly). For example, length-biased sampled sampling and size-biased sampling have been studied extensively. So yes, this article is needed on top of the other two, it just needs some rewriting in a few places.--Boffob (talk) 01:43, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
I apologize for not paying attention to the changes to Nonprobability sampling. I believe that definition has changed a lot since last I looked closely at it. Anyway, we seem to be talking at cross-purposes here. I'll leave to you to make the necessary changes to this article. Though God knows how long they'll last. Phrenesiac (talk) 02:17, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
No need to apologize. I don't have the other two on my watchlist, so I haven't followed them. This one has been relatively stable since the last major rewrite that improved it a lot, so I haven't bothered with it so much, but there is some room for improvement, I'm just not sure how to rewrite this "erroneous" estimation bit without getting too technical.--Boffob (talk) 05:13, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
The content of the Spotlight Fallacy section of this article has been identified as plagiarism - it seems to sourced verbatim from a copyrighted source without attribution. The allegation of plagiarism can be found here: and the apparent original source here: I suggest someone either write an original entry or get permission to use this material in Wikipedia (and add an attribution). Thanks, Outeast —Preceding unsigned comment added by (talk) 12:43, 19 February 2009 (UTC)
Yes, in this edit of 14 October 2006, this editor (most of whose contributions were deleted as inane) copied in stuff that was on that Nizkor page earlier that same month, when it clearly said "© The Nizkor Project, 1991-2009" with no mention of copyleft, let alone GFDL. A blatant copyright violation.
Outeast, if you see something like this again, anywhere, go ahead and delete it. And please mention it at the foot of the relevant talk page. Thank you. -- Hoary (talk) 14:56, 28 March 2009 (UTC)
An interesting twist on this, as it appears that the plagiarizer was the original author. See this (likely to be archived hereabouts). -- Hoary (talk) 15:56, 28 March 2009 (UTC)
Move to sampling bias[edit]
The result of the move request was page moved. Vegaswikian (talk) 22:06, 22 November 2009 (UTC)
Biased sampleSampling bias — As seen in Template:Biases, every bias-article that has the ability to do so is in the ___ bias format, except this one. I think the unusual naming originally was a way to make it appear different from selection bias, but I've tried to rather explain the difference in the article itself, so any extraordinary name is no longer required. Mikael Häggström (talk) 16:31, 14 November 2009 (UTC)
partial negative. A problem is that "Sampling bias" is ambiguous, as it could be interpreted as "sampling the bias". Why say "biased sample" is unusual ... if you have a biased sample you have a biased sample, it would be more unusual to say you have a sample with sampling bias, as that is longer. However, the article uses both terms in what looks to be appropriate ways in different places, so one or other term would not be excluded whatever is done. Melcombe (talk) 13:19, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
Pro I arrived at this page via the redirect. "Sampling the bias" is a novel expression to me, and I don't know what you mean by it. Could you provide examples? Paradoctor (talk) 15:29, 19 November 2009 (UTC)
Merge from Ascertainment bias[edit]
As described at the top of this article, ascertainment bias is apparently the same as sampling bias. Mikael Häggström (talk) 17:26, 14 November 2009 (UTC)
But the description as the top of ascertainment bias does seem to reveal a difference. It seems that with ascertainment bias one is not targetting the right population, or possibly even recognising that that the population exists, while with sampling bias one is not sampling the (correct) population in a fair way. Melcombe (talk) 13:26, 18 November 2009 (UTC)
The relevant quotes from the two ledes are
• "ascertainment bias occurs when false results are produced by non-random sampling"
• "biased sample" ... "results from sampling bias (systematic error due to a non-random sample of a population)"
That's the common ground. The ascertainment bias article appears to be about nonprobability sampling, which is a non-random sampling in which the selection probability for some population members is zero or unkown. The "exclusion bias" mentioned in biased sample is a subtype of nonprobability sampling.
Since both articles are rather short, there is no need for a separate article for ascertainment, and the prudent course of actions would be to expand the paragraph on exclusion bias, to include anything useful from ascertainment bias and to mention the alternate name, and to redirect ascertainment there. Paradoctor (talk) 17:11, 19 November 2009 (UTC)
The merge of sampling and ascertainment biases is extremely misleading. As mentioned above, ascertainment bias is an ex post error of judgement created by nonprobability sampling, whereas sampling bias occurs mostly ex ante during data collection. Merging both notions does not help to understand either. If you want to use an umbrella term, it should be selection bias.
I strongly recommend separating all notions, with illustrations:
• sampling bias occurs if you try to conduct an online survey with no controls -- see, e.g., [1]
• ascertainment bias occurs if you try to establish psychiatric diagnoses among violent criminals -- see, e.g., [2]
• selection bias describes both.
An expert judgement would be needed to verify my claim, but I strongly believe that something is very wrong with the current state of the entry. ---- phnk (talk) 19:57, 21 January 2011 (UTC)
Although ascertainment bias might be a type of sampling bias, they are certainly not the same. It's extremely odd that the articles have been merged, such that ascertainment bias is not described at all. (talk) 11:25, 13 July 2012 (UTC)
Merged, but in which types of sampling bias should these examples belong?[edit]
I merged ascertainment bias to here, but most examples were already mentioned, and I found it unnecessary to have multiple examples for each type. Yet, if you find any of these very important, feel free to add them too. Mikael Häggström (talk) 05:24, 4 May 2010 (UTC)
For example, to find the male/female ratio in a country it is not necessary to count everyone in the country: selection of a statistical sample of the population will be adequate. The way the sample is selected can influence the result. For example, if the residents of a housing project for elderly persons was counted, the result could be biased in favor of females, who statistically live longer than males.
A simple classroom demonstration of ascertainment bias is to estimate the primary sex ratio (which we know to be around 1:1) by asking all female students to report the ratio in their own families, and comparing the result with the same question asked of male students. The females will collectively report a higher ratio of females, as all families having only male children are excluded by the selection criterion. The males will report a higher ratio of males, for the complementary reason.
Ascertainment bias is important in studying the genetics of medical conditions, since data are typically collected by physicians in a clinical setting. The results may be skewed because the sample is of patients who have seen a physician, rather than a random sample of the population as a whole. Berkson's paradox illustrates this effect.
Often, robust experimental design can minimize this effect. Another way to deal with this effect is to take the non-random sampling into account when analyzing results.
Dewey : Phone Sampling[edit]
The section on "Historical Examples seems to contain an error. It asserts that the Tribune came out with the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline due to reliance on a "phone survey". Yet the source cited for this section says something quite different: This source asserts that the Gallup Poll take for the election was taken two weeks before the election, and not updated. Nothing is said about this having been a "phone poll," and the actual reason for the incorrect headline was the Tribune's reliance on old data, not a "phone poll". I think an earlyer portion of the article discussing the 1936 Landon-Roosevelt election has been conflated with the Dewey-Truman material. —Preceding unsigned comment added by (talk) 23:46, 19 May 2011 (UTC)
an article link[edit]
There is a short article on samlple selection and consistency of estimators, that discusses different sample selection equations, and would like to link to it. See it here. Let me know if it would be fine.
- I have now added the link for selection equations (15.Nov2011) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Esben.juel (talkcontribs) 18:01, 15 November 2011 (UTC)
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98685
|
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Other names HS#:111.1
Related instruments
The torokhkalo (Ukrainian: Трохкатало) - (Kalatalo, Torokhkavka, Klepach) is a Ukrainian folk instrument used in folk ensembles whenever a drum is not available. It was also used by night guards to scare away intruders. The instrument is made from a piece of wood with a handle. A second piece of wood shorter than the first is joined to the original piece by metal rings near from the handle. A hole is drilled through both pieces at one end and a wooden bolt is placed through the hole so that the additional piece can move a small distance. When the instrument is spun around it produces a very loud sound amplified by the stillness of the night.
A variant of the torokhkalo is the klepach that consists of a wooden hammer on an axis which is swung from one side to the other.
See also[edit]
• Humeniuk, A. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty - Kiev: Naukova dumka, 1967
• Mizynec, V. - Ukrainian Folk Instruments - Melbourne: Bayda books, 1984
• Cherkasky, L. - Ukrainski narodni muzychni instrumenty // Tekhnika, Kiev, Ukraine, 2003 - 262 pages. ISBN 966-575-111-5
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98686
|
Turbo Vision
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Turbo Vision
Developer(s) Borland
Initial release 1990; 24 years ago (1990)
Written in
Operating system MS-DOS
Platform PC
Type Widget toolkit
Website tvision.sf.net
For TV tuner, see TurboVision.
Turbo Vision is a DOS-based character-mode text user interface (TUI) framework developed around 1990 by Borland for Pascal, and C++. Later it was deprecated in favor of Object Windows Library for the then-increasingly important Win16 API.
The Turbo Vision framework was included with Borland Pascal, Turbo Pascal, and Borland C++. It was used by Borland itself to write the integrated development environments (IDE) for these programming languages. By default, Turbo Vision applications replicate the look and feel of these IDEs. Key parts of the Turbo Vision library replicate the functionality of standard components in Microsoft Windows, for example edit controls, list boxes, check boxes, radio buttons and menus, all of which have built-in mouse support.
Around 1997, the C++ version, including source code, was released by Borland into the public domain and is currently being ported and developed by an open-source community, under the GPL license. An older update of the Borland code by Sergio Sigala is more suitably BSD licensed.
The Pascal version was never released, so the Free Pascal project recreated its own version by backporting a clone made by Leon de Boer that ran in graphical mode back to textmode. The result is called Free Vision. Over the years this codebase has grown stable on nearly all operating systems and architectures that FPC supports. The textmode IDE is very close to the original TP environment, with built-in compiler and IDE much closer than e.g. RHIDE, and supporting functionality like code folding.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98689
|
Talk:Charlie Huston
From Wikiquote
Jump to: navigation, search
• I assumed that the collaboration between the writer and artist would be fairly intimate, a lot of back and forth. But it's not like the old days when they were all together in New York, working out of the famed Marvel bullpen. ... The truth is, because of where the technology is now, the artists are really spread out.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98695
|
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Do the adjectives “reliable” and “dependable” have the same exact meaning?
If not, what is the difference and when is best to use each of them?
share|improve this question
We have a really great post about how to ask meaning questions. It applies equally to difference questions. Please edit your question to better fit those guidelines. – Matt Эллен Sep 4 '12 at 9:46
3 Answers 3
up vote 3 down vote accepted
The OED gives the following definitions of reliable and dependable:
Reliable—1. That may be relied on.
1a. Of a person, information, etc.: able to be trusted; in which reliance or confidence may be placed; trustworthy, safe, sure.
1b. orig. U.S. Of a product, service, etc.: consistently good in quality or performance; dependable.
Dependable—That may be depended on; trustworthy, reliable.
Both definitions list the other word in their definitions, with no special qualifiers attached. In addition, both words use the word trustworthy, also without qualifiers. Therefore, it is safe to say that the two are synonyms and may be equally used.
share|improve this answer
Obviously "reliable" means "can be relied upon" and "dependable" means "can be depended upon", but both my Webster's and etymological dictionary give near-identical usages, even using the other as synonyms.
Google Ngram viewer shows "reliable" as far more common than "dependable".
share|improve this answer
+1 for the usage statistic, very useful! – Agos Feb 7 '11 at 11:25
Reliable and dependable are interchangeable when they refer to things (i.e. a clock), or to oneself vis-a-vis someone else. However, there is a nuance when the terms apply to someone else vis-a-vis oneself. In this case reliable implies a decision to commit oneself to another and to acept the consequences in the event of failure. With dependable, the commitment is not a free choice. (Source: The Heritage Illustrated Dictionary of the English Language, International Edition, McGraw Hill.)
share|improve this answer
"With dependable, the commitment is not a free choice": Really? That distinction is made in your dictionary? – MετάEd Aug 29 '12 at 6:21
Your Answer
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98721
|
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
209 days since my last post... And now a little 2 year break...
I'm off to a 2 year mission to Ukraine! Sorry I haven't updated my blog, here's a few things that i've done that I kind of liked in no particular order, and a few higher res renders.. I spent about 3 days and was able to do a few small improvements to my pirate lego man before I stopped to prepare for my mission, here's the latest render. I really wish I could have finished this guy, because it still has a long ways to go but it's a little bit better than before. I'll be back at it again in two years! Thanks for checking it all out! <3
lego guy paint over, back when i was trying to design the textures
mic for butcher'd meats, i textured and shaded (high res)
stool i textured and shaded (high res)
I got a great critique on this one from thee one and only Sam Nielson.
Evil Mr. Incredible- quickie
my version of venom, quickie
Paper Bag for Butcher'd Meats and Diffuse Texture Map
Crowd Character I textured and Skin and hair map below
And here's some figures from last spring...
longest blog post of my life haha be backkk in 2 :)
1 comment:
1. You're stinkin' legit my friend. This looks more like a senior portfolio than a sophmore one. Those figure drawings, holy cow dude, you're so much better now. In 2 years if I texture like this I'll be happy haha.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98728
|
近朱者赤，近墨者黑 (jìn zhū zhě chì，jìn mò zhě hēi)
A Chinese proverb similar to the English saying "Bad company corrupts good character", and extremely similar to the Greek proverb "A man is known by the company he keeps".
The origin of this saying lies in the way the Chinese used to prepare ink for writing and painting. There were two basic colours available in the ancient days: red (赤; chì) and black (黑; hēi). Red ink was known in Chinese as 朱砂墨 (zhū shā mò), while black ink was simply called 墨 (mò). To prepare the ink, one had to grind an ink-stick in an ink container (about as big as an ash tray), taking care that one's long sleeves stayed out of the way. Grinding the ink-stick often meant that the ink would stain your fingers (or sleeves, if you were careless or inept). Therefore, another person could always tell which ink you were using by the colours on your hands.
This principle was applied in predicting the way a person's character would turn out by the kind of company he was keeping; or vice versa to tell a person's friends by his personality.
|
global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/98739
|
Brian Thomas Misses the Point
Biston betularia f. carbonariaI could use that headline for every article, but “Fossil Skin Pigment Evolved Three Times?” is a particularly strong example. A new paper in Nature – which you can read all about in this blog post by palaeontologist Shaena Montanari – investigated fossil pigment of three different extinct marine reptiles and concluded that the trait known as melanism had independently evolved in each of them. This is to say that a darker colouring, perhaps for the purposes of heat absorption and retention, was selected for and became dominant in each group of animals separately. But Brian Thomas has apparently misread this to mean that the pigment melanin, which is what produces the colour, independently evolved three times and has written a 13-paragraph article based on this misconception.
For example, he says:
To emphasise quite how profound this mistake is I’ll draw your attention to a type of melanism that you may be more familiar with: the “industrial melanism” of the peppered moth (above). While some creationists like to quibble over the photographs taken during the original Kettlewell experiment, it is indisputable that the originally dominant trait was for the moths was to be lighter coloured, but that during the 1800s they were much more likely to be darker before returning to the lighter trait in more recent times. This change did not involve the evolution and devolution of melanin, however, but simply the rise and fall of a trait that created more of it than usual. Melanin is widespread in the animal kingdom; melanism is less so.
That really wraps up the main thrust of the article, but there are a few specifics you might be interested in:
That would be what they call a ‘joke.’ A footnote adds:
Again, see how he confuses melanin with melanism (“melanisation”).
The next paragraph says:
Look at those strange words! Clearly melanin could never have evolved at all! Continuing on this vein, Thomas says:
This is cited to a certain infamous Ann Gauger/Douglas Axe collaboration – you know, the one about which YEC Todd Wood said:
Instead of ancestral reconstruction, Gauger and Axe focused directly on converting an existing enzyme into another existing enzyme. That left me scratching my head, since no evolutionary biologist would propose that an extant enzyme evolved directly into another extant enzyme. So they’re testing a model that no one would take seriously? Hmmm…
Yes, that one.
Anyway, the one other thing I wanted to point out is that Thomas still hasn’t gotten his head around the notion that hardy molecules like melanin can actually survive millions of years. He says:
A second challenging clue is the presence of original biochemistry in specimens assigned an age of, for the ichthyosaur, 190 million years. The researchers offered no reason why melanin should ever be expected to last even a tiny fraction of that supposed span. If the fossils were actually that old, then their melanin should have chemically broken down long before now, leaving nothing behind.
Since the last time this specific issue came up I’ve found an article by an actual chemist on the OEC website Reasons to Believe explaining how eumelanin (a type of melanin) could have survived in the squid ink sac that Thomas has previously talked about. In addition, a news article associated with this story says:
“Our results really are amazing. The pigment melanin is almost unbelievably stable. Our discovery enables us to make a journey through time and to revisit these ancient reptiles using their own biomolecules,” said Dr Per Uvdal of the Lund University’s MAX IV Laboratory, a co-author of the study published in the journal Nature.
This whole argument should be retired. A good place to start would be the speedy retraction of this ICR article, I think. Such a simple error as this is not a good look.
(Here’s a screenshot in case that actually does happen.)
About these ads
One thought on “Brian Thomas Misses the Point
1. I think “Misses the Point” is too polite a title for what Brian Thomas did.
What do all the “mistakes” of creationists point in the same direction? Because they’re not mistakes.
You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change )
Twitter picture
Facebook photo
Google+ photo
Connecting to %s
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.