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Getting on the Right Side of God: Reflections on Mark 3:20-35
Lectionary Reflections on Mark 3:20-35
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Criticisms of Jesus:
1. "He has gone out of his mind." (3:21)
Jesus' family appears at the beginning and end of this passage (3:22 and 3:31-35). We learn in 3:22 that they have heard stories of his Capernaum ministry and have come "to restrain him, for people were saying, 'He has gone out of his mind.'" Neither Matthew nor Luke includes what one commentator calls "this brief and potentially embarrassing notice." (R.T. France, 164) Various commentators have tried to soften this harsh verse, but its obvious meaning stands: His family has heard reports of chaotic scenes in Capernaum, and they have come to retrieve him and check him into a sanatorium for an extended period of rest and reality therapy. Before they get a chance to, however, another group pushes in ahead of them with an even more serious criticism.
2. "He has Beelzebul and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." (3:22)
A delegation of scribes from Jerusalem arrives on a campaign of defamation. They level a critique of Jesus, which is exactly the kind of thing his family had hoped to avert by taking him home. These scribes question his spiritual allegiance (178). They attempt to label Jesus as a messenger of Satan rather than of God. They have come from Jerusalem foreshadowing that city as the scene of Jesus' eventual humiliation and death. A similar delegation from Jerusalem is mentioned again in 7:1 mounting another critique at Jesus and his followers. Jesus' exorcisms have been a prominent part of his Galilean ministry. The demons have given him repeated "shout outs" (1:24-25, 34; 3:11-12) despite his repeated attempts to shut them up. The perception is now widespread that Jesus has authority over unclean spirits. These scribes attribute that authority to his being in league with their master, Beelzebub. This is a term Mark uses as a name for Satan.
6/4/2012 4:00:00 AM
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Tzi Ma
An endlessly imaginative and compelling actor, Tzi Ma has created a score of memorable film, television and stage characters. From his recent roles as Hinh, a deadly efficient assassin and nationalist spy masquerading as Michael Caine's ever-invaluable assistant in The Quiet American (2002) to his hilarious, lit-cigarette-swallowing take as The General in Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's The Ladykillers (2004), Ma always delivers the unexpected.So far, 2005 is offering Ma even more opportunities to brand his indelible stamp on widely diverse projects. This year will see him in a slate of shows, including a multi-episode cliffhanger for the critically acclaimed hit series 24 (2001); the inspirational Lions Gate family drama Akeelah and the Bee (2006); Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog (2006); the indie experimental film by new filmmaker Juwan Chung, Baby (2003), in which Ma will also function as associate producer; an episode of JAG (1995) that aired in the spring, and the indie movie Red Doors (200
Tzi Ma rol aldığı yapımlar.
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You are here
Mercury API - Developers
The Mercury API is an API that allows applications and websites to create, manage, and deploy SMS/MMS campaigns. Using the API allows applications and websites to enable SMS. The service also allows people to send single SMS and MMS messages to multiple mobile phone numbers. The Mercury platform handles mobile subscribers, delivery of messages, unsubscribes, and other aspects of SMS/MMS campaigns. The API uses RESTful calls and responses are formatted in XML and JSON.
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/29136
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You are here
NewsCred Platform API
NewsCred is a global content distribution platform that helps content producers generate new outlets of revenue by allowing them to syndicate content via an API. The API gives users programmatic access to millions of news articles, images and videos from 5000+ news sources, ready to be integrated on any device. The NewsCred Platform API exposes identifiers for topics, articles, sources and other uniquely identifiable objects. The API uses RESTful calls and responses are formatted in XML, JSON or RSS.
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Heart Disease Risk Increases at Age 40 and on Menopausal Women
by: Junji Takano
Sudden feelings of chest pain or tightness are usually signs of heart disease. But not all heart problems are apparent. In fact, latest studies show that there is a mysterious heart disease that usually affects people aged 40, which is regarded as the peak age of onset. It's mysterious because this heart disease is very difficult to recognize and diagnose even if it is represented by severe chest pain.
In many cases, chest pain acts like a warning device to show that there is some problem with the body. However, there's another type of heart disease that is asymptomatic. Meaning to say, this condition does not produce or show symptoms, yet it can cause heart attack or cardiac arrest resulting to sudden death.
Woman having a chest pain
In this article, we'll tell you the latest information on these two types of hidden heart disease.
Mysterious Angina – Can't Find the Cause?
Angina or angina pectoris is a heart condition characterized by sudden chest pain due to reduced supply of blood and oxygen to the heart caused by thickening and hardening of coronary arteries (arteriosclerosis).
Arteriosclerosis (narrowing of the artery)
However, there's a mysterious type of angina that also causes severe chest pain but is very hard to recognize. People at late 40s are usually affected with this condition. Since this heart problem is difficult to diagnose, an ordinary clinical examination won't be able to find the cause of the problem.
Imaging scans are commonly used to diagnose heart problems and determine the narrowed blood vessels in the arteries. With this mysterious angina, these narrowed blood vessels are undetectable through imaging scans.
Because of this, clinical examinations will only be able to diagnose it as "angina" at the later stage of the condition—typically, after the patient has been suffering with the symptoms for more than 15 years.
What exactly is this mysterious angina?
Microvascular Angina – Common in Menopausal Women
When it comes to the heart's blood supply, the first thing that comes to mind is the large coronary artery.
But what are usually ignored are the very fine blood vessels branching from these coronary arteries. These fine vessels do not appear in cardiac imaging tests when in fact these are the ones that may actually be narrowing! Latest studies show that women are actually more prone to this condition than men because of the hormone estrogen.
It is known that the estrogen hormone helps increase blood flow by dilating blood vessels. Therefore, one of the considered major causes of this mysterious angina is the decline in female hormone estrogen.
Decline in female estrogen hormone can cause Microvascular Angina
This mysterious heart disease is medically known as "Microvascular Angina" or "Cardiac Syndrome X". About 1 out of 10 menopausal women develop this disease.
Rarely does microvascular angina progress to serious conditions, but it can significantly impair the quality of life as heavy chest pain worsens. The pain may last as short as five minutes or continue for as long as half a day. We recommend that you consult your doctor as you begin to experience worrisome symptoms including headaches, cold, and fatigue.
Imaging scans can't detect microvascular angina
Available Treatments for Microvascular Angina Include:
• Hormone replacement therapy if concurrent menopausal symptoms are experienced.
• Calcium channel blockers to widen the blood vessels and lower blood pressure.
Pinching Feeling in Chest but Without Pain? What is the Reason?
There's another type of heart disease that is asymptomatic, producing or exhibiting no symptoms at all. With this condition, you won't feel any pain in your chest despite having narrower coronary arteries. By the time symptoms arise, it's usually too late and you'll be diagnosed with severe angina.
Painless angina is medically known as silent or asymptomatic myocardial ischemia.
Why is it that you don't feel chest pain despite the heart's dangerous state? Here are the two most common reasons:
1. Diabetes – Damaged sensory nerves are one of the complications of diabetes. Sensory nerves are responsible in carrying signals like pain from the body to the brain. You won't feel chest or heart pain if these nerves are impaired.
2. Aging – There is a decline in most sensory systems as humans age, which of course include the density of nerves carrying pain signals. This is especially true for elderly people.
Although no pain will be felt by the patient suffering from asymptomatic (silent) myocardial ischemia, chest pinching can be one of the indications of the condition. Non-stop coughing or feeling of suffocation may also happen due to fluid accumulation in the lungs, which in effect caused by the heart problem.
3 Important Things to Remember:
1. Both microvascular angina and silent asymptomatic myocardial ischemia can increase a person's chance of getting stroke and sudden death if left untreated.
2. Hormone replacement therapy for women, and calcium channel blockers, can help relieve symptoms and slow the progression of microvascular angina or cardiac syndrome X.
3. Elderly people and people with diabetes are recommended to undergo regular heart screening process to prevent further complications.
Related Articles
2. "Valvular Heart Disease: What You Need to Know"
3. "Hidden Diabetes May Result To Sudden Heart Attack"
5. "Fatty Heart Means Increased Risk of Heart Disease"
About the Author:
Free health newsletter: https://www.pyroenergen.com/newsletter.htm
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Intuit Quickbooks Error Code 12157
• By qbcustomerservicephonenumber
• February 10, 2017
The Cross Link Error 12157 issue is the Hexadecimal configuration of the error brought on. This is the basic issue code arrange utilized by windows and different windows perfect software and driver. This code is utilized by the seller to distinguish the issue brought about. This Cross Link Error 12157 issue code has a numeric error number and a specialized portrayal. Sometimes the error may have more parameters in Cross Link Error 12157 configurations. This extra hexadecimal code are the address of the memory areas where the instruction(s) was stacked at the season of the issue. The Cross Link Error 12157 issue might be created by windows system files. The tainted system files passages can be a genuine danger to the prosperity of your PC.
There can be numerous occasions which may have brought about the system file issues. An inadequate establishment, a fragmented uninstall, uncalled for cancellation of uses or equipment. It can likewise be brought about if your PC is recuperated from an infection or adware/spyware assault or by a dishonorable shutdown of the PC. All the above actives may bring about the erasure or debasement of the passages in the windows system documents. This debased system document will prompt to the missing and wrongly connected data and files required for the best possible working on the application. There are many reasons why Error 12157 Ssl happen, including having malware, spyware, or projects not introducing legitimately. You can have a wide range of system clashes, registry errors, and Active X issues. It works in Windows repair. It sweeps and findings, then repair, your harmed PC with innovation that fixes your Windows Operating System, as well as switches the harm effectively finished with a full database of substitution documents. A stop issue screen or bug check screen, usually called a blue screen of death (otherwise called a BSoD, blue screen), is brought on by a deadly system error and is the issue screen showed by the Microsoft Windows group of working systems after experiencing a basic issue, of a non-recoverable nature, that causes the system to “crash”. One of the greatest reasons for DLL’s getting to be distinctly degenerate/harmed is the act of continually introducing and uninstalling programs. This regularly implies DLL’s will get overwritten by more up to date forms when another program is installd, for instance. This causes issues for those applications and projects that still need the old adaptation to work. In this way, the program starts to breakdown and crash. You can survey a rundown of the issues identified amid your output. Will Re-image fix my Error 12157 Ssl issue? There’s no real way to tell without running the program. The condition of individuals’ PCs shifts fiercely, contingent upon the distinctive specs and software they’re running, so regardless of the possibility that it could fix Error 12157 Ssl on one machine doesn’t really mean it will fix it on all machines. Gratefully, it just takes minutes to run an output and see what issues Reimage can identify and fix. A Windows issue is an error that happens when a startling condition happens or when a craved operation has fizzled. When you have an issue in Windows, it might be basic and cause your projects to stop and crash or it might be apparently innocuous yet irritating. It repairs and replaces every basic Windows system document expected to run and restart effectively, without hurting your client information. PC hanging or solidifying happens when either a program or the entire system stops to react to inputs. In the most generally experienced situations, a program stops and all windows having a place with the solidified program get to be distinctly static. Quite often, the best way to recoup from a system stop is to reboot the machine, for the most part of power cycling with an on/off or reset catch. Once your PC has been tainted with an infection, it’s no longer the same. In the wake of expelling it with your hostile to infection software, you’re regularly left with waiting reactions. In fact, your PC may never again be tainted, however that doesn’t mean it’s without issue. Indeed, even essentially expelling an infection can really hurt your system. It licensed innovation, is the main PC Repair program of its kind that really switches the harm done to your working system. The online database is involved more than 25,000,000 overhauled fundamental parts that will supplant any harmed or missing files on a Windows working system with a sound form of the document so that your PC’s execution, strength and security will be reestablished and even move forward. How to effortlessly fix Cross Link Error 12157 error? Propelled Computer User Solution (manual redesign): 1) Start your PC and sign on as a manager. 2) Click the Start catch then select All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and after that click System Restore. 3) In the new window, select “Reinstall my computer” alternative and after that click Next. 4) Select the latest system reestablish point from the “On this rundown, click a reestablish point” run down, and after that click Next. 5) Click Next on the affirmation window. 6) Restarts the PC when the rebuilding is done. Beginner Computer User Solution (totally computerized): 1) Download (Cross Link Error 12157) repair utility. 2) Install the program and click Scan catch. 3) Click the Fix Errors catch when output is finished. 4) Restart your PC.
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Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls
Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls
Series 3 - Episode 5
Only seven celebrities remain on the island, and they have not eaten in days. They begin to regret the decision to bury the pig they accidentally killed instead of making a meal of it. Martin suffers an infected wound on his leg and fears he will not make it to the end of the series, but becomes determined to help his fellow castaways by leading a raft expedition in search of food.
Cast & Crew
Presenter Bear Grylls
Executive Producer Sebastian Grant
Series Producer Stevey Jones
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Episode 2 - Chow Hayes: Australia's First Gangster
Arguably Australia’s most feared gangster, Frederick ‘Chow’ Hayes was a convicted double murderer, sentenced to hang in 1952 for the brazen killing of standoverman and former boxer, Bobby Lee. Chow’s sentence was commuted to life in prison and he was released from jail in 1978. By this time, Chow was in the final decade of his life. At the time of his death, Chow had served almost 40 of his 74 years on the planet in jail. In his dotage, Chow became a celebrated crime figure – the subject of a biography by crime writer David Hickie and the subject of a chilling portrait by artist, Bill Leak that was short listed for the Archibald Prize in 1984. The portrait shows a wizened old man who
Episode 2 - Chow Hayes: Australia's First Gangster is also found on...
Full List of Tough Nuts: Australia's Hardest Criminals Episodes
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Slashout, Giant Gram 2000
Slashout, a slash em' up in the Spikeout series set in a medieval fantasy setting, was developed and released by Sega in 2000 for arcades.
Giant Gram 2000 is the third game in the All Japan Pro Wrestling series that was only available in Japan for Sega's Naomi arcade boards. Giant Gram features a mixture of legends and wrestlers from the All Japan promotion.
Photo Information for Slashout, Giant Gram 2000
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/29215
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For Better Or Worse: Links That Matter And Those That Shouldn’t.
I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating: links are essentially a thumbs up for another user’s website which show that the content is relevant and useful and should definitely be recommended to others.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as that: well, it wouldn’t be, would it? Links are continually evolving, mainly in response to the changing nature and requirements of search engines. Consequently before it’s possible to determine what makes a good link, it’s necessary to have a quick look at this process of evolution and understand how links have had to change as search engines became more and more sophisticated.
Link analysis has come a long way over the last few years as search engine algorithms have become more complex. Originally search engines were convinced that the more links a site had, the better it had to be. This ideal of quantity over quality didn’t last for too long though. Many less scrupulous websites soon cottoned on to this: link farms were born, and websites did everything in their power to amass as many links as possible. It didn’t matter frankly whether these links were any use or bore any relevance; it was the numbers that mattered at the end of the day.
Google soon wised up to this and moved the goalposts.
The emphasis was shifted towards the link text: in other words, the words used in the link itself. These had to bear some relevance to the page it was linking to and had to be keyword rich. Obviously, the more of these you had the better, but quantity was no longer the be all and end all. Google and the other search engines then shifted their focus to incorporate quality as well as relevance. They started to investigate the quality of the website from which the link originated and tried to determine whether this site was of low or high quality. The higher the site’s ‘authority’, the better the quality of the link. Unfortunately link buying still continued to prevail, so the search engines then started to factor in link age and pedigree as well, in the hope that inferior or bogus links would fall by the wayside. If a link persisted and stayed relevant, then it was assumed it was a worthwhile link and therefore of value. If the link vanished as quickly as it arrived, then it was deemed as poor quality.
Search engines will never be in a position where they can completely eradicate poor quality, spurious links, but they constantly change the way they judge and assess their quality.
Some will no doubt continue to slip under the radar unnoticed, but the search engines are now sophisticated enough to be able to spot these most of the time by analysing the anatomy and structure of the link itself through a series of what you might want to call ‘tests’ or signals. It’s hoped that by analysing these signals the search engines should be able to spot links that were purchased.
So, what are the main components of links, and how do search engines use this information to determine relevance and quality?
Anchor text
Link text, as mentioned earlier, factors heavily in search engine ranking: any clues the search engines can get from the content of the page from an external source weighs heavily. It tells them not only what the page is about, but also that somebody else found this information useful. Therefore it’s a valuable resource because it links to a site that gives readers both relevance and context. The anchor text also needs to be keyword rich. Google will look less favourably on links that only bear a company name or product, rather than a specific service like ‘used Yamaha motorcycles’ or such like.
Where the link appears
Search engines pay a lot of attention to the placement of the link text and use this to determine value. If it’s used in the navigation, it will be taken in to account: if the link appears in advertisement spaces it will generally be ignored. The best place for links is in the editorial part of the page. Google values these links higher than others. Because they appear in the middle of the page, then they are considered unlikely to have been purchased, though that isn’t of itself any guarantee. Moreover, they are valued more highly because if the writer of the content felt it was relevant to readers, then the assumption is that it must be.
The type of link
Different types of link carry different degrees of weight with search engines. Many consider reciprocal links as worthless, but that isn’t strictly true as it depends on context. One way links similarly have a mixed reception, and the weight placed on these varies from search engine to search engine. The one thing they all agree on, however, is that known purchased links have the least value, though even these can be useful for driving traffic and gaining an audience which eventually can produce natural links.
Link style
Text is looked on more favourably by search engines than images for understandable reasons. It gives more information and context and is therefore much more likely be stuffed with keywords which makes identification and classification easier. Images can use Alt text, but this isn’t factored as highly.
Link age
The longer a link remains in place, the more power and influence it devolves upon the linked page. This isn’t always a hard and fast rule as blogs and the like can have an initial impact that fades over time, thus reducing the influence of the link, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the search engines will weight them any less.
The linking site
The site that links out plays a significant role in the value of the link itself. The higher the authority of the linking site, the more link value is transferred.
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Studio B
• Studio_B_facebook_imageStudio_B_facebook_image
Name: סטודיו B
Address: Ibn Gabirol Street 124, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
Tel Aviv-Yafo
Phone: 03-5237026
The place where dance meets fitness. Dance classes include: Jazz, Afro Jazz, Breakdance, Hip Hop, Ballet, Pole Dancing, Salsa and more. Plus they have all the regular fitness classes like yoga, pilates etc.
Looking for more ideas?
Food and Drink Guide Top Things to Do Graphic
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Someone made a shape shifting robot snake and it'll haunt your dreams forever
Posted by
David Cornish
"Hey Tim, how's everything at the MIT Tangible Media Group?"
"Oh really great - we've made this shape changing interface we call the LineFORM, which is like a robotic snake that can do anything."
"Right. Anything?"
We'll be honest, we don't know who Tim is. We made him up to neatly illustrate the bonkers concepts the engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology design "for funsiees".
LineFORM, demonstrated in the video above, is one such creation. An "interface" that can be worn like a robotic suit, recording and replicating human actions. It can be a connection cord between two data points. It's a power cable. A telephone. A smart band. It's anything, really.
It's like R2-D2 has been slimmed down into a technological seat belt.
We want one - but, as with many MIT creations, we're not going to get one.
The military might though...
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You are invited!
11am Sunday Services at Travis Heights Elementary
Come join us 11am every Sunday at Travis Heights Elementary. We meet in the school cafeteria, which has its own door to the outside. Just look for the red open door and the SoCo Episcopal Community Sign. You can park on the street in front of the school or in either school parking lot. Bring your family, friends, and neighbors. God invites everyone. No exceptions.
Contact us
(512) 766-7925
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Grand Mirrors Vanity
By dillymcvay ·
Tags: Off Topic
Any owner of this product? I'm curious how this wireless dimmer works and how do you change its bulbs, is it easy?I'm interested for my wife. Thanks!
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by AnswerShaun In reply to Grand Mirrors Vanity
We own a lighted mirror for a year now, the wireless dimmer is juts easy to install, it has this circular button to adjust the brightness or light color of the bulbs. If you;'re talking about Hollywood vanity mirrors then the bulbs are easy to change but to make sure, you should call them.
Back to After Hours Forum
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The Equation of a Circle x² + y² = r²
These ten worksheets guide students through the origin of the x² + y² = r² equation of a circle and use a variety of problems to reinforce their understanding of the equation and its uses. Tangents are also introduced as are the methods for finding points of intersection between lines and circles. There are plenty of reminders for solving simple quadratic equations like x² = 16 and also simultaneous equations where one equation is not linear.
Written for the GCSE 9-1 specs but the material is also useful for A-level C2 students. Some of the sheets are similar so one can be done in class and the other used for reinforcement. There are problem sheets to extend the most students. As ever, the aim with SKILLSHEETS is to encourage learners to think about what they are doing and use diagrams to help them understand the topic.
DfE reference for GCSE 9-1 A16, A9, A18, A19, A8, A10, N8, G9, G6, G17
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• Circle-Equations.pdf
About this resource
Created: Dec 19, 2016
Updated: Feb 22, 2018
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ABCs of Death 2, as well as its predecessor, are films I've written about in this short film column a couple times before. But hey, what can I say - when a movie inspires you, it inspires you. And while said movies may not necessarily be high-brow, they are certainly brimming with creativity due to their nature as anthology films, which means tons of different filmmakers with different ideas and styles contributing to the films. And while we're on the topic of inspirational people, there is one short in ABCs of Death 2 - and one person in particular that appears in it - that I wish to highlight.
The short I wish to highlight is one titled N Is for Nexus. The short centers around a couple getting ready to meet each other at a costume party on Halloween. This short is one of the segments of the film to interest me the most, although not for the reason you might think. You might guess story, direction, cinematography, or something along those lines, but not to dismiss those aspects of the short, they aren't what make the short for yours truly. What makes it is a cameo appearance by the one and only Aurelio Voltaire. While the man has recently made appearances in films such as Model Hunger, he isn't actually best known for acting. Then again with all the different artistic ventures the man has undertaken, which include music, stop-motion animation, books, and toys to name but a few, who's to say which one he is best known for?
I was first introduced to Voltaire's work through an episode of the animated TV show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, although I did not know it yet at the time. At the time it was just one of my favorite episodes from one of my favorite shows. Later when I became aware of Voltaire and realized his part in the episode, it made it that much cooler. The episode in question is called Little Rock of Horrors, and is built around the song BRAINS! which Voltaire wrote for the episode and sings on as well. The song also appears on the man's Boo Hoo album.
While this was my earliest initial introduction to the work of Aurelio Voltaire, he made his biggest impact on me with his sophomore album Almost Human. During a time when I was feeling varying types of emotional distress, I happened to listen to a song from this album by the name of 'Feathery Wings'. This song resonated with me on a profound level, and prompted me to listen to the whole album. And on the first half of the album, I found damn near all of the songs to be just as relevant to my feelings as 'Feathery Wings' was, if not more. What I was feeling was all there in tracks like 'Dunce', and the music only helped to make the emotional impact on me all the more profound. Those songs helped me a great deal, and still do today.
But as much as I love to gush about how great Voltaire is, this is still a short film column I'm writing. So let's talk about Voltaire's cameo in N Is for Nexus, which I find an interesting one for a few reasons. The obvious one of course is that it's a cameo by someone I'm a fan of. But it's also interesting that Voltaire is playing the role he's playing, as well as the way he plays it. In the short, he plays a father out with his son on Halloween, and for the occasion he is dressed like a pirate. Fans of the man will note though that the pirate get-up he's wearing is the same one he wore at the time while performing on stage (he also appeared in promo pictures in said get-up as well). This allows him to more or less appear as himself with his own recongizable look in the short, yet at the same time, the filmmakers are able to rationalize the man's appearance by explaining it as a Halloween costume. It is also interesting to note that Voltaire, like his character in the short, is a father, so even more of his own persona makes it into the short.
If you have never checked out Aurelio Voltaire's work, I strongly urge you to do so. I myself am a self-proclaimed metalhead and yet I still fell in love with the man's brand of dark cabaret which is what his music is often called. Chances are, you might love it too. And even if you don't dig his music, you may still find his other art compelling. If you're into hilarious, weird, and/or graphic horror, you should definitely check out ABCs of Death 2 (and its predecessor The ABCs of Death, of course). Voltaire doesn't appear in that one though. Sorry.
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(redirected from Othmans)
Also found in: Encyclopedia.
(ˈɒθmən; ɒθˈmɑːn)
adj, n
(Historical Terms) a variant of Ottoman
(ˈɒt ə mən)
adj., n., pl. -mans. adj.
1. of or pertaining to the Ottoman Empire or its rulers.
a. a member of the dynasty descended from Osman that ruled the Ottoman Empire.
b. a Turkish citizen of the Ottoman state.
3. (l.c.)
a. a cushioned footstool.
b. a low cushioned seat without back or arms.
c. a kind of divan or sofa, with or without a back.
4. (l.c.) a heavy, lustrous fabric of wool, silk, or other fibers woven with broad, horizontal ribs.
[1575–85; < French < Italian ottomano, after the founder of the empire (Arabic ‘uthmān); in definitions 5-8 < French ottomane (feminine)]
Ot′to•man•like`, adj.
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Feeling Misunderstood & The Writer's Praxis ...
He elaborated very little on the question, only adding that his gut said it might be determination. The power of Mr. Bransford's blog is such that he can sort of just lob a huge question into the universe and get a gigantic response from enthusiastic readers -- I'm talking hundreds of people weighing in.[1. Not that I'm jealous.],[2. Yes I am.]
When I glanced down the many responses from readers, I noticed that they fell into two distinct camps. The first group agreed with Bransford, listing traits that point to a strong work-ethic -- "determination," "passion," "persistence," etc. The second group focused more on traits that make up the writerly psyche -- things like "curiosity," "honesty," and (my favorite) "bloody mindedness." Obviously, this is a trick question; there's no one answer to what makes a writer. But looking down this list, I felt like both types of answers were missing an essential element.
The other camp at first seems more tailored to writers. They perfectly capture the fact that every writer has a unique point of view that (arguably) deserves expression. There's only one problem: these personality traits have nothing to do with the actual act of writing. Curiosity, honesty, and bloody-mindedness could just as easily apply to a person who aspires to write but never gets around to it.[3. Also, serial killers.]
To truly answer the question, we need to find a trait that combines the artistic outlook with the professional drive to get things done ... in short, we need praxis. "Praxis" is a theological term that essentially refers to the point where faith becomes action.[4. Students of philosophy might recognize the term from reading Kant, who argued that praxis was the application of philosophy to actual events.]
So praxis for a writer would be the thing that makes them translate their unique personality onto a page. My storytelling gut tells me that this praxis would likely be some kind of personal experience -- an event (possibly traumatic?) that forces them to react by writing. I can't speak for every author, but when I consider events/moments that spur me to actually write, I think of one thing:
feeling misunderstood
This feeling has plagued me my whole life. Every time I've sat down to write something, it's because I feel fundamentally misunderstood by those around me. Writing is a chance for me to articulate all the things going on inside me in a way that I hope will make sense to others.
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Top definition
1. To ingest an obscene amount of alcohol.
2. To black out beyond comprehension, usually resulting in terrible/hilarious consequences.
3. To fall directly on one's face.
1. "I am going to straight FRAHER some beers tonight."
2. Man, I got so Fraher'd last night that I made out with 17.5 people and lost my phone, a shoe, and all dignity."
3. Did you see that guy get Fraher'd? He landed right on his face!"
by Glass Case of Emotion April 29, 2008
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Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA)
Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association (VHCMA)
Killed in Action (KIA) on
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Panel Number
Date range on this panel 5/26/68 - 5/26/68
Load and Play Taps
(big file - 497KB)
No helicopter crew members were killed during this time period.
For events on 680526 see unit history 155 AHC, , ,
For events on 680526 see Americal Daily News Sheets 23 INF DIV, F/8 CAV, ,
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please note: The incident date is not always the same as date died.
Duty codes: AC = Aircraft Commander P = Pilot CP = Co-pilot C = Crew Member FE = Flight Engineer G = Gunner OB = Observer CE = Crew Chief IP = Instructor Pilot MD = Medic ME = Mechanic PX = Passenger PP = Pilot Passenger CX = Crew member passenger ME = Mechanic PR = Pararescue Member TI = Technical Observer FM = Flight Mechanic RS = Rescue Specialist FS = Flight Surgeon OG = Non-Crew Member On Ground CG = Crew Member on Ground
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address:
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Copyright © 1998 - 2017 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association
Date posted on this site: 09/24/2017
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About our Working Group
Group for Data Analysis and Visualization lead by Prof. Dr. Daniel A. Keim
The chair of Prof. Dr. Daniel A. Keim conducts research in the analysis, exploration and visualization of mass data. We develop novel techniques for visual analysis of business, customer, finance, demoscopic, and network data motivated by applications in customer relationship management (CRM), telecommunications, the financial mark et and network security. We thereby focus on techniques for interactive mass data analysis applied on very large multidimensional and geographic data sets. Furthermore, we deal with clustering methods and index structuresfor high-dimensional spaces in the field of data analysis as well as with applications for multimedia similarity search (2D and 3D).
Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid: humans are incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful beyond imagination.
attributed to Albert Einstein
Open Positions Open topics for Bachelor and Master Projects
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compelling content
Coming up with good content ideas can be a big challenge. Here are some tricks of the search engine optimization trade.
Man Working At Desk In Busy Creative Office
Written by Casey Bourque – April 4, 2014 Webdesign Phoenix was hired by the 48 Arizona Women organization to perform all website design, print design, and branding services for this Centennial Event. 2012 marks 100 years since Arizona became the 48th state, thus 48 of the most intriguing women who represent the richness of Arizona’s […]
Do you have a website and would like to give it a new fresh look? Does your menu structure look old fashioned? Do you have a flash
Smoothly Animated Waves
Learn the Typo3 content management system. This video outline a few basic principles of managing your website.
… the highest customer service and quality standards in the web design services industry. Our designers working at Web Design
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• Small Electronics Chains Thrive in Downturn
Some regional appliance and electronics retailers are flourishing despite intense competition from national chains, thanks in part to a retro retail concept: commissioned sales staff, trained to explain increasingly complex televisions and washing machines to customers.
These smaller retailers such as publicly traded hhgregg Inc. of Indianapolis and Conn's Inc. of Beaumont, Texas, as well as closely held P.C. Richard & Son of Farmingdale, N.Y., are pursuing ambitious store expansion plans. They are aiming to capitalize...
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Now Playing
10/29/2015 9:52AM
Pfizer CEO Ian Read on Health-Care Consolidation
Pfizer CEO Ian Read comments on the recent consolidation in the health-care industry at the WSJ Viewpoints Executive Breakfast Series.
so scales in such an important word right now how can ... be viewed in the health insurers ... to huge deals going on there if you that the farmer ... it did for some reason you straight has the lives of five hundred billion dollars with the former deals in two thousand fifteen alone if you look at hospitals use to be consolidation than a few that the drug store chains ... a Walgreens and rite aid ... deal broken the law Street Journal as well ... that's happening there so ... what the heck is going on with every part of the health care system getting bigger and bigger ... one thing he ... did pressures on them provide is to be driven by changes in healthcare me and this was system ... up next to both heavily from his and forearm ... and hand to provide this I don't think the FOMC's whose fiancee it ... is being driven to consolidate ... because of the consolidation of the oven of the system ... um I think the ... the the consolidation is being more driven by companies that have the cash ... and one A look for ways to accelerating their their their portfolio ... now I do think it may come up point if we continue to see ... concentration on the upside ... and if we do see ... more government ... on ... the phone it and how can we have today ... that debt consolidation with the rupee industry would need to take ... why would he say that while because of ... generally when you do business with governments a dozen whatever are well worth it for free enterprise ... um you don't get ... an ability to recover the value of your product containing Renault's the purchaser ... and and that tends to force consolidation to costs ... um to give you more if so you can have more weight to the negotiations ... and
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1-800-805-5783 GET A QUOTE
Python Developer
Experience: 3-7 years
Location: Hyderabad, India
Job Description
Building highly scalable server side solutions which include Web APIs for mobile apps and “always alive” processing engines that handle incoming stream of requests and act on them for a variety of activities that include generating analytics, reports, data management operations, etc.
• Writing reusable, testable, and efficient code
• Integration of user-facing elements with server side implementations
• Implementation of highly secure APIs (RESTful), “at-rest” data protection, data storage solutions (including databases, key-value stores, blob stores, etc)
• Implementation of web applications (not web sites) using frameworks like Django, Bootstrap, HTML5 / CSS3, etc
Skills required
• Familiarity with ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) libraries. Able to integrate multiple data sources and databases into one system
• Ability to build and maintain applications with multi-threaded / multi-process / multi-core programming architectures, including Python process pools.
• Understanding of accessibility and security compliance
• Knowledge of user authentication and authorization between multiple systems, servers and environments
• Understanding of fundamental design principles behind a scalable application
• Familiarity with event-driven programming in Python (gevents, etc)
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Introduction
Top Previous Next
Triggered Betting is a set of "intellectual" tools that allow you to bring your betting to a new level. It means you won't have to do paper trading, calculate anything manually or sit in front of your screen and wait till the right game situation comes up.
The term "Triggered betting" originates from the word "trigger", which in this context means "initiating", "setting into action", "executing". It emphasises that the program can initiate a bet or any other trading action automatically. Unlike the continuous process of watching the game and slowly making your decision about a bet (and sometimes not having enough time to figure out the parameters of the bet), triggered betting implies acting instantly, as soon as there is the right moment.
If put simply, triggered betting is your way to tell the program what to do and - which is even more important - when to do this. Using simple commands reminding technical English you can "program your betting strategy" into X-Feeder, and then let the program implement it without your actual presence. So the program will replace you in the situations, when a human would demonstrate a slower reaction, lack of time or insufficient mathematical background.
However, automatism does not mean lack of control. With the special options that triggered betting tools provide you can feel absolute confidence in what the program is doing. The log files that every trigger generates (the record of all the reasons why it performed or did not perform an action) will let you find out how the game was analyzed. The trigger settings will help you to activate or deactivate triggered betting when needed.
How triggers are stored
Triggers are stored in text files with the "*.xml" extension. A new file is created each time you press the "New File" button in the triggers window. You can store these files wherever you want by choosing the file destination at the moment of saving a trigger. You can load triggers from the files that may be stored in different folders on your disk. You can share trigger files with other users.
It is strongly not recommended to open and edit trigger files with any other software except X-Feeder.
Do I need to have a programmer's or mathematician's skills to create triggers?
No, simple triggers can be created only based on your human logic. You don't need any formulae to set up a betting action with a few game conditions. For example, to lay on the favourite in the second round, if it does not have cards in sequence, suited cards or a pair. In order to add these parameters and make the trigger work you only need to do some mouse-clicking and choose the right options from the drop-down lists.
However, if you have a basic knowledge of mathematics (mainly, the laws of proportion and general knowledge on games' rules), you can extend the power of your triggers by adding conditions based on trigger expressions, which may contain arithmetic expressions, functions and trigger variables.
Tip! If you are not an experienced trader yet, do not turn Test Mode off when trying triggers or any other automated betting tools. Use the safety net of the setting called "Limit the liability of any bet to ..." to prevent excessive losses due to an incorrectly configured bet.
Proceed to the "Getting Started" section to create your first trigger.
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• Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Prophetic Medicine
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Islam is a complete code of life which is taught us how to lead our life and has elucidated each aspect of life in detail. The Holy Prophet's () teachings are complete cure for spiritual and physical ailments whether they are conspicuous or they are obscure in nature. Prophet Muhammad () educated us about the benefits numerous natural and halal (unprohibited by Islamic law) medicines (mostly herbal) and told how to use them. Modern science has now after more than a millennium has realized the efficacy of Prophetic (herbal) medicine. In all eras, ever since the times of the Prophet Muhammad () the Muslims have always derived benefits out of the Prophetic Medicine.
Allah almighty blessed the Prophet Muhammad () with knowledge and wisdom. Allah says in holy Quran "Allah has sent down to you the book (Quran), and wisdom" (Islamic taught you that which you knew not. And ever great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad )”, (An-Nisa: 113). And says:”He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His verses, purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom. And verily, they had been before in clear error”, (Al-Jumu’ah:2). Allah has mentioned in the Holy Qur'an the prayer of Ibraheem (Abraham) (peace be upon him), He said:”Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger amongst themselves, who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book and wisdom and purify them. Verily! You are the All-mighty, the All-Wise”, (Al-Baqarah: 129). Allah says about the wisdom and intelligence:”He grants wisdom to whom He pleases, and He to whom wisdom is granted, is indeed granted abundant good.” ( Al-Baqarah: 269). People will receive the benefit from Prophet Muhammad’s () wisdom until the Day of Judgment.
The Quran was revealed to the Prophet () is also healing. Allah almighty says:”And We send down of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe”, (Al-Isra: 82). And says:”O mankind! There has come to you a good advice from your Lord, and a healing for that which is in your chest, -- guidance and a mercy for the believers”, (Yunus: 57). And says:”Those who believed, and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah, verily in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest”, (Ar-Rad: 28). From Surah Al-Fatihah, Allah would give comfort to the suffering patients. The Quran is the treatment of numerous diseases.
The emphasis is on the use of things in the Book of Allah and Sunnah, in these things are:” Water, watermelon, barley, figs, aegle marmelos, henna, olive, vinegar, kohl, honey, mauve, nigella seed, palm, mushroom, vitis vinifera, pomegranate, zamzam, siwaak, plum, beet, milk, lentils, camphor, ginger, pumpkin, musk, cucumber, meat and fish etc. Allah says about honey:”there comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think”, (An-Nahl: 69). Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:"Use this black seed. For indeed it contains a cure for every disease except As-Sam" And As-Sam is death”, (Jami` at-Tirmidhi: 2041). It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Prophet () had a kohl container from which he would apply kohl three times, to each eye”, (Sunan Ibn Majah: 3499). "Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) said:"Al-'Ajwah is from Paradise and it contains a cure for poison. Truffles are a form of manna, and its liquid is a cure for the eye", (Jami` at-Tirmidhi: 2066). If we start following Allah orders and Prophet Muhammad's () methods then healthy life becomes our destiny.
Islam has presented a very good perspective about diseases and health. Usamah bin Sharik said:"Some Bedouins asked: 'O Messenger of Allah () shall we treat (our ill)?' He said: 'Yes, O worshipers of Allah! Use remedies. For indeed Allah did not make a disease but He made a cure for it' - or - 'a remedy. Except for one disease.' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah ()! What is it?' He said: 'Old age'", (Jami` at-Tirmidhi: 2038). Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet () said, "There is no 'Adha, nor Tiyara, nor Hama, nor Safar", (Sahih al-Bukhari: 5757). During disease must be patience, as Allah almighty says:” And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: "Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return." They are those on whom are the Salawat (i.e. blessings, etc.) (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones”, ( Al-Baqarah: 155-157). It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said: “The Messenger of Allah () forbade treating illness with foul things (Khabith), meaning poison”, (Sunan Ibn Majah: 3459). Alcohol should not be used as a medicine. Follow the Islamic perspective of the treatment time.
Allah almighty created us and sent prophets to guide us. It is our good fortune that we have opportunity to taking advantage from the Prophet Muhammad's () teachings. Allah almighty granted to The Prophet Muhammad () the Book and wisdom which is healing and a mercy for the believers. Messenger of Allah () teaches methods use of food and diseases prevention. Prophet () trained to Ummah about the disease and the treatment that:” use remedies during illness, be patient and do not use forbidden things as medicine. If you want peace in this world and the hereafter then follow The Qur'an and The Hadees.
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Statistical sign language machine translation: from english written text to american sign language gloss
Accessibility & Assistive Technology , Publications Sep 19, 2011 No Comments
Statistical Machine Translation for sign language
This works aims to design a statistical machine translation from English text to American Sign Language (ASL). The system is based on Moses tool with some modifications and the results are synthesized through a 3D avatar for interpretation. First, we translate the input text to gloss, a written form of ASL. Second, we pass the output to the WebSign Plug-in to play the sign. Contributions of this work are the use of a new couple of language English/ASL and an improvement of statistical machine translation based on string matching thanks to Jaro-distance.
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Achraf Othman
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Acoustic Ecology
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Ocean Issues Special Report
International Whaling Commission
2004 Meeting
June 29-July 10, 2004
Downloads -
From Annex K of the Scientific Committee Report, from the Standing Working Group on Environmental Concerns:
Mini-symposium on Anthropogenic Noise [DOWNLOAD SYMPOSIUM REPORT(doc)]
Appendices: Roger Payne, Synergistic Effects of Multiple Stressors [DOWNLOAD(doc)]
John Hildebrand, Acoustics Basics [DOWNLOAD(doc)]
Darlene Ketten, Marine Mammal Auditory Systems [DOWNLOAD(doc)]
From the full Scientific Committee Report
The annual International Whaling Commission meeting was held this summer in Italy. There were several actions and reports that were of special interest to those of us working on ocean noise issues.
Most encouragingly, the entire IWC unanimously endorsed the Scientific Committee’s report, which contained some very specific recommendations and concerns regarding the effects of both seismic surveys and naval sonars. Further, the Standing Working Group on Environmental Concerns held a mini-symposium on ocean noise, which attracted several papers that addressed noise concerns in new and important ways.
The Scientific Committee (SC) report addressed noise issues in some detail. The first had to do with the ongoing oil and gas development project in the Western Pacific, off Russia’s Sakhalin Island. While the Russian delegates hold that population monitoring programs already in place are sufficient, the SC noted with concern that this population appears to have biological problems (100 members, only 23 of which are breeding females, and relatively low calf survival rates). There is only one known coastal feeding habitat used by females and calves; it is about 60km by 5 km in size, with development plans proceeding on its edges and across its width. The SC also noted that the breeding ground for this population is currently unknown. Annual review of the status of this stock of whales was named as a top priority for future years’ research.
The SC report noted that seismic surveys have been shown to cause displacement of whales from their feeding grounds both off Sakhalin Island, and off the coast of Brazil. The Committee commended Brazil for its work to protect critical marine habitats from noise exposure, and “views with great concern the impacts. . . from exposures to seismic sound impulses, particularly with respect to threatened populations such as the western gray whale.”
Also noted were records showing that between 1960 and 1995, all ten mass strandings of beaked whales around Japan occurred onshore from where US Navy exercises take place, with the implication that mid-frequency sonars may have been responsible here as in several other mass strandings studied more thoroughly in recent years.
The SC report contained a series of detailed recommendations based on an awareness that some “sound sources radiate low-frequency sound over very large areas thereby exposing populations to low sound levels (< 120 dB re 1 µPa) over relatively long periods of time (chronic exposure). In other cases, sound sources radiate mid- to high-frequency sound over relatively small areas and individual animals are exposed to high levels of sound (> 160 dB re 1 µPa) over relatively short periods of time (acute exposure).”
In conclusion, “the Committee agrees that there is now compelling evidence implicating military sonar as a direct impact on beaked whales in particular. The Committee also agrees that evidence of increased sounds from other sources, including ships and seismic activities, were cause for serious concern. The potential for cumulative or synergistic effects of sounds, as found in other taxa, with non-acoustic anthropogenic stressor was noted. Whilst noting that there is considerably more scientific work needed, the Committee emphasises that measures to protect species and habitats cannot always wait for scientific certainty, as encoded in the precautionary principle. This is especially true for cases involving the exclusion of an endangered population from its habitat. As a result, the Committee agrees that noise should remain a standing priority item on its agenda.”
Among the recommendations endorsed by the SC and the entire IWC were: to do full analysis of stranding data related to military activities, to investigate whether there are similar correlations between mass strandings and extreme natural sounds (earthquakes, typhoons), and standardized post-mortem protocols.
Regarding seismic surveys, the SC and IWC endorsed a set of detailed protocols for mitigation and monitoring near seismic surveys, including access to information regarding timing, distribution, and extent of surveys (both planned and historic patterns) in critical habitats or potentially critical habitats, continuous acoustic monitoring of critical habitats before, during, and after seismic surveys, and independent monitoring of critical habitats to evaluate displacement or disruption of important behaviours (further specified to mean “independent and highly experienced shipboard marine observers and a monitoring system and platform that are independent of the seismic source vessel and seismic support vessels”). These (and several other) recommendations were commended to member countries for adoption, and requested to be passed on to representatives of the oil and gas industry and geophysical academic teams and relevant government committees and agencies.
On the general topic of anthropogenic noise, the Committee made a series of important and wide-ranging recommendations:
(1) the convening of a workshop on the impacts of seismic exploration (including both industrial and academic activities) at its 2006 meeting;
(2) the integration and coordination of international research projects to study and describe acoustic ecologies;
(3) the establishment of a working group to derive a series of hypotheses to test for synergistic impacts on cetaceans;
(4) the inclusion of anthropogenic noise assessments and noise exposure standards within the framework of national and international ocean conservation plans (e.g. consideration during designation of critical habitats, marine protected areas and ocean zoning);
(5) support for multinational programmes to monitor ocean noise (e.g. IOOS) and the development of basin-scale, regional and local-scale underwater noise budgets.
Mini-symposium on anthropogenic noise
The Special Working Group on Environmental Concerns held a mini-symposium on acoustics. At this symposium, a number of papers were presented that introduced important ideas and recent research with far-reaching implications.
Among the most important findings presented:
Ambient Noise Increases
Comparisons of some recent recordings and similar surveys taken in the middle of the 20th century indicate that ambient noise has increased in many of the world’s oceans by 3-5dB per decade. This amounts to an increase over the past sixty years of somewhere between one and two orders of magnitude (that is, a 10-fold to 100-fold increase). Sources for this sound are primarily anthropogenic, especially shipping noise.
A recent study highlighted the dramatic differences between an urbanized and relatively pristine oceanic habitat. Ambient noise levels in the fin whale song frequency band were two to three orders of magnitude (20-30db, that is, 100-1000 times) higher in the Ligurian Sea (part of the Mediterranean) than in the Gulf of California. In the Ligurian Sea, ambient noise levels were so high as to mask all but the closest singers. In Cape Cod Bay, a critical habitat for the endangered northern right whale, average spectrum noise levels in the 50-200Hz frequency band were above 110dB re 1uPa2/Hz, levels that could be considered chronically troublesome; similarly high sound levels of ambient low frequency noise were found at other coastal US ports. 10,000 commercial supertankers operate worldwide, especially concentrated near highly-used shipping lanes.
A survey of general ocean acoustics noted that noise from vessel traffic at high latitudes is particularly efficient at propatating over large distances because in these regions the oceanic sound channel (zone of most efficient sound propagation) reaches the ocean surface.
Sound from seismic survey airguns increased the measured ambient noise levels of a blue and fin whale feeding area in the North Atlantic by two orders of magnitude (again, a 100-fold increase). This increase, observed throughout a nearly hundred thousand square kilometer study area (200x400 nautical miles), was nearly continuous for days at a time; such long-range effects contrast with typical effects modeling, which focus on areas very near the survey vessels and consider the effects of a single seismic shot lasting only a fraction of a second.
Questions were raised about the effects of such chronic elevated noise exposure on searches for prey, and finding suitable mates. Roger Payne presented additional information on the role of infrasound in maintaining whale “heards.” He hypothesised that baleen whale populations might live in acoustic contact throughout an ocean basin where very long-range communication can take place; elevated levels of low frequency noise could very well disrupt such long-range communication, with potentially dramatic effects of reproductive success and thus population vitality. In certain Northern Hemisphere ocean regions the area in which a fin whale can hear a compatriot has decreased by four order of magnitude (ie, calls can be heard in an area one ten-thousandth as large as previously). Payne noted that in spite of great efforts to find them, there are no known breeding grounds for open ocean populations of fin whales, suggesting that there may be no need for fin whales to meet en masse at particular times and places, if they are able to get together, simply by calling and listening for each other over great distances—they may indeed have no breeding grounds simply because they are not necessary.
Synergistic Effects
Roger Payne presented a paper that introduced an important new idea: that the effects of two or more weak population or individual health stresses can combine synergistically to dramatically increase mortality that may be otherwise expected. Two recent studies have shown that when tadpoles of green frogs were exposed for 16 days to the common pesticide carbaryl at a concentration only 1/3 as great as is commonly found in nature, the tadpoles suffered 10% mortality. But when only the smell of a newt, predatory on these tadpoles was added, tadpole mortality increased to 80%, meaning that the introduction of the predator’s smell somehow increased the lethality of carbaryl eight fold. This synergistic effect was even more pronounced with bullfrog tadpoles. Here, carbaryl alone caused only 2% mortality (indistinguishable from carbaryl-free controls) yet the same low carbaryl concentration when combined with just the smell of predatory newts caused 92% mortality, a 46 times amplification of the effect of the pesticide.
It is especially fascinating that the introduction of simply the smell of the predator, which in itself could not cause any direct health effect (besides perhaps stress), can so dramatically increase the detrimental effects of an otherwise modest pollutant. An obvious analogue in the sea is noise (with shipping being the most prevalent source, though extended exposure to other sources such as airgun noise should also be considered) as a non-lethal stressor, somehow synergistically increasing the detrimental effects of known pathogens (such as infections, pollutants, or parasites).
It is interesting that right whale populations are increasing rapidly in the southern hemisphere where contaminant concentrations and ships traffic noise is lower than both are in the Northern Hemisphere (where right whale populations are currently diminishing rapidly). The assumed differences in concentration of pollutants and shipping noise in the two hemispheres fits well with the theory that the different fates of northern and southern right whales may be due in part, to synergistic impacts of shipping noise and pollutants. In any case it seems to be a subject worthy of closer investigation. The subcommittee recommends to the full committee that the process of assessing the effects on whale populations of the possible synergistic effects of stressors as different as chemical contaminants, whaling, and anthropogenic sounds, be encouraged.
Other Topics
Darlene Ketten presented a paper summarizing current knowledge about marine mammal auditory systems. She stressed that auditory damage will occur only when exposed to high levels of sound in the frequency range of the specific species. In response to a question, she also suggested that hearing loss may not necessarily lead to death; there have been some evidence from stranded individuals showing long-term (on the order of several years) bony degradation in the jaw and infections that spread to the inner ear, suggestive of hearing damage or loss. She also noted that “the ocean is a naturally relatively high noise environment and whales and dolphins in particular evolved ears that function well within this high natural ambient noise. This may mean they developed "tougher" inner ears that are less subject to hearing loss. Recent anatomical and behavioral studies do indeed suggest that whales and dolphins may be more resistant than many land mammals to temporary threshold shifts, but the data show also that they are subject to disease and aging processes. This means they are not immune to hearing loss, and certainly, increasing ambient noise via human activities is a reasonable candidate for exacerbating or accelerating such losses.” At the same time, though, she stressed that “unfortunately, existing data are insufficient to accurately predict any but the grossest acoustic impacts on marine mammals. At present, we have relatively little controlled data on how the noise spectrum is changing in oceanic habitats as a result of human activities. We also have little information on how marine mammals respond physically and behaviorally to intense sounds and to long-term increases in ambient noise levels. The hazards are compounded also by the fact that rising concerns about virtually any sound use may also be hampering the development and deployment of even simple devices such as effective acoustic deterrents that could decrease marine mammal by-catch.”
A literature review paper on whale watching reported a number of 2003 and 2004 studies that point to behavioral disruptions in the presence of small boats. In New Zealand, bottlenose dolphins spent more time underwater, with males showing avoidance earlier than females; in Scotland, bottlenose dolphins significantly increased the synchronicity of their breathing, perhaps related to a familiar anti-predator response; and in Patagonia, dusky dolphins decreased their feeding behavior.
Several papers looked at the seeming sensitivity of beaked whales to high-intensity sound (primarily mid-frequency sonars, but perhaps also airguns). A review of historical mass strandings of beaked whales seems to show a recent increase in such events, with a high correlation to military maneuvers or airgun activity, though models suggest received levels in one case (Bahamas) did not exceed 160-170dB re 1uPa, lower than would be expected to cause even temporary threshold shifts (ie hearing loss). Concern was raised that strandings may not give a complete indication of animals harmed by high-intensity sound, since others may be severely affected an not die, or may die and not strand. One paper looked at 10 mass strandings of beaked whales around Japan between 1960 and 1995, all of which took place in areas where US Naval operations take place offshore. Another paper looked at several unusual cetacean stranding events that occurred in Chinese waters in 2004 during a period when large-scale naval exercises were taking place in nearby waters south of Taiwan; these strandings involved primarily pilot whales, and were unusual in terms of the species involved (based on a ten-year record of previous strandings); Darlene Ketten commented that the observed injuries were consistent with blast trauma, relevant given that live ammunition exercises were being conducted.
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Serving Chicago, North and North-west suburbs since 1994
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Regulation and Voicing
Voicing is the adjustment of a piano's tone or quality of sound. Tone can be changed withoutaffecting the pitch. For example, turning the bass or treble knobs on your stereo changes thetone but does not alter the notes the musician recorded. A skilled piano technician can voice apiano to change its tonal personality from mellow to bright or robust to delicate. The degree ofchange possible depends upon the piano's design and condition.
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Dangerous Idea: Love Your Enemy
December 21, 2014
Image: flahertyb Via: Flickr Creative Commons
Dangerous Ideas is a recurring segment where we give our notable guests a platform for their most provokative or playful ideas — revolutionary thinking that could change the world. You can hear more here.
Hello, I’m Karen Armstrong, author of Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, and my dangerous idea is that we should love our enemies.
This is a very famous saying of Jesus, of course, but it’s often misunderstood. The word “love” in the ancient near East was a political term, a legal term used in international treaties. Two kings, who had previously been enemies, would promise to “love” each other, which didn’t mean that they would fall into each other’s arms and feel tender affection for one another, or even like them. But that they would look out for one another and give each other practical help. That they would come to their aid whenever they were in trouble, even if this went against their short term interests. And that they would live together in peace.
I think now, in our dangerously polarized, globalized world, that unless we learn to treat all peoples — whoever they are — as we would wish to be treated ourselves, we’re not going to have a viable world for the next generation. We need to treat our so-called “enemies” in that way, giving them practical help rather than guns, and understanding their real situation. Why? Because very often, the people who are our enemies have been injured by us.
I’m thinking of the story of Jacob and Esau in the book of Genesis. This is a political allegory; Jacob represents Israel, we’re told, and Esau represents the neighboring kingdom of Edom, with which Israel had trouble. But they were brothers — that is the point. The story shows they could not live without one another, nor with one another easily. They were brothers, they were also twins. Very often, when we meditate on our enemies’ faults and failings, we tend to become like him. We look into our enemy’s eyes and we see ourselves.
We British, for example, have helped to create the mess in the Middle East, and did much to destabilize the social relations in the Indian subcontinent. Our histories are therefore intertwined. These enemies of ours are almost our own creation. And when we look into the eyes of our enemies, sometimes we see the results of our disdain. We learn to love our enemies by realizing that we ourselves are also at fault, that goodness rarely presides on one side only, that the doctrine of karma comes into play, that actions always have an effect. And it means that we have to have a certain self-knowledge, and be prepared to come off our high horse. We have to remember that a lot of evil results from suffering and humiliation of which we might be one of the causes.
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ArtLung [Joe Crawford]
Web developer & user interface engineer
Tinkering with the web since 1996
San Diego, California, USA
New Header! 2011 Jul 07
The photo was taken with instagram by Brent Nelson at Art in the Streets a few weeks ago.
The rest of the header is CSS.
I also tweaked the code on the headers page to use delegate() properly.
Joe Crawford blogged this at 12:37pm in 2011 in July. The 7th was a Thursday. You are reading this 7 years later. Make a public comment. There are no comments Tweet. Direct message. Send email. It has hashtags→ .
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Comments Open; Trackbacks Open.
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Thursday, July 14, 2011
50% off Shorts and Capris for GTU Viewers
Watch Alicia Richmond on Good Things Utah today at 10 (MST) and learn how to wear a pair of shorts 3 different ways.
Mention you saw us on Good Things Utah and you'll receive 50% off all Shorts and Capris!
Sale going on now thru Saturday July 16th!!
Hurry in for best selection!
Mandi said...
What is the price on those short :)?
Bags That Fit said...
Mandi, The Kut from the Kloth shorts are $78 then take 50% off!
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Home / Funsexcam free / Furries sex chat room
Furries sex chat room
) #pleasure_library (General chat with real people) #pleasure_library_dungeon (Welcome to the dungeon) #milf (So you love older women?, come on in) #gangbang (So you think you can handle more than one do you?Characters that morph between human and animal form are also considered by some to be part of the genre.Even certain superheroes with animal derived powers are considered of furry interest by some fans.Phenod Toy Six-Foot Buck and Doe Order Form Airhugs Toys is a new group on the block working to produce unique inflatables.
Good luck observing two foxes mating while you are an ice cube!
, meet new friends) #the_script_clinic (m IRC Scripts & Scripting Help) #anal_whores (For women who crave anal sex) #bigtitchannel (A place for buxom ladies to hang it all out) #thechateaunoir ( A room for Kinks, BDSM and Gorean Lifestyles) #lifestyle_lounge (A BDSM chatroom to discuss and learn about the lifestyle) #shemales (A chatroom for shemales and all their admirers) #furries (A safe environment for all furries and plushies etc) #women_are_property_of_men (A safe haven for male Doms and female subs) #the_extreme_use_dungeon (Premier BDSM public scening room) m IRC Users Please Click whichever channel you would like to join.:: chat :: webcams :: cybersex :: masturbation :: roleplay :: jackinchat :: pornjackers :: submissive_slave_auction :: pleasure_library :: fuck_me_in_front_of_everyone :: gangbang :: phonesex :: the-gspot :: cocksuckingwhores :: trivia_dungeon :: bedroom :: :: 13Steps :: 42 :: 42Master :: abuse :: acheron :: adorable :: All Nite Cafe :: Alucard's_Mansion :: anal_whores :: Arabia :: Aussie Aussie Aussie :: Avalace :: Axe-&-Dagger :: barelylegal :: Battle Arena :: Bay_House :: bbw :: bdsm :: BDSM4beginners :: BDSM_Wolfs_Den :: Bi :: bigblackcock :: Big Tit Channel :: Black Leather&Whitelace :: Black_Velvet_Rose :: Blades'Den :: Bloodrose Tavern :: Boskhead_Trading_Post :: By_the_Sea_of_Thassa :: Cabin_in_the_Mountains :: CAH`Corruption :: Camp_of_Treve :: Camp_Wagon :: Caritas :: Castle_Of_The_Fallen_Angels :: Caverns Of Khaos :: Caynes-Chambers :: chastity :: City_of_AR :: City_Of_Tor :: COR-djs :: Crimson.
Furry fandom refers to the fandom for the furry genre of literature, art and entertainment.
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Fix keybr database error in fixefox
Jun 2, 2018 14:27 · 241 words · 2 minute read firefox local database error
Since my switch to Colemak I have been kind of hung up on getting better at typing faster and more accurately. Something that I never attempted while I was ignorantly typing away when I was in qwerty camp.
And in that process I periodically visit the following sites to see how I am doing:
But then there was a problem with keybr, it would show me an error every time I accessed it from firefox. I use Chrome whenever I needed to visit that site for correcting my typing.
For a long time I was thinking that it was a problem with Firefox( why not it? It works in Chrome, blame it on the browser). A strange thing that happened was when I tried accessing the same page from my office mac firefox it worked. I tried everything reinstalling firefox, claering cache and data from firefox settings. Nothing!
Today in a resolve to end this insanity of having to use another browser just because something got borked I tried various different search queries on DDG and fixed this issue.
Click me * Dont worry it isn’t a redirection to some malicious site, it is link to firefox’s support site.
Turns out clicking the Refresh button on that site fixed the problem for me.
Although I still haven’t figured out what was causing that issue. But if that happens again I might just spend time trying to investigate it.
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Of Askia Scripts and Functions
Introduction: What are Askia Scripts for? Or should I say what are their function?
AskiaScripts were designed to evaluate conditions within a survey – at first to branch the survey and then to set values to (often dummy) questions. They needed to be easy to write (and re-read!) and the user should know at creation time if the script was going to succeed or not.
The needs to improve AskiaScripts came as our clients’ surveys became incredibly complex – and that we used our language to produce our ADC.
Lately, AskiaScripts have been used to run very complex routings – like the post-codification of open-ended responses. We had a request to optimise a routing which had hundreds of lines…
AskiaScripts are also used in Tools to verify the quality of data at the end of collection. It’s here that the demand of functions came loudest where there is a need to norm the way straight-lining is evaluated for grid questions for instance. Here again we have seen scripts which have thousands of lines.
Finally, AskiaScripts are also used in Analyse to achieve increasingly complex calculations on the fly – and aggregating data while being at interview level.
From the feedback we received, we believe 2.0 is a success although the in-take has been slow (even internally).
I believe AskiaScripts will be used for weird custom adaptive conjoint, very complex calculations at run-time (segmentation) – I think it will also be used in defining and running super portfolios at a later stage.
Let’s summarise what the core values of AskiaScripts are – knowing they could be antonymic:
• Simplicity
• Adapted to survey research
• Reliable: minimise the likelihood of runtime errors
• Powerful: the competition often uses JavaScript (which does not have the 3 previous points)
• And finally extensible – by Askia and by users
Functions: extending Askia Scripts
Rather than us adding functions whenever they are needed (which will still happen), we have decided to let users create their own functions. Teach a man to fish and you have saved yourself a fish.
A function is a piece of code that you can call with different parameters.
By default, the parameters of a function will be passed by value for our basic atomic types: numbers, strings, and dates. The arrays (and all complex objects) will be passed by reference.
Script Value Reference screenshot
If we want to change the way the parameters work, we can use the keyword ByVal or ByRef to force passing the parameter by value or by reference respectively.
Script By Val By Ref screenshot
Let’s talk about scope, baby
Scopes of variables screenshot
A scope defines where a variable is available.
Variable1 is available throughout your script. Referring to Variable2 will generate an error if it’s after the Else statement.
AskiaScript hit the same problem that most scripting languages have had (JavaScript, old VBA, … ). Every variable created is global – unless it’s within a For or an If – or a function.
This might not be a problem when you write a routing condition. It will be if you write an Adaptive Conjoint or a full-on survey analyser. You will need to remember which variables you have already used and name them differently and it will make it very hard to re-use code (the holy grail of any programmer). It also makes IntelliSense (automatic code completion) absolutely unusable.
Every language came up with a different solution to that problem. The original 1960 languages had global variables. Then functions were invented (with parameters passed by value or by address). Then classes and name spaces were invented. JavaScript went another way – it used nested functions to make sure that variables (and sub-functions) were not visible everywhere.
To be or not to be typed, that is the question…
Any variable or method in Askia is strongly typed – this means that at compilation time, we already know the type of the variable. This allows us to know if you can use a method or not for every object.
For questions, this means that we we know that Gender.Value is a number (1, 2 or DK) and that FavouriteNewspapers.Value is an array of numbers.
But if we have a function that takes a question as a parameter, we do not know the type of its value: it could be a number, an array of numbers, a string or a date…
Script Typed Question screenshot
Within the function, we say that the question is anonymous. And we have defined its Value to be a Variant. A variant is an object whose type we only know at run-time. For this, you have a few properties that you can use to convert a Variant into something more useful.
A variant has the property InnerType which indicates what it holds. You can convert any Variant into something else with the following methods: ToNumber(), ToString(), ToDate(), ToNumberArray().
Script Variant To String screenshot
Mods rule!
After a lot of internal discussion, we have decided to define Modules – or name spaces. You will be able to put together a set of variables and functions together. By default – and unless you specify it – these variables and functions will not be accessible from outside of the modules – in Object-Oriented Programming, this is called encapsulation.
You will be able to make some of the variables and functions available from outside the module – they will need to be prefixed by the keyword Export.
To clarify everything, let’s have some sample code:
Script Module screenshot
Inside the module, you can refer to the variables MaxAnswers and Pi from every-where. And you can call any function defined in there.
Outside the module, you will have to write SampleModule1::DoTheCalculation or SampleModule1::MaxAnswers to access the public members.
The default way to create a module is with Module XX / EndModule. You can either include the definition of your module in your condition script OR write it in a file that you add as a resource. These files must have a .asx extension (Askia Script eXtension). To use a module in a routing, you need to call Import + name of the module.
Script Import Module screenshot
Note that a call to SampleModule::PI or SampleModule::DoTheCalculation would return an error.
When Import SampleModule1 is called, all the code which is outside of the function will be run – that is everything in Initialisation a) and Initialisation b) in the example above.
AskiaScripts evolve all the time… and we might create a function which conflicts with a user defined one. The user defined one should still work (and be called) once the new version is released – back compatibility is important.
One side effect of what we have decided to do with modules is that variable declared in the main scope will be global in a whole script if modules are not used. We are hoping we won’t regret this in the future but the aim of AskiaScripts is not to build full on applications… yet!
Functions and modules will be available in 5.4.5 – released in askiafield in February 2017. We will – at a later stage – introduce newer concepts – true OOP, lambda functions. Imagine two instantiated similar modules, it’s pretty much like two objects! We might have something like Dim myObject As Module1 somewhere down the line.
I also believe that we will like to add methods to Askia objects: example Array.RemoveDuplicates().
Script Remove Duplicates screenshot
Note the possible keywords Extends and This (should we call it This or Self?)
But in the meantime, what we have added should make most advanced users happier. We’d love to hear what you think and you suggest what we do next.
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Surface | Backfill | About | Contact
Ecuadorian Oil
Battle Rages With Ecuador Indians Over Jungle Oil
In the northern Amazon, Indians are suing a U.S. oil company over environmental damage they say ruined their land and made people sick. Further south, indigenous demonstrators have led violent protests to keep firms off their property.
... Analysts say it could be tough for Ecuador to attract investment unless tensions are eased with indigenous communities, who make up nearly half the people in the Amazon and are backed by a powerful national left-wing Indian movement.
They talk about scaring off oil investment like it's a bad thing. The environmental problems that surround most oil production, and the consequent problems for the humans who depend most directly on that environment, are enough to make me very skeptical of further drilling (though some companies, like BP, have been demonstrating that environmentally benign oil production is not impossible -- the question is how to create incentives for using this kind of best practice). But I would also be very concerned about overdependence of an economy on one industry, especially one that has links to local prosperity only through government appropriation and redistribution/spending of profits. Rather than pinning its hopes on a black gold windfall, Ecuador ought to be diversifying, and Indian activism out of environmental self-interest may have an unintended consequence of keeping the country from taking the easy, but ultimately unfulfilling, way out.
At the end of the article, we hear this:
"All the oil and gold that's in the earth should be exploited," said [Santiago] Alomoto, who is not Indian but a long-time jungle dweller. "But the wealth should stay right here."
My first reaction was to sympathize with Alomoto's perspective. Many of the problems of oil-based development stem from the fact that it's carried out by outside capital. This leads to an export of profits, as well as an easy indifference to environmental impacts on the part of those calling the shots -- after all, the sludge isn't being dumped in their backyards. My second response was skepticism. How could Amazonians put together the funds and knowledge to effectively exploit their oil reserves, especially if they were committed to a presumably high-tech standard of environmental best practice.
Then it occurred to me that, in the case of natural resource exploitation, it's not entirely clear who owns the "means of production," so to speak, and who is just a hireling. The dominant setup is for owners of oil resources to essentially sell themselves to the oil companies, just like owners of labor-power sell themselves to a company they want to work for. But what if they reversed the situation and the owners of oil production technology and equipment sold themselves to oil owners? Texaco or whoever would be hired to drill for the Amazonians. This would also go along with a changed property system, in which ownership of the oil would be shifted from the state to the local people. This kind of shift could undermine the power of the oil owners, since presumably the state is in a better position to get its way in negotiations with an oil company than a group of Indians would be. But this may be mitigated in a condition of oil scarcity -- the less oil there is to be had around the world, the stronger the position of the people who do have some.
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/29719
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Monday, May 3, 2010
MacRuby for Application Scripting
The MacRuby install includes macirb, the MacRuby equivalent of Ruby's irb command line interpreter.
Here is an example script to read from and control iTunes via the scripting bridge.
framework 'ScriptingBridge
itunes = SBApplication.applicationWithBundleIdentifier('')
track = itunes.currentTrack
name =
Here is an example script for Photoshop.
photoshop = SBApplication.applicationWithBundleIdentifier('com.adobe.photoshop')
doc = photoshop.currentDocument
n =
doc.rotateCanvasAngle 45
To see a list of what methods are available for an object, call its methods method as follows, subtracting out the methods available to Object.
photoshop.methods(true,true) - Object.methods(true,true)
Pretty cool stuff. I was never a big fan of AppleScript, and in fact stayed away from scripting applications because I didn't like using AppleScript. I can see MacRuby busting the doors off of scripting on the Mac!
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/29730
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Thursday, 6 October 2016
Extended CrmSvcUtil - Exporting an attribute list
A little feature of the Extended CrmSvcUtil I neglected to mention in my previous post (it was a late feature!) is the ability to export a list of strongly typed attribute names. This helps remove "magic strings" from your source and introduce some strongly typed attribute checking. This is useful, even when using Early Bound, as you often need to check the existence of an attribute.
For example, let's say you are writing a plugin that fires on update of contact and you wish to include a pre image containing the parent account. What you will often see is code like this:
if (preImage.Contains("parentcustomerid") == false)
//trace / throw an exception stating the parent count hasn't been provided...
Checking for null is not the same as checking for existence, because some contacts might not have a parent account set. So the check for existence is often quite important. Using an attribute list allows you to strongly type this instead as follows:
if (preImage.Contains(ContactAttributes.ParentCustomer) == false)
Another area where this is incredibly useful is when building queries using Query Expressions or Fetch Expressions. If you want to include a set of columns, or set a condition on an attribute you will end up with this type of code:
QueryExpression qe = new QueryExpression();
qe.EntityName = "contact";
qe.ColumnSet = new ColumnSet();
Being able to specify the attribute strongly, like the following looks much better:
This helps work around many issues, like typo bugs or name change, like in cases where somebody accidentally creates a field called "new_ProjjectType and wishes to fix the name of the field. If 5 or 6 plugins already reference this field and perform some logic based on its value you might end up with multiple "magic strings" to fix across your code. Using an attribute list is a 1 fix solution to the problem.
The source for the Extended CrmSvcUtil can be downloaded from git hub with the latest release available to download from here
1 comment:
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008
SQL Server Analysis Services 2008 Performance Tuning Whitepaper
This paper was recently released by Microsoft. It covers all of the things you need to look for when tuning SSAS 2008 (and is very relevant to 2005 as well). From the download description:
Enhancing Query Performance - Query performance directly impacts the quality of the end user experience. As such, it is the primary benchmark used to evaluate the success of an online analytical processing (OLAP) implementation. Analysis Services provides a variety of mechanisms to accelerate query performance, including aggregations, caching, and indexed data retrieval. In addition, you can improve query performance by optimizing the design of your dimension attributes, cubes, and Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) queries.
Enhancing Processing Performance - Processing is the operation that refreshes data in an Analysis Services database. The faster the processing performance, the sooner users can access refreshed data. Analysis Services provides a variety of mechanisms that you can use to influence processing performance, including efficient dimension design, effective aggregations, partitions, and an economical processing strategy (for example, incremental vs. full refresh vs. proactive caching).
Tuning Server Resources – There are several engine settings that can be tuned that affect both querying and processing performance.
Download the paper here: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=3be0488d-e7aa-4078-a050-ae39912d2e43&DisplayLang=en
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July 19, 2008
Magic Password Generator:Create Custom Passwords For Each Website
There are sure a lot of sites you browse everyday which demands a registered account in order to fully utilize the site features.There comes a new account a new password.Inorder to secure your accounts smartly you try to create a password hard to crack and in this process repeating with a bunch of websites you end up having a pile of passwords hard to remember.So what is the solution.Custom passwords for each site and a tool that remembers these passwords for you and protects those passwords from outside access by locking it with a master password.Sounds good.Read on.
Magic password generator is an addon to firefox that helps you do what i mentioned just above.The real use of this great tool shows off when you quite a number of passwords to remember.With this you only have to remember the master password and oh la la the addon does the rest of the job for you.Youtube,Gmail,Yahoo,Metacafe,Digg,Technorati,Reddit,Dailymotion and how many other sites do you access everyday and how many new ones do you join.I know the number goes on increasing as the time you spend on the internet increases.This tool manages your current accounts and assists you in creating and managing new accounts.Worth installing but on the dark side it is capable of managing only one email id which will be the master id.
You can install the addon from here.
1 comment:
1. The bread never falls but on its buttered side
Thanks for posting a comment.Your opinion is valuable.
Blogger Whale
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New Podcast: The Science of Happiness
BMP Audio has paired up with UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and Public Radio International to produce The Science of Happiness, a practical and inspiring new podcast. Learn research-tested strategies for a happier, more meaningful life, drawing on the science of compassion, gratitude, mindfulness, and awe. Hosted by GGSC Director Dacher Keltner. Listen to the trailer by clicking the play button above.
Subscribe now:
Apple Podcasts
Google Play
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/29759
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a blue rose
Embracing Homosexuality While Observing Christianity?
If there’s one topic I am most hesitant to say something about online, even the lightest comment, it’s homosexuality. Nowhere seems safe. But the topic is beginning to encroach on me in the form of a conference at the end of this month at a church within my denomination. Many words have already been spilled about this. There have been many posts and essays from the principals of the conference (and movement behind it) and their critics, and since the essence of the argument is on how to love our neighbors and fellow believers within a difficult context, background reading could take a long time, especially when the people behind the conference say they are being misrepresented and misunderstood.
The conference hopes to inspire Christian communities to embrace and empower “gay, lesbian, same-sex-attracted, and other LGBT Christians so they can flourish while observing the historic, Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.” That means the two conference principals and some supporters claim homosexuality as an identity description, albeit a disordered one, and that biblical morality does not allow its expression. Any act is a sin, the orientation is a disorder, but they nonetheless hope to embrace same-sex attraction in the form of Christian friendship.
Here’s how one writer puts it.
Just as chaste chivalry, to take just one example, can be an expression of heterosexuality, so we’re suggesting that chaste friendship (or a number of other ways of expressing love) can be an expression of homosexuality. Having gay sex is one way of being gay, but, if we’re taking our cues from the Christian tradition, it need not (must not) be the definitive way. My main worry with some of the “renunciation” and “surrender” and “death to self” language that Christians use in relation to homosexuality is that, for most people, it will end up implying that we believe all aspects of “being gay” are sinful.
I fully agree that love takes many expressions. I also tend to think Christians should be more expressively affectionate in general, that doing so would build everyone up in our community. But what’s described above appears to be a man’s desire to love another man, body and soul except with limits on the body half.
Compare this to what another writer says about “being gay.”
This man seeks to love and be loved in relationship to Christ, not a disordered orientation. He chooses not to define himself by what is clearly not of the Lord.
Are “all aspects of ‘being gay’ are sinful”? Is the sin in the act alone or is it also in the desire to act? Think about it. It’s a sin to steal, but is it a sin to covet? It’s a sin to sleep with someone’s wife, but what about lusting for her in privacy? It’s a sin to murder, but is it wrong to hate someone? Moreover, it’s a sin to create an idol out of wood or stone, but is it a sin to worship what that idol would represent?
Jesus answered these questions clearly, and this essay, “Learning to hate our sin without hating ourselves,” develops this line of thought better than I could.
Where does that leave us? Our neighbors and fellow believers who support homosexuality or feel same-sex attraction need to hear that they are valuable, dignified, respectable people (on a human level) who are desperately deceived and sinful (on a spiritual level). And everyone of us stands condemned of the same.
The most natural, the most human thing about us is a deceitful heart. We want to orient the world according to our own nature. And if our nature is controlling, abusive, indulgent, slothful, obsessive, or perverse, we naturally argue that life should be one of these ways. But by the blood of Christ Jesus, these worldly conformities are broken as we are renewed in His Word. None of us has moral high ground at the foot of the cross, and though we wish to embrace and empower believers in following Christ by the power of the Spirit, there is nothing in the LBGT+ community to embrace–nothing except what we already have, the evidence of our need for salvation.
3 thoughts on “Embracing Homosexuality While Observing Christianity?”
1. As one who has seen the majority of his old friends fall into error on this issue, I would say that you should be suspicious of sweet-sounding words. Ask yourself, “What if the subject were pedophilia? Would these arguments apply then?”
2. Yes, I think that’s where the majority of my denomination is landing. My first thoughts on this were to ask if anyone would call themselves and anorexic Christian or an alcoholic Christian. Sure, in a limited context we might say that about ourselves but this is not a limited context. This is a new definition of lifestyle.
3. Wow! So well said! Thank you, I have been struggling on what to say to a very sweet but confused young niece. This is perfect! 💕💕
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/29783
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My Research
My principal research interests are related to Parallel and Distributed Computing with a particular focus in Parallel Data Stream Processing, High Level Parallel Programming and Energy Awareness in Parallel Computing.
I am currently part of the SPCL Group at ETH Zurich.
Previously I was member of Parallel Programming Model Group at University of Pisa.
Currently I am a PostDoc at ETH Zurich.
Previously, I have completed my PhD at the University of Pisa with prof. Marco Danelutto and prof. Marco Vanneschi.
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A project implementer who is considering engaging in an improved cookstove project needs to consider the appropriate business models to support the design, manufacture, distribution, sales, marketing and maintenance of cookstoves, and potentially fuels as well. There are many different business models for clean cooking carbon projects, in order to determine which is right for your project, the following questions need to be answered:
What are the technology and design choices? More specifically, what are the design priorities (cost, fuel efficiency, emission reduction, attractiveness and/or ease of use)? What is the basic technology type (natural, forced draft, gasification, simple combustion)? What is the fuel type (raw biomass, processed biomass, charcoal, ethanol, LPG, biogas)? What is the manufacturing strategy (imported, mass-produced locally, made by artisans)?
Who are the target customers? More specifically, what are the demographic characteristics of households (income, education, occupation, household size, gender)? What is the geographic or regional focus? What is the dwelling location and type (rural, urban, peri-urban)? What are the competing fuels and cooking methods (kerosene, open fire, traditional stoves)?
What is the marketing strategy? More specifically, what are the product selling points (cost effectiveness, faster cooking time, health concerns)? How will the product be advertised (TV, radio, magazines, Internet, word-of-mouth, billboards, live demonstrations)?
What is the channel strategy? More specifically, what are the means of building and incentivizing a distribution network? What are the maintenance and after-market support strategies? What are the means of sourcing fuels (if the stove uses processed fuel)?
What are the organizational characteristics? More specifically, what is the type of organization (branch of a foreign/multinational company, indigenous company, NGO, government agency)? How many employees are there? How much experience does the management team have? What are the expected commercial and social returns? Are there other products sold by the organization, and, if so, does the organization have experience with products that are analogous to cookstoves?
For more information on business models, please see Cookstoves and markets: Experiences, successes and opportunities (GVEP, 2009), and Improved stoves in India: A study of sustainable business models (Shrimali et al., 2011).
Potential investments/funding models
A typical clean cookstove carbon project involves two main phases: the project implementation phase, where the project is registered under a carbon standard, and the operational phase, where carbon credits are continuously monitored, and then verified and sold. Different types of funding can support each step of the project. Typically, the following activities need funding:
1. Project Implementation Phase: setting up an organization (for implementation/distribution/maintenance), office infrastructure, conducting feasibility studies, performing baseline surveys, providing training and capacity building, registering the project under a carbon standard, as well as procuring the clean cookstoves and distributing them. All these activities result in one-time costs, which typically need to be covered upfront.
2. Project Operation Phase: covering operational expenditures like salaries, rent and other recurring costs, performing continuous monitoring and data collection, record-keeping, verifying the project in regular intervals, and maintaining the improved cookstoves. These activities result in recurring costs during the operation phase of a project.
In most cases, the project implementation relies on funds from investors or grants from development agencies (sometimes in the form of overseas development assistance (ODA)) to cover the initial costs of the project.
Carbon credits may be sold in advance (“sold forward”) or after they are issued by a carbon standard. If credits are sold after issuance, the revenue can only be used to cover operational costs, because the transaction happens during the project’s operational phase. If carbon credits are sold in advance, usually for a significant discount, pre-payments may be obtained to cover upfront investment during the implementation phase of the project.
The types of available funding models may also depend on the legal status and other characteristics of the project developer. In some cases, a private company may have more difficulty in accessing grants and ODA agencies.
Typical activities in a project cycle are listed below, along with potential sources of funding.
Project cycle stageActivityGrant-basedPrivate investment
Implementation phaseSetting up organization,
office infrastructure,
project feasibility studies,
baseline surveys
ODAs from grants agencyProject provides or acquires own funds
Implementation phase Training and capacity building,
registering the project under a carbon standard,
procuring clean cookstoves and distributing them
ODAs from grants agency;
Public-private partnerships
Private capital investment;
loans (concessional or market based);
public-private partnerships; prepayments from,
carbon credits sold ‘forward’
Operational phaseOperational expenditures like salaries,
rent and other recurring costs,
continuous monitoring and data collection,
record keeping,
verification and issuance of carbon credits,
servicing the improved cookstoves
Carbon credits;
Several organizations specifically support the development of improved cookstove projects with carbon finance. How easily financing can be accessed from these various organizations varies depending on the project development stage and characteristics of the project developer. Below is a non-exhaustive list of organizations and programs that have provided grants and loans to carbon project developers:
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Dec 15, 2018
2017-2018 SLCC General Catalog
Manufacturing Engineering: APE (CTE)
Associate of Pre-Engineering | 65 credits minimum
Engineering Department
Taylorsville Redwood Campus
SI 220
General Information (801) 957-4073
Program Information (801) 957-4780
Program Website
Academic and Career Advising
Academic Advisor SI 201C, (801) 957-4858
Program Faculty
Professors − Nick Safai, Lee Brinton, Holly Moore
Associate Professors − Sara Farida
Assistant Professors − Andrew Vogt, Wesley Sanders, Quentin McRae, James Smith
Program Description
Manufacturing engineering focuses on methods and processes of manufacturing.
Transfer/Articulation Information
Students transferring to Weber State University or Brigham Young University should refer to the Manufacturing Engineering Technology AS degree.
Program Entry Requirements
Estimated Time to Completion
Program Student Learning Outcomes Related College-Wide Student Learning Outcomes
1 - Acquire substantive knowledge
2 - Communicate effectively
3 - Develop quantitative literacies
4 - Think critically and creatively
5 - Develop knowledge and skills to be civically engaged
7 - Develop computer and information literacy
Be prepared for further study in Manufacturing Engineering or related disciplines at a four-year college or university.
Understand key concepts, definitions, formulas, applications, design & analysis of Manufacturing field. 1,3
Understand the mathematical tools necessary to perform engineering calculations - in particular Calculus, Linear Algebra & Differential Equations. 1,3
Develop the laboratory skills necessary to design, develop, build and perform scientific & engineering experiments, to be able to interpret collected data, and create an effective technical report/paper. 1,3,4
Be able to solve complex problems in science & manufacturing engineering using critical thinking skills. 1,4
General Education Requirements
Core Skills:
Quantitative Literacy (QL) 4 Credits
Distribution Areas:
Choose an additional nine credits from three of the following distribution areas. We recommend one of the courses should also be a Diversity course (DV).
Fine Arts (FA) 3-4
Humanities (HU) 3
Social Science (SS) 3
Sample Schedule
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Spirit In The Household Tree
I used to be slightly nervous, as a result of I would by no means given this sort of studying earlier than. I used to be going to be a detective, a seeker of souls misplaced within the thriller of time. Dora needed me to contact spirits she’d by no means met, as a result of they held vital clues to who she was, and the place she got here from. So, when she knocked on my workplace door just a few afternoons in the past, I whispered a fast prayer to my guides for assist, then ushered her in.
Individuals typically e book classes with me as a result of they need to hear from the spirits of their family members. Or, if they like a psychic studying, they need to find out about their life on the whole. With that sort of sitting, I nonetheless carry knowledge from the spirit world, after which encourage folks to make their very own selections about what’s finest for them.
Dora was a second-generation Canadian; her dad and mom, born in Hungary, “named me after Saint Dorothea of Caesarea, the patron saint of gardeners,” she mentioned proudly. Clearly, this girl knew her historical past. (Possibly, I assumed, I ought to ask her to have a look at my backyard, which wasn’t doing so nicely after the cruel winter.)
She was compiling details about her household tree, and hoped her ancestor within the spirit world would speak to her. She’d traced her household again to Hungary and Romania, however many information had been both misplaced or destroyed throughout World Struggle II and the next Communist occupation.
In a single hand, she clasped a darkish inexperienced folder full of papers. The opposite hand-held a small brown paper bag. As I led her to my workplace, she requested me about my very own Hungarian background – Molnar is a typical Hungarian identify, like Miller in England or Kelly in Eire.
“Sorry,” I mentioned with fun, gesturing for her to sit down. “I married into the clan.”
She pulled a small cellophane-covered paper plate from the bag and positioned it on my desk. “I made some poppyseed kolaches. It is from my grandmother’s recipe.”
The second I touched a kolache, I felt a mild male presence close by. I can not eat and message on the similar time, so I simply held the cookie and commenced talking.
“I’ve a gentleman with me,” I mentioned, “a gregarious fellow who cannot wait to speak. He is tall and broad-shouldered, and has a thick moustache. He is figuring out himself as great-grandfather. He is displaying me his arms – he labored together with his arms. Was he a sander?”
Dora dug by means of the papers in her folder and pulled a cracked, yellowed photograph of a burly man in a three-piece swimsuit standing subsequent to a seated girl who regarded like she’d simply swallowed a lemon slice. “That is Sandor,” she mentioned, announcing the identify because the Hungarian Shondor.
For the following twenty minutes Sandor “spoke” to me concerning the Nagy household, and advised Dora the place she may discover some details about her household. Sadly, the church in Sandor’s village that held the information burned down within the late 19th century. However the church’s graveyard had a small part for the Nagy household, and he or she might view the tombstones.
“Sandor’s son had two illegitimate youngsters,” I mentioned, passing her the data. “He additionally fathered a lady out of wedlock. By a lady who lived on a neighbouring farm.”
She sighed, a bit embarrassed to confess her grandfather’s fallibility. “We knew Béla was fairly a rascal!”
Just a few extra members of Dora’s spirit household got here by means of and Dora stuffed a number of pages with notes. When the session was over, she smiled and mentioned she’d try the data I would given her.
As I headed again to my workplace, I puzzled about my circle of relatives tree. I might solely hint my relations again just a few generations. There was a lot about my roots I did not know, and seeing Dora made me curious to know extra.
On my father’s facet, grandfather Sidney Kelly left Belfast for Canada; my father joked that Sidney was “kicked out of Eire for stealing cows.” My mom’s household got here from Austria and Czechoslovakia, and her father, Oscar Epstein, was thought to be a hero for saving tons of of Jews throughout World Struggle II by bringing them to Canada.
And earlier than that? Who had been my ancestors through the Renaissance? Did some historic Kelly in Gaul combat in opposition to Caesar’s armies? Do I’ve Druid blood inside me, and did my kin worship at Stonehenge?
Sometime, I will journey to Belfast and get Sidney’s story. We must always all attempt to hold the roots of our household tree wholesome and robust, I assumed, as I reached for an additional kolache.
When you have any questions or feedback on this topic or on some other religious matter, be at liberty to put in writing me at [email protected].
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Importance of Entrepreneurship Now
The world economy faces a massive disruption of labor. Jobs are going to machines at an alarming rate, and ramifications will alter everything we know about work. Three forces have been at work since 1990, but will soon go to warp speed. First is the Gig Economy, which is an environment in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers. A study by Intuit predicted that by 2020, 40 percent of American workers would be independent contractors.
Second is the automation of anything that is repetitive and can be replaced by robotics; most automobiles are now made by robots. Third is the combination of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. Artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. Deep learning is a type of machine learning that trains a computer to perform human-like tasks, such as recognizing speech, identifying images or making predictions.
Because Big Data has been growing expodentially, AI and deep learning have much to work from. In 2013 SINTEF estimated that 90% of all information in the world had been created in the prior two years. Lots of data is exactly what machines need in order to learn to learn. Google’s DeepMind AI has learned how to read and comprehend what it reads through thousands of annotated news articles.
McKinsey research says that up to one-third of U. S. workers and 800 million globally could be displaced by 2030. They recommend businesses and policymakers act now to keep people employed. The single most impactful solution is to empower one and all with entrepreneurship whose innovative and creative skills can allow laborers to transit to self-employment (or to thrive as a freelancer in the Gig Economy).
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Sunday, May 27, 2007
Aquarama 07
Just in case you folks don't know, Aquarama 07 is at Suntec till tml, 27th May 07.
Do go see fishie if u're a fish fan! (P.S. not for consumption wor. =P)
Anyway courtesy of TK who got 1 of his gals (yes qianqian, but that 1 not ur fren) to come out and pass us the passes.
Then again, so weird!!! Imagine me wearing the pass that says "Hwee Sun".
On 2nd tot, at least it sounds better than me wearing Joelle's pass that says "Iris".
There's lots of fishes on display for the fish competition.
You all can have fun identifying which is which fish. =)
So manage to identify the names of those fishes above? =P
Anyway since TK wasn't around, we decide to drop and check out what his booth is selling.
We saw Qianqian's friends (Hwee Sun, Iris, Shu Ping) & another gal called Zhi Hui (Frenie, ur fren?) who's manning the booth and helping TK sell his products.
Of which we are amazed by this particular plant, cos it's imported from Australia and it cost like $58 for like a ultra small patch of grass.
To quote Joelle, "WAH THIS 1 IS GINSENG AH!?!"
(too bad forget to take foto of the gals grass)
Anyway, it's all fishies products and aquarium related stuff, so do check out on Sunday if you're interested k?
Entry for adults @ $8, free for kids below 12. =)
On a side note, Qianqian probably know what I wanted to say. =)
And no, it's not about her frens k? Fotos quite deceiving sometimes wor. =P
Anyway fat is subjective. I ish fat. So don't say people fat k?
On a side side note, I made it to the Brand's Sudoku Challenge's semi-finals. heee...
Somemore got home ground advantage, hurhurhur... =P
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2 MoOeD~!!
At 3:57 pm, June 01, 2007, Blogger aquariss said...
Hi there,
chanced upon your blog. I got into brand's sudoku challenge too. Good luck to you. btw, home advantage means?
At 9:23 am, June 05, 2007, Anonymous Anonymous said...
My guess is that he studies/works at SMU.
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CreepersinCast Ep19 The State of TV, Bruce Hart and Corporate Cutthroat Massacre
Hey Creeper Crew! Here is episode 19 where i bitch about television and also tell you why i love it! Also, an interview with actor / producer Bruce Hart! I talk about my film Corporate Cutthroat Massacre. I also give you the world premire of the new Creepersin track off of Creepersin Go Home, Giant Robots Attack! Action packed!
Please check out my new show Creeps Show at
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Friday, June 29, 2007
Pure Drama
I always find out about these things after everyone else in the world already knows about them. Which is why I am probably the last person in the world to have sat and laughed and laughed and laughed while watching this five second clip over and over:
If I hadn't seen and enjoyed Kill Bill so much, I might not have appreciated this "remix:"
Good times!
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McFAT 17
It's the seventeenth installment of the McFAT, MCF's question and answer test for fellow bloggers.
1) What was the first swear word you learned?
(You can, of course choose to censor your answer.)
I vividly remember an incident from my childhood when I swore in front of a large group of adults, although I thought at the time that I wasn't swearing. It all comes down to context:
When I was a kid, my parents, who were Christian fundamentalists, took my sister and I to church regularly. I remember begging them at some point when I was about six to let me start attending "grown-up church" with them instead of going to the kids' sermon. Eventually they gave in.
I remember being amazed once I started hearing the grown-up sermons at how much cussin' the preacher usually did. Specifically, he used the word hell very frequently. I'd always thought of hell as a swear word since I'd typically only heard it used as an expletive, followed by instructions not to repeat what I'd heard said. So I was quite concerned about all the cussin' that our preacher was doing.
I remember asking my mom about it and I remember her explaining to me that it was OK for the preacher to say hell because he was actually talking about hell and not swearing. Well, the concept of context was lost on me. All I came away from that conversation with was it's OK to say hell.
Fast forward about a week or so to a hot summer day at my grandmother's house. I'd been outside playing with my cousins and I came inside and informed everyone that it was "hotter than all hell" outside. A hush filled the room. I was instructed to quit cussin' and I'm willing to bet I got spanked in the bargain.
This was my first lesson in context. What I learned was this: Never trust grown-ups.
2) If you could have a functioning version of any comic book character's accessory or vehicle, which would you choose and why?
The Tumbler. Nothing else is close. Now, I suppose I might be fudging the answer here a bit because the Tumbler is actually a cinematic reimagining of the Batmobile, but I still have to go with it. There's just nothing cooler. Man, how awesome would it be to have that thing? Of course, I'd get all kinds of tickets for the way I'd drive it. Now, wait, scratch that. The cops could never stop me in the Tumber. Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!
3) What is your least favorite exercise?
I don't like the part where you get off the couch and do stuff.
4) Can you keep a secret?
Wouldn't YOU like to know.
SPECIAL BONUS QUESTION: What is my middle name?
(I probably won't answer this one, but it will be fun to see what people say...)
Well, the two most common American male middle names are David and Wayne. I'd like to hedge my bets and guess both of them, but I suppose I'm supposed to guess one name … so I'll combine them and guess that MCF's middle name is Wayvid. Michael Wayvid Whorenelli. For Senate.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ugly News About Thompson
The, um, objective and unbiased reporters in the MSM are really starting to get vicious about Fred Thompson. Check out this churlish item from ABC News:
Good Lord! Sounds terrible. Reading that did give me pause, I have to admit. I'm glad to see, though, that Thompson brushes the charges off at his blog. His response is an audio file and you can load it in a new window by clicking here.
I wish, though, that he'd be a little more specific about these charges. (Give me specific info I can use to defend your {almost} campaign, Senator Thompson. Those charges are really ugly.) I've become a Thompson booster of late and I'm only inches away from that all-important Official SouthCon Endorsement. I'd like to have reason to believe, though, that Thompson hasn't really worked shamelessly for Haitian dictators before I put up the old "Thompson '08" banner in my sidebar.
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Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Movies, Blogs, Etc
I think I might take film geeks down soon. Wendy has lost all interest in blogging, and assures me that she'll likely never blog again, at least not at film geeks. I haven't had the drive to write reviews for film geeks in a long time. The heavy metal blog I started a while back is languishing, too. I've learned about myself that I will occasionally get the urge to start new blog x, convinced that it will be a fun hobby, and then I lose interest as soon as I've set it up.
Wendy and I saw two good movies over the last several days. Right now we don't have any of our kids, so we've had the chance to see some movies we'd otherwise not get to see.
1408 turned out to be a pretty good, somewhat scary horror film. Have you noticed, by the way, that the best horror movies of the last several years have been PG-13 films? The R rated horror films are all gore and gratuitous nonsense. The horror films that actually involve good acting and interesting stories end up rated PG-13. 1408 is a good example of that trend, like The Exorcism Of Emily Rose and Signs and The Sixth Sense. John Cusack pulled of a compelling performance, which was pretty important in a film that amounted to a one-man show about regret and redemption. I'd give 1408 three out of five stars. It's nice to see that there are still people in Hollywood who realize the difference between genuinely frightening stories and pointless gorefests.
The movie I have to enthusiastically recommend, though, is Knocked Up. Oh, it's not for everyone. There is a fair amount of raunchy humor, the movie earns it's R rating. This is the new film from the folks who made The 40 Year Old Virgin. Knocked Up kept us laughing for the whole duration of the film, and the story was really enjoyable. The best thing about the movie is that the characters were all likable people who were celebrated in the film for doing the right thing. They weren't perfect people, and some of them had to make major changes over the course of the film, but they were believable and likable characters. Without realizing it, I found myself really rooting for them, hoping that the story would treat them well. The story was about a guy and a girl who managed to get themselves pregnant on a one-night stand, and then were faced with the difficulty of doing the right thing over the next nine months.
I really enjoyed the film, and not just because it was funny. The two main characters never considered abortion, and the people in their lives who suggested abortion were portrayed as immature, selfish or just plain mean. Instead of aborting the child for convenience's sake, the new mom and pop decided to try the old fashioned thing; getting together for the kid's sake and trying to make it work. It might seem unbelievable to some people that something like that is even possible, but it really played believably in Knocked Up. It isn't that far fetched, after all; I mean, two people who share the same priorities when it comes to the really important stuff already have a head-start on other couples. I liked both of the main characters a lot, and Seth Rogan, the slacker Albert Brooks of his generation, is emerging as an unlikely but highly likable movie star. As a film that kept me laughing and just generally made me happy all the way through, I have to give Knocked Up five out of five stars.
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Friday, June 22, 2007
Hits On Thompson
The lefties must be trembling a bit about Fred Thompson, since the "vast left-wing conspiracy" against him is kicking into high gear.
Classic smear politics; the first strike is to try to separate Candidate X from Candidate X's base. The lefties are trying hard to drive a wedge between Thompson and conservatives. Newsweek recently ran a story about Thompson in which they indicated that he was soft on core conservative issues, like abortion and campaign finance.
But as Andy Selepak points out for Accuracy In Media, it ain't necessarily so:
According to Newsweek, ... Thompson's answers to a number of surveys in office "could be viewed as supporting abortion rights."
What exactly were his pro-abortion responses he made on these surveys? According to Newsweek, "on a 1994 Eagle Forum survey, Thompson said he opposed criminalizing abortion."
You mean that Thompson doesn't want every woman who's had an abortion thrown in jail? GASP! Well, he just can't really be a conservative pro-lifer! I mean, EVERYBODY knows that all us conservative pro-lifers want every woman who's had an abortion thrown in jail!
Except that we don't. But, of course, since that's what the media says about us, that's what the lefties all believe ... and, of course, they think that Thompson's unwillingness to throw women who've already been through the heartbreak of abortion into prison simply must mean that he's at odds with the pro-life movement.
Nice try, Newsweek, but if you're going to try to imply that Thompson doesn't share our pro-life values, you oughta learn just what pro-life values actually are.
Selepak continues:
Thompson's view about when life begins has also evolved since 1994. Newsweek reported that in a recent Fox News interview he said "he's always been against abortion, but that the issue has 'meant a little more' since he saw the sonogram of his 3-year-old daughter." Thompson added in the interview, "I'll never feel that same way again. Not only is it in my head, it's in my heart now."
In the end, the article acknowledged that his Senate voting record included votes to block federal funding for abortions and in support of a partial-birth-abortion ban. The National Right to Life organization gave him a 100 percent rating.
Wow, accuracy from Newsweek. Wonders never cease.
The article attempts to tarnish his campaign before it even starts, in the eyes of Republican voters, by portraying him as anti-conservative. But Thompson isn't pro-abortion and never has been. He has expressed concerns about his vote on McCain-Feingold, and in refusing to play partisan politics in a corruption investigation, Thompson showed the signs of a fair and decent man―the qualities admired in a leader by both conservatives and liberals.
Thompson may not be a "southern-fried Reagan," but he is definitely not Newsweek's mis-portrayal of him either. Like all candidates, the American people still need to learn more to determine who should be the next president. But, what the American people don't need is a misinformation campaign by the media to take down a candidate because he could defeat the Democratic nominee.
Step one in the Thompson attack schedule is going to fail because conservatives know more about our own people than lefties do. Step two will be the usual scare tactics: "Thompson wants to take away all civil liberties, throw old people into a ditch to die and reinstate the draft!" You watch and see.
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Thursday, June 21, 2007
Oh, dear Lordy Lord the stories I could tell about the day I've had:
Someday I'll find humor in all of this.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Go Ahead, Fred!
I like the looks of this:
Yeah, my support for Thompson is growing exponentially. The more I learn about the guy, the better I like his (soon to be) campaign.
Meanwhile, Kristine has a Hillary video with a cringe factor of about 15 on a ten scale. Geez, Billary is the creepiest celebrity couple in history.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Gotta Love National Lampoon
Alright, it's no Lawrence of Arabia, but it'll have to do:
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Culture Wars Re-Examined
There is an interesting and worthwhile piece in the current National Review, written by libertarian Brink Lindsey. In A Farewell To Culture Wars, Lindsey argues that the current problems within the American conservative movement are due to the conservative focus on social conservatism. Lindsey offers advice to the modern American conservative, advice to the effect that conservatives should abandon the causes of social conservatism and focus on the free market and national security.
This isn't surprising, since that's basically the libertarian position on everything anyway. Lindsey's advice to conservatives is really just "Become libertarians."
Ramesh Ponnuru's brief response to Lindsey's argument is laudable, although he doesn't go far enough in defending social conservatism. I agree with both Lindsey and Ponnuru that the heart of the conservative movement is a defense of inherently liberal causes. I agree with Ponnuru about the flaw in Lindsey's advice: Lindsey says that, by focusing on social issues, conservatives are throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Alright, but one man's bathwater is another man's baby. Ponnuru argues that there's validity to the social conservative perspective, but he stops short of addressing the very real shortcomings of American secular leftism.
So, yes, a conservative defense of basic liberal concepts is vital. American conservatism is often at it's best when it's defending democracy, free speech, the rights of the individual, and other inherently liberal concepts. What the social conservative opposes in the modern day, however, typically isn't classic liberalism. What the social conservative opposes is rampant secular leftism. There are critical differences.
Classic liberals and social conservatives agree, for instance, that tolerance is important. We must tolerate a certain amount of bad behavior from those around us. Social conservatives and classic liberals can agree about that. The problem is that American secular leftists want to redefine tolerance. Here's what I mean: It is tolerance, for example, when I insist that, although I find homosexuality to be abhorrent and unnatural, I don't believe that basic human rights should be denied to homosexuals. They should be as free as I am. Now, that's where tolerance stops, but it isn't enough for secular leftists. Those who insist that society must redefine marriage so that it's a contract between any two people aren't advancing the cause of tolerance. They're simply promoting a secular leftist agenda. There's a difference between a defense of the homosexual's basic human rights and the contradiction of logic, biology, and all of human history in order to make homosexuals feel better about themselves.
Beyond that, the social conservative isn't bound to tolerate behavior that's threatening to the welfare of others. That's why social conservatives oppose abortion on demand; it's the taking of human life in the name of convenience.
As with "gay marriage," those who advocate abortion on demand are basically arguing that one's chosen lifestyle trumps everything. Biology, accountability and logic, to the secular liberal, are what you make of them. That's nonsense. Social conservatives would do well to step up their dedication to these issues, not pull back from them.
Beyond the basic arguments against secular leftism, there's another reason why social conservativism is more important now than ever. In The Enemy At Home, Dinesh D'Souza argues convincingly (if controversially) that American secular leftism represents a grave international threat to America. That's because the most effective recruitment tool available to terrorist groups is the visage of American secular leftism and it's resultant culture. It is true, like it or not, that America is seen as decadent and even evil by traditional cultures the world over. This is especially true in Muslim countries where even the most complacent citizens are likely to respond with outrage to blasphemy, abortion, flaming homosexuality and immodesty. If terrorist leaders like Osama bin Laden need to convince traditional Muslims that America is a force that threatens their culture, he only need point out America's cultural exports. This is especially easy with Muslims who already live (or have lived) in western society, where American cultural exports are prevalent. From Brokeback Mountain to Madonna to TV shows like The Real World, traditional Muslims find much to despise in America. Unfortunately, many of them have become willing to respond with violence against a culture that they believe is hell-bent on destroying traditional values.
That is not to say that Bin Laden doesn't take issue with America's presence in the Middle East or with American foreign policy in general. He does. But remember that he draws the support he needs from a pool of young Muslims; traditional and profoundly religious people who are often acquainted with America through her cultural exports.
On the surface, it seems ironic. If the radical Muslim threat is aimed primarily (or even partly) at secular leftist culture, why aren't secular leftists enthusiastic supporters of the war on terrorism? Well, remember that American secular leftists see Muslim terror groups as a distant, intermittent threat. Leftists believe that the real enemies, the people that they hate the most, are social conservatives. In the mind of an American secular leftist, social conservatism and it's figurehead George W. Bush must be brought down at any cost. That's why they root against America in the war on terror. To them, it's "Bush's war." Any defeat for Bush is a victory for secular leftists, and they're willing to sacrifice American troops and damage American interests abroad. To the secular leftist, that's a small price to pay for what they see as a greater victory.
Social conservatives face a demanding and complex struggle, caught between secular leftists and the radical Muslims who see secular leftism as reason enough to despise the west. The cause of social conservatism requires greater dedication and clearer thought now than it ever has. In short, Lindsey is wrong. Social conservatism isn't a hindrance to the American conservative movement. It is the main front of the battle. True enough, conservatives might gain votes by abandoning social conservatism, but at what cost? What does it profit a man if he gains the House and Senate but loses his soul and the whole world?
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What's Next? Salmon Kool-Aid?
Ever have one of those days when you couldn't chose between a salad and a soft drink? Well, why choose?
Let's put Pepsi Ice Cucumber to the You Tube taste test, shall we?
Yum! I don't know about you, but I can't wait until Pepsi Ice Cucumber is on our shores. Green flavor! That's what my summer's been missing.
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Monday, June 18, 2007
Found My Candidate?
I've been pretty ambivalent about the current crop of Presidential hopefuls. Believe it or not, I would consider voting for a Democrat if he talked sense and was reliable on ..... Oh, what the hell am I saying? A Democrat talking sense??!? Ha ha!
Anyway, the current crop of Republican candidates all strike me as a pretty lame crew, but one guy who is about to announce his candidacy seems to be speaking my language.
The more I hear about Fred Thompson and from Fred Thompson, the more I like him. I can really see me supporting the guy eventually.
Here's a YouTube clip, Thompson with Chris Wallace a while back:
Now, granted, I have my days of disgust with the war in Iraq, and I sometimes throw up my hands and say "It's not worth it, bring the boys home." I realize, though, on a deeper level, that we can't abandon Iraq. It's just difficult to stay focused on reality when all you hear day in and day out is gloom and doom. I admit, I had a MSM relapse earlier this month and started getting my news from network TV again. It was a mistake, it won't happen again. Not everyone reporting on Iraq has the same bias and the same agenda as the MSM and those in DC and in the Green Zone.
Ultimately, though, I think I just wrote my "abandon Iraq" post on a grouchy day.
Anyway, I think Thompson could both make sound decisions on Iraq and communicate them to the American people much better than the current President. That might be part of the problem; maybe most of the problem: Dubya just can't communicate.
Thompson's positions are solid conservative common sense on the other issues, such as taxes, abortion, stem cell research, abortion, commerce, immigration, abortion, gun rights, abortion, abortion, trade and abortion. (I admit, I often tend to be a one-issue voter. As much as I like Rudy Giuliani, I could never vote for him.)
The only thing I disagree with Thompson on is the death penalty. He supports it. And, let's face it, until my personal pick for the ultimate candidate (Michael Steele) decides to run, solid conservatives who oppose the death penalty are gonna be hard to find.
Anyway, yeah, Thompson is solid. Hopefully he'll announce soon. If you want to check into his record and opinions, here are some good resources:
Fred Thompson's YouTube Channel
I'm With Fred (Close to an official campaign page)
Fred Heads
Draft Fred Thompson (A discussion board)
The Fred Thompson Report (Thompson's ABC Radio podcast)
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Sunday, June 17, 2007
Happy Father's Day
It's rare that items from the Roanoke Times editorial page appeal to me, but the one linked here did: I'm both a stepfather and a stepson, so John Long's column about a stepfather-in-law that he never met struck a chord with me.
Our Fathers are where we find them, and sometimes biology isn't a factor at all. Happy Father's Day to you and to yours.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
No Justice. No Peace. No Surprise.
Today there was a move toward justice in the case of the three Duke lacrosse team members who were accused of raping and beating a black stripper in March of 2006.
As you no doubt know by now, those accused college students didn't rape or beat anyone. Nonetheless, they were dogged and persecuted relentlessly by Durham County's Democrat District Attorney Mike Nifong, even as the case against them crumbled. Nifong lied, misrepresented evidence, manipulated witnesses and brought an indictment against the students without even interviewing the alleged "rape victim." His actions were clearly political in nature, motivated by his desire to win black votes during a hotly contested local primary.
Just a few minutes ago, a legal disciplinary committee found Mike Nifong guilty of his egregious and reprehensible misconduct. Nifong has been disbarred and will probably never practice law again. Now, God willing, Nifong will have criminal (or at least civil) charges brought against him. Losing his license to practice law isn't enough. Nifong should face the very fate he tried so hard to rig for the Duke lacrosse players: Lafong should face jail time.
Of course, Mike Nifong isn't the only scumbag in this case. Here's a list of other people who need to be brought to account for their crimes.
Crystal Gail Mangum
Meet the lying stripper (and career criminal) who falsely accused the Duke lacrosse team members of raping her. Crystal Mangum is walking, talking trash and she deserves to serve time for the heinous false charges that she brought against those three boys. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper has said that it is "not in the best interest of justice" to charge Mangum for her crimes? Why not? WHY THE HELL NOT?? Falsely accusing a man of rape is just about the closest thing that a woman can do to actually committing rape. Charges like the ones she brought will hang over these three boys for the rest of their lives. They've been hounded and threatened and dogged for more than a year now, all because this woman lied. She should have to answer for that.
Duke President Richard Brodhead
Dick Brodhead just couldn't wait to see the three lacrosse players swing for their crimes. While one of the students had already graduated before the false charges were brought, the other two were suspended right away. Brodhead told WRAL TV that "if our students did what is alleged, it is appalling to the worst degree. If they didn’t do it, whatever they did is bad enough." Nice, huh? Whatever they did is bad enough, even if they didn't do anything. Great job backing up your students, there, Dick. In January of 2007, after it was obvious even to comatose people that the accused students were innocent, Brodhead allowed the two suspended students to return to Duke, saying "We have decided that the right and fair thing to do is to welcome back (the two students) to resume their studies at Duke for the spring semester." No, that's not the right thing to do. The right thing to do is wait until they're convicted and then and only then should you suspend them. Of course, doing the right thing isn't as important as doing the politically correct thing. Right, Dick?
Academic Wildman Houston Baker
After the false charges were brought against the three Duke students, English Professor Houston Baker wrote an emotionally unhinged letter to the school Administration, demanding to know "what have Duke and its leadership done to address this horrific, racist incident alleged to have occurred in a university-owned property in the presence of members of one of its athletic teams?" Baker was ready to precede the administration and the very rule of law by convicting the lacrosse team of barbaric racism: "Receiving emails and telephone calls of concern from friends nationally and internationally, we have been deeply embarrassed by the silence that seems to surround this white, male athletic team's racist assaults (by words, certainly - deeds, possibly) in our community … Young, white, violent, drunken men among us - implicitly boasted by our athletic directors and administrators - have injured lives." Except, of course, they were innocent. I'll be waiting for Baker's letter of apology to those he's falsely accused, but I won't be holding my breath.
Protest-Happy Whack Jobs
Now, God knows that college students aren't the kind to march, protest and generally raise hell without a good reason (nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!), but many members of Duke's student body just couldn't wait to get out in the street waving signs and demanding the heads of the accused lacrosse players. Signs featuring pictures of the three students were crafted into wanted posters, declaring them guilty of rape simply as a matter of fact. Members of the New Black Panthers (AKA: The Black Klan) came to Duke wearing combat boots and military fatigues and looking for whitey's blood. One of the Black Panthers whispered to one of the accused students that he was "a dead man." The Panthers weren't allowed on campus itself, but they did protest outside of the lacrosse team members' residence, looking very spiffy and GI Joe-ish in their cute little outfits. So when will they be apologizing? Not today? Oh, I suppose their schedule is full. After all, there are other 20-something white boys all over the world, and all of them need harassing.
Al Sharpton
Do I even need to mention this putz? We all know what Al Sharpton is all about. He's made a career out of bringing false charges of rape and kidnapping, provoking violence, making threats, telling lies and race bating. So it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Big Al weighed in on the Duke rape charges, too. Sharpton went on the Bill O'Reilly program on Fox News and proceeded to offer analysis of the DNA, the prosecutor's case, and the racist elements of the so-called "rape." Of course, Al isn't going to apologize for anything he's said or done here. He's never apologized for any of his offense, and there's no reason to start now.
It all comes down to this: Giving allegations of rape against Duke students to the media was like throwing raw beef to hungry dogs. The American media just loves this kind of thing, it fits right into their leftist agenda. All the elements were there, all the sensationalism: Rich boys assaulting a poor woman, white boys assaulting a black woman, (any boys assaulting any woman, for that matter). The media ate it up and had these boys convicted in the court of public opinion before they knew what had hit them. And, of course, all the usual suspects chimed in. The riff raff from academia, media whores, the we'll-protest-anything crowd, and, of course, crooked politicians in the DA's office. Nobody ever asked if these boys had actually done anything before the accusations started flying. And once it turned out that they were innocent, everybody just lost interest.
More must be done. Disbarring Mike Nifong was a good start. Let's hope it's just a start.
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Thursday, June 14, 2007
Garbage Scan
Ever since the wonderful, brilliant, beautiful Yellow Ledbetter video showed up on You Tube, there's been a lot of discussion everywhere about funny and infamous misheard song lyrics. Yellow is one of the biggest You Tube videos ever. I've heard it discussed on the radio, on TV, at work, etc.
This is a collection of a few misheard lyrics. Let me qualify this by saying that this video is nowhere near as funny as the Yellow Ledbetter video, but you might see a few things here that make you grin. And each of them is, supposedly, an honest example of what someone thought the lyrics were.
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Tuesday, June 12, 2007
I Am Legend
The new Will Smith movie, I Am Legend, is a remake of The Omega Man. Well, remake might not be the right way to say it. They're both from the same source material, Richard Matheson's novel. I am the one weirdo in the whole world who doesn't much like Will Smith. But I have to admit that the trailer for I Am Legend looks really good. As amazing as a decimated London was in 28 Days Later, this vision of an abandoned NYC is really something:
Throw in the prereq bloodthirsty vampire zombie monster things and this could be a big ol' messy, fun film.
My one complaint is that, based on the trailer, the score seems to be a ripoff of my all-time favorite movie score, Requiem For A Dream. I know that sometimes studios will "borrow" music from other films for movie trailers, but that doesn't seem to be the case, here. This is not the actual music from RfaD, this is just a snippet of a blatant ripoff.
And just in case you're on the same wrong track that Wendy was, no, this movie is not about Grammy winning singer/songwriter/pianist John Legend.
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Saturday, June 09, 2007
The ShawSKANK Redemption
I haven't written much about the Paris Hilton jail fiasco because ... well, I don't care. When she was ceremoniously released from jail the other day, I thought "That figures." I heard that Sheriff Lee Baca had released her due, in part, to a "medical condition" and I thought "I guess her system locks up if she goes more than two days without doing coke and blowing a rich stranger." Big deal.
Then I found out that Paris had been thrown BACK in jail and ... man, I gotta admit, I haven't stopped giggling yet.
I don't know about you, but I look at the picture of Paris below, in a patrol car headed back to lock-down, and I have to think "That's hot."
By the way, I hereby nominate Judge Michael Sauer for the title of Supreme Coolest Dude Who Ever Walked On The Friggin' Planet Earth.
And I nominate Sheriff Lee Baca for the title of Schmuck Of The Moment. As it turns out, this let-the-rich-girl-loose garbage isn't even the worst of his recent offenses:
Just last month, Baca raised eyebrows by approving five new reality shows based on the doings of his 9,000-employee department, including its crime lab, patrol cars and homicide unit.
Last year, Baca's Homeland Security Support Unit -- a 50-member team of business leaders who included political donors -- was a subject of inquiries after it was revealed that they received official-looking badges with Sheriff's Department emblems and photo identifications bearing Baca's signature. Attorney General Jerry Brown's office said Friday that a legal opinion on the matter of whether state agencies can issue official-looking identification is now pending.
Maybe the attention will end up costing this moron his job and the good people of LA will get a new Sheriff who's interested in ... what is it again? Oh, yeah... ENFORCING THE DAMN LAW.
Oh, yeah ... if you're curious, here's the document that Judge Sauer signed to send Paris back to jail. Even the handwriting is sexy:
Turns out, that little piece of paper trumps the pieces of paper that the Hilton clan had tried to use to get Paris out of jail:
And, last but not least, I'll wrap up with my favorite piece of video from this debacle... this is a press conference wherein it's announced that Paris has to go back to jail. If you listen closely, you can hear the actual audio of my reaction to the news. (This video is 25 seconds long and shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes to load, even if you recently had to go back to dial-up.)
Look, I know that it's wrong to draw pleasure from someone else's suffering. Even a spoiled, rich, slutty brat who represents everything that's wrong with the world deserves peace of mind. I know it's wrong for me to be enjoying this.
Sorry. Can't help it.
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Friday, June 08, 2007
The Last Stand
Wednesday was the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, the largest and most important amphibious invasion ever mounted.
The June 6th, 1944 allied invasion of Normandy in France decisively turned the tide of World War Two in Europe and virtually insured the defeat of Nazi Germany, which was simply stretched too thin to fight a war on two fronts. The allied forces that invaded Normandy faced tremendously difficult odds. Germany boasted that it's defense of France from amphibious assault was impenetrable. An allied preparatory exercise before the invasion (called Exercise Tiger) was a disastrous failure, confirming the difficulty of allied communication during such a large-scale invasion. Even the weather seemed to be plotting with the Axis powers, with storms that made the trip across the English Channel especially difficult for the invading allies. Nonetheless, American, Canadian and British forces (combined with the efforts of the French Resistance) mounted the invasion and simply hoped for the best. Failure would leave only the potential for a political solution to World War Two. Essentially, the failure of the Invasion of Normandy would amount to a shabby but real European victory for Hitler.
American, Canadian and British troops marched into Hell on June 6th, 1944. When the few remaining survivors are interviewed today, invariably they say "I didn't expect to be alive at nightfall." It's obvious from their eyes that they mean it. Each of them thought that the invasion of Normandy was a suicide mission. Each of them knew that the free world as we knew it hinged on that invasion. Each of them was willing to try.
Because of the successful Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, France was ultimately liberated from Nazi domination. Overwhelmed by the Russians to the east and the allies to the west, German forces were defeated. World War Two ended, order was restored to Europe.
It's been 63 years and, frankly, nobody cares anymore.
The generation that fought World War Two has been called The Greatest Generation. That's not entirely accurate. I'd say that a better name for our grandparents would be "The Last Great Generation." If it's an exaggeration, it's only a slight one to say that "they saved the world." It is, however, no exaggeration to say that their children and grandchildren lack even a tenth of their wherewithal.
Our grandparents. The last generation that was capable of any meaningful unity. The last age that could do what needed to be done rather than wallowing in politics and relativism. God bless them. May they forgive us for the way we've wrecked the freedom that they won for us. May they forgive the selfishness of their children, the indifference of their grandchildren, and the eventual surrender of liberty.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Whitest Kids
There's a new sketch comedy show on Fuse TV called The Whitest Kids U Know. I'd describe it as a cross between The Kids In The Hall (as far as style is concerned) and The Tom Green Show (with regard to content), and South Park (in terms of subtlety). The show is patently offensive, extremely immature, and clearly wrong in many ways. I'd say I laugh at ... oh ... about 67.4% of their sketches.
Here are the three funniest sketches I've seen on the show so far. This first one will be particularly funny to anyone who's ever deliberated over a tattoo:
Pretty funny, huh? Of course, nobody would actually ever get a tattoo like that, would they?
Then there's this bit which make me cackle, too, in spite of myself:
Oh, here's some cool info... one of the Whitest Kids, Trevor Moore (the one getting the tattoo in the first clip) is a homeboy. His bio at the Whitest Kids site says he's from Virginia, and according to Wikipedia, he got his start with a local TV show in Charlottesville, a city near and dear to my heart. How cool is that?
I'll wrap up with one last skit, an obvious parody of shows like Jackass and Fear Factor, that made me laugh out loud. Don't worry, it's not what the intro makes it seem like it's going to be, but it is very funny and probably a very little bit NSFW:
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Monday, June 04, 2007
Sexy Panda
The difficulty of breeding Giant Pandas in captivity is detailed in the following presentation:
Hat tip to Unseen, who lead me to Mediocre Films, where I found the clip above.
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Sunday, June 03, 2007
Nessie Lives! (?)
New video, shot by an amateur scientist (whatever that is) in Scotland is the most recent "evidence" to support the existence of the Loch Ness Monster:
I'm skeptical, because that's my nature, but I think it would be awesome if it did turn out that there's an unusually large animal in Loch Ness. How cool would that be? Fuhgedaboudit.
This most recent Nessie siting reminds me of Incident At Loch Ness, an amazingly entertaining film that's a collaboration between Werner Herzog and Zak Penn. Incident At Loch Ness is a totally original and enjoyable film. It's a hoot. If you're interested, the film geeks review is here.
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Saturday, June 02, 2007
On our PC desktop there's a folder called Junk. It ends up frequently full of ... well, junk. I right-click-and-save funny stuff that I come across on the net, and I end up deleting it all once every couple of months. This time I decided to post a few graphics that cracked me up before I deleted them.
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Friday, June 01, 2007
Bush Disappointment Syndrome
Charles Krauthammer coined the phrase Bush Derangement Syndrome as a way of summarizing the conditions of people who can't mention the current President without screaming and ranting about Hitler, theocracy and lies.
Of course, I don't suffer from Bush Derangement Syndrome, but I will admit that I've come down with a serious case of Bush Disappointment Syndrome. If you don't know, Bush Disappointment Syndrome affects conservatives exclusively. It's symptoms include
My fellow conservatives, it's time to face the fact that our boy has pretty much dropped the ball. Of course, it's no great surprise. Dubya was never the brightest shining star of the American conservative movement. We elected him in 2000 because … well, who else was there? We reelected him in 2004 because the Democrats refused to nominate their only viable candidate, Joe Lieberman. The Democrats hated Lieberman because, to paraphrase Mr. Spock, "in the insane political party, the sane man must appear insane."
Things look bad for the Republican party right now, with the President's approval rating lower than dirt. Recent polls show that Dubya is less popular than paper cuts and only slightly more popular than hemorrhoids with paper cuts.
I have to laugh when I hear liberals imply (or flat-out say) that Bush is just Dick Cheney's puppet. I laugh and I say "I wish that were true, since Cheney is a solid conservative."
I'm not as sure about Dubya's conservative credentials.
We all know that he's spent money like crazy, he's managed Iraq with a fist of pudding, he's aligned himself with Ted Friggin' Kennedy on immigration … heck, even his most popular policies (No Child Left Behind and the prescription drug benefit) are classic big-government liberalism. The truth is, in those areas, neither Gore nor Kerry would have been worse.
I can hear some of my fellow conservatives now, gnashing their teeth and demanding to know if I think I could have done better. Well, no, probably not. But this is the blogosphere, so I hope you'll tolerate a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking on my part.
I admit that I am happy with Bush's tax cuts, of course. He was right, cutting taxes did reenergize the economy. A nation that can afford to spend 148 million bucks on a weekend movie doesn't have a lot of money woes worth mentioning. But if you're gonna cut taxes, you gotta cut spending. Uncle Ron taught us that, and Uncle Ron was right.
I'm also bugged about some forgotten promises from the 2004 GOP Convention. I remember a lot of talk about an "ownership society" during Dubya's speech then, and I remember that the speech left me feeling … well, energized. I especially liked the idea of Social Security privatization. I'd love to have some control of the money going out of my check for Social Security each month. Dubya sounded like he was really serious about pushing that option for me, but he just let the issue drop somewhere along the way. Damn it, Mr. President. I've got thirty-odd more years in the workforce ahead of me. You couldn't keep up the fight for four years?
When it comes to Iraq, let's face it. It ain't working. The surge, in spite of some initial progress, doesn't look promising at all. It appears that we've put our fighting men and women in a bad spot. They fought with one arm behind their backs for three years, and we only gave them more of what they needed when it was too little, too late. At this point, I'd advocate a Will Munny policy with regard to Iraq. Here's what we oughta do: First, we get out of the UN and tell them to take their dog and pony show elsewhere. Then we announce that we're getting our guys out of Iraq, but we qualify the statement like Clint Eastwood's character, Will Munny, in Unforgiven: "All right, I'm coming out. Any man I see out there, I'm gonna shoot him. Any sumbitch takes a shot at me, I'm not only gonna kill him, but I'm gonna kill his wife, all his friends, and burn his damn house down." In other words, we'll be back with big ol' bombs and stuff if anyone here takes a crackshot at the US. And that goes for all of you America-hating types. (You hear me talking, France?)
Hell, let's face it. We tried to do the right thing in Iraq. They hate us anyway. They always have, they always will. We tried the nation-building thing, we tried to foster democracy in barren soil and it didn't work. We've cast our pearls before swine. They don't want democracy. They want to kill each other in the sand. Fine. Whatever. If they ever show signs of actually trying democracy, I guess we should come back and help. Meanwhile, there are situations in Darfur, Iran and North Korea that might require US military attention soon. Especially Darfur, where the genocide is just beyond the pale. Lets bring our troops home and get them some rest, because we're gonna need them again. And sooner, rather than later.
Now, I admit, Bush 43 has done some things very well. He's rock solid on the right to life, and I admire and respect him for that. He has my gratitude. Of course the tax cuts did prove to be just what the doctor ordered, and there's no way any Democrat would have handled 9/11 better than Dubya did. Credit where credit is due.
But I'm afraid that Dubya's lasting legacy will be a virtual lock on the White House for the Democrats in '08. And won't that be a blast? It'll mean more government control of health care, a dream come true for everyone who's ever wished that a hospital was more like the DMV. It'll mean higher taxes for people who've gotten sick of bringing home so much of their pay during this decade. It'll mean fewer young people dying on the battlefield … and a whole lot more young people dying in the womb. And in test tubes. And in embassy bombings, for that matter.
Oh, well. At this point I'd say there's nothing to be done about it. I guess my generation needs to learn some things the hard way, and maybe we'll need to elect our own version of Jimmy Carter in order to do so. But I'm gonna remain optimistic. We all remember who followed Carter. Maybe my generation has it's own version of Reagan out there somewhere, taking it all in, making careful notes and learning to lead.
I hope that Dubya and I both live long enough to vote for him.
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Saturday, 23 July 2011
Φωνὴ ἐν Ραμὰ ἠκούσθη
<Φωνὴ ἐν Ραμὰ ἠκούσθη κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς·Ραχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν παρακληθῆναι,ὅτι οὐκ εἰσιν.> ΚΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 2.18
Prableen Kaur wrote.'It has now been several hours since all this happened. I'm still in shock. Everything has not fallen into place.'
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On Friday I cycled over, with Oscar, to Livingstone Road Allotments to attend a presentation of a cash donation by the Bank of Ireland to Birchfield Residents Action Group. I was invited by Mike Tye, who chairs Central Handsworth Practical Care's Advisory Group, is also Secretary of Birchfield Residents. Before the presentation I wandered along the hedged path between the Livingstone plots - what a cornucopia of growth of every kind of vegetable, rank after rank of rich greenery from hedge to fence, hardly a square inch of uncultivated ground. It was a salutary reminder of what can be done, of what a way we have to go on the Victoria Jubilee Allotments, almost a reproach to us.
Once home again I got ready for my lecture on campus on this afternoon on Working with Officers, a session in the Inlogov Summer School for Newly Elected Members
The day before I'd sent an email to Tim Pfeiffer, lawyer at Endemol who licence Contender, previously Southern Star International, to distribute the DVD series of Out of Town:
Dear Tim...I've been getting royalties on the Out of Town DVD series from Endemol which I share with their director Steve Wade's widow, in accordance with my stepfather's wishes. My query is about your stewardship of this product. In recent years lack of availability and marketing has meant sales of the DVD series of Out of Town are a fraction of what they were a decade ago. Yet the contents of several of these Contender branded DVDs have been streamed to viewers numbered in thousands on the web. Endemol, my family and the Wades are affected by this leakage of copyright material. Can the licensee act to achieve higher distribution of my stepfather's material in all our interests as well as achieving wider viewing of the excellent entertainment my stepfather's work offers - especially to many people over 50 who recall viewing his programmes in their childhood? Kindest regards.
Within a day YouTube had closed down nearly all the sites showing versions of Out of Town licenced by Endemol to Contender, previously Southern Star International.
Where sites were still working for other material the Out of Town clips showed:
*** ***
I've just received in the post a new gadget for logging into internet banking - one that will no doubt soon become the norm for personal banking security. It feels ironic that nearly a century after Arthur Scherbius invented a mechanical cypher gadget that was to become famed in WW2 as the German Enigma Machine cracked at Bletchley Park by the British, I'm carrying out the mundane tasks of personal internet banking on a gadget designed on similar principles. It means that every time I log into my bank account I have to use this small keypad to generate a new number. I wonder if this will actually increase personal banking security or just cause more inconvenience for customers.
** ** **
Ήχος α´ ποία τοῦ βίου τρυχφή διαμένει λύπης ἀμέτοχος. Cycling back from town with Oscar I decided to video the well known tendency of Jack Russell's to hang a back leg when jogging. Our Oscar, though half Border Terrier, is no exception. When we had him as a puppy he did this. People pointed out his hanging leg as though we'd not noticed. The vet could find no problem. Eight years old now, he still hangs his back right leg now and then. It's a Jack Russell thing and if the Kennel Club got its malign hands on the breed they'd no doubt have a competition class for specially bred three-legged terriers - for which there'd be a rich novelty market.
In the evening during visiting hours Linda and I went over to City Hospital to see our neighbour, Jo, who collapsed at home a few evenings ago. She was taken by ambulance to hospital and is waiting for the results of tests. Long long wide corridors, doors and doors and everywhere notices, posters, warnings, directions, the smells of the medical cosmos, beeping of monitors, rows of spaced beds like cradles for space travel, screens, tubes, buttons and keyboards and old bodies half awake peering around, gazing up half comprehending at small clusters of family and friends sat quietly about half-helpless, tableaus, a frieze. So this is how it could be. Jo was cheerful, sitting up, the nurses we saw kind and competent. She said she wasn't too bad. People were visiting. She was getting rested; had plenty to read and puzzles to do and could walk about the rest of the hospital. No it hadn't been too difficult to park. No a short walk. Oscar's fine. We've been working on the allotment. It's been a lovely day. The doctors will talk about you in the third person. Did they use you as a table to write on a clipboard? No not that bad. There's a lady can't speak a word of English who comes and tries to make conversation just to have the company walking up and down the ward at night. Another crying out for help. It's her legs. We're keeping an eye on John. We send Oscar over to keep him company. He's getting fed. We age. My eldest Greek half-sister when we were young .Ὄτι ἐγενήθην ως ἀσκος ἐν πάχυη.
*** *** ***
The hard wind of rationalisation, the Bill for Rural Co-operatives promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture in Athens, is threatening the future of Ano Korakiana's Farmer's Co-operative whose building on the village's lower road has, while we've been there, used for village celebrations and other local events. Ano Korakiana's was the first Co-operative to be founded in Corfu - ο πρώτος Συνεταιρισμός που ιδρύθηκε στην Κέρκυρα - at the beginning of the last century. The Bill requires the co-operatives in each region of the Republic to join up with a larger market-tuned company - The Co-operative Company, ένα νέο α’θμιο Συνεταιρισμό η Συνεταιριστική Εταιρεία. If a Co-operative is unwilling to join the new entity it will, by the end of this year, be treated as unable to continue - θα πρέπει να έχει καταβάλει μέχρι 31/12/ 2011, unless it can demonstrate an annual budget of €60,000. If it cannot do that over the next three years it will be judged as being not economically viable and forced to dissolve. This would entail clearing debts to third parties and distributing the remaining money among the other Co-ops - Αλλά ακόμη και αν έχει καλύψει τις 60.000 ευρώ μπορεί να οδηγηθεί σε αναγκαστική εκκαθάριση εφόσον για τρία συνεχή έτη η λειτουργία του κριθεί μη βιώσιμη οικονομικά. Τι σημαίνει αναγκαστική εκκαθάριση: εκποίηση περιουσιακών στοιχείων – εξόφληση υποχρεώσεων προς τρίτους – διανομή του υπολοίπου ποσού στους συνεταίρους. In the next few months the village faces two choices in relation to its Co-operative, join the new regional Co-op Company or show an annual budget of €60,000....'otherwise face obligatory liquidation and closure', διαφορετικά, ο Συνεταιρισμός μας...θα οδηγηθεί σε αναγκαστική εκκαθάριση και κλείσιμο...
Economic trends far beyond Greece have long been threatening the Hellenic Agricultural Co-operatives. Vassilis Patronis, who may still be at the University of Patras wrote a paper (undated but I think around 2000) whose title speaks to the problem - Between state and market forces: Greek Agricultural Cooperative Organizations (ACO) in transition period. Patronis suggests that ACOs are a typical product of the Hellenic political culture. Greek ACOs are did not come into being as a result of a grassroots movement by farmers - the way they emerged in other parts of Europe and indeed the world - but as the top-down creations of government aimed at aligning farmers’ interests with state politics. His paper finishes with a smidgin of hope, that has echoes of Elinor Ostrom's ideas about the governance of the commons or common-pool resources, that the only way to evade the pervasive forces of economic globalisation, is via the organisation of local farmers promoting local produce locally retailed - in other words local 'bottom-up' action.
In a period when the ‘modernist’ policies seem to predominate, the future of the ACOs is based upon their reorientation and their virtual reconfiguration. The era of state indifference which ‘neutralizes’ the ACOs leaves at the same time a unique opportunity to cover the lost ground of organizational and managerial autonomy. During this period of transition the Greek ACOs still have ‘room for manoeuvre’ by taking advantage of the existing EU regulations (e.g. producer groups) and their closeness to the family farms. It is a period when the agricultural cooperative mobilization ‘from the bottom’ carries more power than it did in the past. (Vassilis, p.25)
The difficulty in Ano Korakiana is that the Co-operative has seen minimal recent connection with local agricultural production, tho' there lots of community involvement in the use of the building for social purposes, but for farming I'm inclined to say 'what farming?' There is less agricultural activity around beloved Ano Korakiana than there is around Handsworth and across Birmingham where the drive to produce home grown vegetables has created a private-public compromise that with a lot of ground level political support and capacity for local organisation secures a sound future for urban farming and the self-help activities associated with it. This entry on Democracy Street 'Small island in which I rejoice' gives a small feel for this kind of activity. I am conscious that we proceed with our local activity under an umbrella. This protection in the form of legislation and linked local and central government policy is one that has to be constantly reviewed, propped up, repaired and defended. You don't just get to grow vegetables on prime urban development land coveted by other interests by assuming it's some sort of god-given historical privilege. The plot we rent for £35 lies on a piece of ground with a fine view over Handsworth Park. If it a house were built on it its rent would be in the region of £7000 a year, or equivalent mortgage payment. That such market forces don't apply to our Plot 14 and its neighbours is not something that just happens. We enjoy the fruits of political activity supported by research, public meetings - all kinds of lobbying - letters, petitions, legal actions in favour of setting aside and protecting by law, a proportion of marketable urban real estate for growing foods, instead of building houses, roads, shops or factories. The arguments are complex, refined, evidence-based, well documented and illustrated.
1. Hi Simon,
Blimey, that is an impressive response from YouTube! The one area where the OOT videos would sell very well in my opinion, is in garden centres.
Best Regards
2. Makes sense. I think the internet is also a marketplace with so many older people being used to shopping on-line.
Back numbers
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Signavio Workflow Accelerator is a web-based workflow modelling and execution platform. Although its heritage includes classical Business Process Management Systems (BPMS), Workflow Accelerator dramatically simplifies workflow automation.
Browse the Workflow examples to see different ways to apply workflow automation. You can use workflow automation for a variety of business processes - both for industry-specific processes, and for central functions such as human resources.
In the application itself, you can select Examples from the drop-down menu (top-right). On the Examples page, select Copy to your organization to create a copy of the example that you can edit to see how it works, and adapt to your own business process.
When to use Workflow Accelerator
You will find Workflow Accelerator useful for describing and collaborating on routine work. Use Workflow Accelerator for:
• coordinating tasks and handovers
• approvals
• routing documents
• fully-fledged business processes.
You’ll get:
• control where you need it
• flexibility
• fewer delays (with automatic triggers, actions and timers)
• no more miscommunications during handovers
• traceability - data on who did what
• clarity - visibility of who has to do what
• agility - because you can change Workflow Accelerator process models more easily than custom software.
How it works
A process - strictly a process model - defines a template for repetitive work. The people who manage work typically create processes and specify the tasks and actions that you must complete to reach a certain goal. For example: for every Hire employee case, someone must complete the Plan interview, Interview candidate and Send job offer tasks.
After you publish a process, you can start many individual cases. Workflow Accelerator keeps track of which tasks and actions you have to perform for each case. Cases bring people together with relevant information that provides context for completing the tasks. You can also use cases as collaboration spaces for people to discuss and create new tasks for individual cases on the fly.
Signavio uses open source software. We thank everyone involved in the open source community. Please download the list of open source components that Workflow Accelerator uses (PDF).
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Toraemon is yellow furred tigerlike robot cat with some black tripes on his back. His eyes is always curled up and his mouth always look smiling...
He is a center outfielder on Edogawa Dora's, His story how to get there, when he drowned on the pond, but suddenly he was helped by Hyoroemon, as a feedback, Hyoroemon "ask" Toraemon to join Edogawa Dora's. Toraemon can't do anything but to agree with it. It was the first time he grab a bat and it's the beginning of his career.
Personality and SkillsEdit
Toraemon is always cheerful, but sometimes he can bring his team down by saying that his team can't win...He never give up, always patience and he's an enthustiastic person. Toraemon feet is super strong, that make he run's so fast, he rarely make hit but he sure has a potential when it come to use bunt, that way he can make to the 1st base easily.
He's a fan of Ronaemon, a soccer player from Brazil. He's a soccer fan to, so he confused when everyone ask him which does he prefer on soccer or baseball. Once when Edogawa Dora's are on duel with Canary FC, he become a pitcer replacing Hiroshi because Hiroshi got a red card. He use his feet than use his hand and glove, he win a duel feet vs feet when facing Ronaemon.
• Toraemon called Tora by his friends
• Toraemon lives on a deck on a ship at Edogawa Lake
• Toraemon can't swim
• His eyes and mouth open only when he exited, scared, or frightened
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General Availability Price
Per Year
.Search Domains
The Dot Sexy TLD is intended to represent general attractiveness and is targeted at people, fashion, cars, entertainment, and virtually every other aspect of human endeavor.
All News
Marketing Strategies for new TLDs
Top Ten New TLDs of 2017
Branded TLDs
website security
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Finding Camlann: A Novel - Dubaiindianescorts.tk
Finding Camlann: A Novel by Sean Pidgeon
Book Title: Finding Camlann: A Novel
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Author: Sean Pidgeon
Sean Pidgeon with Finding Camlann: A Novel
• The Lady and the Unicorn: A Novel
• Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland
• The Lace Makers of Glenmara: A Novel
• Letters from Skye: A Novel
• The Queen's Bastard: A Novel of Elizabeth I and Arthur Dudley
• To Hold the Crown: The Story of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (A Novel of the Tudors Book 1)
• The Case of William Smith (The Miss Silver Mysteries Book 13)
• The Sewing Machine
• The Sense of an Ending (Borzoi Books)
• The Frangipani Hotel: Fiction
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Payment is due on the first class of the month and is payable in the drop box.
Class time/Prices:
Juniors I: 5:45-6:20 (Ages 5-7) $55.00/month
Juniors II: 6:20-7:00 (Ages 8 to 11) $55.00/month
Seniors: (Ages 12 & older) $55.00/month
Additional pricing:
1 Day/week juniors: $45.00/month
1 Day/week seniors: $45.00/month
Pay per class: $10.00
Testing fees:
Yellow Belt = $15
Green, Purple Belt = $40
Blue and higher =$50
Uniforms and patches:
Uniform package is $40. This includes: full Gi (uniform) with school logo, patches (3), and school binder.
Uniform alone: $25
Patches: $5 each.
Locations for patches are shown here.
Students in JRII & Senior class will need to purchase sparring gear.
This will include head, hands, feet, shin guards, athletic supporter, and mouth guard.
$5 For replacement binders
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FEAST on This #7: Plate-sized Cinnamon Buns
Drive a couple hours north from Whitehorse to the Braeburn Lodge and you’ll find Steve, a Harley clad, white-bearded guy who’s famous for his cinnamon buns.
At $10, these heavy weight goods are roughly the size of a dinner plate, and so famous that the nearby Braeburn airport also goes by the name of ‘Cinnamon Bun Airstrip.’
No one likes a dry cinnamon bun and, when we tell the story of this giant bun, many concerned folks ask questions such as “but what about the goo, is there enough goo?” Naturally, we were concerned about this, too. We’d heard about these buns a few months ago and as we drove the Klondike highway, inching closer and closer to the lodge, we were squirmy with nerves—what if they would not live up to the hype? What if they were all mass and no sass?
We are happy to report the goo to pastry ratio was excellent, we very nearly finished the whole thing in one sitting, and, as you can well imagine, it sustained us for much of the rest of the day.
Anyone travelling from Whitehorse to Dawson would be a fool to miss out on this opportunity. A fool.
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Your browser doesn't support the features required by the fancy Sorry about that. At least I am presenting you with a simplified version of this page. It's only a splash page for my stuff anyways.
For the best experience please use the latest Safari, Chrome or Firefox browser.
Hi. Welcome to edutim.
I'm playing around with some new code for edutim. Come back soon for more edutim goodness.
Random picture of my family. Just because it's my blog.
My Family
Check out our family blog.
The edutim blog
I have taken a hiatus from blogging while working for Apple on the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. I’ll probably pick this blog back up some day. Stay tuned.
Go there anyways.
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Monday, August 5, 2013
Dryden, Ontario
The weather here hasn't been too hot lately and the mosquitoes have been dying down quite a bit. It has been raining quite a bit lately and since it hasn't been that hot lately it probably means that we are going to have a longer, and colder winter this year than they even had last year!
I did get transferred which will be nice. I could probably use a change, so I will be heading up to Winnipeg on Thursday morning to transfer meetings and then will be headed off to Dryden Ontario, which I have heard is even smaller than Brandon! But I think I will like it there. It should be really good!
For birthday and Christmas gifts, I have no idea! Some pizza bread and canned peaches, maybe other kinds of foods too. I always need new ties, lots of paisley ties and other nice ones too. That Lord of the Rings Music on a flash drive maybe. A sewing kit would actually be useful because when I go to Dryden. I don't think there are any sisters there so I won't have anyone to do my sewing like they do it now. Maybe some tie clips and other good stuff. Maybe some stuff back from my home country of Canada! Also some toothbrush heads would be great since I am down to my last one! Thanks!
But I love you very much too! Hope you have a good what's left of your summer!
-Love Elder Shane Dola
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nanofibre (rus. нановолокно) — an object with two characteristic dimensions in the nanoscale (~1–100 nm) and considerably smaller than the third dimension.
The term “nanofibre” refers to all nano-objects that have two of their characteristic dimensions (Lx and Ly) in the nanoscale (~1–100 nm). While fibres are usually stretched objects, their two lateral dimensions are generally of the same scale (Lx ~ Ly), and the third dimension (Lz), which is the largest of all, may be considerably greater than Lx and Ly and reach out of the nanoscale: Lz >> Lx,Ly; Lx ~ Ly.
According to the ISO definition, the Lx to Ly ratio should not exceed 3 : 1. Nanoscale objects with the ratio of lateral characteristic dimensions greater than 2 : 1 are often called nanoribbons or nanobelts.
The family of nanofibres includes such nano-objects, as nanotubes, nanowires, nanowhiskers and nanorods. Nanofibres may be rigid (nanorods) or flexible and may or may not be able to conduct electricity.
• Lourie Sergey
1. Nanotechnologies. Terminology and definitions for nano-objects // Nanoparticle, nanofibre and nanoplate. ISO/TS 27687:2008.
2. Vocabulary. Nanoparticles // The British Standards Institution, 2005. PAS 71:2005.
Contact us
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how to select a foreign key by doctrine
jquery datatable , can not set the extra pluin functions:
sonata admin form template issue (no bootstrap type and no tab any more fore 2.3)
sonata admin add element in one to many relationship, can not add
one to many relationship, if you wanna to delete one element in his collection
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Event 6 - Outdoor Platform Presented by Wreck Bags
For time (11 Min Cap)
1700m wreck bag run relay
(Each leg = Approx. 425m)
[ RX: 70#/50# | SC & MS: 50#/35# ]
Once run starts both bags have to stay off the ground until last leg is completed and time is called.
Any drops of the non-running bag during event = 30s time penalty
Powered by Khore by Showthemes
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Saturday, October 20, 2012
Question -1: Innovation and the Economy. Science and technology have been responsible for over half of the growth of the U.S. economy since WWII, when the federal government first prioritized peacetime science mobilization. But several recent reports question America’s continued leadership in these vital areas. What policies will best ensure that America remains a world leader in innovation?
Barack Obama:
Six French Science Academies Dismiss Study Finding GM Corn Harmed Rats
Translation of French science academies critique of controversial Séralini GM corn study— Document Transcript
• 1. The French science academies’ statement on problems with the Séralini et al. study of health impacts of GM corn and Roundup herbicide on rat health, translated (via U.S.embassy in Paris). Related Dot Earth post.Given the media coverage around this issue and its impact on the public opinion, the Academies decided to jointly publish a review covering several aspects: scientific,societal, and ethical, and including recommendations.- Science aspects: the Academies would like to point several severe flaws of the article: Statistics and methodology: in the case of the Seralini 2-year study, a significantly higher number of animals should have been used as recommended by guidelines, of in the specific case of a total number of 200, a lower number of groups would have allowed to answer specific questions, such as (1) can the studied GMO have a toxic or tumorigenic impact on its own? (2) can Roundup have a toxic or tumorigenic impact on its own? (3) is there a specific impact of the combination of the 2 products? The use of small size groups of 10 animals cannot answer the specific questions.
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Warning-shield-128-black Semi-Protected
This article has been semi-protected to prevent certain users from editing.
The GP-5 (Russian: Гражданский Противогаз — "Civilian Gas Mask") is a gas mask kit, manufactured from 1962 to 1990 by the Soviet Union, issued and stored for civil defence usage. The gas mask itself was initially the ShM-62, which was replaced by the ShM-62U.
The GP-5 was designed to protect civilians of the Soviet Union from radioactive fallout during the Cold War. This mask is a helmet-type mask which was made in white rubber. The lenses of these masks are held in place by crimped metal rims, crimped onto the rubber of the mask. The bottom of the mask is made of metal, and in it is the 40mm filter inlet, and the inhale and exhale valves. Air entered through the inhale valve, passed into the mask though tissot tubes under the lenses and was breathed out through the exhale valve. The lenses are easily fogged up and to prevent this, anti-fogging lens inserts were included with the Kit.
The gas mask, being of the "helmet" type, requires it to have strong elasticity, and must be stretched over the head for it to be worn. This allows for a secure fit, but can make the mask uncomfortable to use for long periods of time. The mask itself is made of latex rubber, and thus it naturally adheres well to the skin which ensures an airtight seal. This, however, can make it difficult to wear for a person with long hair, as the rubber will cling to hair strands and can make it both painful and frustrating to put on. Because of this, it is more suitable to people with short hair. The face piece of this mask was designated ShM-62. The ShM-62U was the newer upgraded version of the face piece (the "U" stands for upgraded). The difference between these two face pieces is that the ShM-62 was made with more rubber (the rubber is thicker) thus making the rubber less flexible and uncomfortable. The ShM-62U featured less rubber, so it was more flexible and weighed less. One of the ways to tell which one you have is to look at the size marking, if the size marking is just 2 (for example) it is the early version and if the size marking is 2y ( "y" added at the end) that means it's the upgraded version).
The mask was issued in a very basic khaki fabric bag with two straps, one to hold the bag over the shoulder, and the other to keep it tight around the waist, preventing it from moving around as the person walked. The bag also had two pockets inside, one for a decontamination kit (IPP-1 or IPP-8), and the other for bandages or AI-2 "apechka" (soviet first aid kit) and the pocket also featured a smaller one inside for keeping the anti-fogging lens inserts, issued with the mask to prevent the lenses fogging when the user exhaled.
Main article: GP-5 Filter Canister
The GP-5 kit included a 40mm GOST filter (itself designated as GP-5). Unusually for a Soviet mask, the inlet also takes a STANAG 4155 threaded filter, albeit tightly.
Lab reports from the Netherlands and Finland have confirmed the presence of asbestos in the GP-5 filter, in both the particulate filter, and the activated carbon, in filters produced up to at least 1988.[2] [3]
The GP-5m kit was issued with the ShM-66MU, which differs from the ShM-62U in several things such as the addition of a voice diaphragm and holes for ears. The military kit, designated PMG-2, was completed with a PMG type G bag, and a EO-62K filter, similar in appearance to the GP-5 filter.[4].
East German useEdit
Between 1981 and 1988, the government of East Germany imported at least 1,810,000 GP-5 units for a cost of 90,559,300 East German Marks, producing localised documentation. [1]
US 'Evirstar' importEdit
Soviet-manufactured GP-5 kits were imported and sold in the United States by Evirstar Defense Products as current CBRN protection, despite the age of the masks and contents of the filters.
Popular CultureEdit
Team Fortress 2Edit
250px-Foster's Facade
Mumbling pyromaniac.
The first person shooter, Team Fortress 2, features the GP-5 as a wearable item for the Pyro class, known as Foster's Facade (a reference to the Killing Floor series' Mr.Foster, who is always seen wearing the mask).
The GP-5 makes an appearance on the SCP wiki as SCP-1499[5]
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Edit
The GP-5 makes an appearance on many full conversion mods for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, both SHoC (Shadow Of Chernobyl) and CoP (Call Of Pripyat).
Such mods being:
• Dead Air (for CoP);
• RadioPhobia 2 (for SHoC);
References Edit
1. 1.0 1.1 (in German)
2. File:337992e9-de99-4358-addb-3ced34dd6054.jpg (in Dutch)
3. File:Photo_2017-08-09_10-29-35.jpg (in Finnish)
4. (in Russian)
External linksEdit
Bart's Old Gas Mask Collection
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From The Gemology Project
Revision as of 18:41, 15 July 2006 by Gemma (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
This type of sheen occurs on gemstones with parallel orientated inclusions, like fibers, needles and hollow tubes. The effect of the reflection on these parallel arranged needles, fibers or hollow tubes is a light streak which runs at a 90° angle over the inclusions.
Other gemstones that may show chatoyancy are:
• Quartz
• Tourmaline
• Apatite
• Beryl
• Alexandrite
• Emerald
Asterism is, like chatoyancy, caused by reflection on inclusions. However the inclusions are arranged in different directions causing several streaks of light on the surface of the en-cabochon stone.
In Corundum you may find (usually in Thai sapphire) a 12-pointed star due to inclusions (rutile and hematite) following both the 1st order and the 2nd order prism.
This type of asterism (due to reflected light) is named epiasterism.
Garnet may produce 4-pointed stars which intersect at 90°, whilst in Diopside the 4-pointed stars intersect at 73°.
Synthetic corundum may also show asterism. Usually the stars are much better defined than their natural counterparts.
Emerald has been reported to show a 6-pointed star.
These stones are generally facetted and occasionally you may see light reflected from small groups of such inclusions. This is termed Silk.
We describe stones which show asterism with the prefix Star as in Star-Emerald.
Some gemstones that may show asterism:
• Ruby (6-pointed)
• Sapphire (6-pointed, rarely 12-pointed)
• Rose Quartz (6-pointed)
• Spinel (4 or 6-pointed)
• Garnet (4 or 6-pointed)
• Diopside (4-pointed)
• Labradorescence
• Adularescence (or Schiller)
• Aventurescence
• Opalescence
Many Labradorites are carved to exploit this unique type of sheen.
This type of sheen is exhibited in Moonstone (another Feldspar) and caused by reflection on the lamellar twinning planes.
The result is a blue color floating just below the surface of the stone. This is also named Schiller.
Aventurescence is named after Aventurine Feldspar, which is also known as Sunstone due to the play of color that is caused by reflection on tiny and thin inclusions of goethite and hematite (or both). Giving the stone a golden or reddish-brown color and specular reflections.
Structure of opal (silica spheres)
It was discovered that Opal is made up of small spheres of silica.
The interference occurs when part of the light gets reflected from the surface of a sphere and another part gets refracted inside the silica sphere, being reflected again.
Diffraction in Opal is the result of light hitting a gap between the spheres and then being split up into its spectral components. In precious opal the larger spheres, about 350 µm (micro meters) in diameter gives the red flashes with changes in viewing angles. Smaller spheres result in green, blue or purple flashes which cannot increase in wavelength to give a red flash. Therefore, the sizes of the 'gaps', or 'voids' determine which color is seen.
This is the same as what happens with diffraction grating material of which some spectroscopes are made.
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Lemony Garlic Chicken
The zing of lemon and garlic plus a few shallots and spices work together to create a bright and smoky marinade for grilled chicken. We currently lack access to a barbecue, or backyard for that matter, so we cook the chicken on a stovetop grill pan (which has ridges to leave grill marks on the … Continue reading
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send link to app
[No Ads] Hangman 2.0
Desarrollador Dust Team Inc.
This is version of Hangman 2.0 without ads!There is very famous game which called "Hangman" with good design and some interesting features such as mode for one or two players, hints and comments to the words.
In 1 player mode you have 9 categories of the words: Sport, Geography, Nature, Technics, People, Food, Science, History and General category.
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Spaying and Neutering
• By spaying or neutering your pet, you are directly helping to reduce the number of animals in shelters.
• Male animals are less likely to mark their territory by urinating or spraying and less likely to run away in an attempt to find a female; no, this does not mean you should leave your neutered animal outside unattended.
• Generally, your dog needs to be spayed or neutered to be able to go to most dog parks and daycares.
• Veterinarians have learned from experience that the procedures are easier to perform on young puppies and kittens (due to less fat and muscle tissue). Overall, the younger animals recover faster and with less pain.
Low-cost spay/neuter links
Low-cost vaccinations
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/30116
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Establish connectivity to Treasure Data
This article describes the process of connecting to a Treasure Data Server in order to use their reports as data sources in Metric Insights.
Before you begin, be sure that you have:
1. Access Admin > Data Sources
1. At the bottom of the screen click [+ New Data Source].
2. The Select the Type of New Data Source pop-up opens.
2. Select "Other" Data Source Type and choose "Treasure Data" from the drop-down list
3. Provide the required Treasure Data Parameters
1. Data Source Name: is defaulted but may be modified
2. Enter apiKey
3. Enter the Database name
Save your entries.
Optional Parameters
Parameter Description
API Server Define the Treasure Data Server.
Job Type Possible values:
HIVE ("hive"), MAPRED ("mapred"), IMPALA ("impala"), PRESTO ("presto"), UNKNOWN ("none")
Timeout (seconds) Specify the allowed time period during the response from the server shall be received.
Use Unix Timestamps TRUE - the Unix format timestamp is to be used; FALSE - the Metric Insigtht's format timestamp is to be used.
4. Other Settings
2. Click Permissions to assign them to Groups or Power Users
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/30117
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How to collect data from Google Calendar
An Event Calendar can be populated automatically based on entries sourced from a Google Calendar. With this capability a user can maintain a set of planned events in a Google Calendar; for example, promotions or seasonal sales and have them automatically appear in Metric Insights.
This article is based on the assumption that you have already established connectivity with Google via Google Calendar Plugin that should serve as your Event Source.
For more information on Event Calendars and how they are applied to Metrics, refer to the following articles:
1. Access Admin > Event Calendars
At the bottom of the page click [+ New Event Calendar].
2. Input Calendar Specifications
Input Calendar Specifications
1. Input a descriptive Name
2. Applied to list of: you can assign this Event Calendar either to individual Metrics by adding them to the event calendar one by one, assign it to Metrics of a specific Measure (for example, Sales, Profit, etc.), or to the Metrics belonging to specific Topics or Categories.
3. Event Source: Select your Google Calendar plugin Data Source
4. Choose the Calendar that includes the needed Events
5. Save your entries. You are to be redirected the the full Event Editor.
3. Configure the Data Collection
1. Set the Data Collection Trigger to automatically update the list of events in this Event Calendar
2. Input Plugin command manually or using the Visual Editor
3.1. Example using the Visual Editor
Example using the Visual Editor
1. Select Fields
2. Optionally, choose Start and End times
3. Optionally, select Filter
4. Optionally, set Group By only if Count(*) is one of your selected fields
Save your settings. Plugin command validating will start automatically.
4. Plugin command will be validated and Data Collected on Save from Visual Editor
If entering plug-in command manually,
1. Validate plug-in command button. If your statement is valid, the statement box is green; if there are any errors, the box is colored in red and errors will be explained in the field below.
2. Collect Data
Save. Once saved, the Event Calendar is ready to be used and associated with one or more metrics.
5. Review the Results in the Events tab
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/30118
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How to collect data from Beckon
This article demonstrates how to create a Metric or Report using a Beckon as a data source. It assumes that you have already established connectivity to Beckon Server.
1. Access New > Metric
Provide the basic information required for creating a new metric:
2. Select the Measurement Interval that applies to your element
3. Give the element a unique Name
4. Optionally, assign a Category
5. Click Next: define details
2. Configure Data Collection
1. Select the Beckon plug-in serving as a Data Source for this Metric
2. Set the Data Collection Trigger which is going to initiate updating information in a Metric
3. Select a Beckon Report (workbook) from drop-down list.
6. Collect Data and Enable and Publish
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/30125
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Video: Pumas Mating in SC Mountains
Hot feline porn underscores the need for wildlife connectivity—the goal of the Land Trust's $1 million campaign to build a wildlife crossing under Highway 17. Scroll down after the video to find out why.
by Hilltromper staff
Sept. 23, 2014—Party in the cat house! The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County posted a video on Facebook today of two adult mountain lions mating in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Byrne-Milliron Forest just outside Corralitos. Dated March 17, the video was captured by ecologist Jodi McGraw via a wildlife cam.
Feeling proudly clinical yet somehow pervy, we watched the video a few times to get some details. Condensing some 45 minutes into 3:39 starting about 11:30pm, it shows two large cats pacing in single file back and forth along a trail in what looks like scrub oak forest, until the male mounts the female in the middle of the path (as luck would have it, facing the camera). Then commences the lady's gutteral only-in-estrus yowling—the tender music known as "caterwauling."
The pacing accounts for most of the action in this hot cat-on-cat flick; actual coitus lasts a mere 2 minutes in the real world. Driven by prurient curiosity and professional rigor, we went a-googlin' and found this Penthouse-worthy information by Kevin Hansen on
"Cougars compensate for long periods of solitude with some of the most vigorous breeding behavior known to exist among mammals. Copulation can occur at a rate of 50 to 70 times in 24 hours for a 7- to 8-day period. Each copulation lasts less than a minute. Such enthusiastic copulation is thought to stimulate ovulation, (the release of eggs from the ovaries to make them available for fertilization)."
Hansen goes on to note that "[s]ome biologists speculate that high copulation rates also evolved as a way for females to evaluate male vigor." Oh, dear.
We couldn't help noticing this sentence: "When mating does occur, it usually takes place in the female's home range, with the male seeking out the female."
That means males must be able to reach females. Which in turn means this video posted by Land Trust underscores the importance of wildlife connectivity—the entire point of a $1 million capital campaign launched Sept. 3 to fund a wildlife crossing under Highway 17. Crossings like these allow mountain lions to achieve healthy genetic diversity across broad territories by removing impediments to roaming males. (Otherwise this can happen.)
You can read a little more about the Land Trust's Highway 17 wildlife crossing here. If you're interested in donating, visit the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County website.
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Monday, March 14, 2011
Recently read: "Directive 51" by John Barnes
Directive 51
Directive 51
A John Barnes novel which examines the collapse of civilization, and how the US government would attempt to maintain some sort of continuity. Modern civilization falls under attack by "Daybreak" which is a collection of every group that hates modern civilization for any reason. It's not really an organized group, but more of a threat that emerges on its own. Under a combination of nanoware (which eats plastics and rubber), fusion bombs and EMPs, it doesn't take long for our intrasturcture to collapse. When the sitting US president emotionally collaspes, Directive 51 (a presidential directive which specifies continuity of government--this is somewhat at odds with the constitutional succession) is enacted. After Washington DC is destroyed by one of the fusion bombs, the National Constitutional Continuity Coordinator (NCCC) decides that he can't allow the constitutional secession to take place (there's debate over whether the US is under an attack by a governmental/terrorist enemy or whether it's just a system artifact). We end up with two "legal" governments: one, under the NCCC, controls the southeastern US (with it's center of power in Athens and Fort Benning) while the other, under the President, controls the Northeast.
In ways, this is sort of disaster porn, though Barnes at times appears to be almost too dispassionate about the destruction (most of the focus is on various government employees, particularly the Department of Future Threats, so they have as much technology and food as is available). We don't seem to be getting the resulting feudal knight setups that S. M. Stirling gave us in his "Change" series, though it's still early (and there are "Castles", at least on the West coast, which are setting up their own local governments, but no knights on horseback yet). I'm assuming the sequel (Daybreak Zero) concerns determining who (or what) is responsible for the attacks, and we get the remaining Department of Future Threats set up in Boulder as a sort of "technology bootstrapping" center.
Barnes does do something a little odd here. The book is written with scenes (specific locations and times prefaces each scene) and usually there's a change in location, but at times the location is the same, with the time only slightly after, so I'm not sure what necessitates the "scene" change.
I'll get the second book, since I'm interested enough in seeing how the story plays out.
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/30143
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Shaved Wild Asparagus Salad
Don't make the mistake of thinking that the only service that I provide you, my dear reader, is a arsenal of recipes to make with foraged goodies. Oh no. I'm serving the great good here. Take, for example, this helpful chart that I'm providing free of charge.
How to Judge the Value of Your Friendship with a Forager
Near stranger - she will deny being a forager
Acquaintence - forager will share dandelion spots with you
Casual friend - forager will share dock spots with you
Buddy - forager will share wild oregano spots with you
Friend - forager will share fruit spots with you
BFFL - forager will share asparagus spots with you
Hot sex or good amounts of money involved - forager will share mushroom spots with you
If you are lucky enough to have a best friend for life (BFFL), then perhaps you could make this salad. A student in one of my classes recently explained that restaurants only shave ingredients when they are highly prized and/or rare.
Shaved Wild Asparagus Salad
1. Use a vegetable peeler to shave as many raw asparagus spears as you have patience to process. I like to make this recipe with the bottom halves of longer spears, which can be a little woody on the outside, but are usually quite tender on the inside, particularly when sliced so thinly.
2. Dress the asparagus with freshly squeezed lemon juice, and a drizzle of good olive oil.
3. Decorate the shaved asparagus salad with some curls of a hard cheese like Pecorino Romano.
4. Finish the salad by dropping a few grains of your favorite salt on top of the tender asparagus. Here, I've used a black Hawaiian salt.
Don't forget to send your own favorite wild asparagus recipes to before the end of the month of May.
I'm sharing this post with Real Food Wednesday. Time to get real, y'all!
1. 1. This post is perfect.
2. How do you say so much in so little space. I need lessons.
3. I wish I knew of some wild asparagus spots so that I could make this. Am going to cheat and use the ones from my garden :).
2. 1. Mercy buccups, ma love.
2. Economy is the gift of the lazy.
3. All spare geese are good. Preference given to wild spare geese, but those grown in the garden of wild women are also wild by association.
3. Good to know where I stand...
4. Ha ha ha ha ... well, so, I see you think of me as a BFFL but I don't remember giving you any sex or money for your mushroom spot! Maybe the rules are different when the forager friend lives far enough away that she is unlikely to raid said spot?? Oh, BTW, forget to tell you... I found some asparagus! Just a little, almost too old, but it's something at least;)
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Wednesday, September 28, 2005
What Deterring Abortion Means
Hugo Schwyzer is talking about Proposition 73 out in California, the referendum that would require that parents be notified if an underage child of their's seeks an abortion. Hugo plans to vote no on the proposition. His reasoning for doing so is heartfelt, thoughtful, and completely respectable. And also wrong. He writes:
"Do I want to see an end to abortion in this country? Yes. Am I willing to advocate for laws to restrict access to abortion to adults or minors? No. Despite my own history, I've flirted in the past with supporting anti-abortion regulation. My faith informs me that all life is equally precious, including life in the womb. But with great heaviness of heart, I've come to agree that it's destructive and pointless to try and end abortion legislatively....If my daughter were pregnant, I would want to know. Perhaps I would want her to keep the child, or choose adoption--though those would not be my decisions to make. But even greater than my desire to know, I would want her to be safe. Ultimately, it wouldn't be about me, but about her and her needs. And if for some reason she felt she couldn't tell me or her mother, I would want her to be able to turn to medical professionals."
I added the final emphasis there, because Hugo's comment touches on the delicate, difficult heart of what deterring abortion--assuming one wants to deter abortion, which Hugo surely does--plausibly may sometimes mean. Not that I fault him for pulling back from this aspect of the debate; I actually tend to think that parental notification laws, and similar laws which have nothing to do with the procedure itself (like the partial-birth abortion rigamorale, which--however disturbing the surgical act itself may be--I think to be a distraction that generates legislative grandstanding mostly irrelevant to the real issues at hand), but which rather concentrate on the actual choice of abortion, are the most difficult parts of the pro-life agenda to get past. Unfortunately, I also think they are the most important; if we can't agree on this, then the widespread practice of abortion is never going to go anywhere. (This, of course, assumes I'm speaking to other opponents of abortion; in other words, this is an intra-faction argument.)
One commenter on Hugo's site observes that "the fact that not all parents are 'good' enough to allow their kids to go through with [abortions] without objection is a feature, not a bug." He puts it crudely, but correctly. The reason parental notification laws are even debated is because they presume the legitimacy of the interference of others (particularly parents) in a choice that is nominally guaranteed but regarded by many as morally wrong. To require notification (not consent, mind you; the proposition only mentions notification, and it allows for legal alternatives for those who come from abusive or dysfunctional homes) means the state is officially saying to those under the age of 18: "We are not going to let choosing abortion be easy. We will make it, possibly, burdensome. We will make it other peoples' problem, not just your own."
The question must be asked of those of us in agreement that abortion is often wicked and always tragic: is it an evil that is nonetheless so thoroughly tied up in complicated facts of embodiment and gender and power that any attempt to interfere with the ability of anyone, including (or especially!) a minor, to choose it is unwarranted? Or can we make our way through that tangle, and attempt to at least instantiate some sort of deterrence of abortion? For many opponents of abortion, apparently including Hugo, the integrity of the individual's choice (even if their choice is a poor one) is a fundamental that must be protected at all costs, because otherwise the risks are just too painful to imagine (foolish teen-agers with mean parents clearly being the absolute least of it). So the only alternative available to those who come to such a conclusion is persuasion, example, and taking positive steps--economically and otherwise--to try to make abortion every bit as "rare" as Bill Clinton said he wanted it to be. This is a legitimate pro-life position, I think, and I respect people who hold it--indeed, I wish more social conservatives would acknowledge it and copy from it, because the dominant "conservative" pro-life position in this country all too rarely thinks about all the positive financial and educational steps that could be taken to help women choose otherwise than many of them currently do.
Nonetheless, it's not my position. I recognize that a whole lot of people--and specifically, young women--out there face terrible, unjust, ugly choices. But I do not understand how the problem that their choices pose to society are made any easier by refusing to allow any kind of social consensus, any kind of deterrence, any kind of interference, to present itself in between the individual and their choice. If you think abortion is a bad choice, and if you agree that majorities of one's neighbors also think it is a bad choice (and there is scads of polling data which backs up that second claim), then I am at a loss as to why one would think that abortion cannot be a focus of social expression through law. Not any law, to be sure: Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey are still the law of the land, meaning their are constitutional concerns that must be satisfied. (And I'm not just dodging the issue by saying that; I have plenty of complaints with both Roe and Casey, but neither do I think that the constitutional interpretations--specifically about the limits of moral consensus in a liberal society--they laid down can or should be easily dismissed.) Moreover, whatever majorities may exist that are troubled by and support discouraging abortion, such support certainly does not exist at present (except perhaps in a few small regions of the country) for laws that would actually make the choice of abortion, in practice, impossible. Abortion is widely accepted as legitimate alternative. But does that also mean that nothing can or should be done to communicate that it is a disapproved of alternative? That you don't think any person, or any two people, ought to be allowed to make this choice entirely on their own? That the weightiness of the decision ought to be prolonged and made more tangible and pressing? If, I suppose, you think that the pain and harm and burden of abortion is ultimately, and solely, the province of the person having the abortion--that is, if your baseline reading of the situation is, "Who's the chooser here?"--then of course you musn't attempt to complicate or interfere with her choice; that would be oppression. But if, on the other hand, your basic framing of the problem is one that denies that abortion is wholly within the realm of the private, then the (limited, carefully legislated, intelligently enforced) expression of mild public concern--and compared to the actual disciplinary powers of the state, what could be more mild for 99% of those minors who seek abortion then to oblige parental involvement?--is a no brainer, assuming support for such exists.
So why is it so hard to accept, then, even for those opposed to abortion rights? Because we're individualists at heart, and we have a terrible time getting free from the feeling that when someone--especially someone whose situation is sympathetic, someone who we want to protect--feels no alternative but to do something that we rightly consider shameful and sad, perhaps we ought to support them in their (unwarranted but understandable) wish to tell the rest of the world to get lost for a while and leave them alone. Moreover, and more importantly, we worry about that 1%, or maybe it'll be more than 1%--the young women (often just girls) who have been raped, perhaps even by a family member, or more likely are simply (but no less tragically) so fearful of their parents, or so distraught by their situation, that they'll seek whatever unclean, unskilled abortion services they can find when confronted by the formal demands and interference of society. Yes, those cases exist, and in all likelihood more of them (probably not very many, but likely at least a few) will be brought into existence by a parental notification law. Hugo says that above all else, he wants the girls and young women of California to be safe. He doesn't trust this law will be enforced as it ought, and even if it is, the fact that it just may be that someone's choice will be made less secure, less smooth, and less safe by it is, he thinks, reason enough for him, an opponent of abortion, to nonetheless oppose it.
It's not. It's not because to hold to such a position is to claim that one's opposition to abortion is every bit as private as the choice one attributes to the person in the sad state of needing or wanting or being compelled (sometimes by one's boyfriend, or father, or friends, or peers) to seek an abortion. It is, other words, to say that one's opposition to abortion arises from a personal squeamishness, a distaste. (Which for a lot of pro-lifers is, unfortunately, quite accurate: again, one of the reasons that I think so much time and energy has been lavished on the partial-birth abortion debate is because, fundamentally, talking about how one socially discourages a choice is hard, while showing off terrifying bloody photographs is easy. It's the difference between those principled abolitionists who spoke of the ruined dignity of the slaves, versus those who just went around telling scandalous, disturbing stories about whips and leg chains, and who opposed slavery because Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin kept them up at night.) If opponents of abortion cannot engage the idea that there is a collective concern here--call it a moral principle, a natural law, a religious imperative, whatever--then the ability to articulate that truth is going to be forever held hostage to the undeniable, unavoidable reality of every single real of hypothetical tragedy out there. In which case, politics really must be just about the management of incidentals, with all the serious questions safely privatized away.
This isn't a call for hard-heartedness or realism, much less extreme disregard for costs. We have to be consciously engaged in trying to work out the best and most responsible and humane ways to formulate this expression of concern, this relatively minimal but still vital insistence that those who are still legally their parents' children not be able to act otherwise when confronted with such awful choice. And let me be forthright--it's not like I've followed all the ins and outs of the debate over Proposition 73. Maybe it's a lousy law; maybe it doesn't seem likely to even be able to do what its proponents claim. That would be one reason to oppose it. Or maybe an abortion foe could oppose it by arguing that, before parental notification become mandatory, the possible exceptions be better supported and more widely distributed; interference would therefore have to wait on changing society so that the costs of interference would be even less than they might otherwise be. Again, a reasonable argument, and within limits a responsible and necessary one (though if relied on too often, it begins to sound like an argument that Martin Luther King responded to, in essence, when he insisted that the moral cause of civil rights ought not be forced to "be patient" while the white power structure slowly "moderated" itself). But Hugo doesn't make those arguments; instead, he mournfully allows that, given the world we do have, it's just too destructive to presume to implicate the choices of individuals (or at least this special, terrible, particular kind of choice) in our morally worried social reality. I respect Hugo tremendously, and have enjoyed reading his ruminations for a long time now; but for a pacifist who presumable believes that Christians can and should, in fact, as a people, proclaim peace despite "the way the world is," I can't help but think that the decision this opponent of abortion has come to on Proposition 73 is a damn odd one, to say the least.
Monday, September 26, 2005
My Wife Hates Keira Knightly (or, Definitive Versions)
Well, she doesn't really hate her. But she's not going to go see her latest movie, coming out in November: a new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. (Here's the trailer.) Why not?, I ask her. You love Jane Austen. Because it'll be travesty!, is her response. Two hours to tell the story of Pride and Prejudice?! They'll have to hack scenes and characters and dialogue right and left! They'll ignore subplots and subtlety! That's no way to treat a masterpiece! "Elizabeth Bennet is a modern woman..." (so the trailer says)--baloney! They've plainly no idea what the story is really all about! How cheap! And so on, and so forth.
As you might be able to guess, Melissa is a massive fan of the classic BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries. Is she simply ticked that the new version will not feature the smoldering, tousled good looks of Colin Firth? Admittedly, that may be part of it. But I suspect there is something more at work in her ferocious reaction. What it comes down to is this--as far as my wife is concerned (and clearly she's not alone) Pride and Prejudice has already been done. The miniseries was practically flawless; who could possibly want to watch--or be responsible for exposing a loved one to--an inferior adaptation when such an excellent treatment is still available? In short, we already have the definitive version of Pride and Prejudice; that's what people should be watching. For movie studios to waste their time creating another, likely bad adaptation of a such a classic piece of literature is not just is, in a sense, disrespectful of what the BBC achieved.
I'm not a fan of Jane Austen the way Melissa is, but I can see where she's coming from. I'm only going to compare the new version to the old, and I'm confident the new version will come up short, so why bother? Yes, yes, of course--copying and adapting and transforming old stories into new is what art is all about, right? I don't disagree, particularly when it comes to film, theater, and song. But even if I grant the importance of innovation and recreation, can't I also insist that some works of art are just so excellent, so complete, so full on their own terms, that one can be forgiven for wondering is there's anything besides the lure of a fast buck behind those who insist on continuing to rework these stories and songs and images even further? (Case in point: Madonna's atrocious cover of the classic "American Pie." Another case in point: Jonathan Demme's The Truth About Charlie, an insulting remake of the flawlessly smart Charade.) I think Melissa is right when she says, in essence: there's no reason to offer me another Pride and Prejudice; Keira Knightly and Co. can't offer me a take (at least not a "realistic" take, which is what the BBC version and this new one both presume to be) on the story that's already been done about as well as can be done. So just don't bother.
Of course, not everyone will see it that way, as not everyone recognizes the same definitive versions of particular works of art. Some people insist that the original production is always definitive (I would argue this is almost always the case with the Beatles; I have only rarely heard a Beatles cover that is even comparable to the original), whereas in other cases a song or book or film fairly begs for more definitive treatment (I would argue this is the case with most of Bob Dylan--while his oeuvre has suffered from hundreds of crappy covers, more often than not it is other performers who really nail the spirit of his own songs: think Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower"). Sometimes an adaptation utterly transforms what came before (Bobby Darin's cover of "Mack the Knife"), thus setting the stage for a whole new raft of interpretations. And sometimes an artist will cover himself, thus putting an interesting spin on what constitutes a definitive version (which is the superior version of Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much--the 1934 with Peter Lorre, or the 1956 with Jimmy Stewart?).
I can think of a handful of movies and songs that I consider definitive, basically unsurpassable--I'd rather listen or watch them over again than anything else that might come down the pike: Robyn Hitchcock's "Robyn Sings" (a complete cover of Bob Dylan's Royal Albert Hall concert); the 1959 Julie Andrews/Rex Harrison London recording of My Fair Lady; Harry Connick Jr.'s covers of "Pure Imagination," "Maybe" and other standards on "Songs I Heard"; the whole movie Singin in the Rain (every song in the film is a remake from the 1920s and 30s); Ray Charles's "Georgia on My Mind" and "It's Not Easy Being Green" (what, you thought that was a children's ditty? guess again!); Kenneth Branaugh's Henry V. I treasure them all, just like Melissa treasures her BBC Pride and Prejudice. What are your definitive versions? Do you have any?
Friday, September 23, 2005
Liberalism and Antiliberalism in Fast Food Nation
As promised, here are my thoughts about Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. It's been out for a few years now, obviously, but the data and arguments it presents aren't any less relevant, and it remains a great read--you can engage the book from the perspective of economics, sociology, agriculture, cultural history, or any number of other viewpoints. That's probably one of the reasons WIU chose FFN to build this year's "First Year Experience" around--every freshman was given a copy of the book, and there have been a variety of activities and seminars to give students and teachers an opportunity to talk about the book and its arguments further. I gave one of the first faculty presentations on the book, a couple of weeks back, so I figured I might as well recycle my comments into a post, especially considering that, on my reading, FFN exemplifies the need to think about how one frames the debate about consumption before (or at least while) engaging in it.
FFN is divided into two parts: "The American Way" and "Meat and Potatoes." The second section is appropriately named, since that is where Schlosser digs into the real mechanics of fast food production in America and around the world: the potato farms, the chemically designed tastes, the feedlots and slaughterhouses (and the appalling health and safety conditions within), the health hazards of modern meat production, and so forth. It is also in this section where Schlosser's attack on the "all-American meal" is clearest and most powerful. The details are often disturbing, sometimes disgusting, and always fascinating. He talks about how the meatpacking industry has systematically lied about the environmental damage wrought by its huge slaughterhouses; how it purposefully relies upon the most vulnerable of all labor pools, illegal immigrants (and digs up an incredible exchange from a federal investigation into slaughterhouse practices, in which the head counsel for one of the largest meatpacking conglomerates openly admits that they want conditions to be primitive enough that they have a lot of turnover in the plants, because short-term employees don't receive health insurance, to say nothing of vacation time); and just how dangerous certain jobs in the meatpacking industry today really are. And, of course, he is anything but reticent about the health costs of such huge, sloppy, risky, bloody, unregulated meta-production practices: there is, quite simply, an awful lot of shit in our meat. Schlosser's investigative work here echoes great exposes of the past, of course, like Upton Sinclair's The Jungle; but he goes beyond them by examining the ins and outs of the labor struggles, corporate duplicity, real estate shenanigans and business monopolization which produces the food which then gets served to us with such regularity all across the globe. It's a great, scary, persuasive attack on a system that regularly eludes both presumed health and economic norms and explicit government standards.
Schlosser's conclusions, then, should not be surprising: there needs to be a stricter enforcement of labor laws, OSHA regulations, and the minimum wage (fast food chains, both along their production line and at the service end, routinely churn through workers with the aim of keeping job training costs to a minimum, all the while benefiting from government subsidies which reward them for taking "risks" on new workers); inspectors from the USDA and FDA need to be given sufficient centralized authority and manpower to demand investigations and keep their own records (current laws allow meatpacking plants to essentially set their own schedules for investigations); antitrust laws need to be turned against major agribusiness conglomerates (there are today, amazingly enough, only about 1000 potato farmers in all of Idaho, a relatively weak and disorganized group in the face of big fry companies that dominate the market); and so on. He takes, in short, what would be widely recognized as a liberal stance, or at least a liberal egalitarian or a positive liberal stance: that it is the responsibility of the government to work to create conditions wherein people choices and lives are empowered and improved. Through the regulation of worker safety and insurance, health standards and procedures, and labor and corporate relations, the industry can be made cleaner, safer, less economically exploitive and dangerous, and more secure--and it can be done, Schlosser persuasively argues, pointing to several instances in which McDonald's and other large fast food chains quickly and radically changed some of their basic practices when under popular pressure, at very little ultimate cost to the consumer. Reform liberalism at its best, you might say.
The problem with such a reading of FFN, however, is that it doesn't do justice to want Schlosser is attempting, with (unfortunately) much less success I think, to do in the first part of the book. In those chapters, he spends his time talking about the emergence of the fast food industry and the social and economic developments which made it possible (including the huge economic push to Southern California, the home of the first true fast food chains, provided by the military-industrial complex, and a wonderful and terrible story about how General Motors, with the assistance of other automobile companies and various oil interests, managed to secretly purchase and bankrupt trolley and rail companies across the country, thereby enabling the dominance of car travel in 20th-century America). He tries to get inside the heads of those who pioneered fast food, and those who work at it today. And again and again, he makes clear his deep dissatisfaction with our reigning commitment to speedy, homogenized, cheap service, no matter what its consequences to our lifestyle. Unfortunately, that dissatisfaction is not very easily articulated in the context of his reportage, because few of those he profiles feel it themselves. And so, Schlosser has to make that point for them, sometimes condescendingly. A highlight comes early in the book, as part of an interview with Carl Karcher, one of few surviving pioneers of fast food's early days:
"I looked out the window and asked how he felt driving through Anaheim today, with its fast food restaurants, subdivisions, and strip malls. 'Well, to be frank about it,' he said, 'I couldn't be happier.' Thinking that he'd misunderstood the question, I rephrased it, asking if he ever missed the old Anaheim, the ranches and citrus groves.
"'No,' he answered. 'I believe in Progress.'
That Schlosser is disturbed by all that he sees--the obsession with growth and profit, lowering costs and increasing speed, reducing everything to its most simple, reliable and repeatable common denominator--is quite apparent; it comes through all the time in the text, particularly in the first part of the book. He profiles a Little Caesar's Pizza franchise owner in Pueblo, CO, and recognizes him as a pretty hard-working, decent, and caring fellow; yet when this restaurant owner chooses to do something nice for his employees, Schlosser can't help but be appalled at what he does: buy them all tickets to a "Success Seminar" where they get exposed to celebrities touting this or that nostrum for personal wealth and fulfillment, an event which Schlosser thoroughly ridicules, except for the moment following a powerful address by Christopher Reeve, at which point he writes that "[e]everybody in the arena, not matter how greedy or eager for promotion...know deep in their hearts that what Reeve has just said is true...[t]heir latest schemes, their plans to market and subdivide and franchise their way up, whatever the cost...vanish in an instant. Men and women up and down the aisles wipe away tears, a sudden awareness of something hollow about their own lives, something gnawing and unfulfilled." And then, predictably, this moment of awareness is followed by a crass pitch from a New Age dietician.
His point is clear: the spirit of growth is morally bankrupt and intellectually worthless; the ability to parlay every choice into an opportunity, the central promise of the hyped-up, globalized, speedy service American way of life, isn't worth it. Schlosser lays his cards on the table at the end of his Afterword, when he writes: "Whatever replaces the fast food industry should be regional, diverse, authentic, unpredictable, sustainable, profitable--and humble. It should know its limits....This new century may bring an impatience with conformity, a refusal to be kept in the dark, less greed, more compassion, less speed, more common sense, a sense of humor about brand essences and loyalties, a view of food as more than just fuel. This don't have to be the way they are." It's a powerful ending. The problem is, it's not really a liberal one. On the contrary, all that talk of regionality, authenticity, limits, humility, compassion, and common sense, sounds like the sort of think a conservative like Edmund Burke might say (and probably would, were he alive today and being shuttled through some soulless American suburb on a quest to find a Burger King).
Of course, plenty of liberals do talk like that, about how "the people" (Americans, the middle class, whatever) have foolishly bought into an overconsumptive way of life that divorces them from simpler, more authentic pleasures, and which along the way is making them less healthy and less happy. Strictly speaking, however, when someone starts actually attacking our whole culture of consumption and growth and speed as Schlosser does, they are not longer engaging in liberalism reformism: this is no longer about using the government or education to improve the quality of extent choices (making for cleaner slaughterhouses, purer meat, less exploitive restaurants, etc.) and thus increasing, in a positive way, the liberty of persons; no, this is about actually judging, and perhaps limiting, the sort of choices people can make. A good liberal egalitarian wants McDonald's to operate in a more equitable and enlightened manner, but only an antiliberal actually thinks we would be better off without the sort of "liberties" (namely, being able to eat a cheap meal pretty much anytime that will taste the same pretty much anywhere in the world) which McDonald's makes possible. Perhaps it isn't strictly conservative, or communitarian, or socialist--but it definitely moves in that direction. (Perhaps if Schlosser had leavened his book with ideas drawn from real critics of liberalism, thinkers like Christopher Lasch, Roger Scruton, or Immanuel Wallerstein, then we'd know if we was more populist, traditionalist, Marxist, or what.)
This is most obvious when Schlosser talks about advertising. Like a great many self-described liberals, he thinks (and I agree with him) that great damage is being done to the diets, health, and material expectations of children by the incessant and often misleading advertising which fast food chains engage in, especially insofar as tie-ins to popular culture goes. (Schlosser takes several tired but still pertinent shots at Walt Disney, and how his empire both anticipated and enabled the fast food mentality.) His solution is to demand that all television advertisements aimed at children that promote food high in fat and sugar be immediately banned. And, of course, this solution puts him square in the middle of that uncomfortable intra-liberal debate over just how legitimate it is for the government to control the "speech" of advertisers--who are, after all, simply making known and encouraging a particular choice. I don't want to argue that point out here--my position, to anyone who has read this far, is probably obvious, and the opposite position, which refuses to grant any greater persuasive power (and thus acknowledge any greater need for regulation) to the market than to ordinary political speech, is pretty well laid out by my friend Nick on his new blog here. I just want to observe that if you truly believe that our ability to make choices is being warped in unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable ways by economic conditions and powerful interests, then you must not believe that individual choice is all that inviolable in the first place. Which probably means that you think choice is of limited valuable unless people are in a condition to make the right (cultural and social) choices. Schlosser's investigative work, and his clear if implicit conviction that much that is wrong with the fast food industry goes back to our having been placed on a conveyer belt that has conditioned us to expect regular delivers of ever more food, ever more cheaply and ever more reliably, shows him to be thinking about fast food in structural and moral terms. And those are terms which demand a critique of liberalism, not a repair of it.
In practice, of course, such liberalism and antiliberalism are somewhat reconcilable. Schlosser speaks admiringly about a few fast food chains that don't play by these rules, and thus break out of the culture he condemns (and, not coincidentally, therefore serve high quality, good tasting food). These places--Conway's Red Top restaurants of Colorado Springs, or the In-and-Out Burger chain in California and Nevada--are owned by families, not corporations; they reject the franchise model; they pay their employees a good wage with benefits (and thus keep employees for a long time); they buy and make their food fresh (no prefabricated syrup for the shakes, no microwaves for the burgers, no pre-pealed, cut, and frozen potatoes for the fries); and--perhaps most tellingly--they are highly idiosyncratic, with their respective companies replete with old family mottos and scriptural injunctions. That's a populism that can't be called into existence by more or better government regulations. But at the same time, one can easily imagine a reformist, regulative response to the fast food industry which was aimed explicitly at preserving and extending such local ownership and variety. A good example which was brought up during my presentation was Germany's approach to beer: the country has tight regulations in place, refusing to allow any drink that is made with more than a few key ingredients, or prepared in a manner that doesn't involve a significant amount of hands-on work, to be labeled "pure beer." (Until 1987, the restrictions were even stronger; such drinks could rarely be sold anywhere in West Germany.) One could, of course, point to the actual history of the Reinheitsgebot and snicker at how it originally was more about Bavarian protectionism than Deutsch authenticity, but that doesn't change it's practical effect today: it has helped create a beer culture that insists that there are some things that really ought to be left as they are, not speeded up, or watered down, or shipped everywhere hither and yon. A regulation which is premised upon a purity and health requirement has helped shape much more than the range of (liberal) choices available to consumers; it has helped conserve and socialize an authentic, limited, local set of consumptive practices, practices not at all dissimilar to those Schlosser is plainly hoping for. (Another example of such a compromise are some policies which my own family's has benefited from; a topic for yet another post on these interrelated themes.)
So perhaps, in the end, FFN is one of those many works that wish, whether in an informed or a merely naive or unconscious way, to make use of liberal state to reform conditions so that at least partially non-liberal, localist forms of life might be preserved. Of course, this leaves unasked the question of whether such is even coherent: can liberal empowerment do anything more than just generate, intentionally or otherwise, ever more liberal bureaucracies and expectations? A hard theoretical question, and not one Schlosser is in a position to help us with. But if nothing else, he does a superb in helping us deal with the question of whether we should eat at McDonald's, and thus endorse the exploitations of powerful agribusinesses, the abusive labor practices of meatpacking firms, the terrible health standards of the meat they serve us, the disruptive economic impact of chain proliferation, not to mention exposing ourselves to E Coli, mad-cow disease, and any number of other hamburger-born pathogens that arise from this country's depraved and foul meat-production procedures. Can you guess what his answer is? I knew you could.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
The Fat of the Land
Well, it's the first day of autumn, 2005. A good time for another long, meandering post, don't you think?
I was up early this morning, and went for a short bike ride in the pre-dawn light; a deer, a fox, and a couple of raccoons crossed my path, as the sky slowly turned a lighter and lighter shade of blue and pink. This is a great time of year: it gets me thinking about the harvest, good food on the table, a sense of the land wrapping things up for another season. All that, plus fat. Unfortunately, it's hard not to think about that when I'm out sweating on my bike. I'm 6'2", and I'm tipping the scales at just under 230 lbs. For years after I reached my full height, I was fairly slim--I stayed at 185 lbs. for most of my undergraduate career, maybe maxing out around 195. Then came marriage and graduate school and the dissertation, and suddenly I'd put on twenty pounds. And despite numerous half-hearted plans to reverse the trend, there's been a slow but steady increase ever since. No, I'm not particularly overweight or out of shape, but I've definitely grown a gut.
I've never really been tempted to hit the gym, submit to a fierce diet regime, and turn myself into a physical Adonis (assuming I even could)--I don't want to work that hard. (Not to dismiss the example of those who do--like an old friend of mine who has gone in just a few years from being heavier than I to being a competitive marathon-runner.) Plus, I suspect that many of the pressures which get brought to bear on those who aspire to "fitness" are, as Hugo Schwyzer smartly put it, "less about health and more about attempting to conform to an unrealistic beauty standard." Still, I don't like how I look, mainly because it is manifestly the case that I'm not living as lightly (literally) as I could be. And that's become increasingly important to me over the last few years: living simply and ethically, which among other things puts a big question mark over many of our activities and life choices (including how one uses or abuses one's body, as well as what one puts into it).
This probably sounds like just more of my usual leftist communitarian shtick, and it is partly that: I'm hardly immune to all the condemnations of fast food, SUVs, mini-mansions, suburban sprawl, capitalism, or America itself out there which frame themselves as attacks upon the costs and crudities of bigness and overconsumption. (I recently gave a favorable presentation to a faculty group here at WIU on Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation; I'll try to get a post about that up in a day or two.) And let's be honest--a lot of those sorts of critiques are driven by an elitist disdain, or the mad desire to be one of those wealthy, informed, superior, beautiful people who get to look down all the rest of the McDonald's-patronizing proles out there. Many ugly or at least wholly irrelevant sentiments can get wrapped up in the criticism of fatness, sentiments that Daniel Ben-Ami does a good job exposing in this article. Not that I agree with his rejection of the anti-overconsumption line of thought, not the least reason for which being his failure to actually engage any of the more serious arguments out there attacking how so many of eat, buy, and live. Instead, Ben-Ami is content to simply affirm that, well, of course all consumption is good, because all consumption reflects the desire to improve oneself materially and enjoy the benefits thereof, and who could possibly be against an increase of material wealth in the world, especially amongst the world's poor? That, dare I say, doesn't come close to touching on the real issue....which is what makes all the more interesting that he does get to the heart of the matter in a casual aside that deserves a lot more thought than he gives it:
"[A] key part of the reason [for the popularity of the anti-overconsumption argument] is the institutionalisation of the idea that there is no alternative to the market. Capitalism, in one form or another, is seen as the only realistic way of organising society. In terms of political debate there is what Thomas Frank, a liberal social commentator, describes as 'the systematic erasure of the economic.' In other words, cultural matters are open for debate but fundamental economic questions are not....Matters related to the sphere of consumption are [thus] open to debate. This includes not just the literal act of consumption itself but related questions such as brands and identity....In contrast, the productive sphere is seen as fixed. This is not just a technical question of the manufacturing process for, say, semiconductors or plasma screen televisions. It means that the possibility of developing a qualitatively better economy is denied. Humanity's creative potential, including the possibility of transcending the limits of the market, is banished from discussion."
For Ben-Ami, this just means that we need to shake off our doldrums and get fascinated again with the "productive" side of the equation again. Bring back supply-side economics--we need to concentrate on growth, on making everyone just as fat as Americans are! But what it suggests to me is the possibility that the argument about "fatness" often gets weighed down with condescending and unwarranted judgments exactly because those who criticize consumption are themselves committed to fixed economic perspective: they can only think of themselves as consumers, and so all there is to do is complain about all those other (lousy, low-class, overweight, irresponsible, trashy) consumers out there who haven't figured out the right way to spend their money or time, the right foods to put into their bodies so to maximize bodily outputs. As long as that is the only frame of reference available, then of course the debate won't go anywhere: if the protesters outside the McDonald's restaurant are nothing but (upper-class, well-educated, oh-so-enlightened) consumers themselves, trying to get the patrons inside to get with the program, well, it won't surprise me to see the Big Mac win every time.
Fortunately, that's not the only frame of reference available. If one turns away from the idea that one is expected to be contributing to the "right" parts of the economy by making the "right" choices, and instead reconsiders the economic sphere in light of entirely different, not necessarily consumptive and choice-driven priorities, then it becomes possible to makes certain critiques without necessarily falling into exclusive or condescending language. A friend of mine recently returned from France, and like so many who visit that country, was impressed at how healthy and fit the people he met were, how there seemed to be an inverse relationship between how little the French obsessed about food and looks, and how well they ate and appeared. Sure, his observations are just anecdotal, but they're also quite common, and the explanations behind those observations are probably not any less true for being commonplace: the stereotypical Frenchman or Frenchwoman eats more slowly and walks more; it takes longer to get things done, and the things done take up more time than most Americans are willing to accept. Put in more theoretical terms, one might say that they move bodily through a more circumscribed world, where more foods are local, more daily routines and circumscribed, and diets and habits have an organic connection (or, at least, far more organic than is the case for the average American city-dweller) to the natural limits of things. They see something else beyond the food and the road, that's all. The French may be among the world's foremost "fat American"-bashers, but it's quite possible that, when one gets down to fundamentals, most of them aren't doing so just because they think we all ought to change our diets: perhaps it has more to do with an amazement at the narrow, locked-in way (more food, faster food, more diets, faster diets, etc.) in which we approach the whole matter of consumption in the first place.
This needn't be cast in American/anti-American terms. Might it not be the case that, at least on some level, those all around who live healthily aren't doing so solely because they want to make themselves into a certain sort of person (with the tight stomach and firm abs), but because they genuinely find a certain kind of joy and empowerment in constraining and disciplining themselves? Of course it is--just listen to any long-distance runner or biker talk about the groove they fall into, how they find a deep reward in being able to relate to and feel their body in a way that has nothing to do with consumptive inputs and productive outputs. And, if you listen carefully enough, you'll find the same sort of language coming from fine chefs and fans of good food all across the country. For them, the point is to get away from the one-meal-follows-another-routine: by tuning (and therefore limiting) their minds and bodies to meals and ingredients that can't be reduced to quick, mass-produced fuel, they can consume (often luxuriously!) without losing sight of everything else food can be. I don't mean to collapse all this to a single theoretical observation, but I think it's compelling nonetheless: in my experience, people who are really close to, really appreciate, and loving indulge in the bounty of the world around us are rarely poster children for gluttony; similarly, the truly healthy people are rarely those who viciously hit the gym after every (thoughtless) lunch meal, trying to cut themselves a perfect body before rushing back to work. Good food and good health require a much simpler submission to the rhythms of the world, at least to some degree; I don't know if you could really get away with calling that an "economic" question, but I do suspect that refusing to acknowledge the pace of one's own personal economy is a sure way to fail to enjoy all that one's body allows. And as one's personal economy is at least partly a function of the larger, public one....well, I guess this comes back to the "American way of life" (or at least the rather hyped-up version of which that has dominated the public imagination for many decades now) after all. In the abstract, it seems so hard to imagine that we can and should re-assess how we manage our pace and presence in the world; when confronted with distant examples--like the French--the tendency is to insist (like the good "realists" we imagine ourselves to be) that those who resist the lure of the cheap and compact and quick are fooling themselves: that the traditional French diet (which is arguably in decline anyway!) is nothing more than "trick[ing oneself] into experiencing what is actually self-denial as a kind of pleasure." Heavy word there, "trick." It assumes that there's some falsehood lurking around. But doesn't that beg the question? Why is the pleasure that one can find in such alternative construals of the modern world necessarily false?
Last weekend we went out to visit a small Amish community near Macomb. They're farmers and carpenters; they run a local grocery store and sell some baked goods. Nothing special. But we've been lucky enough to find, through them and other local organic farmers, suppliers for a lot of our meat and vegetables; we're taking baby steps towards becoming more sensitive consumers. (Part of this is a return to something I grew up with, a topic I also need to blog about soon.) The Amish and other small farmers we've met around here are hardly svelte; they probably don't work out much. Some of them have guts that put mine to shame. But they look pretty fit too. And why shouldn't they be? The harvest is coming in; they're enjoying the fruits of their labors (literally, in some cases). They work hard, and eat pretty well, and live a life which, as any economist could tell them, they probably ought to have abandoned long ago--that is, assuming they want to get ahead in life. Thankfully, not many of them do: or at least, they don't accept that such "getting" ought to involve getting away from a more landed (in every sense) way of life which provides with them with more than enough to get fat on. That's a fatness, one might say, that you could be proud of.
(More here, if you're actually still interested.)
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
A Week of Ideas and Anguish
Last Wednesday I flew to Washington D.C. for a busy APSA meeting--I presented a paper (one version of which you can find here), chaired the aforementioned discussion about conservatism with fellow bloggers Henry, Scott, and John (we hope to get their papers, plus our discussant's comments, up on Crooked Timber fairly soon), and served as a discussant myself on a panel on early 20th-century Chinese liberalism, which I probably sweated more about than any other event from the whole four days. (I don't think I've so much as thought about Sun Yat-sen, much less read anything about him, since I was getting my M.A., over a decade ago.) Plus interviews, plus meetings, etc. It was a very busy and engaging few days, as APSA always is for me. I know academics who get burned out on conferences, and perhaps someday I will as well, but so far I still crave them--they're where I get my batteries recharged, where I get jazzed on the latest argument or insight or publication. I'm lucky that I've been able to attend as often as I have.
Lucky--now there's an understatement. There I was, along with a few thousand of my professional peers, hanging around a couple of hotels in D.C., buying books, swapping stories, arguing over papers and drinks, going out to dinner. But not just that--because whenever there was a free moment, in the mornings or evenings or during the day, people were talking about Katrina and New Orleans, crowding around the TVs to watch the latest horrifying footage. Flooding, starvation, fires, chaos, violence, despair, disease, and massive, massive incompetence. It was the topic of almost every non-profession-related conversation I overheard or participated in; and in fact became the topic, either explicitly or implicitly, of more than a few of those discussions as well.
Two of such stand out. On Thursday I got together with Damon Linker, an old friend and our discussant for the conservatism panel on Friday. He told me about the David Brooks column from that morning, with its invocations of terrible, catastrophic floods from America's past (the Johnston, PA, flood in 1889; the hurricane which destroyed Galveston, TX, in 1900; and most importantly the awesome Mississippi flood of 1927), and the huge, and hugely unpredictable, consequences they have had on the socio-economic fabric--and the political leadership--of the country. He ended that column writing:
"[F]loods are also civic examinations. Amid all the stories that recur with every disaster--tales of sudden death and miraculous survival, the displacement and the disease--there is also the testing. Civic arrangements work or they fail. Leaders are found worthy or wanting. What's happening in New Orleans and Mississippi today is a human tragedy. But take a close look at the people you see wandering, devastated, around New Orleans: they are predominantly black and poor. The political disturbances are still to come."
While talking about this over our snacks, watching CNN out of the corner of our eyes, my friend predicted the end of Bush. His approval ratings will be at 35% or lower within two weeks, and won't recover. The Democrats will be able to hang so much on him that it'll take a massive blunder on their part for Bush's record not to create a huge opening for them in 2008.
I was thinking about that discussion when, Saturday morning, I checked out a panel discussion on progressive politics in the U.S., with presentations by Rogers Smith and Bill Galston, and comments from Jeffrey Isaac. Each presented some fascinating information and controversial opinions; a great discussion overall. But what really stood out to me was Isaac's apparent lack of confidence in any of these devastating events to actually translate into reform or any kind of progressive political action at all. He said he certainly hoped heads would roll, that the voting public would respond productively to these terrible visuals of poverty, disarray, and finger-pointing . . . but he doubted it would happen. Instead he feared, he said, that the majority of American citizens have become so convinced of their isolation from, or so settled in their opinions about, public life that they simply couldn't be roused, much less led to demand accountability from, their (mostly Republican) leaders. President Bush will hug people and try to come up with money he's directed to be spent elsewhere, FEMA Director Michael Brown will talk about how hard he's trying, the libertarians will tell you that the government couldn't possibly have done any better anyway, and soon the masses will be led on to the next media event. (Katrina? That's old news. Yes, yes, all the refugees are starving in the Houston Astrodome, we know. But hey, Rehnquist died! Hit the Senate lights; it's confirmation time.)
I don't know which it'll be. Brooks's latest suggests that we are at the "bursting point," and that even Republicans are "mad as hell" at an administration which has systematically, if unintentionally, underfunded and misdirected the federal government's ability to fulfill its most basic responsibility: collectively providing security and aid at a time of crisis. Laura thinks that David is right: that no one "can seriously talk about small government now"; that "perhaps this will lead to more consciousness of the poor in their own backyard"; that seeing as how "one of the major accusations of the relief effort was that troops couldn't be sent in to Jefferson Parish, because they were in Falluja," we can be certain that popular support for the war in Iraq has probably ended overnight. I hope she's right. Certainly Brooks's columns are exactly the sort of thing which Timothy Burke ("I do honestly beg your pardon for saying so to those of you who are regular Republican voters, because I know you're not necessarily at all the same as the people who now represent your party on the national stage . . . [but if] you can't be bothered to draw the line between your decency and the screaming indecency of your leadership, then what's the point?") and Henry Farrell ("Bush and his friends and supporters tell us that they're conservatives. Conservatism, if it has any moral content at all, is supposed to be a political philosophy of values, of taking responsibility for one's actions and inactions. Not press conference spin, blame shifting and Potemkin relief efforts.") have been eloquently pleading for over the past few days. But does Bush read Brooks? More pertinently, do Republican voters? I think Damon was probably right at least insofar as that there's probably a couple of weeks worth of a window open, at most, for such anger to coalesce and have consequences. If his prediction isn't born out in that time, I fear Jeffrey's may be the more accurate one after all.
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J Electromagn Eng Sci Search
J Electromagn Eng Sci > Volume 18(1); 2018 > Article
Yoon, Um, Park, and Jang: SDR-Based Frequency Interference Emulator in the Space-Time Domain and Its Application
In this study, we propose a software-defined radio-based frequency interference emulator in the space-time domain. This emulator can easily model actual interference environments because of the versatile programming capability of the universal software radio peripheral and LabVIEW. As an example of an interfering network using the contention-based multiple access scheme in the time domain, we emulate a coordinated Wi-Fi network that consists of one access point and two Wi-Fi nodes. Results show that our emulator can successfully model multiple interfering signals in the Wi-Fi network and easily adjust various space–time domain parameters.
I. Introduction
A world without wireless communication is difficult to imagine. For various wireless services, wireless devices such as smart phones, laptops, and sensors are rapidly increasing, thus causing the use of the frequency spectrum to increase sharply. However, only a limited amount of frequency spectrum is available, and this limitation may cause wireless devices to experience adverse interference from nearby wireless devices that simultaneously transmit in the same or adjacent frequency band. Therefore, a quantitative understanding and analysis of this interference are important for future wireless services [1].
Various experimental methods to analyze interference problems are reported in [25]. Some studies use real wireless hardware to emulate interference environments [24]. However, when real hardware is used, changing or obtaining physical (PHY) and/or media access control (MAC) layer parameters is difficult because they are commonly embedded in the modem chip. A typical parameter in interference analysis, namely, bit error rate, can hardly be measured at the PHY layer of real hardware without modifying its software. One study generally used signal generators to emulate interfering signals [5].
Although a signal generator is highly controllable, the number of interferers that it can emulate remains unclear. Therefore, a necessary task is to implement an interference emulator that can reflect a realistic interference environment and easily adjust various parameters of multiple interferers in the space, frequency, and/or time domain.
This study aims to develop a versatile emulator for imitating various frequency interference environments consisting of multiple interferers. We propose a software-defined radio (SDR)-based frequency interference emulator in the space–time domain. In our emulator, space and frequency domain parameters in the PHY layer are adjusted by a Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) and the LabVIEW program. Time domain parameters used in the MAC layer are controlled by a discrete Markov model implemented in the LabVIEW program. Given the versatile programming capability of USRP and LabVIEW, we can adjust various space and frequency domain parameters (separation distance, path loss according to the separation distance, center frequency, bandwidth, spectrum mask, transmit power, etc.) and time domain parameters (packet size, duty cycle, back-off time, etc.), respectively. Accordingly, we analyze the effects of the victim’s performance degradation due to realistic multiple interferers in a given interference scenario.
II. Interferer Model
To show an explanatory emulation of a multi-interferer environment in detail, we assume an interference scenario with Zigbee as the victim and the Wi-Fi network as the multiple interferers. We take these assumptions because the 2.4 GHz unlicensed frequency band is used worldwide, and previous studies showed that the Wi-Fi network is the most significant interference source of Zigbee [2]. Fig. 1 depicts a typical interference scenario with Wi-Fi and Zigbee devices in the space and time domain, respectively. In the space domain, the probability of interference increases as the separation distance between the victim’s wireless device (Zigbee) and the interferer (Wi-Fi) decreases. Moreover, the interference may occur as the operating frequency band between wireless devices overlaps. As shown in Fig. 1(a), the Zigbee channel may overlap with the Wi-Fi channel. For example, if the Wi-Fi network operates on channel 6 (CH6) and Zigbee operates on channel 17 (CH17), then the Zigbee channel will be completely overlapped by the Wi-Fi channel. This interference is probably the most severe because the spectrum overlapping factor is almost 1. To extend this finding to a case with K Wi-Fi interferers, the received interference signal power at the victim’s antenna input port can be defined as
PIk=Pwifi·αk(d)·γk,for k=0,1,,K-1,
where Pwifi is the transmit power of the WiFi node, and αk(d) is the path loss at the distance, d, from the kth node to the victim receiver, γk and is the spectrum overlapping factor of the kth Wi-Fi interferer; the typical values of γk and αk are specified in [6]. An important detail is that even though K Wi-Fi interferers exist, only one node including the access point (AP) transmits data at any instant, as shown in Fig. 1(b).
We then consider the time domain shown in Fig. 1(b). Both standards for Zigbee (IEEE 802.15.4) and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b) specify three clear channel assessment (CCA) methods to determine the channel occupancy. The CCA default mode of Wi-Fi and Zigbee devices operate in the carrier sensing mode, in which a Wi-Fi node will consider the channel free if no other Wi-Fi device is detected. If we assume that both Wi-Fi and Zigbee devices operate in the carrier sensing mode, then they will essentially be blind to each other’s transmissions[7-8]. This assumption provides the worst-case performance of an environment in which Wi-Fi and Zigbee coexist [9]. Therefore, the interfering Wi-Fi network can be emulated independently regardless of the Zigbee victim nodes. Moreover, only one Wi-Fi node may transmit at any instant, and it interferes with the Zigbee nodes regardless of the number of coordinated Wi-Fi nodes. Fig. 1(b) shows an example in which the Wi-Fi network has full traffic, where tDIFS and tSIFS are the periods of time for the distributed interframe space (DIFS) and the short interframe space (SIFS), respectively. If the channel is idle for a period of time that is equal to tDIFS, node #1 will transmit the Request-to-Send (RTS) message. If node #1 receives the Clear-to-Send (CTS) message from AP, then node #1 will transmit its data packet. In case of full traffic, the packet size is 3872 bit (about 944 μs). It the AP successfully receives the packet from node #1, the AP transmits the acknowledgement (ACK) message to node #1 after the tSIFS second. This process is repeated until there is no data packet to be transmitted.
III. Implementation of Interference Emulator
We designed an SDR-based frequency interference emulator that consists of one Wi-Fi AP and two Wi-Fi nodes, as shown in Fig. 2(a). We connected the host PC to the USRP with gigabit Ethernet cables for a fast interface, and we used an RF switch that can selectively connect three antennas with one USRP. The Wi-Fi transmitter output power is set to 30 mW in accordance with the standard. Our emulator can change the individual path loss αk according to the distribution of the nodes. Moreover, the proposed emulator can calculate path loss in the software by using a specific path loss model without the actual spatial distribution of the interferers. That is, as shown in Fig. 1(a), if we determine the spatial distribution of interferers and calculate path loss in the software, then we can easily implement our emulator using only one USRP. For this reason, the suggested emulator is advantageous for emulating multi-interferer environments.
In the time domain, a transmitting node selection algorithm is implemented using LabVIEW. According to the channel access scheme of the Wi-Fi network, if more than two nodes transmit data at a given instant, then a collision will occur, and the collided nodes will have to wait during the slot counter value, Ci, where the subscript i denotes the backoff stage, i ∈ {0,1, ⋯, m}, and m is the maximum backoff stage. When only one Wi-Fi node transmits data at a given time, the Wi-Fi node transmits immediately without collision. Otherwise, each unsuccessful transmission doubles the contention window size, Wi, up to a maximum value, CWmax. This process is depicted in Fig. 2(b) and is based on [10].
To support the validation of our emulator, we generate interfering data packets with the LabVIEW program using the transmitting node selection algorithm depicted in Fig. 2(b). Then, we configure the emulator as shown in Fig. 3(a). In the configuration illustrated in Fig. 3(a), we expect the AP signal to have the highest amplitude at the victim receiver and the #2 node signal to have the smallest amplitude at the victim receiver. Verification of the measured waveform at the victim receiver using an oscilloscope in Fig. 3(b) confirms that our emulator can successfully generate time domain packets of multiple Wi-Fi interferers. All parameters, except for center frequency, are consistent with the Wi-Fi standard, but center frequency is set to 400 MHz because of the limitation of the oscilloscope. Fig. 3(b) shows the interference waveform of the Wi-Fi interferers when the Wi-Fi network has a full traffic case. The time domain waveform in Fig. 3(b) is almost identical to that in Fig. 1(b). To test its usability, we emulate an interference waveform when the Wi-Fi network has no traffic and the Wi-Fi AP transmits only a beacon every 100 ms, as shown in Fig. 3(c). These results show that our emulator can successfully emulate interfering signals in the Wi-Fi network and easily adjust various space-time domain parameters.
IV. Conclusion
We have proposed an SDR-based frequency interference emulator in the space-time domain. Actual interference environments can be modeled easily because of the versatile programming capability of the USRP and LabVIEW. Our interference emulator can easily model a large number of simultaneous interferers that are correlated. The emulator can also help with the requirements of the extensive and controlled testing of the frequency interference mitigation algorithm prior to its use within a system.
This work was supported by the ICT R&D program of MSIP/IITP, Republic of Korea (No. 2016-0-00141, Development of coexistence technology and analysis tool for the promotion of free band/unlicensed band).
Fig. 1
Interference scenario that consists of a Zigbee pair as the victim and three Wi-Fi interfering nodes. (a) Space domain and (b) time domain.
Fig. 2
Block diagram of the interference emulator. (a) Block diagram and (b) transmitting node selection algorithm.
Fig. 3
Interference emulation of the Wi-Fi network at the input of the victim receiver. (a) Photograph of the implementation, (b) full traffic case, and (c) no traffic case.
1. H. Zhang, X. Chu, W. Guo, and S. Wang, "Coexistence of Wi-Fi and heterogeneous small cell networks sharing unlicensed spectrum," IEEE Communications Magazine, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 158–164, 2015.
2. L. Angrisani, M. Bertocco, D. Fortin, and A. Sona, "Experimental study of coexistence issues between IEEE 802.11b and IEEE 802.15.4 wireless networks," IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 1514–1523, 2008.
3. L. Tytgat, O. Yaron, S. Pollin, and I. Moerman, "Analysis and experimental verification of frequency-based interference avoidance mechanisms in IEEE 802.15.4," IEEE/ACM Transactions on Networking, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 369–382, 2015.
4. L. Angrisani, and M. Vadursi, "Cross-layer measurements for a comprehensive characterization of wireless networks in the presence of interference," IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 1148–1156, 2007.
5. N. Shahin, NJ. LaSorte, SA. Rajab, and HH. Refai, "802.11 g channel characterization utilizing labview and NI-USRP," In: Proceedings of 2013 IEEE International Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC); Minneapolis, MN. 2013;pp 753–756.
6. H. Yoon, and BJ. Jang, "Performance degradation of WPAN system due to UHF RFID interference," In: Proceedings of 2013 European Microwave Conference (EuMC); Nuremberg, Germany. 2013;pp 120–123.
7. J. Park, H. Yoon, and BJ. Jang, "SDR-based frequency interference analysis test-bed considering time domain characteristics of interferer," In: Proceedings of 2018 18th International Conference on Advanced Communication Technology (ICACT); Pyeongchang, Korea. 2016;pp 517–521.
8. J. Yun, J. Park, H. Yoon, and BJ. Jang, "Frequency interference test-bed considering both interferer’s frequency and time domain parameters," In: Proceedings of URSI Asia-Pacific Radio Science Conference (URSI AP-RASC); Seoul, Korea. 2016;pp 266–268.
9. P. Yi, A. Iwayemi, and C. Zhou, "Developing Zigbee deployment guideline under WiFi interference for smart grid applications," IEEE Transactions on Smart Grid, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 110–120, 2011.
10. G. Bianchi, "Performance analysis of the IEEE 802.11 distributed coordination function," IEEE Journal of Selected Areas in Communication, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 535–547, 2000.
Hyungoo Yoon received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electronics engineering from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, in 1995, 1997, and 2002, respectively. From 2002 to 2004, he worked at Hyundai Electronics in Icheon, where he developed code division multiple access base stations. Since 2004, he has been a professor at the Department of Electronic Engineering at Myongji College, Seoul. His main research interests include radio resource management, interference mitigation techniques, multiple-input multiple-output systems, and spectrum engineering.
Jin-Soo Park received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea in 2014 and 2016, respectively. He is currently working at ZHT, where he has developed a frequency synthesizer for seekers. His current interests include anti-jamming and spectrum engineering, software-defined radio, and aerospace and defense system design.
Jungsun Um received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, and his Ph.D. degree from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Korea. Since 2006, he has been working at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI). His current research interests include spectrum sharing technologies, digital signal processing, and wireless communication systems.
Byung-Jun Jang received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in electronic engineering from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, in 1990, 1992, and 1997, respectively. From 1995 to 1999, he worked at LG Electronics, Seoul, where he developed code-division multiple-access and digital enhanced cordless telecommunication RF modules. From 1999 to 2005, he worked at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Daejeon, Korea, where he performed research on the fields of satellite RF components and monolithic microwave integrated circuits. In 2005, he joined Kookmin University, Seoul, where he is currently with the Department of Electrical Engineering. His research interests include RF circuit design, radio frequency identification system design, wireless power transfer system design, frequency interference modeling and spectrum engineering, and wireless sensor design.
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American Realist Movement Essay
1852 Words Mar 13th, 2006 8 Pages
We must approach this question in consideration of the fact that the American Realist movement never purported to formulate a complete theory of law which could stand alone to tell us what law is. Instead, the basis was that official conduct in dispute settlement in all kinds of dispute was the focal point for the analysis of the law's impact, facilitating the ability to make legal predictions based on expected official action. I think that to measure the impact of this type of thinking on jurisprudential thought, we need to keep in mind how it seeks to differ from other theory.
There are quotations that encompass Realism's ideals very well.
…show more content…
Further, what can be said of precedent if all cases are subject to moral determination whereby a judge can choose between a plethora of precedents and fit them to his facts. Llewelyn has written that legitimate premises for judges are always at least two in each case. Also it may seem unfathomable that we do not live to a rule of recognition, because if the law is solely how judges act in courts, do we not live in that world where we will be alone and die young, a world without order? In fact, it would seem to me that it is at this point that perceptions of realist thought often become distorted. The moderate American Realist does not disregard rules entirely. The realist investigation is actually how far justice can obtain certainty and with how far it is attained through rule and form. The essence for someone like Llewelyn, was to use decisions as the focus of study in order to ascertain the extent that we are governed by pre-decision rules. To my mind, the American Realist movement is the only practicable way of viewing law as something which can encompass command by rules and/or decisions simultaneously. Command in this sense is common acceptance of what is law. Scepticism is not to say non-existence, but it is to say that scarcely (or not ever' for the Realist) would a judge be bound to defer to one particular source in one factual circumstance, but that is not to say that he will not.
As with most
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Thursday, September 8, 2011
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By Girlie Koo
1. This comment has been removed by the author.
2. What good memories. I remember running around the entire premises, mostly enjoying the intimacy and the family charm. The scales, in particular, were always of interest, as were the sweets.
Recently, I went to Bo Lega, a shop @ 600 Main Street, besides HSBC. It reminded me of JB Hoy, because of the way the building is designed, and the layout of the store.
3. I remember the day that Mrs Koo told me I could call her Girly. I had known her since I was a toddler. So many memories!
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Count money bonus
Timing How long you expect to retain the desirable features of a position compared to your opponent.
Criteria (a) and (f) call for making a safe play; the others point towards making a bold play.
Pure Race A betsson blackjack strategy game in which the opposing forces have disengaged so there is no opportunity for further blocking or hitting by either side.
Double Shot One blot which can if moottoripyörän bonus be directly hit two different ways, or two blots each of which can be directly hit one way.The doubling cube is turned to 2 and stays in the middle.Winning a coup classique is especially satisfying for you and maddening for your opponent.One of the four quadrants that make up the playing area: your home board, your outer board, the opponent's home board, and the opponent's outer board.Big Play A bold or aggressive play when a safer but less constructive play is available.Roll Out To analyze a position by playing it out over and over again.Opening Game The first phase of a backgammon game where the players have yet to establish their initial game plans.
See: How to Play Trictrac.Cube Decision The choice of whether or not to offer a double, or the choice of whether to accept, or refuse a double that has been offered.The network is "trained" by adjusting the weights of the connections until desired outputs are achieved for given inputs.Moultezim A Turkish game in which players start at diagonally opposite corners and move around the board in the same direction.Railroad Tracks To pile all your checkers on a few points (1) ; also called candlesticks.Acey-Deucey Also spelled "Acey-Deucy" or "Acey-Ducey".Tailgate To start to throw your dice before the opponent has picked up his own finlandia hotels bonuskortti dice to finish his turn ; to roll prematurely.
Lover's Leap Sometimes spelled "lovers' leap".
Turn The sequence of actions that each player takes in alternation.
See: " Cluster Count " by Jack Kissane.
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Sunday, October 31, 2004
Dear Charlie:
Holy monkey, what a great day!
Now, I'm easy to please, but this was truly one of those God-blessed days that will stay in memory forever, even unto Alzheimer's. I had so much fun that I forgot to eat until after the game. Yes, folks, I got up at 7:00 a.m. and didn't eat until...ohhh...5:00 p.m. *sheepish* Needless to say, I was really hungry THEN. Heh.
Apparently, the Chiefs have gotten tired of playing football the old-fashioned way and have decided to break a bunch of records. Last week, we broke the rushing-touchdowns-in-a-single-game record. This week, with the Colts' help, we broke the total-combined-yardage-in-a-single-game record. The Chiefs and the Colts racked up 1,095 yards of total offense, breaking the prior NFL all-time record. How cool is that?
And all you wisenheimers who are rumbling about how the Chiefs defense should have prevented that record, look at the Colts' record and see how many OTHER defenses have allowed that much yardage to Peyton Manning! *grin*
Oh, and Tony Gonzalez caught his 500th pass. That was pretty cool.
Also, I'm LOVING the new anime look to the big Teletron thingie. I don't know if they showed it the same way on TV as they did in the stadium, but T. Gonzalez looks pretty damn sweet as an anime stud-muffin! Woo-hoo! Trent Green didn't look too bad, either. *grin*
Man, that game rocked. I have a headache and no voice from shouting at the top of my lungs for 4 hours straight, and I'm a little crashy from not eating all day, then eating a ton of chicken strips in about five minutes (before stopping abruptly as I remembered my stomach is still iffy), and I'm so damn tired I'm going to bed WAY early so I might be worth a buck tomorrow at work. Does life get any better??
Woo-hoo! *does a little dance*
45-35. That's just a cool score. Do you realize that the Chiefs have gained 69 first downs in the last TWO games? 36 last week and 33 this week? Unprecedented!
And we got to see Johnnie Morton do the worm in the end zone for the first time since last year! That never gets old. He just does it SO WELL. *smirk*
And I proved, once and for all, that I am NOT BAD LUCK! Woo-hoo! good.
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Dear Charlie:
Heh. Finished carving my pumpkins about an hour ago. One's nice and normal -- but upside down. The other one's the KC Chiefs logo, complete with arrowhead. It looks frickin cool lit up in the dark! Woo-hoo!
A couple of parents actually got out of their cars to comment. What a riot!
I'll count it a success. Yes, I took a picture. No, I probably won't put it up here. God only knows when I'll get it developed. The roll of film I developed for SmackDown in September had pictures from my car wreck in January.
Heh. I wouldn't hold your breath. *grin*
At any rate, I can't wait until tomorrow! Woo-hoo! Halloween at Arrowhead! How cool is that?
Friday, October 29, 2004
Dear Charlie:
I haven't puked today! Yay! *does a little dance* [since Sigge loves it so]
I'm not sure I really felt up to coming to work today, but I came in anyway. Too much to do to stay home. Two work friends and I had planned on lunch today, and I wasn't ABOUT to miss that, especially since one of those friends is leaving the company soon. *sniffles suspiciously* Yeah, I'll miss her like I would an arm. So, I couldn't miss lunch today, sick or no.
Plus, I had to finalize plans for the trip to Arrowhead this Sunday! Woo-hoo!
Happily enough, I apparently can't go ANYWHERE in town without bumping into someone I know. We go to Sweet Basil, a nice, tiny Italian restaurant on Main Street, for lunch today. I've never been there. In fact, I have only the vaguest memory of even hearing the name. At any rate, we decide to go there since it's easily within walking distance. I figure I can at least have soup if nothing else on the menu grabs my ill-stomached attention, right?
We order (chicken alfredo with spinach -- yum!) and sit around talking and eating like anyone should at an Italian restaurant, and all of a sudden, I hear a familiar voice. It's José, my conga-playing buddy from Woody's! He sometimes plays with Scott there, but I hadn't seen him for a LONG time. José always said to come by his restaurant and he'd make me something special, but I didn't know where he worked. Now I do! Yay!
He got one of my very few hugs (I'm not a touchy person, usually, but some people do get past the ol' handshake) and we chatted a moment before he went back to head-cheffing. Very nice. Made me feel good.
And the food was DELICIOUS. Of course, I barely ate half of it before my stomach started to rebel, but hey. I'll have lots for tonight and tomorrow, ne?
Anyhow, I'm glad I came in today. Good day today. My stomach's a little...rumbly...with malcontent, but if I can just keep lunch down for another half hour or so, I think it'll stay down for good.
So, here's to Friday, to bumping into old friends, and to Italian food when you're sick!
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Dear Charlie:
Sick. Ugh. Pukey sick, even worse.
I apparently looked godawfully ill at work, as they sent me home. So now, I get to be sick at home. In a way, that's cool. But sick sucks.
However, I'm gulping down Gatorade and I'll try to eat some soup here in a little bit, as my stomach's finally settled down some. Until then, I'm watching Rose Red and playing some mahjong, both reading and writing my books and stories. *grin*
See, I can't even be home sick without multi-tasking!
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Dear Charlie:
It's about time! Lordy! I've been trying to blog all day, but Blogger just wouldn't let me. *shakes head*
Shoot. Now I forgot what I wanted to blog about. Sheesh.
Oh, I remember! I'm going to the Chiefs game Sunday! Woo-hoo! Happy Halloween to me, ne?
*does a little dance*
I'm SOOO excited!
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Dear Charlie:
I'm back, baby!
Woo-hoo! Ten pages last night, and I kept every damn one! That's better than the entire total on the weekend (9 pages, of which I only kept 5) and this just during Monday Night Football!
The Zone is back!
Sorry I didn't blog yesterday, but I was swamped at work, and I was definitely feelin' the Zone at home. *grin* Man, it feels good to have the words just pour out of me again!
I mean, you know it'll come back. You know it's not gone forever. But when it comes BACK after even a few days' absence and you realize how HARD you worked for even a few paragraphs just the day before....
Yeah. I'm feelin' it.
Oh, and by the bye, while I like Jake Plummer, it was lovely to see the Broncos get their butts kicked by the Bengals. No offense to the Bengals, but knowing they can beat Denver by 13 points makes me feel a lot better about that second division game at the end of the season....
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Special Update:
Okay, this is entirely too cool to leave as a comment.
My beloved Chiefs just DEVASTATED the Falcons to the tune of 56-10. They scored 8 -- count 'em, EIGHT -- rushing touchdowns against the #1 rushing defense in the League. This, my friends, is a new NFL record.
They racked up 540 yards of total offense. They held Atlanta's offense to a single field goal (their one touchdown was on a return). One of our running backs rushed for 130+ yards. The other got 90.
I think the phrase "kicked the ever-lovin shit out of 'em" applies here, folks.
Dear Charlie:
Oooh! Look at my Chiefs!!
I know, it's only half-time and anything can happen in the second half, but they're 28-3 at halftime, and Priest's already well over 100 yards, and the defense stopped Atlanta at the one yardline for 3 downs, making them settle for a field goal, and they've never threatened since! Hell, I'll take half a game!
Again, GutterBall is a happy, happy girl!
Of course, as I'm sure you can tell, it doesn't take much to make me happy....
WOO-HOO! Interception!! My boys! 15 seconds left in the half, and they get an interception!! *does a little dance*
ACK! Make that 35-3 at halftime! Wah-HOOOO!!
Friday, October 22, 2004
Dear Charlie:
It was merde. Pure and simple.
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Quote of the Week:
I think this might well count as a motto:
"I think a plan's just a list of things that don't get done."
This comes in a movie where a bag filled with $15 million in cash is surrounded by a well of broken glass and two guys used a come-along and barbed wire as a torture device to get information. ROCK ON!
The Way of the Gun. I suggest, if you have a sensitive stomach or don't appreciate the very darkest sense of humor, you skip this one. Anyone else? *grin* Get in line, folks! This one's frickin' AWESOME!
But very bloody and very, very dark. Which makes GutterBall a very happy girl.
Heh. Here's another keeper from this flick:
"What are you gonna tell God when you meet him?"
"I was framed."
Killer music, too. Yes, GutterBall is one very, very happy girl.
Superfluous Sidebar:
Wow! I haven't had a good paper wad war in a looooong time!
That last volley was EXTREME. A good twenty or thirty little paper wads rocketing back and forth by the handful, most striking by sheer numbers. No real skill involved, just quick reflexes to duck and throw at the same time, to use all available furniture as cover, to grab that one stray before he does....
OH, SHIT! He's picking them up again! NO!!
*grin* Having a roommate kicks ass sometimes.
Dear Charlie:
Heh. Another quote struck me as I'm reading through....
Though she'd never know it, he was actually quite fond of her. That was, of course, the extent of his feelings toward her, as she well knew, but it was more than any of the other people had received from him. And, despite her current grumblings, she occasionally admitted he wasn't a complete beast.
Of course, she usually followed up that lukewarm compliment by reminding him that being a beast's ass wasn't much of an improvement.
Kinda struck me funny. *grin*
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Dear Charlie:
Tonight, I fended off a monster.
I shit you not, it was Spawn from Hell. I defended myself and my abode with nothing more than a spray can of Spawn Killer and an old, floppy boot. If they still gave commendations, I would collect mine with pride and minstrelize the story for future generations to marvel over.
Okay, it was really just a spider, but the little bitch was nearly two inches in diameter, pulsing on the wall like a malevolent, disincorporated heartbeat less than two feet from where I innocently and unknowingly washed my hands. Then I saw it. And it saw me.
And it SMILED.
Of course, that could have been the extremity of my terror talking, but I'd swear it KNEW, it UNDERSTOOD that I was there. Little bastard. So, I hosed it down with top-of-the-line spider killer. Oh, sure, it dragged two of its legs around a little awkwardly, but it survived for a good five minutes before I realized this Hellspawn wasn't going down without some weaponry. Chemical warfare simply wouldn't cut it against this...this...CREATURE.
So, I picked up a trusty old work boot, took careful aim at its weakened, but far from incapacitated body, and...
The damn thing didn't even have the courtesy to splat. Two pounds of work boot, and it just kinda curled up and released a little bug juice. Egads. Monstrosity, I tell you.
At any rate, AFTER the evil was banished, Dave and his girlfriend showed up, and I proudly showed off my kill. Dave's enlightened reponse was, "Damn!"
Toldja it was big.
Of course, I wouldn't touch even the corpse with a ten foot pole, so poor Dave had to scoop it up in a paper towel and throw it away. *shrug* My courage only goes so far, and I think I exhausted all my resources by not screaming and pissing myself.
Dear Charlie:
No Woody's tonight. *scowls* I just remembered that Scott told us last week that he wasn't playing "next Wednesday". Bummer.
Mind you, I would probably still go for the pizza--it's to die for!--but there are about ten other things for which I need that $10-20, so I'd probably better treat this as a blessing and pay a little extra on a bill somewhere. *grin*
On another note, I feel obliged to report a public health crisis. Last night as Dave, his girlfriend, and I vegged in front of the TV, watching an old tape of Patton Oswald (sp?) and laughing our asses off, we all three nearly choked to death on Smarties. Now, we obviously didn't all choke at once, but the facts are clear.
Smarties are hazardous to your health, especially when combined with frank and direct discussion of the differences between Bob Ross's happy trees and that other, volatile, brooding German guy whose name I can't recall, complete with startingly accurate verbal depictions of both artists.
So please, folks, take action. Save yourselves. Take all appropriate caution when ingesting these tasty, yet addictive and highly dangerous little tidbits. Please realize that your friends, while remarkably helpful under usual circumstances, will be too busy pointing and laughing at your discomfort as you choke to death--I know I was!--to actually aid you in any resuscitation activities, so be prepared to pound yourself on the chest and hack until your eyes hurt to save yourself.
Smarties may well be the biggest threat to public health since the Black Plague, which destroyed a third of the population of Europe and crippled another third.
And for God's sake, don't try to choke them down with Coke! It only makes it worse!
Be warned, people.
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Marvelous Sidebar:
Woo-hoo! The October issue of Truckin' is up! Yay!
And man, am I in good company. The inimitable BG's in there--I love how he intermingles the two aspects of his past until they're nearly indistinguishable--as is the brilliant Dr. Pauly with his gritty-but-witty portrayals of humanity at its best and worst. And Kristie, another newcomer like me, reminds us of a time we'd better never forget with aching prose and vivid imagery. And then, there's Sigge, everyone's favorite Norwegian novelist, who's hilariously serious treatise on how to be a shaman made me laugh out loud.
In other words, go check it out!
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging... soon as you go check out Truckin'! *big grin*
Dear Charlie:
HA! At least I'm not the ONLY person confused! Check this latest bit from the Tuesday Morning Quarterback:
As noted by reader Curtis Ruder of San Antonio, Texas, in the Kansas City-Jacksonville game, the time of possession was exactly 30:00 for both teams; both teams recorded 19 first downs, launched five punts and drew five penalties. This is the kind of hidden indicator that is essential to an insider's understanding of the game. Unfortunately, Ruder reports, "I have no idea what it means."
That's just what I've been saying! We aren't playing like losers (at least not ALL the time). So why are we losing??
Monday, October 18, 2004
Superfluous Sidebar:
If I didn't know better, I'd swear Tampa Bay threw the game. I mean, 4 turnovers is bad enough. But 4 turnovers on such crucial plays!
Ay carumba.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.
Dear Charlie:
I still can't figure it. I can't figure how some of the best defensive players in the league combined with one of the best defensive coordinators in history produce a 1-4 team.
It's driving me insane.
We should be kicking ass and taking names! My poor boys should be 5-0, even with a tough schedule! The Chiefs should reign supreme with a juggernaut offense and a brutal, larcenous defense!
But we're not. And I don't understand it. And the discrepancy is killing me!
What's the deal? And why can't we fix it? And why did we play like an unbeaten force to be reckoned with against Baltimore and like the Arizona Cardinals against Jacksonville!?
*hugs Chiefs* It can only get better, right?
Sunday, October 17, 2004
Dear Charlie:
ACK! My boys lost! *cries* And I missed that last quarter to go to a baby shower! *cries harder* Kristi, ya know I love you, right? *grin*
At any rate, I'm finally back in town. Answered some e-mail, watchin some Smackdown, reading up on what happened in that last, crucial quarter. You know, catchin up.
So, not much to blog about tonight. I'll have more to say tomorrow.
Heh, Smackdown gets more amusing every week. Right now? A Battle Royale to find the #1 contender for the US title. *grin* That ring just isn't big enough for that many muscles! What a riot!
And yes, Luther Reigns--he of the lovely legs--is in the ring, pummeling away. *smirk* GutterBall is a very happy girl....
Thursday, October 14, 2004
*blinks* I'm just reading over something I wrote, and I think this may well be the closest thing to a romantic thought I've ever written.
This wasn't anything like the relatively chaste kiss he'd stolen before. This was like tasting electricity, holding lightning in his hand, stroking his fingers over thunder. It filled him up, made it hard to breathe, and he couldn't get enough of it.
ACK! I think I'm getting soft! God forbid I should lose that edge of smart-assed hard-heartedness I so cherish.... Take thy beak from out my heart!
God save me from sap!
Dear Charlie:
I have a big weekend planned. Well, perhaps planned isn't the best word. Sketched is better. Yeah, I have a big weekend sketched. I know what I'll be doing...just not when precisely I'll be doing it. *smirk*
First, I'm taking tomorrow off to go to my beloved sister's house and see my dad, who's up from Mexico for a few days. Woo-hoo! Last time he was up, I got a set of maracas! *grin*
Then, it's down to my hometown to visit the very-pregnant-with-twins Kristi, my best friend since, oh, kindergarten? Yeah, around then. Her baby shower is Sunday and she's about six weeks away from safe delivery time, so this should be very interesting! She's just so CUTE pregnant! *Goku grin*
Technically, that doesn't sound like so much, but it's about 80 miles to my sister's house, then another 80 miles down to my hometown. Then, it's about 110 back home. Factor in the fact that I'm squeamish about girlie baby shower stuff and am only going because I love Kristi like a sister and would do anything for her (even singing at and being a bride's maid in her wedding, ye gods!), and that my three nieces are hilariously rambunctious, and you get why this is a busy weekend.
Plus, I plan on writing up a storm every chance I get. Good thing Kristi's doctor insists that she take a nap every day, ne?
At any rate, while I'll be around internet access and I'll have my laptop with me (I'd sooner leave behind a body part), I won't have MY internet access, so I may not blog until I get back in town. In that event, I wish you all a lovely October weekend!
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
"Submissions Update" Update:
Err...this just in:
Dr. Pauly over at Truckin' Blogzine [see link at right] very kindly accepted a short story of mine today for his October issue! Yay! Cannonballs -- actually short enough to be flash fiction, I think -- should be up for public viewing sometime this month.
The straight acceptance/rejection ratio has now risen to 2-1. Woo-hoo! I'm better than 50% on the season!
Dunno when the newest issue will be up, but I just wanted to do a little more Shameless Self Promotion -- *grin* -- and promote Pauly's blogzine, all in one fell swoop.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.
Dear Charlie:
Proof positive that you learn something new every day:
I love reading the Tuesday Morning Quarterback. This guy really nails all aspects of the game and his "Why are you kicking/punting??" jabs are usually hysterically right on. Plus, he came up with quirky cognomen for all the teams, like the Cleveland Tootsie Rolls, etc. I've added his link in my sidebar, but it won't show up until I republish, and that may not be today.
At any rate, here's just a nip from his latest article []:
"Baltimore kicking off in the fourth quarter, Nanticokes' returner Chad Morton ran toward the ball as it approached the sideline at the Washington 15. Morton deliberately stepped out of bounds, then reached back in to touch the rolling ball on the field. Brilliant! Kickoff rules specify that if a player who is out of bounds touches a live kick, the kickoff is declared out and the receiving team gets possession on the 40 -- regardless of whether the ball actually goes out. Morton knew that deliberately stepping out of bounds, then reaching back to touch the ball, would advance the Redskins' drive start from the 15 to the 40. Tuesday Morning Quarterback is constantly amazed that highly paid professional football players on special teams so often seem not to know the quirky rules of kicking plays. Morton knew."
I did not know that. *shakes head* This is why I love this guy. I mean, who just knows that off the top of his head??
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Submissions Update:
Okay, folks. Time to tally up the score.
One short story accepted and published. Woo-hoo!
One short story rejected, but quite nicely. Could be much, much worse. I was at least told that the imagery was good and memorable, even if not what the editor wanted at the time. I'll treasure that.
One short story anthology shit-canned after a 4-month wait, so no acceptance or rejection there. Yeesh. Four months.
One short story out there, somewhere, floating around in cyberspace to an e-zine that hasn't responded in 7 -- count 'em -- SEVEN months, even to the politely-worded request as to whether or not they even received the submission. I gave up on that one at the 5 month mark, but it's still kinda sadly amusing to mention. No acceptance or rejection there.
As near as I can figure folks, with straight acceptance/rejection ratio, I'm tied 1-1. However, as for submissions in general, I'm a sadly lacking 1-3. *grin*
Good thing I don't count a cancelled anthology and an incommunicado e-zine, ne?
Dear Charlie:
"And it's a fumble! Fumble-aya! Fumble-roosky!"
This quote from Necessary Roughness pretty much sums up my adored Packers last night. The poor guys. If it wasn't a fumble, it was an interception. SIX turnovers, and that's just the ones that stuck. Ye gods.
How Brett Favre managed to amass 338 yards in a game in which he threw 2 interceptions is anyone's guess. The man is a machine. Unfortunately, the machine just wasn't as finely oiled as usual last night.
But that's okay. Just because my two favorite teams are 1-3 and 1-4 in this first quarter of the season doesn't mean things can't improve. The Chiefs won last week on Monday Night Football, making a HUGE statement about their intent. The Packers did a lot of things right. They just did more things wrong.
In the memorable words of Igor (pronounced "eye-gore") from Young Frankenstein, "Could be worse. Could be raining."
Oops. It is raining. *grin*
Monday, October 11, 2004
Ah...Monday Night Football and Meat Loaf in the background....
Your every wish will be a wish that I will make come true
And if you want the moon I swear I'll bring it down for you
Let me into your heart
Believe me, baby, got your name carved on my soul
'Cause you're the only one that I'll give it to
Don't let 'em say that I'm a fool to act this way
'Cause if I'm crazy, I'm just crazy 'bout you!
Unfortunately, if Green Bay turns it over one more time, I may very well hang my head and cry. I love Tennessee -- I got to shake McNair's hand at the ProBowl in 2000, and that's just cool -- but it's KILLIN' me that GB is so far behind. Lordy!
Between interceptions and fumbles....
Heh, reminds me of the song stuck on my head earlier -- "Under Pressure". I've heard that phrase applied to Brett Favre more times tonight....
Hilarious Sidebar:
Dunno who this guy is, but he's absolutely pegged the situation.
First let me just say, in my defense, that it was early in the morning, the light was not good and I was not yet fully awake.
So, in all likelihood, the spider was not really the size of a Frisbee, it did not have blood-red fangs and it was not in the process of swallowing a whole, live squirrel.
But when you stumble groggily into the bathroom, snap on the light and are suddenly confronted with a black, eight-legged throw cushion staring down at you from the top of the shower stall, well, your mind can start playing tricks.
The first thing that crosses your mind when you go face to spinneret with a spider the size of a steel-belted radial is: This is not really the way I planned to go. Sure, living out your final years in a nursing home where the high point of your day is the diaper change is not that great. But it beats being a late-night snack for a hissing, steroid-enhanced arachnid the size of the governor of California.
The second thing that crosses your mind is: Are there any others? Given a flame thrower, a 12-gauge shotgun and a stout rolled-up magazine (National Geographics work best), you might stand a chance against one of these babies. But if its extended family is lurking under the toilet seat, plotting world domination, you may as well resign yourself to the fact that you're doomed to be a canape.
But I like to think that I handled the situation well, or at least as well as a situation can be handled that involves a spider the size of a manhole cover with a basset hound in its jaws. In fact, I did what any red-blooded American male would do in similar circumstances: I ordered my wife to come into the bathroom and kill the spider.
And, no, despite what it might have said in the police report that was filed after I made the 911 call, I was not sobbing at the time. My voice may have sounded a little high-pitched and strained, true, but I was not openly weeping, nor was I curled in a fetal position in a corner of the bathroom next to the toilet brush. (Why would I do that? There could have been another spider there.)
Again, in my defense, I don't think my wife ever got a good look at the spider. If she had, she never would have attempted to pinch the thing in a Kleenex and flush it down the toilet. Also, the spider might have been a trifle lethargic given the fact that it had just consumed an entire wild hog. If the thing had been fully alert, she could easily have lost an arm.
"This is the enormous spider you've been screaming about?" she asked. (Again, to set the record straight, I was not screaming. I was simply speaking emphatically in a somewhat agitated voice. There's a big difference.)
So, obviously, most of the credit in this early-morning, life-or-death struggle belongs to me. I held the spider at bay with nothing more than an aspirin bottle for protection until reinforcements arrived in the form of my wife and her tissue. (The next time weapons of mass destruction are discussed, I would definitely place Puffs on the list.) So, physically, everyone is fine. But emotionally … well, that's another story.
After the spider episode, my wife made herself a cup of coffee and sat down to read the morning paper. It was clear to me that she was deep in denial.
As for me, I stood in the bedroom for some time, trying to summon the nerve to pull on my pants.
Because you never know what might be lurking in a trouser leg.
But I bet it would go for a big, juicy steak.
- - David Grimes
HA! What a riot! I gotta give kudos to Daniel for sending me this a while back. I was cleaning out my "Keep a While" folder in my Outlook Inbox (isn't that kind of an oxymoron?), and it tickled me just as much now as it did when I first read it.
I understand, Mr. Grimes. I understand.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.
Dear Charlie:
Weird Monday, but aren't Mondays always a little weird?
First, the case I was so loaded down with settled out of the blue, so that's a HUGE burden off my shoulders. Woo-hoo! One less thing, right? And we've already done a lot of work on the next one, so it'll just be brushing up and getting it ready for trial. That, I can do.
Also, I got that bizarre story idea out, finally. It's not FINISHED, of course, but I got to the end of the plot idea. I can put it aside and go back to better things. Of course, dearest Jane will want to smack me because, instead of adding in my insight for my sci-fi trilogy that's about as far from romance as you can get and still have sex in it, I'm working on a young adult novel I'd started back in...oh...March?
I had a great idea for it, then found a contest that richly rewards the one book it chooses by publication and a decent advance. Seemed like a sign, you know? At the time, I wasn't worried about getting it done because I couldn't even send it in before October 1 and the deadline is like December 31. Now? Well, folks, it's October. Time to finish her off. Luckily, it's pretty short (especially compared to my monster trilogy, the shortest book of which is well over 400 pages).
Listening to "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie. God, is there a better, more true-to-life song?
This is our last dance
This is ourselves....
Under pressure
I just love it. Gets me every time. I can kinda see why Vanilla Ice (egads!) kyped the theme, if not the words. It just stays with you.
At any rate, back to the grindstone.
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Funny Sidebar:
Well, it's not a Halloween flick, but it's definitely a classic. It's Payback, a Mel Gibson flick from back in '99, and it's one of those movies with a stellar cast of familiar faces, all of whom perform with gleeful viciousness. It's dark as hell, but I find myself laughing my ass off, just the same. Like this priceless quip:
Whore: [taps Porter on shoulder with whip] I've got a few minutes....
Porter: [turns away] So go boil an egg.
*snorts* He just says it so dryly -- half in disgust and half in utter disinterest. Priceless.
The whole point of the movie is that he wants what was taken from him -- $70,000. Everyone thinks he's after more than that, and they're all damn incredulous when he keeps correcting them. *grin* They try every dirty trick in the book to get this guy, and he just keeps bulling through, taking down those who oppose him though he would honest to God leave them alone if they'd just give him his $70 grand. What a riot.
Dear Charlie:
Ah, Football Day. Err...I mean SUNDAY. *grin*
I watched Smackdown last night, I'm watching Giants vs. Dallas today, and all is right in the world. *happy sigh*
I really ought to post my football picks for each week, but I'm sure I'd only embarrass myself. It gets harder and harder each year to predict winners. Free agency (which I have no problem with, mind you) makes for so much change in the roster that, unless your teams have the same basic line (like the Chiefs offensive front, for the most part), it's nearly impossible to extrapolate from year to year. In a way, it makes it more interesting. But it's a little frustrating sometimes.
But, it's time for some lunch, so I'm keeping this short. I kinda feel it necessary to balance out the ridiculous length of my last post. Ha!
Friday, October 08, 2004
100 Things You Didn't Know About Me
I've seen this on other blogs. Usually, the facts therein are pretty damn amusing, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. We'll see, I guess.
I honestly don't know how in hell I'll come up with 100 things to say about myself. Seems a little self-centered, if you ask me, but others have managed it. Surely, I can, too. I'll think of it as a challenge and try to make it as entertaining as possible while still telling the boring truth.
Warn you ahead of time, folks, this is really, REALLY long.
1. I know all the lyrics to all 6 verses of Don McLean's American Pie.
2. While I have an almost obsessive need to separate my computer files into neatly labeled subfolders until no extraneous, uncategorized documents clutter my "My Stuff" file on my laptop, I have absolutely no desire to organize my house in similar manner. The result is mass clutter.
3. I've been to 24 of the 50 states, and my goal is to at least drive through the rest before I die. I'm working on it, folks.
4. I've been to Germany, Austria, Cheq Republic, Italy, and Switzerland during a one-month class for my German minor in college. I spoke German for the vast majority of that trip.
5. While in Italy, I had a two-hour-long conversation with a total stranger on a park bench though she spoke no German or English and I spoke no Italian. Communication is a many-splendored thing.
6. I learned to write in katakana (one of three parts of the Japanese written language) so I could correctly write the names of the Dragonball Z characters I draw. I can recognize hiragana, though I don't write it as well as katakana. Now, I'm working on kanji.
7. I memorized "Jabberwocky" for a play audition my freshman year in college. Now, I can't forget it.
8. My fingers are ridiculously double-jointed, but I can't pop them. Go figure.
9. In the right pants, I can hook my foot behind my head, but I don't do it often because releasing the position usually pulls my hair, and I really hate that.
10. I'm such an insomniac that I sometimes have to meditate for two hours, just to fall asleep.
11. I read 9 books in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series in 5 days. I was sick with bronchitis, off work for the week, and felt so crappy I literally couldn't think of anything better to do.
12. I once wrote 37 pages, single-spaced, in a single day. That's around 25,000 words, folks.
13. I once annoyed the hell out of a too-handsy date by flagging him with football penalties. You'd be amazed how many apply: offsides, neutral zone infraction, holding, illegal use of hands, illegal touching, illegal man down-field.... You get the idea.
14. I make a much better friend than girlfriend.
15. I have a running list of reasons I'm glad I don't have kids. I'm currently on #384.
16. My hair started going grey at 16, though I didn't start coloring it until I turned 26. Actually, "grey" is somewhat misleading. My hair is either black or white, depending on which strand you pick. No shades in between.
17. I used to sing back-up in a local band. I also did a little rhythm with an egg shaker. I'm still occasionally recognized as the Shaker Lady, much to my chagrin, or the American Pie Lady. I'm not sure which is worse. Ugh, actually The Molly Bucket takes the cake, but that story is entirely too long to share.
18. In high school, I played B-flat clarinet, alto clarinet, and electric bass guitar. Outside of school, I also played saxophone, trumpet, flute, violin, and piano.
19. I've taken seven pottery classes at my local university. Two were for college credit; the rest were for "continuing education" -- ie., for the hell of it. If I wanted, I could probably make a case for a minor in art, but I already have two minors -- German language and psychology -- and I graduated 4 years ago with 30+ hours over the required curriculum, so I figure I'm good.
20. I know enough lyrics to enough songs that my music friends have dubbed me "The Teleprompter".
21. I have the most eclectic musical tastes of anyone I've come across. The only thing I can't bear to listen to is that bubble-gum pop crap popularized by Brittany Spears and her countless clones. I don't consider that music any more than I consider Ramen noodles fine cuisine.
[That's not to knock Ramen noodles, mind you. I've eaten more than my fair share, and they are the Average Joe's best friend between paychecks.]
22. I once played mahjong for eight hours straight.
23. I often forget to eat, especially when I'm enamored of some new knowledge interest.
24. Halloween is my favorite holiday, hands down. Fourth of July comes closest, but it's still a far second, and it's only that close because of the potential for explosive damage.
25. I seriously considered going into the Army right out of high school and becoming an explosives specialist to have entrée into the Bomb Squad. Too bad the Army frowns on a bad knee and flat feet.
26. My high school English teacher once asked us students to choose a memorable line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, memorize it, and spout it in class. I picked, "Oh, what heinous speed to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets." She wasn't amused.
27. I have good enough throwing aim to kill a dime-sized spider from across a 30-foot room with a hurled shoe.
[Hey, we arachnophobes have to work within our means.]
28. I have a decidedly juvenile crush on Luther Reigns, a WWE Smackdown wrestler, because he has the most beautiful legs I've ever seen on a man in perfect proportion to the rest of his incredibly gorgeous body.
29. I actually liked the movie Freddy vs. Jason, though I couldn't care less if the ridiculous teeny-boppers lived. I was rooting for the monstrosities.
30. People who know me well are continually surprised at my ability to be practical.
31. I was once bet $20 that I couldn't remain silent for 10 hours straight. I won the bet, then continued the silent treatment for another 2 hours, just for spite.
32. I have two separate and distinct voices -- a speaking voice and a phone voice. Even my beloved sister didn't recognize my phone voice the first time she heard it. I've been told on several occasions that I should have a 1-900 line.
33. I once won free tickets to a local haunted house by spewing 30-seconds of curse-free invectives at a hapless local DJ over the phone on-air. That's what they get for having an insult contest. Everyone else had to be so heavily bleeped that it was pretty pointless. This spew of insults culminated in "You would be a pariah on the Island of Misfit Toys". For some reason, that really, really cracked the DJ up.
34. I love every song I've ever heard by Meat Loaf.
35. I have enlarged pupils, making me incredibly sensitive to light. However, they also give me pretty good night vision.
36. I hand-painted the Chiefs logo on an old field helmet. That helmet now has 8 very famous signatures on it, and I am always on the look-out for more.
37. I and my (now-ex) boyfriend won a free trip to the Pro-Bowl in Hawaii. As if that wasn't amazing enough, the day before the game, we went to a practice session, bumped into James Hasty's entire and incredibly wonderful family, and got to go down on the field, shaking hands, taking pictures, and getting signatures. We, of course, grinned like star-struck idiots the entire time. One of the more mind-blowing moments of my existence....
38. I have all of Stephen King's books except Cycle of the Werewolf and the two latest additions to the Dark Tower series. They take up an entire bookshelf in my house.
39. I got my nickname, GutterBall, by being the only person I know to bowl 6 straight gutter balls in the same game in which I threw 3 strikes.
40. I am inordinately (and unfashionably) fond of the art of war -- strategy, skill, instinct, insight, reflex, bloodlust, remorse, life and death, study and reaction, form and function, weapons and hand-to-hand, the very mindset therein.
41. I have a knack for mimicking accents. The longer I speak with someone with a heavy accent, the more likely I am to accidentally pick it up.
42. When traveling abroad, I feel it polite to know at least a few common customs and traditions so I don't offend any more people than absolutely necessary. Again, people who know me well and know the solid core of spite lurking under my genial, easy-going nature are often surprised at this level of diplomacy and courtesy.
43. I like to keep people guessing. Predictability is a small death.
44. I do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks. Or something, anyway....
45. I am infinitely more likely to turn on my radio than my television.
46. I do not watch reality TV. Except for Last Comic Standing, and only because...hey, it's comedy.
47. I love the term "The Governator". It just stays with me.
48. Steak is God's greatest gift to mankind.
49. I have loved and lost a legion of pets -- cats, dogs, hamsters, mice, rabbits, birds, fish, horses, calves, etc. -- and I still think steak is God's greatest gift to mankind. I have no problem eating something with a face. After all, fruits and vegetables are plant ovaries and eggs. Now who's eating gross stuff?
50. I'm convinced that "O Holy Night" can be both the most hauntingly beautiful and the most painful song ever performed.
51. I'm equally convinced that this is the most self-aggrandizing exercise to which I've ever been privy. I'm a little ashamed to continue it, but I promised myself the full 100. Sorry, folks.
52. I taught myself to juggle in high school. It seemed like the thing to do at the time.
53. I sometimes have dreams so real that I wake up with lingering, physical side effects.
54. I like to chew gum. A lot. It helps me keep my mouth shut at inopportune times.
55. Coca-Cola is my favorite multi-function product. It tastes great, it'll strip the wax off your windshield if you ran your car through the automatic wash, and it degreases an engine faster than most professional cleaners on the market.
56. I don't like dresses. I don't like pantyhose. I don't like fixing my hair. I don't like make-up. I don't like dress shoes. If I had my druthers, I'd wear jeans, a t-shirt, a ponytail, and my Chiefs hat for the rest of my life. Too bad I work in a law firm.
57. I played every sport my school offered -- except football, though not for lack of begging -- at one point or another. Ironically enough, football is the only sport I still like.
58. I've made doodling both an art form and a way of life.
59. I'm nearly as eclectic in my taste in movies as I am in music. However, I can honestly say I've never watched a porno.
60. I can touch my nose with my tongue.
61. I think casual cruelty is both more common and more horrible than anything in the world, perhaps because of its off-handed nature.
62. I love baking. It's one of my few girlie habits.
63. Some day, I want either a Great Dane or a British mastiff as a companion. Big dogs rule. Small dogs are a waste of both fur and air.
64. I love Vin Diesel's voice. He could read stereo instructions, and I would listen for eternity.
65. 2000 was the luckiest year of my life. Not the happiest, per se, but definitely the luckiest.
66. Lying in a pasture and staring up at the stars is one of the best ways to waste time I've ever found.
67. I grew out of a poison ivy allergy and into seasonal allergies.
68. My best friend and I used to go road-tripping on the gravel roads around our home town, wait until no one was around, then scream at the top of our lungs, just because we could.
69. I think the human mind is capable of things of which we can't even conceive. Telepathy, telekinesis, name it. Placebos can cure cancer. A terrified father can lift a car off his child. A wife can feel when her husband or children are in danger. Etc.
70. Gelatinous is a funny word. It's just fun to say. Gelatinous.
71. I don't like feet. I think flip-flops should be outlawed.
72. Nothing in the world is more beautifully dangerous than an electrical storm.
73. I have better than average reflexes. This isn't hubris; it's fact. The doctor told me so.
74. While I'm not afraid of anything but spiders, I'm a ridiculously jumpy person.
75. For someone who doesn't do too much girlie stuff, I love arts and crafts. I like making stuff with my own two hands. I like quilting, cross-stitching, making cloth wreaths, wall paint techniques, woodworking, that kind of thing.
76. I really, really don't like to cry. I do it as rarely as humanly possible.
77. I tend to keep most people at arms' length.
78. I can talk to perfect strangers as easily as to my friends.
79. My hair is a good 5 inches longer when I straighten it.
80. I love sleeping with my windows open. I love the smell of night.
81. I have so many books that I don't have enough shelves to unpack them all. I love books. I love reading. I love the written word.
82. Paper fascinates me. I love the weight, the texture, the sound, the sight. I love different sizes and colors. Lined and unlined. Newsprint and résumé quality. Typing paper and construction paper.
83. I worship classic cars. Mustangs, Chargers, Barracudas, Camaros, Corvettes, Novas, Chevelles.... Muscle. Rolling iron. Drool.
84. While I can quote entire scenes from movies I've only seen once, I have the maddening tendency to forget important things like anniversaries and birthdays and appointments.
85. I am not a touchy person. I don't like people who hug on first acquaintance. I don't kiss on the first date. Or the second, usually. I'm the friendliest person you'll come across, but keep your hands to yourself unless you're only offering a handshake.
86. Rain is quite possibly the most powerful aphrodisiac known to man. At least, in my humble opinion.
87. If you've never stood in the path of a herd of stampeding cattle with only a big stick for protection, you've never truly lived.
88. I think this is worse than one of those internet surveys. Ye gods.
89. While I don't particularly have a sweet tooth for candy or chocolate, I love sweet food. I like sweet barbeque sauce, sweet spaghetti sauce, just about anything teriyaki, sweet wine, etc.
90. I like watching other people play video games. I don't like playing much. While I'm pretty damn good at fight games (I particularly love playing DBZ Budokai, both 1 and 2), I suck at just about everything else.
91. I've been known to intentionally neglect my houseplants, hoping they'll die so I don't have to tend them anymore. Works great until Dave comes along and waters the damn things.
92. I don't like phones. I especially don't like my phone. I most especially don't like my phone ringing at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning when I'm trying to sleep in.
93. As I know where I'm going when I die, I have no interest in extreme survivalism. I wouldn't start eating my fingers to keep from starving if I were trapped on a deserted island. I wouldn't give in to a rapist if he promised not to kill me. That kind of thing. However, I would live forever just to spite someone and screw up said someone's plans, so I pity the fool who takes me hostage for any reason.
94. I have never tried any illegal drugs, unless you count the time I got drunk before my 21st birthday. In fact, I've never even tried a prescription drug stronger than naproxen sodium.
95. I've broken both wrists, the tip off my elbow, my kneecap, countless fingers, and two toes.
96. I was in a school bus that rolled over at least twice, if not three times, down a ravine.
97. I have naturally good aim with a rifle. My dad used me to set his .22 sights several times. I can't take credit for this; I didn't practice it. It just is.
98. I still pray almost every night, a habit from childhood, and several times during the day. However, I cuss like a drunken sailor.
99. My youngest niece only truly recognizes me if I wear my hair in Indian-style braids with my black Chiefs hat.
100. Perfect vision is 20/20. Legally blind is 20/400. My vision at last count was 20/1000. I'm legally blind by 2 ½. Thank God for contacts, ne?
Dear Charlie:
Egad! Just a quickie here, as I'm busy as hell at work and am blogging during lunch, when I should probably be eating because I can GUARANTEE I'll forget to eat tonight!
Still writing madly on the supposed-to-be romance that's turning more into a study on rivalry with every paragraph. It's lots of fun, though! Trash talk, battle, blood and bone, little more trash talk, the difference between rivalry and hatred, the difference between rivalry and friendship.... That kind of thing. Over 100 pages now, single-spaced. Dammit.
I also had a revelation about a detail in my sci-fi trilogy. I'd never explained where a certain frequently-mentioned implement came from, and it struck me as I lay in bed one morning, cursing at my alarm clock. I know what it is, who developed it, what it's made of, etc.
It's pretty damn nifty and the PERFECT addition to a science fiction piece that's been mostly aliens and battles and sex up 'til now. *grin* Well, not entirely true as I got into a little bit of culture, some android physiology and programming, and quite a bit of depth on actualizing the body's energy output into visible, tangible attacks. *grin* Been watching too much anime, to be sure, but it did get me thinking....
At any rate, I gotta run because I DO have to eat before going back to work. Overtime is great on the paycheck, but bad on the body. I'll likely be at work until around 10:00 tonight (gotta love those 12+ hour days), then go back in from 7:30 to probably 6:00 tomorrow. Again, looks great on the ol' bank account, but I'm gonna be one pissy, tired girl come Sunday morning!
Just in time for football to cheer me up, ne? Though the Chiefs have a bye this week, there are a few other games I can't wait to see, so that's good. Football always cheers me up!
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Dear Charlie:
Woo-hoo! I finally got my Meat Loaf Welcome to the Neighborhood CD! Yay!
Those were days of roses
Poetry and prose
And, Martha, all I had was you
And all you had was me
And there was no tomorrow
As we packed away our sorrow
And we saved it for a rainy day....
God, I love this CD! And I'll get to listen to "Where Angels Sing", which wouldn't play on my old tape because it was so worn out. That's one of those songs that just gets ya where it hurts! Picture Meat Loaf's oh-so-distinctive voice and a slow but driving gospel beat, backgrounded by a choir....
I got my ticket in my hand
I know my price is paid in full
No man can stop me
Their words won't sting ya
No dreams will haunt me
Where angels sing
I get so weary of this troubled road
Unlock these chains and gently
Rock me home
Where time means nothing
No hustle, no one rushing
No dark of night, no hate or spite
No wrong or right, no day or night
No towns [no towns!]
And no cities [no cities!]
No pain [no pain!]
And no pity [no pity!]
Where hunger is no longer
And a good man....
Just gets stronger....
God, I really, really love this CD. Can't wait to get home and listen to it in full!
Funny Sidebar:
At least I think it's funny....
If anyone was curious over the OTHER Moebius strip crack in the other story -- you know, the one that had 4 out of 5 remarkably intelligent people scratching their heads -- here goes:
"And her inventiveness? Well, that went without saying. Sake could think her way to the other side of a Moebius strip."
Heh. Makes me snicker every time I read it. There's just something about an obscure mathematical reference in the midst of an otherwise perfectly literary work....
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Dear Charlie:
I don't usually put samples of my own writing on this blog (other than the few character haikus and some song lyrics), but I had to share this little bit. I don't know why, but it cracked me up something fierce!
"If he didn't know better, he'd swear the man actually had a three-dimensional personality underneath that Moebius strip of happiness."
Ha! I can only hope more people know about Moebius strips these days....
The last time I made a Moebius strip joke in a story, four of the five people who read it just kinda blanked out on me. *sigh* Though the one person who DID get it joked back that he "wasn't sure about the Moebius strip argument because the debate all seemed to be one-sided".
Also in this little tale I'm weaving (far away from the tale I'm SUPPOSED to be weaving, of course *sheepish*), I have some lovely trash talk. This little exchange comes after one guy gets just SMACKED down and has the nerve to be a smart-ass about it.
Fighter 1: "Tough talk. It would be more effective if you weren't flat on your back."
Fighter 2: *snorts* "I don't have to stand up to look down on you."
Ouch! That's an Old School burn!
Wait, didn't I suggest this story would probably be a romance? *wicked grin* Well, there is a chick in here somewhere. Now, where did I put her...?
*sigh* I tell ya, folks. I just can't write romance. I guess I'm just not girlie enough to pull it off. I'd much rather write about fighting or football or
*sheepish* Well, you get the idea. *blush*
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Dear Charlie:
Classic line:
Doc: He's a hermaphrodite.
Cop: Think of the possibilities.
Doc: Yeah. You could be impotent and frigid, all at the same time.
HA! That line slays me! The Prophecy rules!
Monday, October 04, 2004
Marvelous Sidebar:
Chiefs WON! They beat BALTIMORE, a well-known defensive giant! I'm so stinkin happy right now, I could...could...well, I dunno, but I'm in-frickin-credibly HAPPY!!!
*hugs Chiefs*
That's my boys!
1-3! 1-3! Not 0-4! We're 1-3!!
Dear Charlie:
Yeesh! I didn't blog all weekend! Shame on me!
But I had good reason. This, my friends, was a baking weekend. Mind you, I didn't bake steadily, 24/7 all weekend, but it was a close thing.
I got up early Saturday and read Rose Madder, one of my favorite Stephen King novels. This was a huge relief for me. If you've been peeking at my beloved sister's blog, you'll know we've been agonizing over whether or not we'll be able to read other people's stuff without a jaded eye anymore. Thankfully, I can say that, while third person omniscient POV is no longer my favorite to read, I can still swing it now and then. *grin*
At any rate, by about noon, it was time to bake. I made my mom's secret-recipe sugar cookies. Now, all humility aside (which I can do because I didn't make up this recipe, though I use it almost religiously), these are the best sugar cookies in the world. Simple as that. The Best.
But, I made a double batch, so between chilling the dough and hunting for my favorite Fall Leaf cookie cutter, not finding it, and having to run to Wal-Mart for another (only to discover that unless it was Halloween or Christmas, no seasonal cookie cutters were in stock), the baking did take most of the afternoon. I also had company until evening, so that kinda took up some time, too.
And I forgot to eat. *sheepish*
Anyway, after I was done baking, I sat back down for some more Rose Madder. Sunday, I managed to get up a little later (I LOVE sleeping in!), then got to work frosting the bazillions of maple leaf shaped cookies I'd baked the day before. Okay, maybe not a BAZILLION, but definitely over 9 dozen. That's a lot.
Plus, I had a Dungeons & Dragons campaign at 4:00, so that took a big chunk out of the day, too. But, it only took me about 4 hours total to frost all those maple leaf cookies in various fall colors. They look quite pretty spread out on a dish in the office kitchen, too.
*smirk* Of course, they won't look pretty for long. They're usually gone by about 2:00!
Friday, October 01, 2004
Dear Charlie:
I should probably be ashamed of myself. I just spent the last hour reading up on Japanese pottery, rather than working. *sheepish* Worse, I'm gonna waste another several minutes blogging about it!
But I honestly just got on-line to look up one little thing about sake, which fascinates me though I've never tasted it, and sidetracked by the rich tradition of shuki, the pottery that should accompany any true sake experience.
Now, I've taken enough pottery classes to have a minor in the craft, if I wanted to push the issue with the college. I've made plenty of RAKU pottery -- just ask my beloved sister, who has been plagued with both RAKU and high-fire pottery from me for years -- and I love the whole process.
With high-fired pottery, you blast the hell out of your creations for, like, 13 hours, then require a good day for the kiln to cool enough to open the doors without cracking the pottery. With RAKU, you fire a piece for about an hour and a half, drop it in a closed container of shredded newspaper or sawdust, etc., for another half an hour, then dunk it in a bucket of water and call it good.
It's instant gratification, baby. I love it!
At any rate, upon reading about the craft of making tokkuri and guinomi (flasks and cups), I felt the ol' pottery ape jump right back onto its accustomed spot on my back. I want to take the pottery workshop class again and make my own shuki. I think drinking my first taste of sake out of my own, hand-made guinomi, pouring from my personally crafted tokkuri would just about leave me in ault of the whole process.
Not that it would take much, of course. Hell, just knowing the Japanese words for these implements makes me pretty damn happy. *grin*
At any rate, if I can scratch up enough blunt, I may take my beloved pottery class again in January and make dozens of sets of my own shuki with which I'll plague my family and friends. I can already see myself carving in katakana, hiragana, and kanji as I used to carve in the Chiefs arrowhead symbol, playing with glazes and silts, and dinking around with shapes until I find just the right one. I love throwing pottery on the wheel, and this gives me the perfect excuse to blow another $275 on another semester of enjoying the hell out of myself.
Err...if I can afford it....
It's a long time to wait, but as fast as this year's gone already, January will be here before I know it and I won't have saved up enough. *smirk*
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The New Bomb Turks - Destroy-Oh-Boy!
Album: Destroy-Oh-Boy!
Artist: The New Bomb Turks
Released: 1993
Rating: 5/5
The New Bomb Turks are four guys with English degrees from Ohio State University. They also happen to have released one of the best punk albums of the 90's. Not what you'd expect from English majors, but whatever.
Destroy-Oh-Boy! was recorded for a couple hundred dollars overtwo days and the low budget is evident in the stripped-down, back to basics production. The album is a very lo-fi, noisy affair that is as influenced by cheaply recorded garage-rock hits from the 50's and 60's as it is by punk. Due to the recording quality, the drums sound like nothing more than cardboard boxes, the guitar is a layer of fuzz, the bass is a distant rumble, and the vocalist is left shouting under all this. What I'm trying to say is that it sounds like a punk album should, a nasty, angry din that a producer hasn't cleaned or polished at all.
Musically, it's influenced by early garage rock from the 50's and 60's, punk from the 70's, and hardcore from the 80's. To explain that a little better, it's recorded garage-rock style (the low budget and short recording time), it's fairly basic three-chord punk mostly (that's the 70's part), but it's mostly minor chords and it's really fast (the hardcore influence). What sets TNBT apart is the actual sound of their music. The guitar contributes an unstoppable wall of fuzz which actually contains great hooks, the bass rumbles and shakes away beneath, when it's audible, anyway, the cardboard drums go wildly ahead, bashing away, and lead singer/smartass Eric Davidson shouts/talks away, slipping in wordplay and self-depreciating asides.
All of these elements come together to form a raging monster of brilliant garage-punk done right. Alsso on the album is the band's cover of the old Wire song "Mr. Suit", which is played at half the speed of the original.
One of the greatest punk albums of the 90's.
Highlights: "Born Toulouse-Lautrec", "Runnin On Go", "Mr. Suit"
By P. Segal
rob said…
Fantastic-thanx-this is out-of-print! a great cd!
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What causes "lip-sync error" and how can I fix it?
Lip-sync error, sometimes called "lip-flap" or "av sync error", plagues most TV's. For plasma, LCD, and DLP displays with larger HD and 4K UHD screens the problem is even worse, but what causes it?
"delay of video more than audio allows speech to be heard 'before' the lip movement which produced it is seen"
There is strong evidence that our subliminal defense mechanism is to look away from the faces with moving lips so as not to be confronted by this impossibility.
But just as we have less trust for those who do not make eye contact we get that same negative impression when we are looking away from the characters faces.
To read the actual research report from Stanford that statistically proved lip-sync error interferes with viewer perception causing presentations to be less believable CLICK HERE. Note that their results were the same whether viewers noticed the lip-sync error or not.
Correcting lip-sync error "restores reality"!
Now that you are aware of the lip-sync error in your system you can easily correct it and realize the realistic environment you've already spent so much to achieve.
Felston LipFix at InfoComm
At InfoComm we demonstrated the contradiction of reality - "sound before the action that produced it" - called lip-sync error - which undermines viewer perception. Ironically the quest for realism - for large screen HD and 4K images which delay video - has created the most unrealistic spot on the planet - a place where sound can occur "before" the action that produced it!
Most people initially notice lip-sync error only when it exceeds 40 to 75 ms but this varies enormously and depends upon the individual's defense mechanism - how far they can look away from the lips to ignore lip-sync error. The value at which it is noticed consciously is their "threshold of recognition".
But there is a "great" solution:
DD740 digital audio delay
Click HERE to buy the Felston DD740
It connects between four digital audio sources and your AV receiver (or digital sound bar) allowing you to delay the audio to match the video achieving "
perfect lip-sync correction™".
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9/28/17 8:04:56 pm
Seth Meyers: What Roy Moore and Donald Trump Have in Common
9/28/17 11:07:52 am
re: #406 Backwoods_Sleuth I played high school sports (water polo and swimming), there was maybe one game/meet a year where they played the national anthem before the game. I don't think I ever remember seeing it before football games. But ...
CNN: Trump Is Furious After Being Humiliated in the Alabama Primary
“Embarrassed and pissed”
9/27/17 8:10:49 pm
re: #275 Backwoods_Sleuth re: #278 Nyet I would like to read your memoir, BWS. Preferably NOT with you dead already. (Private printing/ebook version for the Lizards...? If we promise cross our hearts not to show it to assholes...?)
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/30338
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Provided by: iproute2_4.3.0-1ubuntu3_amd64 bug
ip-address - protocol address management
ip [ OPTIONS ] address { COMMAND | help }
ip address { add | change | replace } IFADDR dev IFNAME [ LIFETIME ] [ CONFFLAG-LIST ]
ip address del IFADDR dev IFNAME [ mngtmpaddr ]
ip address { show | save | flush } [ dev IFNAME ] [ scope SCOPE-ID ] [ to PREFIX ] [ FLAG-
LIST ] [ label PATTERN ] [ up ]
ip address { showdump | restore }
IFADDR := PREFIX | ADDR peer PREFIX [ broadcast ADDR ] [ anycast ADDR ] [ label LABEL ] [
scope SCOPE-ID ]
FLAG := [ permanent | dynamic | secondary | primary | [ - ] tentative | [ - ] deprecated |
[ - ] dadfailed | temporary | CONFFLAG-LIST ]
CONFFLAG := [ home | mngtmpaddr | nodad | noprefixroute ]
LIFETIME := [ valid_lft LFT | preferred_lft LFT ]
LFT := [ forever | SECONDS ]
The address is a protocol (IPv4 or IPv6) address attached to a network device. Each device
deletes old ones.
ip address add - add new protocol address.
dev IFNAME
the name of the device to add the address to.
local ADDRESS (default)
the network prefix length.
peer ADDRESS
broadcast ADDRESS
the broadcast address on the interface.
host bits of the interface prefix.
label LABEL
or must be prefixed with the device name followed by colon.
scope SCOPE_VALUE
global - the address is globally valid.
site - (IPv6 only, deprecated) the address is site local, i.e. it is valid
inside this site.
host - the address is valid only inside this host.
valid_lft LFT
the valid lifetime of this address; see section 5.5.4 of RFC 4862. When it expires,
the address is removed by the kernel. Defaults to forever.
preferred_lft LFT
the preferred lifetime of this address; see section 5.5.4 of RFC 4862. When it
expires, the address is no longer used for new outgoing connections. Defaults to
home (IPv6 only) designates this address the "home address" as defined in RFC 6275.
(IPv6 only) make the kernel manage temporary addresses created from this one as
template on behalf of Privacy Extensions (RFC3041). For this to become active, the
use_tempaddr sysctl setting has to be set to a value greater than zero. The given
address needs to have a prefix length of 64. This flag allows to use privacy
extensions in a manually configured network, just like if stateless auto-
configuration was active.
nodad (IPv6 only) do not perform Duplicate Address Detection (RFC 4862) when adding this
Do not automatically create a route for the network prefix of the added address,
and don't search for one to delete when removing the address. Changing an address
to add this flag will remove the automatically added prefix route, changing it to
remove this flag will create the prefix route automatically.
ip address delete - delete protocol address
ip address show - look at protocol addresses
dev IFNAME (default)
name of device.
scope SCOPE_VAL
only list addresses with this scope.
to PREFIX
only list addresses matching this prefix.
label PATTERN
style pattern.
up only list running interfaces.
dynamic and permanent
only list permanent (not dynamic) addresses.
(IPv6 only) only list addresses which are not in the process of duplicate address
detection currently.
(IPv6 only) only list deprecated addresses.
(IPv6 only) only list addresses not being deprecated.
(IPv6 only) only list addresses which have not failed duplicate address detection.
(IPv6 only) only list temporary addresses.
primary and secondary
only list primary (or secondary) addresses.
ip address flush - flush protocol addresses
This command flushes the protocol addresses selected by some criteria.
no arguments are given.
Warning: This command and other flush commands are unforgiving. They will cruelly purge
all the addresses.
described in the previous subsection.
ip address show
Shows IPv4 and IPv6 addresses assigned to all network interfaces. The 'show'
subcommand can be omitted.
ip address show up
Same as above except that only addresses assigned to active network interfaces are
ip address show dev eth0
Shows IPv4 and IPv6 addresses assigned to network interface eth0.
ip address add 2001:0db8:85a3::0370:7334/64 dev eth1
Adds an IPv6 address to network interface eth1.
ip address delete 2001:0db8:85a3::0370:7334/64 dev eth1
Delete the IPv6 address added above.
ip address flush dev eth4 scope global
Removes all global IPv4 and IPv6 addresses from device eth4. Without 'scope global' it
would remove all addresses including IPv6 link-local ones.
Original Manpage by Michail Litvak <>
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The Single Best Strategy To Use For Homework help Online
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Drag data files from a Pc on the "sizzling location" from the Connect Files area. In the event your browser will allow, you can also drag a folder of files.
Integrating different cultures and preventing conflict is the primary obligation of a manager, specially for those managers who've to operate with culturally diversified teams with a lot of customers.
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global_01_local_1_shard_00001926_processed.jsonl/30365
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Real World article
(written from a Production point of view)
The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion was a CD release containing scripts and video trailers for every episode of the series. The Companion was later included as part of the Star Trek: Federation Gift Pak.
From the back cover
In 1993, fans were introduced to the third landmark Star Trek series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Though this series has now ended, you can relive each of its 176 thrilling episodes with the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion.
• Updated entries – now with the complete sixth and seventh seasons!
• Full text library of the original shooting scripts for every episode, all fully searchable. Includes the shooting script for the heartrending final episode, "What You Leave Behind".
• Video trailers for all the episodes – each week's "Coming Attractions" as they originally aired!
• Episode summaries with complete creative credits.
From the discovery of the wormhole, to the exploration of the Gamma Quadrant, to the unforgettable saga of the Dominion War, the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion has it all.
See alsoEdit
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For the similarly identified Keeper of the Amusement Park Planet, please see Keeper.
The Keeper was a male Talosian magistrate in the 23rd century. A necklace with a round pendant distinguished him from other Talosians.
History Edit
The Keeper was charged with the upkeep of the Talosian menagerie, an elaborate test with the aim to find a servant species that was supposed to ultimately repopulate the planet Talos IV. Under his command, the Talosians rescued Vina, the only survivor of the crashed Earth vessel SS Columbia, and later lured the USS Enterprise to the planet in 2254. (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part II") The Keeper then sent two Talosian underlings to kidnap Captain Christopher Pike, then captain of the Enterprise, from the surface of the planet. (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I") Using telepathic illusions and a supply of a blue liquid that he claimed was a "nourishing protein complex", The Keeper intended to trap Pike into accepting a life on Talos IV as Vina's mate and breeding stock for a new, stronger race. The Keeper also detailed alternative mating selections from the EnterpriseNumber One and Yeoman J.M. Colt, once they were also captured. (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part II")
Upon being caught and strangled by Pike, The Keeper became threatening, momentarily assuming the appearance of an illusory anthropoid ape. After the captain managed to free himself and the female officers by overcoming The Keepers' mental powers, however, the magistrate had to accept that Humanity was unsuitable for his plans, due to their strong will and refusal to submit to captivity. While Pike and the Enterprise were let go, the magistrate agreed to take care of Vina, even providing her with an illusory Pike to keep her company. Before the real Captain Pike was beamed back aboard the Enterprise, The Keeper wished him, "May you find your way as pleasant." (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part II")
When Spock attempted to return Pike to Talos IV against orders in 2267, The Keeper remotely took control of a screen in the Enterprise's hearing room, transmitting images of Pike's earlier encounter with the Talosians to a court martial aboard the ship. The Keeper later telepathically contacted the ship directly, relaying footage of himself to the screen, and revealed to Captain Kirk – the current commanding officer of the Enterprise – that a witness of the hearing, Commodore Mendez, had actually been yet another illusion, nullifying the court martial. Finally, The Keeper welcomed Pike back to the planet, ensuring it was what the former captain wanted to do, and wished Kirk, "May you find your way as pleasant [as Pike's]." (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part II")
Appendices Edit
Background information Edit
Despite being portrayed as a male, The Keeper was played by actress Meg Wyllie. In "The Cage", the character was voiced by actor Malachi Throne.
Conception Edit
The fact that, in the story outline of "The Cage" (as reprinted in The Making of Star Trek, pp. 47-65), the Talosians were written as crab-like aliens effected how The Keeper was first conceived. For instance, the outline introduced him by stating, "The crab-creature at the televisor controls turns from the screen, using claw-snap and clatter for speech." He was referred to, in the last scene of the outline's first act, as "the 'Keeper'" and the outline went on to frequently refer to him as that (though without the use of quotation marks). The story outline twice referred to him as "the crab-creature Keeper". (The Making of Star Trek, pp. 48 & 58) In one scene included in the story outline but not in the episode's final version, The Keeper was apparently killed by an axe-wielding Captain Robert April, though this scenario was yet another of the illusions concocted by the Talosians, and The Keeper was actually still alive, unharmed. (The Making of Star Trek, pp. 59 & 60)
The character was commonly referred to with the moniker "The Keeper" in the script of "The Cage", whose introduction of the character was not quite as elaborate as his initial description from the episode's story outline. After a written direction instructing the trio of Talosians to be shown, the first draft of the script went on to describe The Keeper as "wearing an identifiable insignia on his garb." In the second revised final draft of the script, The Keeper was instead referred to, in the stage directions, as wearing "an authoritative-looking jeweled pendant on a short chain around his neck." When The Keeper first used telepathic communication in the episode, the script specified that he had an "unemotional and almost pedantic tone which will become familiar to us." When he first used vocal language in the episode, the script read, "At first the words will come a bit carefully, as if out of practice in communicating this way. As our scene progresses, speech will follow a bit more smoothly."
First portrayal Edit
Whereas The Keeper was written consistently in both the story outline and the script of "The Cage" as a male, the decision to cast actress Meg Wyllie in the part was a casting choice that Director Robert Butler took credit for. "When the femininity idea came up for the Talosians," he recalled, "I thought of Meg because I thought it would have been challenging to her, and amusing to her to do that, and I just thought she'd do it really well." (The Star Trek Interview Book, p. 98) Wyllie was thereafter cast by Gene Roddenberry. ("The Menagerie, Part II" text commentary, TOS Season 1 DVD)
Just as Robert Butler had imagined, Meg Wyllie indeed found The Keeper to be one of her most challenging parts, later remarking, "I had never played such a role nor had such a makeup job applied to me [....] The makeup was not comfortable [....] I was never given a full script, just the sections in which I appeared." Wyllie also related that, due to her unfamiliarity with such a part, she "was most intrigued" and revealed that she was given no unusual advice to prepare her for the performance. "No special instructions," she said, "merely to play the part with dignity and control. A mental, rather than physical, approach was needed to concentrate on the words I was saying. The pulsings of the veins in my skull – and very little facial expressions – were to be the only visible effects of my thought transfers." (Starlog issue #117, pp. 52 & 53)
In post-production, Gene Roddenberry had Meg Wyllie's voice dubbed with a man's voice, increasing the sense of strangeness in how the character was depicted. ("The Menagerie, Part II" text commentary, TOS Season 1 DVD) In "The Cage", The Keeper's vocals were performed by Malachi Throne. Wyllie was at first entirely unaware of Throne's involvement. "I wasn't even aware my voice would be dubbed," she explained. "I was quite surprised to hear a man's voice issuing from my head." (Starlog issue #117, p. 53)
Reappearance Edit
In the script for "The Menagerie", The Keeper had an additional line of then-new dialogue that is not included in the episode. In it, he told Captain Kirk, "With only you and Captain Pike present, there was by your own regulations, of course, no legal court martial. We trust you will forgive our interference in this affair." On the other hand, not scripted were The Keeper's lines at the end of the episode, where he tells Kirk, "Captain Pike has an illusion, and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant."
Because Malachi Throne additionally portrayed Commodore Mendez and an illusion of that character in the "The Menagerie" two-parter, The Keeper's voice had to be re-voiced for "The Menagerie, Part II". ("The Menagerie, Part II" Starfleet Access, TOS Season 1 Blu-ray) The "new" footage of The Keeper in that episode evidently reused footage from "The Cage".
Apocrypha Edit
External links Edit
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Sunday, November 30, 2008
Check out Engdahl's take on what is really going on with the Citigroup "bail out", which is really a nationalization of the country's biggest bank:
Keep your eyes and mind open,
Michael Childress
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Collapse of COMEX Futures Market? Jim Willie Commentary
Jim Willie and others are anticipating a collapse in the COMEX commodities future exchange in December. This will be caused by a failure to deliver on gold and silver contracts - revealing price fixing shenanigans by COMEX, NYMEX, Big Banks, and Federal Government. Here's the latest commentary:
According to Jim Willie, first notices to COMEX on taking delivery will appear on 28 November, the day after Thanksgiving. There MAY be some reporting on this in your local paper, but it is more likely that the US propaganda machine will suppress all mention of it. If I can find anything on this, I will provide links.
Keep your eyes and mind open,
Michael Childress
Monday, November 17, 2008
The Crack Up Boom - Ty Andros at Financial
For a quick overview of what's going on lately, and where it is going, read this remarkable summary by Ty Andros, posted at
Keep your eyes and mind open,
Michael Childress
Friday, November 7, 2008
Ten "Cannots" by W.J.H. Boetcker
Reverend William John Henry Boetcker (1873-1962)
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Get Ready for Banking Holiday
I don't know how many readers I have out there now, but for those of you who occasionally check out this blog, here is some of the best advice I can give you for these troubled times:
One of the first acts of Mr. Roosevelt after his inauguration in 1933 (of which 2009 looks to be a replay) was to declare a week long banking holiday. This allowed the bean counters to freeze all banking assets for inventories and bargaining and negotiations. Then after the holiday, about half of the banks in the country did not open their doors, and it was a while before folks could get ANY cash out of their accounts from those banks.
Because the 2008 election is so eerily similar to that of 1932, it is pretty safe to assume that 2009 will also strongly rhyme with 1933, and that banking holiday and other unexpected government measures will be forthcoming.
If you are not ready to have NO access at all to your bank accounts for a week, I strongly suggest that you build up a stock of cash in your home before the inauguration in the latter half of January. In fact, it would be a good idea to start building up some cash at home NOW, in case the stresses of poor spending during the upcoming holiday shopping season precipitates things even faster.
How much will you need? Well, if the holiday is for a week, then you need a week's worth of total spending. This includes groceries, gasoline, and anything else for which you might ordinarily write a check or use a debit card. It is also likely that if the banks are locked down, then they wouldn't be able to process any credit card transactions, either. This means you will need cash to cover typical credit card purchases as well. And keep in mind that the 1933 holiday was a week. It could be longer this time around. AND you may find that your particular bank may not re-open again, meaning you will have to wait until the FDIC gets around to your account insurance before you will get your assets out, and no telling how long that will take. So stash appropriately for this contingency, too, if you can afford it.
And, of course, all this assumes that retail outlets like grocery stores and gas stations will still be open during the holiday, which may NOT be the case. If so, then you will need to have some food stashed as well for the duration. Dry goods like beans and rice, canned veggies and meats, and even packaged goods like potato chips and popcorn are good to stock up on now. Frozen foods are also a good idea, if you have the freezer space. Remember, your neighborhood McDonald's and Starbucks may not be open for business after a couple of days of frozen assets.
Am I fear-mongering here? Not at all, just being prudent, just in case 2009 really does come off like 1933. And if it does, then you will have a historical road map to follow to survive the next 10-20 years. If it doesn't, then you won't have lost much interest on the cash you pulled out, and you can just re-deposit it when you feel comfortable.
Keep your eyes and mind open,
Michael Childress
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bet Can Be Fun For Anyone
Arbitrage betting is actually a theoretically risk-free of charge betting process in which each end result of an party is wager upon to ensure that a identified revenue might be made by the bettor upon completion in the event, whatever the consequence.
Optimism/Desirability Bias. Gamblers also show optimism, overestimating the chance that preferred activities will take place. Fans of NFL underdog teams, one example is, will prefer to guess on their teams at even odds than to wager on the favourite, if the bet is $five or $50.[forty eight]
In Tokugawa situations the vice didn't access this extent among the samurai, nonetheless it turned prevalent in Yedo and ongoing to get so through the history of town.
Most jurisdictions that make it possible for gambling involve members to generally be earlier mentioned a certain age. In some jurisdictions, the gambling age differs depending upon the variety of gambling.
The Catholic Church holds the position that there's no moral impediment to gambling, As long as it's truthful, all bettors have an inexpensive chance of winning, that there is no fraud associated, as well as the get-togethers included do not have actual understanding of the result with the bet (Except they've got disclosed this knowledge).[16] Gambling has usually been observed as acquiring social implications, as satirized by Balzac. For these social and religious factors, most legal jurisdictions Restrict gambling, as advocated by Pascal.[seventeen] provided that the following conditions are fulfilled; the gambler can find the money for shedding the wager, stops once the Restrict is attained, and also the inspiration is leisure instead of private attain leading to the "like of money"[18] or earning a living.
This part probably includes unique investigation. Make sure you boost it by verifying the claims created and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of primary study need to be taken off. (August 2010) (Find out how and when to get rid of this template information)
Underneath common legislation, particularly English Legislation (English unjust enrichment), a gambling deal may not provide a On line casino bona fide purchaser standing, allowing the Restoration of stolen resources in a few scenarios. In Lipkin Gorman v Karpnale Ltd, where a solicitor made use of stolen resources to gamble at a On line casino, the home this contact form of Lords overruled the Higher Court docket's prior verdict, adjudicating which the casino return the stolen cash significantly less All those issue to any modify of placement defence.
Parimutuel wagers pay back at charges determined by assistance during the wagering pools, even though bookmakers pay off either at the chances made available at enough time of accepting the guess; or within the median odds made available from monitor bookmakers at time the race commenced. Athletics betting
Gamblers show numerous cognitive and motivational biases that distort the perceived odds of events and that influence their Choices for gambles. For example, gamblers show a pricey aversion to betting in opposition to their favorite crew or political candidate.[forty six]
[19] On the whole, Catholic bishops have opposed casino gambling on the grounds it much too normally tempts people into issue gambling or habit, has particularly destructive results on inadequate individuals; they generally also cite secondary results including will increase in bank loan sharking, prostitution, corruption, and standard community immorality.[twenty][21][22] In at the least one particular case, exactly the same bishop opposing a casino has marketed land to be used for its construction.[23] Some parish pastors have also opposed casinos for the extra explanation that they'd get consumers far from church bingo and once-a-year festivals where by video games including blackjack, roulette, craps, and poker are used for fundraising.[24]
Quite a few betting systems are actually created in an attempt to "conquer the home" but no system may make a mathematically unprofitable guess with regard آموزش بازی پوکر to envisioned price successful after some time. Widely employed devices involve:
Coverage is actually a technique of shifting danger from just one get together to another. Insurers use actuarial methods to estimate correct rates, which has similarities to calculating gambling odds. Insurers set their premiums to obtain a lasting beneficial anticipated return in exactly the same way that Specialist gamblers find which bets to make.
Setting up a business can also be considered a type of investment. Investments are normally not regarded as gambling when they satisfy the next requirements:
Martingale – A technique based on staking enough each time to recover losses from prior guess(s) until finally a single wins.
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Showing posts from 2018
Gamification, Gamer Personality, and Match Making
Back in 2010, when the concept of gamification was new to most of us, I remember trying to add game elements to my classroom. I remember being further inspired to do so my amazing TED talks from Dr. Jane Mcgonigal in 2010 and Gabe Zichermann in 2011. I remember discussing it with others in a group lead by Jeff Mummert. At that time, we felt like we were building gamification experiences out of duct tape and baler twine. Occasionally, we would discover a tool we could “splice” on to our classroom, but more often than not, our IT departments would block that tool almost as soon as we began using it.
Today, we are blessed to have myriad gamification tools for education available. Some of my favorites are Classcraft, ARIS, and Edmodo’s Badges, but there are a lot more. All of them scratch a specific gamification itch. Some scratch many. None, in my opinion, cover all bases.
The Premise I’d like to propose that the most successful gamification systems are modelled after MMORPG games or MO…
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Suggestion or Request
Posted by: Views: 713 Thanks: 3 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
Sep 18
Suggestion or Request (By Medsuper) (Thanked: 3 times)
I am feeling that some wrong things are happening on our site
due to wrong behavior of some members with each others
so i am suggesting a thing that on the internet if you are making a friend or sister or brother to someone
then never cheat the that person/persons otherwise on the internet
if any person against you because of your behavior
then we can not help more
Thank you
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The smart Trick of How To Make Bitcoins That No One is Discussing
5 Tips about How To Make Bitcoins You Can Use Today
Security versus payment fraud: For the reason that Bitcoin are electronic, they can't be counterfeited, which safeguards from payment fraud. Also, transactions can not be reversed, like what occurs with a credit card cost back again.
For those who don’t know Substantially about about Bitcoin, i have written an short article right before on it so go through it prior to deciding to consider investing in bitcoin.
It might choose a little for a longer period than in the situation of card purchase. And you will have to pass the whole verification course of action in order to use this payment choice.
Mining makes sense if you plan to do it for pleasurable, to master or to assistance the security of Bitcoin and don't care in case you make a financial gain. Should you have access to large amounts of low-cost electricity and a chance to control a large installation and organization, you can mine for a profit.
Examine This Report on What Is Bitcoin Trading At
In fact, you can find an investment team in Goldman, generally known as the Principal Strategic Investments Group, whose major mission will be to invest within the economic-engineering space -- which is, technologies Goldman could conceivably use in its own small business.
If you're not common with Shopify, all you really want to be aware of is that It can be an ecommerce System that enables retailers to build their own personal online shops to provide their merchandise just like Etsy or eBay.
Considerations To Know About Pay With Bitcoin
Comprehend Bitcoin Essentials. Bitcoin is a completely Digital forex, that permits buyers a way to Trade revenue without spending a dime, without using a third party (just like a lender, bank card company, or other financial establishment). Bitcoin are usually not regulated or managed by a central authority similar to the Federal Reserve and all Bitcoin this link transactions occur within find an online Market, where by buyers are nameless and untraceable Generally.
If you would like get bitcoins according to a fixed degree of mining power, but you do not need to run the actual components your self, you can purchase a mining agreement.
An Unbiased View of What Is Bitcoin Trading At
Moreover, due to the fact Bitcoin's price is decided by source and demand from customers, must Bitcoin find yourself staying issue to govt regulation in almost any variety, it could decrease the level of individuals who would like to use Bitcoin, which could theoretically make the forex worthless.[ten]
There is absolutely no middleman power to reimburse you for just about any dropped or stolen Bitcoins.[7] Consider the Bitcoin community is just not immune to hackers, and the normal Bitcoin account is just not completely secured towards hacking or protection breaches.[eight] A single examine discovered eighteen of forty firms featuring to exchange bitcoins into other currencies have absent away from company, with only 6 exchanges reimbursing their consumers.
The Ultimate Guide To How To Invest In Bitcoin Stock
You can't shell out bitcoins at each Web-site or offline retailer, but You can utilize your bitcoins to purchase reward cards for spots that don't directly accept bitcoins.
CoinBase: This well-known wallet and exchange services will even trade US bucks and euros for Bitcoins. The organization has Website and cell applications For additional effortless Bitcoin look at here now acquiring and trading.
The Basic Principles Of How To Make Bitcoins
Any time a block is found, the discoverer may well award themselves a certain variety of bitcoins, which happens to be agreed-on by Every person from the community. Currently this bounty is twenty five bitcoins; this price will halve each individual 210,000 blocks. See Managed Currency Offer or use a bitcoin mining calculator.
Acquire out money out of your checking account. Most Bitcoin ATMs only accept funds, as they are not put in place to method debit or credit card transactions.[26]
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AWAKEN soundtrack
It’s a VOD rumble in the island jungle as a bunch of human hunters once again make the big mistake of having a most dangerous game, here with the statuesque Kiev-born starlet Natalie Burn (“The Expendables III,” “Criminal”), who also produced, wrote and nicely sings “Awaken’s” rocking end credit song to boot). Before then, it’s a ferocious, primally percussive body count as booby-trapped with a wealth of ethnic energy by composers Brian Ralston and Kays Al-Atrakchi. Having previously shown an affinity for bringing Native American instruments to lacrosse with Perseverance’s release of “Crooked Arrows,” Ralston is all over the globe when bringing in an array of lethal percussion to serve as blunt instruments for one chauvinist pig after the other get impaled with in their increasingly dwindling pursuit. But rather than just banging away on drums, blowing on flutes, or strumming on a guitar to get across the Mexico peninsula setting, Ralston and Al-Atrakchi (“Extreme Force”) give “Awaken” a mean, melodic, sample-driven structure that nicely recalls the synth, and often pan flute topped-sound of “Awaken’s” 80’s indie revenge antecedents like “Deadly Prey,” a spirit that’s since been carried on with liberated fury by “Relentless Justice” and “Camino.” Female hell certainly gets served with exotic spice with “Awaken’s” intriguingly suspenseful and highly rhythmic listen as its beats a powerful path in Burn’s quest for action heroine stardom.
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abramsanalysis: Security Analysis By Abrams
I provide my analysis of current security topics. This is a low volume list and not a discussion list. Typical frequency will be a maximum lf one email per week. It may be less some months and only more if there's a wild week in the news. All commentary is public domain. Plagiarism is allowed, but attribution is a kindness.
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Table of Contents
Where Do I Find Files that I have Uploaded?
You can find files that you added to a meeting in the Meeting Center before or after the meeting, and you find the files in the Meeting Room during the meeting.
During the meeting, follow these steps:
1. Click the Slides tab.
2. Click the drop down list of files in the Slides toolbar.
3. Click the file to show it.
Note If you are not a presenter, you can click Meeting information Meeting Information in the toolbar, and then click the file in the Attachments section to open or save it locally. The file opens in the Meeting Information window.
To open a file from the Meeting Center follow these steps:
1. Select a Meetings view in the navigator, All Meetings, for example.
2. Click the name of the Meeting that has the files you want to find.
3. In Meeting Details, find the uploaded files under Attachments.
4. Click on a file to open or save it locally.
See also:
Additional Documentation | Trademarks |
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