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Lawyers representing Demi Moore are threatening to sue Boing Boing and a few other blogs for slander after they dared to point out the obvious: that a chunk of her hip appears to have been Photoshopped out of the cover of the American issue of W magazine.
I mean, just look at the amount of space between her arm and her hip in the American version as compared to the Korean version. Come on! |Boing Boing|
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본 포스트는 개인 스터디 용으로 작성된 Ian Sommerville의 Software Engineering, 8/E의 요약본입니다.
Chapter 7.
Deeply depended on the application domain, people, organisation developing the requirements.
2. Generic activies
- Requirements elecitation
- Requirements analysis
- Requirements validation
- Requirements management
3. Requirements Engineering Process Step ( '=>' means 'generate')
1) Feasibility Study (=> Feasibility Report) : decides whether proposed system is worthwhile or not(judge through objective, budget, integrationability...)
2) Requirements elicitation and analysis(=> System Models) : find out application domain, the services to provide, constraints. Performs with stakeholders.
3) Requirements specification(=> user and system requirements)
4) Requirements validation(=> Requirements document)
4. Viewpoints : represent the perspectives of different stakeholders
- interactor(direct?) viewpoints
- indirect viewpoints
- domain viewpoints
5. scenario : real-life examples of how a system can be used. UML is used, frequently.
- Use Case
- Sequence diagram
6. Social and Organisational factors
- influence on the system requirements, all viewpoints.
- currently no systematic way to tackle their analysis.
- via ethnography, they can be found more easily.
7. Requirements Validation
- Requirements error costs are high. Fixing requirements error may 100 times lower than fixing implementation error.
- Key : validity, consistency, completeness, realism, verifiability.
- technique : review, prototyping, test case generation
8. Requirements management
- manages requirements changing during requirement engineering process and system development
- planning on requirements engineering processes
1) Requirement identification
2) A change management process
3) traceability policies
4) CASE tool support
- Change management Step
identify problem -> problem analysis & change specification -> change analysis & costing -> change implementation -> revised requirements
Posted by 어쨌건간에
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The Mercenary
"Take me for an example. You can distrust me all you want. Can't say it matters to me. But I ain't a liar. Whether you trust what I say to you, that's up to you. I ain't here to convince you. I ain't here to be friends either. If I get the order… ch, well, it's an order. It ain't personal. It's business."
Called Xifos for short, Diathesixifos is a mercenary who hails from the Aegean coast of Greece. Where exactly is not known, as the man refuses to say. If his blood red hair and sharp blue eyes don't catch your attention, then his large barbed sword that he calls his 'companion' probably will. Not much is really known about Xifos, but as a hired mercenary, he has no true concrete loyalty to Drakontas and seems willing to give limited information if one has the dinar to tempt him. It doesn't hurt if the one doing the tempting is female and pretty either, as he's also a rather big flirt. Diathesixifos has no great love for others who work for Drakontas, referring to Vasileios as "Captain Froo Froo" and Psarigida as "that pirate wench".
Did you know?
• The "Xifos" in Diathesxifos's name is Greek word for 'sword', which is what represents Xifos in many of the visions. He has also been known to use the mark of two crossed red swords for himself.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Superman in a Wheelchair
Although he isn't my favourite, I have to admit that he is the real Superman of all time. Some of you guys probably don't know him or unfamiliar with his name (especially if you were born after 2000). The man's name was Christopher Reeve. He played the role of Superman in '78, the first ever Superman movie (cmiiw). The movie was a massive success and had helped him to gain a lot of popularity. All of a sudden, he became a Superman icon.
Superman - Christopher Reeve GIF
He had those Superman-ly characteristics in him, you know, such as a strong jawline, a pair of intense bold blue eyes, towering height (he was 1,93 metres for God's sake), athletic physique, and a smile that can melt any woman's heart. He embodied the character perfectly than any other actors who have played the role.
Superman - Christopher Reeve GIF 2
Christopher Reeve was in his prolific screen and stage career when he had an accident during an equestrian competition in May '95. He fell off his horse and landed on his head, shattering his top two vertebrae. The accident damaged his spinal cord that paralysed him from the neck down. He couldn't walk and would never be able to walk; he was unable to move any part of his body. Even he needed respirator in order to breathe because he couldn't breathe on his own.
The Superman had lost all of his power. How could he help people if he was the one who needed help?
He did contemplate suicide and told his wife, Dana, about this. Dana replied him with this:
"I am only going to say this once: I will support whatever you want to do, because this is your life, and your decision. But I want you to know that I'll be with you for the long haul, no matter what. You're still you. And I love you."
Shortly after the accident, his close friend Robin Williams visited him in the hospital, wearing a blue hat and a yellow gown, talking in Russian accent, pretending to be a doctor. That random act had successfully made him laugh for the first time. From that moment, he knew that his "life was going to be okay", he said. The idea of committing suicide has never came up to his mind again.
Superman - Christopher Reeve in a wheelchair
About eight month after his accident, he made a surprise appearance in the 68th Annual Academy Awards (1996), which brought tears to my eyes only by watching this video:
He might lost his power, but once a Superman, always a Superman. He found his ways to help people. He travelled across the country to give motivational speeches. He always appeared in public with his warm and gorgeous smile on his face, even though if you're looking at his eyes--his bold blue eyes, you'll see that he was probably struggling inside. He also created the Christopher Reeve Foundation which is dedicated to find treatments and cures for paralysis caused by spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders.
He truly believed that there would be a cure for his injuries and someday he would be able to walk again. It was his dream, but it wasn't just for himself; it was for all the people in the world who is suffering from similar injuries. He never stopped campaigning for the research and funding it through his foundation. Never to give up hope, that's what he taught us.
He might never got a role as Superman again, but he ended up being a real-life Superman, truly a hero figure.
Tragically, he died suddenly of cardiac arrest on 10 October 2004, only one day after he attended his son Will's hockey game (yes, Will, the kid in sesame street video up there). Two years after his death, Superman Returns was released. The film was dedicated to him and his wife who died of lung cancer in the same year.
RIP Christopher Reeve - Superman
Man, you don't need a cape and that super tight costume to be a hero. That man in wheelchair is the real Superman.
1. kyaaaa christoper reeve! (ada hubungan apa ye ama keanu reeves)? cakep banget gila, gue suka banget ama dia body nya gede, orang yang paling cocok meranin superman deh pokoknya!
btw gue pernah baca di majalah masa ada rumor pas abis dia meninggal itu arwahnya masih suka gentayangan di rumahnya, lagi terbang-terbang pake kostum superman. gimana nih? :(
1. Iya sumpah cool abis diaa. Eh demiapa gentayangan pake kostum Superman wkwk kocak. Gue taunya yang gentayangan itu George Reeves, aktor Superman juga doi wkwk eh tapi gatau orang gue ngga pernah liat wakaka.
Eh sumpah banyak juga ya yang namanya Reeve(s) wkwk
Tanya kenapa?
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Browsing by Subject teaching and learning
or enter first few letters:
Showing results 1 to 1 of 1
Issue DateTitleAuthor(s)
2009-10-05T18:13:51ZProject Management Students Take on 10 New Seed Funded ProjectsJones, Erin
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Monday, August 02, 2010
so today i'm at work at the bakery...and i am learning to make a Gateau de St. Honore (sorry, i don't know how to do accents on my phone). this is the cake which pastry chefs have to make to graduate from the CIA. they have to do it in 3 hours. thank god i don't have to!! but i'm excited to learn it. St. Honore is the patron saint of bakers.
so far, i've just done the chantilly cream, and i'm now on my break. perhaps pictures later if my cakes come out okay. fingers crossed. xo
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viernes, 20 de octubre de 2017
ZBRUSH: Detailing the character
In the last post, I show you my character posed. I told you there are 2 ways to continue, posing and detailing or detailing and posing. I choose the first one so now I have to finish all small details in the hole model.
So, now that I know the final pose, I need to repair everything that becomes broken during the previous stage. Now it's easier because the new Zbrush version (4R8) includes a new gizmo that makes the moving and posing steps much easier than in previous versions.
I sculpted a new face instead the mannequin one to fit better the character's one. and also I started to add small elements like ribbons.
I also did some small details like the engineering parts of the back and a new hair is done with individual tufts of hair to have more control on the final looking.
We need to add the insignia too and also a texture to the dress.
So we can say this stage is done, but there is still a lot of work to do until it's completely finished!
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A Word, Please: There shouldn't be any more questions anymore
November 02, 2012|By June Casagrande
There aren't many issues in grammar or usage that scare me much anymore. After years of writing about language, I've learned that the things I don't know — and there are still many — I'm probably not expected to know.
Over the years, that panicky feeling that I'm going to be exposed as a fraud the minute someone asks a question I can't answer has faded away almost completely.
But one issue that can still set my pulse racing is the difference between "anymore" and "any more." I'm not sure why, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I've been getting around to researching it for more than 15 years now. And because I've been "gonna look it up soon" for so long, it makes sense I'd feel a little behind on the subject.
That ends now. I've just put an end to my marathon procrastination run by reading up on the subject. What I learned is that my instincts — everyone's instincts, in fact — are pretty good.
For example, would you pause at the sight of the one-word "anymore" in "I don't go dancing anymore"? Not likely. And what if you saw "I don't go dancing any more," with "any more" as two words? Would that jump out at you as an error? Probably not, even if, when you stopped to think about it, you decided that the one-word version looks better.
But what if you came across this exchange: Mom: "There's more lasagna if you're still hungry." Child: "I don't want anymore."
Does that strike you as odd? It should, because that's the only one of our examples that is actually an error. It should be "I don't want any more."
Here's why: In "I don't want any more," the term "any more" is functioning as a noun phrase. That is, "more" is a noun and "any" is an adjective modifying it. It's the object of the verb "want," and objects of verbs are usually nouns: Do you want more? Can I have more? In both these cases, "more" is the object of the verb, so in these sentences it's a noun. And putting "any" in front of it doesn't change that.
But the one-word "anymore" is not a noun. It's an adverb.
For most of us, school didn't give a complete picture of adverbs. As I've written before in this space, adverbs are not just those words that end in "ly" and modify verbs. They're also any word that answers the question when, where, or in what manner, or that modifies a whole thought or sentence, like "therefore" in "Therefore, Joe is a great guy."
Daily Pilot Articles Daily Pilot Articles
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Friday, October 21, 2011
We ought ask ourself the question what do p and q have to do with implication?
To imply denotes the connotations of involvement with the subject of reason.
Definition therefore is where the project of the philosophy of mathematics is derailed.
Is maths numbers or geometry, is it units in numbers of points or lines or volumes or times?
More often than not the arrow of time is going every direction at once day to day.
Since within the implications are the acts of predication and its inverse prediction.
Why is predication separated from prediction by a one and divisions symbol?
The action or duty performed by predication as a noun becomes all the more of import.
To import an idea into the set of all ideas is popularly labelled ideology or study of ideas.
Prediction of outcomes from within the domain of the ideology of mathematics,
Is not any easy subject to tackle since there is no consistency to definition.
We may try to organise the changes possible into a list or table AKA periodicals.
But that list of names tells us nothing about the movements nor the numbers of atoms.
A name is a form of deceit like a person says water is H2O, yes but so what.
The fact is around 2/3 rd's of each person is water so what are the implications?
The solution that is body corporate that has two possible states, attract or repulse.
Fat is not soluble in water in the body corporate and since so what of the mathematics?
Can pure mathematics model that with a simple equation and subvert the moral agreement?
I think not except and to say that soap is made from fat upon addition of an base.
Salt is made from addition of an acid to a base therefore chemistry of reason.
The outcomes are predicable and by being predicable what's generated predictable.
Consistent and reliable is what I mean to say determined apriori as preaexistent.
Complete and whole at the level that is above the surface of the electron shells.
Therefore it is safe to assume that, that which is beneath that energy field is as well.
Colour as seen by the eye is made from the reflected light from off the surface of electrons.
What about transmitted light then and the excess energy as transmitted by photons?
Again we are considering that common ground that applies to all configurations.
That piece of architecture that very few of us know very well at all the electron.
Therefore the only subject in information theory that is incomplete and in-determinant,
Is us in that we are the ones found lacking when it comes to the information given.
Well talk to this bird on a wire deforming its catenary curve.
The cat has caught the canary in Steinbeck’s Cannery row.
To say 1 in 100 units are faulty I am led to believe is stigma.
Of a six sigma measure one can be certain that it’s what’s not.
Measure of a value like pi, phi, e, root 2′s meaning’s irrational.
Cut wood, metal, glass with respective tool to n decimal places.
Impossible to do, so the thou will have to make do this second.
If not measurable yet in existence then why the complication?
Research or search for the emperical date to prove your point.
The flat bed printing press calligraphy and planar technology,
Went the way of the dinosaurs into fragments of bone tissues,
Buried then resurrected into intel i chips then fed to seagulls.
The gull able the guileable the deceived into beleiving in maths.
All one can trust is, is the tis of every number contained in a one.
PEaCe peatantics
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Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Michael A. Phillips' Planetary Processing Routine version 8.1
Was this tutorial helpful?
Yes, thanks very much!
I think I like the v7 better.
Yes, but I'd like additional information and will post in the comments below.
No thanks, I like my own routine.
No, I have something I'd like to add in the comments below.
HINT: To download this tutorial as a Microsoft Word Doc, click here - http://www.mediafire.com/?yj4em1omomn
1. This is by no means a replacement to the tutorials I learned the most from such as Mike Salway's (http://www.mikesalway.com.au/2008/08/26/planetary-imaging-and-image-processing) or Paul Haese's (http://paulhaese.net/planetaryprocessing.html). I am simply tuning, tweaking and automating some of the steps to suit my own taste and hope you find some ideas here to use for yourself!
1. Incorporating a large portion of the v7 tutorial (seen here), I was able to skip the Registax application altogether. The advantage here is the I now stack in Iris direct from Ninox and Iris has a very robust scripting engine to automate stacking and saving of raw files.
1. All the routines in this HowTo use applications running on Linux, even the windows only software packages run under Wine (http://www.winehq.org) running under Linux. All of the video screencasts are recorded and produced using applications running on Linux. I am confident that all software and processes detailed in this HowTo can be run on MS Windows with one exception. The capture software I use, Coriander, will run only on Linux. Even some of the bash scripts may be run under Cygwin (http://www.cygwin.com/) although I've not tried myself. Never fear, the main method of this HowTo still applies to users running on MS Windows.
All videos are best viewed in HD (click the button in the lower right) and full screen!!
1. Acquisition: Using Anthony Wesley's custom coriander 1.0.0. This works well for me as I have a firewire camera and motorized TruTek Color Filter Wheel with PC control cable. - Part 1 Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF70aenFIq4)
1. Sorting by quality, rescaling, centering and cropping in ninox: (http://acquerra.com.au/astro/software/ninox/ - A tool for processing planetary images by Anthony Wesley) – Part 2 Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWZ7Gc8kmTM)
1. Stacking in Iris: Major change in this version 8, is the absence or skipping of Registax for stacking. Move Ninox sorted and cropped images into Iris for stacking.
Stacking ninox sorted data right into Iris - Part 3 Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjPwY5NQYnw)
1. Processing in Iris: RGB combine, whitebalance, black point, sharpening and processing. - Part 4 Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKlshHH3Zhg)
1. Acquisition
1. My equipment consists of
1. I use a Celestron C8i SE (orange tube)
2. Lenovo T61 laptop running Ubuntu 9.04 Linux and custom coriander (for firewire cameras – Thanks Anthony Wesley! )
3. DMK 21AF04 (Firewire)
4. 2.5x PowerMate
5. Astronomik LRGB filters
6. True Tek Color Filter Wheel with visu diag and PC serial cable (USB-to-Serial)
7. Homemade Hand Controller extender or PC mount control for drift corrections
8. some shots here:
1. Once everything is connected up I follow the 'custom coriander 1.0.0' modified by Anthony Wesley (aka Bird - http://acquerra.com.au/astro/software/coriander/ ).
2. Before beginning capture, I suggest you get some basics covered - Michael A. Phillips' Astronomy Lesson on Seeing, Collimation and Focusing (http://maphilli14.multiply.com/journal/item/70/)
3. Here is a screencast that demonstrates a regular capture routine that I follow for Jupiter. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF70aenFIq4
4. After completing your captures you may move onto the next section that moves data from 'transit' to 'sorted'. It is important to note that this coriander outputs a static image stream of .fit files not a .avi or video file. This saves me a step extracting the movie to images later on!
Sorting by quality, rescaling, centering and cropping in ninox
1. I prepare all captured source images that are really .fit files by passing it through ninox (http://acquerra.com.au/astro/software/ninox/) to sort and crop the images and then output to a new subdirectory called 'sorted'
2. An optional, short getting started video on downloading, installing and using ninox - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpOJQxzyTnw
3. Additional changes to the version 8 routine include batch processing of all the nights images in a single command as well as upscaling to 200% or 300% of raw images before stacking.
4. The full script is a bash script and can be found here:
1. Generate list of nights captures - http://www.mediafire.com/file/nfyimywxnny/MAPgenplanetlist.sh.zip
Execute looping ninox:
1. In version 8 of my routine, I now have a simple loop that reads all the nights captures and allows you to selectively run Ninox against all or some of the captures. This script that will read the capture directories and use them to create all the sorted, Ninox folders. Per these guidelines (http://maphilli14.blogspot.com/2008/01/tips-on-organizing-your-computer.html).
1. The key ninox syntax is:
1. ninox -width=300 -height=300 -cutx=300 -cuty=300 -qestimator -qrenumber -outdir=Astronomy/Sorted/2-Scratch/Jupiter-$1/$2 /Astronomy/Transit/1-Corianders/$1/$2
• This, “-width=300 -height=300 -cutx=300 -cuty=300” crops the images to a square 300x300 pixel size
• This “-qestimator -qrenumber” sorts the data and renumbers the images based on quality
• This “-outdir=Astronomy/Sorted/2-Scratch/Jupiter-$1/$2” allows me to specify a new folder in a sorted (not transit) folder for safer keeping. The $1 and $2 are the arguments passed to the script at runtime in which $1 is the ISO date that coriander writes ( IE 20081122) and $2 is the UTC time (IE 001122UTC).
• There is another path following the outdir, /Astronomy/Transit/1-Corianders/$1/$2 this specifies the source files if not in the current directory.
• Upscaling is in the format of -resample=3/1 scales all the subframes to 300% the original size after cropping. A tip from Anthony Wesley citing that it helps to remove artifacts made me want to try for myself and it in fact does work quite well on good data!! I've gotten fantastic results running a raw stacked, 3/1 upscaled image through AstraImage, which is part of my long routine, v8.2
Stacking in Iris: notes on skipping Registax and how to get 'Iris-ready'
1. Why skip Registax? Only because I can automate stacking and saving of Red, Green and Blue with a single click!
2. Skipping Registax is a two step process. First ensure the proper naming of files. Second, use the command window or Iris script to automate the stacking.
3. The key to taking Ninox sorted data straight to Iris is in the naming. Iris has a fairly rigid naming scheme for any sequences of data that it works with. In particular if you are going to stack a series of raw monochrome data in the red channel it will NEED the numbering to appear as follows, as this is how Iris requires the images to be numbered, IE no leading zeros.
• R1.fit
• R2.fit
• R10.fit
• R99.fit
• R100.fit
• and so on...
This is not the same scheme that most image capture programs work with and I was able to solve this with the Linux package for batch copy / move called 'mmv' (mmv is a program to move/copy/ append/link multiple files according to a set of wildcard patterns)
In a nutshell your files need to get renamed from:
xxxx-yyy-q001999.fit → R1999.fit
xxxx-yyy-q00239.fit → xxxx-yyy-R239.fit
where all all leading 0's get stripped off as Iris does not like that.
I've not tested yet but for windows users this suggestion came across the Yahoo Group for Iris Software via Christian Viladrich:
The numbering rule in Iris is :
1, 2, ..., 10, 11, ..., 100, 101,
So, if you have a numbering such as :
0001, 0002, etc
you have to renumber your files.
You may renumber your files with "remultfile" software:
This is a French software, but very easy to understand.”” - Christian Viladrich
The fun part is starting the automated stacking and walking away for something more exiting!
Once the files are in the right format you may use this Iris script (http://www.mediafire.com/file/xzy3ihqamwt/MAPPlanet81.pgm.zip)
to convert and or stack the raw images in a manner similar to Registax's stacking scheme. Before using, test with one or both of these commands:
Non-FIT users need to convert to fit first! (For BMP users, use PIC settings not FIT settings)
BMP2PIC red redpic $1
add_norm red $1
Where $1 is simply the number of frames 'located in the iris working directory' that are to be stacked.
Some notes about the final image. First it is a After stacking you may find the brightness to be clipped or oversaturated. This is actually not the case and you should notice that Iris works in 48-bit space so you may fix this issue by using the following command:
mult $2
Where $2 is a number less than 1 to which all pixels are multiplied by. If you save the raw stack you may reload at anytime before you find the final desired brightness.
• This image was a normal brightness image which I used mult 1.5 several times to give the over exposed view on, but using mult 0.8 or mult 0.5 a few times will bring it back to this. If it does NOT bring it back then you have gone beyond the 48-bit max value point and I've never encountered this before with my 8-bit camera and anywhere between 500-600 frame stacks.
Processing in Iris
Flow – I like to follow a framework of a routine, that worked for me in the past under varying conditions. Here's my flow that I load from a text file and then paste into the Iris command window.
>run mapplanet81 500
>load r0
>--processing / wavelets-- 1,5,10,3,1
>unsharp 3 2 1
>save r81
>load g0
>save g81
>load b0
>save b81
>--view / rgb-- x81--
>save rgb81a
>scale 2 0.67 0.67
>--processing / wavelets-- 1.1,1.9,1.7,1,1
>save rgb81b
>--Saturation 1.3--
>gauss 0.5
>--processing / blur filter--
>visu 25000 200
>save rgb8a
>run rgb8a
>load rgb8a
>scale 2 0.75 0.75
Anything with a > is the 'prompt' and not a command
Anything with a >-- is just a note to find that in the menu system as it's not a command (not that I can see)
Step by Step Explanation:
stack per step 3 above with Iris script
Load each raw file (EG R0)
apply wavelets to taste
apply unsharp mask (optional and mixed success)
save as new filename (EG R81)
repeat for Green and Blue
RGB combine (EG Trichro – located in View RGB) - GREAT explanation of Whitebalance and black point by Sebastien Leboutte http://www.skyimaging.com/filter-wheel.php
whitepoint “
blackpoint “
save 'backup'
scale down to intermediate step (EG from 3x to 2x)
more wavelets
save new 'backup'
saturation increase to 1.3x
smooth with gauss
smooth with blur (again to taste)
adjust levels with visu
save as final
this final gets picked up by next iris script which saves as a variety of formats to get copied by bash script
At this point you're done and you can use Gimp or Photoshop or other similar editor to brush up and put in stats, logos etc...
Some additional Iris resources are found here:
Sebastien Leboutte - http://www.skyimaging.com/tutorials.php
and of course Christian Buil, author of Iris! - http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/us/iris/iris.htm (Scroll past halfway to find the TUTORIAL section)
TO DO's:
Include more MS Windows automation
Add Astra Image per my v8.2 routine.
Figure out how to use Deconvolution in Iris, in lieu of AstraImage.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Jupiter 20091002
Yes, my C8i SE Single Armed Fork decided to take a break. Ironically just after I got the CGE mount back! The power wasn't getting to the hand controller just at the end of this session and the mount is on it's way to Celestron from out of warranty repair. :(
Good news is the seeing was pretty good.
Not much else going on other than the Z-shaped / Zorro in the upper left!
Wish my mount a speedy recovery, The OTA will ride the CGE for a while... *sob* *sob* I'll have to one scope it for a while! :)
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Waxing Gibbous Moon from 20090929
After my Pluto shots, I tried for the moon. I've never really gotten a good full disk photo of the moon before. Not one I liked at least. I was even able to load the Canon raws (.CR2) into Registax 5 and stack 12 of the best ones. AstraImaged for most of the detail and some touches in Iris and Gimp. Hope you enjoy!
Blog Archive
About Me
My photo
"A good friend once told me you are our memory
without them we equal nothing
And all I can see is the place I wanna be
Suddenly my life was so free
Leaves at my feet, blown to the ground
their echoes are reaching my ears
Nights coming fast, suns going down" - A7x
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resolve / solve
This is a tough one – do you solve a problem or resolve a problem?
The answer is both. Solve and resolve do have slightly different meanings, though. To resolve something means to deal with and finish it in a satisfactory way:
• resolve an argument
• resolve a conflict / dispute
• resolve differences between two people or two opinions
When something is resolved, it may not have been resolved in the best way; but at least it is settled.
To solve something means to find the CORRECT answer, or to fix it successfully:
• You solve a math problem (find the right answer)
• The police solve a crime (find the truth about it)
• A detective solves a mystery (discover the truth)
• If something on the website is not working, and you discover the reason for the problem and fix it successfully, you have solved the problem.
Problems can be solved or resolved depending on their nature. When there are multiple opinions and points of view that must be reconciled, we usually use resolve:
• The Human Resources department is trying to resolve the problem between the manager and his employees.
When there is probably a correct answer, a successful solution that will eliminate the problem, we usually use solve:
• The payroll department is trying to solve the problem of the paychecks going to the wrong bank accounts – it’s probably a computer bug that needs to be fixed.
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Friday, September 11, 2009
9 11 Gemis
I remeber
Watching TV with my dad.
Mom was in the kitchen making coffee
The movie Dad and I were watching changed to a news bulliten
We thought it was part of the movie
So we sat there that night watching
Watching the smoke
And then the second plane going into the towers
I vividly remember the bird infront of the camera the was the main view
and yelling out to Mom that something was happening
Then we sat there as a family not saying anything watching the towers burn and fall
Like part of a movie
But it was real life
Feeling compassion and saddness for our fellow beings
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I want your trees to die
Your land to not let anything grow
I want the cafe to be on fire
Your restaurant to fail
I want our dog to run away from you
I want you to get a disease
I want you to get even fatter
Your motorbike to be stolen
Your car to blow up
I want your brother to be in jail
I want you to hurt
And cry
And be sad
And wonder why
I want you to be lonely
And to feel what I feel
I want all of this
But I don't
All I really want
Is for you to love me
And miss me a little bit
Because I love you with my soul
And I miss you so much
Friday, August 14, 2009
Do you
Sometimes i wonder if it would be good to start over
You know, just to start every thing all over again. To live life from the begining and see where it goes?
Then I wonder if anyone else feels this way
Sometimes I feel so alone. I have my girl Cat but she doesnt need my problems.
Iggy has been ignoring me. Not answering his phone, not returning my calls, not answering my emails, not replying to messages. Just tried to call him and his number said it has no service anymore
Does anyone else think that this could be it? It could be all there is
If there is an after life would I live it out with my friends and family?
Or will i just be dead
Or is there reencarnation where i come back as something else and live a new life
I dont know
Sometimes its just too hard to think and you want to sit in the dark corner and cry
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
So fast, So slow (part 1)
I plan to write a few of these. It may take a while but I need to write it down.
In a few days it will be a month.
At 10:30am on the 9th it will be a month since it happened.
At around 11:15am it will be a month since I heard her say to me on the phone:
"My parents are dead. Both of my parents are dead"
The morning my best forever friends life fell. The person that told me that is my girl, my Cat. Both of her parents and uncle died in a car crash that morning. It has almost been a month
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Wants and Needs
Materialistic things I want:
~ An Amazon Kindle. The new one. But I want it to be able to work all over, not just in the States since I travel.
~ Ugg brand Ugg boots. They are the best Uggies man. So comfy and warm. I have a pink pair but left them at my other home.
~ Tiramisu cake. But before that I want to feat on Argentinian Beef. And salad.
~ A Harp. Really want to learn to play the Harp. Would be an awesome thing to say to people "I'm a musician, I play the Harp"
~ A glass of wine.
Non Materialistic Things I want:
~I want to be able to fall asleep holding my mans hand and to wake up next to him in the morning. Everyday. I want both of us to die of old age together at the same time. I want our lives to be full of happiness, nature, peace, lots of babies and above all else LOVE.I want to be in the same room as him.I want to be in the same house as him.I want to be in the same city as him.I want to be in the same State as him.I want to be in the same Country as him.I want to be in the same Continent as him.
~ I want my Mom to realise that she is beautiful. In turn I want her to allow us to take photos of her. I like photos. I like my Mom. I think she is beautiful.
~ I want all the wars to stop. They are just plain stupid.
~ I really want to open a letter from the Air Force with them offering me the position that I want.
~ I want my Dad to never die. He is the best man I know. Iggy is a very close second. I don't know what I would do without my Dad here.
~ I want my girls to be strong and follow their dreams. Not to compromise with the partners. Be secure to do things because they can do anything.
~ I want my dog. She is with her Daddy. I miss cuddling in bed with her in the mornings while Iggy is in the shower.
~ I need to get super fit and healthy.
~ I need new layers cut into my hair and re-coloured.
~ I need to stop smoking cigarettes.
~ I need help with studying and support.
~ I need a cuddle.
~ I need to finish Pearls birthday presents
My eyes are open, Aune
P.S. I got this idea from reading Pastor Ryans blog. If I knew how to link it I would. Someone else, Emily, did this before me on her blog, again if I knew how to link I would, which influenced me to do it on mine!
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Andes Mountain Range. December 2006. Copyright Aune. Do not touch!
My friends have started telling me that I'm Anal.
Last night, my darling man said it as well.
I asked if they meant in the good way. They said no. They mean in the crazy way.
:-) I'm not crazy. But I guess I cant say to randoms that I'm anal. They might get the wrong impression.
Feeling lonely.
Studied for 5 hours last night/this morning. Got all upset. Called Iggy. Then studied a bit more.
Was gonna do something with my Best Pearl, but the love is busy with the boyfriend.
Working on her birthday presents. Might do more now since I am so utterly bored and have been talking to myself for the past like 6 hours.
Crazy!... Wait no... Anal!
My eyes are open,
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This log in is for editing the AVC website.
For other purposes, click the back arrow and proceed as follows:
Employee portal is under Employment tab.
PD registration is under the Professional Learning tab.
AVC Admin - use the Google icon below to log in to edit the website.
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Daenerys Targaryen
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
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House Targaryen.svg
Daenerys Targaryen
House Targaryen.svg
Daenerys targaryen by regochan-d7hfi57.png
Biographical Information
Reign 298 AC-Present
Full Name Daenerys Targaryen the First of Her Name
Alias Daenerys Stormborn[1]
The Unburnt[2]
The silver queen[4]
Silver Lady[5]
The dragon queen[7]
Breaker of Chains[8]
Other Titles Queen of Meereen[9]
Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men[9] (claimant)
Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea[10] (formerly)
Queen of the Seven Kingdoms[11] (claimant)
Princess of Dragonstone[12] (claimant)
Born in 284 AC[13], at Dragonstone
Culture Free Cities
Royal House House Targaryen
Predecessor Viserys III Targaryen (claimant)
Consort 1st: Khal Drogo
2nd: Hizdahr zo Loraq
Issue Rhaego
Father Aerys II Targaryen
Mother Rhaella Targaryen
Books The World of Ice & Fire (appendix)
A Game of Thrones (POV)
A Clash of Kings (POV)
A Storm of Swords (POV)
A Feast for Crows (mentioned)
A Dance with Dragons (POV)
The Winds of Winter (mentioned)
Played by Emilia Clarke
Princess Daenerys Targaryen, also known as Daenerys Stormborn,[1] is one of the last confirmed members of House Targaryen, along with her older brother Viserys, who refers to her as Dany.[1][14] She is the youngest child of King Aerys II Targaryen and his sister-wife, Queen Rhaella. She is one of the major POV characters in A Song of Ice and Fire. In the television adaptation Game of Thrones, Daenerys is played by Emilia Clarke.[15]
Appearance and Character
See also: Images of Daenerys Targaryen
A young woman in her early teens,[1] Daenerys has the classical Valyrian look; She has violet eyes,[1] pale skin,[14] and long, pale silver-gold hair.[1][12][16] Daenerys is slender of frame,[1] with small breasts.[1][12][17] She is said to bear a certain physical resemblance to Queen Naerys Targaryen, though Daenerys is taller.[18] Daenerys has been described as fair,[16][8][19] and beautiful.[20][4][21]
Beside the Common Tongue, Daenerys speaks the bastard Valyrian of the Free Cities with a Tyroshi accent,[22] as well as High Valyrian.[23] She is quick to learn the Dothraki language,[5] as well as the Ghiscari tongue.[9][24]
Daenerys grew up terrified and abused by her brother Viserys,[25] and was regarded as fearful and furtive by Magister Illyrio Mopatis.[26] She grows more confident in A Song of Ice and Fire, however, and her followers generally regard her with great respect and love, and Jorah Mormont and Barristan Selmy have compared her to her deceased brother, Prince Rhaegar,[5][6][3] who had been valiant, honorable, and noble,[23] and is still fondly remembered in the Seven Kingdoms.[23]
As she was raised in exile, never staying long as one place, Daenerys has never truly known a place to call home. Though she describes the fragrance of the Western Market at Vaes Dothrak with smelling "of home", they in fact remind of her her days spent in several of the Free Cities as a small child.[22] Among the Dothraki, she feels safe, loved and hopeful for the first time.[27] The house with the red door in Braavos, where she lived until she was about five years old, has come to symbolize her lost childhood,[1][22] and she frequently wishes to return there.[28][9][29][30] Though she has never seen Westeros and cannot remember Dragonstone, she believes that the Iron Throne is her by rights, as Viserys's heir, and that ruling the Seven Kingdoms is her duty. Daenerys abhors slavery[31] and is willing to put the needs of her people before her own desires.[24]
Daenerys loves the sea, as it makes her feel free, as well as the sailors and their songs and stories.[20] She also loves to read children's stories and songs from the Seven Kingdoms about hall and handsome heroes.[28] She enjoys heat, preferring her baths scalding hot.[1][32]
Descending from dragonlords, Daenerys dreams of dragons.[12][33] Though Daenerys is familiar with the Faith of the Seven,[28][30] and believes in the existence of gods, she does not appear to follow a particular faith.[28][30][34]
Daenerys sometimes dresses in Dothraki garb; a painted vest[33] and riding leathers,[33] while going about barefoot,[33] with her hair oiled[33][32] and her skin sun-browned.[32] Her other Dothraki attire includes silk or horsehair pants, woven grass sandals, a medallion belt, and her painted vest.[17][20][25] She often wears silver bells in her braided hair per Dothraki custom, one for each of her victories.[17][23][3][35] Daenerys also owns a Qartheen gown which leaves one breast bare,[36] several Ghiscari tokars,[9][37] and a musty-smelling hrakkar cloak.[2]
Young Dany and Viserys - by Jacqui Davis ©
Daenerys is the youngest child of King Aerys II Targaryen and his sister-wife, Queen Rhaella. Daenerys was conceived during the last month of Robert's Rebellion, the war which ended House Targaryen's reign over the Seven Kingdoms. Shortly thereafter, her mother was sent with the young prince Viserys to the family ancestral seat of Dragonstone to escape the rebel army which was marching towards King's Landing. Daenerys was born nine months after their flight, while a great storm raged above Dragonstone, sinking what remained of the Targaryen fleet; for this reason she is known as "Daenerys Stormborn".[1] Her mother died in labor,[1] but not before naming her.[38]
The war had been lost shortly after Rhaella had fled the city, after which Robert I Baratheon had claimed the throne. With Aerys, his eldest son Rhaegar, and Rhaegar's young children Rhaenys and Aegon dead, Daenerys and her older brother Viserys were the only known living Targaryen heirs. As Viserys had been crowned king on Dragonstone by their mother before her death,[39] Daenerys received the title "Princess of Dragonstone" as Viserys's heir.[1] Robert's brother, Stannis, had built a new fleet for the Baratheon's, and was planning to assault Dragonstone. With the Targaryen fleet destroyed by the storm during which Daenerys had been born, the garrison at Dragonstone planned to sell the Targaryen children to Robert. However, before they could act on this plan, Ser Willem Darry and several other loyal retainers rescued the children and smuggled them into exile, sailing to the Free City of Braavos. There, they lived for years in a house with a red door, where Daenerys had her own room, and a lemon tree underneath her window. Willem was old and sickly, but Daenerys remembers that he always treated her kindly.[1] When Daenerys was five years old, Willem fell sick and slowly wasted away.[40] After his death, the servants he had hired stole all they could.[1] The young Targaryens were put out of the house a while after. As they were forced out, Daenerys wept.[1]
Viserys and Daenerys left Braavos, and wandered the Free Cities for years. They visited nearly all the Free Cities, including Myr, Tyrosh, Qohor, Volantis, and Lys,[1] and returned to Braavos at least once.[20] While at first they were welcomed by magisters and archons and merchant princes, with time their interests in the last Targaryens decreased. Daenerys and Viserys had to sell their last few treasures, and eventually their mother's crown.[1] Selling their mother's crown took the last of Viserys's joy, leaving only rage.[41] Daenerys remembers how Viserys once feasted the Golden Company, hoping they would take up his cause, but to on avail.[16] Considering himself to be the rightful ruler, Viserys grew bitter and obsessed with the birthright he had been denied. Daenerys was a frequent target for his frustrations. He had never forgiven her for their mother's death in childbirth, and frequently warned her not to "wake the dragon" by angering him.[1] Once, when Daenerys and Viserys were on their way to Braavos by ship, Daenerys expressed to her brother how fine it would be to be a sailor. Angry, Viserys twisted her hair until she cried.[20] Because Viserys had often told her that their line must be "kept pure", Daenerys had grown up always believing that she would marry Viserys once she came of age.[1]
Though Viserys's growing bitterness made their relationship more troubled, Daenerys also has fond memories of her brother from times when he had not yet been so angry. He let her crawl into bed with him and told her stories about the Seven Kingdoms,[20] about their family[20] and their history,[1][29] their dragons,[33] and Robert's Rebellion.[1][27] Almost everything Daenerys knew about Westeros she learned from Viserys, making her feel as if she knew what it was like without ever having been there.[22] Viserys was intent on reclaiming their father's throne, and promised Daenerys a thousand times that he would take her back to Westeros,[22] and that their lives would be much better once he had.[20] Viserys also told her about siege towers,[35] and the Faith of the Seven.[28]
In 297 AC, Viserys and Daenerys were taken in by Magister Illyrio Mopatis in the Free City of Pentos, who offered his help in reclaiming the Iron Throne for Viserys. They have lived with Illyrio for almost half a year.[1]
Recent Events
A Game of Thrones
Jorah Mormont pledges to Dany - by Amok ©
Magister Illyrio Mopatis arranges a marriage between the powerful Dothraki Khal Drogo and Daenerys, in return for the promise of an army for Viserys to conquer the Iron Throne with. Though Daenerys does not want the marriage, Viserys is insistent.[1] Daenerys and Drogo are wed outside of the walls of Pentos. At her wedding, Daenerys receives multiple bride gifts, including three petrified dragon eggs from Magister Illyrio, three haid maidens (Irri, Jhiqui and Doreah) from her brother, and a magnificent silver filly from Drogo. She is frightened by the seemingly barbaric Dothraki culture and has absolutely no way of communicating with Drogo, as they do not speak each other's languages. After the wedding ceremony is over, Drogo leads Daenerys away from the khalasar to consummate their marriage. Daenerys is terrified, but Drogo proves to be surprisingly tender and considerate. He lets Daenerys know that he understands one word in her tongue ("no"), and touches her gently and gradually. Only after she gives him her consent, they have sex.[12]
The day after the wedding, the khalasar leaves Pentos. Although she is accompanied by both Viserys and the exiled knight Ser Jorah Mormont, who has sworn his sword to Viserys, Daenerys feels lonely. Her entire body hurts from spending her days on horseback, and her nights with Drogo. On the night that Daenerys decides she cannot go on anymore, she dreams about a black dragon. The flames of the dragon cleanse her and make her feel strong and new and fierce. From that night onwards, life among the Dothraki begins to come more easily to her. She begins to enjoy her surroundings, and grows more confident. She also dares for the first time ever to fight back against Viserys when he attacks her in a rage. She shoves him away, realizes that Viserys is a pitiful thing, and would make a terrible king. When she discusses this with Jorah Mormont, she is shocked to learn how badly Jorah thinks about Viserys. When Drogo arrives in her tent that night to take his pleasure, Daenerys leads him outside, as the Dothraki believe that everything of importance happens must be done beneath the bare sky. Daenerys initiates sex with Drogo, and her new-found confidence and strength mark the beginning of a loving relationship between them.[33]
Daenerys in the early stages of pregnancy riding her silver in the Dothraki sea - by Nyph-Atzbel ©
The khalasar travels to Vaes Dothrak. They pass through Ghoyan Drohe, Norvos, Qohor, Vaes Khadokh, and southern Sarnor.[42] On the far end of the Dothraki sea, on her fourteenth nameday, Daenerys reveals that she is pregnant.[33] The khalasar arrives at Vaes Dothrak, and Mormont informs Daenerys about the chances the Dothraki would have against the Westerosi armies. That evening, Daenerys and Viserys argue. When he grabs her, she hits him with a belt, and orders him to leave.[32]
In Westeros, King Robert I Baratheon has learned of Daenerys's marriage to Drogo from Jorah Mormont, who is in the employment of Lord Varys, Robert's master of whisperers. Though his Hand of the King, Lord Eddard Stark, protests against the notion of killing Daenerys, calling her an innocent child, Robert nonetheless fears that Daenerys will soon start breeding more "dragonspawn", and that Viserys will cross the narrow sea with a horde of Dothraki. Eddard convinces him that the Dothraki are not likely to cross, and that they can easily defeat them if they do.[43] The matter is laid to rest, but is brought up again when a report from Jorah arrives in King's Landing, informing the small council that Daenerys is pregnant. Robert wants Viserys, Daenerys, and her child killed, and while Eddard and Ser Barristan Selmy protest, the rest of the council agrees with Robert. In the end, it is decided that Varys will quietly let it become known that whoever kills Daenerys, her child, and Viserys will be given a lordship.[44]
At Vaes Dothrak, Daenerys is presented to the dosh khaleen, and takes part in a ceremony for her unborn child, where she eats a raw stallion heart. The dosh khaleen predict that Daenerys will have a son, who will be "the stallion who mounts the world", a long-prophesied leader destined to unite the Dothraki into a single khalasar and conquer the world. Daenerys choses the name Rhaego for her son, after her eldest brother, Rhaegar.[14] Following the ceremony is a feast, where Mormont tells Daenerys that Viserys had planned to steal and sell her dragon eggs, which he had prevented. A drunk Viserys arrives late at the feast. Having grown increasingly impatient for Drogo to give him his army and his crown, Viserys arrives carrying a blade, which is forbidden in Vaes Dothrak. He threatens both Daenerys and her unborn child. Daenerys translates for Drogo, who tells Viserys that he will give him his crown. While his bloodriders take hold of Viserys, Drogo melts the golden medallions from his belt, and poors the molten gold over Viserys's head, giving him his golden crown. Daenerys calmly watches as Viserys pleads with her. He dies screaming.[14]
Now the last remaining Targaryen, Daenerys believes her family's throne should be conquered for her unborn son and attempts to persuade Drogo to invade the Seven Kingdoms. However, Drogo has no interest in doing so, until Daenerys is rescued by Jorah Mormont from drinking poisoned wine at the Western Market of Vaes Dothrak. They learn that King Robert I Baratheon has promised a lordship and lands to whoever kills Viserys, Daenerys, and her child. Furious, Drogo vows to conquer the Seven Kingdoms for his son.[22] Drogo leads his khalasar south, planning to take captives to sell at the cities of Slaver's Bay in exchange for ships. They encounters a Lhazareen town, which is under attack by the khalasar of Khal Ogo. They battle, and Drogo is victorious. Though most of Ogo's riders have fled, Jorah Mormont estimates that there are ten thousand captives. Daenerys is disgusted and disturbed by the sight of the Dothraki raping women, and eventually orders every rape she sees stopped, claiming the women as her own slaves to protect them. Though this angers Drogo's riders, Daenerys refuses to give them back. Drogo is pleased by Daenerys's boldness, and allows her to keep her slaves.[5]
Drogo is injured, but the healers are occupied elsewhere. When Daenerys insists that Drogo's cuts are seen to immediately, a Lhazareen godswife, Mirri Maz Duur, offers her service. Drogo's bloodriders call the woman a maegi, but Drogo agrees to accompany Mirri inside the temple, supported by Daenerys, where Mirri tends to his wounds. Afterwards, Daenerys asks Mirri to be her midwife when she goes into labour.[5] Mirri's poultice itches and burns Drogo, and he eventually tears it off, replacing it with a mud plaster. However, his wound festers, and he grows weaker and weaker until he falls from his horse. Daenerys realizes the danger in this, as a khal who cannot ride cannot rule, according to the Dothraki. Daenerys orders Drogo's bloodriders to make camp, and to pretend the command came from Drogo. She also orders Mirri Maz Duur to be brought to her. Though Qotho protests every order she gives, he leaves to fetch Mirri. Daenerys has Drogo brought into his tent, and learns that rumors of Drogo's fall are spreading through the camp when Jorah arrives. Daenerys begs Jorah to help Drogo. When they are alone, Jorah removes the mud plaster from Drogo's wound, concluding that Drogo is "as good as dead". He urges her to flee, as a power struggle among the kos will follow Drogo's death, and the victor is likely to kill Rhaego, while Daenerys will be forced to join the dosh khaleen. Daenerys refuses to leave Drogo. She protects Mirri from Qotho and Haggo, and sends Jorah to go fetch his armor, in case of trouble. Daenerys asks Mirri to heal Drogo using blood magic. Mirri warns her that some claim that death would be cleaner, and that "only death may pay for life", though she reassures Daenerys that her life is not the payment. As part of the ritual, Drogo is placed in a bath, and his horse is slain so its blood can mix with the water in the tub. Daenerys is told to prevent anyone from entering the tent during the ritual. As Mirri sings her spells, battle erupts between Drogo's bloodriders and Daenerys's khas. Rhaego begins to kick wildly inside Daenerys, and she goes into labour as men are dying around her. The birthing women refuse to attend Daenerys, and when someone suggests Mirri, Jorah lifts Daenerys up in his arms and carries her into the tent. Daenerys is too weak to protest.[27]
Daenerys the Unburnt with hatched dragons - by Michael Komarck ©
Daenerys wakes days later, after several fever dreams, with one of her dragon eggs in her arms, as she had requested during one of her short waking moments. Rhaego was stillborn and malformed, Daenerys learns, and had been dead for months according to Mirri, even though Daenerys had felt him strong and alive shortly before her labour had begun. Mirri reveals that Rhaego's death was the true price of the blood magic. Drogo's khalasar is gone, split into two new khalasars belonging to Khal Pono and Khal Jhaqo. Although Drogo still lives, he is in a catatonic state. Daenerys demands to know when Drogo will be as before, and Mirri replies "When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before". She reveals that it had been wrong of Drogo's khalasar to burn her temple, and that Rhaego's death means that the stallion who mounts the world is now unable to burn cities or trample nations into dust.[34]
Daenerys orders Mirri arrested. She attempt to get a response from Drogo by pleasuring him and speaking to him, but realizes that he is truly gone.[34] She euthanizes him,[34] and has the remaining Dothraki build him a funeral pyre. She declares herself to be a queen, and states they are her khalasar now. She frees the slaves, names Jorah as a knight of her Queensguard, and Jhogo, Rakharo, and Aggo, the three men from her khas, as her kos, ignoring their refusal to be bloodrider to a woman. Daenerys places her three dragon eggs onto Drogo's funeral pyre, beside his body. She also has Mirri bound to pyre, claiming "only death can pay for life". Drogo's pyre is lit when the first star, a fire red comet, is seen in the sky. Once the entire pyre is afire, Daenerys walks into the flames. The next morning, when the flames have gone out and the ground has cooled down, her new khalasar finds her amidst the ashes, naked but unharmed, holding three living dragons, the first dragons alive since 153 AC. They all kneel and swear their oaths to Daenerys, more loyal to her than they had ever been to Drogo.[45]
A Clash of Kings
Daenerys names the three dragons Viserion (after her brother Viserys), Rhaegal (after her brother Rhaegar), and Drogon (after Drogo).[2] Daenerys had decided to follow the red comet. Although the Dothraki are convinced that it is an ill omen, Daenerys believes that it a herald of her coming, which points in the direction in which she must travel. However, she is aware of the fact that the comet's direction was the only direction in which they could have gone; To the north were too many khalasars, to the south the Lhazareen, and to the east Pono's khalasar, all hostile to them. She leads her people east, through the red waste.[2]
Daenerys in a Qartheen dress
They eventually arrive in an abandoned city, which Daenerys dubs Vaes Tolorro. While her khalasar recovers from the terrible journey through the desert, Daenerys sends out her bloodriders to scout in every direction. Aggo and Rakharo return without hopeful news, and Daenerys begins to fortify Vaes Tolorro, in case of enemies. After a long time, Jhogo returns accompanied by three citizens from the city Qarth: the merchant Xaro Xhoan Daxos, the warlock Pyat Pree, and the shadow-binder Quaithe of Asshai.[2] They escort Daenerys and her khalasar to Qarth, where Xaro invites them to stay in his palace.[6] Daenerys learns of the death of King Robert I Baratheon and the unrest in the Seven Kingdoms.[6]
Daenerys visits the Pureborn of Qarth, hoping to convince them to help her in her conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. They refuse her, however. On her way back to Xaro's palace, Daenerys sees Quaithe, who urges Daenerys to travel to Asshai. Xaro proposes marriage to Daenerys, which Daenerys finds amusing as she has found Xaro completely uninterested in the charms of women. Jorah warns her that according to Qartheen marriage customs, Xaro would be within his rights to ask a dragon of Daenerys if they were to wed, and Daenerys would not legally be able to deny him. Not knowing where else to turn, Daenerys decides to go to the warlocks.[36]
Daenerys goes to the House of the Undying, where Pyat Pree gives her shade-of-the-evening, after which she enters the building alone. Inside, Daenerys sees several strange visions. When she reaches the hall of the Undying, they tell her that she will light three fires (one for life, one for death, and one to love), ride three mounts (one to bed, one to dread, and one to love), and face three betrayals (one for blood, one for gold, and one for love). More visions follow as the Undying attack her. Drogon sets the Undyin Ones on fire, allowing Daenerys to flee. The Palace of Dust burns down. Outside Daenerys is attacked by Pyat Pree, but Jhogo, Rakharo and Drogon save her.[11]
The destruction of the Palace of Dust turns the Qartheen against her. Xaro warns Daenerys that Pyat Pree is gathering warlocks against her, and after she refuses to marry him once more, suggests that she should leave Qarth. He offers to give her ships in exchange for a dragon, and when Daenerys refuses, insists she leaves his palace. Daenerys visits the docks of Qarth to seek passage on a ship for herself, her khalasar and her dragons, but is frequently refused. Jorah warns her that they are being followed by two strangers. When a Sorrowful Man gives her a box containing a manticore with the purpose of killing her, one of the strangers knocks the manticore aside before it can sting her. The two strangers, Belwas and Arstan Whitebeard, inform Daenerys they had been sent to Qarth by Magister Illyrio with three ships to escort Daenerys and her party back to Pentos. Daenerys renames the ships Vhagar, Meraxes and Balerion, after the dragons of Aegon I Targaryen and his sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya, and sets sail for Pentos.[17]
A Storm of Swords
On their way to Pentos, Ser Jorah Mormont convinces Daenerys to change course to Astapor, one of the slave cities of Slaver's Bay. Mistrustful of Illyrio's motives, he believes it wise to purchase Unsullied before travelling to Illyrio, so Daenerys has an army loyal to her. He kisses her and professes his love for her, telling her that he could be one of the three heads of the dragon, as her husband.[20] Lonely since Drogo's death, Daenerys one night takes her maid Irri as a lover.[23] In Astapor, Daenerys visits the Plaza of Pride, where the rude Kraznys mo Nakloz informs Daenerys about the capabilities of the Unsullied. As Daenerys pretends she cannot understand High Valyrian, Kraznys’s scribe Missandei translates his rude remarks into respectful statements.[23] Though Arstan Whitebeard counsels against using slaves,[23] Daenerys informs the Good Masters that she wishes to all eight thousand six hundred Unsullied, as well as the five thousand boys still in training, in exchange for all her goods, ships, and Drogon.[25] The slavers agree, and give her Missandei as a gift. On their way back to the ship, Daenerys frees Missandei and gives her the option to leave her service, revealing her ability to understand and speak High Valyrian. Missandei decides to stay with Daenerys. That night, Daenerys is visited by Quaithe again, who urges her once more to go to Asshai.[25]
The next day, Daenerys goes to purchase her Unsullied. After assuming command of the soldiers, Daenerys betrays the Good Masters. She orders Drogon to attack the slavers and her Unsullied to conquer the city.[25] Daenerys frees all slaves, and leaves a council to rule the city.[46] She frees her Unsullied as well, and most decide to serve her as free men. With her new army, Daenerys marches to Yunkai.[3] Aware of the Sack of Astapor, Yunkai hires two sellsword companies, the Stormcrows and the Second Sons, to strengthen their own slave army of four thousand strong. Daenerys meets with an envoy from Yunkai, as well as with the captains from the sellsword companies. Though two of the captains of the Stormcrows are quick to refuse Daenerys, the third, Daario Naharis, is more polite. Mero, the captain of the Second Sons, behaves extremely rude in Daenerys's presence. She offers to pay more than Yunkai, and gifts him with enough wine for him and his sellswords when he promises to consider her offer. The Yunkish envoy, Grazdan mo Eraz, is the last to arrive. He offers Daenerys gold, but she refuses, and informs him that Yunkai has three days to free their slaves. If they do not, she will sack the city.[3]
Once the envoy from Yunkai has left, Daenerys reveals that she plans to attack the city that same night, while the Stormcrows are still arguing over her offer, the Second Sons are drunk on the wine she gave them, and the Yunkai'i believe they still have two more days. Shortly before the attack begins, Daario Naharis walks into the Targaryen camp. He presents Daenerys with the heads of Prendahl na Ghezn and Sallor, his fellow captains, and pledges the Stormcrows to her service.[3] While her army attacks Yunkai, Daenerys remains in the camp, and discusses her brother Rhaegar with Arstan. Her soldiers win the battle; Though Mero has escaped, thousand others are taken captive, and Daenerys agrees that any slave or sellsword who will swear loyalty to Daenerys are to be spared. Daenerys marches the last few leagues to Yunkai, and waits until the morning of the third day, when the city gates open and the slaves from Yunkai emerge, hailing her as "Mhysa", meaning "Mother" in Ghiscari.[3]
The Surrender of Meereen
Daenerys marches further north, to Meereen. In preparation for her arrival, the Meereenese retreat behind the walls of their city after stripping their lands clean. In addition, they have nailed a hundred and sixty-three slave children onto the mileposts placed on the coast road between Yunkai and Meereen. Daenerys encamps her host, now more than eighty thousand strong (though fewer than a quarter are warriors), outside of the walls of Meereen. Belwas fights against Oznak zo Pahl, the "hero of Meereen", and easily slays him. Ben Plumm, the new commander of the Second Sons, suggests entering the city through the sewers, but Daenerys does not consider it a promising idea. She takes Missandei and Arstan into the camp of her freedmen, where she is attacked by Mero, who had been hidden among her freedmen while awaiting an opportunity to kill her. Arstan saves her life, killing Mero in the process. However, Jorah questions Arstan's ability, causing Arstan to reveal he is Ser Barristan Selmy, formerly of the Kingsguard. Barristan further reveals that Jorah has served the Iron Throne as a spy, giving them information about Viserys and Daenerys ever since her wedding to Drogo. Daenerys is furious and feels betrayed by both of them.[35] She sends them into the sewers of Meereen as part of her plan to take the city, half hoping that they'll die in their attempt. While her army breaks the gates of the city from the outside, and her archers fire arrows at the city's defenders, Jorah, Barristan, Belwas and nineteen others enter the city through the sewers to free the slaves, who then revolt.[28]
With Meereen taken, Daenerys has one hundred and sixty-three of the Great Masters nailed on posts on the plaza in front of the Great Pyramid. Though she is able to pardon Barristan Selmy, she finds herself unable to do the same for Jorah Mormont. Instead, she exiles Mormont, and warns him that he'll be killed if he returns to the city. Daenerys learns that the council she had previously installed in Astapor to rule the city has been killed and recplaced by a former butcher who has declared himself king, and enslaved all the former nobility. In addition, Yunkai is gathering new levies and sending out envoys to form alliances against Daenerys. Daenerys decides that she cannot leave Meereen to suffer the same violent fate as Astapor, and informs her captains that she will stay in Meereen to learn how to rule as a Queen over one city, before conquering the Seven Kingdoms.[28]
In the meantime, word of a three-headed dragon having hatched in Qarth reach King's Landing, and are reported to the small council by Lord Varys.[47]
A Feast for Crows
By now, news of Daenerys's dragons and her campaign are starting to reach Westeros. Several acolytes of the Citadel discuss the stories they have heard; Sailors speak of dragons in Asshai, Qarth, and Meereen, dragons among the Dothraki, and dragons freeing slaves. Though all the tales differ in details, all speak of dragons and a beautiful young queen.[48] Alleras points out that, though Viserys Targaryen is dead, Daenerys is still alive. Leo Tyrell informs the acolytes that Daenerys has, in fact, hatched herself three dragons.[48]
In Dorne, Arianne Martell recalls having heard stories about dragons in Qarth and a slave revolt in Astapor.[49] In King's Landing, Aurane Waters reports to Queen Regent Cersei Lannister during a small council meeting that sailors speak of dragons in the east,[50] and Qyburn later reports that the slave revolt in Astapor has spread to Meereen, stating that "sailors off a dozen ships" speak of dragons.[51]
At the Kingsmoot, Euron Greyjoy reveals to the lords of the Iron Islands that there are three dragons in the world.[52] He laster tasks his younger brother Victarion with sailing the Iron Fleet to Slaver's Bay, to bring him back Daenerys, so Euron can wed her.[53]
In Braavos, a drunk Dareon hears tales about dragons as well, and repeats them to maester Aemon and Samwell Tarly. Aemon becomes increasingly interested in the stories about the dragons, but is too ill to venture outside and learn about them firsthand. He requests that Samwell brings him someone who has seen the dragons. Samwell encounters Xhondo Dhoru, who had seen Daenerys and her dragons in Qarth.[54] Upon hearing Xhondo's stories, Aemon becomes convinced that Daenerys is the princess that was promised, as proven by the dragons. He insists that Samwell informs the archmaesters at the Citadel should be informed about Daenerys and the dangers at the Wall, calling Daenerys "our last hope", and believing that a maester should be send to Daenerys to give her counsel.[55] Aemon dies on the voyage to Oldtown.[55] Upon his arrival at the Citadel, Samwell encounters Alleras, who listens to his stories and brings him to Archmaester Marwyn. Marwyn decides to travel to Slaver's Bay himself, to give Daenerys his aid.[56]
A Dance with Dragons
Daenerys after conquering Meereen - by © Denkata5698
Rumors of Daenerys's striking beauty have spread far and wide,[4] and she is said to silver-gold hair and amethyst eyes.[21] The head of a man, executed for spying on behalf of Daenerys and formenting rebellion, is displayed on the Long Bridge of Volantis.[57]
Daenerys rules Meereen as its queen, but she faces multiple enemies. A resistance group of Ghiscari noblemen from Meereen, the Sons of the Harpy, engage in a shadow war against Daenerys, slaying freedmen, Unsullied, and shavepates during the night.[9] Daenerys orders the creation of a city watch, made up from the Meereenese themselves,[29] the Brazen Beasts,[16] and sets a reward for the Sons of the Harpy at one thousand honors.[9] To fund the Brazen Beasts, Daenerys imposes a blood tax on the noble families of Meereen, and demands two hostages from each family in an attempt to stop the killings.[29] The Sons of the Harpy, in turn, offer wealth and glory and a hundred slave girls to whoever slays Daenerys, while promising death to anyone, and their families, who serve Daenerys.[16] The murders continue, but Daenerys finds herself unable to harm any of her hostages.[31] Daenerys further has three fighting companies formed comprised from her freedmen: the Mother's Men, the Free Brothers, and the Stalwart Shields.[9][29]
Daenerys also faces the dislike from the nobility of the city, as numerous crimes had been committed during the sack, and the nobility especially have suffered losses of property and wealth.[9] However, there are also those who support Daenerys. These men have shaven their heads, abandoning the traditional hair styles of the Ghiscari culture. These men, known as shavepates, are led by Skahaz mo Kandaq, who serves Daenerys as a counselor.[9]
Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal have been growing wilder and often hunt sheep in the lands surrounding the city. Daenerys pays shepherds for the loss of their animals. However, one day at court, one man lingers after Daenerys has granted compensation to be given for the loss of twenty-three animals. After all petitioners have departed, he presents her with the burned bones of his daughter, Hazzea, saying it had been "the winged shadow".[9] Shocked by Hazzea's death, Daenerys orders her dragons captured. Viserion and Rhaegal are locked in a pit underneath the Great Pyramid where Daenerys resides, but Drogon escapes and flies off towards the Dothraki sea.[29]
Quaithe uses magic to visit Daenerys one night, when Daenerys is alone. She informs her that the glass candles are burning, and warns Daenerys about the dangers that are coming. "Soon comes the pale mare, and after her the others. Kraken and dark flame, lion and griffin, the sun's son and the mummer's dragon. Trust none of them. Remember the Undying. Beware the perfumed seneschal." After telling Daenerys her to remember who she is, Quaithe disappears.[29]
Daenerys hosts Xaro Xhoan Daxos, who offers her thirteen ships on the condition that she departs for Westeros immediately. She considers his offer, but realizes that all of her freedmen who stay behind in Meereen will either be enslaved once more or die. Unable to take all of them to Westeros with only thirteen ships, Daenerys refuses Xaro's offer, and Xaro leaves Meereen, declaring war.[16]
The Wise Masters of Yunkai resumed slavery after Daenerys left for Meereen, and by now have raised a new army of slave levies and sellswords,[9] who are joined by iron legions from New Ghis.[16] King Cleon of Astapor prepares to march into battle, while his envoy, Lord Ghael, requests an alliance between Astapor and Meereen from Daenerys. She refuses him on multiple occassions.[9][16] Cleon is defeated in battle at the Horns of Hazzat,[16] and later killed by his own men.[31] After a short siege, the Astapori make one last stand, and are defeated,[7] and the Yunkai'i begin their march against Daenerys.
Galazza Galare, the Green Grace, counsels Daenerys that she should take a Meereenese noble as her husband, and proposes Hizdahr zo Loraq. Daenerys and Hizdahr come to an agreement; If he can stop the murders by the Sons of the Harpy for ninety days, they will wed. Barristan objects to the marriage, but Daenerys informs him that ninety days is a long period, and Hizdahr could still fail. However, she admits that, should Hizdahr succeed, she will wed him as she promised, for her people.[31] Before leaving, Barristan informs Daenerys that Daario Naharis has returned to the city. Having been attracted to Daario since he swore his fealthy to her,[35] Daenerys insists on seeing him immediately. Daario brings her good news: negotiations with the Lhazareen have been successful, and the Lhazareen have agreed to trade with Meereen. While Daario and his Stormcrows face the Long Lances, a sellsword company hired by Yunkai, in the Khyzai Pass, but Daario boasts that twelve of them defected to his side, while only nine of his own had died.[31] Daenerys tells Daario about the troubles within and outside of the city, and that Galazza had suggested a marriage to Hizdahr to create a peace. When Daario suggests that Daenerys should agree to a marriage only as a pretense to gather all the Great Masters and kill them, Daenerys angrily sends him and his Stormcrows away from the city once more, back to the Khyzai Pass.[31]
Ships from Qarth, Tolos, and New Ghis, and even Meereenese ships which had fled when Daenerys first took the city have blocked the harbor. Without any ships of her own, nor wood to build new ships, Daenerys cannot battle them. Hizdahr has been successful thusfar in preventing new murders, causing Skahaz mo Kandaq to suspect him of being the Harpy. Daenerys refuses to alow him torture Hizdahr.[58] Astapori refugees travel to Meereen. The first Astapori to reach the city is infected with the bloody flux, soon known as "the pale mare". More of the surviving Astapori on their way to Meereen have the contageous disease. Daenerys follows the advice of her counselors and does not allow the refugees to enter the city,[58] but instead has them camp outside the walls.[37]
The Yunkai'i are in contact with Hizdahr zo Loraq, and inform him that they are willing to give Meereen peace, but they require gold from Daenerys, as well as an agreement that the Yunkai'i can resume slaving and Astapor will be a slaver city once again, without Daenerys's interference. The agreements are to be sealed by Daenerys's marriage to Hizdahr.[37] Daario returns to Meereen, informing Daenerys that the Second Sons have joined Yunkai, but that some deserters from the Windblown have come over to their side.[37] With four sellsword companies, six Ghiscari legions, Qartheen camelry, and Tolosi slingers on their way to Meereen, Daenerys has no choice but to close her gates. Finally giving in to her desires, Daenerys takes Daario as her lover once they are alone.[37] The day before her wedding to Hizdahr, Daario introduces her to the men who have defected from the Windblown. One of them reveals himself to be Quentyn Martell of Dorne, who brings with him a secret marriage pact signed by his uncle on behalf of Dorne and Ser Willem Darry on behalf of Viserys, promising the hand of Quentyn's sister Arianne to Viserys in marriage, in exchange for Dorne's support. With Viserys dead, Quentyn offers himself in marriage to Daenerys. While Barristan sees the offer as a hopeful option, Daenerys rejects him and marries Hizdahr after ninety days of peace inside the city.[24] When Quentyn informs Daenerys that the other deserters are spies send by the Tattered Prince, Daenerys has them imprisoned.
Daenerys and Drogon in Daznak's Pit - by Marc Simonetti ©
Hizdahr invites the captains from the Yunkish army into Meereen, to sign the peace treaty and celebrate the opening of the fighting pits. Hostages from Meereen have been sent into the Yunkish camp, to ensure the captains remain unharmed. Daenerys hates everything about the feast. After a confrontation with Ben Plumm, Daenerys orders Barristan Selmy to free Meris and send her back to the Windblown, hoping to convince the Windblown to abandon Yunkai. Daenerys next takes Quentyn to see her dragons, and urges him to return home.[59] The next day, Barristan reports that the Tattered Prince is willing to join Daenerys in return for Pentos, but Daenerys is unwilling to help him take the city. She goes to Daznak's Pit for the gladiator fights. Belwas consumes poisoned locusts which Hizdahr had been urging Daenerys to eat, while Daenerys grows disgusted with the day's events. Just as she is about to leave, Belwas falls sick to his knees, and Drogon returns to the city, landing in the pit to feed on the body of the slain Barsena. The crowd panicks, and one man attacks Drogon with his spear. Daenerys rushes to Drogon's side, mounts the dragon, and rides on his back as he flies out of the arena.[30]
In Meereen, many fear that Daenerys has died,[60] and chaos returns to the city as several plots collide. Daenerys still lives, however. Drogon has flown her to a hill in the Dothraki sea, which she dubs Dragonstone, after the island on which she had been born. She eventually decides to return to Meereen, but is unable to get Drogon to follow her commands, leading to her travelling on foot. She begins to fall ill; Her stomach is cramping, she is retching up green slime, and has diarrhea. She dreams of Viserys, and wakes with her thighs covered in blood. She spots Drogon and calls him to her side, and the dragon obeys. Khal Jhaqo and his khalasar eventually find Daenerys standing next to her dragon.[61]
Quotes by Daenerys
Young Daenerys © jekaa
I am blood of the dragon, she told herself. I am Daenerys Stormborn, Princess of Dragonstone, of the blood and seed of Aegon the Conqueror.[12]
– thoughts of Daenerys
If I look back I am lost.[45]
– thoughts of Daenerys
Mirri: You are mad.
Daenerys: Is it so far from madness to wisdom?[45]
Mirri Maz Duur and Daenerys
– Daenerys's thoughts while Drogo's pyre rages
– Daenerys to Jorah Mormont
– Daenerys to Jorah Mormont
– Daenerys to Arstan Whitebeard
Why do the gods make kings and queens, if not to protect the ones who can't protect themselves?[25]
– Daenerys to Jorah Mormont
A dragon is no slave.[25]
– Daenerys to Kraznys mo Nakloz
– thoughts of Daenerys
Jorah: You are a queen. In Westeros.
Daenerys: It is such a long way. I was tired, Jorah. I was weary of war. I wanted to rest, to laugh, to plant trees and see them grow. I am only a young girl.
Jorah: No. You are the blood of the dragon. Dragons plant no trees. Remember that. Remember who you are, what you were made to be. Remember your words.
Daenerys: Fire and Blood.[61]
– Daenerys having a fever dream of Jorah Mormont
Quotes about Daenerys
Jorah: You are your brother's sister, in truth.
Daenerys: Viserys?
Jorah: No. Rhaegar.[62]
Jorah Mormont and Daenerys
The frightened child who sheltered in my manse died on the Dothraki sea, and was reborn in blood and fire. This dragon queen who wears her name is a true Targaryen.[26]
Illyrio Mopatis to Tyrion Lannister
Illyrio: Fear not, my little friend. The blood of Aegon the Dragon flows in her veins.[26]
Tyrion Lannister and Illyrio Mopatis
You are her perfect prince, agreed, bright and bold and comely as any maid could wish. Daenerys Targaryen is no maid, however. She is the widow of a Dothraki khal, a mother of dragons and a sacker of cities, Aegon the Conqueror with teats. She may not prove as willing as you wish.[8]
Tyrion Lannister to Aegon Targaryen
Tyrion Lannister to Aegon Targaryen
On wings of song I fly to you, Daenerys, the iron captain thought.[63]
– thoughts of Victarion Greyjoy
Aegon V
of Oldstones
Jaehaerys II
Aerys II
stillborn child
zo Loraq
1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 3, Daenerys I.
2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 12, Daenerys I.
3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 42, Daenerys IV.
4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 6, The Merchant's Man.
5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 61, Daenerys VII.
6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 27, Daenerys II.
7. 7.0 7.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 25, The Windblown.
8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 22, Tyrion VI.
9. 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 2, Daenerys I.
10. A Dance with Dragons, Appendix.
11. 11.0 11.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 48, Daenerys IV.
12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 11, Daenerys II.
13. See the Daenerys Targaryen (daughter of Aerys II) calculation.
14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 46, Daenerys V.
15. HBO Cast and crew page
16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 16.8 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 16, Daenerys III.
17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 63, Daenerys V.
18. So Spake Martin: Naerys Targaryen (March 9, 2006)
19. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 70, The Queen's Hand.
20. 20.00 20.01 20.02 20.03 20.04 20.05 20.06 20.07 20.08 20.09 20.10 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 8, Daenerys I.
21. 21.0 21.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 56, The Iron Suitor.
22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 54, Daenerys VI.
23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5 23.6 23.7 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 23, Daenerys II.
24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 43, Daenerys VII.
25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 27, Daenerys III.
26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 5, Tyrion II.
27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 64, Daenerys VIII.
28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 28.4 28.5 28.6 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 71, Daenerys VI.
29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 29.7 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 11, Daenerys II.
30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 52, Daenerys IX.
31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 23, Daenerys IV.
32. 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 36, Daenerys IV.
33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 33.5 33.6 33.7 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 23, Daenerys III.
34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 68, Daenerys IX.
35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 A Storm of Swords, Chapter 57, Daenerys V.
36. 36.0 36.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 40, Daenerys III.
37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 36, Daenerys VI.
38. So Spake Martin: Numerous Questions (February 28, 2002)
39. George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Rhaella Targaryen.
41. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 27, Eddard VI.
42. The Lands of Ice and Fire, Journeys.
43. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 12, Eddard II.
44. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 33, Eddard VIII.
45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 72, Daenerys X.
47. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 19, Tyrion III.
48. 48.0 48.1 A Feast for Crows, Prologue.
49. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.
50. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 17, Cersei IV.
51. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 24, Cersei V.
52. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 19, The Drowned Man.
53. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 29, The Reaver.
54. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 26, Samwell III.
55. 55.0 55.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 35, Samwell IV.
56. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 45, Samwell V.
57. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 27, Tyrion VII.
58. 58.0 58.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 30, Daenerys V.
59. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 50, Daenerys VIII.
60. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 55, The Queensguard.
61. 61.0 61.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 71, Daenerys X.
62. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 62, Tyrion VIII.
63. A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 63, Victarion I.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/215
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Abdelmalek Azizi, Abdelkader Zekhnini, Mohammed Taous
On some metabelian 2-groups and applications III.
Let G be some metabelian 2-group satisfying the condition G/G′≃Z/2Z×Z/2Z×Z/2Z. In this paper, we construct all the subgroups of G of index 2 or 4, we give the abelianization types of these subgroups and we compute the kernel of the transfer map. Then we apply these results to study the capitulation problem for the 2-ideal classes of some fields k satisfying the condition Gal(k(2)2/k)≃G, where k(2)2 is the second Hilbert 2-class field of k.
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global_01_local_2_shard_00001658_processed.jsonl/229
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Over the past couple years a large chunk of my time has gone into writing a web application to replace a desktop application. The application requires some clever interactivity, a bit beyond what you can do in HTML/Javascript, and so contains a small Java applet. On the back-end some fairly intense processing is required, and so makes use of a moderate-sized/heavily optimized C++ application. In between lies a custom Tomcat instance hosting server-side Java, and some moderately fancy client-side HTML/CSS/Javascript. Switching between all these different forms of programming is frankly exhausting.
Over the same period of time I have experimented with a good chunk of the new/popular/interesting toolkits, languages, and whatever - in search of the best tools to use in my craft. There are too many good but not overwhelming choices. Python or Ruby or Java or Perl or Smalltalk or Lisp or … at the end of the day I do not find any of the many choices especially compelling compared to the others. What is needed is some criteria filtering down the alternatives. The list boils down to some clear choices:
• On the server-side C++ is going to be around forever for whenever brute force processing is needed (not for many/most web applications).
• On the server-side Java is going to be around forever, has a huge collection of libraries covering almost everything needed by a web application, and can be quite efficient with all the work on the JVM.
• On the client-side we can count on HTML 4.01/CSS 2/Javascript 1.5, and can expect this set to stay pretty much fixed for years.
• Between the browser and server shipping HTML and JSON seems generally to make the most sense. Yes, I am mostly ignoring XML for in the client and on the wire.
What is missing is something a bit looser on the server. For many tasks getting lots of function written is more important than high levels of efficiency. This is where Lisp, Smalltalk, Perl, Python, Ruby, PHP, and shell-scripting came in. Which do you pick and why? They all have merits, but none seem like a clear winner.
For a cluster of reasons I am starting to believe that server-side Javascript is the logical choice. In the first place, as a web developer you pretty much have to get good at using Javascript for the client. With closures and prototype objects, Javascript is a very decent looser/higher-order language. While Javascript may not be quite as slick as Python or Ruby (pick your favorite language/feature), the difference is not enough to matter. Bits that add up in favor of Javascript:
• Using Javascript on the server means one less language for the web developer to learn. Should help productivity.
• As a scripting/higher order language, Javascript is good enough.
• When using Rhino (Javascript implemented in Java) you get immediate access and superb integration with all your server-side Java code.
• When using SpiderMonkey (Javascript implemented in C) (and/or Tamarin) you get immediate access to all your C/C++ code.
• Generating and consuming JSON data gets just a bit easier.
Turning theory into practice, found Helma as an interesting example using Rhino. Looks like there are others, and that Java-based server-side Javascript is relatively easy. The picture with C/C++ based server-side Javascript is a bit fuzzier, mostly as there are too many partial solutions.
The other piece of the puzzle is integration into IIS (for the Windows folk) and Apache (for the Unix folk). Personally I like the notion that the application/interpreter runs in a seperate process, lashed to the web server with something like FastCGI (or similar). There is an existing FastCGI extension for IIS, but new IIS versions tend to break extensions in interesting (not) ways. The news of late is that Microsoft is offering a FastCGI extension. This is very good news for folks deploying applications on Windows, as we hopefully should see fewer problems with new IIS revisions.
The other compelling variation is server-side Javascript for applications at web-hosting services. This is pretty exclusively the domain of PHP at present. My webhost (DreamHost) allows the use of FastCGI (originally for PHP and Ruby). A C/C++ based server-side Javascript interpreter lashed up via FastCGI could offer excellent performance. The same code and skills could be largely re-used when developing in-house applications (where the underlying implementation may be Java).
Starts to look like Javascript interpreters lashed to web servers via FastCGI, and integrated into existing applications is the best common path.
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Sunday, January 12, 2014
Itzik Basman v. David Thomson On Inside Llewyn Davis
I just saw this movie yesterday and thought it was great so I'm belatedly adding my few two cents though Jake's comment pretty well says it all.
I'm unlike Thomson not bothered at all by "Inside" in the title. Of course the plain reference is to Davis's album, which he thought had been sent to Grossman, a folk impresario with a firm grasp on the prices of things but not so much on their value. But past that obvious reference are other meanings intended by the Coens, surely among the most cerebral, artistically driven and self conscious of film makers. What marks and enlivens Davis, amongst all his haplessness, bad luck, carelessness, passivity and the ongoing unstable shambles of his life, is his integrity-making commitment to the purity of his art.
His singing is beautiful, as Jake notes, haunting too, and evokes what is beautifully soulful and timeless in the songs he sings. (Thomson may find his singing boring but if he does he's missing wide swathes of what this movie is about.) That inner directed commitment is what is inside about him and is pervasively evident. It's evident when he sings. It's evident in his song selection when he sings so affectingly before Grossman and it's evident in his rejection of Grossman's offer that he change himself up some and possibly fit in with a trio.
Thomson misses too the the ideas of externality and insideness that the Coens drive through the movie from beginning to end as emerge from the contrast between the mess of Davis's day to day life and the singularity of his commitment to his art. A lot of what all that mess goes to is his relative indifference to most conventional things and to his intense desire to be uncompromisingly successful doing his art. So that desire and his trying to act on it, going to Chicago, seeking out Grossman, singing for him all give form to what is inside Llewyn Davis. In missing this, Thomson misapplies what the Coens mean by "Inside," and wrongly complains that they, despite the movie's title, don't render adequately Davis's interiority.
I'd argue the same conceptual problem affects Thomson's complaint that the "interest in life," by which I think he means vitality or élan, and which he finds, for example, in Lebowski, emerging from its weird and crackingly great ensemble energy, is missing in this movie, which is flawed by Davis's apparent lack of sufficient inner life, the inner life an artist needs to "make it," asThomson has it. That for Thomson makes the movie without interest and obstructs any desire we might have to get inside Davis.
I say, "All all the contrary." Understanding and appreciating the shining beauty of his singing, when inner light and outer light are heightened, and his commitment to it are to be inside him. What we are distant from, outside of, are the absurd stupidity of Jim's song Please Mr. Kennedy, the faux authenticity of the well scrubbed Irish singers with their "nice sweaters," and the pathetic folk singer from Arkansas playing her pathetic auto harp--both among the worst manifestations of the folk song revival of the fifties and sixties, the former its antiseptic, commercial sanitizing, the latter its dreary attempt at atavism. If Thomson doesn't get that beauty, so central to the movie's meaning, he can't get the movie.
Too, Thomson misses in fact how hard Davis struggles, the lengths he goes to, in order to "make it." He dismisses Davis's belief in his own artistic possibilities; he says they're ill thought through; and he says Davis doesn't believe he either will, or deserves to, "make it." But Davis has been set back and is deeply affected by Mikey's suicide. He has a deep belief in the meaning of his own professionalism and thus rightly takes offence at his professor friend's bugging him literally "to sing for his supper." He keeps at his incompetent agent whether there's been any response to his record from Grossman, which it turns the agent, Mel, never even forwarded. His entire freezing, hard, long trip to Chicago to see Grossman is his belief in himself in action.
Thomson confuses entirely inside and outside in his criticism here, mashing them up. All the outside of Davis, the entire messy shambles of his life, his hapless hard times, are not, as Thomson argues, the measure of his lack of commitment and lack of pursuit of his artistry. He fails, it seems, but decidedly not from want of trying on his own terms or want of self-belief. In a word, the proof of Davis's insideness is in the hearing of his singing.
The criticism that Oscar Isaac "seems disinclined to command the film, as if he felt Llewyn lacked the chops or charm to do that" while in my view misconceived harbours a good insight into the movie. Isaac plays his role exactly perfectly, evoking by his every reaction his laconic nature, his personal quietness, except the one time he gets drunk and obnoxiously mouthy. Davis's underlying truth, his inside, is the unadorned beauty of the resonantly meaningful songs he sings so beautifully. They are quiet, slow moving songs--and contrary to Thomson, the songs tell their stories, moving from beginning to middle to their end. But his lack of personal charisma, the lack of a compelling personal presence, the straight forward assertion of his art all form the Coens' exploration of artistic success, the need for that thing that makes the Grossmans amongst us see the money in it.
There is thus a large theme implicit in Davis's lack of success, a variant of "mute and inglorious Miltons," resident in how many gifted talents who don't "make it" for any number of reasons, including artistic integrity, a theme encompassing the strange arbitrariness and caprice of the bitch goddess of commercial success and what counts to get it.
One last note: somehow because the Carey Mulligan character seems to Thomson to be on the brink of some apocalyptic end, this marks what is deficient as missing cinematically in Davis and hence the movie
....As it is, her character seems closer to the kind of despair we might expect to find inside Llewyn himself. The singer makes no progress, but he never really seems in danger or agony. Whereas the girl is on the edge of checking out...
What prescriptive maxim about film has it that Davis needs to be experiencing life threatening despair, must be driven to his screaming emotional limits. Thomson's is really a dumb observation. Why can't Thomson be satisfied that Davis is who he prosaically is, that quiet prosaism contrasting so vividly with the "poetry," so to speak, of his singing, a contrast of a piece with the movie's fundamental and paradoxical meaning. Under that meaning, no reason exists for Davis's danger or loud agony--his quiet agony is apparent and effective enough. (And as post script, both I and my fellow movie goer thought Mulligan's acting was bad. We didn't believe in her anger towards Davis. And we appreciated his quiet, prosaic calm about her, mildly suggestion that "It takes two to tango."
(Sorry that my two cents became four cents.)
Friday, January 10, 2014
Note On Michael Ignatieff's Isaiah Berlin: A Life
Just finally finished Michael Ignatieff's excellent biography of Isaiah Berlin. When I read the extensive discussion of many of Berlin's views, I felt often that he says exactly what I think in how I see the world. But one thing different is Berlin's fascination with religious content even though he was a skeptical atheist. The virtue of that content for him was at least two fold: abstracted atheism for him was way too far from the way people actually live and in that was thin intellectual gruel; and even more importantly that content and the pervasive fixity of religious belief formed an important reminder of the limits of reason. The failure to see those limits, the seed of positive liberty, was the cause of the great horrors of the twentieth century, Fascism and Communism. I don't agree with that analysis and would argue that you can reject religion and still hold to reason as it gets practiced in liberal democracies without falling into a moral abyss. In a word, the rejection of religion need not engender totalitarian horrors. I took some offense at Berlin's fascination with the story of Isaac as revealing something awesome and magnificent in that blind and unwavering display of faith, the same thing that delivered Kierkegaard from his fear and trembling. I have always deeply reviled that story and the idea of such a God who so tests Abraham's faith. I'm with Leonard Cohen on that one--his Story of Isaac.
Monday, January 6, 2014
On Donnie Brasco And Comparing It To Goodfellas
Donnie Brasco
In my brief exchange with a friend, in part about some ways in which Goodfellas bothers me, which he nicely encapsulated by the phrase "amoral narrative," I mentioned Donnie Brasco as an example of a mob movie that doesn't in any way glamorize or make seem appealing or treat as funny thug life.
I just watched Donnie Brasco again.
Newell treats that life with all the grey and somber disrespect it deserves. He shows consistently what stupid, low life slugs the gangsters are, how sickeningly violent they are, what scum they are, without Scorsese's bizarre morally qualifying touches of sardonic humor as when he shows corpses in various aspects, sitting shot in a car, floating to the surface in a huge heap of trash, hanging frozen in a truck on a meathook among frozen carcasses of meat, all in reposes more humorous than horrifying, as a result of Jimmy the Gent's murderous paranoia and just plain greed. That Scorsese makes these corpses look funny in death is, I'd argue, as morally numbing as it is baffling. What's the point of these macabre humorous touches, of thuggery as a kind of hi jinx in death?
Donnie Brasco, mind you, is anything but a a moralizing tract or a one dimensional portrayal of its hoods. It tells both Lefty's and Joe Pistone's fully human stories, painting a portrayal of them as individuals and their relationship as deep and subtle as are Pacino's and Depp's great acting.
(Someone once commented that Goodfellas suffers from how consistently loud it is, though Robert De Niro is never loud. But compare Joey Pesci, Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco, who all bring the word "shrill" to mind, and who I wish would just hush up some, to the relentlessly understated, almost whispery, beat up quality of Pacino's acting and speaking and to Johnny Depp's intelligently modulated expression of emotions, which houses occasional and vividly contrasting kinetic outbursts of temper and frayed nerves.)
So, unlike Goodfellas, which presents no discernible character development or moral dilemmas, only its thugs trying consistently to get by and get over, Pistone roils in his personal life as he increasingly becomes Donnie Brasco and as his relationship with Lefty becomes real, deep and enduring. It survives his knowledge of Lefty's twenty six hits, of his unqualified immersion in "the life" and, most intensely, his execution before Depp's eyes of Bruno Kirby.
In that, Lefty murders the man who's been his close friend and associate for over twenty years, just like that. That killing fires up Depp's outspoken disbelief at its ease such that he demands, to the point of shouting, that Lefty say his murdered friend's name as the slightest token of some humanity and decency, as the slightest token of recognition of, of owning if only a little, what he has just murderously done.
There are scenes in Donnie Brasco of powerful and unerring human reality, so vivid in their depiction of complex emotions and frustration. I'm thinking, for example, of our first view of Pistone at home in the midst of his deep undercover having evolved from a scheduled two weeks to two years. He takes out his frustration and marked psychological disturbance from dangling between the identities of Pistone and Brasco on his wife, Anne Heche. Remarkable too is his being overtaken slowly but surely and subtly by the Brasco identity. Powerful is his explosion of anger in the motel room in Florida dealing with his Mormon FBI boss and with some taped conversation being ruined. And what can surpass the beautifully acted, quietly elegiac manner Pacino goes to his certain death after the final, inevitable "sent for" phone call on Donnie Brasco, who he vouched for, being exposed as Pistone?
There's something profound in that elegiac penultimate scene. For just as Pistone feels deep, irreducible friendship for Lefty, loves him really, as Lefty loves him, right to the end, despite Lefty's murderous criminality, so do we as audience feel the sadness of it. That paradox, compassionate, sympathetic feelings for such a homicidal thug, is, I'd argue, the rich and complex ambiguity of highly affecting art. It's that same mixture of moral horror and sympathetic attraction that, in a different way to be sure, marks the genius of The Sopranos. My contention is that that ambiguity contrasts positively with what I find to be the confusing ambivalence of Goodfellas.
And what of the subtlety in the contrast between Depp's inner experience and tormented love--as--friendship for Lefty and the FBI's treatment of the entire matter as just another operation to be worked, albeit a significant one? So Newell shows the pro forma honouring of Depp, the FBI official getting Pistone's name wrong after stumbling over it, awarding him a medal and a paltry $500.00 bonus, its pathetic minginess a measure of its utter hollowness for Pistone. That $500.00 contrasts with the $300,000.00 Pistone accumulated undercover, and unless I missed it, has no intention of returning. (And that $300,00.00 is late seventies early eighties money. Consider what it would amount to now.)
The point, I think, is that the $500.00 measures meaninglessness while the $300,000.00, apart from being a great deal of money, measures the depth of Depp's undercover immersion to the point of becoming what he was pretending to be and measures how meaningful it all was and is to him. The depth of that, too, shows in Depp's dazed, hollowed out and robotic going through the motions of that FBI honouring ceremony. He, in the end, Lefty surely dead, rejoins his wife and kids in what might seem a resolutionary way. But, in my view of the movie at least, he's a changed, haunted tormented man, indelibly marked by his experiences with Lefty and Lefty's fate as a result of Depp doing his job.
Another powerful instance of contrast, by the way, is the FBI putting the final stamp on Lefty's death warrant by showing an incredulous Sonny Black, Michael Masden, the pictures of Donnie Brasco as Pistone, hoping to flip him and others, maybe score some guilty pleas. The FBI in its indifference to Lefty's resulting fate can't be blamed, I suppose. It's just doing its crime fighting job. But this indifference is so opposite to Depp eating himself alive with torment and anxiety over what the consequences of just doing his job hold for Lefty.
What I want to say is that Goodfellas has none of this subtlety, human torment, agonized friendship, moral dilemma or psychological depth. For me, despite its broader canvas, its greater vivacity, and seeming bravura performances, Goodfellas is noisier, morally ambivalent, less affecting--really without any poignancy or humanity--and, generally, simply a lesser movie than Donnie Brasco.
Friday, January 3, 2014
A Note On Ambiguity And Ambivalence In Scorsese's Goodfellas
I don't credit Scorsese with ambiguity as a rich means of complexity in theme and vision, which makes for great art, in Goodfellas, but, rather, an ambivalence between wanting to show the many sidedness of gangsters and gangster life that, I'd argue, reduces itself to an overarching vaunting of them and that life, reducing their homicidal, preying, blood sucking thuggery to their putative attractiveness--money, getting whatever you want, doing whatever you want, high life, women, fraternity--as the movie has it.
So Ray Liotta is only nostalgic, nothing else, no remorse, no insight into what's so horrible and blood sucking about it, for that life as he has to leave it behind to get into Witness Protection. There's, for me, a disturbing element of moral idiocy in that. As somebody put it, "the filmic affirmation of scum."
I don't judge art insofar as it confirms my biases. I'm neither philistine nor self righteous prude. But that said, I distinguish, as noted, between ambiguity and ambivalence in art, the former a virtue, the latter a sign the artist didn't achieve a coherent work, that the work's tensions weren't under control, that its contrary impulses worked against each other incoherently.
A good example of that is The Merchant of Venice where Shylock is both so vile and so majestic and the surrounding Venetian society, meant to be such a contrast to him, is empty and itself cruel,, making the ending and final treatment of Shylock so emotionally unsatisfying.
Too there can be coherent works richly created with themes and portrayals that are nevertheless repugnant by most people's lights. I'm thinking as an example of The Olympiade.
My approach to art is essentially to want to grant the artist his vision and subject and see what he's done with it. But Goodfellas increasingly emerges on my re-seeing it as a well made and compellingly entertaining movie that doesn't ultimately know what it's about. David Denby caught what l feel about Goodfellas well in his piece on The Wolf of Wall Street. He says the exultancy in the depicting of so much vibrancy in the excesses the movie wants to expose and take on makes Scorsese trip over himself. His film becomes one with what he wants to take down. In a word, Denby's criticism is, for me, apt for Goodfellas.
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CENTER for BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY Because life is good
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Center for Biological Diversity:
Ocean Plastics Pollution
The Huffington Post, December 12, 2014
Our Oceans Awash in Toxic Plastic Garbage
By Miyoko Sakashita
Scientists just published a paper with the first-ever estimate of all the plastic garbage floating in the world's oceans.
The results were astronomical: More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic debris, weighting 269,000 tons. These bits of garbage are distributed throughout the world -- equally likely to be found in the tropical waters of the South Pacific as the glacial bays of Alaska.
But what's even more telling is what the scientists didn't find in their surveys. While researchers expected to discover a large amount of microplastics, that is, plastics which have been broken down by the sun and waves into pieces smaller than 5 millimeters, the number of microplastics were an order of magnitude smaller than expected.
This recent study confirms other researchers' observations that there is a large discrepancy between expected and observed microplastic weight and abundance in the world's oceans. So, less garbage than expected -- good news, right?
Wrong. These bits of plastic didn't magically disappear -- instead, they have been eaten by fish, turtles and other animals that mistake the particles for food. In addition, many of these tiny pieces have sunk below the surface of the ocean, and either float in the water column where surveys can't reach, or have settled to the bottom where they can be ingested by snails and other bottom feeders.
When animals consume plastic, they also consume all the toxins used to create plastic, like BPA, along with all the pollutants in the water that plastics absorb while they float in the ocean. Studies have shown that the concentration of toxic chemicals, such as PCB and DDT, can be up to a million times greater in plastic debris than found in seawater. These chemicals are inherently toxic, and can cause serious physiological damage in animals. And since big fish eat little fish, more organisms ingest plastic particles indirectly via their prey organisms, and concentrate the chemicals up the food chain.
Larger pieces of litter, like plastic bags, pose their own problems for seals, sea turtles, birds and other animals that ingest them.
Plastics are a huge problem for our oceans, and it is only predicted to get worse. Almost 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, and only 5 percent of the world's plastic is currently recycled. Researchers forecast the volume of oceanic plastic debris will only increase due to rising production of throwaway plastic, and consumers' insatiable desire for cheap and convenient plastic goods.
That, of course, assumes we'll keep doing what we're doing. But it doesn't have to be that way.
You can start by refusing single-use plastic goods, petitioning your town to enact plastic-bag bans and recycling every piece of plastic you can.
We'll need action at a higher level too. The Center for Biological Diversity, where I work, has petitioned the EPA to do more to keep plastics off our beaches and out of our oceans. You can do your part by pressuring your political representatives to take this issue seriously with new and aggressive policies that get us back on the right track.
Now that we know just how much garbage we are dealing with, it's time to start finding solutions to clean up our oceans.
Emily Jeffers contributed to this post.
Follow Miyoko Sakashita on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EndangeredOcean
This article originally appeared here.
Photo © Paul S. Hamilton
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Friday, December 16, 2005
Many people will start typing something, then edit it, and then retype it, and reedit it, and hocus pocus the post comes up on their blog. The there are people like me, who think of some topic that makes them angry and then just lets loose. Rarely do they edit their posts and normally it's full of typos and the writing doesn't turn out quite as clean and logically sound as one might expect. I have typed posts out before and heavily edited them (I do that with every The Scheister article (don't tell anyone)), but normally I type what I want to say on the fly (this post, for instance).
I hope everyone contributed to the Lutheran Carnival this cycle. If you haven't, why not?
There are many posts here on the Lutheran blogsphere where I about wanted to pound my head in with a hammer because I, for some reason, can't figure out what the author is talking about. At times, I wish I was better read in the classics and literature. I wish I was better read in general. Much of my theological education started only seven years ago when I finally got a Book of Concord as a graduation present.
The fact is, however, English is not my strong suit and it never will be. When people tell me there is some deep significance to a book, I kind of scratch my head and wonder because, most of the time, I see the book in question as a good story and am clueless as to what I was supposed to see. This is from a kid who spent considerable time in parochial schools.
OK, to give those whose blogs sometimes speak above my level an example of what I am talking about, let me quote from a paper I am currently reading.
The direction in which synorogenic foreland carbonate platforms backstep is dependent on the orientation of the carbonate platform margin and reef facies tracts with respect to an advancing orogenic wedge. If a platform margin trend is subparallel to the axis of the orogenic wedge and its adjacent foredeep, the entire margin will backstop as the orogenic wedge advances toward the platform. (citation omitted). In contrast, if the platform margin is oriented at a high angle to the orogenic wedge and foredeep axis, backstepping will be highly diacronous. (citation omitted).
Quoted from Dorbrek, S. L., 1995, Synorogenic carbonate platforms and reefs in foreland basins: controls on stratigraphic evolution and platform/reef morphology, in Dorbrek, S. L. and Ross, G. M. eds., Stratigraphic evolution of foreland basins: Tulsa, SEPM Special Publication 52, p. 141
In case you are wondering, yes, I completely understand the above paragraph. Of course, context helps but I would be violating all sorts of copyrights if I did that. I am going to go finish this paper (it is quite interesting and riveting to me)and call my girlfriend soon.
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IRS Announces 2017 Retirement Plan Limits
The IRS has announced the various contribution and benefit limits that will apply to retirement plans in 2017.
Document Excerpt
Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) provides for dollar limitations on benefits and contributions under qualified retirement plans. Section 415(d) requires that the Secretary of the Treasury annually adjust these limits for cost-of-living increases. Other limitations applicable to deferred compensation plans are also affected by these adjustments under § 415. Under § 415(d), the adjustments are to be made under adjustment procedures similar to those used to adjust benefit amounts under § 215(i)(2)(A) of the Social Security Act.
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Monday, October 28, 2013
Thistlethorn Forest [Mini-Map Monday]
We're playing Beyond the Wall and Other Adventures at home. The heroes recently found a map detailing part of the Thistlethorn Forest, the goblin-haunted woods that lies just beyond the wall of their home village of Seaford. I drew up the map for my players, including a bunch of interesting-sounding places in hopes of sparking their adventuresome interest. Now, I'm going to share it with you.
The Miser's Mine might sound familiar. The abandoned village and the Mounds of the Old Kings especially piqued the interest of my players. I'm eager to see what they find there.
Monday, October 21, 2013
The Wizard's Basement [Mini-Map Monday]
Beneath the ruins of an old castle lies the Wizard's Basement, where Catelmaar the Caster plied his trade. The door to his laboratory is locked with a complex magical ward, while the crypt provided the old warlock with plenty of raw materials.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Welcome to Rook's Landing
Rook's Landing is the starting town for the PCs when they first arrive on Abaddon. Here's some points of interest, people to know, and a rough map of the town.
Rook’s Landing
Only permanent Imperial settlement on the island of Abaddon. Founded by Lord Tiberius Rook in 2173 (three years ago). Reclaimed an ancient keep of unknown origins on the east coast of Abaddon. Wooden palisades and ruined stone walls. Walls currently being reconstructed by dwarven stoneworkers. Farmlands and grainfields surround village.
Approximately 250 residents. Mostly farmers and fishermen. Many travellers and adventurers coming and going from the Imperial mainland.
There is no more implacable foe of evil than a bad man gone good, and Lord Tiberius Rook (Fighter 9, Lawful) was a very bad man. He turned to the side of Law 20 years ago. Getting old. Shaky hands. Looks like Bill Nighy. His late wife, Marielle, is buried in a grand tomb in the keep. The senechal Cadmius (0-level, Lawful) keeps his lord’s manor running smoothly.
Temple of the Divine Couple
Harlowe and Daenae Argosia (Clerics 6, Lawful) are the husband-and-wife clerics of Bramah and Unastre, respectively. Harlowe’s voice is harsh and raspy, due to throat wounds. Daenae is missing her left eye. No potions to sell, but has holy water in steady supply.
The Sundered Shield
Jona Killwarrior (Magic User 5, Neutral) runs this inn and tavern with his wife Mara (0-level, Neutral) and their son Bolo (0-level, Lawful). Big burly man. Doesn’t put up with trouble-makers. Former adventuring companion of Lord Rook. Bolo wants to be an adventurer; his parents are dead against it. Old Tooley (Fighter 3, Neutral), the town drunk, is almost always here.
The Cock and Titmouse
Granger Redlock (0-level, Neutral) is a rough, aging woman with silver-red hair who runs the cheap, shady tavern down by the docks. Caters to sailors and vagabonds.
Town Guard
Katarina Steele (Captain 5, Lawful) is the commander of the town guard. She was a henchman of Lord Rook, and is very loyal. Steele is in charge of 12 guards (3 x Fighter 2, 9 x Fighter 1). Three shifts of four guards at any given time.
Hammer & Tongs Smithy
Groat Hammerlock (Dwarf 4, Lawful) runs this smithy with his husband Jimminy Tongs (Gnome 3, Lawful). Sells most weapons and armor from the core book. Hammer is a fine blacksmith. Tongs makes weapons and armor. They have four young 0-level humans as apprentices. Hammer and Tongs have “adopted” a baby kobold named Hurgyip that they are convinced they can turn to the side of Law.
Stonemasons’ Guild
Lord Rook recently brought over a small coterie of seven dwarves to rebuild the curtain walls around the town. The dwarves are led by Gildura “Momma” Holdvault (Dwarf 6, Neutral). The guild hall has its own invite-only tavern, and does a side-business in gem trading and appraisals.
A small fleet of fishing boats leaves the docks every morning, led by Jenny Codsdaughter (0-level, Neutral) who took over for her father three months ago after he was eaten by giant eels. Ships coming and going from the Imperial mainland must check in with the dockmaster Janders Maderlay (Fighter 3, Neutral), a former pirate with a pet miniature flying squid.
Hawk’s Trading Post and General Sundries
Run by former mountain-man Rancibold Hawk (Ranger 3, Lawful). Former henchman of Lord Rook. Always jokes that “mycommanding officer, General Sundries, isn’t in today.” Sells most equipment from the core book except weapons and armor. His old wolfhound Jake sleeps on the porch.
The Compass Rose
Map shop and cartography run by Luminous Rose (Elf 5, Neutral). She often hires adventurers map out new and unknown areas. He homeland is a mystery, and no other elf has heard of her.
Rubbish Heaps
The town heaps its garbage in a small depression north of town. Volkar the Grooch (Grooch 6, Neutral) claims this as his own territory. He goes through Rook’s Landing every night with a large cart, collecting trash.
Yeastworms’s Quite Impressive Original Brews and Spirits
Hissskafluur Yeastworms (Moleman 3, Lawful) runs this brewery. He does a fine business in human beverages. He may pay adventurers good coins for exotic ingredients to make obscure brews.
The Mills
Zephram and Molly-Ruth Gristgrinder (Halfling 1, Neutral) and their 13 children run the grain mills on the south end of town near the river. Granny Gristgrinder (Halfling 6, Neutral) is over 100 years old and runs a bakery right next to the mills. Thanks to all the low-level adventurers travelling through Rook’s Landing, there isn’t a giant rat to be found anywhere in the mills.
Katzenjammer’s Thoroughly Modern Apothecary
Dr. Malachai J. Katzenjammer (Gnome 2, Neutral). Can identify potions. Has 1d4-1 potions to sell at any given time. Sells “Dr. Katzenjammer’s Excellent Rejuvenating Elixir” for 50gp a bottle (heals 1d4 hp, spoils in 7 days, may have other side effects).
Kale’s Livery
Hondo and Jasmeene Kale (0-Level, Lawful) run the stables and livery with the help of their five children. Horses are in short supply, but mules are readily available. Wa horses are particularly hard to come by, and are almost exclusively bred by Lord Rook.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Mind Flayer Trader (Encounters in Abaddon)
Hex 1517
An undead Mind Flayer (12 HD, AC 3) riding on the back of an ankylosaurus with acid breath. The Mind Flayer is a shrewd merchant who will trade minor but useful magical items (1d6+1 potions, 1d4 scrolls, and 1d4-1 wands) in exchange for precious memories (same effect as Energy Drain). One memory, one item.
Monday, October 14, 2013
Spiral of the Snake Men [Mini-Map Monday]
A clutch of sinister snake men live in these strange, spiral tunnels. These weirdly circular passages are carved through raw green stone that glows with a faint alien light. The snake men keep their food-slaves in dark pens and hide their treasure in a secret chamber. A massive, two-headed Ophidian Guard keeps watch at the junction of the main tunnels.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Abaddon, the map! (and some places of note)
I finished the map of Abaddon last night. I don't usually color my maps, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. As is normal for me nowadays, I stuck with the Jack Kirby color palette. With the groovy powers of modern technology, I was easily able to make versions of the map with and without a hex grid.
Here's some "known" information about some of the areas featured on the map.
Rook's Landing
The only Imperial settlement on the island. Founded three years ago by Lord Tiberius Rook.
The Duchy of Nightmass
Human lands ruled by Duke Xiro. In constant war with...
Candle Quay
A prosperous fishing city ruled by Lady Cybelle. Known for their strange religious practices.
The Fleshlands
The land here is made of living, quivering flesh. It moans and screams, exudes random limbs and members, and excretes all manner of foul substances. A place of foul magic. The ruins of Mandraxis' manse is here.
This islands holds the ruins of an Annunaki city, ancient for eons.
Lake Venom
A massive lake of poison, surrounded by the Bone Shore. Home to trolls.
Reaver's Island
Home to barbarians and mutants.
Hastur's Teeth
A massive mountain range of jagged granite peaks. Cassilda's Peak is the largest tallest, haunted by strorms and monsters.
Genenna Mons
The largest known volcano on Wyrld.
Three Witches
A trio of volcanoes, taboo and believed cursed by the local amazons.
And yes, the amazons ride dinosaurs.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Abaddon and Wyrld, an overview (with image dump!)
My new setting for my upcoming campaign (ostensibly FLAILNSAILS compliant), is coming along nicely.The Map of Abaddon is done, except for grid and labels. I've got the basic history of Wyrld (the game world) and Abaddon (the island setting) hashed out. Rather than assault people with my tortured prose, I'll just present it as bullet-points.
Broad History of Wylrd
Eons in the past, and Wyrld has no sun and two moons.
The Annunaki come down from the stars, bring with them their Dead Gods and the Elves.
Elves are slaves of the Annunaki, used for entertainment and the magical properties of their blood.
The Annunaki create Dwarves for labor and Men for food.
The Annunaki craft the world under the perpetual twilight of two moons.
Suddenly, the Annunaki leave.
One of the moons falls from the sky, crashing into Wyrld. The planet burns for 1000 years.
Wicked days of fire and darkness, dragons and trolls.
The Witchlords of Ur rise to power, using poorly-understood secrets of Annunaki magical science.
Wyrld is dark and sunless. The Witchlords constantly war between each other and breed all manner of beast, monster, and undead abomination.
Two smiths Bramah and Santanis, human slaves of the Witchlord Mag-Xyloth, rise up forge a rebellion. Their army of Men, Elves, and Dwarves, strike against the Witchlords.
The demoness Unastre falls in love with Bramah, and is redeemed by him. Unastre renounces her demonic heritage. The two marry and become battle-mates.
The Witchlords, in a final gambit, unleash Ahrizoth, the most powerful of the Annunaki's Dead Gods.
Santanis betrays and kills Bramah, then devours and absorbs Ahrizoth's power, becoming a god.
Unastre uses her great magic to bring Bramah back to life, making him immortal.
Bramah forges the sun and casts it into he sky, bringing light to the world and defeat to the Witchlords and Santanis.
Bramah founds the Brazen Empire, and the Dominion of Man begins. Bramah and Unastre reign for 200 years before ascending to the divine.
And so...
The Brazen Empire was founded 2000 years ago. It has been in steady decline for 500 years.
It is currently Imperial Year 2176.
The current Emperor is Vandranis Ro, a sick and ineffectual man bullied by the senate.
Affairs of the Empire will likely never influence this campaign, but it's good to know the basics.
The Island of Abaddon
A large island, far on the western edge of the Empire, mostly outside of its influence.
Inhabited by many wizards, seeking to peruse their own sorcerous projects without imperial interference. (The wizards went Galt!)
The greatest of Abaddon's sorcerers was Mandraxis the Magician. His manse still remains in the Fleshlands.
300 years ago, Abaddon disappeared. No cataclysm or apocalyptic explosions. One day it just disappeared.
Three years ago, it suddenly returned.
Spending three centuries “someplace else” has changed the islands and its inhabitants.
Adventurers and explorers from across the empire have come to Abaddon in search of mystery and fortune.
Lord Tiberius Rook founded Rook's Landing, the only Imperial settlement on Abaddon.
Rook's Landing serves as a starting point for many adventurers.
Jungles and swamps in the south. Badlands to the north. A band of fairly temperate forests and grasslands in the middle. Reavers Island is cooler.
Aesthetic and Feel of the Abaddon Campaign
I'm going for a “weird pulp adventure” sort of feel. Not really “dark” but weird and fantastical. Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, and Jack Vance are the heaviest influences. If I'm being honest, there's a bit of “Adventure Time” tossed in there too. Abaddon is a crazy, strange, and wicked land, but the brave and bold will succeed.
The Brazen Empire has a distinct Roman feel, with some heavy Mesopotamian influences.
Visually, I'm trying to lean away from the modern “dungeon-punk” aesthetic and recapture the “old-school” Erol Otus/Bill Willingham feel. So, massive shoulder pads and tons of belts are out. Helmets with horns (or wings!) and cuffed boots are in.
Inspirational Abaddon Image Dump
These images came from all over the Internet and found their way onto my hard drive.I don't know most of their sources. My apologies.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Magic Users of Wyrld
So I'm setting up a FLAILSNAILS game, and I'm busy kicking together the setting and house rules. I'll talk more about the setting (The island of Abaddon on the planet Wyrld) soon, but for now I want to start talking about house rules and campaign flavor/information stuff. For this online (Google Hangouts) campaign, I'm going to use Labyrinth Lord as a base, mixing in the skills from Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and tossing in some of the combat stuff from Adventurer Conqueror King.
So that brings us to Magic Users.
Magic Users (wizards, mages, sorcerers, etc.) are humans who have rediscovered the ancient reality-warping arts (and sciences?) of the Annunaki. Spells are pseudo-living memetic constructs that a trained magic user crams into their brain through a combination of ritual, self-hypnosis, and coordinated brain damage. That's what "memorizing spells" means. The formula for binding spells into your mind are kept in jealously guarded tomes and grimoires. The act of spellcasting releases the spell from the wizard's mind into the world in an orgasmic release of reality-warping energy.
All wizards on Wyrld, are a little odd, and have the good taste to dress like wizards. Whether that means a robe and pointy hat, star-spangled Jim Starlin cosmic couture, or Erol Otus extravagance is up to the individual, but all magic users dress in distinctive fashion that screams "I'm a wizard!"
Rules Stuff
Magic Users use the rules as presented in Labyrinth Lord with the following changes.
The lore skill, automatic familiar, and Pulse of the Universe additions are intended to allow the Magic User to do some wizardly things even after they run out of spells. Like, they get to walk around with an owl on their shoulder, going "Hrmmm hrmmm yes, this appears to be a burial mound of the Hob-Knee Goblins from the time of the McKendric Supplicants.Very interesting, oh my yes..." and stuff.
Allowed Weapons: Dagger, staff, sling, dart
Starting Spellbook
1) Read Magic
2) Summon Familiar (if they want it)
3) Spell of the PC's choice
4) A spell rolled randomly
If they drop the 100gp, a magic user can start with a (non-special) familiar of their choice.
Each new level, the PC rolls for a new random spell. This spell will be of the highest level they can cast.
There is no limit to number of spells a MU can know.
A basic “I’ve read something about this” skill.
Base chance: (1 in 6) + INT
+1 again at level 5. +1 again at level 9.
Pulse of the UniverseBy handling and concentrating on an object for 1d4 turns, a Magic User can determine if an object is magical. This is a time consuming process and only works on one object at a time. The Detect Magic spell still exists, and is still useful for its speed and precision.
(I picked up this idea from another blog. I honestly cannot recall which one. My apologies.)
Spell CastingDeclare spellcasting at beginning of round, before initiative is rolled.
A spellcaster can make normal combat move, but no running. Keep your DEX bonus to AC
MU’s must have both hands free to cast. A staff, dagger, rod or wand is okay, since they are ritual tools.
Damage or a failed saving throw disrupts the spell, but a Save vs. Spell lets the caster retain the spell in memory
Monday, October 7, 2013
Dorgath's Drop [Mini-Map Monday]
The famed dwarven cavernsmith, Dorgath du'Draaj, dedicated himself to converting this natural cave system into a well-sculpted and sensible vault. The project went smoothly for a year until the day that Dorgath woke up from a deep sleep. took off his chain mail, and calmly leaped into the bottomless chasm in the lower cavern, never to be seen again. Now the dwarves say Dorgath's Drop is haunted and cursed and shun it out of superstitious fear. That won't stop you, though, will it?
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Mechanical Bastard [OSR Class]
Aaron Goddamn Stack!
I honestly can't tell you if I wrote this class as a joke or not. That's not an unusual situation for me. I'm not sure if I'll ever use it in my game, but I'm pretty happy with it as a weird alternative to the Warforged. The Mechanical Bastard mixes little Bender with a whole lot of Aaron Stack, and of course some Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard.
The Once Begotten of the Machine God are referred to as “Mechanical Bastards” by almost everyone else in Wyrld. These alien creatures are native to some strange otherworld full of machine life. They are mechanical beings possessing a living, alien soul. Mechanical Bastards resemble humans until they use one of their abilities or are wounded. When damaged, they bleed oil and show exposed gears, springs, and alien circuitry. The Mechanical Bastard is human-sized and shaped, and can use normal armor and weapons. Certain upgrades will allow it to permanently integrate armor and weapons into its system. Not all Mechanical Bastards assume gender roles, but many do so in order to blend in with humans. Mechanical Bastards speak Common, their own language (Cyberchat), and their alignment tongue.
At level nine, the Mechanical Bastard can construct a factorium. This complex will attract 1d4 low-level (level 1-3) Mechanical Bastards to his service, as well 6d6 0-level humans fascinated by robots.
Requirements: INT 9, CON 9
A high-CHA Mechanical Bastardess
Prime Req: CON
Fights As: Fighter
Saves As: Fighter
Weapons: Any
Armour/Shields: Any
Hit Die: d8* (+3 HP per level after level 9)
*assumes fighters have d8 Hit Dice
A Mechanical Bastard is a Living Construct.
This has a number of benefits and drawbacks...
* Immune to poisons and disease.
* Need not eat, drink, or breathe.
* Still affected by sleep, charm, and energy drains.
* Doesn't actually "sleep" but requires four hours of downtime each day to defrag itself.
* Affected by Heat/Chill Metal and suffers double damage from the spell.
* Cannot benefit from Cure X Wounds spells, nor damaged by the reversed versions.
* Mending heals 1d4 damage per 2 caster levels (max 5d4)
* Suffers 2d6 damage from successful Rust Monster attacks.
* Cannot be Raised or Resurrected, but can be Reincarnated. (Welcome to organic life, Sparky!)
* A Mechanical Bastard falls “unconscious” at 0HP. It is killed when brought to negative HP equal to its Constitution score. While unconscious it cannot eat coins to heal. If it is not brought to positive Hit Points through Mending within 24 hours, its automatic reboot systems will kick in. The Mechanical Bastard will wake up with 1 HP. When it reboots, the Mechanical Bastard will need to re-roll all its upgrades. It will lose any integrated weapons or armor if it no longer possesses the proper upgrades.
* Does not heal normally or naturally and is too complex to be repaired by mortal smiths or engineers.
A Mechanical Bastard heals itself by eating minted coins.
1 gold piece heals 1 hit point.
1 platinum piece heals 2 hit point.
It takes 1 round to eat 1 coin.
The Mechanical Bastard cannot eat more coins per day than its Constitution score.
A Mechanical bastard develops random upgrades as it gains levels.
*At level 2 and 4, the player rolls 1d6 to see what power the Mechanical Bastard gets. Re-roll any duplicates.
1) Integrate Armor
Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard
Permanently absorb mundane a suit of armor and assume its AC. Only half of an integrated suit of armor’s weight is counted towards encumbrance. This does not change the Mechanical Bastard’s appearance. The armor cannot be “un-integrated” and effectively destroys the armor. Integration takes 1 turn, and a newly-integrated armor replaces an old one. Shields cannot be integrated.
2) Integrate Weapon
Permanently absorb a mundane, one-handed weapon, which it can retract and extend at will An integrated weapon is not counted towards encumbrance. This does not change the Mechanical Bastard’s appearance. The weapon cannot be “un-integrated” and effectively destroys the weapon. Integration takes 1 turn, and a newly-integrated weapon replaces an old one.
3) Night Vision Eyes
Infravision 60’. Works however Infravision works in your campaign.
4) Static Zapper
Can make ranged attacks with non-magical electricity from its hands. Has a range of 10/20/30. Does 1d6 damage. Usable a number of times per day equal to the character’s Constitution score.
5) Bending Unit
+2 to Open Doors and similar rolls.
6) Scanners
Can find secret doors like an elf.
*At level 6 and 8, the player rolls 1d6 to see what power you the Mechanical Bastard gets. Re-roll any duplicates.
1) Integrate Magical Armor
As above, but also works with with magical armor. If the Mechanical bastard already has the mundane version, replace it with a newly-rolled upgrade.
2) Integrate Magical Weapon
As above, but also works with magical weapons. If the Mechanical Bastard also has the mundane version, it can now integrate two weapons--one mundane, one magical.
3) Extendo-Arms
Can stretch its arms to reach and manipulate objects 30’ away. The character can now attack from the second rank, with “non-reach” weapons. The arms are not effective in combat at further length.
4) Laser Eyes
Can make ranged attacks with a magical heat ray from its eyes. Has a range of 30/60/90. +1 to hit. Does 2d4+1 damage. Usable a number of times per day equal to half the character’s Constitution score.
5) Overclocked
The Mechanical Bastard’s base movement is increased by 10’.
6) Mecha-Morph
The Mechanical Bastard can cast Alter Self on itself once per day.
Hit Dice
Super Megadroid
*CON modifiers no longer apply
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Where Does this Magical Portal Lead?
Hey wow, this is my 100th post at the Bernie the Flumph blog! Neat huh?
Anyway, gamers love those d30 tables right? Sure y'all do. My in-development FLAILSNAILS game is going to have a few magical portals scattered around the ruins of the Annunaki. I wonder where they lead?
Where does this magical portal lead?
Mythic Greece
The Kingdom of Dreams and Nightmares
The Great Labyrinth where Cenobites dwell
Dinomundia, the land of hyper-evolved dinosaurs
The Fractal Forest, alien home world of the Elves
Orcland, where orcs rule!
Halloween Town
Gamma World
Unknown Kadath
The Bronze Basilica in the Plane of Inferno
The Twisting Nether
The Quivering Fleshlands
Dodge CIty, Kansas, 1883
The Gray Vaults, where the dead dwell in mist shadow
Three miles straight up
Opposite-Land where everyone's alignment is reversed.
Shanri and the houses of the Ven
A gigantic maze full of singing and dancing goblins
A world-gone-mad where intelligent apes rule over man!
The best casino in Hell
The Mushroom Kingdom
Cool World
Home of the Mechanical Bastards
Modern-day Detroit
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Captain (OSR Class)
A while back, I posted my Captain class to the ACKS forums (where I posted under the name "luftmensch"). The captain is an inspiring warrior and a leader of men. The class is inspired by the marshal and warlord classes from D&D, and the captain class from Lord of the Rings Online. As I'm starting to gather material together for an upcoming FLAILSNAILS game, I thought I'd dust the class off, tweak it a bit for Labyrinth Lord and share it with y'all.
The beastmen hordes had pounded our forces all day. Me and the other boys from the Forsaken Sons hunkered in the shelter of a broken wall, catching a few minutes of respite while the other forces of Law fought and died in the ruins of the city. Maiden's Tower would soon fall, and the Chalice of Silver Tears would be in the clutches of evil.
We each looked to each other and nodded, no words needed. It was time to turn and run. There was no shame in it. All was lost.
Then a thunder of hooves, and Captain Belwyn rode up on his exhausted horse. He leaped from his saddle and strode towards us. His armor was rent in a dozen places. The left side of his helmet was dented, and his face was covered in blood with one eye swollen shut. Still, his voice was clear as a bell as he stood over us.
Up! Get up, lads! We have them right were we want them! See? Soon the sun will rise and burn away these black clouds. With Bramahn's light behind us we'll send these beasts back to their pits!” He grabbed my by the shoulder roughly and lifted me to my feet, then turned and did likewise to the other Sons. “Up! Up and fight, I say! Fight on for the fate of Law and the kingdoms of men!” Our hearts stirred, and strength came back to our arms as we picked up our spears and shields once more.
Suddenly, a black shadow fell across the battlefield, and Therrovaux, the Dread Wyrm landed in the shattered city square. Black waves of terror washed from the beast like a palpable force. Elves and dwarves dropped their arms and fled in fear, but we did not falter. The beast spotted us, turned its serpentine eyes to us, and bellowed its defiance. Acidic death sizzled on its lips.
Captain Belwyn just grinned. He spat a wad of blood and broken teeth from his mouth and gripped his massive two-handed warblade. “C'mon, lads. Let's show these curs what human courage looks like!” The Captain bellowed a wordless warcry and charged the dragon.
And we followed.
The captain is a fighting man trained in leading and inspiring others. He may be a beloved commander who earns his troops' love and respect, or a tyrannical bully whose men follow him out of fear. While not as sturdy as a pure fighter, he is competent in all weapons and armor. His most powerful ability, though, his his skill in instilling courage and confidence in the men and women that follow him. With an few rallying words he can remove fear and bring strength to his fellows' arms. An experienced captain is so commanding, that even kings and emperors might pause and follow his orders.
Requirements: CON 9, CHA 13
Prime Requisites: CON and CHA
Hit Die: d6 (+2 HP after 9th level)
Fights as: Fighter
Saves as: Fighter
Weapons: All
Armor: All
Special Abilities
Master Commander: The captain has mastered the art of command. His authority inspires men to follow him into danger. The captain’s henchmen and hirelings receive a +2 bonus to morale.
“But it is not this day…”: The captain can improve the morale of troops. Inspiring courage requires a few moments of oration before a battle (one round), and grants all allies within a 50' radius a +1 bonus to attack throws, damage rolls, morale rolls (for monsters or NPCs allied with the captain), and saving throws against magical fear. The bonus lasts for 10 minutes (1 turn). The captain can inspire courage in any given character once per day per class level. He cannot inspire courage on characters who are already engaged in combat.
At Fifth Level:
The captainis immune to all natural and magical fear effects.
At Ninth Level:
Commanding Voice:
The captain gains a +2 bonus to reaction rolls with creatures he speaks to. If this bonus results in a total of 12 or more, the subjects act as if charmed while in his presence. Creatures with a WIS greater than the captain’s CHA are immune to this power (and the captain will know they are immune).
At ninth level (General), a captain can build a castle. His legendary leadership abilities will attract 5d10 0-level warriors looking for training under his leadership, as well as 1d6 low-level captains (level 1-3) rallying to his banner.
Hit Dice
Standard Bearer
General, Level 10
General, Level 11
General, Level 12
General, Level 13
Lord Marshal
*Hit Point modifiers from Constitution no longer apply.
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What’s wrong with civility? Exploring how civility is not an exercise in politeness but more a practice of speaking your truth without diminishing someone else’s.
The Institute for Civility
Brene Brown talking about civility
Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
5 Habits of the Heart by Parker Palmer
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Thinking about Tolerance
I’m glad to see that Jaya is continuing her thoughtful comments on my review of Geisler and Turek’s book, I Don’t Have Enough FAITH To Be an ATHEIST. Her latest post deals with my comments on David Limbaugh’s accusation that liberals are intolerant of Christians.
Yet the Professor misses the point of LImbaugh’s argument. The point, which is clear to any Christian reading it, is that Christians are not always welcome, and their beliefs are not always tolerated.
No, actually I quite understood that this was Limbaugh’s intended point. The problem with Limbaugh’s argument is that it’s not really a valid complaint. Jaya has some sympathy for Limbaugh’s point, being a Christian herself, and indeed even I can sympathize, having been an evangelical Christian for many years. But the “intolerance” and “hypocrisy” that Limbaugh accuses liberals of is the mere fact that they refer to Christian intolerance as intolerant.
[P]art of the outrage that we feel at being labeled “intolerant” is because, in the act of labeling someone thus (in the context of the connotation that word has taken on in our modern culture) is rather intolerant, and hypocrisy bothers us just as much as it does anyone else.
The connotation associated with the word “intolerant” is that you’re not willing to let other people live according to their own conscience in matters of individual liberty, but rather, you insist on forcing others to live according to your personal standards of faith and conduct. That’s generally seen as a bad thing, and it is indeed a significant detriment to social cohesion in a multicultural society. Such an approach inevitably raises conflicts over whose personal standards should be imposed on everyone, and if anyone does win, the successful imposition of their practices on others will foster resentment and rebellion, leading to more conflict.
The question is, is it “hypocritical” to identify intolerance in the words and deeds of those who are not willing to let other people live according to their own conscience, or is it merely honesty? Jaya is honest enough to admit that Christians are indeed intolerant, and are arguably not intolerant enough.
There are some things which should not be tolerated, and those are the things that are sinful. Murder is one of them, and one on which everyone agrees (until you get so far back into the life of a person that he’s not born yet – then for some reason people get this “out of sight, out of mind” mentality and assume it’s suddenly ok to kill him… but again, that’s another argument for another day). And then there are things like homosexuality, which, according to the Christian world view, is sinful, and therefore should not be tolerated. So of course we are against tolerating homosexual marriage. It’s sinful, and sin is not to be tolerated.
Most liberals, however, are perfectly fine with allowing Christians to express their views on such topics. Merely holding and speaking such beliefs, while objectionable, certainly falls within the lines of what tolerance ought to allow. (And in return, Christians ought to grant that liberals and non-Christians have an equal entitlement to expressing views critical of Christian views). The problem is that Christians go beyond merely expressing opinions about abortion and homosexuality. They seek to actively impose their standards of faith-based behavior on those who do not share their faith, with actual criminal penalties for those who fail to comply. Christians have even passed constitutional amendments in many states specifically denying homosexuals the right to marry the person they love.
We’re not talking about just free speech any more. Christians are actively interfering in the religious liberty of non-Christians, and even of liberal and gay Christians. Jaya is quite right about one thing, though: there are some things which should not be tolerated. Oppression of minorities, for example. Injustice. Dishonesty. Crime. Even intolerance itself, in the sense of the meddlesome intolerance that works to divide a society into classes of rulers vs. the ruled. I’m proud to be intolerant of those things, and you can go ahead and say so. I won’t complain in the least. In fact, I’ll have a somewhat lower opinion of you if you’re not intolerant of such things.
The thing that Christians need to remember is that they’re preaching their Christian definition of “sin” in God’s absence. God does not show up in real life to declare to us that, for example, the fetus is a “person,” or that homosexuals deserve to be denied basic human freedoms. And in God’s universal absence, the only basis Christians have for interfering in the religious liberties of others is the say-so of other men who presume to speak on God’s behalf in His absence. And there’s no way to objectively confirm whether or not any of these men really have the “correct” interpretation. Not only are there a number of different religions in the world, there is disagreement even within the different faiths. Religious arguments are endless precisely because there is no point in objective reality that can conclusively answer the question of who is right (if any).
This is why our Founding Fathers wisely wrote religious freedom into the Constitution. Notice the First Amendment does not mandate separation of “church” and state. It specifically forbids the state establishment of religion. Because in God’s absence, there is no “right” answer to any religious question, there is only “the answer that seems right in my own eyes.” And that’s not guaranteed to be the right answer.
Religious tolerance is crucial to the survival of free society, but you can’t have genuine religious freedom if you make exceptions based on what this or that sect perceives as “sin.” Who is to say that at the next turn of the wheel it might not be you who are being oppressed because you’ve “sinned” by submitting to the Pope (or refusing to submit, if you’re Protestant)? The world we all live in together is a secular world, and we need to live together bound by the common secular experience we all share, i.e. by secular laws. Forbid things with demonstrably bad real-world consequences, like fraud, stealing, and murder, and allow religious liberty in other areas. Be free to submit yourself to whatever religious beliefs you like, in private, but respect the religious liberty of others. And if you can’t do that, then don’t complain if people identify you as religiously intolerant. Fair’s fair.
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Posted in Society. 1 Comment »
One Response to “Thinking about Tolerance”
1. mjrobbins Says:
I think the problem for Christians is that because the definition of what is and isn’t sin can vary so widely, and because in practice there is no central authority to decide, they risk looking as though they pick and choose the things that they want to regard as sinful based on their own pre-existing beliefs.
For example, do people start declaring that homosexuality is wrong *because* of their religion, or simply because they don’t like it? I’m reminded a little of conspiracy theorists who spend hours sifting the internet for little pieces of evidence to support their “theories”, while disregarding all else.
Anyway, the point I’m making is that (to me at least) Christians come across as using religion as a handy support for their own existing intolerances – which makes them seem all the more, well, intolerant.
A second problem then is why they have to come out and be so aggressively opinionated. For example, if you believe that homosexuality is a sin, why should it bother you if some stranger sins? Why should it bother you if too gay people get married or live together? If your beliefs are right, they’ll go to hell, and if not then it doesn’t matter. Either way, you live your life regardless. This need that many Christians have to meddle in other people’s affairs makes them seem just plain intolerant, or even vindictive.
As for the suggestion that labeling someone as intolerant is, in itself, intolerant, that line of reasoning fall apart when you realize that it’s the equivalent of saying that because I don’t tolerate racism, I must be racist-ist.
Anyway, great blog, and I enjoy your writing.
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See what our Cab can do. Shop cabernets
10 Ideas for Upcycling Your Used Wine Bottles
Ever wonder what to do with the bottle after you've finished that last sumptuous drop of wine? One answer: wine bottle crafts. Here are 10 do-it-yourself ideas for repurposing those empties into home accessories, bird feeders, and more. Just a couple of tips before you get started: You usually can remove the label by soaking the bottles in warm water with a few tablespoons of baking soda for 30 minutes or scrubbing with a sponge or steel wool. And don't forget the corks! They even can be used to make cool items like key chains, cheese spreaders, trivets, and bulletin boards. All of these ideas are easily accessible via the Internet.
upcycle wine bottle
1. Wrap it. Encase bottles with yarn and burlap to add a rustic touch to your table decor. Just apply hot glue and start wrapping. Want a beachy look? Try netting a bottle with jute twine.
1. Slice it. Cut off the bottom from any wine bottle and use it as a candle, flower pot, terrarium, drinking tumblers, and more. All you need is a bottle cutter, sander to smooth the edge, and your imagination. Wondering what to do with the leftover tops? Use the upper halves of your wine bottles to craft a chandelier or hurricane lamps.
1. Embellish it. Use regular brush paint or spray paint to cover your bottles. What you do with them next is totally up to you!
1. Make your own tables. Just insert several bottles into openings in pieces of wood. Use smaller pieces of wood to create unique serving trays.
1. Create a centerpiece. All you need are bottles, a little water, and a few flowers. Take it up a notch by inserting strands of twinkly lights into the bottles.
1. Dispense soap. Paint or etch a design into the glass, pour in some dish soap, and insert a pour spout (available at kitchen stores). Voila! A handmade soap dispenser.
1. Attract birds. Use a drill bit to create holes near the bottom of the bottle for the food to come out. Then use epoxy to attach a plate or saucer to the very bottom to serve as a perch, and wrap with copper wire to hang.
1. Try a tree. This is a great way to use up lots of odds-and-ends bottles that are different shades and shapes. Simply turn the empty bottles upside down and place them on the thin tree branches in your front yard.
1. Water plants automatically. Drill a small hole lengthwise though the cork. Fill the wine bottle with water and reinsert the cork. Turn the bottle upside down and push it into the soil of your favorite potted plant to deliver a consistent drip.
1. Edge a garden. Dig a small trench along your garden border. Remove the labels from bottles and place them neck down into the trench so that about half the bottle length remains above ground level.
Recent Posts
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Author zyasoft
Recipients fwierzbicki, otmarhumbel, zyasoft
Date 2009-03-31.03:48:34
SpamBayes Score 0.000242508
Marked as misclassified No
Message-id <>
Changed the registry to default to using JLine. As usual, our
documentation ( is obsolete
here, there's no need to use jline.ConsoleRunner.
We need to track updates to the JLine project, we currently have 0.9.94,
but JRuby is working on an updated version.
In addition, the JRuby startup script has some specific workarounds for
cygwin that we need to apply to our startup script.
Date User Action Args
2009-03-31 03:48:35zyasoftsetmessageid: <>
2009-03-31 03:48:35zyasoftsetrecipients: + zyasoft, otmarhumbel, fwierzbicki
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Sunday, February 22, 2009
StatMom has posted about her young daughter Reese's cruel dilemma: precisely because Reese is able to sit politely at meetings (so far, anyway) and because Reese and StatMom have worked so hard to enable Reese to adapt as much as she has, Reese might not be regarded as autistic. That means she might not get accommodations for the problems she still does have and might always have, such as her great difficulty switching to another task before finishing the previous one. She may even get punished as a result.
StatMom is, understandably, a little miffed. And it's a little nippy in Alaska.
I understand that some people have an image of autists and Aspies as non-verbal, perhaps even spastic, people who can't live on their own or hold a job or even a conversation. Part of that has something to do with media stories about these disabilities. Some of those stories make a point of showing the most extreme versions of these disabilities for dramatic value.
There certainly is something to be said for making people understand that autism and AS are serious conditions with serious consequences. That's like focusing on cancer patients who needed amputations, chemotherapy and frequent radiation treatments, all of which have visible side effects. And people with the most severe forms of any condition need and deserve all the help they can get.
Many other people with cancer suffer quite a lot but it gets noticed - and accommodated - much less. For example, if a cancer patient works hard to make sure her pain does not distract others, she may successfully avoid upsetting others but she can still be in great pain and be unable to pursue many activities.
Even with agonizing and inoperable cancer, a determined enough person can do a wide variety of things. Including serving as a U.S. senator. (Happy Birthday!)
We Aspies and autists are trying to meet NTs at least halfway. We're compromising between our needs and the customs and expectations of a world we will never fully understand. For example, we have limited amounts of energy for socializing, but many of us can do it for clearly defined (non-marathon) intervals, with advance notice. It is not inconsistent on our part to attend, say, a pre-arranged dinner and then leave without going off with some other people elsewhere for dessert - especially if the dessert invitation was on the spur of the moment. Or to attend one party and not another on the same holiday.
Nor is it inconsistent for us to be much better able to hold a conversation one-to-one than in a small group. Or to be much easier to get along with when we're fully rested than if, for whatever reason, we've been running on insufficient sleep. (It is our responsibility to get enough sleep whenever possible in that case, though.)
Or to be a Nobel Prize-winning economist and still behave differently from others and sometimes find accommodations helpful.
And it's more than time for us to put aside the garbage about "Why can't you do A as well as everyone're so smart with X, Y and Z!" For example, we all know that one can fail one's college entrance exams as a whole even while getting high marks in Math and Physics...and still be no dummy. Aspies often have special talents, such as a keen eye for detail, the ability to focus and even sometimes good verbal skills. That doesn't mean we don't need help in other areas.
If we face an "all or nothing" choice, if our meeting NTs halfway means they think we can go the rest of the way just fine, if our reward for busting our butts and pushing back the frontiers of our comfort zones is disregard for the issues that remain, if our hard work to conform whenever we can means we get blamed and punished whenever we can't, with our good behavior all those other times being Exhibits A-E against us - "Obviously, you do know better...." - well, how would you respond in our place?
What do you think?
PS: If any of Reese's school administrators happen to read this: You would be well advised to give her the help she needs. StatMom has triumphed over much more than problems at her children's schools, more than she's even discussed in her blog. She will hang anyone out to dry who puts her children in impossible situations.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
An Aspie Moment
Once in a while, I have distinctively Aspie thoughts.
Recently, while walking around on campus at the local community college, I saw someone sitting down and looking at some kind of digital device. She was visibly upset, and looked like she was on the point of tears and/or had cried. So I told her whatever it was, I wished her the best of luck and hoped it would be resolved soon.
Walking away, I had an idea. Lots of places have automated text-message alerts, like when school is closed due to snow, you've got a new email or some emergency has hit your campus. Meanwhile, people who take their loved ones to the hospital often wait in suspense, wondering if they will recover, become permanently crippled, go into a coma or even die. They spend hours at the hospital...time that could be used to take care of their children, work, or even get their loved ones' affairs in order, just in case.
So, I wondered: why can't hospitals offer text-message alerts when patients go into surgery (and say what kind of surgery: eg, amputation, appendectomy, open-heart surgery), come out of surgery (complete with outcome), have definite diagnoses, slip into comas...or die? For example, a text message could read "JOHN DOE - DIAGNOSIS: STAGE 4 BRAIN CANCER - INOPERABLE" or "JANE SMITH - DIED 1:45AM, 02/16/09: MASSIVE INTERNAL INJURIES FROM AUTO ACCIDENT"
That way, family members and friends - who presumably already know the patient is already being treated by professionals and that there is nothing they themselves can do for him/her now - can go about their business with the understanding that they'll be the first to know when something happens.
That's the kind of idea that might appeal to Aspies, if we're much more comfortable thinking in terms of fast information and who might actually prefer something like a text message since they can deal with it in private and not have to compose themselves in front of a doctor.
That would be unacceptable to pretty much any NT (and possibly even some Aspies, too). Family members and friends generally don't want to bury themselves in work, let alone "business as usual," under such circumstances. Most of them would have great difficulty concentrating on anything else while their loved one was hanging in the balance on the operating table or in the Intensive Care Unit. And if, say, their loved one had to lose a leg or was paralyzed for life or permanently disfigured, or was diagnosed with AIDS or cancer, or even died, the very last way most people would want to find out would be by something as impersonal as a text message, let alone an automated one.
The idea might seem logical, but it would feel horrible to most people. It would feel like your brother or daughter or wife or grandfather or best friend was so insignificant to the very people supposed to be taking care of him/her that they don't want to take any more time than necessary to let you know what happened. It would feel like they were so cold and uncaring as not to even try to help you feel better about it, as if you weren't supposed to be hurt so much by the news or they didn't care how you feel.
That's also why it's considered bad to fire people via email or text message - which, unlike the hospital text message alerts (as far as I know!), has actually been done.
Meanwhile, Casualty Assistance Officers have an entire set of protocols spelling out how to notify the next of kin of someone killed in the line of duty. For example, they always receive special training, they always notify primary next of kin (surviving spouse, or if none then parents) in person and within 24 hours of the military finding out about the death, they always notify people in pairs and they never publicize casualty information until after next of kin have been notified. All of these measures are critically important to reducing the extreme blow to people's feelings when they learn that their spouses or children have been killed.
The moral of the story is: logic and efficiency have a place, and they need to be kept in their place. We also need to be vitally concerned with people's feelings, and do the best we can to avoid hurting people emotionally even - no, especially - when we think we're being logical and efficient.
What do you think?
EDIT: The Onion has taken this to the next level...and then some. (Only read this if you've got a strong stomach. Let's just say The Onion writers really do their homework.)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Interview with a Special Educator
I've had the good luck to interview Eileen Magan, an expert from Maryland, who has worked with Aspies and autists in a variety of settings. Among other things, she's been a Peace Corps Volunteer in Romania, where she taught a 13-year-old Aspie. (Some of the most generous people I've ever known were in the Peace Corps, and she does not seem like an exception.)
Eileen and her father Alan Magan now have their own café, Chesapeake Gardens, where they've developed some gluten-free/dairy-free soups which they hope will help autistic children. Some people believe that gluten-free/dairy-free food ameliorates some of the issues associated with autism and AS, and that may be true on an individual basis. (For that matter, they may also help some NTs.)
Meanwhile, Eileen is finishing up her Master's degree in Special Education, after which she hopes to teach at a charter school in Baltimore. She's been kind enough to share some of her experience with us.
1. Could you please describe briefly your work with people on the spectrum? What were their ages?
I've worked with people on the spectrum since I was 15, so over 10 years. Honestly the ages and situations have ranged -- I've worked with people from age 3 to in their mid-40's, with everything from 1:1 ABA [Applied Behavior Analysis] therapy to summer camps for people with disabilities.
2. How has working with them been different from working with NTs? What were the most important challenges?
It really depends on the age -- a lot of work has been working with young children on the spectrum, it which case the important challenge has been social. A lot of times the children are taught rote social conversation without ever understanding what it MEANS. [Emphasis in original]
For instance, I worked with a 6-year-old with Asperger's who was taught whenever he cried, a therapist would ask "Why are you crying?" He would say "Because I am sad." However, during a Floortime play session I tried to explore further - "Why are you sad?" He responded "Because I am glad." Since the "correct response" was "Because I am sad" and I had asked a follow-up question, he simply assumed he had answered "incorrectly" and had to come up with another response.
A lot of times teaching how to respond socially isn't necessarily the best approach if the person doesn't understand the emotions they're experiencing or the reason for the social context.
3. How do you think their situations affected them most?
It depends where they are on the spectrum. If the autism is more severe, even basic communication might be a challenge. If they have Asperger's, it might be mostly social
4. What does it take to successfully work with people on the spectrum?
I think it takes empathy and patience, but also a sense of humor. Sometimes by attempting to be too politically correct with someone on the spectrum you're really just talking down to them instead of trying to relate. When working/talking with people of a similar age, sometimes I think it's more appropriate to tell them you didn't understand/appreciate a certain comment or remark than trying to act polite and politically correct.
5. Do you plan to work with people on the spectrum in the future? If so, what (if anything) would you do differently? Also, what would you advise others planning to work with people on the spectrum?
After working almost exclusively with children with autism in Romania, I'd definitely like to focus on autism in the future. It's hard to say what I would do differently, since working in Romania is a very unusual circumstance. But I'd advise (and probably take my own advice moreso) what I said for Question #4.
6. How do you think people on the spectrum can best overcome their distinctive challenges?
By figuring out what works best for them. For people in general, I think there is always a decision to be made of whether it would be easier to overcome a challenge or to develop a coping strategy. For instance, if large groups make you uncomfortable, you can either overcome the discomfort or you can try to avoid it and stick to smaller groups of people. I think there's merit to either approach.
7. What can parents, teachers, peers, employers, potential friends/partners and others do to best help such people? What challenges are most difficult and most important?
Like I said in Question #4, I think it's extremely helpful for the people involved in the person's life to be straight-forward with them. No one is going to benefit from the things that are left unsaid because you feel uncomfortable being honest with someone. As for younger children, consistency and repetition with certain skills is crucial. [Emphasis added]
What do you think?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Constructive Confrontation: A Call for Mentorship
As we know, it's generally a good idea to let someone know from the git-go if you're not interested in dating, working together or the like, or if there's a problem. We Aspies and autists can help set the example.
One thing we've pointed out is that suffering in silence generally doesn't even help the other person, who's going to need to know sooner or later and will probably only be hurt (more) to find out later, after building up expectations.
The great irony here: if you let something slide, you can easily end up behaving worse toward the other person. As I've found out firsthand, some people drop hint after hint, get frustrated after their "clear signals" are "ignored," do a slow burn and then blow up at the other person.
Others who see their subordinates, protégés or students exhibiting problems but don't feel comfortable confronting them about it - especially if they do hold it against them when giving (or evaluating) assignments or other things or even deciding whether to keep them - are shirking their duties as bosses, mentors and teachers.
If you recognize yourself, here's an excellent opportunity to take a great step forward in 2009. People will respect you a lot more when you show self-control and the courage to apply the proverbial stitch in time that saves nine.
Take a leaf from the electricians: Adding a connection to the ground diverts excess voltage and releases static electricity buildups, which can otherwise burn and even electrocute people. Likewise, when you keep people "grounded" by "keeping it real," you divert energy which could otherwise build up, give you a slow burn and even shock you and everyone around you.
(No prize for guessing that I was raised by an electrician.)
Yes, there's a risk that the other person will not take it well. In that case, you've gotten an invaluable opportunity to test his/her maturity. If you're his/her boss, mentor or teacher, you can use that knowledge. Even if it's just someone you don't want to date or be friends with, you know to be glad you dodged that bullet.
(And if s/he starts harassing you, you can call the police knowing you gave a fair heads-up to leave you alone. If you can document that to the police, they will be much more likely to take swift action.)
Whatever your title, if you're a boss or teacher/college professor, you're also a mentor. As Spider-Man famously put it, "With great power, comes great responsibility."
In fact, mentorship has never been exclusively official. Friends (and I don't mean MySpace or Facebook "friends") are classic mentors.
StatMom has written an excellent account of certain Aspie impulses which - channeled appropriately - can help us Aspies and autists lead the way. Her daughter Reese, like many if not most other Aspies, is quick to see when things go wrong, and wants to put them right. Being only a child, she bosses people around and demands that they do whatever it is that needs doing. StatMom is showing her that most often (not always) only adults give orders.
But children can still be mentors to their friends and other people. Even with the tough tasks of persuading their friends that, say, copying their neighbors' tests is a bad idea, or sharing a bit of one's lunch with someone who forgot her own can be a good thing to do.
From long experience, I have come to embrace the old Russian proverb "The yes-man is your enemy, but your friend will argue with you." Now, the most important thing about all of my friends (not to mention Emily) is the ability and willingness to find and point out how I can improve (and of course, to value the same from me). That's exactly what it means for us to watch each other's backs - our blind spots.
Compliments are important social lubricants. The real machinery of friendship and mentorship lies in seeing how your brother, neighbor, close friend, wife, student, subordinate, etc., can be a better person, do a better job, become a better friend or partner...and then showing him/her the way. Aspies and autists' eyes for detail, verbal skills, courage and honesty - leavened with appropriate social skills like courtesy - will help.
What do you think?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
One Aspie and Autist Contribution to the World - More Honesty
The article "Guys, Are You About to Be Dumped?", by Bob Strauss, shows an incident in which tact and subtlety were taken way too far:
"Recently, I went out with a guy for a second date," says Melissa from Chicago. "Before this, I tried to give him all the tell-tale signs that I wasn't interested, but he persisted: He wouldn't stop calling, he wouldn't stop asking me out. So just to get him off my back, I agreed to go out one more time.
"During the date, to continue to show him I wasn't interested, I brought up every taboo subject I could think of, and tilted my views toward the radical side: feminism, politics, religion, marriage, etc.", says Melissa.
"When he dropped me off, I very clearly leaned toward the door away from him, and hopped out of the car as soon as possible to avoid the terrible ‘good night kiss.' After that, he finally figured it out!"
We'll never know just what kinds of "tell-tale signs" Melissa tried to give him, or whether he was an Aspie. On the other hand, as Strauss himself points out, "[G]uys aren't very good at picking up clues."
Faced with a guy who apparently wasn't good at picking up clues, Melissa did the wrong thing. She actually agreed to his requests.
Melissa might have thought that her behavior on the second date would have turned him off completely. Unfortunately, she was mistaken. Only her avoidance of a good-night kiss convinced him that she wasn't interested.
If I were still on the market and had a date like that, my interest would have been piqued. I admire people - especially women - with strong opinions and the courage to express them. And I would have interpreted the discussion as a sign that she felt comfortable enough with me to talk about these things.
How ironic that Melissa did all this precisely to cover her lack of courage. All she had to say was "Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm not interested. But good luck finding the woman of your dreams!" She didn't want to actually say it - but she wanted him to know it anyway.
What if he remained interested in Melissa and never got her hints? Did she think it would get easier as time went on? When was she going to break the bad news to him - the day before the wedding?
Maybe we Aspies can help. We know what it's like not to get a hint, and we practice our honesty skills.
Let's look at what he was doing. He was asking Melissa out. Note the operant term here. It means that a question is being posed, to which there can be more than one answer. When someone asks you out on a date, s/he understands that the answer can be either "Yes, I'd love to" or "No, thank you."
Maybe, just maybe, the person is a grown-up, and he'll accept "No" and move on with his life. If he doesn't, let that be his problem. As a last resort, that's what the police are for. It's certainly not fair to just assume that a given person won't take "No" for an answer.
In fact, it's not fair to either side. Melissa wasted a lot of her time, money and tension, some of it in the company of the very guy she wanted to avoid. She might have also put her reputation at risk, if the guy spreads the word that she has bad dating manners. Maybe she didn't mind that. Problem is, she wasted his time and money too. Perhaps worst of all, she also treated him like a baby who can't stand to hear the word "No".
Some people defend the practice as "letting him down easy". Next time you need a Band-Aid removed, is that the approach you want to take? Trust me, removing a human being feels much the same way - just more intense.
MUDs (Multiple User Dimensions, or Multiple User Dungeons) have different kinds of characters, such as Thieves, who have high Dexterity scores and are good at sneaking past guards and monsters, picking locks and stealing things, Fighters, who have high Strength scores and are good at killing tough monsters, and Magic-Users, who have high Intelligence scores and are good at using magic powers. The different kinds of characters need each other; none can succeed alone.
You might say this world is like a great big MUD. NTs may have high Tact and Subtlety scores, and are good at building connections among various types of people and communicating subtle nuances. Aspies and autists have high Honesty, Directness and Firmness scores, and can be good at enforcing boundaries and nipping one-sided "relationships" in the bud.
Strauss says "My advice to my fellow single guys? Maybe take a hint and bail before things get that bad." A good piece of advice. Here's another one: Maybe tell the other person straight out when things aren't working, just in case he doesn't take your hint, precisely so you and he can bail before things get that bad.
Don't thank us: we're happy to help.
What do you think?
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Breastfeeding while Babywearing
Learning to nurse in a carrier can make life with your baby much easier. Imagine that you’re at the park with your two year old who is running around playing. Your baby is snuggled against your chest in a soft carrier. You are pushing your older child on the swing and you notice that your baby is […]
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full name / name of organization:
Joachim Frenk
contact email:
Saarland University
Saarbruecken, Germany
5 - 7 June 2009
Deadline for proposals: 30 November 2008
of contexts. He has provided a screen onto which the heterogeneous
desires of nationally, culturally and socially diverse readers, viewers
and cultural studies. As a cultural phenomenon entangled in the histories
conference as a forum to discuss new approaches and recent revisions.
Bond has been around:
national, media, and generic boundaries.
We invite papers on topics including:
• Bond and tourism - travelling in and with Bond
• National, international, transnational Bonds
international appeal;Bond and the transnational
graphic novels, etc.
Bond is different:
Constructions of Bond can be analysed by focussing on categories based on
Topics might include:
• Ethnicity â€" post- and neo-colonial approaches
• Class â€" Bond as class(less) hero and/or as a representative of an upper
class; patterns of consumption based on class; the social stratifications
• Gender â€" constructions and performances of maleness, masculinity and
• Ethics â€" Bond and the ethical turn, Bond’s turns on ethics
• Bond and cultural hermeneutics
Bond means culture and politics:
have already proved a rewarding field of enquiry.
Papers might focus specifically on:
• Bond, history and historiography
• The (cultural) politics and ideologies of Bond
• The semiotics of Bond
• Bond and material culture
• Bond, fandom, fetishization, desire
Bond is big business:
Commercial aspects of popular culture have been intensely debated since
the 1940s.
With regard to Bond, topics might include:
• Bond as franchise â€" forms of production, marketing, etc.
• Bond and commodity culture â€" selling, buying, consuming Bond
• Canonizing and institutionalizing Bond in academia
From the Literary Calls for Papers Mailing List
more information at
Received on Tue Jun 10 2008 - 09:23:28 EDT
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The Sunday next before Advent
Jeremiah xxiii. 5 & St. John vi. 1
Andrew.. saith unto him, There is a lad here
The Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity
The Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity
Primus Pilus on Isaiah - MMVI
from Sunday Morning Prayer, 1st Set of Lessons
23rd Trinity Home
Source: Bishop Gregory of Rome [604 AD] Compare Psalm 46 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help [Barbee and Zahl]. The petition reminds one of Jesus' promise, 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
The Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity
The Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity
John Chrysostom on Philipians i. 1
LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Philippians i. 3
Announcements for the week beginning
12 November 06
* We have added a line to the bidding prayers in both the daily devotion and the Eucharist to remember those who have gone before us. This was custom in the early church, and is found in early liturgies. We have offered prayers of thanksgiving for the saints in the Chapel and also on the Prayer page to praise God and petition him for grace to follow the good examples of all the saints.
Remberance/Armistice/Veterans Day 11 Nov
Remembrance & Veterans Day
Lt. Col. John McCrae, Canada
November 11th
Popies of Flanders Field
The Poppies of Flanders Fields
At the 11th hour, on the 11th day, in the 11th month, on a train in France, the Armistice was signed to end the Great War. Many hoped, and prayed, that it would be the "War To End All Wars."
In 1953, in a small town in Kansas, the people decided to remember not only the veterans of the Great War, but all veterans in times of peace and war: and so it has become an annual remembrance of Veteran's Day in the United States.
We commend the Service of Prayer for Veteran's - Armistice Day, and also for use the following Sunday in public worship. Let us in particular this day, remember our veteran centurions, and especially those who are now in harms way.
The poppie flower has come to symbolize this memorial in the US, France and the Commonwealth nations, from the war-time poem of a Christian soldier, physician, and teacher, Lt. Colonel John McCrae who fell due to pneumonia during the Great War. We remember Colonel McCrae today, and all those gallant men who fell in the Great War and in the succeeding wars. I commend this site for a biography of his life and career.
Lt. Col John McCrae Portrait
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
[May 3, 1915]
Lt. Col John McCrae Stamp
Lt. Col John McCrae, Canadian Expeditionary Forces
He felt he should have made greater sacrifices, and insisted on living in a tent through the year, like his comrades at the front, rather than in the officers' huts. When this affected his health in mid-winter he had to be ordered into warmer surroundings. To many he gave the impression that he felt he should still be with his old artillery brigade. After the battle of Ypres he was never again the optimistic man with the infectious smile. (Prescott. In Flanders Fields: The Story of John McCrae, p. 110).
McCrae contracted pneumonia and meningitis and died on 28 Janauary and "... was buried with full military honors in Wimereux Cemetery, just north of Boulogne, not far from the fields of Flanders. Bonfire [his horse] led the procession, McCrae's riding boots reversed in the stirrups. His death was met with great grief among his friends and contemporaries."
Amazons with the Legions
Roman Army History:
Amazon Women at War
From another articles on the female cavalry centurions in the funeral pyre in England comes this.
read the entire article from Discovery News a few years ago.. I have linked this article it to our Membership page site inviting women into the Order.
Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
Announcements for the week beginning
5 November 06
Feasts, Memorials, and Fasts
Martin of Tours - November 11th
Mennas, Legionary & Martyr November 11th
Remembrance-Veterans Day - November 11th and Lt. Col John McCrae et. al.
* There is a Service of Prayer for combatants in Iraq, with a link on our Order's Prayer page, sent to us by a centurion and assembled and or composed by a by a friend; we suggest it for use on Remembrance/Veterans Day November 11th and the Sunday following in public worship. One tradition is to remember our combatants on the 11th hour, the 11th day, of the 11th month when the treaty was signed ending the Great War in 1918. You'll note it on the calendar above along with the commemoration of four of Christ's soldiers. It may be easily modified for other nationalities, and used with the poem Flanders Fields. We suggest prayers for peace according to God's will, and for victory of Right over Evil as well. The appointed epistle for this Sunday from Ephesians vi. puts us in mind that we all need to don the armor of God as members of his great Army engaged in an invisible war against Evil.
* We've modified the front page slightly, moving some of the links and adding a few.
* Lt. Col John McCrae and the Remembrance/Veterans Day page is new.
* We've added several old tried and true prayers to the prayer page. The Lamb of God is the ancient version.. that centurions would have heard in the 4th Century. Also there is a prayer for the nation by Constantine... I am put in mind of the US motto: In God We Trust... so did Constantine. The prayer by Augustine for Night is from the Covenant Seminary Church History Course available through our Seminary page.. a similar translation of this prayer is part of the Episcopal Church evening prayer liturgy.
Bidding Prayer
Pray for:
Centurions in harms way
Peace in the Mideast
The Chi Rho Vision... in the clouds?
With His Head in the Clouds
I commend this article...with a reprint from a book by Gavin Pretor-Pinney, the Cloudspotter's Guide. He maintains the xP in the sky that Constantine saw was a naturally occurring phenomena. He could be right: Constantine may have seen the cross in the sky due to atmospheric conditions.
If so, does that make the legend of the Labarum all a farce? Well, not in my book. I believe God manifests himself using nature in ways that suit him, and I believe also of the vision that night, the voice, and the writing in the sky. What this article does present, that refutes many naysayers, is that the sign could have indeed been seen by his entire Army that day as Eusebius says Constantine swore to him. A quote from the article...
A rare coin—the 'Spes public'— struck in Constantinople in AD327, shows a particularly clear depiction of the military standard that became the established one for the Roman army, following the vision accorded to Constantine and his troops fifteen years before. It shows the labarum above a banner with three circles on it.
When the sun happens to be at an elevation of 22° from the horizon, the smile of the circumzenithal arc can appear to touch the 46° halo. Were the cloud cover broken, so that just a part of the halo appeared below the arc, the effect is not a million miles away from the cross in Constantine's labarum. And the vertical line of the 'P', incorporated into the symbol? It is a sun pillar appearing below the sun, of course. Three coins on the vellum below the symbol? Well, it goes without saying that they represent the sun with sundogs, or mock suns, on either side of it.
Comment: Eusebius said the royal cloth had the medallions of Constantine and his sons, but perhaps it came to him to so display them from a vision of "suns" as described above
You can read Eusebius and others at these links.
Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius [315], Eusebius of Pamphili, Bishop of Caesera [330] and Salminius Hermias Sozomen [443]
And let us remember that Constantine, moving on this vision, soundly defeated a force much larger than his own. His opponent made a critical tactical blunder on the advice of pagan priests in coming out of the fortifications of Rome, crossing the Tiber with it at his back and with no room to maneuver or to withdraw. Nor must ever forget the civil results: an end to persecution of Christians... the restoration of Christian property, and freedom of Christian worship wherever Constantine ruled, the council that consolidated the catholic-ortodox faith and discredited the heretics.
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BCS Theory of Hadronic Matter at High Densities
Authors: H Bohr, C Providencia, Jda Providencia
Abstract: In the present paper the magnetization of a high density relativistic fluid of elementary particles is studied. At very high densities, such as may be found in the interior of a neutron star, when the external magnetic field is gradually increased, the energy of the normal phase of the fluid remains practically constant before extremely high magnetic fields are reached. However, if pion condensation occurs, the energy decreases linearly while the magnetic field strength increases, so that a non vanishing magnetization, independent of the magnetic field, is present. The expression of the magnetization is derived by first considering and solving the Dirac equation of a fermion in interaction with a magnetic field and with a chiral sigma-pion pair. The solution provides the energies of single-particle states. The energy of the system is found by summing up contributions from all particles in the particle fluid. For nuclear densities above 2 to 3 rho(0), where rho(0) is the equilibrium nuclear density, the resulting magnetic field turns out to be rather huge, of the order of 10(17) Gauss.
DOI: 10.1007/s13538-012-0060-7
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Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Official If You Seek Amy Remixes
These remixes are sounding pretty hot. These are official, so will probably be available to buy on itunes quite soon. As for chart predictions, I can't see it doing as well as Circus (#3 peak) or Womanizer (#1 peak), but I can certainly see it reaching the top 20.
Track Listing
1) If You Seek Amy (Gthardstyle Remix)
2) If You Seek Amy (Tony Arzadon Remix)
3) If You Seek Amy (Booth Pimps Remix)
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podcasts i’m listening to
Waking up – smart dude talking with lots of other smart, mostly dudes, from varying viewpoints about the nature and ramifications of consciousness. Covers religion, belief, cultural phenomena, politics, nationalism… actually it covers a lot of isms. (I usually listen at 1.4X speed).
Diffusion science radio – A broad mix of updates and interviews on efforts around science, mostly in Australia. As i’ve heard said = “Science is the only news“. (I usually listen at 1.6x speed).
Power to the People – hilarious comedian contemplates cultural phenomena off the cuff, I usually listen at 2x speed – bonus points from me for non-US accents and Brisbane crow sounds in the background. I laugh and I consider thoughts that my more defensive mind may never have let me contemplate.
Song Exploder – a pop song version of “meet the composer”, in focus and length, very concise and relevant. excellent guests and production.
Review the Future – two guys talk about the consequences of technology on culture. (i usually listen at 1.7x speed). great way to help oneself know what they think about these things plus get more in depth with the discussion.
Meet the Composer – long episodes but for good reason, you get to meet people and hear sound ideas rather than products. also calming.
The Long Now Foundation – goddam humbling and mindblowing, very smart people thinking in a 20,000 year time frame. (Ironically i usually listen at double speed).
Science VS – started on ABC Australia, hosted by an Australian (bonus points from me for non-US accents) but now made in the US, can be a bit US centric and is highly produced but excellent unbiased science and cultural contemplation.
Badcrypto – two dudes talking very widely about the crypto space. I don’t think i’ll stick with this one but for now they’re interest in the social impacts of cryptography means i learn something that i wouldn’t otherwise have time to read about. I generally skip their ICO spotlight episodes but really enjoy their interviews. I listen at 1.6x speed and skip a lot. Very dude-heavy but so is the whole space.
Whiting wongs – a white man and an asian woman say all the things you shouldn’t say, especially comedy that relies on stereotypes of ethnicity or class or culture. And they get schooled by their guests or each other. I listen at 1.5x speed and skip the parts where they lament about being writers for TV.
and of course the podcast I founded, Wombat Radio that asks dancers/choreographers, and others including sometimes musicians “What? and How? and WHY!?” about their efforts.
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Friday, September 25, 2009
3 Little Wolves
I seem to be getting better. The overlay process showed some of the same problems which cropped up with Jerry. I need to make my heads more circular and keep the proportions in check as I tend to draw them too tall. Shorter, squatter bodies and rounder heads should be the antidote.
Here is a still from Disney's 1936 short The Three Little Wolves. I really love the character design on these guys. I find them stylish without being too complicated to construct which is ideal because it maintains my drawing interest without the frustration. You can watch The Three Little Wolves on YouTube; it's a lot of fun.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
I knew the overlay process would be painful. Some of the mistakes were obvious to me without doing this, others were more elusive which is, of course, the entire point of the exercise. Jerry is two-and-a-half heads tall, sporting typical cherubic proportions. I am so used to drawing adult humans that the tendency is for me to make the head too small/thin and the body too tall. Everything needs to be more rounded and lines of action for uncommon poses require more attention.
On a side note, some of these are so off that I could probably put on some red-blue glasses and see mice in three dimensions...
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
I could watch Katie Rice and Naked Beach Frenzy all day.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Everybody's doin' that crazy hand-jive!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Line of Action
Again, these copies of the images from Preston Blair's newer publish appear to be more generic than their true counterparts. Since I was away from the net when I did these, it was just easier to use the newer, inferior hard copy I have. In my mind, what's important is the principles still hold true regardless of the character designs.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Two-Legged Characters
If these characters appear more generic than their Warner Bros. dopplegangers, well, it's because I'm using the newer print of Preston Blair's book which just happens to be handy.
Stretch & Squash
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Head Construction
John K. has started a private "cartoon college" blog and to get into the cabin I'll be swabbin' some decks. Here are some head construction exercises from Preston Blair's indispensable Cartoon Animation book.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Humble beginnings
I set up this blog because I'm finally old enough to know what it is I'm supposed to be doing in life: cartoons. Thanks to my childhood hero John K. and his blog for re-awakening me.
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"The Blast At Eklutna; A February avalanche seen by nobody leaves plenty of clues to its enormity and fury."-By Doug O'Harra of "We Alaskans"
The birch stump bulged from the ground on a broad slope beneath Bold Peak, smack in the middle of a quarter-mile-wide swath of flattened vegetation and scoured earth. Its gnarled base was about 28 inches in diameter -- rare bulk for a birch at the 1,100-foot elevation in the Chugach Mountains. It was a tree that had lived many decades.
No more.
In early May, the trunk rose only about a foot above the ground, terminating in a fan of splinters and spears the size of popsicle sticks. A tree that had once reached skyward from this base had simply disappeared -- not toppled on the ground below the stump, not even in sight on the hill. It was gone.
The same was true for hundreds of other trees on this slope, which rises above the head of Eklutna Lake, eight miles from the Eklutna trail head in Chugach State Park. Most of what remained of the trees ended in shredded clumps of heartwood a few feet above the ground, tops ripped away, the twisted remnants pointing downhill in the freeze-frame image of something caught in a hurricane. Alongside them lay a few still-rooted trees and brush flattened to the ground.
Except for the blue sky and white clouds overhead and the tiny green plants emerging from bare dirt underfoot, the view might have served as detail in a painting of mayhem. ''Still Life in Full Gale'' wouldn't be an exaggeration.
The same February storm that paralyzed the Anchorage region with deep snow and 100-mph winds -- the storm that spawned an avalanche that killed an Alaska Railroad worker trying to clear a previous slide near the Seward Highway -- also devastated this unpopulated mountainside on the southwest face of Bold Peak, about 16 miles up the valley from the Glenn Highway. The fast-moving powder blast had enough force to clear 120 acres of spruce and birch forest, in some places down to dirt. It piled debris on the Eklutna Lake trail from Mile 7.9 to Mile 8.5. Three months later, spring melt was fast eating away what was left of the dirty snow, revealing the full extent of the damage.
Searching for what was left of the big birch tree meant taking a bearing from what was left of the stump: the strands pointed downslope, slightly to the left of the fall line, toward a gully filled with slash and trunks and limbs. Sure enough, about 70 feet down the steep slope, a massive birch tree lay squashed in the duff, partly buried by debris, partly riding over other whole trees.
Its base and girth seemed to match the big stump. The trunk stretched 54 feet in length, ending in a tightly clenched crown of denuded branches. A tree as tall as a five-story building had been ripped loose from its roots and tossed like a javelin downhill. But it was hardly exceptional.
Along the edges and bottom of the slope lay jumbled piles of trunks and branches, some piled in windrows, some tangled this way and that, some lying neatly together like slash from a logging project. A small stream course had filled to the brim with slash, leveling the ground so you could cross the gully from brim to brim, with the stream itself visible some 10 feet below through a hole in the compacted snow and slash. Scattered underfoot were smaller sticks and kindling and posts -- shattered pieces of limbs and trees. In places, the spruce needles lay thick, carpeting the floor.
It was as though the forest had exploded.
No one saw the slide come down. Amyot had patrolled the trail on Jan. 27 and found nothing amiss. Within three days, conditions radically changed.
A low-pressure system swirled into Prince William Sound, sending a flow of moisture over the Chugach Mountains and dumping 8 to 12 inches of snow in Anchorage, far more in the mountains. By Feb. 1, avalanches were thundering down steeper slopes, closing highways, knocking out power, isolating communities. That afternoon, Alaska Railroad heavy-equipment operator Kerry Brookman was killed when his Caterpillar tractor was struck by an avalanche near Mile 98 on the Seward Highway, carrying him and the machine 400 feet into Turnagain Arm. Some of the snow avalanches off Penguin Ridge, overlooking the Arm, stretched 1,000 feet wide. Together, they covered miles of roadway.
A slide also blocked Eklutna Lake Road about six miles up from the Glenn Highway. Another slide crossed the Old Glenn Highway at Mile 7.5, just across the mountains from the Eklutna Lake valley. Severe conditions throughout the area prompted Chugach Park superintendent Al Meiners to close most back-country areas and leave trail heads unplowed to discourage visitors.
''This is a good time for folks to stay home,'' Meiners told a newspaper reporter at the time.
One stretch that remained technically open to public use included the trail along Eklutna Lake through about Mile 12, a stretch with little known avalanche danger. But conditions had become so severe and unstable that the snow load would soon redraw nature's own avalanche map.
Few people ventured out over the next few days as the winter storm evolved into a classic Chugach chinook, sweeping the mountain front with winds gusting to 100 mph and more. Finally, on Feb. 5, after conditions had eased, people touring upper Eklutna valley on snowmachines reported that a very large avalanche had damaged the forest at the head of Eklutna Lake. The report was vague but intriguing.
Within a few days, rangers visited the site and others viewed it from airplanes. After performing their own brief analysis, Anchorage avalanche experts Jill Fredston and Doug Fesler said they found the slide remarkable in several respects.
A slab of low-density snow had been set in motion high on the side of 7,522-foot Bold Peak, overlooking an old path that had rarely slid during the past quarter-century. The slide accelerated over a two-mile path descending about 6,000 feet, taking with it an entire chute of light, unstable snow. The surge of so much snow displaced a tremendous wave of air. This powder blast -- propelled ahead of the snow at a speed of at least 100 mph -- ''entrained'' a great deal of light powder, which in turn increased its own mass and ''knockdown power,'' possibly by a factor of eight.
As this wave roared down the mountain, it ripped out vegetation, windmilling whole trees so that they shattered and snapped into rails. At the base of the mountain, a tsunami of wind and snow and wood crossed the road, tearing into a forest that had stood for many decades. The slide then fanned out onto the flats, mowing down about 120 acres of mature spruce-birch forest and reaching about a half-mile into the valley. The force dissipated; a cloud of powder must have risen like a thunderhead.
The angle of the farthest reach of the slide to its starting zone was about 20 degrees, according to Fredston. This angle -- used by analysts to predict potential danger -- was one of the most remarkable aspects of this avalanche.
''It was a very long-running slide,'' Fredston said.
Larger avalanches occur frequently in the Chugach Mountains. But rarely does a slide carve so much new territory out of the forest and extend so much farther.
At the end of the lake, overlooking the mouth of the East Fork of Eklutna River, the avalanche debris was piled high enough to bury a cabin, as though a timber crew had gone berserk. Several 8- and 10-inch cottonwood trees were bent across the road, blocking it as effectively as a gate. A mound of trunks and branches and interlocking slash stretched out of sight. The road simply disappeared into the mess.
A sign in the roadway -- ''Lakeside Trail closed to motorized vehicles due to Avalanche Damage'' -- provided an amazing understatement. ''Trail Obliterated'' would have been more accurate.
Deeper in the debris, the level of damage was so vast it seemed to imply malevolent intent. The debris was deepest along the edges, where it had filled gullies and smoothed the landscape. And yet, in the middle of one denuded knoll, between flattened cottonwood trees and squashed fragments of brush, a springy wild rose bush stood -- Rosa rugosa, with new buds, maroon stem, prickly thorns. More of them had emerged from the nearby slash, reaching for the sky and bouncing in the breeze.
And that's when the reality of the avalanche began to appear. It didn't cause destruction so much as complete change, not obliteration so much as opportunity. An open glade had taken the place of dense woods. After all, what's bad for a stand of old spruce might be a stroke of luck for a patch of feisty, thorny roses. From the perspective of a whole community of plants and bacteria and voles and insects, nothing was lost here except maybe some chilly shade.
Clues to this renewal were hidden everywhere among the debris. Along one portion of slope, where the stumps rose in ragged scars, spears of devil's club fluttered jauntily in a cold spring breeze, utterly undamaged. In a few months, this section would become an impassable jungle of pizza pan-sized leaves equipped with spikes.
Deep in one section of wreckage lay a single reddish-orange cranberry, as perfect and untouched as the day it had ripened last summer.
And out on the flats, where the forest had been mowed down and the snow was blackened with duff and bits of bark, emerged a bed of new ferns. A streamlet tinkled through them. The little plants rose from the earth a few inches, crooked and bent. But they were fuzzy to the touch, lush, deep green and growing fast.
The Bold Peak Avalanche site at the head of Eklutna Lake
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Let's Decide Finally.
There have been many instances, especially recently when an actor gets to reprise a roll that has already been someone else. Whether it is a remake, or a new angle on the initial material, let's put to rest once and for all the 'who did it better' debate, by asking a more interesting question; 'who did it naughtier?' Why you ask? Because from Chaplin, to Rivera, to Lolita herself, their naughtiness is what makes them memorable, the portrayal should be that which is not eclipsing but definitely significantly deviant. I am of course focusing on representation of characters who's deviance is a significant part of their existence, not like Gary Oldman in JFK or James Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...So here we go...
Robert Downey Jr. in Chaplin (1992)
Eddie Izzard in The Cat's Meow (2002)
Eddie Izzard.
Sorry Robby, but your portrayal of the biggest icon of the first half of the 20th century in Richard Attenburrough's latest attempt to kiss the Academy's ass, just didn't do it for me. Even your love scene with an 18 year old Milla Jovovich (something pretty hard to fuck up) seemed contrived and awkward. Epic fail.
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
Dame Judi Dench in Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Cate Blanchett.
Despite the Oscars disagreeing with me on this, I didn't pick Catie just because she plays the Queen at 25 while JuJu plays her 65. I thought of maybe including the Helen Mirren one in this argument, but I decided against it. I just have to give the angle to Blanchett, as I think that her Elizabeth was just much more of a naughty girl, though of course she had more room to be comparatively to Juju's 8 minutes.
Ruben Blades in Cradle Will Rock (1999)
Alfed Molina in Frida (2002)
Ruben Blades.
Now, I know most haven't seen "Cradle Will Rock" or have heard of Ruben Blades, but he was a revelation. He managed to steal the spotlight from the so-called 'multi-protagonist' film in his character's plight to be able to paint a socialist allegory in Rockefeller Center back in the 1930's. Alfred Molina's Rivera is very beautiful in it's ability to capture the profound guilt of not being able to help cheating on Friday Khalo, but none of the eccentricities, madness, and whimsy of Rivera. Remember, Rivera was a man who wasn't just a cheating husband (as "Frida" portrays him) he was one of the most profound painters of the 20th century. Blades plays him as such; a genius incapable of compromise.
David Bowie in Basquiat (1996)
Jared Harris in I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
David Bowie.
This should be an obvious one. First, Bowie knew Warhol and was very much influenced by him. Also, though Warhol, within the context of 'Basquiat' is portrayed as an aloof accidental genius without layers, this is actually how Warhol always was to the media. Even people closest to Warhol always wished they could 'get close' to him, on some kind of personal level, but very few actually acheived this. I think the only person that really knew Warhol was his mother. He said he didn't read; he read all the time, he said that art doesn't inspire him, he was very much influenced by Lichtenstein, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. His self contradictions go on and on. He frustrated all of us be being consistently dishonest and thereby mysterious. Bowie is the winner. In both films, the dynamic of Warhol's relationship with his 'friends' is examined, in 'Basquiat' it is with painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. In 'I Shot Andy Warhol', it is with psychopath Valeria Solanas. But in the former, is the frustration of the other by not being able to acutally formulate any kind of human contact is it really striking.
Gloria Swanson in Sadie Thompson (1928)
Joan Crawford in Rain (1932)
Joan Crawford.
I've already posted an entry on this comparison, but it's still fun to talk about. If you look at each of their aesthetic, it's almost identical; thick lipstick, eye-liner, fur, the works. But Crawford wins this one, because you really do believe that she was one hell of a hooker before her trip to Pago Pago. Yes, she is more camp than Swanson, but she is also much more serious about her deviance. I admit, this might be a little bias as I worship at the alter of Crawford. I can't help it.
Eva Mendes in The Women (2009)
Joan Crawford in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford.
It's really as simple as giving the bitch of the film sympathy. Crystal Allen is the main antagonist. She steals the husband, and she has no problem with how it affects his long suffering wife, in fact, tells her that it was her own fault for not pleasing him enough. Joanie is the villain, and yet her exit when she finally gets what's coming to her is rather touching, and you kind of understand how it is that she got to be so heartless, and you actually feel for the woman. A+.
Sue Lyon in Lolita (Kubrick, 1962)
Dominique Swain in Lolita (Adrien Lyne, 1997)
WINNER: Dominique Swain
To round these arguments off, I thought I'd go with the quintessential cinema deviant. Here's the thing, if you've read the book you understand that Humbert Humbert is actually not the big disgusting pedophile pervert. It is his traumatic sexual experiences in childhood that make him pine for 'nymphets'. In the book, Lolita is actually not the world's greatest beauty. Humbert says that a normal man given a picture of school girls will not necessarily choose the nyphet among them. He would rather go for the most beautiful. Lolita in the novel is an underdeveloped, brunette, 12 year old with a heavy voice. She does not mean to seduce him, it just so happens that she falls into his sexual nature. She is not so much beautiful, as she is lovely, not so much a deviant as she is whimsical, not so much promiscuous as she is curious. It is the filmmaker's job to make us see Dolores Hayes, Lo, Dolly, Lolita as something so profoundly special that we understand Humbert's complete sacrifice to drive himself into utter and absolute madness. Granted, Lyne had more to work with considering he didn't have to worry about the censorship code breathing down his neck like an angry nun in Sunday school, and considering his filmography, we are meant to expect some deep deviance. Kubrick famously stated that if he knew the limitations and subsequent stress and headaches that came from making such a controversial film from such a controversial book, which was at that time still banned in certain countries, he would have never made it in the first place. Alas, what is of absolute importance is that the Kubrick 'Lolita' is a film about Humbert Humbert, the Lyne 'Lolita' is about Lolita. Granted, the book is about Humbert as well, but Lyne's way of expressing the utmost of primal sexual yearning is very sincere. Sue Lyon, bless her, as pretty as she was, seemed no more than an up-and-coming pin up girl. Even with Kubrick's direction, there was not much more to that mysterious character, and I was always felt wondering why Humbert sacrificed everything just to be able to smell her hair. Lyne pulled what I liked to call a "Zeffirelli", where he had permission to actually hire an actress that was almost the same age as the character in the original story, (Zeffirelli caused a lot of controversy by casting actual teenagers in his version of "Romeo and Juliet" rather than using 30-year-olds as had been done before). Swain was 14 when she took on this role, which was originally intended of 13-year-old Natalie Portman, and I am still taken aback by her ability to find the underbelly of Lolita. She was very mature for an actress of her age, and I still don't think anyone else could have done it better. Lyne portrays the story as a sexual melodrama, thereby Kubrick was more correct in his adaptation when he treated it as a dark comedy, which is how the book reads. And yet, there is the undertone of the worst kind of suffering of personal experience. The reason for this suffering is this little girl with ginger braids, lovingly nicknamed Lolita. And that's what it comes down to. We have to believe that this suffering is genuine, and that's what I believe Swain accomplished.
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This guide notes some commonly-used tools for generating project documentation.
What Version of Clojure Does This Guide Cover?
This guide covers Clojure 1.4.
Projects commonly (hopefully?) have at least two types of documentation:
• standalone markdown-formatted docs in the project's doc directory
• docstrings
There are a number of tools for generating handsome API docs from docstrings and other project metadata.
If you'd like to generate nice-looking html API docs for your library, use codox. Usage instructions are in the codox readme. Running codox (it's a lein plug-in and is run via lein codox in your project) will create a "doc" subdirectory containing the resulting html.
If you'd like to render API docs side-by-side with the source code it's documenting, use the marginalia lein plug-in. Usage instructions are in the readme.
If you'd like to generate copious raw data from a project (which includes docstrings as well as other metadata), have a look at cadastre.
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Wednesday, May 14, 2014
black arrow
1 1/2 oz Appleton Reserve Rum
3/4 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Grenadine
Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass.
Two Thursdays ago, I made my way down Mass Ave after my shift at Russell House Tavern. That night, Nic Mansur and Matt Schrage were tending the bar. I requested from Nic the Black Arrow from the menu which described how "proceeds go to equipment for Drapers & Eagle Strikers Soccer Teams." Matt filled me in on the details of how Gary and Avery of Central Kitchen and Brick & Mortar were traveling in Jamaica and decided to give back to the people, and they asked Matt to created this drink in tribute. For a name, he dubbed it the Black Arrow after Gil Heron's nickname. Gil was born in Jamaica and he became the first black player for the Scottish Celtic team; he was also father to musician Gil Scott-Heron.
The Black Arrow presented a caramel rum aroma that mingled with a fruity one from the grenadine and sweet vermouth. The fruity aspect continued into the sip where the lime balanced the sweeter grenadine and grape notes. Finally, the swallow offered rum and an orange peel finish. While Matt described his creation as a Floridita with curaçao subbed for crème de cacao, the drink reminded me a lot of the Fig Leaf.
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Sermons from May 2015
5 Items
May 24: The Church: Screwed Up Saints
Pentecost is the birthday of the church. How well has the church fulfilled its mission throughout history? It is a deeply flawed institution, but still it serves God when it shares love. SCRIPTURE: Acts 1: 3-9; 2:1-4
May 10: First Day of School
Soon Coronado begins a new phase of our spiritual journey. We know who your new pastor will be and look ahead to the process of saying goodbye and hello SCRIPTURE: I Samuel 1: 19-28; 2:19-21
May 3: Caring For Creation
Let us rediscover the sacredness of creation, and our role as stewards of the environment. If we do not care for this world, where will we live? How will we answer to God? SCRIPTURE: Genesis 2:4b-9
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55 Crabapples for a Complete Lack of Grace
Thanks to Salon's Video Dog, I had a chance to use some exciting and multifarious curse words this morning!
As you watch this video, I recommend tying your hands with twine or rubber bands (or your headphone wires, as I opted for) so that you can quell the uncontrollable need to punch your computer screen trying to punch Nancy Grace, but then need to punch yourself because punching tech equipment isn't fulfilling enough and you need to punch flesh.
Just watch. And be proud of Elizabeth. And send Nancy evil mindvibes that could wipe out a village.
Blogger kate.d. said...
i saw the transcript of this on c&l, because i knew i couldn't sit through the video. nancy grace is the devil.
11:07 AM
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Saturday, April 4
You can make a horse drink
now the situation is clear, if you force a horse to drink water, obviously he would refuse, so you can take a horse to drink and he will drink it too. Here’s the proof:
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Prices for girls…
Now I dont have any idea about the provenance of this image but looks like its a Chinese place. Now presuming that it is true, the rates are quite extraordinary and tells you about the demand and supply of various nationalities of girls and their relative costs. Now why on earth would a Malay girl be less than a Philippine girl, a china girl is the same as a HK girl and bloody hell, what’s going on with the Russian girls?
Friday, April 3
Book lined street?
I have heard of tree lined streets but this is the first time that I have seen book lined streets, wonderful place to stay, no? :)
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Thursday, April 2
The Palestinian Non-Violent Gandhi
I wrote about non violence and why it will be very difficult to apply that in Palestine before. Here’s another essay on this topic, very interesting indeed. Some snippets:
So why not adopt the strategy of nonviolent civil disobedience, the methods of Gandhi? That question has been asked for years, by moderate Israelis and by Westerners with sympathy for both sides. It comes packed with assumptions. It implies that Israelis accept a civilian death toll like that in Gaza only when they believe it is the unavoidable price of self-defense. It presumes that Israel remains a society whose citizens would not long allow their government to use deadly force against masses of nonviolent demonstrators. And it suggests that if Palestinians succeeded in shedding the image of terrorists and appeared internationally as saints, they would succeed in bringing unbearable Western pressure against Israel.
But even if patronizing, the question remains valid: Sainthood can work. Britain abandoned India; Montgomery's buses were desegregated.
As an Israeli, to imagine Nasser a-Din al-Masri is disturbing for another reason: This is a fantasy of a political savior who comes from the adversary's side because one's own has no answers. Israeli politics has become a junkyard of broken ideologies. The outgoing government of Ehud Olmert succeeded neither in negotiating peace nor in bringing quiet to the Gazan border with military force. Meanwhile, settlement construction continued, deepening Israel's entanglement in the West Bank. In February's election, a majority of Israelis voted for parties that offered no expectation of an end to the conflict. We have failed to manufacture hope. Let the Palestinians do it.
One potential answer to the mystery of the missing Gandhi is that the presumptions about Israel and the West are self-delusion. That answer says that Israel is ready to use overwhelming force against civilians, even when rockets are not being launched from their midst. It says that Israelis are not the civilized Englishmen of the Raj, that Israeli brutality is the father of Palestinian fury, and that in an age of wide belief in the "conflict of civilizations," the West is mostly willing to avert its eyes when Muslims or Arabs are the victims.
On the face of it, this answer suffers an obvious flaw: The British did not face Indian resistance as if engaged in a cricket match. The Amritsar Massacre of 1919, in which British troops opened fire on a gathering of thousands of peaceful Indians, killing and wounding hundreds, did not convince Gandhi to steal weapons and take to the hills. Rather, it deepened his commitment to satyagraha, non-violent action.
An alternative answer is that the problem is Islam. Palestinian society, says this hypothesis, is 98 percent Muslim, and Islam sanctifies jihad. After Hamas's introduction of suicide attacks to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict--and after 9/11--the hypothesis demands attention. Its own glaring flaw is that Islam has no monopoly on terrorism or holy war. But perhaps a religion whose founder was a warrior has prevented the emergence of an enemy of violence. Perhaps it has no room for the shahid, the martyr, who is willing to die without blowing himself up in a café or bus.
To find why a figure is absent from history is intrinsically more difficult than explaining why he is present. The search cannot yield the certain resolution of a detective novel. Nonetheless, I went looking for the missing Mahatma.
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Tuesday, March 31
British Secret Service is advertising for Q’s job
I saw this in this week’s Economist and felt mixed emotions, on one hand, it means that Q has retired and second, I wonder what kind of person will they get? “oh! grow up, James”. (click on image for larger image).
Check out this link for further details on Q.
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SQL Anywhere 10.0.1 » UltraLite - C and C++ Programming » Tutorial: Build an Application Using Embedded SQL » Lesson 5: Add synchronization to your application
Synchronization via TCP/IP Next Page
Running the tutorial application with synchronization
After you have made changes to sample.sqc, rebuild esql.exe.
To synchronize your application
1. Delete the INSERT embedded SQL commands and add the following code:
ULEnableTcpipSynchronization( &sqlca );
auto ul_synch_info synch_info;
ULInitSynchInfo( &synch_info );
synch_info.user_name = UL_TEXT("50");
synch_info.version = UL_TEXT("custdb 10.0");
ULSynchronize( &sqlca, &synch_info );
2. Preprocess sample.sqc.
Choose Build > Compile sample.sqc to recompile the altered file. When prompted, choose to reload sample.cpp.
3. Build the executable.
Choose Build > Build esql.exe to build the executable.
4. Ensure that the SQL Anywhere database server is still running.
5. Start the MobiLink server.
At a command prompt, execute the following command on a single line:
mlsrv10 -c "DSN=SQL Anywhere 10 CustDB" -o -v+ -x tcpip
6. Run the application:
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Dirk Nowitzki scored 14 of his 33 points in the final quarter for Dallas, which hadn’t won the first two games of a playoff series since the 2006 NBA finals.
Portland led most of the first half, but the Mavericks went ahead on a 3-pointer by Kidd seconds into the second half and never trailed again. Dallas spread out its scoring, tightened up its defense and protected the ball – zero turnovers in the final 28:42.
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Publication Date
December 2009
Document Type
Abstract: Lower labor costs and realization of profits have been key components in the expansion of the global market. As we continue to witness the prolific liberalization of the global market, it is essential that we remember the importance of human capital. Workers play a paramount role in the realization of continued and sustained global market growth. Paradoxically, sustained growth in the global market is also fueled by the absence of workers’ rights and the resulting reduction of labor costs. Thus, multi-national companies and workers employed by multi-national companies, have encountered a seeming contradiction of workplace realities. From a capitalistic economic perspective, it is necessary for multi-national companies to compete for market share and realize profits. However, in order to promote social harmony and ensure against large-scale social unrest, workers must be given basic rights ensuring economic security and workplace justice. China has enacted the Labor Contract Law to address challenges surrounding these issues. This paper will discuss the efficacy of China’s embracing the rule of law so as to effectively enforce the Labor Contract Law. The paper will also give an overview of the concepts forming the foundation of the rule of law. Further, the paper will offer a brief comparative analysis of the United States’ use of the rule of law in relation to resolving post-slavery labor issues. Finally, the paper will recommend a model system for use by China in enforcing the Labor Contract Law.
Included in
Law Commons
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A letter about APL
Tuesday 12 January 1982
On Tuesday 12 January 1982, Dijkstra wrote a letter to Dr. A. Caplin explaining why he had his reservations about the language APL (A Programming Language). Dijkstra did this in response to an earlier letter that he had received from Caplin, a letter in which Caplin asked whether Dijkstra favored APL and, if not, why not. In Caplin's words:
[I] was struck by [...] your search for a notation from mathematics that ``embraces all the required concepts of programming as well as enforcing the discipline of scientific method''. Surely you know that one such notation [APL] does exist, and was worked on by Ken Iverson in Harvard as far back as 1957. [...] Perhaps you have looked at it and dismissed it --- if so, why?
Ken Iverson was the 1979 Turing Award winner. His APL language inspired many researchers, including Donald Knuth and Gerrit Blaauw.
The Dutch engineer Blaauw was a colleague of Howard Aiken during the late 1940s and early 1950s, a colleague of Dijkstra in Amsterdam during the early to mid 1950s, and an employer of IBM in New York from the mid 1950s to the mid 1960s.
After working with Aiken in Harvard, Blaauw brought a lot of know-how with him when he joined the Amsterdam team in 1952. Blaauw showed Dijkstra's colleagues, Loopstra and Scholten, how to build reliable computers that actually work. In 1955, Blaauw left the Netherlands again, this time to join IBM in New York. He became famous during the early 1960s after introducing his three levels of concern: architecture, implementation, and realization. Blaauw was a leading architect of the IBM System 360 together with Fred Brooks and fell in love with Iverson's APL notation.
In 1965, Blaauw returned to the Netherlands to start an academic career at the recently founded Technische Hogeschool Twente. Blaauw taught his students how to design the IBM way. He advocated using one general language, APL, to design both the software and hardware of a computer. Blaauw's design approach was one of prototyping: first build a prototype of the system (by programming in APL), experiment with that prototype and only afterward start implementing the real system.
Blaauw's emphasis on prototyping contrasts with what Dijkstra was delivering in Eindhoven during the 1960s. In fact, already during his earlier years in Amsterdam, Dijkstra wanted to prove a program correct by mathematical reasoning alone. Testing, as advocated by Blaauw, was a last resort to Dijkstra. Nevertheless, even though Blaauw and Dijkstra had different design philosophies, they did remain friendly (albeit somewhat distant) colleagues for the rest of their careers.
Contrasting Blaauw's design perspective with that of Dijkstra helps us understand Dijkstra's response to Caplin's letter. In Dijkstra's words:
A typical characteristic of the APL devotee is, for instance, his closeness to an implementation of it. I know of a visiting professor at an American University who, trying to teach APL, bitterly complained about the absence of APL terminals. He was clearly unable to teach it without them. [...] This is in sharp contrast to people who prefer programming languages that can be adequately ``demonstrated'' ---i.e. shown, taught and discussed--- with pencil and paper.
Abstraction from the machine is what, according to Dijkstra, APL failed to offer.
Source: both letters are in my archive (Map 1: T.U.E. 1973-1984).
1 Comment
Dijkstra considered incorrect
I think you're right in your assesment that "[a]bstraction from the machine is what, according to Dijkstra, APL failed to offer" and Dijkstra was clearly wrong about this. APL existed for years as a design language before it was implemented.
In a recent posting, commenting on the same letter you reference, Roger Hui uses APL notation for mathematic-like proofs: http://archive.vector.org.uk/art10501260 . Roger is the chief implementer of Iverson's later version of APL, called "J".
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Saturday, September 06, 2003
Bush, the Nazis and America
[Introducing a short series ...]
1: Falsifying History
I'd like to return, if I may, to the Rich Lowry column, "Among the Bush Haters," which I examined earlier as a prime example of the way conservatives are increasingly not only trying to revise history, but falsify it, by presenting a version of reality that stands fact on its head.
There was a snippet of this column that particularly caught my attention as an example of the way conservatives' propaganda elides factual history about prominent Republicans so as to tar their critics as extremist:
The anti-war Web site features a Flash movie complaining that "the media will not tell you of the Bush family Nazi association" and theorizing that in order "to offset their reputation as World War II traitors, former President Bush joined the U.S. Navy as a pilot." (Clever, those Bushes.)
Thus with a simple, sneering aside Lowry casually dismisses what should in fact be a serious question worth addressing. Other conservatives, notably Jonah Goldberg, have given this question more or less the same contemptuous treatment -- as if the accusation were too over-the-top, too ludicrous to even dignify with a serious response.
The problem is, it isn't. In fact, there is a great deal of factual truth to it.
The questions raised by the known facts about the Bush family's connections to the Nazi war machine should really be a matter of some national moment, because they raise serious issues about the relationship between America and Nazism and its atrocities, and the ramifications of those ties in today's world.
These are not only serious but deeply disturbing issues, which may be why there has been relatively little mainstream effort to address them. Unfortunately, the highly partisan way that they have been framed to date has done little to make the debate a serious or thoughtful one. And conservatives' attempts to pretend that the questions should not even be taken seriously are a sort of historical revisionism -- falsifying history by pretending it didn't even happen.
TakeBackTheMedia has already fired back at Lowry and other critics, including Fox News, by observing:
The point was that George W. Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush, had the assets of the family business seized by the U.S. Government under the Trading With The Enemy Act of 1941. Much of the Bush family fortune was made by dealing with Nazi Germany -- both before and during World War II.
This in fact is entirely accurate -- more so, I might add, than the TakeBack's original description of the connection. More on that later.
The claim that some of Prescott Bush's assets were seized under the Trading with the Enemy Act for his dealings with Nazi Germany has been thoroughly documented. Here, for instance, is a copy of the 1942 Vesting Order naming Bush, among others.
Michael Kranish at the Boston Globe discussed this in an April 23, 2001 piece titled "Triumphs, Troubles Shape Generations," that explored some of the Bush family's past troubling connections. It began like this:
As it turned out, his involvement wasn't pursued by the press or political opponents during his Senate campaigns a decade later. But the episode may well have been one of the catalysts for a dramatic change in his life. Just as the Union Banking story broke, Bush volunteered to be chairman of United Service Organizations, putting himself on the national stage for the first time. He traveled the country raising millions of dollars to help boost the morale of US troops during World War II, enhancing his stature in a way that helped him get elected US senator. A son and grandson would become presidents.
The Globe story, however, manages to overlook some of the grave issues that are raised by Bush's connections to the Nazi regime. Foremost among these: To what extent is the Bush family fortune -- which is unquestionably one of the foundations of the current American presidency -- based upon the wealth engendered by its role in building the Nazi war machine?
However, a close examination reveals this is not so easy to answer as either side would suggest. What is clear is that the evidence that doing business with the Nazi regime substantially enhanced the Bush family fortune is nearly overwhelming.
The main remaining questions are: What proportion of the Bush fortune is based on this trade? And what were the family's ideological connections to the Nazis? These are much murkier issues that remain unresolved.
Next: The Bush Fortune
On MEChA's 'radicalism'
A reader named Thomas writes in about MEChA:
I've no direct experience with MEChA, but was involved in student politics in the UK (worked for the National Union of Students as an area officer for a year, full-time). During that time, I learnt to just *love* in-fighting between student political groups (these were the happy, happy days when the UK Labour Party was kicking out Trotskyist entryist groups -- mmm, good times, what can I say).
Reading some of the MEChA documents, given the time that they were written in, makes me slightly surprised that they weren't *more* rabid. Remember, this was in the late 1960s, in the days of the Black Panthers, and SDS. If there's a radical student organization (that isn't an offshoot of some Trotskyist-like sect) that's survived from the early 1970s, I can't think of one.
The other question I have is: Why has MEChA survived this long? SDS disintegrated after the Maoists of the PLP infiltrated it -- why didn't MEChA suffer the same fate, of getting raided by splinter Leninist groups looking for recruits to sell godawful newspapers?
Well, it seems that MEChA has dealt with entryism in the past, c.f. the Berkeley version of "Philosophy of MEChA" (scroll down to "Historical Examples of Infiltration into M.E.Ch.A." and the section "M.E.Ch.A.'s Relationship to Outside Organizations")
This includes: "Meanwhile, on an apparent 'different' side, opportunistic, multi-national 'left' organizations continue in their manipulative covert attempts to control and/or destroy our Movement."
Reading the Philosophy of MEChA, it looks like:
(1) MEChA survived as a fairly loose organization until sometime in the mid-1990s, after which, 'cos of infiltration by Trots or other left sects, it adopted a more centralized constitution, presumably to allow it to kick out individual MEChA chapters. But there doesn't seem to be much in the way of a national infrastructure for MEChA (frex, I haven't found a website for National MEChA).
[I should point out here that I seem to have: MEChA National Web Pages, which is hosted at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg's MEChA section.]
(2) El Plan de Aztlan, which predates MEChA, is less important in MEChA's than the later El Plan de Santa Barbara. The "Philosophy of MEChA" states:
"Objective One: We recognize that Chicanismo is evolutionary and that a Chicano identity is not a nationality but a philosophy. Chicano nationalism is the key to taking our people forward. M.E.Ch.A. will not discriminate against any Mechista who works for and adopts Chicanismo as indicated in El Plan de Santa Barbara, and the Philosophy of M.E.Ch.A. This philosophy is the key to taking our people forward."
Note that adopting El Plan de Aztlan isn't included as a requirement for adopting Chicanismo. So, although reading El Plan de Aztlan is noted elsewhere in the "Philosophy of MEChA," the more radically nationalist position of El Plan de Aztlan doesn't seem to be a prerequisite for membership of MEChA. I'd read this as suggesting that the more separatist El Plan de Aztlan is (rightly) controversial within MEChA.
(3) The motto of MEChA is "La Union hace la Fuerza" not “Por La Raza Todo, Fuera de La Raza Nada!” There's a (not that great) refutation of some of the charges made against MEChA at
I'm originally from Northern Ireland, and the mixture of class-based and "anti-colonialist" nationalism in MEChA's rhetoric does remind me a bit of the Scottish Nationalists.
I should add that OC Weekly has a terrific, nicely balanced account that examines MEChA's admittedly radical roots:
Fear of a Brown Planet
Thursday, September 04, 2003
MEChA and the Transmission Belt
Following up on the recent post about MEChA and the right-wing meme that it is a "racist organization"
I argued in that post that the meme has its origins in the racist right, and has become a prime example of the way extremist ideas and agendas work their way into the mainstream. Let's explore that in more detail.
As I mentioned, it has long been a favorite theme of the extremist right -- particularly neo-Nazis like David Duke and William Pierce, as well as Identity types like Pete Peters -- that civil-rights advocacy groups like the NAACP and the ADL are themselves racist. A fine recent example of this is Duke's rantings about "Jewish supremacism," which throws neoconservatives into the pot too.
The MEChA meme clearly resembles these claims in both form and substance, as I demonstrated, since the group clearly is multicultural in its orientation and not merely benign but probably a genuinely beneficial organization, at least in most regards. (We'll save a discussion of the merits of "identity politics" for another day.) But are the meme's origins in fact extremist?
Well, yes.
I did a Google for "MEChA racist" and came up with 9,550 hits. The vast bulk of these have in fact originated in the past 30 days. I wasn't able to spend the time to count just how many have, but I scanned each page and was astonished by the count. A number of the hits included pages from MEChA activists denouncing racist behavior, which of course is not representative of this meme. But I would have to guesstimate that at a bare minimum, half of the 9,550 hits have been published since early August, when it first began gaining traction.
Nearly all of the oldest hits that seem to have originated the meme are in fact extremist in nature, including a few minor Web sites, but most significantly the far-right American Patrol.
Patrol, you may recall, is in fact designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. This is because it engages in heavily exclusionist rhetoric that constantly demeans Latinos. It also promotes a variety of anti-Latino conspiracy theories, including Victor Davis Hanson's Mexifornia, which claims that both Mexico and American Hispanics secretly intend to return "Aztlan" to Mexico.
Since the mid-1990s, American Patrol -- which is operated by a man named Glenn Spencer -- has also been closely associated with, and in some cases directly involved with helping to organize, a variety of Patriot/militia "border patrols" in various locales of the Southwest. The most recent manifestation of this (one in which Spencer has been again involved) is the "border militias" in Arizona, which in recent months have been reported to be harassing Latino Americans out camping in border areas.
Spencer seems to have been one of the first to begin claiming, on a regular basis, that "MEChA is racist." Indeed, his first foray into the argument appears to have been in 1996, with an article titled, "MEChA calls for the Liberation of 'Aztlan' ". As it happens, this was one of the first attempts to depict the "Aztlan" mythos as racist and exclusionist -- which, as the meme has been transmitted into the mainstream, has become the chief form of argument. (I hope I demonstrated clearly enough in the last post why the mythos is neither racist nor exclusionist, but as practiced by MEChA -- compared to such radical offshoots as La Voz de Aztlan -- is largely inclusionary and multiculturalist.)
Of course, American Patrol has since then made a positive festish out of MEChA in subsequent years, as demonstrated by the Web page its has devoted to the issue, "The Scourge of MEChA". On this page you'll find a collection of pieces to which it either has contributed material or simply continues the meme. Throughout, you can find Spencer's regular comparisons of MEChA to the Ku Klux Klan and the Nazis as well.
Spencer's agenda has been seeping into the mainstream for awhile. Of particular note was Patrick Buchanan's regurgitation of David Duke's longtime talking point, namely, that the "white race" is about to be swamped by a horde of colored people, in his bestseller The Death of the West: How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization. According to Buchanan (who cites Spencer), MEChA is "a Chicano version of the white-supremacist Aryan Nation ... and is unabashedly racist and anti-American."
Also of note was a piece in the Feb 25, 2002, edition of the Washington Times headlined "Activist warns of border war," which described an address Spencer gave to a Los Angeles group in which he argued that a "border war between the United States and Mexico 'could happen any day,' " and goes on to quote Spencer as saying: "We have on our hands a Mexican border civil war that could happen tomorrow … I think it's a matter of time.":
With hundreds of Mexicans illegally crossing the United States' southwest border daily, Mr. Spencer said, conflict between the U.S. Border Patrol and Mexican authorities could touch off strikes, protests, and riots by Hispanic militants in the United States -- a combination border war and civil war that "could happen any day," he said.
Spencer cites MEChA documents to support his claims in the piece.
Similarly noteworthy is Bill O'Reilly's hostile March 8, 2002 interview with a Mechista in which he depicted them as desiring to retake "Aztlan" for Mexico and kick out whites in the process.
The "MEChA is racist" meme began percolating again last fall. The right-wing ChronWatch, which devotes itself to critiquing the San Francisco Chronicle through an ultra-right lens (and in fact has proven on several occasions to be a transmitter of extremist memes, most recently in its suggestion that, apropos of Ann Coulter's neo-McCarthyism, dissent against Bush's war agenda is seditious), attacked MEChA in a Nov. 19, 2002, piece, "More Reporting on MECHA at U.C. Berkeley. Disturbing", which describes MEChA's supposed "hatred and prejudice" by citing a piece from the right-wing California Patriot, which itself repeats Spencer's characterization of MEChA, citing (like Spencer) the early MEChA documents as proof of its ill intent.
But the piece that clearly kicked off the current frenzy about the meme was Lowell Ponte's Aug. 11, 2003, piece on David Horowitz's FrontPage magazine, "Bustamante: The Racist in the Race?" (As I have noted previously, Horowitz already has a history of spreading extremist memes at his Webzine.) Interestingly enough, Ponte does not cite Spencer as a source anywhere in the piece, but repeats Spencer's core themes: Aztlan is a racist concept, therefore MEChA is comparable to the Klan and Nazis. He also repackages much of Spencer's alleged "proofs"; most of Ponte's charges against the group can be found at American Patrol's Web site or in articles citing Spencer as the chief source. It also features bizarre speculation that Cruz Bustamante secretly fancies himself the future ruler of Aztlan.
Perhaps also worth noting about Ponte's piece: Its original versions included the accusation (since edited out) that MEChA was connected to the racist and anti-Semitic hate group La Voz de Aztlan, a charge thoroughly debunked here. This claim immediately surfaced in the blogosphere, notably at Alan Henderson's blog, and it has continued to resurface at such high-profile sites as Instapundit (who has since corrected the error) [more on that below].
The real spread of the "MEChA is racist" meme in the blogosphere came from Tacitus, who specifically cites both Ponte and American Patrol, though it disavowed Ponte's speculations about Bustamante's motives, and noted that he only cited American Patrol after satisfying himself that it was "factually correct" (a hazardous claim to make when citing anything Spencer produces). He also sounds a disturbingly McCarthyesque note by also hinting at a MEChA-La Voz connection, calling them "fellow travelers." (!) However, Tacitus mostly tries to make a reasonable argument that MEChA is racist, though as I have argued, his grounds for making that charge are more than thin -- and make no mistake, labeling someone "racist" is a very serious charge, one that requires solid ground. As I have suggested previously, one would think conservatives should be more aware of this than anyone.
Alas, Michelle Malkin a few days later demonstrated just how happily conservatives can bandy the "racist" label willy-nilly when given the chance. Her Aug. 20 column, "Bustamante, MEChA and the media," repeated the core points of the meme, comparing MEChA to Nazis and the Klan and various white supremacists (only revealing, once again, how little they understand or appreciate the horrors of those groups, and frankly demonstrating their crude insensitivity to the reality of those horrors). Malkin, of course, also contends that Aztlan is a racist and exclusionist program.
Malkin appears to be the source of the false translation of the MEChA slogan, Por La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada, which appears in an early MEChA document called the Plan Spiritual de Aztlan. Malkin translates this as "For the Race, everything. For those outside the Race, nothing." This translation has subsequently appeared in a multitude of conservative attacks on MEChA, both in the mainstream media (see, for example, Bustamante's Fox interview, cited by Mickey Kaus, at which he was obviously baffled by the distorted translation) and throughout the blogosphere.
As I noted last time out, this is false; the slogan is intended as a declaration of fealty to one's cultural heritage. Its syntax is clearly inward, not outward, in orientation. A more accurate translation would read, "In service of my people, everything; [for] apart from my people, [I have] nothing." There is neither the exclusionist nor the racist content that Malkin implies. La Raza, it must be noted, is not a racial concept but an ethnic one (it comprises multiples races, in fact).
Moreover, Malkin characterizes the slogan as its "motto." In reality, it is only a slogan that appears in a handful of MEChA documents. As Rodolfo Acuna points out, MEChA's actual motto is La union hace la fuerza, or "Unity creates power."
Shortly after Malkin's column, the meme exploded in the blogosphere and throughout the right side of the media, including WorldNetDaily.
The same day, Investor's Business Daily produced a story titled "Who's Cruz?" that mostly duplicated Ponte's material. But it provided a springboard for whwat was unquestionably the most significant transmission of the meme into the mainstream: namely, at the hands of Rush Limbaugh, who on the same day produced his own version of the tale, "Bustamante Fondled Racist Group, Terms." Notably, Limbaugh conspicuously promotes that American Patrol favorite, Victor Davis Hanson's paranoiac Mexifornia.
The meme has continued to spread throughout the mainstream conservative media, notably at Fox News, where it has been receiving prominent play on its newscasts and talk shows as well. [It should be noted that the original version of the Fox story cited Spencer extensively; that material, as well as the original, more inflammtory headline -- which called MEChA "racist" -- has since been edited out.]
None of this should be a surprising development by any means. Fox has an extensive track record in transmitting extremist ideas into the mainstream, as does, of course, Limbaugh.
Finally, it is worth noting that all of this came bouncing back to American Patrol, whose Web site now proudly displays all these stories. It is clear that the proliferation of the meme is viewed by the hate group as a major validation of its agenda.
What is probably more disturbing is seeing the meme making its way from the conservative into the broader, centrist and even liberal mainstream. The most prominent example of this is Glenn Reynolds' extraordinarily shallow treatment of the issue, beginning with this post two days ago, and which continues with further nonsense yesterday and today. Most of all, Reynolds clearly has swallowed whole the falsehood that MEChA is racist and separatist. It is important to note that not one of the sources he cites is able to provide an adequate definition of just what they mean by "racist." Again, it is an extremely serious charge, and the thoughtless abandon with which it is now being flung is a disgrace.
Reynolds is widely regarded as more or less centrist, or at worst libertarian, though he is of course vehemently pro-war and has become increasingly conspicuous as a Bush apologist. Nonetheless, he is broadly viewed as a "common-sensical" voice by a broad range of pundits and commentators as well as readers, not to mention of course his outsize influence in the blogosphere.
In other words, for perhaps the first time since the early days of the civil-rights era, we have seen a mainstream, clearly multiculturalist organization being broadly portrayed as "racist." And if MEChA is "racist," in short order we will be hearing that the NAACP and the Urban League and the ADL and other ethnic "uplift" organizations, too, are "racist." Which, as I mention, is what white supremacists have been claiming for years.
The logical end point of this meme is the spread of the belief that multiculturalism itself is a kind of racism, an argument we also see in the easy dismissal of "identity politics" by people like Reynolds and Mickey Kaus.
My previous discussion of the transmission belt of ideas and agendas from the extremist right into the mainstream mostly provided a rough outline of the mechanisms by which it operates. But the MEChA meme provides us with an up-close view of the transmission as it proceeds.
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Setting the record straight
Glenn Reynolds calls my credibility into question in his floundering about on the MEChA question, after he rather lamely corrects the grotesque smear of MEChA and Cruz Bustamante he perpetrated by falsely connecting them to La Voz de Aztlan:
It's a bit behind the curve, [my emphasis] but here's a post by David Neiwert defending Bustamante, just in case you're interested. Flatteringly, he seems to think that I'm more influential than Fox News, though that in itself may undercut his credibility.
Actually, anyone who reads the post can see clearly that I don't suggest Reynolds is "more influential" than Fox. What I said was that his post was one of the most "disturbing" aspects of the debate, and I briefly mentioned his "outsize influence". I describe in greater detail at the end of the post above just why I find it so. Nowhere do I suggest that Reynolds is "more influential" than Fox.
Reynolds' characterization is either purposely dishonest or a strangely egocentric misreading of what I wrote. I hope he corrects it.
Moreover, let me gently suggest that if Reynolds wishes to question someone's credibility, he should do so without misrepresenting what that person actually says.
As for being "behind the curve": I would be remiss if I did not point out that the false connection between MEChA and La Voz Aztlan which Reynolds egregiously repeated and then was forced to correct was in fact completely debunked at this site two and a half weeks ago. In fact, I have been involved in the MEChA debate since it first began popping up, and have played at least a minor role in its progress through the blogosphere.
It is likewise dismaying to see Reynolds use a false pretext to offhandedly dismiss a reasonably careful and logical post, which I think the post he links to is. Nowhere in Reynolds' discussion does he even remotely attempt to address any of its points -- particularly its debunking of the charge that MEChA is racist, secessionist or radical. For that matter, he has continued to trumpet these accusations throughout the week. Indeed, Reynolds continues to freely apply the "racist" label without ever clarifying what are his criteria for making that charge.
Tell you what, Glenn: Contact our Militia Watchdog listserv colleague, Mark Potok of the SPLC, and ask him whether or not MEChA is a racist group. Perhaps then you can begin getting up to speed as well.
An answer
Kynn Bartlett at Shock and Awe has followed up on my question about the supposed discrediting of "identity politics" with a great post:
Identity Politics: History of a Discredited Term
Kynn tracks through the data and essentially concludes that the attacks on multiculturalism by renaming it "identity politics" has been an important project of the right since about 1994, when the term first began appearing in the media. Indeed, the use of the term has clearly become the chief means of derogating multiculturalism.
I'll talk more about this next week. In the meantime, be sure and read Kynn's post. If anyone cares to comment at his site, I'll be lurking and may chime in.
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
A question
Say, can anyone tell me just when it was that "identity politics" officially became "distasteful and discredited"? And by whom, exactly?
Of course, I have yet to be convinced that it is "virulent and misguided" either.
Just wondering.
Blitzing Rush
The fine folks at Cursor have now published the entirety of "Rush, Newspeak and Fascism" at their Web site. It's featured at the upper right of the site with a button headlined, "Has the 'F' word lost its meaning?", takes you to the introduction. From there you can navigate through the entire body of the series.
If you've already read the essay, you might want to click through just to look over some of the art we added. And if you've been putting off examining it because it's just too damned long and intimidating, let me recommend Cursor's nice work, which makes the reading experience much easier and rather more pleasant.
And of course, I'm flattered because Cursor is a cool site -- great navigability, aesthetically pleasing, and very smart.
The MEChA meme
The claim that the Chicano advocacy organization to which California Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante once belonged, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, or MEChA, is "racist" (which I have discussed a couple of times) has been picking up a great deal of momentum in the past couple of weeks.
Now we're reading about it and hearing about it from Fox News, as well as Slate's Mickey Kaus and that paragon of right-wing virtue herself, Michelle Malkin. Most recently, Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit has weighed in.
The last is one of the most disturbing of these, because Reynolds (whose outsize influence is especially concerning) links to an article from the clearly racist and anti-Semitic La Voz de Aztlan to suggest that MEChA, and by extension, Bustamante, is "racist and homophobic." Yet this connection has been thoroughly debunked, particularly in these quarters. Most of the MEChA critics have, since then, avoided this clearly false meme -- and yet Reynolds repeats and endorses it here, giving it fresh life. One wonders how many times it has to be exposed before it will finally die.
In any event, these developments are extremely interesting to me, because the more I've examined MEChA, the more persuaded I am that it is decidedly not a racist organization. Indeed, the further I've looked, the more persuaded I am that this charge is itself a form of transmission of the right-wing extremist agenda into mainstream conservatism -- which is, of course, the main concern of "Rush, Newspeak and Fascism."
You may recall that much of this discussion originated with the eminently reasonable and intelligent Tacitus, with whom I've been engaged in something of a running debate over this (though I dropped out last week so I could finish the manuscript I've been working on). In his most recent post on the subject, he continued more or less the same line of argumentation, and discarded much of my analysis over my use of the definition for "hate" groups in analyzing MEChA.
Yet for all his extensive arguments, neither Tacitus nor anyone else offers what might pass for a reasonable definition of racism, nor (even more to the point) what constitutes a racist organization or group -- though they seem all too eager to bandy the term about. I thought I'd done so in the previous post, but obviously I need to make the point clearer. So let's begin by stipulating our terminology.
First, what is racism? Many are content to settle for a formulation derived from Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech: that racism means we "judge the content of a man's character by the color of his skin." This is a nice intuitive definition, but applied to the real world, it's also clearly incomplete, because it would also subsume the view of those people who seek to protect and promote their ethnic identities (this runs the gamut from Hutterites to Jews to Irish-American societies), including those who would lift up victims of racial oppression by reassuring them of their worth in society (including the JACL and NAACP). In the latter case particularly the term "racist" is inapplicable, because these groups are specifically devoted to combating the effects of racism. In other words, merely advocating the worth of one's racial or ethnic identity does not make one racist.
Racism has important elements that extend beyond mere racial awareness or advocacy: specifically, it emphasizes exclusion and bigoted discrimination, and often extends to outright eliminationism. (Some have argued that it must also include elements of power, that is, it is only real racism if it arises from the element that controls society -- viz., white people are the only American racists. I believe this argument is neither logically sound nor reflective of the real world. What is true is that racism's effects are especially pernicious when practiced by those in power and institutionalized.)
Now, to define a racist organization obviously must take these elements into account. This is why, last time out, I referred to the SPLC's definition of a hate group:
Let's make the use of the term "hate group" clear. This term is meant as an umbrella to include various kinds of bigotry, including racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia. Just so we can describe specifically racist organizations, we can refine our terms further, i.e.:
All racist groups have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire race of people.
To which, just for purposes of clarity, let's specify: these attacks are characterized by exclusionism, eliminationism and bigoted discrimination.
All right, let's see how well MEChA fits this definition. We'll start by looking at the area on which most of its critics have focused, its rhetoric.
MEChA's rhetoric
Most of the characterizations of MEChA's rhetoric have ranged from the extremely tendentious to outright gross distortions. And nearly all of them are devoid of both historical and current social context.
One of the prime examples of distortion in the debate is the way a number of the anti-Mechistas, including Malkin and Kaus, have zeroed in on the MEChA slogan: Por la Raza, todo. Fuera la Raza, nada.
Kaus offers the translation of this slogan that in fact has been used by every one of the MEChA critics:
(Many American Jewish groups fight against assimilation too, but I haven't seen any with a slogan equivalent to "For the Race, everything. For those outside the race, nothing.")
Before supposedly smart people go publishing such nonsense, it would help if they consulted, say, a native Spanish speaker (and one would think one would be available somewhere in Santa Monica).
A more accurate translation of the slogan would recognize that though "Por" translates to the English "For," it is used in a very specific sense of the word -- namely, "On behalf of" or "In the service of". "Fuera" is not "for those outside" but rather refers to the speaker, and means "Apart from." So what the slogan actually says is this:
In the service of the race, everything
Apart from the race, nothing
There is nothing remotely racist, particularly in the sense of being exclusionist or derogatory, about this, of course. The second line clearly only refers to the need to maintain one's ethnic and cultural identity. It is only racist if you deliberately mistranslate it: "For those outside the race, nothing."
Others have focused on the rhetoric contained within MEChA's founding documents, particularly certain passages in El Plan de Santa Barbara, which I explored in depth last time out and observed was only exclusivist under an extremely tendentious reading, and is only mildly derogatory in one notable instance, the use of the word "gabacho" to describe non-Latinos (and this is only mildly derogatory; it roughly translates as "Frenchy").
To this, Tacitus responds with a post in which he displaces the nouns in El Plan de Santa Barbara referring to Latinos and whites and Aztlan with similar nouns describing whites and other races or ethnicities and a "white homeland." The resulting statement, of course, is rather nakedly racist, and Tacitus concludes that El Plan de Santa Barbara must be so as well.
This is not a real argument but a rhetorical trick, one that conveniently elides both the historical and social context of the respective statements in a way that occludes the respective truthfulness and purpose of each. It assumes a kind of zero-sum view of both history and the current society in which the real-world oppression of minorities is a null factor, when in truth it affects the entire meaning of the words.
It is important to remember who were the chief practitioners of racism for most of this nation's history: namely, its dominant white majority. Blacks, Indians, Asians, Jews and certainly Latinos have all, in the past few centuries, faced an uphill battle against this institutionalized racism, and they have only made gains by asserting without apology their right to a full place at the table -- full political, social and economic equity.
And America, to its credit, has finally responded in the past half-century. There can be little question that all these races have made great strides, in no small part because of a massive change in attitudes among majority whites. However, anyone assuming that these changes have meant that racism is dead and a non-factor in modern society is conveniently ignoring the 8,000 or more hate crimes that occur every year in this country; they overlook the continuing overwhelming poverty that is endemic both to Indian reservations and migrant-labor camps; they gloss over the continuing effects of redlining on creating racial balkanization, all the while undermining genuine attempts to address these problems by claiming that they actually deepen our racial divisions.
If indeed racism is only a problem in our rear-view mirrors, then why the uproar over Trent Lott's fondness for segregation and his long-term connections to white-supremacist organizations? Why are we still having debates over whether or not such clear continuing manifestations of mainstream white supremacism as Charles Murray and The Bell Curve are racist? Why are we now faced with fresh anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about "cultural Marxism" from mainstream conservatives?
It is also important to remember that the chief factor in the past half-century's change of attitudes among the white majority has been the rise of multiculturalism, which as I've discussed previously, was specifically a response to white supremacism, which it ultimately replaced. This was, frankly, a necessary step for any democratic society that extols equal opportunity and fair play.
Multiculturalism, it must be understood, is not reverse racism, as some of its current critics might have you think. Rather, it is a sort of cultural expression of the economist's adage, "A rising tide lifts all boats." The empowerment of every member of society, of every racial group, is a net gain for society and benefits everyone of every race. Gains for Latinos, as such, do not need to come at the expense of other groups, nor should they be viewed that way in a democratic society.
It may be convenient for a privileged white male like Mickey Kaus to sniff about "a distasteful and discredited identity politics," which has become a code word for multiculturalism. The reality, however, is that the primary alternatives to this worldview remain either white supremacism or watered-down versions of it that are nonetheless essentially anti-egalitarian and undemocratic. Moreover, multiculturalism has been the chief vehicle for a cultural change that has been both necessary and healthy. Of course, much of today's conservative movement is making a concerted drive to undermine it, while conveniently neglecting to offer constructive alternatives.
Placed in its proper context, the rhetoric of the early Mechistas is clearly a reaction against the historical oppression of Latinos by whites; its characterization of the invasion of the North American continent by whites may be colored by resentment and a desire to refute the white-supremacist view that Latinos are undeserving of a place at the table, but it is essentially accurate. Whites did invade the continent. They not only displaced the native peoples, they committed widespread acts of murder and genocide against them, and oppressed them politically and economically for centuries. Anyone who tries to claim this is not historical fact is either self-blinded or unread.
Nor, for that matter, is there anything essentially exclusionist or derogatory about the early Mechista worldview. (I must also note that while the language may be read as suggestive, it is never specifically secessionist.) After all, there is a significant difference between refuting the worldview that justifies the practice of racial discrimination against you and your fellow minorities, and practicing that racial discrimination. Indeed, they are diametrically opposed to one another.
Comparatively, the document produced by Tacitus is in fact fairly typical of the kind of nonsense practiced by whites: a paranoia about an invasion of "blacks" or other races, and depredations by Jews and other conspirators, is only a fantasy that has been deployed over the past century or more by the historically dominant white majority to heighten the bigoted oppression of minorities. The altered context makes it quite specifically exclusionist as well as derogatory.
Indeed, it well echoes the kind of genuinely racist material that is produced by such former Trent Lott allies as the neo-Confederate League of the South (about whom, it must be noted, conservatives continue to evince strangely little concern, at least compared to the volumes now spewing about MEChA). Consider, for instance, "Statement of Purpose" from the LoS:
Consequently, we reject the central government's continuing usurpation of state sovereignty and support the restoration of self-government to the Southern people. If this means secession and formation of a Southern nation, then so be it. Self-government, as our forebears understood, is necessary for the preservation of ordered liberty.
If the South were its own nation, its GNP would rank it in the top five nations of the world. Its laws would better reflect the natural conservatism and Christian roots of the Southern people. We could enjoy low taxes, sound money, secure private property rights, and a free-market economy. We could follow a foreign policy of armed neutrality, leave the UN, and oppose the New World Order. We could once again reward merit and abolish the Welfare State and Affirmative Action. We could severely limit immigration. We could get government out of our children's education. We could remove ourselves from the current judicial tyranny. In short, we could seize control of our destiny as a distinct people.
Or this "Position Paper on Race":
This does not mean, however, that we must subscribe to the flawed Jacobin notion of egalitarianism, nor does it mean that white Southerners should give control over their civilisation and its institutions to another race, whether it be native blacks or Hispanic immigrants. Nowhere, outside of liberal dogma, is any nation called upon to commit cultural and ethnic suicide. Furthermore, our surrender would ultimately be regretted by all parties as the remaining liberties were squandered by those who had no desire to preserve the Eurocentric, (and therefore "racist"), institution of the rule of law.
This language is not only clearly derogatory and exclusionist (you can look elsewhere on the LoS site for lots more of both) it is quite openly secessionist. Notice that the language here is unmistakable; one does not require a tendentious reading to find these passages all of the above.
In contrast, the MEChA documents are quite benign. Its rhetoric is, undoubtedly, inflammatory and angry, but it is only vaguely exclusionist and decidedly short on the attacks on other races and derogation of them. The strident tenor seems shrill and overstated in today's context -- but then, it is important to remember that most of these documents were written in 1969, a time when the effects of white racism were still much more apparent.
Perhaps more representative of the direction taken by the organization is "The Philosophy of MEChA", written apparently in about the same time frame. Especially noteworthy is this passage:
As MEChA, we must accept the challenge to combat all forms of oppression, and manifestations as experienced through racism, sexism, and homophobia, both inside and outside of our Movement.
Indeed, the entirety of this document is focused on civic duty and coordinated action, all of which are time-honored principles of peaceful social change. Its orientation is unquestionably multicultural.
Moreover, a survey of campus Mechista Web sites reveals this same kind of benign advocacy. It is clear that this, and not creation of an exclusivist Aztlan and a plan to "drive out the gringos," is what MEChA is primarily about.
MEChA's actions
Rhetoric, of course, is one thing. But any organization's true purpose is revealed by what it does.
In this context, it is clear that not only is MEChA not racist, it is a constructive and entirely mainstream organization that is in the best tradition of civil-rights advocacy in America.
Perhaps it would help first to review the histories of definitively racist groups in America, particularly in what their actions were compared to their rhetoric. It is worth observing first broadly that white supremacism as a general factor has been responsible for a multitude of atrocities, ranging from slavery to the genocide of Native Americans to the "lynching era" to segregation and Jim Crow -- as well, of course, as the mistreatment of Latinos.
Consider the record of racist organizations -- particularly those to which MEChA has been compared by conservatives in this current brouhaha. First, there is the Ku Klux Klan, which has endured even today through multiple incarnations in America. The first of these was, according to Robert Paxton, the first historical emanation of fascism, the Reconstruction Klan. Here is its record, according to Philip Dray in At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America:
Richard Maxwell Brown's comprehensive study of vigilante violence in America estimates that in the four years 1868-71 there were more than four hundred Klan lynchings in the South, Union general Phil Sheridan calculated that 3,500 whites and blacks were killed between 1865 and 1875, Ida Wells-Barnett, writing in the 1890s, put the number of Negroes killed by whites since 1865 at 10,000m with only three white men executed for crimes against blacks in that period. … Author Dorothy Sterling, who combed through man thousands of documents and oral histories in her preparation of a noted compendium on the Reconstruction era, cited 20,000 as the number killed by the Klan just in the four years 1868-71.
The Klan revived in 1916 after years of dormancy and was responsible for a broad range of lynchings, "race riots" and anti-black purges in the South over the ensuing 15 years or so. And it has continued to be associated even today with an array of hate crimes and heinous acts of terrorism against various minorities.
Overseas, the most notorious racist organizations were the European fascist governments, particularly Nazi Germany. I trust I don't even have to go there.
For those who would argue that a group like MEChA is only nascent in its racism, and could eventually wreak such horrors if its agenda flamed out of control, it is worth remembering that racist organizations nearly always display their true colors almost immediately. The Klan, as just seen, was violent and terroristic from the start; so, too, were the European fascists, particularly during the fascista and SA years.
And what has MEChA done? Advocate for increasing the numbers of Latinos in higher education. Organize student rallies. Emphasize self-determination.
Here is how one commenter named "cat" on Atrios' boards put it:
MeCHA has been an integral part of student life for decades; many, if not most, of my Chicano friends and acquaintances were involved with it; it was then and probably is now an advocacy organization which worked to bring Chicanos (now Latinos) into the educational institutions, to feed and clothe underprivileged children in the community, including those of the migrant farmworkers, was involved with Caesar Chavez in advocating for better working conditions for the migrant workers, and provided tutoring, mentoring, and fellowship for students, as do many other student organizations.
This view is one expressed consistently by people who have experience with MEChA. Among these is O. Ricardo Pimentel, a columnist for the Arizona Republic, who recently penned a column addressing the current campaign from the right, "California coup plays a race card on Bustamante":
But let us acknowledge that MEChA was born in the racial turmoil and rhetoric leading up to 1969. Its founding historical documents, El Plan de Aztl?n and El Plan de Santa Barbara, contain incendiary language.
But the truth is, few joining even back then were thinking of overthrowing government. They were talking about changing society, for the better.
"We all understood the history of MEChA," says Loredo, a MEChA president at Phoenix College in 1987. "We took it in the context of the times, 1969 (the founding year)."
To liberate Aztl?n, Loredo and other MEChistas pushed to get more Latinos into college and performed community service. Many, like Bustamante, entered public service.
MEChA elsewhere also led walkouts and protests to form Chicano studies programs and to push for more Chicano faculty hires.
Indeed, Republicans who wish to push the argument that MEChA is racist might want to talk to Mike Madrid, an advisor to the GOP on Latino affairs (and someone for whom this meme is probably the biggest nightmare since Proposition 187), who had this to say in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle:
"It's bizarre to assume this is some kind of radical group, seeking to overthrow part of the United States," said Mike Madrid, who has worked on Latino affairs for the state Republican Party. "It was part of the Brown Beret and Chicano studies movement, but it's mainly a social group and has been for years. To suggest it's involved in paramilitary training or some underhanded conspiracy is ludicrous."
Or, as Nathan Newman adroitly puts it:
No doubt there were individual members within MEChA way back who used such language, but for the organization as a whole, the idea of self-determination has been one of educational uplift within a multicultural country, as American a goal as apple pie. Anyone who has worked with MEChA students -- as I have -- can tell you they are committed to multi-racial organizing and respect towards people of all races, genders, and sexual orientation.
They are a hell of a lot more tolerant and supportive of diversity than any of their critics.
Let me extend that point even further: Their critics, intentionally or not, are actually helping to popularize one of the extremist right's longtime favorite claims: that the civil-rights groups that oppose them are themselves racist.
The origins of the meme
People who have tracked the extremist right for any length of time are more than abundantly familiar with one of the favorite arguments of such folk as David Duke and William Pierce: The NAACP, or the Urban League, or the Anti-Defamation League are all secretly racist.
We've been hearing it for years, and we still hear it today. Consider, for instance, Duke's latest opus, which is titled Jewish Supremacism: My Awakening on the Jewish Question.
What is clearly advocacy on behalf of minorities in the face of the long-term effects of white supremacism, and is in fact its clear antithesis, is declared by its very opponents to represent the same bigotry they practice. This is a kind of Newspeak or Doublethink that we have come to expect of incipient fascists, but it is not what we expect to hear from mainstream conservatives.
And yet that is precisely what has been happening as increasing numbers of conservative and even ostensibly "neutral" voices have been repeating the meme that MEChA is racist. The organization, as I've demonstrated, is discernibly neither radical nor extremist, but is in fact an effective, civic-minded and valuable component of the wholly appropriate advocacy of civil rights for Latinos.
If there is any doubt that the anti-MEChA meme is extremist in its origins, consider the Fox News story on the matter -- which is not only factually wrong throughout (it incorrectly identifies, for instance, violence that occurred at a 1996 San Diego rally as being caused by Mechistas, when in fact the attacks on anti-immigration protesters were carried out by a splinter group with no affiliation with MEChA), its original version (which has since been edited to remove the references) cited as one of its main sources none other than Glenn Spencer of American Patrol, which in fact is listed by the SPLC as a hate group. Spencer, of course, has been one of the chief progenitors of this meme, and there is little doubt that he is both a racist and an extremist.
This is not the only place it's turning up. In addition to mainstream conservative sites, the "MEChA is racist" meme is turning up all around the far right, particularly in racist anti-immigrant circles. And with it is emerging an attached stream of genuine and rather naked racism. This is occurring even in respectable circles of the blogosphere, including at the intelligent and thoughtful blog run by Tacitus, where this comment was made by one of his readers, someone named "J":
So when they see aztlan belongs to us (those wo plant the seeds, water the fields) and not the foreign Europeans. Additionally they do not recognize the border between the countries. Now put into context the saying "For the race (Raza) everything. For those outside the race nothing."
Starting to get the picture.
That could explain why Mexicans are streaming into california like ants at a picnic. They are trying to take over Mexico from within because they believe it is theirs. So in addition to being racist against gringos, they are actually espousing takeover of sovereign american states. Makes you wonder about Bustamante in california, considering he was in Mecha at its most revolutionary time and refuses to dissacosiate himself fromt he group. Also his policies and those of Gray Davis seem to suggest that he is seeking unlimited imigration and benefits for all illegals. I guess, if you can take over a state without using guns why not work the system.
If California has any sanity whatsoever they will not elect Bustamante, and they will close their borders asap, instead of alowing themselves to be overrun by those who believe California belongs TO THEM.
Hint to Tacitus: One of the giveaway earmarks of genuine racism is vermin references, particularly comparisons of an entire racial group to various low forms of life. And arguments that we close the border are the purview of outfits like American Patrol and their white-collar counterparts like U.S. English.
I am fairly confident that bloggers like Tacitus and others who are presenting their arguments are devoid of any racist tinges themselves. They are arguing from a kind of logic and facts, misplaced as they might be. However, in many ways, this meme is simply the latest permutation in a meta-theme we've been hearing from the right for the past several years -- namely, that whatever stupidity the right might be guilty has its equal counterpart in the left (see, e.g., Jack Shafer's recent blithering nonsense).
Well, the truth is that sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes the left is stupid in ways that are unique to itself. And sometimes, as in this case, so is the right.
It is hard in the end not to come to the conclusion that the proliferation of the "MEChA is racist" meme is intended to blunt the emerging news over Arnold Schwarzenegger's substantial connections to U.S. English, a group whose racist underpinnings are themselves fairly substantial. And indeed, there are good reasons why Schwarzenegger should distance himself from them and resign his position with them.
Cruz Bustamante, on the other hand, frankly has nothing to apologize for.
[Update: Ted Barlow at Crooked Timber has a long and insightful post on this topic too. He covers some of the same ground, but has other material -- and makes some key points too. Go read it.]
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torsdag 7 januari 2010
More Hammer from Movie Mail UK in January
Previously released by Sony in the box set Icons of Horror, UK company Movie Mail will exclusively sell The Gorgon, Taste of Fear and The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll as indvidual discs in the UK from January 25.
Inga kommentarer:
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Table of Contents
Antiochus — the name of several Syrian kings from 280 to 65. The most notable of these were, (1.) Antiochus the Great, who ascended the throne 223. He is regarded as the “king of the north” referred to in Dan. 11:13–19. He was succeeded ( 187) by his son, Seleucus Philopater, spoken of by Daniel (11:20) as “a raiser of taxes”, in the Revised Version, “one that shall cause an exactor to pass through the glory of the kingdom.”
(2.) Antiochus IV., surnamed “Epiphanes” i.e., the Illustrious, succeeded his brother Seleucus ( 175). His career and character are prophetically described by Daniel (11:21–32). He was a “vile person.” In a spirit of revenge he organized an expedition against Jerusalem, which he destroyed, putting vast multitudes of its inhabitants to death in the most cruel manner. From this time the Jews began the great war of independence under their heroic Maccabean leaders with marked success, defeating the armies of Antiochus that were sent against them. Enraged at this, Antiochus marched against them in person, threatening utterly to exterminate the nation; but on the way he was suddenly arrested by the hand of death ( 164).
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2015 November Roman catacombs
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Roma Subterranea Novissima
This month we will look at Roma Subterranea Novissima by Paolo Aringhi (See Fig. 1), a text detailing the interiors of the catacombs beneath the city of Rome, key structures in the religious and architectural history of the city. Aringhi’s text, published in 1659 in Paris, was a Latin edition of an earlier book written by the famed Antonio Bosio, one of the first people to extensively explore these mysterious underground tombs.
Fig.1 Title Page
Fig. 1 – Title Page of Roma Subterranea Novissima Part I by Paolo Aringhi
The catacombs of Rome are a fascinating feature of the ancient city, whose purpose has been misinterpreted and often exaggerated throughout the centuries. Catacombs are not unique to Rome but are often seen as synonymous with the city itself, drawing many thousands of visitors every year. They consist of an underground network of chambers, several hundred kilometres in length that were built outside the original city boundaries (See Fig. 2). These catacombs were burial spaces for Christians and Jews, all of whom chose to inhumate, or bury, their dead. It is not known why these people chose to go build underground burial chambers, some suggest it could be for privacy purposes or due to a lack of space for non-Roman inhumations.
Fig. 2 Map of Rome
Fig. 2 – Map of Rome showing city walls
Types of Tomb
Catacombs appear to have been made to order, as space was at a premium within the chambers. There are several different types of tombs within the catacombs, for example, the loculus was the smallest size, consisting of a rectangular opening dug out for a single corpse. The loculus opening was covered with bricks, terracotta tiles or a marble slab and sealed with plaster. Often, the walls of loculi are covered in frescoes, as can be seen three catacombs in particular, the Catacombs of Priscilla, Domitilla and Callixtus (as discussed below). Loculi were the simplest form of tomb, but other higher status examples have also been discovered, for example the arcosolium, a lengthwise wall opening similar to a sarcophagus with an arch cut out above it created to hold at least two bodies. The cubiculum (See Fig. 3) was a small private tomb with several openings cut into the walls of the room to house multiple bodies. Within the catacomb complexes many hundreds of inscriptions have been discovered, many of which provide us with the deceased person’s name.
Fig. 3 Cubiculum
Fig. 3 – A cubiculum illustration from the Marcellinus and Petri catacomb complex
Catacombs of Callixtus
It is believed that the catacombs were established in the middle of the second century AD, with the Catacomb of Callixtus considered one of the earliest. It encompasses both an overground and underground cemetery complex. The catacombs reach a depth of 20 metres underground and has four levels of chambers. They were named after Callixtus, a deacon of Pope Zephyrinus who eventually became Pope himself between c.217 to 222 AD. In the early third century AD, this catacomb housed the remains of several bishops, thus becoming the first official cemetery of the Church of Rome. Some of the names of these bishops remain via Greek inscriptions found within the catacombs. It is believed that the underground complex grew in order to accommodate individuals who wanted to be buried near these early martyrs. The Callixtus catacombs have remained well preserved, with wall frescoes still in existence depicting Old and New Testament cycles, as well as geometric designs and garden scenes.
Decline and Rediscovery
The Christian and Jewish catacombs of underground Rome were used until the fifth century AD, when they eventually were abandoned. Many myths grew up around their use during this time, for example, that they were used as a hiding place for persecuted Christians. The catacombs were used for many centuries after the Edict of Milan (promoting tolerance of Christians) was passed, so they did not need a place to flee to. During this period when they were no longer actively in use, there were still visitors (such as Petrarch), but the so-called ‘rediscovery’ of the catacombs occurred between the sixteenth century AD, beginning with the accidental discovery of a catacomb at the Via Salaria in 1578. This was a time of systematic exploration and study of the structures, generally from the perspective of early Christian religion.
Antonio Bosio
A key figure during this period was the so-called ‘Columbus of the Catacombs’, Antonio Bosio (1575 – 1629). He was the first to actually explore the structures and document what he found, without carrying out excavations. He brought an illustrator along, referred to as ‘Toccafondo’ and both of the men left graffiti on the walls of the tombs. His text Roma Sotteranea was written in Italian and published after his death. The text was primarily concerned with the value of the catacombs as evidence of the early Christians in Rome. It was not widely disseminated or read until Aringhi published the Latin edition of it. This translation attracted readers from all over Britain and Europe. He called his augmented text Roma Subterranea Novissima (See Fig. 4). These two related texts were often owned as a pair by later scholars, for example the noted architect Sir Christopher Wren had a copy of Aringhi and Bosio. It is clear that Aringhi took his own ideas and beliefs into his translation, as he augmented the text and provided a strong anti-Semitic and Counter-Reformation tone that had not been part of Bosio’s voice.
Fig.4 Roma Subterranea
Fig.4 – Frontispiece with illustrations of people in the catacombs
Aringhi’s Roma Subterranea
Aringhi’s book, which Edward Worth saw fit to have in his collection, is a rich resource documenting this obscured underground world, some of which does not remain today. It contains detailed textual evidence, as well as incredible illustrations, which complement each other to provide the reader with a unique perspective on the catacombs. The work is spread across two significant volumes and split up into six separate books, three in each volume. Both volumes have illustrations and text. Volume I discusses the early Christian martyrs and their cemeteries, while Volume II appears to be more interested in iconography and artefacts. Within the indexes of both volumes, Aringhi refers to passages taken from Bosio’s work.
The work gives a broad outline of the catacombs, their interiors, decoration, associated artefacts and relevance to Christian religion. The use of illustrations to explain these physical structures is key to the book’s success, as words alone could not do them justice. Volume I contains multiple images of sarcophagi from cemeteries and catacombs around Rome. These are receptacles for human remains which are generally made of stone and displayed above ground. The illustrations show that the artist has an understanding of perspective and the ability to represent it accurately to give a feeling of depth (See Fig. 5). A single glance at this sarcophagus tells the viewer immediately that it is Christian in nature, as we see Adam and Eve and its location in Rome. The figures appear to be in high relief and intricately carved, but whether this is the artist’s interpretation of the physical sculpture is not certain.
Fig. 5 Sarcophagus
Fig. 5 – Sarcophagus from the Cemetery of Lucia Effossus
As well as these, the author chose to include other things associated with death and burial, such as artefacts and inscriptions. These are discussed in text and represented visually as well. Inscriptions are particularly poignant as they provide evidence of the deceased individual, perhaps their name or date of death, for example a dedication to a woman called Alexandra who was said to have ‘lived in peace for 55 years’. In terms of artefacts, Aringhi includes some beautiful Roman-style lamps with distinctly Christian imagery (See Fig. 6). Lamps were generally tear drop shaped with an opening at one end for oil to be poured in and a second opening for a wick. Within the dark damp environment of the catacombs, lamps would have been paramount to finding ones way around. The four depicted in this image display Christian iconography such as the Chi Ro (☧) character and a shepherd and his flock, which represents Christ and his followers.
Fig. 6 Lamps
Fig. 6 – Lamps from the catacombs with Christian iconography
The most fascinating features of this work, in my opinion, are the illustrations of the catacomb interiors, which combine architectural structures with iconography. The illustrator chose to create three dimensional images of the tombs first showing their decoration and highlighting significant features and following this on the next page with a flattened out representation of the room’s frescoes. These are found in Volume II. This would have taken a considerable amount of time to complete and indicates the illustrator’s supreme talent. The cubiculum’s structure (See Fig. 7) is a complex one with a domed ceiling and supporting columns. The artist has included a hint of the frescoes that survive on the ceiling, to give an impression of their location, but saves the detail for the following page. On this page (See Fig. 8), the artist portrays the frescoes themselves, in this case a beautifully rendered botanical illustration of curling vines held aloft by cherubs, surrounding a central roundel that encircles a lone shepherd and his flock. By considering both images together, the reader can get a real sense of what the catacomb looks like, although the perfectly depicted lines are probably exaggerated as these tombs were cut by hand from rock and would have been less defined.
Fig. 7 Dome and frescoes
Fig. 7 – Cubiculum secundum from the Via Latina cemetery complex showing architectural cut away and depiction of frescoes
Aringhi’s work, based on Bosio’s original text, are key resources in the history of the early Christians of Rome. It is rich in visual media, with illustrations accompanying vast swathes of text in order to provide a more in-depth understanding of these underground spaces. The two volumes represent a period in catacomb history when people were beginning to re-explore them again, after several centuries of minimal disturbance and are indicative of a time when writers were eager to strengthen the ties of the modern Roman Catholic Church to the early Christian martyrs.
Fig. 8 Inscriptions
Fig. 8 – Close up of fresco from Fig. 6 depicting curling vines and central shepherd
Text: Ms Ella Hassett, Library Assistant, The Edward Worth Library, Dublin.
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HomeEllenboro Elementary School
Learning for the Future Makes a Happy Tiger Roar!
Academically Intellectually Gifted Program
AIG Parent Night
Posted on 05/06/2016
Parent Night
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
6:00 - 7:00 PM
This was a family night to inform parents of what we do for AIG HOLE
days - which is: A full day of project-based activities aligned to the Common Core and Essential Standards with one subject area as the focus each six weeks.
Then, we had families complete some team building, critical thinking activities similar to some of the activities the students might do during the HOLE days. The activities were: "Saving Sam", saving a gummy worm, an engineer challenge of building a bridge, Tanglers - like math puzzles, and Kahoots which uses technology.
AIG Parent Night
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Next Generation Student Resources: A Speculative Primer
Next Generation Student Resources: A Speculative Primer
Susan Schreibman
A survey of humanities research websites (and how to teach with them) by Susan Schreibman.
The World Wide Web as a Resource
For many, locating high-quality, reliable primary texts on the Web is rather like embarking on a quest. For me, the quest invariably leads to very specific resources: i.e. electronic editions. These editions tend to be lightly contextualised, can be difficult to navigate, and assume some previous knowledge of the subject. They also tend to use Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML) or extensible Markup Language (XML) for encoding, rather than Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). This distinction in encoding is often invisible to the user, as SGML and XML texts are ‘converted on the fly’ to HTML. In other words, the server on which the text resides processes the SGML/XML files into HTML so that by the time the user views them in her browser they look like any other Web document. The distinction, however, is important. Texts and images which contain metainformation encoded in SGML/XML allow for robust searching not possible in HTML. Thus, in The Blake Archive ( it is possible to search on all images that contain representations of angels. The search can be further refined to return only those images in which angels appear with ‘dark-skinned’ children. The Blake Archive allows searching on text or images. The image search is based on a list of metainformation terms devised by the editors that categorize Blake’s work through four main rubrics: Animals, Vegetation, Objects and Structures. The text search allows for plain text and Boolean searches, as well ways of refining those searches by, such as limiting a search to the titles of poems.
Many of these archives are located at and supported by humanities computing centers, such as The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities at University of Virginia (, which hosts projects such as Ben Ray’s The Salem Witchcraft Trials, 1692-1693: A Thematic Research Archive, Jerome McGann’s The Complete Writings and Pictures of Dante Gabriel Rossetti: A Hypermedia Research Archive, and Stephen Railton’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture, or The Humanities Computing Unit at Oxford University which hosts The Wilfred Owen Multimedia Digital Archive ( Other humanities archives originate in libraries, such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Academic Affairs Library which is host to Documenting the American South ( featuring several thematically-based textual archives, including an extensive collection of slave narratives, as well as The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865, which charts Southern life during the Civil War. Other archives are the result of a consortium of scholars who have created standards for electronic editions in their fields, such as The Model Editions Partnership ( whose goal is to explore ways of creating electronic editions of historical documents which meet the standards scholars traditionally use in preparing print editions. For a more comprehensive (although by no means complete) list of humanities projects encoded in SGML, see The Text Encoding Initiative’s list of projects,
The problem with many early humanities resources is that they simply port codex norms into the electronic environment. What many creators of digital resources seem to have forgot during the early stages of developing material for the Web is that ‘form reshapes content’ (Burbules). Or perhaps site editors/designers were seduced into thinking that they were reshaping content by integrating the functionality afforded by that overused and over-praised HTML hyperlink. Some of the earliest and indeed, most successful of these resources have fallen victim to their own success, becoming large, unwieldy structures with a preponderance of hyperlinks which send readers down tenuously associated trails in a vaguely circuitous fashion. Others have become a testament to a theoretical understanding of what could be achieved in the medium at a specific point in time, such as George Landow’s The Victorian Web or Stuart Curran’s Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus. Others have caused the medium to be denigrated as a pedagogic tool because of their being hastily conceived, filled with promises of valuable information which never appeared, finding their way into the search engines, and, regretfully, never taken down. Many of these sites are fragmentary, in that freed from the spatial restrictions of the codex, the ambitions for the resource were far beyond what their editors/designers could accomplish. In the early days of hypertext, very few people realized the costs associated with these new editions: freed from print publication costs, editors never reckoned on the enormous time commitment in digitizing objects and designing the space in within which they would be contained. This is not to say that there are no valuable resources conceived and implemented in Hypertext Markup Language. Romantic Circles ( or Columbus and the Age of Discovery (, for example, are cases in point. The Perseus Digital Library (, one of the oldest and most successful humanities computing projects on the Web, began as a resource that concentrated exclusively on ancient Greek culture, but has since expanded its scope to include Roman and now Renaissance materials. Its goal, like so many humanities computing projects, is not only to make available digitized versions of humanities objects, but to study the possibilities (and limitations) of the electronic medium, as well as to serve as the foundation for work in new cultural domains (Crane). An excellent source for locating humanities resources on the web is The National Endowment for the Humanities, a gateway featuring ‘the best of the humanities on the web’. See
The World Wide Web as a Tool
Many collaborative Web spaces have a game-like quality, for example Jerome McGann and Joanna Drucker’s The Ivanhoe Game, and Neil Fraistat and Steven E. Jones’s MOOzymandias. The Ivanhoe Game was developed ‘to use digital tools and space to reflect critically on received aesthetic works (like novels) and on the process of critical reflection that one brings to such works’ (McGann, Ivanhoe). Players of The Ivanhoe Game not only engage with aesthetic works in performative ways, but intervene in them within an environment which puts their ‘critical and reflective operations on clear display’. In playing the game, the players in effect, perform the novel, making critical and aesthetic decisions about the text which, in fact, creates a new and evolving narrative. The Ivanhoe Game thus becomes, like MOOzymandias, a “ ‘pedagogical edition’ that students build, mutate and inhabit rather than merely read” (Fraistat). The site of MOOzymandias is a MOO (Multiuser Object-Oriented Environment), a text-based, virtual reality space that allows multiple users to connect to the same place at the same time. MOOs differ from conventional chat rooms in that they allow users to manipulate and interact with cyber objects in addition to live communication (Multiuser). MOOzymandias utilises a MOO space in which the physicality of the Villa Diodati (the Swiss country house rented by Lord Byron in the summer of 1816 where Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was conceived) becomes a virtual environment for exploring Romantic literature, including Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ‘Ozymandias’ and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In this space students interact with one another, with teachers, as well as with virtual objects to explore the meaning and origins of the primary text(s) around which a particular MOO was developed. Students also have the ability to add to an extant MOO, or indeed, construct their own. Like The Ivanhoe Game, MOOzymandias utilises digital game playing to create a performative and critically reflective immersive digital environment which teaches students on the one hand, about literary texts, and print textuality, and on the other, about editing virtual spaces and visual literacy (Fraistat).
Bader, Jenny Lyn. ‘Ideas & Trends: Old Media, Meet New Media; forget Those Old-Fashioned Footnotes. Hyperlink’. The New York Times. (16 July 2000) Section 4, p.1.
Burbules, Nicholas C. and Thomas A Callister, Jr. ‘Universities in Transition: The Promise and the Challenge of New Technologies’. Teachers College Record. 102:2 (April 2000) 271-93.
Crane, Gregory. ‘The Perseus Project and Beyond: How Building a Digital Library Challenges the Humanities and Technology’. D-Lib Magazine. (January 1998).
Fraistat, Neil and Steven E Jones. ‘Immersive Textuality: The Editing of Virtual Spaces’. Paper proposal for ACH/ALLC conference 2001.
Hardwick, Susan W. “Humanising the Technology landscape through a Collaborative Pedagogy”. Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 24:1 (March 2000). p123-129.
Hiltz, Starr Roxanne. The Virtual Classroom: Learning Without Limits via Computer Networks. (Norwood, New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Co, 1995).
McGann, Jerome. “Imaging What You Don’t Know: The Theoretical Goals of the Rossetti Archive”.
McGann, Jerome and Joanna Drucker. The Ivanhoe Game. September 2000.
Multiuser Object Oriented Environment. Athena University. 1998.
Muffoletto, Robert. ‘The Expert Teaching Machine: Unpacking the Mask’. Computers in Education: Social, Political and Historical Perspectives. Ed. Robert Muffoletto and Nancy Nelson Knufer. (Cresskill, New Jersey: Hampton Press, 1993) 91-103.
Salomon, Gavriel. ‘Educational Psychology and Technology: A Matter of Reciprocal Relations. Teachers College Record. 100 2 (Winter 1998) 222-41.
Whipple, W.R. ‘Collaborative Learning: Recognizing it When We See It’. Bulletin of the American Association for Higher Education 40:2 (1987) 3-7.
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08 May 2008
This is the Catbus from the Studio Ghibli film My Neighbour Totoro. I finally got round to making this for my brother's birthday. I'd been thinking about making one for some time, after making a set of Totoros (and a soot sprite) for him and his girlfriend a few years ago. So now they finally have the Catbus to complete the collection.
1 comment:
littlemithi said...
AAAHHHH!!! My sister would SO love this! You are quite the pixie with the polymer clay, aren't you!?!?
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Friday, March 13, 2015
Yamnaya-related ancestry proportions in Europe and west Asia
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 239 of 239
Arch Hades said...
Where are the Italians and Greeks?
I'm guessing North Italians 25%, mainland Greeks 20% Yamna?
Davidski said...
What do you mean?
Have you looked in the spreadsheet?
Arch Hades said...
Oops, no I didn't look at the spreadsheet. Was just looking at your graphs.
Looks like I was pretty close on my estimates. Anyway, awesome analysis mate. Thanks
Chad Rohlfsen said...
Matt and David,
I went and separated the German farmers by geography. I have the Stuttgart farmers SW, versus the Saxony_Anhalt NE. I didn't include the Stuttgart female from previous papers as she is older and decreased the affinity to Spain. This is all very interesting and could give credence to that Cardial/La Hoguette deal. Have a look.
German Farmers w/o “Stuttgart” in LBK_EN_SW
HungaryGamba_EN LBK_EN_SW Spain_EN Chimp -0.0144 -2.878 12494 12859 267318
HungaryGamba_EN LBK_EN_NE Spain_EN Chimp -0.0187 -3.997 12838 13326 277337
LBK_EN_SW LBK_EN_NE HungaryGamba_EN Chimp 0.0015 0.345 12592 12554 269653
LBK_EN_SW LBK_EN_NE Spain_EN Chimp -0.0061 -1.659 15599 15790 334374
LBK_EN_SW LBK_EN_NE Loschbour Chimp -0.0018 -0.406 15508 15564 334708
LBK_EN_SW LBK_EN_NE LaBrana1 Chimp -0.0001 -0.029 14717 14720 319622
LBK_EN_SW LBK_EN_NE HungaryGamba_HG Chimp -0.0026 -0.494 10775 10830 232655
LBK_EN_SW HungaryGamba_EN Loschbour Chimp 0.0092 1.525 12679 12448 267468
Spain_EN HungaryGamba_EN Loschbour Chimp 0.0224 3.968 13119 12544 275071
HungaryGamba_EN LBK_EN_SW Spain_EN Chimp -0.0144 -2.878 12494 12859 267318
HungaryGamba_EN LBK_EN_NE Spain_EN Chimp -0.0187 -3.997 12838 13326 277337
LBK_EN_SW Iceman LBK_EN_NE Chimp 0.0030 0.565 15530 15438 335725
LBK_EN_SW Iceman HungaryGamba_EN Chimp -0.0088 -1.340 12128 12344 268408
LBK_EN_NE Iceman HungaryGamba_EN Chimp -0.0100 -1.694 12546 12798 279586
LBK_EN_SW Iceman Spain_EN Chimp -0.0066 -1.243 15133 15336 332654
LBK_EN_NE Iceman Spain_EN Chimp 0.0006 0.124 15788 15768 345684
Chad Rohlfsen said...
Keep in mind that the SW samples are older than the NE samples by a couple hundred years. Also, removing "Stuttgart" increased the Z score by -.4, so it was fairly important to showing the change.
Alberto said...
@Mike and Maju
Thanks for your comments.
Is there any better information about Cernavoda than Mallory's short comment about it? If the dating there is correct (4000-3200 BCE) then it mostly precedes Yamnaya, yet it's a Kurganized culture (and even when it overlaps with Yamnaya, the CT culture was in between both, so direct contact is not granted).
It's strange that it hasn't been studied or dated better, being the first Kurgan culture in Europe (as far as I can tell).
Alberto said...
Thanks for all those stats. It seems you're trying to squeeze out all the smallest details out of those genomes.
In the Haak paper I found something intriguing. The Fst table on page 26 shows that all modern European pops are closer to EHG than to WHG, including Basque and Spanish. This seems a bit odd.
Would you be able to try something like:
Loschbour Samara_HG Test Chimp
Where Test are European populations (Spanish, Basque, French, German, Polish, Lithuanian, Tuscan, Greek...)?
Mike Thomas said...
@ Alberto
Excatly. Cernadova dates from 4000 BC. So it cannot be a "Kurgan" culture unless we start bending the picture. Rather, it is as I ave long been stating - a late phase local variant of the Cucuteni culture. If one examines closely traditional archaeology, the Cucuteni disperals imparted a significant colonization affect onto the western steppe. Genetic studies will prove/ disprove/ modify this picutre.
IN ARCHAEOLOGY" witha few good chapters.
Theres an 'old skool' perspective by Hoddinott. "From the Chalcolithic to the EBA in west and north Pontic lands"
There are numerous papers on the Baden Cotofeni horizon.
In fact, just give me your email; I have a whole dropbox file worth of papers..
Mike Thomas said...
Focuses on Cernadova
Alberto said...
Yes, CT must have had a good influence in the western steppe.
Thanks for all the references. I think it's enough for now to get me started. If I need something else I'll ask, thanks :)
Mike Thomas said...
Almost Forgot
Phil Kohl:
"Crossing the Pastoral/ Agricultural bridge"
Chad Rohlfsen said...
I'll give those a crack this afternoon, after work.
Maju said...
@Chad: OK, I seem to have misinterpreted the abstract.
Maju said...
@David "I'd say some ANE also entered Europe from west Asia during the Iron Age and middle ages, and was very likely accompanied by a very low ratio of EHG and a high ratio of Near Eastern ancestry".
Not sure of which parts of Europe do you mean nor why this ME+ANE could not have entered Europe (initially only the Balcans) c. 5000 BCE, which is the Vinca arrival time-frame. Otherwise I only see windows for Italy in the Bronze Age mostly and maybe something Phoenician (???) in the case of Sicily and Malta. But nothing affecting Europe in general, only the SE.
Another thing would be if some of that Italian complex would have scattered around in Roman Imperial context (?), but still not likely to affect Northern nor Eastern Europe for example. Also I don't see any obvious data supporting any major Roman-related genetic expansion.
@Krefter: the North African element in West Iberia is well known and has no relationship whatsoever with the extra West Asian element we are discussing here. As for East Iberian much smaller extra ME, IMO fits better with Italian colonial overflow but nothing big in any case.
All this could well be related to Y-DNA J2 and IMO this could well have arrived to SE Europe as early as 5000 BCE with Vinca-Dimini (regardless of possible secondary flows such as Etruscans).
Matt said...
Interesting point by Jean continued by Maju - the Basques and Spanish do deviate the general relationship between Yamnaya-related and ANE K8:
e.g. graphed against one another for the West Eurasian samples which overlap
Two clines... The Middle East and West Asian has an aversion to the Yamnaya component.
With the Pathans and Turkmens included, the Pathans are just above the Lezgins (more ANE relative to Yamnaya than Lezgins) and Turkmens just below (less ANE relative to Yamnaya than Lezgins). But that's less unexpected than Southwest Europeans slightly bucking the relationship between ANE and Yamnaya.
@Alberto, the WHG are further from Europeans because of their high levels of drift overall -
e.g. WHG-Yoruba FST is 0.195, while EHG-Yoruba is only 0.179. WHG is just more drifted here.
Similarly, Baalberge_MN-EHG is 0.067 while Baalberge_MN-WHG is 0.073, despite the fact Baalberge is clearly more related to WHG by f4.
However, the stats you propose for Europeans would be a good supplement to the p73 stats assessing the same relationship in ancient Europeans.
Maju said...
@Matt: very informative graph, thank you.
I can't but notice that your clinal line, while apparent, does not express a normalized ratio of ANE:Yamna, because this would have to drop to 0:0. I drew a few reasonable examples of such ratios in blue color in this annotated version of your graph.
the Volga-Ural pop. seems to be in the 0.04 (ANE for each 1 Yamna score, i.e. 1:0.04) ratio, while the Basque-Iberian one is in the 0.03 instead, however other populations have much larger ratios: 0.09 and 0.18 drawn for reference but even 1:0 in some Near East (?) cases, which have no Yamna but significantly strong ANE. On the opposite extreme are Sardinians who vary on the Yamna side but always score zero for ANE (0:1 ratio).
So I gather that, unless I'm reading something wrong, ANE and Yamna only have a weak correlation. Possibly various ancestral populations carried different scores of Yamna-like and ANE-like genetics, causing all this mess. Very apparently the ones influencing West Asia had much more ANE than Yamna, while the ones influencing SW Europe had much more Yamna than ANE.
The first one is easy to explain: ANE affinity in West Asia has nothing (or just a little) to do with IEs but the component was there all the time, at least in bulk. However the latter is harder to explain: either Lochsbour/La Braña or maybe Gökhem fit in there (extra HG unaccounted for) or else we have to appeal to some ghost population.
Maju said...
Erratum: "ANE for each 1 Yamna score, i.e. 1:0.04" should read "ANE for each 0.1 Yamna score, i.e. 0.1:0.04" - or maybe I should have just said: "10:4".
Anyhow is it possible that the scores can't be considered absolute and that there's a possible "real {0,0}" to the left of the graph, in the "negative Yamna" zone, approx at the -0.3 position? The tendencies suggest so and, if so, the Yamna:ANE mystery could be conciliated somehow.
Maju said...
In the event that this "displaced {0:0}" theory is correct, I drew this other version of the graph, which suggests four cases:
1. The Reference case, which follows the main cline and is similar, although not exactly so, to your red line.
2. Caucasus-Zagros: clearly more ANE than Yamna rel. to the Reference ratio.
3. Iberia (incl. Basques): clearly more Yamna than ANE rel. to the Reference ratio.
4. Sardinia: all Yamna and no or nearly no ANE whatsoever.
So this is the question I have asked often when people say "X pop. has N ANE" or stuff like that: compared to what? It's an affinity degree not an absolute thing!
Chad Rohlfsen said...
I got caught up tonight. I will try the ancient farmers and such, with f4 tomorrow. Sounds interesting.
Alberto said...
Yes, that drift you mention might be the cause, but ?d just thought that the drift was shared with the populations that descend from them. But probably f4 stats will show the expected results instead of the unexpected Fts values.
As for that Yamnaya/ANE ratios, wouldn't the explanation be related to WHG/ANE ratio? Spanish and Basques are the one who have a higher WHG/ANE ratio while Caucasus/NE/Central-South Asians have the lowest. In the rest of Europe there is a good correlation between both: population with highr WHG also have higher ANE (Baltics), while population with low WHG (SE Euros) have lower ANE.
Thanks, I'd appreciate if you give those a try.
Chad Rohlfsen said...
Matt and Alberto,
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour LaBrana1 Chimp -0.1296 -16.786 13350 17325 320734
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour LaBrana1 Ust_Ishim -0.1279 -14.781 12581 16270 320085
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour HungaryGamba_HG Chimp -0.1181 -13.020 9930 12590 233238
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour HungaryGamba_HG Ust_Ishim -0.1161 -12.252 9344 11800 232756
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Clovis Chimp 0.0547 6.765 16436 14730 337725
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Clovis Ust_Ishim 0.0671 7.621 15306 13382 337042
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Ust_Ishim Chimp -0.0070 -0.936 15140 15354 337801
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Kostenki14 Ust_Ishim -0.0202 -2.290 13353 13902 317861
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour HungaryGamba_EN Chimp -0.0267 -3.594 12175 12843 270325
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour HungaryGamba_EN Ust_Ishim -0.0228 -2.779 11520 12057 269786
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour LBK_EN_SW Chimp -0.0188 -2.785 15123 15703 327098
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour LBK_EN_SW Ust_Ishim -0.0116 -1.597 14198 14532 326447
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour LBK_EN_NE Chimp -0.0179 -2.870 15588 16155 338296
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour LBK_EN_NE Ust_Ishim -0.0121 -1.821 14581 14937 337612
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Spain_EN Chimp -0.0275 -4.460 15293 16158 335494
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Spain_EN Ust_Ishim -0.0220 -3.189 14402 15050 334814
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Bell_Beaker_LN Chimp -0.0132 -2.181 15745 16166 335723
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Bell_Beaker_LN Ust_Ishim -0.0069 -0.994 14829 15034 335047
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Corded_Ware_LN Chimp 0.0185 2.998 16405 15809 338141
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Corded_Ware_LN Ust_Ishim 0.0270 3.753 15341 14536 337458
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Karsdorf_LN Chimp 0.0084 0.607 2808 2760 58388
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Karsdorf_LN Ust_Ishim 0.0251 1.842 2646 2516 58262
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Motala_HG Chimp -0.0297 -4.701 15618 16574 334629
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Motala_HG Ust_Ishim -0.0242 -3.318 14776 15510 333952
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour SwedenSkoglund_NHG Chimp -0.0358 -4.495 14450 15522 311225
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour SwedenSkoglund_NHG Ust_Ishim -0.0305 -3.672 13728 14591 310596
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Samara_HG Chimp 0.0622 7.260 10251 9051 201624
result: Karelia_HG Loschbour Samara_HG Ust_Ishim 0.0735 7.883 9695 8366 201206
Alberto said...
Thanks you!
The ones that better relates to what I was wondering are:
Karelia_HG Loschbour Bell_Beaker_LN Chimp -0.0132 -2.181
Karelia_HG Loschbour Corded_Ware_LN Chimp 0.0185 2.998
So Basically CW is closer to EHG than to WHG, but BB is closer to WHG than to EHG.
So I guess it's similar with modern populations. The cut might be around Poland: east and north of Poland they might be closer to EHG, but south and west closer to WHG.
Maju said...
So, Chad and Alberto: do those tests say or at least suggest that part of the Yamna component is actually Lochsbour-like (WHG)? And, for what I understand, also that Bell Beaker people of Germany had it rather than actual Yamna admixture?
Alberto said...
I wouldn't read it that way.
I mean, Yamnaya does have WHG (some 35%), but it comes mostly from the EHG (who had more than 50% of it).
So basically Europeans have WHG from 2 sources: directly from Loschbour-like people, and from Yamnaya.
So places with very high Yamnaya admixture are closer to EHG than to Loschbour, while as Yamnaya admixture decreases, it turns the other way around.
Basically the results are as expected, and what was wrong was that table in the paper showing ALL Europeans closer to EHG than to WHG (including for example, Basques, which was very odd). But Matt explained above the reason that that oddity and Chad's test confirm that it was indeed a false clue.
Maju said...
But then, Alberto, how do you explain that the Yamna-ANE correlation is so varied: that some peoples (particularly SW Europeans) have clearly more Yamna fraction that should correspond to their ANE fraction? Both Yamna and EHG are high in ANE yet when we found those same components in the west (per this run by Davidski or also per Haak et al.) it seems to have "lost" a good deal of its ANE (all in the case of Sardinians)?
I would rather postulate a "hidden" HG component that is not being evaluated. A component that would be Lochsbour-like in ANE but otherwise Yamna-like (or EHG-like) enough to pass as such.
Alberto said...
Yes, now I see your point.
I thought it was a simple question of ANE/WHG ratio, but it's not so simple. As you point out, Yamnaya seems to be picking signal from extra WHG in relation to the amount of ANE.
I really have no idea why it happens.
Maju said...
Another possibility is that, judging on the K=16 of Haak et al., Yamna is expressed as a 50-50 mix of HG and what we can call "West Asian 2" (WA2, dark grayish green), which is in essence: all West Asian minus the EEF component (orange).
In general terms both WA2 and HG (plain blue) have more ANE than the EEF component but this relation may vary and we can't measure it in general terms because Ma1 has no effective influence on the analysis (too old and too small sample to make sense in such a large Holocene sample). However Yamna is always expressed as 50-50 HG+WA2, picking signals from both these "more true" components regardless of ANE affinity and true Yamna ancestry. In essence: every time WA2+HG is found, it's classed as Yamna in Davidski's run, regardless of the suptypes of HG and WA2 involved and regardless of ANE affinity (with the remaining HG cast as "other HG").
Hence we can surely use the differential ratios to estimate various scenarios, depending on how exactly Yamna performs analyzed against itself and ANE. Throwing there also other ancient pops like CW or BB could be interesting.
Matt: do you think you can do that?
Davidski said...
Is there any chance you can also get decent files of Starcevo_EN and LBKT_EN?
Combining them might make a very useful early Neolithic reference for populations not in the Human Origins dataset. They're about as close as we've got now to Neolithic farmers from the Near East.
Srkz said...
Unfortunately, no. BAM files for LBKT and Starcevo are tiny. All appropriate files have been processed now.
Mark said...
Just an observation from this study that M269 freq., Lezgins is the highest and is the one closest to Yamnaya as per Shaikorth. What about Ossets–Digor?
(supplementary fig. 1, Supplementary Material online) were
found in the Lezghins (30%) and in Ossets–Digor (16%).
Parallel Evolution of Genes and Languages in the Caucasus Region
Balanovsky et al
August 27, 2011
Alberto said...
"Good idea, although Lezgins have considerable overlap with Yamnaya because of their particular mixture."<Shaikorth said...
For the results, Tuscans don't seem to like Yamnaya much, but Lezgins are not the best fit either (as source of ANE).
March 14, 2015 at 6:09 AM
Davidski said...
Yes, I think so, otherwise we'd see much higher Yamnaya among South Central Asians, inflated by the high ANE among them, but we don't. There's a nice gradient there from the Volga-Ural to the Pamirs and into the Hindu Kush and Iran. It just makes sense.
March 15, 2015 at 4:28 PM
Matt said...
Alberto, that's a good point and it could do.
Although I would expect this should have fallen into having additional WHG_extra cluster relative to their K8 ANE and not Yamnaya, if the test is actually picking up WHG as it should. That's supposed to be what allowing WHG to vary achieves.
Good point.
Tentatively, part of the way both your comments seem to resolves, and the way that the Basque and Spanish have Yamnaya than expected from ANE K8, is that probably some level of what is covered by the ANE cluster in K8 is in the Middle Eastern cluster, here.
When I mentioned Levantines on the other, graph, I really overstated matters - note that there are few Levantines in the K6 run, and the ones that are (Lebanese Christians, Syrians, Jordanians) have lower membership in the Middle Eastern cluster than the Armenians, Georgians and Iraqi Jewish.
Basques lack membership in the Middle Eastern cluster.
Some visual circumstantial evidence is, if you PCA only the Yamnaya K6 measures of Yamnaya_related and Middle_Eastern, and then PCA them together with the ANE measure, you can see where they point. - typical West Eurasian groups only - plus Pathans, Turkmens, Tatars, Kazakhs
The Sardinians, Basques, Spanish, Caucasus, Near East, Levant, North Europeans, etc are all where you expect them to be. Middle Eastern points to West Asia.
So seems, the Middle Eastern cluster here is not a measure of ANE free Middle Eastern ancestry, however we interpret what it does measure and whether it is real cluster of similar age to pre-Yamnaya and Yamnaya, and how we interpret the idea of ANE.
Matt said...
Btw, a measure of K6_ANE_estimate =(Yamnaya_Related*0.32)+(Middle_Eastern*0.17) seems to give the best correlation with K8 ANE at 0.94 across the samples in common, and the average difference between them per sample is *pretty* close to 0%, median difference 1% (Basques are still around 2% wrong but its the best fit I can find).
Slight differences are still Sardinians, early Neolithic and Pathans / Tajiks at the edges (S are over by 5%, P & T are under by around 10%), but it's almost exactly the same for most samples.
The Middle_Eastern cluster here seems pretty much close to Georgians, but not quite.
Maju said...
@Matt: that's a very impressive fit, thank you for the work, really.
It would seem, judging on your work, that we are before two (main) different sources of ANE affinity: Yamna can account for ~2/3 but there is another source that is best described as Highland West Asian, accounting for ~1/3.
Ironically the best fit for Yamna only influence are Basques. That has me very perplex really, more so when mtDNA wise the Basque genetic pool seems very stable since Neolithic times (Kurgan-derived influences here before the Iron Age are extremely unlikely and most likely negligible beyond the normal neighbor exchange, what should be very diluted). I still think that there's something fishy re. what appears as Yamna genetic influence.
Maju said...
PS- well, the best fit for Yamna-only influence in ANE would be Sardinians, admittedly. Still fishy.
Chad Rohlfsen said...
Not if you get out of R1b megalith mind.
Matt said...
Maju, I don't know much about how the Basque genetic uniparental pool has changed over time (as we move from archaeology from people living where the Basques live to people who we can identify clearly as Basuqe) still I think those sound like pretty solid points.
Btw, for similar formula for WHG and Near Eastern, the closest I could get were:
K6 WHG estimate = WHG_Extra+0.38*Yamnaya_Related+0.41*Pre_Yamnaya
K6 Near_Eastern estimate = 0.3*Yamnaya_Related+0.59*Pre_Yamnaya+0.83*K6_Middle_Eastern
These have 0.99 and 0.98 correlations with the K8 components, and the mean and median differences between each sample on them are low.
Although, even though the correlations work out and the average differences are low, the populations end up less different from one another on the estimated components than in K8.
It seems like at least some populations who are extreme relative to others can have differences from one another in calculators with different / higher K compared to K8, e.g.
Neolithic Hungary and Stuttgart in Yamnaya_K6 here has some of the Middle_Eastern component so fit with the formula should have ANE but doesn't in K8 (I think)
Sardinians in Eurogenes K15 have some North_Sea so would be predicted to have some ANE based on North_Sea having ANE but don't in K8
Lithuanians would have more Near_Eastern based on the above estimate than in K8, etc.
Shaikorth said...
Even the K15 Atlantic component has noticeable ANE according to TreeMix tests, and that is common in modern North Europeans but also in Sardinians and even Early/Middle Neolithics.
However, in other calculators like K36 the neolithic farmers distinctly lack the Atlantic coast-associated components (North Atlantic and North Sea) that are especially present in Northwest Europeans who have lots of K15 Atlantic.
The lesson I'd take from this is to rely less on ADMIXTURE results and more on formal testing, even PCA positioning.
Anonymous said...
@ Davidski
Could you please add Belarusians and Ukrainians to the spreadsheet?
Singh said...
Can you please add South Asian samples you have to this spreadsheet?
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Monday, April 30, 2012
And here's another...
And now... here's Mari
Inline image 1
Mari is the Great Mother; the soul of nature that gives rise to all life. She is the spirit of the Earth, Moon, Sea, and Sky, the embodiment of all manifestation. She is an “Earth Goddess” in the sense that it is She who gives form. She gives birth to us, sustains us in life, and receives us again at our death. She is the fecund energy of the Universe as it manifests on this planet. The entire Earth is Her body. She is also the spirit of every woman; mother, sister, daughter, lover… and witch. She is the quintessential Goddess. Virgin, Mother, Harlot; She is Three and She is One.
Victor Anderson was reportedly quite adamant that Mari was “the same person as the Star Goddess” and the celestial imagery that is associated with Mari clearly illustrates this. She is the Star God/dess when She becomes pregnant with the divine child, the Dian y Glas, giving birth to the splendor of the world. In this, like the Biblical Mary, She becomes “the Mother of God”.
She is also a Moon Goddess and is the same deity as Diana, Queen of the Witches where her connection to freedom, and to the faerie folk are both firmly established.
I was taught that she had a crown of twelve stars but that sometimes this would actually be thirteen, based on Victor Anderson's poem Quakoralina, the Star Goddess in which the Goddess is described as wearing a crown of "six and seven" blue stars. Here Her crown has twelve stars while a 13th --a seven-pointed faery star-- rests upon Her brow.
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Tag Archives: Christmas
Children’s Sermon for Christmas Eve/Day – Luke 2:1-20
Prepare: You don’t need much for the children’s sermon. You can, if you want, have some small gift for the children. I would suggest a small star or small sheep if you want to do that. The only other thing that might help is a familiarity with the Christmas song “Do You Hear what I Hear?”
As the children gather ask them if they know the Christmas story. If they do, ask them what their favorite part of the story is. If you have a tight schedule you might want to skip this, but it is a chance to hear where they are with the story and it might change how you do the next part!
Well, I have a story about the Christmas story. I think that most of us know the Christmas story, but did you ever think about how that story got to us? I was thinking about that because I was listening to a song called “Do You Hear What I Hear?” The song starts with the wind whispering to a lamb, the lamb tells the shepherd, the shepherd tells the king and the king tells everyone! The message is that Christ is born!
As I was listening to the song I started thinking about the story of Jesus, and I realized that the song is probably not that far off. OK, OK, in the actual story there isn’t a talking sheep, but think about the story that we hear at Christmas. Mary and Joseph know what’s going on because an angel told them – that’s kind of like the wind whispering to you. The angels also told the shepherds who came to see. Later on there were thee wise men, or maybe kings who heard about Jesus somehow and came following the light of a star!
So there is just this handful of people who know what is really happening in that little stable in Bethlehem, and they all manage to keep it quiet for a long time. We don’t really hear much about Jesus as a child, but then Jesus’ story gets really interesting! More people hear about Jesus as a teacher and healer, they tell their friends and neighbors, who tell their friends and neighbors. The word of God spreads far and wide, churches spring up in the far corners of the world, books are written, songs are written, there are paintings and sculptures made, plays are performed, people are feed, baptized, blessed with God’s Word all over the word and throughout the centuries of time.
And it all started with an angel telling people to “Come and see.”
So, this Christmas, I encourage you to invite some one to come and see. It doesn’t have to be today, or tomorrow, or even this month. But be like those angels and shepherds, the friends and neighbors – invite someone to “come and see!”
Emmanuel, God with us, thank you for coming to us. For coming to us as a baby at Christmas, as a healer when we are sick, as a teacher when we are struggling, as a savior when we are lost. Give us the courage to tell the story, and to invite people to come and see! Amen.
May God’s peace go with you
A game of blessing telephone! Start with two children. Give them each a blessing and ask them to go bless two other people. Each person then blesses two more, etc. Give it a little time to spread through the whole congregation!
You can use the blessing above, encourage people to make the sign of the cross on foreheads or on hands as they bless.
Children’s Sermon – 2nd Sunday of Christmas, January 3, 2016, John 1:10-18 (and a little following!)
Prepare: Make two signs. One should have a large circle that says “this is the way.” This sign should be sturdy enough for some small children to run into. The other should have an arrow pointing to the side and also have the words “this is the Way” on it, but note the capitalization.
If you are going to also do a worship station, then make the sign with the arrow big enough for people in the congregation to either write directly on it or to add post-it note to it.
Invite the children up and show them the sign with the circle (keep the other one hidden somewhere). Invite them to try to walk through the sign (you should probably stand behind it to keep it from falling over – and you may want to just get one or two volunteers!)
Ask them if they had any success getting through the sign that clearly says “this is the way?”
In the Bible story that we hear today there is a man named John who has some ideas about Jesus. We might know this guy better as John the Baptizer. He talks about Jesus as being greater than him, and as being before him. He even says at one point that he is not the way, but he came to point to the one who is the way!
Which brings us back to our sign here. What if instead of a circle it had an arrow that could point to Jesus? Maybe something like this! (pull out the other sign)
We can use this sign to point to all the things that remind us of, and bring us closer to Jesus! Can you find some things like that? (let them find a few symbols of Jesus in the room, maybe help them get started if they need it)
Jesus is the Way, and John points us toward him. Sometimes we do our best to act like Jesus – being kind, and loving, and forgiving – but maybe we should practice acting like John, too. We should work to point the way to Jesus!
+ You are a child of God, born of God’s will. +
Giving and loving God, you not only gave us Jesus, but you gave us people like John who point the way to Jesus! Help us to point others to you. Amen.
For a worship station, invite people to think about, and write down ways that they have pointed to God in their lives, or ways that they wish they had pointed to God. Then hang the sign up in your church for a few weeks to remind people to point to God!
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Postby Capn on Sun Sep 30, 2001 2:33 am
Hey, wait a minute. doesn't october come between september and november? So why start november 1st.
A whole month of crawling in the mud army life for Jane? Where's your manners?<P>------------------
<A HREF="" TARGET=_blank>CAP'N</A>- full color nonsense adventure updated mo-wed-fri
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Postby Reinder on Mon Oct 01, 2001 12:01 am
Hey, you can't be a Super Secret Agent without military service. But I'll be able to replace that preview image with something else soon-ish.<P>------------------
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<A HREF="" TARGET=_blank>Rogues of Clwyd-Rhan</A>, Humorous fantasy strip, updated Mon-Fri, and really rather good. <A HREF="" TARGET=_blank>Read it from the first strip!</A><P><A HREF="" TARGET=_blank>White House in Orbit</A>
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Kali's Casefile, #43-the Murder without a Murderer
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Kali's Casefile, #43-the Murder without a Murderer
Unread postby Dragon Sage007 » Thu Jun 22, 2006 6:23 am
It was a late, late night, and Kali wanted nothing more to do than sleep. But no, her freaking superior had to call her to the scene of a new murder, one where the mages had found no fingerprints, no magical residue, and worst of all, no one with an incentive to kill the person murdered. She was an elderly shut-in, no relatives at all, and probably hadn't left her house since the Doman war. There were no signs of a break-in, there was nothing taken from the house, no signs of a struggle...as if someone had called a professional hit on the woman and gotten someone to teleport in. But no, the mages had made sure no one just teleported in either-no magical residue at all. Not even a ghost, according to them.
In short, it was one of those perfect mystery murders. No incentive, no reward, just a dead body. Even with the knife still in her back. So why'd they call her out?
In the words of her superior, "It takes someone with drive to do the work that a normal person can't. A little old granny can lift a full cart off her grandson if his life is in danger. It was a truly driven white mage that created the spell of resurrection. And you, miss Kali, are about to be a very driven young woman. You're going to find out who murdered this old lady or you're not going to have a job. You have two weeks."
Damn superiors and their damn cleverness.
Hell, the rest of the Guard had even gone to bed already. All she had was a little baggy with the murder knife, still caked in blood, and directions to the old lady's home.
It promised to be a very LONG night. <p>
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Old 08-31-2016 #21
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Dang ran out of time. Didn't get to detail or render, but here are some vector exports.
Alright I had a pass at comping the vector into a light rig I had setup right at the beginning of the competition, and then just did some post stuff in lightroom. Kinda hacky, but at least it's something.
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Forum Theatre DC | Change Guitar Strings
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Change Guitar Strings
How Do I Know When It’s Time To Change Guitar Strings?
Just like an automotive, a guitar needs
regular serving. And when it comes to that, you need to pay attention to the strings.
A huge percentage of guitarists usually change the strings when one of them
breaks or the entire set of strings is so worn out that it can’t produce a
pleasing sound anymore. But you don’t have to wait till a string breaks in the middle
of your performance for you to fix. You should make it a habit to inspect your
guitar strings every now and then to ensure they are in good condition.
But what things should you be looking on
you inspection?
Well, here are clear signs that your guitar
strings need to be replaced:
Your Strings Are Rusty or Discoloured
One of the most common contributors of guitar
string breakage and corrosion are the oils, the sweat and the dirt from our
fingers. Guitar strings that are made from nickel and steel usually turn dull
gray as they age. Bronze acoustic strings, on the other hand, may lose their copper
lustrous color and turn dark brown. So you if you see any form or discoloration
or rust on the strings, you know it’s time to make the changes.
Your Strings Have Tuning Problems
Brand new strings can be hard to tune but
once they get on course, they can perform great without taking through a hassle
of having to tune over and over again. But when the tuning problem hits back,
it’s a sign that your strings are deteriorating. That might be as a result of rust,
groves underneath the strings or simply scraped strings.
Your Guitar’s Tone Is Flat
New strings, regardless of the kind of
guitar they are installed on, will always produce a vibrant and crisp sound
when played. These strings will also feel smooth and appealing to your fingers whenever
you strike certain chords. So whether you replaced your strings a few weeks ago
or have been using them for months, any trace of a flat or dull tone is an indication
you need to change the strings ASAP.
Your Strings Keep Getting Stiffer
Well functioning guitar strings should always
be flexible and bendable. That’s what makes the guitar fun to play and the sound
produced appealing. Once you start feeling some stiffness in the strings, it
means the metal is slowly corroding. While they might not break there and then,
you should get a new set of strings and put them on standby to make a replacement
when the time is right. The stiffer the strings get, the more they’re likely to
You Don’t Remember the Last Time You
Changed the Strings
Your guitar strings might be feeling smooth
and producing a fairly good sound but if you don’t recall when you last changed
them, you need to consider getting a new set right now. You don’t want to get
surprises that inconvenience you or cause you to spend more. So it’s better to plan
ahead and counter any possibility of breaking.
Now that you know the drill, you don’t have
to worry one bit about when to change your guitar strings. Putting these aspects
in mind will help you change or replace you guitar strings just in time for you
to continue doing what you do best. You don’t have to make string replacement a
necessity. You can simply make it a personal preference.
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Saturday, July 20, 2013
Boozy Popsicles: Your Summer Game Changer
We're not much for trendy desserts. With the exception of the cronut phenomenon, we're just not going to wait in line for sweets or spend hours creating molecular, freeze-dried, gold-plated dishes. Just give us our ice cream and leave us alone, thanks. But, that doesn't mean we're not open to a little twist on an old favorite. When we saw high-end restaurants and food festivals coming out with booze-infused popsicles, we sat up and took notice. Then we finally tried one — and now we want them ALL.
Alcoholic popsicles are, in a word, perfect. A cross between cocktail, fruit snack, and healthy dessert (well, a lot healthier than ice cream), they are fast becoming the official dessert of the summer. Our favorite part? These are just about the easiest dessert recipes you could ask for. Some fruit, some booze, and a Dixie cup — and you've got yourself a party. A really good party. The kind of party where your friends will spend the next six months asking when you're going to have another awesome party with the popsicles. P.S. Can you make them for their birthday next weekend, please?
Here are our three favorite boozy popsicle recipes absolutely perfect for an impromptu Fourth of July gathering or just a hot summer night when all you need is a sweet treat and a cold drink. Bottoms up, and bon appétit!
Mixed-Berry Pinot Pops
There's nothing more elegant than a glass of Pinot Noir at the end of the day. But, um, it's hot as hell, and sweating ain't so classy. Throw in some berries and pop your vino in the freezer, and you've got a perfect evening (or, y'know, late-afternoon) treat.
1/2 bottle Pinot Noir
2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup raspberries
2/3 cup blackberries
In a large mixing bowl, combine water, wine and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
Add berries, smashing some slightly with a wooden spoon and leaving some whole.
Using a ladle, pour into popsicle molds (or just a paper cup!), making sure the berries are evenly distributed.
Note: If you're using the paper-cup method, let the pops freeze for about an hour (until they're slushy, but not totally frozen), then place the popsicle sticks in the center. Putting them in a partially frozen mixture will keep them stabilized. Don't have popsicle sticks? Use spoons or plasticware. Done!
Watermelon Margarita Pops
This is one of the most refreshing treats we've ever had. Sweet, fresh, tart, and a little salty — just like a perfect marg. Your all-time favorite summer cocktail is now a dessert as well. Life is pretty great, huh?
6 tbsp tequila
2 tbsp cointreau
2 1/2 cups watermelon
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 1/2 tbsp)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Pinch of sea salt per popsicle
Using a blender, food processor, or immersion blender, puree watermelon. If you want it a little chunky, you can also do this with a whisk, smashing and whisking until you get a more liquid consistency.
Add water, liquors, sugar, and lime juice. Combine well by hand or in your blender, until well-combined.
Pour into popsicle molds or cups and finish by sprinkling sea salt (Maldon works best) over each pop. Stick 'em in the freezer, and check after about an hour. The liquids may have separated slightly, so stir with a knife to re-incorporate, then add sticks. In another hour or two, you should have solid pops.
Coconut-Mango White Rum Pops
Holy bananas, these are just so good. Think about the best piña colada you ever had. Got it? Now add fresh mango. That's how great these are. Creamy and sweet with icy, fruity bites and a hint of rum throughout. Bust out that half-empty bottle of rum you don't know what to do with and make these popsicles, STAT.
2/3 cup white rum
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk (about 1 2/3 cups)
3 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 mangoes (about 3 cups)
Peel mangoes and cut away from the seed (or just save yourself a headache and buy the precut – we'll never tell). Chop into large bite-sized pieces.
In a mixing bowl, combine rum and sugar. Mix until sugar dissolves (note: You can always use the stove to heat up this combo and move the process along. Just replace any rum that cooks off in the process).
Pour in coconut milk and whisk together until well-combined. Stir in mango and ladle into molds. Stick 'em in the freezer, and wait with bated breath until this glorious confection is ready.
1 comment:
1. Oh yum! I need to make these, they look like the perfect afternoon/evening snack!
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What is the full form of FAST ?
This page is all about abbreviation, acronym and meaning of the given term FAST.
FAST Stands For : Fast AQM (Active Queue Management) Scalable TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), First American Software Technology, Formulation Assisting Software Toolkit, Framework for Automated Service Trading, Fully Active Starburst Technology, Field Automated Subscriber Testing, Flexible Architecture Simulator Tool, Functional Analysis Systems Technique
What is FAST ?
There may be more than one meaning of FAST , so check it out all meanings of FAST one by one.
FAST definition / FAST means?
The Definition of FAST is given above so check it out related information.
What is the meaning of FAST ?
The meaning of the FAST is also explained earlier. Till now you might have got some idea about the acronym, abbreviation or meaning of FAST
. What does FAST mean? is explained earlier. You might also like some similar terms related to FAST to know more about it.
Not able to find full form or full meaning of FAST May be you are looking for other term similar to FAST.
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Phonofone II is Here to Give Your Ears a Soothing Sensation
Science and creativity are two things when combined together can make such impressive thing which are hard to think about, has been proved by the creation of this beauty of Phonofone II.
Phonofone II
The Phonofone actually created by designer Tristan Zimmermann of science and sons as a betterment of Modesty. This is the best device that any song lover can own, if his choice is something small, classy, creative and beautiful as well as useful.
Phonofone II
Its actually work is similar to a speaker for your iPod but without using any power i.e. passive amplification. Although they can create only 55 decibels of sound which not that good for listening rock or metal but an excellent one if you want to hear a soft and smooth, classical or folk music at night or in a candle light dinner at your date.
Phonofone II
One thing which you will have to take care of is the company of the iPod to be fixed in this phonofone and the ear buds to be only of apple brand (the adapters provided with your Phonofone) are recommended for this application. The iPod used should be normal apple or apple mini because nanos and shuffle only work if used with an inline headphone amplifier.
Phonofone II
This amazing object is made up of ceramic which is prepared by heating and subsequent cooling, with a dimension of 11″ x 9.5″ x 20″ (28 x 25 x 51 cm) great isn’t it? This phonofone doesn’t only produce a soothing and sensational sound but also maintains the sound limit and promoting anti-noise pollution activity. This product is available with a price tag of $500.
You can see such more products like Steampunk Modded X Box 360 Console or you may like X Box 720 Console.
Phonofone II Black
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1. Pingback: Genevia iPod Speaker Is Real Gorgeous And Modish | Gadget Him
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Abandoning your friends
In which I appear to have muted rather than unfriended.
Friends TV Cast
My closest friend is myself. I have few friends. Before you go all “oh that’s so sad/funny” let me add a caveat. I know a lot of people, and have known a lot of people. It’s just that I don’t class many of them as friends. Acquaintances, colleagues, contacts, companions, yes. There is nothing wrong with being one of them. What makes a friend though? What has to happen to push through simply knowing someone to it being a friendship?
A real friendship is one where you are completely honest and truthful. You have complete trust in the other person. You would do anything for them without expecting any reward or praise in return. Cicero thought that as well, and he was one of the greatest philosophers. A friend knows when things are wrong, and knows when and how to ask what it is. A friend doesn’t just say “what’s up?”
True friends are there for you when times are bad, and will still be there after you have been horrible and mean to be around. A friend forgives. Friends put you before their own self-interest. Samwise was a true friend because he walked into Mordor with Frodo not because he had to but because he wanted to (or maybe he just feared being turned into a toad by Mr Gandalf, Sir).
But I can be a crap friend, and I have lost more than I care to think about. I have been mean and neglectful and selfish. When I have a longer relationship with a games console rather than real human beings you have to ask “where did it all go wrong?” What can I (and perhaps everyone) do to be a better friend?
Talk to your friends, don’t shut off communication for some stupid reason and understand they want to help. Make the effort even when they don’t, as JFK said about having friendships, we have them not because they are easy but because they are hard.
Ok he said that about going to the moon, but friendships are a bit like that. They take work and can be a struggle, sometimes you end up in a dead end and find out that the person you depended upon the most is the first person to abandon you, these are the acquaintances, colleagues, contacts, companions. It’s in these moments that the people you never expected to take your side you suddenly find carrying you. These are your friends. Cherish them, nuture them like a fragile flower for in their earliest blooming for they are very easy to crush.
Source: Abandoned
Author: geekergosum
9 thoughts on “Abandoning your friends”
1. Great post. And I so appreciate you comments regarding Samwise. He’s actually my favorite character in LOTR. One of my favorite bits in the book that shows Sam’s character is when he says of Frodo, “I love him. He’s like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him whether or no.” There could be no better friend than that.
One more quote for you: “A friend hears the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails.” (Pioneer Girls Leaders’ Handbook)
I do apologize for not following you blog more closely at the moment. We are getting ready for a trip to Maryland to see our new granddaughter so me attention may be spotty for a couple weeks. But wanted to tell you I’m really enjoying what I’ve read so far. Stay cool!
Liked by 1 person
1. I do like Samwise as he is the most consistent character, he has his strength at the beginning and although he doesn’t have the big beats like the other hobbit he still is the strongest among them.
Thank you for the comments, have fun seeing your grand-daughter!
1. “And after all he never had any real hope in the affair from the beginning; but being a cheerful hobbit, he had not needed hope, as long as despair could be postponed.” (J.R.R. Tolkien)
2. Had to chip in and agree about Samwise, also my favourite character precisely because of his incredible strength and loyalty. Your post hit home for me – I’ve been a bad friend lately and not contacted my best friends for a while…time to send that email and make that phone call! Mir xx
Liked by 1 person
1. Sam never had that ‘realization’ moment where he went into battle or anything… he somehow stayed the same but had the right qualities to begin with.
We are currently staying with friends who we last saw two years ago… it is never too late.
Liked by 1 person
3. Friendships are like what family should be. Real friends accept you, warts and all. No matter what you do the bond doesn’t break. I have a host of acquaintances but can count my friends on one hand. If you have to work too hard to maintain a friendship, it ain’t one.
1. I am lucky that I have some good friends who I only have to talk to a few times a year, we can catch up and that’s enough…we don’t need to work at it to keep it going.
4. Hi, I could really relate to moments in your post. I mean my best friend is pregnant and her hormones have been turning her into a snappy cow sometimes! Which is completely out of character – but when she does I just let her rant, keep quiet and calm, because she means a lot to me.
People have been bad friends to me over the last few years – being neglectful and ignoring me. So it was strange reading it from the other side of the fence, to the point when I actually asked a friend ‘where did it all go wrong’. Maybe she got a new game.
1. I think when there is extenuating circumstances people should be given a little slack. But once they have calmed down they know that they have been a little crazy. Some of the people I knew would refuse to apologise for how they had been…I think the past tense in that sentence shows how I dealt with that.
I’ve been lucky that I had now found friends who only want a few chats a year!
Think inside the box, feel free to leave a comment
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Joe Sperling, originally posted this on the Assemblyboard Sept 20, 2007. Another piece on phobias is posted on the Post-Assembly Musings blog.
I really do believe that many that come out of severely legalistic churches have developed a type of "phobic response" to the Bible, meetings, church, etc. They go to open the Bible and "feel" it will condemn them, or that attending church will be a "judgmental" experience, etc. These are "learned responses" that mainly come from the fear associated with the legalistic teaching. The thought patterns are kind of like the grooves in one of those old vinyl records, and one can fall into that "learned" type of negative thinking, and play the same old song over and over again.
Mark C. stated recently on the Assembly bulletin board, "In my own life, I am very sensitive to being corrected and can react in a very defensive manner. " When you analyze that you can see that your reaction is most likely based on an irrational belief--though the feelings definitely come from a REAL experience. The irrational belief is that you will be judged unfairly, and be criticized, and that your defense will be "shot down" by those who do not want to hear.
This most likely came from the many encounters with the "Leading Brother attitude" which took no thought for your feelings in any matter, and relegated the importance of what you had to say or think as meaningless. So, when confronted with this same type of setting in society, your "learned response" is fear, anxiety, and a very defensive posture. At least, this is my take on that kind of reaction to criticism--I'm no psychologist
Most "phobias" are dealt with by facing them. For example, one who is afraid of spiders forces himself to hold a spider and see that they are not ALL dangerous, and most are rather harmless creatures. In many ways the ex-cultic church member has to eventually "face their fears" and realize that they are based on irrational beliefs--on teaching that scared the living daylights out of them, all based on a God who is not really the God of the Bible at all!! By "facing the fear", and opening up the Bible anyway, and seeing what it REALLY teaches, slowly but surely one begins to see the deception one has believed.
Facing the fear of attending "church" and seeing that what they teach there is so much more comforting, and so far different than the legalistic heresy they once learned, they grasp how out of line the group they were once in was---and so far from what Christ really wants for his people. This healing does not come overnight for most, but takes a continued "practice", if I can use that word, of repeating what is REAL and what is TRUE in place of the tendency to believe and dwell on what is unreal and false.
But the most important thing of all is to come to the true God in prayer. Many who come out of such legalistic situations are literally "afraid of God" and afraid to even tell Him how they feel. They think He beholds them as failures, and they literally (in my opinion) have a "phobia" towards God himself! So drawing near to a God whom you think has given up on you or is judging you, is very tough. The Lord says, "Humble yourselves under the Mighty Hand of God, and He will exalt you in due time. Cast ALL YOUR CARES upon Him, because He cares for you "(1 Pet. 5:7).
Getting on your knees and pouring out everything to the Lord is the first step (again, in my opinion) towards real healing. Are you afraid of the Lord? Tell Him about it. Are you angry at the Lord? Tell Him you are. Do you distrust the Lord? Tell him you do, and ask Him to help you to trust again. Do you feel like a total failure? Tell the Lord about it. Are you even afraid, or think it's worthless, to tell the Lord you don't even feel like telling Him about anything? Tell the Lord you feel that way.
Because (again, in my opinion), the greatest piece of misinformation we all learn in a legalistic atmosphere, is that God is aloof and judgmental towards us, and that we somehow need to "earn" his favor to keep his love. The more we go to the Lord and tell Him EVERYTHING (absolutely everything!!!) the more we learn just how very much He truly loves us and cares for us. "Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief" is a valid prayer, and one that Jesus wants to hear. How often we think the Lord is somehow unwilling to help, or that you have to "do something" to "earn" his help or love. And it is so unbiblical. The God of the Bible is a God who is so willing to help and heal us!! He loves us deeply, longs to heal us and embrace us as dear children, and is always thinking of us!!
"While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him" (Luke 5:12).
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Guheswari Temple
From Gorkhapedia, the free Gorkha encyclopedia that anyone can edit
This article is a stub. You can help Gorkhapedia by adding more information to it.
Category Religious Site
Allied Category Nepal Related
Near Pashupatinath Temple is another historic and holyTemple of Guheswari. Only Hindus are allowed to enter the Temple courtyard.
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Program in Polymers and Soft Matter
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Building 76-253
Application Opens:
September 15
December 15
Terms of Enrollment:
Fall Term (September)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Standardized Tests:
Test score requirements are set by the home department.
Areas of Research:
Biomimetic Materials
Controlled Drug Delivery
Functional Polymers
Molecular Modeling
Nanostructured Polymers
Polymer Mechanics and Rheology
Polymer Physics
Polymers at Interfaces
Polymers in Energy
Polymer Synthesis
Application Requirements:
Online application to one of five affiliated departments
One-page letter of notification to PPSM
Special Instructions:
Applications to the Program in Polymers and Soft Matter should be made in conjunction with an application to a departmental program in the School of Science or School of Engineering at MIT (the “Home” department). Applications should specify the departmental program of the application and “PPSM” or “Program in Polymers and Soft Matter” as the interdisciplinary program of study. Online applications are available in each of the following departments:
Admission to the departmental program is a prerequisite for further consideration by PPSM; once the candidate has been accepted to a department, his or her application will be forwarded by that department to the PPSM office for consideration.
Applicants are required to complete Subjects Taken section of the online application. Please complete the section for courses most relevant to the graduate program and the additional courses section. Group courses by subject area, and complete each column.
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Thursday, April 8, 2010
Other Old School Renaissances
It's been regularly noted that the current old school renaissance would not have been possible without two things: the Open Game License and the Internet. I think this observation is dead-on and goes a long way toward explaining why the OSR is so strongly focused on Dungeons & Dragons rather than other old school games. Before I come back to that point, though, let's think back to the early 90s and the Dawn of the Wired Age.
In those prehistoric times, not one but two different old school RPGs experienced brief renaissances of their own, thanks to the increased communication made possible by the Internet. These RPGs were Traveller and RuneQuest. I was personally involved in the Traveller Renaissance, writing my first professional gaming articles and products during this time. I participated in online discussions on GEnie, joined the then-new Traveller Mailing List, and signed up with an organization of Traveller fans called the History of the Imperium Working Group, with whom GDW sometimes consulted when creating new products and from whom they drew when looking for new writers. Fanzines and third party licensed support for Traveller flourished. It was, frankly, a great time to be a Traveller player and an even better time to be a creator of material for use with Traveller.
Alas, the Traveller Renaissance proved to be an Indian Summer rather than a new Spring. A new creative team and a new direction from GDW threw a wrench into most of the existing fan and third party support for the game. HIWG and similar groups were sidelined or ignored entirely and communication between GDW and players became much more one-way. I don't blame anyone at GDW for these changes and, in many cases, I understand and even agree with the logic behind them. But, speaking as a fan and budding creator, it was very disappointing to see how quickly the winds had changed and how their doing so drove many of my friends and I away from the game. Nowadays, rather than being the premier SF RPG, Traveller is, at best, an also-ran.
In the 90s, RuneQuest (and its setting of Glorantha) lay in the hands of Avalon Hill and, by most accounts, they'd been badly mismanaging the property. Correcting course, RQ veteran writer Ken Rolston was made line editor of the game (or "Rune Czar," because, in the 90s, if you wanted to show you were serious about something, you appointed a "czar" to oversee it). Contemporaneously, the RuneQuest Digest, a mailing list for discussion, saw an upsurge in interest, as more and more RQ fans connected with one another through the Net. Under Rolston, Avalon Hill produced a number of highly regarded supplements to RuneQuest, often written by active and knowledgeable fans.
As with Traveller, there was a sense that RQ had turned a corner and that a true renaissance for the game was under way. Again, as with Traveller, this proved short-lived. Rolston left his position as line editor in 1994 to work on computer games. A falling out between Greg Stafford, creator of Glorantha, and Avalon Hill resulted in confusion for fans, as Stafford talked of creating a new, non-RQ RPG for Glorantha and AH talked of creating a new, non-Gloranthan RuneQuest. Another Indian Summer ...
What happened? Why didn't those earlier old school renaissances take and what does this mean for the current one? Well, from my perspective, the big difference between those earlier renaissances and the one happening right now is that they had the Internet but not the Open Game License. That is, both Traveller and RuneQuest remained wholly the property of their creators/publishers. When they decided to pull up stakes and change direction, there was nothing the fans and amateur creators could do but roll with the punches.
I'd also suggest that there's another factor at work here. Although both games could be treated as generic rulesets, they rarely were in practice, being instead heavily bound up in the example settings associated with them. Both the TML and RuneQuest Digest, for example, were generally focused on discussions of setting rather than rules. This fact, I think, colored the nature of those renaissances and made them more dependent on their origin points, namely the "official" game and whoever it was that currently held the rights to it.
Nowadays, the rules to both Traveller and RuneQuest are open game content, with RQ having, depending on how one counts, at least three different versions available for third parties to use in their own products. So far as I can tell, though, neither game has yet managed to engender another renaissance associated with it. There are probably several reasons why this is the case, but I think there are two big ones.
First, as I just noted, both Traveller and RuneQuest are much more strongly associated with their example settings than D&D ever has been. As an experiment, grab a random player of either game and start chatting with him about it; odds are very good that, before too long, the discussion will turn to the intricacies of the example setting rather than the game itself. That's much less likely to happen with a random old school D&D player. Second, despite being Open Game Content, there remain official rulebooks for both games, something utterly lacking for old school D&D. There's thus, at present, not a lot of incentive for a third party publisher to put out its own version of one of these games -- Voyager or SigilQuest, say -- and that has, I think, kept the focus on the official lines rather than a flowering of third party support as we've seen in the D&D-focused OSR.
None of this is to suggest that there couldn't be Traveller or RuneQuest renaissances in the future -- I hope there are! -- but, right now, if they're happening, they're happening very quietly and well off my radar. I'll grant I'm not as plugged into either of these games' online communities as I am with that of D&D, but neither am I unaware of what's happening in them. I keep hoping that I'll learn of the launch of a new Traveller fanzine or see some generic supplements to RuneQuest, but, so far, no such luck. I think that's a real pity, because, truth be told, I'd love to see a fuller flowering of old school gaming than just the very D&D-centric OSR. The fact that we don't, however, isn't the fault of the OSR; as Rob Conley regularly points out, the OSR is what its participants make of it and, right now, there's not much interest in making it about anything other than D&D and related games. If someone would prefer a wider representation of old school gaming, it's up to them to see that it happens.
The tools are there but is there the interest? Only time will tell.
1. Okay, this seems like a good point to ask the question that's been niggling at me for a while now. I understand why the OGL is included in Swords and Wizardry and Labyrinth Lord, but why is there in Mongoose's Runequest and Traveller? Why is it in GORE? WotC have nothing to do with these games, as far as I can tell.
Is it just that the developers of these latter games wanted to put some kind of open licence on their product, and simply chose WotC's version, because it's specific to rpgs, rather than a more generic Creative Commons licence?
2. I think the biggest thing the D&D descendants have in the OSR, which you point out, is the fact that some developer can never "take his ball and go home."
To some extent, Tunnels & Trolls has seen a bit of a re-flowering over the last 5 or so years, with the 5.5th edition box set and 7th edition. This has largely been due to Ken St. Andre and Flying Buffalo being very accommodating to other companies in licensing products. A change in the ownership of the T&T IP could result in something very similar to what happened with Traveler and RQ.
You see a bit of the same thing with Star Frontiers and the excellent work being done with the Star Frontiersman. Something that would be impossible without WotC's cooperation. Again, a change in WotC policy and it's all over.
The OGL makes sure that will never happen with the D&D clones.
3. There is an old school renaissance of sorts going on around Star Frontiers. Still proprietary as far as I know, but somehow they have, or at least claim to have, permission from WotC to distribute the original rules material. They've got a fanzine going for it that's been running for at least three years and released its newest issue just this week.
That is just another data point, though.
I think that in the case of D&D clones, it's a result of enthusiasm and open license. I'd imagine that in the cases of Runequest and Traveller, the dropoff was a result of people feeling burned by their contacts with the original IP owners. Which AFAICT hasn't happened to the Star Frontiers group.
4. Have participated in the first Traveller Renaissance as a player your analysis is spot on. Also I agree with your assessment of the current situation.
With the OGL the hope is always there to ignite an OSR for these two games. What it will take is a critical mass of people interacting for it to be self sustaining.
With the D&D OSR that moment happened when the early participants of the C&C beta combined with the existing older edition forums (like Dragonsfoot) and produced the first retro-clone.
While everybody in the OSR accepts the retro-clone the sheer audacity of their creation gave the whole thing a shot in the arm. The result was increase in diversity and quantity.
For Traveller and Runequest I think there are still in the ground floor and that sometime in the next few years we will see one or both of them start to expand greatly
5. There is also the fact that Traveller and Runequest are at least in theory currently supported. If that goes away we'll probably see OGL'd retroclones. Is there much point to cloning a currently supported system?
6. I think the observation about setting vs. rules is a good one, but I think Chris Goodwin makes a really good point - there's "official" support for both Traveller and RuneQuest that doesn't really exist for OD&D. So people have to do for themselves. I think that it also helps that the player base for all versions of D&D is much larger than for any other RPG out there, and older edition fans were already used to "doing for themselves" long before the OGL came out.
kelvingreen - IIRC, Mongoose made the decision to release their rules for Runequest and Traveller under the OGL. I have no idea why they decided to do that, or what kinds of negotiations they had to do with the rights holders of the game to do it that way. GORE is OGL because it uses Mongoose Runequest as its "entry point" to making a BRP-like retro-clone.
7. Both Mongoose's Traveller and Runequests use IIRC some terms etc. from the d20 SRDs and even if they didn't the OGL is a known factor for RPG companies and writers.
I don't follow you on the current RQ and Traveller, especially if you include BRP with RQ. Both are more generic now than ever, with more settings published and fanmade (Mongoose just published the fan-made Reign of Discordia for that matter) than ever before. Most Glorantha hardcore fans use Heroquest or stick to RQIII and the only people still talking the Third Imperium to death don't play MRQ and most don't play at all.
There are at least 3 Traveller fanzines, Freelance Traveller, Stellar Reaches and one or two I can't recall right now.
Though it's a house organ, Signs & Portents has published lots of fan submitted material for MRQ and Mongoose Traveller, a lot of it generic and in the case of MRQ can't specifically be for the Third Imperium (not sure about MRQ and Glorantha).
There's also BRP Central and the MRQ Wiki.
And yes there are alt.MRQ or Mongoose Travellers out there, Openquest, GORE, Kyle's clone of Traveller as a completely generic set of rules, etc. but frankly both are generic enough now that really all you need is houserules, a campaign book or some rules addons (such as new magic systems for MRQ or new career books for Mongoose Traveller both of which exist).
(shrugs) Having D&D3E in print didn't stop plenty of d20 and OGL based products back in the day. Having a single starting rulebook isn't a bad thing for inventiveness, didn't stop OD&D or AD&D either back in the day.
8. My current players have little to no experience with Traveller or RQ, and I think that if I introduced them to my group, they would not have staying power. In the case of Traveller, they would be constantly asking me how they can improve their stats or abilities. I would say "you can't," and they would say "um, could be play some D&D instead?"
And as far as Runequest, well, I think they would love the rules for improving, but the Glorantha setting might not be as appealing to them as the pulp fantasy universes they most enjoy. I will be doing some Call of Cthulhu in the future though, so they will at least get to enjoy those basic role-playing rules. But my point is, these particular rules and settings just don't seem to have the lasting appeal of D&D, Gurps, etc. They are doomed to come and go, I think.
9. Perhaps the old-school focus on D&D variants is not entirely due to legal issues. For one, Runequest introduced a number of gaming concepts highly influential upon later games (including 3e D&D) but hostile to the resolution-rules-light and character-rules-light ethos that I consider the main advance in insight among the current old school revival. RQ, like many other games, was only a "logical" progression from OD&D if you craved more detailed and regulated rules for initiative, armor, hewing of limbs, weapons breaking, monsters statted like PCs, skills for everything, and so on. I can't speak to Traveler, not having ever played it, but certainly "character-rules-light" is not a description that springs to mind from what I have heard.
To me, there's more to the Old School than just being an old game. Runequest and AD&D, while they are old in years, were actually the beginning of the end for the largely improvised game of adventure and exploration that D&D at its finest could be.
10. The OGL is not needed and in fact I believe it is a problem rather than a solution. I try hard to avoid buying or downloading products which include it and if I publish anything at the end of my current playtesting it will not include the OGl text in any form.
The Internet is the real cause of the OSR, putting a rarefied and fractured community in touch with each other.
11. Inspired by the S&W boxed set and Raggi's upcoming box I've kicked around both on the Gore Forum and my blog the idea of a GORE boxed set trying to recapitulate the old Worlds of Wonder boxed set, although with horror instead of supers.
In fact, when I put out a list of games I would run for a new group they were all BRP/GORE based for just that reason.
But I think we would have seen a RQ renaissance centered on GORE had BRP not come out a week later.
12. I can't really speak to Runequest as I've played the game exactly once and it was not a stellar adventure to my remembering. But I would like to speak of Traveller from the perspective of a player.
I came late to Traveller in my gaming career. I started with Megatraveller and gave up right after TNE came out. To me Traveller means the 3rd Imperium setting, not the the system associated with it. In fact Traveller has had, I believe, 5 or 6 different rules systems associated with it over it's publishing history of various degrees of similarity. So to me it's the setting, not the rules that I think of when someone says Traveller.
So when people discuss the idea of an OGL version of the traveller rules, I think why bother? It's the really cool, proprietary setting of Traveller I'd want to use, not the klugey, antiquated system that it has sometimes used.
And there is the heart of the issue for me I think. Though both Traveller and OD&D are old systems. Not so streamlined, or rules intensive, as more modern games. OD&D was and is always about the system for me. where Traveller was always about the setting, often in spite of the system.
I think there may be something to this.
Let’s call pre-2000 (A)D&D “level-based”; RQ and Traveller, “skill-based”; and Rolemaster and post-2000 D&D, “hybrid”.
If you want a skill-based system, you’ve got lots of choices. This is the direction most of the industry took since splitting off of D&D.
If you want a level-based system, the “current” D&D is out since it is a hybrid. There aren’t a lot of alternative level-based systems. Thus, going back to the older editions is a popular choice in this case.
Traveller is a whole ’nother thing. First you have the fact that to some it is a system and to others its a setting. Then you have the fact that you have multiple variants of both system and setting.
For myself, “Traveller” has always meant the system rather than the setting. As I used it, classic Traveller ends up being both skills-based and rules-light. So it has been an equal part with D&D in my own “back to basics”.
14. see for Openquest, quite nice
15. Traveller & Runequest Renaissances are happening but at a much more subdued level.
Because of the heavy hammer of the IP Traveller owners - nothing like OSRIC has been allowed to happen. Notwithstanding, it still does. What one is witnessing is parallel developments and the tight reign of the licence holders and IP owners for both of those properties.
Matt at Mongoose apparently favoured something looser but Marc forbid it.
So, as far as Traveller & Runequest may not be in the Spanish Inquisition (although, one never expects one of those) they are at least in the throes of a Counter Reformation. Arguing canon against heresy but becoming heretical in turn.
16. There are several reasons these earlier endeavors didn't take off including.
#1 technology. There was no real self publishing to kick start the Renaissance. Instead of being "Indy" it was just a reprint of an old game.
#2 Novel new games were out . The 1990's for example had White Wolf which at the time was seemed a very new thing . Right now there are tons of great games but nothing seems as revolutionary as that did to the players back then.
#3 It was too soon. Old school AD&D was still strong and even 2e the then market leader whether you consider it old school or not (I think its transitional) easily supported old school play. There really was no need.
#4 More than a few people were burned out on old school games anyway. This is partway why White Wolf/OWOD was a big success. It wasn't the same old D&D /CoC/RQW/Trav they'd played for the last umpteen years, well till they turned into that anyway.
Now of course we have all of the elements needed. technology, nothing seems super novel its the right time (2e is 11 years old) and the burnout is over.
Its our time.
17. So it sounds like there's 2 vectors of threat from WOTC that could come towards the OSR:
(1) Would be actually publishing an official old-school reprint/revision. (Echoes of the reputed upcoming red box cover.)
(2) Would be challenging uses of the OGL over perceived violations (such as Product Identity). I certainly expect that if WOTC challenged its use, any defendant would immediately close shop, and be unable to fund a fight in court.
I'm a bit surprised the latter hasn't occurred already. I suppose those sorts of actions tend to spring up when a company is in a serious decline; perhaps the bulk of Hasbro makes it a non-issue for now.
18. Actually the RQ Renaissance was much earlier than Ken Rolston's stint at Avalon Hill, which was supposed to fix the problems the fan base had with the company and get the game moving back on track. The doldrums of AH's mishandling of the title occurred well before then. Whilst the announcement of Ken's impending arrival did raise much heralded hopes, it was too little too late (although it did result in a last gasp surge of really good product from AH), and he soon moved on.
And whilst the game community was held together by the Runequest Mailing List, I'd actually cite the UK-based [and thus pro-Lunar <grin>] fanzine Tales of the Reaching Moon as the true movers and shakers of the renaissance, along with the Reaching Moon Megacorp that it spawned.
The problem is that the upsurge of the renaissance lead to it's own surge in creative thought, which eventually lead to a large group of fans following Greg onto the Heroquest rule system. However this sucked a lot more of the energy out of the new movement.
But a large group of the fan-base, still UK-based, didn't make the move (although they still talk with the Heroquesters). And I think the smartest thing Mongoose has done is to go back to this group with the production of their new Runequest II (which is actually Runequest 5, 6, or 7, depending on how you count).
Which just goes to show, to borrow a Californian saying, if you are not willing to ride the popular upswell (and too many people were designing different surfboards at the time), you certainly aren't going to be doing any surfing any time soon.
19. Delta, the latter probably hasn't occurred yet because the text of the OGL is pretty specific about what it considers Product Identity, making it easy to avoid transgressions.
Jer, what I don't understand is why Mongoose use the OGL at all. As far as I can understand, the OGL defines what can be done with the work after it's created, but doesn't deal with what can go into the creation.
I suppose the big benefit of the OGL is that it's a fully-formed legal document that's been put together by WotC/Hasbro lawyers, so you can copy it for your game without having to hire lawyers of your own to come up with a new licence. It's just always seemed odd to me to see WotC material turn up on the back page of Traveller and Runequest products. I can only imagine that the adopters of the licence see something more rigorous and/or specific in the OGL than they do in Creative Commons.
20. Maybe it's slightly off-topic (and little bit an advert, so please delete this post if you view it as improper), but I've created supplement for OD&D containing additional rules, allowing transfer a game to more "Traveller-ish", cosmic style of playing :)
Now I'm running only Polish version of site (it can be found ad Space), but currently my friend is translating it to English.
Sorry for my poor English (and littering).
21. And this is why I don't understand all the hostility towards WotC in the OSR; TSR would have never made an OGL, not the way it was being run towards the latter half of 2nd edition.
I get that people might not jive with what Wizards has done with the license now, but Wizards is only doing what they think makes the most business sense - they're not going back and telling people, however, that they're not allowed to play or develop for the old game. And, due to the nature of the OGL, they really can't.
Whether people want to admit it or not, WotC is one of the best things that ever happened to our hobby, IMO.
22. Gotta mention, again, Star Frontiers Remastered with link. The Fantasy OSR has caught up last couple years but they were way out in front with very high quality "remasterings" (aka retro-clones) of SF games and an excellent periodical starting early 2007.
They might even have been what led me to the OSR in first place... Memory fuzzy.
Star Frontiers is tied to a setting.
Don't cha think the immense popularity of D&D compared to other games is a strong factor in it's prevalence amongst OSR?
Also, a few D&D specific things have fueled this OSR. WoTC's No PDF apocalypse. 4ed being such a completely different game that if you wanted D&D you had to look back. Many ended up looking further back than 3.X.
Lots of factors including the ones you mention are creating the "perfect storm". I'm digging it like Cap Lt Dan!
23. Eric M.: "Wizards is only doing what they think makes the most business sense - they're not going back and telling people, however, that they're not allowed to play or develop for the old game."
Well actually, that is indeed a requirement that they force on anyone wishing to work with their 4E GSL. What's good for their business can be bad for our game.
It is really specific people who are due our thanks for the OGL -- Ryan Dancey foremost. The OGL was made in spite of Hasbro/WOTC's corporate culture, not because of it. It was a conscientious "poison pill", if you will.
24. Both Traveller and Runequest IP are owned by the original IP owners, Marc Miller and Gregg Stafford. Mongoose licenses them. Traveller: The New Era (TNE) didn't really see a change of design team, as Frank Chadwick and Loren Wiseman are both co-founders of GDW, have worked on Traveller from the start and GDW was just that, a Game Designers *Workshop*, where pretty much everyone contributed to a product (i.e. Marc Miller was involved in TNE). Virus was Chadwick's idea.
Both Mongoose's Traveller and Runequest use material from d20 SRD(s) and also provide their own SRDs (well Mongoose Runequest II does not, but I did) for others to use in making their own material.
Games using a CCL is still fairly new and gutsy, and was moreso back when both games were being worked on. As I said upthread, the OGL is familiar (10 years or so now) and has been used for non-d20 games, Fudge and FATE (and its spawn) coming esp. to mind.
25. RP, yep, RQ has had several resurgences.
Pete's History of Runequest article is good albeit biased account (and perhaps a source for the version presented here)
Also the SPRQ (Steve Perrin's Quest Rules) fit in here somewhere, though to my knowledge they still aren't fully complete.
26. Mongoose was obviously familar with the OGL. They may not have even been aware of the Creative Commons when putting the RQ and Traveller SRDs together.
Another consideration, however, is compatibility. If all the content you want to use is under the same license, then you don't have to worry about whether the licenses are compatible. So it makes some sense to follow Wizards lead.
27. RE: Delta; Yeah, I'm aware of the problems with the 4e game license, but to be perfectly honest, the companies that were interested in reviving the old school roots of the game weren't interested in jumping on board with 4e in the first place.
28. I wish people would refrain from commenting on games that they had only "looked over" or "played once" or know only "from what I've heard."
RuneQuest is actually very rules-light, setting-independent, and truly old-school in every sense. And every time I play it with people whose only previous experience has been with D&D, they never want to go back.
Rules light it is and setting-independent it can be, but most fans of RQ have historically played it with Glorantha, much in the same way that Traveller fans have used the Third Imperium.
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On Wed, Sep 9, 2015 at 12:43 PM, Mario Figueiredo wrote:
I can't stand Java. I just don't think calling it a mistake. It's worth has
been proven by its level of adoption and by the usable software that has
been made with it. Javascript/ECMAScript is criticized by so many and yet
there's no denying of its importance. Even today we struggle to find a
better alternative to client-side scripting.
Yeah, the reason for that is simple: anything else adds (sometimes
massive) overhead. Would you suggest creating a client/server
architecture, a RESTful API, and a triple-redundant HTTPS+SSL+Blowfish
security system, to enumerate files on your hard drive? No, you'd just
use ls(1). In the same way, there's not a lot of point downloading
megs and megs of PyPyJS engine before running a single line of code,
when you could skip that and just write in JS. Before Python can be "a
better alternative", it has to overcome this massive hump.
If Python 3.x were as well supported by web browsers as ECMAScript 5.x
is, I think we'd see a dramatic shift in usage. But it ain't, so we
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In The Clear For Spring: See-Through Accessories To Buy This Season
by Meredith Baughman · April 10, 2013
On the spring 2013 runways, plastic made a big appearance. That's right, plastic. We don't usually associate this everyday synthetic with high fashion, but many designers explored plastic as a staple material in their accessory design, and some even used it in their outerwear. If you take a closer look back at the spring 2013 slideshows, you'll notice plastic on the runways of numerous designers, from Michael Kors to Valentino. Plastic is a polarizing trend, so click through and decide whether or not you'll be in the clear for spring. More>>
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Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Secret allergy triggers
Secret allergy triggers
• Story Highlights
• What kinds of wall paints trigger itchy eyes and headaches?
• How can you avoid soaps that make your skin itch?
• Candles, perfume, lemons and limes can all trigger allergy like symptoms
• Experts offer advice on how to fight back against secret allergy triggers
By Arianne Cohen
-- You could blame weeds, trees, and grasses if you start itching, sneezing, coughing, and wheezing this fall. But the usual suspects aren't the only triggers.
Limonene, found in limes, gives many people watery eyes and a burning sensation in the nose, say doctors.
A host of household items candles, chemicals, stuffed animals, and spices may be the real culprits.
"Many homes are filled with irritants, and if there's a high enough count of an irritant, you'll react," says Christopher Randolph, MD, an allergy expert at Yale University. Here, a rundown of 11 sneaky suspects and how to stop them from bothering you.
Lemons and limes
Limonene, a zesty compound in lime and other citrus fruits, gives many people watery eyes and a burning sensation in the nose, according to James Wedner, MD, chief of allergy and immunology at the Washington University School of Medicine. It might even irritate your skin, whether you touch, eat, or drink products containing limonene.
What to do: If you get a rash, treat it with topical hydrocortisone creams used for bug bites and poison ivy. And natch, skip the lemon or lime wedge with your drink or salad, and look out for lime in salad dressings, desserts, and marinades (it's used in numerous dishes).
Stuffed anything (even Teddy)
Dust mites living in mattresses, plush toys, and pillows are a huge allergy trigger. Roughly 15 percent of the population is allergic to these microscopic bugs. Encasing mattresses and pillows with impenetrable covers and cases is a useful step but it's not enough. The mites also love kids' favorite furry toys.
What to do: Wash, dry, then repeat and use very hot water. "Toys should be washed at 140 degrees, which will ensure that the mites are killed," Dr. Randolph says. After they're clean, store them on a shelf, not on the bed. What to do with the nonwashable toys? Every two to three weeks, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer for a couple of hours, which will also kill the mites.
You can't be allergic to essential oils which make candles smell like autumn leaves or dune grass but their odors can inflame your nasal cavities, says Dr. Wedner. "People with nasal allergies have a natural increased sensitivity, so they're likely to get a runny nose or watery eyes around candles," he says. "To the person with the sensitive nose, it's no different than cigarette smoke."
What to do: If you're very sensitive, avoid candles altogether. But if you love the smell and want to use them at home, buy candles that have few ingredients and feature just one scent, like pumpkin. By a process of elimination, you may be able to pinpoint which scent or ingredient bothers you. If you have a bad reaction to a scented candle, getting some fresh air should make you feel better.Health.com: Non-smoker with emphysema talks about his rare disorder
Fragrances can contain hundreds of chemicals that are mostly untested on humans, Dr. Wedner says. When those chemicals bond with the essential oils in perfumes and are then sprayed into the air, sensitive people may take offense. Sneezing, congestion, and headaches can be the result.
What to do: Kindly ask your colleagues to go easy on their favorite fragrances, and bring a portable fan to keep your area as scent-free as possible. Stick with body creams and moisturizers that have light scents. These are less likely to irritate you.
Soaps and detergents
You think it's the chemicals in cleaning products that make you itch? Surprise: "The majority of skin sensitivities are caused not by the cleaning agent but by a perfume additive," Dr. Wedner says. "And nearly every soap now has some sort of plant in it to make it fancy roses, elderberries, etc. The skin can respond with irritation, and give you a rash."
What to do: Buy organic or specially marked soaps; look for "no additives," "nonscented," or "phthalate-free" on the label. Phthalates are chemicals that help improve texture, but they've been linked to allergic reactions; products that contain them may have "diethyl phthalate" or something similar on the label. Dove, Tide, and Ivory all offer low-irritant products, as do many organic brands.Health.com: What's that rash? A visual guide to itch and redness relief
You may love the feel of carpeting under your feet, but mites find it just as attractive. "Even if you vacuum constantly, you've still got mites," Dr. Wedner warns.
What to do: Remove wall-to-wall carpeting who doesn't like a beautiful wood floor? and use small rugs that can be washed in hot water monthly. "And keep the humidity below 50 percent" with your central air system or a dehumidifier, Dr. Randolph says. "Dust mites thrive in humidity."
They add nuance and zing to a variety of dishes, but there's no getting around spices' origin: pungent plants. For some people, eating the spices made from these plants leads to a just little sniffling. For others, it may cause itching, swelling, and even burning of the lips.
What to do: Avoid the spices more likely to cause trouble: coriander, poppy seeds, pepper, dill, paprika, cumin, and saffron -- which, in broad strokes, means Indian and Middle Eastern food. If you're not sure which spices bother you, record what you've been exposed to each time you have symptoms and look for the common denominator.
Wall paint
The solvents and synthetic resins used in paint often lead to itchy eyes and headaches. Oil-based paints are a particular problem because they can continue releasing chemicals even after they dry.
What to do: Keep windows open as often as possible and allow fresh air to circulate for four weeks after painting, no matter what kind of paint you use. If possible, use latex paint, which emits less gas than oil-based kinds due to its water base. What about paint with low levels of VOCs (volatile organic compounds)? They spew fewer chemicals into the air and are less smelly than regular paints. But that doesn't mean they won't bother you. To find these paints, look for the "Green Seal" certification mark on the label.
Beer and alcohol
An actual allergy to alcohol is quite rare, but being allergic to the grains and additives used in liquor is not: Wheat or the preservative sulfur dioxide could cause a rash or a stuffy nose. New York City allergist Wellington Tichenor, MD, founder of the information site Sinuses.com, also blames grains like corn, barley, and rye, as well as fruit flavorings. Wine and beer may create problems too.
What to do: Stick with grain-free liquors like potato vodka, rum (made from sugar), and tequila (the agave plant). Skip all flavored liquers. And if sulfite preservatives in wine bother you, red wine tends to have fewer preservatives than white. Also, look for wine labeled "sulfite-free" (it won't stay fresh for long). Remember that anything with carbonation (like a wine cooler) increases the likelihood of an allergic reaction, Dr. Tichenor adds.Health.com: How to beat allergies and more on your next run
Christmas trees
A word to the wise before the holidays: Mold grows fast on Christmas trees. "When you put that tree in a bucket of water, invisible mold grows almost immediately," Dr. Wedner says. "Most people are allergic to or irritated by mold spores." Health.com: 8 possible causes of for your cough
What to do: Try a fake tree. Can't live without a real one? Ask when it was cut down before you buy it; trees that were cut weeks in advance are already ripe with mold. Then, starve it of water and keep it for as short a period as possible. Mold grows on houseplants, too, so keep them on the dry side.
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/06/15/allergy.triggers/index.html
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The Health: Medicine: Medical Specialties: (Palliative Care Medical Specialties )
Palliative care is the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. This section deals with sites that promote, educate and inform the public about palliative care in general. Palliative Care Medical Specialties Medicine Health.
Physicians sometimes use the term palliative care in a sense meaning palliative therapies without curative intent, when no cure can be expected (as often happens in late-stage cancers ). (wikipedia)
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Modifying several cases in FogBugz at one time, or in bulk, can be done by using Bulk Edit. To use Bulk Edit, get a list of cases that you want to work on, select the checkbox, and click the necessary bulk action button at the bottom of your page such as Reply, Edit, Assign, Resolve, Close, etc. For example, you can:
• bulk reply to customers affected by a recently-fixed issue
• move several cases to another project at once
• resolve and close several cases at once
• assign several cases to someone at once
• subscribe to several cases at once
NOTE: You can also use quick search to edit cases by entering a comma-separated list of case numbers in the FogBugz search box. Put the following in the FogBugz search box, hit enter, and you will immediately get the bulk edit page for those cases:
Once you click the bulk action button you’ll be brought to a case edit page where you make the changes you need. You can do things like:
• Modify the Project
• Modify the Area
• Modify the Assigned to
• Modify the Milestone
• Modify the Category
• etc.
Make the changes you need, feel free to use placeholders for entering case-specific information (or, click on the Insert case-specific information link above the Save button), and click Save, or depending on your action click Resolve & Close, or Resolve, etc. If you’re bulk subscribing, you don’t need to click Save. You can also view a preview of your edit text and the history of cases; just use the handy left or right arrows to quickly cycle through each case.
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Barrington, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Barrington, Illinois
Village of Barrington
Gazebo at corner of Main Street and Hough Street in downtown Barrington in autumn
Official seal of Barrington, Illinois
Etymology: Great Barrington, Massachusetts or Barrington, New York
Motto(s): A great place to live, work and play
Location of Barrington in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Barrington in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 42°9′13″N 88°7′55″W / 42.15361°N 88.13194°W / 42.15361; -88.13194Coordinates: 42°9′13″N 88°7′55″W / 42.15361°N 88.13194°W / 42.15361; -88.13194
Country United States
State Illinois
County Lake, Cook
Township Barrington, Palatine, Cuba, Ela
Founded 1865
• Type Village
• President Karen Darch
• Total 4.80 sq mi (12.43 km2)
• Land 4.61 sq mi (11.95 km2)
• Water 0.19 sq mi (0.49 km2)
Elevation 830 ft (250 m)
Population (2010)
• Total 10,327
• Estimate (2016)[2] 10,312
• Density 2,235.42/sq mi (863.05/km2)
Demonym(s) Barringtonian
Time zone CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Code(s) 60010, 60011
Area code(s) 847, 224
FIPS code 17-03844
Wikimedia Commons Barrington, Illinois
Barrington is an affluent suburban village in Cook County and Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,327 at the 2010 census.[3] Located approximately 32 miles (51 km) northwest of Chicago, the area features wetlands, forest preserves, parks, and horse trails in a country-suburban setting.
The Barrington area ZIP code, 60010, is the seventh-wealthiest ZIP code in the United States among areas with a population of 20,000 or more.[4]
Barrington is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and serves as the hub of activity for the surrounding 90-square-mile (230 km2) region[5] which consists of six independent villages including North Barrington, South Barrington, Barrington Hills, Lake Barrington and Tower Lakes, as well as small portions of Carpentersville, Deer Park, Hoffman Estates, and Inverness. The village's motto is "a great place to live, work, and play!"[6]
Early history
The original settlers of the Barrington area were the indigenous peoples of the Native American Prairie Potawatomi or Mascoutin tribes, which later divided into the Potawatomi, Chippewa, and Ottawa tribes.[7] Many local roads still in use today, including Algonquin Road, Rand Road, Higgins Road, and St. Charles Road, were originally Native American trails.[7] For many years, Barrington was considered part of the Northwest Territory, then the Illinois Territory.[8]
19th century
By treaty dated September 26, 1833, ending the Black Hawk War, the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawatomi tribes ceded to the United States all lands from the west shore of Lake Michigan west to the area that the Winnebago tribe ceded in 1832, north to the area that the Menominees had previously ceded to the United States, and south to the area previously ceded by an 1829 treaty at Prairie du Chien, a total of approximately 5,000,000 acres (20,000 km2).[9] Through this treaty, the Sacs, Fox, Winnebago, Chippewa, Ottawa and Pottawatomi tribes ceded all title to the area east of the Mississippi River. Between 1833 and 1835, the U.S. government paid approximately $100,000 in annuities and grants to the Potawatomi, Ottawa, and Chippewa tribes, presumably as payment for the land.[9]
Following this treaty, pioneers traveling from Troy, New York, via Fort Dearborn (now the city of Chicago) to live in Cuba Township in Lake County.[10][11] The first white pioneers known to have settled in Barrington township were Jesse F. Miller and William Van Orsdal of Steuben County, New York, who arrived in 1834, before the three-year period which had been given the Native Americans to vacate the region, and before local land surveys.[12] Other settlers from Vermont and New York settled in what is now the northwest corner of Cook County.[10][11]
The combined settlement of these pioneers, located at the intersection of Illinois Route 68 and Sutton Road, was originally called Miller Grove due to the number of families with that surname[13] but later renamed Barrington Center[11][14] because it "centered" both ways from the present Sutton Road and from Algonquin and Higgins roads.[12] Although residents and historians agree that the name Barrington was taken from Great Barrington in Berkshire County, Massachusetts,[10] and that many settlers immigrated to the area from Berkshire County, there is currently no evidence that settlers emigrated from Great Barrington itself.[13] In addition, several original settlers, including Miller, Van Orsdal, and John W. Seymour, emigrated from Steuben County, New York,[9] which also features a town named Barrington founded in 1822. However, it is currently unknown whether any settlers emigrated from Barrington, New York, itself or whether the New York settlement influenced the naming of Barrington, Illinois.
Barrington train station for the Metra train line from Harvard to Chicago
Much of the history of Barrington since its settlement parallels the development of railroad lines from the port facilities in Chicago. In 1854, the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad (now known as the Union Pacific/Northwest Line), led by William Butler Ogden, extended the train line to the northwest corner of Cook County and built a station named Deer Grove.[10]
In 1854, Robert Campbell, a civil engineer who worked for the railroad, purchased a farm 2 miles (3 km) northwest of the Deer Grove station and platted a community on the property.[10][11] Deer Grove residents protested, and at Campbell's request, the railroad later moved the Deer Grove station near its current location, which Campbell named Barrington after Barrington Center.[10][11] In 1855, the village's first lumber facility began operations on Franklin Street.[11]
By 1863, population growth during the Civil War era increased the number of Barrington residents to 300. In order to provide a tax mechanism to finance improvements, Barrington submitted its request for incorporation in 1863.[11] Delays due to the Civil War resulted in the appropriate incorporation deeds not returning to Barrington for nearly two years.[15] The Illinois legislature granted Barrington's charter on February 16, 1865.[10][15] The Village held its first Board meeting on March 20, 1865 and appointed resident Homer Wilmarth as Mayor for one year.[10][15]
"Lest we forget the fortitude, the fearless courage, the determination, the frugal living, the hard work with none of the facilities that are so abundant today, this history has been written as a record of the success of those who left the comforts of civilization in the East and came west to a wild country, and of those who came to America talking a strange language, having very little equipment but bare hands and willing hearts, to wrest from a wilderness or an uncultivated country a living for a large family in a land where they could enjoy freedom from oppression and from pursuit."
--Foreword from Arnett C. Lines' "A History of Barrington, Illinois."[16]
In 1866, resident Milius B. McIntosh became the first elected Village President.[15]
In 1889, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway (the "EJ&E") was built through Barrington, crossing what is now the Union Pacific/Northwest Line northwest of town.[10] In the late 19th century, a series of fires damaged numerous downtown buildings. In 1890, fire swept along the north side of East Main Street east of what is now the Union Pacific/Northwest Line, destroying several buildings.[15] In 1893, another fire destroyed most of the block that is now Park Avenue, and in 1898 a fire destroyed several buildings along the north side of Main Street from Hough Street to the Northwest Line railroad tracks.[15] As a result of these fires, residents replaced the burned frame structures with more substantial brick and stone buildings, many of which remain in use today (albeit with substantially altered facades).[15]
20th century
A "Building and Use Map" of the village as it existed in October 1953. This map, with dots representing individual houses, was based on 1939 and 1949 aerial maps of the area as well as field inspections by then Village Trustee John H.D. Blanke.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the village streets were unpaved, although the downtown area had wooden slat sidewalks, with some on elevated platforms.[15] The downtown area also featured hitching posts for tethering horses as well as public outhouses.[15] Meanwhile, fenced residential backyards in the village often contained livestock and barnyard animals.[15]
In 1907, the village began replacing its wooden sidewalks with cement pavement.[15] In 1929, the Jewel Tea Company built a new office, warehouse, and coffee roasting facility northeast of the village center, creating hundreds of local jobs despite the Great Depression.[17]
The last major fire in downtown Barrington occurred on December 19, 1989. The fire completely destroyed Lipofsky's Department Store, then one of the oldest continually operating businesses in the village.[15]
"The Battle of Barrington"
A plaque at Langendorf Park commemorates the site of the Battle of Barrington, a 1934 shootout that claimed the lives of two FBI agents and resulted in the death of notorious Chicago gangster Baby Face Nelson.
On November 27, 1934, a running gun battle between FBI agents and Public Enemy # 1 Baby Face Nelson took place in Barrington, resulting in the deaths of Special Agent Herman "Ed" Hollis and Inspector Samuel P. Cowley.[18] Nelson, though shot nine times, escaped the gunfight in Hollis's car with his wife, Helen Gillis. Nelson succumbed from his wounds at approximately 8 p.m. that evening and was unceremoniously dumped near a cemetery in Niles Center (now Skokie), Illinois.[19] Infamous for allegedly killing more federal agents than any other individual, Nelson was later buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois. A plaque near the entrance to Langendorf Park, part of the Barrington Park District, commemorates the agents killed in the gunfight.
21st century
Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 410
1890 848 106.8%
1900 1,162 37.0%
1910 1,444 24.3%
1920 1,743 20.7%
1930 3,213 84.3%
1940 3,560 10.8%
1950 4,209 18.2%
1960 5,434 29.1%
1970 8,581 57.9%
1980 9,029 5.2%
1990 9,504 5.3%
2000 10,168 7.0%
2010 10,327 1.6%
Est. 2016 10,312 [2] −0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[20]
In April 2009, in a non-binding referendum, residents voted in favor of permitting Barrington Township officials to begin looking into seceding from Cook County in part due to Cook County's increased sales tax,[21] now the highest in the country.[22] (See Government section below.) Today, Barrington and its nearby villages are considered to be some of the wealthiest in the country.[10]
Opposition to Canadian National Railway Purchase of EJ&E Railway
Since 2008, Barrington has made national news for its opposition to the purchase of the EJ&E by Canadian National Railway, known as "CN", a purchase that may drastically increase the number of freight trains passing through the village daily.[23][24] The EJ&E intersects at grade with eight major roads in the Barrington area, including Northwest Highway, Illinois State Route 59 and Lake Cook Road in downtown Barrington, as well as the Metra Union Pacific line.[25] By 2012, CN is expected to run at least 20 trains on the line per day.[25] In summer 2008, Barack Obama, then a U.S. senator for Illinois, voiced opposition to the purchase, vowing to work with affected communities to make sure their views were considered.[25]
On October 15, 2010, the CN railroad crossing at U.S. Route 14, as well as rail crossings at Lake Zurich Road and Cuba Road, were blocked for over one and half hours during the early afternoon rush hour due to a stopped 133-car CN southeast bound freight train.[26] At times during the incident, the Hough Street crossing was also blocked.[26] The stopped train also caused back-ups on the commuter rail service of the Union Pacific-Metra Northwest Line.[26] That same day, U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean (D-8th) and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) released a statement that Barrington will receive a $2.8 million grant to fund the planning, design and engineering of a grade separation at the U.S. Route 14 and CN railroad crossing.[27] Construction of any grade separation at that intersection is estimated to cost approximately $69 million; the source(s) of any such funding are currently unknown, and there are currently no plans to design or construct grade separations at any of the other seven Barrington area CN railroad crossings.[28]
150th anniversary
Barrington celebrated its sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary in 2015.[11] The village held a series of celebrations to commemorate the milestone and utilized a Sesquicentennial Committee to plan the festivities.[11] The village celebrations actually began in 2013 to celebrate the 1863 referendum and request for incorporation.[11]
Features and resources
The Octagon House, located on Main Street
The village of Barrington has the largest residential historic district in Illinois[29] and is noted for its Victorian, Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne, and other popular late-19th century forms of architecture.[30] Among Barrington's notable buildings is the Octagon House, also known as the Hawley House. Built around 1860, the Octagon House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places;[31] although initially a residence, it now serves as a commercial property.
The Catlow Theater
The downtown area is home to the historic Catlow Theater, which features interiors by noted Prairie School sculptor and designer Alfonso Iannelli.[32] In May 1927, the Catlow Theater opened for business with Slide, Kelly, Slide as its first feature film. The Catlow is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to operate as one of the few remaining single-screen theaters in the area. The Catlow was one of the first theaters to offer in-theater dining, provided by the adjoining Boloney's Sandwich Shop. Patrons may bring food from Boloney's into the 526-seat auditorium.[33]
Another historic building in the village, the Ice House Mall, is located just northwest of the town's center. Originally built in 1904 for the Bowman Dairy, the brick structure, with its turn of the 20th century styling, served as an actual ice house for 68 years.[34] Renovations and additions beginning in the 1970s have transformed the original building into a collection of local specialty shops.
The Michael Bay 2010 re-make of A Nightmare on Elm Street was partially filmed in Barrington, using the village's residential architecture as a backdrop.[35]
Parks and recreation
The Barrington area features numerous parks and nature preserves. The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Barrington as a Tree City USA every year since 1986, in part due to the village's Tree Preservation and Management Ordinance governing the proper care for trees within the area.[36][37] The Barrington Park District administers several Barrington area parks including Citizens Park, Langendorf Park (formerly North Park), Miller Park (formerly East Park), and Ron Beese Park( formerly South Park). Langendorf Park features tennis courts, playgrounds, outdoor and indoor basketball courts, baseball fields, meeting/activity rooms, and "Aqualusion", a water park that includes a zero-depth pool, lap pool, and diving area, and a splashpad. Northeast of town is Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve,[38] a 782-acre (3.16 km2) wetlands preserve featuring 3 miles (5 km) of crushed-gravel trail offering views of the adjacent marsh. The preserve is named for Cuba Road, which provides the park's northern boundary.[38] It is administered by Lake County Forest Preserves. In 2011, Barrington received a $65,000 grant from the Northwest Municipal Conference for preliminary engineering of a bike path along Northwest Highway.[39] However, a timetable for the project has not yet been set.[39]
Annual celebrations and events in Barrington include the Memorial Day parade, a Fourth of July parade and evening fireworks display, Concours d'Elegance (an auto show), and a Homecoming parade associated with Barrington High School. In addition, the village hosts the "Barrington Brew Fest", a mid-summer event showcasing Midwest microbrewers and local entertainment,[40] as well as the "Great Taste Fest of Barrington", a food festival exhibiting fare from local restaurants.[41] During the fourth weekend of every September, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital hosts "Art in the Barn", a juried fine arts show that features the exhibition and sale of fine art.[42] Started in 1974 with only 30 artists, the event now attracts over 6,500 visitors and features live entertainment and pony rides for children in addition to the art exhibits.[42] A fundraising event, Art in the Barn has generated more than $2.5 million for Good Shepherd Hospital.[42] During May Barrington also hosts "KidFest Kite Fly" event which is free ,fun , family event that gets the entire family outside and moving.
Barrington also hosts a variety of charity functions, including Barrington CROP Hunger Walk;[43] Relay for Life by the American Cancer Society held at Barrington High School;[44] and the Duck Race and Pool Party, a rubber duck race held to benefit JourneyCare (formerly Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois).[45]
There are two golf courses within village limits including the Makray Memorial Golf Club. (formerly known as the Thunderbird Golf Course)[46] Located southeast of the village center on Northwest Highway, the 18-hole course totals 7,000 yards (6,400 m) and includes four sets of tees per hole.[46] The other golf course is a five-hole public course operated by the Barrington Park District at the far western end of Langendorf Park.
Library and Historical Society
The Donlea-Kincaid House comprises part of the Barrington Area Historical Society located on West Main Street.
The Barrington Area Library, located northeast of the village's center on Northwest Highway, contains over 226,000 book volumes and 27,000 audiovisual items.[47] Originally established in 1915, the library moved to its current site in the mid-1970s.[48] Through various additions, most recently in 1993, the building was expanded to its current size of approximately 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2).[48] The library currently features exhibits by local artists, including an outdoor sculpture garden.[49]
The Barrington Area Historical Society,[50] located on Main Street in downtown Barrington, is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of the Barrington area.[51] Founded in 1968, the Society operates from two restored Victorian houses. In 1999, village officials relocated a blacksmith shop to the area behind the Society; a barn, forge, and lobby area were added to create a historical setting.[51] Combined with a one-room schoolhouse, these buildings complete the museum complex known as "Old Barrington Center".[51]
Medical and emergency
Located 3 miles (5 km) north of town, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, known as "Good Shepherd," has served the village and surrounding communities since 1979.[52] Prior to the opening of Good Shepherd, the area's closest major hospitals were located in Elgin, Lincolnshire and Arlington Heights.[52] In 1927, residents established a "Barrington General Hospital" in a house located near the intersection of Hough Street and Lincoln Avenue; however, this hospital closed in 1935.[52] Various resident petitions and fundraising during the 1960s and 1970s renewed interest in a local hospital, and Good Shepherd officially opened on October 17, 1979.[52]
The American College of Surgeons has designated Good Shepherd's Emergency Department as a Level II trauma center.[53] The hospital's medical specialties are Cardiology, Cancer/Oncology, Emergency Services, "Fitness and Wellness", Imaging, Obstetrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Women's Health,[54] and the Emergency Department includes a "Fast Track" center for less serious treatment needs, such as stitches.[53] JourneyCare (formerly Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois) opened the Pepper Family Hospice Center on Lake Zurich Road in 2010.
As of November 2009, the Barrington Police Department had 23 full-time police officers;[55] as of March 2007, the Barrington Fire Department had 38 full-time firefighters.[56] The Village has adopted an Emergency Operations Plan as well as a community notification system called Connect-CTY.[57] Connect-CTY allows authorized village officials to record and deliver voice messages quickly to individual phones in the notification database in urgent situations.[58] Examples of messages that may be sent over the Connect-CTY service include severe weather warnings and updates, hazardous traffic or road conditions inside the village or affecting local routes, and any other urgent situations impacting the village's safety, property, or welfare.[58] Barrington is also National Incident Management System-compliant.[57]
Houses of worship
Numerous houses of worship are located in Barrington, including Baptist, Christian Science, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United Church of Christ denominations.[59] The St. Anne Catholic Community also includes a school. Rev. Bernie Pietrzak is the current pastor, replacing Rev. John "Jack" Dewes, who served the community until 2009. Barrington also has a growing Muslim community, with an established Islamic Center. [60] Village Church of Barrington, located on the east side of the village, is part of the Evangelical Free Church of America. The area is also home to Willow Creek Community Church, a non-demoninational Evangelical Christian megachurch.[59]
Barrington's community newspaper, the Barrington Courier-Review (Courier), is published weekly on Thursdays and features local news and announcements, a police blotter, entertainment listings and high school sports results. The Courier's publisher, Pioneer Press, is owned by the Chicago Tribune and its current news editor is Kevin Bargnes. The area has one magazine, Quintessential Barrington, which features articles on travel, the arts, style, health, home, and local events. The magazine was launched in September 2005 and is published bimonthly.[61]
Barrington is included in the Chicago market and receives its media from Chicago network affiliates. The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times also cover area news. In addition, the village's Community Relations board broadcasts all Village Board meetings, as well as community announcements, on a local government-access television (GATV) cable TV station.[62]
Gatorade Sports Science Institute located on West Main Street
Although relatively small in population, Barrington features six separate banking institutions, some with multiple branches. Bank of America, the Barrington Bank & Trust Company, Chase, Fifth Third Bank, BMO Harris and Northern Trust all have locations within the village.[63]
The Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1969 to support local businesses.[64] Currently, the organization lists over 750 members; its stated function is "serving as an agent of change, taking the lead in providing leadership for the benefit of the business community by promoting economic opportunities, advocating the interests of business, providing Members with education and resources, and encouraging mutual support."[64]
Barrington receives much of its sales tax revenue from its half-dozen car dealerships.[65] State sales tax figures indicate that Barrington's auto sales, gasoline sales and state-taxable auto repairs accounted for $2.1 million in sales taxes for the village in 2008, or approximately 56 percent of its sales-tax income.[65] Local dealerships include Barrington Volvo, Marquardt of Barrington, Motor Werks of Barrington, and Wickstrom Auto Group. In May 2009, Chrysler informed the Wickstrom (which took over the Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep franchise from Champion) location that it would not be among the 40 dealerships closed in Illinois.[65]
The Gatorade Sports Science Institute, often featured in the company's commercials, is located in Barrington just west of downtown, across the street from Barrington High School. Barrington also serves as the headquarters for GE Healthcare IT, which provides clinical and financial information technology solutions.[66] Other notable businesses include defense contractor ISR Systems, part of the Goodrich Corporation (formerly known as Recon Optical),[67] and commercial real estate developer GK Development. For many years, the village was home to the Jewel Tea Company;[68] its former headquarters was razed in the early 21st century for redevelopment as Citizens Park.[69]
In addition to its downtown area, the village is home to several shopping centers, including the Ice House Mall and The Foundry, located northwest of town.
Top employers
According to Barrington's 2012 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[70] the top employers in the city are:
# Employer # of Employees
1 Barrington Community Unit School District 220 860
2 GE Healthcare 700
3 PepsiCo 322
4 Barrington Park District 314
5 Motor Werks Auto Group 291
6 Jewel 150
7 Barrington Transportation 150
8 The Garlands 142
9 Pepper Construction 132
10 Village of Barrington 120
According to the 2010 census, Barrington has a total area of 4.808 square miles (12.45 km2), of which 4.62 square miles (11.97 km2) (or 96.09%) is land and 0.188 square miles (0.49 km2) (or 3.91%) is water.[71] Barrington is approximately bordered by Hart Road to the west, Illinois Route 68 (Dundee Road) to the south, Ela Road to the east and Providence Road and Taylor Road to the north. The village is located approximately 830 feet (250 m) above sea level.[63]
Barrington is 30 miles (48 km) northwest of Chicago.[72]
Major streets
Barrington's neighboring communities are:
Barrington village hall, located on South Hough Street (Illinois Route 59) in downtown Barrington. Cornerstones on either side of the entrance commemorate the year the building was originally constructed, 1898, and the year it was nearly completely rebuilt, 2000.
The Village of Barrington is a non-home rule municipality which functions under the council-manager form of government with a village President and a six-member board of trustees, all of whom are elected at large to staggered four-year terms.[73][74] The current Village President is Karen Darch.[75] There are six current members of the Board of Trustees[75][76] in addition to a village treasurer.[75] The village clerk, also an elected position, is responsible for taking and transcribing minutes of all Village Board and Committee of the Whole meetings along with other municipal clerk duties.[73] The current village clerk is Adam Frazier, and the deputy village clerk is Melanie Marcordes.[75][76] A village manager currently Jeff Lawler [77][78] assist the President with local operations and projects.[79]
Name[76] Title[73][75][78] Term Notes
Karen Darch Village President Re-elected April 2009[80]
Jim Daluga Village Trustee Re-elected April 2011[81]
Paul Hunt Village Trustee Re-elected April 2011[81]
Steve Miller Village Trustee Re-elected April 2009[82]
Beth Raseman Village Trustee Re-elected April 2009[82]
Tim Roberts Village Trustee Re-elected April 2009[82]
Robert Windon Village Trustee Elected April 2011[81]
Adam Frazier Village Clerk Re-elected April 2009[83]
Melanie Marcordes Deputy Village Clerk Appointed
Jeff Lawler Village Manager[77] Appointed
Jason Hayden Village Treasurer Appointed
Numerous departments and teams report to the village manager and deputy village manager, including the departments of Human Resources and Risk Management, Community and Financial Services, Economic and Community Development, and Engineering & Building. Barrington's Emergency Management team, composed of the Public Works Department, Police Department, and Fire Department, also reports to the village manager and deputy village manager.[79] The president is also responsible for the administration of many appointed boards and commissions, including the village's Ethics Board, Plan Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, Architectural Review Commission, Electrical Commission, Fire & Police Commission, Police Pension Board, Fire Pension Board, and the Emergency Telephone System Board.[79] The current Police Chief is Jerry Libit,[77][84] and the current Fire Chief is Jim Arie.[78]
The village estimates its revenues for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 to be approximately $30.22 million and $29.04 million, respectively. Meanwhile, the village estimates total budget expenditures of approximately $33.68 million for fiscal year 2009 and $34.88 million for fiscal year 2010.[85] The vision of the village is "to preserve and promote its unique small town heritage, preserve its distinct ecological and historical character, provide a moral and safe environment, maintain a high quality of life through the efficient use of community resources, and respond to future challenges through citizen participation in all civic, social, and cultural endeavors."[6]
Relationship with Cook County
In April 2009, in a non-binding referendum, village residents voted in favor of permitting Barrington township officials to begin looking into seceding from Cook County.[21][86] The referendum, entitled "Barrington Twp – Disconnect from Cook County," asked, "Should Barrington Township consider disconnection from Cook County, Illinois, and forming a new county if a viable option exists for doing so?"[87] The referendum came in response to Cook County's increased sales tax, now the highest in the country, and increased tensions between the county and towns neighboring Lake County.[22][86] Hanover and Palatine townships also passed similar measures.[22][86]
Since 1970, growth in the area has been monitored by the Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG), which includes representatives of the villages of Barrington, Barrington Hills, Deer Park, Lake Barrington, North Barrington, South Barrington, and Tower Lakes, and local townships who strive to balance the needs of residents for expansion against environmental and aesthetic concerns.
The village of Barrington serves as the geographic center of the 72-square-mile (190 km2) Barrington Community Unit School District 220. The district features one high school, Barrington High School, for grades 9–12 and two middle school campuses for grades 6–8, Station Campus and Prairie Campus. The district administers eight elementary schools serving kindergarten through fifth grade:
• Arnett C. Lines
• Barbara Rose
• Countryside
• Grove Avenue
• Hough Street
• North Barrington
• Roslyn Road
• Sunny Hill
Exterior of main entrance to Barrington High School
With the exception of Sunny Hill, all Barrington-area public elementary schools received the 2008 Academic Excellence Award from the Illinois State Board of Education.[88] The U.S. Department of Education recognized the Grove Avenue and Arnett C. Lines elementary schools as Blue Ribbon schools in 2007 and 2008, respectively.[89]
The district administers an early childhood center, Woodland Early Learning Center, located in Carpentersville. A second early learning center adjacent to Barrington Middle School's Prairie Campus opened for classes in October 2010.[90]
Barrington High School reported that in 2011 its students scored a composite average of 25 on the ACT college entrance exam, which is the highest average in the school's history and roughly four points higher than the state and national averages.[91] The high school has many notable alumni, including former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson, fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, and former Seattle Mariners catcher Dan Wilson. The school itself is featured in the title of the music album Fast Times at Barrington High from The Academy Is....[92]
Barrington also features a Catholic school for kindergarten through eighth grade, St. Anne School, which the U.S. Department of Education recognized as a Blue Ribbon School in 2006.[93]
Demographics (2000)[94]
White Black Hispanic Asian
96.16% 0.62% 2.33% 2.00%
Islander Native Other
0.01% 0.13% 0.31%
As of the census[95] of 2000, there were 10,168 people, 3,767 households, and 2,798 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,211.7 people per square mile (853.5/km²). Of 860 Midwestern cities with populations of 10,000 inhabitants or more, Barrington ranked 849th. There were 3,903 housing units at an average density of 849.0 per square mile (327.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.16% White, 0.62% African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.33% of the population.
Of the 3,768 households, 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the village, the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males.
In 2015, the median income for a household in the village was $119,423, and the median income for a family was $142,718. Males had a median income of $80,232 versus $38,795 for females. The per capita income for the village was $60,034. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
Barrington has a continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa), with summers generally wetter than the winters:
Climate data for Barrington, Illinois
Record high °F (°C) 65
Average high °F (°C) 31
Average low °F (°C) 17
Record low °F (°C) −27
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.72
Source: MSN Weather[96] and[97]
The highest recorded temperature was 103 °F (39 °C) in July 1974 and July 1988; the lowest recorded temperature was −27 °F (−33 °C) in January 1982.[96][97] Historical tornado activity for the Barrington area is slightly below Illinois state average.[63] On April 11, 1965, an F4 tornado approximately 9.4 miles (15.1 km) away from downtown Barrington killed 6 people and injured 75; on April 21, 1967, a category 4 tornado approximately 5.1 miles (8.2 km) away from the village center killed one person, injured approximately 100 people and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.[63]
Notable people
See also
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3. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Barrington village, Illinois". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
4. ^ "100 wealthiest zip codes in the United States". Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
5. ^ Village of Barrington. "About Us".
6. ^ a b "Village of Barrington". Village of Barrington. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
7. ^ a b Lines, Arnett C. "When the Indians Were Here". Barrington Area History. Barrington Area Library. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
8. ^ Lines, Arnett C. "In What Counties". Barrington Area History. Barrington Area Library. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
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12. ^ a b Lines, Arnett C. "Settlement around Barrington Center". Barrington Area History. Barrington Area Library. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
13. ^ a b Lines, Arnett C. "Townships are Organized". Barrington Area History. Barrington Area Library. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
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16. ^ Lines, Arnett C. "Forward". Barrington Area History. Barrington Area Library. Archived from the original on November 8, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
17. ^ Blue, Renee. "Features". Retrieved July 10, 2010. [dead link]
18. ^
19. ^ "Trace Outlaw Nelson on Death Ride." Chicago Tribune. November 29, 1934. p. 1
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22. ^ a b c Taliaferro, Tim (April 8, 2009). "Three Townships Vote To Secede From Cook County, But Will They?". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on April 12, 2009. Retrieved May 9, 2009.
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38. ^ a b "Cuba Marsh". Lake County Forest Preserves. Archived from the original on December 27, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
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64. ^ a b "Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
65. ^ a b c,barrington-wickstromhere-052109-s1.article
66. ^ "GE Healthcare-Testimonials -GE Healthcare Executive Team Biographies - Vishal Wanchoo". May 7, 2009. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
67. ^ "Customer Contact Guide". Archived from the original on July 27, 2010. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
68. ^ "Jewel Tea Company Collectables". New Eastcoast Arms Collectors Associates, Inc. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
69. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved 2009-04-24.
70. ^ Village of Barrington CAFR Archived August 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
72. ^ Lavelle, Marianne. "Illinois Village Leads Charge for Tougher Oil Train Rules. National Geographic. January 17, 2014. Retrieved on January 19, 2014.
73. ^ a b c "Village Board". Government. The Village of Barrington, Illinois. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
74. ^ "General Information". Community Information. The Village of Barrington, Illinois. Archived from the original on April 7, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
75. ^ a b c d e "Elected & Appointed Officials". Contacts. The Village of Barrington, Illinois. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
76. ^ a b c "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 5, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-25.
77. ^ a b c "Lawler, Libit Promoted". Barrington Courier-Review. Retrieved December 18, 2009.
78. ^ a b c "Staff Directory". Contacts. The Village of Barrington, Illinois. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
79. ^ a b c "Village of Barrington Organization Chart". Government. The Village of Barrington, Illinois. Archived from the original on September 30, 2006. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
80. ^[permanent dead link]
81. ^ a b c [3]
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83. ^[permanent dead link]
84. ^ Solano, Tony A. "Barrington, Inverness start new eras for police forces". Barrington Courier-Review. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
85. ^ "Ordinance Adopting the 2010 Budget" (PDF). Documents and Forms. The Village of Barrington, Illinois. Retrieved May 8, 2009. [permanent dead link]
86. ^ a b c [4] Archived April 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. "Cook County secession: Townships vote selves out of Cook County," Chicago Tribune April 8, 2009. Retrieved 09-04-09.
87. ^ "April 2009 Referenda". Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
88. ^ "2008 Academic Excellence Awards". Northern Illinois University. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
89. ^ U.S. Department of Education. "Blue Ribbon Schools, 2003–present" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
90. ^,barrington-elc-102110-s1.article
91. ^ Stephanie Kohl. "Students post highest ACT scores in Barrington High School history". Barrington Courier-Review. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
92. ^ "The Academy Is…- Fast Times At Barrington High - Reviews - Alternative Press". Alternative Press. August 19, 2008. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
93. ^ "St. Anne Catholic School Barrington". St. Anne Catholic School. Archived from the original on May 17, 2009. Retrieved May 8, 2009.
94. ^ 2000 United States Census Data
96. ^ a b "Average Maximum and Minimum Temperatures for Barrington, Illinois". MSN. 2009. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
97. ^ a b "Wedding Planner - Set the Date, Average Monthly for Barrington, IL (60010)". June 17, 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2010.
Further reading
• Arnett C. Lines, "A History of Barrington, Illinois," 1977
• Diane P. Kostick, "Voices of Barrington," ISBN 978-0-7385-1980-7, Arcadia Publishing, 2002
• Pioneer Press, "A Day in the Life of Barrington,"[permanent dead link] retrieved 30-Jul-2009
• Cynthia Baker Sharp, "Tales of Old Barrington," 1976\
External links
• Village of Barrington
• Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce
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Sunday, November 15, 2009
Doctors needs to be cured of this disease
Here are doctors who've implicitly took an oath to be superstitious and peddle the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy.
Needless to say the site is unabashedly blatantly biased. It publishes only those cases where there was prayer somewhere in the patient history after which the patient got better. So what may we ask about those who had the same condition and did have prayer (whatever kind and to whichever deity) but did not get well or even got worse? And what about those who had the same condition who didn't pray but whose condition improved? Moreover, what about the various medical treatments and procedures which the patients were undergoing at the time invisible genies somewhere in the universe or outside the universe were being dialed up? Would the patients have recovered without them? If prayer is a or the panacea and is effective against such a wide spectrum of diseases and medical conditions, why don't these God-intoxicated doctors just turn their cases over to Doc Jesus and have him snap his fingers and make them well? Just replace all doctors in their hospital or clinic with faith healers. If prayer is indeed efficacious then decommision the pharmaceutical industry and have MDs change careers. You don't even need diagnostics of any kind. Scrap all the equipment for X-ray, CAT scans, MRIs, PET scans, blood exams, etc. Just tell people to pray or head on over to the nearest healing priest/pastor/shaman the minute they feel something wrong. It's that simple if prayer really works. It doesn't work that way? Why? How do you know? What makes you think this (peri)omnipotent, (peri)omniscient deity of yours needs your help?
In Neil DeGrasse Tyson's Amazing Meeting 6 talk he declared that doctors are far from being smart. I thought that was a rather unfair blanket statement. Well, I apologize to Tyson. I'm beginning to think he may very well be right after all. Of course, there are doctors who can actually think critically (the skeptics community has a number of them--Steven Novella, Stephen Barret, Harriet Hall, David Gorski) but there really are lots of MDs who don't have their heads screwed on right at all and buy into cockamamie alternative medicine crap out there, including one of the most ridiculous--homeopathy.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Homeopathy is a disease of the mind
Earlier this week I said I found it alarming that a Heel affiliate was promoting what is probably a quack treatment for dengue. I did some googling and apparently there indeed are homeopathic remedies intended to address dengue. For instance Dr. Ana Teresa Doria Dreux, former president of the Instituto Hahnemanniano do Brasil (presumably named in honor of homeopathy's inventor Samuel Hahnemann) and currently its VP, prescribes nostrums for the prevention and treatment of dengue. Her concoction consists of 5CH and 12CH dilutions (equivalent to 10X and 24X). That's 1 part per ten billion and 1 part per trillion trillion of active ingredients respectively. The latter is simply too dilute to have any possible effect (therapeutic or adverse). She tells us that these remedies are her own creations. However, we are not told what clinical trials have been performed to test their efficacy. All she says is:
So far, with those patients who have used this formula as prevention, there have not been any cases of infection, at least not reported to me.
I distribute this formula every year to all the personnel at IHB during the periods of epidemics and since I began doing so, not one of the approximately 22 employees has contracted the disease, not even those who live in areas where it is endemic.
This of course is insufficient evidence for efficacy. When I read the above the image that pops in my head is that of Dreux tightly crossing her fingers behind her back praying her luck holds.
Despite belief in the efficacy of her anti-dengue nostrum, she cautions:
Of course homeopathy does not DO AWAY WITH or INTERFERE with the obligatory medical care in these cases, nor should we neglect to eradicate the vector (the Aedes aegypti mosquito) by eliminating its breeding sites.
Well, if "obligatory medical care" and eradication of the disease vector weren't and aren't done away with, couldn't these be the cause of the lack of incidence? Setting aside ethical issues for the moment, if Dreux actually performed a double-blind trial and subjected half of a community to her brew and half to pure sugar pills--withholding any other form of treatment including "obligatory medical care"--perhaps she could have a better idea of whether her "medicine" actually works or not. As it is, Dr. Dreux is infected with dilution delusion. And not even an hourly dose of 100,000X (ultra powerful stuff indeed!) whatnot will cure her.
Dreux and her water institute aside, what is truly disturbing is what the doctor reveals in passing--that Brazil's health department has a homeopathy division. When government legitimizes quackery and itself peddles snakeoil then it has betrayed the people. One can only hope that there are Brazilians who are making noise and who are trying to inject sanity into its department of health.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Close encounters with homeo and acupunc
Accompanied a friend to a trade exhibit last Saturday and encountered two companies promoting and selling woo.
1. Homeopathy and Homotoxicology by Biological Homeopathic Medical Corp (BHMC) / Ibarra Bio Med Int'l Trading Corp.
Let me begin with what may be a tragedy that's in the offing. After I started inquiring about their products alarms went off in my head when the representative at the booth boasted about their company having made a presentation before health officials for a preparation that addresses dengue. What these "medicines" actually are remains to be seen. I gather from the rep that they're alternative meds, perhaps homeopathic. In the recent past there have been homeopaths who prescribed homeopathic remedies for malaria. Such nostrums are completely ineffective against that disease. I'm betting that the treatment BHMC is purveying is just as bogus. These people are toying with lives. Dengue is a very serious condition. Homeopathy should be banned from peddling anything to treat/prevent such life threatening conditions. Hopefully the health department will not get duped. Lives--specially those of young children--are at stake.
Onto the reading materials I was provided. One of BHMC's flier lists the principles "proven and developed by Dr. Hans Heinrich Reckeweg":
1. Like cures like
2. The more the remedy is diluted, the greater its potency
3. An illness is specific to the individual
The first two principles were in fact laid down by the inventor of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann. And no they haven't been proven. The second principle doesn't even need testing. Given what we know about how chemicals work, it's implausible from the git go. It's the very opposite of what we know is true even intuitively--the more of a substance you administer the more pronounced its effect. The less of it you give/receive the less its effects--and that goes for what we commonly call poisons as well. Even cyanide poses no threat if you ingest but a microgram.
BHMC is affiliated with Heel, a company that has distributors in the US, Germany, Canada, Australia, among others. Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch tells us that Reckeweg founded BHI (later renamed Heel) back in the early 20th century. In the last few decades the company managed to earn the ire of the FDA which regarded it as the "most flagrant law violators among homeopathic marketers." Barrett issues this warning:
Heel-BHI has been marketing products with outrageous and illegal claims for more than 25 years. The vast majority are irrationally formulated and have not been scientifically tested. Using them instead of proven therapy is a waste of money and could lead to delay in getting appropriate treatment.
The BHMC pamphlet lists its services:
Electroacupuncture by Dr. Voll
Super MORA Therapy
Bio Oxidative Therapy
Ozone Therapy
Chelation Therapy
Neural Therapy
Colonic Hydrotherapy
Traditional Chinese Acupuncture
Anti-Ageing Therapy
Natural, Nutritional and Biological Preventive Medicine
All of the above are unproved therapies. And the safety of some of them is questionable..
The other flier I was handed introduces their Detox Kit. It describes the contents of the kit as follows:
The Heel Detox Kit® combines three homeopathic complex remedies for a comprehensive effect.
Lymphomyosot® Oral Drops
activates the lymphatic system in order to detoxify the connective tissue and the mesenchyme
Nux vomica-Homaccord® Oral Drops
stimulates the gastro-intestinal excretion pathway as well as the hepatic system (liver)
Berberis-Homaccord® Oral Drops
activates the renal and the biliary systems (kidney, gall bladder)
I googled and found the composition of the Heel Detox Kit. The webpage lists all the active ingredients and even the amount of each per 100 milliliter bottle. With this data I created a spreadsheet which shows the actual amount each of the active ingredients taking into account their respective dilutions.
For the Nux vomica-Homaccord drops they list 22 substances:
Nux vomica D3
Nux vomica D10
Nux vomica D15
Nux vomica D30
Nux vomica D200
Nux vomica D1000
Bryonia alba D3
Bryonia alba D6
Bryonia alba D10
Bryonia alba D15
Bryonia alba D30
Bryonia alba D200
Bryonia alba D1000
Colocynthis D3
Colocynthis D10
Colocynthis D30
Colocynthis D200
Lycopodium clavatum D3
Lycopodium clavatum D10
Lycopodium clavatum D30
Lycopodium clavatum D200
Lycopodium clavatum D1000
You can't help but notice that in fact there are only 4 ingredients. They've merely used various dilutions of these four. If you look at the last column (% of total active ingredients) of the spreadsheet you'll see that the contributions of dilutions other than D3 are completely negligible.
You're probably wondering what this "Dx" rating is all about. In homeopathic terminology D stands for decimal. It's a scale to denote the degree of dilution. A D1 means there's one part of active to 10 parts inert ingredient. For a D2 it's one in a hundred. So it's a logarithmic scale similar to the Richter scale for earthquake intensity. Being logarithmic a D4 is ten times more dilute than a D3 preparation [10(4-3)], a D6 is a thousand times more dilute than a D3 [10(6-3)], and a D30 is a thousand trillion trillion times more dilute than a D3 [10(30-3)].
In the Nux vomica oral drops some of the substances are watered down to D1000. How dilute is a D1000? If you had one drop of active ingredient and were to dilute it in one go you'd have to mix that single drop with 101000 (remember, that's "1" followed by a thousand zeros) drops of water or alcohol. How much is 101000 drops? That's equivalent to 6.5 × 10992 cubic meters [see Note 1]. And just how large is that? Well, it's more than the size of our universe. In fact a lot bigger. If a bucket were the size of the universe you'd need 7.7 trillion buckets to end up with 6.5 × 10992 m3 [see Note 2]. After mixing (if you can even imagine achieving that) you can scoop a volume as large as the Earth or the Sun or the Milky Way and the chances of finding a single molecule of the active ingredient would still be exceedingly infinitesimal.
Since it is impossible to make extremely dilute preparations in a single step, homeopaths perform a series of successive dilutions. For example to obtain a D1000 they may mix a drop of the active ingredient in 105 drops of water--equivalent to 6.5 liters. This is now a D5 dilution. A drop from this is then added to another 6.5 liters of water to create a D10. And so on until it's been performed 200 times. Here's another way of looking at that. Let's say the entire Earth all the way to its inner core is made of water. You add a drop of the active ingredient and mix thoroughly. Take a drop of that and add it to another Earth-sized planet made of pure water. Remember to mix it real well. To end up with a D1000 you'd need to do this 45 times [see Note 3].
As we've seen homeopaths claim that the more diluted a preparation the more potent it is. Thus a D1000 is far more powerful than a D10 even if there's negligible chance of finding even a single molecule of the substance that's suppose to treat the condition. This is dilution delusion.
According to Heel the Detox regimen consists of "30 drops of each preparation in 0.7-1.5 liters of spring water to be drank during the course of the day." In the spreadsheet I've computed how much of the active ingredients one actually gets daily.
Nux vomica-Homaccord: 0.00030 drop (equivalent to 0.00020 ml)
Lymphomyosot (or Lyphosot): 0.0087 drop (equivalent to 0.00057ml)
Berberis-Homaccord: 0.084 mg.
These are very minuscule amounts indeed. Which means to say they probably have neither therapeutic nor adverse effects.
Just to get a perspective on how small those amounts are, let's compute for how many days it would take to ingest a drop or milligram of the active ingredients. To compute, just get the inverse of the above values. We obtain:
Nux vomica-Homaccord: 3,333 days / drop
Lymphomyosot (or Lyphosot): 115 days / drop
Berberis-Homaccord: 12 days / mg
Finally, is there anything to the notion of detoxification? None. It's bunk. It's crap. It's woo.
2. Shaolin Electronic Acupuncture Apparatus
The apparatus consists of an oval plastic device with a major diameter of around two and half inches, with "wings" on either side made of some pliable material under which are attached a black, sticky material they call the plaster or patch. Click the above link for photos. Here are a couple of infomercial videos I found on Youtube: the original is in Chinese but here's one in English.
The apparatus is manufactured by Zhengzhou HuiHao Technology Co.,Ltd in Zhengzhou, China. The device is powered by a coin battery and is said to incorporate a microprocessor. They probably mean microcontroller but then the terms are sometimes used interchangeably in reference to embedded systems.
The flier I got explains how it works:
A Microprocessor [sic] generates a low frequency magnetic field while [sic]controls a modulated pulse that provokes slight vibrations to simulate therapy by acupuncture. This function stimulates the channels and collateral in our body thru a patch helping to promote blood circulation to relieve pains; eliminates [sic] dampness to invigorate the kidneys; expel toxins to lose fat, etc. It also achieves [sic] and has very good healing effects on inflammations and aches of the neck, shoulders, waist, legs and joints.
The following are the diseases and conditions the device can purportedly "prevent and cure": Arthritis, diabetes, rheumatism, backache, sciatica, impotence, joint pain, Bell's palsy, kidney problems, stiff neck, vertigo, insomnia, constipation, gastroptosis, nausea, gastroenteritis, tennis elbow, hangover, hypertension, stroke, headache, gonarthritis, bone diseases, cervical spondylosis, scapulohumeral periarthritis, hip pain, inflammation of the lumbar discs, hemiplegia, carpal tunnel syndrome. It can also help rid (excess) fat, expel toxins, relieve pain, provide energy, free the "channels and collaterals", and promote blood circulation. I'm surprised they left out the big C--cancer.
According to the video the sticky patch contains a secret Shaolin concoction made from 13 herbs. These seep into the skin five times deeper than without the electronic apparatus. As to how deep the herbs penetrate without the device they don't say.
The exhibit representative urged me to try the apparatus for just ten minutes. Although reluctant at first I did give in and allowed myself to be a guinea pig just to see what the gizmo would do. Boy, was I in for a surprise. The lady strapped the device onto my forearm and pressed a button. Within seconds it started delivering electric shocks. Not very pleasant at all! My hand twitched violently with every shock as the device caused my arm muscles to contract. The pulse frequency was approximately one per second. But every half minute the frequency would change.
Given its shocking output I believe this gadget employs an inductor--a coil of (enameled) wire (probably with an iron core)--to produce a very short but high voltage output. Whenever current passes through a conductor a magnetic field is produced. When wire is formed into a coil the magnetic field around the entire length of that wire becomes concentrated--the inductance increases. When current stops flowing the magnetic field around the coil collapses. But that collapsing field now induces a voltage in the coil--a voltage that is many times that which was present when current was flowing. But while voltage is high there is very little current that flows--and it's the amount of current that can kill, not necessarily the voltage. Thus while static buildup in our body can easily reach a thousand volts, we don't feel more than a sting when we discharge the accumulated charge.
If the acupuncture gadget does employ an inductor then it works on the same principle as the ignition coil in a gasoline engine. But in this case you and I are the spark plug. Try the following (if you dare). With the engine off, pull the cable off one of the spark plugs. Hold the end of that cable--called the boot. Best if you hold a metal rod and stick it inside the boot so you can make contact with the metal shroud inside. Have that hand also touch the body of the car (ground). As a safety precaution put your other hand behind your back and avoid having any other part of your body in contact with the vehicle. Now let someone crank the engine. Unless your body is made of plastic, rubber, glass or some excellent insulator, you'll get a pulsing jolt. I've had my share of surprises when I was still tinkering with engines decades ago. So in case you want to experience electronic acupuncture, your automobile will gladly assist you.
A car's ignition coil delivers around 20,000 volts to the spark plug causing an arc to jump across the electrodes. It's this arc which ignites the gas-air mixture in the cylinder. Now think about that. What do you think will happen if you bring this acupuncture gizmo to the gas station and turn it on as you're filling up? Well most likely nothing (unless perhaps you put it right next to where you pump gas into car's gas tank). But put it inside a jar with a rich gasoline-air mix, set the gap between the electrodes to less than 5 millimeters, program the apparatus to maximum output, and maybe, just maybe, you'll have an early New Year's Eve celebration.
Instead of acupuncture the manufacturer should've called it The Portable Electro Shocker. Does it work? It certainly does! For those who have a masochistic streak in them, that is.
1. One drop = 0.065 ml = 6.5 × 10-8 m3
Cubic meter equivalent of 101000 drops:
101000 drops × 6.5 × 10-8 m3/drop = 6.5 × 10992 m3
2. Volume of the universe = 3 × 1080 m3
number of universe-fuls of water (or alcohol) required to dilute one drop of active ingredient to D1000:
[6.5 × 10992 m3] / [3 × 1080 m3] = 7.7 × 1012
3. Volume of the Earth = 1.08 × 1015 m3
Let 10x = volume of the Earth in drops
6.5 × 10-8 m3/drop × 10x drops = 1.08 × 1015 m3
10x = [1.08 × 1015] / [6.5 × 10-8]
10x = 16.6 × 1021
x log10 = log (16.6 × 1021)
x = 22.2
number of Earth-sized successive dilutions to achieve D1000:
1000 / 22.2 = 45 Earths
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Justice with Michael Sandel
Just learned of that lecture series on ethics. The first two episodes are already up for viewing. Succeeding ones will be uploaded once a week. While watching the preview/teaser, "Star Trek!" was the first thing that popped in my head. Ethical questions and dilemmas are what draws me to that sci fi series.
Prof. Sandel begins his first lecture with the (classic) trolley (or train) problem. It exposes how we humans basically are utilitarian when faced with no option but to choose between the lesser of two evils. (By the way, Sandel sounds like Command Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation)
In the movie The Wrath of Khan the dying Spock tells Kirk--having sacrificed himself to save the crew: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one." That's utilitarian logic. And we all extol such such self sacrifice.
Seven years ago, after watching a Star Trek Voyager episode (you can watch it on Youtube) I wrote the following analysis of the ethical questions which it raised and tackled.
I. The Storyline
In the episode "Nothing Human" the crew of the starship Voyager comes to the rescue of an intelligent yet heretofore unknown alien species, one resembling a very large scorpion or lobster. Because its ship is badly damaged Captain Kathryn Janeway decides to beam the lone survivor to sick bay, knowing fully well that by bringing this 'stranger' on board her ship she is putting Voyager at risk.
Preliminary diagnosis indicates that the creature is ill or injured. Though at first docile this creature moments later pounces upon the ship's engineer B'Elanna Torres and attaches itself to her, pierces her neck, and starts injecting substances into her body and sending tendrils into her major organs. By so doing the creatures survives by parasitically siphoning her energy and nutrients (reminiscent of Dracula).
Unable to decipher its language consisting of shrills the crew has no way of understanding the motives of this creature. They don't know whether it has attached itself to Torres because it merely wants to survive or whether it has more long term malevolent intents.
Knowing nothing about this creature and its anatomy, Voyager's chief medical officer "The Doctor" (a hologram) decides he needs the assistance of a Cardassian medical expert on exobiology. The engineers toil to create a holographic representation of Dr. Crell Moset, a feat they manage to pull off. After the Doctor explains their predicament Moset proceeds to examine Torres and the alien creature. But because the equipment on board Voyager is inadequate he asks that his laboratory be recreated in order that he may have access to the specialized instruments he requires to further examine this creature.
While Doc and Moset try to learn about the creature and ultimately devise a method to remove it from Torres without killing her, one crew member, Ensign Tabor, by chance comes face to face with Moset. The Bajroan is aghast and is unable to contain his rage. He accuses Moset of having murdered his family by exposing them to all sorts of radiation and chemicals as part of his medical experiments. The Doctor cannot believe his ears. Surely there has been a mistake. The great Dr. Moset singlehandedly came up with a cure for a rare disease and saved thousands from the fatal epidemic. It must be a simple case of mistaken identity.
But alas, searching through the ship's database, the crew piece enough information that corroborates Tabor's allegations: the 'good' doctor indeed had performed horrible experiments on Bajorans directly causing the death of dozens if not hundreds of their people.
Captain Janeway calls for a meeting. Voyager is caught in a dilemma. How can they let Moset continue helping them when the very knowledge he's utilizing was gained from his murderous experiments? Given the fact that his expertise derives from many counts of heinous crimes, is it at all conscionable to use whatever Moset has to offer to save the life of Torres, notwithstanding that this Moset is merely a holographic representation? No, they say, not even if it's only a hologram since the representation relies on the actual Moset files found in Voyager's database. The debate among the officers heats up. Several want the Moset program terminated immediately. Even the Vulcan Tuvok agrees that it is logical for Torres to refuse help from Moset. However, a few believe that saving Torres is more important and that the chances of doing so drops to nill if Moset's expertise becomes unavailable. The captain must make a decision. And she is forthright and does not dally, giving us the impression she had already made up her mind even before she called for the meeting. For now she says Torres is more important to her than ethical issues and instructs the Doctor to continue working with Moset.
In Moset's recreated lab he and the Doctor successfully induce the creature to retract its tendrils and free Torres from its death grip, by applying a neurostatic shock to its nervous system. They move on to sickbay and try the method, for real this time. But while Moset wants to apply a large dose of electrical shock ensuring rapid retraction of the tendrils, Doc intervenes and takes over, and applies a less than lethal dose to the creature.
Meanwhile, the comrades of this alien creature have arrived and are pounding Voyager. Its energy shields are useless against the aliens' weapons. Voyager still does not understand the shrills even as the crew tries desperately to telll the aliens that they mean no harm. It is clear, however, the aliens want their comrade back.
Over in sickbay the Doctor manages to induce the creature to finally let go of Torres. With the separation complete engineers are finally able to lock onto the creature and beam it to its ship. With mission accomplished the alien ships depart without damaging Voyager. They even seem to say "thank you" on their way off.
In the aftermath Captain Janeway tells the Doctor that as the medical expert on board he must decide the fate of Dr. Moset. It will up to him whether to retain Moset or pull the plug on this most controversial hologram. The Doctor arrives at Moset's laboratory. The latter is stowing away his instruments while humming a tune he and the Doctor had sung during their most fruitful collaboration earlier.
The Doctor tells Moset that he has come to inform him of his decision. The Cardassian understands that the Doctor is still bothered by his shady past and so tries to persuade him that what is important are the results. That he was able to cure thousands during the war. Moreover, that the two of them were able to save both Torres and the parasitic alien creature should be considered a victory. The means by which they managed to do that is irrelevant. The eloquent Moset puts up a convincing argument. He even reminds the Doctor that humans had for decades used animals to test virtually everything that humans dare not try on themselves. But the Doctor has already made up his mind. No argument by Moset can possibly make him reconsider. He hails Voyager's voice-activated computer and commands it to delete the Crell Moset program and all files related to it. The laboratory and Dr. Moset, murderer and savior, disappear from the holodeck forever.
II. The Issues
A. Moset's Move
Was it right for Dr. Moset to conduct his medical experiments on Bajroans, to use them as guinea pigs and in the process maim, mutilate, and eventually kill them? No. I doubt any one of us would agree. Those who dare say yes should be ready to stand beside Moset and infect, irradiate, and eventually kill any number of people.
The end does not justify the means, certainly not in this case. But this is exactly the point around which Moset's argument revolves. The Cardassian doctor believes that the thousands who were saved did justify the (cruel) means he employed. Moset is a utilitarian, i.e., he believes that if a hundred thousand lives can be saved by sacrificing a hundred or a thousand then it is a good bargain and one must go for it unhesitatingly. Moset would further argue that with the knowledge gained from experimenting on Bajorans (or humans for that matter) medical science would be so served and advanced that the potential benefits may be even more than what is now apparent.
The utilitarian angle is an attractive argument and many throughout our history have so reasoned and rationalized their actions this way.Surely if I deny myself the several dozen books I would like to purchase right now and instead place that money in an investment that gives a return of a whopping 20% per month I'd be able to enjoy even more books next month. In this rather trivial case the small amount of pain that I suffer today from being deprived of much desired reading material indeed is more than offset by the greater amount of enjoyment I will experience in the near future. Delaying gratification, of course, if one of the signs of a mature person (very young children as we all know fail this test miserably). In this sense utilitarianism may be a good thing.
The English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was the founder of utilitarianism and made it famous (or infamous) with his formula that we must strive for the greatest happiness of the greatest number. Doubtless our Cardassian doctor would gleefully assent. And to the sure delight of Bentham, Crell Moset is a utilitarian to the very end and in every circumstance. He is a doctor, but with a twist. He wants to save and cure people, yet he is ready to sacrifice a 'few' if that would ultimately enhance the life of more people. For Moset the injunction "Do no harm" is not absolute if in the end more will benefit.
On the other end of the scale is Ivan Karamazov of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov. Ivan argues that if the salvation of the entire world were to be founded on the abominable suffering of but one little girl then it is not worth it at all. In fact it is unthinkable, so much so that Ivan would rather return his ticket to God. The price is simply too much to pay. Indeed who amongst us would agree to such a Faustian bargain—one tiny insignificant soul for the salvation of the entire world? Tempting sometimes, until you're handed the stick and asked to torture the child yourself.
B. Voyager's Move
The dilemma on board the Voyager is whether to allow Moset to continue counseling them, thereby directly benefiting from the murderous experiments he conducted, expert opinion which would probably save Torres; or whether to delete the Moset holographic program, thereby denouncing in no uncertain terms the crimes against humanity (or Bajorans) committed by Moset, a move which will almost surely lead to Torres' death.
Let us now tackle the argument by some of the crew members that it is absolutely wrong to reap any benefit from the work and expertise of Moset because they were gained through the most unethical means imaginable. Was it wrong for Captain Janeway to use Moset in saving Torres? Does her decision make her an accomplice to Moset's crimes?
My personal response is this: While it is incontrovertible that Moset's experiments were criminal in nature, that the harm he willfully inflicted upon the Bajorans cannot and should never be countenanced, the fact remains, today, that what happened had happened and that we now have in our possession the medical knowledge, the know-how which can and does allow Star Trek doctors everywhere to help cure and save lives, indispensable knowledge without which many will not be saved. I am of the opinion that we must not throw away that knowledge simply because it was derived unethically. If that knowledge is summarily discarded then the suffering of those who served as Moset's guinea pigs would have been in vain. Not only had they been tortured, but the only good that ever came out of their suffering and untimely death would be put to death as well.
We cannot change the past. History is like a moving hand that writes which, having writ, moves on (Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam). That Moset committed crimes against humanity is undeniable. That he was able to use the knowledge gained from those crimes to save not a few cannot be denied as well. That the same knowledge will benefit others in future (as in the case of Torres) must also be acknowledged. Call it some form of pragmatism but it is not conscionable to me to deny a starving family a loaf of bread just because that particular loaf had been stolen. If that stolen loaf is the only sustenance available that will keep that family from dying tonight in their sleep, I see an imperative for all to immediately offer them that loaf however it may have been acquired. There are priorities. And life is one of them, as Captain Janeway correctly recognized.
On the other hand, if the knowledge we had derived from the suffering of those Bajorans was how to kill more people more efficiently and effectively, then, yes, we most certainly must immediately efface, erase, expunge, and raze all the knowledge Moset had acquired.
III. An Experiment of Our Own
Let us imagine that we have been transported to the time when Crell Moset was just about to conduct these experiments. Further, let us suppose that conducting these experiments is the only way the for the doctor to find a cure for the hundreds of thousands who are dying. Moreover, let us also suppose that we have enough authority and power to stop Moset from continuing with his experiments. Let us also assume that we can see the future well enough to know of the alien creature that will attack Torres which would thus require the services of Moset, and that if we stop him from performing his experiments now the future Torres will surely die. The question for us who can grant Moset the thumbs up or down is: Should we allow Moset to proceed unimpeded? Given our perfect foreknowledge can we deny the hundreds of thousands, and Torres as well, the medical knowledge that will cure and save them? How would you answer or change your answer if one of those who will eventually be saved will be your 4-year old child? How will you answer or change your answer if all of those who will be saved are the people who invaded your country and massacred your people, leaving you widowed?
If we permit Moset to conduct his experiments then we become utilitarians ourselves just like Bentham and Moset. Morevoer, we would become accomplices to murder and all the crimes Moset will commit in the name of medical science.
Although the experiments will surely yield the answers we need to cure a whole generation there is no rationale that can permit us to decide the fate of a few in order to save the many. The end does not justify the means, however much more good there will be (as if we can, with ease, quantify goodness, happiness and utility) in the end than what we started with.
Therefore, while knowledge that already exists should not be discarded despite the means by which it was gained, consenting to create new knowledge through such means is not an option.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Rated X
Among the most important people in my life are my nephews--my sister's children. Over the past couple of years I've become some sort of a de facto tutor to her 5- and 4-year old sons. I'm a handyman and so I bring my toolbox(es) almost every time I visit my sis--not least because there's always something she needs fixed. Soon after I arrive the kids would come flocking to the toolbox and start the mayhem--littering the floor with pliers, screwdrivers, electrical tape, ... and trying to snatch my digital multimeter. Of course I have to be there to supervise and keep in check their insatiable curiosity lest they hurt themselves. I know I'm asking for disaster and their mother frowns upon the activity. Though real tools are not at all kid-friendly I'm happy to say that they've learned the names of all the basic tools and can even manage to fasten and unfasten real screws (on second thought that may not be all a good idea--I shudder at the thought of one of them grabbing a screwdriver behind their parents' back and jabbing themselves accidentally while taking their toys apart). But what I'm most proud of is the fact that I've been one of their English teachers so to speak, correcting their mistakes, expanding their vocabulary, reading them stories. We live in a trilingual community and I've set it as my goal to make English their first language. An uphill battle most certainly, but I wouldn't let anyone else have this dirty job.
Well, having said how much I am part of these children's lives and how I find it so fulfilling, my almost irrational reaction to what just happened last night to the eldest will be in context. I found out from my sister this morning that her husband was watching a TV program last night. Apparently, John was watching too. At one point he turned to his mom and asked why the man was bleeding. His mom replied that the blood isn't real and the man was just a statue--although a life-sized one. A couple of seconds later John burst into tears. His mom rushed over and hugged him, trying to console the frightened child. She told him not to be afraid, that it wasn't really blood, just red paint and that it's dripping because the artist hadn't finished his work yet. The scene so traumatized John that an hour after he was still in a state of unease, still asking about the blood. In fact it was so bad that even after bedtime he kept waking up. He was able to sleep soundly only past midnight.
So what exactly did my nephew see that rattled him the whole night? John saw a naked man impaled on a cross, complete with blood oozing out of his hands (and perhaps feet). The TV program was a mini documentary on the life and sainthood of that Catholic priest Padre Pio, a purported stigmatist.
We adults who've grown jaded and inured to seeing crosses can't imagine how frightening and nightmarish it must be for a young child to see it for the very first time particularly when they've already sustained previous injuries and understand pain. In John's case he's already experienced various cuts and even a fractured arm and knows blood and pain very very well.
So here's a human being, practically naked, hanging from pieces of timber--nailed! to it--and bleeding to death. How awfully disturbing that must be! I imagine in that child's mind, in some way, he was able to apprehend how he could or would share the same fate, that he would be subjected to the same pain and suffer the same tortuous death.
My sister knows very well that I'm an atheist. I told her that what happened to John has made me angrier than ever. Not at the parents of course. At religion. As others have already pointed out using other hypothetical examples, what if some religion had for its central symbol a depiction of how their holy teacher or god-man was racked, eviscerated and quartered, because that's how he gave his life to save humanity. How would Christians react to that? Would their pastors and priests see no psychological harm in exposing youngsters--particularly those whose parents belong to that disemboweled man's religion--to such pictures and "artistic" works? The cross with a lifelike depiction of a bloodied dying man is a gruesome image. To subject children to such violence is downright insane! It's so graphic that's it's porn. It should have an X rating. And yet weekly, we have children dragged to churches and treated to a giant cross behind the altar complete with naked, tortured Jesus on it. I think this qualifies as child abuse.
My sister now knows more than ever that she has to be careful what her kids watch on television. She's been pretty successful in keeping the tots from seeing violent programs (needless to say, toy guns and swords are absolutely banned in her home). I believe now she's also aware that she has to be on guard against religious insanities as well.
It's been half a day since the news but I'm still seething. My sister warned me not to ask John about the nightmarish scene he saw. He's suffered enough. We certainly don't want to resurrect the fearful feelings dread. I'm still so angry that John went through what he did.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The miracle we need is the extinction of ignorance
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Talking to the wind
Sit down, close your eyes, relax, and be mindful of your breathing. Now repeat after me: "Kalenbo utam, mitao grekkang tho. Kalenbo utam, mitao grekkang tho! Kalenbo utam, mitao grekkang tho!!" Peace unto thee. Your stage 4 cancer is cured.
Can anyone explain and prove to me how mere concentration and utterance of words (in whatever language, terrestrial or otherwise, fictive or otherwise) can possibly affect malignant cells?
If chants and thoughts are indeed effective in curing ailments and disease why then is a faith healing "clinic" in New Zealand offering patients free prayer therapy but advises its patients "to not stop regular medical treatment"? If mumbo jumbo actually can zap cancer et al., what need is there for medication? And if the patient does get well, shouldn't the drugs receive the applause?
I'm sorry but I cannot have any respect for the cockamamie belief in supernatural friends (and in a supernatural family where the father is the son and vice versa) and belief that talking to them will get them to come thru as benefactors--in other words, genies. On the contrary, I only have unbridled derision for such beliefs. In the context of 21st century life, they're pure malarkey.
The anecdotes of cure these faith healers provide are no different from those of other forms of quackery. I could very well market pure water (without saying it's just water of course) aggressively and enthusiastically as a cancer cure, and after I've duped a few dozen into buying, I'd be able to glean more than a couple of positive testimonials which I can then use to further promote my absolutely bogus product.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Christian finally meets his master
God: Why, look who's here! What took you so long?
You: Uhh, what do you mean, God?
God: Duh! 30 years ago I prepared a welcome feast for your arrival. Grand party with choirs of angels and all. I rang you up. Sent a platoon of my elite pathogens so you could be here in a jiffy but still have time to say hasta la vista to your family. So did you wear your best suit for the homecoming? Nooooo! You went and took all those antibiotics for an entire month and annihilated my army! Needless to say, I was heartbroken. And then 15 years ago I buzzed you again. I thought that giving you a heart attack would make my invitation loud and clear. But no! Instead of kissing your wife goodbye, you had her drive you to the ER. And those minions of Satan--wolves in white clothing--got your heart up and running again. To add insult to injury you even thanked those doctors on your way out of the hospital.
Well, who the fuck do you think you are! Who do you think makes the rules around here! Well, I've had it playing Mr.Nice Guy.with you. Since you've been such a bitch, I decided to stop sending you invites altogether and just yank you up here. Yes, yes, yes, that bloke who pumped half a dozen 357s into your thick skull was Angel 007. He's been on missions 24/7 ever since that demonic Fleming guy concocted penicillin or you would've been here years ago. Well now that you've finally arrived, what do you think happens to those who make it a point to fuck up my plan? Hmmmm?
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Philosopher Simon Blackburn reviews Karen Armstrong's latest opus: The Case for God: What Religion Really Means. Armstrong is a former nun and is the author of over a dozen titles.
Apparently, Armstrong is saying that religion as it is now is faux religion. Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc. with all their doctrines, dogmas, cathedrals, mosques, synagogues, are bogus religions. They're rogue, adulterated, corrupted forms of the real thing. True religion is one that does not say anything about God. In fact if you can talk about God, if you start spouting off God's properties, deeds, will, etc, then what you're talking about isn't God.
Well, that's exactly the same theme in Taoism (I guess the real Taoism, not the kind being practised by the superstitious Chinese masses--mind you, some of whom are probably my kinsfolk). The Tao Te Ching says, "The Way is eternally nameless." "The ways that can be walked are not the eternal Way; The names that can be named are not the eternal name." (Tao Te Ching, Victor Mair, Bantam, 1990, p. 59,99) If you can say something about it, describe it, circumscribe it, it isn't the real McCoy. Thus you just have to approach the subject of God/Tao with silence. You cannot intellectualize it. You cannot relate to it via belief, much less dogmas and doctrines. Once you do, you've lost God, you've tried to produce, so to speak, a 3-dimensional representation of what is an infinite-dimension phenomenon, and made an idol.
This is the religious tradition of apophasis, where silence toward the subject is the principal tenet. Which makes you wonder what apophatic masters teach. I imagine Lesson 1 goes: "God is that which you cannot speak of, think of, believe in." And Lesson 2: "There is nothing else to say or think about."
I think the problem with apophasis is that its adherents are a drop in the ocean. That kind of religion is completely foreign, perhaps even inconceivable to the run of the mill believer. Most people can't possibly subscribe to such a religion. What people are looking for are derivatives from religion such as attenuation of anxieties, comfort, pat certainties, unchanging rules, black and white answers.
Religions obviously have evolved and continue to change and develop, with all the denominations and sects as living proof of the number of variants and strains, whilst other forms have died off. Moreover, claiming that the apophatic religion is the true kind of religion is just that-- another claim. The Koran claims that its Islam is the true religion. It would be silly and unthinkable indeed if any religion declared, "Oh I'm sorry, but we're not a or the true religion. So why do we keep at it? We're plain nutcases, you see." So the charge (either by Armstrong or by Blackburn) that the Four Horsemen are tilting at windmills, roughing up a strawman is hardly true. Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, and Hitchens are engaging the extant species of religion. It seems to me that Armstrong's trying to save an endangered form, a high form of religion, if you will, but one which will never become a dominant species ever or even come close to such stature. Or she's just defending a tradition she prefers.
Breaking News: Just read John Crace's "synopsis" of The Case for God. And I thought I was being a tad harsh on Armstrong!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
What epistemology?
Learned of the following via the Center for Inquiry. It's an article by physicist Lawrence Krauss in yesteday's Wall Street Journal.
Finally, it is worth pointing out that these issues are not purely academic. The current crisis in Iran has laid bare the striking inconsistency between a world built on reason and a world built on religious dogma.
Perhaps the most important contribution an honest assessment of the incompatibility between science and religious doctrine can provide is to make it starkly clear that in human affairs -- as well as in the rest of the physical world -- reason is the better guide.
I really don't understand why anyone bothers defending religion. It claims to have a valid epistemology. Well, ok, show us. What supernaturalistic claim does any religion have that's been verified to be true? We've been waiting for several millennia now. Face it. Religion has tons of supernatural claims. None have been found or is known to be true It has tons of empirical claims too (and it even claims to have a real epistemology) and a good number have already been disconfirmed (eg. the earth is not--as some sacred texts claim--flat, the age of the earth is way more than ten millennia, there is just no evidence for any worldwide deluge, evolution is the origin of species not some mythic anthropomorphic militaristic macho prick as claimed by a tribe in the Bronze Age, ....)
Provide us a means by which we can find out whether religious epistemology actually works. For instance offer a procedure by which revelation can be shown to be a valid way of knowing. And show that revelation (whereby a "truth" or idea is placed in someone's head by a supposed supernatural entity) actually is a revelation from a supernatural entity and not just natural firing of neurons. Show that whatever "truth" is supposedly uttered by this prophet is not true simply due to coincidence or was arrived at by other ways of knowing.
In contrast, science has demonstrated again and again and again over hundreds of years that its epistemology does work and does provide us reliable knowledge. If you've ever used a computer and know of the things called airplane and antibiotic and seen those stunning Hubble deep space photographs then you would be a freaking idiot to claim that science doesn't work.
Epistemic progess is of course a barometer of the validity of the epistemology that any discipline flaunts. So which domain has had epistemic progress? Yes that's a no-brainer. Which religion has had any epistemic progress vis-a-vis supposed supernatural "truths"? If this were a contest (and I think it is!) religion should've been booed out of the stadium eons ago.
Now tell me which of the two is arrogant: Science which lets reality be the ultimate arbiter as to which explanations, hypotheses, theories are true, or religion which rides roughshod over reality whenever any of its doctrines/dogmas are contradicted by reality?
Yes, I am so uber frustrated over the fact that even educated adults keep getting duped into clinging to superstitions in sheep's clothing.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
How not to find cause of and cure for cancer
A friend brought to my attention (via a forwarded email that has been circulating for some time it seems) a certain Professor Jane Plant who claims in a book of hers that she's discovered a causal factor of breast cancer and that she was cured of her own affliction by eliminating milk products in her diet. The book may be old hat to some of you but I just got wind of it.
Just to be sure that this wasn't another urban legend, I turned to Well, Jane Plant and her book Your Life in Your Hand (the US edition is entitled The No-Dairy Breast Cancer Prevention Program: How One Scientist's Discovery Helped Her Defeat Her Cancer) checks out. So much the worse for Plant as you'll see. Go read the widely available excerpt from her book (that particular website goes to show how governments are not necessarily keepers of the light, enlightenment that is).
Allow me to put cart before the horse and provide you my conclusion: Geologist and professor Jane Plant is incompetent. I say that because she's supposedly a scientist and yet she commits errors in thinking and analysis that would earn science undergrads a failing grade. How she could, in the same breath, remind us she's a scientist and write as a woowoo is jaw dropping.
Now for my arguments.
Plant tells us that it dawned upon her that in China practically no one drinks cow's milk and that dairy products including cheese are not part of the diet. She also says that statistics show that only 1 in 10,000 women in China die from breast cancer, while the figures for Western countries is around 1 in 10. (Let's at the moment just take for granted that she has her numbers right, although those would need to be checked too of course--I'm suspicious of the 1 in 10 stat). So Plant puts two and two together and comes up with the hypothesis that dairy product consumption might be a or the culprit.
Can we jump to the conclusion that milk is dangerous to women's health? Most certainly not. There's a truism in statistics and science: Correlation does not necessarily imply causation. Correlation is the phenomenon wherein two or more variables/events are associated with one another. For example, the temperature of the ground is correlated with the time of day--the closer it is to noontime the warmer the ground is. And of course this is because the sun heats the earth up. However, just because two variables are correlated does not mean one causes the other. The clock we used in recording the time of day obviously does not cause the ground to heat up. Yet another example. Over two decades ago researchers in Taiwan found that there is a strong correlation between the number of electrical appliances (including toasters) that a household owns and the frequency of use of birth control methods. Does this mean then that buying more appliances causes people to resort to contraceptives more often? Or does it mean that higher frequency of employing contraceptives makes Taiwanese buy more appliances? One of these would have to be our conclusion if correlation were equivalent to causation. The truth of the matter, however, is that the above variables are both correlated with yet other variables, namely, income and educational attainment. And it is these two latter factors that cause the increase in both number of appliances owned and contraceptive use. Income and education are both correlated with the former two variables. They also are causal factors.
In summary, if X is correlated with Y then either X causes Y, or Y causes X, or neither X nor Y is a cause of the other. On the other hand, if Q is the known cause of P, then Q and P will by necessity be correlated with one another. So while correlation does not necessarily imply causation, causation necessarily implies correlation.
In discussing Plant's hypothesis, another friend reminded me of how the Chinese consume a lot of soybean in its various forms--tofu, soybean milk, soy sauce, salted soy beans, etc. That in itself would correlate significantly with breast cancer mortality since Westerners consume less soybeans than Orientals. Just as with dairy products we could also say something like, It might be that the high consumption of soybean products guards against the occurrence of breast cancer. And these surely are not the only variables that correlate with breast cancer incidence and mortality. You could scour the world for various factors and find correlations, both positive and negative.
Plant goes on to tell us that based on this correlation and hypothesis of hers, she stopped taking any product that contained milk. She narrates what happened soon thereafter:
About two weeks after my second chemotherapy session and one week after giving up dairy produce, the lump in my neck started to itch. Then it began to soften and to reduce in size. The line on the graph, which had shown no change, was now pointing downwards as the tumour got smaller and smaller.
She goes on to conclude that based on her experience she was right in identifying milk as the cause.
It was difficult for me, as it may be for you, to accept that a substance as ‘natural’ as milk might have such ominous health implications. But I an i living proof that it works....
Well, unfortunately for Plant, her reasoning is flawed. She commits the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy (after this, therefore, because of this). This is a causal attribution error whereby just because event B comes after A, we conclude that A caused B. Thus, just because the sun rose after the rooster crows obviously does not imply that the chicken made the sun rise. But this is precisely what Plant is saying. She tells us that she stopped taking any dairy product after which she noticed that her lump started waning until it totally disappeared. She then attributes this to her diet change. This is a textbook case of causal attribution error.
But note how she herself tells us that she was simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy, a treatment modality that is known to work against cancer. Why does she not attribute the remission to chemo? So what actually caused her lump to up and disappear? Well, we don't know for sure. It may have been the chemo, the diet change, both of these, spontaneous remission, or something else. To jump to the conclusion that it was diet change is to commit the post hoc fallacy.
Furthermore, Plant has the gall to jump to a conclusion based on her own personal experience. One anecdote is not evidence. And even if a thousand other women shared a similar story, it would still not be evidence. Thus, the aphorism goes: The plural of "anecdote" is not data, it's "anecdotes." And even if this had been a clinical trial, it is impossible for it to be a randomized controlled study for the simple reason we'd need to have at the very least two participants in the study--with one serving as the control. A clinical study with a sample size of two is in itself laughable--the margins of error would be so huge as to make its results practically useless. Hence, a sample size of one is just absurd.
Linda Bily, a reviewer on of Plant's book, likewise apprehends the lack of critical thinking that Plant manifests and has this to say:
The premise that since Oriental women don't consume a lot of dairy products and have less incidence of breast cancer is plausible, but unproven. I shudder to think of the thousands of women who will change their diets based on this book. I am most concerned that the high intake of estrogens and phytoestrogens, especially in the soy products recommended, could be detrimental to some women. There is still controversy in the medical community about the use of soy. If you read this book as an interesting scientific, but unproven, premise, you will be fine. If you take this book to heart, without consulting your medical specialist, you could be opening a can of worms. Dr. Plant is a respected scientist in her field. As a breast cancer survivor and advocate, I question some of her findings. The studies she cites to validate her ideas are older, some of obscure practice and are not widely confirmed. I also take issue with her description of her own breast cancer diagnosis. It returned 5 times according to the author and yet she states that it was an early stage at diagnosis. The tumor on her neck disappeared during chemo and she credits only her non-dairy diet for this shrinkage. She says that it spread to her lymphatic system, but her lymph nodes were clear. The book is interesting reading, but while I do not doubt her personal beliefs or her expertise as an earth-based scientist, I do hesitate to recommend this book to anyone. I am afraid that too many women, looking for a quick fix, will adapt her lifestyle without question. There still is no known cause or cure for breast cancer. Feel free to search alternative options and methods, but please, discuss any changes in your treatment, diet or life with your medical team and make an informed decision.
So, is Jane Plant's hypothesis that dairy products are a casual factor in breast cancer wrong? Certainly not. Let me repeat that in case you think that's a typo. It may be that regular consumption of dairy products are (partly) responsible for breast cancer. My critique above does not imply that Plant's hypothesis is totally off the mark. What is utterly awry are the methods/reasoning by which she reaches her conclusion, which means it is nowhere close to being conclusive. Keep in mind that an argument may have false premises but true conclusions. When the argument contains various fallacies then the conclusion cannot be known to be true. However, if the argument is sound (i.e, the premises are known to be true and the argument contains no fallacies) then the conclusion must by necessity be true. Because Plant does not follow scientific protocol (ie., objective, unbiased methods of testing hypotheses) we cannot have any confidence in her conclusion.
As a scientist, what Plant could have done is applied for a grant and performed randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials (RCT) employing at least several dozens of participants. Barring this (for ethical or whatever reason), she could've performed an epidemiological study (just as was done with tobacco use and lung cancer decades ago), although such studies hardly provide the degree of certitude of RCTs. (But since she has no degree nor expertise in medicine I doubt she would've been awarded research money in the first place; thus she should've left testing of this hypothesis to the experts).
It is said that when a layperson makes a mistake in matters of, say, rocket science then that mistake is out of ignorance. But when a rocket scientist commits an error involving rocket science, that's stupidity. Prof. Jane Plant claims to be a scientist. But she made elementary mistakes about hypothesis testing and induction. Now that's utter stupidity.
As we've seen above Plant says of her cancer treatment: "I am living proof that it works." No, Prof. Plant. You're living proof that you failed to learn the essentials of Scientific Method 101. For shame!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Speak univocally, not equivocally
What's wrong with the following argument?
Mad men should be put in mental asylums. Annie's dad is mad--he just berated her for one full hour for taking money from his wallet without asking permission. Therefore, Annie's dad should be carted away in a straitjacket and locked up in a mental institution. (example is adapted from Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking, 3ed., by Merrilee H. Salmon, Harcourt Brace, 1995, p.47)
If that made you chuckle, then you hit the nail on the head intuitively. In the first sentence (statement) "mad" is used in the sense of "insane" / "mentally disturbed" / "demented". However, in the second statement "mad" is used in the sense of "angry." Because Annie's dad was angry and not insane, the conclusion (the last statement) simply does not follow. If you say that the conclusion does follow from the preceding statements then you're mad! (no, not angry, but nuts and off your rockers).
The use of the same term but with different meanings within the argument is known as the fallacy of equivocation. Professors of logic Copi and Cohen tell us that equivocation is an:
informal fallacy in which two or more meanings of the same word or phrase have been confused. If used with one of its meanings in one of the propositions of the argument but with a different meaning in another proposition of the argument, a word is said to have been used equivocally (p.688)
Equivocal arguments are always fallacious. (p.192)
[Irving M. Copi & Carl Cohen, Introduction to Logic, 10th ed., Prentice-Hall, 1998]
As we've seen from the (facetious) example above the premises (1st and 2nd statements) have nothing to do with one another given that the same word "mad" was used to mean quite different things. The Philosophy Pages tells us that: "The inferential relationship between the propositions included in a single argument will be sure to hold only if we are careful to employ exactly the same meaning in each of them," in other words, if the terms are used univocally--with only one meaning--and not equivocally--several meanings.
As with other logical errors, equivocation is sometimes used in humor. Lewis Carroll, for instance, employs it in Through the Looking Glass:
"Who did you pass on the road?" the King went on, holding his hand out to the messenger for some hay.
"Nobody," said the messenger.
"Quite right," said the King; "this young lady saw him too. So of course Nobody walks slower than you."
(quoted in Copi & Cohen, p.192)
Moving on to more serious examples.
It's the duty of the press to publish news that's in the public interest. There is great public interest in UFOs. Therefore the press fails in its duty if it does not publish articles on UFOs. (Theodore Schick, Jr. & Lewis Vaughn, How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age, 2ed., Mayfield, 1999, p.286)
Did you catch how "public interest" shifted in meaning? From meaning "welfare of the public" in the first statement it changed to "what the public wants to read about" in the second.
Here's one that's requires some prior scientific understanding. It's also an example that has an ethical side to it:
[A] sugar advertisement ... argued for increased consumption of sugar on the grounds that "Sugar is an essential component of the body ... a key material in all sorts of metabolic processes." (Howard Kahane & Paul Tidman, Logic and Philosophy: A Modern Introduction, Wadsworth, 1995, p.311)
It is true that sugar is an essential component of the body. But this "sugar" is glucose. On the other hand, the "sugar" which the advertisement is promoting is sucrose--table sugar. While both glucose and sucrose are examples of sugars (i.e., saccharides), using "sugar" to mean glucose in one part of the advert and "sucrose" in another part (even if just implicitly) is a blatant commission of equivocation. Given that this is an ad, it is almost certain that the ad makers were fully aware of what they were doing and intentionally took advantage of the equivocal meaning of "sugar" in an attempt to mislead and dupe the consumer (perhaps to counter the prevailing notion that table sugar in one's diet should be reduced to a minimum).
Now that wily, deceitful ad appropriately segues to an example of equivocation by a member of the sect/cult Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) who had the temerity of locking horns with an atheist using illogic and absurd claims. Like the above ad, his argument misleads readers by resorting to the equivocal use of a pivotal term.
This JW made the following argument:
The gods in the religion of the atheists are the atheists themselves. The atheists deny the existence of all gods. But the atheists believe that they are gods. So they idiotically deny their existence.
If you're a bit nonplussed as to how and why he can make the claim that atheists are gods, he offers the following idiosyncratic definition of "god":
A god can be the true God, can be any powerful being, any person with power in high position or anyone can be a god over a group of people under him, anyone makes himself a god if he denies the true God, a god can be also a thing like money, sex, idol, etc.
Going back to his argument about atheists, let's number the sentences/statements therein:
1. The gods in the religion of the atheists are the atheists themselves.
2. The atheists deny the existence of all gods.
3. But the atheists believe that they are gods.
4. So they idiotically deny their existence.
In #1 since atheists are human beings, natural (not supernatural) phenomena, we know that he uses "gods" in the sense he has defined it.
In #2 however, "gods" can only pertain to supernatural entities since that is what atheists don't believe in, that is what "gods" mean when atheists declare "I/We do not believe in gods". It cannot be in the sense that this JW has defined it since needless to say atheists believe in the existence of powerful persons in high positions, in the existence of other humans beings, in the existence of sex, money, and idols (presumably he means that sex, money and other objects in the world can be idolized, i.e., inordinately valued by some people to the point of obsession, reverence, etc.). This JW cannot of course claim that "gods" in #2 refer to a subset of the "gods" as he has defined it since he tells us that "atheists deny the existence of all gods" (emphasis added). Insisting that "gods" here is the same as in #1 would mean that premise #2 is false, pretty obviously so, thus pulling the rug from his argument.
In #3,ostensibly, he uses "gods" in the sense as he does in #1.
Given that this JW uses "gods" in two different senses, his argument commits the fallacy of equivocation.
#4 is the conclusion. But as we've seen and learned above this conclusion cannot legitimately follow from the premises because the word "gods" has been used equivocally.
In order to further see more clearly how the above argument in fact commits the fallacy of equivocation here is an example that uses "God" (capitalized) equivocally:
Some religious arguments can also include equivocations, for example:
It is not possible for the universe to exist without a cause, therefore there must have been a First Cause, which we can reasonably call "God." I already believe in the God of the Bible, and now you have no excuse for not doing so as well.
[W]e can see that God is being used in two entirely different ways. In the first sense, God is simply being used as a convenient term to describe a First Cause of the universe, with no particular attributes beyond that which is necessary to cause a universe. But in the second sense, the term God is used for something much more specific and with many more attributes: a traditional Christian conception of God.
(Fallacies of Ambiguity: Equivocation)
In logic, a deductive argument is said to be valid if it contains no fallacies. In a valid argument the conclusion logically and necessarily follows from the premises. An argument is said to be sound if the argument is valid and all the premises are known to be or have been shown to be true. Given a sound argument the conclusion therein must necessarily be true.
It is important to stress that the premises of an argument do not have actually to be true in order for the argument to be valid. An argument is valid if the premises and conclusion are related to each other in the right way so that if the premises were true, then the conclusion would have to be true as well. We can recognize in the above case that even if one of the premises is actually false, that if they had been true the conclusion would have been true as well. Consider, then an argument such as the following:
All toasters are items made of gold.
All items made of gold are time-travel devices.
Therefore, all toasters are time-travel devices.
Obviously, the premises in this argument are not true. It may be hard to imagine these premises being true, but it is not hard to see that if they were true, their truth would logically guarantee the conclusion's truth. It is easy to see that the previous example is not an example of a completely good argument. A valid argument may still have a false conclusion. When we construct our arguments, we must aim to construct one that is not only valid, but sound. A sound argument is one that is not only valid, but begins with premises that are actually true.
(Validity and Soundness)
Given this primer on validity and soundness, is the argument by the JW a valid argument? No, since it contains at least one logical fallacy.
Is it a sound argument? No, since it is invalid. And we don't even need to ask if the premises are true (a necessary condition for an argument to be valid), because an invalid argument can never be sound (validity is also a necessary condition for an argument to be sound).
The lesson: Make sure you use terms consistently. You can preclude equivocation by defining your terms precisely and in detail at the very beginning and double checking that every instance of the term is consistent with how it has been defined. Remember: the existence of equivocation renders an argument invalid. And sometimes, if flagrant, it may make it rather silly too.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Deja vu, Oprah
Three years ago Oprah lent her weight to a book entitled A Million Little Pieces, written by James Frey. It's an autobiography about his drug addiction and eventual recovery. At least that's what Frey purported it to be. It was soon discovered, however, that Frey had falsified a good number of "facts" and embellished others. His memoir turned out to be largely fictional.
Oprah had made a mistake, a big one--for her endorsement had boosted sales of this title to millions of copies. But Oprah did something very few do--she admitted on a succeeding episode how she had made a terrible mistake. Oprah bit the bullet, swallowed her pride, and apologized to her audience and viewers and even invited Frey and censured him right on her show. She even told a Washington Post columnist who had criticized her as deluded that he was right--that she was wrong and that his criticism was appropriate.
Recently, Oprah committed a far more egregious mistake, one that puts lives on the line. She's endorsed anti-vaccine propagandist Jenny McCarthy. Oprah has practically given Jenny a carte blanche by providing her her own show on the Oprah network.
Three years ago Oprah owned up and showed America her integrity. Hopefully this time around she will do the same.
Shirley Wu has written an open letter to Oprah encouraging her to do the right thing.
...To me, it is clear that a significant number of people look up to you, and trust your advice and judgment. That is why it is such a huge mistake for you to endorse Jenny McCarthy with her own show on your network.
Surely you must realize that McCarthy is neither a medical professional nor a scientist. And yet she acts as a spokesperson for the anti-vaccination movement, a movement that directly impacts people’s health. Claims that vaccines are unsafe and cause autism have been refuted time after time, but their allure persists in part because of high-profile champions for ignorance like McCarthy. In fact, ten of the thirteen authors of the paper that sparked the modern anti-vaccination movement retracted the explosive conclusions they made due to insufficient evidence. Furthermore, it is now clear that the study’s main author, Andrew Wakefield, falsified data to support these shaky conclusions.
Go on over to Shirley's blog and read her missive in its entirety. If you think it's worth it spread the word. And let Oprah know about it if you can. Remind her about Frey.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Vatican twaddle
The latest from the Vatican:
Cardinal William Levada, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the Catholic Church doesn't stand in the way of scientific realities like evolution, saying there was a "wide spectrum of room" for belief in both the scientific basis for evolution and faith in God the creator.
"We believe that however creation has come about and evolved, ultimately God is the creator of all things," he said on the sidelines of the conference.
But while the Vatican did not exclude any area of science, it did reject as "absurd" the atheist notion of biologist and author Richard Dawkins and others that evolution proves there is no God, he said.
What?! When did Dawkins say evolution proves there is no God/gods? Firstly, science is not in the business of offering proofs. Can't they (and journalists) get that into their skulls? Secondly, the worst or best (depending on your perspective) that evolution can say is that the various extant species came to be via natural processes--that the "some deity zapped plants, animals, and humans directly into existence" hypothesis has been dealt a coup de grace.
The Catholic Church might be finally learning. It's shoving its deity into those regions where science cannot follow it (the Church, that is). Sure, you can be Deistic and say "God is the creator of the universe." For now--and perhaps a long time to come--it's nonfalsifiable and nontestable. But those Vat boys better cross their fingers and pray that scientists don't take that away from them as well. There are already alternative naturalistic hypotheses, you know.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Aviator
Imagine there's this top pilot, the best in the world. S/he can fly any plane blindfolded from the smallest to the biggest, commercial or military. Let's call him the Aviator. Not let's say a new electronic system has been invented that allows any plane to be flown by remote control from the ground. Given how this fly by wire(less) device can save a troubled plane from crashing this type of avionics becomes the new standard in civil aviation. The leading aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus quickly retrofit all their existing short, medium and long-haul planes with this device. What's more, there need only be one remote control box (RCB) to manage all aircrafts. One merely has to punch in the aircraft's number into the RCB and, voila!, one immediately has total control of that particular plane with all the feedback from the sensors and gauges displayed right there on the colored LCD screen.
Imagine the Aviator is the sole individual authorized and certified to operate the RCB which he has with him all the time, 24/7. (It has various hi tech security measures that makes it practically impossible for some one with malicious intent to gain access to the RCB's functions). In case of an emergency the Aviator is informed and he can proceed to try and bring the plane of the crisis.
Now let's say Flight 576 bound for Tokyo, carrying some 300 passengers, has radioed in and reports that they've been losing altitude over the past hour. Nothing the pilots have done has been able to bring them back up to a safe altitude. Media has already picked up the exchange between 576 and the tower. The latest word is that the aircraft is now flying less than 500 meters above the Pacific Ocean.
At present the Aviator is in a pub in Dublin. By sheer luck the telly is broadcasting the news about Flight 576. The Aviator watches and knows of course that the situation is about to end horrifically. But instead of immediately pulling out the RCB he sits back and continues sipping his drink.
Someone in the pub recognizes him. "Mr. Aviator! It's you, right? Hey that plane's going down. Aren't you going to do anything?" He waves the guy away. "Neither the tower, the FAA nor the IATA, or any of those in charge has asked for my help. If they don't buzz me, well, that's just too bad for the crew and passengers." The man is incredulous. "What?! You're just going to let all those people die?!"
Do you think you the Aviator had an ethical obligation to use the RCB to try and prevent the plane from crashing? Do you think he should be ethically and criminally liable for ignoring the crisis, for not doing anything to help?
One of the latest air mishaps--real one this time--occurred in Buffalo, New York last week. Continental Flight 3407 dropped out of the sky and crashed into a house, killing one on the ground and all 49 on board.
Who do you think had the RCB that could've prevented this tragedy?
We can be quite confident there were people on board who rung Him/Her/It up. They had beseeched their deity to save them from certain death. But even assuming not one supplication was beamed, this being is said to be all-seeing, all-knowing. This entity in a sense was watching the entire drama unfold on his heavenly 600-inch plasma tv. And what did it do? God just let all those people die horrifically.
If you're a theist who believes God had the power to prevent the accident, knew what was happening and what would eventually happen unless he stepped in, actually cares about human beings, is a good and loving being, then if you have the gall to tell me that your deity is not morally, criminally culpable then you are absolutely sick in the head. Conjuring up such explanations as "higher good" or "mystery" to absolve this being of responsibility is nothing but a quadriplegic excuse.
Theodicies are just psychological painkillers to stem the massive attack of cognitive dissonance.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
It ain't woo; it's proven scientific fact
A group of women--at least two of whom are purportedly scientists--have started what they dub The Faith of Britain. And they have marked March 6 as the Faith of Britain Day.
For exactly two minutes on March 6th at 11.00am our consortium of psychics and healers will act as a channel for the positive thoughts of the entire country.
All those positive thoughts will be just that--thoughts. It will be what these psychics, healers and participants are going to do, how they will act that'll have an impact on their lives and on those around them.
I wouldn't even have bothered blogging about this if it weren't for the following claim of theirs:
It is a proven scientific fact that thinking about something often causes it to happen. Some call this quantum physics. Others simply call it "faith."
Gee, I never knew this is already a "proven scientific fact." For decades I've been endlessly thinking/imagining/fantasizing/visualizing of being in bed with Zeus knows how many big screen actresses but, by Jove, not one of them--any of them--has come within a trillion miles, much less landed beside me naked. Ah! I probably am not thinking hard enough. I better start having sex on my mind 24/7.
I fired off this email to Faith of Britain:
Hello. According to your homepage, "It is a proven scientific fact that thinking about something often causes it to happen." Does that mean that if I think of my mom's diabetes and cardiovascular diseases going away, then it will happen? If day and night I think of being a billionaire when will I become richer than Bill Gates? How long does a person have to think of something before it comes true?
Can you please point me to the scientific evidence showing that thinking about something causes it to occur? In particular please provide the controlled experiments that were conducted and which have been replicated. In which peer-reviewed journals were these published?
Thank you.
You'd think that having two scientists on board would've prevented them from making such an untenable statement as "it's a proven scientific fact." Which makes me wonder what exactly Lisa Elmore and Isabelle Bonnaire mean when they describe themselves as "Scientists." Conspicuously, they fail to mention whether they're biologists, chemists, physicists or whatnot.
If I ever receive a reply to the email I'll post it.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Truth in advertizing
In an ad campaign by atheists in London late last year they had buses bearing the slogan "There probably is no God. So stop worrying and enjoy life." I already had reservations about its impact, and now my concern with the wording of that ad has been voiced:
Where did that "probably" come from? It doesn't suggest the sales staff is overly confident about its product. If my pilot told me "This flight to Paris probably won't crash," I'd think about taking the train.
Indeed, I share the observation that "probably" does detract from the possible maximum impact the ad could've had. The lack of resoluteness, the apparent wishy-washiness of the proclamation all but kills the message. Contrast "There probably are no ghosts" with "There are no ghosts." By including "probably" the statement comes across to believers as "Gee, there's a chance that ghosts exist after all."
Unfortunately, we atheists, skeptics, "reality-based communities" will have to live with this problem. That there probably are no sky daddies is the truth. The reality is--our current state of knowledge is--not that "there is no god" but that those who claim its existence have not provided sufficient persuasive evidence. Were we to drop "probably" we'd have to lay on the table evidence which we simply don't have. Evincing such a universal negative is, needless to say, a tall order. It would've been great to emblazon vehicles with "THERE IS NO GOD!" But that would be a lie. We just don't know with 100% certainty. We don't have enough reasons and evidence to make that leap. And indeed proclaiming "there is no god" would be a leap of faith--belief that is disproportionate to the reasons/evidence at hand.
Were we so audacious as to imply that we are certain of the nonexistence of supernatural beings, religionists would be right in slapping us with one of our own principles of clear thinking: Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. (Of course the fact that there is a dearth of evidence--for any X--ought to restrain everyone from believing in X, for doing so would be irrational--why believe in X if good reasons for doing so are absent?)
Many ads mislead. I would even say it's the norm. Even preachers, pastors, priests withhold the whole picture and fail to mention to their congregation the epistemic fine print. So we're not going to make the same mistakes as the faith-heads. We are not going to commit the very errors we're exposing and critiquing. We're here to inform and shed light, not distort the picture.
It stands: There probably are no gods.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
A deity-enthralled psychologist writes atheists
Months ago I came across news that psychologist David Myers was coming out with his latest book A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists: Musings on Why God Is Good and Faith Isn't Evil. After reading excerpts back then I had expressed reservations about it. Now having gone through A Friendly Letter I can say that I am hardly impressed and indeed don't consider his missive as addressing the major concern of religious skeptics.
Basically, Myer's opus is a defense of religion as a human phenomenon. He defends religion and religiosity by making an appeal to consequences. Not in the sense that he concludes his religion is the true religion and that his deity is real, rather in the sense that religion should be considered a positive force because it has in large measure produced good and made a great many people altruistic. For instance he shows through various studies and surveys that the religious have lower divorce rates, smoke less, and commit less crimes. The religious are into charities and hospital care and other pro-social activities. Towards the end of the book Myers does make it explicit that whatever comes out from religion does not validate his theistic beliefs, its consequences do not imply the existence or nonexistence of his deity.
I have no problem with the fruits of religions. It's empirically clear that various traditions (not just Christianity) have led to good (as well as evil as Myers freely admits). My primary concern is not whether belief in, say, Santa Claus produces better behaved children, but rather whether Santa is real or not, whether belief in Santa is warranted (by evidence and reasons at hand) or delusional. Other atheists may put more weight on religion's fruits but my main concern is with what's real and what's illusory. I'm concerned with the very core belief of theism, i.e., the reality of deities and the supernatural realm. Is there or is there not at least one god? Does the supernatural exist or not? Is belief in these things justified or not? Is there sufficient justification, reasons and evidence to warrant belief? Myers does not address these central, fundamental questions, which to my mind should be since he's addressing skeptics and atheists. He's more interested in showing how being religious, having a religion, having supernatural beliefs can be beneficial psychologically, emotionally, and socially. Reading Myers, I get the feeling he's telling me: Look at all the social, psychological, emotional benefits of harboring a delusion. Ain't it great! Well, feel free to climb on board. Plug into our beliefs; the Matrix is heavenly!
Very early on Myers wants to make it clear that he's one of us--a skeptic and one who espouses critical thinking.
[F]or the most part, my skeptical friends, I share your skepticism. As an appreciative longtime subscriber to The Skeptical Inquirer and to Michael Shermer’s interesting Skeptic’s Society mailings, I cheer on challenges to rampant irrationalism. Thus my Psychology (8th edition) begins with a chapter on “thinking critically with psychological science" and thereafter offers scientific analyses of alternative medicine, astrology, ESP, near-death experiences, repression, hypnosis, and lots more. I have critically examined the supposed powers of unchecked intuition (in Intuition: Its Powers and Perils). And I enjoy casting a critical eye on intriguing claims by asking “What do you mean?” and “How do you know?” (p.6)
Myers may share our skepticism vis-a-vis astrologers, sCAM, psychics, crop circles, and other extraordinary claims, but he certainly shields extraordinary claims he believes in--sectarian in this case--from the light of skeptical inquiry. Need we point out that rather than being critical he's being hypocritical? I'd really like to bounce back one of the questions he enjoys asking: How do you know that your theistic beliefs are true? How do you know that a god exists and that it is your brand that's the real McCoy? How do you know?
Myers reveals to us that "God loves us" (p.125). I'm just wondering how he knows that. And if he doesn't what makes him believe in that quaint, namby-pamby claim? Has God shown this love of his? If so what is Myers' evidence? I'm all ears. Or is it that Myers posits a nontestable claim--e.g., that God will express his love after we are with him in heaven? Or could it be that he just likes the idea and the attendant feelings that come from truly believing there is a transcendent parental figure who loves us all?
Myers is a staunch evolutionist. He will have nothing of creationism, including its latest mutation Intelligent Design. He even includes as an appendix the International Society for Science and Religion's statement on ID. Furthermore, Myers doesn't believe that prayer works. (That's an interesting revelation). He says that a lot of believers equate prayer with magic and God with some genie or heavenly Santa Claus. Myers is also well aware of the ultimate futility of God of the Gaps arguments. But mindful of how science will, given enough time, eventually shine light into every nook and cranny, he hides his god in a gap that science cannot hope to illuminate--the untestable and the unfalsifiable. Hence, Myers can keep his belief in a preternatural realm and in a nondetectable, nonphysical being.
Given that Myers is a psychologist and that he's addressing skeptics and atheists, what I didn't expect was a homily. He sprinkles his missive with such irrelevant and inappropriate sermons as::
So let us observe and experiment, believing that whatever God found worth creating, we should find worth studying. Moreover, let us do so freely, knowing that our ultimate allegiance is not to any human authority or human doctrine but to God alone. (p.18)
Myers should know better than to preach to skeptics and atheists. What could Myers have been thinking when he penned these lines? It's a mortal sin to preach to nonbelievers! They won't listen to such trash and will probably tune out. I almost did and nearly gave up reading.
Yet another thing that drives me (and I guess not a few atheists as well) up the wall is being subjected to interminable bible-quoting by faith-heads. It's like being nagged. And yet Myers does so as if he's preaching to the choir. Again, what could he have been thinking? Does he really think atheists are ignorant of his sacred text or that they'll be swayed by verses and passages?
The worst part, however, is that Myers reveals himself to be a cherry picker. He quotes from the bible, but he selects only those that affirm his beliefs, only those passages that are, shall we say, good and wholesome. Biblical teachings that are patently immoral or stories that are factually untrue and clash with science he's mum about. That a psychologist would fall into the trap of confirmation and selection bias is truly pathetic. In fact I say it's unforgivable. If one defends cherry picking as valid for one's sacred text then one has to accept that it's valid for any text. It also means calling it "sacred" is ridiculous since it's the reader who gets to pick and choose which parts s/he will hold sacred.
Myers admits that the "nasty practices" in Leviticus are not of the same ethical standing as those in Isaiah or the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament (p.15). This of course just shows that the bible is not inerrant, that it can't be the word of some perfect being. Moreover it shows that believers like Myers actively judge the bible, choosing to emphasize some parts, ignore others, and even dearly wish they could sweep the worst parts under the rug. But if cherry picking and the use of ethical discernment are valid in reading the bible then it is Myers who's creating his own god and his own religion. No longer is the bible sacred such that it as a whole dictates how Myers should think, live and eat but that Myers controls what he's going to accept as biblical in his life. He sifts through the text and highlights and heaps praises on those passages that he likes while conveniently turning a blind eye to those that he disapproves of and finds irrelevant.. Well, looks like Myers is just like most non-fundamentalist Christians--they fashion Christianity in their image.
While Myers may opt for delusion if that delusion bears sweet, succulent fruits, I on the other hand favor "reality at all costs" (a phrase by psychiatrist M. Scott Peck which he used in describing what mental health means to him). Christians are fond of saying "the truth will set you free." Which is pretty ironic and odd given how their entire belief system is predicated on beliefs for which there is no good evidence. The truth? The truth is that they merely wish and hope they have not believed in vain. Here's Myers position on truth:
If religion is, on balance, adaptive rather than toxic—if it bends us toward happiness, health, and helpfulness—that is worth knowing. But it still leaves truth up for grabs. And truth is what matters. If religious claims were shown to be untrue, though comforting and adaptive, what honest person would choose to believe? And if religious claims were shown to be true, though discomfiting, what honest person would choose to disbelieve? (p.128)
Let's emphasize that. Truth is what matters.
Thanks for trying to inform us and even tying to change our minds, Dr. Myers. But frankly I'd much rather reread Batson, Schoenrade, & Ventis' Religion and the Individual: A Social-Psychological Perspective. It's amongst the couple of psychology of religion works I loved reading cover to cover. The authors provided science, lots of it. You on the other hand brought in psychological studies alright but just as well talked from the pulpit and hosed your intended audience with theology and sectarian beliefs. The latter was a huge turn off. It mostly certainly detracted from the intention that your message be a "friendly" one.
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Read: Divorce
Formatted for the web by Ehsan Bayat and Jonah Winters
Click on any of the numbers to go to a selection below:
Revised November 1990
Compilation of Compilations
Vol. I, pp. 235-244
1. Extracts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
2. Extracts from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá
3. Extracts from Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi
4. Extracts from Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
5. Endnote
Extracts from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh
1. Truly, the Lord loveth union and harmony and abhorreth separation and divorce.
("The Kitáb-i-Aqdas, The Most Holy Book, Bahá'u'lláh", Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1992, p. 44)
2. At all times hath union and association been well- pleasing in the sight of God, and separation and dissension abhorred. Hold fast unto that which God loveth and is His command unto you. He, verily, is the All-Knowing and the All-Seeing, and He is the All-Wise Ordainer.
3. (Bahá'u'lláh, from a Tablet ö translated from the Persian and Arabic)
4. God, exalted be His glory, disliketh divorce...
5. (Bahá'u'lláh, from a Tablet ö translated from the Persian)
6. Thou hast asked about affection and reconciliation, in the case of Mírzá .... This matter was mentioned in the Holy Presence. This is what the tongue of our All-Merciful Lord uttered in response: "This is regarded with favour and is well-pleasing. After man's recognition of God, and becoming steadfast in His Cause, the station of affection, of harmony, of concord and of unity is superior to that of most other goodly deeds. This is what He Who is the Desire of the world hath testified at every morn and eve. God grant that ye may follow that which hath been revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas."
7. (Bahá'u'lláh, from a Tablet ö translated from the Persian)
Extracts from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá
8. O ye two believers in God! The Lord, peerless is He, hath made woman and man to abide with each other in the closest companionship, and to be even as a single soul. They are two helpmates, two intimate friends, who should be concerned about the welfare of each other.
9. If they live thus, they will pass through this world with perfect contentment, bliss, and peace of heart, and become the object of divine grace and favour in the Kingdom of heaven. But if they do other than this, they will live out their lives in great bitterness, longing at every moment for death, and will be shamefaced in the heavenly realm.
Strive, then, to abide, heart and soul, with each other as two doves in the nest, for this is to be blessed in both worlds.
("Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Bahá" [rev. ed.], (Haifa: Bahá'í World Centre, 1982), sec. 92, p. 122)
10. Formerly in Persia divorce was very easily obtained. Among the people of the past Dispensation a trifling matter would cause divorce. However, as the light of the Kingdom shone forth, souls were quickened by the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh, then they totally eschewed divorce. In Persia now divorce doth not take place among the friends, unless a compelling reason existeth which makes harmony impossible. Under such rare circumstances some cases of divorce take place.
11. Now the friends in America must live and conduct themselves in this way. They must strictly refrain from divorce unless something ariseth which compelleth them to separate because of their aversion for each other, in that case with the knowledge of the Spiritual Assembly they may decide to separate. They must then be patient and wait one complete year. If during this year, harmony is not re-established between them, then their divorce may be realized. It should not happen that upon the occurrence of a slight friction or displeasure between husband and wife, the husband would think of union with some other woman, or, God forbid, the wife also think of another husband. This is contrary to the standard of heavenly value and true chastity. The friends of God must so live and conduct themselves, and evince such excellence of and conduct, as to make others astonished. The love between husband and wife should not be purely physical, nay, rather it must be spiritual and heavenly. These two souls should be considered as one soul. How difficult it would be to divide a single soul! Nay, great would be the difficulty!
In short, the foundation of the Kingdom of God is based upon harmony and love, oneness, relationship and union, not upon differences, especially between husband and wife. If one of these two becomes the cause of divorce, that one will unquestionably fall into great difficulties, will become the victim of formidable calamities and experience deep remorse.
Upon you be the glory of Abhá!
(`Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet ö translated from the Persian)
Extracts from Letters Written by Shoghi Effendi
12. The recrudescence of religious intolerance, of racial animosity, and of patriotic arrogance; the increasing evidences of selfishness, of suspicion, of fear and of fraud; the spread of terrorism, of lawlessness, of drunkenness and of crime; the unquenchable thirst for, and the feverish pursuit after, earthly vanities, riches and pleasures; the weakening of family solidarity; the laxity in parental control; the lapse into luxurious indulgence; the irresponsible attitude towards marriage and the consequent rising tide of divorce; the degeneracy of art and music, the infection of literature, and the corruption of the press; the extension of the influence and activities of those "prophets of decadence" who advocate companionate marriage, who preach the philosophy of nudism, who call modesty an intellectual fiction, who refuse to regard the procreation of children as the sacred and primary purpose of marriage, who denounce religion as an opiate of the people, who would, if given free rein, lead back the human race to barbarism, chaos, and ultimate extinction these appear as the outstanding characteristics of a decadent society, a society that must either be reborn or perish.
13. (Shoghi Effendi, "The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh: Selected Letters" rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 187-88)
15. (Shoghi Effendi, "The Promised Day is Come", rev. ed. (Wilmette: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1980), pp. 114-15)
Extracts from Letters Written on Behalf of Shoghi Effendi
16. On behalf of the Guardian I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated December 15th, and to express his sorrow at the disharmony existing between you and your husband. He is the more grieved to learn that the situation has reached such a state as to compel you to ask for separation from Mr.... a step which, though legally valid from the standpoint of the Cause, is nevertheless most sad and painful to you and to those concerned.
17. The Guardian, however, appreciates the fact that, in conformity with the Teachings, you have laid the matter before the Local Spiritual Assembly. He sincerely hopes that under the guidance of that body, and through your own efforts as well, conditions between you and your husband will gradually improve, and that you will not feel it necessary to ask for divorce after the one year period of separation has been terminated.
He is fervently entreating Bahá'u'lláh that He may guide you and Mr. Clark in solving this most delicate problem of your life, and that the solution reached may be such as to bring peace and satisfaction to your heart, and thus bring happiness to you, and also protection to the Cause whose interests you have so devotedly served for many years.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 14 January 1936 to an individual believer)
18. Regarding the Bahá'í teachings on divorce. While the latter has been made permissible by Bahá'u'lláh yet he has strongly discouraged its practice, for if not checked and seriously controlled it leads gradually to the disruption of family life and to the disintegration of society....
19. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 16 November 1936 to an individual believer)
20. Regarding divorce, the Guardian stated that it is discouraged, deprecated and against the good pleasure of God. The Assembly must circulate among the friends whatever has been revealed from the Pen of `Abdu'l-Bahá in this connection so that all may be fully reminded. Divorce is conditional upon the approval and permission of the Spiritual Assembly. The members of the Assembly must in such matters independently and carefully study and investigate each case. If there should be valid grounds for divorce and it is found that reconciliation is utterly impossible, that antipathy is intense and its removal is not possible, then the Assembly may approve the divorce.
21. (Shoghi Effendi, from a Tablet to the National Spiritual Assembly of Iran ö translated from the Persian)
22. While he wishes me to assure you that he will pray for the solution of your domestic troubles, he would urge you to endeavour, by every means in your power, to compose your differences, and not to allow them to reach such proportions as to lead to your complete and final separation from your husband.
23. For while, according to the Bahá'í law, divorce is permissible, yet it is highly discouraged, and should be resorted to only when every effort to prevent it has proved to be vain and ineffective.
It is for you, and for Mr.... as well, to ponder carefully over the spiritual implications which any act of divorce on either part would involve, and strengthened by the power of faith and confident in the blessings which strict adherence to the principles and laws of Bahá'u'lláh is bound to confer upon every one of His faithful followers, to make a fresh resolve to solve your common difficulties and to restore the harmony, peace and happiness of your family life.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 11 September 1938 to an individual believer)
24. The situation facing you is admittedly difficult and delicate, but no less grave and indeed vital are the responsibilities which it entails and which, as a faithful and loyal believer, you should conscientiously and thoroughly assume. The Guardian, therefore, while fully alive to the special circumstances of your case, and however profound his sympathy may be for you in this challenging issue with which you are so sadly faced, cannot, in view of the emphatic injunctions contained in the Teachings, either sanction your demand to contract a second marriage while your first wife is still alive and is united with you in the sacred bonds of matrimony, or even suggest or approve that you divorce her just in order to be permitted to marry a new one.
25. For the Bahá'í Teachings do not only preclude the possibility of bigamy, but also, while permitting divorce, consider it a reprehensible act, which should be resorted to only in exceptional circumstances, and when grave issues are involved, transcending such considerations as physical attraction or sexual compatibility and harmony. The institution of marriage, as established by Bahá'u'lláh, while giving due importance to the physical aspect of marital union, considers it as subordinate to the moral and spiritual purposes and functions with which it has been invested by an all-wise and loving Providence. Only when these different values are given each their due importance, and only on the basis of the subordination of the physical to the moral, and the carnal to the spiritual can such excesses and laxity in marital relations as our decadent age is so sadly witnessing be avoided, and family life be restored to its original purity, and fulfil the true function for which it has been instituted by God.
The Guardian will most fervently pray that, inspired and guided by such a divine standard, and strengthened by Bahá'u'lláh's unfailing assistance and confirmations, you may be able to satisfactorily adjust your relations with the persons concerned, and thus reach the one right solution to this assuredly challenging problem of your life.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 8 May 1939 to an individual believer who, having married his first wife out of compassion, now wished to be permitted to marry a woman with whom he had fallen in love, saying that his wife was agreeable to his taking this second wife.)
26. As regards the action you contemplate in seeking divorce from him: He leaves the final decision in this matter to you and your husband, though of course, from the standpoint of the Cause, he thinks it preferable for you both not to resort to such drastic action, unless it is absolutely unavoidable.
27. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 24 February 1940 to an individual believer)
28. Marriage is, in the "Aqdas", set forth as a most sacred and binding tie, and the Bahá'ís should realize that divorce is viewed as a last resort, to be avoided at all costs if possible and not to be lightly granted.
29. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 17 October 1944 to an individual believer)
30. Marriage is viewed by Bahá'u'lláh as a very sacred tie which should under no circumstances be severed unless the reasons are very grave. He hopes and will pray that you and your wife, as believers, will reconsider this matter and do your utmost to live together in the service of the Cause you both love so dearly.
32. He was very sorry to hear that you and your husband are still so unhappy together. It is always a source of sorrow in life when married people cannot get on well together, but the Guardian feels that you and your husband, in contemplating divorce, should think of the future of your children and how this major step on your part will influence their lives and happiness.
33. If you feel the need of advice and consultation he suggests you consult your Local Assembly; your fellow Bahá'ís will surely do all they can to counsel and help you, protect your interests and those of the Cause.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 16 November 1945 to an individual believer)
34. Shoghi Effendi wishes me to add this note in connection with your marriage: he does not feel that any believer, under any circumstances whatsoever, can ever use the Cause or service to it as a reason for abandoning their marriage; divorce, as we know, is very strongly condemned by Bahá'u'lláh, and only grounds of extreme gravity justify it....
35. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 7 April 1947 to an individual believer)
36. As Bahá'u'lláh was so very much against divorce (even though He permits it) and considered marriage a most sacred responsibility, believers should do everything in their power to preserve the marriages they have contracted, and to make of them exemplary unions, governed by the noblest motives.
37. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 19 October 1947 to an individual believer)
38. Bahá'u'lláh has clearly stated the consent of all living parents is required for a Bahá'í marriage. This applies whether the parents are Bahá'ís or non-Bahá'ís, divorced for years or not. This great law He has laid down to strengthen the social fabric, to knit closer the ties of the home, to place a certain gratitude and respect in the hearts of children for those who have given them life and sent their souls out on the eternal journey towards their Creator. We Bahá'ís must realize that in present-day society the exact opposite process is taking place: young people care less and less for their parents' wishes, divorce is considered a natural right, and obtained on the flimsiest and most unwarrantable and shabby pretexts. People separated from each other, especially if one of them has had full custody of the children, are only too willing to belittle the importance of the partner in marriage also responsible as a parent for bringing those children into this world. The Bahá'ís must, through rigid adherence to the Bahá'í laws and teachings, combat these corrosive forces which are so rapidly destroying home life and the beauty of family relationships, and tearing down the moral structure of society.
39. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 25 October 1947 to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States and Canada)
40. He wishes me to tell you that he regrets extremely the sorrow that has come into your life, and that he agrees with all you have stated in general on the subject of divorce.
41. There is no doubt about it that the believers in America, probably unconsciously influenced by the extremely lax morals prevalent and the flippant attitude towards divorce which seems to be increasingly prevailing, do not take divorce seriously enough and do not seem to grasp the fact that although Bahá'u'lláh has permitted it, He has only permitted it as a last resort and strongly condemns it.
The presence of children, as a factor in divorce, cannot be ignored, for surely it places an even greater weight of moral responsibility on the man and wife in considering such a step. Divorce under such circumstances no longer just concerns them and their desires and feelings but also concerns the children's entire future and their own attitude towards marriage.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 19 December 1947 to an individual believer)
42. Divorce should be avoided most strictly by the believers, and only under rare and urgent circumstances be resorted to. Modern society is criminally lax as to the sacred nature of marriage, and the believers must combat this trend assiduously.
43. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 5 January 1948 to an individual believer)
44. He will pray for your husband and son and your daughter-in-law, that, through drawing near to Bahá'u'lláh, they may be united and uplifted into a happier and more harmonious atmosphere, for the Cause can heal friction if people will let it and make the effort themselves as well.
45. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 11 June 1948 to an individual believer)
46. He was very sorry to hear that you are contemplating separation from your husband. As you no doubt know, Bahá'u'lláh considers the marriage bond very sacred; and only under very exceptional and unbearable circumstances is divorce advisable for Bahá'ís.
47. The Guardian does not tell you that you must not divorce your husband; but he does urge you to consider prayerfully, not only because you are a believer and anxious to obey the laws of God, but also for the sake of the happiness of your children, whether it is not possible for you to rise above the limitations you have felt in your marriage hitherto, and make a go of it together.
We often feel that our happiness lies in a certain direction; and yet, if we have to pay too heavy a price for it in the end we may discover that we have not really purchased either freedom or happiness, but just some new situation of frustration and disillusion.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 5 April 1951 to an individual believer)
48. As regards the problem of your marriage, you are free to refer this to the National Spiritual Assembly. As both you and your wife know, however, Bahá'u'lláh was not in favour of divorce, and the friends should make every effort to avoid bringing it about. If it is absolutely impossible, they then are free to divorce, but they should bear in mind the will of God in such matters.
49. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 13 March 1953 to an individual believer)
50. He has been very sorry to hear that your marriage seems to have failed utterly. I need not tell you as a Bahá'í that every effort should be made by any Bahá'í to salvage their marriage for the sake of God, rather than for their own sake. In the case of pioneers, it is even more important, because they are before the public eye. However, in such matters it is neither befitting nor right that the Guardian should bring pressure on individuals. He can only appeal to you try again; but if you cannot rise to this test, that is naturally a personal matter.
51. (In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 13 January 1956 to an individual believer)
52. Wherever there is a Bahá'í family, those concerned should by all means do all they can to preserve it, because divorce is strongly condemned in the Teachings, whereas harmony, unity and love are held up as the highest ideals in human relationships. This must always apply to the Bahá'ís, whether they are serving in the pioneering field or not.
(In a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, 9 November 1956 to the National Spiritual Assembly of Central America)
i A newer translation of this passage has been substituted for the translation originally included. v2.7 (213613) © 2005 - 2015 Emanuel V. Towfigh & Peter Hoerster | Imprint | Change Interface Language: DE EN
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2 corncobs
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
6 scallions, finely chopped (I often use onions because...well...who has scallions around often?)
1 small red chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 large egg
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cilantro (coriander)
1` cup all-purpose flour
vegetable oil (for frying)
Cut uncooked corn kernels off cob, roughly chop & place them in a large bowl. Scrape down the sides of the cobs to release any juice into the bowl.
Add cilantro leaves, scallions, chili, egg, cumin, ground cilantro, 1 tsp salt, and some cracked black pepper to the bowl and stir well. The texture of the beatter will depend on the juiciness oft the corn. If it is too dry, add 1 Tbsp. water, but no more. The batter should be quite dry. Allow to rest 10 minutes.
Fill a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or deep-fryer with 3 - 4 inches oil to 350 F or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 15 seconds. Drop slightly heaping teaspoons of the corn batter into the oil and cook for 1.5 min or until golden and puffed. Drain on crumpled paper towels and serve immediately.
Should make about 36.
From Ruthie Kolb
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Developing Brain Power to Manifest Your Dreams (Ilchi 120 School Ep 7)
1. Location: Kerikeri, New Zealand
2. Date: 2018-03-26
3. Duration: 04:00
4. Language: Korean with English Subtitles
"Ilchi 120 School" is a web series about longevity Ilchi Lee developed to help you create a fulfilling and purposeful life by rethinking your lifespan and the entire aging process.
Episode 7 explores the question: "How can I develop my Brain Power to manifest the life I want?" Human brains are special, but what exactly makes human brains different from that of other animals? Is it merely just higher intelligence? Find out the key aspect that makes human beings able to create their reality using the power of the brain.
More Short Clips
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David Lardner
David at 17.
Ring delayed moving to New York until the birth of his fourth son who was born March 11, 1919. The problem of naming him was submitted to the readers of the 'Wake':
Nearly a week has elapsed since announcement was made of our great prize contest, by the provisions of which the person first suggesting an acceptable first name for a two months old male child will be given a box set at his christening - and still the child is Nonnie. Suggestions have come from many well known persons, among them I, Mar MacLane, who offers 'Wake,' but of the number received so far only one - Tom - has the slightest chance. Others on file are: Earring, Herring, Timothy, Ringlets, Leif, Lafayette, Niles.
The contest will run another week, and if no suitable handle is offered in that time, we'll call him what we want to.
The child was named David, without the help of Ring's readers.
David was always different from the other brothers probably because of the age difference. While many of them were rather quiet and kept to themselves, David was "positively gregarious. He brooded less than the rest and enjoyed himself more and didn't mind revealing it" (Lardner, p. 292).
David was writing as an anonymous reporter and interviewer for "The Talk of the Town" a column in The New Yorker at the age of 20, and he was the movie reviewer for the paper as well. Shortly after he married his wife Frances, he was given the responsibility of another department - "Notes on Sports."
His two children, Katharine and Joe, were born while he was writing this column.
David's opinionated style of writing is what made him valuable at The New Yorker. He only gave his opinion in things that he was knowledgeable about, which included movies and sports.
David and his wife Frances in 1942.
The "Notes on Sports" column continued intermittently for more than two years, but was discontinued permanently when David left to cover World War Two in London.
On October 19, 1944, David was driving with two other men to Aachen, which was simply in shambles after an attack. One of the passengers, Russell Hill, also a correspondent, suggested they take a short cut. The rode they chose to take had just been cleared of mines by American engineers. The engineers piled the mines on the side of the road instead of moving them on with the intent of picking them up the next morning. Instead, the jeep with David in it swerved into the pile of mines. David was blown from the jeep and knocked unconscious. He died a few hours later in a hospital.
He died at age 25.
One of David's last pieces, "Letter from Luxembourg," was published Oct. 10, 1944. In this story, he tells the big picture of how the Germans are affecting life - school children were joining the Hitler Youth Movement (New Yorker, p. 399). Although he never joined the soldiers in fighting like his brother, he wanted to be involved in changing the world.
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Here are a few things you probably never
knew about some of your favorite stars.
A UFO picked up a soccer player and probably
probed him. I doubt that anyone heard this on the news
because nobody likes soccer in America.
I don't like to do it but this picture is from another
page. Anyways, the Friends cast got fat. That's it.
1 - 2 - 3
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February 16, 2012
Staff Picks: A (Quiet) Room of One's Own
By: Sally Haldorson @ 7:12 PM – Filed under: Leadership & Strategy, Management & Workplace Culture, Personal Development & Human Behavior
In a 1929 essay, Virginia Woolf wrote that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." There has been much literary analysis (and some criticism) of this assertion, and, over time it seems her call has been taken up by proponents of nearly every minority facing systemic repression, but in the context of the time, Woolf was being quite literal and pragmatic. Women rarely had space to call their own in which to do their own work. Women belonged to the household, not to themselves. While I feel a little bit guilty for cribbing Woolf's famous line for the title of this post--partially because it's overused, and partially because this is a somewhat lighter topic to which I am applying it--, as I read through Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, the phrase came leaping to mind and stayed there. There are a lot of angles to come at Quiet, but I think the practical, in terms of space, is a good place to start. Cain's book sets out to show us how and why 'the extrovert' has become the American ideal, and for our purposes, particularly in the workplace. She argues that introverts--nearly 1/3 of people-- are misunderstood and devalued. In an interview on, Cain explains:
While able to make choices that suit them in their personal lives (no one has to go to a rock concert to hear their favorite music performed live thanks to the Internet), introverts are often forced to work in an environment that doesn't suit their creative and productivity needs. This can mean that introverts are less likely to perform to the top of their potential. Also from the NPR Q&A:
It's quite a problem in the workplace today, because we have a workplace that is increasingly set up for maximum group interaction. More and more of our offices are set up as open-plan offices where there are no walls and there's very little privacy. ... The average amount of space per employee actually shrunk from 500 square feet in the 1970s to 200 square feet today.
Our offices at 800-CEO-READ exemplify this in microcosm. The majority of us work just a few yards away from another person with no doors, walls, or windows dividing us. Discussions quickly become group discussion, interdepartmental, no matter the topic, which is a great way to stay on top of vital information and everyone's mood. But occasionally we have create our own "walls" by putting on a pair of headphones and listening to whatever music that keeps us focused and tuned inward. It's a way of us saying, non-verbally, "Not now. I need some space." Workplace dynamics aside, another danger, Cain says in her chapter "The Myth of Charismatic Leadership" , is that when work only happens in an open office environment, or in team situations, introverts are often unable to share their valuable contributions simply because they habitually think before they talk. And, well, extroverts, are much more used to talking as they think.
If we assume that quiet and loud people have roughly the same number of good (and bad) ideas, then we should worry if the louder and more forceful people always carry the day. This would mean that an awful lot of bad ideas prevail while good ones get squashed.....We perceive talkers as smarter than quiet types--even though grade point averages and SAT and intelligence test scores reveal this perception to be inaccurate.
Cain expounds on what is lost when this myth of the charismatic leader persists in her NPR Q&A:
Introverts are much less often groomed for leadership positions, even though there's really fascinating research out recently from Adam Grant at [The Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania] finding that introverted leaders often deliver better outcomes when their employees are more proactive. They're more likely to let those employees run with their ideas, whereas an extroverted leader might, almost unwittingly, be more dominant and be putting their own stamp on things, and so those good ideas never come to the fore.
Cain isn't making a call for everyone to work behind their own closed door with no interaction with their fellow workers. And her "criticism in the book is not of extroverts at all, but rather of the extrovert ideal." Quiet is instead a call for equal opportunity for every type of worker, in the same vein that Woolf called for all women and men to have the space in which to do their best creative work.
None of this is to say that it would be a good thing to get rid of teamwork and get rid of group work altogether. It's more just to say that we're at a point in our culture, and in our workplace culture, where we've gotten too lopsided. We tend to believe that all creativity and all productivity comes from the group, when in fact, there really is a benefit to solitude and to being able to go off and focus and put your head down.
In the Introduction to Quiet Cain includes a brief questionnaire of 20 True/False questions to help readers determine their level of introversion. I took the quiz and not-surprisingly to me, answered True to 17 of the 20 questions, marking me a true introvert. Of course I've known this most of my life ever since I took my first Myers-Briggs in college (INTJ, for anyone who is curious) to more recently when I reveled in a weekend day at home during which I sat in the quiet (no tv, no radio, no husband, no child) for 6 hours. Some of my affirmative answers were to the questions: "I often prefer to express myself in writing"; "I prefer one-on-one conversations to group activities"; "I dislike small talk, but I enjoy talking in depth about topics that matter to me"; "I often let calls go through to voice mail." Before reading Quiet, I'd been lately questioning whether my introversion is a weakness. At times I joke about being a misanthrope, but truly I wish public events and cold calls didn't give me hives. We certainly get enough books passing through the office that talk about how networking is a prime essential for advancement in business. But I'm certainly not alone in my introversion and can take comfort in the fact that success is not dependent on me adapting some new personality. There are any number of deeply successful introverts as history shows. Cain showcases a few in this book trailer: Cain also proffers examples of introverts who have become successful in realms atypical to the typical introvert. She emphasizes that sometimes the work you choose to do means needing to get out of your own way. She speaks passionately in her book's conclusion titled "Wonderland":
Figure out what you are meant to contribute to the world and make sure you contribute it. If this requires public speaking or networking or other activities that make you uncomfortable, do them anyway. But accept that they're difficult, get the training you need to make them easier, and reward yourself when your done.
The book offers examples of ways to transcend our intrinsic personality types in order to be better communicators and more assertive team members when the situation calls for it. Learn how you may respond, as an extrovert, during competitive vs cooperative games. Learn how the introvert might adjust her tendencies towards distancing herself via a quiet state during a heated conversation. Throughout the book, Cain isn't making these observations and assertions without support. Quiet is well-researched and references contemporary neuroscience, psychological research studies, and popular business literature to provide the answers to her own questions regarding her introverted personality. Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, you will learn plenty about yourself, how you communicate, and how you work--whether you need that quiet room for yourself or not--by reading Quiet.
About Sally Haldorson
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Poll Archive
Question Date
How do you rate the organization of our site ? Wednesday, 14. November 2012. Result
Which measure of active labor market policy do you rate as the best? Wednesday, 01. January 2014. Result
What is Factoring?
Saturday, 28. December 2013.
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Monday, December 14, 2009
Some thoughts at Christmastime...
The expression "here and now" just popped into my head. It's the title and one of the songs on my son's band's new CD, but it's also meaningful in other ways.
Some people get stuck in the past, reliving either sad or happy times in their minds or in their hearts all through the year. They can't let go of these memories, can't put them to rest. Now sometimes it's good to hang on to memories; they really are part of the fabric of our lives. It's when these memories hover over us like dark clouds that problems may arise. We all need to move forward since that's the way we're meant to go.
I've been trying to focus on ways to make this Christmas special and meaningful, as I always do, but every time I come across a photo of my mom I think about what's missing this year. I know I should focus on the "here and now", but I'm having trouble with that. She won't be here to share the fun and laughter, the hugs and kisses, the family togetherness we've always enjoyed. I hope she's smiling across from Dad up there in heaven, maybe looking down at us as we're opening our presents. It's not the same as having her here, but it's a nice image to draw upon.
There's a song by Amy Grant that sums up some of my feelings quite nicely. In a song called Heirlooms, she describes being up in the attic, going through old boxes and finding "letters and photographs, yellowed with years, Some bringing laughter, some bringing tears. Time never changes the memories, the faces of loved ones who bring to me all that I come from and all that I live for, and all that I'm going to be...My precious family is more than an heirloom to me."
So my "here and now" is different, it changes with every passing year, and all I can do is try my best to make it as good as I can. Each year we seem to lose someone, and our family grows smaller. I think that makes us grow closer because perhaps we need each other more.
We do have the addition of my sister's granddaughter who has just turned a year old. This year will be her first real Christmas and I know she'll help everybody feel like a kid again.
So we will make some new memories this year and keep our lost loved ones close in heart.
1. Holidays are tough when we've lost a loved one. I hope this one brings you lots of joy.
2. Thanks Kathy. Your post is reminding me to celebrate the lives of loved ones that have passed.
3. A lovely post, Kathy. I hope you enjoy your Christmas. :-)
4. I lost Mom 13 years ago. She'll always be both past and present--I got my sense of humor from her and she keeps me laughing every day. My best bud--the only one I would let get away with cheating at Scrabble. But she didn't mean to. Without her glasses, she thought she had all blanks!
5. Thank you to everybody for your thoughts.
6. I understand completely, Kathy! I like what you wrote. Your mom and dad are watching over you this Christmas, loving you still.
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Thursday, March 18, 2010
Of oldies and Barbies...
I've been away from my blog as of late! Sorry about that. Lots to do, people to see, kids to oversee. Before I get to today's topic, here's a reminder that my Caption This contest is still going. You can still enter.
Right now I'm listening to Mick Jagger sing, "I can't get no sat-is-fac-tion." My googling reveals the song was released in 1965. I was 10 years old that year so I only vaguely remember hearing it. I was probably too busy playing with Barbie dolls, creating little stories and getting them into all sorts of mischief. I remember one time deciding my sister's Barbie needed a new hair style. Now this doll had long black hair, nothing wrong with that, but I thought she should go shorter. Who knows, maybe it was a hot day. So I got out the scissors and started cutting! It was going rather well, I thought, when suddenly I put down the scissors and stared at poor dark-haired Barbie. Oops. Her hair was indeed shorter, but unfortunately she now had a big bald spot on the back of her head. I tried to hide my handiwork (probably stuffed Barbie in a hamper or something), but when my sister found her she was livid. "Who did this to my doll?"
But back to Mick Jagger who can't get no satisfaction. Do you remember the song from years ago? Or did you first hear it later down the road as an "oldie"? Do you have any particular memories you associate with the song?
You can also share your Barbie stories here.
Oh, one more thing. For more of my musings on Barbie, you can read my essay on a new blog called, An Army of Ermas. Here is the link:
There are also lots of other funny essays by some very talented women writers. Check it out!
1. I don't have any memories associated with the song but boy, do I remember giving barbie dolls haircuts. I was a slow learner - many dolls fell fate until I finally realized their hair wasn't going to grow back.
2. Ah, a fellow haircutter! Yes, the hair doesn't grow back. I learned that, too. And it doesn't cut like human hair either. :)
3. I have no Barbie stories. Which, all things considered, is probably for the best. (Give me a few years now that my little one has hit her Barbie phase, and I might have some.)
As for Sir Mick.... I have no idea. First Stones hit I'm aware of knowing was "Paint It Black" because it was the theme song to a tv show called "Tour of Duty."
4. I love Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones. I remember listening to that song on my first date. It was considered classic rock back then. Does that make it ancient rock now????
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Receiving the Holy Spirit – Course in Miracles – A Metaphysical Look
Why is it some people take action on their lives and others do not? Even as you read my words and search within yourself for a memory of such an awe as receiving the Holy Spirit, where are you?
He, is, how you get the life you want!
Please note that this is a recap of our Podcast today that I promised followers I’d post to my blog. In fact, below is an audio excerpt of that broadcast.
The process of receiving the Holy Spirit is the guiding Mind to provide the means necessary to fulfill your free will, in an instant.
Sure, we may call it the power of attraction, or reflective state of mind, or gifts of the universe.
Whatever you’d like to term this is up to you.
(By the way, here’s a related post on the power within and not realizing it or understanding it, is why much of humanity’s problems have actually originated from individuals applying power over each other in a negligent fashion.)
This is so, because eternity cannot exist without you and me.
If you do begin to analyze this, you need to stop the moment you notice it, and allow your essence and feelings to flow over that thinking.
Yes, we can reach our inner true Self, live a better life, we are receiving the Holy Spirit, through a reflective state of mind, or what some may term the power of attraction.
Remember, the Course in Miracles teaches us that, any analyzing you do is always of the brain, which is the body.
Your mind is your sense of eternity, without need for flesh and bones.
You will have learned that you are eternal life when you are able to feel receiving the Holy Spirit, and not think or analyze it.
Receiving the Holy Spirit is of our inner link to the wholeness and oneness of God.
I guess that means it’s Who and What we are. Yes?
Here’s a related article on how to make things happen and naturally manifest your desires:
Here is the audio excerpt of today’s Podcast.
To a better life,
James Nussbaumer
Please join me each week for A Better Life Podcast:
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The smart Trick of java project help That No One is Discussing
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18 Replies Within the earlier post we looked at creating Eclipse for developing Java Website purposes. In the following paragraphs we’ll evaluate the extra configuration required for the event of Java Internet purposes that make use of the BusinessObjects SDK.
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The key reason why for this is usually that declaring a variable closing only impacts the reference, not the worth of the variable, and Java usually passes by price, which results in a special reference to a similar value in the second class.
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If you need to carry on to employ a ingredient that needs illegal accessibility, Then you can certainly reduce the warning messages by using a number of --increase-opens alternatives to open only Those people interior deals to which entry is needed.
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Java exercises Here's indented to deliver you the opportunity to observe the Java programming language ideas. You can begin from essential Java workouts to much more complex routines. The solution is supplied for every workout.
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Friday, March 13, 2009
Bars from my cipher on Charles Hamilton's blog
comin down faster than speedy gonzalez, you dudes stand to the side how can you critize this. Its JDot Lew, contagiously spreading like the flu
haha, guess there is a char. limit,
if there wasnt, u know your boy would straight for a minute
but thats ok I'll hit enter and replenish,
and jot some more hotness until god tells me im finish
sorry I left you hanging PA, I had to take a shower,
lol my shorty hit me on the cell saying she coming in a hour
lol if only that was the truth,
i havent been out in years, stayed couped up in this booth
maintaining my realness
with substance you gotta feel this,
its Friday 13th and im on Resident Evil 5 tip,
spreading like a virus, no antidote, your doctor cant prescribe it
hold on a sec, let me on go on and rewind a second
2 day ago me and my boy were cyphering, i reckon
on a facebook post,
all hot flames if you got too close to the screen your face would roast
yo for the record, im naruto to a track,
release the beast and i got nine tails out my back
dont know who that is, go to google and type his name,
brb gotta go to EB and buy that RE5 game
yo i get it in with all 4 elements of hip hop
im a bboy, bussing tops as soon as the beat drops
with a 6 step times 2 like a 12 step plan,
blink for a second then im in the air on my right hand
im back again, told you im never leaving,
i got internet everywhere, in the library, I got people screaming
stay posted upon this here blog,
spitting the bars waiting for sonic the hedgehog
i was bored for a second, now i got some to do,
go in on the cipher online like 3w
everything i drop is a straight bomb
like that little white dude on my snes flow,
grab a controller lets see if you can go toe to toe
not a imac, but i still fuxs with apple,
tell the kids im the boss with wordplay like scrabble
and that a 13 pointer,
girl on her knees in front of me with my dic i will anoit here
her not here, but does this anywhere
so please no hosility,
i stay behind my bars like a detention facility
dismiss em like the last call,
no im not CH but i stay up in Viper Hall
hell rell, dipset with the red letting fire out the cage,
ill write you some -ish that goes longer than this web page
without a casting call, they say i fit the main picture,
this is my life, i dont need no damn scripture
not religion, i talking about words in a movie scene,
falling for this trap, getting ****ed more than this hole in between
her two legs, call my boy up tell him to bring to bring 2 kegs
next week is saint patty day and i aint even irish
but im get wasted, then im looking for ur highness
OMG... I got blocked because only 60 post per hour.... anyway back on my hustle,
lifting my bars i spit, watch me rip like a muscle
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Avoid Facebook Fraud
I recently received an email on my Facebook account asking me to wire $1,000 to my friend, his wife and two kids who were stuck in Europe. According to the email they had been robbed of all their money, passport and belongings and were trying to get home. The email sounded completely realistic and I was close to actually sending them the money until something stopped me. You see my friends wouldn’t ask for a specific amount of money. They might say something like “can you send me some money” or ” can you help me out” but I doubt they would be so specific as to ask for $1,000. It turns out it was a fraud. Someone had hacked into his account and sent that email to all his friends. Luckily no one took the bait.
In these economic times, it is said that crime increases both on and off line. People get desperate and anyone can be a victim. There are ways, however, to protect yourself online.
1. Think twice before you post. I know this seems obvious but use your better judgment when posting pictures, video, status bar entries, profile info, etc. A good rule of thumb is to never post your social security number or any kind of personal information such as your address.
2. Be selective in who you friend. It’s not a contest of how may friends you have on your Facebook profile. If someone sends you a friend request and you don’t know them, don’t befriend them, it’s that simple.
3. Use your privacy settings. Facebook has privacy settings so you can limit the amount of information different friends can see. Check out this article on the 10 things you can do to protect your privacy on Facebook.
Most of the time being safe is just a matter of using some good old common sense. So don’t get paranoid and stop using Facebook, just be smart about what you post, who you let in and what information you offer.
Be well, be safe.
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Friday, October 28, 2016
Election Fraud 2016
I see three concerns about voter "irregularities": vote fraud, obstruction at the polls, and disenfranchisement through manipulating laws and rules.
Vote Fraud
Hey, I'm from Chicago where "vote early and often" is more than a slogan, it's a career path. If you believe the mythology, this is mostly democrats. This is cheating, and it is illegal. It undermines our democracy by overrepresenting a point of view. It should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is little evidence that this happens regularly at a large scale. The good news with this one is that everyone still has a voice; the bad news is that widespread abuse could dilute and overwhelm those voices and the process.
Obstruction and Intimidation at the Polls
This is bad. Trump's call to his followers to get out to the polls is troublesome. If they keep it under control and do not attempt to intimidate or obstruct, that's ok. I believe that there is considerable risk of mob rule, with zealots overstepping morality and the law. Nothing to see here yet, but if bad stuff goes down on Election Day, those people should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This, in my opinion, is worse than vote fraud because, if it comes to pass, it is denying people their rightful voice in the government.
Manipulating laws and rules
There is a circle of American hell reserved for these people. Recent efforts to reduce early voting, mandate specific IDs, and to manipulate voting laws and rules in order to reduce (mostly minority) participation are completely against our national values. They're doing it through, "legal means," which is code for passing laws following the proper procedures even though they will eventually be reversed. Even though these actions may not be obviously illegal, they tear the fabric of our nation by attacking access to voting. To me, this is a horrendous abuse of power, and the worst of it is that once in power they have the ability to manipulate voter outcomes and retain power through gerrymandering and institutional voter suppression.
There are plenty of people who I wish were not voting, and probably many that wish I wouldn’t. That’s all good. However, it is a fundamental principle in the United States that you have the right to vote. Efforts to deny that right or to distort the results must not be tolerated.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
How does Tax Depreciation Work?
The tax system is complex for businesses. One of the features is that it allows businesses to recognize depreciation of assets. Most governments do this in some form to encourage investment.
If you spend $1,000 for an asset that is allowed to tax depreciate over 10 years, you can subtract $100 per year from your income each year for the next 10, until the tax value goes to zero. So you pay less in normal taxes at your tax rate. This reflects the value from a tax perspective, not the actual market value. To emphasize, virtually all governments allow this recovery of costs on an accelerated basis to encourage investment.
If you then sell the asset for $50, you owe taxes on the $50 (sales value minus depreciated value of zero). Likewise, if you can get $1,200 for the asset, you would owe tax on the full $1,200. Equipment and machinery tend to go down in market value over time and with use, whereas historically, property appreciates. Even then, the gain is taxed at the lower long-term capital gains rate, rather than as normal income.
There's an important exception. If you die before selling it, the asset assumes a fair market value on it, so when they sell it, no taxes will be due. The tax value reverts to the fair market value upon inheritance. This is a really big tax advantage for those who inherit property or stock which may have appreciated.
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Posts Tagged King Salmon
King Salmon
Order Salmoniformes Trouts and Salmon—Family Salmonidae Adult male — Picture courtesy of NOAA Species: Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (Walbaum, 1792); from the Greek roots onkos (hook), rynchos (nose), and tshawytscha (the vernacular name for the species in Alaska and Kamchatka, USSR). Alternate Names: Chinook salmon, black mouth, spring salmon, tyee (large specimens over 30 pounds), quinnat, hookbill, [...]
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Do you believe in Bigfoot? There was a Winter Storm Watch issued for the Magic Valley, and is Pluto a planet or not? Here's what Terry was talking about last week.
Join the EZ VIP club to participate! When you're a member, you'll get access to exclusive content and lots of chances to win iPads, TVs, concert tickets, and more.
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Headaches in the morning
February 8th, 2010
When I was maybe 3 or 4, I saw a news story about a guy who woke up with a headache, so he took an asprin and went back to bed. He woke up several hours later, still suffering from a headache. When he looked in the mirror he found an arrow through his head. Apparently, as he slept, someone broke into his house and shot him in the head with a bow and arrow.
To this day, every time I wake up with a headache, the first thing I do is check my head for arrows.
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Thursday, December 31, 2009
Ten years ago I was spun out, dancing wildly in patchwork pants and waiting for the sun to come up over the Everglades of Florida at Phish Millennium. I hadn't been with a guy yet, certainly no beard and clenched, as everyone else did, under the suspense of Y2K.
It's been ten years. Ten years and I feel like I've lived three life times by now. Ten years of life, adventure, experience, regrets, mistakes, men, sex, parties, dates, relationships, single life, bars, states, countries, cities, money, no money, gym, lift, fat, skinny, healthy, sick, angry, happy. So much can happen in ten years. Had you grabbed me by my hemp necklace then and told me all I'd experience by now, I'd have laughed in your face (and then probably offered you a brownie.)
I'll be 38 on December 31st 2019 and I have no ability to predict what will happen between now and then. I'll be a man. A full grown man. The point of no return so far from visibility. A distant memory of the days that were. A buoy in a fog so excruciatingly dense. The thought alone makes me eager and terrified. Life just keeps pushing forward. There's no stopping it - you just have to go along for the ride.
In ten years I went from young to younger to man. The full scale of my blind evolution so blatantly clear now in hindsight. My heart splits at the vision. I grasp at the ghosts of that child but as much as I may try, I will never hold that boy again. He's gone, now molded into what you have before you. Oh young man, from where have you come and where will you go? Forward, the only direction, the past, stones on which we walk.
Life is so fragile. So wretchedly fragile and in 100 years we'll all be dust. Is it not this fact alone that is this planet's greatest invitation for us to live our lives? To be the man we want to become? To live as freely or as wildly or as sane as we'd like? This Earth will keep turning, and turning, and turning, with or without us. We are a speck in a broad stroke of history. A tiny, worthless crumb on the table of time and when the time comes, and it will indeed come, we will be bones in the ground or ashes to the sky and yet this Earth will still turn and turn and turn. So live as you live and accept this next decade with an open chest. Allow light to beam through you offering whatever it may be. Be open, for anything else would be a simple, silly waste of time. These years are blurred at best. A flimsy, horse-haired bow of an arch between then and now, and now and then. The future so weighed down by tangibility yet light and translucent like the very air we breathe. We know it exists but we just can't see it!
So strong this younger self I shed, each passing day, each step erasing the previous. Five steps now, ten and I'm ancient.
Scooter in Brooklyn said...
happy birthday eric!
mark said...
I always enjoy your posts.
If u live and pay attention, growth is possible.
Decide who you are and do everything in your power to be that.Sounds like you have learned to love yourself.
Happy nu year.
power to the people and all the hippie shit.
mark hester florida usa
bstewart23 said...
Love you, buddy.
In 2010, may there be more livin', more lovin' and more Leven.
Mr. Goldstein said...
Glad to have you in this lifetime.
rptrcub said...
Happy new year, bud. It's hard to believe we are the persons we are when looking back over 10 years. Hopefully for the wiser :)
Mike said...
Happy Belated Birthday -and- Happy New Year!
Don't be in a hurry to get old, it happens fast enough on its own. Time is a bitch.
David said...
Does "spun out" mean your were drunk or high or something? I can't keep up with the youth slang.
ewe said...
You will always be young if you have love in your heart. It may sound cheesy but it's oh so true.
Michael said...
First time reader here. Very nicely put; I really enjoyed this piece. It's a nice reminder for me to focus on what's important in my life instead of all the stuff I have to do.
Rami said...
a) Happy Birthday. b) gorgeously written. c) in fact, you've inspired some song lyrics. Happy 2010.
Blogger said...
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History Kowa Group
• 1894
Founded as a cotton cloth wholesaler in Naka-ku, Nagoya under the name of "Hattori Kanesaburo Wholesale Store".
• 1912
Hattori & Co.,Ltd incorporated was launched.
• 1939
Separated the spinning division (the present Kowabo Company, Ltd.) from the trading division to establish Kaneka Hattori & Co.,Ltd (the present Kowa Company, Ltd.).
• 1940
Company name changed to Hattori Co., Ltd.
• 1945
Branching out of Chemical Division
• 1960
Company name changed to Kowa Company, Ltd.
• 1986
Kowa Europe GmbH is established.
• 1999
Kowa Research Europe, Ltd. established.
• 2003
Nikken Chemicals Co., Ltd. became a subsidiary of Kowa Company, Ltd. through acquisition of stock.
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martes, 16 de octubre de 2012
Here you have some exercises to practise concepts we have seen so far. Useful for the exam you are going to take soon.
Exercise 1 (match pictures and concepts)
Exercise 2 (vocabulary crosswords)
Exercise 3 (concept. Fill in the gaps)
Exercise 4 (match concepts and definitions)
THE MODERN ERA in Laskorain ikastola
The Fall of Constantinople, the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus, the Spanish conquistadores, Charles I and Philip II, the "asiento de negros", the inquisition, the witch-hunting ... There are so many events that hapenned in the modern era that analizing them takes us longer than we wished.
Last year, students developed this topic in a different way. Here you have more detailed information and schemas they made about each of the events fro the modern era. THE MODERN ERA IN LASKORAIN
DBH4 students are analysing the main events of The Modern Era, a very interesting historical period. On the effort of trying new routes to the east, explorers discovered new lands and territories from where they could get spices and materials.
Have a look at the following video, it's going to clarify us some of those facts!
domingo, 14 de octubre de 2012
In 1700, Charles II, the last Spanish monarch of the House of Habsburg, died childless. Before his death, he appointed Philip, grandson of his half-sister and King Louis XIV of France as the king of Spain. So, he bacame became Philip V of Spain and he was also in the line of succession of the French throne. However, the idea of the multi-continental empire of Spain passing under the control of Louis XIV provoked a massive coalition of powers to oppose Philip's succession.
Leopold I, The Holy Roman Emperor (Austrian Hasburg) also claimed the Spanish inheritance. As Louis XIV began to expand his territories, other European nations (mainly England, Portugal and the Dutch republic)) entered on the Holy Roman Empire side to stop the French expansion. Other states joined the coalition opposing France and Spain in an attempt to acquire new territories or to protect existing dominions. Spain was itself divided over the succession and fell into a civil war. (taken from wikipedia)
The war ended with the Treaty of Utrech, which brought important consequences.
martes, 9 de octubre de 2012
So far, we have learned quite a lot of new vocabulary and concepts, and it worth revising them. Here you have a nice crosswords for testing how much you have learned.
Good practise for the exam you will have to take soon!
lunes, 8 de octubre de 2012
Chief Seatle has shown us a new conception of the land. Indians thought we are all a one, that we have to live in harmony with nature, and they didn't understand such concepts as buying or selling the land.
Listen to his speech and do the following
So this is how he thought of our planet, beautiful natural landscapes!
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Monday, January 9, 2017
Religion Makes Roots
I can't remember if I've written this here or not, but one day my Visiting Teacher was over, and she was telling me about how her husband did not grow up "in" the Church, and how he actually didn't even grow up with basic ideas such as the Golden Rule. You'd never know that, though, as he is such a great man!
I began thinking about how so much of general ethical behavior is passed down through religious traditions. Now, however, many people aren't even practicing any religion or even believing in God. I'm wondering how much of our ethical training is being lost and leading to the many unethical/dishonest/greedy/prideful things so many people are doing in corporate America. Rather than doing things for the good of the people, people do things for their own good, not caring about who gets hurt on the way.
Yesterday I was able to teach from the President Hinckley manual from the introductory materials as well as chapter 1. In the book, it mentions how as a young man in college during the Depression, his faith was tried a bit and he had questions about the Church. However, he noted that he had bishops, teachers, parents, belief in God, etc. to fall back on. I can't remember if it says it in the manual, but someone mentioned how when we question, we also have the testimonies of those around us to fall back on. I thought what a strength President Hinckley had to have so many around him with faith in God! I wondered, do our youth today have that assurance? I don't know. There are so many people not believing the Church and not even believing in God anymore (and mocking it, even). How sad that these are the conditions we see today and the safety net of faith in God and even mere ethical behavior is being broken.
A good thing that we discussed, though, was that when we have questions (and we talked about disappointments, too, in which this also applies), we can go straight to God - the best place for the best answers. I wonder if people (in the biggest sense of the word) will ever again see the benefit of religion in making us ethically rooted.
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Express Your Feelings and Heal - Leah Benson Therapy
post-template-default,single,single-post,postid-16509,single-format-standard,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-16.3,qode-theme-bridge,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-5.4.7,vc_responsive
What You Feel, You Can Heal
express your feelings and heal
What You Feel, You Can Heal
Express Your Feelings and Heal
Life is full of experiences that you can’t let yourself express your feelings about in the moment. But do you have a method that allows you to visit those moments again later and express those feelings?
When you push away feelings to avoid making a scene or getting embarrassed, you are setting yourself up for being controlled by them later unless you find a way to get them out.
Bioenergetic therapy is a fantastic way to learn and practice tools to find and express pent up feelings.
Want to know more? Give me a call. We’ll talk. You could also pick up my best selling book Emotional Utopia on Amazon, or John Gray’s book, What You Feel You Can Heal.
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Friday, February 4, 2011
Houdini Economics - Unemployment Rate Drops Sharply But Almost No New Jobs Created
Good political news for the Obama administration. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released a report for January 2011 showing that the unemployment rate dropped to 9%, with over 500,000 people finding jobs.
But only 36,000 new jobs were created in the economy, which essentially is none given the magnitude of the labor force:
"The unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 9.0 percent in January, while nonfarm payroll employment changed little (+36,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment rose in manufacturing and in retail trade but was down in construction and in transportation and warehousing. Employment in most other major industries changed little over the month."
I've linked the report, which itself has various underlying statistical tables linked.
I never could figure out how Houdini got out of the chains. So how did the unemployment rate drop sharply without the creation of new jobs?
Update: I'm not sure if this is the key, so correct me if you think I am wrong, but it looks like BLS started using new labor force numbers starting January 2011, based on the most recent census data:
"Effective with data for January 2011, updated population estimates have been used in the household survey. Population estimates for the household survey are developed by the U.S. Census Bureau. Each year, the Census Bureau updates the estimates to reflect new information and assumptions about the growth of the population during the decade. The change in population reflected in the new estimates results from adjustments for net international migration, updated vital statistics and other information, and some methodological changes in the estimation process."
In Table B just below this disclosure, BLS describes the effect of the data change on the December 2010 numbers, and low and behold, it decreases the "civilian labor force" by 504,000 people. Would this downward adjustment explain why over 500,000 appeared to find jobs even though almost no new jobs were created? If this is correct, then BLS simply took 504,000 people out of the labor force which would have the effect of dropping the unemployment rate (which is based on people in the labor force). Tell me why I am wrong, because I must be wrong, it cannot be so simple, or I must be misreading something.
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1. Hmm. Yesterday Gallup reported that unemployment rose slightly to 9.8%. Strange, isn't it?
2. It didn't. It'll be adjusted upwards in a few weeks, "unexpectedly" of course. And the Make Believe Media won't be interested at all.
3. I think for political purposes the number of illegal immigrants has been overestimated by the census bureau and they've stopped that AND a significant number of illegals have self-deported. This may explain some of the puzzle.
4. Prof. Jacobson, I know you're right, but I'm no statistician so can't prove it. But we know this regime lies about EVERYTHING and we know unemployment continues to go up, not down, no matter how many people one removes from the job market. We are at nearly 15 million Americans out of work who want to be working, whether they've given up looking or not.
This regime relies on hocus pocus and micro attention spans. All that matters is the headline right now - 1 day or 1 week from now is just so in the distant future. CC is right - it will be quietly adjusted upwards (with the obligatory "unexpectedly" slipped in by the faux media) eventually. Unless they just keep removing the unemployed from the labor force until 40% of the country is out of work and the regime says we are at 0% unemployment ;-)
5. To demonstrate how dire the unemployment picture is in the US, all one must do is compare applicable numbers to those found in Canada. In the month of January, there were 60,000+ new jobs created in Canada, which is the equivalent of over 500,000 jobs, relative to the US economy. That would then be 36,000 in the US compared to the equivalent of 500,000 in Canada. Yet, somehow, the Obama machine and their partners in the MSM, will spin this to be a positive reflection of Obamanomics. Rather pathetic.
6. Soviet style accounting for our new WTF Soviet style economy.
7. The figures don't lie but the liars figure....
8. Go to this table:http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea03.pdf
You are correct. 500K + were dropped from the
"participating" labor force. Look at previous months. This is the largest drop in participating
in a long time.
9. "The weather was too bad for people to go to work, but it didn't matter for when it came to people registering for unemployment. And over 500,000 people apparently disappeared in snow drifts, and are no longer counted in the labor force.
So, there are plenty of new jobs out there. The people just could not get them because of the snow.
O tempora. O mores. O Bernanke. O Obama."
Jesse's Café Américain
10. Personally, I don't pay that much attention to the size of the participating labor force, as that number can change (and legitimately so) due to changes in how individuals are classified. As the jobs climate changes, people’s perception of it changes, as does their behavior, hence they are reclassified. The number I watch more closely is the employed number as that has a more exacting definition. I personally know several teenagers who went from “not participating” directly to “employed.” They weren’t interested in a job until a friend asked them to apply at the same job the friend already had.
11. For some reason, the phrase "cooking the books" keeps coming to mind...
12. For an understanding of unemployment statistics, see Mike Shedlock's analysis.
FYI, I am a huge fan of Mike's, and he is a must-read economics blog, one of the tops in the world in terms of traffic. He blogs from an Austrian economics point of view, meaning he is not a fan of Obama, Bernanke, Geithner, Krugman, and a host of other clowns.
13. Wait, I thought our population continues to grow? Don't we continue to have an increasing immigration issue as well? Aren't people being born every day?
So, how did our workforce decrease by half-million?
14. There are two surveys - to report unemployment they perform a household survey to contact people and ask them about their employment status, working, not working but not looking (ie retired, disabled, 'discouraged workers' who are not considered in the labor force).
For jobs created they survey companies, since companies have pretty good record-keeping and one company can report on a large number of jobs, those numbers are considered more accurate month to month. (but of course doesn't tell you how many people are looking, the size of the available labor force etc.)
hope that helps clear up the mystery.
15. The new metric - Less bad is the new good.
Fewer people lost their jobs last month than the previous month. See how quickly we're recovering?
Once all the jobs are gone, the number of layoffs will reach zero, and our recovery will be complete. At least in the eyes of the Obama administration.
Looks like "Winning the Future" will be replaced with "Our work here is done."
16. Yes, the bogus BLS numbers are due to two factors: (1) people dropping out of the labor force; and (2) blatant statistical manipulation.
Zerohedge covers this extensively every month when the numbers are released. See:
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Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Eat fresh?
Today I read in the Journal that Subway has surpassed McDonalds in number of locations worldwide. The Journal article cited the unusual location of some Subway restaurants and left the analysis for the growth of the chain rather open-ended. Perhaps, though, the growth of the chain in the past five years has been indicative of a new trend in American dining.
In the past decade, the media has bemoaned the rise in obesity in the United States. Diabetes is a looming threat on life expectancy and national obesity may become even more of a social issue under Obamacare as healthcare costs rise in tandem with unhealthy lifestyles. Yet, unlike many other countries, I find that America actively works on their cultural impediments. We've stamped out smoking culture, found ways to decrease the amount of drunk driving, promote safe sex, etc. etc. through our weird collective social conscious (to my chagrin, one that has had help from an active legislature). If there is a nation proactive enough to reverse an epidemic like obesity, I certainly think our country is the one for the job. I don't have much evidence to corroborate my intuition on this one, but I think we're going to see a trend towards personal health in the next few years. If I had to invest, I'd "long" Subway, EnergyKitchen, and other health-conscious restaurants.
Do you have the same optimism for American health?
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1. Wherever Wegman's goes new foodies will be born. Even my father knows what a stuffed peppadew is (he even made them for us). My dad would fit a redneck stereotype quite well. Anything is possible.
2. Kathleen, here's LukeHandCool's perfect diet. It's so simple:
Big bowl of chicken soup (with lots of vegetables) in the morning for breakfast. If that's the Jews' secret to making themselves better when they're sick, then I'm gonna do it even when I'm fine! It makes me feel full throughout the day and it's healthy!
I started doing this a few years ago. On my mom's Czech side, the woman were all slim and beautiful and the men all huge. My grandfather died of cancer at 58 and his seven brothers, my mom's uncles, all died of heart attacks in their forties. Their mother outlived them all. My older brother is also huge.
I'm a lean and mean 190 now and I feel great!
3. The media could give a rat's rear end about the obesity of the United States. What the JournOList media want is government control of the food industry. Take ME-Chelle Obama, the leader of this movement. Typical hypocrite. Ever see her exercise? Neither have I. What is she eating EVERY SINGLE TIME she's photographed? Ribs or some other 'unhealthy' food. Some have even nicknamed her 'rib-chompin' Michelle' for her obvious love of said meal.
So what's the point of all this? Simple. Here's how it works: (apologies if I've said this here oh, five hundred times)
- A crisis is created by the media - Obesity!
- The call is put out by the media for something to be done about this impending disaster - Government needs to step in!
- Regulations are enacted. Foods are outlawed. New government departments are created.
- Soon, all workers in the food industry, from growth to serving are under the government's total control.
- Voila! Time to unionize under SEIU! Now, a portion of every sale and every paycheck automatically go to the DNC.
4. After reading a book by Gaylord Houser, I began reading labels way before it became popular. It still amazes me how little people seem to know about the food they're eating. Of course, advertising cereal as though if you eat it you don't have to eat fruits or vegetables for fiber doesn't help. And hiding fruits and veggies in our food is something else that is totally ridiculous too. What the heck is wrong with kids knowing that they're eating fruits and vegetables?
If parents eat good, healthy food their kids usually will too.
5. "Do you have the same optimism for American health?"
Yes, when the media also starts publishing accurate information, and questioning specious industry argument, about high-fructose corn syrup, MSG, and bovine growth hormone.
6. Those subway buns are pretty big and full of carbohydrates.
7. every time someone tells me "xyz is good for you" i take it off the menu.
after all, these are the same mental giants and world class scientists that believe in AGW...
besides, the leading cause of death in America today is living. we've all got to go, so i'm gonna go doing, eating and drinking what i enjoy rather than die miserable and hungry
(or worse, s*ber %-)
8. @Margaret Get a salad version then? Besides bread isn't going to be the biggest problem in Americans diets (myself included) its usually overloading on things with high fructose corn syrup (which is in everything... if they can find a way to put HFCS in something they will).
I'm not in shape, but I'm not even close to obese. My mother is diabetic so she pesters me to death about watching what I eat.
9. We'll all get a bit thinner as food prices rise.
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Saturday, March 5, 2011
So if you ever wondered how desperate Maher was to show his PDS
Bill Maher '78, the most deranged and arrogant Cornell alum on the air by default since Olbermann was pulled, managed to make a news story into an insult about Sarah Palin for the millionth time.
[On Charlie Sheen] "So yes, it's childish, it’s needlessly defensive, it makes no sense. So if you ever wondered what it would be like if Sarah Palin was on coke."
It's not even so much that the joke was malicious and cruel - that's his MO. What makes me madder than usual is that there are literally thousands of memes and jokes floating around the internet about Charlie Sheen that are hilarious by just commenting on his content alone! He's actively going out of his way to make a very detached and unfunny joke. His agenda is so obvious. (Here's a better joke to start off a show --- "So I hear John Galliano is designing for Hugo Boss now.")
On the other hand, though, Sarah Palin must really get under his skin if he can't go a week or two without making totally unrelated slights towards her.
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1. When I read that remark the soundtrack I hear in the background is the immortal Beatles singing,
"I want you. I want you so bad. I want you so bad it's driving me mad...."
2. She's so sexy, it drives him nuts. After all he has only his hand to make love to.
3. Maher, like Olbermann, is an evil SOB.
He wants government running everything, doesn't want us to ride horses, yet preaches that we should legalize crack cocaine in the name of 'freedom' with a straight face. What a joke.
Oh, and he calls himself libertarian. Yup, gotta love those pro-socialist, anti-second amendment "libertarians." Does he even know what the word means?
He's just another far left, hypocritical, incoherent, vitriolic, contradictory piece of garbage.
4. He's just mad because she's not one of those easy girl hookers he's used to. A real woman of character and virtue just drives him nuts.
5. I agree it is tiresome for the same things to be said over and over about Palin. It's just astounding to many of us Dems that she remains some sort of GOP icon.
Even so, he was wrong.
6. Yeah, the libertarian self-lablel is a joke. I was watching Greg Gutfeld being interviewed one time, and the interviewer said something like, "... other libertarians, such as Bill Maher ..." and Gutfeld politely told her Maher was no libertarian.
I know that Dennis Miller considers Maher a friend, but said he doesn't like talking politics with him now because the last time they got into a discussion, Maher started poking him in the chest while emphasizing his points.
Another lefty with anger issues.
7. laurie did you ever consider she may be remaining a GOP icon precisely because so many Dems can't help trashing her? From where I sit PDS is fun to watch, and a ton less rational.
8. @laurie: What makes you hate her so? If she's stupid, why bother? If she's not "viable", what's the big deal? The left tells us people hate what they fear. You folks are REALLY afraid of Palin.
9. Why are the Dems so afraid of Palin? You have to wonder - could it be that she is the only one with the cahones to tip over the gravy trough they've all got their snouts in?
10. I saw a brief clip of Mr. Maher on the news a few years back and hanging on to his arm was an exceptionally fine whore- a tall statuesque negress wrapped in white furs. I was green with envy!
11. Laurie
Its really very simple. Sarah is a self made woman unlike Hillary for example. Palins record in her 14 yrs of elected office TOWERs over that of Obama. We just don't understand how you folks can ignore their past records and base your opinion on a few speeches and soundbites. Try comparing their records up until 2008. If we always choose the best public salesmen we could have the Sham Wow man for President. Maybe we did.
12. Laurie-
I am quite sure that the left obsesses about her more than the right idolizes her. Actually I think people who resonate with her don't believe in worshipping false idols.
13. It really boils down to this the left (feminists in particular) expect all women to be chained to their tribal mores of their white man hating collective dystopia or be ripped to shreds. They have become the devil that they sought to destroy.
14. Brynmor, they're not afraid of Sarah Palin. You have to understand what she is to them: Emmanuel Goldstein.
15. Oh, I will give Maher this: He has a featured role in one of my favorite movies, "Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death."
16. I love that you really believe we liberals are all scared of Sarah Palin. I hope this leads to you nominating her. Besides, you're all so kind to Michelle Obama how dare we make jokes about the snotty, sarcastic little cheerleader you idolize.
When it comes to evil, maybe you should consider the people who whine that 250,000 isn't rich and then go ape that teachers dare to make 40,000 in a country where our kids are blockheads. And CEOs need their bonuses to keep the talent because they've all done such a terrific job. Teachers, however, should take a bath because who needs good teachers? All they do is teach kids facts, which are by nature the enemy of Conservatism everywhere.
17. I can't speak for all Democrats, but those I know are offended that she was ever on the Republican ticket for President of the United States.
It was unbelievable that McCain was so cynical and falsely ambitious that he found this unqualified person to be his understudy for President of the United States. I can't remember. They did have one conversation before this, right?
Dems get worked up because she has actually been on the ticket. And he didn't look too healthy.
I read the post about letting her run and honoring the tea partiers so they'll show up to vote in November. That made me feel a little better.
BTW you guys are really funny. But Dennis, ths Sham Wow man passed.
18. Yeah, and I can't believe this country voted in this highly unqualified person it "idolized" as President.
"Idolize" Sarah Palin? You leftists keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
19. Sarah Palin was the only qualified executive in the race and the last two years have proven that over and over.
May God bless Sarah Palin!
20. Sarah Palin has shown the fortitude needed to make the right changes to restore our country to the principles and practices that made it great in the first place.
President Palin 2012
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