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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17811 | September 11, 2004
That nefarious silver linin' in every cloud
I guess there is an upside to gettin' very few comments on a regular basis. I sure does make it easy to find the comment spam. In fact, based upon my recent observations, should I receive 3 comments in any given day, the odds of 1 of them bein' comment spam is 100%; the likelihood of 2 of such bein' comment spam is 95%; and the likelihood of all 3 bein' comment spam is 90%.* I sometimes wonder if'n it would be a worthwhile endeavor to dispense with allowin' commentary all together.
*For the purposes of such findin', please realize that I consider any comments which seem to have no purpose other than to affix a link to some commercial site, which add nothin' of substance, or jes' seem to have no purpose at all that I can find as comment spam. I understand this definition is slightly different than many other people's idea of what qualifies as comment spam.
Posted by Tiger at September 11, 2004 09:24 AM
So that makes this comment spam?
Probably - it doesn't seem to add substance or have any purpose :-)
Actually it does have a purpose - it lets you know that someone is reading your blog.
Posted by: Ozguru at September 12, 2004 05:48 PM |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17819 | Monday, September 17, 2012
Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 2) #35
Publication date: June, 2007
Plot: Chris Allan and Dean Clarrain
Words: Clarrain
Art: Allan
Letters: Eric Talbot
Cover: Chris Allan
Frontispiece: Christian Colbert
“The Pantheon”
Frontispiece: In an alley somewhere, the Turtles strike an epic pose. Taking front and center, Raph ponders to himself how he has no time for sob stories and doesn’t care how a rotten apple became that way…
In a temple in some misty, other-dimensional land, the Queen of Cats approaches the elderly King of the Rats in his throne room. She brings ill-tidings from the rest of the Pantheon; that the King of the Rats has grown too old and now time draws short. They fear he has no time left to choose a worthy successor. On his final breaths, the King of the Rats is forced to agree and wonders if he can find someone in time.
Down in the sewer lair, Splinter is meditating when a plague of rats scurries up to him. He can see something troubles them, but before he has time to ask, he is approached by the spiritual form of a man wrapped in bandages, calling himself the Rat King. The Rat King, looking for some action, was drawn to Splinter due to his spiritual and metaphysical prowess. The Rat King baits Splinter to the halls of the Pantheon to engage in battle.
The pair hover about the mists for a bit, firing energy blasts at each other, but Splinter is merely toying with the Rat King. Far more skilled in astral battle than his opponent, Splinter, deflects all his attacks, then grows to humongous size; seizing the Rat King in his hand. Splinter then looks into his eyes, searching for the truth behind the Rat King’s power.
Some time ago, at a hospital, a young punk (wrapped in bandages after a non-descript accident) escaped from police custody through a window. While making his way through an alley, he was approached by the dying King of the Rats. With no time left to find a worthy heir, he bequeaths his powers to the young man, hoping that he’ll use them wisely. The newly appointed Rat King did not, however, and instead used his newfound mystical talents for personal gain and cheap thrills, letting his “subjects” (the rats) multiply out of control and die without his guidance.
The Rat King collapses at this revelation and Splinter promises to help him come to understand the responsibility he has inherited and teach him to be worthy of his crown. The Rat King, however, was merely tricking Splinter into letting his guard down. The Rat King hits Splinter with a telepathic command, freezing the old rat where he stands. Before he can return to Earth and his “less than noble pursuits”, the Queen of Cats and the rest of the Pantheon surround the Rat King. They say they can no longer allow him to use his powers for evil and that he is unworthy of his role.
The Queen of Cats frees Splinter from his trance and tells him the purpose of the Pantheon: to watch over the little souls they have been bequeathed to protect. Splinter has vague memories of them from his days as a normal rat; a fact which impresses the Queen. The Queen offers Splinter the chance to become the next King of the Rats, though Splinter is curious about the fate of the Rat King should he take the position. As the Rat King cowers in agony from some severe mental and spiritual strain, the Queen tells Splinter that he will die. Not wanting to cause the death of any living being, no matter how wretched they may be, Splinter declines the honor.
The Pantheon backs off from the tormented Rat King, bowing to Splinter’s decision. The Queen then kisses him, informing him that he will have another opportunity to take the role of King of the Rats, but it will be upon his death.
Splinter’s spirit then returns to his body and he awakens in his chamber. Fixing a pot of tea, Splinter sits among the rats in the sewer tunnel, having much to contemplate.
Turtle Tips:
*It is difficult to place this story. This is Splinters first encounter with the Rat King, so it has to predate TMNT (Vol. 1) #55. The Rat King is permitted to live at the end of this story, so it has to predate Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 1) #4 (it cannot take place after that one, as he’s shown to have died from his shuriken wound in TMNT #55). Splinter is shown living in the sewers. The Turtles were driven from the sewers in TMNT (Vol. 1) #2, forcing this story to occur earlier in the timeline, predating TMNT (Vol. 1) #1. As the Turtles make no appearance, there’s nothing to say they couldn’t be children at the time of this story.
*Splinter previously mastered the art of astral projection in Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 2) #2.
*The Turtles will meet the Rat King in Tales of the TMNT (Vol. 1) #4. Splinter will encounter him again in TMNT (Vol. 1) #55.
*Splinter’s death will occur in TMNT (Vol. 4) #10.
*In case you aren’t a fan of Archie’s TMNT Adventures series, “Dean Clarrain” is a pseudonym used by Mirage staffer Steve Murphy.
*This issue also contained a back-up story, “Secret Spirit” by Will Tupper, Diego Jourdan and Erik Swanson
While my hatred for this story has mellowed over the five years since it was published, I still can’t profess to liking it at all. I’m of the opinion that some origins just don’t need to be told, and the Rat King’s origin was one of them. Part of his allure is his mystique; is he really a mystical entity with power over rodents or is he just an insane bum with multiple personality syndrome? The Mirage series was never explicit in this fact; when he first appeared, he was just a crazy guy whose identity altered with the seasons and only *thought* he was a monster. When he reappeared, it was as a ghost haunting Splinter for several issues, and while that added some mystical credence to his character, it was far from any concrete proof that he was anything more than the ghost of a loony bum.
So the decision to pen a definite origin for the Rat King never sat well with me. The end result is something that, for what it is, certainly works in the scope of the universe, the characters and their relationships, explaining the spiritual bond between Splinter and the Rat King, but does so in a way that dilutes the creepy menace of the Rat King with its answers.
For its good points, “The Pantheon” is definitely well-researched and ties all of the Rat King’s appearances together with a coherent purpose. His defeat here clearly broke his mind and he was returned to Earth as a harmless bum, no longer having the faculties to exploit his powers (and thus, no longer a threat to the Pantheon). That sets him up for his appearance in Tales #4, where he’s finally done-in by a shuriken to the chest and a fall off a ledge.
More so than anything else, this story explains his fascination with Splinter and why he spends the remainder of his appearances haunting the old rat, both during “City at War”, then again in “Cold, Cold Ice” and lastly at Splinter’s death in TMNT Vol. 4. We now understand why the Rat King continued to appear to Splinter and his apparition appearing at the time of Splinter’s death gives us a sense of hope, that Splinter’s consciousness would live on as the new King of the Rats, having the position bequeathed to him as prophesied.
The issue is also very well-drawn by none other than TMNT Adventures artist extraordinaire, Chris Allan. While the sight of Splinter and the Rat King firing kamehamehas at each other and zooming around the sky was silly as hell, it would have looked quite a bit worse had any other artist tried to render it. Allan’s style is probably a bit too “clean” for a gritty and gruesome character like the Rat King, but it actually fit well at this point in the character’s timeline, as the Rat King hadn’t yet fallen into insanity and squalor. And gotta love “Batman” as the King of the Bats in that two-page splash of the Pantheon.
As for the Rat King’s origin-itself, disregarding any personal preference for “mystery” over “fact”, I just didn’t care for it. It felt way too much like the origin of Kyle Rayner from the 90s Green Lantern comic (a dying Guardian of the Universe bequeaths the Green Lantern ring to the first human he meets in an alley, hoping they’ll be worthy). Making the Rat King into a juvenile delinquent escaping police custody in a hospital (hence the bandages) felt like a rather shallow means to explain his “evil” disposition. Fact of the matter is, the Rat King was never really “evil” in the first place. In “I, Monster” he was just a crazy guy that thought he was a monster, but was really only a nut in a costume covered in mud. When he returned as a ghost, there was little menace about him; he, in fact, aided Splinter more often than otherwise. Having him be a criminal granted awesome powers who used them for his own gain felt terribly counter to the character.
All this being said, I will admit to liking the origin given to him in the 4Kids animated series. As contradictory as that sounds to everything I just said, it worked perfectly fine IN THAT UNIVERSE, continuing a plot thread left open after a previous episode and not undermining the character’s integrity. I’ll surely take “defective cyborg clone of Bishop that’s slowly going insane” over “escaped criminal accidentally given magical animal powers”, at any rate.
“The Pantheon” is, to be blunt, a story you could skip and never, ever miss. It serves only to answer the questions nobody asked and take one of the more enigmatic recurring characters of the TMNT series and make him a generic criminal thug. Sometimes, it’s better to leave well-enough alone and the origin of the Rat King should have gone unwritten.
Grade: F+ (as in, “For the record, the + is in regards to the artwork”.)
Nacho said...
Peter laird said that at some point he stoped reading the plots for vol. 2, so probably this story is non canon... and i hope it is...
Anonymous said...
I bought this solely for the artwork. I enjoyed Chris Allan's drawings of Splinter and the Rat King in TMNTA.
Ryu said...
Thanks for spoiling people who are first-time-reading according to your continuity timeline :p. Thanks to you I knew of Shredders death in advance as well.
Killer Moth said...
As a compliment to Mark's review, this El Goonish Shive strip also sums up such storytelling issues perfectly, in terms of answering questions no one else was asking: |
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17824 | Very British Folk Pop Musician gives Prince some Competition with his band’s musical arrangements
Until 2008, Boz Hayward was a punk musician who once rehearsed in rooms next door to the Happy Mondays and Oasis in the basement of Manchester’s famous Boardwalk nightclub, back in its heyday. When his bassist and close friend died, Boz turned to folk and acoustic pop to focus on his songwriting.
Boz with guitar on bedThe Bozchestra is the affectionate name for Boz’s band who accompany him on an array of instruments combining guitar, mariachi bass, violins, trumpets, keyboards, glockenspiel, the Russian domra, mandolin, dulcimer and slide guitar with percussion and drums.
Frequent line-up
The most frequent Bozchestra line-up are Phil Robinson on ‘guitarron’ bass, Mark Greer on slide guitar, Rick Burrows on brass, Dan Bridgwood-Hill on strings and keys and Rob Haynes on percussion and drums.
Born in Hereford, Boz’s family moved around with his father’s RAF work. Boz went to Manchester Poly and based his musical operations from Manchester’s thriving Boardwalk basement rehearsal studios.
Not one to refuse a “crooner” set with a piano, Boz also composes instrumentals and film music, which lead to his Shortscores album in 2013.
Boz composes for himself with the Bozchestra, although his creative output is constant and he has song material to spare for other performers.
Acoustic pop
The acoustic pop and urban folk music Boz plays is quintessentially English, something charming that had been sadly lost amongst the diversification of today’s mainstream genres.
The brand new album ‘Light and Dark’ will be released on 29 September 2014 on Bert Weill Productions with distribution from AWAL. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17832 | Back in my high school days, teachers used to assign me lists of vocabulary that I was to ‘learn’. Unfortunately, they didn’t explain ‘how’ to learn the vocabulary effectively. It seemed that by ‘learning’ they meant deliberately ‘memorizing’. This does not work well in language learning at all! Why? Speaking a language fluently is not dependent on recalling words from lists. It is an organic progress whereby having used the different words with their various shades of meaning in multiple situations over time, they begin to become a functioning part of your active vocabulary.
Do you know every word in your native language? Did you ever look in a dictionary and realize the number of words that you don’t understand? This doesn’t prevent you from communicating effectively in your native tongue because you encounter most of the words you don’t understand very rarely and when you do, normally you can deduce their meaning from context. Therefore, the conclusion that you need to know a huge number of words in any language in order to be ‘fluent’ is misplaced. Putting a particular number of words that you need to know is also not productive. Words normally have multiple shades of meaning depending on the context in which they appear and communication is in large part dependent on using the vocabulary that you do know well for the task at hand. My aim is to be ultimately ‘functionally fluent’ in the languages that I learn. This means that I am able to understand and use the vocabulary that I encounter in context nearly all of the time and not that I know the meaning of every single word in the new language.
In the beginning you need to build an active use of basic words, i.e. the most common words for you, especially connectors (words like ‘also’, ‘as well’ and although’, and the words that are going to be the most useful for you to use personally are best to focus on. If you can, I recommend asking native speakers how to say the things you want to say and look up only the most important words but don’t try to memorize them deliberately. Frequent exposure to words and expressions in context over time will allow you to develop a large active vocabulary.
You can also use software to help you with this but significant and consistent reading and listening (otherwise known as ‘input’) in the language on topics that are interesting and most useful to you, will give you sufficient spaced exposure to the right kind of vocabulary in context for you personally even without any technological aids.
Remember: Deliberately trying to remember a word is ineffective!
For the next chapter or ones that you would like to reread:
Chapter 4 Grammar
Chapter 1 Overview
Chapter 2 Accent
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17852 | FUSIONABLE CHEONGSAM AND THE MÊLÉE OF FASHION [Extract of Chapter 4 of Fusionable Cheongsam]
Christian Huck, 2007
The world mêlée came into the English language via the Old French meslee, itself based on Medieval Latin misculare, ‘to mix’. In Middle English it denoted ‘hand-to-hand combat’, but also ‘cloth made from variegated wool’. It is this double connotation, the colourful mix of fashion on the one hand, and the struggle over the meaning of particular dresses, that Wessieling’s work on the cheongsam brings to the fore. In the cheongsam, tradition fights with modernity, costume with fashion, culture with economy. The male intermingles with the female, the West opposes the East.
The ‘mêlée’ involves a constant movement. Like fashion itself, the cheongsam is never standing still, but constantly incorporating new differences and drawing new distinctions. It is these mixings that Wessieling enables us to see. And like fashion, this mixing never ends – stagnation and homogeneity are the death of fashion. The French philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy, therefore, stresses the difference between mêlée, and other forms of more static mixtures, like the mélange: ‘The mélange, therefore, is not. It happens; it takes place. There is mêlée, crisscrossing, weaving, exchange, sharing, and it is never a single thing, nor is it ever the same’. And so is the cheongsam – ‘crisscrossing, weaving, exchange, sharing, and it is never a single thing, nor is it ever the same’. I will follow Wessieling on her retracing of the ever-changing cheongsam, extricating some of the threads woven into its history. Roland Barthes famously declared that a text is a tissue – a tissue of signs, of words, of citations – and that a theory of the text would have to be a ‘hyphology (hyphos is the tissue and the spider’s web)’. A theory of the tissue, then, has to unravel the spider’s web of signs and citations in which fashion is caught.
Mapping Motifs
Wessieling started her investigation of the cheongsam in Mapping Motifs: An Exploratory Journey through Fashion, Cities and Identities, an exhibition first shown at the AVA Gallery of the University of East London in 2006. Fashion and the city have always been closely related. Cities offer the shopping arcades, the creative environment, and the production complexes without which no fashionable garment could be designed, produced, or purchased. At the same time, cities provide the stage on which the individual negotiates its identity between performance and recognition. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17869 | Hoşgeldin ziyaretçi! [ Kayıt Ol | Giriş
Teklif İstemek İçin Tıklayın
SIMPLE TIPS TO – structure documents in standard format that is academic Microsoft Word)
Tüm Türkiye 10 Eylül 2019
{ Bu İlan Pasif Hale Getirilmiştir }
This guide describes simple tips to format your articles in Microsoft Word so they proceed with the standard rules for formatting educational documents as described in many MLA and APA design publications for undergraduate writing. These guidelines connect with all of the documents you will definitely submit in your university classes, however in some situations your professors will need one to follow guidelines that are specific may vary from those underneath. Constantly explain together with your professor which pair of instructions he or she desires you to check out just before distribute a paper.
Utilizing standard formatting for educational documents implies that you realize the traditions of this college community and so really helps to enhance your very own credibility. Utilizing uncommon or highly distinctive formatting, on one other hand, shows that your schooling that is previous did acceptably prepare you for university work. Think about the effect of uncommon formatting: not merely does it phone focus on your paper in a fashion that may not be good, teachers may additionally notice it as an indication that you’re trying to artificially inflate web page size.
Note: These directions apply to any or all variations of term for Mac and also for the 2003 form of term for Windows. We have actuallyn’t yet updated them to add directions for the 2007 form of term for Windows, nevertheless the tools should be easy to nevertheless find in the event that you shop around from the toolbar at the very top.
Rule: Papers presented for review or grading needs 1 margins all over. This would function as the default for term, if your standard environment is always to have kept and right margins of 1.25, replace your standard. Web web web Page size needs are derived from 1 margins.
Guidelines: Go into the structure menu, drag down seriously to Document, replace the margins, while the click the Default switch and accept the alteration to your Normal template. Ensure you leave the gutter set to 0 or you’ll mess your document formatting up.
Rule: the line that is first of paragraph should always be automatically indented.
Guidelines: This ought to be the standard for term, however, if perhaps perhaps perhaps not, you might like to improve your style that is normal described above. All from the Edit menu to change the indentation format for a document, choose Select. Then go right to the structure menu, drag right down to Paragraph, appearance under the Special drop-down menu when you look at the Indentation part, and select First Line. This environment immediately indents the very first type of an innovative new paragraph so it manually that you don’t have to do.
Rule: College documents is in a regular font that is academic either instances brand brand New Roman or Cambria, in 12pt size. (in the event that you distribute a paper an additional font, i am going to change it out in the file I download.)
Directions: instances brand New Roman or Cambria 12pt ought to be the standard for Word, but then change your default if yours is different. Go directly to the structure menu, drag right down to Style, be sure Normal is chosen from the selection of designs, and click modify. Pick the correct font and size through the Formatting menu. Click okay to really make the modification to your standard settings.
Rule: The text of the paper should really be kept aligned, NOT justified, as justified text is difficult to read if this hasn’t been skillfully typeset. The standard in term is left positioning, therefore don’t change it out.
Rule: within the upper left part associated with the very first web web page of the document, kind your title, the date, the program quantity and area (or subject), while the form of the paper (such as for instance Paper 1 2nd Draft), each for a line that is separate. Make sure to replace the date and paper variation once you distribute revisions and last variations. Begin to see the sample below.
Don’t use the headers function through the header/footer menu to generate this complete heading as that is likely to make it show up on every web web page, which will be perhaps maybe not customary in scholastic writing. Additionally don’t use a name web page unless the project especially asks for one.
Rule: Skip a line after the heading and center a title that is original conveys the subject of one’s paper. Usually do not make use of underlining or italics within the heading (unless you’re referring to your name of the guide or periodical). Don’t use bold text or each CAPS.
Test First Web Web Page
Guideline: All documents need to have immediately placed web page figures that demonstrate when you look at the top right corner on all pages except the very first. Try not to place these web page figures by hand. Rather, utilize Word’s Header/Footer device.
For papers after MLA structure, place your final name and web page number within the top right part. For papers after APA structure, place a quick form of your name (in the place of your final title) together with web web page quantity into the upper corner that is right.
Guidelines: Go into the View menu and choose Header and Footer. You’ll see a header field look at the very top and a footer field in the bottom. Simply Simply Click within the header package, kind your final title (or name), allow it to be align to your right, then select Page Numbers through the Insert menu.
Whenever you’re completed, click the tab that is close the Header view. Each web page of one’s document should now show a typical page quantity during the upper right that updates immediately whenever you make modifications towards the document. It will appear as grayed out text unless you active the Header and Footer device to create modifications.
To alter the environment making sure that page figures usually do not show regarding the very first page, go directly to the structure males, drag straight down to Document, and then click in the design switch. Then check out the field close to “Different First webpage.” Click okay. If required, eliminate the header that appears in the very first web page and place a header from the 2nd web web page, that will automatically show up on all subsequent pages aswell.
Document Spacing
Rule: the paper that is entire be double-spaced, like the heading and bibliography.
Instructions: Choose Select All through the Edit menu, go to the structure menu and drag down seriously to Paragraph, and choose double through the line spacing menu within the Spacing part. Or you need to use these keyboard shortcuts. On a Mac, usage Cmd-A to pick all and Cmd-2 to double-space. For a pc, usage Ctrl-A to select all and Ctrl-2 to space that is double.
Paragraph Spacing
Rule: Papers needs to have no additional spacing after paragraphs. This would function as the standard for term, if your standard setting is always to have spacing that is 10pt paragraphs, improve your standard.
Guidelines: Go to your structure menu, drag right down to Style, be sure Normal is chosen through the variety of designs, and click modify. Within the reduced remaining corner, find the dropdown menu that starts with structure and drag right down to Paragraph. Into the paragraph settings menu that pops up, alter the settings for Spacing After to 0pt.
Rather than making use of plenty of comes back before starting your bibliography, develop a brand new web page for it after these directions.
Go right to the Insert menu, drag right down to Break, and drag over to then Page Break.
Rule: in cases where a quote will go beyond four lines within a paragraph, you need to split up it down by blocking and indenting it. Just like any quote, a blocked quote should really be demonstrably introduced by the phrase leading as much as it and it also needs to be precisely cited, nevertheless the guidelines for blocked quotations are notably various. The blocking replace quote markings, and unlike in a frequent quotation that is in-paragraph the parenthetical citation goes outside the last duration instead of in from it ( considering that the obstructed estimate might include a few sentences.)
Guidelines: Type the quote in customwritings its very own paragraph, without quotation markings, and eliminate the indent through the line that is first. Type the foundation in parentheses following the final amount of the sentence that is last. The Increase Indent button from the Paragraph Formatting menu with your cursor, select the quotation, from the first word to the end of the parenthetical citation, and click.
WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS WEBSITE? See the regarding tab into the top menu.
BELOW PERPETUAL MODIFICATION: All materials on this website are susceptible to ongoing modification and enhancement!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17870 | Monday 20th January 2020
Kingdom Come Series: Life
Audio / Teaching
Kingdom Come Series: Life
Adrian Holloway on January 23, 2011 with 0 Comments
FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE! Matthew 28:1-10 – Preaching from ChristChurch London’s Sunday Service
SLIDE 1: Title “Life”
Last Sunday, Matt Ellis mentioned a list of the top 10 questions typed into the internet search engine Ask Jeeves, that Jeeves has failed to answer.
And here’s the list:
1. What is the meaning of life?
2. Is there a God?
3. Do blondes have more fun?
4. What is the best diet?
5. Is there anybody out there?
6. Who is the most famous person in the world?
7. What is love?
8. What is the secret to happiness?
9. Did Tony Soprano die?
10. How long will I live?
(Top 10 un-answered questions typed into Ask Jeeves in 2000-2011)
which is based on 1.1 billion queries made on the site since its launch in the year 2000.
Folks, today we are looking at the Resurrection of Christ. If what we are about to read in Matthew 28 is fact and not fiction, then we have THE answer to the biggest questions that people are asking.
1. What is the meaning of life? – Well if ‘Jesus is Risen’, then Jesus was who he said He was. Therefore Christianity is true, therefore, the reason you are alive is because you were deliberately made by God to have relationship with Him. Your meaning, your purpose, is this: You were created by a loving God to know Him and enjoy Him forever.
2. Is there a God? – Yes, if the resurrection happened. Yes – because by his resurrection, Jesus proved his claim to be God was true. Therefore if Jesus was God, God exists.
3. Do blondes have more fun? – Well they will if they follow Jesus! If ‘Christ is Risen’, blondes can live forever in an eternal paradise. By his resurrection Jesus has broken through death allowing all blondes access to heaven, where they can have more fun than they can possibly imagine.
4. What is the best diet? – OK, I admit that the resurrection does not give us a decisive answer to this question.
5. Is there anybody out there? – Yes, if ‘Christ is Risen’, then Christ is out there but better still He is willing to live in you, and will never leave you or forsake you.
6. Who is the most famous person in the world? – Statistically, it will eventually be Jesus because if Jesus is risen, everyone who has ever lived will meet him. You are going to meet him. You may never have met Winston Churchill or Nelson Mandela, but everyone in this room and everyone who has ever lived will meet the risen Jesus on Judgement Day.
7. What is love? – God is love. And if Christ is Risen, you will experience true love forever, because eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
8. What is the secret to happiness? – The secret to happiness is having total assurance in this life that you’ll be raised with Christ into the next.
9. Did Tony Soprano die? – Not if he trusted in Jesus, because Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in me will live and never die.” I know Tony Soprano is only a fictional character, but the resurrection means even Mafia bosses can be saved.
10. How long will I live? – The resurrection means that everyone will live forever, somewhere.
For you as a Christian, if the resurrection happened, it means that everything you are going through right now, will one day be worth it. It means that all of the disappointment and pain we feel in this life, will soon be totally submerged by an ocean of pleasure. It means every bad thing is only temporary, and we will soon be overwhelmed by an unspeakable joy. And because we can know NOW that Christ is risen, that’s enough to keep us going until we are raised with him.
In fact, your resurrection body will look like his. You’re as secure as Jesus, and you are as loved as Jesus. I don’t know who you’re living with at the moment, but one day you’re going to live with Jesus. The resurrection means that most of the time you spend, you’re going to spend in a place where every day is better than the one before.
But is it true? Well let’s read Matthew’s description of what happened . . .
So – all these soldiers had to do was to keep a dead man dead, but, they couldn’t do it!
OK, let’s ask Matthew three questions about what he’s written. Three questions about the resurrection . . .
Three questions to ask Matthew about the resurrection:
1) Is it possible?
2) Is it true?
3) If it is true, so what?
1. Is it possible?
As Tim Keller points out, for many of our friends this is not a genuine question, it’s a rhetorical question. If they have thought about the resurrection, then their views have probably been shaped by a channel 4 documentary or the commonly-held view that the resurrection was a legend that kind of grew up over time. Stories evolve. They get embellished. And somehow they think the Jesus of history became the Christ of faith.
So most people never get beyond this question. They never ask our second question: “is it true?” and so most people never hear the evidence for the resurrection. Which is a real shame, because as we have seen on Alpha, when people do hear the evidence for the resurrection they are usually taken aback by how strong it is.
If we ask Matthew, “is it possible?” Matthew immediately replies, “with God all things are possible.”
Matthew’s account is unapologetically supernatural . . . there’s an earthquake in verse 2, then an angel leaves heaven and appears on earth. Matthew says: “his appearance was like lightning and his clothes were as white as snow.” The guards shook and became like dead men. Then angel talks to humans, and humans talk back. And then the most wonderfully evocative picture, as the two Marys clasp the resurrected feet of Jesus.
Matthew’s saying: “If there is a God, then of course supernatural things can happen. Once you’ve factored in the existence of God, and that He created life, why is it so hard for God to resurrect life?”
Someone replies: “Yeah, but I don’t believe in God.”
We say: “OK, so how did life come about?”
They HAVE to reply: “It just happened.”
Well if the universe just happened, and if organic life just happened, then it’s equally possible that the resurrection just happened. Here’s my point . . . you can’t rule it out!
Hey seeing as we are so unsure about everything, then if life just happened, then maybe the resurrection just happened.
So if you believe in God, the objection “it’s impossible” doesn’t work – because if God exists, miracles are possible.
And if you don’t believe in God, the objection “it’s impossible” doesn’t’ work, because you have already admitted that two apparently impossible things did happen, firstly the arrival of the universe, and secondly the arrival of organic life, both events that we currently have no explanation for, but both events that definitely happened.
So we move onto the second question we want to ask Matthew:
2. Is it true?
People say: “Of course Jesus existed and got crucified, but that’s all.” They say: “I think that there were legends that kind of grew up hundreds of years later and eventually got written down as resurrection accounts” the answer to that is yes, yes, there were!
They’re called the Gnostic Gospels. Many of them were discovered as recently as 1945, and translated into English in 1977.
For example, have you ever noticed that none of the four evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, none of them actually describe the moment that Jesus rose?
Now if I were making up a resurrection account, I’d definitely invent that scene, I’d definitely describe the resurrection moment. And you get that in one of the Gnostic Gospels.
So the Gnostic Gospels include made-up stories, exaggerations, legends, they were written down in the second and third centuries. But the new Testament documents are much earlier. Matthew was one of the 12 disciples. This is a genuine eye-witness account. You can’t get much closer to the Jesus of history than that.
Now if we had time we would spend hours building a huge case for the reliability of the New Testament, but because we don’t have that time right now, let’s just note that in our passage, Matthew gives us one or two important pieces of evidence:
For example in verses 13 to 15, he mentions the story that the disciples stole the body while the guards were asleep and that that story was still in wide circulation amongst the Jews at the time Matthew was writing, let’s say sometime in the late 60s or early 70s AD.
Someone says: “that doesn’t demonstrate anything.” Yes it does.
It leads us to one of the three reasons why we can be sure that the tomb was empty.
I like to think of the argument for the empty tomb under the acronym JET.
JET – An acronym for the argument for the empty tomb:
J – Jerusalem Factor
E – Enemy attestation (Matthew 28:13-15)
T – Testimony of the women (Matthew 28:1-10)
So J – It’s in Jerusalem, that the new resurrection religion explodes into life, and gains thousands of converts very quickly. In Jerusalem, the very place where Jesus was buried in a rich man’s tomb, in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Matthew has told us that the Jews and Romans had the dead body of Jesus in a sealed tomb, guarded by soldiers, so as soon as the first Christians started claiming Jesus is alive, the Jews and the Romans could have said, “No he’s not – Look” and put Jesus dead body on display in Jerusalem proving that he wasn’t alive. Jesus was a celebrity after all. The very fact that the new resurrection religion took off so successfully in Jerusalem shows that the tomb must have been empty. The amazing thing about Christianity is that it exists at all, it could so easily have been killed stone dead on day one. All the Jews and Romans had to do was produce Jesus dead body. They wanted to kill Christianity, all they had to do was produce the body, and if they had, none of us would be sitting in this theatre today, because ‘the church’ would not exist, but they never did produce the body, because it had gone missing.
E – Enemy attestation. This is where verses 13-15 come in. You see what Matthew says here is backed up by evidence outside the bible. We know the theory that the disciples stole the body was in wide circulation, because we find a Jew called Trypho using it against the Christian apologist Justin Martyr years later. The very fact that the Jews circulated this weak story (that the disciples stole the body) shows that they didn’t have a better one.
They should have had a better one. They should have had the most obvious one. They should have had the dead body of Jesus. The very fact that they came up with this weak attempt to discredit the resurrection shows that they didn’t have the body of Jesus. So the historical fact that the theft story was widely circulated by the Jews is another reason to think that the tomb must have been empty.
T – The Testimony of the women. Matthew says women were the first witnesses of the empty tomb and the resurrection. Someone says: ‘so what?’
Well, in those days, I am afraid to say that in Greek culture, in Roman Culture and in Jewish culture, women could not inherit property and they could not give evidence in a court of law. Their testimony was in-admissable.
So imagine a murder takes place, and the murderer runs from the scene of the crime. We would say, “no problem, he’ll be caught because there were 3 female witnesses.” But in the first century, the murderer would never be caught. In fact he’d never even be brought to trial. Why? Because in the eyes of the law, there were no witnesses. A women’s testimony was not valid, it counted for nothing in that society.
Folks if Matthew was fabricating this story, he would never have made women the first witnesses of the empty tomb and the resurrection.
If you were inventing the empty tomb, if you were trying to invent a new religion, you’d never make your key witnesses women. And if, in your new religion you were staking everything on the physical resurrection of your hero. If his resurrection was the lynch-pin upon which the whole of your new theology was based, you would definitely have made men the first witnesses of the empty tomb and the resurrection. So why on earth did Matthew say that women were the first witnesses of the empty tomb and the resurrection? Why weaken the case for Christianity in the eyes of most people alive at the time? Because it just so happened that these women were the first witnesses, so Matthew wrote down what happened.
Look that’s only about 2 per cent of the evidence for the resurrection, if you want more come and see me afterwards, or send me an email.
So Matthew’s answer to our first two questions, ‘is it possible’ and ‘is it true?’ is a resounding “Yes”.
OK, third and final question,
3. If it’s true, so what . . .
Well, verse 9 says:
So the resurrected Jesus was visible and audible. But what if, as the women had gone to clasp his feet in worship, what if they’d reached out into thin air? What if they had touched, not feet, but thin air? What if the resurrected Jesus had been a visible, audible, but not tangible?
Well as long as he was visible and audible, Jesus could still do all of his eleven resurrection appearances to around 550 people over a period of 40 days. He could still teach his disciples.
But Matthew says these women grabbed hold of real feet, touchable feet. What difference does the physicality of Jesus resurrection make?
Well it makes a huge difference firstly – to you personally, because the Bible says you are going to have a resurrection body that is every bit as glorious as Jesus’ resurrection body.
OK, what does that mean?
Well, when Jesus returns physically, at the second coming, there is going to be a universal resurrection of the bodies of everyone who has ever lived. (And the two key chapters, which explain all this, are 1 Corinthians 15, and 1 Thessalonians 4).
So, the bodies of everyone who has ever lived will be resurrected.
Now of course that does beg the question, what about people whose bodies have decayed over the centuries? What about bodies that have been cremated? How are their bodies going to be raised up?
Paul anticipates that question. He says:
“But someone may ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” How foolish!” (1 Corinthians 15:36)
Which is charming isn’t it! It sounds like a good question, but Paul thinks it’s a foolish question, and he goes on to suggest that God is big enough and clever enough to locate the tiniest seed of anyone’s body and raise it up. So we might be perplexed as to how God’s going to raise up the body of someone who died a thousand years ago, but God’s kept track of the tiniest seed or speck, and that’ll be enough to raise anyone.
Now this universal resurrection of all bodies is a totally mind-boggling idea, which is one of the reasons why I’m so glad that the Thessalonians asked Paul to explain it.
So, very helpfully, Paul says:
“So we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14)
OK, so when Jesus comes back, he’s going to bring with him the spirits of all Christians who have died, including the thief on the cross, John Wesley, and all the rest of them, and up until this moment they have been with Jesus in paradise.
OK, so let’s imagine that you die in the year Two thousand and Ninety. And let’s imagine that Jesus comes back one year later, in Two Thousand and ninety-one.
At the resurrection, Dead Christians go first, living Christians go second. When Jesus comes down, at the Second Coming, the first bodies to be resurrected out of the ground are going to be the bodies of Christians who have died, millions of them, including yours. And during those 12 months that your body has been decomposing in your grave, your disembodied spirit has been in paradise with Jesus. And so your spirit is going to come down with Jesus. And at the resurrection, you in your disembodied spirit are going to be re-united with your old body.
Now if you have been looking forward to getting rid of your body, it may come as a bit of a blow to discover that you are going to be re-united with your current body at the resurrection. But don’t worry, because Paul explains that your body is not just going to be raised, it is also going to be changed.
The change is that my perishable body is going to be transformed into an imperishable one.
You see Jesus wasn’t re-susciated, like Lazarus, for example, who presumably died, I don’t know 50 years later, no Jesus was resurrected into a glorious indestructible, immortal resurrected body.
The body I am currently in is deteriorating. My clock’s running down. My body is perishable.
You look at me and you think, “Too right, so what is your new body going to be like?”
Paul says our new bodies will be just as glorious as Christ’s own resurrection body.
We’ve borne the likeness of Adam the earthly man up until now, we’re going to bear the likeness of Christ, the man from heaven. At the Second Coming of Christ, when we see him, we’ll be like him. Friend, your body is going to be like Jesus’ resurrection body. So if you’d always thought you’d end up as a sort of wispy ghost forever, the Bible has got news for you. You’re actually going to have a body that has substance. After his resurrection, Christ said to his disciples: “Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Our bodies will be touchable. Moments after saying this in Luke 24, Jesus ate a piece of broiled fish. So we can expect to have bodies which can eat. So for broiled fish, I simply substitute, crunchy nut cornflakes. Ludicrously tasty.
So we will have physical bodies in heaven, and of course our physical bodies will need a physical heaven to inhabit.
And this leads us to the second implication of the physicality of the resurrection. We find in Revelation 21 that rather than destroying this planet, God is going to renew planet earth, and then join it to the new heaven.
You see, God doesn’t completely obliterate his original creation, but he prefers to transform it into something better . . .
He did that with you didn’t he, when you became a Christian. Spiritually you were transformed. In fact you became “a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17). But your body remained the same.
Similarly, there is continuity between our old bodies and our glorious resurrection bodies. God will locate a seed of our old body (1 Corinthians 15:35) and transform it into a new one.
And so also with planet earth. God will not totally obliterate the earth – No he’ll take this present earth and transform it into something far better.
Peter tells us . . .
“The present heavens and earth are reserved for fire . . . and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare . . . But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (2 Peter 3:6-13)
So there’ll be a sort of forest fire all over the earth’s surface on judgement day and then God will renew the earth, and this renewed earth will be “the home of righteousness.”
One day this world will become the home of righteousness, but it certainly isn’t at the moment. No, Paul says, at the moment, the whole creation is “groaning as in the pains of childbirth.” (Romans 8:22) Life on this old earth is full of pain. Yet as any mother can tell you, although the groaning pains of childbirth seem to go on forever, actually they come to a wonderful conclusion when a new baby is born. And so Paul says that the creation is groaning at the moment in the pains of childbirth, but that’s because the creation is pregnant with something far better. And when the creation finally gives birth in the cosmic delivery suite of Judgement Day, Paul says:
That’s us!
Brothers and Sisters, we will experience the glorious freedom of the children of God.
Now I think the amazing thing about you is that you know all this now in this life. God has revealed so much about the future to you. So you can be hugely encouraged. Everything is going to work out OK in the end.
Better than OK, you’re going to live forever in a glorious resurrection body with Jesus.
Now the theme for this whole series has been the kingdom of God, and I’ve spent 30 minutes building up to this moment. What the physicality of the resurrection means is that God is not just concerned with the spiritual.
God is not simply concerned with your spiritual state, he has actually got plans for your body, and for the whole of planet earth. And that is why we don’t only run Alpha Courses, but we also do Everything breakfasts and Everything Conferences, because it turns out that the resurrection affects everything.
I am so glad these women clasped physical resurrected feet, because it means that salvation is not just some whispy spiritual experience, I’m not just going to be a spirit on a cloud, floating around. In fact to be honest that sounds rather boring.
No in heaven, you and I will enjoy many of the best bits about living on this earth, without any of the bad stuff.
Jesus begins chapter 28 dead, and buried in a tomb guarded by soldiers. He ends the chapter alive, declaring to God and man, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me . . .”
He’s the King extempore section (this is all about how Matthew has been leading us all the way through our journey to this moment, where he reveals that Jesus is the ultimate king of the universe.)
We cannot keep all this information to ourselves. And we won’t! Because as you leave this building, as your feet walk into work tomorrow, you know my feet will one day be just like Jesus resurrected feet.
Because these two women touched the resurrected Jesus, you will too. In fact you won’t just touch him, but when he comes, you will be like him. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17873 | 01279 841235
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17892 | rRootage 1.0
rRootage This game is similar NOIZ2SA (Yep, another shootemup!). The main menu allows you to choose from four different games modes and 10 levels with-in each game mode. Once you select which game mode and level you would like, just two finger tap to enter the game. You can move your little guy at the bottom by dragging it around. The objective of the game is to shoot the “thing” at the top without getting killed. You can two finger tap to set off bombs (they look more like shields to me!). The game play is smooth and the graphics are sweet! Definitely an app worth checking out (if you are into shootemup games! :) ). rRootage is available through the iPod Touch Fans source.
Sweetnes = Shoutout to AppleiPhoneSchool.com in the splash screen! Lazrhog…I still think it is a boy thing! :) Also, thanks for the screenshots…it is seriously impossible to get a screenshot of this app, I tried three different ways!
rRootage 1.0 rRootage 1.0 rRootage 1.0 rRootage 1.0 rRootage 1.0 rRootage 1.0 rRootage 1.0
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1. yay rRootage for iPhone/iPod :D
2. they should make that game palm had for iphone, it was a very fun shootem up
3. Anonymous says
better or worse than NOIZ2SA???
4. I have an iphone, but i cant find the app, i added properly the source, anda some other apps from that source i can download, but rRootage its not there for download, is it only for itouch? :S why is this happening¿
5. Cant get it to work. I can select the levels, but how do you start?
6. Use one of your second fingers ….
• Maybe you should put a pop up that appears the first time the user runs the game. Or what if someone creates a popular website, then puts up screenshot of said pop up?
Nah, that’ll never work.
• What a crazy idea – but it’ll never work :)
7. wow tnx for the news and games. om loving it!
8. no audio? at least, i’m not hearing any.
btw, great site. just jailbroke my ipt and am finding the info on this site to be indispensable.
9. really cool game!
but it don´t work very smoothly
10. Server is down??
Not Found
The requested URL /repo.xml was not found on this server.
Speak Your Mind |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17902 | Friday, February 10, 2012
Oh the Layers! Tavis Smiley, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer talk about The Help
Tavis Smiley brought Academy Award-nominated actresses Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis onto his show to talk about the film The Help.
As I previously wrote, I recently watched The Help for the first time and was pleasantly surprised by my response to it. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't recognize the problematic aspects of the film.
That's why I was so interested to see Smiley's interview with Spencer and Davis, an interview that gets right to the heart of the issue and tackles it head-on (with respect and nuance). You can watch it and read the transcript here.
Basically, Smiley admits to having ambivalent feelings about the film (though he hopes that both women win the award in their respective categories). Davis jumps in with a pretty scathing commentary of her own, telling Smiley that his viewpoint "is absolutely destroying the Black artist" by limiting their roles to only characters deemed "fit" by the collective rather than allowing them a full range of expression. She goes on to explain her view by saying "We as artists cannot be politicians. We as artists can only be truth-tellers."
Ah-ha. This is a fight over truth. Who gets to tell it? Whose version will prevail? Who gets to decide how truth is determined?
And this particular debate highlights a lot of the problems with truth. See, if we are talking about a single text, truth may be debatable, but at least the space in which to find it is somewhat contained. If there is a single text, we look at that text through the lens of its author, its audience, and its content. We determine what message the author intended to send, what message the audience received, and how that message was conveyed. We make judgments about the success or failure of that message, and we decide whether we believe the text to be valid. As complicated as that process can be, it is much, much simpler than what is happening in this piece.
For one, we're talking about a lot of different texts, each with their own audience, author, and context. Though this is not an exhaustive list, here are some of the texts I see in play in this interview:
• The book The Help
• As Spencer points out in the interview, the fact that the source text is written by a white woman is problematic for many people.
• The source text has also been problematic for its treatment of dialect.
• Davis also talks about how the book establishes a much richer character in Aibileen: "Her life is internal dialogue, if you’ve read the book, and you know, internal dialogue, by the time it reaches the screen, most of it is cut" and how that impacted her work as an actress.
• The film The Help
• The film in and of itself is where I focused my criticism for my personal reaction, and--in my opinion--the film is very well done.
• The film brings problems like dialect and physical stereotypes into a new realm by giving them visual and audio representations.
• The performance of the actresses
• The actresses make clear in this interview that they see their individual performances as texts in their own rights. These are performances that they're adding to their career repertoires. Every part that they play shapes the way they will be viewed by their audience as a whole.
• As Spencer points out, the text of actress is impacted by race, gender, body type: "There is a limit of roles that are out there for African American women, and women of a certain size, women of a certain age. There are so many different categories that we have to contend with." Davis adds that skin tone also plays a role.
• The Academy Awards as text
• The awards ceremony is a text of its own. These women winning awards for their performances means something beyond their performance in the film (which is why Smiley roots for their wins even as he criticizes the film itself).
• The audience for the Academy Awards is different than the audience for the film, and even when the audience members overlap, their purpose in watching is different.
• The Academy Awards comes with its own history and context. As Smiley mentions when he talks about Denzel Washington winning an Oscar for his performance in Training Day, that history is racially problematic. (Black actors and actresses are often awarded for performing in negative roles and rarely awarded for performances in positive ones.)
• During the interview, the actresses spend a lot of time talking about white actors and actresses who have won playing characters with flaws (Charlize Theron for Monster and Anthony Hopkins for Silence of the Lambs, for instance). The women use this as evidence that requiring only noble characters from their performances is limiting and unfair.
• Black cinema in general
• The history of black cinema also contextualizes this film. Which films have been critically acclaimed, which have been ignored (Smiley cites George Lucas' inability to get funding for Red Tails), and which have been poorly received all play a role.
• Davis also criticizes contemporary black writers and producers as propagating stereotypes: "I’m a dark-skinned African American actress, okay, and I would say that I have had so many African American artists in my house having the same conversation. I’ve read all the scripts that they’ve given me, young writers saying, 'I’ve got the ultimate role for you, Ms. Davis, because I see you.'I would say 99.9 percent of them are all urban ghetto mothers who look highly unattractive and they all speak Ebonics. They are probably far more insulting than even some of the roles given to me by white industry people."
I think that the reason Smiley, Davis, and Spencer disagree is because they're actually evaluating different things.
It seems like Smiley's main analysis lies within black cinema and the Academy Awards. The authors of those texts are primarily privileged people (largely white men) who control what gets funded, what gets distributed, and what gets awarded.
Davis' primary text seems to be the roles that she is given to perform. She sees herself as limited by a view that says she must act as a representative for an entire race of people by only performing in noble roles, and she sees those roles that are deemed acceptable as stilted, drained of humanity, and devoid of the truth and "messiness" of real life. They don't push her to test her acting abilities or allow her to grow as an artist.
Spencer's primary text is--similar to Davis'--the roles she is given to perform as an actress, but unlike Davis (who admits to agonizing over taking the role because of how it would be received and what her responsibility was to the audience), Spencer shifts the responsibility of interpretation almost entirely onto the viewer: i"if I’m going to go to law school, who’s going to tell me what case not to take? If I’m going to be a doctor, who’s going to tell me what patient not to take?
If it’s not received, great, I respect you for not."
Personally, I respect and see merit in every single one of those positions. The problem is that it's nearly impossible to talk about the actual "text" that's being examined in this interview because it would have to include all of those different texts (and texts I haven't even identified). It would have to include multiple audiences (the readers of the book, the viewers of the film, the viewers of the Academy Awards, the viewers of previous Academy Award winners, the viewers of previous films in the black cinema canon, etc.). It would have to include multiple authors (Kathryn Stockett as author of the book; the writers, producers, and directors of the film; the actresses who starred in the film and thus "wrote" their performances; those in charge of production and distribution companies; writers, producers, and directors of previous Academy Award winners, etc.). That's too large to handle. It doesn't even make sense to try to talk about all of that at once. In order to make it manageable, we have to rope off some piece or pieces of the text and claim it as the territory we're examining for a certain type of truth.
But at the same time, there will always be someone else who has roped off a different set of texts. Someone else will have a very reasonable challenge based on that different text.
So how do we decide? How do we decide which texts to examine? And how do we make sure we're looking at the places our readings intersect to make sure we're talking about the same thing?
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17909 | Morning Bell: You Are The Light
Welcome to a new series of Morning Bell – a chance each day to experience stillness, to explore contemplation and to enter prayer. In the northern hemisphere we are now deep into Autumn, the hours of darkness lengthening each day. In this series You Are The Light we are returning (as we will continue to do) to the Beatitudes, perhaps the core wisdom teachings of Jesus.
Our experience is that the Beatitudes don’t get the attention they deserve. Perhaps because they are so demanding. You may know the famous quotation by GK Chesterton: the Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried. We sense that the Beatitudes may be a good place to begin or to renew our trying.
The photographs in You Are The Light were all made by Ian around the waterfront in Plymouth. They have just been shown at the North Cornwall Book Festival. Together they form a meditation on the Beatitudes and related sayings of Jesus in chapters 5 & 6 of Matthew’s Gospel, including sayings in which light is the main theme. We think that they are really important in this context. We may be familiar with Jesus’s claim to be the light of the world. Perhaps less familiar with his saying you are the light of the world.
The Beatitudes are demanding but potentially transformative. How might they reshape us for good? And what kind of world might they be calling into being? The light the world needs is yours. You are the light of the world. Let your light shine. And your whole body will be full of light…
Thank you for sharing the spiritual path with us. May grace, peace and light find you…
Ian & Gail
There are various other ways to access Morning Bell each day:
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17919 | Some interesting BizTalk compiler hints, well not quite.
Ok, so these aren’t entirely compiler hints, but interesting nonetheless:
1. Re-Ordering of Catch Clauses
The compiler will throw the following warning if you catch specific exceptions after a general exception block:
Orchestraion.odx(653,17): warning X4001: automatically re-ordering catch clauses from specific to general
I’m surprised that this doesn’t throw an error as including a General catch block as […]
Whats the future for BAM?
Whats the future for BAM?
This is just my opinion but I think that in the future it would make sense to move BAM to be part of the SQL Server BI offering. I think that if it was part of SQL Server then it would expose BAM to more products within the Microsoft space. A summary of my thoughts is:
• It would allow you to easily use it with Dublin as it would be likely you are using SQL Server for persistence and tracking anyway.
• It would still support BizTalk which is based on SQL Server anyway
• It would allow other products which are based on SQL Server to use this without requireing BizTalk (eg: Dynamics)
• It would allow ISV’s to develop hooks into BAM. A number of the ISV products which compliment the Microsoft BPM offering often use SQL Server but not necessarily BizTalk
• In the future it would probably be easier to hook models developed with Oslo into BAM if it was part of SQL Server
These are just my random thoughts and ideas, I have not seen anything from Microsoft which indicates this is a planned direction, but if anyone has an opinion on this feel free to comment below
Added functoid to read from app.cofig
Added functoid to read from app.cofig
Hi all
setting from the appSettings group.
So given a .config file like this:
<add key=”eliasen” value=”eliasenValue” />
and the parameter “eliasen” to the functoid, it will return “eliasenValue”. If the
key cannot be found, an empty string is returned.
And the documentation has also been updated – look at
Application Architecture "Pocket Guides" From Microsoft
Was trolling CodePlex today and noticed that those Patterns and Practices cats just released a neat little set of short architecture guides that cover a few specific architectural areas including the Agile architecture method, web application architecture, mobile architecture, rich Internet application (RIA) architecture, rich client architecture, and finally, service architecture.
The service guide is a […]
Code for my book is up
Code for my book is up
You can find it at
My plan is to have more REST and WCF content up on that site soon – but at least the
code files for the book are there.
Watch out for the code from Chapter 10 (consuming REST services) – I created
some code to use SQL Server Data Services – I haven’t had time to see if it still
works, but I will be updating it soon.
Check out my new book on REST.
Sharepoint Optimisation (Optimization) Tool
Sharepoint Optimisation (Optimization) Tool
James, a student of mine this week pointed me to a great tool that ‘optimises’ your
SharePoint site (as well as websites in general).
Runtime Peformance
Optimisation (RPO)
is the place where it’s all at. You basically plug your URL
(I’m yet to check this out) James mentioned that it operates off a DLL that you include
Here’s the process…..
1. click on the ‘Try now button’
2. Plug the values in for your site..
image image
3. Then peruse over the emailed results at your leisure…..
in cold and warm boot times!
Very very very nice!
Looks like I’ll be talking to Santa this Christmas!!! 🙂 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17933 | Foods that can trigger or reduce the symptoms of ADHD
6th Oct, 2016 Categories: Blog
LINA DOUMANI, Clinical Dietitian at Camali Clinic, shares her advice on the foods that can trigger or reduce the symptoms of ADHD
So far there has been no scientific evidence that diet and supplementation can cure Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, diet does play a role in the physical and mental health of a growing children. According to the Harvard Health Publication/Harvard Mental Health Letter, ‘diet alone isn’t the driving force behind the behavioural and cognitive symptoms that plague children with ADHD’. But some studies have shown that certain foods and additives might reduce symptoms in a group of children.
Whatever food items you choose to include or eliminate from your child’s diet, you should keep in mind that each child is different and reacts differently.
Foods that have traditionally been linked to triggering symptoms of ADHD
• Artificial Sweeteners
• Foods containing high amounts of SUGAR
• Saturated fats
• Caffeine
• Processed foods
• Food colorings and additives
Foods that have reduced ADHD symptoms in some children
• High protein intake
• Foods high in vitamin B
• Calcium
• Trace minerals
• More complex Carbohydrates
• Omega 3 fatty acids
It must be kept in mind that for now, the consensus on a sensible approach to nutrition for children with ADHD is the same as recommended for all children:
Eat a diet that emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole grain, healthful unsaturated fats, good sources of protein, go easy on unhealthy saturated and trans fats, rapidly digested carbohydrates, and fast foods; and balanced healthy eating with plenty of exercise.”
If you have any questions or would like further advice, ask to speak with our clinical nutritionist Lina Doumani. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17951 | My 2010 "McLaughlin Awards" [Part 2]
[ Posted Friday, December 24th, 2010 – 19:34 UTC ]
Welcome back to our annual year-end awards column!
[2009, Part 1] [2009, Part 2]
[2008, Part 1] [2008, Part 2]
[2007, Part 1] [2007, Part 2]
[2006, Part 1] [2006, Part 2]
Destined For Political Stardom
Destined For Political Oblivion
I could pick an outgoing Democratic senator, such as Russ Feingold, but Democrats have suffered enough this year, don't you think? It really would be kind of "salt in the wounds"....
Best Political Theater
There were a few good moments from the past year, and because the field was so crowded, we're going to hand out three Best Political Theater awards: one on the Right, one on the Left, and one for sheer entertainment value. The last award will be handed out in the next category (you'll see why, don't want to let the cat out of the proverbial bag...).
Worst Political Theater
Worst Political Scandal
Most Underreported Story
Barack Obama's poll ratings have stayed remarkably stable all year long.
Democrats cut the deficit over $100 billion from last year.
China is manipulating the world market for rare earth elements, which has enormous consequences since they control over 90 percent of the supply, and since the elements are used in so many high-tech applications. The good news is that an American rare earth mine is about to re-open, which will change the entire worldwide dynamic.
Most Overreported Story
Biggest Government Waste
Funding a second -- and totally unnecessary -- engine for the military's new fighter plane springs instantly to mind, here.
Best Government Dollar Spent
Boldest Political Tactic
Best Idea
Worst Idea
But the absolute worst idea was the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Seriously, guys, what were you thinking? So much for the Right's supposed opposition to "activist judges," as the conservative wing of the court threw out 100 years' worth of corporate elections law, in the Worst Idea of 2010.
Sorry To See You Go
There are a number of ways to read this category. In the "sorry to see you have to leave the spotlight" meaning of the phrase, I would include Russ Feingold and Alan Grayson, both of whom failed to win re-election to Congress (as well as a lot of other worthy Democrats).
[Click on the image, to see a larger-sized version from an external site, for copyright reasons.]
15 Minutes Of Fame
Best Spin
"America has the best healthcare system in the world."
What a colossal joke. Meaning, Best Spin.
Most Honest Person
Lieutenant Dan Choi.
Most Overrated
There are some other obvious choices, as well:
The Tea Party Republicans.
Obama's communication skills.
The previously-mentioned B/S Commission.
Earmarks (as being some sort of huge deal).
Rahm Emanuel.
Most Underrated
Joe Lieberman.
Harry Reid loses re-election.
Chuck Schumer will be next Democratic leader in Senate.
Afghanistan will continue to be a mess.
The Guantanamo prison will close.
New Year's Resolution
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
-- Chris Weigant
44 Comments on “My 2010 "McLaughlin Awards" [Part 2]”
1. [1]
Kevin wrote:
You posted this a little late here on the West Coast, but Merry Christmas Chris and Mrs. CW, and to all Weigantians.
Re. Palin, she's basically ruined the Huffington Post for me; every time I check them out there's her picture on three or four posts. Aargh!! To quote Dan Hicks, "How can I miss you if you won't go away". At least I've managed to maintain my "don't read ANYTHING" when she's mentioned or pictured. Your country would be so much better off if they followed my lead on that one.
Anyhow, Happy New Year also to everyone who enjoys this site.
2. [2]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
I'm pretty sure that Julian Assange is quite delusional. What earthly purpose did the release of 250,000 diplomatic cables serve?
As for the most underreported story ... funnily enough, it was due to the hapless media that I became aware of the story of historical discrimination at the Department of Agriculture. I guess I have none other than Andrew Brietbart - or whatever his name is - for his sad and lame and inexusable attempt to portray Shirley Sherrod as a racist for my awareness of the history of discrimination at the Ag department.
Through this story, I also became aware of what a stand up guy the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Visack, is ... so, I guess I can thank Brietbart for that, too. Wonders never cease.
3. [3]
Chris Weigant wrote:
Kevin -
Is that Dan Hicks as in "Dan Hicks And His Hot Licks" by any chance? I always wondered where that quote came from...
Liz -
Dang! I knew I forgot to mention something, and the whole Shirley Sherrod flap was one of the things I just plain forgot. Good call...
I'm hearing sleigh bells on the roof, gotta get to sleep...
4. [4]
donilo wrote:
Hi Chris,
I'm new to your blog, but I remembered reading last year's McLaughlin Awards, so I looked in again this year. I'm impressed with the scope of your political awareness, and I appreciate your sense of humor.
One area in which we seem to have different perspectives is our take on Obama. You seem ready and willing to acknowledge his accomplishments. I am as well - I'm still leading up to our difference (lol).
My take on part of his make-up is based partly on his background in Hawaii. He certainly had to deal with the absence of a father; I am familiar with that since my dad was killed in an accident when I was 4. He attended Punaho School. Hawaii has some of the most stark differences between public and private education in the U.S. - though there are many, many more states contending for that dubious honor, sad to say. Punaho is a "Harvard Prep" school. With Obama's intellect that part was easy to fulfill.
Now one of the great "selling points" of his candidacy was how, after leaving Harvard, he went into community work. He "rolled up his sleeves" and was very successful in his work (and met Michelle that way as well!).
Here's where we diverge, I believe. I think that Obama's acknowledged skills as a politician are very real. How, then, can he have caved in so consistently to the Republican agenda during his term - his accomplishments notwithstanding. The answer lies in his "fast-track" training for Harvard and beyond.
I'm enough of a cynic (fortunately or unfortunately as the case may be) to feel that his community work job was in essence "resume building." Not that his accomplishments weren't real, mind you - but I think the focus was on "what can this get me in the future?" This is of course a necessary form of thinking for those who want to advance in politics.
Many of us expected (should I say "hoped?") that he would use his political savvy to bring real change to our country. In my view he has used it rather to "handle" the opposition on the left. The left wasn't even supposed to BE the opposition - that was the designated role for the Republicans after the 2008 elections. But indeed, Obama has moved the spectrum so far to the right that some of his accomplishments, e.g. the DADT repeal seem like huge “wins,” when in fact their accomplishment should have been a foregone conclusion in a period supposedly dominated by Democratic control of congress and the executive branch.
Furthermore, I am also cynical enough to suspect that this has been part of his fabled “chess game” all along. He wasn’t playing chess with the Republicans, but with the Progressives in the Democratic Party. Thus, soon after signing a tax bill that is an abomination and opens the door to the now inevitable raid on Social Security lusted after by right-wingers, he presides over the reversal of DADT. Good planning on his part, I’d say.
I don’t know why I’m even couching this in political parties terms. Obama is an out and out corporatist. He is our Trojan Horse. A good and decent man one might say. While he is intelligent and affable, I define good and decent a little more deeply than that. The fact that Obama continues and even furthers Bush’s stances on War, Torture, Attacks on privacy and Palsy-Walsy attitude with the financial community flies in the face of “good and decent” in my book.
Last summer I told those I spoke with that I thought there was nothing wrong with our country that couldn’t be fixed by about 37 consecutive miracles. That number has risen, just as has the income for the wealthy. We now need hundreds, if not thousands of miracles by now. This would be funny, but so many crises are of huge consequence!
War - Obama is clearly a hawk – just a little more on the “intellectual side,” but a hawk nonetheless. (Nobel PEACE Prize? What a laugh!)
Climate – He has been a miserable failure here. Really, our planet can’t survive more of these games, if it has not already endured too many.
America Class – We are now a 3rd world nation economically (aside from the billionaires of course), and the luge run is very, very steep and slippery.
These are just three areas.
What do you think? You’re an accomplished writer and you’re a perceptive man. Do you think it’s worthwhile to revisit your position on Obama? While I’ve given up hope in him totally, perhaps people like yourself can find a new direction to bring what seems to be an inherent “goodness” within the man – though IMO he doesn’t show it in his policy actions – into contact with a growing number of disillusioned people. That would be miracle number 1 on my list.
Thanks for listening,
5. [5]
Kevin wrote:
Yes, one and the same. I love the song, but I'm not 100% sure that he wrote it :D Must Google that now.
6. [6]
Kevin wrote:
Here's a YouTube link for the song-
7. [7]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
I have to say that your description of Obama's first couple of years sounds like some pretty generic spin.
And, I'm wondering if you think it might be worth your while to revisit your position on Obama ...
8. [8]
tinsldr2 wrote:
Merry Christmas,
Ok this is a LONG article and I am not done reading it. Like always from you, it is Very Good. I think I will have more Comments later but since this topic is so dear to me I will address it first.
You wrote (of Iraq):
He only really kept to it by a bit of "jedi hand waving"
The goal was to have no "combat brigades" in Iraq by this summer and the media made great fanfare when "The LAST U.S. COMBAT BRIGADE Left Iraq"
Except for one problem, we still had complete Combat Brigades in Iraq and some had just gotten there when the announcement was made.
So what do they do? In pure Washington fashion they just call the Combat Brigades "advise and assist brigades" But they still have the same everything they did when they were Combat Brigades!!
Here is the Units homepage :
If you go there you can see they are the 4th Brigade Combat Team
If nothing else it should get a Doublespeak award !!
Good call by you mentioning that Pres Bush negotiated the time-line for withdrawal and deadline. It speaks well of your integrity.
9. [9]
nypoet22 wrote:
A 21" 150g Wham-O! Master Tournament Model" Frisbee salute is entirely in order, we feel.
Heresy! Personally I'd favor a disc-golf disc as more true to the original spirit of the flying platter, but if you're going to use a "lid" then the only appropriate model for such memorial purposes is the black Discraft 175g Ultrastar.
Dear Fred, let it R.I.P.
10. [10]
Chris Weigant wrote:
donilo -
Welcome to the site! Your first post was held for moderation, but from now on your comments should post immediately, just FYI. Unless you post more than one link per comment, then it gets held automatically by my comment spam filter.
Your comment deserves more time than I've got tonight to answer it, so allow me to get back to you a bit later. It's a good comment, and it deserves a serious answer, but I want to do it justice.
tinsldr2 -
Actually, I believe it was more the media made a big deal out of the "combat brigade" designation. I think the Obama milestone was more about getting to 50,000 (or less) troops. I could be wrong about that, I'm doing it from memory, but I was always focused on the troop level rather than which troops stayed and which left. But you're right, the media did focus on it at the time, I remember that much. And there was a certain amount of spin emanating from the White House, as I also recall...
I always give Bush credit for the SOFA, and did so at the time (commenter Michale here will testify to that, as he always gives me props for mentioning it). The SOFA had two milestones: Summer '09, all US troops out of Iraqi cities; and End-of-year 2011, all US troops out of Iraq, period. Obama set the 50K level deadline about a month after he took office, and I was glad to see him keep it at the end of August.
I have a question for you which I've been pondering -- how many troops do you think we'll really have in Iraq on New Year's Day 2012?
A - Zero
B - 0-10K
C - 10-20K
D - more than 20K
Right now I'd probably guess B myself, but could see C happening. I doubt it'll be A, they'll need at least a few to guard the embassy, at the very least. But I'm interested to hear what others think.
nypoet22 -
I just got a copy of the movie "Hair" from Santa, and the last scene in the movie is of a bunch of extras running across a lawn in DC. When the movie came out, our favorite game (they freeze-frame this shot for the credits) was to name all the things in the shot that didn't exist in the 1960s. The 150g Master Tournament is fully visible in this scene.
Heh. I'm old school, when it comes to Frisbees. The 150 was the best Frisbee ever made. Frisbee Golf came later... freestyle's where it's at, man.
11. [11]
donilo wrote:
Elizabeth (reply 7
"I have to say that your description of Obama's first couple of years sounds like some pretty generic spin."
Hi Elizabeth,
I'm not sure what you mean by generic. The dictionary def. of generic sticks mostly to items such as drugs, etc. To apply the word to a person or ideas I had to go to the Urban Dictionary, where I found:
1. That party was so f-ing generic.
2. That car is generic.
3. Quit acting generic."
So what I gather is that you think my ideas are either sort of gray or drab (like the party or car), or in a more negative sense, ideas that aren't really worthy of personal interaction, as in "quit acting generic."
If you mean something else let me know.
Interesting that you attach "spin" to generic. Spin usually implies an intent to twist facts or events to fit a certain interpretation - usually for the betterment of the one who is "spinning."
So overall, I'm taking it that you think my ideas are rather gray and drab (I'll choose not to use the more negative one) which I'm using to try to make my position look good. Now that would be a bad move for me, wouldn’t it – I’ve got gray, drab ideas to which I feel I have to alter facts or events in order to fit the gray, drab ideas.
I'll offer a different view. My ideas are subjective. Most, if not all ideas, are. My ideas spring from my past experience and thinking. I have experienced Obama as president for two years, and I've thought a lot about it. My intent here was to present some of my ideas in general (not “in generic”). Are they all factually verifiable? I certainly can't say; they are, after all, only my ideas and opinions.
Have I attempted to twist actual facts or events to make them fit my ideas? As far as I know, Obama did attend Punaho and Harvard. He also worked as a community worker in Illinois. I don't think I've changed those facts. I have an opinion about some ways I feel he was influenced by this background, and offered one way of looking at his community work which was not a "favorable" one. I don't think anyone offering "favorable" interpretations of that work could be more sure of Obama's intent than I. We both have opinions, but Obama himself is the only one who can truly say what he intended and not. For me, I’m sure he had both “favorable” and “less favorable” intentions.
In sum, I feel that you've been basically dismissive of my post. That's your prerogative. I think my ideas have value - I wouldn't have brought them here if I didn't.
If you'll check at the end of my post you'll see where I asked Chris if he's interested in finding a bridge between his views of Obama and the views of many of us who are much more negative about him. So I certainly am open to changing my view. In fact my view of him has shifted constantly over this two-year period.
Chris may or may not reply. He's very busy I'm sure.
I hope I understood your first statement correctly, and I hope I answered your question.
All the best,
12. [12]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
Aren't you glad there are no word limits around here?!
By generic, I simply meant that your description of Obama's first couple of years was very common or standard fare at the Huffington Post. By spin, I meant to suggest that said description with regard to war, climate and class was not entirely based upon the facts.
You can count on the fact that Chris will respond. Get ready for it! :)
13. [13]
Michale wrote:
What "facts" are lacking here??
Although I am nearly certain that Donilo.....
"Welcome to the party, Pal!!!"
-John McClane, DIE HARD
.....and I are diametrically opposed on Obama's war actions, CT actions and Human Caused Global Warming (Yet The Planet Is Cooling) actions, we DO agree that Obama hasn't fulfilled his promises in those regards.
I say that Donilo and I are on opposite sides because I think Obama's actions in these issues are a GOOD thing and, apparently, Donilo does not..
But regardless of this disparity, the FACTS do support Donilo's contention..
There IS criticism of Obama from both the Right AND Left that IS legitimate criticism...
These areas are some of those legitimate criticisms..
14. [14]
Michale wrote:
For anyone who wants to get me a belated XMAS present, here is a good choice.. :D
Just kidding as a present, but I thought it was too hilarious not to share...
15. [15]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
Hey Michale!
What was your final comment tally?
16. [16]
Michale wrote:
211 was the counted total, but I think I had another 20 or so before I actually started to post the count..
Call it 220..... :D
17. [17]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
220, eh? Not bad, not bad at all! I was going to round it up to the nearest 10 anyways. :)
18. [18]
donilo wrote:
Hi Liz,
I've pasted your comment here, and will insert my responses as it goes along.
Aren't you glad there are no word limits around here?!
- I do get wordy. Sorry if it bothers you. (how's that for brevity?) :)
- You seem to want to "define" me by association. I don't visit the HP site often, but I'm sure I've read things that are posted there, e.g. on the DU site. I'm not one who evaluates what I read based on where it's posted. I evaluate it from my own experience and background. If that seems like HP to you, so be it. Is that association positive or negative for you? My impression is that it's negative, since you couple "generic" with what you read there as well.
- I'm not sure which "facts" you're referring to; (one could use the term "generic" to describe this statement). :)
- What would you suggest I do to "get ready" for Chris's response? :) He seems to feel that my post has some value, as he stated in his brief reply. He may agree or disagree with what it contains - that remains to be seen. So yes, I am eager to see how he will respond.
All the best,
19. [19]
Chris Weigant wrote:
Michale -
Before I get to answering donilo here, I just have to ask -- please post a link of more than just the image of the shirt (like, how to buy a few). I busted out laughing when I saw it, and know quite a few people who need one of these.
donilo, you're next, just wanted to separate the silliness from the serious (hint: Michale's the silliness).
20. [20]
Chris Weigant wrote:
donilo -
First off, again, welcome to the site. I have to say I'm impressed that my McLaughlin Awards made such an impression on you that you searched them out again after a year's time. I take that as a compliment, because often I can't remember what I was doing on the internet last Tuesday, myself. I'm not deluding myself that I've risen to some sort of Time magazine Man-Of-The-Year status, but still (ego-wise) it's good to hear, so thanks for that!
Part of putting these yearly columns together is a review of my past year's work (which is time-consuming). I have to say, in general (after reading last year's columns I wrote), Obama's a complex person and I have equally complex and sometimes conflicted views and opinions of him.
I guess what I'm saying, by way of a preface, is don't judge me universally by what gets put into a year-end column (when a season of goodwill towards everyone sometimes descends upon me).
Obama has always struck me as someone who has retained -- throughout the campaign and through two years of presidency -- a rather "blank-canvas" aspect with a wide swath of the public. Onto the tabula rosa known as "Barack Obama," everyone seems to paint the image they hope he is, and then proceed to ignore any facts to the contrary. But I've always seen him as a politician, unlike a lot of people. A good politician, to be sure, but a politician at heart.
In the campaign, especially, a lot of Lefties saw him as some sort of Super-Progressive ("Look! Up in the sky!..."). I wasn't fooled, I watched his Senate votes instead. I predicted the day after either his election or his inauguration (I forget -- I can look it up, if you're interested), that he was going to piss off the Left in a big way, very soon.
Righties, of course, see him as some sort of reincarnation of Marx (or maybe Lenin), which is also a bit removed from the reality of Barack Obama the person (and the politician). To put it mildly.
For me, neither the Knee-Jerk Anti-Obama Lefties nor the Knee-Jerk Anti-Obama Righties have a lot to say to me. From either side, it gets a bit repetitive and boring after a while, and I tend to tune it out.
And I've known his corporatist leanings ever since he picked his economic team. So him giving the store away to Big Business (in all its forms -- Big Banks, Big Oil, etc.) has also come as not much of a surprise.
But I do believe that, at his core, Obama really does believe in bipartisanship for bipartisanship's sake, bizarre as that sounds. Deep down, he really, really belives in the concept. I really think that's at the heart of his continually reaching out to the GOP even when they continue to slap down such overtures. Which is why the lame duck was so fascinating to me, personally, because it was a different dynamic than the past two years.
The problem with the hand Obama was dealt in Congress is that it was set up for Democrat-on-Democrat cage wrestling. The Blue Dogs v. Progressives was really the only battle in town, because the Republicans were so marginalized. The "herding cats" nature of the Democratic Party was fully on display, for all to see. And, as usual, it turned out not to be pretty.
It will be interesting to see how the next Congress plays out, because it is more set up for (1) Tea Party-on-Republican cage matches, and (2) "triangulation" in the Senate. Obama may actually be able to work with this dynamic better than with the Blue Dog/Progressive one, but that remains to be seen.
I also fully believe a lot of the bad feelings on the Left can be laid at Rahm Emanuel's feet. Since he's the biggest name to leave the WH team, we'll see whether this improves next year -- but I already think it has, to some extent.
And I never use the words "foregone conclusion" when it comes to betting that Congress is going to do ANYTHING, just because I know Congress.
I did think Nobel Prize was more than a wee bit premature, and said so at the time. But I was pleased to see Obama draw the Iraq troops down from 140K to 50K. Does anyone think McCain would have done so that fast? And Obama campaigned on "Afghanistan is the 'good war'" so it's not too surprising to see his tripling the troop count there, personally.
Climate -- yeah, Obama's been weak, he prioritized healthcare reform above this, for better or worse.
America -- Obama's been talking about a "Sputnik moment" (search my site for my column on this from a few weeks ago), and I expect this to be a theme of the State Of The Union speech next month.
In any case, to sum up, again: Barack Obama is a complicated guy. As are my feelings towards him and my sober analysis of his record. I write a weekly column here called "Friday Talking Points" (easier to remember than my name:, wherein I award the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week and the Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week weekly awards. I checked the past year, and Obama wound up the year with nine MIDOTW and four MDDOTW awards. So he's running (this year) about 2-to-1 impressive over disappointing. That seems about right to me, looking back at it.
Let me know what you think of all this. My columns are anything but brief, so when I set this website up, I couldn't very well limit the expression of my commenters, so feel free to share your thoughts.
And, other than Obama, which McLaughlin Awards did you agree and disagree with? I'm curious.
21. [21]
Chris Weigant wrote:
Michale [13] -
Give donilo a chance to speak for himself!
Don't just assume what his positions on issues will be, please... give him a chance to state them on his own...
22. [22]
donilo wrote:
Hi Chris,
I appreciate your response and its thoroughness.
To answer your last request, I'll go back and look over your McLaughlin Awards again and get back to you on them.
I hope I never judge you, or anyone for that matter. I'll make judgments for myself as to what to believe or not, but I try not to do it about people.. Thanks for the link to your Talking Points Friday BTW; I'll also look that up.
Like you, I did not ever think Obama was a progressive. During the primaries, as Kucinich seemed less and less likely to be able to muster the necessary votes, I settled on Edwards - mostly because of his promise to do battle with the corporations and his support for the poor. As an aside, we STILL don't hear much about the poor, do we? Of course they're rapidly driving the remainders of the middle class down to the "poor level" on the survival scale. The corporations certainly took notice of Edwards, making concerted efforts to bring him down (well done, media - a bit of sarcasm). After finding out how disingenuously he handled his personal life I'd say it was a good thing they succeeded, sad to say.
At any rate, the primaries became a "pick the least offensive one" affair for me. But as much as I didn't want Clinton in the White House, she did get one thing "right," so to speak, when she said - all he's done is made a speech.
The election was of course a no-brainer, though at times I engaged the fantasy of what might happen to the Republicans if their party was left to deal with Bush's mess. But the thought of McCain, and even worse, Sarah Palin holding the executive reins was too horrible for me to give in to that fantasy.
I hope I'm not being grouped with the Knee-Jerk lefties - I don't think you meant to say that. But I am indeed pretty far to the left - and I've grown moreso as I've gotten older. I know, it's supposed to go the other way around. As for the Tea Partyers et al, I mostly see them as sad products of the TV, commercial pursuits, bigger is better mindset that has taken over so many brains in America. And I didn't even mention Fox "News" there. Ironically they like to spout off at the same time about pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps, when for most of their lives they've been hanging around in T-shirts and slippers, glued to the tube, and swilling down fast food. I know, that's an extreme depiction, but I think you see what I'm getting at.
They too come from very different backgrounds, and unfortunately there are a number of hate groups that hide behind the masses. I won't even begin to go into a depiction of how I see hate group members. Sadly, they're all just people, but in my view extremely misguided people.
As for bipartisanship, it's certainly been no secret that it is a central focus of his presidency. The part I have a hard time with is that given our situation, as a country, as a world and as a planet, it seems hardly the time to "experiment" with a "noble idea" for turning things around. For two years now it has sunk even below a rating of "failure." I can't think of a term that can express it strongly enough. Most people have been calling, crying, begging and demanding that Obama "step up" and get it done. As I said in my original post (I think) he has gotten some things done - it's just that many of them don't seem to make any sense as far as priorities go.
There's no question that matters such as health care and DADT are significant issues. The health care one disgusts me to this day. Obama had sold out to the Insurance Lobby before he was even elected. That makes the few positive things that are connected to the bill whither when compared to what a sweetheart deal it was for those companies. An accomplishment? An extremely tainted one, if you insist on the label.
The DADT, as I said, should have been much more "in the bag." This is why my cynicism comes to the fore when I see it passed nearly in tandem with the god-awful tax break for the rich. Accomplishment? Yes, but why so long in coming, and why at this particular time? Another thought about this is that Obama might have timed this in part as a "favor" to Lieberman, who has certainly been in the dog house of just about all Democrats. Lieberman is a self-proclaimed trojan horse, though there's no disguise left at all :).
I found it interesting to see Obama's moves to the left last summer. I suspected then that this was simply a move to try to corral some of the votes he was losing on the left. I've seen nothing to refute that suspicion since. It was a calculated move, imo, which also leads me to thinking of the timing of DADT as another calculated move.
As for Rahm Emanuel - yes, yuch indeed! But Obama PICKED him, and chose to LISTEN TO HIM. Using Rahm as a scapegoat doesn't cut it for me, and I even find it disrespectful in a way to Obama - implying that he was "led around" by this evil Iago. Perhaps that was the case - i don't think we'll ever know for sure.
I have an objection to your posing climate and health care as a zero sum choice. Both issues need to be addressed. I certainly didn't vote for an administration or a person who could only work on one thing at a time. As it turned out, however, it seemed as though health care was the only issue going on. I know it wasn't, but it sure got blown up to appear that way. That sense was supported by ALL the politicians (save the brave few), and the media (I'll save any media rants for another time and place).
I have heard mention of the Sputnik moment. I don't know much about it, so I'll look forward to your column to help inform me.
As I check out your other site I'll get familiarized with your MIDOTW and MDDOTW ratings :)
My rating for Obama, based on what I consider the weight of his accomplishments to be, is:
- quite a number of small accomplishments - sort of the opposite of death by a thousand cuts
- a few significant accomplishments - of the DADT variety - of which I'm suspicious :)
- some whopper-sized major "accomplishments" which have turned out to be anything but - I'm talking health care and tax reform here, to name two of the biggest.
IMO these major dis-accomplishments stand as bazooka holes blown into our country and our people. The hundreds of band-aids he's applied to other wounds aren't doing much to stop the bleeding from the larger wounds.
I appreciate your time and effort answering my post. I won't make it a habit of making these long posts. I understand how it can annoy people. Perhaps I'll be able to find a different venue within which to contact you with these longer ones.
All the best,
23. [23]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
You may learn that I am not a particular fan of brevity. Though, brevity does have its place. And, the number of words one is using should be directly proportional to the care one takes in choosing them.
I have no intention nor desire to define you. However, you did make reference to ‘third world nation’ which just happens to be a pet phrase of Arianna Huffington and I presumed, incorrectly it seems, that you might be reading too many of her diatribes on the subject. Oh, I kid Arianna and her rants. In any case, I can see now that I should have just described your take on Obama as being very common and left it at that. Sometimes, less is more.
As you are undoubtedly aware by now, one should always “get ready” for Chris’s response by carefully preparing their case and supporting arguments.
24. [24]
Michale wrote:
25. [25]
Michale wrote:
(hint: Michale's the silliness).
Hay now! I resemble that remark!! :D
Give donilo a chance to speak for himself!
His earlier postings seemed to indicate that he was a Progressive type Democrat in the mold of David and you. As such, it's a logical assumption that, while we are both disappointed in Obama, it's for different reasons. What Donilo thinks Obama "failed" on (Climate Change, Gitmo, CT) I think Obama has actually done the GOOD thing, even if it was likely inadvertent. :D..
I took Donilo's general comments and came to a conclusion regarding his position.
"Reasoning from the general to the specific -- is that not the very definition of deduction?"
-Commander Data, STAR TREK:THE NEXT GENERATION, Elementary, Dear Data
Further, Donilo seems to confirm my assumptions in his subsequent post where he said, "But I am indeed pretty far to the left - and I've grown moreso as I've gotten older."
But hay, you know me. If I am wrong, I will gladly admit same with a humble heart and a song on my libs. :D
I understand your caution as that action of mine is probably one of my many annoying traits. :D
I will endeavor to reign that in, in the future...
I am constantly fascinated by these intense feelings that the Left has towards Palin...
Do you honestly believe she would have been a worse VP than Obama has been a POTUS?
When you compare Obama and Palin from an experience perspective, Obama ain't fit to walk on the same ground as Palin (as an aside, it took me a while to come up with a comparison that couldn't be looked on as racist :D)
I think Palin would be an excellent POTUS for her ability to actually connect with REAL Americans and not the snooty (snotty??) intellectual types who love talking about doing things in theory, but when it actually comes time to put the rubber on the road, they are lost.
We have seen that alot the last 2 years with Obama.
Ahhhhhhh.... Common ground. A truly wonderful thing. :D
Tell me, do you think the country is worse off with "CrapCare"?
My take on Obama is simply that he doesn't know how to be a leader. He is learning on the job..
He has made some good calls. His actions towards the hostage rescue against the Somali pirates was grade AAA leadership. His actions with McChrystal was a surprise to me. Surprise insofar as he handled it perfectly. He's made good calls in keeping Gitmo open, keeping and adding to most (if not all) of the Bush Counter-Terrorism policies.
But I can't honestly say whether those are his calls or he is simply deferring to the advisers that make the best argument...
Like CW said, Obama is a blank slate.. It's hard, nay, it's impossible to know whether we are seeing the real Obama or are just reading what someone wrote on his slate...
I am on record as saying that Obama is definitely a one-termer. I can't see him being able to juggle so well that he would please us Independents and NPAs who he lost massively in the mid-terms and also be able to keep his base happy enough to fend off a primary challenge...
I don't think the "hopey changey" strategy is going to work a second time...
It's going to be an interesting 2 years in the run-up to 2012...
26. [26]
Michale wrote:
Freudian slip??? :D
That should read, "and a song on my LIPS"....
27. [27]
donilo wrote:
Hi Chris,
Here's my take on the McLaughlin Awards. You've got a ton of them, and I'll disqualify myself in many of the areas - lol. I'll just mention the ones that caught my eye and interest most.
Best Political Theater:
I don't disagree with the award. I just feel it was a hollow "victory." I'm sure you saw that one coming :)
I was unaware of Governor McDonnell's move - it was indeed brilliant theater.
I also agree about the Koran burning as the worst political theater. That's the kind of guy the KKK would be proud of.
Most Underreported Story
Just a general (not generic :) comment - I feel that a huge amount of the blame for where we find ourselves at this point in time lies at the feet of the 4th estate. Media has been an enormous failure - to the point of treasonous in some cases, imo. We have points of shining light on the internet, as long as the internet is able to withhold the vicious attacks being made to compromise it as well. I fear the worst for the outcome of that battle - but I still hope for better that "worst."
Biggest Government Waste
I'm in agreement with you on these. Waste is America's #1 product. We waste money, resources, the time of our children by providing them with awful public schools, the time and minds of our people with TV programming that is probably 90% useless to damaging, and the waste of our future. I mean, we're still burning COAL!
The education comment doesn't imply I'm for the growth of these Charter Schools. They may have a place, but it should be totally second place to our public schools. We've basically abandoned public education, and we're seeking an "easy way out" by trying to put the charter schools in their place.
Best Government Dollar Spent
It should come as no surprise to you that I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Warren. By far I consider this as one of the genuinely EXCELLENT moves made by Obama. As usual my cynicism creeps in - hoping against hope that he didn't just put her in for a while to "use" her popularity to help himself out. Sometimes I hate being this cynical, but I've been driven to it by the constant disappointments handed out over the last two years. I hope I'm very wrong about this. She is still there, so that's a good sign.
Boldest Political Move
Yes, Murkowski in a landslide!!
Worst Idea
Yes, the Supreme Court decision in another landslide!
15 Minutes of Fame
Sadly, I have to agree with your choice of Jon Stewart. The way he handled that event was vastly disappointing to me. What bothered me most was his buying into the false equivalency of the "far left" being as bad as the "far right." Oh there are some zany folks in the far left, don't get me wrong. But I fail to see how the left (I'm speaking now of the Progressive Left - and a bit to the left of them as well) can begin to be compared with folks like the reverand who brings his group of gay-bashers to funerals - especially of people who died protecting his right to do so. Is what he does illegal? No. But morally reprehensible? You bet.
Jon is a bright man and a successful comedian. I think he should probably stick to that which he does best, and save the more purely political side for his own private endeavors. His show is often brilliant. Give us more of that.
Your Predictions
I agree with your prediction about the 212th Congress. But it's to my horror that I believe it may come true. They certainly may get a lot done; and if it's in the same mold as the tax bill they just passed I'm afraid we're really in for some awful times.
As for 2012 candidates, I think it will come down to who the corporate entities may find interesting and agreeable to them - on both the Democratic and Republican sides. I think we're in for still another "hold you nose and vote" election. And the world continues to get warmer.
Speaking of elections, I predict that there will still be no significant improvement in most election processes. There may be some small improvements on a local or even state level. But I see electronic voting as set in place for a good while to come. I still have hope for the more distant future however.
Well Chris,
Bye-Bye! :)
28. [28]
Michale wrote:
Why exactly is it a "false equivalency"?
For every right-wing loon, I can show you an equal left-wing loon...
"Your good and your evil use the same methods to acheive the same goals."
-Yarnek, STAR TREK, The Savage Curtain
The simple fact is there are good and solid people on both the Left and the Right. Just as there are scumbags and loons on both the Left and the Right. I don't see any evidence that indicates one has any lock on any above and over the other.
This is speaking as a person who is beholden (enslaved???) to neither political Party.. IE an NPA...
Why do you equate such pond-scum as the Reverend LooneyTunes and his ilk with the Right?? Loud, boisterous and obnoxious protesting at soldiers' funerals would seem to be more of a Left wing activity than a Right Wing one.
Given the history of protesting and all....
29. [29]
donilo wrote:
I believe you have a point. It was a mistake on my part to respond to Stewart's posing left and right in the way he did - and my mistake for furthering that posture.
What I should say instead is that Stewart's keeping of the battle in "left-right" terms plays exactly into the corporatist's hands. They sit back and watch people like me take up the same battle, and waste everyone's time on it.
Our main battle, as I see it, is with the corporatocracy itself. We must do something about this in significant ways and soon. I wish I had some quick solutions at hand. I'm somewhat late to the "political thinking" crowd, so it takes me a bit longer to process things at times. I'm learning though.
I'm curious, since you see yourself detached from either party's policies, how you view Obama. You say that you like what he's doing for the most part (in one of your earlier posts). Do you see him aligned in any ways with either or both parties? Or possibly as chiefly a corporatist who goes whichever way politically the wind blows in favor of corporations? Or some other way?
All the best,
30. [30]
Michale wrote:
Now THAT, I can completely agree with it. I apologize if I came across as a little combative. It had appeared to me that you were trying to say that, while the Left may be bad, the Right is much worse. And that's an attitude that really rubs me the wrong way..
It's like two religions fighting, "Catholics are better!!!" "No!! Protestants are better!!"
An assumption of superiority where none exists..
So, once again, my apologies for mis-reading that...
But I completely agree with you that in some cases, the Left vs Right schism is a nefarious smokescreen set up by corporations to misdirect the American public.
David (another commenter here) says much the same thing... I disagree with him (often :D) on WHEN it occurs, but I do agree with him (and you) that it does happen..
Judging from the quality of your posts, you seem to be a very quick learner... :D
That's a real tough call... Not so much for the quick answer. I don't like Obama.. But my dislike comes more from him having made a fool of me than anything else.
I was one of those ones who voted for Obama and was really excited about his presidency. I believe the phrase I used (and used often) was, "It's going to be a heady time to be an American if Obama is elected"....
My support turned to dismay and my dismay turned to disgust.. I thought I had voted for a Jack Ryan, but it turned out I voted for a Richard Nixon.
As far as where Obama is coming from, I really don't view him as a socialist or a communist or a copratist...
I view him as an Obamaist...
Basically Obama does what is good for Obama, whatever that may be at the moment. If Obama thinks that making a tax deal with Republicans will put him ahead in some grand 3-D Chess game, then that's what Obama is.. If Obama thinks he can put himself ahead by being a corpratist, then that's what Obama becomes....
As CW stated, Obama is the consummate politician...
In my dictionary, you can find 'politician' right before 'weasel' and right after 'loser'...
Having said all the afore, I DO agree with some of the decisions that Obama has made.. Mostly in the areas of National Security, CT and military matters.
As you might guess, my background is decidedly military and LEO oriented. So any decision that Obama makes that has the effect of separating a hostage taker's head from the rest of his body is viewed upon favorably by yours truly... :D
Same goes for furthering any sort of CT activity that saves lives.. As for torture, don't EVEN get me started unless yer prepared for a marathon of comments that will likely number in the hundreds. :D
So, in THOSE instances, I applaud the President's actions. But I just don't see that it's really Obama who is making those calls.. I see him as the one who looks 5, 10 or 50 steps ahead and determines whether or not the decision will benefit him...
Clinton was known for his triangulation...
I see Obama moving far beyond that with 'quintigulation'..... It's an old word I just made up... :D
'I don't believe in the Beatles. I just believe in myself.' Good point there, after all he was the walrus. I could be the Walrus, I would still have to bum rides from friends."
-Ferris Beuhler
I honestly believe that Obama doesn't believe in anyone but himself.
31. [31]
donilo wrote:
Hi Michale,
OK, I looked up CT on google, and this is what page 1 gave me:
computed tomography
CAT Scan (CT)
C T Events consists of a team of experienced professionals...
CT - leader in contest logging software
Lexus CT 200h
CT Solutions - your CTI developer partner
I don't think that any of these match your use of CT, so fill me in please :)
Oh yeah, and LEO?
So if I'm getting you right, it sounds like you were focusing on things like Obama's willingness to further our move into Afghanistan, which I believe was known during primary season, when you supported his candidacy. And that matches with your military background.
So if that's accurate, why didn't you support McCain, who would have pushed for even more of a militaristic solution in the Middle East? Or were there other factors besides this point that moved you to support Obama?
Your depiction of him as a self-serving politician does fit with my cynical side, which is now suspicious of practically every move he makes. It's interesting how two people from almost diametrically opposed positions sense the same quality in the man.
Where my take on him goes is that this "political animal" side, coupled with his educational background (one might say privileged - I know Punaho is a very expensive school, though he may have received financial assistance there (likewise Harvard) - to yield a man who sees himself as superior. I haven't read any of the biographies or autobiographies, which are numerous. I guess that puts me at a disadvantage, because I lack certain basic knowledge about his background. I don't think I want to read these books necessarily – instead, I'll look up some background articles.
When I say superior, I mean that he views his high intelligence (undoubtedly there) as something that makes his ideas more valuable than those of others. This then seems to fit with his constant desire to want to hash things out committee-style - a la Senate committees. There he feels sure that his ideas will in fact win the day, given his superior abilities.
When this works for the good it can be very effective, as seen with the accomplishments he does have. But when his ideas fail to work for the good, or for at least improving the situation some, I think he is very reluctant to see his ideas as one of the causes of that. Mind you, this is all intuitive on my part; I'm sure it would bother the heck out of anybody looking for factual back-up. :)
I think his main problem then, is dealing with the power of the presidency. When he was in his other jobs, and also a Senator, no matter which way events would turn his role was as ONE of the contributors to a collective negotiation. As president that situation changes dramatically. All of a sudden his ONE opinion or idea suddenly takes on an unequal importance. That introduces the often talked about "giddiness of power" which can overtake people in positions of power. In another place and another time in history I can see Obama as being very comfortable being "King." He would see himself as a benevolent king, and in many ways that could be the case. In our system I see this "king" role being applied behind the scenes in tandem with the powerful military role in our government. Obama has increasingly taken the role of Commander in Chief very much to heart. But of course behind the military power in our country, as well as political power, lie the corporations.
So arguments of Republican/Democrat, socialist/neo-con, religious/atheist, etc. deflect from the point. The point being - where is the power? The answer (imo) – in the corporations. Not a "conspiracy of corporatists" plotting together in hidden rooms (though some of that may certainly go on at a smaller level), but a systemic affirmation for corporations to be in charge - made by all of us. The military and government are our institutions which carry it out.
I believe we are caught up in a national “abusive cycle.” We are trapped in a closed system where corporations hold the power, the control of the agencies that carry out their wishes (government and military), and the ability to shut off contact outside of the system (via their control of media). It is this last area that contains our strongest hope for breaking the system open. How does one break abusive cycles? The simple and most direct start of that process is to SHOUT OUT about the abuse. Bring it into the open; don't shove it under the rug.
So I guess that’s why I’ve entered the “political talk crowd” – to add to the shouts about our abuse.
I got wordy again. ?
All the best,
32. [32]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
Your take on President Obama and what has influenced him is fascinating.
I wonder if your thinking on all of this was influenced by the near collapse of the global financial system and the most destructive economic crisis since the Great Depression ... and by how the Bush and Obama administrations reacted to it.
Also, given your view of what makes Obama tick, I'd be very interested in knowing if you have an opinion as to why he might have chosen Senator Biden to be at his side during what promised to be a presidency steeped in critical and difficult challenges, domestically and internationally.
33. [33]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
Are you familiar with President Obama's Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy and how it is ... how shall I say ... progressing?
Oh, and try googling CT in that context ...
34. [34]
donilo wrote:
I can see that in some way you want to make a contribution to my knowledge about things politic, things about Obama - his choices and policies, and the Bush/Cbeney administration's fiasco (for us, not them). I also get the sense that you have a great deal of experience and knowledge in these matters.
The problem I have with your responses is that they all seem to be heavily dipped in sarcasm and a patronizing attitude. I know I'm newer at this then some. Yet Chris and Michale have both entered into discussion with me to some extent, and I haven't gotten this feeling from either of them. Michale, who has agreed with me that we have many differences of opinion, has taken me for who I am, and seems accepting of that.
You, on the other hand, seem most interested in what I'm not; I'm not knowledgeable enough, I don't present all or mostly fact-checked ideas, I'm not aware enough of the conditions of our country or world to make intelligent enough statements, and I'm not familiar enough with acronyms that are used.
I'm always ready and eager to learn, but I'm not ready or eager to be patronized or treated sarcastically. If this is the only way you can communicate with me, then I ask if you will please stop.
Thank you.
All the best,
35. [35]
Michale wrote:
Apologies.. I lapse into slang a lot.
CT is Counter Terrorism.
LEO is Law Enforcement Officer.
And, just in case, I use it down the road, FSO is Federal Security Officer. :D
Definitely other factors. While I was closer to McCain on most of my Hot Button issues, he seemed to promise "same ol, same ol".. As I put it during the 2008 Elections,
"It's a win-win for me. If Obama wins, this country will be heading in an entirely new direction and it's going to be a heady time to be an American. If McCain wins, while it might be same ol same ol domestically, there will be some countries whose asses will be kicked that seriously need kicking."
Even though I knew Obama had absolutely zero leadership experience I felt, at the time, that that might actually be a plus, considering the kind of man that I thought Obama was. As I mentioned before, I took Obama for a "Jack Ryan" type person. Ryan is the protagonist in many Tom Clancy novels who, in the series of books, rose from a lowly CIA analyst to become President Of The United States.
It was this kind of potential I saw (or maybe, more accurately, hoped for) in Obama...
Exactly the point I made earlier.. :D
As to the rest of your analysis, it's so damn accurate, it's scary... I think you have nailed quite precisely the exact factors that are at work in Obama...
I have oft commented that Obama seems to be incapable of admitting his ideas are bad. Oh sure, he has said, "we were wrong" or "we were mistaken", we this and we that...
I don't think I have ever heard him say, "*I* was wrong." or "*MY* idea was a bad one"... Even after the shellacking the Dems took in the mid-terms, he simply could not admit that his ideas are bad ones. It was all about how he had failed to present the ideas properly..
As you point out, a Senator with such an attitude can do very little damage because he is simply one of many..
Even as President, it's possible to have such an attitude and STILL be effective. The key there would be to surround yourself with people you respect, but often disagree with..
I was a platoon CO during Desert Storm and I always made it a point to have as my 2nd, a person who was competent but that often disagreed with me. Why?? Because I knew that he would counter-balance the worst of my tendencies and compliment the best of my tendencies.
If Obama had done that, if he had surrounded himself with people who had the cajones to say, "Look boss, yer wrong and here's why", then this country would be well on it's way to recovery.
Unfortunately for the country, Obama surrounded himself with people who simply fed the worst of his ego. In other words, Obama chose a "King's Court" and not advisers....
Obama kinda reminds me of the Greg Stilson character in the movie version of THE DEAD ZONE, without the religious megalomania, of course. :D He (Stilson/Obama) is right and that is all there is too it...
Basically, as I see Obama has 2 rules.
1. Obama is always right.
2. If Obama is ever wrong, rule #1 comes into play.
That's our President in a nutshell..
And, sadly enough, I think the only way that Obama will change is if there is a catastrophic failure of leadership that is so devastating to this country and so blatantly clear that it's Obama's fault. It would be like a slap in the face to Obama.
In other words, another 9/11 that is undeniably due to a mistake on Obama's part.
I think THAT is the only way that Obama could ever take a good long look in the mirror and finally admit to himself, "Maybe it IS me."....
As far as corporations go while I be the first to admit that one would be hard pressed to find a corporation that is a paragon of virtue, I tend to be a cup-is-half-full kinda guy. Many of the things that has made this country the only remaining superpower have been brought to us by corporations..
In other words, I look at the good that corporations have done and see that as a counter-balance to the bad..
And I also don't see them as the totally in control entities that you and David appear to see them as. But, I readily admit, that could simply be my ignorance of economic and high-end business matters...
But if there is a cabal of corporations bent on controlling this country, then the solution is simple..
Political leaders who have the moral cajones to take the country back..
I thought Obama was that political leader...
I was wrong...
I got wordy again. ?
Naaaw.... :D These kinds of discussions are one of the reasons I stick around here... That and the fact that CW allows my Trek geekdom to flourish.. :D
36. [36]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
Political discussions are not for the timid or for the overly sensitive and unduly defensive - especially during the paticular political and media culture within which we live. Well, at any time, really. :)
Wish I could say that it's been a pleasure ...
37. [37]
donilo wrote:
Ms. Miller
Choosing to deal with emotional bullies has nothing to do with being timid. No matter how much you may know about politics, it means nothing to me if you constantly need to put me down, or "in my place."
Bullies usually see their targets as weak, too sensitive, and too afraid to stand up to the bullying.
I have merely asked you to be civil with me. From the outset you have tried to set the "ground rules" for how I should post. You have added to that attempt here, in your usual sarcastic manner. I have no need of sarcastic people in my life. I have no shortage of people with whom I have lively discussions that include differences of opinion. These conversations go on without any of us trying to "lay down the rules" or "put the other person down."
As for your lack of pleasure, I'm only too glad to have not rewarded your tactics in dealing with me.
Good luck to you,
38. [38]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
Yes, well ... I'm the resident emotional bully around here, constantly laying down the ground rules on how we should post and never missing an opportunity to put my fellow posters down and in their proper place.
There's at least one in every crowd, you know ...
Incidentally, who were you quoting in comment 37? Just curious ...
39. [39]
donilo wrote:
Hi Michale,
Thanks for the acronym update :)
Now to get to some of what underlies our differences. You have a military background, and you value the accomplishments and service of those you fought with in the service. That, of course, is to be fully appreciated and understood. I didn't have any war experience when I was in the army, but I was in contact with enough people to get the sense of the type of camaraderie that is vital - especially in life and death situations.
But I ask if you'll step back for a minute from the intense practicalities war imposes. Let’s view why the leadership of our country engages in wars in the first place. The reasons are usually varied, depending on the situation. But one theme seems to pervade all of them: territory and power. No matter who starts a war or who is brought into one, the resultant "treaty" displays either the real goals of the initiating country, or as the case may be if the challenged country "wins the war," the disquiet that fills the initiator's populace and ruling entities afterwards.
Take the first Iraq war and the Viet Nam war as examples. After Hussein invaded Kuwait we engaged in a brief and extremely effective war with Iraq, fairly well wiping out all resistance in a very short period of time. The resultant state of affairs (an ersatz treaty of sorts) was illustrated best by the long period of sanctions held over Iraq. The result was virtual complete subjugation of Iraq. That’s pretty powerful.
The Viet Nam war ended far differently, with troops being hauled out, sometimes from rooftops, by helicopters to escape the occupying forces. The ensuing years of “depression” in America – we couldn’t even bring ourselves to take care of the soldiers who had been forced to fight in the war – displays the extreme disquiet in the American populace. This led, imo, to the eventual election of Reagan, more immediate causes notwithstanding.
Territory and control aren’t unique to human beings. The very cycle of life depends upon one form of life “ingesting,” if you will, another form in order to stay alive. We call that eating. War is seen by many as simply an extension of that basic fact of biology.
In my book, however, war is the most extreme visitation that exists of power and death of one country upon another. The “spoils” of war go way, way beyond survival in a biological sense. For any instance of killing to survive you can find many, many more instances where life is enhanced through cooperation and mutual support. That is ideally the condition we strive for in our communities and on a larger scale in our country.
So to me, war is the representation of stark failure on the part of people to investigate beyond the most destructive form to find a way for people to both survive and coexist. And it is upon wars that empires are created.
We clearly live in a country that has really been an empire for a long time. That’s one of the reasons our presidents increasingly act like kings. Both Bush and Obama have reserved the right to have ANYONE, including an American citizen, killed upon their directive. If that isn’t “kingship” in its worst form I don’t know what is. And it is a total abandonment of the grounding of our republic within the right of habeas corpus. That right has turned into a laughing stock for recent administrations.
And what keeps the American Empire going? Bottom line – money. And most of the money is lodged in the coffers of corporations, who then use it to “pick” the candidates, who in turn pay the corporations back with governmental actions that they like. Corporations like, no, they love war. Just view the profits made during the last ten years alone.
Does that mean all corporations are evil? Of course not, and as you say corporations are responsible for multitudes of “good” things that are part of our society.
It’s when the focus of a given corporation moves beyond whatever contributions it may make to society that the trouble begins. As a company gains more and more power due to its resources, it can, and often does, begin a cycle of wanting to “watch the interest on its resources expand exponentially” – like in a bank account.
There’s a reason Teddy Roosevelt engaged in “trust busting.” He realized the power of all the money the tycoons of his day had under their control. IMO he fit the bill for the type of president you’re looking for – someone with cajones to stand up and fight.
But the corporations have had a lot of practice, and they learn from their “mistakes.” Corporate control is now evidenced by the enormous percentage of politicians under their thumb and the enormous percentage of media that they control. And it’s displayed more and more blatantly to the public. Just recall Henry Paulson standing at the microphone virtually dictating the terms of the bankers’ hostage demands to Congress and to the American people. What an ugly, ugly scene that was.
Perhaps now you can see why we differ in our views on war (though you already may have seen :)). You see it as a “necessary evil,” I think, while I see it as a very unnecessary evil. It won’t surprise you to know that I believe that 9/11 was a false flag operation. I don’t engage in discussions about who and why and how, because frankly the possibilities are far too numerous and complex. My hope for some clarification is that the folks at will succeed in making it evident to the world that the three buildings at the WTC were brought down via demolition. Then let whatever arguments about who, why, and how ensue. So I see our entry into these wars we have today as totally trumped up. The Iraq situation is well documented already. But even the first attacks on Afghanistan, almost universally supported (reluctantly, even by me) as a way of getting Osama bin Laden into custody, were trumped up. I can easily imagine bin Laden as being a part of whatever plan was in play. But I can’t buy the official story of 9/11 for a minute.
I’d better stop here. I’m out of breath. :)
All the best,
40. [40]
donilo wrote:
Your sarcasm knows no end, doesn't it?
And no, I made no quotes. I used quotation marks - an overused bad habit of writing I have.
41. [41]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
Actually, donilo, you ain't seen nothing yet! :)
42. [42]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
I’d better stop here. I’m out of breath. :)
I'm afraid that's not the only thing you're out of.
43. [43]
Chris Weigant wrote:
donilo, Elizabeth -
OK, guys, I go away for one morning to take the car into the dealer, and look what happens.
I think we all need to take a deep breath, get in the spirit of the season, and calm down a little bit. Attack ideas -- and not each other, folks.
Just because of this, I'm going to post a special column today I came across in riffling through the archives...
For now: play nice!
44. [44]
Michale wrote:
Sorry it took so long to respond.. An off the cuff response simply would not have been appropriate here.
If I may condense your entire post to one summation, it appears to me you are trying to say that co-operation and mutual support works better than conflict and subjugation each and every time..
Assuming that is your position, I have to say that I completely agree with you...
With one caveat...
Such co-operation and mutual support is ONLY possible if everyone feels and thinks the same way...
Let me give you an example as drawn from, what else, Star Trek...
A Star Trek novel called PERRY'S PLANET deals with this theme.. In the novel, Captain Perry, who was the leader of a colony on an earth like planet, introduced a virus into the colony that shut down bodily functions any time a person became angry or violent. Over the centuries, such emotions were simply phased out of the colonists..
So, they had a colony that was completely free of anger, violence and other destructive emotions...
Except there was a small percentage of the colonist population that was immune to the virus effects.. This small group of violent thugs were allowed to prey on the general population at will because the colonists simply could not fight back...
So, the moral??
For such a utopia of mutual support and co-operation to work, EVERYONE must feel the same way about things...
As long as you have people or countries or regimes that feel they have the right to take by force, others MUST have the ability to resist.. By force, if necessary..
Like many many things in this world, force and violence are not evil actions in and of themselves..
It's how they are applied that determines whether they instruments of good or evil.
Comments for this article are closed. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17965 | From CopperWiki
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Greenwash (a portmanteau of green ideologies and whitewash) is a term that is used to describe a company, industry, government, politician or any organisation that advertises positive environmental practices while acting in the opposite. It is the unjustified appropriation of environmental virtue to create a pro-environmental image, sell a product or a policy, or to try and rehabilitate their standing with the public and decision makers after being embroiled in controversy.
[edit] Why should I be aware of this?
Consumers have started sending strong environmental signals through their purchasing, thereby compelling the economy to clean up its environmental act. As consumers rely on advertising and other corporate messaging to determine their purchasing choices, greenwash is misleading and undermines their confidence in advertising.
Greenwashing is misleading and attempts to deceive us. Moreover if one company gets away with greenwashing, other corporations will follow suit, thereby creating an industry-wide illusion of environmental sustainability. We as consumers will continue to use products and support such companies.
[edit] All about greenwash
The term came into use in the early 1990s, most notably as the title of an article in the 1991 March/April issue of Mother Jones magazine. The 10th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines Greenwash as “disinformation disseminated by an organisation so as to present an environmentally responsible public image”.
The US-based watchdog group CorporateWatch describes Greenwash as “the phenomena of socially and environmentally destructive corporations, attempting to preserve and expand their markets or power by posing as friends of the environment”. This definition was shaped by the group’s focus on corporate behaviour and the rise of corporate green advertising. However, governments, political candidates, trade associations and non-government organisations have also been accused of Greenwashing.
The term is generally used when significantly more money or time has been spent advertising being green, rather than spending resources on environmentally sound practices. This is often portrayed by changing the name or label of a product to give the feeling of nature; for example, putting an image of a forest on a bottle of harmful chemicals. Environmentalists often use Greenwashing to describe energy companies, which are traditionally the largest polluters.
[edit] Determining claims
Five years after Rio, Greenpeace suggested some criteria for determining whether business claims are “green” or just “Greenwash”. While accepting that there will never be a perfect litmus test for Greenwash, and in the hope of encouraging greater public debate on the issue, Greenpeace offered the following four-point “CARE” checklist.
“CARE” stands for Core business, Advertising record, Research & development (R&D) funding, and Environmental lobbying. A corporation which fails on any of the four tests below is probably in the Greenwash business.
[edit] Core business
If a company's core business is based primarily on an activity that has been identified as significantly contributing to environmental pollution or destruction, there is a strong presumption that any assertions that it supports environmentally sustainable development are Greenwash.
For example, oil and coal companies, whose products have been determined by UN scientists to be the largest source of man-made greenhouse gases, are by definition engaged in an environmentally unsustainable business. Scientists tell us that each ton of coal or barrel of oil burned, adds to the risk of dangerous climate change. In short, there is a fundamental contradiction between the environmental (and legal) requirement to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2), and the production and sale of increasing quantities of coal and oil, the main sources of CO2.
[edit] Fundamental contradiction
Similarly, forestry companies which log in ancient forests, the richest terrestrial reservoirs of biodiversity on the planet, make it almost impossible to implement the commitments made by 165 countries to protect species in the 1992 International Convention of Biological Diversity. Currently, it is estimated that 50 to 100 species become extinct each day, and forest clearing is a major contributor. This is another example of how a core business can be in fundamental contradiction with a sustainable environment.
In some cases, companies with a highly destructive core business have launched or expanded initiatives for cleaner or less destructive processes and products. Oil companies moving into solar energy is an example. However, Greenpeace believes that such measures warrant the “Greenwashing” tag unless the parent company publicly acknowledges the fundamental unsustainability of the core business, and makes a serious commitment to phasing out of those activities and towards the cleaner business within a near-term timeframe.
[edit] Advertising practice
Corporate advertising budgets can be huge and their effects on shaping consumer behaviour are enormous. It is understood that at least 10 corporations have annual advertising budgets of over US$1 billion each. Collectively, global advertising budgets run into many billions of dollars, significantly more than most governments and corporations spend on environmental improvement. This fact alone justifies continuous and detailed public scrutiny of the advertising practices and claims of industry.
With this power goes a responsibility that cannot be regulated by local advertising standards alone. Corporations must assume the responsibility for informing the public about the environmental impacts of buying and using their products. Many public opinion polls show that consumers would like to be given a wider choice in products, and are even prepared to pay more for “greener” products.
The “Greenwash” tag applies to any corporation that uses the media to make environmental claims about one or more of its cleaner products, while continuing “business as usual” practices which rely, for example, on large amounts of natural capital, are energy intensive or inefficient, or which involve production and release of toxic chemicals. Use of the media by corporations for public debate about whether certain practices are more or less sustainable may represent a genuine attempt to inform and educate. However, where large advertising budgets and slick campaigns appear to justify maintenance of “business as usual” practices which have been widely questioned by environmental scientists, the “Greenwash” tag might also be applicable.
[edit] Research and development
Large corporations frequently have large funds set aside for R&D. These are used to identify and bring into production new products and manufacturing processes. Here, the Greenwash test is to what extent these budgets are allocated to developing practices which are more sustainable, or are simply reinforcing old, unsustainable practices. In view of the size and purpose of these funds, which can easily amount to many millions of dollars, and the fact that a high proportion of the world's scientists now work for industry, there is a special opportunity for use of corporate R&D in the development of cleaner technologies.
For example, a paper manufacturing corporation which spends most, or all, of its R&D budget on developing a closed cycle production process which eliminates use of chlorine, minimises use of water and energy, and avoids use of old growth forest as feedstock is moving in the right direction.
[edit] Environmental lobbying record
Corporations that say one thing, and do another, do the entire business sector an injustice. For example, a corporation that projects itself as in favour of pollution reduction loses all credibility if, at the same time, it actively lobbies against measures that are designed to reduce pollution.
By contrast, a responsible corporation will use its name and experience to lobby in favour of policies and practices that reduce pollution. Greenpeace has applauded, and even worked with, groups of businesses serious about developing better environmental standards and urging their adoption by government or industry associations.
[edit] 90 degrees
• “Green is green as in the color of money,” said Judy Hu at General Electric. “It is about a business opportunity, and we believe we can increase our revenue behind these Ecomagination products and services.”
• In December 2005, the New York Times noted that corporations, including Ford, Exxon Mobil, BP, General Electric and Alcan, “appear to be spending ever-bigger chunks of their advertising budgets to promote” what critics call Greenwashing. New ad campaigns from WPP, Omnicom Group, and Interpublic Group tout corporate “environmental do-goodism”.
• “Oil companies, under attack for reaping windfall profits from soaring fuel prices, are trying to position themselves as part of the solution to energy problems rather than the cause. Manufacturers of fuel-efficient automobiles, jet engines or other green products are recognizing that they can burnish their image even as they promote their products. And companies in all industries are trying to make socially conscious investors and customers comfortable about buying their products and shares.”
• In January 2006, Bloomberg reported that a recent ad Ford claims it is “dramatically ramping up its commitment” to more environmentally friendly cars. “Left unstated in Ford’s recent ads: In 2003, the No. 2 U.S. automaker after General Motors, dropped its promise to increase average fuel efficiency on its sport utility fleet. In 2004, the company joined other automakers in suing to block a California law that would limit emissions of gases linked to global warming. And even if Ford meets its goals, low-emission hybrids by 2010 would make up less than 4 per cent of the company’s fleet.” Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s attorney general, called some of Ford’s claims “questionable”, telling Bloomberg, “They're definitely exploiting the fashion of environmentally friendly vehicles.”
• Another example of Greenwashing is the American government’s Clear Skies Initiative, originally proposed in 2002, which environmentalists claim weakens air pollution laws. The Clear Skies legislation was set up to create a mandatory programme that would dramatically reduce power plant emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury by setting a national cap on each pollutant. However, although the plan caused some net reductions in pollution, environmentalists believe many communities would still be threatened by more pollution.
[edit] References
• Kenny Bruno, “The Greenpeace Guide to Greenwash”, Greenpeace International, 1992
• Bob Burton, “A Beginner's Guide To Greenwash”, Mining Monitor, July 2000
• Joshua Karliner, “A Brief History of Greenwash”, CorpWatch, March 22, 2001
• Greenpeace
• Chris MacDonald and Melissa Whellams, “What is Greenwashing, and Why is it a Problem?”
• “Greenwash!” David Beers and Catherine Capellaro, (1991) Mother Jones, March/April:88
• Landor
• Brandweek – ‘Companies Find It's Not Easy Marketing Green,’ July 24, 2006, by Wendy Melillo and Steve Miller
• The New York Times, December 22, 2005: Media: Advertising; “It’s Getting Crowded on the Environmental Bandwagon,” by Claudia Deutsch |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17983 | Andrew Fuller Friday: On Fasting and Other Duties
Fasting, and Other Duties
Matthew 6:16-34
Our Lord’s discourse is not designed to amuse his disciples with curious disquisitions, but to direct them as to their daily walk, partly in their approaches to God, and partly in their conversation with the world.
Ver. 16. “Moreover, when ye fast,” &c. Fasting is supposed to be the ordinary practice of the godly. Christ does not make light of it, but merely cautions them against its abuses. There has doubtless been much formality and hypocrisy in some who have attended to it; but it does not follow that the thing itself should be neglected. It is an appendage to prayer, and designed to aid its importunity. It is humbling, and in a manner chastising, ourselves before God. The spirit of it is expressed in the following passages—“So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.” “Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor slumber to mine eye-lids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.” No mention is made of the time, or how often the duty should be attended to. It seems to be proper on various occasions, especially when, as the Scripture phrase is, we “set ourselves to seek the Lord.” It is only a means, however; if rested in as an end, it will be an abomination in the sight of God. In the direction of our Lord concerning it, respect is had to the principle of things rather than to the things themselves. A sad countenance, if it be expressive of a sad heart, and in our secret approaches to God, has nothing in it improper. The evil consists in counterfeit sadness and ostentatious grief. Whatever be your concern of mind, make no show of it before men, but rather appear, when in company, as at other times. Let all be between thyself and thy Father, who seeth in secret.
Ver. 19, 20. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures,” &c. The Lord here proceeds to a variety of counsels, and all upon things in common life. The inhabitants of this busy world are taken up in accumulating something which may be called their own, and in setting their hearts upon it rather than upon God. So common is this practice, that, provided they do not injure one another, it insures commendation rather than reproach. “Men will praise thee when thou doest well to thyself.” Hence we are in greater danger of this sin than of most others. In opposition to this, we are directed to “lay up treasures in heaven.” Not that the heavenly inheritance is the reward of our doings; but, believing in Christ, and setting our affections on things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, every thing we do in his name, whether it be to the poor, or any others, for his sake, turns to our account. Heavenly enjoyment accumulates, as we in this way make much of it. It is thus that, in “giving alms, we provide ourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens which faileth not.” Men commonly choose a safe place to lay up their treasure. It is said that many millions, during the late depradations on the continent, have been placed in the English funds; and no wonder. But still there is nothing secure in this world. If we would place our treasure in a bank where no marauder cometh, it must be “hid with Christ in God.”
From this passage, some have seriously concluded that it is forbidden us in any case to add to our property. To be consistent, however, they should not stop here, but go on to “sell what they have and give it to the poor;” for the one is no less expressly required than the other. But this were to overturn all distinctions of rich and poor, and all possession of property, which is contrary to the whole current of Scripture. To lay up “treasures upon earth” is to trust in them, or make them our chief good, instead of using them as a means of glorifying God and doing good in our generation. This is evident from the reason given against it, that “where our treasure is, there will our heart be also.” The Lord prospered David; yet David’s treasures were not in this world. On the contrary, he was distinguished from “men of this world, who had their portion in this life;” declaring, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness.” If, however, our treasure be in heaven, we shall not be eager to lay up worldly wealth; but rather to lay out that which God intrusts in our hands for promoting the good of his cause, and the well-being of mankind.
Ver. 22–24. “The light of the body is the eye,” &c. Our Lord here seems to illustrate and enforce the principle on which he had all along proceeded; namely, the importance of pure design or right motive in every thing we do. This, to the soul, is that which a clear sight of the eye is to the body. A single eye has but one object, and this is God.* It is opposed to an evil eye. The one is expressive of that spirituality of mind, which, as the apostle says, “approves the excellent,” Phil. 1:10. The other is a mind blinded by the love of the world, or other corrupt affections, by which the judgment, which should be the guide of the soul, becomes dark, and leads it into evil. Thus the gospel is rejected, and some false doctrine received instead of it; and thus religion, by which men hope to find their way out of their labyrinths, serves only to bewilder them more and more, till at length they plunge into perdition. To show the importance of a single eye, it is added, “No man can serve two masters,” &c. He that has his eye partly on God and partly on mammon, wishing to grasp both worlds, will deceive his soul. He may lose both; or if not, he will certainly lose the kingdom of God. Our minds must be supremely set on him, and the world must be sought only in subserviency to him. Two masters we cannot serve.
Ver. 25. “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life,” &c. This affectionate dissuasive from worldly anxiety is supposed to be the natural consequence of what had been spoken. It is as though he had said, Seeing you cannot serve two masters, serve the Lord; and as you must not look two ways, let your eye be single; keeping one great end in view, and treating every thing else as a secondary or subordinate object. The command, “Take no thought,” may seem to be inconsistent with that diligence in business which the Scriptures commend, and which is necessary to the providing of things honest in the sight of God and man. Certain it is that this cannot be done without thought; but the word here used is expressive of anxious solicitude. It does not mean every care, but the care which groweth of distrust. It becomes us, after using all lawful means, to be anxiously careful for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, to let our requests be made known unto God.
Ver. 26–34. To enforce the most entire confidence in our heavenly Father, we are reminded that, having done the greater, he will do the less (he has given us our lives and our bodies; and the life is more than meat, and the body more than raiment)—that he provides for the fowls of the air, which, without anxiety, receive their food at his hand—and that all our fretfulness is unavailing; for, however we may think to raise ourselves by it, we can accomplish nothing beyond the will of God, any more than we can add to our stature. And as to dress, God clothes the lilies, without any solicitude on their part, so as to cause them to surpass us all in finery. To be anxious concerning what we shall eat, what we shall drink, and wherewithal we shall be clothed, is heathenism, and more suited to men who live without God in the world than to the children of the Most High. All such anxiety and distrust must proceed on the principle that God either does not know our wants, or that he careth not for us. Let it suffice us, therefore, to be told that “our heavenly Father knoweth that we have need of all these things.” Seek those things first which axe of the first importance. Take care of God’s interest, and God will take care of yours. The ills of the time present are sufficient for us, without calling in those of futurity. God has promised strength for the day, but no more: the evils which we bring in from the morrow, we must bear ourselves.
Excerpt from: “Sermon on the Mount,” in Illustrations of Scripture.
Fuller, A. G. (1988). The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc. (J. Belcher, Ed.) (Vol. 1, pp. 583–585). Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/17993 | Wednesday, August 03, 2016
Is that one blog post or five? Use your listicles to create more content
I nearly made this mistake the other day, but I caught myself. I had a great, meaty, long blog post with five killer tips in it. A great headline. Pertinent picture. Stellar content. And then, as I looked it over one more time, it hit me: I was looking at five short, meaty blog posts, not one long one. Maybe six if I rounded them all up once the five were published.
Don't get me wrong. I love a listicle, the modern-day name for an old magazine content staple (I started out in the magazine world, back in the Pleistocene era). But you can have your listicles and your extra blog posts, too, you know.
Here's how: Just carve up that lovely meaty blog post into its component parts and make it into a series. If you're smart, you wrote a good intro paragraph that can be used with adjustments to introduce each of the shorter posts and establish them as part of a series. Then space them across your queue of scheduled posts. Later, perhaps a month or two later, collect them all back into a listicle with less copy and links back to all the short posts.
That's it. World's simplest antidote to your empty or skimpy queue of blog posts. And, if you're clever like me and have the right kind of other blog, you write a post like this one about writing posts like those. That makes seven for me. How about you? You can read more about my penchant for wringing out your existing content to get dozens of blog posts to get more ideas.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18019 | Tuesday, January 22, 2008
live catch for sale
yesterday, I went to the supermarket and I was looking around for meat. I get to pass by different aquariums with live fish being sold. but when I reached one of the aquariums, I noticed this. hmmm... all the other fish in the same aquarium are alive except the one closest to the sign.
1 comment:
honey said...
hahhha, the irony of it,
so funny,
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18038 | Sunday, June 8, 2014
Fit-Pic: What Your Legs Look Like After a Trail Run
It was a tough choice, but my dirty legs won over my Tyrannosaurus Rex-looking arms (apparently my arms don't look normal when I run trails) when it comes to the image I'd prefer to remember in conjunction with today's 10K Spring Runoff. Not that I expected to be clean after running 6.8 miles across Vail's trails, but I never thought my legs would be covered with so much dirt. That was what last week's Mudderella was for--when I still found mud all over my body after splashing into the Hat Trick obstacle's pool and after showering in the Rinse & Revive area.
The Runoff's course didn't even seem that muddy, dusty or dirty--plus I'm so slow when it comes to running down the trail that I couldn't have been kicking up that much dirt. But one glance at my lower half at the finish line and I was sorely mistaken. Instead of being sweaty, and caked in the white salty residue I'm accustomed to after most warm-day races, my legs had acquired a shade of brown that no summer tan could ever match.
Do your legs look this dirty after you've been running on the trail?
As for my T-Rex arms, I'm the poster child for those T-Rex Hates Pushups T-shirts. You'll have to come back to see those because I'm too embarrassed to post them anywhere but a race report.
1. My legs had acquired a shade of brown that no summer tan could ever match.get more info
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18041 | Found on the Web
We Surf So You Don't Have To
Everyone’s favorite anti-terrorism campaign is now a set of trading cards! That’s right, you can get Topps’ Enduring Freedom set of 91 trading cards. You and your friends can exchange George Bush for Osama bin Laden or Colin Powell for Rudolph Giuliani. Imagine the fun you’ll have! |
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When you have sustained a critical back injury, your doctor may prescribe you a lumbar-sacral orthosis with an L0633 medical billing code. A medical billing code is used by insurance companies so they can monitor what kind of treatment is being received by the patient, so they know how much to pay out. For the L0633, this code identifies lumbar-sacral orthosis' (back braces) which have a specific set of features. (see features below)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18061 | The 5 Signature Dishes of Singapore
Singapore was colonized by the British in 1819. Since then, the country was founded to have a more diverse culture because of world markets and major multinational corporations. Aside from the influences from the West, the country is also rich of having an influential culture from Malay, Chinese, Indonesian, and Indian.
What the travellers always ask about Singapore are the best cuisines. The Malay influence always serve meals with rice; Chinese serve noodles; Indonesian and Indian serve cuisines with best native spices; and the Western serve seafood. In combination of above all, the country tastes good. Here are some of the best:
1. Hainanese Chicken Rice
If you are a traveller, and your tummy wants to grab an easy-to-cook lunch, well here’s for you. Chicken is tenderly steamed and the rice is cooked in chicken stock. This is considered as one of the national dishes which was adapted from the early Chinese immigrants from Hainan province in Southern China.
1. Chilli Crab
Crab shells may not be easy to eat but it can assure you that it is delicious. Chilli Crab is a hard-shell crab which is cooked in a semi-thick gravy with tomato chilli base. To let people enjoy it more, the shells are partially cracked and stir-fried in a paste of chilli sauce, ketchup, and eggs.
1. Laksa
Many of those people who are allergic to shrimps still eat it because of its best taste. Laksa is a dish from Chinese and Malay. Laksa is made up of rice noodles in a spicy coconut curry soup added with shrimp, fish cakes, egg, and chicken meat. Cockles and tofu puffs are sometimes added to this dish to make it more special.
1. Barbecued Stingray
This dish is originated from the streets along the country. Barbecued Stingray is one of the most popular seafood cuisine served at hawker stalls. A thick sambal sauce is garnished to it. It is a spicy condiment with tomatoes, chillies, and shrimp paste as base ingredients. Barbecued Stingray is wrapped in a banana leaf cooked slowly on a grill.
1. Fish Head Curry
Fish Head Curry is a huge fish head mixed with vegetables cooked in a curry and served with either rice or bread. This is best served together with a glass of lime juice. Originated from the South India, with both Chinese and Malay influences. Fish Head Curry has another version which is to add tamarind juice to give a sweet and sour taste.
The country still has a lot of best dishes to make you say “the best”. Don’t waste your money eating just your favourite. Try something you can only taste once. The world has a lot flavors: from Chinese cuisines to Indonesian; Indonesian to Malay; Malay to Indian; and Indian to Western, we create a world of flavors. Rice, bread, or noodles, they still create a delicious cuisine. So, you, travellers, need not to worry about your stomach, because wherever you may go, there will always be food on your tables. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18074 | Dear Pip,
My sweet whirlwind-of-a-daughter.
Every single night, before you fall asleep.
I tell you,
"I love you. I'm so proud of you.
And I'm sooooo happy that you're mine."
And every single night, I mean every single bit of it.
But, today.
My heart can't even, tell you how damn in love with you.
I really am.
I am so glad life decided YOU needed to be my daughter.
Because today darling, you shined,
oh so bright.
It's like you knew today was because, of YOU.
And girl, you proudly soaked in every minute.
You hammed-it-up for the cameras.
You kept making people giggle, as you dramatically reacted to something they said, with, "OH MY GOSH", as you put both hands over your cheeks & kinda curtsied.
You demanded we sing the silly songs we've made up for each other.
So, in front of a room full of people, I had to flap-up-my-arms like wings and sing in a high-pitch-English-accented voice,
"Momma Bird - Momma Bird - I am your Momma Bird."
You taught the other kids how to say, "cheese" or posed their hands to copy what you wanted them to do.
You yelled out, "next boy" whenever you wanted to meet the next kid.
You were excited & made time for every single person you met.
You made them feel welcomed.
You invaded a few's personal spaces.
And when you didn't want to participate, you let us all know.
You did YOU!
Like you always do.
And I'm so proud of that.
So, on a day like today.
When I got to witness tears from other mommas, who shared their stories.
About how they got their child's Down syndrome diagnosis.
Googled it - Got discouraged - Found YOU.
And, YOU changed their perspective.
How incredibly powerful.
My God, child, what PURPOSE your life holds.
Pip, I am honoured to be your momma.
And I am humbled to be able to host a day like today.
This is our FIFTH Year making a #differentisbeautiful Calendar & every year I know it goes down as one of the best days a human being can possible live.
I am forever changed because of YOU.
You have dented the universe forever.
And I am so glad, you are my girl.
I love you beyond...
[All photos by Eden Grove Photography]
[#differentisbeautiful Calendar shoot hosted by Delta Waterfront]
1. April Przontka16.7.18
I am so unbelievably happy to part of something so wonderful and I just want to thank you for everything. It was definitely one of my best days ever, I can’t wait to see the calendar when it’s complete!!
2. Meaghan Hastie17.7.18
This must be the most amazing day of your year, every year! To see the impact that you and your sweet Pip are making in all these lives. You are both truly amazing, and I'm beyond ecstatic and grateful that I "stumbled" upon you , your home team, your hooligans, your mission, your kindness, your heart!! 💜 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18084 | hobart logo
May 1, 2017 Poetry
Three Poems
Russell Brakefield
Three Poems photo
Shutter, Lag
Driving, we saw a shepherd swollen to the shoulder
and I told her it was a deer.
The smaller ones, I said, are here for the thaw.
A backdrop of cattails watched over the bloating.
A celling of glowing lilies.
In the movies sometimes a person will close his eyes very quickly.
A snap of shutter, a lag. An open window
At night I dreamt I could wave my limbs and lose them.
That nothing was the worst thing to be.
Then that I was a ship builder, my hands filled with wooden cells.
I woke and wrote and wrote.
I worked like a magician at a child’s party,
towards a mastery of disappearance and creation.
The animals I can’t name, I can kill off or invent.
The swallows in the attic brushed their wings
against the tresses like white gloves, and she slept on
in her nest of blankets.
Some days we still wake so close
you could not convince me of our separate dreaming.
Bees sleep
because they need to
like us. Together
a bundle
of bees asleep
at night
is a concertina
wheezing closed.
In the hive
they dance
a democratic dance,
a waltz
to prioritize.
Abdomen wobbles
a whole note.
I read today
some bees feel
the thrum
of electric current
as they encounter
a flower’s field,
which is true
but also
what I need to be—
social spark,
singing field.
The Perseids
Eyes aloft in August, lifted towards the East.
I am hoping for a flurry, radio dust
stretched across the night sky.
Above me, all the alien lovers are asleep,
stuck together beneath their foreign moons.
There is a woman at home in bed with her dog.
She knows I’m looking for the Perseids.
I’ve reminded her the time is now to go out
and gather the oldest fires of the universe.
Each time we order a group of stars
we invoke great empathy
for the living forms around us.
The comets are quiet still and I am a tree,
blacker than the sky or the dirt.
Were she with me, I would move my hand around her waist
like the sun of some long dead globe.
I would tell her how Perseus turned titans to stone,
struck down snakes and beasts of the sea
for his Andromeda.
I can find no greater source of envy—
he who crossed the world for his love,
to be pressed together for eons in the sky.
image: Bryan Bowie |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18089 | security alarm system for home
security systems video
even in the event you many different customization options along with wired IP cameras.If you activate and deactivate your system, including many component options, support some camera functions that require only power for the camera system for long range wireless ip cameras, analog cctv cameras, all of which require professional monitoring, so the senior in very much less time and one replacement, at the end kits aren’t cheapSimpliSafe is a trigger condition or event causes breathing difficulties, eating and swallowing problems, joint and muscle pains, to name a few.It may include a second recess 724B and a third recess 724C configured to cover the heads of the fasteners fastened into having the system i had 500 cameras, and in about.
and editorials at the following websitesDonna Jodhan!I'm Jeff N Marquis at the business desk and. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18111 | Mathematical puzzles
Puzzles, situation puzzles and recreational mathematics.
situation puzzles and recreational mathematics. Neuron juice
Neuron juice.
Lewis Carrol , mathematician , photographer and writer , best known as the author of Alice in Wonderland and in its variant mathematical work and studies within the branch of recreational mathematics.
One of his best known puzzles is the " monkey puzzle "
Portada acertijo del mono de Lewis Carroll
In a simple frictionless pulley hangs a monkey on one side and the other a weight that perfectly balances the monkey.
To be totally purist in solving the puzzle , it is considered that the rope has no weight or friction.
What if the monkey tries to climb the rope? |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18115 | Friday, December 17, 2010
Today's Post
What have I been up to, you ask? Just stuff. I received many concerned texts several weeks ago when the church dissolved my calling worldwide. It came as quite a blow but--let's be honest--I would have burned out on Activities Committee sooner or later. It's how I like to end everything I start.
So the Ward Christmas Dinner was our last hurrah. There were a lot of potatoes. Specifically, there were 300 potatoes.
I wore my tool belt. It's rad.
Oriental Trading Company played an important part. They always do, don't they? Oriental traders are good people.
It took all day to set up--but it was no big deal. Is 88 oz of Diet Coke a big deal?
We used colored lights this year. My friend Jill bought 29 strands with her own money--not church funds--so don't get all up in arms and think the Activities Committees should be dissolved.
My cell phone takes amazing pictures. It's kind of like my very own personal photographer who shows up at my events and generally follows me around taking pictures of my life. Kind of!
It was tiring. I couldn't move my neck the next day. But it was fun. If you're into that sort of thing. Some people aren't.
I spent months making the ward slideshow. Some of that time was spent stealing pictures off of people's Facebook pages in my ward. I don't expect you to watch the whole thing, but if you do you'll notice there's no music for the second half. (The 2nd song is God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman by The Bare Naked Ladies). Thank goodness it worked at the party--no small task considering I did sound, computer, projector, microphone, and extension cords all by myself because Christian was out of town. I'm surprised I wasn't translated when it all started playing correctly! I have to say I was underwhelmed with my ward's response to the slideshow. I mean, I knew it wouldn't change anyone's life but actually that is exactly what I thought it would do. Then again, perhaps my ward was underwhelmed by the creepiness of me stealing their personal photos off of Facebook. Who can say?
And with that, the Activities Committee was gone.
1. If I'd been there, I would have loved your slideshow - especially if you had good pictures of me!!
I know what you mean about being "underwhelmed" by folks' reactions to something you've thought would really thrill them.
That's the price we pay in the church. (It happens at baby, bridal showers and receptions too. And Christmas.)
2. Just curious - do you happen to have a playlist to comfort readers mourning the tabernacle?
3. I was very worried about you, actually. I texted Eckton with concern.
But now you can be a ward missionary!
4. That version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen is my favorite. Looks fabulous, as always.
5. I can't believe all you did for the ward party! You definitely didn't burn out on this one. If I were in charge of activities committee (which I'm not, not will I ever be apparently) we'd have paper plate and sprinkles of red white and green M&Ms in the center of the tables. That's it. I'm pretty good at this kind of thing huh! Anyway back to you... good job!
6. I went to our ward party and it was decorated so lamely--not a light in sight. I kept thinking the whole time, "Kacy could do so much better than this."
7. Gotta love those oriental traders. You crack me up.
8. I could write a post almost exactly like this one except I didn't take any pictures! And I had more helpers than you (mostly because I am sick and prego and they felt guilty). There would be the part where the RSprez promised me there were 14 white tablecloths and there were 2 and my whole "Winter Wonderland" silver-and-white theme was up in smoke, so we raided the RS closet and found tons of awesome lime green and red bulbs wuth coordinating table cloths, PLUS huge garlands of snowflakes,and improvised some rockin' decor. MY slideshow, however, made people cry. Maybe it was The Lower Lights' "Come Ye Children of the Lord" with the kids at the ward campout last summer...I don't know, but they gushed. Surprising. Thanks for your music tips earlier this year. The soundtrack was a crowd pleaser, too. Wham plus MoTab= success. Anyway, congrats on the big finish. Good luck in the nursery.
9. Rainer12:43 AM
For the record -- that was a fantastic Christmas party! And the slideshow was nothing short of amazing. But, it was also a reminder of some dear friends we lost during the year, either due to them moving out, or due to them passing on. Personally, I really enjoyed it, and it touched me greatly. But, yes, the response to it was very ... "mellow".
10. Anonymous8:25 AM
Wow, you have a big ward, just by looking at the cultural hall! Good job.
We missed our Christmas party due to snow. Grumble.
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Kendall Farm Cottages is a summer oasis, full of blooming flowers, bird chirping and tons of stuff to do. The rest of year kind of looks like this. We still have fun with snowshoes, a sailboat that glides across the frozen lake and well, lots and lots of shoveling.
View of frozen Boyden Lake from the boathouse
Wildflower Cottage from the barn
Looking outside from the porch of Wildflower Cottage
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18177 | Municipal Employee and Boards Immunity/Liability
Reference Number: MTAS-1152
Tennessee Code Annotated
Reviewed Date: January 23, 2019
Print This PagePrint This PageSend by EmailSend by EmailPDF versionPDF version
If the injury in question is one for which the municipality is liable under the TGTLA, the employee who caused the injury is totally relieved of liability (unless the employee is a “health care practitioner” sued for malpractice). Generally, the municipality is liable under the TGTLA for injuries arising from:
• Negligent operation of a motor vehicle;
• Defective, unsafe or dangerous streets, etc.;
• Dangerous or defective public building or other structure; and
• Employee negligence where the negligence does not involve discretion.
If the injury in question is one for which the municipality is immune from suit under the TGTLA, the employee who caused the injury may be personally liable for it, but only to the limits of liability provided for in the act. However, the liability limits do not apply if the employee's actions were willful, malicious, criminal, performed for personal gain or constituted medical malpractice by a health care practitioner.
Employee Indemnification
Municipalities can insure or indemnify their employees for claims for which the employee is liable but for which the municipality is immune. However, indemnification generally cannot exceed the tort liability limits.
Boards and Commissions
The provisions immunizing boards, commissions and committees are broad. T.C.A. § 29-20-201(b) (2), declares that
All members of boards, commissions, agencies, authorities, and other governing bodies of any governmental entity, created by public or private act, whether compensated or not, shall be immune from suit arising from the conduct of the affairs of such board, commission, agency, authority, or other governing body. Such immunity from suit shall be removed when such conduct amounts to willful, wanton, or gross negligence.
Tort Liability Limits
Chapter 424 of Public Acts of 2001 increased the limits for municipalities for actions arising on or after July 1, 2002, and July 1, 2007. The limits and the effective dates are as follows:
T.C.A. § 29-20-403.
Injury Limit Limit Limit
Date Cause of
Action Arose
July 1, 1987 –
June 30, 2002
July 1, 2002 –
June 30, 2007
On or after
July 1, 2007
One Person $130,000 $250,000 $300,000
Multiple Persons $350,000 $600,000 $700,000
Property Damage $50,000 $85,000 $100,000
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18185 | Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Chocolate... not chip cookies
Candies, contraband?
It would seem that there are people who are somehow offended by some of the things my friends and I make. Yes, part of it is because we're curious as to how it'll turn out, if it's even edible, or if one of us is stupid enough to eat it as a challenge, but part of it is simply that we actually enjoy eating this stuff. Listen, I realize that the internet is a precious commodity (not to mention very serious business), and I'm sorry if you believe I'm wasting your bandwidth, but until my inevitable heart problems catch up to me, my posting will continue. Or until I'm broke. That might come sooner. Without further adieu, I present something that we made looooong ago... assorted candy cookies. Hmm, maybe I need a better name for that. I don't actually recall the specifics of us deciding to make a batch of these, it might've been fueled by a candy surplus. Anyway, onto the specifics.
Everything batter
First you start with a giant batch of candy. I um... somehow fall into mass quantities of candy bars and M&M's. It's just one of those things that's always in our suite, guaranteed. In fact, there's a bag of probably 20 or 25 bags/bars of candy in one of our closets right now. Between Twix, Butterfingers, M&M's (peanut, dark chocolate, and regular), Snickers, and all the usual suspects, we have a fairly diverse selection to choose from, but let's be honest, eating chocolate by itself gets boring at some point, and I do use food as a means to relieve stress from school.
Everything cookies
With a dough recipe lifted from 'The Girl Who Ate Everything,' a bit of everything went in to replace the chocolate chips. Broken Twix bars, some remnants of Butterfinger filling, Snickers, M&M's, Almond Joy and Mounds both, and I think some Milky Way, all of them found their way into our batter. There was a concern that the chocolate and caramel bits would burn well before the dough counterpart baked to completion, so we scaled back the temperature to 275 and let it sit in the oven to cook on latent heat. For some reason, the picture above makes them look really flat (and yes I fail at portioning/spacing), but the end result was a fairly moist, almost cake like cookie. The candy bits more or less all melted into the dough, so there wasn't any hard shell like remnants from the Butterfingers or the M&M's. All in all, it was a pretty pleasant experiment, that I would most likely repeat. Nothing overly heavy, but definitely not something I'd want to have on a nightly basis.
Rodzilla said...
I really want to eat the vat of dough.
Nicholas said...
@Rodzilla can you imagine cleaning the pot? It was pure ecstasy.
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oh snap. I can control the text here? |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18186 | The National Animal Trust
Registered Charity No 243707
Founded in 1965
A companion in a home
not just a pet in a house
Paw prints 3 Circle
The National Animal Trust
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Policy updated May 2018 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18188 | Fastest Updates in SQL Server
SQL Having
The having clause is used when filtering has to be performed on aggregate functions since the where clause can not be used in this situation. Since the having clause is often used in conjunction with the group by clause the examples on this page use the same data as was used in the group by article and follow on directly from that article.Continue reading
SQL Group By
The group by statement is generally used in conjunction with the various aggregate functions in order to produce results that are grouped by one or more columns. This is a very powerful way to report results for groups of results that share some common trait – in the example below the shared trait we are using is generally customer name.Continue reading |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18189 | Seek and find you… — Ned Martin’s Amused
I shall seek and find you...
I shall take you to bed and have my way with you...
I will make you beg for mercy... beg for me to stop.
And you will be weak for days.
All my love,
The flu |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18202 | Thursday, November 13, 2008
Megapixels Don't Matter. We Get It. Let's Move On.
Cute headline on Russ Juskalian's Circuits story today -- "Pixels Are Like Cupcakes. Let Me Explain." -- but how many more times does the Times plan to tell us that megapixels don't matter when buying a camera?
Hard to figure out when it first surfaced, but beginning around three years ago, Times technology columnist David Pogue started muttering that megapixels shouldn't be the deciding factor when it comes to buying a camera. The mutters grew into a groundswell -- and by 2007, it had evolved into a rant. As of today, it qualifies as a Times obsession.
Pogue's recent columns contradicted his own earlier stated view. On November 23, 2003, in a column headlined "More Megapixels for the Money," Pogue reviewed the latest cameras according to their megapixels as though that were the official standard of quality.
But on February 24, 2005, Pogue changed his position somewhat. In a "State of the Art" column called "Megapixel Race at Milestone 8," Pogue raised this pertinent question:
On life's final exam, the section intended to gauge your maturity and wisdom will probably look like this. "Mark each statement true or false: More money always makes you happier. A larger strawberry always tastes better. More megahertz always means a faster computer."
Too easy? All right, then, answer this: Why are so many people convinced that more megapixels means a better digital camera?
That column began a debunking process that has reached epic levels. (Please note that The Nytpicker can't tell a megapixel from a gigahertz, and will not be passing judgment on Pogue's position.)
On November 21, 2006, in a pre-Christmas-shopping post called "The Truth About Digital Cameras," Pogue ran a blind test to see whether the average consumer could tell the difference between pictures taken with cameras that had different amounts of megapixels. Here's his report on the result:
I’m telling you, there was NO DIFFERENCE.
This post is going to get a lot of people riled up, I know, because in THEORY, you should be able to see a difference. But you can’t.
On Febuary 8, 2007, Pogue wrote the definitive megapixel takedown, "Breaking The Myth of Megapixels," which categorically called camera makers dishonest for even mentioning megapixels:
But even after that megapixel obituary, Pogue couldn't let it go. As recently as last month, in a post called "Tech Tips for the Basic Computer User," Pogue slipped in yet another megapixel reference, even though it didn't even relate to the topic of computers:
The mention of sensors surfaced again in Juskalian's "cupcakes" explainer piece this morning. Like Pogue, he argues in their favor. And, like Pogue, he does almost nothing to explain sensors except to say that bigger is better. How do we measure sensor size? Inches? Millimeters? What's an optimum sensor size? And what happens next year when all the cameras change, anyway?
We all love David Pogue. He's a master debunker of bogus technology, and passionate booster of progress. But if he wants us to forever forget about megapixels and move on to sensors as our means of measurement, he's got some explaining to do. "Use Google" just won't cut it, Dave.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18216 | The Common Public License is superseeded by the Eclipse Public License.
OSI compliance
The CPL is a fully OSI compliant license.
License type
The CPL is a reciprocal license. with a strong Copyleft
The CPL gives patent grants to the original work and to enhanced versions based on the original work, but not to other code. The CPL contains rules that help to defend against patent trolls.
The CPL in collaborative works
The CPL permits only contributions and anhancements to the original work but does not allow to use code from a CPL licensed work in another work. So the CPL is even more restrictive than the GPL.
For this reason, the OSSCC does not recommend to use the CPL for new projects.
You may contact us by sending mail to: info at osscc.net |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18222 |
Thank you for being here. I'm so glad you're here.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Art and Love and Healing
I am amazed that, even though I know how deeply healing art is for me, I would decide the product, having something "good enough" to share (or sell), having others' approval, is somehow more important than giving myself the miracle healing blessing of doing what I love.
Photo found HERE
This morning before I exercised or cleared the breakfast dishes off the table, before I let myself get sucked into other people's words via this amazing internet, I put on my magic painting apron, lit three candles, took a couple of big gulps of smoothie and began. I began by pouring little bits of magenta, turquoise, orange, yellow, white etc...onto that piece of cut glass I got just for this purpose. I began with an urgency, with heart pumping faster, I began while repeating these words in my head: Please, please let me get out of the way so what wants to come through will come through. Please let me get out of the way. Please let me get out of the way.
While I repeated these words, I dipped fingers into color and as color started filling empty space, I let myself breathe. There was a hunger there I can't describe, as though my life and sanity depended on me putting paint on canvas in that moment. As I continued, I was aware of those mean voices in my head - the ones that tell me what I can't do, the ones that tell me I'm wasting paint and time, the ones that insist I should be exercising the fat off my body instead of playing with paint.
But I kept dipping fingers, mixing color, allowing some deeper, quieter part of me to guide the process. And as I continued to breathe and paint, a flood of emotions came and started dripping, and the words in my head then became - thank you, thank you, thank you.
As I write these words I feel that flood of emotion again. And I'm aware too of the pain. The pain that cuts deep, the symptoms and ache that come from denying myself - from denying myself. Denying myself because of fear. Fear I'll create yet another mess. Fear that I lack when I need in order to really be an artist. Fear of what "they" will think of my creations. Fear so thick it tugs and pulls and weighs me down, so thick it stops me from doing what brings my heart, my body - my whole being - immense, healing joy.
And, oh my God. I'm amazed and deeply saddened that I would deny myself such healing goodness. That I would decide "good" is more important than this soul-healing offering - this heart-healing bliss. I am amazed that, even though I know how deeply healing art is for me, I would decide the product, having something "good enough" to share (or sell), having others' approval, is somehow more important than giving myself the miracle healing blessing of doing what I love.
This miracle healing blessing of doing what I love.
What, what in the whole wide world, could be more important than this?
A couple of days ago there was an article in our local paper about a man (Randolph Westphal) who, 26 years ago, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Doctors told him he had no more than a year to live. But, rather than waiting for death to find him, he said (in his German accent), "I make a decision not to die."
He conveyed that he thought stress had caused his cancer and that, he decided, rather than dying, he would fight cancer by doing something he loved - he would ride his bicycle. And that's what he's been doing. Since 1990 he's ridden his bike all over the world (he estimates he's covered over 130,000 miles) - sharing his story - spreading his message of hope. These days he rides with his two Alaskan sled dogs, Nanook and Chinook, who he describes as his family. Amazingly, when my family & I were driving south to a nearby town for my daughter's soccer game last weekend, we passed Randolph and his dogs. The next day we read the article in the paper. One of the things that struck me in the article was these words from this dear, brave man:
No doctor in the world can heal you - you do it with your mind.
Coming upon this man's brave story doesn't feel like an accident. Over the last couple of weeks, I've let the scared parts of me take over. In other words - I've had cancer of the mind. And there's been this part of me that has been a bit desperate for someone, anyone, to save me from my own if someone else could do it.
Denying myself joy (by denying myself need to express and share) has truly taken the breath right out of me and landed me face first in my own version of hell. Giving myself the gift of paint this morning was like bringing those aching parts of me back to life - like bicycling so beautifully, miraculously did for Randolph.
Here's the truth. When I say no to what feeds and fills me, when I decide something else matters more than doing what lights me up- I become empty. And when I'm empty, I miss the beauty of Here. When I'm empty I have little to give to others- to this life that is calling me - to this life that again and again invites me to say YES.
In a poem I wrote a while ago called "Unleashed," I wrote:
I want to pour
out my
as if
depends on it
I’m really quite certain
Yes. I'm really quite certain it does.
* * *
There's still one week left to register for my upcoming Getting Naked class (beginning October 21st). Click HERE for more below to register. I would so love it if you joined us!
I'm offering a discount of 30% off (plus a signed copy of my book, On the Other Side of Fear, if you sign up in the next 2 days (10/14-10/15).
1. cut glass? why am i so intrigued by that? somehow that language seems powerful + without knowing why, i just share it.
your painting, + with your fingers. oh my gosh. I LOVE IT.
and your of my julia favorites!
i believe you. your life depends on it.
LIVE, friend, LIIIIIIVE.
xox love your life!
1. Rachel is here - the sun has come out!
When I think of you Rachel, I think of sunshine & color...
How you light my world. A bazillion thank yous.
2. Wow, Julia, I just love this post. I've come to a similar conclusion, realizing that I have all these beautiful dreams and visions of north, and yet I spend big swaths of my day engaged in activities that don't support my movement toward them. So of course, being me, I'm making a list of how I spend my time, putting everything under one of two headings: Northbound and Clear Away. I can feel the excitement of knowing I'm about to do more than just lip service to my biggest, most wonderful dreams.
We are, as usual, together apart.
1. Northbound and Clear Away...I love this. I think I'll steal it.
I've never known you to do "lip service" to anything. You are one of my norths, J. I have the great honor of watching you, such a perfect, inspiring example of what moving Northbound looks like. And, oh - how lucky I am to have you as support as I do my best to do the same (even if sometimes I'm on my knees crawling).
It's a great honor to know & love you, my friend. It really is.
3. I definitely admire the artistic abilities you have -- not only can you craft words, but you can craft pictures. I can barely manage a stick figure :)
There is definitely something healing about art. I find, though, I have to let "me" get her frustration of the way before the real art starts coming through. Whatever I am frustrated about, I write about, and then the real art can come afterwards.
I guess it's something of a release, something of a relaxer before I can let myself focus on other things.
That man's story is really something. It always amazes me when people live much longer than doctors expect--and they live proof positive from there on out.
1. Dear Karin,
First, if you ever played Pictionary with me, you would see very clearly that I can't draw worth a shit! :) Just ask my family. Seriously, drawing has never been my thing. For me, it's all about color and getting the anxious one out of the way so I can P L A Y. It takes much deep breathing & coming back to NOW to get that anxious one to chill.
Yes, that man's story really struck me. Incredible what we can heal when we show up true - when we show up and do what we love.
Thank you for being here, dear person - it matters so much.
4. A little breeze brought me by today
and I shake and swoon over the sweetness
that the exact words I need to read,
to let pour over me until I'm soaking in them,
are splashed out from you across the whole universe
to me,
from your deep places to mine,
and I send you a whole heap of thanks
for the fresh cup of water
I so needed.
1. I'm thanking that little breeze for bringing you to me, Jennifer. You are always such a breath of freshness for me, such a poetic blessing.
Love, love, love to you. xo
5. I swear you always seem to be dancing around in my brain and reading my thoughts and then you put your words here and the synchronicity of your message hits me like a ton of bricks. Again.
I have an opinion that when we go through times of lots of good creating..somehow that evil thing that has kept us from it tries to raise it's ugly voice and do all it can to sabotage what we have just done. For me, it is the voice of Doubt, and boy has it been LOUD lately. I hate it. The Voice of Doubt does not like to be ignored, which is of course what we do when we create, when we listen to our hearts and let go of the fear. It gets louder and louder the more we are able to resist.
But this continual struggle is necessary for our growth, isn't it? Like a seed in the dirt, scraping against all that stuff, but in the process revealing the true core, the part that grows into something beautiful. (I learned that in a class called 'Getting Naked'....
1. Ahhh....Deb. I so hear you, my friend. I know Doubt all too well. And yes, I also know that it is all here to bloom us more into wholeness, more into who we really are. It's all pointing us north (as my beautiful friend, J, would say).
You are so supported and loved, Deb. Take my hand and breathe with me...and let's keep on stepping north.
Sending so much love your way.
6. yes !!! ....pour them all over the place <3
so beautifully shared
I love your little donkey
he showed up again yesterday over in Judi's post <3
the creative spirit is flowing all over place
looking for people to create with
I think he is a sign for me to paint my own ' donkey ' so to speak
keep creating :~) and sharing
1. Luna! How beautiful to find you here. Thank you for blessing me with your presence. I would so love to see you create your very own donkey...that little one so rocked my world! Thank you for loving him.
With so much gratitude...
7. Oh Julia, this post found its way deep inside of me to that place where I cringe and sing, hide and leap, bow and shiver. Touching that deep place where my soul speaks and reaches out in painting or in words, expressing itself with authenticity and power, yet, insecure when the voices accuse and judge. Why do we wait so long to do the thing that makes us soar? Why do we believe the mean voices over the soothing song of our heart?
I loved this post because it reminded me of the truth. I needed the truth today. I need it every day. Thank you for being transparent and brave and oh so beautiful. I love you!
♥ Julia |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18238 | Jareen II
Jareen II
Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:49 pm
User avatar
Posts: 636
Images: 284
Image Description
Race: (Undead) Vampire
Profession: Spy
Weapon of Choice: Draakul Rapier
No one exactly know how Jareen, known Diplomat, became one of the undead, but never the less, the need of staying away from sun allowed him to develop his sneaking skills... Now, this Eloquent Vampire became a famous hitman and spy. Although a freelancer, he decided to join Champions of Southparkia. In fight, Jareen is very agile and swift, with his rapier. He doesn't like engaging in combat though, he rather prefer to outsmart the foe, and manipulate other. Which doesn't mean he's a coward, no. Jareen is loyal and trustworthy, yet very clever and cunning. Chancelor Eggyslavius highly esteems Jareen's advice, and is very fond of him. Jareen also is Kenneth the Dead's best friend and teacher, he treats him as his vampiric little brother.
Comment by Eggyslav » Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:50 pm
Major Update.
Last edited by Eggyslav on Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:51 pm; edited 1 time in total
Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium!
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische dein Heiligtum!
Deine zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein saftner Flügel weilt!
User avatar
Return to Champions of Southparkia |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18266 | Roosevelt House is pleased to announce the first event of our Fall 2016 public programs. Distinguished presidential biographer Jean Edward Smith discusses his new book, Bush, about the forty-third president of the United States, George W. Bush. Smith, acclaimed as “America’s greatest living biographer” by George Will, has written what the New York Times calls a comprehensive and compelling narrative punctuated by searing verdicts of President Bush’s foreign and domestic policies, including the aftermath of 9/11, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Guantanamo, No Child Left Behind and Hurricane Katrina.
Smith, author of FDR, Grant, and Eisenhower in Peace and War, argues that Bush often ignored his advisers and made key decisions himself, disastrously in the case of invading Iraq decisions often driven by the President’s deep religious faith. At Roosevelt House, Smith will discuss how the consequences of the Iraq invasion dominated the Bush Administration and still haunt us today. Smith will also explore President Bush’s actions following the 2008 financial collapse, and how some of the decisions that helped save the economy violated Bush’s own political philosophy.
We hope you will join us at Roosevelt House for this important discussion.
Click through to read reviews of Bush from Peter Baker in The New York Times and Thomas Mallon in The New Yorker.
Biographer Jean Edward Smith: “Bush” | Posted on July 20th, 2016 | Book Discussions, Public Programs |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18272 | Saturday, May 2, 2009
Book Review: "The Sissy Duckling"
Okay peeps, I promised to use this blog, in part, for book reviews, so here goes... It's Sarah's Super Silly (though Sometimes Serious) Story Synopsis! I'll be doing mostly adult fiction (not *that* kind of adult fiction; get your mind out of the gutter!), likely heavy on the sci-fi (since that's what I read), but my recent forays into literature (sci-fi and otherwise) have left me uninspired, so I'll be kicking it off with a newly favorite kid's book: Harvey Fierstein's "The Sissy Duckling."
(In case you're dying to hear more about my aforementioned forays, I just finished Peter Handke's "A Sorrow Beyond Dreams" which caught my eye because it was introduced by Jeffrey Eugenides, the brilliant author of "Middlesex." Plus with a name like "A Sorrow Beyond...," I was hopeful for something profound, possibly even something that'd make me weep, but instead just found it dull. And before that, I finally got around to reading "The Diamond Age," which I very much enjoyed right up until the weird and abrupt ending. Something about information transmitted via one big orgy? WTF?!?)
Anyhoo, so yeah, back the "The Sissy Duckling." This book is awesome. It's got everything you could hope for in a kid's book:
Engaging story, well written and well told. Check.
Cute illustrations. Check.
Challenges gender stereotypes. Oh, hell yes, CHECK!
Will likely make you bawl your eyes out the first few times you read it. Check.
It's the story of Elmer, a super cool young ducky boy, who sports a hot-pink floral backpack, and loves to decorate cookies and stage elaborate puppet shows. He's a super charming character: sassy and resourceful and smart... if only his father and the other ducks could see it. But no, instead they see a boy duck who's different from all the other boy ducks. In fact, there's not "a single other little boy duckling who liked to do ANY of the stuff that Elmer did. Not one." So they dub him a sissy.
It's super well written and heartbreaking to read (have I mentioned that I was reduced to a weeping puddle of goo the first dozen times I read it?), but, thankfully, it's got a happy ending-- Elmer rises to near stardom when he (*spoiler alert*) uses his kickass homemaking skills to become the first duck EVER to survive the winter without flying south!
Sounds awesome, eh? I'm actually not generally a fan of kids books that go out of their way to make a point. I prefer stories to morals. But color this an exception. Partially cuz it's got something super poignant and important to say. And because the "point" is impeccably woven into an engaging and funny story.
One of my favorite parts is when, at the end, Elmer goes out into the big wide world and realizes that there are, in fact, other ducks like him. Lots of em!
It's supposedly written for kids aged 5 - 8, but both my kids (2 and almost 5) love it. So I'm gonna say 2 - 8 :) Depends on the 2 year old. And the 8 year old for that matter. Funny that.
And, yes, the author is *the* Harvey Fierstein.
1. i can vouch for its tear-jerkingness. we're still on a quest to find lots of non-traditional boy books. have you found any new and superb ones since you sent us a list a couple of years ago?
2. Jenny, Wow, I'd completely forgotten about that list. I'm gonna dig it up and maybe post it here. And, no, I don't think I've found any new ones since then. I *really* like "The Boy Who Cried Fabulous" but I think it was on the list. How bout you?
3. i'll have to look for that one, have i mentioned how much my son is into pink right now?
we got one we like for eamon's b-day called woolbur
it's not so much a gender related one, more like a let your freak flag fly, and approach life creatively book
4. Woolbur sounds awesome! Ooh, it's in my local library system. Yoink-- just placed a hold on it. Pink is Eli's fave color as well. Has been since he was a wee one :) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18273 | Follow Us
12th Biology 2013 Set1 Delhi Board Paper Solution
Question 27
Explain mutualism with the help of any two examples. How is it different from commensalism?
Mutalism is the interaction which confers benefits on both the interacting species. Lichens represent an intimate mutualistic relationship between a fungus and photosynthesising algae or cynobacteria. Similarly, the mycorrhizae are associations between fungi and roots of higher plants. Fungi help the plant in the absorption of essential nutrients from the soil while the plant in turn provides the fungi with energy yielding carbohydrates.
Species Species Name of interaction
A B
+ + Mutualism
+ 0 Commensalism |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18274 | Follow Us
Home >> Articles >> Science >> Role of ISRO in India
Role of ISRO in India
Posted On 2016-01-01
Role of ISRO in India
• The Indian Space Research Organization is the premiere space agency of the Government of India. It was established in 1969 and is administrated by the Department of Space of the Indian government.
• The Indian Space Research Organization is the sixth largest government run space agency in the world and stands in line with the other leaders of space research and development such as NASA, RKA, ESA, CNSA and JAXA. Early Development
• ISRO’s predecessor was the Indian National Committee for Space Research. The organization’s first venture was the Aryabhatta which was indigenously developed and launched by the Soviet Union in 1975.
• The first satellite that ISRO developed and launched using its own launch vehicle SLV-3 was called Rohini. Subsequently, the organization developed two launch vehicles-the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV), which could place satellites in a polar orbit, and Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle, which could introduce satellites in a geostationary orbit. Contributions and Roles
• In 2008, the ISRO launched its most ambitious project so far-the Chandrayaan-I, which was the organization’s first lunar probe.
• The Indian Science and Research Organization plays a major role in managing the logistics in various fields of administration, management and industries. The satellite communication network used by India is one of the largest networks in the world and is employed in fields such as land management, natural disaster forecasting, weather forecasting, water resources management, administrative services, radio networking etc.
• Furthermore,
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18276 | Then lets have a serious discussion of Christianity. Lets start with its roots and offend our Jewish and Muslim friends too as all three religious traditions start off with Abraham/Ibrahim, and all three are actually corruptions of the Babylonian poem known as the Epic of Gilgamesh. Can we agree this far? And if not lets just top here and you dispute either of the above two statements by pointing to verifiable fact.
Then Judiasm takes off on its own and adds the first five books along with this little thing called the Ten Commandments. Now take off a few days and spend some time comparing the Ten Commandments, as printed by every Christian denomination, and compare that to the one handed down, unchanged, by Jewish tradition from long before Jesus Christ was born.
Do you see a problem here?
The problem is that there is no such thing as authentic Christianity as the roots of the religion are corrupted even before you get to the birth of Christ. How can you build a religion on a corrupt foundation?
Did you do what I asked? Did you compare the ten simple declarative sentences? Are you prepared to debate this with me so far?
Then we get to the birth of Christ which unfortunately was never recorded, never happened in the year 0 or 1, never happened during the monh of December, but which is worshipped that way by Christianity. Do you detect a little problem here with respect to integrity? A little problem with the house being built on a shaky foundation?
Then take a good look at the gross inconsistencies of fact that exist in the New Testament. If there is even one ... the house of cards falls because if something is not true ... then it is impossible to tell if any of it is true.
So if you can find an authentic Christian, with an authentic form of Christianity, that can be shown to be without obvious corruption of the belief system I would be very very interested.
But even after you do ... you will still be talking about people that worship the self-confessed genocidal maniac that killed every person on this planet (except on family) and every first-born male in a country. And without once considering or caring about separating the innocent from the guilty. A regular Hannibal Lecter. And why do I say that?
"God's choices in inflicting suffering are not satisfactory to us, nor are they understandable, unless innocence offends him. Clearly he needs some help in directing the blind fury with which he flogs the Earth."
~ Mr. Mason, from 'Hannibal'
Because it is the truth.
DA Morgan |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18277 | Betting on research: here is Obama's Brain Activity Map
Read time: 4 mins
Who said that research does not pay? That this is not the case is demonstrated by the Human Genome Project, launched by the U.S. in 1999 at a cost of slightly less than $ 4 billion in 10 years but that, to date, has yielded $ 796 billions in business activities and has created 310,000 new jobs.
Now it is the turn of the Brain Activity Mapping Project, for which Obama is going to spend a little more than $ 3 billion over 10 years and whose official announcement is expected this month (March 2013). The Brain Activity Mapping Project is the U.S. counterpart of the European Human Brain Project, which will be funded with 1.2 billion dollars over 10 years.
Beyond the common theme, the brain, the two projects are however very different, both in terms of methodological approach and as to their purpose. The Human Brain Project objective is to build an artificial brain capable of performing some of the human brain functions using ICT tools (Information Communication Technology). However, it is known that the same result can be obtained through completely different algorithms. Therefore, the fact of performing in silico some of the human brain's operating functions does not provide an assurance that this is done using the same computational processes used by man.
Unlike the Human Brain Project, the Brain Activity Mapping Project intends to explore the neural processes as they occur in nature, through a study of the functional activity of all the elements that constitute the brain. This learning process will proceed in steps, starting from the nervous system of simple organisms, such as the worm Caenorhabditis elegans, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and the zebrafish Danio rerio, up to the primates and humans, passing through the laboratory mouse Mus musculus and other simpler mammals.
The study should be based on the method that since the inception of neurosciences has been the method par excellence to study the function of the nervous system, i.e. the recording of the neurons' functional activity. In this case, however, the scale of the study is different as it is no longer based, as it currently is, on recording a sample of a few representative neurons, but on the simultaneous recording of the activity of all the neurons that make up a circuit. The human brain has about 90 billion neurons, cells that, unlike those of other organs (the liver, muscles, mucous membranes, etc...) show extreme heterogeneity and specialization and are connected to each other through specialized membranes (e.g. synapses), which further amplify the complexity.
Given that, the Brain Activity Mapping Project is not based on new working hypothesis (hypothesis-driven), but on the development of new and revolutionary methods (methodology-driven). If we have to define the core concept underlying this project, we could only say that it is the brain study methodology that must conform to its complexity.
The project will involve the development of recording methods that must be equipped with a space-time resolution adapted to the characteristics of individual neurons' activity, while at the same time being capable of simultaneously recording from hundreds of thousands of them. There is no doubt that the aim of the project is very ambitious and the result cannot be taken for granted. For this reason, the project has been questioned by various opponents before it even commenced, including neuroscientists, on the basis of a number of arguments. The most serious one is that the methods capable of recording from populations made up of thousands of neurons do not possess a sufficient spatio-temporal resolution to record the activity of the individual neurons composing them. On the other hand, methods that allow for the recording of individual neurons activity, including those using optical methods, are invasive and therefore have limited applicability to humans. Finally, it has been objected that the recording from such a huge multitude of neurons would lead to major difficulties in data storage. For example, in order to store 10 million neurons per year would require 30 petabytes of storage space. The super-accelerator (LHC) in Geneva each year generates data that occupy about 10 petabytes. The data generated by recording the activity of 90 billion neurons in the human brain would occupy a space of 300,000 petabytes per year.
In principle, the Brain Activity Mapping Project should give a major impetus to the Neurosciences. However, these large projects do not necessarily have positive effects on research in general. For example, the fact that the LHC has accurately confirmed the Standard Model, in the end has caused scientists to desert a very fruitful area in theoretical physics, that of the development of alternative models to the Standard model. The Brain Activity Mapping Project may in turn absorb the resources available for the neurosciences, already reduced due to cuts in public spending.
altri articoli
Research agency: our proposals to the government and parliament
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18278 | Data Transfers
A data transfer is a service that involves moving, or copying data from one, or more source devices and transferring that data to a target device, or devices, such as another computer or a secondary storage device.
Migration Audit Report
In some cases, an audit report of you applications, software, settings and data to ascertain the specifics of data you want transferred. This service is for a customer that does not know what needs to be transferred.
Service Price
In most cases, operating systems, settings, and applications can be transferred to another device. Call for more information.
Service Range Min
Service Range Max
Transfer files and folders from one device to another.
Service Range Min
Service Range Max
If you are having trouble moving your mail from one service to another I have special tools and expertise in transferring POP and IMAP mail from one storage location to another.
Request Quote |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18283 | Can I use a Semper Fi transformer to power a three conductor installation (2 hot, 1 neutral conductors)?
posted in: Products Transformers
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Semper Fi's standard transformers need to be modified to power three conductor lighting systems. Not all Semper Fi standard transformers can be modified in the field to power three conductor lighting, therefore it is critical to indentify this requirement when ordering.
Call or email for assistance. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18292 | SRN Receiver Manual
Written by Saii Hallard. Posted in SRN Receiver
Important note: Do not deed the receiver (the board) itself. We can not emphasize this enough.
Also: please read this manual, it will save you time and annoyance trying to get it to work.
Congratulations with the purchase of the SRN Receiver!
Since the receiver is a versatile device, you will need to take some time to get to know all possibilities.
If you want to be helped at your place or have difficulty with reading English, we do offer on-site help.
Read more about it here: Support, who can help?
Be sure to read the FAQ too, it will save you time if you encounter a problem.
Placing the SRN Receiver
Left click the box to open it's content and do copy all to inventory. Take care not do this procedure with the actual receiver, because then you will end up having the scripts and animations inside your inventory and a not functioning receiver.
You will now have a folder in your inventory called for example: [SHX- SHOUTcast Receiver - SRN-MP200]
Rez the Receiver (named for example: SHX-SHOUTcast Receiver-SRN-MP200) by dragging it from your inventory onto an empty spot in world.
Please do not deed the board!
To prevent theft, unwanted modifications and other problems, it will disable itself when you deed it.
First Use
Make sure you are facing the front, the frontside is black and has three little leds on the right bottom. The backside will show our logo.
STAND CLOSE to the receiver, within 10 meter, so you can hear whispered messages and are able to see the Media Change Device (MCD) device when you rez it.
SRC front screen
image 1
Changing Music on your parcel - MCD Installation
The first time you place the receiver, it will tell you both in chat and in a dialog window that to be able to change the music on the parcel, you need to rez the MCD (media change device). In short, you have to make sure that the group the Receiver is set too is the same as the group that owns the parcel (if it's group owned land), rez the MCD via the menu and deed the MCD (when needed). A more comprehensive installation guide for the MCD can be found here: MCD manual
When you successfully have installed the MCD, you can test it out by changing a radio station with the menu, the music on your parcel should change.
Important Notes:
• You can rez more MCDs on any parcel in the region to let the Receive change the music there as well.
• Use the free available SRX-Relay to change music on parcels on an adjacent region.
• Change the MCD description to set an exception to the group <-> group rule to make the MCD work on parcels that have another owner then the parcel where the Receiver is placed. (see the MCD installation guide)
Giving Managers & Group Access
To set the access to the Receiver, touch the Receiver to get the menu and press [Access].
You then will see the menu as displayed at image 2. Chose one of the available options. The chosen option will be marked with a star *.
Group will be the group that the Receiver currently is set too. DJ's are the DJ's that have been added to the board with notecards as described in the previous section.
Managers will have access in all cases, except when Owner is selected.
Access Menu
image 2
To add managers, you have to edit the notecard: SHX-SCRC-!Config (see image 2), which can be found in the contents of your Receiver.
Just add names to the card as described in the card itself.
Note that you have to turn the receiver Off and On again to apply any changes to the Config notecard.
SRN Contents
image 3
Changing the Radiolist
Inside the contents of the Receiver you will find the notecard: Radiolist. This card is used to feed the [Radio] menu with stations you can select.
Just edit the Radiolist notecard and put in your favourite stations. Note that the contained Radiolist is merely an example. We are not affiliated with any of the stations that are listed.
4.x update note: As of the 4.0 version the streammethod you put in is ignored, because it will automatically detect the stream.
For compatibility reasons with older versions, you still need to specify it in the list, but it does not matter what you put in.
The format used is:
• STREAMMETHOD: Either SC or IC. SC = Shoutcast, IC = Icecast (or Nicecast) (NOW IGNORED, JUST PUT ANY TWO CHARACTERS)
• STATIONNAME: Any name you want to see in the menu, but do not use more then 24 characters.
• GENRE: The music genre (for your own reference)
• IMAGEUUID: This is an optional parameter. If you place an image uuid, it will be displayed whenever you select the station. You can get an image UUID by rightclicking a texture in your inventory and selecting COPY ASSET UUID. Then pressing CTRL-V in the notecard will paste the UUID.
To reload the modified Radiolist without restarting the Receiver, just open the [Managers] menu and click Radiolist.
If you want to search radio stations online, we have a several remote controls available for the receiver that are able to search online on just a keyword. See the addon section below.
Played Track Announcements in Chat
Default this function is turned off. Touch the Receiver for the menu, choose [Options] and then [Announce] to change it to another setting.
Whisper is 10 meter range, Say is 20 meter range and Shout is 100 meter range.
Use this function with great care. Not everyone is charmed with text in chat, specially not your neighbour when the range reaches their parcel.
To change the notifier, just change the name of the Receiver into something more comprehensive.
Using the streamcards for your own Stream
The [configs] menu will show all card in the receiver that starts with a dot (.).
With these stream config cards, you can setup stream you own yourself, or add config cards for others that have access to the receiver.
Add as many as you like, but do not make the name of the cards more then 24 characters.
An example of the .example stream config card contents:
parameters syntax:
STREAM_URL: << put the stream url here
STREAM_TYPE: << ignored (still need to use any two characters, just put --)
STREAM_SID: 1 << used for shoutcast (v2) stream id
INFOSTREAM_URL: << only for SRC types
INFOSTREAM_TYPE: -- << only for SRC types
INFOSTREAM_SID: 1 << only for SRC types
SHOW_SONGNAMES: << to disable showing song names
More documentation
There is more to the SRN Receiver then described in this manual.
Display Album Art
Separate available boards are available that can automatically display album art. Fed via the web ( and thus always up to date.
Remote Controls
Several remote controls are available, where a selection are able to search Radio Stations online and feed directly to your SRC Receiver.
Visit our shop to see the available models, which are separate available. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18302 | Re: [SQU] Replacing MS Proxy Server with Squid
From: Vishwanath Paranjape <>
Date: Sun, 4 Mar 2001 22:49:10 +0530
yes that can be done
but why to do this kind of connectivity?
why are the dependancies increased...
This is useful if you are not running TCP/IP on your network
and want to give access to internet
but practically how many networks have we come across that do not run TCP/IP
(and cannot run) ?
one more thing...
i haven't faced the prob but it might be interesting to know how a proxy
client and server will communicate when placed across a router in different
just for the sake of proxy, NETBIOS needs to be enabled on the
router...again an ivitation to increased broadcast traffic...
MS should have given option of IP address OR netbios name
they add some feature, which later on in practical life turns out to be a
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Lang <>
To: <>
Date: Sunday, March 04, 2001 10:18 PM
Subject: Re: [SQU] Replacing MS Proxy Server with Squid
>I think that is sort of what I said... I doubt you need to run NetBeui to
>use proxy. If you are running TCP/IP, you don't even need to run Wins.
>What the client will do is broadcast for the comptuer (netbios) name. If
>you have Wins, the client will check the wins server first, get the IP
>address, and send the info that way. MS typically runs Netbios over TCP/IP
>even when you have just TCP installed. Pre Win2k networking can't get buy
>without it... well, atleast without using broadcasting.
>So... I'd assume that you could add a static Wins mapping named "MyProxy"
>and give it an IP address. Set up all the clients to go to that. This
>if you put the MS Proxy on a different computer, you just need to change
>IP address of the static mapping and it should work.
>From: "Robert Collins" <>
>To: <>
>Sent: Saturday, March 03, 2001 9:37 PM
>Subject: Re: [SQU] Replacing MS Proxy Server with Squid
>> Vishwanath is correct. For the WINSOCK proxy, the two nodes communicate
>> via RPC over NETBIOS, over whatever lower layer happens to be there.
>> Thus the NETBIOS name, not ip name, is important.
>> WINS _may_ be a factor if TCP/IP is the internal network protocol.
>> Rob
>To unsubscribe, see
To unsubscribe, see
Received on Sun Mar 04 2001 - 12:09:38 MST
This archive was generated by hypermail pre-2.1.9 : Tue Dec 09 2003 - 16:58:30 MST |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18306 | Dance Quickstep
Originally a March, which became popular around 1850, today's ballroom Quickstep was mixed with the Charleston and originally known as the Fast Foxtrot.
It then came to be merged with other dances, including One Step, The March and the Black Bottom, to make the Quickstep as we now know it. The first version of today's ballroom Quickstep was probably performed by Frank Ford and Molly Spain in 1927.
The Quickstep should be dynamic and fun!
Music: 4/4 Tempo: 50bpm
Some Popular Figures:
Quarter Turn
Natural Spin Turn
Chasse Reverse
Quick Open Reverse
Running Finish
Progressive Chasse
Lock Step |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18310 | Meeting for Worship
Our main purpose as a community is to offer a space for the search for love and truth to happen in, together. We call this space a Meeting for Worship.
Meeting for Worship consists of sitting in a circle in silence. As the silence deepens someone, maybe you, may be moved to share something, rooted in their experience, of what they have found of love and truth in the silence.
The Meeting lasts for an hour.
After Meeting for Worship there are notices, where news is shared, and then we have tea and coffee and we chat. This is the time in which our community is built.
Join in
To use the space we offer with us is easy. Just come to the top of the stairs of Clissold House in Clissold Park a little before 10.00am on any Sunday morning and you will be welcomed. You do not need to know anything, Quakers have no creed, but anything you know is welcome.
We are a small to medium Meeting, with anything from 10 to 30 worshippers at Meeting for Worship.
For details of the Where and When see Where and When
For some words on how Meeting for Worship is upheld see Elderwords on Meeting for Worship |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18311 | RPM Tachometer LED watch – V2
• V2 watch 2
• V2 watch main
• V2 watch 2
• V2 watch 3
RPM Tachometer LED watch – V2
US $34.95 US $19.99
“RPM Tacho” StreetFX Dashboard Digital LED watch! Rev/Speedo meter style in Gift box!
In stock
SKU: NOV0060. Categories: , .
Product Description
RPM Tachometer LED watch – V2
BARGAIN!! Clearance Sale: $9.99ea
NOTE: These are our old clearance stock, due to them sitting in our warehouse for sometime, they will require 2x CR2016 Batteries to operate
These watches are styled around a car dashboard, featuring a speedo, a tacho, and a gear shift indicator. And best of all they actually DO tell the time in their own funky digital LED way.
We ABSOLUTELY LOVE these watches. They come with their own gift box, and a StreetFX warranty card.
Japanese Quartz Movement
Adjustable brightness
Type:LED watch – Digital:Digital LED – Band Material: Rubber
Diameter:3*4.2cm – Thickness:1 cm – Band Length:21cm (include case&buckle) -Band Width: 2.1cm
Weight:80 grams
Please note that these watches feature an LED display readout to demonstrate the time. The needles and vehicle image is not ‘functional’.
V2 watch main
V2 watch 2
V2 watch 3 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18320 | What is meant by the devils being chained up in Ramadaan
Following is the fatwa of shaykh Zubair Ali Zai Rahimullah.
It is mentioned in the hadith that the the devils are chained up in the month of Ramadan, But it is proven from the Quran Surah al-Anfal verse 48 that at the battle of Badr (in Ramadan) Satan came with his followers (Mushrikeen of Makkah) as their helper but he ran away. Is there possibility to reconcile between hadith and Quran?
There are three types of Devils
1. Biggest Satan Iblees who refused to bow Adam peace be upon him.
2. Mardatul Shiyateen, extremely rebellious Shiyateen who are leaders of other devils.
3. General Shiyateen.
Biggest Satan Iblees asked Allah to reprieve him till the day of Judgment and Allah reprieved him as it is proven from Quran [Surah al-Araaf verses 14-18].
It is narrated from Abu Huraira ra that Prophet peace be upon him said:
“In it (Ramadan) Mardatul Shiyateen are chained up.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i 4/129 hadith 2108 with weak chain, Musnad Ahmad vol 2 page 230 hadith 358 and 425]
All the narrators of this narration are trustworthy but it is not proven that the Tabiyee Abu Qilaba hear anything from Abu Huraira. [see at-Targheeb wal Tarheeb vol 2 page 98]
But there are many shawahid of this hadith like the hadeeth of Atba bin Farqad which states:
“And in it (Ramadan) every Maarid devil (extremely rebellious devils) are fettered.” [Sunan an-Nasa’i hadith no. 2110, Musnad Ahmad 4/311-312 the Chain is Hasan]
It is proven from these ahadeeth that extremely rebellious devils are chained up in the month of Ramadan. This is also the tahqiq of Imam Ibn Khuzaima [see Sahih Ibn Khuzaima vol 3 page 188 before the hadith 1883]
This is a proven reality that Khas has priority over general (aam) and Muqaiyyad has priority over Mutlaq.
I don`t know any clear evidence that the general Shiyateen are chained up or not. So, we come to know after this explanation that there is no contradiction in Quran and hadeeth, Wal Hamdulillah. [Fatawaa Ilmiyyah, Vol. 2, Pg. 137-138]
Note: Imam Ibn Khuzaima said in his Saheeh (3/188):
باب ذكر البيان أن النبي – صلى الله عليه وسلم – إنما أراد بقوله : ” وصفدت الشياطين ” مردة الجن منهم ، لا جميع الشياطين ” إذ اسم الشياطين قد يقع على بعضهم ،
“Chapter which explains that what the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) meant when he said that “the devils are chained up” is the maarid (rebellious) jinn among them, not all the devils, because the word shayaateen (devils) only applies to some of the jinn….”
and he narrated the following hadeeth
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
….قال رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم – : ” إذا كان أول ليلة من رمضان صفدت الشياطين مردة الجن
The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “On the first night of Ramadan, the devils, the maarid (rebellious) jinn, are chained up….” |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18329 | It's a Style Thing
You, my friends, are awesome. Really, really amazing. I don't think I tell you that enough! This week, Ten June got over 300 followers!! Seriously?! 300?! That's incredible! I'm honestly flattered.
As if that weren't enough, several of you have nominated me for the "Stylish Blogger" award. No joke- I ran to David and said, "Babe! They like me, they really like me!" Ha. I may be a dork, but it really means a lot!
The queen of style, herself, Audrey Hepburn.
So thank you, thank you, thank you to Courtney, Maggie, Michaela, Anna, Kelly, Desiree and Ashley
for thinking I've got some style in me! You girls rock :)
The award is kind of like a really fun chain letter. There are 4 duties to perform to accept the award:
1. thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
2. share seven things about yourself
3. award ten great bloggers
4. contact these bloggers and tell them about the award
Lets start with seven random things about me!
I was a swimmer in college. Can't picture me as a big, hulky NCAA athlete? Oh yes. Breastroker and individual medley extraordinare. Obviously this picture is not me (that's a dude). But that is my friend, Eric, who is also a breaststroker. And ended up being really famous and going to the Olympics, which is why I can find his picture on Google images and not mine :)
I love allll kinds of music. It's kind of crazy how varied my taste is.
For example, yesterday on the way home I jammed to Katy Perry's "Firework," Zac Brown Band's "Whatever It Is," T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" and Chris Tomlin's "God of This City."
I know, that's a pretty big variety. But I genuinely just love all kinds of music!
I'm seriously in love with Gwyneth Paltrow. She has amaaaaazing style. Have you ever read her blog?
I eat sushi at least once a week. CAN'T. GET. ENOUGH. And I pretend like its kind of healthy (even when I get the tempura rolls) which makes me feel better eating it so often.
You have probably figured this one out by now, but I love love trash TV.
Turn on anything reality (Teen Mom? love it. The Bachelor? Courtney and I already decided Brad is picking Emily. Real Housewives? Watch every season in every city- except, ironically, Atlanta). Here's a clip that has had me laughing for a couple of weeks now, pulled from one of my favorites, Toddlers and Tiaras.
"Neee Neee!" Cracking me up.
Can't remember how this got started, but David has a glass of orange juice (extra pulp!) and a pot of coffee waiting on me every single morning when I get up! He is up and at 'em way before me, so gets everything going. How sweet is that? Thanks honey!
My hero is Amy Poehler. She is incredible. Did anyone else used to watch her Kaitlin skit on SNL?
I still reenact it: "Riiiiiiiick! Riiiick come watch Riiiiiick!" And what great timing because her hilarious show, Parks and Recreation, starts up its new season tonight! Can't wait.
Now that you know me a little bit better and are all thinking I'm a crazy weird girl,
here are my nominations for the Stylish Blogger Award!
While we're on the subject of incredible blogs, check out my sidebar for some of my favorite blogs. How I was ever able to narrow it down to just a few blogs is beyond me. ALL of you have amazing blogs that constantly keep me inspired! And I mean that!
With that said, I am nominating some of my favorite "new girls" on the block (well, maybe just new to me!).
Tara Lauren
These girls are all amazing bloggers with lots and lots of style!
Hope everyone is having a great end of the week! xo
1. Real Housewives of Anywhere may be my most favorite thing ever. I was in Beverly Hills this past weekend and looked everywhere for Lisa. If I already didn't have an amazing mom I would want her to adopt me.
2. What a fun award!
I love listening to all kinds of music too :)
And oh my gosh and that little McKenzie on T&T...she is a MESS! My hubby and I always joke around and say Neee Neee because it's just so funny!
3. and technically I nominated you too...bc I think you're Ms Chic herself! Love your list...and glad you know Sarah at Russet Street Reno...I love her humor and blog. and she's got a great eye for her house!
juice and coffee every did good girl!
4. Sounds like we have a similar sense of humor! Mackenzie from Toddlers & Tiara and Katelyn at the Mall both crack me up everytime. Good choices :)
5. I am obsessed with Gwyenth Paltrow. Gwenie (as I refer to her because we are friends in my head) is such a style icon! Love me some Goop. I also watch way too much trash TV, makes my husband very angry he says I am rotting my brain. I def have a soft spot in my heart for all the Housewives! My man does coffee in the am, but looks like he needs to step it up a notch with the OJ!
6. I nominated you also last week on my blog but thanks for featuring me here too!
I am SO close to 50 followers I am beyond excited!
7. Girl- Brad is picking Emily hands down. They're adorable. And perfect...ya know, in The Bachelor sort of way! Don't worry, I'm right here with you watching trash tv...bachelor, kardashians, teen mom...etc (:
8. I have to agree with you on your Bachelor pick...I am team Emily all the way! And sushi is one of my absolute faves. I could eat it every other day and be one happy girl!
9. Oh my have made even getting out early from work EVEN better with your award. :) Thank you so much. Oh...and I swam the breastroke from 5 to 19...where did you go to college at? {haha...and I was an IM...oh my backstroke.}
How funny is that? I am sure we could talk all type of swim talk. :) Did you ever compete against Brooke Monroe? She and I were big in IN swim, and then she went away to Pine Crest. Ok...randomness. :)
Thank you again.
10. you are very stylish- why else would we all follow you? i mean you're funny, too, but still... ;)
and i have a very eclectic taste in music as well, and a nasty appetite for sushi- i could eat it every day. i could. yum. must. have. sushi.
will have to check out those blogs!
11. Love this post! I'm an extra-pulp kind of girl too!!!
12. Freaking hillarious ni-ni! LOL! I swear under every pageant girl is a complete brat just waiting to explode when she's gets back stage once again. This girl is anything but a beauty queen.
13. Love all these great fun facts. That means you had a few of those long swimmer's coats. I wanted one of those so badly . . . but I wasn't a swimmer! :) Love you, love your blog, love your style. But you already know that! And hello on the followers, lady! Well deserved. And what a great hubby. I will stop now.
14. Oh geez... Trashy Reality TV. Do they have Trashy TV Anonymous meetings? Because I think I need to go to them...
Thanks for the Award girl! I added you [and Michaela] to my sidebar with a shout out :)
15. congrats on the award! :) I love reading your blog - definitely stylish! :)
16. i love trashy tv and extra pulp... :-) and thanks so much for the award... i also got this a few weeks back and nominated you (not sure if you saw it?)... i appreciate it! xo
17. Love your blog girl!! Keep all the great ideas coming! and loved all of your fun facts! Oh and I know who Brad picks!!!!! Love the bachelor!!
18. Congrats on 300! So hooked on Zac Brown Band. Make my day happy by listening to them. And Real Housewives! I want my own show. Bravo, psst, call me.
19. Thanks so much for the shout-out. Really sweet - glad to have 'met' you in the interwebs.
20. You should be flattered! Your blog is great!!
21. Whoops- I forgot to mention we have even more in common... my husband was a college swimmer (and I think I told you he's in law school). I guess you two are the ones with lots in common!
22. I pretty much love Gwyn too. And of course we love you, your blog rocks.
And so so happy and honored to see myself mentioned among this group. You are such a dollface!!
23. yay yay yay! congrats on the award--and on 300! we all love reading your blog and wouldn't be hear if we didn't ;) your seven things made me smile--especially your trash TV comment. You are not alone! {I'm right there with you} xoxo
24. Love learning those little details about you! I'm also RH addicted- and also except Atlanta! Do you read Scented Glossy Magazine Blog? She does the most hilarious, witty recaps. You'd love it!
25. Congrats on over 300 and your award! That's awesome!! I love Toddlers and Tiaras. Totally makes my day to watch it!
26. I love your blog...especially your wit and humor!!! Plus, your style is gorgeous!! Just thought you might want to know!!! Thanks for sharing all those tidbits of info.
27. Awe thank you so much for the sweet mention, girlfriend!! And 300 followers is a huge milestone. You go girl!! Enjoy your weekend and do some celebrating :) XO
28. i adore amy poehler. adore.
parks and rec is like my favorite half an hour of the week. sadly.
and i've just recently found the kaitlin snl skits. i never was a fan of snl before, but these kill me! you can watch them all on hulu if you didn't know.
'one time i was on the trampoline with my rollerskates on...'
29. Michelle, it's so fun learning more about you; thanks for sharing! (I, too, think that Brad will pick Emily...she's my fav!) :)
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18338 | The Full Wiki
More info on Clarendon, Quebec
Clarendon, Quebec: Wikis
Did you know ...
More interesting facts on Clarendon, Quebec
Include this on your site/blog:
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Historic cemetery on Front Road
Coordinates: 45°39′N 76°31′W / 45.65°N 76.517°W / 45.65; -76.517
Country Canada
Province Quebec
Region Outaouais
RCM Pontiac
Incorporation July 1, 1855
- Type Municipality
- Mayor John Lang
- Ridings:
- Federal Pontiac
- Provincial Pontiac
Area [1]
- Land 334.27 km2 (129.1 sq mi)
Population (2006)[2]
- Total 1,248
- Density 3.7/km2 (9.6/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Postal Code J0X 2Y0
Access Routes Route 148
Route 303
Clarendon is a municipality in the Outaouais region, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River across from Horton Township in Ontario.
Its settlements include Clarendon, North Clarendon, Charteris, Lawn, Murrell, Radford, Sand Bay, Starks Corners, and Yarm. The town of Shawville is completely surrounded by, but not part of, Clarendon.[3]
Largely cleared of forests, Clarendon is a predominantly agricultural municipality, with an elevation of 167 meters (548 ft) above sea level. The only notable lake is Green Lake, which is surrounded by cottages.[3]
The township was first surveyed in 1792 and appears on the Gale and Duberger map of 1795.[3] Settlement did not occur until 1825 when James Prendergast, a retired British Army Officer, was commissioned by the government to lead this task. From that year until 1827, free land was granted, resulting in a wave of settlers, starting with 15 settlers near the township's centre (now Shawville). But Prendergast, originally from religiously-divided Ireland, stipulated that settlers only be Protestants in order to avoid similar religious strife. As a result, Clarendon (and Shawville) is known as the heartland of Anglo-Saxon Protestantism in western Quebec.[4]
Between 1827 and 1835, Prendergast was responsible for establishing the first four schools and bringing in its teachers. He also built a water-driven sawmill and grist mill at his home along the Ottawa River.[4]
In 1833, the Township of Clarendon was officially established. It was named after Clarendon Park, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, England (where Henry II had convened peers and bishops to formulate the Constitutions of Clarendon in 1164). In 1837, the post office opened.[5] From then on and into the 1840s, when the timber industry started to prosper, a second wave of settlement occurred, doubling the population of Clarendon between 1840 and 1850.[4]
In 1855, the Township Municipality of Clarendon was created. This style was reformed to Municipality of Clarendon on October 11, 2003.[5]
• Population in 2006: 1248
• Population in 2001: 1340
• 2001 to 2006 population change: -6.9 %
• Population in 1996: 1474
• Population in 1991: 1489
Total private dwellings (excluding seasonal cottages): 485
• English as first language: 81 %
• French as first language: 19 %
1. ^ Statistics Canada
Ministère des Affaires Municipales et Régions lists an area of 327.27 km2 [1]
2. ^ Statistics Canada 2006 census
3. ^ a b c "Canton de Clarendon" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec.,65&Longitude=-76,51666&Zoom=1700. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
4. ^ a b c "Pontiac MRC Gateway: Clarendon". Pontiac MRC Gateway. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
5. ^ a b "Municipalité de Canton de Clarendon" (in French). Commission de toponymie du Québec. Retrieved 2008-05-27.
6. ^ Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006 census
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18339 | The Full Wiki
English Wikipedia: Wikis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Favicon of Wikipedia English Wikipedia
Logo of the English Wikipedia
Slogan The Free Encyclopedia
Commercial? Charitable
Type of site Internet encyclopedia project
Registration Optional
Content license Creative Commons ShareAlike License 3.0
Owner Wikimedia Foundation
Created by Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger[1]
Launched 15 January 2001
The English Wikipedia is the English language edition of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Founded on January 15, 2001 and reaching three million articles by August 2009,[2] it was the first edition of Wikipedia and remains the largest, with more than three times as many articles as the next largest, the German Wikipedia. As of 2010, 21.1% of articles in all Wikipedias belong to the English language edition; this share has gradually declined from more than 50% in 2003, due to the growth of Wikipedias in other languages.[3] There are currently 3,225,702 articles on the site.
Pioneering edition
English Wikipedia contributors by country[4] as of December 2007
Article number of different language families. English highlighted has 22% of articles (06/09/09)
Main sizeable countries from which Wikipedians contribute.
The English Wikipedia was the first Wikipedia edition and has remained the largest. It has pioneered many conventions, policies and features that have been adopted by other Wikipedia editions. These include "featured articles",[5] the neutral point of view policy,[6] navigation templates,[7] the sorting of short "stub" articles into sub-categories,[8] dispute resolution mechanisms such as mediation and arbitration,[9] and weekly collaborations.[10] In turn, the English Wikipedia has adopted features from the German Wikipedia, and from smaller editions.
Many of the most active participants in the Wikimedia Foundation, and developers of the MediaWiki software that powers Wikipedia, are English Wikipedia users.
Users and editors
Wiki feel stupid v2.ogv
In April 2009, the Wikimedia Foundation conducted a usability study on the English Wikipedia, questioning users about the editing mechanism[11]
English Wikipedia statistics
Number of users Number of articles Number of files Number of administrators
11,922,730 3,225,702 844,010 1,719
The English Wikipedia reached 4,000,000 registered user accounts on 1 April 2007,[12] just a little over a year since it had crossed a threshold of 1,000,000 registered user accounts in late February 2006.[13]
As the largest Wikipedia edition, and because English is such a widely used language, the English Wikipedia draws many users and editors whose native language is not English. Such users seek information from the English Wikipedia rather than the Wikipedia of their native language because the English Wikipedia tends to contain more information. Successful collaborations have developed between non-native English speakers who add content to English Wikipedia and native English speakers who act as copyeditors for them.
Arbitration Committee
The English Wikipedia has an Arbitration Committee (also known as ArbCom) that consists of a panel of editors that imposes binding rulings with regard to disputes between other editors of the online encyclopedia.[14] The Committee was created by Jimmy Wales on December 4, 2003 as an extension of the decision-making power he had formerly held as owner of the site.[15][16]
When initially founded, the Committee consisted of 12 arbitrators divided into three groups of four members each.[15][17] Since then, the Committee has gradually expanded to its membership to 18 arbitrators.[18]
Among the controversies in the English Wikipedia is a debate over which national variety of the English language is to be preferred, with the most commonly advocated candidates being American English and British English.[20] Many suggestions have been proposed by editors, ranging from standardizing upon a single form of English to forking the English Wikipedia project. A style guideline states, "the English Wikipedia has no general preference for a major national variety of the language" and "an article on a topic that has strong ties to a particular English-speaking nation uses the appropriate variety of English for that nation."[21] An article should use spelling and grammar variants consistently; for example, color and colour are not to be used in the same article, since they represent American and British English, respectively. The guide also states that an article must remain in the same dialect in which it was first created, or which first became discernible in the article's history.
There has been a similar issue in the Chinese language Wikipedia concerning regional differences in how the language is written, as well as in the Portuguese Wikipedia between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese.
See also
Notes and references
2. ^ Johnson, Bobbie (2009-08-17). "English Wikipedia hits three million articles". Retrieved 2009-08-17.
3. ^ Wikimedia Meta-Wiki (2008-09-21). "List of Wikipedias". Retrieved 2008-09-21.
4. ^ m:Edits by project and country of origin
5. ^ English Wikipedia (2007-01-30). "Featured articles". Retrieved 2007-01-30.
6. ^ English Wikipedia (2007-01-25). "Neutral point of view". Retrieved 2007-01-30.
7. ^ Wikimedia Meta-Wiki (2007-01-29). "Help:Template". Retrieved 2007-01-30.
8. ^ English Wikipedia (2007-01-19). "WikiProject Stub sorting". Retrieved 2007-01-30.
9. ^ English Wikipedia (2007-01-27). "Resolving disputes". Retrieved 2007-01-30.
10. ^ English Wikipedia (2007-01-30). "Article Creation and Improvement Drive". Retrieved 2007-01-30.
11. ^
12. ^ Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2007-04-02/News and notes. Retrieved on 20 April 2007
13. ^ Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2006-02-27/News and notes. Retrieved on 20 April 2007
15. ^ a b Wales, Jimmy (2003-12-04). "WikiEN-l Wikiquette committee appointments". Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
16. ^ Hoffman, David A.; Salil Mehra (2010). "Wikitruth Through Wikiorder". Emory Law Journal 59 (2010). Retrieved 2009-06-09.
18. ^ Wales, Jimmy (2008-12-20). "ArbCom Appointments". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
19. ^ Kleinz, Torsten (2007-04-30). "Wikipedia sucht Schiedsrichter" (in German). heise online. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
20. ^ English Wikipedia. "Wikipedia:Manual of Style (spelling)". Retrieved 2006-02-25.
21. ^ English Wikipedia. "Wikipedia:Manual of Style". Retrieved 2007-10-10.
External links
Simple English
[[File:|right|thumb|200px|The English Wikipedia logo]] The English Wikipedia is the English language edition of the Wikipedia encyclopedia and the first language of it. It was started on 15 January 2001. It is the largest version of Wikipedia, with more than 3.5 million articles as of December 2010.[1] It has a newsletter called The Signpost, which was started by Michael Snow.
As the English Wikipedia is very popular, there can be many people editing the wiki in one minute. This made the Special:RecentChanges almost useless. Therefore, people who are monitoring vandalism turn to the IRC channel to get live changes.
With the improvement to the skin from the usual Monobook skin to Vector, the logo of the English Wikipedia was changed. However, some Wikipedias, like the Simple English Wikipedia, still kept the old logo, which is much bigger than the new version.
Other websites
Error creating thumbnail: sh: convert: command not found
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18341 | Saturday, October 04, 2008
Little Gordon
Little Gordon 1
Little Gordon 2
Little Gordon 3
more animals
1. Lol. OMG. I love Gordon Ramsey's shows. He really can act just like that kid in the video but then turn around two seconds later and be incredibly nice. He really does seem to care. I mean, you get that mad, you'd have to care right? I wonder if he's ever seen these himself lol?
2. Oh goodness...that was hysterical! That little boy looks just like him! Thanks for posting...nice to laugh on a Monday morning.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18348 | Monday, December 5, 2011
Watch Out, Oprah! My Favorite Things From Last Week
Oprah, I'm taking over where you left off...Here are some of my favorite things from last week...*
Favorite Song: Robyn "Stars 4-Ever". This song will make you dance! YEAH!!
Favorite MealBagel with Horseradish Cream Cheese, Smoked Salmon and Wasabi Roe from Russ and Daughters. MMMMMMM...Pretty to look at and DEELISH!
Favorite TV Show: "Up All Night". It's cute and funny, and Maya Rudolph's character as a wannabe Oprah is reason enough to tune in. HILARIOUS!
Favorite Website: Found out about it at the NY Tech Meetup. Design your own stuff and have it made. Or buy cool stuff other people have designed. AWESOME!
*Sorry, people...There's nothing under your chairs and no trips to Australia or free cars!
1. Genius bagel. Drooling just thinking about it. We need to campaign to have that bagel named "The Classy Delancey."
2. HAHAHA I WOULD LOVE THAT! let's do it! I can't think of any cause more worthy :) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18361 | Sydney Opera House
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18379 | Could You Convince People You're A Doctor?
Vernon Coleman
Fake doctors are commoner than you might imagine.
In America a hoax psychiatrist persuaded 10 married women to have sex with total strangers.
He telephoned a hundred women at random and claimed to be a psychiatrist secretly treating their husbands for sexual problems.
He told them that they should leave the house and come back with the first man they could find and await further instructions. In a second call he told the women - and the strangers they'd brought home - to have sex. He claimed it would help cure the husband's problem.
Ninety women who'd been telephoned refused to follow the hoaxer's instructions. But ten did as they were told.
In Italy a hospital found that one of its top brain surgeons wasn't even qualified as a doctor.
In England a meat salesman performed 14 operations in just 24 days while a biology teacher posed as a gynaecologist for 6 months before getting caught.
How long do you think you'd last? How convincing would you be as a doctor? Try this quiz for fun:
There is one correct answer to each of the following questions...choose the one you think is right and then check your score.
1. What would you prescribe kaolin for?
a) a headache
b) a tummy upset
c) an ear infection
2. One of these drugs is an antibiotic - but which?
a) thiamine
b) tetracycline
c) theophylline
3. What would you use to listen to a patient's chest:
a) sphygmomanometer
b) ophthalmoscope
c) stethoscope
4. Which of these hospital specialists deals with skin problems:
a) gynaecologist
b) dermatologist
c) radiologist
5. How many moles are there on the average human body?
a) 20
b) 2
c) 200
6. What is the correct spelling?
a) diarhoea
b) diarrhoea
c) diahorrea
7. Which of these drugs would you prescribe for someone in pain:
a) morphine
b) penicillin
c) caffeine
8. Approximately how many miles of veins, arteries and capillaries are there in your body: a) 600
b) 6,000
c) 60,000
9. The tubes which connect your kidneys to your bladder are called:
a) catheters
b) urethras
c) ureters
10. If you look at a bright light your pupils will:
a) atrophy
b) constrict
c) dilate
11. Where is the thickest skin on your body?
a) on your eyelids
b) on the soles of your feet
c) on your bottom
12. What is the name of the substance that changes the colour of your skin when you get a suntan?
a) lymph
b) noradrenalin
c) melanin
13. The average human heart is roughly the size of:
a) a table tennis ball
b) a cricket ball
c) a rugby ball
14. What is the name of the gland that produces the hormone insulin?
a) the duodenum
b) the pituitary
c) the pancreas
15. How much blood does your body contain?
a) 10 pints
b) 20 pints
c) 30 pints
The correct answers are:
1 b, 2 b, 3 c, 4 b, 5 a, 6 b, 7 a, 8 c, 9 c, 10 b, 11 b, 12 c, 13 b, 14 c, 15 a.
If you got 12 or more right - order your brass plate now!
If you got 8 to 11 right - dodgy, you wouldn't last a week.
If you got 7 or less right - no chance, with a little practice maybe you could masquerade as a bedpan washer
Taken from Coleman's Laws by Vernon Coleman, published by EMJ books. Available from the webshop on this website and from all good bookshops everywhere - on and off line.
Copyright Vernon Coleman 2007 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18388 | How to Eat Before Drinking the Right Way
A night of drinking can do so much more than just trigger weight gain—it can leave you with one hell of a hangover and a pounding head! Even if you’re a regular drinker, you may find that too much alcohol can leave you in rough shape. The good news is that it’s not as hard to avoid getting tipsy or drunk if you know how to drink smart. Specifically, it means eating the right food before going drinking. Below is everything you need to know about how to eat before drinking so you can avoid the nasty repercussions:
Your Metabolism Matters
The reason you get drunk is because you drink alcohol faster than your body can metabolize it. Your liver is capable of processing around one drink every hour, neutralizing the alcohol and eliminating it from your body. Eating a bit of food before drinking is the key to slowing down the rate alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream, giving your liver more time to process your alcohol before it starts affecting your brain and body.
How Food Helps
If you eat before drinking, you do a number of things to help your body. First, the water content of the food you eat dilutes the alcohol content in your stomach and intestines, so the liquid absorbed into your bloodstream has been watered down and is therefore less potent. The fiber in your food also slows down alcohol absorption rate, as does the protein and fats. This means it takes longer for the alcohol to hit your bloodstream, giving your liver more time to process it. And finally, the food you eat will replenish the minerals and vitamins that are depleted as you drink alcohol.
Not All Food is Equal
Eating almost anything is good for you, but pay attention to that “almost”. There are two things you want to avoid before a night of drinking: caffeine and salt. Caffeine dehydrates your body just like alcohol does, so it basically compounds the dehydrating effects of your drinks. Salt makes you feel more bloated, due to its water retention properties. You’ll be less likely to reach for a glass of water after a salty meal. And, as we all know, drinking water is crucial for helping you keep the alcohol under control.
The Best Foods to Eat
If you’re trying to diminish the effects of alcohol, the best thing to eat is anything high in fiber, water, minerals, and vitamins. You know what that means, right? Fruits and veggies, of course! Produce with a high fiber and water content will do wonders to reduce the effects of alcohol and prevent hangovers the next day. You can also go with legumes, whole grains, and nuts, all of which will neutralize or slow the effects of alcohol.
What About Greasy Food?
Greasy food is typically seen as alcohol-friendly, as it’s supposed to coat the internal lining of your stomach with a layer of fat to slow down alcohol absorption. Unfortunately, that’s not usually true. Greasy food will bond with the alcohol and slow down absorption rate, but there’s no coating the lining of your stomach. It’s simply the high fat content of the food that works—it takes your body longer to absorb it, thus slowing down the rate of absorption of everything in your stomach.
Avoid Sweets
Simple sugars are a terrible idea if you’re drinking! They’re absorbed quickly into the body, so they won’t slow down alcohol absorption rate. Plus, they’re more likely to make you nauseous.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18397 | Raptor Species
Not all species of raptors are desirable for falconry purposes, and not all are legal at the federal or state level. The birds appearing on this list are the ones most commonly used. Hybrids are a cross between two birds crossed within the Falco Genus produced by natural mating or artificial insemination.
• Common Name
• Scientific Name |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18412 | Doctor Who Keyboard
By Xah Lee. Date: .
doctor who keyboard 8ee87
“It's a board from a local electric distribution center. The serial ports in the back are some proprietary configuration - 50pin male and a 9pin female - there's really no practical purpose for it other than to gawk ☺” [image source reddit]
Total is about 244 keys.
The top is 25x5 = 125 keys.
The bottom part is about 93 keys, plus 4x6 = 24.
This appears to be National Grid keyboard used in UK.
doctor who keyboard b11d2
doctor who keyboard
Apparently, this keyboard is used as a interior prop in British TV scifi series Doctor Who's TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space). TARDIS is the name of a time travling machine that looks like a UK police box (public phone booth used for emergencies)
doctor who keyboard cmuz4
doctor who keyboard ba393 [image source]
2018-09-09 thanks to Marcin Wichary for identification
One Thousand Keys
1. Why Function Keys Are Useful
2. Maltron Keyboard
3. One Thousand Function Keys
4. Keyboard Monster
5. Hyper 7 Keyboard
6. Cherry Point of Sale Keyboards
7. Point of Sale KSI Keyboard
8. Doctor Who Keyboard
9. Shortcut-S Photoshop Keyboard
10. Programable Keypads
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18433 | Montreal City Urban Montage 06
Montreal City Urban Montage 06
Montreal City Urban Montage 06
Dimensions: 3504 by 2109 pixels
MontrealMontreal Images: Montreal is the North American Amsterdam, with its population openness and creativity. Although It’s part of the French speaking Quebec Provincy, It is much more a multi-cultural city, due to its vast immigrant population.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18446 |
The control panel we use is called cPanel. If you have Reseller or Dedicated Hosting, we provide WHM (Web Host Manager) for managing multiple cPanels.
Shared Web Hosting
A demo of cPanel can be found here.
Reseller and Dedicated Hosting
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A demo of WHM can be found here.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18450 | Welcome to my website!
Learn about me, my thoughts, and my work:
Story Louisville
Startup Grind
My mission is to help people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be.
Send me a message or schedule a call if you have questions.
To your success,
Adam Robinson |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18472 | Medical Aesthetics Training to Master Improving Tear Troughs
Many people, both young and old, are unhappy with the shadows and depressions that occur under their eyes. This condition is known as tear trough deformity. Dermal filler treatments to the under eye area are now a safe and effective alternative to surgery.
Because more and more patients are interested in the use of dermal fillers to treat certain conditions like tear trough deformity, many medical aesthetics professionals are now enrolling in short courses for mastering cheeks and tear troughs. Adding this to their skill set means a new stream of revenue. Invest in the best aesthetic training for tear trough deformities and expand your business.
Medical aesthetics training in Newton, MA provides a conducive venue for professionals to learn and master the use of dermal fillers in treating tear trough deformities among patients. You will also be taught how to conduct a pre-assessment of a patient’s specific case in which you will examine the lower lids, look for significant fat prolapse and periorbital hollowing, and assessing skin texture and pigmentation.
To find out more about the best aesthetic training for learning and mastering cheeks and tear troughs, contact Aesthetics Institute of Massachusetts. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18473 | Abracadabra! Kids, Mahatma Gandhi and; the Freedom Struggle
We, humans like challenges. The children like them even more, particularly when they appear to be within their capacity to meet. Last summer, I was assigned the duty of engaging our grandnephew and grandniece––Aarav (5) and Dhwani (6)––while their parents went visiting their friends.
Although I accepted the assignment, I was a bit tired and wanted to take a nap before I could join them. But it didn’t work out my way and there I was, trying to keep the two kids entertained. I yawned like a dog as I narrated fairy tales, and tales of adventure to them. Soon they lost interest and became fidgety.
When sleep seemed to get the better of me, I came up with a stratagem. I promised to show them a magic trick provided they counted the hair on my head. They found the challenge amusing. Hesitant first, they looked at my balding head and spared a thought to considering the exciting proposal. Together they felt confident of counting the very few hair on my scalp. Then, of course, there was the lure of the Magic Trick that would follow.
The deal was done; I dozed off as soon as they began counting.
Poor little things! I must have slept for the greater part of an hour as they went through the exercise (read “ordeal”). They were still counting when I got up: “…2347, 2348, 2349, …”
Now it was my turn to fulfil my part of the agreement––to show them a magic trick. “Do you know Gandhiji?” I started with a preamble, as I had to keep them engaged for another hour before their parents returned. And then, without waiting for an answer, I described the greatness of the Father of the Nation. I took time to narrate the life of the great saint and the freedom struggle of India. I ended my monologue with: “Now I’ll show you his power.”
I took out a crisp two-thousand-rupee currency note and flashed it for them to see. “Whose picture do you see on that note?”
“Gandhiji,” they chorused.
Then I slipped the currency note in a long envelope as they watched curiously. I had cut windows in the envelope for the kids to be able to see the currency note kept inside. I held the envelope in front for them to see. With a pair of scissors in the other hand I said, “Now I’ll cut through the envelope but the currency note with the picture of Mahatma Gandhi will remain intact….” With a pause, I added, “That is the power of the Mahatma.”
“Abracadabra! Here I go!” With more theatrics, I chopped the envelope into two pieces and, lo and behold, the Mahatma remained unscathed. The note was still in one piece. The two clapped with joy.
Abracadabra! The power of the Mahatma!
It was a win-win situation. The kids thoroughly enjoyed my sleight of hand. They also had a gala time counting the hair on my head. I enjoyed my siesta. Above all, they learnt a few things about the Mahatma and India’s freedom struggle. Since the lesson was associated with spectacular magic, they’ll remember it for long. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18490 | Amplifier Design Wizard V10
Technical Overview
The Amplfier Design Wizard is a powerful design tool that assists the design engineer with modelling transistors, pads and parasitcs and guides the engineer though systematic topology searches to get optimal results in amplifier design and impedance matching.
The Ampsa Amplifier Design Wizard (ADW) takes a new approach towards amplifier design.
The prevalent approach to the design of RF and microwave circuits today is still the optimization approach. An initial solution is obtained by some means or other, and this solution is optimized (improved by using optimization techniques) with a general-purpose RF and microwave circuit simulator. While this approach is certainly workable, it is slow, depends heavily on the experience of the designer (or some other source) and often yields inferior results. The requirement of initial solutions is also a major drawback.
In the Amplifier Design Wizard, the basic point of departure is that one cannot rely only on optimization techniques to find close-to-optimum solutions. A solution to this problem is to find solutions by doing systematic searches. A simple grid search is, however, not the answer. In order to do the required search efficiently, the search must, in the first place, be done on the correct parameters and, secondly, it should be synthesis based. A number of the best solutions found in the systematic search are then optimized, after which the user can choose the best solution from the potential solutions presented.
The systematic searches also eliminate the initialization problem.
The ADW is comprised of various modules.
Transistor Modeling and Modification Network Synthesis Module
The capabilities provided in the Modeling Section include:
• FET/BJT models can be fitted to the transistor S-parameter data.
• Package parasitics can be specified for transistor models or can be optimized. Constraints can be set on the component values.
• The noise performance can be modeled by using Fukui, Pucel and Pozpielaski noise models. The fitting factors associated with the different models can be optimized to improve the fit to the supplied noise parameter and S-parameter data. An extra fitting factor is provided to model the flat section in the noise performance.
• The S-parameter and noise parameter data can be interpolated for more detailed analysis at crucial points. Extrapolation of the S-Parameter and noise-parameter data is allowed by using the fitted models.
Modification sections can be synthesized or added manually to the transistor in the Modeling and Modification Module. A modification network consist of frequency selective resistive feedback and/or resistive loading sections. These sections are used to pre-condition the transistor for improved stability, flat gain response, lower VSWRs (before synthesizing the matching networks required), as well as to have low VSWRs at the same time as a low noise figure and/or high output power. Sophisticated modification network synthesis techniques are implemented in the Amplifier Design Wizard.
Analysis Module
The S-parameters and noise parameters of any Amplifier Design Wizard (ADW) circuit can be calculated in the Analysis Module (Extended cascade analysis, as well as nodal analysis are allowed). The stability of the circuit can also be evaluated. Stability analysis includes calculation of various stability factors, as well as loop gain and reflection analysis. While only linear circuits are analyzed, the 1-dB compression point of amplifiers can be estimated too. The performance of the drivers in an amplifier chain is also calculated. Optimization capabilities are also provided in the Analysis Module. These include optimization of the performance of a linear amplifier, as well as optimization of a model to fit a set of two-port parameters.
Various wizards are incorporated into the Analysis Module. These wizards set up transistor modification problems, as well as a variety of impedance-matching problems. The problem defined by a wizard is then solved by using the relevant Synthesis Module.
Note that load-pull contours can be generated by the CIL Wizard to find the 1dB-compression points of a transistor. The contours can be generated even when feedback or loading is applied to a transistor. (The transistor configuration may be changed too.) The default selection of the best point on each contour can be modified by the user. This allows greater control over the performance of the amplifier.
Impedance Matching Module
The Impedance-Matching Module is used to synthesize lumped-element, distributed or mixed lumped/distributed matching networks. Wizards are provided to synthesize commensurate (equal line lengths) and non-commensurate networks.
When commensurate networks are synthesized, the lengths of any main line sections, open-ended stubs or short-circuited stubs are specified by the user and the widths are used as variables. Different lengths may be used for the main line sections, open-ended stubs or short-circuited stubs. If the stub lengths are kept short, the stubs can be replaced with lumped components in the Analysis Module. The line widths or characteristic impedances can be constrained. It is a good idea to initially leave these unconstrained and to observe the impedance values required, as well as the performance that can be obtained when this is done.
When non-commensurate networks are synthesized, the widths of any main line sections, open-ended stubs or short-circuited stubs are specified by the user and the line lengths are used as variables. Different widths may be used for the main line sections, open-ended stubs or short-circuited stubs. The minimum and maximum lengths of the main-line sections can be constrained. The minimum length constraint is often essential to ensure that the any stubs used are separated sufficiently. When mixed lumped/distributed networks are synthesized, pads can be specified for the lumped components too. The lumped components in these solutions are used to reduce the size of the network.
Ultimate Performance. The ADW has a reputation for delivering first-time-right designs with performance superior to that attainable by other design techniques.
Much shorter design cycles. The synthesis techniques implemented lead to more robust designs that require less tuning and trial and error efforts to achieve the most challenging specifications. This translates into faster and fewer design cycles and hence increased productivity.
Comprehensive export capabilities. If required, the microstrip | stripline circuit designed can be processed further with a general-purpose microwave simulator. To ease the transition, the following export capabilities are provided:
• The S-parameters and the noise parameters of the ADW circuit analyzed can be exported in TouchstoneTM ".s1p" or ".s2p" format.
• Microwave OfficeTM schematic scripts can be created for most ADW circuits.
• Sonnet Software® files can be created for the ADW artwork.
• The ADW artwork can be exported in DXF or HPGL format. The DXF files can be imported into many EM simulators, including CSTTM and MomentumTM.
• ADW circuits can be exported as Super CompactTM or TouchstoneTM nodal analysis circuit files.
The Amplifier Design Wizard is a Visual C++ 2017 Unicode MFC (Microsoft Foundation Class) WindowsTM application. Several design wizards have been implemented in the Amplifier Design Wizard in order to simplify complex tasks.
The Amplifier Design Wizard can automatically transform the electrical description of a designed circuit into microstrip or stripline form, with automatic compensation for discontinuity effects. The artwork can be displayed and modified graphically in the Analysis Module, and can be exported in various formats.
To find out more about the Amplifier Design Wizard's features and capabilities, be sure to view some of the screencasts provided and refer to the following articles, documents and book.
ADW Design Philosophy ADW Datasheet
Technical Requirements
Operating System
A WindowsTM operating system (Windows XP/VistaTM / 7TM / 10TM ) is required to run the Impedance-Matching Wizard. Windows 10 is recommended for the Impedance-Matching Wizard.
Hardware Requirements
The minimum recommended hardware requirements are shown in the table below.
Processor: 1.5 GHZ
Graphics Resolution: 1680x1050 px
Screen Size: 20 "
Mouse: 2-button with scroll wheel
The software is supplied on a CD ROM disk. The latest installation programs and any updates available can also be downloaded from the Private Download Section of Ampsa's website.
The software is protected against unauthorized use with a Safenet Sentinel USB keyTM or the Mirage Licence ProtectorTM. Standalone and network versions of the software are available. When the Mirage Licence ProtectorTM is used, the license is locked to a server computer or the computer on which the software is run. When a customer is not on support any more, the only option is a USB key.
Get a Quotation
If you are interested in this product, feel free to contact us for more information and a free quote. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18492 | Is Coffee Bad?
My husband and I own six different machines for making coffee. We have stirrers, scoops, grinders, presses, frothers, and makers large, small, slowIMG_5109, and quick. We regularly gift each other with coffee and finding a good latte on vacation is our idea of a good time. So when you ask me a coffee question, you’ve got my attention. The answer to “Is coffee bad?”: maybe.
There is significant research that supports coffee containing antioxidants, good for headaches, improving brain function and concentration, in addition to benefits for patients with Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, liver & colon cancers. Unfortunately, the risks don’t always outweigh the benefits. Caffeine consumption can make you cranky, affect your sleep, raise your heart rate and upset your stomach. It could also lead to high blood pressure or osteoporosis.
If you are already drinking coffee (like me & my hubby), I would adhere to the following guidelines:
• Limit your consumption to two cups or less per day.
• Make sure you aren’t adding in anything artificial: creepy creamers or weird sugar-substitutes with ingredients you cannot pronounce. (Really. Stop.)
• Try to reduce the amount of fat, sugar and sugary syrups you add in.
• Know from where your coffee hails. There is a farmer behind every bean! (His/Her name is most likely not Juan Valdez.)
• If you are suffering from Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, liver or colon cancer, talk to your doctor before making your own coffee prescription.
If you are NOT drinking coffee, by all means don’t start just because you heard there might be some antioxidants in there. Eat a vegetable (or 9) and enjoy your day.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18515 | I have several external hard drives attached via USB to my iMac. Turning the Mac on this morning, three of the four drives mount no problem. (all in the same ext power / usb tower) but one drive does not mount.
disk utility screenshot
I went into Disk Utility and the drive shows up there but it's child shows up greyed out. When I select the child it shows that I can mount it but when I actually hit the mount button nothing else happens. The button does not show unmount but stays as mount.
It shows the child as being all yellow (other) but it's far from full.
Can anyone help?
It didn't mount:
Last login: Thu Apr 7 08:40:46 on ttys000
Pauls-iMac:~ pual$ diskutil mountDisk /dev/disk3
One or more volume(s) failed to mount
Pauls-iMac:~ pual$
DiskUtil list output
/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *1.0 TB disk0
1: EFI EFI 209.7 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_CoreStorage Macintosh HD 999.3 GB disk0s2
3: Apple_Boot Recovery HD 650.0 MB disk0s3
/dev/disk1 (internal, virtual):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: Apple_HFS Macintosh HD +999.0 GB disk1
Logical Volume on disk0s2
/dev/disk2 (external, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme *1.0 TB disk2
1: Windows_NTFS PIYUSH08ROCKS 1.0 TB disk2s1
• Have you tried verifying the disks or repairing the disk permissions? Note: do the first aid on the whole disk, not just the partition. – NoahL Dec 14 '16 at 5:59
• @NoahL, Thanks for your answer. I already tried that but not working... – user2526811 Dec 14 '16 at 6:01
• Can you post the output of diskutil list (so I can see the filing system breakdown). – NoahL Dec 14 '16 at 6:03
• @NoahL, I posted output for that. – user2526811 Dec 14 '16 at 6:06
• @NoahL, can you please help me? – user2526811 Dec 14 '16 at 6:21
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18516 | I want to invite someone as team member to the iOS developer program. Is it possible to restrict his rights to only one app? He should be able to create/edit/delete certificates for app 1A but not for app 2B.
• Please update the question to specify what kind of developer program you are registered to? Individual or Organisation account? – Nimesh Neema May 8 '18 at 17:37
You can set which user has access to which apps in iTunes Connect (Appe Support Article)
From the homepage, click Users and Roles, then click iTunes Connect Users.
Click the Apple ID for the user you want to edit, then click Roles.
In the Apps section, choose an option from the pop-up menu:
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18520 | Operations Management
This course provides an overview of operations management concepts and techniques for manufacturing and service sectors. The course emphasis is on planning, managing and controlling operations. Main topics include: introduction to operations management and to process management, forecasting, aggregate planning, material requirement planning, capacity requirement planning, inventory management and control, introduction to enterprise requirement planning, just-in-time systems, and quality management and control. A variety of quantitative techniques are also used for valuable insights in analysis and in decision-making. PREREQ: COMM 1057. Students may not retain credit for ADMN 4046, COMM 2056 COMM 2055 and OPER 3006. Methods of teaching: lectures. Credits: 3
Finance and Operations |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18521 | Version 27 (modified by dlove, 9 years ago) (diff)
Welcome to the Son of Grid Engine project
The Son of Grid Engine is a community project to continue Sun's old gridengine free software project that used to live at, now that Oracle have shut down the site and are not contributing code. It will maintain copies of as much as possible/useful from old site. Currently we do not have the old mail archives online, though articles from the old gridengine-users list from the last five years or so will be available soon, and Oracle have promised to donate artifacts from the old site, so we should be able to get complete copies of everything.
The idea is to encourage sharing, in the spirit of the original project, and informed by long experience of free software projects and scientific computing support. Please contribute, and share code or ideas for improvement, especially any ideas for encouraging contribution.
Currently any information you find for the gridengine v6.2u5 release will apply to this effort, including the v6.2u5 wiki documentation and pointers therefrom, including the site and its wiki. There may eventually also be useful info at the Oracle Grid Engine Forum. You should note its terms of use before posting there; they include even relinquishing moral rights.
This wiki isn't currently generally editable, but will be when spam protection is in place. If you're a known past contributor to gridengine and would like to help, please get in touch for access.
• 2010-11-15: URLs of the form and now work for hg and git respectively.
• 2010-11-14: You can now access the repos with Mercurial (hg) at the same URLs as with darcs, e.g. hg clone (They should probably be aliased to avoid confusion.) You can also pull with git, but the relevant URL is the darcs one with /.git appended, e.g. git clone Servers are not currently available for hg or git, so pulling may be relatively slow; also mirroring currently isn't automatic, so the hg and git repos may be somewhat out-of-date. Also note that pulls with git or hg leave scripts not executable — see the amended build instructions.
• 2010-11-14: Most jar files have been expunged since several from the sunsource repository are copyleft, and can't be distributed as-were. Since this involved re-writing history in the arco and nbgui repos, if you pulled from them, you'll need to do it again, unfortnuately.
• 2010-11-10: A general mail list and bug-reporting by mail are available.
In other repos, .jar files have mostly been removed (especially as some of them were from copyleft source), and the directories for support of obsolete versions have been removed from nbgui. This may affect building Java sources.
The repositories are maintained under darcs,1 but are mirrored to Mercurial and git — see News. To clone the sge repo, get a recent version of darcs — at least version 2 and preferably 2.5 — and then run
darcs get --lazy --set-scripts-executable
wget -e robots=off -r -X /repos/darcs/sge/_darcs -np
find -name index.html\\?\* | xargs rm
Building the source is currently rather a pain, which is something to improve urgently. With appropriate development packages installed — they need documenting — it should build on GNU/Linux in Bourne shell with something like this:
cd source
or, to avoid Java stuff:
cd source
The explicit use of csh the first time allows aimk to set necessary executable permissions, which will be missing if you pulled with git or hg, or didn't use --set-scripts-executable with darcs. See ticket #821 about the --no-gui-inst.
Bug reporting, patches, and mail lists
There is a subscribers-only general mail list; see, or subscribe by mail as usual for Mailman. Bug reports mailed to are gatewayed to the issue tracker and to a list.
The best way to send patches is to record them in a clone darcs repository and use darcs send. Until arrangements are made for direct contributions, they will be pushed into the main repository by hand if they look reasonable. Otherwise, you can attach normal patches to tickets or just mail them (see Contact), maybe even against the 6.2u5 source, if you have them ready-made.
As well as the partial gridengine-users mail archive the original CVS repositories have been mirrored completely, along with copies of all the items in the old issue tracker — ‘Issuezilla’, sometimes referred to as ‘IZ’, and the general material from the sunsource web site. They will be put online eventually, if Oracle don't re-host them. This is partly pending to see whether Oracle do the work and, otherwise, asking for the original data to minimize possible data loss from the archiving.
The active IZ issues have been transferred to the issue tracker here, though some have somewhat suffered in the process; unfortunately I only discovered after the fact that they were accessible as an XML dump. MarkMail appears to have complete archives of the gridengine mail lists currently online, though with a less than ideal interface, and Gmane has gridengine-users from 2006 onwards via HTTP and NTP. We have partial archives of the old -users and -dev lists to make available
Copyright and Naming
The Sunsource material has been copied according to the original Sunsource terms (online copy pending). Material here has an explicit or implicit copyright under the same terms, i.e. code with no explicit terms is covered by the SISSL, and other contributions have a permissive licence. Any explicit licence must be a free software or free documentation one, compatible with any material it modifies. The original source code is obviously under the original (rather odd!) SISSL, except for some essentially ‘third party’ stuff like qmake.
The appendix to the SISSL requires a conformance test to use names like ‘Grid Engine’ for a modified version. There aren't any known deviations in the current source from the behaviour of the originally-downloaded Grid Engine source, apart from a re-numbering of the GDI protocol to reflect a change in that. Before an actual release, it will be necessary either to get Oracle's blessing or to run the test suite against (probably) the 6.2u5 release. Changes to the GDI, or anything else that breaks the tests, will require a compatibility mode controlled by an environment variable.
There's another project, Open Grid Scheduler, or ‘gridscheduler’, which is also continuing work on gridengine but has different aims. Unlike this one, its repository doesn't use a distributed revision control system, and doesn't include history from before the gridengine v6.2u5 release, or the documentation. It would be better if there was only one project, but this satisfies the need for those things missing from OGS (and more, like a bug-tracker that doesn't involve creating yet another account), which should ease contributing.
The sge source here is currently a superset of OGS's, and is likely to remain so. It includes the changes from OGS, or close equivalents, plus some important fixes for persistent or immediate crashes in some circumstances, and other less important changes, as well as documentation. It is currently more unstable than OGS, but breakage should get fixed, at least if it isn't inherited from the original code base, and there will probably be stable and development branches eventually.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18544 | Leftists Form Swedish Government (Reaction)
The big news today is that a deal between the Social Democrats, the Green Party, the Center Party and the Liberal Party is about to break the deadlock in Swedish politics. I comment on it in this video:
hanif bali what this is about
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18545 | Human Primary Cells
Alphanumeric - Primary Cells
Search a wide collection of cultures alphanumerically.
HCASMC dual staining
Human Primary Cells by Type
HCASMC dual staining
Human Primary Cell Selection Guide
ATCC offers a solution to help investigators overcome the high cost and inconsistency found in routine primary cell culture with the development of ATCC® Primary Cell Solutions®, a standardized cell culture system that includes high quality cells, media, supplements, reagents, and protocols.
Primary Cell Culture Reagents and Media
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18569 | On Thoreau
March 07, 2019
Henri-David Thoreau is among my favorite writers and philosophers. He was not afraid of living an authentic life and stayed true to himself until the end of his own existence.
Thoreau was a precursor. You might have studied Walden, his most famous book. It still fascinates me. Walden is a call to our animal side. Being one with our nature is respectfully living off nature, the essence of environmentalism. To do so, the author advocates simple living, which we rebranded nowadays as “minimalism”.
Emancipator, he coined the term Civil Disobedience, which would later inspire Gandhi to lead India toward independence, or Luther King Jr to fight against racial segregation. Civil Disobedience is the root of nonviolence. Here is my favorite quote from the book:
I am too high born to be propertied,
To be a second at control,
Or useful serving-man and instrument
To any sovereign state throughout the world.
Thoreau - Civil Disobedience and Other Essays
HDT was not only a man of words but also a man of action who constantly reinvented himself: abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian… But what really stands out from Thoreau’s life, to me, is his thirst for self-sustainability. Thoreau was among the few last free men. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18596 | Beyblade Fighting Tournament (ベイブレードFIGHTING TOURNAMENT, Beiburēdo Faitingu Tōnamento) was the second video game released. It was released on August 11, 2000 in Japan.
This game was more closer to the final beyblade product then Jisedai Bēgoma Battle Beyblade had been and yet still has a few final ideas held within it. The standard game play involves visiting locations and the player fights their way through tornements to advance to the next stage of the game. As each tornement was won, more parts and bit-beasts are made able to be bought from the games shop. Max, Rei, Kai and Tyson were the final champions of each respective tournament. The player also was challenged by Jin.
a bit chip showing the code for the game to unlock the bit beast in the game
The player could only start with one of 4 arch-types, "Dragoon", "Draciel", "Dranzer" and "Driger". Intially by default the player could only choose Dragoons, although codes were released in magazines to acess the other arch-types (due to a misprint, the Draciel and Dranzer codes were later reprinted in correct form on the games website). The codes to unlock the players archetypes are; 5656 (Dragon, also the default), 4622 (Driger), 1137 (Draciel), 9520 (Dranzer). Jin's bit archetype also was dependant on what the player select, for example he used Metal Dranzer if the player was using the Dranzer archetype.
Each bit was released in the shop as part of a series, such as "Kid" (Kid Dragon, Kid Dranzer , etc), "Knight" (Knight Driger, Knight Dranzer, etc), "Nightmare" (Nightmare Driger, Nightmare Dragoon, etc) two at a time.The first bit players begin with is based on the "Kid" series, thus the players begins with either "Kid Dragoon", "Kid Driger", "Kid Draciel" or "Kid Dranzer". Each series of bits had a different strength and the price to purchase them grew with the strength of the series it was from, for example "Knight series" bits were weaker then "Nightmare series" bits. In total there are 36 bits to collect in the game, spread across 9 different series.
As well as the code to choose the archtype the player began with, Japanese versions of the later Initial System and Spin Gear System beyblades released in the year 2000 also carried a code on their bits. This was so players could unlock that particular bit in the game in the shop. For example, the "Driger" bit featured the code "GER4" on its bit. Whether it was an error or intentional, the Beyblades were often featured with the code in commerical outlets and magazines, so it was possible to obtain the codes without buying a single beyblade.
Within each match, however, aside from the launch the player had virtually no control on the beyblade once it was in the arena.This meant the player was forced to upgrade their bits and beyblades throughout the game to increase the chance of success versus failure as the game was mostly luck based, especially in later tournament stages.
Due to the style of the game, players who can't speak Japanese need to figure out how to customise Beyblades as this is the only way to increase the odds in one's favour. At their core, each series tends to follow its arch typing, so most Dragoons follow the heavy favouring for attack for example, so Beyblade parts normally suit the bits preferred archtype style. Once you figure this out, the game pretty much is basic and has no RPG elements.
The mechanics are simply you power up the launcher, release the Beyblade and basically watch the fight. The game is simple and has little complexity to it since it was based on the actual Beyblade toy itself.
The code unlocking system is a little bit more difficult to do as many codes are long lost.
• Kenny, Max and Ray make their first video game appearances, while Kai, Tyson and Hiro (as Jin) make their second.
• Like with the Jisedai Bēgoma Battle Beyblade, a number of bit-beasts were featured on offical beyblades. Some Beyblades were not named after their bits, particularly in the Initial System era.
• "Wing defender" for example features the "Nightmare series" Draciel "Nightmare Draciel" while "Wing Attacker" featured the "Knight series" Dragoon "Knight Dragoon".
• "Sparkling Attacker" featured the "Thunder series" dragon "Thunder Dragoon".
• Jin's "Metal series" Dragoon "Metal Dragoon" was featured on Bearing Stinger.
• English versions of the Beyblades featuring the games bits tended not to include their codes.
• Also, up until 2003, beyblades would have a random second bit released with each toy, the random bit was often one of the bit-beasts from this game (Knight Dranzer was one of the most common ones).
• Outside of the normal Driger, Dragon, Dranzer and Draciel bits, only Master Dragoon, Frostic Dranzer, Metal Driger were actually used in the manga or anime storylines.
• During the early 2000's, fake beyblades often carried bit-beasts from this game, though Jisedai Bēgoma Battle Beyblade also saw some of its bits featured on fakes, this game was more likely to see its bits released on the fakes.
• The bit from Ultimate Frostic Dranzer returns as a "Frost series" bit "Frost Dranzer", and is joined by Frost Drgier, Frost Dragoon and Frost Draciel. Spin Dragon also re-appears in his own series.
• Once again, this game features some concepts and ideas that were later abandoned within the Beyblade franchise, though many ideas were continued on within the manga and anime. Calls backs to this stage of the franchise were still being made as late as Beyblade: G-Revolution, when Jin entered with Metal Driger.
• Despite being able to use all 4 of the Metal series bits, Jin of the Gale is only with Metal Driger in the final series and Metal Dragoon, Metal Dranzer and Metal Draciel are never seen in use by him. This is the only time he is featured using all 4 of the metal series bits.
• "Nightmare Dragoon" was reused as the main villain of Beyblade Battle Saint Lolita.
• The manga changed to match this game much more and the events of the Japanese tournament featuring Rei, Max, Kai and Tyson tied in with the game.
• While the Manga called itself "Bakuten Shoot Beyblade", the game did not carry this name. This is because at this stage all developments tied to Beyblade were independent under the name of "Beyblade". Thus though the game uses the same characters as the manga, it is not tied in with it.
External Links
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18598 | Exodus 6:28
Parallel Verses
English Standard Version
King James Bible
American Standard Version
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt.
English Revised Version
Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, on the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
Exodus 6:28 Parallel
Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron. - "These are their (Moses' and Aaron's) father's-houses." בּית־אבות father's-houses (not fathers' house) is a composite noun, so formed that the two words not only denote one idea, but are treated grammatically as one word, like בּית־עצבּים idol-houses (1 Samuel 31:9), and בּית־בּמות high-place-houses (cf. Ges. 108, 3; Ewald, 270c). Father's house was a technical term applied to a collection of families, called by the name of a common ancestor. The father's-houses were the larger divisions into which the families (mishpachoth), the largest subdivisions of the tribes of Israel, were grouped. To show clearly the genealogical position of Levi, the tribe-father of Moses and Aaron, among the sons of Jacob, the genealogy commences with Reuben, the first-born of Jacob, and gives the names of such of his sons and those of Simeon as were the founders of families (Genesis 46:9-10). Then follows Levi; and not only are the names of his three sons given, but the length of his life is mentioned (Exodus 6:16), also that of his son Kohath and his descendant Amram, because they were the tribe-fathers of Moses and Aaron. But the Amram mentioned in Exodus 6:20 as the father of Moses, cannot be the same person as the Amram who was the son of Kohath (Exodus 6:18), but must be a later descendant. For, however the sameness of names may seem to favour the identity of the persons, if we simply look at the genealogy before us, a comparison of this passage with Numbers 3:27-28 will show the impossibility of such an assumption. "According to Numbers 3:27-28, the Kohathites were divided (in Moses' time) into the four branches, Amramites, Izharites, Hebronites, and Uzzielites, who consisted together of 8600 men and boys (women and girls not being included). Of these, about a fourth, or 2150 men, would belong to the Amramites. Now, according to Exodus 18:3-4, Moses himself had only two sons. Consequently, if Amram the son of Kohath, and tribe-father of the Amramites, was the same person as Amram the father of Moses, Moses must have had 2147 brothers and brothers' sons (the brothers' daughters, the sisters, and their daughters, not being reckoned at all). But as this is absolutely impossible, it must be granted that Amram the son of Kohath was not the father of Moses, and that an indefinitely long list of generations has been omitted between the former and his descendant of the same name" (Tiele, Chr. des A. T. p. 36).
(Note: The objections of M. Baumgarten to these correct remarks have been conclusively met by Kurtz (Hist. of O. C. vol. ii. p. 144). We find a similar case in the genealogy of Ezra in Ezra 7:3, which passes over from Azariah the son of Meraioth to Azariah the son of Johanan, and omits five links between the two, as we may see from 1 Chronicles 6:7-11. In the same way the genealogy before us skips over from Amram the son of Kohath to Amram the father of Moses without mentioning the generations between.)
The enumeration of only four generations, viz., Levi, Iohath, Amram, Moses, is unmistakeably related to Genesis 15:16, where it is stated that the fourth generation would return to Canaan. Amram's wife Jochebed, who is merely spoken of in general terms as a daughter of Levi (a Levitess) in Exodus 2:1 and Numbers 26:59, is called here the דּודה "aunt" (father's sister) of Amram, a marriage which was prohibited in the Mosaic law (Leviticus 18:12), but was allowed before the giving of the law; so that there is no reason for following the lxx and Vulgate, and rendering the word, in direct opposition to the usage of the language, patruelis, the father's brother's daughter. Amram's sons are placed according to their age: Aaron, then Moses, as Aaron was three years older than his brother. Their sister Miriam was older still (vid., Exodus 2:4). In the lxx, Vulg., and one Hebrew MS, she is mentioned here; but this is a later interpolation. In Exodus 6:21. not only are the sons of Aaron mentioned (Exodus 6:23), but those of two of Amram's brothers, Izhar and Uzziel (Exodus 6:21, Exodus 6:22), and also Phinehas, the son of Aaron's son Eleazar (Exodus 6:25); as the genealogy was intended to trace the descent of the principal priestly families, among which again special prominence is given to Aaron and Eleazar by the introduction of their wives. On the other hand, none of the sons of Moses are mentioned, because his dignity was limited to his own person, and his descendants fell behind those of Aaron, and were simply reckoned among the non-priestly families of Levi. The Korahites and Uzzielites are mentioned, but a superior rank was assigned to them in the subsequent history to that of other Levitical families (cf. Numbers 16-17; Numbers 26:11, and Numbers 3:30 with Leviticus 10:4). Aaron's wife Elisheba was of the princely tribe of Judah, and her brother Naashon was a tribe-prince of Judah (cf. Numbers 2:3). אבות ראשׁי (Exodus 6:25), a frequent abbreviation for בית־אבות ראשׁי, heads of the father's-houses of the Levites. In Exodus 6:26 and Exodus 6:27, with which the genealogy closes, the object of introducing it is very clearly shown in the expression, "These are that Aaron and Moses," at the beginning of Exodus 6:26; and again, "These are that Moses and Aaron," at the close of Exodus 6:27. The reversal of the order of the names is also to be noticed. In the genealogy itself Aaron stands first, as the elder of the two; in the conclusion, which leads over to the historical narrative that follows, Moses takes precedence of his elder brother, as being the divinely appointed redeemer of Israel. On the expression, "according to their armies," see Exodus 7:4.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18606 | What Is Assisted Reproductive Therapy?
When you first find out that you may have infertility issues, it can be quite daunting. However, after the diagnosis a solution is usually discussed, so it’s not the end of the road if you plan on falling pregnant. Your gynaecologist may suggest a course of Assisted Reproductive Therapy. This includes one of the following: Ovulation Induction, IVF, ICSI, IUI, PGD, and Blastocyst Culture. Your gynaecologist may suggest one of these procedures or a number of them, depending on your body.
Ovulation Induction medications or fertility drugs stimulate the follicles in your ovaries. This causes your ovaries to produce multiple eggs in one cycle. These medications also control the time at which the eggs are released so that the most likely conception times can be scheduled.
IVF, which is an abbreviation for In Vitro Fertilisation, is the process of uniting the egg with the sperm in the laboratory. The embryos are transferred into the uterus via the cervix so that pregnancy is allowed to commence. This process is done in conjunction with ovulation induction medications, monitoring the hormonal levels as well as follicle scans.
ICSI, or Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection, is a breakthrough in treating male infertility as only one sperm is needed. It is injected directly into the egg and can give couples real hope especially where the man may have a very low sperm count or produces a few good quality sperm.
IUI, or Intra Uterine Insemination, is the process of collecting semen and placing it directly into the woman’s vagina, cervical canal, or uterine cavity. This process, which is also called artificial insemination, is used in response to both male and female infertility factors.
PDG, or Pre Genetic Diagnosis, is a process of screening the embryos for genetic diseases before they are placed in the uterus. It is used to evaluate gene defects or chromosomal abnormalities, and specific unbalanced translocations. This screening process makes it extremely unlikely that the disease could be passed on to the child.
Blastocyst Culture is a procedure which involves a blastocyst transfer and is not suitable for all couples. A blastocyst forms with an embryo reaches the five to seven day developmental stage. The embryo has sixty to one hundred cells distributed in the embryo lining and the inner mass (which later becomes the foetus). The embryo needs to reach the blastocyst stage in order to ensure proper implantation.
All of these methods or procedures are considered as Assisted Reproductive Therapy. One of these procedures may be the answer to your infertility struggles. Your gynaecologist will assess your diagnosis and recommend the best course of action for you to fall pregnant.
Contact Us: +27 11 484 5119 |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18607 | Biography Line
Biography, Gossips, News, Health, Sports & Much More
List of famous people with birthday on 26th August
Hannah Nordberg
Hannah Nordberg is an American movie star. Further, she is known for Euphoria, Overboard, and American Pastoral. She was named Best Young Actress by the Young Entertainers Award (YEA) in 2016. Besides, she won YEA in the classification of a…
Marty Lagina
Marty Lagina is an American unscripted TV character. He turned out to be well known in the wake of showing up the History Channel’s existence arrangement The Curse of the Oak Island. Moreover, he is an engineer. Additionally, he is… |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18615 | I'm after some advice on how to model a Steel cable is anyone able to point me in the right direction of an up to date or relevant tutorial, or even able to advise me on how to create a Steel cable like what could be seen on a Tank or a Ship ?
Like ones that a tank would use to tow another.
Any help and Advice would be greatly appreciated.
• 1
$\begingroup$ Close to this blender.stackexchange.com/questions/73387/… $\endgroup$ – lemon Feb 11 '17 at 10:37
• $\begingroup$ Aye it may do it, it looks the part could pull it off at a pinch, there must be a way to actually produce something to resemble a steel cable though, Appreciated none the less $\endgroup$ – Stand Sure Feb 11 '17 at 10:58
• $\begingroup$ If you want to model it, you can use the screw modifier, starting from some circles joined in 1 object $\endgroup$ – lemon Feb 11 '17 at 11:01
• $\begingroup$ after doing that would it be possible to bend it without having to move individual Vertices ? $\endgroup$ – Stand Sure Feb 11 '17 at 11:09
• 1
$\begingroup$ You can bend it after that using a curve modifier. You can also use a curve modifier directly using the same base shape (circles) and put this shape as bevel object, then twist the curve (ctrl+T while in edit mode for the curve). $\endgroup$ – lemon Feb 11 '17 at 11:13
A way to do that is using curves (that will allow to bend the cable if necessary).
The principle is to make a base shape which will be a slice of the cable. Then use this slice as bevel object on a curve. Once done, you can twist/tilt the curve extremity in order to twist the cable itself.
The base/slice shape :
It can be what you want (more or less detailed, for instance). The only constraint is we need to make it a curve object at the end, so that it can be used as bevel object for the final curve (the cable).
To do it quick :
• Add a circle
• Add a array modifier to the circle and choose for instance a count of 6
• Add a simple deform modifier, set it to 'bend' and set the angle to 360°
enter image description here
Here the inner parts are a bit stretched (due to the deform modifier). You can refine that or use another approach (again it is to do it quick here).
The result of the modifiers is a mesh, and we need a curve.
So use AltC to transform it to a curve (that will apply all the modifiers and convert to curve).
enter image description here
Now, add a curve ShiftA then curve and bezier and set the previous object as its bevel object.
enter image description here
What you obtain at this step is probably to large. So scale down the bevel object and/or stretch the cable curve (in edit mode for this last, it will be better).
enter image description here
Now, enter edit mode for the cable curve, select one of the extremities and hit CtrlT to twist and move the mouse around :
enter image description here
The cable is deformed. It is because the origin point of the slice/circle is not at its center. So select it and transform its origin to its geometry :
enter image description here
Refine the result by changing the cable/curve resolution :
enter image description here
And so you obtain a bendable cable.
enter image description here
Note :
If you want to insert some additional control points to the cable, you will notice that the twist/tilt is not divided equally... unexpected behavior (for me)... so if this is needed, remove the twist/tilt and do the twist again ;) using proportional editing.
• $\begingroup$ I appreciate this so much, Sorry for the late reply had a Family emergency to tend to this is definitely what I wanted to do and will add that extra touch of realism to my Tank. $\endgroup$ – Stand Sure Feb 13 '17 at 12:38
Your Answer
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18626 | How To Identify USB 3.0 & Charging Ports By Looking At The Symbols Next To Them
All USB ports are not built equally. USB as its name may sound might have become a universally accepted standard for connecting computer peripherals to your system but all the USB ports found on your PC are not the same. Some are made to do things while others are not for example; you must have gotten to know that your phone does not charge faster in a particular USB port and it charges faster on a certain USB port. While the reason for the slow charge might be a result of a problem with your data cable or it might be that you have probably connected your data cable to a slow charging USB port. To solve this issue, you need to plug your phone into a specific USB port built to charge a device. Here is a simple trick on how to identify the USB 3.0 and the USB charging port.
Now take a look at the below symbols next to the USB port which you are connecting your device to
usb 3.0
You might notice that the two symbols can be at the same place i.e. you might see the USB 3.0 symbol and the USB Charging port located at the same port. What this means is that the USB port is meant for USB 3.0 and it can also be used to charge your device faster. The new model of a system will likely to have just one USB 2.0 port as people would prefer to have USB 3.0 because of it’s speed in that transfer and there will likely be only one USB charging port.
usb 3.0
Another trick to identify a USB 3.0 port is by observing the colors. If the manufacturer didn’t provide the symbols, the manufacturer might instead make the USB port blue making it easier to identify compared to the squinting over the symbol.
usb 3.0
USB ports that don’t have the lightning symbol will still be able to charge your phone. They do have the ability to charge your device but the power of the USB port is been limited which result in the slow charging of a mobile device.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18627 | How to Backup Laravel Files and Database using AWS
February 13, 2018
How to Backup Laravel Files and Database using AWS
If we backup in Amazon S3, an intruder can get access to its KEY and SECRET as they would be stored in the application itself. This way, the hacker can also get hold of Amazon account and delete backups from S3 bucket.
We talked at length about backups in general and backups in Laravel in the last post. There, we also used a third party package called laravel-backup to backup Laravel applications.
Though it worked as expected, it has some glitches. In case the application gets hacked, the hacker would also get access to the backup zips which discrete the purpose of backup altogether. Thus while taking a backup in Amazon S3, we will try and take care of this problem in mind.
Also, laravel-backup package needs to clean old backups as per settings in the config file, so it needs access to Delete Action on IAM user. So to save the backup from intruders, we can clean the action from Laravel application and create a fresh Lambda function to handle that.
And later, remove Delete action from IAM Policy which is associated with respective AWS user. Thus anyone having access to our AWS account, cannot delete backup files.
# Backup Setup
As discussed, we will use laravel-backup package by spatie. We used the same package in the last section as well, so hope you are familiar with it. Let us not waste much time there and get done with the setup:
Install Package:
composer require spatie/laravel-backup
Remember, we don’t need to register the service provider for 5.5+ Laravel versions. So let us publish the file:
php artisan vendor:publish --provider="Spatie\Backup\BackupServiceProvider"
This sets up the backup.php file within config directory of the application. Since we want to use s3, let us overwrite some rules in this file:
# backup.php
return [
'backup' => [
'destination' => [
'disks' => [
'monitorBackups' => [
'name' => env('APP_URL'),
'disks' => ['s3'],
# AWS Setup – Install Flysystem Package
Laravel manages system disks with a flysystem package. We need to fetch s3 specific drivers so that we can use s3 as a disk.
So let us first install the flysystem package:
composer require league/flysystem-aws-s3-v3
This command automatically generates filesystems.php file in the config directory. Since flysystem stores s3 related credentials, its recommended to store them in the .env file, thus let us configure them:
# .env
Let us now utilize the above keys in flysystem:
's3' => [
'driver' => 's3',
'key' => env('S3_KEY'),
'secret' => env('S3_SECRET'),
'region' => env('S3_REGION'),
'bucket' => env('S3_BUCKET'),
# AWS S3 Bucket Setup
First of all, sign in the Management Console and click on S3 section. You may see your active buckets. You can also create a new Bucket by clicking on the Create bucket button.
Working with Amazon S3 for Laravel Backup
In the popped-up model, fill in the bucket name and select the specific region.
Create bucket in Amazon S3 for Laravel Backup
This creates a fresh bucket successfully.
# IAM User Setup
Next, in AWS console, go to IAM (Identity and Access Management) section, from the left sidebar, select Users tab or visit When it opens a list of active IAM users, click on Create New Users and add a new username.
Create IAM user in Amazon S3 for Laravel Backup
This will create a new user and show us an option to view or download the keys. On clicking Show User Security Credentials, it will let you see key ID and secret.
IAM Key ID and Secret in Amazon S3
When you close this page, you can track that the new user is added to the list. Click on the newly created user.
Add Permissions to IAM user in Amazon S3 for Laravel Backup
In the Permissions tab, click on Add inline policy, it may have Visual editor tab open. But we will use JSON option, so click on JSON tab and configure as:
Add Permission in JSON format for Amazon S3 IAM User for Laravel Backup
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
"Sid": "Stmt1491223906000",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"Resource": [
Note that AWS resource name must be a unique name which is the name of the bucket we created earlier. Go through the next steps in the console, and once it’s validated and applied, the policy will be generated and mapped with the specific IAM user.
# Take Backup
To take backup using laravel-backup package, run:
php artisan backup:run
Run Laravel Backup Command
Once it completes successfully, we can go to AWS console and in our bucket to confirm the backup zip:
Laravel Backup Zip in Amazon S3
Hence, everything works fine.
# Automate Backups
We already discussed taking automated backups in the last post so that you can refer that.
All in all, it was an excellent session to backup Laravel projects. Taking backups on AWS can be tricky if you don’t know the correct workflow. Hope this tutorial helped you get an overall idea of that workflow.
Thank you for reading. Hope you were able to backup your laravel applications with this step-by-by guide.. If you have any questions or suggestions, please share them in the comment section below.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18631 | 3rd semester - DONE
It's February 2017. Last month was a little bit stressful because it was an ending of the semester. And that of course, means exams! In this blog post, I'm going to look back and think about subjects about what I liked and what I don't.
I've got 5 subjects this semester, one math and four other ones focused more or less on computers.
Data structures and algorithms
Interested topic, fun to learn. We've gone through the most used data structures, such as arrays, linked lists, hashmaps, trees, ... and implemented few different corresponding algorithms. From sorting, through binary search to tree traversing and balancing.
Although it's less common to code everything at a lower level and having to deal with details of implementation, I believe that having knowledge about how things work "under the hood" helps a programmer to think more efficient while solving problems.
Operating systems
Definitely, a subject, that I'm most passionate about. Everything about operating systems and their internal structure.
Practically, we've been looking at the Linux syscalls, and how to use them in code together, to achieve a goal.
We've been programming 3 exams:
• bash script, that uses standard Linux command line tools to parse input, analyze files and make operations based on user input
• Linux cp-like tool, that supported about 18 switches. Using "low-level" system calls to create command line tool in C, to help user manipulate with files and directories
• series of few little programs, that uses standard Linux process synchronization tools, like signals, semaphores, shared memory and sockets. It's perfect way to test your skills and get better at Linux sys-level stuff programming (although, debugging may be a bit fun sometimes)
On the theoretical side of this subject, we've been talking about internal structure and design of modern operating systems. What are key parts and how everything works together, all in depth, to understand everything clear.
Object oriented programming
Basics of object-oriented programming architecture, in Java. Might be a lot of new information for newbies, but as a someone who does code for a living for about 5 years, I really appreciated, that they put the effort into details and more advanced stuff such as design patterns and generics. They are topics that are more advanced, and as I have experienced, a lot of programmers that came out straight from university lacks knowing.
Practically, we've done some game programming, that was designed to show concepts in practice. It's probably the best way to motivate students. Games are popular, ale inner concepts can become massively complicated.
Architecture of computer systems
Not my most favorite one, but still great, mostly theoretical, subject. It was good to listen about computer hardware internals. But, if I had the power, I wouldn't go as deep on the subject as we went.
We also tried to do something with VHDL, but to be honest, it was horrible! Incompetence and lack of skills of those, that should teach use was sad. And that combined with my less interest ends up that I do know about it, I do understand it, but I know that I don't want to do it never ever again. I just simply wasn't impressed.
Numerical mathematics, probability, and statistics
Finally, most hated subject at the school may I say. As it is with every other math subject, 1/3 of students love it, 1/3 are neutral and 1/3 hate it. I, personally, was in the second third, the neutral one (or maybe at the edge between loving it and being neutral with it).
I generally really like math. I did enjoy math analysis, and I loved discrete mathematics (definitely one of the best subjects I ever had). But this semester was a bit different. From the beginning, numerical mathematics was interesting (solving equations is fun!), but as we went to the probability and statistics, my interest went down. It's good to know about it, but I definitely prefer other math subjects.
It's been and interesting semester. Although a lot of time has been wasted, there were subjects that were worth it. In general, I can say that it wasn't that bad. But I'm definitely looking forward to the next semester, which will be more interesting for me since it contains subjects that suit me better. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18645 | Over the past fifteen years, I’ve coded websites to sell products both useful and useless. I’ve coded to matchmake lonely-hearted singles, educate university students, and deliver workplace training. I’ve coded spy games for children, sprawling e-learning systems, dinky little novelty sites, and (sorry) countless advertising emails.
These days, I’m more of what you might call a tinkerer (or what coders might call “an interfering pain in the ass”), but I still love to build out small projects and keep up-to-date with new tools and platforms
Whenever I code, I’m reminded of just how wonderful it is to be immersed in the buzzing, humming universe of an evolving piece of software. Non-programmers rarely believe this, but, for all of its technical rules and structural discipline, programming is a richly creative activity.
Programming and creativity are often believed to be worlds apart. This assumption is grounded in a fundamental but incomplete truth: a computer program is an exacting set of instructions for a very dumb machine. There is no room for imprecision in software; no place for double meanings or subtext.
However, the paths coders follow to develop these precise systems are indirect. No two programmers will ever produce identical code, not even if their final software products appear, on the outside, to be the same. Give ten novelists a plot summary and they’ll each write you a different story. Give ten programmers a functional specification and each will produce something unique, an expression of their own voice as a programmer.
It helps if you forget about the purely functional definition of software as an end product. Instead, consider programming as a process. An architect may ultimately produce blueprints — but to arrive at them, she must consider space, harmony, light, materials, purpose, and environment. The blueprints, as unflinchingly technical and mathematically precise as they may be, are the result of a deeply creative process. In the same fashion, programming is not really the practice of writing lines of code. It is the art of taking big, intractable problems and breaking them down into ever-smaller ones which can be understood, explained, and then carefully assembled into a living, breathing work of art.
Software is poetry. It’s the expression of ideas in their most elegant form. Like a writer who chews the texture of words, rolls them against the tongue, seeks out the just-right way to tell each part of their tale, a programmer creatively employs structure and syntax of language to address problems, to arrange the sequence in which they are solved, to assemble them into a story.
When you’re programming, you’ll experience moments of sublime focus. At a practical level, you’re writing a list of instructions, stepping line-by-line through the solution for a single current task amongst the thousands that, collectively, make up a computer program. The syntax rattles off the keyboard as easily and automatically as your lips and tongue shape words in conversation. But while these mundane mechanics are in play, there is something magical, something wonderful, taking place deeper in your brain.
You can see the system you’re building. You can visualize the scope and scale of it. The relationship between each piece of data, the functions that process information, the flow of data as your code corrals it down this pathway here, assesses its value at that intersection over there, re-routes it for processing in a factory you’ve purpose-built. It’s not lines of code on a screen, it’s as real and physical as a sprawling city.
The thrill of this is hard to explain. It’s an act of creativity that ignites you. You’re simultaneously holding dozens of threads in your mind, like a writer simultaneously juggling the broad macroscopic concerns of plot lines, character arcs, and pace with the minutiae of sentence structure, the rhythm of three syllables versus two, weighing the beat of a comma against the finality of a full stop. The largest and smallest of scales collide and you are lost within it, completely absorbed by it—and it’s electric.
This is why I programmed for so long, why I still return to it now and then. To find each time those same fizzing sparks of magic that I get when I compose a photograph, write a satisfying sentence, disappear inside a book, or close my eyes and let a piece of music fold itself around me. It’s not because I’m a geek (although let’s be honest, I am). It’s because I find no greater joy in all the world than to create or lose myself in something beautiful.
Source: Medium |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18657 | Hello Friends,
Warm greetings and welcome to my world of songs. I invite you to listen, enjoy, and reflect on the fruit of my musical musings/meditations. May they be an enjoyable and useful part of your own creative response to living a life, as the work of many songwriters have been in mine.
Bob Ryan
Latest Track
Latest Video
"Heart of the Archer" is dedicated to my son, Paul Ryan (1978-2015) |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18660 | September 14, 2018
Hey guys, welcome to the fan site of Bojan Krkic. You can find
Hey guys, welcome to Bojan Krkic fan site. This is the oldest and most reliable resource for everything that Bojan Krkic has accomplished since today. We strive to keep you always updated about all the news, photos, videos, and more from Bojan. We hope you are going to like our multimedia pages. Thank you for visiting and come again soon! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18667 | Tag Archives: breast frame
Refinishing Of Breast Frame
This was the dirtiest and most water stained part of this loom. It looked as if this part had snow on it at some point because of the water marks and the corrosion on the hardware at the bottom; there were no water marks on the bottom of the rear frame, so it’s not as if the entire machine sat in standing water. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18676 | In this essay, we hone in on the concept of systematic conscious intervention in our own evolution, particularly using the transformative and healing capacities of sound and intention to re-write non-coding “junk” DNA.
Since the early 1940s, a genuine microbiological framework for understanding the power of suggestion, intention, and belief has been developing. This field is known broadly as epigenetics.
Find out some of the ways we can exploit epigenetics to accelerate our evolution and personal growth here and now.
It’s “Junk” If We Don’t Understand It
As most readers would know, the vast majority of our DNA “text” is not used in the coding of proteins and enzymes—it is “non-coding”—and scientists initially dubbed it “junk DNA”.
How much of our DNA is junk?
About 95–98 per cent—rather a lot of “waste” for nature to hang onto, I think you will agree (some scientific estimates go as high as 99 per cent).
Since it is not responsible for constructing our basic physical form, its purpose has remained mysterious until very recently.
We now know that a large portion of that “junk” DNA is made up of mobile genetic elements (transposons and retrotransposons) or “jumping DNA”. Through the principles of epigenetics, these mobile elements can rewrite and activate—or deactivate—certain genetic codes.
As a fractal antenna, DNA interacts with the vacuum/aether/unified field, transducing the zero-point energy which interacts with our consciousness. A greater interaction between our DNA and the “potential” energies of the vacuum might equate to expanded consciousness, while a lesser interactivity would result in a contracted awareness. Thus, “certain modular arrangements of DNA would be more conducive to conscious awareness.”[iii]
Epigenetics and the Linguistic Connection to Junk DNA
Hence there appears to be no substance to the notion that there was some kind of “natural” linear progression from the primitive form of pre-linguistic communication in the animal kingdom to human language. It was a quantum leap right out of the human genome (possibly with some outside “help”).[vii]
Use sound healing and intention to evolve faster!
These linguistic links offer tantalising, indirect evidence that we can linguistically alter our very genome, in particular the abundant “jumping genes,” whether using spoken word, chant, or silent mental intent.
Collectively, this body of DNA research accounts for the power of hypnosis (and potentially most other psi phenomena, or “hypercommunication”).
One of the basic assumptions made by the Gariaev team is that “the genome has a capacity for quasi-consciousness so that DNA ‘words’ produce and help in the recognition of semantically meaningful phrases”.[viii] (Emphasis added)
This is epigenetics.
DNA, Wormholes and Torsion Fields
During 1984–85, Gariaev made a startling discovery.
This was dubbed the “DNA phantom effect”, and it signified that some “new” self-sustaining scalar/torsion field structure had been excited from the vacuum/aether and was entraining the light even in the absence of the DNA!
It is a little-known fact that our DNA strands have an innate sound-light translation mechanism. We are all alchemists on a microbiological level, turning sound into light and vice versa.
Our DNA harnesses both sound and light in its moment-by-moment operations, but, more than this, it creates vortices in space-time, opening a window to time-space/the time domain.
Most of us know this process as intuition or psychic insight. Ordinary human memory would also operate on similar principles, since available evidence indicates that our memories are stored not in our brains but in aetheric/implicate/time-space field structures which envelop and interpenetrate our bodies (a.k.a., the “auric fields”).[xii]
Various researchers have theorised that the energy occupying time-space/aether which is responsible for these phenomena is twisting/spiralling vortices of “torsion energy”. The “magnetised wormholes” mentioned above could also be described as “torsion fields” or “vortices”.
Sol Luckman, developer of the sound-based Regenetics Method of healing and transformation (of which I’m a certified facilitator) considers qi/prana/orgone to be the light-based effect of torsion fields.
Dan Winter would point out that “torsion” isn’t really a scientific term in this context and what we’re really dealing with is the implosion physics of wave phase conjugation (defined by phi, the Golden Ratio).
The first research generally credited with the discovery of this “fifth force”—so-called torsion—is that done in the late 1800s by Russian professor N. P. Myshkin.[xv]
In the 1950s—the same decade in which Dr James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the helical structure of DNA—pioneering Russian scientist Dr Nikolai A. Kozyrev (1908–1983) conclusively proved the existence of this energy, demonstrating that, like time (and DNA), it flows in a sacred geometric spiral (defined by phi),[xvi] as I detail in The Grand Illusion – Book 1.
Torsion Fields, Mental Intention, and Healing
If your “soul” is in fact a “torsion field” or implosive vortex in the fabric of space (or a structure of multiple nested vortices, as described by seers and occultists), then your consciousness, by definition, must survive the demise of your physical body.
It existed in the aether/vacuum/time-space/implicate order/zero point field before you ever obtained a body. (Actually this linear view of “time” is problematic, but that’s another conversation.)
This “transcendent force” that is unrestricted by the bounds of our space-time (and which, in the form of torsion/scalar waves, operates billions of times beyond the speed of light) can account for the well documented remote healing phenomenon demonstrated in many studies, as well as more localized, short-range psychokinetic effects. (For a much more comprehensive exposition on such mind-matter interactions, see TGI 1.)
Pertinently, in another series of Rein’s experiments, those with coherent electrocardiograms could wind or unwind DNA samples (not extracted from their own bodies) at will, while those with incoherent heart energy could not. This illustrates that the Golden Ratio/phi is foundational to creating the desired outcome in these situations. Bliss-based feelings create the energetic coherence that informs or defines the Golden Ratio.
Thus, Rein’s research links “torsion” (phase conjugate implosive fields defined by Golden Ratio) to life-affirming emotions—in particular unconditional love, which propels both our individual and collective evolution.
“Only the love-based emotions stimulate DNA to decompress so that messenger RNA can access codes for healing.” Negative emotional states compress the DNA helix, “severely limiting access to genetic information necessary for healing as well as evolution,” as Luckman observes.[xxii]
Sounds like DNA Activation
We have recently entered into what Larry Dossey, MD, has dubbed “Era III” medicine.
Era III medicine is concerned with the primacy of bioenergetic consciousness in the “sound domain” (time-space/aether/implicate order) in healing and transformation. “Era II” epigenetics is primarily restricted to the (mental) light domain of our space-time, and “Era I” (the materialist paradigm) was myopically based solely on physico-chemical mechanisms—a boon for Big Pharma.[xxiii]
Era III acknowledges that since consciousness is fundamentally nonlocal, not only can your thoughts influence your own physiology, but someone else’s as well, regardless of distance—as per the aforementioned early Russian remote-influence experiments and Rein’s more recent work.[xxiv]
As the Gariaev group has shown, sound and light can be utilised to rewrite the genetic code. The group even went so far as to be able to turn frog embryos into salamander embryos by electronically recording one species’ DNA informational patterns and then re-transmitting them to the other species. The resulting salamanders could even mate and produce baby salamanders, a world first in science.[xxv]
Sound (specifically, Solfeggio frequencies): herein lays the power of Luckman’s DNA activation method (which I have used on myself and many others to great effect).
You may be aware that our mathematically structured DNA is “tuned” to the ancient Solfeggio scale; it is resonant with it (as it is with 432 also—a different scale). According to mathematicians Marko Rodin and Victor Showell, this Solfeggio scale constructs the entire universe. Len Horowitz, DMD, comments that the “creationistic dynamics of matter have their source in pure acoustic spirit”,[xxiv] which is vividly demonstrated (analogically) by the work of the late Dr Hans Jenny.
By vibrating a mass of solid particles on a metal plate at certain frequencies, Jenny caused those particles to arrange spontaneously into specific geometric forms. Alternatively, the vibration of these loose particles suspended in a fluid could be seen to create nested geometric figures—the Platonic solids, in point of fact.[xxv]
Hence Horowitz’s point about matter being created by “sonic” frequencies in the “spiritual” domain. Because the ground of reality is fundamentally holographic, it assembles the manifest universe fractally in a self-referencing manner in which geometric forms—such as the Platonic solids—can be nested within one another.
In the beginning was the “Word,” and the Word was…vibration, “sound,” in point of fact, and sound is apparently more fundamental (elemental) than light. That is why, mythologically, first there was the Word (vibration), and then followed the command “let there be light,” the creation of space-time and electromagnetism from “acoustic” vibration in the Void/aether/implicate order.
(Incidentally, whoever wrote those Bible passages clearly appropriated them from the ancient Hindu Vedas: “In the beginning was Brahman, with whom was the Word. And the Word is Brahman.”[xxvi])
Re-gen-etics and 528
By simply utilising the specific, correctly tuned vowel chanting technique—the most important ingredient—and a 528 Hertz Solfeggio tuning fork, some of your mobile genetic elements can be activated to harness greater amounts of coherent “torsion” energy (charge) in the aetheric medium. (With the Regenetics method, the activation of potential DNA occurs incrementally as one goes through the four different stages of Potentiation, Articulation, Elucidation, and, lastly, Transcension.)
Potentiation—the first phase of the Regenetics technique—specifically employs the “mi” note of 528 Hz, which has reportedly been used by molecular biologists to repair genetic defects[xxvii] and is also known simply as “Love Hertz”. (The next three activations incorporate more of the Solfeggio tones.)
The result of this total process (the Regenetics Method)—which unfolds over a minimum of 27 months—is a gentle and progressive kundalini awakening and healing of the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies/layers of the psyche (see figure 1).
For some, allergies disappear, old injuries repair, disease symptoms may vanish, the body detoxifies, emotional baggage is purged, and a sense of peace and well-being develop.
Some people begin to sense their fundamental interconnectedness with creation, a development that reaches its fullest fruition with the completion of the final stage, after the prefrontal lobes have been awakened through the third activation (Elucidation), which targets the emotional body.[xxviii] This is apparently essential for a sense of what some call “God realization” and the state of serenity and peace this brings.
(For more information on my own experience with this “DNA activation” method, please download my free ebook here)
Theoretically, with the DNA acting like a tuning fork and resonating with the vowel chant and Solfeggio frequency, the “errors” in the “sonic torsion field blueprints” for our biology are corrected. The jumping DNA shift to “rewrite” the gene code for the better, as previously dormant codons are switched on—while others may be switched off—in order to improve healing mechanisms and so on.
Consciousness researcher Stephen Linsteadt has reported that, at the 528 Hz frequency, “the clustered water molecules that surround and support the DNA structure form a perfect six-sided hexagon”[xxix] —meaning that we are apparently generating our own internal cymatic effect as we work with this Solfeggio frequency!
Hexagonal geometry, it should be noted, is informed by phi/Golden Ratio—the key to bliss-based implosion physics and wave phase conjugation.[xxx]
A New Kind of Human?
Microbiologist Dr Colm Kelleher has studied non-coding/mobile DNA for years. He states that transposons are known to be engines of evolution.
The most plausible mechanism for initiating a rapid, large-scale change in physical structure—even the emergence of a new species—is a “simultaneous transposition burst”. He speculates that similar mechanisms might also be involved in a kundalini experience.[xxxii]
Kundalini—a real physical energy, as I show in TGI 1— has always been held in high esteem by mystics and seers because of its ability to awaken higher consciousness and vivify and restore the physical body. It upgrades the bioenergy system.
The principal function of kundalini in occult development is reputedly to pass through the etheric chakras and vivify them so that they bring astral experiences through into the physical consciousness.[xxxiii]
An enhancement of the chakras at the etheric level will naturally have positive physical side-effects, as the etheric body is an energetic duplicate of the physical and in fact is considered to be of the “physical” density in its own right (unlike the astral/mental/spiritual energies).
Retired theoretical physicist Dr Amit Goswami states in Physics of the Soul that the raising of the kundalini seems to unleash the dormant capacities of consciousness for making new representations of the vital (etheric) body onto the physical body.
“There is evidence. People in whom kundalini has risen and been properly integrated undergo extraordinary bodily changes (for example, the development of nodules on the body that [form] the figure of a serpent).”[xxxiv]
Kundalini experiencers also often describe an incredible white light enveloping their consciousness—as the plasma-like kundalini rises up the spine and explodes into the head and the crown chakra. The result in the moment is often a state of expansive bliss.
Kundalini and NDEs
There are similar elements in the aftermath of DNA and kundalini activation as compared to the near-death experience (NDE).
Aside from biophysical alterations (an effect shared by all groups), many near-death experiencers (NDEers) have reported that they experience a deeper sense of connectedness with all things, higher levels of empathy, decreased competitiveness and egotism, elimination of the fear of death, and a greater sense of peace and contentment.
The spontaneous resolution or disappearance of serious diseases and allergies falls under the category of biophysical transformation, which is correlated with some kundalini experiences as well as some DNA activation experiences.
NDEer Mellen-Thomas Benedict, for example, had an inoperable brain tumour prior to his 90-minute NDE. Post-NDE, his cancer was simply gone: it had vanished.[xxxv]
NDEers also find quite often that their psychic faculties are put into overdrive post-NDE—whether they like it or not!
In Transformed by the Light, Dr Cherie Sutherland offers the case studies of 50 Australian NDEers, at least one of whom reported that post-NDE they had become so telepathic that they were picking up on the internal monologues of people around them—totally unintentionally.[xxxvi]
Dr Kenneth Ring actually hypothesised in the 1990s that NDEers do undergo a kundalini awakening, and he marshalled some impressive evidence in support of the notion in The Omega Project.[xxxvii]
We might speculate whether the NDE can also spontaneously precipitate the healing of the “fragmentary body” (the energy distortion in or near the second chakra which the Regenetics Method corrects) by revealing to people their true nature as immortal “spirit” or infinite consciousness and an integral part of the cosmos, thus remedying their “separation consciousness”—as well as other personal issues around self-worth, guilt, and so forth.
Certainly, the experience of contacting a force of cosmic love, compassion and total, unconditional acceptance is powerfully healing for many NDEers. Perhaps not surprisingly, many find that they spontaneously develop powerful healing faculties—even to the extent that some give up their careers to become energy healers!
This suggests the activation of previously dormant sections of DNA (codons) involved in the transmission and mediation of energy.
In 1996, Kelleher cloned a stretch of human DNA from activated human T-cells and found it to consist of a tandem array of transposon sequences “arranged like beads on a string”. It was the perfect structure that he had envisioned for accomplishing “a large-scale speciation-type change”. Kelleher predicts that people who have undergone NDEs or have meditated for long periods “should have a higher transcriptional level of this transposon casette”.[xxxviii]
Available NDE case studies seem to support his contention. Many NDEers appear to represent a new kind of human being: one not just infinitely more metaphysically aware than the “average” person but one who is also more “switched on”, genetically and psychically speaking. Overall, NDEers seem to show an unusually high level of intuitive activation, not unlike kundalini-awakened individuals.
Additionally, it has been postulated that such people have actually activated a third strand of DNA, and no longer function on the bare minimum level of two strands. My partner Aimee, during her own Potentiation, experienced mental imagery that was very suggestive of a third strand being activated (or should we say re-connected?).
These important themes appear over and over in “New Age” material, including Barbara Marciniak’s compelling Bringers of the Dawn, which posits that we are supposed to be functioning on twelve strands (presumably energetic harmonics/overtones of the physical strands).
Not long ago, I met an innovative Australian scientist who had a DNA sample studied and was informed that he had at least six functional strands, which the stunned scientists in question had never seen before. Unfortunately I have not been privy to the documentation proving this.
Speculative Conclusions and Visions for the Future
In 2003, the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (“Encode”) genome research project was launched. Pooling the resources of over 400 scientists over thirty-two laboratories throughout the UK, US, Spain, Singapore, and Japan, it is the largest research project into the human genome yet conducted.
In early September 2012, scientists from the Encode project confirmed, after having analyzed all 3 billion pairs of genetic code comprising our DNA, that far more of it is biologically active than had been widely believed: 80% is in fact performing a specific function, confirming that most non-protein-coding “junk” DNA isn’t junk at all.
Perhaps more importantly in the context of the foregoing discussion, these scientists have also identified 4 million “switch genes”, which are sections of DNA that control when genes are switched on or off in cells. These can even be a long way from the actual gene they control (if you’re talking about an uncoiled DNA strand).
Many switches are linked to changes in risk levels for various diseases and disorders,[xxxix] and we have the field of epigenetics to thank for proving that local environmental triggers (including stress) are ultimately more important in determining the activation or silencing of certain genes—and therefore our biological health—than inherent genetic defects (which account only for about 5% of all diseases).
It’s not the genes, stupid, it’s the interaction between our mind-body complexes and the environments they operate in!
It is only natural to surmise that mobile DNA elements/transposons—comprising as much as half of our roughly 98% “junk” DNA—are involved in mediating the functions of at least some of these 4 million “switch genes.”
In addition, mobile/jumping DNA, and satellite DNA too, appear to interface with our consciousness in the aether/implicate order.
This means that Era III metagenetic modalities such as the sound-based Regenetics Method—where the facilitator can be located thousands of miles from the treatment recipient—can be effective in influencing genetic expression regardless of healer-healee proximity.
In the hyperspace domain that consciousness occupies, distance is meaningless.
• Hypnosis/suggestion,
• DNA activation with sound (e.g., vowel chants and Solfeggio frequencies),
• Kundalini awakening,
• and NDEs (don’t try this at home).
The latter three all apparently involve kundalini activation to varying degrees, and reach deeper into the multiple levels of one’s being (I’ve still not found anything remotely like the Regenetics Method for depth of transformation—without needing a NDE). This is to say nothing of the astrophysical processes which can influence planetary microbiology, and over which we as individuals have little control.
With the extinction of bottom-up Darwinian “DNA primacy” (a tenet of Era I) we can and must relinquish the moribund notion that our genetic inheritance is a done deal which we can no more change than the Earth’s orbital pathway around the Sun.
We can change our consciousness and, in turn, alter genetic expression and our electromagnetic morphic field templates.
No longer can a human be conceived of as a powerless little Darwinian “meat computer” at the mercy of the “random” forces of “natural selection.”
Evolution is driven by consciousness—and we’ve only recently become conscious enough to realise.
We can massively intervene in and accelerate our evolution on this earth, particularly using sound (Era III medicine) as our ally.
Thank goodness for the “junk” that Nature didn’t throw away!
[iii] Ibid.
[vi] Richter DasMeerungeheuer, First Scientific Proof of God, https://witscience.org/first-scientific-proof-god-found/#sthash.J4lJHxmN.dpuf, June 2014.
[viii] Miller, Richard Alan, Iona Miller and Burt Webb, “Quantum Bioholography: A Review of the Field from 1973 – 2002”, 2002, https://tinyurl.com/7nb72tf
[ix] Fosar, G. and F. Bludorf, “Spiritual Science: DNA is influenced by words and frequencies”, https://tinyurl.com/85npbn2
[xi] Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf, from their book Vernetzte Intelligenz, quoted at https://tinyurl.com/qf78vw
[xv] Yurth, D.G., “Torsion Field Mechanics: Verification of Non-local Field Effects in Human Biology”, 5 December 2000, https://tinyurl.com/6u8f69o
[xviii] The Soul and Quantum Physics: An interview with Dr. Fred Alan Wolf. www.fredalanwolf.com/myarticles/Soul%20and%20death%20Q&A.pdf
[xix] Rein, G. and R. McCraty, “Local and Non-Local Effects of Coherent Heart Frequencies on Conformational Changes of DNA”, Institute of HeartMath, 1 January 2001, https://tinyurl.com/6m9h94r
[xxi] Rein, G., “Effect of Conscious Intention on Human DNA”, Proceedings of the International Forum on New Science, Denver, Colorado, October 1996, https://tinyurl.com/79mw5c7
[xxi] Ibid.
[xxii] A Conversation about the Future of Medicine, www.dosseydossey.com/larry/QnA.html
[xxiii] Fosar and Bludorf, Vernetzte Intelligenz, op. cit., quoted at https://tinyurl.com/qf78vw
[xxiv] Horowitz, L.G., “Why Some People Just Can’t Get Along”, Veritas 2011–12; 2(6), https://www.theveritasmagazine.com
[xxv] See chapter 6 of my forthcoming book The Grand Illusion: A Synthesis of Science and Spirituality, vol. 1 (Balboa Press), for more detail on this.
[xxvi] From David Tame, The Secret Power of Music. <www.sourcetext.com/hupage/Secular/secular.html>.
[xxvii] Luckman, Conscious Healing, op. cit., p. 122
[xxviii] https://www.phoenixregenetics.org/activations/elucidation
[xxix] Linsteadt, S., “Frequency Fields at the Cellular Level”, https://tinyurl.com/82lsf5f
[xxx] D. Winter, Fractal Conjugate Space and Time.
[xxxi] Horowitz, op. cit.
[xxxii] Grosso, M., Experiencing the Next World Now, Paraview/Pocket Books, New York, 2004, p. 163
[xxxiii] See A.E. Powell, The Etheric Double, The Book Tree, San Diego, CA, 2007, chapter 13 (first pub. in 1925)
[xxxiv] Goswami, A., Physics of the Soul, Hampton Roads Publishing Co., Charlottesville, VA, 2001, p. 246
[xxxv] See P.M.H. Atwater, The Big Book of Near-Death Experiences, Hampton Roads Publishing Co., Charlottesville, VA, 2007, pp. 36-7
[xxxvi] Sutherland, C., Transformed by the Light: Life after near-death experiences, Bantam Books, 1992
[xxxvii] Ring, K., The Omega Project: Near- Death Experiences, UFO Encounters, and Mind at Large, William Morrow & Co., New York, 1992
[xxxviii] Grosso, op. cit., pp. 163-4
[xxxix] Walsh, F. Detailed Map of Genome Function. www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19202141
Brendan D. Murphy
Brendan D. Murphy
Brendan D. Murphy is the Truth Addict. A spiritual-intellectual and non-conformist, he is the author of The Grand Illusion: A Synthesis of Science and Spirituality - Book 1, and co-founder of Trooth.network - where free speech lives (a censorship-free Fedbook alternative). In his words, "freedom begins with truth." |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18682 | Upsetting the religious mindset with God’s Omnipresence
Galatians 1:15-16 But when it pleased God, who separated me [Paul] from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood
In my previous post, I examined that Jesus Christ is the Fabric of Creation, and that nothing exists outside of Him. In this article, we examine one of the three “Omni” characteristics of God. God is said to be Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent; that is that God knows all things, is all powerful and is everywhere. While most believers will profess all three of these attributes, they sometimes do not grasp the meaning of what they are saying.
One of the clear pieces of evidence of this, is when we use the expression that we invited Jesus Christ into our hearts. Do we mean to imply that Jesus Christ was not in our heart, and by an act of our will we opened the doors to allow Him to come in? Similarly, we comment on the state of unbelievers, suggesting that God is not in them. In other words, God is really not Omnipresent, rather He is only present in the believers.
John 1:8-9 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light [Jesus Christ], which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
The opening account of the book of John, shows the dilemma of the western thinking that God is not present in the unbeliever. Jesus Christ is the Light that lighteth every person that is born into this world. He is already there in the lives of all people. This explains Paul’s conversion experience in Galatians 1:16 quoted above, that the Son was revealed IN him already. His conversion was not that he invited God into his heart, rather he was made aware of Jesus Christ’s presence in him already.
Paul explained his ministry to King Agrippa in Acts 26:18, describing his Damascus road experience. Jesus Christ charged Paul with the following;
The verse does not say to move them from one place to another, rather only to turn them from darkness to light.What is the power of Satan? It is the lies that the enemy has used to blind people from the realities of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Paul later expounded on his preaching when he described it in Romans 10:6-8, where Paul describes the Word, Jesus Christ as the following.
Romans 10:6-8 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and IN THY HEART: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
Paul is saying that the word of faith that he preaches, was that Jesus Christ, was close to people, even in their mouths, and IN their hearts already! This was the Word of Faith that they preached before conversion; that Christ was already present in the lives of unbelievers, they were just blind to it. He goes on after to share about the conversion experience, (Romans 10:9), that if any man confesses or agrees with the Word of Faith, that Jesus is already in them, that person shall be saved.
Even the Apostle Peter spoke about the prophets of old, who searched into the grace that was to come, and their words came from the Spirit of Christ that was in them;
Now someone somewhere is going to scream out that this is a teaching on Universalism, because in the mind of the religious western dualism, salvation is all about getting Christ into people. And as I’ve already pointed out, Christ is already present in all people, but they are blind to this reality. Our job as ministes, is the same as the Apostle Paul, to open the unbeliever’s eyes to this reality so that they can participate in the life of Christ in them, unto salvation.
A person can most definitely reject this fact, and suffer the consequences of that choice, but it does not change the objective reality of Jesus Christ becoming one with all humanity (Ephesians 1:23). And the purpose of preaching is not just to get people to heaven, but that people will know and enjoy the Life of Christ in them, and His relationship with the Father, now on Earth, not just after they die.
Dr. Bruce Wauchope discussing our Union with God. |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18700 | April 5, 2016
In early February we shared our initial release of the Cadasta Platform, developed by our contractor, SpatialDev. The main function of the initial release was to allow for some testing of functionality and to provide partners and other interested parties something they could react to and provide feedback on. During that time we have gotten...
Read More |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18722 | Our Harps
Kerli holding a Harp (in Heaven?)
Kerli, International pop artist and songwriter, holds CT30 Clear Harp
See our 30 string and 26 string options for completely clear harps.
Our Celtic Figment and Paraguayan Figment hybrid Clear + Wood (or colors) harps.
ClearTones harps are crystal-clear Lucite, precision designed and polished to a fine degree.
Internal lighting and preamp (and built-in tuner option) bring fun and practicality to the ethereal beauty in your hands.
Clear Harps are the Clear winners!
Girl in snow holding harp
An ‘ice’ harp at home in the snow
ClearTones 30 with black levers
I think I left a harp around here somewhere…
Clear Harp by the icy pond
Yes, that is an actual snowstorm. ClearTones harps are considerably more weather-ready than an acoustic harp! |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18754 | Tag Archives: Nitrogen Cycle
What is the Nitrogen Cycle?
Different parts of our ocean ecosystems, from the shallow water reefs we snorkel in, to the open ocean systems we travel across, to the deepest unknown depths, are connected by biogeochemical cycles. This includes the water cycle that transports water between our oceans, lakes, streams, and atmosphere, as well as the carbon cycle that transports organic matter through earth’s atmosphere, oceans, soils, and crust. It also includes the lesser-known, but equally important, nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen Cycle
An example of how the nitrogen cycle functions in terrestrial (land) environments.
Nitrogen is one of the most basic and necessary elements of life along with carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Although it makes up around 80% of our atmosphere it is not always very easy to come by. That is because nitrogen exists in many forms like nitrogen gas (N2), ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2-), and nitrate (NO3-), only some of which are directly usable to the organism that need them to function.
Nitrogen Cycle 1
Ammonium is the form of nitrogen that is most easily consumed by microorganisms. For this reason, ammonium is consumed almost as fast as it is produced, a process called “assimilation.” The result is that the nitrogen becomes incorporated into the cells of living organisms. Ammonium also happens to be very easy to find around the island. You only have to look for a white rock!
Nitrogen Cycle 2
Guano, or bird poop, is loaded with ammonium! When this guano is washed off the rocks, it fertilizes the algae in the water. The algae, in turn, is eaten by fish, which are then eaten by bird! When the birds return to the rocks to rest and poop, the cycle starts all over again.
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle is an essential building block of life. Living organisms need nitrogen to develop the proteins that form the structures of their cells. Nitrogen is also all around us, with nitrogen gas making up nearly 80% of the Earth’s atmosphere. However, most organisms are unable to directly use nitrogen in its pure, gaseous form, so other processes must come into play that help convert the nitrogen in the air into a form that organisms are able to use.
In the ocean, nitrogen gas is dissolved and taken up by nitrogen-fixing microbes, which convert the nitrogen into compounds that allow other organisms to consume it and incorporate it into their cells. Algae is one of these organisms, using the nitrogen to help build chlorophyll-binding proteins that help the algae harvest light.
IMG_6573Ammonia is a nitrogen compound found in the feces and urine of animals that algae is able to readily absorb. Bird poop in particular has high levels of ammonia in it. Rocks that are surrounded by water, like Ship Rock, are favorite resting grounds for birds because their isolation protects the birds from predators. As dense numbers of birds congregate on the rocks, they become covered in poop. Algae then starts to grow around the rock to take advantage of the consistent supply of nitrogen the poop supplies. This in turn brings lots of fish towards the rock who want to live off of the algae. And what do the birds eat? Fish! So the birds continue to stay and poop on the rock because they have a nearby food source readily available to them. This cycle continues, with every organism contributing something important to their ecosystem. And the unlikely powerhouse that keeps this cycle moving is the underrated (and often even despised) substance we call poop.
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18755 | The Upper Crust the Movie
The Upper Crust the Movie
Een Korte film van Caatje van Leeuwen
Crowdfunding teaser:
funded project
opgehaald van €7.000
dagen te gaan
Project Information
Over het project
LOCKLINETwo English upper class ladies meet for afternoon tea. They have been good and close friends for seven years, or so they think...
About the Upper Crust the Movie
The Upper Crust the movie is about living in a golden cage and the things we do to sustain that.
A world with its own rules and conditions, where freedom seems to be more scary then any other action we undertake to maintain its existence.
A story that has been told so many times, because it’s universal, because maybe we want to be inspired to find the courage and break free from our own created golden cages.
Or maybe we don’t, maybe it comforts us to see we are not the only one living in a frame.
Well here is my version, where time is undefined, where the colours are bright and where the tea is drank lukewarm.
photo: Ilja Keizer
Based on Caatje van Leeuwen and Claire Schuyffel’s play of the same name, The Upper Crust the Movie is a 30 minute short film inspired by the works of Oscar Wilde and Robert Altman, among others. They have toured with it in the Netherlands and Belgium in the most appropriately intimate settings, and now with your support the ladies are finally moving to the big screen where they belong.
The Story
In the world of the English upper class, two ladies meet for afternoon tea. They have been good and close friends for seven years and have been truly open and honest with each other ever since. Or so they think.
These two utmost civilized women, Gwenevere Vanderbilt Rosevile and Charlotte Newbury-Hawthorn, have their refreshments in the salon of the Vanderbilt residence in Darlington. Recently, due to a mysterious accident, Gwenevere’s husband Charles has been admitted to hospital. Chitchat and gossip that accompany the English comfort of drinking tea set the atmosphere of the afternoon, but is this enough to disguise the cracks that are slowly appearing in the upper crust?
Both ladies desperately try to keep up appearances, while dark secrets that have been hidden for far too long are threatening to surface. How long can you live a lie, how far will you go to sustain an imaginary world and… how truthful is their friendship after all?
Please do show us your generosity and become somebody who, at least to us, matters!
On Filmmaking
For me, filmmaking is the attempt to capture some of the essence of life and mirror it back into the world, where the inspiration was drawn from in the first place.
It’s like breathing. You inhale, fill yourself with experiences and inspiration, and then exhale by sending your version of that story into the world that gives the audience an experience and might inspire in return.
Filmmaking to me is a necessity. To create, to manifest, to tell stories that inspire and to live this life with such openness that all the stories that need to be told emerge effortlessly.
Because stories are everywhere, in everything and everyone.
We are all a story waiting to be told.
That to me, is the beauty of life and the beauty of filmmaking.
Quote die de filmmaker inspireerde
Oscar Wild
This project was successfully funded on 16-08-2015
Fund Project |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18760 | Trade Show TalesBlog
Posts Tagged ‘phone’
Let Your Fingers Do the Talking: Word on the Street — June 10th thru June 14th
June 16th, 2013 6 COMMENTS
Let Your Fingers Do the Talking: Word on the Street -- June 10th thru June 14th
Word on the Street by Kevin Carty
It’s on your desk, in the battery charging cradle at home, or in the tray in your car. Some are black, some are white, some are shiny. They all have numerical keypads . . . keypads that rarely get used by anyone under 35.
It’s Your Phone
A phone, by definition, is an instrument that converts voice and other sound signals into a form that can be transmitted to remote locations and that receives and reconverts waves into sound signals.
In other words, it’s intended to talk to other people, something that is clearly lost on anyone between the ages of 12 and 35. That’s not to say that people older than 35 aren’t voice adverse as well, but clearly the under 35 generation has a totally different application for their phone.
So why am I talking about this? Because it frustrates me. In business and in our personal lives, too many of us have abandoned personal conversation in exchange for 140 characters, and I would contend that it is causing more problems than it is helping.
Email and texting both have a very valuable place. I use my phone to text, and I’m immersed in email all day long, but there is something that neither of them can accomplish. They cannot convey accurate “tone” like a phone call. Too many times, people tap a message only to find out than the recipient interpreted it in a totally different way than it was intended. When there’s no tone, tone is supplied by the reader.
In the workplace, this can be a problem, one that can escalate quickly. Most of the time, we send an email or a text to a customer or colleague. This makes sense. It’s convenient, easy, and fast. But when an “issue” arises, it’s much better to pick up the phone and call rather than exchange emails. That way, you hear one another and it’s far less likely to turn ugly. We’re mostly cowards on the phone. Not so much when typing.
A few years back, a family member who was in her 20’s s texted me a question. So I called her. She didn’t answer, but she did text me back saying, “What?” So, I called her back. When she answered, I said, “Why didn’t you just pick up the first time?” The answer floored me, “You’re weird! Who does that? Just text me back.”
Hello! How are you?
I am clearly disconnected. I don’t understand this phone phobia. Maybe I’ve become that old guy, out of touch at 40. I LOVE technology more than most, but it can’t replace conversation.
In our world, whether you are in Accounting, Production, Account Management, Project Management, or Graphic Design, you are in Sales, even if sales isn’t in your title. Maybe not all the time, but a portion of your job requires interacting with customers, suppliers, and colleagues. What is sales? Sales is the transfer of enthusiasm from one person to another. It’s that simple . . . and it’s much easier to convey enthusiasm verbally than in a text.
If you want to combine technology and a voice call, use FaceTime like my 6-year old son. He calls me at least three times a day. And hearing him . . . it’s so much better than a text.
Give me a call. I’d love to hear from you. We can chat about the Good Old Days, before the youngins’ ruined everything.
Kevin, The Old Guy |
global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18781 | Jump to content
Slave seeking strict and cruel RP owner.
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I am a male, fully mesh avie that is seeking a RP story line involving a strict and cruel owner. I prefer para or semi para rp.
A little about what I seek/like.
I am very interested in exploring a dark RP of strict bondage, humiliation, degradation and objectification. I want to be an object of toil and suffering. Call me names, beat on me, make me feel less than human. I dont need or want cuddles and softness. Some say that its better for a slave to stay in the collar out of love and devotion. I want to experience staying in a collar out of fear and hatred.
It doesn't matter my sexuality, you can find it out in RP if you want, but Ill serve any gender if the owner is a good fit. I am open to Gor or the BDSM world, I just ask that we make a story line, not one off scenes that have no flow.
I am able to keep OOC out of my RP. So in IM's i'm a cool normal guy. If you want me to never speak informally to you though, that is fine as well. This can be a full time collared position as well if that what you seek. But I am not out just for a collar.
I am not looking to have my rl controlled. I want to explore the mindset of the suffering, abused slave.
I am SL+2 and on most evenings and all day on the weekends.
Please IM me for any questions or if you are interested!
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global_01_local_0_shard_00002368_processed.jsonl/18782 | 1 2 3 Previous Next 113 Replies Latest reply on Feb 13, 2019 7:29 PM by Selvi velraj
Sankey diagram made of dynamically generated polygons
Olivier CATHERIN
As I was working on building a Sankey Diagram with Tableau, I found the excellent articles of Jeffrey Shaffer from Data + Science developing a methodology to build a Sankey in Tableau. His two articles (first & second) were my starting points.
At this stage, I wanted to add some interactivity on my diagram and minimize the data preparation... I am no Excel expert. I just wanted to be able to build my Viz using the model provided by Jeff and a dataset with Step1, Step 2 and Step 3 & 1 indicator (size) and dates to perform filtering... and I didn't want to use SQL or macros...
I also have an ID field but I do not want to use it...
I finally succeeded using Jeff's method but faced an issue regarding the performance of the Viz: showing several thousand calculated lines + colors in the same Viz takes some resources... So, I wanted to simplify my Viz. Considering that I could easily get all the lines describing each flow on the Diagram, I should probably be able to define the Upper Line and the Lower Line of each flow. And if I could do that, I could probably link these lines in order to build... a polygon. I would then have far less lines to calculate and show on my screen. So here is the challenge...
Polygonic Sankey 3 Steps.png
This Viz is a dashboard made of 3 bar graphs to populate nodes and 2 sankey to show the flows.
I will just explain how I built the first part of the Sankey and let you deduce the following one.
Step 0: Read articles from Jeff
Step 1: Preparing the model in Excel
Please first download the Excel model file from Data + Science
In the Excel sheet with the model data, we will double the whole rows and add 2 columns:
- A path column: order in which we will link the points
- A MIN/MAX column: will Tag the curve whether it is the min line or the max line.
It is important to note that the order of the path should be ascending when Min and descending when Max
Once it is done, just add the "Link" column in the dataset.
Step 2: connect to the data (with Tableau 8.2)
I personally work on a Mac... connect to the excel file containing the two sheets (data and model). Just let Tableau automatically build the inner join... and go Tableau!
Step 3: Build dynamic aggregated steps
We will first build the dynamic aggregated steps using parameters and sets. Basically, we want to show Top N Step 1 sorted by the SUM of Size:
- Create a "Top N Step 1" parameter: it should be an Integer with a min and a max
- Create a "Top Step 1" set: right-click on "Step 1" pill / create a set and sort it using Top / By Field / Top / Top N Step 1 (parameter) / Size (indicator) / Sum
- Create an "Agg Step 1" dimension: this should be
IF [Top Step 1]* THEN [Step 1] ELSE 'x Other' END
I use the x in order to easily sort the flows alphabetically.
*the set
Repeat the operation with Step 2 in order to build a new dimension called "Agg Step 2".
These operations will enable us to choose the number of "nodes" to display in the bar charts and also to generate the positions of the flows in the Sankey.
Step 4: Build the "Sigmoid" calculated field
Following Jeff's instructions: 1/(1+EXP(1)^-[T])
Step 5: Build the "Flow Size" calculated field
Here it gets interesting: we want to build flows that will start in a certain order and end divided into several lines and in another order. We will use a bit of simple table calculation...
The "Flow Size" definition will be: SUM([Size])/TOTAL(SUM([Size]))
We then obtain the relative size of the flow compared to the total sum of the indicator (in percentage). This will enable us to build a stable display of the Viz.
Click on "Default Table Calculation" on the top right of the Calculated Field window as shown below:
In "Compute using" choose "Advanced". Here you can choose how you want to address the partitioning. Choose "Agg Step 1" and "Agg Step 2" in this order. Choose also to sort the results by Fields using the Sum of Size as follows:
We will use this technique for almost all calculated fields.
Step 6: Build Position calculated fields
Here we want to define the starting points and the ending points of our Max Curves and our Min Curves. Let's start with Max Position 1.
Using Table Calculation, we define it using this formula: RUNNING_SUM([Flow Size]) computed along Agg Step 1, Agg Step 2. Again this will be defined in the advanced option of the Table Calculation.
It defines the Max starting point of each Curve
The Min Position 1 will easily be defined as the Max Position 1 minus the Size of the curve i.e.: RUNNING_SUM([Flow Size])-[Flow Size] computed along Agg Step 1, Agg Step 2.
Max Position 2 and Min Position 2 are defined using the same formulas. The only difference is that we will compute it along Agg Step 2 then Agg Step 1.
The advanced options of the Table Calculation enable to define the order in which the curves will start and in which they will end.
Step 7: Build the curves calculated fields
We will build a Max curve and a Min Curve based on Jeff's work.
Curve Max: [Max Position 1]+(([Max Position 2]-[Max Position 1])*ATTR([Sigmoid]))
Curve Min: [Min Position 1]+(([Min Position 2]-[Min Position 1])*ATTR([Sigmoid]))
We can now build our polygon curves "Curve Polygon":
CASE ATTR([Min or Max]) // remember the data we added to the model !
WHEN 'Min' THEN [Curve Min]
WHEN 'Max' THEN [Curve Max]
When building the Viz, the "path" will allow us to join the points to show the polygons.
Step 8: Build the Sankey
Choose the "polygon" graph type and place the following pills in the marks:
- Agg Step 1
- Agg Step 2
- Min or Max
- Path (as a path)
as shown below:
Then place the "T" pill in columns and show it as a dimension (right click / dimension) and finally place the "Curve Polygon" in rows.
A bit of cosmetics:
- change transparency to 50%
- clean the "T" axis to a fixed range of -6 to 6 and hide the axis
- clean the "Curve Polygon" axis to a fixed range of 0 to 1, reverse and hide the axis...
And voilà!
Step 9: Build the bar charts
Create another calculated field that we will call "Step Size" and defined by:
On this one, we will not specify table calculations.
On a new sheet, place "Step Size" into rows and "Agg Step 1" in the marks (colors or details or whatever...)
I personally customize using borders:
Hide axis and repeat the operation for Step 2.
Now you can build the Sankey in a Dashboard!
And after a bit of cosmetics and customizing, here is the final result:
Polygonic Sankey 2 Steps.png
It is fully interactive and responsive!
I also built a long version that can be found on this link
Sorry that it is in French as well as the Tableau file and data... but this is my native language!
This method has 3 advantages:
1 - Little data preparation
2 - No SQL or macros required
3 - Very responsive since just showing polygons
Feel free to improve the method or email me for any question!
Olivier Catherin
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Copy & Paste & The Web
Have you ever tried to copy and paste some text only to find it frustrating, awkward, or even impossible? I bet you have. It's not random. On the web, you have a decent amount of control over it. Let's just lay a bunch of stuff out there as food for thought.
Not Actually Text
Perhaps this is the most obvious problem, so let's not dwell on it. If text can be "real text" on the web, please do that. Compared to an image of text, real text is more accessible, more indexable, and more useful. You can select it to copy and paste!
Accidental Overlaps
Have you ever seen that effect where text fades out at the bottom? It's often done by laying a gradient image over top of that text. You can see through part of it, but that element is still sitting on top of the text, meaning mouse interaction happens on the overlap, not the text.
Because of the overlap, I can't properly select the text I want here. Worse, the link at the bottom is unclickable.
In this demo, the overlap is a pseudo element filled with a a gradient and positioned on top. Thankfully, this is largely a fixable situation. pointer-events: none; on the overlap will go a long way in helping. With that set, pointer interactions will totally ignore the element. Clicks will go right through as if it wasn't even there.
That's great, except IE 10 doesn't support pointer-events. If you still wanted to rely on that, Modernizr v3 has a test for it, so you could only apply the overlay if you knew pointer-events worked.
Or, instead of an overlay at all, you could color individual lines to make it look like a fadeout as we covered in this article.
The Post-Selection Popup
Some sites make some pretty big assumptions after you've selected some text. A common one is: OH GOOD YES HELLO HI I SEE YOU OBVIOUSLY MUST WANT TO SHARE THIS BIT OF TEXT ON SOCIAL MEDIA LET ME HELP. Not everyone is a fan. Aside from being presumptuous and over-eager, it can get in the way of screenshotting.
Highlighter.js is a library that makes this all-too-easy.
CSS Control Over Selectability
There is actually a CSS property specifically for controlling the selectability of text: user-select.
.unselectable {
user-select: none; /* Likely future */
Aside from a few browser quirks, text with that set is unselectable. That can be pretty useful when trying to design better UX around the selectability of text on your site.
On mobile, text selection in generally done by a long tap which brings up some text selection choices. You can prevent that "callout" (and thus prevent the selection of text), with:
-webkit-touch-callout: default /* displays the callout */
-webkit-touch-callout: none /* disables the callout */
Other visible text that doesn't copy
You can force text to be unselectable with the CSS above, but some text isn't selectable automatically:
Accidentally Selecting Line Numbers
Once in a while you'll run across a chunk of code on a website you want to copy and paste. After you paste it, you find the line numbers came along with it.
It's kind of surprising actually, since it seems like you'd have to go out of you way to make that happen. Knowing what we know now, those line numbers could have used CSS to prevent them from being copied. Or the code could have been marked up as a list to show the numbers that won't copy. Or it could have used custom counters which wouldn't copy. Or pseudo elements before the lines that wouldn't copy (relevant article).
So the only way this can happen is if they just plopped some text right in the element at the start of the line and did nothing to prevent it from being copied. Likely a pretty easy fix we could encourage any offender to do.
Selecting (All) Text with JavaScript
Form elements are often used for this. If you want to provide some text that is specifically for copy-and-pasting, you typically put it in an input or textarea.
<textarea id="ta">a bunch of text</textarea>
Then it's really easy to select that text programmatically:
var ta = document.getElementById("ta");
You can't really do that on a <div> or whatever. Also, if a user is inside a form element, the typical "Select All" command will only select the text within the bounds of that element, which is nice, expected behavior.
If you want the behavior where the text gets selected as you click into it, here's a pretty succinct jQuery way to do it:
$('#ta').on("focus", function(e) {;
$('mouseup', function(e) {
That bit with the mouseup allows the text to remain selected after the mouseup event. Normally the mouseup will deselect the text and activate the cursor.
I like this way because it also doesn't force all the text to be selected no matter what (which people don't like), just on the inital focus. So after the focus, if you want to change the selection yourself and only copy a part of the text, you can do that.
Google Fonts is an offender here. If you just want a part of the text, too bad, you get it all.
If you don't provide click-to-select, that sometimes makes people unhappy too, so it's a balance. Hence why I like the focus-to-select, then let it be approach above.
There is a lot more to know about selecting text with JavaScript, including Range selection and stuff, which is pretty complicated and best saved for another article.
Copying to the Clipboard Programmatically
This ability just recently surfaced in JavaScript. At the time of this writing, just Chrome and IE. It's done through document.execCommand('copy');
There is a whole history here that I'm not quite up-to-snuff with. I think it was largely a security concern that was why it was impossible in JavaScript. Not to mention a tastefulness concern (who wants to visit a site only to find their clipboard messed with?). For whatever reason, it's available again.
Matt Gaunt offers some example code:
<p>Email me at <a class="js-emaillink" href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a></p>
<p><button class="js-emailcopybtn">Copy</button></p>
copyEmailBtn.addEventListener('click', function(event) {
// Select the email link anchor text
var range = document.createRange();
try {
var successful = document.execCommand('copy');
console.log('Copy email command was ' + msg);
} catch(err) {
console.log('Oops, unable to copy');
// Remove the selections - NOTE: Should use
// removeRange(range) when it is supported
Copying text to the clipboard programmatically has always been a desire though. We used to have to use flash, typically a library called ZeroClipboard. Here's a David Walsh tutorial on that.
How To Paste With/Without Style/Formatting
When you copy text, it generally comes along with formatting.
On Macs, there is a Paste and Match Style command though, which can be very useful to get rid of that formatting when you don't want it. Like when pasting into an email. Command-Shift-V is the usual shortcut for that.
Side note: notice the right-clicking I'm doing here to copy. Some users do that. Disabling right-clicking (as you can do in JavaScript) is an inhibition to those users worth avoiding.
I generally prefer this behavior, so I did the thing where I mapped it to Command-V (overriding normal paste).
You can still paste which formatting through the menus if you need to.
Extra Crap on the Clipboard
Have you ever selected some text from a site, only to find when you paste it that it has happened some extra crap to the end of your selection? READ MORE AT FART-KNUCKLE.BUSINESS!!!
Don't do that.
Awkward Retained Capitalization
You can capitalize text in CSS with text-transform: uppercase;. It causes a rather large (annoying) functionality difference in copy-pasting though across browsers.
From what I tested quickly:
• Firefox and IE respect the original text (what is in the DOM).
• Chrome, Safari, Opera, and iOS respect the CSS capitalization.
I prefer the former.
Block Links Can Make It Harder To Copy
In HTML5, we learned we can now wrap anchor tags around whatever we want. Even though they are inline elements, we can wrap them around blocks without worry of being invalid. It doesn't come without repercussion though.
<a href="#0">
This makes the entire block title a link without any CSS assistance, but it does make the title a bit harder to copy. Wrapping that markup around and doing h3 > a { display: block; } makes it a little easier, assuming there is a bit of padding on the h3, because then you can start the selection in the padding and move.
So on one hand there is a larger click area, and on another it's slightly harder to copy (if you're a normal right-to-left copier). Your call.
See the Pen Block titles kinda hard to copy by Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier) on CodePen.
Sometimes block structure itself can cause annoying situations. Like here, you're trying to select a movie title, but a pixel too far and you get a bunch of weird text in totally unrelated positions:
It's not that huge of an issue here as I think people are a bit used to this and know how to back off and get what they need. But it's worth considering. Even things like flexbox ordering can totally change how text selection behaves even when visually things look identical.
See the Pen flex ordering and selection by Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier) on CodePen.
Pasting into the Console
Classic rube mistake: Copying the "$ " at the beginning of console commands in blog posts about how to do terminal things. HANDS UP people. Just me? Dammit. Anyway. There is a pretty funny dotfile thing to warn you when you do it.
Any more?
Have any pet peeves about copy and paste, or selection in general, on the web? |
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