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Huffpost Comedy Shira Lazar Headshot Gilbert Gottfried Does Walter White's "Breaking Bad" Monologue (WATCH) Posted: Updated: After the Samuel L. Jackson version of Walter White's famous "Breaking Bad" monologue went viral last week, comedy legend Gilbert Gottfried took a go at delivering his own rendition of the crazy rant. Who did it better?
Tingle RPG Update First details on Nintendo's Zelda offshoot. Nintendo's Tingle RPG is no longer vaporware. Nintendo has at long last shared first details on the new DS Zelda offshoot, properly known in Japan as Mogitate Tingle Bara Iro Rupee Land. First, an explanation of that name. The title translates to "Fresh Tingle's Rose Colored Rupee Land." If Nintendo of America had translated Tingle's name as Tinkle (which is how the Japanese name is written in the first place), this would have been the best title ever. If Nintendo had further decided to make this game for the Wii, our work day would've ended early today (although it should be noted that the Japanese don't apply the same connotations to Wii and Tinkle that we do). We'll refer to the game as Tingle RPG from here on. In Tingle RPG, you play as the Wind Waker/Majora's Mask treasure specialist when he was 35 and single, before his transformation into Tingle form. The main character gets word that he ought to head out to a spring. He does so, and along the way, he comes in contact with Rupeeji, a name that can be translated to Old Man Rupee. Rupeeji tells the main character that by collecting rupees (which, in case you aren't into Zelda, is the currency of Hyrule, the kingdom in which the series takes place) and throwing them at the spring, he'll be lead to the dream land of Rupee Land. He accepts the quest and, through a magic spell, gets transformed into Tingle. We're not quite sure what Tingle RPG is all about just yet. Money will play a big part in the game, though -- that much is for sure. You'll have to give up money in order to please the members of town. You'll have to give up money in order to pass through gates. What exactly you do in town once those townfolk are pleased, and what lies beyond those gates, are mysteries for now. Tingle has a guide in the game, a girl fairy called Pingle (this name would've been Pinkle if Nintendo hadn't been shy with its original naming). Pingle appears in a monitor in Tingle's house. Her relationship with Tingle is unknown, but it seems as though shell greet the hero at the end of each work day. Obviously, Nintendo's left us in the dark on quite a bit regarding Tingle RPG. The game is still set for some time in 2006, though, so we expect solid details soon enough. IGN Logo
Step 1: Apply Brakes While approaching a given corner on a track, take your right foot off the gas and rapidly apply the brakes to the desired pressure, while moving your right hand onto the shifter. -This should be as quick as possible, so time lost transferring from throttle to brakes is minimized. -Your left hand should still be firmly placed on the steering wheel. -The instructions here are given for a left hand drive car, so hand movements in a right hand drive car will be opposite of these instructions. -Place your left foot onto the clutch pedal if it is resting off to the side so you are ready for the next step. *Note: Avoid stomping on or mashing the brake pedal, as you do not want to lock the brakes of the car up. Locking the brakes will cause the car to become unresponsive, uncontrollable, and not stop quickly enough (i.e. lost time on track). I know I'm way late but if somebody could help me out that'd be awesome. Man, I have been doing what you described. Haven't experienced any issue. Also wondering why there is a need to put to neutral. Let me know if you have found out the answer. Why do you shift the car into neutral before changing gear? Couldn't you just keep the clutch down, blip the throttle, and go right into the next gear without having to put the shifter into the neutral position? No it's not the same as "American" anything - it is the same as WRX driving! <br> <br> I use the Heel-Toe shifting when drifting :-D Ohh i get it. Thanks! Does engine braking put added wear on the engine? In other words does the benefit of saving brake pads due to engine braking(block, transmission, clutch wear) saves money in the long run. provided you have perfect rev matches.<br>Also, is it better to downshift from 4th gear to 2nd at 6000 rpm or 3rd at 3000rpm(im guessing gear ratios)?<br>@kriley0, I've read somewhere that the ideal(fastest) line for a corner is a somewhat late apex, due to braking power is greater than acceleration power. is this true? its kinda hard to find info online because of noobs in forums.<br>I know that drifting/handbrake turn is better than grip if the corner is too tight, is there any exceptions for this?<br>Thanks a bunch!!!! I cant w8 to get a miata! You downshift when you need more speed to keep the car in line when in a curve.When you feel you don't have enough power to keep it in line it's already too late : the car is already skidding off the road…<br><br>I drive my car using downshift capability every day (I'm in Europe and most of us drive manual cars, so I'm nothing of a hero when saying this !!…).<br><br>What this Inst' doesn't say is that in a tight curve the car will tend to skid : if you control it with you hand brake you can get out of the curve much faster and gain precious seconds by controlling the skid… But then this is car racing at a higher lever than this Inst' and just another matter. DON'T USE YOUR HAND BRAKE ON THE ROAD : YOUR LIABLE TO RUIN YOUR CAR, YOUR HEALTH AND OTHER PEOPLE LIVES !…<br>Also this Inst' is on heel-toe downshifting : this also is for car racing, DON'T DO IT ON THE ROAD, as you may well loose the control of your car by getting mixed up with clutch, brake, speed, etc !…<br><br>This said, downshifting is very handy on daily driving because of 4 reasons why.<br>1) You are always on the good speed / engine rpm ratio : your car will live longer and your mechanic will like you less as he won't see you so often ; <br>2) you have a good use of your engine brake : which is a true benefit as it helps to slow down the car in a very smooth and effective way … plus your brakes will last longer …<br>3) In a curve, when you downshift at the exact moment your car will "engine brake" while coming into the curve and just a spilt second after will gain speed at the crucial moment in the curve when it is needed to keep the car in line and not skid off the road in an uncontrolled manner… <br>Remember speed keeps you in line when in a curve.<br>4) It makes for comfortable driving for passengers : when the driver only uses his foot brake he has to constantly adjust his / her speed in the curve giving small pulses to the brakes which results with a sensation of being constantly jerked… <br>Not so when downshifting a regular car (or with and automatic car !…)<br><br>Downshifting comes naturally to any driver who drives a regular car. You may try it without qualms.<br>Don't worry too much, don't ask too many questions ; just do it (but skip the heel-toe combination : which is meant to keep constant power to the engine in order to gain milliseconds in a curve, you don't need this to drive kids at school…).<br>Practice in curvy back roads, driving slowly (using 3rd and 2nd gear for instance) then you'll gain confidence and it will become second nature.<br>When I taught my daughter how to drive, she could do it the third time she was at the wheel, and she mastered it pretty fast. She was 15 at the time and it was just a taste of how a complex machine as a car could be mastered… Now she's like most Europeans and she uses it moderately I guess … and for the benefit of all !… (But no heel-toe !…) <br><br>Don't rush, don't race… use this as an extra tool that will give you more confidence with your car and your driving abilities.<br><br>Maybe you'll want to do more : at this point this will become heel-toe, and hand brake skidding, car racing and having pleasure on a dedicated circuit. But that is an entirely different matter.<br><br>A personal example, to show you how natural downshifting can become. Last May I rented a car at the Albuquerque N.M. Airport. T'was years I didn't drive an automatic car. At the 1st stop my left foot searched frantically for the clutch as I had the reflex to downshift and engine brake !!!… Resulted in coming too fast at the stop and had to crush the brake pedal and almost stalled the car. No harm done : it was 11:30pm and the road was empty as a dried arroyo in august. Rest of the ride was uneventful … but for a while I remained somewhat uncomfortable with my automatic car !!… <br>So it's all a matter of habit and practice. <br>And practice is mainly common sense !!!!…<br>Best wishes<br>:D I think the "double-clutching" technique is used primarily in drag racing. I'm not really familiar with it and have never understood it....I also am pretty unfamiliar with drag racing. Your both right. Clutching once into neutral and then again into the next gear is a double de-clutch.<br> <br> Using the right foot to press the throttle whilst also applying the brake is a heel-toe. This technique can be used while single and double de-clutching.<br> <br> Shifting without the clutch is skip shifting, which also often uses the heel-toe to rev match. Coincidentally this one of the more preferred drag racing techniques as you only ever upshift.<br> <br> People argue A LOT about double de-clutching in racing, for me personally it boils down to whether you want to put more wear on your synchros (Single) or your clutch assembly (Double). But its a pretty moot point either way, modern drivetrains can take a lot of abuse on both of these components and come rebuild time you'll replace both of them anyway. I prefer single clutching with a rev match as it's the fastest option. Exactly, it is all about staying in the engine's power band. Nothing like coming out of a corner with no power because you are not at correct gear/rpm combination.<br><br>If you want difficult, take a look at the motorcycle road racers who have to do this with the brake and gas on the same hand! love your miata what year is it<br> About This Instructable 74 favorites More by kriley0: High Performance Driving: Heel-Toe Downshifting Add instructable to:
Aim higher, reach further. Word on the Street: Ben Zimmer Take Note, Grasshopper, Of Kung Fu When Hong Kong media magnate Run Run Shaw died earlier this week at age 106, his obituaries credited the Shaw studio with popularizing the "kung fu" film genre, sparking a Western fascination with Chinese martial arts beginning in the late 1960s. Such Shaw productions as the 1972 classic "Five Fingers of Death" were indeed instrumental in making the craze for kung fu an international phenomenon. But the term "kung fu" had already been percolating in martial-arts circles for more than a decade, especially among Chinese transplants in the U.S. The Chinese term "gongfu" has a centuries-long history meaning "workmanship" or "skill gained through committed effort." "Kung fu" is a different rendering of the same word, using a transcription system developed by British Sinologists in the 19th century. The term first shows up in English-language accounts of China to refer to Taoist bodily exercises that were intended to control one's "qi," or vital energy. In the 20th century, Cantonese speakers in southern China and Hong Kong began using "gongfu" in the more specialized meaning of "martial arts" (typically known in Mandarin as "wushu"). Some of those Cantonese speakers brought the word to California. One student at a San Francisco club was James Yimm Lee, an American-born welder and Army vet. He began publishing books on martial arts that he distributed through mail order, starting in 1958 with "Fighting Arts of the Orient: Elemental Karate and Kung Fu." In 1962, he met another American-born Chinese martial-arts enthusiast 20 years his junior: Bruce Lee. No relation, the younger Lee was impressed by the elder Lee's books on kung fu, and a year later, Bruce Lee had published his own manual on "Chinese Gung Fu." It was the "kung fu" spelling that won out, however, in the small but growing martial-arts community in the U.S. Beginning in 1963, the word began popping up in the magazine Black Belt, though sometimes it was conflated with the more popular Japanese art of karate. In January 1965, the magazine ran a long feature on "the ancient Chinese fighting art of kung-fu." Soon, Bruce Lee would make kung fu glamorous, first in his role as Kato on "The Green Hornet" and then in his all-too-brief movie career in Hong Kong, where he signed up with the Shaw studio's rival, Golden Harvest. The explosion of interest in kung fu movies brought the term into America's living rooms in 1972, when David Carradine was tapped to play a Shaolin monk in the Wild West for a television series called, appropriately, "Kung Fu." Americans might have thought of the term as authentically Chinese, but it was a cross-cultural hybrid all along. Show More Archives Popular on WSJ Editors’ Picks
Co-operative living arrangements From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Co-operative living arrangements occur when three or more biologically unrelated people choose to live together and share a common residential structure. Typically, in these co-ops, several people occupy a single dwelling unit, such as a large house, with each person (or couple) having a private area, including a bedroom and, often, a bathroom. In addition, the common areas of the dwelling usually include a shared kitchen, dining room and living room plus, at times, recreation or outdoor spaces. The residents of the shared dwelling generally establish some agreements as to what contributions, in terms of time and money, are required from each person. Commonly, the total expenses of maintaining the dwelling, such as rent/mortgage payments, utilities, repairs, etc., are allocated on a per capita basis to each resident. At times, it may be agreed that some residents can provide labor, such as housecleaning or yard care services, in lieu of financial contributions. In addition to agreements dealing with the allocation of basic household expenses, co-op residents often develop arrangements regarding daily activities, such as food acquisition, meal preparation and clean-up. Frequently, residents will choose to eat at least some meals (e.g., dinners) together in the common dining room. Plans are usually agreed upon specifying duties for each member of the co-op. A common model is to have some sort of rotation in which each resident takes a regular turn in cooking meals for everyone. Co-operative living arrangements may be developed for many other aspects of life in the shared dwelling. Social/recreational activities, use of common areas, and admission of new residents are topics for which agreements among the co-op members are commonly made. Generally, there is some established process in which members meet, discuss issues/proposals, and reach some decision as to what the policy of the co-op should be. Since most co-op residential groups tend to be egalitarian in nature, the decision making process is often consensual, with a preference for obtaining agreement from everyone before implementation begins. Members of a co-op living unit tend to have shared values, often based on similar demographics (e.g., all may be university students, retirees, etc.,). As a result of common interests, living arrangements for the group are often easier to establish and maintain than would be the case if the residents were more diverse in terms of age, socioeconomic status, etc. Disagreements over arrangements inevitably occur, however, and most co-op living groups find it necessary to have some sort of conflict-resolution process available when agreement cannot be reached. Policies and procedures[edit] For most people, co-op living entails some restrictions on personal freedoms in order to accommodate to the needs and rights of others. Playing loud music in the living room may not be a problem if one is living alone in one's own home but it could be a concern in a co-op residence if others want to have quiet time there. The primary way the wishes of the group get expressed is in the co-op living arrangements that are agreed upon. Members essentially contract to abide by these "house rules" for everyone's benefit. Agreed-upon arrangements are sometimes informal and based on tacit understanding by the members. Alternatively, arrangements may be codified more formally, into a kind of "policies and procedures" manual, with sign-off agreement required by all members. Most co-op living groups find it necessary to have at least some kind of documentation, such as schedules showing who is to do what, and when. Written statements of operational guidelines are also helpful to inform prospective new members of what is expected of them. Many city, state and local governments will have restrictions/requirements for changes in land use. Be sure to check with your local governing authorities to make sure you meet all necessary requirements in opening your home to rentals. Positives, negatives and challenges[edit] Although the limitations on individual freedom of expression may be perceived as a downside, the trade-off for co-op living members is the enhanced social interaction and support that can be realized in the shared residence. The arrangements themselves create a social structure that often promotes cohesion and bonding among the co-op residents. Joining with housemates in shared meals, clean-up crews, party-planning, etc., can provide interactive opportunities not available to those living independently. Some co-operative living situations emerge more or less spontaneously. Others are carefully planned with a specific vision in mind. Co-op living units are often created by a core group of people who want to form a kind of voluntary or intentional family in a shared living environment. Start-up decisions must be made regarding how to allocate personal space, what activities to share, what form of tenancy or ownership to adopt, etc. Coping with restrictive local regulations or opposition from neighbors may be issues. A common challenge is to fill vacancies with new members who have prosocial values, interests and abilities which are compatible with the existing group. Co-operative living is a kind of alternative lifestyle. It represents an option different in significant ways from the traditional model of independent living in which single individuals or couples live alone, each in a fully self-contained dwelling unit. One of the primary motives prompting people to explore the co-op living alternative is the perceived loneliness, isolation and disconnection from others experienced in the nuclear family and by many who live alone, even in a coupled relationship. By creating a family of choice and sharing a residential unit with that intentional ohana, individuals and couples hope to develop a home base of support and social security. Related concepts[edit] Although co-op living arrangements can exist at any size, those involving larger groups are often referred to as intentional communities. Co-op living arrangements are generally thought of as occurring within a single dwelling unit, shared by all. Other group-living alternatives, such as cohousing or ecovillages, typically involve multiple dwelling units with some shared structures also.[1][2] Collective housing is another arrangement where members might live in one dwelling, but they pool certain resources such as groceries and utilities to simplify daily chores. A commune may be seen as a special type of co-op living arrangement in which there is often less personal space and more communal ownership of property. Co-op living arrangements need not be based on any specific ideology or purpose other than to share the social and economic benefits of living together with others who are supportive and compatible. See also[edit] 1. ^ "What Is Cohousing?". Bothell, WA: The Cohousing Association of the United States. Retrieved August 4, 2010. Cohousing is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods. Cohousing residents are consciously committed to living as a community. The physical design encourages both social contact and individual space. 2. ^ Global Ecovillage Network. "What is an Ecovillage?". Moffat, CO: Global Ecovillage Network. Retrieved August 5, 2010. Ecovillages are urban or rural communities of people, who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more. • Scott-Hanson, C.; Scott-Hanson, K. (2005). The Cohousing Handbook: Building a Place for Community (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, Pa: New Society. OCLC 57392728. • Yeoman, Barry (February 7, 2006). "Rethinking the Commune". AARP: The Magazine (Washington, DC: AARP) (March/April 2006). Retrieved August 2, 2010. • Zablocki, B. D. (1980). Alienation and Charisma: A Study of Contemporary American Communes. New York: The Free Press. ISBN 0-02-935780-2. OCLC 469664018. External links[edit] • Communities (magazine). Roth, Chris, ed. Communities (Rutledge, MO: Fellowship for Intentional Community). ISSN 0199-9346. OCLC 3130385 Retrieved August 5, 2010. Since 1972, Communities has been the primary resource for information, issues, and ideas about intentional communities in North America - from urban co-ops to cohousing groups to ecovillages to rural communes. Communities now also focuses on creating and enhancing community in the workplace, in nonprofit or activist organizations, and in neighborhoods, with enhanced coverage of international communities as well Missing or empty \|title= (help) • "Communal Studies Association Home Page". Amana, IA: Communal Studies Association (CSA). Retrieved August 5, 2010. Communal Studies: Dedicated to the Understanding and Study of Intentional, Contemporary, Historic and 'Utopian' Communities Some pictorial examples of cohousing Duwamish Cohousing (formerly Ciel Cohousing), West Seattle, Seattle, Washington. Cohousing community illustrating greenspace preservation, tightly clustered housing, and parking on periphery. (Sunward Cohousing, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 2003)
Thursday, February 24, 2011 Are You Hooked? #2 TITLE: Peering Into Darkness "Dreams are for people who are too chicken-s*** to go after their desires." Seventeen-year-old Jenna Sullivan has her future completely mapped out, and nothing--not even her parents' attempts to force her to become the 'perfect' daughter--will prevent her from following her own path. But when, just weeks before graduation, her best friend overdoses on a sleep aid in order to remain in a dream, Jenna must use every last ounce of determination she possesses to keep her friend, and both their futures, alive. "Oh no, where are they shipping you off to now?" Ami said as she slid into the seat across from me. She pulled a fry from her tray and waved it at the brochure pinned under my forearm. "Stanford," I mumbled, hoping my scrutiny of the wadded up napkins under the table across the aisle would signal Ami to let the subject drop. "That's not so bad." She smiled, offering her box of fries. "Not like JHU. At least Stanford's in the right state." I sighed. "I don't know why you don't just tell your parents the truth," Ami said around bites of cheeseburger. "Lying's bad for your chi." Ever since she'd picked up that stupid book, she'd been all "chi" this and "chi" that. She'd even got me to move my bed so the head was against my closet door, swearing it would bring me good fortune. Yeah, I'd be rolling in dough because I wouldn't be buying any clothes now that I had nowhere to put them. "Oh, like you tell your parents everything." I snorted as she gave me her most wide-eyed look. "Please. The day you tell your parents about Donny Montecito will be the day I skip rehearsal." "My parents already know about Donny." "They think he's your math tutor." "He is!" "Whatever." Somehow not telling her parents about her make-out sessions with her 'Italian stallion' wasn't lying, but my plan to switch majors after my first semester was. "I think a piece of your chi just shrivelled up and died." 1. I think this gives a great first look into who the narrator is, and it leaves me with some questions. Does she not want to go to college at all? What would she do instead? I would keep reading - I want a good answer to these questions and, based on the writing, I think one is coming! Hooked. 2. I was a little confused by the logline because I immediately assumed overdosed = dead. Aside from that, I like this scene. I think you could probably vary the format of your dialogue tags a little. It feels like they are all the same kinda of, "I said as I" or "She said while she..." format. 3. Great writing that gets a lot of information across in a short spurt. I think your dialogue tags and sprinkled in said-bookisms are right on. I like the idea of someone trying to remain in a dream. Kind of like a reverse Nightmare on Elm St. 4. I really like the concept of this, that a teenager would take too many sleeping pills just to stay in a dream. But like Holly, i also thought it meant death. If changed to "almost died from and overdose" i think that would clear things up. All in all, i like this quite a bit. I would read onl 5. I really like the idea of someone trying to stay in a dream. And I like the MC's voice. I would read on! 6. Interesting blurb, and I love the last line. Ami feels very real, but I'm not sure about Jenna yet. I'd read on. 7. I liked the premise, but I have to admit, it made me more interested in the friend. What was the dream about? Why did she want to stay in it? Or was it more that her life just sucked and the dream was better? All these questions would keep me reading. I also assumed the friend had died, taking 'overdosed' to mean dead. The opening page didn't do a lot for me. Without the blurb, I get - a teenager doesn't want to go to the college her parents are choosing for her. She wants to do something else. It's just not a big enough draw for me. The promise of the logline is what would make me keep reading, and the opening page doesn't live up to that. Perhaps consider starting with an opening that has these two girls talking about the dream, since that is the bigger issue at hand. You can sprinkle in bits about the college choosing, too, but mentioning the dream will make it a much stronger, more appealing opening. 8. I love the idea of someone trying to stay in the dream. Your voice is good, and easy to read. I enjoyed this conversation, but I'm wondering where this somewhat casual conversation fits into the story. I was all intrigued about keeping her friend alive. However, I would read on. :) 9. I enjoyed your unusual concept, hook, and logline in which we discover she wants to keep her friend alive because both their futures depend on it. This alone would make me read on. 10. I found the pitch line more interesting than the actual story--so far. However, the pitch completely hooked me and I'm more than willing to read on to see what you're going to do with it. The writing is fine--I get a sense of character and voice. 11. I like this! Nice voice, interesting conflicts. Like the others, though, I had a moment of overdose = death, even though that doesn't have to be true. I did feel the first paragraph could use a little more punch, but this is a good start. 12. hope her friend doesn't run into freddy. seriously, i was more interested to find out why the friend would take pills to stay in a dream. that line gave me a little ripple of "inception," and not sure if that was intentional. the concept seemed more interesting than the prose that followed, however, i still enjoyed it. i thought the dialogue between the friends was authentic. there was some humor, too. i'd still read on. 13. Your first line had me. I think the voice is spot-on for YA. I do feel that the opening doesn't have the same hook as the logline. It feels like just an ordinary moment between the friends. I don't get a sense of conflict because I'm missing the motivation for the conflict. On another note, I do wonder how a friend outside the dream can affect the friend in the dream. I am interested to see how exactly that works. Best of luck with the story.
Friday, January 04, 2013 “Perhaps there is a police officer somewhere who would interpret an automobile passenger’s giving him the finger as a signal of distress... ...But the nearly universal recognition that this gesture is an insult deprives such an interpretation of reasonableness." That was Second Circuit Judge Jon O. Newman in an opinion all about the middle finger. Here's the intro to the opinion: An irate automobile passenger’s act of “giving the finger,” a gesture of insult known for centuries,1 to a policeman has led to a seizure of two persons ordered to return to an automobile, an arrest for disorderly conduct, a civil rights suit, and now this appeal. Plaintiffs-Appellants John Swartz (“John”) and his wife, Judy Mayton-Swartz (“Judy”), appeal the July 8, 2011, judgment of the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York (David N. Hurd, District Judge) granting summary judgment to Defendants-Appellees Richard Insogna, a St. Johnsville, New York, police officer, and Kevin Collins, an officer with the Montgomery, New York, Sheriff’s Department. Accepting, as we must at this stage of the litigation, the Plaintiffs’ version of the facts, we vacate the judgment and remand for further proceedings. The NY Times has more: Anonymous said... The right to flip off the authorities is as American as eating apple pie at a baseball game. BTW - I thought the bird came from a time when rival armies would cut the middle finger off a captured prisoner to prevent them from using a bow and arrow against them. An enemy combatant who still had his missle finger would show it to the enemy as a taunt. Anonymous said... The right to flip off a cop I say hell yea! Most Miami cops are pompous, arrogant and believe they are above the law. Rumpole said... 2:39, while I agree in principle with your thoughts, my suggestion is not to engage in such behavior without live coverage by CNN, lest you end up arrested for disorderly conduct and battery on a police officer. Your arraignment would be postponed several weeks as surgeons at Jackson struggle to rebuild most of your facial features which would have been dis-arranged- according to the testimony of the officers- when you repeatedly banged your head against the cell doors while they begged you to stop. Best of luck in your future endeavors.
Time to get over my current lover and move on to my next victim. It turns out that I’m not in the market for a noncommital relationship. I want to be with someone who could potentially love me. (I somehow manage to be cynical and ridiculously tender-hearted at the same time.) About Jessica Smith 8 Responses to Romantic 1. François says: I am mildly confused … 2. Jessica Smith says: just venting… the guy i’ve been “seeing” (ehem) is emotionally unavailable, and that bothers me. 3. François says: Ah, yes … Even though I’ve been often on the other side (“emotionally unavailable,” that is), I can kinda see why it could be annoying. 4. Jessica Smith says: I tend to eventually want the whole person, even if it began as a purely physical relationship. It’s annoying when they don’t feel the same way. 5. François says: Go slowly. Otherwise, you might end up very very bored of the person in question. 6. Jessica Smith says: True. I do go through people passionately and quickly. But I’m not really bored with this one yet; in fact, I find him quite interesting, that’s why I want more out of him. 7. François says: As a usually emotionally unavailable person (wow, that was a mouthful), I tend to resist when people want too much (out) of me. But that’s just me. I’m not sure it’s relevant with your boy. 8. Jessica Smith says: Granted, a little resistance is better than being completely open. But eventually I want in those walls. Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Twitter picture Facebook photo Google+ photo Connecting to %s
Please turn on background colors and images in print options Port Arthur Conduct a paranormal investigation at an abandoned Tasmanian penal colony On a continent where the native species is the world's deadliest, and an island where the most famous inhabitants are literally called Devils, you'd think the Tasmanians would be hard-pressed to come up with something scarier… but they totally did! It's called Port Arthur, and it's a now-crumbling 1800's penal colony where you can totally take a ghost-hunting tour... if you've got $130 and a desire to meet a different kind of devil. This is it -- founded in 1830 as a timber station, it was quickly converted to a prison due to its remote, peninsular location. It hasn't housed a living prisoner since 1877... However, according to lore, it's had its fair share of, gasp, GHOST PRISONERS. In fact, these shadowy figures are there late at night when all the sane normal tourists have gone home, because they're exploring the paranormal bits. Officially called the Paranormal Investigation Experience, the tour's led by professional paranormal investigators who'll hook guests up with "official ghost hunting gear" (pleasepleaseplease be a proton pack) and the knowledge to use it. As evidenced by the photo above, they also hook guests up with the most important ghost hunting gear of all: really bright flashlights. This is the Prisoner's Chapel, which's only one of the even-creepy-during-the-day places where you'll be a sitting duck for ghosts of Aussie murderers from the 1860's "investigating". You'll be checking in on the ruins of the main prison, but also heading into what they call the "Separate Prison"; a secondary prison structure they built specifically for putting people in solitary confinement for up to 23hrs a day... so needless to say, the ghosts there will be super-duper happy to finally have someone to talk to. You'll also take measurements, readings, and piss your pants in period houses like the Commandant's Cottage, the Visiting Magistrate's House, and the Parsonage, which's purportedly the most haunted place in all of Australia. By the time you get there you'll be SUPER glad you chose to do this instead of seeing a show at the Syndey Opera House. This is what a Paranormal Investigation Experience group looks like while they stand around in the Senior Surgeon's basement acting all nonchalant, but secretly expecting something horrifying to happen at any moment. Here's more footage captured on a ghost hunt, this time in the Separate Prison. If it makes you feel better, you can just pretend that the big stain on the stairs is from the tour guide spilling his Foster's (even though that couldn't possibly be true since there's no drinking allowed on the PIE). And even more ghost hunting footage. The regular photo is on the left. The photo WITH THE FREAKING GHOST IN IT is on the right. PHOTOS: Port Arthur Penitentiary And because the only thing scarier than a paranormal tour that runs into the early morning is a paranormal tour that runs into the early morning without food, a light dinner is included in your price. Other Stories You Will Like More From Around the Web
Japan? 'Julius Caesar' by Lantern intriguing but distracting Joe Guzman (left) as Cassius and Forrest McClendon as Julius Caesar in the Lantern Theater Company production. Joe Guzman (left) as Cassius and Forrest McClendon as Julius Caesar in the Lantern Theater Company production. (MARK GARVIN) Posted: February 15, 2014 Is there a more terrifying line than Mark Antony's in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "Cry, 'Havoc!' And let slip the dogs of war"? This powerful play is about self-deluded warrior-politicians; it is filled with conspiracy, ambition, corruption, betrayal, and tyranny. And if the leaders are vicious, the public, easily manipulated, is worse. The Lantern Theatre production, under the direction of Charles McMahon, is both intriguing and frustrating. Julius Caesar is a play for all times, as Shakespeare's plays always turn out to be, whether the setting is ancient Rome or the forest of Arden. And because of this universality - when in human history has there not been a war or an unscrupulous politician? - there is no need to underscore Julius Caesar's relevance. We'll get it, whether the characters are wearing togas or three-piece suits. So why, to avoid the togas, did McMahon decide to substitute one shmata for another and locate the play in medieval Japan? Are samurais any more familiar to us than gladiators? The device contributes nothing but distraction. And speaking of distraction: Brutus - a role of tremendous ambiguity and subtlety, on which the interpretation of the entire drama pivots - is played by U.R., who speaks with an accent and in a rhythm that seems to require subtitles. And why is his face in a permanent sneer? The "noblest Roman of them all"? I don't think so. Forrest McClendon is strong in the title role; when he says, with intense hubris and force, "The cause is in my will," we believe him. Joe Guzman is excellent as Cassius, delivering his lines with clarity and force. The play's most interesting role is Mark Antony, and Jered McLenigan gives the most interesting performance, with nuanced passion and oratorical power (although why he keeps shaking his head no is a mystery). The battle scenes with which the play ends are unintelligible, and the use of women to swell the throng is disconcerting ("thrift, Horatio, thrift!"). The lighting (Shon Causer) is so atmospheric as to be downright dim, and the sound design (Mark Valenzuela) uses crashing Japanese drums to no particular effect. I am tempted to echo a minor character who, lamenting over Cassius' dead body, says, "Alas, thou hast misconstrued everything." Julius Caesar Through March 16 at Lantern Theater Co., 10th and Ludlow Sts. Tickets: $30-$38. Information: lanterntheater.org, 215-829-0395. comments powered by Disqus
Tuesday, March 22, 2011 Welcome to Freedom Running! If you look up the word freedom in the dictionary you might find the following definitions... - the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action - liberty in acting and choosing - unrestricted use or enjoyment - liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence - enjoyment of personal liberty, of not being a slave nor a prisoner - the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous - immunity to or release from obligations, undesirable states of being etc. - the state of not being subject to determining forces - ease, facility - ability to move with ease - the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken - boldness of conception or execution - (with 'from') an absence of Take a moment and think about the above definitions of freedom. Do they describe your life, your running? Are there specific areas of your life where you are starving for freedom? Join me on a new (renewed) journey to find freedom. Freedom to do anything and everything the heart dreams.
questionsmy garmin gps in the car just died. should i… I have owned both Garmin and TomTom units and prefer the software on the Garmins and the hardware quality of the TomToms. Bringing price into the equation makes it easier - you can get the equivalent features on a TomTom unit for way less than Garmin. @durkzilla: Price is not a huge deciding factor because I can justify the $$$ for something that will last hopefully another 5 years. Within reason of course. @jimmyd103: I would just update your phone instead. I don't know anyone who doesn't use an iphone or android for this purpose. Both of them have apps that just do this. My daughter has hers set to do turn by turn instructions, with voice. Very convenient, just like the fancy GPS systems, and no worries about the maps being updated. The only time I can see a pure GPS device being an improvement over that is if you need directions, and have no signal to your phone, and haven't already downloaded what you needed ahead of time. @shrdlu: That would require me to update my outdated cellphone and have to sign-up for a data plan. Sorry I'm living in the stone age on purpose. @jimmyd103: LOL... I'm the same way... No overpriced data plan please... I purchased a Garmin 265WT since it had bluetooth for hands free phone use... The new replacement GPS unit fro the 265WT also has free updates for life... Search for the Garmin 265wt on amazon and there should be a note that there is a newer model available... If you have iphone go with waze app.
Elevate Difference Reviews of Norman Hadler Worried Sick: A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America It is refreshing to see find a doctor who is willing to question the establishment. In Worried Sick, Dr. Norman Hadler begins with the observation that the national health-care plans of “advanced” countries (other than the United States) cost a quarter of what Americans spend on health insurance, their survival rates are higher, and their citizens have more years of a better quality life.
New Craigslist Hookers, Same as the Old Craigslist Hookers Craigslist replaced its much-maligned "erotic services" section with a more responsible "adult" section. So were prostitutes driven away by mandatory credit card payments and staff review of their ads? No, they just got more subtle. Hooker subtle! Instead of posting nude photos with their "massage" and "escort" ads, providers now post bikini pictures, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. And instead of explaining how many times you can have sex with them, they now "quote their prices in roses per hour." This is all wayyy too confusing for customers, says the "Erotic Service Providers Union," proving decisively the Craigslist has the dumbest johns on the planet.
APD releases more details on officer involved shooting Posted at: 07/24/2014 6:02 PM By: Erica Zucco, KOB Eyewitness News 4 Albuquerque police have released new details surrounding an officer involved shooting on July 22. Officers fired at and killed 33-year-old Jeremy Robertson Tuesday in the midst of an attempt to arrest him near a gas station on Eubank near Central. Police say they did so after Robertson pulled a gun out of his waistband and ran with it. APD officers were helping the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which was after Robertson as a convicted felon for alleged possession of a firearm. Investigators said Wednesday they were questioning a second person but hadn't said yet how that person was involved. Police said Thursday, the second person was an acquaintance, in a van with Robertson just before his confrontation with police. The man said when he realized Robertson was in trouble, he tried to get out of the van but Robertson threatened him with a gun. Surveillance video shows the man getting out of the van anyway. After that, Robertson gets out of the van, sees two detectives, and recognizes them as APD undercover officers. Robertson ran away, and the detectives chased and tried to shoot him with a Taser. Robertson ran across the street, and surveillance video plays SWAT officers telling him to drop his gun. APD says they're still trying to get lapel video uploaded and enhanced for release. "It's not true that they weren't wearing lapel cameras - it's unclear to me at this time if they activated their cameras prior to shots being fired because as we showed you on the video, how quickly it unfolded when they arrived on scene, that's still under investigation at this time," Deputy Chief of Field Services William Roseman said. Officers released photos of the gun they say Robertson pulled from his waistband lying on the ground next to where he fell when they shot him. One of the officers who shot Robertson has shot a suspect once before; the other has shot suspects twice before. According to a dispatch report, an officer that shot at Robertson's tires during a previous encounter in January was on this call but didn't shoot him. The deputy chief says if he was indeed there, it was just a coincidence.
Call Of Duty Acknowledges Existence Of Female Gamers The new commercial for Call of Duty: Black Ops is very unusual for a video game; It features several female gamers, and not just token Lara Croft look-alikes. So why has it been dubbed the most "disappointing game-related ad"? In the commercial, men and women of various races and professions are shown tossing grenades and taking down helicopters in a realistic war scenario. The aim is to show that the game appeals to people from all walks of life (including Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Kimmel). The game's popularity is undeniable; since its debut on Tuesday, it's made more than $360 million. While traditionally, video game marketers only reach out to women when they're trying to sell something with cutesy graphics and lots of sparkles, this ad actually acknowledges that not all of the 5.6 million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops sold in the first 24 hours were bought by white men ages 18-34. So far the commercial hasn't received much attention for its inclusiveness, and on The Atlantic's website, Sam Machkovech complains about the campaign, calling it "twisted." He writes: I couldn't have asked for a more disappointing game-related ad. These aren't the video games I play. Even at their highest levels of action and violence, video games play like sophisticated games of Cops & Robbers. They're silly; they require colorful, funny-shaped controllers; they stay decidedly in the domain of detached fiction. This ad equips people with real guns and simulates real-life, no-CGI combat. The thud of recoil, the screams of rockets, the dust of explosions... and the look of exasperation on that little, shotgun-wielding girl. The only things missing are the dead bodies on the receiving ends of each bullet and blast. There's certainly an argument to be made that all first-person shooter military games like those in the Call of Duty and Medal of Honor series are disturbing, particularly when they recreate situations soldiers are currently engaged in overseas. But it seems Machkovech's main gripe with this particular ad is that the distance of CGI has been removed, so he can see the "look of exasperation on that little, shotgun-wielding girl." I actually only spotted a confident, shotgun-wielding woman enjoying a video game, but either way, how does featuring real people in a war zone make this ad worse than any other commercial? In our society, violence is trivialized in everything from fashion ads to action films. Here we see adults firing weapons into real vehicles and buildings with no consequences, but seeing a CGI man gush blood after getting shot doesn't bring home the horrifying reality of war either. Machkovech has every right to object to the irresponsible way many video games portraying violence. Though I have friends who love first-person shooters, like Machkovech, I choose not to play them myself. However, I'm still excited to see marketers reach out to female gamers in an way that doesn't demean them. As Latoya Peterson wrote, the first thing advertisers need to understand is, "Women gamers are not a monolith." When I play video games, the only combat situation I want to be in involves Hermione fending off flying Lego bricks with a magic spell. But, just like men, some women want to open fire on virtual soldiers, or zombies, or sometimes even zombie Nazi soldiers. Of course, female first-person shooter fans may like to play as a woman too, but Call of Duty: Black Ops only features male characters. Even if women are still second-class citizens in the world of video games, hopefully this commercial is a sign that marketers are starting to realize female gamers make up a large and diverse group. And sometimes we enjoy a good explosion, even if it isn't pink. New 'Call of Duty' Blasts Last Year's Sales Record [AP] Call Of Duty's Twisted Advertising Campaign [The Atlantic] Call Of Duty: Black Ops Welcomes Back Nazi Zombie Hordes [Kotaku] Earlier: Why Is Marketing To Female Gamers Considered Challenging? Related: Review: Call Of Duty: Black Ops Redefines Modern Warfare [Kotaku]
Magnitude of Opening Day not lost on Venable Magnitude of Opening Day not lost on Venable When the Padres face the Dodgers on March 30 at Petco Park, it will mark the fifth Opening Day in Will Venable's career with San Diego. Venable, who will start in center field, said there's something special about Opening Day that makes it unlike any other day of the season. Here are Venable's memories of Opening Day in 2010 and his feelings on the first game of the season. The first time I came up to the big leagues was late in 2008, and then I did so again around June 2009. But even with a year or so of service time to that point, my first Opening Day, then each one thereafter, I've still been wide-eyed and taken aback by making the Opening Day roster and being able to celebrate the day with fans and teammates. My first Opening Day was in Arizona (April 5, 2010). I remember the national anthem, the pregame ceremony at Chase Field and feeling the magnitude of the big leagues more than I ever had before. It was a big deal to be there, and it really felt that way to me. Of course, when you first get called up, going to the ballpark for the first time, is so cool and unique, but Opening Day, with everything that goes into the day ... the chalk lines on the field, how nice everything looks, to who they have singing the national anthem, it's such a big deal. As for the game itself, Dan Haren was pitching for the D-backs, and I know I didn't get any hits (Venable was 0-for-3 and the Padres lost, 6-3). But what really stood out was during player introductions, when I heard my name called and I got to run out onto the field. You look across the way and there are really good players over there. I don't want to say it felt like I made it, but when your name is called, it sort of feels like you've been summoned to this great, sacred place where baseball is played. It's pretty cool. Each year that it happens, it reminds you how special it is to be here. You can feel it in the air. Where in football, every day is a big day, you've got a whole week leading up to it. In baseball, we play so many games, there are no games more anticipated then the first one. It's coming up again. To have it at home, against the Dodgers, it will be sold out, and we'll have a lot of energy from the fans. Will Venable is an outfielder for the Padres. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop Forgot your password? Comment Is this retroactive? (Score 1) 244 How ironic is that, because if it is, it would undermine one of the greatest achievements that Americans like to attribute to their country. Will this act from Obama cause Americans to rewrite their history books about who invented the Airplane, since the Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont filed first: ? Before Americans start to bash me, I would suggest them read this article: Comment Re:Interesting approach (Score 1) 27 More importantly, as you pointed out before, smaller companies have the ability to reduce costs, particularly administrative costs. The thing that makes bigger companies inefficient is the administrative bloat. People like to deride NASA about cost bloats (with some reason), but private is not necessarily leaner. If one has ever worked for a large company like HP, Dell or IBM (I only have experience with computer companies, but I think this apply to other giants), the admin bloat is just as bad. Comment Re:extradition cases (Score 1) 271 Besides the embarrassment to the government, which might be something most Americans will not care, one bad consequence for the general American public is that this undermines the credibility of American extradition requests, providing reasons for other countries to deny extradition requests, even in cases where the extradition might have been a fair one, e.g. a divorcee parent kidnapping a child to another country, white collar criminals escaping prosecution (assuming those are even prosecuted :-D), common criminals abroad, etc. Submission Is there a new geek anti-intellectualism?-> 1 Larry Sanger writes: "Geeks are supposed to be, if anything, intellectual. But it recently occurred to me that a lot of Internet geeks and digerati have sounded many puzzlingly anti-intellectual notes over the past decade, and especially lately. The Peter Thiel-inspired claim that "college is a waste of time" is just the latest example. I have encountered (and argued against) five common opinions, widely held by geeks, that seem headed down a slippery slope. J'accuse: "at the bottom of the slippery slope, you seem to be opposed to knowledge wherever it occurs, in books, in experts, in institutions, even in your own mind." So, am I right? Is there a new geek anti-intellectualism?" Link to Original Source Submission Facebook facial recognition raises concerns-> 1 An anonymous reader writes: Facebook has rolled out new privacy options to millions of users, according to security firm Sophos, meaning that facial recognition software will be run over photos to make photo-tagging suggestions. Many people dislike Facebook learning what they look like, and using that information without their permission when they have not opted-in to use the new feature, and sought advice on how to disable the functionality. Link to Original Source Comment Re:Politics aside ... (Score 2) 609 I feel really sorry for you if you have made this interpretation about my comment, despite all my explanations to ignore the politics of the matter. At no point in my comment did I make a judgement of value on Israel, nor did I state anything that was not factually true. I did not make a value judgement on the Israeli position to withhold tax money from the PA, but I did state that a logical consequence of this decision is that Palestinian Universities would likely be affected by their government collecting less money. Of course it is hard to separate politics from everything else in this region, but my argument was that there seems to be purely economical reasons for this decision, and that other institutions in countries with a similar disparity in wealth (regardless of an ongoing ethno-religious conflict) could have reacted in a similar way. If it was not clear, let me clarify further. If you replaced Israel and Palestine for, say, Brazil and Paraguay, which are two countries that border each other, and where there is some dependency between the two of them (since Paraguay is landlocked, it depends on its neighbour for many shipping routes), and both of them have very different living standards and investment in academia. If the poorest country invites somebody to come give a lecture and pay for the flight for a guy coming from across the globe to come, and the richer neighbour decides to take advantage of this trip to invite the same lecturer to come to their country right after without offering to help with the trip costs, would it not feel unfair from a purely economical point of view? Comment Politics aside ... (Score 4, Insightful) 609 Well, opinions about the right or wrongness of Israel aside, it is a well known fact that Israeli universities are pretty well funded and staffed (especially if compared to Palestinian ones). They already have top class academics working for them and plenty of funding to bring other academics to visit them pretty regularly. I have had the privilege to meet many famous Israeli academics, but I am yet to meet a Palestinian one. If we just ignore the politics for a little while, I can see why an underfunded Palestinian university might feel cheated if they are paying for a guy to come from across the world to give a lecture, and the guys across the border who have lots more funding and better staff than they have tried to amortize Israeli costs of bringing a foreign academic by using Palestinian money. After all, they could have offered to split the bill or something. On top of that, I'm not sure about the situation right now, but until very recently, Israel (which controls Palestinian borders and tax collection) was withholding tax money from the Palestinian Authority because they were in reconciliation talks with Hamas. Again, ignoring politics, but looking at a very real cashflow issue that their universities might be having, I can see why they might resent this move. Comment Re:Definition (Score 1) 254 Profiling is only wrong (or at very least politically incorrect) if you do it on the basis of attributes over which the profiled people have no obvious control, like ethnicity and nationality. Law enforcement agencies have a long history of psychological profiling (which is, arguably, also not under somebody's control) that has been accepted by most people as effective, though I myself have no knowledge to ascertain that indeed is effective. Comment Definition (Score 1) 254 What gives me solace regarding the danger posed by extremists (religious or otherwise) is that almost by definition these people are not terribly smart. If you induce yourself to believe some fairy tale about the afterlife, to the point that you are willing to kill people, you cannot be that rational. Of course the government needs to be watching out for these people (since they are dangerous), but I do not believe it takes all the powers that have been given to the government to keep track and arrest these loonies. Comment Re:Does it surprise anyone... (Score 2) 249 You do know that this $1 a year is just a tax scam, right? The amount of money they use personally through the company to pay for anything from a private jet to mansions and other perks is far more than their salary would be, however. Not only do they not pay what they should in personal income tax, they also screw the American tax payer by using all sorts of loopholes in where the company declares its earnings. Comment Re:Latin American is not part of the world, clearl (Score 1) 161 My bad about Asia, but in my defence at least in Japan and to some extent even China they are the gaming Mecca, they have games that will never see the light of day in the west. Many of my friends that are even more into gaming than I am have learned Japanese partly to be able to play some of those imports. And about English skill, most people who game have at least a cursory grasp of English, and in fact use games as an important tool to learn the language. I am myself a native speaker of Portuguese, and aside from very specific games where the localization was interesting (and I can only think of the Tropico games here), I would never buy a game localised to Portuguese. To me, it just feels weird. On a side note, thanks to Lucasarts for making the games that taught me a significant portion of my English vocabulary, and Amazon for shipping games to Brazil when I was growing up. Comment Latin American is not part of the world, clearly (Score 1) 161 I think it's rather interesting that the OP is outraged that the game is taking so long to reach Europe and Australia, all righteous mentioning worldwide distribution, but he completely failed to mention Latin America, which is known to have (both in and out of Slashdot) gamers just as keen to obtain these new releases, and for which the piracy argument is hammered with a lot more gusto. On that same vein, shall I mention Africa as well? Last time I checked South Africa, for one, has a rather decent market size, and I'm not even mentioning other Commonwealth nations. Comment Re:Repost (Score 1) 620 I grew up in southern Brazil, and what you say about Paraguay strikes a cord on me very much so. I bought my SNES there :-D like a month after the American version was released. But this whole free trade thing was not exactly a free ride for Brazil, you were not supposed to bring that much stuff back into Brazil. Still, where you could only buy things at 400% percent price as you say, even with the fines it was worth it. Back in the late 80s, some of these things were not even available legally in Brazil because of what they called "market reservation". Still, even if things go through Miami, shipping from south east asia to north west America and then back south should be a major component in the price. And in Brazil, what skews things significantly is that one pays taxes over taxes. Last time I had the heart to calculate, you had 100% import tax, calculated over the price of the product including shipping (so not the value of the product itself), plus a federal 15% tax over industrialized products (even if they were not made in Brazil, on top of the price with the import tax), plus a 20% sales tax (on the price with both previous taxes), plus the margins for the person selling it. By this time, the product is probably already out of reach for most people (at least in Brazil), and then of course, given what you said in your previous post, the rationale that this is a luxury item kicks in, and the people who went through the trouble of sorting out all the red tape in customs decides to ramp up the price of things. If you want to compare how this works, just go to the Apple Store in the US and in Brazil (since it's the same company, pricing policies should be consistent). A Mac costs almost 3 times more in Brazil than in the US. Comment Re:Repost (Score 1) 620 In neighbouring Brazil, the price hike can be half attributed to taxes. But one thing that I noticed about many electronics companies that sell there is that they seem to ship stuff from the US (as a consequence of their physical presence in the country to be an extension of the North American office), even if they manufacture pretty much everything in China. That might be one of the reasons for the price hike (dumb logistics). I'm not sure if this is the case for Argentina, though. nohup rm -fr /&
Book Now phone icon +1 770 693 0299 \| NEW HENNA TINTING, COME GET IT DONE!! Here is a list of the frequent answered questions. If your question is not listed here, we would love to answer it. You can just contact us with your questions and we will answer them as soon as we can. To get in touch with us just click here Where did the term Brazilian Waxing come from? As the name suggests, brazilian waxing originated from Brazil for women who wanted to wear the new thong bikinis. Brazilian wax became famous when it was introduced into the US when a hair removal salon called J. Sisters International Salon was opened in 1987. J. Sisters International Salon was opened in Manhattan, New York by seven Brazilian sisters Jocely, Jonice, Joyce, Janea, Jussara, Juracy and Judseia Padilha. However, the waxing of the genital areas is not new. Waxing of the genital areas has been prevalent for centuries in Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, Arabia, Turkey and Persia. Historically, the waxes were sugar-based and made with lemon. Should I expect it to be a painful experience? This truly depends on your pain threshold. Any pain felt is temporary and some feel it more than others. It is a momentary pain when the hair is pulled but subsides right after. When the hairs are pulled, the pain is quick, temporary and generally does not linger. We are not medical doctors so we cannot recommend taking anything but most people will take their favorite pain reliever. It is advised not to take aspirin as it thins the blood. What should I do to prepare for my brazilian? Bacteria around your anal area can be spread to open pores resulting in an infection. For your safety and for sanitary reasons it is important to be impeccably clean in your rectal and genital areas before a brazilian. Do not tan or spend time out in the sun up to 72 hours prior to waxing. Tanning draws blood up to the surface and the skin is sensitive so lifting, peeling and bleeding can occur. Please do not apply any creams or lotions to your genitals the day of service as wax will not adhere to lotions, oils or creams. What Is A Brazilian Wax? Bikini in action Brazilian wax refers to hair removal from the entire pubic region, front and back. This is a very effective procedure because it removes hair completely from the root. It’s getting more popular to attain clean and sexy skin. In this process the entire pubic area can be waxed or some women prefer to live a small area above the Pubic area. Before Your Brazilian Wax! RELAX and TRUST us! We do this all the time. Let the hair grow ¼ to ½ an inch. The wax needs something to hold onto! DO make a date to exfoliate… prep the area with a sugar scrub exfoliating (but be very gentle!) up until the day before your wax to help prevent ingrown hairs. Make sure you shower the day of your wax to help prevent infection. DO NOT apply any creams or lotions beforehand; you’ll get better results if your skin is dry. After Your Brazilian Wax! In order to keep your Brazilian the best condition it’s important to regularly get waxed. Make your next appointment for no longer than 4 weeks. Avoid shaving in between. Apply an after waxing body treatment. We LOVE “Get the Bump out of Here.” It is safe, soothing and prevents ingrown hair! Avoid the sun immediately after waxing areas. Avoid heavy exercise for at least 5 hours after waxing. Avoid tight clothing after wax. Routine waxing helps the skin get accustomed to the procedure and minimize irritation. The more you get waxed the easier it is, also less painful and there is less hair growth after their first few waxes. What’s the difference between hard and soft wax? (Read: which hurts less?) Well, hard wax is amazing on coarse hair and in sensitive areas because as it cools and hardens it grabs the hair and lifts up off of the skin, so when it is removed it only grabs the hair and doesn’t pull on the skin. Most people find it to be far less painful. It can only be applied in small sections or it will break, so it is not efficient to use on larger areas of the body (like legs). Soft wax is applied and removed with some form of cloth. It is great at grabbing finer hairs and works much better on large areas of the body. It cannot be reapplied to the same spot more than once because it removes more layers of dead skin than hard wax. Also, hard wax leaves no sticky residue, so it is easier to clean up than soft wax. What’s the longest amount of time you recommend people go between waxes? I recommend coming in every three to six weeks for regular waxing appointments. A person can wait longer than six weeks, but they run the risk that the waxing experience will be more uncomfortable for them. Are you worried that lasers will take over? Seems less and less people are waxing these days? I have no immediate concern about that. They have not perfected the art of hair removal with lasers yet and it is rare that someone gets a perfect result. Getting laser hair removal is time-consuming, painful and expensive. Someday the technology will probably affect my business, but I haven’t had that problem yet. I do recommend a couple laser treatments to clients with a lot of hair and serious ingrown hair problems. It makes their regular waxing services much easier for them. Will it make my hair grow back thicker? Absolutely not. Waxing does not cause you to grow more hair follicles. In fact, if you become a regular waxer, you will notice that your hair will become quite sparse and not as course. Will it make my hair grow back darker? Let me ask you this….does your hair grow back darker when you cut it? No. Neither will your depilitated hair. Waxing will not change the pigment of your hair. Will waxing change the pigmentation of my skin? No, it will not cause hyperpigmentation (dark spots) on your skin, however, if you spend time in the sun after waxing, you can burn, which can result in sun damage and dark spots later on. If your skin is tan or you’ve applied sunless tanner, it will strip your tan. Remember, waxing will exfoliate your skin. The wax sticks to your skin and removes the topmost layer so you may experience some lightening if you have a dark tan from sun or sunless tanning products. Will I get ingrown hairs? It’s possible. Waxing removes the entire hair, root and all, from the follicle. Your skin naturally hardens and thickens over the area it was waxed so it is important to keep that area gently exfoliated. Use a gentle scrub in that area about 3 days after waxing and continue to exfoliate 1 to 2 times a week thereafter. Remember, I said gentle! Also, use a mixture of tea tree and lavender oil. Both are antimicrobial and antibacterial and will prevent irritation. Try to wear loose fitting clothes for a few days after to give your skin a chance to breathe and reduce moisture. The bikini, lip and underarms are where we tend to perspire. Perspiration and moisture cause bacteria to grow. Once that area has been waxed, the follicle is wide open to this bacteria creeping in.
AAAI Publications, Twenty-Second International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence Font Size: Push and Swap: Fast Cooperative Path-Finding with Completeness Guarantees Ryan J. Luna, Kostas E. Bekris Last modified: 2011-06-28 Cooperative path-finding can be abstracted as computing non-colliding paths for multiple agents between their start and goal locations on a graph. This paper proposes a fast algorithm that can provide completeness guarantees for a general class of problems without any assumptions about the graph's topology. Specifically, the approach can address any solvable instance where there are at most n-2 agents in a graph of size n. The algorithm employs two primitives: a "push" operation where agents move towards their goals up to the point that no progress can be made, and a "swap" operation that allows two agents to swap positions without altering the configuration of other agents. Simulated experiments are provided on hard instances of cooperative path-finding, including comparisons against alternative methods. The results are favorable for the proposed algorithm and show that the technique scales to problems that require high levels of coordination, involving hundreds of agents. Full Text: PDF
The 5 best features in Apple's iOS 5 Earlier this week at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple finally offered up a look at iOS 5, the planned update to the company's mobile OS. Although it wont be out until this fall -- Apple isn't yet saying exactly when -- iOS 5 promises to deliver much-needed changes to the OS, which is used on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Apple told WWDC attendees that the new OS will have some 200 new features, though only 10 of them were showcased during Monday's two-hour keynote, which also < href="">focused on iCloud and OS X 10.7 "Lion." Here are the five iOS 5-based changes I'm looking forward to most. New notifications Let's start with the crowd-pleaser: Apple has finally revamped the way iOS handles message notifications. This was long overdue. Until now, whenever a notification arrived, it popped up on the screen, forcing you to either view the message or close the notification window. The new method doesn't force you to stop whatever you're doing; the notification literally rotates into view in the form of an unobtrusive banner beneath the menu bar. Within seconds, the banner -- it displays the appropriate app icon and the message -- gently flips back out of view. If the notification requires immediate attention, tapping it automatically switches you to the app so you can respond. Don't worry if you liked the current style of modal notifications. They haven't been cut completely. In iOS 5 they'll still be an option when you configure your apps under Settings>Notifications. And they're still useful in certain situations. After all, not all notifications should be ignored -- like a reminder to take medicine. But I suspect most users will opt for the less intrusive banner, which is selected by default. If you want to retrieve any notifications you've ignored, you use Apple's new Notification Center, a completely original idea that no one has ever thought of. (That sound, by the way, was hundreds of Android fans' heads bursting.) I kid, of course; The notification screen isn't particularly original or new to anyone except iOS users who haven't modified their system software, but that doesn't make its inclusion any less welcome. Swiping your finger down from the top of the iPhone screen slides open the Notification Center, where all of your alerts are organized by app. (Apple also added in Stocks and Weather widgets.) You remove older notifications by hitting an X and then confirming that you want to make the app entries go away by tapping Clear. Making the new system more useful, customizations are available on a per-app basis in the Notification Settings area. You can sort notifications manually or by time, and you can edit the display order of the apps. One thing to keep in mind if you can't pull yourself away from certain apps: You can set the apps to display banner notifications and on the Lock Screen. That'll be handy, since you won't have to spend time unlocking the phone just to check notifications. Revamped Lock Screen The Lock Screen will get a few fairly useful updates in iOS 5. Double-tapping the Home button not only brings up audio options like before, but now it adds a Camera icon just to the right of the Swipe to Unlock slider. This gives quick access to the Camera app -- even when the iPhone is locked -- allowing you to record pictures and videos much faster than before. This means no more fumbling to unlock the phone, launch the Camera app and snap a picture. As a bonus, the volume up button doubles as a hardware shutter. (Somewhere, Windows Phone 7 fans are screaming with rage; this was on Microsoft's mobile devices first.) As a security measure, when an iPhone is locked with a passcode, access to the Camera app is still available -- but only to the Camera app. The ability to browse photos already taken -- or poke around on the phone further -- is restricted. The Notification Center is also part of the Lock Screen, and everything you may have missed displays on a darkly tinted layer over your Lock Screen picture. Depending on the options you choose, you'll see text messages show who messaged and what they said; phone calls and voicemails; and even emails with snippets of the messages. And every alert is time stamped. To quickly jump to any given app requiring your attention, slide the app icon for that particular notification and that's the app that opens when the iPhone is unlocked. It's a simple idea well implemented. It's amazing how effectively implemented features add up to a better iOS user experience without needless complexity. Cutting the cord A few months before WWDC, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that the post-PC era is beginning. Clearly, given Apple's recent burst of sales, he must have meant the "post-reliance-on-Microsoft era," especially since iOS devices don't work without first plugging them into a computer running iTunes. But Jobs was serious about the idea of standalone devices, and iOS 5 paves the way for a future in which devices like the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch serve as your sole computer. Out of the box, an iOS 5 device can be activated without plugging it into anything. After entering basic information like your Apple ID, you can then access every purchase you've made through iTunes (including the music, movie, and app stores) and download them as quickly as your connection allows. Not only is activation done wirelessly; so are iOS updates. Effectively, this eliminates iTunes as required middleware. There is, however, a benefit to plugging in an iOS device to iTunes: the automatic backup that happens before each sync. It's been a life-saver for me more times than I'd like to admit. Apple engineers have another option for iOS 5 users, though, and it's pretty simple. Since most users plug in their phone before bed to charge overnight, Apple is touting a system that allows the device to automatically back itself up to iTunes via Wi-Fi while charging. Once it's finished that, it'll sync iTunes content wirelessly. Having the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch serve as a standalone computers effectively opens the door for more sales. In some parts of the world, the iPhone hasn't caught on because of the necessary computer-linking; if you don't have a computer, you've got a problem. This should change that. One surprise at WWDC was the introduction of the Messages app, which effectively replaces text/SMS/MMS messaging from one IOS device to another. Not only does Messages work across all of Apple's iOS 5 products, but it could save you money by bypassing a major revenue source for carriers (text and multimedia messages) using Apple-based, encrypted tech. iPhones have always been able to send and receive text messages, and, since the iOS 3 update, picture and movie messages, too. The problem with this is that carriers charge ridiculous rates for texting. Currently, AT&T sells separate messaging plans, and unlimited messaging is $30 a month. Well, if your family has iPhones and your friends have iPhones, you can use Messages on all of them and you don't pay a dime. There's no cost for sending text, images or movies -- as long as the messages are between two iOS devices. If the recipient isn't using an Apple device, the message (or file) is sent by standard SMS, which is then color-coded to green. iOS to iOS messages are blue and actually state "iMessages" at the top of the message and in an empty text entry field. But wait, there's more: the iMessages service syncs conversations between devices automatically, so you can start a conversation on the iPhone and pick it up later on an iPad if you want. There are other nice touches included, including group messaging, encrypted chat, read receipts, and the ability to link messages to more than one email address. If you and those you know send text/SMS/MMS messages to each other iOS devices, this is a sure-fire winner. AirPlay is already a brilliant feature. As a matter of fact, it's what I used to watch the WWDC keynote after it was posted on the Apple site. From my couch, I browsed to on the iPad, called up the Keynote movie, and beamed it to my entertainment system and big screen. But it's limited to streaming movies and audio, and even then, only in apps that support AirPlay streaming. But what about when you'd like to present an entire app and its contents? AirPlay in iOS 4 doesn't help, though Apple sells a $40 adapter that allows video mirroring on the iPad 2. As of iOS 5, AirPlay now mirrors the iPad directly with AirPlay Mirroring. To enable it, just double-tap the Home button, swipe right to call up the brightness/volume/rotation lock area, tap the AirPlay button -- the icon resembles a TV -- tap your destination device for the video and turn on mirroring when the option slides into view. This is not only useful for classroom, business presentations and group training sessions, but this leaves open the possibility for Apple to become a player in the living room gaming console wars. Oh, and one more thing The big news from WWDC was, of course, iCloud, which will play a major role in the success of iOS 5, and which analysts already say will help Apple fend off Google and Android. Apple's iCloud arrives at a time when people are surrounded by screens. There's a screen at home, a screen at work, a screen in your pocket, and not all of these devices talk to each other. Syncing and storage services like Drop Box and iDisk give users a central location to store docs online, but using those services requires actually being aware of them, and then manually copying over files for later retrieval. Apple engineers eyed data and the problem with keeping computers and devices up to date and in sync. The solution they came up with is a collection of services that syncs all data between your devices -- iPads, iPhones, iPods touch, and Windows PCs and Macs -- without ever doing anything. That's essentially what iCloud does. The ability to have up-to-date data across all devices, without worry or extra steps, is a huge deal. Some of Apple's apps provide similar functionality now; iBooks, for instance, syncs pages, bookmarks and notes across iOS apps, so no matter how you access the book you're reading, you're always where you left off. In iOS 5, Apple will bring that capability to every app. If you're editing a quick Keynote presentation on your iPhone in the taxi, you can pick up where you left off on the office Mac -- your presentation will already be there when you walk in. Game data will sync, too, so you can launch Angry Birds on the iPad and keep going on your iPhone. Every bit of data is synced with iCloud and pushed out to other devices, and it's all automatic. You don't think about it, or do anything; it just happens. There's 5GB of storage allocated for every iCloud user, but music, apps, books, Photo Stream photos (which automatically syncs photos across your devices) don't count toward the storage usage. Apple engineers have made past attempts to abstract the file system in the past, sometimes culminating in clumsy results (I'm looking at you, File Sharing to iOS devices in iTunes). It's no accident that the iPhone and iPad lack a user-accessible file system, and with iCloud, Apple may have found a way to justifiably resist adding file system access. Final thoughts iOS 5 brings about dozens of welcome changes that users at all experience levels will appreciate, and, most importantly, will actually use. Apple consistently shows that powerful new features don't necessarily mean added complexity; the updates that are coming with iOS 5 -- while not entirely original -- reiterate that fact. Almost as importantly, the changes solidify the role of iOS in the overall Apple ecosystem and the part iCloud will play in neatly tying together the plethora of devices people use every day. Fall can't get here fast enough. Michael deAgonia, a frequent contributor to Computerworld, is an award-winning writer, computer consultant and technologist who has been working on computers since 1993. You can find him on Twitter (@mdeagonia). Join the Good Gear Guide newsletter! 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Do Overweight People Live Longer? We’ve long known that too much excess weight increases your likelihood of dying prematurely. Or does it? Obesity picture from Shutterstock A large review of the evidence published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January found that overweight people live longer than leaner people. But don’t reach for the pie and chips just yet. There is no denying that the high and rising prevalence of obesity and overweight is a major health problem. With 70 per cent of men and 56 per cent of women either overweight or obese, Australia is among the worst-affected countries in the world. We commonly measure body size with body mass index, or BMI: a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in metres. It is a good average measure of the amount of fat a person has in their body, which is useful for classifying people in population studies. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a “normal” BMI range as 18.5 to 24.9 and this corresponds to a weight of 49 to 65kg for Australian women of average height (1.62 m) and 58 to 77kg for men of average height (1.76 m). Recent estimates have shown for the first time that a high BMI is now responsible for the greatest burden of disease in Australia and New Zealand, ahead of smoking and high blood pressure. But the challenges represented by the obesity epidemic have raised the question of what the ideal BMI is for life expectancy. Two large and well-conducted studies in the Lancet and New England Journal of Medicine examined this issue by gathering data on more than two million people who had their BMI calculated and were followed for their risk of dying over a defined time period. The large numbers of participants and detailed individual data in these studies means the researchers were able to look at how small differences in BMI relate to the risk of death, accounting for a range of other factors known to influence this relationship, including illnesses that could potentially affect BMI. Despite the diversity of populations covered by the studies, and the differences in methods, their findings are remarkably consistent: people with a BMI at the upper end of the WHO “normal” level (22.5 to 24.9) have the lowest death rates. You can see this visually represented by the J-shaped curve in the graph below: as BMI goes up in increments of 2.5 above and below the 22.5-to-24.9 category, so do death rates. Why do people with a BMI at the upper end of the “normal” range have the lowest risk of death? People with BMIs above this optimal level have an increased risk of dying, especially from heart disease, most likely due to increases in blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes caused by excess body fat. They also have an increased risk of dying of cancer. People with BMI levels below the optimal level also have increased death rates, particularly from respiratory diseases (such as chronic bronchitis) and cancer. The increased risk of death in the people with lower BMIs may also be because chronic illness has caused them to lose weight. So with this evidence in mind, how does the JAMA paper reach such a different conclusion? It comes down to the way the data from each of the studies have been collated and presented. The JAMA review used broad classifications for underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese and very obese, rather than the 2.5 increments of BMI. People with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 were included in the “normal weight” category; we can see from the graph above that this broad category includes people with the lowest risk of death, combined with people with a higher risk of death. The “normal weight” category was then used as the comparison group for the studies, and has an average risk of death that is higher than the risk in the broad “overweight” category. This skews the optimal weight finding and changes the shape of the curve, from J-shaped to tick-shaped. The result? One that suggests being overweight makes you live longer. There are varying reasons why the researchers might have used these broad groups, including the fact that many studies are too small to be able to present statistically reliable results according to finer gradations in BMI. The bottom line is that too much fat is bad for your health and increases your risk of dying prematurely. We still have a long way to go in our fight against obesity and, if anything, we need to redouble, not reduce, our efforts. Emily Banks is Scientific Director of the 45 and Up Study at Sax Institute. She receives research funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute. Rosemary Korda is a Research Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. She receives funding from NHMRC and ARC. Grace Joshy is a Research Fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health. She does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations. The Conversation This article was originally published at The Conversation. Read the original article. Trending Stories Right Now
North Central College - Naperville, IL Withdrawal - Returning Financial Aid If for some reason you need to withdraw during an academic term, you need to follow the established withdrawal procedure and will be subject to the institution’s withdrawal policy. For purposes of this policy, a refund refers to the difference between monies originally paid for institutional charges by financial aid and/or cash payments and the amount retained by the institution after withdrawal. A repayment can occur when cash has been disbursed to a student from financial aid funds in excess of institutional charges. If the student receives federal financial assistance, a portion of these funds must be returned to the programs. The calculation is based on the period of enrollment completed. That percentage is computed by dividing the total number of calendar days in the term into the number of calendar days completed, as of the date of student withdrawal. The percentage of Federal assistance to which the student is entitled (has "earned") is equal to this percentage of the term completed, up to 60%. If the withdrawal occurs after 60% of the term is completed, the student is considered to have "earned" 100% of the federal aid disbursed. The amount of Federal Aid which must be returned is based on the percentage of "unearned" aid. That percentage is computed by subtracting earned aid from 100%. The College is required to return the lesser of 1) the unearned aid percentage applied to institutional charges and 2) the unearned percentage applied to total Federal aid received. The student is required to return the difference between the amount of unearned aid and the amount returned by the College. If the student (or parent in the case of a PLUS Loan) is required to return a portion or all of their loan proceeds, the calculated amount is to be repaid according to the loan terms. Students must return only half the amount of grant funds calculated. A more in-depth explanation of this policy is available in the Office of Financial Aid.
BeaTunes is a useful companion to iTunes that can detect and resolve many common library problems, create well-matched playlists, import lyrics, and more. Launch the program and it will immediately import your iTunes library, and go hunting for issues. These might include multiple spellings for the same artist (REM or R.E.M., say), duplicate files, misspelled album names, rarely used genres, mismatched release dates (songs belonging to the same album with different release years), and more. The trial version will only display these errors, but purchase a licence and you'll be able to fix them in a click or two. If you have files with ambiguous names, like 01-track.mp3, then beaTunes can use its MusicIP fingerprinting technology to retrieve the track name, artist, album and more (as long as they're not DRM-protected). It'll then give your files more meaningful names, and set their tags, too. The program is also able to analyse the beats per minute and tonal key of your songs, using this and other information to create playlists of songs that work well together. Or, if you have plenty of playlists already, then beaTunes will sort them so that, wherever possible, the best-matched songs always follow each other. And beaTunes delivers plenty of other useful features, including options to import song lyrics from Lyricsfly, organise your library with tags, or create blog entries at with your favourite songs or playlists. release news beaTunes is an interesting iTunes accessory. The matching playlists worked well in our tests, and the library inspection options will be a major plus point for anyone with a huge and unwieldy iTunes library
There are times when the past comes back, even when one is 60 years and nearly 2,000 miles away from it. The sight of the hate-filled protestors in Murietta, Calif., a town just a few miles from where I was born and grew up, brought back memories of the past, and disgust for the present. Ramona, the little town where I went to junior high and high school, is about 40 miles from San Diego, where I was born, and 60 miles from Tijuana. I grew up with many Latino schoolmates. One of my closest friends was Eleanor Solis. She never encountered any problems, and neither did the other Latino kids. The boys were sometimes called "Chicanos," but there were never any fights, and lots of "inter-ethnic" friendships and dating. One summer, my father hired two men he called "wetbacks" to work on our farm. My sisters and I didn't even know what that term referred to; in those days no one we knew protested, and we were good friends with Jose and Eliseo. So I grew up pretty oblivious to racism. In the 1960s, the civil rights movement finally opened my eyes to the endemic racism in my country, and even in the church I had been raised in. When, years later, I interviewed for a job at the University of Iowa Labor Center, Iowa had a Republican governor, Robert Ray, who, in 1979 opened his heart and our state to refugees from Southeast Asia. In the interview, when I asked about politics in Iowa, my soon-to-be boss said, "In Iowa, Republicans have a heart." Now I hear another very different Republican governor express a level of callous indifference that I can scarcely fathom. And it brings to mind a famous story. When people wanted to bring some children to meet Jesus, the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus reprimanded the disciples, saying: "suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come unto me…" Listen up, Governor, lest we start comparing the differences between Branstad of Iowa and Jesus of Nazareth. Roberta Till-Retz Iowa City Read or Share this story: http://icp-c.com/1rCCI2Z
I have prominent eyes. I am in my early twenties and I have always had these 'bags' that nearly cover my entire eye when I smile, giving my face a perfect circle around each eye. When I don't smile, the 'lines' appear on my face and they make me look tired when I am not. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them and get like a 'thin lid' or something, because mine are very abnormal (I have no medical problems, and I'm pretty sure its hereditary) Thanks! Doctor Answers 4 Lower eyelid bag when you smile That bag that you see is really no bag at all. It really is due to the orbicularis muscle which is a vital part of the lower eyelid anatomy. We need to remember that we are all made somewhat differently. For you, you see this "bag" which may be more prominent on you than on others your age. But there is no pathology here and nor is it something which should bother you cosmetically. It looks fine to me. Saint Petersburg Oculoplastic Surgeon 5.0 out of 5 stars 83 reviews 6025 4th Street North St. Petersburg, FL 33703 Lower eyelid bags due to the muscle. The "bags" you are referring to is due to thickening of the eyelid muscle and this is normal. This muscle is responsible for closing the eye and this explains why your "bags" becomes more obvious upon smiling. This is a sign of youth and it becomes less obvious with aging. Although I generally would not recommend treatment for this normal finding, surgery can reduce the size of the the muscle. Eric I. Choe, MD, FACS New York Plastic Surgeon 4.5 out of 5 stars 42 reviews 121 East 60th Street New York, NY 10022 That's hypertrophy of your muscle! You are young, and you don’t appear to have fat pockets that are bulging. Rather, hypertrophy of the muscle can cause this effect, which looks very normal in many people. If you aspire to reduce that, you can try botox under the eye as it may soften the bulge. You may not like the result, though the effect will wear off in 3-4 months. If you like what you see after treatment with botox, you can continue. Many injectors won’t perform that type of botox treatment, so be sure to choose someone with a lot of experience. Good luck! Richard Castellano, MD Tampa Facial Plastic Surgeon 5.0 out of 5 stars 55 reviews 3314 Henderson Blvd Tampa, FL 33609-2934 That is no eyelid bag. That is the orbicularis oculi muscle that is critically necessary for holding the lower eyelid up against the eye. Take away that muscle and the eyelid will not stay up against the eye. If that sounds horrible, it should. Please be careful out there. Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon 4.5 out of 5 stars 21 reviews 9001 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Ambulatory Electrocardiogram Skip to the navigation Test Overview An ambulatory electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) records the electrical activity of your heart while you do your usual activities. Ambulatory means that you are able to walk during the test. This type of monitoring may also be called ambulatory EKG, Holter monitoring, 24-hour EKG, or cardiac event monitoring. Many heart problems are noticeable only during certain activities. These include exercise, eating, sex, stress, bowel movements, and even sleeping. A constant 24-hour recording is more likely to find abnormal heartbeats that occur during these activities. Many people have irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) from time to time. What this means depends on the type of pattern they produce, how often they occur, how long they last, and whether they occur at the same time you have symptoms. Because arrhythmias can come and go, it may be hard to record one while you are in the doctor's office. There are several different types of ambulatory monitors. Your doctor will choose the type that works best for you and is most likely to help diagnose your heart problem. Why It Is Done Ambulatory EKG monitoring is done to: • Look for and record irregular heartbeats that come and go or happen during certain activities. • Find out what is causing chest pain or pressure, dizziness, or fainting. These may be symptoms of heart problems. • Look for poor blood flow to your heart muscle. This is called ischemia. How To Prepare Be sure to tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, even over-the-counter ones. Many medicines can change the results of this test. An EKG is often used to monitor a preexisting heart problem, such as an irregular heartbeat. So make sure that your doctor has copies of any previous EKG results. Take a shower or bath before the electrode pads are put on. You will not be able to get the pads wet during the test. Wear a loose blouse or shirt. Do not wear jewelry or clothes with metal buttons or buckles. They can affect the recording. Women should not wear an underwire bra for the same reason. If your doctor asks you to keep a symptom and activity diary, be sure that you keep track of these things closely. In this diary, you will record activities and symptoms and the times they occurred. You need to carefully keep this record for your test to be accurate and useful. If you are getting a monitor put under your skin, you will get instructions on how to prepare for the procedure. How It Is Done Continuous recorders Continuous recorders are the most common type of monitor used for this test. This type includes the Holter monitor . A continuous recorder gives a 24- to 72-hour record of the electrical signals from your heart. A standard EKG monitors only 40 to 50 heartbeats during the brief time you are attached to the machine. A continuous recorder monitors about 100,000 heartbeats in 24 hours. It is likely to find any heart problems that happen with activity. For this test, you wear a lightweight, battery-operated tape recorder (monitor). It attaches to a strap that goes over your shoulder or around your waist. The recorder is connected by wires to small pads or patches (electrodes) taped to your chest. These detect the electrical signals from your heart. The recorder has a clock on it. This is so you can note what time it is when you have any symptoms. The recorder and electrodes will be put on in a doctor's office or hospital room. • Several areas on your chest may be shaved and cleaned. Then a small amount of paste or gel will be put on those areas. • The electrode pads will then be attached to the skin of your chest. Thin wires will connect the electrodes to the monitor. • You may be hooked up briefly to a standard EKG machine. This is done to check that the electrodes are working as they should. What you do during the test You will need to keep a diary of all your activities and symptoms while you wear the continuous recorder. You will write down the type of activity you were doing and the time your symptoms started. For example, write down the exact times when you: • Exercise or climb stairs. • Eat. • Urinate or have a bowel movement. • Have sex. • Sleep. • Get upset. • Take medicine. If you have any symptoms of heart problems, such as dizziness, fainting, chest pain, or abnormal heartbeats, push the event-marker button on the recorder to mark it. Then write down the exact time and how long the symptom lasts. For example, you might write: "12:30 p.m. Ate lunch. 1:00 p.m. Argument with boss, had chest tightness for several minutes." Try to sleep on your back with the recorder placed carefully at your side. This will help keep the electrodes from getting pulled off. If one of the electrodes or lead wires comes loose, a light on the monitor will flash. Press on the center of each electrode to see if you can restore the contact. Call your doctor if one of the electrodes comes off and you can't get it to stay on. While you are wearing a monitor, try to stay away from magnets, remote controls for garage door openers, microwave ovens, and electric blankets. Do not use an electric toothbrush or shaver. And try to stay away from metal detectors and high-voltage areas. Signals from these types of electronic equipment can sometimes affect the recording. What you and your doctor do after the test At the end of the recording period (usually 24 to 72 hours), you will go to the doctor's office or hospital to have the electrodes removed. Or you may be able to take off the electrodes yourself. You will return the monitor to your doctor's office or hospital. The recording will be read by a computer. This will give information about your heart rate, how often your heart beats, and any signs of an abnormal heartbeat. Implantable continuous recorders Another type of continuous recorder can be put under the skin of the chest. This recorder can be kept in your chest for more than a year. During that time, it records the electrical signals from your heart. Intermittent recorders Another kind of ambulatory EKG monitoring is the intermittent recorder. This is used when symptoms of an abnormal heart rhythm do not happen very often. This kind of recorder can be used for a longer time than a continuous recorder. The information collected by an intermittent recorder can often be sent over the phone to a doctor's office, clinic, or hospital. You may be told to call your doctor, clinic, or hospital while you are having symptoms or soon after you record your heart rhythm. This way the information on the monitor can be looked at right away. The way intermittent recording is done depends on the type of monitor being used. • Loop recorder. A loop recorder constantly records your heartbeats. It lets you track when you have symptoms. Loop recorders also save a small amount of information about how your heart was beating when you pressed the recording button. This is called presymptom recording. This feature is especially useful for people who pass out when their heart problems occur and can press the button only after they wake up. • Electrodes will be attached to your chest in the same way as with a continuous recorder. When you have symptoms, you press a button on the monitor to record your heart rhythm. If you pass out, you should start the recorder as soon as you wake up. Also, be sure a friend or family member knows how to start the recorder if you pass out. • One type of loop recorder can be placed under the skin of your chest. This is done with surgery. The recorder can be worn for several weeks. This may be a good choice for people who have symptoms that happen rarely, such as once every 6 months. The recorder may start recording on its own when it detects an abnormal heartbeat. Or you might use a handheld device to start the monitor when symptoms occur. • Event monitor. This small device records your heartbeats only when you have symptoms. You are not attached to the machine. There are two types of event monitors. • One type is worn on the wrist like a watch. When you have symptoms, you press a button to start the EKG recording. • The other type is a device that you carry where you can reach it easily, such as in your purse or pocket. When you have symptoms, you press the back of the device against your chest. Then you press a button to start the recording. The back of the device has small metal discs that work like electrodes. These handheld monitors can be very small (some are about the size and shape of a credit card). The event monitor records heart signals only when you hold it against your chest. How It Feels If you have electrodes on your skin, those places may itch slightly during the test. The skin on your chest may look or feel irritated when the electrodes are removed. The recording unit is very lightweight. So carrying it usually is not uncomfortable. There is no risk from ambulatory EKG monitoring. The electrodes placed on your skin detect only the electrical signals from your heart. No electricity is sent through your body. So there is no chance of getting an electric shock. An ambulatory electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a test that records the electrical signals that control your heartbeat while you do your normal activities. Results of ambulatory EKG monitoring usually are looked at by a cardiologist or cardiac electrophysiologist. The results are most often available in a few days. Ambulatory electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) footnote 1 No abnormal heart rhythms are found. Your heart rate may go up when you are active and go down when you are sleeping. Many kinds of abnormal heartbeats can be found by ambulatory monitoring. • Abnormal slow, fast, or irregular heart rhythms are found. Alternating slow and fast rhythms may also occur now and then. • A slow heart rhythm in a person with a pacemaker may mean that the pacemaker is not working as it should. • Abnormal patterns may mean that the heart muscle is not getting enough oxygen. This is called ischemia. It may happen if the arteries feeding the heart are too narrow. The results of this test are compared with your medical history, symptoms, and other test results. You may need to have the test again if the results aren't clear. What Affects the Test The test results may not be accurate or helpful if: • You don't start the recorder when you have symptoms. The intermittent recorder will give accurate results only if you start the recorder when you have symptoms of possible heart problems. • The electrodes are not in the right spot. Ambulatory heart monitoring works best when you carefully follow instructions while you're being monitored. If you tend to pass out from a heart problem, your doctor will choose a monitor that will record these episodes. The continuous recorder and the loop recorder work best for people who pass out when they have symptoms of a heart problem. The loop recorder is not useful if you pass out for more than a few minutes. And it's not helpful if you are so confused when you wake up that you can't start the recorder. What To Think About • Many people have irregular heartbeats from time to time. What this means depends on the type of pattern these heartbeats produce, how often they occur, how long they last, and whether they happen at the same time you have symptoms. When irregular heartbeats occur at the same time you have other symptoms, such as dizziness or chest pain, it may mean that these heartbeats are causing your symptoms. • A standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG) is safe, inexpensive, and gives helpful information. So your doctor will try it first before using an ambulatory monitor to test your heart function. A continuous recorder generally has 5 leads and provides less complete information than a 12-lead EKG. But a continuous recorder works better than a standard EKG for checking heart symptoms that come and go. To learn more, see the topic Electrocardiogram. Other Places To Get Help American Heart Association (AHA) Related Information Other Works Consulted ByHealthwise Staff Specialist Medical Reviewer George Philippides, MD - Cardiology Current as ofFebruary 20, 2015
DIY Avocado Foot Scrub Recipe Are your feet rough and calloused? Try this easy DIY avocado foot scrub recipe to soften dead skin and gently exfoliate so your feet are ready for sandal season! The avocado is truly amazing for your skin: The pit exfoliates, the flesh moisturizes, and the peel contains skin healthy oils. DIY Avocado Foot Scrub Recipe What You Need 1 avocado pit 1/2 an avocado 1/4 cup cornmeal 1 tablespoon sea salt Spice mill or coffee grinder Foot basin 1. Let the pit sit for two days until dry. Break in to small pieces. 2. Grind the pit with a spice mill or coffee grinder until it is gritty. 3. Scoop the fruit out of the avocado half, but save the skin and set aside. 4. Mash the avocado and cornmeal. Add 1/4 cup avocado pit powder and sea salt.. 5. Use a foot basin to gently massage the mixture on to your feet and toes. Rise with warm water. 6. Rub any calloused areas with the avocado peel with the inside of the peel next to your skin. The oil will moisturize your skin. Do not rinse off. Your skin may turn green, but keep rubbing and it will go away. 09 10 Subscribe
Culture-historical archaeology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Items from the Neolithic "Beaker culture"; the idea of defining distinct "cultures" according to their material culture was at the core of culture-historical archaeology. Culture-historical archaeology is an archaeological theory that emphasises defining historical societies into distinct ethnic and cultural groupings according to their material culture. It originated in the late nineteenth century as cultural evolutionism began to fall out of favor with many antiquarians and archaeologists. It was gradually superseded in the mid twentieth century by processual archaeology. Cultural-historical archaeology had in many cases been influenced by a nationalist political agenda, being utilised to prove a direct cultural and/or ethnic link from prehistoric and ancient peoples to modern nation-states, something that has in many respects been disproved by later research and archaeological evidence. First developing in Germany among those archaeologists surrounding Rudolf Virchow, culture-historical ideas would later be popularised by Gustaf Kossinna. Culture-historical thought would be introduced to British archaeology by V. Gordon Childe in the late 1920s. In the United Kingdom and United States, culture-history came to be supplanted as the dominant theoretical paradigm in archaeology during the 1960s, with the rise of processual archaeology. Nevertheless, elsewhere in the world, culture-historical ideas continue to dominate. Webster remarked that the defining feature of culture-historical archaeology was its "statements which reveal common notions about the nature of ancient cultures; about their qualities; about how they related to the material record; and thus about how archaeologists might effectively study them."[1] Webster noted that the second defining feature of culture-historical thought was its emphasis on classification and typologies.[2] Culture-historical archaeology arose during a somewhat tumultuous time in European intellectual thought. The Industrial Revolution had spread across many nations, leading to the creation of large urban centres, most of which were filled with poverty stricken proletariat workers. This new urban working class had begun to develop a political voice through socialism, threatening the established political orders of many European states. Whilst some intellectuals had championed the Industrial Revolution as a progressive step forward, there were many who had seen it as a negative turn of events, disrupting the established fabric of society. This latter view was taken up by the Romanticist movement, which was largely made up of artists and writers, who popularised the idea of an idyllic ancient agrarian society.[3] There was also a trend that was developing among the European intelligentsia that began to oppose the concept of cultural evolutionism (that culture and society gradually evolved and progressed through stages), instead taking the viewpoint that human beings were inherently resistant to change.[4] Geographic variability and the concept of "culture"[edit] Historian of archaeology Bruce Trigger considered the development of culture-historical archaeology to be "a response to growing awareness of geographical variability in the archaeological record" at a time when the belief in cultural evolutionary archaeology was declining in western and central Europe.[5] Throughout the 19th century, an increasing amount of archaeological material had been collected in Europe, in part as a result of land reclamation projects, increased agricultural production and construction, the foundation of museums and establishment of archaeological teaching positions at universities. As a result of this, archaeologists had come to increasingly realise that there was a great deal of variability in the artefacts uncovered across the continent. Many felt that this variability was not comfortably explained by preexisting evolutionary paradigms.[6] Culture-historical archaeology adopted the concept of "culture" from anthropology, where cultural evolutionary ideas had also begun to be criticised. In the late 19th century, anthropologists like Franz Boas and Friedrich Ratzel were promoting the idea that cultures represented geographically distinct entities, each with their own characteristics that had developed largely through the chance accumulation of different traits. Similar ideas were also coming from Germany's neighbour, Austria, at around this time, namely from two anthropologist Roman Catholic priests, Fritz Graebner and Wilhelm Schmidt, as well as by the archaeologist Oswald Menghin.[1][7] Nationalism and racialism[edit] The rise of European nationalism in the 19th century would play a key role in the development of culture-historical archaeology. Bruce Trigger also argued that the development of culture-historical archaeology was in part due to the rising tide of nationalism and racism in Europe, which emphasised ethnicity as the main factor shaping history. Such nationalistic sentiment began to be adopted within academic disciplines by intellectuals who wished to emphasise solidarity within their own nations – in the face of social unrest caused by industrialization – by blaming neighbouring states.[5] Under such a nationalist worldview, people across Europe came to see different nationalities – such as the French, Germans and English – as being biologically different from one another, and it was argued that their behaviour was determined by these racial differences as opposed to social or economic factors.[3] Having been inspired and influenced by European nationalism, in turn, culture-historical archaeology would be utilised in support of nationalist political causes. In many cases, nationalists used culture-historical archaeological interpretations to highlight and celebrate the prehistoric and ancient past of their ancestors, and prove an ethnic and cultural link to them. As such, many members of various European nations placed an emphasis on archaeologically proving a connection with a particular historical ethnicity, for instance the French often maintained that they were the ethnic and cultural descendents of the ancient Gauls, whilst the English did the same with the Anglo-Saxons and the Welsh and Irish with the Celts, and archaeologists in these countries were encouraged to interpret the archaeological evidence to fit these conclusions.[8] One of the most notable examples of a nationalist movement utilising culture-historical archaeology was that of the Nazi Party, who obtained power in Germany in 1933 and established a totalitarian regime that emphasised the alleged racial supremacy of the German race and sought to unify all German speakers under a single political state. The Nazis were influenced by the culture-historical ideas of Kossinna, and used archaeology to support their claims regarding the behaviour of prehistoric Germans, in turn supporting their own policies.[9] Early development: 1869–1925[edit] Culture-historical archaeology first developed in Germany in the late 19th-century.[10] In 1869, the German Society for Anthropology, Ethnology, and Prehistoric Archaeology (Urgeschichte) had been founded, an organisation that was dominated by the figure of Rudolf Virchow (1821–1902), a pathologist and leftist politician. He advocated the union of prehistoric archaeology with cultural anthropology and ethnology into a singular prehistoric anthropology which would identify prehistoric cultures from the material record and try to connect them to later ethnic groups who were recorded in the written, historical record.[10] Although the archaeological work undertaken by Virchow and his fellows was cultural-historical in basis, it did not initially gain a significant following in the country's archaeological community, the majority of whom remained devoted to the dominant cultural evolutionary trend.[10] The German archaeologists Rudolf Virchow (left) and Gustaf Kossinna (right) were the founding fathers of culture-historical archaeology. In 1895, a librarian who was fascinated by German prehistory, Gustaf Kossinna (1858–1931), presented a lecture in which he tried to connect the tribes who had been recorded as living between the Rhine and Vistula in 100 BCE with cultures living in that region during the Neolithic.[11] Appointed Professor of Archaeology at the University of Berlin, in 1909 he founded the German Society for Prehistory (Vorgeschichte). He would proceed to further publicise his culture-historical approach in his subsequent books, Die Herkunft der Germanen (The Origin of the Germans), which was published in 1911, and the two-volume Ursprung und Verbreitung der Germanen (Origin and Expansion of the Germans), which was published between 1926 and 1927.[12] A staunch nationalist and racist, Kossinna lambasted fellow German archaeologists for taking an interest in non-German societies, such as those of Egypt and the Classical World, and used his publications to support his views on German nationalism. Glorifying the German peoples of prehistory, he used an explicitly culture-historical approach in understanding them, and proclaimed that these German peoples were racially superior to their Slavic neighbours to the east.[12] Believing that an individual's ethnicity determined their behaviour, the core of Kossinna's approach was to divide Temperate Europe into three large cultural groupings: Germans, Celts and Slavs, based upon the modern linguistic groups. He then divided each of these cultural groupings into smaller "cultures", or tribes, for instance dividing the Germans up into Saxons, Vandals, Lombards and Burgundians.[13] He believed that each of these groups had its own distinctive traditions which were present in their material culture, and that by mapping out the material culture in the archaeological record, he could trace the movement and migration of different ethnic groups, a process he called siedlungsarchäologie (settlement archaeology).[13] Much of Kossinna's work was criticised by other German archaeologists, but nevertheless his basic culture-historical manner of interpreting the past still came to dominance in the country's archaeological community; Trigger noted that his work "marked the final replacement of an evolutionary approach to prehistory by a culture-historical one" and that for that, he must be viewed as an "innovator" whose work was "of very great importance".[14] As it became the dominant archaeological theory within the discipline, a number of prominent cultural-historical archaeologists rose to levels of influence. The Swedish archaeologist Oscar Montelius was one of the most notable, as he studied the entirety of the European archaeological prehistoric record, and divided it into a number of distinct temporal groups based upon grouping together various forms of artifacts.[15] Britain and the U.S.[edit] — Gordon Childe, The Danube in Prehistory, 1929.[16] Culture-historical archaeology was first introduced into British scholarship from continental Europe by an Australian prehistorian, V. Gordon Childe. A keen linguist, Childe was able to master a number of European languages, including German, and was well acqainted with the works on archaeological cultures written by Kossina. Having moved to the United Kingdom to escape political persecution in Australia, Childe took up a position as the Abercrombie Professor of Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh in 1927. This was followed by The Danube in Prehistory (1929), in which Childe examined the archaeology along the Danube river, recognising it as the natural boundary dividing the Near East from Europe, and subsequently he believed that it was via the Danube that various new technologies travelled westward in antiquity. In The Danube in Prehistory, Childe introduced the concept of an archaeological culture (which up until then had been largely restrained purely to German academics), to his British counterparts. This concept would revolutionise the way in which archaeologists understood the past, and would come to be widely accepted in future decades.[17][18] Distinct historical cultures[edit] The core point to culture-historical archaeology was its belief that the human species could be subdivided into various "cultures" that were in many cases distinct from one another. Usually, each of these cultures was seen as representing a different ethnicity. From an archaeological perspective, it was believed that each of these cultures could be distinguished because of its material culture, such as the style of pottery that it produced or the forms of burial that it practiced. A number of culture-historical archaeologists subdivided and named separate cultures within their field of expertise: Heinrich Schliemann for instance, in examining the Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean, divided it up between such cultures as the Aegean, Mycenaean, Helladic and Cycladic.[19] Diffusion and migration[edit] Within culture-historical archaeology, changes in the culture of a historical society were typically explained by the diffusion of ideas from one culture into another, or by the migration of members of one society into a new area, sometimes by invasion. This was at odds with the theories held by cultural evolutionary archaeologists, who whilst accepting diffusion and migration as reasons for cultural change, also accepted the concept that independent cultural development could occur within a society, which was something culture-historical archaeologists typically refused to accept.[3] A number of culture-historical archaeologists put forward the idea that all knowledge and technology in the ancient world had diffused from a single source in the Middle East, which had then been spread across much of the world by merchants. The Australian Grafton Elliot Smith for instance, in his works The Children of the Sun (1923) and The Growth of Civilisation (1924), put forward the idea that agriculture, architecture, religion and government had all developed in Ancient Egypt, where the conditions were perfect for the development of such things, and that these ideas were then diffused into other cultures. A similar theory was proposed by Lord Raglan in 1939, but he believed Mesopotamia to be the source rather than Egypt.[20] Inductive reasoning[edit] Culture history uses inductive reasoning unlike its main rival, processual archaeology which stresses the importance of the hypothetico-deduction method. To work best it requires a historical record to support it. As much of early archaeology focused on the Classical World it naturally came to rely on and mirror the information provided by ancient historians who could already explain many of the events and motivations which would not necessarily survive in the archaeological record. The need to explain prehistoric societies, without this historical record, could initially be dealt with using the paradigms established for later periods but as more and more material was excavated and studied, it became clear that culture history could not explain it all.[citation needed] Manufacturing techniques and economic behaviour can be easily explained through cultures and culture history approaches but more complex events and explanations, involving less concrete examples in the material record are harder for it to explain. In order to interpret prehistoric religious beliefs for example, an approach based on cultures provides little to go on. Culture historians could catalogue items but in order to look beyond the material record, towards anthropology and the scientific method, they would have had to abandon their reliance on material, 'inhuman,' cultures. Such approaches were the intent of processual archaeology.[citation needed] Culture history is by no means useless or surpassed by more effective methods of thinking. Indeed, diffusionist explanations are still valid in many cases and the importance of describing and classifying finds has not gone away. Post-processual archaeologists stress the importance of recurring patterns in material culture, echoing culture history's approach. In many cases it can be argued that any explanation is only one factor within a whole network of influences.[citation needed] Another criticism of this particular archaeological theory was that it often placed an emphasis on studying peoples from the Neolithic and later ages, somewhat ignoring the earliest human era, the Palaeolithic, where distinct cultural groups and differences are less noticeable in the archaeological record.[6] 1. ^ a b Webster 2008. p. 12. 2. ^ Webster 2008. p. 13. 3. ^ a b c Trigger 2007. p. 217. 4. ^ Trigger 2007. p. 218. 5. ^ a b Trigger 2007. p. 211. 6. ^ a b Trigger 2007. p. 215. 7. ^ Trigger 2007. pp. 218–219. 8. ^ Trigger 2007. pp. 212–215. 9. ^ Trigger 2007. pp. 240–241. 10. ^ a b c Trigger 2007. p. 235. 11. ^ Trigger 2007. pp. 235–236. 12. ^ a b Trigger 2007. p. 236. 13. ^ a b Trigger 2007. p. 237. 14. ^ Trigger 2007. pp. 239–240. 15. ^ Trigger 2007. pp. 224-230. 16. ^ Childe 1929. pp. v–vi. 17. ^ Trigger 1980. pp. 56–60. 18. ^ Green 1981. pp. 90–91. 19. ^ Trigger 2007. p. 234. 20. ^ Trigger 2007. p. 220. • Green, Sally (1981). Prehistorian: A Biography of V. Gordon Childe. Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire: Moonraker Press. ISBN 0-239-00206-7. • Trigger, Bruce G. (2007). A History of Archaeological Thought (second edition). New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-60049-1. • Webster, Gary S. (2008). R.A. Bentley, H.D.G maschner and C. Chippindale, eds. "Culture history: a culture-historical approach". Handbook of Archaeological Theories (AltaMira Press). pp. 11–27. See also[edit]
"Pincusville," a rock album by Zynga's Mark Pincus By David Holmes , written on July 16, 2013 From The News Desk Two weeks ago, Andrew Mason shook the startup and music worlds to their cores by releasing what's probably the first-ever "business rock" album: "Hardly Workin.'" On the surface, it was a rather bland recitation of personal development cliches, like the ones you might see on inspirational posters at cubicle farms. But dig deeper and the record reveals fascinating glimpses into the psyche of an ousted CEO whose sense of self-importance perhaps outweighs his company's ambitions (daily deals aren't exactly changing the world). There's a clear analogue here to Mark Pincus, whose social games company Zynga (again, not exactly world-changing) is often lumped in with Groupon in the discussion over recent web IPOs that fell flat. Pincus also just left his post as CEO (though he is staying on as Chief Product Officer) and we at Explainer Music couldn't help imagining what it would sound like if Pincus recorded his own "business rock" album (replete with cheesy lyric videos) in the wake of his job change. Okay, so it's only a three-song EP. But hey, Pincus is still employed and doesn't have time for a full-length. Is it the album you want? Probably not. But if you've ever spammed your Facebook friends with Farmville or Mafia Wars invites, it's the album you deserve: Track 1: The Game of Business Track 2: I Dream to Disrupt Track 3: Hacker Blues The Game of Business Verse 1: It's hard to be a company leader When you have to sit back and watch your company teeter Our initial public offering was a bust in a half We had to lay off one-fifth of our staff But when the sun goes down on Farmville You know I'll still be there Because the power that lies in the heart of a founder Will never ever die no it will never flounder I know it's been hard but I hope you'll still play with me Play the game of business with me Verse 2: Hockey stick growth can be a lot of fun But when that hockey stick turns upside down you better not run Stick with your vision, listen to your users These are the things that separate winners and losers When the going gets tough, you gotta be tough enough But to win the game of business, it also takes a little love I Dream to Disrupt I've never been in the Mafia, I've never been a farmer I've never been a chef, or entered battle wearing armor I've never built a city, I've never been to Vegas I've never been an artist, no I never had the patience But as a hacker you can do this and more Lead an empire to victory, start a mafia war The memories you can make without leaving a Facebook page You can have the adventure of a lifetime while on a coffee break This was my dream It wasn't real But in my hacker's heart of hearts It was possible to see That all my dreams Could be real If I believed in something more than luck I dream to disrupt Hacker Blues Darkness falls on me The things they say about me I push too hard on employees But all I want's a meritocracy Gave all I had to my troops Gourmet meals and basketball hoops I even gave their pets health insurance But they had to earn it They said I committed the ultimate crime They said I didn't treat my users right When they wanted more turnips for their turnip patch I made them click on scams and credit card ads Why'd I do that? Now the people's farms are much less lush They've left me for Angry Birds and Candy Crush The Mafioso's given up his wars No one even draws anything anymore Just draw something, draw anything for me I never thought social games could make me feel so empty My employees are gone, my users feel used How come no one's figured out a way to hack the blues? I'll hack the pain away, I'll make a new game Where I play the part of founder, Pincusville is its name Plant seeds of disruption and reap what you sow But don't lose track of the balance sheet etched upon your soul I'm no longer top dog But the founder I'll always be And no matter what happens They'll never take that away from me [Music and videos by Andrew Bean, David Holmes, and Sharon Shattuck]
Some questions about xss Jr. Member Jr. Member Posts: 72 Joined: Mon Oct 05, 2009 8:54 am Post Wed Dec 28, 2011 8:35 pm Some questions about xss I have been digging with xss in the recent times(i just know the very basics of it), as usual i had ended up with some questions so tought of asking here the following are the xss bugs discovered by a pen tester in google before a few months(but now these bugs are fixed) www.google.com/search?q=google&hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1024&bih=664&noj=1&tbs=isz:ex,iszw:"><script>alert("XSS") ;</script>,iszh:"><script>alert("XSS") ;</script>&tbm=isch&source=lnt&sa=X&ei=9NSxTpLhEIGaiQfDrsDLAg&ved=0CBIQpwUoBQ --->earned 500$ www.google.com/fusiontables/DataSource?dsrcid=2257355"><script>alert("XSS") ;</script> ----> earned 1000$ reward 0$ reward as it is a self xss 1)i just got wondered with these bugs,i know bugs were common and exists every where, i heard googles application are pretty secured and i am assuming they are developed by secure programmers, how it is vulnerable to such simple attacks ? I wonder how they missed to filter such a simple form of xss ,especially the 2nd one? 2)Also i would like to know does google rewards people for a non-persistent xss ? 3)Assume we are trying to penetrate a web-application for xss injection,and say our xss injectio queries are not working, how can we determine that it is blocked by the apache or some kind of server or WAF or it is blocked by the application it self ? 4)And i am beginner,i would like to ask you guys that do you consider non-persistent xss as a threat ? 5)And i had seen some web-sites having their search bars vulnerable to non-persistent xss, is there a way to read or write server files through such non-persistent bugs ? 6)does non - persistent xss bug is limited only to client side ? 7)is it possible to inject sql queries in to the server with non-persistent xss? 8)assume your self as a attacker, how would you try to exploit the non-persistent xss in the web-site? Last edited by manoj9372 on Wed Dec 28, 2011 8:39 pm, edited 1 time in total. Posts: 1134 Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2008 11:00 am Location: Mile High City Post Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:54 pm Re: Some questions about xss 1. They're probably better than most, but that doesn't make them perfect. There may have been a weird circumstance that resulted in a vulnerability scanner not detecting it, it could have been overlooked by human error, etc. 2. http://www.google.com/about/corporate/c ... ogram.html 3. If you could get some attacks to work while others fail, you may be able to fingerprint what controls are in place (or at the minimum, the types of checks the application is performing). Perhaps you could identify other discrepancies in functionality or error messages. I'm not sure how much this ultimately matters though. 4. Absolutely. All you have to do is get someone to click on a link (email, IM, forum posts, blog comments, etc.) 5. Persistency is not relevant here. If the vulnerability allows you to obtain an administrative session for the application, this could be a possibility. 6. The client browser is going to be targeted regardless of persistency. 7. Again, persistency is not relevant here. You could do this, but I'm not sure what the benefit of going this route over just exploiting the SQLi vulnerability directly. Maybe if SQLi could only be performed on a per-user basis in some weird circumstance… 8. See #4 User avatar Hero Member Hero Member Posts: 671 Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:49 am Post Fri Dec 30, 2011 7:51 pm Re: Some questions about xss The reason why they fail to sanitize user-input globally, is because of more than one developer, stress on the developers, and thereby an insecure development lifecycle. Initially, the script may have been secure, but over time when it has been extended and extended, reaching ten-thousand lines of code (in several different files) or more, without proper quality control, it may eventually become insecure. Often, a "catch and sanitize all" function, is not the best thing to do, as it may break the visual formating of input and output, or not function correctly. But just like simple stack overflows or "Remote File Inclusions" are hardly seen anymore in well known apps, while "off-by-one" and XSS is often hard to completely secure against in huge applications, that weren't secure from the start and hasn't had a completely safe development lifecycle. There are of course, occasionally new attacks, that suddenly spawns and affects pretty much all applications, such as Click Jacking, Cross-Site Request Forgery, and more. Vulnerabilities, or "features" that most, didn't consider a vulnerability until they were perhaps, widely abused or realised to be a risk. This depends on the case. But as the examples above, were non-persistent GET-request based XSS items, most likely. By knowing different WAF's, webservers, and common applications, you can tell if it's most likely "this" or "that". But there's no way to be 100% sure, as the way a WAF filters input / output, can easily be integrated into a web application as a custom function, or for that sake, a webserver. It's often not important to find out where the filter / sanitization is done, only if you know there's a publicly available copy of the source code somewhere, so you can take a look at the function preventing the XSS. Yes. Even though it requires user-interaction / social engineering, but I've been successful with that several times (for legal harmless purposes of course). So it is possible, it just requires the right attack vector, where the human element plays a role. Of course, with persistent XSS, there's also a human role, but if there's no protection against the XSS attack in the browser, then it's a very limited role except that the attacker waits for the user to trigger the exploit / malicious piece of code. Not with JavaScript or HTML. You need to crawl outside that box and think there, instead of thinking inside the box :) What can do be done? Here's an example: http://www.exploit-db.com/vbseo-from-xs ... php-shell/ That's custom work of course, but it works, and it was fun to create. (It took some research and time of course.) XSS is always executed client-side. It may force a user, to execute PHP code somehow via a feature on the target website, or compromise the user's browser and execute system commands, but it (the XSS payload) is still, executed client-side. If it's persistent, all it means is that it's stored on the server, just like this reply is. If this server had a XSS vulnerability, and it was saved. Then, whenever a user requests that "file" (or record, e.g., in a mysql database), the XSS will be served to the user. The server will just grab the XSS along with the other data, and send it in (most likely) a 200 OK response, with the "text/html" header specifying HTML, Javascript code, etc. should be executed by the browser. There's of course, more header than just these. I think it would be a good idea, if you researched a bit about how a webserver / HTTP server functions, not as in how it serves data in detail. More like: Which ports, which processes are used (php, mysql, apache, as an example), how do these work together, what happens when you request e.g. index.php on a webserver (you should read the raw http request to see it with your own eyes), and so forth. This is "simple" (for me), but may sound advanced even though it is not, once you've tried it out yourself. The best way to learn, is: 1. Set up a webserver, such as XAMPP on Windows where everything is done for you, or a LAMP yourself. LAMP means Linux Apache Mysql PHP. The last, can also be Python or Perl of course. 2. Write a few small scripts like <?php echo "Hello!"; ?> and test if they work. (Make sure to place them in the right directories. 3. Access these scripts, in your webbrowser. Do they work? Yes? If so, install an intercepting proxy like Burp Suite Free, and redirect traffic from e.g., FireFox into that, and then hit F5 on the page where your own script is that is served from your own webserver, and then, view how it looks like. It's raw text! And if you take a look at most of the headers, it will make sense, at least, somewhat to begin with. Some things may not make sense. Over time, you'll suddenly find out, that it's a lot easier than it appears to be. 7) Yes, with XSSQLI. http://www.xssed.com/article/31/The_Beg ... de_to_XSS/ (MUST READ!) You also need to understand in depth, how all this plays together and if you have to use XSS to perform SQL Injection or not. For example, if a SQL Injection is only located in an administration panel, and there's an XSS or CSRF issue in that panel, you should use these (XSS and / or CSRF) vulnerabilities, to trick a user into performing the SQL Injection for you, which you're not allowed to as you don't have access to the administration panel. That's just an example of course. Send a targeted user a maliciously crafted link, via e-mail. (If HTML is used, the link can be masked somewhat, including the use of a few "tricks".) A (soon) happy new years! ;D I'm an InterN0T'er Return to Web Applications Who is online Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group. Designed by ST Software
Tuesday, 27 July 2010 Review: TimeRiders - Day of the Predator by Alex Scarrow Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2029. But all three have been given a second chance – to work for an agency that no-one knows exists. Its purpose - to prevent time travel destroying history . . . When Maddy mistakenly opens a time window where and when she shouldn’t have, Liam is marooned sixty-five million years ago in the hunting ground of a deadly - and until now - undiscovered species of predator. Can Liam make contact with Maddy and Sal before he's torn to pieces by dinosaurs – and without endangering history so much that the world is overtaken by a terrifying new reality? I read a great quote from Alex Scarrow the other day in which he stated that "I've worked really hard to make [TimeRiders] absolute cocaine for my son – something he couldn't put down." Now whilst the boring, moralistic teacher in me has to disapprove a little at the author comparing his book to a Class A drug, the story-loving boy inside of me agrees completely and as this is the school summer holidays and I have a lot more time to read then this is the part of my personality that is in the ascendancy at the moment. With this in mind I would happily stand up at a meeting of Readers Anonymous and announce that "I am addicited to TimeRiders". I reviewed the first book in the series back in February and I loved it. However, now that I have read Day of the Predator, the second book in the series, I can honestly say that I have not been this excited about a series for a long time. As fas as anticipation for 'the next book' goes, I can compare it to how I feel about MG Harris' Joshua Files series and how I felt about the Percy Jackson books. And with Alex Scarrow having signed a nine book deal with Puffin I am looking forward to reliving this feeling a good number of times over the next few years. If he can maintain the quality over the whole series then Alex Scarrow will become as widely read as Riordan, Horowitz and Higson. In the first book in the series we saw the recruitment of the TimeRiders team, three young people plucked from the jaws of death by the mysterious Foster. The story then saw our young heroes battling to reset time after a group of men travel back in time in order to change it, as they feel their 2066 world has become ruined by over-population, pollution and religious conflict. Their solution? Help Adolf Hitler to win the Second World War. This book encouraged the reader to question the morality of the actions of these men - if making a change in history will make the future world a better place then should this be seen as ethically acceptable? For me this was a stand out element of the first book, although in some ways it did overshadow some of the character development. Day of the Predators is a very different set up. This time our heroes are tasked with going forward in time to prevent the assassination of a boy who will eventually develop the mathematical theories that will become the cornerstone of time travel development. However, as the result of an accident Liam O'Connor, the team's field agent, his genetically engineered 'bodyguard', and a school party of teenagers find themselves stranded sixty-five million years in the past, at a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and Liam has to be constantly reminded that every single action, however small, could have a disastrous effect on the future time line. This is not a new concept in literature; I first read something similar in a comic strip many years ago (I think it was an epidode of Tharg's Future Shocks in 2000AD), and then later in Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder", but Alex Scarrow is delivering it to a totally new audience and in such a way that he will have these young adults hanging on his every word. In Day of the Predator Liam has to make some very difficult choices - if they stay and try to survive the consequences could damage the future, but then again so could their attempts to in some way send a message that the rest of the team will be able to retrieve in 2001, 65 million years later! All these questions and more will have readers constantly asking themselves "What if...?" and "but if they do that...?". The nature of Liam's role in the team as field agent means that yet again his character is developed more than those of others. After all, it is Liam who is facing deadly predators in a world that is totally alien to that which he is used to. However, in the absence of Foster the role of team leader and chief strategist now falls on the relatively young shoulders of Maddy Carter. This is not a role that she takes on willingly, especially as she blames herself for the accident that has sent Liam hurtling back in time, and she is plagued with self-doubt. However, as the plot develops we also see Maddy gradually settling into this key role, making decisions that could impact not only on Liam's life but also on the lives of generations to come. We also see her agonising over the secrets she holds from the others, information that was imparted to her by Foster before he walked out of their lives at the end of the first book. Sal Vikram, the third member of the team, is still relegated to third place, with her role being largely a supporting one, with occasional flashes of briliance. Hopefully we will see more from Sal in the future. The fourth character in the book is Bob, or Becks as he/she/it becomes in Day of the Predator. Bob's AI chip, rescued from its organic 'meat robot' form, is now inserted into the brain of a freshly 'grown' body, in order that Liam has a companion in his travels through time. The relationship between Liam and the newly formed Becks is a confusing one for the young Irish lad, and this confusion in his mind grows as together they face the dangers of Cretaceous USA. Becks also has to deal with the competing issues of her programmed Mission Priorities and her realisation that she is slowly developing traits that could almost be described as human. Should she proceed with the mission recommendations that her central processor is computing, or should she make allowances for the fact that she has cpmputed that she 'likes' Liam? In reviews for books like this there are many cliched phrases uses, phrases such as "high octane", "nail-biting" and "a real page-turner". Howeer, I guarantee that every single one of these phrases, cliched though they may be, is entirely justified in any review about this book. If you have boys who are 12+ and are reluctant readers then buy them these two books before you go on holiday this summer, 'accidentally' leave the charger for their PSP/Nintendo DS/etc at home and maybe, just maybe, these could be the books to convert them to reading for enjoyment. If these books don't manage to get boys reading then there is little else that will. My huge thanks go to Puffin for sending me a copy of TimeRiders: Day of the Predator to review. The book is officially published on 5th August. 1. This series sounds brilliant - I feel a little ashamed that I haven't heard of it before. I must check and see if we have it at work (library). Great review, thank you :) 2. This sounds brilliant. Excellent review! I think I'm going to have top check these out! :D 3. I enjoyed the first book, but I'll admit I wasn't wholly convinced by it. However I enjoyed it enough that I'm sure this will make it to my home at some point! 4. I am surprised that this series ios getting such good reviews. I love these type of adventure/dystopia books and thought the premise of the book of a time travelling band of teens tackling the odds at key points in history was great. the potential for examining all the 'What if' issues around small tweaks in history and the impact of tiny actions was really stimulating. It's just the way AS handles it that I found dull. There is a lack of consistency in the plot, the characters are weak and I ended up only feeling sympathy for the genetically engineered clone/robot, or whatever it was, and rooting for the degenerated half-humans hunting in the remains of New York.Oh well, each to their own! 5. TBH I am sooo sad about how many book AS has been signed on. As a rule 1 series can't have anything TOO different so once you've wrote so many books it just becomes copiying from your and other peoples books and blatant filler. The Percy Jackson series stopped while it was ahead (even though there's still camp half blood tales!) but that many book! AS will have to be VERY thoughtful in his writing because there's only so much thought provoking ideas to go around! 6. Ads, rest assured, with all of history AND an infinite amount of alternative history to play around with....9 books is not even close to doing time travel justice. As it happens, I already have all nine books plotted out, with one large series-wide narrative that ties them altogether! The frustrating thing for me, though, is knowing how this series ends....and being able to tell anyone fo at least another 4 years! 7. I can't find the second book at barnes and nobles or amazon.com so where else should I look? 8. I am a girl and i like the book!
juliasecunho's picture financial and kids Hi everybody, My name is Julia and I have 2 kids age 7 and 9. My kids are now starting to ask me for extra money, I always give some money for them to take to school, but now that their friends have an allowance, they want it too. At what age do you think they should start to manage their own money? Can you give some advices on that? mayamay's picture If they want extra money, they can do extra work. Taking care of their own stuff doesn't get extra money, but cleaning and vacuuming the car or doing other chores that benefit the whole family could be on a pay schedule. aupair4U's picture It's definitely time for your kids to learn about earning money and the value of the work ethic. It's also a good time to teach them to save some of their earnings. Saving is such an important lesson to include in teaching your children about earning money.
10 Freest States For Homeschooling Eric Blair Activist Post What could be more natural than educating our own children? Everyone can agree on that. Where people differ is who has the responsibility to educate our children? Unfortunately, because of mis-education many believe the State is responsible for educating our children. This is not the same thing as the State being responsible for providing an option for education. Rather many presume that the State has the authority to force their version of education on parents and their children. If your answer is that parents have the responsibility to provide education, then we can safely assume that we have the right to homeschool our own children, yes? Several industrialized nations where homeschooling is outlawed say no. And although most Americans would say we should have that right, they overwhelmingly demand oversight by the State to ensure this right is not abused. Now we’re back to the question of responsibility. Is it the government’s role to make sure every child is learning the same things even if they aren’t in the public system? According to the Constitution, the government’s role is to protect our rights and liberties above all else. But what if parents keep their kids home and don’t teach them anything that is taught in schools? I say who cares — if it’s the right and responsibility of the parents. It’s not as if the public system has proven to be perfect either. Far from it. Isn’t that child abuse to unschool? Well, it goes both ways. Isn’t locking up children all day in a room, child abuse? Isn’t forcing them to learn an obsolete curriculum, child abuse? Isn’t forcing them to wear RFID tracking devices, abuse? And so on. As we can see, it’s all a matter of perception. Fortunately, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. Yet, since education is regulated by the states, requirements vary dramatically from state to state for homeschoolers. The difference ranges from complete freedom with no requirements to forced curriculum and achievement tests. • States requiring no notice: No state requirement for parents to initiate any contact. • States with low regulation: State requires parental notification only. • States with moderate regulation: State requires parents to send notification, test scores, and/or professional evaluation of student progress. • State with high regulation: State requires parents to send notification or achievement test scores and/or professional evaluation, plus other requirements (e.g. curriculum approval by the state, teacher qualification of parents, or home visits by state officials). (Source: HSLDA). Here is a map of which states fall into each category: ACTION States requiring no notice WATCH States with low regulation UPDATE States with moderate regulation UPDATE State with high regulation The 10 freest states for homeschooling are in green and listed below: 1. Alaska 2. Connecticut 3. Idaho 4. Illinois 5. Indiana 6. Michigan 7. Missouri 8. New Jersey 9. Oklahoma 10. Texas People homeschool their children for many different reasons and they should have the right to opt out of any standardized curriculum. Unfortunately this is not the case in most states. But for those who are interested in homeschooling with the ultimate freedom to unschool if they choose, the ten states above are your best locations. Where do you homeschool and what has your experience been? Read more articles by Eric Blair here • Amanda This is actually a very thoughtful response, thank-you. • An ex fundamentalist christian My parents did this to me and just know that you are wrong. If your daughter doesn’t clone out from the abuse then she will hate you for the rest of her life. When they are old enough to properly understand, teach them sex ed. As an adult I was clueless and I was raped and impregnated.. now I will pay the price of ignorance for the rest of my life. • SChapman Each state has different requirements. In Florida, there are no parental requirements for teaching. In Washington, however, you need to have a certain amount of college credit hours and if you don’t, you need to take a special home educator course. HSLDA has a great resource with a legal analysis of each state’s homeschooling laws. • tiffany I see some of the kids who are stuck in public schools 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and they can barely even spell. I think that many homeschool parents are worried about the indoctrination that their children are getting at school. Check out the article on infowars about how our govt is saying that we ‘must be careful as our children could be terrorists’. No kidding! The government controls the school curriculum. For excellent reading (it’s more like a book of prophecy), check out “The Rockefeller File” by Gary Allen. What he wrote about in the 1970’s has come true. His writing about ‘education’ is eye opening to say the least. Public school comes closer to Chinese ‘re-education’ classes than much else out there. The Constitution of the United States is what should be upheld. If parents don’t have the rights to their own children, then what rights do they have? Rights are constantly being eroded for ‘our own good’. It seems to me that you can write very well for being homeschooled by parents that didn’t do much. • tiffany Notice how many public school teachers abuse children? There’s plenty of abuse going on in homes where kids are in public school. Why do you think bullies do what they do? Many times it’s because they are being abused. • spelling cop • Barner Your post doesn’t seem uneducated to me. Has your life really suffered as a result of your parents’ decision? • Anita Indeed home schooling for some is a way to mask exploitation and abuse, homeschooling by itself is not the problem. Plenty of abused and exploited children make it through public schools without ever being identified, helped or even educated. There are far more children suffering from educational neglect and abuse either at the hands of their parents, or the educators and peers in school than there are children who are being abused and neglected at home with an unsupervised home school. Public schools used to do a better job of educating children in basic knowledge. Now public schools educate children in a lot of things that have nothing to do with useful knowledge and most of it is destructive. The reason why home schooling parents don’t want the government oversight is because the government is great at getting a little, innocuous hook in at first, and then using that to increase their power and control over time, making it a system of their dysfunctional design, like they have done to public schools. Public schools used to work better because they were controlled by local government. But once the federal government got involved, sometimes for good reasons like desegregation, the result has been ever increasing federal controls and decreasing quality. The same can be expected of government control over home school. I have been a programmer, writer, teacher and social worker in my various careers. Teaching opened my eyes to how bad public education has become. I naively sent my eldest child to public school, not understanding why she wasn’t learning the basics until I became a teacher, but she was learning a lot of troubling values that weren’t being taught at home. Being a social worker shows me how utterly incompetent the government is at protecting the weakest among us, and how politicized, ineffective and invasive the whole system is. The bureaucrats are the only benefactors. The children and dependent adults are re-victimized by getting lost in a tangled system. So I am sad to hear of your abusive parents, but even more sad to say public school and government oversight would have likely made your problems worse, not better. A last point, you probably learned as much as most public school children with your parent’s infrequent, indirect education. I am learning the hard way that my home schooled child learns more with less effort on my part than the teacher in me thinks possible. If children have no resources to learn from, then chances are they will suffer from educational neglect. But even just basic teaching of reading, writing and arithmetic gives children the tools they need to learn whatever they want or are able. Furthermore, those three basics can be taught in just a couple of years with short applications of effort. The rest is up to the child’s curiosity and ability to retain what they learn. I have sat in the same class as many other children and learned things that they insisted they were never taught. I have seen the same thing happen to my students in public school. There is a lot of wasted time in public school that kids could be using doing things more useful to their families and society. You may have learned more than you realize and benefited more than you understand. I bet you have a solid work ethic and know how to take care of your basic needs in ways many adults spend their 20’s and 30’s figuring out. I know that there is no perfect answer to this. But I believe that many more kids would be better off home schooled than public schooled, and many more families would benefit from the experience. Society as whole is suffering greatly with the current education crisis. Our prisons are used to deal with the short comings of our government controlled public schools. • Erica It’s been 2 years since you posted this. Can you update on the homeschooling situation in Scotland? • Spongebob Same thing. Just need to inform the state school • illyanna How do you take your child out of the school system without a note? Do you just tell your child “Hey, you’re not going to school anymore..”? • MM We are moving to Texas and homeschool our 3 children. I researched different homeschool co-ops and organizations and was very pleased to see a very well organized Football/Cheer league. There are also well organized homeschool sports leagues around the state. • Trappedhomeschooler I know your comment is a year old but I agree with you. I have lived in WV most of my life and have been homeschooling since 1999. No matter what the laws are the BOE’s still harass homeschoolers and ask for more that what is required by law. Just today Gov. Tomblin vetoed two homeschool bills that would have made it easier. I want to move this is really frustrating. • Jasmine Jackson I work in a school where children have come in and have been “home-schooled” and they know nothing. I’m not saying that all parents are not teaching their children, however there are many who aren’t educating their children. There should be some guidelines. At least a high school diploma or GED. We have parents that are illiterate that are home schooling. Who suffers? The child. • Michelle By the way you sound, it looks like your parents did a pretty good job anyway. • Sherryo Wisconsin is homeschool friendly. I have to fill out a small question air and turn it in by October 15th every year but that’s it. We homeschool our granddaughter who has autism and had an IEP. She blossomed when we pulled her out of school. She’s 7 and is doing much better acedemically at home- not to mention emotionally. Forcing children into social situations with children they did not choose to socialize with can cause anxiety. This was the case with my granddaughter • Sherryo • John H Gabrielle Amyx, you are wrong in your premise. Freedom to educate and raise your children is a natural, God-given right. and it must be protected at all costs. The problem with the STATE is that they will change laws, take away freedoms, incroach on lives, ruin families, kidnap children, etc, ALL BECAUSE OF 1 TRAGEDY or similar. They love to make SWEEPING LAWS for the 1% tragedy, but in a free society, tragedies happen. they happen everywhere. Just because you might have had lazy parents MEAN NOTHING TO THE REST OF US, certainly not to go asking the filthy government to INTERVENE and totally change the homeschool landscape. Lastly, you sound like a troll. you blabbing about children’s rights IS NOTHING BUT A PLOY TO TAKE AWAY PARENTS’ RIGHTS and that is DISGUSTING. you are leaning towards marxism. You sound like a UN Convention on the Rights of the Child apologist. People need to know this: Bad things happen to all societies and peoples. Governments LOVE to make persecutorial laws for the 1% situation when those tragedies happen (COMMON TACTIC OF LEFTIST MARXIST GOVERNMENT: change laws on the heels of tragedies, false flags). I am sorry if you didnt get a ‘great’ education, but CELEBRATE LIBERTY for the rest of America, dont try to take it away from them. Parents care the most for their children, FAR AND AWAY. if you are a troll, get lost. if you’re not, LEARN LIBERTY. LIBERTY NEVER WANTS a government oppressor coming between them and their precious children. Thank you for sharing. Follow us to receive the latest updates. Like Us On Facebook Follow Us On Twitter
You asked for it so here it is. The 2 player version of the great Boxhead series. Two players can play as opponents or together in cooperative mode. The one player mode is also improved with more stages. Grab a friend and kill them!! Bravo to Crazymonkeygames for this one. Movement: Player 1:Arrow Keys - Player 2:W, A, S, D Keys Shoot: Player 1 (Single Player): Space Key - Player 1 (Multi Player): / Key - Player 2: Space key Changing Weapons: Single Player: Number Keys - Player 1 (Multi Player): . and , Keys - Player 2: Q and E Keys Pause: P Key Added : 21.12.2007 Categories: Shooting Tags: boxhead rate this joke rating 3.38/5 - 1200 votes
Before I leave LA, I'm gonna need some homophobic chicken. Mike Brown was not asked to participate I'm telling you, Kobe, I can coach Ish Smith may play for the Magic, but his heart belongs to interpretive dance 4 defenders, 0 chance The Washington Wizards: The Broped rode all over the hapless Wizards Generals with reckless abandon as Ellis and Jennings combined to shoot 13-24 and score 34 points. Even so, the duo still turned the ball over 12 times, something the Wiz were unable to make matter. A.J. Price, who averaged less than 4 points for the Pacers last year, played the most minutes of any General. That's not exactly a recipe for success, even when you're playing the Bucks. The Orlando Magic: Jacque Vaughn upped the ante on Wiz coach Randy Wittman, giving E'Twaun Moore forty minutes, the most on the team. E'Twaun averaged under 3 points a game with Boston last year. Vaughn had a good reason to give E'Twaun those minutes, besides Jameer Nelson's strained groin. E'Twaun (you can probably tell I enjoy typing E'Twaun) scored a team high 18 points. This may have had something to with why the Magic lost to the Nets by 39 points and failed to score 70. The rest of it you can probably just blame, as per usual, on Orlando starting Big Baby, 8 points on 4-13 shooting with 3 rebounds. Nobody on the Magic grabbed more than 5 rebounds. Their interior defense was so piss-poor that it made the AP describe Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche as dominent big men. On the upside, the Nets found a cure for their recent woes, playing the Magic. Now, if they can just find away to do that 78 more times this year, they should be alright. Josh moonlights at Toys "R" Us Josh Childress: The Nets won despite giving 25 minutes to Josh "Geoffrey" Childress, 2 points on 1-4 shooting. Maurice Harkless: Maurice "yeah baby, I'm a real NBA player" Harkless played over twenty scoreless minutes for the Magic. If only the Magic had given him 5 more minutes, he could have made a shot and matched his nemesis Josh Childress, who refuses to give him a discount at Toys "R" Us. The Hawks: Usually, losing by 6 points to the defending champions isn't a WotN, but when the Heat are giving Dwyane Wade's minutes to Mike Miller you really have to capitalize. Josh Smith: Smith must've been tired from chasing LBJ around all night, because he shot 6-19. Hey, Josh Smith, here's a crazy idea. Don't shoot 19 times. Evan Turner on his way to 25 points, 11 rebounds Boston's defensive decay: Only a game after the 6ers couldn't score 80 points on a Hornets squad that was sans Anthony Davis, the Celtics let the 6ers go for 106 points. Even if you manage to score 120 points, that's still a moral defeat, and the Celtics stopped at 100. Seeing that Rondo dished out 20 assists and scored 14 points, it's not entirely unreasonable to think that the rest of the team wouldn't have scored 60 points without him. A world gone mad: The undefeated Knicks were only able to beat their latest victims, the Mavericks, by 10 points. I never thought I'd type that sentence. Am I dead? Darren Collison: The Maverick's starting point guard could only muster a 4 point 1-8 performance. Don't feel bad Darren, nobody plays well against the mighty Knicks. The OKC Thunder: Yeah, they beat the Pistons, who hasn't, but they only did it by 11 points. Judging by the how-badly-you-beat-the-Pistons yardstick, that's not good enough for an elite team this year. Plus, they let Andre Drummond score 22 points on them. The Pistons: They're still without a win, and what's worse they are keeping the Wizards from being able to say 'well at least it can't get much worse'. I bet the Wizard morale could really use that phrase right about now. Joey Crawford double standard machine: So just for the record, it's OK to stare people down after possibly knocking them to the floor, but you better watch your ass if you try to trip Udonis Haslem. Maybe Joey's got a grudge against Georgians. Friday lacktion: Bucks-Wizards: Cartier Martin didn't look too ritzy in the 24 seconds he spent on court for the Wiz, but he did get a Mario. Knicks-Mavs: Bernard James and Jared Cunningham became Mario brothers, leaving the super on the table, with a twin 53 second performance for Dallas. Lakers-Warriors: Biedrins and his hair were awarded an 8:5 Voskuhl for distinguished service to lacktion. I don't know where you're headed, but can you call in sick? Where's Luke Ridnour's other hand? Derrick Rose is a lot shorter this year Yup, that's how I remember Tay's shot looking The Wizards Generals: Another day, another team high in minutes for A.J. Price, another loss, so nothing's changed much for the still winless Generals. Price did impressively tally 14 assists and 0 turnovers, but even that was not enough to offset being on the Wizards. Roy Hibbert: 3 for 15? I'm beginning to think that Roy Hibbert is not the mortal lock at Center for the Eastern All-Stars that I thought he was. David West: If I call Roy Hibbert out for going 3 for 15, then I gotta call David West out for going 4 for 16, right? With that kind of production from their bigs, the Pacers can only hope to win against the Wizards and their ilk, and unfortunately for Indiana that group is shrinking. They haven't forgotten they're on the Bobcats. They're actually winning. The Dallas Mavericks: Don't feel bad Mavs. At least it wasn't the Wizards or the Pistons. Fun Fact: Kemba Walker had 8 steals against the Mavericks to complement his 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. Me: Back when I was reviewing the Bobcats' draft choices, I wrote that although Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (25 points and 12 rebounds) was a solid option, the team should select Thomas Robinson and his Swede-chopping elbow. So far, I'm being outfoxed by the management of the Charlotte Bobcats. With the Bobcats' young collegiate champions playing like this, the rest of the NBA might have one less team to kick around. Who will fill the void? The Detroit Pistons: Bet you all saw that one coming, right? I know, I just can't resist a segue joke. The Pistons remain without their first win. On the upside, James Harden didn't take every one of them out behind the Toyota Center after the game and dispatch them execution style, so I guess they can be thankful about that. Although, by the end of the season they might not be so grateful. The Minnesota T- ...we better call the doctor: A local farmer shot another one of the Timberwolves last night who was caught prowling around his sheep. When local authorities arrived, the Timberwolf was identified as Chase Budinger. The farmer's shot wasn't fatal, but it left him with a torn meniscus in his knee. The farmer said, "I've been seeing a lot of these Timberwolves around here lately, trying to get at my sheep, don't-cha-know; I caught J.J. Barea here the other day, and you never can keep Brandon Roy away for long. Your 2013 Minnesota Timberwolves Brandon Jennings: While the other half of the Broped, Monta Ellis (32 points), is taking off into the atmosphere, Jennings seems trapped in some negative effect of Newtonian Physics, being thrust back into the earth (1 for 11) at a rate inversely proportional to his partner in bawfulness. The Celtics took advantage of this perplexity and won by 4 points. The Phoenix Suns: 40 minutes and 51 seconds. That's how much time their opponent gave to Jamaal Tinsley. 40:51. The Suns lost. The Utah Jazz: Fans of this team really have to ask themselves: Are we really just one Mo Williams injury away from playing Jamaal Tinsley 40 minutes a night? The Silver Bullet registered no points. The rest of his night is a little more interesting, and a lot less bawful, 14 assists with only 2 turnovers. Since 1986, a player hasn't scored any points while playing 40 or more minutes only 37 times. For comparisons sake, there have been 434 triple doubles since then. DeMarcus Cousins: The league suspended DeMarcus Cousins two games for verbally accosting Sean Elliot. No, I'm not making this up. Elliot, who calls Spurs games now, thought he heard Cousins saying he was "gonna bust [Tim Duncan's] ass" to the Kings bench after Cousins had scored on his elder a couple times. It didn't take long for Duncan to respond; his former teammate described the scene. Cousins heard about the gum flapping Elliot was doing on air, and sought him out after the game, presumably with the intention of making him pay. Nobody has come forth with details on what was said, but the scene has been described as "hostile". Cousins was most likely acting out of a long term hatred for the '99 Spurs. The NBA however, does not condone vendettas against players or announcers, as shown in the case of the People vs. Doris Burke. Nuggets vs Warriors: I'm gonna let LotharBot take this one, since he provided such a detailed analysis in the comments section. It took 2 OT for either team to break 100. Both teams shot 38% from the field. The Warriors missed 9 free throws (including Landry's 2 bricks with a 4 point lead and a minute left in the second OT). The Nuggets missed 11. For the Nuggets, Andre Miller took 15 shots to get 15 points, which was better than most guys. Gallinari had 21 points on 22 shots (0 points on 9 first half shots), Lawson had 9 points on 13 shots, and Iggy had 19 points on 24 shots. This would be good for a loss in most circumstances, but the Warriors were just as bad. David Lee had 18 points on 19 shots, Klay Thompson had 23 points on 26 shots, Jarrett Jack had 8 points on 11 shots, and RJ had 2 points on 6 shots. Kobe would be so proud. I guess it came down to a battle of which team had Kenneth Faried to clean up their mess with 9 offensive rebounds. Sorry, Warriors. Saturday lacktion: Bulls-Timberwolves: Greg Stiemsma was lost in the shadow of Nikola Pekovic, and stumbled his way to a +7 suck differential in nearly 13 minutes of lacktion. For the Bulls, Jimmy Butler committed a foul in 8 minutes for a +1 suck differential. Spurs-Blazers: Boris Diaw's two assists couldn't keep him from getting a 4:2 Voskuhl in 15 minutes. The Red Rocket, Matt Bonner, flew low and grazed a building with a +2 suck differential. Cory Joseph appeared for 4 seconds earning him a Luigi-less Super Mario. For Portland, Will Barton served up a Will Barton Special, 1 brick in about 3 minutes for a +1 suck differential. Meanwhile, Jared Jeffries turned the ball over in a similar amount of time for his own +1. Nuggets-Warriors: On behalf of the Warriors, Kent Bazmore went all Super-Mario-nova in 3 seconds, Draymond Green sniffed at the butt of a 4 trillion in 3 minutes and 41 seconds of unproductiveness, and Charles "no relation" Jenkins obtained a Mario in 54 seconds. Bobcats-Mavericks: For the Cats, Reggie Williams committed a foul and threw up a brick for a +2 suck differential, while Cory Higgins showed some ingenuity when he turned his 15 second Mario into a +1 suck differential by whacking it with a brick. Josh Smith worked all summer to make his post game more awkward Nice of Marcus Thornton to not make Jamison jump or lift his arm for this block Pictured: Agony The Magic: By playing the Magic twice this weekend, the Brooklyn Nets were able to keep their ship aright for one game longer at least. Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith: Maybe too much time together in the pressure cooker of the Clippers' broadcast table has started to warp these two against each other. Some of their dialogue during their team's victory over the Hawks was positively Bill-and-Marty-like. It all started when Ralph Lawler confused Ivan Johnson for DeShawn Stevenson. Note the lack of facial tattoos Ralph/Marty: Ivan Johnson looks just like DeShawn Stevenson--they're wearing the same beard. Mike/Bill: They share the beard? Ralph: You know what I mean. Mike: Apparently, I don't. Ralph: I mean the same style of beard. Mike: That's not what you said. Great job clearing that up, guys. You know there is a game going on, right? Anthony Morrow: The Clippers' announcers also took the time to make fun of Anthony Morrow, DNP coach's decision. At one point, they were asking where Morrow was and began recalling the night he scored 37 points against the Clippers as a rookie. The TV crew must have picked up on this, because they cut to Morrow on the bench with a towel draped over his head. At this point the mockery over his towel began: He's had no reason to perspire in this game. I guess in case his mom is looking, like yeah I've been playing hard. I've played 40 min already. (Lawler chuckles) I'm exhausted. Mike Smith better hope that Morrow doesn't take the DeMarcus Cousins approach to being mocked on air and hunt him down. He may not be a particularly large NBA player, but he's still listed at 6'5 and over 200 lbs. The Hawks: As for the actual game, Josh Smith had a team high 13 points. Consequently, the Hawks only scored 76 points. For the first time this season the bench of the Hawks was outscored 35 to 32. The starters for the Hawks were also outscored leading to a 13 point loss to the Clippers. The Kings: Speaking of losing by unlucky numbers to LA teams, the Kings also lost by 13. In their case, it was to Bernie Bickerstaff and his Lakers. With DeMarcus Cousins out, Sacramento was hopelessly outmatched in the post, countering the Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol combination with Jason Thompson and James Johnson. Now he shoots like Dwayne Wayne too The Heat: If I told you Marc Gasol went 1-6 for 2 points against the Heat and the Grizzlies still won by 18 points, you'd probably call me a filthy lying scumbag. So, I won't tell you; I'll let this boxscore do it for me. Maybe Wade, 3 for 15, needs to start wearing his glasses to games. The Heat missed 14 free throws and were unable to shoot 40% from the floor, thanks in no small part to Pookie. The Cavaliers: Durant and Westbrook combined for over 50 points for the 2nd time this season. Maybe the Cavs would've been able to counter this outpouring, but Alonzo Gee, 7 for 17, ended up taking the most field goal attempts of anybody on the team. Andrew Bynum: That soreness in the knees has turned into see you in January, maybe. Not to worry, Andrew, the fans in Philly are famously patient and forgiving. I know at least one guy who doesn't feel bad for Bynum Eddy Curry: It was a tough weekend for the Big Take-it-Easy. According to Hoops Hype, first the Lakers fired him as head coach, and then Dallas waived him. Thanks for the catching that, tjr. Sunday lacktion: Thunder-Cavaliers: Jeremy Lamb was led to slaughter with a 2 trillion. Grizzlies-Heat: Joel Anthony missed a shot and turned the ball over for a 2:1 Voskuhl. James Jones added a brick and a foul for a +2 suck differential. Hamed Haddadi of the Grizzlies spent his nearly 3 minutes on court working towards a +3 suck differential. Lakers-Kings: Robert Sacre made it all the way to a trillion. Nets-Magic: By throwing up a brick and committing a foul, Andrew Nicholson reached +2 suck differential status in 3 minutes and 14 seconds for the Magic. On the opposing side Tyshawn Taylor used 7 seconds of his life to establish the night's solitary Luigi-less Supermario. Blogger The Bereft said... keep it up ya'll. Love the bawful posts, large or small. frequent or infrequent. Blogger The Bereft said... Anonymous JJ said... I don't watch the Bobcraps so I never even noticed their jersey just says "CATS". So, they're bunch of pussies? Oooook, as if "Bobcats" didn't sound bad enough. Great jersey design. No wonder they suck every year. I'm sure I wouldn't be motivated to play if I was forced to put on jersey that said "CATS". Blogger Dan B. said... Blogger senormedia said... "Cats" - I laughed. I cried...OK, I just laughed at them. Blogger Wormboy said... @Glenn: Dude, you've become a beast. Way to go! @JJ: I think the Bobcraps jerseys are in honor of the musical, "Cats." MJ loves him some Broadway! During his playing years, he was frequently spotted coming out of a late "Les Mis" or "Phantom" performance the night before a game in the Garden. I remember him being criticized for it in the press. Yeah. Maybe that's not working so well for them. Blogger Evil Ted said... Agree with Wormboy....Glenn, you are thriving! Keep it up. Anonymous Anonymous said... I blew lemonade through my nose as i saw the 'broped' nickname is still being used. Classic stuff! Anonymous Flex Court said... LOL! keep it coming! Blogger BigAristotle said... The CATS could be named after MJ himself. One of his nicknames is "Black Cat". Anonymous Anonymous said... Luke Babbitt managed a rebound, an assist, a steal, and 3 personal fouls(!) in just 2 minutes of play. That makes his semi-advanced per-48 stats for this game incredible: 24 rebounds, 24 assists, 24 steals, and 72 fouls committed, 24 of them flagrant. -- Dave at the Blazer's Edge Blogger Glenn said... Thanks, everyone. I'm gonna have to play up this CATS angle. I hope to have some new stuff for everyone to read by midday tomorrow. That's an amazing stat, Dan B. It's unreal that an NBA team could even pretend to function like that. Blogger Barry said... I was going to make a musical joke but Wormboy beat me to it! Another great post! On a slightly related note, the header used to link back to the main site but now it links to the Flickr page where the header is. Blogger Wormboy said... Great article in the NY Times this am, talking about how the Knicks scrapped back in the fourth quarter for a great victory against - wait for it - the Orlando Magic. [/sarcasm] One of the most bawful sentences I've seen this year: "The Knicks also benefited from a Magic team that is no longer led by Dwight Howard. He left Orlando for the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Magic are now Jameer Nelson’s team. But he sat out with a groin injury and has missed most of the season." Wait, this is an article praising the Knicks for beating a Jameer-less Magic? Wow, way to go Knicks! (picture slow, sarcastic clap here). How in the world could you compete against Glenn "Big Baby" Davis? Note: Although it pains me to say it, Melo is having the best statistical season of his career thus far, albeit after only five games. Can he become a real franchise player? We'll see when we have more data points against tough teams. The schedule thus far: Mia, Phi, Phi, Dal, Orl. So basically the Knicks deserve plaudits for one victory against the Heat in the season opener? We'll wait and see. Oh yes we will. Blogger Jon D. said... The 2 laker's possessions were hilarious. That 3pt from gasol was priceless. The fact that the pacers shot 5 times in a row late in the game (and missed them all) is top notch at the bawfullness scale Anonymous Anonymous said... Knicks are 5-0 in the Pablo Prigioni era. Oldest rookie in 50 years, schmoldest rookie in 50 years. Links to this post: Create a Link
Smyths Toy Superstores opening near you soon Are you looking for a fun filled career? Are you ambitious, hard working, energetic and reliable? If you are, SMYTHS TOY SUPERSTORES have the perfect position for you. Smyths Toy Superstores are an established and rapidly expanding toy retailer specialising in toys, software and nursery products.
AAAI Publications, Twenty-Fourth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence Font Size: Decision-Theoretic Control of Crowd-Sourced Workflows Peng Dai, ' Mausam, Daniel Sabey Weld Last modified: 2010-07-04 Crowd-sourcing is a recent framework in which human intelligence tasks are outsourced to a crowd of unknown people ("workers") as an open call (e.g., on Amazon's Mechanical Turk). Crowd-sourcing has become immensely popular with hoards of employers ("requesters"), who use it to solve a wide variety of jobs, such as dictation transcription, content screening, etc. In order to achieve quality results, requesters often subdivide a large task into a chain of bite-sized subtasks that are combined into a complex, iterative workflow in which workers check and improve each other's results. This paper raises an exciting question for AI — could an autonomous agent control these workflows without human intervention, yielding better results than today's state of the art, a fixed control program? We describe a planner, TurKontrol, that formulates workflow control as a decision-theoretic optimization problem, trading off the implicit quality of a solution artifact against the cost for workers to achieve it. We lay the mathematical framework to govern the various decisions at each point in a popular class of workflows. Based on our analysis we implement the workflow control algorithm and present experiments demonstrating that TurKontrol obtains much higher utilities than popular fixed policies. Full Text: PDF
Even during times of crisis Café Britt coffee is 100% arabica No substitute for arabica Friday, October 2011 Rain damage to arabica coffee crops in Columbia and Central America last year sent coffee futures soaring to a near 14-year high. The price jump prompted some roasters to mix robusta coffee with some of their arabica blends to keep costs down. Some roasters do this, but not Café Britt. By gourmet coffee standards, robusta is considered a "filler coffee." It's a cheaper variety that's easier to grow. It has a more bitter taste. Robusta is a predominate variety in Brazil, the world's largest coffee-producing country. But here in Costa Rica, the law demands that only arabica beans be grown. It's illegal to grow robusta! Prices have come down about a third since their peak last year of $3.05 per pound, but they remain high and could edge up again this year if arabica crops are smaller than expected and demand grows. But you can be sure of one thing. Café Britt gourmet coffees and blends are, and have always been, 100% arabica. And our prices remain competitive! Let us know what you think Coffee Vocabulary Stay in touch Subscribe to our Newsletter
Microsoft's Popfly: Mashup creation for the masses Popfly, a hosted service built with Silverlight, lets people create embeddable widgets and mashups for their Web pages or blogs. Microsoft on Friday morning launched Popfly, a service for creating mashup applications specifically designed for people who don't know how, or want to, write developer code. The free service, which is now in private alpha, provides a visual way for constructing mashup applications and widgets which can be embedded in blogs or personal pages. Once a project is written, people can share and modify other people's mashups. People can drag and drop icons that do things like display photos from Flickr in a photo gallery. Or they can combine these blocks to display photos tagged with the word "sunset" on the Virtual Earth mapping service. Drop-down menus let people configure different Web services. If someone is comfortable writing JavaScript, XML or Silverlight code, the service lets you see the source and hack away. There is also a tool for creating Web sites using templates and layout tools based on what Microsoft offers with Office Live, said Dan Fernandez, lead product manager for nonprofessional tools at Microsoft. To service is built using Microsoft's Silverlight browser plug-in, which is now in beta. Microsoft will host 25MB of data. The design surface of Popfly where people can connect blocks to build mashups. Microsoft The idea behind the project, originally , was to bring programming concepts to untrained people without making them write code, said Fernandez. There are already several do-it-yourself Web authoring tools and services for consumers and professionals. Google has a Google Maps mashup builder and Yahoo Pipes lets people combine RSS feeds to make an application. Ning is focused on letting people build social-networking sites. In a demo, Popfly does look simple enough for someone without programmer expertise to use. The goal, said Fernandez, is to get millions of people creating applications and widgets, which will help drive demand for Silverlight and Microsoft's hosted Live services. Featured Video Sorry, you are not old enough to view this content. by David Katzmaier
The Daily Freeman ( IVAN LAJARA: Five memes you need to stop using Sunday, February 19, 2012 Internet memes -- the contagious inexplicable trends that make people post pictures of cats with quotes or bad puns related to basketball star Jeremy Lin -- are getting, well, linsane. Visit your Facebook profile on any given day, and instead of getting flooded with the usual invitations to events you won't attend or photos of babies you don't care about, you will be welcomed by lincredible posts lin your face that will be repeated to linfinity. The weird thing is that, after a while, you'll understand the meme -- a true sign that you're spending way too much time online -- and you will attempt to use it. This is when your friends will kindly tell you that the meme has gotten old and bothersome. Your linability to linguistically linclude and linundate your friends with the same nonsense will bother you. But fear not. Though you won't be able to get rid of headlines that start with "Lin" for the time being, there are other memes that come and go. You must resist the urge to repost them because you think they're funny. Remember that the moment you post them is the very moment the thing stopped being funny. Your friends will make sure to remind you of that. As a service to the community, and because we don't feel like writing anything of real substance, we hereby provid you with a handy list of recent memes that have most likely inundated your online space (If you've never been online, don't start now. It's filled with cats, anyway). o Pictures of people saying things. This is the practice of having nothing original to say, so it consists of posting an image that involves an overly long quote with a photo of the person who said the quote. This image will be initially posted by someone and reposted by one of your friends. Then another friend will post a constructive comment -- like, "LOLZ. Totally stealing this :D" -- and then said friend will proceed to post it on his or her wall, ensuring that the same image appears on your wall again. This chain of events will repeat itself until it has reached all your friends and every other post you see is that image. (The other posts are requests to play "Cow Clicker," the amazing game where you get to click on a cow and wait for a long time before you can click on the cow again.) Anyway, this is a bulletproof way of making people hate you. And Gandhi quotes. To prove the point, we went to Facebook, and posted a photo of a crazy dude with long hair along with the following quote: "I'm getting kind of tired of people posting photos of a dude with a quote in the photo." o "Stuff people say" videos. These videos exploded over last month. They consist of a quick succession of familiar sayings from people from a particular group -- girls, journalists, NPR listeners, Gothamists and, of course, cats. There are even "Stuff people say about stuff people say" and "stuff nobody says" videos. You probably thought these were all silly and infantile, until you saw the one about your profession and/or hobby and thought it was hilarious, posted it on Facebook and then complained that people just don't understand knitters (cats do, but for different reasons). Also, the S-word in the title, for the record, is not "stuff." o "What People Think I Do" images: These are posts consisting of six images that try to illustrate how different people view a specific profession, be it poets, artists, librarians and all those other unemployed people who now spend their time creating "What People Think I Do" images and clicking on cows. o Linsanity. This is the practice of trying to add 'Lin' to every word in the dictionary even if everyone's tired of it already. It also is a candidate for the Word of the Year, according to the American Dialect Society. But they have linguists, so they're biased. o Publicly complaining about memes. If there is something more annoying than "What People Think I Do" images it is people who complain incessantly about them -- with "What People Think I Do" images, which is exactly what we did. Surprisingly, we were told people are getting tired of this already. But we're unfazed, as we are busy and important. Now, if you excuse us, we have some cows that need to be clicked on.
Font Size Topic Overview What is chlamydia? Chlamydia (say "kluh-MID-ee-uh") is an infection spread through sexual contact. This infection infects the urethra in men. In women, it infects the urethra and the cervix and can spread to the reproductive organsClick here to see an illustration.. It is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Chlamydia does not cause problems if you treat it right away. But left untreated, it can lead to serious problems, especially for women: • If it spreads, it can cause pelvic inflammatory disease. This serious infection can make it hard or impossible for a woman to get pregnant. • Pregnant women who have chlamydia often pass it to their babies at birth. If the infection gets in a baby's eyes, it can cause blindness. They can also have other problems, like pneumonia. Pneumonia can be deadly in a newborn. • Having chlamydia makes a person more likely to get HIV from someone who is infected with HIV. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. What causes chlamydia? A certain kind of bacteria causes chlamydia. It can spread from one partner to another through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. A pregnant woman can pass the infection to her newborn during delivery. What are the symptoms? Most people don't have symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they can include pain when you urinate, cloudy urine, or an abnormal discharge from the penis or vagina. You can spread chlamydia even if you do not have symptoms. You are contagious until you have been treated. How is chlamydia diagnosed? Your doctor will ask you questions about your past health and your sexual history, such as how many partners you have. You may also have a physical exam to look for signs of infection. Several types of tests can be used to diagnose chlamydia. Most use a sample of urine or a swab from the cervix, vagina, or urethra. Since chlamydia can cause serious problems but may not cause symptoms, it's a good idea to get tested once a year if you are sexually active and in your mid-20s or younger. Local health departments and family planning clinics usually offer low-cost testing. How is it treated? Antibiotics are used to treat chlamydia. It's important to take all of the medicine as directed. Otherwise the medicine may not work. Both sex partners need treatment to keep from passing the infection back and forth. As soon as you find out you have chlamydia, be sure to let your sex partners know. Experts recommend that you notify everyone you've had sex with in the past 2 months. If you have not had sex in the past 2 months, contact the last person you had sex with. Some people who have chlamydia also have other STIs, such as gonorrhea. How can I prevent chlamydia? It's easier to prevent an STI like chlamydia than it is to treat it: • Don't have more than one sex partner at a time. The safest sex is with one partner who has sex only with you. Every time you add a new sex partner, you are being exposed to all of the infections that all of their partners may have. Frequently Asked Questions Learning about chlamydia: Being diagnosed: Getting treatment: Ongoing concerns: Living with chlamydia: eMedicineHealth Medical Reference from Healthwise To learn more visit Medical Dictionary
How do I tell my best friend I got his mom pregnant? Ok I have been sleeping with my best friends mom for 5 years now since I was 17. It started when we were back in high school and we were all in the basement partying and I had to go to the bathroom. Some guy was in the basement bathroom taking a sh*t so I went upstairs to use that one. His mom... Show More why would somebody tell me to disregard a comment that wasn't even theirs? it was actually a pretty good answer I think. Most Helpful Girl • that is bad...hmmn he might be mad at first but over time he will probably begin to accept it and move on...i know guys fight a lot and get into physical fghts, so just be careful...this is something that's gonna take a long time to heal, especially for him...but also it might not be that bad because he knows your mom was dating around anyways and living the single he may be very accepting of it...the only things that might get him mad are the fact that you're his best friend and the age just be careful...but you can't do anything at this point except be honest...
Huffpost Comedy Love the Trampoline? Jump Here! Posted: Updated: Like the trampoline jumping? Put your acrobatic trampoline skills to the test! Use the arrow and the number keys together to perform each the on screen tricks. Each time you land, make sure your feet hit the mat. This will give you maximum bounce on your next jump. Suggest a correction
follow us: Latest News Treyarch teasing an ambitious campaign in COD: Black Ops III The Red Cyclone returns in Street Fighter V Latest Articles It doesn't matter how you get your Gjallarhorn Latest Reviews Heroes of the Storm Review: The WoW of MOBAs is here Dying Light Review: What happens when you do Dead Island correctly Latest Videos Let's Play - Her Story Pt. 1-3 O.G. Preview - Skyhill is 99 floors of random horror Waking Mars Review Posted on January 08, 2013 by Nickolai Niver Waking Mars is Tiger Style's first entry in the world of non-mobile gaming, and it's been making a big splash. Designed as a jetpack based sidescroller, it pays homage to classics like Metroid while still being a game on its own. The entire premise is based around a main character known as Liang trying to bring the ecosystem of Mars back to life through flora growth and exploration. As a deceptive game with a simple premise, Waking Mars has the potential to be the best indie game of this last year. Mars is Huge - What starts off as a pretty small and linear game quickly expands and evolves into an unbelievably large world. Catacombs that differ in many ways are abundant, and as the game progresses the world begins to feel alive. It's the kind of game that a player can get lost in. A Diverse Cast - It's pretty interesting to see a game with no white characters in it. It's a step in the gaming industry to not only see an Asian lead, but an African American female support, and a robot sidekick. Not that these things haven't been done before, but they've been done in a way that isn't racist or degrading. I will admit that I kept pretending they were Sulu and Uhura the whole time, but it just made it all the more entertaining. Click 'n Go - I always enjoy a game with a control scheme that's meant for PC. The WASD keys control the primary functions such as in the air movement and jet pack controls. Then, while players are flying with the WASD keys, the mouse is used to aim seeds and shoot them. There are a few other keys for opening up the map and PDA, but the controls are so simple that they can be picked up immediately. Ambiance is Everything - Waking Mars has a certain personality with it. The empty catacombs are all unique in their own way. The world itself starts barren but develops as the player plants seeds and explores, making it the kind of experience that feels good to explore. There are occasional bits of audio and narration that also helps push the player deeper, trying to figure out what's next. The Mystery of Mars - Waking Mars has the sort of plot that builds of simplicity. Originally starting as a mining expedition, the world itself builds a hidden, subliminal story that can impress even the most grizzled and jaded veterans. What's perhaps most interesting about the story is that it pushes the player to discover as opposed to just explaining why Mars is the way it is. A Whole New Look at Gameplay - If nothing else can be said for Waking Mars, the game has some pretty cool features. Based entirely around the concept of building an ecosystem through plant development, it's a game that I've never seen anything like. Players grow specific plants in certain soils to develop each area, ultimately turning every area from a barren waste to a thriving forest. It's Too Big - In the intro paragraph I likened Waking Mars to Metroid. While Metroid and Waking Mars are both good in their own respects, they share a major problem found in many games like it. Put simply, if a player plays a game like Metroid or Castlevania every few days as opposed to in one burst, returning to a game session can often become overwhelming because of the size of the game given the fact that it’s driven by one primary objective. This problem remains true with Waking Mars. It's a game you want to beat all at once, otherwise you could come back and not know what's going on. The map is simply too large, and there is too much to do for players to remember what they had been doing if they play the game occasionally. With no real objectives, it’s simply too easy to get lost in Mar’s caverns. It is highly recommended that players sit down and tell themselves that they’ll be playing this particular title for the next week than if they play it every once in a while when they wait for a download to finish. It Ain't Pretty - Waking Mars is an unique game, but it isn't pretty. While the flora and cave walls aren't exactly hideous, the art style isn't something every gamer can appreciated. The basic flash graphics make everything look glued together and being controlled as puppets as opposed to them being living plants. Waking Mars is a game that took me by surprise. As I had never heard of it before, I honestly thought it was going to be something not dissimilar to a sidescrolling Dead Space. After a few hours, the game I thought was going to be a survival horror turned out to be a tame game of eco building and exploration, and I'm glad. Waking Mars is a good game that's perfect for people who want to try something new. This review was based on the PC version of the game with a review code provided by the devloper. What's your most anticipated game for October? The Legend of Zelda: TriForce Heroes Tales of Zestiria WWE 2K16 Transformers: Devastation Guitar Hero Live Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance Rock Band 4 Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below Assassin's Creed Syndicate Corpse Party: Blood Drive Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water Halo 5: Guardians View Results - View Comments Dat Rocket League Metroid Prime Review XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review Other Gaming News From The Web
Back Home Button The Rush Limbaugh Show Excellence in Broadcasting RSS Icon Take a Break, But Don't Give Up RUSH: Jim in Indianapolis. Hi, and welcome to the EIB Network. Hello. CALLER: Thank you, Rush. Love your show. First of all, happy holidays to you, your staff, your loved ones, and listeners. RUSH: Thank you very much, sir. We all appreciate it. CALLER: I want to give you a quick background on myself. I'm a white male in my mid-thirties. I work sometimes six to seven days a week. I go to school full time. I have a wife and two small boys. The reason why I do all this is because I need to be a role model for my boys and a man for my wife. That's my job, not the government's. I know eventually the Democrats will self-destruct as a party and, you know, the government will restore balance to this country. The point I'm trying to make to your audience is: Don't ever lose your high morals and values. Don't ever give up, stay optimistic, and eventually it'll pay off. RUSH: Well, I know exactly what you're saying. Don't give up. Like Churchill said, "Never, never, never, never give up." Right now, I don't think a lot of people want to quit. I think people need some time off. It's been an intense year. There were a lot of expectations that turned out to be violently disappointing on election night. People felt this way when Clinton was elected in 1992, but this is a feeling that's a multiple of ten over that among people like you who have not compromised. You have not cashed in. You have not give up on the kind of country you grew up in and want your children to grow up in. You have not. So you feel outnumbered, and a lot of people do. You're wondering, "Where is this all gonna end?" Then you look at the Republican Party (I'm not being critical here, I'm just giving an honest assessment) and you don't see or hear anybody -- on a daily, regular, elected-person basis -- that speaks out in opposition to what's happening. You get somebody now and then who will say something and you cheer it, but there doesn't seem to be any leadership, politically right now, representing us. In fact, you might even think, "My God, there might not even be as many conservatives in the country or in Washington as we thought." CALLER: Well, what's difficult with all of this is my family has money. My grandparents have money. My father has money. You know, I'm sitting in school trying not to think, "Eh, you know, I'd rather be at home. I'd rather be at home with my kids, my wife, my family." RUSH: What do you mean you "have money"? You inherited money or do you well with your work? CALLER: My family has money. They've done well. RUSH: Okay. CALLER: In their life. It's not my money. That's theirs. I have to instill in my boys, and as a normal person we have to instill these values back in society, 'cause we don't have any. RUSH: I know. CALLER: We don't have any values. RUSH: That seems such a daunting task is what I'm saying. To a lot of people... You know, once the gravy train gets established and once it starts -- and once government is seen as the source of prosperity, once the government is seen as the source of fairness where grievances are addressed -- it's tough to turn that back, especially when you don't hear anybody speaking out against it, other than individuals who are not in any semblance of power to do anything about it. So what's happened is that people do what you said. You are confident there will be an event, or a series of events, that will wake people up. Something will happen that will cause people to realize that this can't go on the way it is if we want to have lives and a country and live the way we have been and the way we've dreamed. You're exactly right. I always encourage people to try to stay upbeat and positive about things, because you only get one life. Life in general is gonna present you with lots of suffering. But you don't have to add to it. You don't have to invent your own. Life presents enough of it as it is. Despite what's happening in Washington or elsewhere, it shouldn't govern your life. I'm not talking to you specifically. Everybody in general. People need to seize this great gift of life, realizing it's the only one you'll ever have, and to try to do the most with it for yourself, for your family, however that manifests itself to you each and every day. That's the best you can do, and then let that influence others around you, and that's how I think this thing gets turned around. I do have ultimate faith like you do that it will. We're too great a country, we have too much at stake, and the world needs this country. Just like, folks, I need you in this audience. Every year at Christmastime is when I really get thankful, and I count my lucky stars and my blessings for the fact that we're here 25 years. You people have no idea what you have meant to me and my family, and I can't ever repay you or thank you enough for it. But I do thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart. RUSH: Thank you again, folks. It's been fabulous, and the best is still ahead of us. See you back here on January 3rd. Have a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year's Eve. Rush 24/7 Audio/Video Listen to the Latest Show Watch the Latest Show Listen to the Latest Show Watch the Latest Show Most Popular EIB Features
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Sign up × The version of Photosync I have installed fails to upload pictures after I take a few dozen of them in a short period of time. Is there an alternative app that will work and not take too much memory on my poor old 2.3.5 phone? The Google+ app is too heavy for my phone. share\|improve this question 1 Answer 1 If I'm understanding correctly, the Google+ app sounds like it has the functionality you're looking for. Within the app, press Menu -> Settings -> Instant Upload and turn the feature on. This will upload them to Google+ to a folder only you can see, and as Google+ and Picasa albums are the same, they'll be available on your Picasa account as well! share\|improve this answer Thee Google+ app is too heavy for my poor phone. – 719016 Jul 12 '12 at 15:08 I'll try this two alternative: "Photo Auto Uploader" / "Picasa Uploader" – 719016 Jul 12 '12 at 15:09 if it works, repost as an answer so those looking later can find what you did! :) – jlehenbauer Jul 12 '12 at 15:20 ...and "accept" that answer, too, @130490868091234! – Al E. Jul 12 '12 at 15:54 Your Answer
questionsdo you prefer soft serve or ice cream? That is like asking if I like cash or money. Makes no difference, I like it all! I like the texture of soft serve, and the variety of flavors of ice cream. If only I could have the best of both worlds... They are different things entirely Your topic has too many questions and now I am confused Mood of the moment. I like both as long as it is the good stuff. My favorites are local rather than national places. I do like an occasional DQ blizzard. If it's going in a sundae, it should be hard ice cream. If it is going in a blizzard-type mix-up, it needs to be soft-serve. Chocolate-vanilla twist, to be exact. It is Wendy's Frosty-like when they use twist. Try it and you'll never go back to vanilla. Depends on the mood. But, I do like a nice soft serve cone dipped in chocolate. I like the Wendy's Frosty. I can't tell if it's soft serve or a thick shake, but still yummy. What about frozen yogurt and custard, I am a custard man myself. But if it is only soft serve or ice cream. I go ice cream. Both good, but don't forget frozen custard. technically, soft serve is icecream that hasn't yet been fully frozen. Ice cream comes out as "soft serve" and is then frozen in tubs. Defzles iced cream. But mostly just because there are WAY more flavors to choose from with iced cream :) @kamikazeken: Note quite. Soft serve is more aerated, and is at least as cold as hard ice cream. I scream for ice cream. Loves me some Oberweis Butter Pecan...if ever you're in the Chicago area it's worth it to stop by and get some... With that said in order of love/like... Ice cream Soft serve frozen custard Like the DQ but for some reason always upsets my stomach. Still I love their butterscotch shakes...
Lindsey Klinge Lindsey Klinge National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Honorable Mention 2011 Chemistry PhD Candidate I am a transfer student from the University of Pennsylvania to Drexel University. I earned a BA in Chemistry and Mathematics from the State University of New York at Purchase College in 2011, and I was a SULI Intern at Brookhaven National Laboratory for several years during my undergraduate career. Presently, I study both physical and analytical chemistry, and I work for Dr. Peter DeCarlo in the Drexel Air Resources Research Laboratory (DARRL). My primary research interest is in characterizing aerosol particulate matter harmful to human respiratory health. Diesel soot has a fractal-like morphology that is much harder to model than spherical particulate. Additionally, diesel soot is quite hygroscopic, which means the particles readily adsorb water. The size of diesel soot particles can vary depending on humidity, which in turn may increase or decrease the health risk posed by the particles. Predicting the morphology of aerosol soot particles and the effect of hygroscopicity on particle size and composition can lead to a greater understanding of the health risks of diesel soot and a more informed scientific basis for policy decisions. The supercomputing resources of an NSF GRFP Honorable Mention will allow me to better model large gaseous systems. I am honored to receive the HonorableMention and I am thankful for the opportunity to gain experience and valuable feedback in writing scientific proposals.
Sunday, February 3, 2013 When Gene posts things like this I get confused about why he has a problem with American pragmatism But then, I'm not a philosopher. Interesting stuff. Perhaps its one of those instances where differences get highlighted in discussions of otherwise similar outlooks. I can see a gap between pragmatists and idealists on this point - "If we begin by assuming that experience is an undifferentiated whole" - and perhaps that's the source of the conerns. A whole, certainly. I don't know how undifferentiated experience is, though. 1. Have I commented much about American pragmatism? I don't recall doing so. 2. "If we begin by assuming that experience is an undifferentiated whole" Apparently someone who has never dropped acid. ;) 1. I cannot tell if your wink implies that he has or that he has not dropped acid (i.e sarcasm). I don't know anything on the matter, but if I were to guess, I would guess that he probably has (don't ask why). But I would not expect him to admit it. 2. Actually, the recognition that experience is not undifferentiated came to me through meditation. But for many meditation is about centering, about quieting, about a calm, unitary experience. OTOH, the psychedelic experience typically has episodes of fragmentary experience. As for the wink, it was about the human tendency to generalize from one's own experience. ;) 3. "But I would not expect him to admit it." You think I am a coward, Joe? That is how I first sensed the notion that experience is an undifferentiated whole! Min: I am perplexed: what I am forwarding is totally in agreement with Buddhist metaphysics: Buddhists were the first idealists! Why do you think otherwise? 4. No Gene, I don't think that you're a coward. I just didn't think that you would want people to know something like that, at least not publicly. As for how I knew, well let's just say that I have a certain sense about these things. All anonymous comments will be deleted. Consistent pseudonyms are fine.
Follow Embed [Hook: Dexter Wiggles] I thought I'd never, see the sun I thought it never shine again Then the sun came, back round again Since you came in my life and then Like there was no clouds, stand on water Glory came to shine again It's a glorious dayyyyyyyyyyy Yo, they say great minds think alike, we used to drink all night Think about things that's wrong and how to make it right Ice cold bottles of brass, and time flashes A hundred blunts passes, before the God askes What's the square miles of the planet, why is the axis slanted? How much is covered by water, how much is granite? Every second is the past, every second is the future Every second is the present, how long does it last? True I Master Equality, God Body be Flowing like the Chi energy, inside your arterries Hand design jewels and rhymes, like fine potery Even if you went ten time platinum and struck lottery All the material that you gain in this world Wouldn't match the price of a snowflake in hell Bobby, did it all, boy, before you was born Ya'll front like ya'll thugs, but ya'll niggas be pawn Whether million or billion, or trillion, or quadrillion Or quintillion, or even six sextillion We still be building, revealing the truth All the knowledge that these devils be concealing, it won't stop til Every soul is killed, then, and healed then Opressed by the pen, serve the clip, angel wings Only to be awoken by a Killa Bee sting Injected with the venom of truth, I defend the youth The black choppers, I spot 'em through the circle Go 'head, bust my whip, snake, my shit is gun proof But the darkest spot in your mind's not sunproof Here comes the proof, son, we present the proof [Hook 2X]
Report a Review Review:Secret Santa says: Narcissa's POV! A lot of people don't like it when authors change from one character's perspective to another, but this story needed it. I have been itching to see what Narcissa is really thinking ever since the letter back in Chapter One and I'm so glad that you gave it to us! I like that Narcissa still uses the term 'mudblood' and still strives for pureblood to run throughout her family. It would be unrealistic, I think, to have her see the errors of her ways and become completely reformed. It's a very clever thing you did with having her still have her prejudice. That is such good characterisation. It's interesting that she calls Sirius her 'stupid, muggle-obsessed cousin' when she shows such regret now at not attending Andromeda's wedding. God, I love what you have done with Narcissa. I can tell that she wants reconciliation with her sister. Or maybe not even reconciliation, but some sort of closure, perhaps, on their relationship? Yet, she hasn't let go of her pureblood ways. And that is just so in character. I know it seems like a trivial thing to say, that someone is 'in character' but I can't think of any other way to say it. It's brilliant. That reflection of Narcissa's was so well written. It's almost like she doesn't know what she wants. She is confused and, again, so in character. I would even go as far as to say that she is a tiny bit selfish. She wants a relationship with her sister but she is expecting too much, I think. That part about her being a mother was also really interesting. It made me think of DH and what she did to Harry, all in the name of making sure her son was safe. It is that mother part of her that makes me think that Narcissa is really caught in the middle. I think that she had all the potential to be 'good' but just didn't have the courage to do so. And maybe if she had made the right choices, she might have indeed been 'good'. I have mixed feelings about Lucius in this. On the one hand, he is so gentle in this and comforting to Narcissa. On the other hand, I kind of wish he had died in the battle. It's good, though. You are making me think so much while writing this and I love it. I think that Lucius is in character, in a strange way. As Narcissa acknowledged, he isn't a good man, but his presence in this chapter just seems to fit. I don't know why or why, but it does. God, you really make me think. And I love it. You just have all these layers and subtexts and just, argh, it's so good! Author's Response: Yes! That is exactly what I was going for! Awesome! Some people write Narcissa as having basically done a complete turnaround after the war, but I never bought into that. I find her to be an absolutely fascinating character, because throughout the books, especially later on, her love for her family - Draco in particular, but also Lucius - really comes across loud and clear. However, at the same time, she's clearly not one of the good guys. I haven't written anything very Draco-centric, but I do think of him as having changed a lot after the war (and Scorpius says as much at some point in one of my stories). I don't think of him as being especially pleased with muggleborns on the whole, but I think that he learns to tolerate them and is able to befriend a few here and there. However, he was much younger, and I really believe that he didn't quite understand what Voldemort and genocide and death really meant until it started happening, and I think that he ended up discovering that he didn't have the stomach for it. Narcissa, on the other hand, knew what it was all about. She wasn't a death eater, but she was a supporter of Voldemort and she was clearly okay with what he was doing until he started putting her family at risk. I didn't want to airbrush that away because that's a huge part of what makes her compelling as a character to me - the bad guys can love people, too, and not just in the creepy way that Bellatrix loves Voldemort. That's also part of why I wrote Lucius the way I did - so many people portray him as this guy who's pretty much uniformly terrible to everyone, and who mistreats his son and wife, and I don't see him that way at all. He's a death eater and a terrible human being and I agree that he probably should have died at the end of the last book, but that doesn't mean that he's incapable of loving other people, and I wanted to show that. (Wow, am I making any sense at all? Fail on me. :P) Yay! I am very glad I'm making you think and that you like this so much! :) Thank you again. You have really made my day with these. You rock as a secret santa. Your Name: Reason for this Report: • The review is offensive. • The review was double posted. • The review has formatting problems. Repeat the number: 745 Submit Report:
20 December 2013 Busy hands are happy hands?.... Busy hands are happy hands...or so the saying goes, but are they? I have been thinking a lot about this lately, in the context of my own life, the lives of the women I know and in the context of the changes I am making. Here is what I am coming to see and understand. In today's society women are expected (often by other women) to be successful, and it seems to me that it is hard to define success and so by default success has been defined by how busy someone is. How many volunteer committees are you involved in, how many nights a week are you running to and from meetings, or children's activities, how many mornings do you rise with a full plate of things to do places to be? How many businesses do you have your hand in? How much networking are you getting in, to push those businesses? How many hours do you spend working to get ahead? I stopped... I stopped to ask myself these questions and to take a moment to define what success meant to me. via my pinterest I stopped and looked at my life from the inside out, not from the outside in as I had been, and here is what I saw. I saw someone who from the outside in may have looked like she had it all together. I saw someone who was busy on this committee or that committee, going to that meeting and this meeting. I saw a woman who worked to make her business successful and who spent many hours away from her family in order to do that ( even if she was physically present). I saw a woman who spent quiet moments alone wondering about how her children were but not being with her children. I saw a woman who was living with her shoulders up around her ears tight with tension and stress trying to please everyone around her, trying to be heard and seen doing the 'important things' I saw a woman who missed an entire session of her children's swimming lessons because she had a business to run. I saw a woman who when the weekend came and her children's eyes would light up at the idea of being together as a family had to tell her children no, she had to go to work. I saw a woman who had no time to visit her eldest daughter as she begins her life and career. I saw a woman who had lost sight of her priorities. I saw a woman I did not like, nor want to be. Now, not everyone will stop to look and not like what they see. Some people will be completely happy to spread themselves thin and stretch their limits and challenge themselves. For some people this will give them purpose and meaning. It will fill them with pride and contentment. Some will be able to balance the many facets of their lives in a way that makes them feel whole. Not me. I love my family, my children, my husband and they are my priority. I want to have as much time and flexibility to be with them as I can. I want to be able to be present in all ways, not just physical. I want to stop checking emails and messages every ten seconds because I might miss something. I want to not have a tension headache all the time. I want to feel normal again...whatever that is. You see, the thing is only you can decide what is right for you, but many of us are trapped or wrapped up in this notion that being busy equates to being successful...it does not...in my case it just makes me tired. And so as change is the only constant in this world, I am making changes, and I am happier for it. I left all the committees I was on. I stepped away, and the world did not crumble. I am closing the business we have worked at for the last four years because now is not the time for this...now is a time to be a mom, and while I will have to work outside the home, I will come home at the end of a day and be present. I will have weekends to spend with my children and I will have vacations to take. Hopefully my shoulders will drop and the headaches will lessen. I will be a dedicated employee but when it is time to head home, I will be a dedicated wife and mother. This will be my definition of success. I wish each of you your own definition of success. 1 comment: 1. Well Done! I think it is great you decided to get off the bus & walk. Blessings for 2014. CC
Thursday, December 10, 2009 What Causes Economic Growth? . Thursday, December 10, 2009 Nothing. And everything. William Easterly reviews an important new article: Despite Climategate, even a superficial reading seems to indicate that there is enough evidence for effects of man-made activity on the climate. Surprisingly, there is a lot less evidence for effects of man-made activity on something that actually is completely man-made: the rate of economic growth in each country. I had this frustrating thought as I was reading an important new paper, “Determinants of Economic Growth: Will Data Tell?” [1] The paper gives a conclusive and resounding answer to the question in the title: no. It has taken economists a lot of hard work to attain this level of sublime ignorance. There were three steps in the the great History of Evolving Cluelessness: 1. Economists spent the past two decades trying every possible growth determinant in sight. They found evidence for 145 different variables (according to an article published in 2005). That was a bit too many in a sample of only about one hundred countries. What was happening is there would be evidence for Determinants A, B, C, and D when tried one at a time to explain growth. But the evidence for A disappeared when you also controlled for some combination of B, C, and D, and/or vice versa. (Interestingly enough, foreign aid never even merited inclusion in the list of 145 variables.) 2. The Columbia economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin and co-authors ran millions of regressions on all possible combinations of 7 variables out of the many possible determinants of growth. Skipping a lot of technical detail, they essentially averaged out the millions of regressions to see which determinants had evidence for them in most regressions. There was hope: some were robust! For example, the idea that malaria prevalence hinders growth found consistent support. 3. This new paper by Ciccone and Jarocinski found that every time the growth data are revised, or if the sample is changed to another equally plausible one, the results vanish on the “robust” variables and new “robust” variables appear. Goodbye, malaria, hello, democracy. Except the new “robust” determinants are no longer believable if minor differences between equally plausible samples changes what is robust. So nothing is robust. There is more at the link, including whether we should think of the growth literature as GrowthGate. What Causes Economic Growth? There was an error in this gadget Add to Technorati Favorites
Fiat 500C: First Drive The Fiat 500C is neither fast or sporty. But how can you not have a blast driving a convertible this cute? Disclaimer: Chrysler and Fiat wanted us to drive the Fiat 500 C so badly that we had to email them the day before the drive to get a spot because they hadn't sent us an invite, despite it being here in New York City. We accepted no travel or housing for the event, even buying our own train ticket back to the city at the end of the drive. But Laura Soave did feed us home-made mozzarella from a restaurant in Rhinecliff, NY. It tasted amazing. But I got sick later that night. I'm still not convinced the two are tied together. Or maybe I just want them not to be. The difference between the Fiat 500 and the 500C all comes down to one letter — "C." The letter stands for "Cabrio," a word in olde European tongues meaning "convertible." And the Fiat 500C is — sorta. In reality, it's looks more like Fiat took a 500 and slapped a giant ragtop-style sunroof extending from the A-pillar all the way back to the "boot" (another fancy-schmancy Euro-spec term meaning "trunk"). That doesn't mean it's unattractive. In fact, it's absolutely adorable. That's because the Italians do two things exceedingly well. The first is food. The second? Looking good topless. The Fiat 500C is no exception to that second rule, even on a rainy day in stop-and-go Manhattan traffic. Fiat 500C: First Drive But not only is the drop-top slider-roof attractive to look at, it's also easy to use — it can be operated by push-button to the spoiler position at 50 MPH and all the way to a rear view-demolishing "fully open" position at 60 MPH. And it doesn't leak either. The changes made to add the trick roof only added an extra 53 pounds to an already relatively light car. And adding that minor weight change to the same 101-HP 1.4-liter MultiAir four-banger and the same choice between a five-speed manny tranny or a six-speed slushbox means you get pretty much the same driving experience as the non-C Cinquecento — except maybe a touch slower than the 9.5-second 0-to-60 time. Unlike many convertibles that have to fight against cowl shake, that isn't a problem here as there's no cowl to shake. So, the car drives just as tightly in "sport" mode as the last Fiat 500 we drove earlier this year. So, basically, go read the old review to see what we thought of that to know how the "C" drives. Fiat 500C: First Drive The only difference being that with the top down, the engine note sounds great at 3,000 RPM and higher. The other difference, strangely, is that my 6'3" frame fits even better in the Fiat 500C than in the regular 500. Seriously, I have more headroom. Don't ask me how. But with a base price of the "Pop" version starting at $20,000 (about $4,000 more than the base 500) you'll have to ask whether the added cost justifies the quasi-drop-top. In my mind, absolutely. Even at that price point — this car is still the cheapest convertible you can buy in the U.S. It's fairly fuel-efficient too. The 500C's EPA fuel-economy estimate comes in at 30 mpg city/38 highway for the manual, and 27/32 for the automatic. The Fiat 500C is quicker, cheaper and just as retro as a base Mini Cooper convertible. Seems like an adorable alternative to me. But, if you're like us, you're probably more interested in waiting for the version with a little scorpion on the hood. Because we like our topless two-doors with a bit more spice.
Monday, April 14, 2014 Fine Finishings Boot Camp: Test your Product by Staci Louise Smith No matter what you purchase, chances are, it went through some sort of testing before it was put on the market. I love this picture- the ultimate phone testers, kids! Why should the arts be any different? We as artists want to stand out, to be respected. We ask that people buy handmade, and support small business. If we don't offer them a quality product, then why would they want to? No matter what your medium is, you need to test your product. If you make ceramics for food, you need to test your glazes to ensure they are food safe. If you do mixed media, you want to make sure your papers, your sealers, and whatever else you use, will stand the test of time and not fade or fall apart down the road. And if you make jewelry, testing should be a normal part of your creative process. People wear jewelry. I mean, they WEAR it. Some people wear it harder then others. I learned so much the hard way- using too thin of wire, not securing crimps well, or crimping too tight. I had things returned to me to re-make. There is nothing worse then that. Let me say that again, there is nothing worse then someone returning a broken product. My point is, that, if you plan to sell your product, make sure you really know and understand your medium. You should know all about it, whether it be metal or polymer, ceramic or fibers. You should know what it is made of, how it reacts with other products, and how it wears in the long term. Knowing all this is a great start, so you know what you should be testing for. I remember when I learned to solder from a friend. We painstakingly took time to solder two things together, and after it was done, she said, "now try to break it". and I was like, "are you kidding me???" And she so wisely replied, "do you want it to break for you now so you can fix it right, or break for your customer?" And she was right. (solder needs to flow just right or it will break, even if it feels like it has a hold, if it didn't' flow just right, its not a solid bond. sometimes you don't have a good connection to the metal either...ect) So I try to break my soldered pieces. I also yank my crimp beads after I am done (I have a hate hate relationship with them). I have a long list of things I do, to ensure to the best of my abilities, that things won't come back to me. When I use patina, I seal and seal and seal and wax my metal. And I still found out the hard way that it will wear off if worn against suntan lotion. With the internet, and so much access to new mediums and information on them, many people are branching out and trying new mediums, and that is wonderful. However, if you are trying something new, please educate yourself, before you sell it. You will be happy you did down the road. It will help you to make the best quality product you can. It will help you to know what to test for. Test things, wear them, test them in the environments that they may encounter. I will even give other people samples to try out sometimes, just because everyone wears jewelry different, everyone has different body chemistry. Here are some questions you can ask yourself so you can properly test your product. 1. How and wear is it worn, and does it work well for that part of the body? For example: ankle bracelets, my nemesis. I found that no matter what I did, a crimped, strung ankle bracelet will not hold up for everybody. I have never broken one, but it seemed that everyone else did. So i had to switch to heavy gauge wire and chain, AND make them adjustable so that they can be worn at just the right place on each persons ankle where they won't have stress on them. Another example: Earrings- are they too light, sometimes if they are too light, they catch in the hair and hang sideways. Do they have wild wire frills or things sticking out that will catch in someones hair if it is long or curly? Are they too heavy and unwearable? I could go on and on. So consider your piece of jewelry, and how it will be worn, and how that will look on a variety of people. 2. Does my product need to be sealed? And if so, what is the best sealer to use for longevity, skin sensitivity, and that will NOT react with my product down the road? Certain things like, patina metal, and polymer clay (if it is painted or has a surface treatment added), need to be sealed. In both cases, there are products that are great for this, and products you should never use. In the case of polymer clay, you should stick with water based products. Other finishes can eat away at the clay over time. So it may look good for a week or so, but down the road get gummy. 3. Can I wear it comfortably? This is a big one. WEAR your jewelry every time you make something. even if it is only for a few hours. Wear it, rub your fingers all over it. Make sure there are no wires sticking up, nothing poking, no rough spots. Make sure connections are secure, things hang properly. These are just a few things you can ask yourself, so you can begin to test your product. This is YOU that you are selling. Your art, is a little piece of you. It is more then vision, it is execution. It is tangible. So make it well, make sure it will last, and your business will continue to grow, because people are happy to come back, and buy new jewelry, because they know it is a good investment. I hope you can learn from some of my fails! I will be sharing in the weeks to come some little tid bits and tricks I have learned to avoid these kinds of issues in your work! Is there anything YOU learned the hard way, that you wish you had tested for? What would be your best advice for those just starting to sell their work? Kathleen Lange Klik said... Great article! You touched on a lot of good points that are really important for a designer. I too give my pieces, especially the chunky bold ones, a test run to make sure they lay flat and are comfortable to wear. I also yank at my delicate chain necklaces to make sure the clasps are secure! Thanks for sharing your thought process, it was very educational! Erika said... This is a great post, Staci! lindalandig said... Good post. I used to use thinner stringing wire, than I do now. Some of those older pieces broke. :( Jenny said... What would I tell a new jewelry maker? 1. Not everyone has a lovely long neck. Longer earrings are easier to design and look fantastic on some women, but if it's over 2", it looks strange on me and often catches in my clothing. 2. Not only do I not have a skinny neck, I also have a variety of necklines, so I need every necklace to be adjustable. A necklace that looks great with a v-neck sweater or shirt, is hidden when I wear a shirt with a collar. I get tired of always having to ask to have necklaces lengthened, and often will just pass them by rather than mess with it. stacilouise said... Jenny- GREAT points! I make almost everything adjustable for that very reason. I know that for me personally, if I love a necklace, I want to be able to wear it with many different outfits. It is more worth my money that way as well. Thank you for sharing! Shirley Moore said... Great post Staci! As a matter of fact, I was wearing a favorite bracelet yesterday, and noticed that the beads surrounding the clasp loop were pulling away from the body of the bracelet. As it is a flat peyote weave, it is rather noticeable. I am a 'hard' style of person on my jewelry, so it may not be an issue for others, but it was a good learning moment for me. Artisan Beads Plus said... Great advice! One thing that I ALWAYS do is wear a new bracelet or a necklace. There have been times that I have found something scratches me or it doesn't hang right,etc. It is worth it! The problem with that, however, is sometimes I don't want to give them up and end up keeping them for myself!!! lol! Joy Allford said... Thanks for a great article, do you suggest trying each piece or each design type? Thanks, Joy Liz-Anna said... Such good information and advice! Thank you for sharing. Shel said... Super great article. Putting your designs through the 'research and development' phase is a natural part of customer service, but one of the hardest I believe. My sister is my 'tester'. She wears everything in the shower, the sea water, while washing dishes, puts lotion on over them, etc. Yes, even her leather, cord or ribbon pieces, which is just horrible, but it helps me decide if I want a piece to have any fibers or base metals in it or not. The advice I would give new designers is 'know your clientele'. If they are hard on their pieces or want to keep them for years, or possibly decades to pass down to family members, go for only the highest quality materials available in the market. Also, find out if your clients are up for taking care of base metals vs. fine metals - because the care of each one can be different through the years and if they know in advance, they tend to treat things a little 'nicer' and thus, their jewelry looks better and lasts longer. :-) 13 said... The best thing I did was getting my own ears pierced. It really helped me understand weight and movement issues, as well as sensitivity issues. Bracelets too...try taking a cardigan off whilst wearing one, it's a great test for clasps. Genevieve said... Very good advice! Like Shel my sister is my tester. Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Trip Tern Will Create Your Travel Itinerary Name: Trip Tern One-Liner Pitch: Trip Tern will plan out the itinerary for your next getaway. Why It's Taking Off: Trip Tern’s goal is to make your travel planning easier by creating an itinerary that includes information about your city, hotel and interests. Planning a trip to a new city is time-consuming and often requires researching restaurants, hotels, transportation and more on various travel websites. Now, one India-based startup hopes to simplify that process by being a one-stop destination for all your trip planning needs. Trip Tern is a social travel site that prepares your own travel itinerary for your next trip in just a few minutes. Users can select the destination, hotel, dates and attractions that they’re interested in, and Trip Tern will create an itinerary with all of the information. Trip Tern also provides a map that shows the location of the hotel and attractions nearby. “We found that when planning your own trips, travel sites just give you information and a list of places to see without any direction,” Shailendra Sason, co-founder of Trip Tern, told Mashable. “Trip Tern creates the perfect itinerary so that you have an optimized plan for however long you are staying in a city.” Users can edit the itineraries as needed to suit any changes to their travel plans. Similar to the online travel organizer TripIt, Trip Tern lets you share your itinerary online with friends and family. TripIt’s itinerary feature, however, allows users to include more detailed information about their trips, such as flight and hotel details, weather and driving directions. Although users cannot book hotels on Trip Tern, the company plans to add this option and earn revenue from it in the future. The team is also considering giving users the option to contact travel agents in their desired city directly from the site. As you visit new destinations from Trip Tern’s list of cities, you can build a collection of your trips with photos that you can share with friends. Trip Tern also lets you keep up with your friends’ travel adventures by showing you their photos and details about their trips each time you log on to the site. Trip Tern is currently in beta and has 6,000 users, many of whom have been exploring New York and London as possible travel destinations. Although there are only 16 cities to choose from on its website, the company will soon add more cities in Europe, North America and South America. The startup is also planning to develop a mobile app, create a local language glossary and add details about weather and transportation to itineraries. Trip Tern is self-funded and expects to launch publicly in March. Images courtesy of Flickr, mkosut and Trip Tern Load Comments What's New What's Rising What's Hot
Limited U.S. Strikes ... Followed By Major Attacks On U.S. Aug 28, 2013 Originally published on August 28, 2013 4:23 pm As President Obama weighs a possible limited military strike against Syria, he may want to consider the track record of his predecessors on this front. It's not encouraging. The Obama administration and several before it have seen limited attacks as a way to send a tough message without drawing the U.S. into a larger conflict. But critics say such strikes rarely, if ever, inflict serious damage or change the behavior of those targeted. And worse, limited U.S. military action has been followed by some of the deadliest attacks against American targets over the past three decades. "If this is indeed the sort of attack on Syria that the president is contemplating, it is not likely to be very effective," writes Mark Katz, a professor at George Mason University and a frequent commentator on the Middle East. "Indeed, it may encourage [President Bashar Assad] to launch even more chemical weapons attacks due to the belief that while US retaliation may be annoying, it will not threaten the survival of his regime." Here's a list of several limited U.S. strikes in recent decades: Lebanon, 1983: U.S. warships in the Mediterranean shelled Beirut for several days in support of the Lebanese army, which was led by Christians fighting Muslim factions in the country's anarchic civil war. A month after the U.S. shelling, Shiite Muslim suicide bombers struck at the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut on Oct. 23, killing 241 Marines. This remains the biggest loss of life of U.S. military personnel on a single day since World War II. President Reagan subsequently ordered the Marines out of Lebanon in February 1984; the Lebanese civil war carried on for six more years. A military committee appointed by Reagan found that American commanders believed the U.S. shelling of Beirut led to the bombing of the Marine barracks. Libya, 1986: Libya was implicated in the deadly bombing of a disco in Berlin frequented by U.S. servicemen. In response, Reagan ordered a one-night bombing raid on Libya, which targeted the compound of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The Libyan leader survived, and two years later, in December 1988, a Pan Am plane was blown up over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people on the plane and the ground. Many of the dead were Americans. After a protracted international legal fight, Libya acknowledged involvement and paid compensation of $1.5 billion in 2008. Gadhafi remained in power until 2011, when a more sustained NATO air campaign helped rebels drive him from power. Afghanistan and Sudan, 1998: Al-Qaida blew up the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in August, and President Clinton responded two weeks later with a brief barrage of cruise missile strikes directed at al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan and a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan, a country that supported al-Qaida. The strikes inflicted limited damage and al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden interpreted this as a lack of U.S. resolve to engage in a major confrontation. Al-Qaida attacked the USS Cole while it was in port in Yemen in 2000 and followed that a year later with the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and Washington. Iraq, 1993, 1996 and 1998: On several occasions in the 1990s, Clinton ordered limited airstrikes and cruise missile attacks against Iraq. The intent was to put pressure on Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein following aggressive action by his forces against opposition groups or by his refusal to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors. However, the Iraqi leader remained firmly in control until the U.S. ground invasion in 2003 that ousted Saddam. Eight years of war followed until the U.S. forces withdrew in 2011. Despite many years of tense relations between Syria and the U.S., Syria has not been directly implicated in any major attacks against the U.S. However, Syria's close allies, Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, have been linked to actions that range from kidnapping Americans to terrorist attacks. Copyright 2013 NPR. To see more, visit
Identify Colors Detected From Mouse Cursor With Colorblind Assistant People suffering from color blindness cannot always differentiate between different elements of applications and webpages that are in green or red shades, including both text and background color. Most applications, which are designed to reduce the color effects, cater for only some types of color blindness. This means that users end up having to manually adjust color intensity to suit their needs. We earlier covered an application known as Washer, which helped reduce this problem. This time we have another useful application for people suffering from color blindness, labelled Colorblind Assistant. It detects colors from your mouse pointer by providing you with a written name of the color on which your cursor is placed. Moreover, it also provides other useful data about the color, such as the RGB (Red, Green and Blue) values, bar graphs, brightness and saturation. The utility comes with a zoom pane for fine pixel detection. Colorblind Assistant sits in the system tray after being launched, and has a small 192×128 window that you can easily use alongside your regular applications, without any obstructions. The below screenshots demonstrate the utility of Colorblind Assistant and the data it provides about the color detected from the cursor. Colorblind Assistant can be particularly of great help to professionals and other kind of enthusiasts who require dealing with the red and green color as apart of their important activities and suffer from color blindness. Some examples include people who require editing videos, creating graphics, gamers, etc. For example, a weapon labeled in red or green color maybe of vital importance for a gamer, but he might not be able to see that color due to his/her color blindness. Moving the cursor on the weapon and seeing the color name can help such gamers get extra gaming points. Colorblind Assistant works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Download Colorblind Assistant • Mike I’m so happy to have found this from being on your emailing list! It’s an extreme benefit to use this app and will change the way I use my PC, such as sorting and customizing. Thanks guys! • P Gamble01 is there a colourblind assistant for use on MAC OS please
Oasis have scrapped their upcoming sixth album, after the muted response given to two new songs they showcased at last weekend's (25JUN04) Glastonbury FESTIVAL. Noel Gallagher and bandmates will return to the studio and restart recording the new material from scratch, after their two latest tracks failed to capture the musical festival crowd's imagination during their set at the seminal event on Friday. Guitarist Gallagher says, "It's back to the drawing board. Hopefully it will be out by the end of the year (04) but I wouldn't have thought so." Earlier this year (04) the British band recorded the LP with dance stars Death In Vegas as producers, before sessions ground to a halt. Gallagher explains, "We've got to decide what kind of record we're going to do now. What we tried with Death in Vegas didn't happen. The moment's passed for those songs." 30/06/2004 14:04
Apple TV hacked to run weather app Well, that didn't take long. Greenpois0n jailbroke the new Apple TV just yesterday, and PwnageTool 4.1 this afternoon, and we've already got what appears to be the first custom software successfully running on the device. As you can see, it's a simple weather app, designed by a tiny software firm called nitoTV, but it's a harbinger of things to come when developers get cracking on the Apple TV in earnest. See a picture of nitoTV's custom launcher after the break, while your subconscious frantically tries to figure out what the four cities in the above pic could possibly have in common.
3 Ingredients to a Kick-Ass Restaurant 3 Ingredients to a Kick-Ass Restaurant Image credit: Shutterstock Running a successful restaurant involves some crucial aspects beyond the obvious concerns of location, type of cuisine, rent and utilities. What matters most is your food, your staff and you, at the personal level. If done the right way, your restaurant will thrive and stay on top. Here are three critical factors that will propel your restaurant to the next level above the competition: 1. A strong food identity. Your food is your identity. You first must portray yourself in a very definable way to your customers so they can equate you as the "go to -- fill in the blank with your cuisine." Failure to define yourself is a huge mistake when trying to separate yourself from your competition. For example, there are a bunch of Italian restaurants out there, which means there has to be something about your food that makes it stand out if you're offering Italian cuisine. How can you make your food kick-ass? • Uniqueness. Get people's attention with original dishes. If you can make traditional dishes just 10 percent better, you'll have an inspiring and stimulating palette your customers will get excited about. • Go local. Get some local farm fresh produce. Not only are you bringing in very fresh ingredients, you are supporting the local economy. Customers will take notice. • Don't be cheap. Spend the money on a chef. I don't care if you obtain the best ingredients in the world, without a seasoned, proven chef, you are doomed. Make the wise investment and hire someone great Related: Unique Theme Gives Sandwich Franchise a Boost 2. A stand-out staff. You need to hire people who have a passion for the industry, a sense of urgency when handling customers and a willingness to be part of your team. The service experience is right up there with food when it comes to the top two elements to a magnificent dining experience. They need to be working in sync because if they are not, you could end up with Yelp reviews that minimally praise the food but ruthlessly criticize the service. Your customers want to not only eat good food. They want to be treated like royalty. How can you be kick-ass with your staff? • Create a process. Create employee manuals containing your processes and procedures, and ensure they are updated regularly. This gives your staff a way to succeed as a unified team moving in the same direction. There is nothing worse than attempting to manage a bunch of individuals trying to do the same thing, each in their own way. • Train them well. Your staff has to know their job. Ensure your staff gets thorough book training on procedures along with on-the-job training complete with food tasting and menu education. Basic training should also include job shadowing a veteran staff member. Don’t stop there. Expose the staff member to other job roles, which will allow for position flexibility in case someone can't show up for work and leaves you hanging. • Solicit their feedback. Stay communicating and more importantly, don't stop listening. Give real-time feedback and think of yourself as a coach to your team. You don't have to portray yourself as almighty. Look beyond your ego and start putting your people first. Related: What You Can Learn From the Simple Brilliance of Chipotle's Design 3. A personality people love. Restaurants don't fail, people fail. As the owner, you are the "people." Whatever happens under your flag is your doing. That could be hiring a manager who underperformed or dictating a menu that was too long and complicated. The responsibility at the end of the day rests on your shoulders. How can you be kick-ass with yourself? • Self-reflect regularly. The toughest thing for you to do is self-critique. It is not in our nature to tell ourselves we are wrong. As a leader, it's okay to be vulnerable and allow yourself to be exposed. That doesn't make you weak; it actually makes you more authentic and respectable. • Ask for feedback. Ask your managers and staff for honest feedback. Let it be known that honesty is the only way for you to improve as a manager and leader. And don't forget your staff extends further than just managers and servers. You should be listening to your line cooks just as much as your executive chef. Customer feedback is also very important to the growth and development of your restaurant. Let it be known that you want to know what customers think to make their experience better. • Keep growing. You can always improve. What's more, your staff has great ideas, so ask them. Your business needs to keep growing to thrive and it's vitally important you grow with it. Related: Top Food Franchises of 2013 View Comments (0)
What causes the pink stain on bathroom fixtures? Add your answer... 1 Answer The reddish-pink stain or residue that is frequently found around bathroom sinks, shower stalls, and pets' water bowls, is not by the water supply but by naturally occurring airborne bacteria that produce a reddish pigment. There are numerous bacteria in the environment that find their way onto bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Most do not cause disease. These bacteria are found in soil, food, and on animals, and they may become airborne because of construction or wind. It is not uncommon to find the pinkish film appearing after new construction or remodeling activities. This link is broken. Help us! Thanks for your feedback! Related Videos
poll: how many swarms do you have? • Topic Archived 1. Boards 2. Call of Duty: Black Ops II 3. poll: how many swarms do you have? 3 years ago#51 JVel91 posted... for life. I usually just run UAV-CUAV-GUARDIAN Works good. Rainbow Dash is best pony. brohoof anyone? ^-^ /) ? # of Brohooves gotten-170! :D Started Feb. 2012 (Tac-45 <3) 3 years ago#52 3 legit and 4 from care pack 3 years ago#53 Never even unlocked it. I prefer to use my gun instead of streaks that do all the work by themselves. 3 years ago#54 0, and it'll probably always be that way. UAV - Free kill - CUAV Proud to be a farm animal until someone tells me otherwise. 3 years ago#55 1 CP - 1 Earned Didn't use it again though as I didn't have the patience to wait that long to get one and I like UAV - CUAV - VSAT more. 3 years ago#56 I normally cba to change my streaks once it's available and I prestige soon after anyway. Not going to spend a permanent token on it. Got a few in care packages though. Plus everyone always seems to switch to blind eye or hides inside when I see people use it, they hardly get any kills. Highest I run is dogs. Gonna spend my next perma unlock on dogs so I can get some use out of them without waiting so long. PSN: theguitarist 3 years ago#57 Quit running it after it hit a thousand kills because it is the single-most surefire way to ruin a perfectly fine lobby. The chances of everyone on the other team leaving are so close to 100% that it simply does not measure up to that one 100+ you might get in the legendary coincidence that no one leaves. Dogs and Lodestar are in the same boat, pretty much. Third row of scorestreaks masterrace. 3 years ago#58 ThugLife247 posted... that's hypocritical, not ironic. doesn't matter because i'm not a terrible poster since i don't go off and correct people's grammar for entertainment on the internet no less That isn't hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is when you say "I hate people who run high scoresteaks because it ruIns the game." And then you run high scoresteaks. That "he's a terrible poster" is subjective (based off an opinion) and it's too bad you can't take constructive criticism for your language usage. 3 years ago#59 30 right now. I'm kinda competing with a friend to see who can get the most. \o/ Administering jolly ass-whoopings everyday. 3 years ago#60 3 for me. Twice on Raid. Once on Hijacked. All 3 times I got a rubbish amount of kills for a 1900 pointstreak, roughly between 4-6 each. I have only got K9 once, and that got me 18 kills. GT: FixdSwine 1. Boards 2. Call of Duty: Black Ops II 3. poll: how many swarms do you have? Report Message Terms of Use Violations: Etiquette Issues: Notes (optional; required for "Other"): Add user to Ignore List after reporting Topic Sticky You are not allowed to request a sticky. • Topic Archived
MATLAB Answers James Potter Why is timer object firing at an incorrect frame rate? Asked by James Potter on 16 Jan 2013 I am using a timer object to try to enforce a frame rate of 25 Hz (0.04 seconds per period) for a few minutes. When I use tic/toc to see how long each 25-frame "second" takes, it is not one second. The time-per-second depends on what I have running in the TimerFcn. I have seen a string of 1.1-second "seconds", and other times there are strings of 0.92-second "seconds". I am confused because when I use the "AveragePeriod" method, the timer always thinks it has perfect timing, and has an average period of 0.04 seconds. Even if the actual periods seem to be 10% off. Does the timer use a completely different system than the tic/toc functions? I am running it in 'FixedRate' mode, so it should run the TimerFcn every 0.04 seconds. I have tried it with both 'drop' and 'queue' options for the BusyAction. Doug Hull on 16 Jan 2013 How long does the timerfcn take to run? Please show the code for construction of the timer object. James Potter on 17 Jan 2013 Here's how I'm defining the timer: trialTimer = timer('ExecutionMode', 'FixedRate', 'Period', 0.04, 'TimerFcn', @RunOneFrame, 'TasksToExecute', 115*25, 'StartDelay', 0); As an experiment, I made RunOneFrame contain almost nothing. In the Profile Viewer, timer.wait took up over 95% of the self time, so excessive computation time wasn't an issue. Using get(trialTimer, 'AveragePeriod) gave answers of 0.04 seconds, but the time measured with tic/toc (output every second) showed that 0.94 seconds was passing for each 25-frame set, instead of 1 second. The computer is running MATLAB 2012a, with Windows XP operating system. It has 1 GB of RAM (it's a little old). James Potter on 18 Jan 2013 Again, the main thing that confuses me is the difference between what the timer thinks its average period is, and what the actual average period is. I don't know what would cause these to be different. No products are associated with this question. 0 Answers Discover what MATLAB® can do for your career. Opportunities for recent engineering grads. Apply today
JUBA, South Sudan -- In a sign a new peace deal may not hold, South Sudan's government and rebels accused each other of attacks Saturday that come after the cease-fire was supposed to take hold. If the attacks continue, government troops will defend themselves, said Information Minister Michel Makeur Lueth. The peace deal was signed Thursday night but did not go into effect for 24 hours, said Lueth. Rebel spokesman Lul Ruai Koang countered "It is government forces who are breaking the cease-fire, not us. ... they attacked our positions and immediately accused us of breaching the cease-fire. The minister would not say where the fighting was taking place on Saturday. Koang said they were attacked in Unity and Jonglei states "and we fought back in self-defense." Government leaders had expressed fear that fighters in Jonglei known as the White Army would not abide by the deal. "These are rebels and they are undisciplined people and not a regular force and have no central command, and for that matter it is not strange that they immediately violated it," Lueth said. Still, he said the peace deal "was not a waste of time," adding, "We will try our level best to ensure the cessation of hostilities is properly effected and monitored." The conflict between government forces and rebels loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar has forced 500,000 people from their homes and killed thousands since hostilities broke out Dec. 15. Meanwhile, a U.S. based conflict prevention group, the Satellite Sentinel Project, said new satellite images of South Sudan show that fighting resulted in the intentional burning of some 750 homes near the town of Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity state. "These scorched-earth tactics have destroyed homes and residential areas, and put women, children, and families in great danger," said Akshaya Kumar, the South Sudan analyst for the U.S. based Enough Project. Bentiu has changed hands twice "with several rounds of bitter, protracted battles inflicting heavy damage," it said. The U.N. says both sides have committed gross violations of human rights during the conflict, in which entire army battalions defected to the rebels made up of mainly Nuer fighters loyal to Machar. Government troops are mainly from the president's Dinka tribe.
SailNet Community - Reply to Topic Thread: Rawson30 Bluewater move it away from NJ to Bermuda or Carrib. and use up to 3 months Reply to Thread Send Trackbacks to (Separate multiple URLs with spaces) : Post Icons Register Now User Name: Confirm Password: Email Address Please enter a valid email address for yourself. Email Address: Human Verification Additional Options Miscellaneous Options 'Submit Reply' button below Topic Review (Newest First) 08-22-2006 11:22 PM hellosailor Bill- "What in the world would I need as far as documentation from the owner so that I ACTUALLY own the boat after paying for it?" Your best bet is to contact the USCG Vessel Documentation Center directly, they can tell you what is required to register/title and/or document the boat in the US. There is specific paperwork that is and is not acceptable. Similarly, you would need to contact the embassy for whatever country "your" purchase is located in. As a non-citizen of that country, you may not be able to get the equivalent of documentation. But whatever you can get--you'll want to confirm it directly with their authorities before you go. If you are dealing with an established brokerage, they may be familiar with it--but verify it directly. You wouldn't want to find out you'd bought a boat, sailed it home, and then someone filed a title lien on it because you didn't know something, right? And, coming into the US from South America...wouldn't you really rather be SURE the USCG was going to let you in? Back on Johny's topic... is the actual visa application form for visitors coming to the US. Among the questions are who will pay for your trip, where and how long are you staying, who is your employer or school, and have you ever been convicted. The actual criteria are not listed, but I would suspect that if someone said "Well, I'm not really staying anyplace, I'm not staying with anyone, and I'm not employed" they would say no visa. And that's actually the global NORM. For big nations and small ones. Flying or sailing IN and planning to hoof it out? Many will require some kind of proof that you're financially able, or that the exit ticket is prepaid regardless of whether you use it. But when you don't have specific answers for the visa application questions....Uhuh. 08-22-2006 07:12 PM MileHigh Thank you again sailingdog. Good things to hear. 08-22-2006 06:35 PM Originally Posted by Cruisingdad Which is why I always fly the CrossBones flag. THere is honor amongst thieves. HAHA So what do you do when the US Navy pulls along side?? LOL 08-22-2006 06:19 PM 08-22-2006 06:14 PM sailingdog There are advantages to sailing under an American flag. The US Navy is currently engaging pirates in some of the worst hit areas, and being a US-flagged vessel makes it more likely they will help you. That said, most pirates are not really all that interested in smaller, older boats, as there isn't as much to gain from attacking them. The bigger yatchs are definitely ripe targets... 08-22-2006 05:40 PM MileHigh Yes, that does make sense. I will rephrase, Where would you not want to sail as an American vessel? Thanks again, 08-18-2006 11:22 PM sailingdog Depends on where you're sailing... 08-18-2006 10:58 PM Thank you Thank you for the information sailing dog. I really appreciate it! Is it possible that an American flagged boat is more of a 'target' these days, times being what they are? 08-18-2006 08:58 PM sailingdog If you can register her in Brazil, you can sail her under the Brazillian flag, other wise you should probably get her documented in the United States. USCG documentation is far more advantageous for a boat bound for foreign shores, if you are an American Citizen....if you're not, you're not allowed to USCG document a boat. USCG documentation is internationally recognized, where state registration is not. In many countries, with a USCG documented boat, you can check in with Customs, and then check out, and pay just a single fee to the country... with a state registered boat, you may have to pay the fee at each port and check in and out at each port. If your boat is USCG documented, it is internationally recoginized as a flagged vessel of the United States and gives you some legal protections not available to a state-registered boat. Getting financing is often easier on a USCG documented boat. USCG documentation is often cheaper if you intend to keep the boat a long it is a one time fee of $300, and renewal is free. State registration is an annual fee....not as expensive usually, but over the years more expensive. Generally, for ownership, it depends on the country and place the boat is currently registered.... often you need the Builder's certificate and the title. You would probably need to consult a broker or marine law attorney to do this properly. Getting insurance may be possible, but I'd imagine would require a full-survey by a competent surveyor that is approved by your insurance company for plywood boats. 08-18-2006 10:02 AM Sonofasonofasailor Nice hi-jack of an outrageous thread. At least there are now legitimate questions and discussions to be had. Sorry though I cannot help you with the answers. Posting Rules You may post new threads You may post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts BB code is On Smilies are On [IMG] code is On HTML code is On For the best viewing experience please update your browser to Google Chrome
Saudi prince proposes oil war with Iran June 30, 2011 at 11:52 AM \| License Photo DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, June 30 (UPI) -- Underlining the escalating cold war between Saudi Arabia and its rival Iran, former intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal proposes the kingdom use its oil power to drive down prices to batter the Islamic Republic's sanctions-hit economy. That would ratchet up tensions in the Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East at a time of unprecedented political upheaval. Iran and other hawks in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries blocked Saudi-led efforts to boost oil production to bring down prices, driven up sharply by the region-wide turmoil, at the cartel's summit in Vienna June 8. But the Saudis have already boosted their production, and industry analysts say Riyadh is likely to reach 9.5 million barrels per day, the highest level in three decades and near the kingdom's maximum capability. Prices have slipped back from $127 a barrel earlier this year to around $100 a barrel. That was due to the Saudi action, and also to the decision by the Paris-based International Energy Agency to release up to 60 million barrels over the coming month from strategic stockpiles. But the effort by the IEA, the West's energy watchdog, is likely to be limited, and it will be up to OPEC moderates like Saudi Arabia to ensure prices remain at a manageable level. The Financial Times said the IEA release of strategic reserves was a stopgap measure until "the oil from the Gulf arrives, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates will still find a market for their extra oil." Turki stressed Saudi Arabia was prepared to replace Iran in the global market, thus depriving Tehran of vital revenues to keep its sagging economy functioning -- and funding its nuclear and long-range missile programs. "To put this into perspective, Saudi Arabia has so much (spare) production capacity -- 4 million bpd -- that we could almost instantly replace all if Iran's production." That currently stands at 4.2 million bpd. Iran invariably favors high prices, but it wants to push them up as high as it can these days to counter the growing impact of U.N. sanctions imposed in June 2010, reinforced by U.S. and European Union sanctions, on its oil-dependent economy. The friction between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran -- one the recognized leader of the Muslim world, the other a fundamentalist challenger -- goes way back to a 7th century religious schism in Islam's early years between mainstream Sunnis and breakaway Shiites. But the two Islamic titans facing each other across the gulf are now locked in a new phase of this struggle that could result in a nuclear arms race in a region that sits on around 40 percent of the planet's known oil reserves. The Wall Street Journal said Turki warned U.S. and British military commanders meeting outside London earlier this month that if Tehran does not curtail its contentious nuclear program, Riyadh will seek to cripple Iran's economy through its oil weapon and will seek nuclear weapons of its own. "Iran is very vulnerable in the oil sector and it is there that more could be done to squeeze the current government," he reportedly told the gathering at an air base outside the British capital on the same day Saudi Arabia butted heads with Iran in Vienna. Iranian acquisition of nuclear arms, the prince said, would compel Saudi Arabia "to pursue policies which could lead to untold and possibly dramatic consequences." Turki did not spell out what those consequences might be, but a senior official in Riyadh said, "We cannot live in a situation where Iran has nuclear weapons and we don't." While most analysts agree Iran is currently vulnerable because of sanctions, some doubt the action outlined by Turki would paralyze Iran's economy. Iran's response to an oil war with the Saudis would probably be to stir up trouble with the Shiite majority in the kingdom's Eastern province, its oil hub. Tehran could also seek to interfere with Saudi oil exports moving through the chokepoint Strait of Hormuz at the southern end of the gulf. Turki, son of the late King Faisal, has no formal government position, but he's often used to float trial balloons regarding Saudi foreign policy. Related UPI Stories Latest Headlines Trending Stories Nobel Prize in medicine awarded to parasitic disease scientists Womb transplants begin in U.K. after Sweden's success Scientists find roadmap that may lead to 'exercise pill'
March 31, 2012 Mustafaa left Knoxville impressed Alpharetta, Georgia defensive end Naim Mustafaa told that he was hoping for a good vibe when he visited Tennessee on Saturday. So how did the visit go? It's safe to say he was more than impressed with what he saw during his day on Rocky Top.
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SPAN-726 Bilingualism & Cognition Spring for 2012-2013 Does bilingualism affect cognition? If so, what are the conditions that mediate those effects? Are they internal/individual, such as age and aging? Or are they external and contextual, such as access to bilingual education and, consequently, biliteracy? Also, as linguists, we are interested in understanding why bilinguals learning a third language seem to do better than monolinguals especially in the absence of grammar instruction. Is it because experience enhances aptitude, working memory capacity/attentional control, motivation, learning strategy use, all of the above? What are the consequences for the teaching of Ln to multilinguals? These are some of the questions of interest in Bilingualism & Cognition, an interdisciplinary course across socio- and psycholinguistics, neurocognition and education that examines multiple interactions among internal and external factors. Special attention is devoted to the following topics: 1. Defining ‘bilingual’: language use vs. language knowledge; context of acquisition; age of acquisition; development, attrition, retention; 2. The bilingual as experienced language learner: bilingualism & general cognition; aptitude, memory; pedagogical implications; 3. measuring bilingualism: research tools & measures. Credits: 3.0 Prerequisites: None Course syllabi Spring '13: Sanz, C. (web site, description) Additional syllabi may be available in prior academic years. More information Look for this course in the schedule of classes.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 Iraq Developments First, I added my first links today. They are going to be permanently offered to the left of the main body of text as you can currently see. However, for today, I want to bring special attention to these websites: The Fred Thompson Blog Network America for Fred Thompson Florida for Fred Thompson I am sure that you can easily deduce what the subject matter is for each of these sites. Please note that I do actually frequent and enjoy these sites. Their association to my blog isn’t only for publicity value (which, of course, is a contributing factor to exchanging links) but to, more importantly, spread their wisdom and entertainment to everyone that follows here. Surely, if you enjoy what is offered at Educated Soldier, you will find these related websites equally enthralling. Moving on… A story was related to me a few days ago that absolutely needs to be passed on. I wish I had the entire American populace by the ears for this one, but I will have to hope that my limited audience presses this encouraging news forward. I recently “spoke” with an old Army buddy via internet messaging. Certain details of his story will be omitted for the sake of operational security. However, I don’t feel that the missing details will curtail the moral of the story. My buddy’s light infantry battalion (to which I was formally assigned) is back in Iraq. They are stationed at the same exact location as they were during a previous tour (which I participated in). They are now, like they were in the past, living in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Let me tell you what I remember about Ramadi: While I was there, there was a rumor that a prominent news source had named it the most dangerous city in the world. Journalists rarely traveled to our location. In fact, there were a couple of Coalition military camps deemed relatively safe within the city but our little piece of earth for the year was not so positively looked upon. We faced death and destruction daily. While we made progress in cleaning up our operational portion of the city, it remained a pretty stark place. One of the main lines of transportation in the city was a haven for violence. This road was so viciously and often rocked that we, as the United States Army, did everything possible to avoid it. That was 2005. My Army buddy messaged me to inform me about his current situation in the country. I was surprised to hear that the same unit would be sent to the same location. While it seemed like a logical maneuver because of the unit’s local experience, it seemed to me to be a decision that would surely trouble war-weary soldiers of this unit. But this isn’t the case… My buddy reports that the city is an absolute testament to the successful completion of American goals within Iraq. No longer do Americans (at least this battalion that I have knowledge) need to patrol endlessly, as the city is policing itself. No longer are former associates being killed and injured. This year’s tour has a different dilemma presented for soldiers: boredom. And that dangerous road mentioned above? My buddy reports that it is accessible and safe for all. What an encouraging story. What interests me is that this story is entering the mainstream media. Reporters have spoken of local militias and organizations protecting their own civil interests in Anbar Province. However, the stories are tough to come by. They have not been ignored but they also have not been showcased as they should. What can’t success sell newspapers…Or drive hits to a website? Let’s hope that success in Ramadi is an example of positive developments to come and not a singular exception.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007 George Cardenas! Drink Our Water - the Best in America! Tax Bottled Water! 'What are you drinking?' 'What you pay for it?' 'Three Dollars' 'There's a fountain over there - the water's all paid for.' 'This is better; it's in a bottle.' That was a conversation that I had with each of my three children. They, each one of them, believe that McDonald's is haute cuisine because it is packaged and marketed by suits who get obscene salaries and shilledby a Clown right out of Michael Jackson's wildest dreams - that clown really creeps me out! Enter Chicago Alderman George Cardenas. A guy with His head locked on it's swivel! NO GOOSE GUTS - NO NANNY STATE GOOFBALL IDEAS - COMMON SENSE. Tax bottled water. Bring in some revenue without costing the tax-payers a lung! We paid for the water already. Now, we need to bottle it ourselves - horrors for some delicate souls no doubt. Chicago has the best and cleanest water in the nation thanks to the Jardin Water Filtration Plant. It keeps up with the toxins tossed into our Lake by the Brits of BP Oil. Great corporate citizens those beauties. This tax makes sense and it will make solid dollars out the two-bit tax. Too bad it missed LaLaPalooza - plenty of Green Tree Huggers drinking redundant water out of petroleum based by-product toxic vessels! How many empties to make Mt. Vrdolyak even higher along the Bishop Ford? There is so only so much room in that land-fill and with all the disposable diapers, six-pack rings, Pringles Packs, and old polyester suits and softball jerseys - Mt. Vrodolyak is getting tighter than pockets on a fat man's pants. Tax them water bottles. 'Three Bucks A Bottle!???!!!' We, Chicagoans, have perfectly good Lake Michigan Straight! Call it the vain idiot tax -for paying a lung for water in the first place: 'I drink only Aqua Snob!' That certainly makes you smarter, taller and thinner! Gee, where can I toss my hard-earned dollars away like you, Cuthbert? Do Eskimos purchase vanity ice cubes? No doubt the would, if they had an Inuit Idiot like Joe Moore in the Frozen North! Tax Plastic Bottled Water! Alderman Cardenas, you are on! Bottled water - bottled by whom? - comes in petroleum waste products - landfill fuel that tax-salaried employees must haul away. Let's help pay those folks - Tax Bottled Water! We got plenty of the best drinking water in the world, tight here in Chicago. Alderman Cardenas, you are great example of why Mexican Americans deserve their growing leadership position in American Political Life: effective, smart and public spirited ideas that can and should be implemented! Well done, Sir! Now watch all of the nitwits League and Coalition up against you! You'll do fine , Alderman! No comments:
Bean Sprouts Health Benefits And Nutrition Fact Many health benefits of bean sprouts. Sprouts have always been in the list of healthy and nutritious foods. In addition to easy cooking, sprouts are also good for health. In fact, sprouts are also known as energy giving foods. Bean Sprouts is a storehouse of nutrients. Bean sprouts contain vitamins B, C, B1, B6, K and A. In addition, sprouts are also a source of food rich in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and manganese, and omega 3 fatty acids. Sprouts are a good source of enzymes and is needed by the body. This enzyme can increase the body's energy and make us feel fit and healthy. Sprouts contain much oxygen. It can increase blood flow in the body, kills bacteria, boost the immune system, and others. Some experts argue that better bean sprouts eaten raw, while its fluxing agent is still intact. Can be eaten as a salad, or drunk as juice. If cooked, preferably pan-fried or steamed briefly. Some argue that the sprouts should be cooked before consumption, It is meant for not exposed to the dangers of E coli, which allows contamination of vegetables and repackaging. But not for too long in cooking and should be immediately eaten to avoid loss of vitamins content. If sprout to be boiled, for example made vegetable soup, put the sprouts just before dishes removed. That way, vitamin C and enzymes that damaged estimated at only 20 percent. If boiled longer, the damage could reach at least 60 percent. Nutrition fact of Bean Sprouts Sprouts from any kind of bean, either green beans, soybeans, alfalfa and other types of bean contain a lot of nutrients. Here is the nutritional value of bean sprouts: The caloric value of the three types ranges from mung sprouts with only 30 calories to lentil sprouts with 106 and soybean sprouts with 122. Their protein values range from three grams (mung sprouts) to 13 grams (soybean sprouts). This makes them a good source of protein because three grams represents 6 percent and 13 grams equals 26 percent of the recommended daily value Mung sprouts are the only one of the three that provide several other important nutrients, including 41 percent of the daily value of vitamin K. They have six micrograms each of alpha and beta carotene and one percent of the daily value of vitamin E. Mung sprouts also supply 15 mg of phytosterols (plant estrogens Health Benefits of Bean Sprouts Seeing abundant nutritional substances, has been ascertained that the bean sprouts have a very good potential efficacy to maintain and promote health, and prevent various health problems. Here are the benefits of bean sprouts to health: Preventing cancer In the process of beans become sprout, has outlined 90 percent olisakarida chain become simple carbohydrates, so that the compound is easily absorbed by the body, without producing gas. Because it contains a lot of fiber and water, sprouts help, draining impurities in the colon. It is become double power sprouts in the fight against cancer. By pushing dirt immediately left of the colon, so that no toxic substances in the dirt that can absorbed by the body. And this will prevent the buildup of toxic substances that can stimulate the blossoming of the seeds of cancer. Antioxidants contained in it may help slow the aging process and prevent the spread of cancer cells. Preventing heart attack and stroke The people with the risk of stroke and heart attacks are caused by increased blood fat levels, it is recommended to eat more bean sprouts. This is due, in saponin sprouts will destroy LDL bad cholesterol without fat megganggu good HDL. And saponins that can be obtained in large alfalfa sprouts when the grain become sprout, which generally saponinnya levels up to 450%. Preventing Osteoporosis Natural estrogen found in sprouts can function similarly to the synthetic estrogen, but the superiority of natural estrogen has no side effects. So that the estrogen in bean sprouts can significantly increase bone density, bone structure and prevent the rottenness of the bones. Generating the immune system Saponin sprouts can also raise the body's immune system, in particular by increasing the activity of natural vascular cells (natural killer cells), particularly the T-cell lymphocytes and interferon. In addition to DNA-laden, bean sprouts are rich in antioxidants that fortify the body from free radicals, damaging cell DNA. Good for Digestion Because it is alkaline, the bean sprouts are very good to keep the acidity of the stomach and facilitate digestion. Besides fiber content can increase intestinal contractions, so as to have an effect that can facilitate defecation. Increasing fertility Bean sprouts have the ability to increase fertility, if consumed regularly it will improve the quality of sperm. The content of vitamin E, especially vitamin E-alpha, and might help to improve fertility for men. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can protect cells from free radical attack. By eating the sprouts, there is the possibility of vitamin E is to protect egg cells or sperm of different damage from free radical attacks. Good for the skin Bean sprouts are also good for beauty, which helps rejuvenate and soften the skin. This is because the sprouts contain high levels of vitamin E are high. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can protect cells from free radical attack. Sprouts, bean-based, is also believed that the major protein and essential for skin turnover. Lose weight Bean sprouts are also very free of fat, a cup of green bean sprouts, or about 124 grams contains only 0.11 grams of fat, so sprouts are a good source of food to lose weight. Low-fat diet with sprouts is very useful for weight loss. Besides a low-fat diet also reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes (due to lifestyle). Prevent menstrual disorders and menopause Antioxidant content in bean sprouts can improve blood circulation in order to prevent and neutralize the factors supporting the occurrence of the disease. If you regularly eat sprouts before menstruation may help prevent complaints during menstruation. Eating sprouts as a source of vitamin E also may help prevent disruption of heat that is felt in the pre menopause. Other benefits Eliminating black spots on the face, acne cure, nourish hair and prevent breast cancer. In addition to that abundant nutritional content so it is very nutritious for health care, sprouts also have properties and substances that can be harmful to health, so need to be cautious when consuming sprouts. Be careful for the stomach However, the nature of mung bean sprouts are cool, if eat too much it will also easily damage the stomach (freezing). Therefore, for the conditions of the cold stomach it is not suitable when taking them for a long time. Can lead to acute colitis, severe gastroenteritis, and diarrhea, and for people with other diseases also can not eat too much. When cooked, should be mixed with a bit of chili, or cook with fragrant vegetables, chives and other similar vegetables, to counteract the cold properties it contains. Lupus patient should avoid the alfalfa sprout. Breast cancer patients For women with breast cancer that are undergoing treatment with tamoxifen therapy in order to limit the consumption of sprouts, much less raw. Phytoestrogen compounds in sprouts can reduce tamoxifen work. That is, the sprouts should only be limited if we suffer any kind of tumor or cancer associated with estrogen. Note when buying When buy it, should be kissed to ensure no unpleasant smell. If there is a smell, do not buy or eat. Post a Comment © Get Healthy Life \| All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, March 28, 2007 Making Lurtsema's Eyes Water It's becoming a broken record in the Minnesota Vikings' organization, as the team continues to take two steps sideways and another back. This week, after a miserable 2006 season and an off-season in which the Vikings not only filled none of their pressing needs but also lost at least two players who should have been starters in 2007, Vikings' owner Zygi Wilf pleaded with the Vikings' fan base for patience. According to Zygi, the Vikings have a plan for returning to Super Bowl contention. Like the Mike Tice-Red McCombs plan of 2002, however, that plan envisions a return to contention somewhere down the road rather than in the immediate future. In other words, seven years after the Vikings' organization put into effect its three-year plan for returning to the Super Bowl, Zygi envisions the Vikings being in position to contend for a championship. The culprit behind the Vikings' predicament, according to Zygi, is not the head coach who turned a poorly coached 9-7 team into a more talent-laden 6-10 team. Nor is the problem the ownership's failure to recognize it's own measurable short-comings in the realm of professional football management, exemplified by Zygi's decision not to hire a quality personnel manager, arguably through the present day. No, the real problems that have beset the Vikings' organization are that the team plays in the Metrodome and was short on talent evaluators until recently. While both issues undoubtedly have played a role in how the Vikings have made organizational decisions during Zygi's tenure, only the latter does anything to explain the incompetence of the current regime. Zygi's insinuation that the Metrodome has caused some of the Vikings' on-field woes--an insinuation that Zygi appeared to intend as subtle but one that he delivered as bluntly as possible--is based on the premise that, because the Vikings do not make as much money in the Metrodome as other teams make in their stadiums, the Vikings cannot compete in the NFL. For the record, any claim that the Metrodome's revenue stream hamstrings the Vikings is ludicrous. Unlike MLB, where non-ticket stadium revenue streams are essential, the Vikings have no such concerns. Not only do the Vikings enjoy nearly $115 million in television revenue from the league, they also receive millions more in revenue sharing because of their situation in the Metrodome. On top of that money, the team receives money from NFL licensing ventures, team radio affiliations, ticket sales, concessions, suites, and advertising. Combined, the team has revenues near or in excess of $200 million per season. Even with a payroll of nearly $90 million in 2007, the Vikings' ownership group is likely to profit to the tune of $40 million this year. Thus, while the argument that the Metrodome costs the Vikings' revenue stream opportunities is perfectly legitimate, the argument that the Vikings' on-field woes can be traced to decisions that had to be made out of financial considerations is utterly ridiculous. What Zygi's angle is is not entirely clear. On the one hand, he's always appeared somewhat inept at the football bit. When he first came to town, he preached family and responsibility--a clear sign of trouble given that Zygi preferred these topics over football-related topics. We then discovered that responsibility was only required of the bubble players, not guys on whom the team was going to depend. That's fine in the world of the NFL where finding responsible players is the harder task. But it points out Zygi's either absolute naivete about the world of the NFL or Zygi's belief that Minnesota fans will eat whatever crap he ladles out. Upon his arrival in town, Zygi also noted his high expectations for a team that he believed had the pieces in place to contend. Yet today, with few notable players gone from the team that Zygi inherited, and players like Steve Hutchinson, Cedric Griffin, Chad Greenway, Chester Taylor, Ben Leber, and Ryan Longwell, Zygi is pointing to a two to three year plan for returning the team to respectability. Either Zygi is providing cover for Childress' dismal results in 2006 against one of the weakest schedules in the NFL, or Zygi is blinded to the team's real issues. Zygi is now contending that the Vikings plan to rebuild through the draft. While this is a laudable goal, it is also stating the obvious. As discussed on this site several times this off-season, the current NFL cap structure will make it difficult for teams to build through free-agency for the foreseeable future. With fewer free agents and more cap space, premium players will be re-signed or tagged and the few top-flight free agents who hit the market will command a king's ransom. These factors will conspire to force teams to look to the draft to fill holes for the next two or three years, at a minimum. All of which begs a pertinent question. If the Vikings, over the next two to three years, are only going to do what every other team is already doing in the NFL, how will the Vikings overtake the twenty-five teams currently ahead of them? A quick look at the roster suggests that Zygi's two- to three-year plan might be more realistically stated as a ten- to twelve-year plan. Of the players currently under contract, several either will be gone or long in the tooth, by NFL standards, in three years. Those players include center Matt Birk, safety Darren Sharper, cornerback Antoine Winfield, and defensive tackle Pat Williams. It's one thing to fill holes through the draft. It's another to fill holes currently filled by Pro-Bowl caliber players. And that makes Zygi's two- to three-year plan as suspect as any of his previous plans. In his defense, Zygi is stuck. He's stuck with a coach who has not been able to deliver the kick ass offense that he promised. He's stuck with a team bereft of a starting quarterback. He's stuck with a team absent a number one receiver. He's stuck with a team left relying on a personnel manager that no other team in the NFL would touch. And, in short, he's stuck with the decisions that he made when he inherited the team, but now in an era where correcting those mistakes suddenly became a much taller task. And he wants Vikings' fans to be patient for more of the same. Even Lurtsy's not buyin' this Purple pitch. Up Next: Is Peterson the Best Option? Plus, does a three-year plan require trading down? Corey Ettinger said... I like that he's (Zygi)honest. Lets face it, this team, except on a couple units of the defense and the O-line lacks nearly any talent. You say Brad turned this team into a 6-10 one when it should have been a 9-7 one. Honestly, I went into last year both boycotting the season (I neither bought tickets which I have done years past nor watch a single game) over the Moss and Culpepper trades, but also predicting a 2-14 record. Lets face it, you shouldn't win many games when you can't stop the pass because people can just sit back in the pocket all damn day and light you up because you have no one to pressure on the end (Tice's fault screwing up every draft he was ever in charge of). It doesn't help when on offense you have a QB who can't throw the ball 20 yards on the fly, a running back who's ever been a starter (maybe there was a reason for that... its because he wasn't that good) and a circus worth of clowns trying to catch the ball. This mess isn't Zygi or Childress' and we need to give them at least four or five years to fix what McCombs and in particular worst coach in football history Mike Tice did to this team. notice how every single year after very mediocre coach Denny Green left this team just got worse and worse? Well when you have 4 years of incompetent management, 1 year isn't going to solve your problems. Its going to be a long long time before this team contends again and I think Vikes fans might as well grab a Snickers because we're not going anywhere for a while. Are you a Minnesota sports junkie? Read Minnesota's most comprehensive sports blog at Interested in becoming a writer? E-mail me. ss said... At least Tice got players interested in having some fun and playing football. Chilly's developing a bunch of stiffs doing nothing but collecting paychecks. As for Green's legacy: 0-44. The team did pretty well after he was gone considering McCombs's laughable coaching budget and the putrid defense that Green left for Tice. Wild and crazy mistakes might have been the legacy of the Tice years, but lethargy, indifference, and excuses seem to be the direction for the next "four or five years" of rebuilding. If Zygi's trying to tamp down fan interest so he can bolt for LA, he's doing a pretty good job. Vikes Geek said... I don't know that we can say that Zygi is being honest. We haven't much to go on yet to make such an assessment. It does appear, however, that if he is being honest now, he was either naive or dishonest last year. Neither prospect will do much to calm a jittery fan base. As for Childress, you are both much more optimistic and more pessimistic than am I. I was not a Tice fan as far as his coaching was concerned. He was a nice guy who seemed to have difficulty coaching at the NFL level. With that said, he did show improvement over time, and his final team certainly was better than Denny's final team in Minnesota. But decision-making cost Tice several games in his final season and, ultimately, and I believe justifiably, cost him his head-coaching job with the Vikings. I was not enamored with the Vikings' decision to hire Childress for two reasons that are well-documented on this site. The first was that Childress billed himself as an offensive guru despite limited exposure to gameday decision-making. That's a short-coming that he now acknowledges. The second reason I was not enamored with the decision to hire Childress is that the decision seemed destined to be a decision for which training wheels would be required for a team loaded with veterans. I preferred a veteran head coach. I didn't say Childress should have gone 9-7 last year. What I said is that Childress inherited a purportedly lesser talented team that finished 9-7 against reasonably good competition and turned the team into a 6-10 product against one of the easiest schedules in the league. You can slice it and dice it how you wish, but it's hard to convince anyone that that's the result of good coaching. Even if Childress has a master plan that requires changes, it makes no sense to take such a large step backward just to move two or three games ahead in five years. Does it? As for your prognosis, I don't think it is as grim as you suggest for two reasons. First, if the Vikings fail miserably again in 2007, Zygi will have to replace Childress or face massive season-ticket cancellations (much worse than what the organization is facing this year). Second, Childress is correct in contending that there is a small margin of difference between being 6-10 and being 10-6 (of course, the same can be said of being 6-10 versus 2-14). If everything goes right for the Vikings between now and the beginning of 2008, 2008 might be a successful season. What will that require? To begin with, the Vikings will need to find a quarterback capable of starting in 2008. Jackson looks ill-equipped to play this year but also looks to be at the head of the line in Childress' grand scheme. That suggests a really lousy offense yet again. Maybe Jackson will have command of the passing game by 2008, however, or maybe the Vikings will find a starter by then. If either happens, and the Vikings address their needs on the right side of the offensive line, and nobody gets hurt, the Vikings might be in contention at least for a playoff spot in 2008. That's a lot of "ifs" with a fairly modest payoff but it's not unimaginable. And it's better than just a Snickers bar. Vikes Geek said... I agree that Chilly's offense is chilling on fans. Even if his system ultimately wins games, the brand of football is so boring that few people will care. While it is true that winning breeds support, it is also true that support wanes quickly when, though a winning product, the product is virtually unwatchable. Chilly, Zygi, and the Vikings need to get their collective heads around the fact that the NFL is no longer just about winning. It's about winning with some flare. There are too many things competing for the consumer's dollar these days for consumers to get to hyped up over a winning brand of ball that would bore a librarian--and the Vikings haven't even reached that level yet. Anonymous said... Your long-winded rants are what is chilling on fans. Is your last name Sansevere or Souhan? Anonymous said... Go watch the circus, if you want flare. Many of us prefer the old-school smash mouth football that used to define the "black and blue" division. Vikes Geek said... Thanks for the compliment. I didn't realize that I had such reach with this column. As for the Vikings' brand of smash-mouth football, there's nothing like three and out. That's beautiful football.
November 20, 2006 What's a Little Atheist-Bashing Among Friends? Working out the angles Working out the angles (Photo credit: psiaki) If you are like me, most of the people you spend time with are Christian. Like most employed people, I spend the vast majority of my waking hours at work. All of my co-workers are either Christian or Jewish, and religion does periodically come up, even though it is by no means a frequent topic. The most common way it comes up is in the form of references to church (e.g., "I know him from church," "The other day at church...," etc.). However, it also comes up at times in the context of poking fun at Muslims or atheists. I am not what you'd call openly atheist at work. My co-workers know that I do not attend church, but this is about the extent of it. I suspect they simply assume that I am a lapsed Christian; however, nobody has ever posed the question directly. I wold be honest to direct questions, but I have not seen it as being in my best interest to volunteer this information at work. This creates an interesting predicament about how I should respond when the atheist-bashing starts. Don't get me wrong - I have never heard direct, unsubtle atheist-bashing at work. Instead, I hear the usual comments about not being able to trust atheists because they have no morality, loyalty, etc. or wondering aloud how anybody could possibly reject their god, not celebrate Christmas, etc. These comments have rarely been directed at any specific person and have always been made in passing before someone changes the subject. Thus, it isn't like they are a particularly frequent or important occurrence. Still, they have started me thinking. How would I respond if I was in a group of co-workers who started making racist comments? Even though I am every bit as White as they are, I am quite certain that I would respond with outrage, attempt to correct the misconceptions, and ask them not to make such comments in my presence. Why the difference? Why am I more tolerant of the anti-atheist comments, especially considering that I am an atheist? I suspect my inaction here is due to the far greater frequency and social acceptability of such comments. But does this really make sense? I have come to a decision while writing this post - call it a pre-New Year's resolution if you like - that I will no longer hold my tongue in these situations. Frankly, I am at a place in my career where I feel that it is finally safe to risk a little more. If I, as an atheist, am not willing to speak for us and to correct misconceptions when they are voiced, then how can I expect anyone else to do so? I will speak out when necessary, and I will do so in a calm, respectful, and reasonable manner. Tags: , , , , , Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Are current day rechargeables the restriction for future power-grids? Several countries have been researching future development to convert their fossil fuel based power grids to a more environmentally friendly solution. However, the greatest obstacle to overcome is not how to make the power – but how to store the excess power for use during times when the winds slow down and the sun goes down. Currently we can’t control the weather, (well not yet, at least) so we are reliant upon Mother Nature’s random cycles for energy. Therefore the requirement of how to store this excess and off-hour power for when it’s really needed comes into play. As noted from Wired UK: ” That power needs to be stored somewhere so that it can be used, otherwise renewable energy can’t ever replace coal, oil, nuclear or similar plants that can output a reliable level of power whenever needed. For that reliability, there are three main options: pumped hydroelectric storage (PHS), where water is pumped upwards into a reservoir where it can be released later; compressed air energy storage (CAES) where the air can be expanded again through turbines when needed; and batteries, of which there are many different types, each with their own maximum number of effective charge cycles. ” PHS stands to be the most efficient of the options, but it has certain limitations on local landscape that severely affect where it can be made effective. You can’t build a reservoir on flat land next to a solar panel grid, and it is quite costly to install wind turbines in the mountains where a reservoir might fit best. Unfortunately the mountainous terrain areas as well as national parks appear to make ideal locations for a pumped hydroelectric storage location, but at what cost? This is where rechargeable batteries can come into play. If a battery could be developed to withstand the enormous number of cycles required, developers would have more control where they could build future power grids, and be less reliant on working around the location requirements of a pumped hydroelectric storage setup. It would be more ideal to build a “eco-grid” on cheap land next to a town that requires the power, than to invade a national park where building is difficult and disruptive to the environment. Additionally from Wired regarding the current status of the batteries we have available today: ” This is in large part because battery technology currently can’t handle enough charge cycles. Lithium-ion batteries can handle at most around 6,000 cycle, lead-acid batteries only 700, compared to more than 25,000 cycles for a PHS facility. Even though the material costs for large-scale batteries are more prohibitive than for PHS (rare-earth minerals versus what is often no more than concrete and steel), it’s the lifecycle of batteries that we’ll need to work on if we want to be able to rely on them as affordable parts of the grid. ” As researchers continue to make progress on new technological breakthroughs on rechargeable batteries, we get closer to being able to locate future power grids in the most Eco-friendly locations, and out of our national parks and mountains. 0 Responses to “Are current day rechargeables the restriction for future power-grids?” 1. No Comments Leave a Reply Connect with us facebook twitter youtube rss Twitter Update Flickr Photos More Photos
Jun 24, 2014 Why is Verizon refusing to honor the two years data service agreement for Chromebook Pixel? The $1200 or so Chromebook Pixel came with 2 years of 100MB per month wireless service from Verizon included. I’m literally looking at the paperwork that says so right now. Now Verizon is telling me, nope, that never happened and we are shutting off your service now, after one year. What can be done about this? Verizon is not only telling me I am wrong about something when I am not, they are essentially saying, “Who are you going to believe, Verizon or your lying eyes?” Chromebook Pixel owners get $150 after Verizon abruptly cuts off free LTE "As it turns out, apparently Verizon and Google didn't quite see eye to eye on that, as Verizon recently stopped that service for Pixel owners who bought their Chromebook only a year ago -- it seems Verizon thought it was a one-year plan instead of two. Thankfully, Google has stepped up to take care of the error by offering a $150 Visa gift card to anyone who bought an LTE Pixel. A spokesperson gave us this statement: "While this particular issue is outside of our control, we appreciate that this issue has inconvenienced some of our users. We are offering gift cards to affected customers." I’m not sure why Verizon pulled the rug out from under all the Chromebook Pixel owners aside from simply not caring about people who aren’t paying them an ongoing monthly fee. Seriously, what are people going to do? I’m sure there are “mediation only” clauses buried in the fine print of the contract, and what is the monetary value you could get even if you won? I’m guessing $100 or so after putting in all that time and effort. Class action? Probably not enough people and I’d also bet there is a clause in the contract that required you waive that right as part of the TOS. Basically Verizon can screw people over and laugh about it because consumer rights have become so limited in the US. However, all is not lost. Google is offering a $150 credit to all affected Chromebook Pixel owners. You have to ask for it though. Give Google’s Chromebook customer service a call and ask about it, and they should hook you up. https://support.google.com/chromebook/#topic=3399709 Answer this
View Full Version : Cthulhu-ish? Soft Serve 12-10-2008, 02:35 AM I don't believe in internet piracy. I just take what I know and add my own systems to it. What I know about Call of Cthulhu (RPG) is practically nothing. BUT I do know that H.P. Lovecraft wrote amazing stories which I am still in the process of reading...rephrase that...enjoying.:biggrin: What I did for this campaign was take recent inspirations and mash them into something beautiful. A 1920's setting, where (seemingly) random cult activities are growing ever more popular all around the world. I have almost completely done away with magic, and the d20 system altogether. On top of that your character will have no statistics such as Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, etc. No skills, no feats, no nothing. Now for my reasoning behind it. Because to me it seemed unrealistic that a man beat over the head with a lead pipe didn't instantly hit the ground just because the cheerleader who hit him doesn't have a high strength score. Tell your little sister to beat you in the head with a pipe and tell me it doesn't hurt because your bigger than her...And on that note, (remember it's 1923) why must I roll to hit a cultist who is standing in front of me, not wearing armor, when if I have a pistol I have most likely received training on how to use that pistol? And why does the bullet no matter where it hits him, not slow him down in any way, shape or form? Because it only did 1d6 damage? oh ok... My goal was to create a realistic game, where character didn't "level up" and a bullet to the dome is still a bullet to the dome. Your able to take damage just as easily as any of the creatures or people your fighting, and all odds are against you. If this seems unfair, or un balanced, or your too scared to pick it up and try. Then welcome to my redesigned horror genre.:laugh: 12-10-2008, 09:42 AM Very interesting. If you need some suggested resources for helping put together a basic rules formula to run under your game, let me know. I know a few (very) rules lite systems that might be of use to you and which are actually quite awesome in and of themselves. Soft Serve 12-10-2008, 11:13 PM I pretty much set a number you have to beat for everything based on the way everything is developing around it. The creature running straight for the players that's human shaped and sized isn't hard to hit and basically doesn't require a roll unless your aiming for specific parts of it. The kraken which is rocking your boat while swinging you around like a ragdoll in the grasp of one of it's tentacles, which is also partially underwater and hard to judge the distance...that's a harder target. I pretty much have the system down, and there haven't been any flaws in the way I'm running it except the occasional two players trying to do the same thing at once, or them jumping the gun and poofing themselves to the destination instead of anouncing that they are walking to the destination. Little things like that are as easy to correct as a typo though. 12-14-2008, 04:00 AM Sounds interesting. What times are you playing? Soft Serve 12-15-2008, 08:58 AM When we can on Saturday Sunday and Wednesday unless people make schedule changes. Soft Serve 12-17-2008, 07:52 PM Soft Serve 12-21-2008, 06:36 PM haha another bump. I don't want to let this thread die!!
Tuesday, October 06, 2015 Advertise with us Hunters ready for start of upcoming dove, deer seasons By Taylor Mitchell Sept. 19, 2012 at 4:19 a.m. Updated Sept. 20, 2012 at 4:20 a.m. Hunting season is right around the corner for dove and white-tailed deer. While it's not exactly like waking up on Christmas morning, it's still pretty exciting for hunters in South Texas. "Everybody gets excited for hunting season in South Texas," said Charles Lassmann of the Double L Ranch in Victoria. "At one time they would close schools because all of the kids would be out hunting." Schools won't close for the opening of hunting season, but it's still a fun time for all. Dove season opens for the south zone (which includes the areas south of I-10 and east of I-35) on Sept. 21, while white-tailed deer season opens Sept. 29 for bow hunters and the general season opens Nov. 3. "I'm pretty excited for the season to open up," Brian Pnacek, owner of Blue Quail Taxidermy and an avid bow hunter, said. "The cool weather lately has helped cool things down. You can try and predict what will happen, but you never know. What I do know is that everybody in south Texas will be out hunting." Sean Campbell, who holds a PhD in animal nutrition and works with roughly 15 ranches, says the deer population should be up from what he's seen. "From what I've seen on camera and in surveys, there are a lot of twin fawns," Campbell said. "Over the spring and summer there has been enough native vegetation for the deer to grow solid horns." The experienced hunter understands the impact weather has on the area, but the young, new hunters may not fully understand its importance. Last year, the lack of rain hurt the hunting season, preventing the deer from becoming big and fat like hunters would like. This year, there hasn't been much rain, but more than a year ago. "I've seen some good quality deer with better looking horns and such," Lassmann said. "The drought came after the spring which isn't as critical of a time. The deer won't be overly fat because at the time they needed vegetation they didn't have much." Pnacek also said he's some good-quality deer in the area "The white-tailed (deer) have looked pretty good," he said. "There have been decent rains locally, which have helped. I've also seen some trees start to grow acorns. We should see a good acorn crop this year." Acorns are a good source of nutrition for deer because they are very high in fats and carbohydrates. Because they are also easily digested, deer can eat lots of them per day and provides them with the necessary protein content to be healthy. Through eating the acorns, by late October, the deer could have a thick slab of fat underneath the coat and along the inside of the paunch. Not only will the rain, or lack thereof in some parts, have an affect on deer but also on the dove. "It has been dry, so there aren't a whole lot of water sources for them," Campbell said. "There is plenty of dove weed around and people have been planting bird plots, but the limiting factors are with the water sources. However, with this cool front that has been coming through, hopefully, it will bring more birds. "The second season can be really good, though. It all depends on the birds." Dove are attracted to farm fields where the seed are plentiful, as well as watering holes. With the large amount of rain that has fallen in certain areas, they'll be headed to those areas and not others. "Dove feed in the evening and then go to a watering hole before they roost," Lassmann explained. "So, they will be around the watering holes. Really, though, it's hit or miss the first few weekends of the season." Quail hunting - which opens Oct. 27 - has always been one of the favorite birds to hunt in Texas. However, the population numbers of quail have decreased over the past five years. Several factors have played a role in the decrease, including the 2011 drought and the destruction of their habitats. While the number of quail has increased over the year, the population total has yet to reach what it once was. In the Victoria area, however, Campbell said he has seen some good indicators for quail hunters. "I've seen a lot of birds hatching and a lot of pairs of quails," Campbell said. "They probably hatched around three weeks ago and are now half-grown." Overall, hunters can expect a good hunting season for whatever animal they decide to hunt for. As it always is, though, it's difficult for humans to predict what animals are going to do. But that's where the fun in hunting comes from. Powered By AdvocateDigitalMedia
EA: No FIFA 14 on Wii U Because Last Game Didn’t Perform Well In an update to a story on Friday over at Eurogamer about Madden NFL 25 not coming to the Wii U and a decision about the fate of FIFA 14 on the platform, an unnamed rep from the company confirmed that the latest football title from EA Sports would be a no-show. This is not news to anyone who paid attention last week when EA said it had no games in development for the Wii U currently. Obviously that also includes every imaginable EA Sports title. What is interesting is why EA claims it isn't bringing the game to the Wii U: the last game in the series for Wii U performed very poorly, according to the publisher: "Six months ago FIFA 13 was a launch title on Wii U," an EA spokesperson told Eurogamer. "Although the game featured FIFA's award-winning HD gameplay and innovative new ways to play, the commercial results were disappointing. We have decided not to develop FIFA 14 on Wii U." So that's EA's answer on that franchise and it's likely the answer it will give for every established franchise they own. EA does not see any games it could release on the Wii U making it any money… What we all wonder is at what point did EA make that decision, because the Wii U hasn't been on the market all that long… Source: Eurogamer 1. 0 Zen says: I don't think EA is even trying to make any kind of "positive" slant on this anymore. I can understand if a company wants to only work on a particular piece of hardware, but this is sad when they basically go fanboy ranting crap everywhere that they themselves have proven to be untrue lol. 2. 0 lomdr says: I think these stories are going to continue to run as them denying the U titles are running against them trying to keep their postitive deal with Nintendo up 3. 0 Zen says: EA sent their games to die on the Wii U on purpose. Show Mass Effect 3, then immediately sell a collection for the same price on everything else (they could have EASILY made this a Wii U title). Follow up by bringing in your sports games, telling people they are limited, and then expecting the money to flow like wine. As much as EA keeps making these statements (we get it, you guys don't like the Wii U) they are trying on purpose to sour people on a console they could not control how they wanted. Ironically one of their own developers (good ole Criterion) made a game on the Wii U that not only ran well, it featured better graphics and more features than the 360 and PS3 versions…which goes against EA's latest rant. I know a bunch of sites are running all of these events as link bait, but I really don't care about what EA is saying anymore because just like when a kid starts throwing a tantrum for not getting their way I ignore them as they sit in the corner lol. What I would like to know though is why after EA made the announcement that they are making no games for the Wii U, why is everyone still saying it is news when they say each individual title isn't coming? 4. 0 Andrew Eisen says: Gee, FIFA 13 on the Wii U didn't sell well? You think it had anything to do with the fact that you got caught trying to pass off FIFA 12 as last year's game? I'll say it again, EA: STOP BULLSHITTING US! Andrew Eisen 5. 0 lomdr says: Funny, EA, as there are reports that there were missing features from Madden 13 and Fifa 13 compared to the rest that ended up having a hand in them not performing well on the U Leave a Reply
You are a guest. Restricted access. Read more User functions Inline functions Functions ca be defined inline in the same script from where they are called. Programming a function is demonstrated in the following example of a function examples(x), which multiplies its argument by 2. After the definition it can be used like any other function. function y=example(x) y=2*x; end printf('%f',example(3.123) ) Here is a more standard way to format a function: function y=test1(x) which multiplies the value 10 by 2 and print it. Functions in files If functions are to be reused later, they should be written to a text file and saved somewhere in search path. The filename must be the function name extended by ”.m”, in the present example ttwo.m. In subsequent sessions the function ttwo can be used without separately loading the file. Several installed functions are provided using this mechanism. You can list all functions which come with the program executing this statement: It print all modules and functions. Functions typically ends with ”.m” (MatLab scripts) or ”.java” (Java-implemented functions). You can get help and examples on a particular function as: You can add a new directory with your ”.m” files using addpath methods. where “acosh” is the name of the function. This will generate a dialog which shows how to use this function. Exercise: Try to see what “help” function is doing by replacing “acosd” with “help” Passing functions to other functions Functions can be created in the same macro, and can be passed to other functions as arguments function y=fit(a,x) % build function to fit data d=fit([1 4 5],5) % testing function % this is another function which can take any function as argument function y=newtest(ff,a,x) a = newtest(@fit,[10,20,30],10) a = newtest(@fit,[20,2,30],10) In this example we pass the function “fit” to the function “newtest”. Note we use the symbol ”@” to tell the program that the type is “user function”. Then we evaluated the function using 3 parameters and one argument x=10. jmathlab/functions/user.txt · Last modified: 2015/05/10 17:18 (external edit) Back to top
2 definitions by Rikcon007 Top Definition Gees is the Afrikaans (South Africa) word for 'spirit' or 'motivation.' Pronounced using the rolling G sound common with many other South African words. Wow that party was great, there was so much Gees!! door Rikcon007 15 februari 2012 Moving swiftly with gees and savagery I was hussing through the forest on my mountain bike. He was hussing hard on that dancefloor They hussed up to the top of Table Mountain How was the music at the festival? It was hussing pal. door Rikcon007 15 februari 2012 Dagelijkse gratis email
Thursday, November 30, 2006 I have been working on moving my blog all morning! I've had it with Blogger! It's either down, or it says "published" and it's NOT! Example: I spent an hour last night trying to get something to show up on the blog. I republished constantly, but it never showed up. Other posts throughout the day, I had to publish three or four time (some, even more) for it appear on the page. I've got only so much patience! Right now, I'm trying really hard not to toss my computer across the room while trying to import this over to my new site. So, here it is, warts and all: The new An Ol' Broad's Ramblings. So, please, update your blogrolls, and if I'm not on it, ADD ME! :) Tuesday, October 31, 2006 It's that time of the year.... pumkins all over the place, people decorating their houses, stocking up on candy, eating way too much of it, and leaves everywhere. So, from me to you...... Thanks Kathy! :) Saturday, October 28, 2006 A Gift from the Wordsmith :) Jessica Makes Some Good Points Jessica McBride's column on touches on the upcoming vote on the Marriage Amendment. New Jersey example shows the need for marriage amendment Don't let that crafty advertisement with the slow-moving tractor fool you. Gay marriage activists want you to believe that nothing will change if you vote down the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage this November. If nothing will change, then why are activist groups dumping so much money into media campaigns to mislead you into thinking that nothing will change? After all, because nothing will change anyway, they might as well use their money somewhere it will matter. Darn good point! Couldn't they be putting that large chunk of change to better use, like say...feeding the hungry or AIDS/HIV research? The New Jersey Court ruled that denying gays marriage or civil unions violated the state's equal protection clause. In other words, they said it was discriminatory. But every ban on marriage is not discriminatory. Or, at least, it's not discrimination that's wrong. If you really press gay marriage advocates, even they will agree that society has a right to regulate marriage based on commonly agreed upon social norms. And right now, no one's demonstrated a compelling need to change it. We don't allow very young children to marry, for example. We don't allow incestual relationships. We don't allow polygamy. If it's discrimination to forbid gays to marry, why aren't we discriminating against polygamists? There is right and there is wrong. Calling it discrimination to prevent same sex marriage is just plain wrong. And no, I'm not going to get into a long debate again, Jayce. :) It's not just a religious issue, either. Marriage as "one man, one woman" is also a secular norm. Even the New Jersey court recognized that, when it stopped short of outright mandating only gay marriage, writing: "We can not find that a right to same sex marriage is so deeply rooted in the traditions, history, and conscience of the people of this state that it ranks as a fundamental right. We cannot escape the reality that the shared societal meaning of marriage, passed down through the common law into our statutory law, has always been the union of a man and a woman. To alter that meaning would render a profound change in the public consciousness of a social institution of ancient origin. When such a change is not compelled by a constitutional imperative, it must come about through civil dialogue and reasoned discourse." 'Medication' doesn't snow officers Just how stupid do you have to be to try this? When the man walked up to the security checkpoint at Wichita City Hall on Wednesday morning, officers asked to go through the small black pouch he was carrying. "Oh, you don't need to do that," he reportedly told them. "It's just my medication." But inspection is mandatory -- and a screener found three small bags of cocaine in the pouch. The 45-year-old man suddenly decided he didn't want to be in City Hall after all, police Lt. Jeff Weible said. But security officers detained him, and after a visit to a local hospital because he complained of chest pains, he was taken to jail. The episode was merely the latest example in a long string of people trying to get past the security checkpoint that opened in April, Weible said. "They don't think we're going to check them," he said. But screeners do -- and they've found cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy, drug pipes, switchblades, throwing stars, daggers.... In the first three months of the checkpoint's use, Weible said, screeners were finding two or three illegal items a week. That average has declined only slightly in the past three months. So, tell me, why isn't being stupid against the law? Oh yeah, cuz there just aren't enough cells in the entire prison system to accommodate 'em all! Girl, 14, suffocated her newborn: cops A 14-year-old Sauk Village girl suffocated her newborn daughter Wednesday to keep her mother from knowing about the birth -- even though her younger sister gave birth two weeks earlier, police said. The girl has been charged as a juvenile with first-degree murder and concealing a murder, Police Chief Thomas Lacheta said. "It's a very difficult situation when children are involved," Chief Detective Tim Holevis said. "It's very tragic." Milk found in infant's body Police said the girl gave birth to a girl at home about 3 a.m. Wednesday and then suffocated the infant and discarded her body in a trash can in the garage of the home in the 21400 block of Peterson Avenue. The girl was afraid that the birth would upset her mother, Lacheta said. Police said a family member called police Wednesday after a sister of the girl found the baby's body. Paramedics were unable to revive the infant, who was pronounced dead at 7:45 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. The baby may have lived for several hours, Deputy Chief Thomas Mountford said. An autopsy revealed milk in the child's digestive system, indicating that the young mother had tried to feed her, Mountford said. He said police don't think anyone else in the family took part in the killing. None of the girl's eight siblings or her mother knew that she was pregnant or gave birth, Holevis said. The girl was in custody in Sauk Village as of Friday evening. I don't even know what to say about's just unbelievable. Cleric Won't Quit? Prove it and I will stand down, says the sheikh CONTROVERSIAL Muslim cleric Sheikh Taj al-Din al-Hilali has given the first indication he would be prepared to stand down as mufti, as the Victorian and NSW premiers called for his dismissal. The sheikh said yesterday that if a meeting of leading Muslim clerics, due to take place in Sydney today or tomorrow, could prove that his sermon intended to degrade women, he would step down. In a Ramadan sermon, the spiritual leader of Australia's 300,000 Muslims claimed that women invited rape by parading as "uncovered meat". I suppose it hasn't occurred to this pig that comparing women to "uncovered meat" DOES degrade women. "Enough is enough with these extremist views," Mr Iemma said. "On the one hand, everyone is working to ensure harmony in our community " and you have these extremist views constantly being perpetrated. It's just not on, and it is time for him to go." Good for Mr. Iemma! There is some hope! The sheikh has argued that the comments in his sermon - delivered in Arabic - have been misinterpreted. Yesterday he said it was too late for him to learn English, and he thought it was unnecessary because most of his constituents spoke Arabic. Many sermons were delivered in foreign languages such as Arabic, Greek and Italian in churches across the country without criticism, he said.Meanwhile, federal Treasurer Peter Costello urged Muslims to accept the separation of church and state in Australia. Mr Costello told The Sunday Age that "if Muslims won't accept the separation of church and state, we have a major problem. And this is precisely what Sheikh Hilali is arguing now." Mr Costello said he remained horrified by the sheikh's comments. "He's arguing that if women aren't wearing the veil, this should be some kind of defence for rape." From what I understand, Muslims can't separate "church and state". It's a major part of who they are, so if you're going to invite them in, you're going to have problems. And for anyone who cares, I am NOT putting on a veil, of any sort! Just Something I Was Thinking About When I was in the fourth grade, I had to learn this small part of Patrick Henry's speech, made 23 March 1775: We each had to stand up in front of the entire class and recite it, word for word. Now, believe it or not, I was an extremely shy kid, so having to stand up in front of all those other kids, I thought I was going to die. Obviously, I didn't. A few years ago, I asked my oldest granddaughter if she had learned about Patrick Henry in school, and she said no. I repeated my question last year, again, she said no. Last summer, I took her to Gettysburg, Washington, D.C., Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. Other than Washington, D.C., she hadn't heard of any of the other places, so much a part of our history. Shameful! Completely shameful! Just Because I'm in THAT Type of Mood! A Green Bay Packers Fan is drinking in a New York bar when, he gets a call on his cell phone. He hangs up, grinning from ear to ear, and orders a round of drinks for everybody in the bar announcing his wife has produced a typical Green Bay baby boy weighing 25 pounds. Nobody can believe that any new baby can weigh in at 25 pounds, but the Packer fan just shrugs, "That's about average back home, folks, like I said, my boy's' a typical Green Bay baby boy. Congratulations showered him from all around, and many exclamations of "WOW!". One woman actually fainted due to sympathy pains. Two weeks later, he returns to the bar. The bartender says, "Say, you're the father of that typical Green Bay baby that weighed 25 pounds at birth. Everybody's been making bets about how big he'd be in two weeks. o how much does he weigh now?" The proud father answers, "Seventeen pounds." The bartender is puzzled, concerned, and a little suspicious. "What happened? He already weighed 25 pounds the day he was born!" The Green Bay father takes a slow swig from his Leinkugel's beer, wipes his lips on his shirt sleeve, leans into the bartender and proudly says, "Had him circumcised!" (no doubt this originated in Texas, and it was Lone Star beer, but had to be changed to appease...snicker) Thanks Gwen! Grouchy's AOTW Goes To....... Oh no, the Dems would NEVER lie! pfft! To her credit, McCaskill's campaign has pulled the ad, but how much damage was already done? H/T: Grouchy Old Cripple Our Buds, the Saudis Hamas' Must-See TV Hamas may not have funds to pay the salaries of civil servants and improve social services for Palestinians. But resources to fund its propaganda efforts? That, evidently, is not a problem. This month, the terrorist organization that governs Gaza and the West Bank launched a satellite television station. The new station will be broadcast by Arabsat, majority-owned by the Saudi government. Arabsat, along with Nilesat, owned by the Egyptian government, already distribute the programming of Al Manar, the television station of Hezbollah. Hamas, Hezbollah and Al Manar have all been officially designated by the U.S. government as terrorist entities. Meanwhile, the Saudi government runs commercials in the U.S. claiming to be America's 'ally' in the War on Terrorism. And the Egyptian government presents itself as our moderate Arab friend - in exchange for billions of dollars in American aid. With friends like these..... Why is Hamas doing this now? One strong possibility is that Hamas expects to soon be at war - with Israel, certainly, but also possibly with Fatah, the Palestinian organization it defeated at the polls early this year. Did the war between Hamas and Israel ever stop? I thought it had been going on for years! In addition, Israelis would like to secure the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, a soldier captured in June by Hamas combatants operating on Israeli soil. This week, Israel's UN ambassador, Dan Gillerman, accused Iran of paying money to Hamas to make sure Shalit's captivity continues. Just why hasn't that young man been released? Why hasn't the UN, that bastion of freedom and justice, pushed for his release? Why has this young man been forgotten? The Europeans appear to be doing little to stop the Saudis and Egyptians from helping Hamas and Hezbollah incite terrorism. By contrast, it will not be surprising if -- besides missile factories and weapons warehouses-- the Israeli army soon targets Hamas television studios. And should a Palestinian civil war break out, it is not hard to imagine that Fatah might do the same. Does anyone really expect Eurabia to do anything? They can't even stop their invasion due to all their ass kissing. Bad Day! I've been sick for two days. This is getting on my nerves, so I'm already in a bad mood. I stumble down the stairs, look out the front door, only to see....trashed yard signs....AGAIN! This time, they also stole all the signs we had in the "flower bed", close to the house, which included the sign I BOUGHT for my husband, "I'm the NRA, and I Vote!". Our neighbors across the street also had their signs stolen, so it's not just us. That's not bad enough...the SOBs also gouged big holes in our yard. Friday, October 27, 2006 Sports Alert! St. Louis Cardinals wins the World Series! 4-2 I love being right! :) Mrs. Cheney Kickin' Butt Cheney Lays Into CNN Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, strongly criticized CNN Friday for its "Broken Government" series of specials in the run-up to the November mid-term elections and for its airing of tapes of snipers shooting American soldiers in Iraq. In an interview with Situation Room anchor Wolf Blitzer, Cheney said the network's Vote 2006 specials contained "terrible distortions of the president's and vice president's positions on many issues." She suggested CNN was working from Democratic talking points, and took issue with the negative tone of the title "Broken Government," suggesting it betrayed CNN's bias and countering that the administration had inherited a recession, been through some tough times like 9/11 and Katrina, but that the economy was healthy. "That's not broken, " she said, "this government has acted very well... I shouldn't let media bias surprise me, but I worked for CNN once [with Crossfire, according to Blitzer], and I was troubled. CNN - Clinton News Network or Communist News Network, your choice. Mrs. Cheney is a feisty little thing, isn't she! Cheney turned the tables on Blitzer, becoming the questioner: "what is CNN doing running tapes of terrorists shooting Americans," she asked more than once, repeating a question CNN had been asked: "Do you want us to win?" "The answer is, of course, we want the United States to win," said Blitzer. "We are Americans." Blitzer said airing the footage was not terrorist propaganda but "reporting the news. This is what we do... We make no apologies for showing it." They should be groveling to the families of those slain soldiers. Cheney also complained that she wanted to talk about her children's book, Our 50 States, but had spent about 10 of the 15 alloted minutes for the interview responding to questions about her husband's comments about tactics used to question detainees and the citing of some passages of a book she wrote by Democratic Virginia Senate candidate Jim Webb in defending some racy passages in his books. She said Webb was "full of baloney." I've read those snippets from Webb's book...she's right, but "baloney" is a bit mild, don't you think? Update: Badger Blogger has video! Love Those "Infidels" :) More on the Horrible Economy Freedom Of Speech When I came downstairs this morning, I noticed that our Green and Hundertmark signs were gone. Since the Van Hollen and "One Man + One Woman" signs were still there, I just thought one of the neighbors took them since most people know we have a stash and could replace them. I was wrong! One of the signs was returned by someone taking a walk who found it ripped off the wire. It would never occur to me to violate someone else's "freedom of speech" by destroying their property that voiced their opinion. I can't conceive of stealing a Doyle/Lawton sign from someone else's yard. But then, that's the difference between US and THEM. 'Scuse Me??? College removes cross - from chapel! William & Mary says move designed to make space less 'faith specific' The cross from the altar area of the chapel at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., has been removed to ensure the space is seen as a nondenominational area, explains Melissa Engimann, assistant director for Historic Campus. "In order to make the Wren Chapel less of a faith-specific space, and to make it more welcoming to students, faculty, staff and visitors of all faiths, the cross has been removed from the altar area," Engimann announced in an e-mail to staff. Chapel? Less "faith-specific"? I use to think W&M was a good school. Now, I'm not so sure. What are they teaching there anyway? The cross will be returned to the altar for those who wish to use it for events, services or private prayer. The cross was in place because of the college's former association with the Anglican Church. Though the college is now nondenominational and became publicly supported in 1906, the room will still be considered a chapel, college officials said. More evidence of PC run amuck! Wonder if this woman is a card carrying member of the ACLU? I'm almost speechless...but you really don't want to hear what I'm thinking! Matthews is an Idjit! Only a liberal white yankee male would see the political ad about Harold Ford, Jr. as rascist! As a conservative white southern female, I see NOTHING in the ad that is rascist. As a matter of fact, I think Ford is kind of cute. :) Raaaaacists! by Mary Katharine Ham is a great look at the whole thing from a southern point of view. She nails it! H/T: Hot Air Pres. Fox Miffed Ok, so the President of Mexico is annoyed. Here's a big SO WHAT? Mexican president criticizes U.S. fence Mexico's president sharply criticized President Bush's signing Thursday of a bill to build 700 miles of additional fencing on its southern border, calling the move an "embarrassment." Bush signed the bill, approved by the Senate last month, despite pleas from the Mexican government for a veto. President Vicente Fox told reporters in the Caribbean resort city of Cancun that the fence would not stop millions of Mexicans from heading north in search of jobs. "It is an embarrassment for the United States," Fox said. "It is proof, perhaps, that the United States does not see immigration as a subject that corresponds to both countries." Ya know what's an embarrassment? A president of a country who can't keep his people home with jobs and a decent economy that would promote a person's dreams of a better life for their family. THAT, Mr. Fox, is the embarrassment, NOT a country trying to protect itself from the illegal invasion that you promote! I don't see Mexico opening it's arms to welcome immigrants from the U.S. into Mexico. "The decision made by Congress and the U.S. government is deplorable," Calderon said while on tour in Canada. "Humanity committed a grave error by constructing the Berlin wall and I am sure that today the United States is committing a grave error in constructing a wall along our northern border." Comparing a wall that is intended to stem the flood of illegals with a wall that was intended to lock people in is NOT the same thing. What a moronic statement! I wish someone would explain this to me. I got a "gimme money" from the American Policy Center a couple of days ago that had a timeline of events concerning the North American Union. Why haven't I heard anything about this? Why is everyone silent on the subject? Perhaps Fox has been promoting this idea within his country, and that's why so many illegals believe this is really their country now? Desperate Candidate: Falk Ya know, if Kathleen Falk was a Republican, with the same record (highly unlikely...just sayin'), I still couldn't vote for her, even if she was the only one running. New ad hits Van Hollen's record as DA Republican attorney general candidate J.B. Van Hollen's record as a prosecutor is under the microscope in a new ad from the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund running across the state, an independent group that earlier ran ads attacking Van Hollen's position on allowing residents to carry concealed weapons. Greater Wisconsin, eh? pfft! That's all I need to know to realize it's pure crap! "Tell J.B. Van Hollen tough talk isn't enough. Prosecutors must be tough with violent criminals," the ad script reads. Again.... pffft! What would their candidate, Falk, know about prosecuting violent criminals? Van Hollen campaign spokesman Brian Fraley issued a statement late Thursday saying the ad only told half the story. He said it was a "disgusting" attempt by Falk supporters to revictimize survivors of the crime and leave the impression Van Hollen was responsible for Newago's crime. In an Oct. 20 letter to Falk and the Greater Wisconsin Committee, Van Hollen's attorneys said that Van Hollen didn't become district attorney until after Newago was released on bond. What's more, Van Hollen didn't have any opportunity to revisit that status before the murder, the letter said. "If you choose to proceed, the Van Hollen campaign will have no choice but to put Wisconsin television stations on notice of the defamatory nature of this potential ad," the letter says. Typical libs! Half the story, less than half the truth. Meantime, Falk's campaign followed up on last night's debate at the State Bar of Wisconsin by criticizing Van Hollen for "debating himself" on the issues. Collins accused Van Hollen of flip flopping his position on certain issues, such as saying he wasn't sure the backlog in DNA testing at the state Crime Lab could be fully eliminated. There's a DUH for ya! As long as there are crimes being committed and evidence being collected, there will always be a backlog. Thanks to the inefficiency of Peg, it might take quite a while to get even close to being caught up. I believe JB is the best choice for attorney general, and he will do what he says! (JB's release) Thursday, October 26, 2006 Today's Democrats with Yesterday's Numbers War is hell! There's no doubt about that! Those on the left and the right can agree that given the choice, there would be no more wars. However, this is not reality and wars will be fought. Gateway Pundit: Time Traveling With Today's Democratic Party Can you imagine if today's democratic party were leading this country at any other time in history? What flag would we be saluting today? Today's democratic party feels that the sacrifice of 2,800 men and women over a three year span is an abysmal failure. What is the lasting power of this feeble group? And, how would today's liberals fare at defending this great country? An excellent look at what could have been if today's Democrats had been in charge during wars through our history. H/T: Shining City Atop a Hill This is Disturbing Actor's Ad Increases Support in Stem Cell Research, Study Says Actor Michael J. Fox's ad campaign in favor of embryonic stem cell research appears to be having a political effect, according to a new study. The study conducted Oct. 24 to 25 by HCD Research and Mulenberg College Institute of Public Opinion shows that support for embryonic stem cell research among U.S. voters went up after they viewed the ad. Respondents were asked to view the ad and complete pre- and post-view questioning. Support for the research - which is controversial because early-stage embryos are destroyed in the process - increased from 78 percent prior to seeing the ad to 83 percent after watching it, the survey found. Read the rest here. Doyle Threatens Those Who Oppose? How anyone could possibly support Doyle, is totally beyond me! Real Debate Wisconsin: Breaking News: Governor Doyle to Wisconsin Realtors, endorse me or else! Swiped: Grandpa John's Meet and Greet The next Governor of Wisconsin, Congressman Mark Green Friday, October 27, 2006 Moraine Park Technical College 235 N. National Avenue, Fond du Lac Room A109 -- Commons (look for signs) 5:30pm - 7:30pm Refreshments will be served Entertainment by WLA's Academy Kids/Traveling Choir Come join Fond du Lac in welcoming Mark to our wonderful community and wishing him well as he finishes his final days on a long campaign. Bring your family and friends!!! Another Response Anti Christian The ACLU doesn't give a flip about your "Constitutional" liberties. They've been fighting for years against YOUR liberties as an American. ACLU: Anti-Christian Liberals Union Liberals always act shocked and astonished that conservatives believe that an organization claiming to be the guardian of religious liberty is actually America'’s number one religious censor. They will spout off token cases where the ACLU veered from its normal path of hostility toward Christian religious expression to defend free speech. They have a handful of cases they try to convince us with. However, the ACLU'’s history can easily be looked at, and the cases against religious expression far outweigh these token cases. If the ACLU were consistent in its positions on religious liberty despite the religion, their defense on the issue would be much easier. However, many cases point out that it isn't religion in general the ACLU fight, but the Christian religion in particular. The damage done in this country through the efforts of groups like this are paramount. It has become a tradition for the ACLU to attack Christian nativity scenes every Christmas. They have already started early this year. We have all witnessed the ACLU's hatred of Ten Commandment displays across the nation. The ACLU sue city council after city council over praying in Jesus' name. They don't sue to stop all prayer, but in every case the target has been Christian prayer. They even fought for the right of a Wiccan to pray at a council meeting. Many times it doesn't even take a lawsuit. They just type up a threatening letter and that does the trick. If Americans stood together against the ACLU, the damage could be undeventuallyally. I don't want these communists telling me when and where I can pray. I don't want them coming to my house telling me I can't have a Nativity in my yard because it "might" offend someone. No, they haven't done it yet, but it's just a matter of time. Liberal Distortions I've had trouble opening my email this morning, so I wasn't aware I had received the same mail from Deb that Kathy posted at her site. Thank goodness for WebBox! If you really need more proof of the lies and distortion that the left uses to try to influence your vote, then here it is: It has come to my attention that a commercial currently being aired on the radio paid for by the Greater Wisconsin PAC accuses State Senator Tom Reynolds of being too extreme to hire women on his staff. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Deborah Bowers and I have been on Senator Reynolds' staff since January 31, 2005. Furthermore, unlike a song made popular by Johnny Cash a few decades ago, I am not male with a female name. Such an obvious misrepresentation leads me to believe that either these critics of Senator Reynolds are purposely trying to mislead his constituents, or are too lazy to do their research. Neither conclusion puts his critics in a favorable light. If a fact as easy as the sex of Senator Reynolds' staff is misrepresented, what other pieces of information are untrue? Keeping this personal let me start with my job interview with Senator Reynolds. He did not ask me anything about my beliefs about Heaven, nor did he ask me about my marital fidelity. Rather, he stuck to job appropriate questions, such as experience and education. I never felt that he pried into my personal life between my husband and me. Since he is a Legislator, we did discuss political beliefs, realizing that we were of like mind on many, but not all topics. Senator Tom Reynolds has been falsely accused of being too extreme to have women on his staff. I am a woman working for him. With such an easy accusation refuted, imagine how many other false statements about Senator Reynolds are hanging out there. Why is does it continuously surprise me that the left doesn't bother to find out the facts before spouting their nonsense? Deb says in her email: As a little background, someone who heard this commercial alerted me to it last night. I typed up this editorial and held on to it until I heard the commercial myself today. When I forwarded it to our local CNI papers, I was advised that they will not print campaign editorials the week before an election. Therefore, besides the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the Waukesha Freeman, I am sending this to anyone and every source I can think of. You have my permission to post the editorial on your blog. I wonder if CNI is aware that there are almost TWO weeks to go before the election? Odds and Ends Janitor's secret past: a death squad The priests' murders created a worldwide furor in part because Guevara Cerritos and the other assailants had received training from the U.S. government, taking courses at the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Ga. The bloodshed occurred before dawn, Nov. 16, 1989, at the rectory of El Salvador's Jesuit-run University of Central America. All but one of the priests were in nightclothes and slippers when they were shot. A dormitory cook and her teenage daughter also were killed. Shall we say it all together now? "CONTROL THE BORDERS" Wealthy trio give bulk of party donations Three mega-donors have been financially carrying the state's political parties in recent months, providing the vast majority of the money raised in state bank accounts by the Republicans and Democrats, campaign disclosure reports show. And here I thought McCain-Feingold was suppose to limit the amount given to political parties. Guess that only applies to the little guy! Gay Marriage Backers Hope to Sway N.J. Lawmakers The next appeal for gay rights advocates, the court emphasized, "must be to their fellow citizens whose voices are heard through their popularly elected representatives." The issue revolves around a single word - whether to call this newly constructed relationship, which has all the rights and obligations of marriage - a marriage. So, Wisconsin's Marriage Amendment won't change anything, eh? Baby girl found on doorstep Sloggie said the infant girl was found wrapped in a blanket, her umbilical cord tied with a string. After police arrived, she was taken to Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, where she remains in good condition. Sloggie said the girl appeared to be between 34 and 36 weeks of development. A full-term pregnancy is roughly 40 weeks. A resident of the apartment told police she discovered and took the child inside around noon, Sloggie said, but didn't call authorities until 6 p.m. because she was waiting for an interpreter. The woman is Hispanic and does not speak English, he said. The baby could have been taken to a hospital, a fire station, or even a police station, yet the baby was left on an apartment doorstep? Hmmmm.... This is one more reason English should be required! Exxon Mobil posts profit of $10 billion Net income rose to $10.49 billion from $9.92 billion a year earlier. It was the second-largest profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company in a single quarter. The largest quarterly profit ever was Exxon's $10.71 billion profit in the fourth quarter of 2005. The company raised output by tapping new wells in Nigeria, Qatar and Russia, capitalizing as U.S. oil futures prices rose to a record in July. It is widening exploration for new reserves in Madagascar, Indonesia and the Gulf of Mexico and expanding chemicals plants to take advantage of increasing global petroleum demand. Ah jeeeez.... I can hear it now...."Evil oil companies".... yada yada yada..... Police find naked burglar stuck in window Authorities say a would-be burglar's plot was foiled when he got stuck - naked - in the window of a house. The man was caught before he could take anything from an apartment he was allegedly trying to rob, Forrest City police said. I wonder which end was pointing out? :) "Marriage is already statutorily defined in Sec. 765.01 as being between a husband and wife. That law remains on the books whether the amendment passes or fails." So, who decides what a "husband and wife" means? Logically, it's male and female, but that won't be the case once the activists get to court. I've known gay couples who refer to their significant other as their "husband" or "wife", even though the gender didn't "match" the criteria society has given. Liberalism is a Mental Disorder Reading this posting at Anti-Liberal Zone, I started thinking that perhaps we really have been too nice. I don't think we need deprograming centers, just yet, but I do think a few major moonbats need "intervention". I think that I should thank the liberals in America today for the simple fact that they give me SO MUCH to write about. Like today's article on Liberalism as a Mental Defect and HOW TO FIX IT!. Now I just know some whiny-azz metrosexual, purse-wearing, nail-filing, primped and pampered liberal man would say I'm full of crap but please, read on. There is a list of quotes from "Democrats Underground", but I'm going to let you read them over there. I've read some of the things written at scary people and proof of lib hypocrisy, including some of their "rules": "We welcome Democrats of all stripes, along with other progressives who will work with us to achieve our shared goals. This is a "big tent" message board. We welcome a wide range of progressive opinion. You will likely encounter many points of view here that you disagree with. We ban conservative disruptors who are opposed to the broad goals of this website. If you think overall that George W. Bush is doing a swell job, or if you wish to see Republicans win, or if you are generally supportive of conservative ideals, please do not register to post, as you will likely be banned." Well, so much for the FIRST AMENDMENT over at DU. What I loved on this post, is his "12-Step Program": Step 1: LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND JUST SAY IT: "I'M A LIBERAL!" Just admit it. Say out loud that YOU LOVE higher taxes, banning all nasty guns, letting criminals roam freely, and think NAMBLA is one cool bunch of guys. Hey, it's the first step to realizing your moonbattery. Step 2: GET OFF THE DOPE It's killing your critical thinking skills. Knock it off. Step 3: DROP THE VEGAN CRAP Animals are tasty. God made them that way. Enjoy their tasty flesh through BBQ's at that redneck guy's house who you used to hate for killing Bambi every Fall. You'll need the extra protein for the rest of the program. Remember this: VEGETARIAN is an old Indian word for a SHTTY HUNTER! Step 4: USE FACTS AND LOGIC. Realize that facts and logic hold more sway that your "feelings" or "what you think." You must realize that factual data and provable information is the ONLY way to back up your arguments and positions in life. Just saying Bu$Hitler and running off doesn't cut it Kimberly. Know that RESEARCH is everything and that CNN, NY SLIME,,, democrats underground, etc, are all propaganda with no factual material to back up their claims. This step will be hard for you as it requires WORK and no more cutting and pasting from the above mentioned sites. YOU WILL HAVE TO EXERCISE YOUR GRAY MATTER! Step 5: STAND WITH AMERICA, NOT AGAINST IT. Ok, THIS step is gonna be extremely problematic for your far left peaceniks and hippies. You may actually throw-up admitting that the US is in reality, a beacon of FREEDOM and not an offshoot of Nazi Germany like Michael Mooreon says. Maybe you can visit Arlington or a VA Hospital to see the sacrifices that REAL Americans have made so that YOU have the right to say things like: Bush SUCKS. Bu$Hitler. Kill Bush. etc. Step 6: TAKE AN ECONOMICS CLASS Learn HOW TO explain the simple concept of supply-and-demand. STOP being totally ignorance of basic economics and REALLY learn how the world actually works. YOU WILL NEED THIS concept as the next steps help you overcome your love of commies. Step 7: SAY FCK NO TO COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM Read a History book on the living conditions in ANY Communist/Socialist nation AFTER your economics class is finished. Some pigs ARE MORE equal than others. Step 8: CORPORATIONS CREATE WEALTH, JOBS, AND A HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING Capitalism has made this country the SOLE SUPERPOWER both militarily and economically. If you are drawing a paycheck and have a JOB, THANK A CORPORATION! Even the non-profit sector gets THEIR money from corporations through corporate TAXES! YOU MUST UNDERSTAND that making a profit doesn't equate to the exploitation of the worker and that it is the BASIC CONCEPT of Capitalism and the progress it has brought to the world. Indeed, Capitalism has created the greatest society in our worldÂs history. Step 9: STOP REVISING HISTORY Revising history to make people happy and feel good is only a good way to AVOID THE LESSONS OF HISTORY! STOP IT DMMIT! Yes, Jimmy Carter DID SUCK as a President and YES, Reagan DID DEFEAT Communism. Step 10: THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT DO IT BETTER Realize that government bureaucracy will waste our tax dollars, remeber that bridge to nowhere in Alaska? Why do you think that Hitlary, oops, Hillary's bloated socialist Healthcare plan was voted DOWN by BOTH politicians on BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE!? Think the government knows best? How about buying a 50.00 toilet seat or a 100.00 claw hammer from me then? Step 10: The EARTH IS NOT DYING. IT IS NOT YOUR MOMMY. IT DOESN'T NEED PROTECTION. Just STEP AWAY from the crackpipe and forget about the Enviro-terrorist organizations like ELF and ALF to which you belong. FOLLOW STEP TWO and RESEARCH through the bullsht on Global Warming. Leave OTHER PEOPLE's PROPERTY ALONE. If Al Gore is FOR IT, you can bet it's 100% BULLSH*T. Trust me on this. Step 12: SPREAD THE WORD: Drag a liberal to your house and make them read this. Convert them. Make them SEE THE LIGHT. They WILL thank you for it one day. God knows, LESS liberals equals a STRONGER AMERICA! Like I said, I don't think we need to open clinics to address this blight on society just yet, but if we all helped just ONE liberal to see the light, well then..... :) Wednesday, October 25, 2006 Norway's Dilemma Since Muslims are taking over Europe, why shouldn't they take over the national calendar too? Muslims want national holiday Muslim politicians in Norway are lobbying for establishment of a new national holiday to celebrate the end of a month of fasting. They think the holiday should be recognized along the same lines as Christmas. So what's stopping them from having their own celebration? "The best would be to get Eid-al-Fitr (most commonly called "id" in Norway) on the calendar as a public free day for everyone," Yousef Gilani, a city politician in Drammen, told newspaper VG. Eid-al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Fast of Ramadan, was celebrated on October 24 this year. Will it be celebrated with burning cars and bombing buildings? After the family feast of course. Sorry, that was so tacky of me. "All groups will benefit when Muslims are free on their important holidays," said ombud Beate Gangas. "It's a win-win situation. Some religious groups can work during the Christmas holidays, for example, and get another day off in return." She thinks all employers should be open to such a system. At present, nine of Norway's 12 national holidays are linked to Christian traditions. So, schedule a day off in advance. Christians get Christmas Day off, Jews get Chanukah, Muslims get the end of Ramadan. What's the problem? Must they hijack every country? The Rape of Europe The German author Henryk M. Broder recently told the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant (12 October) that young Europeans who love freedom, better emigrate. Europe as we know it will no longer exist 20 years from now. Whilst sitting on a terrace in Berlin, Broder pointed to the other customers and the passers-by and said melancholically: "We are watching the world of yesterday." Europe is turning Muslim. As Broder is sixty years old he is not going to emigrate himself. "I am too old," he said. However, he urged young people to get out and "move to Australia or New Zealand. That is the only option they have if they want to avoid the plagues that will turn the old continent uninhabitable." I notice immigrating to the U.S. wasn't recommended. I wonder if this guy sees the dhimmitude coming to us in the future. Broder is convinced that the Europeans are not willing to oppose islamization. "The dominant ethos," he told De Volkskrant, "is perfectly voiced by the stupid blonde woman author with whom I recently debated. She said that it is sometimes better to let yourself be raped than to risk serious injuries while resisting. She said it is sometimes better to avoid fighting than run the risk of death." All I can say is that is one VERY ignorant woman. I wonder if she's actually ever been raped? I rather doubt it! "If faith collapses, civilization goes with it," says Bethell. That is the real cause of the closing of civilization in Europe. Islamization is simply the consequence. The very word Islam means 'submission' and the secularists have submitted already. Many Europeans have already become Muslims, though they do not realize it or do not want to admit it. The so called "secular progressives" and communists (ACLU) are doing their best to destroy the foundation of America's faith. Some of the people I meet in the U.S. are particularly worried about the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. They are correct when they fear that anti-Semitism is also on the rise among non-immigrant Europeans. The latter hate people with a fighting spirit. Contemporary anti-Semitism in Europe (at least when coming from native Europeans) is related to anti-Americanism. People who are not prepared to resist and are eager to submit, hate others who do not want to submit and are prepared to fight. They hate them because they are afraid that the latter will endanger their lives as well. In their view everyone must submit. This is why they have come to hate Israel and America so much, and the small band of European 'islamophobes' who dare to talk about what they see happening around them. West Europeans have to choose between submission (islam) or death. I fear, like Broder, that they have chosen submission - just like in former days when they preferred to be red rather than dead. Perhaps it is time to consider limiting immigrants from Muslim countries to I'm not sure what the answer is to the coming problems, but I do believe it's time to stop giving into demands that oppose OUR beliefs. Muslim leader blames women for sex attacks THE nation's most senior Muslim cleric has blamed immodestly dressed women who don't wear Islamic headdress for being preyed on by men and likened them to abandoned "meat" that attracts voracious animals. In a Ramadan sermon that has outraged Muslim women leaders, Sydney-based Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali also alluded to the infamous Sydney gang rapes, suggesting the attackers were not entirely to blame. I wasn't even aware there were any Muslim "women leaders"! In the religious address on adultery to about 500 worshippers in Sydney last month, Sheik Hilali said: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat? "The uncovered meat is the problem." The sheik then said: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred." He said women were "weapons" used by "Satan" to control men. "It is said in the state of zina (adultery), the responsibility falls 90 per cent of the time on the woman. Why? Because she possesses the weapon of enticement (igraa)." Oh yeah, blame the woman for the pig's actions. I'm so angry, I can't even think right now! H/T: Sweetness & Light A Coulter Interview This is one interesting interview with Ann Coulter by David Yeagley. NJ Decision Since Jayce, Calvin and I have been going 'round and 'round on this subject here and here, I'm just going to direct y'all to Stop the ACLU. I'm pooped! :) New Jersey's highest court ruled Wednesday that gay couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but that lawmakers must determine whether the state will honor gay marriage or some other form of civil union. Advocates on both sides of the issue believed the state posed best chance for gay marriage to win approval since Massachusetts became the only state to do so in 2003 because the New Jersey Supreme Court has a history of extending civil rights protections. Instead, the high court stopped short of fully approving gay marriage and gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include gay couples or create new civil unions. State of the Mid Life Woman's Mind Mid-life is when the growth of hair on our legs slows down. This gives us plenty of time to care for our newly acquired mustache. In mid-life women no longer have upper arms, we have wing spans. We are no longer women in sleeveless shirts, we are flying squirrels in drag. Mid-life is when you can stand naked in front of a mirror and you can see your rear without turning around. Mid-life is when you go for a mammogram and you realize that this is the only time someone will ask you to appear topless. Mid-life is when you want to grab every firm young lovely in a tube top and scream, "Listen honey, even the Roman empire fell and those will too." Mid-life brings wisdom to know that life throws us curves and we're sitting on our biggest ones. Mid-life is when you look at your know-it-all, beeper-wearing teenager and think: "For this I have stretch marks?" In mid-life your memory starts to go. In fact the only thing we can retain is water. Mid-life means that your Body By Jake now includes Legs By Rand McNally -- more red and blue lines than an accurately scaled map of Wisconsin. Mid-life means that you become more reflective . . . You start pondering the "big" questions. What is life? Why am I here? How much Healthy Choice ice cream can I eat before it's no longer a healthy choice? Thanks for the reminder Mary. :/ CNN Caves to Mother Moonbat Sheehan's Legal Threat Led CNN to Censor Me, Author Says Isn't CNN the station who has James Earl Jones (sexy voice) saying "The most trusted name in news"? CNN restricted an on-air discussion about a new book dealing with the Iraq war because peace activist Cindy Sheehan threatened to sue over provocative claims about her in the book, one of its co-authors claims. "American Mourning" examines how the death of two U.S. soldiers in Iraq affected their families. One of the two is the Sheehan family. Co-author Melanie Morgan told Cybercast News Service she was slated to appear on CNN's Headline News' "Glenn Beck" program last week and that a producer told her it would be a short segment, focusing on passing claims in the book regarding Sheehan's personal life. Morgan said she replied: "OK, fine, whatever," and continued on the promotional tour for the book, which deals with the families of Casey Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., and Justin Johnson of Rome, Ga., friends who were killed within five days of each other in separate ambushes in Sadr City, Iraq, during April 2004. While en route to CNN studios to tape the interview, however, Morgan received another call from the producer telling her that the segment would now deal with "everything but the sex issues." Free speech is only free if it's the libs "free speech". Sheehan in the radio interview called Moy and Morgan "hate-mongers" engaged in "yellow journalism." "These people are using our tragedy for profit," she charged. "They always accuse me of exploiting Casey's death for profit, and what are they doing?" That's pretty amusing coming from the likes of Sheehan! This Ain't Right! I don't think a good chunk of people have a clue just how dangerous harvesting eggs is to women. Chicks Protect Their Eggs Cloning is a women's issue. That's the response Jennifer Lahl says she gets "over and over again" when she talks to people about "the women's health and safety" concerns at the heart of the debate over embryonic-stem-cell research and cloning. (See Hands Off Our Ovaries) Already routine at fertility clinics, egg donation is an unpleasant process that includes prodding and surgery; "donors" (sometimes highly paid) are given hormones to ensure they produce more than the routine monthly amount of eggs - more means a better shot at success. This largely unregulated industry (an estimated $38 million one) has paid little attention to the potential long-term harm from such hyperstimulation. As two bioethicists from Stanford declared last year in an article in Science magazine, at a minimum women should be made aware both that the risks include infertility and even death and that their "donations," in the case of embryonic-stem-cell research and cloning, may never actually contribute to a cure for anything. And Governor Doyle thinks this is ok? I don't think so! (An aside - my dad had Parkinsons.) I think a "digger" is Aussie for soldier? H/T: Blue Star Chronicles Words are quite important - without them, we couldn't communicate very well. Grunts and hand signals just don't do it for me. So, what I've noticed are that there are certain words have become synonymous with certain political parties: Republican - extreme Democrat - sleaze When it comes right down to it, I'd much rather be "extreme" than "sleaze"! You may now go back to your regularly scheduled program! A Victory....Of Sorts We haven't even gotten through Halloween, yet the flap over Christmas trees and "holiday" trees has reared it's head....again. Christmas tree makes comeback City council restores evergreen's name Maybe it was the chill in the air that had aldermen thinking about Christmas in October, but the Milwaukee Common Council voted 9-5 Tuesday to rename the large green object in Red Arrow Park as the city's "Christmas tree," dumping the "holiday tree" label that has been used since 1995. That action was praised by a Christian group in Florida and condemned by an atheist organization in Madison. At least it passed! "If we don't have the fortitude to call the city's Christmas tree what it is, then what do we have the fortitude to address as far as city issues?" Bohl said. Darn good question! Bohl said the term "holiday tree" was a product of political correctness, because Jews and Muslims don't recognize evergreens as holiday symbols. Excuse me, but doesn't Milwaukee "celebrate" Cinco de Mayo? If it's ok for an American city to celebrate a Mexican holiday, political correctness has run amuck! "There is no reason other than religious hostility to call a Christmas tree anything other than a Christmas tree," Stanley said. "When you try to cleanse Christmas of all religious references, you demonstrate hostility to Christmas." The hostility has grown to Biblical proportions! But Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said the resolution "sounds like a very Christian-centered and very backward thing" that is "excluding Jews and other non-Christians." She said aldermen "just capitulated entirely to (television talk show host Bill) O'Reilly and Fox TV." She doesn't like Christmas, she doesn't have to celebrate. It is nice of her not to bring lawsuits over Christmas trees though. Ald. Michael McGee mocked the measure, saying, "Let's just change Red Arrow Park to Holiday Park, and then all the trees in the park can be holiday trees." Can this guy ever say anything reasonably intelligent? No, that tree really wasn't a part of Christianity originally. The evergreen grew (no pun intended) to symbolize the never ending love of Christ, at least that's my understanding. Let's face it, if it weren't for Christmas, there wouldn't be the "season". Kids wouldn't have any reason to get out of school for 2 weeks, people would have no reason to take the day off from work, and businesses would never have the sales they do now. Take away Christmas, and ya might as well close the doors to Wal Mart! No, shopping isn't the purpose of Christmas, although walking through a store at the end of September, it'd be tough to believe that, decorations all over the place. If we are suppose to be a nation of diverse cultures, with respect for all faiths, why can't we recognize the faith this on which this country was founded? I woke up this morning around 6:45, smoked my morning cig, did my bathroom thing, stumbled down the stairs to make my required pot of coffee and feed the cats. Mind you, I'm not a morning person and "I don't do perky". So, I'm standing there filling the pot, with an ear cocked to The Morning Spin (Steve Doocy was on) and I'll be damned if my youngest 4 legged child doesn't pee in the kitchen a bowl that was soaking from last night. That was definitely a first for me. She has gone in the washing machine, the bathroom sink, and even the toilet, but never the kitchen sink. YUCK! And a "Happy Hump Day" to you too! sigh.... Tuesday, October 24, 2006 Which South Park kid are you most like? Personality Test Results Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by quizzes and personality tests. Who's Kyle? :) Celebrity Response When Michael J. Fox's ad for Doyle shows up on TV, remember this! H/T: Stop the ACLU CBS: Los Alamos Security Breach Probed Feds Are Investigating Apparent Breach Of Classified Info At Nation's Top Nuclear Lab Another apparent breach of classified material is under federal investigation at the nation's premier nuclear weapons laboratory: Los Alamos National Laboratory, sources tell CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. The breach apparently was discovered when Los Alamos police recently conducted a methamphetamine raid on an area home. Inside the house, along with drug paraphernalia, police allegedly found classified materials apparently from the grounds of the Los Alamos Laboratory. How somebody involved in illegal drugs would also have access to classified materials from the nation's nuclear weapons facility is unknown but under investigation. The home is believed to belong to a Los Alamos Laboratory contractor who does maintenance at the laboratory. The FBI has been called in to lead the investigation into the security breach and executed a search warrant on Friday. The U.S. attorney's office in Albuquerque, N.M., is reviewing the case. The Los Alamos Laboratory has been hit by multiple security and management scandals in recent years. Problems were so widespread that Congress forced the contract for management of the lab to go up for bid for the first time ever. However, after bidding, the contract was re-awarded to the same contractor: the University of California. Los Alamos public affairs officials will only confirm the matter is under investigation. Excuse me, but just who the hell is doing the hiring at this place? H/T: Small Dead Animals Gay Affirmative Action? Admissions edge for LGBT applicants? Since the institution of affirmative action more than 40 years ago, American colleges have been working to diversify their campuses, increasing the likelihood of enrollment for students who have suffered discrimination or economic hardship. Two weeks ago, Middlebury College took this process one step further, implementing a policy through which students who identify themselves as gay will receive the same benefits in the admissions process as ethnic minorities, athletes and legacies. While no college has yet matched Middlebury's policy, several, such as Claremont McKenna and Loyola University in New Orleans, are seriously considering it. I'm no big fan of affirmative action. I believe people should succeed on their own merit. I'm all for having no race or gender listed on ANY application. This is one of those ideas who time should NEVER come! "In terms of the admissions process, we give students every consideration if they have a diverse background including students who are gay, or who may be involved in LGBT groups in their high schools, communities or national organizations." I wonder if they give the same consideration to kids who are members of Christian groups. I'm not saying they don't, but...... "I don't think LGBT students have been marginalized in the same way that other groups have," LGBT Center Director Debbie Bazarsky said. "There are LGBT students of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds." Wise kid! I'm old, I can call her a kid. Some LGBT students also are concerned about the effects such a policy could have. "People tend to question your merit when you are a minority or your parents graduated from a school," said Yujhan Claros '10, who is gay. "I don't know if I want that for the LGBT community." Unfortunately, that question is asked of other groups too..."Did he/she get preferential treatment because...." One potential problem with the policy is the difficulty of filtering out straight students who check the box just to earn an extra edge. Bazarsky, however, thought this wouldn't be an issue. Like I said, remove all those little boxes. H/T: Singular Values Just Thought I'd Share :) Rules of Texas: 1. Pull YOUR DROOPY PANTS UP! You look like an idiot! 2. It's called a "gravel road" for a reason. It's made of dirt and gravel. I drive a truck because I want to. You will get dust on your Lexus, drive it or get out of my way 3. They are cattle & oil wells. That's what they smell like to you (BAD). They smell like money to us. Get over it. Don't like it? I-20 and I-10 go east and west, I-35 goes north and south. Pick one. 4. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 cotton strippers that are driven only 3 weeks a year. 5. So every person in every pickup waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept. 6. If that cell phone rings while a bunch of doves are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand! You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time. 7. Yeah, we eat catfish & crawfish. You really want sushi & caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop. 8. The "Opener" refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November. 9. We open doors for women. That is applied to all women, regardless of age. 10. No, there's no "vegetarian special" on the menu. Order steak. Or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey. 11. When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: Meats, Vegetables, and Breads. We use three spices: Salt, Pepper, and Picante Sauce!! Oh, yeah....We don't care what you folks back East or out West call that stuff you eat...IT AIN'T REAL CHILI!! Chili was born and bred in Texas....and real chili never met a bean or a tomato! 12. You bring "coke" into my house, it better be brown, wet, and served over ice. You bring "Mary Jane" into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair. 13. High School and College Football is as important here as the Raiders, 49ers, Lakers or the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch. 14. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards -- it spooks the fish. 15. Colleges? Try Texas Tech, Texas A&M or University of Texas. They come outta there with an education plus a love for God and country, and they still wave at passing pickups when they come for the holidays. 16. We have more folks in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, than any other state, so "Don't Mess with Texas," If you do, you will get whipped by the best. 17. Always remember what our great governor Sam Houston once said: "Texas can make it without the United States, but the United States can't make it without Texas!" Swiped from Blah Blah Blog - The Soap Box Spanish Blogger Charged As an American, and a blogger, I'm flabberghasted by the idea that anyone can be charged with expressing their opinion. I was under the impression that Spain was, more or less, a democracy, or at least it use to be. I guess I was wrong. Two years ago the mayor of the municipality coruñes of Oleiros, that is in addition friend to Fidel Castro, organized a campaign with public money, against the democratic state of Israel. In the occasion of that I sent an email mainly planteándo him my opinion that. Today a citation has arrived me from the court of the penitentiary where it is mentioned to me to declare like imputed “TO BE IN FAVOR OF ISRAEL AND AGAINST the PALESTINIAN TOWN” What opinais? (Excuse the translation, I used SYSTRAN, but you get the idea.) Arrested for supporting Israel? That is so wrong! How long will it be before this starts happening in the U.S. H/T: Infidel Bloggers Alliance Sheriff Joe I have been searching the web for news of this ever since I heard it on Fox News this morning. FINALLY! Arpaio starts 2-week mandatory English classes for inmates Go directly to jail. Do pass a competency exam. Non-English-speaking inmates in Maricopa County jails began mandatory English classes on Monday. At the end of their two-week course, inmates must take a test to see how well they learned about American government, the words to God Bless America and the communication of health and safety needs. "These inmates happen to be incarcerated in the United States of America and in Maricopa County where I run the jails," Sheriff Joe Arpaio said in a statement. "And we speak English here, not foreign languages." Classes will last two hours a day. The curriculum comprises the three branches of government, how a bill becomes law, state government, law enforcement and court services, and jailhouse "situational" terminology. Most students will be native-Spanish speakers. Of the 10,000 prisoners in Maricopa County jails, about 3,000 are Hispanic, including roughly 1,000 undocumented immigrants. I know I heard on the news it was not mandatory, but if it is, it's not such a bad idea. Just wait...there will be the so called "human rights" bunch squawking from the rooftops...or hanging upside down in the rafters. I've held back on posting this, but in all fairness, I must! :( Green Bay - 34 (2-4-0) Miami - 24 (1-6-0) NY Giants - 36 (4-2-0) Dallas -22 (3-3-0) grumble grumble grumble Recent Commenter A recent commenter on my blog has a letter to the editor in this morning's Distorter. Marriage issue 'yes' OKs discrimination Among other preposterous contentions, she is literally saying schools will teach students not just about gays, but how to actually become gay. She even argues that, with schools' "recommendation to experiment," children will be urged to engage in homosexuality. That line of thought has the unique distinction of being both laughable and disgusting at the same time. Sadly, this is already the case. There are schools in New York and California who ARE pushing the agenda. You might say we are in Wisconsin, and this isn't New York, and it's too cold to be California. That's the point....we don't WANT TO BE! The truth, of course, is that nothing will change if the amendment doesn't pass. Life in Wisconsin will continue, just as it is today. Remember, voting "no" on the amendment means keeping things the way they are now. Again, sadly, this is not the case. There are lawsuits already gearing up to challenge the law. If you're like (the writer) and believe schools will encourage and instruct students how to be gay, vote "yes." If you believe that not amending the Constitution will spell the end of the human race (also implied by the writer, vote "yes." What the writer said "Nature and common sense teaches that without the male-female relationship, the human race would cease to exist" happens to be true. Will it happen? No, of course not. We aren't all gay, obviously! However, if you feel that it is wrong to discriminate, vote "no." This nation has a long enough history of discrimination. Let's not add to it. I don't see this as discrimination. I see it as a group of people asking for "special" consideration. As someone who was raised in the south during the 50s and 60s, I've seen and heard all the discrimination I can handle. This ain't it! I'm Shocked! This morning is the first time I've seen an article in the FdL Distorter that actually asks a really good question: Woman arrested for allegedly stealing baby food Fond du Lac police responded to Pick 'n Save, 760 W. Johnson St., on Oct. 20 after a store employee observed a 20-year-old woman leaving the store with unpaid merchandise. Police searched the wo-man's purse and found five cans of Enfamil baby formula valued at $69.45. The large purse had little in it, and police suspected it was intended for hiding stolen items, according to a police report. The store employee told police that he saw the woman with the baby formula under other items in her grocery basket. When the woman checked out, the baby formula was gone. The woman could face charges of retail theft and obstructing police. A Dec. 5 court date has been set. So, the question is - If desperate, would you steal to feed your children?
Will a health savings account change my SSA retirement? Q: I am considering use of a heath savings account plan at work. Using one would reduce my taxes but have a secondary result of lowering my earnings for Social Security. Can this reduce my future Social Security retirement amount? A: It potentially could, depending on the amount of money involved and for how long a time. An individual answer partly depends on the persons work record over many years. Social Security retirement amounts are based on your best 35 years of work earnings and your age, in months compared to full retirement age, when starting benefits. If your current earnings are included in those best 35 years, future benefit amounts might be smaller. The Social Security website has a Retirement Estimator calculator that could help you reach an individual answer. Part of the SSA Retirement Planner section, the Estimator connects to a person’s actual SSA work record to provide a personal estimate. You can use the Retirement Estimator if already enrolled in Medicare, but not if now applying for or receiving SSA benefits. Initial estimates provided are for age 62, at full retirement age, and at age 70. These assume that a person will continue earning the amount of wages or self-employment earnings most recently posted to his or her record. For different estimates, you can change either the amount of future earnings used or the age when starting benefits. Comparing Retirement Estimator results for the same age based on the initial earnings level and then with lower or higher earnings provides approximate results of different earnings on your future Social Security retirement amount. Actual Social Security retirement amounts consider how many months you are away from full retirement age, either younger or older, when starting benefits. The Retirement Estimator provides estimates for years such as 62, 63, 64 and older, not months. For specific months and additional information, other calculators are available in the Retirement Planner section.
Amanda Carpenter Former GOP presidential candidate Fred Thompson is pushing back hard against a CBS reporter’s editorial assessment of his remarks at a rally for John McCain and Sarah Palin earlier today. “Seems as if, all of a sudden, some of my old buddies over at CBS have become very sensitive to what they consider to be hyperbole on the presidential campaign trail. Imagine that,” Thompson told Townhall. Listen to Senator Thompson's full statement here. CBS Reporter John Bentley, who covered Thompson’s presidential campaign as an embed reporter, wrote a very negative analysis of the speech Thompson gave to introduce GOP vice presidential candidate Palin. “Some of Thompson’s statements about the politician he was introducing seemed to the stretch the limits of credulity,” Bentley “reported.” Bentley quoted Thompson as saying, “Sarah Palin is the most remarkable success story in the history of American politics.” Bentley then surmised, “which would seem to put her ahead of George Washington (winning the Revolutionary War, becoming the country’s first president), Abraham Lincoln (overcoming poverty, ending slavery, holding the union together), and Franklin Roosevelt (overcoming polio, defeating the Nazis, being elected president four times).” “I didn’t realize that the mainstream media considered winning the Revolutionary War and freeing the slaves to be political events,” Thompson told Townhall. “But, nevertheless, it just occurs to me that this woman went from the PTA to becoming the vice presidential nominee, and along the way became Governor; took on and defeated the entrenched powers, the big oil companies, her own state party chairman, [and] an incumbent Republican governor while reforming the energy policies for Alaska to the benefit of the entire country. If she’d been a liberal woman doing all this, CBS and the other networks would already be fighting over the rights to create a television series about her.” The same day Bentley snarked about Thompson’s appearance, the CBS Network removed a web ad created by the McCain campaign from the Internet. The ad contained a clip of CBS Anchor Katie Couric deriding the prevalence of sexism in American politics, which CBS said was unacceptable to use. "CBS News does not endorse any candidate in the presidential race,” the network said in a statement. “Any use of CBS personnel in political advertising that suggests the contrary is misleading.” Amanda Carpenter
Full Video Transcript An adoption is a legal process where the adoptive parents are given permanent parental rights over a child. At the same time, the child's natural parents' parental rights are terminated. A parent may voluntarily give up their rights by filing a relinquishment with the court, or the court may terminate a parent's rights on its own initiative. Involuntary termination of parental rights normally requires child abuse, abandonment or some other illegal act. An adoption is different from the appointment of a non-parental legal guardian.A legal guardian is a person appointed by the court to temporarily care for a child. It is a temporary order, because the order is vacated on the child's eighteenth birthday. Your parents are always your parents. The guardian is also under the supervision of the court. A judge may overturn a guardian's decision, and may also change a minor's guardian. In the eyes of the law, an adoptive parent is the child's parent once an adoption is finalized. The courts have no power over the parents and child. Search LawInfo's Adoption Resources
Subscribe Contribute Advertise Facebook Twitter Instagram Forums Newsletter SteriPEN Adventurer Water Purifier REVIEW Display Avatars Sort By: Brian James (bjamesd) - F Locale: South Coast of BC Re: SteriPEN Adventurer Water Purifier REVIEW on 03/02/2007 10:56:12 MST Print View I think these things would pay for their own weight by reducing the amount of water you carried. If you can treat in 2 minutes total, that means you'll be able to drink an extra litre by the end of your rest or lunch stop. 1 litre is 35oz off your back when you get back on the trail. With Aqua Mira, the product itself weighs almost nothing but you're walking for 15-30 minutes with 1-2L (=35-70 ounces) of extra weight before you even start drinking. I also think that if a water stop only takes 2 minutes and doesn't involve removing your pack, you'll do it more often. Thus if you are in terrain that crosses a water source every hour or two, you will hardly have to carry any water at all. Everyone talks a lot about reducing their base weights, but the most cost-effective weight reduction possible is your water weight. Reducing water weight is how I justify having a hydration tube: the first two swallows pay for the weight of the tube. After that, I can drink the first litre in 20 minutes and the next litre in 40, thus keeping myself nice and hydrated as well as nice and light. paul johnson (pj) - F Locale: LazyBoy in my Den - miss the forest Re: 5000 gallon filter. 1 oz. $30 on 03/02/2007 12:33:04 MST Print View James, not enough info there to make an in-depth evaluation. Even the "Learn More: Survival Straw" link has very little detail as to the precise construction and modus operandi of the "Survival straw". Assuming it is as good as they say it is, then i would make only one comment about it: it is intended as a stationary, on-demand purifying device to be used with larger bodies of water. unless one somehow adapts it into an on-the-go water reservoir system, such as an in-line filter, one isn't going to be carrying any water with them if all they have is the Survival Straw. Sure, one could fill up a water bladder, of sorts, and then periodically stop, open the water bladder, dip the Survival Straw into the water bladder and drink. However, splicing it into a home-made hydration system, using off-the-shelf components, so that it functions as an on-the-go inline filter/purifier would be a better way to go. Camel-bak makes such an inline filter (used by our Armed Forces, by the way) already. There are others also. If you feel that my quick perusal of the Survival Straw webpage has yielded some gross conceptual errors about its nature and use, PLEASE post back and correct me. I'd appreciate it. Roger Caffin (rcaffin) - BPL Staff - MLife Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe Re: Re: SteriPEN Adventurer Water Purifier REVIEW on 03/02/2007 23:04:25 MST Print View Hi Dondo > I was going to use a Heineken can as a purifying container/drinking mug. The diameter of the opening is about 2.75" across and the depth is about 5.75". Is this a good size to use or should I go for something shallower? It would do, with a good bit of stirring, but wider and shallower would be a little better. The pot shown is our 1.5 L MSR Titan cooking pot. Roger Caffin (rcaffin) - BPL Staff - MLife Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe re alloysafe on 03/02/2007 23:15:06 MST Print View > I have it as part of my in-home emergency kit, and have been using it backpacking/daypacking for a few years. But I can never find any reviews of it! Either it really works or I have just been really lucky... Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? I note with fascination the huge list of independent lab test reports offered as proof that it works. I also note the large amount of technical information as to how it works. And finally, I note the EPA-style %reduction figures quoted for all the bugs. Much too good ... Roger Caffin (rcaffin) - BPL Staff - MLife Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe Re: Freezing Conditions on 03/02/2007 23:20:31 MST Print View Hi Brett > have only had the chance to take the Steripen on one 3 day trip (in which the temperature never broke 20F and went as low as 8F). I found that the battery performance did suffer, and it was necessary to warm the unit up inside my jacket before treating water to be able to run a full cycle. My thought is that at a low enough temperature the batteries have difficulty generating enough voltage to satisfy the Steripen. I believe the company does recommend warming everything up just as you said. It may be very helpful to remember that, apart from the Energiser e2 lithiums, ALL the rest of the lithiums have a water-based electrolyte and, like alkalines, they all freeze up in the cold. They won't work below freezing! (The e2 batteries don't use water and will work, with decreasing performance, down to -20 C or something like that.) John Garberson (Montana) - F SteriPen and UV Transmission on 03/03/2007 09:58:09 MST Print View Apparently, the water container blocks damaging UV from the SteriPen user. Yet, there is a generally successful method of using solar UV to treat water in glass or plastic bottles, . So, one party says UV can't go through the plastic/glass to get out, the other says UV goes through the plastic/glass to get in...? Are we talking different UV wavelengths here? Or angle of incidence? I don't want to revisit my high school me out. :) paul johnson (pj) - F Locale: LazyBoy in my Den - miss the forest Re: SteriPen and UV Transmission on 03/03/2007 13:28:13 MST Print View SODIS does work - it is generally recommended that SODIS be allowed six hours to perform its disinfecting work on non-turbid water. Is it UV-A, UV-B, or UV-C that is doing the work. Frankly, i don't know, but i bet Dr. Caffin could tell me/us. I think it takes so long b/c the container (glass or plastic) does work pretty well to prevent UV wavelength light from penetrating. Practically, enough UV-C is prevented from exiting the container during purification, with Steri-Pen or AquaStar that it apparently/supposedly/hopefully (you pick the right word) isn't a problem. Me? I don't look at it when it's on. I've always disagreed theoretically with the UV can't get out/through theory. Why? 1. other's experience, viz. SODIS, as you mentioned 2. my own experience. when i was a senior & a grad student, i would prepare all of the media and run/teach the Microbiology labs at the College i attended (now an august University!!) as part of a paid Fellowship. Each semester, in about the second lab, i would have the students conduct an experiment. We'd innoculate petri dishes containing agar and place them on a shelf in front of the close glass windows (sunny or cloudy - no matter). I'd have a control left behind some equipment in a shaded area. We'd start removing them beginning after 20min exposure and working our way up to 2+ hours. I'm really sorry, but my "old-timers" is acting up and i'm forgetting the longest period of time - somewhere b/t 2 and 4 hrs, IIRC. Then, after 24-48 hrs incubation at 37C (body temp), we examine the petri dishes for bacterial growth. The control petri dish which was in the shaded area for the entire period of time ALWAYS displayed growth. However, the longer a petri dish was exposed to the sunlight shining through the closed windows, the less growth they had. At some point, again, i must apologize, i've forgotten the exact point, in terms of minutes of exposuret to the sunlight, at which no visible growth occured, but there were always those that showed no growth that had been exposed longer. Oh, i should add also that besides the closed glass windows, the plastic petri dishes had their tops on them too!! UV (not sure what "band", A, B, or C, but maybe one of the Docs who participate in these Forums will be kind enough to Post and tell us) is thought to cause cataracts later in life. So, I don't stare at my container when I use a UV-C purifier. Of course, we probably get a lot more UV from the sunlight - hence, the need for a good pair of sunglasses. Roger Caffin (rcaffin) - BPL Staff - MLife Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe Re: Re: SteriPen and UV Transmission on 03/03/2007 14:27:44 MST Print View Hi pj From Wikipedia (faster than typing myself!): Sunlight is treating the contaminated water through three synergistic radiation mechanisms. UV-A (wavelength 320-400nm) which react with oxygen dissolved in the water produces highly reactive forms of oxygen (oxygen free radicals and hydrogen peroxides) in the water. These reactive forms of oxygen kill the microorganisms. UV-A also interferes with the reproduction cycle of bacteria by damaging their DNA Infrared heating the water. If the water temperatures raises above 50°C, the disinfection process is three times faster. The combined effect of all three mechanisms is greater than that of each individual components. The SteriPEN Adventurer uses UV-C to kill the bugs. Much shorter wavelength, more energetic photons. paul johnson (pj) - F Locale: LazyBoy in my Den - miss the forest Re: Re: Re: SteriPen and UV Transmission on 03/03/2007 16:59:00 MST Print View Many thanks. UV-A...this answers a lot of questions and explains a lot of things. I can now accept what the Mfrs claim, viz. that UV-C doesn't escape. UV-A is probably the wavelength band that was also involved in producing no growth in that simple Microbiology lab demonstration. BTW, the nobel prize winning physicist, Richard Feynman claims that he was the only human to get a unobscurred view of the first nuclear detonation. While others used VERY dark goggles to view (for fear of the large amounts of UV light produced by the bomb), Feynman viewed only through the glass window of an US Army jeep, since as he explained it, he knew that the window would stop the UV light from damaging his eyes. I've never read that he developed cataracts, though he only lived to be about 70yrs of age, IIRC. I guess the UV produced must have been mainly in the shorter UV-C wavelengths??? I should have remembered Feynman's account of the incident, and incorporated it into my thinking on this subject. I guess the viewing distance was also a factor (inverse square principle of radiating energy) for any amounts of UV-A and UV-B produced. "I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something." - Richard Feynman [this quote seems to have some application to this particular subject and my lack of proper understanding on which band of UV comes into play both in SODIS and the little demonstration in Micro lab.] Roger, if you've never read Feynman's little autobiography "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman" [subtitled "The Adventures of a Curious Character"], you should borrow a copy from the local library (even my little town's library had it). It's a great little read which, yrs ago, I couldn't put down until late at night when i finished it. I've read it twice, i enjoyed it so much. Edited by pj on 03/03/2007 17:16:01 MST. Rick Dreher (halfturbo) - MLife Locale: Northernish California UC C transmissivity on 03/03/2007 17:33:15 MST Print View I found this note in SteriPEN's FAQs: "While very few materials are transparent to UV-C, there are a small number of uncommon materials that are. These include optical grade quartz (the SteriPEN™ lamp material) and a few fluoropolymers in the Teflon family – both unlikely materials to be used for drinking containers." Interestingly, they also note the air/water interface is an effective UV reflector. If all that weren't comfort enough, we also have the inverse square law working in our favor. It would probably take a lot of effort to receive eye damage from one of the UV treatment gizmos. (Staring at the bare tube, perhaps?) Thomas Jamrog (balrog) - F Locale: New England Batteries for Steripen Adventurer on 03/04/2007 05:01:55 MST Print View Surefire brand = 12 for $20.00 Regarding the LLBean deal . It is correct. Surefire 123A 10 year shelf life . 12 for $20. I bouight two boxes in the store yesterday. The salesman says they sell out very quickly, as a single battery ( while a named brand ) sells for $9 each! They are not in the Freeport, ME Main store, but in the Hunting and Fishing Store. As always , if you are not happy, bring the rest of them back with the slip and satisfaction guaranteed! Tom Jamrog John Garberson (Montana) - F UV behavior on 03/04/2007 09:56:09 MST Print View pj and Roger -- Thanks!! Victor Karpenko (Viktor) - MLife Locale: Northern California Re: Batteries for Steripen Adventurer on 03/04/2007 11:23:58 MST Print View Here are a couple of other sources for cheap batteries in case you don't have access to LL Bean Surefire 12 for $21,_SureFire).php and with toooo many other choices Frank Ramos (frprovis) - F steripen and helminthes on 03/04/2007 20:40:07 MST Print View Roger Caffin writes: "But more importantly the presence of a small amount of dirt or organic matter in the water will not greatly affect the operation of UV light." However, Natick labs gave a bad review of the steripen because it doesn't work in turbid water: I have said this before, but I will reiterate. The primary threats to hikers from water are (a) poisonous chemicals, such as AS (the spell checker says that the metal with this chemical symbol is profanity) or the toxins released by algae blooms (b) helminthic parasites. A healthy adult with a normal immune system will suffer no more than minor distress from the protozoa or virus found in North America or Europe. Some type of of bacteria from in North America and Europe, such as particularly nasty s trains of e.coli might kill a child, but they are unlikely to kill an adult. All viruses, bacteria and protozoa found in North America and Europe can be shaken out of the body with relative ease and pose no long term danger to a healthy adult. Chemicals can kill, but these are a minor consideration other than in the desert. Helminthes, on the other hand, are a real danger. Anywhere there are canines (dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes) there is the potential for hydatid cysts from echinococcus granulosus tapeworm. This can cause very severe illnesses. Currently, this tapeworm is common in all arctic regions (Alaska, Canada, Siberia) where it cycles between wolves and caribou/deer and similar prey. This tapeworm is also very common in the Alps, where it is carried by a combination of foxes and small mammals such as mice and voles. This tapeworm is/was very common in many sheep-rearing areas, such as Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, the entire Mediterranean area, Patagonia, where it is carried by a combination of dogs and sheep. The cycle is completed when dogs are allowed to eat the entrails of slaughtered sheep. This is not done in the United States or most of Northern Europe, and hence the disease is not common there. But there is nothing that says these worms couldn't be introduced and then be perpetuated by coyotes/wolves eating raw sheep. Supposedly these worms have been eradicated recently in New Zealand by a long campaign of veterinary care of the sheep. Anyway, if you are hiking in any part of the world where there are canines, meaning all of North America and Europe, there is the potential for very dangerous helminthes in the water. Perhaps not now, but these worms could easily be introduced accidentally, such as by wolves migrating down from the Arctic into temperate North America. Hydatid cysts are a major health problem in the poor sheep-rearing countries of the world, such as Turkey. The cycle is as follows. Unvaccinated sheep-dogs are carriers of the worms, the worm eggs come out in the dogs intestinal output (I tried to use the technical word, but the spell checker says this is profanity), little children playing around the dogs get the eggs in their mouths, the eggs hatch and burrow into the body where they form cysts. These cysts grow slowly and after a dealy of about twenty to thirty years, the person has major health problems. Treatment is quite risky, especially if the cyst is in the brain or heart. I have been unable to find information as to the probability of ingesting worm eggs in water. It is certainly possible and the National Park Service in the Lake Superior area warns about these worms. But perhaps this is just cover-your-ass behavior on their part. I suspect the likelihood is much greater than commonly thought, and the reason we don't hear more about these worms is that there simply aren't that many people in the backcountry and the damage take 20-30 years to develop and it takes a trained physician to even recognize that the damage is due to worm and not something else. In Turkey, where hydatid cysts are common, physicians knows to suspect worms when someone in their 30's shows up with all sorts of strange symtoms. I'm not sure if doctors elsewhere are so informed. Worm eggs are ultra-tough. Ultraviolet light has no effect on them and neither do chlorine, chlorine-dioxide or iodine. The only way to avoid ingesting worm eggs is to filter the water. Luckily, the worm eggs are fairly large, like 15 microns and up, so anything which screens for giardia will also screen worm eggs. There's tons of information on the internet about worms, but very little about the probability of encountering such worms in places like Sierras or Appalachians. However, there are wolves, foxes and/or coyotes in these places, and thus there is the potential for a problem. Echinoccous granulosus is just one type of helminthic parasite, but probably the biggest risk for backpackers. There are many other helminthes, all of which produce eggs which are fairly large but immune to UV and chemical treatment. John S. (jshann) - F Re: steripen and helminthes on 03/05/2007 09:05:53 MST Print View Frank said, "I'm not sure if doctors elsewhere are so informed." Oh ye of little faith. I think most docs in the USA will diagnose it in short time by serology or ultrasound and biopsy if needed. I've had only one case, but it was already suspected by the neurosurgeon and radiologist before the biopsy ever came to me. They were right. I'd say the probability of ingesting worm eggs in the USA is low. Heeding the warnings at Isle Royale NP would be smart. The primary threat to hikers is a motor vehicle accident on the way to the trailhead. While echinococcosis can cause a lot of grief, most of the cysts (hydatid cysts)are solitary, occur in the liver and most are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. Gene . Locale: New England Re: Re: steripen and helminthes on 03/05/2007 16:21:19 MST Print View Oh great John, that's consoling,...."While E'..can cause a lot of grief, most of the cysts are solitary, occur in the liver, and are asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis." Yeah, and then what? I had severe liver pains the past few months and sure enough after an MRI of my liver they found a cyst in there; but did nothing to treat me after telling me so?!? Let me know which doctor(s) are 'on their game' because the one treating me apparently cut this class in med school.... Roger Caffin (rcaffin) - BPL Staff - MLife Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe Re: steripen and helminthes on 03/06/2007 01:59:17 MST Print View Frank wrote: Well, yes, but I think Natick and I are talking about seriously different levels of contaminant! The first problem with 'turbid water' is that the suspended matter, either organic or clay, will absorb a lot of any oxidant, rendering chemical treatment doubtful, and secondly any filter used will quickly block. If you HAVE to use such water, I suspect that boiling may be your only solution. I have drunk stinking stagnant water once, when the creeks were all dry and the only water was underground in a pig-wallow in the creek-bed. It tasted awful!*! We survived. Helminthes - yeah, bad stuff. John S. (jshann) - F Re: Re: Re: steripen and helminthes on 03/06/2007 07:42:18 MST Print View I hear ya Gene. Most liver cysts are not parasitic and are incidental (and benign) findings while investigating other patient complaints. More on liver cysts...offtopic I realize. eric levine (ericl) - F Locale: Northern Colorado Batteries on 03/13/2007 09:34:36 MDT Print View PJ has already posted my fav. links, but here are some more. I've ordered from all of these, not just browsed. I believe these are the new 2nd generation NiMH that don't have the big hidden 'wort' of 1st gen. namely, terrible self discharge. Ray o - vac is marketing similar already under the trendy "Hybrid" name. The last thing you need is to hang on the hilltop to see a great sunset on your informal day hike, only to dig out your flashlight and get 2 minutes out of it. (of course, the spare NiMH's in your pack will get you a total of 4 minutes) 2. For HiMH, the best deal and REALLY good charger I've found is the La Crosse 900 ( 900_battery_charger.php) Besides the all important ability to charge batteries singly, it will measure the capacity & also has a rejuvenate mode. 3. Most LED lights will work with rechargable lithiums, but some unregulated lights may not.Tenergy makes a volt limited 3v rechargable lithium which should be safe in most applications. 4. I own a bunch of 123's but really favor rechargables whenever possible due to savings, predictability when topped off, and most important, the environment. James Pitts (jjpitts) - F Locale: Midwest US Steripen on 03/13/2007 13:47:30 MDT Print View How do you treat the threads of the container? They get untreated water on them when you dip the container in the water source. With AquaMira, after you add the oxidant, you pour some treated water into the cap and over the threads. How can you treat the threads with the AquaStar? This seems like a pretty big hole in this treatment method to me.
Diabetes Forecast The Healthy Living Magazine 8 Ways a Logbook Can Help Your Control Experts’ tips on how to make sense of blood glucose numbers I truly think that monitoring is the key to successful blood sugar control. The only way it really works is if you can see cause and effect. Marlene Bedrich, RN, MS, BC-ADM, CDE A stubborn morning high or a baffling evening low may raise questions that, without a logbook, are hard to answer. Whether paper or electronic, a logbook provides a place to record blood glucose numbers, foods and drinks you’ve had, carbohydrate counts, physical activity, and other aspects of daily life that can affect your diabetes management. A logbook can help you and your health care provider figure out what eating plan, exercise, and medications are best for your blood glucose control. But it only works if you know how to make sense of your numbers. Here are experts’ tips on how to make your logbook tell you what you want to know. 1. Before and After If you measure blood glucose levels before and after eating a meal, working out, or taking a dose of mealtime insulin, a logbook can help you actually see how things you do affect blood glucose. “I truly think that monitoring is the key to successful blood sugar control,” says Marlene Bedrich, RN, MS, BC-ADM, CDE, a program coordinator at the University of California–San Francisco’s Diabetes Teaching Center. “The only way it really works is if you can see cause and effect.” Without the “before” test, the “after” test is less meaningful, because you don’t know what your starting level was. With meals and snacks, you test before and about two hours after your first bite of food. And some people may want to do extra tests around exercise—before, during, and immediately after—to check for hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). In fact, exercise can have lowering effects on your blood glucose for up to 24 hours. 2. A Matter of Degree Not everyone with diabetes is going to get the same benefits from day-in, day-out logging. Both Bedrich and Stacey O’Donnell, MS, RN, CNL, CDE, a nurse educator at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, recommend coming up with a plan that will give you the information you need to stay healthy without blowing a gasket. “Logging every day is hard and time consuming. That’s why most people can’t or won’t do it,” O’Donnell says. “I want to make it easier for them.” People who take insulin, particularly mealtime insulin, have more to gain from regular logging. People with type 2 diabetes who take oral meds or injectables other than insulin may be better off logging more selectively—for example, taking before-and-after blood glucose tests for just one meal a day on occasion. Test around breakfast on one day, lunch the next, and then dinner after that. This will give you an idea of what’s happening in response to what you eat at certain times, without requiring six or more strips in a single day. You may have to save up strips or buy some out-of-pocket to do this type of paired testing. 3. Mark the Meds Even if you don’t use a logbook every day, it may be a good idea to track blood glucose levels for a couple of weeks when starting a new medication, says O’Donnell, to see how well it’s working. “Those might be periods of time where logging would be beneficial for the patient and the provider.” Make sure to note when and, in the case of variable doses, how much medication you take during the day. For example, marking down insulin doses at mealtime is important, says Bedrich, but so is noting your long-acting insulin dose or your basal pump rate. That way, “you get the whole timeline,” she says. One tip she offers is that it’s best to log an insulin dose right after taking it, because you may not remember later how much you took. 4. Time to Eat What you put in your mouth is a big source of blood glucose variation from day to day. To see how food affects your levels, you’ll want to mark down the type and amount of food and calculate the number of carbohydrate grams you eat and drink throughout the day, says O’Donnell. If you don’t use carb counting but rely on the “plate method” or some other eating plan, the type and amount of food are the important things to note. The payoff comes when you see how various types of food or a certain number of carb grams affect your blood glucose. For example, check before and after breakfast to see if cereal and milk raise your blood glucose differently than whole-grain toast and scrambled egg whites do. For mealtime insulin users, seeing the cause and effect of what you eat and drink helps you fine-tune your personal carb-to-insulin ratio. “It can be different depending on the time of day and the type of medications you’re on,” says Bedrich. “When you test, it can help to determine if the ratio is right or if you counted carbs right.” 5. Workout Wise Whether you lift weights, swim, walk, or do yoga can affect blood glucose, so making note of what type of physical activity you engage in and for how long can help you figure out an activity’s influence on blood glucose levels. O’Donnell adds that “when people exercise can have an impact.” Walking after a meal, for example, may help you avoid blood glucose spikes. 6. Sunrise, Sunset Taking a blood glucose reading first thing when you wake up, right before bed, and, if directed by your provider, about halfway through your normal sleeping hours on occasion can provide a wealth of information. “A bedtime blood sugar is important,” says O’Donnell. “You wouldn’t want someone going to bed with hypoglycemia.” Even if blood glucose is normal at bedtime, it may fall as you sleep, so setting your alarm for a mid-snooze check can provide peace of mind that you are staying in a healthy range. A test when you wake up reveals fasting glucose levels, which is helpful for doctors as they figure out what medications work best for you. 7. Tech Support Whether you use a ratty old notebook or a sparkling smartphone to log your data is a matter of personal taste. Bedrich is a big supporter of pen and paper. “If you write things down, you get to look at it every time something happens,” she says. “That gives you lots of opportunities to see your data and analyze it.” On the other hand, just about everyone carries a smartphone these days. “That could help patients have it a little closer to them,” O’Donnell says, making it more convenient to log. Plus, blood glucose results stored in your meter and continuous glucose monitor can be uploaded to a computer and printed out, so you and your health care provider have tidy reports to consider. Be sure to review the reports yourself weekly. 8. Pattern Recognition “One thing I try to stress is that if there’s one time that it’s important to log, if you feel things are out of control, it’s before a doctor’s appointment,” says O’Donnell. “It helps you and the provider figure out what’s going on.” Experts like to see multiple examples to help identify patterns. Ask your provider how many days to log to help provide meaningful information. And keep in mind that your logbook isn’t just for your doctor—it’s for you. Checking your logbook daily for immediate feedback and weekly for patterns provides information that you can use. With that information, you can make changes that will get you to, or keep you in, your target blood glucose range. Some intense bouts of testing to get back on track may mean you will have less daily testing once you find a regimen that works. The ADA Says The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says there are certain times when people who take multiple daily insulin injections or use an insulin pump may need to check blood glucose: before and occasionally after meals and snacks, at bedtime, before exercise, if a low is suspected, after treating a low, and before critical tasks such as driving. For people who use insulin less frequently or who don’t use insulin, the ADA says that checking blood glucose can help guide decisions about medications, physical activity, eating plans, and other treatments. Get Free Health Tips Get to Know
DVD Verdict Case Number 27289: Small Claims Court Buy Being Ginger at Amazon Being Ginger Garden Thieves Pictures // 2013 // 69 Minutes // Not Rated • View Judge Nazarewycz's Dossier • E-mail Judge Nazarewycz • Printer Friendly Review All Rise... Judge Michel Nazarewycz is ready to take a shot every time Ron Weasley's name is mentioned. The Charge The story of one man's attempt to find a woman who likes redheads. Opening Statement I've never cared for the term "ginger" as a description for a redhead; I've always thought the term to be derogatory. Granted, it isn't as inflammatory as certain epithets borne of a disdain for someone's race, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation, but if you listen closely, you can hear a considerable degree of condescension when the word is spoken. I've never understood that, and I was hoping to gain some kind of understanding from this documentary. Facts of the Case Edinburgh College of Art student Scott Harris is both filmmaker and subject of this documentary, which has an initial intent of recording his efforts to find love in a world where he—because he is a self-described ginger—believes he is looked down upon as some freakish minority. But as the film progresses, Harris becomes more introspective about what is truly motivating him to delve into the issue of needing to be loved while being viewed as a lesser-class citizen. The Evidence While Being Ginger is a documentary in the literal sense, its filmmaking devices make it play much more like a video diary. There is no specific narrative, only a series of moments (some of them more closely connected than others) illustrating Harris' efforts to get a girl—efforts that take on a different and deeper meaning as the film progresses. (On a related note, the film's structure is two-act, not three, which lends well to the "one man show" aspect of it.) There is also no sense of the passage of time, other than filmed changes of seasons and an epilogue of sorts stating "5 Months Later." In addition to these, much of the filming is point-and-shoot; there is a camerawoman, but there is also a tripod. Within that structural execution and after the lean 69-minute running time, Being Ginger amounts to nothing more than reality TV. The first act of the film deals with what makes the film interesting: the set-up that plays on the general conception (allegedly) held by the public at large that redheads—gingers—are looked down upon to a considerable degree. I tend to think this is overstated in general, but I'm willing to go along with it. Harris uses this conceit as his hook. He's not a guy who can't get a date—he's a GINGER who can't get a date. The problem is that the connection between being a ginger and being unsuccessful in love is speculative at best; just because both facts are true doesn't mean one is the reason for the other. In fact, there are myriad reasons why Harris could have been romantically unsuccessful (at least in the film). The most obvious deterrent is that he's a foreigner pointing a camera at people, which will surely scare many away. But he's also shy and a little awkward around women, too (which is perfectly fine), and this is a far more plausible reason for failure than hair color or skin pallor. As one or in total, these things belie the entire premise of the experiment. If the other factors had been mitigated and if Harris had been George Clooney-like in his charm and he still couldn't find romance, then he might be able to point to the hair. Otherwise, it could just be the circumstances or it could just be him. The second act becomes a blend of continued romantic pursuits, self-promotion of his film, and an epiphany about how the fact that he was bullied as a child might be the root of his self-esteem issues. This turns the film into something far more introspective, but it still feels like it's being done for show. There's a moment where he is about to tell a story about being bullied when he asks if the camera is rolling. He clarifies that there was a previous tale he told when the camera wasn't rolling and he feels like they lost that moment, but to ask if you are rolling suggests you are trying to manufacture a moment. Any sense of genuine self-realization becomes watered-down by the other aspects—hooks and promotion—of the second act. The most ironic part of it all is that Harris finds other redheads unattractive. I'm not about to suggest he date anyone for the sake of getting a date, but perhaps he can better understand why he thinks people don't like him because he's a redhead if he would take a moment to reflect why he doesn't like redheads. His introspective pursuits need to be broadened. Being Ginger was shot on a digital camera and all imagery on the 1.78:1 anamorphic presentation appears to have been transferred from the memory card to the DVD as-is. There are wild fluctuations in image quality (depending on the setting), with some shots presenting postcard-grade quality and others offering color bleeding along the edges of images. The Dolby 2.0 Stereo track also sounds as-is. Non-post-produced audio was recorded with a wireless mic attached to Harris at all times, and a boom mike (for interview subjects and other people in a given scene, as well as ambient noise). This creates what you would expect it to: various audio output levels—within the same scene and throughout the film—wreaking havoc with volume. One other technical note: while the DVD does not offer traditional subtitles, most (if not all) of the camerawoman's dialogue is subtitled because her offscreen voice is so faint. There are no extras. Closing Statement As I say with every documentary I watch, "Just because a story is interesting doesn't mean it will make an interesting film." The problem with Being Ginger is that the story isn't very interesting. The hook is, sort of, but its cleverness grows old quickly, and if the root of Harris' dating woes is due to self-esteem issues borne of being bullied as a child, he has negated his own ginger theory, rendering the hook moot. The Verdict Guilty, regardless of hair color. Give us your feedback! Did we give Being Ginger a fair trial? yes / no Share This Review Follow DVD Verdict Other Reviews You Might Enjoy • To Chris Marker, an Unsent Letter • Aquaria • Payback (2011) • Facing Darkness DVD Reviews Quick Index • DVD Releases • Recent DVD Reviews • Search for a DVD review... Scales of Justice Judgment: 50 Perp Profile Studio: Garden Thieves Pictures Video Formats: • 1.78:1 Anamorphic Audio Formats: • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (English) • None Running Time: 69 Minutes Release Year: 2013 MPAA Rating: Not Rated • Bad • Documentary • Foreign Distinguishing Marks • None • IMDb • Official Site • Facebook Page
Tuesday 6th of October 2015 06:48:04 AM You buy the Truth, we pay the Price Operation Bye-bye huts E-mail Print PDF Local and international efforts ensure that Rwanda becomes a Nyakatsiless country One morning, at the foot of the rolling hills of Shyorongi, a small town a few miles from Kigali, Daphrose Nyiramirimo, a mother of four stood over her dilapidated grass thatched home, locally known as Nyakatsi, in despair. Her roof was so weak that wind alone could blow it apart and every rain caused it to leak. Little did she know that within a matter of weeks, Rwandan President Paul Kagame himself would arrive in Shyorongi to help build Nyiramirimo a new home. Together with hundreds of neighbors, Kagame carried bricks, mixed sand and cement. Housing projects from Rwanda are seen on display at the Biennale Giardini in Venice on August 28, 2010 during the opening of the 12th Architecture Biennale whose theme is “People Meet in Architecture”. Rwanda is in the final stage of eradicating grass-thatched huts as the a form of housing for the poor Before her new home was constructed, Nyiramirimo was part of approximately 120,000 Rwandan families languishing in terrible housing, void of electricity, access to clean water and other infrastructure. According to Augustine Kampayana, the Chairman of the Rural Resettlement Taskforce, many of these families used their grass thatched homes as a store, and a kitchen as well. As a result, cases of burnt houses, deaths and loss of property appear repeatedly in district reports. These properties are also known to attract disease-carrying agents like mosquitoes, rats, snakes and jiggers. The Rwandan government, in turn, has been engaging the people through churches, non government organisations and the private sector to help poor communities acquire better housing through a habitat program. It all started about four years ago when district mayors filed reports on the status of governance and security in villages. Reports indicated that “shelter” was one of the daunting problems many families faced across the country. The reports prompted an intense preliminary debate that resulted in the creation of a parliamentary committee, which was assigned to oversee the matter and carry out a national survey, establish facts, and advise the government on what to do. The committee members discovered that families who live in grass thatched houses have numerous categories arranged in order of O, A, and B. Category O, which constitutes the most vulnerable, includes old men and women, orphans, genocide survivors and those living with HIV. This was the category where Nyiramirimo belonged. Category A constitutes poor families who can only afford two or three iron sheets but still struggle to get basic goods such as soap, clothing, food and medicine. Many youths, especially uneducated youth in the rural areas, belong to this category. Category B individuals live in Nyakatsi because it is what they grew up in; it is a cultural heritage passed on by grandparents. Grass thatching is Rwanda’s iconic architecture and a significant number of families in Rwanda grew up in grass thatched houses, even President Kagame’s family and the King of Rwanda lived in Nyakatsi. In fact the King’s Palace in Nyanza, Southern Rwanda is Nyakatsi. People in category B feel comfortable living in such houses. They are not poor. Some families in this category have big cattle farms and trucks that transport agricultural goods to the market. They have money in their bank accounts. And if they are not rich, some of them have rich relatives. “You will find ministers, director generals and businessmen here in Kigali who have parents or relatives living in Nyakatsi somewhere in the rural area,” explains Kampayana, whose family also once lived in Nyakatsi. Eng. William Ngabonziza, an expert in the local government charged with the civil works of the habitat program told The Independent that the model of the project would be a modern village in every part of the country. The design of the structure would meet a certain standard and would be located on the same site. This way, explains Ngabonziza, “it will be easy for government to roll out infrastructural facilities like water, hospitals, electricity and roads.” The idea has met resistance from some individuals who are not open to change, but after the government pledged 30 percent of the funds to buy iron sheets for the roof, nails, windows and doors, the results have been encouraging. In 2010, the government mobilised 1.5 billion frw earmarked for roofing materials, doors and windows. Every district fills in a requisition form to pick iron sheets and nails when a house is ready to be roofed. At first, when the government contracted factories to supply materials, only a portion of the materials would be delivered, as factory workers would agree with someone from the local government to deliver a fraction of the materials. Then local councils would divert some of the materials. Eventually the beneficiary would get only a fraction of the iron sheets they were entitled to. There was a time when many finished houses waited for weeks to get roofing material because iron sheets had been swindled. After discovering the malpractices, the police and the army stepped in. The thieves were jailed. Now, the team that handles the procurement and distribution is made up of three parties: the army, the police and the local government. For example, when a truck from a certain district arrives at the factory to pick iron sheets and nails, a representative from the army, the police and the local government have to sign on everything loaded on the truck. They also record the number plate of the truck. At the district, a team of three also receives the materials, one from the army, one from police and another from the local government. Iron sheets are then counted one by one to prove that they were all delivered. Since the army and the police took over the responsibility to ensure that all the procedures are run efficiently, avoiding all unnecessary bureaucracies, and physically participating in the construction of the houses, the project is expected to finish, if anything, ahead of schedule. However, when the program began the government faced numerous obstacles: since all families had to be moved from their land to community settlements, the government had to find a suitable site to establish the settlement. Some sites belonged to government while others belonged to individuals. For the sites that belonged to individuals, the process involved compensating the owners, which was not always easy. In such cases, friends and neighbors had to come in and help raise funds for every family that could not afford the compensation. Another obstacle was the overwhelming number of people living in Nyakatsi compared to the available resources. When government calculated funds needed to buy all building materials, it found out there was not enough money in the coffers, thus inviting the beneficiaries to contribute. Meanwhile, Rwanda faced intense criticism for enforcing this policy. In some districts, local officials were reported to have razed all the Nyakatsi disregarding circumstances like rain or loss of property. Kampayana says those reports were hyped by the press, but he agreed that there were some isolated cases where some families were forced to pull down their Nyakatsi because they were not willing to give up living there. “Sometimes we apply some force,” says Kampayana. “When the government gives houses to those who can’t afford the houses, then I think they must comply with the policy.” The government has since set a deadline of May, 2011, to phase out the offending structures across the country. “We are not flexible on this, and they [owners] should not be flexible, we have provided all the resources,” says Kampayana. Local leaders have been put to task to ensure that the deadline is met. Neighbours together with local councils and religious groups go out and identify poor families with a Nyakatsi house and during Umuganda, the period every month when communities work together to clean up their villages, make bricks or cut trees to raise walls and then wait for the government to deliver the roofing. The army and the police are also part of the project. Rwandans in the diaspora have also been remitting millions of francs home to support a project they called “Bye Bye Nyakatsi.” The project intends to construct 504 modern low-cost houses for underprivileged families in Bugesera district. Corporate companies are weighing in too. On January 28, 2011, Rwanda’s beverage and beer manufacturer, (BRALIRWA) donated over 21million frw to the Rwanda Diaspora Global Network (RDGN) to support Bye Bye Nyakatsi. “The project itself is of high importance and highly creative,” said BRALIRWA’s Managing Director, Sven Piederiet. “I believe, today, there is no better project in the same sense that exists.” A Bill Clinton funded project, Partners in Health (PIH), is also partnering with the district of Burera, in the north of the country to build new houses for 39 families in the district. These families live in scattered poor houses in a remote village of Nyamicucu. Recently, seven of the 39 families were each ushered into a four-room decent house with a concrete floor and tin roofing. The house, at a cost of about 2.4million frw (approximately $4000) includes a separate portion with a kitchen, a storeroom and a toilet. The remaining 32 houses are under construction and should be complete by the end of May, 2011. Matthew Craven, the country director of PIH told The Independent that there was more to the houses. “We have also provided basic furniture, including beds and chairs for the new houses.” In Rulindo district, World Vision has also pledged 500 iron sheets for 50 houses for vulnerable residents living in Nyakatsi before the end of March. Comments (1)Add Comment written by mulumba Abudallah, April 22, 2011 I wish Ugandan leader could swallow their pride and take lessons from kagame! Write comment
Rush sets new scoring record Prev 46 of 48 Next Prev 46 of 48 Next 1973 Eighth league title secured 1973 Europe conquered as Reds land UEFA Cup 1974 FA Cup returns to Anfield 1974 Sensation as Shankly resigns 1974 Paisley takes over in the hot-seat 1974 Shoot-out glory lands Shield 1974 Rampant Reds net eleven 1976 Ninth title clinched at Molineux 1976 UEFA Cup won for second time 1976 Reds beat Saints to win Shield 1977 Ten titles for Reds after Hammers draw 1977 Reds conquer Rome to win European Cup 1977 Kenny arrives from Celtic 1977 Shield shared with Man United 1977 6-0 win secures Super Cup success 1978 League Cup replay agony for Reds 1978 Wembley glory as Reds beat Bruges 1979 Villa victory seals league triumph Arsenal gunned down in Charity Shield 1980 Reds clinch twelfth title 1980 Charity Shield returns to Anfield 1981 League Cup bogey is buried 1981 Kennedy the hero as Reds beat Madrid 1982 Reds retain League Cup with Spurs win 1982 13th title heads to Anfield 1982 Charity Shield is won again 1983 Paisley lands League Cup with Man U victory 1983 Reds win 14th title as Paisley bows out 1984 Joy for Reds in first all-Merseyside final 1984 Fagan leads Reds to title glory 1984 Kennedy the spot kick hero in Rome 1985 Fagan steps down after Heysel tragedy 1986 Kenny leads Reds to double 1986 Shield shared with Everton 1988 17th title secured against Tottenham 1988 Agony for Aldo as Reds lose final 1988 Joy for Aldo as Shield is secured 1989 Hillsborough - Our darkest day 1989 Rush nets twice as Reds win Cup 1989 Last gasp Thomas breaks Liverpool hearts 1989 Reds beat Arsenal to win Charity Shield 1990 Reds clinch 18th league title 1990 Shield shared with Man United 1991 Kenny quits as Liverpool manager 1992 Thomas and Rush land fifth Cup 1992 Rush sets new scoring record 1994 Fans stand on Kop for final time 1995 Macca double lands League Cup
@techreport{NBERw1731, title = "The Determinants of IRA Contributions and the Effect of Limit Changes", author = "Steven F. Venti and David A. Wise", institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research", type = "Working Paper", series = "Working Paper Series", number = "1731", year = "1985", month = "October", doi = {10.3386/w1731}, URL = "http://www.nber.org/papers/w1731", abstract = {Tax-deferred savings are potentially an important component of savings for retirement and could represent a very substantial increase in tax-free savings for many employees. IRAs may also have a substantial effect on national savings. Total IRA contributionsin 1982 were over 29 billion dollars. Despite the program's size and potential significance, little is known about the determinants of IRA contributions.This paper presents: (1) analysis of the effect of individual attributes on whether a person contributes, (2) analysis of the effect of individual attributes on how much is contributed,and (3) simulations of the effect of potential changes in contribution limits on the amount that is contributed to IRA accounts. Results of a similar analysis based on Canadian data are compared with results for the United States. Persons with low incomes are unlikely to have IRA accounts. In addition, after controlling for income, age, and other variables, persons without private pension plans are no more likely than those with them to Contribute to an IRA. The analysis of Canadian data yields similar findings, and indeed specific parameter estimates for the two countries are very similar. Simulations based on the estimates suggest that the current Treasury Department proposal would lead to about a 30 percent increase in IRA contributions.}, }
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Michael Haneke France / Austria / Germany / Italy, 2005 Review by Chiranjit Goswami Posted on 07 October 2005 Source Sony Pictures Classics 35mm print Related articles Features: The 30th Toronto International Film Festival Reviews: Benny’s Video Reviews: Funny Games Reviews: The Seventh Continent Reviews: Time of the Wolf External links TIFF Program Description The camera is a critic. - Orson Welles There is a scene near the beginning of Michael Haneke’s Caché that probably goes unnoticed by casual spectators, but reveals a great deal about the intentions of a film that distracts, confounds, and frustrates so many viewers. Unfortunately, it’s easy to discard the sequence as merely imparting plot details if one is overly fixated on the thriller aspect of Haneke’s film. The scene begins routinely enough with a close-up of Georges as he hosts his book-review TV show and then slowly pulls back to a wider shot as he bids goodnight to his loyal audience. As is customary the discussion panel is revealed and the director asks them to hold for the credits to roll. Based on the familiar situation, it’s clear that the perspectives of both the fictional TV program and Haneke’s film have become temporarily synchronized during the show’s closing segment in order to show Georges at work. At this point the perspective of the TV program harmlessly supersedes the viewpoint of the film. While the panel continues their discourse, a woman notifies Georges that he has an urgent phone call. Considering the recent unnerving events that have frightened his family, Georges is flustered and walks off the TV set into a nearby hallway. It turns out his family has been harassed yet again by their unknown enemy and Georges must hurry home. The sequence seems fairly ordinary within a standard thriller. However, there is a distinct incongruence in perspective during the scene if one questions just who has positioned the viewer as a voyeur. If we are watching the production of a French TV show, then why has the cameraman tracked Georges while he takes a personal call in the hallway (the entire shot is unbroken by editing) and why is the sound still on? If we are only watching a simple thriller then why were we obligated to watch the conclusion of the TV show? Just who exactly is watching Georges at this moment? The answer lies in the fact that Caché is anything but a straightforward movie. If viewers seek to crack the mystery Haneke initially assembles they should then be prepared to take their examination far past the limits imposed upon the usual thriller. Haneke begins his film in high-definition video by having us watch a long, uninterrupted, stationary shot of an undisclosed street in Paris. Given its length and monotony, the visual soon turns tiresome, until the picture suddenly and inexplicably becomes distorted in a familiar fashion. The collective unease is alleviated by the sound of two off-screen voices commenting on the images. It quickly becomes apparent that the unidentified speakers are responsible for rewinding the film. Though the audience once again comprehends the circumstances, Haneke has forced the viewer to momentarily debate just who exactly controls the image being watched. On some level even Haneke has relinquished a certain degree of influence over the footage. Indeed, much of the unease that Caché exudes is created from the ambiguity of the visual context and the uncertainty over who controls its creation and observation. In retrospect, Haneke’s explicitly states his intentions right away by slowly typing his credits onto the screen. Within a single shot, Haneke has expertly shaped a situation whereby the viewer must constantly be conscious of the position of the camera and it is mandatory to question the perspective of every frame of the film. The viewer is then allowed temporary relief as Haneke shifts to a more ordinary style in order to arrange his unsettling scenario. The opening sequence is revealed to be from a surveillance video of the home of a bourgeois couple, named Georges and Anne, who are now watching the tape. Georges is a respectable TV personality while Anne works at a publishing company, and they have a teenage son named Pierrot (for the Pierrot le fou buffs, I believe they also have a friend named Marianne). The problem is that the mundane footage is not from any surveillance camera the couple has implemented themselves. Instead, Anne found the tape on their doorstep accompanied by what appears to be a child’s crayon drawing, though the precision of the sketch suggests imitation. The drawing is of a particularly grisly image of red/blood (let’s not forget Godard’s distinction between the two) spilling from a child’s open mouth. More tapes materialize, with each successive video image closing the distance between observer and subject and further invading the family’s privacy. Each new tape is accompanied by another crude drawing, with the severity of the image depicted escalating with each subsequent package. Equally alarming is that their adversary deliberately taunts the family by ensuring each family member receives drawings outside their home, threatening the implicit safety of everyday locations. More disturbing is how the images affect Georges’ memory and dreams, as well as how well they predict events. With repressed childhood memories restored, Georges assumes he knows the identity of the perpetrator. His suspicions lead him back to his family’s farm, where Georges gently confronts his mother about the childhood troubles he had with a young Algerian boy named Majid, who his parents considered adopting before the conflict between the two boys made it impossible. The remainder of Caché is devoted to investigating the exact details of the childhood dispute between Georges and Majid, as well as whether or not Georges’ childish indiscretion against Majid has any connection to the wave of harassment his family is currently subjected to. The exact details of both offenses remain vague throughout, but Caché purposely leaves one mystery entirely unresolved in order to scrutinize other issues. Among Haneke’s chief concerns are the consequences of France’s prior transgressions against Algeria, which France now appears content to conveniently disregard. Haneke is not disguising the fact that Georges and Majid represent their respective countries and that their past personal conflicts serve as metaphor for the history between the two nations. The metaphor is especially overt since the childhood rivalry took place during the height of the clash between France and Algeria. However, his allegory could certainly be extended further to a view of any majority in power and the minority trying to subsist. Convinced Majid is attempting to now settle the past grievance by now terrorizing his family, Georges uses clues planted within the videotapes to hunt down and confront the middle-aged Algerian. His search leads him to a small apartment in a more meager section of town, where Majid calmly invites him into his home with the disparity in their living conditions becoming clear. The discussion between the two men regarding their history and whether either is willing to take responsibility for prior actions explores the prevailing views of the prosperous and the exploited. Majid seems to have accepted his circumstance and remains composed and reasonable throughout their conversation, while Georges is hostile and aggressive at the notion that he is obligated to feel guilty over past childish actions he made before he developed a mature moral code. The reunion ends with a foolish threat that will later be manipulated. Though possibly unwarranted, the antagonistic behavior between the two men will continue. Unfortunately, while Majid’s participation remains unclear, Georges’ tactics display an increasing degree of aggression. As Georges continues to invade and attack Majid’s basic rights through more formal means, determining the offending party becomes problematic, while the ideas of intimidation and terrorism becomes confusing. Based on his career to date, many view the attitude within Haneke’s films to simply be one of cynicism and condemnation. His supporters usually claim Haneke to be a shrewd critic of Western society who compels his audience to examine their casual assumptions. Meanwhile, his detractors maintain he is overly judgmental and arrogant, creating films that are infatuated with their own nasty morality. Even worse, some view Haneke to be purposely spiteful and cruel to his own characters. It’s actually a tough assertion to refute, given films such Funny Games and The Piano Teacher. However, this viewpoint somewhat ignores Haneke’s remarkable concentration on his characters. Through long takes that allow his actors opportunity to probe, Haneke often spends an excruciating amount of time dissecting characters that others would leave as caricatures. Certainly, there are prolonged moments within many Haneke films, especially his more recent efforts, where we not only understand the plight of his characters, but also identify with their inadequacies and tendencies, however extreme and exaggerated these flaws may seem. Few contemporary directors allow their actors, and thus their audience, to gain such an absorbing intimacy with such distasteful characters. Though slightly more subdued, Caché is no different, as it’s centered on the astute performances of Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche as the frightened couple that have their tranquil marriage disrupted by the husband’s inability to admit his past mistakes or to trust his spouse with the fundamental details of his own character. It is easy to dismiss Haneke’s message in Caché as just another simplified version of Western guilt over a colonialist history that once exhibited racist beliefs. On the surface Caché appears to be another instance of a director reprimanding the bourgeois for achieving their status through the exploitation of an oppressed class. However, hidden within Haneke’s film is a more considerate appraisal of his lead character’s mentality, which raises Caché above being just another redundant message-movie. Haneke is critical of Georges’ actions throughout and he never excuses the choices his central-character makes, but he does allow Georges the benefit of having the audience not only contemplate his position but often assume his perspective. Part of the reason Georges becomes increasingly hostile is that the motivations of his adversary remain unclear, which only frustrates him further since he’s uncertain exactly who he has hurt with his prior actions. While it is stereotypical for Georges to assume Majid to be the video-terrorist that is harassing his family, it is not exactly a groundless accusation. In fact, based upon their shared history and the clues given, it is actually quite a logical conclusion to draw. It’s also reasonable that Georges feels seriously threatened by these videos, even if they realistically only menace his life in mundane ways. While his family is only frightened by the acts of surveillance and the delivery of unwanted packages, considering these tapes are supplemented with crayon images that only Georges could comprehend the significance of, they are justifiably more unnerving for him. More importantly, once Haneke’s film adopts Georges’ perspective during his dreams and memories, the audience must realize that Georges is being honest when recollecting his past. Though his actions as a child may have been childish and selfish, the sense of fear he feels from Majid is genuine and appropriate based upon the events we observe. Indeed, because of the fused perspective Haneke applies, the childhood interactions with Majid are traumatic experiences for both Georges and the audience, resulting in some horrific images that startle and frighten all parties involved. Additionally, we must realize the claims Georges made concerning Majid’s poor health were not pure fabrications fuelled by immature jealousy, but an eerie event both Georges and the viewer witness. Thus, it’s apparent that Georges’ rash decisions as a youngster were not motivated out of pure racism, but out of fear that his status within his family was vulnerable due to Majid’s presence. Unfortunately his childish retaliation has dismal consequences that Georges simply cannot grasp as a child. Although the repression of collective guilt may be the catalyst for the events within Caché, Haneke is more disapproving of Georges’ inability to grasp the consequences of his past actions as an adult. What Georges perceives to be a trivial juvenile defense mechanism turns out to be a critical incident in Majid’s life that has a profound influence on how he lives today. Through a relentless examination of Georges and his sustained effort to keep his past decisions concealed — sometimes completely denying any harm occurred — we observe a man unwilling to take responsibility for his actions. It does not appear that Georges was intentionally racist towards Majid, so much as he simply feared the foreign boy as an outsider attempting to seize some of his attention. However, Haneke appropriately perceives racism as just another childish, irrational, thoughtless reaction, and though he is not deliberately racist, Georges’ response displays the underlying taint of racism. Caché suggests that though we are currently enlightened that racism is reprehensible, we must still recognize our small acts of recklessness mean much more to the wronged minority and also admit our past intolerant indiscretions have negative ramifications in the present. While his characterization of Majid is rather thin, Haneke respectfully depicts his Algerian characters as not demanding any form of restitution or reparation for their struggles. Instead, Majid only requests that Georges understand that his thoughtlessness hindered Majid’s ability to adapt to French society. In essence, the party that has arranged the scenario is allowing Georges the opportunity for redemption, but unfortunately, out of pride or spite, he is averse to making this concession. Since George is unwilling to grant him any measure of respect, Majid perceives himself as confined. Sensing the futility of his labors and unwilling to endure further humiliation, Majid assumes he’s no better off than any farm animal and takes actions accordingly. In the greater context, Haneke is not asserting that France should remain ashamed of its prior actions against Algeria, but instead asks that the nation simply acknowledge that its careless former policies have resulted in adversity for the Algerian people. Whether the initial offense is invasion, occupation, or oppression, what Haneke is rightfully disturbed by is the reluctance of Western societies to question their own viewpoint or comprehend a differing foreign perspective. Understanding he cannot completely alter the entrenched confidence that individuals have in their own perspective, Haneke makes his case through the style and form of his film. Caché serves as Haneke’s attempt to undermine the implicit trust Western viewers have while witnessing on-screen events by blurring formal boundaries and causing them to doubt the standard perspective assumed in regular thrillers. By constantly distorting his image, switching from ongoing events to recorded footage, and adopting uncomfortable advantage points, Haneke shakes viewers out of their detached passive viewpoint as an audience seeking distraction. Caché forces the audience to actively ponder the perspective of the images they are watching, often making them complicit in the events they witness. In doing so, Caché causes viewers to inspect the natural assumptions made while watching a film, which I’m certain Haneke hopes his viewers will carry further. Being subjected to another point of view is often an unsettling experience and Haneke isn’t above treating his characters in a similar fashion to his audience. Indeed, part of what causes grief for our middle-class couple is that the anonymous videotapes force them to observe their own lives from an outsider’s perspective. Georges and Anne both have occupations that require them to critique assorted aspects of society, and their home is filled with videotapes and books that allow them to comfortably evaluate culture on their own terms. However, they are not as relaxed once they realize an external party is examining their complacent lives. Even though the images are dull, the notion of surveillance creates an evident sense of menace and paranoia for a couple resigned to their bourgeois stasis. Haneke’s point appears to be that while the affluent find it easy to condemn other countries and foreign cultures for their moral and political conduct, they rarely are willing to endure similar scrutiny of their own lifestyles. Thus, Haneke skillfully turns his camera into a stationary intruder, capable of causing distress in any viewer, whether actual or fictional, with its predatory stare. Haneke does not limit his analysis only to the viewer, but also to the medium in which images are delivered and received. The communication within Caché is noticeably hindered by the long-standing discord between cultures, whether due to prior political policy that still carries weight today or the concealed existing prejudices that have damaged the characters’ facility for compassion and intimacy. While basic discussion appears unsuccessful in Caché, certain methods of contact are able to pierce through the bourgeois shield, though their value varies. Interestingly, the most effective form of communication is the simple color drawing that seems to convey more meaning in its tiny size than any number of complex conversations. In fact, rather than the monotonous images on the irksome videotapes, it is the buried message within the crayon image that provides context for the video, exhumes memories, and provokes Georges to engage in his unwise pursuit. Oddly, more advanced methods of communication seem to deliver contentious results. The stream of images that video offers yields meaning only when context is provided, and the telephone does not require actual discourse while it obscures the identity of the speaker. Meanwhile, Haneke is more severe when examining the medium of television. The presence of television seems unavoidable in Caché and its style even appears to invade dreams. Haneke is willing to concede that television serves an important function, especially considering it is the only means of deciphering the video-terrorist’s message. The medium is so fundamental to our comprehension of our surroundings that various characters keep piles of videotapes – perhaps as their own form of documentation – which they seem incapable of discarding. Unfortunately, as in previous Haneke films, television’s persistence inevitably leads to our desensitization. While a crude drawing allows us to concentrate on a single image, the incessant flood of images TV provides us usually allows us to ignore what we have become inundated by. However, Caché also displays a more complex conception of television. Haneke’s most intriguing use of television comes during a family crisis as Georges and Anne frantically search for a suddenly missing Pierrot. During the scene, as a panicked Anne calls another parent, Haneke places his couple at the edges of the screen while he positions a television in the center of his frame. While the couple’s distress increases, the television streams though a series of images from a broadcast of international news. The footage details the ongoing conflicts and hardships of virtually every “brown” culture in the third world, speeding through images of Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs, and briskly moving from Palestine, to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Kashmir. Understandably, the couple is too distracted to even note these sensational scenes of the world around them, yet the contrast of their problem to the misery of the foreigners underscores the disparity between nations. The choice of what to concentrate upon is clear for Georges and Anne, but a dilemma is created for the viewer. Do we watch the personal crisis of our fictional couple created in an artificial film, or do we gaze at the authentic footage of real people engaged in a constant catastrophe? On some level we must also ask if it is entirely acceptable for our central couple to completely ignore widespread global adversity for a personal problem. Viewers may also wonder if it is appropriate while watching a film to be diverted by a television screen that our eyes naturally gravitate towards. What Haneke recognizes is that television is a compelling medium, but it is also an abstraction that allows viewers to maintain a comfortable distance from the subjects within the images being exhibited. That distance allows TV’s images to distract us, but also provides us the option to discard the product just as easily. Hence the distortion allows a TV audience to regard the Third-World populace within the footage as merely images forever trapped in a box that provides passive programming. Whether or not the reality the image is meant to convey remains elusive, Caché ultimately grants the spectator the power of realization. Since he is a TV personality who constantly watches TV and manipulates images both at work (removing a portion of his show during editing because it’s too theoretical) and at home, it’s reasonable to assume that Georges grasps the nature of television. Yet Georges still ignores visual information that does not directly affect his life. Thus, while Haneke often reprimands television for exploiting suffering and desensitizing viewers to violence, Caché also places the responsibility upon the spectator who decides to disregard the images presented to them. Caché may actually be Haneke’s most balanced representation of television’s function to date, since it seems the director is willing to admit the medium has value even while he critiques its use. Discerning who actually commands the images within Caché and who exactly serves as the spectator to those images becomes an exasperating issue. It is important to distinguish that the film blends various media together and that the images are manipulated by a number of different parties. It is equally important to notice that the film’s audience and the film’s characters often share the same view, but that the film’s audience remains passive and unable to control the action or image. However, with both perspectives fused, the film’s audience should subject themselves to the same scrutiny imposed upon the fictional characters, and consider why exactly we choose to watch a fictionalized film that distorts, and distracts from, the reality of our surrounding world. Furthermore, Haneke appears to invite disapproval of his own decision to fashion an elaborate thriller, since he occasionally allows television, the very medium he constantly berates, to take control of his film. Caché’s most baffling question is who creates and sends the invasive videotapes to our content couple. Given their content, the videos act as manifestations of the repressed guilt of a disconnected conscience, whether personal or collective. As the target, Georges believes he can sleep off his own misgivings with help from a couple of sleeping pills and a few hours of dream-life. Instead, he ends up trapped in his childhood memories, watching inertly with the audience as we witness the same transgressions occur once more. Anne also carries a noticeable degree of guilt around, though her distress concerns how she is perceived by her son. As Anne’s martial woes mount under the stress of surveillance, the audience is privy to an encounter between Anne and an acquaintance from work that comforts her (notice that Haneke has an onlooker spy on the couple). Amazingly, we later find out Pierrot is distressed by this liaison, though Anne maintains the bond is plutonic. Of course, we have no idea how Pierrot knows about the meeting (could his digital video-camera make him a suspect?), but it feels as though Anne’s misgivings are a result of knowing anyone could be watching her daily activities. Soon it’s as if Caché itself is becoming an embodiment of guilt. By the time the film concludes with a startling and uncertain alliance disposed to the sides of the screen, there doesn’t appear to be an innocent victim among the survivors. Ultimately, we must recognize that Haneke pulls the strings of Caché and that the film functions as an abrasive experiment more than a straight narrative. Though Caché acts as yet another provocation by Haneke, unlike the typical thriller that exploits the characters’ plight for the audience’s amusement, Haneke’s exercise allows his audience to consider the basic principles and structures of their surrounding civilization. Whereas the French government fabricated a scenario to lure innocent Algerians into a revolting trap, so too has the video-terrorist created puzzling gifts to ensnare Georges into playing his game, just as Haneke has sculpted a video-thriller to entice his audience into examining their own preconceptions. Of course unlike the French government or the concocted aggressor, Haneke’s goals are not self-serving. Instead he has skillfully interlaced the pretense of a thriller into a film that actually seeks to expose the violations we justify and the perspectives we adopt in order to maintain our status within society. With the visual context of the film constantly shifting, Caché isn’t the first film to make the viewer complicit in the events that transpire, but it among the few that have thoroughly analyzed all parties involved in the transmission of images which forms our collective conscience. Since its debut at Cannes, many critics have scoffed at Caché, claiming it to function as just another one of Haneke’s conceited projects designed to amplify his feeling of superiority, with some boldly claiming the film demonstrates that Haneke does not believe in cinema or humanity. Conversely, I believe Caché embraces the possibilities of cinema as an art-form. I’m also certain that Haneke believes in the potential of the human race, especially given Caché’s final frames. It’s just that Haneke simply does not appreciate some of our conduct thus far.
Method optimizes hydraulics with PDM and bit To meet the challenges of extended-reach drilling, deep and ultradeepwater wells, and horizontal completions, the drilling industry has dramatically increased its use of downhole positive displacement motors (PDM) during the past few years.With these wells pushing the limits of rigs and equipment, it is imperative that operators use motors optimally in the system.More often, however, drilling engineers do not include downhole motor pressure-loss calculations in the overall hydraulic optimization and bit-nozzle selection with the available pump power.To make the system more effective, engineers must take into consideration various motor and drilling parameters for hydraulic optimization. T... Why Register? Why Subscribe? Subscriber Help or Subscribe Stay Connected
U.S. LNG imports 1996-1997 should recover from low 1995 levels Edward J. Swain Consultant Houston LNG exported from U.S. base-load long producer, 1991-2001 [20854 bytes] An LNG tanker is docked at Distrigas' LNG receiving plant at Everett, Mass. (LNG storage tanks appear in the upper left.) Imports of LNG into the U.S. in 1995 were the lowest since 1988, when 17.5 billion cu ft were imported. Total 1995 LNG imported from Algeria was 17.92 bcf compared to 50.78 bcf in 1994, a decrease of 64.7%. About 72% of imported Algerian LNG was received at the Distrigas Corp. terminal north of Boston. The remaining LNG was received at the Trunkline LNG Co. terminal, Lake Charles, La., which was reopened in December 1989. Trunkline LNG is a... Why Register? Why Subscribe? Subscriber Help or Subscribe Stay Connected
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Paula Deen's Savannah Style Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Author, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Illustrator Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Author, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Illustrator with Brandon Branch. Simon & Schuster $29.99 (224p) ISBN 978-1-4165-5224-6 Reviewed on: 03/15/2010 Release date: 00/00/0000 The Food Network queen of buttery Southern fare departs from publishing cookbooks to present—with help from Branch, her personal assistant and creative director—a photo-laden guide (photos by Deborah Whitlaw Llewelyn) to her style of home decorating. Like Deen's food, the decor she highlights is welcoming and comfortable, and often over-the-top (music rooms complete with harps and grand pianos; oversized crystal chandeliers). She covers plenty of topics applicable to many readers, such as “porch livin',” the practical use of slipcovers, and collecting. “There's not a house in Savannah that doesn't lovingly display a collection of plates, pottery, canes, ceramics, crafts, or anything that takes our fancy,” she explains. The frequent “Brandon's Style Secrets” sidebars scarcely offer secrets, but they do contain nuggets of fun and time-tested wisdom: “For your [holiday] flowers, use several tiny bunches instead of one big expensive arrangement. You will get the same look for less money.” Though reading Deen's accent (nothin'; havin'; fixin') isn't as charming as hearing it, the prose is friendly, and the volume offers a warm invitation to those who want a peek at how Deen and her fellow Savannahans live. (Apr.) The Best Books, Emailed Every Week Tip Sheet!

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