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Debunking 9/11 DebunkingAn Answer to Popular Mechanics and the Other Defenders of the Official Conspiracy TheoryDavid Ray Griffin
6" x 9" • 400 pagesISBN 9781566566865 • paperback • $20.00 •
David Ray Griffin has established himselfalongside Seymour Hershas Americas number one bearer of unpleasant, yet necessary, public truths. Richard Falk, Professor of International Law, Emeritus, Princeton UniversityMore Reviews »
Independent Publisher Book Awards 2008 Winner, Current Events-Bronze Medal
By virtue of his previous four books on the subject, David Ray Griffin is widely recognized as one of the leading spokespersons of the 9/11 truth movement, which rejects the official conspiracy theory about 9/11. Although this movement was long ignored by the US government and the mainstream media, recent polls have shown that (as Time magazine has acknowledged) the rejection of the official theory has become "a mainstream political phenomenon." It is not surprising, therefore, that the government and the corporately controlled media have shifted tactics. No longer ignoring the 9/11 truth movement, they have released a flurry of stories and reports aimed at debunking it. In the present book, David Ray Griffin shows that these attempts can themselves be easily debunked. Besides demonstrating the pitiful failure of Debunking 9/11 Myths (published by Popular Mechanics and endorsed by Senator John McCain), Griffin riddles recent reports and stories put out by the US Department of State, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the New York Times, Vanity Fair, and Time magazine. He also responds to criticisms of these efforts by left-leaning and Christian publications—which one might have expected to be supportive.Throughout these critiques, Griffin shows that the charge that is regularly leveled against critics of the official theory—that they employ irrational and unscientific methods to defend conclusions based on faith—actually applies more fully to those who defend the official theory. This book, by debunking the most prevalent attempts to refute the evidence cited by the 9/11 truth movement, shows that this movement's central claim—that 9/11 was an inside job—remains the only explanation that fits the facts.
David Ray Griffin is professor of philosophy of religion and theology, emeritus, at Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, where he remains a co-director of the Center for Process Studies. His 30 books include The New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions about the Bush Administration and 9/11 (2004), The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions (2005), and 9/11 and American Empire (2006, with Peter Dale Scott).
Olive Branch Press
Media Reviews
"An emeritus professor of theology with no previous interest in conspiracy theories, Griffin has dedicated himself since 2003 to the '9/11 truth' movement, a group committed to 'exposing the falsity of the official theory about 9/11,' and this book is a thorough, highly detailed attempt to do just that. As Griffin aptly notes, 'the assumption that conspiracy theories are inherently irrational' has recently taken root in American culture, making any attack on the official government record instantly dismissible, but Griffin takes to the difficult task with solid reasoning and true zeal. All but the most dogmatic readers will find Griffin's evidence-from the inconsistencies between NORAD tapes and the 9/11 Commission Report to rigorous exploration into the physics of the collapse-detailed and deeply unnerving. For instance, Griffin considers the fact that firefighters were told, five hours before the fact, that building WTC 7 was going to collapse, despite 'the fact that WTC 7 was not hit by a plane, that the available photographs show no large fires, and that fire had never caused a steel-frame high-rise to collapse.' Another chilling passage looks at the Pennsylvania crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 through the testimony of those first to arrive, who were unanimous in finding 'no recognizable plane parts, no body parts.' For anyone who doubts the government's truthfulness regarding the WTC terrorist attack, this well-researched volume will give you a trough full of ideas to chew on." -- Starred Review, Publishers Weekly"David Ray Griffin, author of 30 books and professor of philosophy of religion and theology, emeritus, systematically challenges the principal official and semi-official defenses of the standard account of 9/11 events...Throughout the book's 391 pages, including 61 pages of references, Griffin exhibits exceptional skill in detailed scholarly analysis. He concludes with a call to the reader, and all of us, to bring these issues into full public discussion and to expose the truth about 9/11, whatever it may be. Indeed, such truth' has certainly not yet been revealed due to extensive gaps and contradictions in official theories that he documents in detail." -- ALA's Choice"Considering how the 9/ll tragedy has been used by the Bush administration to propel us into immoral wars again and again, I believe that David Ray Griffin's provocative questions about 9/ll deserve to be investigated and addressed."-- Howard Zinn"Griffin (philosophy of religion and theology, Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate U.) debunks the debunkers of the main conspiracy theory surrounding 9/11 - that it was an inside job. He upholds this explanation and in individual chapters, takes issue with four defenses of the government's account of 9/11: Michael Bronner's essay '9/11 Live: The NORAD Tapes' from Vanity Fair, Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission by Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, documents by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and David Dunbar and Brad Reagan's Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts, an expansion of a Popular Mechanics article from 2005."-- Book News"Professor Griffin is the nemesis of the 9/11 cover-up. This new book destroys the credibility of the NIST and Popular Mechanics reports and annihilates his critics."-- Paul Craig Roberts, Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury during the Reagan administration"David Ray Griffin hits another one out of the park by taking on the left gatekeepers and the mass media for the lies and cover-up called the official story of 9/11/01,' which is the greatest conspiracy theory ever perpetrated on the American public. I highly recommend this book for all thinking Americans."-- Meria Heller, Producer & Host of the Meria Heller Show
"A must-have for libraries that seek to inform the public on the subject...All libraries should have a copy of at least one of Griffin's radically political books."--Peter Gruskin, Counterpoise
Reader Reviews
"History will judge Professor David Ray Griffin to be one, if not the greatest American patriot of this age. His dogged debunking of the debunkers is nothing short of breathtaking. In reading it, I was reminded of Stephen Sondheim's song in 'Sunday In The Park With George'- Art Isn't Easy;' "Putting it together, part by part, piece by piece, step by step, bit by bit." As a senior, veteran and life-long liberal, I've not enjoyed a decent night's sleep since, September 11, 2001. By 11:00 am that fateful morning, my gut told me something wasn't passing the smell test in NYC, Shanksville and DC, (then alone, Sarasota.) Subsequently, my suspicions have cost me significant alienation from friends and family. Nevertheless, I continue to inform myself at every opportunity. I see Debunking 9/11 Debunking as my post-graduate course in the process. Mr. Griffin concludes his courageous tome by stating that nothing is more important to the very survival of our planet than a true accounting of the events of 9/11 and ultimately exposing all those responsible. I couldn't agree with him more." --C. Robert Holloway, Production Designer, Novelist New Orleans, LA"The debunking of PM and Chertoff! Griffin a brilliant theologian and a dedicated 9/11 truth seeker has written another thorough and well researched book that will send chills into the minds and the hearts of the 9/11 official theory architects. Griffin with his passion for truth, debunks point by point Popular Mechanics claims and pseudo-corroboration of the official conspiracy theory. He convincingly strikes back with overwhelming evidence at the disinformation campaign and every circulating 9/11 myth that was launched by the corporate/culprit media to perpetuate the official story. The truth about 9/11 will never be revealed, because the majority of the public are guided by their conditioning of the herd mentality that deters them from critical thinking. We are trained not to question authority and to follow it blindly even into the abyss. It is biblical! You don't reveal the truth and question the establishment or you will be banished from the Garden Eden and crucified! Claims of incompetence will always remain the theme that would prevail, in order justify the occurrence of 9/11. It is more benign than complicity and treason, and would disguise the military state in the flag of democracy. It is also an acceptable scenario in the minds of the fearful herds, because it would help them correlate to their own incompetence, and to the lack of control in their own lives. In addition, when a federal agency claims incompetence for its mistakes, it will receive more control, funding and resources, and will eventually expand to a bloating level in order to reduce these mistakes. Ironically, whenever an error occurs, it is usually blamed on that same bloated bureaucracy that was expanded to begin with to resolve that same problem. It is an interesting cycle, nevertheless a vicious one. Are you confused yet? If you are, that is good! That is the whole idea, which is for us to remain in a state of confusion; therefore, we accept whatever we are told, as we become little incapacitated automotons repeating the propaganda and the buzzwords that were engendered for us by the elitist media to propagate their myth and advance their global agenda. That in turn would reduce our inner conflict about two opposing ideas, and would eventually force us into choosing the most familiar and the safest idea that quells our inner conflict and help us regain balance and harmony. Once again, congratulations to Griffin on a job well done! Another book another blackout! Debunking 9/11 Debunking is a must read. Open-mindedness is a frightening phenomenon, but the truth is worth the risk!!"--Richard Skaff, Social Scientist
Submit a Review »
9/11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions, The
New Pearl Harbor Revisited, The
Cognitive Infiltration
9/11 and American Empire (Volume I)
New Pearl Harbor, The
Challenging Empire
9/11 Contradictions
Hijacking Catastrophe
9/11 and American Empire (Volume II)
9/11 Ten Years Later


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In a move that has been widely welcomed by advocates for fair immigration policies, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Inspector General announced this week that they plan to carry out an investigation of ICE's Secure Communities program. Since the introduction of this program, ICE has faced criticism for many aspects of it, most importantly the lack of transparency and clarity with which ICE has executed the program. Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), who has been instrumental in demanding the review of the highly controversial "Secure Communities" program, called on DHS to launch the investigation immediately following allegations that ICE had disseminated misleading information over the specifics of the program.
In a joint press release from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the CCR attorney Sunita Patel said-
"The worst part of ICE's lack of transparency and accountability in the development and deployment of S-Comm is that every day S-Comm tears families apart and spreads fear in immigrant communities across the nation. ICE's conduct belies a fundamental lack of respect for democracy and the people that are impacted by its harsh policies."
Established in 2008, the Secure Communities program is DHS's latest attempt to use local law enforcement to push people into the immigrant detention system. As per the program, all local law enforcement has to do is arrest someone on an offense, minor or major– and before the person is even convicted of the offense – their fingerprints are checked against federal immigration databases. If the fingerprint scan gets a "hit," immigrants can end up getting carted off by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to an immigration detention center, putting them in for deportation proceedings. The lack of due process sets the stage for racial profiling without any proper training or real consequences for police agents. Many local law enforcement officials and counties have sought to opt-out of the program on the grounds that it leads to mistrust between the community and law enforcement, in addition to being an inefficient way of enforcing immigration laws.
Moreover, recent data about the program, released by ICE in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Center for Constitutional Rights and the Kathryn O. Greenberg Immigration Justice Clinic of the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law, contradicts ICE's claim that the program is targeting high-level, dangerous criminals.
Based on a recent analysis of this data, Bridget Kessler of Benjamin Cardozo School of Law said-
Nationally, 1 in 4 people deported under S-Comm haven't been convicted of any crime. That ratio jumps to over 50% in Boston, certain areas of California, and in multiple examples across the country.Those numbers raise questions about how S-Comm may allow local police to cover up profiling and circumvent due process.
The latest data analysis, ICE's lack of accountability and transparency around the program, along with the slew of critiques of the program from law enforcement officials, local government officials and immigration advocates indicates that, contrary to its name, Secure Communities is a program that makes people feel less safe, hurting the trust that is a cornerstone of an effective law enforcement system in a diverse country such as this.
This storm of objections over ICE and its Secure Communities program comes at a time when the U.S demographics are evolving rapidly and highlighting the ever pressing need for fair and just immigration reform that acknowledges the vastly diverse immigrant population of this country. The 2010 Census pointed to a significant increase in the minority (non-white) populations in the U.S., up from 31% in 2000 to 39% according to the latest numbers. Four states – California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Texas – now have minority populations that exceeded 50%, with Texas being the latest addition in this census. Painting a picture of the rapidly evolving demographic of our country, the Census results highlighted a dramatic increase in the Latino and Asian populations. While the Latino group grew by 3.1% to 48.4 million becoming the largest minority, the Asian population went up by 2.5% to 13.7 million. The African-American population grew less than 1% to 37.7 million, becoming the second-largest minority. Perhaps more interestingly, the fastest growing demographic was of those who identified themselves as "two or more races." The Census reported that 9 million Americans identified as being multiracial, comprising 2.8% of the US population, a 3.2% increase since the last time. However, some estimate that the actual number is much higher, owing to people who picked one race over another or are simply unaware that they are multiracial.
Since the 1967 Supreme Court decision that repealed anti-miscegenation laws across several states, deeming them unconstitutional, there has been a considerable increase in the number of interracial couples and mixed-race children. The increase has also been spurred, in a large part, by the stream of immigrants that have made this country their home. It is time that the government makes sweeping changes to its policies towards immigrant populations, and ensure an end to harsh enforcement practices that break down the trust between communities and law enforcement, and endanger the safety and security of families. To lend your voice to ending the Secure Communities program, sign the NDLON petition at change.org.
For a lighter take on this issue, watch a segment on immigration reform from 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.' Stewart introduced Al Madrigal, a Mexican-American comedian who debuted as their new "Señior" Latino Correspondent. For his first report, Madrigal chose to focus on immigration reform:
Photo courtesy of soaw.org/presente

subset: commoncrawl


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Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories
Assemblyman John Ceretto is applauding the tentative agreement to approve the proposal for a new hotel in downtown Niagara Falls. The Hamister Hotel project now will be able to move forward because Niagara Falls Councilman Robert Anderson Jr. announced he will vote in favor of the hotel deal.
Ceretto said he is happy for the residents of Niagara Falls, whom, he said, will now see more jobs and economic development as a result of this project.
"The pending approval of the Hamister Hotel deal is great news for the people of Niagara Falls. Although there were disagreements along the way, cooler heads have prevailed, and now we can move forward with this important project," Ceretto said. "The people of Niagara Falls, who are yearning for better economic prospects, have just seen a big step in the right direction. This project will bring long-term jobs and revenues to downtown Niagara Falls. Now, we can focus our energy on pushing for development in other areas and improving the City of Niagara Falls."
Ceretto has been working to win approval for the Hamister Hotel by working with Gov. Cuomo and local public officials to build support for the project. He is pushing for economic redevelopment projects in Niagara Falls, including the redesign of the Robert Moses Parkway and the commercial development of the Niagara waterfront.


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Description:StorageWorks Internal Hot-Plug AITPart Number(s)
Option Part# 216886-B21
Overview:With optimized information access features the Advanced Intelligent Tape (AIT) Drive was integrated by Compaq to handle the upcoming explosion of data storage management. In businesses around the globe there is an immediate need for cost-effective high-speed large-capacity tape storage that can reliably back up large-scale network servers handling huge volumes of images and other storage-intensive data. To meet this growing business demand Compaq has endorsed AIT as a new standard in tape storage technologies.


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NEW YORK -- With three new or redesigned models in three years, Range Rover is poised to grow in the U.S. market and better compete with rival vehicles it couldn't take on before.
Range Rover is the more upscale brand of the two SUV/crossover brands -- the second is Land Rover -- that Land Rover North America markets here.
The newest redesign is the Range Rover Sport, smaller than the Range Rover but now sitting on a lighter aluminum architecture that company executives say makes it more nimble and better handling on the road.
The Sport is 800 pounds lighter than today's model thanks to the new platform it shares with the larger and more expensive and redesigned Range Rover. It debuted at the New York auto show this week.
Kim McCullough, brand vice president for Land Rover North America, says the 2014 Sport with improved agility and road feel can now take on luxury rivals such as the BMW X5, Audi Q7 -- and even the sporty Porsche Cayenne.
The Sport, like all Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles, was always extremely competent off road. But for most drivers -- especially in the New York metropolitan area, which is the Sport's biggest market in the United States -- on-road performance is what counts, McCullough says.
The Sport's other new important attribute is what McCullough calls the secret seats -- the two seats in the third row that can accommodate children, teens and adults, provided they're not the size of professional basketball players. The seats fold flat when not in use.
McCullough expects about 20 percent of Sport buyers will want the optional third row. The X5 and Q7 already offer third-row seating.
The 2014 Sport goes on sale in late August.
The Sport's redesigned big brother, the Range Rover, went on sale in December and is already sold out for four months, McCullough says.
The smaller brother, the Evoque, debuted in the fall of 2011 and is selling well at a rate of 1,000 vehicles a month, McCullough says. Last year, 8,901 units were sold.
But more important, she says, is that about 80 percent of Evoque buyers are new to the brand. Plus the average transaction price is $53,000 for a vehicle with a base price of $42,040. All of this means sales will continue to grow and outpace the market, she says.
U.S. sales of Range Rover and Land Rover vehicles rose 26 percent to 8,105 vehicles in the first two months. Last year, Land Rover/Range Rover volume rose 15percent to 43,664 vehicles.
Says McCullough, "There is a lot of momentum with the brand and retailers are feeling it in a good way: We want more product."


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Doreatha C. Jordan, a retired Morgan State University student center director, died of a pulmonary embolism April 13 at Sinai Hospital. The Northwood resident was 89.
Born Doreatha Cecelia Diggs in New Rochelle, N.Y., she was the daughter of Leroy and Nellie Diggs. She moved to Baltimore and was a 1942 graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. She attended Coppin State College.
In 1946, she married the Rev. Basha Jordan, a United Methodist pastor. She moved with him to assignments in West Virginia, Virginia and Maryland. Family members said she gained a reputation for wearing hats wherever she went.
From 1972 to 1991, she worked at the McKeldin Center at Morgan State University. She was a campus adviser to students and a YWCA manager. Mrs. Jordan also endowed a scholarship for a deserving student.
She was a member of the Ministers' Wives Association and traveled to its conventions.
Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Centennial-Caroline Street United Methodist Church, 1029 E. Monument St.
Survivors include a son, the Rev. Basha Jordan Jr.; a daughter, Mary Frances Aikins-Afful; a brother, Douglas Charles Diggs, all of Baltimore; and four grandchildren. Her husband died in 1980.


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In order for camp, as a genre, to be truly enjoyable it needs to rely on the naïveté of its subjects. It needs to be unintentional Like on the first season of Dance Moms, when kiddie choreographer Abby Lee Miller and the moms whose children are enrolled in her studio didn't realize just how fucking ridiculous they were placing emphasis on pre-teens' sexiness; their "ethnic" dance routines; or getting in drunken arguments that make children cry. They took everything so seriously. They were like characters in a Christopher Guest film—except even better because it was real life. The entertainment value of the show was totally wrapped up in their delusional idea that a woman in suburban Pittsburgh could make their children stars.
But then that actually happened. While the kids aren't exactly A-listers, they've achieved a modicum of fame. The fact that their dreams became a reality show makes it so that they no longer seem so absurd. Additionally, they all seem hep to that. So now they're contriving story lines in order to stay in that spotlight. And while their manufactured drama and bad acting does lend the show a certain pro-wrestling value, it's simply just not as much fun to laugh at these people now that they're in on the joke.


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Bad news for hurricane-ravaged homeowners is good news for at least one contingent: construction companies and the army of workers they plan to hire, many of whom have been idled and ailing from the housing bust for nearly half a decade.
Two days into the destruction from Hurricane Sandy, phones were ringing nonstop at Garden State Public Adjusters in Marlton, N.J., ProStar Residential Disaster Cleanup in Milford, Conn., and other businesses along the Eastern Seaboard. Construction crews cannot get into many of the affected areas yet, because of flooded streets, detours and debris. Even so, customers were lining up, begging for help to pluck branches out of windows, suck water from basements and living rooms, and rebuild damaged roofs and homes.
It is an exercise many contractors had been through before.
"I always look forward to a natural disaster," said Doug Palmieri, owner of Palmieri Construction in Middlefield, Conn. "The last two storms we had around here, the snow we had included, helped out the contracting business quite a bit."
Construction companies and insurance adjusters that are newer or less known have begun circling waterlogged neighborhoods in their cars and trucks and distributing fliers, handshakes and condolences.
"I drove around with my truck and a couple people stopped me and asked me for a business card," said Mayara Goncalves, owner of Queiroga Construction in Bridgeport, Conn. "Unfortunately for everyone else, it's going to be good for us."
The five-person Queiroga Construction is hoping to meet demand with longer hours and subcontractors. Many construction companies along the East Coast, though, say they expect to hire, although the magnitude of the work and the number of additional laborers are still to be determined.
"There is going to be so much manpower required, and we are already spread so thin," said Bill O'Connell, president of Elite Public Adjusters, which runs both an insurance adjustment company and a restoration and construction business in North Wildwood, N.J. He expects at least a million dollars of work from this storm. "I'm a little worried about being overwhelmed. The phones are ringing off the hook and we won't be able to get to a lot of people."
Some companies expressed concern about finding enough workers quickly, given that the slowdown in construction over the last few years has caused workers to seek their fortunes elsewhere.
(Read More: After Storm, Businesses Try to Keep Moving)
"Over the course of the recession, 60 to 75 percent of construction workers left the area because there was no work to keep them busy," said Pat Broom, owner of Phoenix Restoration, a 15-year-old company in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., on the Outer Banks. "That's the first thing we worried about this morning when we got in: Where do we get the people?"
Even in areas where people are desperate for work, some companies say they have trouble finding workers with the skills and motivation for hard physical labor.
"The challenge is going to be finding help," said John Scotti of Scotti Brothers Custom Home Renovation in Cumberland County, N.J. "The phone doesn't stop ringing with people looking for jobs, and then you bring them in and they don't want to work. The only ones that want to work are those who are here illegally."
Businesses are hoping that the burst of construction work will draw back workers to their areas. Last year, the rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Irene attracted construction workers and insurance adjusters from as far away as Texas.
So far, though, companies said they have been inundated with more calls for work than job applicants. Some expect workers to start flowing into affected areas later this week when transportation returns to normal.
While some pleas for service are coming in steadily and urgently, it will probably take awhile for the bulk of the construction jobs to get going in earnest.
First, the areas need to dry out sufficiently for crews to begin work, which could take days to weeks. After Tropical Storm Ernesto in 2006, said Ms. Broom of Phoenix Restoration in the Outer Banks, it took two weeks for the standing water to dry in some areas. In the meantime, septic systems overflowed and bacteria festered, making the jobs more complicated and expensive.
Many homeowners are also waiting for insurance companies to come through with money or at least an assessment, a process that can take days or months.
(Read More: Sandy's Economic Cost: Up to $50 Billion and Counting)
"Especially with the way the economy is, people don't have money just sitting in the bank to pay for a $20,000 or $30,000 job," said Victor Rosado, owner of Professional Home Builders in Milford, Conn. And often, people struggle to come up with the costs that insurance does not cover.
"No one's ever whole after something like this," Mr. Rosado said. "They tend to think that the insurance company will come in and make everything whole, but that never happens."
He said that money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency may help hasten the pace of reconstruction, since President Obama authorized federal aid for parts of the country struck by the storm.
The other reason reconstruction may drag on over the next year is that many of the affected areas — like the Jersey Shore or the Outer Banks — are vacation areas, and the vacation season is over. Some owners have started calling construction companies and claims adjusters to survey the damage. Others are hundreds of miles away and out of touch.
Even those in the affected area or somewhere nearby may not have power and are having difficulty contacting contractors, insurance companies and other services.
While construction companies and their new hires may profit from the destruction, homeowners and companies are out billions of dollars for their physical damages and lost business hours, which can ripple through local economies. But one longer-term benefit might be new building stock that is better than what was swept away, as was the case in rebuilding along the Outer Banks in North Carolina after previous storms.
"When government authorities facilitate rebuilding quickly and effectively, the process of economic renewal, in many tangible ways, can leave communities better off than before," said Peter Morici, an economics professor at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
He estimated that the economic losses from Sandy would be $35 billion to $45 billion, but that economic benefits from reconstruction and its ripple effects would total about $27 billion to $36 billion, not including gains of about $10 billion "from a more modern and productive capital stock."


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|Words on a Screen - by Cat LeDevic
Oh, how the gods laugh. The following happened to a good æfriendÆ of mine weÆll call Pal.
|Celebrity Big Brother Celebrities Revealed
Meet to celebrities entering the first Celebrity edition of Big Brother (US)
|Group Psychosis, Communicated Insanity & The Social & Serial Bullying Dynamic in "The Big Brother Houseö
ōFolie Ó deux-Communicated Insanityö
|#BigBrother19: "Bullies, Banshees & Clowns"
A Bullying Circus Hits the House
|The Voice Finale: Broken Hearts & Exploding Farts
Just this ole country girl's thoughts on Voice winner.
|Bored? Here are my favorite clicks from TheBoredButton.com
Beware... some of these will keep you busy for hours!
|#BBOTT Finale, Last Moments
#BBOTT Last Moments: Pride For the Final Three . #BBWARRIORS All.
|BB OTT: Shane's Eviction Interview
Joker's speaks with the latest BB OTT evictee, Shane.
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Snake Joke
Final thoughts on the finale, and out of context quotes
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Social Justice
The varied meanings of "social game", end of the season awards, and out of context quotes.
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Rodeo Clown
Tracking James's bizarre Big Brother devolution, and out of context quotes
|Paul's "roommate" analysis of himself and the 15 other Houseguests he's spent the summer with
Paul gives the lowdown on how shady it is to live with some of the Houseguests
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Revolution
Showmance hell, reconsidering Paul, and out of context quotes
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Feminism Type Thing
Paulie's take on feminism and Jersey girls
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Girl Power
The resurgance of the Spy Girls, and the many complications of America's Care Packages
|Big Brother 18 "To Vic"
A poem better than Victor's
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Mateship
James accidentally says too much to Da'Vonne, and Bridgette's Big Brother life without Frank
|BB18 - Meow: Claws will Clash with Class
Meow: Claws vs. Class
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: It Ain't Me, Babe
Big Brother interventions, and Bridgette vs. the Mean Girls
|Big Brother 18 House of Mirrors: Just Kiddin'
The comedic stylings of Frank, and Nicole as America's Player
|BB8 Daily Recap September 18, 2007
The Finale Show - Donato's Finale Fantasy
|BB8 Daily Recap September 17, 2007
The Donatos do Another Day of not so Hard Time
|BB8 Daily Recap September 16, 2007 Recap
It's The End of the World As We Know It
|BB8 Daily Recap September 15, 2007
The Donato Channel; All Donatos, All the Time
|BB8 Daily Recap September 14, 2007
Anyone Home? Two is a lonely number
|BB8 Daily Recap September 13, 2007
Holy Day of Boring, Batman (Revisited), Zach joins the jury, and Repent, for the End is Near!
|BB8 Daily Recap September 12, 2007
The Dick and Daniele Show: Working for the Final 2
|BB8 Daily Recap September 11, 2007
The Duality of Dick; Ranting Bully vs. Determined Dad
|BB8 Daily Recap September 10, 2007
Feed Watchers Nightmare; Everyone getting alongs so well they could have sung Kumbaya
|BB8 Daily Recap September 9, 2007
It's The Final Countdown!
|BB8 Daily Recap September 8, 2007
Dani Wins Veto Again, Dick plans to use his not so secret weapon
|BB8 Daily Recap September 7, 2007
Mean DanatoÆs hate fuels the fire, Zach finds the Lord, POV Dreams
|BB8 Daily Recap September 6, 2007
Save the Cheerleader, Save the World (oops, I guess not), America gets evicted, and the Zach and Jameka Peace Summit commences.
|BB8 Daily Recap September 5, 2007
Jessica and Eric... True Romance or True Showmance?
|BB8 Daily Recap September 4, 2007
Better Than Ambien!
|BB8 Daily Recap September 3, 2007
Nominations are left unchanged, Mimicking with Milk, and Dick keeps us guessing
|BB8 Daily Recap September 2, 2007
POV Power - Sunday's Recap of the day in the life in the Big Brother House
|BB8 Daily Recap September 1, 2007
Veto Competition Fallout, Eric is tortured until he bleeds
|BB8 Daily Recap August 31, 2007
Jess and Jameka go up, Eric breaks down, Dani wears the POV necklace again, Janelle hosted competition
|BB8 Daily Recap August 30, 2007
So long Amber, Wait... WHO won HOH?, and Jessica learns the Art of Nervousing.
|BB8 Daily Recap August 29, 2007
Boring Day in the BB8 House
|BB8 Daily Recap August 28, 2007
The Gospel According to Amber, Jameka gathers the pitchforks and torches
|BB8 Daily Recap August 27, 2007
Eric doesnÆt use Veto, House Guests preview the Power of 10
|BB8 Daily Recap August 26, 2007
The Final Seven!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 25, 2007
For a boring day there sure was a lot of kissing
|BB8 Daily Recap August 24, 2007
Bubbles, Shopping, Tears and Fears!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 23, 2007
Jen Gets the Boot (or Flees), Blondes Do It Better, and 6th Grade Flirting: Revisited
|BB8 Daily Recap August 22, 2007
Dick explodes again; Zach speaks his mind and another day in paradise!
| BB8 Daily Recap August 21, 2007
Dani Wins, Jen is nom'd, Dani and Amber escape the house!!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 20, 2007
Amber is saved! Tropical Storm Jen makes landfall!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 19, 2007
Turning Point - Recap of the events in the Bog Brother House
|BB8 Daily Recap August 18, 2007
Dani wins Veto and a trip for two, but Jess and Eric are two that are a trip
|BB8 Daily Recap August 17, 2007
Tears, Fears, Slop and Dick remains on Top!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 16, 2007
The Donatos Dupe Dustin
|BB8 Daily Recap August 15, 2007
One pill makes you larger, the other one makes youģ see little people in the living room!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 14, 2007
Eric streaks, Jameka freaks and lots of plans for coming weeks!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 13, 2007
Dick saves Daniele, Dustin goes up, and the House Guests have a party
|BB8 Daily Recap August 12, 2007
Devilsh Dick and Another Day in the BB House
|BB8 Daily Recap August 10, 2007
Dick and Daniele are nominated, Dick plots his own demise
|BB8 Daily Recap August 9, 2007
AmERICa has a jury vote! Jess seeks revenge and Dani now whines!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 8, 2007
Whos the REAL master manipulator? Eric, Dustin, Dick or the DR?
|BB8 Daily Recap August 7, 2007
Public Enemy Number 1 - Eric
|BB8 Daily Recap August 6, 2007
Jen saves herself, Eric goes up, then round and round they go...
|BB8 Daily Recap August 5, 2007
Eric still targeted by Dick and Daniele, The show showed the banner plane!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 3, 2007
Paranoia sets in to the BB house, The DanatoÆs plan revenge and Eric runs scared and wild!
|BB8 Daily Recap August 2, 2007
So long, Captain Ambigiuous! Dick and Daniele figure it out, but no one really believes them, and Dustin picks his nose.
|BB8 Daily Recap August 1, 2007
Late to Rise, Early to Bed... Make Wednesday a fairly slow day.
|BB8 Daily Recap July 31, 2007
Dick Grows Suspicious of Eric
|BB8 Daily Recap July 30, 2007
Jen is saved, Nick goes up, and Dick gets æteaÆed off!
|BB8 Daily Recap July 29, 2007
Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Beautiful Lies
|BB8 Daily Recap July 28, 2007
Lockdowns, POV and LNC
|BB8 Daily Recap July 27, 2007
Open the Back Door and Push Zach out! Dustin Rules the Roost!
|BB8 Daily Recap July 26, 2007
Mike goes home (but no one will notice), The Haters hate on the Other Haters, and vice versa, and it's the Reign of the Grey V-Neck in HOH.
|BB8 Daily Recap July 25, 2007
Mike and Kail Campaign, House Weighs their Options
|BB8 Daily Recap July 24, 2007
Baths, Quarters and Volleyball
|BB8 Daily Recap July 23, 2007
The Case of the Mustard on the Pillowcase!
|BB8 Daily Recap July 22, 2007
Quit Playing Games With My Heart
|BB8 Daily Recap July 21, 2007
Jen wins Veto, Mike is the target Kail might survive another week
|BB8 Daily Recap July 20, 2007
Dick has spoken and spoken and spoken.... Kail's surrenders
|BB8 Daily Recap July 19, 2007
Adios, Nipple Boy! Then, Jessica gets a little naughty and Kail slips into hysteria.
|BB8 Daily Recap July 17, 2007
Joe spends the day in fantasyland, Kail gets serious, and Jessica explains them all.
|BB8 Daily Recap July 16, 2007
TwistÆed, Nominated, and Rejected; JoeÆs very very very bad day!
|BB8 Daily Recap July 14, 2007
Threats, POV and Strategy
|BB8 Daily Recap July 13, 2007
Negativity is a NO NO According to the Nanny
|BB8 Daily Recap July 12, 2007
1 Down and 12 To Go!
|BB8 Daily Recap July 11, 2007
1st Eviction Votes Are Cast
|BB8 Daily Recap July 10, 2007
Can I Talk To You?
|BB8 Daily Recap July 9, 2007
Over The Top (story), Insane (workout), and it even got Bloody (foot)
|BB8 Daily Recap July 8, 2007
Fake Dates, Showmances and Veto Ceremony. Oh My!
|BB8 Daily Recap July 7, 2007
Holy Day of Boring, Batman! Plus, Carol's Delusions, and Eric gets Rowdy.
|BB8 Daily Recap July 6, 2007
Hide and Seek VETO Day
|BB8 Daily Recap July 5, 2007
We're Back! But First, Enemies (sort of), and a Long Night With Dick.


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nature-wallpaper (26) is a HD Wallpaper posted in Nature category.
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North Hollywood, CA, and New Orleans, LA – December 5, 2013 – The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) – improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure – today said studies at this year's ASH hematology-oncology conference may change treatment protocols for myeloma patients. The findings are to be presented at the 55th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in New Orleans, December 7th through 10th. More than 20,000 blood disease specialists from around the world are expected to attend.
"Taken together, we may see earlier treatments, longer treatments and smarter treatments become the standard of care for myeloma patients," said Brian G.M. Durie, M.D., Chairman and Co-founder of the IMF. "We're also going to see positive results from treating high-risk smoldering myeloma even before symptoms occur, and combinations that reduce MRD, minimal residual disease, a key factor in our Black Swan Research Initiative® to find a cure."
"At past conferences we've talked about progress in terms of longer remissions. Now the IMF is actually working toward a cure through our Black Swan Research Initiative," said Susie Novis, President and Co-founder of the IMF. "The IMF will be hosting several educational events at ASH and two webcasts for people who cannot get to New Orleans in person. We remain committed to supporting myeloma patients in the United States and around the world – through research, education and advocacy."
Highlights of research to be presented during ASH, according to the IMF, include news about the following areas:
Continuous Treatment
Abstract #2, to be presented at the plenary session, is a complex three-arm study that makes two points. First, this study demonstrates the benefit of REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) for ongoing continuous therapy as opposed to treating for a fixed time period and then stopping, which has been the standard of care.
Second, the study shows that a two-drug regimen (REVLIMID/ low-dose dexamethasone) is better than the three-drug treatment (melphalan/prednisone/thalidomide) and eliminates the need for melphalan – a harsh alkylating agent that requires monitoring, and may be responsible for the secondary primary malignancies (SPMs) that have been reported.
Cumulative Dosing
Abstract #1968 examines data from the completed VISTA trial and concludes that a higher cumulative dose of VELCADE® (bortezomib) results in improved overall survival (OS). The study says a less intensive regimen reduces side effects to permit treatment for a longer period of time. The IMF notes the VELCADE regimen has become much better tolerated with subcutaneous administration instead of intravenous infusion.
Newest Approved Therapeutics
Several studies of KYPROLIS® (carfilzomib) combinations show response rates are high and deep, and prolonged benefit is achieved. (Abstracts 538, 1939, 3220 and 685)
Several abstracts confirm the efficacy of POMALYST® (IMNOVID® in Europe) (pomalidomide) in the relapsed/refractory setting. It is especially encouraging in heavily pre-treated patients and those with high-risk genetic features. (Abstracts (408, 686, 689, 1979, 3185, 3191, and 3198)
Abstract 690 shows the benefits of KYPROLIS and POMALYST together.
Pipeline Drugs
Watch for early-but-promising studies of monoclonal antibodies, HDAC inhibitors (epigenetic drugs), and a new oral proteasome inhibitor, MLN 9708, from the makers of VELCADE.
Dr. Durie added, "Some of these studies may also set the stage for U.S. and global approvals of first-line and other uses of myeloma treatments to bring regulatory standards in line with best clinical practices. This is especially encouraging for patients in Europe and elsewhere where drugs are not reimbursed without regulatory approvals."
Prior to the start of ASH, the IMF's Black Swan Research Initiative leadership team will meet to update its work to develop a pathway toward finding a definitive cure. Topics discussed will include the use of minimal residual disease as a measure of efficacy in clinical trials, and an update on the use of specialized flow cytometry to detect even minute levels of MRD.
And once again this year, the IMF will field a team of more than a dozen myeloma patient and caregiver representatives to attend the ASH presentations first-hand and report back to their colleagues from a patient's perspective.
"Patients Pursuing Passions" Media Reception & Research Grant Awards
Myeloma patients will talk about how they are living their lives with better treatments, and how the IMF connects them to each other and to the information they need to make informed treatment decisions.
Funded through generous donations from private individuals, the IMF's annual grant awards enable investigators to become established in the field of myeloma. IMF-funded research has led to many publications in peer-reviewed journals and to a greater understanding of myeloma.
Saturday, December 7, 7 PM CST
Antoine's Restaurant, 713 Rue St., New Orleans
"Pathway to a Cure," The International Myeloma Foundation Journalists' Workshop
Leading myeloma experts Dr. Brian Durie, Dr. Joseph Mikhael, and Dr. María-Victoria Mateos will discuss the impact of the latest treatment paradigms coming out of ASH in a webcast panel presentation. In addition, a member of the IMF Nurse Leadership Board will discuss how patients respond to the data; several long-term survivors will talk about their treatments; and a guest from the Israeli myeloma advocacy group will talk about gaining global approvals for the latest therapeutics.
Sunday, December 8, 8:30 – 10 PM CST
Webcast live and archived at www.myeloma.org
"Making Sense of Treatment," The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) Conference Series
Leading myeloma experts Dr. Brian Durie, Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Dr. Ola Landgren and Dr. Antonio Palumbo will tackle the key questions currently facing myeloma doctors and patients in light of the latest study results presented at ASH.
Monday, December 9, 8 – 9:30 PM CST
Webcast live and archived at www.myeloma.org
Celebrating its 23rd anniversary, the International Myeloma Foundation reaches more than 240,000 members in 120 countries worldwide. A 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of myeloma patients and their families, the IMF focuses on four key areas: research, education, support, and advocacy. To date, the IMF has conducted more than 250 educational seminars worldwide, maintains a world-renowned hotline, and established the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), a collaborative research initiative focused on improving myeloma treatment options for patients. The IMF can be reached at (800) 452-CURE (2873). The global website is www.myeloma.org.
Debra Gendel
Initiate PR


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Topeka Man Charged With RobberyAt Kaw Valley Bank
TOPEKA, KAN. - A Topeka man who was arrested in Omaha has been charged with bank robbery, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
A criminal complaint was unsealed today charging Cade Michael Sharples, 36, Topeka, Kan., with one count of bank robbery. The complaint alleges that on Sept. 17 Sharples robbed the Kaw Valley Bank at 3000 SE Croco Road. According to an investigator's affidavit, a white male entered the bank about 2:45 p.m. and gave a teller a piece of paper saying he was there to rob the bank and he had a gun. The robber told the clerk several times that he had a gun and ordered her to hurry up and "stop messing around." The man left the bank with money in a black bag.
After investigators made public surveillance photos of the robber wearing a gray hoodie, a blue shirt and a blue University of Kansas baseball hat, they received tips that led them to Sharples.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Topeka Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.


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Ya know, we have our "link mod" working? The program allows YOU to add your link yourself, unlike the old "add-me form" we had. Please, go to https://www.reenactor.net/index.php/page,167.html and add your unit's link, if we don't have it. For that matter, you can update links too. We still have many of the old links up, as it is a process to do a lot of them. However, we will be working to update links as fast as possible-- soon, ALL the unit links and historical links will be done this way!!
TinyPortal 1.0 - Credits
Many thanks to Simple Machines Forum Team for creating such a outstanding software. Without SMF, TinyPortal would have not been possible. The TinyPortal project have had much help from the following people listed below. Thanks for giving support and feedback, as well as all your valuable ideas and solutions. TP would not have been the same without you! Thank you Bloc for allowing the TP Team to continue your work.
FounderBjoern "Bloc" Kristiansen
DeveloperBrad "IchBin" Grow
TP TeamAgridoc, Crip, Freddy, Ianedres, Ken, Lesmond, lurkalot, Renegd98, WillyP, and ZarPrime.
TP FriendsAku, Anunlike, BorgBOB, deniz, Dragooon, eeek, eld^kar, feline, Fussilet, G6, gerrymo, JPDeni, Max, Maya, Moocat, nokonium, PhilH, Rasyr, Ray, RebelRose, redone, StormLrd, Thurnok, Tuxie, Xarcell, and Zetan.
Beta TestersFor those who relentlessy find bugs, give feedback, and drive the developer crazy.
Language TranslatorsThank you for efforts in making TinyPortal available around the globe.


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CNBLUE's Minhyuk sheds tears about "fake band" accusations
CNBLUE's success has impressed many of our readers not only because they are rookies, but because they are a band. Even though pop music seemingly dominates mainstream music in Korea, CNBLUE has managed to capture a large fanbase of rock fans and kpop listeners.
However, it doesn't look like CNBLUE's road to success has lacked hardships or bumps along the way. On an upcoming episode of CNBLUETORY set to air on February 24, drummer Minhyuk reportedly teared up when he began talking about his anger and frustration regarding some of the accusations that have surfaced the internet, questioning the musical capabilities of CNBLUE as an idol band. The drummer shed tears, saying,
"There are posts on the internet about how CNBLUE didn't plug in instruments for a performance. We've practiced for a few years just to be able to stand in front of the public and perform for everyone … and are prepared each time, and I see posts like these and get hurt. Like singers who dance and singers in general, we band performers similarly went through a long period of practice. We've watched videos of live performances by famous musicians and work really hard.
There is an attitude towards band singers in our country that puts up a wall that blocks our [bands' ability to] develop and grow. Because of this, I'm hurt and want to break down that barrier. So we've made resolutions to work harder."
Minhyuk wasn't the only one that spoke up about this issue. On this episode, leader Yonghwa reportedly added,
"Even though we've been receiving a lot of love from fans, there are still people who say, 'Those kids are in a fake band,' which is very sad to hear. These words are unfair and difficult to hear. We will have to improve to be accepted as true musicians."
It's definitely understandable why demeaning comments can really bring down CNBLUE's spirits. However, I think these young men should keep their heads up, because they're well on their way to fulfilling their resolutions by showing off their talents and making their presence known. Furthermore, with the help of popular group F.T. Island and the comeback of TRAX, it seems like band-based music is making a return to the music scene.
To The World You Are Someone, But To Someone You Are The World!!!
I Love CN BLUE! I AM LONER really rocks!
all i want is you in my life .
They are fake as hell. I bet they can't play worth a damn. They are overrated and stop lying that they can play instruments.
Why i am i not on CR anymore?
haven't listened to them yet
but yonghwa is so gorgeous
Hating people is a sin. How could liking them be one?
I LOVE CNBLUE!!!!! i have all there songs so far and listen to it all the time looner is there best one i think
Waiting for their coming album
Khairuddin's Wife; Let's learn to laugh even in your hardest time
i only know only one guy from you're beautiful~ ^^ he's quite cool:)~ ^^ i~
At first I don't really get a great impression of them because of their song "I'm a Loner". Though everybody says that it's a good song, it's just not making me feel something that I look for a song. But when I tried listening to their newest song which is "Love Light", which is a mellow song, it's definitely my taste, so I guess I'm gonna be hearing & listening to them from now on. xD
Sunny looks cute in my avatar, right? :DDDD
haha love them alll <3 my fave is Young Hwa tough XD
Cuz' who knew that it'd be you
Hmm, well I personally dont like CNBlue cos I dont like the style of the music. (I'm a very typical dance/pop lover).
anyway I am aware that all K bands are accused of fake plays (with instruments)
but honestly they know how to play (you can tell when they are on other shows)
it's just that on music show they cant play live cos the producers wont let them. (they dont have the technical stuff or something)
so it's not that the band cant play the instruments it's the programme dont support it.
I know this cos I am a huge Hong-gi fan. love him~
breathing and blinking atm
i love yonghwa! and their song "i'm a loner" is really catchy
I LOVE their songs! my favorites include:
* I'm a Longer
* Love
* Tattoo
etc. (including all of their most recent release!!)
which anime to watch..
Loving their recent songs, "Love" & "Sweet Holiday"... CN BLUE ROCKS
To The World You Are Someone, But To Someone You Are The World!!!
Jung Yong Hwa might need surgery to treat his vocal nodules!!
On the 24th, CNBlue main vocalist Jung Yong Hwa has beend diagnosed with vocal cord polpys (vocal nodules).
On the 25th, Yong Hwa's agency FNC has spoken about this issue and said that Yong Hwa was diagnosed with Vocal Cord Polyps and acute Laryngitis and is being hospitalized at a general hospital in Seoul to get treatment. Yong Hwa is currently recovering from his acute laryngitis after being given medication, His vocal cord polyps however has to be removed and the common treatment is surgery.
But Officials of FNC added that they are still waiting for the scans on the 25th, they are still waiting for further diagnosis on Yong Hwa's case and there are still not plans yet for a surgery.
The doctor had advised Yong Hwa to rest in the hospital and they are waiting for the release of test's and reports in order to give the precise status of his body and the treatment appropriate for it.
It is unavoidable for Yong Hwa's schedules to be deferred or canceled until the 27th. They are still unable to determine the date of his discharge from the hospital but it might take from 2 month's to four weeks and it is still unclear what their plans are.
Last April 24, Yong Hwa during a broadcast experienced a cold and neck pains and was rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile, CNBlue had their comeback last May 19 with their second mini album "Blue Love" which is receiving a lot of love from fans.
Oh, no.. Yong-hwa, get well soon
To The World You Are Someone, But To Someone You Are The World!!!
I love C.N Blue. Their really different compared to the other artists. I wish they made a Burning version of I'm a Loner. lol I'm still not over the fact that they didn't.


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A MANOR house in the Worcestershire countryside scooped two awards at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2014 this week.
Eckington Manor, known for its cookery school and luxury accommodation, was named as the silver award winner in the Bed and Breakfast/Guest Accommodation category and the bronze award winner in the Taste of England section at the awards held on Monday (May 12) at Cheltenham Racecourse.
Judy Gardner, founder and owner of Eckington Manor, which is in Eckington, near Pershore, said the awards were a tribute to the vision and hard work of the entire team.
"To be in the top three nationally in two separate categories at this prestigious event is a real honour and a wonderful recognition of everyone's hard work," she said.
"We have invested a great deal in developing our 260 acre farm to supply the freshest and very best meat and produce possible for our restaurant; and we have also spent a great deal of effort in refurbishing our accommodation.
"Now, with its silk wallpaper, antler chandeliers, restored antique furniture and host of individual and special features, our overnight accommodation offers unique levels of style and comfort."
Brockencote Hall Hotel near Kidderminster was highly commended in the Small Hotel of the Year category for the second year running.
Both venues are members of Visit Worcestershire, run by the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, which helps businesses to grow and develop.
Victoria Carman, tourism development officer, said: "We have seen two outstanding venues recognised at these prestigious awards and I am delighted that Worcestershire has been put firmly on the national map for tourism excellence."
Visit Worcestershire will be launching its own local tourism awards in June which will culminate in a gala awards ceremony on October 23 at the Mercure Kidderminster Hotel.
Anyone interested in entering should email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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This blog is about fairness; about looking at objects from multiple perspectives. Stable transformation comes only slowly; and only if the environment is free of sporadic jitters of passion and anger that destabilize growth. I strongly believe that the path to peace crosses through the battle with self.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Wishes for a new Persian year, 1391.
7 comments:
And may peace be upon you, the lone star and the Scheherazade of us Iranians' nights!
- Tuesday, March 20, 2012 9:00:00 AM
- Naj said...
thank you anonymous. what a sweet thing to say.
- Tuesday, March 20, 2012 12:05:00 PM
- Sojourner said...
Happy Nowrouz doc :)
Out of the blue, a colleague of mine remarked a few days ago... "If you get to know the common people of Iran you'll know... they are really good people... " of course I had a few words to contribute to that, thanks to some of the past posts about Iran and Persia on this blog and the few questions you have answered to me(the apolitical ones)... You are like my own personal window into Iran, whenever I feel like peeking in that direction :) Once or twice I have uttered the words "a friend" in mentioning Iran and thinking of this blog :) then I realize that I am not even a regular visitor... but may be that does not matter :)
Happy to have come across this blog a few(?) years ago. And very happy to see the summary of the year... :) I hope peace will prevail :)
- Tuesday, March 20, 2012 5:29:00 PM
- Naj said...
Good to see you again Iris; I missed your lens!
- Tuesday, March 20, 2012 8:32:00 PM
Happy Nowrouz, Naj! I do think of you often even if I'm not around very much.
- Wednesday, March 21, 2012 3:30:00 AM
President Obama's Apology Tour bothered me, but his Your Friendly Neighborhood Hegemon Loves Iranian People Greeting seems OK to me.
Why spoil such a cheerful holiday by revealing that the Hegemon's desire to destroy the IRI has no better strategy than to strangle those Dear Iranian Folk's economy.
- Saturday, March 24, 2012 6:17:00 AM
- Naj said...
blt :)
yah, the only good thing about it was that he didn't show his war-plan.
- Saturday, March 24, 2012 12:24:00 PM


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Anson Boulton Herrick Jr., who lived in East Hampton for 35 years, died after a short illness on Saturday in Southold, surrounded by his family.
Known as Bo, Mr. Herrick was raised in Englewood, N.J., and began spending summers in Amagansett in 1940. He and his wife, the former Mary Lou Crandall, came to live in East Hampton in 1985 and moved to Southold last year.
Mr. Herrick was a veteran of the Coast Guard, in which he served from 1958 to 1962. He then worked in the marine and auto industries, including the Peter Glennon dealership in Southampton, now Southampton Buick.
After his retirement, Mr. Herrick was active with several organizations on the North Fork. At San Simeon by the Sound, a nursing home in Greenport, his horticultural talents were displayed in the gardens. He also was a member of the board of Greenport's East End Seaport Maritime Museum.
Mr. Herrick is survived by his wife of 30 years, by his mother, Ruth Herrick, and two brothers, John Herrick and Lawrence Herrick. Four children, Daniel Herrick, Christopher Herrick, Deborah Stapon, and Leah Constantine, also survive, as do eight grandchildren. His father, Anson B. Herrick Sr., died before him, as did Gilbert Herrick, a brother.
A service to celebrate his life will be held at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Greenport on Dec. 2 at 11 a.m., with a reception following at the East End Seaport Maritime Museum on Third Street in Greenport. Donations have been suggested in Mr. Herrick's memory to the East End Seaport Maritime Museum or San Simeon by the Sound.


text:
Owens Hunter Series Transport Dog Box 55006 features a rugged aluminum construction, dog compartments, lockable slam latch doors, maximum flow vents and a full length storage compartment. Read More
This item ships directly from the manufacturer. Please allow additional transit time.
Hunter Series Dog Box with storage (model #55006)Features a rugged diamond tread aluminum construction, dual large lined dog compartments, lockable slam latch doors with storm covers, maximum flow side air vents, spring loaded rattle-free carrying handles, and a full length top storage compartment for guns, electronics, and hunting gear. The new Owens pull strap makes the top storage compartment easy to close.
Overall Dimensions: 48"W x 45"D x 26"H
Dog Compartment Dimensions: 24"W x 44"D x 18"H
Storage Dimensions: 48"W x 45"D x 6"H
Freight Charges Apply
Please contact Lisa Smith at 1-800-533-3377 ext 356, or email email@example.com for freight charges.
- Brand: Owens Products
- Size: Overall Dimensions: 48"W x 45"D x 26"H


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Announcing the Mobile Social Interbike (and the other ones we do), we get asked, "so what is a mobile social? I don't get it." Well neither do we, we're just making shit up all the time and hoping to get paid!
OK, joking, joking – the Mobile Socials are an intersection of bikes, technology, and culture. We ride, talk bikes, blog, party, and give away product. The event offers no douchebaggery or lameness, but is for like-minded cycling fans of all types to get together and talk about bikes.
Technically, it's a social media marketing event targeting an enthusiastic niche audience with lifestyle branding, but it's just not our style to talk big with those sorts of mumbo jumbo words. As Brian Oberkirch describe them, "it's a coffee klatch on bikes, an excuse to get together" with your buddies and geek out.
Sponsors underwrite the event and provide the product and scwhag we give away.
Questions? Hit me in the comments. This is what Mobile Socials look like – check the video here.


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This is a lesson about the solar wind, Earth's magnetosphere, and the Moon. Participants will work in groups of two or three to build a model of the Sun-Earth-Moon system. They will use the model to demonstrate that the Earth is protected from... (View More) particles streaming out of the Sun, called the solar wind, by a magnetic shield called the magnetosphere, and that the Moon is periodically protected from these particles as it moves in its orbit around the Earth. Participants will also learn that the NASA ARTEMIS mission is a pair of satellites orbiting the Moon that measure the intensity of solar particles streaming from the Sun. (View Less)
In this lesson students use climatograms from different U.S. locations to observe patterns in temperature and precipitation. After describing geographical features near these locations, they will use graphs to compare and find patterns in the... (View More) effects that mountains, oceans, elevation, and latitude have on temperature and precipitation. A research activity will then ask students to gather information on temperature and precipitation patterns around the world using the MY NASA DATA Live Access Server and other sources, with the goal of creating their own climatogram. This lesson uses the 5E instructional model. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free


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HTML5 2D game development
Graphics and animation
Drawing into the canvas and putting things in motion
Content series:
This content is part # of # in the series: HTML5 2D game development
This content is part of the series:HTML5 2D game development
Stay tuned for additional content in this series.
Graphics and animation are the most fundamental aspects of any video game, so in this article I start with a brief overview of the Canvas 2D API, followed by a discussion of the implementation of Snail Bait's central animation. In this article, you will learn how to:
- Draw images and graphics primitives into a canvas
- Create smooth, flicker-free animations
- Implement the game loop
- Monitor animation rate in frames per second
- Scroll the game's background
- Use parallax to simulate three dimensions
- Implement time-based motion
The end result of the code discussed in this article is shown in Figure 1:
Figure 1. Scrolling the background and monitoring frame rate
The background and platforms scroll horizontally. The platforms are in the foreground, so they move noticeably faster than the background, creating a mild parallax effect. When the game begins, the background scrolls from right to left. At the end of the level, the background and platforms reverse direction.
At this stage of development, the runner does not move. Also, the game has no collision detection yet, so the runner floats in mid-air when there are no platforms underneath her.
Eventually, icons above and to the left of the game's canvas will indicate the number of remaining lives (as shown in Figure 1 in this series' first article). For now, the game displays the current animation rate in frames per second at that location.
Before continuing, you might want to try the game as it stands in Figure 1; the code will be easier to understand if you do. (See Download to get this installment's implementation of Snail Bait.)
HTML5 Canvas overview
The Canvas 2D context provides an extensive graphics API that lets you implement everything from text editors to platform video games. At the time this article was written, that API contained more than 30 methods, but Snail Bait uses only a handful of them, shown in Table 1:
Table 1. Canvas 2D context methods used by Snail Bait
| Draws all, or part, of an
image at a specific location in a canvas. Can also draw
another canvas or a frame from a
video element.
|Saves context attributes on a stack.
|Pops context attributes off the stack and applies them to the context.
|Draws an unfilled rectangle.
|Fills a rectangle.
|Translates the coordinate system. This is a powerful method that is useful in many different scenarios. All scrolling in Snail Bait is implemented with this one method call.
Everything in Snail Bait, with the exception of the platforms, is an
image. The background, the runner, and all the good guys and bad guys are
images that the game draws with the
drawImage() method.
Ultimately Snail Bait will use a spritesheet — a single image containing all the game's graphics — but for now I use separate images for the background and the runner. I draw the runner with the function shown in Listing 1:
Listing 1. Drawing the runner
function drawRunner() { context.drawImage(runnerImage, // image STARTING_RUNNER_LEFT, // canvas left calculatePlatformTop(runnerTrack) - RUNNER_HEIGHT); // canvas top }
drawRunner() function passes three arguments to
drawImage(): an image and the left and top coordinates at
which to draw the image in the canvas. The left coordinate is a constant,
whereas the top coordinate is determined by the platform on which the
runner resides.
I draw the background in a similar manner, as Listing 2 illustrates:
Listing 2. Drawing the background
function drawBackground() { context.drawImage(background, 0, 0); }
drawBackground() function in Listing
2 draws the background image at
(0,0) in the canvas.
Later in this article, I modify that function to scroll the background.
Drawing the platforms, which are not images, requires more extensive use of the Canvas API, as shown in Listing 3:
Listing 3. Drawing platforms
var platformData = [ // Screen 1....................................................... { left: 10, width: 230, height: PLATFORM_HEIGHT, fillStyle: 'rgb(150,190,255)', opacity: 1.0, track: 1, pulsate: false, }, ... ], ... function drawPlatforms() { var data, top; context.save(); // Save the current state of the context context.translate(-platformOffset, 0); // Translate the coord system for all platforms for (var i=0; i < platformData.length; ++i) { data = platformData[i]; top = calculatePlatformTop(data.track); context.lineWidth = PLATFORM_STROKE_WIDTH; context.strokeStyle = PLATFORM_STROKE_STYLE; context.fillStyle = data.fillStyle; context.globalAlpha = data.opacity; context.strokeRect(data.left, top, data.width, data.height); context.fillRect (data.left, top, data.width, data.height); } context.restore(); // Restore context state saved above }
The JavaScript in Listing 3 defines an array named
platformData. Each object in the array represents metadata
that describes an individual platform.
drawPlatforms() function uses the Canvas context's
strokeRect() and
fillRect() methods to draw
platform rectangles. The characteristics of those rectangles —
which are stored in the objects in the
platformData array
— are used to set the context's fill style, and the
globalAlpha attribute, which sets the opacity of anything
that you subsequently draw in the canvas.
The call to
context.translate() translates the canvas's
coordinate system — depicted in Figure 2 — by a specified
number of pixels in the horizontal direction. That translation and the
attribute settings are temporary because they're made between calls to
context.save() and
Figure 2. The default Canvas coordinate system
By default, the origin of the coordinate system is at the upper left
corner of the canvas. You can move the origin of the coordinate system
I discuss scrolling the background with
in Scrolling the background. But at this point, you
know nearly everything you need to know about HTML5 Canvas to implement
Snail Bait. For the rest of this series, I will focus on other aspects of
HTML5 game development, starting with animation.
HTML5 animations
Fundamentally, implementing animations is simple: You repeatedly draw a sequence of images that make it appear as though objects are animating in some fashion. That means you must implement a loop that periodically draws an image.
Traditionally, animation loops were implemented in JavaScript with
setTimeout() or, as illustrated in Listing 4,
Listing 4. Implementing animations with
setInterval( function (e) { // Don't do this for time-critical animations animate(); // A function that draws the current animation frame }, 1000 / 60); // Approximately 60 frames/second (fps)
The code in Listing 4 will undoubtedly produce an
animation by repeatedly invoking an
animate() function that
draws the next animation frame; however, you may not be satisfied with the
results, because
setInterval() and
know nothing about animation. (Note: You must implement the
animate() function; it is not part of the Canvas API.)
In Listing 4, I set the interval to 1000/60
milliseconds, which equates to roughly 60 frames per second. That number
is my best estimate of an optimal frame rate, and it may not be a very
good one; however, because
setInterval() and
setTimeout() don't know anything about animation, it's up to
me to specify the frame rate. It would be better if the browser, which
assuredly knows better than I when to draw the next animation frame,
specified the frame rate instead.
There is an even more serious drawback to using
setInterval(). Although you pass those methods time
intervals specified in milliseconds, the methods are not
millisecond-precise; in fact, according to the HTML
specification, those methods — in an effort to conserve resources
— can generously pad the interval you specify.
To avoid these drawbacks, you shouldn't use
setTimeout() and
setInterval() for time-critical animations; instead, you
should use
In the Timing control for script-based animations specification
(see Related topics), the W3C defines a
method on the
window object named
requestAnimationFrame(). Unlike
setTimeout() or
requestAnimationFrame() is
specifically meant for implementing animations. It therefore suffers from
none of the drawbacks associated with
setTimeout() and
setInterval(). It's also simple to use, as Listing 5 illustrates:
Listing 5. Implementing animations with
function animate(time) { // Animation loop draw(time); // A function that draws the current animation frame requestAnimationFrame(animate); // Keep the animation going }; requestAnimationFrame(animate); // Start the animation
You pass
requestAnimationFrame() a reference to a callback
function, and when the browser is ready to draw the next animation frame,
it invokes that callback. To sustain the animation, the callback also
As you can see from Listing 5, the browser passes
time parameter to your callback function. You may wonder
exactly what that
time parameter means. Is it the current
time? The time at which the browser will draw the next animation frame?
Surprisingly, there is no set definition of that time. The only thing you can be sure of is that for any given browser, it always represents the same thing; therefore, you can use it to calculate the elapsed time between frames, as I illustrate in Calculating animation rate in fps.
In many ways, HTML5 is a programmer's utopia. Free from proprietary APIs, developers use HTML5 to implement applications that run cross-platform in the ubiquitous browser. The specifications progress rapidly, constantly incorporating new technology and refining existing functionality.
New technology, however, often makes its way into the specification
through existing browser-specific functionality. Browser vendors often
prefix such functionality so that it doesn't interfere with another
browser's implementation;
requestAnimationFrame(), for
example, was originally implemented by Mozilla as
mozRequestAnimationFrame(). Then it was implemented by
WebKit, which named its function
webkitRequestAnimationFrame(). Finally, the W3C standardized
it as
Vendor-prefixed implementations and varying support for standard implementations make new functionality tricky to use, so the HTML5 community invented something known as a polyfill. Polyfills determine the browser's level of support for a particular feature and either give you direct access to it if the browser implements it, or a stopgap implementation that does its best to mimic the standard functionality.
Polyfills are simple to use but can be complicated to implement. Listing 6
shows the implementation of a polyfill for
Listing 6.
// Reprinted from Core HTML5 Canvas window.requestNextAnimationFrame = (function () { var originalWebkitRequestAnimationFrame = undefined, wrapper = undefined, callback = undefined, geckoVersion = 0, userAgent = navigator.userAgent, index = 0, self = this; // Workaround for Chrome 10 bug where Chrome // does not pass the time to the animation function if (window.webkitRequestAnimationFrame) { // Define the wrapper wrapper = function (time) { if (time === undefined) { time = +new Date(); } self.callback(time); }; // Make the switch originalWebkitRequestAnimationFrame = window.webkitRequestAnimationFrame; window.webkitRequestAnimationFrame = function (callback, element) { self.callback = callback; // Browser calls the wrapper and wrapper calls the callback originalWebkitRequestAnimationFrame(wrapper, element); } } // Workaround for Gecko 2.0, which has a bug in // mozRequestAnimationFrame() that restricts animations // to 30-40 fps. if (window.mozRequestAnimationFrame) { // Check the Gecko version. Gecko is used by browsers // other than Firefox. Gecko 2.0 corresponds to // Firefox 4.0. index = userAgent.indexOf('rv:'); if (userAgent.indexOf('Gecko') != -1) { geckoVersion = userAgent.substr(index + 3, 3); if (geckoVersion === '2.0') { // Forces the return statement to fall through // to the setTimeout() function. window.mozRequestAnimationFrame = undefined; } } } return window.requestAnimationFrame || window.webkitRequestAnimationFrame || window.mozRequestAnimationFrame || window.oRequestAnimationFrame || window.msRequestAnimationFrame || function (callback, element) { var start, finish; window.setTimeout( function () { start = +new Date(); callback(start); finish = +new Date(); self.timeout = 1000 / 60 - (finish - start); }, self.timeout); }; } ) ();
The polyfill implemented in Listing 6 attaches a
function named
requestNextAnimationFrame() to the
window object. The inclusion of
Next in the
function name differentiates it from the underlying
requestAnimationFrame() function.
The function that the polyfill assigns to
requestNextAnimationFrame() is either
requestAnimationFrame() if the browser supports it, or a
vendor-prefixed implementation. If the browser does not support either of
those, the function is an ad-hoc implementation that uses
setTimeout() to mimic
the best it can.
Nearly all of the polyfill's complexity involves working around two bugs
and constitutes the code before the
return statement. The
first bug involves Chrome 10, which passes an
undefined value
for the time. The second bug involves Firefox 4.0, which restricts frame
rates to 35-40 frames per second.
Although the
requestNextAnimationFrame() polyfill's
implementation is interesting, it's not necessary to understand it;
instead, all you need to know is how to use it, as I illustrate in the
next section.
The game loop
Now that the graphics and animation prerequisites are out of the way, it's
time to put Snail Bait in motion. To start, I include the JavaScript for
requestNextAnimationFrame() in the game's HTML, as shown
in Listing 7:
Listing 7. The HTML
<html> ... <body> ... <script src='js/requestNextAnimationFrame.js'></script> <script src='game.js'></script> </body> </html>
Listing 8 shows the game's animation loop, commonly referred to as the game loop:
Listing 8. The game loop
var fps; function animate(now) { fps = calculateFps(now); draw(); requestNextAnimationFrame(animate); } function startGame() { requestNextAnimationFrame(animate); }
startGame() function, which is invoked by the background
onload event handler, starts the game by calling the
requestNextAnimationFrame() polyfill. When it's time to draw
the game's first animation frame, the browser invokes the
animate() function.
animate() function calculates the animation's frame rate,
given the current time. (See
requestAnimationFrame() for more about the
time value.) After calculating the frame rate,
animate() invokes a
draw() function that draws
the next animation frame. Subsequently,
animate() calls
requestNextAnimationFrame() to sustain the animation.
Calculating animation rate in fps
Listing 9 shows how Snail Bait calculates its frame rate, and how it updates the frame-rate readout shown in Figure 1:
Listing 9. Calculating fps and updating the
var lastAnimationFrameTime = 0, lastFpsUpdateTime = 0, fpsElement = document.getElementById('fps'); function calculateFps(now) { var fps = 1000 / (now - lastAnimationFrameTime); lastAnimationFrameTime = now; if (now - lastFpsUpdateTime > 1000) { lastFpsUpdateTime = now; fpsElement.innerHTML = fps.toFixed(0) + ' fps'; } return fps; }
The frame rate is simply the amount of time since the last animation frame, so you could argue that it's frame per second instead of frames per second, which doesn't make it much of a rate at all. You could take a more rigorous approach and maintain an average frame rate over several frames, but I have not found that to be necessary; indeed, the elapsed time since the last animation frame is exactly what I will need in Time-based motion.
Listing 9 also illustrates an important animation technique: performing a task at a rate other than the animation rate. If I update the frames/second readout every animation frame, it will be unreadable because it will always be in flux; instead, I update that readout once per second.
With the game loop in place and frame rate in hand, I am now ready to scroll the background.
Scrolling the background
Snail Bait's background, shown in Figure 3, scrolls slowly in the horizontal direction:
Figure 3. The background image
The background scrolls seamlessly because the left and right edges of the background are identical, as Figure 4 illustrates:
Figure 4. Identical edges make smooth transitions (left: right edge; right: left edge)
Snail Bait endlessly scrolls the background by drawing it twice, as shown in Figure 5. Initially, as shown in the top screenshot in Figure 5, the background image on the left is entirely on screen, whereas the one on the right is entirely offscreen. As time progresses, the background scrolls, as illustrated by the middle and bottom screenshots in Figure 5:
Figure 5. Scrolling right to left: Translucent areas represent the offscreen parts of the images
Listing 10 shows the code that correlates to Figure 5.
drawBackground() function draws the image twice, always
at the same locations. The apparent scrolling is the result of constantly
translating the canvas's coordinate system to the left, which makes the
background appear to scroll to the right.
(Here's how you can reconcile the apparent contradiction of translating left but scrolling right: Imagine the canvas as an empty picture frame on top of a long sheet of paper. The paper is the coordinate system, and translating it to the left is like sliding it to the left underneath the frame [canvas]. Therefore, the canvas appears to move to the right.)
Listing 10. Scrolling the background
var backgroundOffset; // This is set before calling drawBackground() function drawBackground() { context.translate(-backgroundOffset, 0); // Initially onscreen: context.drawImage(background, 0, 0); // Initially offscreen: context.drawImage(background, background.width, 0); context.translate(backgroundOffset, 0); }
setBackground() function translates the canvas context
-backgroundOffset pixels in the horizontal direction. If
backgroundOffset is positive, the background scrolls to the
right; if it's negative, the background scrolls to the left.
After translating the background,
drawBackground() draws the
background image twice and then translates the context back to where it
was before
drawBackground() was called.
One seemingly trivial calculation remains: calculating
backgroundOffset, which determines how far to translate the
canvas's coordinate system for each animation frame. Although the
calculation itself is indeed trivial, it has great significance, so I
discuss it next.
Time-based motion
Your animation's frame rate will vary, but you must not let that varying frame rate affect the rate at which your animation progresses. For example, Snail Bait scrolls the background at 42 pixels/second regardless of the animation's underlying frame rate. Animations must be time-based, meaning velocities are specified in pixels/second, and must not depend on the frame rate.
Using time-based motion to calculate the number of pixels to move an object for a given frame is simple: Divide velocity by the current frame rate. Velocity (pixels/second) divided by frame rate (frames/second) results in pixels/frame, meaning the number of pixels you need to move something for the current frame.
Listing 11 shows how Snail Bait uses time-based motion to calculate the background's offset:
Listing 11. Setting the background offset
var BACKGROUND_VELOCITY = 42, // pixels / second bgVelocity = BACKGROUND_VELOCITY; function setBackgroundOffset() { var offset = backgroundOffset + bgVelocity/fps; // Time-based motion if (offset > 0 && offset < background.width) { backgroundOffset = offset; } else { backgroundOffset = 0; } }
setBackgroundOffset() function calculates the number of
pixels to move the background for the current frame by dividing the
background's velocity by the current frame rate. Then it adds that value
to the current background offset.
To continuously scroll the background,
resets the background offset to
0 when it becomes less than 0
or greater than the width of the background.
If you've ever sat in the passenger's seat of a moving car and watched your hand knife through telephone poles at high speed, you know that things close to you move faster than things that are farther away. That's known as parallax.
Snail Bait is a 2D platformer, but it uses a mild parallax effect to make it appear as though the platforms are closer to you than the background. The game implements that parallax by scrolling the platforms noticeably faster than the background.
Figure 6 illustrates how Snail Bait implements parallax. The top screenshot shows the background at a particular point in time, whereas the bottom screenshot shows the background a few animation frames later. From those two screen shots you can see that the platforms have moved much farther than the background in the same amount of time.
Figure 6. Parallax: The platforms (near) scroll faster than the background (far)
Listing 12 shows the functions that set platform velocities and offsets:
Listing 12. Setting platform velocities and offsets
var PLATFORM_VELOCITY_MULTIPLIER = 4.35; function setPlatformVelocity() { // Platforms move 4.35 times as fast as the background platformVelocity = bgVelocity * PLATFORM_VELOCITY_MULTIPLIER; } function setPlatformOffset() { platformOffset += platformVelocity/fps; // Time-based motion }
Recall Listing 8, which lists Snail Bait's game
loop. That loop consists of an
animate() function that the
browser invokes when it's time to draw the game's next animation frame.
animate() function, in turn, invokes a
draw() function that draws the next animation frame. The code
for the
draw() function at this stage of development is shown
in Listing 13:
Listing 13. The
function setOffsets() { setBackgroundOffset(); setPlatformOffset(); } function draw() { setPlatformVelocity(); setOffsets(); drawBackground(); drawRunner(); drawPlatforms(); }
draw() function sets the platform velocity and the
offsets for both the background and the platforms. Then it draws the
background, runner, and platforms.
Next time
In the next article, I'll show you how to encapsulate the code for Snail Bait in a JavaScript object to avoid namespace collisions. I will also show you how to pause the game, including how to automatically pause it when the window loses focus, and how to restart the game with a countdown when the window regains focus. You'll also see how to control the game's runner with the keyboard. Along the way, you'll learn how to use CSS transitions and interject functionality into the game loop. See you next time.
Downloadable resources
- PDF of this content
- Sample code (j-html5-game2.zip | 737KB)
Related topics
- Core HTML5 Canvas: (David Geary, Prentice Hall, 2012): David Geary's book offers extensive coverage of the Canvas API and game development. Also check out the companion website and blog.
- Mind-blowing apps with HTML5 Canvas: Watch David Geary's presentation from Strange Loop 2011.
- HTML5 Game Development: Watch David Geary's presentation from the Norwegian Developer's Conference (NDC) 2011.
- Platform games: Read about platform games at Wikipedia.
- Side-scroller video games: Read about side-scroller video games at Wikipedia.
- Replica Island: You can download the source for this popular open source platform video game for Android.
- Timing control for script-based animations: Check out the specification here.


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Where's The Outrage Over The Gov't Brushing Mass Privacy Violations Under The Rug?
from the what-a-joke dept
This is not how our government is supposed to work.
Julian Sanchez has a fantastic article that should be a must read, detailing how Obama went from being a candidate who insisted there would be "no more National Security Letters to spy on citizens who are not suspected of a crime" because "that is not who we are, and it is not what is necessary to defeat the terrorists," to one who appears to have no problem regularly spying on citizens and covering it up. President Bush was really bad with warrantless wiretapping and retroactive immunity for telcos -- and most people figured Obama would at least be marginally better on that issue. But it's really scary how the entirety of the federal government doesn't seem to care much about these blatant privacy abuses -- and the public and the press has shrugged them off as well.
Given all the reports of abuses, and Obama's campaign statements, you would think that at least the government would put in place some kind of oversight and safeguards when the Patriot Act came up for renewal. No such luck. In fact, the administration appears to have worked with Republican Senators to make this possible. I don't think this is what people meant when they expected to see more "reaching across the aisle" from the President:
Indeed, by the time the House Judiciary Committee took up the question of reauthorization in early November, legislators of both parties were venting their frustration about the scant guidance they'd gotten from the administration.Sanchez's writeup goes into a lot more detail, but it's a depressing look at today's politics, media and the public as well. Politicians from both parties first belatedly tried to "legalize" blatantly illegal spying on Americans, and then, when they had an immediate opportunity to put in place the most basic safeguards because "that is not who we are," instead conspired with each other to renew the law and completely ignore the vast and blatant abuses of it. When you wonder why so few people trust politicians, this is why.
Behind closed doors, however, the administration was anything but silent. Instead of openly opposing civil-liberties reforms that had been under consideration in the Senate, The New York Times reported in October, the Obama administration opted for a kind of political ventriloquist's routine. The Justice Department wrote a series of amendments diluting or stripping away the new protections, then laundered them through Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, who offered them up verbatim.
It's worth taking a closer look at one such reform proposal -- again, predating the latest and most damning OIG report -- to get a sense of the disconnect between the administration's public and private stances. Some legislators had wanted to require the FBI to develop "minimization procedures" for NSLs, as they do when full-blown wiretaps are employed, to ensure that information about innocents is not circulated indiscriminately and that irrelevant records are ultimately discarded. This would only bring NSLs in line with other Patriot provisions compelling production of business records, where minimization is already required, and in principle, the Justice Department is already on board with this plan: As Inspector General Glenn Fine noted in his testimony before the Senate in September, the department's NSL working group was already laboring to develop such procedures in response to the abuses documented in previous OIG reports -- but the working group had been dragging their heels for more than two years.
The task of blocking any legal requirement that the Justice Department pick up the pace fell to Rep. Dan Lungren, a Republican from California. At a House markup session in November, Lungren offered up an amendment that would strip away the minimization mandate and even argued, bizarrely, that the very concept of "minimization" was inapplicable in the NSL context. He was visibly confused when Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers, after making a point of praising Lungren's "scrupulous study" of the issue, pointed out that the Justice Department itself had publicly accepted the need for such procedures.
"This is the first I had heard that the Justice Department was either considering it or had not raised any objections to this," a visibly perplexed Lungren stammered, "because it was my understanding they felt this was an inappropriate transfer of a process that is used in the electronic surveillance arena." The talking points with which Lundgren had been supplied, it seems, had not been checked against the official assurances the department had been providing.
Equally troubling is the fact that the story of the widespread spying basically disappeared after a week. Sure, lots of people are focused on the buzz du jour (healthcare, healthcare, healthcare), but how is it that everyone is just willing to forget that our own government has been spying on thousands of people in ways that flagrantly violate what the law clearly states?


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