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Basic arithmetic yields a surprising result, and some equally surprising insights. My working assumptions probably match those associated with the school years of about half of Americans; your results may vary.
After one year of pre-school (1 teacher), I attended grades K-6 (total: 7 teachers, plus an equal number of specialists in art, gym, etc.). Then, three years of junior high school (assume 6 different classes, so 6 teachers, plus specialists takes the total up to 9, then multiply by 3 years = 27 teachers). Similar math for three years of high school (assume 6 classes, 3 specialists, 3 years =27 teachers). Four years of college nearly completes my total (5 classes, 8 semesters = 40 teachers). Add a few post-graduate courses (5 teachers).
How many teachers were paid to educate just one person?
– 1 pre-K
– 40 College (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior)
– 5 Post-Graduate (after that)
Let's round the number of teachers to 100 because there were probably a few teachers who taught more than one course.
How much time did I spend with each teacher?
- Pre-K: probably 20 hours per week for about 40 weeks (summer off) = 800 hours = the equivalent of 100 8-hour days
- Each of the K-6 teachers: 6 hours each day x about 180 days = about 1,200 hours = the equivalent of 150 8-hour days
- Each junior high and high school teacher: 3/4 of an hour each day x about 180 days = about 135 hours = a bit more than 3 weeks
- Each college professor/instructor (per class section): 3 hours per week x 12 weeks = 36 hours = just under 1 working week
I remember the names of every elementary school teacher, but few of my college teachers. Now I understand why: I spent the equivalent of about 30 weeks with the former and the equivalent of about a week with the latter.
That got me to thinking. What's life like on the other side? A high school teacher is seeing perhaps 150 students per year. Divide that by a 40-hour work week, and if each student's needs were addressed individually, each of us would receive an average of 15 minutes of instruction per week.
Of course, we don't distribute resources that way. Instead, we mass produce junior high / middle school and high school education. One teacher, 150 students per 9-month session, managed as 5 groups of about 30 students. The most efficient way to manage this process would seem to be standardization and extensive testing to assure an acceptable degree of effectiveness. In college, this system stretches the extremes: more than 100 people in lecture halls during the early years, and perhaps fewer than ten people in a senior seminar. The underlying premise: people who teach in college ought to be specialists, allowing undergraduate students to learn about Shakespeare from one teacher and Chaucer or John Steinbeck from another. Certainly, no reasonable college educator in an institution with sufficient resources would consider the possibility of one professor teaching both Introduction to Psychology and Environmental Geology.
And yet, that's precisely what we require of our K-6 teachers. Most elementary school teachers are able to cope with more than half a dozen school subjects, and probably closer to a dozen of them. They manage the same students for the better part of a working year. As teachers, they spend enough time with the students to develop one-to-one relationships, and to craft lessons so that they are effective for thirty individual, naive, developing minds. One teacher spending a lot of time on a lot of topics with a few dozen students makes intuitive sense. It seems as though that would be a good way for a teacher to operate, and it seems as though it would be a good way for students to learn.
The Switch
So why do we change modes in junior high school? Why do we replace one teacher with nine people? Do we believe that students in sixth grade require no specialized instructors, and that students in the seventh grade require each teacher to be an expert in his or her field? Certainly, middle schoolers are coping with all sorts of challenging changes in their lives. Why not offer the stability of a single teacher for the entire day, one who is reasonably well-versed in a half-dozen school subjects?
Let's take the argument into high school. Our high school model encourages students to interact with many adults who teach, but the amount of time that each student spends with each teacher is so modest, the argument is easily dismissed. Maybe the answer is not 9 high school teachers in 45 minute sessions, but 3 high school teachers in 2 hour sessions. Parse the subjects any way that makes sense—our current system of math, science, social studies, English, etc. is no more or less of an arbitrary way to organize the world's knowledge as it applies to a tenth grader. Fewer teachers, more time with each teacher, more time for each student-teacher relationship.
What about college?
As an English major who was required to read every one of Shakespeare's plays and other works in two semesters [24 weeks] (I recall some of the names of his works, but not much more), I'm thinking there are probably too many courses, and not enough time spent on any one of them. Perhaps it would be better to provide freshmen with a breezy introduction to many topics in preparation of in-depth explorations in subsequent years. I want to be a freshman experiencing a parade, a dozen topics that may interest me: Shakespeare for the first two weeks, geology for the next, Gender Studies for the third, then comparative religions, law for the fifth, and robotics for the fourth, fifth and sixth. Let me spend fifty or sixty concentrated hours on each of these topics—without the silly distraction of four other classes that have little to do with one another—and I'll feel as though I'm learning something. By the end of my freshman year, I may be able to participate in an informed conversation about infrastructure, fractals, the future water needs in Sub-Saharan Africa, the economics of Brazil, and Joseph Campbell's ideas on primitive mythology. (Sounds like TED on steroids.)
After an invigorating freshman year, college students choose what they want to learn. Maybe they spend half of their time in a deep concentration of their own choosing, a quarter of their time learning what others insist they must know in order to graduate, and a quarter exploring topics unrelated to their major. If they want to enter a profession with specific requirements—engineering, medicine, law, etc., maybe that specialization follows a solid general education.
Reducing the Total
How does that affect the number of teachers involved in a students' life? Reduce the 60+ teachers in K-12 to 2o. Students spend more time with each teacher, and teachers spend more time with each student.
Not a perfect solution. Just musings on the one-hundred people who educated me. To those teachers, thank yo! To the many, perhaps too many, we ought to work together, as communities, to determine whether there might be a better way.


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Goldin v. Boce Group, L.C.
This case was before the court on defendant's motion to dismiss, for failure to state a claim. The plaintiff's theory of relief for minimum wage violations arose from the fact that while he worked 51 hours per week, each week, Defendants paid Plaintiff the required reduced minimum wage for only forty hours, and failed to pay him at all for the additional eleven hours of overtime. Plaintiff claimed that because Defendants "did not pay Plaintiff the required amount for every hour he worked," they were not permitted to take advantage of the tip credit at all and must disgorge the entire tip credit. Inasmuch as the FLSA requires that employers who seek to take the tip credit must pay tipped minimum wage in order to do so, this theory would seem to make perfect sense, however the court disagreed and dismissed the case.
The court reasoned:
"There is no basis in the FLSA for the relief Plaintiff seeks. The FLSA clearly lays out the prerequisites an employer must meet in order to claim the tip credit. There are only two: (1) the employer must inform the employee that the employee will be paid the reduced minimum wage; and (2) all tips received by the employee must be retained by the employee. 29 U.S.C. § 203(m). There is no "condition precedent" that the reduced cash wage be paid for every hour worked before an employer is entitled to claim the statutorily-mandated tip credit. See id. Congress could, and did, write into the FLSA express conditions precedent to the application of the tip credit. The Court declines to read a condition precedent into the statute where Congress did not create one. In re Tennyson, 611 F.3d 873, 877 (11th Cir.2010) (stating that where statute is "clear, unambiguous, and does not result in any absurd consequences," the Court "will not … read into the text of the statute an unstated purpose.").
In addition, the FLSA very clearly lays out the remedies available to employees who are subject to FLSA violations by employers. Successful FLSA plaintiffs are entitled to recover "the amount of their unpaid minimum wages, or their unpaid overtime compensation, as the case may be, and [ ] an additional equal amount as liquidated damages." 29 U.S.C. § 216(b). Congress wrote specific remedies into the statute. Congress did not choose to include as a remedy disgorgement of the tip credit where the plaintiff is a tipped employee. The Court will not write this additional remedy into the statute where Congress did not see fit to do so. See In re Tennyson, 611 F.3d at 877.
In addition, two other divisions of court in this District have rejected Plaintiff's theory on almost identical facts. See Muldowney v. Mac Acquisition, LLC, Case No. 09–22489–CIV, 2010 WL 520912 (S.D.Fla. Feb. 9, 2010) (Huck, J.); Perez v. Palermo Seafood, Inc., Case No. 07–21408–CIV, 2008 WL 7505704 (S.D.Fla. May 8, 2008) (O'Sullivan, M.J.). In both cases, a tipped employee who was paid the reduced minimum wage for some hours claimed their employers were not entitled to claim the tip credit because they were not paid for "off-the-clock work."
In Palermo Seafood, Magistrate Judge O'Sullivan found no textual support in the statute for the plaintiff's position, observing: "The cases that have disallowed the tip credit have done so because the employer failed to comply with one, or both, of the following requirements: (1) the employee receive proper notice of the tip credit and (2) that the employee is not required to share his or her tips with non-tipped employees." 2008 WL 7505704 at *2. Accordingly, Judge O'Sullivan found tip credit should apply to the plaintiff's regular shift hours, for which she was compensated at the reduced minimum wage. Id. at *1.
In Muldowney, Judge Huck came to the same conclusion:
Section 203(m) merely prescribes the method for calculating a tipped employee's wages and sets forth two explicit requirements that must be met for an employer to claim the tip credit, both of which are satisfied in this case. The statute says nothing about unpaid wages due to off-the-clock hours. Further, by rejecting Plaintiff's interpretation, she is not left without a remedy: she can seek unpaid wages for her alleged off-the-clock hours under state law or other sections of the FLSA. Therefore, the Court finds that Defendants are entitled to the tip credit for hours where Plaintiff was paid the specified reduced cash wage.2010 WL 520912 at *1.
The Court agrees with these two well-reasoned decisions. However, this does not mean, as Plaintiff argues, that employers are therefore not required to pay employees the minimum wage for every hour worked. Of course employers must compensate employees at the required rate for every hour worked, and of course the failure to do so is a violation of the FLSA. 29 U.S.C. § 206(a)(1) (providing minimum wage amounts); 29 U.S.C. § 215(a)(2) (creating cause of action for violation of minimum wage and overtime provisions)."
It should be noted that this decision and the 2 decisions on which it relies were all rendered in the Southern District of Florida. As tipped employee cases continue to become more and more prevalent though, as a result of tremendous amount of abuses of tipped workers in various industries, it will be interesting to see if courts outside of the Southern District of Florida have a different take, based on the text of 203(m).
Click Goldin v. Boce Group, L.C. to read the entire order.

subset: commoncrawl


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These past few weeks have been busy! As we slowly emerge from a long winter, a few major changes have come to LY Chinchillas too: we switched from our custom-built digs over to Ferret Nation 182 cages! Admittedly, I went a little crazy with the purchasing process because we ended up with 3 full double units, but after much deliberation on space and convenience, I've decided to keep the third double unit boxed up and in storage until more space allows for it in the future.
To start, I'll speak a little about the emotional change that comes with a major cage change. We had built our custom cages with time, energy, and great care, and they turned out great. They were a little less spacious than I had hoped given the constraints of finding a convertible wardrobe unit, but the larger cages had a lot of vertical space for the two mosaic girls Lulu & Fifi, as well as my standard firstborn son Mittenmaus. Koko resided in the top cage partition, as she has never (to this day) displayed an iota of jumping capability. Separately, Muff had a custom cage built out of two smaller unit cages that he simply loved, including a climbing wall and lots of space for his jellybean self to roam and chirp. There were some downsides to the custom cages, but overall, they were built with great love and care with safety and personalities in mind.
And then, before I knew it, the Ferret Nations were on their way. Honestly, it was a spur of the moment order. I had been thinking about new cages for a while, and after researching options on the market, opted for the 182 model. And then, before I knew it, the Ferret Nations had arrived. The cages have a ton of positive points, but the first few nights were actually filled with anxiety for both me and some of the chins.
The girls didn't mind at all. They are seemingly more independent and less attached to the comfort of any one place, as if peace of mind is something already engrained in their brains, bringing a sense of ease and calm to their transition. Mitty is an (unsuccessful) escape artist, that's just how he rolls. He explored his cage to the fullest, memorized each jump and leap and corner, and settled in. Of course, he's still going forward with his master plan of eventually escaping, and I do wish I could give him a full double unit to himself, but the space is adequate for him and I'm confident that he will adjust over time. Muff, on the other hand, was as nervous as I was. He missed his old cage! Truthfully, this space was a little bit of a downgrade for him, height-wise. The way Muff was acting, I was really starting to doubt my decision. There was a noticeable increase in stress: nervous squeaking, an unwillingness to talk to me or meet my hands, weight loss, and agitated jumping for several days. Part of me wanted to turn back and give him back his old everything, but I made the executive decision to wait and let the new cages settle in – for both me, and the chins.
I knew that I purchased these cages for a particular reason: in the hopes that they are the very best, safest, and cleanest option for our living situation right now. Residing in a NYC apartment is not exactly spacious, and every square foot counts. The same day the cages were set up and before I had the chance to reconsider turning back, I had already dismantled the old cages and re-purposed any salvageable kiln-dried pine for ledges and platforms in the new cages. This made it tough, because the moment I started taking parts down, I knew that I wasn't going to reconstruct the old cages. I had some restless sleep (yes, I'm seriously in tune with my kids) but I lived with it. It was time to move forward. In the following week, all of Muff's weight loss had been regained, and attitudes from all parties were perking up.
So, that brings me to this very lengthy post – a post which, in many ways, is a formulation of my opinions that are still in infancy. I've had the new cages for under a month, and have had some time to modify their interiors to my liking. While I have yet to make any definitive emotional connection with Ferret Nation, I've also been forced to put my custom cages in my past. I figured that places me in a unique position to evenly critique the pros and cons of Ferret Nation.
- User-Friendly, Lots of Control: This is a huge pro! These cages are truly designed for the pet owner, many thanks to Ferret Nation for that. All the points below will simply highlight and point back to this one major pro.
- Reliable Doors: Two self-locking doors that swing open as far as possible? Yes, please! The doors swing open a lovely 225 degrees. This means you can deal with one chinchilla at a time with all the elbow space you need, without having to worry about another chin's escape.
- Mobility: Smooth wheels do the trick. Rolling the cages from room to room or rotating 360 degrees is totally manageable with one person. I should note that although the wheels have worked fabulously for these first few weeks, a double unit cage is pretty heavy and could cause some wear and tear on the wheel function over time. As mobile as these cages can be, they are more suitable for a stationary situation.
- Light and Ventilation: Nothing sucks more than not being able to see your super cute chinchilla. These cages are awesome for that! Light passes through really easily, making it a little easier to catch the cuteness on camera (which, as chin owners know, is part of the struggle). Bottom levels have a little less light than desired, but such is the payoff for separated top and bottom units. An added bonus of light passage is also air passage, which helps ventilation and improves overall living conditions.
- Universal Nature: So easy to use and self-explanatory, I would consider trusting a pet sitter to handle these cages – and for me, that says a lot.
- Longevity: These cages will last for years. They may get scratched up, but these cages will stay relevant and get the job done.
- Professional Look: The design is simple and sleek.
- Safe and Sturdy: The bars and overall structure is pretty heavy duty, easing the weight of worry on neurotic owners.
- Easy to Clean: A simple structural design makes cleaning as easy as could possibly be! Double unit cages have corners that are easy to reach with (almost) no hidden areas for grime to build up in.
- Resale Value: Hand-in-hand with the "Cost" bullet point in the Cons section, these cages maintain their value pretty well in comparison with other cages.
- Brand Recognition: The commercial value of this product and presence in the industry is pretty solid. This at least means the brand has been somewhat successful long enough to be oft recommended and widely distributed.
- Customization/Inability to Prorate Space: As customizable as the inside space of the cage may be, the size of each cage is fixed. That means there are three choices: 1, 2, or 3 unit cages. I can't, for example, give a little more height to the boys or a little more width to my girls without adding another overwhelming unit to their existing spaces.
- More Width Than Height: This might seem like a weird point for some people because most cages are wider than they are high, but with custom cages we had the luxury of being able to customize a safe cage with more height than width, which the chins seemed to love and have more fun with. Of course, you could add on that additional unit and make the height appear, but the overwhelming presence! I would like to point out that this Con is also a Pro, limiting falls and height-related injuries.
- Presence: These cages command attention and space, and definitely carry a presence. A three unit cage would be a little daunting to run into at a friend's apartment (unless you love chinchillas, which I'm sure most of you do).
- Loud: FN cages consist largely of bars, and these bars reverberate sound against any connected point, such as hammock hangers, washers, and attached ledges. Any jump or leap will produce more sound than wood, which better absorbs vibrations and sounds.
- Bars and Biting: Bar biting is really annoying. Not only is it noisy, but it also leaves a mark – yes, chin chewing can easily create indents and grooves in the cage bars' powder coating. Behaviorally, it's a bummer to see your chin trying so hard to escape. Wire mesh in custom cages completely prevents this type of behavior.
- Cleaning Between the Bars: Tough! Dust is the main contender against a totally clean cage situation. Residual dust settles between the bars, and those little nooks are pretty tough to reach and stubborn to clean, even with a high-powered vac.
- Ferret Nation Quality Control: Leaves a bit to be desired. Some details are offset, door locks aren't symmetrical, plastic panels that I didn't use arrived shattered and broken, and there were minor scuffs on nearly every piece of metal. Part of these problems are due to their shipping practices (one large cardboard box and no reinforcement) but must also be due to manufacturing practices and company quality control. To be fair, there's a limited one-year warranty and FN will replace broken parts, but if there was a higher standard across the board, there would be no need to go through a time-consuming warranty shakedown.
- Plastic Bottoms and Platforms: I know there's a profit to be made, but I could never understand why high-volume national suppliers don't switch to metal instead of providing their customer's pets with low quality edible plastic, which can cause blockage or worse. From a caring owner's standpoint, I'd have hoped for a better industry standard by now. Anyhow, I had to order custom metal pans at an additional cost (which were a great investment, and I'm very happy with).
- Shaking: Although somewhat subtle, the cages will shake from side to side if your chins are running on their wheels.
- Cost: The cost is relatively high, but as would be a custom cage of a similar size.
The takeaway? These cages are great for our status quo. Make no mistake about it: when the time comes to buy a house in the country, I have grand plans to painstakingly build fully customized cage mansions for each of the chins (blueprints are already on hand). For now, Ferret Nations will do the job, and do the job relatively well. Stay tuned for future posts about FN cage customization! 🙂
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McCloskey to Salazar re DBOC 08-11-11
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Jane Gyorgy on August 11, 2011 • Permalink
Posted in Articles & Letters, Bi-Partisan Efforts
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DALLAS—In what the Dallas Mavericks hope will be an effective variation on the "Hack-A-Shaq" defense, the traditional method of stopping Shaquille O'Neal by committing repeated hard fouls against the Miami Heat's dominant 7'1", 325-pound center, the Mavericks will equip their players with custom-made, razor-sharp machetes for this year's NBA Finals.
"I'm tired of everyone saying that Shaquille is unstoppable, that he's the most dominant player in the game, that he can just impose his will on any type of defense, and that he thrives on contact," Dallas coach Avery Johnson said, brandishing his own machete as he addressed his players before their first pre-finals practice. "Let's see how much he thrives when he comes in contact with one of these!"
The players then raised their machetes and stormed the practice court, maniacally hacking and slashing the practice-squad players while chanting "Defense!"
Enthusiastic team owner Mark Cuban said that, when he was presented with the idea of purchasing machetes for his "boys," he was immediately behind it.
"I thought, 'Great! Avery is finally thinking outside the box!'" Cuban said. "And since then, machetes have been the only things on my mind. Thinking about machetes has taken up every second of every day. Machetes! Machetes, man."
Cuban then purchased a case of machetes, and had each one custom-made to fit his players' size and frame, and engraved them with his players' names, numbers, the Mavericks' logo, the 2006 NBA Finals logo, and the credo "Defense Wins Championships."
Johnson, while noting that the admittedly impressive machetes were "just another tool in the box" and "an addition to, not a substitute for, solid defensive fundamentals," said early practice with the 20-inch blades has allowed him to demonstrate his flair for aggressive, innovative coaching.
"The X's and O's of it are pretty simple," Johnson said, drawing up the play on his dry-erase board. "Once Dwayne Wade passes the ball to Shaq down low, [point guard] Jason [Terry] will drop down to double-team him and chop the backs of Shaq's legs, especially the femoral artery and the Achilles tendon, with his lighter machete. Dirk [Nowitzki], while he's doing that, you will curl off your man and go for O'Neal's collarbones with an overhand chopping motion of your Latin machete. By the third quarter, Shaq will have lost a significant amount of blood, and that's when Keith [Van Horn] and [Josh] Howard will be stabbing at O'Neal's kidneys and the sensitive insides of his elbows with their respective weapons—Van Horn with his Bolo Machete and Josh with his Double-Edge Machete. Meanwhile, [center] DeSagana [Diop], who I understand brought his own Panga Machete from home, will be carving O'Neal's ribs."
"If we do this right and concentrate on rebounding to clean up our trash on offense, we can hold Shaq to 10 points a game," Johnson added. "But let's not underestimate this guy. He can still be a force on the court, even with five machetes sticking out of him."
Although players are being tight-lipped about their learning curve on this complex defense, Johnson said that his team is committed to carrying the machetes a full seven games and are willing to sacrifice a little agility for full defensive supremacy. Dirk Nowitzki has said that, by Game 6, the most dominant player in the world should be reduced to nothing more than "300 pounds of hamburger in a Miami Heat jersey." And Mavericks third-string center and O'Neal practice stand-in Erick Dampier came out of his morphine-induced coma long enough to assure everyone that the defense works.
After being informed of Dallas' new strategy, commissioner David Stern issued a written statement in which he expressed some concern about its effect on both player safety and the rules of the game.
"I always encourage coaches and players to continually strive to find new ways to play our beloved game," Stern said. "My only worry is that the unorthodox nature of this defense may cause some players—and one player in particular—actual physical harm. Furthermore, I would like to reiterate that balls shot towards the basket may not be knocked out of the air or destroyed by handheld objects, a rule which certainly includes machetes."
Veteran Miami Heat coach Pat Riley, who seems unfazed by the possibility of losing his star center, said the key to playoff basketball is making adjustments. Riley hinted that he was working on a new "Berserk-A-Dirk" defense and, while not offering specifics, hinted that the strategy involved unleashing a rabid, meth-crazed Gary Payton on the Mavericks' star player.


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|KUMAR, ARUN - University Of Florida
|LEE, WON - University Of Florida
|EHSANI, REZA - University Of Florida
|L., ALBRIGO - University Of Florida
|Yang, Chenghai
|Mangan, Robert
Submitted to: Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (JARS)
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2012
Publication Date: 8/10/2012
Citation: Kumar, A., Lee, W.S., Ehsani, R., L., A.G., Yang, C., Mangan, R.L. 2012. Citrus greening detection using airborne hyperspectral and multispectral imaging techniques. Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (JARS). 6:063542.
Interpretive Summary: Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is a serious citrus disease that affects all citrus cultivars and causes rapid deterioration of citrus trees. Early detection is very critical for the management and control of the disease. This study evaluated high resolution airborne multispectral and hyperspectral imagery for identifying HLB-infected citrus trees in Florida. Several image analysis techniques were used to separate infected trees from healthy trees based on the imagery. Preliminary results showed that high resolution imagery in conjunction with image analysis techniques can identify infected trees with the yellowing symptom, but more research is needed to improve the detection accuracy.
Technical Abstract: Hyperspectral imaging can provide unique spectral signatures for diseased vegetation. Airborne multispectral and hyperspectral imaging can be used to detect potentially infected trees over a large area for rapid detection of infected zones. This paper proposes a method to detect the citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing or HLB) infected areas in citrus groves using airborne hyperspectral and multispectral imaging. Two sets of hyperspectral images were acquired for this study, first in the year 2007 and another set in late 2009, both using a different imaging system and selecting a different citrus grove in Florida. The images acquired in 2007 had a spectral range of 397-997 nm with a resolution of 5 nm and 0.7 m spatial resolution. The 2009 images had a spectral range of 457-921 nm spanning across 128 spectral bands with a 3.6 nm spectral resolution and 1 m spatial resolution. The multispectral images with four spectral bands were also acquired in 2009 for the same grove. A comprehensive ground truthing based on ground measurements and visual check of the citrus grove trees was used in validation of results using 2007 images. A more accurate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for selected trees from ground truthing had been carried out in the citrus grove under study in 2009. In both the groves the infected tree coordinates were recorded. An image derived spectral library was built using the above images and categories of Healthy and HLB infected pixels were created based on the ground truthing information. Ground measurements were obtained for Healthy and HLB infected citrus trees from the same grove along with their degrees of infection. HLB infected areas were identified using image-derived spectral library, the mixture tuned match filtering (MTMF), the spectral angle mapping (SAM), the spectral feature fitting (SFF) and linear spectral unmixing (LSU). It was seen that accuracy of MTMF method was greater than the other methods. The accuracy of SAM using multispectral images was comparable to the results of the MTMF and also gave higher accuracy when compared to SAM analysis on hyperspectral images.


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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Twin blasts targeting Syria's army command headquarters rocked the capital on Wednesday, setting off hours of sporadic gunbattles and a raging fire inside the heavily guarded compound, state-run media and witnesses said.
An army statement said no military commanders or personnel were hurt in the explosions, one of which was from a car bomb. But Iranian Press TV said one of its correspondents, 33-year-old Maya Nasser, a Syrian national, died in an exchange of fire in the area following the blasts.
The explosions were the latest to hit the Syrian capital as the country's civil war intensified and appeared to show the deep reach of the rebels determined to topple President Bashar Assad's regime.
Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, said the explosions struck just before 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) near the landmark Omayyad Square. They were heard several miles (kilometers) away and shattered the windows of the Dama Rose hotel and other nearby buildings.
Rebels from the Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility for the bombings in a statement signed by the group's military council, saying dozens were killed in the attack.
The army command building was in flames, sending huge columns of thick black smoke that hung over Damascus for several hours following the blasts.
The blasts caused fear among residents of a nearby upscale district, which has largely been sheltered from the violence that plagues other parts of the city.
"What if a random bullet killed one of my kids?" Nada, a 42-year-old mother of three who only gave her first name out of security concerns, said, crying over the telephone. The windows of her apartment were shattered and her furniture was damaged. "I only care about my children and I'm afraid of the gunfire," she added.
Gaith, 63, a retired civil servant, said he rushed to lock the gate of his building to keep rebels from hiding in it. "I don't want my place to collapse on my head," he said.
Witnesses said the explosions were followed by heavy gunfire that stretched on for hours at the Omayyad Square and around the military compound. One witness who managed to get close to the area, which was cordoned off, saw panicked soldiers shooting in the air randomly as they ran.
The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said it appears that rebels may have been holed up inside the army command building, from where the sound of gunfire could clearly be heard.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground, said heavy clashes were taking place inside the compound of the army command, adding that there were casualties on both sides.
The force of the explosion left a good part of the compound overlooking the huge Omayyad square charred. Air conditioners and door frames were blown from their place and dangled outside the building.
A group of army soldiers standing outside the buildings shouted pro Assad slogans, including: "Shabiha, forever, for your eyes, Oh Assad!" in reference to pro-regime militiamen.
The army statement said the blasts were caused by a car bomb and an explosive device that went off near the army command buildings. It said "terrorists" in the area simultaneously opened fire randomly to terrorize people, adding that authorities were pursuing the gunmen. Syrian authorities regularly refer to rebels fighting to topple Assad's regime as terrorists.
The statement said a number of guards were wounded.
"I can confirm that all our comrades in the military command and defense ministry are fine," Information Minister Omran Zoubi told Syrian TV, which is located near the site of the explosion, in a telephone call.
"Everything is normal," he said. "There was a terrorist act, perhaps near a significant location, yes, this is true, but they failed as usual to achieve their goals."
Ambulances were rushed to the site as police sealed off the area to traffic and journalists. Traffic in other areas snarled as checkpoints were set up, blocking access to the capital from the suburbs.
Syria's unrest began in March 2011 when protests calling for political change met a violent government crackdown. Many in the opposition have since taken up arms as the conflict morphed into a civil war that activists say has killed nearly 30,000 people. Over the past few months, the rebels have increasingly targeted security sites and symbols of regime power in a bid to turn the tide in the fighting.
On July 18, rebels penetrated the heart of Syria's power elite, detonating a bomb inside a high-level crisis meeting in Damascus that killed three top regime officials, including Assad's brother-in-law and the defense minister. Other large blasts have targeted the headquarters of security agencies in the capital, killing scores of people this year.
On Tuesday, several bombs went off inside a Damascus school that activists said was being used by regime forces as a security headquarters. Several people were wounded.
Syria's conflict was the focus of attention as world leaders gathered at the U.N. General Assembly's annual meeting in New York this week.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded international action to stop the war in Syria, telling a somber gathering of world leaders Tuesday that the 18-month conflict had become "a regional calamity with global ramifications."
Ban, declaring that the situation in Syria is getting worse every day, called the conflict a serious and growing threat to international peace and security that requires attention from the deeply divided U.N. Security Council.
That appears highly unlikely, however, at least in the near future.
Russia and China have vetoed three Western-backed resolutions aimed at pressuring Assad to end the violence and enter negotiations on a political transition, leaving the U.N.'s most powerful body paralyzed in what some diplomats say is the worst crisis since the U.S.-Soviet standoff during the Cold War.
In sharp contrast to the U.N. chief, President Barack Obama pledged U.S. support for Syrians trying to oust Assad — "a dictator who massacres his own people."
Karam reported from Beirut.


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In 1840 William Snodgrass erected a log building about 300 yards from his house for specific use as a schoolhouse and a church. Three separate school buildings were to occupy this same level, one-acre site over the next 100 years or so. The log school was succeeded by a frame building with board-and-batten siding of yellow poplar, painted a dark red, which was in turn succeeded, in 1871, by the 23 foot by 26 foot white frame schoolhouse now on the campus of Fairmont State University .
Honors student, Mistie Manning, portraying Ethel Ferrell
Note: The above photograph was taken in front of one of the One-room Schoolhouse displays
located on the third floor of the Education Building at Fairmont State University.


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Prosecutor: Officers Justified in Fatally Shooting Arkansas Courthouse Gunman
Officers were justified in fatally shooting a gunman who entered a western Arkansas courthouse and opened fire on court workers, a county prosecutor said in a letter to local law enforcement.
Crawford County prosecutor Marc McCune wrote to Sheriff Ron Brown and Van Buren Police Chief Kenneth Bell in a letter dated Monday that all officers involved in last week's shootout with James Ray Palmer acted "reasonably and professionally."
Authorities say Palmer, after firing shots inside a judge's office and throughout the building, walked outside and shot at authorities who had responded to panic alarms and 911 calls.
Officers fired back and wounded Palmer, who died later at a local hospital.
"The officers were defending themselves and others from the use or imminent use of deadly physical force by James Palmer," McCune wrote.
An Arkansas State Police investigation is ongoing, though officials say no one else is suspected of helping Palmer, 48, carry out the attack.
He is believed to have entered the Crawford County courthouse, with two handguns and an assault rifle concealed under a long jacket, to find Circuit Judge Gary Cottrell. When a court worker told Palmer the judge wasn't in, he opened fire.
The court worker was wounded, as was a police officer who was hit by bullet fragments outside. Neither was killed.
Cottrell had approved Palmer's divorce from Steffeny Palmer in 2001. Steffeny Palmer had obtained a restraining order before the divorce. She accused James Palmer of attacking her, setting their couch on fire and threatening to buy assault weapons, according to court documents.
State police spokesman Bill Sadler told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that authorities still want to find out where Palmer obtained the weapons he used. Authorities also are waiting on autopsy, toxicology and ballistics reports, Sadler said.
The courthouse had security cameras installed inside and outside the building. State police, citing an ongoing investigation, have denied an Associated Press open records request for the tape of Palmer's attack.


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8 years, 1 month ago
The Real Reason College Tuition Costs So Much
8 years, 2 months ago
In the lonely Cockpit of our Lives- Franco Bifo Berardi on the Germanwings Tragedy, which is believed to have been intentionally crashed by co-pilot Andreas Lubitz
8 years, 2 months ago
ISIS to Exhibit Floating Pavilion of Art Destruction at Venice Biennale?
8 years, 2 months ago
Facebook tracks the web browsing of everyone who visits a page on its site even if the user does not have an account or has explicitly opted out of tracking.
8 years, 2 months ago
WHITE & BLACK FILM / Vladimír Turner
In 2012 Memefest Awarded Czech artist Vladimir Turner the special award for Imaginative Critical Int...
8 years, 2 months ago
I have watched Citizenfour http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4044364/
Few days ago. Its brilliant. I made me also install encription software to my phone. Can everyone please install "Signal" on their IPhones and "Textsecure" on your Android? It's free... https://whispersystems.org Seriously I am not really keen on getting non encripted sms and I'd prefer to talk via encripted chanells as well. For it to work both parties need to have this installed.
8 years, 4 months ago
"Thank you Lisa for writing this. It was a great experience and I feel proud of our all work and the ..."
8 years, 4 months ago
In Your Wildest Schemes
The free market won't stop climate change, but its failure is inspiring the people who will
8 years, 4 months ago
The New Manifestos: 6 Artist Texts That Are Defining Today's Avant-Garde
8 years, 5 months ago
Here a response from Banksy. A crazy, sad tragedy for free speech that is happening in France at the moment.
8 years, 5 months ago
Dear Bernadette- merry christmass! Hope you are well and having nice times in the festive period.
Iam writing as we would need to get the videos for the maayali web site as we have disccused. We are tight with deadlines are want to get this out in the next 2-3 weeks. Please upload them somewhere and send me the links.
How is everything on your side- what's the situation with the longer version of the video?
Best, Oliver
I will have the files uploaded to dropbox by tomorrow morning and send you and Ashlea the links.
+ I also have to ask/clarify several things with you in regards to the longer version of the film as it seems the memefest grapevine is a little more disorganised than it could be - which is a little frustrating when we all have a short amount of time & a lot to co-ordinate and finalise. But I will get into specifics tomorrow when I send the links and then we can start the new year all on the same page!
All the best, Bernadette
8 years, 5 months ago
8 years, 6 months ago
It's worth noting that many Facebook features are optional, until such a time as they are not. Passive listening will soon be a feature for Facebook app during status updates
8 years, 6 months ago
"Hey Alana, It is lovely to see this works spreading and getting peoples attention in other places. I..."
8 years, 6 months ago
Here Kevin Lo's recap of the Memefest symposium/workshop event few weeks ago here in Melbourne. Necessarily a partial picture, but very nice post.
8 years, 6 months ago
Memefest's Radical Intimacies, sneaks into a small town in rural NSW
8 years, 6 months ago
Just received a msg from Ricardo Dominguez, who co -curated this years Memefest Beyond... category. Ricardo is a founding member of The Electronic Disturbance Theatre which just launched a project in response to the violence of Mexicos government in relation to the dissapearence of 43 students few weeks ago. Please read this, check the project/web sites and participate:
Please join us in a collective act of electronic civil disobedience in solidarity with the 11 students recently arrested in Mexico for protesting against the state's involvement in the disappearance 43 students from the college of Ayotzinapa. When you join the action, your web browser will send mass page requests to the website of Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto and the website of Televisa (for example: "http://www.presidencia.gob.mx/Luis Carlos Pichardo Moreno.derechoshumanos"), filling their error logs with the names of the 11 detainees.
8 years, 6 months ago
Here Tom Liaces about the Memefest symposium and workshop in Melbourne, including slides of his presentation:
8 years, 6 months ago
Here the great Rebelart does a cool post about this years Memefest Friendly Competition Results:
8 years, 7 months ago
I am passing this video made by the Brisbane Aboriginal Embassy. November 8-16 G20 meeting is held in Brisbane. BASE is inviting everyone to join the activities based in Musgrave park and to contribute to and participate in the dialogue on how to decolonize. This is also a great opportunity for anyone that has participated in last years Memefest activities in Brisbane, collaborating with the Brisbane Aboriginal Sovereign Embassy. Right after this events, you are invited to come down to Melbourne to participate in this years Memefest event (18-25 November)- you are warmly invited!
Skye Ruozzi
Birth year
United States of America


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How about a new coach?
Ira Winderman
Sun Sentinel
The best Pau Gasol trade? Mike D'Antoni for any coach with enough common sense to find a way to make it work. Once again, D'Antoni being so wedded to a system has compromised his ability to maximize his roster.
With a $19 million price tag, knee tendinitis and declining statistics, Gasol will not fetch anything close to reasonable value on the trade market. This sets up as a worse situation than when the Lakers stole Gasol from the Grizzlies in the first place.
Having already excised one coach, the Lakers essentially are in face-saving mode, certainly can't move on to a third coach (fourth, if you count Bernie Bickerstaff). But Gasol hardly is the Lakers' greatest concern at the moment, even as he is being cast as such.
To Memphis for Randolph
Brian Schmitz
Orlando Sentinel
The Lakers are crying out for help, and it's as unbecoming as a Hollywood star wearing Target on the runway.
The solution? Trade Pau Gasol, of course.
The problem? He's over the hill and overpaid, owed $19 million next season.
What might make sense: Send Gasol back to Memphis, this time for Zach Randolph and defensive ace Tony Allen. Pau reunites with brother Marc, whom L.A. sent to the Griz in the original heist.
Memphis can shed $34 million left on Randolph's contract, plus play two 7-foot siblings.
Desperate times, desperate measures for L.A. when Jack Nicholson is leaving games early.
To Toronto for Bargnani
K.C. Johnson
Chicago Tribune
The trade that makes the most sense is Pau Gasol to the Raptors for Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon. The Lakers can add some spare parts to make the money work. Mike D'Antoni gets his beloved stretch power forward to fit his offense.
The Raptors get a skilled player to energize the fan base and make a playoff run to try to save the job of basketball operations chief Bryan Colangelo. The Lakers get an expiring salary in Calderon. Antawn Jamison can handle an increased role under D'Antoni's unique offensive demands. So can Earl Clark.
Still, I don't see it happening. I think the Lakers hold on to Gasol because it's almost certain Dwight Howard will leave as a free agent after this season.
To Hawks for Smith
Ben Bolch
Los Angeles Times
It's time for the Lakers and Hawks to swap disgruntled power forwards. Since Pau Gasol's ($19 million) and Josh Smith's ($13.2 million) salaries do not align closely enough for a trade under NBA rules, the Lakers should include backup point guard Chris Duhon ($3.5 million) while the Hawks throw in point guard Devin Harris ($8.5 million).
Smith's presence would make former AAU teammate Dwight Howard more likely to sign that maximum contract extension this summer. The Hawks obviously covet Gasol's skill set because they inquired about a Smith-for-Gasol trade this summer.
Harris would represent a major upgrade over the Lakers' current backups at that position.


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Leviticus 2
Leviticus 2
In this chapter we have the law concerning the meat-offering. I. The matter of it; whether of raw flour with oil and incense (ver 1), or baked in the oven (ver 4), or upon a plate (ver 5, 6), or in a frying pan, ver 7. II. The management of it, of the flour (ver 2, 3), of the cakes, ver 8-10. III. Some particular rules concerning it, That leaven and honey must never be admitted (ver 11, 12), and salt never omitted in the meat-offering, ver 13. IV. The law concerning the offering of firstfruits in the ear, ver 14, etc.
The Law of the Meat-Offering (1490 B.C.)
1 And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: 2 And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: 3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. 4 And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baken in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil. 5 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. 6 Thou shalt part it in pieces, and pour oil thereon: it is a meat offering. 7 And if thy oblation be a meat offering baken in the fryingpan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. 8 And thou shalt bring the meat offering that is made of these things unto the Lord: and when it is presented unto the priest, he shall bring it unto the altar. 9 And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord. 10 And that which is left of the meat offering shall be Aaron's and his sons': it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire.
There were some meat-offerings that were only appendices to the burnt-offerings, as that which was offered with the daily sacrifice (Exod 29 38, 39) and with the peace-offerings; these had drink-offerings joined with them (see Num 15 4, 7, 9, 10), and in these the quantity was appointed. But the law of this chapter concerns those meat-offerings that were offered by themselves, whenever a man saw cause thus to express his devotion. The first offering we read of in scripture was of this kind (Gen 4 3): Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering.
I. This sort of offerings was appointed, 1. In condescension to the poor, and their ability, that those who themselves lived only upon bread and cakes might offer an acceptable offering to God out of that which was their own coarse and homely fare, and by making for God's altar, as the widow of Sarepta for his prophet, a little cake first, might procure such a blessing upon the handful of meal in the barrel, and the oil in the cruse, as that it should not fail. 2. As a proper acknowledgment of the mercy of God to them in their food. This was like a quitrent, by which they testified their dependence upon God, their thankfulness to him, and their expectations from him as their owner and bountiful benefactor, who giveth to all life, and breath, and food convenient. Thus must they honour the Lord with their substance, and, in token of their eating and drinking to his glory, must consecrate some of their meat and drink to his immediate service. Those that now, with a grateful charitable heart, deal out their bread to the hungry, and provide for the necessities of those that are destitute of daily food, and when they eat the fat and drink the sweet themselves send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared, offer unto God an acceptable meat-offering. The prophet laments it as one of the direful effects of famine that thereby the meat-offering and drink-offering were cut off from the house of the Lord (Joel 1 9), and reckoned it the greatest blessing of plenty that it would be the revival of them, Joel 2 14.
II. The laws of the meat-offerings were these:—1. The ingredients must always be fine flour and oil, two staple commodities of the land of Canaan, Deut 8 8. Oil was to them then in their food what butter is now to us. If it was undressed, the oil must be poured upon the flour (v. 1); if cooked, it must be mingled with the flour, v. 4, etc. 2. If it was flour unbaked, besides the oil it must have frankincense put upon it, which was to be burnt with it (v. 1, 2), for the perfuming of the altar; in allusion to this, gospel ministers are said to be a sweet savour unto God, 2 Cor 2 15. 3. If it was prepared, this might be done in various ways; the offerer might bake it, or fry it, or mix the flour and oil upon a plate, for the doing of which conveniences were provided about the tabernacle. The law was very exact even about those offerings that were least costly, to intimate the cognizance God takes of the religious services performed with a devout mind, even by the poor of his people. 4. It was to be presented by the offerer to the priest, which is called bringing it to the Lord (v. 8), for the priests were God's receivers, and were ordained to offer gifts. 5. Part of it was to be burnt upon the altar, for a memorial, that is, in token of their mindfulness of God's bounty to them, in giving them all things richly to enjoy. It was an offering made by fire, v. 2, 9. The consuming of it by fire might remind them that they deserved to have all the fruits of the earth thus burnt up, and that it was of the Lord's mercies that they were not. They might also learn that as meats are for the belly, and the belly for meats, so God shall destroy both it and them (1 Cor 6 13), and that man lives not by bread alone. This offering made by fire is here said to be of a sweet savour unto the Lord; and so are our spiritual offerings, which are made by the fire of holy love, particularly that of almsgiving, which is said to be an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God (Phil 4 18), and with such sacrifices God is well pleased, Heb 13 16. 6. The remainder of the meat-offering was to be given to the priests, v. 3, 10. It is a thing most holy, not to be eaten by the offerers, as the peace-offerings (which, though holy, were not most holy), but by the priests only, and their families. Thus God provided that those who served at the altar should live upon the altar, and live comfortably.
11 No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the Lord, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the Lord made by fire. 12 As for the oblation of the firstfruits, ye shall offer them unto the Lord: but they shall not be burnt on the altar for a sweet savour. 13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. 14 And if thou offer a meat offering of thy firstfruits unto the Lord, thou shalt offer for the meat offering of thy firstfruits green ears of corn dried by the fire, even corn beaten out of full ears. 15 And thou shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon: it is a meat offering. 16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the Lord.
Here, I. Leaven and honey are forbidden to be put in any of their meat-offerings: No leaven, nor any honey, in any offering made by fire, v. 11. 1. The leaven was forbidden in remembrance of the unleavened bread they ate when they came out of Egypt. So much despatch was required in the offerings they made that it was not convenient they should stay for the leavening of them. The New Testament comparing pride and hypocrisy to leaven because they swell like leaven, comparing also malice and wickedness to leaven because they sour like leaven, we are to understand and improve this as a caution to take heed of those sins which will certainly spoil the acceptableness of our spiritual sacrifices. Pure hands must be lifted up without wrath, and all our gospel feasts kept with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 2. Honey was forbidden, though Canaan flowed with it, because to eat much honey is not good (Prov 25 16, 27); it turns to choler and bitterness in the stomach, though luscious to the taste. Some think the chief reason why those two things, leaven and honey, were forbidden, was because the Gentiles used them very much in their sacrifices, and God's people must not learn or use the way of the heathen, but his services must be the reverse of their idolatrous services; see Deut 12 30, 31. Some make this application of this double prohibition: leaven signifies grief and sadness of spirit (Ps 73 21), My heart was leavened; honey signifies sensual pleasure and mirth. In our service of God both these must be avoided, and a mean observed between those extremes; for the sorrow of the world worketh death, and a love to the delights of sense is a great enemy to holy love.
II. Salt is required in all their offerings, v. 13. The altar was the table of the Lord; and therefore, salt being always set on our tables, God would have it always used at his. It is called the salt of the covenant, because, as men confirmed their covenants with each other by eating and drinking together, at all which collations salt was used, so God, by accepting his people's gifts and feasting them upon his sacrifices, supping with them and they with him (Rev 3 20), did confirm his covenant with them. Among the ancients salt was a symbol of friendship. The salt for the sacrifice was not brought by the offerers, but was provided at the public charge, as the wood was, Ezra 7 20-22. And there was a chamber in the court of the temple called the chamber of salt, in which they laid it up. Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? God would hereby intimate to them that their sacrifices in themselves were unsavoury. The saints, who are living sacrifices to God, must have salt in themselves, for every sacrifice must be salted with salt (Mark 9 49, 50), and our speech must be always with grace (Col 4 6), so must all our religious performances be seasoned with that salt. Christianity is the salt of the earth.
III. Directions are given about the first-fruits. 1. The oblation of their first-fruits at harvest, of which we read, Deut 26 2. These were offered to the Lord, not to be burnt upon the altar, but to be given to the priests as perquisites of their office, v. 12. And you shall offer them (that is, leaven and honey) in the oblation of the first-fruits, though they were forbidden in other meat-offerings; for they were proper enough to be eaten by the priests, though not to be burnt upon the altar. The loaves of the first-fruits are particularly ordered to be baked with leaven, Lev 23 17. And we read of the first-fruits of honey brought to the house of God, 2 Chron 31 5. 2. A meat-offering of their first-fruits. The former was required by the law; this was a free-will offering, v. 14-16. If a man, with a thankful sense of God's goodness to him in giving him hopes of a plentiful crop, was disposed to bring an offering in kind immediately out of his field, and present it to God, owning thereby his dependence upon God and obligations to him, (1.) Let him be sure to bring the first ripe and full ears, not such as were small and half-withered. Whatever was brought for an offering to God must be the best in its kind, though it were but green ears of corn. We mock God, and deceive ourselves, if we think to put him off with a corrupt thing while we have in our flock a male, Mal 1 14. (2.) These green ears must be dried by the fire, that the corn, such as it was, might be beaten out of them. That is not expected from green ears which one may justly look for from those that have been left to grow fully ripe. If those that are young do God's work as well as they can, they shall be accepted, though they cannot do it so well as those that are aged and experienced. God makes the best of green ears of corn, and so must we. (3.) Oil and frankincense must be put upon it. Thus (as some allude to this) wisdom and humility must soften and sweeten the spirits and services of young people, and then their green ears of corn shall be acceptable. God takes a particular delight in the first ripe fruits of the Spirit and the expressions of early piety and devotion. Those that can but think and speak as children, yet, if they think and speak well, God will be well pleased with their buds and blossoms, and will never forget the kindness of their youth. (4.) It must be used as other meat-offerings, v. 16, compare v. 9. He shall offer all the frankincense; it is an offering made by fire. The fire and the frankincense seem to have had a special significancy. [1.] The fire denotes the fervency of spirit which ought to be in all our religious services. In every good thing we must be zealously affected. Holy love to God is the fire by which all our offerings must be made; else they are not of a sweet savour to God. [2.] The frankincense denotes the mediation and intercession of Christ, by which all our services are perfumed and recommended to God's gracious acceptance. Blessed be God that we have the substance of which all these observances were but shadows, the fruit that was hid under these leaves.


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Jonathots Daily Blog
Episode 7
Eight thousand three hundred and twenty-nine miles.
From Erie, Pennsylvania, down to Jacksonville, Florida, across to Houston, Texas, up to St. Louis, Chicago, then over to Detroit, and even Nashville, Tennessee—with many cities in between.
For thirty-one days we traveled to twenty-five cities, putting on performances of my musical, surviving on fast food, common hospitality, and the financial generosity of an audience asked to pass the hat.
Providing our transportation were two leased vans—one stripped of interior seats, which acted as utilitarian, hauling equipment and suitcases. The other was a twelve-passenger van for the cast.
There were nine of us in all. I drove the passenger van, and Gary and Don took over the responsibilities of the "Ute Van."
They liked that. And little else.
I often wondered why the two of them had auditioned for the play in the first place. Then I realized it was because they didn't think they would be good enough to get in, but thought it would be fun to try—never imagining they would run across a producer like myself, who was so desperate for a cast that he hired them.
Every once in a while, just to keep things honest, I sent R. B. back to ride in the Ute Van along with Gary and Don, to act as my eyes and ears.
Unfortunately, R. B. was so inexperienced that he didn't realize the pair was smoking pot right in front of him. When we stopped for gasoline, his innocence played out comically in how loopy he acted—from exposure to second-hand smoke.
When I cracked down on Gary and Don about the grass smoking, they immediately assumed that R. B. had squealed. They confronted him and he denied it, but they never believed him. They used the remainder of the tour to make his life as miserable as possible, with practical jokes, mocking him in front of the girls in the cast, and I think once even peeing on his costume.
Even though I tried to correct the matter, the cast members were not my wards of the court, but rather, young people wanting to get by with as much as they could and doing as little as they could in the process.
One of the girls challenged R. B. to "stand up for himself." He explained that such a maneuver was against his Christianity because he believed in "loving people and forgiving them."
Although his rendition of the Gospels was accepted by the other cast members who heard him share it, I interrupted with a different interpretation.
"Forgiveness is powerful if you've already established yourself as the salt of the Earth and the light of the world. If you're valuable—nearly indispensable—then offering the humility of forgiveness carries some weight. But if you've spent most of your time on the back of the bus—or the back of the van, in this case—your forgiveness just looks like what any loser would have to do."
R. B. had to make a choice. Was he going to side with me and the rest of the troop or was he going to quietly join into the rebellion of Gary and Don, as they attempted to convince themselves that they could do everything better than me?
One night, the sponsor at our concert called me into his office about an hour before showtime. He was an old buddy—going way back. He knew everything about me, and I the same for him.
He said, "You need to get your cast straightened out. I just had three of them in here, trying to convince me that you were crazy and that they needed some relief from your dictatorial style."
Before I could even ask my friend who the three were, he identified them. "It's your three boys," he said. "Gary, Don and R. B."
I wasn't surprised with Gary and Don. But I was quite astounded that R. B. sided with his tormentors against me.
I know the cast thought I was going to yell at them before the show once word spread that I had been informed, but I did no such thing.
When I was introduced to do the opening words before the musical began, I received warm applause from the audience, which remembered me from former days. I did something that surprised everybody—even myself.
I said, "I want to thank you all for coming out here tonight. We are not in very good spirits and have been arguing with each other for several days. I didn't want to try to fake you out. I didn't want to pretend. I didn't want you guessing. The cast that's about to come out and perform are doing a good job, and they're probably peeing their pants right now, wondering why in the hell (pardon my language) I'm saying this. The reason I am is that we don't have to be perfect to do good things. But it sure helps if we're honest. So I would like you to forgive us for being mere mortals, and please allow us to take you on a journey. Perhaps in pursuing that odyssey with you, we might get in better moods ourselves."
The audience burst into applause.
The overture began and we were off to the races. It was a brilliant show. When some of the cast members made their entrances, you could see tears in their eyes.
I didn't have any more trouble with Gary and Don. But R. B. was never able to get over the fact that in his opinion, I had humiliated them all in front of the audience.
Even though Gary and Don despised him, R. B. chose to befriend his detractors.


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The Senate Resources Committee is holding hearings this week on House Bill 77. HB 77 is Gov. Sean Parnell's grab bag of anti-salmon, anti-democracy rollbacks that grants new super powers to our state government while stripping away our rights as Alaskans to protect our fish and game resources. Despite claims that recent amendments "fix the bill," little has improved.
Every Alaskan who cares about salmon and democracy should speak out on HB 77.
I grew up on the same Cook Inlet shores as my ancestors. I recall as a kid thinking about the incredible forces at play here — the enormous tides exposing the vast flats, the ices floes ripping out of the Ninilchik River at break-up, and, of course, the magnificent volcanoes.
Throughout it all — the coldest winters, the harshest storms and the biggest eruptions — the salmon returned in the spring. Some years more than others. In the spring I, too, returned to Cook Inlet and the salmon.
During my formative years, I traveled to the Pacific Northwest and beyond. I soon learned the salmon's resilience had boundaries, and those boundaries were largely defined by human ignorance. In California — like the Pacific Northwest, New England and Europe — the wild salmon were mostly gone.
I spoke to fisherman, and I listened to their stories. Time and again, two things conspired to bring about the collapse of wild fish: few or no substantive protections around salmon habitat and a lack of respect for the people who depend on the fish.
When I built my permanent home on the bluffs over Kalifonski Beach 25 years ago, I saw the same pattern continue, and it's been unfolding in slow motion, until recently.
Last year, Dan Sullivan, commissioner of the state Department of Natural Resources at the time, helped ram HB 77 through the Alaska State House. There was no serious debate, no serious questions answered, no background information on highly technical legal and policy issues. The skids were clearly greased.
It wasn't until the waning days of the legislative session when outraged Alaskans finally learned what the bill really did and rose up. Sens. Peter Micciche of Soldotna, Click Bishop of Fairbanks and Lesil McGuire of Anchorage and a few others rightly stood up, asked some important questions and HB 77 stalled in the Senate.
Over the summer, more than 40 Native tribes from around the state passed resolutions opposing HB 77, and hundreds and hundreds of Alaskans packed town hall meetings in opposition.
This week, the Parnell administration will try yet again to push through House Bill 77. We've been told it's been fixed, but the administration's amendments, unveiled Monday, look like lipstick on a pig.
General permitting authority is still expanded with terms like "likely significant or irrepareable harm" remaining undefined and to be decided totally at the discretion of the commissioner. You still have to prove "substantial adverse" impacts in order to appeal or weigh in on DNR's permitting decisions. That phrase is defined in one section of HB 77 as "physical or financial detriment" — way too high of a bar for an Alaskan to meet to have a voice in the process.
Last but not least, the water reservation section added person or tribe back in, leaves local governments out and has been gutted in terms of process so that DNR will have the discretion to adjudicate them if and whenever they please.
Now, Alaskans are busy digesting and looking to make sense of the amendments introduced. Meanwhile Senate President Charlie Huggins is already telling the media HB 77 is a done deal and the bill will "be ready to be passed here in the next couple of weeks."
Once again, the Parnell administration is working behind closed doors, without public input and giving Alaskans just a few days to respond to whatever secretive changes they've put in the bill.
No two Alaskans will ever agree on everything. But we have a right to expect our political leaders — including Gov. Parnell — to show the respect and decency to have an open, deliberate and honest debate about important issues affecting our fisheries, our culture and our livelihoods.
Let's not be hasty with HB 77. Our salmon and our democracy deserve better.
Benjamin Jackinsky is an Alaska Native, small business owner and commercial fisherman who lives and fishes in Kasilof. He also is president of Cook Inletkeeper, a Homer-based group dedicated to protecting the Cook Inlet watershed.


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Note: This is part of series of posts about my participation in an interfaith program in England, and as such, it was briefly deleted from this site and then reposted, edited to remove references to the specific program and to the university that runs it. See here for further explanation. Click here to read all the posts in the series.
Continuing the story of my visit to Birmingham, on Saturday morning we went to shul. We could go to Birmingham Hebrew Congregation, an orthodox synagogue, or Birmingham Progressive Synagogue, a Liberal congregation. Though I knew that I would probably appreciate the davenning more at the orthodox shul, I chose BPS because I was curious about egalitarian Judaism in the UK. To be a little snide, this service out-Reformed a Reform synagogue in the U.S.: To some extent, what happened was almost unrecognizable to me.
After a 20-minute walk, we arrived at the synagogue before services started at 11:00 a.m. — which seemed quite late. Also, I'm not sure I've ever been in synagogue before services started; because the ones I attend on Shabbat morning tend to be about three hours, I (like many people) drift in 30 or 45 minutes late. So we actually sat for a little while, and the very nice member of the congregation who welcomed us explained that because of the summer holidays, attendance would be sparse, and asked those of us who were Jewish to please sing out during the service. Indeed, there were perhaps 25 congregants, and almost no young people. The rabbi (who is a woman) was away, and in her place a congregant (also a woman) led the service.
The service was quite abbreviated, with none of the prayers — including the Amidah — said (or even printed) in full. Many were replaced by responsive readings in English. I knew almost none of the melodies, and I think (though I'm not an expert) that the ones used were difficult to sing, and not that spirited. Honestly, I felt like I was in church, which is not bad per se, but not what I would want in a synagogue.
The Torah service was in the same vein. The procession of the scroll happened only after the reading, and there was only one aliyah, meaning that only a very small part of the parshah was read. And the tallit of young girl who had the aliyah was longer than her overall shorts. (I realize that makes me sound crotchety.) The Torah reader gave a short d'var and then did just that: read the Torah. He didn't chant it; he just read it from the scroll. He then offered his own translation. I've never seen this tradition before, though I was told it is standard practice in these congregations in England. The reader did gain my affection by talking about the points of grammar he considered when making his translation; he even used the words "infinitive absolute"!
After kiddush, we went back upstairs so that the non-Jews could look at the Torah scroll close up. The congregation has four scrolls, which is quite a lot for a 300-member shul. (Most synagogues do have more than one, to avoid constant scroll rolling, since a holiday might make it necessary to read from different parts of the scroll.) The building, too, was quite modern and expensive, which seemed out of sync with its anemic congregation. As it turns out, the synagogue moved just a few years ago: Its original building was bought by a developer planning to build a skyscraper on the property. So the congregation had to pay only about 10% of the cost of the building.
After lunch, we split up into groups to go to different parts of the city to try to get a sense of the multicultural and multifaith character of the city. I'll just note that I found this exercise a little problematic, for reasons that I don't want to go into here. But one of the things that I noticed were the near ubiquitous signs reading, "This area monitored by CCTV cameras." My association with these cameras in the U.S. is the over-policing of low-income areas and neighborhoods of people of color, particularly under the pretext of the drug war — so I found the situation horrifying. But two native Brits confirmed that this level of surveillance is standard (or at least has become so in the post-9/11 and post-2005-Underground-bombings world). None of the natives I spoke to gave a thought to the cameras, and one even characterized Americans as "uptight" for opposing them.
Finally, we finished up the day at dinner with more guests, interfaith community organizers from Sparkbrook. We heard about The Feast, which brings together Christian and Muslim youth, and then from Rev. Richard Sudworth of Christ Church Centre (the first stop in Birmingham, where we heard from awesomely named Mohammed Ali), as well as from Javed Khan, who works in the community around Christ Church, which is majority Muslim. Rev. Sudworth talked about his church's role in a community that is not reflective of its membership: A new experience, they've stepped back and concentrated on supporting the work that is already being done by groups in the area. It really resonated with me, as I think it's a good model for the kind of work I want to do in a Jewish organization with other groups.
Next up . . . we attend church!


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The tarot (first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of playing cards (most commonly numbering 78), used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot. From the late 18th century until the present time the tarot has also found use by mystics and occultists for divination. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play card games.
In English-speaking countries, where these games are largely unplayed, tarot cards are now used primarily for divinatory purposes. Occultists call the trump cards and the Fool "the major arcana" while the ten pip and four court cards in each suit are called minor arcana. (Pips are small but easily countable items. The term is used to describe the dots on dominoes and dice, the symbols that denote suits and value of playing cards). The cards are traced by some occult writers to ancient Egypt or the Kabbalah but there is no documented evidence of such origins or of the usage of tarot for divination before the 18th century.
The Major Arcana (greater secrets), or trump cards, consists of 22 cards without suits: The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, The World and The Fool. Cards from The Magician to The World are numbered in Roman numerals from I to XXI, while The Fool is the only unnumbered card, sometimes placed at the beginning of the deck as 0, or at the end as XXII.
The Minor Arcana (lesser secrets) consists of 56 cards, divided into four suits of 14 cards each; ten numbered cards and four court cards. The court cards are the King, Queen, Knight and Page/Jack, in each of the four tarot suits. The traditional Italian tarot suits are swords, batons/wands, coins and cups; in modern tarot decks, however, the batons suit is often called wands, rods or staves, while the coins suit is often called pentacles or disks.
The Rider-Waite tarot deck (originally published 1910) is one of the most popular tarot decks in use today in the English-speaking world.[1] Other suggested names for this deck include the Rider-Waite-Smith, Waite-Smith, Waite-Colman Smith or simply the Rider deck. The cards were drawn byillustrator Pamela Colman Smith from the instructions of academic and mystic A. E. Waite, and published by the Rider Company.
The variety of decks in use is almost endless, and grows yearly. For instance, cat-lovers may have the Tarot of the Cat People, a deck replete with cats in every picture. The Tarot of the Witches and the Aquarian Tarot retain the conventional cards with varying designs. The Tree of Life Tarot's cards are stark symbolic catalogs; and The Alchemical Tarot, created by Robert M. Place, combines traditional alchemical symbols with tarot images.
These contemporary divination decks change the cards to varying degrees. For example, the Motherpeace Tarot is notable for its circular cards and feminist angle where the male characters have been replaced by females. The Tarot of Baseball has suits of bats, mitts, balls, and bases; "coaches" and "MVPs" instead of Queens and Kings; and major arcana cards such as "The Catcher", "The Rule Book", and "Batting a Thousand". In the Silicon Valley Tarot, major arcana cards include The Hacker, Flame War, The Layoff and The Garage; the suits are Networks, Cubicles, Disks and Hosts; the court cards CEO, Salesman, Marketeer and New Hire.
The Eclectic Tarot, which you see here, is a 78-card Austrian deck, published in 1986.
Josef Machynka used an eclectic mix of tarot traditions for inspiration, and his major arcana have detailed and vivid scenes, while the minors have suit elements arranged in geometric patterns .