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Somalia's last stable central government fell in 1991. In the sixteen years since, anarchy has reigned in the nation at the tip of Africa's Horn. Warlords became the primary power brokers in the security vacuum until 2006, when a fundamentalist group called the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) ascended and threatened to topple Somalia's feeble Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
Ethiopia intervened, routing the UIC and giving muscle to Somalia's weak national government. The United States, fearing the failed state would become a haven for terrorists, launched air strikes at suspected al-Qaeda operatives as they fled the Ethiopian offensive. Ethiopia's troops remain in Somalia, where a hostile population wants them out but the fragile security situation prevents their withdrawal.
Terrence Lyons is an associate professor of conflict resolution at the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution and interim director of the Center for Global Studies at George Mason University. Sadia Ali Aden is president and co-founder of the Somali Diaspora Network.
Weigh in on this debate by emailing the editors at CFR.org. Comments appear at the bottom of this debate.
To view other online debates click here.
Most Recent
May 30, 2007
Sadia Ali Aden
There is no denying that, much like Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress, there were Somalis who beat the drums for the military solution—one decisive victory over UIC that would firmly establish TFG in Mogadishu. Ultimately, the enterprise proved as quixotic and as deadly as the one before it. Once again, the hawks in Washington failed to objectively assess two critical factors: who they were partnering with, and how much public support these partners have. To make matters worse, they continued applying the same counterproductive tactics such as the extralegal enterprise of running secret prisons and holding ghost prisoners.
As reported in the Independent, human rights groups say, "At least 150 people arrested in Kenya after fleeing violence in Somalia have been secretly flown to Somalia and Ethiopia, where they are being held incommunicado in underground prisons."
The military invasion of Christmas 2006 was a failure not only from the Somali and U.S. perspective, but also from the Ethiopian one.
His triumphant façade notwithstanding, Prime Minister Zenawi's attempt to divert attention from his ailing regime has suffered a serious blow. Ethiopia is now in the international spotlight. The latest Amnesty International report condemns Ethiopia not only for its abuses in Somalia but for a pattern of human rights abuses against its own people. Congressional testimony from Amnesty's Lynn Fredriksson rattled Addis Ababa to the point that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a five-page tirade in response.
The only practical way out of this is for Washington to do the exact opposite of all that failed in Iraq. All facts indicate that Washington's partnership with Zenawi's Ethiopia and the TFG was ill-advised, to say the least. The byproduct of the invasion and the subsequent occupation is something in which Washington, unfortunately, shares the blame.
Like the Iraq war, the military solution is a failed solution. The military solution will only discredit if not altogether alienate the moderate elements, radicalize insurgents, and perpetuate bloodshed and chaos.
Therefore, it seems that the only way toward a win-win solution is through diplomacy and by adopting an alternative, constructive policy toward Somalia. This reminds me of the Somali adage "Jinni ninkii keeno ayaa bixiyo" (He who invited the demon shall be tasked with removing him.).
May 29, 2007
Terrence Lyons
The spillover effects from conflict in Somalia do indeed exacerbate conflicts in Ethiopia, as seen in the attacks on Chinese oil workers last month and the grenade attacks in Jijiga (eastern Ethiopia) against an Ethiopian official over the weekend. There is a potential that these forms of violence will increase with destabilizing implications for Ethiopia and the region.
The overall relations between Christians and Muslims in Ethiopia, however, are less likely to degenerate into widespread violence. The October 2006 inter-religious fighting in Jima (western Ethiopia) referenced in McCrummen's Washington Post article remains the exception. While many portray Ethiopia as a Christian nation, the country in fact has roughly equal numbers of Christians and Muslims. Ethnic and national identity rather than religion has proven to be the most important social cleavage. It is possible, of course, that religious divisions will grow as an additional spillover from Ethiopia's incursion into Somalia. This is another reason why settling this conflict is imperative.
I would like to return to a comment you made in your first message regarding the importance of engaging the Somali diaspora to build peace in their homeland. Diaspora groups in certain cases play a role in polarizing conflicts, in part because their attachments to the homeland focus on symbolic issues and because they do not suffer the consequences of militant positions in the same way as that their brethren on the ground. By the same token, diasporas can be a major force for peace, as when the Irish-American diaspora shifted its support from the most violent factions toward those who endorsed the Good Friday peace process.
Somali politics is transnational, with important leaders and organizations based outside of the homeland. These diaspora networks participate in political debates and the generation of political strategies. Some Somalis in North America have put forth constructive proposals to resolve the current crisis while others have been more divisive and polarizing. Washington and other governments and international organizations should engage leaders from across the Somali community as they search for ideas and channels to promote peace.
May 25, 2007
Sadia Ali Aden
Admittedly, it is very difficult to fathom that Washington—having been the propelling force that made the Ethiopian invasion possible, and concurrently staging ferocious air attacks by AC-130 gunships in areas around Ras Kamboni that killed hundreds of Somali villagers and countless livestock—could actually bring about a positive change.
By no means is Washington's record immaculate. However, the two nations direly need each other to save one another.
And, in order to move forward, avoid yet another failure-bound foreign policy, and avoid creating a dangerous hotbed of anti-Americanism in the Horn of Africa, it behooves Washington to objectively reassess its partners in its strategic adventurism in Somalia. The company that it currently keeps is a grave impediment to lasting peace in Somalia, and some of its political undertakings may further radicalize the region.
The hybrid of Meles Zenawi's Ethiopia and the warlord infested TFG, who are currently under investigation for committing war crimes violations in Mogadishu, have proven a heavy liability and reckless political arsonists who seem to start more fires than they can putout.
The recently aborted campaign to ban Somali women from wearing hijabs (Islamic veils), where armed TFG and Ethiopian soldiers forced women in Mogadishu to publicly unveil and burn their hijabs, has not only outraged the majority of Somalis but Muslims around the world.
If their haphazard decision-making trend continues, I am afraid not only will anti-American sentiments in the region and around the globe be galvanized, but a bloody inter-religious war could be ignited.
In Ethiopia, inflammatory rumors are already spreading like a wild fire. There currently is a fear-based atmosphere of inter-religious distrust directly feeding off of the inflated threat of terrorism in general and the Islamic courts as they are projected by Meles' Ethiopia and the Western media.
The condition is so volatile that it can explode any time. "Muslims were said to be training to attack Christians. Christians were said to be stockpiling weapons for an assault on Muslims," wrote Stephanie McCrummen of the Washington Post in her recent article that sounded the alarm.
Perhaps McCrummen's most intriguing revelation is the fact that only two months earlier, Christians and Muslims had an episode of violence that had "19 people killed and five churches and 600 houses burned, according to a government report."
May 23, 2007
Terrence Lyons
Sadia Ali Aden and I agree on the interlinked imperatives to make the transitional government more inclusive and to find a mechanism to withdraw Ethiopian forces from Somalia. A robust UN peacekeeping force with a strong mandate could play a constructive role but the challenges in deploying the Africa Union force and the memories of the UNOSOM experience in the early 1990s make this an unlikely outcome. Furthermore, I remain more skeptical than Ms. Aden that Washington is likely to play the key role in sponsoring talks between the TFG and elements of the UIC.
Washington's recent engagement in the region has left it with little credibility to broker such discussions. The United States took a series of actions that signaled its opposition to the UIC, including Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer's characterization of the UIC as "controlled" by al-Qaeda and the promotion of UN Resolution 1725 in December 2006 that clearly favored the TFG over the UIC. Furthermore, in January 2007 the United States used AC-130 gunships to attack targets in southern Somalia, in an unsuccessful effort to kill key UIC leaders. While the regime in Addis Ababa intervened in Somalia in pursuit of its own security interests, the close military and political links between the United States and Ethiopia further compromise Washington. I fear that it will require contortions beyond merely "bending over backward" to convince many Somalis of Washington's "even-handedness."
There are, however, other related opportunities that may offer greater promise. One of the dynamics that makes violence in Somalia potentially so explosive is that it feeds into and in turn feeds off of other conflicts in the Horn of Africa region. These include internal conflicts within Ethiopia, as seen in the attack by the Ogaden National Liberation Front on the Chinese oil workers in April. The unresolved conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea has led these two rivals to support opposing sides within Somalia, thereby creating conflict by proxy. Implementation of the Algiers Peace Agreement that ended the brutal 1998-2000 war between Ethiopia and Eritrea is off the rails and tensions along the highly militarized border are rising without an effective international framework in place to manage the conflict. Washington's close relationship with Addis Ababa may provide it with the kind of access and leverage that can promote peace on these fronts, and thereby reduce the potential for the Somali conflict to spread throughout the Horn.
May 22, 2007
Sadia Ali Aden
While I agree with Prof. Lyons on his assessment of the failed Ethiopian/TFG partnership to maintain peace and order in Mogadishu and the brutality of their heavy-handed campaign, I differ with his perception that "the window of opportunity opened in early 2007 has virtually closed."
I am of the opinion that Washington still has a golden opportunity to help restore peace and order in Somalia and re-cultivate a relationship based on mutual respect and indeed interest without sending American soldiers to Somalia.
This golden opportunity does not exist because the TFG might be willing to hold a "reconciliation conference" in Mogadishu (when the said entity itself is a party to the conflict), but because the U.S. is the only stakeholder who has the necessary capacity and clout to bring both the TFG and the UIC to the negotiation table. It is the only actively involved external stakeholder whose strategic interest is directly dependent on the stability and the reconstitution of the Somali state.
Both the timing and the environment are conducive to constructive engagement. All attempts to enforce peace through military might have proven a failure. The only opportunity remaining is through direct diplomatic engagement.
The brutality of the Ethiopian forces has dwarfed any previous American sponsored acts of violence. Nevertheless, Washington's foreign policy remains suspect in the eyes of the majority of Somalis and Muslims around the world.
With this backdrop, Washington may have to bend over backwards (if necessary) and demonstrate its commitment, and more importantly, even-handedness in helping build a broad-based government.
Certainly the newly appointed Special Envoy for Somalia [John Yates] could play a major role. That is if he prudently avoids the pitfalls that ultimately discredited other diplomatic officials from the State Department.
In the immediate term, here are some alternatives that ought to be considered:
- Developing a clearly articulated policy on Somalia. (Washington can neither be ambivalent in its commitment nor haphazard.)
- Pressure Ethiopia to disengage and immediately end its military occupation and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to rapidly replace them with Blue Beret forces.
- The State Department should tone down its alienating rhetoric vis-a-vis the moderate leadership of the UIC and those former parliament members (including the former Speaker of the Parliament) who now oppose the TFG.
- Engage and empower the Somali Diaspora. This block offers untapped influence and the will to fix their homeland of origin.
May 21, 2007
Terrence Lyons
Five months after the Somali Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian troops ousted the Union of Islamic Courts, it appears initial hopes of a stable regime have been replaced by disappointment and frustration. Conditions in Somalia have deteriorated and there is evidence that an organized insurgency has coalesced in Mogadishu. The TFG remains narrowly based and unpopular. Violence in March and April reached tragic heights as Ethiopian troops used heavy artillery and mortars against neighborhoods it claimed housed Islamic militants. According to UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes, 300,000 have fled the city and "in terms of numbers and access to them, Somalia is a worse displacement crisis than Darfur or Chad."
The primary issue in Somalia remains finding a sustainable basis for an inclusive government that can provide security. The TFG did not seize early opportunities to reach out to disaffected members of the Hawiye clan that dominate Mogadishu or to moderate UIC leaders. A promised reconciliation conference has been postponed and is unlikely to encourage broader participation if it convenes in Mogadishu where some key leaders refuse to meet until Ethiopian troops withdraw.
The TFG would not be in control Mogadishu and other parts of southern Somalia without the support of Ethiopian troops. Many in Mogadishu oppose the TFG, viewing it as a narrow clan coalition and as a client of Ethiopia and the United States. The challenge today, as it was in January, is to get the Ethiopian troops to withdraw without creating a vacuum that will spark further bloody conflict.
From the beginning of the intervention Ethiopia pledged to leave quickly. Washington, Addis Ababa, and others have endorsed a plan developed by the Africa Union to bring in a relatively small peacekeeping force to replace Ethiopian troops. A first contingent of some 1,600 troops from Uganda has been in Mogadishu since March. Other potential troop contributors, however, are reluctant to join the mission without a clearer political strategy. Four Ugandan peacekeepers were targeted and killed by a roadside bomb on May 16, making it less likely that other African states would join in the AU mission.
With the process of political reconciliation yet to begin and with the prospect of a viable AU force to replace Ethiopian troops dimming, it seems that the window of opportunity opened in early 2007 has virtually closed. The lack of a workable political or security plan is leading events to spiral toward greater violence with the potential that conflict will spread further. Ethiopia seems trapped: On the one hand it cannot withdraw without leaving behind chaos while on the other its presence makes the formation of a broadly inclusive government difficult.
From Anthony Shaw:
This debate is suffering from a severe lack of accurate information from the region; much of what does reach the US has been refracted through the distorting prisms of international media reporting from Nairobi or input from Somali opposition sources. Many Somali web sites can be classified, as one Somali commentator has put it, as "tabloids of tribal malevolence"; one of the more balanced is www.garowe.com; alternative views can be found on Ethiopia sites such as www.ethiofirst.com where two of my articles 'PINR and the Realities of Somali Politics' (Feb. 2007); and 'Ethiopia in Somalia, Perceptions, Comments and Realities' (December 2006) are still accessible.
The debate demonstrates a failure to understand either the regional concerns or the reality in Mogadishu and in Somalia. This Washington perspective essentially ignores Somali clan politics. It underestimates the levels of support for the TFG and overestimates the level of opposition. It is only the Hawiye, and indeed only a fraction of the Hawiye, that is opposed to the TFG. It exaggerated the level of support for the Islamic Courts in its post-June 2006 extremist configuration, and still does; to insist on TFG power-sharing with the ICU without qualification merely demonstrates ignorance. It appears disinterested in the level of Eritrean involvement in Somalia.
These differences are important. They lead to the sidelining of local and regional political realities which must be understood if the US is going to counter extremism and terrorism, an aim shared by most Somalis as well as regional powers, or achieve regional political stability.
Washington must base its strategies on factual reality. One such fact, ignored by both participants in this debate, is that the situation in Mogadishu has vastly improved since the defeat of al-Shabaab in late April, ending its capacity to organize any large-scale activity. There are occasional suicide bombings (two actually), roadside mines and assassinations, but terrorist activity in Mogadishu has greatly reduced. Police now patrol the streets replacing the Somali army; all the 16 district police stations have been reopened; neighborhood watch groups set up; tens of thousands of IDPS have returned to the city; schools reopened; aid is flowing in, unchecked; there have been a series of successful discussions between TFG and Hawiye sub-clan elders.
It might also be mentioned that the TFG, and Ethiopia, do have a political strategy to allow Ethiopia to withdraw its troops (and more troops will be joining AMISOM very shortly) and provide for political stability. The basis is the charter agreed at Mbagathi which allows for a reconciliation process and an election in 2009. This is what the international community, and the US, should be supporting while avoiding any suggestion of manipulation.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Love him or hate him, it's hard to take your eyes off of Vegan Black Metal Chef in all his spiked-gauntlet, knife-licking splendor. So with the holidays approaching, we asked YouTube's viral video star how he'd go about creating a festive yule log cake. Here's how you do it, black metal style. Want to know more about the chef? Read our interview here. WARNING: contains explicit lyrics, therefore NSFW unless your office is f-word friendly.


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Reports | Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, Tunisia
Reports | Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Syria, Tunisia
Attacks on the Press | Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
By Nina Ognianova and Danny O'Brien
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has often talked about the importance of a free press and free Internet, telling reporters before his election that the Web "guarantees the independence of mass media." He explicitly tied the two together in his first State of the Union address in November 2008, declaring that "freedom of speech should be backed up by technological innovation" and that no government official "can obstruct discussion on the Internet."
Do you believe the free flow of information must be protected? Sign the #RightToReport petition and demand that President Obama immediately:
1. Issue a presidential policy directive prohibiting the hacking and surveillance of journalists and media organizations.
2. Limit aggressive prosecutions that ensnare journalists and intimidate whistleblowers.
3. Prevent the harassment of journalists at the U.S. border.
Or click here to see the full petition, and join leading journalists like Christiane Amanpour, The Guardian's Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the AP Kathleen Carroll, and Arianna Huffington in signing on.


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Next time your family plays a game on your Wii gaming system, you may be giving the Department of Homeland Security access to your address, credit card numbers, online passwords, and chat conversations.
According to various reports, the Department of Homeland Security has initiated a program designed to provide the snoops a mechanism for hacking gaming consoles to uncover users' critical personal data.
As one of the first steps toward achieving this nefarious goal, the Department of the Navy was tasked by DHS with awarding a contract to Obscure Technologies to "fund the development and delivery of computer forensic tools for analyzing network traffic and stored data created during the use of video game systems."
The California-based company will receive over $177,000 toward research and development of the tools that will give the federal government the backdoor access to financial and personal data it desires.
As set forth in the terms of the contract, DHS demands:
This project proposes to create the following deliverables for use by Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology (DHS S&T):
Hardware and software tools that can be used for extracting data from video game systems.
A collection of data (disk images; flash memory dumps; configuration settings) extracted from new video game systems and used game systems purchased on the secondary market.


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Bob Gutermuth
Canvasback Chesapeakes
The bulk of these seem perfect to me.
The only thing I would object to is the repeal of immunity of firearm manufacturers against lawsuits and the monitoring of gun transfers.
We need some common-sense gun laws. Maybe Obama will bring those to the U.S.
The only change we need in American gun laws to keep crooks from getting/using guns is to look up the criminals until they are too old to commit crimes.
What part of"shall not be infringed " do the Bradys of America not understand?
Bob Gutermuth
Canvasback Chesapeakes
Please define what you consider "common-sense" gun laws and why the laws we currently have are not.We need some common-sense gun laws.
Come on, you really think that Obama and the Brady Bill mean no guns???
I keep my PM box full. Use email to contact me: firstname.lastname@example.com.
You didn't answer my question, Remi
Please tell me what "common-sense" law would be and why the ones currently have are not?
Sorry, missed that question.
Common-sense gun laws do the following:
1. Prohibit people other than the military or police organizations from specific types of guns.
2. Prohibit people from purchasing certain types of ammunition (i.e. "cop killers").
3. Have a rigorous background check system (and I don't care how long the information is retained).
That's about it to me.


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The Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (CNRM), an entity of the Uniformed Services University (USU), serves as the translational engine for advancing traumatic brain injury (TBI) research in the heart of the National Capital Area. The CNRM mission is to catalyze innovative research on TBI that leverages resources and investigators on America's Health Campus to more effectively diagnose and treat Warfighter injuries and prevent long-term consequences resulting from TBI.
CNRM is a unique intramural federal research collaboration bringing together the expertise of investigators from the U.S. Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The USU is responsible for the fiscal management as well as the establishment and operation of CNRM.
CNRM addresses the full spectrum of TBI with special focus on militarily relevant forms of TBI resulting from blast, penetrating, and repetitive trauma to the head, including the effect of high stress conditions and the concurrent development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Center's overall goal is to advance and accelerate TBI research to improve recovery of the Warfighter. Specific short-term objectives are:
1. Innovate treatments for the Warfighter based on the pathophysiological mechanisms of military TBI.
2. Establish non-invasive individualized assessments for TBI diagnosis and treatment.
3. Implement strategies to redefine clinical trial design.
4. Optimize TBI clinical trial processes for recruitment, administration, and support.
5. Promote interdisciplinary collaborative processes to accelerate TBI research.
The research objectives are supported by access to state-of-the-art core facilities for imaging, acute studies, animal modeling and behavioral testing, microscopy, informatics, recruitment, neuropathology, and biospeciman repository support. These CNRM resources and expertise come together to support the overarching goal of an integrated research program in which pre-clinical and clinical investigators interact closely and continuously learn from each other to accelerate research and translation to patient care.
CNRM Research Programs
The CNRM Research Programs have an emphasis on aspects of high relevance to the military populations, with a primary focus on patients at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Due to the impact of TBI among military populations, the CNRM seeks to serve as the catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and advancement of knowledge of the incidence of TBI and associated co-morbidities, and the identification of interdisciplinary approaches to assess and promote recovery.
CNRM Clinical Studies
The CNRM's Clinical Research Studies focus on improving the diagnosis and care of TBIs for both military service members and civilians. CNRM supports ongoing clinical research at military treatment facilities, the National Institutes of Health, and local civilian hospitals. Please visit the CNRM's Clinical Research Studies website to learn more about currently recruiting research opportunities.
CNRM Brain Tissue Repository
The CNRM's Brain Tissue Repository was established to give scientists and physicians a better understanding and more innovative approaches to better care for our military personnel after a head injury. Please visit CNRM Brain Tissue Repository website to learn more about currently recruiting research opportunities.


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Xorg's hotplugging is pretty cool. I installed it both on my desktop and laptop. I can unplug my mouse from my desktop and plug it into the laptop. Within a second or two it detects the mouse, and it supports all the fancy buttons (middle click, back/foward buttons).
Just simply amazing!!! Now I just can't wait until the open ati driver becomes stable!


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CAN Events CalendarCategory: C.A.N. Events Calendar
Date: Friday, March 30, 2012 - 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM
Can Higher Education Help us Solve our Toughest Problems?
Friday, March 30, 2012
11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Mabee Ballrooms, Ragsdale Center
St. Edward's University, 3001 S. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78704
St. Edward's University's Center for Ethics and Leadership and New College cordially invite you to be a participant in a community dialogue to explore some of the toughest problems facing our community. In small moderated groups participants will examine the role higher education might play in helping respond to current economic struggles, the growing gaps in our society, and the loss of community and ability to work together.
Mark your calendars to be our lunch guest and contribute your thoughts and ideas on this important topic while connecting with local leaders, students, and community members.
If you can spend one and a half hours with us having this important dialogue, go to our registration page at: http://think.stedwards.edu/ethics/deliberative-forum-registration-form


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By Patsy R. Brumfield/NEMS Daily Journal
ABERDEEN – Defendants continue to plead guilty to allegations they were part of a regional cocaine trafficking ring.
In this case, 17 defendants were accused of being part of the drug conspiracy from Jan. 1, 2010, through Dec. 13, 2011.
Initial accusations became public in November 2011, with a new indictment issued Feb. 22 and the first guilty plea on July 26.
The 17 are accused with James Evans, 30, of Okolona and others of seeking to establish a cocaine distribution network in Chickasaw, Union and Monroe counties.
Walter "Big Moot" Hampton, who was first accused of involvement in cocaine trafficking in July 2011, pleaded guilty Nov. 5 to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 11 pounds of a mixture containing cocaine and one count of money laundering.
In accusations against him, Hampton was accused of being the key buyer of the cocaine to sell to others.
Hampton, 34, of Okolona faced up to 70 years in prison if convicted of three counts of conspiracy and two of money laundering.
His guilty plea deal agrees to a possible sentence of no less than 10 years or more than life in prison and no more than a $10 million fine on the conspiracy charge and no more than 20 years and a $500,000 fine on the money laundering charge.
Defendants Darrell Donald and Thaddeus Heard pleaded guilty on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, respectively, before U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock.
The plea agreement of Donald, 48, of Louin was not accessible through the court's electronic documents system.
Heard, 33, of Okolona pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute more than 11 pounds of a cocaine mixture.
A week later, defendant Sheila Small pleaded guilty to one count that she traveled across state lines to deliver money from the unlawful activity.
Small, 44, of Okolona faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
In exchange for their pleas, the government agrees not to charge them with anything else related to the drug ring.
Their plea agreements state that the potential penalties for convictions increase substantially if they have prior drug felony convictions.
They will not be sentenced until the U.S. Probation Service completes a report on each of them for Aycock to consider.
Others accused in the conspiracy are in various stages of prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Evans pleaded guilty in November 2011 to federal cocaine and gun charges and is serving a 108-month sentence in prison.


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The trouble is that in the code line for writing a directory and also for making files, you must write only const char : SD.mkdir("a/b/c") in this i'll have only three folders;
int year = 2013;char dirName[24];sprintf(dirName, "%d/Jan", year);SD.mkdir((const char *)dirName);
My question is: how I can use for example a for loop for increasing (for example an array, year[X]), for creating a new directory every year, and the same for month of course?
int month = 3;sprintf(dirName, "%d/%s", year, monthNames[month]);SD.mkdir((const char *)dirName);
char monthNames[] = {"", "Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr"}; the compiler says:
char *monthNames[] = {"", "Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr"}; the compiler says:
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Toggle: English / Spanish
This test is an x-ray of a knee, shoulder, hip, wrist, ankle, or other joint.
X-ray - joint; Arthrography; Arthrogram
The test is done in a hospital radiology department or in the health care provider's office. The x-ray technologist will help you position the joint to be x-rayed on the table. Once in place, pictures are taken. The joint may be moved into other positions for more images.
Tell the health care provider if you are pregnant. Remove all jewelry before the x-ray.
The x-ray is painless. It may be uncomfortable to move the joint into different positions.
The x-ray is used to detect fractures, tumors, or degenerative conditions of the joint.
The x-ray may show:
The test may also be performed to find out more about the following conditions:
There is low radiation exposure. X-ray machines are set to provide the smallest amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image. Most experts feel that the risk is low compared with the benefits. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the x-ray.
Renner JB. Conventional radiography in musculoskeletal imaging. Radiol Clin North Am. 2009 May;47(3):357-72.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch)
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text:
The winner of the Summer Camp SMMPhoto contest is going to be announced on THURSDAY!
I have received a lot of pictures and I thank everyone for sending them in.
They all tell a great story about the summer camp experience!
Check the Blog on Thursday for the winner!
Have a Great Scouting Day!


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Hearing aids in Lincoln City, OR
We found 19 hearing clinics with 84 reviews within 83.9 miles of Lincoln City, OR. Show clinics near me.
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text:
Christmas in the Amazon
Trip Start Dec 08, 2006
48Trip End Apr 27, 2007
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We arrived at the most "surreal" Ariau Towers 2 hours up the River Negro from Manaus. Despite the bizarre setting our Amazon experience was awesome! Our days were filled with cycling through the jungle on the 7km of walk ways, Piranha fishing, jungle trekking, alligator (Cayman) spotting, Christmas dinner, Indian village visit including meeting the local pet Anaconda! Finally the Christmas day highlight was the terrifying swim with the "vicious" Pink Dolphins. What a present!! This visit ended with a fast cruise up the Amazon to the "meeting of the waters"
An experience in Manaus Wednesday 27th December 2006
We had a day and night in Manaus visiting the famous Manaus Teatro (Opera House) and doing some bartering in the markets for beautiful hammocks. We then headed for the airport only to be bumped off our flight to San Paulo due to over booking! After some assertive negotiation we ended up in a five star hotel for the night, much to the delight of Abi!


text:
Town Square
Discourse -- or diatribe on blog sites?
Original post made by Diana Diamond, Palo Alto Online blogger, on Oct 2, 2006
A couple of months ago, I was invited to write a blog for the Palo Alto Weekly. I agreed, and thought it would be fun.
And four months later, I am not sure how much fun this is.
Blogging was a new experience, but having gone through it, I don't know if I like what is happening.
People — mostly those who remain anonymous — attack not the issue, but the blogger. If I happen to disagree with their point of view, they immediately call me "uninformed," "lacking the facts," stupid or whatever. It becomes a personal vendetta.
And under the anonymity cloak, which I don't wear, they feel free to do anything and name call as much as they want.
Case in point: I recently wrote a blog about the wisdom of the Palo Alto City Council agreeing to spend $1-plus million dollars on a future police station, which needs voter approval to proceed. I asked whether voters should first approve of the expenditure, before spending million(s) of dollars for studies and a campaign to get it approved.
There were those in the community who challenged me, who said they needed the information about the police station (size, cost, etc.) before they could vote to approve such an issue. A very fair comment. And a good dialogue.
But there were those who got into a personal attack:
"I find it disturbing that Ms. Diamond's smear jobs are found to be persuasive by anyone who is allowed to vote. She clearly caters her arguments to the most penurious section of the Palo Alto community."
Posted by An Involuntary Palo Altan, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Oct 1, 2006 at 1:39 pm
This is a solitary example, but it echoes so many other responses to blogs I and others have written.
Now I am (relatively) strong, and I can take these attacks. But it seems to me that the blogs have disintegrated into angry, name-calling personal attacks, for reasons I don't understand.
Can't we simply discuss issues reasonably in town? I would hope so, but that is not what is happening.
I've posted about 20 blogs, and a lot of them have encountered angry responses. Nasty, mean comments, particularly my blog on banning pit bulls in town.
But, on the other hand, there also have been spectacular blogs, like the one on "Why shop in Palo Alto?" We had scores of residents with really thoughtful comments on why they do/do not shop in Palo Alto. It was fascinating. It was a discussion every city council member should read.
It's just not my blogs that get this hate mail -- it is happening to blogs nationwide. I see other bloggers being attacked with equal personal vindictiveness.
Why are we doing this as a society? What are we getting out of it? Why are we so angry at each other?
Comments (39)
a resident of South of Midtown
on Oct 2, 2006 at 11:15 pm
Diane, I don't think you should be blogging. The Weekly should have you writing an online column. If people want to comment, let them start their own threads in the PA Online "Forums" section.
Your articles tend to be contrarian, so they're bound to raise ire in some. When given an opportunity, good people who are having an other wise bad day, if they have an opportunity to "score" on someone who disagrees with them in some fundamental way, will do so.
Here's Michelle Malkin's blog
Web Link
I mostly don't agree with Malkin, but watch her blog every now and then to see what the "other side" is thinking. Malkin does not have comments enabled in her blog. People are given an opportunity to respond to her, and she's free to take what people write and republish it. Maybe you can do that. Maybe the Weekly will have the wisdom to let yuo do that.
I don't always agree with you, either, but I would like to see you continue to bring your insights and opinions to Palo Altans. Sometimes you get it wrong, and usually admit it when you do. Which is more than I can say for most of those who bare their canines as they go for the jugular, when they disagree with you.
Again, my suggestion is to keep the weekly column, with comments turned off - and your email address made available for responses. You deserve no less.
As for the mean-spiritedness; this tends to be a liberal town. IN some past columns you've ruffled some liberal feathers. What I've learned over the years is that liberals can be as maen spirited as the tight-lipped conservatives that they villify. Just take it in stride, and realize that anonymity does enable abuse.
Anonymity also enables frankness to a degree that lets a keen observer peek under the surface spin of an issue to real problems that need addressing.
Thus, anonymity cuts both ways.
a resident of Green Acres
on Oct 2, 2006 at 11:18 pm
Everyone is intitled to an opinion...geesh, wouldn't life be boring if we were all cookie cutter type people!
You put the issues out there, and your opinion. I find reading your blogs entertaining and "food for thought"....Stay with it, there are others who feel the same!
a resident of Crescent Park
on Oct 3, 2006 at 8:49 am
Anonymous personal attacks have been the bane of online communication since it began. I've been participating in online discussion groups for over 20 years now and see this sort of thing happen to anybody with an opinion. I've been writing reviews and opinion pieces (related to financial technology) for over 15 years, and have actually had death threats issued by people who don't like my opinions.
Death threats. Over which online broker I like best. That seems to me to be, at the very least, an overreaction.
One of the best comebacks I've ever seen, in response to someone who is frothing at the mouth with their angry post, is to say, "How interesting it is to meet someone who thinks that way."
And then move on. I find irrational anger incredibly counter-productive.
One technique that limits the number of personal attacks is to require participants to verify their identity before posting. You'd be surprised how many fewer attack posts happen once the posters have to own their own words.
a resident of Fairmeadow
on Oct 3, 2006 at 9:21 am
Any newspaper columnist, whether writing a regular column or a blog, should expect both negative and positive comments - it's the nature of the beast! Plus, in a town like Palo Alto where people are well educated and not hesitant about voicing their opinions, I'd be extremely surprised if any columnist did not get a great variety of opinions and comments. What surprises me is that Ms. Diamond is at all surprised that some citizens would react negatively to her opinions! Over the years she, and the papers she has worked for, have frequently run stories critical of various Palo Altans, the city council, specific council members, etc. Others have jumped to defend these people - not a surprise. Some of Ms. Diamond's assertions have been based on dubious facts, some have been urban legends repeated as if they were facts. Additionally, both the Palo Alto Weekly and the Daily (which she used to work for,) have been guilty of exaggerating some stories and, quite frankly, vilifying some of our local Palo Altans. These people have chosen not to take her comments and the papers stories lying down. I can't blame them, most people would defend themselves in that situation. Ms. Diamond is simply reaping what she has sown.
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Oct 3, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Come on Ms Diamond. I usually am very supportive of your comments. I think that they are very well written and accurately portray what goes on in this city.
But cut outthe whining. Whatever happened to free speech?
It seems that the people affiliated with the Weekly, you, Editor Johnson and Don Kazak, while being journalists have little respect for other's opinions and/or have very thin skins.
They use terms as personal attacks, lowering the level of discourse and on and on to try to squelch other's views and opinions.
Palo Alto Online blogger
on Oct 3, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Diana Diamond is a registered user.
Marvin -
I am absolutely for free speech, and in no way am I trying to squelch other's views and opinions -- in fact I welcome them. But I also am for a civilized discussion, and a bit of that old-fashioned word, politeness.
Palo Alto Online blogger
on Oct 3, 2006 at 1:00 pm
Diana Diamond is a registered user.
Marvin -
I am absolutely for free speech, and in no way am I trying to squelch other's views and opinions -- in fact I welcome them. But I also am for a civilized discussion, and a bit of that old-fashioned word, politeness.
a resident of Midtown
on Oct 3, 2006 at 1:05 pm
What? It's okay for you to make negative comments and criticize others, but not for others to do the same? Stop WHINING!!!
"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist." Salman Rusdie
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Oct 3, 2006 at 4:50 pm
I, too, have misgivings as to the merit of this type of forum owing to the frequent lack of civility that often takes the "discussion" way off track.
a resident of Green Acres
on Oct 3, 2006 at 6:39 pm
I love your columns/blog -- I find them well-reasoned and insightful even though I don't always agree. In this case I agree 100%.
I'd like to tell you a little story, it's amazing how applicable this one little story has been to all kinds of life situations.
When I was in college, I lived in a suite with a common kitchen flanked by ten single dorm rooms. Most of us ate in the cafeteria, so it was a surprise how quickly the common kitchen turned into an unliveable pigsty: black grime covering the floor tiles, bits of broken glass and old, blackened bits of food collecting in the corners and the couch seat, a sticky oily film blanketing all horizontal surfaces.
Everyone assumed this was the natural state of a single kitchen space used by ten women and their friends, even though most of us spent little time there because of the filth. We decided as a group to take turns sweeping and picking up. Somehow, despite everyone's best efforts, the place remained a pigsty.
I stayed on campus the summer of my sophomore year, moving to another suite just for the summer. There, the kitchen was spotless: I could comfortably sit on the glossy tile floor in my shorts, set open containers in the fridge without serious threat of food-borne disease -- for the entire summer the kitchen remained a nice space to hang out and shoot the breeze with friends. Somehow, the kitchen remained spotless even though we made no special attempt to organize cleanups as we had in the pigsty suite.
Why such a difference between the two kitchens? It remained a mystery until late summer. One of the women complained how one of the regular school-term residents -- let's call her Kathy -- would trash the kitchen. Even though Kathy was a lovely person, extremely well-groomed and neat to a fault in her own room, she allegedly left the kitchen unspeakably filthy. I couldn't believe it, Kathy was my friend, too.
Then Kathy moved in a few weeks early before the start of school, and instantly it became the picture of the pigsty suite I had left!
Moral of the story: very often it's just one person poisoning the water (community, blog), not everyone.
I think in so many situations in life, it's more often just a few people (I call them "spoilers") ruining it (whatever IT is) for every one else. Just like Kathy, I think they often have no idea (or concern) for how this affects the community.
I don't have an easy answer for what to do about it. In the case of the pigsty kitchen, I realized after that summer that such filth wasn't a communal inevitability. I gave up my comfy medium-sized room on that floor to live in a tiny closet-sized room on another floor -- with a clean kitchen. The women who remained lived with the filth for another few years, finally realizing that -- surprise -- just one woman (a very neat-in-her-own-room woman, I might add) was to blame. After years of living with the filth, they finally ganged up, essentially kicked her off the floor, and got the nice community space they should have had all along.
Anonymity in this forum is very important, especially BECAUSE OF the people who attack indiscriminately. But perhaps The Weekly should require some kind of registration, and police people who abuse the forum. That way at least there is both some measure of anonymity and accountability.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Oct 3, 2006 at 10:47 pm
I enjoy your current columns, and also the ones you did before at the daily. In a town where PC is the order of the day, you pretty much call 'em as you see them. That seems to bring out the worst of the extreme PC crowd. Accusations of being uneducated, stupid, biased or worse are the usual tactics. It is usually just a few people though.
Our neighboorhood message boards are pretty much the same, neighborhoods mirroring the town as a whole. From reading these I am constantly amazed at the high level of thinking and experience in our community, and also amazed at how rabid a small numer of our residents become when challenged by a belief they don't hold. If you look at letters to the editor for either the Daily or the Weekly, you will see that the same small group of writers issue the meanest and narrow attacks. I always wonder why these same people get printed in the letters section so much.
Keep up your discourse, Palo Alto needs ideas and opinions that have not been through the PC filter!
a resident of Gunn High School
on Oct 4, 2006 at 9:04 am
Positron is a registered user.
I agree with those posters, and Diana, who argue that free speech doesn't have to be rude speech.
I worry that we are witnessing the breakdown of the social contract in exquisite detail in two places in particular: In online communities like this one, and on our streets, where rudeness, selfishness, and dangerous driving seem endemic.
As community members, we can and do disagree--which is healthy! From disagreement CAN come more thoughtful, interesting and effective solutions to problems--but only if we can use our intellectual brains and not our emotional insult responses in our interactions. Using our best intellect is just not possible when posts (or discussions) take such nasty turns.
YMMV (your mileage may vary)--but for the health of this community, I really hope you'll tell me so politely.
a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Oct 4, 2006 at 9:39 am
I would like to add my 2c worth to this discussion. If someone speaks (or writes) in a polite well thought out manner, it is regarded much better than if it were spoken (or written) in a rude (or worse) manner. I personally like intelligent debate on issues. I find it educates and stimulates me. However, as soon as vulgar, name calling, foul language or anything else impolite appears, no matter how much I may agree with the sentiment, I lose all interest. I am sure I am not the only one. We do need a moderator in this forum and I find that although he/she may not do the job the way I would expect, I think that in some cases it is very necessary. I have seen some very sleazy comments in this forum which I am very pleased to see disappear even though they may seem harmless in nature. I have also seen many incidences of sensible opinion expresses in a very vulgar way which turns me of from that opinion straight away. It costs little to remain polite. If you want your opinion taken seriously then remain polite and it will come across much more seriously than a disrespectful rant.
a resident of South of Midtown
on Oct 4, 2006 at 10:13 am
I have noticed comments that strongly disagreed with Diana Diamond, I have noticed comments that took issue with what the PA Weekly has said or supported, but no really vile or mean comments, though perhaps these are edited out. When opinions are stated in a newspaper blog, I would expect there to be both very negative and very positive comments. I think it's good Palo Altans are willing to speak up. Unless this blog is heavily edited, I think Ms. Diamond has too thin a skin to be doing it!
a resident of Embarcadero Oaks/Leland
on Oct 4, 2006 at 10:58 am
TOWN CENTER CREDIBILITY IN JEAPORDY: Permitting anonymous writers to freely comment on Town Center issues is rapidly undermining the credibility of this important forum for me. The challenge of retaining credibility by not permitting contributors to hijack a Town Center issue was raised shortly after Town Center was inaugurated. Publisher Bill Johnson assured Online readers in print that editors set high standards for acceptable contributions.
I am sorry to see Mr. Johnson's early assurance is now proving false.
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Oct 4, 2006 at 12:03 pm
On the contrary, Town Center cridibility is just fine.
This is a blog--on a blog you can use any name you want. If you wantto publish in th epaper, then you need to provide accurate information. That is the beauty of the internet.
The problem is that PA tries to be too genteel and PC--any criticism is seen as a personal attack--we have had mayors gavelling speakers as out of order for daring to criticize those in power.
I actually find Johnson's standards as a joke--some people (those that contribute many letters and posts) or those that spout the Weekly party line get to say what they want.
The people working for the Weekly (Diamond, Kazak, Johnson) are extremely thin skinned and do not handle criticism well.
Occasionally things get out of hand (the blog following the pit bull mauling in midtown), but that was an abberation.
I say leave the blog as it is.
a resident of College Terrace
on Oct 4, 2006 at 12:09 pm
While I respect Ms. Diamond as a fellow human being, it's hard to respect some of her opinions because they're ill-informed. with regard to certain subjects, she's lazy with her research, which gives me cause to doubt a lot of her views as being under-researched and therefore, not as well-thought out as they could be.
a resident of Barron Park
on Oct 4, 2006 at 2:42 pm
For me, the most interesting questions in this thread were raised by Simon (response 4, 10/3 at 9:21am) and it would be illuminating to get a response from DD. Structuring and expanding on his closing that DD "is simply reaping what she has sown.":
1. During DD's tenure at the Daily News, she acquired a reputation of being sloppy with facts (both significant and inconsequential). The "kindergarten lesson" of "The boy who cried wolf" is that reputation/credibility is cumulative. Why is DD perplexed that people "immediately call [her] 'uninformed,' or 'lacking the facts'..." and label this "a personal vendetta" rather than accepting it as an extrapolation from that reputation.
2. During DD's tenure at the Daily News, it was regarded as a highly destructive force in the community. The very things that DD decries in this thread were encouraged and legitimated by her and the Daily News.
2a. Destruction of "reasoned discussion/civil discourse" : In its editorials, columns and NEWS articles, the Daily News presented a biased version of events. It rarely published letters correcting basic facts in major stories, even after receiving them independently from multiple people intimately involved in the event. People resorted to sending such corrections to the Weekly for publication.
2b. Personalization: This was a hallmark of the Daily News. Additionally, the Daily News routinely used letters to reinforce its agenda by adding personal vilification and additional falsehoods. Some citizens who were involved in civic issues dropped out because of the distortion of their actions and motives - they knew their reputations would be hurt by the (unjust) attacks that were the Daily News' bread-and-butter.
2c. Hate mail: Among my acquaintances involved in local issues, the rise in hate mail was directly related to the Daily News and often mentioned the Daily News and DD as its source.
Note to DD's defenders: The claim that her columns and editorials had a positive influence was not reflected in my experience. First, she appealed to people whose involvement didn't go much beyond getting angry. Second, the Daily News undercut those who were working to fix problems - it made it easier for officials to dismiss them as being misinformed Daily News readers.
Note to all: I am NOT excusing abusive behavior (directed as DD or anyone else) - As a former moderator of discussion groups, I rejected tit-for-tat and tried to preserve civil discourse on the issues.
Now that DD is no longer employed by the Daily News, a discussion of the above would make fascinating reading.
a resident of Community Center
on Oct 4, 2006 at 3:14 pm
All this whining about the Daily News.
What we have above is one man's opinion. i have found the Daily News both in the days before, during and after DD to be a positive influence on the community. They have not been afraid to expose some of the goings on involving the city council and so-called community leaders.
Remember in the days prior to the Daily News, there was no daily paper for a number of years (probably something that many members of the community enjoyed, since their antics could not be put in print on a daily basis).
The writer goes on to state "The claim that her columns and editorials had a positive influence was not reflected in my experience"--what experience do you have regarding this matter? Have you met with a significant number of people that agree with DD and/or feel that she has a positive influence on the city?
It is clear from this posting and others on this forum that the writer dislikes DD and will make every effort to discredit her and her writings.
Also remember that the above writer has a personal interest in vilifying the Daily News--they were one of the papers that exposed his "disagreement" with a neighbor and may have damaged his political aspirations.
Finally let me ask the above writer this, are you saying in point 2B that the Daily News took letters written to them, added "personal vilification and additional falsehoods" and then published them as hhaving been written by the signator? If this is the case I am surprised no one has complained about this.
a resident of Fairmeadow
on Oct 4, 2006 at 4:54 pm
What the Daily News and now the Weekly are known for is picking and choosing which letters to publish. Instead of presenting the range of opinions, they choose letters that reinforce their own positions. I have several friends who have written letters never published - maybe this was just coincidence. However, in every case it was a letter arguing politely and reasonably against the stand the paper took or pointing out factual errors the paper or one of its columnists made. Ms. Diamond herself has made factual errors in her columns which a little easy research could have corrected. Even in a blog, her facts should be correct. I don't always agree with Marvin, but this time I think his comments are right on - it's a blog! A blog should be a free ranging discussion of ideas and opinions.
a resident of Crescent Park
on Oct 4, 2006 at 8:16 pm
Hello Diane.
Boy, this is quite a hot topic. I am the co-founder of Silicon Valley Moms Blog Web Link and I can't tell you how many people have sent me and some of our writers HATE mail (yes, HATE email) for controversial posts that we have put up.
I think you need really tough skin to blog. I totally get why so many people try and remain anonymous when then post, for fear of getting blasted for the words that they write. I applaud your blogging efforts and will continue to read your posts.
a resident of Midtown
on Oct 5, 2006 at 8:16 pm
I agree 100% with Doug Moran, and am also willing to use my real name. I especially find Diana Diamond's complaints about personal attacks (Doug's point 2B) to be ironic. She repeatedly made personal attacks on public officials, even making fun of Joe Kott's driving. It got so bad that her editor offered a private, but not public, apology to Joe.
I have been reading internet newsgroups for years, and it is NOT a good way to have civil discourse. This is nothing new or unique to Diana Diamond's blog. The lack of personal contact, the gaps between statement and response, anonymity, lack of a mechanism for keeping people from continually changing the subject instead of addressing responses are just a few of the factors that give rise to this situation.
a resident of another community
on Oct 5, 2006 at 9:36 pm
I'm sorry but it is completely appropriate to call you "uninformed" when you clearly make statements that demonstrate it. In the "Time to ban pit bulls" article you stated that pit bulls can lock their jaws. If you had done any basic reasearch you would have known that this is scientifically incorrect. If you don't want to be called uninformed, then do some research before stating an opinion based on myths.
a resident of Green Acres
on Oct 6, 2006 at 11:54 am
It's fun, and instructive, to watch certain neighborhood activists, like Doug Moran, who have been primarily repsonsible for holding up commercial and housing development both, with their incessant meddling, using Diana Diamond's heartfelt effort to reach out and ask "why the vitriol?" as an opportunity to blast someone, once again.
It's been my experience that many in Palo Alto who see themselves as "liberal protectors of the body politic" can be among the most vitriolic and mean-spirited whenn they're given a chance to cut loose.
Doug Moran uses a Bibical homily as an excuse to go on in a way that masqerades as reasons - by keeping his language lofty - to go on the attack.
Note how Moran uses the "boy who cried wolf" homily to nail DD. How quaint, and condescending. Really, Mr. Moran, and all those others who have attacked Diana Diamond, does it give you a thrill to make hay in thsi way? I've seen this kind of thing in living color in community meetings all around Palo Alto.
Give some of these people a reason to disagree with you, and watch them bear their vocalularic incisors (to invent a word, and coin a phrase)
Moran want to damn DD to "community hell" for her past errors; what does that say about Moran, and others who have - as they always do - come out to attack Ms. Diamond.
In fact, it's only Mr. Moran's sense of reason that claims DD was a "destructive force in our community". I hardly agreed with everything DD said, or says, but "a destructive force in our community??". Please, Mr. Moran, try to regain a sense of perspective and balance.
Doug Moran wants to make DD responsible for every mistake that the PADN made in its more salad days. Really, this is overreaching, and rather juvenile, because it's an impulsive statement that wouldn't bear close scrutiny.
Doug Moran talks about "personalization", and then goes on in as condescending way as he can conjur to personalize hisi argument against DD. Does this show a lack of reasoned self-insight on Mr. Moran's part? I think it does.
Mr. Moran wants to blame DD for hate mail, etc. etc. Maybe DD is also responsible for the muggings downtown. Is that possible too, Mr. Moran? Good grief!
To top it all off, Mr. Moran goes on to slam anyone who supports DD as "angry". Frannkly, it seems Mr. Moran is ithe angry one, taking generalistic pot shots and making generalizations that any debate team coach would mark as amatuerish.
Finally, he claims that the PADN worked to undercut problem solvers. In saying this, Mr. Moran puts himself in the loft position of problem solver, while tearing down anyone who ever agreed with Ms. Diamond. Does that make Mr. Moran sound like a conciliatory problem solver? Not in my book.
What really made me guggaw was Mr. Moran's final paragraph, which bears quoting...
"Note to all: I am NOT excusing abusive behavior (directed as DD or anyone else) - As a former moderator of discussion groups, I rejected tit-for-tat and tried to preserve civil discourse on the issues."
This is NOT an attack on Mr. Moran, rather it's to say that anyone reading the verbal whipping that he sends to DD and anyone who ever agreed with her, and then reading the final paragraph, would have a hard time not using the word "hypocritical" to describe Mr. Moran's rant.
In fact, DD, although I agree with her only half the time, has grown in the years that I have read her. She can be hard hitting, and get the facts wrong, but she has a passion and spunk that adds flavor and spice to community, if taken as no more than one voice, and treated in opposition in a reasonable manner.
I hope that Mr. Moran is able to grow in the same way, especially if he plans to run for public office again.
a resident of Green Acres
on Oct 6, 2006 at 11:58 am
looks like I invented two new words - "guggaw" is the second :) you have my permission to use it in place of "guffaw" from now on ;)
a resident of South of Midtown
on Oct 7, 2006 at 10:58 am
I hadn't been reading either the Weekly or the Daily because I had the same complaints that Doug Moran voiced so well. A friend told me to look at this - very interesting that others feel as I do that these papers have been a harmful force in our community. Charles, why can't some of us disagree with Ms. Diamond and the editors? Your screed takes the prize on this thread as the most vitriolic and rude. I do have to agree with you, however, when you note, quite correctly, that Diamond can "get the facts wrong." That's quite an understatement. Thanks, Doug Moran, for your voice of truth and reason.
a resident of another community
on Oct 8, 2006 at 1:46 am
Some context is needed if people are to understand why Doug Moran is attacking Diana Diamond.
While Diana was editor of that other newspaper in town, she printed a story about how Moran was accused of threatening the life of another Palo Alto resident over a land-use issue. The police investigated the alleged murder threat, but didn't make any arrests. The alleged target applied for a temporary restraining order in an attempt to keep Moran away, although the application was later withdrawn. I can't find the other paper's story online, but here's a link to a Weekly story that cites the other paper's report.
Web Link
The disclosure of this incident ended any plans Moran had for running for City Council. Since Diamond was editor of the newspaper that disclosed this information, he may well have a grudge against her.
Looking at Moran's posting above, I'm glad the person who wrote that never got close to being on Council. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Oct 8, 2006 at 3:03 pm
Wow! I came back to Palo Alto Online a week after posting a comment. I didn't expect my post to be the subject of a new discussion topic lamenting my lack of civility. I would have preferred a response from Ms Diamond that actually related to my criticism of her idea to create a referendum on a decision to authorize a study. I never intend to make a personal attack. A personal attack merely distracts from an argument. In the future, I will refrain from using the term "smear" and employ a euphemism.
It is very clear to me that Ms. Diamond writes editorials, rather than reports the news. Nonetheless, I believe that it is improper for her to write purely as an advocate, e.g., citing only facts that support her position, making false analogies, making appeals to emotion, etc.
I find accurate and complete local news extremely difficult to find. As a working parent of school age kids, I have better things to do with my time. Ms. Diamond is in a privileged position with respect to access to local news. Accordingly, she bears some responsibility for achieving accuracy and completeness that an ordinary editorial writer does not necessarily have.
Palo Alto Online blogger
on Oct 8, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Diana Diamond is a registered user.
This has been an interesting dialogue, with some backlash, such as the "involuntary Palo Altan," who said that once she posted a comment, she became the subject of a discussion talking about her lack of civility.
And that was the point of this blog. I wrote about the lack of civility in blogs, and the attacks on the writer, and not the issue being discussed. I think "involuntary" unfortunately met with the same experience I have, at times, encountered.
All I wanted to ask in this blog is that we respect each other's opinions, be civil and polite as we do so, and talk about issues — not in a polarized fashion (as, alas, is happening around the country) — but rather as a way in which we can hear each other and come to some kind of reasoned consensus on these blogs.
And "involuntary," this blog is supposed to be an editorial, and not a news report. The Weekly does a great job of reporting the news, as do other papers in the area.
Your thoughts?
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Oct 8, 2006 at 7:38 pm
Diana, Let me repeat what I wrote before--this is a blog--it's purpose is to draw out various opinions/suggestions/comments.
These may not always be polite and they need not be--there is too much of this PC stuff in PA, which is used as a guise/excuse to try to stifle differing opinions.
I find the postings on this blog very interesting and informative. I found the posting, above, by Doug Moran to be one of the most amusing that I have read in a long time.
Long live the Palo ALto Weekly online forum!!!
a resident of College Terrace
on Oct 8, 2006 at 9:49 pm
This post of October 3 has gnawed at me all week:
"What? It's okay for you to make negative comments and criticize others, but not for others to do the same? Stop WHINING!!!
"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist." Salman Rusdie" "
Can we truly invoke the words Salman Rushdie in defense of freedom of expression without revealing our full name?
Intolerance and hatred forced Rushdie into hiding for his literature and intimated bookstores to remove his works. But in the end, resistance to censorship prevailed and the fatwa was rescinded.
Grateful for a return to public life, yet undeterred in his convictions, Rushdie and 11 other writers, journalists, and intellectuals signed a manifesto this year opposed to a new form of totalitarianism.
Web Link
Invoking Rushdie, in my view, calls for something more from the writer. The courage to stand up publicly for what you believe in is one. A high level of discourse is another. Rushdie's conversation with Bill Moyers on the PBS series "Faith and Reason" exhibits a level of intellect, knowledge, and facility with language that is both breathtaking and something to strive for.
Web Link
Freedom of speech protects anonymous free speech. But that does not mean we should hide behind it?
Thank you for your provocative post and quote, Marianne, but I am still clapping with one hand pending further reflection and insight.
Fred Balin, 10/8/06
a resident of South of Midtown
on Oct 9, 2006 at 10:39 am
The least informed posting on this thread was from Doug Moran, who claims Diana was "sloppy with facts" but doesn't provide any examples of mistakes she's made. He just wants us to accept his claims as the truth. Doug, give us some specifics -- quote the error she made exactly (verbatim), give the date of publication, page number and then tell us what you think the truth might be. Don't give us generalizations (like, "Years ago, I think she said something like ..."). Get her exact words. That shouldn't be so hard for somebody like you, who claims credibility is so important. If you can't do that, then don't accuse her of being sloppy with her facts.
a resident of Palo Verde
on Oct 9, 2006 at 10:42 am
I just wanted to let you know in a very civilised manner, that there is a difference between being polite and being pc. Politeness, or old fashioned good manners will always produce politeness in return by civilised people. It costs nothing and shows our opinions in a better light. Being PC on the other hand, is something quite new and although there are times it is justified, there are many occasions when it is taken to extremes, particularly here in Palo Alto. I was always taught to express my opinion and respect that of others if I wanted my opinion taken seriously. I think debate is one of the freedoms that this country is famous for, but being rude to those who have different opinions shows ignorance and insult.
Palo Alto Online blogger
on Oct 9, 2006 at 11:22 am
Diana Diamond is a registered user.
Carol -
Well said! I agree with your distinction between politeness and being PC.
Good manners does not mean that we can't have a good debate over issues.
I also agree with you and Marvin that there have been times in town when it wasn't "polite" to talk about an issue -- people would dance around a topic and one would never really know where they stood.
I think those days are over.
a resident of Barron Park
on Oct 10, 2006 at 4:25 am
One of the criteria for maintaining civil discourse is that people, and especially the opinion leaders, need to be more demanding - and visibly so - on those that agree with them. If you only call for those that disagree with you to be civil, it rings hollow.
I would have been encouraged that DD had learned from recent experiences if her recent postings on this thread had done something like admonish Charles (Oct 6 11:54am) for egregiously misrepresenting what I said or for his factual errors.
To "Foreign accent": On DD factual errors. This thread contains one example of an error (Delores, 10/5 9:36pm). Multiple DD supporters on this thread also cited her many errors in facts. If you had done a simple Google search, you would have found additional details. For example, the search 'moran "diana diamond"' returned a list where the top three hits were relevant: the first is tangential, but provides pointers, the second hit refers to another thread in this forum entitled "Time to Ban Ms Diamond?" (Web Link) which contains details and the third hit is a detailed critique of one of her editorials (Web Link). Your demand for details is demonstrably disingenuous.
a resident of Charleston Gardens
on Oct 10, 2006 at 8:46 am
Yes there is a difference between politeness and PC--we are also in a new century with tools that were not available to us previously.
the internet is one such tool and blogs have become a forum where people can express what they want in whatever manner they choose.
Some may not like this "lack of politeness" while others find it refreshing and more open.
Also "lack of politeness" is in the eys of the beholder many times--what some may see as impolite others see as a bold opinion.
I think it wrong to say that debate is one of the freedoms this country is famous for, but if you are "rude" or "impolite" then you are ignorant. I think that comment is rude and shows lack of respect for freedom of speech.
a resident of Juana Briones School
on Oct 12, 2006 at 8:41 pm
Fred Balin, your post took my breath away. I wish I had been able to articulate as well the same, but unformed, thought I have been having concerning this very topic since I started reading blogs several months ago. Thanks. I haven't gone to the sites you gave yet, but I will.
Let's hear it for free speech. It is for moments like this that I feel so much gratitude to all those who have suffered or died in order to bring us this gift, or help us retain it.
a resident of another community
on Mar 14, 2007 at 6:59 am
HI! I use Diane Diamond as my VJ name, I'm writting to tell you, that I've been stalked and harrassed on the internet and in my life by an x-female friend who won't let go.
example: My myspace.com/dianediamond has been linked to my harasser's photo page so she can get "More exposure" by riding on yet one more person's popularity, my "fansite" has been linked to porn with the free link sites and my name diane diamond has been installed in dozen's of websites title's so that my interviews get knocked down the list.
Also, I was taken to court by this woman who wanted to control my life by restraining me from clubs and concerts in the LA area, that she completely lied under oath, HER ORDER WAS DENIED BY THE LOS ANGELES COURT SYSTEM, although she tells a different story, just a few of her antic's, the list goes on and on..
Maybe that is why some of your comments are intended directly to you..
diane diamond
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Mar 14, 2007 at 2:29 pm
You have become somewhat unpredictable. That's a compliment.
For better or worse, you are rumored to be one of the few people who actually seem to have an influence on Palo Alto's City Council. That makes you an involuntary substitute for an ombudsman.
I've seen requests for politeness in Town Square, but they appear in "loaded" context.
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Fu Lam Mum shutters temporarily in Mountain View
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Best Of Palo Alto ballot is here
It's time to decide what local business is worthy of the title "Best Of Palo Alto" — and you get to decide! Cast your ballot online. Voting ends May 29th. Stay tuned for the results in the July 21st issue of the Palo Alto Weekly.


text:
As you all aware I am a gear junky… It's time to replace my old MSR Whisperlite stove. I have had it since the mid '80's and it has served me well. But its time for something new and improved. I am looking at the Soto Muka Stove. There are some great features of this stove that really appeal to me.
So it is on my Christmas list. I sure hope my wife subscribes to my blog…
So, hopefully after Christmas I can do a good review on this great piece of gear. Hint, Hint!
Have a Great Scouting Day!


text: Carlsbad: Bartoli Interview An interview with Marion Bartoli after her win in the semifinals of the Mercury Insurance Open. Published July 21, 2012 11:55 Embed x Width: px Height: px Embedded code: Topics: 2012, tournaments, singles, photos or videos, marion bartoli, carlsbad Share this page! Print Email Related videos Carlsbad: Stosur's Story August 04, 2013 A profile of Carlsbad champion Samantha Stosur. Carlsbad: Final Highlights August 04, 2013 Highlights from final action at the Southern California Open. Carlsbad: Tournament Highlights August 04, 2013 Highlights from the Southern California Open. To The Top 3


text:
Cheng-Hua Wang
doctoral dissertation, tech. report CMU-RI-TR-97-35, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, September, 1997
|Designers often need to decompose a product into functioning parts during the product design stage. This decomposition is critical for product development, as it determines the geometric configuration of parts, and has direct impact on product cost. Most decomposition decisions are based primarily upon end-user requirements instead of product manufacturability. The resulting parts can be expensive to manufacture or are sometimes impossible to make. This thesis presents a manufacturability-driven approach which can help designers decompose bent sheet metal products into manufacturable parts.
The decomposition approach presented in this thesis takes the geometric description of an initial product design, analyzes its manufacturability, and decomposes the product into manufacturable parts. The decomposition continues until all decomposed parts are manufacturable. Near-optimal solutions are generated based on some primary concerns of design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA). Designers can then examine the decomposition results and decide whether they meet end-user requirements. Cutting, bending, and assembly processes are considered as the major manufacturing processes in bent sheet metal production. Key manufacturability analyses for these processes are based upon part unfoldability, tool accessibility, and product assemblability. The final results are sent to the corresponding process planning systems and a complete production plan is generated.
A prototype system, consisting of design and decomposition modules, as well as process planners for cutting, bending, and assembly, has been implemented to validate the decomposition approach. A range of geometric and industrial products have been tested in the system and the results are given. We show that as the approximations of these process planners are improved, the results will also improve, without any changes to the decomposition approach.
Grant ID: NAGW 1175, IRI-9318496, IRI-9114208
Number of pages: 183
|Text Reference
|Cheng-Hua Wang, "Manufacturability-Driven Decomposition of Sheet Metal Products," doctoral dissertation, tech. report CMU-RI-TR-97-35, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, September, 1997
|BibTeX Reference
author = "Cheng-Hua Wang",
title = "Manufacturability-Driven Decomposition of Sheet Metal Products",
booktitle = "",
school = "Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University",
month = "September",
year = "1997",
number= "CMU-RI-TR-97-35",
address= "Pittsburgh, PA",
|The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.
Contact Us | Update Instructions


text:
Well I still live. www.personaltelco.net is still kicking and becoming more fun. My quote for the day:
"I leave when the pub closes." - Winston Chruchill
You may never hear from me again.
Well I still live. www.personaltelco.net is still kicking and becoming more fun. My quote for the day:
"I leave when the pub closes." - Winston Chruchill
You may never hear from me again.
Why the hell do I even still keep this. Anyway check out www.personaltelco.net, thats whats been keeping me busy.
Wow am I a slacker or what! So its been ages since last I was here. Things are going well. wcooley actually released LNXS! Hurra! of course I have yet to contribute to it. Hey if you in the Portland area check out www.personaltelco.net. You may never hear from me again.
Its been a bit since my last entry and again not alot going on. I seem to have the tech equivilant of writers block. For the last six months or so I just dont have the ambition I once did about programing. The most I've done is write some clever little Perl scripts for work, fun but not terribly difficult. My interest in hardware has picked up again I am building a new rackmount system that I think I may be silly with and overclock. It'll be the first LNXS install on 1+Ghz system. Fun Fun.
I think I might build LNXS finaly this weekend, or try to anyway. (lnxs.org somthing I fake working on) The BOS seems to have reached the point where I need not struggle too much to get it working and it will give me chance to play with the makefile changes I have been toying with in my head. From what I have seen so far of wil's (wcooley), setup I dont know if I can do much better but I think my sick facination with make might let me iron some things out.
You may never hear from me again.
New HTML Parser: The long-awaited libxml2 based HTML parser code is live. It needs further work but already handles most markup better than the original parser.
Keep up with the latest Advogato features by reading the Advogato status blog.
If you're a C programmer with some spare time, take a look at the mod_virgule project page and help us with one of the tasks on the ToDo list!


text:
By Patsy R. Brumfield/NEMS Daily Journal
OXFORD – Three men face separate charges that they tried to persuade a 15-year-old minor to have sex, federal indictments show.
The alleged offenses reportedly occurred in Lee County.
Accused in 2013 indictments are Dennis John Papez, 56, of Saltillo; Casey C. Holmes, 29, of Albuquerque, N.M.; and James Rudy Leach, 41, of Nettleton.
Each is accused of using Internet and cellular telephone communications to attempt the sexual activity, which could be prosecuted under Mississippi laws as statutory rape and sexual battery.
In the cases of Papez and Holmes, the government also asked for forfeit of a vehicle "that was used or intended to be use" in the alleged offenses.
Punishment for such a conviction ranges from no less than 10 years in prison to life and up to $250,000 fine.
Wednesday, Papez was ordered detained after he pleaded not guilty. His trial was set for April 15.
After Holmes pleaded not guilty, he was released with one condition to seek mental health treatment if necessary.
Leach pleaded not guilty, continued to be detained and is set for trial April 22.
In a fourth case, Chief U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills declined to throw out the 2011 conviction and 120-month sentence of James Allen Richardson, who pleaded guilty to using the Internet to try to persuade a 15-year-old to have sex with him.
Richardson, 46, of Myrtle, was alleged to have attempted the crime in Lee County.
In his appeal, he claimed ineffective counsel, an illegal search and entrapment.
Mills wrote in his eight-page ruling that Richardson had missed all deadlines to properly file appeals and the judge denied any further appeals.


text:
Results 1 to 15 of 26
Thread: Stretch Marks due to Pregnancy
8th March 2012 09:58 PM #1
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
- Posts
- 13
Stretch Marks
Hi, I had been reading a lot of the topics on forum but so far I have not encountered a topic about stretch marks or I am just new so I did not found it yet But being a woman and a bit vain.. this is one on the commonly seen result of pregnancy.. some stretch marks not only on the abdomen itself but even on some other parts of the body that you did not expect it to be involve in the process of your pregnancy.
" To those who are knowledgeable kindly enhance us with this aspect;
a. probable cause or reason why we have it;
b. tips on preventing if there are some;
c. symptoms that you feel as those marks are starting and
d. usually what stage of pregnancy does the marks starts to develop.
One last thing, does it also appear on men and women who did not undergo pregnancy.
Thank you.
9th March 2012 01:21 AM #2
Stretch marks occur, not only in pregnancy, but as we grow during adolescence (which is why men can also get stretch marks) or even if someone quickly puts on a lot of weight. They mainly occur during the third trimester when the elastic supportive tissue changes most quickly to accommodate your growing baby.
I found that rubbing almond oil into my growing bump helped to soften my skin and I am lucky that I have almost no stretch marks. A lot of stretch marks will fade within 6-12 months after giving birth.
Has anyone else used any natural treatments to help with stretch marks?
11th March 2012 03:00 PM #3
I used oil on my belly during my entire pregnancy with baby #1, and didn't get a single stretch mark.
12th March 2012 09:15 AM #4
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- Jan 2012
- Posts
- 54
Unfortunately for me, I have a lot. I didn't believe much with those creams. And sadly I have a lot of stretch marks now, lol. They are more on my belly. I have some on my breasts but very minimal and on my legs. I should've listened and tried using those anti-stretch mar creams.
15th March 2012 10:40 AM #5
- Join Date
- Mar 2012
- Posts
- 17
Hi all,
I'm pregnant on my first baby and one of my worries are having stretch marks. I heard some of my friends saying that oil really helped them not to have stretch marks. Any one knows a specific brand for reducing the appearance of these hilarious marks?
29th March 2012 02:18 PM #6
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
- Posts
- 139
I used coco butter every single day and drank plenty of water. Even though I was pregnant with twins I did not receive even one stretch mark. I do however have stretchmarks on the sides of my legs and breasts but these occured during my adolecence, as LJ pointed out that is another time stretch marks can strike.
I was told over and over that it's all about genetics and not about the cream or oil, so I figured I get stretch marks no matter what but the coco butter felt so good on my belly because it would itch like crazy sometimes and I could feel my skin stretching. The lotion I used was nothing special at all - rather inexpensive actually - but I really think it saved me from having stretch marks
29th March 2012 11:30 PM #7
I might invest in some of that coco butter DoubleSunshine - thanks for the tip
31st March 2012 09:34 AM #8
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- Jan 2012
- Posts
- 139
You're welcome!
9th April 2012 10:13 PM #9
Stretch Marks
Hello, I am a 45 year old mother and am looking for somthing to reduce the look of stretch marks.
After having my Precious later on in life, I have a map on my belly of these ugly things. Have you found anything that really works? I have tried coco butter cream and it really does not do much. Vitamin E has a slightly better result, but still not really good. Am I stuck with these things? Help???
10th April 2012 11:55 PM #10
Hi cutiecat,
I have found rubbing Almond Oil into stretch marks really helps (although I guess it's not really a sound experiment - as you never know what your stretch marks would have been like without any creams/oil: everyone is different). You might find this thread of suggestions from mums on this forum to help with stretch marks useful.
When did you have your baby? I ask this because they do fade with time.
Hope this helps.
11th April 2012 09:45 AM #11
Dear Ljmarsden,
I had Precious 7 months ago and the marks are still quite red. So I am hoping they do fade and I will try your suggestion of Almond Oil and will look at the threads you suggested.
Sometimes time is the only cure for things I guess.
Thank you
Cutie Cat
11th April 2012 11:34 PM #12
Hi Cutiecat,
Yes 7 months is still not long (after all you were pregnant for 9 months!) - our bodies need time to recover from the changes experienced during pregnancy.
12th April 2012 07:40 AM #13
Hi Cutiecat,
I found a video which helps to explain the cause of stretch marks and one option you can use to remove or reduce the appearance of them. They suggest using a derma-roller. I don't have any experience with this but it is an option.
One thing I'd definitely recommend is to be sure you're getting enough Vitamin C. Collagen is created from Vitamin C and there are even some creams which have Vitamin C in them (the skin will absorb anything you put on it).
Hope this helps a bit. The sooner you start treating them the better chance you have of removing or minimizing their look.
Warm Regards,
2nd May 2012 11:39 PM #14
- Join Date
- Apr 2012
- Posts
- 15
Stretch Marks due to Pregnancy
Hi! Are there natural ways or methods to remove stretch marks due to pregnancy?
4th May 2012 02:00 PM #15
Check out this other thread that discusses how to remove stretch marks due to pregnancy.
For future pregnancies, you could make your own aromatheraphy massage oil for pregnancy. There's even a recipe for stretch mark prevention oil. Just rub it on your belly multiple times during the day throughout the 2nd and 3rd trimesters.
Warm regards,