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The Religion War Predictions
Jul 2, 2014 |
General Nonsense
About twelve years ago I started writing
The Religion War,
a sequel to
God's Debris
. It was published ten years ago.
The story was set in the not-too-distant future. I chose that timeframe in part because I wanted to be alive to see how my fiction-predictions turned out. Let's see how I did.
My main fiction-prediction was that a charismatic Muslim leader would unite the Muslim countries and create a Caliphate. In the book, that leader was named Al-Zee. In the real world, a leader named Al-Baghdadi has carved out a caliphate from parts of Syria and Iraq. He's calling for all Muslims to unite. I don't think he'll unite all Muslims, but he might someday succeed in killing the ones who disagree with his plan.
In the book, Al-Zee allowed his terrorist lackeys to use hobby-sized drones to bomb American cities on an ongoing basis to keep morale high at the Caliphate while Al-Zee publicly denied any involvement. We know terrorists are interested in drones. That part of the prediction seems assured. And in the book they have access to chemical weapons to arm the drones. The real-world Caliphate includes parts of Syria, so chemical weapons on hobby drones can't be far behind.
A key plot background in the book is the existence of what we now call Big Data. The protagonist uses big data to search for the Prime Influencer - the one person who, by virtue of personality and connections, can kick-start an idea that will become viral. I would think Facebook is close to knowing who the Prime Influencers are. The common view today is that virality springs from the qualities of the content, e.g. funny, shocking, or surprising. But I think someday we'll realize those are minimum requirements and what matters more for virality is who started the ball rolling.
The Religion War imagines a military general rising to power in the United States. His last name is Cruz, and he's a conservative extremist. General Cruz pursues a military strategy of containment and then extermination of the entire Caliphate because anything short of that is unlikely to stop the drone attacks in the long run. But first Cruz has to grab power from his own weak civilian government, which he accomplishes by using a
false flag
Today, public support for the President of the United States and Congress are at historic low points. And Senator Ted Cruz from Texas is a leading voice in the conservative movement, thus making him a potential candidate for President. If the homeland is continually attacked by drones, citizens will quickly become conservative and militant. By the time Cruz becomes President, the Caliphate will have consolidated power and only severe military action is likely to stop the continuous drone attacks. How would he respond?
In the book I imagined that the government would combat terrorism by strictly limiting digital communications. If someone is not on your approved list you can't call, text, or email with them. If you want to add someone to your list, there's a bureaucratic process to do that. That part of the prediction is unlikely to happen because the NSA can monitor every form of communication, and that's a more effective solution. I didn't see that coming. But I'll take partial credit for predicting that the government wouldn't allow unfettered private conversations over networks in the future.
Scott Adams
Co-founder of
Author of this
+38 votes
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Robots Read News 17
Jul 2, 2014 |
General Nonsense
Corrected version:
+57 votes
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Do You Know What an Angel Investor Is?
Jun 30, 2014 |
General Nonsense
Business Insider has a
about entrepreneur Nikki Durbin, 22-year old founder of 99dresses.com. The story reports that as a woman she felt she wasn't always taken seriously in the start-up world. The story gives two examples to back that point.
Durkin said an investor at a fundraising event asked her if she knew what an angel was. Durkin said to Business Insider, "I just remember thinking, I'm at this event of course I know what an angel is. I just found it really odd, and I don't know if he would say the same thing if a guy was talking to him."
That DOES sound condescending, if not downright sexist.
But of course it is out of context.
Here's some context.
I have a degree in economics, an MBA from Berkeley, and over 30 years of business experience. Do you know what question I hear in Silicon Valley nearly every time I meet with potential investors for
"Do you know what an angel investor is?"
The first time I heard the question I thought
That is terribly condescending. This person knows my background. OF COURSE I know what an angel investor is.
Then I found out I didn't know what an angel is. The definition has evolved.
The old definition of an angel was an investor who made high-risk investments in start-ups that had not yet demonstrated organic, viral growth. That sort of investor no longer exists, as far as I can tell. Maybe it never did.
Today an angel investor is, for all practical purposes, a bank that looks at virality instead of cash flow. If your start-up is already growing quickly, at least in terms of users and clicks, an angel will be happy to fund you to even faster growth. But if all you have is a great idea and beta product, no angel is interested. Nor should they be, because it is well-accepted that no one can pick an early stage winner in the start-up space.
The investors who do put money into unproven start-ups are typically friends and family. Silicon Valley lore says there are such things as seed investors that invest in the unproven start-ups of strangers, but I have not yet met such a person. Nor have I heard the name of such a person. It is a bit of a Bigfoot situation.
Today, an angel investor is similar to a venture capitalist, with the only distinction being that the latter invest higher dollar amounts. Otherwise they are the same thing. Angels and VCs prefer to invest exclusively in businesses that are already growing quickly. In the world of the Internet, fast growth is assumed to be something that can be monetized in the future.
Business Insider gives another example of the patronizing attitude that Nikki Durbin experienced. At a networking event - where math skills are high and social skills are low - a man asked if she had modeled. The article is accompanied by a
of Durbin in a stylish outfit, posing like a model.
I don't doubt that Silicon Valley's male-oriented culture is hard for women to penetrate. But I do question whether it is worse than any other business environment. If I had to guess, I'd say Silicon Valley would be among the easiest for women to penetrate because the average age for start-ups is younger, and most start-ups would strongly prefer hiring additional women. Or even one woman. The problem from their perspective is supply.
Scott Adams
Co-founder of
Author of this
+35 votes
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Sex with Dead People
Jun 27, 2014 |
General Nonsense
Today I learned that ex-BBC presenter Jimmy Savile
allegedly had sex with corpses
while he was a young man working in a hospital mortuary.
This raises many questions.
For starters, is this an isolated situation or a widespread problem? To be on the safe side, I called my lawyer and revised my estate plan. Now it says that within an hour of my death I want my mouth and my ass sewed shut. But I'm not entirely unsympathetic to the needs of mortuary workers, so I requested that my left hand be positioned in a semi-clasped position before rigor mortis kicks in.
There's a chance that this is more of a British problem than a United States thing. I think we'd all agree that it's a slippery slope from warm beer and soccer hooliganism to skull-fucking the dead. Once you get some inertia going on the bad behavior it's hard to put the brakes on. I get that.
There's no mention of whether the corpses were the attractive type, but I'm guessing most were not. So I think you have to give Jimmy some credit for not buying into society's Photoshopped sense of beauty.
You also have to consider the celebrity angle. Jimmy wasn't famous when the events allegedly happened, but if you take the long view of things, any kind of sex with a TV celebrity is sort of special. If you were to tell me in the afterlife that a total nobody defiled my corpse, I'd be pissed. But if you said that my lifeless shell had rough sex with a mortuary worker who later became Alex Trebek, I'd feel some pride in that. I might even brag to the other angels "I still got it." (I'm assuming God doesn't read my blog so I still have a chance to get into Heaven with a well-timed deathbed conversion.)
I also have to wonder if the ghosts of the corpses Jimmy rejected for sex are angrier than the ones who saw some action. I mean, it already sucks to be dead, but to get rejected by an alleged bisexual, pedophile, corpse-banger has to sting. This guy was probably corn-holing feral cats - including the dead ones. I'd hate to think my cadaver wasn't good enough to make the cut. That would make me a sad ghost, and no one wants that.
This situation makes me wonder where the phrase "Not over my dead body" originated. Now I think it might have started as a sentence fragment on an employee sign in an English mortuary, three lines down from "All employees must wash their hands after using the restroom."
There are lots more questions but I have to do some work. Maybe you can think of a few to add.
Scott Adams
Co-founder of
Author of this
+49 votes
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Allergies and Asthma
Jun 26, 2014 |
General Nonsense
The number of people with
allergies is on the rise
in developed countries and no one knows why.
I've seen and heard speculation that the causes might involve too much modern hygiene, or our processed modern diet, or the types of things we are exposed to when very young, and so on. But no one has the answer yet.
I'd like to add a hypothesis to the mix: Humans in modern economies no longer eat much locally-grown food.
You've probably heard it said that eating local honey is good for allergies. I can't confirm that to be true, but it got me wondering if locally-grown food in general carries any protective properties.
I just ended a month of horrendous allergies and asthma attacks. Both symptoms stopped abruptly - as if someone turned a switch - after eating the first meal-sized batch of vegetables from my own mini-garden this season. I woke up fine the next morning.
That's probably a coincidence, and this is about the time of year that springtime allergies typically subside. But the abruptness was a surprise. I went from a ten to a zero in one day.
So now I have two totally undependable data points. 1) The unproven and probably untrue idea that local honey helps allergies, and 2) The highly anecdotal observation that my symptoms ended at about the same time I ate locally-grown veggies.
What we need is a third totally-undependable data source, so I put the question to you. If you have bad allergies at the moment, eat a meal-sized amount of locally-grown produce today and let me know if you feel any better the next day.
Alternately, tell me your allergy level at this moment along with an estimate of how much locally-grown food you consumed this week.
The odds of this hypothesis panning out are roughly zero. But if testing it only requires eating delicious local food, why not?
Scott Adams
Co-founder of
Author of this
+26 votes
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Free Will Update
Jun 25, 2014 |
General Nonsense
Scientists discover a possible cause for the
irrational belief in free will.
+5 votes
25 comments
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Pyramids Save the World - update
Jun 25, 2014 |
General Nonsense
This is a
step in the right direction
even if the wind is moving in the wrong direction.
+10 votes
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Reparative Therapy
Jun 23, 2014 |
General Nonsense
This blog is written for a rational audience that likes to have fun wrestling with unique or controversial points of view. It is written in a style that can easily be confused as advocacy for one sort of unpleasantness or another. It is not intended to change anyone's beliefs or actions. If you quote from this post or link to it, which you are welcome to do, please take responsibility for whatever happens if you mismatch the audience and the content.
Reparative Therapy
In the future nation of Texas, Republicans have adopted a platform that includes support of "reparative therapy" for gays who voluntarily choose that path. Many Republicans in Texas believe gayness is a lifestyle choice that can be "fixed" with voluntary therapy.
that the biggest scientific and professional organization in psychology says, "To date,
there has been no scientifically adequate research
to show that therapy aimed at changing sexual orientation ... is safe or effective."
This is a tough issue for science-loving libertarians. On one hand, science doesn't support the safety and effectiveness of so-called reparative therapy. And allowing it to exist sends a toxic message to society about what is "normal."
On the other hand, psychological therapy is ineffective for a variety of other topics and we don't ban people from trying those. So there's a freedom question.
My opinion on topics of this type is
show me the data
. If the data doesn't exist, I am biased toward individual freedom even if it carries some risk. So I favor banning therapists from claiming "cures" of gayness because there is no data to support such claims, but I wouldn't stop an informed adult from giving it a try.
This brings me to a more interesting question: Would therapy of this sort work?
As regular readers know, I'm a certified hypnotist and a student of the practice for decades. The topic of hypnosis isn't terribly deep, and mastering it isn't much harder than becoming a Starbucks barista. But if you haven't had the training it can all seem mysterious. So what follows is my self-assessed expert opinion (barista level) on the question of whether "therapy" can rewire an individual's sexual preferences.
Answer: yes
There are lots of qualifiers to that answer.
For starters, sexuality is not binary. Sure, some folks are probably born with deeply embedded gay or straight wiring and it will never change. But there's a big grey area in the middle where people are attracted to humans of either gender.
Human brains are born with tendencies and preferences but experience can rewire us. You might be born with a natural attraction to cute animals, but if a dog attacks you when you are a child, that preference gets rewired in a minute. And if you want a new favorite color, a hypnotist can probably make that happen for you too.
Sexual preferences are presumably among the deepest and hardest to change. But my semi-expert opinion is that perhaps 20% of the public could be trained to rewire their sexual preferences. And a 20% success rate would be competitive with psychological therapy for other topics.
And by the way, the effectiveness would work both ways. You can probably make 20% of straight people cheerily turn gay or bisexual if for some reason they were motivated to do so.
Would it be ethical to rewire someone who volunteers for it? I'd say yes, assuming we are talking about an informed adult and no one else is getting hurt.
Would it be safe? That's probably a mixed bag. I can imagine some people being psychologically worsened by the process and others being glad they did it. But I think society would be worse off for allowing reparative therapy to exist because of the message it sends about what is "normal" for humans. Emotionally, the idea of changing someone's sexuality to conform to society's expectations seems evil to me, and it reminds me of the Nazis. But that's just a feeling. Should my feelings become your law?
My best guess is that reparative therapy would work for some people while damaging others. In other words, it would be similar to how psychological therapy in general works.
Should so-called reparative therapy be legal?
Scott Adams
Co-founder of
Author of this
+35 votes
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The Time I Doubled My IQ
Jun 18, 2014 |
General Nonsense
Lately my allergies have been so bad that they trigger asthma attacks. So I started taking some asthma meds and discovered an amazing phenomenon: It doubled my IQ. That's just an estimate, but it feels about right.
The increase doesn't happen right away, and it isn't a direct thing. One of the alleged side-effects of the medicine is that it kills libido in some people. That was my experience. The sex drive that had defined me for a lifetime just went away.
The first thing you need to understand is that when your sex drive disappears you don't miss it. You can't miss what you don't want. Rather than feeling irritable about losing the core organizing principle of my life, I felt relieved. It was like crossing off half of my to-do list with no effort whatsoever. My mind was clear. I was focused. I could go deep.
Losing my sex drive felt like a superpower. I had some of the best ideas of my life that week. (That is literally true.) Now I see why Captain Kirk sometimes moved power from life-support to weapons. When you have the option of putting all of your energy into one function - in my case my brain - it makes a huge difference.
My IQ as a eunuch was sizzling. In fact, if a eunuch applied for a job with me I wouldn't even ask any other questions. I would hire him on the spot. It would be like hiring Superman to move your furniture. I would know that guy was focused.
I should pause here to explain a few things to the women reading this blog. The typical male brain is a computer that has to reboot every 30 seconds. Men can think about non-sexual topics for half-a-minute, tops. But we know we'll die if we don't sometimes think about food and shelter and whatnot, so we're continuously bouncing between sex and non-sex thoughts. It never ends.
Sometimes we game the system by merging our sexual and non-sexual thoughts. During the workday it looks like this:
If I get this new job, I'll make a lot of money, and that will increase my odds of sex.
On our own time, it looks like this
: If I exercise hard enough, my body will look attractive and that will increase my odds of sex.
And if you're married it looks like this
: The news says there will be a meteor shower tonight. I hope my wife doesn't get hit by a meteor, but if she does it will increase my odds of sex.
Some days it's like a machine gun coming at you. You have to assemble packets as they cross your brain:....sex....boring stuff....sex...boring stuff....etc. You're multiplexing because you need to. You're wired that way. And it effectively lowers your IQ.
The founders of our country understood this problem. That's why a man can't be president until he reaches an age where the risk of civil war is more compelling than his next orgasm. Personally, I hadn't yet reached that point. But after a few hits of my asthma meds I was ready to negotiate some trade policy.
Unfortunately, this superpower doesn't last. Apparently my body is getting used to the meds. I'm feeling a return to normalcy and that means I'm having trouble focusing on finishing this . . . um. . . screw it. I'm going to the gym.
Scott Adams
Co-founder of
dozen ideas
that could change your life
+90 votes
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The Pivot
Jun 16, 2014 |
General Nonsense
I've been spending a lot of time in Silicon Valley for my day job at CalendarTree. I feel like an embedded journalist. You might be interested in some of the things I've discovered.
The most fascinating phenomenon in the start-up world is called the pivot. That word has been used in every meeting I've attended. There's more to it than you think.
A pivot is when a start-up quickly changes from one product to another or from one business model to another. The valley is full of stories about companies that started with a lame idea and hit it big after a pivot. Most start-ups in the valley are software-based, so pivots are both practical and economical.
The pivot used to be the exception. For example, a company starts out selling PEZ dispensers online and later pivots to become eBay. You didn't hear about all of the companies that failed so the pivot stories probably sounded more prevalent than they were. It's similar to how a story of one shark attack makes you think there's a Great White under every surfboard. The human brain assumes that whatever it hears most frequently must be the best reflection of reality.
The valley attracts some of the smartest humans on Earth, and each of those humans, being otherwise normal, probably assumed they could use their talent, brains, and hard work to achieve specific business goals, such as building product X and selling the company to Google for a billion dollars.
And then they find out that success in the start-up realm is mostly luck. They discover this by trying great ideas coupled with great execution and failing. And they further discover it by observing unexpected successes at other start-ups. Success simply can't be predicted to any level of statistical comfort.
Smart observers in the valley look for the "tell" that an early stage start-up will be a winner, but none can be found. Oh, sure, the team needs to be smart, talented, and willing to work long hours. But nearly every start-up has that going for it. Most have great ideas as well. None of it predicts success.
So imagine if you will, some of the smartest, most rational humans the world has ever created, wallowing around in the absurdity of Silicon Valley, where success is mostly based on luck. How does one feel good about that? And what is the solution?
Answer: You institutionalize the pivot.
In other words, you move from a goal-oriented approach to a systems-oriented approach. The system involves assembling a team around a starting idea and then pivoting until something lucky happens. No one pretends to know where it will all end up.
Here's the system:
1. Form a team
2. Slap together an idea and put it on the Internet.
3. Collect data on user behavior.
4. Adjust, pivot, and try again.
Thanks to Google Analytics, Optimizely, Bitly, and other tools for measuring customer behavior in real time, a smart team can try different approaches and different products until something works out. A start-up in 2014 is a guess- testing machine.
Meanwhile, technology is increasingly becoming a commodity. A smart start-up can build nearly anything. If they need extra talent, connections, or money, the valley has plenty to offer. There isn't much of a resource constraint among the talented. That's the positive side of the "boy's network" in the valley. Everyone knows everyone. (The downside is not enough women.)
Another fascinating phenomenon in the valley is that every entrepreneur and investor seems genuinely interested in helping strangers succeed. I would go so far as to call it the defining feature of the start-up culture. Some of it has to do with the nature of entrepreneurs as serial problem-solvers. If you tell me what problem your start-up is experiencing, my reflex is to offer a suggestion or to connect you to someone who can help. And creating social capital makes a lot of sense when teams are fluid and who-you-know always matters. But beyond the practical and selfish benefits of being helpful, the dominant worldview in Silicon Valley is that if you aren't trying to make the world better, you're in the wrong line of work. The net effect is that the start-up culture is shockingly generous. If you need something for your start-up, folks will happily help you find it. I would have predicted the opposite.
But here comes the interesting part.
In an environment in which start-up resources are not limited, and no one can predict the next winner, and it is easy to measure customer behavior in great detail, the Internet is no longer a technology.
The Internet is a psychology experiment.
Building a product for the Internet is now the easy part. Getting people to understand the product and use it is the hard part. And the only way to make the hard part work is by testing one psychological hypothesis after another.
Every entrepreneur is now a psychologist by trade. The ONLY thing that matters to success in our anything-is-buildable Internet world is psychology. How does the customer perceive this product? What causes someone to share? What makes virality happen? What makes something sticky?
Experience and history give start-ups their ideas on what to test first. But the thing that worked for the last business often doesn't work for the next because no two situations are identical. So psychology on the Internet is an endless series of educated guesses and quantitative testing. Every entrepreneur is a behavioral psychologist with the tools to pull it off.
In this environment, quality is less important than speed. So the most prized technical people are the ones who can work quickly and produce one buggy prototype after another. And that brings me to the next observation.
Psychology has evolved to be a function of speed plus measurement. We're nearing the point at which the best psychologist in the world is any computer with access to Big Data, and any start-up that is rapidly testing one idea after another.
That's a system that makes sense to me. In a complicated environment, systems work better than goals.
Please excuse me while I go pivot.
Scott Adams
Co-founder of
Read more about the advantage of
systems over goals
+197 votes
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text:
Katie Price only split from Leandro Penna a couple of months ago, however already seems pretty loved up with a new chap.
Katie's got a new boyf, Keiran. Copyright: [Twitter/wenn]
Even though the last we knew, she was off snogging Gavin Henson.
But now she is snogging this guy and we have photographic evidence, courtesy of HIS Twitter account:
Had fun tonight with my baby girl at Bluewater. @misskatieprice twitter.com/kieran0322/sta…
— Kieran Kaine Hayler (@kieran0322) December 18, 2012
BABY GIRL?! SNOGGING ON TWITTER?! Steady on, mate!
Plus, last night Katie and her new man went out to the theatre and afterwards he took to Twitter to tell all his mates to take their GIRLFRIENDS.
Which, to us, pretty much confirms he took HIS.
Thus, Katie has a new BOYFRIEND!
Called Kieran Hayler, since you asked. But in the words of Nikki Graeme, just WHO IS HE?
Everyone meet Keiran, the new Mr Katie Price. Copyright: [Twitter]
Well, according to his Twitter bio, so in his own words, Kieran is 'argumental' (almost definitely not a word), a model and likes rat food.
In full, he is a: "male entertainer and model. Appeared in eastenders, argumental, big brother, celeb bb, and more! addicted gym user! sponsored by GYM RAT NUTRITION"
To sum up, pretty much sounds like the one.
[Related Story: X Factor's Dan District 3: I'm texting Katie Price]
[Related Story: X Factor's Rylan Clark wants to be Katie Price]
Also, he says 'appeared' but he really means 'stripped' after he played a stripper in one episode of Easties.
And luckily this time Katie can chuck out her Google translator because this one DOES speak English, result!
But more importantly, he likes to do this:
We give this one the thumbs up. Copyright: [Twitter]
And we all know how much Katie likes a man in a bra.
*cough* Roxanne *cough*

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Nearly three months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders are unconstitutional, Bryan and David Freeman of Salisbury Township are challenging their 1995 life sentences for brutally beating and stabbing to death their parents and younger brother when they were teens.
The commonwealth of Pennsylvania has filed a motion to stay the Freeman brothers' sentence pending a decision by the state Legislature on how to deal with juveniles convicted of homicide. A hearing will be held today in Lehigh County Court in front of Judge Douglas Reichley.
Charles Banta, the attorney representing David Freeman, now 33, filed a petition under the Post Conviction Relief Act, arguing his client's mandatory life sentence without parole was cruel and unusual punishment and violated his constitutional rights. Banta said the judge should vacate his sentence.
Lehigh County Senior Deputy District Attorney Heather Gallagher will ask for a stay of the proceedings until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules on appeals in two other cases involving juveniles who were convicted of homicide and were sentenced to life, including Easton killer Qu'eed Batts.
At issue:
- whether the U.S. Supreme Court ruling should apply retroactively to juveniles whose cases were over and who did not have any appeals pending.
- whether the state Supreme Court will say that the State Parole Board should be the one to decide when and if a juvenile should be released if the juvenile and his/her lawyer file a petition for parole.
The Freeman brothers' case made national headlines for its savagery. On the night of Feb. 26, 1995, Bryan Freeman, then 17, his brother David, then 16, and their cousin, Nelson "Ben" Birdwell III, then 18, returned from the movies to the Freemans' Ehrets Lane home. That's when the massacre began.
Brenda Freeman, 48, was found dead the next day stabbed multiple times with a steak knife and a pair of shorts stuffed in her mouth. Her husband, Dennis, 54, was bludgeoned to death in his bed with an aluminum baseball bat, and their son, Erik, 11, was struck numerous times with a pickax handle as he lay sleeping in bed.
The Freeeman brothers confessed to killing their parents, but denied killing Erik. Birdwell is also serving a life sentence without parole.
The Freeman never gave any motive for the killings. The boys had complained their parents, who were devout members of the Jehovah Witness hall on E. Emmaus Avenue, were strict. Bryan Freeman was hospitalized twice for mental illness and David received treatment for substance abuse and had been in several juvenile facilities, according to The Morning Call. Both had previously threatened to kill their parents, the article said.
The brothers, who attended were known to espouse neo-Nazi beliefs, wear military clothing and shaved heads, their foreheads emblazoned with neo-Nazi tattoos. David sported a tattoo that said "Sieg Heil" and Bryan had the words "berserker" tattooed on his forehead and a swastika on his neck.


text:
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text:
"Star Wars Episode VII" has started production for a summer 2015 release, but the universe is under attack now — with charges of "insensitivity" by the Turkish Cultural Community of Austria.
The Daily Mail reports:
"Lego has been accused of racism by the Turkish community over a Star Wars toy allegedly depicting a mosque.
"The critics claim that the Jabba's Palace model, part of Lego's Star Wars range, offends Muslims as it resembles the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul — one of the world's most renowned mosques."
Decades ago, George Lucas and his creative team built structures that share engineering similarities with a mosque and a minaret, an act that now apparently constitutes cultural insensitivity. The Islamic group took issue with the "terrorists" who inhabit Jabba the Hutt's palace, interpreting the scoundrels of Tatooine as some sort of cultural dig at the Muslim faith.
The Turkish Cultural Community of Austria might want to take note: Mr. Lucas has taken political pot shots at individuals using his work, but most of them were aimed at former President George W. Bush. The billionaire behind the franchise — and avid Obama supporter — is most certainly not subversively attacking Islam through plastic Legos.
To definitively get to the bottom of this controversy, it would be interesting to interview director "Theo" van Gogh. Mr. van Gogh created the documentary "Submission" with Somali activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. But he's dead — murdered by Islamic extremists. French intelligence agent Denis Allex would be the next logical choice, but he's also dead — murdered by Islamic extremists in Algeria.
Murder by religious fanatics is culturally "insensitive." Plastic toys created by Lego are not, and leaders who placate the perpetually aggrieved only make the former more likely in the future.


text:
There are four games on tap in the NHL Wednesday night, led by the Boston Bruins facing the winless New York Rangers in the nationally televised game of the night on NBC Sports Network.
Other Eastern Conference action will be held in Pittsburgh, where the Penguins will look to start-up a three-game winning-streak in their home-opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames will each be searching to win their first game of the season when they face-off at Rogers Arena, while Phoenix Coyotes will be hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Here's a full look at the schedule and tonight's starting goaltenders:
Toronto Maple Leafs at Pittsburgh Penguins
7 p.m. ET | TV: TSN, RDS2, Root Sports Pittsburgh
Goalies: James Reimer (expected), Marc-Andre Fleury (confirmed)
Blog coverage: Pension Plan Puppets, PensBurgh
Boston Bruins at New York Rangers
7:30 p.m. ET | TV: NBC Sports Network
Goalies: Tuukka Rask (confirmed), Henrik Lundqvist (confirmed)
Blog coverage: Stanley Cup of Chowder, Blueshirt Banter
Calgary Flames at Vancouver Canucks
10 p.m. ET | TV: Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific
Goalies: Miikka Kiprusoff (not yet announced), Cory Schneider (confirmed)
Blog coverage: The Cannon, Nucks Misconduct
Columbus Blue Jackets at Phoenix Coyotes
10 p.m. ET | TV: FS Ohio, FS Arizona
Goalies: Steve Mason (expected), Mike Smith (not yet announced)
Blog coverage: Matchsticks & Gasoline, Five For Howling


text:
The Salem High School Blue Devils lost to the Lawrence (Mass.) High School Lancers on Thursday by a score of 46-28 in their second consecutive Thanksgiving Day showdown, according to the Eagle-Tribune.
The paper reported it was the final game for Salem senior standout running back Jerickson Fedrick, who ran for 171 yards on 27 carries. He finishes his career as the school's all-time leading rusher, the paper reported.
The game was played at Salem's Grant Field.


text:
Minutes for the Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission
Date: April 1, 2010
Time: 6:30 P.M.
The regular meeting and public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission was held on the above date and time in City Council Chambers, third floor of City Hall with the following members and personnel in attendance: Jack Wheeler, Chair; King Coltrin; Jay McClelland; Matthew Edwards; Gloria Roling; Phil Young; Thomas Baird, IV; Jim Hansen; Mike MacPherson, Principal Planner, Planning and Development; Nancy Yendes, Assistant City Attorney; Martin Gugel, Public Works; Aaron Kemper, Public Works. Absent: Shelby Lawhon.
The minutes for February 18, 2010, were approved contingent on the correction of an error that attributed a statement to the wrong commissioner. The minutes for March 4, 2010, were approved as submitted.
Mr. MacPherson said that agenda items #1 and #5 had been tabled at the request of the applicant, who was having problems with the location of utilities
(These consent cases will be approved by Commission unless a Commissioner or someone else wishes to speak to them. If so, those cases will be moved to the appropriate place on the agenda and they may be spoken to, and voted on, at that time.)
- Relinquish Easement 747 Assemblies of God Financial Servcies
(1600 block W. Battlefield)
The above item was tabled. See the COMMUNICATIONS section for details.
2. Z-08-2010 OGS Properties, Inc.
(336 S. Barnes)
Mr. MacPherson said that the applicant is proposing to rezone 4.5 acres of land from an R-MD, Residential Medium Density, to an HM, Heavy Manufacturing, district. This would allow the subject site to be zoned consistently with the rest of property owned by the applicant and the request would also restrict the land uses to off-street commercial parking lots and structures.
Mr. MacPherson said that inherent in the rezoning process would be the requirement that the applicant provide a 40-foot-wide bufferyard on the east end of the subject site; perimeter landscaping and front- and side-yard setbacks would also be required. He then read the following from the Findings section of the City's staff report:
- HM, Heavy Manufacturing zoning district is consistent with the existing HM zoning to the north of the subject property.
- The conditional overlay district will restrict the uses to only off-street commercial parking lots and structures.
- Approval of this request is consistent with the recommendations of the Comprehensive Plan, which identifies the subject property as the General Industry, Transportation and Utilities land-use designation.
Mr. MacPherson said that a protest petition had been presented by a neighbor of the subject site and that the petition would be discussed when the case went to City Council.
Mr. Coltrin asked about the drainage-way in the area of the subject site. Mr. Kemper, from Public Works, said that the applicant would need to ensure that, after development, storm-water drainage would flow across the subject site and would access the existing drainage-way and eventually get to Jordan Creek.
Mr. Hansen asked about "the big sinkhole on the east of Patterson." Mr. Kemper said the applicant would be responsible for getting runoff from just north of the subject site across the subject site. Mr. Kemper said that the drainage channel that serves the sinkhole mentioned by Mr. Hansen should be able to deal with a 100-year flow of water from the sinkhole.
Mr. Wheeler said he was surprised that the subject site, being across the street from a school, was recommended for the Heavy Manufacturing land use by the Comprehensive Plan, and he asked if the Springfield school district had commented on this aspect of the case. Mr. MacPherson said staff had not received any comments from the school district. He also said that the mandatory ten-foot perimeter landscaping strip would ensure the presence of some landscaping features along the edge of any parking lots. He also mentioned that a new sidewalk would be required along Barnes Avenue.
Mr. Hansen asked if there would be any driveway restrictions along Cherry or Barnes. Mr. MacPherson said that he hadn't "seen any proposal for that."
Mr. Wheeler opened the public hearing.
Paul Engel, 2045 W. Woodland, said he represented the applicant. He said most of the people who had attended the neighborhood meeting said they had no problem with the proposal.
Mr. Hansen asked if this case was related to a lot to the east of the subject site's being up for sale. Mr. Engel said that O'Reilly Automotive would eventually own the subject site and that this rezoning case meant that O'Reilly was "thinking in the future, 'We hope we can grow this company enough that ... we might need a little extra parking.'"
Mr. Wheeler asked about the possibility that a multi-story parking structure could be built on the site. Mr. Engel said it was not "the O'Reilly's intent" to construct one. He said he "thought" that "a bulk-plane limitation would not be objectionable" to them. Mr. MacPherson said that "in the existing code there would be a bulk-plane requirement."
There being no other speakers, Mr. Wheeler closed the public hearing.
Hansen made a motion to approve zoning case Z-08-2010/COD 34. Baird seconded the motion. Motion carried as follows: AYES: Wheeler, Coltrin, Young, Roling, Baird, Hansen, McClelland, Edwards; NAYS: None; ABSTAIN: None; ABSENT: Lawhon.
3. Z-09-2010 Westport Management, LLC
(3410 S. Campbell)
Mr. MacPherson said that the request is to rezone the subject site from PD 216, 1st Amendment to an HC, Highway Commercial, district, to allow for land uses that are allowed in the HC zoning district.
Mr. MacPherson read the following Staff Comments from the staff report:
1. The current PD allows for all General Retail District uses plus New and Used Car Sales, service and repair. However, the PD restricts the use of the site for other uses in the future that are compatible with uses in the adjacent and neighboring properties. Some of the neighboring properties are already zoned Highway Commercial District.
2. Access on Campbell Avenue will become median-controlled as part of the 6-lane widening project which will restrict the properties access to Campbell to a right-in/right-out.
3. The requested change in zoning would not cause a significant increase in number of trips generated by these properties. No traffic study will be required.
Mr. MacPherson then read the following conditions that would be required if the application is approved:
If approved, the new zoning is not effective until:
1. Additional right-of-way is required to be dedicated along Campbell Avenue, which requires 50 feet of right of way measured from centerline.
2. Additional right-of way is required to be dedicated along Walnut Long Street, which requires 30 feet of right of way measured from centerline.
3. Additional right of way is required at the intersection of Campbell Avenue and Walnut Lawn Street for intersection improvements.
If these conditions are not completed within ninety (90) days from the date the required amount of right of way to be dedicated is defined by Public Works, the approval is null and void and the zoning will remain Planned Development District 216, First Amendment.
Mr. MacPherson said that the land uses that would be allowed in an HC district would be "consistent with existing neighboring uses," and that staff was recommending approval of the rezoning request.
Mr. Wheeler opened the public hearing.
Geoffrey Butler, no address given, said that the property owner would like to change the zoning so that the uses on his property could "match the neighborhood" and also to "simplify life" by doing away with a planned development. It would give the property owner "more flexibility in the future with the development of the property."
There being no questions and no other speakers, Mr. Wheeler closed the public hearing.
Edwards made a motion to approve Zoning Case Z-09-2010. McClelland seconded the motion. Motion carried as follows: AYES: Wheeler, Coltrin, Young, Roling, Baird, Hansen, McClelland, Edwards; NAYS: None; ABSTAIN: None; ABSENT: Lawhon.
4. UP 387 Metropolis Holding Company, LLC
(314 E. Olive)
Mr. MacPherson said that Conditional Use Permit Number 387 is a request to approve a use permit to allow residential uses on the first floor of a building in a CC, Center City, district, generally located at 314 East Olive Street. He described the conditional use process by reading the following part of the City's staff report:
The conditional use permit procedure is designed to provide the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council with an opportunity for discretionary review of requests to establish or construct uses or structures which may be necessary or desirable in a zoning district, but which may also have the potential for a deleterious impact upon the health, safety and welfare of the public. In granting a conditional use, the Planning and Zoning Commission may recommend, and the City Council may impose such conditions, safeguards and restrictions upon the premises benefited by the conditional use as may be necessary to comply with the standards set out in the Zoning Ordinance to avoid, or minimize, or mitigate any potentially adverse or injurious effect of such conditional uses upon other property in the neighborhood. The general standards for conditional use permits are listed in Attachment 2 [of the staff report].
No conditional use permit shall be valid for a period longer than eighteen months from the date City Council grants the conditional use permit, unless within this eighteen months:
- A building permit is obtained and the erection or alteration of a structure is started; or
- An occupancy permit is obtained and the conditional use is begun.
Mr. MacPherson also read the following part of the staff report:
- Staff has reviewed the applicant's request for a Conditional Use Permit and has determined that it satisfies the standards for Conditional Use Permits, outlined in Section 3-3310 of the Zoning Ordinance. The applicant's proposal involves placing a residential use in an existing retail/office space. There will be no change to the exterior of the building.
- The Use Permit conditions would dictate that the commercial storefront shall not be boarded or altered so that the residential use may be replaced by a commercial use in the future. The applicant has stated in their neighborhood meeting report that they have not been able to secure a tenant in the vacant office space for over a year.
Mr. Macpherson said that staff was recommending approval of the proposal because staff felt that the proposal met the approval standards for conditional use permits. He noted that the applicant had indicated he had been unable to rent the subject site to an office tenant for over a year and so staff was "trying to respond to the situation in the economy by protecting the frontage of the building but recommending allowance of the use during these hard economic times."
In response to a question from Mr. McClelland, Mr. MacPherson said that a tenant of the subject site would be able to modify the interior of the rented space but not the exterior.
Mr. Edwards asked for elaboration on staff's statement that approving this case would not set a precedent for other cases. Mr. MacPherson said that he did not think the comment regarding precedents had come from staff but rather from a person urging disapproval of the case. He said that, given the current "economic situation," staff believed approval "may be warranted."
Mr. Young said he had a problem with using "the excuse of economic times to change a zoning thing." He asked if other people had asked to be allowed to put in "some residential stuff on the first floor." Mr. MacPherson said that, over time, there had been "two or three [instances] perhaps." Mr. Young asked how those cases had been resolved. Ms Yendes said that the cases had happened "before the use permit" existed. She said that the use permit process affords some protection to surrounding properties. She said that, with regard to the current application, "it's not like this is on The Square." Mr. MacPherson said that the process was not arbitrary and that there were twenty-one criteria that had to be met in order for approval to occur.
Mr. Wheeler opened the public hearing.
Jason Murray, P.O. Box 2965, said that, because of the low-intensity nature of the surrounding land uses, there was not much pedestrian traffic in front of the subject site. He said he thought the issue of setting a precedent was not a major one, since the city council would be looking at each application for a use permit on a case-by-case basis. He said the previous owner of the subject building had been trying to lease the office space for over a year and that he (Jason Murray) had purchased the building "in December." He said approval of his application would "help make that building produce the revenue it needs to." He said the building has two second-story apartments and two first-floor commercial spaces, one being the subject site. The other space is occupied currently by a hair salon. He said he would be making sure that the subject site stayed "presentable" so as not to upset the hair salon tenants. He said the outside of the building would look "just like it does now except it will have blinds or some sort of partition on the inside."
Ms. Roling asked what Mr. Murray thought of Dan Scott's suggestion that the first-floor space be divided so that an office remained in the front of the space and a residential area took up the back of the space. Mr. Murray said there would be a problem getting enough sunlight into the residential unit unless new windows were punched into the east wall that faces a narrow alleyway. He said the situation for the residential tenant "wouldn't be very appealing."
Mr. Hansen asked about the configuration of the proposed first-floor apartment. Mr. Murray said that because the building does not have a sprinkler system, "you have to have a window in every bedroom" and thus the plan was to have a bedroom for each of the existing windows. There was a discussion of whether the windows are on the east or the west side of the building. (They are on the east.) The apartment entrance would be the same as the current office entrance, at the front of the unit.
Mr. Wheeler said he takes the concept of precedence seriously. Mr. Murray said he did not want residential units located on the first floor all over downtown; but the subject site was different, since it was on a "side street," and so it would not have much negative impact.
Daniel Scott, 400 E. Walnut, said he was against the use permit. He said he thought that putting a mirrored film on the storefront of the subject site would be an "alteration" of the storefront. (The applicant wrote, in Item 11 of the Attachment 2: Responses section of the staff report, that "no additions or alteration to the exterior of the existing building will be required.") Mr. Scott said he thought mirrored windows had a deleterious effect on their viewers. He said he thought the proposal would violate criteria number 9 of the use permit standards, in that it would have an adverse effect on the character of the neighborhood. He did not like the fact that the subject site's door could be propped open, allowing people to see inside the unit and view "dirty dishes, dirty laundry." He said that mirrored finishes are only effective during daylight hours, and so "you will be able," in the evening, "to see directly into these spaces." He said he owned a vacant commercial space downtown and he did not think it would be appropriate for him to ask the Commission to be allowed to convert it to a residential use.
Mr. Coltrin asked Mr. Scott if he thought that his property at the corner of Walnut and Jefferson was "comparable" to the subject site. Mr. Scott said it was not; however, he felt that in the case of the subject site, staff's main criteria was that "if a building's been vacant for more than a year and you're willing to put mirrored glass on it, then staff is willing to grant a conditional use permit." Mr. Coltrin asked whether reflective film could be applied today to the subject site. Mr. Scott said he did not know. Mr. Coltrin said he "did not know of any regulation that would stop them from it."
Mr. Baird said he thought there were several storefronts downtown that have "mirrored finishes." He said he thought an office tenant might want to have the privacy afforded by such a finish, and he wondered whether it was currently legal to have such a finish on an office's window. Mr. Scot said he was not qualified to answer a question regarding the legality of mirror finishes on windows.
Mr. McClelland said the owner had already said he would "police" the tidiness of the proposed apartment. Mr. Scott said he did not think that policing had always been adequate in the past and that he would let other speakers address that issue in more detail.
Jeff Schrag, 1326 S. Virginia, said he was opposed to first-floor apartments in the downtown area "regardless of whether it's a busy street or not a busy street." However, he said he would not be opposed if the apartment's entrance did not open directly onto the street.
Mr. Coltrin asked about the possibility of having, at the storefront window, "a facade of an office" with a desk and chair and a "turn" so that passers-by on the street would not see into a residence but rather into "an alcove walk-in." Mr. Scrag said that such an arrangement might "meet a lot of my objections." Mr. Hansen said he thought that the subject site was "a real hard-luck block." He said he thought that a storefront with a mirror finish would not "look all that much worse than what's there now." He said he thought the proposal might be acceptable "if the entrance were made so you couldn't see into it." Mr. Scrag said he would rather have the front of the site look as if it were designed as a residence, for instance a brownstone, rather than have it look like "you're trying to put a residence where a residence does not belong." Mr. Hansen said he thought the proposal could be "an improvement to the neighborhood" but also saw how it could be a "detraction from the neighborhood."
Craig Wagoner, 509 W. Olive, said he was against the rezoning. He said that "last night there were people out charcoaling." He said "that's the kind of use you get when you have people living on the first floor." He said he did not think it would be possible for a developer to police his tenants all the time. He said the Landmark Building and the Woodruff Building were near the subject site. He said their owners might argue, if the current case were approved, that they too should feature first-floor spaces for residential use. He said the subject building is "a commercial building" and the City "wants commercial-retail space, sales tax, mixed-use buildings—that's what they're promoting." He said that the bad economy impacts the whole city, and so by that logic you should also allow residential space on Glenstone Avenue.
Rusty Worley, 807 W. Walnut, said he thought that "the best practice for urban development is to have commercial and office use on first floor uses." He said he knew of only two situations downtown that were comparable to the proposed situation. One was on Campbell between "Kai" and "Ampersand." The other was west of "the movie theater" on College; the latter being the "Palace Hotel." He said, "If you look at how those [sites] are maintained, they do have an impact on the surrounding properties, and they aren't always a positive reflection on the surrounding properties." He said the beauty parlor next to the subject site and the Gillioz Theater generate some pedestrian traffic. Mr. Coltrin asked Mr. Worley where the loft dwellers downtown "recreate," and if there were anything to prevent second-floor dwellers from playing football in the street. Mr. Worley said he suspected that one or two of the people he had seen in the street the previous night lived on the first floor of the Palace Hotel.
Ms. Roling expressed her gratitude to Mr. Worley for trying to create a "win-win situation" and trying to help Mr. Murray with "his leasing issues."
Mr. Baird asked why it was acceptable to have first-floor apartments at the Palace Hotel and the Founders' Park apartments but not at the subject site. Mr. Worley said that the difference is "how they address the street." He said that at the Founders' Park site the first floor is occupied by a "live-work space ... that has more of a commercial look and feel and it's not directly a residence there. When you look at College or the storefront on Campbell, it's obvious that both of those have residences right up to the storefront window." Mr. Baird asked the same question of staff. Mr. MacPherson said that "staff's not making that argument." He said staff based its recommendation on the criteria for a conditional use permit. He said that staff thought the street where the subject site's is located is different in character from the streets "where the critical mass of business is downtown."
Mr. Wheeler asked Mr. MacPherson if it would be possible for a conditional use permit to allow the land uses on a first floor "to be split." Mr. MacPherson said that, yes, that was a possibility.
Mr. Murray returned to the podium. Mr. Wheeler asked about the size of the subject building. Mr. Murray said there were "about 5,000 feet on the first level." Mr. Wheeler asked if Mr. Murray wanted to add any comments about the mirror finish or the sidewalk interaction. Mr. Murray said the mirror finish was "just one idea that was brought up." He said it might be possible to "cut a door way into the space on the east side, so the apartment tenant could "come in off of the alley." He said he thought that second-floor tenants were just as likely as first-floor tenants to "go outside."
Mr. Coltrin asked if it would be possible to make the front of the space look like an office. Mr. Murray said it would be "hard to enforce that the current resident maintain the office look in the front." And, he said, there would still be the problem of not many windows and those windows being "in the shadow of the back of the Gillioz Theater."
Mr. Wheeler closed the public hearing.
Mr. Wheeler said he did not think the current state of the economy should have a bearing on a zoning issue. He said "these properties can be sold," and so in the future an owner's level of commitment to police the behavior of tenants could change. He said he saw the possibility of "sidewalk interaction" between residential tenants and the street as being "a pretty negative point." He said he was inclined to oppose the proposed zoning change.
Mr. Coltrin said he thought that "every decision we make, in some way or another, is based on economic times." He said that "if you're afraid of precedents, we should never have a conditional use." He said the subject site was "a tough property."
Mr. Hansen said he felt that if the subject site were converted to a residential use, "this block is never going to get better and it may get worse."
Mr. Edwards said he would not recommend that this case set a precedent for how the Commission should rule on similar cases in the future. He said it was possible that a residential use could eventually be converted back to a commercial use at the subject site. He said he thought that allowing "somebody to make use of property that they can't do anything with at this moment" would be a good thing. He said he was prepared to support the proposal.
Mr. McClelland said he once worked at a downtown establishment whose owner lived downtown, and the owner's entrance to her property "was a garage door." He had thought at the time that that was a good arrangement, and the present case had not changed his mind, so he was in favor of the proposal.
Mr. Young said he thought approving the case would set a bad precedent. He said he might be in favor of having a split use on the first floor. He said that using the economic times as a reason to approve the case was not something he was in favor of.
Mr. Wheeler told Mr. Murray that, if he wanted to change the proposal, he could ask a Commission member to move that the case be tabled. Mr. Murray returned to the podium. He and Mr. Wheeler discussed the tabling process. Then Mr. Murray said he did not want to request tabling of the case.
Edwards made a motion to approve Conditional Use Permit 387. Coltrin seconded the motion. The vote resulted in a 4-4 tie, as follows: AYES: Coltrin, Baird, McClelland, Edwards; NAYS: Wheeler, Hansen, Roling, Young; ABSTAIN: None; ABSENT: Lawhon.
Because of the tie vote, the case was tabled till the next Commission meeting, April 15, 2010.
Mr. Wheeler said there seemed to him to be a "proliferation of nonconforming signs" in the city. He said it would be good if staff could address this issue at some point, preferably in a way that would not cost the city a lot of time or money.
There being no other business before the Commission, Mr. Wheeler adjourned the meeting at approximately 8:09 p.m.


text:
A small procession of three gold limousines and two black SUVs has arrived at New Jersey where Whitney Houston's funeral is being held in her home town of Newark,New Jersey.
Relatives and star-studded friends of US singer have all gathered at Newark to pay their respect. Thousands of grieving mourners are seen filling the streets although the police have warned the public to stay away from the funeral and instead watch it on television over fears tens of thousands will descend on the service.
Whitney's mother Cissy was seen walking into the venue hand in hand with a staff member while Bobbi Kristina looked equally composed and glum.
Whitney's daughter Bobbi Kristina,18, daughter of Houston and her former husband Bobby Brown,arrived at the funeral home in dark jeans, white vest and a black jacket.
Friends of the singer including Dionne Warwick [Unlink], who was seen wearing a white shirt and black trousers, arrived alongside family
Not only was there plenty of staff on hand to welcome mourners but there was also a strong police presence
People took photographs and paid respects at the candle lit shrine at the funeral home on Friday night.
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Advanced Urology
Old-Fashioned Values
"My dream in urology has always been to treat patients like family with the old-fashioned values of respect, integrity, and compassion to give you the kind of care that you deserve. My fellowship training gives me the knowledge and skills to utilize the latest technology for the benefit of my patients."
– Dr. Michael K. Louie, Urologist –
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Louie Medical Group Urology Team
Our exceptional Urology Care Team has over 60 years of combined urology specific experience. Dr. Michael K. Louie and Dr. Boonsong Anan are always focused the patient. Sheila Bobis, PA-C has recently joined Louie Medical Group as one of the only female physician assistant's dedicated to urology in the Inland Empire.
About Louie Medical Group
BPH or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (Enlargement of the prostate)
One of the most common issues I see in the office is BPH or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. That's the medical term for enlargement of the prostate. It doesn't mean much without the symptoms: weak stream, hesitancy, straining, nighttime urination, urgency, frequency, and incomplete emptying. Find out more about BPH and what to do about it.
Dr. Louie's Blog
Our Expertise
Dr. Michael Louie is a Urologist who completed an Endourology Fellowship. He is a trained expert at using the da Vinci robot for conditions affecting the prostate, the kidney, the ureter, and the bladder. Dr. Louie has lectured and performed live surgery internationally for his expertise in Button TURP as well as robotic simple prostatectomy for massive benign prostate enlargement. He brings his expertise to Chino Hills, Chino, Upland, Ontario, Pomona, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and the areas beyond.
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Open studios - Ruskin Glass Centre
Vic Bamforth
Discover the processes and techniques Vic uses to create his instantly recognisable and collectible works. As well as works in progress Vic will also be exhibiting finished pieces which will be available for purchase. Vic will also be blowing in Stourbridge Glassblowing Studio throughout the Festival, so if his door is closed, visit their studio.
Stourbridge Glassblowing Studio
An opportunity to see a diversity of techniques and approaches to hot glass making from partners Ian Bamforth, Vic Bamforth, Stephen Foster & Pete Fricker. Alongside the demonstrations there will be an exhibition of finished works which will be available for purchase. Check the studio daily to see who will be in action!
Stourbridge Glass Engravers
Staff will be on hand to explain and demonstrate the art of sand engraving and Terri Colledge will be available to discuss the techniques used in the process of making the 2012 Portland Vase, she will also be demonstrating the art of cameo engraving.
Jo Newman Glass
Land Marks. An exhibition of recent work by Jo Newman
Sue Parry Glass Designs
Sue Parry is known for her innovative and colourful sand cast sculptures. Her studio will be open throughout the festival where you can purchase anything from a unique sculpture to commissioning larger architectural pieces. Sue will be showcasing her new body of work a combination of glass, magnets and steel.
George F Jackson and Georgia Redpath – Workshop 8
Both artists will be exhibiting their current work in the studio's small (but perfectly formed) gallery space. You can also drop by between 10 am and 1pm each day, to see them at work and find out about the kiln casting process.
The Blacksmith Shop
Gaz Hodgetts, Ruskin's very own maverick blacksmith will be demonstrating his craft during the Festival.....except when he is called away for blacksmithing emergencies
Kevin Barry Crystal
Contemporary and traditional crystal glassware studio – with cutting demonstrations by Kevin Barry and copper wheel engraving demonstrations by Carl Palmer.


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World Press Photo and Human Rights Watch are now accepting applications for the second Tim Hetherington Grant.
Created to celebrate the legacy of photojournalist and filmmaker Tim Hetherington, the "annual grant, worth €20,000, will be awarded to a photographer to complete an existing project on a human rights theme. The judges will look for the qualities that defined Tim's career when reviewing the applications: work that operates on multiple platforms and in a variety of formats; that crosses boundaries between breaking news and longer-term investigation; and that demonstrates a consistent moral commitment to the lives and stories of the photographic subjects."
Last year, Stephen Ferry used the grant for Violentology: A Manual of the Colombian Conflict.
Applications are due November 15 and can be found here.
Years later, when I put together a book about those events in Liberia, I included a photograph of one of the people who had been killed outside of the beer factory. I thought it was an important picture but didn't dwell on what it might mean for the mother of that boy to come across it printed in a book. My thoughts about this resurfaced recently as I put together a new book about a group of American soldiers I spent a lot of time with in Afghanistan. They reminded me a lot of the young Liberian rebel fighters, and yet, when I came to selecting a picture of one of their dead in the battlefield, I hesitated and wondered if printing a graphic image was appropriate. It was an image I had made of a young man shot in the head after the American lines had been overrun—not dissimilar from the one in Liberia. My hesitation troubled me. Was I sensitive this time because the soldier wasn't a nameless African? Perhaps I had changed and realized that there should be limits on what is released into the public? I certainly wouldn't have been in that questioning position if I'd never taken the photograph in the first place… but I did, and perhaps these things are worth thinking about and confronting after all.
Tim Hetherington, from a chapter in Photographs Not Taken, a new book of essays by more than 60 photographers about times when they couldn't, or wouldn't, take a picture. Hetherington died from wounds suffered while covering the Libyan civil war in 2011. Via Time Lightbox.
If you're in New York City there's a panel discussion with the book's editor and a few of its contributors at PS1 Sunday April 22 from 2-4pm.
80 plays


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July 31, 2014
MILWAUKEE (AP) - Harley-Davidson CEO Keith Wandell says he feels good about the company's future after several hard years.
Wandell grabbed the handlebars at the iconic motorcycle maker amid the credit crisis of 2009. Harley made nearly $655 million the year before; in 2009, it lost $55 million.
Wandell led a push to modernize the company, overhauling its manufacturing process, broadening its customer base and expanding overseas. Harley made $624 million last year, and its first-quarter profits were up 30 percent over the same time the year before.
Analysts say Harley is a good position to grow as the global economy improves and in better shape to weather any future downturn with lower costs and a more flexible workforce.
Wandell says he thinks the motorcycle maker has "an awesome future."
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)


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Multicultural Affairs: Academic Resource
Multicultural Affairs provides information regarding scholastic opportunities for students from underrepresented communities. One of the most notable programs is the Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois Program (DFI). The DFI is a fellowship awarded annually to Illinois residents enrolled in a state institution of higher education. The purpose of the award is to increase the number of underrepresented faculty in Illinois's colleges and universities. It provides financial assistance to full-time graduate students from underrepresented ethnic groups. For more information on the fellowship and other academic resources, please contact Multicultural Affairs.


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Kevin Chaves from Troop 539 Kings Park was awarded the highest Boy Scout's Eagle rank on November 30, 2011.
Kevin had learned about the Gerald J. Ryan Outreach Center food pantry that had been destroyed by fire, so he jumped in to help rebuild by constructing 616 sf of shelving space.
In honor of Valentines Day you can find his FOOD DRIVE collection boxes at the following locations:
Best Yet Market, Larkfield Rd, E. Northport
Golds Gym, Landing Avenue, Smithtown
Key Food, Indian Head Road, Kings Park
King Kullen, Fort Salonga Rd, Fort Salonga
King Kullen, Vets Hwy, Commack (next to Sports Authority)
NY Sports Club, Jericho Tpke, Commack
Pats Meat Farm, Corner Pulaski Rd & Larkfield Rd, E. Northport
Stop & Shop, Jericho Tpke, E. Northport (next to Best Buy)
Stop & Shop, W. Main Street, Smithtown
Waldbaum's, MayFair Shopping Center, Vets Hwy, Commack
Show your love this Valentine's Day by helping someone you don't know with food they need. If you would like to host a Food Drive collection box please contact Kevin at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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BLAKESBURG — Army National Guard Pvt. Steven Donohue has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid and Army history, core values and traditions. Additional training included development of basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics and experiencing use of various weapons and weapons defenses available to the infantry crewman.
Donohue is the son of Ron Donohue of Blakesburg.
He is a 2013 graduate of Eddyville-Blakesburg High School.


text: FILE - This May 15, 2013 file photo shows stacks of paperwork awaiting members of the House Agriculture Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington as it meets to consider proposals to the 2013 Farm Bill. Members of the House and Senate are scheduled to begin long-awaited negotiations Wednesday, Oct. 30, on the five-year, roughly $500 billion farm bill. If they don't finish it dairy supports could expire at the end of the year, sending the price of a gallon of milk skyward, and a contentious debate over food stamps could spill into election season. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)


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NIGHT 'CAP: Vols done with two-a-days, ready for class
Observations and notes from Tennessee's final two-a-day workout on Tuesday.
Next up is a day off for the Vols as they start classes on Wednesday, then they'll be shifting gears to morning practices full-time the following day.
Really, the practices and the coming schedule the rest of the week reinforced how close the season is to kicking off for the Vols -- and there are still several issues to be addressed.
-- WIDEOUT WATCH: The open portion of practice in the morning offered two reminders about the talent of Da'Rick Rogers -- one positive and one negative.
The bad first -- the sophomore looked distracted and unfocused during an early passing session against air, at one point dropping four of the six balls thrown his way. That came on the heels of talking over the weekend about realizing the importance of every rep and being ready to play every day.
The good? He snapped out of it in a hurry, and Rogers was essentially impossible to cover when the defensive backs came over for some one-on-one work with the receivers.
If Rogers isn't the most impressive athletic specimen overall on the roster, he's at least on the shortlist. So it's critical for him to embrace a consistent approach if the Vols are going to be sure to get the latter Rogers instead of the former.
-- HEALTH NUT: Nagging injuries or rehabilitation for players limited during practice is typically chalked up as maintenance for the Vols during camp.
For Greg King, his latest missed practice appeared to fall into a new category -- heavy maintenance.
The oft-injured linebacker has been on the field far more often than not so far in camp, but King had a noticeable limp going again Tuesday morning and a protective sleeve on the leg that underwent a knee scope over the summer.
If King can get healthy consistently, he is a talented defender and could provide a real boost to the linebacker corps this fall. So, even though he doesn't appear to have picked up a new injury, the Vols will continue to be careful with the old ones.
-- ROSTER MANAGEMENT: The final verdict is in: Geraldo Orta will take the final scholarship spot this fall, with Tino Thomas taking a grayshirt and sitting the season out.
Both are coming off shoulder surgeries in the summer, but Orta appears likely to be cleared physically first -- which perhaps gave him the edge in getting on UT's roster right away.
Other item of note from the evening workout -- Prentiss Waggner, DeAnthony Arnett, Steven Fowlkes and Zach Rogers all practiced in red, non-contact jerseys. None of their injuries were disclosed, but UT coach Derek Dooley hasn't identified any of them as dealing with a problem of significance.


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2 bed, 2 full bath. Beautiful well maintained home with recently remodeled kitchen. Cabinets upgraded w/ self closing dMore info


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This research guide highlights resources and services available through the Cheng Library for students and faculty of the Kinesiology Department. These resources primarily support undergraduate and graduate programs as well as individual faculty research projects. Please use the tabs to view the various categories.
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Send a Letter to the Editor
Fill Out the Form, or write:
602 S. Gay Street
2nd Floor
Knoxville, TN 37902
I found the Jan. 6 Metro Pulse optimistic and inspiring about Knoxville's future. Jack Neely's commentary about Henley Street provided some insight on why its problems exist. ["Fix Henley Street," Secret History] It must have been developed by the same city planners who built a beautiful convention center with no underground parking!
Seriously, as a relatively new citizen of Knoxville (moved here from San Diego in 2001), I must admit I'm ignorant of the topography, jurisdictional, and other problems which probably led to that area of town being the way it is. But I do have a great idea for getting rid of the Henley Street problem and connecting the convention center to Market Square and Gay Street.
Why not ignore Henley Street altogether and build at least a two-block-wide terrace-bridge over it? Like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, this terrace-bridge could be solely pedestrian and full of shops and restaurants to lure people out of the convention center and other nearby places to other parts of town. And, so it's used in the cold of winter and heat of summer, most of it could be under glass/acrylic canopies that let people see enough to entice them in.
I'm not an architect or structural engineer, so don't know the practicality of building such a thing. This is just a suggestion of the kind of creative thinking that should replace the old "TDOT wouldn't let us tamper with Henley Street" excuses from the past.
Donna Schall
© 2011 MetroPulse. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Quote:Zip ties are another mounting option. They can hold a Telrad base quite firmly if you can find them long enough to fit round the tube. I have used them on a 5 inch diameter tube to hold a telrad base. You can get black ones about 3/8 inch wide at Lowes.
Quote: Another trick to point the scope at a bright star that is near the object you wantt to observing and make sure the circles read the correct RA and DEC of that star the move the scope to cooridinates of the object you want to observe. - Dave
Quote:Chuck.. That is exactly like my old finder down to the Edmund 1 1/8 EP. Mine was 35mm too but had a metal tube...
Quote:I bought this scope yesterday and someone did have some issues with the Telrad tape.
Quote:I have a feeling what happened the Telrad struck something and was ripped from the tube. The tube covering skin let go rather than the tape. The tube skin was then "grafted" back on with glue, probably between tears and passing in and out of consciousness by someone and it left the Telrad at such an angle that it was not possible to align it with the telescope.
I cut away all the mess and painted the area with a closely matching paint, I will try and sand the fuzzies off and recoat in 24hrs. What a disaster.
Quote:Look at it as more of a "war wound", something to be appreciated in the future. PS, there's always duct tape. Perhaps we will one day find a place in our collective hearts for a good, beater telescope, like many motorcycle enthusiasts have for Rat Bikes.


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Where are you on the scale?
First of all, why do we use the term "Straight." It implies that all others are crooked and living off-road and against the "Straight" and narrow path. Quite condescending.
I am not here to turn anyone out, because there is nothing to turn out. I am here to help you rethink what sexuality really means. First of all, I have a huge issue with LABELS. I don't think we as sophisticated, complex humans should walk around this earth calling each other BLACK, GAY, STRAIGHT, ASIAN, WHITE, FEMINEN, MASCULINE, TOP, BOTTOM...ETC. You catch my drift. Labels limit our truest potential and catapult us into an existence of expectation rather than exploration. We fail to understand the science behind the fact that there is nothing in our DNA that determines something like RACE. Race doesn't exist, (SOCIAL CONSTRUCT) and you know what? Neither does sexual orientation.
|Natural born WHITE? daughter to African fam
You see sexuality is a spectrum, a very long spectrum that goes from MOSTLY SEXUALLY ATTRACTED TO THE OPPOSITE SEX, to the other extreme. But no one is completely straight or gay. Just like no one is completely White or Black; Asian or Latino. To call yourself a WHITE man is very moronic because it implies that your family tree has nothing but white apples up on it when you know good and well apples of all colors stem from the same original tree. It is very divisive and limiting, but frankly pathetic that we CHOOSE to live in a black and white world. A world where we allow the social norms to sway our belief systems....Our world is so diverse and NOTHING is concrete or 100%
Many narrow minded bigots have stood on their soap boxes and proclaimed that homosexuality is "unnatural." Well that is partially true. You see it is rather unnatural to call yourself a homosexual, or heterosexual as neither exist. What does exist is the fact that we as humans are not attracted to the sex of a person, but we are attracted to what the sex of a person represents. Naturally, we as humans are attracted to physical attributes as well as persona...the SWAG of an individual. But that has nothing to do with what turns us on. Many of us don't even know what turns us on. I thought that I was turned on by big biceps and six packs but having been sexual with a few muscle heads, NOT ALL OF THEM CAN ROCK MY BOAT.
women. I then sought out women who were close to a female version of my male fantasy. I asked them to do certain things... (with my eyes closed of course, I will admit that seeing a set of breasts doesn't help my gay ass achieve an erection) ...but I asked them to rub and kiss my neck, I listened to their voice, I felt what was a dildo against my hand and I stood up ready for battle. The same types of studies have been done in labs where so-called straight boys were made to watch gay porn and the sensor that they wore on their Johnny Rockets revealed they were turned on by some aspect of the porn. Doesn't mean they were DOWNLOW, these were actually straight men and the same was done for self-proclaimed gays. What is interesting, is that the common theme is that most of the subjects were turned on in some way by pornography that they would never have looked at. I guess it proves the notion, "don't knock it till' you try it" But there are also situations where straight men recieve blindfolds and think a woman is going down on them but it's a man and they cum full blast. I mean think about it, certain sexual ACTS turn you on and not the SEX of the individual.
|This scale is about BEHAVIOR; It doesn't even note DESIRE
Just close your eyes and let the evil penis in! I beg of you, don't dismiss this as just a clouded bias opinion of a gay man whose been marginalized and thinks the heterosexuals need a wake up call...it's not about that...however I do think fighting for sexuality equality is rather silly when sexuality IS equality. What's equal about all of us is that we ALL JUST WANT TO GET OUR ROCKS OFF! How we achieve that has infinite possibilities. Open your mind. Your G SPOT doesn't know what sex someone is...YES MEN HAVE G SPOTS TOO! May be it's in your ass Mr. Heterosexual...but let that women please you there....then think about how a man could do it as well. Gay men...think about how a woman could please you with that dildo, lights turned low, a very attentive tongue and a very unexpected cum. SIDENOTE: A lot of men, especially Black men, like doing it in the butt, they like phat asses...doesn't that sound like what a lot of GAY TOPS like? What's the difference in a female ass and male ass? And that whole TOP/BOTTOM thing is just as limiting as saying you are GAY. There SHOULD BE MORE TO SEX THAN PENETRATION....and this goes for man on man, woman on woman, woman and man...because if you ask yourself what REALLY turns you on during sex, I gararantee you, it's not the penetration itself. For me it's what leads up to it...the foreplay. Without it, you may as well put your pants back on partner! Now back to your regularly scheduled programming...
If we all expand our horizons and think beyond the borders that are placed on the concentration camps of our sexualities, then we can all get our rocks off EQUALLY. There would be no more debates and hate crimes. Never apologize for getting your rocks off no matter who helps you get there. We are only in this world once, so why not explore every facet of your sexual being. Women have never had to rely on a mans penis to achieve an orgasm; sex toys prove that it's not about the SEX of the individual that makes you ERUPT, it is the specific sexual attention on certain areas of your body...the unexpected and the voyage of exploration. Stop living your life EXPECTING, start EXPLORING the UNEXPECTED. Stop labeling yourself and start INVENTING yourself. When you do that, HE OR SHE WILL THINK YOU INVENTED SEX!!! #TreySongz Happy Cumming People! Much love


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By Andrew Gans
12 Jun 2013
|Photo by Joseph Marzullo/WENN
Broadway's Johanna Day, who was Tony-nominated for her performance in Proof, stars as Margie Walsh. She is joined by R. Ward Duffy as her ex-boyfriend Mike and Tony nominee Amelia Campbell as Jean. Rounding out the cast are Joy Hooper, Jane Ridley and Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton.
Robert W. Schneider directs.
Good People, according to press notes, "is set in South Boston, where this month's paycheck covers last month's bills, bingo is a night on the town, and sharp-tongued single-mom Margie Walsh has just been let go from yet another job. Scrambling to make ends meet, she looks up an old flame, hoping he'll help her make a fresh start in this humor-filled drama from Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire about how twists of fate determine our path."
For additional show information visit theatre.psu.edu. Tickets are available by calling (814) 863-0255 or (800) ARTS-TIX.


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By Nathan Hutchinson
Register Sports Editor
A match-up against NAIA Division II Cincinnati Christian in Friday's season opener at McBrayer Arena provided the Colonels with a perfect opportunity to showcase their new-look line-up.
And the result was pretty impressive.
With two newcomers in the starting lineup, EKU looked sharp from the start. The Colonels scored the first 16 points of the game, got 20 points from junior transfer Glen Cosey and rolled to a 89-56 victory.
"I think we did really well," EKU senior point guard Mike DiNunno said. "We had a really productive preseason. I would say out of the three years that I've been here (it was the productive). We've come (into the season) with a lot more cohesiveness."
The Colonels didn't play any preseason games this year. They did take part in two unofficial, closed-door scrimmages where statistics are not kept, but this was first chance for this group to play together in a completely competitive environment.
And for a team with six new players and only two starters back from last year, the result was very positive.
"This is the first time our guys have really and truly had a chance to compete to win," EKU coach Jeff Neubauer said. "Our only goal coming into tonight was to win this basketball game. Defensively, I was really proud of our effort."
Deverin Muff, a redshirt sophomore who missed all of last season because of an injury, started the Colonels big early run.
He connected on a pair of fall-away jumpers in the opening minute that put EKU up 4-0.
"That was huge for him," DiNunno said of Muff. "He came here as a freshman and went from starter to redshirt. That's the path he's taken. There hasn't been a Deverin sighting in almost two years."
A few minutes later, back-to-back threes by Corey Walden and Jeff Johnson gave the Colonels a 16-0 lead.
The Colonels used 10 players, including four newcomers — Cosey, Tarius Johnson, Corey Walden and Marcus Lewis — in the first half. EKU shot 65 percent (20-of-31) and hit seven three-pointers and took a 49-25 lead into halftime. Cosey had 11 points in the opening half as eight Colonels scored.
Cincinnati Christian had 15 turnovers in the first half and attempted just 17 field goals. The Eagles were only six-of-12 from the line as well.
EKU's lead expanded to 36 points early in the second half.
Cosey played 29 minutes and was 7-of-9 from the field and six-of-seven from the free throw line. He also had four rebounds and two assists.
"It was real good for Glenn to get it going," Neubauer said. "He has been a great addition to our program. He made good decisions tonight."
Eric Stutz had 11 points, while DiNunno and Johnson had 10 points each.
The Colonels shot just 41 percent in the second half, but finished at 53 percent for the game. EKU was 14-of-30 from three-point range and forced 24 turnovers.
The Colonels (1-0) are set to return to action Friday at home against Kennesaw State.


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Land O' Lakes homes sales are up, and that has buyers and sellers moving quickly.
"This time last year, there was a year's supply of homes on the market.There is only a two-a-half month supply now. Properties priced right, especially under $200,000, will have a heavy volume of viewings immediately upon being listed," Realtor Rene Van Hout of F.R.O.G. Realty Pros said.
Many Realtors are hosting open houses the first few days after a home is listed, in order to accomodate the large number of showings, she said. Usually those properties will have multiple offers within days of going on the market.
Home sales were up 12 percent nationally in January, the highest increase since 2005, Van Hout said.
Pasco County's statistics showed an 8 percent increase in January over the same month last year, she said.
"The average sales price increased by 5 percent to $113,831 when compared to January 2012, " Van Hout said. "The median sales prices increased by 11 percent from 2013, and market times decreased by 18 percent, or 33 days."
According to Van Hout, mortgage rates are to thank for the boom in business.
"Mortgage rates are still incredibly low, but are starting to rise, which has buyers motivated," she said.
Pasco County Homes Sold Average Sales Price Median Sales Price Average Market Times January 2013 611 $113,831
154 January 2012 562 $107,776