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best friends more like sisters ... worlds apart and still best friends, trust me you never no how much you love someone untill their gone, the last 2 years have proved our friendship and proved to us that we're guna be sugar lump and coffee bean forever!
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- well i've know this kid for like ever and she's still my bummer ! i love her to bits shes my rock and i wouldn't be able to live witout her ! she knows me like no1 else does and i'll always love her ! in our years of friendship we havent fallen out once! thats reall friendshipp ppl!
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and i didnt feel too well this mrni feeling a little better now tho! its was good wasnt it and neither do i i luk dredful on em all (N) x
Lewis Clarke11/10/08
hiyha you okai wuu2 where in leeds u frm
Mae Hatley11/10/08 via Mobile
hey sweetie I was going through peoples profiles, and i think you are an interesting guy, and hot too. I was doing a lil cam show for my friends gettin naughty, hit me up on MSN my names firstname.lastname@example.com bye bye
The One J -Y11/4/08
Nw then.... Long time no speak. U Ok?? U not talkin t me anymor?? W/B Young Josh. XxXx
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[10:43:56] Bebo Mobile timestamp -- Hiya! I am messaging you from the Fall Out Boy Official group of which you are a member of. Just thought that you might like to know that there's a competition going on now to win 2 tickets to watch FOB live in concert. For more information, you can check out avenue7.com. Do wb if you have any questions!
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u Seriousley Have Fuked Off somewher And Not Told Me No Text No Phone Call Off My Bestist Friend Im Ashamed Missus Love you xxx
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Pool Bar
Signature Dishes
Gado- Gado
Assorted steamed vegetables, potatoes, peanut sauce, tofu, quail eggs, melinjo crackers.
Chicken Satay Lilit
Balinese marinated minced chicken on coconut skewer.
The Lava Lamp
Champagne, infused with strawberry and ginger caviar.
Banyan Tree Club Sandwich 120
Back Bacon, Tomato, Gruyere, Egg, Smoked Chicken, Grilled Vegetable

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Cleveland Browns' running back Trent Richardson left Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos with an apparent leg injury.
On the last play of Sunday's loss to the Broncos, Trent Richardson sustained a leg injury and left the field on a cart. There is currently no update on his status. It was an unfortunate end to a day that started with some celebration, as Richardson broke Jim Brown's rookie record for most rushing yards by a Browns' rookie.
Pat Shurmur's decision to leave the rookie in with his team losing by more than twenty will likely come under scrutity. The third overall pick in the 2012 draft has sustained a variety of injuries his rookie season, including a rib injury he had just been recoving from prior to Sunday's game.
If Trent Richardson is unable to play next week the Browns will lean on backup Montario Hardesty. With 234 rushing yards on the season, the drop in production is dramatic.


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Frontier Airlines
Frontier Airlines now flying out of Dulles Airport
Airline pilot orders pizza for passengers stuck on tarmac
Faced with potentially hungry - and grumpy - passengers, a Frontier Airlines pilot treated them to pizza when storms diverted a Denver-bound flight to Cheyenne, where the plane was stuck for a couple of hours.
DAYBREAK DAILY: UR basketball staff grapples with balloon-crash aftermath
Associate head coach Ginny Doyle and operations director Natalie Lewis were killed last weekend.
Frontier Airlines Dulles service will begin in August
Frontier Airlines will begin flying to and from Dulles International Airport to 14 destinations including Chicago, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando.
Frontier Airlines to charge for drinks, carry-on bagsComment
Frontier Airlines is the latest carrier to slap extra fees on such in-flight comforts as coffee and soda, along with a new fee for carry-on bags.
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The Queen Latifah Show Weekdays at 4pm on ABC7!Watch "The Queen Latifah Show" weekdays at 4pm followed by Leon Harris and Alison Starling on ABC7 News at 5. Click here to find out more about "The Queen Latifah Show!"


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EOTech OPMOD EXPS2 Holographic Sights - Limited Edition Red Dot Sights
Sights include a CR123 battery and come with a hard carrying case. OPMOD EXPS2-2OP-KIT1: EoTech ... with iron sights. OPMOD EXSPS-2 L3 Eotech red dot scopes (EXPS stands for Extreme-XPS HWS) feature easily ... optics Color/Finish: Non reflective black with hard coat finish Adjustment (per click): 0.5 MOA ... with a simple O-ring and tethered cap that achieves a better watertight seal. Battery compartment is now...
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Tamara's Professional Body Sugaring
Tamara's Professional Body Sugaring shares her journey with us. How her first facial at 42 brought her to teaching other professionals and having her very own company.
Sugaring Spas and Salons
Do you have a sugar spa or salon that specializes in sugaring? Are you looking for a professional in your area? Find and list these salons and spas.
Sensitive Skin Hair Removal
What method to avoid and which ones to choose, including how to minimize side effects or options for sensitive skin.
Do You Have Any Homemade Hair Removal Recipes?
Our homemade hair removal recipe costs you under $2, is all natural and uses ingredients you probably already have at home.
How To Use Sugar Gel for Hair Removal
Body and facial sugaring is easy with our easy step-by-step using our guide.
How To Sugar
We show you how to sugar at home using the traditional method with an all-natural paste. No strips or applicators needed!
Sugar Hair Removers
Sugar hair removers, whether in the paste or gel form, are becoming a very popular choice over waxing because they're gentler to the skin and made of natural ingredients. Learn how to make your own sugar paste at home, read our reviews of products on the market and our experience going to the pro
Sugaring Hair Removal Recipe
Our sugaring hair removal recipe costs only dollars to make with all natural ingredients. Sugaring is gentler to the skin and less painful than waxing.
Sugar Wax Vs Sugar Paste
There's a lot of confusion on sugaring. Sugar wax could mean a sugaring gel or simply a wax mixed with some sugar (not really sugaring.) Sugaring paste is the real, ancient hair removal method. Learn about the differences using these two different products.
Waxing Vs Sugaring
Waxing versus sugaring, arent they the same? Discover why even the people that cringe at the thought of the tiniest bit of discomfort are saying, Pour some sugar on me.
See a Body Sugaring
How a professional body sugaring is performed at the spa.
Sugaring 101
Learn how sugaring works, pros, cons & prices. Will sugaring be a sweet hair removal method for you?
Clean or Dirty? Signs to Look For at the Salon or Spa
How does your salon measure up? The signs to let you know if you should you stay or run the other way.
Body Sugaring Hair Removal: Expert Interview
Jenn Webdale is a body sugaring hair removal expert at and trained using Alexandria sugaring products. She fills us in on switching from wax to sugar, mastering the technique and why her clients love sugaring.


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Well, Happy Late Summer! I'm a cold weather person, so I really have to clamp my hand over my mouth when everyone starts to moan about the absense of billion degree temps, the fried grass and burning asphalt going the way of the migrating Canadian Geese. SEE YA! ...yeah, Bye Bye. Don't rush back on MY account. Okay, we're not there yet, so I'll just sit in front of my keyboard and tell you which videos to watch. Which music to buy. You can count on me to keep you somewhat caught up. Not TOTALLY caught up. That's too much pressure. Oh, and please, leave a comment with YOUR additions if you feel like it. If not, that's fine too. We're all just relaxing over here......
First movie rec? THIS ONE. I LOVED it. you will too: DREW; THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER.
Next?.....You're gonna have to trust me on this one: BIRDERS: THE CENTRAL PARK EFFECT.
I know, I thought the same thing...."who cares?"....but I have to say that I was pretty drawn in by the story and the well chosen participants - bird geeks, yes, but also award winning novelists and overall intersting people. I already loved Central Park, but now I wish that I could go back with a really good camera lens. Would I document every bird that I observed in an immaculate, numeric way? hahahahaha: NO, BUT I might enjoy knowing what the Hell I'm seeing, and then sketching it later.
NEXT?...oh, I LOVE this guy. You will too. Check out A TOUCH OF GREATNESS
I'm just gonna copy the description and tell you that this teacher should have written the HandBook on HOW TO MAKE SCHOOL FUN FOR EVERYONE. You'll walk away from this one with faith in humanity and the need to change what the majority of schools (not ALL) are doing NOW. Here, look:
When he became a teacher in the 1940s, Albert Cullum realized something was lacking in his classes and decided to stray from the by-the-book, discipline-heavy style favored by his colleagues, instead using poetry and drama to put life and emotion into his teaching. This documentary from Leslie Sullivan (produced by Catherine Gund) depicts a man who challenged traditional teaching methods and proved that creativity has a place in every classroom.
Taking notes?...Good.
...and NOW....we have a close look at photographer Sally Mann. I remember when Sally took those nude photos of her kids back in the 90's and people went nuts. Some people loved them, some people barked about child porn (which is clearly NOT what she was up to). The movie isn't about THAT, but have a look at a truly artful life. She's in her early 60's now, kids grown, and like all artists, going full tilt towards new technique and glory. Yes indeed Sally. You're the S**t.
Had enough? Too bad. We're on to Music now. I recommend these 2 discs (or downloads) for pretty much anything. Road trips, while you're hanging in your castle or hovel or cubicle. Play these in your studio, workshop or in the background at a party. Slap in the earbuds at an airport and say "Adios" to the din. I swear, when I was shooting through the last hundred decades of my life, we'd have a favorite radio station or two. They'd play stuff, we'd go "YES!" or "Ew" and know that we were being exposed to everything. Now it's trickier, like having 600 cable channels so you miss the good stuff because YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT WAS ON!.....this is why I count on you readers and my friends to command me to hear, see and read stuff. That's why YOU'RE Here. So:
Remember the movie soundtrack from GARDEN STATE? OMG, if you don't, go buy it now. well, Zac Braff (I have no idea if that's his name) is back with another movie and another well chosen compilation for WISH I WAS HERE. Have you seen the movie yet? I haven't. Wait, I don't think it's out yet. I grabbed the disc on impulse and it's great.
Last, but marvelous is a piece from Kishi Bashi. He does music for commercials and TV. No, don't scrunch up your nose like that. You can test drive it on Amazon!...okay, there's ONE song that's kinda spoken poetry that I Express-Pass-FORWARD through. It's stupid. The rest is SO good. It's called LIGHGHT (not a typo).
Okay Readers. So there ya go. 4 movies and 2 pieces of music. Remember to leave your bright ideas in the comments or just go there to read other peoples good stuff. I'll be back with something totally different. Happy Late Summer!


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People don't want to go to gym because of many reasons. Some finds it difficult to restrict some of the time from their daily timetable while some others cannot afford it. Whatever the reason is, they are not getting proper exercise for their body. These people are afraid that they are not going to stay fit, but fortunately there are ways to stay fit without going to gym.
Steps to be followed
Drink better quality water: "drink more water" is the common suggestion everyone gets if they pay a visit to a doctor or a nutritionist. Drinking five to six liters of water a day is not a big deal for people but, the reason why they discontinue following this step because people fall sick because of the impurities in water. Almost 3/4th of our body is covered by water and so invest some money in providing better quality water to your body.
Eat well: it is recommended to stay away from the things that add more fat to your body. Eat food that you like most and in regular intervals. Do not starve yourself, thinking that it might consume some fat in your body. In fact it increases the fat because the metabolism rate decreases and the body stores more food you consumed earlier as fat for future purpose. So, eat the food of your wish, maintain consistency and moderation.
Sleep tight and avoid television: every person should get enough sleep every day because it relaxes the body. It rejuvenates the cells, increases the rate of healing, energizes your body and make yourself ready for a fresh day. In order to stay fit people should avoid watching television as much as possible. It is scientifically proven that watching television continuously drops the rate of metabolism which in turn allows your body to store more fat. This is not a welcomed sign. It is also recommended not to sleep near a television set because it will creates toxic substances in our body which will affect the functioning of the organs more negatively.
Improve your knowledge: firstly, know the type of your body, then know about the history of your family health conditions. This will allow you to choose food that suits your body well. Never follow a restricted diet plan, this will affect the metabolism activities and in turn results in gaining body weight. Visualize yourself that you are staying fit. This will show a positive impact on the brain and makes it function accordingly.
Restrict some time in your day for these activities: better keep a pet, it will need some walk everyday which forces you to walk with it. Walking is the most important thing which helps in decreasing the abdominal fat. Restrict sometime of your day for recreational activities. Do the things you likes the most and keep your brain healthy and alive. Healthy brain leads to healthy body.
A person can restrict his own body from building up extra fat and can keep him fit if these steps are followed without fail. Invest some minor amounts if needed, restrict some time because everything comes after staying ourselves healthy.


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Categories > Anime/Manga > Yami no Matsuei > Rapture Like Blood
Sharon Kimoto0 Reviews
Tsuzuki and Hisoka go to Kobe to interigate Sharon Kimoto.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Sharon Kimoto:
Kobe, Japan. Tsuzuki rang the door bell. He and Hisoka looked at their surroundings as they waited. The yard looked well-kept. Leaves were piled up in the corner. Most of the benches covered for the winter. Even the yellowing grass looked neatly trimmed. The boys turned forward when they heard the door open. A woman stood before them, blinking. She looked to be about thirty-nine to forty. Her white-blond hair was pinned back into a bun. Judging by the duster in her hand, she had been doing housework when the door bell rang.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"We're looking for Sharon Kimoto," Tsuzuki spoke up. "Are you she?"
"Yes," the woman answered. "Why?"
"We need to ask you a couple of questions," Hisoka said. "Mind if we come in?" Sharon nodded once.
"No, go ahead," she said.
"Thank you," Tsuzuki said with a bow. All three went inside. Sharon closed the door behind them.
The house looked like a picture out of a magazine. Everything neat and put away. Not a single speck of dirt in sight. The Shinigami had an icy feeling come over them.
"Nice place you have," Tsuzuki spoke up.
"Thanks," Sharon replied. "My husband bought this place." She turned to them.
"What did you want to ask me?" she asked. Hisoka stepped forward.
"It's about your husband," he said. Sharon stayed quiet for a minute.
"Okay, what about him?" she asked.
"What is he like?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Well," she said, thinking. "We don't talk much. He is a good man."
"Well, he provides for us."
"Our daughter, Victoria, and myself."
Sharon pressed her hands together. "Want any tea?"
"Sure," the boys said. She went into the kitchen and got the tea. The boys took a sip when they received their cups.
"This is good," Hisoka said. Sharon smiled at them.
"Really? Thanks," she said.
"What else about your husband?" Tsuzuki asked. Sharon lowered her cup.
"Like what?" she asked. Tsuzuki shrugged at her.
"Anything, really," he said. Sharon lowered her head.
"I don't know," she lied.
"You don't know?" Tsuzuki asked. Her hands began to tremble.
"I don't know."
"Are you sure?"
"I told you, I don't know," she lied. Hisoka sensed her shame and guilt flowing through him. She's hiding something/, he thought. /She knows more than she's letting on.
"Listen," he cut in. "It's okay; you can tell us."
"Is he abusive?" Tsuzuki asked. Sharon shook her head.
"No, no, no," she murmured.
"Does he cheat on you?"
"Is he involved in any crimes?"
"You know, like kidnapping? Arson? Rape? Murder?"
Sharon's hands gripped her cup. "I want you to leave."
"Sorry?" Tsuzuki asked. Sharon lifted her head.
"I want you to leave!" she repeated. Tsuzuki was about to speak when Hisoka stopped him. His partner gave him a puzzled look.
"Hisoka?" he asked. The boy rose to his feet.
"We are so sorry to intrude," he said. "Thank you for your time."
"Get out," the woman hissed. The Shinigami got up and departed. Sharon gave out a hard breath.
"We almost had her!" Tsuzuki complained outside. "Why did you stop me?"
"You're turning this personal," his partner said.
"I am not!" the older man snapped.
"Yes, you are!" Hisoka barked. Both men went silent. The boy took another moment.
"Now," he said. "I've got all the information we need on her." Tsuzuki gave him a surprised look.
"You what? When? What?" he asked. Hisoka held up his hand and shushed him.
"I'll tell you when we get back to Ju-Oh-Cho. Okay?" he answered. Tsuzuki frowned.
"Fine," he pouted.
"Very good," his partner replied. Both Shinigami vanished to Meifu.
In the window of the house, a teenage girl watched him with her face pressed up against the glass.
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Recent Posts
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- Civil War Emancipation – Donald R. Shaffer
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Category Archives: Slavery and Emancipation
Resisting Emancipation in Washington, D.C. – Donald Shaffer
One of my favorite CW blogs is Donald Shaffer's "Civil War Emancipation." What I like about his blog is that his posts about the war parallel the current date. Today he writes about emancipation in Washington, D.C.: "As March ended … Continue reading
Hunter Wallace – The Persistence of Racism, cont.
Update 3/21: I have reconsidered my decisison to not post comments from the crowd at "Occidental Dissent," and decided that they reveal themselves through their words, and so will decide on a case by case basis whether or not to … Continue reading
Posted in Slavery and Emancipation Tagged Racism 5 Comments
Erastus Hopkins Walking Tour in Northampton
These walking tours are great events, and Steve Strimer does an excellent job of tying local history to national events/history.
The Persistence of Racism
**Update 3/20 To all the racist trolls from "Occidental Dissent," I will no longer approve your uninformed racist comments/rants, so please stop posting them. My apologies to my other followers/readers for having to put up with that garbage. While contemporary … Continue reading
Posted in Slavery and Emancipation 24 Comments
Methods of Emancipation – Donald Shaffer
Donald Shaffer, on his blog "Civil War Emancipation" argues that by 1862 the debate in the North was no longer over whether to free the slaves, but how to do so. Various suggestions included, gradual emancipation with compensation for slaveowners … Continue reading
Donald Shaffer's Most Recent Post on Civil War Emancipation
« Lincoln Doubles Down Outlawing Army Slave Catching March 13, 2012 by Donald R. Shaffer One of the most consistently contentious issues during the first year of the Civil War was the relationship of the Union army with fugitive slaves. … Continue reading
Tony Horowitz on John Brown at Harpers Ferry
Tony Horwitz Public Reading Tuesday, March 13, 2012 • 4:00 pm Student Union • Cape Cod Lounge UMass Amherst Campus Handicap access available Directions & Parking Free Admission Contact: History Department, email@example.com, (413) 515-1330 Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Horwitz gives … Continue reading
Remembering Western Massachusetts Civil Rights Advocates on this MLK Day
Western Massaschusetts has had a storied history of many civil rights and anti-slavery activists, including Soujourner Truth, David Ruggles, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass. All of these civil rights activists should be remembered and honored on this MLK Day.
Posted in Slavery and Emancipation 3 Comments
Fear of Slave Revolts and Secession
http://cwemancipation.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/fear-versus-fact http://cwemancipation.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/fear-versus-fact/ Donald Schaffer discusses the Southern fears that Lincoln's election would lead to widespread slave revolts, and that this was a major factor behind the initial wave of secession.
Bruce Laurie Talk on Northampton Abolitionists
When:Monday, December 12, 2011 Time: 7:00pm until 9:00pm Where Neilson Library, Browsing Room, Smith College. Description 7 P.M. MONDAY, DEC 12, 2011. BRUCE LAURIE TALKA talk on current research and writing on abolition era Northampton by Bruce Laurie, emeritus professor of history at … Continue reading


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, Tweeted out to the world that she got a ring from her Australian boyfriend—"" star Miley is 19, Liam is 22.
The young couple met on the set of "The Last Song" and have been dating on and off for the last three years and have been living in a house in the Studio City hills. She also still is co-owner of the complex in Toluca Lake where her parents live.
thank you for all the love today :) I'm happy to share this news with you all. I feel like all my dreams are coming true. ❤ have a great day
6 Jun 12
Some of the details are at the latest People. At the moment Miley is working on a new album, Liam is working on the movie Empire State and Paranoia as well as the next Hunger Games.
Congrats Miley!


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There I was, watching a segment of ABC's Lateline about a rogue Geoengineering project that sought to sprinkle iron dust in to the Pacific Ocean in order to rejuvenate marine life, and then by extension, tackle the effects of climate change. I was astounded by this story for two reasons. The first is the idea that you could sprinkle a bit of dust in to the ocean and everything gets magically repaired. What are the long term consequences? Isn't it a bit fanciful that this fancy iron fairy dust can magically repair our ecosystem? The second idea is how could a group of scientists conduct this project without any official sanction? Who would let them do this, and, get away with it? And perhaps the broader question is, why did it take a rogue project instead of a government to highlight the potential benefits of Geoengineering?
Ultimately the scientists involved in this rogue science project yielded some interesting results worthy of further study, and certainly Geoengineering may be a partial solution to how we deal with environmental issues. But the underlying question I asked myself was, if it's reached the stage where we have to geoengineer our own planet to keep it habitable, doesn't that underscore how badly we were treating the environment in the first place? Shouldn't we be looking at that larger problem rather than this type of quick-fix solution?
Dealing with climate change has been a diabolically difficult political problem for governments all around the world. Climate change itself is difficult to explain to a populace who need a more simple explanation. Elements of the populace with their own political agendas have also stepped in and tried to hijack the debate to suit their own purposes, whether it is to frighten us in to action or to try and keep the status quo. Throw all this together, and include the increasing difficulty for nations to agree on appropriate action, and it is surprising that we have had any action taken at all so far. As we move forward in this environment, no pun intended, we shouldn't hold our breath for large scale action.
That is not to say that the promise of Geoengineering isn't worth pursuing. If the findings of this rogue project are anything to go by, the iron dust was able to do wonders in the ocean. And this iron fertilisation is just the beginning; there all sorts of other options from solar radiation management to carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere to heat removal from the oceans.
Although promising, Geoengineering can only be a supplemental solution to the problem that must work alongside options to mitigate global warming. After all, none of these options address the underlying causes of the problem. Geoengineering is a way to stave off the effects of climate change while longer term solutions can be implemented. In this respect it could be very useful.
Perhaps the final point I'd like to make is that it shouldn't have been left up to a group of scientists who went out with their own rogue project to start calling attention to other possible solutions to the problems we are facing with climate change. Governments around the world should be taking charge of this problem and finding appropriate solutions. If they can't provide leadership on this issue, then we as citizens need to remind them of their responsibilities, whether it be through protest or at the ballot box.
Watch FiST Chat 95: Geoengineering With Iron Dust for more on this topic.


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In high school, students' schedules are carefully organized by staff members. When they turn 22, they leave high school and, without any transition, have to start working and taking care of themselves, Franklin schools special education director Mindy Staton said.
The students are ready to move beyond high school but still need some preparation for living independently, she said. In the college program, they'll be more independent while still having guidance from program coordinators and teachers. Students will be in charge of getting themselves to class and work and filling their time between classes and work. The responsibility will help students prepare for when they leave school and have to manage their own time and schedules.
Program coordinators are trying to set up a way for students studying education at the college to mentor students in the program.
The program offers a valuable next step for these students as they move from the structured world of school to the much-less-structured real world. We commend the college and Special Services Johnson County. The program has the promise of filling a gap in these students' lives and will help them become more productive members of the community.
— Daily Journal, Franklin


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Calvary Church begins search for new leader
In the wake of the sudden, dramatic resignation of a popular leader, one of the area's largest churches is in a position it has been in only once before: looking for a new senior pastor.
Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village, where about 4,000 people attend weekend services, is beginning to plan its search for a replacement for the Rev. Brad Johnson. The 47-year-old pastor shocked the evangelical congregation two weeks ago by announcing that he was resigning because of the pressures of ministry, personal issues and his own concerns that he was struggling as a leader.
"As never before in my ministry, I've been wrestling with discouragement, disillusionment and emotional fatigue," Johnson told the congregation in a Sunday service as part of a long, emotional statement now posted on the church Web site. He didn't respond to requests for an interview.
Now leaders are beginning to plan a process that will likely draw several hundred applicants interested in leading a church that began 31 years ago with half a dozen families who at one point met in a restaurant called the Hungry Tiger. The church is now known for its many ministries that range from Bible study and classes that help people making career transitions to missions in places like Afghanistan and Sudan. It is located just off Highway 101 on an 18-acre site featuring a 2,850-seat auditorium.
The church was led for its first 26 years by founding pastor Larry DeWitt, who remains a member.
DeWitt left as senior pastor about five years ago to start a new ministry that takes him across the country.
An extensive search for his replacement ended with the hiring of Johnson, who came from an Orange County church with a reputation of using humor and stories to deliver a biblical message.
Rick Fuselier, chairman of the church's elder board, said the search for a senior pastor could take from months to a couple of years.
"It's huge," he said of the importance, adding that church leaders believe that they'll have help on the final decision.
"We are saddened by the loss of Brad, but we're absolutely confident that God has placed a call already, and we're going to go through a discovery process."
Some members and observers believe that Johnson's resignation will push a few people in the congregation to other churches.
"It's inevitable that people will leave, but it's my hope that they don't leave out of anger but consider their church as a family kind of thing," said the Rev. Doug Posey, a former associate pastor at Calvary who now leads his own church in Newbury Park.
People outside the church Tuesday night said they'll miss Johnson's sermons but have no thought of leaving.
Michael Guzzardo called Johnson the best stand-up pastor in the country.
"The church is not a pastor. The church is not a building. The church is a team," Guzzardo said, then pointing a finger at a Calvary office. "We're not working for him. We're working for Him."
Johnson met with church members in a Sunday reception a week after his resignation announcement.
He plans to spend time with his family and figure out the next steps in his life.
He's written a book about faith scheduled to be published in the next several months and plans to accept occasional speaking engagements.
The Rev. Steve Larson, leader of Evangelical Free Church of the Conejo Valley, said he was surprised that his friend was resigning.
But he's not surprised that pressure was given as one of the reasons.
"There's a lot of guys feeling like it's just not worth the pressure," he said. "I see a lot of guys struggling with the pressure of having to lead the flock."
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Redwoods National Park - The Redwoods National Park in California served as the forest moon of Endor in the Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. The ground portion of the Battke of Endor was shot at the park. The famous speeder bike chase to destroy the Death Star shield generator was shot at this very park. Star Wars fans should visit the Grizzly Creek and the Avenues of the Giants highways. Here they will find several landmarks from the original movie.
Lake Como, Italy - In the Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala gets married at the mansion Villa del Balbianello in Lake Como, Italy. The same place was also used in the last scene of the James Bond Movie - Casino Royale.
Finse, Norway - In the Hardangerjokulen Glacier of Norway, the famous icy waste of planet Hoth was shot. Finse is very remote place in Norway and it is little famous among the skiers. The accommodation facilities are also very limited here.
Sidi Driss - This small underground hotel in Matmata, Tunisia served as the home of Lule Skywalker on the Tatooine planet in the Star Wars trilogy. The sci fi caves shown in the movie were real locations in the town of Matmata, Tunisia.
Seville, Spain - Plaza de Espana in the Seville city of Spain was shown in the movie Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, when Senator Amidala returns to her home planet Naboo. Today this building serves as the government offices. Some scenes from the movie Lawrence of Arabia were also fimed at the Plaza de Espana.
tags: Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker, Redwoods National Park, Endor, Lake Como, Padme Amidala, Hotel Sidi Driss, Matmata, Tunisia, Seville, Spain


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Police in Cheshire said they were investigating reports of an incident involving a pedestrian and a truck Friday morning.
Police said the incident was reported around 7 a.m. on West Main Street near the intersection of Rumberg Road.
The pedestrian suffered serious life-threatening injuries and was taken to St. Mary's Hospital where the person is listed in critical condition. The truck driver was not injured.
The pedestrian is not being identified by police at this time.
The road was closed between Willow Street and Main Street, and motorists were asked to avoid the area so emergency officials could investigate.
The road has since reopened.
The crash is under investigation by police.
Copyright 2012 WFSB (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


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Steam is beginning to build around Warner Bros. remake of the classic anime "Akira" with some interesting names being thrown around. But first a quick history recap: In February of this year, directing duo Allen and Albert Hughes were brought on to direct the film and this summer, Albert Torres ("Henry Poole Is Here") was hired to pen a new draft of the script with a due date of September. The project will be a two-film, PG-13 adaptation of the manga with the Hughes Brothers currently only on board for the first section which will bring books 1-3 of the series to the big screen. And it now looks like all systems are go as casting is tentatively beginning on the film.
Late last week /Film perused some tracking boards and discovered that Zac Efron was being offered the lead role of Shotaro Kaneda (a name that is sure to be changed unless WB plans for the part to be played with Mickey Rooney offensiveness) while Bloody Digusting has revealed that Morgan Freeman is circling the role of the Colonel. We shouldn't have to say this, but this is probably very early, very preliminary so don't be surprised if neither of those names stick.
If you're still in the dark as to why the geek set are flipping out about this, "Akira" is based on a treasured manga that was turned into a mind-bending 1988 film by
Shotaro Kaneda Katsuhiro Ôtomo that developed a cult following. A Hollywood remake has been in development for years and fans have always been wary of a watered-down blockbuster take on the material, hence furor in some circles regarding Efron's name being tossed in the ring.
At any rate, it's very early days on the project and we're sure more names will crop up in the ensuing weeks, but if anything, it certainly seems like development is moving forward to get this in front of cameras next year.
Erik McClanahan | November 9, 2010 9:04 AM
Thanks Jonny for letting us know. It's been changed.
Jonny Ashley | November 9, 2010 7:35 AM
**"Akira" is based on a treasured manga that was turned into a mind-bending 1988 film by Shotaro Kaneda
The director's name is Katsuhiro Otomo, who also created the manga. Kaneda is the name of the character from the book. I don't know if this was just awkward wording or a mistake.
K | November 8, 2010 7:09 AM
Where is God and why isn't He stopping this?


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Baseball is the national past time and the Clinton LumberKings are in the national spotlight. A new book "Class A: Baseball In The Middle of Everywhere" spotlights the teams 2010 season.
"There's such a tradition of baseball and the team has been in the Midwest league forever," says author Lucas Mann.
The city has had a baseball team since the 1950's. It's one of the reasons author Lucas Mann decided to focus his book on the Clinton LumberKings.
"It's the chronicle of the 2010 season of the Clinton LumberKings and it goes beyond that," adds Mann.
The author embedded himself with the team while writing "Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere". Mann spent time and talked with players and coaches. He also became part of the LumberKings community.
"It was just sort of amazing to be around people who had season tickets for decades, who see each other at the games all the time," says Mann, "They have this long tradition of rooting for the team and all these memories attached to the place."
LumberKings management say the idea for the book was all Mann's.
"He came up with the idea," says General Manger of the LumberKings Baseball Club Ted Tornow, "He stepped into my office one day and said, "Here's my thought and here's what I want to do. Can you help me make my dream come true?"
The team got permission from its major league affiliate the Seattle Mariners.
"I said are you sure you want to do this, why us?" adds Tornow, "He said, "Well, you pretty much capture the essence of what minor league baseball is all about,"
Part of the essence Mann writes about in his book is the stadium which was built in the 1930's.
"It's right on the Mississippi River and when the team did a renovation of the stadium it didn't add bells and whistles," says Mann, "They seemed to really recognize that there's a really wonderful quality for people."
For the LumberKings having a book about the team is a homerun.
"It's huge. You know we're a little city of 27,000 people and probably the smallest market in all of professional baseball," says Turnow, "To have a book is publicity you can't buy."
805 Brady Street, Davenport, IA 52803
Telephone: 563.383.7000
Fax: 563.383.7131
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com


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D-backs' 2013 Opening Day Roster
By Arizona Sports
Originally published: Mar 31, 2013 - 12:44 pm
Originally published: Mar 31, 2013 - 12:44 pm
Attention ArizonaSports.com Comment Users: We have recently changed our comments boards.We would like you to be part of the conversation with all fans of Arizona sports teams by logging in with your Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Disqus account. Existing Arizona Sports (KTAR) account members will need to create a Disqus account or use one of the aforementioned social media logins. Thank you.


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Routes Sorted
L to R R to L Alpha
Begin on the starting jug of prototype, and move up and left onto a crimp and a 2 finger pocket. Make a technical move up to more crimps to pull the lip. Ten feet of 5.9 climbing and then a great sequence of small 2 finger pockets and dishes gets you to the anchors.
This route is immediately left of Prototype
4 or 5 bolts with quickclips at the rap anchors.. Use the first bolt of Prototype to protect the start.


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News & Information
August 20, 2012
TV One & Longtime Distributor Apple Producoes form TV One Brazil
Apple Producoes and TV One team up to form TV One Brazil
Erlanger, KY , August 20, 2012— TV One, a leading designer and manufacturer of cutting-edge video and multimedia processing equipment, partners up with Apple Producoes, by signing a master distributor agreement, to form TV One Brazil.
Apple Producoes, a long-time distributor of TV One products, is a very well-known and renowned company in the Live Events / Corporative Market in Brazil. It was founded in 1986, just over 25 years ago in San Pablo. Today, Apple Producoes covers and advises most events and national and international shows presented in the city of Sao Paulo, the largest and busiest city in Brazil.
Due to Apple Producoes enormous success in Brazil and TV One's increasing growth, the decision to form TV One Brazil was the perfect solution. This master distributor agreement allows the strengthened presence of TV One products in Brazil, with consequent benefits for customers, in terms of peace of mind with Technical Support, Maintenance and product availability.
Mr. Aleksander Gama (Partner Ownership of Pinheiro-Gama Equipamentos Eletronicos Ltda, and seed of the future TV ONE Brazil) expressed facing the imminent signing of the agreement: "We are very happy and excited about this opportunity we're getting. Because not only is it the fruit of the hard work we have been doing in Brazil in recent years, but because we believe that given the global events that will be in Brazil in the next 4 years (World Soccer cup Brazil 2014 and the Olympic Games in Rio 2016) will be crucial to our growth and the consolidation of TV One products, both in Brazil and the rest of Latin America."
Dan Gibson, Vice President of TV One Americas, stated, "Brazil is a dynamic Pro AV Market already and with the Olympics and World Cup approaching, it will continue to grow rapidly in the future. We view Brazil as key to our Latin American Business Strategy and are delighted to move into this new venture with our long time partners there."
About TV One Broadcast Sales Corporation
TV One specializes in video, audio and multimedia processing equipment, based on its proprietary CORIO video conversion technology. Located in Erlanger, KY with offices across the globe, TV One manufactures a complete line-up of products for the professional and broadcast video market.TV One has operations in Europe, USA, Taiwan, China and Latin America.
For additional information, contact Kelly Broderick at TV One, 859-282-7303, firstname.lastname@example.com


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Recently in Financial services Category
Bitcoin surpassing a valuation of $1,000 yesterday is a real landmark, giving the currency a market capitalization of almost $12 billion and 75-fold growth in value this year. However Bitcoin is not the only digital currency, simply the most prominent. As Bitcoin's value has soared, partly driven by a positive response from Senate committees last
Continue reading Not just Bitcoin: How will multiple digital currencies compete, succeed, and fail?
Last week I was in Amsterdam for the International User Community Meeting of SimCorp, a leading provider of software for the investment management industry. I gave the keynote on the Future of Investment Management and ran a half-day Executive Master Class on Creating the Successful Organisation of the Future. Prior to founding Advanced Human Technologies
Continue reading Exploring the future of investment management
On Saturday I was interviewed on SBS World News about the ATM heist that netted $45 million from 40,000 withdrawals over 26 countries. The video of the TV news segment (start at 09:05) is available online until 19 May. It was an extremely sophisticated attack, involving not just hacking credit card payment processors and banks,
Continue reading Can cyber-crime result in global financial systemic risk?
In my presentation at yesterday's media launch of ANZ's Banking on Australia program, I spoke about new ways of making payments using biometrics. An article in today's Australian Financial Review reports: "Biometric security" involves using fingerprints, voice records or eye scans to access secure systems instead of number-based passwords, which are much easier to steal
Continue reading The ultimate in convenient banking: make payments by thinking
The future of banking: biometrics take over cash, payments in fluid economy, personal digital agents
This morning ANZ announced its Banking on Australia program, in which it will spend $1.5 billion over the next five years to reshape its business and invest in digital technology, with the immediate launch of a range of digital initiatives. At the media event announcing the program at ANZ's headquarters this morning I spoke about
Continue reading The future of banking: biometrics take over cash, payments in fluid economy, personal digital agents
This post was first published on the Getting Results From Crowds book website. Today the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC) issued a wide-ranging guidance on crowd funding. The guidance in essence recognizes crowdfunding and clarifies the current legislation that applies to the area. It notes that if crowdfunding activities "produce financial benefits" then they
Continue reading Australian regulators endanger crowdfunding by pushing assessments of project viabiliy


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By being hired into one of our Network Technician jobs at Verizon, you'll be a key member of the Verizon team. Professionals in Network Technician careers come from a variety of backgrounds, bringing an assortment of knowledge and skills to every area of our business. Please click on your desired Network Technician job below to learn more about the exact qualifications. A job as a ork Technician at Verizon may be waiting for you!
Found 61 matching careers


text: CBS already scheduled the Dream 18 and Glory 4 Tokyo NYE Show on their website, today Glory representatives confirmed on Twitter their US TV deal. The event won't air live in the United States but it will air on the same day, as CBS Sports Network will be showing GLORY 4 Tokyo at 10:00 PM ET/7:00 PM PT on December 31, with another timeslot for it being listed at 2:00 AM ET/11:00PM PT on Tuesday, January 1 most likely airing the Dream 18 event. More details about the tv-deal will follow .


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Schnell on the Schneid. The appropriate word here is easy: Bittersweet.
Schnell opened his new stadium at Florida Atlantic, a program he's built from scratch. The inagural game's foe was on the rise but still relatively hapless Western Kentucky. I wrote earlier in the week that it would be a bowl game for the Fighting Owls. FAU AD Craig Angelos confirmed this in a post game comment. "We wanted this to be a bowl game."
The Schnell never lost a bowl game.
Until yesterday.
Fighting Owls 0, Hilltoppers 20.
It wasn't that close.
FAU had three times as many yards in penalties as they did rushing. 8/71 vs. 25/25. Six 1st downs. Four — count 'em — 4 return yards. Nine punts.
College Football's Poet Laureate was beside himself.
"Oh boy," were the first words he uttered to assembled media after the shutout.
"I've never been in this situation before.
"We had such a wonderful story going in, and we had a really different and bad story going out.
"I was feeling like a proud father watching a baby being born . . .
At the end, considering the joy of opening his stadium compared with the desultory play of his team, His Verboseness articulated, "That made the wonderfulness of the day melt into the agony of where we are as a football team."
Before we leave this Battle in Boca, some props for Willie Taggert and his Western Kentucky Toppers. They've won two in a row for the first time since '07, and their first FBS shutout.
* * * * *
Cards Crap Out. Reality has set in for the Louisville Football Cardinals.
I must remind myself once again that I should have known this year was going to be tougher than last, Charlie Strong's first at the helm. Too young. Too raw. Too tentative. Too many penalties.
The offensive line continues to struggle. Perhaps more mightily than Card fans might have hoped.
Some of what caught my eye. Eli Rogers being caught from behind by a linebacker on that long pass play down the sideline. Throwing a pass on 3d & Goal at the 1/2 yard line. Mike Evans big time 63 yard pick six. Philpott's steady field goalery. 3d & 38.
Next up: Big East's surprise team of the year. Rutgers, which stands 5-1.
* * * * *
Texas Tames Tigers. Not much to say about this one, except that the team with the best pitching staff, best hitters top to bottom and least number of significant injuries won. Period.
Somehow it's easier to take when your team is throttled like Detroit was last night. That early two run lead dissipated quickly. And with terrible swift sword.
It allowed for contemplation of a season well played.
And to consider what Dave Dombrowski is looking at for next season. More help at 3d. Some back up behind the plate. Maturation on the mound.
* * * * *
Holy Trinity may be just a Top Two. Oklahoma is good. (And, to be honest, cross state rival Oklahoma State, with its almost 30something QB, is probably better.)
LSU and Alabama are great college football teams. What they are doing in the SEC, a conference so much better than the others it's not even open for argument, is simply astounding.
* * * * *
Enough is Enough. The college basketball season hasn't started yet and I'm already way tired of the UK/ U of L pissiness. Matt Jones' totally uncalled for "joke" at the UK luncheon. Coach Cal's verbal shots across the bow. The Rick's petulant retorts.
Just ball, for heavens' sake.
* * * * *
Tigers Tamed. Will Lions Roar? Time for my Detroit Tigers throwback to go back on the shelf. And to invoke the spirit of Bobby Layne, Doak Walker and my main man, Night Train Lane.
Lions and 49ers in a big one at 1:00. That, thank the football dieties, is not a typo.
* * * * *
Mo' later.
– Seedy K


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Free Metal E-Mail
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When Above...
October 2010
Released: 2010, Wraith Productions
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: JP
WHEN ABOVE…is Wolfshades third album but only my first experience with them. I must say I am thoroughly impressed. I suppose initial impressions go a long way when discovering new music. With so much material out there sometimes one chance is all a band may get. There are hundreds and hundreds of French Black Metal bands yet somehow, for some reason, those bands always seem to be relegated to the second or third tier. How many can you name compared to the Scandinavian bands? Exactly. I thought so.
Wolfshade is in my mind among one of the better bands in this genre from France that I have heard. Far from being a 'traditional' Black Metal band, Wolfshade have many elements going on. The band incorporates some very subtle female vocals, almost spoken similar to what Celtic Frost used to do back in the day. There is a lot of acoustic guitar and ambient soundscapes inter-laced with the harsh vocals. I'm hearing so many good influences on these songs, at one moment they remind me of CLOUDS-era Tiamat and another I'm hearing hints of My Dying Bride. Then I'll catch something that maybe reminds me of something a little more groovy and doom-ish, like Lake Of Tears for example.
WHEN ABOVE is not a full-bore misanthropic assault on the senses but a far more sinister and insidious proposition, slowly worming it's way into your brain. After a short, keyboard intro the trio launch into a mid-tempo to slower cut reminiscent of perhaps some Bathory, the blacker eras, not the full-on Viking stuff. The pace never really gets too fast or panicky, but just creeps along melancholic and ominous. The songs really sweep you away and they are long songs. Each cut is over six minutes long and many of the pieces comer across as instrumental. Lyrics and vocals seem almost to be a secondary concern. The very harsh vocals will cut in for a verse or two then drain away for quite a while. There really isn't a traditional sense of song structure here but the songs flow along dreamily. There are also a few spoken word parts, in French naturally, adding to the mystique of the song. Fans of more aggressive styles of extreme music might even find it dull, especially the extended acoustic tinged passages. I like it personally!
Wolfshade is certainly headphone worthy and perhaps best experienced in a calmer, more reflective mood. It's easy to get lost in the doomy drone of this excellent record if you have the time and patience to embrace it's dark tones.
Track Listing
1. Ἀποκατάστασις
Kadhaas - Vocals
Next review: » Wolverine - Cold Light of Monday
Previous review: » Wolfs Moon - Unholy Darkness


text: When we have been in the area we have gone to see this museum but it's never open. No times or anything on the door to help. If you are planning on going to see this then I suggest you contact them beforehand to check they are open. Not sure whether we will try a third time!


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Wanto, Jason Dill, Momoko Ando
The Last Show is a new group exhibition at the Last Gallery by three people who all play active parts in different communities.
Jason Dill is pro skater, who has gathered tremendous respect from all quarters, not just limited to skaters. He has been taking photos of everyday life and his dear friends for fourteen years.
Momoko Ando is a film director who has just finished her second film, 0.5mm, based on her debut novel. She has breathed new life into the Japanese film industry and will be showing her new drawings.
A graffiti artist, Wanto leads the new street culture of Tokyo and continues behind the scenes in major cities across the world. His works come from out of the alleyways and make their ways into society, bringing us an unprecedented level of experience.
The exhibition foresees the arrival of a new movement; everyone will be a witness of history. The opening night is September 16 from 5 to 8 p.m., and the exhibition will run from September 16 to 23.
For more information, visit http://the-lastgallery.com/.


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International Spacecraft To Hit Asteroid in 2022
From Huffington Post:
Scientists in Europe and the United States are moving forward with plans to intentionally smash a spacecraft into a huge nearby asteroid in 2022 to see inside the space rock.
The ambitious European-led Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment mission, or AIDA, is slated to launch in 2019 to send two spacecraft — one built by scientists in the U.S, and the other by the European Space Agency — on a three-year voyage to the asteroid Didymos and its companion. Didymos has no chance of impacting the Earth, which makes it a great target for this kind of mission, scientists involved in the mission said in a presentation Tuesday (March 19) here at the 44th annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.
Didymos is actually a binary asteroid system consisting of two separate space rocks bound together by gravity. The main asteroid is enormous, measuring 2,625 feet (800 meters) across. It is orbited by a smaller asteroid about 490 feet (150 m).
The Didymos asteroid setup is an intriguing target for the AIDA mission because it will give scientists their first close look at a binary space rock system while also yielding new insights into ways to deflect dangerous asteroids that could pose an impact threat to the Earth. [Photos of Potentially Dangerous Asteroids]
"Binary systems are quite common," said Andy Rivkin, a scientist at Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., working on the U.S. portion of AIDA project. "This will be our first rendezvous with a binary system."
In 2022, the Didymos asteroids will be about 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from the Earth, during a close approach, which is why AIDA scientists have timed their mission for that year.
Rivkin and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins' Applied Physics Laboratory are building DART (short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test), one of the two spacecraft making up the tag team AIDA mission. Like its acronym suggests, the DART probe crash directly into the smaller Didymos asteroid while travelling at 14,000 mph (22,530 km/h), creating a crater during an impact that will hopefully sending the space rock slightly off course, Rivkin said.
The European Space Agency is building the second AIDA spacecraft, which is called the Asteroid Impact Monitor (or AIM). AIM will observe the impact from a safe distance, and the probe's data will be used with other data collected by telescopes on Earth to understand exactly what the impact did to the asteroid.
"AIM is the usual shoebox satellite," ESA researcher Jens Biele, who works on the AIM spacecraft, said. "It's nothing very fancy."
AIDA scientists hope their mission will push the smaller Didymos asteroid off course by only a few millimeters. The small space rock orbits the larger, primary Didymos asteroid once every 12 hours.
The goal, Rivkin said, is to use the DART impact as a testbed for the most basic method of asteroid deflection: a direct collision with a spacecraft. If the mission is successful, it could have implications for how space agencies around the world learn how to deflect larger, more threatening asteroid that could pose a threat to Earth, he added.
At the moment, AIDA researchers are not sure of the exact composition of the Didymos asteroids. They could just be a loose conglomeration of rocks travelling together through the solar system, or made of much denser stuff.
But once DART impacts the asteroid, scientists will be able to measure how much the asteroid's orbit is affected as well as classify its surface composition, Rivkin said. And by studying how debris floats outward from the impact site after the crash, researchers could also better prepare for the conditions astronauts may encounter during future manned missions to asteroids — such as NASA's project to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, he added.
The AIDA mission's AIM space craft is expected to cost about 150 million euros (about $194 million), while the DART spacecraft is slated to cost about $150 million, mission officials said.
While the DART and AIDA missions are relatively inexpensive ( $150 and $194 million respectively ) private companies such as Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries don't just plan on impacting asteroids, they plan on mining the crap out of them.
The question is whether these companies are willing to wait on the science to be obtained by these government probes in order to save them money on research.
Asteroid Deflection Mission AIDA Set To Crash Two Spacecraft Into Space Rock In 2022
No Terminators Here, It's Old-Fashioned Human Killers
From Wired.com:
The Pentagon wants to make perfectly clear that every time one of its flying robots releases its lethal payload, it's the result of a decision made by an accountable human being in a lawful chain of command. Human rights groups and nervous citizens fear that technological advances in autonomy will slowly lead to the day when robots make that critical decision for themselves. But according to a new policy directive issued by a top Pentagon official, there shall be no SkyNet, thank you very much.
Here's what happened while you were preparing for Thanksgiving: Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter signed, on November 21, a series of instructions to "minimize the probability and consequences of failures" in autonomous or semi-autonomous armed robots "that could lead to unintended engagements," starting at the design stage (.pdf, thanks to Cryptome.org). Translated from the bureaucrat, the Pentagon wants to make sure that there isn't a circumstance when one of the military's many Predators, Reapers, drone-like missiles or other deadly robots effectively automatizes the decision to harm a human being.
The hardware and software controlling a deadly robot needs to come equipped with "safeties, anti-tamper mechanisms, and information assurance." The design has got to have proper "human-machine interfaces and controls." And, above all, it has to operate "consistent with commander and operator intentions and, if unable to do so, terminate engagements or seek additional human operator input before continuing the engagement." If not, the Pentagon isn't going to buy it or use it.
It's reasonable to worry that advancements in robot autonomy are going to slowly push flesh-and-blood troops out of the role of deciding who to kill. To be sure, military autonomous systems aren't nearly there yet. No Predator, for instance, can fire its Hellfire missile without a human directing it. But the military is wading its toe into murkier ethical and operational waters: The Navy's experimental X-47B prototype will soon be able to land on an aircraft carrier with the barest of human directions. That's still a long way from deciding on its own to release its weapons. But this is how a very deadly slope can slip.
It's that sort of thing that worries Human Rights Watch, for instance. Last week, the organization, among the most influential non-governmental institutions in the world, issued a report warning that new developments in drone autonomy represented the demise of established "legal and non-legal checks on the killing of civilians." Its solution: "prohibit the "development, production, and use of fully autonomous weapons through an international legally binding instrument."
Laudable impulse, wrong solution, writes Matthew Waxman. A former Defense Department official for detainee policy, Waxman and co-author Kenneth Anderson observe that technological advancements in robotic weapons autonomy is far from predictable, and the definition of "autonomy" is murky enough to make it unwise to tell the world that it has to curtail those advancements at an arbitrary point. Better, they write, for the U.S. to start an international conversation about how much autonomy on a killer robot is appropriate, so as to "embed evolving internal state standards into incrementally advancing automation."
Waxman and Anderson should be pleased with Carter's memo, since those standards are exactly what Carter wants the Pentagon to bake into its next drone arsenal. Before the Pentagon agrees to develop or buy new autonomous or somewhat autonomous weapons, a team of senior Pentagon officials and military officers will have to certify that the design itself "incorporates the necessary capabilities to allow commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment in the use of force." The machines and their software need to provide reliability assurances and failsafes to make sure that's how they work in practice, too. And anyone operating any such deadly robot needs sufficient certification in both the system they're using and the rule of law. The phrase "appropriate levels of human judgment" is frequently repeated, to make sure everyone gets the idea. (Now for the lawyers to argue about the meaning of "appropriate.")
So much for SkyNet. But Carter's directive blesses the forward march of autonomy in most everything military robots do that can't kill you. It "[d]oes not apply to autonomous or semi-autonomous cyberspace systems for cyberspace operations; unarmed, unmanned platforms; unguided munitions; munitions manually guided by the operator (e.g., laser- or wire-guided munitions); mines; or unexploded explosive ordnance," Carter writes.
Oh happy – happy, joy – joy. The semi-intelligent machines still needs a human in the loop to kill you, but doesn't need one to spy on you.
Oh well, Big Brother still needs a body to put in jail to make the expense of robots worth their while I suppose…
There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now…
The above title is a quote attributed to William Thomson, Lord Kelvin in the year 1900. But it is not what Thomson said. It really was said by Albert A. Michaelson, another great 19th Century physicist.
So what is the meaning of all this stuff? The fact that whenever a great scientist(s) proclaims that in our reality, there already has been all that has been discovered in Nature? That the self-same scientists are usually wrong when making such claims?
Yes to the above. And here in the early 21st Century, the more things change, the more they stay the same.:
Physicist Sean Carroll, speaking at James Randi's "The Amazing Meeting", tells how anomalous phenomenon simply can't happen because the laws of physics are completely understood:
There are actually three points I try to hit here. The first is that the laws of physics underlying everyday life are completely understood. There is an enormous amount that we don't know about how the world works, but we actually do know the basic rules underlying atoms and their interactions — enough to rule out telekinesis, life after death, and so on. The second point is that those laws are dysteleological — they describe a universe without intrinsic meaning or purpose, just one that moves from moment to moment.
The third point — the important one, and the most subtle — is that the absence of meaning "out there in the universe" does not mean that people can't live meaningful lives. Far from it. It simply means that whatever meaning our lives might have must be created by us, not given to us by the natural or supernatural world. There is one world that exists, but many ways to talk about; many stories we can imagine telling about that world and our place within it, without succumbing to the temptation to ignore the laws of nature. That's the hard part of living life in a natural world, and we need to summon the courage to face up to the challenge.
There's a lot of elements to like about the talk, and Sean Carroll is no doubt a smarter man than me, but the pre-emptive debunking of apparent anomalies in science (such as parapsychology and the evidence for the survival of consciousness) – in effect, saying that we need not even test these anomalies because the laws of physics are already understood and preclude them – left me thinking of another well-known scientist's thoughts on the apparent completeness of science. Considering the alternative scientific viewpoints from the likes of physicist Henry Stapp, on theoretical explorations of the possibility of an afterlife, and Dean Radin's recent work on conscious influence in the famous double-slit experiment, the famous (though possibly apocryphal) fin de siècle quote of Lord Kelvin immediately came to mind when contemplating Carroll's pronouncements:
There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.
Within a few years, science was turned on its head by relativity, and followed by quantum mechanics. One can only wonder if current-day anomalies, such as those explored by parapsychologiests, might one-day lead to some similar revolution, this time involving consciousness or information as primary elements of the cosmos.
Although Greg is understandably mistaken about Lord Kelvin's quote, he is spot on about Carroll's proclamations and I am surprised that Carroll actually made such claims.
Well, maybe not. I guess it just shows the inherent uber-conversatism in science.
But in the general population, not so much.
I think we might be ready for a new physics that breaks Mankind out into the Universe and answers some of our questions about Consciousness, UFOs, ghosts and other paranormal activities.
The Laws of Physics Are Completely Understood
William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Quotes
As always, many hat tips to Greg Taylor's Daily Grail.
Filmmaker Dan Mack's Response to Lord Martin Rees
From Huffington Post:
Lord Martin Rees recently offered The Huffington Post his opinion about UFOs:
"No serious astronomer gives any credence to any of these stories … I think most astronomers would dismiss these. I dismiss them because if aliens had made the great effort to traverse interstellar distances to come here, they wouldn't just meet a few well-known cranks, make a few circles in corn fields and go away again."
Such sweeping statements from well regarded scientists are endlessly frustrating to the UFO researcher. Particularly given that interest in UFOs actually drives some people to study astronomy! Unfortunately the idea that only kooks see UFOs is prevalent.
But because Lord Rees is a scientist, the correct answer is to provide him with scientific data that is directly relevant to his claim. I am aware of only three attempts to scientifically gauge what percentage of astronomers see UFOs. Two show that not only do astronomers see UFOs in America, but many are afraid to report their sightings because they fear professional and public ridicule. The final source indicates that astronomers see UFOs at a dramatically greater rate than the general population.
On August 6, 1952, Astronomer J. Allen Hynek offered the USAF's Project Blue Book a "Special Report on Conferences with Astronomers on Unidentified Aerial Objects."
Hynek interviewed some 45 astronomers on their experiences and opinions about UFOs during and following the meeting of the American Astronomical Society that June. Hynek provides some notes on each individual astronomer and their opinions. Here's what some astronomers thought in 1952:
Astronomer Y (no sightings) said, "If I saw one, I wouldn't say anything about it."
Astronomer II (two sightings) "is willing to cooperate but does not wish to have notoriety," Hynek reports.
Astronomer OO: (one sighting) was a new observer at the Harvard Meteor Station in New Mexico. He saw two lights moving in parallel that were too fast for a plane and too slow for a meteor. He had not reported his observation.
Hynek concluded: "Over 40 astronomers were interviewed of which five had made sightings of one sort or another. This is a higher percentage than among the populace at large. Perhaps this is to be expected, since astronomers do, after all, watch the skies."
The next data point comes from 1977. Dr. Peter Sturrock made a questionnaire about UFO attitudes and experiences. Again the target was the members of the American Astronomical Society. The paper was eventually printed in 1994 in the Journal of Scientific Exploration, a peer-reviewed but decidedly non-mainstream publication.
Sturrock received 1,356 responses from 2,611 questionnaires. Sixty-two astronomers responded that they had observed something they could not explain which could be relevant to the UFO phenomenon. Eighteen of those witnesses said they had previously reported their sightings, and Sturrock notes that a 30% reporting rate is greater than what is assumed for the average population. Section 3.2 of the paper titled "Comparison of Witnesses and Non-Witnesses" contains a table showing that UFO witnessees were actually more likely to be night sky observers (professional or amateur) while non-witnesses are more likely to not even be observing the skies at all!
Sturrock also includes commentary from the astronomers, and again a sample is illuminating:
C1. "I object to being quizzed about this obvious nonsense. Unidentified = unobserved or factually unrecorded: modern mythology. Too much respectability given to it."
C1O. "l find it tough to make a living as an astronomer these days. It would be professionally suicidal to devote significant time to UFOs. However, I am quite interested in your survey."
C16. "Menzel and Condon have made further investigation unnecessary unless some really new phenomena are reported … There is no pattern to UFO reports except that they predominantly come from unreliable observers."
I could add more, but I want folks to read Mack's article.
Rees' comments are not unusual for the conservative scientific community at large and in turn benefit the military-industrial-complex which runs the U.S. and most world governments. The MIC doesn't want any release of technology that is derived(?) from supposed alien technology because it would destroy the present world order. They prefer a slow "leak" of tech in dribs and dabs which doesn't rock the boat much. Apples Ipod and other Smart Phone technologies are relatively innocuous in that they are primarily for games and other entertainment that distracts the younger population from more important concerns.
Astronomers and UFOs: A Response to the Lord Martin Rees
Hat tip to the Daily Grail.
Are People the Biggest Challenge to Interstellar Travel?
From msnbc.msn.com:
The biggest challenge in mounting a space mission to another star may not be technology, but people, experts say.
Scientists, engineers, philosophers, psychologists andleaders in many other fields gathered in Houston last week for the 100 Year Starship Symposium, a meeting to discuss launching an interstellar voyage within 100 years.
"It seems like it would be so hard, and the biggest obstacle is ourselves. Once we get out of our way, once we commit to this, then it's a done deal," said former "Star Trek: The Next Generation" actor LeVar Burton, who is serving on the advisory committee of the 100 Year Starship project.
The initiative hopes to spur the development of new propulsion technologies, life support systems, starship and habitat designs, as well as myriad other necessaryinnovations, to send a vehicle beyond our solar system — where no manmade object has yet traveled — and to another star. As the closest stars to the sun are still light-years away, such a feat will be daunting. [How Interstellar Space Travel Works (Infographic)]
But Burton wasn't the only one who said the most difficult part of interstellar spaceflight may be corralling public and governmental support, and getting the right thinkers to work together to attack the problem.
"I think the greatest challenges are going to be what the greatest challenges in anything are, and that's the people piece," said former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison, who was the first African-American woman to travel to space. Jemison is heading the new 100 Year Starship organization, which was founded with seedmoney from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
"The really exciting thing and the scary thing is I know I can't do it by myself, but there are a lot of people who want to help," Jemison added.
Interstellar spaceflight for humanity isn't inevitable, she said — merely imperative.
"We could screw it up," Jemison told Space.com. "We could decide not to do it. But I can tell you what, if we don't figure out how to do it, then we probably aren't going to be around to worry about whether the sun turns into a red gas giant. Unless we find some focal aspiration that pushes us further, that helps us see ourselves as a species that we should be cooperating with, we're going to be in trouble."
Plus, if human beings can solve the challenges of interstellar spaceflight, in the process they will have solved many of the problems plaguing Earth today, experts said. For example, building a starship will require figuring out how to conserve and recycle resources, how to structure societies for the common well-being, and how to harness and use energy sustainably.
Perhaps the 100 Year Starship Symposium should partner up with the Build The Enterprise Project? They have a 100 year timeline also and I couldn't think of a better marriage.
The biggest challenge to interstellar spaceflight? Us
Mainstream Manned vs. Robotic Spaceflight
The Apollo space missions to the Moon were the last Beyond Earth Orbit human explorations of Near space, the last being in 1972.
The main reasons being lack of public interest and funding, so any explorations beyond the Near Earth regions have been robotic due to their relative financial benefits and nobody worries much if a robot dies instead of a human being.
That issue might change in the future according to a paper written by Ian Crawford, a professor of planetary sciences at Birkbeck College (London):
…Out of necessity, all our missions to the outer system have been unmanned, but as we learn more about long-duration life-support and better propulsion systems, that may change. The question raised this past weekend in an essay in The Atlanticis whether it should.
Ian Crawford, a professor of planetary sciences at Birkbeck College (London) is the focus of the piece, which examines Crawford's recent paper in Astronomy and Geophysics. It's been easy to justify robotic exploration when we had no other choice, but Crawford believes not only that there is a place for humans in space, but that their presence is indispensable. All this at a time when even a return to the Moon seems beyond our budgets, and advanced robotics are thought by many in the space community to be the inevitable framework of all future exploration.
But not everyone agrees, even those close to our current robotic missions. Jared Keller, who wrote The Atlantic essay, dishes up a quote from Steve Squyres, who knows a bit about robotic exploration by virtue of his role as Principal Investigator for the Spirit and Opportunity rovers on Mars. Squyres points out that what a rover could do even on a perfect day on Mars would be the work of less than a minute for a trained astronaut. Crawford accepts the truth of this and goes on to question what robotic programming can accomplish:
"We may be able to make robots smarter, but they'll never get to the point where they can make on the spot decisions in the field, where they can recognize things for being important even if you don't expect them or anticipate them," argues Crawford. "You can't necessarily program a robot to recognize things out of the blue."
Landing astronauts is something we've only done on the Moon, but the value of the experience is clear — we've had human decision-making at work on the surface, exploring six different sites (some of them with the lunar rover) and returning 382 kilograms of lunar material. The fact that we haven't yet obtained samples from Mars doesn't mean it's impossible to do robotically, but a program of manned exploration clearly points to far more comprehensive surface study. Crawford points out that the diversity of returned samples is even more important on Mars, which is more geologically interesting than the Moon and offers a more complicated history.
Image: Apollo 15 carried out 18.5 hours of lunar extra-vehicular activity, the first of the "J missions," where a greater emphasis was placed on scientific studies. The rover tracks and footprints around the area give an idea of the astronauts' intense activity at the site. Credit: NASA.
Sending astronauts by necessity means returning a payload to Earth along with intelligently collected samples. From Crawford's paper:
Robotic explorers, on the other hand, generally do not return (this is one reason why they are cheaper!) so nothing can come back with them. Even if robotic sample return missions are implemented, neither the quantity nor the diversity of these samples will be as high as would be achievable in the context of a human mission — again compare the 382 kg of samples (collected from over 2000 discrete locations) returned by Apollo, with the 0.32 kg (collected from three locations) brought back by the Luna sample return missions.
It's hard to top a yield like that with any forseeable robotic effort. Adds Crawford:
The Apollo sample haul might also be compared with the ≤ 0.5 kg generally considered in the context of future robotic Mars sample return missions… Note that this comparison is not intended in any way to downplay the scientific importance of robotic Mars sample return, which will in any case be essential before human missions can responsibly be sent to Mars, but merely to point out the step change in sample availability (both in quantity and diversity) that may be expected when and if human missions are sent to the planet.
Large sample returns have generated, at least in the case of the Apollo missions, huge amounts of refereed scientific papers, especially when compared to the publications growing out of robotic landings. Crawford argues that it is the quantity and diversity of sample returns that have fueled the publications, and points out that all of this has occurred because of a mere 12.5 days total contact time on the lunar surface (and the actual EVA time was only 3.4 days at that). Compare this to the 436 active days on the surface for the Lunokhods and 5162 days for the Mars Exploration Rovers. Moreover, the Apollo publication rate is still rising. Quoting the paper again:
The lesson seems clear: if at some future date a series of Apollo-like human missions return to the Moon and/or are sent on to Mars, and if these are funded (as they will be) for a complex range of socio-political reasons, scientists will get more for our money piggy-backing science on them than we will get by relying on dedicated autonomous robotic vehicles which will, in any case, become increasingly unaffordable.
Will the Global Exploration Strategy laid out by the world's space agencies in 2007 point us to a future in which international cooperation takes us back to the Moon and on to Mars? If so, science should be a major beneficiary as we learn things about the origin of the Solar System and its evolution that we would not learn remotely as well by using robotic spacecraft. So goes Crawford's argument, and it's a bracing tonic for those of us who grew up assuming that space exploration meant sending humans to targets throughout our Solar System and beyond. That robotic probes should precede them seems inevitable, but we have not yet reached the level of artificial intelligence that will let robots supercede humans in space.
Currently in mainstream space activities, commercial companies such as SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, Sierra Nevada, etc., are taking the lead in the future exploration of Near Space and the Solar System vice any future explorations by NASA, inspite of what parochial politicians in certain states try to do in Congress.
Of course this precludes any gains made by secret black projects in the military-industrial-complex in the area of any secret space programs.
Maybe that's one of the reasons politicians aren't too worried about sending manned NASA missions back to the Moon?
Reasons for a Human Future in Space
Many thanks to Paul Gilster and his great site Centauri Dreams.
Year Six, and the Future
As this blog enters its sixth anniversary this month, I have never given much thought of it lasting this long. In fact, it almost ended last year when I took a long hiatus due to health issues; both for myself and my wife.
But as time went on and both my wife and I slowly recovered, I discovered I still had some things to say. And I realized the world never stopped turning in the meanwhile.
As I started to post again, the personal site Facebook became a semi-intelligent force unto itself. I say 'semi-intelligent' because it is spreading exponentially due to its posting of its games and constant proliferation of personal info unannounced and unapproved by individuals. And people, especially young folks don't care this happens.
Distributed networks, mainly Facebook, Google and the World Wide Web in general are forms of distributed Artificial Intelligence. Does that mean we are in the early throes of the Technological Singularity?
I think we are IMO.
And if we are in the early upward curve of the Technological Singularity, how would that affect our theories of ancient intelligence in the Universe?
Well, I think we should seriously rethink our theories and consider how the Fermi Paradox might figure into this. Thinkers such as George Dyvorsky have written a few treatises on the subject and I believe they should be given due consideration by mainstream science. (The Fermi Paradox: Back With a Vengeance).
Speaking of mainstream science, it is slowly, but surely accepting the fact the Universe is filled with ancient stars and worlds. And if there's a possibility the Universe has ancient worlds, there's a chance there might be anicent Intelligences inhabiting these worlds:
The announcement of a pair of planets orbiting a 12.5 billion-year old star flies in the face of conventional wisdom that the earliest stars to be born in the Universe shouldn't possess planets at all.
12.5 billion years ago, the primeval universe was just beginning to make heavier elements beyond hydrogen and helium, in the fusion furnace cores of the first stars. It follows that there was very little if any material for fabricating terrestrial worlds or the rocky seed cores of gas giant planets.
ANALYSIS: Most Ancient, 'Impossible' Alien Worlds Discovered
This argument has been used to automatically rule out the ancient and majestic globular star clusters that orbit our galaxy as intriguing homes for extraterrestrials.
The star that was announced to have two planets is not in a globular cluster (it lives inside the Milky Way, although it was most likely a part of a globular cluster that was cannibalized by our galaxy), but it is similarly anemic as the globular cluster stars because it is so old.
This discovery dovetails nicely with last year's announcement of carbon found in a distant, ancient radio galaxy. These findings both suggest that there were enough heavy elements in the early universe to make planets around stars, and therefore life.
PHOTOS: Top Exoplanets for Alien Life
However, a Hubble Space Telescope search for planets in the globular star cluster 47 Tucanae in 1999 came up empty-handed. Hubble astronomers monitored 34,000 stars over a period of eight days. The prediction was that some fraction of these stars should have "hot Jupiters" that whirl around their star over a period of days (pictured here in an artist's rendition). They would be detected if their orbits were tilted edge-on to Earth so the stars would briefly grow dimmer during each transit of a planet.
A similar survey of the galactic center by Hubble in 2006 came up with 16 hot Jupiter planet candidates. This discovery was proof of concept and helped pave the way for the Kepler space telescope planet-hunting mission.
Why no planets in a globular cluster? For a start, globular clusters are more crowded with stars than our Milky Way — as is evident in the observation of the dwarf galaxy M9 below. "It may be that the environment in a globular was too harsh for planets to form," said Harvey Richer of the University of British Columbia. "Planetary disks are pretty fragile things and could be easily disrupted in such an environment with a high stellar density."
ANALYSIS: Many Dwarfs Died In the Making of This Galaxy
However, in 2007 Hubble found a 2.7 Jupiter mass planet inside the globular cluster M4. The planet is in a very distant orbit around a pulsar and a white dwarf. This could really be a post-apocalypse planet that formed much later in a disk of debris that followed the collapse of the companion star into a white dwarf, or the supernova explosion itself.
Hubble is now being used to look for the infrared glow of protoplanetary disks in 47 Tucanae. The disks would be so faint that the infrared sensitivity of the planned James Webb Space Telescope would be needed to carry out a more robust survey.
If planets did form in the very early in the universe, life would have made use of carbon and other common elements as it did on Earth billions of years ago. Life around a solar-type star, or better yet a red dwarf, would have a huge jump-start on Earth's biological evolution. The earliest life forms would have had the opportunity to evolve for billions of years longer than us.
This inevitably leads to speculation that there should be super-aliens who are vastly more evolved than us. So… where are they? My guess is that if they existed, they evolved to the point where they abandoned bodies of flesh and blood and transformed themselves into something else — be it a machine or something wildly unimaginable.
However, it's clear that despite (or, because of) their super-intelligence, they have not done anything to draw attention to themselves. The absence of evidence may set an upper limit on just how far advanced a technological civilization may progress — even over billions of years.
Keep in mind that most of the universe would be hidden from beings living inside of a globular star cluster. The sky would be ablaze with so many stars that it would take a long time for alien astronomers to simply stumble across the universe of external galaxies — including our Milky Way.
There will be other searches for planets in globular clusters. But our present understanding makes the question of a Methuselah civilization even more perplexing. If the universe made carbon so early, then ancient minds should be out there, somewhere.
Methuselah civilizations eh?
Sure. If there are such civilizations out there, it is because they wish to remain in the physical realm and not cross over to the inner places of shear mental and god-like powers.
The problem is; are they altruistic like Iain Banks' "Culture" or are they like civilizations Dr. Stephen Hawking warned us about?
As with all things 'Future', the answer could come crashing down upon us faster than we are prepared for.
Could Ancient Aliens Live On Methuselah Planets?
As usual, thanks to the Daily Grail.
Hawking and God
Stephen Hawking, that physicist emeritus extraordinaire, has made another pronouncement of universal proportions.
My old buddy Highwayman isn't going to like it, especially since he supported ol' Stephen in the past, but I don't think he will this time.
Because Dr. Hawking says that (a) God isn't needed in creating the Universe:
The scientist has claimed that no divine force was needed to explain why the Universe was formed.
In his latest book, The Grand Design, an extract of which is published in Eureka magazine in The Times, Hawking said: "Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist."
He added: "It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going."
In A Brief History of Time, Prof Hawking's most famous work, he did not dismiss the possibility that God had a hand in the creation of the world.
He wrote in the 1988 book: "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we should know the mind of God."
In his new book he rejects Sir Isaac Newton's theory that the Universe did not spontaneously begin to form but was set in motion by God.
In June this year Prof Hawking told a Channel 4 series that he didn't believe that a "personal" God existed. He told Genius of Britain: "The question is: is the way the universe began chosen by God for reasons we can't understand, or was it determined by a law of science? I believe the second. If you like, you can call the laws of science 'God', but it wouldn't be a personal God that you could meet, and ask questions."
Until his retirement last year Prof Hawking was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a post previously held by Newton.
Well, he has a point about gravity.
It's the weakest of the four fundamental forces and nobody knows what or where it comes from, the Large Hadron Collider not withstanding.
Current string theory claims it crosses dimensions, that's why it seems its effects appear faster than the speed of light.
It could be what Hawking is alluding to. Maybe I'll borrow the book from the library when it gets there.
Is Space Colonization Still Just Fantasy?
Space colonization has been a theme (or meme?) in literature for over 150 years, probably thousands of years earlier than that really (Book of Enoch). Anyway, humans have dreamed of traveling to alien worlds in the heavens for a very long time, it isn't a recent phenomenon.
Dr. Stephen Hawking is only one voice among many lately who has advocated colonizing planets in the solar system. Discovery of extra-solar planets over the past 20 years and recently of a solar system closely resembling ours that is 127 light-years away is piquing public interest in the mainstream about space travel and how we can study such things.
However, there are voices of dissension in the ranks, and from sources one wouldn't expect any at all.
Especially from a science-fiction writer:
Renowned science-fiction writer, Charlie Stross, argued last week in his High Frontier Redux blog that space colonization is not in our future, not because it's impossible, but because to do so effectively you need either outrageous amounts of cheap energy, highly efficient robot probes, or "a magic wand."
"I'm going to take it as read that the idea of space colonization isn't unfamiliar," Stross opens his post, "domed cities on Mars, orbiting cylindrical space habitats a la J. D. Bernal or Gerard K. O'Neill, that sort of thing. Generation ships that take hundreds of years to ferry colonists out to other star systems where — as we are now discovering — there are profusions of planets to explore."
"The obstacles facing us are immense distance and time -the scale factor involved in space travel is strongly counter-intuitive."
Stross adds that "Planets that are already habitable insofar as they orbit inside the habitable zone of their star, possess free oxygen in their atmosphere, and have a mass, surface gravity and escape velocity that are not too forbidding, are likely to be somewhat rarer. (And if there is free oxygen in the atmosphere on a planet, that implies something else — the presence of pre-existing photosynthetic life, a carbon cycle, and a bunch of other stuff that could well unleash a big can of whoop-ass on an unprimed human immune system."
Stross sums up by saying that while "I won't rule out the possibility of such seemingly-magical technology appearing at some time in the future in the absence of technology indistinguishable from magic that, interstellar travel for human beings even in the comfort of our own Solar System is near-as-dammit a non-starter."
Stross's blog received over 450 comments as of this writing. The most prescient follows:
"First, Stross's analysis fails to take into account future civilization types; I get the sense that he takes a normative view of today's technological and economic realities and projects them into the future. This is surprising, not only because he's an outstanding science fiction visionary, but also because he's a transhumanist who has a very good grasp on what awaits humanity in the future. Specifically, he should be taking into account the possibility of post-Singularity, Drexlerian, Kardashev Type II civilizations. Essentially, we're talking about post-scarcity civilizations with access to molecular assembling nanotechnology, radically advanced materials, artificial superintelligence, and access to most of the energy available in the solar system.
"Stross also too easily dismisses how machine intelligences, uploaded entities and AGI will impact on how space could be colonized. He speculates about biological humans being sent from solar system to solar system, and complains of the psychological and social hardships that could be inflicted on an individual or crew. He even speculates about the presence of extraterrestrial pathogens that undoubtedly awaits our daring explorers. This is a highly unlikely scenario. Biological humans will have no role to play in space. Instead, this work will be done by robots and quite possibly cyborgs (which is how the term 'cyborg' came to exist in the first place)."
I find this curious that a writer with 'gravitas' like Stross takes such a dim and extremely conservative view about space colonization, because some of his books address the issue. And they give no indication of such an opinion.
Maybe he just separates the 'real' world from his work, like millions of other folk all over the world?
Walk along now, nothing to see here.
Well anyway, it just goes to show that when you think that you have the world figured out, it goes and proves you don't.
Especially when folks like Hawking and Stross throw curve balls at you!


text:
A graveside funeral service for 65-year old Kay Delores Burke of Mountain Home will be Friday afternoon at 2 at Mars Hill Cemetery in Crane, Missouri.
Kay Delores Burke was attended Manchester College before moving to Arkansas. She worked as the office manager for Dr. Simon Abraham before opening her own real estate agency, Burke's Century 21. She received several prestigious awards on the local and state level and was on numerous boards and committees while in the real estate business.
She is survived locally by close friends, Steven and Victoria Armontrout of Mountain Home.
Arrangements are by Kirby and Family Funeral and Cremation Services.
Click here to visit the Kirby & Family Funeral & Cremation Services website and sign the guest book.
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