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"I'd prefer to think of kedgeree in a different context, as Britain's contribution to the worldwide canon of great rice-
"I'd prefer to think of kedgeree in a different context, as Britain's contribution to the worldwide canon of great rice-
I know that traditionally Kedgeree is made with fish, but we're not all great lovers of fish so I've used chicken - may
As I'm hosting this month's Forever Nigella challenge I figured it was about time I got my act together and posted my en
Everyone can make kedgeree, and the best thing about it is you can add whatever vegetables or fish you like. Also enjo
Ok, this is quite a long way from kedgeree but that's what it was inspired by. Kedgeree is a dish of spiced rice with s
This is a dish my other half made me on Friday. It was a dish his mother cooked regularly when he was growing up. Kedge
Kedgeree, for me, lies somewhere between breakfast and lunch, India and England, savoury and sweet, active and lazy. A w
Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to live in a house akin to Downton Abbey and have a butler called James to en
Don't you just hate it when you have a meal planned but when you go to prepare it you realise that the key ingredient is
I don't want to bleat on... but I have had a couple of bad days or so. On the Sunday before we had this for tea I fell
Kedgeree is a dish that dates from the era of the British Raj. It was popular among British families living in India, an
I loved smoked haddock (the undyed kind of course). I was looking for some inspiration for a dish and I came across kedg
Often, I don't think I'm a good cook. But I feel really satisfied and smug whenever I manage to throw things together in
Kedgeree was a dish I used to make for the children quite frequently when they were little. I used to use mackerel and w
Give Me Five! Recipe for Monday 6th May: Smoked Mackerel Kedgeree Although this Monday is a bank holiday, there may well
Kedgeree is a dish that I seem to recall my Mum being very fond of when we were younger, although I think that I am righ
TweetBreakfast, Lunch and DinnerThis is a traditional english breakfast dish but I just ate it for dinner and it hit the
Quinoa Mackerel KedgereeServings: 1Time: 1hrDifficulty: easyPrint The original idea was to use quinoa in
One food stuff that you'll always find in our fridge is eggs. Most of the time they get used for baking before I get rou
Recipe for mackerel and spinach kedgeree (serves 1) ¼ cup brown rice 50g fresh or frozen spinach ½ tsp curry powder sal
I am convinced that the best way to get children to try something new is not to offer it to them, sounds mad I know but


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Town Square
Amador Valley Winter Percussion Ensemble places 2nd in WGI Regional Competition!
Original post made by Amador Parent, Another Pleasanton neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2010
Comments (1)
a resident of Livermore
on Mar 16, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Web Link Felicidades/Congratulations!
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Hayward NAACP officials threaten blog posters
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Not so speedy trial
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By Tom Cushing | 16 comments | 764 views

subset: commoncrawl


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The Heat go for a third straight victory without Dwyane Wade against one of the top teams in the league, while Cousins tries to get his revenge on Davis. The Miami Heat have won two games in a row without Dwyane Wade, but a third consecutive...Show More Summary
GQ magazine came out with its annual list called "The Least Influential People of 2014," and somehow one-fifth of the list is made up of sports personalities. They include: ex L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling (No. 3); NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (No. 6), ESPN host Stephen A. Smith (No. 7), Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade (No. 8), recently retired New […]
Tom Crean eyed the dark clouds on the horizon, smelled rain in the air and knew it was time. He finished his sacrifice to Dwyane Wade, filled his Dasani bottle with yak blood and returned to Cook Hall. There he gathered his assistants...Show More Summary
After racing out to a 3-0 start, the Miami Heat's transition into the post-LeBron James era seemed to be going quite smoothly. With a reinvigorated Dwyane Wade and highly efficient Chris Bosh leading the team, the Heat appeared moreShow More Summary
In order to move on from LeBron James' departure, the Miami Heat need an identity. Less than 15 games into a season simultaneously teeming with promise and problems, they've found one. A familiar one. The wrong one. Dwyane Wade has, once again, become the Heat's performance lifeline. Show More Summary
The Miami Heat were without Dwyane Wade (hamstring injury) for the fourth consecutive game on Thursday night. Without his services, the defending Eastern Conference champions found themselves down early against the visiting Los Angeles...Show More Summary
The Miami Heat (6-5) and Los Angeles Clippers (6-4) will both look to earn consecutive victories when they clash at American Airlines Arena Thursday night. Los Angeles may catch a break, though, considering Heat guard Dwyane Wade has missed three straight games with a left hamstring strain and is questionable for Thursday's contest. Show More Summary
The Miami Heat are off to a 6-5 start this season. At 19.9 ppg, Chris Bosh is slightly ahead of Dwyane Wade's 19.8 ppg to lead the team in scoring. Bosh is also grabbing 8.7 rpg. He's shooting just 41.5% from the field, though. With LeBron James gone, and Dwyane Wade past his prime, it's [...]
Kim Kardashian continued her tour down under on Wednesday, pleasing crowds while promoting her new fragrance, Fleur Fatale. In other fun moments, newlyweds Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade were ridiculously adorable at a charity event, Ariana Grande stunned on stage, and Joel Madden was in the middle of a Richie sister sandwich. Show More Summary
Dwyane Wade hosted a huge fashion event in Miami last night... invited a bunch of his famous friends... and even busted out a Ferrari... and TMZ Sports has the pics. It was called "A Night On the Runwade"... to benefit his Wade's Wo...
There have been a handful of fast starts from teams and players this season. Pau Gasol is arguably the best offseason acquisition, Dwyane Wade has shown flashes of his pre -LeBron form, and Kobe Bryant has turned back the clock and is putting up big numbers. Show More Summary
Hard to believe it's been a year already! D-Wade's "Break Baby" Celebrates His First Birthday With Mom Aja Metoye'r The son Dwyane Wade fathered outside of his relationship with (now wife) Gabrielle Union celebrated his first birthday this past
Miami Heat veteran Dwyane Wade is sitting out his third straight game because of a strained left hamstring.
Here's the South Florida Sun Sentinel with an update on veteran Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade: After pushing through three sets of back-to-back games this season, Dwyane Wade said Friday that it is time to stop pushing and instead take time to deal with a strained left hamstring sustained early in Wednesday's loss to the Indiana Pacers at [...]
You can't always get what you want. Derrick Rose took the league by storm in 2010-11, becoming the league's youngest MVP ever and, in the process, making basketball more relevant in his city than it had been since Michael Jordan skipped town. But the Chicago Bulls point guard hasn't been able to continue along that trajectory. Show More Summary
Recovering from losing the best player in the NBA isn't easy, but early this season the Miami Heat have faired pretty well. They're fourth in the East at 5-3, and have found ways to work around LeBron James' departure from Miami this summer. Show More Summary
The Indiana Pacers visit the Miami Heat Wednesday for a rematch of the conference finals, but the rivalry has lost some of its steam. With Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade now a "Big Two" in Miami following LeBron James' departure, and Paul...Show More Summary
She's normally outspoken on the big screen, but has largely been quiet in real-life about the leak of her nude photos taken with her smartphone years ago. Now Dwyane Wade's wife has broken her silence on the hacking scandal. Gabrielle...Show More Summary
Following the 2006 NBA Finals, things grew icy between Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade. Cuban resented Wade for what was perceived as preferential treatment […] The post Mark Cuban No Longer Dislikes Dwyane Wade appeared first on SLAMonline.
The Dallas Mavericks will try to end a six-game losing streak to the Miami Heat when they host Dwyane Wade and Co. at American Airlines Center Sunday night. Since beating the Heat in the 2011 finals, the Mavericks have failed to register a win against Miami. Show More Summary


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413 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone 202-225-6831
Fax 202-226-5172
Congressman Scott DesJarlais represents the Fourth Congressional District of Tennessee, which includes Marshall, Bedford, Rutherford, Moore, Lincoln, Franklin, Marion, Grundy, Sequatchie, Warren, Van Buren, Bledsoe, and Rhea counties. Also included are portions of Maury and Bradley counties.
As a resident of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, Scott ran for office because he wanted to bring common sense and hometown, conservative values to Congress. Throughout his first term in Congress, Scott built a proven track record of fighting for policies that that will return fiscal discipline and accountability to Washington, reduce the size of government and create and environment that will help to strengthen our nation's economy and create jobs.
Scott earned degrees in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of South Dakota and went on to receive his Doctor of Medicine from the University of South Dakota School of Medicine. Scott moved to Tennessee almost two decades ago to practice medicine at the Grand View Medical Center in Jasper, TN.
As a doctor, Scott understands the importance of an efficient, well run health care system and believes that health care decisions need to be left to patients and their physicians – not bureaucrats in Washington. Rep. DesJarlais has been an outspoken advocate for the repeal of President Obama's health care legislation.
Congressman DesJarlais serves on three committees that allow him to directly address and influence many issues important to the Fourth District, as well as shape how the overall federal government functions.
Scott and his wife Amy, have three children: Tyler, Ryan and their little sister Maggie. The DesJarlais family are active members of the Epiphany Episcopal Church in Sherwood, Tennessee where Amy grew up.
Retweeted by desjarlaistn04
Jonathan Gruber and Marilyn Tavenner will testify at @GOPoversight's hearing next month on #Obamacare http://t.co/dVnszxfCa3
Retweeted by desjarlaistn04
REVIEW: #Obamacare 2.0 (so far) via @HouseGOP http://t.co/ds5v0iTqdY
Retweeted by desjarlaistn04
30,000 missing Lois Lerner emails have been recovered http://t.co/XrxtE0krNM http://t.co/OyF4tqbTMA by @susanferrechio
Retweeted by desjarlaistn04
House Files Lawsuit Against Administration Over #Obamacare via @nationaljournal http://t.co/GLMUz2PDBW
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Obama can't circumvent Congress simply because existing #immigration laws conflict with his particular ideology http://t.co/LRhau9v2bD
As has been said before, Congress passes laws NOT suggestions. And it is the president's job to enforce those laws. Nowhere does the Constitution
Even the Washington Post is urging President Obama not to bypass Congress on immigration, stating that "Unilateralism will not make the system
Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is beyond time for Senate Democrats and President
Happy Veterans Day. Thank you to all who have worn the uniform of the United States military. We are grateful beyond words for your service.
Since many of you have asked, here is where I stand on immigration: I will not support any effort that grants amnesty to those who came here


text:
NEW GNSS Technology
Introducing GPS 6000, GPS 6500 & SteerCommandLearn More
Introducing GPS 6000, GPS 6500 & SteerCommandLearn More
Data collected from precision ag has immense value for making the correct management decisions.
Protect your seed investment by being in control of how much seed you plant and where it's planted.
On-the-go yield monitoring, in-depth performance analysis, highly accurate data collecting and more.
Ensure that your application process is as efficient and profitable as possible by applying at the correct rates.
Water is crucial for crops. Manage it with the same precision as the rest of your operation.
Now that harvest is winding down for the majority of us, it will be important to get your valuable data read into SMS.Keep Reading
Spending the first part of November in Canada would typically mean cold weather and snow.Keep Reading
In the precision ag world a lot of acronyms are thrown around on a day to day basis.Keep Reading


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Wednesday, 18 Jun 2014 04:34 PM
Bezos, in a rare media appearance, demonstrated three-dimensional display features on the 4.7-inch phone, such as greater depth perception in maps and pictures. Four front-facing cameras track head movements and can shift perspectives depending on a user's activity.
A "Firefly" feature allows users to point the phone at an object, such as a product, or direct it to listen to a song. If the device recognizes it, the user can buy it on Amazon.com if it is sold there.
Shares of Amazon climbed 2.5 percent to $333.67 in afternoon trading from roughly flat before Bezos took the stage.
"What if there were a thousand artists standing by to redraw the picture every time you moved your head?" Bezos asked hundreds of Amazon customers, reporters and industry executives gathered in Seattle for the unveiling.
The smartphone joins Amazon's "Fire" lineup of tablets and streaming devices. It represents the latest attempt to extend its dominance of online commerce into mobile phones, which are increasingly being used to buy items and view video.
It is unclear how "Firefly" or the 3D-perspectives will function in the real world, or how fickle consumers will take to them.
Industry insiders had expected the "Fire" to be far less expensive than the top-selling iPhone and Galaxy devices, after the company sold its Kindle Fire tablets at cost.
Amazon is selling the Fire smartphone on its website for $649 without a contract. From July 25, a 32-gigabyte storage version will sell for $199.99 with a two-year contract on exclusive carrier AT&T Inc. These prices are comparable to the iPhone 5C, though it has superior displays and other features.
The Fire smartphone represents a new area for Amazon, which got its start selling books and has expanded into everything from cameras to grocery delivery. It could also boost adoption of a payments platform.
The Fire is the third device Amazon has introduced this year, after its FireTV streaming device and Dash grocery-ordering wand. In recent years, the company has moved more aggressively into hardware, selling its devices at cost to spur purchases on its website.
Its entry into the smartphone market reflects the growing trend among consumers to view and buy items online. Mobile commerce grew at almost twice the rate of online retail during the first quarter, according to comScore.
© 2014 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.
Friday, 28 Nov 2014 19:58 PM
After midterm battles, an immigration standoff and amid a switch of power in Congress, the next political fight in Washi . . .
Friday, 28 Nov 2014 07:31 AM
A new test designed to rapidly diagnose Ebola virus infection is to be tried out at a treatment centre for the disease i . . .
Thursday, 27 Nov 2014 15:59 PM
A limestone statuette of a shapely woman some 23,000 years old has been discovered in northern France in what archaeolog . . .
Sincere thanks to all members of the grand jury who deliberated under extreme...
Not a smidgeon of evidence . 30,000 emails from lois alone ion that time period...
How did a giant , violent , doped up jerk who attacked Wilson get transformed...
Take a minute to ask yourself.
What would you do? When you have a a sworn enemy...
I agree with Gingrich, Obama thinks we are to stupid to see the chaos he is...
Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.


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I need to figure out the tub capacity of my Roper Heavy Duty Super Capacity top loading washer - - Model # RAS7133KQ1.
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That's great that you want to lean more about your washer. While you wait for the expert to answer i would suggest for you to look at the owner's manual. I hope that it can proved more information good luck.
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Anthony Schaffer, in an interview with RT, discusses the failure of U.S. policy in Afghanistan and NATO's complicity in the Afghan opium trade.
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TRINIDAD -- The California State Parks Foundation will host 24 environmental improvement projects at state parks across California on April 13 as part of its 16th annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup presented by PG&E. Volunteers are encouraged to help maintain the beauty of California's treasured state parks.
The importance of Earth Day activities has never been greater as California's state parks continue to be underfunded, with severe budget reductions over the past several years and $1.4 billion in deferred maintenance. Businesses and individuals are sought to actively participate with their communities to help restore the beauty and glory of California's treasured state parks. Trail and campground improvements, trash cleanup, bridge building, tree planting, and wildlife habitat restoration are just some of the projects planned for Earth Day. To further aid California communities, volunteers are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to project sites on Earth Day. The donations will go to Food For People, the food bank for Humboldt County.
The project site in Humboldt County is Patrick's Point State Park. Two projects will be undertaken. The first, Forest Habitat Restoration, involves removal of invasive plants such as English ivy from Sitka Spruce forest and campgrounds and the second, Meadow Management, involves removal of invasive plants from coastal meadows.
Check-in time is 9 a.m.
To volunteer, visit calparks.org/earthday or call 1-888-98-PARKS. Space is limited, so advance registration is required. Parking fees are waived for Earth Day volunteers.
Since its inception in 1998, the state parks foundation's Earth Day Restoration & Cleanup program has resulted in 78,394 participants contributing more than 326,500 volunteer hours valued at nearly $6.25 million in park maintenance and improvements. Additionally, more than $4.3 million has been raised for the Earth Day program.


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$15 OFF Breed Specific Pattern Cuts - Groomed by our Students
The students at the Dog Grooming Academy are looking for Cocker Spaniels, Westies, Schnauzers, Scotties, and Cairn Terriers. You must mention this offer when you call to receive your discount. Limited appointments are available now thru November 14th. Give us a call today!


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The 'Baco' Bacon Shell Taco Will Either Make Baseball More Enjoyable Or Kill You
The action on the field may not be the only heart-stopping thing fans of the West Michigan Whitecaps see this season.
The Detroit Tigers' minor league team has announced the newest culinary delight fans can enjoy during games: "The Baco". As its name indicates, the Baco is a taco with a shell made entirely out of bacon, because, as we all know, everything is better with bacon. Just ask any pig.
The Baco sounds delicious, and it's sure to put you on the fast track to being a first ballot High Cholesterol Hall of Famer. It provides a nice basis for comparison with the Doritos Locos Taco. You probably won't be able to root, root, root for the home team after you eat it because your arm will have gone numb from the stroke you didn't realize you had while racking up a sodium intake that reads like a pinball score, but that's just a minor detail.
The Baco won first prize in a contest where fans submitted more than 150 dishes for consideration. The list was trimmed to 10 items before the public voted for their favorite. Coming in second place was the "Bad Joke" – a corn dog smothered in cheese and two strips of duck bacon that features so many animal parts PETA should protest it.
The Baco may be a hit, but it's hard to imagine it will become a staple at any stadium, for two simple reasons: One, the people who will champion such a cause will most likely die from heart disease. Two, the phrase is "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack," not "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack and a novelty Mexican food that will cause my angioplasty." That just doesn't roll off the tongue very well, does it?
Darren Wilson Not Indicted for Michael Brown Shooting [UPDATED]
Lock Your Doors – Vehicle Break-Ins Are On The Rise
Weekend Box Office Report: 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1' Makes All of the Money and It's Still Not Enough
There's going to be a lot of blood and ink spilled across the internet on the subject of the opening weekend for 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.' Yes, the third film in the series did open significantly lower than its predecessors. Yes, there are definitely people at Lionsgate wringing their hands and trying to figure out why the film opened below expectations. And yet, that opening weekend is still massive. It's three day total is larger than most movies ever have a chance to make in their entire runs. So, let's have some perspective as we dive into this week's top 10.
'Jurassic World' Teaser Promises to Deliver Our First Trailer on Thanksgiving Day
A few days ago, the YouTube page for Universal Spain posted memorable footage of the cup of water vibrating from 'Jurassic Park' as a teaser for 'Jurassic World,' which seemed pretty curious. But today brings our first official footage from 'Jurassic World' in the form of a far more awesome teaser for the trailer, which will hit the web on Thanksgiving day. If that's not something to be thankful for, what is?
'Realistic' Barbie Doll Could Be This Holiday Season's (Not-So) Surprise Sensation
Facebook's Cool New Feature Allows You to Say 'Thank You' to the Special People in Your Life [VIDEO]
Chicago Radio Hosts Discover Their Show Is Cancelled Via Twitter While On Air [VIDEO]
Two Kids Tragically Die in House Fire While Mother Gives Birth to Third Child [VIDEO]
More Than 40 Chains Won't Open on Thanksgiving Day
Reward Offered In Blinn College Student's Murder
Blinn College is a small school in Brenham, about an hour and a half outside of Houston. After a male student was murdered there last month, police are asking for tips as they try to figure out who killed him. And there's a reward in the case now.


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Welcome to the website for the Hartford Springfield Speakers Network, a network of "shakers and movers" who are speakers, marketers, authors, small business owners, coaches, and entrepreneurs. Below you will learn details about this month's key speaker., and off to the right side of the screen, you'll learn about where we meet and how to get there to our monthly Saturday morning meetings. All of your questions can be answered on our FAQ (frequently asked questions) page. Click the REGISTER NOW link below to tell us you'll be attending. for FREE if it's your first time.
Karen A. Thomas, Etiquette Expert & Corporate Trainer
Outwit and Outclass the Competition: Modern Civility Tips & Tricks to Propel your Career Beyond what they teach in business school…
Some of what she'll cover includes:
- How to navigate the table setting and becoming silverware savvy
- Wine and tipping etiquette and when to conduct business
- What NOT to wear to a business meeting event (even a HSSN meeting)
- Acceptable networking behavior (should you offer your card? what to talk about? how start a conversation?)
- Top-Notch business practices involving communication, phone calls, emails, etc.
- Social media etiquette and when NOT to add people to your newsletter list
- And other business etiquette questions that come up
Join us on LINKEDIN and on our FACEBOOK page.
Get more details at http://www.meetup.com/Hartford-Springfield-Speakers-Network


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Nov 19, 201404:38AM
Dear femorrhoid cunts:
The women on Dr Matt Taylor's shirt can dress as they wish. You have no right to dictate their clothing choices.
Dr Matt Taylor can dress as he wishes. Just because you don't like the shirt doesn't mean he's "asking for it."
Likewise, cosplay is not consent.
Attacking him is slut shaming, and also attacks the artisanal abilities of the female friend who made the shirt for him.
If you think I'm mansplaining to you, you're wrong. I'm smartsplaining. Also, if you thought that, you're a sexist cunt as well as a retarded one. My sex is not relevant to the validity of my statement.
Instead of being bossy cunts and attacking your intellectual betters out of jealousy, why don't you go learn something useful, like how to make a sandwich?
Can't figure out why this is entitled "Equality"? Because a retarded dick male would get the exact same treatment. So suck it, bitches.
Everyone else, donate here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/matt-taylor-rosetta-project-scientist
Al Gore, Lardass And Eco-Expert, Is At It Again
Nov 12, 201411:28AM
Oscar-winning scientist Al Gore now wants "A national food policy." He refers to this "brilliant article" (Actually, it's an op-ed):
First of all, nothing in a newspaper is ever "brilliant." They're aimed at someone with a 4th grade education.
Here are the pallid suggestions:
All Americans have access to healthful food;
Well, gee, who doesn't want that? But you know, I've been helping a couple of recently homeless friends, and the food banks give away food. Now, a lot of it is starch, because we produce so much of it. But, it's food. Almost no other nation on the planet can do that. This is the typical statist bullshit of creating a panic over something that doesn't exist, making it mandatory, making you pay for it, then providing less than you had before, but at least it's "Fair."
● Farm policies are designed to support our public health and environmental objectives;
Translation: "Let a bureaucrat decide what you can eat." Because that's worked so well with health care, education and drilling for oil. Oh, and the US Postal Service.
● Our food supply is free of toxic bacteria, chemicals and drugs;
It pretty much is. And if it's not, you can sue or file criminal charges. Why, I remember just last week that 47,000 school children got gastroenteritis from bad school food and sued…oh, wait, no, they all ate perfectly safe stuff (other than being loaded with government mandated starch).
This is probably more anti-GMOtardery. Fun fact: Without GMO food, we can't feed 7 billion people. I propose everyone opposed to GMO stop eating. That will eliminate GMO, and provide enough food for everyone else, mostly poor people in Africa and Asia. Unless, of course, the anti-GMO crowd are mostly privileged "liberal" racists who hate brown people. Which they are.
● Production and marketing of our food are done transparently;
Because the government excels at transparency. Seriously, did these idiots actually say that? Why don't they ask for rainbow-colored unicorn jizz while they're at it?
● The food industry pays a fair wage to those it employs;
Ah, the "living wage" that destroyed Detroit. "Liberals" will never learn, because they are not capable of learning. What we really need is a national policy to declare "liberalism" (as opposed to actual Liberalism) a psychiatric disorder and put them in facilities where they can mumble to the walls and other inmates and not hurt anyone who matters.
● Food marketing sets children up for healthful lives by instilling in them a habit of eating real food;
Ah, "Real food." Which the USDA, which is run by...let me check my notes…ah, here: The US Government. It endorses eating gobs of starch that cause metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes. I even saw one recent report from this "US Government" that diabetics should get 70% of their calories from starch. The article concurs with this problem, but suggests MOAR GOVERNMENT will make it better.
Hint for the scientifically illiterate: Starch metabolizes as sugar. That's what it is.
What some of these tofu-munching pussies are hoping for is a law against meat, to stop those ebil, gun-toting, god-worshipping teahadis and make them comply.
Except California famously outlawed Caesar Salad a few years back, leading to literal bootlegging of salad. Once you put a bureautard in charge, it's hard to get anything rational to happen.
● Animals are treated with compassion and attention to their well-being;
Most farmers do this, because maltreated animals don't taste good. What this will turn into is more "animals are people too!" bullshit from the bunnyfuckers, and retards who try to feed their carnivorous pets weeds.
● The food system's carbon footprint is reduced, and the amount of carbon sequestered on farmland is increased;
Wait, didn't you say you wanted the food to be cheap and plentiful? So: We will regulate the food and the farmers, require them to spend more money on wages, demand they comply with "Carbon sequestration," and it will magically be cheaper, just like health care.
Actually, though, this is potentially achievable—we just reduce the carbon footprint of everyone in favor of this to zero, process them through a logchipper, then through a lime pit. We'll sequester their carbon and they won't produce any more. And, we won't have to listen to them. Win-win-win.
● The food system is sufficiently resilient to withstand the effects of climate change.
According to my research, the food system has withstood climate change for a half billion years. What we need to be concerned about is if it can withstand Al Gore, his private jets, his mansions all over the coasts (wait, isn't he afraid of sea level rise? Why would he have mansions on the coasts?) and his considerable bulk that is probably fed by cheeseburgers, not salad. The carbon footprint of his houses exceeds my entire block. The calorie footprint of his girth exceeds the local football team, and his bullshit quotient exceeds that of every cow in Kansas.
Even on an ephemeral basis, first we have to actually conclude what specific effects of climate change we are concerned about. If we lose a week of frost-free days in Canada, their wheat crop fails. If we lose rainfall, much of the corn belt suffers. If we lose a couple of degrees in another Little Ice Age or Younger Dryas, there goes the citrus crop. Then there's hurricanes, El Nińo, etc. "Make it more resilient" sounds cute, but doesn't actually say much. And of course, doing so will cost money, which will magically make food more affordable.
We have a system in the US that feeds not only us, but most of the world, and so well we actually pay farmers not to grow food. But what this proposes is to raise the prices, reduce the output, and somehow, magically, cheaper! And as for all those poor people in Asia and Africa, who cares? Because at heart, "liberals" are racist, narcissistic, greedy fucks who only care about themselves.
And Al Gore is their spokesJabba.
So, we have an op-ed that's shallow, panders to the wrong market, does so poorly, and is endorsed by a fat albatross. Ultimately, though, the proposal comes down to, "Government stupidity got us into this mess. We need more government stupidity to get us out."
Or, you could stop "helping" and figure that since people have been eating food for 3 million years, they'll figure it out.
Coming next: A national policy on masturbation and heavy breathing.
The Internet Is For Trolls...
Nov 08, 201407:51PM
So, I'm reading this about someone being an utter shitbag of a troll.
I'm glad they're being outed, and I'm glad people are responding.
I know how attention like that can be painful, or at least aggravating.
I wonder how many of these people realize how common this type of behavior is.
In fact, just recently, I've been called:
a "child abusing fucktard" because I taught my kids to shoot, even though I'm a qualified instructor with decades of military experience.
"Ultraconservative," by someone who's certainly never read a word I've put in print, who then publicly demanded a publisher stop carrying my books based on that.
During the Iraq War, while deployed, and while endorsing some of our strategy, the "support the troops" meme suddenly turned to "Well, fuck you, you Koch-whore. I hope you get your balls blown off." The pun is at least amusing, but really, what they meant was they supported the troops who agreed with their political position. They wished me a violent death.
I get actual death threats every month or so. They're usually not credible.
I finally had to block fantasy author Tad Williams from my Facebook wall after two years of driveby comments where he'd call everyone racists and accuse others and myself of privilege because he thinks I'm as straight white male as he is, with no evidence to support his belief. It even came down to, "I'm not even sure what this post was about, but you're all a bunch of racists" (paraphrased). I try not to block people, but if they add literally nothing to the discussion, and merely troll, I do.
Racist, racist, racist, white middle class fuck, white male (and my opinion is invalid based on my gender and apparent race). I get this all the time.
So I'm glad to see this is an issue that these people want to address.
Oh, wait:
As a lesbian Thai woman, she identifies as a member of a highly marginalized community, and there has been quite a bit of excitement in progressive circles around her rise in popularity as a short story writer. She has been publishing SFF since 2012 and is a John W. Campbell nominee for 2014.
There's excitement about her being a writer. But there's MORE excitement about her race and orientation.
Perhaps someday "liberals" will judge a writer on the content of the work, not on the color of their skin.
- She and her supporters argue that she punches up, but the truth is that she punches in all directions. The bulk of her targets—despite her progressively-slanted rhetoric—have been women, people of color, and other marginalized or vulnerable people.
So, "punching up." That's "liberal" code for "attacks white males." Well, that's okay. It's only when she attacks certain minorities or "marginalized or vulnerable people" that it's a problem.
So, either they're claiming that my alleged "privilege" (Assuming I'm as SWM as they think I am based on my appearance) makes me immune or less vulnerable to such attacks. In other words, they believe in white supremacy. (Or any other writer who's allegedly white, whether they are or not.)
Or, they're perfectly okay with attacks on certain demographic groups. That makes them bigots.
- She has single-handedly destroyed several online SFF, fanfic, and videogaming communities with her negative, hostile comments and attacks.
Again, this happens all the time to conservatives and libertarians.
Most of these people supported the vitriolic attack on Uncle Timmy (Tim Bolgeo), based on something he copied and pasted, to the point where the ignorati wondered "what a racist blog has to do with SF," when he publishes neither a blog nor a racist one. He got uninvited from a convention.
Then the privileged white male who started that twitstorm publicly and repeatedly called me a "racist piece of shit" at a convention (which did step in and stop him).
Remember mega-nerd Jonathan Ross got uninvited from LonCon because someone was sure he would definitely make personal comments about her, with no evidence that he'd ever done so or intended to.
- "If I see *** being beaten in the street I'll stop to cheer on the attackers and pour some gasoline on him" – "*** is an ignorant, appropriative bag of feces."
- "Spread the word that *** is a raging racist fuck. Let him be hurt, let him bleed, pound him into the fucking ground. No mercy."
- "Stupid fuck" – "homophobe" – "without any talent whatsoever". To a reader defending her: "Your liking for this pile of verbal diarrhea proves what morons fantasy fans are."
- "rape apologist!" – "her hands should be cut off so she can never write another Asian character."
- "ah, if only I could actually do it in person. with scalpels, not words."
Stupid fuck" "homophobe" "without any talent whatsoever". "MAYDAY, MAYDAY. BIOCHEMICAL WEAPON TO CINDY PON'S COORDINATES AND MAKE THAT DOUBLE TIME" To reader defending her: insults along the lines of "Your liking for this pile of verbal diarrhea proves what morons fantasy fans are."
"Biochemical weapon"—does that sound like a real threat? That sounds herpaderp. But if you think it might be legit, call the FBI. They do investigate threats of terrorism.
And a reader has the right to publicly say your book is "complete racist shit." It's an opinion. It needs no proof. It needs no license. You cannot stop it and have no recourse. Again, downvote it and move on.
So, now that she, from her alleged (since we don't actually know her race, gender or status) position of more victimhood, is attacking people of less victimhood (which actually IS "punching up"), now it's a problem.
Pardon me for having little sympathy for the culture as a whole. They endorsed this, and still do. But they can't handle it when they get it.
I guess the lesson here is that publishers, hosters, bloggers and authors shouldn't be apologizing to anonymous internet cowards over allegations of anything. Block them, move on, and ignore them. Giving them bandwidth only encourages them.
And hopefully, the "liberal" SF community will learn from this and try to be less racist and judgmental.
Had they started fighting this when she was "only" "punching up" white males of privilege, they might have contained the matter. Now it's turned into a virus.
"Then they came for me…"
In response to a comment of support:
Honestly, I realize most of them are only internet brave, and I'm pretty sure face to face I can take most of them.
Now, I know female authors who've gotten legitimate threats and had to get bodyguards.
Privilege does exist. But that doesn't make it okay to exploit it, or bandy it about as an epithet.
A Post Election AAR
Nov 05, 201412:04AM
It seems the GOP can learn eventually, after enough idiots legitimately rape their own party's chances. Very few of them mentioned abortion, rape or god crap this time around, and they won. Hopefully the lesson sticks. People don't want to hear about abortion, rape or god crap, and no one really cares if teh gheys marry.
And there's a point here. With those issues gone, the DNC had very little to offer, and got beaten like a cheap rubber doll at a sadists' convention.
A "Friend" of mine who identifies as "liberal" was bleating all week about the need to beat the "teahadis" and "libertoonians" who wanted to "Destroy America."
Point A: I doubt she actually knows any Tea Partiers, only what MSDNC has told her about Tea Partiers. Quite a few of them are pro-choice, support marriage equality (or don't care either way) and are females who adamantly oppose sexual assault and discrimination. Attempting to compare them to Muslim terrorists is ridiculous, inaccurate, and racist (using the left's own logic of "racializing" cultures that are different from our own)(while in a weird bipolar disconnect, insisting such cultures are every bit as good as our own)(oh, right, I get it—they're just as good from THEIR POV, but not from OUR POV. This Is Not Racist(when a "liberal" does it)).
Point 2) I'm not a "libertoonian," but since I doubt she actually knows the difference between an anarcho-capitalist and a libertarian, I'll speak for our collective selves. It turns out most of us agree with her on pretty much every social issue, if not the approach to said issues. This Is Not Good Enough. How dare we not march in the same formation in the parade?
And this is one reason why the left must be exterminated, by actual violence if necessary. They don't actually tolerate anything. You are free to agree, or be an enemy of the state. In this regard, they are more dangerous to American than idiot Christofascists, almost as dangerous as actual Jihadis. Projection projects from their every statement.
Point c] A complete lack of tolerance for dissenting POVs is not in any fashion "liberal." Liberals are supposed to endorse social support, the exploration of new ideas, and freedom for individuals. Conversely, conservatives conserve, and hold to existing systems that work. A balance between the two is necessary.
Point IV. If we assume for sake of argument that America works, has worked for a couple of centuries, and does so better than most nations on the planet or in history—readily provable with an examination of GDP, lifespan, and the Bill of Rights—then the people who want to stick with that system are not "destroying" it. Now, had she specifically referred to Christofascists, I'd agree with her. But, "not instantly adopting the curious combination of Fascism and Stalinism endorsed by the DNC" is not "destroying America." The Curious Combination of Fascism and Stalinism endorsed by the DNC is what's destroying America. And we've held the line against it…for now.
And this is why one should not confuse actual liberals, who are a useful, necessary and productive part of any healthy society, with fascists.
So what should we of the evil right wing do tomorrow and moving forward?
Well, first, I'm going to have my driver deliberately detune the engine of the limo to produce as much CO2 as possible. Then, he's going to drive me to McDonald's, where I hope the cow was waterboarded before being slowly raped to death, to be mixed with worm and soy by someone earning $2/hr and chained to the machine. On the way there, I may shoot at homeless people with readily available ghost guns from the NRA Store's ice cream trucks.—This seems to be what she expects proper "teahadis" to do.
Sadly for the DNC, with the GOP in control of both houses, they will not be able to repeat their famous acts of putting an entire race of people into concentration camps, sterilizing the "unfit" or keeping black people as slaves.—This is some of what the Democrats actually did when they were in charge.
GOP: Learn from 2014 for 2016. Tell the idiot god-nuts to STFU, and deal with the problems people actually care about.
DNC: Try actually being liberal. America needs that.
Old Racial Article--Full Retard
Oct 31, 201408:49PM
From the drivel:
Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren isn't backing down from her claim of Native American ancestry, despite the apparent lack of primary documents proving that she's 1/32nd Cherokee.
The controversy surrounding Warren's heritage led us to wonder — how much of a racial or ethnic heritage constitutes minority status? Should percentages of a bloodline matter at all?
But many people's self-identification remains limited by their skin color, which influences the perceptions of others.
If only there were some way to compare people against a background to determine if they're dark enough to be "ethnic." Maybe a brown paper bag?
From the comments:
"Gage Hutchens • 2 years ago
As a statement of opinion, I believe the cultural bias to favor certain people for admissions to undergrad and graduate school should be based on parental income, not on ethnicity or "race."
And as a Cherokee, I hope that I am able to add a unique perspective to this conversation. What appears most challenging for White America to grasp, is that concepts of one's relationship to the dominate anglo-germanic-celtic culture are not uniform even within ethnicities. Opinions are shaped both by a complex interaction of how one is perceived, and also how one's family, clan and tribe perceives AND the culture stories within the "minority" or subordinate culture as to their role enveloped by the dominate society."
Wow. As an immigrant from the "dominate Anglo-Germanic-Celtic culture" (Please show me the respect of capitalizing my ethnicity), let me inform you that it works both ways. My English ancestors spent centuries trying to exterminate my Celtic ancestors, and both of them created the nation of Belgium just so they'd have a place to settle their differences with the Germans. But I guess all us white people look the same to you.
Once again, "liberals" prove they are the most racist fucks on the planet.
On SWATting.
Oct 28, 201410:48AM
The anti-gun freaks who promote "SWATting" are stating they intend for people carrying guns to die from their lies and hysteria. To me, this constitutes a legitimate threat. If someone were to pre-emptively kill one of them, I'd regard it as self defense.
Also, it fits the legal definition of conspiracy--discussion of intent to commit an illegal act, followed by at least one overt act (that need not be criminal itself, merely supportive) (BUT, has been felonious, removing all doubt).
So every member of their group who has made a post or statement to that effect is a felon, conspiring to commit murder.
And until they are arrested for such, it would be completely reasonable to kill them on contact.
This is called "escalation." It's also called "Responding to a credible threat."
Dignity: You're Doing It Wrong
Oct 13, 201409:02PM
A white guy pretending to be an Iroquoisan dressed as a Siouxan doing a Kansa dance? How does anyone think this can possibly have any dignity whatsoever?
Though apparently some chick at U of I who's likely Shoshoni, Comanche or Aztec in background (Uto-Aztecan name) found it so offensive 7 years later she says she feels suicidal:
In April 2014, an indigenous student, Xochitl Sandoval, sent a letter to the university administration (which she also posted on her Facebook page) describing her thoughts of suicide resulting from the daily insults she felt due to the continued presence of "The Chief" on campus, including other students wearing the old image and name on sweatshirts and the continued "unofficial" performances the current "Chief", Ivan A. Dozier at some events.
Man, that's a negative dignity rating there.
That would be like having a Chinese guy put on a kilt and horned helmet, dance a polka, and someone in Spain getting offended.
But hell, we're talking about a school that thinks orange and blue are complementary colors.
Why You Should Never Listen To Twits On Twitter. Hilarity Ensues
Oct 07, 201411:34PM
So this was an encounter with (If my research is correct) one Matthew J. Carroll-Schmidt, who styles himself MJCS on Facebook. He's allegedly a lawyer.
I had no idea who he was. He was at Archon, dressed as Space Ghost, and we conversed cordially for about ten minutes about random stuff until he noticed my badge.
Him: "Hey, are you Michael Williamson, the racist guy?"
Me: "Er, huh?"
Him: "Yeah, I'm MJCS. Do you know me?"
Me: "I don't think so."
Him: "I think we talked on Facebook."
Me: "Possibly. I have 3500 followers on Facebook. I talk to a lot of people."
Him: "Do you know Tim Bolgeo?"
Me: "Slightly."
Him: "Yeah, it is you, you racist piece of shit."
On visual observation, he appeared to be an overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged white male with a small penis (He was dressed as Space Ghost, and the spandex does not lie).
(Try to contain your surprise.)
Which of course perfectly qualifies him as an expert on racism.
This individual is apparently the overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged white male with a small penis who shit his panties on Twitter about an out of context comment from Tim's fanzine, call Tim a racist, and got thousands of other members of the Butthurt Little Bitch Brigade to shit their panties, to a point where the concom was forced to uninvite Tim to avoid the deluge of leftist feces. This greatly annoyed a lot of us, who know Tim well. There were discussions where we presented facts and lefticle panty-shitters called us "racists." Even those of our side who were black.
There were even leftist ignoranuses (that's a person who's ignorant and an asshole) asking why the con would invite someone who publishes a "racist ezine," thus demonstrating that they had no knowledge of the events whatsoever, but were outraged anyway.
His e-zine is about science (Tim being a retired nuclear engineer), space, SF, people in the SF community needing help, and a few jokes, some of them tacky. He'll even take jokes about Italian Catholics, even though he's one himself. But of course, humor is lost on leftists.
I asked, "Are you aware that [well known black author] made statements supporting Tim Bolgeo?"
"So are you claiming to know more about racism than [well known black author]?"
"Yes. I read his [Tim's] blog." [Actually, it's an ezine.]
Aha! I think we found the racist in the equation. Obviously that poor black author doesn't know real racism when he sees it. He needs an overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged, racist white male with a small penis to whitesplain it to him.
He continued, "Yeah, so you're a racist piece of shit. A racist piece of shit. A racist piece of shit."
Clearly, MJCS is a low-Q specimen as well as a low-T specimen.
Now, there are five reasons why it's a really bad idea to loudly and publicly call someone a "racist piece of shit."
First, they might actually be one, and proud of it. In which case, they'll be pleased with your comment and you accomplish nothing.
Second, they might be one, and not aware of it, in which case, you've negated any possibility of reasonable discussion to persuade them otherwise, and accomplished less than nothing.
Third, it's probably slander, and you might get your ass sued. A competent lawyer would know this.
Fourth, if it's not true, you're pissing someone off needlessly, and they might…
Fifth, beat the living shit out of you and kick your teeth down your throat, especially if you're an overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged, racist white male with a small penis. Actually, ANY of them might do it, and given the provocation, quite a few bystanders might cheer them on.
I chose to ignore this and not get violent. It was clearly what he wanted, so he could file a lawsuit, sort of like a fourth-rate cousin of his fellow Democrat Fred Phelps. Though to be fair, despite his laundry list of flaws, Phelps was not a racist.
But, I think I might contact the Bar Assn about this behavior. It certainly lent nothing to the dignity of the profession.
Of course, he was assuming a punch or slap and a bruise for a lawsuit. What he might get is his face smashed into the table and his teeth kicked down his throat, some broken ribs and fingers. After all, if you're getting arrested, it may as well be for something worthwhile. If this ever does happen to him, I hope there's a Youtube video.
He then said, "Yeah, so, I know it's an article of faith among your racist subculture that I wouldn't be here. Well, HERE I AM!"
Wow. Here you are. Fighting racism by dressing as a white character at a convention that's 95% white people, attacking people with verbal epithets. You should be so proud.
Honestly, I'd completely forgotten he existed. Twittards are plentiful and my time is valuable. I pay them no heed.
I'm not sure how he knows so much about any subculture I might belong to, seeing as he seemed blissfully unaware I'm a relatively well-known author in SF, was a convention Guest this year, a Special Guest last year, and have a substantial body of work. Also, I'm a member of three minority groups myself and have a mixed-race wife. I just don't wave the flag about it and call people names over it. (It's perfectly okay for me to call him names, since as an apparent overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged, racist white male with a small penis, he's part of the racist culture America fosters, a privileged member of the dominant ethnic group, and fair game by those of us with less privilege. Also, he had macro-aggressed me.)
I'm not sure how he knows so much about a racist subculture. I know very little about them myself, and even have to ask for help deciphering some of the slang they use, when I read it online. However, since as best I recall he'd publicly stated he wasn't going to attend, my peer group assumed he wasn't. We had concluded that if he did show up he'd be an overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle age white male with a small penis, and it appears we were right!
Bonus point: I bet that within five exchanges, he'd reveal himself to be a racist, and either suffering guilt or in denial about it, and I appear to have been correct about that, too.
So I reported the harassment to the concom, who called security and had him informed to stop harassing me.
It turned out he'd been at the convention feedback session, loudly decrying it as an "unsafe space" for women, even though none of the women I know report that. In fact, they reported feeling very safe. But, I'm sure as an apparent overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle age white male with a small penis, he knows more about sexism than they do, and can mansplain it to them.
Then, he'd claimed to be a lawyer and demanded details of their incorporation documents, presumably to use it for further leverage against them. That would make him a shit lawyer, since such information is publicly available about a non-profit corporation. Unless he was doing it for purposes of harassing them, in which case he's a piece of shit lawyer. But then, what other kind would an overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged, racist white male with a small penis who works for "Activist groups" be?
One of the groups appears to be the "Nonhuman rights project," securing civil rights for animals, or perhaps for people who think they're animals. Such group appears to have accomplished nothing. Otherwise, a search shows no real papers, no real cases, not much of anything. Exactly what you'd expect of an "activist" who's an overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged, racist white male with a small penis.
I suggested that they might consider uninviting him for future events, since his presence seems to be disruptive and make quite a few people feel unsafe. Also, by reducing attendance by one apparent overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged, racist white male with a small penis, they'd improve the racial and gender diversity slightly. Not to mention the smell.
This, by the way, is why you should NEVER respond to a Twit-shitstorm. It only validates people who should have none.
In conclusion, MJCS, you apparent overweight, out of shape, middle class, middle aged, racist white male with a small penis, take this as my warning not to ever approach my personal space ever again, or I will regard it as assault and respond accordingly.
Oh, by the way, there's no need to apologize—the head of the concom did so on your behalf, since civil behavior is beyond your emotional capability. There was no need of him to do so, but he understands manners and civil behavior.
When Non-Scientists Try To Be Clever
Aug 21, 201409:33AM
So, Ted Beale, AKA Vox Day, self-proclaimed genius about everything, has this list of "Questions Atheists Can't Answer."
Either it's a complete troll and he knows better, or he's much less bright than he constantly purports to be.
Below are the questions, and I've provided answers from layman myself (M), a neuroscientist who is also a quite vocal Christian (NEURO), an entomologist whose religious affiliation I do not know (ENT), and a biologist who is an atheist (BIO).
Q1: How do creationists "pose a serious threat to society"?
M: as with any other mythology, they believe things that aren't real, and more importantly, desire to have their myths taught as science with the stated goal of displacing science. Should we also listen to crystal huggers, palm readers, astrologers and UFOers? Also, which creationism? Obviously, Ted and his ilk are hoping for a Christian world, and even state so. But Muslims are working on outnumbering Christians and have their own mythology, anathema to he and his type. With a precedent for teaching myth as science, we would have no ethical standing to stop their "education." And besides, Hindu creation is older, better supported and obviously the correct one. When he agrees to teach it as science, then we can talk.
Of course, since the US courts, composed of judges who are about 80% Christian, based on average demographics, have ruled Creationism is in fact a myth, not science, he can't even claim he's got majority opinion on his side, if the opinion of ignorant non-scientists mattered in this matter, which they do not.
BIO: The threat they pose is dragging us back to the Dark Ages. Most of them deny science in ways far more insidious than "merely" denying evolution. Most of them would happily deny evolution and even the existence of DNA … right up until they needed a paternity test. [This is not hyperbole. I worked with a group of people who did exactly this, until one of their number "had" to fight a paternity suit. He lost. There are reasons I loathed working there.] I've gotten to deal with the ones who, even as they work on computers as programmers insist that because "evolution doesn't exist," all of our knowledge about chemistry and physics is wrong as well.
NEURO: Response: Creationists pose the exact same threat to society that the IPCC and the AGW crowd does – implying that any scientific inquiry is "closed" and irrefutable. I will be writing an article this summer on "Why Science is Never Settled" in which I look at the historical precedents that the most *certain* scientific (or religious) "fact" is most often found to be wrong.
ENT: And has been mentioned previously, any group that tries to force or establish their dogma as the One True Dogma can be considered a threat to scientific exploration and discovery.
To quote Terry Pratchett, "People think that progress is made by everybody pulling in the same direction. They are wrong. Progress is made by everybody pulling in every direction at once". Trying to channel/fund science that only looks r agrees with the One True Dogma is not going to find as much as if the scientists had been allowed to explore and wander a bit.
Q2: There are an estimated 1,263,186 animal species and 326,175 plant species in the world. Assuming the age of the Earth is 4.54 billion years, what is the average rate of speciation?
M: I don't know whose ass he pulled that number out of, but it's both ludicrously precise and ridiculously low. If he's not even going to pose worthwhile questions or use cites, I don't see much point in responding, but here goes:
Asking the "average rate of speciation" is like asking "how deep is a hole?" The question is meaningless and irrelevant. Beale either knows this (Troll), or has not done his research in the subject to ask a rational question (not as bright as he'd like to hope to think we believe he is).
BIO: Average rates of speciation vary widely between types of creatures – animals, plants, bacteria, and viruses. It's partly due to generational turn-over – the faster the organism reaches sexual maturity and reproduces (and generally dies) the faster mutation rates accumulate. That's why there isn't a single unified DNA "clock" between all organisms. Also, in plants? It's a lot easier to speciate than it is in animals. Every time a plant's germ cell fails to perform meiosis correctly, there's a chance for speciation due to chromosome number changes, particularly in plants that are self-fertile. Bacteria and viruses have it even easier.
NEURO: Response: Average rate of speciation is, as Bio mentioned elsewhere, so variable as to make *this* question the equivalent of "How deep is a hole?" Bio's explanation works very well, and from what we are now learning about epigenetics, it doesn't take much isolation to generate new "sub-species." Keep in mind that the classical Linnaean definition of a species is ability (or lack) to interbreed. Thus all humans are single species (and subspecies are strictly defined by commonly inherited "phenotypes" or visible traits).
ENT: There is no "average rate of speciation". In fact, recent studies suggest that the entire idea of a "molecular clock" is unsupported by genetic evidence. The rate of change at the genetic level is not constant, there will be times of seeming stagnation, and times of rapid speciation.
Also, the number quoted for animals is pathetically low. Insects alone have 900,000 described species.
Which then brings up the headache inducing topic of what a species is.
The old definition of a species, where two individuals can mate and produce fertile offspring has somewhat fallen by the wayside with indications from genetic work that there can be two species that can mate and have fertile hybrids. This happens in plants all the time.
In animals, the difference in eastern and western coyotes is thought to come from eastern coyotes interbreeding with eastern wolf populations.
A Beefalo, a cross between a cow and an American Bison is fertile. And delicious.
Q3: How many mutations, on average, are required per speciation?
M: Again, "How deep is a hole?" This is an attempt to force a respondent to agree with the query. Definite game designer strategy. Unless it's complete ignorance.
BIO: There isn't a set number of mutations that would trigger speciation, or even an "average." Reproductive isolation is one of the major "hallmarks" of speciation, and even that threshold can be debatable. If a single gene mutated such that a fly reproduced either twice as fast or twice as long as others of its egg-mates, it has the opportunity to found a new species. It'd be a derivative species, and the first generations would be crosses with the primary species, but the resulting offspring who mated later (and later, and later) would be more likely to reproduce with each other, while the ones who reproduced sooner would generally reach sexual maturity at roughly the same time and breed with each other.
NEURO: Response: As above – it's not the number of mutations... unless that mutation results in the formation of additional/fewer chromosomes. But that's a "Whole' Nother Thang" that will take a lot more time to discuss than this single [comment].
ENT: Mutation is not the only way to speciate. Behaviour is one. Adaptation (via upregulation or down regulation as influence by environment) is another. So is geographic isolation.
And what type of mutations? SNPs? Gene duplication? Gene loss? Gene birth? Horizontal gene transfer?
To be honest, this question doesn't make a lot of sense to me.[It's not supposed to. It's supposed to sound cool for ignorati who want to think your confused look is some kind of moral score—Mike]
Q4: What scientifically significant predictive model relies primarily upon evolution by natural selection?
BIO: I'm afraid, to me, that question doesn't make sense. Those who have academic experience may be better suited to answering it, because my response is "Er, evolution as we understand it today." Evolution, by the way, is a description of a process we know exists. We just may not have all the answers and reasons about how/why it works the way it does. To make that assumption – when we clearly are still acquiring knowledge and information – would be a special kind of hubris. Say, the sort reserved for "climate scientists" and "politicians" (but I repeat myself).
We've also (recently) discovered that environmental stress can bring change to how the DNA-assisted protein expression works. In essence, the mutations build up "in the background" because they're in noncritical areas. Environmental stress causes those parts of the DNA to be expressed, resulting in the potential for rapid, multi-variable mutation expression in just a single generation. The new generation's members which survive to reproductive age set the stage for the potential speciation.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24337296 (HSP90 as a capacitor for loss of eyes in cavefish; 2013 Dec 13)
Article with a large number of linked/cited articles https://www.simonsfoundation.org/quanta/20140115-under-pressure-does-evolution-evolve/
NEURO: Response: Again, Bio has a great response regarding scientific theories, but I'll go one step further and state that *I* think the scientific model(s) most dependent on evolution and natural selection is the study of epidemiology and disease. There is clear evidence of rapid mutation and "selection" or viruses and bacteria. Human health is highly dependent on inherited traits. BTW, the only difference between natural selection and GMOs is that someone has manipulated the environment to speed up evolutionary process.
Minirant #1: Creationism is damaging to science and society, but Conservative Christians don't have a lock on the principle. Anti-GMO, anti-vaccination liberals are even *more* damaging because they are *directly* affecting human societal health. You can overcome Creationism in time with education. You just don't have *time* to overcome a previously eradicated childhood disease which resurges to kill millions.
ENT: As was mentioned by Neuro, humans and their diseases is an excellent example. The "sickle cell" mutation to help humans survive a malarial infection is one that comes to mind.
Q5: Which of the various human sub- species is the most evolved; i.e. modified by mutation and natural selection from the most recent common human ancestor? Which is the least evolved?
M: Define "evolved." There is no more or less. Andean natives are evolved to survive at altitudes that would kill Hawaiians. Tierre Del Fuegans can survive naked at temperatures that would kill Arabs, and vice versa.
If the question is a timeline one regarding modern humans, then I believe the San Bushmen are closest to our Paleolithic Cro-Magnon forebears, and blond Northern Europeans are the most recent of gross appearance genotypes. But, Northern Europeans incorporate Neanderthal DNA, Asians and Pacific peoples Denisovan DNA, and Sub Saharan Africans do not.
The answer to question as phrased (Because it's a really bad question) is, "Modern humans are the most evolved human species from our most recent ancestor." Denisovans, Neanderthals, and arguably Heidelbergensis and Habilis were all human. Neanderthals certainly displayed considerable behavioral modernity.
Really, is there some point to this? I recall some conspiracy nut trying to prove the existence of a banking conspiracy insisting, "Ask your mortgage holder to sign a statement that the bank doesn't use the same bookkeeping method as if they stole your house and sold it back to you." Naturally, he claimed that refusal to sign it proved his point, and naturally, no one with any brains in the finance sector is going to sign anything not written in legalese and vetted by the legal department.
This question is crap.
BIO: Snark answer: What, is someone needing their superiority complex fluffed up again?
Of the human subspecies we know about, we only have some DNA evidence. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24603-mystery-human-species-emerges-from-denisovan-genome.html#.UzvvTqzD9hE indicates we split off from the Denisovans and Neanderthals approximately 400 thousand years ago, and they split sometime after that. The Denisovans then appear to have interbred with an even more archaic population, picking up trace signals from that. Now it appears that some of the African hunter-gatherer groups (who have long been held to be the 'purest') interbred about 35 thousand years ago with a different archaic group, which split off from our lineage 700 thousand years ago. (Unfortunately, the papers involved seem to be paywalled, and I can't get to them directly.) So, how can we even begin to suggest one group is more "evolved" than the other? We're still figuring out about our own DNA, let alone any other archaic group's.
NEURO: Response: The most recent common ancestors were omnivorous sub-tropical hunter-gatherers. Based on deviation from the likely *direct* lineage (Fertile Crescent and sub-Saharan Africa), that would make the Inuit and Scandinavians the most "evolved" – The environmental adaptations to cold, lack of sunlight, and a much more heavily carnivorous diet are the most obvious adaptations, but remember, so much of that "selection" and "evolution" is Lamarckian theory which is largely discarded (and I say "largely" instead of "entirely" only because of recent evidence that epigenetic changes can be inherited). In point of fact, the sedentary, obese, urban metrosexual cubicle dweller is the most divergent from human evolutionary paths.
ENT: Again, as mentioned it would be those human populations that have been relatively isolated and become adapted to their environments.
Also, "sub-species"? No one in taxonomy, biogeography, etc., uses that term anymore. It's archaic.
"Which is the least evolved?"
I am assuming that this poorly worded question is asking which of the human populations could be considered the most robust and least modified. The answer is typically the populations from sub-Saharan Africa. As more people get their genome sequenced, this answer may become more precise.
6: Is the theory of evolution by natural selection strengthened or weakened by the claim that most DNA is devoid of purpose?
M: The existence of said DNA has no effect on the theory. Only the utilization of it in mutations would have an effect. IIRC, it was initially understood to be random leftovers, but quickly determined to be a pool of available material to utilize as needed, sort of a garage full of "junk" that includes a motorcycle, tools, cleaning solvent, blowtorches and springs. It's junk when you live in the suburbs with a healthy income. When civilization collapses, it suddenly becomes worth more than gold.
Seriously, when was the last time this guy read a basic science book? 8th grade?
BIO: It's a claim that DNA has "junk" space in it. Some of it does not appear to code for genes – as far as we can tell. However, see above for the previously-suppressed mutations being expressed under environmental stress. From what we can tell, parts of the DNA that previously seemed to be "junk" may in fact be coding protein structure not just protein molecules.
See: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/250006.php Quote: "A staggering batch of over 30 papers published in Nature, Science, and other journals this month, firmly rejects the idea that, apart from the 1% of the human genome that codes for proteins, most of our DNA is "junk" that has accumulated over time like some evolutionary flotsam and jetsam.
The papers, representing 10 years of work of the ENCODE ("Encyclopedia of DNA Elements") project, completed by hundreds of scientists from dozens of labs around the world, reveal that 80% of the human genome serves some purpose and is biochemically active, for example, in regulating the expression of genes situated nearby."
So, based on our most recent and available research, that is a debunked claim (and as far as I know, it was always debated that we just didn't know the purposes yet). It is meaningless for "strengthening or weakening" the theory of evolution. However, because at least 80% of DNA has some functional ability (and perhaps more), I'd say that means evolutionary theory is pretty robust. If we kept ALL archaic DNA that ever showed up in the genome, the percentage of active processing would be far lower. That'd mean at least most of those viral remnants have been kept … because they were useful.
NEURO: Counter question: Well, is the astronomical theory of a heliocentric solar system strengthened or weakened by the fact that Pluto is not a planet or that the Moon should be?
Response: Frankly, this is a diversion – first it isn't true that most DNA is devoid of purpose. Think of it as not just a computer program, but a complete Operating System, including boot sequence, interrupt vectors and machine-code subroutines. True, a *lot* of DNA is legacy code, but a lot is also structural. In order to "curl" and compact the DNA strands into the structure we call "chromosomes", there have to be specific molecular structures at specific distances along the strand. Hence there are specific structural components and spacing to form the 3-D structure. There's also instructional code necessary for growth and development (analogous to the boot-up sequence) which guides development, then shuts off. There's "subroutines" for immune functions which are only needed to create the specific immune reaction to a disease, there's duplicates of code utilized to repair random errors, there's stop and start codes for transcriptions. Frankly, like any good programming language, there's structural elements that do nothing more than to establish sequence and timing. We now know that there's a lot of old viral code stored in our DNA, it *had* a function at one time, but like MicroSoft, our DNA never throws out legacy code no matter how out of date – after all, our bodies still (mostly) have an appendix, tonsils and redundant gonads.
I'll close this with...
Minirant #2: Actually – new-age mysticism, "crystal power", Occupy Wall Street, the various forms of environmental luddites, Greenies, people who distrust 'materialist science', race-baiters, Dept. of Education bureaucrats, IPCC, and antivaxxers are THE NUMBER ONE threat to scientific progress. Considering that prior to the 20th century, "scientists" were quite often monks doing isolated work on their own, religion doesn't come anywhere close. Yes, there are abuses today, but frankly, it's largely an excuse and a diversion from the *real* problem.
ENT: Introns are not devoid of purpose.
The 'Junk DNA' seems to have a number of semi-dismantled viruses that are kept around. Some bits seem to be duplicated genes that act as an open lab for evolution to tinker with without having deleterious effects. Other parts could be genes that we've lost the promoter regions to, so they aren't turned on (expressed).
Beale admits he couldn't do the college math for real science, yet arrogates to himself the authority to tell real scientists he knows more than they, because God.
He might want to try pot instead. He'll come up with more rational questions.
These questions are akin to the ones 2nd Amendment activists get regarding, "But 'well-regulated!'" and "assault weapons of mass murder!" and other emotion-begging crap that has no support, but sounds impressive.
Beale is a decent musician (he co-founded Psykosonik), probably a decent game designer (I don't play most games), but as a scientist, he's a pretty good musician and game designer.
I'm going to assume he's just trolling and knows better. If so, he makes a valid point that your typical layperson really doesn't understand science.
On the other hand, he also seems to be stuck in a religious perspective that "science" is like a church and is concerned with comfort and safety and keeping out the infidel. Certainly there are people practicing science who act that way—human beings are flawed. But in contemporary vernacular, the battle cry of a scientist is supposed to be, "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" to disprove everything put into the arena. Only that which survives battle is accepted into the category of knowledge known as "theory," which includes thermodynamics, evolution, and gravity.
Using an example where I agree with his statements but for rational, rather than emotional reasons, look at the climate science pages on Wikipedia, then look at the geology pages regarding the future of the Earth. The geologists, thinking in much longer time spans, generally regard the climate scientists as gadflies. There's money in climate science for political ends, as there is in ag science (both ways in each). What there isn't money in is human origin (or geology, unless it's for mineral development, that cursed capitalism). Sure, you can choose to believe in some huge Satanic conspiracy to destroy Christianity, but organized religion seems to be doing the job itself just fine.
But given that Beale's blog has people who believe in mystical crop circles, 9-11 conspiracies, magical auras, and…aw, hell, here's a quote from a few days ago, challenging my "belief" in evolution:
PhillipGeorge(c)2014 August 13, 2014 8:20 AM
Michael Z. Williamson: just run the abiogenesis experiments and get back to us. Or statistically refute Rupert Sheldrake's morphic fields. Or in the middle of the night without assistance or detection make a crop circle - of the complexity and beauty of those actually occurring in the real world - or neurologically explain memory, etc etc etc. It actually isn't going to happen.
because, well, mantra me well, scientist.
I'm sure it feels great to lord intellect over a crowd like that, but it really doesn't take much.
If Beale wants a debate with actual scientists, however, I can arrange it. He obviously hasn't so far. I would speculate that bluster aside, he's terrified that his mythological beliefs are rapidly becoming so quaint they compare to Just So stories and the moon myths of coastal East Africans.
Or he could just be a troll.
I see no indication of any supergenius level intellect, merely an attempt to throw crap against a wall and see what sticks.
Glad we could bring a pressure washer.
In counter, I'd like an answer to the following questions:
The Bible clearly states pi = 3, that rabbits chew a cud, that bats are birds and whales are fish, locusts walk on four legs, and heaven is held up by four pillars and has storehouses of hailstones.
Are these metaphorical or literal statements?
If literal, the Bible is a load of crap from a scientific perspective. If metaphorical, isn't it apparent the entire document is intended to be a guiding principle, not an astrophysics text?
Where in the Bible is DNA mentioned and defined?
Why is the Christian variation of the Jewish creation myth, derived from the Mesopotamian and Zoroastrian creation myths worthy of note as "science"? Why isn't the much more supportable Hindu creation myth preferred?
Feedback to Inevitable comment
Jun 20, 201408:58PM
Denise Beucler @dmbeucler 4h @scalzi @mzmadmike I'd really love to go a day without men telling me how not to get raped. Details Reply Retweet Favorite
I'd really love to go a day without being assumed to be some sort of predatory monster, based on my gender.
I'd really love to go a day without my informed opinion being dismissed because of my gender.
I'd really love to go a day where facts weren't presumed to have a gender.
I'd really love to go a day where it wasn't assumed that the collators of said facts were entirely male.
I'd really love to go a day without some female chicksplaining to me how I'm wrong, regardless of my training and experience.
I'd really love to go a day where as a male survivor of sexual assault, I wasn't assumed to be irrelevant to the discussion.
So I guess we're both disappointed.


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Battlefield 3!
Thats the big ones for me for now with BF3 looking simply amazing, I really hope it cleans up with sales over CoD, Activison are the new EA...
BTW I will be looking to make an EduGeek BF3 server for us all
Battlefield 3!
Thats the big ones for me for now with BF3 looking simply amazing, I really hope it cleans up with sales over CoD, Activison are the new EA...
BTW I will be looking to make an EduGeek BF3 server for us all
i'll probably still end up getting it, because the actual island looks amazing and free roam will still be good. but it will lose that added extra bit i think
Counter Strike: Global Operation
BF3 but not a chance I'll be able to play it on my current rig.
L4D2 Cold Stream DLC
Batman: Arkham City
Dead Island looks good. Really into zombie games ATM.
I'm looking forward to...
Hard Reset
Serious Sam 3: BFE
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
Serious Sam 3 is what Duke Nukem Forever should have been like and the Blade Runner-esque 'Hard Reset' looks amazing. The best thing about these two games is that they are PC exclusives so they won't be ruined by being ported to/from consoles.
not being on Steam? Origin sounds horrible.
looking at my steam account waiting to install i have:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
From Dust
the elder scrolls V
and most importently MINECRAFT Full Game(November =3)
EduGeek Minecraft Server Details
Serious Sam 3 looks good, rememeber playing the first one a long time ago
Not really a war game type person aside from maybe the old Quake 1 & 2, Doom 1,2 and 3, although Waiting for Darksiders 2 on the PS 3
Guild Wars 2 and Star Wars the Old Republic
I'm really out of touch with games at the moment, and with recent events its not been foremost on my mind either
I only recently discovered L4D and Portal!
Completed Portal and working my way through Portal 2...
L4D is more tricky due to the way you can only save progress at "safe houses" so really need a lot of time to play it to make headway - not easy with a 4 year old!
Might take a look at CoD once I'm back in work...
Used to be right into Counterstrike, but again life has moved on and since my Son arrived, gaming has really been on the back burner...
Until now!
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Posts tagged: Martinsville Speedway
Leading 346 of 500 laps in Sunday's STP Gas Booster 500 at Martinsville Speedway, Jimmie Johnson racked up his eighth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at the .526-mile short track and the 62nd win of his career. For the second straight event at Martinsville, Johnson won from the pole.
Johnny Sauter won the season opener at Daytona, and after a break of 43 days, won the second race of the season at the .526-mile short track. Sauter won for the eighth time in the Truck series and posted his first back-to-back victories. It was only the second time in series history that a driver has opened the season with back-to-back wins; the first was 2006 by Mark Martin.
The Sprint Cup cars have been silent for the Easter break, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has been idle for five weeks. That changes at 9 a.m. Friday when the track goes green for the first practice session of the weekend.
Denny Hamlin, who started from the rear because he missed the drivers' meeting —- thanks to a conflict with Sprint Cup practice — finished 1.932 seconds ahead of Nelson Piquet Jr., who bulled his way into the runner-up position after restarting fourth on Lap 193 of 200. Joey Coulter ran third, followed by Matt Crafton and Scott Riggs.


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My wife and I stayed in Hotel Pilier d'Angle last month for one night while driving from Tuscany to Burgundy. We had been driving much of the day and were warmly greeted when we arrived. The hotel is beautiful. Thick slate roof, wood beams and alpine warmth. Room was immaculate and comfortable. Tub and shower. Diner at the restaurant was... More
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Amazon has the Sony NEX-3N kit with the 16-50mm power zoom lens for $366.55 (reg. $499). While this is a prior-generation camera, it is still an excellent deal on a 16.1MP APS-C camera with interchangeable lenses from Sony's E-mount line. Check it out here on Amazon.com.
Sony A5100 Leaks Out with 24.3MP Sensor
The Sony A5100 is expected to be announced soon as a direct replacement to the Sony A5000. New photos of the camera, along with a spec list have leaked out just days ahead of its launch. [Read more...]
Sony E-Mount Lenses on Sale at B&H
B&H has several deals on Sony E-mount lenses for its mirrorless cameras. Lenses are available with up to $200 instant rebates, 4% rewards and free expedited shipping. Check them all out here at B&H Photo.
Zeiss 2-Lens Kit at $800 Off – Deal Alert
Right now, you can order the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 and the Zeiss Touit 12mm f/2.8 lenses as a 2-lens kit for $919 total (reg. $1719). The Zeiss 12mm lens normally retails for $999, while the Zeiss 32mm lens normal retails for $720.
The kit is available for Fuji X-mount and Sony E-mount cameras. Check it out here at B&H Photo.
Sony A3500 Announced, But Only for Australia
Sony has taken official wraps off of the A3500, which was leaked last week. The camera seems to simply be a rebadge of the current A3000 model with a lower caliber kit lens.
The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens in the A3000 kit offers image stabilization, while the 18-50mm f/4-5.6 kitted with the A3500 is slower (at f/4 on the wide end) and is not equipped with optical image stabilization.
The A3500 retails for $499AU only in Australia for the time being. Meanwhile the A3000 (with a better lens) remains a ridiculous bargain at $294 for its current sale price and is on backorder because of it. Even when it's not on sale the A3000 retails for only $399.
Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS Lens Now In Stock
B&H has the new Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm f/4 ZA OSS lens for Sony E-mount cameras in stock now with free shipping. Check it out here at B&H Photo.
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"There will be a time when Hezbollah will be confronted, but this is not it," he said.
Hezbollah's media office in Beirut declined requests for interviews.
In response to domestic criticism, Hezbollah often plays the "resistance card," trying to draw political legitimacy from its combative stance toward Israel. The "Resistance Tourist Landmark" in the village of Mleeta is an outdoor shrine to Hezbollah's battle against Israel's 18-year military presence in Lebanon, which ended in 2000 when Israeli forces withdrew from a zone they controlled in the south.
A Hezbollah activist who serves as a volunteer tour guide at the site spoke dismissively of Lebanon's opposition.
"If you take a look at their numbers, they are very weak and small," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was expressing his personal view, not Hezbollah's official position.
The site, which was turned into a resistance museum in 2010, includes trenches covered by camouflage netting, a 200-meter-long tunnel and bunkers used by fighters at the time.
In one huge victory tableau, an Israeli Merkava tank is half-submerged into the ground. Hebrew letters in stone next to it read, "the Lebanese mud," a mocking reference to the phrase Israelis themselves use to describe their costly military entanglement across their northern border.
In its latest show of taking on Israel, the militia sent an Iranian-made drone on a reconnaissance flight over Israel earlier this month.
Israel shot down the plane near its Dimona nuclear reactor in the south, but an Iranian lawmaker later said Tehran was able to obtain images of Israeli military bases.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said he'd send more drones, boasting that "we can reach any place" in Israel.
In the 2006 war, Hezbollah forces battled Israel's military to a standstill, winning it support across the Arab world, even among Sunnis. That has diminished because of the Syria conflict. But among some, its resistance credentials trump its alliance with a dictator trying to crush a Sunni-led rebellion among some.
That's particularly the case in southern Lebanon, where residents still nurse bitter memories of Israel's invasion in the early 1980s.
In Sidon, a Sunni stronghold in the mainly Shiite south, Mohieddine Sin, a 56-year-old Sunni smoking a waterpipe in a boardwalk cafe, said he supports Hezbollah regardless of its actions in Syria. "Whoever is against Israel, we are with them," he said.
"Either you are with America or you are with the resistance," added fellow Sunni Fadi Saed, 47, owner of a Sidon household goods store in Sidon.
Hezbollah would suffer a serious blow if Assad were to fall, but likely not a fatal one.
It has done well by Lebanon's Shiites and built alliances with Christian and Druze politicians. The militia can likely count on continued support from Iran, which would want to protect its strategic proxy on Israel's doorstep, particularly if Assad is toppled. And even if a post-Assad leadership were to prevent more Iranian weapons from being shipped to Hezbollah, the militia already has a huge arsenal of tens of thousands of missiles, according to Israeli estimates.
Saab, the analyst, said Hezbollah remains in good shape, provided it does not get into another major war with Israel.
"Hezbollah is going to come out on top, not matter what," he said.
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Leaders of nine national women's organisations met the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar here on Friday to push for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
Expressing concern and disappointment over the delay in passage of the Women's Reservation Bill that seeks to reserve 33 per cent seats for women in Assemblies and Parliament, the delegation said proposed legislation was passed in the Rajya Sabha last year and has been held hostage to the politics of 'consensus' since then.
The delegation urged upon Meira Kumar to intervene in this matter to ensure that the Bill is brought onto the agenda of the Lok Sabha and passed without delay on the occasion of the completion of 100 years of International Women's Day on March 8.
Responding positively to the issues raised by the women, Ms. Kumar, assured that she was with the women of the country in wanting the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill. She said she was in the Parliamentary Committee led by Geeta Mukherjee and would do her bit to give a push for its passage. She also said she was aware of the advances made by elected women in Panchayats and local bodies and was hopeful that the obstacles being raised with regard to this Bill would be overcome.
The resistance to women's entry into the highest decision making bodies from the conservative and patriarchal forces in society is still widely prevalent, and has been taking different forms. This is why misleading arguments are being posed to divert attention from the real motive of stalling passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha, according to a memorandum submitted to the Speaker.
It pointed out that sub-quotas for women from different socially deprived categories, including Muslim women, are being demanded by those ostensibly speaking up for the deprived women. Since quotas cannot be restricted only to women and since reservation on the basis of religion, and sub caste (other than SC/ST) remains a question yet to be settled within the Constitutional framework, such demands will continue to delay passage of the Women's Bill, as they have already done for 14 years.
Some of those opposed to the Bill in the name of sub-quotas also say that if reservation for women is reduced from 33 per cent, they will support the Bill. This exposed the hollowness of their demand for sub-quotas, which is only being used to block women's reservation. The anti-women remarks being made from these quarters further confirm the patriarchal nature of this opposition, the memorandum said.
The delegation comprised Sudha Sundararaman (All India Democratic Women's Association), Annie Raja (National Federation of Indian Women), Jyotsna Chatterjee (Joint Women's Programme), Sheila Kakde (All India Women's Conference), Vimal Thorat (All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch) and Meenakshi Faith Paul (Young Women's Christian Association).
Keywords: Women's quota Bill


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|Posted By:
|Steve Light
|Re: Lyte Pedigree 1286 AD to 1777 AD
|Post Date:
|May 08, 1999 at 09:51:27
|Message URL:
|Light Family Genealogy Forum
|Forum URL:
Dear Tom,
There are very few references to German Lights migrating down from Pennsylvania but there are some die hard believers. The first German settlers (in a large group) in Virginia were in about 1716, when Spotswood brought in German and Welsh ironworkers to Spottsylvania county Virginia. However, a supposedly complete list of names of that community does not include a John Light. Interestingly, in that enterprise was our William Russell, grandfather of Ann Russell who married our Jacob Light about 1780 or so. Both the Lights and Russells were also intermarried before 1717, somewhere between Norfolk Virginia and Philadelphia. The Hollowells migrated from Philadelphia about 1705 when the persecutions of Puritans and quakers ended in Virginia.
There is also a Jacob Light in the highlands of the Carolinas in 1750, probably an Indian trader, as were all theother characters I mentioned including John Light Sr of Halifax, Wm Russell, and Spottswood.
Russell, Abe Green, John Cole, Bean and other famous early "long hunters" were the legendary first white men in tennessee etc (long before Boone) and all members of the Augusta county militia. Augusta county was huge, from Penn to Tennessee. Wherever you find these these hunters you find my John Light soon after.
One theory is that the Lights and others migrated north from Virginia before 1680 because of the persecution into Maryland and pennsylvania. Light Townshend of SC is descended from a John Lyte and Eliz Green married in 1680 in Maryland. Our John Light of Halifax and his son George appear as scouts in Massachussetts in 1750 during the French and Indian war, along with Russsells etc.
It is a mystery that took place on the frontier beyond written records. Russell the Ranger (there were 3 generations) gave a deposition in the 1600s. Remember that most of the hunting and trapping was illegal in Augusta county by treaty. It was no mans land between the indian triibes of the south and the Iriqois confederation. See the movie the Last of the Mohicans.


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November 26, 2014
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP & WSAZ) -- Patriot Coal plans to cut production at two mining complexes in southern West Virginia and potentially lay off workers.
St. Louis-based Patriot announced Wednesday that it has issued 60-day layoff notices to workers at its Wells mining complex near Wharton and its Corridor G complex near Danville.
The federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act requires companies to provide notice to employees if large layoffs are possible.
Patriot employs 450 workers at the Wells complex and 397 workers at the Corridor G complex.
Patriot president and CEO Bennett K. Hatfield says in a news release that the company needs to align its production with expected sales.
"These actions are an unfortunate but necessary step to align Patriot's production with expected sales," said Patriot President and Chief Executive Officer Bennett K. Hatfield. "Both metallurgical and thermal coal markets continue to be challenging, with pricing at levels well below production costs at many Central Appalachian mines. Despite the savings we achieved in our reorganization, the production costs of these mines exceed today's depressed prices, necessitating these actions."
During the 60 day period, mine management at both locations will be evaluating operations and staffing to assess their ability to produce coal at a cost below projected sales prices, according to the news release.
Company leaders also say the scope of the anticipated downsizing will be communicated at the conclusion of that process.
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