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tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-140724742014-11-23T16:20:33.028-05:00PhronesisaicalPolitics, Philosophy, Fruithelmuthttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-82371379928810112852014-11-23T16:02:00.001-05:002014-11-23T16:02:44.061-05:00ForgettingWe have done some good things for ourselves as humans. After a while, it's easy to take those good things for granted and even think we don't need them. Things are going well, aren't they? Why do we have that silly rule?

So people begin to believe that their children don't need vaccinations against diseases that once were common, and we start to see epidemics of whooping cough, measles, and diphtheria again.

Or regulation. It's kind of an ugly word, like something your mother makes you do. Freedom is a nicer word. So along comes a hip company like Uber that assures you things will be cheaper (another nice idea) and better if you ride with strangers rather than licensed taxi drivers. Those licenses just keep the prices up, right?

Well, maybe there's something else they do, like avoiding stuff like this.Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-47728428982021593922014-11-19T11:09:00.001-05:002014-11-19T11:09:39.037-05:00Bits and Pieces - November 19, 2014Ta-Nehisi Coates's honesty and writing moved me. It's hard to change one's mind in this way, harder to say it.

On the other side of such things, the #shirtstorm continues, now fed largely by idiots maintaining their freedom to wear inappropriate shirts when serving as a spokesman for a stunning science mission. Here's something that makes more sense. And a collection of tweets.

This is strange news. Perhaps Vladimir Putin is deciding to deal with his troubles at home more directly, and not simply distracting with a nice little war in Ukraine. Or perhaps he is planning both. Or perhaps this report is wrong. Stay tuned.

Privatization of the American space program benefits a Florida firm and Russian oligarchs.

History: Nikita Khrushchev's visit to the United States in 1959. Even at the height of the Cold War, channels with the Soviet Union were kept open.

More history: The African-Americans who migrated to the Soviet Union in the 1930s and their descendents.

Dignity is important to the Iranians in the nuclear negotiations. But it's a hard concept to define.

Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-13932804881190243352014-11-17T10:43:00.001-05:002014-11-17T12:38:43.168-05:00Bits and Pieces - November 17, 2014'I'm Going to Live': American Ashoka Mukpo on What It's Like to Have Ebola

Photos of rural Belarus.

Putin's tactical misogyny. This is so ugly it's hard to read.

David Roberts explains postmodern conservatism in 36 tweets. Remarkable resemblance to Vladimir Putin's nihilistic propaganda barrage. You can't believe anything, so why try.

On the need for "closure." It's something I haven't understood. This article clarified some things for me. The need for stories that end well in a world where things often don't end well.

And a few more added later:

Things are not going well for Vladimir Putin in eastern Ukraine.

Human Rights Watch report on human rights abuses in Crimea.

The Republicans are doing everything they can to get around the election laws.

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-21431377335994968132014-11-12T15:25:00.002-05:002014-11-12T15:25:32.918-05:00Bits and Pieces - November 12, 2014I contemplate Vladimir Putin's speech to the Valdai Discussion Club, which is being much discussed by others. The more I think about it, the more it seems like a continuing whine about not being appreciated nearly enough. However, this post is a serious examination in the style of international relations studies, with just a bit of psychologizing at the end.

Russia is pouring troops and military equipment into eastern Ukraine and, of course, denying it. BBC, RFE/RL.

Russia detains some American students at a conference for apparently no reason at all.

Russians come in many different ethnic groups.

Elaborate burial practices in North America 11,500 years ago.

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-47579428653443361532014-10-30T10:45:00.000-04:002014-10-30T10:46:19.454-04:00Falling Prey to the Thatcher-Reagan Zeitgeist
A couple of weeks ago, I wondered if it was possible to say, discuss, think of, a just society because our reference points had moved so far to the right under the influence of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.<o:p></o:p>

Thomas Edsall provides an example: <o:p></o:p>

What if the notion that a large segment of the electorate is made up of moderates who hunger for centrist compromise is illusory? What if ordinary voters are, in many respects, even more extreme in their views than members of Congress?
<o:p></o:p>

And I would ask

<o:p></o:p>

What if the political commentators who are so obsessed with centrist compromise are asking the wrong questions?
<o:p></o:p>

Edsall takes a single political science study at face value, always a bad idea. Even when it's a good study, there's usually a history and context around it that helps in understanding. Professors are delighted, of course, to have their paper flogged in the New York Times and too many will do their best to assure someone like Edsall that their study is totally new and totally addresses Edsall's concerns. Just get our names in print, please!

<o:p></o:p>

In this case, according to Edsall, it's graduate students. They asked voters about extreme views and found that more of them gravitated to the extremes than to the center. Edsall takes this uncritically, probably because it fits with the worldview he has inherited from Margaret Thatcher and her minions (see my earlier post), although he doesn't seem to realize that.<o:p></o:p>

Edsall gives an example of the choices that were given in the reported survey:<o:p></o:p>

In the case of taxes, for example, the survey offered respondents seven choices, of which four were "extreme."<o:p></o:p>

The extreme choices on taxes on the left are: to establish a maximum annual income, with all income over $1,000,000 per year taxed at a rate of 100 percent, and to decrease federal taxes on the poor and provide more services benefiting the middle class and the poor; or to increase federal income taxes on those making more than $250,000 per year to pre-1990s levels (more than 5 percent above current rates). Use the savings to significantly lower taxes and provide more services to those making less and to invest in infrastructure projects.<o:p></o:p>

The extreme choices on taxes the survey offers on the right are: to move to a completely flat income tax system where all individuals pay the same percentage of their income in taxes, accomplished by decreasing government services; or to move to a flat consumption tax where all individuals pay the same percentage of their purchases in taxes, banning the income tax, even if this means the poor pay more in taxes than the rich. Significantly decrease government services in the process.<o:p></o:p>

Seven choices, of which four are "extreme." (Quote marks Edsall's, or perhaps from the study.) If responses are random, more than half, 4/7 or 57%, to be exact, will be "extreme." This starts the study out with a tilt. But that's not the worst part. Let's look at how "extreme" these choices are. <o:p></o:p>

Left: 1) All income over $1,000,000 taxed at 100%<o:p></o:p>

2) Increase taxes on those making more than $250,000 to pre-1990 levels.<o:p></o:p>

In both cases, lower taxes and provide more services to those making less and invest in infrastructure.<o:p></o:p>

Right: 1) Flat income tax<o:p></o:p>

2) Flat consumption tax<o:p></o:p>

In both cases, decrease government services.<o:p></o:p>

Edsall doesn't say what the "centrist" options were. In this case, a majority, 59%, supported the "extreme" positions. This is suspiciously close to that random 57%, but we'll ignore that, because the division between right and left is extremely lopsided: 19% on the right, 40% on the left. Twice as many favored "extreme" left options. <o:p></o:p>

One should normalize for the political predelictions of the respondents; if twice as many identified as liberal as conservative, this would be a reasonable result. But Edsall doesn't tell us that. For all the questions, the lean was 19% right, 30% left.<o:p></o:p>

The study's authors and Edsall take this to mean that, horror of horrors, the voters are MORE EXTREME than their representatives. <o:p></o:p>

Let's take a closer look.<o:p></o:p>

In 1952 and 1953, the top marginal tax rate was 92%, for the rest of the fifties and into the sixties, 91%, for income over $400,000. That means that a citizen making over $400,000 kept only 8 or 9% of the income above that amount, equivalent to about $3,500,000 today. The first "extreme" liberal option is more extreme than this, but not by a lot. Apparently this "extreme" was acceptable to a Republican president through the 1950s, and a Congress that went back and forthbetween Republican and Democratic control. This continued into the 1960s, under a Democratic president. Bipartisan? Centrist, even? Those years were prosperous ones for the United States. <o:p></o:p>

The other left "extreme" is to go back to pre-1990 levels of tax. Which led into the prosperous 1990s. That would have been under Republican presidents. <o:p></o:p>

Both of these "extremes" have been tested, have been found acceptable to the voters and to the "elites" of both parties, and fit easily into current tax laws. The US has never tried the "extreme" right choices in the survey: flat taxes, income or consumption, which would require full revamping of our tax system. Yet Edsall and the authors of the study present the "extremes" as though they are equivalent. <o:p></o:p>

The study was carried out by graduate students, according to Edsall. Perhaps no professor would be willing to take credit for it. Those graduate students, and likely even their professor, were born since Thatcher-Reaganism became normalized. But it looks like the voters they surveyed have better sense.<o:p></o:p>

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-72068675409858957412014-10-23T16:20:00.001-04:002014-10-23T16:20:46.899-04:00Bits and Pieces - October 23, 2014This is really important: Russia Today Lacks Resources to Use 'Crimean Scenario' Everywhere It Might Like, Moscow Analysts Say. Russia simply does not have the military forces to continue a low-level war in Ukraine, destabilize the Baltic States, occupy the Arctic, and guard its border with China. This is why President Obama and European leaders don't bother to respond to Vladimir Putin's bluster. It's just bluster. I hope to do a more quantitative post on this.

A couple of good new blogs: "Millysievert" describes herself as: Professional nuclear layperson, a.k.a. Executive Assistant to the World Nuclear Association Director General. Got a C in GCSE Physics. Fascinated by nuclear despite that. She is letting us join her learning curve at Nuclear Layperson. Red mercury is famous as a substance that makes nuclear weapons easier to build. Except it doesn't exist. Now it seems to be in Africa and someone finds it necessary to debunk it.

In case you missed it: how sex began.

Kazakhstan is where apples came from. Like a lot of other plants, their genetic diversity is now in danger.

Does Ebola immunize people without their getting sick? Other viruses do, and if Ebola does, the prospects for a general epidemic are less.

If you need a holiday, today is Mole Day!

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-30632166086491834002014-10-14T12:31:00.001-04:002014-10-14T12:32:09.823-04:00Hilary Mantel on Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan turned the Anglo-American world around. In office at the same time, they thought similarly, a reaction to the slowdown of postwar liberalism. The political ideas that had given the United States prosperity and rebuilt Britain in the fifties turned out, unsurprisingly, not to have covered everything. Some aspects of liberal economics, along with actions like OPEC's oil embargo, slowed economies. Voters were ready for a change, and Thatcher and Reagan offered a new start.
<o:p></o:p>

The nuclear arms race, which was separate from those liberal ideas, was beginning to slow, and Thatcher, Reagan, and the USSR's Mikhail Gorbachev were able to capitalize on that. Flaws in the Soviet system and Gorbachev's responses to them brought down that system, which Thatcher and Reagan were happy to take credit for.

<o:p></o:p>

Thatcher and Reagan changed the political discourse, and we have retained that discourse. Hilary Mantel observes<o:p></o:p>

It was not possible at that time to see where it was trending. What she made a play for was the acquisitive: our greedy nature. She set aside other things like an identification with community, altruism. The only collective that she understood was: Rally around and slay the enemy. Otherwise, she said there was no thing such as society.<o:p></o:p>

It is almost impossible in the US today to talk about alternative ways of ordering society, of a society in which people are not trapped in poverty from birth or do not have to fear being ruined by the bad luck of disease. All depends on our individual choices about our individual lives. There is no such thing as society.<o:p></o:p>

This is a happy attitude to have if your life includes lots of money and good health; if you are a young man in tech, for one example. Others have been written out of history, even though they may have worked hard to provide the basis for those young men in tech.<o:p></o:p>

…the creation myth seeks to make heroes out of individuals, rather than the group. And when the contribution of the collective is ignored, it is usually a man who gets the credit.<o:p></o:p>

Another review of Walter Isaacson's latest book, The Innovators, notes its emphasis on collaboration as the motive force of innovation; perhaps we are beginning to be able to say such things.<o:p></o:p>

Likewise, while Germany offers a free college education to all, it is not possible to suggest that rising tuition fees at American state universities might be related to the insistence on constantly decreasing taxes. The word tax is mentioned only once in that link, and not in the straightforward way I've just put it. Or this article notes that CDC funding and hence readiness to deal with things like Ebola has been decreasing for the past decade, but not that the decrease is due to constant tax-cutting in Washington.<o:p></o:p>

Thatcher and Reagan made it acceptable, even praiseworthy, to disassemble the economic safety nets for their citizens. The introduction of the Affordable Care Act in the US is a small step toward a safety net that most developed nations have and Britain has been disassembling. <o:p></o:p>

The only collective that she understood was: Rally around and slay the enemy.<o:p></o:p>

Is this where our current inability to think of solutions for international conflict beyond military force comes from? When we no longer think of ourselves as a community, we can't extend that community and must resist or fight others. So the US defense budget dwarfs that for the State Department, and the aid that we send to countries afflicted by Ebola comes through the military.<o:p></o:p>

After World War II, America extended our community, through the Marshall Plan, to western Europe. Part of the reason was to defend against Communist incursion and thus a rallying against the enemy, but slaughter was no longer primary. That led to favorable economics for both America and Europe in the next decades. <o:p></o:p>

Congress balked at the Marshall Plan, but when the Soviet Union fell in 1991, there was not even the possibility of a Marshall Plan for the fifteen countries emerging from Soviet economics into globalization. Instead, the US encouraged a system that provided for the enrichment of a few individuals in those new countries, consistent with the greed advocated by Thatcher and Reagan.<o:p></o:p>

And now the Middle East is in flames, partially thanks to the 2003 Iraq war that was supposed to transform the region to democracy. The current response? More bombing; economic development is not considered. Ukraine desperately needs economic help, which might be considered a close analog to the Marshall Plan, if we looked at international events that way.<o:p></o:p>

Socio-economic-political ideas seem to have a lifespan of around 30 years in the Anglosphere. We can hope that Thatcher-Reagan individualistic greed may have run its course. Isaacson's celebration of teamwork is one indicator. The one I like best, though, is Hilary Mantel's candor: "I would say that she wrecked this country. I loathed her."<o:p></o:p>

More of this, please!<o:p></o:p>

Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-66724647180578929822014-09-20T17:44:00.004-04:002014-09-20T17:44:37.801-04:00Nuclear Diner's New LookNuclear Diner is now on WordPress and has a new look. Feeds are available for posts and comments. Check it out!Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-29093273426960132802014-09-19T15:47:00.002-04:002014-09-22T18:46:41.717-04:00Diplomacy with Russia as Therapy

Like a diva, Russia is all over the headlines lately. If it's not hysterics that big bad NATO is right on its borders, it's no, of course those weren't Russian bombers over Sweden. Or that it's okay for Russia to annex Crimea because there was a fair vote, whereas poor Scotland got cheated out of proper independence from the UK hegemonsbecause that vote was fixed. [Okay, sorry, that was North Korea, the only country currently out-crazying Russia on social media.]<o:p></o:p>

It's been said that diplomacy with Russia can be like doing therapy with an extremely insecure patient. Russia, of course, has nuclear weapons, so a hysterical fit of tossing pots and pans could have disastrous consequences.
<o:p></o:p>

Russia sent observers to Scotland's independence referendum to help out. Volunteer observers were not welcome during the Crimean referendum, which was arranged in days to Scotland's months, but we'll ignore that here. The observers found irregularities: no stamps on documents, without which nothing is official in Russia, and which are used in much more limited ways in other countries. The rooms were too big. <o:p></o:p>

Russia would have loved a "Yes" vote in this election, so there must have been irregularities. A "Yes" vote could have been spun as supporting the very fixed results of the Crimean referendum. It's hard for Russia to believe that other countries just let the votes fall where they may in an election. <o:p></o:p>

It's hard not to laugh at the absurdity of that picture, and there have been many gibes on Twitter about what Russia would like to present as its highly principled stand. But how does one respond, and, more importantly, how should other countries respond diplomatically to Russia's many absurd claims and behaviors? <o:p></o:p>

Or "Oh, you know that thing I agreed to last week? I've changed my mind, and I'm going to get SO MAD if you don't listen!!!!"

It would help to know where Russia is coming from in all this. Do they understand what democratic voting means, or do they believe that all voting is the farce that it is in Russia? Is it an act or propaganda ploy? Should we laugh or ignore, as we might crazy behavior in a relative or friend? If the belief is real that Russia is all right and the rest of us all wrong, and out to get Russia, laughter might worsen the situation. <o:p></o:p>

It appears that Russia is trying to fill our bandwidth with claims and outright lies, trolls, and, yes, hysterics. The multiplicity of reactions coming from ordinary people on Twitter and other social media probably is a good thing. Diplomats will have to choose which actions and accusations to respond to. It's too bad there's no international equivalent of a medical tranquilizer.<o:p></o:p>

Photo of Diana Damrau as Lucia di Lammermoor (credit)<o:p></o:p>
Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-28291744981054744862014-09-15T20:11:00.000-04:002014-09-15T20:11:40.558-04:00Bits and Pieces - September 15, 2014More Nuclear Diner-ish links. We are doing a major overhaul of the site and hope to have the new version up by next week! The old version is still available, but clunky in spots.

This may be sorta good news. It's hard to tell about anything coming out of Putin's Russia. The interpretation outside of Wonderland is that Putin doesn't want to occupy the Donbass, he just wants influence in Kiev. As many other things have been doing, this could change at any time.

Also significant: NATO Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove says that stealth invasions into NATO partners will invoke NATO's mutual assistance Article 5. Some have been saying that Russia will respond to a firm stand. Looks like here it is. See also previous paragraph for potential Russian response.

Ukraine wants to buy nuclear fuel from the US, not Russia.

A remarkably prescient article about Ukraine and Russia from a year ago.

In July, I asked how Russia sees the world. Apparently that is how Sergey Karaganov, dean at the National Research University – Higher School of Economics in Moscow, sees it.

Can thinking about a nuclear waste repository help us to broaden our time horizons to think more realistically about global warming?Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-73104142499445316072014-09-06T12:06:00.000-04:002014-09-08T08:43:53.351-04:00So Many Things Wrong Here

Frank Munger, whom you must follow if you want to know what is happening at the government's Oak Ridge nuclear facilities, is reporting on Y-12's capturing the DOE award for bad boy of the complex from Los Alamos. The offenses include particles of enriched uranium in the wrong place, the ever-popular mishandling of classified documents, and a genuinely alarming report of mistakes in pouring molten enriched uranium.

To some degree, it's all part of the game: DOE must find that its contractors are doing something wrong to prove it's in charge. This is sometimes aided and abetted by other contractors who are strongly motivated to show up their competitors.

The photo above illustrates some of the problems. I'm not clear on who the person is. He could be either Steve Erhart, the National Nuclear Security Administration manager who oversees Y-12 and Pantex, its sister nuclear facility in Texas, who wrote the letter detailing the sins, or Jim Haynes, the president and CEO of Consolidated Nuclear Security, the Bechtel-led contractor that took over management of both plants on July 1, the letter's recipient.

The illustrative part of the photo, however, is the board behind the smiling mustached man. As I recall, security badges are not supposed to be photographed. Many times was I told to take off my lanyard or put my badge in my pocket for a photo. There's the whole panoply of colors and formats, laid out for all to see.

They're a bit blurred, though, so perhaps it's okay, particularly if the man is the DOE's Erhart. But, even blurred, they illustrate another problem, which may well contribute to the offenses listed in the letter.

Badges and credentials have multiplied in the DOE complex over the past couple of decades. Look at the bottom line alone: green, yellow, yellow edged with green, yellow edged with blue and no photo, red edged with blue, red, and a larger white with light blue. The line above has more, and those toward the top are different yet.

The purpose of badges is to indicate, rapidly and clearly, whether a person is allowed access to a particular area. To that have been added credentials showing whether a person has had various types of training, including (at least back in the day) basic employee training, which includes things like the name of the company operating the organization. They form a sheaf on the lanyard, with the access badge on top.

That, of course, defeats the purpose, but imagine five or six or eight or twelve badges and credentials arranged around a lanyard, so you could see them all. Yeah, doesn't work so well, and likely to get caught in machinery, even an office printer.

The multiplicity of credentials stands in nicely for some of the regulations that may have been listed in that letter of deficiency; always popular as gotchas, with many possible infractions. Wrong colors, worn wrongly, training out of date, wrongly formatted.

That's a lot to keep track of, and the usefulness of the training might be questioned: after thirty years of working at Los Alamos, I had to take the basic employee training that had suddenly been mandated. Even before that, I had learned, all by myself(!) where the bathrooms were in many of Los Alamos's buildings, and my original orientation had been by Sam Glasstone and a few others who knew a bit of what they were talking about, but there was only one way to get that red credential for the sheaf on my lanyard.

When I started, we had three colors of badge, for the different levels of clearance, and the good sense to know who our co-workers were and thus who belonged in more sensitive areas, like glovebox rooms. But that was a long time ago in more ways than one.

Cross-posted at Nuclear Diner.

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-61509944102817937942014-09-05T15:58:00.004-04:002014-09-05T15:59:28.855-04:00Bits and Pieces - September 5, 2014

Nuclear Diner is down right now, because we're working on upgrading the site. We hope to have it back in greatly improved form next week. Meanwhile, tabs are building up on my browser, and it's time to simplify. So these links will tilt more toward the nuclear and world conflict than usual.

This morning, it appears that Russia's FSB kidnapped an Estonian Security Service officer. The Estonian Security Service works on counterintelligence and organized crime. Here's more about Estonia's counterintelligence.

The photo above  (click to enlarge) is what the Estonian-Russian border looks like where the officer was taken.

Postimees, one of Estonia's two major newspapers, now has an English edition. They are following the kidnapping closely. I recommend their coverage as likely to be the most comprehensive and accurate. My one caveat is that the English looks to me like a machine translation polished by humans. There may be inaccuracies.

Vladimir Putin and others have been spouting a lot of blah blah blah on ethnic Russians outside Russia. Here are some ACTUAL FACTS about ethnic Russians in Estonia.

Reason #3794 why Russia's neighbors don't like Russia: It took three years after independence to persuade Russia to remove its troops from Estonia.

Thoughts on Ukraine from commentators worth reading: Robert Jervis, Mark Galeotti.

Finland's lesson for Ukraine, it seems to me, is to whack Russia hard and then back off a bit. I think that's close to what this former Finnish Ambassador to Russia is saying.

A peace plan for Ukraine and some serious objections to it.

Is Kazakhstan next in Putin's sights?

Radioactive source missing in Kazakhstan. Like most of the other missing-source stories, this one will probably end with minimal problems.

Another article trying to figure Putin out.

NATO Summit Declaration.

A way to provide a basis for negotiating with Iran that both sides might be able to accept.

Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-1933534599853252872014-08-15T19:17:00.001-04:002014-08-15T19:17:14.157-04:00Bits and Pieces - August 15, 2014Who's in and who's out in the separatist organizations of eastern Ukraine.

Council of Europe conclusions on Ukraine.

Dumb idea of the week on how to deal with Russia. I love proposals in which "And then Russia would..." or "Russia would have to..." as if Russia had shown any inclination to do those things and not their opposite.

A proposal for containment (in the George Kennan meaning of the word) of the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL). BTW, I am working through Kennan's Long Telegram with reference to today's Russia.

A former soldier in the Israeli Defense Force: "I know how to kill, but I know I want peace."

Tony Judt, Israel, and social democracy.

Polygraph tests are required for many jobs and government clearances. But there is no scientific basis for using them.

A woman who was convicted of conspiracy in relation to the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg spying case of the 1940s and 1950s wants her record cleared. She's 98 years old.

The Nirvana Fallacy. Just because you can think of an alternative course of action doesn't mean that it would work better than what was done. This article references Obama in particular, but it's useful to keep this in mind in any analysis of history.

This has been one of the craziest weeks I can think of in some time. Not at all clear it's going to get better any time soon.Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-49138880796328157122014-08-05T14:50:00.000-04:002014-08-05T14:51:11.863-04:00Bits and Pieces - August 5, 2014Silicon Howl. A remake of Allan Ginsberg's famous poem.

Hillary for liberals. I have serious reservations about Hillary Clinton for president, but I guess I'll vote for her if she's the Democratic nominee.

The spies next door, the story of the Glomar Explorer and its mission to raise a sunken Soviet submarine.

Watching the Eclipse: Ambassador Michael McFaul was there when the promise of democracy came to Russia—and when it began to fade. If you only read one article about Vladimir Putin, this should be it.

Is western media coverage of the Ukraine crisis anti-Russian? Excellent compendium of several views.

Overhead photos of five Russian military bases participating in exercises this week.

Ukraine's SBU security service has published "top secret", Stalin-era files that Russia does not want to release.

Trying to figure out exactly what Russian action the United States claims violates the INF Treaty. The State Department's report is fairly unspecific. I've argued that that nonspecificity could be an invitation for Russia to join a dialog that could lead to discussions of the situation in Ukraine.

A lineup of Russia's nationalist parties and their leaders.

The Soviet Union's war in Afghanistan, 1979-1989. This war contributed to Soviet citizens' disillusionment with their government and through that, to the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-77542132496764591802014-07-26T13:02:00.002-04:002014-07-26T13:02:44.262-04:00Bits and Pieces - July 26, 2014A profile of the new president of Indonesia, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Looks like this is good news if his oppnent will let his challenge die.

Russia is going to do its own version of Eurovision. No gays or cross-dressers allowed.

"The first Intervision was about challenging the West and this Intervision is about reaffirming Russia as a force to be reckoned with," says Dean Vuletic, a historian at the University of Vienna. "It's no coincidence that it will be held in Sochi, which Putin used to showcase modern Russia during its Winter Olympics."
I have been focused on Russia and Ukraine, but what is going on in Israel and Gaza is saddening and appalling. Israel imprisons Palestinians in Gaza and then bombs them. I'm sorry; I can't accept that.

In 2005, Tony Judt wrote "The Country That Wouldn't Grow Up," which is as relevant today as it was then. It seems to me that the part about young people having less connection to the Holocaust and its slipping into history has relevance beyond Israel and the Holocaust. David Kaiser writes about a similar issue, that those young people, with the aid of their elders, are developing their own facts about the world. In the US, that's partly the result of thirty years of conservatism's emphasis on the market-idealized individual, whose desires must be paramount. It's often occurred to me that the holders of that view also decry the death of family and community. Which I don't think are dead, but minority views today.

I've been wanting to write a post about some of those issues, and perhaps a number of things are coming together so I can. I admire Kaiser's try. My approach will be different from his.

More on Israel and Gaza in a similar vein.

How to talk about uncertainties. In other contexts, they might be called nuances. We really do need to get better about talking about them in many dimensions.Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-55916949605261648202014-07-20T19:46:00.000-04:002014-07-20T19:46:25.894-04:00Bits and Pieces - July 20, 2014Science magazine used a very objectifying, offensive photo of transgender sex workers for the cover of its 11 July issue, and then one of its editors made it worse by his tweets. The cover is shown here; I'm not going to spread it around. Glendon Mellow (@FlyingTrilobite) tweeted out a mini-seminar on the art it reminded him of. Definitely worth reading.

35 literary writers who tweet.

A strange hole has been observed in the Siberian permafrost. It's not clear how long it's been there or what caused it. Scientists are investigating, but no salacious photos have yet emerged. My first thought was that Vladimir Putin's demons are escaping. Something like Pandora's Box.

And another bizarre Putin connection. Brian Fischer, a Christian radio host, says that Barack Obama commented on the death of AIDS researcher Dr. Joep M. Lange in order to normalize men having sex with men. Here's part of Obama's tribute:

In this world today, we shouldn't forget that in the midst of conflict and killing, there are people like these. People who are focused on what can be built, rather than what can be destroyed. People who are focused on how they can help people they've never met. People who define themselves not by what makes them different than other people, but by the humanity that we hold in common.
Putin sees himself as a defender of a Christian civilization that would refuse to normalize homosexuality. Maybe he and Fischer could get along.

A good FAQ about the Malaysian Airlines flight that was shot down over Ukraine.

James Garner has died. I enjoyed his tv shows, perhaps because, as this obituary observes, his characters handled difficult situations with strategy rather than violence.

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-51397969307006052442014-07-08T16:31:00.003-04:002014-07-08T16:31:44.009-04:00Bits and Pieces - July 8, 2014I should have posted it here too, but I didn't, so go read about how "Dr. Strangelove" explains that security studies are inherently gendered over at Nuclear Diner. Ingrid Rowlands tries to wake up the lit-crit crew on the issue of gender, too.

Poland's overlooked Enigma codebreakers.

We always need more fairytales, and now there are 500 more!

A consideration of how historical anniversaries can shape our view of current events.

Are things coming apart in Russia? Stay tuned.

Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-3842940262910667652014-07-07T11:06:00.001-04:002014-07-07T11:06:31.718-04:00Russian Propaganda – How They Do It

RT (formerly Russia Today) is funded by the Russian government. They produce a wide variety of material, from apparently straight news through the discovery of sea monsters. The New York Daily News through what you see at supermarket checkout stands, more or less.<o:p></o:p>

Last week they published a story supposedly on a report from the Rand Corporation for the US government on plans for Ukraine: internment camps and executions. Several people on Twitter noted an obvious forgery in the logo. The story took off on Twitter anyway, thanks to the Kremlin's army of trolls and those who are frightened about events in Ukraine.
 <o:p></o:p>

And then it disappeared. It's still on Google as I write, as in the screen capture above, but clicking the link gives a 404 error. Jeffrey Lewis brought the disappearance to my attention on Twitter.<o:p></o:p>

There's another story on RT now, the second one in the screen capture. Blithely, it begins:<o:p></o:p>

Even if the leaked plan of 'handling' Ukrainian crisis was not produced by the RAND corporation, events on the ground very much resemble the shocking points of the memo and the "guidelines for genocide" exported by the US, Don Debar from CPR News told RT.<o:p></o:p>

It doesn't matter we forged the document, it's true anyway.

That's not journalism. And who is Don Debar? An expert on government advisors? On genocide? On Russia? <o:p></o:p>

No, just someone RT got to say the things they wanted to print. He's got a talk show on CPRmetro.org(autoplay).<o:p></o:p>

Mission accomplished. Some number of people will believe that the Rand Corporation has advised the US government to commit genocide in Ukraine. Many of them would have believed that anyway, but now they have a link to wave at others. And some may have been convinced. <o:p></o:p>

That's how propaganda works. You don't have to convince everyone at once, just a few at a time.<o:p></o:p>

Yeah, I have screen grabs of this latest article.

Cross-posted at Nuclear Diner.

<o:p></o:p>
Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-5826094229332899202014-06-26T20:41:00.003-04:002014-06-26T20:41:51.723-04:00Bits and Pieces - June 26, 2014"We have completed an exhaustive study of common products that are marketed as 'chemical-free' and have prepared a detailed analysis of those products that are appropriately labeled as such." (Nature)

A rather remarkable paper on Russia's foreign policy.

Steven Perlstein: An open letter to Medtronic on what it means to be an American company.

What scientists spend their time doing.

Who's allied with whom in Syria.

More about Sykes-Picot, which everyone likes to say is falling apart.

If Clausewitz's analogy to the physics of his day isn't a very good one, what is the case for all that quantum stuff we keep hearing?

How to verify nuclear warheads without seeing them. This becomes important as the numbers go down.

Is nuclear power ever coming back? Probably, but it's a slog.

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-71385294929193243272014-06-19T12:37:00.000-04:002014-06-19T12:37:12.450-04:00Bits and Pieces - June 19, 2014When and why civil resistance works against authoritarian regimes. I would have liked to have seen something about the nonviolent movements in the Baltics in the 1980s, but this is interesting.

What the Baltic States are doing to counter Russian propaganda. Paldiski, where the American troops are staying, was a site for training Soviet nuclear submariners. It had two reactors, which the Russians took with them when they left.

Russia is unhappy that search engines pick up more than their propaganda.

Russian movies with English subtitles.

OPCW report on its mission to Syria. Yes, chlorine is probably being used as a war gas. And I'll add it's probably the government doing it. The opposition doesn't have helicopters.

A selection of Dick Cheney quotes on Iraq from 2003. One of the many. It's good to see the bashing of the neocons that is in progress.

We do research on every public health problem but guns. And the NRA wants to keep it that way.

Chapter 2756 of why government regulation is necessary.

Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-13144771558865208062014-06-18T08:33:00.000-04:002014-06-18T08:33:00.937-04:00Take The White Pill

I swallowed a capsule this morning and am currently a walking source of gamma radiation. I must stay away from people for three days, from children, pregnant women, and small animals for five. I laid in a supply of groceries and figure I'll have a few quiet days.
<o:p></o:p>

Last spring, when I had my annual physical (thank you, Obamacare!), my doctor ordered routine blood tests. He called me when he got the results: definitely too much thyroid hormone, which had made my pituitary gland shut down. He gave me an order for a thyroid scan and uptake and referred me to an endocrinologist. <o:p></o:p>

The thyroid gland makes a couple of hormones called triiodothyronine and thyroxine, both of which contain iodine, which isn't processed in other places in the body. These hormones regulate a lot of things, including how fast your body operates. More hormone means faster heart rate, faster digestion, along with affecting bone growth and probably a lot of other things. That can damage your heart and cause other problems. I have a mild tremor, which may be a result of the hyperthyroidism. I suggested to the endocrinologist that I would be happy to have the weight-loss symptom, but she said it doesn't always work like that.<o:p></o:p>

The specificity of iodine to the thyroid gland suggested to the people investigating radionuclides for medicine sixty or so years ago, that iodine isotopes might be useful in imaging the thyroid and dealing with its maladies. Iodine, conveniently, has 37 isotopes to choose from, emitting different kinds of radiation with different half-lives. The stable isotope, which is put into iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency, is I-127. The radioactive iodine isotopes are formed as fission products in nuclear reactors; their mass (like that 127) is about half that of uranium or plutonium. They can also be formed in cyclotrons and other accelerators.<o:p></o:p>

How to measure the speed with which the thyroid is working? Feed someone an iodine isotope, and then scan the thyroid, located conveniently just under the skin at the base of the neck, with a radiation counter. That's the scan and uptake that the doctor ordered.<o:p></o:p>

For the scan, I took a standard-size capsule containing 100 microcuries of I-123, in the form of sodium iodide, NaI, which is very much like table salt. Someone with literary leanings might find it amusingly self-referential that some radiation detectors use NaI. NaI to detect NaI.<o:p></o:p>

I didn't feel anything; didn't expect to. I went home for six hours to allow my body to move the iodide from my stomach to my bloodstream to my thyroid, where it would stick for a while. When I went back, I lay down in the detector apparatus, and the technician positioned the detector in several places around my thyroid. I went back two days later for more counting.<o:p></o:p>

The endocrinologist got the scan and uptake; the scan shows where the radioiodine accumulates, and the uptake says how fast. She then did an ultrasound that confirmed that the whole left side of my thyroid had turned into an excited nodule. She wanted more detailed blood tests to make sure. Then we met to talk about the way forward.<o:p></o:p>

The hyperactivity could be stopped with medication, radiation, or surgery. I had researched the processes and have a friend who had her thyroid removed, although her surgery was several decades ago. I'm not fond of fussing with medication, would rather have a real solution to a problem. The doctor wasn't wild about it either. I looked at both options closely. It was possible that the radiation would kill only the nodule, leaving some thyroid function, perhaps close to normal. Surgery would remove the entire thyroid. I'm not fond of general anaesthetic, either. I've looked at the chemistry of that, and my personal experiences have not been pleasant. Take a pill instead? Not a hard decision for me.<o:p></o:p>

There are downsides to radiation: the radiation could kill the whole thyroid, but that would not be different from the outcome of surgery. Either way, I would have to take thyroid hormone the rest of my life, which is not that big a deal.<o:p></o:p>

So I swallowed a pill this morning containing 12 millicuries (milli- where the scan was micro-; a thousand times as much) of I-131, the isotope everyone worried about from Fukushima. Didn't feel anything this time, either. The staff in Radiology were very helpful and answered all my questions. Thanks particularly to Rick and David. They seemed to be pleased to have a patient who understood the science. It's a fair bit of radiation: 160 millisievert whole-body exposure, and 350 sievert to my thyroid. Again, a factor of a thousand in the units. <o:p></o:p>

Comparing those measurements to xkcd's graphic on radiation exposure shows that my whole-body dose is about equivalent to the worst exposure of workers at Fukushima. It probably adds a percent or two to my chance of getting cancer, but cancer may take decades to develop, and I am getting older. But my thyroid is getting zapped. <o:p></o:p>

The beta radiation, which is doing the work, is pretty much confined to my thyroid, but there is also gamma radiation that gets past my skin. That's why I'm not supposed to be around people. The biological half-life, the time it takes for my body to eliminate the I-131, is much shorter than the isotope half-life. I will pee out 80% of it during the next two days. Some will be eliminated in my saliva and sweat. So keeping that away from other people is a good idea, too.<o:p></o:p>

After ten half-lives, a radioisotope is down to a millionth of its original amount, and I take that as being gone for all practical purposes. So whatever I-131 I may spread around the house, a small amount now, will be gone for sure in three months (8-day half-life times 10 half-lives, rounded up). <o:p></o:p>

I will have blood tests every four weeks and see the endocrinologist again in six months. The effects of radioiodine thyroid therapy are slow.<o:p></o:p>

I wrote the above yesterday, Tuesday, June 17. It seems to me on the morning of June 18 that my tremor is already less, but I do not discount the possibility of psychosomatic improvement. I've also noticed that, as I read sources I might link in this post, that I've had many of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism. They weren't severe; the tremor was the most noticeable, and I tend to take a broad definition of normal when considering how my body functions.<o:p></o:p>

Here's a good description of the procedure.<o:p></o:p>

The graphic is from a commercial site, so I won't link. My capsule was transparent, and the contents were grayish.<o:p></o:p>

Cross-posted at Nuclear Diner.
Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-88403873030016517492014-06-17T08:11:00.001-04:002014-06-17T10:04:19.068-04:00Have We Reached Peak Yet?I think it was John Cole at Balloon Juice who originated the concept of "peak wingnut." As I understand it, the rightwingers will crescendo their crazy until it can no longer be sustained. Then the fever will break, and we can go back to a semblance of politics in place of conspiracy theories and frothing at the mouth.

The problem has been that each time an apparent peak is reached, the rightwingers manage to mount one more.

It's a fool's errand to predict peaks, as anyone who has followed the stock market knows. But I've been having the feeling lately that we can't sustain any more crazy in a number of areas. An alternative formulation is that the times, they are a'changing and some behaviors and manners of thought that were once sustainable are no longer. I've been fond of this quote from Anthony Gramsci's Prison Notebooks since I first encountered it, probably in a John Fowles novel:

The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born.
I have been fond of it long enough to see that there is an element of this crisis at every moment. The new cannot be born? There are certainly those who would tie the mother's legs together to prevent the new from being born. But the new constantly appears. Whether we take advantage of it, whether we promote it are problematical.

I have had the feeling that a number of things that have passed for common wisdom or that have been unnoticeable as part of the background are indeed dying. The American right wing is on an unsustainable path, although when they will turn from it is not at all clear. Vladimir Putin is trying to stoke a war with tactics that are newish, although they've been used in the former Yugoslavia. But the rest of the world is not responding with war; there are economic tactics and reasons to think that Russia's current path is also unsustainable. On the other side of things, I heard a talk yesterday based entirely on the fear that the Red Menace was coming to get us. The audience, fortunately, was skeptical.

Jack Schaefer, at Reuters, criticizes the New York Times's now almost total use of anonymous sources. That's too easy, though; Schaefer fancies himself a media maverick, and he preens that the NYT is worse than Reuters at this. There's much that we could pray is at a peak in the media. Peak stupidity is perhaps the best description of the rush by the media to hear what the Kagan clan, Bill Kristol, Judy Miller, Paul Bremer, Paul Wolfowitz, and other malefactors of the 2003 Iraq war have to say. Unanimously, they agree that more war is the answer. All of those people should be banned from any public statements for the rest of their lives. Many other commentators are available, the War Nerd for only one example. But that would take more work than speed-dialing numbers left over from 2003.

We have to bring in the new. It's hard to know how exactly to do this. I tend to be very direct and confronted the Red Menace scaremonger while others were nibbling around the edges of his argument. He was simply wrong about a number of things. Confrontation can harden positions, but I'm glad to see a number of national commentators saying that the Iraq warmongers have no right to be heard.

People are beginning to call out right-wing terrorism, gun nuttery, and vaccine scaremongers who have now caused a whooping cough epidemic in California. There's a balance between confrontation and polite disagreement. I'll keep trying to find it.Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-64467334970832940862014-06-12T15:33:00.002-04:002014-06-12T15:33:41.596-04:00Bits and Pieces - June 12, 2014Some background on current events in Iraq.

What ate a 3 meter long Great White? Probably a Wereshark.

Pretty convincing evidence that Chris Hedges is a serial plagiarist.

Multimedia primer on nuclear proliferation.

Russia can't give up the idea that all its friends should speak Russian. This kind of thing is why language is an issue in Ukraine.

And a psychoanalytic look at Russia.

I pointed out today that one of the ways IAEA inspectors in Iran would know that Iran was planning to break out to nuclear weapons would be that Iran would have to alter equipment to prevent a criticality accident. If you want to know more, here's a report on criticality accidents in the US and Russia. And a video:

Cheryl Roferhttp://email@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-52204542669666718222014-06-06T11:48:00.004-04:002014-06-06T11:48:54.339-04:00Thoughts On The Seventieth Anniversary of D-Day

We are seeing the photos and the front pages of the newspapers, the first dispatches from reporters, Eisenhower's correspondence, and today's observance in Normandy. Seventy years ago today, the war in Europe turned. The landing of the allies and their establishing a beachhead was the first step that clearly went in the direction of defeating Hitler.<o:p></o:p>

Seventy years is a long time. I like to try to get perspective on what younger people are thinking today by thinking about the times I was that age. When I was in college, seventy years ago was before either of the world wars, and it seemed like another world. It was, just as D-Day must be for today's college students. And, indeed, for all of us.<o:p></o:p>

It's hard, in today's relative peace, to imagine the necessity for a coordinated air and sea assault involving hundreds of thousands of people. It's hard to imagine a leader of a European, or any other country, deciding to conquer a continent. And almost succeeding.<o:p></o:p>

On June 6, 1944, we didn't know how long it would take to beat Hitler back. And there was a war in the Pacific against Japan as well. It would be another year and more before the war was ended. <o:p></o:p>

Thinking about the immediacy of the invasion of the beaches, the shooting and death, the paratroopers landing can blot out that bigger picture. We must think of the people involved, but D-Day was also the hinge point between an older world where military conquest made a nation strong and a newer world in which that sort of aggression would be unacceptable as a means of state-building.<o:p></o:p>

Photo– Landing supplies at Normandy.<o:p></o:p>

Cross-posted at Nuclear Diner.
Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com:blogger.com,1999:blog-14072474.post-5782856944674469482014-06-05T12:37:00.001-04:002014-06-05T12:37:11.861-04:00Bits and Pieces - June 5, 2014Important for summer: Yes, DEET is safe to use to repel mosquitos. They carry West Nile virus and other nasty diseases.

I said it a very, very long time ago: it is not possible to contract government services out to profit-making companies that pay taxes for less money than the government does it, unless you cut the numbers of personnel and their salaries. Looks like that came back to bite us.

Counterespionage in Estonia.

Just one of the many. I see Roger Cohen is doing it at the New York Times, too. The common threads seem to be that the authors are frustrated that the world is untidy and that Barack Obama doesn't see fit to tidy it up the way George Bush did. Since Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya are such exemplary successes. And yes, Libya was on Obama's watch. Maybe he learned something. I tweeted this morning to ask Cohen what he would recommend. No answer. Just make it better. That's pretty much what David Rothkopf says in the link, too. And these are the guys that are supposed to understand foreign policy.

Cheryl Roferhttp://firstname.lastname@example.com


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Enchanted Modernities - Mysticism, Landscape & the American West
Caine College of the Arts and the Leverhulme Trust…
Exhibitions - 'Black Mountain College' and 'Relational Forms'
Black Mountain College: Shaping Craft + Design. This…
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In general, you can only accept one tuition scholarship offered through Utah State University. In addition, some outside scholarship sponsors will not award their funds if your tuition is already being covered by the University. You can receive tuition waivers to cover up to 100% of tuition. If you receive multiple offers that can only be applied to tuition, and the combination of those waivers exceeds 100% of tuition, you may submit an appeal to the Scholarship Committee. In exceptional circumstances, the Committee may allow some of one of your waivers to be used to help pay for books and supplies.


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text:
What's the budget for the pc?
HI all, this isn't really a market that I've been involved in much but due to current money constraints I need to take a peep. My old desktop has died and I need to replace it with a budget tower basically just for web, docs etc nothing special. I already have a monitor and all the rest so I only need a tower. A quick google search brings up all manner of companies but I'm not 'sure' about any of them. Can anyone recommend a good company that will sell second hand desktops or should I just stop being lazy and build a replacement?
What's the budget for the pc?
New innards to the tower you've i.e. MB, chip, coolerfan and memory won't cost that much and you will be up in no time.
I'm aiming for <£200
@ bossman: the old PC is very old, it would need the full works. It's got a 1GHz Duron CPU and a 20Gb HD to give you an idea.
bossman (11th January 2011)
http://www.ict-direct.co.uk - though the site seems down ATM... I am sure John used to post on here, and a bunch of people on here (myself included) have bought from there.
Edit: site back up - the 150 quid HPs are great boxes
Last edited by tom_newton; 11th January 2011 at 07:59 PM.
Agreed...John would be your best bet...shame tom beat me to the punch!
I got my father-in-law one of the ASUS Mini Desktops... it's been a fab little bit of kit for internet and document editing. They come in at around £250 with XP on I think.
Something like this: Asus Eee Box 1007 Mini PC (Intel Atom D410,1.6 GHZ,1GB,160GB,WLAN,eSATA,Keyboard,Mouse,Win XP)
Tried these I have found them to be very good in the past for such things: Cheap Laptops, Computers and Cheap LCD TVs | Ebuyer.com
Cheap computer: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/251310
Good hunting
Hmm looking at that threw up this unit that comes with Win 7 64 bit, it does break the budget a bit though but doesn't that always happen when you start looking
Acer Aspire Revo R3610 Desktop PC (Intel Atom 330, 1.6 GHz, 2048MB RAM, 250GB HD, LAN WLAN, Windows 7 Home Premium, Integrated Graphics Plus Wireless Keyboard and Mouse: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
Just saw your last post bossman, that's looking like a good deal.
Well I still haven't decided but as I'll only be web browsing and producing word docs I'm tempted by one of these. Just need to find out if it will take 2Gb RAM.
HP Mini 110-3104 Netbook (Intel Atom
Or the obvious, eBay. I've bought several computers off there sticking to the usual rules of checking feedback, etc.
They don't seem to be going that cheep on ebay and with this one i'd get a G\T
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You're one step closer to paradise...
Article Source: Copyright © 2012 by Fodor's Travel, a division of Random House Inc. All rights reserved.
This shopping center looks like a Hollywood stage set of monarchy-era Honolulu, complete with a changing-of-the-guard ceremony every evening at 6:15; shops include The Jade Tree Jewelry, Honolulu Surf & Sport, and Solid Stone. www.kings-village.com.
The upscale residential neighborhood of Kahala, near the slopes of Diamond Head, is 10 minutes by car from Waikiki. The only shopping of note in the area is located at the indoor mall, which has 90 stores and restaurants, including Macy's, Gap, Reyn's Aloha Wear, and Barnes & Noble. Don't miss fashionable boutiques such as Ohelo Road (808/735-5525), where contemporary clothing for all occasions fills the racks. You can also browse local foods and products at Whole Foods. Eight movie theaters provide post-shopping entertainment. www.kahalamallcenter.com.
This is a surprising, yet charming store in a section of the old Waialua Sugar Mill. The store carries gifts, clothes, and local food items—especially coffee and chocolate that is grown there. If you're lucky, you can get an unofficial tour of the coffee mill and trees. www.islandxhawaii.com.
Another source for bikes, sports bathing suits, water bottles, and active clothing. However, they don't rent bicycles. itbhawaii.com.
Fashionable beach footwear, clothing, bathing suits, fun beach bags, and rash guards supplement a huge selection of canoe paddles. Check out the wooden steering paddles: they become works of art when mounted on the wall at home. islandpaddlerhawaii.com.
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417 Third Avenue Albany, Georgia 31701(229) 312-1000
2000 Palmyra Rd. Albany, Georgia 31701(229) 434-2000
126 Hwy. 280 West Americus, Georgia 31719(229) 924-6011
807 S. Isabella St. Sylvester, Georgia 31791(229) 776-6961
361 Randolph St. Cuthbert, Georgia 39840(229) 732-2181
SUNDAY, May 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The arrival of warm weather means that snakes will be making their appearance, so you should take steps to prevent snakebites, an expert says.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham recently treated its first snakebite case of the season, noted Dr. Janyce Sanford, chair of the university's department of emergency medicine.
"That is a usual pattern. As soon as the weather starts to warm up, snakes begin to get active and we begin seeing a bite or two. Still, we only see a few each spring, and people have a much greater chance of being stung by a bee or wasp or being bitten by a tick than being bitten by a snake," Sanford said in a university news release.
If you're in the woods or near rivers and creeks, keep an eye out for snakes and wear boots and long pants, she warned. It's also a good idea to carry a cellphone.
"Get to an emergency department as quickly as you safely can, and that can often be accomplished by calling 911," Sanford said. "Snap a picture of the snake with the cell phone if possible, but leave the snake behind. The last thing we need in a crowded emergency room is a snake, dead or alive."
Emergency doctors do not need to see the snake that caused the bite. A large number of bites are dry -- with no venom injected -- or are from nonpoisonous snakes, Sanford noted. By monitoring the wound for a few hours, doctors can tell if venom is present, and appropriate antivenin can then be given to the patient.
Most snakebites are not fatal. Those at higher risk include the elderly, very young children and people with underlying medical problems, Sanford said.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about snakebites.
SOURCE: University of Alabama at Birmingham, news release, April 24, 2014
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Did you know that the name Kentucky originated from the Native American word "Ken-tah-ten," which means 'land of tomorrow'? Soldiering on towards a brighter tomorrow is central to Kentuckian lifestyle from the mines of Harlan County to capital of Frankfort, and it's dedicated nurses who help the state get there.
With obesity and smoking rates on the rise, managing the health of the Bluegrass State isn't an easy one. Yet it's a task that several thousand Kentucky nurses are taking on daily and you could be one of them!
We've compiled a list of the very finest Kentucky nursing schools. Our full accredited campuses are located across the state – it doesn't matter if you live in Louisville or Lexington you're sure to find a top-notch school near you. Have a difficult schedule and prefer to learn on your own time? Why not check out our excellent online learning options as well? The choice is yours to make so click on the button to contact the school of your choice today!
As a Kentucky nurse you will:
- Assist patients in hospitals, care homes and outpatient centers
- Carry out minor medical procedures
- Create and implement patient care plans
- Administer nursing care to ill, injured, convalescent, or disabled patients.
Some career figures for nursing professionals in Kentucky:
- Average annual salary: $37,300
- Currently employed: 9,510
- Employment outlook: 22% growth
- Most popular degrees: Bachelor's, Associate's
Figures courtesy of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Employment & Wages database.
Kentucky Nursing Schools Enrolling Now
Beckfield College
We take YOU and your goals for success seriously at Beckfield College from the minute you first enter one of our campuses or online. We help you every step of the way, beginning with a personal interview, through financial aid, during your academic studies, and finally achieving career goals upon graduation. We get to know all of our students – by name, face and professional aspirations.
Spencerian College
Spencerian College has been educating students since 1892 and is part of the Sullivan University system which is Kentucky's largest private college system with over 6,000 students. Spencerian offers career-focused curriculums in business, medical and technical fields. The mission of Spencerian College is to provide men and women with quality training for careers in the business, technical and health care professions.
American Sentinel University
American Sentinel University is focused on more than just positioning you for success in your career today-we're committed to preparing you for tomorrow. We offer accredited associate, bachelor's, master's and doctorate programs in high-demand fields, and we design our curriculums to be forward thinking and market-relevant so that students can add value to their current and future organizations. With flexible delivery, outstanding student support services, and affordable tuition, we make the pursuit of your career dreams possible.
AmeriTech College Online
Even in today's economy, the demand for skilled workers shows no signs of slowing. Experts predict that healthcare will generate 3 million new wage and salary jobs between 2006 and 2016-more than any other industry.
Since 1979, AmeriTech College has successfully prepared students for rewarding opportunities in the healthcare industry.


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Memphis-to-Peoria run for St. Jude draws dedicated, close-knit crowd
When he and 5,000 other runners line up on Saturday for the Grizzlies House 5K — part of the St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend — Mike McCoy will blend into the crowd, apparently just another runner. He is anything but.
McCoy, the longtime sheriff of Peoria County in Illinois, is the co-founder and leader of one of the most successful fundraising efforts in the history of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
For the past three decades, McCoy has led an annual 465-mile run from Memphis to Peoria that has raised just short of $30 million for St. Jude.
Following McCoy's lead, 30 other cities — mostly in Illinois — have shorter fundraising runs that end near downtown Peoria on the day that the runners from Memphis arrive, always the first Saturday in August. It's the same day of a St. Jude telethon in the city.
This year, more than 2,000 runners met at the Caterpillar plant for a group run to the civic center. "It's a big deal in Peoria," McCoy says. He notes proudly that Peoria raises more money per capita for St. Jude than any other city.
Lee Hall, sports director at WEEK-TV in Peoria and a veteran of more than 25 runs, says, "It's getting so you can't swing a cat anymore in Central Illinois without hitting a St. Jude runner."
McCoy, 63, has been involved with St. Jude fundraising for more than five decades. As a high school student in the 1960s, he went door to door asking people to donate $1 to St. Jude, which established an affiliate in Peoria in 1970.
Support for St. Jude comes naturally to the city, which has a large Lebanese population. In 1957, entertainer Danny Thomas, who was Lebanese, proposed creating the hospital, and before any St. Jude building existed, Peoria's Lebanese community pitched in to help raise money. Former Peoria Mayor Jim Maloof, also Lebanese, was one of Thomas' cohorts and a strong St. Jude supporter.
The idea for the Memphis-to-Peoria run came to McCoy and co-founder Gene Pratt in 1980. McCoy was chief of police in Peoria Heights at the time and was helping out at a St. Jude fundraiser in which people ran laps around a health club.
McCoy, who weighed 270 pounds at the time, was not running. He was counting laps. Thinking about the connection between Peoria and Memphis, he and Pratt thought it might be a good idea just to run from their city to Memphis and back.
When they realized that the round trip would be 930 miles, the idea was scrapped, but two years later, 21 runners headed out from Peoria to Memphis in a borrowed motor home, determined to run back. McCoy had taken up running in the interim and lost 80 pounds so he could be a participant, not just the leader.
Five miles outside Peoria, disaster struck. The motor home "blew up, caught fire and burned to the ground," McCoy says. Undeterred, he called a local car dealer, who lent the group two deluxe vans, and off they went.
In Memphis, the runners toured St. Jude, saw a bit of the city and headed for home. They didn't reckon with the difficulties that came with everyone running at the same time. In the heat of the summer the runners quickly grew tired and grouchy. "Everything was fine," says McCoy, "until we realized we couldn't stay awake for five days."
Half of the runners announced they were quitting, but McCoy convinced them to stick it out. The run would one day be big, he said, and "you want to be able to say you did the first one."
All agreed to stay on, and the run was broken into shifts. Everyone got home safely. The fundraising total: $22,500.
The event has grown to about 180 runners. Most of them ride in 25 motor homes from Peoria to Memphis. Two more motor homes filled with Memphis runners — all of them St. Jude employees — join them, and everyone heads north on U.S. 51. They go in two groups, leapfrogging each other all the way to Bloomington, Ill., about 40 miles east of Peoria. They run on Illinois Route 150 into Peoria.
Blue Team runners go in shifts of 3 miles. The Gold Team's runners go 6 miles at a time. When a run segment is completed, runners try to rest and sleep until it's time to go again. The motor homes are followed by vans with flashing lights and signs indicating that the St. Jude runners are on the road. Four trucks and four vans carry food for 10 cooks who provide meals for the runners. From Memphis to Peoria, most of the runners log about 30 miles.
This year, Ron Hardin, a nurse at St. Jude, completed his 10th Memphisto-Peoria run. He says he was nervous the first time, not confident he could keep up or run the entire way. Those notions were quickly dispelled.
"I felt nothing but energy from the other runners the whole time," he says. "The camaraderie and fellowship keeps you going. We are constantly encouraging each other."
Hardin, 54, is so dedicated that he participated only a month after chipping a bone in his ankle playing basketball. "I wasn't about to miss the run," he said. "If you do it one time, you're hooked. You are sleep deprived, mentally and physically exhausted, but when it's over, you feel like you moved a mountain."
McCoy, whom Hardin describes as "an awesome man," has an even more amazing story. Six years ago, he and a friend were out for a Sunday-morning run when they were struck from behind by a pickup. McCoy was thrown 30 feet. His pelvis was broken in three places. His friend, thrown even farther, was on life support for a short time after the accident. McCoy remembers looking up at the doctor who attended him at the hospital. It was someone he knew — a St. Jude runner.
McCoy and his friend, Tom Kahn, both made it to the run that year. "It's important to me," he says, "to be able to go and say that I ran. A lot of people are giving me a lot of money, and I want to earn it."
Sports director Hall is another who has found the run to be irresistible, the opposite of how he felt the first time he participated. He joined the runners in 1986 as an assignment from his editor at the TV station. In his book "Running for Their Lives," Hall confesses that he "never wanted any part of it."
Before the run was completed, Hall had changed his view, and he did part of the run. He has missed only one run since 1986. "You live practically on top of each other for four or five days," he says. "You don't get a lot of sleep, but you run the gamut of emotions. You laugh, you cry, and you love these people. They are like brothers and sisters to me."
McCoy says he has remained faithful to St. Jude because of his practical side. "You don't want to invest time and effort in something that doesn't give results," he says. "St. Jude provides results." He notes that in 1982, only about 4 percent of children with cancer survived. Now more than 90 percent make it.
Chris Boysen, vice president of field operations at St. Jude, is an admirer. "The Memphis-to-Peoria runners have been supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for over 30 years," he notes. "This dedicated group of runners epitomizes the power of voluntarism and its impact on the mission of St. Jude through their fundraising efforts. We are so thankful for their dedication and determination year after year."
Far from resting on his laurels, McCoy started a Peoria-to-Memphis motorcycle ride six years ago that has raised more than $2 million for St. Jude. McCoy bought a motorcycle and went along with 200 others. In 2012, he added a Corvette fundraiser. Thirty-five drivers raised $60,000 riding convoy style from Peoria to Memphis and back.
McCoy says he was never a runner before getting involved with the St. Jude fundraiser. Now, he says, "I love to run. I run because of St. Jude."
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Bowling for Adeline by Larissa Parr - over 1 year ago
"We wanted to celebrate our Grandmother's life by bowling - her favorite hobby and sport. We are also raising money for N.C. Little Hospice, as they made sure the end of my grandmother's life was t..." view full details
Martins Miracles 2013 by Martins Miracles Pancreatic Cancer Run 2013 - over 1 year ago
"Raising pancreatic cancer awareness at PurpleStride Birmingham 2013 in memory of our loved family member Jackie Martin who passed away due to Pancreatic cancer on Jan. 30th 2013" view full details
Ball State University Dance Marathon Alumni by segerlich - over 1 year ago
"On February 16th, 2013 the BSUDM executive committee alumni attended the 6th annual dance marathon to raise money for Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, IN. In only their 6th year, BSUDM ..." view full details
Raised over $1,000.00 at Race to Any Place by The Donegal Riders from Lancaster, PA - over 1 year ago
"Photo was taken after the group completed riding over 100 miles at an event to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The shirts were great and we plan to use the next year, and the yea..." view full details
The Power of Orange holding it up against MS! by Iggy - over 1 year ago
"This was one of our Team Pictures during the Fort Lauderdale MS Walk against the Multiple Sclerosis on 2/24/2013. The brilliant colors of our t-shirts, simplicity of design, the easy interface of ..." view full details
Polar Plungers by Elizabeth - over 1 year ago
"This picture is from the Polar Plunge in Fox Lake Illinois on 2/24/13. The Polar Plunge is a fundraiser to help sponsor Special Olympics Illinois athletes. My experience working with Custom Ink was..." view full details
Team Jack - Houston CureSearch Walk 2013 by Team Jack - Houston CureSearch Walk 2013 - over 1 year ago
"Team Jack help raised money and participated in the 2013 Houston CureSearch Walk to help raise money for children's cancer research. We had a great experience with Custom Ink. We were able to desig..." view full details
Rock N Roll New Orleans Half Marathon: Race in Memory of My Dad by Eileen Connors - over 1 year ago
"On January 21, 2013, my father passed away suddenly from complications from lung cancer. I had planned to run the Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon on February 24, 2013. The race benefits the A..." view full details
Alpha Xi Delta Xi Man Pageant 2013 by Alpha Xi Delta's Throw What You Know! - over 1 year ago
"This photo is of our Spring 2013 New Member class at our 2nd Annual Xi Man Male Pageant. We are Alpha Xi Delta Sorority from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina. At this event ..." view full details
Gooch Attack 5k walk, job, run if you must! by Gooch Attack - over 1 year ago
"This photo is of my husband and I with our 8 children. We were heading to a huge 5k event called Color Vibe, (our first 5k together) when my husband got the news that one of his best friends from h..." view full details


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Stayed at the Bunkhouse for three nights, absolutely loved the downstairs bar area and it's vibe, one of my favourite places I've been. The room (6 bed dorm) was basic but the bed was comfortable enough and it wasn't cold in the room. Staff were so lovely, especially Jess and Jason. Nothing was too much of a hassle, and they... More
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- Also Known As:
- Bunk House Cardiff, Wales


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Peptide Teacher Resources
Find Peptide educational ideas and activities
Showing 1 - 20 of 118 resources
Amino Acids, Proteins, and Enzymes
Eighteen bright blue slides with bold fonts exhibit types of proteins, amino acids, and peptides. Chemistry learners are able to identify polar and nonpolar amino acids, amino acid structures, and various types of peptides when they finish viewing this collection of slides.
9th - 12th Science
Advanced chemistry learners assimilate amides by viewing this presentation. Scroll through pages of information about the functional group, how amides are prepared, nomenclature, and the role in the formation of proteins. This is a no-frills presentation that details the facts using simple black fonts and perfectly constructed diagrams.
9th - Higher Ed Science
7.012 F'04 Problem Set 1 ~ Biology
Course identification information is included in the upper left corner as well as within the title of this worksheet. If you overlook or remove that information, you are left with a tremendous college biology assignment. There are only four problems to address, but each occupies at least an entire page.
Higher Ed Science
7.012 Section Problem - Enzymes/Protein Structure
It says that it is for a general biology course, but it seems to be more specific to biochemistry. Enzyme action and amino acid structure are the topics of this college level worksheet. Takers match protease enzymes to their specificities. They answer questions and analyze graphs of enzyme activity.
Higher Ed Science
Vocabulary that is essential to this topic is introduced and defined at the start of this slide show. The following slides help students understand proteins and their use and involvement in everyday substances. Great diagrams help your class understand the overall appearance and behavior of proteins, and the broad topic will help activate prior knowledge.
9th - Higher Ed Science
7.012 Quiz 1 Answers (Organic Molecules)
The answer key for a nine-page assessment on organic molecule is contained in this resource. Probably the only way to use this resource in your chemistry class, would be to imitate the questions on your own worksheet to assign as a review or use as a quiz.
11th - Higher Ed Science
DNA Transcribed
In this DNA learning exercise, students describe how the cell stores all of the data needed to produce the required proteins for the body. Then they describe the ribosomes division and how is attaches itself to RNA and makes protein by forming peptide bonds between amino acids.
12th - Higher Ed Science
New Review Open Wide and Trek Inside
Don't underestimate the value of a clean mouth! Here is a six-lesson unit that details everything a youngster needs to know about oral hygiene. It includes lessons on the purpose of a mouth and teeth, the nature of oral bacteria and the process of tooth decay, and finally how we can work to keep our mouths healthy.
K - 4th Health CCSS: Adaptable
Actions of Hormones on Target Cells
This resource outlines and summarizes 8 pages of a text on actions of hormones on target cells. The handout portion includes vocabulary clarifications, color diagrams, and important information; however, there are also references to online quiz questions, which are not included.
9th - 12th Science
Grossmont College - Chem 116 Practice Exam 3
This biochemistry practice exam queries takers on the organic molecules. Pupils write IUPAC names, identify boiling and melting points of different compounds, and more. This is definitely designed for a college-level biochemistry course, but if you have an AP chemistry class that is addressing some of these concepts it may be useful for you as well.
10th - Higher Ed Science
Organic Molecule Concept Map Review Sheet
Stretch the brains of your organic chemists with this amazing concept map. A list of 31 organic molecules is provided on one page, and a graphic organizer with empty boxes for each is provided on the second page. Unfortunately the photocopy of the concept map is not the most crisp, but the value of this exercise is not diluted.
9th - 12th Science
Nucleic Acids
Explore the roles of RNA with this PowerPoint presentation. Viewers will learn about messenger RNA, transfer RNA, and ribosomal RNA. You will appreciate the time and thought put into preparing this concise presentation as you use it to teach your young biologists about this vital nucleic acid.
9th - 12th Science


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The Mission of the Institute is to provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write in order to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to national defense.
Your tax-deductible gift to the Naval Institute Press underwrites worthy books that might not otherwise be published.
Airpower and Strategy offers a conceptual approach to warfare that emphasizes airpower's unique capability to achieve strategic effects. Six...
U.S. Air Force navigators and bombardiers have long labored under the shadow of pilots, their contributions misunderstood or simply unknown to the...
Written by Terry Howell, an expert on military benefits, this book is the most reliable benefits manual for the over 30 million Americans who have...
Tom Clancy said in his book Marine: A Guided Tour of a Marine Expeditionary Unit that "the rescue of Captain Scott O'Grady added a new...
Thu, 2014-12-04
Newseum - Knight Conference Center
Defense Forum Washington will take place December 4, 2014 at the Newseum - Knight Conference Center in Washington, DC.
Mon, 2014-11-24
CDR Youssef H. Aboul-Enein, USN
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As an independent forum for over 135 years, the Naval Institute has been nurturing creative thinkers who responsibly raise their voices on matters relating to national defense.
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Mom And Dad Are Too Happy For You
(My boyfriend and I have known each other for over 10 years, but have only been dating for a few. He met my parents before and they were friendly, but this occurred after we announced that we were dating. My parents love to embarrass new boyfriends as a test to see if they'll stick around and fit in well.)
Me: "So… [Boyfriend] and I are dating now."
Mom: "Really!? Finally! Now we can have some fun."
Dad: "Yeah! We get to have the talk!"
Boyfriend: "Uh… the talk?"
Dad: *suddenly serious* "I know my daughter is not as innocent as she tries to appear. [Boyfriend], do you make her happy?"
(My boyfriend, having not seen this side of my parents, doesn't seem to understand.)
Boyfriend: "Well, we're dating, so I hope so…"
Dad: "No, no. Do you make her happy?!" *he adds elaborate air quotes to emphasize his point*
(My boyfriend still appears clueless.)
Mom: "D*****, [Boyfriend]! Are you good in bed?"
(My boyfriend turned bright red and couldn't respond. He stuck around, so he passed the test, but my parents have made it a game to pick on him regularly and try to make him blush.)


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We stayed during this easter long weekend.The hotel strikes you a bit old looking at the building but it is quite modern from inside. Service is just fantastic. We arrived couple of hours before the checkin time and still we got our room which was a queen suite. As soon as we reached our room we realisee that flush aint working. Maint guys were on site fairly quickly and after asessing the problem we werw straightaway upgraded to a bigger room which was a spa suite. Beds are comfy and rooms excellent.
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- Rydges Melbourne is conveniently located in Melbourne's CBD, in the heart of the Theatre precinct on Exhibition street. With over 290 guest rooms and 70 suites. Rydges Melbourne is home to Locanda Italian Steakhouse Restaurant and Bar, featuring the best steaks from nearby Yarra Valley, an good variety of pastas and other mouthwatering options. Located in close proximity to Bourke Street Mall shopping, a block away from the Paris End of Collins Street boutiques and in walking distance to Rod Laver Arena and the MCG, Rydges Melbourne is a great choice if you are wanting everything at your doorstep. ... more less
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- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Orbitz, Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Cheap Tickets, Agoda, HotelTravel.com, Priceline, TripOnline SA, Despegar.com, Otel, Odigeo, getaroom.com and Tingo so you can book your Rydges Melbourne Hotel reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Rydges Hotel Melbourne
- Melbourne Rydges Hotel


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Rangers closed the gap on SPL leaders Celtic to one point after beating Hibernian, while Dunfermline stay bottom after they lost to Aberdeen.
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Ally McCoist's team took the opportunity to keep the pressure on their rivals, who do not play until Wednesday, with a win 4-0 over struggling Hibernian.
Steven Davis opened and closed the scoring for Rangers in a resounding victory. He notched the first after 27 minutes, which was followed by second-half strikes from David Healy and Sone Aluko.
Scott Vernon's only goal of the game was enough to give Aberdeen a 1-0 win over Dunfermline, who stay bottom of the SPL. Vernon struck in the 24th minute took the Dons up to sixth.
Inverness and St Mirren played out a goalless draw at the Caledonian Stadium which means both clubs remain ninth and tenth, respectively.
Henrik Ojamaa plundered a brace as Motherwell defeated St Johnstone 3-2 in a five-goal thriller at Fir Park as they consolidated their position.
Ojamaa's goals helped to put the home side 3-1 ahead before Francisco Sandaza converted a late penalty to ensure a nervy finish.


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Performances & Events
Many have vivid childhood memories of their parents taking them Christmas shopping all day and then ending the evening at the local performing arts center to view the beautiful ballet performance of The Nutcracker.
Dancers' Workshop is excited to present this same experience to Jackson's community, featuring the Eugene Ballet Company and DW students in performances December 5th, 6th and 7th in the Center Theater. Come experience everything you remember about this beloved holiday classic – Clara, her Nutcracker, the giant growing Christmas tree, the mice and the whimsical Land of Sweets!
After the performance on Saturday, December 6, join us on stage for a special Meet-the-Characters Tea Party to see the sets and costumes up close and collect autographs from the Characters!
Nutcracker with Eugene Ballet
Friday Dec 5, 2014 - Sunday Dec 7, 2014
Friday, December 5, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 6, 1:00pm
Sunday, December 7, 1:00pm & 4:00pm
$35 Adult / $15 Student 7pm & 4pm performances
$30 Adult / $10 Student 1:30pm Matinee performances
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets
List of events occurring in the next 6 months starting on Nov. 28, 2014
Intermediate East Coast Swing with Macey MottMonday Nov 10, 2014 - Monday Dec 15, 2014
Nutcracker with Eugene BalletFriday Dec 5, 2014 - Sunday Dec 7, 2014
In a NutshellSaturday Dec 13, 2014
MOMIXSunday Feb 1, 2015


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The flirtatious grabbing of the knee (or any other body part) to necessitate a "friendly" reaction from a female.
I think he's trying to get fresh with me.
by natalia March 29, 2000
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World Bulletin/News Desk
South African President, Jacob Zuma, officially opened the Nizamiye Mosque Complex in Midrand Johannesburg, in a ceremony attended by dignitaries and officials from South Africa and Turkey.
The complex is the brainchild of Turkish businessman, Ali Katricioglu, with construction beginning three years ago, and has now become a unique landmark and part of the Johannesburg sky-line.
The mosque complex also includes a school, a dormitory, a Turkish bazaar and shopping centre, with a soon to be opened traditional Turkish restaurant and bakery, along with a clinic to service the local community.
The clinic was added to complex, after a special request was made by former President Nelson Mandela, when he met Katricioglu before the project began.
The formal opening ceremony was also attended by senior South African government officials including, the Premier of the Gauteng Province, Nomvula Mokonyane, the Minister of Economic Development, Ebrahim Patel and the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Prof. Hlengiwe Mkhize.
Turkish government officials were also in attendance, including Turkey's Economic Development Minister, Zafer Caglayan, who met with President Zuma and Minister Patel to discuss South Africa and Turkey's economic cooperation.
The opening of the event was also attended by a large contingent of prominent South African's from across all political, economic, business, cultural and religious sectors of society, including members of the diplomatic corp.
The mosque can accommodate up to 3000 worshippers, and used around 200 workers to be completed at an estimated cost of US$ 30 million.
The mosque and the entire complex contain unique art works, marble flooring, Ebru art designs and painting all imported from Turkey.
The Nizamiye Mosque Complex was modelled after the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey, and has become a huge attraction for visitors across all religious, cultural and racial backgrounds.
Bestikas Football club star, Senegalese Demba Ba's twitter remarks with one of his followers attracted attention.
The Islamic Center got its start a half-century ago when seven immigrant families living near the Fore River Shipyard joined to build the mosque at 470 South St
All ID cards and passport photos in Belarus that show women with a headscarf are banned
Some of the most respected Muslim charities and organizations included on list of groups suspected of having 'terrorist' links
"The First Latin American Muslim Leaders Religious Summit" hosts 76 religious leaders from more than 40 countries
The Washington National Cathedral opens its gates to Muslims for the first time to perform Friday prayer
Tell Mama says recent events in the UK and internationally have resulted in a sharp increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes
Imam Salim Mwarangi was shot dead in Likoni, a suburb outside off the Mombasa Island, in the latest attacks targeting Muslim clerics in the coastal city.
In 1970, only two mosques existed in the country, but now more than 200 offer sanctuary to Japan's Muslims.
Bigoted actor sustains bloodied nose while testing Canadians' attitudes toward Muslims, but the prime minister has not publicly uttered one word of support for Canadian Muslims following the hate attacks
The National Council of Canadian Muslims said it has seen a tenfold increase in reports of harassment, including racial slurs on public buses, notes left on car windshields and bullying at schools.
CAIR says it has received reports from around the nation of mosque officials being asked to meet with FBI agents and then being pressed to inform on members of their congregations.
Belgium's Muslim women speak out against social exclusion for practicing their religion.
The mosque was hit overnight with red spraypainted graffiti reading "Go home" and its windows were smashed
Russian Muslims want to be formed a comission agains the ban on the Islamic books including some Hadith works
Islamic charity and human rights campaigners accuse British government of anti-Muslim bias


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What if they won the draft lottery?
Who would each team pick if the pingpong balls bounced in its favor?
Updated: December 9, 2013, 12:40 PM ETBy Chad Ford | ESPN Insider
Kent Smith/NBAE/Getty ImagesTrading Rudy Gay to Sacramento has vaulted Toronto higher in the race for the No. 1 overall pick.
For the past month, our primary focus in Tank Rank has been on the race, on the court, for the No. 1 pick.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
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- Best Of 2014-15 (So Far)
- We count down the best moments of the season so far.
The Ten »
- Turnaround Jumpers
- The Cavs have sprung back to expected form.
McMenamin »
- When Top Rooks Collide
- Wiggins vs. Parker. Which rookie has the edge?
David Thorpe
- Haberstroh: Dallas is Lob City | CP3 talks lobs
- Pelton: MEM underrated | Zone D key for OKC
- Doolittle: Can the Raptors sustain success?
- Elhassan: Five fixes for Cavs to get on track
- Ford: Top 30 NBA prospects | Stock watch


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November 26, 2014
Denver (AP) The Marine Corps has confirmed that a serviceman arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child in 2001 had run the toys for tots program in the Denver suburb of Aurora in 2007.
Gunnery Sgt. Kelly Farrington was arrested in San Diego last week on a warrant issued in Arvada, another Denver suburb. Arvada Police spokeswoman Susan Medina says the alleged assault was reported only recently.
Marine Spokesman Capt. Nathan Braden confirmed Monday that Farrington was in charge of a local Toys for Tots program in Aurora last year. The program collects and distributes toys for children.
Farrington is being held the San Diego jail, but authorities there have declined to relay a message to him seeking comment. It's not known whether he has an attorney.
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Yes, that's right. I'm back to capping HD matches from Sky Sports & other British sport channels. For the first few months, I will trial it out and see how it goes. If it doesn't do well(i.e. no donations), I will switch to private forum where a £5 fee will be compulsory to gain access to my releases.
Please vote on the right on what do you prefer? Torrent or http download links.
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Listen to American AM, The Tony Trupiano Show, as well as shows including Peter Werbe Show, and many more.
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Advisory Board
Sylvia J. Kerrigan is executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Marathon Oil Corporation. She joined Marathon in 1995 and was named vice president and general counsel in September 2009, secretary in November 2009 and executive vice president in November 2012. Prior to her most recent appointments, Ms. Kerrigan served as assistant general counsel for Litigation, Human Resources and Environmental Law. Previously, Ms. Kerrigan worked at the United Nations Security Council's Commission d'Indemnisation in Geneva, Switzerland (UNCC) for two years, and was in private practice for five years. At the UNCC, she served as the senior legal officer and team leader responsible for arbitrating the losses sustained by international energy companies following Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. In private practice, Ms. Kerrigan counseled energy, construction, manufacturing and transportation clients on complex commercial, international and insurance matters. During law school, she clerked for the Texas Supreme Court.