text:
Guess what, BSG fans? Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome premieres this Friday on Machinima Prime.
Check out the trailer right here:
Continue reading
Guess what, BSG fans? Battlestar Galactica: Blood and Chrome premieres this Friday on Machinima Prime.
Check out the trailer right here:
Continue reading
"Hello Gaius, my old friend…"
Who knew Simon an Garfunkel did filk! That's what one might think if they listened to this nearly spot-on parody of "The Sounds of Silence".
It is widely agreed that shows like Lost and Battlestar Galactica ended on a low note. I've also heard more than one person say the same for Quantum Leap. Although these shows were good overall, they shared endings that kinda sucked.
Which begs the question: Which SciFi shows had the best endings?
What's you take? Sound off in the comments…
I have really embraced Netflix and streaming video. Enough so that I made a post about 5 genre shows now streaming from the service just a couple days ago. Looking through the available content, though, I realized there were a lot more shows deserving of a mention. So, here's a list of five more shows! (presented in no particular order)
Continue reading
This is inspired.
[via Gavin Rothery]
From looking at the number of science fiction(ish) shows on television, you might think we're in a renaissance of sorts for SF on TV. I listed all the SF shows that I watch regularly, irregularly, or have watched but quit. I was surprised at the quantity of shows that are out and when you add in the ones I don't watch or never have, there is a lot of SF/F on TV.
But are we inundated with quality shows? Let's find out! In no particular order:
Over at Gizmodo, Joseph Shoer, Ph.D candidate in aerospace engineering (fun fact: I had two separate college roommates who were both in A.E., at the same time!, until they weren't) wrote this incredibly interesting and lengthy article on the physics of space battles, focusing on what a real battle might look like, what weapons, both offensive and defensive, might be deployed and what types of ships might be used. There's not much on tactics, but you wouldn't expect and aerospace engineer to be too up on that sort of thing; however, given the awesomeness of the rest of the article I'll let that slide.
This article got me to thinking about how space battles are portrayed in science fiction on TV and film. Most of what we see is the Star Trek style battle with what would be capital ships apparently within visual range slugging it out toe-to-toe, waiting for someone's shields to die first. There is also an amazing amount of huge spaceships zooming around and banking (in space? WTF? Banking against what?) all over the place. Unrealistic and, really, unimaginatively shot.
I then tried to think of cool space battles I had seen and I couldn't really think of many. What I did come up with was a list of shows/films that did something a bit different:
Babylon 5 – One of my favorite SF shows of all time (#1) really changed the way space battles were shown on TV. First, the Starfurys actually used all three dimensions intelligently to maneuver around in and the big capital ships didn't have shields and used centrifugal force to generate gravity (but turned off in battle) and things looked really different from the Trek styles. Lots of fighters zipping around and harassing the bigger ships. Toss in the Vorlons and Shadows with their 'rip your @$$ in two' beam weapons and things could get really interesting. The visual style was there, even if I wanted more! bigger! battles. Here's a taste:
The new BSG spinoff Caprica premieres tomorrow, January 22nd at 9/8C on the SyFy Channel. (A 91-minute extended cut of the pilot also appears to be available at their website.) The show is described as focusing on the Graystone and Adama families, and on the breakthrough in artificial intelligence that brings unforeseen consequences.
Here's the trailer:
There's been lots of BSG backlash towards the end of its run.
So the big question: Will you watch Caprica?
Help me decide if this is genius or just very, very sad.
[via TV Squad]
economic times know no boundaries…
[via VideoSift]
Is it any wonder the Cylons wanted to kill them?
Just a reminder…
Battlestar Galactica's series finale airs tonight at 9PM (8PM Central) and runs 2 hours and 11 minutes.
If you watch it, come back here and tell us what you thought of it…
It's a veritable cornucopia of bits today, so let's dive right on in!
We're four episodes into the final 10 of Galactica, and I thought I'd talk a bit about what's happened so far.
WARNING: Spoilers abound below so don't read if you haven't seen any of the new episodes.
…intentionally getting it wrong to egg on the office SciFi nerd, Dwight.
[via Poe TV]
I jumped off the Battlestar Galactica train a season ago and I haven't looked back. That is, until I caught the first two episodes of this last season to see if the fanboy raving was warranted. It wasn't. What a snoozefest.
So, I echo Chris Roberson's sentiment when I blatantly copy: "Honestly, I think I'd rather watch a whole season of this than the last limping days of BSG…"
This is just a friendly reminder that the cast of Battlestar Galactica will be appearing on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight. They will be presenting the nightly Top 10 list.
See original post.
SCI FI Wire sez that ten stars of Battlestar Galactica will be making an appearance on CBS' Late Show With David Letterman to present the Top 10 List on Wednesday March 19.
The BSG stars include Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, Michael Hogan, Aaron Douglas and Lucy Lawless.
Or, as Tim would say, Boomer and nine other people.
We've been given some exciting, and official, news regarding the new start date of Battlestar Galactica's Season 4 (there was some mix up with the press release so no link to it). Galactica will return on April 4th and will run for 10 episodes.
No word on whether the 10 episodes are a result of the previously mentioned splitting of the final season into two, or a forced split because of the writer's strike. Still, now we can see how the above picture's clues play out in the actual show. Stringing us out for an extra 'season' is rather weak, but at least we'll get to see more Galactica. I'm hoping the show rights itself now that it is definitely ending. And I'd really like to see a bang up ending. Here's to hoping.
Tonight's the night Galactica fans have been waiting for. We finally get to see what happened to Pegasus during and after the Cylon attack on the colonies. It promises a return to the 'one step from oblivion' tension of the first season, and, for the most part, it succeeds.
First, the good stuff. Razor is well acted, with most actors turning in good to great performances. From a story standpoint, the tale of the Pegasus itself is told in flashback, but we do get to see some of what happened to her and her crew. Which brings us to the battle sequences. Tim and I were talking last week about space battle scenes, and I realized that Galactica, the new one, is chock full of great scenes. Razor is no exception. The attack on the space dock where Pegasus is undergoing repairs is awesome. The others aren't quite as exciting, but they still manage to be visually interesting and well shot.
However, I did have some issues with Razor. Those of you expecting a lot of backstory on the Pegasus leading up to her encounter with Galactica, you'll be a bit disappointed. The Pegasus's story is told in flashback form, centering on Kendra Shaw, who has become Lee Adama's XO. We see the events that lead to the questionable actions of Admiral Cain and her crew after the Cylon attack, including the murder of innocents from a civilian fleet of ships running from the Cylons.
This is where the story falters. The flashbacks seemed very clunky to me, focusing on the wrong things. For example, in one scene, Cain gathers her officers together and states that, though they will fight the Cylons as long as they can, they won't recklessly throw people at the Cylons. In the next scene, the Pegasus is attacking a base star and Cain orders the remaining Viper squadrons into what is a suicide attack. Her XO objects which leads to Cain executing him on the spot, even though he was right. No explanation forthcoming to explain why Cain went from reasonable but tough to psycho beotch from hell. She then continues to operate from the deep end, acting in an insane manner, with no real explanation. This leads to Major Shaw also taking questionable action during the encounter with the civilian fleet. Again, little explanation was given for why she would do what she did, or why she was the type of person who would be influenced by Cain's actions.
Of course, it does setup the obvious tale of redemption that takes place during the 'current' time frame of Razor. A scouting mission from Galactica has gone missing, and Pegasus is tasked to find them. Of course they run into Cylons and must rescue the scouting mission from very familiar, but still rather cheesy, looking Cylons. Lee sends a mission to infiltrate a base star and extract the human crew. Which led me to ask why would you risk an entire battlestar, without backup, to rescue three people? Tactically, it doesn't make sense. But from the redemption standpoint, of course they had to. This part felt forced, and not just for Shaw's story.
It's at the end, aboard the base star, that we learn the ultimate 'fate' for Starbuck and how it will affect humanity. If there had been no mission to the base star, we wouldn't have had a chance to learn this secret. The way it was told felt forced, but it doesn't really affect the impact of the information. What we learn makes season four much more interesting. Maybe we'll even get to see how it ends.
Overall, while Razor is better than most of season three, it doesn't live up to the tightness of the first season. Still, it's well worth watching, especially for Galactica fans, who will be watching regardless.


text:
Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – John F. Wood, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that five men with connections to the sovereign citizen movement have been indicted by a federal grand jury for participating in a conspiracy to use fraudulent diplomatic credentials.
David L. Robinson, 65, of Lawrence, Kan., Daniel W. Denham, 49, of Kingsville, Mo., Larry P. Goodyke, 51, of Henderson, Nev., Blake W. Bestol, 47, of Cheyenne, Wyo., and John D. Conrey, 43, of Foristell, Mo., were charged in an 18-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury on Aug. 6, 2008. That indictment was unsealed and made public following initial court appearances by Robinson and Denham on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2008.
The co-defendants are involved in various sovereign citizen groups that reject governmental authority and claim that most branches of the federal government are illegitimate entities.
The federal indictment alleges that the co-defendants participated in a conspiracy to use, as well as to buy and sell, fraudulent diplomatic identification cards beginning sometime prior to July 11, 2006, until Oct. 18, 2007. The three-by-four-inch laminated cards, which identified the bearer as an "Ambassador," contained a photograph of the bearer of the card, the seal of the U.S. Department of State and the words "Diplomatic Identification."
Customers allegedly paid from $450 to $1,500 to receive a diplomatic identification card. According to the indictment, the defendants told their customers that the benefits of obtaining the card included not having to pay taxes and immunity from being stopped, detained, or arrested by law enforcement personnel.
Robinson and Denham were the original leaders of the group, the indictment says. Robinson's role in the conspiracy allegedly consisted of explaining the process to individuals who were interested in obtaining a fraudulent diplomatic identification card, then obtaining for the individual an apostille. An apostille is a document, issued by a state government, certifying that an underlying document has been signed by a notary public. The apostille was needed for the individual's Act of State – a one-page, single-spaced document through which the defendants and their customers purported to renounce their citizenship of the United States. The defendants allegedly claimed that an Act of State was required before the individual could receive an identification card.
According to the indictment, the defendants falsely told their customers that the return of an apostille on a notarized document made it legally binding, and provided proof that the state reviewed and found legitimate the individual's claim of status as a sovereign citizen, thus providing him with diplomatic immunity. In reality, an apostille in no way legitimizes, or legalizes, the contents of a document, but simply certifies the legitimacy of a notary stamp on a document. By issuing an apostille, the state is certifying that the submitted document (the Act of State) was notarized and stamped by a licensed notary. The apostille number was then used on the fraudulent identification cards.
Denham referred customers to Robinson in order to acquire an apostille, the indictment says, then Robinson referred customers to Denham to order their identification cards.
Goodyke and Bestol were customers of Robinson and Denham who ordered fraudulent identification cards from them, according to the indictment. Goodyke and Bestol allegedly became involved in the conspiracy by modifying, improving, and revising the cards. Goodyke also sold and transferred numerous cards to others, the indictment says.
Conrey allegedly received a fraudulent identification card from Denham through Bestol, and subsequently became involved in the conspiracy. Conrey presented the fraudulent cards at airports and to law enforcement personnel, the indictment says, then reported the results of this field testing to Bestol, who developed modifications to the identification cards to increase their effectiveness. Bestol forwarded these modifications to Goodyke and Denham, who incorporated them into future versions of the diplomatic identification cards, according to the indictment.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, each defendant is charged with multiple counts of transferring to others fraudulent diplomatic credentials bearing the seal of the U.S. Department of State. Robinson is also charged with an additional count of wrongfully using a government seal or instrument for displaying one of the fraudulent diplomatic identification cards to a Kansas City, Mo., police officer when he was stopped on Sept. 20, 2007.
Wood cautioned that the charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexander Menzel, Jr. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Our mate Matt flew from England to LA for the first time for his very first tattoo.
This sleeve has a bright future for our visit back to London later this year. A special thanks to Matt for the honor and flying across the world just to begin this piece. Safe travels..


text:
Named for the nearby Mayan pyramid Kinich-Kakmó, this restaurant specializes in traditional Yucatecan cuisine. The dining room is open and airy, with large windows and tall archways, but the...
more ›
View Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Your California Privacy Rights. Ad Choices
Users of this site agree to be bound by the Website Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
© 2014 Time Inc. Affluent Media Group. A part of the Time.com sites. All rights reserved.


text:
Overcome depression now
Latest Articles
Why do i feel afraid for no reason
By M.Farouk Radwan, MSc.
How we recall memories
Its quite understood how can certain situations such as performing in public or attending an interview be scary. But why do you sometimes feel afraid for no reason?
Why do you sometimes experience intense fear even though you didn't encounter anything scary?
Yesterday while i was walking in the street i came across the premises of a large petrochemicals company. As soon as i saw the building i recalled the fact that they have an aggressive guard dog. The reason i remembered that dog is that few years ago it scared me and four of my friends to the extent that we ran away. (see also How i got over dog phobia)
This wasn't the only thing that came to my mind but i also remembered the names of the people i know who work at that company, their comments about it and the people who wanted to work at it.
Its clear that as soon as we pass through a place that we visited before all the memories related to it and the events that happened there get loaded in our minds.
Why do i feel afraid for no reason
Because i was thinking about nothing while walking in the street and because the memory was too clear i remembered it right away and became conscious of it. Now things aren't usually that direct in life but they take more complex forms.
For example i could pass by a place that looks like the place where i first met that aggressive dog while talking to a friend then feel afraid.
Now two more distracting factors have been added. The first is that the place looks like the one where the incident had happened but its not the same place.
And the second factor is that i was talking to my friend and so my conscious mind's resources weren't 100% free. In such a case i might get a feeling that i am afraid without actually becoming aware of the reason.
Now what if four distracting factors were present?
Most probably you won't be able to figure out the reason that scared you at all and you will become cluless.
What if your perception of life wasn't correct
All of the previous examples were based on the assumption that you actually perceive reality correctly but what if a bad past experience affected the way you perceive things? (see How your past affects your present)
Here is a simple example, some of the victims of child abuse start to believe that the world is unsafe and as a result they see many neutral things as a threat. In fact fear can take a completely different form that the conscious mind can't understand.
A man who fears the future or the unknown can end up fearing darkness or ghosts without knowing that his mind considers darkness and ghosts one of the forms of the unknown. (see also The connection between fear of darkness and loss of control)
In other words you might be afraid for no reason because an old psychological wound has affected the way you see things and made you believe that the world is unsafe.
When you don't want to know why you are afraid
Sam was too much concerned about his future to the extent that he couldn't sleep some days. Because he couldn't bear the anxiety and stress anymore his mind decided to help him by distracting him from the main cause of his fear.
Sam's mind slowly forced him to become focused on other things in life until it managed to withdraw the problem from his conscious mind. (see also How to avoid distractions in life)
But because the problem was never solved Sam always used to experience fear of the unknown without knowing why. Had he searched in his mind he would have discovered that he was worried about work and that he didn't really want to face that problem. (see also Are you afraid to get motivated)
2knowmyself is not a complicated medical website nor a boring online encyclopedia but rather a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is backed by psychology and presented in a simple way that you can understand and apply. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself.
The Solid confidence program was launched by 2knowmyself.com; the program will either help you become more confident or give you your money back.
Want to know more?
Why do people believe in superstitions
Why do some people fear clowns?How to know if someone is lying to you in 10 minutes (Free Ebook)
How to make someone fall in love with me?
How to get over anyone in few days?
How to become rich while working from home
2knowmyself Best Selling Books


text:
StartUpHire is the place to find Interaction Designer / Information Architect jobs. Review the list of Interaction Designer / Information Architect career opportunities to the left. These Interaction Designer / Information Architect jobs represent some of the most rewarding careers available.
You can refine your job search for Interaction Designer / Information Architect career opportunities by adding a job title, company name, or keyword to the search box above … or click the "Advanced Search" link for more options.
Don't see the employment opportunity you're looking for? Check back soon for more Interaction Designer / Information Architect jobs, or sign up for an email alert (link below) to receive periodic updates on new Interaction Designer / Information Architect jobs.
LivingSocial is the local marketplace to buy and share the best things to do in your city. We help local businesses grow by introducing them to high-quality new customers and give merchants the tools to make our members their regulars. Based in Washington, DC, we have more than10/22/2014 Washington, DC Save This Job
Job ID 2014-2370 Job Location US-IL-Chicago Discipline Creative More information about this job: Overview: UX, UI, IA, OMG! We don't care what you call yourself. What matters is that you are obsessed with the emotional and functional aspects of user experiences you help12/5/2014 Chicago, IL Save This Job
Job Description: The Sr. User Experience Designer will be passionate about designing beautiful, yet simple and intuitive user interfaces for our clients and Stylists. This person will hold a highly visible role and be hands-on in designing the products and user experience10/28/2014 San Francisco, CA Save This Job
Remedy Informatics is seeking a User Experience Designer who is passionate about using information technology to tangibly, measurably, and permanently transform the effectiveness of clinical medical practice and biomedical research. This position will design the UX for our10/18/2014 Sandy, UT Save This Job
Common information: We are currently seeking senior-level User Experience Designers for perm, full time opportunities to join our Conshohocken, PA area team of professionals. Our ideal candidate has exposure with all aspects of the user-centered design process, from user10/29/2014 Conshohocken, PA Save This Job
Good design and experience is at the core of Empirix product vision and the UI/UX Lead is a key member of the Product and Engineering organization. He/She will be responsible for collaborating with and leading a team of world-class UI/UX developers. This position will work in10/18/2014 Billerica, MA Save This Job
Department: Content Strategy & Behavior Design Department Reports to: Creative Director What is RedBrick Health? RedBrick is a health engagement technology company that helps employers reinvigorate their health & wellness programs. We combine financial accountability, clinical10/20/2014 Minneapolis, MN Save This Job


text:
The development of suitable methods for the preparation of interesting CO2-containing compounds, like organic carbonates, is an alternative to recycling CO2 and using it as a substitute for the highly toxic phosgene and its derivatives.1–4 The selectivity and nature of the capture products are two of the most important aspects of the CO2 fixation.5,6 Organic carbonates can be synthesized by reaction of alcohols with CO2 under catalytical conditions.7,8 This process is relevant since both CO2 and fusel oil are by-products from the sugar cane and ethanol production. Alkylcarbonates among other products have wide industrial applications, such as chemical,9 medicinal10 and fuel additives.11 The present work describes the preparation of alkyl carbonates from reaction of fusel oil alcohols with carbon dioxide in the presence of 1.8-diazabicycloundecene (DBU) and 1.5-diazabicyclononene (DBN) and an alkylating agent. The capture of CO2 by alcohols was carried out with nucleophilic activation of the isopentyl and isobutyl alcohols with the amidines DBU or DBN. The carbon dioxide fixation was accomplished by subsequent alkylation under pressurized-CO2 conditions. The synthesis of butyl-isopentylcarbonate and butyl-isobtuylcarbonate were confirmed by FT-IR ana, lysis and GC-MS with EI ionization mode. In order to establish the conditions for better yields of the alkylcarbonates, it was investigated the influence of temperature, concentration of reagents, time of reaction and gas pressure in the synthesis.
[1] E. R. Pérez, M. O. da Silva, V. C. Costa, U. P. Rodrigues-Filho and D. W. Franco, Tetrahedron Lett., 2002, 43, 4091–4093.
[2] P. Alessio, D. M. Ferreira, A. E. Job, R. F. Aroca, A. Riul, C. J. L. Constantino and E. R. P. González, Langmuir, 2008, 24, 4729–4737.
[3] C. R. Gomes, D. M. Ferreira, C. J. L. Constantino and E. R. P. Gonzalez, Tetrahedron Lett., 2008, 49, 6879–6881.
[4] J.M. Hooker,A. T.Reibel, S.M.Hill, M. J. Schueller and J. S. Fowler, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2009, 48, 3482–3485.
[5] Pereira, F. S.; DeAzevedo, E. R.; Silva, E. F.; Bonagamba, T. J.; Agostini, D.; Magalhães, A.; Job, A. e Pérez, E. R. Tetrahedron, 2008, 64, 10097-10106.
[6] Pereira, F. S.; Agostini, D.; Santo, R.D.E.; deAzevedo, E. R.; Bonagamba, T.J.; Job, A.; Pérez, E. R. Green Chemistry, 2011, 13, 2146-2153.
[7] Sankar, M.; Madhavan, C. N.; Murty, K. V. G. K.; Manikandan P. Applied Catalysis A: General, 2006, 312, 108–114.
[8] Park, D. W.; Jeong, E. S.; Kim, K. H.; Bineesh, K. V.; Lee, J. W.; Park, S. W. Studies in Surface Science and Catalysis, 2006, 159, 329–332.
[9] a. Schaffner, B.; Andrushko, V.; Bayardon, J.; Holz, J.; Borner, A. Chirality, 2009, 21, 857-861. b. Vollmer, C.; Thomann, R.; Janiak, C. Dalton Trans., 2012, 41, 9722-9727.
[10] Ghosh, A. K.; Duong, T. T.; Mckee, S. P.; Thompson, W. J. Tetrahedron Lett. 1992, 32, 2781.
[11] Carbon Dioxide Recovery and Utilization, Aresta, M. Ed., Kluwer Academic Publishers, London, 2003.
Watch the following preview of this presentation.
Would you like to access this content?
No problem. You just have to complete the following steps.
You have completed 0 of 2 steps.
Log in
You must be logged in to view this content. Log in now.
Purchase Technical Presentation
You must purchase this technical presentation using one of the options below.
If you already purchased this content recently, please click here to refresh the system's record of ownerships.
|0.5 Use credits
|List Price
|$25.00 Buy now
|AIChE Members
|$15.00 Buy now
|AIChE Undergraduate Student Members
|Free Free access
|AIChE Graduate Student Members
|Free Free access


text:
The Week In 16 Photos: Dec. 15-21
Dec. 22, 2014
Elana Meyers Taylor: History Has Been Made
Elana Meyers Taylor, Two-Time Olympic Bobsled Medalist Dec. 21, 2014
"As early as this writing, I still don't think it's truly hit me. I hope that someday women will drive four-person sleds without it being newsworthy."
Kyrie Irving Earns 2014 USA Basketball Male Athlete Of The Year Award
USA Basketball Dec. 21, 2014
Irving started in all nine FIBA World Cup games and averaged 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals in 24.4 minutes per game.
Elana Meyers Taylor Makes History With Four-Person Bobsled World Cup Debut
Associated Press Dec. 21, 2014
Elana Meyers Taylor became the first woman to compete in a four-person bobsled world cup race, followed by Canadian Kaillie Humphries.
United States Olympic Endowment Honors Three Individuals For Contributions To Olympic And Paralympic Movements
United States Olympic Committee Dec. 19, 2014
The United States Olympic Endowment presented two awards to Olympic figure skating champion Scott Hamilton and the distinguished coaching duo of Martha and Bela Karolyi in recognition of their commitment and contributions to the Olympic and Paralympic movements.
Top 14 Of 2014: Team USA Men
Paul D. Bowker Dec. 19, 2014
U.S. men made the world their stage in 2014 with memorable performances in Sochi, Russia, and around the world.
Top 14 Of 2014: Sochi 2014 Tweets
Dec. 19, 2014
From the #SochiSelfie to the adorable #Sochipuppies to Johnny Quinn's door-breaking skills, we revisit the top 14 tweets of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
Five For Friday: Diving
Paul D. Bowker Dec. 19, 2014
Three Olympic medalists - Troy Dumais, Kristian Ipsen, Abby Johnston - vie for national titles.
Five For Friday: Freestyle Skiing
Paul D. Bowker Dec. 19, 2014
Olympians Mac Bohonnon and Ashley Caldwell begin their world cup seasons at the Bird's Nest in Beijing.
Five For Friday: Short Track Speedskating
Paul D. Bowker Dec. 19, 2014
John-Henry Krueger seeks an impressive fourth 500-meter world cup medal of the season.


text:
Nominations Open for 2012 MCUL and MCUF Awards (Misc News: February 9, 2012)
The nominations period is now open for the 2012 MCUL and Michigan Credit Union Foundation Awards. This is the chance to recognize those tireless individuals and outstanding organizations that work so hard to make the Michigan credit union community as successful as it is.
Nominations for the awards are currently being sought for the following categories:
• Credit Union Professional of the Year
• Distinguished Service Award
• MCUL Chapter Effectiveness Award
• Outstanding Credit Union of the Year Award
• Young Professional of the Year Award
• Credit Union Youth Advocate of the Year
• Award for Excellence in Consumer Education
• Credit Union Community Volunteer
• International Credit Union Development (ICUD)
Anyone affiliated with a member credit union can submit a nomination. The entire process can now be completed online with the capability of uploading supporting nomination documentation.
These prestigious awards will be given out at a special breakfast presentation at the 2012 AC&E in July.
A full description of the different awards and the associated criteria is available at http://www.mcul.org/MCULMCUF_Awards_2504.html.
The nomination period will remain open through March 16, 2012.


text:
Lenovo ThinkPad T430U is the new 14-inch ultrabook, which completes the series of ultra-professional, characterized by an excellent operating range. If you are looking for a professional notebook that offers security for your data, computing power and flexibility combined with autonomy and long measures included weight and you found it, because Lenovo ThinkPad T430U is all this and more. The design is typical of the Lenovo ThinkPad, square and severe, with flat lines and a full magnesium alloy chassis and aluminum, rugged and lightweight, the classic black color.
Opening it you will find everything you would expect from a similar solution: the infiltration of liquid-resistant keyboard with ergonomic keyboard for a truncated pyramid type quickly and accurately, three-button trackpoint, biometric sensor for fingerprint security, TPM 1.2 for data security, Smart Card slot and Lenovo Solution Center with support for Intel vPro functions. But it is also a ThinkPad T430U ultrabook, the first product from Lenovo, so a portable compact, with a diagonal of 14 inches, thin with a thickness of less than 2 cm and lightweight, weighing about 1.8 kg
The display has a HD resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which then allows you to enjoy even in moments of leisure movies in high resolution. From the technical point of view also Lenovo ThinkPad T430U can count on a wide range of Intel Sandy Bridge in the second generation to the powerful Core i7 processor, hard disk with a storage capacity of up to 1 TB of data and, for those who had need, also dedicated video card, as an alternative to the Intel integrated graphics subsystem.
Thanks also to the presence of hybrid storage solutions, Lenovo is also able to offer Quick Resume function, which instantly restart from sleep, but of course the real highlight of this laptop is above mentioned operational autonomy is capable of. In the business because the work day never ends and the battery life is never enough. But thanks to the integration of a 9-cell battery well, Lenovo ThinkPad T430U can provide over 10 hours maximum, more than enough to accomplish any task, even when out of the office all day. The Lenovo ThinkPad T430U should be sold from a price of approximately USD 700.


text:
2010 Oscars Best Dressed
2010 Oscars: Best Dressed
by Fashion 75 Reactions 17 Shares Print
It's that time of the night, Fab friends — time to crown our leading fashion lady of the 2010 Oscars. You're looking at this year's contenders. Rachel McAdams, in Elie Saab, brought print to the carpet. Zoe Saldana dared to deliver the drama in Givenchy. Carey Mulligan chose classic with a twist in Prada. Elizabeth Banks looked modern in Versace tulle. And Meryl Streep channeled a chic angel in white Chris March. All gorgeous in their own way, but only one can win the Oscar. You decide!Vote on all of my Oscar polls here!
Source: Getty
Read More 2010 Oscars Best Dressed2010 Oscars Poll2010 OscarsCarey MulliganChris MarchZoe SaldanaElizabeth BanksRed CarpetVersaceCelebrityGivenchyBest DressedRachel McAdamsPradaMeryl Streep
Zoe Saldana
Meryl Streep
Rachel McAdams
Anjellarok 4 years
What the heck is Zoe Saldana wearing. In one word...Hideous!
F-Aristocrat 4 years
Voted for Rachel. But being honest, none of the dress impressed me. Zoe has the worst one. It looks very strange, as if the top and the bottom belong to different gowns. The ruffles on the bottom of the dress look awful either. In addition her leg sticks out of this 'cake' (see other pics). The bodice is 'pasted' with crystals all over which looks cheap and hilarious. 'Mauvais ton', IMHO.
februarygirlz 4 years
wow! look at Rachel she so lovely
paperdahl 4 years
Zoe looks wonderful. Givenchy Couture > all the rest
dani19 4 years
i thought miley cyrus was best dressed... but rachel mccadams looked fab as well.
KateAthens 4 years
Anna Kendrick's dress was sooo cute and romantic! So much like her personality (well i dont know the woman, i mean the image of her persona). I loved her in Up in the Air.
hahaylayp 4 years
love love love both rachel's and elizabeth's
xoxoheart 4 years
you know on a regular bases i would agree with #62 i like dramatic dresses but i find my self being pulled to the classic and simple dresses like rachel mcadams she got my vote, because i sort of want actress' to be like the old hollywood actress' of the past.
llamawich 4 years
Where is Demi? :(
tellmemorex2 4 years
I thought Vera was the best dressed. But out of these, Elizabeth. I also loved Cameron Diaz's look.
4 years
I am so sick of all these SAFE "pretty pretty" dresses. I want effing FASHION. The reason Diane Kruger is in a league of her own in fashion is because she takes risks and is almost always in something different not to mention she doesn't have a stylist like most of these other women. I garuantee you that no one could of pulled off that chanel haute couture collection dress like she did.
cherryk 4 years
Sandra shined the most last night, why isn't she up here?
ruunyi 4 years
i cannot believe cameron diaz and sandra bullock (liquid gold*) and anna k. aren't here to tell the truth everyone looked great.:) i love what meryl is wearing but on this list: rachel mcadams. p.s: queen latifa was gorgeous as was kate winselt. *
Blix 4 years
I thought Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren were best dressed of the night.
4 years
I love Rachel as an actress and this dress is just brilliant! She looked young and fresh and oh so feminine....Meryl looked great as well, as did all the other ladies.
jojijoja 4 years
Rachel's was the best... Anything by Elie Saab would be the best...Love that designer, he represents the beauty of Lebanon!!!
emilymaraschino 4 years
zoe by a mile! I thought she completely pulled it off. k. stew, meryl streep, and kate winslet also looked fab, I thought.
neonbee 4 years
Rachel's. I want her dress!
myystque 4 years
Rachel and then Elizabeth. Zoe's dress is horrible. I agree with LuciaGC that Kate Winslet's was really nice.
Soniabonya 4 years
Zoe. Love the purple and she's just a beautiful woman.
nylorac 4 years
sorry i think zoe saldana's dress is horrific. the best dressed of the night definitely had to be either kate winslet or diane kruger. i wonder why they aren't featured in this poll?
risqueredhead 4 years
Anna Kendrick or Diane Kruger. Definitely not Zoe Saldana. Of These, I'll have to pick Elizabeth Banks.
Link Love
- Forget the LBD; Karlie shows us how to work a white one — Who What Wear
- Eek! You'll never believe what Kim Kardashian's sandals are made from — The Cut
- We're all about functional gloves like these — HuffPost Style
- These are the cookies the fashion crowd munches on — Style.com
- This guide means you won't overpack for the holidays — InStyle
- Does this video mean Lindsay Lohan's making a comeback? — StyleList
- Victoria's Secret just announced the spot of its next fashion show! — Racked
- According to Dov Charney, the American Apparel fight isn't over — Fashionista
- Are these men the stars of the red carpet? — Lucky
- These bags are proof you should still shop indie designers — The Fashion Spot


text:
Timeless Tori by Chris Azzopardi
Songstress talks gay fan affinity, the Disney song she inspired and still rocking at 50
"Lighting, sweetie, lighting!" is Tori Amos' theatrical retort to my compliment about how she's still looking as radiant as she did at the launch of her career just over three decades ago.
Amos is now 50, and with her 14th album, Unrepentant Geraldines, she's facing age head-on. Candor isn't unusual for the composer; from rape to religion and even her MILF status, she's approached a bevy of topics too controversial for most artists.
That same directness extended to our recent conversation, during which Amos chatted about the LGBT influence on "Promise," a duet with her daughter; being the muse for the big Frozen ballad, "Let It Go"; and the gay fans who...Read More


text:
Filed under: Comfort at Camp, Traveling Tips
Lifestyle Tech Tips – Rover Ramp
November 19, 2013 by Good Sam Camping · 1 Comment
I have an elderly Old English sheepdog that has trouble climbing the steps to my fifth-wheel due to its age and hip problems.
To build it a ramp, I purchased a closet bifold door and glued rubber mats to each panel.
I place the ramp on the second step, and the dog has no problems with access to the trailer. The unit is lightweight, folds up and is easy to store.
Thomas Young, Hayden, Idaho


text:
Hizbullah and Lebanese Nationalism
This paper examines the background and ideology of Hizbullah and, from that, attempts to determine whether or not Hizbullah is a Lebanese nationalist party. Special emphasis is placed on the "Lebanonization" path on which the group embarked in the 1990s and its comparison with the party's core ideology. The paper then contextualizes the group in Lebanon's current crisis and identifies the political implications of Hizbullah's character on the group's role in the crisis.
Hizbullah and Lebanese Nationalism
Much has been written and said about Hizbullah—its origins, doctrine and evolution within Lebanon's Byzantine political system. The rise of the group—from a band of ragtag militants to a sophisticated paramilitary organization and political party—is a remarkable development in itself. Hizbullah is the modern success story of political Islam—a party that enjoys deep popular support among its own constituency while simultaneously instilling awe in its enemies. Hizbullah's war on Israel and its subsequent liberation of occupied Lebanese land have made it the hero of the Arab street and helped in casting itself as a champion of Lebanese pride and sovereignty.
Recent developments in Lebanon, however, signify a period of uncertainty for the future of the Islamic party, in particular for its status as an armed force but also for its political legitimacy in the eyes of many Lebanese. Hizbullah has involved Lebanon in an unpopular war and embarked on a campaign to overthrow its elected government. As of now this effort has met with little success and has generated considerable backlash from several Lebanese groups, resulting in a political crisis for Hizbullah and for Lebanon as a whole. Because this crisis is rooted in conflicting visions of Lebanon's future and regional mission—and because it involves two opposing camps brandishing the national flag in that vision's name—it is compelling to ask: is Hizbullah a Lebanese nationalist party? Do its worldview and strategy aim to protect and advance the national interest as an ultimate priority?
It is the author's position that while Hizbullah's relationship with Lebanon and its people is complex and multi-layered, it is not ambiguous. A close reading of the party's doctrine and belief system demonstrates that Hizbullah is not a Lebanese nationalist movement, nor has it ever been one. In arguing this case, this paper will not attempt a critique of Hizbullah's political vision on practical or normative grounds. The author's aim is not to argue for or against Hizbullah's ideology but rather to show that the nation itself is not Hizbullah's ultimate focus, but rather a means to an end. This fact has important implications for public policy in Lebanon.
Nationalism Defined
An attempt to answer the paper's main question must begin with a definition of nationalism. Much can be written on the concept of nationalism itself. It is not the author's intention to attempt an epistemological exposition of the different schools of thought on nationalism. Nationalism in the sense that concerns the case at hand can be clearly defined: it is the idea of the nation as one's primary affiliation and identity.1 Another supplementary definition describes nationalism as "the policy of asserting the interests of a nation, viewed as separate from the interests of other nations or the common interests of all nations."2 Hizbullah's status as a nationalist party will be measured against these definitions.
The Lebanese Shia
Hizbullah emerged in the chaos of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon.3 Its ability to mobilize popular support and organize an effective military effort was rooted in several factors. The first was the domestic political context in which Hizbullah emerged, namely that of the Shia Muslim population of Lebanon. Long ruled by a quasi-feudal network of wealthy landowners, they had little voice in public affairs until the 1960s, when an Iranian-born cleric by the name of Musa Sadr began to nurture a Shia political identity in Lebanon.4 Hence, the Shia possessed at best a weak affiliation to the Lebanese state, a state that in any event had effectively ceased to function by the time of Hizbullah's emergence. Sadr's disappearance in 1978 under mysterious circumstances left a political vacuum among the Shia that Amal—the party Sadr's political and social activism created—and its increasingly fragmented leadership proved unable to fill.5
It was in this political climate that Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982. The Shia of Lebanon had long suffered from the presence of Palestinian militias on their land, which basically comprised South Lebanon and the Beqaa Valley.6 Thus they initially welcomed the Israeli army's destroying the Palestinian infrastructure in Lebanon. Soon, however, the continued Israeli occupation and a series of mistakes by the occupiers led to rising tensions with the Shia of Lebanon. That this tension and the clashes it produced broke out into a full-scale insurgency is partly due to developments in a distant, non-Arab country. These developments radically transformed the ideological map of the Middle East and subsequently that of Lebanon as well.
The Islamic Revolution and the Rise of Hizbullah
The Islamic Revolution of 1979 overthrew Iran's unpopular monarchy and replaced it with a revolutionary religious regime. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's ambitions to export his revolution were stalled by Iran's ruinous eight-year war with Iraq. Following the outbreak of war and the resulting stalemate, Iran's leadership saw in Lebanon's Shia, and their struggle against Israel, an opportunity to spread the revolution and with it the battle against the West and its Israeli ally. Thus, following the Israeli invasion, it deployed a contingent of its Revolutionary Guards to the Beqaa area in Lebanon, where the fighters came in contact with and proceeded to train and arm Lebanon's Shia for a war against the Israeli occupation.7 Hizbullah would go on to fight this war with considerable success, compelling the Israeli army to withdraw unilaterally from Lebanon in May 2000 and boosting the party's standing among the Shia of Lebanon. Hizbullah was not the first or only party to mount a campaign of violent resistance to the Israeli occupation. But its discipline and commitment, coupled with the fact that the Israeli army occupied mainly Shia territory, meant that the bulk of the effort was borne by the Lebanese Shia and Hizbullah in particular. In parallel, ideological and strategic factors led Hizbullah to fight a series of battles with its Shia political rival Amal in the late 1980s over control of the sect's politics and its urban base in the suburbs of South Beirut.8 This fighting ended—along with Lebanon's civil war—in a Syrian-brokered settlement culminating in the 1990 Taif Accords.9
At this point, Hizbullah faced a series of difficult decisions over the direction in which to take the party in the context of a Lebanese national settlement and the resumption of an institutionalized domestic political process. The election of Hasan Nasrallah as Hizbullah's Secretary General in 1992 was to have profound effects on the choices made by the party and the subsequent path on which Hizbullah embarked in the 1990s. The Taif settlement in particular signified the consolidation of Syrian hegemony—ensured by the presence of 30,000 Syrian troops—in Lebanon and of Syria's constraining influence on Hizbullah activities and strategy.10 Although Hizbullah gradually accommodated itself to the changes brought by Taif and the Pax Syriana, it was under Nasrallah that the party began to display its penchant for pragmatism and to come to terms with the political realities of Lebanon. Nasrallah publicly toned down the Islamic agenda of Hizbullah and molded its image into that of a national resistance party fighting to liberate Lebanese territory from Israeli occupation. Nasrallah's decision to allow Hizbullah to participate in Lebanon's 1992 parliamentary elections represented another step in integrating the party with national affairs. He reasoned that political participation would serve "to prove to friends and foes alike that Hizbullah is not a group of combatant youths, but a popular trend with a vast base in Lebanon."11 This step can be said to have symbolized the beginning of the "Lebanonization" of Hizbullah.12
Nasrallah took a series of other steps in the following years to integrate further Hizbullah into the Lebanese mainstream and bolster its image as a national party with local concerns and interests. Especially prominent was his escalation of a massive social welfare and media program aimed at mobilizing and winning over the Lebanese Shia and funded primarily by the Islamic Republic of Iran.13 Hizbullah's construction group Jihad Al-Bina undertook massive development projects in South Lebanon, including supplying potable water to meet almost half of the area's needs. Hizbullah also extended agricultural assistance to farmers among the economically disenfranchised Shia.14 Efforts included a broad education program providing needy students with scholarships that in the year 2000-2001 amounted to over three billion US dollars.15 Hizbullah further entrenched itself in Lebanese life through its network of licensed media outlets, including the TV station Al Manar, a host of newspapers and the radio station, Al Nour. This media wing continues to employ hundreds of people, broadcast Hizbullah ideology and commentary and attempt to win over the Lebanese.16 Al Manar in particular garnered a wide viewership—particularly amongst Lebanese Shia—and was beamed by satellite across the world.
Above all, the core of Hizbullah's Lebanonization and its battle for hearts and minds has been its successful resistance against a resented Israeli occupation. It is difficult to overstate the magnitude of this achievement and the perception of it in the eyes of Lebanese. To them, the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon represented a major defeat for the seemingly invincible Israeli military and was hailed by Hizbullah as "the first Arab victory in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict."17 Admiration for the group's perceived victory over Israel was by no means limited to the Shia, although the loose national consensus over Hizbullah's war against Israel would begin to weaken following the Israeli withdrawal in May 2000.18 Hizbullah itself made good use of its victory and the resulting political capital and pitched the resistance as a legitimate national endeavor as much as an Islamic one. Significantly, when other political figures began to question its continuing battle against Israel in the Shebaa Farms after May 2000, Hizbullah was quick to accuse its detractors of a lack of patriotism.19
Thus, Hizbullah made a series of strategic and tactical decisions—particularly throughout the 1990s—that carefully bolstered the party's image as an integral part of the Lebanese nation. The party was able to cast itself as a protector of Lebanon and its people and as a mainstream participant in the country's polity and society.
Islam and Al Wali Al Faqih
Hizbullah's political choices, however, are only part of the picture. A solid understanding of who the group is and how it sees the world and nation is needed if we are to assess its status as a Lebanese nationalist party. For this, we must look to the statements and official doctrine of the party and not merely to its pragmatic choices in recent years.
Like many Islamist parties, Hizbullah holds Islam and its revelation through the message of the Prophet Muhammed and the Holy Quran to be the true and final message of God to mankind. Islam is seen as comprehensive and all-encompassing. For Hizbullah, political participation is integral to being Muslim—indeed, anyone who divorces himself from worldly affairs is not considered a Muslim at all. Thus, public affairs are at the heart of the Hizbullah reading of Islam and the Quran, both of which are seen as doctrines of worship with direct relevance to the individual, society and authority—including that of the state. It follows that the establishment of an Islamic state is by definition the ultimate goal of the true Muslim, as outlined in Hizbullah's "Open Letter" of 1985. This state must, however, be established through free public choice and the consent of the governed as there is "no compulsion in religion."20 This statement was an early sign of Hizbullah's coming to terms with the multi-sectarian fabric of Lebanon's society and its demand for a modicum of pluralism.
Hizbullah adheres to the Shia school of Islam as an ideology rather than as purely a sectarian identity.21 The sect emerged during a split within the ranks of Muslims over the succession of power in the Islamic Umma (the Islamic term for the universal community of Muslims) following the death of the Prophet Muhammed. A number of political and ideological developments led the Shia to adopt a doctrine of political quietism and aloofness from public affairs throughout most of their history. First, the Shia sought to protect themselves against persecution at the hands of the Sunni hegemony that prevailed throughout most of Arab history. Second, and more fundamentally, the Shia came to believe that a series of holy men, the Imams, were the only ones worthy of leading the Islamic Umma. The last of these Imams is believed by the Shia to have gone into occultation to return one day and establish justice for Muslims in this world, the implication being that until then it is pointless and wrong for Shia to involve themselves in affairs of the state—a doctrine known as quietism.22
All this was turned on its head with the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and the coming to power of Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini and his clerical establishment rejected Shia quietism, insisting that the time for political action was now. According to this philosophy, rightful rule rests with the Jurist-Theologian—or Al Wali Al Faqih—as the leader and commander of all Muslims. This doctrine, to which Hizbullah adheres, holds the nationality of this leader as irrelevant. His authority extends to all Muslims and transcends geographic and natural borders.23 Indeed, for Hizbullah, Al Wali Al Faqih personifies the continuation of the spiritual authority of the Prophet Muhammed himself and that of the infallible Imams that followed him.24
Until his death in 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini himself assumed this authority, to which Hizbullah pledged allegiance and obedience. This authority is now personified in Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom Hizbullah continues to hold as the true and final authority of the Islamic community—one whose leadership encompasses all Muslims and to whom allegiance is an "obligation and commitment."25 It is important to note that Hizbullah retains a margin of "maneuvering room" in operational and tactical decisions in Lebanon.26 This includes decisions about alliances, participation in electoral politics and the nature and direction of the jihad against Israel. Nevertheless, final authority and legitimacy stems from Al Wali Al Faqih, who remains the "custodian of the entire nation of Islam and whose power of command is not confined to any circle within it."27 Thus, while Hizbullah retains the option of choosing the mode of confrontation and holy struggle with any enemy, it is Al Wali Al Faqih that designates who this enemy is and whether or not defensive jihad is obligatory for his followers.28
Thus, Hizbullah is not, as recent accusations charge, loyal to Iran and subservient to its national interest. Rather, the party pledges full allegiance to Al Wali Al Faqih, who happens to be Iranian. The relationship is rooted more in Hizbullah's universalistic Islamist ideology than in any particular attachment to Iran as a nation-state.
Syria and the "Special Relationship"
Hizbullah's relationship with Syria has been the topic of much debate both within Lebanon and among foreign policy-makers seeking to understand the dynamic between the Islamic party and Syria's ruling Baath regime. Accusations in Lebanon surrounding the party's links with Syria have been particularly bitter lately, given the tensions that have characterized recent relations between the two countries. Thus, it is important to examine this relationship more closely in order to ascertain or disprove Hizbullah's status as a Lebanese nationalist party.
The thoroughly secular nature of the Syrian Baath regime ruled out an ideological convergence and partnership between Hizbullah and Syria at the time of the party's emergence in the early 1980s.29 Syrian President Hafez El Assad—who effectively ruled Lebanon throughout the 1990s—chose to tolerate Hizbullah as a tool with which to exert pressure on Israel and agreed to serve as a conduit for Iranian money and weapons bound for the party. His patronage was not, however, unconditional. Indeed, the Syrian-sponsored Taif Accord of 1991 was imposed on Hizbullah despite the party's opposition to its principles.30 In the years that followed—a period of Syrian hegemony over Lebanon often referred to as Pax Syriana—serious clashes broke out between the Hizbullah and the Syrian-installed Lebanese government in which Syria showed that it would not hesitate to use force to keep Hizbullah in line.31 Syria also pushed electoral laws in Lebanon that undermined Hizbullah in some cases and entered into peace negotiations with Israel—a path to which Hizbullah is vehemently opposed.
Nevertheless, the relationship—and Syria's support for Hizbullah's war against Israel both before and after its withdrawal from Lebanon in May 2000—endured for a number of years and continues to this day.32 Announcements of support for Hizbullah's resistance were frequent and pronounced throughout the period of Pax Syriana. Syria's suspected involvement in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri seriously damaged its relations with several Lebanese parties. Yet Hizbullah remained steadfast in its praise for Syria—and the praise has been reciprocated. In the aftermath of the assassination of Hariri, following vocal calls from Lebanese for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon and an end to its meddling in the country's politics, Hizbullah organized mass protests to affirm the party's appreciation for Syria's role in Lebanon. Syria in turn has backed Hizbullah's continued war on Israel and its opposition to Lebanon's government.
This is not to say, however, that Syria's loss of hegemony in Lebanon has not resulted in changes in the Syrian-Hizbullah relationship. Syria no longer retains the high level of control over Hizbullah that it once had.33 Indeed, the current freeze in Israeli-Syrian peace talks, the pressure on Syria over its alleged role in killing Hariri, and Hizbullah's increasing regional popularity, including in Syria, following its strong showing against Israel in July 2006 may imply that it is Syria that needs Hizbullah and not vice versa.34 Syria's beleaguered Assad regime might also be reluctant to jeopardize its much-needed relationship with Iran and may thus be obliged to continue providing material and political support to Hizbullah in Lebanon.35
What is clear is that Hizbullah's relationship with Syria does not follow a slave-master dynamic (or vice versa). Hizbullah is not an ideological ally of Syria, nor is it a Syrian puppet, despite its reliance on the Assad regime for arms and materiel. There are reports that Bashar Assad himself may have personal admiration for Hizbullah party leader Hasan Nasrallah.36 Regardless, the Syria-Hizbullah marriage has always been and remains a marriage of convenience and, increasingly, one of equals. The evolution of this bond will depend heavily on the shape of events in the region and within both Lebanon and Syria, but it is dubious to assert that Hizbullah's interests in and vision for Lebanon are by definition linked or identical to those of the Syrian regime.
Hizbullah: Islamist, Nationalist or Both?
The above examination of Hizbullah reveals a group with a rich and complex worldview and philosophy. There is a tendency to take cognitive shortcuts when describing such groups, particularly because they may seem extreme, militant or aggressive. Hizbullah may be all these things, but it is much more.37 It is at once an Islamist party with close ties to Iran and a local actor, fully in touch with the Shia of Lebanon and their interests, fears and aspirations. It enjoys generally positive relations with Syria, and yet has made itself into an important local player able to survive—if not quite thrive—without the support of its neighbor. Its successful resistance activity against Israeli occupation has earned it the respect of Lebanese. Its extensive social network and welfare activities have earned it legitimacy among its constituency, and it would thus be wrong to exclude Hizbullah from Lebanon's politics or to shun it as an outsider divorced from the affairs of its countrymen. One may not share Hizbullah's Islamic ideology or beliefs and may disagree with its praising Syria in light of recent developments in Lebanon, but the price of living in a free society is the tolerance of ideas and principles that one finds distasteful.
Yet this analysis is not intended as a critique of Hizbullah's policies or ideology. The morality of Hizbullah's cause and politics is a subject of much potential interest and debate, but it is not at issue here. Our concern is whether or not Hizbullah's claim to being a Lebanese nationalist party, with primarily the interests of Lebanon at heart, holds water. This study defined nationalism as a sense of allegiance to the nation and a pledge to preserve and advance its interests above all others—the idea of the nation as the primary affiliation and identity. Hizbullah's submission to the authority of Al Wali Al Faqih, regardless of the latter's national identity and political office, places the interests and convictions of an Islamic clergy before that of the nation. Hizbullah may feel genuine concern for Lebanon—for its territorial integrity and the interests of its citizens—or it may not. Regardless, true authority, legitimacy and supreme leadership are embodied in an establishment with no accountability to Lebanon, its state or its political process. Lebanon happens to be the country in which Hizbullah arose and established itself, and Hizbullah has shown an ability to be flexible in accommodating itself to the realities of the nation and its citizens. Lebanon itself, however, remains a means to and end—noble or otherwise.
This does not imply that Hizbullah is a tool of Iran, nor that it does not enjoy a certain degree of autonomy within the context of Lebanon's political system. Clearly it does, and will continue to do so as long as it can claim a modicum of support among its own constituency. Nor does Hizbullah's not being a Lebanese nationalist party suggest that the affairs of Lebanon—particularly those of its Shia Muslim population—are of no concern to it. There are compelling reason to believe that Hizbullah is genuinely committed to the cause of liberating Lebanese territory. Hizbullah's philanthropic efforts also speak to a concern for the well-being of its constituency, notwithstanding the fact that this commitment has translated into substantial political capital for the party. A lack of nationalism does not of course qualify a political party as immutably evil or treacherous. It does, however, imply the absence of a genuine nationalist sentiment toward the nation of Lebanon and a philosophy of working through Lebanon rather than for it.
The Implications for Lebanon
Having established that Hizbullah is not a Lebanese nationalist party, it is imperative to examine the implications for Lebanon's current political crisis and Hizbullah's role in it as well as for the party's future in Lebanon. In order to do so, a brief overview of the current situation in Lebanon is warranted.
The roots of today's Lebanon crisis are deep and complex. The underlying tensions that led to it have prevailed in various degrees throughout Lebanon's post-civil war period. However, these tensions can be said to have boiled over with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on 14 February 2005 in a massive explosion in the capital of Beirut.38 The political developments that followed his killing drew the faultlines for today's political standoff, which pits a Hizbullah-led opposition against pro-government forces.
Both the UN investigation into the assassination and many Lebanese pointed the finger of suspicion at the Assad regime and its Lebanese allies. Spontaneous public demonstrations began to form in the days that followed the bombing, demanding the full withdrawal of Syria from Lebanon and the truth behind the killing of Hariri.39 These events—which came to be known as Intifadat al Istiqlal (or the "Cedar Revolution" in the West)—placed Hizbullah in an awkward position as a staunch ally of Syria. The party held its own demonstrations in the weeks that followed to show support for the regime in Damascus. Eventually a new government was elected towards the end of 2005 comprising anti-Syrians who worked to further undermine Syria's political role in Lebanon and establish an international tribunal to try to the killers of Hariri.40 Pressure mounted on Hizbullah to distance itself from Syria and, more importantly, to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese government and integrate its armed forces with the Lebanese military. Hizbullah became less vocal in its support for Assad, but disarmament talks with the government quickly reached an impasse as tensions over Hizbullah's future mounted.
It is against this backdrop that Hizbullah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers on the Lebanese-Israeli border in July 2006, provoking a war that killed hundreds of Lebanese and resulted in heavy damage to the Lebanese economy and infrastructure. Hizbullah managed to hold out against Israel for several weeks and emerged a victor in the eyes of its supporters in Lebanon and beyond. Other Lebanese, however, including the government, were resentful of the damage sustained by the country and saw Hizbullah's continued war on Israel as dangerous adventurism rather than legitimate resistance. Accusations flew back and forth, with Hizbullah being accused of complicity with Iran and Syria and the government of protecting US and Israeli interests. Hizbullah soon embarked on a plan to overthrow the Lebanese government and replace it with one in which Hizbullah and its allies would have veto power over major national decisions. Mass protests were organized toward this end and continue until today, with the opposition refusing to drop its demands and the government vowing to remain in power. Hizbullah's demonstrations and announcements say little about Islamic ideals and nothing at all about Al Wali Al Faqih. Instead, the opposition brandishes the flag of Lebanon and speaks out against sacrificing Lebanon to foreign interests. Its opponents contest that Hizbullah is acting not in the interests of Lebanon but of Syria and its patrons in Iran. Regardless of one's views on the current political crisis, the tone of the opposition—led by Hizbullah but also comprising some Christian and Sunni Muslim groups—is for the most part strictly Lebanese, emphasizing national sovereignty, the protection of Lebanon from Israeli aggression and the importance of Hizbullah's participation in Lebanese policy-making.
How can this be reconciled with the earlier examination of the party and the paper's rejection of Hizbullah as a Lebanese nationalist party? The answer lies in the distinction between Hizbullah's core leadership and its mass following among Lebanon's Shia Muslims. As seen above, Hizbullah has expended much energy and resources on providing the historically disenfranchised Shia with services, protection against Israel and—perhaps most importantly—a strong and clear political voice in Lebanon's confessional system. These are the sources of Hizbullah's support among its constituency. Lebanon's Shia are overwhelmingly concerned with their interests in Lebanon and the direction of the country, not with the decrees of Al Wali Al Faqih and the Iranian clerical establishment. They see Hizbullah as a source of dignity for the Shia sect but also for Lebanon itself in its struggle to liberate and defend its territory from Israeli occupation. It follows that the message the party propagates as an opposition movement must resonate with its constituency if it is to have any political impact—hence the emphasis on the national interest as opposed to militant Islam and the rule of Iranian clerics. Hizbullah, as we have seen, is not nationalist. But many of Hizbullah's supporters may very well be.
This distinction has important implications for the political struggle in Lebanon today as well as for the country's future. Hizbullah's achievements in social services and the liberation of Lebanese land are impressive and even admirable. It has however become clear to many Lebanese that the party's continuing status as an armed force crafting an independent foreign and military policy poses a significant threat to the physical and economic security of Lebanon and the authority of its elected national government. A political party that pledges allegiance and obedience to an unaccountable actor—and a foreign one at that—is problematic in itself. Its existence as an armed entity outside the powers of the Lebanese state is doubly so. Yet any attempt to disarm Hizbullah, with its hundreds of thousands of supporters, by force would most definitely lead to civil war in Lebanon, which poses an acute dilemma for the Lebanese state.
It would seem that encouraging a gradual evolution in Hizbullah and among its leadership is a wise option. If the group undergoes a transformation in its philosophy or worldview, it may ultimately switch allegiance from Al Wali Al Faqih to Lebanon itself. Even if the party refuses to disarm, this would go a long way towards allaying the concerns of other Lebanese about Hizbullah's loyalties and long-term vision. Changes in party politics and strategy are by no means unprecedented. Islamist parties have in the past undergone significant transformations, such as the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's decision to participate peacefully in politics and give up armed struggle. Yet to ask Hizbullah to withdraw allegiance to Al Wali Al Faqih is to undermine the very core of its philosophy, indeed its very existence both ideologically and politically. It goes far beyond asking or hoping for a change of tactics and approach. It is akin to asking a committed communist to withdraw endorsement of the cause of the proletariat. This author remains skeptical towards the possibility of such a change in the ranks of Hizbullah and towards basing national policy on hopes of it coming about. This is not to say that a complete revision of core principles among Hizbullah's ranks is not a possibility—only that it remains a distant one at best.
It follows that Lebanon's main focus ought to be on Hizbullah's status as an armed militia unaccountable to the Lebanese state and, more specifically, on the political situation and popular support that allows it maintain this status. Current and future Lebanese governments should work peacefully to undermine Hizbullah's reasons for maintaining its militia and thus its ability to command support for this armed status. This will require a complex, multifaceted approach towards the Lebanese Shia in particular—and towards resolving Lebanon's conflict with Israel—that is beyond the scope of this paper. The author's point is that Hizbullah is not a Lebanese nationalist party and is unlikely to become one, and that the Lebanese must work on winning the hearts and minds of the party's supporters in full awareness of this fact.
- Lowell W. Barrington, "'Nation' and 'Nationalism:' The Misuse of Key Concepts in Political Science," PS: Political Science and Politics 30, no. 4 (1997): 713.
- Kenneth W. Terhune, "Nationalistic Aspiration, Loyalty, and Internationalism," Journal of Peace Research 2, no. 3 (1965): 277.
- Adam Shatz, "In Search of Hizbullah," New York Review of Books 51, no. 7 (2004): 2.
- Judith Palmer Harik, "Between Islam and the System: Sources and Implications of Popular Support for Lebanon's Hizbullah," Journal of Conflict Resolution 40, no. 1 (1996): 44.
- Ibid.
- Augustus Richard Norton, "Changing Actors and Leadership Among the Shiites of Lebanon," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 482 (1985): 115.
- Shatz, 2.
- Magnus Ranstorp, "The Strategy and Tactics of Hizbullah's Current 'Lebanonization Process,'," Mediterranean Politics 3, no. 1 (1998): 118.
- Shatz, 9.
- Ranstorp, 117.
- Ibid., 116.
- Ibid., 103.
- Ahmed Hamzeh, In the Path of Hizbullah (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2004), 60, 63 and 65. See also Ranstorp, 124; Shatz, 8.
- Hamzeh, 51–52.
- Ibid., 56.
- Ibid., 59–60.
- Shatz, 3.
- UNSC Resolution 425 marked Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory, according to the United Nations. However, Hizbullah insists that Israel still occupies a strip of territory known as the Shebaa Farms, and proclaims the continuation of the struggle to liberate Lebanese land to this day. For more on the Shebaa Farms controversy, see Hamzeh, 96–98.
- Judith Palmer Harik, Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism (London: I. B. Tauris, 2004), 153.
- Naim Qassem, Hizbullah: The Story from Within (Saqi, 2005), 21–31. This contrasts with rival party Amal's identity as a party for the Shia of Lebanon as opposed to an ideologically Shia party.
- Ibid., 32.
- Harik, 8–9.
- Qassem, 55.
- Ibid., 53.
- Ibid., 56.
- Ibid.
- Ibid., 57.
- Islam distinguishes between the defensive, or lesser, jihad and the greater jihad. The former is the obligation of all Muslims to defend the Islamic community from aggression, by military or other means. The latter refers to the "jihad of the soul," or the struggle through which one aspires to be a devout and proper Muslim.
- Shatz, 3.
- Ranstorp, 117.
- Ibid., 119.
- Qassem, 241.
- Hamzeh, 146.
- Ibid., 147.
- Ibid., 150.
- Shatz, 3.
- It is certainly possible that there exist divisions within Hizbullah itself over the direction in which to take the party. Yet Hizbullah has been remarkably consistent in its public positions, and this analysis proceeds on the basis of known facts rather than speculation on internal developments within Hizbullah. That topic in itself however merits further examination.
- For a full description of the developments leading up to and including the assassination, see Nicholas Blandford, Killing Mr. Lebanon (London: I. B. Tauris, 2006).
- For an overview of the protests and subsequent political developments, see Oussama Safa, "Lebanon Springs Forward," Journal of Democracy 17, no. 1 (2006): 1.
- Syrian troops withdrew from Lebanon in the weeks following the assassination.
FAYSAL ITANI was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, where he completed his undergraduate studies at the American University of Beirut. Upon graduating, he left his country to work in the Persian Gulf for two years before resuming his studies at Georgetown University, where he obtained a certificate in American government. After a brief stint as a Washington intern he enrolled at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, pursuing concentrations in strategic studies and international economics.


text:
The credits for this production have not yet been completed or verified.
The Famous Mrs. Fair
Henry Miller's Theatre , (12/22/1919 - circa. 5/1920)
Category: Play, Drama, Original, Broadway
Description: A play in four acts
Setting: The Fair home on Long Island and the Fair apartment in a New York hotel


text:
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Department of Physics and Engineering
Engineering Measurements Lab
Stanley adjusts the Carrier educational air conditioning system.
Dan Knechtel's chaotic motion project.
Dr. Chad Smith and Dr. Popson discuss ideas for the wind tunnel.
Morris and Marty Padula are using the tensile
tester to pull apart a brass rod.
Bob Grose
supervises Conor Forrester and Tom Bartleman using
the steam engine.


text:
Below is everything you need to get started
Everything you need to promote, from media to swipe files is below. Of course if you can't find something you are looking for just drop a line to Adrianne and she'll help get you sorted.
The Trailblazer Trailer: Click here
Check out other videos and Trailblazer Downloads at the Trailblazer Blog (share it with your readers!)
Wanna see how your affiliate link is tracking? Click here to login to the affiliate home / get links
Banners to put on your blog.
To place the banner of your choice on your site just copy and paste the html below and replace with your affiliate ID:

250 x 250

]
125 x 125

Swipe Copy
Our Main Promotion is currently the monthly Trailblazer Webinar. We have prepared Swipe Copy with detailed instructions making it really easy for you to help us spread the word.
Download the Webinar Swipe Copy
Below is some pre-written Tweets and Facebook updates to send immediately to your audience.
To use simply swipe out "AFFILIATE-ID" with your unique affiliate ID. Login and copy the ID # at the top of the Affiliate Resource Center. (Don't forget to shorten your links!)
Join this free event on how to get paid to be who you are: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=AFFILIATE-ID&u=http://www.illuminatedmind.net/from-path-taking-to-trailblazing-webinar/ via @jonathanmead


text:
For those more adventurous tea drinkers, or those looking to expand their drinking palate, this is the class for you! Join us as we explore the pu-erh teas. From what they are exactly to how they are processed...we will sip and examine this unique and ancient tea!
Trifecta Gallery (inside the Arts Factory)
107 East Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV
We will examine the leaf:
Completion of our discussion will leave students with a working knowledge of pu-erh varieties, growing regions and steeping processes.
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm PDTAdd to Cal
Las Vegas Tea Series is a joint effort by Naomi Rosen (Joy's Teaspoon) and Ashanti McGee (Iron Kettle Teas) to bring about awareness, education and a sense of tea community.
Naomi Rosen
What started out as a wonderful hobby of sipping tea after a trip to Chicago in 2005, quickly turned into a passion of finding quality teas with people that, like me, love chatting with friends over tea or laughing with family over an incredible meal. Joy's Teaspoon was launched in April 2010 with 32 tea blends, 10 spices and herbs and a handful of teawares. We have since added to the collection and now proudly offer over 75 loose leaf teas and 30+ spices. Our focus remains sourcing from socially/environmentally responsible growers and providing a quality cup of tea.
When I'm not heating water, I'm training for a triathlon, playing with my kids (JJ-4 and Gavin-1) or "supervising" my husband's (JR) home improvement projects. He loves having me around!
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Charity: TreesforaChange.com or CharityWater.org
Favorite Tea: Four Seasons Oolong
Ashanti McGee
After spending months at school with a few barista friends, I discovered that tea was my drink of choice. Learning about tea, tea history, and its folklore became an endless obsession. Iron Kettle Teas is a specialty tea company located in Las Vegas, Nevada. Launched this March, we're a new company, specializing in artisan loose leaf teas. We focus heavily on the arts and sciences; as we consider these disciples are paramount to the process of tea producing and blending. All blends are handmade created with quality ingredients and most herbs and fruit infusions are sourced locally.
Painting (when I get the chance), hiking, and eating with family and friends are favored pastimes. You can find me and my wacky family out at dinner or visiting a local art gallery.
Favorite color: purple
Favorite Charity: doctorswithoutborders.org
Favorite Tea: Golden Peacock black tea
This class hasn't been reviewed yet.


text:
14 Great Movie Moments Featuring Actors In Multiple RolesCinematic Listology By David Christopher Bell on November 15, 2012 | Comments (5)
It's got to be difficult enough to simply stand there in front of all those people and equipment and play costume make-believe. So that must go double the moment you're asked to interact with anything that isn't there, such as a big CGI dinosaur or any given Andy Serkis role. Worse than that, there are also times when actors have to play both sides of a conversation. Not only do they have to pretend to interact with an imaginary role – but also play that imaginary role interacting right back at them. It sounds complicated, so here are some of the best instances.
This Week in Blu-ray: Wipe the Blood AwayBlu-ray Spotlight By Neil Miller on July 6, 2010 | Be the First To Comment
June was a rough month for This Week in Blu-ray. Only a few of you actively missed it, judging by the emails, but I'm sure that even more of you felt a hole in your very souls due to the lack of weekly Blu-ray buying advice. By my count I am four weeks behind as of today, four weeks that each had worthy releases — some of which you may have purchased already. So in an effort to be brief, I've selected the most prominent releases and mixed them in with the Blu-rays hitting shelves this week. It's my way of smashing four weeks of release together and wiping away the blood. In the end, it should give you a good road map for what you should have been doing all along.
This Week In DVD: June 15thFeatures By Rob Hunter on June 15, 2010 | Comments (5)
Sexy Japanese nurses! Bloody revenge! Teens with lascivious split personalities! An overdue library book lost in the apocalypse! More bloody revenge! Not MacGruber! Jews and Aussies! Rip Torn's poop-covered buttocks! And a romantic comedy from the director of Daredevil!
Reject Radio: Episode 33 – A Normal Day At the OfficeMovie News By Scott Beggs on January 11, 2010 | Be the First To Comment
This week, on a very special episode of Reject Radio, we discuss the finer points of something or other.
Review: Youth In RevoltMovie Reviews By Rob Hunter on January 8, 2010 | Comments (4)
Rob Hunter takes on this week's release of Youth in Revolt, a smart comedy in which Michael Cera plays not one, but two awkward characters.
Fat Guys at the Movies Ep. 147 – Happy Fat Year!Features By Kevin Carr on January 8, 2010 | Be the First To Comment
Kevin and Neil ring in the new year after a band of gremlins attack the Magical Studio in the Sky and set fire to everything. After a brief rebuild, things get back in order and the Fat Guys take a moment to talk about the sure-to-be billion-dollar blockbusters coming out this fine, fine first week of January.
The Reject Report and Three New Movies Keep Battling AvatarBox Office By John Cairns on January 8, 2010 | Comments (5)
It promises to be another weekend of Avatar domination. Yes, there are three new movies rolling out wide: Daybreakers, Leap Year, and Youth in Revolt. But who is really kidding who here?
This Month In Theaters: January 2010Features By Rob Hunter on January 7, 2010 | Comments (7)
Rob Hunter leads you into the valley of despair known as January, with a week-by-week guide of all the major (and limited) releases.
Youth in Revolt Redband Trailer: It's Better with CursingMovie News By Neil Miller on December 8, 2009 | Comments (3)
The first trailer for Youth in Revolt, the Michael Cera-led comedy about a young man who invents an alternate persona in order to be 'bad enough' for the girl of his dreams, fell short by a measure or two. This redband trailer is better, trust me.
Youth in Revolt Trailer: Too Much RebellionMovie News By Neil Miller on November 24, 2009 | Comments (6)
Dimension Films has released the full-length trailer for the upcoming comedy Youth in Revolt, starring Michael Cera. It is hilarious, but also quite revealing.
Galifianakis Might Fall Off a Wall for 'Shrek' Spin-OffMovie News By Scott Beggs on November 5, 2009 | Comments (4)
The beard enthusiast (and sometimes actor) is in talks to voice Humpty Dumpty. Beats getting high and agreeing to G-Force.
Bethany's Austin Film Festival Diary: Day 1Austin Film Festival 2009 By Bethany Perryman on October 23, 2009 | Be the First To Comment
Thursday, October 22nd was the first official day of the Austin Film Festival. Come inside and see what sex columnist and all-around funny girl Bethany Perryman has to say about that.
'Youth In Revolt' Gets Grounded to January 2010Movie News By Scott Beggs on September 17, 2009 | Comments (5)
Normally a move like this could signal an upcoming bomb, but this might actually be good news for audiences and for Youth In Revolt.
Reject Radio: Episode 15: We're Being CancelledMovie News By Scott Beggs on August 25, 2009 | Comments (4)
This week, on a very special episode of Reject Radio, we Inglouriously review the recent releases while getting Thirsty and coming up with awkward puns for the film titles. We also get voted World's Greatest Dad or something. Seriously, I'm not even trying anymore because my attention span is so Shorts.
Watch This: Michael Cera Bales Out on the Set of 'Youth in Revolt'Behind the Scenes By Neil Miller on February 9, 2009 | Comments (16)
You knew that it was coming — countless spinoffs and reenactments of the Christian Bale tirade on the set of Terminator Salvation. This time it is Michael Cera and director Miguel Arteta capitalizing on Bale for a little viral marketing spot for their upcoming film Youth in Revolt, which is based on a wildly popular book by C.D. Payne.
First Look: Michael Cera's Youth in RevoltFirst Look By Neil Miller on November 26, 2008 | Comments (1)
FSR reader Christopher M. has hit us with a double-shot of first looks this afternoon, the second of which being a gallery of set photos from the upcoming comedy Youth in Revolt, starring Michael Cera.
Steve Buscemi and Michael Cera are Revolting!Casting Couch By Scott Beggs on May 21, 2008 | Comments (2)
The prospect of Michael Cera playing a gawky, sex-crazed fourteen year old who destroys a family vacation all in the name of trading in his V-Card and tasting that sweet, sweet nectar of maturity for the first time either sounds too perfect or too obvious.
Neil Miller
Scott Beggs
Rob Hunter
Kate Erbland
Christopher Campbell


text:
Can't Keep Up? 6 Customization Tricks to Spice Up Your Site
What's the point of having your own website if you can't make it yours?
That's entirely the point, which is why every SmugMug account comes with a whole bunch of ways to switch it up.
We also know that not everyone has all day to find inspiration in the clouds and push around pixels. So, today we're sharing super-easy ways you can change up the look of your site without having to take a day off from work.
1) ALL: Change the Theme
Themes give you the most bang for your buck. We've got over 70 of them and it takes just two clicks to set one in place.
HOW: To set your new site-wide default theme, click the Themes button on your homepage and choose one to preview. When you love it, simply click the button again and choose "Save Theme Choice" to make it stick. More about themes.
2) ALL: Display Your Map
Did you know that your fans can browse your photos by location? We'll automatically pin your public, geotagged photos onto a map shown right on your homepage.
HOW: Click the Homepage Layout button on your homepage and choose Around the World. The box will appear, and you can move it up or down the page according to taste. More about maps.
3) ALL: Feature a Slideshow (or a Video)
Grab their attention with motion. A buttery-smooth slideshow of your best photos or your masterpiece movie will get them anchored and asking for more.
HOW: Visit your homepage and hit the Homepage Layout button > Slideshow. With a Power, Portfolio or Business account, you can feature a video under the Single Photo or Video option, too. You'll see an "Adjust: Settings" link in the top corner to specify what you want to show. More about your homepage boxes.
4) POWER, PORTFOLIO, BUSINESS: Add a Header and Navigation Bar
Adding basic branding to your site instantly gives your website a more polished, unified feel. Plus, your fans will always know where they are and where they should go next.
HOW: Open the Easy Customizer and click on the Header section. It's simple to add a basic text header that links to your homepage, and a navigation bar that features the galleries you want to be seen most. As you tinker, you'll get a live preview on the left. Click the Publish button to post your changes live.
5) POWER, PORTFOLIO, BUSINESS: Copy-and-Paste Customization
We've got tons of resources where you can search for specific customization tricks and exact code needed to make it happen on your website. From hiding stuff to moving stuff around to ginormous edge-to-edge slideshows, you can do it all.
HOW: Try our basic FAQ, the customization forums on Digital Grin (specifically this FAQ), and this thread with advanced-but-just-as-easy Javascript tricks. Simply copy and paste your code into the section of your Advanced Customization as described in the instructions.
6) ALL: Tidy Up!
Rearrange your virtual living room. Changing your gallery organization and swapping old portfolio photos for fresh ones can breathe new life into a stale site.
HOW: Display Categories on your homepage, unlist old galleries, create archive categories to "hide" stuff so your fans see the best pics first. Read up on our privacy options and review how custom Categories work for you.
There's a lot you can do, but we've summed it all up for you before. Take a ride in the wayback machine and visit our first Smug Tip of the Week, the Customization Edition.
What quick and easy tricks have you done to make you love your website again?
Link roundup:
September 18, 2012 at 11:57 am
Love that there's a map feature and I do use it. But, that area needs a ton of UI work…. customizable pin graphic/color, click-pin-to-see-photo needs to have more info and better layout and larger images. It seems like a rush job at this stage… like it but want more.
January 29, 2013 at 11:11 pm
I agree. MapQuest maps are the worst on the web. Even Bing maps are better. Not much, but better. I won't use the MapQuest maps. Apparently Google Maps would show ads and they refused to remove them. Although I don't remember seeing them. If they dropped their ads for commercial sites maybe we'd get them back. SmugMug has been using MapQuest since around September last year. I think it's time the maps feature was improved. It really is an embarrassment.
January 29, 2013 at 4:51 pm
Do you have a video RE: adding music?
March 4, 2013 at 10:12 am
Do you still have a limit on the size of a video?


text:
The iek Reader
346 pages
March 1999, Wiley-Blackwell
- Collects work by one of the most arresting and scandalous thinkers of our time.
- Aids the reader to understand the often complex thinking of both Lacan and Zizek
Part II: Woman:.
Part III: Philosophy:.
Edmond Wright is a poet and free-lance philosopher. He has published regularly in the philosophical journals on language, perception, and epistemology. He has written The Horwich Hennets (1976) and The Jester Hennets (1981), and he is the editor of New Representationalisms: Essays in the Philosophy of Perception (1993).
Slavoj Zizek is a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His most recent works include Tarrying with the Negative: Kant, Hegel and the Critique of Ideology, The Plague of Fantasies, and The Ticklish Subject: A Treatise on Political Ontology. Slavoj Zizek has over the last decade become something of a cultural phenomenon, variously described as 'one of the most arresting, insightful and scandalous thinkers in recent memory', 'the Giant of Ljubljana... the best intellectual high since Anti-Oedipus'. His work is a flamboyant mix of Hegel and Hitchcock, Schelling and science fiction, Kant and Courtly Love, Stalin and Stephen King, all of which is strongly seasoned with lacanian psychoanalysis. As a consequence, it is also one of the most lucid and persuasive readings of Lacan's difficult thought.
- Collects work by one of the most arresting and scandalous thinkers of our time.
- Aids the reader to understand the often complex thinking of both Lacan and Zizek
"The Zizek Reader is an excellent introduction to his thinking and contains the first systematic criticism of his work, in editorial introductions to each essay. In his own preface, Zizek makes his gambit explicit by his categorical rejection of the 'hegemonic trends' of today's academia." The Independent


text:
To be considered as an adopter, you must:
Not every pet will fit into your lifestyle. Our adoption counselors will ask you many questions to determine which pet will do well in your home and which will not. We want the pet you choose to be the one you will love for its lifetime! Please understand that we deal with homeless animals. Many of our animals come from unknown backgrounds. The adoption process may seem time consuming, but we wish to maximize an animal's chance for a successful adoption. Adopting a companion pet is a major consideration and responsible pet ownership demands a considerable commitment.
Dorothy H. O'Connor Pet Adoption Center is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity


text:
I say goodnight... and bow to everyone..
Hello all.. im new to this site and all.. i saw a friend with this blurty thing and all, and well.. looked fun and interesting. Im on a live journal, but i seem to be so unloved there, maybe i can find some friends here? hmm.. i guess i will just have to fnd out, huh? yeah.. ta-ta


text:
Where to find the movie reviews
This is our final review section of 2006 as you could probably tell by the sheer number of big movies we're reviewing. But there's a yule-tidal wave of new releases coming on both Christmas and the last Friday of the year so many, in fact, that we'll have to catch up with a number of them in the New Year. Along with reviews of films that were not screened for our critics in time for this issue such as Eragon and Night at the Museum you'll get pieces on late-December Oscar hopefuls like Notes on a Scandal, Children of Men, Pan's Labyrinth, Miss Potter, Curse of the Golden Flower, The Painted Veil, Venus, and Breaking and Entering. Then there are the movies that don't even pretend to have statuettes in their sights: Black Christmas, Happily N'Ever After, and Code Name: The Cleaner. So have a great holiday season, and we'll see you next year.


text:
- About the College
- Schools
- People
- Future Students
- Current Students
- News
- Research
Primary links
Android Developer
Company: Spirit App LLC
- General Information
- Job Type: Temporary
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Contact Information
- Name: Bill Ford
- Phone: 404.661.1522
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
- Website: http://www.spiritapp.co
We are located in the Inman Park area of the city, and have an immediate need for an Android developer to develop a hybrid native/HTML5 application. All design for the application is already complete, as are the the HTML aspects of it too. The only visible native elements are the settings page, login page, and side menu.
How to Apply: Please email me with any questions, or to apply for the position.


text:
Episode 1
DI Alex Drake wakes up in 1981 after being shot.
Rent, buy and watch the latest movies and TV shows online
blinkbox has more of the latest movies and TV shows than our competitors.
No subscription, so you only pay when you rent or buy a movie or TV show, from just 99p.
blinkbox is available on PC/Mac, tablets, consoles, smart TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players.
Swapping the Ford Cortina for an Audi Quattro, DCI Gene Hunt rolls up his sleeves and embraces the 80s in the sequel to the critically acclaimed drama Life On Mars.
Suitable only for 15 years and over
DI Alex Drake wakes up in 1981 after being shot.
CID is under pressure to keep the street quiet during the royal wedding.
A prostitute complains of rape.
The discovery of a dead body seems to link to a feminist group.
Alex and Gene attempt to stop Simon Neary.
When a post office robbery goes wrong, Gene is pretty sure he knows the culprit.
Thousands of pounds collected for charity go missing.
It's the day Alex's parents were killed.
Own forever. Watch on up to 5 devices.
PC, Mac, iPad, Android tablets, Windows tablets, Xbox, PS3, Chromecast, smart TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players.
Windows PC (UK internet connection required to acquire license)
Download this episode and watch on Windows Media Player*
*UK internet connection required to acquire licence Learn more.


text:
News Release
Consumer Watchdog Requests Radiological Inspection at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard As Possibly Contaminated Soil Heads to Landfills Unlicensed for Radioactive Waste
Santa Monica, CA—Consumer Watchdog has called for a state investigation of the cleanup of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco for large amounts of soil that may have been dug up in a radioactively impacted parcel without being checked for contamination and then sent off site for possible disposal in landfills unlicensed to take low-level radioactive waste.
"We want the state to immediately halt all trucking of this soil until it is inspected for radioactive contamination by the California Department of Public Health," said Consumer Advocate Liza Tucker.
In a letter to the California Department of Public Health's Division of Food, Drug, and Radiation Safety, the group said that the allegation came from a worker at the site. "Consumer Watchdog has significant concerns for worker health and safety as well as for the public's protection from toxic harm if potentially radioactive waste is being unsafely transported and taken to facilities not capable of preventing its migration to the environment," the letter said.
For the letter, see: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/hunterspoint-cdph-letter.pdf
"As we understand it, workers are conducting this remediation without protective gear, without training in how to protect themselves from radiation, and without monitoring for exposure," said Tucker. "This is unacceptable. It also raises questions about why the lead state agency on the Navy's cleanup—the Department of Toxic Substances Control—looks like it didn't ensure that radioactively-contaminated soil was properly managed."
Consumer Watchdog received a tip from a worker at the site that unprotected workers digging up soil to reach radioactively-contaminated sewer and storm drain piping were told the site was a "chemical remediation" project, but nothing was ever mentioned about possible radioactive contamination in the soil.
The worker raised concerns because of extensive soil excavation to unearth piping right up to the foundations of contaminated buildings now undergoing radiologic remediation. Trucking of the possibly radioactively contaminated soil began this week without any testing of the soil first, the worker alleges.
See pictures of soil and trucks leaving site here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/hunterspointpictures.pdf
For more, see: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/hunterspointnavyparcelcremediation.pdf
- 30 -
Action Alert
3/5/2014News ReleaseDepartment of Public Health Radiological Branch Launches Investigation as Toxics Regulators Allow Large Quantities of Possibly Contaminated Soil to Leave Hunter's Point Naval ShipyardSanta Monica, CA—Consumer Watchdog has confirmed that the Department of Public Health's Radiological Health Branch is... More >
11/21/2014News ReleaseSANTA MONICA, CA: Following a report that thousands of medical errors were reported by California's hospitals in the last... More >
11/25/2014News ReleaseSANTA MONICA, CA: Following an ABC News 10 investigation into over a thousand adverse events reported in 42 northern Central... More >
2/27/2014News StorySources say workers are being exposed to radiological contamination at Hunters Point, that soil is being shipped to Bay Area... More >
3/12/2014News StoryThe family of Jahi McMath and their attorney lashed out Thursday at a state report concluding that Children's Hospital... More >