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Monday, 29 October 2012
Is the world ready for a Romney victory?
As for Mitt Romney, his international reputation until very recently has been as a candidate in equal measure rich and unappealing. Someone who gained the nomination through vast expenditure of money, and because all the other candidates were, to a lesser or usually greater extent, crackpots. (Certainly, from a European perspective they looked like crackpots; and if you're a European politician that's what matters.) Politically, Romney is someone who you wouldn't want to be associated with unless, of course, he was likely to win. Which for most of the campaign he wasn't. For all the superficial exoticism of his Mormon heritage, Romney is in British terms instantly recognisable as a toff, born to privilege, a Mormon aristocrat whose wife owns dressage horses. Even Samantha Cameron wouldn't dare bait the plebs by owning dressage horses.
Henry G Manson notes that Tory contacts with leading Republicans were already limited in the Bush era, despite the theoretical sisterhood of the two parties and any warm, lingering memories of the Thatcher-Reagan love-in. In March, Cameron annoyed the Republican high command by not deigning to meet the leading candidates, even Romney, when he visited Washington. And when Romney visited London on the eve of the Olympics he was the received with icy politeness by Cameron while Boris Johnson performed a comedy routine at his expense.
This suggests that a victory for Mitt Romney in next week's US election might be bad news for David Cameron, just as Clinton's victory was bad news for John Major who had, as Clinton himself pointed out publicly (ouch) been "openly supportive of my opponent." Except that it's more or less the same story in the rest of the world (if one excludes Israel): something approaching open partisanship for the incumbent combined with a sense of inevitability about the outcome. François Hollande, asked which of the two candidates he was backing, joked that, since support from a French socialist would be the kiss of death, he ought to back Romney. As for the ever-cautious Angela Merkel, she arranged to be in holiday at the time of Romney's planned visit to Europe in July.
The polls suggest that the election is anybody's. The consensus right now is that Obama will probably scrape home. But no-one in America will be astonished if he loses. It's the conventional wisdom that his presidency has been a disappointment, failing to live up to the soaring rhetoric of the 2008 campaign. The economy remains stagnant, at least by historic American standards. The Obama years have been marked by a curious insipidity, punctuated by a few half-decent speeches. He isn't a particularly bad president, but he was required to be an outstanding one and fell short. The White House would open its doors to a genuinely inspiring challenger, a Reagan or a Clinton. Obama's good fortune is that he faces Mitt Romney. Who would, if elected, probably turn out to be a perfectly reasonable, if unexciting, president. At least he would disappoint no-one's exaggerated hopes.
But if the United States would take a Romney victory in its stride, the rest of the world will be shaken. Obama's reputation may be a bit tarnished, but he's still seen as representing the best of America: the outward-looking, richly-layered, optimistic, democratic America. That's why international politicians still want to be his friend, and don't want to be Romney's. A Romney victory would look like the United States turning inward, and turning its back on the historic promise of 2008. It would look like a reversion to the Bush years, and the restoration to power of a rich, white dynast promising to repeal allegedly European-style health reforms. But more than disappointment, there will be amazement. In much of the world the tightness of the presidential race has simply failed to register.
If Romney wins, there will be consternation behind the scenes in Downing Street. But there will be equal consternation behind the scenes in Paris and Berlin. Most of the Western world, at both a political and a popular level, has invested heavily in the lazy assumption of an Obama victory. That doesn't mean, of course, that the congratulations offered President-Elect Romney will be anything other than ingratiating and effusive, or that European leaders won't indulge in the traditional race to be the first on a plane to see him. Read the rest of this article
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5:20 p.m.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Andrew Mitchell was right about the modern police
With the expletive deleted, former Chief Whip Andrew Mitchell's parting remark to police officers is a cri de coeur that is echoed by many law-abiding members of the public: "I thought you guys were supposed to help us."
Political correctness and its ugly sister, bureaucratisation, have changed the moral face of Britain's police very markedly over the past decade. The prosecution of Christian street preachers for alleged hate speech crimes is indicative of that profound moral change, as was the political manoeuvering by police lobbyists in the run-up to Mr Mitchell's resignation.
Britain's police force, founded as it was during the remoralisation of society in the 19th century following the 18th century Evangelical revival, was the product of a Christian culture. Of course, as with every institution including especially the Church, it reflected human sinfulness, and one of the scandalous moral weaknesses of English-speaking Protestant countries was their toleration of racism.
But the public service ethos of Britain's police force did reflect the words of the founder of the Christian Faith about His own mission to a lost world: "For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10v45 - NIV)."
In his resignation letter, the point Mr Mitchell has admitted to making, with unacceptable language, to police officers on the Downing Street gate was that excessive officiousness toward law-abiding citizens is alien to that ethos of public service.
Ironically, the Mitchell episode highlights the importance of removing the reference to 'insulting words' from Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. A police force that has been corrupted by politically-correct ideology sadly cannot be trusted with that provision in law. It cannot be trusted not to use the outlawing of 'insulting words' to suppress legitimate free speech for the sake of politically-correct posturing.
It is never acceptable to swear at a police officer. But, as a preacher of the gospel of Christ, I would rather myself be sworn at with impunity than sacrifice the right to proclaim counter-cultural Christian truth that flies in the face of the political correctness that has undermined Britain's police force.
Julian Mann is vicar Parish Church of the Ascension, Oughtibridge, South Yorkshire.
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6:26 p.m.
Friday, 19 October 2012
Better a Cannibal than a Catholic
The natives are very diseased and are rapidly dying out. Instead of being strong, healthy cannibals with strange religions and no clothes, they are now half-hearted Roman Catholics, with European clothes. It seems all wrong but that is what happens.
David Icke will no doubt take this as confirmation that, like the rest of her brood, the QM was a blood-drinking lizard, with a keen sense of the benefits of a diet of human flesh. The rest of us just have to wonder whether the remark displays the royal family's progressive appreciation of cultural diversity (the world is a richer place with naked cannibals in it, after all, so long as they're not eating anyone you know) or just a case of anti-Catholic prejudice. Ex-cannibals in that part of the world are just as likely to be half-hearted Methodists these days, after all. Read the rest of this article
Thursday, 18 October 2012
Is Obama bonkers?
In addition to displaying narcissistic features, Obama suffers from paranoid tendencies and oppositionalism. It is this trifecta of psychological maladies that makes Obama a dangerous and destructive president. Obama is now exacting his anger upon America, which he purports to love but consciously and unconsciously hates.
The evidence for this, apparently, comes from the president's "choice of words and mannerisms" on those rare occasions where he is forced to ad lib. Fick is also fascinated by Obama's biography. He suggests that Obama's peripatetic childhood, characterised by a largely absent father and "abandonment" by his mother, produced a personality characterised by "significant insecurity which he attempts to mask with arrogance." He is filled with resentment and anger, which he first tried to suppress with drugs and then by becoming a community organiser and eventually a politician. "He even married someone with a similar chip on her shoulder."
The theory sees Barack Obama using the US political system as a type of therapy to work through his emotional problems, and when that didn't work, taking out his unresolved emotional problems on the entire country. The American people, in this scenario, plays the role of an abused spouse.
Using victim logic, Obama resents a litany of perceived wrongdoings for which he now seeks vengeance. In Obama's convoluted thought process distorted by his rage, those wrongdoings were perpetrated on him unjustly and personally with the blessings of institutions like marriage, family, the American socioeconomic system, religion, the legal system, race relations, and the Constitution. The unrelenting feeling of hate screams for a "transformation" of all of these areas of American life.
While presenting itself as psychology, this is really a conspiracy theory, offering (like more conventional conspiracy theories revolving around the machinations of hidden cabals) a single, simplistic interpretive key to the whole of US domestic politics and foreign afairs. And it's no different really from the "Obama hates America" rhetoric of the barmier sections of the US right. Like other conspiracy theorists, Fick leaps on any evidence that might seem to confirm his ideas (such as Obama's poor performance in the first Presidential debate the other week) while ignoring anything to the contrary, such as the president's improved showing this week.
Who is Paul Fick? His website presents him as a psychotherapist, specialising in "effective, no nonsense therapy". He previously wrote a psychological study of Bill Clinton, titled "the dysfunctional president", the thesis being that Clinton had a self-destructive personality that craved humiliation and exposure. An impartial observer might think that George W Bush, with his history of alcoholism, religious certainty and enthusiasm for going after "evildoers" provided even more material for a psychological examination. Fick, though, doesn't seem to be interested in Dubya. But he does show tender concern for Barack Obama's welfare, urging that the best way to help him would be to "vote him out of office, the larger the margin, the better." I suppose that's what they call tough love.
I'm no psychologist, but I'd suggest that Fick might be working out his own feelings of frustration and rage by devising elaborate psychopathologies for politicians he happens not to vote for. Of course, British politics isn't immune from this type of thing. I remember a lot of similar stuff about Gordon Brown.
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5:58 p.m.
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Jimmy Savile: when dogs don't bark
The origins of the current media storm lie in pre-publicity for the ITV Exposure documentary which was broadcast on 3rd October - less than a fortnight ago, although already it seems like years. The Radio Times published a story about the programme on 20th September, reporting that "a number of women have been interviewed for the programme, each alleging that as under-age teenagers they were abused by Savile during the 1970s." It went on to say that the documentary was "still being edited" and quoted an old friend of Savile's, Howard Silverman, as rubbishing the claims:
Of course we would go out in the 1970s and chat women up but everyone did that at the time, we were single guys and having a good time. But none of the girls were ever unwilling and they were definitely never underage. Jimmy hated anything like that.
Savile was best man at Silverman's wedding in 2009, and led many of the tributes to him after his death last year. I wonder how he's feeling now.
The national press got hold of the Savile revelations about a week later. The Evening Standard went with it on 28th September, and the story dominated the rest of the papers and the broadcast media the following day. And so it has been ever since. The documentary itself was surely one of the most eagerly awaited in years, but it seems to have served only as an excuse for the bursting of the dam of silence that had surrounded Savile - a silence that had persisted despite rumours that occasionally, as at the time of Louis Theroux's documentary a decade ago, received a partial airing.
But information about the Savile allegations (and they are still allegations, if in many cases extremely credible allegations) and about the pulling of the Newsnight report, has been in the public domain since early February at the latest. On 10th February this year, the Telegraph (along with several other newspapers and media outlets) reported that:
The BBC shelved a Newsnight investigation into allegations that Sir Jimmy Savile sexually abused a teenage girl in his dressing room at Television Centre, it has emerged. The woman [later identified as Karin Ward] claimed that the presenter molested her when she was 14 or 15 after inviting her to recordings of Clunk Click, his 1970s BBC family show. Newsnight tracked down several other women who claimed that Savile used his role on the programme to groom and abuse teenage girls.
The BBC had hoped to broadcast the Newsnight report in December, two months after Savile's death, but bosses ordered that the investigation be dropped. Instead, the corporation screened two tribute programmes celebrating Savile's lengthy BBC career as presenter of Jim'll Fix It and Top of the Pops, and also as a Radio 1 DJ. The BBC now stands accused of covering up the allegations, which were detailed in The Oldie magazine, because senior executives did not want the corporation's reputation to be tarnished...
Enough material there, both in the claims about Savile and about the alleged BBC cover-up, to set the story running. Guido had already had a go, reporting on 8th February that there were "whispers in the wind of a potential BBC scandal developing." He went on to state that "the BBC said in December that Newsnight's report was never aired because there was not enough proof, but that line is now looking shaky." (I haven't been able to track down any official BBC statement on the issue from last year.)
All that was missing from the reports in February were the filmed interviews (admittedly powerful) that ITV's documentary makers were later able to provide. But given how much some of our national newspapers supposedly hate the BBC, you would imagine that they would have pounced upon the Savile allegations and run with them. It's worth bearing in mind that the majority of the abuse stories that have been published in the past three weeks do not have a direct source in the ITV film, or in the suppressed Newsnight package, but have been the result of people coming forward in the light of the publicity.
If nothing else, awareness of what Newsnight intended to broadcast could and should have spurred the press to begin their own investigations into Savile, investigations which would surely have led to many of the stories that have now emerged, emerging sooner. Instead, pro-Savile stories continued to appear. For example, July brought news of an auction of Savile's jewellery and other memorabilia, including his Rolls Royce which sold for £130,000, while on 20th September - the very day that Radio Times began the build-up to the ITV documentary - his elaborate and boastful tombstone was unveiled amid much mirth at an unfortunate spelling-mistake. At the ceremony, Savile's nephew made some unfortunate predictions: "Jimmy's legacy will be long lasting"; "the headstone will become a tourist attraction" [it is now landfill]; "I dare say soon there will be an ice cream stall and someone selling Jim'll Fix It badges."
What prevented the press from bursting "Sir" Jimmy's bubble even after his death removed threats of libel? It may be another sign of the timidity that has overtaken the press in the wake of the Leveson inquiry. It's also illuminating to read the comments under the Telegraph's report in Februry, which were overwhelmingly hostile to the story. One described commenter said that it was "appallingly disrespectful to air a scurrilous accusation like this after someone's death". Another accused the Telegraph of indulging in "tabloid muckraking about a dead former celeb who no one published anything about when he was alive to defend himself, wrapped in the DT's daily pop at their rival the BBC."
Meanwhile, Guido's piece brought out a bunch of conspiracy nuts obsessed with the long-discredited Hollie Greig case. (Though it has to be said that the conspiracy theorists were well ahead of the curve in linking Savile with the notorious Haut de la Garenne children's home in Jersey.)
The fact remains, however, that as recently as mid-September the British media continued to praise Savile even though thye were well aware, not simply of the rumours about him, but about about the abandoned Newsnight report and the allegations of a cover up within the BBC. Not only were the media aware, they had reported it. Millions of people must have read many of the exact same details that have been leading the news for the past three weeks, and that have caused a sensation. People read the details and shrugged, and turned to the next thing, as did the reporters who forgot about Savile's child-abuse and published cheerful photos of his Rolls instead. It just wasn't a big story. And then suddenly it was. How come? Read the rest of this article
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12:45 p.m.
Thursday, 11 October 2012
What sort of country sends someone to jail for wearing a T shirt?
The problem is that once the state starts policing speech and thought, this tends to be the thin end of the wedge. People become frightened to say what they feel and instead say what they think they ought to say. Such a climate would undoubtedly place a chill on the wonderful, bizarre, entertaining, sometimes concerning but always interesting world of social media. And that would be bad for everyone.
High-profile recent cases include that of Azher Ahmed, who was convicted for writing on Facebook that British soldiers should "die and go to hell" - an opinion that many people will not agree with, but which surely struggles to reach the threshold of "grossly offensive" under s 127 of the Communications Act, which was the law used against him. Ahmed was "let off" with community service, because he apologised and deleted the comments soon after they were made. The district judge, however, suggested that the remarks in themselves were sufficient to send him to jail and that Ahmed had "failed to live up to" the "responsibility" that comes with freedom of speech. His culpability was increased, in the judge's view, because someone else had taken it upon themselves to circulate the address of someone else with a similar name, and various thugs had intimidated an innocent family at home as a result.
Meanwhile, 20 year old Matthew Woods has been jailed for twelve weeks for making tasteless jokes about missing five-year-old April Jones. Not a nice thing to do, but it seems to have amounted to much more than "a moment of drunken stupidity. When the comedian Justin Lee Collins gets community service for conducting a sustained campaign of violent harassment against his former partner it seems hugely disproportionate. But perhaps it's a different rule for comedians. As Adam Wagner notes, Frankie Boyle hasn't yet had his collar felt for any of his outrageous "jokes", the latest of which suggested that the reward for all Jimmy Savile's charity work will have been "the opportunity to shag Madeleine McCann in heaven".
The DPP is currently (with some help from Twittering lawyers) consulting on new guidelines on where to draw the boundary of "acceptable speech" online. The problem doesn't just concern the exciting new world of social media, though. Sections 4 and 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 is still with us, criminalising any behaviour liable to cause "harassment, alarm or distress", a provision which would appear to be a stranger to the entire concept of free speech. Barry Thew has today been jailed for eight months under the POA for wearing an offensive T-shirt.
Prosecutions for "offensiveness", whether they involve Facebook messages or slogans worn on t-shirts, amount to a legal doctrine that people have a right not to have their feelings hurt, indeed that it should be a crime to cause another person emotional distress. That, of course, is the argument made by those who want further restrictions on free speech where religous sensibilities are involved, something akin to a new law of blasphemy. In that case, the danger of protecting religion from criticism has, so far, remained sufficiently obvious to keep the the opponents of free speech at bay. But it's surely inconsistent to deny the deeply felt religious convictions of people the legal redress offered to the more immediate emotions of bereaved relatives and colleagues of soldiers or police officers. It's certainly inconsistent to lock up "offensive" T-shirt wearers while condemning Russia's treatment of the punk band Pussy Riot for upsetting Orthodox worshippers at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
Chief Inspector Williams made a point of noting that "the overwhelming response from the public, who have inundated us with messages of support and condolence, proves that Thew is the exception and not the rule and our communities were right behind us at our darkest hour." This is obviously true; but it's not obviously a reason to prosecute and jail someone for not sharing the general opinion. On the contrary, the existence of a social consensus of acceptable behaviour is more than adequate in itself without recourse to the law. If bereaved relatives are upset by isolated incidents of unpleasantness, are they not also comforted by the support and good-will offered by many thousands of people unknown to them, and do not messages of the latter sort outnumber the former many, many times?
I find it especially disturbing that in many of these cases prosecutions have been brought after members of the public reported the offensive conduct to the police. Rather than demonstrating their personal distaste for the sentiments by condemning the culprit to his face, people preferred to do so by demanding criminal sanctions. Wagner notes that a group of around 50 members of the public cheered when Woods was sentenced for his Facebook message. Free speech is not particularly popular in modern Britain. The public here has never been terribly liberal, but I think we're also dealing with the erosion of the idea of social space as something self-policing and independent of the state, just as politicians in recent years (not just New Labour ones) have often been unable to distinguish between disapproving of something and wanting to ban it. The gap between "I don't like X" and "people who do X should go to jail" should be a lot wider than it seems to have become. Read the rest of this article
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Time limits, gender and abortion
If Twitter has a collective mind, it's distinctly pro-choice, so it's hardly surprising that when news of Hunt's statement emerged late last night it was greeted by an overwhelming chorus of boos, above all from feminists. The Guardian's feminist in chief Suzanne Moore Tweeted that she was "cheered by the gut reaction towards Hunt here," adding that "the Tories will not win their war on women." Two incredibly lazy but widespread assumptions combine in the notion of a "Tory war on women". Firstly that the divide on abortion is primarily political (and left-right) rather than moral, and that the pro-choice position is progressive and the pro-life one reactionary. Secondly, that the pro-choice case is the pro-women, feminist one and its opponents are motivated by hatred of women, or at the very least by an inherently misogynistic desire to control women's lives.
The reaction was the same earlier this week, when Maria Miller (Hunt's successor as Culture Secretary, who is also minister for women) told the Telegraph that she favoured a 20 week limit. Describing calls to reduce the time limit "a key flashpoint in ongoing attempts to chip away at a woman's right to choose", Zoe Stavri articulated the feminist orthodoxy in the New Statesman. "To support women," she declared, "you must support the choices they make about their own body, whether it's something you approve of or not." Miller was "no friend of women" and had no right being women's minister, since her views were "anything but pro-women."
To be a feminist, one assumes, is to support women. That doesn't mean, of course, that men can't support feminist platforms, or even be feminists (though there are some radical feminists who argue that a male feminist is a contradiction in terms, and there's a more widespread view that even sympathetic men are too embedded in their own gender privilege properly to appreciate what it's like for women.) No feminist would claim that all or even most women were de facto feminists, though they might claim that all women should be. There are plenty of female misogynists, women who collaborate with "the patriarchy", women who make life worse for other women, women who vote Conservative, and so on, in the feminist demonology. Indeed, feminists reserve a particular and gleeful bile for these traitresses to their gender - above all for female Tory politicians such as Nadine Dorries - that a visitor from the planet Mars might think looked just a tad misogynistic.
But even allowing for the fact that all women aren't feminists, one would expect to find a considerable overlap between feminism and the concerns and views of women more generally. If, as they believe, feminists are working to advance the cause of women, one would expect feminist arguments to find a particular resonance among women and a greater degree of opposition or indifference from men. In would be highly paradoxical if feminist arguments turned out to be more popular, on average, with men than with women.
There is indeed a gender divide on the abortion debate in Britain, and it is especially stark in relation to the question of term limits. A YouGov poll in January found that of the 37% of Britons who favoured a lowering of the 24 week limit (34% supported the status quo) the majority were women. In total, twice as many women as men (49% as opposed to 24%) wanted to see a lower limit. There was also an interesting age difference: among the younger age group (18-24) support for a lower limit stood at 43%, whereas in the two older age groups it was 35%. Strikingly, support for a reduction to 20 weeks or below was highest among people who expressed a preference for Labour rather than the two other main parties - which again fits ill with the concept of a "Tory war on women".
This gender distinction seems to be consistent. An Angus Reid poll in March found an even more dramatic difference, with 35% of men favouring a reduction below 24 weeks and 59% of women doing so. Back in 2006, a MORI poll published by the Guardian found that 47% of women wanted to lower the limit, and a further 10% would ban abortion outright.
I wondered aloud about this paradoxical situation on Twitter last night. Pro-choice feminists, I noted, almost never acknowledge the perhaps counterintuitive fact that the majority of those who support their position on abortion time-limits are men, and the majority of those who want a reduction are women. Why are men more "feminist" that women, at least in this one area? A number of responders simply refused to believe it. Someone suggested that "kyriachy operates by convincing disenfranchised groups to defend the system," which may or may not be the same point as "women have always hated women far more effectively than men have", which was how another woman put it.
Another suggestion was that women are more likely to have strong opinions one way or another, since the issue affects them most directly. Even women who have never had an abortion may have contemplated one, or have had a pregnancy scare, or at the very least have thought through the issues. To have, or not to have, an abortion is a question that almost every woman might potentially have to ask herself, and no man will. Men might well consider that it is not their place to tell women what to do "with their own bodies", while women may have no such inhibition. What is less obvious is why the fact that abortion is so much more personal for women would lead a majority of them to superficially unfeminist conclusions.
One respondent (a man) suggested that "because women with children have experienced being pregnant, therefore they are more aware that the foetus is alive." It would certainly be interesting to know how the opinions of women who had children compared with those who did not. The only hint from the polls was in that striking figure from YouGov that women under 24 were more strongly in favour of lowering the time limit than those in older age-groups who are much more likely to be mothers themselves - which is quite the opposite of what my interlocutor would have expected.
Women who favour further restrictions on abortion might well deny the assumption that a pro-choice position is a feminist one, claiming instead that a liberal abortion regime benefits men. If women have easy (and socially unstigmatised) access to abortion, then men may feel less responsibility for the women they get pregnant or for any resulting child. Men are likely to feel less pressingly the physical and psychological consequences of abortion. So they will be only to happy to concede women's right to choose to terminate a pregnancy, and fear the implications for themselves of more legal restrictions. Such a view is not unknown even in radical feminist circles. Catherine McKinnon once wrote that "abortion facilitates women's heterosexual availability" and "frees male sexual aggression."
Or perhaps it's just that, on average, men are more responsive to abstract arguments that tend to favour the principle of choice and personal autonomy, while women (again, on average) may be more swayed by emotive images of unborn children with fingernails and smiles.
One thing that does seem clear to me is that the pro-choice position depends less on a feminist argument than on a libertarian one. It says that a woman is, first and foremost, her own person, belonging neither to her family nor to her community or religion nor to her biological destiny but to herself. It asserts the primacy of the individual over the community and offers a scientifically reductionist view of the foetus as being essentially a biological fact and not yet a human being with rights. Research consistently shows that men are more responsive than women to libertarian arguments; women's instincts tend more to the communitarian. So perhaps we should expect men to "get" the pro-choice case more readily than women, despite the assumption that pro-life is anti-women. In this matter at least feminism goes with the grain of male nature and against the female.
But hang on a minute. Isn't libertarianism supposed to be right-wing? Aren't pro-choice feminists predominantly of the left? Is it not true that the most vocal campaigns for abortion restriction are rooted on the political right, especially on the religious right? It is. I merely point out the paradox. I do not purport to account for it. Read the rest of this article
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11:06 a.m.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
The Timeless Innocence of Page 3
At best, misguided attempts to censor nudity distract from the real battle that must be fought, to challenge a tabloid culture in which misogyny oozes from every page. At worst, campaigners are engaging in exactly the same sort of sexual policing and censorship that The Sun does: one side attacking non-conformists, the other belittling the choices of 'sluts'.
The No More Page 3 petition is "rooted in the same desire for sexual hegemony we see in anti-porn campaigns," Robbins writes - which isn't perhaps a surprise because, in essence, it is an anti-porn campaign. It's no coincidence that those opposed to Page 3 tend to use the same language and make the same claims as when they're calling for Internet filtering or worrying about adverts that feature women (never men?) in various states of undress. There's the same talk of sexualisation, of objectification and degradation, of misogyny; the same claims that it leads to violence against women. Lynne Featherstone, Equalities Minister until the last reshuffle, said that. She didn't offer any evidence because, of course, there isn't any.
Here's the thing. Page 3 is an anachronism. Its datedness, indeed, is one of the arguments regularly used against it by its opponents, who denounce it as a throwback to a more sexist era, when misogyny was pervasive and upfront, the stuff of jokes on popular suburban sitcoms; a reminder of the days when a female judge or politician was a rarity, when the thought of golf clubs admitting female members would have had the guys choking on their G&Ts in the 19th hole, when Benny Hill was a big name in family entertainment, when Bond Girls had names like Pussy Galore.... you get the idea. The bad old days.
Throughout the vast social changes of the past four decades - changes that folk memory insists began in the 1960s but which for most the the population have occurred far more recently - Page 3 has been there, a cultural coelacanth. The more you think about it, the stranger it seems. All those interchangeable young women, all those Hollies and Nickis and Samanthas, with their interchangeable mammaries and their interchangeable ghost-written opinions about the issues of the day, just what are they doing there?
If the point, as the more conspiratorially minded of the campaigners like to imply, is to keep women in their place as objects for the contemplation of men then it isn't working very well. Despite familiar claims that we live in an unregenerate patriarchy, the progress made by women - professionally, socially and sexually - has been profound. Page 3 has patently not retarded the journey toward sexual equality. Nor has it prevented the overwhelming majority of men from relating to the women in their lives as human beings rather than as objects of lust or receptacles for their DNA.
Originally, one assumes, Page 3 existed to sell newspapers. Because heterosexual men wanted to look at breasts (as they always did - ask Titian - as they always will - ask Desmond Morris) and the Sun, which has always liked to call itself a "family newspaper", afforded them a reasonably respectable opportunity for doing so. (The Sun or the Mirror? I'll have the one with the tits, please.)
But now? Well, say I woke up one morning with an overwhelming need to look at a photograph of some naked breasts. Now I could haul my frame down to the newsagents and spend my 30p, or whatever it is these days, and take a chance on whether the breasts on Page 3 are to my taste. Or I could turn on the laptop and put the phrase "naked breasts" into Google Images and (I just tried it: it worked) Hello Boys! From which I conclude that, whatever else Page 3 of the Sun is still doing there, it is not catering to an otherwise unmet need in the male population to see breasts.
If the point of Page 3 were really to titillate, one would expect more variety. Many heterosexual men - most perhaps - would be just as turned on by the sight of a pert, well-shaped female bum as they would be by nipples. Type "naked bottom" into Google Images and the bottoms that show up are at least 90% female: make of that what you will. But Page 3 is invariably breasts: a sure sign, I think, that we are dealing with a phenomenon as stereotyped and circumscribed as, say, Japanese Noh theatre or the Welsh poetic form of cynghanedd.
It could of course simply be that Page 3 girls have survived because - ever since Clare Short tried to ban it thirty years ago - no Sun editor wants to go down in history as the one who gave in to the po-faced feminists by discontinuing the feature. But if readers didn't want it to be there, no appeal to editorial conservatism or political bloody-mindedness would save it. Fans of Page 3, I think, crave reassurance. They want to see breasts on Page 3 not because they want to see breasts (there's the Internet for that, and a whole lot more) but because "it wouldn't be the same without it". It is, after all, an institution, even a "great British institution", a signifier of demotic nationalism no less than fish and chips, pubs or football. Tracy, 22, from Luton is not reminding her admirers that 22-year old women have nipples, but rather assuring them that in this world of constant change, financial crisis, job insecurity, mortgage payments and all the rest of it some things can still be relied upon.
There'll always be an England
While there's a pair of breasts
Where Page 3 has a pretty girl
With nothing on her chest
There's an essential innocence about Page 3, I think, that its opponents completely miss. Yes, it's tacky, and juvenile, and pointless, and the world wouldn't stop turning if it ceased to be. I will even concede that it's sexist. But it proclaims a very traditional British attitude towards sex as a source of humour and embarrassment: it's the sexuality of seaside postcards, Carry On films and "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" rather than that of top-shelf magazines or hardcore porn. It is not erotic. In fact it's determinedly unerotic; it's anti-erotic, an antidote to eroticism. But by now Britain, finally catching up with the rest of the developed world, has moved on to "proper" porn, leaving Page 3 as a nostalgic reminder of a lost age, of the days when Barbara Windsor represented the height of sexual allure and Jim'll Fix It was on the telly. Read the rest of this article
Monday, 1 October 2012
Death of a Stalinist
Hobsbawm was an icon of the Left - and the Left loves its icons, the older and more doddery the better - and enough a member of the Establishment to have been made a Companion of Honour, a particularly swanky (and exclusive) decoration sometimes given to people who believe themselves too grand for mere knighthoods. He was much spoken of, while alive and in frequently in his presence, as Britain's greatest living historian, as the most important historian of the 20th century, as the Left's foremost intellectual and as an all-round good egg.
His death today at the age of 95 has yielded similar encomia, not least in the Guardian. He had "a unique position in the country's intellectual life" wrote Martin Kettle; "one of a tiny handful of historians of any era to enjoy genuine national and world renown." For Tristram Hunt, one could have no more generous, humane, rigorous, and involved a guide than Eric Hobsbawm". He was "an Enlightenment giant whose passing marks a sad pulling away from the 20th century and all it entailed." Hunt could be heard in equally misty-eyed form on Radio 4 this afternoon, waxing lyrical about Hobsbawm's encyclopaedic mind and love of jazz.
Missing from such tributes was much acknowledgement that Hobsbawm was an unrepentant communist who had in his youth had looked the other way as Stalin purged and murdered millions of his own people, who in middle age supported (albeit "with a heavy heart") the Soviet invasions of Hungary in 1956 and of Czechoslovakia in 1968, and who in old age preferred not to mention the show trials or the gulags. He was quite happy to distort the facts. The Soviet empire, he claimed incredibly in 1997, "was maintained only a limited, even minimal use of armed coercion."
At least he was consistent. "When the fact change", said John Maynard Keynes, "I change my mind." Hobsbawm never recanted, even after it became impossible to deny that the Soviet Union was rotten and oppressive. Right to the end, long after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, he seems to have regarded Communism as a noble experiment that had unaccountably failed to work. In a 1994 TV interview he told the great Canadian liberal Michael Ignatieff that Stalin's murder of twelve million of his own people would have been justified had it ushered in the communist Utopia. The conversation is worth quoting in some detail:
Ignatieff: In 1934, millions of people are dying in the Soviet experiment. If you had known that, would it have made a difference to you at that time? To your commitment? To being a Communist?
Hobsbawm: ...'Probably not.'
Ignatieff: Why?
Hobsbawm: Because in a period in which, as you might imagine, mass murder and mass suffering are absolutely universal, the chance of a new world being born in great suffering would still have been worth backing... The sacrifices were enormous; they were excessive by almost any standard and excessively great. But I'm looking back at it now and I'm saying that because it turns out that the Soviet Union was not the beginning of the world revolution. Had it been, I'm not sure.
Ignatieff: What that comes down to is saying that had the radiant tomorrow actually been created, the loss of fifteen, twenty million people might have been justified?
Hobsbawm: Yes.
For Hobsbawm, Stalin's crime was that he failed. Perhaps it did not occur to him that if a revolution can only be brought about by mass murder there must be something fundamentally wrong with it. The end justified the means, however terrible the means might be. Michael Gove had it right in 2008: "When I think of the millions who were killed and tortured in Marxism's name," he wrote in the Times, "from the Polish officers shot in Katyn forest to those brave dissidents who endured the gulag, I am convinced that only when Hobsbawm weeps hot tears for a life spent serving an ideology of wickedness will he ever be worth listening to."
He never did.
It's puzzling that Hobsbawm can be described - even by ideological opponents such as Niall Ferguson - as one of the 20th century's greatest historians when he was so utterly and demonstrably wrong about the single most significant aspect of 20th century history. I don't deny that he had many of the qualities of a great historian - intensive research, a sweeping view, a good prose style. But he conspicuously lacked that indispensible quality of judgement for which none of the others can compensate. You read an historian, above all, to understand the past, to gain insight. Reading Hobsbawm, one can perhaps gain an insight into how an intelligent observer might be taken in by Communism, but only by treating him as the unreliable narrator of his own history.
Writing in Prospect some years ago, Ian Buruma called Hobsbawm "a decent man who served a blood-soaked cause." Blindness to communism's crimes or willingness to overlook them was, of course, a common failing among his contemporaries on the Left. Idealism often and easily overcomes reality. Stalin was in his way no less a monster than Hitler, yet his apologists have, again and again, been able to cloak themselves in a mantle of righteousness, to remain respected and even beloved. Their hearts, it is assumed, were in the right place - an excuse never made for admirers of Hitler. But Hobsbawm's case strikes me as especially troubling. Naivety can scarcely serve as an excuse for an historian who possessed a legendary command of facts, a man who had what was recognised universally as a towering intellect. His blindness can only have been wilful. He used his powers for evil. And history, long before he died, had already disproved him. Read the rest of this article


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By On the occasion of our 20th anniversary
Why Do Mexis Like Wrought-Iron Fences?
By Gustavo Arellano
By R. Scott Moxley
By Alfonso Delgado
Women For: OC are Stitching and Bitching
By Courtney Hamilton
Santa Ana River Ready for Its Renaissance
By Joel Beers
By Peter Maguire
Can Tech Ruin the Kim Pham Murder Trial?
By Charles Lam
After years of peace, Disney and Anaheim are now engaged in a war more brutal than the reviews for Treasure Planet. Last month, the company sued the city to block an affordable housing project slated for construction next to where Disney wants to build a third theme park. This came after Disney's corporate lawyers—just minutes before an Anaheim City Council meeting—coerced Councilwoman Lucille Kring into abstaining from voting on the project due to conflict-of-interest laws (the California Fair Political Practices Commission later told Kring no such conflict exists). Now, a coalition of businesses bankrolled by Disney is trying to place a measure on the February 2008 ballot that would limit development in the area immediately around Disneyland.
Disney officials insist their aggression toward Anaheim is ultimately good for the city, and no one advocates this strategy more than their corporate front rodent, Mickey Mouse. Breaking years of silence and sipping a stiff bourbon at Disneyland's Club 33, the anthropomorphic legend sat down with the Weekly and defended his company's actions.
My question is simple: What's with the war on Anaheim?
The city's getting big-headed. Win a World Series, expand your convention center, finally host a winning hockey team, then all of a sudden you think you're fucking St. Louis. The City Council doesn't know what's good for Anaheim; Ido. They need to get this straight: if it weren't for me, Anaheim would be nothing but Arabs, Klan members and prostitutes.
Maybe, but why should Anaheim grant you any more favors? Your last major project, Disney's California Adventure, was a disaster initially.
Okay, okay: California Adventure sucks, but so what? Disneyland and the businesses around it that leach off Disneyland bring in more than 50 percent of the city's revenue. Besides, Anaheim should be grateful I even bothered to dump that shit on them. I could've put it in Long Beach.
But don't you think the workers for Disneyland and the many hotels around there deserve to live nearby and in affordable housing?
Fuck Mexicans! I've been nothing but an amigo to them, unlike that sellout Speedy Gonzalez. Don't you remember The Three Amigos?
Donald Duck starred in that film, but I don't see what this issue has to do with Mexicans.
Yeah, but if I hadn't okayed that movie, most Americans would still think Mexico was a land of poverty.
Anyway, I've been nothing but a friend to Mexicans. In 2000, I even allowed workers to wear facial hair after decades of banning 'staches just so Mexicans could become cast members. And how do they repay me? They once put me in a Tijuana Bible butt-fucking Donald!
But American comic-book illustrators drew Tijuana Bibles. . . .
And you know what Mexicans call me in Spanish? El rat�n Mickey. Mickey the Rat.
Actually,rat�n means "mouse"in Spanish. Rat israta.
[silence] Fuck Mexicans!
Final question: Do you think you'll be successful in placing your initiative on the ballot?
Of course. All Anaheim voters will see when I get folks to sign petitions is the word "Disney." Those dopes probably think they're signing up for annual park-hopper passes. Then we put the Disney name on the ballot again, and we'll win. And if not? I'll sue Anaheim again.
But what exactly do you want? I've heard rumors your company wants to start time-shares, condos, even extend your cruise line out here.
Walt Disney—bless his frozen soul, but he didn't buy up tens of thousand of acres around his park sites like he did in Florida. That was his one great regret. "I don't want the public to see the real world they live in while they're in the park." He forgot to buy up Anaheim. Well, we're going to change that. What I want, I get. Just ask Minnie.
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subset: commoncrawl


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"Sir, we should turn back," his bodyguard Aubrey Davis said.
Three magazine reporters, played by Aubrey Plaza, Jake M. Johnson, and Karan Soni, go to investigate the personals ad for a story.
Drake's Bar Mitzvah Dance No 13-year-old has ever had as much swagger as Drake, then simply Aubrey Graham, at his bar mitzvah.
Aubrey found a role as a "galloper," passing messages between commanders, riding a horse called Moonshine.
My wife (Susie Hariet) was pregnant with our second child (they have two children, daughter Willow, 4, and son Aubrey, 2).
This paragraph was added later by Aubrey, perhaps from information supplied by E. Phillips.
My dear Evelyn, you are born to spoil every one—from Sultan to Aubrey.
Aubrey Flood was the first, without a hat and in an ordinary lounge suit.
Your past history is known but to the good old Aubrey and myself.
Well, my dear Aubrey, may Heaven in its own good time crown your virtuous efforts—your unconquerable resolution—with success!
masc. personal name, from Old French Auberi, from Old High German Alberich "ruler of elves," or *Alb(e)rada "elf-counsel" (fem.). In U.S., it began to be used as a girl's name c.1973 and was among the top 100 given names for girls born 2006-2008, eclipsing its use for boys, which faded in proportion.


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The reveal of these two games Fortnite and The Last of Us got me really excited but it wasn't more for The Last of Us from naughty dog, it was rather Fortnite and the extremely fun gameplay that game could provide. Here is why.
(Epic Games, Fortnite, PC, PS3, The Last Of Us, Wii, Xbox 360)


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Russia Stocks Climb as Urals Crude Trades Near Three-Month High
Russian stocks rose as crude traded near its highest in three months, boosting appetite for equities in the world's biggest energy exporter.
The Micex Index climbed 0.8 percent to 1,452.42 by the close in Moscow, paring an earlier gain of as much as 1.8 percent. OAO Magnit, Russia's biggest food retailer, jumped 3.3 percent. OAO Novatek, the country's second-largest gas producer, added 2.1 percent. VTB Group, the second-biggest lender, climbed 0.7 percent.
Urals crude, Russia's main export blend, traded little change at $113.64 a barrel after the U.S. said one of its guided-missile destroyers collided with an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. Israel will hold home defense drills this week as the Haaretz daily reported the nation is considering a strike against Iran over its nuclear program.
A "rise in oil prices stemming from political risks in the Middle East" is a "positive factor for Russia equities," Alexander Kovalev, a TKB Capital analyst based in Moscow, wrote in an e-mailed report today.
OAO Rosneft, Russia's biggest oil producer, increased 1.1 percent to 202.86 rubles while OAO Gazprom, the natural gas export monopoly, advanced 0.9 percent to 155.1 rubles.
The Micex trades at 5.4 times estimated earnings after gaining 3.6 percent this year. That compares with a multiple of 10 times for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which has added 6.2 percent.


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DODOcase HARDcover for Nexus 7
DODOcase has taken its popular iPad case and adapted it for Google's Nexus 7 tablet. It's the same classy design that recreates the look and feel of a hardbound book. However, the DODOcase HARDcover for Nexus 7 nixes the iPad model's bamboo tray in favor of a new, reusable adhesive system, meant to hold the tablet in place and streamline its profile. The case, available in four colors, functions as a stand for typing or video watching, and the magnetic cover activates the wake/sleep function on the tablet.


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Highlights from today's Stardust Tempel 1 press briefing
Posted by Emily Lakdawalla
Topics: mission status, comets, comet Tempel 1, Deep Impact, Stardust
It was a very happy science team at this afternoon's press briefing following the Stardust encounter with Tempel 1. I'll just post some brief notes now; they haven't posted the graphics from the briefing online yet so I can't illustrate and comment at length, but I wanted to post something now rather than later because family obligations will keep me from doing any more work today. In lieu of other illustrations I'll post this cool crossed-eye stereo view of the comet, produced by Daniel Macháček:
Also, check out my animation of images from the flyby, which I've updated to include 39 frames.
So here are some highlights:
From project manager Tim Larson: The spacecraft operated perfectly and took all desired data. The team has confirmed following the flyby that despite getting several noticeable dust hits, there was no noticeable degradation to the health of the spacecraft as a result of the encounter. They still do not know why the images came down in the order they were taken rather than with the five closest-approach shots coming first as planned, but the data are all there and it should all be on the ground soon. At the time of the briefing, 60 of the 72 science images were on the ground.
From principal investigator Joe Ververka: "Was this mission 100% successful in terms of science? No. It was 1000% successful!" He pointed out clear evidence for erosion along the scarp bounding the smooth flow-like feature visible in both Deep Impact and Stardust views. He also mentioned that they predicted the longitude of the comet that would be facing the spacecraft to within 1 or 2 degrees, "a great achievement."
From co-investigator Peter Schultz: " I make craters for a living but I've never had to wait five and a half years to see the results." The Deep Impact crater is clearly visible. It is 150 meters across, with a central mound. The surface of the comet that we hit is weak and fragile. The crater was more subdued than some of us expected, but it was the size we expected.
Co-investigator Don Brownlee played a cool recording of sound generated from data from the CIDA dust analyzer instrument, a spattering of particles hitting the spacecraft through the encounter.
Other related posts:
Or read more blog entries about: mission status, comets, comet Tempel 1, Deep Impact, Stardust
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Nordstrom on Global Outlaws
I was recently listening to a podcast by Carolyn Nordstrom of her 2008 Franke Lecture in the Humanities, Emergent(cies). Nordstrom discusses the extraordinary power wielded by those in control of an underground economy of weapons, drugs, and human trafficking. Paul Farmer attested to Nordstrom's extraordinary dedication to ferreting out the transactions that knit together so many imperiled and privileged lives. I look forward to reading her book Global Outlaws. This excerpt describes her aims in it:
I am interested in the intersections of crime, finance, and power in activities that produce something of value: monetary, social, and cultural capital, power, patronage, survival. . . . Public media focus on . . . aggressive individuals under the sensational banner of "crime," yet this interpersonal violence constitutes a small percentage of the universe of criminal actions. Smuggling cigarettes brings in far greater profits and economic repercussions. Robbing an entire country or controlling a transnational profiteering empire is the gold standard of crime.


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3 to 6 days
Free delivery when you spend over £75 (GBP).
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Party dresses - Yellow
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Made of 100% silk. Contrast material made from 100% Polyester.
Traffic People clothing brand for women was founded in 2001 in London and began selling its first clothes at Camden Market and Portobello Road. Traffic People's collection draws inspiration from times past. The brand has a "vintage" feel about it with clothes characterized by lace, sequins and beautiful designs. One of Traffic People's hallmark is to create stunning dresse...s, season after season. You can view their collection here at Nelly.com UK. Read more
Free delivery when you spend over £75. Standard shipping £3.95. Delivery time: 3-6 days. We deliver with UPS.
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Are you Münevver Pehlivan?Claim your profile
Publications (5)12.22 Total impact
Article: Predictive value of early serum cytokine changes on long-term interferon beta-1a efficacy in multiple sclerosis[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Background: In a previous study, we had evaluated short-term effects of interferon beta-1a (IFNB-1a) 44 μg s.c. three times per week treatment on serum levels of IFN-gamma (IFNG), IL-23, IL-17, IL-10, IL-9, IL-4 and TGF-beta (TGFB) and found a reduction only in IL-17 and IL-23 levels after 2 months of treatment. Methods: Using the same multiple sclerosis (MS) cohort, we assessed the predictive value of early cytokine level changes (difference between 2nd month and baseline levels as measured by ELISA) on the efficacy of long-term IFNB-1a treatment. Results: The alteration in IFNG levels of patients without any relapse was statistically lower than that of patients having one or more relapses (p = 0.019, Student's t-test). When patients with or without expanded disability severity scale (EDSS) progression were compared, none of the cytokine level changes showed a significant difference between groups. IL-17 and IL-23 level changes did not predict relapse and EDSS progression in IFNB-1a-treated MS patients. Conclusion: Our results show that the predictive power of early IFNG measurement on relapse occurrence may potentially extend a time span of several years.International Journal of Neuroscience 07/2014; 125(5):1-11. DOI:10.3109/00207454.2014.939747 · 1.52 Impact Factor
Article: Effect of short-term interferon-β treatment on cytokines in multiple sclerosis: Significant modulation of IL-17 and IL-23[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Therapeutic effect of interferon-β (IFN-β) treatment has been associated with modulation of the balance between Th1, Th17, Th2 and regulatory T (Treg) cells, whereas the impact of disease modifying drugs on Th9-immunity in multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been studied. To investigate the short-term effects of IFN-β treatment on cytokines in MS, we determined serum levels of IL-17, IL-23, IL-10, IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-9 and TGF-β in relapsing remitting MS patients before and 2 months after IFN-β treatment by ELISA. MS patients showed increased IL-17, IL-23 and IL-4 levels and decreased IL-9 levels as compared to healthy controls. IFN-β treatment only reduced IL-17 and IL-23 levels, whereas the levels of other cytokines remained unchanged. IFN-β treatment appears to exert its earliest therapeutic effect on Th17-immunity. The influence of IL-9 on MS pathogenesis needs to be further studied.Cytokine 05/2012; 59(2):400-2. DOI:10.1016/j.cyto.2012.05.004 · 2.66 Impact Factor
- American Journal on Addictions 09/2011; 20(5):488-9. DOI:10.1111/j.1521-0391.2011.00165.x · 1.74 Impact Factor
Article: The comparison of socio-economic conditions and personal hygiene habits of neuro-Behcet's disease and multiple sclerosis patients[Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests that a reduction in the exposure to infectious agents due to improved health conditions has contributed to the increased incidence of autoimmune disorders in developed countries. In keeping with the hygiene hypothesis, many autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS) are more frequently observed in developed countries. To identify the relevance of hygiene hypothesis in neuro-Behçet's disease (NBD), another chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, we developed and administered a multiple choice questionnaire to evaluate the hygiene conditions and practices of age and gender-matched NBD patients (n = 50) and control MS (n =5 0) and headache (n = 50) patients. Overall, MS patients had the highest socio-economic and hygiene features, whereas NBD patients displayed a lower socio-economic status group and showed poorer hygiene conditions than MS and headache controls. These poor hygiene conditions might be increasing the susceptibility of exposure to infectious agents that might, at least in part, trigger the inflammatory responses involved in NBD pathogenesis.International journal of hygiene and environmental health 04/2011; 214(4):335-7. DOI:10.1016/j.ijheh.2011.04.001 · 3.83 Impact Factor
- [Show abstract] [Hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: The complement system is essential in the pathogenesis of inflammatory central nervous system disorders. To investigate the involvement of complement pathways in neuromyelitis optica (NMO), levels of breakdown products for classical (C4d), alternative (FBb) and common (sC5b-9) pathways were measured in the sera of 28 NMO and control patients (30 Behçet's disease (BD), 29 multiple sclerosis (MS)) and 31 healthy controls by ELISA. Classical and/or alternative pathway consumption was enhanced in NMO and BD patients as compared to MS patients and healthy controls. Our results suggest that NBD and NMO differ from MS by the predominance of complement system involvement.Journal of neuroimmunology 04/2011; 233(1-2):211-5. DOI:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2010.11.010 · 2.47 Impact Factor
Top Journals
Istanbul University
İstanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
- • Department of Family Medicine (Istanbul Medical Faculty)
- • Department of Neuropathology


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Fame Pictures
By radio detection and ranging Staff
Jessica Alba, less than six months from delivering baby daughter Haven Garner, showed off her impeccable bikini body vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with husband Cash Warren Monday.
The 30-year-old Sin City stunner, who gave birth to Haven August 13, wore a bikini for the first time since last summer's visit from the stork.
PHOTOS: Jessica Alba Reveals Amazing Post-Baby Body
Alba's clearly been working hard in the gym, as her body looked in tip-top shape in spite of the recent pregnancy.
PHOTOS: Miami's Hottest Bikini Bods
Alba gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Honor, in 2008.
PHOTOS: Hottest Bikini Moms
PHOTOS: Top 10 Bikini Clad Reality Stars
PHOTOS: Spring Break Bikinis
« Our 35 Most Anticipated Movies of 2012 What to Watch Tonight: Parenthood and the Premieres of Work It and Celebrity Wife Swap »


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Trustworthy reviews are our priority. Businesses can't pay to change or remove reviews.
This venue is suitable to a couple that would like a friendly, comfortable, elegant atmosphere for a wedding ceremony/reception with everything you would need all at one stop. The food was extremely delicious because their chef cooks it fresh there and been in business for over 40 years!
My wife and I had our wedding reception here, and we were absolutely blown away. We planned the wedding all the way from New York with Amy, and everything went seamlessly! Amy is spectacular--super responsive and friendly and honest with all of her feedback. She will give you the guidance you need to plan an amazing wedding reception. Moreover, on the day of the wedding reception, Val did an extraordinary job coordinating everything and making sure that all of our needs and our guests' needs were satisfied. All of the staff here go above and beyond to make sure that your wedding experience is special and memorable--we can't thank them enough. The food is incomparable, the prices are very reasonable, and the venue is perfect for a medium-sized wedding. Plenty of space to eat, drink, and be merry. Our guests loved the place!
I had the pleasure of working with Amy throughout my reception planning process. She was very informative and down to earth. She was also very flexible and kind when it came to my budget, she respected it and gave great suggestions to stretch my dollar. At the end of the day I couldn't have been happier with the results, not to mention the food was DELICIOUS! Not your average wedding food.
The Grandview Pavilion was a very convenient place to have our wedding, as they require their own catering, and they offer DJ services too. They also allow couples to bring in a band if that is your choice. The ceremony tent was very elegant, and the reception hall could hold many people, which was important to us. There were also ample places for photo opportunities, and since our wedding was in October, the ivy was all in bloom which made for some great shots.


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Post-Hurricane Sandy Citizen Photo Journalism Transcends the Traditional News Cycle
It's been almost a month since Hurricane Sandy swept through the Northeast region of the US causing widespread damage. The storm was big news for a few days, but with the presidential election coming the week after, it became old news and was eventually pushed out of the mainstream news cycle.
Since we powered Stormgrams to tap into the citizen journalism coverage of the storm, we were able to see that the visual story is still being told through photos from those in the affected areas. The photos show extensive lasting damage, but also show the resiliency and human spirit as residents and volunteers conduct ongoing relief, cleanup and rebuilding efforts; giving us a fascinating first-hand perspective of what it's like to live in the aftermath of a storm like Sandy.
As we celebrate the Thanksgiving this week, we thought it would be a good opportunity to give thanks for what we have and help those in need.
If you'd like to help contribute to the recovery effort, we suggest donating to the Red Cross. Financial donations make the greatest and most immediate impact, helping the Red Cross provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by disasters like Hurricane Sandy.


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|August 17 2013, 08:36 PM
Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
Vesper Lynd - Goes without saying, her being blackmailed into working for Quantum, which leads to her eventual suicide, overshadowing two whole movies.
Tracy di Vicenzo - Another death that goes without saying and makes you wonder how Bond as a character copes with survivor's guilt, with a meek George Lazenby cradling her corpse in his arms and mumbling having all the time in the world reducing me to tears as a small boy.
Severnaya Staff - Faceless redshirts to be sure, but just regular and likable looking joes doing their job then getting gunned down by a crazed villainess for their trouble. The real emotional effect was from Natalya's saddened reaction to the senseless carnage in her workplace.
Aki - Seeing the sassy, confident Aki getting her lungs constricted by poison (while giving this pleading, frightened gaze) was hard to take. The very creepy and downbeat soundtrack by John Barry doesn't help either.
Strawberry Fields and Mathis - Fields' death was very bizarre and tragically leftfield (with her reception note making you think she was warning about British agents instead of Quantum agents). Mathis comes back after what Bond unintentionally did to him, only to get shot and get respectfully dumped into a rubbish bin.
Ali Kerim Bey - The impact of his death was very severe not only because of the eeriness of Bond stumbling upon Bey's body after Red Grant paid Bey a visit (not witnessing the murder) but (as with Mathis and Aki) he also spent half the story being a very likable and affectionate ally.
Severine - A comparatively recent example from last year's Skyfall and although a henchwoman, she was implied to have a very tragic, squalid past, and when tied to rock and waiting to be shot by Silva or Bond, her zoned out and courageous facial expression is so heart breaking.
*Insert Pretentious Quote Here*
|August 17 2013, 08:47 PM
Fleet Captain
Location: Great Britain
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
|August 17 2013, 08:56 PM
Location: Yorkshire
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
As for the hardest deaths to sit through...
I've never made it all the way through Vesper's death scene with my eyes open- but that's because it's too close to home for me; I didn't actually think much to either character or, especially, the actress.
Not a death, but Q's retirement, just cos of knowing Desmond died as it came out. (see also Kerim Bey, knowing that the actor shot himself after filming.)
After that, I'd say Tracy, for all the right reasons - it's very emotionally involving - and Severine for pretty much the wrong reasons in that it's a bit of needless cruelty that really serves no plot purpose. Which, sadly, extends pretty much to the character's existence in general.
Maud Adams' character in TMWTGG would qualify as well.
"I got two modes with people- Bite, and Avoid"
Reading: Perfidia (James Ellroy)
Blog- http://lonemagpie.livejournal.com
|August 17 2013, 09:28 PM
Rear Admiral
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
|August 17 2013, 11:46 PM
Location: Published!
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
Stella's death in LtK was pretty hard.
Having just seen FYEO a week or so ago I'd say the death of the countessa as well, particularly given the real life story of Cassandra Harris.
Vesper's death never really affected me. I don't like the character, and fail to see what makes her so special to Bond, and Green's performance is...well just a trifle odd (but then her performances often are)
The Lazarus Conundrum: What happens when the dead dont come back?
|August 18 2013, 02:00 AM
Rear Admiral
Location: to your immediate right
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
|August 18 2013, 03:11 AM
Rear Admiral
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
I guess Solange's death in CR had some weight, because that actress, who was also in a great short-lived TV series in the UK, was practically the only performer in the whole movie I had any affinity for (though now that I've seen Mads in a few films, I admit he is damned good in most things.)
|August 18 2013, 07:03 AM
Fleet Admiral
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
"If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be." - Yogi Berra
Last edited by Mr. Laser Beam; August 18 2013 at 07:22 AM.
|August 18 2013, 07:21 AM
Location: Melakon's grave
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, Dr. Howard: For duty and humanity!
--Men in Black (1934)
|August 18 2013, 08:30 AM
Location: Sunshine cottage,Lollipop lane,Latveria
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
Over here Bond movies are a tv staple at Christmas and on bank holidays.Baffling.
|August 18 2013, 12:01 PM
Location: Around.
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
Tracy's death can't be beat. It is the tragic highlight of the series.
The death of Corinne in MOONRAKER, as mentioned, is pretty shocking, just for the implied vision of how gruesome it is.
I also have to mention Quarrel from DR. NO. Although his death is adapted pretty straight from novel to film, his death in the novel feels more emotionally wrecking since Quarrel and Bond had a much longer and closer relationship in it than in the film version, with Quarrel having appeared in LIVE AND LET DIE before and getting Bond into shape over the course of several days cut off from any other contact.
To me, Paris Carver's death in TOMORROW NEVER DIES was also pretty heavy, but that's mainly because this was the first Bond movie I saw in a theater, and to boot that I had a huge crush on Teri Hatcher at the time. And while her death happened off-screen, Dr. Kaufman appears as such a cold and methodical killer it just gives you a chill thinking about it. And Bond was allowed to show some emotion over her death.
Which reminds me, he also was allowed some emotion over the death of Elektra King, which went even further since it was him who killed her.
Give Peace A Chance.
|August 18 2013, 12:12 PM
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
Tracy's death was very frustrating because she was mercilessly cut down right at the finish line before the credits roll (after all she's been through) and Aki's death leaves a bitter aftertaste when, after the tense and tragic interlude, YOLT whiplashes back into being cartoonish again.
*Insert Pretentious Quote Here*
|August 18 2013, 05:48 PM
Location: California
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
Thus, Tracy's death is tragic because Bond tries to break free from those cruel restrictions, and pays dearly for it moments after his wedding. Likewise, in Casino Royale (the book and the movie) he falls in love with Vesper, and when she dies and he finds out she was a spy, he responds coldly with "The bitch is dead."
~Tighr: Not helping the situation since 1983
|August 18 2013, 05:55 PM
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
We've met before, haven't we?
|August 18 2013, 07:23 PM
Fleet Captain
Re: Most Upsetting Bond Movie Deaths (SPOILERS)
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Being A Nurse Is Now One Of The Most Lucrative And Fastest-growing Occupations
March 4, 2011 by Bonjour
Filed under CNA Nursing Assistant Jobs
One nursing field is expected to increase in demand for gerontology. As people age faster now on average, older patients were taken into nursing homes and hospitals have grown up. Based on the study, patients older than 65 years make up 60% of adult visits to primary, 48% of hospital admissions, and 85% of residents […]
Doing An Excellent Job In Nursing
February 28, 2011 by Bonjour
Filed under CNA Training
Nursing began even before it had become a profession today. Nuns in convents offered to take care of the sick. People go to health care if they were poor or rich. soldiers knew first aid. They were the ones who took care of wounded comrades during wartime. These have strongly influenced the field of nursing […]
I Love Working In Geriatrics And Long-term Care
February 25, 2011 by Bonjour
Filed under Certified Nursing Assistant
I worked in geriatric nursing and long-term care for over 20 years. The same scenario was played hundreds of times in my career. It goes something like this: I meet a new person who asks me what I do in life. I tell them I'ma nurse. They are impressed and asked the hospital where I […]
Big-Time Alert Of Diapers And Nursing Homes
January 19, 2011 by admin
Filed under CNA Training
First, the layer is placed in the criteria for the nursing home and patients were analyzed in diapers if you have an accident. Thus, patients kept saying, well, put me in a diaper. But some patients do not realize is that the layers of wear, giving more people permission not to come quickly when the […]
Nursing Home Changing Diapers
January 19, 2011 by admin
Filed under CNA Training
This article, which everyone should read. The facts are these, that sometimes a nursing home and got to teach and train a new resident or patient is incontinent. How could this happen? How does something like this happening today? I'm going to write how it happens, for example, forty-five years old female patient came to […]


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|Ebenaceae (eb-en-NAY-see-ee) (Info)
|Diospyros (dy-oh-SPY-ros) (Info)
|kaki (KAH-kee) (Info)
Edible Fruits and Nuts
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Flowers are fragrant
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
30-40 ft. (9-12 m)
20-30 ft. (6-9 m)
USDA Zone 7a: to -17.7 �C (0 �F)
USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 �C (5 �F)
USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 �C (10 �F)
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 �C (15 �F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 �C (20 �F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 �C (25 �F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 �C (30 �F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 �C (35 �F)
Full Sun
Chartreuse (Yellow-Green)
Pale Green
Mid Spring
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
From seed; stratify if sowing indoors
By grafting
Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
Anniston, Alabama
Canoga Park, California
Clovis, California
Davis, California
Ontario, California
San Diego, California (2 reports)
Brunswick, Georgia
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Lebanon, Oregon
Arlington, Texas
San Antonio, Texasshow all
On Feb 25, 2009, robcorreia from San Diego, CA (Zone 10b) wrote:
The Hachiya persimmon is my favorite fruit of all times. They must be really ripe and juicy before you can enjoy the fruit. I grew up eating those in Brazil. I intend to plant one in my backyard, but I don't have much room.
On Aug 17, 2006, oceanmystic from San Diego, CA (Zone 9b) wrote:
I enjoy the flavor and texture of Persimmon fresh, dried, candied and preserved. After seeing beautiful Persimmon trees grown as ornimentals and productive persimmon grown in orchard I decided to give one a try. The tree did not do well for me. Through mishap and circumstance the tree was only slightly larger seven years after planting. I was only able to harvest a few fruit.
On Nov 15, 2004, Kelli from L.A. (Canoga Park), CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
I have never grown these, but they taste very good and look beautiful hanging on the tree.


text:
FSC / Press Release Orocobre Limited Borax Plant Relocation Update Brisbane, March 18, 2014 /FSC/ - Orocobre Limited (TSX:ORL)(ASX:ORE),("Orocobre" or "the Company") is pleased to advise progress on the relocation of the borax chemical plant. - Dismantling of existing equipment at Campo Quijano is 92% complete - Installation of new equipment at Tincalayu is 85% complete - The project continues to progress on time and within budget with 70% of the budget spent or committed The project is about to enter into the final quarter of the relocation and construction programme with the target completion date being the end of June 2014. The following is a summary of what has been achieved to date: - Complete Engineering Design - Repair and maintenance of existing equipment at Tincalayu, 73% complete - Civil work at Tincalayu, 89% complete - Dismantling of existing equipment at Campo Quijano, 92% complete - Repair and maintenance of equipment at Campo Quijano commenced in January and is 44% complete - Construction and installation of new equipment is 85% complete which includes the installation of the: - Dissolver (86%) - Overflow tanks (92%) - Hot air generator (57%) - Decanters (82%) - Generators (93%) - Centrifuges (86%) - Electrical works (86%) - The flocculant plant is 54% complete The project continues to progress on time and within budget with 70% of the budget spent or committed. The relocation of the borax plant to the Tincalyu mine site will have significant benefits through both the reduction of operating unit costs and also increasing overall mineral recovery from the mine. Historically, run-of-mine ore at 17% B2O3 has been concentrated at Tincalayu using dry magnetic separation to produce a 21% grade which is then transported 350 kms from Tincalayu to Campo Quijano for production of borax chemicals. Recovery through the dry magnetic separation plant has previously been only approximately 60%. When the borax plant relocation to the Tincalayu mine site is complete the borax plant will treat run-of-mine ore without the use of the magnetic separation plant. This will result in: - no loss of mineral content prior to the borax plant as there will be no concentration stage - removal of the operating costs of the dry magnetic separation concentration stage - improvement in the freight cost profile by cartage of finished products with grades between 37% and 49% B2O3 as opposed to a 21% grade concentrate. The capital budget for the project is US$3.7m net of existing plant and equipment. To view photographs, please visit: http://www.usetdas.com/pr/OrocobreMar182014.pdf About Orocobre Limited Orocobre Limited is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange and Toronto Stock Exchange (ASX:ORE, TSX:ORL), and is building a substantial Argentinian-based industrial minerals company through the construction and operation of its portfolio of lithium, potash and boron projects and facilities in the Puna region of northern Argentina. The Company is building in partnership with Toyota Tsusho Corporation the first large-scale, "greenfield" brine based lithium project in 20 years at its flagship Salar de Olaroz resource, with projected production of 17,500 tonnes per annum of low-cost battery grade lithium carbonate scheduled to commence at the end of Q2, 2014. The Company also wholly-owns Borax Argentina, an important regional borate producer. Orocobre is included in the S&P/ASX 300 Index and was named 2012 Mining Company of the Year by Argentine mining magazine Panorama Minero and the Fundacion para el Desarrollo de la Mineria Argentina ("Fundamin" or Foundation for Development of Argentina Mining). David Hall Business Development Manager Orocobre Limited T: +61 7 3871 3985 M: +61 407 845 052 E: firstname.lastname@example.com North America James Calaway Chairman Orocobre Limited M: +1 (713) 818 1457 E: email@example.com Link to Borax Plant Relocation Update: http://www.usetdas.com/pr/OrocobreMar182014.pdf Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Provider ID: 00023099 -0- Mar/18/2014 12:32 GMT
Orocobre Limited Borax Plant Relocation Update
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text:
The MoveOn Effect
Disruptive Innovation in the Interest Group Ecology
of American Politics
"Membership as we know it is a myth of the past."
—Interviewee comment, Monitor Institute "Disruption" Report, 2010.
I first encountered MoveOn.org unexpectedly, in the spring of 2000. I was the National Director of the Sierra Student Coalition (SSC) and, like so many of my Sierra Club colleagues, had developed a healthy dose of skepticism toward the assorted attempts to apply dot-com era enthusiasm for all-things-digital to political organizing. While attending a national conference on youth civic engagement, a colleague and I happened upon Peter Schurman, a former SSC staffer. We spent 20 minutes in conversation discussing politics, organizations, and individuals. I had to sublimate my reaction to his new job, working with some startup organization that had launched an e-petition around the Clinton impeachment hearings. As Peter talked about combining technology and politics, engaging supporters online, and learning from successful tech startups, I nodded politely and said little. But as he walked away, I turned to my colleague and muttered, "e-petitions… what a joke. That organization will never amount to anything."
Six years later, while conducting background research for my doctoral dissertation, I ran across another reference to Schurman. His organization, whose name had promptly fled my memory, turned out to be MoveOn.org. Peter had served as their first Executive Director. The subtitle of this book is in part a reference to that early conversation. The use of the Internet by political associations has changed from the time I was an advocacy professional to today. Groups like MoveOn played a central role in facilitating that development, and neither political practitioners nor political scholars were quite able to see clearly as the change unfolded. Unexpected transformations indeed.


text:
Billy Norbury, who is on trial in Ukiah on murder charges, told investigators he didn't know Mendocino County reggae musician Jamal Andrews and did not shoot him to death.
"Why am I here? I don't even know who that guy is," he told Sheriff's detectives in an interview taped shortly after the killing in Redwood Valley Jan. 24 and shown to jurors on Wednesday, the second day of his trial. However, other evidence presented Wednesday linked him to the crime scene.
Norbury has continued to deny killing Andrews since that early interview, said Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster, who is prosecuting the case.
The defense is "I didn't do it, I wasn't there. If I did do it, I was insane," he said during a break in the trial.
If convicted, another trial will be held immediately to determine whether Norbury was insane at the time.
Norbury's estranged wife said in 2011 court affidavits that he is irrational and suffers from paranoia. He thought people were following him and listening to his conversations through the television, phone and car radio, she said in court documents while seeking custody of their three children. She later sought a restraining order against Norbury, who also has a history of substance abuse.
Norbury, 34, is accused of driving an all-terrain vehicle to Andrews' home and shooting him twice, once in the front of his shoulder and once in the back of the head, apparently as he tried to flee.
The shot to the head from the high-powered Winchester 30-30 hunting rifle killed him instantly, a forensic pathologist testified.
It was the third time Norbury had made a late-night visit on an ATV to the home Andrews shared with his longtime girlfriend, Miranda Mills, and their infant son, Kaiden, Mills said.
The reason for his visits remains a mystery.


text:
Gonna have it run for another hour or two just to be sure though.
Gonna have it run for another hour or two just to be sure though.
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side.
this will continue to be a growing issue with all future chips, its not just an ivy/haswell problem
i7-4790K | Z97 Class. | 16GB DDR3-2400 | GTX-980 | RAIDR | 512GB Samsung 830 | SuperNOVA 1Kw P2 | RV05
Dell U3415w | Ducky Shine3 YoS | Zowie ZA11 | Xonar Essence One | Tannoy Reveal 402
Well today was an eventful day! I decided to finally get around to doing my side panel mod after having had the materials for it for almost a year now! It turned out pretty good imo! Two issues that I ran into; The lip where the case latches caused trouble as I forgot to measure exactly how much to move in which resulted in me cutting about 1/16th of an inch too far on the panel. The second problem was that while trying to remove the window to move it over I had used way too much tape. It took two of us pulling to get the panel separated because I left enough acrylic on the inside so that if I ever wanted to expand the window to the HDD bays I could. I went crazy and use about half a roll of #4010 3m tape. This resulted in us warping the panel almost all the way down the angle of the window. We were able to bend it back for the most part without it being very noticeable. There's a bit of shadow in the upper right corner, but I'm deciding if I want to leave it as is or cut up the other panel that I have. I had two left side panels from when NZXT shipped me a replacement for the right side panel. Most likely I'll cut up the other panel tomorrow and measure a bit more carefully so that it's 100%! I'll definitely post some more pictures later this week when I get my second 7950 and my NZXT Hue! But in other news I've finally got some decent pics of my gaming setup!
CPU: I5 2500k @ 4.5 Ghz
Cooler: Antek branded 120 CLC
Mobo: Gigabyte Z68A-D3H-B3
Ram: G Skill 1600 Mhz
PSU: Corsair TX850
CPU: Gigabyte 7950 @ 1100/1400
SDD: OCZ Agility 3 120 Gb
HDD: WD Black 1 Tb
Last edited by Shiromar; 2013-09-08 at 03:49 AM.
i5 [email protected], R9 290 Windforce, 16GB DDR3 1600, HAF XB Evo, Dark Rock Pro 3 Cooler
Temps during load turned out fine actually(59c at 4.1Ghz and 1.150v). Unfortunately I only got the processor up to [email protected] before BSOD and other strangeness. Can't for the life of me get it to run at 4.2Ghz even at 1.3v, I don't dare go higher on closed-loop water.
Guess I lost the lottery, pretty damn hard as well.
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side.
Fluorescent - Fluo - currently retired, playing other stuff
i5-4670k @ 4.5 / Thermalright Silver Arrow Extreme / Gigabyte Z87X-D3H / 8GB DDR3-1600 RAM / Gigabyte GTX 760
Fluorescent - Fluo - currently retired, playing other stuff
i5-4670k @ 4.5 / Thermalright Silver Arrow Extreme / Gigabyte Z87X-D3H / 8GB DDR3-1600 RAM / Gigabyte GTX 760
this great guide. While it is tailored to Gigabyte boards, it explains a great deal of the basics and it will help you figure out things on your MSI board as well.
Fluorescent - Fluo - currently retired, playing other stuff
i5-4670k @ 4.5 / Thermalright Silver Arrow Extreme / Gigabyte Z87X-D3H / 8GB DDR3-1600 RAM / Gigabyte GTX 760
Fluorescent - Fluo - currently retired, playing other stuff
i5-4670k @ 4.5 / Thermalright Silver Arrow Extreme / Gigabyte Z87X-D3H / 8GB DDR3-1600 RAM / Gigabyte GTX 760
This is my first build ever, what a great experience!
4770k- OC to 4.1 stable
Noctua D-14
16G corsair vengeance
Asus Hero Maximus Mobo
Asus 7970 GPU
Cooler Master Haf Blue
Asus DVD/CD
2TB WD black HD
Logitech game pad/MMO mouse
Razor anas- keyboard
So much is happening in your pictures. Cutest dog, dirtiest keyboard I've ever seen and then an amazing computer. I love it!
Although you could resize those pics a bit or link them
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side.
- - - Updated - - -
Yea sorry about that went through and resized them. Couple thoughts on the build. Noctua D-14 and corsair vengeance don't go well together, the cooler barely fits. Should have just got the H100i system. Asus AI suite 3 Overclocked my Haswell to 4.6 then locked up the motherboard, I would not recommend using that software. My Temps never go over 115 degrees F and im at 4.1 stable now and leaving it. ROG ramdisk is pretty nice if you put your WTF files on it, you basically get instant load times in game. I decided to go with a 42 inch 1080p TV over a gaming monitor, and holy crap you wont ever go back if you do this, the quality is still there. That's about it, hope you guys enjoyed.
[email protected] at the moment and it seems stable. Only been running AIDA64 for about 4 hours so far but it's looking good, contemplating if P95 for 12 hours would be wise as well but I really don't like the ways P95 pressure my computer and the noises it makes it do. I swear the fans are running at close to 2800RPM during P95, it's not okay when your fans only are supposed to do 2700RPM. Although my h80i seems to be overcompensating because it doesn't get super hot. During 100% load I only average about 63-65°c.
Didn't have to touch VRIN though. Trick was to enable XMP for my ram and clock them at 1600Mhz and increase their voltage to 1.5 and that allowed me to reach up to 4.7Ghz. But I'm not sure I'm willing to go above 4.5Ghz since I fear that bumping up voltage to 1.3 for extended periods might cause the already overachieving h80i to implode into itself due to it's RPM creating a black hole.
I think 4.5Ghz is a good everyday clock so probably gonna stay here.
Something, Something, Something, Dark Side.
Just updated my build quite a bit inside an Arc Midi R2. Still have work to do with cable management, and should be getting a white LED lighting kit in as well. Ignore my cat scratched furniture. :P
i7-4770k - GTX 780 Ti - 16GB DDR3 Ripjaws - (2) HyperX 120s / Vertex 3 120
ASRock Extreme3 - Sennheiser Momentums - Xonar DG - EVGA Supernova 650G - Corsair H80i
build pics


text:
Zac Efron doesn't 'object' to sex on first date: 'Sex is a beautiful thing'
- Photo: Brent Perniac/AdMedia/Retna Ltd.1 of 13
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- Photo: Splash News3 of 13
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- Photo: ANDY JAXN KALV/GSI7 of 13
- Photo: Fame Flynet8 of 13
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- Prev
Score? If a girl is lucky enough to get a date with Zac Efron, she may be lucky enough to ... well, get lucky. In a new interview with Glamour magazine, Efron and his "That Awkward Moment" co-stars, Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller, revealed what they look for in women. When asked if they would respect a girl who would have sex on the first date, Efron gave a resounding yes.
PHOTOS: Zac Efron through the years
"Sex is a beautiful thing," said the 26-year-old actor. "I don't object."
Jordan, 27, however, did have an objection. "No. No," he said. "Maybe ... but a little less."
PHOTOS: Celebrity sex confessions
Efron also had a strong opinion on what he looks for in a girl. (He's previously dated "High School Musical" co-star Vanessa Hudgens for three years, and had a brief fling with actress Lily Collins in spring 2012.)
"I think every single girl has something different and special about her. You find one who clicks with your vibe. Fate brings people together," he said. "But I think the most important thing for me in a relationship is honesty. In the beginning, sometimes girls don't show their genuine personality."
PHOTOS: Hollywood's biggest flirts
But Efron's celebrity status may have actually hampered his search for a soulmate. When asked how he meets girls, the "Lucky One" star said, "I haven't met a girl properly ever."
Zac Efron and other stars who went to rehab
Zac Efron steps out for first time following jaw injury
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Design Inspirations and Ideas from Commune
From fabrics, table linens and lighting, to cabinets and countertops, here are some innovative design ideas.
Kitchen Style: Flooring
More ∨
The kitchen and courtyard are covered with cement tile custom-stamped with a pattern borrowed from French kitchens of the 1940s. The off-white and off-black have an aged patina—"an effect we love," says Commune partner Pamela Shamshiri.
The kitchen stools are originals from midcentury California designers Van Keppel-Green. Commune found them at Reform Gallery, then re-covered the seats in "Root Beer" leather from Edelman. "The stools are amazingly proportioned, so the back hits in just the right spot and the footrest is perfect," Shamshiri says.