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Freedom and Liberty
"Cultural libertarians" v. "Social Justice Warriors"
Or said another way, anti-authoritarians v. authoritarians. Although the author of the cited article would like you to believe his "coined phrase' describes a new movement, yeah, not so much. Some of us have been fighting this battle for over 25 years. That said, it's an interesting article. Here's the intro (read the whole thing):
A new force is emerging in the culture wars. Authoritarians of all stripes, from religious reactionaries to left-wing "social justice warriors," are coming under fire from a new wave of thinkers, commentators, and new media stars who reject virtually all of their political values.
From the banning of Charlie Hebdo magazine across British university campuses on the grounds that it promoted islamophobia, to the removal of the video game Grand Theft Auto V from major retailers in Australia on the grounds that it promoted sexism, threats to cultural freedom proliferate.
But a growing number of commentators, media personalities and academics reject the arguments that underpin these assaults on free expression, in particular the idea that people are either too emotionally fragile to deal with "offence" or too corruptible to be exposed to dangerous ideas.
In a recent co-authored feature for Breitbart, I coined a term to describe this new trend: cultural libertarianism. The concept was critically discussed by Daniel Pryor at the Centre for a Stateless Society, who drew attention to the increasing viciousness of cultural politics in the internet age.
There is a reason for the sound and fury. Like all insurgent movements, the emergence of cultural libertarianism is creating tensions, border skirmishes, and even the occasional war with lazy incumbent elites. Some of these rows can be breathtakingly vitriolic, as self-righteous anger from social justice types collides with mocking and occasionally caustic humour from cultural libertarians.
It's not a new trend, folks. It is as old as anti-authoritarianism – and that's hardly new. But it seems, given the nature of man, that opposition to authoritarianism has always been an "insurgent movement". For whatever reason, but primarily false "security", we, as human beings seem to tend toward various aspects of authoritarianism. My guess is because freedom is hard and it allows a lot of things many of us find a bit hard to tolerate (which is part of the irony, since SJW claim to be "tolerant" but are mostly intolerant of any ideas but their own – and don't mind looking for ways to stifle those they don't agree with).
Anyway, I've been fighting that battle in this format (blog) for 12 years. Before that, a few years on usenet, and before the internet, on multiple BBS sites (you remember BBS's where you used your dial up and nifty PK zip and PK unzip to send message packets). Authoritarianism didn't begin when the internet was invented nor has resistance to it been a recent phenomenon.
That said, it's good that it continues and, in the age of the internet, is growing even more than it was prior to the internet. That's because people can find each other no matter where they may be. And, it seems, they're doing so. That's a very good thing. It allows "calls to arms" and those of a like mind to rally in opposition. Of course, that works for the other side as well, but, as has been my experience, when confronted with their own words, especially as they've tried to redefine them (especially when you deconstruct them), well, they are rarely ever able to explain the hypocrisy. The phrase "I don't think that word means what you think it means" has never been more true with confronting SJWs.
The other important thing that happens is the anti-authoritarian arguments are now broadcast more widely, so for those who are interested, they're readily available. Some folks know that what they're hearing from the SJWs isn't quite right, but they can't put their finger on the explanation or counter argument. With the number of well written arguments now published on line in opposition to the authoritarian/SJW arguments, that's no longer a problem.
Because of the internet, that formerly insurgent movement isn't necessarily isolated to a geographic region or cultural group. It's no longer necessarily "insurgent". It now has the ability to spread and spread quickly. I find that to be a consummate "good thing", even if some guy at Breitbart who is likely in his mid 20s, thinks this is all "new".
Guess what TIME blames for what it sees as America's decline?
My guess is most of us would agree that America seems to be in decline, but not for the reasons TIME magazine does. Much of the decline is centered in the politics and policies of the governing party.
But TIME is pretty sure that, given the study that they cite, the reason is … capitalism. Here's the "it was great, but" reason:
"We looked at very broad measures, and at individual measures, too," said co-author Hershey H. Friedman, a business professor at Brooklyn College – City University of New York. The most dangerous sign they saw: rising income and wealth inequality, which slow growth and can spark instability, the authors say.
"Capitalism has been amazingly successful," write Friedman and co-author Sarah Hertz of Empire State College. But it has grown so unfettered, predatory, so exclusionary, it's become, in effect, crony capitalism. Now places like Qatar and Romania, "countries you wouldn't expect to be, are doing better than us," said Friedman.
I wish those who opine about this sort of thing would begin to delink capitalism and "crony capitalism". Because as soon "crony" is added, "capitalism" is no longer evident. Instead you have powerful corporate/social/political constituents helping write laws that raise bars to entry in a markets to impossible heights. You have the same entities suggesting regulations which have the same effect. Capitalism, in its barest essence, is a voluntary transaction between two free people which ends profitably for both. That's it. When government begins intruding with regulations and laws designed to limit and protect certain constituencies, from corporations to unions, that's not capitalism, whether you stick "crony" in front of it or not.
It is certainly cronyism. The government attacks, for instance, on Uber are rampant cronyism. They're designed by government to protect an existing constituency that doesn't like the competition (and has had a government granted monopoly for decades). Of course, in the end, it is the consumer – i.e. the citizen – who is hurt by this sort of cronyism.
And it appears that cronyism has gotten worse and worse over the past few years. So while America may be in decline, it isn't because of capitalism.
It's because of cronyism, government favoritism, or whatever catch word or phrase you wish to tag the phenomenon with. But leave capitalism out of it.
The power of the market, proven again …
We were told that while oil prices were high, shale oil could be produced at enough of a profit to drill, but to expensive to continue if the prices dropped.
But efficiency and technical innovation have overcome that bit of conventional wisdom as Shale Energy Insider reports:
US shale companies have increased the number of rigs in the field for the first time in nearly seven months when oil prices were trading around $70 per barrel, compared to under $60 per barrel in the current market.
The number of rigs rose in almost every main shale basin across the US according to data gathered by Baker Hughes.
Industry experts have suggested that as a result of last year's price crash, shale exploration firms have cut their break even costs by anything up to $20 per barrel.
"As much as anything else, the rise this week is a testament to break-evens coming down just over the course of this year," said James Williams, president of energy consultancy WTRG Economics.
"Shale is a lot more resilient than we thought it was, and it means we're going to be able to keep producing shale oil at a lower cost than we thought we could."
Adding rigs is the primary way to gauge whether or not it is economically profitable for energy companies to drill for and pump the oil According to one analyst, the companies have been able to streamline their operations to the point their breakeven costs have dropped by about $20 a barrel. That's huge:
A Bloomberg analyst suggested that the cost of drilling services have fallen between 20% and 50% with break even prices in parts of the Permian and Eagle Ford below $40 per barrel.
And what does it mean overall?
Director of upstream research for Wood Mackenzie, Scott Mitchell forecast that producers could add up to 100 oil rigs by the end of the year.
"Drilling rigs and fracking require a quite specific technical workforce, and there were a lot of layoffs as a result of the drop in activity.
"We may find the supply of people becomes short very quickly if activity ramps up, leading to price increases again," he predicted.
That's right … jobs and less expensive gas. Of course, most if not all of the shale oil drilling has taken place on non-federal land, and the market has been able to function without a great deal of governmental interference. It is providing both employment and a very important commodity at less expensive prices. Additionally, as it lowers its breakeven point, it buffers us against volume drops as the price of oil comes lower and other sources stop producing oil. With the lower breakeven point, they'll continue to pump past the point where they'd have quit previously because doing so is still profitable for them. That helps ensure lower prices at the pump will be more common and more stable.
The market … a wonder we need to allow to work without interference much more often than we do.
SCOTUS is a political branch, not a legal one
I pretty much agree with Andrew McCarthy:
Already, an ocean of ink has been spilled analyzing, lauding, and bemoaning the Supreme Court's work this week: a second life line tossed to SCOTUScare in just three years; the location of a heretofore unknown constitutional right to same-sex marriage almost a century-and-a-half after the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment; and the refashioning of Congress's Fair Housing Act to embrace legal academe's loopy "disparate impact" theory of inducing discrimination.
Yet, for all the non-stop commentary, one detail goes nearly unmentioned — the omission that best explains this week's Fundamental Transformation trifecta. Did you notice that there was not an iota of speculation about how the four Progressive justices would vote?There was never a shadow of a doubt. In the plethora of opinions generated by these three cases, there is not a single one authored by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, or Sonia Sotomayor. There was no need. They are the Left's voting bloc. There was a better chance that the sun would not rise this morning than that any of them would wander off the reservation.
Indeed, if there is any speculation it centers mostly around Justice Kennedy and now, of all people, Roberts. There's not much of a doubt on any case that comes before the court as to how either the liberal bloc or the conservative bloc will vote. Up for grabs, apparently, are only two votes. And you can expect absolutely tortured verbiage and logic from those two (and others who believe in a "living Constitution") in order to justify their vote.
Elizabeth Price Foley wants to lay it off on liberals:
Leftists believe that "law is politics," so they're not particularly interested in how they get there: What matters, to the political left, is simply getting there. The ends justify the means.
But we all know why Thomas, Scalia, Alito and, oh yeah, Roberts, ended up on the Supreme Court. The conservatives believe "law is politics" just as much as the left – they just haven't been as successful at it recently. There is a reason there are veritable political wars about who gets appointed to the highest bench in the land. This isn't some sort of scoop.
It's a pity though. You expect politics in Congress, which is why it's reputation is so … low. You want a statesman in the presidency. And you expect justice and law from the judiciary.
Instead, we have nothing but politics from all three.
And they wonder why the people's view of government is at a nadir?
We all know what "politics" means … and it has nothing to do with integrity, justice, the law, statesmanship or what is best for the citizenry.
A trot around the intertubes
There's a lot going on but not much that needs a long and laborious explanation or rant.
The Clinton Foundation and our former Secretary of State are really starting to stink it up. And my guess is there's a lot more to come. Years ago Terry Goodkind wrote a book called "Wizard's first rule". The Clinton's operate by that rule. The rule? "People are stupid". And there's a Clinton corollary – "so is the media". They've operated off of that rule and corollary for decades. They don't see any reason to stop now.
The administration is claiming it has killed 10,000 ISIS members since it began its campaign of airstrikes. Most people in the know doubt that number is anywhere near the truth and that, in fact, it's much, much lower. Here's why:
Three out of every four times that Obama dispatches American warplanes over Iraq, they return to base without dropping any bombs or firing any missiles.
"Seventy-five percent of the sorties that we're currently running with our attack aircraft come back without dropping bombs, mostly because they cannot acquire the target or properly identify the target," said U.S. Army General (ret) Jack Keane in testimony before the U.S. Senate last week.
That's why White House and Pentagon briefers usually talk about the number of sorties, not the number of air strikes. The number of missions flown is four times larger than the number of bombing runs.
There's a simple fix, but it is politically unpalatable to the "lead from behind" crowd:
Gen. Keane offered a straightforward solution. "Forward air controllers fix that problem," he said.
You know, "boots on the ground?" Doing what they're doing is sort of like firing artillery without forward observers. Yeah, you're likely to hit something every now and then, but is it really effective? Uh, no.
Apparently ISIS acted as our own forward air controllers:
"Defense Tech reports that at a Air Force Association breakfast meeting in Washington DC on Monday, General Hawk Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, shared a story of how a careless social media post directly led to an airstrike against ISIS."
While that is all well and good and wonderful, my question is why we have a General out there sharing this intel?
"The guys that were working down out of Hurlburt, they're combing through social media and they see some moron standing at this command. And in some social media, open forum, bragging about the command and control capabilities for Daesh, ISIL," Carlisle said.
"And these guys go: 'We got an in.' So they do some work, long story short, about 22 hours later through that very building, three [Joint Direct Attack Munitions] take that entire building out."
He was careful not to share sensitive details about the location of the building and airstrike, but he noted how ISIS' enthusiasm of social media was turned against them in this case.
"It was a post on social media to bombs on target in less than 24 hours," he said. "Incredible work when you think about [it]."
He shared a timeframe for a mission to be put together and why they were successful. Who is the real "moron" here? Before ISIS may have been guessing why they were hit. Now they know.
This is going to disappoint the enviro-whacko crowd:
A decade into an energy boom led by hydraulic fracturing, the Environmental Protection Agency has concluded there is no evidence the practice has had a "widespread, systemic impact on drinking water."
The report is the federal government's most comprehensive examination of the issue of fracking and drinking water, and it bolsters the position staked out by the energy industry.
Yeah, fracking has only been around 66 years and been used on a million wells. One might think that if there were a drinking water problem it would have been discovered before now.
That won't stop the narrative however. "Science" is only useful when it backs that narrative. When it doesn't, it's just to be ignored. See "climate change".
Another liberal professor speaks out about the SJW "crisis" on campus:
The current student-teacher dynamic has been shaped by a large confluence of factors, and perhaps the most important of these is the manner in which cultural studies and social justice writers have comported themselves in popular media. I have a great deal of respect for both of these fields, but their manifestations online, their desire to democratize complex fields of study by making them as digestible as a TGIF sitcom, has led to adoption of a totalizing, simplistic, unworkable, and ultimately stifling conception of social justice. The simplicity and absolutism of this conception has combined with the precarity of academic jobs to create higher ed's current climate of fear, a heavily policed discourse of semantic sensitivity in which safety and comfort have become the ends and the means of the college experience.
Hey, you created it. You get to live with it. Either that or you grow a pair and take academia back.
Finally, in the "out of control government" category, we have this little jewel:
IRS lawyers have ruled that once illegal immigrants get numbers, they can go back and re-file for up to three previous years' taxes and claim refunds even for time they were working illegally.
The lawyers said since the EITC is a refundable credit, that's allowed even when the illegal immigrants worked off-the-books and never paid taxes in the first place.
Now, these are "laws" the Obama administration is more than happy to follow. Pay up, sucker.
This and that
Apparently the Orange County school district (Florida/Orlando) has plans to monitor students' social media messages in an effort to curb cyberbullying, crime on campus and suicide. Because, you know, that's what they're there for:
Orange County Public Schools announced Thursday that it has acquired software to monitor social media "to proactively prevent, intervene and (watch) situations that may impact students and staff." The district has obtained an annual license with SnapTrends, software that monitors Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
The district said it plans to use the software to conduct routine monitoring for the purposes of prevention or early intervention of potential issues in which students or staff could be at risk to themselves or to others.
OCPS said the company will assist district law enforcement and security personnel in monitoring publicly available social media communications that are relevant to school operations and personnel.
"This is a tool that gives the district intelligence into a situation that could possibly prevent something more serious from happening," Orange County Public Schools Senior Director of Safety and Security Doug Tripp said.
"Safety in and around school campuses is the top priority for Orange County school leaders," OCPS said in a news release. "Recognizing social media is a major communication system, the district has acquired social media monitoring software."
School officials acknowledge the online snooping might raise privacy questions. But board member Linda Kobert said the district is taking advantage of "new tools to protect our children."
Might raise some privacy questions? Well, social media are indeed made up of public postings. But let me ask you a more important question? Is this a role for a school district? Or is this another example of a creeping bureaucratic mission? And what will the school district do with any information it gleans from its "monitoring?"
Note again, that we have a public official putting "safety" over supposed privacy concerns. Oh, and btw, do you suppose that potential or real cyber-bullies don't know how to set up fake accounts? And is this a good use of school funds with the literacy problems most public school districts face? The questions are endless.
Some people feel they have to take everything to an extreme. Why, I'm not sure. And I'm also pretty sure I think this particular extreme is both unnecessary and provocative. If there's trouble, will it rise to the level of "incitement"?
Jon Ritzheimer is a former Marine, and he has no middle ground when it comes to Islam.
A T-shirt he wears pretty much says it all: "F— Islam."
Ritzheimer is the organizer of Friday's "Freedom of Speech Rally" outside the Islamic Community Center in Phoenix.
It's the mosque that Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofiattended for a time. They're the men who drove from Arizona to a Dallas suburb to shoot up a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest there. Both were killed by police early this month.
Many Muslims consider any depiction of Mohammed to be blasphemous and banned by the Islamic holy book, the Quran.
"This is in response to the recent attack in Texas where 2 armed terrorist(s), with ties to ISIS, attempted Jihad," the event's Facebook page said.
Some 600 people say they're attending.
It is one thing to hold an event in another part of the state and end up being attacked by people/terrorists who chose to travel there and do so. It is another thing to go to a group's home and intentionally antagonize and invite an attack by showing up uninvited and attempting to provoke a response.
Other reports have said the group will be heavily armed, quoting Ritzheimer as saying they are going to exercise their First Amendment rights and back them with their Second Amendment rights.
I support both rights, but I think this is foolish, stupid and deliberately antagonistic as well as being unnecessary. The point has been made. It will continue to be made. But this is not the right way to make it again.
Nice economic growth we had in the first quarter, no? Apparently adjustments have seen the reported GDP numbers fall from 0.2 growth to a 0.7 contraction. Economists want to argue that its just the way the government computes this stuff:
Economists, however, caution against reading too much into the slump in output. They argue the GDP figure for the first quarter was held down by a confluence of temporary factors, including a problem with the model the government uses to smooth the data for seasonal fluctuations.
Economists, including those at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, have cast doubts on the accuracy of GDP estimates for the first quarter, which have tended to show weakness over the last several years.
They argued the so-called seasonal adjustment is not fully stripping out seasonal patterns, leaving "residual" seasonality. The government said last week it was aware of the potential problem and was working to minimize it.
I'm sorry, boys and girls, since when is 0.2 growth in any quarter "good news". Its sort of like the unemployment figures. Mostly fudged. And apparently that's precisely what the government will now attempt to do to show better numbers. These bad numbers just don't help the government tell you how well it's doing, do they? What's this, our 6th or 7th "summer of recovery?"
Excellent Kevin D. Williamson article about the old and discredited ideas of Bernie Sanders, which he ends with a caution that we should all understand by now:
Senator Sanders may insist on living in the dark ages, and his view is not without its partisans. But those views are crude, they are backward, and they are, objectively speaking, incorrect about the way the economic world works. They are barely a step above superstition, and they merit consideration for only one reason: "Voters — all they gotta be is eighteen."
And if they're illegal, the Democrats say, "meh".
Meanwhile in liberal bastions, things are just going swimmingly. Detroit:
No getting around it: Filling up your gas tank at certain stations in Detroit can be hazardous to your health.
Police Chief James Craig said at a Tuesday media conference that he'd avoid getting gas late at night in the city unless he had to, and he urged residents to be careful at the pump, according to Tom Greenwood of The Detroit News.
"I wouldn't, but if I had to, I would," Craig said. "But I'd probably be very aware of my surroundings."
Craig's commented after a driver was killed early Monday evening while trying to flee a carjacking attempt at an east-side gas station.
A wasteland run by Democrats for decades.
Baltimore was seeing a slight rise in homicides this year even before Gray's death April 19. But the 38 homicides so far in May is a major spike, after 22 in April, 15 in March, 13 in February and 23 in January.
With one weekend still to go, May 2015 is already the deadliest month in 15 years, surpassing the November 1999 total of 36.
Ten of May's homicides happened in the Western District, which has had as many homicides in the first five months of this year as it did all of last year.
Non-fatal shootings are spiking as well – 91 so far in May, 58 of them in the Western District.
The mayor said her office is "examining" the relationship between the homicide spike and the dwindling arrest rate.
I'm sure they are "examining" it – and they'll likely conclude its a matter of racism at some level. While she is "examining" the relationship, she should ponder the statistic that says child victims of shootings are up 500% this year. Well done!
While overall crime is down almost seven percent, shootings are up 7.1 percent so far this year. Murders are up 15.3 percent. Even with the increase, it's a much lower number than the 1980s and 1990s.
The mayor blames it on gangs. Why have gangs again become a problem?
Of course each of these cities can look to the midwest and say, "hey, at least we're not Chicago."
L.A. Unions: "It's good for thee, but not me"
You can't make this stuff up. It is a story that the Onion should be writing, but instead, we see it in the LA Times. You've read about the new $15 minimum wage the city is imposing on employers? And you've also likely heard that unions were big backers of its imposition.
Well, now that the new minimum wage has passed, guess who wants an exemption?
Labor leaders, who were among the strongest supporters of the citywide minimum wage increase approved last week by the Los Angeles City Council, are advocating last-minute changes to the law that could create an exemption for companies with unionized workforces.
The push to include an exception to the mandated wage increase for companies that let their employees collectively bargain was the latest unexpected detour as the city nears approval of its landmark legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020.
For much of the past eight months, labor activists have argued against special considerations for business owners, such as restaurateurs, who said they would have trouble complying with the mandated pay increase.
But Rusty Hicks, who heads the county Federation of Labor and helps lead the Raise the Wage coalition, said Tuesday night that companies with workers represented by unions should have leeway to negotiate a wage below that mandated by the law.
Have you got that last part? Unions should have the leeway to negotiate a wage below the mandated minimum wage.
"With a collective bargaining agreement, a business owner and the employees negotiate an agreement that works for them both. The agreement allows each party to prioritize what is important to them," Hicks said in a statement. "This provision gives the parties the option, the freedom, to negotiate that agreement. And that is a good thing."
Apparently only unions can do that sort of negotiation. The other dumb proles out there in fast food land, for instance, need the benevolent hand of government to mandate them out of a job.
The irony of that union boob's statement is classic. Other than the minimum wage law, what would stand in the way of any business and any employee from doing that routinely on their own? Oh, yeah, nothing … well, except that absurd law, now.
But you have to hand it too the unions for having the absolute big brass ones to put this out there. They recognize the win-win nature of those sorts of negotiations – negotiations that in a free country would be unhampered by government interference. But they want to limit them … to themselves.
They also want a little political payback and a decided advantage when competing against non-unionized companies who might bid on jobs they want.
Big. Brassy. Bold.
And they don't even try to hide it anymore.
Delusional and desperate
I'm speaking of our POTUS. Yesterday at a commencement ceremony at the Coast Guard Academy, he declared that climate change was the biggest threat to our national security out there.
No. Really.
Even the ever malleable Jeb Bush couldn't take that:
U.S. Republican Jeb Bush said on Wednesday that the Earth's climate is changing but that scientific research does not clearly show how much of the change is due to humans and how much is from natural causes. While President Barack Obama and many scientists believe humans are largely to blame for climate change, Bush said the degree of human responsibility is uncertain. The former Florida governor challenged Obama's determination earlier in the day that climate change is now a threat to U.S. national security.
It's not just the degree of of change caused by humans in question but the effect of CO2. But we "deniers" know that. That and the fact that without a doubt the "evidence" which the alarmist have used has been fudged make any reasoning person "skeptical" of the declared "science". Add in the abysmally wrong models as well as the temperatures from the last 17 years and anyone who isn't a skeptic has blinders on and isn't interested in science.
But, with Iraq collapsing, Saudi Arabia buying nukes while Iran develops them, Lybia in chaos and a haven for ISIS, Syria imploding, Yemen falling to extremists, Egypt cozying up to Russia who is taking the Ukraine bit by bit and China is challenging us in the South China Sea,
global warming climate change isn't even on the radar screen as far as national security problems go.
No, the cult of climate change is precisely what Bush said it is:
The problem is climate change has been co-opted by the hard-core left and if you don't march to their beat perfectly then you're a denier.
And we all know what they want to do with "deniers", don't we?
So why are we hearing all this nonsense in the midst of all this chaos in the world?
In his frantic search for something positive for us to remember him by, President Obama has lately turned to "climate change," casting it in recent weeks as a matter of health, of environmental protection, of international obligation, even as a matter of his daughter's health. She suffered an asthma attack as a child, and he thinks the changing weather had something to do with it. Nothing has worked so far to persuade the public that everyone is doomed unless the government steps in to change the weather. President Obama is likely to find that manufactured climate hysteria won't work.
Legacy. He's screwed absolutely everything else up during his tenure as president. This might be his last shot at what he thinks will be a positive legacy. If implemented, it would likely be just like the other monstrosities he's now trying to run from. But he's going to try.
With six months to go until the next global climate treaty talks in Paris, environmentalist and former US vice president Al Gore has declared that 'the future of the world depends' on their outcome. Lord Nigel Lawson, former energy secretary in Margaret Thatcher's government, delivers his assessment of the prospects of the world reaching a new climate deal.
Everyone with consciousness knows nothing is going to change when they meet.
Spiegel journalist Axel Bojanowski calls it the "big climate show". Although big declarations are being made, behind the scenes "creative steps" and "tricks" are the real order of the day. One example of trickery comes from Russia, Bojanowski writes: Although Russia has announced it wants to reduce emissions 25% by 2030 compared to 1990 – this is in fact trickery. Because of the collapse of its industry during the 1990s, the country is emitting only half as much CO2 as it did in 1990. That means with respect to climate targets, Russia intends to emit more CO2 in the future." And not less! In Paris do expect the signing of a "binding international treaty", but one that will be chock-full of non-binding requirements. The circus (which no one takes seriously anymore) thus will continue.
But … he can then claim, legacy. Because it's not something actually having an effect, it's the intent that's important in the post-modern world. So, as we've seen in the past, he'll talk the talk and consider that to be "action taken".
Somehow, however, money will migrate from your wallet to the government's in all this while whatever it is the alarmists want done won't get one iota closer to happening than before.
It's all about income redistribution and that's precisely what will be the outcome to this "national security problem", just hide and watch.
Hypocrisy in academia … what a surprise!
As you can probably tell by the frequency of these sorts of posts, I'm fascinated by watching the left's civil war, especially in academia.
On the one hand we have defacto speech codes on college campuses that describe anything considered to be hurtful to be "hate speech". And, of course, you can't utter "hate speech" without sanction and shaming by the left – or being shouted down if you dare to introduce a topic that doesn't conform with the ideology of certain vocal minorities. "Safe spaces" and "micro-aggression" along with "trigger warnings" are the what, as Kathleen Parker calls our "swaddled class", use to attack those who apparently threaten their pseudo-well-being.
On the other hand, we see real hate defended – or at least that's the case at Boston U where this execrable excuse for an assistant professor has just been hired:
On Friday, her new employer's spokesman, Colin Riley, told FoxNews.com that the tweets came from Grundy's personal Twitter account and that she was "exercising her right to free speech and we respect her right to do so."
Then, amid a deluge of angry emails from former students, the school sought to amend the comment.
"The University does not condone racism or bigotry in any form and we are deeply saddened when anyone makes such offensive statements," Riley told FoxNews.com Saturday.
Well, isn't that nice – defending what in anyone else would have been termed "hate speech". (What Dr. Grundy said can be seen here.) Obviously she thinks all of this is acceptable even if she is woefully wrong (in terms of history). Quite simply she's a "troll." Anyone of the opinion that's how she'll likely be in the classroom as well? Yeah, me too.
And then there's where she went after an apparent rape victim simply because she's white.
Ms. Grundy, a newly hired black sociology professor who recently apologized for tweeting that white males are a "problem population," is now accused of mercilessly mocking Meghan Chamberlin in a Facebook thread on Feb. 25, Fox News reported.
The woman who wrote, "my name is *Sai*, but you can call me Dr. Grundy," posted the comments after Ms. Chamberlin took issue with an article on racism and sexism by The Grio that the Facebook thread had linked to, Fox News reported.
"I LITERALLY cry and lose sleep over this," Ms. Chamberlin wrote, adding she had been raped as a child, Fox reported. "What this article did was tell me that I'm not aloud [sic] to ask for help… Because I am a WHITE woman… So when I read this article… you do understand what that does to me, right? It kills me…"
"'I literally cry'…. While we literally die," replied the woman identified as Sai Grundy, using the same profile photo the Boston University professor used on tweets she acknowledged last week, Fox News reported.
"[T]ry this article. A white woman explaining this issue to other white women… who manages NOT to cry while doing it!" Ms. Grundy wrote.
Ms. Chamberlin responded: "No really. I got it. You can take your claws out, thanks."
To which Ms. Grundy exploded:
"THIS IS THE [expletive] I AM TALKING ABOUT. WHY DO YOU GET TO PLAY THE VICTIM EVERY TIME PEOPLE OF COLOR AND OUR ALLIES WANT TO POINT OUT RACISM. my CLAWS?? Do you see how you just took an issue that WASNT about you, MADE it about you, and NOW want to play the victim when I take the time to explain to you some [expletive] that is literally $82,000 below my pay grade? And then you promote your #whitegirltears like that's some badge you get to wear… YOU BENEFIT FROM RACISM. WE'RE EXPLAINING THAT TO YOU and you're vilifying my act of intellectual altruism by saying i stuck my "claws" into you?"
Ms. Chamberlin responded: "I am choosing to 'exit' this conversation. You don't know me. I don't know you. It's really as simple as that."
Ms. Grundy responded: "YOU DONT HAVE TO KNOW ME. what you SHOULD know is that you don't know more about this issue than marginalized women. And instead of entering this conversation with an iota of humility about that, you have made it a celebration of your false sense of victimization. now go cry somewhere. since that's what you do."
This is someone who is going to teach sociology to students? This is a person committed to "diversity" and learning? Given her Twitter tirade, what white student is going to bother taking her class?
Let's face it, she's a racist. And yeah, I don't buy this new definition that you have to have "power" and not be a "minority" to be racist. That's the usual leftist copout.
She's as racist as they come. She also indulges in hate speech. And she has every 1st Amendment right to do that, a right I defend completely.
However, the exercise of such a right in the manner in which she has exercised it has consequences. Far fewer students than might have taken her class will take it now. And many alumni are promising never to contribute another dollar to the school if she's employed there. Not only that, Boston U's reputation has taken a horrible hit.
Debora Tyler gets to the essence of Grundy's trolling and tirades:
Professor Saida Grundy recently introduced herself as a new faculty member at Boston University with a blast of obscene and abusive bigotry against a race and gender student group. A brief refresher in the psychology of scapegoating explains why she must be terminated: blaming a racial or gender group for social ills is an intransigent form of ignorance that blocks the capacity for complex problem solving. Isn't that capacity a quality required of professors?
The AP reported she made statements "critical" of white students. This is an example of AP leftwing bias. She did not make "critical statements." The hate she expressed is typical of classic scapegoating, paralleling the Nazi transference of blame against Jews. Professor Grundy characterized the entire group of white college males as a problem population. From her tweets: "white masculinity isn't a problem for america's colleges, white masculinity is THE problem for america's colleges… for the record, NO race outside of europeans had a system that made slavery a *personhood* instead of temporary condition." We can overlook her tweets' problematic capitalization and punctuation, but must Boston University students be forced to suffer her baneful and ill-informed opinions? Her assertion about the unique "personhood" of European slavery is particularly, and stunningly, ignorant.
Boston U. must be so proud …
What do people use their brains for today?!
A less sensational title would be "what the heck ever happened to critical thinking"?
The University of Colorado-Boulder would like students to inform on each other when they witness "bias incidents," by reporting the perpetrators and turning over all relevant information—including names, phone numbers, addresses, and university ID or Social Security Numbers—to the administration.
What counts as a bias incident is, as always, entirely subjective. An official who spoke with The College Fixclarified that "this in no way is meant to curtail free speech."
Say what? "This is in no way meant to curtail free speech"? I can't think of anything which would tend to chill it more than reporting something as arbitrary and subjective as a "bias incident" with name, phone number, address and SSAN to the administration, can you?
For the purposes of this protocol, a "bias-motivated incident" is any of the following:
- Discrimination — Occurs when an individual suffers an adverse consequence, on the basis of one or more of their protected classes.
- Harassment — Verbal or physical conduct that unreasonably interferes with an individual's work or academic performance or creates an intimidating or hostile work or educational or living environment. Examples may include, but are not limited to, epithets, images, slurs, jokes; electronic communication or other verbal, graphic or physical conduct.
- Acts of Intolerance — Conduct motivated by discriminatory bias or hatred toward other individuals or groups based on perceived or actual characteristics of race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation, or political philosophy or other attribute.
Good grief … why not spend your entire collegiate career pretending you're mute?!
But … and there is always a "but":
Nevertheless, the university's website encourages students to report each other for engaging in a broad range of constitutionally protected speech.
What a load.
What in the world do these people who "administer" colleges these days use for critical thinking. They may as well feed their brains to zombies for all the good they do them.


text:
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Edition: 11th
Author(s): Adams, W. Royce; Patterson, Becky
ISBN: 9780495802518 / Paperback / 1/27/2010
Marketplace Disclaimer:
Edition, Cover Design, etc may vary from the eCampus.com description. Please refer to the seller's comments before ordering. Marketplace sellers are required to ship by the end of the 5th business day. Items are not returnable to eCampus.com. Orders cannot be cancelled by eCampus.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Cape Horn
Posted 07 September 2011 - 03:38 AM
Posted 08 September 2011 - 06:58 PM
Have something special in store for the 40, now to see it through... keeping this one on the QT until it's done, been in the drawing phase for about 5 months but was too impatient to start a tank to do it with the 20.
Posted 10 September 2011 - 01:00 PM
Don't mind me!
Well %#%%, it doesn't let me do that. Someone help me get to 80 so I can show everyone what I did today
Edited by JoelRHale, 10 September 2011 - 01:01 PM.
Posted 10 September 2011 - 01:17 PM
Edit: woohoo!
Edited by JoelRHale, 10 September 2011 - 01:18 PM.
Posted 10 September 2011 - 01:19 PM
Gentlemen Prefer Cubes (May 2014 TOTM) RETIRED
NC12: Diary of an LA Tank (May 2012 TOTM) RETIRED
The Enchanted Forest: My 10g Macro tank: RETIRED
"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle" Marilyn Monroe
Posted 10 September 2011 - 01:27 PM
Double Vortech and Radion 60g Cube (Retired)
I Spy an Octopi (Retired)
My Micro Muse (Retired)
Criley's 20H (Retired)
Posted 10 September 2011 - 01:32 PM
The 20 looks great. Gonna miss it! I had the same goni a few years ago. My clownfish loved being hosted by it. It eventually faded on me. It's a great coral though, just not long lived for most, I think.
Thanks for the help
Yeah, it's back at the LFS now. I wanted to keep it really bad but after reading hosting clowns is detrimental to it's health and long term (+12 months) success is less than 10% I decided I didn't want to tempt it when I could get $45 in store credit towards my 40 upgrade. I'll miss the 20 too but once I get my special plan for the 40 done I think it will be worth it.
As for what I did today, I switched my 75 tank to a canister I've seeded for 3 months now and added a good chunk of the bioballs into it. I also cleaned the sump and all supplies I'll be using:
I'm amazed at how well it cleaned up! You wouldn't believe that I bought this system (sans the return pump) in 2002 would you?
Should have the tank Monday, and I will be using all new live sand. I will be using the T5 I have for now but will also buy a 36" 4x39 (I think that's the wattage) T5 and use *both* I want montis and I want them to get all the light they need. That's really all I can say about my plans
Looking good
Thanks bud, so is your tank!
Stay tuned folks, it's going to get fun (I hope).
Edited by JoelRHale, 10 September 2011 - 01:34 PM.
Posted 11 September 2011 - 10:56 AM
Gentlemen Prefer Cubes (May 2014 TOTM) RETIRED
NC12: Diary of an LA Tank (May 2012 TOTM) RETIRED
The Enchanted Forest: My 10g Macro tank: RETIRED
"We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle" Marilyn Monroe
Posted 11 September 2011 - 02:16 PM
Does anyone know if something like this and a maxijet 1200 would make a good ato set up? It will be installed in the sump so I don't care about looks, just effectiveness.
Posted 11 September 2011 - 02:31 PM
Posted 11 September 2011 - 07:15 PM
Tomorrow I'll also buy the live sand.
Tuesday I will stop at the chain LFS for reef crystals ($10 cheaper) and go to lowes and buy egg crate, krylon fusion matte black spray paint, PVC, super glue gel, a new 5 gallon bucket and possibly some hard foam and ato stuff.
The rest of the week will be forming a plan of action for the weekend of hard work ahead of me.
Fish suggestions, I need them. I want red. I want a Flame Angel but I am scared it will nip. I want a good show piece color so hawks are out and I don't think Gary Busey (six line) would play well with a flasher wrasse. if red won't work I will probably get a hammer/torch/frogspawn and get a pair occelaris clowns. They are nice but no where near the *pop* of a Flame Angel IMO.
Oh boy, am I excited for the next few days!
Edited by JoelRHale, 11 September 2011 - 07:19 PM.
Posted 12 September 2011 - 07:06 AM
Posted 12 September 2011 - 10:48 AM
Posted 12 September 2011 - 02:35 PM
Isn't it breathtaking!? the tank is in the garage because I want to rinse it out and paint the back but I picked it up, the stand, and 40lb of Bimini Live Sand (which I love way more than my Fiji pink, it is just as fine but it's got larger chunks in it, very nice look I feel).
Now tomorrow I get the other items on my list. My friend bailed on me and I was lucky my Dodge Caliber R/T held it all. It has a surprising amount of room I've found over the years.
I know this isn't a freshwater forum but I'd like to share a picture of my mbuna tank I also maintain:
These guys are a joy to keep as well.
Oh boy, am I excited for this to start taking shape!
Edited by JoelRHale, 12 September 2011 - 02:57 PM.
Posted 12 September 2011 - 02:53 PM
Transfer soon so I can monitor your progress of the 4x39w over the 40b!
Posted 12 September 2011 - 03:04 PM
Posted 12 September 2011 - 03:07 PM
Most of the fixtures that are 36" long are probably super overpriced
Posted 12 September 2011 - 03:17 PM
Posted 12 September 2011 - 03:21 PM
Posted 13 September 2011 - 06:03 AM
I love these dimensions, it's the closest thing to a shallow I can get without spending an arm and a leg (but aquariums are so few around here I even had to special order this tank! Even then they weren't sure they could get it.
Can't wait to get started on this project.
Can anyone with led knowledge tell me if this is a good kit? I would be getting two of them. Would this be enough light/par for SPS? I'm also abandoning chaeto I think. I want macro but I'd like to incorporate them into the display and do away with a refugium. I've kept mandarins before and I don't want them again so there's no real need for culturing pods. I might put some mangroves in the sump.
Posted 13 September 2011 - 12:50 PM
The the plans for this evening will be to get the tank painted and on the stand tonight.
Posted 13 September 2011 - 03:32 PM
I've put 3 coats on but instead of leaving it out or carrying it, getting paint all over, I came up with an interesting idea that might help someone else:
I used a piece of glass from my failed 55 DIY to protect the face of the tank. It worked very well. Planning on covering the back with a single piece of cardboard to protect the back from chipping (the 20 has chipped a little). I will post a picture of it all together on the stand around 10, I'm letting the paint dry now. The can says it drys to the touch in 15 minutes (my spacing of coats) and is pretty much dry in 1-2 hours. This is the third tank I've painted and in my experience with that brand of paint is that it is pretty accurate times.
Edited by JoelRHale, 13 September 2011 - 03:33 PM.
Posted 13 September 2011 - 03:50 PM
Posted 13 September 2011 - 04:29 PM
I was trying to find something something with wheels that was basically flat and that's all I could find. Bah! I want this tank to be dry so I can put in on the stand naow!
Posted 13 September 2011 - 05:16 PM
Edited by JoelRHale, 14 September 2011 - 06:05 AM.


text:
Liverpool Message Board
Big game tonight Rafa
Tonight could be Fatboys swansong. He's guaranteed fourth and this match tonight will show to all the rafa supporters what he can do against one of our main rivals. The fact that we are fighting for fourth (and on results dont look like we will make) isn't proof enough for all of them to see what a mess he is making. I dont have hope. I was hoping his guarantee would mean he would go at the end of the season but his latest statment about having a better squad now than when he started just shows he is deluded. He has to go.Sort: Newest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies
Well, I guess that's shut you up, huh?
Have a look at the squad he inherited, it was shocking that we managed to wangle a CL trophey out of them.
- 1 Reply to eloader
Definitely and they were ageing too.
Not that much of a big game now. Gillette says the form is a blip and that Rafa is one of the top 5 managers in the world.
- 2 Replies to Mysteron
MYSTERON...and Gilette is one of the TOP FIVE IMBECILES IN THE WORLD !!!
The Ridster The Ridster Jan 20, 2010 20:47 Flag
No..Gillette actually said he's in the top 5 of Spanish restaurant managers in the world. There's a huge difference!!


text:
Win tickets to see Low at the Varsity this weekend
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Get ready for action with the Lalaloopsy Dyna Might Doll.
Sewn from a Super Hero's cape, Dyna Might is a fearless Lalaloopsy who's always there to save the day.
This 33cm tall doll loves flying, wearing disguises and fighting crime alongside her trusty raccoon sidekick.
Rated 5 out of 5 by 5 reviewers.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Verified Reviewer Lalaloopsy My little girl loves lalaloopsy and when she saw this one as a superhero then it meant I didn't have to buy Spider-Man or superman for her christmas! 13 December 2013
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Rated 5 out of 5 by Pickupjax Finally a super hero doll for girls My daughter loves this doll. I gave it to her before she went in for surgery to help her feel more secure. She took it with her to the hospital and continues to come up with super scenarios at home. The nurses loved it as well. 09 February 2013
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3 years, 7 months ago
- Chester
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A:If you click the button marked "Email me when in stock", you'll recieve an email when she's available to buy.
Age: 8 and over
Gender: Male
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- The Entertainer(read all my Q&A)
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You've reached a sold out collectible that is no longer available.
Part Man. Part Machine. All Cop. From the 1987 classic, RoboCop, Sideshow Collectibles is proud to introduce Hot Toys' RoboCop MMS Diecast Sixth Scale Figure. The newest addition to Hot Toys MMS Diecast series is specially designed with diecast material for greater realism. The MMS Diecast series brings fans a higher level of authenticity, focusing on materials, fine details and engineering.
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The RoboCop Sixth Scale Figure features:
Size and weight are approximate values.
Learn more »
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After much deliberation, Robocop became my first Hot Toy collectible. He is currently on duty at my office as my official business card holder, a position that he carries out with the utmost, cold-hearted professionalism.
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I was 10 years old when I saw Robocop and he immediately became one of my all time favorite cyborgs. This figure is the best representation of him I've ever seen! Precision work and the articulating hands are a great feature. Looks awesome with ED-209 ;)
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Got this amazing, excellent figure On Wednesday, and wow! One of my all time favorite characters, next to Keaton Bats, from the original movie, brought to life! I'm a kid all over again! Do not miss getting him!Hot Toys did an outstanding job, Cannot wait for BD/Murphy set!
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For me, Michael Keaton Batman was the holy grail...this is now my favorite. He is heavy, the diecast is great on him. The sound effects are perfect. He has awesome flexibility too. Most articulated Robocop ever. A must have for a true Robocop Fan!! 0 Complaints
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From the beautiful box he comes in, to all the accessories he comes with, this is THE Robocop figure to own for any fan! Very movie accurate, this is truly a masterpiece by itself or with Ed-209. His leg even opens up revealing his holster for his weapon! Don't hesitate to get him by he sells out.
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B.R. La


text:
Ileana D'cruz strips for a lift
- published: 09 Jun 2015
- views: 571821
Click here for Full Movie ☛ http://bit.ly/HappyEndingFullMovie Ileana D\'cruz & Saif Ali Khan are stranded on the highway after the car skids. While they wait for the repair van, the duo have a ball posing sexily on the highway in search of lifts. To watch more log on to http://www.erosnow.com For all the updates on our movies and more: https://twitter.com/#!/ErosNow https://www.facebook.com/ErosNow https://plus.google.com/+erosentertainment http://www.dailymotion.com/ErosNow...


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Throwing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Birthday party? Well then these fun magnets will make for the perfect party favor. These are small round green metal magnets that feature a series of ninja weapons on it. In addition, they can all be customized with your guests name on it directly on the site.
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The Icelandic government, two Icelandic municipal authorities and the EFLA engineering company signed a memorandum of understanding to promote the creation of a new port in the northeast corner of Iceland.
SSA Marine's Oakland International Container Terminal will make appointments mandatory for the majority of containerized import pick-ups in order to shorten lines at terminal gates and speed up cargo delivery to customers.
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Strong language is often needed to advocate for a position, but now that progress is being made on container weight verification, people should choose their words more carefully.


text:
Iomega Adds Surveillance to ix2 Network Storage
Iomega is beginning to ship its StorCenter ix2 Network Storage, a two-bay desktop device designed for content sharing, cloud computing and video surveillance.
With a price of $199 for the diskless model, the ix2 can scale up to 6TB. That configuration is priced at $699, while separate drives sell for about $100 per terabyte.
Although the ix2 performs many of the features expected in a connected storage device – RAID 1 protection; automatic setup of Iomega's QuikProtected backup software for PCs and Macs; Personal Cloud for sharing, protecting and access data from anywhere; and Native Time Machine support, to name a few – Iomega is pushing the unit's video surveillance capabilities as its differentiator.
While the device is aimed at providing enterprise-like performance to small- and medium-size businesses, the video surveillance features also make it suitable for consumers looking to bring a cost-effective, feature rich solution to the home. It has built-in support for up to five universal-plug-and-play (UPnP) network camers by Axis, Bosch and Panasonic.
Users can also download MindTree's SecureMind video management software, which includes one free camera license ($29 for each additional license). The software enables the user to control the focal length and resolution of individual cameras, set up an activation schedule for each camera, and switch from live view to recording mode, among other features.
"We look at this as a new opportunity for prosumers," said Marc Tanguay, Iomega's senior product manager. "It's an early technology for consumers but it's one that will eventually reach the mainstream. We're on the front end of the curve."


text:
What's New
Optimised Facebook login for iOS9.
Added Facebook Ad Choices information.
Fixed bug where game would ask to be rated multiple times.
General bug fixes and optimisation.
App Description
Power up your knowledge in QuizTix the collectable quiz game.
Answer questions to win Tix and fill the venue with colourful characters. Power your way to trivia glory by answering fascinating questions across a variety of categories.
Collect bonuses, complete daily challenges and unlock achievements.
Complete a block of seats to spin the wheel and win bonus Quiz Fizz and power-ups.
Who has the biggest audience? Log in and compare your progress with your friends. Be the king of the leaderboards and build up your Tix across all games.
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Browsing ETD@PUK by Subject "Kaizen"
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Critical evaluation of the theory of constraints lean six sigma continuous improvement management approach / Rojanette van Tonder. (North-West University, 2011)Three methodologies are associated with production optimisation, namely, Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean and Six Sigma – and each boasts with a number of success stories. This dissertation addresses the possibility of ...


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The hexagonal ceiling of the East Pharos, adjacent to St Mary-in-Castro in the grounds of Dover Castle, with the west internal wall at the bottom. Netting can be seen, highlighted by sunlight, suspended between the ground and first floors.
Although the East or Castle Pharos is an hexagonal tower it has a square interior whose walls are some ten feet thick at ground level.
The photo was taken from the small stage partially protruding into the Pharos from its East Entrance. This entrance is a couple of feet higher than ground level and accounts for the 'offset' whereby more of the west wall can be seen than the east wall.
Standard Info
The English Heritage webpage entry for the Roman Pharos states:
[The Pharos is a] Roman lighthouse, one of a pair constructed during the reign of Emperor Claudius in AD 46 on the headland flanking either side of the major Roman port of Dubris. The lighthouse survives within Dover Castle and comprises an octagonal stepped tower approximately 19 metres and four storeys high. The fourth storey was reconstructed between 1415 and 1437 when the lighthouse had been adapted for use as a belfry to the church of St Mary-Sub-Castro [St Mary-in-Castro]. The original design of the top of the lighthouse has been destroyed by these alterations, making its functionality unclear. It is thought that both lighthouses were used during fine weather as sea-marks in guiding vessels into the harbour. At night this role would have augmented by fire-lit braziers situated at the top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse may have also been used as a smoke beacon during certain weather and visibility conditions. Another possible role is as a signal tower. Medieval and later alterations within the immediate locality of the lighthouse have removed any possible evidence of structures associated with the running of the lighthouse. Changes to the lighthouse took place in 1582 when it was converted into a gunpowder magazine.
It is interesting to note the construction date of 46 AD because other sources give the "second half of the first century", or "between 100 - 200 AD", and some even later! The English Heritage date also agrees with that indicated in "The History of the Castle, Town and Port of Dover" by Reverend S. P. H. Statham, Rector of St Mary-in-the-Castle (Longmans, Green, and Co., 1899):
We have no hesitation in ascribing the erection of these two towers (Pharos and Bredenstone) to the days of Aulus Plautius, and in believing them to be the earliest permanent Roman work executed in this country. [Page 221]
Aulus Plautius led the Roman conquest of Britain in 43 AD, and became the first governor of the new province, serving from 43 to 47 AD. The Reverend Statham also states:
In the days of Edward I, and as late as Elizabeth [ie Elizabeth I] the Pharos is spoken of as the Tower of Julius Caesar. In the reign of Henry III, if not earlier, it was converted into a bell tower for the church (ie St Mary-in-Castro), and the date given by Lyon* (1259) for the flint casing is probably right. [Page 213]
*The University of Kent at Canterbury has the following entry in its Local History Collection:
Lyon, J
The history of the town and port of Dover and of Dover Castle, with a short account of the Cinque Ports, 2 v , Printed by Ledger & Shaw for the author, 1813-14.
Except for the possible exception for the height given (most other sources say 14 instead of 19m), the English Heritage site seems the most accurate source to quote and will be used in the "Standard Info" for all Pharos photos.
The West Pharos/Bredenstone is located in the Drop Redoubt on the Western Heights.
New photos will be uploaded all of the time - check the "Pharos" tag on the right for recent additions.
Click to see the Roman Ruins of the Classis Britannica Fort and Saxon Shore Fort at Dover photo.
Photo taken in Dover, Kent, UK
Dover Castle


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Last Match
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- Watch Ronaldo is 'almost perfect' - Carvalho
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- Watch South America's World Cup qualifiers
- Watch Di Maria set to sign for Man Utd
- Watch The best World Cup memes
- Watch Messi needs to step up - Lineker
- Watch Score first, stop Messi - Van Gaal
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- Watch River Plate regain Argentine title
Features & Analysis
Off to Russia - via London and Manchester
Argentina will use friendlies in England as preparation for the 2018 World Cup - with Carlos Tevez's place in the team on the agenda.
Di Maria can thrive as star man
After Manchester United sign Angel Di Maria for £59.7m, Tim Vickery says the Argentine will thrive on being the main attraction.
Gotze goal a fitting finale to memorable World Cup
Germany were worthy World Cup winners at the end of a vibrant tournament, says chief football writer Phil McNulty.
A final of joy, despair and Brazilian relief
Argentina fans took over Rio but Germany helped Brazil escape their worst nightmare in a World Cup final to remember.
World Cup final: Player ratings
Which Germany player impressed with his high-tempo work-rate, and how will Lionel Messi's final contribution be remembered?
The 'little boss' comes to Argentina's rescue
Midfielder Javier Mascherano has made up for Argentina's 'fantastic four' failing to shine at the World Cup, says Tim Vickery.
Meet the finalists: Germany and Argentina
BBC Sport profiles the 22 players starting the World Cup final between Germany and Argentina.
From Bramall Lane to Brazil: Argentina's low-key leader
A pioneer when he signed for Sheffield United in 1978, Alejandro Sabella is now charged with bringing World Cup glory back to Argentina.
How nerveless Argentina crushed the Dutch dream
Penalty by penalty, BBC Sport pundits analyse a semi-final shootout which set up a World Cup final between Argentina and Germany.
Phil McNulty's guide to the World Cup semi-finals
How do the teams compare? Which will be the deciding factors? Who will win? Our chief football writer tells you all you need to know.
'Echoes of Maradona as Messi shines brightest'
"Still standing, still sparkling, Lionel Messi is within two victories of cementing his status as one of the greatest of all time."
Argentina Stats
World Cup Goal Scorers
- Messi 4
- Di María 1
- Higuaín 1
- Rojo 1
Argentina Squad
- Andújar
- Guzmán
- Romero
- Maidana
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- Di María
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- Biglia
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- Higuaín
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- Messi closes in on Batistuta record
- Messi inspires Argentina win over Chile
- Afghan boy bags real Messi shirt - finally
- Messi's 'biggest fan' probably not in Dohuk
- Homophobic chants lead to Fifa fines
- Maradona has second gastric bypass
- Argentina v Brazil off after rain
- Neymar back to face Argentina
- Argentina 0-0 Chile (1-4 on pens)
- Argentina 6-1 Paraguay
- Paraguay win bonus is... a truck?
- Argentina 0-0 Colombia (5-4 pens)
- Podcast: 5 live Football Daily


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Jean Ritchie, Appalachian balladeer and folklorist, sang with a high lonesome sound that ranged from dulcet to doleful—a sound ornamented with trills and quivers in the "good old way" of her Kentucky forebears. Ms. Ritchie died Monday at the age of 92. Read more
Tag Archives: Florida Folklife Collection
Zora Neale Hurston
Today we are highlighting Zora Neale Hurston and her contributions to the Federal Writers' Project in Florida. Make sure to check out Hurston's audio recordings below and the new Zora Neale Hurston podcast.
Zora Neale Hurston was an African-American novelist and accomplished anthropologist whose rich literary work has inspired generations of readers. By 1938, she had already published Jonah's Gourd Vine, Mules and Men and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Despite her reputation as a writer, there exists another side to Hurston's career. In 1938 and 1939, during the Great Depression, Hurston worked as a folklorist and contributor to the Florida division of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP), part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Through her work with the FWP, Hurston captured stories, songs, traditions and histories from African-Americans in small communities across Florida, whose stories often failed to make it into the histories of that time period.
The Works Progress Administration – after 1939, the Works Projects Administration – was a work-relief program created in 1935 by the Franklin Roosevelt administration. It had employed over 8.5 million people by its demise in 1943. One of its programs was the (FWP), which included a folklore section. The staff conducted fieldwork and recorded songs, traditions, and stories across the nation.
In 1939, Hurston went to a turpentine camp near Cross City in Dixie County, Florida, to find candidates for recording interviews, songs and life histories of interesting everyday people. Hurston's essay, "Turpentine," traced her travels through the pine forests with an African-American "woods rider" named John McFarlin. Her work on Florida's turpentine camps is still considered authoritative. Back in Jacksonville, Hurston's final major contribution to the Florida FWP was to arrange a recording session at the Clara White Mission. The African-American participants told stories and sang or chanted traditional music. Hurston also sang 18 songs herself, mostly work songs and folk songs.
"Dat Old Black Gal" is a railroad spiking song that Hurston learned near Miami from Max Ford, the singing liner on the construction crew. Workers would hammer the spikes securing the rails to their cross-ties in rhythm with the song.
Dat Old Black Gal
Download: MP3
Next is a juke song that Hurston learned on the East coast of Florida. She sings "Halimuhfack," then describes her process for learning songs.
Download: MP3
Hurston sings "Let the Deal Go Down," a gambling song she collected at the Bostwick turpentine still near Palatka, Florida. The men sang the song while playing the card game called George Skin, "the most favorite gambling game among the workers of the South."
Let the Deal Go Down
Download: MP3
"Let's Shake It," is a track-lining chant that Hurston learned at a railroad camp in Callahan, Florida.
Let's Shake It
Download: MP3
The track-lining rhythm, "Mule on the Mountain," was the most widely-distributed work song in the United States. Zora Neale Hurston originally learned the song from George Thomas in Eatonville, Florida.
Mule on the Mountain
Download: MP3
The railroad lining rhythm, "Shove It Over," which was generally distributed throughout Florida. Hurston learned the song from Charlie Jones on a railroad construction camp near Lakeland, Florida, in 1933.
Shove It Over
Download: MP3
"Wake Up Jacob," was sung to wake up the workers in a big work camp. Hurston learned it at a sawmill in Polk County.
Wake Up Jacob
Download: MP3
For more information about Zora Neale Hurston:
Zora Neale Hurston, the WPA in Florida, and the Cross City Turpentine Camp (Educational Unit)
Preserving the Sounds of the Sunshine State
Today, we are highlighting one of the State Archives' exciting endeavors: audio digitization.
Since 2003 the State Archives has digitized thousands of audio recordings in the Florida Folklife Collection. The goal of this effort is to preserve Florida's folk culture and make it accessible to educators, researchers, and Florida folk enthusiasts around the world. The Collection includes interviews, field recordings and performances gathered by folklorists from the Florida Folklife Program and recordings from the Florida Folk Festival dating back to 1954.
Audio recording formats in the Folklife Collection consist of reel-to-reel tapes, cassette tapes, digital audio tapes (DATS), compact discs (CDs), and digital audio files. They are kept in a temperature and humidity controlled environment in the Archives' stacks to minimize deterioration.
To bring you these recordings, the original source materials must be transferred from their analog medium to a digital file. This process requires legacy audio equipment, like reel-to-reel tape machines and cassette decks, to play the audio recordings, and new digital technology, such as analog-to-digital converters, high quality sound cards, and audio computer software to capture the sound digitally.
The resulting digital audio file is an uncompressed 96 khz 24 bit WAV file. This file specification is a national archival standard, chosen for its ability to capture all frequencies in the human hearing range.
These high quality files are called "preservation masters" and are stored without undergoing any editing whatsoever. The idea is to preserve all sonic qualities (good and bad) of the original recording. Some recordings undergo minor editing for listenability when making access copies (e.g. CDs) for users, and mp3 versions for the Florida Memory website and Florida Memory Radio.
For more information about digitization at the State Archives of Florida, check out our Digitization Guidelines.
William "Washboard Bill" Cooke
Washboard Bill was born in Dupont, Florida on July 4, 1905. He was known as a percussionist, rooted in the minstrel tradition, as well as a captivating storyteller. During much of Cooke's childhood, his mother operated a juke joint in Dupont. The young Cooke would secretly stay up past his bedtime listening to the music emanating from his mother's establishment. These experiences shaped Cooke's interest in music, and greatly influenced his rhythmic style later on in life.
At age six, Cooke began working for a local sawmill, making 25 cents per day, after his mother fell on hard financial times. In 1916, Mrs. Cooke closed her juke joint, and sent her children to live on their grandfather's farm in Sanford, Florida. As times grew tougher and the Great Depression set in, Cooke grew weary of his life on the farm, and decided to leave home. For ten years, he led the life of a hobo, traveling by train all over the East Coast.
Although Cooke spent the majority of his younger years traveling outside of Florida, he still maintained a connection with the state, generally spending his winters in West Palm Beach. Between 1947 and 1963, he performed with a group called the West Palm Beach Washboard Band. They played in venues everywhere from the streets to the estates of the Rockefellers and Kennedys. In 1956, he recorded Washboard Country Band with Sonny Terry and folk legend Pete Seeger. Cooke moved to West Palm Beach permanently in 1973. He performed in Florida and throughout the country until his death in 2003. For his musical and historical contributions, Cooke received the Florida Folk Heritage Award in 1992.
In 1988, Cooke recited a personal narrative, A Hobo's Birthday, for the Palm Beach County Folk Arts in Education Project, conducted by the Florida Folklife Program. Cooke's story offers a fascinating account of life as a hobo during the Great Depression. His travels and experiences give the listener a vivid portrayal of transient life on the railroad tracks, and of the character Washboard Bill.
Podcast: A Hobo's Birthday by William "Washboard Bill" Cooke
Download: MP3
For more information, please see:
Interview with Washboard Bill Cooke (and) Washboard Bill Cooke story: A Hobo's Birthday
Tom Gaskins: Ol' Barefoot
Tom Gaskins (1909 – 1998) spent most of his life trudging through the swamps of Fisheating Creek near Palmdale, Florida. He was a man of ideas and regarded as a salt-of-the-earth character. Gaskins owned the Cypress Knee Museum in Palmdale where he collected and sold cypress knees as decorations, furniture, and other useful items. His knowledge of cypress knees and swamp life was legendary. His friends referred to him as "Ol' Barefoot," as he never wore shoes except when paying his respects at a funeral.
The Cypress Knee Museum opened in the 1930s when Gaskins fashioned an extra-large cypress knee into a roadside sign to lure tourists to his collection. The museum remained open until 2000 (2 years after Gaskins' death) when the property was burglarized and most of the collection stolen.
Gaskins was also an inventor. He held over a dozen patents, including the Tom Gaskin's Turkey Call that is still manufactured and sold today.
The State Archives of Florida is not the only organization that has taken an interest in Mr. Gaskins. Over the years he was featured in stories by the LA Times, Sun Sentinel, Mechanix Illustrated, Popular Science, Chicago Tribune, and was even a guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Gaskins received the Florida Folk Heritage Award in 1988. His fascinating work and personality piqued the interest of those lucky enough to cross his path; just like travelers going down US 27 in South Florida who stopped by to see "Ol' Barefoot."
In 1987, Tom Gaskins was interviewed by the Florida Folklife Program. Below are two excerpts:
Excerpt 1: Tom Gaskins explains the origins of hollow cypress knees
Download: MP3
Excerpt 2: Tom Gaskins talks about the turkey call he invented
Download: MP3
More Information: Catalog Record
Blues Pianist Alexander McBride
The latest podcast from the State Archives of Florida highlights the life and music of blues pianist Alexander McBride.
Born in Jacksonville in 1913, McBride grew up in a household where gospel music was always in the air. His mother owned a piano, which she used strictly for spiritual music. Interestingly, McBride learned to play the piano from his mother, though she didn't teach him herself. As a young boy, he recalled watching his mother practice. When she left, he would rush to the piano, replicating his mother's technique. Once she heard her son's talent, she began training and encouraging him to play at their local church.
Unbeknownst to his family, McBride became fond of blues music, which was banned in their home and church. That didn't stop McBride. He would sneak out of the house and visit local juke joints to experience blues music, and before long, as a young teenager, he was playing local clubs and house parties. As an adult, he traveled around the Southeast, as well as to Chicago, playing primarily African American venues. In time, he earned the stage name "Piano Slim."
Like fellow Florida native, and piano player, Ray Charles, McBride's playing embodied both sacred and secular music. Both artists incorporated aspects of gospel into their blues, jazz, and R&B music to give their songs more profound emotional power. In the recordings selected for this podcast, McBride performs a moving rendition of Georgia on My Mind, made famous by Ray Charles. You will also hear McBride's range of musical talent in Jazz Boogie, as he incorporates jazz and boogie-woogie into his repertoire.
McBride died in 1999, but he lived to see recognition for his contributions to Florida folk music. In 1997, he was presented the Florida Folk Heritage Award. McBride had a proactive desire to share his knowledge and talent by teaching and inspiring others. He participated in the Duval County Folklife in Education Program for 10 years by playing the piano for children in Duval County Public Schools.
Alexander McBride Podcast
Download: MP3
For More Information:
Catalog record: Sunday performances at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage) (Tape 5)
Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources: 1997 Florida Folk Heritage Award
Folklife Collection Spotlighted in National Study
The State Archives' Florida Folklife Collection is among the projects featured in a new sustainability study focusing on digitization. The study, conducted by Nancy Moran of Ithaka S+R, in partnership with the Association of Research Libraries, details the history of the Folklife Collection and the ongoing efforts by the State Archives to make materials from the collection accessible via the Florida Memory website.
The Florida Folklife Collection is one of the largest and most diverse collections held by the State Archives of Florida. Approximately 5,000 sound recordings and 46,000 photographs from the collection have been cataloged. Of these, over 2,000 sound recordings and nearly 14,000 photographs are available on the Florida Memory website. The Folklife Collection provides a remarkable window into the traditional cultures of Florida's native and immigrant populations. Materials in the collection, gathered by folklorists working for the Florida Bureau of Folklife Programs, speak to, among other things, religion, food, music, art, immigration, story telling, and labor in Florida history.
Boat Captain Skipper Lockett Welcomes You to Rainbow Springs
Download: MP3
Download "Searching for Sustainability: Strategies from Eight Digitized Special Collections," which places the Folklife Collection in the context of other national projects, and the case study, which focuses solely on the history and ongoing efforts to sustain digitization of the Florida Folklife Collection.
An Old Time Florida Fiddler
Our latest podcast features music and tall tales from Florida fiddler and story teller Richard Seaman (1904-2002).
Seaman was born on an orange grove in Kissimmee, Florida. While attending community gatherings as a young boy, he listened to local fiddlers as people square danced into the night. These experiences motivated him to pick up the fiddle and learn the craft. This environment was also conducive to the telling of "tall tales," which Seaman later recounted and delivered to captivated audiences with an intuitive flair.
Over the years, Seaman developed a repertoire of fiddle tunes that included waltzes and western swing, but the "old time" hoedown tunes he learned as a young man exemplify his contribution to the regional heritage of Florida fiddle playing. Folklorist Gregory Hansen notes that Seaman's fiddle tunes have influenced fiddlers from Florida and beyond, and even the genre of bluegrass music that this "old time" style of playing precedes.
In his early years of fiddle playing, Seaman moved to Jacksonville, where he performed in several bands, including the Melody Makers and the string band South Land Trail Riders. He and the Melody Makers also had a weekly radio program on WJAX. In 1955, Seaman put his fiddle down and didn't pick it up again for more than 30 years until he met banjoist/guitarist Jack Piccalo. The two began to play together at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, and continued to do so regularly until Seaman's death in 2002.
Fiddle tunes were not Seaman's only contribution to the Florida Folk Festival. He also recited "tall tales" to eager audiences on the Story Telling Stage. What made Seaman's stories engaging was his ability to weave reality and fantasy together, always framing the narrative with a plausible scenario, and resolving it with "a whopper." As Hansen points out, there is truth in Seaman's fictitious tales as he conveys, "the daily activities that form important components of his life experience," and in a greater sense, shared his vision of folklife in Florida.
In 2001, Seaman was recognized for his longstanding contribution to the folk culture of Florida when he received the Florida Folk Heritage Award at 96 years old.
This podcast highlights two performances by Seaman from the Florida Folk Festival. The first features Seaman's fiddle playing, partnered with Jack Piccalo's guitar, from the 1993 festival. In the second performance, we will hear an excerpt from Seaman's "tall tales" told from the Story Telling Stage at the 1992 festival.
Richard Seaman Podcast
Download: MP3
For more information, see: Catalog Record for Fiddle Performance; Catalog Record for Story Telling Performance; Gregory Hansen, A Florida Fiddler: The Life and Times of Richard Seaman (University of Alabama Press, 2007); Gregory Hansen, "Richard Seaman's Presence within Florida's Soundscape," in The Florida Folklife Reader, edited by Tina Bucuvalas (University Press of Mississippi, 2012).
November is Native American Heritage Month
The State Library and Archives of Florida provides access to a multitude of published and unpublished resources for the study of Native American history and culture. In recognition of Native American Heritage Month, this series highlights materials in the collection that speak to the past and ongoing influence of Native peoples in Florida history.
One of the unique resources held by the State Archives is the Florida Folklife Collection. State folklorists and the Seminole Tribe of Florida collaborated on several initiatives that produced a wealth of documentation on modern Seminole culture.
For example, the Seminole Slide and Tape Project, conducted in the early 1980s, resulted in a number of interviews and photographs documenting traditional arts and crafts. Other projects, such as the Seminole Video Project, yielded additional ethnographic materials used to educate Floridians about Seminole history and culture.
Some of the interviews gathered during the slide and tape project, facilitated by Seminole interpreters, feature informants speaking Muskogee (Creek) or Hitchiti (Mikasuki), indigenous languages spoken by members of the Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes in Florida.
In addition to formal interviews, the Florida Folklife Collection also contains sound recordings of Seminole musicians and storytellers who appeared at the Florida Folk Festival in White Springs, from the 1950s to the early 2000s. Prominent Seminole leaders, such as James Billie and Betty Mae Jumper, regularly participated in the festival.
"Back to the Swamp," by James Billie
Download: MP3
Stay tuned for more posts on Native Americans in Florida history, featuring original and published materials held by the State Library and Archives of Florida.
Jibaro Puertorriqueño
Florida is home to immigrants from across Latin America and the Caribbean. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), this series of blog posts features music brought to Florida from throughout the Hispanic world.
Today we're highlighting Puerto Rican jibaro music. The term jibaro originally referred to Puerto Ricans from the interior mountainous regions of the country. Overtime jibaro became more of a general term for the rural population of Puerto Rico.
In 1986, Jorge Lopez and the band Lena Verde (Angelo Hernandez, Alejandro Santiago, and Angelo Rosario) performed this traditional style of Puerto Rican music at the first annual South Florida Folk Festival.
La Plena
Download: MP3
More Information: Catalog Record


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|Minecraft (Public) Build it and they will come
|Thread Tools
|14th March 2011, 12:57 AM
|#1 (permalink)
Arena shenanigans
OK... well... since Bazz seems to think I'm the new entertainment coordinator :P and after Thermal, Sorontar and I were discussing it the other day, I figured I'd put this out there...
So... I propose we start up some fun games the TOGosseum.... Perhaps we could award prizes - like some diamonds or other goodies for the winners....
I would propose that for all of these, players take in no armour or possessions, and are given the things they need (a couple of swords, bows/arrows etc.) upon entering, so that everyone has the same.
|14th March 2011, 11:11 AM
|#5 (permalink)
But first we need to get some practise at some basic scenarios. An open field first then and a field with a couple of small walls to hide behind. And sword or fist only, no archery or armour. Perhaps everyone starts with nothing but have various chests around the field with the selected weapon in them. So you have to race to get a weapon as well. Perhaps for future challenges the organisers can put arrows in chests so combatants can restock during the battle.
Ultimately, the scenario is up to whoever is organising the challenge. All they need to do is make sure that at the end, everything is returned to its original state.
|Thread Tools


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Bears coach praises OU
"Oklahoma is good at what they do. You could sense that last week when they made a good TCU team look pretty normal." — Baylor coach Art Briles "We feel that we are good and we just try to prove that to anyone that we play. So we were very surprised that they jumped out on us like that." — Baylor running back Jay Finley "After the game, we have to forget about it. It's over. You can't go back in time and play the game again. You might as well forget about it, fix the mistakes and move on." — Baylor QB Robert Griffin


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