text:
Error-riddled ˜Superfreakonomics, Part 2: Who else have Nathan Myhrvold and the Groupthinkers at Intellectual Ventures duped and confused? Would you believe Bill Gates and Warren Buffett?
UPDATE: For an even bigger shocker, read Myhrvold's "rebuttal," which actually endorses my main critique (!): Nathan Myhrvold jumps the shark "" and jumps ship on Levitt and Dubner (on their blog!) asserting: "Geoengineering is proposed only as a last resort to try to reduce or cope with the even greater harms of global warming! "¦ The point of the chapter in SuperFreakonomics is that geoengineering might be good insurance in case we don't get global warming under control." Did he even read the book?
This post will shock you.
The sheer illogic and "patent nonsense" of the new book Superfreakonomics discussed in Part 1 is just the tip of the iceberg. What's most worrisome is 1) who exactly has been peddling much of the nonsense and illogic to the authors — Nathan Myhrvold, the former CTO of Microsoft — and 2) who else may have been persuaded by his bullshit. The Myrhvold connection deserves special focus because it may help explain three puzzling things:
- Why does Bill Gates' Foundation mostly ignore global warming? (see here)
- Why is Warren Buffett so wrong — and outspoken — about cap and trade? (see here)
- Why did Gates and Buffett visit the Athabasca tar sands — the biggest global warming crime ever — to satisfy "their own curiosity" but also "with investment in mind"? (see here).
According to the Superfreaks, Gates and Buffett went to the visit the tar sands (and other energy producers) with Myrhvold, giving him plenty of time to spread his misinformation to them. Moreover, the idea Myrhvold came away is simply stunning.
And yes, one always needs the caveat, "according to Levitt and Dubner," because their reporting skills are so dreadful — they shoehorn everything they hear into whatever contrarian view they had decided to adopt. You shouldn't take anything they say at face value. As we've seen, the primary climatologist the book relies on, Ken Caldeira, says "it is an inaccurate portrayal of me" and is "misleading" in "many" places. But I have reason to believe Myrhvold was given a draft to comment on — and if so, he was a willing participant in the defamation of his own reputation and that of his company "Intellectual Ventures." Apparently, he really does push this piece of staggering illogic:
"If you believe that the scary stories could be true, or even possible, then you should also admit that relying only on reducing carbon-dioxide emissions is not a very good answer," he says. In other words: it's illogical to believe in a carbon-induced warming apocalypse and believe that such an apocalypse can be averted simply by curtailing new carbon emissions. "The scary scenarios could occur even if we make Herculean efforts to reduce our emissions, in which case the only real answer is geo-engineering."
As I said in Part 1, not only is it not illogical, but I suspect most of the world's leading climate scientists believe that if you could curtail all new carbon emissions (including from deforestation) starting now (or even starting soon), you would indeed avoid apocaplyse. In fact, as Caldeira makes clear, the reverse of Myrhvold's final statement is true: ONLY if we make Herculean efforts to reduce our emissions, could geo-engineering possibly contribute to the solution.
Note also that this certainty about something completely unproven (i.e. large-scale aerosol-based geo-engineering), comes from a guy who seriously questions the real science of human-caused climate change. The Superfreaks describe their visit to IV this way:
Everyone in the room agrees that the Earth has been getting warmer and they generally suspect that human activity has something to do with it.
Good for them! So they think maybe human emissions cause some of the warming, but that it's illogical to believe Herculean efforts to reduce emissions can avoid catastrophe, while we can be certain that geo-engineering will work (if it's needed of course). How convenient.
As discussed in Part 1, however, absent the Herculean effort, geoengineering is all but hopeless and leads to "a dystopic world out of a science fiction story" as Caldeira described it to me. Myhrvold and the geniuses groupthinkers at IV, however, dismiss all of the solutions:
In the darkened conference room, Myhrvold cues up an overhead slide that summarizes IV's views of the current slate of proposed global warming solutions. The slide says:
- Too little
- Too late
- Too optimistic.
Too little means that typical conservation efforts simply won't make much of a difference. "If you believe there is a problem worth solving," Myhrvold says, "then these solutions won't be enough to solve it. Wind power and most other alternative energy things are cute, but they don't scale to a sufficient degree. At this point, wind farms are a government subsidy scheme, fundamentally." What about the beloved Prius and other low-emissions vehicles? "They're great," he says, "except that transportation is just not that big of a sector."
[Pause for laughter. Then for weeping.]
No, I'm not making this up. Go to the Amazon.com page for the book, and put "summarizes" in the search engine. This guy was the CTO at Microsoft, and IV "controls more than twenty thousand patents" and they just make up crap like this and tell it to really important people who apparently swallow eat it up like pudding. Has nobody in the room ever Googled? I can't waste time debunking all of that crap, but how about this is from EPA:
Globally "Transport accounts for around a quarter of total CO2 emissions." In fact, transport is the key sector, because reducing carbon emissions in electricity generation is so damn easy (see "An introduction to the core climate solutions").
That's why I call Myhrvold and his ilk, F.A.K.E.R.s "" Famous "Authorities" whose Knowledge (of climate) is Extremely Rudimentary [Error-riddled?]. I can only conclude IV is filled with yes-men and -women who specialize in some bizarre form of contrarian groupthink, which in any other setting would be an oxymoron.
And, then we get this multi-whopper piece of nonsense:
Too optimistic: "A lot of the things that people say would be good things probably aren't," Myrhvold says. As an example he points to solar power. "The problem with solar cells is that they're black, because they are designed to absorb light from the sun. But only about 12% gets turned into electricity, and the rest is reradiated as heat "" which contributed to global warming."
As discussed in Part 1, this may set the FAKER record for howlers in one paragraph and for most orders of magnitude error in a single global warming calculation. But the crap goes on and on like a really bad case of dysentery:
Although widespread conversion to solar power might seem appealing, the reality is tricky. The energy consumed by building the thousands of new solar plants necessary to replace coal-burning and other power plants would create a huge long-term "warming debt," as Myhrvold calls it. "Eventually, we have a great carbon-free energy infrastructure but only after making emissions and global warming worse every year until we're done building out the solar plants, which could take 30 to 50 years."
[Pause to tighten vise around cranium so it does not explode.]
No. No. No. A thousand times no.
First off, the energy payback for building solar is currently only a few years and dropping steadily. Second, the carbon payback or "warming debt" of every solution drops steadily over time as you reduce the carbon intensity of the overall energy system. The point is that you do multiple solutions all at once, including a massive amount of energy efficiency, a massive amount of renewables (especially CSP, which the FAKERs seem unaware of), and even fuel switching from coal to gas. The U.S. could easily cut its CO2 emissions deepling in two decades while building out the most massive low carbon energy system. Finally, of course, if we don't build the low-carbon infrastructure, then we will be building carbon-producing infrastructure, which will generate even more staggeringly large amounts of carbon for Myhrvold's dystopia.
But the Superfreaks think the FAKERs are geniuses:
Intellectual Ventures is an invention company. The lab, in addition to all the gear, is stocked with an elite assemblage of brainpower, scientists and puzzle solvers of every variety….
Myhrvold played a variety of roles at Microsoft: futurist, strategist, founder of its research lab, and whisperer-in-chief to Bill Gates. "I don't know anyone I would say is smarter than Nathan," Gates once observed….
He is so polymathic as to make an everyday polymath tremble with shame.
I'm going to it invent a new phrase for these FAKERs — idiotic savants.
If this guy has Gates' ear, no wonder the Gates Foundation mostly ignores global warming. And remember, Buffett is the other major contributor to the Gates Foundation. It's multi-billionaire Groupthink.
Now while the FAKERs are busy dissing all low-carbon technologies, which organizations as credible as the International Energy Agency, the National Academy of Sciences, the IPCC, and McKinsey say can be employed at scale and cost-effectively, their own solution is so risible even the media is starting to laugh at it. The Independent writes:
The answer that the geeks offer is an 18-mile-long rubber hose pumping liquefied sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere. This, you might say, is where freakonomics starts getting a bit above itself….
And they never acknowledge any of the major problems that I discussed in Part 1. Ironically, even though the Superfreaks rely heavily on Caldeira as a scientist who supposedly supports their geo-engineering strategy and even though they point out early on that Caldeira "coined the phrase 'ocean acidification," the process by which the seas absorb so much carbon dioxide the corals and other shallow-water organisms are threatened," Levitt and Dubner never mention it again, even though their geoengineering-only strategy would devastate the oceans for millennia (see "Imagine a World without Fish: Deadly ocean acidification "" hard to deny, harder to geo-engineer, but not hard to stop "" is subject of documentary").
As the UK's Guardian puts it:
They profile Nathan Myhrvold, the former chief technology officer of Microsoft, whose company, Intellectual Ventures, is exploring the possibility of pumping large quantities of sulphur dioxide into the Earth's stratosphere through an 18-mile-long hose, held up by helium balloons, at an initial cost of around $20m. The chemical would reflect some of the sun's rays back into space, cooling the planet, exactly as happened following the massive 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, in the Philippines. The primary objection to this plan, as with other "geoengineering" schemes, is that there's no predicting the unknown negative effects of meddling in such a complex natural system. And it's strange, given how much is made in both Freakonomics books of the law of unintended consequences, that they don't mention this in the context of Myhrvold's plan.
But the Superfreaks say its all settled science:
First of all, would it work?
The scientific evidence says yes. It is basically a controlled mimicry of Mount Pinatubo's eruption, whose cooling effects were exhaustively studied and remain unchallenged.
Do these guys even have the most rudimentary notion of what "scientific evidence" is? Here's what Pinatubo did:
Yeah, it solved global warming.
The June 1991 eruption had a real, but very short-term impact. We have no "scientific evidence" of what the medium-term or long-term impact would be of creating the equivalent of multiple simultaneous Pinatubos every year for decades and decades.
It's like saying 2 aspirins cured my headache, so now that the doctors say I have a malignant brain tumor, the scientific evidence proves I can take 2000 aspirins every day for the rest of my life and be cured.
As Caldeira says:
If we keep emitting greenhouse gases with the intent of offsetting the global warming with ever increasing loadings of particles in the stratosphere, we will be heading to a planet with extremely high greenhouse gases and a thick stratospheric haze that we would need to main more-or-less indefinitely. This seems to be a dystopic world out of a science fiction story. First, we can assume the oceans have been heavily acidified with shellfish and corals largely a thing of the past. We can assume that ecosystems will be greatly affected by the high CO2 / low sunlight conditions "" similar to what Earth experienced hundreds of millions years ago. The sunlight would likely be very diffuse "" maybe good for portrait photography, but with unknown consequences for ecosystems.
For more, see Science on the Risks of Climate Engineering: "Optimism about a geoengineered 'easy way out' should be tempered by examination of currently observed climate changes" and British coal industry flack pushes geo-engineering "ploy" to give politicians "viable reason to do nothing" about global warming. Is that why Lomborg supports such a smoke-and-mirrors approach? which has an analysis by Robock I'll repost at the end.
But first, let me end with one final Myhrvold shocker, which may explain the answer to the questions I posed at the start. Where does he want to put the 18-mile-long hose to pump large quantities of sulphur dioxide into the Earth's stratosphere?
Myhrvold, in his recent travels, happened upon one potentially perfect site. Along with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, he was taking a whirlwind educational tour of various energy producers–a nuclear plant, wind farm, and so on. One of their destination was the Athabasca oilsands in northern Alberta, Canada.
Memo to Superfreaks: They ain't "oil sands."
Billions of barrels of petroleum can be found there, but it's heavy, mucky crude. Rather than lying in a liquid pool beneath the earth's crust, it is mixed in, like molasses, with the surface dirt. In Athabasca you don't drill for oil; you mine it, scooping up gigantic shovels of Earth and then separating the oil from its waste components.
One of the most plentiful waste components of sulfur, which commands such a low price that the oil companies simply stockpile it. "There were big yellow mountains of it, like a hundred meters high by a thousand meters wide!" says Myhrvold. "And they stair-step them, like a Mexican pyramid. So you can put one little pumping facility up there, and with one corner of one of those sulfur Mountains, you control the whole global warming problem for the Northern Hemisphere."
[Pause to clean up gray matter now scattered all over the vise.]
It is interesting to think what might've happened if Myhrvold was around 100 years ago, when New York and other cities were choking on horse manure. One wonders if, while everyone else looked at the mountains of dung saw calamity, he might've seen opportunity.
[Pause to think fondly about Myhrvold being around 100 years ago and not today — then start worrying about the various unintended catastrophes we'd be dealing with now as a result.]
Lord knows how many people besides Gates and Buffett and Levitt and Dubner — and the hundreds of thousands of people who will read Superfreakonomics (currently #4 on Amazon's sales ranking) — will be duped by Myhrvold et al.
Since the Superfreaks don't report the work of any of the myriad climate scientists who have raised concerns about geo-engineering, since they have essentially adopted the exact same position as Bjorn Lomborg, let me end by reposting an outstanding response from RealClimate, "A biased economic analysis of geoengineering" by Prof. Alan Robock. Robock gave the best talk I ever heard on geo-engineering (here), and this post is an excellent primer with numerous links:
Bjorn Lomborg's Climate Consensus Center just released an un-refereed report on geoengineering, An Analysis of Climate Engineering as a Response to Global Warming, by J Eric Bickel and Lee Lane. The "consensus" in the title of Lomborg's center is based on a meeting of 50 economists last year. The problem with allowing economists to decide the proper response of society to global warming is that they base their analysis only on their own quantifications of the costs and benefits of different strategies. In this report, discussed below, they simply omit the costs of many of the potential negative aspects of producing a stratospheric cloud to block out sunlight or cloud brightening, and come to the conclusion that these strategies have a 25-5000 to 1 benefit/cost ratio. That the second author works for the American Enterprise Institute, a lobbying group that has been a leading global warming denier, is not surprising, except that now they are in favor of a solution to a problem they have claimed for years does not exist.
Geoengineering has come a long way since first discussed here three years ago. [Here I use the term "geoengineering" to refer to "solar radiation management" (SRM) and not to carbon capture and sequestration (called "air capture" in the report), a related topic with quite different issues.] In a New Scientist interview, John Holdren, President Obama's science adviser, says geoengineering has to be examined as a possible response to global warming, but that we can make no such determination now. A two-day conference on geoengineering organized by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences was held in June, 2009, with an opening talk by the President, Ralph Cicerone. The American Meteorological Society (AMS) has just issued a policy statement on geoengineering, which urges cautious consideration, more research, and appropriate restrictions. But all this attention comes with the message that we know little about the efficacy, costs, and problems associated with geoengineering suggestions, and that much more study is needed.
Bickel and Lane, however, do not hesitate to write a report that is rather biased in favor of geoengineering using SRM, by emphasizing the low cost and dismissing the many possible negative aspects. They use calculations with the Dynamic Integrated model of Climate and the Economy (DICE) economic model to make the paper seem scientific, but there are many inherent assumptions, and they up-front refuse to present their results in terms of ranges or error bars. Specific numbers in their conclusions make the results seem much more certain than they are. While they give lip service to possible negative consequences of geoengineering, they refuse to quantify them. Indeed, the purpose of new research is to do just that, but the tone of this report is to claim that cooling the planet will have overall benefits, which CAN be quantified. The conclusions and summary of the report imply much more certainty as to the net benefits of SRM than is really the case.
My main areas of agreement with this report are that global warming is an important, serious problem, that SRM with stratospheric aerosols or cloud brightening would not be expensive, and that we indeed need more research into geoengineering. The authors provide a balanced introduction to the issues of global warming and the possible types of geoengineering.
But Bickel and Lane ignore the effects of ocean acidification from continued CO2 emissions, dismissing this as a lost cause. Even without global warming, reducing CO2 emissions is needed to do the best we can to save the ocean. The costs of this continuing damage to the planet, which geoengineering will do nothing to address, are ignored in the analysis in this report. And without mitigation, SRM would need to be continued for hundreds of years. If it were stopped, by the loss of interest or means by society, the resulting rapid warming would be much more dangerous than the gradual warming we are now experiencing.
Bickel and Lane do not even mention several potential negative effects of SRM, including getting rid of blue skies, huge reductions in solar power from systems using direct solar radiation, or ruining terrestrial optical astronomy. They imply that SRM technologies will work perfectly, and ignore unknown unknowns. Not one cloud has ever been artificially brightened by injection of sea salt aerosols, yet this report claims to be able to quantify the benefits and the costs to society of cloud brightening.
They also imply that stratospheric geoengineering can be tested at a small scale, but this is not true. Small injections of SO2 into the stratosphere would actually produce small radiative forcing, and we would not be able to separate the effects from weather noise. The small volcanic eruptions of the past year (1.5 Tg SO2 from Kasatochi in 2008 and 1 Tg SO2 from Sarychev in 2009, as compared to 7 Tg SO2 from El Chich³n in 1982 and 20 Tg SO2 from Pinatubo in 1991) have produced stratospheric clouds that can be well-observed, but we cannot detect any climate impacts. Only a large-scale stratospheric injection could produce measurable impacts. This means that the path they propose would lead directly to geoengineering, even just to test it, and then it would be much harder to stop, what with commercial interests in continuing (e.g., Star Wars, which has not even ever worked).
Bickel and Lane also ignore several seminal papers on geoengineering that present much more advanced scientific results than the older papers they cite. In particular, they ignore Tilmes et al. (2008), Robock et al. (2008), Rasch et al. (2008), and Jones et al. (2009).
With respect to ozone, they dismiss concerns about ozone depletion and enhanced UV by citing Wigley (2006) and Crutzen (2006), but ignore the results of Tilmes et al. (2008), who showed that the effects would prolong the ozone hole for decades and that deployment of stratospheric aerosols in a couple decades would not be safe as claimed here. Bickel and Lane assert, completely incorrectly, "On its face, though, it does not appear that the ozone issue would be likely to invalidate the concept of stratospheric aerosols."
With respect to an Arctic-only scheme, they suggest in several places that it would be possible to control Arctic climate based on the results of Caldeira and Wood (2008) who artificially reduce sunlight in a polar cap in their model (the "yarmulke method"), whereas Robock et al. (2008) showed with a more realistic model that explicitly treats the distribution and transport of stratospheric aerosols, that the aerosols could not be confined to just the Arctic, and such a deployment strategy would affect the summer Asian monsoon, reducing precipitation over China and India. And Robock et al. (2008) give examples from past volcanic eruptions that illustrate this effect, such as the pattern of precipitation reduction after the 1991 Pinatubo eruption (Trenberth and Dai, 2007):
With respect to cloud brightening, Bickel and Lane ignore the Jones et al. (2009) results that cloud brightening would mainly cool the oceans and not affect land temperature much, so that it is an imperfect method at best to counter global warming. Furthermore Jones et al. (2009) found that cloud brightening over the South Atlantic would produce severe drought over the Amazon, destroying the tropical forest.
They also ignore a huge class of ethical and world governance issues. Whose hand would be on the global thermostat? Who would trust military aircraft or a multi-national geoengineering company to have the interests of the people of the planet foremost?
They do not seem to realize that volcanic eruptions affect climate change because of sulfate aerosols produced from sulfur dioxide gas injections into the stratosphere, the same that is proposed for SRM, and not by larger ash particles that fall out quickly after and eruption and do not cause climate change.
They dismiss air capture ("air capture technologies do not appear as promising as solar radiation management from a technical or a cost perspective") but ignore the important point that it would have few of the potential side effects of SRM. Air capture would just remove the cause of global warming in the first place, and the only side effects would be in the locations where the CO2 would be sequestered.
For some reason, they insist on using the wrong units for energy flux (W) instead of the correct units of W/m^2, and then mix them in the paper. I cannot understand why they choose to make it so confusing.
The potential negative consequences of stratospheric SRM were clearly laid out by Robock (2008) and updated by Robock et al. (2009), which still lists 17 reasons why geoengineering may be a bad idea. One of those important possible consequences, the threat to the water supply for agriculture and other human uses, has been emphasized in a recent Science article by Gabi Hegerl and Susan Solomon.
Robock et al. (2009) also lists some benefits from SRM, including increased plant productivity and an enhanced CO2 sink from vegetation that grows more when subject to diffuse radiation, as has been observed after every recent large volcanic eruption. But the quantification of these and other geoengineering benefits, as well as the negative aspects, awaits more research.
It may be that the benefits of geoengineering will outweigh the negative aspects, and that most of the problems can be dealt with, but the paper from Lomborg's center ignores the real consensus among all responsible geoengineering researchers. The real consensus, as expressed at the National Academy conference and in the AMS statement, is that mitigation needs to be our first and overwhelming response to global warming, and that whether geoengineering can even be considered as an emergency measure in the future should climate change become too dangerous is not now known. Policymakers will only be able to make such decisions after they see results from an intensive research program. Lomborg's report should have stopped at the need for a research program, and not issued its flawed and premature conclusions.
Jones, A., J. Haywood, and O. Boucher 2009: Climate impacts of geoengineering marine stratocumulus clouds, J. Geophys. Res., 114, D10106, doi:10.1029/2008JD011450.
Rasch, Philip J., Simone Tilmes, Richard P. Turco, Alan Robock, Luke Oman, Chih-Chieh (Jack) Chen, Georgiy L. Stenchikov, and Rolando R. Garcia, 2008: An overview of geoengineering of climate using stratospheric sulphate aerosols. Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. A., 366, 4007-4037, doi:10.1098/rsta.2008.0131.
Robock, Alan, 2008: 20 reasons why geoengineering may be a bad idea. Bull. Atomic Scientists, 64, No. 2, 14-18, 59, doi:10.2968/064002006. PDF file Roundtable discussion of paper
Robock, Alan, Luke Oman, and Georgiy Stenchikov, 2008: Regional climate responses to geoengineering with tropical and Arctic SO2 injections. J. Geophys. Res., 113, D16101, doi:10.1029/2008JD010050. PDF file
Robock, Alan, Allison B. Marquardt, Ben Kravitz, and Georgiy Stenchikov, 2009: The benefits, risks, and costs of stratospheric geoengineering. Submitted to Geophys. Res. Lett., doi:10.1029/2009GL039209. PDF file
Tilmes, S., R. M¼ller, and R. Salawitch, 2008: The sensitivity of polar ozone depletion to proposed geoengineering schemes, Science, 320(5880), 1201-1204, doi:10.1126/science.1153966.
Trenberth, K. E., and A. Dai (2007), Effects of Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption on the hydrological cycle as an analog of geoengineering, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L15702, doi:10.1029/2007GL030524.
27 Responses to Error-riddled ˜Superfreakonomics, Part 2: Who else have Nathan Myhrvold and the Groupthinkers at Intellectual Ventures duped and confused? Would you believe Bill Gates and Warren Buffett?
Geo-engineering… About as helpful as a trap door in a row boat.
Joe, re the term idiotic savant, you're half right. Keep up the good work.
The best thing to do with conventional economists is to sequester them.
Gates obviously hasn't hung around many world-class scientists, or he wouldn't be so in awe of Nathan Myhrvold. Dude, try hanging around Jim Hansen, Kerry Emanuel, James Lovelock, Stephen Schneider and other top scientists some time if you want to know what smart is.
Also, I always thought a polymath was a parrot who could count.
When Gates suggested towing icebergs down to defuse the power of hurricanes, the e-mails from Vecchi, Ostro and Trenberth were asking if Gates had an IQ in triple or even double digits. Just because someone was relentlessly ruthless and lucky making more money than God (15% more, according to a recent e-mail from God), doesn't make them necessarily intelligent in any other area.
Warren Buffett made his money looking at the fundamental realities of corporations rather than gambling like a day trader, and thus he could buy and sell every day trader who ever lived (although I think he'd look at their fundamentals and not buy them in the first place).
But scientists, especially those also imbued with the greatest gift of common sense like Romm, Hansen, Lovelock, Schneider, Bartlett and Ehrlich, see infinitely more fundamental realities still, and so they are to Buffett and Gates what Buffett himself is to the day traders.
And Gates lessening death rates while not at all addressing birth rates could ultimately be seen as cruel, sentencing a larger number of people to starvation when water, topsoil, oil and other resources don't prove sufficient to grow or even maintain the population we have now.
Ask the experts in each of these areas, or those attempting to synthesize all these issues like Lester Brown. I'd ask Buffett for investment advice a decade or decades ago (certainly not a year or two years ago) and Gates about computer issues like what kind of Mac I should buy, but not much else.
you need to understand what a pirate Nathan Myhrvold and IV are. They hire a bunch of scientists and engineers, put them in a room with a bunch of patent lawyers and have them SPECULATE on where technology is headed. The Patent lawyers then write up these speculations, submit vague patent application to the patent office and then beat up the patent examiners until they cave in. They then wait for some company to really invent something and then ounce and say, "Hey you invented something that vaguely sounds like something we vaguely described. You owe us big bucks." Patent law is suposed to require that you realy invent something real and "reduce it to practice." These clowns are just patent trolls. They also have another game where they offer "patent protection" to big businesses, for a fee. Sound like any other racket you know of? Read more here:
And more details on Nathan & Bill's weather patent:
Gates' wealth is a product of a single-minded method of thinking cultivated by two corporate lawyer parents into the perfect person at the ideal moment of history to shaft IBM. But Bill Gates is not especially intelligent; he's not even particularly educated. So as soon as the puzzle presented to him is even a little different from giving IBM the shaft his ability to intelligently and comprehensively analyze the issue scarcely exceeds that of my cats.
Perhaps Myrhvold can built us a new Arctic icesheet?
The Times reports today on research indicating the Arctic will be ice-free in summer within 20 years: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/earth-environment/article6875260.ece
Another good one, Joe. I gagged in the first place when Bill and Melinda were going to take their $30 billion and further increase population growth in Africa, which is about the cruelest thing anyone could do. Then Warren Buffet comes along and decides to hitch his money wagon to their foundation because the Gates family is more "experienced".
It's proof of what Galbraith said a long time ago: the money making section of the brain exists independently, and bears no relationship to other functions.
The Myrhvold story fits right in with the whole saga. Gates can't even tell a hustler from the real thing. And nobody, apparently, bothered to call a real scientist to ask what the earth figures to look like in 100 years.
Oh dear!
Joe Romm – you are also a good writer. I laughed hard reading about Myrhvold and your exploding brain.
Much better than weeping.
Don't forget good old Bjorn Lomborg. He met with the Gates charity people, with his cooked up report from some economists, "The Copenhagen Consensus". That put global warming WAY down the list of things to fund, with tropical diseases at the top.
As we know, Lomborg advises waiting a decade or two before trying to reduce carbon dioxide. We'll have better technology then.
Perhaps the Gates/Buffet people were happy to get advice that avoided problems with America's top money makers, the energy companies. At any rate, their charity priorities looks like Lomborg's priorities.
Bjorn just met some official in the Obama White House in early September, but that doesn't mean anyone there took him seriously.
Buffett is likely still heavily invested in the railroad companies that ship all that Wyoming coal back to dirty plants in Ohio and places East. Warren Buffett is Mr. Invisible when it comes to saving our climate.
In my opinion, both Gates and Buffett have a myopia called "business vision". The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has the same disease.
We can understand how the poorly informed public doesn't get the plain physics and facts about carbon pollution. It's harder to understand why those at the center of information can't face it.
Radio Ecoshock
"The problem with solar cells is that they're black, because they are designed to absorb light from the sun. But only about 12% gets turned into electricity, and the rest is reradiated as heat — which contributed to global warming."
So radiated heat contributes to global warming … I guess this is an albedo question. The amount solar panels change the earth's albedo is negligeable. And to claim that solar cells would contribute to warming, you'd have to weigh all the factors: not only their increasing the earth's albedo, but also account for the carbon emissions they are avoiding during their useful life, and the carbon emissions that go into their production and maintenance, and the effect of these emissions, produced and avoided, on the earth's temperature. I think, if you did this calculation, the
Anyone who says pumping out heat contributes directly to global warming is almost surely saying something mind-blowingly stupid. The atmosphere is almost transparent to heat. Only very little (via the greenhouse effect) is re-radiated back to earth, warming it.
I'm certainly not going to defend Myrhvold and Gates vs. climate change, but I do believe that lowering infant and childhood death rates typically results in much smaller family sizes (people don't have as many children if they have a reasonable expectation that they will survive). Consequently, although it seems counterintuitive, it may be that the policies of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation may actually reduce peak population. Of course, more direct action could be useful as well, such as widespread family planning (again the Gates foundation is helping here), reduction of government incentives for larger families (how about eliminating tax exemptions for children, or at the very least limiting families to at most 2 exemptions), and other policies to actively encourage smaller families.
Do you think any more to get clever people to fight AGW? Or are Gates, Buffet and Myrhvold clever at all? Perhaps not. But stupid people like them are making all big decisions…
More on this at Stoat:
My feeling is that both Gates and Myrhvold are skeptic about man made GW and thus, as there is a big hype about that in the whole world, they are trying not to tell it straight but pretending they have some ideas.
Maybe Gates' effort to help people in Africa will really stop population growth there with resulting decrease of emissions in the future. But of course lowering death rates must go along with economical growth, as this will automatically lower the population growth.
I agree that geoengineering sound crazy, but also I am not sure if your ideas how to decrease CO2 emissions are also viable because of the cost for that. Generally people will not take action if there is no benefit for them. Just the information that a big crises is looming will not help. Look at the start of the WW2. And even when there is no impact of the GW directly at my place, why should I bother?
Just a note, I think that calling somebody "idiot" and creating offensive names will not help your cause. Only can show something about you.
Dave E, #11, I certainly understand your point, and it's a truism in academia, but it probably doesn't apply in Africa. Models showing increased industrialization leading to smaller families don't make sense on a continent where shrinking farmland and lack of capital will preclude it. This will be particularly true as climate change and further ecological damage exceeds the land's ability to support people. Rwanda and Darfur are previews.
At least Bill and Melinda didn't leave it to heirs, like the new Walton family, composed of a bunch of hillbillies living in Manhattan high rises and Dallas estates, who woke up one day with a billion dollars.
Gates and Buffet suffer from the same addiction: money. It's blinded them to almost everything else, as shown by their tour of the tar sands. They just couldn't resist a little more crack.
>If we keep emitting greenhouse gases with the intent of offsetting the global warming with ever increasing loadings of particles in the stratosphere, we will be heading to a planet with extremely high greenhouse gases and a thick stratospheric haze that we would need to main more-or-less indefinitely. This seems to be a dystopic world out of a science fiction story.
Myrhvold and Gates and co. must have watched Blade Runnter at an impressionable age, thought it was kind of cool, and are now working to recreate the movie's world in real life. ;-)
Also: as a card-carrying science fiction fan myself, I have to say that the 'solution' Myrhvold proposes bears all the marks of techno-utopian 1950s SF in which the genius scientist who single-handedly solves some global problem by finding the right formula or building the right machine is a staple. Thankfully, most modern sf tends to be less naive about our ability to 'fix' complex systems, and is thus less likely to induce such dangerous delusions…
The VC world is based on getting people hooked on ideas and concepts that benefit the hype-ster. Observed here, and in Steven Leeb's case, etc: The validity, sensibility, accuracy of the claims is often not a factor. What's needed is a compelling (usually contrarian) story that makes the clients/investors mouth water and convinces them that they are getting insight into the next "big thing". It's all about the pitch and the sizzle. The truth is left out unless it is profitable. Another example is Vinod Kosla.
I was relieved to see that coverage was given to the fact that SO2 injection into the upper atmosphere would not do anything to abate the decreasing pH of the oceans and the decimation of many (most?) of the creatures that live there. However, please correct me if I'm wrong, won't SO2 eventually fall back to the ground as 'acid-rain'? If so, wouldn't a sufficiently massive infusion of SO2, as proposed by Myhrvold and his disciples, 1) negatively affect photosynthesis further reducing the carbon absorption of plant life thus increasing the rate of concentration of atmospheric and oceanic CO2 and 2) instigate massive plant damage (die-off?) from the resultant H2SO4 precipitation? I guess we now have better(?) insight into why 'Windows' is such a crappy OS!
Gates and Buffett are predisposed to sail into the wind. That served them well in business and they can't bear to abandon the tactic now despite the fact the whole world now needs everyone to pull together. I think the reply 14. Pavol has a good take on their mindsets. They are senior figures who want to feel helpful, but only inside their limited comfort zone.
I have a gift copy of Freakonomics that I never finished. The chapters didn't seem integrated or relevant to much. The authors repeated burnishing of their own cleverness is tiresome.
The Union of Concerned Scientists (with whom I work) has a short, cogent discussion of the problems with this chapter at http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/science_and_impacts/global_warming_contrarians/book-superfreakonomics.html. Link to Joe's analysis, too.
It seems to make a difference in most things you need industry participation. Perhaps something like an umbrella organisation funded by ocean based industries would be the thing to look at ways of reducing carbon (maybe even directly funding renewable energy plants + later using the profit from those to build more).
Add NPR's Scott Simon to the list. See http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113899727
Is this patent vacuuming machine called Intellectual Ventures testing the waters on the "18-mile-long rubber hose pumping liquefied sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere."
One problem that this humanitarian service would run into is the trillions(?) they would have to pay to all the various solar panel owners and manufactures for the lost revenue caused by increasing the planet's reflectivity.
Said it before on chats like this, say it again. For all those who would dismiss global warming as the imagination of eco-terrorists, or whatever, consider simply this fact: scientific consensus strongly supports the proposition of man-caused global warming, occasioned by the sharp rise of CO2 in the atmosphere, such rise starting with the industrial revolution. 600,000 years of ice cores show that the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere was in the range about 270 – 330 for all that time until the start, more or less, of the 18th century. The present level is 395 or so and rising rapidly. It is known, v. the planet Venus, that CO2 is a greenhouse gas that traps heat that otherwise would escape to space. So what reasonable person would not say that we as a species must come together to address this issue? Are we so unconcerned with what will be left to our descendents, our own children and grandchildren, that we will actually just blow this off and do nothing? Probably so. The wider biosphere on this planet, who certainly do not love us, will not mourn our disappearance if things go wrong, then leading to wars with the terrible weapons we have built. Homo crapulens we are, not Homo sapiens.
So much good response here, but a minor detail left out that struck me as immediate proof of the unthinking 'contrarianism above all' glib superficiality that the authors are promulgating as abalysis was the black solar cell stuff. First, of course not all, in fact few, solar cells are really black–usually they are blue and yes, this does make a difference as to their absorption or reflectance of heat-related red wavelengths.
Second, even a moment's reflection reveals that most of these solar installations are installed on black or dark roofs, over parking lots, etc., in other words, they are covering territory that was already dark or otherwise absorbing (and re-radiating) heat. It is a rare installation that would be built over a green field or forest! or over someone's lawn, for heaven's sake.
and this gets to the most obvious and most stupid error of all: these things cast a shadow–whatever heat they absorb and re-reflect must be netted out against the shade they now provide for the previously-exposed-and-heated roof, ground, or whatever. so, the net increase in acreage absorbing and re-reflecting heat may, upon real examination rather than casual smart-guy cleverness, turn out to be zero, or even come out in favor of the shade-producing solar arrays.
[this last factor is not entirely trivial, either. if installed on or over a roof in a warm climate area–a sunny area like TX or CA or similar–where in fact solar installations are most popular–the solar installation will also help keep the house or building beneath somewhat cooler than otherwise, and therefore will lower AC bills just as surely, or more so, than would painting the roof white or silver. An unappreciated, but real, contribution of building-mounted solar to fighting global warming.]
this doesn't even touch on the increasing fraction of solar installations that are concentrated reflector based, which as a rule cover much less territory per kw.
And in general, the more you look at Myrhvold's stuff or at the Freakonomics glib 'work' in this area, the more and more ignorant they seem.
@ mike roddy (#15)
Model references please. Your claim is … somewhat nonsensical. Are you saying that increased industrialization in Africa is not happening? This is blatantly untrue, so I hope not. Shrinking farmland makes small families both more desirable and more necessary, as well as leading to greater urbanization which leads to further industrialization. As for lack of capital precluding it, the money that the foundation spends in an attempt to reduce poverty may help combat said lack of capital by lifting some of the financial burden off the already over burdened state.
In short I agree with Dave (#11), that the work of the foundation may help reduce peak population (a very good thing). That is not to say the foundation has no faults, merely that it is not the source of all Evil. It is too easy sometimes to say " Wicked, wicked rich people"


text:
We just launched an update to the MSDN Library. As part of the release, a new tags control will show up on library documentation with the Community Content feature (currently 1.5 million pages across 7 languages). There is a page level tagging control right below the topic content and one added to each Community Content block. You will see this available on the following documentation:
In case your new to tagging, here is a brief intro:
What are Tags and what is "Tagging"?
Tags are essentially keywords or labels added to an web page that are intended to describe the contents of the page so that it can be more easily retrieved and put in a structure. Tags are really just a special kind of attribute that help people understand what a given piece of content is about. Generally, when we talk about "tagging" we mean the process of applying tags to content.
For MSDN, tagging helps surface content that might not be easily discovered in the long tail of the Library. This is especially the case with newly added Community content. This implementation is unique in that the tags are wikified, meaning they can be added and/or removed by any and all users in the community. This isn't social bookmarking tagging like on Tagspace or del.icio.us. Those sites are about keeping your bookmarks or internet favorites for you and then sharing them out. Tagging in the MSDN Library is about helping content be discovered. This will help make search more relevant in the long term. Check out this query -> C# code examples. How cool is that?
How it worksThere are two parts to using tagging on the site. The first is adding tags and the second is browsing the tags on the site:
Tag format
Who can add tags?
Adding tags has the same requirements as the Community Content feature:
Alright, now here are some links to get you started:
Clayton, MSDNWiki PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Search Type: Posts; User: dlanghorne
Search: Search took 0.02 seconds.
12 Nov 2012 7:17 AM
- Replies
- 2
- Views
- 1,433
Though I don't understand why I can't create the component ahead of time, but won't look a gift horse in the mouth since simply having it created dynamically as part of the grid will do just fine for...
8 Nov 2012 9:16 AM
- Replies
- 2
- Views
- 1,433
First, I am *not* referring to the column headers, but to the option to define a header for the grid itself, using the header: parameter.
I had this working at one point so I know it's possible,...
Results 1 to 2 of 2


text:
Alana, our fearless leader!
Lishai speaks
Nada enjoying the show
Sara collecting money for Nellie's Women's Shelter
Hip Hop Exhibit at the Toronto Free Gallery
Ferrah strutting her stuff
Danielle and Azra deep in conversation
Sabrina and Sara sharing the lime light
Sabrina serenades the crowd
Sabz always knows how to please the masses
Friends united by song
A full house!
SASSL-ites give me the ole thumbs up
Spreading the love, sharing the energy!
Lishai tells us how it is
Alana closing the show
Danielle presents Alana with flowers
HeART was a hit!
Corralling the troops together for one last shoot
Oops, SASSL did it again!
Happy Daze


text:
BRYAN -- The Brazos Valley Bombers are announcing the signing of four new pitchers to bolster their pitching rotation this summer. Garrett Fanchier, Geoff Lomax, Mitchell Pitts, and Travis Smith provide the Bombers with four additional right-handed arms to give the team more depth and balance as they enter the 2009 season.
Versatile enough to play multiple positions including infield and pitcher, Fanchier is a welcome addition to the 2009 Bombers. Serving mostly as a starting pitcher for Belmont this past spring, he finished the season with a 3-3 record in 15 appearances. In just his first season with the club, he racked up 53 innings, which was good enough for fourth on the team.
No stranger to the Bryan/College Station area after playing high school baseball at A&M Consolidated, Lomax will undoubtedly make a big impact for the Bombers this summer. Appearing in 20 games for Hendrix College this spring, he led the team with five saves and struck out 11 in 22 innings.
Pitts figures to be an important piece in the Bombers rotation. Although he is just 5'10", he has all the makings of a power pitcher. As a freshman this past spring at Texas State, he struck out 16 hitters in just 12 innings, which was the highest strikeout ratio on the team.
With a wealth of talent and experience, Smith has the making of being an ace for the Bombers rotation this season. After a successful freshman season that included a 5-1 record and 4.40 ERA, Smith avoided the "sophomore slump" this past spring. In 15 appearances, he was 6-5 with a 4.50 ERA and struck out 44 batters in 50 innings of work. Before coming to Michigan, Smith starred at Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas, going 6-3 with a 1.80 ERA his senior year.


text:
starwars tribute layout by pain16Watch
©2010-2016 pain16
since the semi finals for battle artist has not been posted yet i started the layout for my star wars tribute piece. yeah this is just a give away but i really don't care. These guys are from the clone wars series.
amidala and whose the guy?
remeber you have a month so make it epic


text:
Latest News Headlines
MP3: David Sabastian - "P*ssy Marijuana"
Courtesy M3W.
MP3: SKAM2? - "Slabs" (Dirty & Clean Versions)
Courtesy Semp Rok.
Announcing Conflict Of Interest New York 2011! Feat Chiddy Bang, Walk The Moon & More
Courtesy Jerry @ TheSyn.
Audio: The Away Team f/ Evidence - "What Is This"
Courtesy Matt B.
The Away Team presents their latest track "What Is This" featuring Evidence from their upcoming album Scars & Stripes out next Tuesday, October 11th, through Jamla / It's A Wonderful World Music Group / Duck Down Music.
Video: M.A.J.O.R. - "Stunt On All Y'all"
Courtesy Chris @ E1.
Free Download Links for New J. Sands Courtesy BUKA Entertainment
Sands sez "IF YOU ENJOY THE MUSIC PLEASE GIVE SOMETHING CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE INFO" BUCKS FOR BONICS - http://www.indiegogo.com/BUCKS-FOR-BONICS .
Video: Configa f/ Jaz Kahina - "We On Fire"
Courtesy Configa Beats.
My new single track entitled "We On Fire" (ft. Jaz Kahina), some classicboom bap with a definite up and coming shining light of the UK Sceneblessing my beat.
MP3: Montage One - "Black SpaceShips" (prod. FredWreck)
Courtesy Dunn Deal PR.
"Black SpaceShips" f. Gold Chain MilitaryEvent Electronics' 20/20 Music compilation to feature Guilty Simpson, Ras Kass, Nottz, Exile, Jake One, Thurzday and more
Video: Trae Tha Truth f/ Pyrexx (ABN) - "Strapped Up"
Directed by PhillyFlyBoy.
Video: Rello - "Taxi Cab"
Courtesy Christina D.
18-year-old Chicago rapper, Rello is one of the most positive people one could ever meet. His outlook on life and overall attitude, coupled with a distinct flow and songwriting ability make him one of the most promising young guns in the industry.


text:
How do I hide a particular drop down menu option? I tried targeting it through css but it doesn't seem to work.
so say on desktop I have these navigation ... home, blog, about, contact
and on mobile I want to hide the about page option so the dropdown menu will only show .. home, blog and contact.


text:
Harley Quinn's Greatest Moments from "Batman: The Animated Series"
TV, Comic Books
Showing results 1-2 of 2
"Red Lanterns" writer Peter Milligan spoke with CBR about fleshing out the most violent Corps in the DC Universe, the ramifications of Bleez's increased intellect and what a human Red Lantern may add to the mix.
Writer Tony Bedard spoke with CBR News about Kyle Rayner, Peter Milligan and his upcoming series "Green Lantern: New Guardians, part of DC Comics' fast-approaching September relaunch.
Archives: All | Comic Books | TV/Film | Video Games | Web Comics


text:
Wide Gulf Divides Candidates
From their campaign styles to their social agendas to their fiscal plans, Carl Paladino and Andrew Cuomo could hardly offer New Yorkers a starker choice in the seven-week battle to be the state's next governor.
Mr. Paladino, who ran a bruising, come-from-behind race to upset the party favorite in Tuesday's Republican primary, spent Wednesday basking in his lopsided win by doing more than 50 interviews. Mr. Cuomo, who has run a mostly quiet campaign as he enjoyed the luxury of no Democratic primary challenge, spent the day sequestered in meetings with aides.
They are polar opposites on the hot-button issues of abortion rights and gay marriage. And while both men agree that New York's finances are a mess, each has presented vastly different ways to solve them.
"This November matchup between Cuomo and Paladino is night and day," said Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion.
Mr. Cuomo, the state's attorney general, is campaigning as a fiscal centrist who wants to slow the growth in spending, while Mr. Paladino, a Buffalo developer, says he'll cut spending and taxes by an amount never contemplated by past governors.
Both have noted New Yorkers pay among the highest state and local taxes in the nation, but disagree on whether they should be capped or cut. Mr. Cuomo says he would freeze state taxes and supports restraining the growth in spending to no higher than the rate of inflation and capping local property taxes, with few exceptions, to 2% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.
Mr. Paladino has sneered at the notion of a cap, calling it a "gutless" tactic, and has promised to cut overall state spending by 20% and the state's personal-income tax by 10%. Most New Yorkers pay a rate of 6.85%, while wealthier New Yorkers pay as much as 8.97%.
Both say the state's Medicaid costs, which are the highest in the nation and drive up suburban and upstate property taxes, are unaffordable.
Mr. Cuomo says he wants to "control" spending on health-care subsidies for the poor but has been vague about whether he would actually reduce the size of the program or put the brakes on spending growth. He says his administration would limit legislative influence over Medicaid reimbursements rates to providers, wrest administrative control from counties, and form a new agency to oversee an expansion of bulk purchases of pharmaceuticals.
Mr. Paladino says he would cut $20 billion out of the $52 billion Medicaid budget in the first months of his administration, in part by eliminating many subsidized benefits not required under federal law.
"I just threw out a number," he said, adding that his advisers assured him that such a drastic reduction would put New York's Medicaid spending on par with other states.
A spokesman for Mr. Paladino says he has relied on his own ideas and a staff of three volunteer Buffalo attorneys to sketch out his agenda.
"Now that the primary is over, we're building a policy team to provide the details of how he's going to achieve what he proposed," says the spokesman, Michael Caputo.
Mr. Cuomo's camp declined to comment for this article.
By advancing an agenda that calls for massive cuts to spending and taxes, Mr. Paladino aims to make Mr. Cuomo's fiscal plan, even though it has unnerved the liberal wing of his party, look tepid in comparison. But he faces a credibility risk among voters outside the Tea Party movement, which backed him.
"In order to be competitive, Paladino needs to appear mainstream. It's all how he presents it. He has to make it seem believable," said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic consultant.
Fiscal watchdogs say they don't know if Mr. Paladino can make good on such a radical plan, but say his agenda, at least, is a bracing departure.
"Any kind of ambitious spending-cut targets are appropriate at this point from either camp," Elizabeth Lynam, a director at the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonpartisan research group.
But state Sen. Diane Savino, a Staten Island Democrat, says Mr. Paladino's proposals betray a lack of "an understanding of government at any level….He can make these blanket promises, but at some point he's going to be confronted with actual policy and the actual cost of running these programs."
On education, Mr. Cuomo says he'll make funding more "efficient" by encouraging school districts to share services and by pushing for "mandate relief" to loosen regulations that have elevated spending.
Mr. Cuomo has offered few specifics on which mandates he would target. He has said he would conduct a review to determine which ones are unnecessary. Those deemed of little use would require legislative reapproval within two years or they would be removed.
Mr. Paladino, in a rare exception, says he doesn't want to reduce school spending. And like Mr. Cuomo, he wants to shrink the local school bureaucracy. Unlike Mr. Cuomo, he wants to turn over policy and curriculum decisions to local boards.
On the issue of the skyrocketing retirement costs for state workers, Mr. Cuomo has said that public-employee pensions are "disproportionate," but has declined to say whether he supports moving New York away from the traditional pension system with its guaranteed monthly payments to retirees and toward a potentially cheaper but more controversial 401(k)-style plan, known as "defined contribution."
Mr. Paladino says he wants to eliminate state legislators' pension plans. It's not clear if he supports a 401(k) system, but he said he'll coerce public employee unions into accepting smaller retirement benefits for current workers by threatening to fire and re-hire the entire state work force—a tactic that he says would give the state the legal ability to lower their benefits at will.
On social issues, the candidates are far apart. Mr. Cuomo has said he would "vigorously protect a woman's right to choose" and "fight for" passage of legislation that would enshrine abortion as a fundamental right. Mr. Paladino says abortion is a "fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life" and says he would deny funding to pro-choice groups.
Mr. Cuomo says he'd push to legalize gay marriage, while Mr. Paladino says he opposes allowing same-sex couples to wed but doesn't oppose civil unions.
Write to Jacob Gershman at firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Interiors Around the World by Steve McCurry
Steve McCurry has been a one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than 30 years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name. via PhotoHab – Social Photography Blogs.
Meanwhile on Design You Trust
- Hilarious Illustrations That Will Help You Figure Out If You're An Adult
- This Wedding Photographer Turns You Into A Miniature Person
- This Woman Painted Her Staircase To Look Like Books And It's Amazing
- Foxy Faces: Photographer Proves That Every Fox Has Different Personality
- The Magic Unicorn Hood That Has No Special Powers At All But Looks Amazing


text:
Science News
Fireworks in a Tadpole Galaxy
Hubble Space Telescope observations of this flattened galaxy show gas falling in and being turned into stars as the galaxy flies into a filament of pristine cosmic gas, supporting the general picture of how structures in the… Continue Reading »
Department News
ISM Conference in Madison
The ISM conference which will cover topics including star formation, magnetic fields, and diffuse matter in the Galaxy will honor the contributions of Richard Crutcher and Carl Heiles. Continue Reading »
Department News
Washburn Observatory Reopens After Repairs
After being closed for nearly two years for unexpected repairs, the University of Wisconsin—Madison's Washburn Observatory is back in business for public viewing. Continue Reading »
Science News
Bat Astronomy: Echolocation of a Neutron Star
UW-Madison Astronomy Professor Sebastian Heinz and an international team of scientists use the largest and brightest X-ray light echo ever detected to measure the distance to an important neutron star. Continue Reading »
Science News
Cold Clouds at High Speeds published in Nature
A group that includes UW-Madison astronomers Aleks Diamond-Stanic and Christy Tremonti, reports measurements of dense, cold hydrogen gas being blasted from a distant star-forming galaxy, the first direct observation of the… Continue Reading »


text:
Great concept. We've got it working & is good!
Two questions:
How can I add a poster image to each VID or can you modify code & admin to include? At the very least it would be nice to have a generic poster image that could be uploaded by ADMIN & used with every VID.
How do I upload a VID that is 500mb & WordPress limits to less than 100mb?
Thanks in advance. Nice work.


text:
|"NYX: No Way Home" #1 on sale now
Protecting a world that fears and hates them isnât a priority for all of the Marvel Universeâs remaining mutants. Some have to use their special abilities simply to protect themselves or fight for necessities as basic as food and shelter. Thatâs the status quo for Kiden Nixon, Tatiana Caban and Bobby Soul, the cast of âNYX.â The adventures of the three hard luck mutants continue this week in issue #1 of the new six-issue miniseries âNYX: No Way Homeâ by âDirk & Steeleâ novelist Marjorie Liu and illustrator Kalman Andrasofszky (âLegion of Monsters: Satanaâ). CBR News spoke with Liu about her plans for Marvelâs most downtrodden mutants.
In the original âNYXâ series by Joe Quesada and Josh Middleton, readers learned how Kiden Nixon ended up on the streets. When she was just a girl, Kiden witnessed the murder of her police officer father. The shock and trauma resulted in Kiden growing into a very troubled teenager. When an incident with her emerging mutant power -- the ability to alter the speed at which she moves through time -- resulted in one of her teachers getting injured, Kiden took to the streets. It was there where the ghost of her father led Kidden to future X-Force member X-23 and Tatiana Caban --AKA Catiana-- a mutant with the ability to shapeshift into any animal whose blood she touches, and Bobby Soul -- AKA Felon -- whose mutant ability allowed him to project his conscious into othersâ bodies and take control of them.
When âNo Way Homeâ begins, X-23 is no longer part of Kiden, Tatiana and Bobbyâs circle but in some ways life is pretty good for the typically downbeat trio. âAll the kids are living under the same roof, pooling their resources to pay for rent and food,â Marjorie Liu told CBR News. âItâs a good arrangement -- one that Bobby and Kiden probably appreciate just a little more than Tatiana, who never thought she would have to live one step away from the streets.â
|Pages from "NYX: No Way Home" #1
Liu sees Kiden as someone who canât help but be herself 100 percent of the time. âWhich isn't to say that she doesn't hold back her feelings -- she's hiding a lot of grief and fear -- but she's no fake, either,â the writer remarked. âShe does not try to fit in. Â Â She does not say what she thinks people want to hear. Â She speaks the truth as she feels it, good or bad, and she carves her own path -- whether or not anyone is there to back her up. Â She's tough, smart, stubborn -- but not hard. Â Still innocent, in her own way. A dreamer. Which, when times get tough, can mean the difference between mere survival, and actually living. I suppose thatâs a lot of adjectives to throw at one character, but sheâs very complex -- at least, in my mind.
âHaving said that, though, Kiden's weaknesses run parallel to her strength: she is confident enough to be herself, but not confident enough to believe that who she is might be worthy of absolute love. Â She has major abandonment issues. And for good reason.â
Kiden has done some growing up since readers last saw her. âSheâs taken a more practical approach to survival -- itâs not enough to party or take drugs anymore,â Liu explained. âShe feels responsible for her friends. And she doesnât want to disappoint the ghost of her father, who worked from beyond the grave to bring her into the lives of Bobby and Tatiana.â
|Pages from "NYX: No Way Home" #1
Bobby is another character whoâs had to mature, both for his sake and his little brother, who has no one else to care for him. âHe came from a home that was never entirely safe -- physically and mentally -- and it was up to him to take care of things, to be in control,â Liu said. âHe's still in control. Â Always. Â And deep down, he's tired of it. He would like to let loose, and be a kid 00 but heâs too responsible. Or at least, heâs responsible now. Heâs seen the consequences of what happens when heâs not careful, because for a time he was an addict -- addicted to using his powers of possession as a means of escaping his life. He would flee into other people -- the rich, the famous -- and be someone else for a time. Soak up their fame and comfort, their money and superficial power. The cost, though, would be his memories -- and the more he possesses others, the steeper that price. Until heâs reached a point where he fears that any more jumps into other people will result in permanent amnesia. For his brotherâs sake, he canât allow that.â
When âNYX: No Way Homeâ kicks off, Tatiana is probably the most stable of the bookâs mutant protagonists. âEven though her home life wasnât great, before the original run of âNYXâ she had a family to back her up -- occasionally -- and she enjoyed the structure and promise of a better life that school offered,â Liu said. âTatiana believes in honesty and hard work. She doesnât like to bend the rules. She is afraid of being in trouble. And ever since she discovered sheâs a mutant -- and joined up with Kiden and Bobby -- trouble is all sheâs been in. That doesnât mean she wants to leave them, though. Sheâs more afraid of being alone than living on the edge, and the dubious structure that Kiden and Bobby offer by their presence is something that Tatiana needs mentally to survive.
|Pages from "NYX: No Way Home" #1
âAll of which creates a very interesting dynamic between the kids,â Liu added. âThey all like each other, but each has a different and very compelling reason for sticking around -- reasons that outweigh personal affection. Thereâs no more powerful motivator than survival.â
The âNYXâ cast has become a family. Theyâve developed routines and grown comfortable in their ways. And then itâs all taken away. âEverything theyâve worked to create for themselves is stolen, and they have to start over. Except now theyâre being hunted,â Liu explained. âAnd the stress of that, and the reason **why** their lives are being methodically destroyed, will send them on a new and much darker path than anything they might have imagined for themselves.â
The original âNYXâ took place before âHouse of Mâ and M-Day, the vast depowering of most of the Marvel Universeâs mutants, something that didnât affect Kiden, Bobby or Tatiana. And itâs the trioâs retention of their mutant abilities that puts them in danger in âNo Way Home.â âThe best way to describe the obstacles facing them is the two basic questions I asked myself when thinking about this storyline,â Liu explained. âFirst, what happens now that mutants are almost extinct? Should mutant powers be feared -- or should they be looked at as a limited and therefore valuable resource? In other words, commodities to be sought after? By any means necessary?
|Pages from "NYX: No Way Home" #1
âSecond, how do priorities change when youâve got nothing -- and when what little you do have, is ripped away from you? Everything the kids have built for themselves is going to be stolen from them -- brutally -- until all they have left are each other. And if you want to talk obstacles, what happens internally and between themselves will either make or break them all.â
Kiden and her friends wonât be completely alone in âNo Way Home.â In the original âNYX,â the ghost of Kidenâs father would often show up and offer her cryptic hints and direction. âI don't think the appearance of her father was ever really explained,â Liu said. Â âSo, I'm taking it upon myself to do so in this six-issue run. Â Kiden's father plays a pivotal role in 'No Way Home' -- and his motivations, I promise, will be answered completely by the end of issue six.â
Cameron Palmer, Kidenâs former teacher who assisted her in the original âNYX,â is the other major returning supporting cast member in âNo Way Home.â âThere are, of course, fresh supporting characters -- if you count the bad guys as support -- but their sophistication and motives will be totally beyond Kiden and her friends,â Liu stated. âEven up until the last page.â
|Page from "NYX: No Way Home" #1, "NYX" Volume 1 trade paperback
The tone of âNo Way Homeâ is gritty and often times brutal. âBad things happen,â Liu said. âWhich is vague, I know, but ugliness is never pretty to write about. Â Even children with superpowers are vulnerable to the abuses of adults. Â What makes it worse is when that abuse comes from someone you trust.â
Liu is very happy to be collaborating with Kalman Andrasofszky on âNo Way Home.â âI'm not much of a gusher, but Kalman has been fantastic to work with.  Not only is his art delightfully perfect for the story, but he also gets what I'm trying to do,â she said. âWorking with someone who is on the same wavelength has made the experience one in a million.â
When Marvel offered Liu the chance to write a new âNYXâ series, she eagerly accepted. The writer has been reading comics for 12 years and has fond memories of the original âNYX.â âI remember, very specifically, that I was in law school at the time, and totally enchanted by the art and storyline,â Liu stated. âI loved how messed up all the kids were -- and yet, despite their circumstances, how heroic and compassionate they managed to be. Flawed, tragic, and lovely -- that was how I saw Kiden and the others. And thatâs how I still see them.â
|Marjorie Liu at Comic-Con International 2008
âNo Way Homeâ isnât the first time Liu has written mutant characters. The writer earned her âNYXâ assignment on the strength of her 2005 novel, âDark Mirror,â which starred the X-Men. âI'm a lucky girl. Â Four years ago I mentioned to my agent that I was a huge comic book fan -- and she happened to know an editor at Pocket who was looking for authors to participate in a new line of prose novels for Marvel,â Liu explained. âI managed to snag the first X-Men slot -- and went totally over the moon. Â Just so happened, too, that the story was well-received at Marvel -- and because of that, I gathered up the courage to broach the topic of doing more work for them. That conversation -- after several years of going back and forth -- eventually led to âNYX.ââ
âNYX: No Way Homeâ is Liuâs first comic book gig but it wonât be her last. âThis has been a wonderful experience. Honestly, I didnât know what to expect when I first jumped into this venture, but everything I have seen has merely reinforced the fact that this is a great profession to be part of,â Liu said. âI love writing -- obviously -- and I love learning new methods of storytelling -- and so I feel like a sponge at the moment, simply soaking up everything Marvel has to offer. And yes, I would love to tackle some other characters. Or write something fresh and new from my own mind. Weâll see what happens.â
Now discuss this story in CBRâs X-Men forum.


text:
- About Us
- Book Recommendations
- Signed Editions
- Kepler's Recommends
- Bestsellers
- Staff Picks
- Angela's Picks
- Becca's Picks
- Brooke's Picks
- Caitlin's Picks
- Christin's Picks
- Cressida's Picks
- Cynthia's Picks
- Jackie's Picks
- Jenna's Picks
- Julie's Picks
- Lee's Picks
- Leigh's Picks
- Lilly's Picks
- Marilyn's Picks
- Molly's Picks
- Nancy's Picks
- Nicola's Picks
- Nicole's Picks
- Pam's PIcks
- Praveen's Picks
- Ron's Picks
- Sina's Picks
- Todd's Pics
- Tori's PIcks
- Award Winners
- Kepler's Events
- Community Partners
- Book Clubs
- Literary Circle Membership
After the Ice: Life, Death, and Geopolitics in the New Arctic (Hardcover)
Email or call for price
Special Order
An eye-opening look at the winners and losers in the high-stakes story of Arctic transformation, from nations to natives to animals to the very landscape itself
The Arcticlike the canary in the coal minehas reacted more quickly and dramatically to global warming than many had anticipated. Hundreds of scientists are urgently trying to predict just how the Arctic will change and how those changes will in turn affect the rest of the planet. But plenty of other people, driven by profit rather than data, are interested as well. The riches of the worlds last virgin territory have spurred the reawakening of old geopolitical rivalries. The United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, and the Danish territory of Greenland all control areas around the Arctic Ocean. We face a new era of oil rigs and drill ships, of tankers taking shortcuts from Yokohama to Rotterdam, as well as a potential fight over the Arctics treasures.
Alongside the winners from an open Arctic sea are the many losers, from the nomadic reindeer herders of Siberia and Scandinavia to the Inuit hunters of Alaska, Greenland, and Canada. Other creatures that rely on the vast expanses of sea ice, including seals, birds, and whalesand the ecosystems within which they livemay disappear to be replaced by different creatures.
Combining science, business, politics, and adven-ture, Alun Anderson takes the reader to the ends of the earth for what may be the last narrative portrait of this rapidly changing land of unparalleled global significance.
About the Author
Alun Anderson began his career as a research biologist and has been the editor, editor-in-chief, and publishing director of New Scientist from 1992 to 2005, during which time he successfully launched the magazine in the United States. Previously he was the Washington DC bureau chief for the science journal Nature. Anderson lives in London but spends considerable time in the United States, where he is on the board of Xconomy in Boston.


text:
|Separate WC's
|Property type
|Minimum Stay
|7 nights
Your booking will be backed by our Book with Confidence Guarantee when you complete your reservation online and finalise payment on HomeAway.Learn more
Minimum rental one week rental Saturday to Saturday except for urban apartments.
Villa Cypress is a 6 bedroom historical villa in the countryside of Montepulciano, a vibrant city at the heart of the Siena region of Tuscany. The villa has breathtaking views of Montepulciano and is surrounded as far as the eye can see by vineyards that produce some of the finest wine in the region. The beautiful panorama also includes views of Cortona and the historical center of Chianciano Terme, a city of thermal baths built on ancient hot springs. Encircled by cypress trees, inspiring its name, Villa Cypress offers guests an authentic Tuscan experience. Encircled by cypress trees, inspiring its name, Villa Cypress offers guests an authentic Tuscan experience.
Villa Cypress was built in the 1850s and was originally part of a large estate of Montepulciano. The estate was owned by a wealthy family that produced wine and olive oil for the region. Today, the owners of Villa Cypress carry on the tradition, producing a boutique wine and also cultivating olives and a large fruit orchard (with five types of fruit each in several local varieties).
As part of the experience, visitors of Villa Cypress are invited free of charge to take part in a wine tasting with the owner, who not only makes wine but is a graduated sommelier trained in Montalcino, Tuscany.
Also, guests will find a welcome basket of breakfast items and snacks for the first full day. And guests are also encouraged to sample fruits directly from the trees of the orchards, of which there are fruits that mature May through October. All cultivation processes of grapes, olives and fruits are strictly organically.
Villa Cypress has recently been carefully restored, respecting the traditions and original materials of Tuscany and the Montepulciano area. The villa has been returned to its prime, uncovering the span of arches, terracotta tiles and chestnut beams of the 1800s. The villa is decorated with a timeless, classic Italian style that combines country charm with modern luxury such as air conditioning,spacious bedrooms, and tiled showers.
On the ground level, guests will enter through arched doors and find several large open areas to be used for entertaining and family time. At the front of the house is a Great Room which has two separate areas divided by an arch the entire width of the room. There are several sofas and chairs and the walls feature bookcases and shelves made of old chestnut beams recovered in the renovation. Guests will find this a comfortable area to visit with each other over a glass of wine, play games or watch a DVD or curl up with a good book. There is also a dining room area that seats 12 for formal meals, and also serves as the Enoteca where guests will enjoy wine tasting events.
The large family style kitchen attached to the Great Room features a stove with 6 burners, dishwasher and large refrigerator. There is a table that seats 12 so guests can sit around the kitchen together while preparing a meal. The kitchen has several large windows that overlook the garden, terrace and pool area and have views into the surrounding vineyards.
The kitchen leads out through a large arch door with four glass panels to the main terrace, where guests will enjoy a large table to linger over long meals on warm summer nights. There is also access to the pool, which is 10x5 meters and has several deck chairs and covered seating areas. The pool is in an excellent position on the property with views of Montepulciano and vineyards of the valleys and benefits from sun exposure all day until sunset. There are several other patios and terrace areas all around the property with table and chairs to enjoy a glass of wine, or the sunset, as the property faces Montepulciano in the west and has a spectacular sunset every evening.
Also on the ground floor of the villa are three large bedrooms, all air conditioned each with their own bathroom. Bedrooms have queen sized beds, which can be separated if guests prefer twin beds. The largest bedroom on the ground floor is a suite with seating area that has a full sized sofa bed, allowing the room to sleep 4 for a family with children. The bedrooms are spacious and all decorated uniquely but in classic Tuscan style. All bathrooms are very comfortable and have spacious walk-in showers.
The upstairs can be reached by both a large internal and external staircase made of original travertine marble. The upstairs is spacious with open plan living room and kitchen (fully equipped including dishwasher) with high ceilings made of chestnut beams with terracotta tiles. There are 13 windows upstairs with panoramic views and sun all day. Guests will find two large bedrooms, both air conditioned each with own attached bathroom. The largest bathroom has both a large corner bathtub and walk-in shower, with two windows that have spectacular views.
The sixth bedroom is inside a cottage that is next to the property, although not attached internally. The bedroom is very large, and sleeps up to four with a normal queen sized bed, and seating area that includes a full-sized sofa bed.
Villa Cypress is ideally located in Montepulciano, referred to as the gem of Tuscany, a place that has been used as the backdrop for several movies because of the beauty of the city and surrounding landscape. The road that leads to the villa is particularly beautiful, and is part of the Strada di Vino Nobile (touristic scenic wine road). Montepulciano is one of the closest cities in Tuscany to visitors flying into Rome.
Montepulciano is famous for its wine, the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, considered one of the top three reds in Tuscany along with Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino. Visitors of Montepulciano can enjoy local specialties such as handmade pici pasta that compliment Vino Nobile. Montepulciano is within 45 minutes of the Chianti region and Montalcino for guests that want to experience other top winemaking regions of Tuscany. Villa Cyprus is also 20 minutes from Pienza, a beautiful historical city known for its cheese, the Pecorino di Pienza.
The historically most important cities of Tuscany - Florence and Siena - can be reached by car in 1.5 hours and 45 minutes respectively. Other cities of interest such as Pisa, Cortona, and San Gimingnano are all easy day-trips and can be reached by car, train or bus from Montepulciano.
More locally, visitors of Villa Cypress can enjoy nature on long countryside walks and bike rides. In neighboring Chianciano Terme, guests can enjoy spa treatments and in the thermal baths. This is a wonderful place to discover the beauty of Tuscany!
*Plus compulsory or optional charges based on actual occupancy or consumption. The payment has to be made in the currency offered by the property manager, before use of conversion tool. Payments in other currencies have to be negotiated beforehand with the property manager. The currency conversion tool is provided for your convenience only and is non-binding.


text:
3GB of Free Drum Samples, Free Loops, Dubstep Samples, Free Drum Kits15 Comments
Here is a mix of free music samples to add to your music making collection.
Please share this post and follow us to show support. New free downloads added weekly. Get our free newsletter.
Free Drum Samples, Free Loops, Bass, Synths & More
100 Dubstep Samples ( 61mb ) – Includes kicks, Bass drums Samples, Basslines, Snares, Claps, FX Sounds, Hats, Drum Loops, and Percussions.
Sample Pack Pro Preview with 50 WAVs ( 27mb ) – Free Basslines, Drumloops, Glitch Sounds, HiHats, Synth Sounds, and more.
Second Dubstep Sample Pack with 100 Samples ( 52mb ) – DnB Loops, Snares, Claps, Basslines, FX Sounds.
16 Shaker Samples ( 1mb )
20 Arcade Sounds ( 4mb )
Mistabishi Samples ( 136mb )
Club Banger Drum Kit ( 10mb )
503 Free Synth Arpeggio Samples ( 182mb )
451 Emo Samples (273mb ) – Free bass, guitar, and drums.
Bomb Squad Samples ( 86mb )
Saturday Morning Samples Episode #40 10mb
65 Drum Samples ( 18mb ) – Free kicks, claps, snares, and other drum sounds.
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League Drum Kit ( 10mb )
Club Banger Drum Kit ( 10mb ) – Free drum samples, kicks, claps, snares, and more.
AraabMuzik Drum Kit + Soundfonts ( 268mb )
P.S. If you want access to more free VST plugins, free samples, drums, and our best free content sign up for our newsletter.
Suggested Tools
- Sell Beats Online – Sell beats, products, and promote your music.
- Create a Website Today – If you sell music, products, or offer a service, having a website is a must.
- Recommended Tools – Check out our favorite websites and online tools we use.
Posted by on December 16, 2012. Category: Free Drum Samples · Free Music Samples · Music Production Resources
Get the Best From Our Blog
Music production tips, interviews, free samples.
Get music production tips, interviews, free samples, drums, and more. Unsubscribe at any time.


text:
The fourth and final leak before the release of Empire Falls on Wednesday, produced by hitmaker Harry Fraud and featuring Emanny on the vocals.
Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz spit on Emanny's "So Amazing" remix.
Irony: Street rapper (Budden) borrows singing R&B rapper's street track (Drake's "5 AM In Toronto"), and sings over it.
Joe Budden releases the sequel to "All Of Me", as featured on Mood Muzik 3, with this new track from his upcoming mixtape, A Loose Quarter, hitting Nov. 23rd.
One last vid from Consignment mixtape. Directed by Blewfitit Films.
Budden and Emanny's R&B offshoot project delivers this syrupy love ballad. Not for us.
Summer Leather Vest is a new project between Joe Budden and Emanny, where Joe belts out a few notes himself. Download
Produced by The Klassix. Download
- Raekwon Sets A Release Date For "F.I.L.A." Album
- BUSH: A Snoop Odyssey Produced By Pharrell Williams [Preview]
- Drake – "If You're Reading This It's Too Late" Surprise Album on iTunes Now
- Action Bronson "Mr. Wonderful" Cover Art and Tracklist
- Juicy J "Blue Dream & Lean 2″ Mixtape Cover Art & Release Date Revealed
- MF Grimm "MF Love Songs" Cover Art + Tracklist
- Lord Hakim – "Brass Knucklez" (feat. Vast Aire & Phizz Ed)
- IAMSU! – "Hella Good" (feat. Tyga)
- DJ Kay Slay – "I Declare War" (feat. Styles P, Sheek Louch, Vado, Raekwon, & Rell)
- Maverick Sabre – "We Don't Wanna Be" (feat. Joey Bada$$)
- Cannibal Ox – "Blade: Art of Ox" (feat. Artifacts & U-God; prod. Black Milk)
- Asher Roth – "Blow Your Head" (prod. Nottz)
- It's Time To Say Goodbye...
Commented on by Yungplex
- It's Time To Say Goodbye...
Commented on by geedubbleyoo
- Fat Trel - "In My Bag" (feat. Wale)
Commented on by Katae
- Kanye West's "Runaway": What Does It All Mean?
Commented on by fidgar
- Sole Vs. El-P: Part One - Sole
Commented on by Reno Yakavetta
- It's Time To Say Goodbye...
Commented on by Atom


text:
Thomas Holt changed his profile photo.Shared publicly -
- Sinewave TechnologiesSystem Administrator, present
- Midwest ISO
- Pavin the Way Software
- Cohesive Network Group
- Escient, Inc
- JD Byrider Systems
- IQuest Internet
- Hollicom Internet
- Indiana State University
- Lifepresent
- Indiana University Purdue University of Indianapolis
- Indiana State University
- North Netwon High School
- Mt Ayr Junior High
- Lincoln Elementary
Minecraft is a game about placing blocks to build anything you can imagine. At night monsters come out, make sure to build a shelter before
Google Politics & Elections
Google Politics & Elections. Your elections hub to study, watch, discuss, participate in and make your impact on the digital campaign trail.
How does $250 and BlueTrip Aux sound? « The Griffin Technology Blog
road trips. We collected more than 150 amazing road trip tips! Since we're experienced roadtrippers, we have created a collection of 22 road
Why Do We Buy False Analogies That The Government Is Just Like a Person?...
Why Do We Buy False Analogies That The Government Is Just Like a Person? David Berreby on August 1, 2011, 6:15 PM. Tweet. Leviathan-1. Obser
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: the Ars Technica review
Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is no shrinking violet. Unlike its predecessor, Snow Leopard, which concentrated on internal changes, Lion aims to remake
So it Goes: Our 20 Favorite Vonnegut-isms « Flavorwire
Notice. JavaScript for Mobile Safari is currently turned off. Turn it on in Settings › Safari to view this website. close. Menu Tags Categor
Steve Frye - Magazine Production,Magazine Production Consultant,Magazine...
Frye Publication Consulting is a consulting company that specializes in the production and distribution of all publications. Buying paper,
Root required for this application!The fastest, most trusted, and #1 BusyBox installer and uninstaller! Over 3 million installs and over 10,
YouTube - Wozniak Tearfully Remembers His Friend Steve
Create AccountSign In. Home. BrowseMoviesUpload. Hey there, this is not a commercial interruption. You're using an outdated browser, whi
Penn Jillette on libertarianism | Kazim's Korner
Penn Jillette on libertarianism. Am I spreading myself too thin here? Between the Atheist Experience blog (now new and improved on freethoug
Gay community apologizes to Amy Koch for ruining her marriage - Minneapo...
The gay and lesbian community of Minnesota has issued a letter of apology to recently resigned Senate Majority Leader...
Understanding the peculiar loathesomeness of Rick Perry's "Strong" - Boi...
Features Reviews Video Science Gweek Shop Archive Submit More SEARCH. About Us Contact Us Policies B-SIDE Facebook Twitter Subscribe. DESKTO
Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, is revolutionizing how kids learn ...
Slate's list of the 25 Americans who combine inventive genius and practicality—our best real-world problem solvers. Read more about how
Thank you Christopher
Thank you Christopher. I became aware of Christopher Hitchens through an unfortunate route - namely his conservative christian brother, Pete
Perfect Head | everybody likes a little head
Perfect Head #29. Posted on December 7, 2011 by P-Dub. After a very brief 7 month absence Perfect Head returns, and of course the moment I t
Did U.S. Tax Policies Increase Economic Inequality? : NPR
Rolling Stone political correspondent Tim Dickinson says the tax policies pursued by the Republican Party have benefited the top 1 percent
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
News: February 10, 2012. Here's hoping this makes sense! Oh, and books are back in stock! Discuss this comic in the forum. February 09,
They Took Our Jobs | Sci-ence! A Skeptical Comic and Blog.
RIP Steve Jobs. You've pretty much assured that a piece of you will be around forever.
Shareable: 3D Printing Community to Crowdsource Saving a Species
Shareable. :Work & Enterprise. Life & Art; Work & Enterprise; Cities; CivicSystem; Science & Tech; EcoSystem. Search this si


text:
AEROSMITH guitarist Brad Whitford has confirmed that talks have taken place of a possible pairing with KISS for a summer tour, but doesn't think that it's likely to happen: "The truth to the rumor is that KISS would like us to do the show with them," he said. "AEROSMITH's just not that keen on doing the package. I think it's much higher on their wish list than it is ours. I think it might be a good package, and I wouldn't be surprised if maybe a coupla shows did happen — maybe a couple of shows somewhere did happen with KISS and AEROSMITH — but as far as I know, we're not planning on doing that. It doesn't do anything for us. We just don't think it's the right way to go, for us."
AEROSMITH: Summer Tour With KISS Unlikely
To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends). To report any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, please send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details.


text:
Ogier leads closest rivals Jari-Matti Latvala and Thierry Neuville by 90 points with five rallies to go. If he can increase that lead to 112 in Germany, he will be crowned champion.
But Ogier said that with several rounds to spare, he can be totally laidback about his Germany result.
"I am trying to take a totally happy-go-lucky approach to the Rally Germany," he said.
"A win would obviously be a hugely important step towards the title. And the world championship is my dream for this season.
"However, when you look at the current standings, I do not necessarily have to win at all costs. My goal will be to maintain my lead in the drivers' championship."
He acknowledged, however, that a home win would be good reward for VW in the new Polo's spectacular debut season.
"Having said that, victory in Germany would be fantastic for my team," said Ogier. "They more than deserve it. Our team is making all the difference at the moment. We head to Germany full of confidence.
"To be perfectly honest: why shouldn't we win there?"
Ogier has won five of the eight rallies held so far this year.
Ogier needs to win the rally at least in order to secure the crown in Trier.
If he takes the 25 points for victory, he can be champion if Neuville and Latvala do not take four points - through a combination of their finishing position and the three bonus points available on the powerstage.
If Ogier takes maximum powerstage points as well as winning - as he has in four of his five 2013 victories - then his rivals need to score at least seven points, either by finishing in the top five or taking sixth along with a top three on the powerstage.
If Ogier claims the title this weekend, he will be securing a WRC crown earlier than Sebastien Loeb ever did.
Loeb never clinched a championship earlier than October, the month in which he put six of his nine titles beyond his rivals' reach.
The only anomaly is the 2006 season, when Loeb did not officially claim the championship until Rally Australia in October, but actually contested his last round in Cyprus in September.
A cycling accident then ruled him out of the last four rallies, but his points advantage was such that he still became champion.
- Sports & Recreation
- Germany
- Thierry Neuville


text:
F. Scott Fitzgerald coined the term "Jazz Age" to describe the decade of decadence and prosperity that America enjoyed in the 1920s, which was also known as the Roaring Twenties. After World War I ended in 1918, the United States and much of the rest of the world experienced an enormous economic expansion. The surging economy turned the 1920s into a time of easy money, hard drinking (despite the Prohibition amendment to the Constitution), and lavish parties. Though the 1920s were a time of great optimism, Fitzgerald portrays the much bleaker side of the revelry by focusing on its indulgence, hypocrisy, shallow recklessness, and its perilous—even fatal—consequences.
The American Dream—that hard work can lead one from rags to riches—has been a core facet of American identity since its inception. Settlers came west to America from Europe seeking wealth and freedom. The pioneers headed west for the same reason. The Great Gatsby shows the tide turning east, as hordes flock to New York City seeking stock market fortunes. The Great Gatsby portrays this shift as a symbol of the American Dream's corruption. It's no longer a vision of building a life; it's just about getting rich.
Gatsby symbolizes both the corrupted Dream and the original uncorrupted Dream. He sees wealth as the solution to his problems, pursues money via shady schemes, and reinvents himself so much that he becomes hollow, disconnected from his past. Yet Gatsby's corrupt dream of wealth is motivated by an incorruptible love for Daisy. Gatsby's failure does not prove the folly of the American Dream—rather it proves the folly of short-cutting that dream by allowing corruption and materialism to prevail over hard work, integrity, and real love. And the dream of love that remains at Gatsby's core condemns nearly every other character in the novel, all of whom are empty beyond just their lust for money.
The Great Gatsby portrays three different social classes: "old money" (Tom and Daisy Buchanan); "new money" (Gatsby); and a class that might be called "no money" (George and Myrtle Wilson). "Old money" families have fortunes dating from the 19th century or before, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The "new money" class made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth.
The Great Gatsby shows the newly developing class rivalry between "old" and "new" money in the struggle between Gatsby and Tom over Daisy. As usual, the "no money" class gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving middle and lower class people like George Wilson forgotten or ignored.
Nick and Gatsby are continually troubled by time—the past haunts Gatsby and the future weighs down on Nick. When Nick tells Gatsby that you can't repeat the past, Gatsby says "Why of course you can!" Gatsby has dedicated his entire life to recapturing a golden, perfect past with Daisy. Gatsby believes that money can recreate the past. Fitzgerald describes Gatsby as "overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves." But Gatsby mixes up "youth and mystery" with history; he thinks a single glorious month of love with Daisy can compete with the years and experiences she has shared with Tom. Just as "new money" is money without social connection, Gatsby's connection to Daisy exists outside of history.
Nick's fear of the future foreshadows the economic bust that plunged the country into depression and ended the Roaring Twenties in 1929. The day Gatsby and Tom argue at the Plaza Hotel, Nick suddenly realizes that it's his thirtieth birthday. He thinks of the new decade before him as a "portentous menacing road," and clearly sees in the struggle between old and new money the end of an era and the destruction of both types of wealth.