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The NYT has a story about a mock US aircraft carrier Iran is building, its sources say, so Iran can blow it up for the propaganda value.
Iran is building a nonworking mock-up of an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that United States officials say may be intended to be blown up for propaganda value.
This has set off chatter about how weird and dumb Iran is for building this giant toy boat, which US sources call the Target Barge.
But pretty soon after I started reading the article I found myself applying the phrases in it to America's F-35 program which, in many ways, is an even bigger propaganda prop. See how it looks when you swap out Iran's barge for the F-35?
Intelligence officials do not believe that the US is capable of building an actual F-35.
"Based on our observations, this is not a functioning plane; it's a large spending program built to look like an plane," said Cmdr. Jason Salata, a spokesman for the Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, across the Persian Gulf from Lockheed. "We're not sure what the US hopes to gain by building this. If it is a big propaganda piece, to what end?"
"It is not surprising that American military forces might use a variety of tactics — including military deception tactics — to strategically communicate and possibly demonstrate their resolve in air power," said a Chinese official who has closely followed the construction of the F-35.
[T]he Pentagon has taken no steps to cloak from prying Chinese hackers what it is building in pork-laden building sites across several countries. "The system is often too opaque to understand who hatched this idea, and whether it was endorsed at the highest levels," said Karim Sadjadpour, an American expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
See what I mean?
Opacity of purpose.
Failure to provide adequate security.
Probable impossibility to bring to completion.
Abundant propaganda.
I'm not all that sure what distinguishes the F-35 except the cost: Surely Iran hasn't spent the equivalent of a trillion dollars — which is what we'll spend on the F-35 when it's all said and done — to build its fake boat.
So which country is crazier: Iran, for building a fake boat, or the US for funding a never-ending jet program?
Reuters has a report I found sort of punny, about how white hat hackers had managed to break into the computer systems of the lead ship of the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship program, the USS Freedom.
A Navy team of computer hacking experts found some deficiencies when assigned to try to penetrate the network of the USS Freedom, the lead vessel in the $37 billion Littoral Combat Ship program, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The Freedom arrived in Singapore last week for an eight-month stay, which its builder, Lockheed Martin Corp., hopes will stimulate Asian demand for the fast, agile and stealthy ships.
It may be ironic that Lockheed had a ship get hacked just before it sent the ship out on a sales trip to Asia. (Asia! Where our most fear hacking-rival is!)
But … um, Lockheed?
Lockheed, of course, couldn't keep the F-35 program safe from hackers either, and that time it wasn't white hats doing the hacking.
Before the government imposes fines for companies unwilling to sacrifice the security of their systems to program in a backdoor, as the WaPo reports is being debated …
A government task force is preparing legislation that would pressure companies such as Facebook and Google to enable law enforcement officials to intercept online communications as they occur, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with the effort.
Susan Landau, a former Sun Microsystems distinguished engineer, has argued that wiring in an intercept capability will increase the likelihood that a company's servers will be hacked. "What you've done is created a way for someone to silently go in and activate a wiretap," she said. Traditional phone communications were susceptible to illicit surveillance as a result of the 1994 law, she said, but the problem "becomes much worse when you move to an Internet or computer-based network."
Marcus Thomas, former assistant director of the FBI's Operational Technology Division, said good software coders can create an intercept capability that is secure. "But to do so costs money," he said, noting the extra time and expertise needed to develop, test and operate such a service.
… Maybe we ought to instead focus on Lockheed's apparent inability to keep the hundreds of billion dollar weapons systems it produces safe from hackers?
Remember how, before the election, Lockheed threatened to send out layoff notices to all its employees just before the election because sequestration might force it to layoff 10,000 employees?
Here's the actual state of affairs for defense contractors:
The biggest defense companies' share value has soared faster than the stock market since sequester spending cuts began on March 1.
While the S&P is up 3.7 percent and the Dow Jones industrial average has risen 4.3 percent, Boeing has jumped 9.6 percent, Lockheed Martin is up 8.3 percent. Northrop Grumman has climbed 6.1 percent and Raytheon is up 6 percent.
No major defense layoffs tied to the sequester have been announced under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, despite predictions during the heat of the 2012 presidential campaign when companies pressed Congress to turn off the automatic cuts.
Defense experts say the sequester will inflict pain on the defense sector, but the pace of the cuts will not help contractors make their case. "There are real impacts here on national security from what this is going to do to the defense industrial base, but it's not this year, it's not even next year — and will anyone be listening by the time those effects become evident?" said Todd Harrison, a defense budget analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
And all that's before you consider the $334 MLockheed itself got before the sequester just to protect the F-35 program.
So while actual government employees are dealing with cuts and other resources are being cut, the defense industry still has a year before they're going to feel the pinch.
This was all predictable (I'm pretty sure DDay laid it all out, back in the day). But it's nice to know the parts of our economy that DC really care about — the warmaking, campaign donating ones — are still doing swimmingly under austerity.
Over the last week, two perennial stories have again dominated the news. China continues to be able to hack us — including top DC power players — at will. And the F-35 has suffered another setback, this time a crack in an engine turbine blade (something which reportedly happened once before, in 2007).
The coincidence of these two events has got me thinking (and mind you, I'm just wondering out loud here): what if China did more than just steal data on the F-35 when it hacked various contractors, and instead sabotaged the program, inserting engineering flaws into the plane in the same way we inserted flaws in Iran's centrifuge development via StuxNet?
We know China has hacked the F-35 program persistently. In 2008, an IG report revealed that BAE and some of the other then 1,200 (now 1,300) contractors involved weren't meeting security requirements; last year an anonymous BAE guy admitted that the Chinese had been camped on their networks stealing data for 18 months. In April 2009, WSJ provided a more detailed report on breaches going back to 2007.
The Joint Strike Fighter, also known as the F-35 Lightning II, is the costliest and most technically challenging weapons program the Pentagon has ever attempted. The plane, led by Lockheed Martin Corp., relies on 7.5 million lines of computer code, which the Government Accountability Office said is more than triple the amount used in the current top Air Force fighter.
Six current and former officials familiar with the matter confirmed that the fighter program had been repeatedly broken into.
As first started leaking last week, Lockheed Martin seems to have been hacked.
Last weekend was bad for a very large U. S. defense contractor that uses SecureID tokens from RSA to provide two-factor authentication for remote VPN access to their corporate networks. Late on Sunday all remote access to the internal corporate network was disabled. All workers were told was that it would be down for at least a week. Folks who regularly telecommute were asked to come into nearby offices to work. Then earlier today (Wednesday) came word that everybody with RSA SecureID tokens would be getting new tokens over the next several weeks. Also, everybody on the network (over 100,000 people) would be asked to reset their passwords, which means admin files have probably been compromised.
What seems to have happened is hackers used information gotten in the RSA Data Security hack to try to break Lockheed's own security–basically, Lockheed noticed that hackers were trying to use the keys they stole in March to open a bunch of locks at Lockheed. Lockheed appears to have discovered the effort and in response, started shutting down remote access on parts of its network.
Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier, is experiencing a major disruption to its computer systems that could be related to a problem with network security, a defense official and two sources familiar with the issue said on Thursday.
Lockheed, the biggest provider of information technology to the U.S. government, is grappling with "major internal computer network problems," said one of the sources who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
The slowdown began on Sunday after security experts for the company detected an intrusion to the network, according to technology blogger Robert Cringely. He said it involved the use of SecurID tokens that employees use to access Lockheed's internal network from outside its firewall,
Loren Thompson, chief operating officer of the Lexington Institute, and a consultant to Lockheed, said the company monitored every node on its vast global computer network from a large operations center in a Maryland suburb near Washington, D.C.
"If it sees signs that the network is being compromised by outsiders it will shut down whole sectors of the network to protect information," Thompson said.
He said Lockheed had advanced networking monitoring tools that gave it a "much better understanding of their systems' status than most other organizations, including the Department of Defense."
In other words, Lockheed may have prevented a much bigger breach into their own systems. But the assumption of many is that other companies might not have noticed what Lockheed did. Stories on this hack all feature a list of other defense contractors–like Boeing and Raytheon and Northrup Grumman–who "decline to comment," which might mean they're scrambling to address the same problem Lockheed is, only trying to do so without all the bad PR.
Now, most observers of this hack have suggested that the hackers–who might work for a state actors or some other sophisticated crime group–were after Lockheed's war toy information (which partly explains why you'd ask Lockheed's aerospace competitors if they'd been hacked too). But remember that Lockheed does a lot for the government besides build planes. Of particular note, they're a huge NSA contractor. Maybe the hackers were after info on jet fighters, or maybe they were after the data and data collection programs our own government hides from its own citizens.
Which is all a reminder that, amidst the sound and fury directed at WikiLeaks (which after all shared important information with citizens who deserved to know it), there's a whole lot more hacking we don't learn the results of, hacking that either might result in others adopting our lethal technologies, or in third parties stealing the data we're not even allowed to know.
Now, granted, Lockheed has far far better security than DOD's SIPRNet does. At least they're trying to protect their data. But it's not clear they–or their counterparts–are entirely successful.
Remember the Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA)? Here's how I described it back in 2007.
CIFA is, along with the National Security Letters Congress is now cracking down on, probably the biggest abuse of civil rights and privacy BushCo has hatched up. It was designed to gather intelligence on threats to defense installments in the United States–to try to collect information (in the TALON database) on threatening people scoping out domestic bases. But it ended up focusing on peace activists and the lefty blogosphere's own Jesus' General. 70 percent of CIFA's employees are contractors, a figure that makes it a prime candidate for politicized contracting scandal.
Among the contractors spying on Americans was MZM, one of the companies that bribed Duke Cunningham. Prosecutors in that case started investigating MZM's CIFA contracts in May 2006. Three months after that, the top two managers at CIFA, who had directed CIFA keep sending MZM contracts, resigned suddenly. When DOD's Inspector General tried to investigate CIFA in 2007, it discovered (it claimed) that the entire CIFA database had been destroyed in June 2006, just as prosecutors were closing in on those contracts.
Later, in 2008, just as CIFA was claiming it couldn't publicly reveal its unclassified contracts, we learned that Stephen Cambone (who had led one of the inquiries into CIFA), had won a contract from it, sort of a payoff for not finding anything, I guess.
Later that year, DOD "disestablished" CIFA.
Or rather, they renamed it, calling it the Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center. Then, last year, we learned that database DOD claimed had been destroyed in 2006 really hadn't been, and CIFA 2.0 was getting back in the business of keeping a database of information on big threats to the US like Quakers and bloggers.
The Defense Intelligence Agency wants to open a new repository for information about individuals and groups in what appears to be a successor to a controversial counterintelligence program that was disbanded in 2008.
The new Foreign Intelligence and Counterintelligence Operation Records section will be housed in DIA's Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center, or DCHC, formed after the demise of the Counterintelligence Field Activity, or CIFA, according to an announcement that appeared Tuesday in the Federal Register.
The "activity" was disbanded, but evidently not its records database, which seems to be headed to the new unit. One of the criticisms of CIFA was that it vacuumed up raw intelligence on legal protest groups and individuals from local police and military spies.
When the DCHC was launched in 2008, the Pentagon said "it shall NOT be designated as a law enforcement activity and shall not perform any law enforcement functions previously assigned to DoD CIFA."
Why the new depository would want such records while its parent agency no longer has a law enforcement function could not be learned. Not could it be learned whether the repository will include intelligence reports on protest groups gathered by its predecessor, CIFA.
The only thing left, at that point, was to figure out what defense contractor was getting rich spying on American citizens.
The answer? Lockheed Martin.
Lockheed Martin has openings for talented and motivated professionals in the counterintelligence (CI) field to be part of an evolving and highly specialized team that will provide direct support to the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center (DCHC).
The team Lockheed Martin is assembling a team which will function in CI areas such as: force protection; support to Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF); CI in Cyberspace; research, development and acquisitions; critical infrastructure protection; CI support to Offensive CI Operations; analysis & production (A&P); collections; campaigns; policy; assessments; TSCM; security; information assurance, and Enterprise governance support (administrative).
Not only is the entire concept wrong, using contractors to spy on Quakers and bloggers. Not only is it especially troublesome that Lockheed–a company with close ties to NSA–is doing this work (which would make it easy for reports from physical surveillance to migrate into the signals surveillance NSA does). But note what else is now included in CIFA 2.0: "CI in Cyberspace." That is, Lockheed with its close ties to NSA is now in charge of spying on those claimed to present an online counterintelligence threat to the United States. And maybe doing things like hacking a media site to try to exercise illegal prior restraint.
Tomorrow and Wednesday, the WaPo will continue its series on the Intelligence Industrial Complex. It will describe the contractors in the BWI/Fort Meade area that contribute to the NSA's surveillance programs. According to the DNI's Director of Communications, that story will describe the contractors in the vicinity, but not say explicitly that those contractors clustered around Fort Meade are working for the NSA.
The Post advises that "links" between individual contractors and specific agencies have been deleted, although the Post will still cite contractors and their locations.
Here's the WaPo's description of how it acceded to spy officials' requests not to include maps like this one–showing one of Lockheed Martin's extensive locations in the neighborhood of Fort Meade (anyone who has taken the train to BWI will pass another of these locations)–in its database.
Because of the nature of this project, we allowed government officials to see the Web site several months ago and asked them to tell us of any specific concerns. They offered none at that time. As the project evolved, we shared the Web site's revised capabilities. Again, we asked for specific concerns. One government body objected to certain data points on the site and explained why; we removed those items. Another agency objected that the entire Web site could pose a national security risk but declined to offer specific comments.
We made other public safety judgments about how much information to show on the Web site. For instance, we used the addresses of company headquarters buildings, information which, in most cases, is available on companies' own Web sites, but we limited the degree to which readers can use the zoom function on maps to pinpoint those or other locations.
Nevertheless, an anonymous official–who sounds an awful lot like Acting Director of National Intelligence David Gompert did in his official statement–is already out bitching about the contractor database the WaPo published as part of this series.
The database the Washington Post compiled during its "Top Secret America" two year investigation is "troubling," one administration official told me this morning, saying it could become a road map for adversaries – a charge reporter William Arkin denied on "GMA."
"We've been through months now of negotiations and discussions with the government. I don't think there is anything here that would do harm to national security," Arkin told me. "And frankly I'm an American as well and I don't want to do any harm to American national security."
The official also told me that President Obama and his team are committed to intelligence reform — calling it a "central issue" – and said the system basically worked preventing another major attack and taking out 10 of the top 20 Al Qaeda leaders. But Arkin argued otherwise – saying it is important to counter what "the government would like to put out as the good news."
Now, this anonymous official (who sounds like David Gompert did) may have been smart enough to know that George Stephanopoulos would obediently grant him anonymity to conduct the pushback ODNI was planning even before they read the article (nice stenography, Steph!). But he apparently believes our adversaries limit their research to the DeadTree press and couldn't figure out that Lockheed Martin works for NSA (among other agencies) via other means. This anonymous official apparently believes our adversaries couldn't do what Tim Shorrock did when he established the ties between Lockheed and NSA.
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY. Lockheed Martin has extremely close and long-standing ties with the NSA. In the mid-1950s it built the U-2 spy plane that played a key role in the Cold War and conducted some of the NSA's initial research in signals collection. "The U-2 has been the backbone of our nation's airborne intelligence collection operations for several decades and continues to provide unmatched operational capabilities in support of Operation Enduring Freedom," Lockheed Martin states in its 2008 annual report. The U-2 "is expected to continue to provide leading-edge intelligence collection capabilities for years to come."
The company's extensive contracts with the NSA first became public in 1997. That year, Margaret Newsham, a contract engineer working for Lockheed Space and Missile Corporation at an NSA listening post in the United Kingdom, disclosed to Congress the existence of Echelon. This global surveillance network is run by the NSA and its counterparts in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. She made the disclosure after hearing NSA intercepts of international calls placed by Sen. Strom Thurmond, the conservative South Carolina Republican. Her revelations sparked a spate of Congressional inquiries into whether the NSA was illegally listening in on domestic conversations. The discussions, led by a Republican civil libertarian, Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, presaged the intense debate that would follow the 2005 revelations about President Bush's "Terrorist Surveillance Program." In July 1998 a report commissioned by the European Parliament confirmed that, through Echelon, the United States, and its closest allies had the capability to intercept most European phone calls, emails, and data communications, as well as the technology to decode almost any encrypted communication. This revelation sparked deep suspicion in European capitals that NSA was using Echelon to capture European business intelligence and trade secrets and pass them to U.S. companies.
Under a contract signed in 2005, Lockheed Martin provides an integrated electronic security system to protect NSA facilities in the Washington area. A similar system is in place at the Pentagon and dozens of U.S. military facilities abroad.
And then there are the other ways to figure this out. I first copped on to Lockheed's ties to NSA when I noted there seemed to be a closer tie between Lockheed campaign contributions and Democrats who voted in favor of retroactive immunity on the FISA Amendments Act than contributions from AT&T.
Of course, presumably this anonymous official does know that our adversaries are not as dumb as he claims.
Which suggests it's not our adversaries the anonymous official is really worried about. God forbid the citizens of this country–the average readers of the WaPo rather than those with training in intelligence that makes such research a cinch–find out who has been analyzing all the phone data collected in the guise of counterterrrorism.
This one is for Mary, who sent me the link from the road. As everyone knows, once you earn your bones in the Bush DOJ on torture and/or illegal wiretapping, you get a plum position in the private world. As Mary has consistently pointed out, Jim Comey got jumped in to the gang that couldn't torture straight when he invoked state secrets to cover for Larry Thompson and other malfeasants in the Maher Arar case. For that fine work, Comey is now General Counsel at Lockheed Martin Aerospace while Thompson had to settle for the General Counsel slot at PepsiCo. But today is about Comey's current crew, Lockheed.
The Wall Street Journal has an article out describing the fine educational possibilities provided the world community by the American military-industrial complex:
Lockheed Martin Corp. became the nation's No. 1 military contractor by selling cutting-edge weaponry like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Its latest contribution to the U.S. arsenal: training prosecutors in Liberia's Justice Ministry.
The U.S. government has hired the defense contractor to test an emerging tenet of its security policy. Called "smart power," it blends military might with nation-building activities, in hopes of boosting political stability and American influence in far-flung corners such as Liberia.
Yep, the makers of strike fighters, cruise missiles and other niceties of global thermonuclear war, are gonna school up the new justice class in Liberia. Really, what could go wrong??
Defense firms are eager to oblige. "The definition of global security is changing," says Lockheed's Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Stevens. He wants the maker of the Air Force's most advanced fighters to become a central player in the U.S. campaign to use economic and political means to align countries with American strategic interests.
Last year, Lockheed had two of its highest profile programs, the F-22 Raptor fighter and a fleet of presidential helicopters, ended by the Obama administration. Now, Lockheed is one of several defense firms expected to bid for a State Department contract to support "criminal justice sector development programs world-wide," that could be worth up to $30 billion over five years.
Well, that does seem like a promising business opportunity and, hey, why should Halliburton and Blackwater/Xe get all the fun and Ferengi profit?
Morgan Stanley defense analyst Heidi Wood says Lockheed's early push into this realm sets it apart from competitors. It is too soon to pinpoint a financial impact, she says, but the moves will pay off. "It's a complete paradigm change."
Yeah, ya think?? I wonder what kind of homework the Lockheed law professors assign? Read the entire WSJ article, it is worth it.
Now, to be fair, Jim Comey is not specifically referenced in the comprehensive article, but there is little question but that he is the top prosecutorial experience Lockheed possesses and, really, a joint with the history of Liberia would be the perfect place for former Bush/Cheney prosecutors to impart their "special" skills. It could all fit so nicely.


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Definition of docile in English:
- If this is not done, those of us who call ourselves citizens will in reality be nothing more than docile instruments in the hands of distant powers.
- The drive was superb, tight, controllable, plenty of power but docile as a kitten after a big meal when simply pootling along.
- One of the scientists said that when he fed the chemical to lab rats, they would become completely meek and docile.
- Example sentences
- How docilely these people have lined up to be photographed!
- At first, he had docilely complied, but it did not take long before he realized that he had become their favorite toy, and that his 'supposed debt' would never be wiped clean.
- While they docilely accept the demands put forward by the employers, they see their main task as warding off and side-tracking the growth of resistance within the working class.
- Example sentences
- Sheep remind people of such qualities as timidity, docility and gentleness in Chinese as well as Western culture.
- She carried that sour expression on her face as she went out, considering her promise of docility.
- He uses it as an example to describe how modern societies use similar techniques to control behavior and ensure docility.
Late 15th century (in the sense 'apt or willing to learn'): from Latin docilis, from docere 'teach'.
physician from Middle English:
The Old English word for a medical doctor was leech (despite popular belief, nothing to do with the worm, but a word meaning 'a healer'). Physician arrived in the early Middle Ages, and goes back to Greek phusis 'nature', the root also of physical (Late Middle English), physics (Late Middle English), and numerous other English words. A doctor (Middle English) was originally not a physician but any learned person able to give an authoritative opinion, especially one of the early Christian theologians. The word started referring specifically to a medical expert at the start of the 15th century. It comes from doctor, the Latin for 'teacher', also found in words such as docile (Late Middle English) 'willing to learn'; document (Late Middle English) 'official paper, proof'; and doctrine (Late Middle English), originally the action of teaching.
For editors and proofreaders
Syllabification: doc·ile
Definition of docile in:
What do you find interesting about this word or phrase?
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subset: commoncrawl


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The Leafs allowed the Senators to stick around and Jason Spezza tied the game early in the third. Tyler Bozak had Joffrey Lupul's shot hit his skate and past Craig Anderson just 2:39 later to restore the lead.
The game wasn't iced until there was 1:20 left. Clarke MacArthur did a great job to steal the puck from Jason Spezza and fed Nikolai Kulemin who tapped home the insurance marker. It was Kulemin's 29th of the season and sealed the Leafs' third straight win.
There were several candidates but Phil Kessel was the best player in Blue and White on Saturday. Kessel got the Leafs off on the right foot when he scored his 30th goal in the first period.
He joined some elite company becoming just the third player to hit the 30-goal plateau for the third season in a row. The goal also gave him 61 points this season which is a new career high. He also extended his point streak to eight points ( two goals, six assists) in seven games.
It was another stellar game from James Reimer. Although he wasn't tested that often, he made the saves when it mattered. With the Leafs leading 2-0, Reimer stretched out and robbed Jesse Winchester with his left pad. He finished the game with 23 saves.
The victory was Reimer's 20th of the season which ties him for the seventh most all-time for Leafs rookie goalies. So far in his young career he is 2-0-1 against Ottawa allowing a paltry three goals.
The stats that the Leafs keep piling up in the last two months of the season continue to be staggering. While the win was the Leafs' third consecutive they have won seven of their last eight games.
With the victory over the Senators, the Leafs have put together an impressive record against their own division going 13-8-2. The Leafs have a winning record against all their rivals and they are 8-0-1 in their last nine against the Northeast Division with one game remaining.
Ron Wilson's thoughts after another big road win for his team:
"When they tied the game we got a power play and we managed to score. Then their guy got the five-minute major and it was like we were killing time, we didn't have anybody at the net. But we got the job done and i'm happy with that."
Game Notes:
The Maple Leafs return home to Air Canada Centre to face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. After struggling earlier this season, the Capitals have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games to sit in first in the East.
Alex Ovechkin scored the overtime winner Saturday against Buffalo to cap a wild 5-4 win.


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Public ArchivesHere's everything you ever wanted to know about midwifery in New York State! Below find links to bi-annual newsletter PUSH, organizational documents, and links to more information about midwifery in NYS.
Organizational documents
NYS Midwifery Laws & Regulations
Frequently asked questions about midwifery
Planned Home Birth Guidelines for Best Practice


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Conference Speakers
National Water Policy and the Future of Texas Water:
A Local and National Debate
Dr. Tom Arsuffi
Tom Arsuffi is Director of the Llano River Field Station at Texas Tech University in Junction. He received his Ph.D. at New Mexico State University in 1984 and did a post doctorate at the University of Georgia Marine Institute. His research interests are in aquatic and watershed ecology and environmental education and he and his students have worked in a range of aquatic ecosystems. He teaches courses in Aquatic Biology, General Ecology, Stream Ecology, Environmental Impact Analysis, Invasive Species Ecology, Scientific Method in Aquatic Resources and Wetlands Ecology. He has publications in leading ecological journals and given invited and contributed presentations on his work at national and international aquatic, ecological and scientific meetings. He has served as: President of a 1000+ member Texas Academy of Science, as Program Chair for regional and international scientific societies, Executive Board of Organization of Biological Field Stations, a reviewer for National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture panels, external reviewer for state science center programs, original ESA SEEDS partner & mentor, advised NSF/NIH funded K-12 teacher training in research, developed K-12 watershed education units, worked with the national media, received research/education grants over $8.7 million from numerous state, federal and foundation funding sources, completed 32 graduate students as thesis adviser, served on over 50 graduate committees and was an invited representative for the American Institute of Biological Sciences Congressional Visits Day to inform Congress on the research and education importance of Field Stations in the United States. For the past 7 years, he served as a nationally selected member of the Science Review Panel, evaluating environmental studies associated with a $1 Billion interbasin water transfer project in Texas.
Senator Robert Duncan
Senator Robert Duncan has been a leader in the Texas Senate since 1996, when he won a special election to represent District 28.
Senator Duncan has served in several key chairmanships during his Senate tenure. During the past three legislative seasons, he led the Senate State Affairs Committee as chairman. He is also a member of the Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Jurisprudence Committee.
Texas Monthly has three times named him among the state's 10 best legislators. The esteemed publication has also listed Senator Duncan as a "Texas Super Lawyer" for his professional reputation in the private sector.
Dr. Michael Farmer
Dr. Farmer is a Natural Resource Economist in the Departments of Agricultural and Applied Economic and Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University. Dr. Farmer has considerable policy experience with water authorities, land use managers, energy research policy bureaus and industry (pulp and paper, cotton growers, rural electric cooperatives, real estate developers), generally as the lone economist among policy-makers and engineers.
Dr. Farmer serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers panel to evaluate water reallocation strategies for Federal reservoirs; directed "Integrated Water Implication of Biofuels" section of A Report to the Secretaries USDA-DOE. National Strategic Plan Report. US Bio-Fuels, 2009; reviews Institute of Water Resources (IWR) Revision of Procedures for Congress; serves on the Task Force on the Committee for South Mississippi Navigation. USACOE (IWR) report on deep water channels in the lower Mississippi to Congress in 2007; has co-authored Strategic Planning Study for the Yellow River Law to the China Ministry on Water Resources and Yellow River Conservancy Commission, 2003-2004; is an advisor to Atlanta Regional Commission on Tri-state Water Compact; and co-authored a National Economic Development (NED) Study assessing alternative reservoir operations, 2002 – present.
Mr. Billy Finn
Upon graduation from Tarleton State University with a Bachelor of Science in Hydrology and Water Resources, Billy Finn commenced his federal service as a staff hydrologist with the Hydrology/Hydraulics and Reservoir Control branches of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Ft. Worth District.
In 1998, Mr. Finn accepted a journeyman hydrologist position with the National Weather Service, West Gulf River Forecast Center. Duties focused on daily hydrologic forecast operations for various locations throughout Texas and New Mexico and model calibration.
Mr. Finn moved west (El Paso) and accepted a staff hydraulic engineer position with the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (USIBWC) in 2002. Presently, Mr. Finn serves as the Chief of Water Accounting Division, Operations Department and is responsible for the oversight, direction and management of the agency's hydrologic program and ensures equitable distribution of waters between United States and Mexico pursuant to international treaties.
Dr. Ron Kaiser
Ronald A. Kaiser is professor of water law and policy at Texas A&M University. He regularly teaches graduate courses and seminars on water and environmental law. Kaiser developed and directs the university's interdisciplinary master and doctoral degree program in Water Management and Hydrological Science (WMHS). The WMHS program has an annual enrollment of some 60 U.S. and international students. Kaiser's research interests include groundwater management practices, water marketing, urban water conservation and storm recovery planning for national parks. Over the last 5 years he has administered more than $1 million in water related research funding. Kaiser developed and directs the Texas Water Education Program to provide timely water information through seminars and conferences to Texas officials and stakeholder groups.
Dr. George F. McMahon III
Vice President, Technical and Service Leader, Water Resources Planning and Management, ARCADIS
Mr. Bill Mullican
Mr. Mullican is a native of Lubbock, Texas, and graduated from Texas Tech University in 1978 with a B.S. in Broadfield Science Education and in 1981 with a M.S. in Geology. Mr. Mullican is an advisor for groundwater issues for the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District in Lubbock. Mr. Mullican retired March 3, 2009 from the Texas Water Development Board, where he served as Deputy Executive Administrator for Water Science and Conservation.
After 14 years with the University Of Texas Bureau Of Economic Geology, he joined the Texas Water Development Board staff as Director of Water Resources Planning. In this position, he was responsible for preparation of the 2002 Texas State Water Plan and for direction of scientific/technical assistance for groundwater and surface water resources.
Mr. Mullican was promoted to Deputy Executive Administrator for Planning in 2002. His responsibilities were expanded to include preparation of the 2007 State Water Plan, water data monitoring, as well as environmental and research programs at the TWDB.
In 2008, Mr. Mullican was named Deputy Executive Administrator for Water Science and Conservation.
Mr. Robert Puente
Robert R. Puente was appointed San Antonio Water System's president and CEO in November 2008. As chief executive of one of the nation's largest utilities, he provides leadership in delivering water and wastewater services to more than 1.3 million consumers, developing new water resources, continuing infrastructure upgrades throughout the community, and building regional partnerships.
Puente served in the Texas House of Representatives before being tapped for the interim president/CEO role at SAWS in May 2008. First elected in 1991, Puente was immediately appointed to the House Natural Resources Committee, which develops water policy for the state. He became its chairman in 2003.
As one of the policy pioneers of modern water supply management in Texas, Puente helped shape key regional water issues, beginning with the creation of the Edwards Aquifer Authority legislation in 1993.
In his final year in the House, Puente successfully sponsored Senate Bill 3, which advanced a comprehensive statewide water management strategy, leveraging the proven strengths of the regional planning model. This landmark bill also solidified Edwards Aquifer pumping permits, saving the region hundreds of millions of dollars.
Throughout his legislative career, Puente served on numerous committees including Local Ways and Means, Bexar Metropolitan Water District Legislative Oversight, Edwards Aquifer Legislative Oversight, Study Commission on Water for Environmental Flows and Water Advisory Council.
Puente currently serves on the board of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, The United Way of San Antonio, Inc., Economic Development Foundation, SAISD Foundation for Excellence, AWWA Texas Section Water Utility Council, Basin and Bay Area Stakeholder Committee (BBASC).
Robert is a 1979 graduate of St. Mary's University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree from the University of Texas Law School in 1982. Since graduating, he has been a private attorney, and has owned his own law firm since 1990.
Robert is married to Carmen Muñiz Puente. They have three children.
Dr. Ken Rainwater
After receiving his Master's and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas, Dr. Rainwater joined Texas Tech University in 1985 and, since 2002, has served as the Director for the Texas Tech University Water Resources Center.
Dr. Rainwater's research focuses on modeling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport, groundwater rights, water resources management, remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, and watershed management. He is the principal and co-principal investigator on several ongoing projects, which include field observations of recharge to the Ogallala aquifer, impacts of climate variability on surface and groundwater resources, and watershed management through removal of invasive vegetation.
Dr. Rainwater also serves as the Director Lead of the Water Leadership Council, a Graduate Student Advisor, and he works as an industry consultant, providing expertise in environmental contamination, water rights issues, groundwater well field design and management, and groundwater modeling and risk assessment.
Mr. Jim Thebaut
Jim Thebaut is the Chief Executive Officer, President, and Executive Producer of the Chronicles Group, Inc. In this role, he is influencing critical public policy about the threat of the evolving global humanitarian water crisis and its dire effect on international security. He has managed multi-disciplinary teams and created the public information education documentary feature projects The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?, Running Dry and The Cold War and Beyond.
Importantly, Mr. Thebaut's public policy leadership and vision led to the enactment of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act, which authorizes funding for water and sanitation in developing nations. On July 28th, 2009 he organized a National Water Policy Event at Capitol Visitor Center on Capitol Hill.
Mr. Thebaut is also an Executive Producer/Producer and journalist. He has been affiliated with and produced for CBS, ABC News, HBO, The Arts & Entertainment Network, and Public Television. His films have been distributed and broadcast throughout the world.
Mr. Kevin Ward
As the executive administrator of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), Kevin Ward serves as the chief executive officer of a state agency employing over 300 scientists, engineers, lawyers, GIS professionals, finance officers, and related support staff. Under the direction of a six-member board appointed by the governor, the TWDB is responsible for planning the statewide development of water resources, financing water-related infrastructure, and maintaining and disseminating natural resource data for Texas, which includes water-bearing formations and watersheds. Mr. Ward was appointed to his current position in May 2002.
During his 21-years with the TWDB, he has served in several capacities, including financial analyst, finance section chief, and development fund manager. From March 1996 to April 2002, Mr. Ward served as the TWDB's deputy executive administrator for the Office of Project Finance and Construction Assistance.


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MONTREAL – Every season has its fair share of ups and downs. Head coach Michel Therrien classified Thursday night's tilt – a 3-2 loss to the Blue Jackets – among the latter.
After watching his troops come away empty-handed on Bell Centre ice, the Canadiens bench boss didn't mince words when evaluating the 70th game of the regular season from start to finish, one that snapped the club's three-game winning streak.
"Tonight was a bad night. We've had many of them this season, and tonight wasn't good for us," offered Therrien, who saw his club take eight minor penalties on Thursday night, spending 15:10 in short-handed situations while being outshot by a 40-27 margin overall. "We didn't play a good game. We didn't deserve to win, even if we were in a position to pick up a point.
"When you talk about a bad game, it's the whole thing," added Therrien, who was disappointed with the manner in which the Blue Jackets dictated play for the better part of the game with their speed, while outhitting the Canadiens 36-17 on the night. "When you're first on the puck, you put the other team in trouble. That was the case with us. That's why I'm disappointed."
If Therrien was dissatisfied with Thursday night's outcome, the players themselves were equally frustrated, knowing full well that they had more to offer in support of starter Carey Price, who made 37 stops in just his third start since returning from injury on Mar. 15.
"It's not ideal spending that much time on the PK. There are a lot of guys sitting on the bench for long stretches of time that should be out there. It's not good for our rhythm. We want to be five guys on the ice, for sure. They made us react to them. When they do that, we're taking penalties," noted Lars Eller, who was one of three Canadiens that generated four shots on goal on Blue Jackets starter Sergei Bobrovksy to no avail. "Small things made a difference in the end. We didn't capitalize on our chances. Carey kept us in the game. We were right there, but small things made a difference."
Case in point was an untimely giveaway by defenseman Jarred Tinordi that afforded Ryan Johansen the chance to break a 2-2 tie with just over three minutes remaining in the third period. The 21-year-old forward made no mistake, picking up his team-leading 27th goal of the year after Thomas Vanek had managed to level the score nine minutes earlier.
"Johansen's a quick player. I should have anticipated that he was going to be there," confided Tinordi, who logged 15:29 of ice time on Thursday night. "I didn't see him there from the start. I knew that they were coming, but I thought that I had room to make that play. Obviously, I didn't. That's one that I'd like to have back for sure."
Like Eller, Tinordi was quick to praise the manner in which a Blue Jackets squad battling for its first playoff appearance since 2008-09 came to play after dropping their two previous meetings with the Habs this season.
"They're a hard working team. We knew that they pressured the defensemen a lot, they pressured a lot in the offensive zone and they cycle well. I don't know if we expected that much pressure or not, but I think we were just a little bit flat-footed," mentioned Tinordi. "We didn't start out the way we wanted to. We made a push. We hung around. Price kept us in there with huge saves. It's on us to finish the game off for him."
That's something the Canadiens will undoubtedly look to do when they hit the road on Friday afternoon for games against a pair of Atlantic division rivals in Toronto and Boston.
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Thursday's thunderstorms forced officials at several central Iowa school districts to cancel homecoming activities.
West Des Moines Valley, Waukee and Southeast Polk schools all canceled homecoming parades Thursday.
Valley moved its barbecue and carnival festivities to the Valley Southwoods cafeteria and gymnasium, starting at 6:15 p.m.
In Waukee, the powderpuff football game was also canceled. Indoor festivities will continue as planned, including a Booster Club BBQ in the Waukee High School commons at 6 p.m., followed by the 2013 coronation in the Waukee Fieldhouse.
– Timothy Meinch contributed to this article.


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Thread: The 3.X Aquatic Database
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Friday, 5th June, 2009, 09:19 AM #1
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The 3.X Aquatic Database
There have been a lot of good posts & threads dealing with aquatic adventuring, but they are often spaced out over many months and several forums, so they may be hard to find.
So, for the benefit of all the Steve Zissou wannabes...lets all post links to nifty threads & posts dealing with the deep blue:
Killer jellyfish population explosion warning - Telegraph
CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track: GUEST BLOGGER GLEN VAUDREY: Jellyfish japes
Last edited by Dannyalcatraz; Saturday, 5th September, 2009 at 09:41 AM.IAAL...and an MBA. No, really!
Metal School Founder; Campaign Ideas; my 3.X Databases: The Monk, The Martial Arcanist, Aquatic Ideas, The Psychonomicon
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Amitabh Bachchan to promote Modi's Gujarat
Amitabh also gifted Modi with a copy of Madhushala, a collection of poems written by his late father Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Narendra Modi thanked Bachchan calling him a 'mahanayak' and welcomed his offer to promote Gujarat tourism. Incidentally Bachchan's decision came on a day when his friend Amar Singh quit from all his posts in the Samajwadi Party which has been a huge critic of Modi and the BJP. Amitabh was Uttar Pradesh"s brand ambassador during SP's rule which had earned him the ire of MNS in Mumbai.


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In this March 30, 2011 file photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, addresses the Parliament, in Damascus, Syria. U.S. officials said Wednesday, May 18, 2011 that the Obama administration will slap sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad and six others for human rights abuses over their brutal crackdown on anti-government protests, for the first time personally penalizing the Syrian leader for the actions of his security forces. (AP Photo/SANA, File) EDITORIAL USE ONLY


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Talib Kweli unleashes the official visual for his latest track 'Push Thru' featuring Curren$y & Kendrick Lamar. Directed By Scott Fleishman and Fredo Tovar. It is available now on iTunes.
Watch the video below.
Previously: Talib Kweli On "Attack The Block" Mixtape, "Prisoner Of Conscious" Album, Kendrick Lamar and More (Video)
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Pingback: Talib Kweli Ft Maino – To The Music (Prod. by 9th Wonder) | Xclusives Zone()
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Recently this news story came to my attention. I thought you guys might enjoy having a crack at it.
I would post excerpts but I'm unable to select any I'd be comfortable with.
I really can't feel sorry for her if it's true that she stood up to pee in the women's room, and not only that,but didn't close the stall. Part of presenting as your true gender is using the bathroom the same way as said gender. Now I can understand FTM's not being able to stand up to pee in the urinal, but there is absolutely no reason why an MTF can not sit down. There are sitting toilets in men's rooms for a reason, but no urinals in women's rooms for a reason. I don't pee standing up even at home normally, but i don't care if you're a transwoman and you want to pee standing up at home, but in public there's a standard.


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Speech carries various anxieties. Fear of asserting what is false should count as the most serious--inadvertent falsehood, as opposed to plain lying. The philosophical skeptic taps into this fear, making assertion seem perilous. In the 20th century fear of meaningless utterance became acute: it was all too easy to confuse the grammatical with the meaningful and end up spouting nonsense (the positivists tapped into this fear). This is more disturbing than the skeptical insinuation, because while truth is not transparent we feel that meaningfulness should be. Another linguistic fear, though, is the fear of cliche, of saying the hackneyed and over-used. I've always had a dread of this form of linguistic calamity and will go to almost any verbal lengths to avoid cliche--and yet the fear of it still dogs me. How can anyone still permit themselves to utter the phrases "emotional roller-coaster", "voracious reader", "like a deer caught in the headlights", etc? I wouldn't be caught dead with that stuff coming out of my mouth. What other linguistic fears are there? It would be interesting to compile a list and then impose a taxonomy. Speech is always an arena of anxiety, is it not?
The other day I was on the tennis court alone, practicing my serve. From nowhere I heard a sudden loud noise, like an explosive. I couldn't make out the source but then I noticed a flattened can on the other side of the court, about fifteen feet way. I went over to investigate and found a squashed can of corn beef hash, full, heavy. It had evidently been dropped from above the court, at least twenty floors up (the building has 44 floors and faces the tennis court). The act of dropping it had clearly been intentional and the purpose was presumably to scare me. If it had hit me on the head, it would certainly have killed me, such was the power of the impact. Reflecting on the incident later, it occurred to me that this was a minor act of terrorism: the purpose was to infuse an ordinary, peaceful activity--playing tennis--with fear and anxiety. And it worked: since that day I am always looking up and the calm of my tennis has been replaced with a kind of dread. Terrorists have made even the quotidian and tranquil into a zone of fear. Boy, would I like catch the person who did it. There is something nauseatingly sinister about the terrorist intention: to remove peace of mind.
How well understood is motion, really? Physics is supposed to be the science that predicts and explains all motions of matter; it describes the laws that govern the forces that move things. But there are some big gaps. The motions of particles are notoriously unpredictable and inexplicable at the quantum level, but at the cosmic level we have the problem of explaining galaxy acceleration--the universe is expanding more slowly than the calculated amount of matter in it would make us expect, given the accepted rules of gravity. Physicists have taken to speaking of "dark matter" a what accounts for the extra pull, but there is absolutely no evidence for the existence of such a thing--and isn't the idea of intrinsically invisible matter an oxymoron? It's just sheer handwaving. So we don't know why the cosmos is movingas it is. Do we know why animal bodies move as they do? Doesn't the mind play a role in "determining" these movements? But physics has nothing to say about the forces that govern the mind and its capacity to induce motion. I sometimes wonder if any motion has really been explained.
I recall reading somewhere that Keynes criticized Russell for saying that the problem with the world is that people are irrational and that the solution is that they should become rational. It seems a fair comment on Russell--but why is it a criticism? Because Russell's observation is a datum not an explanation: we want to know why people are irrational and how to improve their rationality. It's obvious what the problem is and also what the solution would be--but we need to know what causes irrationality and what we can do to fix it. Freud had a kind of theory of this but nowadays it looks pretty wacky. There seems to be a big theoretical gap here, urgently needing to be filled. (Of course, we won't recognize it if we start doubting that rationality is a robust matter.) I don't have a theory myself--human irrationality can seem the oddest and least adaptive trait of the species--but I do think we need to work on it. Why do people go around believing silly things and acting idiotically?
The New York Times (as well as AOL) today ran a picture of a lesbian couple getting married in California: Del Martin, 87, Phyllis Lyon, 84. They are holding hands and looking into each other's eyes, lined and grey and not long for this world; they have been together for 50 years. Doesn't it make you feel embarrassed that discrimination and prejudice have prevented them by law from getting married all these years? Doesn't it seem just utterly ridiculous? All this stuff about marriage being between a man and a woman: it's just complete whooey. I really wonder what all those anti-gay-marriage twits out there think and feel when they see a picture like that. Do they feel their own marriages under threat because these two old ladies are finally able to tie the knot? I think we owe them an apology myself.
Despite my many misgivings about our prized political system, it did manage to elect Barack Obama to be the Democratic nominee. I'm pleasantly surpised at my fellow man. It's not just his color, but also his calm, measured style, and obvious moral quality. But his color is, of course, highly significant. I can hardly think of a better thing for this country, and the world, than that he should be elected president. Political and moral progress is possible. Many blacks reported tears in their eyes when the announcement of his nomination was made; mine were damp too. This is a Big One. There's nothing quite so gratifying as seeing a horrible prejudice smashed to pieces.
I am struck by this passage from Tocqueville: "I have previously stated that the principle of the sovereignty of the people hovers over the whole political system of the Anglo-Americans. Every page of this book will reflect certain fresh instances of this doctrine. In nations were it exists, every individual takes an equal share in sovereign power and participates equally in the government of the state. Thus he is considered as enlightened, virtuous, strong as any of his fellow men." Toqueville's point is that democracy presupposes that each person is as competent and virtuous as any other. But of course this is false: people differ widely in intelligence and virtue. Note that he says "considered" not "really". So democracy rests on a lie. How, then, to defend democracy? Well, if truth, reason, virtue, etc are not objective qualities that people exemplify to varying degrees, but are rather relative to each person, we have a way out: everyone is as smart and good as anyone else to himself. Then democracy rests on no lie, since everyone really is cognitively and morally equal. Relativism steps in to save democracy from its noble lie. Thus relativism finds a foothold. But relativism is rubbish; so where does that leave democracy?
I watch how tennis players serve with great concentration. They all do it pretty much in the same way. And this way is quite different from the way amateur players serve, even quite decent amateur players. Claudio taught me the finer points of serving a few months ago (now, alas, he is back in Germany). High toss, long reach, bring the feet together, use a throwing action, backhand grip, snap the wrist down, plenty of side and top spin. It was incredibly awkward for me at first (backhand grip?!), but I took to practicing it almost every day for several months--not just on the court with a hopper of balls but also in my living room (no ball, just air). Gradually, the pieces came together, with some striking breakthroughs. Now what seemed alien feels natural. I can't serve any other way. It feels good to hit it just the way the pros do. There's a moral here--but I think it's too obvious for me to want to spell it out. Main point is: instead of fearing to serve, now I love to serve. Indeed, I can't wait to get down to the court and hit some serves.
My son Bruno told me yesterday that he'd just been watching a video of me on Youtube. Eventually it became clear what this video was of: a discussion I participated in a few years ago at the Philoctetes Centre in New York about evolution, consciousness, and the meaning of it all. I hadn't even remembered that it was being filmed, but it's a mark of our digital times that it has now shown up on the internet to be accessed by my son 3000 miles away. But that's not the point I'm most interested in making here; because Bruno observed that the scientists present were generally disagreeable and closed-minded (he actually used a much stronger word to describe them). And he's a scientist himself--a doctor (ENT). This prompted me to ponder who is more deplorable among us: the superstitious zealots who limit their knowledge to what the Bible tells them or the scientists who are unable or unwilling to take any question seriously which has no scientific answer--which includes most of the questions I as a philosopher spend my time on. Specifically, several of those present hated my bringing up the point that we have no good scientific theory of how consciousness evolved in the first place (or how it arises in the brain of every human being at some point or another--and not just human brains). Why are people so incapable of stepping outside the narrow world-view of their specific range of expertise--either the Bible or their particular scientific discipline? Is it fear, narcissism, laziness, bloody-mindedness?
Just when you think that, just conceivably, you might be overdoing the anti-religious diatribes, you read something like the article I came across last Saturday in the New York Times, about a chap called Specialist Jeremy Hall who was systematically persecuted by his army superiors and fellow soldiers for his atheist views. Particularly odious was the pressure to pray with others when he declared his lack of belief (not to mention the physical threats he endured). Such, apparently, is the military mind (excuse the oxymoron). We know they are a conformist lot, but I had no idea that religious conformity is rigorously enforced, though not officially. Anyway, it made me think of yet another reason to deny God's existence: surely if he did exist he'd come forward to denounce the actions performed in his name. I would, wouldn't you? At least he'd send some sort of emissary, if not his son then at least some high-ranking celestial colleague or other--the angel Gabriel doesn't seem to have been up to much for a while, lolling away up there. Send someone important to earth, put people straight about right and wrong, about what God really wants from us. But oh no, God just lets it all happen--even atrocities on a vast scale. A few words from him, convincingly stated, and we would know what's what, but apparently he just can't be bothered. More likely, the lack of divine corrective indicates a lack of divine existence. Specialist Hall, I'm with you.
As the Obama/Clinton wars drag on, I think of the malign effects of elections. We don't have a pure participatory democracy, such as once obtained in Athens, no doubt for good reasons of practicality. We have a so-called representative democracy, which requires that we elect our leaders by something like popular vote. This requires those things dignified by the word "election": money-driven, ad hominem, gotcha-loving, manipulative, mindfucking, demeaning, grotesque, corrupt, vicious, boring, fake, and so on. The candidates have to persuade the electorate to vote for them, and from this simple fact all the evils flow (combined with a full-blown capitalist-media complex). Imagine having to make yourself popular with everyone in order to be promoted in your job! I would never have got anywhere. I rather despise popularity, seeing it as the sure mark of a lack of integrity. Democracy is bad enough, but to combine it with the hunger for mass popularity is ten times worse. Down with elections!
The pope came and went. Two aspects of his proclamations stood out: on the one hand, his call for more authority and obedience, especially when it comes to the demands of the Catholic church; on the other hand, his condemnation of the sexual abuse inflicted by his priests. Did he not notice a tension between these two sentiments? He's supposed to be logically astute, but it's pretty obvious that the latter thing followed quite smoothly from the former: unquestioning obedience to the authority of the representatives of the church, i.e. priests, is what made possible the sexual abuse they so easily and revoltingly practiced on their "parishioners". You would have thought the pope's message might have been "Don't blindly do what priests tell you!". But then contradictions have never been much of an impediment to the skilled theologian (problem of evil and all that).
In order for democracy to be acceptable, it needs to be combined with legal protections for the rights of minorities (gays, atheists, et al), or else there will be a tyranny of majority rule. But these protections cannot be made subject to the will of the majority or they lose their point and force. So, they must stay in place even if the majority opposes them--which is undemocratic. Therefore, democarcy is acceptable only if it is not absolute. A tolerable form of democracy cannot be consistently democratic. The problem is that democracy and individual rights are at odds with each other.
Now that really is a taboo word. You must never call anyone stupid! But aren't some people just plain stupid? And isn't stupidity the source of much of the world's misery? I'd like to see a "Stupidity Science" movement in which the phenomenon is studied and taxonomized and explained--and remedied. I am certainly not a relativist about stupidity; I think stupidity is an objective trait. Maybe we all all stupid sometimes--but some people are stupid a lot of the time. Stupidity, as I mean it here, refers especially to the opinions and utterances of people who should know better. As the old saying goes: "It would only take a minute's thought...but thought is a difficult thing and a minute is a long time." In the end, of course, stupidity is about character, not IQ.
I was surprised the other day to discover that the "Founding Fathers" (silly phrase), especially John Adams, were quite opposed to democratic government, deeming it mob rule. The Constitution was mainly designed to protect individual rights from any form of tyranny, including majority rule. The reason was the stupidity and selfishness of the average person. This set me to wondering how much of the present state of politics and culture in the USA is the result of misguided democracy. Successful democracy depends upon an adequately educated electorate, unprejudiced and altruistic: but these conditions are not always satisfied by the voters out there. In fact, there is no requirement in the US political system for a president to have even a minimum of education, or even to be able to read and write. Maybe if recognized experts, unelected, were given some political power, the current ills might be mitigated.


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Skip to comments.There is a 'Ronald Reagan' Candidate in the Republican Primary, Rick Santorum
Posted on 12/28/2011 4:41:58 PM PST by tcg
There is a "Ronald Reagan" candidate in the Republican primary.He "squares the circle". He is morally consistent and politically courageous. His name is Rick Santorum. I have written extensively about his positions. I know him, his wife and their family - personally. I have followed him throughout this campaign. He is exactly what many people - just like me - have been hoping for. He is the "Reagan candidate" for the 2012 campaign - and much more. This man is the "real deal", in every way....
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
I have followed Rick Santorum throughout this campaign. He is exactly what many people - just like me - have been hoping for. He is the "Reagan candidate" for the 2012 campaign - and much more. This man is the real deal, in every way. He is from a blue collar family and has won elections in a heavily Democratic area of the country. That is because his positions reflect the real America and will ensure her continued future in a world which needs her leadership and example .
There are growing indications that the people of Iowa are beginning to finally pay attention to Rick Santorum and his campaign.They are finally hearing his positions and focusing on his multiple gifts and proven record. In the most important election of my lifetime, I hope those indications are accurate.Check out his positions and read about his family and campaign at his website
Join the fight:
According to CNN this noon Rick is now in third place, ahead of Newt!!!
He is THE BEST!
A four year lease on the White House has gone up to ONE BILLION dollars. I don't think Santorum has that kind of money. If fact, the only people with that kind of money in Barry's Amerika are commie 'RATS.
Name one "big government" initiative Santorum opposed and voted against.
"He is the "Reagan candidate"..... "
Not hardly.
IMHO, her name is Michele Bachmann. I could support Santorum, though.
grief... the best thing that could happen for Romney is for someone like Santorum to surge and take Iowa.. then split the conservative vote in the south with Gingrich (and possibly Perry) and thus hand Romney the nomination.
I like Santorum, but he just never gained traction. Brace yourselves, its either Romney or Gingrich. Pick your poison.
Santorum for President Ping List. FReepmail Antoninus to be added or removed.
Thanks again! -Tony
He is gaining it now. If there is a time to peak, this is it. Santorum doing well in IA and then going on to being competitive in SC, which is very possible, would really knock the wind out of Mittens.
Bump! Santorum's gotten a lot of news the past few days. The way things are breaking, I think he is the perfect candidate for conservatives to coalesce around. The true anti-Romney.
I'm voting R
>>> Name one big government initiative Santorum opposed and voted against. <<<
(48 - 51) NAY July 18, 2006 HR 810 Stem Cell Research Bill of 2005
(52 - 46) NAY June 15, 2006 HR 4939 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2006
(62 - 36) NAY May 24, 2006 S AMDT 4095 H-2C Visa Program
(53 - 46) NAY May 2, 2006 S AMDT 3617 Sugarcane Growers Funding
(51 - 49) NAY March 16, 2006 S AMDT 3071 Education Funding
(49 - 51) NAY March 16, 2006 S AMDT 3103 Natural Resources and Environment Funding
(43 - 55) NAY Nov. 17, 2005 S AMDT 2612 Price-Gouging During Emergencies
(40 - 59) NAY Nov. 17, 2005 S AMDT 2602 Hurricane Victims Tax Benefit
(44 - 55) NAY Nov. 17, 2005 S AMDT 2601 Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit
(50 - 48) NAY Nov. 16, 2005 HR 2862 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill, FY 2006
(43 - 55) NAY Nov. 3, 2005 S 1932 Budget Reconciliation Bill
(43 - 56) NAY Nov. 3, 2005 S AMDT 2357 Medicare Premiums
(48 - 51) NAY Nov. 3, 2005 S AMDT 2365 Medical Assistance and Prescription Drug
(49 - 50) NAY Nov. 3, 2005 HR 2744 Agriculture, Rural Development and FDA Appropriations Act
(51 - 48) NAY Nov. 3, 2005 S AMDT 2356 Hurricane Health Care for Survivors
(48 - 51) NAY Oct. 27, 2005 S AMDT 2259 AIDS Drug Assistance Program
(46 - 50) NAY Oct. 27, 2005 S AMDT 2287 After School Funding
(41 - 56) NAY Oct. 27, 2005 HR 3010 Labor, HHS and Education FY 2006 Appropriations Bill
(44 - 51) NAY Oct. 26, 2005 S AMDT 2194 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
(46 - 53) NAY Oct. 26, 2005 S AMDT 2253 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Funding
(48 - 51) NAY Oct. 20, 2005 HR 3058 Transportation, Treasury, HUD and Judiciary Appropriation
(43 - 52) NAY Sept. 14, 2005 S AMDT 1660 Congressional Commission on Hurricane Katrina
(44 - 53) NAY Sept. 13, 2005 S J Res 20 EPA's Clean Air Mercury Rule
(47 - 51) NAY July 29, 2005 HR 6 Energy Policy Act of 2005 Conference Report
(44 - 53) NAY July 14, 2005 S Amdt 1189 Air Cargo Security Programs Implementation
(45 - 53) NAY July 1, 2005 HR 2419 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill FY 2006
(47 - 53) NAY June 16, 2005 S AMDT 791 Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS)
(52 - 48) NAY June 14, 2005 S Amdt 781 Environmental Effects Caused by Ethanol
(61 - 31) NAY March 17, 2005 S Amdt 214 Prescription Drugs
(49 - 50) NAY March 17, 2005 S AMDT 177 Education
(47 - 53) NAY March 17, 2005 S Amdt 210 Tax Subsidy for Domestic Companies
(40 - 59) NAY March 17, 2005 S AMDT 229 Medicaid
(63 - 37) NAY March 17, 2005 S Con Res 18 Budget FY2006 Appropriations Resolution
(46 - 53) NAY March 7, 2005 S AMDT 128 Minimum Wage
(46 - 49) NAY Feb. 10, 2005 S 5 Class Action Fairness Act of 2005
And that's just his record in 2006 and 2005. Need I go on?
This is BullFreep.
If you're so worried about the conservative vote splitting, then you and the other Newtbots need to get your a$$es in line and support the conservative at the top. That apparentally is Rick Santorum since your guy has been tanking fas.
The way I see it, if Romney gets the nod, it's because people like YOU were the ones who helped split the vote by holding onto your flawed candidate.
A lot of people that like Bachmann like Santorum and if they see one of the two surging prior to caucus/primary time, many will jump behind the other without any problems.
The love affair with Newt is coming to a glorious end (thank God). Nice to see the people in IA might get their heads together and help a true conservative like Santorum or Bachmann win. The Conservative winner in IA will get the advantage in SC. You don't want to hear that because you know your flawed candidate is doomed if he lays an egg in IA, but it was the Newtbots who were just saying the same thing when Newt was at the top in IA.
Neither Santorum nor Bachmann has the potential to go anywhere further even if they would win Iowa. Mr. Fournier does not even address this fact.
Lets hope! And pray!
Wow, I cant find a single big gov initiative he has fought. In fact, if you google "santorum budget cut" from 2001 -2005, you will see that every time Bush tried to cut the budget, Santorum led the opposition! This includes Amtrak, alternative energy, and nanny state child nutrition initiatives. This guy is a carbon copy of Huckabee!
The conservative winner in Iowa will get the SC advantage? Oh really? You mean like Huckabee did?
The winner of the Iowa Caucuses will get maybe 30 thousand votes. That is a tiny county in SC and a rounding error in Florida. LIke always, the Iowa winner will mean nothing.
If RS does well in Iowa - we'll see how well he does in the top tier. He may surprise me, but I suppose not so well.
I like Rick Santorum a lot, but I doubt I'll see another Ronald Reagan in my lifetime. He is easily the best President of the 20th century.
RE: There is a 'Ronald Reagan' Candidate in the Republican Primary, Rick Santorum ...
...and unfortunately he is running for vice president.
Newt Gingrich is the "Ronald Reagan" conservative of this campaign. Like Reagan, he is a true conservative thinker who developed conservative philosophy and produced a body of work to back it up.
Yeah, I'm working on the same model for the 46 counties in SC that I used for the 99 Counties in IA.
Huckabee/Thompson dominated NW South Carolina and the Bible Belt, with McCain running respectable, and Romney tanking in that area. McCain and Romney ran better along the I-95 corridor and in and around Columbia, although Romney never performed well in any area, including the more "moderate" areas.
What put McCain over the top though was the military veterans, particularly in Horry County (Myrtle Beach) and Charleston and along the eastern coast. For Romney to have a prayer in SC, he'll have to win at least 40% in Charleston and 35% in Myrtle Beach AND get at least 20% in every NW County in SC. He might acheive one of those goals, but all three is heavily unlikely even if the conservative base is fractured. These folks may support Perry before they support Romney even in these more "moderate" areas.
The winner of the IA Caucus of the Conservative candidates WILL get a bounce in NW SC just like Huckabee did. And that will be enough to win that state this time around.
Are you saying the folks in SC care at all what Iowa does? Iowa is even more spastic this time around because of the oddity of all the campaigns attacking a single person.
I do not think Iowa will impact SC that much. Huck had decent SC support before Iowa, which I don't think Santorum does. An Arkansas preacher does better than a slick Pennsylvania politician type in SC.
I think Newt will get a lot of the McCain vote because they are older and they will well remember what Newt did in congress. And he's polling well there now. Mitt will do what he did in 08 there.
But I don't see Iowa meaning that much, nor NH, for SC.
Oh please. That is quite a stretch.
If you're going to pull the Reagan card, Newt was actually part of the Reagan revolution.
Anyone know what happens if no one gets a majority of the delegates by the time the convention rolls around? Can the 2nd and 3rd place candidates pool their delegates in order to overtake the 1st place candidate?
I think Santorum was part of the Dan Quayle revolution. Good hair, looks younger than his age, and has trouble stringing a sentence together without tripping all over himself.
I agree. Iowa has a history of very little relevance for choosing the nominee.
Isn't there some buzz that Santorum is yet another "native born" citizen, something about his parents not being citizens until after his birth??? Don't want to go thru' all that anchor baby-native born business again with candidates. Rubio and Jindahl are in the same position I hear. Too bad, because I like all three of them. That issue is going to have to be settled once and for all before any Presidential candidacy is accepted. Let's start by deciding if Obummer, with a British Daddy supposedly, can hold the title three years and counting after his election.
( Pssst....Guess what, he is toast....can't win, waste of time. Obama will make Corned Beef out of him.)
But let's all kneejerk ourselves into convulsions and pray for a miracle! Because stupidity seems like it does not matter here anymore.
Probably right. Folks who have no chance, money nor organization camp out in Iowa for the last six weeks and pray for an Iowa miracle. Even if it works for Iowa it doesn't work over all.
Yes, indeed, Rick Santorum is our next Ronald Reagan!
It's about time people caught on!
"he just never gained traction.."
He's gaining traction NOW!
4 years ago McCain was 23 points behind Huckabee in Iowa, and ended up being the nominee. Santorum is doing BETTER than McCain in Iowa. Hang on to your hat!
Shooting for VP since day one?
I donated proudly to Rick earlier today. I truly believe he is the man for the job.
His father was not a natural born US citizen. Not a problem?
His father was not a natural born US citizen. Not a problem?
Michele Bachmann is no Ronald Reagan. It was Reagan who came up with the 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican". Michele has always been the first candidate to try and finish off her opponents when they are down. She did it with Perry, with Cain, with Newt.... everybody except Mitt. That's b/c she wants to be his VP. As one lady commentator on FOX News said: "She always appears so desperate". Republicans are the only soldiers who shoot their own wounded. And Michele is always the first to fire the "friendly fire". No Reagan; she.
Yea..... You go Billy Boy; thanks for the Post #15.
Are you saying the folks in SC care at all what Iowa does? Iowa is even more spastic this time
It's time for Iowa to lose their "First in the Nation" status. Especially if Ron Paul wins Iowa. That makes Iowa irrelevant. The Iowa Caucus has become the Hawkeye Caca.
Forget get Amdt 214, Santorum voted YES on the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit.
Freepers were ignoring that commandment long before Bachmann came along.
Michele has always been the first candidate to try and finish off her opponents when they are down. She did it with Perry, with Cain, with Newt....
Perry did himself in with his own flubs, although I'll grant he's come back strongly. Calling out Obama for failing to destroy the drone lost in Iran scored a 10 with me. Cain, either though his inability to control himself or his poor handling of the allegations, also did himself in.
In all cases, what Bachmann has said is nothing compared to what the MSM is going to throw at the republican nominee, so we all better toughen up and vet our candidates now.
everybody except Mitt. Thats b/c she wants to be his VP.
I'm going to wait and see on that one.
As one lady commentator on FOX News said: She always appears so desperate.
Uh, yes, she pushes a point way more than she has to, often to her own detriment.
Republicans are the only soldiers who shoot their own wounded.
The Hillary 2008 supporters may say the same thing about their side.
And Michele is always the first to fire the friendly fire.
I'm not so sure about that. Santorum is quite ready to unleash friendly fire, as others have been.
No Reagan; she.
In 1979 and 1980, Reagan was no Reagan either. In fact, the Dems were licking their chops over how easy it would be for Carter to beat him in the general elections. I would enjoy a replay of that with Bachmann, or whoever our nominee is.
I really, really enjoyed your Post #46 in reply to me. You made some very valid points.
Glad I could contribute, thanks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


text:
Asian Tribune is published by World Institute For Asian Studies|Powered by WIAS Vol. 12 No. 1584
King Cobra too to get a 'sanctuary'
World's first King Cobra sanctuary is likely to take shape in the rains forests of South India.
A beginning has been made in the direction with the setting up of a research centre in the Shimoga district of Karnataka to study the most venomous snake.
The centre has taken up telemetric tracking of the king of reptiles under the guidance of noted herpetologist Romulus Whitaker in and around Augumbe, which is a wet region, and home to a large number of King Cobra. This area is close by a wildlife sanctuary and a wild life park, according to a report in a Delhi daily, The Pioneer.
Romulus Whitaker zeroed in on the place as he had caught his first King Cobra, also known as Hamadryad here some three and a half decades ago.
-Asian Tribune –


text:
Submit News
Apple Kills iTunes Sync For Palm Pre
Jason Mick
July 15, 2009 7:04 PM
comment(s) - last by
Jul 17
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Apple has killed the Palm Pre's ability to sync with iTunes in cold blood, with its latest software update.
Don't install this iTunes update if you own a Palm Pre -- it will kill the phone's ability to easily sync with your library.
(Source: CNET)
Leave it to Apple to rain on everyone's parade
Apple doesn't take kindly to would-be usurpers to its status of the highest tech (and bestselling) smart phone on the market. It has threatened to
take legal action
against those who violate its mobile multi-touch patent that it was awarded.
Now it has taken action to try to kill the potential of the Palm Pre before it gains significant market share. One of the key features of the Pre was its ability to
sync effortlessly with iTunes
, via firmware support. As the majority of MP3 players on the market are iPods and most people have their music libraries on iTunes, this was an attractive feature as it made for a painless import of your music library.
However, Apple will not let the threat to its smart phone empire stand and
true to its word
rolled out
an iTunes update that kills the feature -- iTunes 8.2.1. The release notes describe, "iTunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices."
Sure enough, the update kills the Palm Pre's iTunes syncing via the Media Sync option. Unfortunately for Apple, though, the update can't lock out doubleTwist and The Missing Sync, and other applications which offer similar syncing for smart phones. Palm is actively advertising these apps as work arounds.
Palm stuck by its previous statement when asked for comment, remarking, "Palm's media sync works with iTunes 8.2. If Apple chooses to disable media sync in iTunes, it will be a direct blow to their users who will be deprived of a seamless synchronization experience. However, people will have options. They can stay with the iTunes version that works to sync their music on their Pre, they can transfer the music via USB, and there are other third-party applications we can consider."
A simple way for Pre users to keep the good syncing rolling is to not update iTunes. Those who installed the update can delete iTunes and find an older version online.
Apple has proved merciless in its enforcement efforts in the past. From
suing Mac cloners
out of existence to
bricking customers' iPhones
who left the AT&T network, Apple has done its best to stick it to those buy its hardware but refuse to do its bidding. In the MP3 player and online music market, however, where Apple enjoys virtual monopolies, one must wonder how much longer it can practice such anticompetitive tactics before its hit with antitrust fines and regulation as
Intel and Microsoft have been
remember me
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Any this is why I'm slowly phasing Apple out of my life.
Umm... They are being monopolistic by allowing only products they create to work together and disabling the ability for another device to be used. Would you buy an ipod if your pre could store your music library on it instead of an overpriced piece of trendy plastic? No $299 for Steve. I thought Apple was dumb as crap in the 80's when you had to buy all hardware and software from them. As the PC market grew competition created hardware advances and price drops. But if you had an Apple you were locked into what they chose to feed you. And the prices were always higher for Apple vs PC regardless of the Hardware/Software. That's when I vowed not to buy Apple ever. A device that has one way storage? It goes to the device but can't come back? and you are only authorized 5 devices to house the library and transfer their DRM filled songs? Explain that to my friends that have had their computer crashed and lost their itunes library. The first thing they ask is "isn't there a copy on my ipod?" Apple's suggestion to to re rip their whole cd library. If I was a technologically illiterate sheep maybe. A DRM free mp3 on a device I can synch with anything and transfer both ways seemed a much better choice for my money. So I would say, yes, they are abusing their power to hurt consumers and competition. No one is free to develop competing itunes. Or seemingly products that are interoperable with it. Not having choices hurts consumers. Consumers benefit from choice.
To draw a parallel, Toyota shouldn't have to make parts that drop into the Ford, but they should have to share the same road. All the Pre is trying to do is get to a destination. What Apple is saying is unless you own our Toyota, you are not allowed drive on the same road (road being an analogy for itunes software.
"We are going to continue to work with them to make sure they understand the reality of the Internet. A lot of these people don't have Ph.Ds, and they don't have a degree in computer science." -- RIM co-CEO Michael Lazaridis
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text:
Interview with Aldo Rebelo: Brazilian Sports Minister: 'World Cup Stadiums Will Be Completed on Time'
Some doubt whether Brazil will be ready in time for the 2014 World Cup. But Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo, 56, told SPIEGEL that preparations would be completed -- and denied that favela dwellers were being forcibly relocated.
SPIEGEL: Football's world governing body FIFA has complained about delays with the preparations for the 2014 World Cup. FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke has said Brazil needs "a kick in the behind." What do you say to that?
Rebelo: Mr. Valcke has repeatedly apologized to me about that.
SPIEGEL: Do you think your country has taken on more than it can handle by attempting to stage the World Cup and the Olympics just two years apart?
Rebelo: We've achieved some incredible things over the centuries. All of the stadiums will be completed on time, hopefully even by next year's Confederations Cup.
SPIEGEL: New arenas are being built in Brasilia and Manaus, even though neither of these cities has well-known soccer clubs. Critics say that's a waste of money.
Rebelo: Wembley doesn't have a major club either. The Amazonia Arena in Manaus won't just be suitable for sport, but also for staging shows and conferences. And Brasilia doesn't currently have a closed venue for events attracting more than 8,000 people. The new stadium will therefore meet that demand.
SPIEGEL: Brazil's airports are desperately overburdened. How do you intend to tackle this problem?
Rebelo: It's true that the airport operators could manage their facilities better, but we're not waiting until the World Cup to solve these problems. The most important airports will be expanded, and if necessary we'll set up temporary terminals.
SPIEGEL: In Rio de Janeiro, which is hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, the highway leading to the airport recently had to be closed because of a shootout between rival drug gangs. Can Brazil protect the people who will be visiting Rio for the Olympics?
Rebelo: Rio has plenty of experience organizing major events, and the regional government is currently taking steps to stem the violence in troubled neighborhoods -- with some success.
SPIEGEL: Will the government also put armed forces on the streets during the Olympic Games?
Rebelo: Yes, that's part of the security concept.
SPIEGEL: Several slums are being cleared to make way for Olympic venues, and the inhabitants are protesting. Is this the price to pay for hosting the Olympics?
Rebelo: There won't be any forced resettlement. That is prohibited. Brazil is a democracy. If we use any privately-owned land, the owner of that land will receive compensation. If it's public land, the state will pay for the cost of resettlement.
SPIEGEL: The hotels in Rio are already overpriced. Will the Olympics in Brazil therefore simply be a festival for the rich?
Rebelo: No. The government will step in if any hotels charge exorbitant prices during the Olympics.
SPIEGEL: You want Brazil's indigenous people to be given discounted entry to the stadiums. How will you square that with FIFA?
Rebelo: They shouldn't have to pay anything. Some of them have never used money. So should they be forced to pay for their tickets with handicrafts? I've therefore spoken to both football's world governing body and the sponsors, and they have agreed to donate some of tickets for this purpose. After all, we couldn't very well stage a World Cup in the Amazon basin without having indigenous people in the crowds.
Interview conducted by Jens Glüsing. Translated from the German by Jan Liebelt.
All Rights Reserved
Reproduction only allowed with the permission of SPIEGELnet GmbH
Click on the links below for more information about DER SPIEGEL's history, how to subscribe or purchase the latest issue of the German-language edition in print or digital form or how to obtain rights to reprint SPIEGEL articles.
- Frequently Asked Questions: Everything You Need to Know about DER SPIEGEL
- Six Decades of Quality Journalism: The History of DER SPIEGEL
- A New Home in HafenCity: SPIEGEL's New Hamburg HQ
- Reprints: How To License SPIEGEL Articles
- World Cup 2014: 'Brazil is More Complicated Than South Africa' (10/18/2012)
- From Poverty to Power: How Good Governance Made Brazil a Model Nation (08/10/2012)
- Photo Gallery: Brazil's Rise to Global Power
- The World from Berlin: 'Rio+20 Has Become the Summit of Futility' (06/21/2012)
- Hit Squads in the Amazon: Environmentalists Risk Their Lives in Brazil (06/20/2012)


text:
Twilight of Honor
The Secret of the Purple Reef
The Perfect Family
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The Music Lovers
A Thunder of Drums
Lady Caroline Lamb
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
All the Winters That Have Been
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text:
By DANIEL OFFNER
After sending members of the Harrison Police Department on a wild goose chase in July, town employee Christopher Colasacco returned to court this week to answer charges he made a false report to police of an erratic driver in downtown Harrison.
On Aug. 27, Harrison Town Justice Hon. Marc Lust dismissed the criminal charges against Colasacco on the condition he submits a letter of apology to Harrison police Lt. Edward Lucas for his conduct while on duty and pay a fine of $125, plus surcharge.
Colasacco was initially charged with a Class A misdemeanor offense—which carries the maximum penalty of a year in prison—by Harrison police after the incident on July 26 had police searching downtown Harrison for the alleged reckless driver.
"The police department expended a lot of manpower on this," said Town Assistant District Attorney Ada Diana Hedayati.
According to Hedayati, the police department agreed to reducing the Class A misdemeanor charge to disorderly conduct provided the apology is sufficient. She added that the two orders of protection, for individuals who had given testimony against Colasacco, will remain in effect for the next two years.
Since 2004, Colasacco has worked as a full-time employee with the town's Department of Public Works Highway Division and is a contract member of the Teamsters Union 456. In recent years, he has also served as a volunteer fire captain with the downtown Harrison Fire Department.
After reports of his arrest surfaced in Harrison Town Hall, Colasacco received a 15-day suspension without pay. Because the disciplinary actions from the town fall beneath a 30-day period, the decision was left to the department supervisor—DPW Commissioner Tony Robinson—provided he receive the executive approval of Harrison Mayor Ron Belmont, a Republican.
Both Robinson and Belmont declined to comment on the matter.
Although the commissioner could neither confirm nor deny any plans for further disciplinary actions, Colasacco, as a contracted union member, has the right to hire counsel and have a hearing officer oversee any disciplinary proceedings, should they arise.


text:
Herman wrote:
> Can you help please?
> Operating system: Suse 11.0
> When I want to open by clicking the TV screen on top of the page
> (BEKIJK ITEM)at:
> a Dutch news site. Mozilla crashes. The VLC screen gets up for a second
> and crashes too.
> With Konqueror the page gets up, but no video to bee seen.
> If I want to look at that video with Kafeinne or Totem, it cannot handle
> it. Kaffeine found no plugin for this source.
> Thanks!
I sometimes run into problems with videos - some formats require a plugin
for firefox. If I download the video (using the addon downloadhelper), I
can sometimes run it in Kaffeine off line even when it would not do it live
or from stored videos on the page.
Yesterday, I sent an email to the US Arizona Senate site for live public
viewing of proceedings. There videos are all in a format specific to
Windows. I specifically told them that using a proprietary format was
discriminatory and they had to switch to a non-proprietary format such as
flash to properly serve the public. No reply from them yet.
I suggest that everyone who can't do something on the net because of their
proprietary restrictions complain. If they get enough complaints they will
have to change!