text:
mozilla-central (Latest for Firefox):
Mozilla Aurora:
Mozilla Beta:
Mozilla Release:
comm-central (Latest for Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Lightning/Sunbird):
Mozilla Inbound (Push changes here to get them on mozilla-central):
Mozilla ESR 24:
Debugging XUL apps
- Preferences should be in a .js file in the directory %appname%/defaults/preferences/.
To write to the Error Console:
To write to the console:
dump("hello world!");
pref("browser.dom.window.dump.enabled", true);
pref("javascript.options.showInConsole", true);
pref("javascript.options.strict", true);
pref("nglayout.debug.disable_xul_cache", true);
pref("nglayout.debug.disable_xul_fastload", true);
Command Line
- -purgecaches use when changing XUL, XBL, JSM, ...
- -no-remote allows you to run multiple instances of the program with different profiles
- -console starts the application with a debug console
- -ProfileManager starts the application with the profile manager
- -P "profilename" starts the application with the specified profile
- -console starts firefox with an extra console, you can then enable extra logs like app.update.log in about:config
- Other command line options
- about:crashes gives you links to your crashes. Click Here for more info
- Online crash reports and stats
Getting help
Useful links when getting started
Useful links forever
Useful links if you are an employee
Coding style
- Line length: 80 chars or less
- Indenting: 2 spaces (no tabs)
- Function definitions, braces on newlines
- Conditionals and loops:
if (condition) { }
- Multiline, align with parentheses:
if (argument1 == paramvalue1 && argument2 == paramvalue2 && argument3 == paramvalue3 && argument4 == paramValue4) { }
- Comments, use space after comment indicator
- More info on coding style
Build commands
Full build of Firefox: (~ 1.5h when run the first time)
./mach build
To clean: (~2min)
./mach clobber
Incremental builds (~1min, see below section)
./mach build
Redirect output for faster builds
./mach build >out.txt 2>&1
Build a zip file, it will appear in objdir/dist/
./mach package
Build windows installer, it will appear in objdir/dist/install/sea
mozmake.exe -C objdir/browser/installer/windows/ uninstaller
mozmake.exe -C objdir/browser/installer/windows/ installer
Example .mozconfig files
Firefox Debug .mozconfig contents: (Using mozilla-central)
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-ff-debug
ac_add_options --enable-application=browser
ac_add_options --enable-debug
ac_add_options --disable-optimize
ac_add_options --enable-tests
Firefox Release .mozconfig contents: (Using mozilla-central)
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-ff-release ac_add_options --enable-application=browser
ac_add_options --enable-optimize
ac_add_options --enable-debug-symbols
xulrunner .mozconfig contents: (Using mozilla-central)
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-xulrunner-debug
ac_add_options --enable-application=xulrunner
Thunderbird .mozconfig contents: (Using comm-central)
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-tb-debug
ac_add_options --enable-application=mail
#If you also want Lightning
ac_add_options --enable-calendar
SeaMonkey .mozconfig contents: (Using comm-central)
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-seamonkey-debug
ac_add_options --enable-application=suite
Sunbird .mozconfig contents: (Using comm-central)
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-sunbird-debug
ac_add_options --enable-application=calendar
Fennec Win32 .mozconfig
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-fennec
ac_add_options --enable-application=mobile
# For improved compile speeds, all optional.
mk_add_options MOZ_MAKE_FLAGS=-j4
#export CCACHE_HARDLINK=1
#export MOZ_DEBUG_SYMBOLS=1
# Needed on Win32 to fix problem with Windows Vista SDK
ac_add_options --disable-accessibility
Graphene .mozconfig
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/objdir-graphene
ac_add_options --enable-application=b2g/graphene
ac_add_options --with-branding=b2g/branding/horizon
Using multiple mozconfig files
export MOZCONFIG=.mozconfig-alt
Incremental builds
Example if you have changes to /widget:
mach build widget
Logging Javascript with Firebug/Chromebug/web console:
console.log("my output");
console.log("%s is %d years old.", "Bob", 42).
Netscape portable runtime logging (PR_LOG): Environment variables:
NSPR_LOG_FILE = WinDebug and it will output to the debug output window or use NSPR_LOG_FILE=C:\nspr-log.txt to output to a file by that name
NSPR_LOG_MODULES can specify which modules to log with the, example NSPR_LOG_MODULES = nsWindowsWidgets:5 (5 is the log level)
You can use NSPR_LOG_MODULES=all:5 to enable all module logging
Finding source of regressions
- Do a binary search on the nightly builds until you narrow down a build that introduced the regression
- Use the push log to review changes in that time span
- Use MozRegression
Submitting a patch for review
- You don't have commit access at first, instead create a patch.
Setup your author information (your ~/.hgrc or ~/mercurial.ini on Windows):
username = Your Name <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Use the mq extension, add to your ~/.hgrc or ~/mercurial.ini on Windows
hgext.mq =
- When submitting do this
Working with hg and patches
To create a patch:
hg qnew bugXXXXXX.patch
On popup:
Bug XXXXXX - Description of your fix
To take a file out of a patch:
hg qrefresh -X re:regexp_pattern_of_files_to_remove
To refresh changes into your patch:
hg qrefresh
To see the status of changes: (after you take out files it should re-appear in the changes)
hg status
Undo application of a patch in your MQ patch queue: (Removes the patch from your commit tree and working directory)
hg qpop (To unapply the last applied patch)
hg qpop -a (To unapply all patches)
hg qpop name.patch (To unapply all patches up to but not including the specified patch)
Apply a patch which is in your MQ patch queue: (Re-adds the patch to your commit tree and working directory, you can apply more than one patch)
hg qpush (To apply the next patch in the series)
hg qpush -a (To apply all patches)
hg qpush name.patch (To apply all patches in the series up to and including the named patch)
List which patches are in your MQ patch queue:
hg qseries
List which patches in your MQ patch queue are applied (pushed):
hg qapplied
List which patches in your MQ patch queue are not yet applied (pushed):
To delete a patch from your MQ patch queue: (Patch must first be unapplied)
hg qdelete
To turn a patch into a permanent changeset: (Patch must first be applied)
hg qfinish
To turn a normal changeset into a patch: (Patch must first be unapplied)
hg qimport -r tip
Convert a patch to a finalized changeset: (Patch must first be applied)
hg qfinish tip
hg qfinish -a (for all of the patches
To make a backup of your patches directory: (Saves the patches backup to .hg/patches.N)
hg qsave
To import someone else's patch into your MQ patch queue:
hg qimport patchname.patch (You must later also apply it with qpush, also works with HTTP URLs)
To import someone else' patch with a different patch strip count:
patch -pN (to apply the patch, where N is the strip count of the patch)
qnew (to create a new patch)
hg addremove (to pickup any files added/removed by the patch)
qrefresh (to refresh the patch)
To change the ordering of how patches are applied
Manually edit your .hg/patches/series file, one patch name per line.
To rollup several patches into one
hg diff -r qparent > rollup.patch
See last 50 pushed
hg log -l 50
Undoing a qfinish or remove last commit into a patch
hg qimport -r tip (Make sure you have no other patches applied)
To backout a revision
hg backout revnumber
Folding a patch in your queue onto another one
hg qgoto base_patch.patch
hg qfold patch_to_fold_in_base_patch.patch
Renaming a patch
hg qrename new_patch_name.patch
Merge all changes from parent repo into your branch
cd yourbranchdir
hg update
hg pull other-repo
hg merge
hg commit
hg push
Clone a repository up until a specific changeset> hg clone -r revisionid http://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/ repo\_name
Remove a changeset and all of its decendants
hg strip changesetid
Rebase one repository to another by beheading the old tip
cd repo_you_want_to_change
hg pull repo_to_change_to
hg heads .
hg update -r revisin_to_forget_about
hg commit --close-branch
hg update -r revision_to_use
hg push --force
Testing and QA
- Litmus (Manual testing)
Mochitest for testing via pages (HTML, XHTML, SVG, XUL, XBL) (mochitest-plain, mochitest-chrome, mochitest-browser-chrome, mochitest-a11y or mochitest-ipc)
Browser Chrome Browser chrome mochitest) for testing via JS
Reftests for testing if 2 pages that should render the same actually do
- Compiled code tests
XPCShell tests for testing XPCOM components
Automated test run examples (TODO: Needs updating use mach instead)
All xpcshell tests
./mach xpcshell-test
xpcshell entire directory
./mach xpcshell-test dir-path
xpcshell single test:
./mach xpcshell-test file-path
All reftests:
./mach reftest
All reftests in a .list file:
./mach reftest file-path.list
Reftest single test:
./mach reftest file-path.list --filter .testname.
./mach mochitest-plain
mochitest-chrome: (like a mochitest but with chrome privs)
./mach mochitest-chrome
./mach mochitest-browser
Troubleshooting build problems
I built on windows, and had crashes on startup:
The reason ended up being because I was using the same profile as my FF4 and some extensions were causing the crash (Firebug in particular). Simply disabling the extensions fixed the problem.
If you are building on Windows with VC2010, and get the error, install the Win 7.0 SDK instead. Alternatively if you really want to use 7.1 you may need to patch your guess-msvc.bat.
about: URIs
Blank page:
To adjust settings:
To see how your Firefox was built:
To see all of your crash reports:
- Other
Common about:config prefs
Allow remote XUL from local computer:
dom.allow_XUL_XBL_for_file: true;
XPCOM objects in JavaScript
Creating an XPCOM component:
var cid = "@brianbondy.com/componentname;1"
var obj = Components.classes[cid].createInstance();
obj = obj.QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.IMyInterface)
Listing XPCOM components:
for (var c in Components.classes) { print(c); }
Listing XPCOM interfaces:
for (var i in Components.interfaces) { print(i); }
How to push to try
- Need commit access level 1
- Try server info
- TryChooser - try command line generator
- Build bot results
In ~/.hgrc (or mercurial.ini on Windows) add:
try = ssh://hg.mozilla.org/try
To push the applied hg queue patches to the try server:
hg qrefresh --message "try: -b do -p all -u all -t all"
hg push -f try
- See the section on: SSH config for try or inbound on hg.mozilla.org
Sometimes after pushing you can't qpop because it says: "abort: popping would remove an immutable revision". Use:
hg phase -f -d qtip
hg qpop -a
How to push a changeset from your MQ
- If you want your patch to land on Aurora, or Firefox Beta you need to request it in Bugzilla. only for severe security, stability, or regressions recently introduced. Provide risk/reward in ticket.
- Need commit access level 3
In .hgrc (or mercurial.ini) add:
mozilla-inbound = http://hg.mozilla.org/integration/mozilla-inbound/
To push:
Move your patch to the top of your queue
hg pull
hg update
hg qpush
hg qrefresh -m "Bug xxx - Blah. Blah. Blah. r=xyz"
hg qfinish -a
hg push mozilla-inbound
- Rules for pushing
Bugzilla keywords
- addon-compat: If your change may affect addon compatibility
- dev-doc-needed: If your change may need documentation
- regression: If your bug is a regression
- checkin-needed: If a checkin is needed for a patch but the author can't do it themselves because of privs or some other reason
- Others
Firefox UI debugging
- Open the Web Console (Ctrl+Shift+K on Windows/Linux, Cmd+Opt+K on Mac), open the settings pane (gear icon) and enable remote and chrome debugging.
- You can use the Browser Console from the Tools > Web Developer menu to evaluate JS against the main Firefox Window
- You can use Scratchpad from the Tools > Web Developer menu as well. Be sure to set the Environment to "Browser" from the menu inside Scratchpad.
- You can use the Browser Debugger to debug JS running in the browser chrome.
- You can use the --jsconsole and --jsdebugger commandline arguments to start the browser console/debugger when starting Firefox.
Download the DOM Inspector add-on to inspect the XUL tree and its CSS while Firefox is running.
- Extension Developer Extension
Contributor info and Metrics
Doing Code Reviews
- Code Review Guide
- Quick Points:
- MultiByte vs. Wide character set comm-central defaults to ASCII
- Check if Windows platform API available on WinXP and above
- Does it pass try?
- Formatting? (But don't be too strict)
- Comments, typos, spelling
- Did you test in scenario X?
- New import libs in toolkit/library?
- Should it have tests?
- Interface change? Change IID, sr required, addon-compat keyword
- Documentation needed?
- Mark keywords for post-fix work: dev-doc-needed, privacy-review-needed, sec-review-needed, user-doc-needed, addon-compat, release tracking flags, in-testsuite flag
Commit flags
- Append to the end of patches:
- reviewed by: r=nickname
- approved by: a=nickname
- super reviewed by: sr=nickname
Mentoring bugs
- Add who the mentor is to Bugzilla whiteboard [mentor=bbondy]
- Add which language it is to the Bugzilla whiteboard [lang=c++]
- More info
- Use Firebug and Chromebug to debug XUL, XBL, JavaScript
- Debug C++ src in Windows: Open VS2010, select open project, select dist/bin/firefox.exe in your obj dir. Press F5. Change source, do an incremental build, open the source and set breakpoints in VS2010.
- To avoid having debug assertions and to have them show up in the log instead, set this environment variable: XPCOM_DEBUG_BREAK=warn
Release cycle
- Every 6 weeks:
- Nightly -> Aurora
- Aurora -> Beta
- Beta -> Release
- Release calendar
Personal files on people.mozilla.com
Add to your C:\Users\bbondy.ssh\config file:
Host people.mozilla.com
User email@example.com
IdentityFile C:\Users\bbondy.ssh\bbondy.pub
The IdentityFile entry should only be needed on Windows. If you're on anything else it'll automatically find the key, use:
ssh-add path-to-key.ppk
- Your must already have L1 commit access, i.e. your public key is already on the server.
You can upload files to a URL like: http://people.mozilla.com/~bbondy
Anything under the /home/bbondy/public_html will show up at the http address above.
On Windows connect with putty sftp:
psftp email@example.com
Enter your private key password
put filename.ext
SSH config for try or inbound on hg.mozilla.org
Add to your C:\Users\bbondy.ssh\config file:
Host hg.mozilla.org
User firstname.lastname@example.com
IdentityFile C:\Users\bbondy.ssh\bbondy.pub
The IdentityFile entry should only be needed on Windows. If you're on anything else it'll automatically find the key, use:
ssh-add path-to-key.ppk
- Your must already have L1 commit access for pushing to try, or commit access level 3 for pushing to an integration branch. i.e. your public key is already on the server.
To test access to ssh make sure the ssh command gives an output of "No interactive shells allowed here!". Use Putty for Windows:
ssh hg.mozilla.org
Project Branches
- TBPL results: https://tbpl.mozilla.org/?tree=BRANCHNAME
- Self serve build API to create dep, Nightly, or PGO builds
- Copy to: <installDir>\Plugins
- Environment variable MOZ_DEBUG_CHILD_PROCESS=1 can be used to delay 30 seconds when loading plugin-container before the plugin is loaded.
- Plugin development


text:
LomiLomi Workshop with Aunty Maile!
Aunty Maile has been a lomilomi practitioner for decades. Her 'ohana has done lomiloimi on Hawai'i Island since 1200. She was a student of Kalua Kaiahua and teaches in his style.
October 21–23, 2016
10a–5p Friday
7:45a–5p Saturday
7:45a–2p Sunday
During this workshop you will learn:
- To Give and Receive Lomilomi
- To Make and Use Pu'ili (Bamboo Rattles)
- Related Hawaiian Language and Protocol
$500 includes Materials and Lomilomi ($25/night if you need a place to stay)
To Register and for More Information—808-939-7185 (h)—remember it's HST.
If no answer, please use the contact page.
I love doing this work of Lomilomi. Lomilomi to me is very sacred work. It helps the circulation, helping people soooo much. With hands of Love, circulation promotes better health.
Hawaiian Weddings (my other site)
You can learn about the Real Hawaiian Weddings I perform at my wedding website.
I love to create lei, to give lei, to teach lei classes.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Colin Pitchfork
VTNR DNA analysis to convict him of rape and murder and it was the first case using this type of DNA analysis.
Michael Blassie
placed in the tomb of the Unknown and later bones were examined and DNA was taken and then it was proven to be him. mtDNA was used and it was the first time it had been used to prove an identify of an unknown body.
Kirk Bloodsworth
semen test revealed and the semen didn't belong to him. 2003 DNA was linked to real killer and since it was very small sample STR/PCR were used. it was the first time DNA evidence was exonerated a person on death row.
DNA profile (fingerprint)
used in Criminal court and scientists can use it to show the variation in people's DNA
chain of custody
a record of all individuals and locations that the physical evidence has come in contact with from the time it was obtained until it is presented in court.
Variable Number Tandem Repeats--these are regions of DNA that are next to each other where the base sequence is repeated over and over again. The number of repeated sections present in a sample is different in every person
Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism-- Alec Jeffreys used this technique. It uses the restriction enzymes to cut regions of DNA that are surrounding the VTNR. Because DNA regions are different between people, the fragments are different lengths. this technique requires that the sample size be about a quarter.
Short Tandem Repeats---used for forensic analysis inside of a VTNR and are much smaller then VTNR
Polymerase chain reaction is how it amplified. and it makes use of the same DNA replication as your cells. it can make millions of copies of DNA sequence in just a few hours from only a few cells. sample sizes can be much smaller


text:
Category Archives: Argentina
US Banks: Funds file against Argentina remedy
Published November 22, 2012
Associated Press
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina is running out of wiggle room in a billion-dollar showdown over foreign debts left unpaid since the country's world-record default a decade ago, and the stakes couldn't be higher for President Cristina Fernandez.
She risks triggering another historic debt default if she doesn't agree to pay the so-called "vulture funds" she blames for much of Argentina's troubles.
Fed up with Argentina's refusal to honor its debts despite losing in appellate court, U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa in New York said he is determined to make Argentina pay at least something to the plaintiffs.
His idea is to tap into the money Argentina already pays to other bondholders, by making banks that process the payments divert some of the money to the plaintiffs. U.S. financial institutions would become his enforcers, either helping to satisfy the judgment or "aiding and abetting" a crime.
The unprecedented idea was broadly upheld on appeal last month and Griesa tried to push the case closer to resolution late Wednesday by lifting a legal stay, and issuing an order directing Argentina to make a first round of payments into an escrow account on Dec. 15, when the country is scheduled to make payments to the other bondholders.
The idea has sent jitters through the legal departments of the most powerful financial institutions in the United States.
The U.S. Federal Reserve and the Clearing House, a trade group representing the world's largest commercial banks, warned that Griesa's remedy could have severe consequences for the backbone of the U.S. financial system, which automatically moves an average of $2.6 trillion a day in half a million transfers between more than 7,000 banks.
The Federal Reserve's legal brief, filed Sunday, said the entire system depends on transfers being "immediate, final and irrevocable" when processed. Requiring intermediaries to identify, stop and divert payments according to court orders "would impede the use of rapid electronic funds transfers in commerce by causing delays and driving up costs."
The plaintiffs dismissed the concerns, saying that the only bank at risk would be Argentina's "paying agent," the Bank of New York Mellon, which should be held responsible by the court if it doesn't guarantee compliance.
Still, the Federal Reserve's filing pleased Fernandez so much that she cited it in a speech Monday night.
"When an Argentine says something, the President of the Argentines or the economy minister, well, everyone comes out to criticize them, but now it's (Federal Reserve Chairman Ben) Bernanke talking, honey, and everyone shuts their little mouth," she said.
As with so many other things involving Argentina, these debts date back to the bloody dictatorship that ruled from 1976-1983. The military junta tripled the country's foreign debts. By 2001, the burden had become unsustainable and the economy collapsed. Argentina's $95 billion default still stands as a world record.
Sovereign debt is supposed to be paid no matter who runs a country, but Fernandez has always considered this defaulted debt to be illegitimate, forced onto the Argentines by dictators acting in concert with international financial speculators. She and her late husband and predecessor Nestor Kirchner, who took office in 2003, have never made any payments on the defaulted bonds.
Instead, they offered new bonds paying less than 30 cents for each dollar owed in default, and by 2010, 93 percent of the original bondholders agreed to the swaps. The debt relief granted by these "exchange bondholders" enabled Argentina to climb out of a deep economic crisis, and many analysts have described it as a model for Greece and other debt-burdened countries to consider.
Hold-outs led by NML Capital Ltd., an investment fund owned by U.S. billionaire Paul Singer, refused the swaps, insisting on payment in full plus interest, even though some bought the defaulted debt for pennies on the dollar after Argentina's economy collapsed. Singer's lawyers have traveled the world since then seeking to embargo Argentine assets, even getting its navy ship Libertad seized in Ghana as collateral. But they have never collected.
The judge's solution to all this is to force Argentina to pay the holdouts an equal amount each time it makes a payment to the exchange bondholders.
This prompted an outcry from a group of exchange bondholders who collectively own $20 billion in the restructured Argentine debt. They said they "already suffered tens of billions of dollars in losses," and that it's not fair to harm their already diminished returns so that a few holdouts can earn up to 200 percent on their original investments.
If allowed to stand, this kind of remedy will make it impossible for other countries to get critical debt relief, they argued.
The holdouts' response: "Those parties made a business judgment to accept assurances of prompt payment rather than being forced to litigate against the Republic around the world, as the plaintiffs have been forced to do at tremendous expense."
Argentina, meanwhile, has told the judge that its responsibility ends once it delivers the cash to the Bank of New York Mellon, which in turn pays the exchange bondholders. This bank, in turn, said it would suffer lawsuits from all sides if it did anything other than process the payments as intended.
There was no immediate indication from Argentina's government late Wednesday about how it would respond to Griesa's ruling.
The judge said he was taking the action precisely because of "inflammatory declarations" made by Argentine officials, who have vowed not to pay a cent to NML Capital Ltd.
"It is the view of the District Court that these threats of defiance cannot go by unheeded, and that action is called for," Griesa wrote.
Argentina is running out of options. Anything short of full payments could trigger holders of all sorts of Argentine bonds to demand immediate payment in full.
"In reality, what I think they're looking for is to provoke a technical default," the president said Monday night. "What's a technical default? It's when you pay, but not in the right time, or manner, or place. For example, you don't pay in New York so that they don't seize the money."
The exchange bondholders warned that if this happens, "the injunction will have turned a relatively minor default into a cataclysmic default that will further unsettle the already fragile global economy."
Fernandez sought to calm matters, noting that Argentina has $45.3 billion in reserves and a much lighter debt burden than it did years ago.
But if Argentina pays the plaintiffs the $1.43 billion they are demanding, Moody's Investors Service said it could set a legal precedent for other holdouts who together claim nearly $12 billion in unpaid debts.
A default, meanwhile, could put more pressure on an economy already suffering from capital flight and dangerously high inflation. Argentine debt is already rated by Moody's as junk, so the government has few other places to turn for financing.
The holdouts blamed all this "emergency litigation and anxiety" on Argentina's "unrelenting bad faith," and predicted that if it is finally given no other alternative, it will submit to the courts' will.
"There is no reason to believe — and common sense rejects — the notion that Argentina would harm its reputation and credit, and unnecessarily allow tens of billions of dollars of debt to accelerate, simply to avoid paying the plaintiffs $1.43 billion," they said.
Related articles
- US banks, funds file against Argentina remedy (kansascity.com)
- US banks turn heat on Argentina for debt default (thehimalayantimes.com)
- US banks, funds file against Argentina remedy (seattletimes.com)
Heads We Win, Tails We Win
By Marin Katusa, Chief Energy Investment Strategist
Hugo Chàvez is undoubtedly one of the most polarizing politicians in the world today. The man who has led Venezuela for 14 years is vehemently anti-American, a proud voice for Venezuela's poor, a patriot and a poet, and a firm believer that national resources belong to the nation and no one or nothing else.
That final Chàvez mainstay – that resources are best and most appropriately managed by the people for the people – has positioned Venezuela at the head of a group of Central and South American nations that are trying resource nationalization on for size as they struggle to make the most out of their oil and gas bounties. Venezuela is a global oil heavyweight – its 211-billion-barrel reserve is one of the top three national oil reserves worldwide – so Chàvez's moves to nationalize his country's massive oil machine gave neighboring countries the confidence to follow suit.
Sometimes national control over oil and gas resources can work well. Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and Kuwait are all prime examples of well-functioning, state-controlled oil sectors. However, resource nationalization is a tricky business, and more often than not the process goes awry.
Venezuela is no exception. Chàvez's efforts to kick foreign firms out of Venezuela and use oil and gas revenues to fund social programs worked pretty well initially, but despite rising oil prices that early success has slipped away. In recent years Chàvez has demanded too much from the oil and gas sector, expecting ever-increasing revenues despite his reluctance to fund infrastructure and exploration programs. The result has been declining production, an exodus of technical expertise, and a pariah reputation in the international oil and gas industry.
Now, with a presidential election looming and Chàvez struggling with a cancer that it's rumored will take his life within months, the path forward for the country that has been a firebrand for South American resource nationalization is far from clear.
Venezuela's Love-Hate Relationship with Resource Nationalization
Venezuela nationalized its oil industry in 1976, at a time when many countries in the southern hemisphere were asserting sovereignty over their natural resources. The transformation of Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) into a state-owned company was hailed as a national victory. However, it did not take long for trouble to begin.
In the 1990s global oil prices plunged and Venezuela, having based its budget on a certain level of oil income, found itself in deep economic trouble. PDVSA had 900 to 1,300 billion barrels of oil on its reserve books, but the company didn't have the money or the technological know-how to tap into these reserves, most of which sat trapped in the geologically challenging Orinoco Belt. Seeing few other options, the country opened its oil sector to foreign investors: PDVSA started seeking out international partners willing to provide expertise and funding in exchange for a share of the profits. Big Oil arrived and started spending billions of dollars to unlock the heavy oil of the Orinoco.
Then Mr. Chàvez won the 1998 presidential election on a populist ticket that promised to use the country's vast oil wealth to benefit the poor. Venezuela's experiment with foreign involvement in its oil sector slowly came to a halt. Despite initially adopting "orthodox" economic policies, Chàvez soon started making good on his promise to his people – he gradually closed the door on international investment, raised rents, and changed fiscal agreements to retain ever more oil revenue for Venezuela. Imagine this: at one point the government take on oil contracts was more than 100% – foreign producers would have had to pay Chàvez for the privilege of producing oil in his country.
Chàvez brought a new form of politics to Venezuela. He identified with his supporters because he was one of them, having grown up poor, and he used language they understood, caring not that the elites saw such language as one of many signs that he was a buffoon with limited education and experience. His style stuck and the people grew to love him.
As he gained in popularity and confidence, Chàvez grew bolder in his moves to control Venezuelan oil in its entirety. In 2002 a group of PDVSA executives kick-started a general strike aimed at ousting Chàvez that lasted for a month and cut oil production to about 30% of normal levels; in response Chàvez fired nearly half of the company's employees – 18,000 people in all – erasing large swaths of technical know-how in one fell swoop but sending a clear message that he would not tolerate dissent against his control over Venezuela's oil.
By 2007 Chàvez had gained enough confidence to essentially complete his oil renationalization campaign – he expropriated oil assets in the Orinoco by issuing a decree that PDVSA hold at least 60% ownership in all international partnerships. What little was left of Big Oil pretty much packed up and left Venezuela. National oil production immediately fell by 25%.
You could say that was the beginning of the end, or the end of what had been a great beginning. That great beginning was undoubtedly aided by rising global oil prices: when Chàvez came to power, oil prices were sitting near $12 per barrel. By 2006 prices were averaging almost $60 a barrel, Venezuela's coffers were overflowing, and the Venezuelan president felt unstoppable.
Those rising prices created such a sense of success around Chàvez's experiment with renationalizing Venezuela's oil and gas sector that Chàvez was able to convince his compatriot leaders in South America to follow in his footsteps. And it worked – Bolivia and Ecuador renationalized their oil sectors, and the concept of resource nationalization took hold in Argentina. As his geopolitical influence grew, Chàvez also devoted attention to the oil-needy nations in his neighborhood, implementing an oil-transfer program to energy-needy Central American and Caribbean countries. With his oil sector seemingly able to provide for so many, resource nationalization took on new life across South America, and Chavez was the movement's proudest spokesman.
But here the word "seemingly" is key. As oil prices rose, PDVSA profits also rose, and it seemed that nationalization had been a boon to Venezuelan oil. But the increased profitability stemmed only from rising prices; the company itself was being strangled by a lack of investment – Chàvez spent all of PDVSA's profits on his domestic fuel subsidies and social programs – and its dearth of technical expertise.
In short, a sector can only provide profits if it is also supplied with investment; and that is where Chàvez went wrong. Like so many other socialist leaders who nationalized resource sectors with great fanfare only to see the sectors wither away because of insufficient TLC, Chàvez failed to put money back into PDVSA.
Now the country's once-proud oil and gas sector is in disarray. Infrastructure is old and insufficient, and production volumes are declining instead of climbing. In 2005 the company launched a new six-year plan calling for investment of US$239 billion to boost oil production to 5.8 million bpd by 2012. Instead, output has fallen from 2.9 million barrels per day (bpd) to 2.5 million bpd. Things are even worse when you look at Chàvez's tenure as a whole: from 1998 to today, production has fallen from 3.5 million bpd to 2.5 million bpd, a decline of almost 30%:
Not only has production declined, but PDVSA's financials have also deteriorated dramatically, its debt increasing from US$2.7 billion in 2005 to some US$33 billion now. Yet PDVSA continues to borrow money at an incredible rate, in large part to fund those domestic oil subsidies that are so very popular among Chàvez supporters. These subsidies cost the company US$15 billion a year.
The view forward is unclear. PDVSA lacks the technical expertise to take advantage of the heavy oil in the Orinoco. With foreign investment – and therefore involvement – in the oil sector banned and PDVSA drowning in debt, the prospects for turning Venezuela's fading oil sector around are pretty dim.
Unless, of course, the sector is opened up to outside investment… which could well happen if Chàvez ceases to be part of the picture.
The Cancer
Over the last 12 months Chàvez has made regular trips to Havana for cancer treatments. The only official information about these treatments is that two malignant tumours were removed from his pelvic region. The secrecy surrounding Chàvez's cancer and the fact that Chàvez, who rarely goes a few days without speaking directly to his people, enters radio silence during his trips to Cuba have fueled rumors of his declining health. Several times already these have ballooned into claims that the Venezuelan president had died.
The latest twist in the Chàvez cancer drama came from venerated journalist Dan Rather, the former CBS anchor who now hosts and directs Dan Rather Reports, a weekly news television show on HDNet. In a report he labeled as "exclusive," Rather revealed on May 30 that he had been told that Chàvez is suffering from metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that has "entered the end stage." Rather said the information came from a highly respected source who is close to Chàvez and in a position to know his medical condition and history. This source says the prognosis is dire and that Chàvez is not expected to live "more than a couple of months at most."
This is not the first time rumors of Chàvez's pending death have surfaced. However, with his treatment having dragged on for a year already, with his uncharacteristic disappearances to Cuba growing longer and more frequent, and with Rather's reputation for accuracy lending credence to this new information, it is time to ponder Venezuela – and South America – without Hugo Chàvez.
Chàvez would be incredibly difficult to replace. His rags-to-riches story line, bold governing style, and idiosyncratic mannerisms have earned adoration from the Venezuelan population, especially the poor and working class masses who constitute his prime electoral base. He also enjoys broad support from Venezuela's military members.
This is a president who announces executive orders between readings of poetry, regularly draws families around their televisions to listen to his lengthy and often fiery speeches, and sings Venezuelan folk songs on a weekly show called Hello President. There are few people in the world who could match his charisma and earn such allegiance from a national population. That is why, even though others from Chàvez's inner circle bear similar political views, most observers think any Chàvez successor would have a very difficult time maintaining the Chavista movement.
So when Chàvez dies, what might become of Venezuela? In the immediate aftermath, Vice President Elías Jaua would take power, according to the Constitution. In fact, Chàvez recently formed a nine-member State Council headed by Jaua to assist him with executive duties, a move many interpreted as a preparation for his impending demise.
In the longer term, Venezuelan political observers see five potential successors within Chàvez's Socialist Party. All hold similar views, but none enjoy anything close to Chàvez's recognition and support. The Party would have to hope that Chàvez's reputation can carry one of these candidates to the presidency, but such a succession is far from assured.
If Chàvez dies before the October presidential election, opposition candidate Henrique Capriles would suddenly see his odds of winning jump dramatically. Polls show Capriles currently lagging behind Chàvez by roughly 5%, but the same polls found that Capriles would win the race by double-digit margins if he were to face a Chàvez successor instead of facing Hugo himself… unless, of course, the Socialists rig the election. Given that Chàvez has proven that a high regard for democracy is not a required characteristic for someone holding the Venezuelan presidency, this is not unlikely.
Capriles is a veteran politician, having previously served as governor of the state of Miranda despite being just 39 years old. He is a center-left politician who has cleverly focused on issues close to the day-to-day lives of Venezuelans: crime, corruption, declining services, inflation, and jobs. Capriles' petroleum policies are less clear, but his rare comments on the matter indicate he would keep PDVSA as a national entity while allowing the company to engage in investment partnerships with foreign firms, much like the Brazilian national oil firm Petrobras.
If Chàvez is healthy enough to run, he will almost certainly win the election in October. If he is not, we see two possible paths. The first is that Capriles finds himself president of Venezuela, and South America loses its resource nationalization ringleader. However, a desire to change how Venezuela's oil sector operates is very different from the actual ability to do so. The biggest obstacle to change: those domestic oil subsidies. If Capriles wants to revitalize PDVSA – indeed, if he simply wants to give PDVSA a chance at economic survival – he would have to significantly reduce the domestic oil subsidies, and likely also reduce social spending to free up some oil revenues for reinvestment into the country's oil fields. And that would cause riots. We have seen it before, most recently in Nigeria: populations that are accustomed to having access to cheap oil are highly unwilling to let go of that benefit and will riot, often violently and for extended periods, at the mere suggestion that gas prices need to increase.
Oil-related riots in one of the world's top-ten oil-producing nations would undoubtedly push global oil prices higher.
The other potential path for a post-Chàvez Venezuela is that his successor within the Socialist Party wins the presidency, legitimately or with the aid of electoral fraud. This Chàvez clone would then be stuck trying to fill Hugo's shoes, a near-impossible task in which he would only have a chance at success by promising even more in the way of social spending. These expensive programs would put even greater strain on Venezuela's budget, which is funded in large part by revenues from PDVSA. There would continue to be no money available to finance PDVSA's spending needs, and production would continue to decline.
Guess what? This scenario – of continued production decline in a major world supplier – would also push global oil prices higher. The bottom line is that Chàvez has created a lose-lose scenario for Venezuelan oil. The country has become reliant on a one-way flow of money and cheap oil from PDVSA to society, but after a decade of neglect PDVSA is withering away and the flows are drying up. Even if Chàvez dies and a left-leaning leader like Capriles comes to power, Venezuela will have to convulse through many ugly years before a functional relationship can be reestablished between its oil riches and its social demands. In the meantime, Venezuelans and the world will have to do with only limited access to Venezuelan oil.
So, for those of us positioned to gain from a long-term rising oil price, it's heads we win, tails we win.
Oil Prices to Ease Further This Year (Reuters)
The CEO of Royal Dutch Shell expects oil prices to continue easing through the rest of the year, as demand reacts to a slowing global economy and international tensions ease. Peter Voser's statement came just as Brent crude dropped to a 16-month low – below US$96 per barrel – on the heels of further weak economic news from the US and China. In addition, concerns over the state of the European economy have taken the spotlight away from the lingering tensions between Iran and Western powers, which just three months ago helped to push Brent above US$128 a barrel.
Global Gas Demand to Grow by 2.7% Annually to 2017 (Platts)
Global demand for natural gas will rise by 2.7% annually for the next five years, a faster growth rate than previously expected. China and the United States are driving the additional demand by switching from coal to gas to generate electricity. In China alone consumption is expected to double to 273 billion cubic meters in 2017 from 130 billion cubic meters today, representing an average growth rate of 13% per year.
King Coal Still Reigns Despite Drop in Prices (Vancouver Sun)
Canadian coal companies are not slowing down exploration nor development programs despite a drop in prices in China, their main export market. Companies are generally viewing depressed prices as a transient problem and see demand from Asia remaining strong in the medium term, especially for British Columbia's high-quality metallurgical coal.
South Sudan's $4-Billion Question Answered: Oil Revenue Stolen by Corrupt Officials (The Globe and Mail)
It has been a mystery for years: how does South Sudan remain so poor and hungry when it receives billions of dollars in oil revenues every year? The answer is now clear: South Sudan's president says corrupt officials have stolen $4 billion in oil revenues since 2005. He is asking those officials to return the stolen funds. Any returned funds would be especially useful at the moment, because a dispute with Sudan has shut in South Sudan's oil production and thereby eliminated about 98% of the government's official revenue.
Oil Rush in the Arctic Gambles with Nature and Diplomacy (The Guardian)
A small group of international scientists, politicians, and business leaders are gathered in the Ny-Alesund research station on the Norwegian island of Svalbard to discuss the path to a global low-carbon economy. Meanwhile, just outside the station an oil rush looms – one that threatens to spark territorial disputes and saber-rattling as a host of nations compete to claim rights to the Arctic seabed.
Germany Plans Massive Wind Power Grid (The Globe and Mail)
Germany's utilities have tabled plans to build four high-voltage electricity lines to link wind turbines off the north coast with manufacturing centers in the south. The plan is a boost for Angela Merkel, who has been criticized for announcing an accelerated nuclear-power phase-out a year ago without producing an alternative plan. The lines are expected to cost around €20 billion
Related articles
- Venezuela expands China oil-for-loan deal to $8 billion (chinadailymail.com)
- Report: Chavez's Cancer Has Metastasized (hispanicallyspeakingnews.com)
Desperate Argentina Now Seen Begging for Oil Investment
Thursday, May 10, 2012 – by Staff Report
Argentine Vice President Amado Boudou on Tuesday urged US companies to invest in YPF, the nationalized oil company that Argentina recently expropriated from Spain's Repsol … "We are very optimistic in terms of what is coming for the Argentine economy in general and the hydrocarbons sector specifically" Boudou said at a Conference on the Americas at the US State Department in Washington. Far from scaring off foreign investment because of the expropriation, the government of President Cristina Fernandez has set the framework for "excellent opportunities for those who want to invest in joint ventures and possibilities of joint work in the energy sector," he said. The Cristina Fernandez administration is gambling that the discovery in May 2011 of a giant oilfield in Argentina's Patagonia would be too tempting for foreign oil giants to ignore. YPF needs the know-how and the capital to fully exploit the oil fields in the south-western Nequen province, known as Vaca Muerta (Dead Cow), which according to official estimates holds 150 million barrels of oil. YPF is "open to capital and the possibility of working together with public or private companies in Argentina or abroad," Boudou said. – Merco Press
Dominant Social Theme: Don't cry for Argentina. It's all under control …
Free-Market Analysis: Are Argentina's top officials having second thoughts about their expropriation of Spain's Argentine oil-producer? It would seem that way from the above news report via Merco Press.
If the move was as wildly destructive as people think it may have been, then this posture would tend to confirm the idea that one of the world's more powerful and influential states is simply spinning out of control.
The results may be truly catastrophic, not just for Latin America but for the larger, struggling world.
This boom may well be ending – or certainly growing long-in-the-tooth after a decade or more.
Although the Argentine expropriation of Repsol made major shock waves, the Argentine government under President Cristina Fernandez has portrayed it as a judicious and necessary gambit.
Many other observers regardless of political affiliation have branded the move as a shallow populist one that will bring disaster to Argentina and environs.
As the predictions of damage mount, there is more speculation that Fernandez's action may bring down not only her own government but other regional governments as well.
These predictions involve inevitably a peso devaluation that will set off a dollar-withdrawal frenzy in big regional banks. Real estate prices – radically inflated after a decade of monetary expansion – may well plunge. The results could affect large swaths of South America.
Countries that could be affected include Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Peru among others – all countries that have pursued moderate market-based policies and have benefitted from the South American industrial and monetary boom.
Meanwhile, Repsol doesn't seem apt to surrender. Here's more from the article.
YPF is "open to capital and the possibility of working together with public or private companies in Argentina or abroad," Boudou said.
Last week the Argentine president signed a bill expropriating 51% of YPF stock from Repsol, its majority shareholder, sealing a measure that has roiled the country's trade ties with Europe.
Cristina Fernandez has argued that the move was justified because Argentina faces sharp rises in its bill for imported oil, and Repsol has failed to make agreed investments needed to expand domestic production.
In Madrid, a Repsol spokesman Tuesday said the company has warned its competitors that they will face legal action if they invest in YPF.
"The idea is to protect the assets that were confiscated in Argentina until the situation is resolved in a satisfactory way for the parties that are involved," the spokesman said.
Conclusion: A cascading crisis in South America may still seem likely …
Related articles
- Argentina: Vaca Muerta – Argentina's oil and gas seizure poses new dilemma (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Incensed Spain threatens Argentina after YPF seizure (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Leftist economist masterminds Argentina's YPF grab (mb50.wordpress.com)
- This Is Why President Cristina Kirchner Is Not Good For Argentina (businessinsider.com)
- Argentine Congress easily approves YPF takeover (fuelfix.com)
- BOOM: Argentine Parliament Votes To Nationalize YPF (YPF) (businessinsider.com)
- Leftist economist behind Argentina's YPF takeover (sacbee.com)
- Argentina Backs Nationalization of YPF Oil Firm (theepochtimes.com)
- Incensed Spain threatens Argentina after YPF seizure (mb50.wordpress.com)
Argentina: Vaca Muerta – Argentina's oil and gas seizure poses new dilemma
By Vladimir Hernandez BBC Mundo
It is a grim name, though it has nevertheless brought hope of a better future for many in Argentina: Vaca Muerta – translated from the Spanish – means "Dead Cow".
Vaca Muerta's barren landscape covers some 30,000 remote sq km of the Patagonian province of Neuquen, in the west of Argentina.
And it was here where energy giant Repsol-YPF struck gold last year. Black gold.
Buried in 250-million-year-old rocks, almost 3km beneath the surface here, are some of the world's largest reserves of shale oil and gas.
According to the Spanish energy giant Repsol, there are prospective resources equal to more than 21 billion barrels of oil underneath the ground in Vaca Muerta.
Much of it could be shale oil, rather than gas, according to an independent Ryder Scott audit commissioned by Repsol, though this has yet to be proven.
But the presence of shale gas is proven, and it is clear that the reserves found here will make up a big proportion of the country's estimated 22 trillion cubic-metre total.
That makes Argentina the world's number three in terms of shale gas reserves – hot on the heels of the US, which has reserves of some 24 trillion cubic metres, and China, which has reserves of some 36 trillion cubic metres, according to the American Energy Information Administration.
Failure to invest
Getting the reserves out would obviously require massive investment.
Argentina's government believes Repsol – which has been active here ever since it took over YPF when it was privatized during the 1990s – should have done this.
But instead, it says, Repsol has been dragging its feet, invested too little and thus failed to get the resources out of the ground as quickly as it should have done.
The government has even accused Repsol of pulling YPF's profits out of the country to finance its businesses abroad.
President Cristina Fernandez said:
"If such a situation continued, we would have had big energy problems in the country because of the drop in production and the increasing reliance on fuel imports."
Renationalized resource
So the government has stepped in to take control of what it sees as a vital, national asset.
Rodrigo Alvarez Argentine economist:
This is the real reason behind the renationalization of YPF"
Renationalizing YPF has in effect helped the government regain control of the Vaca Muerta energy reserves, since the rights to exploit more than a third of the area were held by Repsol-YPF.
The move, and the manner in which it was made, has obviously created a great deal of controversy.
Repsol and others believe the government was motivated by a desire to secure the country's energy requirements for decades to come, and thus reduce its gas import bill which shot up to $10bn in 2011 and is expected to surge to $14bn this year.
"This could help cope with between 30% and 40% of the gas demand within Argentina, which has been covered with costly imports in the last two years," says Eduardo Barreiro, an energy consultant and a director at the Society of Petroleum Engineers in Argentina.
Argentine economist Rodrigo Alvarez Litre agrees:
"This is the real reason behind the renationalization of YPF," he wrote in a column in the Argentine newspaper, Perfil.
"With such shale gas reserves, Argentina could position itself as a nation with cheap and abundant energy, and profit from the high prices in the international market."
Investment required
Argentina's government might describe its move as a step towards self-reliance, which it believes is clearly in the nation's interest.
"Vaca Muerta could be a very important area in the future," Mr Barreiro says.
"But it needs investment."
Some $3bn would be required over the next three years to get the shale gas extraction started.
And then, he added: "You'll need to be excavating constantly to keep the production levels high enough to justify the investment and to make a profit."
According to Repsol, more could be achieved with more investment. The firm insists that some $25bn per year would be needed to exploit Vaca Muerta's shale oil and gas potential. This, the company believes, could double the Argentine production in 10 years.
But this would require some 3,000 shale oil and gas wells in an area where there are only 28 at the moment.
Costly subsidies
Without Repsol, the government might well look to other foreign investors for help to make it happen.
But Daniel Kokogian, a geologist who works as an advisor for several foreign energy companies in Argentina, said some companies would be concerned about how they might be treated in the future, following the renationalization of YPF.
"What private investor would put money into a business where national interest will come first, then profits?" he asks.
Others are far more optimistic about Argentina's chances to attract foreign investors.
The government says it has already had talks with energy giants such as Total of France and Petrobras of Brazil – and local energy analyst Victor Bronstein expects deals to be struck.
"Oil companies are constantly operating in turbulent environments, in problematic countries," he says.
"If they think there's a business opportunity, that there's a possibility of resources, they'll dive in."
Besides, cash-rich states may well be keen to get involved, according to Mark Routt, a senior consultant with KBC Advanced Technologies in Houston, Texas.
"Argentina is going to have to look for government-government relationships, particularly with China," he says.
Polluting process
But Mr Kokogian says he believes the main concern of most investors will be whether or not Vaca Muerta is going to deliver decent margins.
"The main issue here is to determine if these estimated resources can actually be called reserves," he said.
"A resource becomes a reserve when it is proven that the investment can be recovered with an acceptable profit. In Vaca Muerta, I don't think that has happened yet.
"If this area was truly the main reason behind the nationalization of YPF, then Argentina may have shot itself in the foot over an unproven source of energy," he adds.
And if that turns out to be the case, the Argentine efforts to control "Dead Cow" could be a bit like flogging a dead horse.
Related articles
- Repsol YPF ups Argentine shale potential (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Incensed Spain threatens Argentina after YPF seizure (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Is Cristina Fernandez destroying Argentina's economy? (business.financialpost.com)
Argentina warns Falklands' oil companies of May 2 deadline when legal actions begin
Argentina once again warned oil companies considered by the Government to be "illegally operating" in the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, and reiterated it will press charges against them unless they justify their actions before next Wednesday, May 2.
Thursday, April 26th 2012 – 01:33 UTC
In a recent statement released to the press, the ministry said that on last April 17th, all oil companies currently performing exploration tasks in the 'Malvinas basin' were notified "of their clandestine actions and their consequences" by the Argentine embassy in the United Kingdom.
The companies notified were Argos Resources, Rockhopper Exploration, Borders and Southern PLC, Falkland Oil & Gas Ltd and Desire Petroleum PLC.
The Argentine government has set a May 2 deadline for companies to justify their activities.
"If case of failure to offer a response and once the legal deadline expires, we will issue the corresponding sanctions to every company according to a resolution by the Argentine Energy Secretariat, which considers these activities to be clandestine. The Government will also proceed to press criminal and civil charges," the ministry warned.
The Foreign Affairs release states that by doing this they "reaffirm Argentina's decision to defend the nation's sovereign rights by any peaceful means possible – both legal and diplomatic- as well as the country's natural resources, which belong to the Argentine people."
Related articles
- Incensed Spain threatens Argentina after YPF seizure (mb50.wordpress.com)
- Argentine Senate nears approval of YPF takeover (sacbee.com)
- US State Department condemns Argentine expropriation of YPF Oil Company (alethonews.wordpress.com)
- Argentine threats against oil companies near Falkland Islands 'bizarre and ridiculous' (telegraph.co.uk)
- Argentina 'satisfied' by BP's Falklands rejection letter (telegraph.co.uk)


text:
"Kourtney thought her water broke" a couple of days ago, Kim Kardashian said Thursday morning during an interview with her sister Khloe and stepdad Bruce Jenner on KIIS-FM with Ryan Seacrest.
And, according to Khloe: "She's never experienced it; she has no idea. She was out at lunch – this is TMI – and some fluid came down her leg and she was like, 'My water broke!' She bbm'd me and I go, 'No, no, no, you will know. You're fine.'"
There's no denying the eldest Kardashian sister has had her baby boy on her mind – after all, she's due "any minute!" said Khloe.
What About a Wedding?But one thing that will have to wait – another Kardashian wedding. The family is still coming around to the idea of having Kourtney's baby daddy, Scott Disick, on the scene.
"We're working on Scott. He's kind of a work in progress. He's been doing very well lately, and I'm proud o f him from that standpoint," said Jenner. Added Kim: "He's been trying really hard."
And despite the fact that Kourtney "doesn't even like kids," Kim said, she's going to make "the most amazing" mother. "She's changed so much, but I never thought before that Kourtney would have a baby, let alone be the first to have a baby," she said.
"The baby is going to put everything in perspective for her," added Khloe.
See what other readers have to say about this story – or leave a comment of your own


text:
I'm pretty sure I've been in the Baby Season or the Toddler Season or the Momma's-Pregnant-And-Cranky-As-An-Old-Mule Season for as long as we've been homeschooling. Today I'd like to share with you my top ten pieces of advice for surviving homeschooling with a toddler.
It's Okay to Play First
Give the little ones some one-on-one time first. Around here, that usually means they get bored with mom and wander off to play on their own for a bit. Our Bubbagirl is less jealous of the big girl's time with mom if she's already had her turn.
Come Bearing Snacks
This doesn't have to be junk food! Fruit slices, carrot chips, or Cheerios are great to hand out in small doses. It also helps keep normally loud mouths quiet during a read aloud.
Tot Trays
Carisa from 1+1+1+1 has an amazing blog full of great tot tray ideas! We have little trays and big trays (huge restaurant trays from a warehouse store) that we use for bubbles, beads, sorting cotton balls and more! They only get to play with them during school time.
It's OK to Take a Break
Just too much chaos today? Someone teething? Don't fret over taking a time out. Take a day off, a week off, or a month off of formal work and do it without worry. My friend Heather (Sprittibee) wrote a series called 10 Days of Accidental Homeschooling where she shares how her children STILL learned even though her plan and method was altered by the seasons they found themselves living…including toddlers.
Never Underestimate the Benefit of an Empty Bathtub
**This is only a suggestion if you know your kid will be safe!! Please take age and development into consideration** Bathtub crayons, Homemade Bathtub Paint, Shaving Cream…rinses off easy and can entertain for … well, several minutes at least! I have held story time in the hallway by the bathroom door while the two little ones decorate the walls.
Don't Waste Your Money on Fancy Stuff
They really don't need all those fancy Montessori toys. Some basic items like pipe cleaners, pool noodles, egg cartons and cotton balls can be very entertaining. I wrote a post recently about taming the chaos makers. Most of those items were from yard sales, goodwill, dollar stores or upcycled containers.
Love Your Crock Pot
You don't have to sacrifice good food every night just because you're in a toddler season. If you have a crock pot learn to love it. If you don't have one, get one. My kiddos won't touch most of what comes out of my crock pot, but it at least fixes the Mr. and I something yummy and grown up and provides for lunches for the next day. Some recipes, like chili, can be made in a larger quantity and leftovers frozen for busy day.
Don't Hesitate to Ask for Help
I'm going to step on my own toes here. I don't ask for help. I don't even like to ask the Mr. for help. I wait until I'm at the end and really frustrated and I snap. *sigh* Don't be me. Ask for help, and for goodness sake's TAKE IT when it's offered! I often assume the other person is just being polite but doesn't really WANT to help and lie and say I'm okay…..I'm not. I needed that help and I should have taken it.
Include the Little Ones
Some days they just want to be a big kid too. If they are big enough to color, let them color while you read to the older ones. If you're building a model out of clay or marshmellows, let them build something too. Do the big ones need reading practice? Let the older ones create an audio book for the little ones and then let them sit and listen to their special book while you teach.
Do you see a trend yet? Keep it simple, don't be afraid to slow down, and relax. This is just a season. Like all seasons, it will fade away and a new one will take it's place.
This post is a participation in the "10 in 10" link up with iHomeschool Network.
This blog hop is inspired by our dear friend and sister Angie of Many Little Blessings. We would love to have you join us during our ten week adventure. Please link up at Angie's blog by clicking the image below.


text:
on March 28, 2013 - 12:01 AM
Way out there
Space scientists have serious fun. On April 1, 2002, NASA announced that the Hubble Space Telescope had discovered that the moon really is made of green cheese.
NASA claimed it had found an expiration date for when the cheese might "go bad." The report said, "To be cautious, we should completely devour the moon by tomorrow."
On April Fools' Day in 2007, NASA announced that Americans had defeated the Russians in the first space Quidditch match. It claimed astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria caught the Golden Snitch.
Golden oldies
Some April Fools' jokes come back year after year. Fake news stories about flying saucers, dinosaurs walking the Earth today, and creatures such as the Loch Ness Monster and dragons are big favorites.
Serious TV cracking jokes
The British Broadcasting Corp., or BBC, produces many serious news shows, nature shows and dramas. It is also known for its April Fools' jokes.
In 1957, the BBC played one of the most famous April Fools' jokes of all time. The BBC news carried a story about the great spaghetti crop in Switzerland that year. It showed farmers pulling spaghetti noodles from trees. Reporters said farmers had developed plants that would produce noodles that were all the same length.
Still having fun
In 1965, the BBC reported someone had invented Smellovision, or TV sets that filled the house with smells from the shows.
In 2008, the BBC claimed it had discovered a colony of flying penguins.
Last year on April Fools' Day, BBC announcers claimed the Earth had exploded. They said the reporter was reporting from the afterlife. They did not explain how everyone on Earth and all the TVs had survived.
For April Fools' Day in 2008, NASA reported a "troubling request" by a robot at the International Space Station. NASA claimed the robot was demanding that people call it "Dextre the Magnificent." NASA said the robot "thanked humans for creating it and promised a glorious future where humans would retain (or keep) an important role in the new robot order."


text:
I'm trying something that i think is easy but i cant find any leads to how
to do it.
I want to open a session on a client that connects to my server and makes a
tunnel. So the remote client runs a cron job at a certain hour, opens a
tunnel. The only way i think it is possible is ssh-over-ssh .. but this
seems such a mad idea that i think it is beyond my linux capabilities. Any
ideas or help? a how-to maybe somewhere on the net ?
You may ask why i want to do that , well the remote machine is behind a
router which serves my dorm, i have no credentials to forward a port, so if
you know another solution, let me know.


text:
Just in time for Easter Sunday, 40/29 has compiled a list of the best brunch spots in the area.
Food Fridays: Area's best places for brunch
Published On: Apr 18 2014 08:49:49 AM CDT
Copyright 2014 by 4029tv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
Create a stylish tables with our Silver Trellis Dinner Plates.
Our Silver Trellis Dinner Plates feature a silver and white trellis pattern covering the front of each plate. Our 9 inch diameter paper Silver Trellis Plates are sold in packages of eight. Give your tabletops a sophisticated look when you add Silver Trellis Dinner Plates!
Please allow ample time for delivery. Our ship date for this product is noted in your shopping cart. Many items are shipped separately, so please allow extra time for these items to arrive. Shipping charges are based on the value of the merchandise and not the number of shipments. For additional shipping information, contact our Customer Service Department at (email@example.com or 1-800-227-2789).


text:
Steal This Track: Jon Wirtz, Desirae Garcia, The Congress
Snowocalypse is coming! And Steal This Track has the snowed-in soundtrack this week with piano jazz from Jon Wirtz, the classic voice of Desirae Garcia, and a soul cover from The Congress.
Snowocalypse is coming! And Steal This Track has the snowed-in soundtrack this week with piano jazz from Jon Wirtz, the classic voice of Desirae Garcia, and a soul cover from The Congress.
In 2008, Denver-based hip-hop group Flobots were riding high with a hit single, major-label support and lots of airplay. But their major-label follow-up to hit song "Handlebars" — a full-length titled "Survival Story" — failed to connect with the same audience, and the blows started piling up.
Yes, we know. It's almost mid-week and you've yet to steal a single track. Before you write a complaint letter, hear this: We are giving you an exclusive listen to the Flobots' yet-to-be-released album – in its entirety!
Just in case you didn't get Avett'ed out last month, or weren't able to attend, we have smashing news. You can stream their July 9 Red Rocks show in it's entirety over here.
By now, you've completely recovered from the dynamic debauchery of the 2011 Denver Post Underground Music Showcase, and you're already jonesing for new local music.
If the mere phrase "classical music" makes your eyes roll back into your head and your tongue loll out the side of your mouth, you obviously don't know the Playground Ensemble.
Do you remember your first record? Your first concert? Your favorite artist from when you were that pizza face in sixth grade? Well this isn't about that.
After releasing two records on Universal Republic, Denver hip-hop act Flobots is no longer on the major label's roster. "We're not on the label anymore," said Stephen Brackett, a.k.a.
To say that there's too much music at the Underground Music Showcase — maybe, in its 10th year, way too much — is blasphemy.
Denver's Snake Rattle Rattle Snake Interview with ArtistRoster.com from Artist Roster on Vimeo. The band plays at 7:30 p.m. tonight on the CarToys stage at the Goodwill Parking Lot.
[photopress:flobots.JPG,full,pp_image] Flobots' energetic homecoming show at the Fox Theatre on Thursday was packed with appreciative fans and an equally appreciative band. Photo by Nathan Rist.


text:
Thank you for visiting our past auction result archives. If you have an item identical (or similar) to this auction lot, please call, write or contact us to discuss. We will be able to help you.
Lot # 1474 (of 1673) < Previous Lot | Next Lot >
1960-1964 Willie McCovey Pro-Model Bat - Extremely Rare Early Model
Starting Bid - $500.00 , Sold For - $2,937.50
Rare Willie McCovey H&B block-letter model "K44" bat dating from the 1960-1964 manufacturing period. The extreme rarity of this bat is emphasized by the fact that of the twenty-four Willie McCovey pro-model bats currently listed in the MEARS census, this is the only example dating from the 1960-1964 manufacturing period, and MEARS has never graded an earlier example. The bat displays moderate use including ball marks, rack marks, and cleat marks. McCovey began his Major League career in 1959 with the Giants and even though he only appeared in fifty-two games in that year, his 13 home runs, 38 RBI, and .354 average earned him the Rookie of the Year Award. Over the course of the next twenty-one seasons McCovey was one of the game's greatest sluggers and his lifetime total of 521 home runs ties him for fifteenth on the all-time list with Ted Williams. Included among his many individual achievements are three home-run titles (1963, 1968, and 1969) and one MVP Award (1969). This is an extraordinary early McCovey bat dating from his key early seasons as one of the game's greatest stars. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1986. Length: 34.5 inches. Weight: 32.9 ounces. Graded A7 by MEARS (base grade of 5, plus 2 points for use). This bat has been consigned to this auction directly from the personal collection/inventory of world-renowned bat and jersey authenticators David Bushing and/or Troy Kinunen. LOAs from Dave Bushing & Troy Kinunen/MEARS. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000/$2,000. SOLD FOR $2,937.50
(Click the smaller thumbnails to the left and right (if any) to cycle through each photo in the gallery of images for this lot.)


text:
Tournament makes exception for female youth basketball phenomUPDATED 7:30 PM MDT Apr 14, 2014
Southwest Salsa Slam makes exception for female youth basketball phenomVideo Transcript
ONE OF ALBUQUERQUE'S MOST TALENTED 10-YEAR-OLDS HAS BEEN AT THE CENTER OF A CONTROVERSIAL RULE THAT DOESN'T ALLOW HER TO PARTICIPATE IN A LOCAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT WITH THE BOYS. BUT NOW THE ORGANIZERS OF THE EVENT ARE MAKING AN EXCEPTION. KOAT ACTION 7 SPORTS DIRECTOR ORLANDO SANCHEZ IS HERE WITH MORE. JAELYN BATES IS A PHENOM ON THE BASKETBALL COURT... A HIGHLY SKILLED FOURTH GRADER WHO CHOOSES TO PLAY WITH THE BOYS BECAUSE SHE SAYS THERE'S MORE COMPETITION... AND SHE'S THE ONLY GIRL ON HER TEAM ... THAT BECAME A PROBLEM RECENTLY WHEN HER SQUAD WANTED TO PLAY IN THE SOUTHWEST SALSA SLAM... THE ALBUQUERQUE TOURNAMENT FOLLOWS AAU RULES THAT DOESN'T ALLOW THE BOYS TO COMPETE AGAINST THE GIRLS... BUT EVENT ORGANIZERS HAD A CHANGE OF HEART, AND HER FATHER CONFIRMS THEY ARE MAKING AN EXCEPTION FOR JAELYN AND HER TEAM TO PARTICIPATE... THIS COMING AFTER THE BATES FAMILY FILED AN INJUNCTION CALLING IT A CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION... ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS FOR DOING IT WAS TO HELP CREATE CHANGE... MAKING IT MORE ABOUT TALENT AND LESS ABOUT GENDER... everyone is in an uproar about this because if you go on basketball skills only she is one of the best in the state it's to set a standard that you now if there are girls out there if they can play they should be allowed to play. JAELYN'S TEAM MAY DECIDE AS EARLY AS TODAY ON WHETHER OR NOT IT WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE SOUTHWEST SALSA SLAM ... ANCHOR MOMENT THE UNIVERSITY OF
More Video
CommentsThe views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus
Latest from KOAT
AdvertisingHot Clicks


text:
Skip to comments.Americans More Embarrassed To Be Caught Shoplifting Or Littering Than Cheating On Their Taxes
Posted on 04/03/2012 6:22:12 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
A new survey suggests Americans consider cheating on their taxes more socially acceptable than shoplifting, drunk driving or even throwing trash out the window of a moving car.
The Shelton Group, a green marketing firm based in Knoxville, Tenn. had 1,105 Americans complete on-line surveys in an effort to find out what kind of messages will make them adopt more environmentally friendly and energy efficient products and behaviors. Towards the end of the survey, the respondents were asked directly: How embarrassed would you be if someone you knew found out that you and then read a list of presumably undesirable behaviors, in randomized order. The highest percentage of respondents73%said theyd be very embarrassed if someone they admired found out they were shoplifting, followed by 65% for driving under the influence, 59% for throwing trash out the window of a moving car, and 57% for cheating on their taxes. Another 14% said theyd be somewhat embarrassed by shoplifting (for a total of 87% at all embarrassed); another 17% said theyd be somewhat embarrassed by DUI (for a total of 82%) and another 21% said theyd be somewhat embarrassed by littering or cheating on their taxes (for a total of 80% and 78%, respectively.)
In the IRS Oversight Boards 2011 Taxpayer Attitude Survey, 84% of the public said it is not at all acceptable to cheat on ones income taxes. Still, in that survey, only 66% of the participants said they completely agree that everyone who cheats on their taxes should be held accountable and only 72% completely agreed that its every Americans civic duty to pay their fair share of taxessuggesting, as the Shelton study does, that perhaps disapproval of tax evasion is not as strong as, say, disapproval of stealing from private businesses.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
One encouraging sign of moral health.
Someone puts a gun to your head and says "give me all the money in your pockets!"
It is human nature to creatively define "pocket"...
RE: Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's,
So, in the USA, what belongs to Caesar? If Caesar says 70% belongs to him, must Americans comply?
Mercy, such a non issue!
When has cheating, stealing, or even littering become such a non-issue. In the 60's and much later, all were considered bad (and only those without a conscience would do that).
Today, it seems that maybe the schools are teaching that some is okay if you really need the item - or maybe they are teaching that cheating is okay as long as you are not caught!
Really, this is the society that we have bred. I could not have imagined cheating in the 60's much less stealing. What has become of us? How can it get any worse?
Shoplifting is stealing from someone else.
Littering is making a mess that you expect someone else to pick up, in other words littering is being a slob.
"Cheating" on taxes is trying to keep what is rightfully yours from being taken from you by force so that it can be given to someone who didn't earn it.
The first two are clearly immoral.
The third is not. (It just requires more balls than I posses, LOL!)
Cheating on one's taxes is as simple as paying someone under the table. Very much akin to taking your wallet out of your back pocket and putting it in front while in a crowd.
If we were the stupid ones that allowed it to happen. Either that or take up a sword and make some changes.
Is there anyone on the forum with the knowledge to compare colonial taxation burden against today's?
Is there anyone on the forum with the knowledge to compare colonial taxation burden against today's?
Is there anyone on the forum with the knowledge to compare colonial taxation burden against today's?
Shoplifting and littering are voluntary activities, paying taxes is not, no matter what the IRS says.
Sorry for triple post. Droid phone sucks!
One good crime deserves another?
If we paid in proportion to what we receive or we paid in proportion to our earnings across the board, if we paid equitably, If our vote counted in proportion to what we pay, if we didn't feel like whatever we do is wrong....
I am Mr. Law and Order, but whenever I use the services of someone who is self employed (mechanic, carpenter, barber, etc.)I pay them in cash if at all possible. I couldn't care less whether they report it on their taxes or not. All of my income is entirely too documented to anything shady.
While you "Cheating on Taxes" was tongue in cheek, I would never have though that I might agree with you but today with the cheats that are consistently found, maybe it it necessary to get the government's attention. Things have changed so much!
Might be the time for the "little people" to refrain from paying taxes - seems the only thing that gets their attention. As far as a revolution per say, I could definitely agree with that. Heck, it might even get the attention of our overlords!
Tax simplification, removal of all special interest tax dodges removed would be a good thing. Follow up with TAX simplification and all might survive.
True Story: I had outstanding taxes due to working for myself for 3 years and had no idea about the tax requirements (naive at the time). After realizing that I was suppose to have paid taxes before they were due (every quarter), I went to the FED tax offices and ask what to do. I paid 40 thousand in advance just in case. They immediately ask about whether I owned property or had any other cash assets. This was our government. They were not worried about what I owed but whether I could be a provider of assets. They were only after as much as they could take. This was our wonderful government!
So, yes I sympathize with your taxes stand!
If you can become Treasury Secretary after cheating on taxes, what's the big deal, anyway?
Taxes are nothing more than control of people and theft. Why pay taxes when the govt can just print the money via the FED to the same effect?
-—5th Amendment...nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.-—
My money is my property. Unless the govt gives me something of equal value in compensation, I'm going to keep as much as I can.
Caesar's tax rate was a lot less than our current regime. Tax compliance is proportional to the respect for private property rights which includes the overall tax rate, government corruption, and stable rule of law. No surprise in which direction we are going here.
>>One good crime deserves another?<<
I am not sure how you came away from my post with that conclusion.
In fact, I have no idea what you are talking about.
In a nation with a long capitalist tradition like ours, they'll never really be able to kill capitalism. They might drive it underground but once its taken root its like kudzu.
After all the blood and tears spent fighting and losing to communists in Vietnam, they're effectively a capitalist nation even if the communist government can't quite bring themselves to admit it. They call it social based capitalism or something. Entrepreneurship is actively encouraged as long as the government gets their cut.
Not a valid statistic. If someone from the IRS asks a survey question about cheating on taxes, only an idiot would respond that cheating is OK.
"Cheating" on your taxes...hell...that could be considered a civic duty.
Probably because the government wastes the taxes they pay.
Because every American taxpayer knows he is overtaxed!
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:
You can buy most items directly from Reinier de Jong and they can be shipped. Please fill in this form to receive prices and ordering information.
Note: We will treat your name and email address with utmost respect and confidentiality. Please check your spam folder in case you have not seen a reply from us within two working days.


text:
By Dan Bauer
Few things in life have a failure rate that can compare with athletics. Perhaps only the lottery and carnival games can guarantee a higher rate of disappointment. It begins the first day you step on the court, the field or the ice. Dropped balls, missed baskets and bruised-up knees greet the enthusiastic youngsters who step into the world of organized athletics. From the beginning, failure is your constant companion as you struggle to acquire the skills needed for your particular passion. With Mom & Dad at your side, bloody noses and bruised egos are minor setbacks on the road to becoming an athlete. To survive, persistence must become your middle name.
Unlike most other challenges in our life, athletics comes with no guaranteed outcomes. If I take on a difficult math class and perform the work, I can get an 'A' along with anybody else who puts forth a similar effort. On the job, if I perform my job according to expectations I will be virtually guaranteed of a raise or possible promotion along with those who do the same. I am even guaranteed a home for eternity if I can follow those 10 little rules for getting into heaven.
In athletics we are all guaranteed only the opportunity to compete – not succeed.
If I want to become a CPA, I can. Here are the steps, complete the required classes, do your internship, and you are a CPA. There is a plan that works if you follow it. Yet no coach can give you a fool-proof blueprint to win a championship – not even the ones who have done it. There are an incalculable number of factors that includes first and foremost – talent.
Followed closely by experience, teamwork, coaching, discipline, work ethic and last but not least – luck.
For the past 20-plus seasons, I have put my skates on in November knowing full well that the odds of my team winning the WIAA state tournament were considerably less than the odds that I wouldn't. A season ago, 92 teams started with that dream – only one achieved it. Taking on those unfavorable odds isn't unfamiliar to any of us. Some of us buy lottery tickets, some cheer for the Cubs and some of us search to find four leaf clovers. While each of those presents withering odds for success, none will require the time, effort, failure and personal sacrifice that is standard fare in athletics. The physical and emotional investment in athletics is significant, but it comes with no guarantee of success.
This past November I signed up to do it all over again. Another new season, complete with a new cast of team members, a new game plan, new enthusiasm, but no new guarantee that we will stand at center ice at the Alliant Energy Center as state champions.
So the question begs, with failure to achieve our ultimate goal such a long shot, why do so many kids and coaches demonstrate such eagerness to start each new season?
The answer quite simply is the journey. It's a non-fiction novel complete with failure, triumph, perseverance, conflict, heroes and villains. There is no program, class or activity in school that provides the life skills you absorb from the athletic experience. A bold statement that can certainly be debated, but a discussion I welcome. Simply stated, it prepares you for the rest of your life.
But whether we win or lose, the experience, the lessons that we learn everyday are much the same. The value of the athletic experience is not tied exclusively to winning – but to the preparation, the battles, the friendships and the day-to-day journey that teaches the lessons that will last a lifetime.
Records will be kept, ratings compiled and trophies won along the way, but in the end, one team will win its final game, all the rest will finish their season with defeat. One team will be declared the "winner" leaving the rest of us to be, I guess, "losers."
Winners and losers; two simple words with a stark contrast in meaning as wide as the Grand Canyon. Yet the fine line that often separates winners from losers can be as thin as the razor sharp blade cutting across the battlefield of ice.
It is completely unfair that we only have two words to define combatants of an athletic contest or furthermore an athletic journey of nearly four months. Merriam-Webster adds about 100 new words to their dictionary every year. They have yet to add one that bridges that unstable and arguable gap between winners and losers.
As my own team carries forward a 1-10-1 record into the New Year, I know one word that does not describe my players. Against all odds, they, along with all the other teams across the state, accepted the challenge back in November. When it comes to dedicating yourself to this journey and all of the blood, sweat and tears that goes with it, there are no losers.
As Gene Hackman once said in Hooisers, "That kind of commitment and effort deserves and demands your respect."
What it doesn't deserve is a five letter word.


text:
Opening a battered trunk bound with frayed duct tape, Michael A. Smith pulled out "35 pounds of camera."
He mounted the 50-year-old, 8-by-20 Deardorff on a wooden tripod, attesting all the while to the detail and quality that the bulky view camera delivers.
"As a photographer, I feel I'm responsible for filling every square millimeter of picture space. Just as a composer is responsible for every note, as a poet is responsible for every word," said the Ottsville artist, 63, flanked by his New Orleans photographs - pre-Hurricane Katrina - at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown.


text:
PENDEKAR KELANA, Martial Arts Theatre
A Tale about Courage, Sincerity, Honesty and Love
[ martial arts theatre ]
PENDEKAR KELANA martial arts theatre, staged at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta on Thursday and Friday, 7 & 8 July 2011. The performance is based on the mastery of Merpati Putih traditional martial arts or silat, which will be performed by Merpati Putih martial artists. Gelar, who has been active in promoting Indonesian arts and culture through its performing arts productions since 1999, involved many young talented Indonesian traditional performing artists such as Atien Kisam, to be the director of the play. Young prominent choreographer, Wiwiek HW,as well as promising composer, Joko 'Porong' Winarko, also took a major role. Both of whom have been widely acclaimed for their works and collaborations with Indonesian prominent choreographers such as Deddy Luthan, Elly Luthan, and Eko Supendi. As the custodian of Merpati Putih martial arts is Nehemia Budi Setyawan, the heir of Merpati Putih legacy.
For the first time, Indonesian martial arts / silat will be staged in a performing arts format, aiming to introduce traditional self-defense artistry to urban generations. In "Pendekar Kelana", Merpati Putih presents its silat techniques, steps, and series of movement through a medium of non-verbal performance, emphasizing on the martial arts bodyworks as well as its recognizable inner-strength attractions. Therefore, martial arts choreography holds a critical point. Besides dynamic composition of movements, the story-telling uses non-verbal comedy as a platform, scored by a contemporary traditional orchestra using local traditional and modern musical instruments. Audience involvement that will take place during the play creates interactivity which made "Pendekar Kelana" an entertaining experience for audience of all-ages, not only suitable for Indonesian audience, but international audience as well.
Showcasing 'Human Technology' on Stage
Merpati Putih utilizes natural human inner-strength, generated through breathing techniques. For ordinary people, this natural strength could be seen and used only during urgent situations. For instance, one could jump a high fence instinctively in fear situation when chased by a dog. In a normal situation, they could not believe that they are capable of doing it. By practising martial arts, ones are trained to utilize this extra inner-strength which is naturally stored within every human body, in normal condition regardless when or where. Normally, cells inside the human body produces Adenosine Triphospate (ATP), which is actually reserved energy. Through breathing techniques, this hidden energy could be gained and used. There are many breathing techniques of silat which generates the power of vibration. Besides absorbing energy from human body, the power or energy of vibration could also be absorbed from the Earth, or even taken from objects in the universe (e.g. star, sun or moon). Until recently, the inner-strength skills which emphazise in energy and vibration of Merpati Putih, has been researched scientifically for therapeutic purposes, to help blind people to be able to recognize form and colors, read, and more over, make daily-life easier for the blinds.
Merpati Putih methodology has been researched scientifically since the beginning of Operasi Seta, a military operation in 1972. Then, followed by further research by specialized physicians of Yayasan Jantung Sehat (Foundation for Healthy Cardio) analyzing the effect of practising Merpati Putih vibration and breathing methods. Merpati Putih vibration techniques were also tested in Badan Tenaga Atom Nasional (BATAN - National Atomic Energy Agency) to detect nuclear radiation. As the outcome, Merpati Putih vibration performed faster to detect nuclear radiation compared to the device that had been used by the agency. An experiment to detect narcotics in hidden locations using Merpati Putih vibration techniques were also conducted in Mapolda Metro Jaya (Jakarta Police Headquarters). As a result, Merpati Putih martial artists managed to find the whole amount of drugs hidden.
Just recently (2009), Merpati Putih in association with Jakarta City Government, used vibration to detect damage caused by the Ciliwung riverflow. In 2010 Merpati Putih has been in the process to co-operate with International Red Cross to become part of the search and rescue team, particularly during natural disasters.
Until today, Merpati Putih always seeks every opportunity to contribute its skills and methods trainings towards many aspect of humanity. In "Pendekar Kelana", attractions of physical power and vibration will be showcased into an entertaining martial arts theatre.
First Indonesian martial arts theatre performance on-stage, based on the mastery of Merpati Putih traditional martial arts.
producer BRAM & KUMORATIH KUSHARDJANTO • co-producer IRA T. SOERJOSOEBANDORO, DAVID AVIANTO • creative director BRAM KUSHARDJANTO • advisor POERWOTO HADIPOERNOMO • director ATIEN KISAM • art director & scriptwriter KUMORATIH KUSHARDJANTO • starring RANGGA AQUARISTA, ROSMALA SARI DEWI and MERPATI PUTIH MARTIAL ARTISTS • artistic consultant WIWIEK HARIE WAHYUNI • martial arts consultant NEHEMIA BUDI SETYAWAN • music director JOKO 'PORONG' WINARKO • martial arts choreographer INDRA YUNANDARU, DYAH RATNA AYU • martial arts assistant choreographer RANGGA, STEVEN • acrobatic trainer SIGIT SANJAYA • lighting designer SUPRIEADI • set decorator AGUS LINDUAJI • stage manager YULI BHIMAWAN • sound engineer RANGGA RISTO • marketing & production team EKO MARYANTO, AULIA, LAURENCIA ARI, M. IDRIS, BILLIE, PESDOWATI