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A brief clip of of archival audio (1946) about Sitting Bull's signature that we found while doing research for this show.
As some Lakota make an annual pilgrimage on horseback to Wounded Knee in memory of Sitting Bull's death, we'll pull out some of the lesser known threads of the legacy of this complex leader and American icon. And we'll explore why his spiritual character has animated his own people in the last three decades more openly than at any time since his death in 1890.
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is Sitting Bull's great-grandson and author of Sitting Bull: His Life and Legacy.
is an addictions counselor who lives in Fort Yates, North Dakota on the Standing Rock Reservation.
Pertinent Posts
Video Interviews with Krista Tippett
From his home in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Ernie LaPointe, talked with Krista about his great-grandfather's spiritual and lasting legacy on October 20, 2009.
SoundSeen (our multimedia stories)
A closer look at the Lakota leader's 22 drawings reveals important details the contemporary observer might miss. Candace Greene, an ethnographer from the Smithsonian, describes what to focus on and gives fascinating context to these autobiographical portraits.
This slideshow highlights Sitting Bull's actual descriptions of the 22 drawings — currently archived at the Smithsonian — he created while in captivity at Fort Randall, Dakota Territory in 1882.
Selected Audio
Hear three Lakota songs performed by the Good House family, including "Sitting Bull's Song," "Song at Fort Buford," and "The Cricket Song."
Kindred Episodes
About the Image
"One Bison, Horizon Cloud"
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Wonderful program .
Stuff that's not in history books , or that you learn in school .
thank you ,
I am just some 22nd generation European/Irish descended American who (now) believes the native Americans (come on with the caps for Amerika or is that my stoopid program?) were slaughtered for their land. Period again. And again : ) These conversations not only enliven and enlarge my grasp of the once decimated peoples that were here (generally speaking), but they give me hope that the wheel is turning quickly towards change that will eventually be our salvation. It is obvious that we are choking on our own detritus and it should also be obvious that native peoples had sustainable lifestyles that we should be adopting worldwide as they fit.
Sure, 7 billion people are a Big problem, but measure 7 billion who drive cars against 7 billion who walk or ride biciycles, for example, and ther is a huge difference. Probably not a realistic one, but think about it. Do you want to continue or 'advance' your current living situation, or would you rather live so that you and your family could have descendants that also live?
Hi Krista,
As fate/faith would have it, I stumbled onto your show this week about Sitting Bull. I have an unusual relationship with Sitting Bull. One that I don't fully understand just yet, but one that I know is incomplete.
Back in 2001 I had many unusual experiences/visions that eventually led me to be sitting by his grave in Mobridge, South Dakota on June 9th, meditating and praying in the unbearable heat of the early morning sun.
The path that led me there, and the path that followed bringing me to spend 3 difficult days on the Pine Ridge Reservation with a wonderful Ogala Lokota family, is one that I find very hard to describe. In fact, the way in which I most relate to the experience is that if it were not happening to me, and someone else were telling me of the experiences, I would find it very hard to believe. Yet, it did happen to me, and somehow I found myself with the honor of being in a sweatlodge with the elder of the family, a woman who was at the center of the last uprising at Wounded Knee in the 1970s, something that for some reason I recall from my youth. I am left a bit dumb-founded by it all, and amazed at the magic the Universe presents to us if we simply let go into the flow.
Sitting Bull is once again coming back into my life and I wonder what adventure might be in store for me. Perhaps it is soon time to finish the business I ran away from 9 years ago.
I would LOVE to share this experience more fully with you, if you are interested. If you happen to live in or near New York City, I'd love to meet you for a coffee/tea and share it all with you. I'd be very interested in your thoughts, insights, opinions and guidance.
Thanks for all you bring to the airwaves!
Rich Largman
I woke up on Martha's Vineyard this morning to a Winter blizzard. I turned on the radio and was fortunate enough to hear the tail-end of Krista's feature on Sitting Bull. It was so exciting to hear that you interviewed Cedric & Rick Goodhouse, and so soothing to hear Cedric's voice. When I was a toddler, in the early 70's, my parents adopted a teenager from the Standing Rock reservation. She lived with us for several years and has remained an influence - sometimes distantly, in my life. She went back to the reservation and has become a successful musician, a revered professional within her community, has raised a beautiful family and lived a fascinating life. Her name is Sissy Goodhouse - wife to Cedric and mother to Rick. I am thrilled that you had the opportunity to become acquainted with them and that you were able to share that experience with the NPR community. I'm going to see if I can find the piece being played at another time - or if it is online. What a nice way to start my day, thank you. A gentle reminder at the holidays of someone I am thankful for in my life. I'm off to email Sissy.
( I have a photo of us as a family, but it isn't scanned at the moment. Let me know if you want me to send it to you. )
Dear Ms Krista:
Amazingly, I found your image to be almost as I have imagined you for the past years. I listen to your voice and enjoy your subject matter in one sense of appreciation.
Today you are talking with Mr. Lapointe about Sitting Bull. Earlier in my life I was honored to have conversered with Chief Dan George of the Capilano (Canada) family and tribe. I grew up and went to school with his grandchildren in the 1950's.
Dan George reflected similar pain and frustration to me that was obvious due to his use of alcohol. He always had a soft word for his people and others of the white race.
Separately, I have spent a great deal of my adult life living in Haiti. The religion of Voodoo or Vaudou is well alive. Petro, the "Black" side of African religion is also there. One day you must investigate these two opposed cults and discover how Voodoo has been unfairly damned and blamed for events and mid-sets that are actually the result of Petro.
Should you ever wish to venture to Haiti please do contact me here in Florida or in care of my daughter Roberta at the house in Haiti using her direct number of 954-654-7089.
There are many books on the subject however I am not able at this time to make a recommendation.
Thank you and your associates for your splendid work over the years. Your program, to me, is an expansion of the view upon the spiritual world and how we as humans have manipulated faith into the "preferred" and "not so preferred" status.
I revolted against the Anglican Church at the age of fourteen and have never looked back.
The native peoples of North America have a faith that to me is more than practical, as you will also discover upon investigating Voodoo.
Yesterday I happened to watch Incident at Oglala, the documentary movie made by Robert Redford about what happened at Pine Ridge in the seventies, a series of interviews with the principals involved in the bloodshed on the reservation that implicated Leonard Peltier and others. This same day, towards evening, I opened SOF on my computer, and read about Sitting Bull. This was a powerful coincidence for me. I am feeling, God is in the wings!
Leonard Peltier has been in prison for over thirty-three years for what many believe is a gross miscarriage of justice, and I believe anyone interested in this Native American and in the legacy of Sitting Bull and others ought to read deeply the literature on this subject.
Peter Mathiessen wrote a seminal book on the incidents at Pine Ridge and about the American Indian movement many years ago.It is a book about more than the facts of this case, containing as it does, an outrage for what has happened over the years, to the American Indians and how they have been so cruelly treated.
Leonard himself wrote a book, My Life is My Sun Dance, and I am reminded by this moving commentary about what happened to Sitting Bull about a history that gives most of those who care about sacred and spiritual values, deep and ongoing "reservations" that have to do with the treatment of the American Indian in history.
When Amnesty International cannot get movement on a case they feel is a total miscarriage of justice, as Leonard Peltier seems to have been targeted for a murder he says he did not commit, and when a man has been before appeals boards repeatedly and is never allowed parole, when Clinton himself pulled back, when people like Barney Frank and so many others, thousands around the world, including Nobel prize winners, cannot move this case, then one has to wonder about the notion of justice and also about the values that we say we totally cherish, the values that are about Touch the Earth, the values of deep spirituality, deep love of environment of the sacred in all things, our legacy from the Native American Indian culture.
So I am saying, it seems mighty strange I watched this movie yesterday, and then came to this site. But beyond my own recorded constant history of coincidence I am saying something is so wrong with this picture. Maybe it's time to speak out for justice and that a spirituality that includes social action is a step worth taking, so we can all be in step, about the issue of humanity, and a mandate I do totally believe is our "man date", namely to act to ensure justice and equality for all and a reverence for the American Indian and recognition of the unjust ways we have treated these peoples, this culture.
December l8 was yesterday and I am aware of the significance of numbers, yesterday being Chai, for LIFE in Hebrew.
Krista, This was a wonderful presentation on Native American spirituality as focused on Sitting Bull. One slight correction. You make reference to Sitting Bull's 'Teton' Dakota tribe's name deriving from his name of Tatanka Iyotake. Actually, the name Teton is a contraction of "Titonwan," which means 'dwellers on the prairie'. Furthermore, 'Tatanka' refers to the buffalo/bison.
Dear Krista, Loved your piece on Sitting Bull. Imagine my surprise when you interviewed Cedric Goodhouse, my brother. Cedric's father, The Rev. Innocent Goodhouse (great name for a priest eh?) and his wife Edna adopted me years ago in a "making of relatives" ceremony. Once again, you broke new ground. I've got a coalition of three large LA area Episcopal Parishes that our going to be new underwriters of SOF on KPCC. Hope all is well. Would love to see you when you are out here, or hold a public event to get SOF even better known. Love howard
This program opens my eyes, again, to the spirituality of the natives who lived here before us. It also reminds me how conditioned my upbringing was in the way that history has been passed down to us and how badly we misunderstood, either purposely or through our own ignorance, these people. I appreciate the lessons that Tatanke Iyotake teaches to this day.
I chose this broadcast
I chose this broadcast because it is a subject that is very close to my heart. I am half Native. My father is full-blooded Sioux, from a Lakota tribe. So I was definantly very interested in how Speaking of Faith would go about his story. I was also wondering if I might learn some things I am unaware of. I was impressed.
The story of Sitting Bull is mostly portrayed in war and defiance. But this SOF broadcast digs into the spirit of the man and what he was truly about. His way as a Medicine Man, Visionary, and a protector of his people. Tatanka (his birth name) was a spiritual man, as most Natives were in those days, who was merely trying to preserve his peoples ways. Ms. Tippett interviews his great-grandson in this broadcast and we get the luxury of not only hearing about the ways of the Lakota but also some stories of Tatanka's childhood.
I really like how Mr LaPointe (Tatanka's great-grandson) explained how the use of paint on the body when going into battle was not used to cause fear in the "enemy" but to protect the spirit of the individual wearing the paint. They would go on a Vision Quest prior to battle and were shown the markings that they would need. Very cool and very spiritual.
As for Tatanka the few stories of his childhood were remarkable. As a young boy going on his first hunt he chose to kill a large buffalo bull instead of a smaller cow. He didn't want to kill the cow because it was a mother to a calf. He respected life enough to know that calf needed it's mother to survive. So he would rather take the chance of putting himself in danger than killing two lives.
I see a lot of Tatanka's life closely aligning to the life of Christ. He was viewed as a Visionary, Chief, medicine Man, and he died trying to protect his people. He was highly spiritual and compassionate. It is so upsetting to me that that part of him has been overlooked or not paid credence to. Some of the things the "white people" did to force his hand were abominable and instead of taking blame the government has depicted events in a way that made Tatanka look horrible!
Sitting Bull: Thank you Christa for your feelings, your deep and passionate feelings about the way this country has treated the American Indian and the shame of this story. I want to draw your attention to the ongoing shame of imprisonment of the American Indian, Leonard Peltier, whose cause I and thousands of people around the world, many of them famous writers and Nobel prize winners have espoused, this many years. I believe he has been in prion thirty-four years, and yet, and yet there is really no solid evidence for his conviction. Even Amnesty International has not been able to budge the Injustice System that keeps him incarcerated, a man, who is deeply spiritual, who is a poet and artist and champion of human rights around the world. Robert Redford made a movie about this case, Incident at Oglala. Peter Mathiessen wrote a book about this case, and it has been for me, a case of injustice that has never been righted. Obama was the hope and he hasn't given anyone clemency. It's truly outright shameful that despite our, meaning all of those who care, jamming the White House Lines in support of clemency, that there is no action on this case, ever. I am passionate about this and do hope this goes on line. Maybe people who don't know will learn about this. I believe deeply in the Power of One. We can make a difference. If this is not true, then I think Leonard will die in jail. Amnesty International cannot budge this case and yet they have tried
I have to say I was not surprised. Not because I knew these things, but just for the reason that at times when I have contemplated the life of the leaders of the Native Americans I have believed they were not simply strong and tough but spiritually advanced. I think we could say a man such as Sitting Bull was a prophet in the Hebrew sense of the word, as a messenger of Gd.. Imagine a man who could master the riding of a horse and at an early age hunt buffalo. Imagine a man brave in battle yet generous and humble. Imagine a great hunter who killed only for food and respected the life and spirit of the creatures around him.
We have come a long way since those days; not necessarily the right way. But from the wrong path a man (or woman) can look around and find his right way. In the 60's I thought there was a movement which would take hold all over the world and it would be good. Maybe that was not the time, but maybe this is. Some of you also think this way.
Years ago I was hiking in New Mexico, at Bandalier. In the woods I saw a fox. He looked at me. I was told that was a good thing.
Nothing ever surprises me about Sitting Bull, because he was such a great man when he was alive and his greatness continues to guide us today. This can be seen in the prophecies for the future, especially on campus at Sitting Bull College, where I work. His quotes and leadership style are some of the most important references used during our daily work at Sitting Bull College. Prior to his murder, its too bad the rest of the world wasn't able to see him as a great leader among his people because things may have turned different for the Standing Rock Reservation and its people. Thank you for sharing his legacy through the use of modern media.
Sitting Bull's legacy may mean more to the Lakota people than anyone else, but he is a historical figure who should be a role-model for all political and spiritual leaders. I can't help but wonder what American politics would look like if our public offices were only available to people who go through a ceremony like the sundance, or at the very least truly embrace the principles behind it.
The story that struck me the most was the question Ernie asked his professors what would happen if all the history books were suddenly gone, how would we face tomorrow? His acceptance of faith as the highest understanding and his guiding light to tomorrow is incredible for someone living in today's world where faith has taken a backseat to fact.
WOW ()Wonder Of Wonders) MOM (Mother of Miracles). You have humbly penetrated one of the thickest, most secret veils in the United States. Congratulations on a humbly told story of courage, compassion, generosity, fortitude and spirituality. In the line of Fools Crow, Lame Deer and LaPointe you have managed a most difficult and arduous task. You have done well in bringing the true nature of Sitting Bull to the fore. Amazing. It speaks well of your own spirituality, for otherwise you would never have heard even a tenth of what you were told. Tom Surber
Thank-you for your program about Sitting Bull and the Lakota people. For reasons I don't understand my spirit has become attached to Frank Fools Crow, a descendant of Sitting Bull. For ten years I have read two books written by Thomas Nails about his life. I read these books over and over. Frank was a medicine man and a great and humble leader of his people. I have written children's stories about his young life. I am continually comparing his religious beliefs to my own which are Roman Catholic. In doing this I have discovered we are truly one. I have never been to South Dakota and I have no known Sioux ancestors. I don't understand the connection I feel for Frank and his people. Thank-you again! I enjoy your show so much. Pam McLoughlin
I was very pleased to hear the story on re-imaging Sitting Bull on Sunday, December 5. I hope you would perhaps share my story with Sitting Bull's great-grandson. My great-grandparents, John and Elizabeth Dell, homesteaded in the Dakota Territory and knew Sitting Bull. He often visited their ranch and gave John Dell a peace pipe, a scalping knife and a picture of himself. John Dell was a Quaker and Elizabeth, his wife, a recent German immigrant, and excellent cook, on several occasions provided food to Sitting Bull and the people traveling with him. One of the stories in our family is that when Elizabeth was pregnant with my grandmother, Matilda, she wanted to leave the ranch to go to Iowa to have the baby where her parents lived. She did this with each of her children. There was conflict with the Sioux at that time and John told her she could not travel. She responded that she had never had problems with the Sioux. She sent word to Sitting Bull that she was traveling to the rail head to return to Iowa. The day she left the ranch a party of Sioux accompanied her and one of the ranch hands to the rail head and accompanied the ranch hand home. These stories of the friendship between Siting Bull and my great-grandparents have always been a great source of pride to our family. My great aunt, Ellen Dell Bieler, recorded the stories of Grandma Dell before her death and my cousin, Jean Hastings, has written a short history of the Dell family's years in the Dakota Territory. Thank you for honoring Sitting Bull and his family. Sincerely, Katherine Kidd
Growing up, I've only heard "The Legend of Sitting Bull". To hear from his relatives the great difference in character than the way he was portrayed by the white man, is unsettling at best. It's amazing how no matter what time or place you live, you ARE who you are. It's only the perspective of the person that sees you that gets reported. Sitting Bull was portrayed in the public eye as a savage warrior. The reflections his family shared, certainly reminds me that everyone is more than meets the eye. This great man took the time to stop and think, "What is going to be best for my people?". Only a brave man would make the choice he did. He traded lifestyles.
Thank you again for shining a light on the American Story about Sitting Bull and several native tribes and exposing the lies that our history has told and retold about people that we did not understand. From your story about Sitting Bull I got that he was like the Dalai Lama for Buddist believers. Sitting Bull had some of the same beliefs, and from this I get how interconnected the human family is when we look at it from a spiritual plane.
I remember when I was first married in 1967 and I was living in Scottsdale, AZ, I kept seeing native young men wearing black pants and long sleeved white shirts. When I asked some one who was from AZ, they told me that these young men were going to "Indian School"- i.e. being "Americanized". I was shocked by this and felt great shame that as a Caucasian American, our government was forcing indigenous people to go to OUR schools and that only OUR ways were allowed. This is when I knew for sure that the USA had wronged and were still wronging all native people. At some point I feel that as Americans we must tell the truth about this part of our history in order to heal our nation and to become more compassionate of all people.
I loved the interview about Sitting Bull. What a wonderful interview about the Dakotas. You are such a wonderful interviewer. It is a delight every week.
Here is one of my poems and paintings about the spiritual:
Abstract Painting:
Etched acrylic on art board,
Painted on: 01-10-2006
(Archival Collection)
"Exquisite Inclination"
A wellspring foments deep inside,
exquisite inclination, discerning devise.
Pummel, pummel, ravage the soul,
a thousand thoughts stutter in overload.
Inundate, swim the space,
did you seek, did you find?
Splinters of sight split and divide,
was it more than ever implied?
Cling to the moment, cleave to its side,
remember to never let the vision die.
All your life, you waited for this,
each molecule, atom, applauding the wish.
Gari Hatch
When I say "pummel, pummel" -- you know, when all those thoughts of inspiration and epiphanies pound your brain as they race through your head. It is a wonderful feeling of excitement. This is the embracing of those moments like the the yellow gold and red in this painting underneath moving up through the etched blue-- revelations revealing themselves from the underlayers of our existence. The subconscious whispering to our inner needs...
Sincerely yours,
Gari Hatch
This program opens my eyes, again, to the spirituality of the natives who lived here before us. It also reminds me how conditioned my upbringing was in the way that history has been passed down to us and how badly we misunderstood, either purposely or through our own ignorance, these people. I appreciate the lessons that Tatanke Iyotake teaches to this day.
It is only in the last couple
It is only in the last couple of years I have leart about Tatanka Iyotaki. He was a great man of courage and wisdom and cared about his people very deeply. I would have liked to have known him.
Reflections are the epitome
Reflections are the epitome of shadows of that which is perceived to be real. But if that is "real" is questionable in the first place, then the only tangible truth is the perception.
who then is the author of your perception?
We have come forward to celebrate with you the time of the great renewal. It is the time for the great echo, where the light if the "elders" will come shining through tomorrow meet the new day.


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subset: commoncrawl


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The austerity program, being used in Europe, is almost causing a depression. We should never attempt that repub proposal. They listened to the robMehood plan, tried-it, and it's killing them.Greece, Spain, & Portugal are using that un-tried, unsuccessful plan and need to adopt what the president is doing.
Taxes should be used towards things for the common benefit such as roads, clean water, etc. They should also be used as a means to redistribute wealth in society. Pay what you can if you can towards these services. Doesn't mean the wealthy have to pay all or most of their money, maybe more than they are paying now though. After all, the way I see it, it's the people on the bottom who make the people on the top rich, the rich aren't richer because they necessarily work harder, but because they have CONTROL. Anyone who's ever worked in a restaurant knows how EXHAUSTING that work is, and how low the pay generally is. Case in point.
sorry, but my sight prevents good spelling, and my hands prevent good typing!!!
I believe that everyone should pay taxes. Whether or not the money is in the form of a gift, entitlement, grant,wages, salarys, dividends.....all income. The rate of the taxes is the problem.Just because granny only has $800. a month or $8000 a month does not matter. Me? I'm well passed retirement age and in fact have retired several times even though I am dis-abled, and still I have an on-line business. Yes, I Still pay Taxes-a bunch- and quite healthy, except for two heart surguries, half a liver, half blind and deaf, but I am also a veteran of viet nam, SWA, Somalia, and too many other other incidents to recall. Taxes? Should be paid. NOT Raised to pay off stupid loans to foreign countries. Not raised to payTrillion dollar debts-and not for things clearly against our constitution, nor federal taxes against ourinvestor-employeers.
One other key question is simplicity vs. complexity. Should the tax code be simple, predictable and based on clear rates / regulations? Or should it include a broad range of incentives and tax expenditures (i.e., spending provisions, not revenue provisions) that are design to accomplish a wide range of social aims or objectives of various interest groups (the ethanol lobby, for example).
There is no perfect form of taxation...but taxation has always been and continues to be absolutely necessary for the support of civilization. The major questions are, "On whose shoulders should the greater burden rest...the poor and middle class or the rich? and "What kinds of taxes are the most fair?" Regressive Taxes: The burden will be borne by the poor and middle class. Progressive Taxes: The burden will be borne by the rich. Types of Regressive Taxes: Sales taxes, value added taxes, consumption taxes, single rate tax rates, and single rate property taxes. Types of Progressive Taxes: Graduated income taxes; inheritance taxes, estate taxes, luxury taxes, and graduated property taxes.


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I've probably visited Ukraine a dozen times over the past 20 years, but never before had I been to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. The melt-down and explosion that occurred on April 26, 1986, killed dozens of Ukrainian plant workers and firefighters, spread radioactive fallout over a wide area, and left the very daunting task of dealing with its human health and environmental consequences to future generations.
Since the mid-1990's, the international community -- primarily through funds raised within the framework of the G-8 and projects managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) -- has worked side-by-side with Ukraine to try to contain the destroyed reactor and safely store nuclear fuel and other materials at the plant site. The U.S. government has already contributed about $240 million towards these efforts, adding an additional $123 million earlier this year. Given that my job as Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia makes me responsible for overseeing those funds, it was time for me to see Chornobyl with my own eyes. A site visit would also allow me to get a sense of the progress being made on the major construction projects we are funding, which are slated for completion by the summer of 2015.
To be honest, I was a little apprehensive about going to a place so closely associated in popular culture with radioactive contamination. As we approached the "exclusion zone" -- a 30-kilometer region around the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) closed to human habitation -- I half expected to see some kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland. As we offered our documentation to the Interior Ministry troops manning the checkpoint, I could see only a dense forest lining both sides of the road ahead of us. A kilometer or so further, one of my colleagues spotted an open meadow through a break in the trees and what appeared to be a herd of grazing animals. On closer inspection, we discovered that these were the famous wild Przewalski horses, an endangered species that was released into the exclusion zone several years ago and are reportedly thriving. Wolves, bison and other large mammals are also doing well. In fact, the exclusion zone has become a sort of nature preserve, a living example of how nature reasserts itself when people disappear.
Arriving at the plant, we first met with the Project Management Unit (PMU), which was established by the ChNPP to oversee implementation of the engineering projects underway at the plant, and which is also answerable to the EBRD. The EBRD serves as the trust fund and agent for the many international donors -- including the United States -- who have contributed money towards Chernobyl projects. The PMU Managing Director, Laurin Dodd, gave us an update on the two major projects underway at the site. First, there's the construction of the "New Safe Confinement" or NSC. This huge arched dome will "contain" Reactor 4, which melted down and exploded in 1986. NSC surely ranks as one of the biggest and most complex engineering challenges in the history of mankind. When completed, it will be one of the largest "free volume" spaces in the world, rising higher than the Louisiana Superdome. To minimize radiation exposure for the workers constructing this dome, it is being built 180 meters away from the reactor itself. After the dome is constructed, it will be pulled with large, multi-stranded steel cables and slid into place over the reactor.
Viewed from a safe distance, the construction site today looks like an enormous concrete platform with a few metal towers stuck into it. Workers in bulky orange and white protective suits, wearing respirators and hardhats, mill around the site. Much of the past few years have been spent in design work and site preparation. The technical challenges are daunting. The site is full of abandoned machinery, discarded metal and concrete, much of it buried immediately after the disaster and all of it highly radioactive.
The second project being funded by international donors is the construction of a new "Interim Storage Facility," which is intended to safely hold, for at least the next 100 years, the nuclear fuel from the other three reactors that were not destroyed in 1986.
I had a long conversation and a nice lunch with Igor Gramotkin, General Director of ChNPP and, for the past six years, the man responsible for maintaining the overall facility. When asked what was the biggest potential obstacle to the successful completion of the NSC and ISF projects was, he answered without hesitation, "keeping the many partners working well together." As complex as the engineering and construction challenges may be, NSC and ISF also require managing relationships among a lot of different players: the 24 different international donors, the EBRD, the PMU, the ChNPP, two major contractors (the French Novarka for NSC and the American Holtec for ISF), a multitude of sub-contractors, the Ukrainian Ministry of Emergency Situations, and a number of other Ukrainian state agencies that play a role in approving various stages of the project. As is often the case, the human and organizational challenges are just as important, perhaps more so, than the technical ones.
Though our visit was mostly forward-looking, focused on efforts to mitigate the consequences of the Chornobyl disaster for future generations, there were frequent reminders of past tragedy. On the way back to Kyiv, we stopped in Pripyat -- the "ghost town" of the Chornobyl accident. Established just 15 years before the incident, Pripyat only existed because of the nuclear plant, and was home to many of the plant's workers. Its 50,000 residents weren't evacuated until 36 hours after the accident, and initially were told they would be returning in three days. As a result, they left behind many of their personal belongings. Today, its concrete apartment blocks are empty and dark, shabby ruins frozen in time -- sort of a Soviet Pompeii. In the main square, moss and shrubs grow through the cracked sidewalks; trees grow through the roof of the six-story "Polissya Hotel." In the Palace of Culture, on the third floor, there is a huge gymnasium where the soccer goals stand empty, and the wooden basketball floor crumbles away underfoot. Glass from the palace's once huge picture windows, shattered into a thousand pieces, is now spread across the floor. Looking out through those twisted window frames now, one sees in the distance a giant Ferris wheel. Scheduled to open on May Day 1986, shortly after the accident, the Ferris wheel was painted a festive red, in keeping with the spirit of the international workers' day. Needless to say, the citizens of Pripyat never had the chance to ride it.
I left all the more resolved to see the Chornobyl projects through to their conclusion. Together with our international partners and the Ukrainian government, we must finish the job.
Ann in Canada writes:
Here you are talking about 25 years after a disastrous nuclear plant failure and how much work is still needed to be done to make the area safe - 25 years later ! ! ! and you haven't mentioned the implications of the disaster for the whole nuclear industry around the world as well as the most recent one in Japan - and its costs to life, land and our sea - and the costs of creating safety again. Is that another 25+ years ? ? ? 125 years?
Lovely to hear that you see wildlife abounding in the "exclusion zone" - are their studies on birth defects and longevity of life of those animals being done?
Thank you to the trees for being part of the restoration of safety in the area and the people who work there.
What makes nuclear power affordable? If the powers/countries, that initiate these projects truly assess the costs - from construction to maintenance, to the costs of containing damage and decontaminating where they can, and including the cost of damage to human and all species, their communities, and our collective yearning to live on this earth that was known for its safe air, water, and soil? What makes nuclear power affordable? Nothing.


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"We have to change the truth a little in order to remember it. "
Where the 'Unsinkable' Titanic Sank
Looking for something unusual to do this summer? How about exploring the remains of the Titanic from an Mir submersible vehicle at 12,500 feet below sea level? Fifteen-day excursions will begin July 12, July 27 and August 6 and will include lectures and a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's sinking. The per-person cost ($66,257 for submarine divers, $12,498 for non-submarine divers) also covers pre- and post-expedition tours in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and St. John's, Newfoundland. For more information, contact Kensington Tours at (888) 903-2001.
Want to explore the Titanic without getting wet? Visit the renovated Harlan and Wolf Shipyards, a $100 million state-of-the-art attraction on the site in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where the "unsinkable" vessel was built and launched. Multimedia exhibits focus on the Titanic's construction and sinking and a live video link lets you view the wreck on the ocean floor. Additional reasons to visit Northern Ireland include the Giant's Causeway, a World Heritage Site; the charming Antrim Coast; historic castles and castle hotels; first-rate golf courses; and, of course, plenty of Guinness.


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We had a blind taste test today when I invited a few friends over to sample several pizzas. Pizzas #1 and #2 were both cheese and consisted of a 50/50 Power/Monkato blend of flour at 64% and proofed 24 hours. #1 used water and #2 used 50/50 water and Fat Tire Ale. Pizza #2 turn-out a little darker and crispier due to cooking variance which skewed the results. The testers were told that the pizzas were "formulated differently" but little else. One guest was a former Navy cook and beer lover who actually slightly preferred #1 for its "lighter" flavor. His tea-tottling wife preferred #2 and was actually embarassed at the result of the test. Tasters favored pizza #2 with beer slightly over the non-beer but it was really close.The BIG surprised came when #4, a non-beer version that had overproofed, was reballed twice, and was 120+ hours old, was stretched and used at the last minute of today's testing party. The flavor, texture, and spring of this dough, combined with a unique blend of toppings proved to be a KILLER. While beer and water seems to be a bit of a hair-splitting exercise, addtional aging, 2nd & 3rd proofing, and reballing beyond 48 hours really got the tasters excited.
Try letting your dough proof for 48 hours (for more flavor development) and use a Double Bock Beer for that sweeter taste or a Barley Wine Beer (11.6 percent alcohol). I am convinced that beer in the dough makes a BIG difference in flavor and texture. (There is no hair-splitting exercise, IMO.)Finally, instead of blending the flours, just use the Pendleton POWER flour in your dough.
I visited a Pizzeria today (01/24/2012) that is using Pendleton Mondako Flour Pre-Mix. However, instead of using water, they are using beer. I did not get to try the pizza (as I did not have enough time) but it caught my attention and made me want to try it. I asked the owner about this and he said that you have to use a lighter color beer (just not a dark beer). Beer makes the dough lighter in texture (so I am told). Also, they change the beer each month to create interest and variety for their customers. They have used: Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA, a Hefeweizen beer, etc.I was curious if anyone has tried this and are there any DO's or DON'Ts that you recommend in this type of dough making process? Finally, is this for real or is this just a marketing novelty? THANK YOU as always.TomN
that's quite an interesting thread.I'm an italian former pizza chef and when I was working I heard of someone using beer, either instead or with water, to speed up the rising process. But only "in case of emergency".. not as a everyday habit. The reason is that the ferments in the beer combine with those of the yeast (especially if you use baker's yeast- as almost everyone do in italy) and alter the rising. Yes, the dough rises in much less time but it's likely to be undigestible, can swell in your stomach and make you feel bloated. I've never used beer in my pizzeria and never eaten a pizza prepared in this way, but I'l dove to hear how you cope with this downside...Thank you
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, that is what makes this website great. However, I can name ten pizzerias (in my area of the country) that are using dough made with 60 percent beer / 40 percent water in their dough recipe. It has nothing to do with emergency dough rising time, since they do a cold rise for a minimum of 24 hours. It has to do with flavor and texture.Also, I have never heard of anyone feeling bloated or complain about any downside. (Unless they have eaten too much pizza. LOL ) When you cook with wine or beer the alcohol is gone but the flavor remains. Like many other recipes, other than pizza dough. Examples: Beer Battered Fish, Red or White Wine in sauces, etc...Once again, I created this thread to highlight another possibility for pizza dough making. If you are against beer in your dough making process. DON"T use it. If you like beer in your dough making process, then USE it. It's all up to you. In the mean time, I will continue to explore more beers to use.Best to you as always.TomNPSMy first entry to this thread was my discovery of using beer in the dough making process. Skip to page 7 for the updated recipe and continue to check this thread because I will be exploring other beers to use.
No offense was taken. I appreciate your comments on the subject. Forgive me if I sounded harsh. I didn't mean to be.Best to You,TomN
Sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to run you down... I was just adding my opinion to the thread.ByeP.S. I do cook with wine a lot. I'm Italian. But the point in dough making is the presence of the ferments of the yeast...
No offense was taken. I appreciate your comments on the subject. Forgive me if I sounded harsh. I didn't mean to be.Best to You,TomN No problem at all CheesyByeDaniela
Its all about the flavor! I honestly feel the yeast of today is not the yeast of 60, 70, 80 years ago. It's very tasteless and adds little to the flavor of the dough. I am speaking in terms of retail yeast. I get more and better flavor from cultivating my own brewing yeast than I do using ADY or IDY. Beer is just a much easier route to take.
Could you explain what bottle conditioned beer means? I have seen it on a few of the beers that I have tried but never understood the meaning. Thanks again for your expert advice.
After several taste testers complained the last time that my water-only crusts were "bland", I decided to give beer another try in search of some elusive flavor. Blue Moon Summer Wheat was in the frig so into the mix it went. Only one complaint about tasteless crust today from a college kid. I thought the crust had significant flavor, however. Used about a 60/40 ratio of water to beer in prepping 12 dough balls (could have used another bottle).Convinced more than ever that beer DOES generally improve flavor of the finished crust when added to pizza dough but it takes a more sensitive palate to appreciate this addition. Some tasters will have a definite opinion (usually positive) others will see no difference. A great way to go if one's crust is lacking charisma--like mine.
fwiw....I believe the flavor becomes more pronounced when one is inside the environment (restaurant) where this dough is baked day in day out...
I wish I could just pipe the exhaust on the oven into my house.
After several taste testers complained the last time that my water-only crusts were "bland", I decided to give beer another try in search of some elusive flavor.


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Calendar of Events
Deborah Springstead Ford: A Nearly Fatal Illusion
Saturday, 20 April, 2013 | 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Come see Deborah (Springstead) Ford's art exhibition, 'A Nearly Fatal Illusion'! According to Ford, 'A Nearly Fatal Illusion is a direct reference to Barry Commoner�s idea from The Closing Circle regarding contemporary society�s alleged independence from nature. As Barry Commoner claimed, WE are part of the environment, not apart from it. It�s important to look at the sustainability of our current practices and understand on a fundamental level the repercussions of our actions on the life processes that surround us.'
Exhibition is from March 22-April 20th.
Saturday, 20 April, 2013
Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse
232 N. Granite Street
Prescott, AZ 86301 USA
Website: Click to Visit
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Jen Chandler
Email: Phone: 928-350-2341
Website: Click to Visit
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Kingmax SATA III SSD SMP35 Client (240GB) - An Affordable SandForce Drive
With SSDs becomingly increasing affordable, we take a look at yet another offering from Kingmax which uses the popular Sandforce SF-2281 controller. With a much lower price than the competition, this could be a good value option to consider.
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LINGUIST List 21.2572
Fri Jun 11 2010
Calls: Disc Analysis, Pragmatics, Semantics/France
Editor for this issue: Di Wdzenczny <di
LINGUIST is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new feature: Easy Abstracts! Easy Abs is a free abstract submission and review facility designed to help conference organizers and reviewers accept and process abstracts online. Just go to: http://www.linguistlist.org/confcustom, and begin your conference customization process today! With Easy Abstracts, submission and review will be as easy as 1-2-3!
1. Anamaria Falaus,
Workshop on Alternative-Based Semantics
Message 1: Workshop on Alternative-Based Semantics
Anamaria Falaus <anamariafalaus
Workshop on Alternative-Based Semantics
E-mail this message to a friend
Full Title: Workshop on Alternative-Based Semantics
Date: 29-Oct-2010 - 30-Oct-2010
Location: Nantes, France
Contact Person: Anamaria Falaus
Meeting Email: anamariafalaus
Web Site:
Linguistic Field(s): Discourse Analysis; Pragmatics; Semantics
Call Deadline: 20-Jun-2010
Meeting Description:
The 'Laboratoire de Linguistique de Nantes' (LLING EA 3827) is pleased to
invite abstracts for submissions to a workshop on alternative-based
semantics, to be held at the University of Nantes, France, October 29-30,
Meeting description:
Ever since Hamblin's proposal for the interpretation of questions (1973), a
variety of linguistic phenomena have been argued to have a semantics that
makes reference to alternatives: not only interrogative constructions
(Karttunen 1977), but also focus (Rooth 1985, 1992, Krifka 1993, Beck
2006), scalar implicatures (e.g. Chierchia 2001, Fox 2006, Keshet 2006,
Spector 2006, Katzir 2008), disjunction (Geurts 2003, Simons 2004, Alonso-
Ovalle 2006, 2008), topichood (Büring 1997), mood (Villalta 2000),
comparatives (Morzycki 2009), quantifiers and indefinites, in particular
polarity-sensitive and free-choice indefinites (e.g. Krifka 1995, Lahiri 1998,
Giannakidou 2001, Kratzer & Shimoyama 2002, Jayez & Tovena 2005,
Farkas 2006, Chierchia 2006, Aloni 2007, Alonso-Ovalle & Menéndez-
Benito 2009).
The range of application of alternative-based semantics has been
constantly expanding. As a result, a wide array of alternative-based systems
have been proposed. These systems differ in the way they conceive the
source of alternatives, the status of alternatives, or the precise way in which
they are exploited in a given context. In Hamblin semantics accounts,
certain expressions (e.g. indefinites in Kratzer & Shimoyama 2002) denote
sets of alternatives, which then combine with other constituents of the
sentence in a compositional manner. In contrast to this 'one dimensional
system', other alternative-based theories of interpretation assume a
'multidimensional' semantics (Rooth 1985, Krifka 1995, Chierchia 2006):
alongside standard meanings, speakers recursively build up alternative sets
that are accessed by alternative sensitive-operators.
Taken together, these studies raise both theoretical and empirical issues
such as the following:
- How are alternative sets generated? What is the role of grammar and
context in determining alternative sets? Are they located at the lexical level,
as often argued for polarity items or scalar elements? Or rather are they
generated on the basis of the structure in which they occur (Katzir 2007)?
Do we need both mechanisms, with different kinds of alternatives playing a
role in different phenomena?
- What are the kinds of alternatives that are relevant? At what point of the
derivation do speakers consider alternatives and decide whether to exploit
them for meaning enrichment? What are the principles that govern meaning
enrichment that results from consideration of alternatives?
- Can alternatives and alternative-sensitive operators be used to capture
and predict cross-linguistic variation, as argued for instance for polarity-
sensitive items and indeterminate pronouns in Kratzer & Shimoyama (2002),
Chierchia (2006), Alonso-Ovalle & Menéndez-Benito (2009)?
- The attempts in the recent literature to provide a unified account of scalar
implicature effects and focus effects (e.g. Fox & Katzir 2009), by making use
of alternative-sensitive operators akin to only, raise the issue of further
possible extensions. Do the different phenomena that have been treated in
terms of alternatives deserve a unified analysis?
Call For Papers
Extended Deadline for Submission: June 20, 2010
Abstracts are invited for 30 minute talks, followed by 15 minutes of
Abstracts must be anonymous, in .pdf format, and they should not exceed
two pages in 12 point font, with margins of 2.5 cm (1 inch) on all sides.
Invited speakers:
Gennaro Chierchia (Harvard University)
Emmanuel Chemla (Institut Jean Nicod)
Paula Menéndez-Benito (University of Goettingen)
Maribel Romero (University of Konstanz)
Daniel Büring (UCLA) (to be confirmed)
Important dates:
Deadline for submission: June 20, 2010
Notification of acceptance: July 31, 2010
Conference dates: October 29-30, 2010
Read more issues
LINGUIST home page
Top of issue
Page Updated: 11-Jun-2010
About LINGUIST
Contact Us
While the LINGUIST List makes every effort to ensure the linguistic relevance of sites listed on its pages, it cannot vouch for their contents.


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Sports news from the Pollock, SD area.
Posted 2/04/13 (Mon)
Lady Tigers clashed with Lady Tigers on Friday night, February 1. It was the Ipswich Lady Tigers that won the match up, 73-32.
The Ipswich Tigers broke away from the M-P Tigers quickly by mid quarter they were up 15-0 and had forced 5 turnovers. M-P got a bucket near the 4:00 mark put that was it for the quarter. Ipswich dropped in nine more to lead, 24-2.
M-P continued to struggle with turn overs in the second quarter and got only one more basket in the first four minutes. They warmed up a bit in the last 4:00 getting two from the charity stripe and putting down a trey and one more bucket. They trailed, 42-11, at the half.
The M-P Tigers had their best scoring of the night in the third quarter. With the press gone several players put points on the board. They scored in double digits posting 13. Ipswich added 21 to push their lead to, 63-24.
The scoring pace slowed for both teams in the final quarter as Ipswich utilized their bench more. M-P added eight to their tally and Ipswich 10 leaving Ipswich with a, 73-32, win.
M. Wagner 0 1-2 1
C. Heumiller 1 0-0 2
K. Goodshield 3/1 0-0 9
A. Kramer 1 3-4 5
C. Hoffman 3/1 2-2 11
A. Schaefbauer 2 0-3 4
Ipswich 23/4 15-25 73


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First dates are awkward. There is so much you want to know about the person across the table from you, and yet so little you can directly ask.
This post is our attempt to end the mystery. We took OkCupid's database of 275,294 match questions—probably the biggest collection of relationship concerns on earth—and the 776 million answers people have given us, and we asked:
Love, sex, a soulmate, an argument, whatever you're looking for, we'll show you the polite questions to find it. We hope they'll be useful to you in the real world.
First—define "easy to bring up"
Before we could go looking for correlations to deeper stuff, our first task was to decide which questions were even first-date appropriate. I know each person has his own opinion on what's okay to talk about with a stranger. I also know that if I had to wade through hundreds of thousands of user-submitted questions like these verbatim examples:
I would go fucking insane. The basic currency of the Internet is human ignorance, and, frankly, our database holds a strong cash position!
So, instead of judging each question's first-date appropriateness subjectively, I turned to statistics. I decided our candidates were the ones that (a) most people were comfortable discussing publicly, and (b) were mathematically likely to tell you something you couldn't just guess. I sliced OkCupid's question pool like this:
That blue rectangle is our highest-quality, least-invasive questions, and we next examined each of them for interesting correlations. (If you're interested in knowing more about the above graph, you can drop-down an explanation here, complete with an interactive scatter plot that took me forever to make.)
Now let's get right to the results. This is the shallow stuff to ask when you want to know something deep:
Okay, if you want to know...
Will my date have sex on the first date?
- Do you like the taste of beer?
Among all our casual topics, whether someone likes the taste of beer is the single best predictor of if he or she has sex on the first date.
No matter their gender or orientation, beer-lovers are 60% more likely to be okay with sleeping with someone they've just met. Sadly, this is the only question with a meaningful correlation for women. For men there are a few others:
|predictive question
implied odds
of first-date sex
Q: In a certain light, wouldn't nuclear war be exciting?
Q: Assuming you were in the position to do so, would you launch nuclear weapons under any circumstances?
Q: Could you imagine yourself killing someone?
First, I have to give guys credit for logical thinking: in the post-apocalypse, THERE ARE NO SECOND DATES.
Also, I will never look at fingerless gloves the same way again.
If you want to know...
Do my date and I have long-term potential?
Ask your date (and yourself!)...
- Do you like horror movies?
- Have you ever traveled around another country alone?
- Wouldn't it be fun to chuck it all and go live on a sailboat?
Of all questions appropriate to a first date, the three listed above were the ones couples most often agreed on.
Here's how we know...
When someone deletes their OkCupid account, they have these 3 questions correlated best to a real-world relationshipthe option of giving us a reason, and if that reason is 'I met somebody on OkCupid,' they can give us their significant other's username. Many hundreds of people a day go through the trouble of doing this, so we've compiled an excellent dataset of real-world couples. Agreement on these three questions correlated best to an actual relationship.
In fact, 32% of successful couples agreed on all of them—which is 3.7× the rate of simple coincidence. These questions as a trio even out-performs OkCupid's top three user-rated match questions.
Turistas: the best date movie of all time?
If you want to know...
Do my date and I have the same politics?
Ask him or her...
- Do you prefer the people in your life to be simple or complex?
We were very surprised to find that this one question very strongly predicts a person's ideas on these divisive issues:
In each case, complexity-preferrers are 65-70% likely to give the Liberal answer. And those who prefer simplicity in others are 65-70% likely to give the Conservative one.
This correlation is for a nationwide dataset; it won't be as useful in places where one ideology is much more prevalent than the other. For example, in New York City there are lots of people who like simplicity and yet have Liberal politics.
If you want to know...
Is my date religious?
- Do spelling and grammar mistakes annoy you?
If your date answers 'no'—i.e. is okay with bad grammar and spelling—the odds of him or her being at least moderately religious is slightly better than 2:1.
As someone who is not himself a believer, I found it rather heartening that tolerance, even on something trivial like this, correlated with belief in God, although I should've figured out that religious people are okay with small mistakes. Next to intelligent design, what's a couple typos?
It's also nice when two completely independent datasets corroborate each other. Last summer, we analyzed the profile text of half a million user profiles, comparing religion and writing-level. For every one of the faith-based belief systems listed, the people who were the least serious wrote at the highest level.


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News Posts
Ask a Paleontologist: What Color Were Extinct Dinosaurs?
by AMNH on
Birds living today are dinosaurs and often have brilliantly colored plumage. Did extinct dinosaurs also sport vibrant hues? Learn more from Mark A. Norell, chair of the Division of Paleontology, in a video.
Calling All Naturalists: April 9, 2013
by AMNH on
What does it mean to be a 21st-century American naturalist? On Tuesday, April 9, join moderator Tom Brokaw and panelists Douglas Brinkley, a Roosevelt biographer; Lisa Graumlich, scientist and dean at the University of Washington's College of the Environment; Michael Novacek, senior vice president and provost of science at the Museum; and Rick Ridgeway, vice president for environmental initiatives at Patagonia, for Conservation, Wilderness, and the American Dream, a special event about the close links between American identity and natural heritage, as well as the role today's naturalists can play in conservation.
Classifying Amphibians
by AMNH on
Like the 18th-century German naturalist August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof, whose beautifully illustrated Historia naturalis ranarum nostratium (Natural history of the native frogs) he describes in an essay in Natural Histories, Curator Darrel R. Frost has created a comprehensive reference about amphibians. He manages Amphibian Species of the World, an online database and classification system for about 7,000 amphibian species, of which about 6,200 are frogs.
March Mammal Madness: Round Four
by AMNH on
It's down to just a final, furry 4 potential nicknames for our hypothetical placental ancestor! Vote for the two finalists now.
Talking Whales: Giants of the Deep with Exhibition Curator John Flynn
by AMNH on
Opening tomorrow, the special exhibition Whales: Giants of the Deep is co-curated by John J. Flynn, Frick Curator of Fossil Mammals, Division of Paleontology, and Dean of the Richard Gilder Graduate School. We recently spoke with Dr. Flynn about the exhibition's many highlights, his fieldwork in South America, and his sightings of whales in the wild.


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Finland is an education "miracle story," according to one set of international tests, but nothing special on others, reports Ed Week's Curriculum Matters. "If Finland were a state taking the 8th grade NAEP, it would probably score in the middle of the pack," said Tom Loveless, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
The most striking contrast is in mathematics, where the performance of Finnish 8th graders was not statistically different from the U.S. average on the 2011 TIMSS, or Trends in Mathematics and Science Study, released last month. Finland, which last participated in TIMSS in 1999, actually trailed four U.S. states that took part as "benchmarking education systems" on TIMSS this time: Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Indiana.
. . . "Finland's exaggerated reputation is based on its performance on PISA, an assessment that matches up well with its way of teaching math," said Loveless, which he described as "applying math to solve 'real world' problems."
He added, "In contrast, TIMSS tries to assess how well students have learned the curriculum taught in schools."
Finland's score of 514 on TIMSS for 8th grade math was close to the U.S. average of 509 and well below Massachusetts' score of 561. Finland was way, way below South Korea on TIMSS but nearly as high on PISA.
Finland beat the U.S. average on TIMSS science section, but was well under Massachusetts.
In 4th grade reading, Finland beat the U.S. average on PIRLS (Progress in International Reading, Literacy Study), but scored about as well as Florida, the only U.S. state to participate.
Finland's seventh graders dropped from above average to below average on TIMSS math. Pasi Sahlberg of the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture said this was "mostly due to a gradual shift of focus in teaching from content mastery towards problem-solving and use of mathematical knowledge."


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Physical Description
Fin whales are brownish grey above and white below. The color pattern is asymmetrical: the lower jaw is white on the right side and dark on the left. Fin whales are second only to blue whales in length but are more slightly built. The dorsal fin is strongly curved and is about 60 cm high. Fin whales have an average of 85 throat grooves that extend to the navel. Each side of the upper jaw bears 350-400 baleen plates. At physical maturity, males and females average 19 and 20 meters in length, respectively. Adults have not been weighed, but calculations suggest that a 25 m animal could weigh as much as 70,000 kg.


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Topic: Rails 2.2 mysql.rb driver has been removed!
I am trying to run a new application and just updated my rails version. I try to connect MySQL database but I get this error ->
!!! The bundled mysql.rb driver has been removed from Rails 2.2. Please install the mysql gem and try again: gem install mysql.
rake aborted!
no such file to load -- mysql
Anyone can help ?? I tried some commands found on the net trying to fix it but nothing seems to be working.


text: Piper Tracksters Prepping For NCAA MeetThey have been at it for nearly six months. And now it has come to this: six Piper tracksters -- three men and three women -- are going their final drills prior to the start of the NCAA Division III Track and Field Championships that begin May 24 at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College in Claremont, Calif. Appropriately, the three Pipers who are involved in two events this weekend get going on the first day of the meet. Becky Culp, the junior thrower who is one of just MIAC competitors in the field, starts things off in the Discus. She enters the event ranked 10th in the country. Her throw of 44.65m (146-6 feet) earned her first place at the MIAC Outdoor meet in Moorhead two weeks ago. It is roughly 5 1/2 meters from the top throw in the country of 50.07m. Culp's events starts at 2:15 p.m. local time (4:15 p.m. CDT). The senior runners Jack Deichert and Devin Monson are also in action on May 24. Deichert 's 3:49.56 effort in the 1500 Meters last weekend at North Central (Ill.) broke a longstanding school record, the top effort this year by a MIAC runner and ranks sixth in the country. His time is six seconds of the best recorded time this year of 3:43.49. he is scheduled run at 4:45 p.m. (6:45 CDT). This is a preliminary round designed to cut the field down. The finals for this race are Saturday. At 7:05 p.m. local time (9:05 p.m. CDT), Monson will join 19 other runners in the 10,000 Meter championship race. Devin set his blistering school record mark (and fourth best in the country) of 29:37.13 at Hillsdale (Mich.) April 26. The top time in this race is 14 seconds faster but the runner who did it -- Middlebury's Michael Schmidt -- did so on April 6. On Friday, May 25, Hamline's other trio kicks into action. At 2:05 p.m. local time (4:05 p.m. CDT), Brennan McKeag takes up the Hammer Throw.. The only MIAC competitor in the field, Brennan's best effort of 58.19m (190-11) sits as 11th best in the country. Interestingly, it was achieved the last time the Pipers competed in California -- at the PLU Invitational March 17. It is roughly 16 feet short of the best throw of the spring. Brenna Coyle and Shawny Kramer will have to wait a while to have their supper that day. At 5:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. CDT), the pair will be competing in the Hammer. Like her fellow senior McKeag, Coyle took to the California very well on March 17, throwing 52.79m (173-2), the 10th best throw of the year. Kramer, the only freshman competing in the 22-player field in this event, is one place behind Coyle with a 52.71m (172-11) effort that was good enough to win the MIAC Championship a couple of weeks ago. The top throw here is 193-5. Culp returns for seconds on May 26 in the Shot Put at 1:00 p.m. (3 p.m. CDT). She, too, excelled on March 17 at PLU, throwing 13.25m (43-5 3/4), which was the top effort by a MIAC thrower this year. It also ties her for 19th best overall and is 5 1/2 feet from the best throw of the season. Two hours later, Deichert is hoping to be in the final 1500 Meter field. At 5:55 p.m. (7:55 p.m.), Monson and Deichert join 18 others in the final individual race of the meet -- the 5,000 Meter Run. Like a good golfer breaking par, Monson's times have been headed in the right downward direction all spring. His 14:12.57 at North Central stands as a new school record and the fifth best in the land, a mere 15 seconds from the best recorded time this year. Deichert's 14:26.99 clocking in the same race also would have shattered the old mark and sits 13th overall. The six-member contingent is one of the largest Hamline has sent to the NCAAs in recent years. The only Piper ever to win a national title at this meet was Mike Manders, who claimed the Shot Put crown in 1983. Tom Kreger finished second in the 5,000 meter race in 2003. The entire list of competitors at the NCAA meet can be found by clicking here.


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Here's how RW members rated this race in the past (468 votes).
In short: Thermometer needs to read 0C or less to get this at it's brutal best. Great race, good laugh, brutal test. If it's chilly then wetsuit gloves or ensuring your gloved hands don't get wet is crucial. A supoprt team is handy to avoid hypothermia. Date of review: November 30, 2010
In short: Loved it!!!!!!!!!In full: I thought this race was great, just about what I expected on entering and seeing the video. (although I didn't think the bog would be so deep or long and the lake came as a very nasty surprise, it the descent & ascent more then the water that got to me, but I guess these are the thing's that make Hellrunner unique.Anyway I had fun, my friends nots so much but in hindsight and viewing the pictures I think we all had fun, would do it again although I think it must be even harder in the wet so that would be even more of a challenge.Looking forward to next year!!!!Date of review: November 30, 2010
In short: a fantastix race and day out!In full: A great race even with the temperature at -3 on the start line!!! Brilliant atmosphere from the crowd and other runners trying to work out why they were doing it.Oh and I proposed to my girlfriend at the finish line and she said yes! I was however too cold to get the rig out and put it on her finger!A massive thank you to the organisers for helping me.Date of review: November 30, 2010
In short: not one for PB's if you're a road runner - just a fun day outIn full: Freezing temperatures and consequent pain in mine and fellow runner's hands after the BoD overshadowed this event for me. Running along debating as to whether wet gloves are better than none....In milder weather I could have really enjoyed the course. Easy parking, coffee stalls, very civilised. Yes the marshalls were few and are between and miserable - I guess they were cold too. Sadly in order to avoid frostbite couldn't hang around to enjoy the cameraderie at the end of the race. Not often I come position 1337 but 24th FV - says alot about the teststerone fuelled field! Maybe most women my age have more sense.....Date of review: November 30, 2010
In short: An awesomely fun & exhilarating race... especially if you're a bit of a sadist ;-)In full: Mud, Hills, Watery Bogs & Frozen Ice! What more could you want for a good days running ;-)This is not a place to set any normal kind of P.B. But the organisation is excellent and the participants & crowd absolutely fantastic! Get stuck in and have a blast and you will love this event. :-DDate of review: November 30, 2010
In short: Lacked the atmosphere of last year, directions to race were appallingIn full: I did this last year, and maybe because last year was my first time it made more of an impression on me. But this year seemed mediocre. Did the Turbo X the week before which was over a much more interesting course - more variety and more mud.Maybe the cold brought down the atmosphere this year - not nearly as much chatting and comraderie as last year.Directions to the race were so poor that despite turning off the A3 at 9:30, we didn't find the event until 10:45. There were no signposts, even at the gate, just a grumpy marshal who we drove straight past the first time and had to go around on the A3 again.Turbo X is extreme trail running the whole way. This one was just another trail race with two wet bits. A disappointment....Date of review: November 29, 2010
In short: Good fun despite the coldIn full: First time I have done this race. For me, top marks go to the runners, who all seemed to be out for a good time despite the cold. Lots of fancy dress and smiles on faces, even when wading through the freezing stink of the Bog of Doom.Date of review: November 29, 2010
In short: Fantastic fun - hills, mud, sand, ice, water - an off-road event with a difference!Date of review: November 29, 2010
In short: Ok, nut not as good as I thought it'd be......In full: Starting with the positives:We were pleased to find that runners are of all levels of fitness and were all very friendly, charming and great fun. The course wasn't as harsh as I thought it would be (although some of the hills were pretty nasty) so if your running to try something new or just to have a laugh and push yourself a bit this trail is an ideal place to start.The negatives; The organisation of the event I thought was pretty poor.The sat nav directions given for the VIP parking took you through a nice single track country drive to a dead end by the a3, old fashioned map reading got us there in the end! We arrived in plenty of time at 9:15, parking was well organsied and simple but the queue for the three remaining poratloos was already ridiculously long, apparently the rest of them were all full to the brim as the flush handles had frozen the day before, so a lot of us were surprised that that hadn't been sorted after the Saturday event.The start of the race just kind of happened, we weren't far from the red gate at the start but still couldn't hear any tannoy announcements and had no idea if we were in wave one or two.I was surprised how few marshals were scattered around the course, all that we saw were sat alone in quite a random place and sadly the majority were miserable and clearly didn't want to be there.Lots of bottlenecks on the hills and some trails which is ok, but we had quite a bit of standing around and had to walk for quite a lot of the woodland section of the course. The bog of dooooom! This was what I expected which was great, a lot deeper than I'd anticipated as i'm 5'9" and it was up to my chest, so maybe they should mention this on the website! However there were only 3 spectators when about 30 of us went through it, when we found our supporters near the finish line they told us that they (and other people they had asked) couldn't find it and when they asked the marshals for directions they had a look at their map and said that they couldn't get to it! Pretty random! As someone else has already reviewed, the Hills of Hell at the end were nothing compared to some of the hills you go up and down during the majority of the race.The cadets at the end were rude and clearly needed some guidance as how to talk and deal with people, just got some attitude back when tried to gauge in some light heated friendly chit chat while waiting for my goodie bag... which was ok, just lots of free samples that could come out of a magazine, t-shirt ok but quite low quality & small in fit.There's nothing for spectators to do, sit down or have a place to take shelter which, ok maybe that's expected but there were no signs telling people where key viewing points could be found, just a sign pointing them in a general direction.If it weren't for the upbeat character of the participants of the race this would have been an epic fail but had a great time running with some lovely fun people, the organisers really need to listen to the repeated complaints on this forum and sort this out or they'll be losing a lot of repeat runners.Date of review: November 29, 2010
In short: Fun, despite the cold, but a race of two partsIn full: I'd signed up for this with a mate from work. He chickened out (apparently a 3 line whip from his wife to attend the school christmas bazaar took precedence) so I was there on my own in the car park, with the dashboard showing -2...Cheerful atmosphere in the pre-race area, mostly seemed to be people doing it for fun - and first timers. Maybe this is one of those runs that you do once for the hell of it (sorry)? A fair number of people in fancy dress, again just for fun rather than obviously as a charity fundraiser.Totally horrendous situation with the portaloos - not enough (as usual) but the flush system appeared to have frozen solid!Bag check in was swift - a good thing as everyone left their warm gear on right until the last minute.Then we were off - trecking through woods and heath land on decent tracks. Every now and then the route would veer off up or down a steep, sandy incline - causing inevitable bunching up and the pace slowed to a walk. Fine for getting your breath back, but I imagine that serious runners would be irritated. The route wound around the common for about 8 miles of this - all very pleasant but nothing unusual.Then came the 'Bog of Doom' - and everything that we'd suspected was true! A trench, about 20m long, filled chest deep with freezing water. This just seemed to bring out the good cheer in everybody - lots of arms around shoulders, cheering from the crowd and smiles all round. Then a succession of steep scrambles, another couple of pools to wade across, and half a mile or so of soft sand to really test your strength. Nice run in to the finish, down a well made track, left us all on a high.I'd happily do it again, but it did seem slightly lower key than I'd been lead to expect. Not sure what to make of it as a race though - the bunching up around the various scrambles meant that it was difficult to maintain a steady pace.Date of review: November 29, 2010
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Debates of Nov. 23rd, 2011
House of Commons Hansard #52 of the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was farmers.
- Question Period
- University of Ontario Institute of Technology
- Poverty
- John Rhodes Scholarship Dinner
- The Environment
- Justice
- Child Poverty
- Lorne Reznowski
- Prostate Cancer
- Praxède Lévesque-Lapointe, Woman Farmer of the Year
- Taxation
- Violence Against Women
- Eid on the Hill
- Homelessness
- Firearms Registry
- Official Languages
- New Democratic Party
- Justice
- Firearms Registry
- Employment
- G8 Summit
- Airline Safety
- National Defence
- Justice
- Poverty
- Persons with Disabilities
- Affordable Housing
- Justice
- Citizenship and Immigration
- Telecommunications Industry
- Canadian Wheat Board
- The Environment
- Infrastructure
- Health
- Public Safety
- Firearms Registry
- Asbestos
- Justice
- Presence in the Gallery
- Privilege
- Points of Order
- Privilege
- Afghanistan
- Government Response to Petitions
- First Nations Financial Transparency Act
- Interparliamentary Delegations
- Committees of the House
- Defence of Canada Medal (1946-1989)
- Canada Elections Act
- Federal Law–Civil Law Harmonization Act, No. 3
- Petitions
- Questions on the Order Paper
- Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers
- Points of Order
- Canada Water Preservation Act
Firearms Registry
Statements By Members
2:20 p.m.
Jim Hillyer Lethbridge, AB
Mr. Speaker, Canadians gave our government a strong and clear mandate to end the wasteful and ineffective long gun registry, and that is exactly what we are doing. Every reasonable person knows that we cannot end the registry without destroying the records. The record is what the registry is.
Today big union boss and NDP leadership candidate Brian Topp told us the real reason the NDP wanted to keep the records. He said he is willing to overthrow the will of Canadians in the last election and use the records to reinstate the long gun registry. The leadership candidate from Skeena—Bulkley Valley threw cold water on this conniving proposal. I wonder if he will receive the same gag order that was imposed upon the two NDP members who did not vote with their party's bid to keep the registry.
That party is disunited and cannot be trusted. There are gag orders on MPs who listened to their constituents and leadership candidates who talk about overthrowing the will of the Canadian people. The NDP is not fit to govern.
Official Languages
Statements By Members
2:20 p.m.
Élaine Michaud Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Speaker, no one can contain the divisions in the ranks of the Conservatives. A growing number of them are finding the courage to criticize the immoral and disrespectful decisions of the Prime Minister. Yesterday, the hon. member for Ottawa—Orléans expressed his indignation and publicly criticized the shameful appointment of a unilingual anglophone Auditor General. The hon. member called it a mistake. He added, and I quote, "Canada's linguistic duality is essential to the very survival of the country".
He is not the only one to say so. Before him, Conservative Senator Housakos, who is close to the Prime Minister, spoke out against this appalling appointment. Let us hope that these pleas give the Conservatives from Quebec the courage to stand up to a Prime Minister who never misses an opportunity to divide the country.
The Conservatives claimed they wanted to defend Canada, but they spend their time hiding behind their controlling leader. They have become exactly what they despised: politicians who are out of touch with reality.
New Democratic Party
Statements By Members
2:20 p.m.
Jeff Watson Essex, ON
Mr. Speaker, NDP members let their partisanship stand in the way of helping Canadian families and our economy.
That is why the NDP voted against helping the manufacturing sector stay strong, against helping small business hire more people, against new help for families, like the family caregiver and children's arts tax credits, and against the volunteer firefighter tax credit.
The NDP's anti-Canada agenda is even more alarming. At home the NDP oppose measures that are creating Canadian jobs. Then NDP MPs go abroad and attack Canada. In doing so, the NDP sides with a small group of radical activists and with its public sector union bosses against private sector union workers.
Canadians gave our Conservative government a strong mandate to stay focused on what matters: creating jobs and economic growth. The NDP's anti-Canada agenda is another worrying example that the ineffective, disunited NDP is unfit to govern.
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Nycole Turmel Leader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Justice put on quite a performance for his Quebec counterpart. When Jean-Marc Fournier asked for the studies that justify the Conservatives' repressive and regressive approach to justice, the Minister of Justice spoke about personal impressions.
Can the Prime Minister table the scientific studies that prove that maintaining the goal of long-term protection and restricting the publication of young offenders' identities are detrimental to public safety?
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Calgary Southwest
Stephen Harper Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, in tackling crime the government is pursuing the mandate given to us by the Canadian people. I understand very well that there are different opinions in some provinces. However, several provinces support these measures, including the NDP governments of Manitoba and Nova Scotia.
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Nycole Turmel Leader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the NDP moved the amendments suggested by the Government of Quebec. The amendments are based on facts, namely, that rehabilitation has proven to be successful and that the crime rate is declining in Canada. However, the Conservatives put ideology before the facts and before science.
I am again asking the Prime Minister to table the scientific studies that prove that their approach will reduce crime and rehabilitate offenders. Let him table the studies.
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Calgary Southwest
Stephen Harper Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, the government will continue to carry out its mandate and to ensure that the crime rate continues to decline across the country. It is up to the NDP to explain why there is one position in Quebec and another in Nova Scotia and Manitoba.
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Nycole Turmel Leader of the Opposition
Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Conservatives defeated amendment after amendment, and rammed through their prisons agenda.
Their short-sighted approach is simply not justified. Even the Department of Justice has shown that strict mandatory sentences do not work. They did not work in the United States. In fact, the U.S. is now backtracking.
Why does the Prime Minister refuse to listen to crime experts, the provinces, and the opposition?
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Calgary Southwest
Stephen Harper Prime Minister
Mr. Speaker, we are pursuing the mandate given by the Canadian people who do expect there to be serious penalties for, for instance, sexual predators and drug traffickers. That is what the Canadian people expect from their government. Frankly, that is what even many provincial governments support, including the NDP Government of Manitoba and the NDP Government of Nova Scotia. Maybe the Leader of the Opposition should speak to them to get some further information.
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Jack Harris St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, Canadians are speaking out by the thousands against the government's wrong-headed prisons agenda.
We have heard from public safety experts, criminologists, bar associations, prosecutors and the provinces that the government's approach is ineffective, counterproductive and costly. New Democrats have offered solutions to fix this broken crime bill, but the door to reasonable debate seems to be closed.
Why is the government opposed to reasonable evidence-based policy?
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Niagara Falls
Rob Nicholson Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Speaker, we have based this bill on the recommendations, first of all, of the Nunn report and what we have heard from across this country and from provincial attorneys general from all political parties.
The bill goes after those individuals who sexually prey on children. It goes after drug traffickers. I cannot understand why that is always such a problem for the NDP. Could the hon. member please explain that to the House?
Firearms Registry
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Jack Harris St. John's East, NL
Mr. Speaker, it is not just the misguided crime bill that has the out-of-touch government in hot water; it turns out the government's proposed legislation to kill the long gun registry has legal problems of its own.
Yesterday, the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner confirmed that the destruction of registry data risks contravening not one, not two, but three Canadian laws.
When will the government stop putting political motivation ahead of good public policy? Will it commit to preserving this data and respecting Canadian law?
Firearms Registry
Oral Questions
2:25 p.m.
Vic Toews Minister of Public Safety
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the member has not understood. We are changing the law. Claims that our legislation breaks the law simply do not make any sense in that context.
Our legislation will destroy the records which are increasingly inaccurate and unreliable, and become increasingly so over time. If given the chance, the opposition would once again use this data to target law-abiding citizens. We will not support the creation of the long gun registry through the back door.
Oral Questions
November 23rd, 2011 / 2:30 p.m.
Scott Brison Kings—Hants, NS
Mr. Speaker, the latest Statistics Canada figures show that Canada has 578,000 fewer full-time jobs than in August 2008. Now the Auditor General is slamming the Conservatives for spending $47 billion of tax money on a jobs plan without keeping track of the jobs. He says that the government cannot prove how many jobs were created with the $47 billion.
How could the Conservatives use GPS to track action plan signs and not bother to track how many jobs were created? Are the Conservatives more interested in signs than in Canadian jobs?
Oral Questions
2:30 p.m.
Jim Flaherty Minister of Finance
Mr. Speaker, the fact is that since the end of the recession in July 2009, the net new job count in Canada is almost 600,000 jobs. The IMF and the OECD have looked at this. They have credited Canada with the best job growth in the G7 since the end of the recession.
I know the member for Kings—Hants does not believe in international assessments. We do and we are proud of our record as looked by the international organizations.