text:
Bill Maher: And now it is time for New Rules, everybody!
All right. New Rule: When you marry Charlie Sheen, don't be surprised when he turns out to be Charlie Sheen! We are talking about a guy who paid hookers by check. Marrying Charlie Sheen and getting mad he's a freak, is like electing two shills from the oil industry and getting mad when the price of gas goes up.
New Rule: Instead of the White House hiring Tony Snow away from Fox News, the White House and Fox News should just merge. Republicans should also admit that they secretly picked the judges on "American Idol" to reinforce their three favorite stereotypes: a black guy who doesn't do anything; a woman who doesn't know anything; and a foreigner who should go home.
New Rule: You can't write the story of your life if you're too young to have had one. This week we found out that best-selling teenage author Kaavya Viswanathan [he mangles pronunciation] stole huge honking chunks of her first novel. Everybody got a little suspicious when the teenage heroine went shopping at the mall and ended up hiding from the Nazis in an attic in Holland. I tell you, between this and that Million Little Pieces book being phony, I've got half a mind to quit Oprah's Book Club!
New Rule: Supermodels should not speak to flight attendants. That's what supermodel May Andersen did, and she was deemed unruly and got arrested upon landing. Look, supermodels, it doesn't matter what you're saying: "Can I have a pillow?" "I like your shoes." What the flight attendant hears is, "I'm a supermodel and you're not. Let's fight!" You're natural enemies like the snake and the mongoose. The postman and the Rottweiler. Pat Robertson and reason.
Haven't we learned by now that sometimes the best relationships are the ones where you don't speak at all? [photo of Bill and Hillary Clinton shown]
And finally, New Rule: Drug companies have to stop making up diseases! I don't know - I don't know what the terrorists are planning next for America, but if I had every problem they talk about in medicine commercials: breathing, lifting, walking, sitting, sleeping, crapping, not crapping, getting a boner and male pattern menopause—I would welcome death. Bring it on! Deadly nerve gas? Please, I've got seasonal allergies!
I mean, it seems like every time I turn on the TV these days, I see some ad for some drug I never heard of, to treat some disease I never heard of. That's not a stomach ache you have from eating the chili-cheese fries at Johnny Rockets, it's Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Or I.B.S. Or as I call it, "B.S." Which would also apply to the dreaded "Social Anxiety Disorder." Or as we used to call it, "shyness." And we treated it with an old home recipe: scotch and water.
Your wife doesn't get turned on? Well, it couldn't be because you're a snowman-shaped sausage casing--so full of beer you sweat hops. It's because she has "Female Sexual Dysfunction."
And before they came up with "Restless Leg Syndrome," did that even exist? Did you ever hear someone say, "Sorry I couldn't make the party, Bill." "The old restless leg was acting up." You know, next time you have an uncontrollable urge to move your feet, maybe you should just...move your feet! Your feet are trying to tell you the same thing your dog is trying to tell you when he's been cooped up in the house all day: "I want to go for a walk!"
But be careful. There's a Tasmanian Devil living under your toenail.
I am waiting for the ad that tells me that my morning hard-on is actually "Superfluous Rigidity Syndrome." Or S.R.S. And there's a cartoon bunny who says, "Are you bothered by morning stiffness?" "Try Flaccidix." "Flaccidix is specially formulated to make your penis shiny and more manageable." "Side effects: you bleed from your pores and then explode and die." "And/or dry mouth."
Now, just in the last two years, the "medicines" that have made the headlines under the category, "Take two and call me in the morning if you're still alive," include Vioxx, Ambien, Zyprexa, Ortho Evra, Prempro, Zoloft, Paxil, Ephedra, Celebrex and Fosamax.
And yet it was marijuana last week that was declared by the FDA to have no known medical value. Actually, what marijuana has is no known lobbying value. And, yes - yes, back in 1999, when we still believed in science, the National Academy of Science said what millions already knew from practical use, that weed is useful in treating pain, nausea and weight loss. And that lab rats exposed to it were 38% more likely to forget the maze and just kick it old school.
Folks, drug companies are pushers, and Congress and the FDA are the cop on the beat who's been paid off to look the other way. New drugs used to have to go through a rigorous process of testing. Now they just give it to Courtney Love, and if she lives, it's approved.
And by the way, just to prove who has the power in this country, that fake FDA report about marijuana having no medical value was issued - on purpose, I am sure - on April 20th - four-twenty. And that joke only makes sense to stoners.
So, mom and dad, if your kid just laughed, you might need to search his room.
All right, that's our show. I want to thank Representative Barney Frank, Michel Martin, Ian McKellen, Victor Davis Hanson and George Clooney. Thank you, fellows. Thank you, folks. Appreciate it.
George Clooney: I think it's an important thing for whoever can bring attention to this...we're always slow to act at these. It wasn't like we were very quick in Rwanda. It wasn't like we were very quick in the Balkans, quite honestly. But the truth is, what we don't want to do is turn around ten years from now and say, "What the hell were we thinking? Why weren't we there?"
Bill Maher: But when you look at the list of liberals who are active in politics, if not running. Barbra Streisand, Sean Penn, Warren Beatty, Springsteen, Spielberg...And then you look at the conservatives, it's like Chuck Norris, Bo Derek and the Gatlin Brothers. I don't know if being liberal makes you more right, but it does seem like it makes you more talented.
Ian McKellen: The problem isn't that the petrol gas prices are so high, but gas is running out. That's the news... everybody has an individual responsibility to that, including from the president down.
Victor Davis Hanson: I can't speak for the Vice President, but I think he, like leaders, from Harry Truman to JFK, understand that until the nature of man changes or we get to the end of history, there are going to be people like the Taliban or Saddam who respect deterrence rather than dialogue. That doesn't mean that it's a pessimistic view at all because there is optimism from history that the more democracies we have, the less likely they are to attack each other. And we've had more democracies in the last 20 years than at any time in the history of civilization.
Rep. Barney Frank: That is really one of the great oxymorons of all time: a "guest worker." I mean, do you have someone say, "Oh, welcome to my house; would you go clean the bathroom?"
Rep. Barney Frank: There are plenty of people who are less concerned about the people who read books than they are about the people who go to movies.
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I had some chrome trims added around my interior doors . They really look very nice and shiny which I like a lot
I also had the steering wheel detailed thanks to real wood trim upper and lower side of the steering wheel .
Now, I want a better looking column shifter ,let's see what's gonna be look like :bouncy:

subset: commoncrawl


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"I haven't had any death threats," says Polson City Councilman Tom Corse, when asked about reactions to the council's 4-2 decision June 29 to approve a zoning change that will allow Wal-Mart to build a 156,000-square-foot Supercenter in Polson.
The Polson City-County Planning Board had recommended a denial of the zoning change, and, according to the Missoulian, opponents of the change outnumbered proponents at the June 29 public hearing 2 to 1.
Corse, who voted for the change, says the council "did what most of the people in Lake County wanted to see happen."
Regarding opposition at the meeting, Corse says people who are against things tend to be more active.
Corse also says that the compromise zoning change proposed by councilman Fred Funke sufficiently alleviates the planning board's concerns.
The compromise, which Funke outlined in his motion to approve the overall zoning change, would have kept one nine-acre parcel of the Wal-Mart property residential. According to its proposal, Wal-Mart had not intended to build on that property and was presumably going to sell it to another commercial developer.
"It was a very odd motion to make," says Greg Hertz, one of the founders of Lake County First, a Polson group that formed to oppose the Supercenter. He notes that Wal-Mart representatives raised no questions about the proposed compromise, and that there was no discussion of it by the council.
"It seems like they reached an agreement beforehand," Hertz says.
In fact, they had. Corse confirms that just before the council meeting, one of the councilmen asked the Wal-Mart representatives what they thought about "excluding the nine-acre parcel."
The Wal-Mart reps, Corse says, responded that it was "not a bad idea."
Councilman Mark MacDonald, who voted against the zoning change twice, once in his capacity as a councilman and once as a member of Polson's planning board, says he was "not privileged to that conversation."
"They probably knew I would go against it," he says, because the compromise, in his opinion, doesn't address the planning board's concerns about strip development.
Wal-Mart seems to have won for now, but Hertz says the fight may not be over yet, as the council's decision will likely be appealed in district court.


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shortening bathtub drain tail pipe
1 Attachment(s)
i have a brass Moen lever drain for my bath tub. the tail pipe below the T is about 2-1/4" long. i understand the normal procedure is to connect it to a PVC P-trap with an adapter as is, however, i am dealing in some tight spaces sharing other infrastructure and i either have to move that other piping somewhere (P.I.A.) or cut the drain tail pipe as short as possible and solder a 1-1/2" DWV copper elbow to it with another copper extension coming out (or maybe even the cut off brass coming out, then a Fernco coupling to some PVC pipe going into a P-trap.
i was wondering if this is doable and recommended. my main concern is whether that may affect the stopper functionality.
please see the attached illustration.
For my bathtub, I got a plastic (ABS) drain and overflow. And these have nice metal on the bathtub side. And for the bathtub drain, there is no lever, rather a screw on cap which you press on with your foot to close the drain or press again to open the drain. Or you can unscrew it easily if mostly taking showers and it drains faster.
Also the for the "T" where the bathtub drain meets the bathtub vent, I installed a 2 1/2 inch "T" with two reducer bushings to 1 1/2 for the bathtub drain and vent connections. Then the drain and trap from there is all 2 1/2 inch.
Needless to say, my bathtub drains quite fast!
So for your situation, I'm thinking that sudden 1 1/2" 90 degree bend might restrict the drain water flowing out. Maybe doing as I did by going to a larger T and then 90 would keep the water flowing nicely?
And if worried about the lever, going to the type of drain where you press on it with your foot would solve that. And plastic would easily allow you to "re-engineer" the drain pipe sizes.
I don't know about you, but it has always seemed to me like bathtubs drain too slowly. Yet they keep doing things the same way... (But not at my house!)
The drain stopper I got looks like the following...
Don't frustrate yourself - the traditional way of plumbing a tub is standard and the usual but NOT your only option as far as the layout of your pipes go. . . you don't have to do that if it won't work out for you.
I would do something like this:
Two elbows and a T - exiting in the opposite direction. . . something like that. Clearing the obstacle and saving you time and likely money.
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Countertops are tiled; a solid-surface material covers the island, including the bar that separates the kitchen from the great room. Just outside on the screened porch, a second dining area overlooks the marshland.
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2014 Critics' Choice Movie Awards: The Show, The Winners
They've geared up for one of the biggest night Hollywood has to offer, and the stars were ready for the 2014 Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Thursday (January 16).
The most popular and idolized names in the business strolled down the red carpet at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, CA before swaggering in, seeing their peers accept and take home the most highly sought-after awards.
The greatest wins of the night went to "Dallas Buyers Club" stud Matthew McConaughey for Best Actor and "Blue Jasmine" babe Cate Blanchett for Best Actress.
The Best Movie Award went to "12 Years a Slave," and check down below out the full list of 2014 Critics' Choice Movie Awards!
Best Picture
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Inside Llewyn Davis
Saving Mr. Banks
WINNER: 12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actor
Christian Bale – American Hustle
Bruce Dern – Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks – Captain Phillips
WINNER: Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford – All Is Lost
Best Actress
WINNER: Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Judi Dench – Philomena
Brie Larson – Short Term 12
Meryl Streep – August: Osage County
Emma Thompson – Saving Mr. Banks
Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
Daniel Brühl – Rush
Bradley Cooper – American Hustle
Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini – Enough Said
WINNER: Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Actress
Scarlett Johansson – Her
Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle
WINNER: Lupita Nyong'o – 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts – August: Osage County
June Squibb – Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey – Lee Daniels' The Butler
Best Young Actor/Actress
Asa Butterfield – Ender's Game
WINNER: Adele Exarchopoulos – Blue Is the Warmest Color
Liam James – The Way Way Back
Sophie Nelisse – The Book Thief
Tye Sheridan – Mud
Best Acting Ensemble
WINNER: American Hustle
August: Osage County
Lee Daniels' The Butler
12 Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Director
WINNER: Alfonso Cuarón – Gravity
Paul Greengrass – Captain Phillips
Spike Jonze – Her
Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell – American Hustle
Martin Scorsese – The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Original Screenplay
Eric Singer and David O. Russell – American Hustle
Woody Allen – Blue Jasmine
WINNER: Spike Jonze – Her
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – Inside Llewyn Davis
Bob Nelson – Nebraska
Best Adapted Screenplay
Tracy Letts – August: Osage County
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke – Before Midnight
Billy Ray – Captain Phillips
Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope – Philomena
WINNER: John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave
Terence Winter – The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Emmanuel Lubezki – Gravity
Bruno Delbonnel – Inside Llewyn Davis
Phedon Papamichael – Nebraska
Roger Deakins – Prisoners
Sean Bobbitt – 12 Years a Slave
Best Art Direction
Andy Nicholson (Production Designer) and Rosie Goodwin (Set Decorator) – Gravity
WINNER: Catherine Martin (Production Designer) and Beverley Dunn (Set Decorator) – The Great Gatsby
K.K. Barrett (Production Designer) and Gene Serdena (Set Decorator) – Her
Dan Hennah (Production Designer) and Ra Vincent (Set Decorator) – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Adam Stockhausen (Production Designer) and Alice Baker (Set Decorator) – 12 Years a Slave
Best Editing
Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers – American Hustle
Christopher Rouse – Captain Phillips
WINNER: Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger – Gravity
Daniel P. Hanley and Mike Hill – Rush
Joe Walker – 12 Years a Slave
Thelma Schoonmaker – The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Costume Design
Michael Wilkinson – American Hustle
WINNER: Catherine Martin – The Great Gatsby
Bob Buck, Lesley Burkes-Harding, Ann Maskrey and Richard Taylor – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Daniel Orlandi – Saving Mr. Banks
Patricia Norris – 12 Years a Slave
Best Hair and Makeup
WINNER: American Hustle
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Lee Daniels' The Butler
12 Years a Slave
Best Visual Effects
WINNER Gravity
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Iron Man 3
Pacific Rim
Star Trek into Darkness
Best Animated Feature
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
WINNER: Frozen
Monsters University
The Wind Rises
Best Action Movie
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Iron Man 3
WINNER: Lone Survivor
Star Trek into Darkness
Best Actor in an Action Movie
Henry Cavill – Man of Steel
Robert Downey Jr. – Iron Man 3
Brad Pitt – World War Z
WINNER: Mark Wahlberg – Lone Survivor
Best Actress in an Action Movie
WINNER: Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Evangeline Lilly – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Gwyneth Paltrow – Iron Man 3
Best Comedy
WINNER: American Hustle
Enough Said
The Heat
This Is the End
The Way Way Back
The World's End
Best Actor in a Comedy
Christian Bale – American Hustle
WINNER: Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street
James Gandolfini – Enough Said
Simon Pegg – The World's End
Sam Rockwell – The Way Way Back
Best Actress in a Comedy
WINNER: Amy Adams – American Hustle
Sandra Bullock – The Heat
Greta Gerwig – Frances Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Enough Said
Melissa McCarthy – The Heat
Best Sci-fi/Horror Movie
The Conjuring
Star Trek into Darkness
World War Z
Best Foreign Language Film
WINNER: Blue Is the Warmest Color
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Past
Best Documentary Feature
The Act of Killing
Stories We Tell
Tim's Vermeer
WINNER: 20 Feet from Stardom
Best Song
"Atlas" – Coldplay – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
"Happy" – Pharrell Williams – Despicable Me 2
WINNER: "Let It Go" – Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez – Frozen
"Ordinary Love" – U2 – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
"Please Mr. Kennedy" – Justin Timberlake, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver – Inside Llewyn Davis
"Young and Beautiful" – Lana Del Rey – The Great Gatsby
Best Score
WINNER: Steven Price – Gravity
Arcade Fire – Her
Thomas Newman – Saving Mr. Banks
Hans Zimmer – 12 Years a Slave


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LOT of 50 Assortment Flexible Multi Color Tongue Ring Barbell
We at Monstersteel offer the very best selections of body jewelry. These designs will all be the multi color designs you see in the pictures. YOU WILL RECEIVE DUPLICATES as this is a lot intended for those who will resell the jewelry. All Belly rings will be the same design, but with a mixture of 5-10 color variations.
You know that each barbell retails for $2.00 to $5.00 OR MORE - Now buy 50 pieces for almost nothing! THATS WAY MORE THAN 1000% profit!
Each tongue barbell features a 16mm bioflex FLEXIBLE barbell (5/8") with two matching design balls. These are ultra comfortable and super popular!
- Standard 1.6mm gauge (14 gauge)
- Most popular in the industry.
- Two matching designer acrylic balls (5mm & 5mm)


text:
- Home
- Submit a Suggestion for Research
- Read Suggested Topics for Research
Topic Suggestion Description
View Project Status
View Topic Suggestion Disposition (PDF) 1.2 MB
Date submitted: March 19, 2013
- Briefly describe a specific question, or set of related questions, about a health care test or treatment that this program should consider.
- 1. For children with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs), including Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct disorder (CD), and Disruptive Behavior Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (DBD NOS), what is the short-term and long-term comparative effectiveness of different psychological interventions/treatments?
o What is the comparative effectiveness (harms and benefits) of different psychological treatments versus "usual" community care for children with DBDs?
2. For children with DBDs, what is the comparative effectiveness of psychological treatment alone versus pharmacologic treatment alone or combined psychological and pharmacological treatment?
3. For children with DBDs, what is the comparative effectiveness of providing psychological interventions/treatments in different health care settings (e.g., Residential/inpatient care vs. Community based care).
4. For children with DBDs, is there evidence for matching particular psychological treatments to individual patients based on diagnosis/psychopathology, personality characteristics, socio-demographic characteristics, treatment preferences, or other measured factors?
o In other words, do psychological interventions vary in effectiveness across sub-populations with different socio-demographic and medical characteristics, including?
? Boys versus girls
? Age groups (< 6 years, 6-12 years, 13-18 years)
? Racial/ethnic minority groups
? Socioeconomic strata
? Co-morbidities (e.g., ADD/ADHD, anxiety, depression)
? ODD, CD, ADHD, and related personality traits and symptom clusters (e.g., Kolko & Pardini, 2010)
? Age of disorder onset/Duration of illness (ODD, CD, or DBD NOS)
? Treatment history (extent of prior exposure to treatment)
? Contact with justice\legal system
? Family characteristics (e.g., single parent household)
? Treatment preferences
- Does your question include a comparison of different health care approaches? (If no, your topic will still be considered.)
- yes
- If yes, explain the specific technologies, devices, drugs, or interventions you would like to see compared:
- ? Psychological treatments/psychotherapies
• Individual cognitive–behavioral treatments
o Assertive training
o Anger control training
o Incredible Years Child Training (IY-CT)
o Interpersonal skills training
o Problem-Solving Skills Training (PSST)
o Self-Control training
• Parent-based treatments
o Behavioral parent training/Parent Management Training (PMT)
o Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS)
o Helping the Non-Compliant Child (HNC)
o Helping the Non-Compliant Child (HNC)
o Incredible Years Parent Training (IY-PT)
o Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
o Positive Parenting Program (Triple P)
• Family-based treatments
o Brief strategic family therapy
o Functional Family Therapy (FFT)
o Multi-systematic therapy (MST)
o Multidimensional Family Therapy
o Multidimensional treatment foster care (MTFC)
• School-based treatments
o DARE
o Incredible Years Teacher Training (IY-TT)
o Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT)
• Other Multi-component psychosocial treatments/programs
o Boot camps (including Outward Bound/wilderness therapy)
o Incredible Years combined treatments programs
o Perry Preschool Program (e.g., Heckman et al., 2010).
• Other interventions designated as evidence-based programs for DBDs in registries:
o Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (SAMHSA) http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/
o Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Model Programs Guide (OJJDP) http://www.dsgonline.com/mpg_index.htm
o Helping America's Youth (HAY) http://guide.helpingamericasyouth.gov/programtool.cfm
o Center for the Study of Prevention of Violence: Blueprints for Violence Prevention (Blueprints) http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/index.html
o The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CWCH) http://www.cachildwelfareclearinghouse.org/
? Pharmacological (Psychotropic) agents
o 1st & 2nd generation antipsychotics
- What patients or group(s) of patients does your question apply to? (Please include specific details such as age range, gender, coexisting diagnoses, and indications for therapy.)
- ? Boys and girls with ODD (age 18 and younger)
? Boys and girls with CD (age 18 and younger)
? Boys and girls with DBD NOS (age 18 and younger)
? Youth exhibiting aggressive behavior
? Youth with history of violent behavior
? Youth with non-compliant, delinquent, antisocial, and other disruptive behavior
? Youth with impulsive behavioral symptoms or disorders
- Are there subgroups of patients that your question might apply to? (For example, an ethnic group, stage or severity of a disease.)
- ? Boys and girls
? Age groups (< 6 years, 6-12 years, 13-18 years)
? Racial/ethnic minority groups
? Youth in low SES/disadvantaged homes
? Youth within the foster care system
? Co-morbid pervasive developmental disorders, including autistic spectrum disorder
? Youth who committed or are incarcerated for criminal offenses
? Common psychological co-morbidities (e.g., ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use)
? Prevalent medical comorbidities, including epilepsy, obesity, and sleep disorders
? Learning disabilities (language and reading impairment)
? Differences in other potentially significant moderators of treatment effectiveness:
o Age of disorder onset/duration of illness (ODD, CD, or BDB NOS)
o Treatment history (Prior exposure to treatment)
o History of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence
o Contact with juvenile justice\legal system
o Family characteristics (e.g., single parent household, parental supervision)
- Describe the health-related benefits you are interested in. (For example, improvements in patient symptoms or problems from treatment or diagnosis.)
- ? Amelioration of behavioral & emotional symptoms (number, frequency, & severity):
o Reduced hostile behavior
o Reduced aggressive behavior, including bullying
o Reduced violent behavior
o Reduced delinquent behavior
o Reduced impulsive behavior
o Reduced fighting, destruction of property, theft, and rule violations
o Increased compliance with parents, teachers, and institutional rules
? Remission of disorder (i.e., diagnosis of ODD, CD, or DBD NOS)
? Reduction in comorbid mental health symptoms and disorders (e.g. mood disorders, ADHD, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, etc.)
? Improved co-morbid health conditions (e.g., sleep disturbances, obesity)
? Improved school performance/attendance
? Improved child functioning at home
? Improved family functioning/cohesion
? Improved interpersonal/social functioning and competence (e.g., greater peer acceptance, quality of life for child and family)
? Reduced interactions with the legal/juvenile justice system (e.g., arrests, detention)
? Reduced health care system utilization (e.g., social services)
- Describe any health-related risks, side effects, or harms that you are concerned about.
- ? Potential harms associated with different psychological treatment approaches, including relative decrease in treatment adherence and drop-out
? Short- and long-term side effects of pharmacological treatments, including relative decrease in treatment adherence and withdrawal due to adverse events
? Impaired growth and maturation
? Self-injury and suicide-related behaviors
? Increased disruptive, violent, criminal, or other socially deviant behavior, for instance due to contagion effect (i.e., peer support and modeling of deviant behaviors in groups).
Appropriateness for EHC Program
- Does your question include a health care drug, intervention, device, or technology available (or likely to be available) in the U.S.?
- yes
- Which priority area(s) and population(s) does this topic apply to? (check all that apply)
- EHC Priority Conditions (updated in 2008)
- Depression and other mental health disorders
- Developmental delays, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism
- Functional limitations and disability
- Obesity
- Pregnancy, including preterm birth
- Substance abuse
- AHRQ Priority Populations
- Low income groups
- Minority groups
- Children
- Individuals with special health care needs, including individuals with disabilities or who need chronic care or end-of-life health care
- Federal Health Care Program
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Other
- Describe why this topic is important.
- ? DBDs are highly prevalent: Between 9% and 16% of all children and adolescents are diagnosed with ODD, CD or DBD NOS at some point during the developmental period, ranking disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) as the first or second most common mental health condition among youth (Bonin et al., 2011; Kessler et al., 2005; Russo & Beidel, 1994; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). Additionally, roughly three times as many youth suffer from sub-clinical conduct problems (Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, 2009).
? DBDs in youth are severe, chronic, and perpetuate into adulthood: Over time, youth with conduct problems frequently exhibit persistent patterns of substance abuse, school truancy and drop-out, interpersonal violence, delinquency, and antisocial/criminal behavior (Loeber, 1991; Sansbury Centre for Mental Health, 2009). Children and adolescents with DBDs have the poorest prognosis for adult adjustment of all childhood disorders (Meier, Slutske, Heath, & Martin, 2011; Murrihy, Kidman, & Ollendick, 2010); up to 50% of these youth eventually develop adult antisocial personality disorder (Bonin et al., 2011; Kohlberg, Ricks, & Snarey, 1984).
? DBDs create an immense societal and economic burden, and effective early treatment may reduce crime and save health care dollars: Public expenditures on youths with CD are substantially larger than for youths with closely related conditions (Foster & Jones, 2005). For instance, the public costs per child in the UK related to CD has been estimated to far exceeded $1,000,000 over a lifetime (Knapp, McDaid, & Parsonage, 2011; Scott, Knapp, Henderson, & Maughan, 2001; Romeo, Knapp, Scott, 2006). Conversely, a number of effectiveness trials suggest that implementation of evidence-based parenting programs is likely to yield large cost savings to the public sector and society (Heckman, Moon, Pinto, Savelyev, & Yavitz, 2010; Bonin et al., 2011). According to the NHS, when the wider cost of crime are included,
- What specifically motivated you to ask this question? (For example, you are developing a clinical guideline, working with a policy with large uncertainty about the appropriate approach, costly intervention, new research you have read, items in the media you may have seen, a clinical practice dilemma you know of, etc.)
- ? Our organization would like to develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of youth with DBDs. Guidance on the effective psychosocial treatment of DBDs is a high priority for psychologists, patients, and parents/families, as well as for schools, allied health professionals, residential facilities and the victims of antisocial behavior; yet, there is currently a lack of guidance the relative benefits and effective use of psychosocial treatments for DBDs.
? The treatment of DBDs is particularly relevant to the public interest given the excessive burden on school, juvenile justice, and mental health systems. However, currently there is a dearth of research-based guidance to inform/facilitate best practices among psychologists and other health care providers. The lack of current treatment guidelines means that many youth do not receive needed psychosocial programs for DBDs. These youth generally exhibit increasingly severe problems with antisocial and criminal behavior that persist into adulthood.
? There is a lack of balanced clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) that may promote improved patient care and public education. Furthermore, as indicated below, the few existing CPGs have serious limitations.
1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Steiner et al. (2007). Practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 46(1), 126-41.
o Recommends clinicians "consider parent intervention based on one of the empirically tested interventions." However, the guidelines do not differentiate between different parent training programs.
o Furthermore, this guideline has a narrow scope on ODD; it's a bit dated and does not include some of the best quality trials that have been conducted over the past several years.
2. NICE guideline on "Parent-training/education programs in the management of con
- Does your question represent uncertainty for clinicians and/or policy-makers? (For example, variations in clinical care, controversy in what constitutes appropriate clinical care, or a policy decision.)
- yes
- If yes, please explain:
- ? Implementation of interventions for DBDs has been hampered by a lack of clear consensus on which treatments are the "best" (and which treatments are ineffective or contraindicated). Moreover, it is not clear whether particular interventions are more effective for girls or boys, as well as how co-morbidities moderate treatment outcome.
? Although many individual, family, and school/teacher-based psychosocial interventions have been developed, there is uncertainty regarding the relative effectiveness of these different treatments, and which treatment approaches should be more widely disseminated and implemented in routine care.
? The use of antipsychotic medications in children and adolescents for indications other than psychosis or Tourette syndrome is controversial (Cooper et al., 2004). There is uncertainty over the use and possible harms from pharmacological interventions for youth with DBDs, as well as the questionable benefits of combined psychological and pharmacological treatment, which is the most commonly reported approach used in community settings (Tcheremissine & Lieving, 2006).
? Uncertainty about the benefits of current "standard" community care for youth with DBDs. Concerns about the potential harms to children, families, and society of ineffectively treating DBDs, especially with medication.
? Some studies have found variations in treatment response among sub-groups of youth with DBDs and various co-morbidities (e.g., ADHD) and personality traits, while others have not (Cunningham & Ollendick, 2010; Kolko & Pardini, 2010); thus, it remains unclear whether these youth can be matched with treatment programs/interventions that are most effective given the clinical presentation.
? Uncertainty regarding the best point (or points) of intervention along the trajectory of disruptive behavioral problems from onset to development of chronic symptomatology.
Potential Impact
- How will an answer to your research question be used or help inform decisions for you or your group?
- ? The proposed systematic review on DBDs will provide an up-to-date synthesis of quality research on the effectiveness (and potential harms/benefits) of psychological treatments for youth with disruptive behavior disorders. The data will be used by our organization to develop evidence-based treatment guidelines to inform psychologists, consumers, and other stakeholders about the comparative effectiveness of current treatments for DBDs. Increasing awareness about the characteristics and availability of effective psychosocial treatments will encourage their use in clinical practice.
? Given the significant number of children who become chronically antisocial and delinquent during the school years, and the high costs to society, children, and families, it is important to identify effective treatments for disruptive behavior problems and disorders (McCabe, Lucchini, Hough, Yeh, & Hazen, 2005).
? The proposed systematic review will identify gaps in research data and areas to target for improvement in treatment implementation, which will guide future research by psychologists and other disciplines on DBDs (and may result in greater funding for such research).
References Cited
Berkout, O. V., Young, J. N., & Gross, A. M. (2011). Mean girls and bad boys: Recent research on gender differences in conduct disorder. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16(6), 503-511.
Bonin, E. M., Stevens, M., Beecham, J., Byford, S., & Parsonage, M. (2011). Costs and longer-term savings of parenting programmes for the prevention of persistent conduct disorder: a modelling study. BMC public health, 11, 803. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-803.
Cooper, W. O., Hickson, G. B., Fuchs, C., Arbogast, P. G., & Ray, W. A. (2004). New Users of Antipsychotic Medications Among Children Enrolled in TennCare. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med, 158(8), 753-759. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.158.8.753
Cunningham, N. R., & Ollendick, T. H. (2010). Comorbidity of anxiety and conduct problems in children: Imp
- Describe the timeframe in which an answer to your question is needed.
- Describe any health disparities, inequities, or impact on vulnerable populations your question applies to.
- ? Children from low income families and disadvantaged/underserved communities are disproportionally affected by DBDs (McMillen et al., 2005; Shoemaker, 2010; Wu et al., 1999). Moreover, DBDs are significantly more common among several racial and ethnic minority groups, including African Americans, Native Hawaiians (NHs), and Pacific Islanders (PIs) (Nguyen, Huang, Arganza, & Liao, 2007). Within Asians, NHs, and PIs, CD has been strongly associated with adult antisocial behavior, substance use and affective disorders (Nguyen et al., 2007). Further research is needed to elucidate prevalence and predictors of DBDs among different minority groups (Sakai et al., 2008).
? Despite public enthusiasm for reducing disruptive, violent, and antisocial behavior in youth, girls and ethnic minority populations were not sufficiently represented in prior literature reviews (due to lack of controlled research) to ensure that the identified treatments work for them (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999).
? Gender may be a critical moderator of treatment efficacy/effectiveness. In fact, Turpin, Stewart, Beach, and Boesky (2002) suggested that gender specific interventions may be particularly helpful for treating female behavioral difficulties, and this idea bears future empirical investigation. Examination of these issues may lead to the development of more effective treatments for girls with CD, and ultimately inform efforts to develop targeted intervention and/or prevention programs for both genders. (Berkout, Young, & Gross, 2011).
? In addition, the many systems involved in the treatment of youth with ODD and CD face a significant challenge in finding and implementing successful treatments. For example, in 2008, more than 81,015 offenders were in custody in juvenile residential placement facilities (Sickmund, 2010). It is unclear whether this is the best placement for these youth.
Nominator Information
- Other Information About You: (optional)
- Please choose a description that best describes your role or perspective: (you may select more than one category if appropriate)
- Other Health Care Professional
- Professional Society
- Researcher
- Are you making a suggestion as an individual or on behalf of an organization?
- Organization - American Psychological Association (APA)
- Please tell us how you heard about the Effective Health Care Program
- From AHRQ presentations and the AHRQ website.


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DENNIS -- Leafing through a booklet of guests' comments in our spacious suite at Scargo Manor, we came across the word ''pristine." With apologies to the writer, we're stealing it, because it's the perfect word to describe this handsome sea captain's house where every wall seems freshly painted, every piece of woodwork newly polished, every window just washed.
Innkeeper Debbie Bain, who bought the house with her husband, Larry, in 2002, describes herself as ''fanatic" about cleanliness and presentation. For our money, that's fanatic in a good way.
The 1895 manor on 2 1/2 acres abutting Scargo Lake is a gem, with sunny window seats, stained glass accents, pocket doors, and ornate brickwork. The centerpiece of the front room is a built-in cabinet with a clock over the fireplace, which has rounded edges and intricate designs carved into the brick.
We stayed in the largest accommodation, the Captain Howes suite, consisting of a large sitting room, an even larger bedroom, and a spacious bath -- more than 500 square feet in all. The corner suite had eight tall, arched windows; during the day, the lace panels let in plenty of light, and at dawn we appreciated the room-darkening shades.
Decorated in burgundy, cream, and gold, the sitting room had a daybed, fireplace, coffee table, two chairs, end tables, and a large television. Colorful braided rugs covered wide floorboards painted forest green. While the inn is right on Route 6A, it is set back from the road, so there is little traffic noise. The view is of an expanse of manicured lawn, flowering shrubs, and a wide wraparound porch.
Even with a canopied king-size bed in the bedroom, there was room for a sitting area with two upholstered chairs, a vanity, a mahogany highboy, end tables, and plenty of lamps. A closet between the two rooms held a mini refrigerator stocked with bottled water and soda.
The bathroom had a tub and shower, a nice deep sink, hair dryer, and plenty of storage. Smaller rooms are equally charming. All have a private bath, though most have a shower only. The Hydrangea Room, decorated in the blue of this popular Cape Cod flowering shrub, has a skylight and view of the lake. It shares a sitting room with two other third-floor niches.
Breakfast is served from 8:30 to 9:30 in a sunny room on tables set with slate-blue damask topped with white lace. It consisted of fresh melon cut into the shape of a dory, fruit juice, and waffles one day and spinach quiche with sausage the next, along with homemade cranberry bread. The Bains were whirling dervishes, always on hand to refill coffee cups, offer advice, or give directions.
Paintings by local artists adorn the walls of the breakfast room.
''It's a twofer," said Larry. ''We help artists sell their work, and they help us decorate the inn."
Also on display in the common rooms are custom-made baskets. Everywhere, there are magazines and books about the Cape.
Much of the inn's charm lies in the details: carefully chosen antiques, a jar of sea glass on a hearth, a glass bowl of sand dollars, seashell-print paper lining bureau drawers.
It's a pleasant walk to the lakefront and the Adirondack chairs, hammock, and gazebo with wicker furniture. Guests can borrow rowboats, canoes, and bicycles or take a swim.
Roz Levine and her sister, Sandra Katz, Worcester real estate agents who found themselves at Scargo Manor after winning a weekend here at a charity auction, said they ''absolutely fell in love" with the inn.
''This place is spotless," Levine said, ''and you could not ask for more accommodating hosts."
Another perk of a stay at Scargo Manor is the fact that the inn is next door to a legendary Cape restaurant, the Red Pheasant. It's an upscale, gourmet venue with prices to match, but the food and atmosphere merit its reputation. From our table in the old barn, we could view a lighted English garden decorated with stoneware from nearby Scargo Pottery. We enjoyed an appetizer of flash-fried soft-shell crabs, followed by one of the night's special entrees, lobster and scallops ''a la nage." The lobster tail and seared sea scallop in a light herb broth with fingerling potatoes was a delicate treatment of the sweet seafood. Linzer torte with fresh strawberries and Frangelico crème brûlée capped an excellent dinner.
The Scargo Tower, about a mile away, offers a panoramic view of Scargo Lake and Cape Cod Bay beyond. The round stone structure is known as a good spot from which to view the sunset. Debbie says it's also a popular site for marriage proposals -- though the lazy romantic might want to skip the 38-step climb to the top and pop the question in the manor's lovely lakeside gazebo.
Contact Ellen Albanese at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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nodestack at SCALE 11x Live Video Stream
Friday, February 22, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (PST)
Who's Going
San Francisco, California
London, United Kingdom
Florence, Italy
Event Details
The best open source stack for building and deploying your app is nodestack: the combination of SmartOS, node.js, and MongoDB. Each individual component of the stack provides compelling benefits on its own, but next-generation development groups from startup to enterprise are adopting these components as a stack, for the unique benefits of using them together.
This free tutorial, led by Joyent's Max Bruning and Shaun Verch of MongoDB, will tell you why it's so.
If you're attending SCALE 11x this year, you can join us in person for nodestack at SCALE. If not, you can watch online!
Join us live online from 9 am to noon (Pacific Time) on Friday, February 22nd, to learn more about these great technologies and how you can use them.
When & Where
Friday, February 22, 2013 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (PST)
Add to my calendar


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They've been engaged for awhile now, and rumor has it that Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez will get hitched this weekend.
According to a report, the "Monster's Ball" babe flew out to Paris to make final preparations for the blessed event along with her daughter Nahla.
Getting ready to jet off to their next destination, Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez caught a departing flight out of Los Angeles International airport on Tuesday (July 9).
Taking some time out of her schedule for a pampering session, Halle Berry visited a Studio City, CA nail salon on Monday (July 8).
Rocking her baby bump in loose-fitting white pants and a tank top, the "Cloud Atlas" cutie looked refreshed as she headed back to her SUV post appointment.
Taking care of some items on her to-do list, Halle Berry was out and about running errands on Saturday (July 6) in Hollywood, CA.
The "Cloud Atlas" cutie had a smile on her face as she showed off her growing baby bump in a black sundress while she and an assistant made a stop in a fabric store for some goodies before heading off for some lunch at Pink Taco.
Keeping a close eye on her bun in the oven, Halle Berry headed over to her doctor's office in Los Angeles for a routine appointment Wednesday afternoon (July 3).
The "Swordfish" starlet tried to hide her growing baby bump beneath a draped tunic with a loose black skirt and black t-strap sandals as she exited the medical center.
Getting ready for the arrival of her baby boy, Halle Berry went furniture shopping on Friday (June 28) in Culver City, CA.
Showing off her growing baby bump in a blue patterned maxi dress, the "Call" actress visited HD Buttercup with a friend to check out their collections.
Speaking out on an issue close to her heart, Halle Berry testified before California's Assembly Committee on Public Safety on Tuesday (June 25) in Sacramento.
The expectant mother was on hand to lend her support to an anti-paparazzi bill, which would limit the ability of photographers to take pictures of celebrities children, citing her own daughter Nahla as an example saying "My daughter doesn't want to go to school because she knows 'the men' are watching for her."
Though she's not quite big enough to rest the hors d'oeuvres plate on her belly, Halle Berry chowed down at a party in Venice, California on Saturday (June 22).
The "Cloud Atlas" star donned a gray maxi dress and black sweater as she chatted with guests while feeding her baby bump.


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Maher rise surprises Verbeek
AZ coach Gertjan Verbeek says he was pleasantly surprised to see teenage midfielder Adam Maher earn his first international call-up.
Last Updated: 16/02/12 2:50pm
AZ Alkmaar coach Gertjan Verbeek says he was pleasantly surprised to see teenage midfielder Adam Maher called up for the Netherlands squad to face England in this month's friendly.
Maher has made a big impact in the Eredivisie this season, producing a number of eye-catching performances to attract interest from across Europe.
The 18-year-old is also eligible to play for Morocco and must decide in the future where his allegiance lies, but could feature for Holland in the Wembley friendly game on February 29th.
AZ boss Verbeek was surprised at how quickly the youngster earned his first international call-up but has no doubt the midfielder can do well.
"It's very fast, but it is nice for the boy," Verbeek told NUSport.
"At the beginning of the season a few people pointed out that he is a great player. He got called up once for the juniors and now he's in the frame for the senior Oranje.
"I know the level but I know he can easily adapt."


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This week in class, we discussed more about how we are going to present our final 20 time project. It will be at least an 8 minute speech about a certain topic, and under that topic we will pull in examples from our year-long project (in my case, preparing for and participating in the Relay event). I think for my topic I will choose hard work, and how it leads to success. I feel like it is very present in my project, and in life in general. I spent a while thinking with no good ideas until I got this one, and I think that this is the one. I have had this song stuck in my head for the last 4 days, and the name of it is "Hard Work" by the Sun Harbour Chorus. It is the song in the new Gatorade commercial, and it is REALLY catchy. Here is a link to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCPE-HdjAs0. It is hard to hear what the main guy is actually saying, but the "hard work, work" has been stuck in my head, and anyone on my basketball team will tell you the same.
In terms of the Relay event, I collected some more pop cans which I probably should return soon. Also, I got an email about the Relay Kickoff Event that is going to be happening soon. The email explained that it is going to be an informational event taking place in the end of February. Also, I added some old money from pop can returns and manual labor, so I'm up to $135.60!
We learned briefly about skin cancer in biology. Just because you have skin cancer doesn't mean that it is going to kill you, or is all that dangerous. It becomes an issue when it spreads to different parts of the body. After the originally mutated cell because mutated enough, it can tap into your body, get into your bloodstream, and cause cancer in other parts of your body. That is when it really gets dangerous.


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The development of a new signal processing program at the Queensland University of Technology
Boashash, B., Sridharan, Sridha, & Chandran, Vinod (1996) The development of a new signal processing program at the Queensland University of Technology. IEEE Transactions on Education, 39(2), pp. 186-191.
The School of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering at Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia (QUT), offers three bachelor degree courses in electrical and computer engineering. In all its courses there is a strong emphasis on signal processing. A newly established Signal Processing Research Centre (SPRC) has played an important role in the development of the signal processing units in these courses. This paper describes the unique design of the undergraduate program in signal processing at QUT, the laboratories developed to support it, and the criteria that influenced the design.
Impact and interest:
Citation counts are sourced monthly from Scopus and Web of Science® citation databases.
These databases contain citations from different subsets of available publications and different time periods and thus the citation count from each is usually different. Some works are not in either database and no count is displayed. Scopus includes citations from articles published in 1996 onwards, and Web of Science® generally from 1980 onwards.
Citations counts from the Google Scholar™ indexing service can be viewed at the linked Google Scholar™ search.
Full-text downloads:
Full-text downloads displays the total number of times this work's files (e.g., a PDF) have been downloaded from QUT ePrints as well as the number of downloads in the previous 365 days. The count includes downloads for all files if a work has more than one.
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|Journal Article
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|computer science education, educational courses, electrical engineering education, laboratories, signal processing, student experiments, Australia, Brisbane, Queensland University of Technology, School of Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering, Signal Processing Research Center, bachelor degree courses, computer engineering, electrical engineering, signal processing program, undergraduate program
|1557-9638 (online) 0018-9359 (print)
|Past > QUT Faculties & Divisions > Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering
Past > Schools > School of Engineering Systems
|Copyright Owner:
|Copyright 1996 IEEE
|Copyright Statement:
|2011 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.
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|16 Oct 2011 22:08
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|17 Oct 2011 20:28
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text:
You Shot It: Saturday in the South
Every Saturday we ask you all to share your favorite weekend views on Instagram and Twitter using #SouthernSnapshot. Believe us, it's not easy to narrow down the selection. Thank you for your gorgeous contributions. Here are our favorite pics from last week.
Jennifer Marshall sent us this image of her daughter enjoying a beautiful sunset in Oconee County, Georgia.
Every week @F8inMemphis posts moody and evocative pictures of the rural South. Here, a county jail in Tennessee.
Will Hitchcock's view of New Orleans is simply breathtaking.
What's better than barbecue and beer on the weekend? Will Hitchcock shared his meal from Sugar's Ribs in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Show us how you are spending your weekend using #SouthernSnapshot on Instagram and Twitter.
And don't forget to follow us on Intagram to join in on our Southern Summer 30-Day Challenge (details here), in which we are asking you to share a summer-themed photo each day. Your photos could end up on the site!


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David Gentleman
Watercolourist, lithographer and designer David Gentleman, 82, is based in Primrose Hill. He is best known for his 1979 murals at Charing Cross Underground station and his watercolour landscapes. His latest book, London, You're Beautiful: An Artist's Year, was published last year by Penguin.
'It's astonishing seeing London at your feet, as if it were all a toy, with the little trains creeping along like centipedes. The skyscrapers of the past look puny from up here and you get a fantastic sense of the way the river curves. I can see as far as the Thames Barrier and the Lee Valley reservoirs. I like seeing the river and the crafts rushing about on it. Through the centuries, artists such as Canaletto have been fascinated by riverside activity — he would have loved to have seen it like this.
I've often drawn from Primrose Hill, a more modest height, and there the skyline is more like a frieze on the horizon, whereas here it's as deep top to bottom as it is wide. It makes the buildings look very different. The basic limitation to sketching up here is that nothing you see was ever meant to be viewed from above; the tops of buildings have always been very useful to architects as invisible dustbins. And from here you can see what an incredible muddle London is. You can see the remains of old street plans, with the railways cutting through. It makes you realise that the scale of the city is changing.'
Rob Ryan
Rob Ryan, 50, is an artist and illustrator based in Victoria. Born in Cyprus, he has lived in the capital for more than 30 years and produces his papercut designs, with intricate motifs and whimsical figures, from a Bethnal Green studio.
'I feel that this picture (right) could be a kind of memorial. My juxtaposition of the floral motifs against the photograph reminds me of the grave of the unknown warrior in Westminster Abbey. Each person's reaction to the view is different — mine is sombre and contemplative. I'm thinking about how at just one glance I can see the events of the past 30 years of my life mapped out below me and it seems a very short time and depressingly insignificant — when I'm gone, all this below me will carry on as if I'd never even existed. The words describe how I feel up here.
It also reminds me of going to the top of St Paul's Cathedral when I was 11. You went up seemingly neverending stairs and then climbed on up through the dome; you had to work hard to get your view. Getting in a lift and zooming up 70 floors isn't the same as trudging up 70 floors. I've been up the Eiffel Tower and Paris is certainly prettier; I've been up the Empire State Building and New York is more impressive. But London is a sprawling warren of street upon street. I can't believe how medieval it looks. As Edwin Starr said: "Show me the back streets." '
John Pawson
Yorkshire-born architectural designer John Pawson, 63, lives in Notting Hill. His most notable projects include the RIBA award-winning Sackler Crossing in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2006), and the Abbey of Novy Dvur in the Czech Republic (2004). He is currently working on the Design Museum's new location in the former Commonwealth Institute in Kensington, scheduled to open next year.
'Driving to the Shard from my home, my destination was constantly in view, which intensified the excitement of arrival, but nothing prepares you for the moment when you step out of the high-speed lift into a space that has an unexpectedly domestic quality, even though the ceiling hovers three storeys above your head.
Standing here feels like being in an aeroplane, but unlike the perspective you get from the air, this vantage point has the privilege of absolute stillness. I've never felt comfortable on viewing decks before, but here you feel disconnected from the view. London looks like a model of itself, with the Lilliputian human and mechanical life unfolding below. I could — and did — spend hours looking at the different geometries of the buildings in plan and the sweeping coils of the train tracks. This is exactly the view I've been trying to get for years: the right height to see the river snaking away, but low enough to feel an intimacy with what you are looking at.'
Jamie Hewlett
Graphic designer and illustrator Jamie Hewlett, 44, had his first major success with Tank Girl, a comic-strip character for Deadline magazine in the 1980s. He also conceived the visual concept behind the 'virtual' band Gorillaz (co-founded by Blur's Damon Albarn) and has since designed Monkey: Journey to the West, a Chinese opera composed by Albarn.
'There's no doubt that the 72nd floor would make for a fantastic party venue, but to me, the Shard looks like the tip of Cronus' scythe — Cronus used his scythe to cut a hole between Heaven and Earth and in doing so created the beginning of Time. Last year saw the end of the Mayan calendar; I like the idea that the opening of the Shard might signal the beginning of a new cycle.
I find London's statues and monuments inspiring. My favourite is the Royal Artillery Memorial on Hyde Park Corner featuring a Howitzer Mk1 and four bronze figures of artillery men — I love the statue of the driver, a private. I also like the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square and the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, particularly the statues of Truth, Justice and Charity.'
Alice Temperley
Fashion designer Alice Temperley, 37, comes from Somerset but her label, which she launched 12 years ago, is based in London. Her pieces have been worn by everyone from Rihanna, to Dakota Fanning and the Duchess of Cambridge. She was awarded an MBE for services to the fashion industry in 2011.
'I was worried I was going to get vertigo when I came up here, but you feel like you're in a wonderfully safe glass cage. And the view is so lovely, I forgot about the vertigo and just wanted to have a good look. If I'd had a few days, I would have liked to have sketched the whole 360-degree view, but I had to decide on one aspect and chose Tower Bridge and the river. Londoners should focus more on the Thames because it's so beautiful; we should utilise it more.
I was hoping for big shards of light but the view is quite hazy and the colours muted. The scale of things is so large that the city seems to lose its 3D quality and it feels like you're looking down on a pattern. The biggest surprise was finding that London is neverending. It doesn't have the order and symmetry of Paris, but that's the beauty of it, it's an eclectic mishmash.'
- More about:
- Artists
- London Art Museums
- New York City
- Skyscrapers


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Former FBI Agent to Lead Deception Detection Seminar
Spartanburg, S.C. – What she said sounds pretty far-fetched, but is it true?
In day-to-day life, you'll hear lies from your children, salespeople, coworkers, friends, politicians and even uttered from your own mouth. But how do you know if someone is being truthful or just "pulling your leg?"
The George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics at the University of South Carolina Upstate welcomes guest speaker, F. Lee Howell, to their Wells Fargo Speaker Series, for a half-day seminar that will help you to identify verbal and non-verbal behaviors and clues that indicate deceptive intent.
The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, August 7, in the BMW Classroom at the George, 160 E. Saint John St. in downtown Spartanburg. Tickets are $10 (includes continental breakfast) and must be purchased in advance at www.uscupstate.edu/wellsfargo .
Howell is a 26-year veteran of the FBI who worked many undercover assignments, and supervised the selection and training of other FBI undercover agents. He now runs a consulting company, The Behavioral Assessment Group, which trains people to recognize and distinguish between a person who is uncertain of their answers and someone who is purposefully deceitful, possibly with the intent to inflict harm. He will share deception identification techniques, non-coercive interviewing techniques, what questions to ask, as well as tips for recognizing how someone's deceptive strategy may impact you.
The seminar will be useful for a wide range of people in a variety of professions, including human resources, law enforcement, education, banking, investment and business.
For more information, contact Bea Walters Smith at (864) 503-5235 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Short Link:


text:
94 F3d 657 White v. Adams County Detention Facility Wt Jj
94 F.3d 657
David Christopher WHITE, Plaintiff-Appellant,
ADAMS COUNTY DETENTION FACILITY, Sheriff Camp, W.T. Shearer,
Sheriff; Penny Brown, Former Jail Director; Melanie
Gregory, Technical Services Manager; Donald Jarvis,
Captain; Sgt. Debaca, Deputy Argo, Sgt. Hersey, Sgt.
Tottem, Sgt. Baily, Sgt. Tweden, J.J. Long, Sgt., Defendant-Appellees.
No. 95-1525.
(D.C.No. 94-S-2478)
United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit.
Aug. 15, 1996.
NOTICE: Although citation of unpublished opinions remains unfavored, unpublished opinions may now be cited if the opinion has persuasive value on a material issue, and a copy is attached to the citing document or, if cited in oral argument, copies are furnished to the Court and all parties. See General Order of November 29, 1993, suspending 10th Cir. Rule 36.3 until December 31, 1995, or further order.
Before SEYMOUR, Chief Judge, KELLY and LUCERO, Circuit Judges.
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R.App. P. 34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The cause is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
Mr. David C. White filed this pro se action under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that the Adams County Detention Facility and several state officials violated his Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment rights during his incarceration. The district court dismissed Mr. White's complaint pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1915(d) and denied him leave to proceed in forma pauperis on this appeal.
This matter is before the court on Mr. White's motion for leave to proceed on appeal without prepayment of costs or fees. In order to succeed on his motion, Mr. White must show both: (1) a financial inability to pay the required filing fees and (2) the existence of a nonfrivolous argument on the law and facts in support of the issues raised on appeal. See 28 U.S.C. § 1915(a); Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438 (1962); DeBardeleben v. Quinlan, 937 F.2d 502 (10th Cir.1991).
We agree with the district court that Mr. White can make no rational argument on the law or facts in support of the issues raised on appeal. Therefore, the motion for leave to proceed on appeal without prepayment of costs or fees is denied substantially for the reasons given by the district court.
The decision of the district court is AFFIRMED. The mandate shall issue forthwith.
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions 10th Cir. R. 36.3


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[Date Index]
[Thread Index]
[Author Index]
Importing and manipulating text files
I have a a large text file saved in notepad that i would like to
import into Mathematica and break up by columns. I am able to import
the file but I have no idea how to break up the data. The data is
seperated by commas. In Mathematica the data comes in as a table with
5 places {1,2,3,4,5}. There are about 2500 data sets of this. I would
like to take the specific place value from each data set ({1,2,3,4,5})
and make a column of data mathematica can use. For example, I would
like to take the the second value from all 2500 data sets and turn it
into a seperate list of data. I am not sure if this is possible. Does
anyone have any experience with this? Thanks.


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Posted by Charlie Dai on the Enterprise Architecture Professionals Blog on March 26, 2014
Microsoft is officially launching the commercial operations of its cloud offerings in China today. It's been only nine months since Steve Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, made the announcement in Shanghai that Windows Azure — now renamed Microsoft Azure — would be available for preview in the Chinese market.
I call that Episode I of the China Cloud War. In the report that I published at the time, "PaaS Market Dynamics in China, 2012 To 2017", I made three predictions — predictions that are now being fulfilled. More global players are joining the war; customers have gotten familiar with cloud concepts and are planning hybrid cloud implementations for their businesses; and traditional IT service providers have started to transform themselves into cloud service providers.
I talked with Microsoft and Citrix last week, and I strongly believe that Episode I has ended and Episode II has just begun. In the battle for partner ecosystems and real customer business, here are the three major plots that enterprise architects and CIOs in China should watch unfold:
Posted by Michael Barnes on the Customer Insights Professionals Blog on December 25, 2012
Amazon Web Services (AWS) held its first global customer and partner conference, re:Invent, in late November in Las Vegas, attracting approximately 6,000 attendees. While aimed squarely at developers, AWS highlighted two key themes that will appeal directly to enterprise IT decision-makers:
Posted by Richard Fichera on the Infrastructure & Operations Professionals Blog on October 4, 2011
My colleague James Staten recently wrote about AutoDesk Cloud as an exemplar of the move toward App Internet, the concept of implementing applications that are distributed between local and cloud resources in a fashion that is transparent to the user except for the improved experience. His analysis is 100% correct, and AutoDesk Cloud represents a major leap in CAD functionality, intelligently offloading the inherently parallel and intensive rendering tasks and facilitating some aspects of collaboration.
But (and there's always a "but"), having been involved in graphics technology on and off since the '80s, I would say that "cloud" implementation of rendering and analysis is something that has been incrementally evolving for decades, with hundreds of well-documented distributed environments with desktops fluidly shipping their renderings to local rendering and analysis farms that would today be called private clouds, with the results shipped back to the creating workstations. This work was largely developed and paid for either by universities and by media companies as part of major movie production projects. Some of them were of significant scale, such as "Massive," the rendering and animation farm for "Lord of the Rings" that had approximately 1,500 compute nodes, and a subsequent installation at Weta that may have up to 7,000 nodes. In my, admittedly arguable, opinion, the move to AutoDesk Cloud, while representing a major jump in capabilities by making the cloud accessible to a huge number of users, does not represent a major architectural innovation, but rather an incremental step.
Posted by Frank Gillett on the CIOs Blog on March 24, 2011
Cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) is a hot market. Amazon Web Services, now five years old, drives a lot of attention and customer volume, but the vendor strategists at enterprise-facing providers such as IBM, HP, AT&T and Verizon have been building and delivering IaaS offerings. As I've studied the market, I've heard wildly different types of requirements from buyers and quite a range of offerings from service providers. Yet much of the industry dialogue is about one central idea of what IaaS is – think that's wrong headed. I found that there were really two buyer types: 1) informal buyers outside of the IT operations/data center manager organizations, such as engineers, scientists, marketing executives, and developers, and 2) formal buyers, the IT operations and data center managers responsible for operating applications and maintaining infrastructure.
With this idea in mind, I set out to test the views of IT infrastructure buyers in the Forrsights Hardware Survey, Q3 2010 and learned that:


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Matt Bomer, Darren Criss & Christina Hendricks Celebrate At Trevor Live! [PHOTOS]
Trevor Project's 2011 Trevor Live! drew many a big name to The Hollywood Palladium last night (December 4th) in Hollywood, including Darren Criss, Matt Bomer and Christina Hendricks. Criss performed "It's Not Unusual," his Tom Jones cover from Glee, while Lady Gaga was honored for her efforts on behalf of LGBTQ youth.
PHOTOS: Lady Gaga Goes "Roooaaar" At The 2011 CFDA Awards
Mother Monster was presented with the award by the family of Jamey Rodemeyer, the Buffalo teen who committed suicide after incessant bullying over his sexuality.
According to Radar Online, Google was also recognized by the events for their efforts. The benefit aimed to provide "expanded crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth," per Radar.
PHOTOS: Christina Hedricks Sparkles At The 2011 Emmy Awards
LeAnn Rimes wore some green tenty thing, which would have looked cool on someone else. She brought that Z-Lister, Eddie Cibrian with her, who appears to be going grey. Too bad.
Launch the gallery to check out all photos of the pretty people who attended the event! If you've enjoyed this gallery, make sure to share it by using the social bookmarking buttons below! Please follow us on Facebook on Twitter and Tumblr.


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Welcome to The Butchers Arms
At the Butchers Arms we pride ourselves in delivering a great customer experience within our newly refurbished pub, beer garden and family run business.
Our staff are looking forward to serving you with our fantastic range of Food & Drink with a great lunch offer, at just £4.95.
The most recent improvement has been the new outdoor garden furniture that seats over 100 people and our secure childrens play area, this will make the Butchers Arms the perfect family venue.
To ensure you do not miss out on some of our forthcoming events and promotions, please register your details on the 'sign up' page of our website.
Look forward to seeing you soon ...
Brian & Selena x
Opening Times
Monday - Saturday: 12 Noon - 11:00pm
Sunday: 12 Noon - 10:30pm


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Rachel Pace is 10thousandgirl's social media voice and facilitator and program coordinator for our Life Retreat Makeover Day.
A past 10thousandgirl participant herself, Rach brings life, laughter, spot on communication skills and an absolute passion for empowering women across the world.
She writes a reflective blog sharing wisdom and musings called Re-Calibrate.
Ciara started Lexicon Agency with her business partner Amanda Deacon. Lexicon is a financial services marketing agency that works with banks and fund managers to help them communicate successfully with their clients. We provide the thinking, words and design our clients need to successfully get their message across. We love what we do and we're passionate about […]
Amanda is a Director of Lexicon Agency. Lexicon is a financial services marketing agency that works with banks and fund managers to help them communicate successfully with their clients. We provide the thinking, words and design our clients need to successfully get their message across. We love what we do and we're passionate about making financial […]
Unbiased Financial Education for Rural Women
The 10thousandgirl Campaign heads to Southern Queensland to help boost the health of women' finances.
Money Workshops Helping Women
The 10thousandgirl campaign heads to Queensland to inspire regional women to take control of their finances.
Turning a New Financial Page
10thousandgirl Founder, Zoe Lamont, talks to IAmWoman Magazine about the power of fresh starts particularly when it comes to our finances.
Seminar on Women's Finances
10thousandgirl take the Better Money Management program to the women of Hobart, Tasmania.
Free Program Will Talk Money With Women
A program designed to strengthen the financial position and planning abilities of women will be coming to Geraldton Universities Centre next week.
Money Management Workshops to Help Regional Women
A national money education program that offers regional women the opportunity to check and boost the health of their finances is heading to the Goondiwindi Royal Hotel on April 20th 2016.
10thousand 'Chances' For Women – Regional Roadshow
The 10thousandgirl Campaign will run an investment and money management program in port Lincoln.
Both 10thousand girl and HESTA recognise women generally have lower super balances than their male counterparts. This, coupled with a high percentage of women working in lower paid industries, means women need an extra bit of love when it comes to caring for their financial futures. Together we're running free one-day investing workshops across regional […]
Understand Insurance
Understand Insurance has been developed to support consumer understanding of, and access to, general insurance. Australians are not able to access and choose appropriate insurance products unless they have clear, relevant and accessible information to enable them to understand and identify their needs. Understand Insurance is pleased to be involved in the work of 10thousandgirl, […]
Credit Savvy
Our partners Credit Savvy are passionate about financial literacy and helping people take charge of their credit reputation. The majority of Australians have never checked what's on their credit file, so Credit Savvy provides free access to your Experian credit score and credit file information, as well as tips on how to improve and manage […]
Financial Literacy Australia
10thousandgirl is delivering a regional project over 2015-2017, made possible by a grant from Financial Literacy Australia. Financial Literacy Australia supports innovative research and projects that give Australians the knowledge, skills and tools necessary to reach their financial goals. See www.finlit.org.au
Tina McElligott, Partnership & Events Manager
Tina joins us as Partnership and Events Manager, and will work on the regional program as well as work closely with all the fabulous partners who are on board to support 10thousandgirl in achieving its goals. She has tertiary qualifications in public relations, and a career in banking and finance corporate affairs through roles at […]
What to do?
Founder of 10thousandgirl, Zoe, gives some advice on what to do when you're feeling a little stuck about your career, relationship, home, health or life in general.
Nationwide campaign coming to Perth
Kate from Nova 93.7 invites all her listeners on air to come along with her to a 10Thousand Girl Finance and Beauty seminar.
Kudos for being a Squiggler
Ana Smith speaks to Zoe about being a 'squigglier' and squiggling from corporate employment to social entrepreneurial ventures. Click here to read the full article/interview and see what drives her as a social entrepreneur.
Rabobank Inspires rural and regional women
Rabobank partnered with 10thousandgirl to host financial workshops in Australia's rural and regional towns.
Arienne Gorlach, Facilitator & Coach
Arienne was one of 10thousandgirl's founding volunteers and program participants before becoming a member of the team (and just quietly a best friend, soul mate and fellow inspirer of women around the world!).
Rachel Pace, Life Retreat Co-ordinator
Rach is 10thousandgirl's social media voice and co-facilitator and program coordinator for our Life Makeover Day.
Jo Balfour, PR & Media Gem
Jo Balfour has been one of 10thousandgirl's precious gems since our beginnings. Launching the campaign in March 2011, Jo continues to be a passionate supporter of the campaign, generously sharing her PR skills as our media liaison.
John Mcaskill, Founding Board Member
John Mcaskill was 10thousandgirl's founding finance director and company secretary and over 2010-2011. He assisted the grassroots organisation through the process of becoming a registered not-for-profit.
Zoe Lamont, CEO & Founder
Zoe Lamont has been involved in a number of social impact programs including being the founder of 10thousandgirl, a financial literacy program for women across Australia and Future Map, a financial wellbeing program for the workplace. A dynamic presenter, Zoe regularly appears in the Australian media speaking on the importance of planning and financial literacy, […]
Robin Stonecash, Board Member
Apart from being an active and valuable member of the 10thousandgirl Board Robin is also an associate Professor and Executive Education Director at The University of Sydney Business School. Co-author of one of the best selling economics textbooks in Australia.
Rabobank is working with 10thousandgirl to up skill rural women to increase their Economic Participation in their agribusinesses, families and communities.
National Rural Women's Coalition
The NRWC is partnering with 10thousandgirl to specifically support young women through providing financial literacy programs.
Economic Security 4 Women
Members and partners of S4W work together to empower women to make choices that ensure they have financial security and the ability to live their lives independently.
Financial Wellbeing for Social Entrepreneurs
The School for Social Entrepreneurs partnered with ING Direct to build the financial management capacity of social entrepreneurs and enterprises, using the 10thousandgirl and Future Map financial wellbeing programs.
Mixing Friends and Finances, SMH
Can you afford to attend your mates wedding in Fiji? How do you split the bill when you didn't even sip the $100 bottle of wine? You are not alone if you're finding yourself in constant modern money dilemmas with friends.
Rockhampton Workshop, WIN News
10thousandgirl in partnership with Rabobank delivered a series of inspiring finance workshops across regional Australia for women in Agriculture.
ASX: Women & Shares
Zoe shares some insights into women's financial literacy and some of the simple steps anyone can take to become a better investor.
Annie Crawford, Board Member
Annie is on the board of 10thousandgirl and is an Ambassador for microfinance partner Opportunity International.
Sue Klose, Board Member
Sue is responsible for leading and managing the senior management team. She plays a key role with the CEO and Board, developing long term goals and business vision.
Natarsha Belling Ten News Interview
Network 10 news presenter Natarsha Belling interviews 10thousandgirl founder Zoe Lamont on the progress of the campaign.
Five Women Share Advice
Five women doing amazing things around the country share their best piece of advice to mark International Women's Day 2014. news.com.au asked their one tip for success…


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What diversity & inclusion means to us.
We focus on bringing together the best people. We believe that who you are and where you come from are as much a contribution to us as your skills. We learn from each other. We are shaped by each other. We succeed together.
We seek talent regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical ability, or faith. Smart people shape our success.
We invest in people of promise. We recruit members of diverse communities wherever we do business and actively support their careers with us.
In the United States, we go out of our way to recruit and support veterans of military service. They have demonstrated their ability to take on tough challenges.
We hire for character above all. Clients trust us to help them solve their most difficult problems. Every individual at Marsh & McLennan Companies has responsibility for our continued success.


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Choir Tour '06
Photos submitted by Dawn Dvoracek on 4/3/2006.
The University of the Ozarks musical ensembles recently completed an eight-day tour through Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. The tour featured performances by the Select Women's Ensemble, the Select Mixed Ensemble, the University Chorus, and the University Ringers under the direction of Dr. G. Mikael Lindström, Assistant Professor of Music.
The University Ringers performed "Be Thou My Vision" using the 37 Schulmerich hand bells donated to the University by President and First-Lady Rick and Sherée Niece.
Relaxation time!


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To market, to market: the shopping of democracy
In Michigan, they no longer even pretend.
The city of Pontiac has replaced elected officials with an unelected "emergency manager", who, as Slate magazine puts it, "has the power to do basically anything he needs to do if it'll set the city right".
Michigan – like much of the United States - is in economic free fall, so much so that, to save money, Highland Park has not only turned off its streetlights but has ripped out all the poles so they can't be replaced.
You'd think that public participation would be more rather than less crucial in times of crisis. The ordinary people forced to live in a city kept perpetually dark might, you imagine, want some say in future allocations of resources.
Instead, these days, liberal democracy functions like an umbrella full of holes – wonderful, right up to when the rain starts.
In Greece, for instance, former PM Papandreou briefly floated the notion of a referendum over the scorched earth cutbacks planned for his country. In response, the markets panicked – and the vote was quickly scotched. Now, in Greece - as in Italy - unelected officials preside over the worst social crisis in a generation.
Meanwhile, the Irish budget has been leaked by European finance officials to the German parliament. The Irish people haven't seen the cutbacks they face – but the German finance committee has.
All this confirms Paul Vallely's argument in the Independent: that "political power in Europe has passed to a tiny elite of technocrats".
What about in Australia? If it's the economic calamity besetting the US and in Europe that's led to the ebbing of the democratic tide, can we consider ourselves immune? Are we safely sandbagged behind the mining boom?
James Shugg, Westpac's London-based senior economist, doesn't think so.
"I've started smoking; I can't get to sleep at night," he told the Australian last week. "Markets are freezing up, banks are losing access to credit and funding; things are even worse than you are reading about. […] This should scare the living daylights out of (everyone) ... it's a global catastrophe and there are going to be impacts felt here in Australia."
In any case, the retreat from democracy has not come out of nowhere.
We're accustomed to think of neoliberalism as a theory of free market economics. But because its advocates see the market as applicable everywhere, neoliberalism's political consequences are profound.
Most obviously, it reduces the space for politics. Margaret Thatcher, an early disciple, famously announced the doctrine of TINA – There is No Alternative. If the market demands that pensions be cut, well, that's what must happen, for otherwise the stock exchange will wreak havoc. The role of government becomes a matter of stewardship, with an administration judged by the efficiency with which it interprets market signals and the efficacy with which it responds.
More profoundly, neoliberalism reshapes the notion of citizenship, so that voters' relationship with their government becomes analogous to consumers' relationship with a corporation. Rather than active participants, they become individual customers, who engage with politics by selecting a candidate at election time just as they choose a product from a supermarket shelf.
Not surprisingly, across the western world, we've seen a long-term decline in political participation. Fewer people join parties or pressure groups – or even pay them much attention. Politics is no longer something you do but something that's done for you: every so often, the political parties court your vote via the media, much as Apple roles out some cool commercials whenever there's a new iPhone to sell.
The resulting indifference to politics - even hostility to it – makes more possible the erosion of democracy we're seeing in the context of the economic crisis.
It's not just that it's hard to convince anyone to defend a system that's so anaemic. In Italy, Berlusconi remained in power by using his immense wealth and media influence to buy legal immunity for his various crimes. In that context, many Italians might well conclude that, however undemocratic, technocratic caretakers can't be any worse.
More profoundly, because neoliberalism fundamentally shifts the way we think about democracy, it often provides the terms on which its own effects are critiqued.
Take a minor but still interesting example - Kevin Rudd's notorious 2020 conference.
In retrospect, that event was farcical from the get-go since, as the various participants' accounts make clear, there was never any prospect that a handpicked gathering of the good and the great would somehow arrive at consensus over the nation's problems in the course of a few hours.
But what's interesting is that Rudd (and most of the intelligentsia at the time) promoted 2020 as an alternative – or, at least, a supplement – to a dysfunctional political process said to be incapable of generating dynamic ideas. Yet the conference was fundamentally anti-democratic.
After all, an election had just taken place. Had Kevin Rudd put forward innovative proposals in the campaign, the public could not only have debated them but could have endorsed or rejected them at the ballot.
Instead, in the name of reforming politics, Rudd staged an invite-only conference into which the electorate had no direct input whatsoever. Even if the attendees had agreed upon a suite of brilliant reforms, they had no mandate to implement them.
It was a perfect example of a neoliberal response to a neoliberal problem: consensus rather than debate; expertise rather than participation; a stunt managed from above rather than a process driven from below.
You can see a similar logic threatening to emerge in the ALP's discussions of party reform. Take the suggestion that American-style "primaries" would facilitate a more democratic pre-selection process, allowing votes not only from Labor members but from those who register as Labor supporters.
Again, the idea simply accepts that ordinary people will only relate to parties as consumers rather than participants, that their loyalty extends no further than a vague commitment to vote on election idea.
But mass political organisations formed in the late nineteenth century precisely in a recognition that, without an organisational structure, ordinary people could exert no influence on the political process. Social democracy was meant to provide a structure that meant, together, citizens became more than consumers, and thus capable of a political participation that went beyond simply ticking a box.
That's why there's nothing inherently anti-democratic about factions. If you want a real debate, you need various tendencies to have organisational representation, precisely so that different ideas to be expressed, debated and voted upon.
The problem with the Labor Party is not that it's factionalised. It's that the factions don't represent anything, other than personal fiefdoms and ambitions, and debate is seen not as healthy but as a problem, a disturbing crack in the façade of unity. Policy is set by parliamentarians; the membership exists not to argue ideas but to distribute how-to-vote cards.
A recourse to primaries won't fix that. If anything, it will foster more alienation from the rank-and-file. Why bother to join a party that takes direction from those who don't belong to it?
These Australian examples are trivial in comparison to what's happening to Europe and the United States. But they illustrate how our very conception of democracy has itself been diminished, and how how the default critique of neoliberal politics is so often framed in neoliberal terms.
That's worth thinking about, not only because Australia won't be immune to what's happening around the world but also because the current crisis may well be something more than a passing squall. In Salon this week, Adam Haslett argues that we're seeing the return of the economic cycle that prevailed before the Long Boom at the end of the Second World War.
"What we are experiencing right now is not simply a particularly severe economic contraction in the ordinary business cycle which will eventually abate. It is the acceleration of an endemic crisis in Western economies that has been building for four decades as we have attempted to replicate the supposedly 'normal' economic gains of what were in fact historically anomalous postwar years."
The new Greek government currently contains as Minister of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks a certain Makis Voridis, a genuine Nazi thug – you can see him in these photos wielding an axe against his political opponents. It's a scary part of the "new normal" that fascist ministers in a major European government scarcely raise an eyebrow.
Defending democratic rights will become all the more important in the years to come. But fighting for democracy depends on establishing an understanding of the concept that seems worth preserving.
Jeff Sparrow is the editor of Overland literary journal and the author of Killing: Misadventures in Violence. He Tweets @Jeff_Sparrow.
Topics: government-and-politics, world-politics, international-financial-crisis


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Caring for Our Community's Pets for Over 45 Years
Our clinic has a well-deserved reputation for providing high-quality and affordable veterinary care for our community since its founding in 1964. With the opening of our landmark facility in the summer of 2010, we build on those traditions to combine the best of small-town service and a state-of-the-art animal hospital.
Luxury Boarding now offered
Rose-Rich now offers expanded boarding, including
Luxury Suites
From Ground Breaking to Grand Opening
Veterinarians (left to right) Charles N. McDonald, Sharon L. Moore, and G. Tucker Robinson at the groundbreaking. Take a virtual tour of the year-long construction project.


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ships to US only
The BMC388 is a feature rich low-noise preamp, which can enable you to reduce the audio "hiss" from your camera. It has 3 XLR inputs and 48V/12V phantom power, meters, and locking balanced as well as unbalanced outputs. It is built tough, and refined to provide the best power efficiency, smallest size, and lightest weight. It incorporates sweet features such as Audio Bracketing (for camera overload protection), Selective Power-Down (to extend battery life).
- 3XLR input low-noise preamp
- 2 balanced outputs, amplified mic level, 3.5mm minijack (locking)
- 1 unbalanced stereo output, amplified mic level, 3.5mm stereo minijack (locking)
- 4 Segment R/L meters (each), which can be calibrated to camera
- Super small and light: approx 8oz, 3.4" x 3.7" x 1.5" in an aluminum enclosure
- Camera overload protection - Audio Output Bracketing
- 48V phantom power, and power saving 12V phantom mode
- Power
- Switchable between Alkaline and LiPoly 9V battery use
- Selective Power-Down mode to turn off portions of the preamp not being used
- Battery Life Estimates
- ~6hr battery life (no phantom, all 3 XLR inputs active, Alkaline battery)
- ~12hr battery life (no phantom, 1 XLR input active, Alkaline battery)
- Approx 30dB max available gain
- Approx +0dB / -1.5dB frequency response from 20Hz to 20KHz
- MIC/LINE Switches
- HI/LO Gain Switches
- MONO/STEREO Switch
- Designed and Assembled in USA
- RP101 Cable 3.5/3.5mm
- Note: 2 RP101 are included with the BMC388. To interface the RP101 cables to the BMCC input 2 Sony PC-234S phono to minijack adapters are required (NOT INCLUDED)