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A Deepness in the Sky (1999)
by Vernor Vinge
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A followup but actually a prequel to Vinge's award winning "A Fire Upon the Deep", A Deepness in the Sky is a fun interesting read where themes such as humanity, technical innovation, and politics are explored. Unfortunately, the last third of the novel breaks down into a standard action adventure novel where the good guys win, the bad guys get their just reward and everyone rides off into the sunset. Still, overall, a worthwhile read.
Great story-line, wonderful characterization, enormous scope, satisfaction for the techno-philes, nearly brilliant. Just a tad too long. It's hard to argue that some of the background was extraneous, and it didn't feel like padding, but it did slow the pace (and my page-turning rate!). However for a space opera, hard to fault!
Vernor Vinge, a scientist who can tell a good yarn, another anomaly among genre writers, the other anomalous authors being China Miéville and David Brin, and they are all bald! Makes me want to shave my head, I bet Patrick Stewart can write amazing books if he wanted to, make it so Pat!
A few months ago I read [b:A Fire Upon the Deep|77711|A Fire Upon the Deep (Zones of Thought, #1)|Vernor Vinge|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333915005s/77711.jpg|1253374], Vinge's first "Zones of Thought" novel, it quickly barged its way into my all-time top 20 list. A Deepness in the Sky is not going to dislodge another book from that list but it is still an indispensable read all the same. This is a book that I imagine would be great all the way through on the second read because there would be no need to figure out the meaning of the setting of the book and the numerous characters' motivations. Initially I just could not understand Vinge's choices. Why did he anthropomorphise the aliens? Why do spidery aliens have names like Underhill, Brent, and Smith? Why not call them Zark or Vygphm or something more alienesque? The author really threw me for loop for the first quarter of the book, I thought may be he is too lazy to think up weird alien names, silly bast that I am.
I won't reveal the reason for Vinge's strange anthropomorphism, but it all makes perfect sense as you read on, and read on you must. My favorite "sf notion" from this book is Focus, a more elaborate type of mind control with no element of hypnotism. A Focused person is sort of ultra fixated on the single task they programmed to do, everything else eating, bowel movements and grooming become completely irrelevant.
Part of the book is a hoary sf trope of alien invasion turned on its head, in that humans are the invading aliens and the Spider race are the invadees. This leads to a humdinger of a climax and an Uplifting ending!
Vinge's gift for characterization is again evident here though, with lovable aliens, eccentrics and a mustache twirling Machiavellian archvillain (OK, no mustache!) called Nau. This seems to be something of a Vinge trope as Nau is cut from the exact same cloth as the villain of A Fire Upon the Deep Mr. Steel. The character Pham Nuwen is the only one from A Fire Upon the Deep, though his role is much larger here and he is not quite the same character.
I did get lost in some scientific details but most of them do become self explanatory as you read on. However, if you want some help with ramscoop, localizer and podmaster you may want to check out this Reddit thread.
I would rate this as a 4.5 stars book as I personally find it harder to "engage" with than the previous book. To engage is not merely to understand what is going on but to feel involved in the proceeding, to empathize with the characters, and generally to immerse in the book as an experience rather words printed on a book. It is for me the single most wonderful thing about reading fiction. Any way, from the half way point onward this book is very involving and you may need a deFocus treatment afterward.
A great book. To begin with, it has a fantastic plot in which two different human cultures, the largely sympathic traders Qeng Ho and the at least governmentwise unsympathetic authoritarian Emergents, are on their way to a planet with newly discovered alien life. The inhabitants of the planet have the forms of spiders, but are in other aspects very much like humans on Earth in the 20th century, when atomic energy, space flight, video imaging and other technologies were on the verge of being invented. This provides the ground for topics like governance, research and the benefits of public knowledge, drugs, slavery, free markets, artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction, all amidst a curious mix of new technology like localizers, focus, and mindscrub and the more known ones emerging among the spiders. Recommended.
My reaction to reading this novel in 2000. Spoilers follow.
The only possible aesthetic objection, on a science fictional level, to this novel is that its aliens, the so-called Spiders, are not all that alien apart from hibernating in the centuries when their sun powers down, seeing across a spectrum wider than human eyes do (which complicates and inhibits the development of their version of tv), being seemingly smarter than humans, and, of course, their appearance. While Vinge creates some captivating alien characters in Sherkaner Underhill, Victory Smith, their children and Hrunkner, they are not as strange as the Tines in his A Fire Upon the Deep to which this is a prequel (his "The Blabber" also belongs to the series).
In every other respect – speculation and literary craftsmanship – this novel succeeds very well. Vinge introduced the idea of the Singularity in his Marooned in Realtime, and it was taken up by other sf writers as well as futurists. The notion here that seems to be new is, perhaps, not as startling but perhaps more probable: the idea of a Programmer-Archaeologist. Humans, particularly the Qeng Ho, use computer systems, programs, and languages that have accreted for centuries. Some programs date back to before humanity's venturing into space. Programmer-Archaeologists are just an extreme example of some of the tasks of modern programmers who try to determine exactly what a program can do, not do, and possibilities for modifications.
This is quite a political novel, specifically a novel with libertarian/tragic conservatism themes. This is not surprising from Vinge. His "Conquest By Default" examined anarchism, and his The Peace War examined an authoritarian state created by intellectuals (specifically scientists) who think they are fit and capable to rule the world. Here the Qeng Ho represent a civilizing (particularly after Pham Nuwen starts the Qeng Ho interstellar net broadcasts which preserve technical knowledge so planetary societies can rebuild themselves after their inevitable collapses – collapses usually prefigured by authoritarian and totalitarian states) force, civilizing and helping humanity via trade. The Accord society of the Spiders is also rather libertarian – a society which can vote to temporarily grant their constitutional monarch emergency powers. The villains of the story are the Emergents, a group that derives their name not from some notion of future transcendence or evolution but to that old incubator of tyrants, the Emergency. Russian history, as in A Fire Upon the Deep, seems to have provided some inspiration here. (That novel, the sequel to this one, featured a Tine called Steel who in both name and behavior is reminiscent of the Man of Steel, Stalin.) Thomas Nau, in his acceptance of Qeng Ho free market activity and private trade (as opposed to community property) is a bit like Gorbachev – both believe in the validity and workability of the authoritative system they've inherited and think a few minor reforms will make the system more efficient without threatening their authority.
The Emergents have a powerful tool in Focus, a guided infection by a bacteria that boosts production of specified neurotransmitters in specific regions of the brain. Emergent propaganda (like the Soviet state, the Emergents rule by a combination of terror and propaganda) argues that this is just an institutionalization of the often obsessive individual behavior that advances art and science. Here the obsession is done for the good of the community and to a specified end. Vinge explores how Focus would work in practice – Focused ignore personal hygiene, develop idiosyncratic jargon with Focused working in the same area, and the drifting of attention to odd, obsessive ends. Focus brings human flexibility to largely automated research and administrative systems.
Besides libertarian notions, the novel evokes a sense of tragedy important to modern conservatism. Vinge expresses a technological version of the concept of inherent limits in man's existence: the Era of Failed Dreams (specifically general nanotechnology assembler, artificial intelligence, and immortality) that centuries of human science and technology have not achieved. (Of course, Vinge has it both ways here. Arachnea, the Spider World, has mysterious origins and remnants of alien anti-gravity technology. This sets the stage for A Fire Upon the Deep and "The Blabber" which feature some of these technologies, made possible by Man's escape from the Slow Zone which renders them impossible. Presumably Pham Nuwen ventures beyond the Slow Zone since he's a character in A Fire Upon the Deep. More important to the concept of inherent limits is the changes in the political dreams of Pham Nuwen. He dreams of breaking the wheel of planetary civilizations (needed by spacefaring cultures) rising and falling. Even Earth has been repopulated at least twice. Old rescuer/tutor/partner Sura says his dream of sustaining planetary civilizations, protecting them from collapse via trade, intervention, and broadcasts of Qeng Ho library material is unworkable and she sabotages it. Pham Nuwen, a disguised member of the expedition to the on/off star, thinks he can use Focus to build his stellar empire that will preserve civilization. He may well be right, but he ultimately swears off its use and is unwilling to condemn a few to a slavery of mind control in the hopes of saving millions.
Vinge writes a gripping story. Everybody is smart so obvious plots and ploys aren't enough, plans are seldom secure or unanticipated (except for the big revelation that Sherkaner Underhill has suborned the Focused translators), the implications of ideas are seen by all. His characters are all interesting; the aliens are intriguing as are Ezr Vinh, Anne Reynolt (a rare Focused individual who can deal with people and manage fellow Focused, she turns out to have a surprising history as a tough opponent of the Emergents before Focused). It is her plight that causes Pham Nuwen, about to kill her, to swear off the use of Focus. Qiwi Lin Lisolet reminds Pham Nuwen of himself as a youngster. At first, the novel seemed to be about Ezr Vinh and his love for Trixia Bonsol – and his history is important.
But the novel really centers on Pham Nuwen, his life, and his changing vision. He is the most interesting character by far – in no small part because he combines two of my favorite character types: the man who pretends to be a fool but is far from it and the double agent. He also represents another variation on some previous Vinge character types. Like Tatja Grimm from Vinge's "The Barbarian Princess" and Grimm's World, he comes from a primitive, barbaric environment and, through curiosity and prodigious intellect, he builds a technologically sophisticated empire. His treachery against his Emergent captors also reminded me of the vengeful dwarf of Vinge's "The Whirligig of Time". Vinge skillfully unveils the details of Pham Nuwen's life slowly, changing our views of him. At first, we see an old, bitter man in hiding on a planet and found by a centuries' old covert search. We do not know he's Pham Nuwen. When the Emergents betray the expedition, we know he is a clever armsmaster skeptical of the Emergents and who escapes their ambush to almost defeat them before entering their captivity. They do not know he fought them. We don't know he's Pham Nuwen. We only know Pham Nuwen as a legendary Qeng Ho, indeed, as their founder. Thomas Nau worships him as an empire builder he hopes to emulate and surpass. Eventually, Pham Trinli, boastful, slightly incompetent armsmaster, is revealed to us and, later, to Ezr Vinh, as the legendary Pham Nuwen, once thought dead but very much alive. We learn of his early lifeas he was sold into slavery at a young age, how a starship captain named Sura took pity on him, how he soaked up the high tech knowledge of the Qeng Ho and became Sura's lover and how the two invented the trading culture of the Qeng Ho. But, whereas Sura sees only improved trade, Pham Nuwen thinks he can build an empire in space, break the wheel of planetary civilizations' rise and fall. Sura is unwilling to devote the resources to what she views as an impractical goal and tricks Nuwen. He sees only stark betrayal though she allows him to save face and take an exploratory fleet of ships. Nuwen not only works for years undercover (eventually with Ezr Vinh, possibly a descendent of his – cryonic sleep means lives lived across centuries) to defeat the Emergent. But we learn that Pham Nuwen and Thomas Nau are alike in wanting to build an empire though the former's goals are more virtuous since he wants to end the slavery and death and misery when planetary civilizations decay). Ezr Vinh is disturbed to learn that Pham Nuwen is willing to use the abhorrent tool of Focus, to which Ezr loses his love Trixia for good, to retrieve his dream. Eventually, though, he bows to Vinh's stubborn morality.
Vinge ends the novel with several open threads for farther stories though I doubt we'll get them given Vinge's low level of production and that Pham Nuwen's story is partly taken up again in A Fire Upon the Deep. Specifically, here we have Reynolt and Nuwen's upcoming war against the Emergent civilization and the mysteries of Aracha's existence and fossil technologies.
References to this work on external resources.
Wikipedia in English (1)
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0812536355, Mass Market Paperback)This hefty novel returns to the universe of Vernor Vinge's 1993 Hugo winner A Fire Upon the Deep--but 30,000 years earlier. The story has the same sense of epic vastness despite happening mostly in one isolated solar system. Here there's a world of intelligent spider creatures who traditionally hibernate through the "Deepest Darkness" of their strange variable sun's long "off" periods, when even the atmosphere freezes. Now, science offers them an alternative... Meanwhile, attracted by spider radio transmissions, two human starfleets come exploring--merchants hoping for customers and tyrants who want slaves. Their inevitable clash leaves both fleets crippled, with the power in the wrong hands, which leads to a long wait in space until the spiders develop exploitable technology. Over the years Vinge builds palpable tension through multiple storylines and characters. In the sky, hopes of rebellion against tyranny continue despite soothing lies, brutal repression, and a mental bondage that can convert people into literal tools. Down below, the engagingly sympathetic spiders have their own problems. In flashback, we see the grandiose ideals and ultimate betrayal of the merchant culture's founder, now among the human contingent and pretending to be a senile buffoon while plotting, plotting... Major revelations, ironies, and payoffs follow. A powerful story in the grandest SF tradition. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:10:32 -0400)
On the world of Arachna, the Qeng Ho battle the Emergents, and only Pham Numen has a chance to foil the horrendous Emergents plan.
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Design ideas to steal from a small-home makeover
The goal of our Sunset Dream Remodel was to make the most out of 1,400 square feet on a not-much-bigger lot.
This 90-year-old Spanish-style bungalow in Los Gatos, California, was in need of a makeover and a new location, as it faced a very busy boulevard. (Jump to the before shot.)
Since we couldn't move the three-bedroom house to another site, we did the next best thing: reoriented it toward a side street. Then we gutted it, adding a modest 117 square feet, and remodeled it stylishly.
Next, see all the ways we created space.

subset: commoncrawl


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I planned on waiting till I had everything edited before I posted them but there are just so many shots I want to use and with a full time job it's going to take awhile. So here's what I have so far, I know it's not a lot but like I said I have a TON more so I'll keep updating this thread as I finish them. Lemme know what ya think
Flickr Set


text: The Daily Journal will sponsor a spring film series at the Meadowview Theatre. The second film in the series is Steel Magnolias on Thursday, April 3 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door. Steel Magnolias: The title refers to those seemingly frail Southern belles who survive any and all deprivations through whims of iron. Robert Harling's original stage play was set exclusively in a Louisiana beauty parlor where an all-female cast of characters laughed, cried and compared men folk. The film expands the playing field by including scenes at picnics, hospitals and the like, and by visually depicting the males who never appeared in the stage version. Dolly Parton plays the good-natured beauty-shop owner, while Shirley MacLaine is the cantankerous town eccentric, decked out in grungy overalls and speaking fluent Trash. Well-to-do Sally Field bravely endures several assaults to her sensibilities, not the least of which is the illness of daughter Julia Roberts. The screenings are free to subscribers of The Daily Journal with a limit of up to four passes per subscribing household. Passes will be available at The Daily Journal offices in Manteno, Bourbonnais, Kankakee and Watseka two weeks prior to each showing. Non-subscribers will be admitted at the door for $5 per person. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. Passes for subscribers do not guarantee seating, and pass-holders are encouraged to arrive early.


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Jarrod Potteiger is senior technical consultant and manager of Training Services for Des-Case Corporation, Goodlettsville (Nashville), Tenn. Prior to joining Des-Case, Potteiger was a director of services for Noria Corporation, where he helped educate clients on the benefits of precision lubrication. He has published a variety of technical articles on condition monitoring, contamination control, bearing lubrication and lubricant consolidation. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of South Alabama and is a certified maintenance and reliability professional from Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals.
Breather plugs are easily replaced with inexpensive breathers that efficiently filter particles as small as two microns and absorb moisture down to approximately 20 percent relative humidity. This method of controlling contamination is often referred to as head space management and usually requires simple modifications to effectively execute.
The final contamination control is seal quality. The use of inexpensive seals often leads to oil leaks and the ingression of contamination. Using high quality mechanical seals will prevent the vast majority of these problems when properly installed. If process fluid migrates down the shaft from the pump to the bearing housing, consider using a collar on the shaft to deflect the fluid. When gross moisture contamination is likely, a bottom, sediment and water (BS&W) bowl provides an effective way to inspect for free water and drain it with the included drain valve.
BS&W bowls provide an effective way to inspect for and remove gross water contamination.
Condition monitoring
Some maintenance personnel may argue that routine visual inspections are the most important type of PM. However, the most significant problems associated with the lubrication of these systems cannot typically be observed without instrumentation.
Oil analysis is unique in its ability to serve as a proactive condition monitoring tool. Rather than simply focusing on the symptoms of problems and serving as an early warning for bearing failures, oil analysis is ideal for proactive condition monitoring to detect the root causes of machine failure, so they can be eliminated. The most common root causes of wear, and ultimately failure, in oil lubricated bearings is particle contamination, moisture contamination or using the wrong oil or one that has degraded beyond the point of usefulness.
Oil analysis is perfect for identifying and quantifying all these conditions. Using viscosity testing, acid number, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and elemental analysis, end users can determine if the correct oil is in the machine and determine its fitness for use.
Particle counters, when used correctly, can indicate the exact level of particle contamination in many size ranges. Certain moisture tests can give an accurate measure of moisture contamination. Detecting and eliminating these problems dramatically extends the life and increases the availability of these assets.
In addition to proactive functions, oil analysis can be a sensitive tool for identifying bearing faults far in advance of a failure. Unfortunately, many users of oil analysis are not aware of these benefits for a number of reasons, but the most prevalent is poor sampling methods.
Some of the most important tests require good sampling practices to provide any real value. Sampling from drain ports typically yields poor results and can lead to unnecessary corrective action. To take a representative sample, machines should be sampled while in operation, and for most pumps, this method leads to a dangerous drop in the oil level. Traditionally, those who attempted to take "good" oil samples used the drop-tube method, which requires the insertion of a flexible tube into the oil sump. This method is cumbersome and can also provide poor results.
The biggest problem is the inconsistent location of the sample extraction point and the likelihood of contaminating the tubing. To take high-quality, repeatable samples, proper sampling hardware should be installed. The proper type of hardware for most pumps is a minimess-style sample valve with a pitot tube. The minimess is a normally closed check valve—similar to a hydraulic diagnostic valve—that requires an adapter to open it.
For wet sump applications, such as pumps, these devices are available with a pitot tube that can be cut to length and bent to facilitate sample extraction from the desired location. Because most pumps have numerous drain or side ports, these devices can be easily installed. When used properly, the devices provide highly repeatable and valid sample data. They also make sampling easier, safer and more efficient than other sampling methods.
Proper sample valves provide consistent valid data and make sampling easier.
Design for Precision Lubrication
Precision lubrication is difficult for the average pump given the typical configuration. However, with minor modifications it can be relatively simple. A myriad of inexpensive devices are available for inspection, contamination control, lubricant application and oil sampling. Most of these devices can be easily installed.
The most efficient way to incorporate these items is to specify them during the design and installation phase, but retrofits in the field are usually easy as well. Precision lubrication requires using the right oil, in the right place, in the right amount, at the right frequency, in the right condition and with proper equipment design. P&S


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Most folks think that this is for Military and police only. IMO I do not believe that is the case. An armed citizen could be a game changer in an active shooter scenario. Since the shooting in colorado I think more people should take a look at this type of event and ask themselves if they are ready. Can you make a difference? Either way, there is no right answer, this is a personal choice that you, and you alone will make.
Law Enforcement Tactics for an Active Shooter
The videos touched on a couple of things.
SWAT doctrine at the time of Columbine was Contain, Isolate, Communicate which as noted at Columbine did not work. It did no good to spend precious time organizing when kids were being killed. Again as stated tactics changed. Immediate entry, bypass the wounded and any unknown devices, find the shooter and eliminate the threat. Period. Active shooter classes were and still are a hot training issue with several instructors with many different classes being offered. Many departments sent instructors off to be trained and come back to teach others.
Could officers from different agencies come together at a later time, form up and get the job done? Like most everything else it comes down to a training issue. If they have attended a class last year and have not trained since then probably not as effective as if they as if they have continued to train with the skills they learned there is no reason they could not.
In regards to the situation in Colorado or multiple others around the country. There are many factors that have to be considered before you have made the decision to act.
What is your personal skill level? If the last time you fired your handgun was when you purchased it and took your class six months before? Would/could you take the shot?
Have you trained in low light, under stress, at an unknown distance? Many carriers feel that they should only train at three yards, three shots and so on simply because that is what the statistics say most gunfights occur
What if the distance is 11 yards? You have two basic choices. First do not engage as it is outside your effective engagement range and secondly close the distance to the shooter until you are within your effective range. Not many average CC'ers are trained or have the skillset/mindset to advance on a gunman firing a rifle in there direction.
Who is with you at the time? Is your 11 year old sitting next to you and your wife? If you fire and the hit is not immediately effective or you miss there is a high probability that the gunman's attention will be turned towards you. Are you willing to risk your family?
What equipment/firearm are you carrying? Basically is your pocket, DAO .380 able to stop the threat? The Colorado incident took place in a darkened theater. Do you have a tactical light? Does your handgun have nights sights? Do you know where your weapon shoots at extended ranges? Does you ammo have the accuracy potential to make a head shot Is your ammunition a good SD load or did you save a few bucks and just buy a box of ball ammo at Walmart because it was cheaper? **
When the time comes we will all have to decide what we will do. The question you have to ask yourself is will you be a help or a handicap?
**Note: Here I am restricted to ball ammo and even when home I often carry ball ammo in my carry guns. That is my choice though based on my criteria of reliability over anything else. You choose whatever round you want.
With out getting to far into weapon choices, I would like to get into mindset and training choices. The mindset to act, to do something IMO is the best with a situation like this. You can at least take the focus off innocents and get the BG to react to you. Not something most want to do, but something that conceal carriers should think about.
Training for something like an active shooter is more in depth than mindset. Not more important, just more in depth. Training for this will take you out of your comfort zone for sure. The video gives you a small look inside some of the training necessary to prevail.
In saying this, I am not advocating mandatory training. I think a responsible citizen should do this on their own. You can either be an asset to society or a liability. JMO...
Just like everything else people want an easy goal so they train for the "Average" encounter.
Remember to that this is IF they chose to intervene. Many would not. It would not be from fear some it would be a choice of protecting family, self preservation "not my fight" and some may even decide my skill/gear is not up to this.
You guys internet is a lot better than mine I am sure. I have heard that the theater gunman had head to toe ballistic armor and others said it was a simple tac carrier vest and knee/shin guards. Is there a link anyone has? Just wondered.
Colorado Shooter Bought Tactical Gear From Local Company Online | FOX2now.com
It was just a ballistic nylon tac vest.
I will intervene. It is what I am, been a cop too long running to the sound of gunfire. I could not live with myself if know I could have saved people, and did not. I will obviously take care of family first. I always carry a fighting gun, and I know my skills are up to task. I had to laugh the other day because I was being lazy and only carrying my Glock 31C and 2 extra mags.Sun TzuIf you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.


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The Road Warriors Ride Again Saturday
By USF
Related Links
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA - When the Bulls pack up and head out of Tampa, they've become the road warriors this men's soccer season.
USF is unbeaten in six games away from Corbett Soccer Stadium and has taken down soccer Goliaths like Wake Forest and West Virginia along the way.
"Road games are a really good time to prove who you are," keeper Chris Blais said. "Our team all year, we've felt like we've been a little big disrespected and not given enough credit."
The Bulls initial statement was made in their season opener Aug. 27 against No. 13 Wake Forest. Dom Dwyer, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, scored the first of his 16 goals this season and USF shocked the Demon Deacons, 2-0, before a rowdy crowd of 4,123 at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The game was mandatory for new Wake Forest students during orientation weekend and things got revved up when the Demon Deacon did his traditional motorcycle ride onto the field.
"After we scored the second goal, a bunch of my guys are on like big choppers," said head coach George Kiefer of the team's Demon Deacon impression. "I was like OK; they've got some confidence to them."
USF's wild ride to victory through opponents' houses continued Sept. 25 with a 2-1 at West Virginia. Dwyer had another goal in this one, while the Bulls halted the No. 16 Mountaineers' longest home winning streak in the nation at 13 games.
"When you go on the road, you make a real statement when you win games," Blais said.
The ride hasn't always been smooth for USF, which had to dig deep at Syracuse on Oct. 15. The rain was whipping, the wind was kicking and USF found itself in a 2-0 hole at halftime.
"The weather was horrible. The field was horrible, but we got in the locker room and we all were talking to each other," Blais remembered. "We got back out there and found a way to win."
Dwyer scored the USF's initial goal on a penalty kick and Roberto Alterio sent the game to overtime with 1:43 remaining in the second half. Dwyer's second goal made USF a big winner.
"A lot of teams would have crumbled," Blais said.
Now comes USF's biggest road gig of the season. The seventh-seeded Bulls put their 5-0-1 road record on the line 2 p.m. Saturday when they play at No. 2 seed Creighton in the Elite Eight.
There's a good chance Creighton's 5,000-seat stadium will be filled with loud fans and USF wouldn't have it any other way.
"It's going to be a real hostile environment, probably the most people we've played in front of all season, but our team has really thrived on that," Blais said. "We've been really good on the road all year."


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Stocks discussed in the in-depth session of Jim Cramer's Mad Money TV program, Friday September 1. Click on a stock ticker for more analysis:
Friday's program was a re-broadcast of a show which first aired on May 29th. There was no Lightning Round.
Retirement is Booming: Four Seasons (FS), Marriott (NYSE:MAR), Starwood Hotels & Resorts (HOT)
As the baby boomers prepare for retirement, Cramer is looking at travel and leisure stocks designed to cater to their needs. For the wealthier boomers, Four Seasons is an excellent pick, since it has bounced back from concerns over terrorism and competition from Ritz-Carlton, although Starwood (HOT) is on its way to giving FS a run for its money. Cramer picks Mariott as a favorite hotel for budget-minded retirees.
Looking Good: Orient-Express Hotels (OEH), Barnes & Noble (NYSE:BKS), and American Express (NYSE:AXP)
Cramer singled out three companies which thrive on their image and ambience. OEH is a best-of-breed rail stock, according to Cramer, and is the choice for those who prefer an elegant travel. He notes that BKS is known for its attractive interiors, and AXP is a card people actually pay to use.
Throw of the Dice: Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS), Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN), International Game Technology (NYSE:IGT), and Scientific Games (NASDAQ:SGMS)
The way to avoid losing your shirt in a casino is to invest in a good one. Cramer picks LVS as a best-of-breed stock which has a casino in Macau, China and brings in seven times more than the average outfit in Las Vegas. He also likes WYNN, which is also moving to Macau, but he does not recommend buying it until the new casino actually opens. Cramer says the best "bet" is to avoid competition and buy International Game Technology (IGT) which supplies two-thirds of the slot machines in North America. He also likes SGMS, which manages lotteries.
Surf and Turf: Morton's Restaurant (NYSE:MRT-OLD), Ruth's Chris Steakhouse (NASDAQ:RUTH), Royal Carribean Cruises (NYSE:RCL), and Carnival (NYSE:CCL)
Cramer suggests buying MRT before it rallies, since its numbers have been solid. RUTH has recently recovered from its hit after Hurricane Katrina. Cramer believes that RCL deserves to have a higher price-to-earnings multiple, and he prefers it to CCL.
Seeking Alpha publishes a summary of Jim Cramer's stock picks every day including: Mad Money Recap, Lightening Round, Stop Trading and his Radio Show.
Get Cramer's Picks by email -- it's free and takes only a few seconds to sign up.


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Verizon's (NYSE:VZ) and AT&T (NYSE:T) may dominate the American wireless market, but third place Sprint (NYSE:S) has a plan to grow up to their size by purchasing T-Mobile for $32 million reported Reuters. The deal would make Sprint an equal rival to the two companies in size and resources, but first it needs federal approval.
The deal may not happen because federal regulators from both the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) would have to approve any such deal. U.S. regulators previously blocked AT&T's bid to buy T-Mobile in 2011, so it is a possibility that Sprint may similarly not get permission. A telecom analyst put the odds of Sprint and T-Mobile successfully merging at about 10 percent reported The Washington Post.
The feds want the wireless market to have multiple competitors. Sprint buying T-Mobile would cause the market to lose its fourth big competitor in the merger, leaving three major competitors. Sprint's parent company SoftBank has been lobbying in Washington to get the deal approved. T-Mobile's parent Deutsche Telekom would prefer it to go through so the company can spin off T-Mobile. Deutsche Telekom wants to get out of the American wireless market to focus on its European markets, including its native Germany. It would retain a small interest of 15 to 20 percent in T-Mobile.


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Locating a wall from attic
I bought a HDTV antenna and plan to install it in the attic. I'd like my TV in the family room to hook up to it. My problem is when I am in the attic (it's a fairly big and open attic), I am not able to find exactly where the family room wall is. My goal is to find the wall, drill a whole from the top plate and drop the wire down to reach the bottom of the wall, where I would install an outlet.
Just exactly how I locate a wall from attic? Any trick/tips?
Walls go to the bottom of the rafters, so you could get a general idea, move the insulattion around and find the top plate.
If the A/C vents from the ceiling, you could measure from them to the wall and those you can find in the attic.
A metal coat hanger pushed through the ceiling can be easy to find, if it is long enough, and the hole can be filled with spackle afterward.
from the living room up on a ladder punch a rod up thru the ceiling above where you want the connection and new box to be behind the TV.or probe from the room behind the living room wall..either punch up will give you your drill down opening to drop the cable between studs.
Keep in mind, depending on how far you are from the stations that you plan on picking up, the antenna you choose, can make a difference.
You can also look for other wires going down the wall for existing receptacles, switches, CATV and such. Use these as a reference. Drill down through the top plate. Tie a small washer on a string. Tie the string to the cable and drop it down the wall. Use the hole for the old work box (or what ever you use) to grab the string and pull it out of the wall. INstall box and plate. Good to go! :thumbsup:
Or they can use the existing coax from catv if it is up there. Some installers have a tendency of placing the coax block up in attics. The one thing that irks me, is when people want to place their networking gear up in attic. Right now, it is 93 up in mine. I have seen it get as hot as 131, when we had the heat wave.
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Metacogniton and Consciousness: from animals to humans
Date: Wednesday 8th (9am - 5pm), June 2011
Venue: Large Conference Room on 3rd Floor of Inamori Center at Kyoto University.
Registration: FREE but is required [ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED BUT ATTENDANCE FOR THE SATELLITE WILL REMAIN OPEN AS LONG AS SPACE IS AVAILABLE]
Summary: Introspection into one's own mental state is a critical ability closely associated with consciousness. One important area of progress over the last decade has been the development of operational measures of metacognitive ability in animals and humans. The talks in this symposium will cover a broad range of recent progresses from metacognition in animals to neural mechanisms in humans. Further, we expect to open a lively, cross-disciplinar discussion on the relevance of metacognition to consciousness.
Organizers: Shintaro Funahashi (Kyoto University, Japan) & Ryota Kanai (University College London)
Contact: Ryota Kanai
Event: This is a satellite event to be held prior to the 15th annual meeting of the association for the scientific study of consciousness. [Click here for link to ASSC15].
| 9:00-9:20 "Opening Remark & Introduction"
| 9:20-10:00 "Metacognitive approach to phenomenal and access consciousness" Summary
|In many circumstances, conscious perception fails despite activations of relevant brain regions by subliminal visual presentation. Conceptually, failure to register a stimulus in awareness could be attributed to suppression of early sensory signals (perceptual blindness) and/or failure of attention to register suprathreshold signals (attentional blindness). However, these two types of failure of awareness are difficult to distinguish behaviourally because in both cases, observers would report the absence of conscious percepts. To distinguish these two types of subjective blindness, we have previously developed a metacognitive framework called subjective discriminability of invisibility, which is derived from the so-called Type 2 signal detection framework (Kanai, Walsh & Tseng, 2010 in Consciousness & Cognition). This new analysis method distinguishes blindness due to signal reduction such as lowering of contrast, backward masking and interocular suppression as perceptual blindness, whereas it classified reduction of visibility due to attentional distraction, attentional blink and enhanced spatial uncertainty as attentional blindness. Moreover, when we explicitly manipulated decision criterion by changing the likelihood of target present trials, the percentage of target misses increases. When the blindness induced by criterion shift was induced by conservative criterion, the same experimental paradigm shifted from perceptual blindness to attentional blindness. The relevance of these findings for philosophical concepts of phenomenal and access consciousness will be discussed.
|10:00-10:40 "Metacognitive Judgments reflect conscious phenomenology " Summary
|Subjective reports of conscious awareness are reflected by activity in the prefrontal cortex. Critics of prefrontal theories of consciousness argue that such subjective reports only reflect sensory metacognition, but not the primary aspects of conscious phenomenology. However, ample evidence and conceptual arguments point to the fact that "objective" reports, i.e. reports about stimulus identity, are, if not downright invalid, clearly inferior to subjective (i.e. metacognitive) reports in capturing conscious phenomenology. If we deny the validity of subjective reports, how else can we measure conscious phenomenology directly? Ned Block suggests that perhaps we should give up trying to do so: visual phenomenology may be too rich to be captured by any kind of self-report, and we should instead try to "infer" about its content based on indirect evidence. Here I present data to show that the intuition of phenomenology seemingly overflowing report mechanisms can be explained by studies using subjective (i.e. metacognitive) reports. Experiments using psychophysics and brain imaging showed that under the lack of attention (as in peripheral vision), metacognitive judgments (such as visibility or confidence ratings) were inflated, such that subjects rated the phenomenology to be undeservedly high relative to the underlying processing capacity. This solves Block's puzzle of phenomenological overflow, by suggesting that the seemingly rich phenomenology does not actually have an processing capacity basis, and is instead a mere bias. Taken together, I conclude that instead of giving up trying to measure phenomenology directly, all we need to do is to use the right kind of measure – i.e. metacognitive judgments.
---- Break ----
|11:00-11:40 "Metamemory in remembering intentions" Summary
|In our daily lives, we make plans to do things at particular times in the future. Many investigators have focused on memory of such plans or intentions, which is called prospective memory (PM). The broadly accepted divisions involved in PM consist of a prospective memory component (PMC), a process for remembering to remember, and a retrospective memory component, a process for remembering the content of the intended action. Although both components need to be appropriately processed to realize intentions, PMC is particularly essential since PMC requires spontaneous memory retrieval. In this talk, I will present our neuropsychological and neuroimaging investigations. As a neuropsychological study, I will focus on the question of whether damage to part of the prefrontal cortex affects attenuated performance for PMC. In the study, over seventy participants with traumatic brain injury including focal damage to frontal or temporal lobe areas were administered standard neuropsychological tests and the PM task. The results indicated that the following three areas are highly contributory to PM performance: the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex; and the left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Comparing differences in neuropsychological test scores showed that orientation scores were significantly higher in the greater PM performance group, suggesting that PMC represents an integrated memory function associated with awareness of current status. I will then highlight the PM training study to investigate the neural mechanism of the two components of PM. The results provide substantial evidence that the two components have independent neural bases. Finally, results from our recent functional MRI study will be provided to support the notion. The overall data contribute to understand the neural substrates and functional characteristics of PM as metamemory.
|11:40-12:20 "Awareness of performance: what do we know about our choices" Summary
|As scientists interested in studying consciousness, we often elicit subjective reports from subjects about their mental states. These reports can be thought of as decisions with a variety of antecedent processes. For example, some decisions are about properties of the outside world - did I see the target or not? - whereas others are self-referential, such as the confidence I have in my response being correct or incorrect. I will outline how these different orders of decision-making can be analysed using variants of signal detection theory (Type 1 and Type 2), and discuss the theoretical underpinnings of this approach. Type 1 sensitivity is defined as how well a subject is able to discriminate a property of the task, such as stimulus presence or absence. In contrast, Type 2 (metacognitive) sensitivity is defined as how well subjects can track fluctuations in their own responses. Usually, there is a tied relationship between Type 1 and Type 2 performance - in other words, knowing the answer is correlated with knowing that one knows the answer. Using psychophysics we can break this relationship, and isolate and study a metacognitive component of decision performance. I will present recent behavioural studies that apply Type 2 signal detection analysis to isolate individual differences in metacognitive ability, and discuss aspects of behaviour that may underlie high metacognitive ability. Some of these data were collected in the fMRI scanner, in a paradigm where participants provided metacognitive confidence judgments following discrimination of noisy face/house images. I will present ongoing analysis of these data, aimed at understanding the functional correlates of metacognitive ability. Possible underlying mechanisms (and functions) of metacognition in decision-making will be discussed.
---- Lunch ----
|14:00-14:40 "Are birds metacognitive? " Summary
|Studies of avian metacognitive behavior are scarce compared to those of mammals', nonhuman primates' in particular. In this talk, we will focus on two aspects of metacognitive behavior in pigeons and bantams. The first will be recognition of the confidence of their immediate decision in perceptual tasks. Pigeons and bantams were trained to peck at a target color among distracter colors on the touch-sensitive monitor. After mastery, a risk-choice phase was appended after visual search; now the visual search led the birds to a choice between a "risk" icon and a "safe" icon. The "risk" icon resulted in a differential reinforcement, in which correct visual search was always reinforced by food whereas incorrect search was punished by a timeout. The "safe" icon nondifferentially resulted in either food or a conditional reward. The probability of choice for the "safe" icon was higher after incorrect visual search than after correct visual search. This differential use of "safe" and "risk" icons generalized to new visual searches with different colors or patterns, and in one pigeon, to a completely different perceptual task, a bar-length classification task. These results suggest that pigeons and bantams may be metacognitive of their immediate perceptual decision. The second will be hint-seeking by pigeons. Pigeons were first trained to form a learning set to make a simultaneous chain of responses. Three icons appeared on the display and pigeons had to peck at all icons in a predetermined sequence. When novel icons appeared, the birds had to find a correct sequence by trial-and-error. However, on some of the trials, there appeared a "hint" icon among the others and pecking at it "taught" the birds the next icon in the sequence by superimposing a flickering frame onto the icon. We gave the subjects a novel set of icons whenever they mastered one sequence. Three of four birds showed a negative correlation between accuracy of the chaining and the proportion of trials in which they requested one or more hints. That is, the pigeons sought for a hint more often when they had fragile knowledge about the sequence than when they had firm knowledge. These results suggest that some birds can be metacognitive in some situations. We will discuss other possible simpler accounts for the results and will propose methods to test those non-metacognitive accounts.
| 14:40-15:20 "Metacognition and memory systems in primates: Success and limitations."Summary
|Metacognition is the monitoring and control of cognitive processing. Because metacognition can involve introspection in humans, it can be indicative of explicit, or declarative, cognition and memory. While metacognition is normally inferred from the ability of humans to verbally comment on mental processes, tests of metacognition appropriate for nonhumans have been successfully developed. I will describe the logic of these paradigms and some potential limitations of them. Studies of metacognition may provide a tool that allows us to discriminate between explicit and implicit cognition in nonhumans.
---- Break ----
|15:20-16:00 "Prefrontal neuronal activity in monkeys performing a metamemory task" Summary
|Metamemory refers to the ability to monitor and control one's own memory. Recent studies indicate that macaque monkeys have cognitive capacities that are functionally analogous to human metamemory. To investigate the neural mechanism of metamemory, we recorded single-neuron activity from the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) of two monkeys performing a modified oculomotor delayed-response (ODR) task. In this task, the monkeys had to remember the location of a visual cue during a several-second delay period, after which they were sometimes forced to take a recognition memory test (forced-test trials) and were sometimes allowed to choose either to take or escape from the test (chosen-test or chosen-escape trials, respectively). Task difficulty was manipulated by varying the number of distractors. During recording sessions, one monkey (Monkey W) consistently showed higher memory performance in the chosen-test trials than in the forced-test trials, which suggests the use of metamnemonic ability. The other monkey (Monkey H) failed to show this behavioral pattern, because of near-ceiling performance even in the most difficult condition. For both monkeys, we observed neurons with spatially selective delay-period activity in the forced-test trials, which had been considered to represent the short-term maintenance of visuospatial information. In Monkey W, the spatial selectivity of these neurons was more similar between the forced-test and chosen-test trials than between the forced-test and chosen-escape trials. This tendency was not observed in Monkey H that did not show behavioral signs of metamemory. These results imply that LPFC neuronal activity in monkeys reflects cognitive processes that are analogous to human explicit memory, a form of memory that is accompanied by metamemory. We propose that the macaque brain might contain neurons that detect the strength of visuospatial information maintained by the LPFC, and that the activity of such neurons might underlie monkeys' metamemory during ODR performance.
|16:00-17:00 "Discussion"


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The Theology of the Body
June 25, 2012
Matthew Lee Anderson is the author of Earthen Vessels: Why our Bodies Matter to our Faith (Bethany House) and has contributed chapters to ... Read More
In February of 2011, Lady Gaga's "Born this Way" announced her vision for a race characterized by "no prejudice, no judgment, but boundless freedom." We were familiar with her style, but the manifesto of "Mother Monster" that starts the song provides a mythic creation narrative that gives her doctrine of radical self-acceptance a cosmic dimension.
A few months earlier, Tim Ferriss released his latest best-selling self-help book, The 4-Hour Body. If Gaga's message is self-acceptance, Ferriss offers radical self-transformation, suggesting a litany of tools to "hack" our bodies. We may have been "born this way" with respect to need for sleep and exercise, but that's a trivial limitation hacking can overcome. For example, the book promises to help you "sleep two hours a day and feel fully rested."
Such are the contradictory cultural doctrines of the body. From one corner, we are encouraged to accept our bodies just as they are. From the other, we are told to remold our bodies through the force of our will with the help of our supplements.
The good news Christianity offers the world must also be good news for human bodies.
It's easy to reject both narratives, as they both have fundamental flaws. By and large, evangelicals have done just that. Yet the more difficult and important task is to articulate "a more excellent way" of living in the human body, a way that does not provide a blanket acceptance of desires because they are "natural" or treat our body as playdough in the hands of a self-creator. The Good News Christianity offers the world must also be good news for human bodies. Given the massive confusion both inside and outside the Church over the meaning and role of the human body, pastors and leaders have a special responsibility to describe the way the Gospel shapes our bodies.
In other words, a "theology of the body" is an indispensable aspect of our theological reflection as Christian leaders. That evangelicals have not worked out a holistic theological understanding of the body is something of a scandal. After all, the center of our message to the world is that God accomplished our salvation by taking on a human body, dying and rising again in the same body. And the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit animates our actual, physical bodies with the same power that enabled Christ to rise again (Romans 8:11).
The story is an affirmation of the body's fundamental goodness. And it answers the two questions with which a theological account of the body is most concerned. For one, the Cross defines the shape that goodness takes in a fallen world. Gaga's doctrine of boundless acceptance ignores the fallenness of creation and the need for the redemption and transformation of our bodily desires in Christ. What's more, it provides a power of bodily transformation that is different than the anxious self-sculpting of Tim Ferriss.
Sports, the arts, our work—seeing the body in light of God's redemption and empowering grace simultaneously affirms each realm while establishing limits around them. Our bodies allow us to run and climb mountains and build, but for those joys to be permanent, we must recognize the body is "for the Lord," a "living sacrifice" meant to be a sign of God's love in the world.
Embracing limitations is a distinctive struggle for Christian leaders. We are pushed to work harder and do more. Yet discerning how bodies work can help us embrace those limitations as gifts from God for our own good. No amount of body hacking or practice, for instance, would have made my skinny, somewhat clumsy body into one suited for professional sports. The promise we can "be whatever we want to be" is a useful story to motivate the young, but our maturity depends upon acknowledging the genuine biological limitations built into the fabric of creation. One of those limitations is sleep, a practice our culture either binges on or neglects. A theological understanding of the body helps us see how our rest is enfolded into our faithful obedience to God, and will empower us as leaders to model a balanced, healthy life.
At the same time, a theology of the body grounds an alternate set of practices that are forms of presenting the members of the body as "instruments of righteousness," as Paul exhorts the Romans to do in Romans 6. Such practices have been given the name "spiritual disciplines." But we might also call them the "embodied disciplines," for they are ways of opening our lives to the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual disciplines—prayer, fasting, silence, reading the Bible, etc.—orient our bodies toward God, exposing how our normal practices have formed us in ways counter to the Gospel and reshaping our bodies so we can walk more closely in Jesus' steps.
Consider fasting. One reason we should occasionally abstain from eating is to present our stomachs to God, that we are empowered in such a way that our belly is not our god (Philippians 3:19). Or in prayer, we might hold our hands out as a way of presenting our arms and hands to God for His service. One visiting pastor in our church recently knelt as he prayed for the service, modeling for us the pose we shall someday all take before the throne (Philippians 2:10). Such postures are not for the purposes of sculpting our bodies, a la Tim Ferriss. Instead, they allow the love of God to retrain our bodies not for our own pleasure but that we might love others as He loved us.
At its core, a "theology of the body" shows how the love of Christ poured out into our hearts extends through the whole of our earthen vessels, enabling and empowering us to give ourselves to others as He gave Himself for us. Going more deeply into how the Gospel shapes our bodies will help you—and those you lead—cut through the confusion about how our embodied lives should look, and clear away false paths to that destination. We won't arrive at the "boundless freedom" of Gaga, but by acknowledging our bodies belong to the God who made us, we will discover a more excellent way to follow Jesus on it.
This article originally appeared in the Dec/Jan 2012 issue of Neue magazine.
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Top Comments
Matthew, thank you for sharing this wholistic vision of the human person. I believe we do live in such a fractured society, where the body and soul are seen as warring opposites. But we are in fact a harmony of matter and spirit, soul and body, created and redeemed by God. And "We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await...the redemption of our body" (Rom 8:23). Please consider visiting our site, dedicated to the work of teaching this truth at www.theologyofthebody.com, or www.TOBinstitute.org
Thank you for your insights,
4 Comments
The Human Body is not designed only for sexuality. The Human Body is the most beautifully designed mechanism for everything. The sexuality is a part and parcel of this beauty. The Song of Songs is probably not a favourite among most Christians.
Matthew, thank you for sharing this wholistic vision of the human person. I believe we do live in such a fractured society, where the body and soul are seen as warring opposites. But we are in fact a harmony of matter and spirit, soul and body, created and redeemed by God. And "We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we await...the redemption of our body" (Rom 8:23). Please consider visiting our site, dedicated to the work of teaching this truth at www.theologyofthebody.com, or www.TOBinstitute.org
Thank you for your insights,
It is erroneous to consider the soul and body as anything other than one. The importance of the body in Christian life is that Jesus example is that of God becoming one of us and demonstrating with Jesus' life and resurrection a way to be reconciled to God. The body is part of the complete mechanism of who we are as individuals and part of how we respond to God. This means that we are to be in all things holy; set apart for the glory of God. We were made this way to paraphrase Lady Gaga.
It is this convenience of reaching each other, both for teenagers and their mother and father in emergency conditions, which makes mobile phone one of the vital necessary gadgets on the planet at the moment. http://www.tlsfan.com/


text:
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
2:00 p.m.
The Honorable John Fleming
Panel I
The Honorable John Mica (R-FL)
Member of Congress
The Honorable Walter Jones (R-NC)
Member of Congress
Panel II
Eric Schwaab
Assistant Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Duane Harris
Member and Former Chairman
South Atlantic Fishery Management Council
(Truth in Testimony Form)
Julie Morris
Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs
Office of the Provost
New College of Florida
Former Member, Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and
Member of the Secretary's Marine Fish Advisory Committee (MAFAC)
(Truth in Testimony Form)
Dr. Steve Cadrin
Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries Oceanography
School for Marine Science & Technology
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Member of the Science and Statistical Committee for both the South Atlantic and
New England Fishery Management Councils
(Truth in Testimony Form)
Panel III
Harlon H. Pearce, Jr.
LA Fish
Member of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council and
Chair of the Council's Data Collection Committee
(Truth in Testimony Form)
Jefferson Angers
Center for Coastal Conservation
(Truth in Testimony Form)
David Nelson
Charter Captain and Commercial Fisherman
Port Orange, Florida
(Truth in Testimony Form)
Gregory DiDomenico
Executive Director
Garden State Seafood Association
(Truth in Testimony Form)
John Gauvin
Fishery Science Projects Director
Alaska Seafood Cooperative
(Truth in Testimony Form)
George Geiger
Recreational Fisherman
Sebastian, Florida
(Truth in Testimony Form)
The hearing will examine how NOAA's fishery research affects jobs and impacts the economies of coastal communities that rely on commercial or recreational fisheries. Tight budgets and new initiatives at NOAA have taken funding away from critical research activities such as fishery surveys, stock assessments, and cooperative research - all of which provide important information to fishery managers. Adequate funding for basic surveys and research could eliminate some of the scientific uncertainty and allow fishery managers to set higher quotas for many fisheries - providing more economic activity for commercial and recreational fishermen and fishery dependent communities.
Today, the Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing with Department of the Interior (DOI) Secretary Ryan Zinke to examine the Trump Administration's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 201......
Read more
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem will be delisted from the endangered species list. Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the fo......
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Today, the House passed H.R. 1654, the "Water Supply Permitting Coordination Act," by a bipartisan vote of 233-180. Introduced by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), the bill creates a "one-stop-shop" permitt......
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text:
President Hamid Karzai has enjoyed years of being able to brow beat American presidents with threats of refusing to do this or that. The assumption has always been that if one does not please the two bit excuse for a leader then he will pick up his marbles and go home in a huff. President Barack Obama called the Afghan leader and made clear that unless the Afghanistan government was ready to leave the people of Afghan to its own desires. His world were clear, "the United States is moving forward with additional contingency planning."
After that phone call, he asked the Pentagon to make plans for a full pull out by the end of 2014. FINALLY, the bluff has been called. Unfortunately, the people who will be hurt by the Karzai pouting demonstration are the people of Afghanistan. Reality is that within a year, vast areas of the country will be governed by forces under the Taliban government. Despite what Republican Party leaders argue, the fault lies with former President Bush who went to war in Iraq before concluding the war in Afghanistan.


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|Thread Tools
Quality of Bondo
Everybody says use Evercoat. Is Bondo brand no good, medium good or OK to use? Most people use the word Bondo like Kleenex. We should say Filler and Facial tissue, but most of us don't. Since Walmart sells Bondo brand at low prices, I was to tempted. Why not Bondo? have they not improved in technology? I am wondering if some products get a good name because it is cool to say you use it. Have the experts on here tried Bondo in the last five years? It sands nicely, it looks like it is good to go, but of course I don't no what it does in the long term. I am sixty so I don't care past 10 years. I won't even know I own a Hot Rod by then. Thanks. I know many times in the past I have fooled myself into thinking the expensive thing was better, but really many, many times it's just to be able to say I use Blue Coral or Royal Purple or Slick 50........
Last edited by bartamos; 10-23-2006 at 09:29 PM.
Regular old Bondo brand filler will still work but there's other products out there that do work better, spread better, sand better, less pinholes, etc.
The choice is always yours but the people that are telling you to use Evercoat's premium products are definately right. If you're doing enough work to use up a gallon of filler the cost savings in abrasives alone will make up for the difference in price and the time savings will be plenty. I use Rage Extreme for the majority of my work.
I don't know about how good it is being I see no reason to experiment. But I have to wonder about the "low prices" for Bondo. Bondo is a "retail" product, I don't think I have ever seen it in a "real" autobody supply store. It may be, I just don't think I have ever seen it. I have seen Bondo (I had a bunch that I "pulled" out of a store on a change over) in NAPA stores when I was a paint rep and they were always VERY high priced. Like the retail packs of sandpaper, I would have to assume they are priced for the home hobbiest who don't know where to buy "real" products at a much better price. They are usually packaged in smaller containers for the home hobbiest who only needs a little. He doesn't realize that the little bit of junk sandpaper he is buying is costing him as much as a large sleeve of quality paper at the autobody supply store.
I am NOT saying you are clueless and falling for all this stuff I am just talking about the whole "retail" business in general.
All I know is plastic filler (that is what I usually call it) is not usually used in such a high quanity in comparison with other products used in a home restoration that a guy should even worry about it.
I mean, lets say one uses two gallons of filler on their car. That is quite a bit, but maybe the thing is ruff, lets say most will end up on the floor because the guy is a newbe and applys too much then sands off too much then applys too much then sands off too much (this is the most common mistake using plastic filler). Ok, lets say he needs four gallons. The Evercoat RAGE is what, about $25 a gallon? So he spends $100 bucks on the RAGE. OR, the Bondo at Wallyworld, how much cheaper could it be? Lets say it's $15. So he could save forty bucks and get the same amount for $60.
Forty dollars on a restoration of a car is NOTHING. He will spend that much a ONE small part, on the lacquer thinner to clean his gun, on mixing cups, on seam sealer, etc. It really doesn't "add up" to me. Use the Evercoat and KNOW that it is used by a HUGE percentage of restoration shops, production shops, etc across the country.
The advantage to buying Bondo brand filler is that it comes with that spiffy plastic tub on the top of the can that has many uses around the shop. I use mine for holding small parts, mixing resins and fillers, cereal bowl, and when covered with tinfoil, it keeps the alien mind probe rays out of my head while looking more stylish than the traditional pyramid hat. (to me it looks like a chopped fez)
Just thought I'd point out something positive about bondo.
I do like rage better.
Later, mikey
my signature lines...not really directed at anyone in particular..
BE different....ACT normal.
No one is completely useless..They can always be used as a bad example
I've used bondo brand a few times and really didn't see any big problems with it, and it seems to last just fine. But it is not the best spreading and easy to sand. Its convient for me to get cause I can just go around the corner and pick bondo brand up if I need it. You never know how long its been sitting on the shelf at walmart either. I thought bondo was cheap, but went and got evercoat lightweight filler at the paint supplier and looked at the cost, it came to maybe .50 cents more then the chain store was selling bondo for. It applys nicer and sands nicer. You have to figure the amount of sandpaper and the extra labor involved in the cost too, so if It isn't is nice to work and you use more sandpaper, your not really saving money. Still will take bondo over 3m filler. A supplier had it for something like $10 so I picked it up and used it on the car I was working on at the time. I didn't care for how it was to work with.
Actully. Bondo is $13 per gallon at Walmart. I used Bondo on my '51 Chevy, but I don't like the way it works. I'v often wondered what the Napa brand products are like, but I don't have anything I need plastic filler for right now. my '67 Falcon will need some. I do know that Bondo makes what they call " Gold " and it is twice the price, don't know how it works, at being the same price as professional products, I'll buy the pro products first.
Martinsr has a good point if Evercoat is that cheap. I thought it was more, didn't know it was 25/gal. Thats not expensive. Since all there was in the 50's/60's was Bondo and lead, I thought Bondo, being the Grandfather, would keep up. Their web site say's "used in over 60,000 shops". How many Earl Scheibs' are there? Just kidding, anyway I used the glass fiber filled first then the Gold (all Bondo) Do you think it will be ok to use the Evercoat glaze product over Bondo? thanks. In the future I will use "better" products. because I do think a person should listen to experience. you will be further along. I have done all the panel patching/welding/hemmering/SPI epoxy primering and sanding according to you all on here and would never have gotten good newbe type results without you all. Bondo is my first variance from HotRodders' and I am ashamed. But!!!!!!!!! I won't do it again. I think it was how far away the evercoat place was. I see that Walmart, Checker, AutoZone and those kind of places have Bondo, that's where they are marketing, as you said to the "goofball home hobby nutball cheap DIY guy" (me).
Sometimes the "premium" products are just worth it, period.
Matt, the Napa fillers ARE Evercoat with NAPA label on the can!
Anything else of theirs thats re-labeled?
I am a long way from a body man. No training whatsoever. I used "Bondo" brand when I was young and hated it. I kept using it until someone told me there were better products out there (embarressed smilie here). I then switched to evercoat. I like everything I have used from them so far.
Can I use the Evercoat Glaze product over Bondo brand? I don't see a two part Bondo brand glaze in the stores.
Sure you can Bartamos, sorry I didn't answer that before. Do use a 2K "glaze" like Metal Glaze or Glaze coat.
Brian, every single thing at NAPA is a relabel. Martin Senour paint is Sherwin Williams, NAPA battery is Exide, NAPA shock is Monroe, NAPA oil is Valvalene, they are all big name brands with a different "excusive" NAPA label on it.
If your NAPA store sells body supplies there are a bunch of good things. The prices are not the best, the service is most likely not the best either. But some NAPA stores are pretty darn good. Remember, before there were "paint stores" the parts store IS where you got your autobody supplies. So in some areas you can still count on them.
The polyester primers they sell are Evercoat and PCL (PCL being in the Cross/FIRE line). The sand paper is VERY good stuff and is Carborundum.
If you are after a certain thing that they don't stock and don't know anything about let me know and I may have the part number for you. They can get stuff out of the DC usually in one day or less.
That is good to know. With only one place to buy most things in the next 3 counties....well the prices are sky high.
Every body shop around buys from this one place. Both in AR and MO. Even the tech school 2 counties over does (I work there part time).
I was seriously thinking about ordering stuff online. Even with shipping the prices are better.
I would bet that the local NAPA is not as bad as this place as far as prices. I would much rather support a local business where I can talk to someone.
When my health starts to stabilize more, I may take you up on that offer.
I go to carquest that also handles paint, and finding out they have better prices on a lot of things then the paint supplier in town does. The carquest here carries most body supplies, evercoat fillers, quite a few different lines, ppg, rm, ect, and have everything from panel adhesives to fine line tape. If you have a better equipted carquest, they may have quite a bit of fillers to choose from. At least the local here does, and the prices ain't any more expensive then the supplier that handles paint only. Napa on the other hand here, things seem to run a bit higher, specially sandpaper.
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text: chrischats - Unregistered February 25, 2011 5:41 PM Great to see Mark back racing again after his 2008 accident! I was watching the race live on TV that day and it's incredible that neither he nor Carl had any serious injuries! Good Luck Mark for 2011! 0 agree 0 disagree


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Make a difference in the challenge to confront global warming and prevent nuclear war and the development and use of nuclear weapons.
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Control Arm - Self locking nut spins ball joint
I have a 1988 BMW 735 i. I am replacing the front lower control arms on each side of the car. I got the drivers side lower control arm off and began to install the new one which comes already loaded with new ball joint and bushing. The problem that I am having is when I go to tighten the self locking nut on the ball joint (lower one that attaches to the strut housing) the ball joint starts spinning and I don't have any way to get pliers or anything to keep the ball joint to stop spinning and the nut won't tighten. I am completely stumped! Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
I had the same problem once on a truck. I used a piece of 2x4 and forced it over so the ball was snug to the seat, then tightened it. Worked good for me.
this is where the "pop" "pop" "pop" with an impact gun cures the problem.
what you may need to do is place a support under the ball joint/control arm and let the car down enough to put pressure on the the system. You may need to whack the the spindle down so to create a binding pressure between the spindle and the taper of the ball joint.
the impact gun is the best and easiest method I have used though.
I want to edit because somebody may have accepted exactly what I wrote which is not what I intended it to mean.
NEVER EVER hit the actual spindle. You can damage it. I meant the prtion of the spindle (as the entire metal piece) that goes over the ball joint. Use caution to not damage any surrounding items (including thumbs)
use a standard(non-locking) nut to seat the taper in the ball joint, then exchange it for the self locking one, it should tighten without twisting the ball joint now. Make sure to support the cars weight on the lower control arm when you change out the nuts.
Thank you so much for your help. I guess I should have seen the logic in this. Anyway, back on and as good as new. Thank y'all!!
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Product Description
Eureka Sandstone +45 Sleeping Bag. The Eureka Sandstone +45 sleeping bag is a great choice for car and cabin camping and outdoor excursions in temperate conditions.
Stay cozy with this quality Eureka Sandstone 45 sleeping bag. Adult size sleeping bag for added protection and warmth. Great all-around sleeping bag to use for single to multi-day camping and hiking trips. No one knows more about camping and outdoor equipment than the professionals who live in it day in and day out. No matter if you are the serious outdoor camper or if it is your first time hitting the trails, Eureka has the products to fit your every need
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Buy for Cold:
It's a safe bet that on at least one of your adventures, the nighttime temperature will drop unexpectedly. That's why it's smart to buy a bag that's rated for the lowest possible temperature you expect to face on your camping and backpacking trips. For summer trips, a bag rated at +35 degrees or higher will likely do the trick. If you like to camp in higher elevations in the summer, or if spring and fall outings are in your future, consider bags rated from +10 to +35. Winter adventurers should look for bags in the -10 to +10 range, while those on serious winter alpine climbs and expeditions will want a bag rated lower than -10.
Keep in mind that sleeping bag manufacturers' temperature ratings only estimate the minimum temperature at which the bag will provide warmth. Take these numbers with a grain of salt, as different folks generate different amounts of heat when they sleep. If you're the type who likes to pile on the covers even on warmer nights, go for a bag that's rated ten degrees colder. The opposite is true for "warm" sleepers--a 35-degree bag will probably work for you on a 25-degree night.
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Although sleeping bags may be rated for 0 degrees Fahrenheit, you shouldn't bank on it. To be safe, add about 10 degrees Fahrenheit to the sleeping bag's listed temperature rating. For instance, if the rating is 10 F, you shouldn't use the sleeping bag below 20 F. This is by no means a firm rule. You will have a feel for the sleeping bag and will know how cold you should take it before you begin to chill. If you sleep with all of your clothes on you will be able to handle the cold better than someone who sleeps in their underwear. If you are experienced with camping, backpacking and similar sports and have tested many sleeping bags in a variety of conditions you will be able to gauge the sleeping bags' abilities better. If you are new to camping and backpacking, don't take risks with your warmth. Traditional/Rectangular Sleeping Bags:
Rectangular sleeping bags offer more room but are heavier and don't always offer as much warmth as mummy bags. Many people prefer a rectangular sleeping bag because they provide more room to wiggle. You do not have to sleep on your back, like in a mummy sleeping bag, but can toss and turn as much as you like. These sleeping bags are great for car campers where heat isn't as big of a concern as it would be while backpacking the backcountry. In the summer time these sleeping bags are ideal because you won't be faced with very cold temperatures.
A benefit of purchasing rectangular sleeping bags is that if you buy two of the same styles, you can zip them together. If you combine them with an air-filled mattress you have quite the luxurious camping bed. Of course when you do that, you'll want to make sure that you have a large enough tent to accommodate them.
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The size and length of sleeping bags will vary. There really isn't a one-size-fits-all. Look for sleeping bags that will fit you comfortably without extra space. Remember that your body will have to heat up that extra space. Look for a sleeping bag that will fit your length comfortably; there are bags specifically designed for people with larger or smaller frames. Women and children will also find that they may need to find a smaller or narrower sleeping bag. There are many options in children's sleeping bags as well as women's sleeping bags. Kid's sleeping bags will be shorter and designed to keep their smaller bodies warm.
Typically, the first few seconds spent inside a sleeping bag indicate the overall quality of the night about to come. Our line sleeping bags are warm, roomy, responsive to your every movement, adapt to the bedtime needs of the moment. Built for recreational activity, they fit the way you live your life outdoors. Like, as the Eskimos say, a particularly good glove.
Sleeping Bags:
Your sleeping bag is going to be a valuable piece of camping gear. When considering which sleeping bags to buy there are a few features to become familiar with: the fill, the style, the shell, the lining and the temperature rating, as well as any extra features a sleeping bag may have. Camping gear is only a part of the camping and outdoor experience. Sleeping bags are designed to protect you from feeling cold, yet the purpose of a sleeping bag isn't really to warm you. It's to help maintain your inner body temperature. Stay Warm.. Rest Easy.. Sleep Well!


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Scott Gottlieb Forbes.com 4/30/2013 In Asia, more than 120 people have been sickened, and 23 are dead, from a potent strain of bird flu that has the frightening markings of a potential pandemic strain. We have grappled with deadly pockets of potent flu outbreaks before. But this one has characteristics that make it different.... »
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We're Not Prepared For China's Deadly Bird Flu
Forget the specific data being released this next week … the BIG picture is what is now in play:
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Nigel Farage On "Wholesale, Violent Revolution" In Europe
by Tyler Durden ZeroHedge.com 04/30/2013 In a little under two minutes, Nigel Farage sums up the utter farce that "the religion" that Europe has become. He explains, his fear is that what will break up the Euro, "is not the economics of it, but wholesale, violent revolution," in the Mediterranean, and that is "all... »
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Charleston Firefighter Rescues Pony in Pool
"It was sitting right here with it's head sticking out from underneath here," explained firefighter Brandon Helm who helped the pony. He said the Fire Chief called him specifically because Helm trains and owns several horses and knew what to do.
"I was able to pet it on the head and calm it down and I got the cover off to assess to see if it was hurt or not," explained Helm. The horse didn't have any injuries, the firefighter said if it did, they might have had to sedate it in order to pull it out.
Helm believes the pony broke free from the neighboring yard, went over the fence and walked onto the pools cover, not realizing it wasn't solid ground.
"So I ended picking his hoof up, pulled on the butt rope a little bit and enticed him to go a head and jump on out," said Helm. "He was cold enough he jumped out to the side there and they were able to pull him the rest of the way out."
The pool had about 2 feet of water and Helm said the bottom was slick because of algae. No one currently lives in the house.
"It actually feels good to know that my knowledge of horses was able to be used for the department because most of the time I get teased for riding my horses into town," said Helm.
The pony's owner was not available for comment.
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This is a great place to start when you do not know where to begin. Summon is the library's version of Google. It searches both our library catalog and many of our databases all at once!
Can't Locate Your Article Online?
You can set up Google Scholar so that it directly connects you to Temple University's online journals.
When you are working on campus, Google Scholar provides you with a way to link to the full-text of an article. These links will say: Find Full-Text @ TU, and they will lead you to the full-text of the articles. You can also set up Google Scholar so that you can get to the Find Full-Text @ TU link from home. To do this, take the following steps:


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"Some of us are so obsessed with the past that we die of it."
-Louise Bourgeois
Family snapshots and other personal photographs tend to derive meaning from one's associated memories. Likewise, photographs act as evidence used to prove, or back-up something remembered. There is something compelling about this symbiotic relationship because it seems that each is valued for the same thing it fails at. Photography and memory are ineffective, yet seductive, methods of reaching towards loss. I am guilty of such unsuccessful attempts. I tell myself it is the elegant impossibility which I'm truly attracted to; however, I find myself constantly trying to cling.
Photograph of a Landscape, 2010


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A large genus of some 300 species, only one of which holds real merit for temperate gardens. A. macrophylla (A. durior) is a vigorous deciduous vine grown for its large (9″) heart-shaped leaves. Once established it soon smothers walls, fences and even entire buildings. Trained up a trellis or an arbor, it can also provide shade, or privacy from neighbors who are too close for comfort. The 1½″ brownish purple flowers look like small saxophones or, yes, Dutchmen's pipes. They open without much fanfare in June.
This eastern United States native climbs happily in full sun or partial shade (required in the South) and evenly moist soil. We offer sturdy, 24–30″ bareroot plants, better than the normal grade, and they will catch hold quickly.
For more information on the growing and care of Aristolochia, click Growing Guide.
The size of the plants we ship has been selected to reduce the shock of transplanting. For some, this means a large, bareroot crown. Others cannot travel bareroot or transplant best if grown in containers. We ship these perennials and annuals in 1 pint pots, except as noted. We must point out that many perennials will not bloom the first year after planting, but will the following year, amply rewarding your patience. We ship bulbs as dormant, bare bulbs, sometimes with some wood shavings or moss. Shrubs, Roses, vines, and other woody plants may be shipped bareroot or in pots. The size of the pot is noted in the quick facts for each item.
We ship our bulbs and plants at the right time for planting in your area, except as noted, with orders dispatched on a first-come, first-served basis by climate zone. Estimated dates for shipping are indicated in the Shipping Details box for each item. Please refer to the Shipping Details box to determine the earliest shipping time. Unless you specify otherwise, fertilizers, tools, and other non-plant items are shipped with your plants or bulbs. Please supply a street address for delivery. Kindly contact us with two weeks notice, if you'll be away at expected time of delivery.
We guarantee to ship plants that are in prime condition for growing. If your order is damaged or fails to meet your expectations, we will cheerfully replace or refund it. Please contact our Customer Service Department at 1-800-503-9624 or email us at email@example.com. Please include your order number or customer number when contacting us.
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Joe the gardener from Windsor ,CT now of Concord,GA
This is a fabulous vine and I wished that I ordered another one before it was soldout...the first one matured within the first season and is now 3 years old...fun to grow...great in the garden...loves sun...tolerates drought...loves mulch...clean and fun to have in the garden...mine is planted on the South side of the house and off of a trellis leading to a secret garden...
Ecovillage resident from Cincinnati, OH
This vine draws pipevine swallowtails, which lay their egs on it. The larvae are really amazing looking and soon you have made it possible for an explosion of butterflies in the neighborhood! Really amazing! The only problem is that the enthusiastic appetites of the larvae eventually killed the plant.
Superjono from Mesquite TX.
OMG!!!!!! this vine arrived dormant (asleep without any leaves)and had nice big thick roots. I planted it in my full shade garden a week ago and it has sprouted and grown 10 inchs already. I read on the internet the first year you plant a pipevine it sleeps, next year it creeps, on the third year it leaps. This vine looks to be leaping. Searusly,I have had bad luck trying to start any pipevine from seed (except for Aristolochia Fimbriata) This is the best place to buy you a nice and mature pipevine. 2 YEAR HEAD START!!!!!!!!!
Truton from Wilmington De, zone 7a
This was my first experience with bare root, but it's gone very well so far. Immediately after delivery I soaked it in a bucket of water for a couple hours then planted it. Within a week I had new growth starting and now after a month it's climbed about two feet up the pergola.
A viewer from NH
15 years ago I ordered a Aristolachia from WFF. It has grown magnificantly covering a 6' high chain link fence in good fashion. About 6 years ago I ordered two more for the same fence. These have smaller leaves and they produce underground runners many feet out from the mother plant. I consider that invasive. I'm considering digging the newer two up because it has become a battle in my perennial garden to keep it at bay. The leaves have never attained the size of my original plant either. I think the supplier sold WFF some weird species.
Latin Name Pronunciation: uh-riss-toe-low'kee-uh
Grow Dutchman's Pipe in full sun or partial shade in the North, partial shade or shade in the South and evenly moist, well-drained soil. Slow to become established, but then grows very vigorously. Prune as needed in late winter. Climbs by means of stems that twine from left to right.