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* By Sherwood Ross *
As both the Republican and Democratic political parties are locked into a national security state that is perpetually at war, Americans urgently need to create a third political party, a law school dean writes.
"It will take a third party to allow us to shed the national-security state…which the two major parties are locked into, which they maintain regardless of the votes of the populace, and which will destroy us as surely as it has destroyed previous empires," writes Lawrence Velvel in his book "An Enemy of the People"(Doukathsan).
As has been shown by the second Gulf War, both parties are "incapable of doing the right thing. They are too beholden to big money—money is virtually all that our politicians care about," writes Velvel, dean of the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover. The political parties "have gotten too used to the ethically crooked, morally criminal ways of our system, (and) cannot even envision serious change in the political and electoral system."
Both parties, he charges, cling to policies which do not work, such as the country's "traditional ready resort to war" that has been "practically an addiction since 1950" and that "has created disasters at home and abroad." "If we do not cure ourselves of the American addiction to violence," Velvel continued, "it is only a matter of time until much of the world gangs up on us, with results that nobody can foresee. Such has been the fate of all empires…"
In a blog titled VelvelonNationalAffairs, the law school dean added that a third political party could successfully fight the entrenched parties' by making better use of the Internet, "especially its rapidly advancing full motion video capacity, to do virtually everything that has to be done in politics: to have small group discussions, to have meetings, to make speeches, to trade writings, to conduct both the written and oral back-and-forth needed to work out positions, to raise whatever money is needed, to arrange for signing petitions, (one of the requirements that the two major parties use to keep third parties off the ballot), to campaign, to communicate with and to see and be seen by the voters."
Carefully considered positions will be worked out through lengthy, extensive and highly considered deliberations via real time audio/video meetings, Velvel said. "Through such decision-making made possible by the internet, one can foresee positions and compromises being given much greater and far deeper consideration than they receive from the two present major parties with their in-groups, back rooms, and pressuring lobbyists and money men."
"The use of the internet," he added, "to work out positions should be a continuous process, so that any necessary changes can be made as facts and circumstances in the world change." Velvel goes on to say that telephone calls and face to face discussions will still be used but the main work and the main campaigning of a new party would be via Internet.
Velvel called for other reforms, such as scrapping the Electoral College, which he called "a disaster continuously waiting to happen," and for ending the single member district method of election for the House of Representatives.
In today's House races, this method "discourages the entry into politics of people who have important ideas not consonant with the conventional wisdom of Republicans and Democrats." "One notes," Velvel added, "that the system of winner-take-all single member districts has resulted in 95 percent of the seats in Congress being 'safe' seats for which there is no real contest—a result that creates entrenched corruption."
"It is crucial," Velvel writes, "to open up the legislature to third parties. Only in that way is it liable to be possible to elect legislators who wish to cause America to recede from being a national security state, and who will vote for policies that serve the interests of the vast bulk of the country instead of the oligarchy of wealth and power that has run it for about the last 50 years." Velvel said:
"If 40 or 50 third party legislators were elected to Congress (instead of there being only one or two who do not belong to any major party,) the debates over policy and legislation would have quite a different cast, the enacted policy and legislation would like be quite different, presidents could not safely ignore the third party legislators' views, and we would have a fighting chance to go upward instead of downhill. The initial years of the Republican Party in the 19th century show what a difference can be made by a new party with a fighting chance to win."
"The needed third party would be given a great boost by requiring a majority vote to win the presidency, and by implementing this through some form of ranked, instant run off system if no candidate initially has more than a plurality," Velvel continued. "Such a system," he explained, "would allow people to vote their first choice for a third party candidate whom they favor, with little if any fear that this would throw the election to some Neanderthal if their candidate fails."
Velvel is dean and cofounder of the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, established in 1988 to provide a rigorous quality, affordable education to students who would otherwise not be able to obtain a legal education. It is purposefully dedicated to the education of students from minority, immigrant, and low- and middle-income backgrounds.
(Sherwood Ross is a media consultant to the Massachusetts School of Law. Reach him at [email protected]).
Posted by VTN on April 28, 2010, With Reads Filed under Government. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
8 Responses to "Third Political Party Urgently Needed to Stop U.S. "National-Security State""
nice post. thanks.
I totally agree. We do need a viable third party. One way to do that would be to limit political advertising on TV. Make the candidates get out and come to the people (and don't try that pre-screening attendees either). And we no longer need the electoral college. The theory was they were founded because of the lack of timely communication. Guess what… that's gone. We don't need them anymore. Now you can communicate almost faster than the speed of internet.
This is so right on! More than anything else, we need to get away from the two-party system and the corrupt chokehold it has on our government. We need good people to run as independent candidates and no one should vote for a republican or a democrat in November for any office whatsoever just as a matter of principal.
and yet any exploration of the tea party gets shouted down at every turn. not perfect, by any means, it is at least an option that can be used against the gangsters in charge of the two established political "parties" (re: cabals). if you've got a better example, let's hear it.
In the past six decades, there have been six presidential elections in which a shift of a relatively small number of votes in one or two states would have elected (and, in 2000, did elect) a presidential candidate who lost the popular vote nationwide.
The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).
Every vote, everywhere, would be politically relevant and equal in presidential elections. Candidates would need to care about voters across the nation, not just undecided voters in a handful of swing states.
The bill would take effect only when enacted, in identical form, by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes–that is, enough electoral votes to elect a President (270 of 538). When the bill comes into effect, all the electoral votes from those states would be awarded to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC).
The bill uses the power given to each state by the Founding Fathers in the Constitution to change how they award their electoral votes for president. The National Popular Vote bill does not try to abolish the Electoral College, which would need a constitutional amendment, and could be stopped by states with as little as 3% of the U.S. population. Historically, virtually all of the major changes in the method of electing the President (for example, ending the requirement that only men who owned substantial property could vote) have come about without federal constitutional amendments, by state legislative action.
The bill is currently endorsed by over 1,707 state legislators (in 48 states) who have sponsored and/or cast recorded votes in favor of the bill.
In Gallup polls since 1944, only about 20% of the public has supported the current system of awarding all of a state's electoral votes to the presidential candidate who receives the most votes in each separate state (with about 70% opposed and about 10% undecided). The recent Washington Post, Kaiser Family Foundation, and Harvard University poll shows 72% support for direct nationwide election of the President. Support for a national popular vote is strong in virtually every state, partisan, and demographic group surveyed in recent polls in closely divided battleground states: Colorado– 68%, Iowa –75%, Michigan– 73%, Missouri– 70%, New Hampshire– 69%, Nevada– 72%, New Mexico– 76%, North Carolina– 74%, Ohio– 70%, Pennsylvania — 78%, Virginia — 74%, and Wisconsin — 71%; in smaller states (3 to 5 electoral votes): Alaska — 70%, DC — 76%, Delaware –75%, Maine — 77%, Nebraska — 74%, New Hampshire –69%, Nevada — 72%, New Mexico — 76%, Rhode Island — 74%, and Vermont — 75%; in Southern and border states: Arkansas –80%, Kentucky — 80%, Mississippi –77%, Missouri — 70%, North Carolina — 74%, and Virginia — 74%; and in other states polled: California — 70%, Connecticut — 74% , Massachusetts — 73%, Minnesota — 75%, New York — 79%, Washington — 77%, and West Virginia- 81%.
The National Popular Vote bill has passed 29 state legislative chambers, in 19 small, medium-small, medium, and large states, including one house in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Oregon, and both houses in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The bill has been enacted by Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, Maryland, and Washington. These five states possess 61 electoral votes — 23% of the 270 necessary to bring the law into effect.
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NZ pursues a GMO export drive?
Soil & Health Association of New Zealand (Est. 1941)
Publishers of ORGANIC NZ
RELEASE For: Immediate Release
Date: 12-3-06
Soil & Health will be looking closely at New Zealand's position during talks in Brazil, to see if New Zealand's current government is determined to pursue a GMO export drive, as part of NZ's economic development.
The New Zealand position taken in Montreal last May against setting significant international agreement for strong liability rules around GMOs, indicates that production of GE organisms in New Zealand labs for export is more important than our clean green trading image, according to Soil & Health's Steffan Browning.
Having GE research in the lab is one thing, but exporting living Genetically Modified Organisms and then dodging liability against the unknown outcomes and risks of such products is quite different.
In May 2005 at the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety meeting in Montreal, New Zealand and Brazil were the only 2 of 119 countries present to object to labelling provisions, and New Zealand was the only country to block the liability regime that it should have been supporting.
This weeks meeting of Protocol members in Brazil is an opportunity for New Zealand to correct its stance. Anything less is an indication that New Zealand is committed to trading in Genetically Modified Organisms.
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Developing a range of marketable sustainable production strategies, that can be used throughout New Zealand primary production, will not only ensure economic sustainability but also correct much of the soil and water degradation that blights our environment.
New Zealand primary producers deserve support to get better farm gate prices and get out of the current commodity price traps. Getting an international reputation of being pro GE is not going to help in the least.
New Zealand's producers will have every justification to demand GE out of the labs too, if producers' market reputation is put at risk by a continued careless approach to labelling, liability and GE contamination by our negotiators overseas, according to Soil & Health.


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Tuesday's NewsBusters' piece documenting the broadcast networks' incredible double standard on protests — how reporters zeroed in on inflammatory signs to try and discredit the Tea Party while ignoring similar or worse signs at the left-wing union protests in Wisconsin — garnered national media attention.
On Tuesday evening, nationally-syndicated radio host Mark Levin cited the NewsBusters' study as proving how the media "are a disgrace, absolute disgrace. You did everything you could to trash the Tea Party movement, and you do everything you can right now to protect the vulgarity and poison of the Left and the thugs in Madison, Wisconsin." (Full transcript and audio link below.)
On Thursday night, during the "Grapevine" segment of FNC's Special Report, anchor Bret Baier led off with our study (video and transcript below the fold):
Conservatives are alleging a double standard of media coverage of the labor protests. Signs have shown up in Wisconsin likening Republican Governor Scott Walker to Adolf Hitler and showing a target over his face with the slogan "Don't Retreat, Reload." The Media Research Center analyzed all news stories on CBS, ABC and NBC from last Thursday to Monday. It found eight of the 53 stories on the Wisconsin protest showed one or more of the questionable signs, but none elicited a remark from network journalists. However, MRC points out, in past months Tea Party signs were repeatedly denounced by the networks as uncivil.
The study was also cited by onetime CBS correspondent Bernard Goldberg (now a frequent media critic) in his latest column, "The Lamestreams Strike Again — This Time in Madison," and was published on the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.com page on Friday morning.
Towards the end of the first hour of his Tuesday radio program, Mark Levin used the NewsBusters' study to tee up a segment on the national media's "disgusting bias." The audio is posted on MarkLevinShow.com (starts at 34:20); here's the relevant transcript:
You know, over at NewsBusters, Rich Noyes points out the incredible media double standard, the incredible media double standard in the treatment of the NEA and the AFSCME and SEIU unions in Wisconsin, and the Tea Party rallies. And it is disgusting.
But it's also useful, because the people have turned on the statist media. That's what I called it in Liberty and Tyranny -- the statist media. The people have turned on them. They rate lower than proctologists -- and I have nothing against proctologists, as long as your hands are small.
But, that said, the bias is just stunning. The media in this country want massive big government. The media in this country want the massive big government to control competitive sources and outlets of information -- the Internet, talk radio, and so forth. The media in this country is part of this crony capitalist notion, where they're taken care of by the likes of John McCain and the late Russ Feingold -- late in terms of politics, of course -- who are just like incumbents -- they're protected, while the rest of us are the subject of endless torment.
The media are not interested, for the most part, in reporting information. Period. And, they get -- do you ever see them on these public television shows, or sometimes on C-SPAN, these old-timers talking about the new media: "There's no governors on them, there's no editors."
Oh, really? Well, you guys are a disgrace, absolute disgrace. You did everything you could to trash the Tea Party movement, and you do everything you can right now to protect the vulgarity and poison of the Left and the thugs in Madison, Wisconsin. How do you explain that?
Well, you don't care. You don't have to explain anything. That's why you're going down, too.


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The conceit we tell ourselves, and our reporters, is that those two things align.
Because that conceit was straight/gay vs straight/straight, I could do a lot of overtly straight humor and it would be acceptable.
Wolf concurs that the conceit of the show seems to have everyone but the sex worker in mind.
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"That's where we live," he said, in a voice that was grown squeaky from conceit.
By treachery to your comrades, I suppose, said Hansford, disgusted with the conceit and self-complacency of the man.
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For some time now I have read many of the letters to the editor as well as articles in the paper concerning city government, and silently fumed. I now need to break my silence and pen my once-a-decade letter to the editor. (It should be obvious from this admission that I am a longtime observer rather than participant in the public dialog, much to my embarrassment.)
I am writing in response to an article in Tuesday's Aspen Daily News ("Ireland faces blowback on term limits," Jan. 15) as well as a similar story in the Aspen Times. I begin by stating I fully support the need to bring new blood into the public arena. I firmly believe that if one is to reap the benefits of living in one of the more glorious parts of the world, one should at least attempt to reciprocate by participating in local government, either actively or passively and at the very least by voting — which, by the way, is a great way to term-limit someone running for office and with whom one disagrees.
I had the opportunity a couple of years ago of participating in the political process concerning a redevelopment project that I, and others, felt would adversely affect our neighborhood if allowed to proceed. During that process, I endured many City Council meetings long into the night before having my chance to comment. Also during those meetings, I was educated on the public comment process (as exhibited at last night's City Council meeting), having the opportunity to witness some of the most brutal, disrespectful, undeserved, self-serving and berating comments that one can imagine — or not — by individuals whose primary purpose was that they disagreed with the point of view advocated by a majority of the City Council and felt the best way to express their disagreement and displeasure was by being abusive to those public officials with whom they took issue. You are correct, Ward Hauenstein, that the "tactics of belittlement and scorn must end." But these tactics are not solely being utilized by the mayor and/or members of City Council.
If one wants to understand why new blood is so hard to find for elective office I suggest attending a City Council meeting or reading the above-mentioned articles about last night's council meeting. Or how about reading the letters in the papers a bit more carefully or revisiting the last national election or turning on the television or the Internet and seeing how those who are presently trying to serve us are being treated by those who disagree with them? Who would want to subject themselves to this kind of abuse, no matter how passionately they might feel about serving the greater good, and thus, be in the firing line on a constant basis? Ah, but there's the rub, eh? The greater good along with civility, common sense and compromise are long-gone concepts, having since been replaced with invective, disrespect and intransigence, making dialog and resolution nearly impossible.
In singling out Mick Ireland's potential run for City Council and thus his long tenure as a public servant, you open up for controversy, an issue you might regret. And comparing Mick to Richard Nixon — really?
I support Mayor Ireland in his current role as Mayor and also will do so if he decides to run for City Council. There are not many who have the institutional knowledge and history of the issues facing the city of Aspen now and in the future — issues in need of committed long-term analysis and decision-making, as does Mick. Mick Ireland along with councilpersons Torre and Steve Skadron are rational voices in an environment that has become increasingly bitter and irrational; where problems are often proffered but solutions are in short supply.
As a matter of record, I did not win my "case" before City Council — a process that took over a year and a half. But I do not think ill of Council nor do I feel it necessary to belittle and besmirch them in public or through the media. Treatment was fair and respectful on both sides, and although I would have preferred a different outcome, I accept the decision that was reached.
You should run, Ward Hauenstein, for council, if not mayor. And others who are so stridently against the current city government should step up as well. But I ask you all, are you able to truly think outside the box and look at the bigger picture when it comes to affecting policy for the residents of Aspen? Or will you only see the interests of the one who stares back at you in the mirror and reject from the outset the possibility of dialog and compromise? If you choose the latter then perhaps you need be silent and let those who know how and want to do the job, for all concerned, do it.
Lead, follow or get out of the way. The choice is yours. "Old blood" such as Mick's has a lot to teach "new blood" and should not be dismissed so readily.
Judy Kolberg


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Blogging update
July 14, 2013 By Sierra
It's been several months since I posted anything, and some readers have asked me about my plans. In short, I don't know.I've been blogging (first at No Longer Quivering, then on my own) for four years. I began with a heap of stories about fundamentalism and the act of leaving that I felt needed to be told. In 2009, I still felt like I had invented leaving the Message of the Hour, and was unable to talk to anyone in my new life about religion without inspiring pity or utter confusion. NLQ helped me find community, and my blog subsequently connected me with a group of ex-Message believers, … [Continue reading...]
The Fistfight Fallacy: rape culture's ahistorical premise
April 25, 2013 By Sierra
Trigger warning: I'm fighting back against a rape apologist's claim, and some of this material may be triggering.Inevitably, when you write about patriarchy, you get "schooled" by some asshat who informs you that society itself is founded on the threat of rape. That men are bigger and stronger and have always been able to coerce women into sex, and that fact is the simple biological root of patriarchy that cannot be expunged by a bunch of PC feminist mumbo-jumbo. It's an argument that persists because I think a lot of people, even feminists, find it depressingly believable. But there are a … [Continue reading...]
Sexism, Judgment Day and Forgetting as a Survival Skill
April 20, 2013 By Sierra
Sometimes, my mind goes through a litany of abuse that I can't stop. From my father's intimidation to the men in trucks who ran me off the road making obscene gestures to the men who followed me through city streets swearing at me for ignoring their sexual advances. From my pastor screaming about uppity women daring to go to work to the mechanics who insist I don't know what I know about my own car. Most of the time, I can't stop this litany. It's like a ritual. My mind cycles through the list despite my efforts to turn it off. It doesn't want to forget. I want to forget.I've long … [Continue reading...]
A Sober Second Look writes about Islamophobia
April 2, 2013 By Sierra
I want to recommend this recent post on A Sober Second Look:A Sober Second Look: On othering and "feeling sick" Posters and commenters in particular in some of these [fundamentalist survivor] blogs (and others like them) sometimes use a sort of short-hand that expresses that certain ideas, practices and institutions are oppressive:a fundamentalist, controlling Christian community is a "fundystan" any oppressive, hyper-controlling church or group is a "taliban" conservative Christian teachings (especially on women's roles) are a "mental burka" to question and reject said teaching … [Continue reading...]
Daughter of the Patriarchy, epilogue: What does leaving fundamentalism look like?
April 2, 2013 By Sierra
Occasionally, I get asked whether or not I ever actually left my old fundamentalist church. My story on No Longer Quivering followed my journey up to the first year of college. I've wrestled with how to explain what happened in a proper narrative form, because the circumstances that led to my cutting ties completely with the church ranged from financial to emotional to practical to ideological. There's not a clear, linear story from here on out, just a constellation. But I've decided that it's high time to tie up the loose ends and explain how, exactly, I cut and run.When I first went to … [Continue reading...]
Activism fatigue and the work of changing minds
February 28, 2013 By Sierra
I have been teaching as part of my graduate school career for more than a year now. It's intense work. Some find it invigorating and exciting; I find it grueling. Teaching engages the same part of my brain that writing about the Religious Right does; it forces me to listen carefully to ideas I find distasteful, to be willing to poke around in the nuts and bolts of those ideas until I've found the root of the problem, and then point others at that root and ask them to think about how to extract it. Teaching is about unsettling things and making people uncomfortable with their own … [Continue reading...]
What my feminism is, and why I'm not okay with "mansplaining"
February 8, 2013 By Sierra
I grew up on anti-feminist propaganda. I heard that they were ball-busting man-haters before I had any idea what that meant, much less thought about identifying as one of them. There's nothing remotely original about my journey from patriarchal indoctrination (having male friends because I thought girls were "boring") to ambivalence ("I'm not a feminist, but...") to acceptance of the history and meaning of the feminist identity. It took me the usual number of years to work my way through that mess, process the emotions, and embrace feminism as a name for something precious to me.As a … [Continue reading...]
We are not the enemies of our best selves
February 2, 2013 By Sierra
I've spent the past few years very plugged in to social justice media. When I get my news, for good or ill, it's about the progress or regress of the social issues I care about. The rest of the time, I don't pay attention. Issues that don't elicit an intellectual or emotional response in me don't rise to the surface, because they don't show up on the blogs I read or the pages of friends with similar interests. This model for receiving news has taken a bit of a toll on me lately. I'm tired; tired of reacting, of imagining, and of trying to solve the problems that stream in unceasingly from all … [Continue reading...]
Prospect.org: Purity Culture is Rape Culture
January 5, 2013 By Sierra
Trigger warning: The linked article contains a graphic description of gang rape. In fact, the warning applies to all of the links in this post.E.J. Graff at The American Prospect writes, in Purity Culture is Rape Culture: Too many people still conceive of rape as a man's overwhelming urge to enjoy the body of a woman who has provoked him by being attractive and within reach. As is true in many "traditional" cultures, much of India still imagines that the violation was one against her chastity.... But conceiving it as primarily a sexual violation places the burden on women to protect th … [Continue reading...]
Secular fasting: finding spirituality in the process, not the goal
January 4, 2013 By Sierra
*Trigger warning: Personal talk about fasting with a (mostly controlled) eating disorder to follow. Please don't read if you think this could harm you. I do not recommend fasting as a healthy habit for eating-disordered people as a category. The work I've done over the years to know my triggers means I'm assured that fasting itself won't become an addiction or compulsion for me, but it might have done in years past. If you find something of value in fasting or what I've said about it, please use it in love and knowledge of - and respect for - your own body.I never fasted for religious … [Continue reading...]
Are you part of the pants, pants revolution?
January 3, 2013 By Sierra
2012-13 is the Winter of the Pants. Will you join the party?On December 16, 2012, Mormon feminists declared Wear Pants to Church Day, inviting participants to, well, wear pants to church, 'in solidarity with those of us who seek gender equality everywhere, including the LDS church. And when somebody asks you why you are dressed a little differently, take a moment to tell them. This is our opportunity to make it known: "We are here! We are here! We are here! We are here!"'The common reaction from the unchurched (or those in mainstream or liberal churches) might be "How can this possi … [Continue reading...]
We thought modesty made us timeless
January 2, 2013 By Sierra
I grew up wearing "holiness." I'll wait for a moment so you can finish making jokes. You know you want to.Usually associated with Pentecostals, "holiness" dress has several elements:Long skirts and dresses, usually floor length No close-fitting or "stretch" clothing unless it's oversized Uncut hair (no trimming allowed in my church) No makeup Minimal jewelryThe reasoning behind this uniform is that clothing should express your personality and your commitment to modesty (and by extension, your commitment to God and your future husband). It should draw attention to your … [Continue reading...]


text: First, thanks a lot for making Red Hat Linux more open and friendly to the community! I'm sure you'll get tons of thanks in code and patches too. Anyone care to explain the reason for the change? Something other than "it was the right thing to do", which we know it was. I mean, Red Hat is a business, and it's not often we see businesses opening products for community input this way. Where did the push come from? Was any particular person or group more involved than others? Any big market factors? How long has it been in the planning? Granted, this is not as big a surprise as if Microsoft did that to Windows, but still, I am shocked! :) -- Simon Perreault <nomis80 nomis80 org> http://nomis80.org


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Editorial2014: JAN | FEB | MARCH | APRIL | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUG | SEPT | OCT | NOV | DEC
Metocean Data Services: Dream or Reality?
Paul Wyatt,
Vice President of Data Services,
Liquid Robotics Inc.
Researchers dream of the day when the oceans of the world are instrumented, and the data from this instrumentation are easily accessible and delivered directly to their desktops or tablets. Imagine the efficiencies and cost savings if researchers could easily access real-time ocean data from the office or home. Imagine not having to reserve a spot on a research ship a year in advance or spend a month at sea just to acquire research data. Is this futuristic or a near-term possibility? What is required to make ocean data services a reality?
Today, advancements in computing, communications and sensor technologies are coming together with advancements in autonomous ocean vehicles, allowing for instrumentation of the oceans. With only 5 percent of the global oceans explored, there is a tremendous opportunity to increase ocean observation capabilities via deployment of smart, autonomous ocean vehicles. The results have wide-ranging benefits for improved understanding of hurricane and tsunami forecasting, fisheries migration/tracking, ocean acidification and overall ocean health.
Together, the cell-phone/tablet/ultralight-computer market, the electric-car market and the renewable-energy market have driven small, 'energy-sipping,' high-power computers; lighter, more efficient batteries; and more efficient photovoltaic cells. When combined and added to autonomous vehicles, the result is ocean-going robotic computer platforms capable of collecting, processing and communicating vast amounts of data. The miniaturization of environmental sensors and significant decreases in power consumption have resulted in labs-on-a-chip. These technology trends in sensors enable autonomous vehicles to add more, diverse sensors to their payloads for simultaneous collection of in-situ data. These data can then be offered as a service to researchers and other organizations.
Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) is emerging as underlying technologies mature in support of Web services and service-oriented architecture (SOA). High-speed Internet service has become increasingly available worldwide, making DaaS an attractive option to more people and organizations. The evolution of SOA has reduced the relevance of the particular platform on which data resides. As is the case with these and other cloud-computing technologies, DaaS adoption has been hampered by concerns about security, privacy and proprietary issues, but the techniques and technology to address these concerns are now readily available, including long-duration, ocean-observing autonomous surface and underwater vehicles. Some of these vehicles can operate around the clock, through all weather conditions for years with annual maintenance. For example, Liquid Robotics Inc.'s (Sunnyvale, California) Wave Gliders have navigated and transmitted weather data in real time through hurricanes and cyclones. Most recently, during Hurricane Sandy and Cyclone Freda, the Wave Gliders were able to transmit valuable data on the surface temperatures, wind speeds and gusts, and barometric pressures throughout the storms. PacX Wave Gliders have trekked the high seas from San Francisco, California, to Bundaberg, Australia, setting new world records for the longest distance traveled by an autonomous vehicle and amassing more than 5.5 million discrete data points from the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
Data-services companies are building fleets of these autonomous vehicles to acquire data for their customers. Data that were previously too expensive or too dangerous to acquire by manned vehicles have become practical with autonomous vehicles. Operating at the ocean's surface and upper portion of the water column over long distances and time frames provides much richer, more complete data sets. These data services can reduce the cost of securing coastlines, ports and marine sanctuaries, and assist the oil and gas industry in a variety of operations, including seismic surveying and water quality monitoring.
Today's reality is that the technologies are available, proven and affordable. What is needed to help explore the remaining 95 percent of the world's oceans is wide-scale instrumentation and ease of ocean-data delivery. Imagine a future where one can measure the temperature of the Arctic seas or monitor carbon levels all from a laptop. This dream is now within reach.
Sea Technology is read worldwide in more than 110 countries by management, engineers, scientists and technical personnel working in industry, government and educational research institutions. Readers are involved with oceanographic research, fisheries management, offshore oil and gas exploration and production, undersea defense including antisubmarine warfare, ocean mining and commercial diving.


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I'm using Transparency! v2.0 for Xbox with XBMC r22463 (the problem doesn't happen on my Windows XP laptop) and noticed whenever I was going through the network settings that letters were cut off that are supposed to be there, but only some times.
When I first go to Settings > Network the front page is fine, but if I scroll down and back up, I'm missing the "ddress" from IP address and "mask" from Netmask and "Gateway" from Default Gateway.
Under Servers I'm missing "ssword" from FTP password and "port" "username" and "password" from the Web server section.
Under Auto-detection, I'm missing "ame" from Nickname.
Under SMB Client I'm missing "sername", "assword" "server" and "group"
UPnP settings are all fine the whole time.
Under Event Server I'm missing "ort" from "Port."
If the screensaver pops up and I stop it, the letters all appear fine. The same thing happens when I open and close File Manager after pulling it up from the Shutdown Menu.
I just noticed it also happens in a couple places in the Music Settings.
Under CD Ripping: "ing template"
Under Scrobbler: "username" "password" from both Last.fm and Libre.fm
Under Files: "g template" and "template right"
Other items under Settings appear to be free from this.
This is a very minor problem, but it's something I noticed and figured I'd pass along.
Here's a screenshot of the messed up Network section:
Missing Letters in Network and Music Settings on Xbox
Team-XBMC Forum Moderator
Posts: 648
Joined: May 2008
Reputation: 0
Location: USA
2009-09-06 05:48 Post: #1
When posting about a problem please submit a debug log to give you the best chance at getting an answer. It's easy, painless, and helps provide necessary information.
(This post was last modified: 2009-09-06 07:22 by nicoli_k.)
|find quote
Team-Kodi Member
Posts: 13,172
Joined: Jan 2009
Reputation: 392
2009-09-06 15:48 Post: #2
this is a difficult one.
it has been reported here: http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=392...stcount=40
and as far as i can tell, it's a side effect of running a 720p skin at non-720p resolutions, like 4:3 for instance: http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=392...stcount=41
it's also happening in other skins, so i don't think i can fix it.....apart from making a SD version of the skin, that it.
Do not PM or e-mail Team-Kodi members directly asking for support.
Always read the Forum rules, Kodi online-manual, FAQ and Search the forum before posting.
For troubleshooting and bug reporting please make sure you read this first.
|find quote
Senior Member
Posts: 279
Joined: Jun 2008
Reputation: 127
2009-09-06 17:37 Post: #3
I got the same problem on windows r22110.With the default font.
|find quote
Team-XBMC Forum Moderator
Posts: 648
Joined: May 2008
Reputation: 0
Location: USA
2009-09-06 17:52 Post: #4
I'm running at 480p. It's not that big of deal. It definitely not worth making an SD version just to correct it.
When posting about a problem please submit a debug log to give you the best chance at getting an answer. It's easy, painless, and helps provide necessary information.
|find quote


text: Welcome to the weblog of the International Journal of the Humanities and the International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities! This is a page to discuss issues related to the role of the humanities in contemplating the future and the human. If you have an interest in these topics, feel free to add a comment.


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I know, I know—I feel like a fusty old crank merely posing the question.
Any chance that fusty old uniform can get revamped into something more appropriately Batman-esque for the occasion?
You would have us go and live in that damp, musty, fusty place?
fusty, earlier foisty, is no longer used in its proper sense.
The funny thing is that his people are as poor as church mice—three brown mice in a fusty little house like a family pew.
You're not selfish and you're not fusty; but you remind me of him when you make remarks like your first.
The cab is fusty, the driver is sulky, the morning is foggy.
A fusty, musty smell was in the room, in the air of the staircase, everywhere.
My money supports men of genius and taste—it shall not be frittered away on a pack of fusty shopkeepers.
The vessel was laden with rice, and the fusty heat which came up from below was something awful.
"stale-smelling," late 14c., from Old French fusté "fusty, tasting of the cask," from Old French fuist "wine cask," originally "stick, stave," from Latin fustis "staff, stick of wood." Related: Fustiness.


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David Beckham heralds return of tightie whities at H&M
Here's betting that Becks has the power to singlehandedly bring back tighty whities.
Yes, the Straight has just received its first sample of David Beckham Bodywear for H&M (a sexy new line scheduled to hit stores February 2) and it's a pair of soft, white, cotton-Lycra briefs.
Baggy boxers, begone! Not since Tom Cruise rocked his Fruit of the Looms in Risky Business has ginch like this threatened to make such a comeback.
The box here features the man once called Golden Balls flashing his abs and tatties while wearing his carefully sculpted wedgie-ready wonders. It's quite an improvement on Cruise's pink button down and white socks, we might add.
But as one guy in here commented, dudes hoping to capture Becks's look by buying his briefs might not find it so easy: "If only these could give you abs of steel and a million dollar paycheck."


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But it doesn't matter. If an Apple engineer owns 5,000 shares, his or her once-$3.5 million nest egg is now worth $2.1 million. Sure, that's still a lot of money, but people freak when their retirement accounts shrink, and it explains the drift toward the exits that Chowdhry has seen.
Although Chowdry is relatively small potatoes on Wall Street, I value his opinion because he understands technology and goes to the trouble to attend numerous industry events every year. While he's there, he makes a point of talking to engineers and developers who do the work inside a technology company. He doesn't just talk numbers with the CFOs.
Six or seven months ago, Chowdhry told me he didn't see much movement of employees out of Apple. But since then, while attending conferences on cloud and mobile development, he's come across several dozen employees who have left or are looking hard. Recruiters at those conferences told him they are hearing from engineers who are even interested in moving to Hewlett-Packard, a company that not too long ago was beginning to look like a zombie. Why go there? In a word, perceptions. Right or wrong, there is a perception that HP is moving forward. And of course, working at Google and Facebook has always been attractive.
Samsung is losing its swagger, too
Apple is not the only company being hit by exaggerated perceptions. Samsung, Apple's major rival, had been an industry and Wall Street darling. But that started to change when the Galaxy S 4 shipped. It got fairly tepid reviews, and perceptions of Samsung's place in the technology universe began to shift.
The merits of the Galaxy S 4 aside, it's actually selling quite well. It sold 10 million units in the first 27 days after its introduction in April 2013. For reference, it took its predecessor, the Galaxy S III, 50 days to reach the same benchmark.
Meanwhile, both Samsung and BlackBerry recently reported earnings figures that disappointed Wall Street. It's becoming apparent that the market for high-end smartphones is close to saturation, at least in the United States and Europe. There's still strong demand in less developed parts of the world, but buyers there will likely opt for lower-priced models, a shift that will further depress earnings and profit margins for companies like Apple and Samsung.
Chowdhry argues that Apple needs a change in top management -- and needs it now. I'm not ready to say that. But the process of bringing expectations in line with reality is a difficult one, and it will take some time.
I welcome your comments, tips, and suggestions. Post them here (Add a comment) so that all our readers can share them, or reach me at email@example.com. Follow me on Twitter at BSnyderSF.
This article, "Apple's brains are starting to drain away," was originally published by InfoWorld.com. Read more of Bill Snyder's Tech's Bottom Line blog and follow the latest technology business developments at InfoWorld.com. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.


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Automotive Services
At Elmer's Brighton Garage, we service American and foreign cars and light trucks. All of our customers, individuals and fleet owners, receive our service commitment to providing quality care and maintenance for their vehicles. We accept most extended warranty plans. Elmer's Garage is also a Toyo Tire Associate Dealer/Retailer.
Our automotive services include:
- Brake Service
- Diagnostic Computer Service
- Tires-Batteries-Alternators-Starters
- N.Y. State Inspection
- Automotive Air Conditioning
- Front End Alignment
- Tune-Up Service
- Major & Minor Engine Repair & Overhaul
- Radiator Repairs
- Complete Transmission Service
- Lube/Oil/Filter Service
- Fleet Maintenance


text:
Today we went down to South Milton Sands. I had some forgotten bits and pieces (including two unopened bottles of champagne - woo hoo!) to pick up from The Barn after the wedding reception, and thought it would be nice to fit in a trip to the beach as well. The beach was stunning as always, and … [Read more...]
My feet haven't touched the ground!
Phew! I feel as though my feet haven't touched the ground for the last few days, there's been so much going on here in Devon! Rosie's wedding preparations are gathering pace, and on Friday Jacqui and I set off to test the map she's drawing to help guests navigate from the church to the reception. … [Read more...]


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Shortly after President Obama took office, Department of Justice Deputy Attorney General David Ogden sent an email to various law enforcement offices in each state with existing medical marijuana legislation. The "Ogden" memo outlined the new Administration's plan to respect state medical marijuana laws, withholding the right to prosecute for-profit operations, and plans to overhaul DEA policy for raiding medical marijuana facilities. It appeared as though President Obama truly would take a "practical approach" to medical marijuana, just as he'd told members of the Marijuana Policy Project during an interview on the campaign trail in 2008. In the wake of the memo, Arizona, New Jersey, Delaware, and the District of Columbia all approved medical marijuana programs. Patients and medical marijuana advocates were convinced that the Obama Administration was truly the beginning of a new day.
Then, in June 2011, everything changed. A new memo, written by Deputy Attorney General James Cole, outlined the Department of Justice's " commitment to the enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act in all States" and made clear that the Ogden memo was meant as little more than a guide on how local agencies should prioritize use of resources. It was not, as President Obama said in a recent Rolling Stone interview, the agency's intention to "give carte blanche to large-scale producers" and dispensary owners. "I can't nullify congressional law," said the President, continuing, "I can't ask the Justice Department to say, 'Ignore completely a federal law that's on the books.'"
With the new memo, DEA raids not only resumed, but intensified. During the eight years that President Bush was in office, approximately 200 raids took place. More than 100 had occurred by the midway point of President Obama's first term, and the pace was increasing. Even the world-famous Oaksterdam University, considered a bastion of regulatory compliance by many in the community, was raided by the DEA earlier this month. But California isn't the only state feeling the heat. The DEA closed more than 10 Washington dispensaries on a single November day last year, and raided more than 20 raids in Montana as well. But raids aren't the only method being used to close down medical marijuana-related businesses anymore.
Attorney generals across the country are now using the mere threat of legal action to pressure
dispensaries into closing. Twenty-five Colorado dispensaries closed during a single week in March after being informed that they were not fully compliant with industry regulations. Similar letters were reportedly delivered in Hawaii and New Jersey, though Governor Chris Christie has denied the letter's allegations that state employees could face prosecution for their involvement in the medical marijuana industry. In fact, this writer's local dispensary recently ceased operations after receiving a similar legal threat from attorney general John Walsh's office for operating within 1000 feet of a school. Additionally, more than 200 dispensaries in California have closed after receiving similar legal threats from the office of attorney general Kamala D. Harris. So how can all this be happening if the President promised us a practical approach?
While many would like the President to take a more proactive approach with medical marijuana, truth be told, there isn't much he can do. As he mentioned in his Rolling Stone interview, while the President can certainly say that medical marijuana shouldn't be a priority, he cannot nullify the Controlled Substances Act. What he can do, and has done, is ask that law enforcement prioritize resource allocation in a way that, theoretically, ends the prosecution of law-abiding patients. Now, through communication with elected officials — and by replacing the ones who won't get onboard — it's time for medical marijuana advocates to finish what they started.
Voters must encourage their representatives, at the city, state, and federal levels, to support pro-medical marijuana legislation. If you live in a state where the attorney general is an elected official, contact yours and let him know that you do not support the crackdown on medical marijuana. Don't know who your elected officials are, or how to get in touch with them? Groups like Common Cause offer great tools to help find the information you need, while others like Project Vote Smart help you stay on top of upcoming elections with information on the candidates and issues being voted on. And, of course, you can keep up with all cannabis-related political news here at Marijuana.com.
Most importantly, in the age of Super-PACs, it's important to donate time and/or money to the cause. Advocacy groups like NORML and the MPP can be powerful tools when dealing with Congress and may represent one of pro-reform voters' best hopes of ending the Drug Enforcement Agency's war on medical marijuana.


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|Apple's Aperture provides a large assortment of output options. In addition to straight printing, you can create on-screen slide shows, books, and two kinds of web galleries. Pre-built themes are provided for books, web galleries and web journals. While Aperture includes no built-in facility or documentation for creating your own templates, if you're comfortable with Cascading Style Sheets and HTML, you can edit the built-in web gallery templates to create customized designs.
Aperture's web gallery templates rely on CSS for their type, color specifications, and some layout options, which means you can easily customize any existing templates by simply editing the associated style sheet. If you want to create entirely new designs, then you'll have a little more work on your hands, because some options are created procedurally within Aperture, and are based on parameters stored in PList files. While it's easy enough to edit these parameters, getting them to render properly is difficult. Apple has not documented its template formats, so the information provided here is based entirely on tearing the appropriate files apart to try to see how they work.
Creating a New Template
The easiest way to create a new Web Gallery template, or to modify a current one, is to duplicate one of the existing templates. These provide the easiest, safest starting points for any edits that you might want to make.
Web Gallery templates are stored in the Aperture package (which, by default, is in your Applications folder). To open the package, right-click (or control-click if you don't have a two-button mouse) on the Aperture application, and choose Show Package Contents from the context menu.
The Aperture package will open as a normal Finder window. For those of you who haven't worked with packages before: they're just the same as a normal folder. The Aperture "application" is really a folder that contains lots of other folders, documents, and resources.
In the Aperture folder, navigate to Contents:Resources:Enligh.lproj:WebThemes
Inside, you'll find six different folders, one for each theme that Aperture includes. Each theme covers both Web Galleries and Web Journals.
Choose the theme that you want to customize and duplicate its folder. If you are hoping to create a new theme, then it probably doesn't matter which theme you choose as a base.
Rename the duplicate folder to the name of your theme. This is the name that will appear in the Theme dialog box whenever you go to choose a new theme.
Customizing a Theme
Unfortunately, Aperture's themes are not all uniform in their design and organization, so you need to do a little investigation to figure out exactly where the style sheet is that your theme uses.
The Art Collection, Special Occasion, and Proof themes use three different HTML files for their layouts. detail.html contains the layout for the themes' Detail pages, gallery.html provides the index page layout, and journal.html holds the layout for the Web Journal.
The Stock and Stock Black themes provide detail.html and journal-gallery.html – a single template that covers the Web Gallery index page, and the Web Journal page.
Finally, the Proof theme provides detail.html, gallery.html, and journal-gallery.html.
If you only want to change color schemes, type specs, and CSS-based formatting options like padding and margins, then you won't probably won't need to deal with any of these HTML files, as you can make your changes by editing the Themes' CSS file.
No matter what theme you're using, the CSS file is kept in the assets:css folder inside the theme folder. The Stock, Stock Black, Proof, and Special Occasion themes all use a CSS file called global.css. The other themes use separate CSS files for the Index and Detail pages. Check the HTML files to find out which CSS file you should edit.
To edit the CSS file, simply open it in a text editor or HTML editor and change the appropriate tag.
For example, to make simple type and color changes to the Stock and Stock Black themes, you would edit the following tags.
To change the background color of the page, edit the background-color field in the body tag.
To change the color and type style of the Image name, edit the h2 tag.
To change the color and type style of the site title, edit the h1 tag.
To change the color and type style of the Index page link, edit the ul#nav li a, ul#nav li a:visited tag.
To change the image info text style, edit the .imageinfo, .imageinfo a, imageinfo a:visited, .imageinfo a:active, .imageinfo a:hover tag.
To change the style of the site subjeading edit the .journaltitle tag.
Here's a simple example of an edited Stock theme.
Editing Site Layout
The best way to create a new layout is to re-arrange the existing elements in one of the stock themes. Many page elements, such as metadata display and navigation controls, are held by placeholder tags that Aperture replaces when the site is built. For example, _metavalue_ is used as a placeholder for the metadata set that the user selects within Aperture. Similarly _PreviousPageNumber_ and _NextPageNumber_ are used as page number placeholders. Each of these elements are styled using a stylesheet entry.
Right now, Aperture Web Galeries are fairly simplistic. You can only have one metadata entry per page, so if you want to show the image title on one part of the page, and its caption on another, you're out of luck.
There are some other oddities that I haven't yet been able to figure out. For example, on Detail pages, photos are kept in a table entry, with their width and height specified in the image tag that is included in the table. However, editing these values does not necessarily change the size of the final photo. Trying to use absolute placement of DIV layers is also problematic.
Note, too, that your layouts may look very strange when displayed in Aperture. To find out what they really look like, you need to build out your site.
As detailed here, I build the web galleries on this site using iView MediaPro and a custom HTML Export template of my own design. I tried to replicate that template within Aperture, but ran into several problems. First, the lack of multiple metadata fields makes it impossible to display the image title above the image, and a caption, or shooting specs below.
Second, I still can't get the images to appear at the correct size, and I'm having trouble with the positioning of some other image elements. You can see an unfinished attempt here.
Other Customizations
Inside the assets:img folder within your theme, you'll find all of the images that are used as navigation icons. You can replace these with your own icons, but remember to adjust the image size fields in the appropriate HTML files.
In the Aperture Web Gallery editing interface, the user can select which metadata set they would like displayed in the metadata field of the gallery. You can change the default by editing the following field in the albuminfo.plist file
Root>Templates>[template number]>metadataSetDefault>keys>0
Most themes have four template numbers, each template number includes a field called fileName, so just check each template until you find the one that has the file name – detail, gallery, etc. – that you're looking for.
To edit the albuminfo.plist file, you'll need a plist editor, such as the one included with XCode, the free development tools provided with the MacOS.
Note that the albuminfo.plist file also contains height, weight, and maximum/minimum height and width fields. I've tried editing these in an effort to get my images to appear at the right size, but so far they don't seem to have any effect.
Finally, when you click the Theme button within Aperture, a dialog box is displayed showing thumbnails of each theme. The thumbnail for a theme is kept in the thumbnail.tiff file inside the main theme folder. If you want to create a custom theme, just take a screenshot of a finished page, and scale it to 90 x 105 pixels, then place it in your theme folder with the name thumbnail.tiff.
To use a theme, quit Aperture, place your new theme folder in the WebThemes folder inside the Aperture package, and restart the program. Go to a Web Gallery and click the Theme button to choose a theme. The theme should appear in Aperture's Theme dialog box using the name of the folder that contains it.
This is, of course, far from a comprehensive detailing of how to customize your themes. Hopefully, you'll find that the information provided here gives you a good starting point. The easiest way to learn more is to start playing with a copy of an existing theme. It's not hard to map out exactly what each style sheet tag does.
I'd certainly love to hear from anyone who hacks more of Aperture's layout scheme, so please don't be shy about posting your own results and discoveries.


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206.623.5822 | firstname.lastname@example.com
In recent years the Washington State Legislature has passed aggressive new laws aimed at lengthening prison sentences for those convicted of offenses that are labeled as Domestic Violence (DV). As a prosecutor I handled hundreds of DV cases and tried some of the most serious DV offenses that can be committed in Washington including Assault, Rape, and Murder. Now, as a defense attorney, I draw on that experience to tackle the unique legal and factual issues presented in DV cases and to formulate strategies to successfully defend those who have been charged with a DV offense.
While the term "Domestic Violence" historically applied to romantic relationships, over the years it has been greatly expanded and now applies to almost any two people who have a preexisting relationship, a child in common, are family members, or who share a residence. In addition, prosecutors have the option of adding "aggravating factors" to felony DV charges that permit them to ask for, and the judge to impose, much lengthier sentences for those convicted of DV offenses. What's more, recent legislation will require the sentencing judge to impose much longer sentences on charges when the person convicted has a prior misdemeanor DV conviction. As a result, a person who has been convicted of his first, non-violent DV felony offense may be facing years in prison. To make matters worse, prosecutors can, and often do, pursue DV charges against an accused even when the alleged victim does not want charges pursued or admits to fabricating the allegations that led to charges being filed.
During my time with the King County Prosecutor's Office I handled literally hundreds of felony Domestic Violence offenses. Because of my experience handling sexual assault and violent offenses, I was generally assigned the most serious DV offenses including Assault, Strangulation, Rape, and Murder. In fact, I was the first prosecutor in the office to successfully prosecute a defendant for multiple sexual assaults of a victim during the same incident. What's more, I did this twice in a year. These convictions resulted in some of the most severe DV sentences that have been obtained in King County.
As a defense attorney, it is that wealth of experience that allows me to find and exploit the complex legal and factual issues that are so unique to DV cases. In other words, because I tried so many DV cases as a prosecutor I have a unique, insider view of how the prosecution views these cases and the strategies it will use to prove them at trial. I know how best to negotiate these cases and, at trial, how to approach all kinds of factual scenarios and legal issues in order to provide the best defense for those who have been charged with a DV offense.
State v. Tinh Lam: In October 2005 an elderly Vietnamese woman was found dead in her apartment after having been strangled and bludgeoned to death with a hammer. With little to go on I worked alongside detectives from the Seattle Police Department, forensic scientists with the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, and medical examiners from King County to narrow the focus to the victim's boyfriend, Mr. Lam. After a lengthy trial Mr.Lam was convicted of premeditated first degree murder based almost entirely on forensic evidence that included forensic video analysis, fingerprint, blood spatter, and DNA evidence.
Read the Seattle Times Article About the Case
After spending the first 12 years of my legal career as a prosecutor, I opened my own practice in order to provide outstanding support and legal advocacy to those who are facing criminal charges. I purposefully keep a low caseload so that I can give each case my personal attention and so I have sufficient time to meet with my clients, discuss their options, and approach their case in the manner that is the most beneficial to them and their needs.


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1. Toronto Blue Jays
Overall W-L Record in 2012: 73-89, 4th in AL East
Pitching: 4.64 ERA ranked 26th in MLB
Hitting: .716 OPS ranked 17th in MLB
Lineup: A move that mostly went unnoticed, Edwin Encarnacion had a Jose Bautista-esque breakout year in 2012 by belting 42 home runs with a slash line of .280/.384/.557. If you believe that last year is more indicative of what he's capable of putting up in 2013 as opposed to his subsequent .334, .305, and .320 OBP of the past three seasons then the Jays' offense looks much better. Speaking of Bautista, he's coming off season-ending surgery to his left wrist, but by all indications he should be fully healthy to again pound the ball out of Rogers Centre and every other AL ballpark alike.
Jose Reyes joins the lineup in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Marlins that shocked the baseball world. He fits at the top of the lineup along with Melky Cabrera, who is coming off a 50-game suspension and a career season. Emilio Bonifacio (second base) and Reyes should provide plenty of speed, while Rajai Davis (46 stolen bases in 2012) will do so off the bench. The Jays have a very intriguing, multi-talented lineup.
Pitching: To say that the 2013 rotation will be vastly improved is an understatement. The Jays let their 2013 intentions be known by the blockbuster trade with Miami and then in another separate deal with the Mets to acquire 2012 NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, who will be their Opening Day starter. Following Dickey will be Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle (who has plenty of AL experience), Brandon Morrow, and Ricky Romero. If Morrow replicates his 2012 numbers (2.96 ERA) and Romero can hone his command after seeing it erode after two previously solid seasons, the Jays will have a formidable rotation, able to compete within the AL.
The Blue Jays had 12 different pitchers make a start last season and 16 other relievers pitch at least 20 innings. A recipe for disaster, their pitching unfolded last year and became one of the worst staffs in the majors. Casey Janssen will return as closer, while Sergio Santos remains ready to take over if Janssen falters. Darren Oliver, who might be the best lefty reliever in the game, will also come back to fortify the later innings after threatening to retire if he didn't get a raise, but later relenting.
Outlook: I almost wanted to intentionally to discard the Blue Jays from winning the East. We've seen it all before. A team makes a slew of mega-additions to their club expecting a championship caliber season only to see it unfold before it begins (Miami Marlins of 2012, Los Angeles Lakers of 2012-13). The Blue Jays aren't without their question marks. Will Johnson remain healthy? How will Bautista respond to wrist surgery? Can Santos bounce back? Their minor league system is also depleted after the trades. However, the Jays have the makings of a special team in 2013.
2. Tampa Bay Rays
Overall W-L Record in 2012: 90-72, 3rd in AL East
Pitching: 3.19 ERA ranked 1st in MLB
Hitting: .711 OPS ranked 20th in MLB
Replacing Carlos Pena and B.J. Upton in the lineup are James Loney and Kelly Johnson, so you have to expect a drop in production there. Yunel Escobar was an unheralded, yet solid move as the talented, yet immature shortstop may create a consistent presence at the top of the lineup. Desmond Jennings has the chance to turn some heads with a breakout year and will need to do so for the Rays' sake to make up for the loss of Upton.
Pitching: Leading the best pitching staff in the majors last year, Cy Young Award winner David Price will once again return to anchor the rotation in what could be one of his last years in a Rays uniform. Though they lost James Shields in a trade to the Royals, Jeremy Hellickson and Matt Moore will return to fill out one of the best 1-2-3 in the majors. Moore could come closer to being the top lefty in the game. Alex Cobb and Jeff Niemann will slide in the final spots in the rotation, while Chris Archer will get a chance to make a significant contribution should one go down.
It's questionable what to expect out of Fernando Rodney in 2013. Do you get the guy who walked only 15 batters while fanning 76 batters over 74 2/3 flawless innings or do you get the guy who walked 155 batters over 266 2/3 innings the past five years? If you get the former, you should expect the same results out of the best pitching staff in the majors last year.
Outlook: With the East's best starting rotation, a solid bullpen, and a capable enough lineup, the Rays could very well win the division. As long as Longoria stays healthy and Zobrist does what he's been doing for most of his career, the Rays should win another 90 games. It would be nice to see them add another power bat, though.
3. New York Yankees
Overall W-L Record in 2012: 95-67, 1st in AL East
Pitching: 3.85 ERA ranked 12th in MLB
Hitting: .790 OPS ranked 1st in MLB
Lineup: The Yankees were dealt a blow this offseason when it was announced that third baseman Alex Rodriguez would miss at least half of the 2013 season following hip surgery. As if that wasn't enough, the baseball gods saw fit to deal them blow after blow when Mark Teixeira strained a wrist tendon that would put him out through at least mid-May, and Curtis Granderson will miss the same amount of time with a fractured right forearm. With the departure of Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez, and Nick Swisher, the Yankees waved goodbye to 64 home runs from their starting lineup (82 if you count the absence of A-Rod).
The only major addition the Yankees made to the offense was former nemesis Kevin Youkilis, who will join Ichiro Suzuki in a newly-formed lineup. They will see a boost with the return of Brett Gardner and his ~40 stolen bases, but you can't hide the fact that through at least May and possibly longer, the bottom half of the lineup is going to consist of Travis Hafner, Brennan Boesch/Vernon Wells, Chris Stewart, and Juan Rivera.
On Sunday, the Yankees acquired outfielder Wells from the Angels and will pick up $13 million of the remaining $42 million on his contract through 2014. In an odd move, the Yankees will overpay an already vastly overpaid player for a questionable upgrade in their lineup.
Pitching: New York returns all five starters from what was a solid rotation last year. Signing Hiroki Kuroda and convincing Andy Pettitte to come out of retirement were brilliant moves that fortified the pitching staff. They recently signed Chien-Ming Wang to provide insurance should Ivan Nova fail or any of the starters go down with injury. Led by C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees should at least feel confident in their rotation this year.
The Yankees will gladly welcome the best closer of all time back to close out games, though since-departed Rafael Soriano did an impeccable job for them last season. Mariano Rivera will be complimented with David Robertson, one of the best set-up men in the game and his likely successor.
Outlook: More than capable of making the playoffs this year, the Yankees will have to overcome serious injuries to their starting lineup, a 38-year old Derek Jeter coming off a broken ankle, and genuine age concerns. Their top talent in the minors in Mason Williams, Slade Heathcott, Gary Sanchez, and Tyler Austin are all at least two years away.
4. Baltimore Orioles
Overall W-L Record in 2012: 93-69, 2nd in AL East; Wild Card
Pitching: 3.90 ERA ranked 14th in MLB
Hitting: .728 OPS ranked 12th in MLB
Lineup: The Orioles waved goodbye to Mark Reynolds and his 23 home runs, as well as Robert Andino, who made the most starts at second base. Though they return most of their lineup that slugged 214 home runs last year (2nd in MLB), they face question marks both at second base and left field. Brian Roberts is back at second, but as a 35-year old who hasn't made more than 60 starts since 2009, there is huge concern over his durability and production value. Oft-injured but talented Nolan Reimold will get every opportunity to assert his presence as the everyday left fielder, though Nate McLouth will provide insurance backing him up.
If Chris Davis can replicate what he did last year (33 HR), they'll have a formidable infield with Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, and Chris Davis. Matt Wieters could be ready to step to another level offensively this season and cement himself as one of the best overall catchers in the game next to Buster Posey and Yadier Molina.
Pitching: The Orioles made the playoffs though their rotation was in perpetual motion, with 12 different starters making at least two starts throughout the season. To make up for the instability in their rotation, the Orioles went out this offseason and did… well, they did relatively nothing. Baltimore will churn out Wei-Yin Chen (4.02), Jason Hammel (3.43), Chris Tillman (2.93), Miguel Gonzalez (3.25), and their pick out of a slew of back-end starters, including Jair Jurrjens, Zach Britton, Jake Arietta, Steve Johnson, and Brian Matusz among others.
Their staff is full of mid-rotation to back-end starters, so they'll need Tillman to live up to his potential this season. Prospects Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman are two of the best in the game and while Bundy could see time in the second half, both aren't likely to be significant contributors until 2014.
A key to their 2012 season was their bullpen, which accumulated a 3.00 ERA, and it should be no different in 2013. Jim Johnson will return as closer (his 51 saves led MLB), and he will be complemented with Pedro Strop and Darren O'Day.
Outlook: The Orioles did something nobody outside of Maryland thought they were capable of in 2012 and captured a Wild Card spot, finishing two games behind the New York Yankees for the AL East crown. They did this with the help of their uncanny performance in one-run games, which amounted to an overall record of 29-9 for the season. That .763 winning percentage ranks 3rd best in MLB history.
Baltimore should have a steady offense with an average rotation and solid bullpen, but there is no possible way they are going to repeat their record in one-run games from last season. Expect an exciting team capable of capturing a Wild Card spot if everything goes right, but they are more likely to finish in the middle or bottom of the NL East.
5. Boston Red Sox
Overall W-L Record in 2012: 69-93, 5th in AL East
Pitching: 4.70 ERA ranked 27th in MLB
Hitting: .730 OPS ranked 11th in MLB
Lineup: Boston entered 2012 with optimism and a new manager in Bobby Valentine. Both were quickly erased. Will Middlebrooks and David Ortiz anchored the offense to help the Red Sox hover around .500 for the first half of the season. However, with one of the worst pitching staffs in the majors, the Red Sox were forced to deal Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, along with Josh Beckett to the Dodgers in a deadline shocker.
From there, the offense plummeted along with their record. The Red Sox made a slew of moves to bolster their offense this offseason. They acquired Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew, and Mike Napoli, the latter whose deal was reduced to one year based on major concerns with his hip. Facing health issues wirh Drew, Napoli, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Ortiz (limited to 90 games last year), Boston is going to have to be very fortunate to avoid any this season. If healthy, they have a fairly solid lineup.
Pitching: This was the bane of their existence in 2012. The "ace" of their staff last year was Clay Buchholz, whose 4.56 ERA led their staff in 29 starts. Jon Lester's production also took a nosedive to the tune of a 4.82 ERA. Entering 2013 with 3/5 of their rotation intact, Boston replaced Josh Beckett with Ryan Dempster and also return John Lackey, who missed all of 2012 with Tommy John surgery.
While you can expect Lester's stats to fall back closer in tune with his career, their two through five look less than impressive. Dempster's stats fell off the face of the earth upon being acquired by the Rangers last year, and it's questionable how he will evolve in the AL East after posting less than stellar numbers in 2011.
The Red Sox overhauled their bullpen to the point where it should be a plus in 2013. Joel Hanrahan will close out games, followed by Koji Uehara and Andrew Bailey, who missed most of last season after being acquired from the A's.
Outlook: With health concerns in their lineup and a below-average rotation, their improved bullpen will not be enough to enable them to escape the cellar of the East. The Red Sox host a very talented minor league system, so things could definitely turn around when Xander Bogaerts and Jackie Bradley are ready to join the lineup, followed by Matt Barnes and Allen Webster in the rotation.
Pierce Jefferson can be reached via email at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter.
© 2013 The Cardinal Nation, thecardinalnation.com and stlcardinals.scout.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Skilled Scenic Rides: This is our most popular category. These rides will require driving skill to complete. They are longer rides and many of the roads and trails will have some rocky or rutted areas.
Challenge Rides: Not only a beautiful ride, but there will be places along the way that will require technical driving skills. Experienced riders only please.
Independent Rides: We offer help and maps for everyone who wants to ride independently and not on a group ride with a group ride leader. When you register you can order one of our maps. We offer 4 different maps: a map of general riding areas close to Rally Park, the historic mine hill, a challenge ride map or a map to good fishing spots.
Please make sure to check the box on the registration form for the map you would like.
In addition, we will have some of our knowledgeable group ride leaders on hand at 4:00pm Wednesday, July 6th and again at 4:00pm Thursday, July 7th at the registration tent at Rally Park to answer trail questions.
Trailered Rides, Non-Trailered Rides & Police Escorted Rides
Police Escort Rides leave right from Rally Park
We offer trailered rides, non-trailered rides, self guided rides and Police escorted rides at Rally In The Pines. The non-trailered rides and police escorted rides are for those who can not or do not wish to trailer to a trail head for their ride. These rides can have up to 20 miles of state, county or BLM roads that you must travel in your SXS or ATV before you arrive at the trail head for the ride. Please see ride descriptions.
Trailered rides start right where the ride should start and has little to no pavement.
Some of the more popular rides we offer as a Police escorted ride on
one day and as a trailered ride on another day.
Your choice which you want to do. See the registration page for details.
Many Great Rides To Choose From:
Mine Hill Loop Ride
Scenic Ride
No width restrictions
Ride leaves from Rally Park.
The Mine Hill Loop Ride takes you for an adventure into the past. You can ride and explore the mining heritage and ghost towns of the area. This is an easy scenic ride with lot's of stops to explore and photo opportunities. A local expert on the area is the group ride leader and gives an interesting look into our western history.
River & Alpine Mountains Ride xxx
Scenic Ride
Trailered Ride.
No width restrictions
You trailer from Rally Park 33 miles to the trail head. There you will start a beautiful Scenic Ride that follows a mountain river to it's headwaters. Multiple streams flow and merge with the river and the alpine mountain peaks tower above you. These peaks average between 9,000 and 11,000 ft. You will enjoy your lunch on the rivers shore. Where you can dangle your feet in the cool mountain water.
Moose, deer and eagles frequent this area. This ride is appox 45 miles.
Bear Creek Summit Ridexxx
Scenic Ride
Police Escort.
No width restrictions
This ride takes you on an appox 85 mile loop as you ascend over two mountain passes. Breathtaking scenery. Many rivers, and streams are along the way. This is an easy ride, but it does have mountain switchbacks and rocky areas. You will visit a small mining ghost town along the way.
Recommended for SXS and larger ATV's.
The Needles Ride
Skilled Scenic Ride
Ride leaves from Rally Park.
No width restrictions
Ride right from Rally Park. This ride takes you south of Mackay. The ride is 110 miles. 20 miles of it each way is on good gravel county roads. That is how we can make this an non-trailered ride. We will clip along at the speed limit during those 20 miles. The loop over The Needles is for skilled drivers and is optional. The Needles are beautiful geological formations. Then go into some beautiful mountainous areas with high mountain streams. During the lunch stop by the river, there are trails you can drive on your own.
Bring extra gas. Recommended for SXS and larger ATV's.
Wildhorse Scenic Ride
Scenic Ride
Ride leaves from Rally Park with the Police escort.
No width restrictions
This ride takes you over the top of the Copper Basin and into a beautiful mountainous area. Peaks tower above you and you will have lunch next to the Wildhorse waterfall. This area is up for wilderness designation, so we are happy to still be able to offer this ride.
Black Tail Canyon Ride
50 inch width restrictions
Skilled Scenic Ride
Ride leaves from Rally Park.
This ride takes you through a diversity of terrain. Forest, desert and over a mountain summit. Parts of the trail get rocky and slightly technical. Beautiful mountain area. Fun Ride!! One of our best.
Long Lost Creek Ride
Skilled Scenic Ride
No width restrictions
Ride leaves from Rally Park.
Ride right from Rally Park and this ride takes you to the backside of the mountains to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The first part of the ride is 30 miles up over a mountain pass and on the BLM roads on the back side of the mountain range. Through the flat sagebrush area we will be traveling the speed limit with few stops. Then you will turn and descend into a mountainous corridor with steep mountains on three sides. A mountain stream parallels us most of the way. Absolutely breathtaking. We are happy to still be able to offer this ride.This might be the last year we can offer this ride. This area is proposed wilderness and we may be closed.
This is a full days ride. 93 miles round trip. Bring extra gas is highly suggested.
Swiss Alps Ride
Skilled Scenic Ride
Trailered ride.
No width restrictions
This is the most beautiful ride we offer at Rally In The Pines. If you can trailer, don't miss this ride.
You will ride into the backside of the tallest peaks in Idaho. Lunch by a beautiful mountain river and be surrounded by the majesty of the Rocky Mountains.
You trailer 20 miles to the trail head.
Geocaching Ride
Skilled Scenic Ride
Ride leaves from Rally Park - Saturday Only
No width restrictions
Love to geocache or want to learn how? On Saturday during the rally "Events Day", we will have a special geocaching ride sponsored by: Fireside Enterprises. You will find official geocaches and the Rally In The Pines geocaches filled with prize ticket vouchers!
Ride Full
Alder Creek/Mammoth Canyon Ride
Skilled Scenic Ride
No width restrictions
Ride leaves from Rally Park. A scenic ride along beautiful Alder Creek and into Mammoth Canyon. Some rocky trail along the way. Mostly an easy scenic ride of appox 35 miles round trip.
Challenge Rides
The Rides Below Are For Experienced Drivers Only. In addition to our challenge rides, we will have maps to
challenge areas available for anyone interested. These are not part of Rally In The Pines and if you decide to go and
ride these areas, you are riding at your own risk.
On challenge rides we recommend that your Side X Side be equipped with some type of under body protection.
Always carry extra gas.
River Of Rock Ridexxxxxxxxxxx
Challenge Ride
No width restrictions
Police Escort Ride.
This ride takes on the backside of the Copper Basin. You will ride a loop that takes you over and across mountain ridges and down into a remote mountain valley.
Very beautiful ride! Lot's of scenic vistas! You will need some horsepower at times. For SXS's and larger ATV's.
We visit a small old mining ghost town along the way.
Arco Pass / Wood Canyon Ride
Challenge Ride
Trailered ride.
Width restriction 64 inches .
You will climb to the top of mountain peaks and passes. Ride across mountain ridges and into deep pine tree forest canyons. Beautiful views. There are areas where the trail narrows and winds through thick forests. You will have an occasional pine tree limb brush against your machine as you maneuver through these wooded areas. Some loose rocks and shale on switch backs and on mountain descents.
Little Rock Falls Ridexxxxxxxxxxxxx
Challenge Ride
Trailered ride.
No width restriction
You will need to trailer 25 miles to the parking area.
Much of this ride is a scenic ride with some skilled and challenge areas. A few places along the trail are quite challenging and will require good driving experience. There are a few rocky areas with drop offs that you must negotiate. This is a fantastic ride and offers a lot of diverse country. You will be riding into a valley with waterfalls from the tops of the mountains, to the valley floor and you will visit a little waterfall right along the trail. After the challenge area, you will ride into the backside of the Wildhorse Mountains.
Group Ride -
With A Ride Leader Or On Your Own
Scenic Ride
The Rally Lunch Ride will start on Saturday morning
during Rally In The Pines. The Lunch Ride leaves right from Rally Park. We
will be offering a complementary
BBQ lunch at a group site
on the summit of a mountain pass.
Beautiful location!
The lunch will be served between 11:00am and 2:30pm. Ride on your own
or we will have Group Ride Leaders that will take
groups at 10:00am. Your choice.
The ride and the lunch are included with
your registration.
Make sure to check the box for the Rally Lunch Ride
when you register and join us! Space is limited.
Haunted Ghost Town Night Ride
on the Mine Hill
Group Ride -
At Your Own Pace
Skilled Scenic Ride
Ride leaves right from Rally Park
On Saturday night during the rally, join in on this self-guided ride that will take you on a scenic spookie adventure around the Mine Hill Loop. Ride at your own pace as you follow the haunted trail where ghosts and goblins will be watching you!
Along this haunted trail, you will stop and visit many old historic sites at the ghost towns. This is where there will be a few scares, fun and refreshments will be served.
The Haunted Mine Hill Night Ride is only on Saturday night, July 8th, 2017.
No special lights are required for this ride, but they sure are sweet!
Space is limited!
Make sure to check the box for this ride when you register and join the fun!


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Posted on May 28, 2013 by Mike Dellosso (Reprinted with permission)
The villain. The creation of villains is a delicate process.
You wouldn't think it would be. You'd think it would be akin to ramming a half-ton pickup through a shop full of glassware. You'd think it would be messy work, all murders and mayhem and carnage and cursing.
But it's not. Not if you do it right.
Fictional characters are a bit of an oxymoron. They're fictional, only they're not. All writing originates from what we experience. What we see, hear, feel, taste. Stories we hear, research we do, memories we have, nightmares we dream. It all derives from our experiences.
So the characters we develop are mostly collages of people we've met, folks we've observed, and/or bits and pieces of our own psyche/personality/concoctions.
And this is where it gets hairy with villains. You see, I'm not a villain, at least as far as you know. I obey laws, respect other people, follow rules, and basically try to stay out of trouble except those times my big mouth gets away from me. And generally, I try not to rock the boat too severely.
So how do I create villains who are serial killers, psychopaths, narcissistic nutjobs, and all-around bad guys? And how do I create them in such a way that they walk right off the page and urge you to not only hate and fear them, but feel sorry for them and understand the world they live in?
I tap into my own inner villain. He's in there. In fact, he's in all of us. That little Adolph Eichmann waiting for permission to show himself.
The trick to creating a believable villain is to get in touch with Eichmann without letting him roam free. And it's a balancing act. Very delicate work.
To give my villains texture and personality and believability I have to see what they see, hear what they hear, think what they think, and feel what they feel. And it's not a pretty place to be. It's brutal work, depressing, sorrowful . . . and dangerous. To spend too much time there is to toy with evil and that's never a safe thing to do.
So I walk a line, that line between doing my best to remain pure and upright and innocent and delving into carnality and selfish desires and murderous thoughts.
The work of creating villains needs to be handled with care. It's claimed more than one victim.
Post script: Mitch Albright, the villain in my new novel Fearless, is a man tortured by his past and his desire to be respected. He has many sides to his personality and much difficulty controlling any of them. And while Mitch was difficult to write, I believe he's one of the most pathetic villains I've created yet.
**Mike is part of our 2014 Writers Advance Boot Camp. Visit Mike at www.mikedellosso.com
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