text: Bring together a theme of modern and contemporary beauty in a room of your home with this stunning Clarissa headboard. This headboard is a perfect way to accent existing furniture or to compliment a complete overhaul and start fresh. As is the case with all of our items, this piece comes with our guarantee of high quality standard sourced from only the best materials.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We're having a dinner party tomorrow night. The theme is Eastern Mediterranean, mostly Israeli with some other influences. I'm looking for another side dish or appetizer. Right now, the menu looks like this:
Tunisian sliders with caramelized red onions and harissa mayo
Israeli salad
Homemade hummus with assorted olives, pita chips, zchug
Cinnamon garlic chicken (kinda like shawarma)
Israeli couscous with peppers and dried fruits


text:
Chaos Manor Home Page > View Home Page > Current Mail Page > Chaos Manor Reviews Home Page
View 599 November 30 - December 6, 2009
Platinum Subscription:
FOR BOOKS OF THE MONTH 1994-Present Click HERE
Last Week's View Next Week's View
This site looks better if you set your default font to Georgia.
Highlights this week:
For boiler plate, search engine, and notes on what in the world this place is, see below.
For CHAOS MANOR REVIEWS click here
For Previous Weeks of the View, SEE VIEW HOME PAGE
If you intend to send MAIL to me, see the INSTRUCTIONS.
This is a Day Book. Pages are in chronological, not blogological order.
|This week:
November 30, 2009
I was on TWiT yesterday. TWiT 223; http://www.twit.tv/twit links to an mp3. The program was broadcast live in video, but I am not sure where to find a video link. Perhaps there isn't one and you had to see it live. Anyway it was a good session.
The Chaos Manor Reviews current mailbag -- that is the November mailbag, with letters on a variety of subjects from net neutrality to building your own sweet spot PC Box, is now posted.
Novelists, Advocates, and Scientists
The mainstream media have half-heartedly noticed ClimateGate, and the White House Press Secretary has shrugged it all off, saying no one seriously doubts the man-made global warming hypothesis. My friend Ed Begley Jr. almost lost his cool in a TV interview as he insisted that man-made global warming is accepted and those who doubt it must cite "peer reviewed" studies. He emphasized peer reviewed.
And rightly so under current academic beliefs; which raises the question of the utility of peer review in allocation of scientific resources including not only funding but publication. ClimateGate demonstrates that "peer review" is not an adequate means for that allocation. It may well be necessary -- one needs mechanisms to weed out most, even the vast majority, of requests for scientific funding and publication; but ClimateGate shows that it is clearly not sufficient. It is not sufficient because when you make "peer review" the mechanism for selection of "peers", you have a circular process that excludes the possibility of falsification of "consensus" science.
Science can't survive that.
I studied Philosophy of Science from Gustav Bergmann at the University of Iowa back in the 1950's. Bergmann was one of the last of the old Weiner Kreitz, the Vienna Circle, and he steered his students toward the ideas of Sir Karl Popper; but he had contributions of his own. The most important thing I remember from Bergmann is that if you can't put an experiment into a letter to a competent person, so that your correspondent can repeat the experiment and get the same results, it isn't science. Science isn't a method of finding proof and discovering truth. It is a method for falsifying hypotheses, ruling out falsehood; what's left is accepted as truth because it's all we have.
As an example, Special Relativity isn't "true"; but its advocates say, and most physicists agree, that there are no repeatable experiments that flatly contradict it, and no competing theory adequately explains all the data. That makes Special Relativity "true" in the only sense that we have scientific truth. Nearly everyone in the scientific community believes this, and apparently so does most of the general public; but that latter wasn't always true. For a very long time after Special Relativity was published and became popular, there were floods of people who denounced it. Some were anti-Semites. Some were pure nuts. A few were eminent scientists who just didn't believe it. Over time, though, the lack of an adequate alternate theory able to explain the Michaelson-Morely experiment weeded out the "deniers" until there are few left.
Few isn't zero.
I note that the late Petr Beckmann disputed the second part of that statement: he contended that you didn't need special relativity to explain all the observed phenomena. His successors wonder if special relativity can explain the results of a very repeatable experiment in which extremely accurate clocks were sent around the world in different directions then brought back together and their times compared. They are no longer in synch; and some of Beckmann's supporters contend that the discrepancy is not explained properly by special relativity while Beckmann's alternate theory does give the proper results. The resolution of this conflict is well above my pay grade, but it's not being entirely ignored. Incidentally, the method of travel for the clocks was to send them by commercial passenger airplanes.
My point here is not that special relativity is or is not true; I don't know. It would be exciting if it were falsified -- that is, that repeatable experiments give results it can't explain -- because that would generate new theories. Relativity theory changed the world; finding it unnecessary would change it again, and that would be exciting. And Beckmann's supporters, although few in number, are not wild-eyed idiots. They're quite respectable people with scientific and technological credentials, as was Beckmann.
There are two points here: one, the overwhelming consensus is that special relativity is "true" in the sense that it is not falsified and no other theory explains everything; and that even so, there are a few who question it, and who can marshal repeatable experimental data they they believe needs explaining. The likelihood that they're right is small, but not zero, and the consequences of their being right is profound.
Now for Climate Change and ClimateGate. The latest is summarized in
today's Wall Street Journal
and I recommend that article to your attention. The charge is that the IPCC report -- the UN report that is the basis for the consensus theory -- was manipulated, and the emails that the whistle blower has made public certainly indicate that it might have been.
And that poisons the entire science process. Scientists, unlike novelists and lawyers, are not supposed to suppress data that contradict their theories, nor are they allowed to hide their data and methods. If you can't put it into a letter and send it to a competent colleague, it isn't science.
I had considerably more to say on this in my essays on The Voodoo Sciences. And if you would like to see what can happen to a science that ignores the evidence and manipulates the peer process, see my paper on Sociology.
For a good bit more on this, I recommend my two essays on The Voodoo Sciences, both Part One and Part Two. I wish those essays were not still relevant in 2009, but alas they remain very much so.
Slowly the story propagates. The White House will eventually have to pay attention. Eventually.
For platinum subscription:
Platinum subscribers enable me to work on what I think is important without worrying about economics. My thanks to all of you.
Patron Subscription:
Did you subscribe and never hear from me? Click here!.
|This week:
|Tuesday, December
1, 2009
There is a good summary of what is known and what is not known about
Climate Change models by MIT Meteorology professor Robert Lindzen in today's
Wall Street Journal.
It's a good introduction to what's serious about ClimateGate.
GATA is the globally averaged temperature anomaly. It is the single figure of merit that governs the concern about climate change and global warming, and the real truth is that it can't be measured to the kind of accuracy demanded by the climate change/global warming hypothesis. Debates about the wisdom of governing multi-billion dollar economic decisions on the basis of a single figure of merit are certainly not inappropriate at the policy level; and debates about the reliability of that figure of merit are certainly appropriate in scientific journals. Note that those who advocate those debates are generally denounced as "deniers", and the Climategate Papers suggest strongly that political tactics, not scientific concern, have been the moving issue in much of the UN IPCC reports. Lindzen clarifies this. If you haven't read his paper, it's worth your time to go read it now.
Lindzen summarizes the science, and in an aside says that perhaps the worst crime of the IPCC conspirators as revealed by the Climategate Papers is "their destruction of raw data". We can all agree to that. Do note that the raw data cannot possibly generate a consensus GATA accurate to fractions of a degree. The data aren't that good.
Much of the raw data have been deleted, but some general observations remain. I've mentioned this before, but it's worth reminding ourselves of some things we all know.
The Earth has been much warmer in historical times. We have some general ideas about climate in ancient and classical times, but we needn't go back that far: we all know about the Medieval Warm period. We all know that the Vikings established dairy farms in Greenland. Some of those farms are emerging from glacial ice, but some remain covered. We all know from Doomsday Book that there were vineyards in northern England in the time of William the Conqueror. It's less well known that there were vineyards in Scandinavia and Scotland, but that's easy to establish. We have records of growing seasons from those times from both Europe and China. Protests that the Greenland Viking farms were due to some strange wandering of the Gulf Stream are merely assertions: neither evidence for those wanderings nor mechanisms for accomplishing them are backed with serous evidence. It was just plain warmer from about 800 AD, and that continued until about 1325 when climate changed rather dramatically with a year of dark and cold rain, and it began to get colder. The exact GATA of the Medieval Warm period isn't agreed -- how could it be? -- but that the Earth was warmer then is simply not in doubt, nor is there anything like a consensus on just why we had that warming. It was a significant fact in both Western and Chinese history -- food was more abundant, populations grew, travel was easier -- and the effects seem to have been positive.
We know that the Earth has been much colder in historical times. My favorite example is that the cannon of Ticonderoga, captured by Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys ("by the authority of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!") and dragged across New England by Henry Knox. Rivers froze solid enough to drag cannon across them. We have other indications of temperatures from 1700 to 1800. It was cold. Rivers froze. Growing seasons were shorter than now. We have similar data for Europe and China. Recall Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates and skating contests on the frozen brackish canals of Holland. Again we have no reliable (to a degree, much less to fractions of a degree) estimations of GATA, but we can all agree that it was considerably colder.
We know that temperatures began slowly to rise sometime after 1800 (there was so far as I know no dramatic event) and the trend was obvious after about 1825. Growing seasons grew longer. Rivers that formerly froze solid became unreliable. Spring icebreaks came earlier, and streams froze later. Cuckoos nested earlier. Those trends continued into the Twentieth Century, and may be continuing now.
We know that the major climate alarm in the 1970's and early 1980's was the fear of a coming Ice Age. Gus Spaeth, Carter's environmental quality advisor, was concerned that nuclear waste depositories be able to withstand glaciation. Margaret Meade as President of AAAS had much to say about the coming bad times as the world began cooling. During the 1980's the speculations of Arrhenius made about 1895 about possible "greenhouse" effects of CO2 began pushing forward, and with increasingly powerful (and cheap) computers climate models became affordable to many academic and scientific institutions. The models began predicting warming, although the data collectors weren't really finding it. The rest is history. There emerged a "consensus" about an "inconvenient truth". Whether that consensus was forced by scientific data or by social engineering is open to question.
Finally we know that one phenomenon of the coldest part of the Little Ice Age was the "Maunder Minimum": a long period of minimal solar activities, characterized by long periods of few to zero sunspots. You can monitor rcent solar activity at http://www.solarcycle24.com/ .
Given that the science is not settled, and that the economic effect of national policy to counter "climate change" are enormous, simple Bayesian analysis would indicate that we ought to be spending a lot of money to determine just what the climate trend is: and that means funding contrarian studies, studies designed to refute the "consensus" theory, as well as funding the collection of accurate data. This seems an obvious conclusion. It is of course inconvenient to those whose careers have been financed by grants peer reviewed by peers who don't include "deniers."
We hear a lot about Tora Bora and the attempt to kill Bin Laden. Those who want to know what happened are advised to read the story as told by the commander of the Delta Force troopers ("The Unit") sent to do that job. He wrote under the pseudonym of Dalton Fury but most of us know who "Dalton Fury" is. The book is called Kill Bin Laden and there is a Kindle version as well as a regular paper version. It's readable, it's detailed, and it makes it pretty clear what happened in those days. Learn the facts on the ground before drawing political conclusions.
You can see the videos of the TWiT I was one at
I got this email this afternoon. WARNING. I would NOT, repeat NOT, do this procedure. See message from security expert Rick Hellewell below.
From Peter Glaskowsky:
Man, I totally would never go download an OS patch from some site I've never heard of. Prevx may be totally honorable, and its patch may be completely perfect, but there's really no way to tell from this side of the Internet.
Readers should wait for Microsoft to release its own official fix, especially if their machines aren't exhibiting the problem.
. png
Security expert Rick Hellewell adds:
I'd agree with Peter. If your computer is not broke, wait for Microsoft to issue the patch. If it is broke, you could attempt their (Prevx) fix at your own risk. I'm not sure how widepread this is.
Microsoft said (in PC World article) "Microsoft has investigated reports that its November security updates made changes to permissions in the registry that that are resulting in system issues for some customers," says Christopher Budd, Microsoft's security response communications lead. "The company has found those reports to be inaccurate."
In fact, the problem may be caused by malware. According to PC World, Previx "did not contact Microsoft about the problem directly.". Previx wants you to use their security tool to 'fix' the problem.
This could be just marketing crud. In any event, don't panic -- or add to the hype.
Wait for official word from Microsoft. At least that's what I'd do. In fact what I am doing.
If any reader has the Black Screen of Death I would like to hear from him. This is the first I have heard of it.
This week:
December 2, 2009
The Truth about Afghanistan, and its meaning for US policy
The obvious truth about Afghanistan is that there are two conditions for an American victory, assuming victory means building a democratic republic in the territory we call Afghanistan. One has to do with the number of troops. The other is the length of the commitment: how long will we stay?
Obama's policy meets neither condition. It will not establish a democratic republic, and it is unlikely to bring about any real consolidation of power centered in Kabul. Afghanistan is not a nation, and sending in 80% of the troops needed for a period of eighteen months is not going to turn it into one. The King of Afghanistan was always no more than the Grand Duke of Kabul, a Khan of Khans but not Great Khan; the local Khans were not his subordinates and did not attend at his court. That has not changed. The President of Afghanistan is the Mayor of Kabul, and he has even less authority over the village and territorial Khans than the King ever did. You may prefer to call the local Khans "tribal leaders" or "Warlords"; the nomenclature isn't important.
The Russians drove much of the local infrastructure into the hills, and the Taliban -- many of them mujahadeen armed and subsidized by US and Pakistani intelligence agents -- were poised to take over when the Russians gave up the effort to establish a soviet republic government centered in Kabul in the territory called Afghanistan. Note that whatever criticisms one might have of the Soviet strategy, squeamishness was not one of them. They were ruthless in meeting terror with counter-terror, going so far as to leave booby trapped teddy bears and other toys where children could find them; there were other tactics consistent with that. If ruthless counter-terrorism would serve, the Soviets would not have abandoned Afghanistan.
The Russians drove the Khans into the hills, and the Taliban took advantage of that. They came as liberators, and they imposed a central government on Afghanistan, the first in well over a century. Their control appeared absolute, but proved to be fragile: with the help of some US Special Forces the Northern Alliance -- Warlords and Khans -- returned to control of the cities, towns, and villages. The Taliban leaders retreated to the hills, and to Pakistan, and another round in the perpetual conflict in Afghanistan began. Today the Taliban has made it dangerous to be seen as a friend of the West. They have also shown that they have long memories.
Counterinsurgency strategy relies on this proposition: friends of the West prosper without having to submit and kowtow. Become a friend of the west and you will have schools and fresh water, and we will help you keep your markets safe. The Taliban strategy is simply to remind the local Khans that the Taliban do not forget. The friends of our enemies are enemies, and our memories are long.
How long? We don't know, but at least a generation. Fifteen years? Certainly no fewer than ten. And absolutely longer than five years, much less eighteen months.
Obama's strategy cannot succeed in building a new order in Afghanistan. However desirable it may be to have a democratic republic in Afghanistan, this strategy cannot achieve it. In order to achieve that goal we must commit more troops now -- and more importantly, commit to stay as long as necessary.
It has always been clear that we never intended to make such a commitment. One need only look at Viet Nam. In Viet Nam the local pacification had already been achieved. The Vietnamization of the war was a success. The only threat to South Viet Nam after 1970 was massive invasion from the north -- and that couldn't succeed so long as the United States was willing to support the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam with materiel and air support. That was proved in 1972 when 150,000 North Vietnamese regulars, twelve (12) Divisions, rolled south with as much armor as Guderian had in the conquest of France. The US provided support, but the war was won by ARVN. US casualties for 1972 were 640, with an additional 168 in 1973. Despite this, the Congress of the United States ended our commitment to Viet Nam, and the next invasion from the North, in 1975, was successful: Congress voted no air support, and materiel support of 20 cartridges and 2 hand grenades per ARVN soldier. The invading army was fully supplied.
Note that the threat to Viet Nam wasn't "insurgency", and the US didn't need to leave much in the way of troops; what troops we had left on the ground were in enclaves (a strategy first proposed by Gen. James Gavin) in 1965. Viet Nam did not fall to insurgents or guerrillas. It fell to an armored army invading from the north. But mostly it fell to a withdrawal of support by the United States, even though that support did not require massive troop deployment or counter insurgency tactics. That commitment did not require much exposure of US troops to danger from infiltrators, and the 1972 war showed that US casualties would be small even in the event of an all-out invasion. If the US wouldn't meet that commitment, then it was extremely unlikely that the US would commit to keep the Legions in Afghanistan, where conditions were worse and we had far less at stake.
Note also that we have no real national interest in Afghanistan. Unlike Iraq there is no oil, there is no warm water port upon the sea, there is nothing made or grown there that we need, there are no trade routes vital to western commerce. The only strategic importance of the area is its ability to harbor our enemies.
A Different Objective?
If the American objective is changed from "establish a democratic republic friendly to the west" to "make sure no US enemies are harbored in Afghanistan," will the new Obama strategy accomplish that?
It seems unlikely, but that needs more analysis. We'll get to that another day. But last night Obama announced, clearly, that the West will not stay in Afghanistan; Afghanistan will not be restructured; the President of Afghanistan will remain the Mayor of Kabul; and the Taliban need only wait. And the local Khans will understand that the Taliban forgets nothing.
116 (number of troops killed in Afghanistan while we considered the new strategy)
It is now time to compile the Christmas gift selection list. I'm open to suggestions.
Orchids and Onions: It is also time to submit nominations with brief explanations for the annual Chaos Manor Orchids and Onions Parade
This week:
December 3, 2009
The fallout from Climategate continues, and
the impact spreads. For a good discussion of that, see Climategate:
Science is Dying
I'm not sure that's a bad thing. We've had some of these storms before. Remember the "consensus" about the danger to the US of heterosexual AIDS? The cause was good: get more money into AIDS research. The means were false: create a baseless scare in the public by suppressing evidence to the contrary. There was also the suppression of arguments, evidence, and funding for any view contrary to the "AIDS is HIV is AIDS" hypothesis. That hypothesis turns out to be highly likely -- I don't quite say "true" but the evidence for it piles up -- but that's not the point. The intelligent thing to have done back in those days was to allow Duesberg -- a discoverer of retro-virus, the Chief Virologist of the University of California, and a strong Nobel in Medicine candidate -- to have the paltry sums (twenty million dollars was more than he asked for) as a hedge while continuing to fund research into the consensus view. It may be that we have passed the point at which that hedge is needed; but again I point out that it would be cheap insurance, and hardly frivolous. I had more to say on this several years ago.
In my judgment science has been getting sick for a long time. Incident: Larry Summers, President of Harvard, said in a faculty meeting that one possible explanation for the undoubted fact that there are few women in the top levels of mathematics and physics might include a hereditary factor, his senior faculty got the vapors, and he was soon hounded out of office as President of Harvard, not for losing more than half the Harvard endowment, but for having the temerity to propose that as one possible hypothesis. His hypothesis wasn't met with data or argument, but with scorn and derision, demonstrations, and eventually he was forced out. That was a blow against science; but few seem to have noticed that.
The credibility of Big Science is now much thinner than it was two weeks ago, and the damage to its reputation is only just beginning -- and that's probably a good thing.
And on that score:
The President has just blamed unemployment on the profit motive of small business, who demand profits rather than higher employment. It takes my breath away.
Regarding Afghanistan: what CAN we accomplish in eighteen months? I am preparing an essay on what the Legions ought to do, the first being to adopt new goals. We will not build a western democracy in Afghanistan; what can we accomplish that is in the national interest of the United States of America? Note: one pre-requisite for accomplishing what we have to accomplish is to change our definition of and attitude toward "corruption". One man's corruption is another's political business as usual. The Mayor of Kabul's writ does not run among the Khans.
On the Black Screen of Death and technical journalism, see this story:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1575 . One of my advisors predicts that Prevx will be operating under a different name by this time next year... More to say on this in the upcoming column.
It is now time to compile the Christmas gift selection list. I'm open to suggestions.
Orchids and Onions: It is also time to submit nominations with brief explanations for the annual Chaos Manor Orchids and Onions Parade
Charles Murray says we are now justified in ignoring everything from the Climate Modelers, since they no longer have any data. http://blog.american.com/?p=7710
This week:
December 4, 2009
It is now pretty clear that the mainstream media are trying very hard to ignore the Climategate scandal. Today's papers have two articles on global climate. One has big headlines:
On the same page is a tiny article on East Anglia and fraud. The main thrust of the page, and all the mainstream media, is the dire peril of mankind, and how at Copenhagen they are going to insist on action, immediate action, lest we all die.
This is neither good science nor good science reporting. Hundred of Billions of dollars -- indeed trillions of dollars -- are at stake here, and the credibility of the evidence is very low. The Climategate conspirators hoped to marginalize anyone, from Freeman Dyson down to the least graduate student, who raised questions about the quality and meaning of that evidence, and apparently have managed to do it. The leaders of the UN and the climate change movement act as if nothing has happened. Of course this is because they hope to maintain the illusion of a consensus for a while longer, just long enough to put more bureaucratic funding into place.
Apparently the President no longer listens to anyone on this, and those who program his teleprompter are confident that they can continue as before.
And when the media do mention Climategate it's to worry about whether Gore ought to lose his Oscar (which he didn't get in the first place: it went to the show's producers. Gore accepted it for them). I don't care about his Oscar. I do care that the whole scientific process and the credibility of science is at stake, and few in power or in the news media seem to care.
Global warming may require higher dams, stilts. And a lot of money. Get to it, lest we all die.
Time for my morning walk. I am still contemplating what we must (and can) do in Afghanistan in 18 months. The enemy thinks he need only wait. What can we build in 18 months that will remain when we pull back to enclaves, or out of the country entirely? And what are our real objectives?
Another quote on global warming and the focus in Copenhagen on Doing Something:
It now turns out that Climategate calls into question even the existence of the "2500 scientists" who approved the IPCC report that Copenhagen is basing its call to action on. The more we look, the more we see that the consensus was not only a conspiracy, not a genuine consensus, but fraudulent from the beginning. Does this mean that all of those who are not "global warming deniers" are part of a fraud? Of course not. But many of the trusted data that no longer exist, and which may never have existed; and on models whose details have not been published. Give me enough arbitrary variables and I can make almost any model predict almost anything. One of the advantages of formal systems analysis was to make plain what were data and what were fudge factors.
The world will have to adopt corrective measures, says the IPCC. In desperation, because what jobs could these people get if they weren't on the UN payroll? Yet anyone who is a global warming denier must be on the payroll of an oil company (alas, the oil companies don't know that, and I have to rely on you as subscribers).
Prepare for a spate of articles on doom unless we act. Drowning polar bears will be the least of it. "Remember the polar bears, daddy," cute kids will be saying on television. Your Members of Congress and Senators will be lobbied as never before as the IPCC bureaucracy seeks to continue its existence -- with good pensions and early retirement if necessary, but better to have control of trillions to spend.
It's desperation time. And apparently Obama's teleprompter is unaware of any of it.
I am preparing an essay on Afghanistan. The key questions are, what must we accomplish, and can we do it? Of considerably less importance is what we can do but have no need to do. In that latter category are activities like spending money, getting troops killed, and alienating the clans. We know how to do those, and it's pretty clear that we ought not want those results.
1. What must we accomplish?
2. Can we do it?
Re 1:
I'm still working on it, but my present inclination is that all we must do is deny Afghanistan as a base for operations against the United States. Clearly desirable -- possibly a must -- is to deny Afghanistan as a safe haven for our enemies even if they are only using it for R&R. Sanctuary areas are extremely important in small wars, and even small sanctuaries can be important.
Are there any other must items? How important is control of the poppy crop? These are matters for decision at the highest levels, but I am not certain they are being decided there; they are questions for debate.
Re 2:
What do I mean by "can"? The United States "can" transform Afghanistan into a liberal republic. That would require a multi-generational commitment of about 100,000 reliable troops and several trillion dollars. The effort would cost the people of the United States a significant fraction of their income, and require drastic changes in lifestyle. It would probably require conscription, with the occupation largely confined to conscripts while the Legions trained for the actual defense of the United States. Since we are not going to do that, is there any meaning to the phrase "we can do it?" We can only do it by assuming levels of effort and costs that we will never actually adopt.
Regarding the goals set above, it's clear to me that we "can" accomplish them; the question is the political feasibility of adopting policies that can accomplish this. One of the policies we must adopt is a change in attitude toward "corruption". The only way we can accomplish our goals is to hire the local Khans to do it for us. The means for doing that will be utterly indistinguishable from what the enemies of our policies will call corruption. Have we any politicians with the courage to stand up for corruption? Because that's what it will take.
Anyway, I am working on this. I haven't any final conclusions.
I am still collecting Christmas Gift List suggestions, and nominations for the annual Chaos Manor Orchid and Onion Parade. Be sure to send yours now.
|This week:
December 5, 2009
I am preparing the column today.
From the Obama Jobs Summit:
I am not sure what progress has been made, but the rest of the statement is true enough. Many businesses have figured out how to squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers. This was once known as productivity increase or increase in efficiency or better competitiveness, and was usually described in more flattering terms than "squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers," but the effect is the same: until that more efficient business decided to expand, it's not going to be hiring more workers. Moreover, if the business is below 50 employees, it's not likely to in this regulatory environment. It's unlikely to expand if it's under 10 employees, for that matter. We have enough Federal regulations now, but they're contemplating more, particularly with regard to health care.
We don't know what the export environment will be (there's a trade war going on out there); we don't know the domestic market but it's pretty clear that people would rather save than spend; we don't know what the dollar will be worth next spring much less two years from now; we don't know what it will cost to provide health care to workers; we don't know what the minimum health care policies will cost or what fines will have to be paid if we aren't providing health care.
Until the uncertainties are removed, who would dare invest in creating a new business, or expanding an efficient one?
Obama must know that, but he acts as if he doesn't. If the profit-driven businesses don't start creating jobs, whose fault is it? It can't possibly be the uncertain regulatory environment...
If Obama wants to create lots of jobs in a hurry, try the Erhardt model: go on the radio and announce that all regulations are suspended for a period of three years. No minimum wages. No health and safety. No employment security. No mandatory pension plans. If you can think of a reason to hire someone, go do it, and forget the regulations. We have an economy to rebuild. Go rebuild it. Of course we won't be doing that.
Another model he might study is the John F. Kennedy model. Cut taxes. Combine that with suspension of as many Federal regulations as politically possible.
In other words, as much as possible, get out of the way, and let the engines of capital development work.
Pretty good. Then there's the old stand by
|This week:
December 6, 2009
I worked on the column today. It should be posted by Monday night or Tuesday.
The race do DO SOMETHING in Washington has reached desperation pitch, with a Sunday session in the Senate. They seem to be bent on destroying Medicare -- which almost works -- in order to come up with money for new programs. The Pelosi bill sticks it to the states, to the point at which California will be bankrupted by increased Medicaid costs. That doesn't seem to matter any more. Nothing matters but getting a bill passed. Considering the mood of the country, this seems close to a Democrat death wish -- or else a demonstration of total lack of concern for the American public, with reliance on slush funds and political organization to win elections despite the will of the people.
The remedy for that is renewed activism by those opposing all this; but it needs to be directed activism. There have been very few elections that could not have been decided the other way if a substantial part of those who did not approve of the result had in fact turned out to vote. That is: enough people sit on their hands every election to change the results. 'Twas ever thus. Organizing to get out the results -- what professional campaign managers call the ground game -- has always been a major key to winning elections. It will be even more so in times to come. The opposition knows this. Our side once knew it, but seems to be forgetting.
This is a day book. It's not all that well edited. I try to keep this up daily, but sometimes I can't. I'll keep trying. See also the weekly COMPUTING AT CHAOS MANOR column, 8,000 - 12,000 words, depending. (Older columns here.) For more on what this page is about, please go to the VIEW PAGE. If you have never read the explanatory material on that page, please do so. If you got here through a link that didn't take you to the front page of this site, click here for a better explanation of what we're trying to do here. This site is run on the "public radio" model; see below.
If you have no idea what you are doing here, see the What is this place?, which tries to make order of chaos.
For platinum subscription:
If you subscribed:
If you didn't and haven't, why not?
Strategy of Technology in pdf format:
For a PDF copy of A Step Farther Out:
For the BYTE story, click here.
Search: type in string and press return.
The freefind search remains:
Here is where to order the nose pump I recommend:
Entire Site Copyright 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 by Jerry E. Pournelle. All rights reserved.


text:
System Maintenance
System Maintenance The HeartBeat website is temporarily unavailable due to system maintenance.
HeartBeat is expected to be down from approximately
12 Nov 2012, 02:50 until 03:20 (GMT +8).
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Discover four of the most profitable niches on eBay and get details for the best suppliers for these niches. Enter your details below and we will send them instantly.
Your list of profitable markets and supplier details are on their way to your email inbox.
Be sure to add email@example.com to your safelist to ensure we can deliver the free suppliers details to you.
If you haven't received an email from us in 5 minutes, please check your spam folder or email us at firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
This information is provided for your convenience and may no longer be valid.
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
On Site School Mental Health Program is a Psychologist office located in Staten Island, NY. A psychologist focuses on the evaluation, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental, emotional and behavioral health issues. A clinical psychologist uses psychotherapy and other counseling skills to improve emotional and mental health.
Please call On Site School Mental Health Program at (718)...
Be the first NJ.com user to add photos or videos of On Site School Mental Health Program
On Site School Mental Health Program can be found at Jefferson St 50. The following is offered: Mental Health Clinics. The entry is present with us since Sep 9, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Staten Island there are 39 other Mental Health Clinics. An overview can be found here.
Since 2010 the company has been providing Health And Allied Services, Nec.


text:
Dear Parents,
Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! Mrs. Watson-Bird and I are very excited to join the Horner community this year as Assistant Principals. This is my 4th year as an FUSD administrator, and it is Mrs. Watson-Bird's first year as an administrator. Her work year is split this year between Horner and Thornton. For the first semester, she will be at Horner on Thursdays and Fridays and every other Wednesday and at Thornton on Mondays and Tuesdays and the other Wednesdays. Prior to this position, she taught 8th grade honors English at Thornton for 17 years. For the last three years, I was the AP at Thornton, so we are both coming to you from the Thornton community. We are anxious to continue our work helping students succeed at the junior high level and preparing them for success in high school and beyond.
In these first few weeks of school, we have had the chance to visit classrooms, and we have seen some amazing teaching and learning occurring. On Sept. 2nd, we met with all of the students through their PE classes to review the school rules and expected behavior standards for Horner Junior High. The things we covered are all things that can be found in the Student handbook. Please review these rules and standards with your student, so we are all on the same page when it comes to what is expected here at Horner.
Following are some general reminders:
· Please do not drop off or pick up students on Chapel Way—use Irvington Ave for all drop offs and pick ups. This is safer for pedestrians and vehicles.
· Cell phones must be turned off and put away while at school. Students may NOT use cell phones during school dances.
· Students are expected to turn in their own work at all times. Any student who is caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a zero on the assignment and issued a two- hour Thursday Detention
We are really looking forward to a wonderful year with such an amazing staff and students! Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns; we have an open door policy.
Mr. Pabley and Mrs. Watson-Bird--Assistant Principals
ext. 48110 ext. 48108


text:
Canada's economy is closing out an "atrocious" quarter, slammed by the crash in oil prices, Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz warns.
The first quarter of the year ends on Tuesday, and economists have already warned it's going to look ugly when the numbers come in. Indeed, some observers have suggested the economy may actually contract, though modestly, this quarter.
In an interview with The Financial Times, Mr. Poloz underscored those concerns, highlighting why he cut his benchmark interest rate by one-quarter of a percentage point in a move that surprised the markets in January.
"When the oil shock came, it was clear we would no longer be able to close the output gap by 2016, but by 2017," the central bank chief told the news organization.
"Since we had some firepower, we took some insurance and cut rates."
Expect this to show up in Tuesday's report from Statistics Canada on how the economy performed in January alone. Economists expect that report to show that gross domestic product slipped by up to 0.2 per cent, setting the first quarter up for a lame showing.
"The first quarter of 2015 will look atrocious, because the oil shock is a big deal for us," Mr. Poloz said, citing the fact that the oil industry is slashing spending.
"In theory lower oil prices mean [putting] more money in consumers' pockets, but ... if an oil company cancels [an investment] project, laying off a worker, that guy will not have the money to buy a new pickup truck," the Bank of Canada governor is quoted by the news organization as saying.
"That spreads pretty quickly."
Some observers, of course, have pinned at least some of their hopes on the oil-induced decline of the Canadian dollar, but that, Mr. Poloz said, is slow to work its way through the system.
It is however, still expected to have an impact.
"Now that the Canadian dollar has depreciated and U.S. investment is starting to fire on all cylinders, we are reasonably confident the export side will recover," Mr. Poloz said.
"The manufacturing sector is turning around nicely," he added.
"We were losing a lot of the auto parts manufacturing to Mexico. That calculus has shifted."Report Typo/Error
Follow us on Twitter: @GlobeBusiness


text:
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2443, COAST GUARD AND MARITIME TRANSPORTATION ACT OF 2004 -- (House of Representatives - July 21, 2004)
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 730, I call up the conference report on the bill (H.R. 2443) to authorize appropriations for the Coast Guard for fiscal year 2004, to amend various laws administered by the Coast Guard, and for other purposes.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar).
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young) for his remarks, and certainly the subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo), and the ranking member from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar). I would say to the gentleman from Alaska, maybe we should ask unanimous consent to substitute the highway bill for this conference report!
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with Chairman Young to strongly support the conference report for H.R. 2443, the Coast Guard Authorization and Maritime Transportation Act of 2004.
This legislation is the culmination of our work in this Congress in examining the Coast Guard missions, with particular emphasis on the funding for the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 and their new homeland security missions.
The bill authorizes over $8.2 billion for Coast Guard operations for fiscal year 2005. We believe this will be sufficient funding for the Coast Guard to carry out their many missions, including homeland security, search and rescue, marine safety, drug and migrant interdiction and law enforcement, which includes $5.4 billion for Coast Guard operating expenses, $1.5 billion for acquisition and construction projects, $24.2 million for research and development, and $19.65 million for alteration of bridges.
In particular, I am pleased that the conferees recommended that the Coast Guard should lease additional helicopters to establish a helicopter interdiction tactical squadron, HITRON, armored on the West Coast. Since their establishment in Jacksonville, Florida, the East Coast HITRON squadron has stopped over $4 billion in illegal drugs from entering the United States. Deployment of a HITRON squadron on the West Coast will help stem the flow of illegal narcotics through the eastern Pacific Ocean.
There is sufficient authorized funding in this bill for the Coast Guard to lease the helicopters required for this deployment. If one were to look at this using a cost-benefit analysis, the $39 million we spend to lease and deploy an armored HITRON squadron on the West Coast will stop drugs valued at more than 20 times that amount.
It is my strong view that the Coast Guard must increase existing airborne use of force assets for port security and drug interdiction. The lease option for these aircraft is already in place. The lease provides antiterrorist and antidrug coverage for the next 3 to 5 years while providing flexibility for the Coast Guard to engage in a competition to select a permanent multimission Cutter helicopter to meet the post-9/11 challenge. When these multimission helicopters are deployed, the HITRON helicopters can be returned to the manufacturer at the option of the Coast Guard.
We make a number of other substantive changes in the law, including providing critical skill training bonuses for enlisted members, providing legal authority to build new housing for Coast Guard and military personnel, extending the International Safety Management Code to all vessels operating in U.S. waters, and requiring electronic charts on ships to help prevent accidents such as the 1989 accident of the Exxon Valdez when they lost their way in Prince William Sound in Alaska. We also extend the oil spill response plans to cargo ships entering U.S. ports, not just tankers.
I thank the chairman of the full committee, the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young); the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. LoBiondo); and the ranking member of the full committee, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for their bipartisan effort to put the bill together.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support the passage of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez).
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak).
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 ½ minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ruppersberger).
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), the
ranking member of the full committee.
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.


text:
Kimberley Griffiths Little: book cover reveal and a NINE book giveaway
Jun. 6th, 2012 | 03:05 pm
Kimberley Griffiths Little reveals her book cover for When the Butterflies Came on her blog.
She is also having a drawing where she will give away nine books. Here is the link:
Be sure to drop by her blog, see her gorgeous cover, and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. The deadline is mid–June.
If you want to read an interview I did with Kimberley last fall you can find it here.
She tells wonderful stories and her writing is awesome. So if you haven't read any of her books, be sure to get your hands on one.
Link | Your Thoughts | Share
The Art of Revision—The Rainbow Manuscript technique
Dec. 12th, 2011 | 05:24 pm
|Screenshots of my novel, River at 10% zoom. Shown
are the beginning (top), middle, and end (bottom.)
|Later revision of River
|Screenshot of my novel, Crossings-a late revision at 10% zoom
Cross-posted from my Explorations blog.
Link | {3} | Share
Check out Cynsations interview (and chance at critique) Note: Last Day to enter
Oct. 24th, 2011 | 07:55 am
Comment for a chance of a 10 page critique by the awesome editor Stacy Whitman. (Editorial director of Tu books, an imprint at Lee and Low.)
Here's the link: http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2
Today's the last day, so head on over to read the great interview and leave a comment.
Link | {2} | Share
Writing and teaching-interview with Uma Krishnaswami (link, not the actual interview)
May. 25th, 2011 | 09:36 pm
I interviewed Uma Krishnaswami about how her writing and teaching interact on my Explorations Blog.
If you want to read the interview you can find it here.
Uma was one of my advisors (teacher and mentor) at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is an incredible teacher, is brilliant and super nice, and she has a huge influence on both my writing and the way I revise and think about story.
We started working on this interview a couple months ago, but decided to post it as part of her fascinating blog tour which is celebrating the release of her middle grade novel, The Grand Plan to Fix Everything. It is a delightful, humorous novel, and I now want to visit India and taste its chocolate.
(The Grand Plan has received some starred reviews too--from Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly.)
If you want to hear Uma read an excerpt, head on over to Kathi Appelt's video blog. (I always love to hear author read from their own work.)
Happy writing, everyone.
Link | | Share
Museum--Porsche Tractor
May. 3rd, 2011 | 07:22 pm
Porsche tractor!
I think it is cool that Porsche made tractors in their early years. (In addition to cars.)
I took this photo in the Porsche museum in Stuttgart. (Which had mostly men visitors.)
Perhaps it is a little like some authors--their early works are tractors and later works are sports cars.
Link | {1} | Share
Celtic ruins
Apr. 11th, 2011 | 01:54 pm
Other things that are going on:
I am now a member of Through the Tollbooth (a group blog) and posted about a week ago (including a cool interview with a translator) so if you want to check out my posts, you can see one of them HERE and get to the others easily.
I also blog some on my more formal blog, Explorations. (I've posted more often there because LJ has not cooperated with me.)
If you want to see some photos of our hike up a mountain, Alt Konig, and Celtic ruins from 400 BC, it can be found here. (I've found it is much easier to upload photos to blogger, than LJ.)
Here is one photo. Check out my longer post if you want to see others.
This is a section of one of the outer ring walls. Cities and farms can be seen in the distance.
We thought we were going to Roman ruins. There are many very close to where we live and to this mountain. It is odd to try to see Roman ruins and end up seeing Celtic (much older!) ruins or to try to see one castle, but then unknowingly take a wrong turn and find another, much better castle.
Life is fun.
Link | {9} | Share
The description of the MFA lecture that I'll give at VCFA
Oct. 26th, 2010 | 01:20 pm
In addition to my critical thesis (like a normal Master's thesis) and my creative thesis (several finished PBs and a novel), I need to give a lecture at VCFA to graduate. Lots of pressure here--award winning writers, the faculty attend; I get "graded" on my lecture-- a one page write up about how I did that goes into my permanent transcript; the quality of the lectures is very, very high and both graduating students and faculty put tons of time into their lectures. This is almost equivalent to the critical thesis in time required.
Here is the description which I'm sending in next week so they can include it on the residency lecture list and schedule.
Titles discussed will include Charlotte's Web by E. B. White, Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard, Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia, The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling, and of course, Alice in Wonderland.
Link | {5} | Share
Castle Hunting
Sep. 24th, 2010 | 12:38 pm
The castle ruin in Konigstein.
I have seen this castle in the distance, on a hill, when driving from my kids' orthodontist to their school. Last Saturday we went "castle hunting" and wandered until we found it. We did not know what it was called or even for sure what town it was until we got there. What a great ruin. I found the fine detailed herringbone pattern in one outer wall intriguing and wondered why the workers took the effort, as I've never seen that before.
It is fun to imagine the castle and its inhabitants hundreds of years ago.
Another photo: I saw the waterfall and red autumn colors reflecting in a small lake in Palmengarten, a private botanical garden, near where I live.
It was sunny earlier this week and I took my Mac and sat at a table overlooking this view and wrote. It has many large tropicariums (large greenhouse type buildings with plants) in addition to the large grounds with numerous gardens.
My stories are influenced by places I've lived or visited. I "feel" the place, or a combination or places, (or my memory of the place) when I'm writing and it imbues a type of emotional sensibility into the setting.
Do you use real places in your stories? Or parts of real places?
Well, back to revising my novel/thesis.
Happy writing.
Link | {11} | Share
Warriors in the Crossfire-- how to maintain cultural accuracy in a novel
Apr. 14th, 2010 | 11:48 am
It is a privilege to host Nancy Bo Flood on her blog tour. She is an award winning author of Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons, and Sand to Stone, the Life Cycle of Sandstone. Nancy is a graduate of Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her newest book, Warriors in the Crossfire is a wonderful historical novel which allows the reader to enter a story about another culture and time.
(All photos courtesy of Nancy Bo Flood.)
Kathi Appelt said, "Nancy Bo Flood's novel casts a bright light on one of the forgotten shadows of World War II, the near total devastation of Saipan and the native people who lived there. Joseph's story forces us to pay attention, to see war itself as an event that affects more than the opposing forces and illuminates its darkest corners.
I'll be telling everyone I know about it . . ."
I asked Nancy several questions related to writing about a different culture. She also shares a couple photos of her favorite places on Saipan.
Q: Warriors in the Crossfire is a great example of how a writer can accurately portray a foreign culture. What resources did you use to insure accuracy as you show the culture on Saipan?
A: Research begins with books and libraries but it is more than reading. You need to experience the culture. Listen, observe, feel the pace and rhythm of the culture…taste their foods, and when appropriate, ask questions.
We lived on Saipan for many years. I swam with the turtles – and the sharks. I paddled out across the reef, got scared to death as sharks circled our kayak. I slipped out of my kayak in the deep sea beyond the reef and was terrified. That's what Kento felt and it was no fun. Having the shadow of a shark slide over you is terrifying. It was also part of my research, though not one I had planned.
I sat with people on the beach, watched the waves as we talked, watched people catch octopus and bite off their sharp beaks and share the fresh delicacy. We sat, shared food and shared stories. They told me about surviving the war, about their brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers who did not survive. They told me about the terrible thirst, the confusion, the smells – the horrid stink of war.
I helped Filipe and Joe Ruak with the dance group, which often mean driving around in a bumpy old jeep or pick-up truck and picking up dancers from school sports. I watched as young boys put down their cell phones and i-pods and transformed from contemporary to traditional as they picked up their warrior sticks and began to chant, faster and faster, hitting their sticks, twirling and leaping, with the skill, strength and dexterity of a fine athlete. I hiked with kids up the rugged volcanic slopes, bloodied my knees, walked into sticky spider webs, and paused to watch a kingfisher snatch a gecko and swallow it whole. That was research too.
I spent hours in the archives of the Saipan library, read books written about their island, their people, their culture. I watched archived footage of the invasion, talked with veterans, both Japanese and American. I learned every time I helped at the Senior Citizen Center. I spent time sitting with women as they cooked, watched children, or studied for a chemistry test. We spent even more hours at the archives and museums on Guam and the Bishop Museum in Hawaii. The old manuscripts of the Germans and Spanish were very helpful.
Read it, live it, ask it. Then listen, listen, listen. Keep collecting images, sounds, smells, ideas, information.
Q: At the end of the book in the historical note you include both a quote from a memorial at the Suicide Cliffs: "May we live together in peace" and one of your poems, titled, "To See, Peace." Your story deals with two cultures which are at odds with each other during a time of war and occupation: the island natives and the Japanese. Did writing about two foreign cultures create additional challenges with either your research or writing?
A: As a college student I had lived and studied in Japan, first becoming somewhat fluent in the language. I am an admirer of Japanese art, visual and literary. On Saipan I enjoyed a renewal of hearing the Japanese language for many of my students were Japanese as well as local Chamorro and Carolinian. I tried to show in Warriors that there are no good guys or bad guys, but people doing what they need to do, or are ordered to do, to survive. I tried to show the contrast in cultural values that became a threat to the boys' friendship. In our multicultural world we live with a plethora of cultural values and it is our challenge to respect and to learn from differences, not hang on to what we know and understand.
Q: Saipan is a place that many readers will not have heard of before reading your book. The setting is vivid and specific with details including descriptions of many landscapes, in particular the lagoon, the caves and the cliffs. How long did you live in Saipan? Which settings in the book have you visited? Were any of the places in the book favorite places of yours to visit?
A: Our family first traveled to Saipan to work for one year but stayed for ten. I loved the ocean. We swam and kayaked and scuba-dove in the lagoon, we climbed the cliffs and looked for "war stuff." Evidence of the War is everywhere -- rusting tanks, canteens, sake bottles. We explored dark and smelly caves. I guess we experienced everything we could, even the sharks.
My favorites?? A small island in the lagoon, Managaha Island - the kind of island kids imagine - tiny, surrounded by beach, full of coconut palms. And also full of old bunkers and a very large destroyed Japanese gun. This island is special to the Carolinian people as the traditional burial site of their first great chief. When canoes from those islands visit Saipan, they stop on Managaha first to pay respect.
Another favorite was Forbidden Island, a place…forbidden to the faint of heart….a hard to find place on the rugged coast where a small hidden cave gave us a secret view of the ocean.
Q: The story includes a scene where characters are forced to dance for the Japanese, which brings up the importance of showing respect for cultural traditions. What aspects of the culture in this story are still alive and can be seen today?
A: Most of the cultural traditions described still exist. The families living on Satawal (one of the outer islands of Yap) and Polowat (one of the outer islands of Chuuk) are the close relatives of those living on Saipan today. Frequent traditional canoe voyages bring clan members the 500+ miles from these islands to Saipan and back. Stick dance, language, clothes, clan traditions, foods -- all are still similar to what you read in the story. The Carolinian cultures, both Rafalawasch ( "inside the reef", those from the main islands of Yap) and Rapaganoor (from the outer islands, literally "beyond the reef") are still intact and thriving. While those living on Saipan appear more "Westernized", they are still very proud of their culture.
Q: A fun question. Food shows up at various times in the story: coconuts, breadfruit, bananas, boiled rice inside banana leaves, crab, octopus and more. I miss food from each country I've lived in. What food do you miss from Saipan?
Mangoes! Sweet, ripe mangoes. We would bring an armful of mangoes to the beach, peel and eat. Nothing like sitting in the sand, listening to the surf, licking my lips and then diving head first into a wave.
Finger bananas or we called them juicy-lucy bananas. They are the size of fat fingers and taste s like a tangy mix of peach and tangerine.
Soft young coconut. What is that? We think of coconut as dry and flaky but the hard white meat is only one stage in the maturing of the meat inside a coconut. In a green coconut the layer of "meat" is soft white "jelly" that is sweet and slimey. This is a good food for young infants. In a mature old coconut this meat has dried up and look like an "egg." This egg is the seed and food for a new coconut to grow. It is also a delicious treat, something like a salad.
Q: Why did you write this story?
A: Sarah, this question has continued to haunt me. A tough question, it has been an important one for me to think, think, think about.
First there is the joy of discovery. Yes, like a kid finding a special rock, I want to share my delight. Writing my earlier book, Sand to Stone, was an expression of this delight. Look world, rocks are amazing! I have learned so much from rocks.
Perhaps the deeper reason I write, especially why I wrote this book, is the sorrow and sadness I saw. From loss. From war. Often those who are in the middle of loss have also lost "their voice of protest."
My own loss began when I was a child. My younger sister died when I was seven. I lost my family to grief for a long time, but then we returned. How does a person return from sorrow to healing and hope?
When I arrived on Saipan I saw this beautiful island and I also saw the tanks rusting in the lagoon. As part of my work there, I assisted in developing resources for families whose children had disabilities. One cause was from the continued contamination of chemicals left over from the war. Our war. We did not even clean up our mess.
War destroys. Many stories tell of the heroism and courage, and yes, the compassion and kindness, that soldiers and citizens show during times of war. But war destroys – it takes families, childhoods, communities and even futures. I did not describe the fire-bombing or the flame-throwing, the caves where school girls hid, were afraid to come out, and were burned. I did not describe the mothers who hung themselves in despair because all their children had died.
I also wanted to express how people continue to survive, continue to forgive and to heal, to rebuild. What I think I learned was that for the soul to survive loss, the traditions of family, community and all that is part of culture – food, art, weaving, dance, singing, and a connection with our past, our ancestors - is essential. In this story, Joseph survives war because of what his father has given him. One gift was the gift of dance, and through dance a connection to his history.
We learn through story. With accuracy and respect, sensitivity and compassion, I hope to share stories that open windows and hearts. I love that quote that is inscribed on a memorial at Saipan's Suicide Cliff: "Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." Books can light that candle.
Other stops on Nancy's blog tour include interviews with the editor, publisher, cover designer, and a Saipan stick dancer, in addition to more interviews with Nancy Bo Flood.
I'll add the direct links each day when they are posted.
April 11 Debbie Gonzales posts a review on Simple Saturday
April 12 Diane White who interviews Stephen Roxburgh, publisher and founder of Namelos.
April 13 Diane White also posts a wonder interview with Joseph Ruak, about Saipan and the Talabwogh Men Stick dances.April 14 This interview on Explorations
April 15 Jacket Knack and their interview with the cover designer.
Link | {2} | Share
Books that accurately depict culture
Mar. 18th, 2010 | 12:13 pm
I recently read two incredible books that stunned me with how well they capture the culture of the characters on the page.
The two books I read are Blessing's Bead by Debby Dahl Edwardson and Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan. (Khan blogs at Khanversations.)
Blessing's Bead is set in Alaska in the Inupiaq culture and Wanting Mor is set in Afghanistan. Both liberally sprinkle foreign words in the text, but the reader will never be confused. Both books let me experience culture and life I am unfamiliar with.
Writers often talk about setting. Culture includes setting and characters and action. It is vitally important to get the culture correct, as readers will believe that details inside fictional stories are fact.
In both of these books, each author is very familiar with the culture depicted and has lived either within the culture or has much of the same cultural background. Both authors asked those who live inside the culture they depict to read their stories so everything would be accurate. (Mentioned on their acknowledgment pages.)
I strongly recommend both of these books. They are extremely well crafted, and tell good stories about realistic characters.
I have lived in six very different cultures, ranging from Brazil to Finland to China. Because of my experiences I appreciate books that accurately deal with a variety of cultures, books that allow readers to travel somewhere they can't go in real life.
Next week I'll be in Bologna at the book fair.
One thing I look forward to is seeing books from all over the world that show so many cultures.


text:
Skarner Build Guide by Gorod
Skarner Build
Fisrt item
First back
Last iten
Ability Sequence
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
I know some people like to go Warrior on trinity force. I am not the biggest fan on warrior but if i get some kills i go for trinity force as my second item.
For boots i go swiftness all the way unless they have a lot of ap so i go Ionia and visage for the 40% cdr.
One item i build when i start playing Skarner whas the black cleaver. So if you wanna fell unique.
I see people go ghost. i don't have a lot of experience whit it.
And if you wanna go top lane Tp and sunfire cape as a first item


text:
The Four Policemen: the Grand Alliance of 1945.
Henry A. Wallace
Succeeding FDR in 1945, Wallace continued FDR's policy of alliance with the Soviet Union. His strongly anti-imperialist policies led him into conflict with the Western European powers and closer alliance with the USSR. In 1952, Edgar Hoover and reactionary elements in the military attempted a coup d'etat that was put down with the help of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. In response to the attempted coup, a "White Scare" began during which Fascist elements in the country came under intense scrutiny. Senior members of the military, including George Patton and Douglas MacArthur, are placed under house arrest.
Josef Stalin
Following the victory in Europe, Stalin convinces Wallace not to accept any Japanese surrender that is not unconditional. Despite the nuclear attacks upon Japan, the Japanese military refuses any peace treaty that does not recognize the status of the Emperor. The USSR and USA launch a joint amphibious assault on Japan. Meanwhile, Stalin and Red Chinese forces wage a blitzkrieg campaign that wipes out Japanese forces in China and places Chiang Kai-shek in an isolated position.
Winston Churchill
Outraged by the decision to treat France as a defeated power instead of an ally and the plan for breaking apart the old European empire, Churchill attempts to create a commonwealth of nations that unites the Dutch, French and British Empires into a united force to preserve imperialism. However, after repeated defeats in Indonesia, Vietnam, Greece and Algeria, Churchill is forced to step down in 1953. Eden then wages a joint Commonwealth war against Egypt. Both the USA and USSR send peacekeepers to the Middle East to end the fighting, bringing the final humiliation to the Commonwealth. After 1956, the plan for a united Commonwealth of Nations is replaced by the plan of a European Union.
William Z. Foster
As leader of the "Communist Political Association", Foster resisted attempts to turn the CPA into a revolutionary organization or to restore the CPUSA. Instead, the CPA remains an ultra-patriotic organization committed to preserving the new world order. The CPA functions not as a political party, but as a focus of influence supporting both Democrats and Progressives and even some liberal Republicans. Foster plays a leading role in the "White Scare", organizing Red Minutemen to attack supposed Fascists.
Vyacheslav Molotov
Molotov succeeds Stalin in 1953. He quickly moves to have both Beria on the left and Khrushchev on the right executed. Together with General Marshall, he creates the Marshall-Molotov Plan which pledges aid to all European and Asian nations that agree to abandon imperialism. Churchill refuses the offer and so aid from both the USA and USSR pour into Eastern European nations, helping them bridge the gap with Western Europe. Molotov also helps negotiate The Treaty of Tokyo in 1957, which establishes a demilitarized and neutralist republic in Japan and ends imperialism in Asia. In 1956, the United States and Soviet Union unite their portions of Germany, creating a neutral Republic. The United Kingdom, however, insists that its portion of Germany is part of the Commonwealth. After the war in Egypt, however, the UK agrees to allow its part of Germany to be reunited.
Chiang Kai-shek
While initially supposed to be the leader of one of the Four Policemen, Chiang Kai-shek quickly found himself isolated due to the Soviet-Red Chinese blitzkrieg of 1945-1946. Not wanting to abandon an old ally, Wallace creates a personal empire for Chiang out of British Burma, French Indochina, and Japanese Thailand. In return for US recognition and aid to Red China, Molotov pressures Mao not to invade Kuomintang South Asia. However, despite lack of foreign aid, Ho Chi Minh is able to destroy the Kuomintang army at Dien Bien Phu. After defeats in Indochina and Malaysia, Chiang withdraws into Burma.
Mao Zedong
Following his victory in 1946, Mao attends the Tokyo Conference attended by Churchill, Wallace and Stalin in 1948. During this conference he agrees not to pursue Chiang into South Asia. In return, all treaty ports, including Hong Kong, are returned to China, and both the USA and USSR promise to send experts to aid in the first Five Year Plan. In addition, Korea and Indonesia are recognized within the Red Chinese orbit.
Harry Haywood
Following the 1948 nomination of Paul Robeson as Vice President of the Progressive Party, armed resistance takes place in the South, led by the Ku Klux Klan. Armed with weapons from Washington, Haywood leads an attempt to arm the blacks of the South for self-defense. The conditions in the South become so bad that United Nations peacekeepers are sent to supervise the 1948 elections. As Secretary of State Haywood opens an alliance with Fidel Castro and encourages the rise of progressives in the Latin America.
Liu Shaoqi
As President of New China, Liu leads China through the second Five Year Plan, during which Special Economic Zones are set up in the former treaty ports. In addition, he begins to allow market forces to work in some areas of agriculture. By 1964 it is predicted that New China's economy will be the largest in the world by the end of the century. Molotov makes extensive visits to China during the 1960s, and in 1966 gives instructions to Gosplan to begin allowing free markets in the grain areas and restore Lenin's New Economic Policy in industry.
Waldeck Rochet
As leader of the French Communist Party, Rochet worked to restore France's place in world affairs after the disasters of 1945 and 1956. Rochet worked to bring both France and the UK into the network of the new world order. In 1963 he helped bring about the Franco-British Union with himself as President. This was followed by the membership of Germany in 1967 and Italy in 1969, finally culminating with the 1970 revolution in Spain. After the overthrow of the aging Franco, Spain applied for membership in the union, thus creating the United States of Europe in 1976. With the combined weight of all of Western Europe and the abandonment of any remaining imperialist tendencies, the United States of Europe replaces the UK as the fourth policeman and once again gives Europe a powerful voice in world affairs.


text:
Alhena was an apprentice of the Assassins at Medinaat al-Salaam, and was trained as seductress by the daughters of the Old Man of the Mountain, Chandra and Fatima. Alhena preferred the style of living as a courtesan instead the dangerous life of the Assassins. [1]
External Links Edit
- Alhena (LBS - The Awakening)
- ↑ Alhena (LBS - The Awakening flavor)
|This article is a stub. That means that it has been started, but is incomplete. You can help by adding to the information here.


text:
I have always considered nature to be beauty in its rawest form. While in NY last summer, I was surprised about the amount of nature in the city, but none of it was natural. The nature included in the city was planned and deliberately placed in such a way so the residents would not feel as if they were not living in a cement block. But nature is not supposed to exist that way; it should be able to flourish. When I think of urban beautiful, I think of the push and pull relationship of nature in the city environment and how it is nature but not natural.
Materials: Sterling silver, fine silver, labradorite, pyrite, and glass crystals
Thank You!


text:
The Legend of Sakura: Kimono Girl is a fan-fiction TV Show created by Pikachufreak.
- The show resolves on Sakura (from Trouble's Brewing and Espeon, Not Included) the main character. Her older sisters are Sumomo, Satsuki, Koume and Tamao (all also from Trouble's Brewing and Espeon, Not Included), her boyfriend is Ephraim (from The Grass Route), her best friend is Callie Singer (from Callie For President), her rival is Josie Harlington (from Magical Doremi), her enemies are The Gangreen Gang (from The Powerpuff Girls), her mother is Sakura's Mom, Callie's boyfriend is Satchel (from You're A Star, Larvitar). The Series premiered on May 26, 1997 and is currently in its 15th Season.
- Sakura
- Sumomo
- Satsuki
- Koume
- Tamao
- Ephraim
- Callie Singer
- Josie Harlington
- Ace
- Snake
- Grubber
- Lil' Arturo
- Big Billy
- Sakura's Mom
- Satchel


text:
|Start new thread in this topic | Flip this thread | Refresh the display
Has anyone else had success with Davina?(98 Posts)
Hi there,
this might not be for everyone, but over the last few years I have collected Davinas exercise Dvd's (various well-meant crimbo gifts etc) ...well they sat on the shelf gathering dust for the past few years until DD reached the grand old age of one and I realised that my weight hadnt budged since breast feeding finished when she was 7 months.
So I started doing a few of her workouts and mixing them up with the different dvds each week. And I can honestly say Ive never been so fit, full of energy and my shape has really changed!!
Initially I just did the 40 mins of workouts 3-4 times a week without changing my diet at all. (My biggest down fall is a glass of wine in the evenings and chocolate). I didnt really lose any weight, but I toned LOADS and my butt, legs and arms have really shaped up. I started to fit into jeans and tops alot better even though I wasn't losing. (I did this for about 6-7 weeks religiously whilst DD napped)
Then 3 weeks ago i decided to use Septemeber as my post summer binge detox month and so far Ive lost 7lbs in 3 weeks!
I basically do the workouts 3 times a week (mixture of body sculpting, boxercise, aerobics, superfit and core stability. you need a small pair of dumbbells for low weight high repitition toning exercises) and Ive cut out alcohol completely and dont eat carbs after 3pm, I avoid bread in favour of rivita/crispbreads. Thats it!
I love my new look and people are commenting all the time that I have totally changed shape. Why didnt I do this ages ago???
Just thought I'd share my story as Ive tried EVERY DIET in the book over the years but the only thing that has worked for me is everything in moderation foodwise, ( I chose to cut out booze completely for the first month) and regular exercise.
Come join me???
I did superfit yesterday - really enjoying that - I start to lag a bit about 25 minutes in, but gritted my teeth - find I have to drink water whilst 'marching it out' though. nothing today (so far) woke up late and a bit hungover (...)
Yeh - first step made - chickened out on the super workout but did two sections from High energy five last night whildt Man U were playing - boxercise and abdominals. plus cool down. Aching this morning when I took DS to the childminders! Still, feel better for it - apart from DH telling me to keep the nosie down otherwise I'd wake DS! oops... I'm sure he's just jealous and trying to sabotage my efforts. Plan to have a day off today and another workout tomorrow night.
Til then!!!
Well done girlies, were'll all giving it a good 'go' this week from the sounds of it! I'm having a rest day today but back on it tomo as Ive got hen weekend on Sat and some of the girls havent seen me since Ive lost 10lbs so I'm looking forward to showing off my results!
(I love it when someone notices your shape has changed, it gives me such a boost!)
I had my first glass of wine in a month last night at a Bodyshop party and although it was nice, I didnt enjoy it as much as I was expecting!! I think I've really turned a corner with my booze intake - I had such a strong 'habit' of drinking a 2-3 times during the week in the evenings and then again most weekends. I think I was associating it with 'relaxing' and having a 'treat' when it was more of a ritual.
I think it will be much more fun on sat when we're all out together and drinking to the hen's last few days of freedom etc!!
Done high energy five this morning. Waiting for work to come in - I'm a freelance writer. so took my chances! Its still not here so did boxercise and PUMP. Only may have to order a new copy because my DS has been munching on the DVD since I last used it and it kept jamming.
Davina's Super Sculpt on Wednesday, I really like that workout. Billy Blank's Ultimate Bootcamp this morning, a killer 50 minute workout.
2.5lbs off this week, a total of half a stone since 15th August.
Davina's Power of 3 workout this morning, I managed to do the whole workout without being interrupted by the kids, that's a first.
Having a rubbish week, DD full of cold and chesty cough, wont sleep during day, had to go shopping when she was a nursery monday and evenings Ive been so tired from getting up to DD at night Ive fallen right off the wagon. Hopefully she'll start to improve in next few days and I can get back to it.
Message withdrawn
Sorry to hear about your DD TLB, hope she feels better soon, cheer up you'll be back to your old routine in no time.
Welcome YouLookaAmazing, love the name, hope you have blown the dust of the dvd ready for your workout today, let us know how you get on.
Mrsmouse, haven't heard from you in over a week now, how are you getting?
Did Davina's Super Sculpt with Super Abs this morning, my favourite one of her workouts, a very efficient workout, works all parts of the body in a short space of time, left me breathless and dripping.
Smalline: Know what you mean about the supersculpt, that is my fave and always leaves me feeling like Ive really worked out! I did superfit and abs this morning, first workout since last week. (DD at creche and feeling better thanks )
Welcome YouLukaAmazing! Dust off those Dvd's and get sweaty! You'll be svelt and gorgeous before you can say "carefully place your weights down"!!
Despite drinking copious amounts of alcohol and eating sinfully this weekend, Ive still managed to lose a lb so very pleased.
I fell off the wagon last week a bit too. Had to visit family as father in law not well. Didnt fancy doing the DVD at the parents house! Loads of work in this week too so was exhausted. Just off to do super workout.
c'mon join me!!!!
Superfit yesterday, one of my least favourites I have to say, she does some Tae-Bo/Kick Boxing type moves in this workout, but because of the lack of instructions I find it hard to keep the workout flowing.
If anyone feels that they are ready to move on from Davina, I would definitely recommend Billy Blank's Tae-Bo workouts. Some of his dvds have an instructional section, where he goes through all the moves showing you how to execute them correctly, this is then followed by a basic workout, and then an advanced workout. I find his workouts easy to follow because he goes through the moves slowly with you first, then he speeds it up. When I first did his advanced section, I kept to the slow pace all the way through, until I felt confident/fit enough to keep up with the fast pace, Oh and he is a great motivator too. I've noticed a vast improvement in my shape, saddle bags have gone, my 6 pack is more defined, and I have bags more energy.
Have just done 45 mins of Tae-Bo, I felt every minute of it.
No weight loss to report this week (no gain either), my own silly fault for drinking wine every night this week.
Will definately look out for some workouts by him Smalline, thanks.
Its soooo easy to have a glass of wine every night, Ive had to try really hard some nights to resist!!
Keep it up though, no loss this week isnt the worst thing that can happen. I weigh in on a tues morning to it gives me monday to be angelic and eat really well and exercise well on mondays and usually I feel a little less worried about stepping onto the scales!!
David Kirsch's 'Ultimate Fitness Boot Camp' this morning, I managed to do some of the crab walks this time, couldn't do any last time.
I going to try and not drink alcohol until Friday now, didn't have any last night, not sure I feel any better for it today, but I must try and have at least 2 alcohol free days a week.
Hope you get a good result today TLB
Lost another lb! so really pleased gonna keep going and have worked out if I lose a lb a week until crimbo I'll be weighing what I did when I got married!! heres hoping.
Did high energy five legs and pump yesterday. Break today and back on it tomo. Ive even made a chart where Ive marked off my weight loss and I have it on my desktop on my computer, its spurring me on to keep the line moving diagonally down to the right!! This is the best results Ive had from my weight loss attempts ever! Thanks for joining me peeps!
Did my favourite workout yesterday, Super Sculpt with abs, had a break today, I can't believe that I am getting up in the cold dark mornings to exercise, this thread is definitely keeping me motivated.
Have stayed off the wine so far this week, roll on tomorrow night so I can have a glass or 2, I know what will happen though, I'll probably not even enjoy them.
Hope everyone is having a good week.
Had a gin and tonic last night! felt a bit mad with myself this morning when I woke up, but never mind. Did High energy 5 aerobics and abs yesterday, having a break today too!
I agree, this thread is definately helping me to stay focused. Just got resist the temptation for comfort stodgy foods now that it beginning to get colder out and the evenings are sooo dark.
(I WILL fit into my skinniest jeans by christmas!!)
Well peeps, Just been for my first run in absolutely ages, managed 20 mins (gonna work up slowly) not feeling too shabby.
I was very naughty last night, had a bit of a stressful week and didn't want to face another evening without alcohol, had a delicious rum cocktail, it was probably very calorific because it had coconut and cream in it, I thoroughly enjoyed it though.
Off ice-skating with the kids after school today, hope I come home in one piece.
so what am i doing wrong!
ive got them all. id do them. ive currently doing the superfit/supersculpt more than the others - about 3 times a week but im seeing naff all in the results dept!
i lost over stone with them at one time but now - nothing!
have to say not really moderated my eating but its not that bad - though i do love a couple of glasses of wine in the evenings. wonder if i need to cut that out totally - but id miss it soooo much!
Can I join too please? You have all inspired me greatly to go and dig out my Davina DVD lol. It's the Power of 3 one and I've only done it once in all the years I've had it and it nearly killed me
I have started calorie counting this week and keeping a food diary and so far it is going well. Thanks for the recommendation of the foodfocus site, I like that and think it will really help keep me on the straight and narrow. My downfall is wine and nibbles/children's leftovers. But I really cannot go on like this - it's making me depressed which makes me eat more lol.
Anyway, good luck to everyone. I find weekends the worst for temptation...
Have dusted off Davina DVD bought when DS2 was tiny for the first time this week and then found this post. Worked really well until he wanted me to lift him up through the star jumps in power of 5. Will try again whilst both boys eating dinner - and DS2 is firmly strapped in high chair.
Hi there newbies!
Vicar: Sounds like your doing exactly what I was doing, religous exercising and eating reasonably healthily, but stuck fast to supping on the old red stuff at night. , I kept that up for weeks and weeks before I decided to ditch the booze for a whole month and thats when I started to get huge results. (Lost 4 lb in first week)
Dont get me wrong, I have finished with the complete ban, and now I drink on weekends (in moderation, DH & I shared a bottle of red last night) and during the week if I really fancy a G&T I'll have a tall one and make it last. But with me it was a real habit and I wasnt enjoying drinking because It wasn't special and occasional with me it was nearly every night (6 out of 7 normally) and rather a lot too!!
I must admit aswell as losing a lb a week, Ive also saved a fortune on not buying so much booze aswell and saved it up for crimbo! Good luck, keep us updated!!
40 - I was terrible for DD's leftovers! but if I ate what she left at every meal throughout each day I calculated that it was atleast an extra 150 calories a day easy! (DH will hoover it up if around)
The workouts will get easier, keep it up
outnumbered - if you can do the workouts with LO's in the room than good for you!! My DD hates watching me workout and gets really mad at me! I have to resort to nap times and creche times
Welcome peeps! Keep us updated and keep up the positive thinking and by christmas, we'll all be nearly 10 lbs lighter (based on lasing a lb a week) and damn site fitter!!
P.s. Smalline - you go girl! cocktails are an imperitive part of my life - I was drinking cosmo's with the girls at a hen do not 2 weeks ago and loved every minute!!
as i thought....its the demon drink!
right. off too find some willpower...
seriously - how do you cut it out? its my only vice and i absolutely love a glass of wine. (a bit too much maybe!)
but - it looks like its the only thing thats going to work - going T total for a while.
i did the super sculpt last night - really enjoy that one. having a day off today - will do superfit on sunday. wonder if i could just cut down to one glass a day???!!!.....
|Start new thread in this topic | Flip this thread | Refresh the display
Join the discussion
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join in the discussion, get discounts, win prizes and lots more.Register now
Already registered with Mumsnet? Log in to leave your comment or alternatively, sign in with Facebook or Google.
Please login first.


text:
17 months and its all gone wrong...(5 Posts)
LoobyLou33 Wed 14-Nov-12 21:02:52
minibmw2010 Mon 05-Nov-12 18:34:05
fizzybubblesforme Sun 04-Nov-12 22:08:55
Nevercan Sun 04-Nov-12 20:35:06
fizzybubblesforme Sun 04-Nov-12 19:53:03
Join the discussion
Registering is free, easy, and means you can join in the discussion, get discounts, win prizes and lots more.Register now
Already registered with Mumsnet? Log in to leave your comment or alternatively, sign in with Facebook or Google.
Please login first.


text:
Simply put, BuddyPress adds social networking features to your WordPress site. With BuddyPress you can build a social network for your church, school, or charity all built on the solid and familiar WordPress platform. Like WordPress, it is completly free and Open Source, with the biggest support and developer community you could wish for.
What is BuddyPress?
With BuddyPress you give your users the ability to create an account and identity, with which they can contribute to the social network, through status updates (like facebook and twitter), publishing on their own blog and through engaging with Groups on the network. The Groups feature of BuddyPress lets you create public, private or hidden groups. These can also include a forum as well as other features if you install additional BuddyPress plugins.
Global, personal and group activity streams with threaded commenting, direct posting, favoriting and @mentions are all part of the core BuddyPress experience.
BuddyPress-Driven Church
Of course, I am particularly interested in how BuddyPress could transform the way people interact as a church online. If you have visited my blog before, you know I have been a strong advocate for WordPress for churches for a number of years (since 2004 to be precise), and now that 15% of the web is powered by WordPress more people now believe too!
It could make your church online a place to hang out, rather than just a place to read about your doctrinal position and download a 40 minute sermon.
With BuddyPress you could for example set up groups for each of your ministries or cell groups, giving space for interaction inbetween meet-ups. You could even use the tool to encourgae engagement with the wider community, by making the church social network a focus for sharing of ideas and engament with your local community and open to people who don't even attend church. It could make your church online a place to hang out, rather than just a place to read about your doctrinal position and download a 40 minute sermon. In fact rather than download the sermon, you could have a group engage in theological reflection and help form the sermon for next Sunday all in a group on your BuddyPress enabled web site!
Getting Started with Buddypress
Given all that BuddyPress adds to your WordPress site, installation really couldn't be simpler. It is packaged as a plugin that can be found and installed through the WordPress Dashboard in the plugin library. Now at version 1.5, it is a pretty robust plugin too. You can install it on a standard WordPress site or if you install it on a network enabled site your users can have their own blog too.
Once installed you will need a BuddyPress-compatible theme. And of course (shameless plug) my latest themes, Xi and Pure are both BuddyPress compatible. The default theme that comes with BuddyPress is also greatly improved in version 1.5.
If you visit the Pure Theme demo site, you will also be able to give BuddyPress a bit of a test drive.
A word of caution though. You do need a little thought about strategy and about how the features of BuddyPress translate into real life and benefit in your organisation. A church, school or volunteer group is a community of real people, so a social network needs to help and enhance, rather than dominate or obstruct. BuddyPress may actually be too easy to install for some. You could end up with just another overwhelming facebook clone which nobody uses.
In Summary
You might wonder why anybody needs another social network, when we are already rather too consumed by the likes of facebook, twitter and of course the new Google Plus. Well, I think the answers lies in the need for smaller, more focussed social networks where there can be greater intimacy and commitment to common causes. Churches, schools, charities and volunteer groups are all about communities, so perhaps it's time to dump the static and rather dull church web sites and turn them into places of community; places where people want to hang out.
It is possible that BuddyPress could transform the way people engage with your organisation online. It is easy to try, so why not give it a go?
One thought on "Building Community with BuddyPress"
I think buddypress is a great plugin. It has really helped us develope a community within our site. There are updates and new plugins to add extra features all the time so it is an exciting thing to be part of!!


text:
Don't see your question? Visit our help section.
Get access to great in-store deals and local pick-up
Sign up for our email deals newsletter!
Don't blink or you'll miss him! Straight from his popular TV series, the Scarlet Speedster looks fantastic as a Pop! Vinyl Figure. Better order him fast!
Pro Price
PowerUp Rewards Pro members get 10% off pre-owned games and accessories. Enter your rewards number in the cart to see discounts.


text:
Collision Repair
Santa Fe Springs, CA
Did you have an accident and don't know where to take your vehicle? Big Rig Collision Center can be your one stop shop for your vehicle.Our goal is to satisfy and meet our clients' needs. All insurances are welcomed. Call Jose Lopez at 562-926-XXXX for a free estimate and don't forget to mentioned 516BigRC for a discount.
Auto Repair
October 4 2016 on Oodle
Important Safety Tips
These might be signs of fraud:
- Really cheap prices
- Irregular email adresses
- Contact info in pictures
To learn more, visit the Safety Center or click here to report this listing.


text:
2006-04-11 at 9:36:00 am #15063
Aussies Spend $3.6 Billion on Digital Lifestyle Products
2006: Australian consumers spent approximately $3.6 billion on digital
products last year, according to the latest Canon Digital Lifestyle
Index .
CDLI, which covers digital still cameras, digital camcorders, inkjet
printers, photo printers, DVD players, DVD recorders, games consoles,
plasma TVs, LCD TVs, digital media players and multi-function devices
is independent research commissioned by Canon and delivered by GfK
Marketing Services. The latest report shows spending on these devices
grew by more than 30% between 2004 to 2005, despite sizeable reductions
in the cost of most digital products.
Digital still cameras
attracted the largest investment of all categories, with a total spend
of $471 million representing 22% of the market. They were followed by
plasma TVs at 20% and digital media players (such as iPods and other
MP3 players) at 16%. Demand for digital still camera continue to rise,
despite the fact that more than four million were sold in Australia in
the last three years. Although the average sales price of cameras has
decreased, the regular release of upgraded products – often offering
increased functionality at an even lower price – has consistently
driven sales.
The report says the largest average price reductions
have been for photo printers (down 52.8% or $122.15 to an average price
of $108.09) making them much more accessible to consumers. This drop
in price is due to a number of factors, including increased
distribution through large chains and bundling of photo printers with
digital cameras and consumables. Although photo printers accounted for
the lowest proportion of spending ($10m or 0.4%), photo printer sales
are climbing consistently with second half sales of 84,655 units
marking an increase of 31.1% compared to the same half in 2004. Sales
of photo printers are forecast to increase steadily this year


text:
Recipe: Roasted Tomato-and-Feta Shrimp
This Greek-style shrimp became an instant favorite in our test kitchen. Better yet, it's ready to eat in just 35 minutes. Easy side: Serve with 1 (5-oz.) package mixed salad greens and your favorite Greek dressing.
Our editors test and approve all recipes in Southern Living, but these picks stood out above the rest.


text:
- Anonymous
- USA, All Female Group, 18-24
- Novice Nomad
- 2 reviews
Perfect place! Merija is so so sweet and we loved getting to talk with her (in the mixture of languages we all know) and staying here was perfect! In Dubrovnik, you can't ask for a better location and we were so comfortable staying here! Only good things to say about it!
Hostelworld Mobile Apps
Book on the go with the new Hostelworld mobile apps.


text:
Annuity MethodUnder this method, time value of money is considered. When money will be received at different points of time, its value should be different depending upon the rate of interest and hence, time value of money is used. Time value of money is the difference between the value of money at t (present date) and value of money at t1 (future date). A Present value factor is applied to the expected future profits to find out the present value of future profits. The Present value of future cash flows will be calculated as follows:
Illustration 4: The expected profits of a firm for the next 5 years are as follows:
The total assets of the firm are ₹ 40,00,000 and outside liabilities are ₹ 22,00,000. The present value factor at 10% is as follows:
Required: Calculate the value of goodwill.
Value of goodwill = ₹ 14,48,134 ( present value of super profits of I + II + III + IV + V)