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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — One bill would make it a felony to enforce the new federal health care law, punishable by up to five years in prison. Another prohibits a physician from asking a patient about firearms. Yet another is designed to curb the possible influence of the United Nations in local government.
While provocative bills aren't particularly unusual in state legislatures, so many have been offered by conservatives in Oklahoma this year that GOP leaders have established a special committee to handle what is now a major category of business: measures to combat the federal government's influence in the states.
"This gives a platform for what I think are issues that are concerning to a lot of Oklahomans, and that's this continual overreach of the federal government," said House Speaker T.W. Shannon.
Similar states' rights panels have been formed in Texas and Utah, which are also controlled by the GOP, and have been proposed in Alaska, Missouri and Tennessee.
President Barack Obama's re-election last year, while a victory for the Democrats, has made the anti-federal cause a growth industry in states dominated by conservative Republicans. When legislatures reconvened this year, a flood of bills came forth to block enforcement of federal laws, deny authority to federal agencies, and circumvent federal policies related to firearms, religion, the environment and, most of all, health care. Across the country, dozens of bills have been introduced to nullify federal firearms laws alone.
Even though many measures are legally questionable and may never come to a floor vote, the special committees are providing more public attention to sovereignty issues that were sidetracked in previous years.
In Oklahoma, "There's going to be healthy debate and discussion about what the limits of the federal government are and also about where state sovereignty begins," said Shannon. "I think that's a worthy discussion to have."
In marble halls normally bustling with suit-and-tie legislators and lobbyists, witnesses wearing camouflage, jeans and ball caps now file into committee rooms for sessions. Usually somnolent hearings are now sometimes raucous.
When the Oklahoma states' rights committee recently passed a bill that prohibits cities and counties from adopting any environmental recommendations in the United Nations' Agenda 21 plan, many of those in attendance burst into applause.
Some Democrats say they don't know whether to be alarmed or amused.
"Where is Jay Leno when you need him?" said Rep. Mike Shelton of Oklahoma City, one of 29 Democrats in the 101-member state House. "If I didn't know this was reality, I would think this committee was something out of a movie."
At a recent hearing, Democratic Rep. Kay Floyd, who was an administrative law judge before winning election to the Legislature, expressed concern that several bills the committee passed appeared to be unconstitutional. Republican Rep. Gus Blackwell, the author of a measure contravening part of the federal health care law, responded: "The Supreme Court may go on and make another decision. I don't care." His comment drew nods of approval from those in attendance.
The crowd of about two dozen spectators at one recent hearing included tea party members and other grassroots activists, some of whom took time away from work and traveled from towns around the state.
Don Spencer, a truck driver for an oil field supply company, hustled to the statehouse after work to hear the panel discuss amending the constitution to make gun possession easier.
Of the others in attendance, "you'll only see them at meetings dealing with constitutional issues," said Spencer, wearing jeans, a flannel shirt and an empty holster that shows he's not allowed to bring his handgun into the Capitol. "People are realizing they can't control the government creeping into their homes, and the more they learn, the scarier it gets."
Also on the committee agenda are measures barring local police from aiding the U.S. military in detaining Oklahoma citizens under the federal War Powers Resolution, prohibiting judges from considering foreign law, and amending the constitution to limit the Legislature's ability to regulate firearms.
Some critics dismiss the sessions as little more than political grandstanding for conservative voters in a state where Obama failed to carry a single county in either of his presidential races. They warn that any measures passed would only run up the state's legal bills in hopeless court challenges.
Under Supreme Court precedent, a state doesn't have the power to block the enforcement of federal law inside its borders, said Joseph Thai, a constitutional law professor at the University of Oklahoma who served as law clerk to Supreme Court Justices John Paul Stevens and Byron White.
Most such measures "do not merit serious comment — at least, not after the Civil War," Thai said.
But many conservatives insist the panel can help the state find ways to push back against the federal government.
Oklahoma's new Republican Attorney General Scott Pruitt has bolstered the cause by challenging the tax penalty provisions of the federal health care law, filing suit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and joining a multi-state challenge to the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.
"We're a country of citizens and not subjects," said Republican Rep. Lewis Moore, chairman of the committee. "It is our fault for not acting as citizens all the time."
Sean Murphy can be reached at www.twitter.com/apseanmurphy


text:
Tennis Anatomy brings your game to life with over 194 full-color
anatomical illustrations depicting strokes and movements, strengthening
exercises, and injury-prevention exercises. The 72 step-by-step
exercises are arranged anatomically for shoulders, arms and wrists,
chest, back, core, and legs, with explanations of how each affects
* Free Bundled E-book *
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E. Paul Roetert, PhD, is the Chief Executive Officer of the
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
(AAHPERD), where he is responsible for promoting leadership, research,
education, and best practices in the professions that support creative,
healthy, and active lifestyles.
Prior to this position, Roetert was the Managing Director of the United
State Tennis Association's (USTA's) Player Development Program and
Tournament Director of the U.S. Open Junior Tennis Championships from
2002 to 2009. He has also served as the Executive Director of the
American Sport Education Program (ASEP) and as the Administrator of
Sport Science for the USTA, where he developed the sport science program.
Roetert has published extensively in the field of tennis, including
several books, more than 20 book chapters, and over 100 articles. He is
a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine, a Master
Professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association
(USPTA), and an Honorary Professional of the Professional Tennis
Registry (PTR). He was the 2002 Educational Merit Award recipient from
the International Tennis Hall of Fame for outstanding service to the
game of tennis. Roetert holds a PhD in biomechanics from the University
of Connecticut.
Mark S. Kovacs, PhD, is the Senior Manager of Sport Science and
Coaching Education for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He
was a collegiate All-American and NCAA doubles champion at Auburn
University. After playing professionally, he pursued his graduate work
performing tennis-specific research and has a graduate degree in
exercise science and a PhD in exercise physiology.
Mark has published and presented tennis-specific research in numerous
top scientific journals and at national and international conferences.
He is an author of the tennis conditioning text Tennis Training:
Enhancing On-Court Performance and is currently the Assistant
Editor-in-Chief of the Strength and Conditioning Journal. Mark is
also still actively working as a strength and conditioning specialist
training elite professional tennis players, including athletes who have
participated in all of the Grand Slam tournaments.
"In Tennis Anatomy, the authors do a terrific job
of explaining how to use a balanced strength and conditioning program.
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Current Coach of Roger Federer and Former Coach of Pete Sampras
"Tennis Anatomy is an essential resource for both
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and top-notch training recommendations. It's a must-have for tennis
players at any level seeking to improve their game and prevent
injuries." -- Todd Ellenbecker, Chairman of the United
States Tennis Association's (USTA) National Sport Science Committee,
Coauthor of Complete Conditioning for Tennis and Strength Band
Training, Second Edition
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subset: commoncrawl


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Asst. AG: GMO labeling bill 'risky'
Law would draw lawsuits, Asay says
Asst. AG: GMO labeling bill 'risky'
Law would draw lawsuits, Asay says
MONTPELIER, Vt. —
The Vermont attorney general's office is flashing the yellow caution light as lawmakers consider a bill that would mandate labeling of foods made with genetically modified organisms.
The House Agriculture Committee took testimony for the first time this year on a GMO labeling bill and heard words of caution from Assistant Attorney General Bridget Asay.
She told the committee on Wednesday that a Vermont labeling law almost certainly would draw a lawsuit or lawsuits from the food industry, and she said the outcome of such suits would be very uncertain.
She said the industry likely would argue that Vermont was exaggerating the risks of foods containing GMOS, and that any labeling requirement would violate the First Amendment.


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Because of this lack of knowledge or a trepidation they feel toward unknown terrain, many people are hesitant to explore the field of alternative medicine. For this reason, it is important to answer some basic questions. Below you will find the ten most commonly asked questions about alternative medicine and our answers. These answers will provide you with details about alternative medicine to help you as you begin your journey.
1. What is "Alternative Medicine?"
Because alternative medicine is many things to many people, there is no one-line answer that would define the term simply and clearly to satisfy everyone. This reason alone is why it can be so difficult for some people to get a clear sense of what alternative medicine is — and what it is not. The truth is that one simple definition can't possibly describe all that is now considered "alternative medicine." Given this, what follows are several "answers" to the question, all considered to be "right" according to various experts.
Alternative medicine is made up of a rich array of techniques, modalities, and medical systems that are, for the most part, still unfamiliar to the majority of the public. They are, therefore, as a whole, an "alternative" to what most Americans are using when they need health care.
Much of what is labeled alternative medicine comes to us from other cultures or from ancient healing traditions. For example, the use of herbs as medicine is an ancient practice found all over the world. Acupuncture comes specifically from ancient China and has been documented as being in use as early as 2697 B.C.3
Interestingly, some of what is labeled alternative medicine originated in the United States. Chiropractic medicine, naturopathic medicine (as a formal system of medicine), and osteopathic medicine all have their origins in the U.S.
Contrary to popular belief, many alternative medical techniques are used everyday by people from all walks of life. Prevention magazine's New Choices in Natural Healing explains, "While the term alternative medicine may conjure up some pretty exotic images, many of these therapies are more familiar than you think. If you've ever massaged your temples to ease a headache, applied an ice pack to a sprained ankle, or listened to your car radio to de-stress during a traffic jam, you've already practiced some simple natural healing techniques."4 So whether you were aware of it or not, it is likely you have already used alternative medical techniques in your own life.
In fact, the World Health Organization estimates that between 65 and 80 percent of the world's population (about 3 billion people) rely on traditional (read: "alternative") medicine as their primary form of health care.5 They further state that when these traditional medical treatments are introduced into Western culture, they are seen as complementary or alternative.
Many of the techniques and treatments in the domain of alternative medicine are also "packaged" under a number of other labels today. The more popular of these are unconventional medicine, holistic medicine, complementary medicine, integrative medicine, integral medicine, preventative medicine, and environmental medicine.
"Alternative medicine" is also defined by what it is not. According to David M. Eisenberg, M.D., of Harvard Medical School, alternative medicines are "medical interventions not taught widely at U.S. medical schools or generally available at U.S. hospitals."6 Wayne Jonas, M.D., director of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) gave the OAM's definition: "Complementary and alternative medicine is defined through a social process as those practices that do not form a part of the dominant system for managing health and disease."7 These two definitions, though currently accurate, will soon be dated. An increasing number of medical schools are now offering courses in alternative medicine for their students, and some hospitals already have alternative medicine departments.
The term alternative medicine can also be considered as a code word for a whole series of significant changes and challenges occurring within the American health care system today, including:
As stated earlier, each of the above "answers" is considered to be the "right" answer by various groups of experts on the subject. Possibly each of these experts has a part of the answer and not the whole answer. If that is so, each is worthy of consideration when seeking a definition of just exactly what "alternative medicine" is — and is not.
2. What is the difference between alternative medicine and conventional medicine?
Generally speaking, most high quality alternative medicine is founded on six core principles and practices that differ from the principles and historical practices of conventional medicine.
They are:
1. The healing power of nature first, and technique and technology second.
Probably the most important difference is that alternative medicine is founded on a deep belief in the healing power of nature (vis medicatrix naturrae). Alternative medical providers accept that within us is a natural ability to heal, an inherent recuperative power that is the key to all healing. The alternative practitioner believes his or her job is to support and stimulate this natural healing ability inherent in each patient.
Biomedicine or conventional medicine has historically tried to reduce the healing process to a series of physiological, physical, and chemical reactions that can be measured and documented by modern science. While there is some truth in this perspective, science has proven it to be an incomplete picture of the healing process. Conventional medicine has come to place more value on the techniques and the technology rather than on the inherent healing power of nature we possess as human beings.
Conventional medicine has historically tried to replace the body's natural healing response by quickly removing symptoms. For example, instead of stimulating and strengthening the immune system to fight an ear infection in a toddler, a biomedical doctor will usually prescribe an antibiotic. The child often receives immediate relief, but at what price? The antibiotic wreaks havoc on their developing digestive system by destroying valuable "friendly" bacteria needed for good digestion. Also, the child's immune system is not any stronger to ward off the next ear infection, thus creating a dependency on antibiotics. The price of immediate relief is the threat of future long-term health problems for the toddler.
The alternative medical practitioner, on the other hand, would suggest a less drastic treatment that stimulates the body's natural healing power. Relief might come through warmed drops of mullein garlic ear oil. Immune stimulation might come through a combination herbal tincture. In truth, a full healing response could take ten days, but the long-term benefits to the child are a stronger immune system and an uncompromised digestive
2. Patient centered rather than physician centered
Biomedicine has historically been perceived as more "physician centered," in which the doctor's opinions and beliefs are considered more important than the patient's. High quality alternative medicine, on the other hand, is first and foremost "patient centered," in which the feelings, beliefs, and the opinions of the patient are essential elements in the treatment decision-making process.
High quality alternative medicine is founded on a deep appreciation of the wonder and mystery of being a unique human being. According to the Burton Goldberg Group's Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, "The return to health . . . is a road which each person must walk according to his or her unique individuality. It is also a road that needs to address one's entire being, taking into account one's mental, emotional, and physical aspects, as well as the structural, biochemical, and energetic components that shape each of us."8
Conventional medicine has come to see the patient as his or her diagnosis rather than as an individual. Further, the role of the patient is a more passive one, being subjected to the authority and expertise of the doctor. Also, in the biomedical model, historically it is assumed that the doctor's skills and best judgment are the final authority. The idea of a shared decision-making process regarding treatment between the doctor and the client/patient is contrary to the traditional role that doctors have historically played in our medical system.
The origins and repercussions of this biomedical doctor/ patient model is explained by author Norman Cousins:
For the past fifty years, the practice of medicine has been dominated by the need to identify diseases and germs. Through the discoveries made by the microscope and the advent of antibiotics, medicine became very specific and technical. This tended to make doctors mechanistic. It tended to obscure recognition of the human soul and its role in contributing to both illness and recovery. Modern medicine tended to place undue emphasis on the prescription pad over bedside manner. This emphasis on medicine and medical machinery created a critical psychological separation between patient and physician. There is no bigger problem in medicine today because when a patient has an illness, nothing is more important than the doctor's reassurance.9
It was the ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates, who said, "It is more important to know what sort of person has a disease than to know what sort of disease a person has." Like Hippocrates, most alternative practitioners view their clients as human beings rather than a diagnosis. This is one of the reasons that alternative medicine has become so popular.
3. Do no harm
Many alternative medical systems are rooted in the "least dramatic means" principle. The essence of this principle is, "Always use the least drastic harmful therapies first." This means that alternative medical providers, in general, choose techniques and therapies which are the least invasive or harmful to get the desired result.
In today's press, many stories have been published charging that quite often medical doctors do, in fact, harm their patients in the process of treating them. The charges range from unnecessary cesarean sections during childbirth to heart bypass surgeries which could have been avoided through diet and exercise changes. One reason for unnecessary invasive treatments is that the majority of medical doctors are not familiar with effective, less invasive alternative treatments. Historically, doctors have not been taught these procedures in medical school and many don't take alternative therapies seriously — despite the growing body of research around the world that demonstrates their efficacy.
In addition, conventional medicine has come to place greater value on the removing symptoms as quickly as possible — even if additional physical problems are created in the process. Many times a conventional treatment will bring an immediate "cure" by removing the symptoms of an illness while never addressing the true cause so that real "healing" can occur. One might say that it pulls weeds out by their tops while rarely getting to their roots.


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Outdoor Living Inspiration From Instagram
Insta-Inspiration: 14 Outdoor Decorating Ideas
Insta-Inspiration: 14 Outdoor Decorating Ideas
Even selfies and feet photos can be inspiring when snapped in an irresistible outdoor setting. In search of fresh ideas for outdoor decorating, we devoured the feeds some of our favorite Instagram users. From bold painting techniques to grassy grid patterns, we're dying to put at least one of these to the test. Keep reading to see which snapshots made our cut, and don't forget to add a #SpringStyling hashtag to your decor-related shots!
Source: Instagram


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The reason for Kate Gosselin's self admitted meltdown this past weekend is becoming rather obvious. As Radaronline is now reporting that Jon Gosselin introduced his 22 year old girlfriend, Hailey Glassman, to his eight children this weekend.
Jon had threatened to bring Hailey to the family home in Wernersville, PA but in the end he relented and Hailey met the kids elsewhere, sources familiar with the situation reveal exclusively to RadarOnline.
We reported earlier that Kate was in tears over Jon's threats to bring Hailey around the kids.
This is the same Hailey with a very troubled past. One that involves heavy drug use, an arrest record, and sexual promiscuity all by the tender age of 22, according to the people who know her.
Hailey is also the same girlfriend Jon has only been dating for a few months, when he isn't too busy dating other women such as tabloid reporter Kate Major, and his babysitter Stephanie Santoro. Something tells me Jon will not be winning a father of the year award anytime soon.
Radar also reports Jon and Kate's divorce will become final by the end of this month. "Now that Jon has introduced Hailey to the kids it's only a matter of time before he brings her to the house," says a source.
Tell Us – What Are Your Thoughts On Jon Introducing Hailey To His Children?
A photo of Jon and Hailey taken this weekend is below –
Jon Gosselin with girlfriend Hailey Glassman


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Recently a number of articles by photojournalists who turned their cameras on their fellow photojournalists have reinforced an argument I first made in 2005 with my first documentary short, Pallywood. They revealed the extent to which journalists, with their pack mentality and their eagerness to get pictures of the victimization of the Palestinian David by the Israeli Goliath, may influence, even make the "news" they record about the Arab-Israeli conflict.
The Ritual from Andrew Lampard on Vimeo.
Photojournalism Behind the Scenes [ITA-ENG subs] from Ruben Salvadori on Vimeo.
Obviously such charges runs the risk of undermining the narrative that the MSNM so relentlessly record for their audiences, a narrative that has had an enormous impact on images of Israel in the West. In response Lisa Goldman, a blogger at 972, has come to the defense of this kind of news. Her piece illustrates from many angles just what's wrong with people who think they're "journalists" when they're really advocates.
The questions people don't ask about 'staged photojournalism'
A few years ago, a far-right commentator on Israel-Palestine coined the term "Pallywood" to describe video clips and photographs which were allegedly staged or manipulated to score public relations points against Israel.
Lisa defines what she means by "far-right" later in this essay: those who call the occupied territories the 'administered territories' and insist that Israel must keep its settlements in the West Bank. There are two major points to be made here.
1) This is a pretty weak definition of "far-right." I would have imagined something more along the lines of forceful transfer of population from both Israel and the territories for the sake of an Arab-free greater Israel. That would, after all, be a fairly neat parallel to an apartheid position that has its mirror opposite among so many Palestinians. But what Goldman's trying to do here is to label anything that isn't close to her position "far-right." Presumably, she'd have no problem labeling "far-right" anyone who referred to them as "disputed territories" or felt that some of the settlements should, indeed remain part of Israel.
2) Nowhere can Lisa, who knows me personally because I invited her to participate in a conference at the IDC in 2006, find in my fairly copious writings, anything resembling these positions. I personally find even the "right-wing" label inaccurate, much less "far-right," but that's probably because I don't skew the political spectrum heavily to the left in order to define anything that disagrees with me "right-wing." On the contrary, I think that, when speaking of the Arab-Israeli conflict we need to have a spectrum that can accommodate both Palestinian and Israeli politics. That way we can avoid such foolish generalizations as, on the one hand, calling Abbas a "moderate" when, by my definition, he and his fellow PA officials are "far-right," in favor of ethnic cleansing of a Palestinian state and keeping the refugees in camps, and on the other, avoid calling Netanyahu a "hardliner" when, in comparison, he's far more accommodating than Abbas.
So we learn from Lisa Goldman's first sentence of her post that: a) she is a poor journalist who doesn't even care to research her claims, b) she's into smearing people who get in the way of her narrative, and c) she defines matters with a heavy skew to the PCP (2) as normative, rather than one-sided.
All three of these observations will continue to hold true throughout an examination of her piece.
The term is now quite widely used by those who take an uncritical Israel-advocacy position. People who subscribe to the Pallywood theory believe that Israel is the true victim in its conflict with the Palestinians. Israel's only real wrongdoing, they claim, is in its failure to combat effectively what they perceive as a relentless media battle waged by Palestinians and their advocates. What Israel needs, they say, is better hasbara.
This analysis reveals still more about Goldman's world. I would have thought that people who "subscribe" to the Pallywood theory are people who have looked at the evidence – quite copious – and have come to the conclusion that it's true, regardless of where they stand politically. Has Lisa even seen the movie or the rushes upon which the movie is based? I won't deny that it's water to the mill of those who defend Israel, but it's empirically sound evidence that should, in principle, trouble those who think Israel is in the wrong.
Apparently, however, it does trouble people with a particular agenda. I remember a colleague of mine told me that he proposed I present al Durah and Pallywood to the journalism department at a major California university, and someone objected that I was trying to destroy the peace process. On the contrary, I tried to argue, no peace process will succeed when all the Palestinians need to do is fake an incident and break all their promises.
Lisa prefers to label anyone who takes this evidence seriously as an ideologue who takes an uncritical stance towards Israel. In other words, apparently, Lisa thinks that any criticism of the Palestinians and their narrative is a position that considers any criticism of Israel illegitimate, what so many on the "left" call the "Israel right or wrong crowd." The idea that people can at once consider evidence for and against both sides seems alien to her. If you defend Israel and criticize the Palestinians, you're "Israel right or wrong." In her mind, people like me think Israel's only fault is its poor hasbarah. If only it were so simple. But I guess that works for the simple-minded.
But the far-right – those who call the occupied territories the 'administered territories' and insist that Israel must keep its settlements in the West Bank – are not the only ones who claim that images of clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli security forces are staged. Sometimes, people who do not have a personal stake in the conflict make the same claim. These are intelligent, sensible people who visit Israel-Palestine, observe the situation for a short time – but do not study it or investigate it – and then draw their conclusions.
Oh dear. Innocent bystanders have been poisoned by far-right ideologues. Goldman to the rescue. We must look deeper to understand.
Recently, two young journalists – one Italian and one from the United States, created video reports about what they saw at clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces. In these video reports, news photographs and video clips are juxtaposed alongside images that show the same scenes from a wider angle, so that they include a scrum of photojournalists madly clicking their shutters in the direction of a single teenage boy with a keffiyeh wrapped around his face and a chunk of rock clutched in his hand, while a tyre burns in the background. The implication is that these images are, if not exactly staged, then manipulated. If the photographers and videographers were not present, they suggest, these clashes would not happen. This claim leads, of course, to the next one – ie, that if these scenes are staged, then they must be inauthentic.
I personally would not jump to that conclusion. Are there scenes that are inauthentic? Yes. Are they all? Not necessarily. I'm certainly not going to take the position that all Palestinian claims to mistreatment and injury by the IDF are false. I have no doubt the Palestinians, even innocent ones, suffer at the hands of a military that must deal with terrorism from the seemingly innocent. But given the widespread propensity of Palestinians to stage scenes, the idea that they should be granted authentic status a priori seems like a foolish epistemological move… one typical of many journalists up till now.
But there are a few questions that are not asked by these journalists – or by those who have enthusiastically posted and re-posted their videos. Questions like, Why are these Palestinians out demonstrating in the first place? Why do they come out, week after week, to face Israeli security forces who choke them with tear gas, beat them and arrest them? What are their grievances?
Well, for starters, how about checkpoints, land confiscations, arbitrary arrests, military trials that are effectively kangaroo courts, arbitrary beatings at the hands of Israeli security forces and settlers, a life without civil rights or legal recourse, night raids by the army, destruction of water cisterns, destruction of homes, no freedom of movement and… Oh, come on. If you know anything about the occupation, then you know all this. If you are an intelligent person who is interested in Israel-Palestine issues and you don't know all this, then you don't want to know.
I don't have the time to go into this list one by one, but I do think it worth mentioning that a) the checkpoints (and the separation fence/wall) are a direct response to Palestinian terror directed specifically against civilians; b) most of the arrests are hardly "arbitrary" by any but an ideologue's standards; c) Palestinians have extensive protection before Israeli law (including the Supreme Court), indeed far more than they do before Palestinian "law."
In short, this list is advocacy driven, has no sense of balance or perspective, no depth or complexity. It merely parrots the most one-dimensional Palestinian narrative, and then, in a classic move, accuses anyone of not agreeing, of acting in bad faith.
Do teenage boys wearing jeans and muscle shirts swagger and act all macho when a bunch of photojournalists point big lenses in their direction? Yup, they do. Do they sometimes make a mockery out of stressful, frightening situations in order to preserve their dignity, their cool and their street cred? Sure.
Let's take it a bit farther. Do they fake scenes in order to produce "sight-bytes" for the Western news to run? Yup. Does their macho get in the way? You bet. Look at this fellow, who's been made up with blood on his forehead, run along, hand off a Molotov cocktail, and enter a crowd that carries him to an ambulance that's directly in front of the Israeli position where (presumably) the soldiers are shooting wildly at him and everyone else. He can't even pretend he's been injured. Note how he holds up his "wounded" head as he's carried to the ambulance.
Does that mean they have no reason or purpose in demonstrating? Of course not. Would the same people demonstrate if there was no media presence? Yes. I know, because I have attended many demonstrations from which the media was completely absent,
Except, of course, you Lisa. And how many others? Can you give us some examples?
and events unfolded in pretty much the same way as they do when the photographers are there.
Excuse my skepticism here. This contradicts what you just said about how they mug for the camera. I don't believe for a minute that they behave differently when the camera isn't there. Indeed, the key moment for me in "discovering" Pallywood was watching a big fat guy in Netzarim Junction, filmed by Talal abu Rahmah, who faked a leg injury and when he realized he wasn't going to get the media "treatment" – carried to an ambulance in front of the cameras – he walked away without a limp. (NB: France2 cut this clip from the video they showed the court.)
Neither of the two video reports, which are embedded below, include any background or explanation. They also don't really touch on the fact that very few of the photos and videos shot at these demos are ever published.
This may actually reflect a welcome trend in current journalism. Certainly, during the first and second Intifadas, these images were eagerly snatched up by journalists (I made Bob Simon the butt of my movie, but there were plenty of examples to draw from, that continued throughout Operation Cast Lead). Now, perhaps because having once had the faking pointed out, and having been stung by bloggers for their gross incompetence, reporters are less likely to do so.
Or maybe, just maybe Lisa, the world has awakened to the fact that their obsession with the Arab-Israeli conflict has blinded them to far more important conflicts and far greater suffering than what the Palestinians suffer at the hands of the evil Israelis – like what's happening next door in Syria, where the paragraph above that outlines what they have to protest would be ten times as harsh (including what they do to Palestinian refugees) and a thousand times more accurate.
Editors are not interested anymore. Their readers have turned away; Israel-Palestine is regarded as a story that is stuck in Groundhog Day, doomed to repeat itself in perpetuity.
There's only so long a boy can cry wolf, even if people so desperately want to believe it. I'm under the impression that even though the media does its best to blame Israel for the failure of negotiations, their audience has begun to realize that the Palestinians have played a major role in their own failure to have a country.
But once in awhile there is an egregious incident that is deemed newsworthy. And if a persistent photojournalist or videographer who has been attending these demos every week for years happens to be there, s/he could have the shot that will make the front page or win a prize.
You mean, like Talal abu Rahmah and the Muhammad al Durah affair. He got lots of prizes for his staged blood libel. By the way, Lisa, as one of your commentators (RichardNYC) also asked, what is your position on Al Durah? Have you looked at the evidence? Are you aware of how the piece was used as a "icon of hatred" by the Palestinians, the Muslims, the radical "left"? Do you have a position on egregious propaganda, or does the "victim status" of the Palestinians forgive anything, and answer to a higher truth?
Except for the fact that you don't seem interested in going anywhere else, it would not be hard to photograph egregious incidents that are noteworthy every day, many times a day in Syria right now. Anyone getting them into papers? Anyone getting prizes?
But rarely – almost never – will you see a print or television journalist at these demos. Because they are not reported. Because hardly anyone cares anymore.
I'm sorry. What are you talking about? Wasn't the footage you're complaining about showing a – in your own words – a "scrum of photojournalists madly clicking their shutters in the direction of a single teenage boy with a keffiyeh wrapped around his face and a chunk of rock clutched in his hand, while a tyre burns in the background"? Try reading Stephanie Gutman, The Other War.
Lisa, let me suggest something that I doubt you'll consider, but think you should. Maybe your uncritical embrace of the Palestinian narrative of suffering that you defend so poorly is part of the Palestinian problem. Maybe if Palestinians had real friends, who gave them valuable advice, rather than merely reaffirmed their sense of victimhood, maybe if you helped them address the degree to which their own leaders (Palestinian and Arabs and Muslims) have victimized them, then maybe this wouldn't be groundhog day. But of course, that would take what you call "study and investigation" and what I would call complexity and depth.
It may well be that the real problem is not Israeli failure of hasbarah, but the unmerited success of Palestinian hasbarah. And to that, you and your friends in the center of the far left contribute way too much.
Railing against Reality: Lisa Goldman tries to defend Journalists who Use PallywoodOctober 17, 2011
(Richard Landes h/t DOCS TALK and Augean Stables)


text:
|2012-07-16, 00:15
|Link #281
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
|2012-07-16, 08:59
|Link #283
Senior Member
I finally got around to watching the second episode of this.
I have to say, I'm impressed. This actually has a touch of psychological thriller to it, which is a real pleasant surprise for me.
I like how, with this episode, Kokoro Connect is going in a much more serious direction. The dialogue was excellent, and there was a nicely intense/ominous feeling to many of the scenes.
|2012-07-16, 10:38
|Link #284
Last Engage
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Florida
KokoCo 02 - No Answer Is the Best Answer
I would've been totally cool if the reason for the body switching was left up in the air. Ambiguity can be a powerful storytelling device. But the answer Heartseed (is he alien? Animal? Vegetable? Mineral? Ghost? Don't tell me, this is the ambiguity I was talking about.) gave didn't answer all that much anyway. He's got as much of an explainable motivation as the wishing rock. For fun. And that's the same reason I watch this show, so I'm cool with it.
The whole toilet discussion was great. So Iori's not very keen on the yuri flags (but there's time), has learned to go standing up (which is a wonderful mental image, and very forward thinking of her) and can wax philisophical like nobody's business (which was cool.) Most of what I got from this episode was about Iori, but the revelation about Yui and her martial arts skills was also appreciated. I like this series, it's bringing up enough stuff to think about while also remaining lighthearted and at times, silly. (I refer again to the toilet conversation.) I can get behind that. Taichi/Himeko's blank stare at the end was a great way to leave things for the next week.
|2012-07-16, 11:30
|Link #285
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
I'm enjoying rewatching certain parts to see the body motions during the switching to see if the body motion habits match. Like the way Aoki voice sounds when Iori is inside him.
Also I find it a bit weird that even during switching, when they think in their head, its in the voice of the body, instead of the switchee, who is the one actually thinking the thoughts.
|2012-07-16, 13:08
|Link #286
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
As for which voice to use for thoughts, I can imagine the staff having long discussions about that, now that you point it out. Maybe they decided that it would be more confusing the other way.
|2012-07-16, 14:49
|Link #287
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: france
i love how the anime handle the body switch. Sure they tell us every time plainly who is who but we can also see it for ourself with all the body habits and the overall voice/personality.
the manga can't do this and they have to draw a mini image of each character in each buble to us to understand who is speaking is wich body. i know they can't realy do otherwise but i still like the anime better on that part.
|2012-07-16, 16:53
|Link #288
Join Date: Mar 2008
I think it would be even funnier if later they don't tell us about the body switches at all... which I am sure is gonna happen.
the only letdown for me was the teacher, I was expecting him to be one person who got stuck in another person's body for years and that was teh reason of his/her apathy. since now we have confirmed only girl<->guy body switches are possible my money is on body switches being somehow romance related as probability says we should have gotten a girl<->girl or guy<-> guy switch.
|2012-07-16, 17:46
|Link #289
Yuuki Aoi
Join Date: Jul 2004
|2012-07-16, 17:57
|Link #290
Seishu's Ace
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Kobe, Japan
|2012-07-16, 23:05
|Link #292
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Indeed it was:
Yui (inside Aoki)
Aoki (inside Inaba)
Inaba (inside Yui)
We probably end up seeing every possible combination eventually. Looking forward to when all 5 will probably end up switching.
Probably should keep track of which switches happen, at least to keep a tally on which switches hasn't happened yet for keeping track sake.
|2012-07-16, 23:07
|Link #293
Black Steel Knight
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Indonesia
This second episode is even more intriguing and funny than the first. It keeps making me wanting for more.
Yes, the body-swap is a tired premise, but how this series execute it is the interesting thing. It also help that some characters have their own family problem to add to the plot, but not too much to ruin the mood. Also, the creepy guy who somehow responsible for the body-swap turns out to be quite interesting. I guess thats one question down, others will follow.
Next episode will be the war between Himeko + Taichi VS the lesby Class-Rep (maybe). Will it be a love triangle (or love square if Himeko is added)? Btw, did I get their names right ?
|2012-07-16, 23:20
|Link #294
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
A standard girl<->girl switch did happen as well during episode 2.
Though it happened off-screen. That was lead-in into the outburst from Yui against Iori.
She mentioned that the previous night when she and Iori switched bodies, she didn't see anyone in Iori's house.
We haven't seen guy-guy yet but the girls outnumber the guys. So I'm sure we get to that sooner or later.
|2012-07-17, 00:49
|Link #296
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: france
Seiing how they naturaly continue the movement they were making before the switch, it could be quite dangerous if you take for exemple Yui making some karate move, then in the midle of it she switch with Nagase, enjoying a chitchat in front of Taichi.
There is a lot of possibility to be screwed at the moment the swap happen, i hope to see more of thoses
|2012-07-17, 02:12
|Link #298
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
|body swapping, comedy, drama, romance, shounen, slice of life
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Seven Deaths Confirmed in Arkansas
Authorities have now confirmed seven deaths in Arkansas after a severe storm
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Feb 15, 2013 06:40
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Idaho Urban Renewal Bill Dies
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A bill giving Idaho voters more power over urban renewal projects has died in a state House committee after two hours of testimony. The legislation rejected yesterday would have given citizens a say over certain land redevelopment plans, a power currently reserved for city councils and zoning commissions. Some said the measure would stretch out the timeline for approving new projects.


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Option Expiry, a 3-day Weekend and a Raid on Gold and Silver. What a Surprise!
It what should come as a shock to no one, the metals have been mercilessly driven lower today following a positive Comex open. All while the dollar was flat, too. Hmmmm. Who would have seen that coming?
Today is the third Friday of the month. This means that options on stocks and stock indices expire this afternoon. This includes all ETFs, most importantly GLD and SLV. So, after a surprisingly positive overnight and Comex open, the raid was ON. Further impacting the selling pressure is the 3-day weekend that lies ahead for the U.S. With all the crazy shit going on in the world these days, nervous and weak-handed longs would rather be out than in over the weekend and, in all honesty, can you blame them? Here at 10:30 EST, I expect the PMs to remain under pressure for a while longer, maybe stabilizing and trending higher toward the close and on the Globex. We'll see.
So, I'm sitting chilly right now. I don't want to fiddle with silver just yet because it faces its own option expiry next week. I'd like to buy some gold but I'm waiting for it to dip toward 1705 again and I still think (hope) that it could fall to 1680, as well. Again, we'll see.
Here's an updated chart of the POSX. For now, it looks like its wants to head lower. (Now that I've typed that, I'm sure it will head higher.) At any rate, until we get some kind of actual resolution in Greece next month, The Pig will likely continue to fluctuate around in this 79.60 + 1.00 area.
A Turdite pointed out yesterday that main metal correlation is actually silver vs the euro. He has a valid point. Take a look at the charts below. For fun, do what I do: Print them. Put one on top of the other and then hold them up to the sun or some other bright light. (This is how we did it in the old days!) Note the ridiculously high correlation and then ask yourself this all-important question: WHY?? Why would these two, mostly-unrelated items trade in such close correlation? To me, the answer is WOPR. Some folks claim that 90%+ of the PM markets are HFT algos (WOPRs). These two charts would certainly seem to confirm that. Why else would a monetary and industrial metal move in lock-step with a particular currency? For instance, does silver mining capacity and production have anything to do with European stability and growth? Not really. So, again, if the fundos are unrelated, why do these two trade together?
Crude is rolling again today. I have a high of 103.88 and a last of 103.26. The area around 103.50 is very significant resistance. Be on the lookout, though, for a false breakout that stops at 105. Above 105, it's headed back to 115 and $4.00/gallon gasoline. You've got to figure that The O'bottom Regime would very much like to avoid that eventuality.
Lastly, I give you this ES (mini S&P) chart without further comment.
Just two "news" items for you today. First, there's this. In one sense, it's a happy story as the folks that found this stash will be rewarded. Primarily, though, this story makes me kind of sad. I imagine that someone, fearing confiscation by the Nazis, hid their gold. That person then never returned get it because, I imagine, he/she died in the conflict. In the end, it just goes to demonstrate once again that humans and fiat are mortal. Gold lives eternal.
And then there's this. I saw this earlier today and now it's been picked up by ZH. I have no idea what the heck is going on here but something is seriously f'd up. First there was this:
and this:
And now there's this:
and this:
Thoughts anyone??
That's all for now. I'm recording this week's podcast in an hour or so and I'll post it later this afternoon so please come back and listen to it. Also, keep a close eye on the CoT numbers and any changes in the silver lease rate heading into the weekend. Next week promises to be another wild one!
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271 Comments
Good one Murph.
because I don't try hard enough
and another 2 trillion
My watch stopped
and after putting in a new battery, I noticed the very sharp decline in the PMs. So I conveniently was able to set my watch for 11:00 a.m. Thank you, EE.
I think this is the bond thing Fulford has been talking about?
Previous 1735 raids ended at 1715
other than the 1705 raid done on a stronger dollar background. Expect the same.
1715/33.05 - go LONG
And then there is this, thoughts anyone
Yeah i have some, but this plunges you deep into the rabbit hole.
This is the story about Dragon families battling it out with the Rothchilds, presented by David Wilcock.
The story you present today could be part 2, or the same bonds.
Links you gave out to ZH were from 2009 browsing the archives?
and this:
2 trillion
The $2 trillion was a story from Feb 20, 2011.
Hey Murph!
I like you. Alot. But perhaps not quite THAT much... ;-)
Well done on your first, I'll see you in the bacon-off pools later.
It wasn't too long ago that Fridays
were always up days for the metals.. but they have to kill those in the money options.
I think this is clearly shown when you read the charts.. duhh
This story may indicate
there is more of a power struggle among TPTB than we realized.
it's a bizarre false-flag. why else would it be in the MSM?
it does seem important though
Yeah i have some, but this
Yeah i have some, but this plunges you deep into the rabbit hole.
This is the story about Dragon families battling it out with the Rothchilds, presented by David Wilcock.
The story you present today could be part 2, or the same bonds.
this "story" is nonsense, the "law suit" presents no evidence, the story tellers believe in Aliens and millions of tonnes of secret gold hidden under Taiwan, and Fulford is clearly on psychedelic drugs.
you cant just believe everything you read on the internet you know, a little critical thinking and investigation of your own is required.
I think someone should email the CFTC and
let them know that the trading in the metals seems suspect! I am sure they will do something about it.
@ Red Pill
Thank you for being so concerned about my critical thinking.
@ red pill
would love to hear your explanation for this story. i'm open to hearing anything
Meh, the stars are aligning
Meh, the stars are aligning perfectly for the Cartel and this is all they can do? Drop silver 50 cents and drop gold $18?
What happened to the good old days where silver would get kicked in the nuts for $3+ and gold would get castrated for $80?
Knowing me, I've probably spoken too soon.
DISCLAIMER: Long, long, long, long physical gold and super long, long, long physical silver.
Yeah, they better hurry and
Yeah, they better hurry and snatch up the London exchange (as if it isn't in Blythe's back pocket already) before PAGE opens.
I sense the fear and desperation in the Cartel.
What is the latest on the PAGE opening date? Still June?
don't encourage them
they are doing fine on their own
This $6 Trillion in FAKE US TREASURIES is just more evidence that the world has gone completely wacko. Jim Willie has written several articles about the possibility of $2 Trillion in naked US Treasuries... so the insane PAPER WORLD continues as gold and silver gets clobbered once again.
There is also more STRANGE NEWS coming from CITIGROUP:
Citigroup Says Peak Oil Is Dead
By James Herron
Citigroup announced to the world Thursday that peak oil is dead. The controversial idea that world crude oil production is almost at its peak and will soon begin an irrevocable long-term decline has been laid to rest in the highly productive shale oil formations of North Dakota, with potentially big consequences for oil prices, the bank said.
...."The belief that global oil production has peaked, or is on the cusp of doing so, has helped to fuel oil's more than decade-long rally," Citigroup said in a note to clients. "This is now all changing because of what is happening in North Dakota," where new technology has led to a large and unexpected surge in oil production from shale rock.
After decades of decline, "U.S. oil production is now on the rise, entirely because of shale oil production," said Citigroup. Shale oil could add almost 3.5 million barrels a day to US oil production between 2010 and 2022 and has already slashed 1 million barrels a day from U.S. oil imports. One day it may allow the U.S. and Canada to be self-sufficient in oil, it said.
This again is the BRAIN DAMAGE I spoke about in a prior post. While it is true that technology has increased production of SHALE OIL & GAS, it does so at a much lower EROI- energy returned on invested.
The notion that the United States will be able to increase SHALE OIL 3.5 mbd by 2022 is a RED HERRING because shale oil fields have TWO-YEAR 80% exponential depletion rates. There is no way to increase production all that much country-wide due to the fact you have to keep drilling these wells to keep production growing. Once drilling stops... production falls exponentially.
I am completely surprised that grown adults who more than likely went to college and got nice degrees come out with this sort of nonsense. Even if the world started to tap into SHALE OIL, the depletion coming from conventional oil fields will not allow the world to grow production. Here is the graph from my Peak Silver Revisited article showing the depletion from Shale Oil fields:
Again, it really amazes me how IQ's have suddenly dropped the past decade when I look around and see just how insane the majority of highly educated people regurgitate crap like this.
Then we can't forget about the EXPORT LAND MODEL that calculates the drop of Net Oil Exports. Here is an example:
Looks like one more leg down should just about do it
They set a couple bull traps and then pushed it lower. Looks like one more leg down should just about do it. (assuming DXY stays put).
I still hold to 1715/33.05 , although silver could break to 32.8, but not likely.
would love to hear your
would love to hear your explanation for this story. i'm open to hearing anything
publicity hoax or scam along these lines
Oil vs. Gold
I wonder how long the divergence between yellow and black gold will continue?
Hopefully this raid, along with Greek deal sets up Tuesday
For a nice pop. Greek deal with EUR/USD breaking through 1.33 could spell trouble for the cartel leaving them exposed with all those fresh shorts.
Paper Bonds Will Need To Become Gold Bonds
Thanks for the update. Lots to ponder up above.
My short comment is "normal" bonds will become so untrustworthy that the introduction of gold bonds is inevitable and likely by the U.S. when it appears they are out of wiggle room. They'll do so before China does the same thing at some point.
I think of GLD as the perfect test vehicle that has established that trust of paper gold globally. I realize what most of us think about GLD and SLV and the fractionalized aspect we don't trust or think is valid etc. I agree with all of that but none of what we think really matters. Sad, but true.
The big picture to the majority of investors who have no clue about fractionalized gold/silver might be that a gold backed U.S. bond (never redeemable for the phyz) is the safest thing going based on our supposedly huge (and unseen/unproven) gold reserves. That's what people know and have been led to believe forever. Fort Knox is engrained in people's minds. Not in ours, but the majority of people who have blind trust and faith in the system that's in place.
Eventually, as demand for regular U.S. bonds dwindles, might the U.S. go to a gold backed bond to draw in more revenues if they offer the gold backed bonds with a higher rate of interest with a long duration of at least 20-30 years? If money is still pouring in seeking "safety" at super low rates, then what might happen if the mere mention of gold is attached to bonds and the future pay out is more fiat that they'll ALWAYS make sure is available in the future? Money will come flooding into Treasury coffers relative to what is happening right now with the outflows were hearing of.
GLD has been the test pilot the whole time and it's been proven successful even if we don't trust it or believe in it. None of that will matter if the U.S. offers gold backed bonds that will be extremely fractionalized in the same manner. Just imagine how many bonds or the size of the debt that they might be able to sell if they NEVER have to physically account for the actual amount of phyz gold they have. It will make GLD look like a penny stock at some point.
Like Dr G said a few days ago, they are extremely good at kicking the can and changing gears to whatever works at the moment until they have to shift gears again. They've been doing it for decades.
We haven't seen anything yet as far as what they might pull out of their playbook and I believe this goes on much, much longer then we feel it can or should be allowed to. Just look at who is doing the "allowing" or making the laws or changing the financial accounting standards and definitions.
JPM doesn't have to adhere to any CFTC position limits due to grand-fathering? They face no repercussion's from anyone and they're in control due to their sheer size and ability to collapse the entire system if their held to a standard everyone else must adhere to.
Why would they stop now doing what they're doing? They won't.
News thread below...


text:
Container House by Leger Wanaselja Architecture
- Location: Berkeley, California
- Website: lwarc.com
Cool, modern house, right? It's not just that. It's made from shipping containers, and is "infilling an empty lot overlooking a regional park in the eastern hills above San Francisco Bay."
Leger Wanaselja Architecture took two refrigerated shipping containers (instant structural frame, exterior siding, and insulation), stacked them, and added a third one, cut in half and stacked on itself. Voila! A 1,350-square foot two-bedroom house. Then they created a two-story atrium living room, added bay windows to the upstairs bedrooms, and connected the two upper containers to the space below with stairs and a bridge through the atrium. The result is compact, yet airy.
Green materials include blown cellulose insulation for the roof and floors, 50% fly ash/slg in concrete foundation and piers, "green seal" paint on the interior, wool carpets and bamboo flooring, Solar Tubes for day lighting, Energy Star appliances, a high efficiency water heater, and dual flush Caroma toilets.
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text:
Slate.Com: Origins
Slate was founded by Bill Gates at Microsoft in the mid nineties. Gates wanted to prove that a first rate newsmagazine could exist solely on the Internet with no print equivalent.
His first step was to hire Michael Kinsley as our editor- in- chief. Mike had been editor of The New Republic and is best known for his run on CNN's crossfire opposite Pat Buchanan. Mike assembled an outstanding staff from The New Republic, the Washington Post and jeez, half the Harvard alumni that I'd have to do actual research to list. The following tale is how I remember it unfolding in the spring and summer of 1996:
Patricia Bradbury was the art director who started it all so I'll just quote her:
"In 1995 I was hired by Microsoft to go to work on MSN, the fledgling online news service. I'd gotten Newsweek Online up and running, so I was hired to work as a contractor on MSN. After close to 9 years at Newsweek, and 20 years in NYC, I was ready for a change, to head back to Seattle where my family still lived, and lots of friends still lived, and to work on something entirely different.
I was working in my office, and one day this guy moved in across the hall from me who looked very familiar, but I wasn't quite sure who he was. After some phone calls to Mickey Kaus, I found out it was indeed the famous Michael Kinsley, and that he was starting an online magazine for Microsoft. I immediately went in to ask Michael if I could work on it with him. I proposed that I help get the thing going, along with some other Microsoft art directors and designers. They had me gather a group of illustrators to choose from, and knowing how great and how fast your work was, I pitched you, Mark Stamaty, and Philip Burke as prime illustrators for Slate. I don't remember why Philip didn't get a contract, but I was really happy that you and Mark got to work on Slate. I was a believer, but I really wanted them to not be idiots, and to do it right. They did."
Meanwhile, I, (Neubecker) was working in watercolor and pen, but I'd been experimenting with bare bones brush and ink drawings as a personal project. Living in lower Manhattan, I hung around with some of the political artists from COLAB like Becky Howland and Kiki Smith. I got interested in exploring the relationship between political cartooning, illustration, and political art. I started by stripping drawing down to it's most basic elements, using fat, ruined brushes on watercolor paper and then illustrating a single concept or idea. I collected overheard phrases, song lyrics and headlines and drew them, then hung them together in big batches. I showed some of these in the East Village with Gracie Mansion.
Patricia bought a few of these drawings and, when they were developing a look for Slate, showed them to Mike and the Slate editors. The idea was to use simple black and white drawings that could download quickly on the old, slow, dial up modems. I had newspaper experience, and had worked extensively with Patricia when she was design director at Newsweek, so she knew that I could produce on short deadlines. So far so good. But, then the Microsoft people suggested, why couldn't we just hire a high school kid who could draw, pay him peanuts, and come up with our own cartoons? (ain't that cute?)
Patricia went to bat for me then and all summer long. First, I said, go ahead and get the kid. I'll work for two weeks, and if you like the kid better, hire him and you don't have to pay me. The kid disappeared. She then hired Mark Alan Stammaty and myself as Slate's first illustrators, in the spring of 96.
I'll quote Patricia again: "The great thing was that finally I got Microsoft and MK to agree that the kid just wasn't up to it, and that they did need someone like you and Mark to help give Slate the look it needed to have to be taken seriously." And I'll add; wow, they coulda' had Burke too?
The next hurdle was the contract. It was about what you'd expect from Microsoft, without the stock options. I based my fees on The Wall Street Journal because there were no comparables at the time. I worked all summer without a contract or a paycheck while Patricia patiently, persistently moved the contract from WFH to the normal one time usage, artist copyright, that is the ethical norm. I got a Microsoft shirt in June and the big joke around the studio was that that was my pay… but I believed completely in the project and was willing to show up on faith that Patricia would work it out. And she did. We ended up with a contract for two drawings a week, and I've done it ever since, wow, fourteen years and counting.
I worked with Ian Adelman on the day to day illustrations for a few years. I did the drawings big, xeroxed them, and faxed them. We liked the graininess. Ian went out on his own and was replaced by Kathleen Kincaid as AD and Lori Johnson as assistant. Over this period, the technology improved, and I began scanning and e-mailing artwork. I put in for a raise and Kathleen said, "Sure, but can you work in color?" well, of course. The website continued to improve with technology, becoming more interactive with live links all over the cover. This really junked it up, to my horror, but I've gotten used to it now. In the old days it had a very elegant, spare cover…, that I'll try to find a screen grab of if I can only find a zip drive…
Microsoft sold Slate to the Washington Post in 2005 and the offices moved to New York. I miss the thoughtful retreats that Microsoft used to throw for the staff at Cascade Mountain resorts… It was great meeting everyone that I have worked with- something illustrators rarely do today. I was pretty tongue tied around Mike Kinsley but I'm used to reporters and I nearly drowned our Supreme Court correspondent, Dalia Lithwick , on the rafting trip. She went after me with a super soaker and I retaliated with a bilge pump. On another retreat, I was driving a rental car with contributors Robert Wright, Emily Yoffe, her husband John of the Washington Post and their seven year old daughter. The conversation was so interesting that I missed the turn to the mountains, drove on for hours, and ended up in Canada.
It is such a pleasure to work with these people. Mike stepped down in 2002 when Jacob Weisberg took over as editor. Jake is best known (among us low brows) as the originator of the "Bushism" series of W.'s linguistic atrocities. It runs many volumes.
Slate has continued to evolve, adding Nina Frankel and Charlie Powell to the regular illustrators, and Rob Donnelly doing animation. Other illustrators contribute as well.
One of the big questions we all have as illustrators are where will we be in ten years? I see more and more illustration being used on the web. There was an explosion of illustration being used online in '99 and '00 before the tech bubble burst. This is gradually coming back and with the advent of the I-Pad and similar devices I expect this to open up more. Long columns of grey type is always boring- even in the New Yorker, bless them. Photos all look alike after a while. I have two web illustration jobs on now, series of drawings. One of the nicest jobs I did last year was a web animation I did for a pharma company. I teamed up with Rob Donnally from Slate who made the drawings move. I expect to see much more of that as time goes on. And print, like radio, I don't think will ever go away. They say video killed the radio star. Tell that to Howard Stern.


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Image: Cartwright Hall, Bradford © Theia Drone Services Ltd.
Welcome to Bradford District
Welcome to Bradford district where the fresh air and natural beauty will invigorate you, whilst the heritage and culture will fascinate you. Where else can you enjoy two UNESCO sites, amazing countryside, combined with the former home of literary greats, alongside a city full with a rich and varied mix of cultures and languages?
There is no place like Bradford; we have four unique areas which offer distinctive experiences whether you are a new visitor or returning to explore further. Will you spend time with the Brontës in Haworth? Take an invigorating walk on Ilkley Moor 'Bah't at'? Spend a lazy Sunday with Hockney in Saltaire or take your seat for a West End show at the Alhambra theatre?
Whatever you choose, and you'll find plenty of ideas and inspiration, you're never far from a new experience!
Find out more about our destinations - Bradford, Saltaire & Airedale, Ilkley & Wharfedale and Haworth & Brontë Country.
Culture, heritage, shopping or eating out, fill your visit with different and interesting experiences.
With a packed year round events calendar it means there will definitely be something for everyone to enjoy, whenever you visit.
Find a great place to relax, eat, drink, unwind and be entertained – enjoy the best of Bradford.


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Puzzles Palace
Can You Name Every Member of The '92 Dream Team?
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three low-rated new TV series are getting the ax.
ABC is saying goodbye to freshman dramas "Last Resort" and "666 Park Avenue" after 13 episodes each.
"Last Resort" stars Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman as officers of a U.S. nuclear sub targeted by the government. It airs at 8 p.m. EST Thursday.
The other canceled ABC drama, "666 Park Avenue," is a supernatural tale set starring Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams. It airs at 10 p.m. EST Sunday.
ABC didn't announce Friday what will replace the two series after they finish their runs.
At CBS, the curtain is down on the sitcom "Partners." It's about two pals — one gay, one straight (Michael Urie, David Krumholtz). Starting Monday, it will be replaced for now with comedy reruns at 8:30 p.m. EST.


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Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said during a visit to London on Wednesday that he expects to reach an agreement with other European countries, including Germany, on a way out of the current economic crisis that does not involve what he sees as unsustainable financial austerity for his country. Monti met with officials, investors and students in London.
Prime Minister Monti said the fiscal discipline being imposed on Italy and other heavily-indebted countries is important, but not enough to get the continent out of its financial and economic crisis. He said he wants countries that follow the European Union plan to be rewarded with lower interest rates and the flexibility to take steps to promote economic growth.
Economically-strong Germany has been the driving force in the European Union, insisting on austerity and offering little in return. But Mr. Monti told a gathering at the London School of Economics and Political Science that he sees potential for a meeting of the minds.
"I'm rather optimistic now," said Prime Minister Monti. "I see different pieces coming together, which lead me to believe that we will have some silent, quiet, I hope quiet, coming together of different pieces."
The Italian leader is expected to meet with his German counterpart and other leaders at the next EU summit at the end of this month. He met with the British prime minister on Wednesday and he visited the London Stock Exchange for private meetings with the managers of large investment funds - trying to convince them to invest in Italy despite its economic problems.
Mr. Monti said the countries that use the euro need to restore confidence among investors, promote economic growth and explore ways to ensure prosperity across the continent, including the creation of Euro Bonds backed jointly by all 17 EU countries.
"All this in my view requires better governance of the euro zone," he said. "And, of course, Germany is one of the key interlocutors, if not the most key interlocutor, for this."
The Italian prime minister said he expects European leaders to reach a final agreement on new fiscal discipline rules at the January 30 summit, and he believes that will make it possible to move forward on other important issues, including economic growth, restoring investor and consumer confidence, and lowering interest rates his country must pay to borrow money.
At the end of the event, when he was presented with a cap bearing the school's logo, Mr. Monti said:
"I hope it is also symbolic of a soon-to-come cap on interest rates," he said.


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The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners will hold a public working group meeting April 1 in advance of its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting on April 14-15.
The working group meeting will be webcast through the agency's website beginning at 8 a.m. Agenda items include seasons and bag limits for the 2013-14 seasons that will be the subject of the Board's meeting April 14.
"The working group meeting offers the Board a chance to discuss with Game Commission staff agenda items, initiatives and ideas, as well as receive staff reports and presentations," said Commission president Robert W. Schlemmer. "Held in an informal setting, our meeting provides the public an excellent chance to become more familiar with the Game Commission and the deliberations that help shape its wildlife management programs."
No votes on agenda items are taken during working group meetings, nor does the Board schedule time to receive public comments.
"I encourage the public to use the time between the working group meeting on April 1 and the official Board meeting on April 15 to inform Game Commissioners of their viewpoints on seasons and bag limits and other issues before the Board," Schlemmer said. "Public comments will be received at our quarterly meeting on Sunday, April 14 and Monday, April 15. The Board also accepts public comments through e-mail and letters."
The working group meeting will begin at 8 a.m. in the auditorium of the Game Commission's Harrisburg headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., just off the Progress Avenue exit of Interstate 81.


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The SLU Libraries are pleased to announce that we're now providing access to the EBSCO eBooks Academic Collection.


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Dwight boys lose I-8 contest at home
Although Dwight was outscored in each of the first three quarters, two of the differences were negligible. It was the second period where Coal City buried the Trojans in an Interstate Eight Conference boys basketball tilt Friday night.
The Coalers outscored DTHS 28-2 in the second quarter en route to a 63-36 victory.
"We had a rough night shooting tonight. When that happens, you need to get tough at the defensive end and get stops," DTHS head coach Eric Long said. "I thought tonight was one of the first times this season that we failed to give a great effort and let our offense effect our defense."
Coal City led 13-11 after the first quarter and outscored the Trojans 13-10 in the third. The game was well out of reach when Dwight outscored the Coalers 13-9 in the last period.
Blake Huseman scored 10 points for Dwight. Caleb Boma added 6 points and Jacob Wardell threw in 5. Triston Dircks and Collin Irvin had 4 points apiece and Kiefer Kious, Carson Banks and Ryley Christoff chipped in 2 points apiece. Devin Connolly had 1 point.


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Reviewed by James S. (age 10)
I thought it was wonderful. I liked it because it was kind of funny and also serious at the same time. My favorite part of this story was when the girl slid on a banana peel and hit a cake. The illustrations are really good, too. They were my second favorite part of the book. I liked that the girl's character changed from being called a weirdo to being accepted as a classmate. Just remember to read Great Uncle Dracula.


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FFXIVstuff, aka monster hunter XIV
FFXIVstuff, aka monster hunter XIV
Aug 4 2009, 03:05 PM
Post #1
Monk Princess
Group: Paragon Caste
Posts: 888
Joined: 29-December 02
Member No.: 11
The latest edition of Famitsu Wave recently hit newsstands in Japan, bringing with it a DVD which contains an 8-minute exposé on Square Enix's second stab at the MMO genre, Final Fantasy XIV. The whole video is posted after the break. Fret not -- it sports convenient English subtitles.
Here's some of the more titillating excerpts: The game features a reinvented character progression system which does not include experience points or leveling up. The job system from XI will make an appearance, but in a heavily altered form -- an interview with the game's director, Nobuaki Komoto, revealed that the game will place a focus on the weapons players use, explaining that your armaments will determine "the way you play" and "the way you grow." Sounds reminiscent of Final Fantasy IX. (That's a very good thing.)
In addition, FFXIV producer Hiromichi Tanaka explained that the game takes place in a new region with a more "modern" feel to it -- the mysterious Eorzea which was mentioned in the trailer. The new world features familiar races (albeit with new names), and plays host to a "deep story," which is told through cut-scenes and quests. For more FFXIV info than you can possibly handle, check the video after the jump.
sounds similar to monster hunter no?
Race Scans
Someone translated the text on BG Forums regarding the characters:
"When you make your character, aside from choosing the race, you will also be able to customize their appearance. Head, skin color, hair type etc, there will be multiple factors. Just how exact we will be able to customize their appearance is still unknown, but we mean it in a good way when we say that it seems like it will become a worry to many players."
Jul 18 2010, 03:50 PM
Post #2
Holding these random memories
Group: Magister
Posts: 3462
Joined: 14-December 02
From: Utah
Member No.: 8
I like hearing that the quests are like the FF12/13 missions, that was easily my favorite parts of those games.
I got an invite this week so hopefully I'll be able to give it a shot later.
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|Time is now: 25th September 2018 - 07:43 AM


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Click here for Important Basketball Prospectus Premium Information!
Week ending on Saturday, March 9 2013.
Friday, March 8
by Dave Pease
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CULTURE- ART FEATURE- Distant yet intimate: Peter Krebs' split personality
When Migration co-owner Rob Jones told me that artist Peter Krebs had created several of his large charcoal-on-plywood drawings of trees with the intention of displaying them on the ceiling, suddenly everything made sense. Prior to that revelation, I had been baffled– even a little frustrated– by the tiny flaws and stray marks I noticed when examining the images in detail.
But Krebs never wanted such close inspection. In his plan, viewers would encounter the works looking up from a distance, where any small blemishes would become inconsequential. The faint lines tracing the branches' gestures in "Aspirant" would go undetected, and the scratches in the background of "Colloquium" would simply disappear. Hung on the wall at eye-level, however, Krebs' trees are less successful, and the impact of their dramatic skyward perspective is diminished.
In contrast to the grandeur Krebs attempts to express with his tree drawings, his oil pastels and pen-and-ink renderings of park chairs– also on view at Migration– capture small moments of subtle intimacy and alienation. For this series, Krebs visited New York's Bryant Park and observed how the chairs were left at the end of the day. He then used these remnants of human interaction– seats slightly overlapping here, backs turned away there– as the basis for a set of abstract color studies and amusing, almost cartoon-like, pen-on-paper line drawings.
For his textured oil pastels, Krebs focuses on the architectural elements of the simple metal and wood chairs, isolating interesting compositional relationships and repeating them over and over using different richly saturated color schemes. In one image, he places deep violet chairs against a background of lemon yellow. Next to it, he re-draws the same chairs in blood red against lapis blue. Krebs' close-up of cornflower-blue overlapping slats spiked with yellow screws and highlights on a field of saffron orange is particularly strong.
Unlike his oil pastel abstractions, Krebs' ink drawings are straightforward illustrations of grouped chairs clearly standing in for humans in relationships. In one image, a semi-circle of chairs sitting around a table seem to gawk at another chair collapsed in the foreground. Krebs' lines are loose, clean, and unembellished.
The most minimal of Krebs' drawings is perhaps the most effective piece in the whole show. Two sparely drawn chairs face each other from opposite sides of the page, a chasm of white opening between them, effectively suggesting that even in the most intimate relationships, there is always distance.
Peter Krebs' exhibition of drawings, "Interactions," is on view at Migration: A Gallery through October 2. 119 Fifth St. SE. 293-2200.


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WATCH: Hurricane Irma's aftermath and destruction in the Caribbean
WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) - As Florida prepares for what their governor is calling the state's most "catastrophic" storm ever, the Caribbean Islands have already experienced the unfortunate consequences of this devastating hurricane.
Footage from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands shows damaged cars and homes, torn down electric poles and shattered trees among other things. The destruction from the storm was shot on Thursday.
Strong winds and large waves can also be seen in the video below from Friday shot at Nassau, Bahamas before the storm hit. The storm is expected to make landfall in the United States on Sunday.


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California tomato processors expect to contract with farmers for 13 million tons of production this year, up slightly from the 12.9 million tons in contracted production reported in 2012, federal and state farm officials recently reported.
California tomato processors expect to contract with farmers for 13 million tons of production this year, up slightly from the 12.9 million tons in contracted production reported in 2012, federal and state farm officials recently reported.
If accurate, it could signal the second-largest processing crop for the state. And while it would be a big crop historically, it's not much different from what California has seen since 2007, as the processing tomato harvest has run roughly from 12 million to 13 million tons annually.
"When you look at it year over year, it's just steady as she goes," said Mike Montna, president and chief executive of the California Tomato Growers Association.
One thing that is changing is increased export demand for California tomato products, he said. Another is average yield, meaning farmers get more tomatoes from every acre planted.
This year, according to the report from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Office in Sacramento, processors expect nearly 50 tons per acre.
That means planted acreage is shrinking even as the size of the crop goes up. In the late 1990s, for example, statewide processing tomato crops averaged 10.3 million tons from about 300,000 acres harvested.
This year, the 13 million tons of contracted tomatoes will come from 261,000 acres.
"Producing more tons off less acres is a good thing for the industry," Montna said.
That might not be such a good thing for individual farmers, who may have to seek other crops to plant.
David Sanguinetti, who grows row crops, such as corn and wheat, as well as tomatoes east of Stockton, said canneries are favoring growers in the southern San Joaquin Valley.
"As a San Joaquin County grower, we're having a more difficult time getting contracts," he said. "Tonnage is moving south of us."
"Saying 13 million (tons in production) is not helping us at all," he said.
And if Sanguinetti's acreage shrinks, it gets harder to cover fixed costs and still make a profit.
"You have to do a certain amount of volume to cover your overhead and that kind of stuff," he said.
Tomatoes were San Joaquin County's fifth most valuable crop in 2011, worth about $108 million, according to the latest figures available from the county Agricultural Commissioner's Office. Of that, about $82 million was from processing tomatoes - the fleshy Roma type fruit preferred for canning - and the balance from tomatoes for the fresh market, sold in supermarkets and to restaurants.
Processing tomato plantings in the county vary from year to year but recently have been in decline, from 42,000 acres reported harvested in 2006 to 2011, when 27,300 acres were harvested for cannery use. Adverse weather may have had a hand, too, in that lower acreage.
Tomatoes remain a viable crop overall, said Montna, whose association is in the midst of negotiating contract prices with the processing industry.
World demand for processed tomatoes grows about 2 to 3 percent a year and, with favorable weather, 2013 could be a record crop in California, he said.
But harvest is still a long way away, Montna said.
"Nothing's been put in the ground yet, so we'll see if we hit another record yield."
Contact reporter Reed Fujii at (209) 546-8253 or email@example.com.


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Hello all,
Apologies for this beginner thread...
I was wondering if it was at all possible to somehow connect an old Yamaha SY22 Synth keyboard to a Macbook to use it as a Midi Keyboard with the notation program Finale..
Its got 3 MIDI in / out / thru pin holes at the back but I am not sure if it is too old to do this kind of thing. I don't want to buy one of those snazzy little midi keyboards for computers just yet if i can help it.
I am not very computer / technology savvy so thank you in advance to anyone who could help in suggesting if it could work. And if so, what kind of cables etc I would need. I also have access to an Mbox 2 if that would help.