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Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 75
Location: Canada
Posted: Sat 16 Mar 2013, 19:13
Post subject:
Puppy and Python - do they get along?
Subject description: In the creature world, a python would eat a puppy for dinner...
I've been using Puppy Linux for years now. I think it's the best Linux for my needs and it's very stable. BUT there is one thing that continues to bug me (and I don't recall these issues with KDE and Gnome), some modules seem to not work in Puppy. I realize that I don't know much about Python, and that may be the main problems, but it would be nice if there was someone who would work with me when I'm having issues (someone who knows Python). Ideally I'd like to see a "Python in Puppy" thread, because there must be others like me who are having problems.
Let me give you an example of my latest issue:
I have tried several ways of installing GRAMPS... and in the past I've had situations where it wouldn't load. But most recently I cannot find a way for GRAMPS to use the modules: pyexiv2, osmgpsmap, and pyspell. This is the terminal message that I get:
2473: WARNING: Spell.py: line 60: Spelling checker is not installed
5657: WARNING: geography.gpr.py: line 42: WARNING: osmgpsmap module not loaded. Geography functionality will not be available.
5830: WARNING: bottombar.gpr.py: line 90: WARNING: pyexiv2 module not loaded. Image metadata functionality will not be available.
All of these modules have been installed using the Puppy Package Manager, so what's the problem? It'd be nice if these modules were automatically recognized...
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Joined: 21 Sep 2010
Posts: 1020
Location: Oslo, Norway
Posted: Sat 16 Mar 2013, 21:42
Post subject:
Hi TJK.
I run Gramps, and have done so for a long time, with several versions, first in Debian, later in puppy. The missing functions you describe, have only appeared in the latest Gramps. The same with Graphviz: I don't know if you ever tried to use one of the: 'Gramps menu -> Reports -> Graphs' functions. I have never been able to get a result from those graphs, even with all deps installed, so lately I simply skip installing them. The fact that the libs are not there, only block you from using these specific functions, they don't make Gramps run different in any other way.
I made a desktop icon to start Gramps, so I don't have those pesky terminal messages haunting me no more!
I have run Gramps in dpup_484beta4, dpup_485, lupu_5.2.5 and 5.2.8. I have tried it in Slacko, wary, wheezy and lots of other puppys, and Gramps work - like all earlier versions, absolutely perfect! The missing functions are coupling of maps to gps ccordinates and such fancy, new things, they are probably not the first functions you'll miss, even if they may be useful. Personally, I have more than enough work with loading new people data into Gramps, so there are many functions I haven't had the opportunity to test, yet.
There is a beta version of the new 4.0 available, but I haven't read up on the dependencies for that version yet, maybe an upgraded python will be necessary.
Which puppy are you using? Do you run a full or frugal install, or a live version like me? I save the dot.gramps to a portable USB HD, or to a new session in a multisesson DVD, and later sync it with the HD.
True freedom is a live Puppy on a multisession CD/DVD.
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Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 75
Location: Canada
Posted: Sat 30 Mar 2013, 23:57
Post subject: PyUnicode errors only in puppy?
I'm still trying to determine why I seem to be getting so many python errors when running Python apps... Here's the latest:
I'm getting PyUnicode errors (see the bottom of page: http://docs.python.org/2/faq/extending#when-importing-module-x-why-do-i-get-undefined-symbol-pyunicodeucs2), and I've been told that some of the modules have been compiled with 4-byte Unicode when I am using a 2-byte Unicode python system. I don't completely understand this, but it appears that Puppy allows me to import both unicodes.
I've also started running Lubuntu again and I can load all the Python modules that I want, and run the same Python apps that I do in Puppy, but I never get errors like this... so is this something specific to Puppy? And can this be avoided? Ideally I'd like Puppy to differentiate between these conflicting modules. Or am I way off in this subject...
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Joined: 21 Sep 2010
Posts: 1020
Location: Oslo, Norway
Posted: Sun 31 Mar 2013, 01:07
Post subject:
Apart from Gramps, and maybe some other built-in programs in puppy, I have tried to avoid applications/programs built in python or other interpreted languages. By interpreted languages I mean languages used for applications/programs that are not compiled to run as an independent unit, but has to start and run in the language used to build them. My reasons: they are usually slower, and often have some of the problems you describe; backward compability is not always good.
I am sorry that I cannot be of help when it comes to python.
True freedom is a live Puppy on a multisession CD/DVD.
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BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian warplanes bombed an olive oil factory packed with farmers Tuesday, killing at least 20 people in the latest regime strike to rip through a crowd of civilians, activists said.
The bombing comes as the civil war takes a devastating toll on an already beleaguered population. Human Rights Watch said it found "compelling evidence" that the regime used cluster bombs in an airstrike that killed at least 11 children earlier this week.
It was not immediately clear whether the olive press was the intended target, or if the plane misfired. The government generally does not comment on rebel claims and there was no official reaction to the latest allegations.
But two anti-regime activist groups — the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Local Coordination Committees — said the factory was hit Tuesday near the northern city of Idlib.
The Observatory said "tens were killed or wounded," while the LCC said at least 20 people were killed. Syria restricts independent media coverage, making it difficult to determine the exact toll.
Both groups depend on a network of activists on the ground around the country.
President Bashar Assad's regime has been relying on air power in recent months, mostly in the northern province of Idlib, the nearby province of Aleppo, Deir el-Zour to the east and suburbs of the capital, Damascus.
Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said the air force is being used in areas that the overstretched army cannot easily reach.
"This is mass punishment," Khashan said. "The regime is desperate and wants to make the price of its opponents' victory costly."
Olive oil is a main staple in Syria. Tens of thousands of tons are produced annually.
Fadi al-Yassin, an activist based in Idlib, told The Associated Press by telephone that dozens of people had gathered to have their olives pressed when the warplanes struck, causing a large number of casualties.
"Now is the season to press oil," said al-Yassin, noting that many olive press factories are not functioning because of the fighting in the region. "Functioning olive press factories are packed with people these days."
Also Tuesday, Syria's air force targeted a village in northeastern Hasekah province as well as the town of Harim, in Idlib province, according to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.
At least four people wounded in Hasekah were taken to neighboring Turkey for treatment.
An AP reporter on the Turkish side of the border, across from Harim, saw smoke rising from the town.
The conflict in Syria started 20 months ago as an uprising against Assad, whose family has ruled Syria for four decades. The conflict quickly morphed into a civil war, with rebels taking up arms to fight back against a bloody crackdown by the government. According to activists, some 40,000 people have been killed since March 2011.
Assad blames the revolt on a conspiracy to destroy Syria, saying the uprising is being driven by foreign terrorists — not Syrians seeking change. On Tuesday, the pro-government daily Al-Watan published a list with names of 142 Arab and foreign terrorists it said were killed in Syria in recent months.
The list had names from 18 countries, including 47 from Saudi Arabia, 24 Libyans, 10 Tunisians, nine Egyptians, six Qataris and five Lebanese.
Analysts say most of those fighting Assad's regime are ordinary Syrians and soldiers who have defected, having become fed up with the authoritarian government. But increasingly, foreign fighters and those adhering to an extremist Islamist ideology are turning up on the front lines. The rebels try to play down their influence for fear of alienating Western support.
The regime, however, points to foreign fighters as evidence that the uprising is illegitimate.
As the conflict grinds on, however, the toll on civilians is growing.
Winter is coming, and temperatures can drop below freezing in northern Syria, where it often rains heavily. The parts of the country outside government control have to rely on smuggled supplies of gasoline and heating oil, which have already tripled in price.
The violence is also hitting the most vulnerable.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said evidence has emerged that an airstrike using cluster bombs Sunday on the village of Deir al-Asafir near Damascus killed at least 11 children and wounded others.
Cluster bombs open in flight, scattering smaller bomblets over a wide area. Many of the bomblets don't explode immediately, posing a threat to civilians long afterward. They have been banned by most nations.
"This attack shows how cluster munitions kill without discriminating between civilians and military personnel," said Mary Wareham, arms division advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "Due to the devastating harm caused to civilians, cluster bombs should not be used by anyone, anywhere, at any time."
Associated Press writer Mehmet Guzel in Besaslan, Turkey, contributed to this report.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
As electronic cigarettes become increasingly trendy, state lawmakers are taking steps to keep the devices out of teenagers' hands.
On Thursday, a Senate panel approved a proposal that would ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors.
"We don't allow minors to buy cigarettes," said Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto, R-Ft. Myers. "We should certainly not allow minors to buy these products, as well."
Senate Bill 224 had already won the unanimous support of two other committees. It could likely be among the first proposals heard on the Senate floor when the legislative session begins March 4.
The House version, sponsored by Republican Reps. Frank Artiles, of Miami, and Doc Renuart, of Ponte Vedra Beach, won the support of its first committee earlier this week. It, too, is on a fast track.
Read more here.


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50th anniversary film fest takes students back to 1968
Health Innovation Center boasts modern classrooms
Author's journey explores spirit of mentorship
"Erratics" art exhibit explores deconstructed boundaries
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The world's major industrial nations sought to soothe mounting fears of a currency war with a pledge to avoid devaluing their exchange rates in the pursuit of stronger economic growth.
"We reaffirm that our fiscal and monetary policies have been and will remain oriented towards meeting our respective domestic objectives using domestic instruments, and that we will not target exchange rates," the Group of Seven's finance ministers and central bank governors said in a statement released today in London.
The stance is tougher than the G-7's last joint comment on exchange rates in 2011 and marks an effort to avoid a 1930s- style spiral of retaliatory devaluations in which weak economies try to boost exports by driving currencies down. It follows an outbreak of concern that Japan's new campaign to beat deflation is an outright attempt to weaken the yen, an allegation its government denied again today.
The yen pared gains versus the dollar after the statement's release and as Finance Minister Taro Aso said the G-7 acknowledged Japan is not chasing a weaker yen and that its monetary policy is aimed at reversing a decline in prices. The yen traded at 94.33 per dollar at 10:25 a.m. in London after strengthening as much as 0.5%.
No Pressure
"The G-7 doesn't put any additional pressure on Japan so the downward trend in the yen will reassert itself," Adam Cole, head of global foreign-exchange strategy at Royal Bank of Canada in London, said in a telephone interview. "There is nothing here really to stop the yen falling."
The G-7 also reiterated its traditional stance that members are committed to "market-determined" exchange rates and that "excessive volatility and disorderly movements" can hurt "economic and financial stability."
The statement was released three days before finance chiefs from the Group of 20 hold talks in Moscow and with the yen having fallen about 14% against the dollar since mid- November to its lowest since 2010.
Driving the slide is a post-election push by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for easier monetary policy to propel the world's third-largest economy from 15 years of deflation and repeated recessions. That strategy has drawn words of warning from Canada to Germany as policy makers fret Abe is actively trying to weaken the yen, threatening their own exporters.
"Each nation understands that Japan's policies to tackle deflation are not aimed at influencing foreign exchange rates," Aso told reporters in Tokyo today. "This was discussed by everyone. We didn't urge" the G-7 to issue the statement.
Copyright 2014 Bloomberg. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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Arcanum Syndicate is proud to bring you the Chaos Armory. This is the latest sourcebook for sci-fi RPGs and the dark future setting of Chaos 6010 A.D. This book is 145 pages of pure weapons, armor, and equipment to help you survive the vastness of space, the unforgiving wastelands, and alien atmospheres. From ancient melee weapons to high tech energy weapons you will certainly be pleased that every weapon has a piece of artwork and detailed descriptions on the weapon's stats. Brief descriptions are given on the groups that are known to use the weapon and the companies that manufacture each weapon.
There are also tables that help you create your own weapons and armor, also allowing you to create sets of armor from the ground up. You may develop every upgrade to mod your weapons and armor. From placing the (CAD) Chameleon Adaptation Device to camoflauge with your surroundings, or adding 360 degree movement radar to your HUD in your helmet.
The last chapter contains all of the major weapons manufacturing companies in the known galaxy of Sevatus. These companies are completely detailed with a history on them, their current ruler, and goals. This information can be used to set up more missions for your players if you wish for them to work as shadow operatives for a weapons manufacturer, or even take them out!
Find it and other Arcanum Syndicate products for sale at DrivethruRPG and RPGNow
Last edited by AzgrymnThePale; 11-14-2012 at 07:14 AM.
That's the Syndicate crowd, doing some play testing and blowing stuff up, just like we do every Tuesday night.


text: I am 47 years old and live in Switzerland. Professional photographer for more than 20 years focusing people photography. In particular wedding photography, fashion photography, portrait photography and real estate photography. Own photo studio with Broncolor flash system. Experienced workshop and seminar leader at home and abroad with more than 130 self-organized and conducted workshops. A member of the International Colour Art Photo Switzerland. For 11 consecutive years from seminar leader at Photo Münsingen in Münsingen.


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Long-vacant position in flux amid changes in defense personnel structure
California CIO Teresa Takai is no longer the nominee to be the Defense Department's CIO. The White House withdrew the nomination on Sept. 29, according to Senate records.
However, it remains unclear whether Takai could be re-nominated to the DOD CIO post if it moves to the Defense Information Systems Agency under a reorganization effort that Secretary Robert Gates has initiated.
Related stories:
Gates' DOD plans would shift CIO to DISA
Defense CIO confirmation on ice for now
The news came as DOD officials traveled to Capitol Hill for hearings to investigate Gates' proposals for trimming DOD's budget by $100 billion over the next five years.
Among Gates' proposed budgetary measures is closing the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration (NII), which has housed the CIO job required by the Clinger-Cohen Act of 1996. That is the position to which Obama had nominated Takai.
Gates has previously said he plans to shift the role, and other responsibilities, to the Defense Information Systems Agency. In turn, DISA would take on the command and control duties of NII and the ill-fated Joint Forces Command and Joint Staff, said Christine Fox, director of cost assessment and program evaluation at DOD.
According to Gates, the CIO role would be strengthened, and "under its umbrella, responsibility for daily operations will be assigned to DISA. A refashioned DISA will perform the department's CIO function."
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the changes to NII and the CIO role are designed to reduce the bureaucracy clogging management of DOD's computer networks and operations.
"Multiple organizations on multiple staffs at multiple layers of our hierarchy exist to oversee IT," Cartwright said. "The result is a complex web of authorities and responsibilities that is unclear and difficult to navigate. Combatant commanders simply do not understand what organization they need to visit to get their work executed."
About the Author
Amber Corrin is a former staff writer for FCW and Defense Systems.
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Bad move to put DoD CIO under DISA.
Primarily it minimizes sponship and leverage of role
A few more, but typing on this iPad is a punishment.
Feel free to continue discussion - but vis email (n
This article is almost completely wrong.
Takai is still the frontrunner for the DoD CIO, but *of course* her nomination for ASD(NII) was withdrawn since Gates is eliminating that position.
Eliminating the office of the ASD(NII) is different than eliminating the DoD CIO (a position which is required by the CLinger Cohen act).
The DoD CIO has also been the ASD(NII) since 2002, but will be independent in the future, and is not expected to be part of DISA - that's a gross misreading of Gates' words.
Good ideas - but ironically not holding my breath for the bureaucracy to allow implementation any time soon...
cleaning up DoD and eliminating all the unnecessary and overpaid jobs is a good thing...keep cutting all the layers of assistant secretaries, and assistants to assistants and deputy this and deputy that... eliminate all the unnecessary overhead and wasteful bureaucracy.
Wait -- Takai may still get the CIO job, right? She just won't also be the Asst Secretary for NII, since that's being abolished under the efficiencies initiative. Actually, since Gates is also strengthening the CIO (now-stripped of the ASDNII hat), being the new-and-improved CIO may be a better gig than she was offered before ... albeit without the senate-confirmation show and the nice-sounding title of "Asst Secretary of Defense for [whatever]"
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BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — A senior Colombian official says two Germans detained by the country's No. 2 leftist rebel group are brothers aged 72 and 69 who were touring South America.
The official said Guenther Otto Breuer and his younger brother Uwe were engaged in "ecotourism" when seized several weeks ago in the northeastern municipality of Convencion.
The rebel National Liberation Army, or ELN, announced Monday on its website that it would consider both men spies unless the contrary is proven.
The Colombian official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the subject's sensitivity. A German Embassy spokesman declined comment.
The ELN kidnapped six gold prospectors, including a Canadian and two Peruvians, on Jan. 18.
It has been seeking to join a peace process involving the government and Colombia's top rebel band.


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Salt Water Taffy, Favorite Summer Candy!
Candy Crate, an online candy store, recently conducted a survey that asked respondents: "What is Your Favorite Summer Time Candy?"
Salt water taffy was number one with more than 25 percent of the vote.
The findings are based on a July 2013 survey of 2,100 men and women from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Favorite summer candy in order of popularity:
1. Salt Water Taffy 2. Gummy Bears 3. Jelly Fruit Slices 4. Tootsie Rolls 5. Sour Patch Kids 6. Sixlets 7. Zotz 8. Astro Pops 9. Watermelon Gummy Rings 10. Jolly Ranchers
Wondering how to make your own Salt Water Taffy? Watch the following video recorded at Haven's Candies in Westbrook, as they make Maine's Best Salt Water Taffy!
Have fun and here's to a good sweet tooth!


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The Latest: Court strikes down BLM plan in Utah
During the George W. Bush administration's final months, the Bureau of Land Management released six massive resource management plans for 11 million acres in southern Utah. The plans, which opened large areas to energy development and designated 17,000 miles of off-road vehicle trails, were released on a short timetable that allowed little opportunity for public comment. Environmental and cultural resource groups objected, but the BLM made few changes ("The Great Giveaway," HCN, 10/18/08).
In early November, Utah's federal district court struck down major parts of the Richfield Resource Management Plan, one of the six, saying that it failed to adequately control off-road vehicle use or protect thousands of archaeological sites. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and several other groups are still fighting the remaining plans. Writes SUWA's Steve Bloch, "Those other five plans all suffer from the same flaws. The BLM should expect a similar outcome."


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Larry Kramer's searing drama about the public and privateindifference to the AIDS plague and one man's fight to awaken the world to thecrisis. Heartfollows Ned Weeks, a gay activist enraged at what is happening around him,as he tries to rally the community together and save the world from itself.Along with a circle of determined friends, he is joined by Dr. Emma Brookner,as they watch an unknown disease stalk and shatter those they care for, ultimatelymaking a difference in the fight through their strength and love for oneanother. Winner of four 2011 New York Theatre Awardsfor Best Revival.


text:
LAS VEGAS (AP) — In a state long defined by its stormy housing market, the sun is apparently peeking out from the clouds.
Nevada just ended its five-year reign as foreclosure king of the nation, relinquishing the title to Florida in 2012. Home prices shot up 24 percent in Las Vegas in one year, and buyers are in outright wars to get a piece of tight inventory that's shriveled to a five-week supply.
Even the Nevada Association of Realtors is looking to retire the lengthy Face of Foreclosure report it's published annually since 2009, saying the issue is no longer the big story in housing and the public is just plain sick of talking about it.
"Nevada's ready to turn the page," Joel Searby, a Florida-based analyst who produced the report, said in an interview. "In terms of what the data says, there's no doubt that there's been a downward trend that's been steady since 2010."
But amid the optimistic signs, troubling questions loom.
Most prominent among them: Has legislation aimed at stemming illegal foreclosures spurred real improvement, or simply created a bubble and delayed the inevitable?
Nobody is quite sure.
"It's having an impact," said Brian Gordon, an economist with Las Vegas firm Applied Analysis, about much-discussed Nevada law AB 284, "But it's difficult to say how big."
In September 2011, initial foreclosure filings in Nevada totaled about 4,700, on par with a yearslong trend of thousands of such notices each month. In October 2011, the number of notices of default plummeted to about 1,200, according to Realtytrac.
Initial foreclosure notices have since crept up, reaching over 1,500 in December, according to Realtytrac, but they've never returned to their previous levels.
Many point to AB 284, an "anti-robo-signing" state law that took effect that month. It required lenders to show paperwork proving they had the legal right to a property before they could foreclose.
Proponents trumpet it as consumer protection. But to some Realtors, "The world came to an end" when the law took effect, said Keith Lynam of NVAR.
"There aren't enough homes going on the market. That's absolutely creating an artificial, temporary bubble," said Victor Joecks of the Nevada Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank that supports repealing the law.
Marcus Conklin, the former state assemblyman who carried the bill two years ago and recently lost re-election in a close, expensive race, said bringing the measure was the right thing to do. He suggested criticism was more about upsetting the businesses of people making a heyday selling the distressed homes.
"If your business is built around foreclosures," he said, "you're not happy when foreclosure rates go down."
Lynam, Joecks and Conklin all say there's more behind the market's dramatic turn than the state law.
Lynam contends repealing it would make no difference because it mirrors language in federal rules. He says a more significant factor in the shift was a national, $25 billion mortgage settlement between state and federal governments and the five largest lenders in the country. The agreement, which was reached in February 2012 after months of negotiations, gives banks a financial incentive for reducing principals and allowing short sales and doesn't give them credit for foreclosing.
"It's such a mixed bag in how it's affected the market," Lynam said about AB 284. "People are somewhat myopic in their view of what's happening."
But if the law isn't the only thing to shift the market, it's still had an effect.
"It sent out a mental shift to the homeowner — 'I'm going to sit here and kinda live rent-free,'" Lynam said.
Rocky Finseth, who lobbies for the Realtor association, recalled appearing on a radio talk show and fielding a call from a taxi driver who said he'd heard about the law and stopped paying his mortgage.
"We need to put the threat of foreclosure back into the picture," Lynam said.
Making some changes to the law could encourage people who are still unable to pay their mortgage to short sell, move out, and move on with their lives, Lynam said.
It could also help put the state's housing crisis in the rearview mirror more quickly.
"Our recovery cycle has been somewhat delayed ... as individuals have been staying longer than they would have," said Gordon, the economist. "It's probably time for them to move on."
Critics have made enough noise about that bill that Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto has convened a working group of lawmakers and other stakeholders to publically discuss the rule.
"I've made it very clear that the intent here is to address people's concerns, not for repealing it or watering down the strictures," she said.
In a report released Thursday, Realtors made their own suggestions for how Nevada lawmakers can help in the housing recovery.
— They want to define what constitutes "personal knowledge" of a loan's history. Lynam says mortgages passed hands so quickly during the housing crisis that it's nearly impossible to know who held it at all times, and says a looser definition would allow more legitimate foreclosures.
— They want lawmakers to address abandoned properties in a way that could help banks and others restore them to a market already starved for inventory.
Conklin thinks such newly freed inventory would be unlikely to flood the market and sink prices. He says such a scenario would not be in the best interest of banks.
"There's always some risk. But it's not like it's a storm," Conklin said. "I think there's a lot of strategy — as more people demand homes, there's more of a release of homes."
And while Lynam says he expects prices will "soften" from current, inflated highs, they don't expect a wave of foreclosures, either. Data shows the number of seriously delinquent properties is going down, Searby said, discounting worries of a widespread "shadow inventory" of properties on the brink.
Experts agree it's a complicated calculus that depends on how banks make their decisions, whether the economy at large continues to improve, and whether the current, rabid appetite for Nevada housing is big enough to swallow up the new foreclosures and short sales expected to make their way
Most expect at least some pain along the way.
"When the bubble bursts, there's going to be a fall," said Joecks, of conservative NPRI.
He added: "Do we want to drag it out, or have some pain in the short term and experience recovery?"


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A Gainesville man accused of murder turned himself in to authorities Sunday evening.
A Gainesville man accused of murder turned himself in to authorities Sunday evening.
Eddie McCallum, 33, is facing a second-degree murder charge after police say he knocked a man unconscious and the man fell to ground, hit his head and suffered a fatal brain injury.
Gainesville police were called to Southern Pines Apartments at 4116 SW 17th Place at about 8 p.m. Saturday, where the men lived. Delquaine Durant, 31, lay motionless on the ground with a wound on the back of his head.
According to a sworn complaint, witnesses said McCallum had approached Durant outside an apartment and punched him in the head without provocation.
Durant, knocked unconscious, fell to the ground and hit his head on the concrete walkway. An autopsy conducted Sunday found that Durant suffered a fatal brain injury when he hit the concrete.
GPD spokesman Officer Ben Tobias said that, when police and emergency responders arrived, it appeared as if Durant had a gunshot wound on the back of his head.
"Even the attending ER doctor thought it was a gunshot wound," he said.
Durant was transported to Shands at the University of Florida, where he was pronounced dead.
Tobias said McCallum had been in touch with the GPD detective on the case Sunday, and he agreed to turn himself in at about 6 p.m. Sunday. He is charged with second-degree murder and is being held at the Alachua County jail in lieu of $500,000 bond.
According to state records, McCallum has served three prison sentences in Florida since 1997 for armed robbery, drug trafficking and child neglect convictions.
Durant was a former star wide receiver for the Eastside High School Rams football team who graduated in 1999. He went on to briefly play for the University of South Florida before running into trouble off the field and being dismissed from the team during his first year.
Since then, records show he was arrested several times for drug and theft charges, most recently being arrested three times in Gainesville last year.


text:
Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
28-07-2012, 02:11 PM (This post was last modified: 31-07-2012 05:21 AM by fstratzero.)
Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
After my de-conversion I was fooled by many conspiracy theories, the news, and other sources of information. I'd be proven wrong by other people, and that prompted a thought.
Quote:What if the way I think is broken? People have been thinking since the beginning of the species. I'm sure there must be information on how to think.
That's when I assailed the internet and found out about critical thinking. After reading some books, listening to podcasts, watching youtube videos, I found a new way to think! Finally I could think more clearly, accurately, and actually enjoy being corrected.
Loosely defined its a system of opening ones mind to logically analyze, with out bias, both positions on a topic, then to reach a conclusion that's closest to reality.
Now for the outline.
Personal Barriers
Enculturation - is the process by which a person learns the requirements of the culture by which he or she is surrounded, and acquires values and behaviours that are appropriate or necessary in that culture.
Ego Defenses - Ego defenses are psychological coping strategies that distort reality in order to protect ourselves from anxiety, guilt, and other bad feelings.
Denial - When we simply refuse to accept an unpleasant reality, we are using denial.
Projection - Projection is the defense mechanism by which we see in others a part of ourselves that we cannot accept and do not recognize.
Emotions - Emotions are an important mark of human experience. They are in part what separates humans from machines and the lower animals, for machines can compute but they can not experience joy. And animals may find themselves attached to others, but they do not love them. Emotions give our world taste and richness, joy and surprise, but also pain and sorrow. Emotions can affect and inspire thought, said William James, but he also said they can destroy it. Later in this book we look at how emotions can give birth to thinking, but for now our attention focuses on their inhibiting influence, on their capacity to bury, twist, and fragment the thinking process and take it to the depths of the irrational.
Rationalization - Of all the defense mechanisms, rationalization is perhaps the greatest inhibitor of clear thinking. Rationalization is distorted thinking that attempts to justify behavior motivated by self-interest or unacceptable drives. It serves to protect us from bad feelings by, for example, turning selfish motives into honorable ones.
Self Serving Biases - If our motives are good they do not need to be rationalized. But sometimes, in spite of our good motives, undesirable consequences occur, consequences that threaten our self-esteem. The actions of others can also threaten our self-esteem. Such ego-threatening situations can lead us to cognitive biases.
Schemata - Not only do we tend to think about the world according to what we want to see and what we need to see, we tend to think of it in terms of what we expect to see. We tend to perceive and think about others and situations in terms of the ideas we have already formed about them. These ideas are called schema.
Cognitive Dissonance - is a discomfort caused by holding conflicting cognitions (e.g., ideas, beliefs, values, emotional reactions) simultaneously.
Expectations - expectation is directly linked to the Self-fulfilling Prophecy. Whether or not such an expectation was truthful or not has little or no effect on the outcome. If a person believes what they are told or convinces himself/herself of the fact, chances are this person will see the expectation to its inevitable conclusion.
*Six common thinking errors*
1) Personalization - taking something personal, when it's not meant to be.
2) Polarized Thinking - black and white thinking
3) Over generalization - drawing broad conclusions on the basis of a single incident.
4) Catastrophizing - assuming the worst possible outcome. IE car crash equals death
5) Selective Abstraction - focusing on a small point of something, ignoring the bigger picture
6) Belief Identity Duality - We are not our beliefs, rather they are a piece of knowledge we've chosen to be true.
Logical Thinking
Deductive Thinking - is the process of reasoning from one or more general statements regarding what is known to reach a logically certain conclusion. Deductive reasoning involves using given true premises to reach a conclusion that is also true. Deductive reasoning contrasts with inductive reasoning in that a specific conclusion is arrived at from a general principle. If the rules and logic of deduction are followed, this procedure ensures an accurate conclusion.
p1 All men are mortal.
p2 Socrates is a man.
c Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
Basically premise + premise = conclusion.
Inductive Thinking - The philosophical definition of inductive reasoning is much more nuanced than simple progression from particular/individual instances to broader generalizations. Rather, the premises of an inductive logical argument indicate some degree of support (inductive probability) for the conclusion but do not entail it; that is, they suggest truth but do not ensure it. In this manner, there is the possibility of moving from generalizations to individual instances. Inductive reasoning consists of inferring general principles or rules from specific facts. A well-known laboratory example of inductive reasoning works like a guessing game. The participants are shown cards that contain figures differing in several ways, such as shape, number, and color. On each trial, they are given two cards and asked to choose the one that represents a particular concept. After they choose a card, the researcher says "right" or "wrong."
Categorical Syllogisms - is an argument consisting of exactly three categorical propositions (two premises and a conclusion) in which there appear a total of exactly three categorical terms, each of which is used exactly twice.
The following summarizes the basic rules for the valid categorical syllogism.
Structural Requirements
1. At least one affirmative premise ("All humans are mortal")
2. At least one universal premise ("All humans are mortal" or "No humans are immortal")
3. Exactly three terms Logical Rules 1. If one of the premises is negative, the conclusion must be negative. 2. If both premises are positive, the conclusion must be positive. 3. If one of the premises is particular, the conclusion must be particular.
4. If one of the premises is singular, the conclusion must be singular. 5. The middle term must be distributed at least once. 6. A term distributed in the conclusion must be distributed in a premise. Remember, even if a syllogism meets all these rules, if the premises are false, we cannot rely upon the conclusion.
Logical Fallacies - is usually an error in reasoning often due to a misconception or a presumption.
Scientific Thinking
Fallacy of division
A fallacy of division occurs when one reasons logically that something true of a thing must also be true of all or some of its parts.
Composition Fallacy
The fallacy of composition arises when one infers that something is true of the whole from the fact that it is true of some part of the whole (or even of every proper part). For example: "This fragment of metal cannot be broken with a hammer, therefore the machine of which it is a part cannot be broken with a hammer." This is clearly fallacious, because many machines can be broken into their constituent parts without any of those parts being breakable.
Ad hominem
An ad hominem argument is any that attempts to counter another's claims or conclusions by attacking the person, rather than addressing the argument itself. True believers will often commit this fallacy by countering the arguments of skeptics by stating that skeptics are closed minded. Skeptics, on the other hand, may fall into the trap of dismissing the claims of UFO believers, for example, by stating that people who believe in UFO's are crazy or stupid.
A common form of this fallacy is also frequently present in the arguments of conspiracy theorists (who also rely heavily on ad-hoc reasoning). For example, they may argue that the government must be lying because they are corrupt.
It should be noted that simply calling someone a name or otherwise making an ad hominem attack is not in itself a logical fallacy. It is only a fallacy to claim that an argument is wrong because of a negative attribute of someone making the argument. (i.e. "John is a jerk." is not a fallacy. "John is wrong because he is a jerk." is a logical fallacy.)
The term "poisoning the well" also refers to a form of ad hominem fallacy. This is an attempt to discredit the argument of another by implying that they possess an unsavory trait, or that they are affiliated with other beliefs or people that are wrong or unpopular. A common form of this also has its own name – Godwin's Law or the reductio ad Hitlerum. This refers to an attempt at poisoning the well by drawing an analogy between another's position and Hitler or the Nazis.
Ad ignorantiam
The argument from ignorance basically states that a specific belief is true because we don't know that it isn't true. Defenders of extrasensory perception, for example, will often overemphasize how much we do not know about the human brain. It is therefore possible, they argue, that the brain may be capable of transmitting signals at a distance.
UFO proponents are probably the most frequent violators of this fallacy. Almost all UFO eyewitness evidence is ultimately an argument from ignorance – lights or objects sighted in the sky are unknown, and therefore they are alien spacecraft.
Intelligent design is almost entirely based upon this fallacy. The core argument for intelligent design is that there are biological structures that have not been fully explained by evolution, therefore a powerful intelligent designer must have created them.
In order to make a positive claim, however, positive evidence for the specific claim must be presented. The absence of another explanation only means that we do not know – it doesn't mean we get to make up a specific explanation.
Argument from authority
The basic structure of such arguments is as follows: Professor X believes A, Professor X speaks from authority, therefore A is true. Often this argument is implied by emphasizing the many years of experience, or the formal degrees held by the individual making a specific claim. The converse of this argument is sometimes used, that someone does not possess authority, and therefore their claims must be false. (This may also be considered an ad-hominen logical fallacy – see below.)
In practice this can be a complex logical fallacy to deal with. It is legitimate to consider the training and experience of an individual when examining their assessment of a particular claim. Also, a consensus of scientific opinion does carry some legitimate authority. But it is still possible for highly educated individuals, and a broad consensus to be wrong – speaking from authority does not make a claim true.
This logical fallacy crops up in more subtle ways also. For example, UFO proponents have argued that UFO sightings by airline pilots should be given special weight because pilots are trained observers, are reliable characters, and are trained not to panic in emergencies. In essence, they are arguing that we should trust the pilot's authority as an eye witness.
There are many subtypes of the argument from authority, essentially referring to the implied source of authority. A common example is the argument ad populum – a belief must be true because it is popular, essentially assuming the authority of the masses. Another example is the argument from antiquity – a belief has been around for a long time and therefore must be true.
Argument from final Consequences
Such arguments (also called teleological) are based on a reversal of cause and effect, because they argue that something is caused by the ultimate effect that it has, or purpose that is serves. Christian creationists have argued, for example, that evolution must be wrong because if it were true it would lead to immorality.
One type of teleological argument is the argument from design. For example, the universe has all the properties necessary to support live, therefore it was designed specifically to support life (and therefore had a designer.
Argument from Personal Incredulity
I cannot explain or understand this, therefore it cannot be true. Creationists are fond of arguing that they cannot imagine the complexity of life resulting from blind evolution, but that does not mean life did not evolve.
Begging the Question
The term "begging the question" is often misused to mean "raises the question," (and common use will likely change, or at least add this new, definition). However, the intended meaning is to assume a conclusion in one's question. This is similar to circular reasoning, and an argument is trying to slip in a conclusion in a premise or question – but it is not the same as circular reasoning because the question being begged can be a separate point. Whereas with circular reasoning the premise and conclusion are the same.
The classic example of begging the question is to ask someone if they have stopped beating their wife yet. Of course, the question assumes that they every beat their wife.
In my appearance on the Dr. Oz show I was asked – what are alternative medicine skeptics (termed "holdouts") afraid of? This is a double feature of begging the question. By using the term "holdout" the question assumes that acceptance is already become the majority position and is inevitable. But also, Oz begged the question that skeptics are "afraid." This also created a straw man (see below) of our position, which is rather based on a dedication to reasonable standards of science and evidence.
Confusing association with causation
This is similar to the post-hoc fallacy in that it assumes cause and effect for two variables simply because they occur together. This fallacy is often used to give a statistical correlation a causal interpretation. For example, during the 1990's both religious attendance and illegal drug use have been on the rise. It would be a fallacy to conclude that therefore, religious attendance causes illegal drug use. It is also possible that drug use leads to an increase in religious attendance, or that both drug use and religious attendance are increased by a third variable, such as an increase in societal unrest. It is also possible that both variables are independent of one another, and it is mere coincidence that they are both increasing at the same time.
This fallacy, however, has a tendency to be abused, or applied inappropriately, to deny all statistical evidence. In fact this constitutes a logical fallacy in itself, the denial of causation. This abuse takes two basic forms. The first is to deny the significance of correlations that are demonstrated with prospective controlled data, such as would be acquired during a clinical experiment. The problem with assuming cause and effect from mere correlation is not that a causal relationship is impossible, it's just that there are other variables that must be considered and not ruled out a-priori. A controlled trial, however, by its design attempts to control for as many variables as possible in order to maximize the probability that a positive correlation is in fact due to a causation.
Further, even with purely epidemiological, or statistical, evidence it is still possible to build a strong scientific case for a specific cause. The way to do this is to look at multiple independent correlations to see if they all point to the same causal relationship. For example, it was observed that cigarette smoking correlates with getting lung cancer. The tobacco industry, invoking the "correlation is not causation" logical fallacy, argued that this did not prove causation. They offered as an alternate explanation "factor x", a third variable that causes both smoking and lung cancer. But we can make predictions based upon the smoking causes cancer hypothesis. If this is the correct causal relationship, then duration of smoking should correlate with cancer risk, quitting smoking should decrease cancer risk, smoking unfiltered cigarettes should have a higher cancer risk than filtered cigarettes, etc. If all of these correlations turn out to be true, which they are, then we can triangulate to the smoking causes cancer hypothesis as the most likely possible causal relationship and it is not a logical fallacy to conclude from this evidence that smoking probably causes lung cancer.
Confusing currently unexplained with unexplainable
Because we do not currently have an adequate explanation for a phenomenon does not mean that it is forever unexplainable, or that it therefore defies the laws of nature or requires a paranormal explanation. An example of this is the "God of the Gapsa" strategy of creationists that whatever we cannot currently explain is unexplainable and was therefore an act of god.
False Analogy
Analogies are very useful as they allow us to draw lessons from the familiar and apply them to the unfamiliar. Life is like a box of chocolate – you never know what you're going to get.
A false analogy is an argument based upon an assumed similarity between two things, people, or situations when in fact the two things being compared are not similar in the manner invoked. Saying that the probability of a complex organism evolving by chance is the same as a tornado ripping through a junkyard and created a 747 by chance is a false analogy. Evolution, in fact, does not work by chance but is the non-random accumulation of favorable changes.
Creationists also make the analogy between life and your home, invoking the notion of thermodynamics or entropy. Over time your home will become messy, and things will start to break down. The house does not spontaneously become more clean or in better repair.
The false analogy here is that a home is an inanimate collection of objects. Whereas life uses energy to grow and reproduce – the addition of energy to the system of life allows for the local reduction in entropy – for evolution to happen.
Another way in which false analogies are invoked is to make an analogy between two things that are in fact analogous in many ways – just not the specific way being invoked in the argument. Just because two things are analogous in some ways does not mean they are analogous in every way.
False Continuum
The idea that because there is no definitive demarcation line between two extremes, that the distinction between the extremes is not real or meaningful: There is a fuzzy line between cults and religion, therefore they are really the same thing.
False Dichotomy
Arbitrarily reducing a set of many possibilities to only two. For example, evolution is not possible, therefore we must have been created (assumes these are the only two possibilities). This fallacy can also be used to oversimplify a continuum of variation to two black and white choices. For example, science and pseudoscience are not two discrete entities, but rather the methods and claims of all those who attempt to explain reality fall along a continuum from one extreme to the other.
Genetic Fallacy
The term "genetic" here does not refer to DNA and genes, but to history (and therefore a connection through the concept of inheritance). This fallacy assumes that something's current utility is dictated by and constrained by its historical utility. This is easiest to demonstrate with words – a words current use may be entirely unrelated to its etymological origins. For example, if I use the term "sunset" or "sunrise" I am not implying belief in a geocentric cosmology in which the sun revolves about the Earth and literally "rises" and "sets."
Applying criteria or rules to one belief, claim, argument, or position but not to others. For example, some consumer advocates argue that we need stronger regulation of prescription drugs to ensure their safety and effectiveness, but at the same time argue that medicinal herbs should be sold with no regulation for either safety or effectiveness.
No True Scotsman
This fallacy is a form of circular reasoning, in that it attempts to include a conclusion about something in the very definition of the word itself. It is therefore also a semantic argument.
The term comes from the example: If Ian claims that all Scotsman are brave, and you provide a counter example of a Scotsman who is clearly a coward, Ian might respond, "Well, then, he's no true Scotsman." In essence Ian claims that all Scotsman are brave by including bravery in the definition of what it is to be a Scotsman. This argument does not establish and facts or new information, and is limited to Ian's definition of the word, "Scotsman."
In Latin this term translates to "doesn't follow". This refers to an argument in which the conclusion does not necessarily follow from the premises. In other words, a logical connection is implied where none exists.
Post-hoc ergo propter hoc
This fallacy follows the basic format of: A preceded B, therefore A caused B, and therefore assumes cause and effect for two events just because they are temporally related (the latin translates to "after this, therefore because of this").
Reductio ad absurdum
In formal logic, the reductio ad absurdum is a legitimate argument. It follows the form that if the premises are assumed to be true it necessarily leads to an absurd (false) conclusion and therefore one or more premises must be false. The term is now often used to refer to the abuse of this style of argument, by stretching the logic in order to force an absurd conclusion. For example a UFO enthusiast once argued that if I am skeptical about the existence of alien visitors, I must also be skeptical of the existence of the Great Wall of China, since I have not personally seen either. This is a false reductio ad absurdum because he is ignoring evidence other than personal eyewitness evidence, and also logical inference. In short, being skeptical of UFO's does not require rejecting the existence of the Great Wall.
Slippery Slope
This logical fallacy is the argument that a position is not consistent or tenable because accepting the position means that the extreme of the position must also be accepted. But moderate positions do not necessarily lead down the slippery slope to the extreme.
Special pleading, or ad-hoc reasoning
This is a subtle fallacy which is often difficult to recognize. In essence, it is the arbitrary introduction of new elements into an argument in order to fix them so that they appear valid. A good example of this is the ad-hoc dismissal of negative test results. For example, one might point out that ESP has never been demonstrated under adequate test conditions, therefore ESP is not a genuine phenomenon. Defenders of ESP have attempted to counter this argument by introducing the arbitrary premise that ESP does not work in the presence of skeptics. This fallacy is often taken to ridiculous extremes, and more and more bizarre ad hoc elements are added to explain experimental failures or logical inconsistencies.
Straw Man
A straw man argument attempts to counter a position by attacking a different position – usually one that is easier to counter. The arguer invents a caricature of his opponent's position – a "straw man" – that is easily refuted, but not the position that his opponent actually holds.
For example, defenders of alternative medicine often argue that skeptics refuse to accept their claims because they conflict with their world-view. If "Western" science cannot explain how a treatment works, then it is dismissed out-of-hand. If you read skeptical treatment of so-called "alternative" modalities, however, you will find the skeptical position much more nuanced than that.
Claims are not a-prior dismissed because they are not currently explained by science. Rather, in some cases (like homeopathy) there is a vast body of scientific knowledge that says that homeopathy is not possible. Having an unknown mechanism is not the same thing as demonstrably impossible (at least as best as modern science can tell). Further, skeptical treatments of homeopathy often thoroughly review the clinical evidence. Even when the question of mechanism is put aside, the evidence shows that homeopathic remedies are indistinguishable from placebo – which means they do not work.
Tautology in formal logic refers to a statement that must be true in every interpretation by its very construction. In rhetorical logic, it is an argument that utilizes circular reasoning, which means that the conclusion is also its own premise. Typically the premise is simply restated in the conclusion, without adding additional information or clarification. The structure of such arguments is A=B therefore A=B, although the premise and conclusion might be formulated differently so it is not immediately apparent as such. For example, saying that therapeutic touch works because it manipulates the life force is a tautology because the definition of therapeutic touch is the alleged manipulation (without touching) of the life force.
The Fallacy Fallacy
As I mentioned near the beginning of this article, just because someone invokes an unsound argument for a conclusion, that does not necessarily mean the conclusion is false. A conclusion may happen to be true even if an argument used to support is is not sound. I may argue, for example, Obama is a Democrat because the sky is blue – an obvious non-sequitur. But the conclusion, Obama is a Democrat, is still true.
Related to this, and common in the comments sections of blogs, is the position that because some random person on the internet is unable to defend a position well, that the position is therefore false. All that has really been demonstrated is that the one person in question cannot adequately defend their position.
This is especially relevant when the question is highly scientific, technical, or requires specialized knowledge. A non-expert likely does not have the knowledge at their fingertips to counter an elaborate, but unscientific, argument against an accepted science. "If you (a lay person) cannot explain to me," the argument frequently goes, "exactly how this science works, then it is false."
Rather, such questions are better handled by actual experts. And, in fact, intellectual honesty requires that at least an attempt should be made to find the best evidence and arguments for a position, articulated by those with recognized expertise, and then account for those arguments before a claim is dismissed.
The Moving Goalpost
A method of denial arbitrarily moving the criteria for "proof" or acceptance out of range of whatever evidence currently exists. If new evidence comes to light meeting the prior criteria, the goalpost is pushed back further – keeping it out of range of the new evidence. Sometimes impossible criteria are set up at the start – moving the goalpost impossibly out of range -for the purpose of denying an undesirable conclusion.
The Scientific Method - is a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. The Oxford English Dictionary says that scientific method is: "a method or procedure that has characterized natural science since the 17th century, consisting in systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses."
Observation - The scientific method relies primarily on systematic observation of the world. It uses formal procedures for testing ideas about cause-and-effect relationships between variables.
Hypothesis - A hypothesis is a tentative statement about the relationship between two variables, usually in the form of a prediction: "If A, then B." For example, if (1) we had observed that people dying of cancer are usually heavy cola drinkers, (2) we were aware that cancer rates were lower before cola was invented, and (3) there was considerable scientific debate about the safety of cola additives, then our thinking and observation might lead us to suspect that the cause of cancer is excessive cola drinking. We could express the hypothesis in an ifthen statement, such as "If people drink large amounts of cola, then they are more likely to develop cancer." This if-then hypothesis could be simplified into a single statement: "The cause of cancer is drinking too much cola." No matter how the hypothesis is formulated, it must be tested for its truthfulness because the casual observations alone are not enough to support it.
Experimentation - The testing of the hypothesis is done through research and experimentation, and is the third step of the scientific method. There are many ways to conduct these studies, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, as we discuss later. For instance, in our cola example, we could feed large quantities of cola to chimpanzees and after a while compare their cancer rates with those of a group of chimpanzees that did not receive cola. Or we could find human beings with a history of excessive cola consumption and compare their cancer incidence with that of humans who avoid such consumption. Once the experiment or a data collection is complete, we move on to the last step of the scientific method, verification.
Verification - is the analysis of our data to see if the data support or deny the hypothesis. In our example, we would analyze the results of our experiment to see if the excessive cola drinkers did indeed have a higher incidence of cancer. If they did, then our hypothesis was supported (but not proven). If there was no difference between the groups, then we must go back to our first step to look for new observations or begin thinking about other causeand-effect relationships that might explain our observations. This last step of the scientific method can be fortified through replication, which means running the study again to ensure that the results are reliable. It is especially helpful if other researchers replicate the results. Verification can also be fortified through prediction, which is the ability to use our study's conclusions to reliably predict other outcomes.
Problem Solving
Defining the Problem - We cannot solve a problem unless we know what it is. If our car doesn't start, we wouldn't want to define the problem as "Life is one frustration after another." Even something like "My car doesn't work right," although more precise, is still an ill-defined problem. Defining the problem carefully means being as precise and as specific as possible. We could state, "My car doesn't start," or better, "My car doesn't start in the morning," or better yet, "My car doesn't start on wet mornings." This more specific definition enables us to identify the possible causes of the malfunctioning, and it shortens our path to the solution of the problem.
Discovering Causes - We can discover the causes of our problems by noticing the relationships among details. For example, if we notice that our concentration is impaired only when our children are playing in the house, we can be fairly confident that our children distract us.
Problems Without a Cause - Some problems calling for answers do not have a cause. For instance, members of a product-marketing committee gridlocked over a marketing strategy for a new product do not look for causes but for creative ideas to sell their product. Another example of a causeless problem is the classic nine-dot problem. The challenge is to connect all nine dots with only four straight lines without the pencil leaving the paper. A search for causes will not help you.
Removing Barriers - 1) One barrier that clearly stands in the way of problem solving is the irrational wish for a perfect solution and the related belief that one best solution exists.
2) Everyone has problem-solving ability. Problem solving requires creativity, which correlates only modestly with intelligence (Barron and Harrington, 1981). Thus, one does not have to be Immanuel Kant or Albert Einstein to be a good problem solver. That
Gathering information - Trying to solve a problem without information is like trying to drive a car without a steering wheel. Consider a college student faced with a scheduling problem and in a dilemma about what courses to take this semester. If she chooses her courses without adequate information about the college's policies and course scheduling, she may never see graduation. However, if she acquires information that answers the following questions, she will likely find a way to graduate on time: (1) what courses are required for the major? (2) do those courses require a prerequisite? (3) which of those courses are offered only once a year or every other year? (4) how many upper-level courses are required? (5) how many credits are allowed to transfer from other institutions? (6) what courses are offered during the summer session? (7) is independent study an option to meet a degree requirement when a scheduling conflict occurs? (8) are there any conditions under which course substitutions are allowed? (9) what general requirements must still be completed? And so on. Without gathering this information, she may not be able to solve her scheduling problem adequately.
Identify the Components - The more information we can collect, the better we are able to solve the problem. We can gain comprehensive information by identifying each known component of the problem and then obtaining information about each one. The components of any problem are the persons and objects involved in the problem, as well as the problem goal itself.
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
The following 7 users Like fstratzero's post:7 users Like fstratzero's post
Chas (28-07-2012), cheapthrillseaker (28-07-2012), morondog (28-07-2012), bemore (29-07-2012), LadyJane (30-07-2012), Vosur (25-10-2012), sea_tiger (02-07-2017)
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
Awesome looking thread Fstrat Can't wait for the first installment
edit: of your expanded outline I mean Ya can't just make a lovely list like that and leave us hanging...
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
(28-07-2012 03:29 PM)morondog Wrote: Awesome looking thread Fstrat Can't wait for the first installment
You are correct! I'll be updating it soon from my books!
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
f=ma does not apply here. Quit teasing us! Give!
The following 1 user Likes cheapthrillseaker's post:1 user Likes cheapthrillseaker's post
fstratzero (29-07-2012)
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
Tell me if you guys want more!
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
Is good More!
The following 1 user Likes morondog's post:1 user Likes morondog's post
fstratzero (29-07-2012)
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
Id like to read more please.
I feel so much, and yet I feel nothing.
I am a rock, I am the sky, the birds and the trees and everything beyond.
I am the wind, in the fields in which I roar. I am the water, in which I drown.
The following 1 user Likes bemore's post:1 user Likes bemore's post
fstratzero (29-07-2012)
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
I had/have a similar problem of either broken or developmentally flawed thinking processes so I appreciate you sharing what you've been learning.
It was just a fucking apple man, we're sorry okay? Please stop the madness
The following 1 user Likes Erxomai's post:1 user Likes Erxomai's post
fstratzero (29-07-2012)
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
I'll expand more on the logic part.
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
RE: Critical thinking, an outline from my notes.
Added the logical fallacy section!
Member of the Cult of ReasonBitcion:1DNeQMswMdvx4xLPP6qNE7RkeTwXGC7Bzp
The atheist is a man who destroys the imaginary things which afflict the human race, and so leads men back to nature, to experience and to reason.
-Baron d'Holbach-
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text:
Philadelphia Information Locator Service
Archival Record Series
Correction, Bureau of[Record Group 71]
- 71.1 Annual Reports
- 1907, 1908, 1915, 1919
4 volumes, index
For other Annual Reports between 1887-1919, see Office of the Mayor, Annual Reports
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- 71.2 House of Correction. Daily Admissions
- 1899
1 volume
Entries grouped alphabetically. For each inmate is listed his name, register number, occupation, charge upon which committed, term of sentence, number of times committed, committing magistrate.
For similar records 1877, 1879, see Managers of the House of Correction, Daily Admissions
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
- 71.3 House of Correction. Register of Inmates in Punishment
- 1887-1894; missing: September 1888-September 1889, 1891, 1893
4 volumes
Daily reports list names of inmates in punishment cells, register number, date of confinement, number of days completed wing and cell from which taken and in which confined, offense for which punished and officer by whom reported.
For similar records 1886-1887 see Managers of the House of Correction, Register, Inmates in Punishment
Location: City Archives, 3101 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Links to related information...
PhILS Home
-->City Agencies
---->Correction, Bureau of [71]
------>Record Series Information Sheet. (Graphical version of this page)
Send your comments to firstname.lastname@example.com
Last updated on November 9, 2000


text:
The 51st Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics
For the first time, the annual meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) takes place in Bulgaria. ACL 2013 will be held in Sofia, Bulgaria's capital, August 4-9, 2013. As in previous years, the program of the conference includes a poster session, tutorials, workshops and demonstrations in addition to the main conference.
ACL is the premier conference of the field of computational linguistics, covering a broad spectrum of diverse research areas that are concerned with computational approaches to natural language. An exciting new development this year is that the conference program will include the presentation of papers that have been accepted at Transactions of the ACL (TACL), the new journal of the ACL.
On behalf of the organizing committee I invite you to join us in Sofia for ACL 2013!
Hinrich Schuetze
General Chair


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1/1, 000, 1/10, 000, two national samples of the population of the United States; description and technical documentation United States. ... For persons living in housing units at the time of the 1960 Census, the sampling unit was a housing unit and all of its occupants, for persons ... 25 - U Head of owner household Head of renter household Not head of household Same groups as age group 1 a 24- Sameanbsp;...
|U.S. censuses of population and housing, 1960
|United States. Bureau of the Census
|- 1964
You must register with us as either a Registered User before you can Download this Book. You'll be greeted by a simple sign-up page.
Once you have finished the sign-up process, you will be redirected to your download Book page.How it works:


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July 18. 2013 8:54PM
75 car batteries allegedly stolen in Belmont
— Two local men who allegedly stole 75 car batteries from Metrocast Cablevision early Thursday were arrested on felony charges of receiving stolen property.
Police said a woman reported a suspicious truck parked outside her apartment on Randlett Street, which is behind the Metrocast Cablevision lot at the end of Apple Road, about 12:10 a.m. Thursday.
Police said Dean LaPlante, 20, and Stephen Cote, 29, were found leaving the area and that police found the car batteries after stopping them.


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Most people are aware of Texas Wine Trail and the recognition it is receiving, but did you know that the Hill Country offers breweries and distilleries tours? Maybe your significant other loves wine and it just is not your taste. Have no fear we have found a compromise! Local breweries, that you can even take a class to start your own brew, and whiskey and vodka distilleries that offers tours. So knock out a couple of wineries and then hit the breweries!
Real Ale BrewingCo.~Blanco,TX
Welcome to the Texas Hill Country – the home of Real Ale Brewing Company, where a dedicated team of brewers produces quality handcrafted ales. Utilizing a 60-barrel stainless steel brewing system, we incorporate 100% malted grain, domestic and imported hops, and crystal clear water into our unique recipes. We've been brewing since 1996, and now you can find Real Ale all over theLoneStarState.
Garrison Brothers Whiskey ~Johnson City,TX
The "Sit and Sip" Tour is a guided walk of the ranch-distillery with detailed information about bourbon whiskey and the history of Garrison Brothers.Our cooks and distillers will explain the process from "corn to cork." You'll smell the sweet corn cooking, taste sweet mash, and observe the fermenting distiller's beer. You'll tour the legendary still house and sample high proof "white dog" right from the stills. Finally, we'll walk you through our barrel barn for a small sample of our limited release. This tour takes about an hour.
Dripping Springs Vodka ~ Dripping Springs, TX
Dripping Springs Vodka is handcrafted in the Texas Hill Country, in small 50 gallon batches. It's a family run comany and was the 3rd distillery in the state.
What ever flavor is your forte, make sure to plan your Texas Hill Country getaway with a "twist" and enjoy all there is to offer!
Tags: texas hill country brewery, texas hill country vodka, texas hill country whiskey


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This unique, high energy, no impact exercise class that combines ballet barre work and light weights with continual fat burning motion. Central to the workout are toning and resistance exercises for the butt, legs, torso and arms to sculpt muscles and elongate the appearance of your body.
For studio locations, go to Cardio Barre


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Crystal Light Sweepstakes Rules
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2. Promotion Period: Promotion begins 9:00 a.m. (PST) August 2, 2010 and ends 5:00 p.m. (PST) August 31, 2010.
3. Entry: To participate in the Promotion, eligible entrants should simply login or register at http://www.blogher.com/user/register, visit the sweepstakes web page at http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-6, or http://www.blogher.com/crystal-light-7 and follow the review links to the sweepstakes pages for instructions to enter.
Entries must be placed in the comments section of this page, or a URL link to your entry on your own blog must be posted to the comments section of this page, to qualify.
• Entries must be written in English and posted before 5:00pm PST on August 31, 2010 to be eligible.
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5. Prize: SEVEN (7) PRIZE winners to receive a $100 Visa Gift Card. The prize winners will be randomly selected on or around September 8, 2010. Total promotion prize ARV is $700.
Winner will be notified via email and will receive his/her prize via U.S. mail to his/her US resident address within two weeks from Sponsor's receipt of the Prize Notification and Release agreement executed by each Winner. Prize shipping costs will be paid for by Sponsor.
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One of the longest-running models sold in the United States, the Chevrolet Suburban debuted back in 1936. After serving faithfully for many evolutionary years as a truck primarily meant for commercial or rural use, the extra-large Suburban has increasingly become the go-to choice for families or those in need of class-leading passenger and cargo capacity, third-row seating and solid truck-based towing capability.
With stout underpinnings, strong powertrains, a comfortable ride and spacious seating for up to nine plus their cargo, the current truck is a very capable large SUV. A short list of competitive sport-utilities may offer more refinement and ultra-lux conveniences for more bucks, but the big Suburban (as well as its GMC equivalent, the Yukon XL) remains the only full-size SUV available in both light- (1500) and heavy-duty (2500) versions. It certainly comes recommended, and older models are also good choices for consumers desiring a used SUV.
Current Chevrolet Suburban
The Chevrolet Suburban full-size SUV is available in three well-equipped trim levels: LS, LT and LTZ. All are powered by V8s. Standard on the Suburban 1500 is a 5.3-liter unit making 320 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque. The 2500 gets a 6.0-liter V8 packing 352 horses and 382 lb-ft. Both are matched to a smooth and cooperative six-speed automatic transmission. A choice of two- or four-wheel drive is yours either way, and towing capacities can approach 10,000 pounds.
For such a big truck, the Chevrolet Suburban is relatively quick. However, the base V8 Suburban doesn't always feel so quick when carrying a full load of passengers or cargo. The suspension system is impressive, though, and provides composed handling and a smooth ride. The Suburban isn't exactly nimble around corners, but the cabin is quiet at speed and the ride is always comfortably controlled. When pointed straight down an interstate or out in the wide-open spaces, there aren't many better, more capable cruisers than the Chevrolet Suburban. Overall, it's a compelling choice for SUV shoppers with lots of people- or gear-hauling needs.
Used Chevrolet Suburban Models
The present-generation Chevrolet Suburban debuted for the 2007 model year. Compared to the previous Suburban, this version rides on an updated chassis that provides all of its prior strength along with a more comfortable ride and improved handling, performance and efficiency. These Suburbans also boast safety advancements like front seat side airbags, stability control and side curtain airbags for all three rows.
Originally, the 5.3-liter V8 was standard only on the LS and 1LT, and it produced 310 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque. The 6.2-liter V8 was standard on the 2LT and LTZ models at this time as well, but it featured a slightly lower output (366 hp, 376 lb-ft) than the 2500 version, which has remained unchanged. For 2010, the 5.3-liter became standard on every 1500 and adopted its current output. Another key difference is the standard four-speed automatic transmission on hand prior to 2008 on the 2500 and '09 for the 1500.
The previous-generation Suburban that debuted for the 2000 model year and lasted through 2006 was packaged more efficiently than before -- and although increasingly outclassed by newer competitors in its later years, its warehouse-sized interior made it an easy pick for families and home remodelers who truly needed to max out passenger and cargo space. Interior materials and fit and finish were merely adequate, however, and the exterior design was beginning to look a tad dated. Plus, it was still a brick aerodynamically.
It was slightly shorter than its predecessor, as earlier Chevrolet Suburban models shared much of their styling and powertrains with the GM full-size pickups on which they were based. Several trim levels and a couple modest V8s were available initially, but by 2001 the two "small-block" engines were up to 285 and 320 hp, and were still outpaced by an available new 8.1-liter V8 with 340 hp and 455 lb-ft of stump-pulling torque.
The Chevy Suburban inched further up the comfort scale as the years went by, but the big news for 2003 was the availability of an innovative Quadrasteer four-wheel-steering system on 3/4-ton models -- reducing the turning circle by a substantial 8 feet and also improving towing stability. The cabin was now more accommodating, too, with numerous improvements like tri-zone climate controls and available DVD entertainment, second-row captain's chairs and power-adjustable pedals. Updates including OnStar, steering-wheel audio controls and tire-pressure monitoring carried the big Chevy through 2006.
Previous to this, there was the Suburban from 1992-'99. After a long, enduring model run by the previous generation that extended from 1973-'91, the then-new '92 Chevrolet Suburban finally adopted the sleek body design and freshened interiors of its previously updated pickup truck siblings. In addition to handsome new looks, the completely redesigned next-generation Suburban boasted more glass area and a lower step-in height than its predecessor.
After a few years of detail improvements, redesigned seats and a new modular dashboard graced the Suburban's interior in 1995, and a year later daytime running lamps marked the adoption of several powerful new Vortec gasoline engines ranging up to 290 hp. For off-roaders, four-wheel-drive models substituted a modern independent front suspension and more convenient Insta-Trac electronic shift-on-the-fly transfer case. In 1998, four-wheel-drive operation was enhanced again with an optional AutoTrac automatic full-time 4WD system for set-it-and-forget-it convenience.
Read the most recent 2019 Chevrolet Suburban review.
If you are looking for older years, visit our used Chevrolet Suburban page.
For more on past Chevrolet Suburban models, view our Chevrolet Suburban history page.
Our expert team of auto researchers have reviewed the Chevrolet Suburban and compiled a list of inventory for you to shop local listings, and lease a Chevrolet Suburban .


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Hey! Well, here I am again! With the new album and the Ignition show in Amsterdam comming up I somehow log in more (instead of just browsing the bbs). How are you doing? And I AM well
You're not much around here anymore as well are you? I somehow keep sticking around reading the bbs without posting. I just read some arguments between Camillamazed, a mod and some others. I totally agree with Camillamazed and think the new people around here are douches. And that's pretty much why I'm not posting here anymore (and because I'm not much of an offspringfan anymore).
But... how's life?!
Long time no chatting in these forums!
I entered today, checked some of my friends' profiles, and I saw you connected a couple weeks ago.
If you ever get to see this message, I just wanted to say "hello" and hope you're well.
Hi, I've just noticed one can buy tickets in advance, and I didn't get any email though I'm on the offspring mailing list. I'd like to buy tickets for the brussels show. Can you send me the links?
Thanks for your help,
Yelloooo, happy birthday!
happy birthday d00d
What's up? Haven't read you in a long time. How are you?
hello, dude!
just wanted to drop a line to say hi and show that i'm still alive.
Take care.
Senior Member


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ROME (Reuters) - Two Italian marines facing a murder trial in India for killing two fishermen returned there on Thursday after being allowed to spend Christmas in Italy, Rome airport officials said.
While in Italy, they were invited to the presidential palace and embraced by head of state Giorgio Napolitano, reflecting a feeling among many Italians that they have been unjustly detained.
Several government ministers and high-ranking military officials also met marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone while they were in Italy.
The two sailors, part of a team protecting the tanker Enrica Lexie, are accused of shooting two fishermen they say they mistook for pirates off the southern Indian state of Kerala in February.
The incident has caused a serious diplomatic dispute between Italy and India, which have traditionally had good relations.
Italy has taken the case to India's supreme court, saying the shooting took place in international waters and was outside the jurisdiction of Indian courts.
The pair were required to hand over 60 million rupees ($1.1 million) as a guarantee to the court before leaving the country.
(Reporting by Antonella Cinelli; Writing by Catherine Hornby; Editing by Alison Williams)


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In trying to give a modern twist to "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan's" bestselling story of women and friendship in 19th century China, director Wayne Wang has been tripped up by his chick-lit tendencies. He should have trusted that author Lisa See's moving portrait of two girls bound by fate, custom and circumstance (as tightly and at times as painfully as the cloth that wraps and warps their feet) would be enough. Instead, he's weighted down the big-screen version with a couple of 21st century Sex in Shanghai-styled BFFs who've had a nasty falling-out.
The film starts with the Shanghai gals and their issues. Nina (Li Bingbing) is involved in a big corporate banking deal and Sophia (Gianna Jun) is in a bad bike accident. The deal would send Nina to New York; the bike incident lands Sophia in the hospital. Nina's choice — whether to stay and repair her friendship or go find her future — drives the rest of the movie.
It also results in the discovery of a manuscript that unlocks the story of Snow Flower and becomes the bridge to See's original tale, which is where Wang should have stayed all along. His vision of the old days and old ways trump the contemporary additions at every turn. It is a rich, ancient world both exotic and erotic and made even more seductive by director of photography Richard Wong, who makes the most of the opportunity to shoot in China.
The central story turns on Snow Flower and Lily, who were paired as laotong — the formal name for such arranged friendships between girls — when they were just children in the early 1800s. It follows them through the trials of their marriages, also arranged, plus forced separations, class differences and rebel uprisings. Throughout it all they stay in touch by sending messages written in nu shu, the secret language of women, on the folds of a fan.
Nina discovers all of this as she reads Sophia's manuscript and reflects on the ways in which their friendship compares with Lily's and Snow Flower's. If the script didn't make the parallels clear enough, Jun plays both Snow Flower and Sophia while Li portrays Lily and Nina. Despite the distance of a couple of centuries, the characters are similar — Snow Flower and Sophia softer somehow, Lily and Nina more pragmatic.
The present is a weird mix of corporate gamesmanship, family conflicts and high-end club hopping. It gets weirder still when Hugh Jackman turns up as Sophia's ex, an Aussie nightclub impresario taking on Shanghai with an embarrassing lounge act.
Ironically it was Wang's choice to have screenwriters Ron Bass ("The Joy Luck Club," "Waiting to Exhale") and Michael K. Ray (Wang's "The Princess of Nebraska") add a modern-day layer to screenwriter Angela Workman's more traditional approach to the novel; Wang said he feels more comfortable with the contemporary. Certainly his films — "Maid in Manhattan" with Jennifer Lopez, "Last Holiday" with Queen Latifah — suggest that. He often comes back to Chinese issues, with his 1993 adaptation of Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club" standing as his best, most put-together effort.
With "Snow Flower," the filmmaker is forever torn between two childhoods, two adulthoods, two distinct political and social eras, and two complex relationships, unable to make both equally relevant. When Wang turns to the past — from the look of the film itself to the performances of Li and Jun — the film, and the story, come alive.
'Snow Flower and the Secret Fan'
MPAA rating: PG-13 for sexuality, violence/disturbing images and drug use
Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes, in English and Chinese with English subtitles
Playing: In selected theaters