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The release of the 2014 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California® (note: please add registration mark to full name) will be Thursday, March 27, 2014 Location: Doheny Campus, Mount St. Mary's College, 10 Chester Pl., Los Angeles, 90007
Registration: 8-9 a.m.
Event 10 a.m. - Noon
The 2013 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California™ reveals new trends and insights on why stubborn gender gaps persist in the nation's most populous state. Released by Mount St. Mary's College on March 21, 2013, in front of 850-plus people, the Report is the only one of its kind. It compiles data on a dozen key issues vital to the well-being of California's 18.9 million women and girls.
This year's Report includes research on demographics, education, employment, poverty, media, technology, leadership, physical health, mental health, violence, incarceration, and women in the military.
"We publish this Report because if we truly want to inspire our own students to affect change, we must lead by example," says Ann McElaney-Johnson, president of Mount St. Mary's College.
Tour this page to relive some of the highlights from the public release of this year's Report. We hope you'll spread the word about what you learn. Start conversations. Take action. Stay involved in work that helps improve the lives of California's 18.9 million women and girls!
The PDF of the full Report is 10 MB. If you want to download specific sections, click on the titles on the right.
For an HTML view of the Report, click on each title below.
Women and girls make up half of California's population. Still the most populous state, California's demographics continue to shift. The Latino population continues to rise with Latinos making up the majority of California's school children. Like the rest of the nation, California's population is aging while the birth rate is decreasing. The number of Californians over the age of 65 is expected to quadruple in the next 20 years.1 These changing demographic factors give rise to important issues affecting the state's women and girls.
U.S. population
California population
California women and girls
The state of California is racially and ethnically diverse. Women of color make up almost two-thirds of the female population. Men have an almost identical ethnic distribution to women.
The percentage of women who speak a language other than English at home.
The birth rate in both California and the nation continues to decline. In 2010, births to California women represented almost 13% of all U.S. births. California differed from the national profile in that more than 50% of California births were to women of Latina origin compared to less than a quarter of all U.S. births.
36.5 years old
The median age of women in California. The median age of California men is 34.2 years old. While females are 49% of people under the age of 18, they are 56% of people 65 and older. The ratio of females to males increases from the age of 35 onward.
In California, 45% of females over 15 years of age are married, whereas, 33% percent have never been married. The percent married has been declining for the last 30 years nationally.
More than one quarter (27%) of California women and girls are foreign-born, representing 14% of the state's total population. Almost half (49%) of those females who are foreign-born are naturalized citizens. An almost equal number of California men and boys are foreign-born (26%), representing 13% of the total California population. Of those, 44% of males who are foreign-born are naturalized citizens.
These statistics represent immigrants for which there are recorded numbers. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that 2.6 million illegal immigrants resided in California in 2010, a decline of 280,000 since 2008.
An education enhances one's ability to thrive personally, professionally and economically. Educated people are more likely to engage in civic participation and fill leadership roles. In California, college graduates earn substantially more than those who do not complete college, and are less likely to live in poverty. However, women and men do not pursue higher education at an equal rate in the same fields. The state's women and girls are still vastly underrepresented in courses leading to science, technology, engineering and math careers.
During the 2011-2012 academic year, 6.2 million students were enrolled in California public K-12 schools. Nearly half were girls.
California public school girls reflect the diversity of the state's population.
With the economic downturn of the past five years, the percentages of students identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged has increased in all ethnicities.
In California schools, both genders continue to improve in math and science performance in their early years, with girls on par or above boys through eighth-grade math but behind in science.
While boys taking Advanced Placement (A.P.) exams participate in chemistry and physics more than girls, girls have greater participation in biology and environmental science than boys. Participation rates have remained the same for the last 10 years.
Regardless of participation rates, boys are scoring higher than girls on A.P. exams. The difference in scores has remained constant since 2003. On A.P. exams, the score range is 1–5, with a 3 being the minimum score accepted for college credit.
While more boys participate in taking A.P. calculus exams than girls, girls have greater participation in statistics than boys. Participation rates have been consistent for the last ten years.
For the last 10 years, the average A.P. exam scores for girls in most STEM subjects has remained the same and are consistently lower than the scores for boys. On A.P. exams, the score range is 1–5, with a 3 being the minimum score accepted for college credit.
With 44% of California households speaking a language other than English and with expanding global opportunities, the ability to speak multiple languages is becoming increasingly valuable.
Over the past 10 years, a higher proportion of California girls have taken foreign language exams than boys. These tests included Chinese language & culture, French language, German language, Italian language & culture, Japanese language & culture, Latin: Vergil, Spanish language, or Spanish literature.
Today more women in California are earning bachelor's degrees than men.
Although California women are more likely to earn an associate, bachelor's or master's degree than men, men are more likely to earn a doctorate. This trend has remained consistent for the last five years.
While California women are earning more degrees, with the exception of the biological sciences, fewer women than men are majoring in science, technology, engineering and math — degrees that can lead to higher paying jobs. The gap in math and engineering has widened in the past five years.
There is ample room for lessening the wage gap between California's women and men. As women increase their level of education and experience, the percentage of females in high-paying executive positions and career fields should increase. Due to retiring baby boomers and the state's aging population, healthcare positions will have the greatest future demand. And, while STEM fields generally represent some of the highest paying career opportunities, women presently tend to occupy the lower-paying positions within these areas. Currently, women are paid less than men across all occupations reported in California.
Recent numbers show that there are 10% more California men in the labor force than women. The unemployment rate is slightly lower for women. When compared to the national level, California's unemployment rate is slightly higher for both women and men.
In two-parent families, both parents are likely to work outside the home. Where only one parent works outside the home, it is much less likely to be the mother.
When looking at broad occupational categories within the state, women represent a majority of employees in three areas: healthcare practitioner and technical operations; sales and office occupations; and education, legal, community service, arts, and media occupations.
Within these categories, traditional gender roles continue. For example, women predominately occupy the lower-paying healthcare technician categories, while men comprise the majority of physicians and surgeons.
The "sales and office occupations" category employs the most women and has the second largest gender gap. Men hold the majority of supervisory positions, while women hold the majority of cashier positions. There are encouraging signs in some sales and office occupations where women are well represented. For example, more women than men are employed as accountants.
Women are more likely to be pre-college teachers than men. Women also are much more likely to serve as legal support workers than are men, and are less likely than men to be lawyers and judges.
Women earn less than men in every occupational cluster. Additionally, categories with the greatest earnings differences by gender include healthcare, legal and management occupations, where women hold fewer positions.
Due to higher demand because of a growing and aging population in California, many of the fastest growing occupations are expected to take place in health care. The top healthcare occupations with the greatest growth and high median annual salaries include physician assistants ($95,207), dental hygienists ($96,317), and registered nurses ($89,577).
In California, as with the nation, women are more likely to be living in poverty than men. The number of women in poverty continues to rise, while the number of men in poverty remains the same. The numbers are particularly concerning for single women living with children and for Latinas. In 2011, more than half of poor women in California were Latinas. In addition, poverty rate varies by educational attainment and hits hardest females with the least amount of education.
For definition purposes, an individual or family is considered to be living in poverty if 100% of their pre-tax income falls below the federal poverty threshold created by the U.S. Census Bureau. The threshold amounts vary based on annual income, family size and age of householder. The poverty threshold for a family of three in 2012 was $19,090.35.
In 2011, 18% of all California women and girls were living in poverty, an increase from 17% in 2010. This equals 3.3 million females. The national poverty rate for women and girls is 17%. The poverty rate for California men and boys at 15% saw no increase from 2010 to 2011. The national rate is also 15%.
Close to half (45%) of households in California headed by women with children under 18 have incomes below the poverty level. Only 14% of the state's married couples with children under 18 have incomes below the poverty level. Nationally, 48% of households headed by women with children and 11% of married couples with children have incomes below the poverty level.
Of women in poverty (over the age of 25), 62% have a high school education or less, whereas 26% have some college and 12% have a college degree. These statistics are similar to males.
Latinas account for over half of all females in poverty. However, the largest increases in poverty rates from 2010 to 2011 were with Asian and American Indian females.
Women are making strides in gaining leadership positions in government and private industry. After historic wins in the 2012 national elections, there are now more women serving in the U.S. Congress than at any other time in history. However, women remain underrepresented in federal, state and local government. In California government, women actually lost ground. Fewer women are serving in California state and local government in 2013 than in 2012. In private industry, more women are serving on boards of large companies. However, a significant gender gap remains among CEOs in California's Fortune 400 companies.
National Representation
The 113th Congress includes 20 women in the U.S. Senate (out of 100) and 77 in the House of Representatives (out of 453). Those are the highest numbers in history for both chambers, yet women only represent 20% of senators and 18% of representatives.
California will continue to be served by two women in the Senate.
The state has 53 representatives in the House, 18 (or 34%) are women and of those ten are women of color. They include three African Americans, two Asian/Pacific Islanders, and five Latinas.
Of the nation's 50 governors, only five are female, a mere 10%.
While women comprise nearly half of California's population, they are underrepresented in federal government.
State Representation
Two out of eight elected officials in California's executive branch are women ? the Attorney General and the Secretary of State. Only nine women have been elected to serve in California's executive branch since 1967. Attorney General Kamala Harris, elected in 2010, is serving in the highest state office ever held by a woman in California.
Fewer women are serving in the California Senate and Assembly since the November 2012 elections. Beginning in 2013, the Senate will include 10 women, down from 12 and the Assembly will include 21 women, down from 22. Prior to the election, women comprised 28% of the state Legislature. As of 2013, women will make up only 26%.
The number of women in the California Senate peaked at 13 in 2009 and peaked at 25 in the Assembly in 2003?2006.
California is ranked 19th in the nation for the number of women serving in statewide office, down from a high of 6th place in 2003 and 2004.
Local Representation
Nationally, 217 U.S. cities (17%) with populations over 30,000 had female mayors.
In California, 45 cities with populations over 30,000 had female mayors, or just over 9%.
The number of women serving on county boards decreased slightly this year. As a result of the November 2012 election, six fewer women are serving on County Boards of Supervisors. Previously, there were 73 women serving (25%), and now there are 67 women serving (23%) in 2013. This year, 18 (out of 58) counties in California will have no women serving on their Boards of Supervisors.
California Supreme Court
The majority of the members of the Supreme Court of California are women (4 out of 7). That has been the case since January 2011 with the appointment of Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye. She is the second woman to hold that position.
California's Fortune 400
Almost two-thirds (63%) of California's 400 largest public companies have no women among the highest-paid executives. Another 30% of the state?s companies have only one woman in this category, while only 7% companies have two or more women among the highest-paid executives.
Only 3% have a woman serving as CEO; this percentage remains unchanged from 2011. Several of these women CEOs have multiple roles (CEO and president, or chairman and CEO). The CFO category has the most women (12%). This is a slight increase in the number of women who are chief financial officers since 2011 (11%).
Women comprised 11% of corporate boards in 2012, an increase of 0.5% since 2011 and the largest increase since 2008. This continues a modest upward trend from 9% in 2006. The healthcare sector has the largest percentage of companies, 26 out of 38 (68%), with at least one woman director.
California is one of the largest producers of media in the nation in terms of television shows and films. The creation and consumption of media are a prominent aspect of California living. However, as half of California's population, women continue to be underrepresented both behind the camera and in front of it - in film, television, and radio. In addition, the predominant portrayals of women in film and television are largely absent in high status and skilled professional fields that require higher education and leadership ability. However, the role of women in these media is limited.
In 2012, women comprised roughly a third of all news staff.
The percent of behind-the-scenes occupations women hold in the film industry.
The percentages for key roles in the film business in which women are employed:
The percent of behind-the-scenes occupations women hold in the television industry.
The percentages for key roles in television in which women are employed are:
Women still have a long way to go before their presence in media programming is equal to men. In family films, only 28% of characters with speaking roles are women. In children's shows, only 31% of these characters are female.
Additionally, representation of female leadership remains a challenge in both family films and prime-time programming. Females are still not on par with males in the number of influential positions held across eight primary occupations.
As information and communication technologies become an integrated, indispensable part of people's lives, the status of women in terms of their knowledge, ownership, and use is lagging compared to men. Women are making strides as owners of popular forms of technology (e.g., laptops, cellphones) but are generally behind in their confidence in technology uses.
California remains a leader in technology use and development. Compared to the nation, California residents are more likely to use the Internet (87% v 85%) and have a broadband Internet connection at home (73% v 66%).
While both women and men report an increase in the use of the Internet over the last five years, there remains some gender differences.
Women are less likely to own e-readers and tablet computers than men, but are more likely to own laptops and cell phones.
However, ownership alone does not dictate knowledge or use. Among cell phone users, women are less likely than men to use email, download apps, access the Internet and record video.
In addition, specific Internet use during the last presidential election revealed that women were less likely than men to watch videos online related to news reports, political ads, live candidate speeches or debates, political parodies, and political issues.
From 2007 to 2011, survey data of California colleges revealed a persistent lack of confidence in computer skills for women compared to men. In 2011, 69% of women self-report average or below average computer skills compared to 51% of men.
In addition, specific Internet use during the last presidential election revealed that women were less likely than men to watch videos online related to news reports, political ads, live candidate speeches or debates, political parodies, and political issues.
The health picture for women and girls in California continues to show encouraging trends with significant strides in life expectancy. However, the increasing rate of childhood obesity is concerning. An important factor in reducing childhood obesity is breastfeeding. California has the greatest legal protections for employed breastfeeding mothers in the nation. All California females will benefit as the Patient Affordability, Protection, and Care Act of 2010 is implemented, increasing access for women and girls to preventative healthcare services.
Asian and Latina women live longer than the average life expectancy of 82 years for all California women.
Cardiac disease and cancer continue to be the two leading causes of death for Californians, both women and men.
While obesity continues to be a challenge, in the state of California women and girls are less likely to be obese than California's men and boys.
Breastfeeding initiation is an important factor in decreasing childhood obesity.
California is making progress on increasing the rate of in-hospital breastfeeding. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding has increased from 57% in 2010 to 60% in 2011.
The total birth rate continues to decrease in California. The teen birthrate among all ethnic groups fell to a record low in 2011.
California's infant mortality rate reached historic lows in 2010 (4.7/1000 live births). Yet African American babies continue to die at rates 2.3 times that of white babies. The state's infant mortality rate is lower than the national average (6.6/1000 live births)
Preterm births declined for the 4th year in a row to 10% in 2011. California's rate of pre-term births is slightly better than the national average.
In California, 33% of women deliver via C-section. This is slightly higher than the national average.
Postpartum depression affects 13% of all California women; whereas, prenatal depression affects 15%. Low-income women are more likely to suffer from depression before and after pregnancy. Women are more likely to experience intimate partner violence during pregnancy and in California, 7% of women report experiencing violence during their pregnancy.
California workers may apply for maternity disability that includes 10 weeks of partial wage replacement. In 2012, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law an amendment to the Fair Employment and Housing Act (AB 2386), which now protects employed breastfeeding mothers from sex discrimination and harassment. That same year, the Fair Employment and Housing Commission passed new regulations, which now include lactation as a defined "other related medical condition" to pregnancy. These measures, combined with state and federal law, make California the state with the greatest legal protections for employed breastfeeding mothers.
Women's access to preventative health services is expected to increase under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Health plans are required to cover 22 preventative services for women, including:
Mental health issues can range from severe lack of self-confidence and handling daily stressors to psychological disorders and substance abuse. Mental health is integrally tied to many aspects of living - such as work, education and psychological health.
Overall California's first-year college students rate themselves highly in terms of drive to achieve. Fewer women than men rate themselves above average in emotional health, self-confidence, and self-understanding. This trend has remained consistent over the past five years.
Over one million women in California have symptoms associated with serious psychological distress (measured as a six-factor scale and includes frequency of feelings of nervousness, hopelessness, restlessness, worthlessness). Women report higher rates of psychological distress compared to men and represent two-thirds of the users of mental health services.
Over half of women with past-year serious psychological distress indicate that their household chores, their social life, and their relationships are severely impaired due to emotional distress.
Women with past-year serious psychological distress (SPD) are more likely to smoke and to have engaged in binge drinking than those with no past-year psychological distress. Additionally, women with past-year SPD are more likely to have been a victim of intimate partner violence and to have suicidal ideation than those without past-year SPD.
California females seek treatment for methamphetamine use at a rate higher than alcohol and any other substance of abuse. Though this trend has been consistent between 2005-2010, there was a steady decline in the number of females who entered treatment for methamphetamine use, while incidence of treatment for alcohol and marijuana abuse has increased from 2005-2010.
Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death both in California and the nation. Approximately 3,300 Californians lose their lives to suicide every year with an average of nine people dying by suicide each day. In California, males are three times more likely to die by suicide than females because they use more lethal means (firearms), yet females attempt three times more often (overdose).
Children with more risk factors have an increased possibility for suicide. These risk factors include:
Violence against women and girls is an everyday reality and a public health problem. Victims of violence face bodily injuries, emotional suffering, depression, post-traumatic stress, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy and hypertension, among other mental and physical harms. Some do not survive. Rape, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, sex and labor trafficking, and bullying carry significant costs to both victim and society.
Nearly 1 in 5 women (18%) in the US has been raped at some time in their lives. Approximately 80% of female rape victims were first raped before age 25. More than half (51%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 41% by an acquaintance.
In a California survey, 41% of women and girls in California reported that they were victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetimes, compared to 33% nationally.
Younger women, 18-24 years (11%) were more likely to be victims of physical intimate partner violence in the past year than California women in other age groups.80 In 2010, 47% of all female homicides in California were due to intimate partner violence.
Stalking is the persistent harassment or intrusion into the private space of another. The murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer in California in 1990, led to the nation's first anti-stalking law (other states followed suit).
To respond to the growing stalking problem, the District Attorney's Office established S.T.A.T., the Stalking and Threat Assessment Team.
Nationally, one in six women has been the victim of stalking during her lifetime. Two-thirds (66%) of female victims of stalking were stalked by a current or former intimate partner. More than half of female victims of stalking indicated that they were stalked before the age of 25.
Human trafficking is a form of slavery, where people profit from the control and exploitation of others, as with forced agricultural or domestic labor. Sex trafficking profits by coercing others into the commercial sex industry, including forced prostitution, online escort services, and brothels.
About eight in 10 of the suspected incidents of human trafficking investigated by federally funded task forces were classified as sex trafficking, and about one in 10 incidents were classified as labor trafficking. Between 2010 and 2012, California's regional task forces initiated over 2,500 investigations, identified nearly 1,300 victims of human trafficking, and arrested nearly 1,800 individuals.
Given the complications of the U.S. Immigration system, foreign national victims are reticent to come forward to report the crime of human trafficking. Labor trafficking cases, such as domestic servitude, almost always involve women.
California is a top destination for victims who are trafficked into the United States annually. In 2006, legislation outlawing human trafficking was enacted in California and in 2012 state voters approved a measure to increase penalties for human trafficking convictions to prison sentences of 5-12 years and fines up to $500,000.
Nationally, human trafficking is the fastest-growing organized crime, involving an estimated $32 billion per year.
Between January 2008 and June 2010, federally funded task forces opened 2,515 suspected incidents of human trafficking for investigation.91 Four-fifths of victims (83%) in confirmed trafficking incidents in the United States were identified as U.S. citizens.
The California Department of Education defines bullying as "exposing a person to abusive actions repeatedly over time." Bullying may be physical (hitting, kicking, spitting, pushing), verbal (taunting, malicious teasing, name calling, threatening), or emotional (spreading rumors, manipulating social relationships, extorting, or intimidating). It can occur face-to-face or in the online world.
In 2011 Gov. Jerry Brown signed an anti-bullying measure called "Seth's Law." This legislation went into effect July 2012, giving public schools tools to prevent and address bullying through mandatory policies and systems to help discourage harassment and track incidents when they do occur.
Nationally, there are 2.7 million students being bullied each year. Nearly 282,000 students are reportedly attacked in high schools each month. The fear of being bullied caused 160,000 children to miss school every day in 2010. In 2011, 20% of students in grades 9-12 nationwide experienced bullying.
In 2011, 16% of high school students report being cyber-bullied within the previous 12 months. Cyber-bullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Teenage victims of cyber-bullying may be at a greater risk for health problems, skipping school and more likely to use drugs or alcohol. Girls are more likely to be victims of cyber-bullying than boys.
The average woman in California prisons is under 35 years of age, and is likely to be a mother who was the primary caregiver of her children. Offenses against persons are on the rise: 56% of women in the state's prisons carry this conviction, up from 39% in 2010. California also has the largest number of women on death row in the nation, though there has not been an execution of a woman in the state since 1962.
Women comprise nearly 5% (or 6,475) of the total incarcerated population in California.
Offenses against persons are on the rise. In 2010, 39% of offenses were against persons compared to 56% in 2012.
In the 2012 election, Californians voted to retain the death penalty. There are 63 women on death row across the country, of which two are in federal prisons. California has the largest number of death row women at 20. They include 11 whites, five Latinas, two African Americans and two Asians. There has not been an execution of a woman in California since 1962. Approximately 50% of the California death row women were sentenced for killing a husband, boyfriend, related child or child in her care.
With the January 2013 announcement that the U.S. military that it will formally end its ban on women serving in front-line combat roles, there will be new opportunities for female service members. Women join the Armed Forces for many reasons: duty to country, career, travel and adventure, increased education, financial stability and independence. However, there are also increased challenges for these women, including more difficulty receiving needed care than male veterans.
Nationally, women comprise 14% of military and 18% of National Guard and Reserve on active duty. One fifth (20%) of new military recruits are female. Currently, there are 1.8 million (8%) women veterans and this number is projected to increase to 10% by 2020. The median age of female veterans is 47; whereas the median male age is 61. More female than male veterans self-identify as a member of a racial minority.
There are almost 167,000 women veterans living in California. Women comprise 8% of California's total veteran population, more than any other state. The percentage of female veterans in California is expected in to increase to 11% in 2020.
The current female veteran population is predominantly white, but the percentage of non-white women veterans in California is expected to increase from 38% to 44% in 2020.
California has one of the highest concentrations of female homeless veterans. Women veterans are more likely to become homeless than women who have never served in the military. To determine why female veterans are at greater risk for homelessness, the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau designed a pilot project to gain a better understanding of the needs of homeless female veterans. Part of this project included a program that instituted listening sessions with homeless women in California.110 Female veterans who participated in these listening sessions reported experiencing trauma at various stages of life, including while in military service. Factors identified as contributing to their homelessness included:
Many service women do not identify themselves as "veterans" and they report feeling "invisible" when returning from deployment, thus leading to problems providing care for this population. This is especially true for the younger female veteran.
Mount St. Mary's College thanks our sponsors for their generous support.


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Allison_Tayylor Just watched Brave for the first time... Cried my eyes out... All time new favorite Disney movie.
10 hours ago.
___lottyyyyy Just watched little mermaid now watching brave forgot how much i love Disney wow
18 hours ago.
BenjaminLucas8 Watched Brave last night great Disney film #Disney #class
1 days ago.
ryanarillo Just watched Frozen tonight, and I like it. Disney tale never fails.. (Well though I don't like Brave) keren! ☃
chipadilla_ I've got tons of things to do yet I just watched Brave and Frozen today.. Oh, Disney!
Exclusive Cast Interviews John Lasseter talks about Scotland as a character in the film while Kelly MacDonald talks about playing Pixar's first female hero.

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State and Local Taxation
Beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year, Georgetown offers a Certificate in State and Local Taxation (SALT). This area of practice is extremely important to multi-state corporate taxpayers, from Fortune 500 companies to regional businesses. The SALT field offers promising career opportunities in major accounting firms, state and local revenue departments, and law firms.
Georgetown's SALT curriculum covers the principal sources of state revenue — income/franchise taxes, sales/use taxes, property taxes, and the incentive programs connected with them — as well as federal constitutional limitations on state taxing power and the procedures used to resolve SALT disputes. Students can supplement these core courses with electives addressing such topics as value-added taxation, public finance, and municipal securities.
Faculty are drawn from major law and accounting firms, the Multistate Tax Commission, the Council on State Taxation, and NGOs devoted to this field. The courses will feature guest speakers from the public and private sectors who likewise are prominent SALT experts. Participating firms and agencies will offer externships that enable students to gain practical experience in this area.
This Certificate may be completed as a standalone program on a part-time basis, or in conjunction with the LL.M. degree in Taxation. Because the courses presuppose a basic understanding of U.S. constitutional law, the SALT Certificate is generally open only to students who received their J.D. degree in the United States. To be admitted for the Certificate, students must have taken a basic course in federal income taxation.
To learn more about the Certificate in State and Local Taxation, please contact:
Philip M. Tatarowicz
Distinguished Visitor from Practice
Office of Graduate Programs
600 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Suite 5029, Hotung Building
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 661-6698


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Jesse 8 wrote:I liked your serpa, blackhawk holsters.com? That would make a fine owb casual conceal. But I like the superior protection of my leather holster for that. Still tho......something to consider for future use. As for the crossbreed......I'm just not sold on their comfort levels. Maybe one day I'll take a drive to concealment solutions and try out the mamba for myself.
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers left guard Chris Kemoeatu will sit out Sunday's game against Green Bay with right wrist and right knee injuries.
Coach Mike Tomlin says Kemoeatu has been "playing one-handed" at times because of the wrist injury and that he needs a week off to heal. Kemoeatu will be replaced by undrafted rookie Ramon Foster.
Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will miss a fifth consecutive game with a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, an injury that has been slower to heal than the team expected. Polamalu hopes to play in the Steelers' regular season finale Jan. 3 in Miami, but he could miss the rest of the season.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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- Tuesday, Decemeber 3rd: Waiting for Guffman Community theater gets spit-roasted in this blisteringly funny mockumentary. Christopher Guest plays the ultra-fey Corky St. Clair, a local theater impresario who takes his directing duties a little too close to heart. His hopes of taking the production to Broadway hinge on the attendance of a very important guest. 1996; 84 minutes.
- Tuesday, December 10th: Best in Show Christopher Guest is at it again with this snarky send-up of canine culture that traverses the galloping neuroses surrounding a highly competitive dog show in Pennsylvania. 2000; 90 minutes.
- Tuesday, December 17th: A Mighty Wind This time, Christopher Guest aims his mockumentary lens at 1960s folk musicians: the earnest Folksmen, the too-perky New Main Street Singers, and former lovebirds Mitch and Mickey. As the three acts prepare to reunite for a tribute concert, music and emotions run high. 2003; 92 minutes.
- December Focus on Film Theme Be Our Guest: The Mockumentaries of Christopher Guest. Christopher Guest has made a name for himself by writing, directing, and acting in his Mockumentaries, satirical, tongue-in-cheek parodies of what goes on behind the scenes at a community theater production, a pet show, and a music concert. Guest calls on many of the same comedians to improvise their characters, with hilarious results.
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My new Build will have to connect to my D-Link (DGL-4500) GamerLounge Router with a WiFi Card, as I do not want to run Cable it would just cost to much for the run that I would need. I was wondering if anyone here might Know of the Quality of this item, the Reviews listed with it are mostly very good, but this would be my First time using this Type of WiFi. Any Ideas & or Suggestions would be great. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0-_-NetworkWirelessAdapters-_-LP1C-_-33127218 Thanks. Dre
I did not think it would matter much, But I guess it really does not have to be. The first thing I looked at was the Cost / Specs / What reviews there were. But I should have stated in my First post, that I'm still a bit Dumb Founded When it comes to WiFi and Networking, a Bit thick Headed I guess Dre
Despite my hatred of D-Link, it seems to provide adequate performance. My assumption is that your router is producing 802.11 n signals.
Really I have heard a lot of good things about the D-Link & that is why I bought it and before that I went through 2 Linksys Routers, for me it is been running great for the past 2 years almost now. I will have to check that out, to be honest it's been so long that I looked at the router settings, I'm not sure, But I also have a 5 yr old HP Laptop and it connects with no problems and has good Speeds & streams Video / Audio pretty good considering. Dre
5 year old laptops not gonna connect to it if its running full N signal. My guess is B or G (maybe both) EDIT unless your laptop has a N capable wifi card
if it's broadcasting N, wouldn't it also be shooting a b and g signal? Those are the only kinds of routers I've ever seen at least
I'm just going to Have Guess & say that "Munki" you just might be right as I don't think the Laptop is running N at all. But now this is bugging me I have to get in to the settings and see what it is set at. Dre
Cheap yet reliable: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166037 Cheaper, may be less reliable: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833130064 Used these cheap bastards in my networking class and no one had a problem.
Here is a Screen Cap of what the router is broadcasting, And now I remember I had to set it t o 2.4Ghz because my laptop would Work any other way. But now if I go with a WiFi Card that can handle 5.0Ghz I would be able to set it that way Correct? Dre
It's all good, besides if everyone in the world thought the same way it all the time it would get Boring Dre
For your benefit, stay with 2.4GHz unless you want to use the IEEE 802.11a standard, cause it uses 5GHz.
Understood & thanks for the info, I only set it that way Cause the Old Laptop would not connect or work unless it was set to 2.4Ghz. But the new Build I'm getting ready to work on will able to handle the [5.0Ghz (But that would not Give better Speeds?)] Well that is as long as I go with a WiFi card that is Compatiable also. I'm still waiting on a few more Shippments to come in. And is why I Needed some Input on the WiFi Card as well as Suggestions & ideas from the Good & wise members here. Umm did I kiss up enough yet :New: Build Icase this info is needed here: Internet Connectivity: WiFi MoBo: P5Q Deluxe Asus CPU: Core 2 Extreme Ram: OCZ Reaper 8 Gig GPU: 5770 x 2 ATI Optical Drives: Still Need to Get Three Loop Water Cooling entire system. Dre
Why do you want the new machine to be able to use 5Ghz? IEEE 802.11a is old technology. Even though 5Ghz is possible for 802.11n. Your going not going to be able to use B or G. Here are some Data Rates for each standard: A- 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 B- 1, 2, 5.5, 11 G-1, 2, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 N(2.4GHz) -7.2, 14.4, 21.7, 28.9, 43.3, 57.8, 65, 72.2 N (5GHz) - 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120, 135, 150 Personally the only way I would run 5GHz is if I was running pure 802.11n
It's not that I have to have it at 5Ghz, I was just figuring that it would get the best through put and NO I don't want to go with old Tech. I'm just thinking / looking to the max Through put on it as it will be used for Treaming Video / Audio & Gaming. And maybe even Data Transfer & or Backing up Files with the Systems that will end up being on the network of three PC's and a Laptop in time. But I do see what you mean.
I Undrestand & I do Appreciate it Very much & thank you for taking time out of your day to assist me here my Friend. Have A Double on me Dre


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FFmpeg / Libav Summer Of Code 2011
From MultimediaWiki
Qualification tasks
For us to consider your application for SoC we require a completed qualification task. Many Summer-of-Code projects (in the list below) have specific qualification tasks. These tasks are meant to make you familiar with the code that you will be working with, are at approximately the same difficulty level as the actual Summer-of-Code project itself (just a lot smaller), and often already provide you with a jumpstart into your Summer-of-Code project. We suggest the following order of events:
- First, select a Summer-of-Code project (either from the list below, but in some cases you may also come up with your own)
- Second, discuss this project with the person that will mentor it. If a mentor is listed, talk to him on IRC, via email or so. If no mentor is listed, find one by emailing the FFmpeg-soc mailinglist.
- With your mentor, discuss the most appropriate qualification task for your Summer-of-Code project.
If no specific qualification task is listed for your project of interest, you can discuss with your mentor to choose a task from the Small Tasks list or the Interesting Patches list instead. If your prospective mentor agrees, please send an email to the FFmpeg-soc mailing list to inform that you are working on it (to avoid duplicated work). You can discuss progress on your qualification task and initial review of your finished qualification task on the FFmpeg-soc mailinglist (sometimes the patch will have to go through final review on the main FFmpeg development mailinglist before it can be applied also). The qualification task is considered completed when your patch is accepted to our main SVN tree.
Before posting to the FFmpeg-soc mailinglist, make sure you read and understand our netiquette guidelines, especially avoid top-posting and thread-hijacking (note that if you don't understand one of those terms, make sure to have understood them before writing your first post). Before you send us your patch, read our development guidelines and make sure your patch fulfills all the requirements stated there. You should also familiar with the programs diff, patch and Subversion. You have to learn these basics on your own before you start, we will not teach them to you during the application process.
A completed FFmpeg qualifications task is also accepted as a qualification task for the VLC organization (does NOT include x264).
1st Tier Project Proposals
1st tier project proposals are project ideas that are reasonably well defined AND have a mentor volunteered.
BSAC AAC Decoder
- Separate AAC Huffman decoding and dequantization from the rest of AAC decoder.
- Write a BSAC AAC decoder.
- Reuse as much of the existing AAC decoder and libavcodec as possible.
Mentor: Alex Converse
Young Han Lee has completed a qualification task (AAC LTP profile) for this project
Libav Usage Example, Tutorial and test suite
- Prepare a serie of example program of increasing complexity
- Simple remuxer
- Simple decoding loop
- Simple encoding loop
- Simple transcoding loop
- Simple producer + consumer scenario with the network protocols
- ...
- Optionally it would lead to prepare a leaner equivalent to ffmpeg and ffplay
- Examine when there are inconsistencies with the current API (e.g. unexpected timestamp mangling, packet splitting) and fix the issues.
- Integrate the example programs as components of FATE.
Mentor: Luca Barbato
VC-1 decoder missing features
- Add support for interlaced streams as used in Bluray recordings to the VC-1 decoder.
- Add support for chroma/luma scaling, used in RTP/VC1.
- Add support for slice decoding, used in RTP/VC1.
- Add optimizations for x86-32/64 (or ARM), so that HD streams play back faster.
- This includes fixing some reference streams
Mentor: Kostya Shishkov, Ronald S. Bultje and (maybe) Christophe Gisquet
Shahriman AMS is working on a qualification task for this project
Windows Television (WTV) muxer
- Qualification task: develop a prototype WTV muxer that can produce files then able to be demuxed by FFmpeg.
- The objective of this project is produce files that are compatible with Microsoft Windows Media Center. To achieve this, one must determine which of the many undocumented data types are expected by Microsoft Stream Buffer Engine, discover their format, and implement these in the muxer.
- The muxer must support metadata and indexing.
- Clearly defined task; reverse engineering skills required.
Mentor: Peter Ross
Zhentan Feng is working on the qualification task for this project
DTS Encoder
- Specification: http://wiki.multimedia.cx/index.php?title=Mirror
- Sample files: http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/A-codecs/DTS/
- Qualification: Extend the encoder in the SoC tree (port the float transform from the decoder, fix the LFE channel generation).
- Primary goal: Encoder that can produce multi sample rate, multi channel files and multi bit-rate. Wav and raw muxing support.
- Secondary goal: Techniques from specification implemented, optimal codebook usage, vector quantization, simple psycho acoustics.
- Third goal: Advanced psycho acoustics.
Mentor: Benjamin Larsson
Xiang Wang is working on a qualification task for this project
Hardware accelerated decoder for Android devices
Most Android phones supports decoding H264 via an OpenMAX decoder interface. This interface is exposed through the Stagefright multimedia framework. The flashplugin uses this to be able to have hardware accelerated decode of H264 bitstreams from Android user space. As many Android devices will not be upgraded to Android 2.3 or users don't want to root/reflash their firmware this will enable a lot of devices to install a libavcodec based media player while still having hardware accelerated H264 decode.
Mentor: Martin Storsjö, (co-mentor) Benjamin Larsson
Multithreading support
The goal of this task will be to improve the multithreading support in FFmpeg. The task is relatively unspecific, but your basic goal will be to add multithreading support to a variety of decoders in FFmpeg, by using existing infrastructure. Examples goals could include:
- Help merging the remaining bits of ffmpeg-mt into the main repository (i.e. H.264/MPEG decoder multithreading)
- Fix problems with FFmpeg's slice-based H.264 decoder threading (ask Jason for details here)
- Implement functions in the ffmpeg/ffplay binaries to autodetect the number of CPUs/cores and autodetect the number of threads to use (if unspecified)
- define ways to use both slice-based and frame-based multithreading at the same time if decoders (and files) support both
- Multithreading in other decoders that currently don't support it
- implement slice-based and/or frame-based threading in FFmpeg's VP8 decoder
- implement frame-based threading in MJPEG decoder
- implement frame-based (or if you want to hurt yourself, try slice-based) multithreading in VC-1 decoder
Mentor: (hopefully) Alexander Strange and Ronald S. Bultje
Libavfilter video work
Libavfilter is the FFmpeg filtering library that started as a 2007 SoC project. It replaced the now removed vhook subsystem. Most of it is already part of the FFmpeg main source tree, but there a few bits remaining. This project would consist in a combination of the following tasks:
- Get the remaining bits of the SoC tree committed (this includes: the rotate, split, and fps filters)
- Port all the missing filters from MPlayer (do not forget asking the authors if it is ok to release them under the LGPL)
- Framework: implement dynamic-reconfiguration of the filterchain, for supporting dynamic size/format changes
- Port filters from other frameworks (mjpeg-tools, effectv, frei0r, virtualdub, vlc, etc...)
- Write wrappers for more image processing libraries and filtering frameworks (libgimp, libgraphicsmagic, weed), extend the libopencv wrapper for supporting more filters (this may need implemented float image support in libswscale)
- Write more filters (possibly starting from already posted filters which for a reason or another were never committed, e.g. concatenate, fish, 2xsai, select, lut, eval, posterize, elbg/posterize etc.)
- Implement a compose filter (suggestion for a better name?), for creating a mosaic of the input video streams
- Write a movie sink (e.g. it could be useful for implementing a display functionality, e.g. when the video is dumped to an output device)
- Write a frequency domain filter using the FFT implementation in libavcodec
- Write a Matlab/Octave/SAGE scripting wrapper (assuming it can be done)
- More ideas?
Mentor: Stefano Sabatini (possibly with a backup mentor)
Libavfilter audio work
At the moment, FFmpeg filtering library has incomplete support for handling audio. This task would consist of a combination of the following tasks:
- Fix the remaining outstanding issues and complete the audio framework integration (check saste's audio-filters FFmpeg branch on gitorious)
- Make the resampling filter works for several combinations of sample formats and channels
- Write a visualization filter as proof-of-concept of a filter that works with both video and audio
- Extend/improve libav* audio resampling/rematrixing/requantization capabilities (this may need to re-design the audio API, maybe it deserves a task on its own)
- Write/port basic audio filters (check for example MPlayer/libaf)
- Write wrapper for audio frameworks (sox, ladspa, ...)
Mentor: Stefano Sabatini (possibly with a backup mentor)
Mina Nagy Zaki is working on a qualification task for this project
Flash screen video (1)/2
- Write a decoder for the screen video 2 format
- Enhance the encoder patch posted to ffmpeg-devel so it can be committed
- Write optimal 2-pass encoding support for the flash screen video 1 and possibly 2 encoder (djinkstra graph)
Mentor: Benjamin Larsson (possibly some one else)
Rewrite the audio format conversion code
- right now, we're using audioresample to resample audio (samplerate / channels) and audioconvert to resample audio format (int, float, 16-bit, 32-bit). We'd like a new, swscale-style implementation that combines these two in a single codebase
- design should allow for both interleaved and planar audio sample formats
- design should allow for SIMD optimization of popular conversions (float-int16, int16-float)
- design should allow for alternate conversion functions (e.g. sample format conversion with or without dithering and different sample rate conversion algorithms)
- fix bugs in current design (clipping, overflows when going from float to int, questionable rounding)
Mentor: Justin Ruggles
MXF support
- Support Clip Wrapping, Op1B, Avid proprietary files
- Support muxing DV, H.264
- Seeking support using index
Mentor: Baptiste Coudurier
Standards Compliant TS Muxer
- This is harder than it might seem at first because of the myriad of codecs and muxing rules.
- In order to complete this task you must find (or ask for) the spec, read it and understand the buffering models and what you will need to do for each codec. It's much easier to start with MPEG codecs to begin with. In most cases this will involve extracting or guessing information from the input stream.
- Sometimes spec-incompliant modes might be ok such as H.264 in TS files without HRD for iPod streaming.
- Later work can focus on remuxing
Mentor: Kieran Kunhya
1st tier proposals of last year
These are the same as above-mentioned 1st tier proposals, but we're not sure yet if we'll repeat them. Once mentors are OK, please move them up.
NEW Seeking API
- primary goal: implement a new seeking API in libavformat
- implement av_seek_file in libavformat
- implement compatible new seek_file for all AVInputFormat porting existing seek function if possible.
- implement av_build_index function which will build an AVIndex for the file
- implement av_export_index function which will save AVIndex in a file which can be loaded later.
Mentor: Baptiste Coudurier
AACS implementation
- this task probably is to get libbluray integrated with vlc/mplayer/ffmpeg and working with as many discs as possible.
- Add the ability to encode and decode using Advanced Access Content System to FFmpeg.
- Specifications: http://www.aacsla.com/specifications/
- existing implementation e.g. DumpHD: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=123111
- Most parts (BD-J, MKB, title key generation) probably do not belong into FFmpeg, this should be discussed with us before submitting an application
- possible solution: only implement "lowest" level (decode given the correct title key) but implement CSS en- and decryption as secondary goal
Mentor: Reimar Döffinger
h264 decoder optimizations
- Quite simply, make our decoder faster
- Qualification task: make our decoder 1% faster
Mentor: Michael Niedermayer
- jlindgren is interested in this task
Add support for Bayer RGB colour format
Since it is not even clear if this should be implemented in libswscale or libavcodec, this should be discussed on ffmpeg-devel or ffmpeg-soc before submitting. There was a related discussion on mplayer-devel once and at least two related FFmpeg issues:
- http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.video.mplayer.devel/48091
- http://roundup.ffmpeg.org/issue1816
- http://roundup.ffmpeg.org/issue1837
- Contact Peter Ross for his latest working patch (Jan-2011)
Mentor: Michael Niedermayer
2nd Tier Project Proposals
All that separates these proposals from their 1st tier brethren is a lack of mentor.
Finish SoC projects from previous years
Some projects are lingering in the dark unfinished. They should be picked up and made ready for inclusion. These projects are potentially less involved than starting from scratch, but also more useful for FFmpeg since the probability that the projects get finished should be higher. If some of them are deemed too easy, they could be combined.
Unfinished projects from previous years are:
For the current status of all SoC projects up to date, see FFmpeg Summer Of Code.
- rukhsana afroz is working on jpeg2000 decoder
Implement a Windows Video Presentation 2 decoder
- Fourcc: WVP2
- Samples: http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/V-codecs/WVP2/
- Suggested qualification task: Reverse engineer the frame header parsing or the actual frame data parsing
RALF Realaudio Lossless
- RE and implement a decoder for this format
- Reuse as much libavcodec code as possible
- Port MPlayer's libvo to ffplay
- Note that this does not just mean to produce a working hack so that ffplay can use xv, but a clean and acceptable wrapper for (most of) libvo.
- An alternative might be to only port the OpenGL part of libvo into a new glplay. This should be discussed on ffmpeg-devel before submission.
Speex Decoder
- Specification: http://speex.org/docs/
- Samples: http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/A-codecs/speex/
Also see Speex.
CELT/Opus Decoder
- Specification: http://celt-codec.org/docs
Also see CELT.
AMR-NB Encoder
- Specification: http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/26-series.htm
- Samples: http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/A-codecs/amr/
Also see AMR.
VP6 Encoder
- Specification: On2 VP6
- Samples: http://samples.mplayerhq.hu/V-codecs/VP6/
WMV3 Encoder
- Clearly defined task
- Primary goal: Encode video sequences such that they can be decoded by a Windows Media player.
This could either be done by improving this patch or by writing the encoder from scratch.
Improve subtitle support
- Add text-to-bitmap conversion functions
- One with hard-coded bitmaps for characters
- One that utilizes freetype
- Function used will be chosen upon compilation
Adjust existing subtitle support to new ABI
Improve Ratecontrol
- Primary goal 1: Fast heuristic VBV compliant per macroblock ratecontrol which has a better PSNR/bitrate and better subjective quality/bitrate than the current code.
- Primary goal 2: VBV compliant, rate distortion optimal per macroblock ratecontrol using the viterbi algorithm.
- Secondary goal 1: Fast heuristic scene change detection which detects scene changes more accurately, has better PSNR/bitrate and subjective quality/bitrate than the current heuristic.
- Secondary goal 2: Rate distortion optimal (for the current picture) scene change detection.
- Secondary goal 3: B frames decision which is faster and or has a higher PSNR/bitrate and subjective quality/bitrate than the current code.
SILK decoder and/or encoder
- A specification was published: http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-vos-silk-01
DTS-HD Master Audio decoder
- You should know exactly what you do if you submit an application.
- Implement a decoder for ATRAC3plus.
- FFmpeg has currently no support for MPEG-4 SLS
DirectShow capture
- Implement an indev for DirectShow capture on Windows (and support A/V synchronisation).
- Qualification: Get GDI and waveform capture integrated into FFmpeg SVN with A/V synchronisation. Both patches are almost finished.
- Implement an AAC-LD decoder.
- Implement an H.264 MVC decoder. This format is used in 3D Blu-Rays.
H.264 4:2:2 (and 4:4:4?)
- Implement a 4:2:2 (and 4:4:4?) H.264 decoder.
SSE2 swscale
- swscale largely implements MMX. Add SSE2 support using the yasm macro library.
- Difficult variants: add OpenCL, high bit-depth support, gamma-accurate conversion, better dithering, or edge-directed interpolation.
Forward Error Correction
Add FEC to libavutil - this is relevant to ESA summer of code.
- RTP FEC, standardised as SMPTE 2022M (Possibly the same as Pro-MPEG FEC) - (not 100% sure if this is for all types of RTP or just some)
- MPEG-TS 16 bytes extra - (not sure where this is standardised - in DVB perhaps?)


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Trixie *Ep 5 spoilers below* · 8:07pm
In case you didn't get that, there are going to be some spoilers.
So, I was floating around Derpibooru and I found this:
"Wonder how they are gonna spin this. "
Psychology student mode: ENGAGE
Yes, she can still be seen that way.
It's due to the fact that her ego defends itself from anxiety in the following ways:
1)Repression (Putting past troubles/bad memories deep into her unconscious mind so she doesn't have to deal with them)
2)Projection (Blaming it all on Twilight/Ponyville and coming back to beat her in order to restore things to what they were before hand.)
3)Denial (Acting like it never happened. Hard to do when your house gets crushed.)
4)Displacement (Venting the anger on something else, eg: Blasting rocks with magic)
From what we can see in this screenshot, she is clearly choosing number 2 (Blaming Twilight/Ponyville).
But now we must wonder, why?
Why does she want to do this?
There are two possible reasons:
1)Payback for her House been destoryed
2)Revenge on them for destroying/ setting back her stage show and cutting her off from attention.*
(Or a mixture of both)
But why does she think that's the right thing to do?
1)Corrupting from the amulet (Made from Sombra's magic?)
2) Her Superego (Conscience/ sense of right and wrong) was formed differently.
Eg: Been mean to others and been arrogant was encouraged so she sees it as the normal thing to do
3)Family heirloom/ gift from mother/father was in the wagon and got destroyed and it re-awokened old painfull memories and she's been driven by anger and grief.
*Why is the attention from the show such a big deal?
Well, if acting out/shouting was the only way to get attention from her parents, then that behavior would be reinforced.
Likewise, if magical talent (Tricks) were the only ways to get attention, then she would keep doing that.
(Or even a mixture of the two)
Then again, there is the possibility that she didn't receive any attention as a child. (Parents passed away/medical issues/they were drunk)
This coupled with seeing the attention that magicians got (passed a stage show/ snuk into a circus) would have caused her to see that as a way to gain the love and attention that all children crave. (Ran away to the circus?)
This would mean that her behaviour when we first saw her, would seem normal to her and the mane 6's rejection of her act, wouldn't have made sense, so she would have classed them as being jealous/hecklers.
And no, it's not "spinning a tale" it's Psychology.
And that, my friends, is how you shut a Background pony (Anon) up.
Psychology student mode: Off
And my two cents to the whole thing.


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List of Characters
Barnardo, Francisco, Mercellus—sentinels; officers in King of Denmark's army
Horatio—Prince Hamlet's friend and confidante; fellow student at Wittenberg
Ghost—of dead King of Denmark, Prince Hamlet's father; brother of new King, husband of Gertrude
Claudius—brother of dead King of Denmark; now King, and new husband of Queen Gertrude, Prince Hamlet's mother
Gertrude—Prince Hamlet's mother, widow of former King, now wife to Claudius, new King
Polonius—King Claudius's advisor; father to Laertes and Ophelia
Reynaldo—Polonius's servant, sent to Paris to spy on Laertes
Laertes—son to Polonius, brother to Ophelia; friend to Hamlet
Prince Hamlet—son of the late King, and of Queen Gertrude; nephew-stepson to King Claudius
Voltemand and Cornelius—messengers to King of Norway from Claudius
Ophelia—daughter to Polonius, sister to Laertes, beloved of Hamlet
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—fellow students of Hamlet at Wittenberg; sent with Hamlet to England by Claudius to murder Hamlet
Osric—messenger who summons Hamlet to duel with Laertes
The Players—actors (adults) who formerly performed in the city, and who are now traveling because of the rising popularity of companies of child actors
Grave diggers—two clowns (rustics) who are disinterring an old grave in order to make...
(The entire section is 250 words.)
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Characters Discussed (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition)
Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, generally agreed to be William Shakespeare's most fascinating hero. No brief sketch can satisfy his host of admirers or take into account more than a minute fraction of the commentary now in print. The character is a mysterious combination of a series of literary sources and the phenomenal genius of the playwright. Orestes in Greek tragedy is probably his ultimate progenitor, not Oedipus, as some critics have suggested. The Greek original has been altered and augmented by medieval saga and Renaissance romance. Perhaps an earlier Hamlet, written by Thomas Kyd, furnished important material; however, the existence of such a play has been disputed. Hamlet is a mixture of tenderness and violence, a scholar, lover, friend, athlete, philosopher, satirist, and deadly enemy; he is larger than life. Torn by grief for his dead father and disappointment in the conduct of his beloved mother, Hamlet desires a revenge so complete that it will reach the soul as well as the body of his villainous uncle. His attempt to usurp God's prerogative of judgment leads to all the deaths in the play. Before his death, he reaches a state of resignation and acceptance of God's will. He gains his revenge but loses his life.
Claudius (KLOH-dee-uhs), the king of Denmark and husband of his brother's widow; he is Hamlet's uncle. A shrewd and capable...
(The entire section is 1312 words.)
Character Analysis
Hamlet (Character Analysis)
The character of Hamlet dominates Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name, yet Hamlet at the start of the play is not a commanding figure. Indeed, when we first see the Prince, his posture is defensive, Hamlet taking a passive, if resentful, stance toward the events that have befallen him. Slow to the conviction that the ghost is his dead father and that Claudius is guilty of regicide, Hamlet does not go straight to the task at hand. Hamlet's delay or procrastination is something about which critics have wondered and that the character himself agonizes, his self-reproach reaching an apex in Act IV, scene iv, which concludes with the words "O, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!" (lines 65-66). The question remains: Why doesn't Hamlet act?
One response to this question stresses Hamlet as a man of thought and words, as opposed to deeds. Shakespeare's Danish prince is one of the most intelligent protagonists in tragic drama. Unlike many other Elizabethan revenge tragedy heroes, Hamlet is given to philosophy and abstraction. At times, it seems that the play is less about Hamlet taking action in the external world, than it is about his grappling with the key existential problems of human existence. From this standpoint, Hamlet does not act immediately because he is too preoccupied with analyzing his situation and himself in the broadest terms imaginable.
Hamlet is also a melancholy figure, given to depression, who is...
(The entire section is 871 words.)
Claudius (Character Analysis)
Claudius is the king of Denmark and brother of the dead king, which makes him Hamlet's uncle. Claudius has killed his brother to gain the throne and has married his brother's wife, Gertrude. Throughout the play, the nature of Claudius's kingship is displayed. Because Claudius is shrewd and able, though not always ethical or moral, Hamlet describes the contest of intelligence and will between them as that of ''mighty opposites'' (V.ii.62).
Claudius is clearly the source of the rottenness that pervades Denmark. He is a clever "monster," who is able to devise plots and plans that conceal his intentions and to manipulate others into furthering them. On the other hand, as in the "confession" scene of Act III, Claudius has a conscience, realizing full well that his crime "is rank" and "smells to heaven" (III.iii). Claudius deserves his fate; killed by the very instruments that he (and Laertes) have devised; still, in his remorse and his affection toward Gertrude, Claudius is not completely beyond redemption.
Additionally, Claudius's character provides perhaps the best illustration of the theme of appearance versus reality in Hamlet. Initially, Shakespeare depicts Hamlet's uncle as the consummate monarch who justifies his ascent to the throne and his marriage to Gertrude with confident eloquence and who competently handles Fortinbras's threat to Denmark. But as the play progresses, Claudius's villainy becomes more apparent, revealing that he...
(The entire section is 1010 words.)
Gertrude (Character Analysis)
Gertrude, queen of Denmark, is the widow of the late King Hamlet and the mother of Prince Hamlet, who is the title character of the play. Gertrude has recently married her brother-in-law. Claudius, the new king, is the brother of the late king and thus Prince Hamlet's uncle.
Gertrude is central to the action of the play, despite the fact that she has relatively few lines. Hamlet's disgust with his mother's marrying less than two months after his father's death and marrying Claudius is one of the main subjects of his agonized reflections in the course of the play. Not only does Hamlet consider Claudius inferior to his father in every respect, but in Shakespeare's time, it was considered a form of incest for a widow to marry her brother-in-law.
Just how deeply Gertrude is involved in her second husband's plot to kill Old Hamlet is unclear; by the final scene, it seems that the Queen was ignorant of the crime. Nevertheless, she marries her brother-in-law only a few months after her husband's death. Clearly, while he is directed by the Ghost to refrain from harming his mother, Hamlet views her (and women at large) with contempt. Far more so than her consort, Gertrude has "redeeming" qualities; she appears to be truly concerned by her son's depression and madness, and she displays a deep (if ill-placed) love toward Claudius.
In addition, critics generally regard Gertrude as highly dependent on and easily manipulated by Claudius; her...
(The entire section is 782 words.)
Ghost (Character Analysis)
Of the other major characters in Hamlet, the Ghost is important because his demand for revenge sets the plot into motion. The apparition's ambiguous role in the drama reflects the general confusion about spirits in Shakespeare's day. Throughout the tragedy, the Ghost is alternately viewed as an illusion, a portent foreshadowing danger to Denmark, a spirit returning from the grave because of a task left undone, a spirit from purgatory sent with divine permission, and a devil who assumes the form of a dead person to lure mortals to doom. While Hamlet is chiefly concerned with this last possibility, each of these perspectives are put to the test at some point in the play.
Before the play begins, King Hamlet of Denmark has been found dead. His brother Claudius has become king and has married the widowed queen, Gertrude. Prince Hamlet, grieving the loss of his father and his mother's hasty and incestuous (by Elizabethan standards) remarriage, has descended into a deep melancholy. Moreover, on two consecutive nights the ghost has appeared in armor to palace guards on the battlements of the castle. The two guards have told no one about the ghost except Hamlet's friend Horatio, who has agreed to stand guard with them to see if the ghost appears again.
In I.i, the ghost appears to the two guards and Horatio. Horatio commands the ghost to speak, but it does not. It then reappears and seems about to speak to Horatio, but when a cock crows,...
(The entire section is 647 words.)
Horatio (Character Analysis)
Horatio is Hamlet's closest friend, a former fellow-student at Wittenberg. Horatio has come to Elsinore from Wittenberg for the funeral of old King Hamlet. He is described by Marcellus as a "scholar" (I.i.42).
Horatio enjoys the absolute trust of those who know him: it is Horatio whom the guards ask to witness the appearance of the ghost, it is Horatio with whom Hamlet trusts his suspicions regarding Claudius, and even Claudius trusts Horatio to look after and further restrain Hamlet after Hamlet attacks Laertes at Ophelia's funeral. In III.ii.54-87 Hamlet professes his faith in Horatio and praises his qualities of judiciousness, patience, and equanimity.
Horatio is initially skeptical about the ghost. He believes it is a ''fantasy'' (I.i.23) of the watch. After seeing and attempting to communicate with the ghost, Horatio speculates that its appearance might be related to possible impending war with Norway. In speaking to the ghost, Horatio implores it to tell him if he can do anything to help it, or to avoid trouble befalling his country. Noting that the ghost looks like the dead King Hamlet and seemed about to speak when it vanished with the dawn, Horatio resolves to tell Hamlet about the apparition.
Horatio worries that the ghost may lead Hamlet to suicide or madness, so he and Marcellus try unsuccessfully to prevent Hamlet from meeting with the ghost. After Hamlet's private conference with the ghost, Horatio tells Hamlet that...
(The entire section is 443 words.)
Laertes (Character Analysis)
Laertes is Polonius's son and Ophelia's brother. He has come to Denmark for King Claudius's coronation. In his first appearance in I.ii, he seeks permission to return to France.
When he appears again in I.iii, Laertes bids his sister Ophelia farewell and warns her about Hamlet. He advises her that Hamlet can't choose a mate for himself alone, but, being the prince, must think of the state. Thus, he cautions Ophelia to protect her virtue. Polonius then enters and advises his son on how to conduct himself while in France. When his father is finished, Laertes leaves for France.
Laertes returns to Denmark after Polonius's death, bursting into the room with a group of followers and addressing Claudius, "O thou vile king" (IV.v.116), and vowing revenge for his father's death. Claudius assures Laertes that he played no role in the death of Polonius and asks him if he is prepared to know the truth, if in his desire for vengeance he will look to both "friend and foe" (Iv.v.143). Ophelia then enters, and Laertes realizes that his sister has gone mad. The king then tells Laertes that he will give up the kingdom, his crown and his life if Laertes and his followers find that he was involved in Polonius's death. Later, Claudius explains to Laertes that there was no formal inquiry into Polonius's death due to the queen's love for Hamlet and due to the high regard the people have for the prince. During this scene (IV.vii) a messenger arrives bearing a letter...
(The entire section is 535 words.)
Ophelia (Character Analysis)
Ophelia is the sister of Laertes and the daughter of the king's councillor, Polonius. As I.iii opens, Ophelia has apparently confided to her brother that Prince Hamlet has declared his love for her. Laertes, who is saying goodbye to his sister as he leaves for France, warns Ophelia not to take Hamlet's professions of love seriously. Pointing out that the weddings of princes are usually arranged for reasons of state rather than for love, he cautions her to guard her virginity. Ophelia promises to take his words to heart but also urges her brother to follow his own advice and to avoid "the primrose path of dalliance" (I.iii.50). Polonius enters and adds his warnings to those of Laertes. He orders Ophelia not to spend time with Hamlet or even to talk to him. Ophelia promises to obey.
Ophelia next appears in II.i, when she tells Polonius that Hamlet has frightened her by entering her room and behaving in a bizarre manner. Convinced that Ophelia's refusal to speak to Hamlet has caused the prince to lose his mind, Polonius hurries to Claudius and Gertrude, who have also noted Hamlet's odd behavior and are in the process of instructing Hamlet's old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to find out the reason for it. Polonius and Claudius arrange to spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia so that they can determine if love for Ophelia is really the cause of his apparent madness. This meeting occurs in III.i, and follows Hamlet's "To be or noto be" soliloquy....
(The entire section is 833 words.)
Other Characters (Descriptions)
Attendants: The king appears in state accompanied by attendants, and attendants wait on various members of Danish court and visitors to the court. Attendants follow the king when he enters or exits a scene. They are sent by the king to look for the body of Polonius. Attendants separate Hamlet and Laertes when they fight at Ophelia's funeral.
Barnardo: Barnardo, with Francisco and Marcellus, is one of the guards of the Danish ruler's castle, Elsinore. He and Marcellus have seen the ghost twice before the opening of the play, and have chosen to tell Prince Hamlet's scholarly friend Horatio about the occurrence. Barnardo speaks the play's first, ominous words: "Who's there?" (I.i.1).
Clowns: See Gravediggers
Cornelius: Cornelius and Voltemand are Danish ambassadors, sent by King Claudius in I.ii.26-38 to the king of Norway, the uncle of young Fortinbras, to urge him to squelch his nephew's threats against Danish land. They return in II.ii.40 to report that their mission was successful.
Council: The Council is a governing body present with the king at official meetings. The Council is said by the king to have approved of his marriage to Gertrude and his succession to the Danish throne.
Doctor of Divinity: The doctor of divinity is a clergyman who reluctantly officiates at the funeral and burial of Ophelia. When Laertes calls for more elaborate religious ceremony, the doctor states that it is a profanation to bury a probable suicide in sanctified grounds with holy rites. Laertes replies in anger: ''I tell thee, churlish priest / A minist'ring angel shall my sister be / When thou liest howling" (V.i.240- 42).
English Embassadors: The embassadors (or ambassadors) enter the Danish court at the end of the play. They report the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Fortinbras: Fortinbras is the heir to the throne of Norway. His situation resembles that of Hamlet: his father was king, and his uncle is currently ruling. Prior to the play, the old Norwegian King Fortinbras lost both his life and Norwegian lands in the battle with King Hamlet. Early in the play, young Fortinbras is described as seeking to regain the lost Norwegian land during the period of uncertainty following King Hamlet's death. Negotiations between King Claudius and the current king of Norway, however, result in Fortinbras agreeing to cease...
(The entire section is 1754 words.)
Hamlet Characters: Homework Help
Source: eNotes Publishing, ©2013 eNotes.com, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Shakespeare for Students, ©2013 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: MAXnotes to Hamlet, ©2000 Research and Education Association, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
Source: Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition, ©1998 Salem Press, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.


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Super Bowl Blackout Was No Accident, Pentagon Reports
New Orleans, Louisiana -- The 35-minute power failure at this year's Super Bowl was intentionally planned, according to US military officials, who revealed today that the outage was a failed test of a new Defense Department strategy.
Called "Turn Out the Lights, The Party's Over," the concept calls for hiding civilian populations in the dark if America is ever invaded by foreign troops.
"Yesterday was the first test of this new tactic," a Pentagon spokesman said. "Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful because we did not achieve a total blackout of the Superdome."
Apparently, top executives at Louisiana Power and Light were not adequately compensated for fully pulling the plug on the Super Bowl, so only a partial blackout was staged.
The Pentagon spokesman blamed the Treasury Department for the shortfall, noting that Treasury officials have recently imposed a new "bribe ceiling" on all federal agencies.
"The days of the $600 hammer and the $5000 toilet seat are over," the Pentagon spokesman lamented. "In fact, that's why we devised this new blackout tactic. We no longer have the funds or the firepower to protect the population, so the next best thing is to hide them from the enemy."
US President Barack Obama said he was kept "completely in the dark" when it came to the new policy. "But if it saves a few billion bucks, I'm all for it."
Football fans who spent thousands of dollars for tickets to the Super Bowl were less enthusiastic about being plunged into darkness.
"I bet that Petraeus thought this one up," one complained. "I hear he does his best work in the dark."
"Is the half time show over yet?" questioned another.
"I'll go along with his blackout thing, if they hand out free assault rifles to go with it," said a third fan.
The Pentagon spokesman pointed out that the military does not have the funds to arm civilians, but is actively selling off weapons ranging from F-16s to assault rifles to the highest bidders.
"Why sit alone in the dark when you can have a Bushmaster assault rifle at your side to keep you company?"
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