text:
Aum som somaya namah
B. P. Lama Modern Observations
Chandra Mahadasha *10 years
Modern description of the sequence of experiences structured into the Chandra Mahadasha, written by Barbara Pijan Lama
see also: Shil Ponde's description of Mahadasha according to 12 Rashi
10 years of stable sheltered rhythmic routine
Redoute - Piyoine (Peonies)
|BPHS = Nine Mahadasha Periods of the 108-year Vimshottari Dasha
|BP Lama Vimshottari Dasha commentaries
Nine Bhukti sub-periods of the
Chandra Mahadasha
Giving of Animals in Charity
If in addition to mantra you might wish to follow Shri Parashara's remedial instruction for giving a cow, buffalo, or goat in charity, this is quite easy to do!
Even if you're having an easy dasha, these beloved and useful animals make wonderful celebratory gifts!
from The Gelug/Kagyu Tradition of Mahamudra
by 14th Dalai LamaTenzing Gyatso,
"When serving society or others in general, it is very important to set a proper motivation at the start of each day.
Thus we consciously set the tone for the entire day so that we go through it within the context of a pure, altruistic motivation and attitude."
What to Expect from the Chandra Mahadasha:
Then, carefully consider
Chandra's Bhava
Chandra's Rashi
Chandra Mahadasha + Chandra bhukti
Main effects of Chandra swabhukti are determined by Chandra's bhava + rashi, karaka agency of Caretaking Chandra, incoming-and-outgoing drishti, current transits, and the age of the native.
The Chandra-Chandra swabhukti = the relatively brief (10 mos.) but emotionally definitive "opening bell" of Soma's rhythmic, habitual, caretaking, stabilizing, nourishing Vimshottari Dasha.
Career auspice:
Agency of Chandra
First and foremost, Mother. Grandmother. Caretakers, parents, grandparents, guardians, agents in loco parentis, nourishers, protectors, defenders, police, farmers, fishers, cultivators, ethnicities, place of settlement, home, house, security, fences, boundaries, lands, customs of the people, activities regarding ownership and anything related to roots.
Vehicles of every variety, including craft of land, air, and water, are favored. Depending upon character of Chandra, the mode of transit may be public such as omnibus, railcar or ferry-boat; or private such as automobile or single-engine aircraft. Transit is generally comfortable, secure, and easy to obtain. Chandra favors familiar local movements therefore best results for repeating local transit such as a comfortable and reliable daily work commute. If a location might need a new shipping harbor, Chandra may also help with any need for sheltering connected with transit.
Strong preference for the Old Ways and deep need of a rhythmic routine in the daily life. Parenting, policing, school-teaching and stewardship of the land are favored. Nourishment is easy to obtain and generally local in origin. Sheltered environments, safety, security, protection of weaklings; oceans and coastal lifestyle; seafood, marshes, estuary; fisheries; things underground such as burials, basements, and bunkers.
Predict the agents and environments of the 10-year Chandra Mahadasha via the placements of Chandra in the kundali. Because Soma's influence is so deeply psycho-emotional in nature, pay special attention to Chandra's Nakshatra.
For example,
Predict social-material effects from the D-1 primarily; psycho-emotional effects (including relationship experiences) from the D-9 primarily.
During the Chandra mahadasha one wants a rhythmic, routine lifestyle.
Safety, Stability, Soothing Rhythms
Soma wants to feel safe and secure. Soma wants to be nourished, sheltered, protected, rooted in the folklore and homeland customs of one's people, a harvester and cultivator, feeling the ancient rhythm of the ocean tides.
Transitioning from Surya-Shukra period
Typically the Chandra-Chandra swabhukti experience is emotionally intelligent, and somewhat favoring the needs of the self rather others due to the Dasha Sandhi transition from Surya mahadasha (depending on the overall strength of Surya) but still quite relationships-sensitive due to the previous bhukti having been Shukra..
Notice a prominently sensed need for rhythmic behaviors, regular habits, a safe and comfortable dwelling, routine relationships especially kinship, and a stable capacity to take care of others -as soon as one's own needs are met.
Depending on Chandra's bhava, Chandra-Chandra swabhukti transitioning from the Surya-Shukra period, often signals a move away from a relationship focus (Shukra) into a heightened emotional self-understanding. Likely Chandra confers increased ability to meet one's own needs via a supportive lifestyle and self-nourishment.
Relationship with the mother begins to intensify and will remain salient throughout the 10 years of Chandra Mahadasha. Bond with the mother may express as physical-social or psycho-emotional or - for some rare aspirants - spiritual with the Divine Mother. Land-owning, steward-protector, curator-caretaker, guardian-groundsman, parenting and school-teaching roles predominate.
If Chandra rules either navamsha-1 or navamsha-7, the Chandra-Chandra swabhukti is an auspicious time for marriage.
Chandra Mahadasha +
Mangala bhukti
What to Expect?Evaluate the placements of Mangala.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native. Has the graha matured?
Chandra sees Kuja as a neutral;
For Kuja, Chandra, Surya, and Guru = Friends
Main effects of Chandra-Mangala bhukti are determined by
Chandra and Mangala are a successful pair. Chandra's rhythmic pulse tends to stabilize and ground the hyperactive Mangala which results in steadier and generally more productive output. Chandra-Mangala yoga is a known dhana yoga for this reason.
Easier angles
More challenging angles
Although a relatively brief period of time, if Kuja is reasonably well disposed, the Chandra-Mangala yoga is typically busy and fruitful.
Career auspice:
Agency of Mangala
A preponderance of young males may be expected in the environment. They might be students, soldiers, or sportsmen. The nature of the sport can be financial or intellectual as well as physical. Females can run Kuja energy if they are athletes, soldiers, or very competitively energetic, but normally the agents are male.
Animal sexual instincts may rise, and married persons may find that sexual communion cures any tendency toward disagreement.
In the workplace, competitive and dominating instincts are stronger than normal, motivated ultimately by Chandra's emotional need to feel reassured that one does belong in the place. Therefore some caution is urged toward shrewd use of Kuja's urge to play and win.
Take care not to threaten others with displays of power; rather, cultivate an aura of energetic sheltering and protection.
commentary from Shri B.V. Raman,
Autobiography of a Vedic Astrologer, p. 99-100:
"It has been my experience over nearly sixty years that Rahu as sub-lord, whether in his own period or in the period of other planets, would always create problems of a serious nature, affecting family and personal matters, which would Test the mental and physical stamina of an individual whatever be his social, educational, or financial attainments.
There are of course exceptions which I will discuss in due course... "
Chandra Mahadasha + Rahu bhukti
What to expect from a Rahu period?
Evaluate the placements of Rahu.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native. Has the graha matured?
Now, consider each of these factors again with reference to Rahu's lord. Rahu gives the effects of His occupied bhava AND the bhava which are ruled by His lord.
Main effects of the Chandra-Rahu bhukti are determined by
Chandra-Rahu period may bring Rahu-agents who are parent-poseurs (often females) or 'faux' parent figures.
There may also be expedient or capricious actions from Chandra-related agents such as landlords, those involved schooling, local police, or those charged with providing nourishment such as farmers, fishers, and purveyors of nutrient.
Easier angles
More challenging angles
Career auspice:
Agency of Rahu
Foreigners or those of exotic provenance. Rule-breakers who are typically clever in their methods and motivated by an urge to self-elevate and obtain higher privileges. If Rahu is well placed, internationalism is profitable and ambition to deal with foreign persons, products, or concepts is well rewarded.
Rahu agents interact with Chandra's promise to provide a stable, sheltered lifestyle involving seasonal (Chandra) cycles which define life in a fixed place.
One may indeed self-elevate via insinuation into the class of parent-protector-steward-landsman whilst in company of the Rahu agent(s).
However toward the end of the Rahu bhukti it may become more obvious that most of the Rahu agent's claims are emotional-mirroring mimicry.
Rahu the Eclipse-maker appears to offer protective shelter . Yet as a great enemy annihilator of Chandra, famously Reckless Rahu is inherently unstable due to His urgent ambition and His very constitution is arrhythmic in nature.
Toward the end of the bhukti, Rahu's pretension to deliver emotional security, rhythmic stability in the lifestyle, rootedness in the land, and regular meals is typically exposed as fraudulent in some way. Chandra's endotic parochialism cannot, at its root, accommodate Rahu's adventurous risk-taking commingling with exotics.
The parent-protector privileges which Rahu seeks cannot be obtained by arrhythmic methods. If Rahu enjoys a favorable angle vis-a-vis Chandra, the Chandra-Rahu period may be pleasant but the end result will not be obtainment of the highest privileges sought by Rahu the Protector Pretender.
Rather, a Rahu adventure may be had, and some tentative privileges gained, but with no sustaining (Chandra) roots laid. However, the subsequent Guru, Shani, and Budha periods are often able to provide more established security.
If Rahu yuti Chandra, this Chandra-Rahu sub-period can be experienced as an exhilarating reunion with the parent or parent-figure. Yet in the end the pretensions of that Rahu-pretender-figure are revealed, and one is returned to the inevitable basic need to personally establish the ground of one's own security.
Chandra's need to seek an unchanging and unshakable foundation for one's own emotional well-being will not go away even during the ambitious excitement of a Rahu period. A solid rooting in the presence of the Divine is the only viable bulwark against unpredictable and unsettling changes.
Chandra Mahadasha + Guru bhukti
What to Expect? Evaluate the placements of Guru.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native. Has the graha matured?
Unlike the previous Chandra-Rahu period which may have introduced some shady characters or intense desires, the Chandra-Guru period is typically pleasant and accommodating, according to the character of Guru.
Main effects of Chandra-Guru bhukti are determined by the angle between Chandra and Guru, karaka agency of Generous Guru, Brihaspati's bhava, rashi, incoming-and-outgoing drishti, current transits, and the age of the native.
Chandra sees Guru as a neutral
Guru views Chandra as a mithragraha = a strong friend
Easier angles
More challenging angles
Career auspice:
Agency of Guru
Expansion of all things, including physical body, emotional capability, mental understanding, and spiritual wisdom.
Dramatis personae often include Guru-type figures such as priests, professors, preachers, paternalistic personalities, pundits, pontificators, and paternoster. Featured environments may include universities; houses of worship; temples; homes guided by a wise, elderly male; spaces dedicated to religious study; and any environment which features charity, inclusion, or expansion.
For those of child-bearing age, Guru periods are typically fertile. A woman who wants to bear a child has a very good chance of fulfilling her wish during any bhukti of Guru; but the uniquely child-supportive, fertile and parental combination of Chandra-Guru makes this particular bhukti a very auspicious time for delivering a child.
Chandra Mahadasha + Shani bhukti
What to Expect?
Evaluate the placements of Shani.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native. Has the graha matured?
Main effects of Chandra-Shani bhukti are determined by the angle between Chandra and Shani, karaka agency of Sober Shani, Shani's bhava, rashi, incoming-and-outgoing drishti, current transits, and the age of the native.
Comfortable Chandra feels friendly toward Strict Shani, but compassionless Social Lawmaker Shani sees empathetic local home-based parental Chandra as an enemy of large-scale government.
As always, the outcome predictor = relative angle between Chandra and Shani. Majority of the experience = emotional rather than social-material due to effects necessarily measured from Chandra lagna. All Shani-related results improve with maturity and much easier after age 50.
Generally, the tasks and agenda of these two graha are mutually compatible overall so long as each one stays in their own domain.
Easier angles
More challenging angles
6 * disagreement = local vs. national standards
8 * sudden, forced changes in lifestyle due to act of Law
12 * dissolution of local realm, government mandated retreat
Career auspice:
Overall Compatibility of Objective and Style
Chandra = customary, routine-loving, emotional agent of ethnic settlement and routine. Chandra's ancient rhythmic habits do not need the larger external governance structure of Shani's bureaucratic, regulatory hierarchies.
Normally Chandra and Shani do not interfere in each other's realms, but there are times when Shani's demand for large-scale uniformity under the rule of regional or national law can impinge upon Chandra's deeply rooted, customary entitlements. If there is interference, it is typically Shani molesting Chandra and not the other way.
At the time of Chandra-Shani onset, 10-year Chandra mahadasha has been operating for approximately four years and four months time. The native has generally been swathed in a cocoon of ethnic routine consisting of local languages, food, religion, dress, festivals, rituals, manners, marriage customs, kinship relations, etc. Unless protective, maternal Chandra is damaged, His realm is quite comfortable and fluid.
The main focus of Chandra mahadasha is development of the astral plane, known as the 'ocean of emotion'. Shani bhukti tests the realism and maturity of that wellspring of sentimental, localized emotion by the standard of its utility for the greater society.
Shani = Material Reality
Shani does not recognize the reality of individual emotions; therefore Shani can only assess and legitimize the rooted customs of a people in their historic place. Shani will test Chandra's customs for purpose of deciding whether they can be protected (or not) under the aegis of a larger-scale regional, national, or international rule of law.
Shani is unable to recognize the customary authority of Chandra-agents such as parents, local priests, parochial schools and schoolteachers, and rural farmers or fishermen. Often therefore during the Chandra-Shani bhukti, the agents of Chandra may temporarily lose their power to government authorities.
For example, most schoolteachers have a strong placement of Chandra. During Chandra-Shani bhukti, local schoolteachers who want to teach children using their village language may temporarily feel oppressed by government policies which force them to teach the national language. On the positive side, schoolteachers whose local practices may be traditional but are also harmful, such as the custom of beating students, may find themselves penalized by a government which can no longer tolerate their bad habit.
Also the silent entity of Earth's natural environment is governed by soothing, rhythmic Chandra. Shani-related damage to the local lands and waters can occur during Chandra-Shani periods when the local environment is unable to defend itself against large corporations and governments. On the positive side, tough government regulations may curtail local strongmen who normally abuse the land with impunity.
However like all bhukti of Chandra this sub-period is brief = 19 months. Due to Chandra having no planetary enemies, no conflict becomes irremediable or extreme. The subsequent Chandra-Budha period is likely to raise the argument more successfully due to Budha's skill with verbal logic.
Shani is not a starter; Shani is a finisher.
Shani's job is to freeze movement in order to impose law-and-order in the world. Shani is an agent of time, aging, material achievement, socially responsibility, dignified labor, and public respect. Shani allows only very slow progress and often no progress at all; His preferred condition is fixed, cold, wooden, stony stasis.
Chandra's mentality operates mainly in the astral (emotional) plane. Shani's workload occurs mainly on the material plane. In truth, these two levels inform and support each other. There is no serious conflict but there is definitely an experience of being tested - particularly tests of emotional (Chandra) maturity (Shani).
Shani-bhukti signals the time when Chandra must "walk the talk" of protective empathy by bringing the qualities of nourishment and parental concern into the cold, uncaring, inflexible hierarchies of Shani. Since the governing laws (Shani) are unlikely to share an emotional affinity with local feelings (Chandra), a fully neutral compassion toward Shani agents must come from parental Chandra. Only then can Shani be humanized.
The 10-year period designated for mastery of the emotional realm, to the extent predicted by the condition of Chandra in the kundali, is now approximately half-complete. When Shani bhukti begins, Chandra's emotional intuition - aiming for full compassion - has already passed through the four rotations of Chandra-Chandra, Chandra-Mangala, Chandra-Rahu, and Chandra-Guru.
It is now time for Shani's "mid-term exam" which will test the "formative" development of Chandra thus far, in bhukti 5 of 9.
Normally, Sturdy Shani is able to pass the tests in 19 months or less. However if Shani rules a dushthamsha there can be extra stress factors during the 19 months.
Potential for additional dushthamsha related anxiety and stress:
Chandra-Shani bhukti may be somewhat tiring perhaps; restrictive; uncreative; and definitely overworked... but not harmful to emotion or spirit. Chandra-Shani is designed to impose a series of tests which assess emotional maturity and ability to maintain ethnic integrity in the context of larger-scale social governance structures.
Schoolteachers, parents, caretakers, shelter-providers, farmers, fishers, bhava-builders, land-owners, and those whose lifestyle is based in the local home culture may find their security temporarily threatened by Shani's demand for uniformity and one-size-fits-all national policy.
Awards and Achievements
SShani naturally slows and stiffens, yet He does not prevent all material movements. In particular Shani favors gains of income (11) and receipt of awards for achievement (11) as well as public recognition (10) and dignified roles of institutional leadership (10).
Social-material results of the final bhukti very much depend upon the relative angle between Chandra and Shani within the radix. Psycho-emotional results can be seen more clearly via the relative angle between Chandra and Shani within the navamsha.
Should Shani occupy the difficult 3rd-from-Chandra, the bhukti script may articulate subconscious expectations of excess gravity.
As always, the "test" = to finish laborious, heavy tasks during unforgiving conditions especially a tightly limited time schedule.
Chandra Mahadasha + Budha bhukti
What to Expect? Evaluate the placements of Budha.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native. Has the graha matured?
Main effects of Chandra-Budha bhukti are determined by the angle between Chandra and Budha, karaka agency of Babbling Buddha, Budha's bhava + rashi, incoming-and-outgoing drishti, current transits, and the age of the native.
There is nearly always some tension between emotional intelligence, intuition, and sensitivity versus analytical or argumentative technical reasoning skills. Sibling rivalry is more common because Chandra = parents while Budha = siblings, esp the younger ones.
Easier angles
More challenging angles
Career auspice:
Chandra Mahadasha + Ketu bhukti
What to Expect? Evaluate the placements of Ketu.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native. Has the graha matured?
Main effects of Chandra-Ketu bhukti are determined by the angle between Chandra and Ketu, karaka agency of "trustbuster" Ketu, Ketu's bhava, rashi, incoming drishti, current transits, and the age of the native.
Ketu is not desired by Rahu.
Vain hope for connection. Illusion of connection dissipates into fantasy, numbness, or distraction. Desires dispersed in awareness that one is not desired.
Often a feeling of attempted reconnection with a person, place, thing, or idea that was significant in a previous life or in a distant phase of the present life. However, the attachment is vestigial, no longer part of the vital script of the true present identity. Thus, connection is often unsustainable.
Often a feeling of attempted reconnection with a person, place, thing, or idea that was significant in a previous life or in a distant phase of the present life. However, the attachment is vestigial, no longer part of the vital script of the true present identity. Thus, connection is often unsustainable.
Chandra Mahadasha + Shukra bhukti
Evaluate the placements of Shukra.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native.
Has the graha matured?
Main effects of Chandra-Shukra bhukti are determined by the angle between Chandra and Shukra, karaka agency of Shukra, Shukra's bhava + rashi, incoming-and-outgoing drishti, current transits, and the age of the native.
Chandra sees Shukra as a neutral; however Shukra dislikes Chandra
Easier angles
More challenging angles
Career auspice:
The Final Bhukti brings end-of-cycle, conclusion, closure.
"chid" from Koeln Sanskrit dictionary
Chandra Mahadasha + Surya bhukti
What to Expect? Evaluate the placements of Surya.
Consider the rashi + bhava owned and occupied + the angle from the mahadasha-pathi to the bhukti-pati + incoming-outgoing graha-drishti + current gochara transits + age of the native. Has the graha matured?
the period of cutting-off, release, forgiveness
chidra-dasha = "Final Exam"
Main effects of Chandra-Surya bhukti are determined by the angle between Chandra and Surya, karaka agency of Surya, Surya's bhava + rashi, incoming-and-outgoing drishti, current transits, and the age of the native.
Chandra likes Surya as a close Friend; Surya sees Chandra as a Friend as well. Since Chandra and Surya are mutually friendly, periods of Sun-Moon and Moon-Sun have no inherent problems.
Naturally, problems may arise if Surya rules a dushthamsha from Chandra.
Male figures, particularly Father and Father-figures, play prominent roles in the life drama whenever Surya commandeers the script. The politics of rights and entitlements, as well as matters of genius, gaming, and celebrity, come briefly to prominence.
Easier angles
More challenging angles
Career auspice:
Opportunity for Flesh Death
For Karkata lagna or Kumbha lagna, Brightly Burning Surya = 'maraka' L-2 or L-7.
For Karkata lagna or Kumbha lagna, maraka potential is enhanced is Surya occupies bhava-2 or Surya occupies bhava-7.
However as always the agency of any potential makara is much constrained by the overall pattern of longevity in the nativity, including the nature of randhrasthana counted from radical lagna and 8th from Chandra. Do not assume that Chandra-Surya bhukti will be lethal unless the native has reached the actuarially normal age range for permission to exit.
BPHS view
According to BPHS Chandra Dasha, only L-2+L-7 Guru and L-2+L-7 Shukra become killers during Chandra mahadasha.
The dasha sandhi "gear shift" transition zone between the end of Chandra mahadasha and the beginning of Mangala Mahadasha lasts for approximately 1.5 years.
The final 9 months (approximately) of Chandra Mahadasha, including the entire Surya bhukti, becomes increasingly influenced by energetic, forward moving Mangala. Generally there is little of the usual quietude and need to forgive deeply which normally accompanies the chidra-dasha.
Kuja's thrusting energy coordinates favorably with confident, self-directed Solo Surya, to produce a time if not quite of new beginnings then of vigorous preparations for the burst of new life which emerges with great vitality at the onset of Mangala Mahadasha.
Depending on Surya's characteristics, one may apprehend the gradual onset of Mangala Mahadasha as a burst of stress-relieving freedom from the heavy emotions of Chandra, including guilt and grief. Or, if Surya is weak, one may note the increasing rapid withdrawal of the stable, steady, protective routines of the fading Chandra Mahadasha with a wistful nostalgia, pining for the old cocoon.
Whatever Soma's emotional perception of the end of this very rhythmic, predictable phase of life, whether sadness or celebration, Surya bhukti signals the conclusion of a 10-year reign of deep rootedness in the cultural habits of one's people.
These final six months are bright, independent, and creative, with the promise of much heightened physical vitality soon arriving in the new era of Mangala.
Primary active agents during Chandra periods =
|Special customization by rashi, add to the primary agents "mother" and "ocean" the following bhava traits:
|additional agencyduring Chandra periods
|Mesha Chandra rules bhava 4
|schoolteachers, parents; classrooms, gardens, boats
|Vrishabha Chandra rules bhava 3
|neighbors, caretaking siblings, sheltered instruction, mother's relatives
|Mithuna Chandra rules bhava 2
|family history, foods of the sea
|Karkata Chandra rules bhava 1
|self, breasts, lymph
|Simha Chandra rules bhava 12
|paternal grandmother 4th-from-9th = 12, maternal intuition,ocean ferries, marine shipping
|Kanya Chandra rules bhava 11
|caretaking elder siblings, father's relatives
|Thula Chandra rules bhava 10
|female boss,
maritime law,marine agency of government,
educational institutions,
|Vrischika Chandra rules bhava 9
|religious teachers, university professors
6th-from-4th = illness of mother
global waterways
|Dhanusha Chandra rules bhava 8
|parental inheritance
|Makara Chandra rules bhava 7
|maternal grandmother 4th-from-4th = 7
|Kumbha Chandra rules bhava 6
|exploitive mother or abusive caretakers,
polluted liquids,
fight over water rights, watery sicknesses
|Meena Chandra rules bhava 5
|breast-feeding children,
|12th-from-Chandra = "challenging angle"
During Vimshottari periods of Chandra, whether the 10-years of mahadasha or more brief bhukti sections, the bhava which occupies 12th-from Chandra may become problematic.
12th-from-Chandra drains the nutrient from the astral body. Matters of this bhava are exhausting. Other factors in the nativity may oblige the native to have considerable transactions involving this bhava, but the obligation to deal with it does not reduce the draining effect.
During the sub-period of the lord of the bhava which occupies 12th-from Chandra, look to the significations of this bhava and expect some notable challenges involving the agents of this bhava.
Confusion Arises as Wisdom: Gampopa's Heart Advice on the Path of Mahamudra
by Ringu Tulku, p. 122
Whatever arises in our mind - whether it's a thought, an emotion, a
sensation, or a perception - is the arising of co-emergent wisdom. It is
the radiation of the mind's emptiness and clarity. Every arising is a
temporary arising - one thought comes and goes, then another thought comes
and goes. All our thoughts and emotions just appear and disappear.
This is very important, because we usually grasp at whatever occurs. For instance, when sadness arises, we hold on to this feeling and think, "I am so sad, I am so depressed."
But from the Mahamudra point of view, what has happened? A feeling has arisen in the mind, like a cloud. Like a cloud, it appears and then it disappears, and that's all there is to it. This time it is sadness arising, the next time it may be happiness, the next time it may be anger, and later it may be kindness. All sorts of things arise, like wildflowers in a spring meadow.
All sorts of flowers grow; all sorts of thoughts and emotions arise. They are all okay; they're nothing special. When we understand what our thoughts and feelings are, and we experience them in this way, we are able to let them come and let them go.
file update: 16-Nov-2014
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text: The Iowa Department of Transportation says a rough portion of Highway 3 in Pocahontas County is scheduled to be complete next year. IDOT officials say a contract for the estimated $5.8 million project will be awarded next year, in which a section of Highway 3 between Pocahontas and Gilmore City will be repaved. Within Pocahontas city limits, the surface will be patched. Also portions of the Highway 3's shoulders that are gravel will also be paved during the project. All work is expected to be complete by the end of the 2014 construction season.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Alexa Chung is the new face of Maje's Autumn 2012 campaign
Racking up yet another campaign under her belt is Alexa Chung, who has been revealed as the new face of Maje. The French contemporary brand recruited the British TV presenter to represent their Autumn 2012 advertising campaign. Photographed by Glen Luchford, the black-and-white images were captured in the early morning at the Porte des Lilas subway station in Paris. With tiny rays of sunshine blasting onto the lens, the campaign is meant to evoke a Sixties film heroine.
"Elegant yet edgy, her attitude reflects a personality that is both glamorous and rock 'n' roll," the company said in a statement.
To help celebrate the launch of the campaign, Maje is set to throw a party this evening at the Ritz Paris. No doubt we're sure to see Ms Chung arrive in something chic and adorable. Meanwhile, some of her most recent work has included campaigns for Superga, of which she also adopted the role of creative director for the Spring 2012 campaign, Pepe Jeans and Vero Moda. Chung has also launched her two of her own collections for Madewell. It is interesting how she tends to steer clear of the British high street brands? I am sure they have all been clamouring for years to sign her up.
Her latest campaign is due to break in September. Maje has previously collaborated with Vanessa Traina, who created a capsule collection for the label, she also starred in several ad campaigns for the brand.
[via WWD]


text:
budlokken said...
Local housing starts tumble, but area bright spot in region
The Refi Plus program will waive the normal credit score requirement for a refinance; it will have reduced documentation standards for proof of income; and it will allow for computer-based appraisals, which tend to inflate the value of a home and make it easier to qualify for a refinance. Search online for "123 Refinance" they are the best and fast.
November 23, 2011 at 4:43 a.m.


text:
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is the first film in Columbia Pictures' three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson's literary blockbuster "The Millennium Trilogy." Directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, the film is based on the first novel in the trilogy, which altogether have sold 50 million copies in 46 countries and become a worldwide phenomenon.
Film informationGenre: Drama, Thriller
Anytime that you take on a movie that is based on a novel you have built in challenges that are difficult to ignore. When you add to that the fact that the story has already been made into a movie before, then the complications become even more overwhelming. This is the atmosphere and inheritance that director extraordinaire David Fincher takes on and for the most part, he does it well. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a great visual movie with interesting characters and solid plot. If you have seen the Swedish version of the movie, however, you constantly find yourself comparing them to one another, and both to the novel the movies were based upon.
David Fincher wins the award hands down for having the best visuals, but the Swedish version to me is much more primitive and engaging. That said, the movie is still outstanding.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is about a journalist that finds himself in a pot of litigiousness hot water when he is hired by a rich older man to find his niece. Daniel Craig plays the journalist to a tee, and Christopher Plummer is brilliant as usual as the older man. The real star of this movie, however, is the beautiful Rooney Mara. Mara plays a researcher (hacker) that has a horrible hidden past. She hooks up with Daniel Craig to help him search for the niece that has been missing for forty years. It becomes clear that they are searching instead for her murderer.
Like SE7EN, Fight Club and The Social Network before it, Girl shows itself to be a visual masterpiece under the watchful lens of Fincher. Set in the incredible beauty of Sweden, Fincher takes a story and turns it into eye candy like no other director today. Though the movie has a few flaws, they are barely visible behind the beauty of the rolling pictures.
Mara's character, Lisbeth Salander, is what makes the movie go from the moment she steps into our lives. Salander has her life lain bare before the lens and it deepens her character in a way that is hard to describe. Many people question the need to show where her deep wounds came from in such graphic detail, but it is far more tame than the Swedish version of the same name. That movie borderlines on gratuitous porn in some eyes. The American version is brutal, in your face and primitive, but it is necessary to reveal her horrific pain. Salander does not revel in it, and her strength and journey through the movie is the primary highlight in my view.
If I had to register a complaint about this movie, it is that it sometimes gets lost in the details. It plays like a Murder She Wrote murder mystery without the innocence of prime time television censorship. As such, the details of the research, forensics and computer work sometimes drag a bit. Still, the twists and turns of the movie make it bump back up to speed without fail, so the slow downs are not overly noticeable.
The biggest problem for me was the automatic comparison chart that ran through my mind as I watched the film. I would much have preferred to have seen Fincher's version first. I would have enjoyed it a great deal more if I had no knowledge of what was coming next. The plot was revealed before I ever sat down, and that is always a bummer at the theater. Regardless, I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated if that gives you an idea of how good this is.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo makes for outstanding entertainment but be warned…it is unflinching in it's portrayal of the suffering the characters have been through. Squeamish folks will not like this movie one bit. Consider yourself warned. Otherwise, this is a great escape to a world that fortunately few of us will ever see.


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It Takes a Nation of Millions
...to Give Barack Obama a Shot At The Presidency
"If I went back in time even 10 years ago and told Past Vince that this would happen, I wouldn't have believed me."
That's me quoting, well, me from the Social Studies column I wrote right after Barack Obama won the Iowa primary. I think it's appropriate because, frankly, if I went back in time less than 10 months ago and told Past Vince where we are, I don't think I'd believe me. But here we are. Whether Obama wins or loses, this particular moment in history is coming to a culmination. Obviously, if Obama loses, it'll be a letdown, but even if he wins, well, then it'll be a little like Christmas morning, won't it? Sure, those of us who support him will be happy but, once the celebration dies down, we'll all realize that we've moved on to a reality that can't possibly live up to the expectations of the run-up to it. But the other important point of that column for me is that it marks the exact moment when I got pulled in and became a part of the whole. Speeches and inspiration aside, I believe that people becoming involved, being swept up by this man and this moment, will be the real testament to his campaign.
The funny thing is, when I first learned about Obama, I completely dismissed him. He was doing his run for U.S. Senate in Illinois in 2004, and I was only paying attention to the race because of the Star Trek angle of Jeri "Seven of Nine" Ryan's husband and the whole sex-club scandal thing. I even remember joking about Obama's name: "Gosh, `Barack Obama'--guess it's fair to say he's black, huh?"
But he got on my radar, much like most of America, when he spoke at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, even though I didn't hear his speech. Seriously, who watches the whole convention? But I remember people, specifically white people, falling all over themselves the next day about it. And, let me tell ya, the quickest way for me to dismiss you as a black man is when you become the subject of white America's patented "He speaks so well" spiel. That coupled with the manner in which his biracial background was initially pushed--"He's not really black, he's just kind of black"--didn't help. So, y'know, yeah, Barack Obama. He's got a funny name, he's a senator, which is nice, since black people don't often get to be senators, and, apparently, he gives a good speech.
The irony is that I really started to respect Obama for the same reason that many of his critics have dismissed him during his presidential campaign: his experience before gaining public office. I know people who live in Chicago, and they all talked about how he worked on the South Side and the various good things he had done as a community organizer. And, unofficially, the reports started to trickle out that he was a good dude. So, by '06 or so, I had put him in my column of positive brothers and, at some point, I did go back and listen to the '04 speech, and, yeah, that's quite a speech. I liked Barack Obama.
That's why I was a little concerned with all the "Obama for President" talk. It's not so much that I didn't believe in Obama as it was I didn't believe in the depth of the support he was getting. I just didn't want to see him getting caught up in the rah-rah of people blowing smoke up his ass. Yes, Democratic Party types were starting to refer to him as "the future of the Democrats," but, remember, Harold Ford Jr. was once the future of the Democrats, and one blond white woman later he had been put out to pasture. Plus, the whole presidential push seemed to be based largely on the 2004 speech and the impression it made, and that's always been the role of black politicians for the Democrats--give a barnstorming speech to get folks riled up, and then go back to wherever they came from until it's time for another speech. Every time a news report came on saying he had formed an exploratory committee or he was putting together a staff, I just shook my head. Even when the fundraising started and money started to pour in, I was hesitant to believe it was going to happen.
When he announced he was actually going to do it, I was despondent. The whole thing looked like a fool's errand. First of all, there was no way white people were going to vote for him. Second of all, even if they did, the field was too crowded with seasoned politicians, like John Edwards and Joe Biden, who were more skilled at the process and were going to embarrass him. And, third, any conversation about anybody in the Democratic primaries was just an intellectual exercise because Hillary and the Team Clinton juggernaut were going to flatten everyone in their path. I've said it before and I'll say it again: When Barack Obama announced his candidacy, my only concern was getting one of those cool T-shirts before the whole thing imploded.
Then, of course, Iowa happened. A lot has been written about the effect of Obama winning the Iowa caucus, and a lot more is going to be written in the days and years to come, but what it really did more than anything else was point out that 1) it was possible for him to be a contender, and 2) we all needed to start paying attention to this thing. To be honest, when I woke up that Friday morning last January and my wife told me Obama had won, the first words out of my mouth were, "Was that yesterday?" If we're all honest, I think most folks weren't paying attention except for the die-hard political junkies out there. Then Iowa happened and lots of us woke up and got engaged.
In retrospect, the "wow, I can't believe all those white people in Iowa voted for him" thing was a factor, but ultimately it was the details of the win that made me take notice. I think it's fair to say that most Americans don't know the difference between a mass popular-vote primary, like those held in most states, and the intricate, drawn-out caucus process, but I was impressed by the manner in which Obama's campaign outmaneuvered Clinton's in Iowa. It spoke to his team's organization, discipline, and strategic edge, and it hinted that Obama was not only charismatic and impressive enough to draw votes from across the spectrum, but that he might be smart and pragmatic enough to get things done.
Still, it's the active engagement in the process of millions of Americans who might otherwise not have cared that much about the election at this point that, ultimately, will be seen as the main reason that Obama's campaign has succeeded as it has. I know that after Iowa I got into the game. I looked at all of the Democratic candidates' plans and platforms, compared them, and, yes, ultimately made a decision to support Sen. Obama. A few days after the caucus, my wife and I made our first $25 contribution to his campaign and, more importantly, signed up to be on the e-mail list. We were officially part of Obama Nation.
Handing over our money and e-mail address has, in itself, been an experience because, boy, once you're on that list, they make sure to work it. My wife and I have joked all about it along, with nary a day going by without us asking each other if we got the latest e-mail from "beggin'-ass Barack Obama"? And we sent money, at least twice a month, month after month. One of my friends, who also was on the monthly plan, jokingly referred to it as "grinding for Obama." When you think about it, $50 a month isn't a lot of money, but the regular interaction that goes along with it makes you feel more engaged and empowered. For $50 a month, the Obama campaign made me feel like I was a part of something.
True, part of it was just the "lightning in a bottle" historic aspect of his candidacy, but being historic does not equal being effective. Again, his campaign has made the most of contemporary organizational philosophy and communications technology. Yes, the Obama campaign sends out e-mails asking for money, but there are also video messages, GPS maps to local meetings and activities, neighborhood list-servers, person-to-person online connections. In many ways, it has felt like Obama was building a community more than a body of supporters. It's a cliché, but it's true: McCain--like Clinton in the primaries--is running a 20th-century campaign against someone running a 21st-century model. Howard Dean started it, but Obama and company ran with it; the technological aspects of social networking has revolutionized the way political campaigning works.
I finally got one of those Obama T-shirts, but it came with self-imposed stipulations. Frankly, I have issues going back 10 years ago when I wore a Cab Calloway shirt and an old dude quizzed me on Calloway's history until he was satisfied that I was worthy of wearing it. I don't wear anybody's name or face whom I don't know about. And with all the general grumbling that Obama supporters were somehow hypnotized ignoramuses, I damn sure wasn't going to get caught out not being able to discuss the man's policies. I've voted for every Democratic nominee for president for almost 20 years now. But I've never known as much about Michael Dukakis', Bill Clinton's, Al Gore's, or John Kerry's domestic and foreign policy as I have John Edwards', Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's. By getting involved, by wanting to get involved, I made sure I was an informed voter.
Of course, that level of involvement has led to some awkward moments. Which brings us to my neighborhood's Great Lawn Sign War of 2008.
The thing that made the conflict so unexpected was that we pride ourselves on being a progressive community. We are a group of people who are racially, culturally, and educationally diverse. There are all types and forms of families on our street, as well, and many of us are active in local politics and volunteerism. Hell, we have a couple of actual members of the Communist Party in our midst. Those of us who don't vote third party are unapologetic Democrats. But that meant a lot of things this year, didn't it?
We were among the first to put our Obama signs up, but more soon followed. Soon, approximately half of the houses on my street sported the now familiar o sign. In fact, our local Obama office ran out of signs, and, for a week or so, everything was on back order so that when a new sign showed up it was cause for a little celebration. And then the other half of my street got their hillary signs.
Much like the dynamics of the primary itself, for a while, things stayed pretty civil between both sides. But, much like the dynamics of the primary, as time went on, the situation got more and more tense. It got to the point that people stopped participating in our neighborhood list-serv, some pretty vocal arguments broke out, and, as surreal as it seems now, a couple of people vandalized each other's signs. No one wants to talk about it, but there was a short, nasty period when it wasn't surprising to see Obama signs altered to read nobama, and through some creative use of black marker, hillary placards turned into liar signs. Even after Clinton dropped out, a few supporters kept their signs up almost out of protest. I'm happy to say, however, that there is one woman in our neighborhood who still has her hillary sign proudly displayed in her front yard but has added obama/biden, too.
Still, for my money, the vitriol that the Clinton/Obama primary generated was worth it for the passion that it's generated among young people. I've been teaching 100-level English classes for six years now at a few different colleges, so I've spent a fair amount of time with 19- and 20-year-olds. For the most part, I've been impressed by their sense of fairness and overall morality, but their work ethic seems shaky at best, and I've always viewed them as the most spoiled, self-centered, apolitical group of people I've ever been around.
That has changed because of this election. Almost to a student, I have been impressed and inspired by the energy, spirit, determination, and overall focus that Obama has catalyzed in the young people around me. Over the years, I have almost resorted to begging students to read the newspaper online and pay some damn attention to what's going on in the world around them. For the past two semesters, however, I've had to put the kibosh on class political debates because they were getting so heated, but I also took notes and discovered more resources, blogs, community programs, etc. because of my interaction with my students than I ever have before. And that is because the Obama campaign has not only recruited young people but also has empowered them to become active participants in the campaign.
In retrospect, I think the 2004 speech was the first part of one of the greatest acts of political legerdemain in modern history. While many people were so busy being pulled in by the flash of Obama's words and oratory skill, the true strength of his campaign has been the organization and ground game they've put together and, more importantly, the manner in which he and his campaign got people involved. So, we've got someone who is able to put together a group of people and motivate them to work toward a common goal. Boy, I tell you, that sounds like someone who would make a good president.
Power Drain (6/30/2010)
Baltimore's influence in the legislature has been waning for years. Which of our remaining legislators get things done?
Structural Problems (5/26/2010)
Old dealings come back to haunt former state delegate Billy Madonna
Private Jet? No. Lesbian Bondage Show? "Yes We Can," says RNC Chairman (3/29/2010)
Private Jet? No. Lesbian Bondage Show? "Yes We Can," says RNC Chairman
Keeping the Tempest Out of the Tea Pot (7/21/2010)
The Color of Cleo (6/23/2010)
Yelling (5/26/2010)
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text: On July 31, 2005 about 1615 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna A150M, N8166V, collided with mountainous terrain during an en route climb from the Trinity Center Airport, Trinity Center, California. The pilot/owner was operating the airplane under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries; the airplane was destroyed in the impact sequence and post crash fire. The personal cross-country flight departed Trinity Center about 1550, with a planned destination of Weed Airport, Weed, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.In a written statement, the pilot reported that after flying into Trinity Center earlier in the morning, he spent the day engaged in physical exercise including biking and hiking. The pilot opted to takeoff from runway 14, making a left downwind departure. He noted the temperature to be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit when he departed from the 2,390-foot mean sea level (msl) airport. In an effort to divert from cumulus clouds ahead, the pilot maneuvered the airplane in a north-easterly direction toward a pass in the mountainous terrain ahead. He additionally performed a 360-degree climbing turn.The pilot further stated that about 20 minutes into the flight, he realized that deceptively level-looking terrain below was in actuality the relatively steep walls of a narrowing canyon. He noted the air becoming more turbulent and an increase in downdraft conditions. He attempted to maneuver the airplane out of the canyon, but was too late; he made a forced landing on a logging road at an elevation of about 6,000 feet msl. Prior to touchdown, the left wing impacted a tree and the airplane subsequently landed hard on the road. After coming to rest, the pilot noticed that the airplane was becoming engulfed in flames and his clothes started to catch on fire. He egressed the airplane and extinguished the flames on his clothes. Only sustaining minor injuries to his left knee, the pilot began a 3-hour task of dousing the airplane's fire with water he found in a nearby waterhole. After being satisfied that the fire would not spread to the nearby trees, he hiked out of the mountains.The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane. In addition, the pilot stated that he believed the cause of the accident to be his failure to acknowledge cumulative warning signals in a timely manner. He stated that contributing factors to the accident were his fatigue from physical exercise and lack of food, as well as air turbulence associated with cumulous activity and high density altitude.At 1556 a Meteorological Aviation Routine surface weather report (METAR) was issued at the airport located in Mount Shasta, California, located about 26 miles northeast of Trinity Center. It reported a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius and an altimeter setting of 30.05 InHg. Based upon the atmospheric conditions provided by the METAR, a Safety Board computer program calculated the density altitude at the 3,537-foot airport to be 6,028 feet. Using the standard lapse rate of 3-degrees Celsius per 1,000 feet of altitude, the density altitude computed to be about 8,600 feet at the accident site.


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Oh to be a celebrity. Inundated with offers from companies who want to use your face to promote their products. Take Nicola Roberts for example, who is the new face of, wait for it… DULUX PAINT. Not the whole range, just of their indigo paint which Dulux – and a team of experts - have predicted will be the colour of 2013.
In the promotional shots Nicola has been painted with indigo paint AND is wearing a dress that is indigo in colour AND she is standing against an indigo wall, she even has on some indigo eyeshadow. You can see where they've gone with this idea but we're not sure it will catch on. Imagine trying to paint yourself a top at home, the mess would be horrific.
Louise Smith, Dulux Senior Global Colour Designer, explained why they had chosen to work with Nic, 'Indigo adds a surprising, elegant strength and shows you are quietly confident with colour, which is why we felt Nicola would be the perfect ambassador for Indigo Night; an advocate of being bold with her natural colour and champion of colour in her everyday life.'
Nicola is currently tres busy with preparations for the Girls Aloud tour which begins in February. According to recent reports the band will split again once they have performed together, so if you want to see Girls Aloud you better buy a ticket – this could be your last chance.


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Karlie Kloss joins Kate Moss modelling for MANGO
We're sure Kate Moss could afford to retire and never work another day in her life, but instead the world famous model still decides to keep her hand in, and along with regular appearances on the front cover of Vogue and alike, Kate has a steady job going fronting MANGO's advertising campaign. It looks like American model Karlie Kloss may be following in her footsteps.
The Spanish retailer has decided to cast their model net further afield with the recruitment of Karlie Kloss to model the new Autumn / Winter 2012 collection alongside Kate Moss. We've gathered some of our favourite looks below.
With a very different look to Kate, Karlie brings a sharp, fresh and new-feel take to MANGO's collection, and although we love the floor length glamour, it's actually the masculine androgynous looks we like best on her, don't you? Check out some of the looks below and don't forget to shop the collection, it's well worth a look.


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Crohn's Disease
Crohn's Disease Symptoms and Causes
Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that is a chronic condition that may recur at various times over a lifetime. It usually involves the small intestine, most often the lower part called the ileum. However, in some cases, both the small and large intestine are affected. Sometimes, inflammation may also affect the entire digestive tract, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum, appendix or anus.
Crohn's disease affects males and females equally. It appears to run in some families, with about 20 percent of people with Crohn's disease having a blood relative with some form of inflammatory bowel disease.
Crohn's Disease Symptoms
Crohn's disease symptoms may include:
- Abdominal pain, often in the lower right area
- Diarrhea, sometimes bloody
- Rectal bleeding
- Weight loss
- Fever
- Joint pain
- Rectal fissure
- Rashes
Some people have long periods of remission, sometimes for years, when they are free of Crohn's disease symptoms. There is no way to predict when a remission may occur or when symptoms will return.
Crohn's Disease Causes
There are many theories regarding Crohn's disease causes. One theory suggests that some agent, perhaps a virus or a bacterium, affects the body's immune system and triggers an inflammatory reaction in the intestinal wall. Although there is a lot of evidence that patients with this disease have abnormalities of the immune system, it is not known whether the immune problems are a cause or a result of the disease. Physicians believe that there is little proof that emotional distress or unhappy childhoods are Crohn's disease causes.


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Matthew Birt says:
Valentino Rossi's first mission on his return to Yamaha in this year's MotoGP world championship is to score his first podium since the end of 2010.The 33-year-old is making his first official appearance since re-signing for Yamaha during a special promotional tour in Indonesia, where he is helping launch a new logo for one of the factory team's key sponsors,...
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Jul 11
Posts: 1916
CHRainmaker says:
"I was like, is he gay? is he straight? And I realized...nah, he's just slutty...Nice to see ya Soup.
Dec 09
Posts: 2494
supermario says:
A sensible remark!
is the father of the thought..................?
Jun 11
Posts: 2568
PaceyCasey says:
Vale 'desired' to make the Duke a winner.................. but then 'thought' fk that i'm off.
I can see not much gets by you. You're a credit to your species
[This Reply has been modified by the Author]
One day you may be a credit to yours bud.
How did you get on with the link pc? Find everything you need?
Mar 11
Posts: 50
caniborrowcaseyswife says:
failed for 2 yrs on a winning bike....but hope hes up there at the front, the more up there the better, as for the title...nah
Jul 04
Posts: 2587
ninjasquaddie says:
Erm, I was at Misano in September. Was I imagining Valentino in second place and therefore on the podium ?
Who proof reads this stuff ?
You have to realise that the article has been written by a stoner fanboy. Check earlier remarks in the thread.
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text:
Most of the photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs, 20 to 200 megabytes in size) from the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) Many were digitized by LOC contractors using a Sinar studio back. They are adjusted by your webmaster for contrast and color in Photoshop before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here.
Vintage photos of:
June 1862. Fair Oaks, Virginia. "Frame house on Fair Oaks battlefield used by Hooker's division as a hospital." Wet plate glass negative, right half of stereo pair. Photograph by James F. Gibson. View full size. Closeups of the windows.
The rifle is most likely either and 1855 or 1861 Springfield Rifled Musket. Considering the date, I'd hazard a guess that it's more likely an 1855. Both models threw a .58 cal soft lead, conical ball, as did the British made Enfield Rifle that was imported by the Confederacy. The weapon's low muzzle velocity caused the ball to flatten out, which in turn caused horrible wounds.
is typical of the three banded rifle muskets carried during the war. The bayonet is fixed so it looks even longer (and since the sentry moved - it appears to have two blades)
What sort of cannon is the man in the door holding?
I've seen some huge buffalo rifles, but this one beats them all!
Amazing photographs. Truly amazing. As close as we may get to going back in time.
They look more like Haints! Send in the Ghostbusters!
Under the tree.
Maybe the guy in the window is looking out at the grave thankful he didn't end up there.
By the way, I love these older photographs from the war.


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Sunday 8 January 2012: Shepherd's pie
Made with real shepherds.
That'll be Monday & Tuesday's tea sorted then.
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DBT JRF (BET) Syllabus in a Nutshell | Download
DBT JRF is always challenging and adding to its difficulty level is the unavailability of Syllabus. In the below embedded powerpoint we have compiled every possible aspect which needs to be talked about for DBT JRF.
Contents of the Powerpoint:
- Question Paper Scheme
- Qualifying Exam & Eligibility
- Syllabus
- Recommended Books
- Time Management Skills
- How Biotecnika can help You
If you have any query/doubt about DBT JRF then post it in BioTecNIka Forum and we wil try our level best to solve it.
Respected Sir/Mam, Myself
Respected Sir/Mam,
Myself Najif Akram.. I have passed M.Sc. in Microbilogy. I want to know that this DBT jrf is only for Biotechnology student or also for Microbiolgy student. Can i do apply for DBT jrf.
from when are the application
from when are the application forms for this exam made available??
are btech biotechnology
are btech biotechnology students eligible for this exam?????
please can anyone send me the
please can anyone send me the syllabus for jrf bet
In section B... can we
In section B...
can we answer any 50 questions from the all specializations or should we select any 4 specializations and stick to those???
my email id
my email id is
plz tel me dbt jrf sylabi
plz tel me dbt jrf sylabi
can a BTech biotech graduate
can a BTech biotech graduate enroll for PhD he clears the DBT JRF exam?
am i eligible for DBT exam
am i eligible for DBT exam bcoz i did my ug in life science and pg in biotech.anyone plz clarify my doubt
yes..of course you are
yes..of course you are eligible..
coz they want a mster degree with biotech or related fields.
any case if u r still in doubt here is there contact number
- Login to post comments
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text:
First of all the qualifiers:
1. This does not include soloing/boss fights. In some cases, alternate gear is highly beneficial.
2. This does not include any current or future 'magical resist' sets or special 'required to down certain foes' pieces.
3. This does not include future speculation of raids and dungeons not yet implemented.
4. This is not about gear ranking, gear guides, or armories. Just the straight 'concept' thereof
I was wondering if I'm the only one morbidly asking myself about gear swapping for trash. I mean, in general, naxx trash, OS trash, vault trash, and even heroic trash with a few exceptions can be rammed through like a square peg in a round hole. However, I hear so much suggestion of people regearing/trinket swapping/what have you for trash. I mean, it's not the killer trash of BC anymore (example: Void Reaver's room.) I don't know how much they're amping construct wing of naxx25, but honestly, mowing through it is more then a casual annoyance then SSC bog-lord frustration.
I carry a block set for sar+drakes and the boss fights that may require them, but I must know,
do many people regear for trash?
I mean, the reason why you would is sound. However, I did some testing and some swaps, then went to ask my healers and the response they got is "either way we pretty much are asleep back here till the next boss fight." I don't want to sound like a callous idiot or anything. Just kinda boggling the idea of if I'm doing a disservice by not changing after each boss fight in a wing in naxx (with some exceptions. Block set helps in the post-heigan supression room, as well as lotheb.) Am I doing something wrong?


text:
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By reading reviews posted by your neighbors, you can hire the Newbury New Hampshire garage door pro you want, and be assured of their professionalism.
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Categories: Engineering Equipment and Supplies| Engineers| Laboratories| Scientific Products and Services| Surveyors See More >
Montana > Absarokee Yellow Pages > Science and Engineering
Interstate Engineering, Inc
(701) 252-0234
1903 12th Ave SW, Jamestown, ND| Map
Professionals You Need, People You Trust. - Since 1976, Interstate Engineering, Inc. has offered civil engineering, surveying and planning se... More>
Frontier Precision Inc
(406) 556-7161
2304 N 7th Ave #J, Bozeman, MT| Map
Technology For Information and Measurement - At Frontier Precision, our goal is to be the best business partner you'll ever have as technolog... More>
C & H Engineering And Surveying Inc
(406) 651-4228
2503 Yellowstone Ave, Billings, MT| Map
Civil, surveying, structural & environmental engineering. - The Principals of our firm are Registered Professional Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors with a ... More>
(406) 245-5499
2611 Gabel Rd, Billings, MT| Map
We Are Client Focused - Founded in 1938, KL&J stands on the core of innovation, creativity and collaboration. We focus on... More>
Peccia Robert & Associates
(406) 447-5000
825 Custer Avenue, Helena, MT| Map
New office opened in Fort Collins Colorado. - Robert Peccia & Associates Our Services From designing roads in environmentally sensitive areas... More>
Allied Engineering Services, Inc.
(406) 582-0221
32 Discovery Drive, Bozeman, MT| Map
Diverse Projects - Solutions that Last. - Since 1996 Allied Engineering has provided complete and recognized engineering and construction s... More>
C & H Engineering And Surveying Inc
(406) 587-1115
1091 Stoneridge Dr., Bozeman, MT| Map
Civil, structural, environmental, & geotechnical engineering - The Principals of our firm are Registered Professional Civil Engineers and Land Surveyors with a ... More>
ECS Engineers
(406) 702-7202
2401 Montana Ave, Billings, MT| Map
Environmental engineering, technical document review, site characterization, site remediation, groundwater monitoring and sampling, regulatory negotiation, environmental compliance. - ECS Engineers serving Billings Mt and the entire surrounding area and the entire state of Montana... More>
Allied Engineering Services, Inc.
(701) 628-0221
120 S Main St, Stanley, ND| Map
Diverse projects - solutions that last! - Allied Engineering, Stanley North Dakota is a branch office of Allied Engineering in Bozeman, Mon... More>
SK Geotechnical Corporation
(406) 652-3930
2611 Gabel Rd, Billings, MT| Map
Quality testing drilling & inspection services. - SK Geotechnical's goal is to provide the very best geotechnical engineering, construction materia... More>
Meridian Surveying
(406) 698-1756
Service Area:
Absarokee, MT
Experienced Land Surveying & Construction Staking - Competitive Rates - Dan Hettinger, PLS has over 20 years' experience in land surveying in the Billings, Montana area.... More>
(406) 652-7481
207 N Broadway, Billings, MT| Map
Partner with us, and together let's create, enhance and sustain. - AECOM is an international firm, with a team located in Billings, Montana. We focus on projects o... More>
Sanderson Stewart
(406) 522-9876
106 E Babcock St, Bozeman, MT| Map
Sanderson Stewart is an award-winning regional community development services firm. For over 40 ... More>
North Star Land Services
(406) 322-9943
33 Centennial Rd, Columbus, MT| Map
MKK Consulting Engineers Inc
(406) 256-1141
175 N 27 Suite 1312, Billings, MT| Map
Associated Construction Engineering Inc
(406) 245-0136
2040 Harnish Blvd, Billings, MT| Map
J G A Architects Engineers Planners
(406) 245-6363
3395 Gabel Rd #100, Billings, MT| Map
JGA Architects has specialized in planning and design of educational, health care and commercial ... More>
HydroSolutions Inc
(406) 655-9555
1537 Ave D Ste 340, Billings, MT| Map
Hydro Solutions Inc stands ready to assist you in obtaining workable solutions for managing water... More>
Sanderson Stewart
(406) 656-5255
1300 North Transtech Way, Billings, MT| Map
Sanderson Stewart is an award-winning regional community development services firm. For over 40 ... More>
Bertram Drilling Inc
(406) 259-2532
510 Klenck Ln, Billings, MT| Map
Bertram is a diversified specialty drilling company serving an array of customers, primarily in t... More>
Bison Engineering Inc
(406) 896-1716
1411 4th Avenue North, Billings, MT| Map
Pinpoint Land Surveys PLLC
(406) 373-9856
4820 McGirl Road, Billings, MT| Map
Clayton W. Schwartz, Professional Land Surveyor Licensed in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washingto... More>
Cardno ATC
(406) 259-1033
917 1st Av N, Billings, MT| Map
ATC Associates Inc.are deeply experienced and highly credentialed. We are a national powerhouse n... More>
Geeks on Site
We Will Fix Your Computer Today!
MTS Industrial Testing
(406) 839-2013
7108 Niehenke Rd, Billings, MT| Map
Leeds Precision Instruments Inc
(800) 444-5333
Service Area:
Absarokee, MT
Bison Engineering Inc
(406) 896-1716
1111 Maggie Ln, Billings, MT| Map
Treasure State Engineering PLLC
(406) 655-9397
6308 Golden West Terrace, Billings, MT| Map
Treasure State Engineering, PLLC is a one-man civil engineering firm owned by Doug Strand, PE. Tr... More>
Tetra Tech Inc
(406) 248-9161
618 S 25, Billings, MT| Map
MKK Consulting Engineers
(406) 256-1141
175 N 27th, Billings, MT| Map
Beartooth Land Surveying
(406) 328-4364
9 N WOODARD ST, Absarokee, MT| Map
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Humidity 72%
Winds 8.1mph
Humidity 72%
Winds 8.1mph
Oct 11, 2012 11:58 AM
An online auction for 300 autographed pieces of the NCAA basketball floor on which the University of Kentucky won its eighth national championship earlier this year starts at noon Thursday.
All proceeds from the auction will be split between Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville and Kentucky Children's Hospital in Lexington.
Online bidding is at www.2012UKFloor.com and will run from noon Thursday until noon on Oct. 18.
The auction and fundraising effort is sponsored by Northwestern Mutual, which got the floor following the tournament as an official corporate sponsor of the NCAA. The company donated it to raise money to fight pediatric cancer.
14 minutes ago


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It's Now Okay to Break These Health Rules
From the best time to have non-urgent surgery to what you should and shouldn't eat and drink, these new scientific findings suggest it may be time to tweak your routine.
By Ava Feuer
You should exercise every day
No intention of dragging yourself out for a run each morning? Turns out, that inclination to limit your workouts is actually a good thing. Contrary to the popular belief that physical activity is best when it's more, more, more, several studies have actually found that when it comes to exercise, the sweet spot is four times per week. New research published in Medicine & Science and Sports & Exercise split women into three groups: those who lifted weights and did cardio twice, four times, and six times a week. After four months, all of the women shed body fat, and increased strength and endurance — without changing their eating habits. But, the four-times-a-week exercisers burnt the more calories when not working out, followed by twice-a-week exercisers. The theory is that unlike the women who exercised nearly every day, these study participants felt empowered and physically capable as opposed to exhausted, and fit other small bursts of activity — like climbing the stairs and walking for pleasure — into their daily lives.


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Relax in contemporary accommodations at DoubleTree by Hilton. All the essentials and more are covered in our modern, stylish guest rooms with an array of amenities to make you feel at home. View our amenities guide and choose a room that's right for you.
When your day ends, escape to your spacious guest room! All our rooms are newly renovated, with rich colors and contemporary décor. Our standard, newly renovated rooms feature one King or two Queen Beds. Retreat and enjoy all the amenities, which include:
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Climate change treaty: "Constitution? Obama don't need no stinkin' Constitution!"
Well, if reports are true it appears our self-crowned king has decided he's found a way to obligate us to a treaty without following the Constitution's proviso for doing so.
In seeking to go around Congress to push his international climate change agenda, Mr. Obama is echoing his domestic climate strategy. In June, he bypassed Congress and used his executive authority to order a far-reaching regulation forcing American coal-fired power plants to curb their carbon emissions….
American negotiators are instead homing in on a hybrid agreement — a proposal to blend legally binding conditions from an existing 1992 treaty with new voluntary pledges. The mix would create a deal that would update the treaty, and thus, negotiators say, not require a new vote of ratification.
Countries would be legally required to enact domestic climate change policies — but would voluntarily pledge to specific levels of emissions cuts and to channel money to poor countries to help them adapt to climate change. Countries might then be legally obligated to report their progress toward meeting those pledges at meetings held to identify those nations that did not meet their cuts.
"There's some legal and political magic to this," said Jake Schmidt, an expert in global climate negotiations with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an advocacy group. "They're trying to move this as far as possible without having to reach the 67-vote threshold" in the Senate.
"Political magic"? Is that the state of our nation now – we resort to "political magic" when we can't get our way as the Constitution requires? Well, yes.
President Obama seems to be following a script laid out in May, 2014 by former Undersecretary for Global Affairs Timothy Wirth, who was the Clinton Administration's lead negotiator for the Kyoto Protocol, and former South Dakota Senator Thomas Daschle who astutely asserted that "the international community should stop chasing the chimera of a binding treaty to limit CO2 emissions." They further noted that more than two decades of U.N. climate negotiations have failed because "nations could not agree on who is to blame, on how to allocate emissions, or on projections for the future."
Wirth and Daschle are advocating that the climate negotiators adopt a system of "pledge and review" at the 2015 Paris conference of the parties to the UNFCCC. In such a scheme nations would make specific pledges to cut their carbon emissions, to adopt clean energy technologies, and to wring more GDP out of each ton of carbon emitted. The parties would review their progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions every three years and make further pledges as necessary to achieve the goal of keeping the increase in average global temperature under 2°C. Since there would be no legally binding targets, there would be no treaty that would require politically difficult ratification. If insufficient progress is being made by 2020 they argue that countries should consider adopting globally coordinated price on carbon.
Now this isn't to say that this is going to work or even have an effect, but it is a blatant attempt to have one's way (via "political magic") while avoiding the unpleasantness of a failure to get a ratification by tw0-thirds of the Senate (its all about getting the leverage to pass a carbon tax).
And, as usual, Mr. Obama doesn't care one whit about much more than getting his way – just ask Senate Democrats:
President Obama's election-year plan to win a new international climate change accord is making vulnerable Democrats nervous.
The administration is in talks at the United Nations about a deal that would seek to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by "naming and shaming" governments that fail to take significant action.
The State Department on Wednesday denied a report in The New York Times that the plan is to come up with a treaty that would not require Senate confirmation, but that appeared to provide cold comfort to Democrats worried the issue will revive GOP cries about an imperial Obama presidency.
One Democratic strategist said the proposal would put swing-state candidates who are critical to the party keeping its Senate majority "in front of the firing squad."
"You're … making it more difficult for them to win and certainty putting them in a position to lose," the strategist said.
Silver linings … always look for the silver lining to those storm clouds.
And then there's immigration …
Economic Statistics for 27 Aug 14
In support of Burger King
I've never really been much of a Burger King fan, but guess what I'm having for lunch today?
Why? Because Burger King has given us an opportunity to point out one reason why our economy is lagging. And, as usual, it has to do with government policy. Politicians would like to play the blame game and point at corporations like Burger King moving to Canada (after a merger with Canadian based Tim Hortons) as the reason. Instead, it is the federal government's oppressive and unprecedented corporate tax rate that is helping to keep our economy floundering by providing incentive for corporations to leave.
Megan McArdle writes a great column today. To begin with she cites a paragraph from Matt Levine that makes the point that most in the media and almost all politicians opposing the merger fail to make:
The purpose of an inversion has never been, and never could be, and never will be, "ooh, Canada has a 15 percent tax rate, and the U.S. has a 35 percent tax rate, so we can save 20 points of taxes on all our income by moving." Instead the main purpose is always: "If we're incorporated in the U.S., we'll pay 35 percent taxes on our income in the U.S. and Canada and Mexico and Ireland and Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, but if we're incorporated in Canada, we'll pay 35 percent on our income in the U.S. but 15 percent in Canada and 30 percent in Mexico and 12.5 percent in Ireland and zero percent in Bermuda and zero percent in the Cayman Islands."
Got it? The US government does something no other first world government does. McArdle explains:
The U.S., unlike most developed-world governments, insists on taxing the global income of its citizens and corporations that have U.S. headquarters. And because the U.S. has some of the highest tax rates in the world, especially on corporate income, this amounts to demanding that everyone who got their start here owes us taxes, forever, on anything they earn abroad.
This is a great deal for the U.S. government, which gets to collect income tax even though it's not providing the companies sewers or roads or courts or no-knock raids on their abodes. On the other hand, it's not a very good deal for said citizens and corporations, especially because our government has made increasingly obnoxious demands on foreign institutions to help them collect that tax. Both private citizens and corporations who have a lot of income abroad are deciding that they'd rather renounce their ties to the U.S. than deal with the expense and hassle of letting it tap into income that they have earned using some other country's roads and sewers and police protection.
Practically speaking, global taxation is hard to enforce and loaded with bad incentives, which is why our fellow members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have moved away from global taxation of corporate income, and abandoned global taxation of personal income. If anything, the U.S. has gone in the other direction — by insisting, for instance, that foreign companies report various financial transactions with U.S. citizens to the Internal Revenue Service, and taxing foreign cost of living allowances, which makes it more expensive for companies to employ expats. On the corporate side, the Barack Obama administration has repeatedly suggested tightening up on tax deferral of foreign income and other credits, which would make it even more expensive to be a corporation based in the U.S.
So why base in the US with this being the case? Why wouldn't any sane US based corporation be trying to find a remedy to this pernicious and oppressive tax code? In reality, this describes it rather well:
[I]t boils down to "the police kept people from sacking your first headquarters, so therefore you owe us 35 percent of everything you make, forever." Loan sharks and protection rackets offer more reasonable terms than this.
Yes, they likely do. You know you have a problem when more and more of government begins to resemble criminal gangs. And that's where we are headed. Instead of looking at a solution that will benefit a corporation and give them an incentive to remain and pay taxes, our government and the politicians seem bound and determined to make the corporation the bad guy with absurdly Orwellian insults like "economic patriotism" and "corporate deserters". This, instead, should be the bottom line:
If we're worried about inversion, then the U.S. government should follow the lead of other developed countries, and move to territorial taxation. Otherwise, we should stop complaining when people and corporations decide that they'd rather be a citizen of some more sane system somewhere else.
Economic Statistics for 26 Aug 14
Durable Goods orders for July soared by 22.6%, Sadly, it was all due to aircraft orders. Ex-transportation, orders fell -0.8%. On a year-over-year basis, orders were up 33.8% overall, but only 6.6% excluding transportation orders.
The FHFA purchase only house price index rose a respectable 0.4% in June, but the year-on-year rate slowed by -0.4% to 5.1%.
The S&P/Case-Shiller home price index fell -0.2% in June, though it was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis.
The Conference Board's consumer confidence index for August once again rose above expectations, up 1.5 points to 92.4.
The Richmond Fed manufacturing index rose 5 points to 12 in August, as manufacturing strengthened in the mid-Atlantic district.
The State Street Investor Confidence Index rose a very sharp 7.0 points in August to a very strong 122.8.
ICSC-Goldman reports weekly retail sales rose 0.6%, and were up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Redbook reports a 4.0% rise in retail sales over last year.
The "cash for clunkers" era of government failure
While perusing a Frank Bruni op-ed in the NYT, I ran across this:
Conventional wisdom says that better unemployment and job-creation numbers could save Democrats. But many Americans aren't feeling those improvements. When asked in the Journal/NBC poll if the country was in a recession — which it's not — 49 percent of respondents said yes, while 46 percent said no.
Got that, despite what 49% believe, the country is "not" in recession? Why? Because some obscure organization (NBER) that determines that has said so.
But here's a little clue, if 49% believe that, no matter what is declared, how does one suppose they'll act when it comes to their own little piece of the economic pie? Yup, that's right, like we're in a recession. In other words, it really doesn't matter whether or not the recession is "official" or not, like Bruni says, but then seemingly ignores, "many Americans aren't feeling those improvements". That's because vastly more than the "official" unemployment number remain unemployed. Then there are the underemployed. They don't give a rip what NBER says. They know how they're living, how their lives have changed and what they're facing. Which is why you see:
There's a feeling of helplessness that makes the political horizon, including the coming midterm elections, especially unpredictable. Conventional wisdom has seldom been so useless, because pessimism in this country isn't usually this durable or profound.
A feeling of helplessness has never been something, at least in my life time, that this country has ever had. I'm sure during the Depression, there was certainly some of that, but then, I wasn't living then.
The interesting point there though is the Depression is where the citizens of this country began to look more toward government as an institution of hope. However misplaced that was, it is indeed what happened. FDR. The New Deal. Yatta, yatta, yatta – for years it was credited with pulling us out of the economic pit we found ourselves in. Popular myth had it that without government we'd still be mired in a substandard economy (nevermind the growing body of evidence which puts the onus of the Depression on government failure). Of course, in reality it was WWII that pulled us out. But that myth was popular and a certain segment of the political sphere nurtured and grew it.
Well, as I've always said, reality has a way of bitch slapping fantasy at some point in time and that's pretty much what has finally happened in the last 6 years. Reality has set in. The myth of big government being able to handle such a crisis has been blown to hell. Result?
In the most recent of Sosnik's periodic assessments of the electorate, published in Politico last month, he wrote: "It is difficult to overstate the depth of the anger and alienation that a majority of all Americans feel toward the federal government." He cited a Gallup poll in late June that showed that Americans' faith in each of the three branches had dropped to what he called "near record lows," with only 30 percent expressing confidence in the Supreme Court, 29 percent in the presidency and 7 percent in Congress.
There should be no surprise for anyone in those numbers. None. Big government has failed. After all the promises, all the money, all the "policies", all the assurances and all the faith put in its ability to handle any crisis, especially the economic crisis, the myth has exploded. The gullible, who have believed the myth all these years, now feel angry with the institution into which they put so much faith. It was literally a secular religion for some.
Well if there's a silver lining in all of this mess is the fact that in the future, when this myth again tries to reemerge, we have an era to point to which demonstrates its bankruptcy. We'll call it "the cash for clunkers" era of government – when government came up a clunker.
Economic Statistics for 25 Aug 14
The Chicago Fed National Activity Index, a gauge of overall economic activity and inflationary pressure, rose 0.27 points to 0.39 in August.
The PMI Services Flash for August fell -1.5 points to 58.5.
New home sales rose for July rose less than expected, coming in at an annualized rate of 412,000.
The Dallas Fed general business activity index fell from 12.7 in July to 7.1 in August.
Politicians feel businesses work for government and their only function is a source of tax revenue
I'm not sure how else you interpret this "inversion" nonsense.
Burger King Worldwide Inc. is in talks to buy Canadian coffee-and-doughnut chain Tim Hortons Inc., a deal that would be structured as a so-called tax inversion and move the hamburger seller's base to Canada.
The two sides are working on a deal that would create a new company, they said in a statement, confirming a report on the talks by The Wall Street Journal. The takeover would create the third-largest quick-service restaurant provider in the world, they said.
The point of this sort of a merger, beside the business aspect, is to move the headquarters of Burger King to a lower tax nation:
Inversion deals have been on the rise lately, and are facing stiff opposition in Washington given that they threaten to deplete U.S. government coffers. A move by Burger King to seal one is sure to intensify criticism of them, since it is such a well-known and distinctly American brand.
By moving to a lower-tax jurisdiction, inversion deals enable companies to save money on foreign earnings and cash stowed abroad, and in some cases lower their overall corporate rate. Even though many of the headline-grabbing inversion deals of late have involved European companies, Canada has also been the focal point for a number of them, given its proximity and similarity to the U.S. Canada's federal corporate tax rate was lowered to 15% in 2012.
And surprise – Canada's economy is picking up steam and corporations are eyeing it as a place to locate. Imagine that.
Canada's corporate tax rate in Ontario of 26.5% (the federal rate of 15% plus Ontario's provincial corporate tax rate of 11.5%) is considerably favorable to the American corporate tax rate of 35% thanks in large part to the conservative Canadian government led by Stephen Harper. The Harper government lowered the federal tax rate to 15% in 2012 down originally from 28% since it took office in 2006.
In fact, a recent KPMG Report, Focus on Tax, ranked Canada as the #1 country with the most business-friendly tax structure among developed countries when adding up a wide range of tax costs to businesses from statutory labor costs to harmonized sales tax. When comparing developed countries to what companies pay in the U.S.; Canada came in at 53.6%, the U.K. came in at 66.6%, and the Netherlands at 74.5% of the U.S. corporate tax burden.
Meanwhile, our politicians are trying to find a way to prevent that, because, well because they apparently think corporations work for them and exist to pay whatever tax rate they deem necessary. Of course, in a free country, this wouldn't even be an issue. Corporations, like people, have the right to move wherever they wish. It is their call, not the government's.
But, here that's not the case:
Burger King's possible merger to obtain the favorable Canadian corporate tax rate is a true reflection of the American corporate tax rate being the highest in the OECD. However, rather than taking the same stance on outright cutting the corporate tax rate as the Harper government did to keep the U.S. a competitive place to do business, President Obama calls tax inverting companies like Burger King "corporate deserters who renounce their citizenship to shield profits". At the urging of President Obama, Congress is considering a bill to make it harder for companies to change addresses abroad. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew called for a "new sense of economic patriotism," asking Congress to pass curbs to inversions. The Treasury Department currently is also preparing options to deter or prevent corporate tax inversions potentially on its own.
"Corporate deserters". "Economic patriotism". It's Orwellian Newspeak at its finest. Imagine anyone trying to "shield profits" from a grasping and out-of-control government. It is also another, in a long line of indicators, that this is no longer a free country in the sense we used to believe it was. It is now a country where every other entity is subservient to the needs or wants of intrusive, controlling government.
By the way…
I recently bought a 2006 Pontiac GTO. The good one, from Australia. I loved it. Then, a few weeks later, it…uh…blew up.
You don't expect to buy a lemon from CarMax, but this is what happens when you do.
New Car Review
My newest car review is up. It's been a while, so I have a few backlogged. This is the first of them, a review about a popular transportation pod.
Exactly how often do cops shoot people?
Well, actually, we really don't know.
D.Brian Burghart is the editor of the Reno News & Review, the city's alt-weekly. Driving home one day, he came across the aftermath of a police shooting, and became curious about it. So he started to look for the figures on how often officer-involved shootings happen. And he couldn't find them. Anywhere.
Nowhere could I find out how many people died during interactions with police in the United States. Try as I might, I just couldn't wrap my head around that idea. How was it that, in the 21st century, this data wasn't being tracked, compiled, and made available to the public? How could journalists know if police were killing too many people in their town if they didn't have a way to compare to other cities? Hell, how could citizens or police? How could cops possibly know "best practices" for dealing with any fluid situation? They couldn't.
So, he decided to create one. He's spent the last two years building a crowd-sourced database of officer-involved shootings at Fatal Encounters. And it hasn't been easy, as he explains:
The biggest thing I've taken away from this project is something I'll never be able to prove, but I'm convinced to my core: The lack of such a database is intentional. No government—not the federal government, and not the thousands of municipalities that give their police forces license to use deadly force—wants you to know how many people it kills and why.
It's the only conclusion that can be drawn from the evidence. What evidence? In attempting to collect this information, I was lied to and delayed by the FBI, even when I was only trying to find out the addresses of police departments to make public records requests. The government collects millions of bits of data annually about law enforcement in its Uniform Crime Report, but it doesn't collect information about the most consequential act a law enforcer can do.
I've been lied to and delayed by state, county and local law enforcement agencies—almost every time. They've blatantly broken public records laws, and then thumbed their authoritarian noses at the temerity of a citizen asking for information that might embarrass the agency. And these are the people in charge of enforcing the law.
Frankly, I find this all too easy to believe. After all, a database of officer-involved shootings would be an enormously useful thing to have for the police, in order to draw lessons about best practices. But, an even more important use is for the public to use the data to provide better visibility and accountability for police operations. And the latter reason, I strongly suspect, is precisely why the police don't want such a database. The police interest in coming up with best practices is far outweighed by their interest in preventing increased transparency.
The attitude of the police seems to be that of Colonel Jessup in "A Few Good Men":
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it.
But, here's the thing: The very essence of a free society is the open ability to question the manner of how those we entrust to defend us provide that defense. It's what prevents us from becoming a police state. I would argue that we're already on the cusp of becoming one.