text:
WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties Union today called on President Bush to disavow a new system being developed at the Pentagon that would be able to track every American's activities.
"Smile, you're on virtual candid camera," said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU's Washington National Office. "If the Pentagon has its way, every American - from the Nebraskan farmer to the Wall Street banker - will find themselves under the accusatory cyber-stare of an all-powerful national security apparatus."
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is developing the system, which it has dubbed "Total Information Awareness," in its Information Awareness Office. That office is directed by former Reagan Administration official John Poindexter, who once said that it was his duty as the national security advisor to withhold information from Congress.
The Total Information Awareness program will be -- by Poindexter's own public admission -- the infrastructure for what the government hopes will be the most extensive electronic surveillance system in history. That vision is encapsulated in the logo for Poindexter's office: the all-seeing eye and pyramid (prominent also on the one dollar bill) spying from above on the entire world. The office's motto is Scientia Est Potentia, Latin for "Knowledge is Power."
The ACLU concerns are somewhat similar to those expressed today by "card-carrying conservative" New York Times columnist William Safire that the program is a "supersnoop's dream."
The Total Information Awareness program would use the technology called data-mining - which is totally untested in the national security context -- to ostensibly detect terrorist threats before they occur. Data-mining, currently used by private industry to track buying habits and target telemarketers, among other things, involves the computerized scrutiny of vast amounts of unrelated information in the hope of finding patterns that can predict future behavior.
But the Total Information Awareness program goes further than any corporate cyber-snooping: it would link a huge number of commercial and governmental databases, both in America and overseas. These databases could presumably range from student grades to mental health histories to travel records.
"Just as he scaled back the program that would have had neighbors spying on neighbors, President Bush must stop the Total Information Awareness program now," said Katie Corrigan, an ACLU Legislative Counsel. "And if he refuses to act, Congress should step in quickly and pull the plug on this dangerous idea."


text:
Ten thousand miles without a cloud
HarperCollins, 2003 - Biography & Autobiography - 464 pages
From inside the book
26 pages matching Hindu in this book
Page 458
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Results 1-3 of 26
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LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - herschelian - LibraryThing
This book is the story of a journey of self-discovery and faith written by a friend of ours, Sun Shuyun. Sun grew up in central China during the Cultural Revolution, but her paternal grandmother to ... Read full review
LibraryThing ReviewUser Review - moncrieff - LibraryThing
Fascinating travel account of a woman retracing the footsteps of the great Chinese monk Xuanzang, who brought many of the great Buddist scriptures back to China. Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
asked Asoka beautiful believe Benares Big Wild Goose Bihar Bodh Gaya Bodhi Tree Bodhisattva Brahmin Buddha Buddhist caves century Chang'an China Chinese monks Communist Cultural Revolution dalits desert Dharma Duan Dunhuang emperor enlightenment everything eyes faith father felt Gaochang Grandmother Guanyin head heard Heavenly Hindu horses hundred India Jade journey Keewar Khotan knew Kucha Kuchean land learned live looked master meditation mind Mogao Caves monastery Monkey King monks mother mountain murals Museum Nalanda never night nirvana oasis Pashtuns perhaps Peshawar pilgrims pray prayer Record river Salim Shan Ren shrine Silk Road statues story stupa sutras Taizong Tang Tang dynasty teaching tell temples things thought thousand told took Turfan Uighur village walked walls wanted Western Paradise Wild Goose Pagoda women Xian Xinjiang Xuan Xuanzang Yogacara young zang

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Since 1962, the OECD Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) has been responsible for developing and updating the Frascati Manual, the OECD guidelines for measuring R&D. Frascati definitions and classifications have been widely adopted, including for non-statistical purposes. Over the next couple of years, NESTI will undertake the Manual's sixth revision. This web page provides some background and invites feedback on the Manual at the outline phase of this revision project.
The OECD regularly publishes statistical data on the financial and human efforts made by countries – institutions, business, etc. – to raise their knowledge capacity through research and development (R&D); see Main Science and Technology Indicators and Research and Development Statistics.
Along other science, technology and innovation indicators, R&D data contribute to the monitoring of long term structural changes and new developments across OECD and partner economies. Conscientious efforts by national agencies to adhere to a common R&D measurement standard – the OECD Frascati Manual – enable users to undertake international comparisons.
The Frascati Manual is based on the experience gained from collecting R&D statistics in OECD member countries and elsewhere. It is the result of the collective work of national experts who collect and issue data and indicators on research and development (R&D). This collaborative effort takes place under the aegis of the OECD Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI).
The first official version of the manual – Proposed Standard Practice for Surveys of Research and Development – was published in 1963 after an OECD expert meeting at Villa Falconieri in Frascati, Italy. Over the years, the manual has become the standard of conduct for R&D surveys and data collection not only in the OECD and the European Union, but also in several non-member economies, for example, through the science and technology surveys of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).
The Frascati Manual is available online from www.oecd.org/sti/frascatimanual. It is one of the most translated and influential OECD publications. Although the Manual is essentially a technical document for statistical measurement purposes, it is a cornerstone of OECD efforts to increase the understanding of the role played by science, technology and innovation. By providing internationally accepted definitions of R&D and classifications of its component activities, the Manual contributes to intergovernmental discussions on best practices for science and technology policies and provides a reference document to organisations and individuals with an interest in R&D.
Since its first publication, the Manual has been revised on five occasions –most recently in 2002– to reflect changes in the nature of R&D, respond to user demands, align with other international statistical standards and address evolving measurement challenges, making use of new approaches developed by R&D measurement experts within their own national contexts.
In April 2013, NESTI approved the commencement of a new revision with the objective of delivering an up-to-date set of guidelines on how to measure and report R&D statistics, reflecting agreed best practice, promoting the international comparability of the data and its relevance to users, particularly policy makers. This revision pursues five specific objectives:
The revision of the manual is part of the 2013-2014 Programme of Work of the OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP), NESTI's parent committee. You can contribute to the scoping stage of the manual revision by submitting a response to the following questions.
Please provide your full name, title and organisation and whether your response represents the views of the organisation of which you are member.
By submitting a response to this consultation, you provide your consent to it being made made publicly available at the discretion of the OECD Secretariat.
The deadline for submissions has been extended in the light of ongoing flow of entries coinciding with the end of the summer season and user requests. The new deadline is 31 October 2013.
Please e-mail your responses to:
email@example.com by 31 October 2013.
Documents connexes


text:
News – Feb 2017
MD-Update Staff A., ac, ac quality, ac quality of life award, ac quality of life award honor person, Adams, Adams 's credence, Adams quality, Adams quality of life award, American cancer society, baptist health, bluegrass, C., cancer, cancer society, Care, Care navigator, certification, charter lung screen excellence, clinic, community of microbiota, complex need of cancer patient, davenport, director of the center, Gregory Osetinsky, gut, Haider Abbas, health service research, health surgery associate, honored university, honored university of Kentucky Markey cancer center surgeon, hospice, hospice of the bluegrass, hospital medicine, hospitalist, hospitalists, illness, international conference, international conference of hospital medicine, Jamil Farooqui, Kentucky, Kentucky lung education awareness detection, Kentucky Markey, Kentucky Markey cancer center surgeon, KentuckyOne, KentuckyOne health surgery associate, Kimberly A., Kyle Childers, Lane, Lane W., Lexington, Lexington clinic, Lexington clinic 's board, Lexington clinic 's board of director, life award, life award honor person, life support, London London Don Morring, lung, lung screen, malaria, Mark V., Markey cancer center affiliate, Marshall university 's department of surgery, Md. Morring, Md. Mr. Nick Rowe, medicine, microbe, microbiota, Morring, mouse, Mr. Alan Stein, Mr. Nick Rowe, Mullett, navigator, News, patient experience cancer, Plasmodium, provide availability, Robert davenport, Schmidt, severity, Shailendra Chopra, stage 4 liver cancer survivor, stroke, stroke center, stroke-related, stroke-related standard, sub-Saharan Africa, surgery, T, Taiwan, UK HealthCare, Umansky, underrepresented citizen, v., vice presidency of the American cancer society, W., warm hand, warm hand of service, Williams
LEXINGTON CLINIC ANNOUNCES 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS LEXINGTON At Lexington Clinic's annual Board of Directors meeting the following officers wereRead more


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Contrastive Analysis
Longman, Jan 1, 1980 - Education - 208 pages
In this important study, Carl James reviews the role that contrastive analysis can play in understanding and solving problems in second or foreign language learning and teaching. Using both psycholinguistic and linguistic analysis, he establishes a sound theoretical basis for CA before going on to illustrate its contribution to the study of linguistic universals, bilingualism, and language pedagogy. The book offers a range of examples to support its arguments, enabling readers to grasp the principles and then to pursue their own work in this area.
Contrastive Analysis presents a successful theoretical and practical case for the value of CA as a research tool, both for those studying applied linguistics and for teachers needing to adjust their teaching to the state of knowledge of their students.
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38 pages matching psychological in this book
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adjective allophonic applied linguistics approach bilingual called Chapter Chomsky claim clause communication comparison components concerned context contrastive analysis contrastivist copula deep structure difficulty discourse discourse analysis English and German English relative clauses equate errors example fact formal devices French function German grammar hyponyms hypothesis ibid identify identity interference interlingual involves John Krzeszowski L2 learners L2 learning Lado learners of English lexemes lexical items lexicology means microlinguistic morpheme native speakers notion noun object optional organised pairs Paradigm pedagogical phatic phonemes phonological Portuguese position predict problems pronouns psycholinguistic psychological question realisations refer relationship rheme rule Russian seems selected semantic sentences simplification Spanish specify speech act structuralist suggested surface structure synonymy syntactic target language task teaching tertium comparationis textual theoretical theory transfer transformations translation equivalence types universal utterances verb
References to this book
Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies
Mona Baker,Kirsten Malmkj�r
No preview available - 1998
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Errors in Language Learning and Use: Exploring Error Analysis
Carl James
Snippet view - 1998


text:
From Openmoko
Notes on a 'bricked' Neo
I've just spent a very long time, with the help of a few people on irc (who I now owe drinks to), trying to recover my Neo. This page is the result and is supposed to act as a collection of information to help owners with bricked or semi-bricked devices.
The Problem defined
A typing error in the splashimage environment variable resulted in the splash image being read into the memory starting at 0x200000 rather than 0x32000000. The change was written, with the error being unnoticed, using saveenv. As a result it was not possible to connect the device to usb until it had booted fully. Any attempt to either start with usb plugged in or plugging it in at the u-boot prompt resulted in a locked up device. Looking at dmesg on the host the following errors were reported
usb 3-1: new full speed USB device using uhci_hcd and address 21 usb 3-1: device not accepting address 21, error -110
(the address number will change).
So the problem was that although the device could now boot there was no way to flash it with dfu.
The Solution
The solution was to try and prevent the splashimage environment variable from being looked at, thus preventing the write to the wrong area of memory.
Attempt 1
The idea was to dump mtdblock1 to a file, scp the file to a PC, hex edit it scp the file back to the phone and then dd the result into the mtdblock.
On the Neo
dd if=/dev/mtdblock1 of=mtdblock1.bin
Rebooting was required because of the i/o errors. The i/o error problem has been reported as bug 567
Once the Neo had rebooted the file was copied to a PC using scp. The first attempt to hex edit was made, the idea was to change 1 byte of the word splashimage so that it would, hopefully, be ignored by the bootloader. The resulting file was scp'd back to the Neo and written to flash
dd if=new_mtdblock1 of=/dev/mtdblock1
again once this was done a 'reboot' was performed.
Result 1
When the device booted there was a small tux image in the top left hand corner of the screen and a u-boot version string displayed over some of it. The device would not continue to boot.
Powered off the Neo, powered on with AUX+POWER go give a reduced boot menu.
Boot Factory reset
Selecting Boot resulted in a familiar 'bad magic number' error. However, selecting Factory reset resulted in the device booting. This time DFU was operational, but /dev/ttyACM0 was not available so there was no way to change the environment variable for splashimage.
Cesar Barros points out that
The reason editing the environment by hand does not work well is not the missing variable, but that the CRC doesn't match anymore, which makes it ignore the whole environment
which makes perfect sense.
Attempt 2
This idea involved taking the mtdblock1 from a working Neo and dd'ing it to the failed Neo's flash. WARNING!!! Never flash an u-boot-env (mtdblock1) that does not come from your own Neo. It contains a partition table and bad block table that's unique for each Neo.
Result 2
The process was similar to attempt one, although no hex edit took place. The result was that the Neo booted perfectly, although without a splash screen. As the next stage for this the mtdblock3 was dumped from the working Neo and dd'd into mtdblock3 of the Neo with no splash screen.
The final result was a perfectly fine Neo with a splash screen, working boot menu and dfu capabilities.
1. You can use dd to extract and overwrite your mtd partitions. This works particularly well for u-boot-env and splash providing the source device has a similar partition layout. Doing this on the u-boot partition was not tested. However, after you have used dd on the mtdblock devices as either the if= or of= you get i/o errors with even basic commands. The only way to get round this is to 'reboot' by removing the battery.
2. Hex editing the extracted mtd partition (u-boot-env) and trying to dd that works but the results are not what is expected. It appears that if one of the boot env parameters is missing, in this case splashimage, the u-boot-env parameters are all treated as if they were blank and the device uses default settings. This is because the CRC no longer matches.
3. QEMU is very useful for testing out your theories before actually doing them on a real device. Most of the things we tried were tried on qemu first. Sadly QEMU's sd card emulation appears to be broken.
Useful information
On your Neo:
cat /proc/mtd dev: size erasesize name mtd0: 00040000 00004000 "u-boot" mtd1: 00004000 00004000 "u-boot_env" mtd2: 00200000 00004000 "kernel" mtd3: 000a0000 00004000 "splash" mtd4: 03d1c000 00004000 "rootfs


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Citi's resident technical analyst, Tom Fitzpatrick, is known for his bearish calls and his favorable outlook for gold.
Fitzpatrick was just on CNBC this afternoon, and he laid out an extremely bearish thesis on the stock market.
The current market rally reminds the Citi analyst of the final rallies into the market tops of both 2000 and 2007 - and he sees stocks entering a bear market sometime soon.
Fitzpatrick told CNBC:
I think in the short term, we still a little bit of legs here. If you look at the S&P 500 - we've just moved to this new high above 1475 - it's actually very similar to the way we traded into the highs in 2007 and 2000.
So, I wouldn't be surprised that there is a little bit of legs here - maybe even up toward 1495 - but what there isn't is momentum. Most of the momentum came in the first move up from last year, and we're seeing a loss of momentum here similar to what we saw there.
Also, we're seeing in the big picture, in the overlays we look at, our favorite overlays on the Dow Jones, that we are in and around the levels that we believe we are going to peak out in.
So, while there is a little bit left to the top side in the near term, we're still on the same page we have been for the last three months or so, which is that we're going to peak out around these levels and see a high-to-low down move probably in excess of 20 percent.
The CNBC anchors pressed Fitzpatrick on all of the positive signs we're seeing in the U.S. economy - doesn't that run counter to his thesis?
Fitzpatrick sees it differently. He replied:
If you look at some of the positive signs that have come, it depends on the starting point.
Housing looks good, unless you compare it to where we were in the 1970s, or where we were at the peak.
The equity market looks great, up 120 percent if you compare it to 2009 - but if you compare it to 1999, we're unchanged, and we're below the 2000 and 2007 highs.
The economy probably barely grew 1 percent in the fourth quarter. We have a situation where it's looking like it could be quite sluggish with the tax dynamics and the debt dynamics in the first quarter.
The overall picture is that we're up 5 points on the S&P 500 since September - since we've had QE3, or QE-infinity as we call it, as well as the Fed indicating they were going to target unemployment.
So, to us, it really feels like we're in the stratosphere without any oxygen left in this move.
Finally, CNBC asked Fitzpatrick about the so-called "central bank put" that world central bankers have given markets by committing to open-ended quantitative easing and ultra-low rates for years to come.
Fitzpatrick doesn't think investors should put so much faith in that "put." He told CNBC:
They are keeping the put under the market, but I think we should respect history. If we look back over history, we constantly find that if what holds the market up is interference, if what holds the markets up is a policy specifically geared toward creating those moves, and you don't get the underlying sustainable dynamic and the underlying economic pickup, then it can hold it up for a period of time, but the market will eventually run its own way.
Let's look in perspective. Since 2009, we've had a number of double-digit down moves, including the 22 percent move down in 2010, and two close-to-10-percent moves down last year. So, I think we sometimes have to divorce the underlying equity market from the underlying economy, and in that instance I think, at this point in time, the only thing that's really driving the market up has been the constant actions by the central banks, as you've said.
Wall Street has been murmuring about a selloff sometime in the first quarter. Most view it as a healthy correction after the recent rally. However, Fitzpatrick's call that stocks are about to enter a bear market is decidedly more bearish.


text:
Mass-Flo EFI System
Attention Mass-Flo EFI Customers!
For the past decade Mass-Flo EFI has been bringing you the greatest sequential port mass air EFI system in the market. In 2006 Mass-Flo EFI acquired Pro-M Racing and together Mass-Flo EFI and Pro-M Racing have revolutionized the mass air EFI industry. So when we decided to create the next evolution of EFI we also decided it was time for a new name, Pro-M EFI! Below on this page you can read about the all new Pro-M EFI Engine Management System but don't worry, we are not abandoning our Mass-Flo EFI customers. In fact we have created an upgrade to the new Pro-M EFI system for any Mass-Flo EFI customer. Additionally our tech support will still assist Mass-Flo EFI customers. Please read the following information on the new system and if there are any questions, don't hesitate to call or email.
The fully programmable Pro-M EFI processor comes with tuning software and USB cable for tuning through the OBD II connection. The new Pro-M EFI processor will be shipped with the "tune" pre-installed. This tune will run virtually any engine right out of the box. It will also include a software package that will allow the user to make any modification to the engine you could ever want, and do so with amazing simplicity. The Pro-M EFI calibration software is simple and intuitive. You need not be a professional tuner to use this tuning software. The Pro-M EFI system can be as simplistic, or as sophisticated as the user wants it to be. Tune if you want to, or leave it alone if you don't. Everything you could ever want in a management system is right here!
Features of the new Pro-M EFI processor include:
Water and shock proof for mounting under hood or inside the vehicle.
OBD II compatible. Codes read and cleared and sensor data read using a generic OBD II scan tool. The new Pro-M EFI processor uses the same code strategy and the same codes, that all of the OEM's use!
Fully laptop programmable. Your laptop also acts as a powerful scan tool. See data in real time. There is more information available to the user than you ever imagined possible. Much more than with any conventional scan tool, or any of the hand held programmers offered by the other guys.
Full control over both Air/Fuel ratio and timing. The latest fad are these "fuel only" EFI systems. They have no control over spark, so they are only doing half of the job. Pro-M EFI does it all!
Tuning software so easy and intuitive, most anyone can be a tuner. Fuel table based on "load" and "lambda". Spark table based on "load". If you are a tuner, you understand how easy this is. If you're not, you will soon understand how easy this is! You no longer have to spend day after day adjusting a VE table. No more guessing as to which values will give the results you want. The tune is already in there. Want to change it? Enter a number and the Pro-M EFI processor just does it. Simple as that!
Simple "One Click" tuning! You don't even have to watch the screen on your laptop! Want to tune on the fly? Let's say you want to tune your Air / Fuel ratio on the road. Drag and drop the fuel table to the tuning box. One button will richen the mixture at whatever point you happen to be in the fuel table at any given time. Another one will lean the mixture. A third one will undo your change if you don't like the result. Just put your fingers on your keyboard and watch your wideband O2 sensors. Then just click your way to the optimum tune, and save your changes. This can be done with any table in the tune! It just doesn't get any easier.
Store an unlimited number of tunes. Write and re-write the processor as many times as you'd like. No towing your vehicle to the dyno. Tune on the fly, and see the results immediately. The software has a feature that copies the existing tune to another file, then runs the engine on that copy. Modify the copy anyway you'd like on the fly, and instantly see the results. This allows you to modify your tune, without actually modifying your tune! Like the results? Then save them as your new tune! Don't like the results? Just switch back to the original tune, and try again. Simple!!
Pro-M EFI makes tuning for forced induction super easy. In fact, since the tune is based on "Load", no tuning will be required for forced induction in most cases. For those running high boost levels, you can adjust the tune slightly if needed. Even in those cases, tuning will likely not be needed. Again, the system can be as simplistic or as sophisticated as you want it to be. It's all here in one package!
Two ways to control timing retard for forced induction. Simply adjust the advance values in the spark table for load values that reflect boost. Sound complicated? It isn't! Or... Use the old method of ramping the timing back based on the amount of boost. The wiring harness has a connector for an optional 3 BAR MAP sensor (available from Pro-M). Just enter the amount of advance you want to pull out for each pound of boost. The MAP sensor is not needed if you use the spark table method.
Nitrous controls to be added in the near future. Ramp the nitrous up while ramping timing down, all with simple parameters right in the new Pro-M EFI Processor. Again, it's all here in one place. No need to buy anything else.
Easy, user adjustable Rev Limiter. Toss that old crude spark box in the trash. This is done the right way, and right in the Pro-M EFI processor. 2 stage rev limiter coming soon!
"Decel" feature cuts fuel while decelerating. Saves fuel! Progressive ramp in and ramp out makes the transition in and out of "Decel Mode" seamless.
Individual cylinder tuning! Done the right way! The competition may offer individual cylinder tuning, but their method for doing so makes it a worthless feature. They simply offer global changes. This does not work! If you want to do it right and tune each cylinder individually, we offer the only system that actually works, and it's simple to use!
Electric cooling fan control built right in! The wiring is already in the harness, and the parameters are already in the processor, all set up and ready to go. The Pro-M EFI processor will automatically turn the fans on and off based on coolant temperature, and will turn them on when the air conditioning compressor runs.
Ignition module problems are a thing of the past! The ignition module is integrated into the Pro-M EFI processor. The Pro-M EFI processor uses four individual drivers to run the ignition coil. With that kind of redundancy, your days of dealing with ignition failures are over.
Advanced timing control that actually rivals the accuracy and consistency of "Coil on Plug" type ignition systems! Distributor type ignition systems are typically victims of distributor gear lash. Consider also the rapidly changing speed of the engine. When the cylinder comes up on compression, it slows down. When it fires, it speeds up. These changes are very rapid, which makes the distributor gear lash become a considerable factor. The Pro-M EFI processor averages the signals produced by the distributor. This allows the processor to deliver consistent timing advance to all the cylinders. Something we normally only see with "Coil On Plug" systems. All of that said, if you want to run coil packs, or a "Coil On Pug" ignition system, you can do that too. The programming is already in the Pro-M EFI processor!
Want to run twin turbos, or twin superchargers? Wouldn't life be so much easier if you could run two Mass Air Meters? Now you can! The Pro-M EFI processor simply adds the two air flow values. It doesn't get any easier than that! Optional Pro-M wiring harness required.
Compatible with Innovate MTX-L wide band O2 sensors. Wide band O2 Sensors operate over a much broader range of Air/Fuel ratio than conventional sensors, offering more precise control over a wider range of operating conditions.
Two programmable outputs. What is a programmable output? It's whatever you want it to be! For example... Connect one of them to a shift light. Just tell the computer to activate that output at whatever RPM you desire.
Scope feature built into the software! Use the Lab Scope to examine sensor data on the fly, or record the data and examine it later.
Self protecting processor! The Pro-M EFI processor detects short circuits and will shut down that ECM driver if a short is detected. Of course, it will also turn on the check engine light, and store a code to direct you to the problem.
Self diagnosing processor! The Pro-M EFI processor continuously checks itself for faults. No more guessing whether or not the processor is the source of trouble. These processors are extremely robust, and have already been through the most rigorous testing in the industry long before going on the shelf, so the chance of ever having trouble with one is slim to none. But when doing diagnostics, wouldn't it be nice to know whether or not the processor could be at fault? No testing needed. If there is trouble, it will let you know!
Production quality processor! The Pro-M EFI processor is made by the same manufacturer who makes the processors for Ford. This is something you simply will not find elsewhere. The competition uses low production modules that cannot compare to the quality of our modules, and do not go through the rigorous testing that the Pro-M EFI Processors do. Our processors have to meet the same quality standards that the OEM's do. They are built in the same plant, side by side with the OEM processors. NO ONE ELSE DOES THIS! Furthermore, the software and code is written by OEM contractors. This entire project was a collaboration between Pro-M Racing, and the finest people in the OEM world. Quite honestly, everyone involved in this project is absolutely the finest in their field. There simply is no comparison!
There is no need to buy anything else. No spark controllers, no Boost Timing Module (BTM), no nitrous controller. Everything you could ever want to do to an engine can be controlled with the Pro-M EFI processor!
The Pro-M factory installed tune is, or course, Mass Air based, but if you want to run Speed Density or Speed Throttle (Alpha N), we'd question that choice, but you can, and no one makes it easier.
We cannot stress this enough...The real beauty of the Pro-M EFI system is that it can be as simplistic, or as sophisticated as you want it to be. It works perfectly right out of the box, but if you want to tune, you'll have the most powerful tuning software ever offered anywhere by anyone, and OEM quality components that will last a lifetime.
If you want the best, look no further. There is simply no other management system that offers the quality, features, reliability, and ease of use that we offer with the Pro-M EFI engine management system, period...


text:
Template:Scouting news/archive
From MeritBadgeDotOrg
Revision as of 15:58, November 7, 2015 by BartHumphries (Talk | contribs)
- Dec 2013: Venturing awards will be changed around the time of the BSA National Annual Meeting in May 2014. From then on, Venturing members may begin working on the new awards. The old awards will be discontinued Dec 31, 2014. 2014 Venturing Program Change Overview
- October 08: Public Law 110-363 requires the U.S. Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the Boy Scouts of America. Full Story
- September 9: Little Sioux Scout Ranch, Scouts and Leaders involved in the tornado tragedy received new award from the state of Nebraska. Full Story
- August 12: Boy Scouts prepared to launch marketing campaign to connect with digital-era youth. Full story
- July 15: The Mining in Society merit badge, previewed at the National Jamboree, will be released Feb 24, at the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration's Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. First overview
- July 1: The World Organization of the Scout Movement welcomes four new member organizations. Full story
- June 11: Four Boy Scouts dead and dozens injured from tornado at Little Sioux Scout Ranch in Iowa. Full Story
- May 15: A bill to issue a commemorative silver dollar to honor the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America is passed by the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 403-8. Full Story
- March 27: Original manuscript of Baden-Powell's Scouting for Boys goes on public display for first time. Full Story
- March 16: The United Kingdom's longest-serving Girl Guide honored for 80 years of unbroken service. Full Story
- February 25: J. L. Tarr, former Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America died.Full Story
- February 25: The Boy Scouts of America selects logo for centenary. Full Story
- February 18: The United Kingdom's oldest Scout troop celebrates its centenary. Full Story
- February 11: The Governor of Texas urges protection for Boy Scouts of America against left-wing secular groups. Full Story


text:
The Fowler Goldbugs had some trouble swatting away the Ingalls Bulldogs in their Southern Plains-Iroquois Activities Association boys quarterfinal contest at United Wireless Arena.
The Goldbugs earned their spot in the semifinals of the tournament after beating the Bulldogs 68-57 as the Ingalls players had spots where they were able to stay with Fowler on the court; but could never overcome the start by the Goldbugs.
The Goldbugs remain unbeaten on the season as they continue to take everybody's best shot to knock them out of the ranks of the unbeaten. In Tuesday's game, there were some good and bad parts about the win according to Fowler head coach Scott Brown.
The good part about the win for the Goldbugs (11-0) was that the offense was clicking on all cylinders with four players scoring in double figures. The bad part is that they didn't play defense or rebound the ball well against the Bulldogs.
"We knew that Ingalls would improve as the year goes along," Brown said. "They are always going to play hard; but we have to buckle down on defense and give a better effort there. We've got a lot of weapons on offense and I know we're going to score points; but we have to do better on defense and rebounding if we want to accomplish some things this year."
Taylin Bird scored 14 points to lead the Goldbugs in scoring, while Joel Milford added 13, Ty Clark 11 and Tate Shumard 10 for Fowler.
Ingalls (3-9) was led in scoring by Nathan Hale with 23 points and LaMontae Heady with 10.
Fowler never trailed in the game, scoring nine of the first 13 points of the game on the way to leading 15-8 after the opening quarter and increased the margin to 36-23 by the end of the first half.
Ingalls never got the deficit under double digits in the second half with Fowler increasing the lead to 55-38 by the end of the third quarter and led by as many as 19 points in the final quarter before the Bulldogs rallied to cut the deficit to the final score.
Fowler will face Kiowa County in one boys semifinal game at 7:30 p.m. Friday at UWA; while Ingalls will play Minneola in a consolation game at 3 p.m. Friday.
INGALLS (57) – Chad Myers 7, Zach Batman 6, Isaac Baxa 2, Lamontae Heady 10, Brandon Sandoval 2, Tacy Whipple 7, Nathan Hale 23. Totals 20 14-18 57.
FOWLER (68) – Joel Milford 13, Taylin Bird 14, Tate Shumard 10, Tem Shetley 6, Dylan Duesing 5, Ty Clark 11, Jett Reese 9. Totals 27 6-11 68.
Ingalls8151519 – 57
Fowler15211913 – 68
Three-point baskets – Ingalls 3 (Myers 1, Hale 2), Fowler 8 (Milford 1, Bird 4, Shumard 2, Shetley 1). Records – Ingalls 3-9, Fowler 12-0.


text:
Story of O
Cover of a French edition of Histoire d'O featuring Corinne Cléry
|Pauline Réage
|Erotic novel
|Jean-Jacques Pauvert
Publication date
|Media type
Story of O (French: Histoire d'O, IPA: [istwaʁ do]) is an erotic novel published in 1954 by French author Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage, and published in French by Jean-Jacques Pauvert.
Desclos did not reveal herself as the author for forty years after the initial publication. Desclos claims she wrote the novel as a series of love letters to her lover Jean Paulhan,[1] who had admired the work of the Marquis de Sade; the novel shares with the latter themes such as love, dominance and submission.
Story of O is a tale of female submission involving a beautiful Parisian fashion photographer named O, who is taught to be constantly available for oral, vaginal, and anal intercourse, offering herself to any male who belongs to the same secret society as her lover, she is regularly stripped, blindfolded, chained, and whipped; her anus is widened by increasingly large plugs; her labium is pierced and her buttocks are branded.
The story begins when O's lover, René, brings her to the château in Roissy, where she is trained to serve the members of an elite club. After this initial training, as a demonstration of their bond and his generosity, René hands O to his elder stepbrother Sir Stephen, a more severe master. René wants O to learn to serve someone whom she does not love, and someone who does not love her. Over the course of this training, O falls in love with Sir Stephen and believes him to be in love with her as well. During the summer, Sir Stephen sends O to an old mansion in Samois solely inhabited by women for advanced training and body modifications related to submission. There she agrees to receive permanent marks of Sir Stephen's ownership, in the form of a brand and a steel tag hanging from a labia piercing.
Meanwhile René has encouraged O to seduce Jacqueline, a vain fashion model, and lure her to Roissy. Jacqueline is repulsed when she first sees O's chains and scars, although O herself is proud of her condition as a willing slave. However, Jacqueline's younger half-sister becomes enamored of O, and begs to be taken to Roissy.
At the climax, O is presented as a sexual slave, nude but for an owl-like mask and a leash attached to her piercing, before a large party of guests who treat her solely as an object. Afterward, she is shared by Sir Stephen and an associate of his who is referred to only as "The Commander".
Some early editions included several different variations of an epilogue which note that O was later abandoned by Sir Stephen, though there is debate as to whether Desclos intended it to be included in the finished work; in one such version, O is so distraught by the threat of this abandonment that she insists she would rather die and asks for permission to commit suicide, which is granted.[2][3]
Publishing history[edit]
In February 1955, Story of O won the French literature prize Prix des Deux Magots, although this did not prevent the French authorities from bringing obscenity charges against the publisher; the charges were rejected by the courts, but a publicity ban was imposed for a number of years.
The first English edition was published by Olympia Press in 1965. Eliot Fremont-Smith (of The New York Times) called its publishing "a significant event".
A sequel, Retour à Roissy (Return to Roissy, but often translated as Return to the Chateau, Continuing the Story of O), was published in 1969 in French, again with Jean-Jacques Pauvert, éditeur. It was published again in English by Grove Press, Inc., in 1971. It is not known whether this work is by the same author as the original.
Emmanuelle Arsan claimed the Story of O inspired her to write her own erotic novel Emmanuelle (1967).[4]
A critical view of the novel is that it is about, and derives its erotic power from, the ultimate objectification of a woman; the heroine of the novel has the shortest possible name, consisting solely of the letter O. Although this is in fact a shortening of the name Odile, it could also stand for "object" or "orifice", an O being a symbolic representation of any "hole"; the novel was strongly criticized by many feminists, who felt it glorified the abuse of women.[5][6][7]
The book has been the source of various terms that are used in the BDSM subculture such as Samois, the name of the estate belonging to the character Anne-Marie, who brands O.
When the film of The Story of O was released, L'Express magazine ran a feature on the novel and film; this resulted in L'Express being picketed by feminists from the group Mouvement de libération des femmes, who found the novel and film objectionable.[4] Journalist François Chalais also criticized Story of O, claiming the novel glorified violence; he described the novel as "bringing the Gestapo into the boudoir".[4]
Hidden identities[edit]
The author used a pen name, then later revealed herself under another pen name, before finally, prior to her death, revealing her true identity, her lover, Jean Paulhan, wrote the preface as if the author were unknown to him.
According to an article by Geraldine Bedell,[1] published in The Observer on Sunday 24 July 2004, "Pauline Réage, the author, was a pseudonym, and many people thought that the book could only have been written by a man; the writer's true identity was not revealed until ten years ago, when, in an interview with John de St. Jorre, a British journalist and sometime foreign correspondent of The Observer, an impeccably dressed 86-year-old intellectual called Dominique Aury acknowledged that the fantasies of castles, masks and debauchery were hers."
According to several other sources, however, Dominique Aury was itself a pseudonym of Anne Cécile Desclos, born 23 September 1907 in Rochefort-sur-Mer, France, and deceased 26 April 1998 (at age 90) in Paris, France.
The Grove Press edition (U.S., 1965) was translated by editor Richard Seaver (who had lived in France for many years) under the pseudonym Sabine d'Estree and published by Barney Rosset, the publisher of Grove Press.[8][9]
Jean Paulhan[edit]
Jean Paulhan, who was the author's lover and the person to whom she wrote Story of O in the form of love letters, wrote the preface, "Happiness in Slavery". Paulhan admired the Marquis de Sade's writing and told Desclos that a woman could not write in a similar fashion. Desclos interpreted this as a challenge and wrote the book. Paulhan was so impressed that he sent it to a publisher.[10] In the preface, Paulhan goes out of his way to appear as if he does not know who wrote the book. In one part he says, "But from the beginning to end, the story of O is managed rather like some brilliant feat, it reminds you more of a speech than of a mere effusion; of a letter rather than a secret diary. But to whom is the letter addressed? Whom is the speech trying to convince? Whom can we ask? I don't even know who you are; that you are a woman I have little doubt."[11] Paulhan also explains his own belief that the themes in the book depict the true nature of women. At times, the preface (when read with the knowledge of the relationship between Paulhan and the author), seems to be a continuation of the conversation between them.
In an interview[1] Paulhan explained that O, in a religious-like obsession, was seeking the loss of the responsibility on her body and mind much like many religious women losing themselves in the mercy of God. In both cases it is the joy of destruction. Paulhan was also quoted: "To be killed by someone you love strikes me as the epitome of ecstasy".
Discussing the ending, Paulhan states, "I too was surprised by the end, and nothing you can say will convince me that it is the real end. That in reality (so to speak) your heroine convinces Sir Stephen to consent to her death."[citation needed]
One critic has seen Paulhan's essay as consistent with other themes in his work, including Paulhan's interest in erotica, his "mystification" of love and sexual relationships, and a view of women that is arguably sexist.[12]
American experimental director Kenneth Anger made a 20 minute short film version, l'Histoire d'O, in 1961.
French director Henri-Georges Clouzot wanted to adapt the novel to film for many years, which was eventually done by director Just Jaeckin in 1975 as Histoire d'O (Story of O) produced by Eric Rochat and Gérard Lorin, starring Corinne Cléry and Udo Kier; the film met with far less acclaim than the book. It was banned in the United Kingdom by the British Board of Film Censors until February 2000.
In 1975, American director Gerard Damiano, well known for Deep Throat (1972) and The Devil in Miss Jones (1973) created the movie The Story of Joanna, highly influenced by the Story of O, by combining the motifs from one of the book's chapters and from Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit.
In 1979, Danish director Lars von Trier made the short movie entitled Menthe – la bienheureuse, as an homage to The Story of O, his 2005 film Manderlay was also inspired by the book, particularly Paulhan's introduction.[13]
Five years later, in 1984, actress Sandra Wey starred as "O" in The Story of O: Part 2, written, directed and produced by Eric Rochat.
In 1992, a Brazilian miniseries in 10 episodes entitled A História de O starring Claudia Cepeda was written, directed and produced by Eric Rochat, who was the producer of the original 1975 movie.
In 2002, another version of O was released, called The Story of O: Untold Pleasures, with Danielle Ciardi playing the title character.
In 1975, it was adapted for comics by the Italian artist Guido Crepax. Both the original and Crepax's adaptation were parodied for comics in 2007 by Charles Alverson and John Linton Roberson.[14]
Writer of O, a 2004 documentary film by Pola Rapaport, mixed interviews with re-enactments of certain scenes from the book. In the documentary, the real author of Histoire d'O, Dominique Aury (also a pen name), talks about the book A Girl in Love; this book was written about how Story of O was written.
A documentary was also made for BBC Radio 4 entitled The Story of O: The Vice Francaise, presented by Rowan Pelling, former editor of the Erotic Review, which looked at the history of the book and Pauline Réage.
Erotica: A Journey Into Female Sexuality, a documentary by filmmaker Maya Gallus, featured the final interview with 90-year-old Dominique Aury before she died. In the film, she recounts the extraordinary love story behind "Histoire d'O" and marvels that she has reached such a grand age.
See also[edit]
- 1975 in film
- Story of O - Chapter 2
- Dominance and submission
- Sadism and masochism in fiction
- Fruits of Passion
- ^ a b Bedell, Geraldine (24 July 2004). "I wrote the story of O". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 March 2008.
- ^ Réage, Pauline (1973). The story of O. Ballantine. p. 203. ISBN 0345301110.
There exists a second end to O's story. In that version, O, seeing that Sir Stephen was on the verge of leaving her, preferred to die. Sir Stephen gave his consent.
- ^ ""On the Death of O"". The complete Story of O website. Archived from the original on 2018-03-25. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ a b c Destais, Alexandra (2006). "Réage, Pauline". In Brulotte, Gaétan; Philips, John (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Erotic Literature. London: Routledge. pp. 1080–1086. ISBN 978-1-57958-441-2.
- ^ Dworkin, Andrea (1974). Woman Hating: A Radical Look at Sexuality. New York: Dutton. ISBN 0-452-26827-3.
- ^ Griffin, Susan (1982). "Sadomasochism and the Erosion of Self: A Critical Reading of Story of O". In Linden, R. R. (ed.). Against Sadomasochism: A Radical Feminist Analysis. East Palo Alto.
- ^ Smith, Joan (1998). Different for Girls: How Culture Creates Women. London.
- ^ "The True Story of 'The Story of O' by Pauline Reage". h2g2. 3 November 2006 [13 November 2001]. Retrieved 2012-11-15.[unreliable source?]
- ^ Weber, Bruce (7 January 2009). "Richard Seaver, Publisher, Dies at 82". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ^ Ciuraru, Carmela (11 June 2011). "The Story of the Story of O". Guernica. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ Story of O. Ballantine Books. p. xxiv.
- ^ Syrotinski, Michael (1998). Defying Gravity: Jean Paulhan's Interventions in Twentieth-Century French Intellectual History. SUNY Press. pp. 74–75.
- ^ Bell, Emma (10 October 2005). "Lars von Trier: Anti-American? Me?". The Independent. Retrieved 2015-08-08.[dead link]
- ^ Alverson, Charles; Roberson, John (2007). "Story of OH!". Retrieved 2012-11-15.
External links[edit]
- The complete Story of O website: all about Histoire d'O and Dominique Aury (updated)
- Histoire d'O on IMDb
- Histoire d'O: Numéro 2 on IMDb
- Story of O, the Series on IMDb
- The Story of O: Untold Pleasures on IMDb
- Writer of O on IMDb


text:
This article was reported by NAM aidsmap.
NAM aidsmap reported that the incidence of anal infection with strains of cancer-causing human papillomavirus (HPV) is high among HIV-positive gay men. Researchers in San Francisco conducted a prospective study to determine incidence of and risk factors for anal HPV infection among HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM).
The researchers recruited 369 individuals (mean age 45 years) between 1998 and 2000. They checked participants for anal HPV infection every six months for two years. More than 75 percent had a history of anal or genital warts and 92 percent had HPV infection at baseline. The researchers found low- or high-grade pre-cancerous cell changes in 78 percent of participants. Most participants (86 percent) were in treatment for HIV, 62 percent had a suppressed viral load, and 37 percent had a CD4 cell count of more than 500 cells per cubic millimeter. Of 122 participants with anal HPV infection, 80 percent had incident infection with one HPV type, 16 percent with two types, 3 percent with three types, and 1 percent with four or more types. Annual incidence of anal HPV infection was 21.3 per 100 person-years and 13.3 per 100 person-years with cancer-causing strains.
The researchers detected an association between certain anal sex behaviors and increased risk of incident anal HPV infection, including receptive sex with a higher number of recent partners, and frequency of receptive anal intercourse. The researchers concluded that HIV-positive MSM should receive counseling about anal cancer and risk factors for HPV infection as well as prevention methods such as condoms and the HPV vaccine.
The full report, "Incidence of and Risk Factors for Type-specific Anal Human Papillomavirus Infection Among HIV-positive MSM," was published online in the journal AIDS (2014; doi 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000254, 2014).


text:
No matter how many years you've been driving, you've likely encountered situations where you need to make a decision about what to do at a yellow light. Depending on where and when you drive most regularly, you may experience this on a frequent basis. The question becomes: do you stop or go?
The answer depends, for the most part, on how far away you are from the traffic signal when it first turns yellow. But it's not as simple as that. Some drivers have slower reaction time than others, particularly older drivers. The weather and road conditions also have a bearing - or should - on your actions.
To get a clearer picture of driver behavior when dealing with yellow lights, we spoke with Hesham Rakha, director for Sustainable Mobility at Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI). Not coincidentally, Rakha is deeply involved in research to come up with new ways of designing yellow light times to account for the differences in drivers, as reported in a recent story in Claims Journal.
"Every driver, depending on their characteristics, actually needs a different yellow time than another driver," said Rakha. "What we found in the field was the drivers were typically more aggressive in their deceleration than what is used in the design. However, depending on the age of the driver, the gender, also the weather conditions, those strategies will change."
Rakha said that the current procedures for determining yellow light time use a fixed perception-reaction time of one second and a deceleration level of 3 meters per second squared. But research by Rakha and his colleagues found is that drivers are different. "If you spend a longer time perceiving and reacting, in order to overcome that you typically press on your brakes harder in order to compensate for the time you lost in reacting to the change," Rakha explained.
The dilemma zone
Based on field results, Rakha said that no matter how well yellow times are designed, there is the possibility that someone could be caught in the dilemma zone, also called the decision zone.
"When you're very far away from the traffic light the decision is easy. It is also very easy when you're close to the traffic light and it changes. When you're close you know you should run, continue through the light at your current speed, because there is no way you could stop. And when you're very far away, you know you could stop. There's no decision involved.
"The dilemma zone comes when you do not have a correct decision to make," Rakha said. "If you tried to stop and with the parameters the lights were designed with - a one second perception-reaction and 3 meters per second squared deceleration rate-you will not be able to stop before the light changes and, if you're trying to run, you will not be able to run before it changes to red. You have no correct decision to make, unless you can pull yourself out of that dilemma zone, either by reacting quicker or being more aggressive on the brake pedal."
An unfortunate consequence off suddenly slamming on the brakes is a possible rear end collision. If you're traveling faster than the speed limit, or if you spend more time distracted and take longer to react, you can actually be caught in the dilemma zone.
Designing longer yellow times
Studies of driver reaction times and vehicle deceleration rates used in determining appropriate yellow and all-red change intervals were conducted more than 25 years ago (although some recent studies have occurred during the past couple of years). Additional studies are required to validate whether these reaction times and deceleration rates are still appropriate.
Rakha and his colleagues at VTTI came up with yellow times to account for various driver populations in extensive testing on the Virginia Department of Transportation's Virginia Smart Road. A certain amount in yellow time that will result in 95 percent of the drivers not being caught in the dilemma zone and only potentially 5 percent being caught in the dilemma zone. For a result of 99 percent not being caught in the dilemma zone, a longer yellow time is required.
"If you're designing the yellow times in Florida, where the majority of the drivers are older, you have to come up with a different yellow time than if you're designing yellow times for here in Blacksburg, Virginia where the population is younger, and the majority of the population is students," said Rakha.
Possible solutions
Although none of the possible solutions Rakha mentioned are likely to occur anytime soon, there are several distinct ones that could provide drivers with advance warning, more time to react, and better decision-making options.
In-car warning systems - "Potentially you could have a warning in your vehicle that basically recognizes your age, gender, and can warn you before the yellow light comes on, to give you that extra time you need to take your action," Rakha said.
In a paper sent to the Department of Transportation, Rakha proposed that automakers could possibly create such a system. But it would have to be more than just a forward-collision warning system. It would have to be in communication with the traffic signal controller, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V).
V2I and I2V
"The infrastructure would inform the vehicle that the light will be turning yellow in, say 10 seconds," said Rakha. "When you're approaching the traffic light, you're going to get some kind of communication, and then the vehicle can react. It could be some kind of in-car driver display, providing a countdown to yellow to alert the driver to start slowing down, or giving the driver the actual decision by automatically applying the brakes. Of course, sensors would be required to measure wet and dry conditions."
According to Rakha, his group's proposed approach could be integrated within the Connected Vehicle Research program, which can gather information on the driver, the subject vehicle, and surrounding traffic conditions to execute safe and customizable change interval in-vehicle warnings.
Flashing yellow - Drivers approaching a high-speed intersection need a much longer yellow. A flashing yellow informs the driver earlier that it's going to be yellow so that he can make the decision. "If I'm upstream of this, I should stop. If I've passed that flashing yellow, then I should run," said Rakha.
This is something Rakha's group suggested in their report to the DOT. Germany, for example, has a flashing yellow on the traffic lights a couple of seconds before the yellow comes on.
Yellow line on roadway
"We also proposed to the DOT to draw a yellow line on the roadway," Rakha said. "If the traffic signal turns yellow when you're upstream of that line, you should stop. If you're downstream of that line, you should continue at present speed through the intersection. You should be able to proceed without running a red light."
But there are other potential benefits, such as minimizing emissions and vehicle fuel consumption. "Why should we incur an extra stop which consumes more fuel and emits more emissions?" Rakha asked. "If you stop when you weren't supposed to stop, you'll stop very aggressively, which could cause an accident, a rear-end crash for someone behind you. The fact that you're stopping does not mean that you're a better driver. It could mean that you're more dangerous."
When will any of this take place? Rakha said that the DOT requires a rigorous process before changing their procedures for designing yellow interval durations. This is typically mandated federally from the Institute for Transportation Engineers (ITE) or AASHTO.
Rakha added that he plans to approach the DOT to see if his group can gather additional data to design specific yellow timings and test them in the field for real drivers.
Our take
With development occurring now on V-to-I and I-to-V communication systems, perhaps the horizon for longer yellow times isn't all that far off. On the other hand, when and if self-driving cars become a reality, the need may be moot - at least on certain roadways.
In the meantime, we can perhaps draw our own conclusions from Rakha's research about driver reaction times, approach speed and distance from a signalized intersection, in making a personal decision whether to stop or go. While Rakha emphasized he cannot recommend stop or go, what he can do is recommend to traffic engineers ways that they can come up with a better plan for yellow times.
This story originally appeared at The Car Connection
Read more posts on The Car Connection »


text:
Gun control bill faces long odds in Congress
Late this morning, lawmakers will announce the introduction of the first gun control legislation to be put forth in Congress since the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut that left 20 children and six adults dead. The move comes as gun control advocates say the political environment is more favorable for new gun control laws than it has been in years.}
But at least when it comes to the most ambitious item in the legislation, and on President Obama's gun control agenda - a reinstatement of the ban on assault weapons - advocates have little reason to be optimistic.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., and five other Democratic lawmakers will be joined by mayors, law enforcement officials and gun violence victims at 11:00 a.m. ET to unveil a measure that would reinstate the assault weapons ban, which went into effect in 1994 bill and lapsed in 2004. The bill would outlaw the sale, importation and manufacture of over 100 specialty firearms along with certain semiautomatic weapons; it would also outlaw the sale, importation and manufacture of ammunition magazines that accept more than 10 rounds. Americans would be able to keep affected weapons if the weapons were already in their possession when the bill was enacted, and exemptions would be made for specific hunting and sporting weapons, as well as antique or disabled weapons.
Mr. Obama called on Congress to pass the assault weapons and high-capacity magazine ban on Jan. 16, as well as a requirement for universal background checks for gun sales and other measures. Citing the horrific Newtown massacre one month earlier, the president said that "if there's even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there's even one life that can be saved, then we've got an obligation to try."
The White House opted not to send its own bill to Capitol Hill after Mr. Obama's announcement; it says it supports Feinstein's effort and has worked with her office in crafting the new version. Yet there is little reason to believe that the measure could pass the GOP-led House - and it may well not even be able to get through the Democrat-led Senate.
While gun control opponents were muted in the days after the Newtown attack - and some previously anti-gun control lawmakers have showed openness to some new laws - the rhetoric soon turned harsh. The National Rifle Association has gone on the offensive, unleashing its lobbying muscle against the new push and deeming the president an "elitist hypocrite" in an ad last week. The top Republican in the Senate, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sent an email to donors to his reelection campaign in which campaign manager Jesse Benton wrote that "[t]he gun-grabbers in the Senate are about to launch an all-out-assault on the Second Amendment. On your rights. On your freedom." Many Republicans in the House and Senate reacted angrily to Mr. Obama's proposals, with Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Mich., saying that "[t]he right to bear arms is a right, despite Mr. Obama's disdain for the Second Amendment and the Constitution's limits on his power."
Democrats control 55 out of 100 votes in the Senate, and barring a significant change to the filibuster rule, supporters of the gun control measure would need all of those votes -- plus five Republican votes -- to pass the bill. That's a tall order: At least five Senate Democrats have declined to take a position on the president's proposal, and there is only one Republican in the Senate - Mark Kirk of Illinois - who supports an assault weapons ban.
- Obama calls for sweeping new gun laws
- NRA ad: Obama an "elitist hypocrite" on gun violence
- McConnell email: Obama is "coming for your guns"
- Reid promises action on filibuster this week
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., indicated recently that he wouldn't even allow a vote on an assault weapons ban, since it would not pass the GOP-led House. (A vote for gun control could be political damaging to Democrats from gun-friendly states, some of whom are up for reelection in 2014.) On Tuesday, Reid signaled that he may allow a vote, though he made clear that he did not expect the measure to pass. The Senate Majority Leader, a longtime supporter of gun rights, said he expected the Senate Judiciary Committee to produce a bill after its hearings on gun control, which begin next week.
"It may not be everything everyone wants," he told reporters. "But I hope it has stuff that is really important."
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., is the only Republican in the House who has signaled an openness to an assault weapons ban; a handful of other Republicans have said they are open to some gun control measures, though many have pushed a focus on mental health and enforcing existing laws. Feinstein's bill may be used to give lawmakers from gun-friendly states a measure to oppose before they support the less ambitious bill that comes out of the Judiciary Committee.
On January 17 - the day after Mr. Obama announced his proposals - CBS News White House correspondent Major Garrett pressed the White House on its decision to back Feinstein's bill. He spokesman Jay Carney if the White House fears "that if you put everything in there with the assault weapons ban, that could pull it down and that you have a better chance of achieving some of these other goals if they're adjudicated, if you will, in Congress separately?"
"I can't speak to that directly," Carney responded. "I just know that we are working with Sen. Feinstein, working with other senators in the Senate, and we'll work with House members to try to move something forward here. The reality is, as we've talked about, that none of this is going to be easy. But the fact that it's not easy doesn't mean we shouldn't try." Vice President Joe Biden, who led the effort to craft Mr. Obama's proposals, is hosting a "fireside hangout" on Google+ Thursday to discuss gun control efforts.
The most likely of Mr. Obama's major gun control proposals to win passage in Congress appears to be universal background checks, which a CBS News/New York Times poll last week found is supported by nine in 10 Americans. In the same poll, more than three in four Americans said they favor creation of a national database to track all gun sales in the United States. A ban on high-capacity magazines was backed by 63 percent of Americans; 53 percent backed an assault weapons ban.
Asked if he could point to evidence that the assault weapons ban had a chance for passage, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's communications director, Shams Tarek, said there is a better environment for passage of new gun control legislation than at any time since the Clinton administration.
"Is it tough? Of course it's tough," he said. "But we're hopeful."


text:
Inspired by Stephen Blackheath's recent post on his experience with Sodium, I'd like to add a few more thoughts about the role of FRP in application development. It's especially interesting to think about what benefits it brings to the table for someone who's mostly used to working in mainstream languages.
Note that the following discussion is going to be mostly abstract. My goal here is rather to convey a general intuition about FRP as a paradigm – at least my interpretation of it – than to talk about specific systems.
As it turns out, the most important advantages I found while working with Elerea (which happens to be very similar to Sodium in spirit) are independent of the way we formulate FRP, for instance whether the chosen approach is based on arrows or monads. For the sake of this discussion, we can work with a fuzzy definition of FRP: a system for composing time-varying quantities with plain functions.
There are two primary kinds of time-varying quantities, often referred to as events and behaviours. In FRP parlance, an 'event' typically refers to a series of occurrences, and that's how I'm going to use the term as well. A 'behaviour' is in essence a function of time (either discrete or continuous), and we can think of it as the whole lifetime of a variable in an imperative language. As a simple example, all the clicks of a mouse button form an event, while the mouse position is typically best modelled as a behaviour. Programs are built as complex events formed from simple ones through composition, using functions like the following (examples taken from the Sodium API):
merge :: Event a → Event a → Event a
snapshotWith :: (a → b → c) → Event a → Behaviour b → Event c
filterE :: (a → Bool) → Event a → Event a
The merge function takes two events and returns a new event that contains the union of all their occurrences. The snapshotWith function takes an event e and a behaviour b, and returns an event whose occurrences are simultaneous with e's, but the values they contain are the result of applying a binary function to the values yielded by e and b at the time of those occurrences. As a last example, filterE derives a new event by throwing away some occurrences of an existing one. With some imagination, it's hopefully clear that it's possible to fully implement the logic of an interactive application in this manner.
The basics out of the way, let's see what solutions FRP offers to certain real-life problems! To quantify the term 'solution' and to provide context for this discussion, let's assume some code is read and modified by several programmers over a long period of time, and we'd like to prevent certain mistakes by construction, or at least make the right solution the most obvious choice. FRP is by no means a silver bullet, but it can guide the programmer in the right direction where OOP offers no particular help.
Complex event handling
Most of the time reactive programming is mentioned it is usually about event handling in some way. FRP systems offer a principled approach to specify complex rules for transforming and combining events. In order to live up to the term 'functional', such a system must be referentially transparent. This criterion has a few implications, like being free of glitches (i.e. being transactional: not allowing inconsistent state to be observed). Achieving this requires sophisticated dependency and lifecycle management.
As an abstract example, consider the following event propagation structure: A → C, B → C, (A, C) → D. Every time either A or B fires an event, it causes an update in C. At the same time, events coming from A also trigger a change in D, but we need to sample the state of C to compute this change. However, using the state of C before A's effect on it is performed would lead to erroneous results, since it's inconsistent.
Let's now assume that our events are consumed by simple callbacks, and D is not implemented yet. A programmer new to the code is tasked with creating it, and they somehow figure out that they need to listen to A and sample the state of C to be able to perform the necessary update. However, they don't realise that C's state is partly affected by A due to some indirection in the code.
What happens? Depending on the order the callbacks are invoked, we might or might not get the desired result. If we're unlucky, D's behaviour will happen to be correct, and we don't find out about our reliance on random ordering for a long time. Then a year or two down the line something in our system changes, event listeners get registered in a different order, D breaks, and a pleasant debugging session awaits us. By the way, we were not involved in implementing either C or D...
There are two aspects of FRP that can make it easier to get the solution right from the beginning: explicit dependencies and explicit delay policies.
One of the core properties of functional programs is the fact that definitions need to explicitly mention all the entities necessary to derive each value. In effect, FRP forces us to define time-varying quantities (i.e. the states of the objects in the system) by describing the clear connection between them and all the entities in the world that can possibly affect them. Some of these entities can be extensible slots, but we still have to define an explicit policy to deal with them. Our hypothetical programmer would have been much more likely to find out early on that C was affected by A had the system been formulated in this manner. They only need to look at the definition as opposed to scouring the code for all the possible callers, which generally doesn't occur to people in practice even if their IDE makes it easy.
The other half of the story is delays. A mature FRP system would offer pairs of combinators like the following:
hold :: Event a → Behaviour a
holdDelayed :: Event a → Behaviour a
These combinators both convert events into behaviours by simply storing the last occurrence at any time. The difference between them is a conceptually infinitesimal delay that affects sampling. When taking snapshots of these behaviours at the exact moments of the original occurrences, the one constructed with hold already yields the new value, while holdDelayed e still exposes the old value. The merit of FRP is making the logic very explicit and obvious, and especially making the programmer think about which one they need in a particular case.
Avoiding the observation of inconsistent state
While transactionality was already mentioned above, I'd like to bring it up again as a separate point.
When using some FRP system, we're basically describing a multi-rate dynamic data-flow network. Any incoming event causes a series of changes that propagates through the network, and the system makes sure that we never observe the state of the system before this propagation completes. For instance, Elerea achieves this by double buffering every state variable and updating the whole network in two phases. The nice part is that this consistency is enforced by construction at the language level as opposed to requiring explicit book-keeping.
Conflict handling by construction
When an object exposes a way to manipulate its state, a potential source of conflicts opens. As the code evolves, there can be more and more different entities in the system that might want to exercise control over this object. In a traditional OOP setting we need extra effort to avoid situations where separate parts of the system are stepping on each other's toes: best practices, design patterns, frameworks etc. In contrast, FRP forces us to make a decision about resolving conflicts on a much more elementary level, simply because we have to think about all the possible external effects on an object when describing its state transitions. There's no other way to implement its logic!
As a real-life example, let's consider the GUI of a complex application. Assuming that we keep adding features to this program, we regularly get user feedback about certain flows being broken, e.g. an unforeseen combination of windows somehow interfering with each other's functionality. It is tempting to fix such issues on an individual basis by trying to detect the offending situation and e.g. controlling the visibility of some visual element in this special case. OOP by itself offers no safeguards to stop us from doing the wrong thing and adding the extra rule without considering others that try to manipulate same element. FRP, on the other hand, makes us have a good look at all the existing effects and integrate a new rule in a way that plays nice with everyone else.
In short, FRP forces us to assign a recognisable identity to every writer of a given channel (state-changing method), and to define explicit rules to resolve their requests to affect some state.
Encapsulating state (transformation) at a small scale in a reusable manner
One of the strengths of functional programming is its ability to create small-scale abstractions at virtually no cost. For instance, single loops can be factored into general recursion patterns and specific logic in the form of a non-recursive state transforming function. FRP brings this capability into the world of mutable objects, making it possible to define transformers like rising edge detectors in a light-weight way without introducing new state variables elsewhere.
I have a quick and dirty example from our LambdaCube samples. In order to produce the videos on the blog, we added a way to save screenshots of the running application. Depending on the use case, sometimes it was convenient to have a button that I'd have to keep pressed to save the images, at other times a toggle logic was more convenient. The first case is handled by the following code:
capture = capturePress
The capturePress signal reflects the state of the chosen key, while capture specifies whether capturing is taking place at the moment. Well, this was trivial. To make the toggle logic work, we need two state variables: one to detect edges (when the key goes from the non-pressed to the pressed state), and the other to remember whether we're saving screenshots or not. In the final code, each of these states can be hidden in two reusable signal transformers:
capture <- toggle =<< risingEdge =<< capturePress
In this case we need monadic bind as opposed to plain function application because Elerea requires all stateful entities to be created in a monadic context that manages their lifecycle. It's nice that the change is local; we don't need to introduce a new variable or a new object type. The desired state transformation can be expressed by changing a single line and using generic building blocks.
The bottom line
I believe FRP has high potential in application development, but we need more real-life data to have a clear picture of the advantages and the downsides. FRP has some desirable properties that should make it easier for programmers to do the right thing when attacking a problem, but we don't know yet how it works at scale. There's a trade-off between putting too many constraints over the way programs can be structured versus letting the programmers shoot themselves in the foot (often in subtle ways that might take a long time to realise), and the stricter end of the spectrum is of course the less popular one. In the end, I'm not expecting FRP to get big – not in its more rigorous forms at least –, but I still recommend studying it for the valuable lessons that can make our software better, no matter what approach we use.


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i. Meeting called to order
ii. Roll call
iii. Approval of minutes
iv. Marjorie Anne McDiarmid, Esq., Steptoe & Johnson Professor of Law and Technology, WVU College of Law Presentation on the Veterans Assistance Project of the WVU Clinical Law Program. v. LeeAnn Bills, Coordinator of the Homeless Veterans Resource Center, Huntington and Bryan Chambers, Veterans Ride Cyclist Presentation on the Homeless Veterans Resource Center in Huntington and the HVRC Homeless Veterans Ride 2012.
vi. Linda Artimez, Esq., Director of Mental Hygiene and Mental Health Court Services and Administrative Counsel, WV Supreme Court of Appeals Follow up on June Presentation on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals' implementation of veterans treatment courts in West Virginia.
vii. Miscellaneous business
viii. Adjournment


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Pop Tarts. Whether you love or hate them, you really can't deny their presence: from those memorable toaster strudel commercials of yore to their ubiquity in office vending machines, they're nothing if not constant in our everyday lives.
But how did these little toaster treats worm their way into our lives? For those of you have ever wondered (surely there must be some of you), Cakespy has done some serious sleuthing on the story of the Pop-Tart. We would have been sunk without wonderful reference guides such as Whole Pop Magazine's "True History of Pop-Tarts", Dave Barry's informative article "Tarts Afire", and James Prichard's article on the treats in the Detroit News from 2003.
Pop-tarts were invented in the post-World War II era, when Post (not Kellogg!) was developing new products. There was an emphasis at this time on foods that were convenient and had a long shelf life, and the now-familiar foil packaging was originally used as a way of preserving a type of moist dog food; they altered it slightly to accommodate a new people-food addition meant to supplement their cereal offerings, which they called "Country Squares". Unfortunately, loose-lipped employees revealed the nature of the product in development before it was released, thus giving arch rival Kellogg a chance to come up with a competitor product--and obviously to think of a better name. The fate of Country Squares? Well, all we can say is, when is the last time you saw one at your local grocery store? Pop-Tarts, on the other hand, were a runaway success.
The original Pop-Tarts were unfrosted; some fool thought that the frosting might melt and cause problems in the toaster. Happily they worked on the issue, developing a frosted and toaster-safe version in 1967. Since then, it's been a movie montage-esque development of new flavors and variations, from the most excellent S'more Pop-Tart to the bad-decision neon-colored Wild! Berry. Of course, Pop-Tarts haven't been without their fair share of controversy; but even in spite of the infamous UK toaster cloggings of the early 90's (turns out their toasters are different from ours) and the 1992 toaster fire debacle and even the ill-fated addition of "Go-Tarts" (slender Pop-Tart sticks meant for on-the-go consumption; we say, just eat a Pop-Tart), they've remained a beloved part of not only our lives but our culture.
And happily, Cake Gumshoe Kristin recently came across a wonderful recipe in a Martha Stewart holiday baking guide by Flour Bakery's owner / head baker Joanne Chang, which is reminiscent of the classic toaster treats, but made with more refined tastes in mind...kind of like Pop-Tarts, all growed up.
Tasty Toaster Tarts Recipe by Joanne Chang, owner of Flour Bakery
2 cups flour (they recommend King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 cup, 8 oz unsalted butter, cut into pats
Filling: 3/4 cup raspberry jam
1 tbsp cornstarch, mixed with 1tbsp cold water
1 egg, to brush on dough
1 cup, 4 oz confectioner's sugar
3 to 4 tbsp water
To make dough: Whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Work in butter until mixture holds together when you squeeze it, with pecan-sized lumps of butter still visible. Mix egg and milk, and add it to the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive.
Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a rough 3x5 inch rectangle, smoothing edges. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 2 days.
To make filling: in a small saucepan, mix jam with cornstarch and water mix. Bring mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
To assemble tarts: remove dough from the refrigerator, and if it's been chilling for longer than 1 hour, allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes. Place one pice on a lightly floured work surface,
and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 inch thick, large enough so that you can trim it to an even 9x12 inches. Set aside. Roll a second piece of dough as you did the first. Press the edge of a ruler into the dough you've
rolled, to gently score it in thirds lenghtwise and widthewise; you'll see nine 3x4 inch rectangles.
Beat egg, and brush it over entire surface of dough. Place a heaping tablespoon of jam into center of each marked rectangle. Place second sheet of dough atop first, using your fingertips to press firmly around each
pocket of jam, sealing the dough well on all sides. Cut dough evenly in between jam pockets to make nine tarts. Gently place tarts on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet, and refrigerate, covered, for 30
minutes, to relax and chill the dough.
Prick the top of each tart several times with ha fork. Bake tarts in a preheatd 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven, and allow to cool on pan.
For the topping: Combine confectioners sugar with 3 tablespoons of water, adding more if necessary to make a pourable glaze. Pour and spread glaze over cooled tarts. Yield: 9 toaster tarts.
Bonus Pop-Tart Trivia: For the 35th anniversary of the toaster pastry, Kellogg made the biggest Pop-Tart ever recorded: In total, it took more than 545 pounds of flour, 495 pounds of fruit filling, 800 pounds of icing and 150 pounds of colored sprinkles to create the giant-sized toaster pastry. The oversized snack was unveiled at a press conference in front of the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City, where morning commuters were treated to tasting this record-breaking creation.
For more information on Pop-Tarts, visit poptarts.com.


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Some municipalities now add chloramines into their distribution systems in place of chlorine to disinfect water supplies. A combination of chlorine and ammonia, chloramines provide long-lasting protection without the risk of disinfectant byproducts. However, foodservice operations will want to remove chloramines from the ingredient water due to the distinct off tastes and odors and corrosion these chemicals cause.
The VZN chloramine series features a specially designed activated carbon cartridge to remove chloramines from the water. This cartridge follows the self-cleaning ultrafilter and ensures premium quality water to the operation's beverage portfolio.


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What is CARNAUBA WAX?
What is CARNAUBA WAX?Sorry, No Discription for this ingredient yet.
Currently What is that Ingredient's data research is all done the founders. We are branching out to include some of our friends, probably like minded individuals just like you. Are you interested in joining the team?


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This is a concept I used in Overdose quite a few times, before I give it out to more people to beta test I thought I would release the idea to ensure its not plagiarized.
This is a fix for ladders in jump maps, instead of worrying about climbing up the ladder heaps or accidentally breaking your legs on the fall down. Also as a bonus its also SO much quicker than climbing up a ladder
The brush work is simple, all it requires is the mapper to make a set of stairs with a width (x/y axis) of 1 unit(minimum) and the stairs height(z axis) of 16 units(maximum)
I've created a test map for mappers to check out how it works and how its made, the pk3 contains a .bsp and .map source
Check it out http://www.gotdelirium.com/maps/del_ladder_fix.pk3 (17 kb)


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This wedding is like a shot of whisky for any of you thinking about blazing your own trail on your wedding day. Have courage! I love the 'anything goes' approach they took to their big day. Do whatever you want!!! It definitely looks like a good time was had by all. And Samm Blake, you did a phenomenal job recording this epic day in such a skillful and artistic way. Congratulations to Samm and of course, the stars of the show, Annabel and Matthew!
Photography: Samm Blake // Flowers and Event styling: Rebecca Grace @ Natural Art // Brides' Dress: Michelle Jank// Bridesmaids' dresses: Michelle Jank + Wendy Marshall @ Elle Boutique // Groom and groomsmen suits: Tony Barlow// Hair: Marie Cain @ Head Studio Perth // Makeup: Hendra Widjaja // Music and Production: Tony Salom @ OMG Events// Cars: Belle Classique // Food: Iain Lawless
Comments (20)
wow. she is fabulous.
please tell me where the brides' shoesies are from?
omg this is phenomenal!
I can't get over this wedding! So much magic…fairytale in the best sense. xoxo
Gorgeous! I love this.
So beautiful!
This is so over the top fabulous! Every aspect looks beautifully and creatively planned out, I only wish we had more details! Like who makes the bridesmaids' shoes, what are the booklets the guests are reading, where did they get all of their lovely inspiration from??? Thank you for sharing this wedding!
Geez louise, that dress is fab! I would wear it every day of the week if I owned it, wedding or not.
seriously, so gorgeous!! thanks to all involved for sharing such loveliness with us :)
I love all of the weddings you feature but this one just made my jaw drop with its awesomeness. My hat is off to the bride and groom and everyone else who inspired and assisted with this piece of spectacular.
This is so spectacular! Everyone is so lovely, the bride is wildly stunning and you can just see the joy and happy in both her and the groom! maybe the best outfit ever too…. so good!
thanks so much for sharing!
Swooning, positively swooning over the dress with that lace topper by day and so gorgeous without at the party! Amazing photography! Those little pamphlets at the tables! The maids' fab shoes! I love the high spirits of this wedding!
second miranda's comment – everything is unbelievable – it feels like a complete dreamscape
this is such a beautiful wedding!!!! love the bride's dress and bridesmaids outfits.
Please please please let us know who made the bride's heels.
Ohh lord. I think these pictures are of the most gorgeous wedding ever
Beautiful theater type feel. Out of the box and I think it is awesome.
Where brand were the Bridesmaid's heels? http://oncewed.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/unique-bridesmaids-dresses.jpg
Amazing! And so refreshing to see something so original. Am dying to know where the bride bought her shoes also!!
Love every shot, what an amazing wedding! Id love to know where they held the tea party and the reception?
the brides heels are miu miu :)
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Photo Credit: HumanLight.org
When it comes to holiday celebrations, December is a busy time. Christians celebrate Christmas, Jews observe Hanukkah and many African descendants participate in Kwanzaa celebrations. While the month is already chock-full of cheer, it seems atheists have traditionally felt left out of the mix, so they've created "HumanLight," their own holiday to commemorate secularism.
Generally celebrated on or around Dec. 23, HumanLight is meant to tout human potential and "peace." Contrary to other holidays, this secular observance was founded as an alternative to "supernatural religious beliefs," as non-believers search for a way that they, too, can take part in the winter holiday season. An official web site setup to describe the endeavor reads:
HumanLight illuminates Humanism's positive secular vision. In Western societies, late December is a season of good cheer and a time for gatherings of friends and families. During the winter holiday season, where the word "holiday" has taken on a more secular meaning, many events are observed. This tradition of celebrations, however, is grounded in supernatural religious beliefs that many people in modern society cannot accept. HumanLight presents an alternative reason to celebrate: a Humanist's vision of a good future. It is a future in which all people can identify with each other, behave with the highest moral standards, and work together toward a happy, just and peaceful world.
While the non-theist celebration may seem odd to those hearing about it for the first time, Religion News Service (RNS) reports that it has been around for just over a decade and is gaining traction among non-believers in some areas of the country:
This year, at least 18 groups, from New Jersey to Florida and Pennsylvania to Colorado, have ceremonies planned. And at least one government building that displays holiday scenes has added HumanLight to the roster: the county courthouse in Wabash, Ind., displays a yellow, white and red HumanLight banner on the same lawn as the Christian creche.
The holiday, which was born in the late 1990s, developed after members of the New Jersey Humanist Network began asking themselves how they, as non-believers, could commemorate the holiday season. Eventually, HumanLight became the answer everyone was apparently searching for.
In an interview with RNS, Patrick Colucci, a non-theist who helped create HumanLight, explained that, rather than focusing upon a deity, HumanLight celebrates humanity and the ability for everyone to come together to build "a more just, more peaceful and a better quality of life for all."
"The December holiday period is always a discussion for those of us who are nontheistic," Colucci told RNS News. "What are we going to do if our families want us to go to church? Should we celebrate Christmas even though we don't want to? The question came up: How come there is no holiday for the nonreligious?"
While HumanLight will certainly be new to many, it is in its 12th year of observance. Some atheists began celebrating back in 2001. It was at that time that a communal meal was held. Today, just a little over a decade after the atheist holiday commenced, new practices are included, as those who celebrate it light three candles to represent reason, compassion and hope. A fourth candle, as RNS notes, represents HumanLight itself.
Despite originating in New Jersey, other non-theist groups have adopted the holiday across America. Some hold book exchanges and charity endeavors, while others provide entertainment for children. Taking a direct page from Christmas, some celebrants even create HumanLight cards, holiday carols and ornaments.
But while some non-believers are hankering for their own reason to celebrate the season, not all atheists, agnostics and humanists are on board. In fact, Tom Flynn, executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism, believes that these non-theists should simply shun all December holidays.
"Nonreligious people make themselves disappear when they cling to a 'me too' holiday so as not to be seen with nothing special to do towards the end of December," he said. "We'd further increase our visibility by ignoring the holiday and pressing our employers to leave the office open on December 25."


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Welcome to the Pulp Diction Detective Agency!
Solving crimes is as easy as finding words at the crime scene!
Make words by tapping the letters in order. Tap the last letter again to submit the word.
Work your way through the detective ranks, tackling more challenging cases.
Hone your detective skills!
* Work your way up the Game Center Leaderboards!
* Tap the magnifying glass to shuffle the letters for fresh clues.
* Grab the clocks to give yourself a little more time to crack the case.
But remember, you can always go at your own pace. Every crime earns points, and there's no rush to do the harder cases.
Pulp Diction is great for a quick 2 minute game, or curl up in bed and solve a handful of cases.
Groove to the the jazzy soundtrack and atmosphere of the pulp fiction novels of the 40's and 50's.
Pulp Diction was created by Murray Lorden, an indie developer from Melbourne, Australia.
If you enjoy it, please tell your friends to check it out. :)


text: 05 ديسمبر 2013 08:30 Hala Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital's leading destination management company of Etihad Airways, has expanded its product portfolio with the introduction of tours and safaris services in the United Arab Emirates. An exciting range of city tours and desert safaris have been launched this week, which are operated by Hala Abu Dhabi's own fleet of vehicles. The tours are hosted by a team of multi-lingual guest guides employed directly by Hala Abu Dhabi.The guides have been professionally trained in off-road driving, are first-aid certified and tour guide licensed by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA Abu Dhabi).To support the latest phase of its growth, Hala Abu Dhabi has also become the first company in the UAE capital to offer both male and female guides, with a team that includes the first woman in Abu Dhabi to be licensed as a guest guide and off-road driver by TCA Abu Dhabi.Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, said: "City tours and desert safaris are a quintessential part of visiting the UAE on holiday, so we are extremely proud to operate these services in-house using a branded fleet of Hala Abu Dhabi vehicles."Whether you are visiting for a short break or a longer getaway, our own fully-trained guides will ensure an informative, authentic and fun-filled experience. Our focus is on the whole guest experience, with quality and safety at the core."The introduction of our tours and safaris services in one of the world's fastest-growing markets for inbound leisure tourism is testament to the continued expansion and diversification of Hala Abu Dhabi. It also reinforces our strategic endeavours to promote the best of Abu Dhabi and the UAE to visitors from across the world."Hala Abu Dhabi's signature tours and safaris include the "Hala's Desert Sunset Drive with BBQ", a gentle off-road experience in the heart of the UAE desert. This is followed by a relaxing evening under the stars at an Arabic-themed camp, with activities such as camel riding, henna painting, shisha and a belly-dancing show.Customers can also select "The Story of Abu Dhabi" half-day tour of popular landmarks across Abu Dhabi, including Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Heritage Village and Abu Dhabi Corniche. The tour also includes a visit to the UAE Capital's ambitious future developments at Manarat Al Saadiyat.Tours and safaris, as well as special interest experiences can be booked by emailing email@example.com calling 800 2324 (within the UAE) or +971 2 599 0700 (outside the UAE).Further details about Hala Abu Dhabi are also available on www.halaabudhabi.com. اتصلوا بنا تفاصيل الاتصال آراؤكم إذا أردتم أن توجهوا لنا أي تعليق أو شكوى أو إطراء أو سؤال، اضغطوا هنا انضموا إلينا انضموا لصفحتنا في فيسبوك شاهدونا زوروا قناة الاتحاد للطيران في يوتيوب تابعونا الاتحاد للطيران (العربي)