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|Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange
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Jepson Interchange (more information)
©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California
Annual, biennial, perennial herb (rarely shrub, tree), often from taproot
Stem often ± scapose, generally ribbed, hollow
Leaves basal and generally some cauline, generally alternate; stipules generally 0; petiole base generally sheathing stem; blade generally much dissected, sometimes compound
Inflorescence: umbel or head, simple or compound, generally peduncled; bracts present (in involucres) or not; bractlets generally present (in involucels)
Flowers many, small, generally bisexual (or some staminate), generally radial (or outer bilateral); calyx 0 or lobes 5, small, atop ovary; petals 5, free, generally ovate or spoon-shaped, generally incurved at tips, generally ± ephemeral; stamens 5; pistil 1, ovary inferior, 2-chambered, generally with a ± conic, persistent projection or platform on top subtending 2 free styles
Fruit: 2 dry, 1-seeded halves that separate from each other but generally remain attached for some time to a central axis; ribs on each half 5, 2 marginal and 3 on back; oil tubes 1several per interval between ribs
Genera in family: 300 genera, 3,000 species: ± worldwide, especially temp; many cultivated for food or spice (e.g., Carum, caraway; Daucus; Petroselinum); some highly toxic (e.g., Conium). Underground structures here called roots, but true nature remains problematic. Mature fruit generally critical in identification; shapes generally given in outline, followed by shape in X -section of 2 fruit halves together.
Perennial, taprooted
Stem erect, leafy, hollow
Leaves: petioles generally inflated; cauline often bladeless; blades compound, rarely dissected, leaflets generally wide, distinct, when leaf dissected, segments narrow, connected
Inflorescence: umbels compound, peduncled; bracts 0; bractlets 0 or many and conspicuous; rays, pedicels many, spreading-ascending or ascending
Flower: calyx lobes 0 or minute; petals wide, white, pink, red, or purple
Fruit oblong to round, generally very compressed front-to-back (rarely slightly so or cylindric), glabrous to hairy; ribs generally unequal, winged but marginal generally wider than others; oil tubes per rib-interval 1several, adhering to fruit wall or rarely to seed; fruit axis divided to base
Seed: face flat
Species in genus: 5060 species: temp North America, Asia
Etymology: (Latin: angelic, for cordial and medicinal properties)
Reference: [DiTomaso 1984 Madroño 31:6979]
Plant 12 m, generally hairy
Leaf < 1 m diam, triangular-ovate, 23-ternate-pinnate; both surfaces generally glabrous; leaflets 610 cm, lanceolate, acuminate, serrate
Inflorescence hairy; bracts, bractlets generally 0; rays 2050, 210 cm; rays, pedicels webbed at base
Flower: petals, ovary hairy
Fruit 812 mm, oblong to ovate
Chromosomes: 2n=66
Ecology: Coniferous forests
Elevation: 10003000 m.
Bioregional distribution: High Cascade Range, n&c High Sierra Nevada
Distribution outside California: Nevada
Horticultural information: TRY.


text:
Bees - upon which the entire human food chain rests - are suffering a sharp decline. As the Guardian pointed...
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Entries tagged with: Clothianidin
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To Bee or Not to Be? Insects, amphibians and birds dying off
washingtonsblog.com | January 6, 11 at 05:51 PM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Looking for something to do this weekend that doesn't involve braving the busy mall? Want to decorate your home with surprises that are a little more heartfelt and homemade? Try one of these ideas perfect for this time of year. Bonus: some of them can double as gifts.
Do-it-yourself candles: Whether you want to keep them for yourself or give them as a gift, making your own candles is a simple way to personalize home decor. You'll need wax — paraffin and soy are popular types — wicks, and a container for the candle. Personalize it by adding scents and dyes of your choice — oil-based dyes, as opposed to food coloring, work best. You'll also need a double boiler and a food thermometer to melt the wax to the correct temperature, depending on what type of wax you use.
Make the house smell warm and cozy: Speaking of scents, a way to make the house smell amazing without ever lighting a match is by putting on a pot of stove top potpourri. With 2-3 cups water, mix 1 cup fresh cranberries, 1 sliced orange, 5 cinnamon sticks, 1 tablespoon cloves and 1 teaspoon nutmeg. Simply simmer on low to fill the house with seasonal scents, refilling the water as needed. For a perfect gift idea, fill a mason jar with all the solid, unsliced ingredients. Decorate with a printout of the instructions tied to the jar with a red ribbon, and give the jar to a loved one.
Decorate some ornaments: Nothing beats the value of a handmade ornament, the one you take out of storage every year when decorating that brings back memories. Take a break from store-bought 40-piece sets and make your own instead. You can get a pack of clear bulbs from a craft store, and then add your own twist. Paint them with festive colors, fill them with pompoms or fake snow or try decoupage with foil or colored paper for a neat effect. Detail the bottom of the ornament with the year you made it, and make it an annual gift that your family can look back on and enjoy.
Make your own votive holders: Can't get enough of candles? Decorate your party with these adorable flower pot candle holders, and then send your guests home with them. Miniature flower pots can be found at a local gardening or craft store. Adorn them with ribbon or paper cut-outs, fill with a touch of moss or garland, and pop in a votive.
Fashion a wreath: The perfect way to make a first impression, you can't get more classic than a wreath on the front door. Craft stores sell bare, pre-made wreaths along with aisles full of decorative picks. Pick out a bunch according to a theme and stick them into the wreath that fits the scheme of your home. Or, gather a group of friends to have a wreath-making night, and then swap wreaths.


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This site is the archived OWASP Foundation Wiki and is no longer accepting Account Requests.
To view the new OWASP Foundation website, please visit https://owasp.org
Netherlands January 31, 2013
January 31, 2013
Broken Online Strong Authentication and OWASP update
- This chaptermeeting will be about broken online strong authentication with banking web applications and OWASP updates.
- 18:30 - 19:00 Registration
- 19:00 - 19:45 The Truth about the e.dentifier2 - Erik Poll
- 19:45 - 20:00 Break
- 20:00 - 20:45 OWASP Update - Martin Knobloch
- 20:45 - 21:30 Networking
The Truth about the e.dentifier2
We present a security analysis of an internet banking system used by one of the bigger banks in the Netherlands, in which customers use a USB-connected device – a smartcard reader with a display and numeric keyboard – to authorise transactions with their bank card and PIN code. Such a set-up could provide a very strong defence against online attackers, notably Man-in-the-Browser attacks, where an attacker controls the browser and host PC. However, we show that the system we studied is flawed: an attacker who controls an infected host PC can get the smartcard to sign transactions that the user does not explicitly approve, which is precisely what the device is meant to prevent.
OWASP Update
News and updates on OWASP BeneLux 2013, OWASP Dutch Chapter meetings, AppSec EU 2013, OWASP Connector, the OWASP Newsletter and new OWASP initiatives.
Erik Poll
Erik works in the Digital Security group of the Radboud University on a range of topics in security, including smartcards, security protocols, software security, and critical infrastructures (esp. the smart grid).
Martin Knobloch
Martin Knobloch is member of the Dutch chapter board and chair of the Global Education Committee. Next to this he contributes to several projects as the OWASP Education Project and the OWASP Academy Portal. Martin is an independent security consultant and owner of PervaSec. His main working area is (software) security in general, from awareness to implementation. In his daily work, Martin is responsible for education in application security matters, advise and implementation of application security measures.


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Disney comes to campus to recruit student interns
March 22, 2010
KALAMAZOO--The Walt Disney Co. will be on campus Monday, March 29, to recruit Western Michigan University students for a one-of-a-kind education and work program at the "Magic Kingdom" in Florida or California.
Representatives from the Disney College Program will be on hand at noon and at 6 p.m. in Room 157 of the Bernhard Center to provide information about the real world of make believe and becoming a Disney "cast member." The free event is sponsored by the Disney College Program Alumni Association WMU chapter, which was established in 1996 to provide networking opportunities and promote the development of the program at WMU. Previously called the Walt Disney World College Program, Disney representatives began recruiting at WMU in 1993.
The program offers a paid fall semester internship at the Disney World amusement park near Orlando, Fla., or the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Calif. While working in front-line roles at the theme parks and resorts, participants will network with leaders, learn transferable skills, gain real-world experience and be a part of a team of cast members from hundreds of job disciplines. Participants on the Disney College Program also custom design a learning curriculum that best suits their needs and interests, complete education courses and specialized learning activities and can possibly earn college credit while doing so.
For more information, visit disneycollegeprogram.com or contact firstname.lastname@example.com.
Share |
Media contact: Deanne Puca, (269) 387-8400, email@example.com
WMU News


text:
Monocle Madness Gold Monocle
The Monocle is back. This high quality stainless steel constructed frame is paired with light weight polycarbonate lens. Includes two cords; standard black and one in the signature turquoise color. The Monocle comes in a signature branded Monocle Madness tin with butterfly clasp.
- Includes two colors of cords
- Size: 37mm
Monocle Madness...Seeing is believing. The key to the success of the monocle is its portability. You won't know you're carrying it so it's never an inconvenience.
- Age Range: Adult
- Frame Shape: Round
- Frame Material: Metal
- Frame Type: Monocle
- Lens Type: Single Vision
- Brand: Monocle Madness
- Frame Weight: Ultralight


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Windspeeds could increase 13 percent and rainfall could increase 31 percent, Staudt warned at the launch of her new report last week.
"As so many grapple with Tropical Storm Fay's landfall in the United States, our thoughts and prayers are with those in harm's way," she said.
Now weakened from a Tropical Storm to a Tropical Depression, Fay will be pouring down rain in Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, eastern Tennessee, Georgia and parts of the Carolinas most of Tuesday and Wednesday, say National Weather Service forecasters. Fay has been in Florida and the Deep South since August 18.
While weary Florida and Gulf Coast residents endure yet another round of flooding, destruction and power outages, the latest science connecting hurricanes and global warming suggests more of the same is yet to come, said Dr. Staudt.
"Although no single weather event can be attributed to global warming, it's critical to understand that a warming climate is supplying the very conditions that fuel the strongest storms," she said, predicting higher wind speeds, more precipitation, and bigger storm surges in the coming decades.
The destructive potential of tropical storms in the North Atlantic has increased by about 50 percent since the 1970s, Staudt states in the report.
Deltona, Florida Fire Department Search and Rescue members, Randy Siebert, left, and Tony Jacinto deliver food and medications to stranded residents of this Volusia County community. August 24, 2008. Six days after the first landfall of Tropical Storm Fay, communities are still stranded. (Photo by Barry Bahler courtesy FEMA)
And the heights of big waves along the eastern United States have increased by 20 percent during hurricane season since the late 1970s, augmenting the overall risk to coastal communities and wildlife habitats.
Staudt says the increase reflects longer storm lifetimes and greater storm intensities. She correlates it with an increase of 0.9 to 1.3°Fahrenheit in sea surface temperatures in the main development area for storms in the North Atlantic.
The report is entitled "Increasing Vulnerability to Hurricanes: Global Warming's Wake-Up Call for the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic Coasts," reflecting Dr. Straudt's concern that hurricanes are getting stronger as the oceans warm.
Straudt points out that the increasing coastal population and development in Florida and along the Gulf Coast puts more people as well as wildlife at risk of hurricanes.
For protection, she says, we could use the natural function of coastal wetlands and barrier islands to absorb the destructive force of the stronger hurricanes of the future.
But wetland loss has been a persistent problem along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and will only be made worse by increasing sea level, she notes in the report.
"We must account for increasing storm activity and rising sea level when managing our coasts, especially by restoring and protecting coastal wetlands, lowlands, and barrier islands that provide crucial natural levees," Dr. Staudt advises.
Wetlands can reduce the size of storm surges by inhibiting the formation and propagation of waves. Scientists have estimated that every mile of wetlands can trim three to nine inches off of a storm surge.
Linking stronger storms with global warming, Staudt says if greenhouse gas emissions continue at today's levels over the next century, tropical sea surface temperatures could rise another 3° F, or three times the warming increase to date.
Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2008. All rights reserved.


text:
Monday, August 8, 2011
Then, miracle of miracles, I got the chicken pox and my mother bought me the dolls! It was totally worth being covered in pox to get that toy. I will never forget it.
My daughter is now four years old. She doesn't need to be pox-stricken to get toys. We buy her toys all the freaking time because she wants them and we can easily afford it. And as the only grandchild on both sides, her grandparents shower her with toys.
A couple of weeks ago, I bought a present (a pet shop dollhouse) for the birthday girl at a party we were going to and my daughter saw the present and threw a fit because she wanted it for herself. She even said she'd skip the party if she could keep the present. And in the back of my mind, I thought to myself that it wouldn't be so bad if we bought a second pet shop dollhouse and it would make her SO happy. Then I was disgusted with myself. What have I become that I would even consider such a thing?
That's the problem with being financially comfortable. You can easily afford to buy your child whatever toy they want, and in fact, it's easier to do so than to listen to them scream. It takes real self-restraint to say no. But every time I buy her something, I feel like I'm spoiling her and turning her into a person who doesn't appreciate what she has. There's no way she's going to look back fondly on most of the toys in her room 25 years from now.
Our resolution was to make a sticker chart on the wall, to allow her to earn the present by cleaning her room, brushing her teeth, etc. Since then, she's entirely forgotten about the pet shop dollhouse and now wants something called a pillow pet. (It's a pillow! It's a pet! It's a pillow pet!) But either way, she's going to earn it and maybe that will make it worth more to her.
20 comments:
Although I feel pretty broke right now, my husband and I realize that our brokeness is hopefully temporary and we both grew up a lot like you did as far as getting gifts and toys and have discussed how we plan to raise our daughter to appreciate things . I think your plan is an excellent idea! We've had similar ideas of earning it. My parents gave us really small allowances when we were younger and we had to sit down and make a budget for our allowance and we were required to put part of it in "savings." I think that helped us to assign value to the things we wanted.ReplyDelete
Good idea. At what age are kids old enough to get an allowance? I feel like 4 is still a bit young...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 8, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Completely OT, but I thought I remember reading that your dad was a doctor?ReplyDelete
When Stubble was little we worried about "spoiling" him with things. It was difficult for us because we went "without" often as children, my husband because he was the child of a single parent, me because my parents were older and trying to save and put money away on a different schedule from my friend's parents...ReplyDelete
When Stubble was old enough to help around the house and yard in a significant way (about age 11) we started a program of paying for chores. NO ALLOWANCE. He had to work for any money that he got. Simple things - doing laundry including sorting and folding, making a simple dinner, weeding and watering the garden. His friends were amazed that he "made so much money" for helping around the house. Then he would tell them that he had no allowance...
We figured that it would teach him the value of working for things that you want. Along the way he earned the money for a PSII, a TV set, and a computer. It made it impossible to take those things away for "punishment" and we had to get creative, but we managed.
He never got "money for nothing" and as a result you should hear him go on and on about his friends poor choices now.
He is 20 and knows that choices, sometimes hard ones, are involved in making financial decisions.
At times it was difficult watching him making poor choices when he was younger, but we stuck to our guns, made him "loans" complete with payback notes when he needed it, and he seems to have really figured it out.
Our basic idea was that it was far better to have him experiment and make mistakes when he was 13 or 14 than when he was an adult and had significant cast to "play" with.
Your sticker chart sounds like a great place to start. Stick to it even when it gets hard and I think you'll achieve your goal.
Christie: Sounds like you did a great job with him. Kids don't seem to get that it's harder for us than it is for them.ReplyDelete
Anon: My father is a doctor, but my parents divorced when I was 3. I lived with my mother and whatever child support she got wasn't enough to make her feel financially comfortable with no other income and tuition bills.
in response to Fizzy's question, we started getting allowance pretty early actually - probably around 5 or 6 and we also had to complete chores, etc in order to get the allowance (maybe I'm not supposed to call it allowance if you had to do chores to get it re: Christie Critters). It was barely anything when we were really small, but I literally remember saving up to buy jacks for $1 at Big Lots when I was really small.ReplyDelete
I can totally relate to this. Toys were never a feature in my childhood. Although, I know for sure that my parents tried to do their best to provide us a childhood much better then their own. My mother didn't even go to school, because they were so poor.ReplyDelete
I think as parents we always try to do as best as we can for our children, within our means. If the resources expand, so does our list of what constitutes affordable.
But your blog-post is food for thought, and I will try to make changes at our household now (means renewed vigour in the battles with my husband to not buy our son a toy everyday!)
- AnonymousAugust 8, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Great topic ! I was resovled to stick to few toys only for my kids. My childhood was toyless, yet very happy and rich educationally. I wanted the same for my kids. It was impossible. Consumer society puts toys and food on every corner of chilren's venues. Thus a trip to the water park, zoo, even theater is not free of whining and power struggles. First I stuck to my program, then a friend asked if she could buy my kids toys if I was unwilling. I went the other way for a while. Of course, I saw very quickly that no toy lasted more than a month, sometimes a week. Now, my kids earn stones for chores and put stones in jars. When the jar is full, they have allowance. That created an argument "I have to work for everything". My answer - "I have to work for everything too". I do not think my final stop is a perfect one. I still feel it is unhealthy for children to "work" toward a material posession. I saw kids work at a young age, and all they want is the next 5$ to buy the next thing, while doing poorly academically. I would love to hear from someone if they can somehow forego "money for chores" and still reach balance. I did chores and performed at school without anyone rewarding me financially or otherwise. I was not even getting Good job, way to goes. Do not know how to instill the same in my kids.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 8, 2011 at 1:08 PM
I agree with Anonymous 12:12pm. I don't think it's right to tie all of the child's responsibilities to monetary or other rewards. It teaches them that you do the things that you have to do so you can get the material reward at the end. I also did tons of chores and got straight As with no money as inducement and no allowance. Parents never bought us toys. The only way I ever got anything was to occasionally filch money from my mom's wallet. So obviously this is not an ideal solution. I think some kind of middle ground would be to link a few of their responsibilites (some chores, or practicing an instrument etc.) to a sticker chart and they could earn the right to buy things. The rest of their responsibilities they have to do because it's the right thing to do. I mean, they use star charts at school to help remind the kids to stay on track--I don't think kids necessarily learn, "I'm only going to behave so I can get a star". Sorry this comment is all over the place. Obviously, I'm also trying to figure this out--will be eagerly reading other's comments.ReplyDelete
In terms of motivating kids to do well in school, that's really tricky. I think it's hard for kids to be self-motivated in grade school. I didn't get toys or prizes for doing well in school, but I'd get screamed at if I didn't... that was a big motivator for me and not necessarily a good one. Anyway, maybe it's like Pavlovian... if you reward kids when they get a good grade which then makes them feel good, they will eventually just associate doing well with feeling good?ReplyDelete
Oh, and I love the stone jar idea! My daughter would really go for that, but now we have a baby in the house who would likely eat the stones, so I think we'll have to hold off on that idea for now.
- AnonymousAugust 8, 2011 at 1:16 PM
Question for Christie Critters: why couldn't you take things away your son had earned as punishment? Yes, he earned it, but I would think behaving badly negates privileges such as TV, video games.ReplyDelete
To anonymous asking why we didn't take away things that Stubble had earned:ReplyDelete
We could be more diabolical than that. What fun was using the PS II when he couldn't have friends over to share it with him...
One reason for doing this is that kids these days are such social creatures that limiting access to friends was far more effective (for him) than limiting "things".
It may seem strange, but both his dad and I come from a long line of stubborn people and Stubble is unbelieveably stubborn also. A very wise man warned me that a child like Stubble will be very likely to run from home and get into huge trouble on the streets if his "escape time" (video, etc.) is COMPLETELY removed. He warned me to keep him safe at home even if it meant overlooking things that drove us crazy - ie messy room and un-stellar grades.
The messy room is still there at age 20, but the grades (now that he is approaching his life goals) are the stellar that we had hoped for long ago. And neither of us (his parents) has had a stroke or developed heart disease...
- AnonymousAugust 8, 2011 at 4:56 PM
Cristie Critters last line is a little humorous. Reminds me of someone I knew who was unhappy with his two grown kids. His friends would ask him why, according to his also elderly friends "if son is not a drug addict and daughter is not on the streets" they both turned out just fine. He would then answer "sure, if you start using such criteria, everything is fine".ReplyDelete
Personally I think it WOULD give me heart attack watching messy room, PS time wasting, bad grades. But it is reassuring to see a more lax parenting approach work. Congratulations, CC!
Anonymous: It doesn't mean that it was easy to be more lax. We white knuckled it at times and it required much deep breathing (and primal screams in the garage) but the wise man who warned me about Stubble's personality type was a psychiatrist who knew Stubble and who knew first hand what kind of trouble we could run into if we pushed too hard.ReplyDelete
There were times that I was sure we were wrong, but at this point he's home, alive, unaddicted, and doing fine now and I can't second guess it at this point.
I think it is a hard row to hoe for us as parents, because, like our parents before us, we want our kids to have it better than we did. Somewhere there's that small, child-like voice that whispers, "Well, when *I'm* the parent, things will be different!"ReplyDelete
FWIW, I feel what you feel often, like my kids have it all and appreciate little what they do have (what I wouldn't have given to have my very own bathroom growing up, it was my dream - sad, but true). Not too long ago, my daughter exclaimed how "horrible" her life was, simply because I asked her to put a cup in the sink that was not hers. (The horror!)
We try to combat this with having "family chores" for which there is no allowance or payment, it is simply our "job" as being part of the family. (For the kids, this is clearing the table, picking up their laundry and bringing it to the laundry room, keeping their rooms clean, etc.) Then, there are "extra" (read, less palatable) chores that can be done for money. So far this is working well.
Of the money CindyLou gets (Bean, at 4, I think is too young yet), she gets to spend 1/3, save 1/3, and donate 1/3 (church or other charities). Trying to teach real-world concepts on their level, and hopefully giving them some idea of the value of a dollar. It's not easy, the fact that you are thinking about it, IMO, puts you ahead of the curve! :)
I got so sick, as young as age two, at my kids getting wrapped up in whatever was tempting them in the stores that I started saying "Oh look at all those wonderful things! Why don't you pick out what you want for your birthday (or Christmas, whatever was closer)?" They loved it, started rattling off everything they wanted. When it got close to the date, the things they remembered to ask for, I decided were most important (not much).ReplyDelete
That lasted until they were around 5. Now at 8 - Cecelia does chores for a weekly allowance. We loosened up over the summer - need to get serious again. Jack, at 6, started making his bed this summer - so I will probably start him with an allowance this fall.
For a while at 4 & 5 we did a toy bag - they saved up "tickets" based on good behavior (there were some negative events that could cause them to lose tickets, much fewer, but still) and if they had enough tickets (they always did, it was the threat that worked) they could pick a toy from the toy bag at the end of the week. They loved that. You can buy a giant roll of tickets, like fair tickets, at Office Depot. They had ticket boxes by their beds.
We have a system of "gold stars" which seems to work for our 3 kids (ages 3, 6, and 7). They earn a gold star by doing something above and beyond what we expect of them. It can be an act of unexpected kindness to a member of our family or a friend; handling disappointment unusually well; being more helpful than we would ask of them for their age. Basically when we have a "Wow, buddy!" moment, they get a gold star. We don't give them out willy-nilly, and they come with a heaping dose of praise. In the 2.5yrs we have been doing this, my 6 yr old for example is now approaching 200 gold stars. We have a treasure box (a wooden box I got at Michael's, spraypainted shiny gold, and covered with foam stickers saying "Way to go!" etc) that has things like lip gloss, card games, Lego minifigures, etc. When they get to a multiple of 20 gold stars, they get to pick a prize from the treasure box. When they get to a multiple of 100 gold stars, we do a special family outing (e.g. the fall festival at a nearby farm with burlap sack slides and a giant pumpkin hurling contest, the state fair, or whatever is seasonally available). We expect them to help out with the work of our family (folding laundry, unloading the dishwasher, cleaning up play areas, etc, with our help) and occasionally pay them for larger chores like cleaning up a big mess they didn't make alone (e.g. the playroom after a multi-kid playdate) or helping to shovel snow. Most of their money comes from bday gifts (they get $1 per yr of age from both us and the two sets of grandparents), which they save up to buy things they want. Otherwise, if they ask for toys at museums, water parks, etc, we follow the Gizabeth model and tell them to remember to put it on their Xmas/bday list. Most of these coveted items are fleeting desires. The ones that keep being mentioned are the ones that Santa remembers.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousAugust 9, 2011 at 10:41 PM
Great post :)ReplyDelete
I can't say that I actually 'felt poor' growing up as I was not surrounded by too many rich kids to compare myself with, but I know I was poor. My mom, brother and I immigrated to Canada in 1981 with $200 and 3 suitcases in hand. My dad had arrived a few months earlier to find us a basement apartment to live in. My brother and I grew up a struggling immigrant life with hardly any toys and certainly no extracurricular activities. My parents toiled through various low paying jobs and juggled shift work (yet never left us on our own or with babysitters) so that they could send us to a somewhat decent private school.
After all those difficult financial years, my brother and I ended up in medical school and now we are practicing doctors with families. I really do think we are a success story knowing where we came from :-)
But we are a success story only because of what we went through and I know there is no way to re-create those circumstances for our children in hopes that they have the values that we were raised with. We simply had no means, and we knew we were lucky to be where we were so we made the most of it.
I have one son right now and another on the way. I do love to buy toys and clothes for my son and I love to be able to take him to museums, play areas, bookstores and sometimes buy him a little souvenir from those places. Being a physician married to a business owner, we don't struggle for money of course, so we also eat out often and buy whatever groceries and treats whenever we feel like it.
I so want my sons to be raised knowing that they are lucky and to appreciate all they have. Not quite sure if a sticker /reward system will do that for me though…I'm planning on taking my sons to volunteer when they are older and exposing them to real poverty. I want to take them on a trip to the country where I was born and actually spend some time getting to know the culture.
I think it's extremely hard not to 'spoil' your kids when you have the means. And I don't mean spoil in a bad way. I'm certainly going to try my best to raise my boys the least materialistic as possible, but I know this is going to be a challenge!
- AnonymousAugust 11, 2011 at 12:02 AM
Trust me,kids need to feel the pain of not having and not receiving. The force that drove you to succeed and be successful will be sucked out of them if you indulge them too much. They should feel a little of what it is like to earn their way and to have *discomfort.* I currently have a family member who came from a single parent family, struggled and paid for ALL of his undergrad and med school. His kids have EVERYTHING they could want and they live in an area where all of their friends have it all too. So guess what one of their kids does almost reflexively and without remorse when his own iTouch was lost (the one he did NOT pay for ?). He STOLE an iTouch from a family member...a family member who had EARNED every.single.stinking penny for her device. Moral of the story = surround them with *just enough*, but not excess; make them struggle a little bit to fuel the fire of determination.ReplyDelete
I am the product of parents who didn't believe in giving freely. When I was younger, I always thought it unfair that all of my friends just got stuff. When I was little, we would get a dollar for making the bed every morning. As I got a little bit older, I got paid for things that my parents would otherwise pay others: I got paid to babysit my sister (money for me, a much cheaper rate for them, along with the values of responsibility and financial planning), mow the lawn, we each cleaned our own rooms, but I got paid if I cleaned the whole house. We each had our own chores (dishes, table-setting, etc). When each of us turned 15, we were expected to get a proper job (one fitting a high schooler, and school always came first).ReplyDelete
Good grades were just what were expected of us. We were always taught to do our best. Sometimes my parents pushed too much, but overall we came out unscathed.
When I got to Uni, I took out all of my own loans, and since I had proven myself responsible and studious, my parents co-signed, which gave me an excellent interest rate since they had such good credit. To minimize loans, I took a position as an RA (free room and board), and also took a job in the dining hall for spending money, while making dean's list for all five semesters I was in school.
By 20 I was more responsible than many in their mid-20s. This afforded me to travel to several countries in my early 20s. I am currently serving in the military, and I am one of very few who isn't in debt (since it's mandatory service, we really get more of an allowance than a salary), and I only get help with foodstuffs from my parents (because they make me).
Basically, what I'm getting at is that in the long run I couldn't be happier that my parents raised me the way they did - work hard for what you want. Because in real life, you don't get stuff for free. Aside from learning how things work in the real world (rent, bills, financial planning), I learned important values: independence, never give up on something you truly want, and if there's a will there's a way.
I'm ever grateful for this because it seems I'm always looking for the more challenging (and therefore more interesting) route in life. And I wouldn't trade it for all of the free shoes and handbags in the world.


text:
Feel the auditory power of the Lamborghini Huracan LP610-4! Let the sound of its exhaust note fill your ear-holes and transform you forever!
Let the ferocity of its 10 cylinders rumbling to life rattle inside your brain, challenging everything you have ever believed to be true in life! Let its raucous cry cause you to lose interest in sexual activity, making you lust for just one thing: the Hurricane.
Let loose the music of the ages that rings through the Italian foothills, the sound that is born when passion and science are married! Hear, in its guttural and violent tones, the sound of Ferruccio Lamborghini himself nodding and saying "Yeah, not bad, guys!"
Hear its noise and feel safe, knowing that if it is yours you too can say "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no Ferrari; for thou art with me; thy 610 horsepower and 414 pound-feet of torque comfort me."
Listen to it because it sounds pretty good!


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Results 1 to 1 of 1
Thread: Bikesure March Competition
01-03-16, 09:44 #1
- Join Date
- Jun 2013
- Posts
- 16
Bikesure March Competition
Hello Guys and Girls
Its time for another forum giveaway!
As spring is nearly upon us and more and more bikers are beginning to dust last summers dirt off their boots in anticipation, we began thinking about what gets bikers hot under the collar. We even spoke to some fellow biking enthusiasts about it.
As it turns out, there are many pet hates associated with riding a motorbike. From impolite driving etiquette to bad weather the list went on and on!
Weve managed to narrow it down to Bikesures top 10 list of motorcyclists gripes: https://www.bikesure.co.uk/ /top-10-motorcyclist-pet-hates.
Now, we all like to have a little moan from time to time, were British, its what we do best so heres your chance to let us know what your top biking pet hates are, and be in with a chance of winning a prize! Please remember, this competition is about pet hates when riding, not when talking to your insurance company (well save that for another competition).
Up for grabs is a pair of VIP tickets to the Prescott Bike Festival in April that Bikesure is very proud to be supporting. More info about the show can be found here; http://www.prescottbikefestival.co.uk/.
The VIP tickets include:
· Entry to the show
· A meal and refreshments
· Access to the VIP viewing area to watch the action on track
All you need to do to enter is let us know your number 1 pet peeve about biking on Britains roads today. Please post your answers in the comments below for this thread. We will then pick 1 winner at random from all the participating forums.
Good luck.
1 entry per person only
The competition is open from 9am 1st March until 9am 31st March
1 winner will be selected at random from all entries from all participating forums and announced at the start of April 2016.
The winner will be contacted via PM on the forum. Should there be no reply after 7 days; a different winner will be selected.
UK residents only


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+ Reply To This
Results 1 to 6 of 6
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IS the CFBP Constitutional?
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit heard oral arguments yesterday questioning the Constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
This might get interesting, as there remain serious separation of powers issues. Congress has no oversight of the CFPB budget, as it gets its funding directly from the Fed. And the Fed itself is not really a government organization. The Federal Reserve banks are in fact privately owned by various banks.
There is a possibility that this could get interesting for the CFPB. I for one am going to be watching this closely.
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Two things jump out at me from your statement.
First, what does it mean that the Fed is privately owned by banks? Doesn't the President appoint the Chairman?
Second, if they found the CFPB unconstitutional, wouldn't it cause chaos? I would think they courts will want to avoid that.
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In answer to some questions about why the Federal Reserve is not really a governmental agency, just take a look at Wikipedia's description, part of which is pasted here:
The Federal Reserve System's structure is composed of the presidentially appointed Board of Governors or Federal Reserve Board (FRB), partially presidentially appointed Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks located in major cities throughout the nation, numerous privately owned U.S. member banks, and various advisory councils.
The federal government sets the salaries of the Board's seven governors. Nationally chartered commercial banks are required to hold stock in the Federal Reserve Bank of their region, which entitles them to elect some of their board members. The FOMC sets monetary policy and consists of all seven members of the Board of Governors and the twelve regional bank presidents, though only five bank presidents vote at any given time: the president of the New York Fed and four others who rotate through one-year terms. Thus, the Federal Reserve System has both private and public components to serve the interests of the public and private banks.
The structure is considered unique among central banks. It is also unusual in that the United States Department of the Treasury, an entity outside of the central bank, creates the currency used. The Federal Reserve System considers itself "an independent central bank because its monetary policy decisions do not have to be approved by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branches of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by the Congress, and the terms of the members of the Board of Governors span multiple presidential and congressional terms."
Pretty complex structure. But definitely not open to normal Congressional supervision.
But if the Fed is Constitutional, shouldn't the CFPB also be? Maybe - maybe not. We'll let the courts decide. And while there may be politics involved, it will still be interesting to see what happens.
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Do they make this too complicated just so ordinary folks cannot figure it out?
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I found this article from a lawyer tracking the case. He said that the questions asked about the judges definitely showed concern about how the CFPB is organized, and the power and independence it has. However, it does not expect them to find the whole agency un-Constitutonal.
Instead, they will probably look for a narrower "fix", if they feel one is needed. The author thinks that the court may just eliminate the statutes provision that the director of the CFPB can be removed for cause.
Anyway, we'll wait and see.


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Master of Public Affairs
Professors: Euel Elliott, L. Douglas Kiel, Richard Scotch
Associate Professors: Paul Battaglio, Simon Fass, Doug Goodman, and Jeremy L. Hall
Assistant Professors: Young-Joo Lee and Meghna Sabharwal
Clinical Professors: Donald Arbuckle, Calvin Jamison, Robert Whelan
Clinical Associate Professor: Wendy Hassett
Clinical Assistant Professor: Kimberly Aaron, Karen Jarrell, Nick Valcik
Senior Lecturers: Ted Benavides
The Master of Public Affairs program advances excellence in public service. The program accomplishes this mission through three sets of activities aimed at preparing its students to serve as capable and ethical stewards of the common good. It imparts essential knowledge, competencies and perspectives to a diverse array of future and current professionals in government and nonprofit organizations. It supports the wider community though in-service professional and leadership training, and through policy and management analysis services. And it produces new knowledge through practice-centered research.
The Master's degree in Public Affairs is a professional diploma that focuses on skills of management and analysis that contribute to successful carrying out of administrative and leadership responsibilities in government and nonprofit settings. The specific outcome objectives for students who graduate with the MPA degree are:
• Firm understanding of the philosophical, theoretical and legal foundations of public management, policy making, and leadership in government and nonprofit settings;
• Proficiency in organizational and decision analysis, research and evaluation practice, and quantitative and qualitative techniques;
• Sound preparation for advanced study aimed at research centers; and
• Mastery of persuasive written and oral communication.
Students have access to the computing facilities in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences and the University's Computing Center. The School has two computing laboratories which have over 50 computers that are network linked and equipped with major social science software packages, including E-Views, R, Rats, SPSS and STATA. A computerized geographic information system, the Lexis Nexis Database, and WestLaw are also available for student use. The University's Computing Center provides personal computers and UNIX Workstations. Many important data and reference materials are also available online via the McDermott Library and School's memberships in numerous organizations.
Admission Requirements
The University's general admission requirements are discussed here.
The Master of Public Affairs program seeks to attract and admit highly motivated students with strong records of academic performance from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds. The program draws from mid-career professionals and from the pool of recent college graduates alike to create a diverse and capable pool of students with a desire to contribute to public service. The minimum requirement for admission to the MPA program is a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university. Students' records are evaluated across several performance dimensions in making admission decisions. In accord with Chapter 51, of the Texas Education Code, decisions on admission to degree-granting graduate programs at U. T. Dallas are based on holistic considerations of all information contained in the application material submitted, including academic, career and personal histories. Standardized test scores and GPA levels cited in the catalog descriptions of some degree programs are listed for advisory purposes only, to indicate the typical achievement levels of students enrolled and succeeding in the various programs. No single quantitative or qualitative measure or any specific combination thereof, constitutes a definitive standard for admission. Rather, each application will be considered individually and each applicant's complete profile of strengths and prospects for successful completion of the program will be evaluated.
In general, students who have a 3.0 undergraduate grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least 1000 on the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) or equivalent score on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT), are preferred. Students may submit the score from the writing component of the GRE test as additional evidence of their writing skills. An analytical writing score of at least 4.5 in the GRE is considered desirable. Standardized test scores are only one of the factors taken into account in determining admission. Students also submit transcripts, three letters of recommendation and a one-page essay outlining the applicant's background, education, and professional objectives. Students who fail to meet these standards may be admitted on a probationary basis until they demonstrate their capabilities in graduate level course work.
To be guaranteed consideration for admission, fall applications must be received by August 1. Applications for spring admission must be received by December 1. Any incomplete application received after these dates will not be considered for admission during the designated semester. Students who do not meet this deadline must reapply for the following semester.
While there are no specific prerequisites required for any MPA course, students who lack background in particular areas may be advised or required to take preparatory courses. In particular, students who lack background or experience in mathematics and micro computing may be required to develop proficiency in these areas before being admitted into certain courses. Students meet with the Assistant Program Head for Advising and Enrollment to determine these requirements.
Degree Requirements
The University's general degree requirements are discussed here.
Students seeking a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) degree must complete at least 42 semester credit hours of work in the program. The program has three components: a 24 hour core, 12 hours of directed electives within a chosen specialization and the 3 hour Capstone seminar (Policy Research Workshop in Public Affairs: CAPSTONE). For students without evidence of at least 12 months full time managerial experience in the public or nonprofit sectors, 3 hours of internship credit are also mandatory. Students for whom the internship requirement is waived must complete an additional 3 hours of approved elective coursework.
Grade Point Requirements
Students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average in the core courses and an overall grade point average of 3.0 to graduate. If a student's GPA does not meet these standards University policy concerning academic probation and removal from the program are in effect.
Core Courses (24 hours)
All MPA students should complete the core courses as soon as possible. A full-time student entering the program will normally take three core courses and one additional course each semester. The workshop or internship is usually undertaken when the student has completed most of the other degree requirements.
Required core courses for the MPA (24 hours)
PA 6313 Public Policymaking and
PA 7317 Economics for Public Policy or PA 6342 Local Economic Development
PA 7318 Ethics, Culture and Public Responsibility
EPPS 6313 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics for the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences
PA 6311 Public Management
PA 6321 Government Financial Management and Budgeting
PA 6320 Organizational Theory
PA 6345 Human Resource Management
Elective Courses (12 hours)
Students not wishing to complete a professional specialization must complete 12 hours of elective coursework in addition to the core courses, capstone and internship. These courses will be determined in consultation with the MPA advisor. Other courses, including online offerings, may be authorized for all tracks at the discretion of the MPA Program Director.
Professional Specialization Core Courses
Specialization tracks include: Public Management, Local Government Management, Nonprofit Management, and Policy Analysis.
Students who specialize in Public Management take 15 hours from: PA 6300 Quality and Productivity Improvement in Government, PA 6326 Decision Tools for Managers, PA 6328 Management Process and Analysis, POEC 6336 Bureaucracy and Public Policy, PA 7322 Negotiation Strategies for Effective Management, PA 6344 Local Government Management, or other appropriate courses approved by the MPA Director.
Students who select the Local Government Management Track take 15 hours from: PA 6344 Local Government Management, PA 6345 Human Resources Management, PA 6342 Local Economic Development, SOC 6341 Urban Development and PA 6321 Government Financial Management and Budgeting.
Students who choose Policy Analysis complete 15 hours from: PA 7317 Economics for Public Policy, ECO 6361 Public Sector Economics, EPPS 6316 Advanced Regression Analysis, EPPS 6352 Evaluation Research Methods in the Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, EPPS 7304 Cost-Benefit Analysis.
Students who wish to focus on the Non-profit Management Track take 15 hours from: PA 6380 Non-profit Organizations, PA 6381 Non-profit Management, PA 6374 Financial Management for Non-profit Organizations, EPPS 6352 Evaluation Research Methods and an additional elective course approved by the MPA Director.
Other courses may substitute for those listed in any specialization with the approval of the Associate Dean for Graduate Education or the Director of the MPA degree.
Capstone (3 hours)
The capstone in public affairs is the culminating experience for graduating MPA students. Students integrate knowledge from across the MPA curriculum in a faculty-directed semester-long applied research project (PA 7v62 Policy Research Workshop in Public Affairs: CAPSTONE). This required 3 hour seminar should be taken in the semester in which the student intends to graduate.
Internship (3 hours)
3 hours of internship credit (PA 8v97) are required for completion of the MPA. The internship involves work in a professional capacity in an organization, under the joint supervision of an experienced professional mentor at the internship site and a member of the faculty. The standard three hour internship requires approximately a 20-hour per week time commitment to the work experience for a total of 300 internship contact hours during the semester. The objective of the internship is to provide an introduction to professional life and to establish sound approaches to the practice of public affairs. For students with evidence of at least 12 months full time managerial experience in the public or nonprofit sectors, 3 hours of internship credit may be waived at the discretion of the MPA director. Students who wish to seek the internship waiver must submit a formal written request to the MPA Director that includes a letter documenting the duration of their experience and its relevance to public or nonprofit management. This request must be approved no later than the student's penultimate semester in the program. Students for whom the internship requirement is waived must complete an additional 3 hours of approved elective coursework in lieu of the internship.


text:
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text:
We Have to Talk: The Urgency of Dialogue between International Relations Scholarship and Policy
Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here at Bryn Mawr, and to acknowledge gratefully its many contributions to women's education over a century and a quarter.
I was honored when President McAuliffe invited me here. Jane and I had a number of productive, collegial, and happy years together as Deans of Georgetown University. Some of that involved conspiring to extract the most resources we could from the Provost and President need not demand further comment. Suffice it to say that a scarcity of resources, for whatever reason, made us more collaborators than competitors.
When I speak, at colleges and elsewhere, I usually do my best to cause alarm and despondency. This is because I try to persuade people that nuclear terrorism in the United States is not only a credible possibility but a clear and present danger. It goes back two careers ago when I was in government service. Nuclear weapons and nuclear energy have played a large part in that career; one of the elements that attracted me to the MacArthur Foundation was its ongoing efforts to promote international nuclear security.
Of course, MacArthur does much more. We are one of the largest private philanthropies. With an endowment of $5.6 billion, we make grants of more than $200 million each year to organizations working in 60 countries. MacArthur aims to help build a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Oh, and a more verdant one too. We do so by funding research, helping to improve public policy, sometimes actually educating the public, and supporting organizations that work in fields ranging from conservation to juvenile justice, from education to human rights.
But for today, President McAuliffe pointed out to me that Bryn Mawr had recently started a program in International Studies, and asked me to reflect on recent trends and future directions in that field.
It was more than I could resist. As you may know, my other career was as a teacher and administrator in higher education, focusing on Political Science and International Relations. For me, it has always been obvious that the two worlds of policy-making and academic research should be in constant, productive conversation. But they are not. So today I will reflect on why that is, and make a few proposals for a way forward.
My focus will be on the discipline of International Relations, with an emphasis on security and political issues.
My principal theme is that something has gone seriously wrong in the relationship between universities and the policy world in the field of International Relations. Scholars and researchers should be an invaluable resource for policy makers. They are not, at present. I think there are ways to improve that situation.
But first, I think I need to sketch out for you what I see as being at the core of International Relations as a discipline – and what (however important) is not. (Be forwarned: I plan to get into trouble with many of you here.)
There has been a tendency in recent years for all sorts of worthy issues to be presented as security issues. For example, we hear of "environmental security" – that is, the various threats to peace and to national self-determination posed by such factors as pressures on water supplies or arable land, or rapid changes in climate.
Other issue areas make similar claims – economic development, demographics, the migration of people, and so on. And I can see why they do. There certainly are implications for security that arise from drought, or gender imbalance, or gross inequality. But to say that they are intrinsically security issues is, in my view, a category error.
I do not dismiss the significance of these forces – far from it. But consider what they cause: Diplomatic confrontations. Hostile engagement. Skirmishes, or, in the worst case, outright war. These are things that people, through their governments or armies, do to other people. Not something that simply happens to people, like an earthquake, an epidemic, or a meteor headed for New Jersey.
That, to me, is the nub.
International security, which is (or ought to be) at the heart of International Relations, is about how people, organized in states, interact to protect or enhance their security. That is the drama. Its theme is power. The plot is made up of the acts states perform, and what reactions they provoke. All the other issues are, more or less, the set and stage on which the drama takes place – important, sometimes determining. But not the show itself. Another term for the show is "history," and despite what Francis Fukuyama famously postulated, we are not at the end of it.
Of course the proponents of new interpretations have good reason to make their case. If your field is really about security, you are making a claim on the most important and best funded function of government. You have the attention of the most important policy makers, and access to scarce resources. In the U.S., you are tapping into a security budget of close to $700 billion per annum. Worth a shot, by any reckoning, but I remain unconvinced.
So that makes me a traditionalist or realist, perhaps a structural realist – or as my younger colleagues might say "a dead white guy." I think nation states are the fundamental unit of analysis and their security issues constitute the heart of global relations. Just as in earlier centuries, the players relate to one another --beneath the other currencies more frequently exchanged --through the medium of power politics. Despite "globalization," there is a structural similarity between our world and the worlds of Teddy Roosevelt, or Bismark, or Metternich.
But there are highly intelligent analysts who think that the game really has changed in the last few decades. They think that globalization has unleashed forces that are rendering the nation state, if not obsolete, at least very much less important. I think of a fine 1997 article entitled "Power Shift" by Jessica Tuchman Matthews in Foreign Affairs that makes this case extremely well.
The liberal internationalists argue that in a globalized, interdependent world, there are issues that supersede the interests of individual sovereign states. The multiple international agencies and quasi-governmental bodies (from the UN down), corporations, NGOs, the systems through which goods, money, and people flow have displaced the nation state in importance. As a consequence, global interests must and will supersede national interests. Well, maybe they "must" – but in fact, they don't.
The unkind term for such thinking is "globaloney."
I follow the line of reasoning, but I do not recognize this as the world we actually live in. The current instruments that make a claim to global governance, such as the UN, have a spotty record of performance at best, on compelling compliance. States may, for short or long term self-interest, act through or with international organizations. But when important disagreements arise, states still operate using the old tools of diplomacy, and the projection of force, or its anticipation, determines the outcome.
An issue that brings this into sharp relief is that of human rights. If we claim these rights are universal, should they not be universally defended?
The international community has been asking this question at least since WWII. The impetus to enshrine in a norm, the principle of defending rights against the worst abuses, began soon after the appalling genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It led to the "Responsibility to Protect" (or R2P as it is known in NGO-land) – the principle that, when states fail to defend the basic human rights of their citizens (or even attack them directly), there is an obligation for the international community to intervene. The MacArthur Foundation played a significant part in promoting R2P, and the United Nations adopted it in 2005.
The principle is an attractive one, but R2P has not made much difference. It has certainly not put in place a global regimen to uphold universal rights. This is because, to have a genuine global policeman, one has to have a genuine global government. And we are not there.
Now, this is not to say that I do not believe, in principle, in human rights norms or, in practice, in humanitarian interventions.
Declarations of human rights can change priorities and values for the better – there is certainly a far higher premium put on human rights in the US Department of State today than there was during The Cold War, due in part to aspirational documents and persuasive advocates.
But when it comes to defending human rights on the ground, the interventions that have been successful -- such as (for a while) America's efforts in Somalia in 1992, or Britain's action in Sierra Leone in 2000 – have been the work of determined nation states, not of international bodies.
In my view, such interventions have value but should be undertaken only prudently, without fatal compromise of national interests, and after the multiple complex factors involved have been given due consideration. There is a growing body of literature on the ethical basis for overriding sovereign interests: I recommend the collection of essays The Sacred and the Sovereign, edited by John Carlson and Erik Owens.
But I reiterate: so far, the game has not fundamentally changed.
And this brings me, at last, to my real subject. One hears perennial laments from the academic world that their valuable work is being ignored by policymakers. And, on the other hand, policymakers complain they can get nothing useful from the academy. One fears they may both be right.
Yet the issues I have been discussing cry out for nuanced, sophisticated investigation that connects interpretive principles to actual places and situations. Why are scholars and policy people not having the interaction that we need – and say we want?
Let me share an anecdote, an incident which impressed on me how deep seated this failure to communicate "Cool Hand Luke" like has become. Some years ago, a former colleague of mine at Georgetown University, Joe Lepgold, co-authored a book on "the gap" between policy and academic worlds entitled Beyond the Ivory Tower: IR Theory and the Issue of Policy Relevance. He came to give me an advance copy of the book and I said: "Great idea. I suppose you spoke to Madeleine?" [Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State, was on our faculty.] "No," he replied. "Or to Tony?" [Tony Lake, former National Security Advisor, was also on the faculty] "No." again. "Don?" "No." [Don McHenry, former Ambassador to the UN, also a faculty member] "No." It turned out that, despite having an office on the same floor as some of the leading policy makers of his generation, Joe had not knocked on a door and had a conversation with any of them. They were not his audience. He evidently didn't think he had much to share with them. He was content to address "policy relevance" without reference to policy, or the people who'd made it.
So how did we get here? I think much of the fault lies with what has happened in universities in recent decades. What are the factors at play?
First, there has been a theoretical turn across the social sciences and humanities that has cut off academic discourse from the way both ordinary people and working professionals speak and think;
And second, the incentive structure in universities and disciplines has endorsed this emphasis on theory and methodology without concern for relevance of either to real world problems.
First, as to theory. I have no antipathy to theory per se. I was trained by Kenneth Waltz, a scholar who defined the structural realist school. I was his Teaching Assistant and he and Bob Art were my thesis advisors.
Waltz's view was that how states are internally organized makes no important difference to how they behave with each other in critical matters and over time. When they clash, it is their power and need for security that determines whether or not there will be conflict and what the outcome will be. I over simplify to be sure, but not by a lot. It is all very simple, and quite helpful.
Simplification is important. That's how we begin to make sense of an extremely complex world and put an organizing frame on our thinking. But the place to start is not the place to finish.
What has happened, in the IR field and others, is that the validity and elegance of the models and the methodology have become the center of attention, rather than whether the models can be used to understand real world situations. Conferences and symposia are devoted to differences in theoretical constructs; topics are chosen for research based not upon their importance, but on their accessibility to a particular methodology. Articles and books are published to be read, if at all, only by colleagues who have the same high regard for methodology and theory, and disregard of practice. [I know, I have to learn to say what I think.]
The situation has created a profession that is inward- looking, concerned with arcane debate; the worst kind of "inside baseball" – a result which provokes and deserves all the insults thrown at the ivory tower from the world of policy and practice.
Now to incentive structure. One of the best things about universities is that they are self-governing entities. And one of the worst things about universities is that they are self-governing entities. When it comes to promoting academic staff and awarding tenure, departments are largely allowed to set their own standards – these are endorsed by the institution, usually without much question. And, of course, departments are made up of people who have succeeded in the profession and will perpetuate its values. So the university department can turn into a guild, favoring credentialing over relevance, and orthodoxy over impact.
Enough bad things have been said about the tenure process over the years without my adding to the pile. (Yes, there are good things too, but that's not my purpose today.) Enough to say that the tenure track has become, in many institutions, a deep rut and is not serving individuals, institutions, or our society particularly well.
My concern is for the larger effects. The tenured professors construct courses, teach students, and train the next generation of scholars. The best young minds and young researchers are encouraged to replicate what their mentors think is important. But what if nobody who works in the world of policy and practice agrees that is important? Students are then being prepared for careers that do not exist outside of Academia, given tools that are not useful except to their discipline, and along the way they (or we) are paying handsomely for the privilege. That is a genuine problem, and one universities would do well to address. If they do not, they undermine their credibility – and indeed their viability, since this situation strikes at the heart of their economic model.
Now, I would care much less if we were talking about literary theory or art history – important, interesting, and rewarding though they may be. I care very much when we are talking about International Relations because this is a discipline that addresses what gets people killed, in the real world, here and now.
And the people who are out there making policy, most trying to save lives and keep the peace, need all the help they can get in order to make better decisions.
In a fine piece called "Mind the Gap: Why Policymakers and Scholars Ignore Each Other, and What Should Be Done About It," Jim Steinberg and Francis Gavin (both at Syracuse) set up the dichotomy between policy and scholarship using a famous metaphor of Isaiah Berlin's.
Berlin, writing about Tolstoy's view of history, contrasted two strategic approaches – that of the hedgehog, which has one maneuver (turning itself into a prickly ball) and that of the fox, which is to be as inventive as possible in defense and attack.
Steinberg and Gavin suggest that scholars have become hedgehogs. In order to establish themselves in their profession, they are likely to adopt a single line of thinking, to be "parsimonious theorists", and to take absolute positions about their theories. It all works very well – unless one actually tries to put it into practice.
In Expert Political Judgment, a 20-year study of forecasts about world events, Philip Tetlock, who is at Princeton, found that the leading authorities in world affairs have a record of prediction whose accuracy is roughly similar to that of monkeys playing darts.
So put yourself in the shoes of a policymaker needing to make a decision. Are you asking, "Quick, send in the monkey!"? Or hedgehog, as the case may be.
Policymakers Steinberg and Gavin say, are like foxes. They have to do many things, and cannot afford the luxury of intellectual purity. They are faced with irreducible complexity, radical uncertainty, and have to rely on absolutely inadequate information. And "we need a decision today." Most often, they have to settle for the least bad option.
Unsurprisingly, policymakers think practically, are prepared to do anything that looks as if it might succeed (whether or not it works in theory), and are reluctant to take big bets if they are not forced to. If they fail, there are likely to be dire consequences, both for themselves and others.
So how could the academic experts be more helpful?
Twenty years ago, Alexander George, in Bridging the Gap: Theory and Practice in Foreign Policy, made some good suggestions:
First, he proposes interdisciplinary approaches. This, of course, is so common in the university as to be almost a pathological nervous twitch. But it is, in fact, hardly ever done. We talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.
At Georgetown, we prided ourselves on how interdisciplinary we were. We noted that no policy maker ever had a staffer run in and say "We have a sociology problem developing in the Gulf." We knew the world was not divided into disciplines and that our teaching should reflect that. And we set up courses that brought teachers from disparate disciplines together.
So far, so good. Then one day, two earnest students who were in one of these courses came to see me and pointed out that their course on International Political Economy, taught by one economist and one political scientist, was not truly interdisciplinary since the professors spoke sequentially, in different disciplinary idioms, and past one another. They were right. Being really interdisciplinary is hard and requires deep, difficult engagement.
The rub is that most academics who are experts in their disciplines are more interested in their theories than they are in interdisciplinary conversations or working together on problems.
Policymakers, by contrast, have to deal with actual problems. They would benefit from having multiple views of the same issue in order to see all the consequences and the likely interdependencies of a line of action.
Second, George suggests that researchers embrace what he calls "second best" theory. That is, rather than concentrating on a grand theory that explains everything, scholars could help provide policymakers with ways to assess whether their policies are working in real time.
Policymakers in the throes of a crisis do not much care whether a theory is being proved true or false, but they badly need evidence of progress or emerging problems. In simpler terms, they need management tools, like dashboards or scorecards. Scholars could produce and help test these.
Lastly, George calls for mutual accountability, or (in his words) "a seat at the table." If academics are invited in to the policy environment, decision-makers need to be invited back into the academy, and their views on curriculum and research taken seriously.
These are good ideas. I would add another: A full reconsideration of both the standards by which excellence is assessed and the requirements for hiring, tenure, and promotion: rigorous policy-relevant theory and analysis should have a place in all three.
MacArthur is supporting some efforts in this regard – I think in particular of the Tobin Project in Cambridge, Massachusetts that has, as its goal, the application of social science to real-world problems, both international and domestic. We are also investigating how to support policy-relevant strategic studies that would assist governments and diplomats. Across our work, we try to use the best empirical research as a resource to improve policy and practice.
So, in ending: I urge those who teach and study in International Relations to think about the problems we face as a nation, and those humankind faces across the planet. And think about jobs. Think about the needs of governments. Think about the needs of the world and the vast range of organizations at work in the world – foundations not the least of them. Find practical ways to prepare people to be useful and effective.
Our nation and the world face large and pressing problems. You have the country's intellectual firepower, trained expertise, and the careers of the most promising young people in your hands. I'm asking that you please do something useful with them.


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What makes a serial killer different from someone who simply kills a lot of people? Well, if you ask Fausto Galvan, it's all about the enjoyment of the kill. Galvan and his right hand man are reading about the murderer in the news, and Galvan tries to distinguish himself from the Butcher on the Bridge. Galvan rationalizes that even though he's killed many, he doesn't enjoy it. That's what separates him from this animal. He then goes into the back room, where Hector's cousin sits tied up and bloody. Galvan gets what he wants, then shoots him dead.
Marco and his family are about to sit down to Sunday night dinner when Sonya shows up at his door. She's upset that he's not answering his phone. He tells her, umm, it's Sunday night. She has intel on Agent Gedman so he invites her to join his family for dinner. She tells him that Agent Gedman used to frequent Christina Fuentes on a weekly basis. Marco's son Gus is smitten with Sonya, but she just wants to know why the hell he keeps staring at her.
After she insults the meal, she tells Marco that Charlotte Millright dropped his wallet off at the station. At first this slips by, mostly unnoticed, until later that evening when Marco and Alma are getting ready for bed. Marco has a habit of taking his wallet out and leaving it on the night table, and it all makes sense to Alma. She tells him to get out.
Marco ends up sleeping at the El Paso police station, and gives Sonya that "Thanks for ruining my life, again" face. It's totally lost on her. The FBI is still there, and denying access to Gedman's files. Even though he's been cleared as a suspect, Marco is still stuck on Steven Linder being involved in something shady.


text:
OK, here's the deal. I'm going to skip the boring "rules of the games" stuff because all of you know how to play. We're also going to do something different this year. Much like the "other" tournament uses games prior to the field 64, this year's DPWWK tournament will follow the same pattern. After the outcome of these games has been decided, I'll post the field of 64. Let's get to the games!
To determine the 16th seed in the Eastern Bracket, we have two attractions with checkered pasts:
STINGER vs. DEMON DROP
this one could get ugly.


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Turntable with High-Resolution Audio ripping capability
Turntable with High-Resolution Audio ripping capability
PS-HX500, What Hi-Fi? 5 stars award
"There's no mistaking the Sony's penchant for detail", Sony PS-HX500, What Hi-Fi?, May 2016
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Digitally captures analogue in its purest form
Turntable for playing vinyl and recording in High-Resolution
Breathe new life into analogue masterpieces with DSD. Just hook-up the PS-HX500 turntable to your PC via USB, play a record, and capture every aspect of the vinyl with DSD 5.6MHz native conversion. Convert your precious vinyl collection into High-Resolution Audio, take it out for a walk with your Walkman®, or just sit back and enjoy playing your vinyl originals.
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text:
Hello guys, this is my first post.
I'm talking to you because I need your help! Im lookin for a darkpsy set by DJ SHAFT(69) called "3 Year Acid Trip". He's member of this community too, but he is not availble for a while and I couldnt find a way to talk to him. The set was uploaded to megaupload, which is offline now. Also there is on the whole internet only a cropped version of this set, without beginning and ending. The only thing I found out is that the set has been played on Triplag.
If I'm posting in the wrong area pleas move the post to the right one.
Many thanks in advance, rapisho
looking for set: DJ SHAFT(69) - 3 Year Acid Trip
Post links to DJ mixes, Live act sets here. hard psy trance, darkpsy, psystomp, psycore etc.... (no fluffy music please!)
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Stolen Pixels #194: After Curfew, Episode 8
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Stolen Pixels #194: After Curfew, Episode 8
Dr. Breen returns to offer his take on Fallout: New Vegas and Bobby Kotick.
hilarious, I love this series (Stolen Pixels) and Dr. Breen, sad though that his voice actor is dead
I'm torn about this one. Perhaps, I'm just missing Robert Culp still.
Yay! but...Metro's face...
oh poor obsidian they try so hard... I'm hopping that Alpha Protocol will be a good game for them.
"The community with have the game running by in a playable state.."
Really, Shamus?
I quite enjoyed this After Curfew, although it felt a bit off. What with the voice actor of Breen having died and all.
Yeah, the guy CEOing the company with ginormous profits (read: doing his job extremely well) is going to resign in disgrace anytime soon.
Sure, he's a dick. But he's a successful dick.
Troll m0ar Shamus Young.
Though I guess I can understand that any fan of fallout 3 would be worried that Obsidian will ruin their experience with additions such as as above grade school level dialogue (one of the modifications they do in the engine is that they allow for more than 60 character sentences lol), motivations beyond "lol were evil orcs", actual consequences for your actions (e. g. not being able to make up for killing 20 people by giving water to beggars) and - gasp - the ability to actually botch a character build.
He lost the entire team behind the biggest game in history. He's a magnet for negative press and bad PR. I doubt his head will be on the chopping block anytime soon, but he has his share of screwups and I'm sure there are a lot of people that could do his job better. (Like, anyone capable of doing the same job but keeping their mouth shut.)
Gee, it's almost like you didn't read his points ;)
I see where he's coming from. When your track record is KOTOR 2 and NWN 2, that doesn't bode well for a full experience from beginning to end.
Probably. When your products are so monstrously successful, I think at this point an orangutan in a sport coat could do it just as well. But I highly doubt that Mr. Kotick actually sees any problem, and I'm sure the shareholders see "Hey, look, more giant piles of money! Swimming party in the Money Bin!"
At least the game will have a good start and middle-ground!
And hey, Fallout 3 wasn't exactly the pinnacle of great endings. If New Vegas falls apart in the end, everyone can just say "Well, at the very least it was faithful to the last game in the series" and move on with their business.
With Fallout 3's ending in mind, Obsidian is probably best suited to creating it!
"Rather than kicking the player in the balls, let's just end it.... NOW!"
It's actually a bit scary when you think about how much of a coincidence it is.
If a conspiracy theorist started talking about how Bethesda hired Obsidian only because they wanted to continue the trend of having DLC fix the broken ending, I would totally believe it.
The Administrator! Can't wait to see Breen interview her.
Is SAXTON HALE going to be on After Curfew any time soon?
Are you crazy?! SAXTON HALE!! on After Curfew would break the space-awesome continuum!
Exactly why I'm scared for New Vegas. If its as modifiable as Fallout 3 was, than I have no doubt that the modding community will fix the game up. But you really shouldn't have to rely on the community to fix your shortcomings. Especially when fixing those shortcomings is your damn job.
Great comic, and i say that as a obsidian/black ilse fan (:
Nice to see Breen back after his absense!
Hehe, and great opening!
Between Kotick and Ubisoft, being a satirist is becoming one of the easiest professions on earth.
Comedian: Here's a joke for you.
...ya know.
On the actual topic, yes, I'm burying my enthusiasm under several planets worth of salt.
I feel these breen sketches seem to me to be more like reading a hundred word article by shamus rather then the usual humourous comic.
Glad to see the return of Dr. Breen. He had been missed.
hahahahahahahahahahaha! That was hilarious!
As for Obsidian, yeah I was sceptical of New Vegas as soon as I heard they were working on it.
Kotor 2 was so disappointing when Peragus was just about the best "Intro" level of any game ever made. Despite the horribly botched ending, and the quests/combat getting repetitive by the end Kotor 2 was still a great game.
One of the bigger letdowns was the lack of a groovy mystical origin for Darth Nihilus. He should have been the Exile's lost Force connection in physical form. That would explain the insatiable hunger for life energy or else he would dissipate like all force connections do after death.
However I have faith in Chris Avellone, almost all the games he has been involved with are ambitious and tend to have depth to the gameplay. And to borrow from Yahtzee it is better to fail for being too ambitious than fail for being too cautious.
Isn't making more After Curfews kind of in bad taste after the actor died?
Hell no, it isn't. It isn't making fun of the voice actor in any way, nor shaming his memory. I think it would be bad taste to let the death of a voice actor shade his comic strip. I'm sure the actor was a good man, after all, but HE ISN'T DR. BREEN. The doctor is a fictitious character. If the character was enjoyable, which Dr. Breen seems to be, then continue the tradition. Did the death of the artist's cat make him stop drawing Garfield comics?
Do not retire Dr. Breen, Shamus. You have a good thing going, and it is in no way in bad taste.
I suppose they never should have considered making the new Star Trek movie, considering that DeForest Kelley and James Doohan are dead, and it's in bad taste to recast their characters.
I guess Peter Jackson making the Lord of the Rings movies was in bad taste, because, you know, the author died.
And I guess they should have stopped making the Harry Potter movies when Richard Harris died (wait, that one actually sounds like a good idea...).
By that logic, Brandon Routh is in a lot of trouble for the whole "Superman Returns" thing. Of course, Christopher Reeve never should have played the part either, what with George Reeves having died in 1959, and even he wasn't the first to portray the Man of Steel.
Anyway, you could go on and on with characters and works that continued on after their originators have passed away. The point is that continuing to use a fictitious character after someone who once portrayed that character has passed on is in no way "bad taste." The very idea that it might be is ludicrous. If the character was being used in a way to denigrate or demean the deceased actor, then that would be a different matter entirely of course, but that's not what this is. I've been a longtime fan of Robert Culp, having enjoyed his work since my childhood. From my perspective at least, if anything, Shamus continuing After Curfew can be viewed as a sort of tribute to the late Mr. Culp.
Well, that's what they made the infinite canvas for: So Saxton Hale could triumphantly leap out of his helicopter and crash through the third wall. (The right wall of the panel, for those keeping track.)
Also, I did not know there was an Announcer model in Gmod. I knew they had Scout's mom, but not that bitter, smoke-preserved husk.
I'm going to be burned to death, aren't I?
I keep trying to think of ways Oblivion could make games without the bad endings, but it involves working on the endings before finishing the beginning and middle, which may be worse.
Or, they could push back the release date and finish the damn game.
I honestly didn't mind NWN 2's ending too badly. Biggest problem with it was: the ending art-stills sequence had no voice actor, it just sounded like a random nerd DM telling me some backstory. Hardly an epic ending to the quest. The Shadow King encounter played fine though, even if it was irritating that the majority of your party members suffer the stupid "rock falls, everyone dies" fate absolutely nonsensical for 20th level DnD casters. Well... that and the "mandatory" betrayal of at least one of your party members, regardless of your influence with them. Fine, come to think of it, there were a lot of little annoying things about the game ending. Still, it was nowhere near as disappointing as KotOR 2, which just leaves you with a huge WTF feeling.
Well, I'm not a fan of the Fallout world anyways, so I doubt I'll be playing it. I'll rely on you guys to tell me whether Obsidian improved for this one.
Keep in mind though that they made quality complete expansions for NWN 2. It's clearly possible for them to make a finished game, at least when the engine is already done.
Shamus left the character for a while after his death but now he is back. And why not? Dr Breen is nothing more than a polygon wityh a texture layered over it, and the voice actor simply supplied his voice. Would it be in bad taste if he guy who created the model and animations for Dr Breen died and everyone carried on abusing him in G mod?
Wasn't Fallout 2 virtually superior in every way to Fallout 1?
*goes to play them and find out*
Oh wait, they've both aged like shit. Fuck that plan.
Er...am I the only one who's wondering why Metro nearly did an excution style on Dr. Breen? I just don't get it...and that worries me.
Honestly, how is this even remotely a good thing? Is it so bad to let people enjoy RPG's who maybe aren't so good at building up a character? Is it so bad to let people build the character they want to build, and not one of the several characters that will be successful?
Oh well looky at what we have here it another
Shamus I'm glad I'm not the only one scared shitless that Obsidian is making this game(and Alpha Protocol). I'm looking forward to both but their track record is so bad I have no faith in them being able to do their job anymore.
For what? She is a bitter, smoke-preserved husk.
Fallout 2 was whipped out in short order mostly because the biggest gripe with Fallout 1 was that it was just too short. There wasn't a whole lot of difference between the two other than the length, and the fact that the story in the second one just didn't quite feel as good.
Nevertheless, I am one of those people who loved all 3 games, and will be grabbing New Vegas pretty much as soon as it comes out on the PC. One of the joys of Fallout 3 was the ease of modding, and if they screw up New Vegas storyline that's ok... there's plenty of people willing to whip out the G.E.C.K and mod it for our own personal enjoyment :)
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