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The Deluxe Cotton Yoga Mat is a futon-style mat designed for comfortable yet firm support during yoga, Pilates, personal workouts, lying meditation, and even temporary bedding. Its single-person-sized surface area creates the ideal nurturing environment for body and breath work. The cover is made of durable cotton twill fabric.
The cover is zippered and can be removed for washing in cool water and mild detergent. The cotton batting is enclosed in linen fabric and tufted to prevent shifting and bunching up of the cotton batting. An included cotton-web strap secures the mat when it is rolled or folded up. The strap doubles as a carry strap making the mat transportable. You will find this mat to be a comfortable choice for almost any type of personal workout.
Also great for Camping, Sleep Overs, Temporary Guest Bedding, and Relaxing on the Floor!
The mat comes standard with a cotton web strap and quick-release buckles. The strap will secure the mat into a roll, "C" fold or "Z" fold. The strap doubles as a shoulder strap so you can carry your mat.
- Dimensions: 72" long by 28" wide by 2" high
- Weight: 16 pounds
- 100% Cotton Twill cover is zippered, removable, and washable
- Included cotton-web strap with quick release buckles secure the mat and create a shoulder strap
- NOTE: This item requires an additional 2 to 4 business days for processing


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Strong Ciders, Ice Ciders, and More Apple Drinks for Your Winter Hibernation
When most people think about cider, they tend to think of the fall; harvesting apples alongside squash and other autumnal produce while the leaves change. But cider is much more than a seasonal beverage—as we turn to stronger drink in these colder months, there are many ciders and other apple-based potables perfect for sipping by a roaring fire.
We're declaring 2013 the year of the apple; here are a few ways to kick things off right.
Strong Ciders
Most ciders tend to cap out right around 7% alcohol—about the same as your average hoppy IPA—but there are a few that climb into the 10% or even 12%. These big ciders tend to bring bigger flavors, a longer finish, and a noticeable hint of alcohol. The end result is a cider more suited for a snifter than a pint glass—the ideal cure for winter's bite. Note that some state laws limited the alcohol level of cider so these bottles are often sold as Apple Wine. If you like your cider with a bit of sparkle, then make sure it is sealed with a cap or champagne cork. A traditional wine cork usually signifies a still, uncarbonated bottle.
One To Try: While there are many regional strong ciders, Angry Orchard's Strawman is the perfect winter warmer and available nationally. It's a bracing cider, with a perceivable boozy warmth and earthy apple quality. Time spent aging in oak lends a lingering finish worth savoring. I highly recommend this cider alongside a good slice of cheesecake.
Ice Cider
Take all of the rich, orchard flavors in your favorite pint of cider, condense them into three ounces of liquid gold and you have Ice Cider, the frozen North's answer to dessert wine. Ice Cider is produced by slowly freezing out a portion of the water in a fermented cider and then draining off the remains for a flavor-packed, sweet, still drink clocking in around a 10% ABV. A relatively new beverage, Ice Cider was first produced commercially around 1990 in Quebéc. But since then, the American community has caught on, particularly in Vermont where Ice Cider is ubiquitous in cocktails and on the dessert menus of finer restaurants.
One To Try: Leading the American Ice Cider trend is Vermont's Eden Ice Cider. This year, we're big fans of their Champlain Orchards Honeycrisp, a delicate drink that conjures up freshly-picked fall apples. A nice, tart finish helps balance the sweetness and pairs well with flaky pastries or washed rind cheeses.
Originally a french apéritif, Pommeau has been slowly finding favor among American cider makers and distillers alike. Take two parts unfermented apple juice and one part apple brandy, age them in oak (French law requires a minimum of 30 months but America has no regulations on the timing) and the result is a deep mahogany drink with the boldness of a spirit but the sweetness and body of a cider. A great Pommeau drinks like a cross between a dessert wine and an cocktail and is welcome at the end of any hearty meal.
One To Try: The smoothest American Pommeau I have had by far is made by Oregon's Traditions Ciderworks. Produced from local bittersweet apples and blended with Clear Creek Apple Eau de Vie, the Pommeau features a solid oak backbone from a year in French Oak. The final drink is bold, but refined, with big fruit up front and a long finish.
Eau de Vie de Pomme
Eau de Vie refers to a distilled color-less brandy made from anything other than grapes. The fruit—apples in the case of an Eau de Vie de Pomme—are pressed, fermented, distilled, and quickly bottled for a full 80 proof spirit that merely hints at its apple roots. The nuances of brandy can be difficult for the uninitiated but replacing cognac with Eau de Vie de Pomme in your favorite cocktail is a great place to discover the difference.
One To Try: While Eau de Vie is traditionally un-aged, I prefer those mellowed in oak. My favorite is Clear Creek's Eau de Vie de Pomme which rests for 8 years in French oak. The final spirit hints at apple and citrus with a defined woody note. Drink this one on its own with an ice cube or in a cocktail with your favorite amaro.
All bottles were provided as press samples for review consideration except the Clear Creek Eau de Vie de Pomme.
Read (and Drink) More Cider
Barrel Aged Ciders »
Spiced Ciders »
Single-Varietal Ciders »
Hopped Ciders »
Cherry Ciders »
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.

subset: commoncrawl


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Discover Veggie Leicester
The term 'vegan'
Donald Watson of Leicester came up with the term 'vegan' when he established the Vegan Society in 1944.
Shake your own cocktail ...
Have a go at shaking a cocktail made with vegan ingredients at 33 Cank Street.
Chocolate heaven ...
Only vegan ingredients are used at the chocolate demonstration at Cocoa Amore.
Book a short break ...
Especially for vegans and vegetarians, book our city break for two people for just £149.
Due to the large Hindi, Sikh and Jain populations of Leicester, many of the restaurants are meat, dairy and fish free, and all have vegan options. There are also many vegan and vegetarian-friendly places to eat and drink across the city and county too, you'll find a selection of these listed on this site. Why not try a Leicester speciality, an authentic curry at Shivalli or Peking Restaurant?
See our new short break especially for vegans and vegetarians with a choice of food and drink experiences in the city including overnight accommodation for two people, all for £149 per couple.
"I am amazed to see the diversity in the vegetarian food being offered in the city centre and how many non-vegetarian restaurants that now have a separate vegan menu. They exist in all corners of the city – in the centre, out to Melton Road, East Park Road or Uppingham Road and out to Market Harborough and the county."
Amit Gokani is a member of Leicestershire Vegetarian/Vegan Group


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Cutest-kid-ever Greyson Arroyo-Smiley is battling brain cancer. He also happens to be a huge My Little Pony fan, which is why this visit from voice actor/executive producer Tara Strong is a dream come true.
After helping read off some raffle winners, Greyson got a pretty big surprise. That was a class act, Bronies.


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Five of the Most Profitable Tweets Ever
Twitter has earned seven-figure paydays for some enterprising celebrities, multinationals and anonymous jokesters. Quentin Fottrell joins Lunch Break with five of the most profitable tweets ever. Photo: Getty Images.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.
... I ... by the most profitable me ever written well will take a more than a hundred forty characters to get through them but I think that when a trial MarketWatch to guide us through this it was the Twins' birthday last week length and breadth and you did this in honor of Twitter on my knees and so you know somebody tell me that it's all swelled up five hundred thousand ... followers on Twitter and make a six figure income ... and you when you were cited by that ... I was ... a little storage of five hundred tirelessly trying to get all of which are which are better dressed ... up screen time ... to get at least one ... it's hard to put a numerical value though on the branding ... that people can build for themselves and generally on Twitter that you want your right to it pick the five most profitable right so I read through I ... basically spent a lot of different from ... social media ... sources people who deal with celebrities for Tumpel ... Kim Carr doused in ... two ... thousand and seventeen in the HOF ... million Twitter followers aam but ... in a ... far more than she gets for her ... TV show to ... stream the HOF so low the more color is you how ... aam and the more attractive you are with more to marketing companies ... for these deals for you ... the more money you're going to ... now what one he found out I just a helper and he started a Twitter account that prove quite profitable for them right she ... the stratospheric kinds of as ... we get that sense right so does the pink tree was something like ... I lifted the seventy three years ago so I can eat kale down to ... breakfast with Santa fixing my ... father's that's a little does look a lot of TV set which in turn as he said ... it was around this tree he ... adds ... he said in a one million dollars aid from the tree including the popular TV shows ... any tech topic they kept the tweets Opana caddie it up exactly ... right ... and so also I mean I let's talk a little bit about some redwoods to a recent torsion these were breached when you say to pay their roughly a hundred grand ... write to us but to some of these marketing ... social media marketing people in a city you can get ... they haven't offered two hundred thousand dollars worth of ... into a party retreat now so it stands a mother and he made some people do it but it depends whether the brand its discovery even though the price leader this is where the card actions are prime example there are like gold but they're perfect is the reality TV the rule of ... marketing the dough ... out that she she literally acting and musical right ... instruments tolerance so they're really about ... marketing and branding and Twitter can be quite probable when raising money for call tells what happened with Haiti right so this this ... trip changes the for profit social marketing company that does not assistant treasurer ... on an auction in two thousand and ten ... that were celebrities in this desert to reverse this was ... not a new duvet Justin Bieber to follow me you could you talk to Virtu retreat you or treats for certain treated time to get it on e Bay they raised up that but celebrities raced over ... and ... over five and forty thousand dollars ... what about Lady GA GA how was the paydays out with a particular was at a particular tweet she had or what or where it is well this is more of a sudden estimation of this is somebody who has over thirty five million ... dollars in Treasury chief of the biggest ... even if she has been the biggest falling from Twitter on any celebrity ... times but that expertise that got ... you into contention for the amount of advertising and free market and ... you know a lot of resistance these days and leave the conference my aunt ... Mrs and valuable ... aam stores of marketing advertising and ... estimated that you know it it could easily slip one-third of her ... yearly earnings in terms of the advertising power ... from thirty five million followers to roughly seventy new incident BTU came up what's right and we can't leave out ... the founders Twitter at Twitter ... themselves write a mean the world's first week ... I came here to dance in two thousand and six Jack Dorsey tweeted just setting out my Twitter you've never tried to eat into the meeting is unprepared hints ... he also seized on to other mention adventure since then the words of Ford's net worth one ... point one billion and so you've got firstly it really was what started off its like something like fifty five million ... dollars per character ... awful for these that's not always pop lot of people are just wasting time on Twitter but it can be done when you think ... when you are working on getting account of the question for trying to make semester being with us


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What It Is
However, one need only recur to a standard dictionary to glimpse the semantic sleight of hand at work here. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary gives but a one-word definition for "governance," and that is "government." And world government is precisely what the Commission on Global Governance is proposing. That is plainly evident on the face of their proposals, all of which invariably advocate increasing strictures on national sovereignty and the transferring of legislative, executive, and judicial powers to the United Nations or its subsidiary multilateral institutions — always in the name of peacekeeping, nationbuilding, saving the environment, helping the poor, disarmament, fighting organized crime, etc.
"There should be no question of which way we go," assert Carlson and Ramphal. "But the right way requires the assertion of the values of internationalism, the primacy of the rule of law worldwide...." Ah yes, the "rule of law." Favorite weasel words of globalists seeking to conceal their true world-government ambitions. Obviously, it takes government to promulgate law, and for that law to have any meaning and effect, it must be backed up by government force. Genuine world law requires real world government force capable of overwhelming any national resistance to its rule. That is elementary and indisputable.
A major problem we face today is that most one-worlders avoid explicit references and paeans to world government: It is viewed as counterproductive "because it frightens people." So admits former Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA), a former national president of the United World Federalists and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and the Trilateral Commission (TC). Back in 1949 Cranston successfully pushed through the California legislature a resolution memorializing Congress to call a national convention to amend the U.S. Constitution to "expedite and insure the participation of the United States in a world federal government." He still wants the same thing; he just knows he has a better chance of obtaining it if he goes about it quietly and calls it by another name.
Cranston says he remains a World Federalist because "I believe deeply in the need for world law..... I believe in the concept of federalism on the world scale." But, said Cranston in an interview in the April 1976 issue of Transition, a publication of the Institute for World Order, "the more talk about world government, the less chance of achieving it, because it frightens people who would accept the concept of world law." Obviously, he understands that a lot of folks still have a strong suspicion of and aversion to big government. And a world government is about as big as government can get.
Like Mr. Cranston, Messrs. Carlson and Ramphal are longtime advocates of socialist world government. They note in Our Global Neighborhood, "It was Willy Brandt who brought the two of us together as co-chairmen of the Commission on Global Governance." The late Willy Brandt was at the time (and for many years before) the president of the Socialist International, and Mr. Carlson was a vice president of the same socialist-world-government-advocating group.
The Rhodes Vision
The necessity of world government is, of course, a fundamental tenet of the communists as well. Addressing the 1920 Congress of the Communist International, Lenin stated: "This task is the task of the world proletarian revolution, the task of the creation of the world Soviet republic." The official "Program of the Communist International" adopted in 1928 called for "a World Union of Soviet Socialist Republics uniting the whole of mankind under the hegemony of the international proletariat organized as a state."
Odd as it may seem to the uninitiated, the communists and socialists have been aided and abetted toward this goal by organizations founded and funded by some of the world's wealthiest capitalists. Cecil Rhodes' biographer Sarah G. Millin wrote of that South African diamond and gold mogul, "The government of the world was Rhodes' simple desire." And to fulfill that desire, he established, in 1891, a "secret society" (the words are his) called the "Society of the Elect." In his first will (1877) he explained that his plan for world dominion must entail "the foundation of so great a power as to hereafter render wars impossible." In establishing this "power," Rhodes wrote to his associate William Stead, "The only feasible [way] to carry this idea out is a secret [society] gradually absorbing the wealth of the world to be devoted to such an object."
Toward accomplishing this grandiose goal, which Rhodes frankly described as "a scheme to take the government of the whole world," a system of sister organizations was established, the most prominent being the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) in England and the CFR in the United States. These groups have drawn into Rhodes' "scheme" some of the most influential men from the fields of finance, industry, politics, communications, academe, science, and philanthropy.
Throughout this century, these internationalist schemers have worked hand in hand with (usually while publicly denouncing) communists, socialists, and fascists of every stripe. Which is not surprising, since, while a student at Oxford, Rhodes had become (and remained until his death) a fervent disciple of Professor John Ruskin, a revolutionary utopian socialist. (Ruskin wrote that "indeed, I am myself a communist of the old school — reddest also of the red.")
Education for the Elite
One of the important instruments Rhodes created to implement his breathtaking global "vision" was the Rhodes Scholarships, through which (said Stead) he intended his network would help into influential positions thousands of "men in the prime of life scattered all over the world, each one of whom, moreover, would have been specifically — mathematically — selected toward the Founder's purposes." And what qualities would be demanded of these men? According to Rhodes: "smugness, brutality, unctuous rectitude, and tact."
One young American who apparently exhibited those desired attributes was Strobe Talbott, now special adviser to President Clinton on Russian affairs. A Clinton roommate and fellow Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, Talbott (CFR, TC) provided critical support for the Clinton campaign at Time magazine, where he was editor-at-large. He also provided heavy support for the RIIA/CFR/TC drive for world government. Declared Talbott in a May 1992 Time piece: "The U.N. as a whole needs more power and resources for peacekeeping, including an ability to call on American troops to serve under the world body's flag." In a July 20, 1992 paean to one-worldism in Time entitled, "The Birth of the Global Nation," he proclaimed that "it has taken the events in our own wondrous and terrible century to clinch the case for world government."
For this outburst of internationalist ardor, Talbott received the Norman Cousins Global Governance Award from the World Federalist Association (WFA, the renamed United World Federalists). At the award ceremony on June 24, 1993, WFA President John Anderson (CFR, TC) read a letter from Bill Clinton (CFR, TC) noting that "Norman Cousins worked for world peace and world government" and stating that Talbott "will be a worthy recipient of the Norman Cousins Global Governance Award. Best wishes ... for future success."
Yes, the President of the United States, a "Rhodes man," was praising the WFA and its most famous leader (Cousins), and wishing "success" for the treasonous decades-long campaign to destroy America's national sovereignty and submerge us in a world government.
In 1961, another internationalist President, John F. Kennedy, presented to the United Nations his plan (which was actually crafted by his CFR-dominated State Department, run by CFR one-worlder Dean Rusk) for disarming America, entitled Freedom From War: The United States Program for General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World. That program called for "progressive controlled disarmament ... to a point where no state would have the military power to challenge the progressively strengthened U.N. Peace Force." In other words, the President of the United States, who had taken an oath to uphold and defend this country and its constitutional government, proposed to transfer all U.S. armaments to the UN and then subject America to an all-powerful world government under the UN. This treasonous objective was made even more unmistakably clear a few months later, in 1962, when Freedom From War was superceded by a similar disarmament document entitled Blueprint for the Peace Race. This policy of disarmament has remained the official policy of the U.S. government through both Democratic and Republican administrations and has been incorporated piecemeal into subsequent disarmament agreements.
Eroding Our Sovereignty
In 1974, the Rhodes Scholar who is now President Clinton's Ambassador to Spain, Richard N. Gardner (CFR, TC), penned a signal article in the CFR journal Foreign Affairs entitled "The Hard Road to World Order." Since hopes for "instant world government" had proven illusory, he noted that the best hope for building "the house of world order" lay in a long-range "end run around national sovereignty, eroding it piece by piece." This could best be done, he noted, on an ad hoc basis with treaties and international "arrangements" — on environment, trade, security, etc. — that could later be brought within "the central institutions of the U.N. system." This is what Our Global Neighborhood calls "the hardening of so-called soft law." These treaties, which initially appear soft and non-threatening, are gradually given "teeth" to rend national sovereignty asunder.
Rather than speak openly of world government, the globalists more frequently employ code terms such as "world order," "world law," "global transformation," "interdependence," "convergence," "economic integration," "multilateral institution building," "global community," "collective security," etc. But there is no mistaking the fact that the intent is to do away with the United States.
During the first half of this century, prominent advocates of global governance — socialists, communists, and capitalist internationalists — wore their colors more openly than their successors of today. Many volumes on world government by these political, business, and academic figures of yesteryear can be found in major libraries. There, too, will be found a multitude of volumes of more recent vintage on "world order" and related code themes.
In 1976, Professor Saul Mendlovitz (CFR), director of the World Order Models Project (WOMP), prophesied that there "is no longer a question of whether or not there will be world government by the year 2000." We are fast approaching that millennial milestone, and unless sufficient numbers of Americans become aware of the planned destruction that faces us and actively join the freedom fight, the forces of "smugness and brutality" (and utter ruthlessness), as exemplified by Rhodes, Mendlovitz, Talbott, Clinton, et al., will triumph.


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Klango was a project of exploring and creating audio-only user interfaces (Aural UI) and applications. It began in 2004 when the first Klango audio game was created and published. Development of the project ended in 2012 - Klango was then a social network equipped with many audio-only applications. Listen to the "Klango commercial" (2010). Services of the Klango Network were finally shut down on May 24th 2018.
What next?
We keep our @klango Twitter account and publish all klango-related info there. We plan to publish Klango Media Catalog somehow, and we will inform about that in the near future. At the moment, we do not have any other precise plans related to Klango. Please follow @klango on Twitter.
Will the source code of Klango be opened?
Maybe some parts, someday. Most of the source code is not suitable for publication.
I'm interested in buying your database
We are sorry, we do not sell our users' data. By the way: all of the klango data were permanently deleted on May 24th 2018.
I would like to buy the source code...
Currently, we do not have such offer, but who knows? In any business matters, please contact us via our simplito.com website.


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Artist: Louise Garff Hubbard
Biography: Born and raised in Logan UT. Majored in Art at USU. Continued to paint and take classes toward an MFA at USU while raising a family. Recognized statewide for intricate painting, much in watercolor. Lives in Logan UT.
Notes: Purchased by City Fine Arts Committee
Description: Watercolor, 23x34
Location: Library


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Recipe Summary
Recipe Servings: 6 portions
Recipe Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Recipe Cook Time: 50 minutes
½ cup plus 1 tbsp Lucini® Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil®
3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and diced into 1-inch cubes
3 sweet-tart apples that will keep their shape after baking, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 heaping cup all-purpose/plain flour
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Grease a 9-by-11-inch baking dish with the 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss together the squash, apples, cranberries, parsley, thyme, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil and stir to combine, then add the flour and mix to evenly coat the squash mixture.
Turn the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake until the top is golden brown and the squash is tender but not mushy (a paring knife should easily slip into the center of a piece of squash), 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool 5 minutes before serving.


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After doing the xorg-edgers upgrade, I can't log into unity but I can access gnome 3. Any reasons why. The performance boost is amazing but I don't want to go back to the old drivers.
unity 2d works. compiz crashes and the following error is left in dmesg
[ 530.302141] compiz[3247] general protection ip:7f038283bd30 sp:7fff81df2eb8 error:0 in libutouch-geis.so.1.2.0[7f0382831000+17000]


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I would like to post a conversation I just had on Google+. I understand how my statements may sound offensive but I see things as I see it. My opinion is not unheard of but I am not saying it is fact. However, my issue really isnt about what I said it is about the response it received from a guy who didn't like what I said but posted his opinions. I don't understand them and I was wondering if someone could explain what he means by his definition of consciousness and "objective reality"
Me-Many people are superstitious and will have their religions. They will believe things and blindly "drink the koolaid" if they are offered anything that is better than everlasting death of themselves and their loved ones. This is just my opinion. Just think about it. You, the very essence of you has a finale. And some people don't want to believe that. Some people will appear to claim to have telepathy and can speak to this invisible person (hallucination) they believe watches over them and what they do (paranoia) which by the way is the same theme as Santa Claus. Key in "You better watch out. You better not cry" . And some make bargains (prayer/telepathy) to obey and be good so it wont send them to the scary place. Oh and get no gifts like a mansion in the clouds. Looks cool but i don't know how that works. My point is it keeps me in awe how weird our culture is and how far behind we are from other cultures (overseas) who understand evolution and will accept it as a more factual explanation of we became and how we die."
Him-Personality and memory will (almost certainly) end. Those things are not "the very essence of you." Nor are they consciousness.
What I was talking about before, which was different from that, was the fact that we cannot model consciousness and so have no business thinking we know much about it. There's an unbridgeable qualia gap. We have no reason, looking at objective reality and all its processes including those occurring in the brain, to conclude that subjective consciousness should be occurring at all. As I said, in objective reality there is no I and there is no You -- there is only he, she, and it. We can describe all kinds of things about how the brain functions, but no one has ever posited any hypothesis about how any of this gives rise to someone inside -- an "I" -- experiencing anything subjectively. And I would suggest that no one ever will, that it is impossible.
As consciousness cannot emerge from brain activity by any conceivable mechanism, it must pre-exist brain activity, at least as a potential, and be a fundamental characteristic of existence comparable to space or time.
Do I believe that consciousness (although not memory or personality) endures beyond death? Yes. I as an individual will not, but I as an individual am an illusion anyway, a kind of distorted mirror thrown up by my brain. I -- the real I -- am the cosmos, and the cosmos was here before this body was born and will still be here, experiencing reality through all vehicles available (of which at the moment this body is one), after this body dies.
What is he talking about? Thanks.
Views: 929
Don't forget: "A wet bird never flies at night."
Objective reality basically means what it is; its objective. It wouldn't be reality if wasn't objective. Then it would subjective. Subjective basically means an opinion. Reality is not based on opinion but facts.
@ Keith Murphy,
I'm clapping.
Well said. But would you not say that, as subjective beings, our subjective nature automatically colors what is objective? Thus, it can be difficult (not impossible) to really discover true objectivity. Certainly, we can get as close to objectivity as our subjective nature allows, but do we ever actually achieve what is truly objective?
I think this objective/subjective opposition is something of an illusion - as if something which is subjectively true, isn't true. It can be objectively true that something is subjectively true.
We were born of stardust, and when Sol expands and vaporizes earth, then throws off its outer shell, before collapsing and becoming a white dwarf, we will return to stardust - that is the only immortality we can honestly expect.
He still holds that there is a duality between mind and body, that the mind somehow exists outside the body and is therefore eternal. It does not matter how much he intuitively "feels" this. I also think his ideas on what "objective reality" is are....well...rather subjective.
Barry – I totally agree with reading books to seek other opinions rather than just ones that confirm our biases but "The Deepak"?
When you say "There is a lot of interesting information in there, which is very much science based in terms of quantum reality…" could you explain the "quantum reality" bit? Does D.C. claim to understand Quantum mechanics? (Feynman)
I admit reading Deepak is quite a departure - especially for myself, but yes. At some level he does understand quantum theory regarding energy fields at the subatomic level. However, where he takes that understanding is a completely different issue. Like I said, I am not in anyway promoting Deepak. What I was attempting to do was provide Shanna with a resource which would shed some more light on where the gentleman she was in conversation with was coming from - regardless of whether or not he was right or wrong.
The best way I can explain why I choose to read Deepak is not to take him as an absolute authority, but to be aware of the information that he presents - much like an atheist may not buy stock in what the bible says, but they are very much knowledgeable in what it says and where it's deficiencies lie in coherence. AND, atheists most often possess a great deal more of such knowledge than a devout Christian or fundie because they educate themselves on the information.
I have encountered people who do take Deepak very seriously and very devoutly - especially since he is promoted on pop culture shows like Oprah. So why not read him in order to better understand their position and hold an intelligent conversation or debate with them about their views?
Does this make sense? If it makes you feel any better, I have read Richard Dawkins The God Delusion, and I am some what informed of Hitchens (although have yet to read his God is Not Great). I don't agree with them entirely, but they are absolutely spot on regarding their problems with religion, in particular Christendom.
Barry - I can understand what you're saying, it's a good point - but oh God, I just can't be bothered to wade through all that loopy rubbish. If some people get something out of it - then it has merit. It's not my style at all, and I'm sure I share this with most atheists.
There are those books "Conversations with God". A friend gave me a copy when he was having a nervous breakdown (he's embarrassed about it now), and instead of throwing it in the bin, I kept it for the laugh value, and a lesson in how not to do that stuff. However, I watched the movie about his life, and I ended up respecting the author. He may be very muddled and disorganized, but there are plenty of good nuggets in there and he is actually not a charlatan. And plenty of people have been helped by his books. So I stand somewhat corrected.
Another man's trash is another man's treasure. Everything has value in it - even the absurd. The benefit being that you can learn from it. Even if you don't see any value in something, you still have learned something about yourself and your interpretation of the world around you, and that is not a bad thing. Thus we should not discount something simply on it's face because the ultimate goal is to take what we can learn in this life and apply it in a way that is meaningful to us, and this is a good thing.
The best part about it is that it does not require one to believe in a being higher than oneself, it only requires a desire to do some good and leave something good behind for the benefit of others even if that benefit is not quite what you intend. This is where I would find the meaning of life, this is our purpose as a species (in my opinion) to thrive to the highest level of our finite existence as a human being - theist or not.
Now - why can't Deepak be you? We wouldn't be having this discussion. If this was King of the Hill, Deepak would be Boomhauer and you'd be Hank Hill.


text: Crystal Morey: Kyubi no Kitsune - Nine Tailed Fox By Crystal Morey This was a really difficult write-up for me because there is so much information and such a wealth of folklore surrounding these creatures, it is quite overwhelming. In Japanese Kitsune means fox. Foxes play a huge role in Japanese mythology -they are both loved and feared by the Japanese people. Foxes, by their very nature, are perceived as sneaky and cunning. Though not always malicious they are generally not to be trusted, and they appear in folklore worldwide as the antagonist... The Kitsune of Japan can be divided into two types. Kami or Spirit Kitsune, which are considered benevolent beings who serve as messenger to Inari, the Shinto spirit for rice and agriculture. As rice was the main currency in Japan for much of its inception, it is sacred, and homage is paid to Inari in hopes of fertility and prosperity in the form of bountiful harvests. These messenger Kitsunes are white and are called Myobu. Shrines devoted to Inari feature a red torii gate and two white foxes standing guard. The second type of Kitsune, and the ones we will be focusing on are the Nogitsune or wild fox. The tricksters. These Kitsunes are considered yokai or evil spirits, and they are treated with caution in Japanese culture. The Nogitsune are not all malicious, but they do not filter the world through the traditional human lens of good and evil. They do not even have a communal code of right and wrong; like humans you find Nogitsune that are benevolent and attempt to assist those in their immediate vicinity, and others that are just malicious and thrive on causing mayhem. It should be noted that mortals who are being plagued by Nogitsune, often appeal to the Myobu for assistance. While they are hard to stereotype, it must be noted that Kitsune do adhere to a code of ethics, albeit according to their own unique standards, and they are staunch defenders of this code. Kitsune tales run rampant throughout Japanese mythology. Through tricks and magic they expose human flaws, often by encouraging it to the point of calamity. They are passionate about "outing" people who fall short of their ethical standards, for Nogitsune this is sport. Similarly, if a Kitsune is shown compassion, they return the favor ten-fold. They assist in harvests, save dying children at great personal sacrifice and sometimes serve as protectors to individuals they deem worthy. Kitsune are playful pranksters, but they are sensitive and emotional as well. They hold their own actions under close scrutiny and if one commits an unjust act, its own shame and regret can cause such self-loathing that it will perish. Kitsune are believed to live 900 years on this earth before joining the celestial court. As a yokai they become more powerful with the passing of each 100 years and they are given another tail to mark each passing. (Some legends intimate that they sprout all nine tails when they become 900 years old). The tails are considered marks of prestige and rank and can actually be rewarded to a Kitsune for a great deed or taken from it for a breach of Kitsune law or by getting themselves killed. Kitsune are said to be able to start fires by rubbing their tails together. Often they are depicted with Kitsune-bi or "fox-fire" floating around them… with balls of white light surrounded by glowing flames. There is also, in some stories, a ball (Hoshi no Tama) that is believed to either hold part of the Kitsune's spirit, making it vulnerable to anyone who manages to gain possession of it, or hold a portion of its power, enabling the Kitsune to possess mortals. If separated from its ball for an extended period of time, a Kitsune will perish. Kitsune are always given feminine attributes and among their litany of powers they are considered gifted shape-shifters, with the ability to transform into anything found in nature. To transform, it is said, a Kitsune must place reeds, a broad leaf or a skull over its head. They most often appear as a beautiful and amorous young lady, who then either expose a lustful or adulterous man to his peers, or reward a virtuous one by becoming his paramour. Kitsune can possess mortals and many ill deeds throughout Japanese history, including the gassing of the Tokyo subway by the infamous Aum Cult, have been attributed to kitsunetsuki or fox possession. Nine tailed foxes (Kyubi no Kitsune) are the oldest and most powerful Kitsune. They are white, silver or gold in color and are believed omnipotent -so great is their power. These powerful creatures, again, do not always use their strengths for the betterment of humankind. Some Kyubi no Kitsune are just plain evil. The most infamous is Tamamo-no-mae, who throughout her lifespan managed to infiltrate the imperial courts of India, China and Japan and wreak havoc. She brought about the destruction of the king of India, killing thousands of his subjects before fleeing to China where she was responsible for the fall of the Chou Dynasty, only to reappear later in Japan as a courtesan of Emperor Konoe where her wisdom and beauty became legend. She bewitched the emperor and when discovered, is rumored to have fled to the plains of Nasu where she was finally trapped and shot with an arrow. Her spirit transformed into a rock, now called Sessho-Seki, the killing rock, because it killed any living creature that came in contact with it, so powerful was her evil. Her spirit was eventually exorcised by a traveling Buddhist priest named Genno… but the infamous rock still stands in Nasu, and is given wide berth. The Kyubi no Kitsune is another one of the creatures featured in our upcoming book Japanese Mythical Creatures. The book is with the layout crew now and will be available at the end of the year. I'm stoked since it's been almost three years in the making! *Author's Note: My favorite collection on Kitsune stories in English is long out of print but apparently it can be downloaded in its entirety here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/3870634/Kitsune-Japans-Fox-of-Mystery-Romance-and-Humor-by-Kiyoshi-Nozaki (Crystal Morey works for Gomineko Books and is a contributing blogger for Tattoo Artist Magazine. For more info on Gomineko Books please visit their website: www.gominekobooks.com.) Related TAM Blogs: Crystal Morey: The Japanese Kappas Crystal Morey: The Japanese Kirin


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Bradley ranked fifth overall on Top 100 Prospects list
Shortstop Owings appears at No. 77, with righty Shipley close behind at 79
PHOENIX -- The D-backs may have lost out in the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes, but they could have another ace waiting in the wings.
The D-backs, according to MLB.com, have the top pitching prospect in baseball in right-hander Archie Bradley.
The annual ranking of baseball's biggest and brightest young talent is assembled by MLBPipeline.com Draft and prospect experts Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis, who compile input from industry sources, including scouts and scouting directors. It is based on analysis of players' skill sets, upsides, proximity to the Majors and potential immediate impact to their teams. The list, which is one of several prospect rankings on MLBPipeline.com's Prospect Watch, only includes players with rookie status in 2014.
Bradley is No. 5 overall in the rankings behind position players Byron Buxton, Xander Bogaerts, Oscar Taveras and Miguel Sano.
The D-backs certainly share MLB.com's point of view.
"We really think Archie's got a chance in the very near future to be a top-of-the-rotation starter," Arizona GM Kevin Towers said.
Two other D-backs prospects made the list with shortstop Chris Owings checking in at 77 and right-hander Braden Shipley ranked 79th.
Drafted with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, Bradley has risen steadily through the D-backs system. After appearing in a couple of games for Arizona's entry in the rookie Pioneer League in 2011, Bradley spent the 2012 season with Class A South Bend.
The 21-year-old started the 2013 season with Class A Advanced Visalia, but after going 2-0 with a 1.26 ERA in his first five starts, he was promoted to Double-A Mobile. Bradley was nearly as dominant there, finishing 12-5 with a 1.97 ERA for the BayBears.
"I'm not going to say I expected to move as fast as I did," Bradley said. "I just worked really hard to do it. I think as soon as you understand you don't control how fast you move, you can just control your day-to-day activities and how well you pitch. When the organization, the manager and general manager and people above you think you're ready, then you'll move. Once I learned that was out of my hands, everything just became easier for me."
In fact, Bradley was so impressive the D-backs considered promoting him to the big leagues in September, but instead opted to invite him to Spring Training this year.
Rather than the invite simply being a reward for a good season or a chance to see how things are done in big league camp, the D-backs plan on Bradley competing for a spot in the rotation. As it stands right now, Patrick Corbin, Wade Miley, Trevor Cahill and Brandon McCarthy have the inside track on spots.
That leaves the fifth spot for a battle between Bradley and Randall Delgado, among others.
"Archie Bradley is going to get a good chance at it," Towers said.
Improving his fastball command as well as his changeup would certainly help Bradley make the next jump. His fastball is explosive and his curve is rated above average as well.
"He's a power guy," D-backs scouting director Ray Montgomery said. "There's power to his fastball, power to his breaking ball. If he develops an average changeup, that's more than enough."
Some teams prefer to hold back top prospects from the big leagues until June or July so as to slow down their arbitration and free-agent clocks. The D-backs, though, maintain that if Bradley shows he's ready during Spring Training, they won't hesitate to have him on the Opening Day roster.
Owings, too, could find himself on the roster when the team opens the season against the Dodgers in Sydney.
The D-backs acquired shortstop Didi Gregorius from the Indians last offseason, but after Owings hit .330 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .841 for Triple-A Reno last year and followed that up with an impressive September in the big leagues, it appears he might have the leg up heading into camp.
Owings and Gregorius will battle for the starting shortstop job during the spring, with the loser probably ticketed for Triple-A.
Shipley was taken in the first round (15th overall) in last year's Draft and spent time with both South Bend and Class A Short-Season Hillsboro in the Northwest League after signing.
The right-hander's fastball had touched 98 mph during his college career, but generally sits in the 92-94 range. As an advanced college pitcher, he could rise quickly through the system.


text:
What's that you're doing, Ms. Sassen?
Linnea Sassen, 21,
Aircraft maintenance technician
has been working for Lufthansa Technik since 2012
"I'm inspecting a special kind of magnet that detects early signs of metal wear. The master magnetic chip detector, as it's called, projects into the lubrication system of the engine. If there is wear on any of the components, the magnet attracts the metal particles that have become detached. If I find any, I measure them, and send any of significant size on to the lab. There are other magnets, too, which are only used to detect particles in specific sections of the lubrication system, and they help me to localize the damage. If there's metal wear in a pump, we can replace the pump right away, but If it occurs in bearings, it's more complicated, and we have to disassemble the engine. But it's very rare for abrasion to occur in the first place, and I've never detected any on my shift. Before I reinsert the master magnetic chip detector, I replace the seal. A colleague then double-checks the magnet to make sure it's firmly in place. Just like with all safety systems, this is an absolute requirement."


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Back in October, MS announced that the new "MS Azure AD Sync Services" (AAD Sync) had gone GA, which means that DirSync is now officially deprecated.
Ironically, I got wind that "Azure AD Connect" would be replacing Azure AD Sync Services, not but a few weeks before:
Deprecated on release? Not quite… it appears that Azure AD Sync Services will be at the core of Azure AD Connect, so time spent migrating to Azure AD Sync Services will not be a complete waste of time.
I decided to make this migration happen now, because we will be ramping up to provision faculty and staff with access to Office 365 Pro Plus software in the near future, and I would like to be working with a tool that does not require me to run it in an unsupported configuration (we removed the "Replicating Directory Changes" right from our DirSync service account, which at least at one time was considered a Bad Thing To Do.).
The Good News:
- The out-of-box configuration does not require a service account with the "Replicating Directory Changes" right, making filtering of sensitive user attributes much easier.
- The initial setup wizard allows you to de-select attributes that you don't want to sync to Azure. No more wading though dense miisclient.exe dialogs and walking off-support to do basic filtering! The require attributes are listed in grey, so that you don't risk filtering an attribute that Azure absolutely must have.
- AAD Sync actually has some documentation available on its installation and use over at MSDN:
…And there actually are quite a few important details in this seemingly cursory documentation.
- AAD Sync entirely replaces the UI-heavy, un-maintainable attribute filtering tools in DirSync with a new "Declarative Provisioning" engine, that allow robust attribute filtering and transformation rules to be defined by the sys admin.
- Custom "Inbound" attribute filters will be preserved during product upgrades, according to the documentation.
- The documentation has been updated with instructions on how to make domain-based sync filters actually work in a multi-domain forest. This was a key detail that was missing in the DirSync documentation.
The Bad News:
- The Declarative Provisioning language, while based on VB for Applications (The "best known language by systems administrators", according to the docs. Whaaaat?!?!), is not actually VBA. Debugging methods for dealing with this new VB-like thing are not at all documented, and examples of its usage are few and far between.
So what did I learn during this deployment process that was Blog-worthy? How to debug Declarative Provisioning!
Debugging Declarative Provisioning (Import Expression Filters):
Let's take an example. We want to sync only students, and users who are to be provisioned for use of Lync in Office 365 into Azure. To accomplish this, we have populated students with the text value "Student" in extensionAttribute1. Lync users have had extensionAttribute2 populated with the text value "lync".
When running the Synchronization Rule Editor, we create a new "inbound" rule, assign it to object type "inetOrgPerson", link type is "join", and give it a precedence under 100. We skip the Scoping and Join Rules options, and go to "Transformations".
The flowType gets set to "Expression", the Target Attribute to "cloudFiltered", and we define a VBA-like expression in the "Source" field:
My expression follows:
IIF(CBool(InStr([extensionAttribute1], "Student", 1)), NULL, IIF(CBool(InStr([extensionAttribute2], "lync", 1)), NULL, True)
So what is the intent here? "cloudFiltered" is a metaverse attribute that can be set to suppress synchronization of an account upon export to Azure AD. If set to "True", the account should not get synced to Azure.
(Note: The expression that we use was updated on 2014-12-22 as follows:
IIF(CBool(InStr([extensionAttribute1], "Student", 1)), NULL, IIF(CBool(InStr([extensionAttribute1], "Faculty", 1)), NULL, IIF(CBool(InStr([extensionAttribute1], "Staff", 1)), NULL, True)))
This change was necessary to allow provisioning of faculty and staff accounts with the new Office 365 ProPlus Faculty/Staff benefit.)
Our expression uses the "IIF" fuction to check to see if "extensionAttrubute1" contains "Student". If so, then "IIF" returns "NULL", and NULL is fed to the "cloudFiltered" attribute (which, according to the docs, will cause the attribute to be cleared if it is already set). However, if extensionAttribute1 does not contain "Student", we perform a second test to see if "extensionAttribute2" contains "lync". If so, cloudFiltered again gets set to NULL. If "extensionAttribute2" does not contain "lync", then "cloudFiltered" gets set to the boolean value "True".
Syntax quirks:
- Items enclosed in square braces [] refer to metaverse attributes, and serve as a sort of automatic variable for provisioning.
- Note that the InStr() function used here is not the same one documented in the VB for Applications language reference:
The "start position" parameter in the docs is not supported here, although it does appear that the "compare" parameter is supported (represented by the "1" in my example, which means perform a case-insensitive comparison).
- Everything is case sensitive… even the function names! "IIF()" is all caps. CBool(), CStr(), InStr(), and Error() are all "Caml Cased".
- IIF() is a bit of a strange beast by itself. You might need this syntax reference:
Now that we have a filter, how to we test it? The docs say "Run a full import followed by a full sync" on the AD management agent. While this will work, it also is a bit time consuming. If there are syntax errors in your expression, you will get a lot of errors in your sync logs. Is there something better?
As it turns out, yes there is. Special thanks to Brian Desmond (co-author of the o'Riley press "Active Directory Cookbook") for putting me on the right track:
- In the MIISClient.exe, right click your AD management agent, and select "Search Connector Space":
- Specify the DN of a user that you want to test your expression on in the search box. You can quickly get a DN using PowerShell with the ActiveDirectory module:
Get-ADUser -Identity [samAccountName]
Click "Search", click the returned object, and click "Preview":
- In the "Preview" dialog, select either a Full or Delta sync, then click "Generate Preview", and select the "Import Attribute Flow" option on the left. Review the list of Sync Rules on the bottom pane to make sure your rule was processed. Any rule that generates a change will be displayed in the top pane:
In this case, the expression did not generate a change in the existing metaverse object.
- If an expression that you have authored generates an error, a full stack trace will appear in the Error Details section of the Preview pane. Scroll down to the bottom of the stack, where it is likely that the actual problem with your expression will be identified:
In this example, I inserted an "Error()" function with a null argument. The language engine did not like this.
- Back in the "Start Preview" tab, you could "Commit Preview" to apply the filter rules for this specific object, and then view the results in the Metaverse Search component of miisclient.exe.
Using the preview tool, I was able to get my filter expressions working correctly with minimal fuss and delay. The final hurdle to getting filtered attributes set correctly was understanding what the various "run profiles" in AAD Sync actually do.
- AD Agent – Full Import: Appears to sync data from AD to the AAD Sync Metaverse without applying Declarative Provisioning Filters. I think. Not 100% on this one.
- AD Agent – Full Synchronization: Appears to apply Declarative Provisioning filters on all metaverse objects.
- Azure AD Agent – Full Sync: Appears to apply export filtering logic to metaverse objects entering the Azure connector space.
- Azure AD Agent – Export: Appears to sync metaverse objects to Azure without applying filtering logic. My impression is that you must do a "sync" before an export, if you want logic applied to Azure AD objects as you intended.
My understanding of the run profiles may be flawed, but I will note that if I perform syncs in the following sequence, I get the expected results:
AD Agent:Full Import -> AD Agent:Full Sync -> Azure Agent:Full Sync -> Azure Agent:Export
I am not sure what the "authoritative" way to perform synchronizations might be, but this works for me. When trying other sequences, I have seen strange results such as metaverse objects not getting updated with the intended filter results, or objects getting declared as "disconnectors" by the Azure AD Agent, and thus getting deleted from Azure. Ugh!
That's all for today… hopefully this info will help keep someone else out of trouble, too.


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Let us keep you current on Chicano Literature, Writers, El Paso Chicano Writers and more.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Monday, May 07, 2012
Lunes con Lalo: SOUL FOOD: Abelardo Delgado and the Word
SOUL FOOD: Abelardo Delgado and the Word
By Felipe de Ortego y Gasca
Scholar in Residence/Founding Member, Past Chair, and Member of the Executive Committee (2008-2011), Department of Chicana/Chicano and Hemispheric Studies, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, New Mexico 88062
Words are the poet's stock-in-trade; no one knows the power of words like poets and writers. I believe in the power of the word. Lalo Delgado had an abiding faith in the power of the word. Proof of that faith is manifest in the thousands of words Lalo Delgado wrote and left for us in his poetry and prose, much of it still unpublished. I'm reminded here of the 19th century American poet Emily Dickenson who in her lifetimes only had one poem published and left a trove of unpublished works.
There is indeed no power greater than the power of language, the medium that binds speakers of distinct languages together. So powerful and, perhaps, so fearful was the power of the word that when God said "Let there be light," the word created "light." Does anyone suppose that when God said "Let there be light" there would be no light? Of course ordinary mortals today would hardly expect light to be [appear] just by saying the words "let there be light."
It appears that God so understood the power of the word that He scattered humankind over the face of the earth and separated them by a diversity of languages so they could not longer work together as one people. Did humankind speaking one language threaten the eminence of God? Is that why He diversified humankind by separate languages? Or was it that God saw in the one language that humans spoke a narcissistic threat to the human race in their zeal to become like God?
It doesn't matter — we have since then come to understand the power of language. Palabras are indeed food for the soul.
Abelardo Delgado was the first poet to whom I applied the sobriquet "Poet Laureate of Aztlan." Later I used that sobriquet with Ricardo Sanchez, not to diminish Abelardo Delgado's standing as a poet of Aztlan but to point out that at regular intervals Chicanos ought to recognize different individuals as Poets Laureate of Aztlan just as the Poet Laureate of the United States changes regularly.
Nevertheless, Abelardo Delgado holds the distinction of being the first Poet Laureate of Aztlan.
There's a popular expression that one doesn't get a second chance to make a first impression. I was impressed with Abelardo Delgado from the moment I first met him in the early 60's. However, my most memorable moment of him was when he was doing a reading in South El Paso during the Cabinet Committee Hearings held there in in October of 1967 — that was 45 years ago. I was covering the hearings for The Nation Magazine in New York (December 11, 1967). By this time, Abelardo was already committed to the movimiento. There was something about his poetry que pegaba urgently but not roughshod. To me, that perhaps best characterizes Abelardo Delgado's poetry and persona.
At first glance, he appeared larger than he really was, not because of his girth but because of how he stood and projected himself. I don't recall ever seeing Lalo without a smile, a smile that was at once disarming mientras que paloteaba. His poetry is at once both a challenge and an assurance. In Stupid America he is chiding America while at the same time reaching out to embrace it in the spirit of confraternity.
This is what is most enduring about Abelardo's poetry. It invites one to participate in its unfolding. For example. In Stupid America the persona of the poem (we may assume it's Abelardo) starts the introit to the poem like the Duke in Robert Browning's My Last Duchess:
Stupid America, see that Chicano
With a big knife
On his steady hand
He doesn't want to knife you
He wants to sit on a bench
And carve christfigures
But you won't let him.
Enganchado, the reader is drawn deeper into the poem with another recitation:
Stupid America, hear that Chicano
Shouting curses on the street
He is a poet
Without paper and pencil
And since he cannot write
He will explode.
The unfolding here starts out like the first recitation but takes an unexpected tack in its comparison that leaves the reader poised to draw the inevitable conclusion of the last strophe.
Stupid America,
Remember that Chicanito
Flunking math and English
He is the Picasso
Of your western states
But he will die
With one thousand masterpieces
Hanging only from his mind.
The structure of the poem reminds me of the 19th century English poet Robert Browning's Rabbi Ben Ezra who takes his pupils on a mental journey, saying "Come, grow old along with me, the best is yet to be; the first for which the last was made . . ." Except that in Abelardo's poem "the first" cannot actuate "the last" because the Chicanito "will die" and we can only imagine his potential as a "Picasso of your western states."
This is hardly the work of "archaic" poets as Gary Soto has characterized Delgado, Sanchez, Alurista, and Gonzalez. That's like saying Shakespeare is an archaic poet. He may be of a distant generation, but he still speaks to the ages as Ben Jonson knew. About the works of these poets, Soto adds, "they were not very well written(Partial Autobiographic Interview with Twenty Chicano Poets, Wolfgang Binder, ed., Germany: Palm & Erlangen, 1985; 198). Stupid America strikes me as an extraordinarily well-written poem with structural integrity in the best tradition of poetics as I have indicated in my comparison of Delgado and Browning.
The tendency in American poetry has been toward introspective angst-ridden autobiographic pieces. Chicano Movement poetry of the 60's, starting with Corky Gonzalez' epic I am Joaquin, deconstructed that tradition while serving as countertexts to dispel the images of Chicanos in mainstream privileged texts. Chicano writers, particularly Chicano poets, construed their responsibility: to identify the enemy, promote the revolution, and praise the people. Early on, these were the threads Abelardo Delgado established in his poetry. He was a people's poet. He carried the fire of their aspirations in his heart.
It was a big heart: Abelardo's. At the end of the 60's and the early 70's, Abelardo's view of Chicanos and mine were identical though I expressed my view principally in prose. After World War II, during my studies at the University of Pittsburgh, I had aspirations to be a poet. I wrote much poetry during the 50'a and in the early to mid 60's read my works with many El Paso poets including Abelardo Delgado and Jesus Rafael Gonzalez. And though I joined Cesar Chavez's efforts early in the 60's, I was not a Chicano poet -- I was a Chicano writing poetry.
In 1964, Paso del Norte Press brought out a chapbook edition of my poetry entitled Sangre y Cenizas in Spanish. In 1952, my early work The Wide Well of Hours (Pittsburgh: New World Society) was in English. Neither of those works are movement poetry though the latter deals with the angst of a larger humanity while the former entails a highly stylized anguish of recollection.
The first movement poem I essayed was Hijos de la Chingada published in Nosotros Magazine in El Paso in 1970. The poem brought upon me the wrath of many Chicano formidables in the community who, like Plato in his Republic, thought my poem was a corrupting influence on Chicano students at the University of Texas at El Paso, especially since I was then Director of the Chicano Studies Program and expected to set the standards of decorum for the students.
Abelardo Delgado and Ricardo Sanchez came to my rescue. They defended me publicly as a Chicano and defended my First Amendment right to express myself as I had. Of course there was nothing subversive or salacious about the poem. I was simply expressing the case already proffered by the Mexican poet Octavio Paz that mejicanos (los mestizos) were the offspring of an indigenous mother and a Spanish father eiconicized by the historical figure of Malintzin (later called Doña Marina), the Tlaxcalan woman who became Cortez's consort and whose child with him has been historically considered the "first" Mexican mestizo. Thus, the word malinche (with the semantic weight of "traitor).
Octavio Paz posited that ever since, mejicanos have thought of her as la Chingada — the violated one (but that she deserved it because of her treason). I don't side with Octavio Paz's rendition of that historical event. Nevertheless the symbolism of Malintzin and mestizaje is powerful and closer to the reality of Chicano origins as Malintzin's children than Coronado's children. I made that point in my piece on "Montezuma's Children" in 1970 (The Center Magazine, November/December), a scathing piece on the shameful condition of Chicanos in American education and recommended for a Pulitzer that year by Senator Ralph Yarbrough of Texas who read the piece into the Congressional Record.
In 1971, Abelardo Delgado and Ricardo Sanchez both came to work at Chicano Studies at UTEP where I was Director of the Program. Even then, Abelardo had interests in Denver where he was closely allied with Corky Gonzalez and the Crusade for Justice. Though ostensibly different from each other poetically, Delgado and Sanchez are really two sides of the same coin. Their poetic focus is on the people and their plight. Sanchez is the old-testament voice in the whirlwind; Delgado is the ole-testament shepherd waiting for the comforting voice of God.
Just before he died I sent Lalo a brief note in which I said:
"Im sorry you're ailing, old friend. At 78 God is not yet through with me and God still has many things for you to do. Todavia queda mucha lucha. During a Summer Session at UT Brownsville I used Stupid America in one of the Sabal Palms Lectures I delivered there. The audience responded to the poem just as we all did when you first wrote it almost 40 years ago. Your work in Chicano poetry will stand as a testament to struggles we've endured as Chicanos in proclaiming our presence in this country; and your poetry will stand as the legacy you've bestowed on our progeny."
In 1971, when I was putting together We Are Chicanos, the first critical anthology of Mexican American Literature published by Washington Square Press, I included four poems by Abelardo —one of which was Stupid America. And in my study of Backgrounds of Mexican American Literature, Abelardo Delgado was featured prominently.
Abelardo Delgado is gone now. So is Ricardo Sanchez. Voices of yesterday, sonorous, compelling. Lalo's passing brings to mind Milton's poem about Lycidas — gone but not forgotten. Que viva, Lalo Delgado!
Copyright © 2012 by the author. All rights reserved.
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iPad mini 4 Parts
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The 4th generation iPad mini was announced September 9, 2015 and shares much of its hardware and design with the iPad Air 2 but in a smaller package. This generation kept the 2048x1536 resolution display and the the Touch ID finger print sensor. Available case colors are gold, silver, and space gray.
The most common repairs for the fourth generation iPad mini are replacing a cracked front glass screen or a dead battery. iFixit has complete repair kits for an iPad mini 4 screen or iPad mini 4 battery.
The iPad mini 4 front glass panel is held to the aluminum case with strips of adhesive. Once the device is opened, this adhesive will need to be replaced. Our iPad mini 4 repair kits include the needed adhesive.
Once you've bought your parts and tools, check out iFixit's iPad mini 4 repair guides for step-by-step instructions on how to make the fix.
The iPad mini 4 earned a 2 out of 10 in iFixit's repairability assessment.


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I am continuing in my ceaseless experimentation.
I've been working on trying to correlate differences in brew pressure to differences in taste. It's a bit frustrating, partially due to the incredibly inaccurate and very mechanical methodology for pressure adjustment on espresso machines. But it's also frustrating as there seem to be very few commonalities between beans when it comes to these effects. Yes, lower pressure seems to result in a softer and less viscous mouthfeel and higher pressure seems to result in an espresso with more "attack." But beyond that... it's all bean to bean.
I tasted a whole stack of wonderful beans sent to me by Andrew Barnett of Ecco Caffe. I'm going to cup them later, and it will be interesting to compare notes.
El Salvador Pulped Natural (Royal Coffee): This was a very challenging espresso to say the least. It took me a huge amount of work to find the sweet spot and shots outside of the sweet spot were pretty awful. Once there, however, it was quite nice indeed. Light bodied with a lovely buttery mouthfeel, it's a very sweet shot. It has a ton of acidity which, when outside the sweet spot, becomes tremendously lemony and sharp. But in the sweet spot, it ends up almost balancing with the sweetness. Caramel, apricot, maybe a touch of peanut butter. Might be better as a blender than an origin shot, but still quite nice. I ended up having to go with a very high brew temp, a triple basket, slight down-dose and a short extraction volume and time (1.5oz in 24 seconds).
El Salvador Pulped Natural Cerro Los Ravios: In my humble opinion, this is not suitable for use as an origin espresso. It might be good as a small percentage of a blend, especially at a darker roast, but as it is right now it is simply far too bright to be enjoyable. I tried all my tricks and could not get it to taste balanced. Tons of fresh cherry and tangerine, a little vanilla, lots of bright aromatics. Very sharp and on the front of the tongue. Will be interesting to cup this coffee - my guess is that it's going to cup out wonderfully and that it's going to be fabulous in a Vac Pot.
Panama Finca Hartmann: Another coffee that is almost certainly wonderful and lovely, but is not suited to use as espresso. Incredibly delicate and light in the cup, but as espresso there is a ton of acidity and little if any sweetness or body to balance. Plus, there is a "woody" note that comes across as tannin. I cannot wait to cup this one. My guess is that it's going to be truly mindblowing in the cup and as a French Press.
Brazil Fazenda Cachoeira Pulped Natural (Mercanta): Wow. I mean... Wow! This is a complete espresso. First - parameters... LM ridged double basket, up-dosed to about 18.5 grams, 200F brew temp, 2oz double in 28 seconds. Really lovely. Thick and rich on the palate. Incredibly coating mouthfeel. It's got lovely fruit and some nearly hidden pipe tobacco, a whole bunch of chocolate and spice and this incredible candy note. I cannot place the candy, but it's something very familiar. Not root beer barrels, but something like that. This is truly lovely. Incredible colour and crema. Wonderful as an origin espresso - you could also use it as your base for an espresso and with the addition of two (or even just one) accent coffee you could create a truly stellar blend.
Oh... on a personal note, the leg appears to not being getting better. I had MRIs recently and they discovered a lot of damage to the cartilage in the ankle. I'll know more in the next couple days, but it looks like I might have to have the ankle operated on after all. Rather depressing news really.
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LONDON (Reuters) - EU steelmakers said Europe's antitrust conditions for Glencore (GLEN.L) to go ahead with its $33 billion takeover of Xstrata XTA.L are not sufficient to prevent the dominant influence of one zinc supplier.
The European Commission (EC) cleared the world's largest diversified commodities trader to complete the $33 billion deal but said it must scrap an exclusive European zinc sales agreement with producer Nyrstar NYR.BR..
Zinc, used in metal alloys and to prevent corrosion, is a metal where Glencore and Xstrata would be particularly strong as a combined entity.
Terminating the agreement between Glencore and Nyrstar addresses one of the European steel industry's major concerns, but the remedy may not be sufficient, steel industry body Eurofer said on Thursday.
"The European steel industry, which uses the lion's share of zinc metal traded in Europe, will still have to face a leading provider effectively controlling the zinc supply chain from mining to warehousing operations," Eurofer said in a statement.
Post-merger, the parties will still have a share of around 35 per cent of the European zinc market and the vertical integration of the new entity, which includes mining, smelting, trading, logistics and warehousing, is also concerning according to Eurofer.
"This shows that Glencore/Xstrata can still exert controlling influence on the zinc market, for instance by artificially shortening supplies," Gordon Moffat, Eurofer director general, said.
The European steel industry needs zinc for corrosion-resistant coatings applied to steel products. More than half of global zinc production goes into steel making.
Reporting by Silvia Antonioli; Editing by David Holmes


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I've been super-duper busy. I work the 12 hour night shift, Wednesday through Friday and every other Saturday. Again, the pay is great, the work isn't that hard, but the people … wow.
Yeah. That bad.
So Obama won the election. I pretty much predicted that back in July, when Romney failed to bypass Obama in the polls. People just couldn't get behind Romney enough to help him win it. Fox News with Karl Rove had a literal meltdown on live TV, which was fantastic. We also got our very first openly lesbian Congress person. And Colorado, Washington and Oregon legalized possession of weed. It was a fun election. Thank God it's all over.


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For many Marylanders, there is no more perfect meal than a pile of steamed crabs or a well-made crab cake (light on filler, please).
These straightforward crab preparations are everywhere: on restaurant menus and backyard tables, especially in the summer months. Their simplicity shows off crabmeat's sweet, delicate flavor and tender texture.
But Maryland's crabby culinary history runs deeper than newspaper-covered tables and piles of discarded shells. Not long ago, restaurant menus listed numerous crab dishes, and home cooks were familiar with dozens of ways to incorporate crabs into meals, from casseroles to imperials.
Today, those old-fashioned crab preparations might not be front and center, but they're still hanging on, thanks to a handful of local restaurants and community cookbooks that make it a point to preserve the past.
After spending years collecting recipes all over the region, Whitey Schmidt published his ode to the cooked crustacean, "The Crab Cookbook," in 1990.
Schmidt's interest in crab recipes was piqued after years of picking crabs with his eight brothers and five sisters in the South River near Annapolis during the 1940s and '50s.
"As kids, we were chicken-neckers. [There was] a pier not too far from us and we would head down, sometimes two or three days a week," he said." We'd have a piece of string about 12 to15 feet long which we would tie to a nail or the end of a pier — wherever we could secure it. The idea was you'd simply tie on a chicken neck or wing and throw it into the water. Since it was tied, all we had to do was watch the line. When the crab would bite it, it would try to run home with it and pull the line straight out from the pier. So hand over hand, we would slowly pull in that line and the crabs would be nibbling away."
They frequently found themselves with a little extra crab meat after a marathon crabbing-and-picking session, and that opened the door to trying different recipes to use it up.
"It became a love of life for me," he says. "So I went out and spent five years eating in the crab houses of the Chesapeake in search of recipes. And now that's been my whole life for the last 30 or 40 years."
Schmidt has published six books on Chesapeake Bay-area cooking. "The Crab Cookbook" includes dozens of variations on traditional recipes: crab imperial, crab dip, crab soup, and more, including 33 recipes just for crab cakes. Everyone has their favorite crab cake or imperial, he says, and they're willing to share the recipes.
Most traditional crab dishes do not have a traceable history, but Schmidt believes they typically started in homes, not restaurants. Though he began his recipe search in bay-area restaurants, he seeks out home cook recipes whenever possible, talking with friends and family and searching for vintage cookbooks.
"Antique markets are full of used books," he explains. "I always spend an hour or two in the used-book section hoping I can find a cookbook from Smith Island or Tangier Island."
Junior League cookbooks are among those prized for their preservation of regional dishes.
"The national Junior League organization takes great pride in the cookbooks coming from different leagues," says Debbie Daugherty Richardson, a past president of the Junior League of Annapolis, which publishes two popular cookbooks of regional recipes, including traditional Maryland favorites like deviled crab and a variety of crab casseroles.
"Part of the pride comes from the tradition of sharing the recipes from generation to generation," she says.
When the Woodbrook-Murray Hill Garden Club published a 50th-anniversary cookbook in 2004, member Gail Smith contributed a crab casserole recipe she remembered from her youth.
"My mother was also a member of the garden club," she says. "The casserole came from my mother's cookbook. She used to make it when she had a big group. My daughter also has a couple recipes in the book — we keep it generational in there!"
Smith says when she cooks for family, she makes a lot of the dishes her mother made. "My kids like them and my grandchildren like them," she says.
Community cookbooks, thick with crab recipes, also help those without deep Baltimore roots quickly tap into the region's food culture.
Woodbrook-Murray Hill Garden Club member Ande Williams grew up in New England, so she was unfamiliar with crab dishes when she moved to Baltimore in 1997. She uses her garden club cookbook for traditional crab recipes, like crab dip. "Cookbooks like this are great for old family recipes and local dishes," she explains.
Local cookbooks are a gold mine for old-school home cooking crab recipes, but certain dishes, like fried hard crab and crab fluff, are more frequently prepared in restaurant kitchens.
Gary Sanders, owner of CJ's Restaurant in Owings Mills, says the fried hard crab — a crab stuffed with crab meat, dipped in batter and deep-fried — has been on the CJ's menu for as long as he can remember. "It came from my mother and father," he explains. "Years ago, my dad used to go down to Duffy's and get a fried crab once a month. I think that's where the idea came from."
Sanders admits that the old-fashioned dish is mostly ordered by older customers. But, he says, when younger people try it, they love it.
At Pappas Restaurant in Parkville, traditional dishes like crab imperial are a hit with "young and old alike," says manager Justin Windle. (Windle's father-in-law, Mark Pappas, owns the restaurant).
"There's something about imperial," says Windle. "It's a hearty dish and has that old-school charm. It's a nice nostalgic dish." Crab imperial, he says, is the second-most-popular dish at Pappas — after crab cakes.
Imperial, like many old-fashioned crab recipes, incorporates fatty ingredients like mayonnaise and butter; health concerns may be one reason these dishes have relinquished the spotlight.
"I try to cook healthier during the week," says Smith, of the garden club. Still, when she cooks for her family or friends, she pushes health concerns aside. "If I'm having an occasion with the family, I like to include something that's been in the family. Or if I'm having a dinner party. I cook more fattening food for a crowd!"
Even if they mean a few extra hours at the gym later, old favorite crab recipes should not be forgotten. They are part of the fabric of Chesapeake Bay culture and an important part of regional history.
And with sweet, delectable crab as a centerpiece, they are absolutely delicious.
Next week, we'll explore the world of soft shell crabs — what they are, what people love (and hate) about them, how to cook them and where to find them.
Mobjack Imperial Crab
Whitey Schmidt's "The Crab Cookbook" includes recipes for crab prepared nearly every way imaginable — including this classic take on crab imperial. "Crab imperial is just the dish for a warm summer's evening," writes Schmidt, recommending a light appetizer and fruit kabobs served alongside the crab. Recipe reprinted with permission.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
1/2 cup plus one tablespoon milk, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 egg yolk, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, divided
1 pound backfin crab meat
1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Heat 1/2 cup milk to the boiling point.
3. Melt the butter and add flour.
4. Pour heated milk over the butter and flour, beat until creamy and allow to cool.
5. Add egg, seasonings, lemon juice and one tablespoon of mayonnaise, blending well.
6. Add crab and toss lightly.
7. Fill crab shells or small dishes.
8. Mix remaining mayonnaise with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush on top.
9. Finally, sprinkle with parsley.
10. Bake at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes or until brown.
Crab Casserole for 15
Gail Smith of the Woodbrook-Murray Hill Garden Club remembers her mother making this large, crab-heavy casserole when she entertained. This recipe was reprinted with permission from "The First 50 Years: a Collection of Recipes," a cookbook published by the Woodbrook-Murray Hill Garden Club.
Makes 15 servings
salt and pepper to taste
3 slices bread, made into fine crumbs
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise, plus an additional 3-4 tablespoons (optional)
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 green peppers, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
3 pounds jumbo lump crab meat
2 egg whites (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Put crumbs over crabmeat in a large bowl.
3. Saute onion and peppers until soft.
4. Beat eggs, dry mustard, salt and pepper, mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Grease 13x9 baking dish.
6. Add crab to baking dish. Pour egg mixture over crab and sprinkle onion and peppers evenly over the top.
7. Bake for 40 minutes.
8. If desired, beat two egg whites with three to four tablespoons of mayonnaise, spread on top of casserole and bake for two more minutes.
Crab Mousse
Woodbrook-Murray Hill Garden Club member Annette Nagel first tried this mousse at a fundraising event in Oxford, Md., where she proclaimed it "divine" and convinced the event planners to give her the recipe. This recipe was reprinted with permission from "The First 50 Years: a Collection of Recipes," a cookbook published by the Woodbrook-Murray Hill Garden Club.
Crackers for serving
1 pound crab meat (lump or backfin), cleaned
Curry powder to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 tablespoon gelatin, softened in 3 tablespoons water
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces cream cheese
1. Heat soup and cream cheese.
2. Beat soup and cream cheese mixture with a mixer and add gelatin.
3. Mix in remaining ingredients, gently adding crab.
4. Put in a 1 quart greased mold (such as a bombe mold or fish mold).
5. Chill until set.
6. Unmold for serving with crackers.
Anchors Aweigh Deviled Crab
Deviled crab is a take on crab cakes. Instead of mixing bread crumbs with the crab to form a patty, a crab mixture is topped with the crumbs, then baked. This recipe was reprinted with permission from "Of Tide and Thyme," a cookbook published by The Junior League of Annapolis.
Makes 4-6 servings
1 tablespoons butter, divided
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs, divided
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound crab meat, shell and cartilage removed
Paprika for sprinkling
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from heat.
2. Combine onion, mayonnaise, eggs, 1/3 cup of the bread crumbs, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and red pepper. Add crab meat and stir until just blended.
3. Place crab mixture in cleaned crab shells or dishes. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and paprika. Dot with butter.
4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Serve immediately.
Chilled Crab Dip
Debbie Daugherty Richardson, past president of the Junior League of Annapolis, says this simple recipe for cold crab dip was handed down for generations within an Annapolis family before its inclusion in "Of Tide and Thyme," a cookbook published by The Junior League of Annapolis. Reprinted with permission.
Makes 10-12 servings
2 finely diced hard-boiled eggs
1 pound fresh backfin crab meat
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 teaspoon horseradish
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 finely grated small onion
1. Remove any shells from crab meat.
2. Put into medium bowl with all other ingredients and mix thoroughly
3. Serve with corn chips, potato chips or plain crackers.
4. Keeps for up to two days in refrigerator


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While there are a lot of things we'd prefer to leave in the '90s, there are also a few we'd be more than happy to welcome into the 21st century. Make room amidst your sea of Beanie Babies and Polly Pockets because FILA, one of the world's largest sportswear manufacturing companies, has brought back a few vintage sneaker from the grunge decade. The rebirth includes styles that sneakerheads sweat, such as the Fx-100 Sl, the Cage, and the Displace.
While the basic structures of the shoes remain the same, there have been a few subtle changes made to enhance quality. The Cage, a classic basketball hightop released in 1993, features updated material combinations as well as a memory-foam collar that replaces the original rubberized "cage" collar. Small details such as a CAGE logo to the back tongue and colored lace tips have also been added, but, for the most part, FILA is sticking to their original design, including replicating the initial packaging. That's a good thing. The FX-100 Sl, a hightop sneaker with a classic Velcro strap, won't be going out of style any time soon, and the Displace, a lifestyle sneaker available in either gray or black, is perfect for everyday wear no matter what decade.
Accompanying the return of these classic shoes will be an array of throwback track jackets and one-of-a-kind limited edition collection luxe T-shirts featuring period designs from FILA's vault.
We don't see the Walkman coming back any time in the foreseeable future or Smash Mouth releasing a new hit song, but we do predict these shoes will go quick! You can snag a pair from $60 to 80 on the sportswear leader's website. #pumpedupkicks indeed.
Photo: Courtesy of Fila