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UA:Drow Paragon
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Drow Paragon
Separated from the rest of the elven people by a legacy of deceit, betrayal, and evil, the drow are easily one of the most dangerous of the humanoid races. Most drow paragons embody all their race's evil nature and delight in calculated cruelty, but some manage to pull away from this dark path, instead embodying the potential that all elves share for beauty, grace, and martial skill.
Drow society is full of intrigue and fierce competition. Even the most able drow paragons can do little more to advance their race than to strive against the machinations of other powerful drow. When they succeed in breaking away from drow culture and its cruel influence, however, good-aligned drow paragons can be the most able and successful members of their race.
Making a Drow Paragon
Drow paragons have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Drow paragons favor fighting from ambush, making Dexterity important for its role in sneaking and striking with ranged weapons. Wisdom helps in detecting a potential foe before the foe detects the drow in turn. Strength is also important due to its obvious role in melee combat.
Alignment: Any. The vast majority of drow, including most drow paragons, are unrelentingly evil. However, the few good-aligned drow who survive their formative years are actually quite likely to gain levels in the drow paragon class. This makes good-aligned drow paragons more frequent than good drow of other classes, but still nowhere near as common as evil-aligned drow paragons.
Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spellcasting | ||
Fort | Ref | Will | ||||
1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Improved Spell-Like Abilities | +1 level of cleric or wizard |
2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Improved Darkvision (+30 ft.), Light Sensitivity | — |
3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Ability Boost (Dex +2) | +1 level of cleric or wizard |
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) |
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the drow paragon class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Drow paragons are proficient with all simple weapons, rapiers, longswords, and hand crossbows, and with light armor.
Spellcasting: At 1st and 3rd level, a female drow paragon gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in cleric. A male drow paragon instead gains new spells per day as if he had gained a level of wizard. The paragon does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus metamagic feats, and so on). This essentially means that the character adds the level of drow paragon to her level in cleric or wizard, then determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.
If the drow paragon is female and has no levels in cleric, or is male and has no levels in wizard, this class feature has no effect.
Improved Spell-Like Abilities: At 1st level, a drow paragon gains one additional daily use of each of her innate spell-like abilities.
Improved Darkvision (Ex): At 2nd level, a drow paragon's darkvision range increases by 30 feet.
Light Sensitivity (Ex): A 2nd-level drow paragon's light blindness is lessened to light sensitivity. Instead of being blinded by bright light, she is merely dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Ability Boost (Ex): At 3rd level, a drow paragon's Dexterity score increases by 2 points.
Campaign Information
Playing a Drow Paragon
Religion: Much of drow culture is dominated by religion, and the powerful priestesses who rule drow society see drow paragons as tools—more skilled than other ambitious drow, perhaps, but no more inherently valuable. This outlook chafes against the drow paragons own belief that she is the elite of her race. As a result, drow paragons are unlikely to follow religion of any kind when removed from the direct influence of the drow priestesses.
Other Classes: Drow paragons see members of other classes as tools. They value a broad skill set in those with whom they associate, provided they can control the actions of these associates when the need arises. Drow paragons are willing to work with anyone they can manipulate to their own ends.
That said, drow paragons often see fighters as ideal companions because they combine great martial proficiency with physical prowess, while at the same time they are typically incapable of matching the drow's stealth and subtlety—ensuring that the drow paragon can gain the upper hand whenever desired.
Characteristics: Drow paragons are typically more reserved than other members of their race. Drow paragons consider themselves the elite of drow society, although they are careful about sharing these viewpoints with the powerful priestesses that hold sway over most aspects of drow culture. If anything, drow paragons are even more secretive and devious than average members of their race, and their success in such dangerous society emphasizes their ability to navigate treacherous social environments and manipulate the actions of others. It is said that the day a drow stops scheming is the day of her death.
Background: Drow paragons learn their skills just as other drow do: by succeeding where weaker drow fail. Drow paragons build their skills among the hidden dangers of the subterranean realms and in a society where the powerful freely prey upon the weak. Regardless of alignment or other abilities, drow paragons are all forced at some point to make a decision about their race's cruel and everpresent religion. Those drow paragons who choose to follow the tenets of the evil priestesses often rise to become deadly lieutenants, carrying out the will of the matriarchs. The few who reject the priestesses' teachings must do so quietly and covertly, biding their time until they can escape the influence of other drow.
Other Races: Most drow paragons have little use for members of the other races, viewing them only as potential prey or slaves. Good-aligned drow paragons, however, see the merits of interracial cooperation. These paragons seek out adventurers of other races, often coming to relate more to the societies of their adventuring companions than to their own culture.
Drow Paragons in the World
Adventures: Drow paragons adventure for one of two reasons. Those of an evil bent adventure to increase their own personal power, by acquiring wealth and powerful magic items or by improving their combat skills. Those few drow paragons with less selfish motives adventure to remove themselves from the influence of their race's harsh and cruel society. These latter drow paragons are the ones most likely to be seen in the company of other races.
Back to Main Page → Variant Rules → Races → Racial Paragon Classes


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1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2003
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/01/2003
Page tools: Print Page | |||||
Ian Kiernan launches environment focused 2003 Year Book Australia Environment campaigner Ian Kiernan AO, founder of clean up campaigns Clean Up Australia Day and Clean Up the World, today launched the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2003 edition of Year Book Australia. The 2003 edition of the Year Book has a special focus on the environment. "This wealth of information on economic, social and now environmental conditions in Australia is essential to help us understand the relationship between the three and plan for a healthier environment," said Mr Kiernan. The inclusion of special feature articles on the environment, such as climate change and sustainable development makes this edition a timely reference tool for a nation facing ever-increasing threats from drought, bushfire and salinity. In a tradition that dates back to 1908, this 85th edition of Year Book Australia provides a comprehensive overview of the economic and social conditions of contemporary Australia. At todays launch the Australian Statistician, Dennis Trewin said, "The Year Book plays an important role as a valuable reference tool but also stimulates informed debate in the Australian community." "As an historical record, the Year Book is Australia's statistical treasure chest. There is something for everyone. "All ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. "The release of this flagship ABS publication is an opportune time to extend thanks and appreciation to those who through the year have helped the ABS collect and publish an extraordinarily large range of data and information", he said. More detail from the Year Book Australia (cat. no. 1301.0) is available by subject in the "Australia Now" section of this web site. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window. |

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Top 10 Best Drumming Performances of All Time
10 Creepy Old Mysteries We Will Probably Never Solve
10 Movie Scenes That Really Happened without the Help of CGI
10 Wacky Comics Who Made a Mark as Musicians
10 Women Who Broke Down Barriers to Break the News
10 Tales about Historical Figures and Their Living Descendants
10 Totally Normal Foods That Were Once Considered Aphrodisiacs
10 Films That Influenced Star Wars
10 Haunted Places to Visit in Kansas
10 Ungilded Realities of Life in the Gilded Age
Top 10 Best Drumming Performances of All Time
10 Creepy Old Mysteries We Will Probably Never Solve
Who's Behind Listverse?
Jamie Frater
Head Editor
Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author.
More About Us10 Movie Scenes That Really Happened without the Help of CGI
10 Wacky Comics Who Made a Mark as Musicians
10 Women Who Broke Down Barriers to Break the News
10 Tales about Historical Figures and Their Living Descendants
10 Totally Normal Foods That Were Once Considered Aphrodisiacs
10 Films That Influenced Star Wars
10 Haunted Places to Visit in Kansas
Top 15 One Hit Wonders
Based on various surveys around the net, I have come up with a list of top 15 one hit wonders – do you remember them all? While some of these artists may have had ongoing success in their musical careers – they each had only one really seriously big hit. As usual, add your own to the comments. NOTE: There is a US popularity bias in this list – due to the US population bias on this site – so please don't bash me for including someone that was a major star in Hungary or similar!
15. Rock me Amadeus Falco, 1985
Rock me Amadeus was Falco's only major hit in the United States, despite his popularity in Germany and his native Austria, and all over Europe. The song was featured in a 2007 Subaru commercial.
14. Spirit in the Sky Doctor and the Medics, 1969
"Spirit in the Sky" is a song written by Norman Greenbaum and released in 1969. The single sold 2 million copies in 1969 and 1970 and got to number 3 in the U.S. Billboard chart, as well as number 1 on the UK charts in 1970.
13. It's Raining Men The Weather Girls, 1982
The members were Martha Wash and Izora Armstead. They are best known for their 1982 #1 club and major pop hit, as well as subsequent dance anthem "It's Raining Men". Although the group is considered a one hit wonder by the mainstream pop market, they were previously known as Two Tons O' Fun, under which name they recorded two number 2 ranking songs.
12. Kung Fu Fighting Carl Douglas, 1974
This song remains one of the most fondly remembered one-hit wonders in the UK (though some dispute that it is a true one hit wonder as Douglas had two further hits that did not reach the Top 20).
11. Groove is in the Heart Dee Lite, 1990
An immediate smash in nightclubs, the song crossed over to pop radio and after going to number one on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart, it eventually hit number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It managed to peak at number-one for one week in Australia in November 1991.
10. Rico Suave Gerardo, 1990
His hit single "Rico Suave" appeared on his 1991 debut album, Mo' Ritmo. This song, as well as some others of Gerardo's, include verses with lines in both English and Spanish. The popularity of the song has made Gerardo known as a one-hit wonder.
9. 99 Luftballons Nena, 1984
"99 Luftballons" is a Cold War-era protest song by the German band Nena. Originally sung in German, it was later re-recorded in English as "99 Red Balloons". It is one of the most successful pop songs by a German artist in the world. "99 Luftballons" reached #1 in West Germany in 1983. In 1984, the original German version also peaked at #2 on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart and the English language version topped the UK Singles Chart.
8. Take On Me A-ha, 1985
The single reached number-one in 36 countries and is one of the world's best-selling singles of all time with 8-9 million copies sold, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. It also hit number two in the UK and number one in a-ha's native Norway.
7. Ice Ice Baby Vanilla Ice, 1990
"Ice Ice Baby" is rapper Vanilla Ice's most famous and popular song, released from his second album To The Extreme. The song samples Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure". "Ice Ice Baby" was the second rap single ever to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, after Blondie's 1981 single "Rapture."
6. Who Let the Dogs Out? Baha Men, 2000
This song (originally by Anslem Douglas) was re-recorded by The Baha Men, placed in the movie Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and then released as a single in 2000. It became the band's first hit in the US and the UK, reaching #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and #2 on the UK Singles Chart. In a poll conducted by the Rolling Stone to identify the 10 most annoying songs, this song was ranked third.
5. Mickey Toni Basil, 1982
This song was originally written and recorded as "Kitty" by UK group Racey. Toni Basil's crush on actor and Monkee Micky Dolenz during her work as a choreographer/dancer on the set of the Monkees 1968 movie, "Head" prompted her to change the lyrics to "Mickey" to better suit her real-life experience, and the gender from female to male. The single reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and number two in the UK singles chart.
4. I'm Too Sexy Right Said Fred, 1991
"I'm Too Sexy" is a song by the British trio Right Said Fred. The single topped the American charts for three weeks in early 1992, after having peaked at No.2 for six weeks in the band's home country the previous year.
3. Come on Eileen Dexy's Midnight Runners, 1982
"Come On Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners was the biggest-selling British single of 1982. It originally appeared on the album Too-Rye-Ay. The song has had lasting appeal and is often heard in retro clubs and 80's compilation CD's.
2. Tainted Love Soft Cell, 1982
Soft Cell elected to release "Tainted Love" as their third single in July 1981. Buoyed by the then dominant synthpop sound of the time and a memorable performance on Top of the Pops it rapidly reached number one on the UK singles chart, eventually repeating the feat in 17 territories. The following year it charted in the US eventually reaching number 8 in a record breaking 43 week chart run.
1. The Macarena Los Del Rio, 1996
"Macarena" is a song by Los del Río about a woman of the same name, or any woman from the La Macarena neighbourhood of Seville. It was very successful between 1995 and 1997. The song became the second longest running #1 and best selling debut single of all time in the US.


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What is a "catio" and why would you want one?
It's a cat patio, an outdoor enclosure that's attached to your home or stands on its own, that let cats get outside but stops them from running away or getting hurt.
The BC SPCA is offering a self-guided tour of the enclosures at seven homes in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant and Kitsilano neighbourhoods on Sunday, June 9. The cat owners, volunteers and SPCA staff, will be on hand at each stop.
"Catios provide valuable enrichment to a resident cat, giving them access to the ever-changing sights, sounds and smells of the outdoors," SPCA outreach specialist Marieke van der Velden said in a news release on Wednesday.
"At the same time, catios protect cats from outdoor hazards and ensure the safety of local wildlife, such as birds."
READ MORE: Call the 'paw'-lice: Cricket the cat caught stealing gloves from B.C. homes
Tour participants will see a variety of enclosures, from the basic to the elaborate, with perches, ramps and toys. The cat themselves may make an appearance as well, the society said, "depending on moods and napping schedules."


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I had a site that was hacked (had Arab words on the index.php), and all files deleted, but database still there.
I used Fantastico to install a clean release of WP 3.1, and I still some something suspicious. In lower right side of Firefox it says "Read www.clickcoupon.me". With FireBug and PageSpeed, I can see it's opening: http://www.clickcoupon.me/plugin/sources/clickcoupon.js and http://clickcoupon.me/plugin/sources/jquery-1.3.2_nd.js which both look extremely suspicious. These are not part of the standard WordPress are they?
The site is http://cpanelvideocenter.com. As of the time I'm posting this, it is a default install from Fantastico. Unless they hacked my hosting company as well, I don't see how these files could be involved.


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CTV Winnipeg has filled the vacant late night anchor position with a familiar face.
Andrea Slobodian will be returning to Winnipeg in mid-October to assume the role left open by Susan Tymofichuk, who didn't return to the air post-maternity leave.
The Winnipeg native has spent the past three years in Calgary, working at Shaw TV, CBC and most recently the Sun News Network.
Before leaving for Alberta, Slobodian last worked at Global Winnipeg as a reporter/anchor.


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Building the Resistance to Same-Sex Marriage
(third in a series of articles, see Part 1and Part 2)
By Robert R. Reilly; June 8, 2015
Why have the pro-natural family forces been losing in court? Intentionally or not, Judge Richard Posner explained the reason in a 7th Circuit Court ruling (Sept. 4, 2014), in which he decided against the Indiana and Wisconsin laws restricting marriage to a man and a woman:
"The state [Wisconsin] does not mention Justice Alito's invocation [in the Windsor case] of a moral case against same-sex marriage, when he states in his dissent that 'others explain the basis for the institution in more philosophical terms. They argue that marriage is essentially the solemnizing of a comprehensive, exclusive, permanent union that is intrinsically ordered to producing new life, even if it does not always do so.' [U.S. v. Windsor, 133 S.Ct. 2675, 2718 (2013).] That is a moral argument for limiting marriage to heterosexuals. The state does not mention the argument because as we said, it mounts no moral arguments against same-sex marriage." Baskin v. Bogan, 766 F.3d 648, 669 (7th Cir. 2014) (emphasis added).
While Justice Alito recognizes that there is a moral argument for limiting marriage to heterosexuals, it was not only the State of Wisconsin that failed to make such a case. Neither have the States of Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio, or Tennessee in Obergefell, the decisive case now before the U.S. Supreme Court. I believe that this is one of the key reasons that the pro-natural family position has been losing in most of the cases thus far.
With the moral foundation missing, an air of unreality pervades the federal court system. Let us see how unreal by looking at a couple of examples. When invalidating Oregon's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage (May 19, 2014), U.S. District Judge Michael McShane wrote in his opinion,
"I believe that if we can look for a moment past gender and sexuality, we can see in these [same-sex] plaintiffs nothing more or less than our own families. Families who we would expect our constitution to protect, if not exalt, in equal measure." Geiger v. Kitzhaber, 994 F. Supp. 2d 1128, 1147 (D. Or. 2014).
This is an extraordinary remark. What Judge McShane calls "gender and sexuality" is the only means by which families are generated. Since families come from parents, you cannot look past parents and still have a family — because there would be no family there. Homosexual acts cannot generate families; therefore, their "families" cannot be the same. If there are children present, we may be sure that both parents of the children are not present in that family. That is a lot to look past.
In Virginia, U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen voided as unconstitutional that part of the Virginia state constitution and the Code of Virginia that define marriage as between one man and one woman. Ineptly, she began her decision on February 13, 2014, by confusing the basic texts of the American Founding (since corrected by her). She apparently thought that the phrase "all men are created equal" comes from the Constitution. It is, of course, perhaps the single most famous line in the Declaration of Independence. Judge Wright Allen appealed to this principle to endorse same-sex marriage on behalf of two lesbian and homosexual couples who brought suit against Virginia.
Why did Virginia have laws against unnatural marriage in the first place? One would have to conclude from Judge Wright Allen that it was motivated by sheer prejudice and that only now has the light dawned upon the court that this is unfair. In fact, like Justice Anthony Kennedy in the Windsor decision, she asserted that there was a lack of "any rational basis" in Virginia's exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage. In fact, she inaccurately stated that, "These laws limit the fundamental right to marry to only those Virginia citizens willing to choose a member of the opposite gender for a spouse." Actually, they limit marriage much further than that — to exclude minors, the already married, immediate kin, and others. But why might this limitation exist in respect to same-sex couples? Judge Wright Allen never says, though she could have drawn upon several thousand years of Western and other civilizations to do so.
Here is part of what she neglected to say. In 1885, in Murphy v. Ramsey, which upheld the ban against polygamy in the Utah territory, The U.S. Supreme Court eloquently put forth the "legitimate purpose" of marriage:
"For certainly no legislation can be supposed more wholesome and necessary in the founding of a free, self-governing commonwealth… than that which seeks to establish it on the basis of the idea of the family, as consisting in and springing from the union for life of one man and one woman in the holy estate of matrimony; the sure foundation of all that is stable and noble in our civilization; the best guarantee of that reverent morality which is the source of all beneficent progress in social and political improvement."
However, Judge Wright Allen might believe that this is exactly what same-sex couples want in marriage, as well. Perhaps my favorite line from her ruling is that the "[homosexual persons] meet all of the legal requirements for marriage in Virginia except for the fact that they are the same gender." This is like saying that the only thing that prevents ten year olds from marrying is that they are too young. Or, the only thing that prevents a giraffe from being a donkey is the fact that it is a giraffe.
Homosexuals cannot be "married" — not for reasons having anything to do with heartless conservatives or with the law, but everything to do with how human beings are made. The ultimate, inbuilt end of sex is to make "one flesh," which is what happens in marriage between a man and a woman. Two becoming "one flesh" encompasses both the generative and unitive nature of sex. Only men and women are physically capable of becoming "one flesh." Only a unitive act can be generative, and only a generative act can be unitive — in that only it makes two "one flesh." That is why the unitive and procreative aspects of sex are essentially inseparable, and why they find the fulfilment only in the unique station of marriage.
For homosexual couples, the marital act is physically impossible — the pieces don't fit — and the attempt to imitate it through sodomy is incapable in any circumstances of generating new life. One thing that same-sex couples all share is a unique disability to express either the unitive or procreative essence of conjugal relations. For these reasons, among many others, common law has held through the centuries that marriage can be only between a man and a woman. Common law also held that if a marriage is not consummated, it could be declared to be a legal nullity. It is astonishing that Judge Wright Allen seemed to be unaware of these basic facts. In some states, entering into a marriage with the intent of never consummating it is considered marital fraud. Since same-sex marriages cannot be consummated, why aren't they considered marital fraud?
One can expect such constitutional and moral illiteracy from the opponents of natural marriage, but what about from its defenders? For instance, in 2009, California's Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment restricting marriage to one man and woman, was challenged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California before then closeted homosexual District Judge Vaughn Walker. Since the State Attorney General and the Governor had refused to defend their State's own constitution, other groups stepped in, hiring attorney Charles Cooper to plead their case. Here is what Cooper argued to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Hollingsworth v. Perry case as a defense of California's Proposition 8:
"But consider the California voter, in 2008, in the ballot booth, with the question before her whether or not this age-old bedrock social institution should be fundamentally redefined, and knowing that there's no way that she or anyone else could possibly know what the long-term implications of – of profound redefinition of a bedrock social institution would be. That is reason enough, Your Honor, that would hardly be irrational for that voter to say, I believe that this experiment, which is now only fairly four years old, even in Massachusetts, the oldest State that is conducting it, to say, I think it better for California to hit the pause button and await additional information from the jurisdictions where this experiment is still maturing."
This is risibly weak. Wait for additional information? Cooper suggested that it was a lack of knowledge concerning the outcome of unnatural marriage that led to skepticism as to its soundness, rather than the moral knowledge that such an arrangement was against the "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God," and therefore could not possibly be advanced as a right. Since chastity is the moral principle of marriage, how could an unchaste act — such as sodomy or any other homosexual act — be the basis of marriage? Something cannot be its opposite.
Cooper studiously avoided saying anything like this. He was at pains to portray the issue of marriage as one of states' rights. However in doing so, he assumed a moral equivalence of traditional marriage and same sex marriage. This left him in the position of Stephen A. Douglas in the Lincoln/Douglas debates. Douglas said that the slavery issue should be left to the states to decide, as there was nothing inherently right or wrong in slavery. Popular sovereignty should reign. Cooper adopted an analogous position concerning marriage — it is a states' rights issue. However, homosexual proponents have taken on themselves the mantle of civil rights; they claim (inappropriately) to be Lincoln in this debate. This left Cooper in a sure-to-lose position — taking, analogously, the slavery position in an antislavery fight. Does that sound too harsh? Here is Cooper's own statement, posted on National Review Online, 5/2/14, setting out his legal strategy:
"The heart of our defense, from beginning to end, was the simple proposition that people of goodwill can reasonably disagree over whether marriage should be redefined to include same-sex couples, and that the Constitution, therefore, leaves resolution of that controversial public policy issue in the hands of the voters of each State, to decide according to their own social, political, and moral values, and does not place it in the hands of federal judges. Our position on the constitutional issue was thus entirely distinct from, and did not take sides on, the social policy issue. Indeed, in my initial appearance in the District Court, I stated that if the tables were turned — if California's voters had adopted gay marriage, as the voters of several states now have — I would be no less willing to defend their right to make that decision too."
In other words, the lawyer hired to defend traditional marriage conceded that sodomitical marriage can be a positive good, so long as it is approved by a majority.
Later we learned why Cooper was not prepared to make the moral case for marriage. The deeper underlying reason for his incapacity surfaced in 2014, when he revealed that he actually has taken sides: "My daughter Ashley's path in life has led her to happiness with a lovely young woman named Casey, and our family and Casey's family are looking forward to celebrating their marriage in just a few weeks." Cooper stated that, "I told Ashley that what matters most is that I love her and she loves me." However, as Edith Stein said, "Do not accept anything as love which lacks truth." Love contains an obligation to the truth — especially transcendent truths regarding the ordering of our souls to the Good. Is this Good not compromised by unnatural marriage? Love seeks the well-being of the other person. An unchaste act, which is any homosexual act, harms the person on whom it is performed and the person performing it. Cooper explains that his "views evolve on issues of this kind the same way as other people's do, and how I view this down the road may not be the way I view it now, or how I viewed it 10 years ago." Let us be clear as to how one can "evolve" in this way: one is historicism, the other positivism — both are inimical to America's Founding and to understanding our Constitution correctly.
Many homosexual "marriage" opponents seem to suffer a sense of moral illegitimacy — and this includes many Republicans. They have the right instinct, but do not know how to express their view. When they are put on the spot to defend their position, they really have no way to explain it. Since they do not want to be embarrassed, they simply shut up or retreat. Most of these people have no background in moral philosophy or ethics. They are products of our modern educational system which denudes the mind of any notion of natural law, which is the fundamental point from which unnatural "marriage" should be opposed, and replaces it with moral and cultural relativism.
The reason for the kind of backpedaling exhibited in Indiana, whose Governor Michael Pence could not adequately support the religious freedom protection law he had signed, is that so many refuse to recognize what this conflict is really about. The retreat to the position of defending religious freedom means that the issue of the immorality of sodomy and other homosexual acts has been abandoned – both in and out of court. That is a terrible substantive and strategic error. Giving up on the moral issue basically gives the whole issue away — because if sodomy is not wrong, then not allowing it to serve as the basis of marriage must be bigotry. One must forthrightly say and show that sodomitical behavior is against the "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and that, therefore, it cannot be advanced as a right. If sodomy is wrong, then it cannot be the basis of marriage.
Alas, one will not be able to find any such moral principles set out in the parties' briefs filed in the marriage case to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court later this month. For example, the State of Michigan's brief states that: "This case is not about the best marriage definition. It is about the fundamental question regarding how our democracy resolves such debates about social policy…" Yes, it is partly about how things are decided, but it is also about what is being decided. It is not simply a procedural issue; it is also a substantive one.
After giving a thoroughly inadequate description of what marriage is, the Michigan brief gives the characterization of the same-sex view "that marriage is primarily about commitment, with gender and biological procreation taking less prominent roles. From this perspective, marriage is a commitment that grounds couples and provides familial stability." What, I wonder, is the purpose of participating in your opponent's denial of reality? Do grapes in the process of winemaking take a "less prominent role" in a winemaking process that uses no grapes? One of those processes produces wine; the other one does not. Is a non-grape simply a "less prominent" grape? Is an empty glass the same as a full one? Then this asinine observation is added: "Importantly, neither view stigmatizes the other; they are simply different conceptions of what the marriage institution should be." Well, yes, they are different, in fact, contradictory. If there is something the marriage institution "should" be, shouldn't a conception of marriage antithetical to it be stigmatized?
Next we learn from the Michigan brief that voters should be able to decide such issues "on decent and rational grounds." After giving away those "rational grounds" in the brief's introduction, it is not surprising that the petitioners nowhere present those grounds. Instead we hear that, "The difference in these views is not that one side promotes equality, justice, and tolerance while the other endorses inequality, injustice, and intolerance." Well, then, what is the difference? Are right and wrong simply two different views of morality, neither of which is false? This is the path to insanity, and to another loss in court. Natural marriage and unnatural "marriage" are not two kinds of marriage: one is marriage, and the other is not. If you're not willing to say at least this much, why bother saying anything? Michigan is tying the noose around its own neck, but at least it is consistent, with Judge Posner's words, in giving "no moral arguments against same-sex marriage."
That is not to say that the moral arguments have not been made to the Court – but that job fell to the amici curiae. The moral and Biblical cases against same-sex marriage were made by Foundation for Moral Law, and Public Advocate, U.S. Justice Foundation, and certain other amici.
Kentucky's brief seeks to "urge this Court to resolve the issues creating the legal chaos that has resulted since Windsor." Unfortunately, what the Court is going to do in the way of resolution is pretty much a foregone conclusion. The question will soon arise: what, then, are we going to do?
The homosexual movement will not succeed in the long run. Dream worlds do not last. They invariably turn into nightmares from which people eventually wake themselves. How long that takes and how much damage it incurs in the meantime will depend partly on us.
Reflecting on his experiences in Nazi Germany where he had been imprisoned, Heinrich Rommen wrote: "When one of the relativist theories is made the basis of a totalitarian state, man is stirred to free himself from the pessimistic resignation that characterizes these relativist theories and to return to his principles." We have the means at hand to return to this country's first principles: they are called "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God." We need them now as much as did our Founders. Let us return to them forthwith — before it is too late.
Robert R. Reilly is the author of Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything. He served as a Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and was the Director of the Voice of America.
This article is part of a series on "Building Resistance to Same-Sex Marriage." Should you want to help support this important work, contributions may be made to the U.S. Justice Foundation.
Permission is freely granted to publish, copy, reproduce, distribute, or excerpt from this article for any purpose.


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Get down to brass tacks
What's the meaning of the phrase 'Get down to brass tacks'?
Engage with the basic facts or realities.
What's the origin of the phrase 'Get down to brass tacks'?
The figurative expression 'getting down to brass tacks' isn't particularly old as phrases go. Its first appearance in print that I can find, from the USA in January 1863, was in the Texas newspaper The Tri-Weekly Telegraph:
"When you come down to 'brass tacks' - if we may be allowed the expression - everybody is governed by selfishness."
All of the other known early citations either originate in, or refer to, Texas. It is reasonable to assume that the phrase was coined there, in or about the 1860s.
The derivation of 'getting down to brass tacks' is uncertain. Nevertheless, it is a phrase that is often asked about, so I will list the most likely possible sources and the evidence for and against them and leave you to make up your mind for yourself.
Brass tacks are, of course, real as well as figurative items and two of the most commonly repeated supposed derivations refer to actual tacks. Firstly, there's the use of brass-headed nails as fabric fixings in the furniture trade, chosen on account of their decorative appearance and imperviousness to rust. Such brass tacks were commonly used in Tudor furniture and long pre-date the use of the phrase, which would tend to argue against that usage as the origin - why wait hundreds of years and then coin the phrase from that source? The supporters of that idea say that, in order to re-upholster a chair, the upholsterer would need first to remove all the tacks and fabric coverings, thus getting down to the basic frame of the chair. While that is true, it hardly seems to match the meaning of the expression, as the tacks would be the first thing to be removed rather than the last.
The second explanation that relies on actual tacks comes from the haberdashery trade. Here the notion is that, in order to be more accurate than the rough-and-ready measuring of a yard of material by holding it out along an arm's length, cloth was measured between brass tacks which were set into a shop's counter. Such simple measuring devices were in use in the late 19th century, as is shown by this piece from Ernest Ingersoll's story The Metropolis of the Rocky Mountains, 1880:
"I hurried over to Seabright's. There was a little square counter, heaped with calicoes and other gear, except a small space clear for measuring, with the yards tacked off with brass tacks."
Various other explanations relate to the tacks in boots, those that were put on chairs as a prank, the rivets on boats etc, etc. None of these come equipped with any real evidence and are best left alone.
Of the supposed explanations that don't have literal allusions, we can rule out links with any form of 'brass tax'. There have been taxes on brass at various times, but no one can find any connection with this phrase. 'Getting down to brass tax' appears to be just a misspelling. The expression is also often said to be an example of Cockney rhyming slang, meaning 'facts'. In the strange world of Cockney argot, 'tacks' does indeed rhyme with 'facts' (facks), but that's as far as it goes. Rhyming slang coinages from the 19th century are limited to the UK and Australia. The apparent US origin of the phrase discounts the rhyming slang origin.
For my money, the 'fabric measuring' derivation is the strongest candidate but, given no smoking gun, we await further evidence.
See other phrases that were coined in the USA.


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California Week's Burning Question: Which Player Are You Most Excited To See in 2012-13?
Posted by Connor Pelton on June 24th, 2012The 2012-13 California team will feature a lot of untapped talent, both in newcomers and players who started to break the surface last season, but are primed to have a breakout season next year. While there should be some growing pains early, this team's potential has Cal fans excited. Which player are you most excited to see (new or returning), and what story will they have written by next April?
Connor Pelton: Sophomore-to-be forward David Kravish showed incredible strides last season as a true freshman, so I'm excited to see whether he is ready or not to be one of the top forwards in the conference in 2012-13. The coaching staff did a tremendous job in just the three short weeks they had to get Kravish ready for his freshman season, and he responded immediately by putting up good numbers on the glass. By December, the wiry freshman was also enough of a scoring threat that opposing defenses had to stop focusing on Richard Solomon and Harper Kamp and devote a lot of time in the game-plan to him. Now, Kamp is gone, and the next step in Kravish's growth as a player will be to increase his buckets on a more consistent basis. That will be tough, as he will no longer be the off-the-radar freshman. But if he can improve his face-up game and bulk up over the summer, there is no doubt that he will be the man in the middle for the Golden Bears when they need a late basket.
Andrew Murawa: For the past two seasons, Jorge Gutierrez was a focal point of the Golden Bear backcourt, playing something of a combo guard for Mike Montgomery's team and acting as a cult of personality on which fans up and down the Pac-12 conference all had an opinion on. With Gutierrez's graduation, however, the Cal backcourt is firmly in the hands of a couple of juniors: Allen Crabbe and Justin Cobbs. While Crabbe is the one with the brightest future (6'6" shooting guards who can stroke the three at 40% tend to draw the interest of NBA general managers), Cobbs most piques my interest, and he may be the guy who has the biggest impact on the 2012-13 Golden Bears. While it took Cobbs some time to get comfortable in his new Berkeley digs after transferring from Minnesota, by mid-season he was often the best player on the team, carrying the team to a blowout win over UC Santa Barbara in the absence of Gutierrez (25 points on 10-12 shooting), and twice notching double-digit assist games in conference play while consistently playing nearly 40 minutes a night. In his sophomore year he showed a great rapport with Crabbe in the backcourt, able to find his teammate for clean looks, while still maintaining his own dangerous offensive game. While Cobbs may not quite rise to the level of a first team Pac-12 performer next season (at least in any reasonable five-man first team, i.e. not the 28-man first team that the conference regularly puts out), by next April he'll have the reputation of a guy who is as important to his program as any player in the conference, a guy just as comfortable playing the role of distributing point guard as he is knocking down threes at a high rate, getting to the line on a regular basis and being one of the most efficient guards in the conference.


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Pete's Back Yard
A collection of Pete's informal stories, musings and crank mail, including plenty of Critter Stories. The Back Yard steers clear of anything smacking of practical utility, increased productivity or effective Time Management. We hope you enjoy it. |
The Lighter Side of System Administration Before you strangle that user or decide to grow tomatoes for a living, giggle and groan with some of the finest tech humor we've found on the Web. |
Technical Ranting, Raving, Editorials &
Opinions You may not always agree with us, but you won't be bored! Read our rants on consulting, business, computing, system administration and life. Try some of our favorite recipes. |
Technical Project Management & Software Services Stokely Consulting can help your IT projects succeed with proven, robust architectures, data-driven software development, automated QA and strong project management. |
Whoa! Where did they go?We merged our Unix Serial Port Resources and Unix System Administrator's Resources with SunHELPFor over a decade, it has been the webmistress' great joy and pleasure to compile the Unix information you're used to finding on these pages. We have answered questions from ships at sea, Russian physics institutes, universities everywhere, government agencies with an A in their name, numerous customer support organizations and many people in IT departments large and tiny - at 3am - just trying to meet a deadline. However, the time has come to pass the torch. But, where should it go? It's simple, Bill Bradford's SunHELP. Bill has a proven, long-standing committment to distributing information to Unix system administrators. SunHELP is a magnificent resource. Bill and SunHELP have answered many of my questions over the years. It makes sense to merge our information with his. Bill also maintains the sun-managers list and archives, SPARCbook and LinuxManagers mailing lists, many technical forums, and Bill is a tremendously helpful, driving force in the Unix sysadm world. We know you'll find what you need at SunHELP, including Unix Serial Port Resources and Unix System Administrator's Resources. The webmistress is deeply grateful for your enthusiasm, email, suggestions, recommendations and awards. Thank you. You made it all worthwhile. |
Find out more about Stokely Consulting's Technical Project Management, Product Management, & Engagement Management Services to get your Information Technology projects on track. Our Software Lifecycle Services can provide Perl and PHP programming, QA Automation, data analysis, and system architecture help. We are here to help you succeed! |
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WASHINGTON – The nation's governors are asking Congress to help states recover an estimated $20 billion in sales taxes that go uncollected by out-of-state online merchants every year.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that it isn't fair to local businesses to exempt online purchases from state sales taxes. Haslam said affordable computer software now makes it easy for even the smallest merchants to collect and forward sales taxes.
Other Republican governors, such as Chris Christie of New Jersey, have endorsed a bill to make out-of-state Internet merchants charge and collect state taxes.
Steve DelBianco, executive director of NetChoice, a coalition of e-commerce companies, said the bill does not simplify the process of collecting and distributing taxes enough to avoid imposing a burden on small businesses.


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Last modified: 2015-05-03 by ivan sache
Keywords: yugoslavia | kingdom of serbs croats and slovenes |
Links: FOTW homepage |
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Flag of Yougoslavia - Image by Željko Heimer, 16 November 2003
See also:
In late 1918 a new state was formed by the just united Kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro and the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs that encompassed the southern Slavic lands of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. The local legislation was kept in use regionally, and it was not until 1922 that the question of the ensigns was resolved by the adoption of a legislation.
To the best of my knowledge, there are two laws passed on the ensigns and flags for use at sea during the existence of Yugoslavia before the Second World War. The first law was adopted in 1922 and the second law, less kown until now, was adopted in 1937. When the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was proclaimed in 1929 to replace the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, there was apparently no change in the 1922 flag law.
I suspect, however, that there must have been some other
regulations that were adopted between 1922 and 1937, although I have
not found reference to them anywhere. All the sources refer to the
1922 law only, and even the source that I have for the 1937 law does
not mention anything else but the 1922 law. I suspect that there must
have been some other regulation for the following reasons:
- the 1922 law determines a rank flag only for a
rear admiral; at least two
independant sources from the mid-1930s (reprints in Isaić
[isa01] and Flaggenbuch
[neu39]) show rank flags for
three admirals ranks and a number of additional flags not included
in 1922 law (e.g. the generals'
- the 1937 law include those flags, but has too many differences
in other flags to make it possible that the two sources above
would have been based on it.
Željko Heimer, 16 November 2003
Merchant ensign of Yugoslavia - Image by Željko Heimer, 11 November 2003
The merchant ensign (literally "merchant flag", trgovačka
zastava) is prescribed in Article 2 of the
1922 law. The flag is horizontally
divided blue-white-red, with proportions 2:3.
The flag was used even before the law, but was formally introduced
only with the 1921 so-called Vidovdan Constitution, as the national flag. The 1922 law prescribes it as the civil and state ensign.
The 1937 law did not change this
flag, which was later used as the merchant ensign of
Serbia and Montenegro.
Željko Heimer, 11 November 2003
A photo shows a tricolour flag being hoisted in Zagreb in 1930 on Novinarski dom (Journalist's House), the building of the Croatian Journalists Association located on the Roosevelt Square (as it is named today). On the photo, taken in 1930 during the celebration of "reaching the roof", the two hoisted flags are tricolours, but it is hard to say weather they are Yugoslav or Croatian - it seems that the blue stripe on the period photos usually appears as lighter then red, it might indeed be the Croatian tricolour. On the other hand, in 1929 King Alexander's dictature forbid the individual national tricolours for the use of the Yugoslav national tricolour. Weather this was followed, is hard to say from this photo alone.
Željko Heimer, 3 January 2009
Article 6 of the "Directions for execution and implementation of the determinations of the Regulations on hoisting the flags on state, merchant and private ships of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia" (1934) prescribes the procedure of the use of the ensign at half staff when a death occurs on a ship and when a ship is carrying a dead. The second paragraph states:
During the Holy Week, from Thursday at noon until Saturday at noon, according the the local custom, the Harbour Master may order the half-staffing of the ensigns on all the ships in the harbour. Such an order is valid for all the ships and other vessels indiscriminately, and even for the ships under foreign flags.
Željko Heimer, 18 December 2004


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(visited by Penko Roussev, Bogomil Roussev, Ivan Shopov, Dobromir Kotev and Maria Juroukova)
18-Jul-2003 -- The confluence is comparatively easy to conquer – 3 of 6 from the scale of complexity. Its situated near village Hirevo, not very far from a major road artery. Unfortunately, the only place where we could leave the car was near a poultry farm, next to the disposal of litter. It was getting dark, when we reached the place, and it couldn't be any other place, but the confluence's place. I was curious which kind of plant could live at those latitudes and longitudes. The spot was occupied by this big dog rose. Its going to take it a lot of evolution in order to realize where it is.
Not long after we jumped out of happiness that we've found the confluence, the local village dogs have arrived, and that made us go quickly in the car.
I've cut my cuticles and nails specially for the picture.


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- March 4, 2024
If Devereau Chumrau told you that at one point in her life she dreaded going to the mall, you'd raise an eyebrow at the fashionista sitting before you. Her curly hair is swept into a perfectly messy red-and-blonde streaked up-do, and bangle bracelets mirroring the hues of her sundress dangle from her wrists as she leans back into a chair and crosses her toned, bronze legs.
She remembers that at age 6, her grandma would take her to lunch at Fallbrook Mall, in West Hills, Calif. They had to pass through Sears to get to the restaurant, located next to the electronics section. One day, just as Chumrau was growing tired of eating at the same place all the time, her eyes met the picture on several TVs and video cameras.
"I could see myself on TV," Chumrau says. "I'm checkin' myself out, thinking, 'Boy, do I look good! Hey! It's the Devereau show!'"
As soon as she could excuse herself to the bathroom, she would leave the restaurant for playtime and surprise shoppers by shoving an imaginary microphone in their faces and asking them what they thought about current events.
"I was always out there," Chumrau says. "I just loved to see what it did to other people. At some point in high school, I started doing private coaching, and by 18, I had an agent and a SAG card and was working on commercials."
Three years ago, Chumrau moved to Sarasota from California to begin a master's program with the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training. She found tranquility driving over the Ringling Bridge and walking the grounds at the Ringling Museum.
"Asolo is one of the only repertory theaters in the country with a master's program, where you have such a lovely relationship with the people who donate to it," Chumrau says. "How supportive the community is was really attractive to me."
But even with spending 10 to 12 hours every day at the theater, she needed more face time — that's when she took a bartending job at Shamrock Pub.
The Shamrock became her second home. She appreciated interacting with her regulars, many of whom were conservatory students who would show up on Sunday nights because they could sleep in the next day.
"Both work and school meant the world to me because I took them so seriously," Chumrau says. "Customers come in because they want to see you, which is just as awesome as when our audience members stay behind to tell you that you've done a really good job and to keep going."
One of the perks about being a conservatory actor is traveling outside of the country. Last summer, Chumrau found herself thrust into a radically different thriving environment in London. She saw some of the best theater she had ever seen — "All My Sons," "Hair" and "Mrs. Warren's Profession" — not to mention sitting down to chat with Lynn Nottage, the playwright behind "Las Meninas," in which she played the role of a nun during the conservatory's closing show this season.
"Lynn writes these amazing stories that will have you rolling and bawling at the same time; meeting her was out of control," Chumrau says. "Because of Michael's (Edwards) drive, he was the first to work on her piece back in the day. No director wanted to work on it because it's so big and controversial. And 10 years later, he does it again and brings her down to visit."
In less than a week, Chumrau will pack her bags and head back to L.A. Why? It has both professional opportunities and it's home — the best of both worlds. She plans to make the trip along with her boyfriend, Ryan Nance, in five days.
"Everybody is asking me what I'm going to do next," Chumrau says. "I don't have the specifics drawn out yet, and it's scary. I'm going to get home, see my family and my best friend, have Mexican food, find an apartment and do something with my art. I'm never really going to leave the Asolo, just like I'm never going to leave Shamrock — I'll never leave those relationships."
"I've always wanted to play Mama in 'Ruined,'" Devereau Chumrau says. "I've seen the role played so incredibly well that it makes me understand how nuanced it is and how fun, exciting, scary, challenging and rewarding it would be. It's not so much on a checklist, but things that change my view of the world."
Contact Loren Mayo at [email protected].
WHAT: Devereau Chumrau's "Dev Goes to Hollywood" party
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 30, at Shamrock Pub, 2257 Ringling Blvd.
INFO: Call 952-1730
"Well, I returned to the Asolo as a guest artist for three consecutive seasons. After that, my husband, Sam Osheroff, also a grad, and I got pregnant. Our daughter, Stella, was born Dec. 6, 2010. And this coming week, we are all moving to Pensacola to join the faculty at the University of West Florida Theater Department."
— Kris Danford, FSU/Asolo Conservatory graduate
"I've been living and working in New York City for two years now. Since I've been here, I've shot two national commercials for ESPN, had a tasty little role in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," starred in a few new plays here in the city and recently performed as The Big Bopper in "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," at Riverside Theatre, in Vero Beach; it's a role I'll be taking on again this fall at the Flat Rock Playhouse, in North Carolina. I am also a proud founding member of Mad Dog Theatre, a company made up of FSU alums devoted to the development and production of new plays. We just completed our first, and quite successful, season of two plays."
— Brent Bateman, FSU/Asolo Conservatory graduate
"Since graduating (in 2009), I've moved to New York City and have found myself busy working in the NYC theater scene. I, along with some fellow FSU/Asolo grads, have created Mad Dog Theatre Company. I've also been fortunate enough to work on other premieres in NYC with The Attic Theatre Company. I was happy to join the cast of "The Argument," a new play by Gregory Moss, which the New York Times called "an adventurous theatrical spirit." I was also pleased to work on several readings and workshops of other new and exciting pieces here in the city."
— Kevin O'Callaghan, FSU/Asolo Conservatory graduate


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The asteroid Vesta |
The photo to the left is one of the first photographs to be taken of Vesta, then sent back to mission specialists here on Earth for comprehensive analysis.
Immediately after the first photographs began to arrive from the Dawn spacecraft, mystery manifested once again, because what scientists saw was not exactly what they expected to see.
Notice the strata lines visible on the lower-left side of the photo of the asteroid Vesta, circling around to the middle-top of the photo (right mouse click for a larger view).
As it turns out, the asteroid Vesta is similar to a moon of the planet Mars, Phobos, in that both of them have strata lines.
We discussed the surprising, mysterious strata condition found on Phobos in the original post of this series:
Generally strata are laid down by the effects of erosion, either by liquid, atmospheric winds, volcanism of various sorts, or a combination of any or all of those over a long span of time.(Weekend Rebel Science Excursion). You can right mouse click on the photo of Phobos for a larger view, or go to the original post for even larger views.
If these lines are that type of strata, then it is likely that a very long time transpired during which the deposits that make up the strata were laid down.
Obviously that does not happen on any asteroid, or similar body, nor would such lines be at an angle opposite the gravitational direction as is the case in the photo.
We know that strata on the surface of a planet (think of The Grand Canyon for example) are laid down there over large spans of time by water and/or wind.
Those strata lines are laid down by the help of the pull of gravity, which causes the strata to be conformed to the shape of the planet's surface.
Because gravity pulls toward the surface of a planet, strata are not laid down vertically (as they show up on Vesta and Phobos) because the force of gravity naturally lays them down horizontally onto the curved surface of the planet.
In the original post we discussed the Exploded Planet Hypothesis (EPH) or theory (EPT) that a planet originally existed in the gap area between Mars and Jupiter:
But is it a chunk of the now missing planet which once filled the great gap between Mars and Jupiter, where now there are only asteroids remaining in the junk yard of rock and debris we call the asteroid belt?(ibid). These non-horizontal strata lines shown in the photos above indicate that Vesta and Phobos could be chunks of a large planet that once existed in what is now called "the asteroid belt" between Mars and Jupiter.
A now missing planet which exploded and left the chunk in the photo to be caught by the gravity of Mars, and to then become a moon of Mars?
The EPH or EPT is an old idea which has been subscribed to by some good astronomers, who were of course criticized by their fellow astronomers because they did not follow the crowd to accept the theory pronounced "okay" by the government.
The photo to the right is of a stratified island near La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
If the Earth exploded and that island was blown into space, in time it would wear down, dust would smooth it out some, fragmentation would tend to make it more round, and the strata lines on it over time would morph to then look similar to those on Phobos and Vesta in the two photos above.
A graphic to the right shows the island in black and white and rotated as it would do while floating in space.
This gives some indication of how the surface of a planet containing strata would appear after being blown into space as huge chunks.
Some of those chunks would be as large as a thousand miles wide, while others would be as small as an island a few hundred feet across.
That is exactly how the asteroid belt is situated today.
A planet originally located in that asteroid belt gap area would be in accord with the Titius-Bode Law of Planetary Spacing, because, according to that law a planet should be there, but only debris in the form of asteroids is there now.
Hence the Exploded Planet Hypothesis, as explained and argued a bit more here.
In closing, note that the EPH is sometimes criticized merely because establishment scientists don't know how a planet could explode.
Let me say that evidence of an explosion is not necessarily evidence of the type of explosion that produced it, how the subject item exploded, nor does it have to be evidence of the specific explosive device or mechanism.
For instance, a car blown to smithereens has fenders, doors, wheels, engine, and other parts strewn about, but they are not in and of themselves always conclusive proof of anything but an explosion.
That is because the debris of the car could be caused by any one of several types of explosions, or could be caused by any number of types of devices or methods.
The explosion itself could have been a bomb (in the trunk, under the hood) the gas tank exploding, getting hit by a military tank at high speed, a tornado direct hit, or simply caused by driving over a land mine.
Likewise, when we look at the rubble of the car, or the rubble of the asteroids, we can't say there was no explosion simply because we don't know how an explosion happened.
To the same effect, the residue in the form chunks of debris (with strata) we call asteroids is sufficient evidence of the explosion.
So, lets look closer for petrified organic matter, and the like, then perhaps look for evidence as to specifically how the explosion took place , since, (due to the debris) we already know that an explosion took place.
A video of Vesta rotating shows that the strata lines go all the way through the asteroid.
The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.


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Now online...the complete episode of E.S.P. TV #14 featuring a set by Brooklyn synth duo Xeno and Oaklander...
E.S.P. TV #15, taped on the same night, features a performance by E.U.C. and a screening of Performa commissioned video, "Trans-Trans", by Bradley Eros and Tim Geraghty, which satirically remixes the Michael Bey Transformers movies with the Futurist Manifesto.
It airs Tuesday, April 10th at 10pm on Channel 67 Time Warner in Manhattan. It also streams live from MNN's website (www.mnn.org) on MNN4.
More info at: www.esptvnyc.com


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Haussmann-Saint-Lazare-Opéra : historic shopping district of Paris
The Haussmann-Saint-Lazare-Opéra district is a leading urban commercial centre, the veritable commercial heart of the capital. It is home to major department stores, and new shops regularly open here. Founded in 1912, Galeries Lafayette showcases the latest fashion trends on it three floors, the big luxury brands, menswear departments (Lafayette Homme) and a fifth floor devoted to children. Opposite the historic building is its home decor store, Lafayette Maison, where you can buy tableware products, furniture, lights and household linen. A few steps away, the Printemps department store also puts the accent on luxury. It has numerous accessory and upscale fashion brands: Alexander McQueen, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Red Valentino … In 2012, the ground floor of Printemps menswear department opened a new high-end timepiece space featuring such famous brands as Bell & Ross, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Longines, etc. Rue Scribe also remains an important shopping street for fashionistas, with the unisex
Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo, the women's wear shop Maje and, Eric Bompard, the specialist in jumpers and clothes in cashmere. A few steps away, the new shopping gallery, opened at the beginning of 2012 at the Saint-Lazare train station, houses numerous brands including Kickers shoes, the Petit Bateau and Guess brands and skincare and beauty brands Lush and L'Occitane. This is also where Muji has opened its new concept Muji to Go devoted to travel.


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The National Commercial Services (NCS) Group is the national commercial division of Fidelity National Title Insurance Company whose mission is to manage its largest, most complex, multi-site title insurance transactions throughout the United States and Caribbean. Based in Newport Beach, CA, our NCS group aggregates all of its internal resources within Fidelity National Title Insurance Company and its affiliates and agents to offer the most comprehensive title insurance resources in any one office. Our group works with national and local boutique law firms, real estate investment trusts, banks and investments institutions, commercial, industrial and residential developers, property managers, brokerage firms and real estate owned (REO) clients. NCS professionals are personally committed to developing innovative solutions for complex escrow, construction and other real estate transactions. From title order placement to final policy issuance, we offer unparalleled solutions, resources and service – all with a human touch.
The California NCS office sets itself apart by being the only title insurance operation both among our own Fidelity National Title Insurance operations as well as all of our competitors to offer all of the below real estate services under one roof. This comprehensive approach allows our operation to provide value-added customer service at highly-competitive rates.
Our NCS unit prides itself on providing the utmost customer service oriented solutions to today's real estate transactions and issues. Our team specializes in handling transactions from the start of a transaction with competitive quotes and title order placement through all phases of the deal coordination including the underwriting and escrow closing process and, finally, through the post-closing follow-up stages of all deals including timely policy issuance.
We have a wide ranging client base including but not limited to national and local boutique law firms, real estate investment trusts, banks and investments institutions, commercial, industrial and residential developers, property managers, brokerage firms and real estate owned (REO) clients.
Our team helps coordinate seminars and webinars for our clients to help keep them apprised of any new developments and coverage changes in the title and real estate industry.
If you do not have a current Fidelity National Title NCS connection, contact us so that we can discuss how we can assist in your title related needs.
We conduct regular title and escrow related seminars to help our clients keep abreast of any updated or anticipated coverage options and policy changes in the industry. We assist in introducing new associates and employees of our industry leading clients with Introduction to Title seminars which help walk them through title commitment and survey review, the escrow closing process, closing requirements and a typical closing transaction from start to finish.
We conduct informational online webinars throughout the year which highlight the current trends and upcoming changes in title related matters.
We also publish a quarterly e-newsletter which keeps ours customers apprised of upcoming California NCS events, webinars and important developments in the title industry.
All of these informative solutions are available to our established clients. If you do not currently have a sales representative, please contact us and let us know more about your company so that we can include you and your team on relevant news and upcoming events.
Title insurance is a form of indemnity insurance which insures against financial loss from defects in title to real property and from the invalidity or unenforceability of mortgage loans. With a title insurance policy, you have an indemnity contract that will reimburse you for loss in the event someone asserts a claim against your property that is covered by the policy.
Title insurance is issued after a careful examination of documents filed in the public records. Even the most thorough search cannot absolutely assure that no title hazards are present, despite the knowledge and experience of professional title examiners and underwriting practices. In addition to matters shown by public records, numerous other title problems may exist that are not disclosed in a search.
Here are just a few of the most common hidden risks that can cause a loss of title or create an encumbrance on title:
The title insurer will defend its insured against any covered lawsuit attacking title, and will either clear up title problems or compensate the insured for its loss. For a one-time premium, an owner's title insurance policy remains in effect as long as you retain an interest in the property.
The peace of mind in knowing that the investment you've made is a safe one. And, in the event of a title defect, you have a company who has been in business for over 165 years and holds the largest claims reserves in the industry to help protect you against costly errors and omissions.
Title orders can be placed by contacting your local representative by phone or email. Our attentive staff will promptly review the transaction details and provide an email confirmation of the request including the assigned file number for future reference.
Fidelity National Title Insurance is a member of the Fidelity National Title Group. Our Family of Title Insurance underwriters includes:
Title orders can be placed by contacting one of our professionals at 949-477-3662.
The below information will greatly assist our title examination and coordination staff in promptly and properly completing the requested title commitment searches.
Title insurance rates are quoted based on the specific details of your transaction.
Construction disbursing is the vehicle utilized by owners and/or lenders to obtain construction draws and title insurance coverages. Entered into by and among at least three parties (Including FNTIC, as Escrowee), these written agreements provide for the deposit and disbursement of funds used to pay the cost of the construction of improvements to the land and, if so provided, related development costs.
Construction Loan Escrow: This type of escrow provides that the Escrowee be prepared to furnish a Lender's Title Policy and date down endorsements (to the extent such endorsement is available) to provide interim title insurance assuring the lender as to the validity, enforceability, and priority of its mortgage lien limited to the extent of the mortgage proceeds disbursed and to the extent such priority exists by law.
Owner's Construction Disbursing with Insurance (aka "Armour Note "): Similar to the Construction Loan Escrow, this type of escrow is used when there is no loan. This type of escrow provides that the Escrowee be prepared to furnish an Owner's Title Policy and date down endorsements (to the extent such endorsement is available) to provide mechanic's lien coverage to the extent of the amount of funds disbursed through escrow and also to the extent of lien waiver documentation is reviewed by Escrowee.
Owner's Construction Disbursing without Title: This escrow is used when there is no Lender or Owners Title Policy. In this instance, the Escrowee provides disbursement services only, yet the documentation is collected and reviewed is the same as the Construction Loan Escrow.
Outside Interim Certification: This escrow is used on those occasions when the Lender wants to make the disbursement of their construction loans themselves, yet requires title insurance coverage to protect the priority of their mortgage. The same documentation is required for an Outside Interim as for a Construction Loan Escrow.
The following is a typical step-by-step process for a Construction Loan Escrow:
The National Commercial Services Construction Disbursing Department is able to provide construction disbursing services for commercial, industrial, retail, hospitality, governmental, institutional and agricultural properties.
The National Commercial Services Construction Disbursing Department provides construction disbursing services for all 50 states.
The National Commercial Services Construction Disbursing Department can be an Escrowee for policies issued by any subsidiary in the Fidelity National Title Group, including Fidelity National Title Insurance Company, Chicago Title Insurance Company, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance, and Alamo Title Insurance.
Our seasoned staff members represent over 165 years of combined construction disbursing experience and knowledge to help you with your construction project.
For any escrow in which National Commercial Services Construction Disbursing Department is to act as Escrowee, a fully executed, written Escrow Agreement is required. The forms of these agreements are specific to each type of Construction Disbursing and some may require preapproval by Underwriting.
Additionally, for any escrow in which title insurance is required, a title order must be opened and in place before the escrow agreement can be signed by the Escrowee.
Every escrow typically requires an Escrow Agreement, Owner's Sworn Statement, General Contractor's Sworn Statement, Owner's Approval, Lender's Approval [CAR] (if a lender is a party to the agreement), Architect's Certification, Partial or Final waivers and W9 forms. Depending on the circumstances, we may require Indemnities from the owner and general contractor.
For further information on the services provided by the National Commercial Services Construction Disbursing Department, contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Here is the date range comparison between these 3 generations. Note that the start and end date are debatable. As I said in a previous post, generations don't end with black and white borders. They fade into one another, so you will see an overlap of age. Without further adieu, here are the ranges:
Baby Boomers: 1946~1953 to 1964
This would make baby boomers, in the year 2010, somewhere in the ballpark of 46-64 years old.
Gen X: 1965 to 1976~1982
This would make generation X, in the year 2010, somewhere in the ballpark of 28-45 years old.
Gen Y: 1977~1982 to 1995~2001
This would make generation Y, in the year 2010, somewhere in the ballpark of 9-33 years old.
For the most part, Generation Y are the children of the Baby Boomers, and in some cases, grandchildren. This is due to them being around their prime reproductive years during the 1980s (the last baby boomers turned 18 in 1982). Thus, the echo boomers being a surge in population as an echo of the baby boomer post-war boom.


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The Middle Tennessee State University Leadership Council is a group of faculty, staff and administrators serving in an advisory capacity to the President and the executive administration in identifying and addressing issues of importance and concern to the University. The Council offers recommendations and perspectives on various issues, University policies and procedures and serves as a sounding board for new ideas and institutional initiatives.
The Council provides University decision makers with direct access to the thoughts and opinions of a broader range of key personnel as we address issues that have the potential to impact the overall success and viability of MTSU. The feedback and guidance provided by this group, which meets periodically, will be particularly important as we continue to implement the recommendations associated with our Positioning the University for the Future Initiative and as we work to address future economic challenges as anticipated by the State.


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In an effort to combat fetal alcohol syndrome, researchers are planning to install free pregnancy test dispensers in the bathrooms of some bars.
Alaska has the highest reported rate of fetal alcohol syndrome in the United States, according to a 2010 report by the state's Department of Health and Social Services. Health officials estimate that in Alaska, 126 babies born each year are affected by prenatal alcohol use (out of roughly 731,000 people in 2010, one of the lowest state populations). However, most states don't have comprehensive data about their rates, making it difficult to draw national comparisons.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is an umbrella term used to describe the range of possible lifelong effects from prenatal alcohol exposure, such as physical, mental, behavioral and/or learning disabilities. Fetal alcohol syndrome and spectrum disorder are often used interchangeably.
The university's two-year, $400,000 program begins in December and will be studied closely. Pregnancy test dispensers will be placed in bars that are frequented by women 21 to 44 in six regions of the state. In different bars within the same areas, printed warnings will be posted to provide a control group for the researchers.
Both methods will include a toll-free number, website and QR code to complete a short survey about knowledge and prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome. The surveys are site specific, so the university will be able to measure results for each location individually. Staff will also conduct interviews with bar patrons and staff to analyze the use and effectiveness of the dispensers and confirm the survey results.
The hope: Pregnant women stop drinking that night
The researchers believe offering free pregnancy tests in bar restrooms will encourage women to use them and, if they are pregnant, stop drinking that night.
"This is a rigorous pilot study to evaluate community based intervention," said David Driscoll, director of the University of Alaska Anchorage's Institute for Circumpolar Studies. "It's only part of a much larger set of initiatives."
Questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the program and whether it's worth the cost. Will a free pregnancy test really be used at the bar and stop someone from drinking?
Opponents criticized Alaska state Sen. Pete Kelly's program proposal, saying the money would be better spent on giving away condoms or contraception at bars to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Kelly argued the pregnancy tests will be available to help responsible citizens.
"If you know you're pregnant, you won't drink. That is true for much of the population," the Republican senator said in an interview with the Anchorage Daily News. "Birth control is for people who don't necessarily want to act responsibly."
The paper argued many people using birth control are acting responsibly.
Depending on what stage of her pregnancy she's in and how often a woman drinks, fetal alcohol syndrome can cause, among other things, abnormal facial features, brain damage, hyperactivity, difficulty with judgment and motor skill impairment, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the U.S. Surgeon General all agree that women should avoid alcohol during pregnancy, since no amount has been determined to be safe. Approximately 40,000 babies are born with fetal alcoholism in the United States, according to the CDC.
'Why take the risk?'
Alcohol is harmful to a fetus or embryo at any time — even before a woman knows she's pregnant, said the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
"We know that alcohol is a neurotoxin, and we know that it crosses the placenta," said the organization's president Tom Donaldson. "Why take the risk?"
Although not involved in the project, Donaldson is eager to monitor the outcome, and based upon the attention this strategy has gotten, he has high hopes for its success. Until now, fetal alcohol syndrome prevention has relied on advisories and labels, which people aren't inclined to look at. But this creative approach, he says, comes without finger-wagging.
"If a woman chooses to drink or not is based on the moment," he said. "It's not a broad admonition."
Jody Allen Crowe, founder of the nonprofit organization Healthy Brains for Children, started a similar pregnancy test program in Minnesota and is a consultant on this project. He manufactures and is providing the dispensers and tests, both which include information about fetal alcohol syndrome prevention.
Less than two years after the first dispenser in Minnesota was installed, there are now 10 dispensers located in bars, a youth center and even a convenience story by a community college. Crowe has also moved his project into Canada and is in talks with universities in other states about similar studies.
"We've experienced success so far, but what we need now is empirical, gold standard research," Crowe said. The University of Alaska's study will be able to gather the necessary data to provide tangible results.
There's no numerical data to measure the success of the program, but Crowe said the $3 pregnancy tests in Minnesota are being utilized and replenished. The Alaska study hopes to determine how many women taking the tests actually stop drinking during their pregnancy.
Alaska falls slightly below the national average for alcohol consumption in women ages 18 to 44, according the the CDC.
The state leads the country in rapes, at almost triple the national average. Alaska also ranks in the top 10 for alcohol abuse, with just over 21% of adults reporting binge drinking habits. Both of these factors likely contribute to the high rate of fetal alcohol syndrome among Alaska residents, experts believe.
While it's certainly generating a buzz, experts believe that this program has a strong potential for positive results. The university's study will provide research and quantitative data that could change the face of fetal alcohol syndrome prevention on a national level.


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
For information about Asbury businesses, call the Chamber of Commerce at 732-775-7676, and visit the Chamber website.
Show All Answers
Use the Report a Concern tool to submit your problem or issue to the City.
Call the Department of Public Works at 732-775-0900.
Call the Department of Public Works at 732-775-0900, and see garbage and recycling pickup schedules and rules.
Call Jersey Central Power and Light (JCP&L) at 800-662-3115, or visit Jersey Central Power and Light.
Call the Asbury Park Police's non-emergency line at 732-774-1300. For all emergencies call 911.
Call the Department of Code Enforcement at 732-502-5742.
Call the Tax and Sewer Collections Office at 732-502-5706. You can also pay your tax or sewer utility bill online.
You can pay parking tickets online via New Jersey Municipal Courts (NJMC) direct.
Call Social Services at 732-502-4529. See more information on the Social Services department and programs.
For home improvement funding, please call the RCA Program at 732-502-4580.
See the special events calendar. Sign up for the weekly email newsletter with events, music, art, and more in Asbury Park.
For information on senior citizen services, please call the Asbury Park Senior Center at 732-988-5252. Learn more about the Senior Center and see a monthly calendar of events and news at the Senior Center page.
Call the Recreation Department at 732-502-5759 for information about summer camps and recreation programming for kids.
To apply for a committee, or to get further information, call the City Clerk at 732-502-5721. You can download a Volunteer Application form (PDF).
You can watch Asbury Park's cable access news channel APTV on Verizon channel 30 and Cablevision channel 77. Visit APTV online.
View the municipal calendars for upcoming board, committee, and City Council meeting information.
Contact the Beach Utility at 732-502-8863 for further information.
For information on Asbury schools, call the Asbury Park School System at 732-776-2606, and visit the Asbury Park School District website.


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Donnie Wahlberg -- Hurricane Sandy FLOODED My Entire Apartment
Donnie Wahlberg Hurricane Sandy FLOODED My Entire Apt
Donnie Wahlberg's cereal bowl was floating across his kitchen last night ... after his apartment flooded due to Hurricane Sandy ... and he documented the entire situation on camera.
Wahlberg shot footage of himself sloshing his way through his flooded apartment ... a situation that became very common across the East Coast yesterday.
The New Kids on the Block member tweeted, "My entire building is under a foot of water. Awesome neighbors all banding together to help each other! Stay safe!"
A short time later, Wahlberg posted an update -- "Safe & Sound on Higher Ground! Don't worry about me. Material things are meaningless. Check in with those you know in the storm!"
Currently, an estimated 7 million people are still without electricity ... 168 people are stranded throughout NYC ... and at least 16 people have died as a result of Hurricane Sandy.


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Welcome to IFAC's Translations and Permissions eNews.
In This Issue:
- Ibero-American Cooperation Progresses Spanish Translations
- Russian Speakers, Standard Setters Convene on Adoption of International Standards
- Newly Available Translations: January–May 2013
- What to Watch for—French PAO Development Committee "Toolkit"
- SMP Quick Poll—Open in 16 Languages
- Copyright Statements Revised; See Updated T&P Policy Statements
1. Ibero-American Cooperation Progresses Spanish Translations
In October 2012, IFAC and its member bodies in Spain, Mexico, and Argentina formally agreed to establish an Ibero-American Cooperation Framework to collaborate on a long-term, sustainable process for achieving a single, Spanish translation of international standards and IFAC publications (the "IberAm project"). In February, the IberAm project's Executive Committee held an inaugural meeting to agree on an annual translations plan, formulated following a gap analysis to see what publications had not yet been translated into Spanish.
The Executive Committee also appointed a chair of the Review Committee. Spanish-speaking IFAC member bodies have been invited to nominate candidates from among their membership to fill the five remaining open positions on the Review Committee. Qualified candidates will have sufficient experience in translation and applying international standards, and be well respected both within and outside of the profession. Nominations should be emailed to firstname.lastname@example.com to the attention of D. Bruno Mayoral. The successful candidates will be appointed and announced in late July.
Under the agreed plan, a Spanish translation of existing standards will be completed by the end of 2013; this includes the International Standards on Auditing and other standards issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB); the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants; International Education Standards; and International Public Sector Accounting Standards. The 2013 IAASB Handbook is expected to be released in July 2013; under the plan, the goal is to have the Spanish translation available within approximately six months of the English release.
To this end, the three IFAC member bodies have also procured translation memory software as a collaborative tool to help ensure the quality and consistency of the translations and to assist in reducing translation costs. With the software, it is not necessary to translate the same phrase twice. For more information on the advantages of translation memory software, especially as it relates to translation of the international standards and IFAC publications, please contact email@example.com.
In addition, Instituto Nacional de Contadores Públicos (INCP) – Colombia has agreed to translate IFAC news items into Spanish. See the Spanish News & Events pages to access translated newsletters and press releases. Translations of IFAC Update and Global Digest are available to member designees in the password-protected IFAC Extranet. For more information on Spanish-language or other translations, please visit the IFAC Translations Database.
2. Russian Speakers, Standard Setters Convene on Adoption of International Standards
Representatives from former Soviet republics in Europe and Central Asia gathered last month in London with IFAC, the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to foster dialogue and cooperation in relation to the development, adoption, and implementation of international standards, in the context of relevant regulatory frameworks.
The two-day conference, hosted by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, included meetings with national professional accountancy organizations and the three organizing bodies regarding experiences with the application of International Financial Reporting Standards, adoption and implementation of International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and quality assurance requirements. The translation of IAASB and IASB pronouncements into Russian and other languages on an ongoing basis was also a significant topic of discussion.
3. Newly Available Translations: January–May 2013
- Bulgarian—Good Practice Checklist for Small Business (2012)
- Chinese—Global Leadership Survey (2011, 2012)
- Czech—Handbook of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (2012)
- Danish—International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3402, Assurance Reports on Controls at a Service Organization (2009); International Standard on Review Engagements 2400, Engagements to Review Historical Financial Statements (2012); International Standard on Auditing (ISA) 610 (Revised), Using the Work of Internal Auditors (2012); ISA 315 (Revised), Identifying and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement through Understanding the Entity and Its Environment (2012)
- Dutch—ISAE 3402, Assurance Reports on Controls at a Service Organization (2009); Guide to Practice Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Practices, Third Edition (2012)
- French—Guide to Using International Standards on Auditing in the Audits of Small- and Medium-Sized Entities (2012)
- German—Tomorrow's Firm and the Role of Value Pricing: IFAC Interview with Ronald J. Baker (2013)
- Hungarian—Handbook of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (2010), "Integrating Governance throughout an Organization Helps Achieve Sustainable Success" (2011)
- Korean—The Role of Ethics in Restoring Confidence: Interview with International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) Chair Jörgen Holmquist (2013)
- Latvian—Guide to Quality Control for Small- and Medium-Sized Practices (2011)
- Lithuanian—Guide to Using International Standards on Auditing in the Audits of Small- and Medium-Sized Entities, Third Edition (2011)
- Polish—International Standard on Review Engagements (ISRE) 2410, Review of Interim Financial Information Performed by the Independent Auditor of the Entity (2012)
- Romanian—Competent and Versatile: How Professional Accountants in Business Drive Sustainable Success (2011), International Good Practice Guidance: Principles for Effective Business Reporting Processes (2013), Handbook of International Quality Control, Auditing, Review, Other Assurance, and Related Services Pronouncements (2012)
- Russian—Handbook of International Public Sector Accounting Pronouncements (2011)
- Serbian—Guide to Quality Control for Small- and Medium-Sized Practices, Third Edition (2011), Handbook of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (2012)
- Spanish—Guide to Practice Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Practices (2011), International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board eNews March 2013 (2013),March Global Digest (2013), April Global Digest (2013), IFAC Update March 2013 (2013), IFAC Update April 2013 (2013), IESBA eNews April 2013 (2013), SMP eNews April 2013 (2013), International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board eNews April 2013 (2013)
- Swedish—Guide to Practice Management for Small- and Medium-Sized Practices (2011), Guide to Using International Standards on Auditing in the Audits of Small- and Medium-Sized Entities, Third Edition - Volume 2 (2011)
- Turkish—Handbook of International Quality Control, Auditing Review, Other Assurance, and Related Services Pronouncements (2012), Handbook of the Code of Ethics For Professional Accountants (2012), IFAC SMP Quick Poll: 2012 Round-Up (2013)
- Vietnamese—Handbook of International Standards on Auditing and Quality Control (2009)
Access these and additional translations in IFAC's Translations Database. Check back regularly for updates.
4. What to Watch for—French PAO Development Committee "Toolkit"
Establishing and Developing a Professional Accountancy Body covers the roles and responsibilities of a professional accountancy organization, education and examinations, and capacity development; Tools and Resources to Support the Development of the Accounting Profession includes case studies, practical illustrations, and supplementary guidance. Together they form the Professional Accountancy Organization (PAO) Development Committee "Toolkit," developed to support PAOs in expanding and strengthening their role and responsibilities. Ordre des Experts Comptables de Tunisie is currently translating the nearly 300-page set into French. Look for access to the completed translation by year end in the Translations Database.
5. SMP Quick Poll—Open in 16 Languages
Are you a practitioner operating in a small- or medium-sized practice (SMP)? Then take the IFAC SMP Quick Poll. This edition of the poll is being conducted in 16 languages—English, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch/Flemish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish—thanks to the generous translation support of IFAC member bodies. The poll should take only three minutes to complete and is being conducted semi-annually by IFAC in 2013 to take a snapshot of the key issues confronting SMPs and their small- and medium-sized entity (SME) clients. Polling will close on June 21, 2013. Look for the results in the next issue of the SMP eNews (register and subscribe here).
See the results from previous polls on our website (www.ifac.org/SMP): IFAC SMP Quick Polls
6. Copyright Statements Revised; See Updated T&P Policy Statements
IFAC's Translations & Permissions (T&P) Policies, Policy for Translating and Reproducing Standards Published by the International Federation of Accountants and Policy for Reproducing, or Translating and Reproducing, Publications of the International Federation of Accountants, have been updated to reflect our new copyright statement. Please visit the IFAC website to download the newest forms when requesting permission to translate and reproduce IFAC publications. Requesting permission should be done prior to commencing any translation work, as it helps ensure proper authorization and assistance from IFAC and helps to avoid duplication of effort and resources. Guidelines are also available for use of IFAC graphics and logos on translated publications. If you have any questions, see our FAQs or email firstname.lastname@example.com.