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There may be enough oxygen in the waters of Jupiter's moon Europa to support millions of tons worth of fish, according to a new study. And while nobody is suggesting there might actually be fish on Europa, this finding suggests the Jovian satellite could be capable of supporting the kinds of life familiar to us here on Earth, if only in microbial form.
Europa, which is roughly the size of Earth's moon, is enveloped by a global ocean about 100 miles deep (160 kilometers), with an icy crust that may be only a few miles thick.
From what we know of Earth, where there is water, there is a chance at life, so for many years scientists have speculated that this Jovian moon could support extraterrestrials.
As we learned more about Jupiter's effect on its moons, the possibility for life on Europa grew even more likely. Studies showed the moon could have enough oxygen to support the kind of life we are most familiar with on Earth.
The ice on the surface, like all water, is made from hydrogen and oxygen, and the constant stream of radiation pouring in from Jupiter reacts with this ice to form free oxygen and other oxidants such as hydrogen peroxide. The reactivity of oxygen is key to generating the energy that helped multicellular life flourish on our planet.
Still, researchers had thought there was no effective method for delivering any of this oxygen-rich matter into Europa's ocean. Scientists had assumed the primary way for surface materials to migrate downward was from the impacts it would suffer from cosmic debris, which regularly bombards everything in our solar system. [Photos of Jupiter's moons.]
Past calculations suggested that even after a few billion years, such "impact gardening" would never lead to an oxygenated layer more than 33 feet (10 meters) deep into the ice shell, nowhere far enough down to reach the underlying ocean.
However, the new study suggests this oxygen-rich layer could be far thicker than before thought, potentially encompassing the entire crust. The key is looking at other ways to stir Europa's crust, explained researcher Richard Greenberg, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at Tucson.
The gravitational pull Europa experiences from Jupiter leads to tidal forces roughly 1,000 times stronger than what Earth feels from our moon, flexing and heating Europa and making it very active geologically. This could explain why its surface appears no older than 50 million years old — its surface underwent complete turnover in that time.
A major resurfacing process on Europa seems to be the formation of double ridges, which cover at least half of its surface. Tidal forces may be causing fresh ice from below — probably newly frozen ocean water — to push upward and over the surface, where it would slowly get oxygenated.
As ridges pile on top of ridges, older material gets buried, shoving this oxygen-rich matter downward. After 1 billion or 2 billion years, this process alone could spread oxidants throughout the entire crust, thus reaching the ocean, Greenberg calculated.
More oxygen than Earth's oceans?
Other mechanisms could help stir Europa's crust also. Parts of the surface could partially melt from below, leading rafts of ice to break loose and tumble around before they froze back in place.
Roughly 40 percent of Europa's crust appears to be covered with the ensuing "chaotic terrain." Also, as matter comes up from below and widens cracks, the nearby surface crumples, burying some material. These extra processes could help push some oxidants downward, but it would still take at least 2 billion years or so before radiation loaded the entire crust with oxygen.
As ice on the base of this oxygenated crust melts, even with the most conservative assumptions, after only a half-million years oxidant levels in the ocean would reach the minimum oxygen concentration seen in Earth's oceans, which on Earth is enough to support small crustaceans, Greenberg found.
In only 12 million years, oxidant concentrations would reach the same saturation levels of Earth's oceans, enough to support our largest sea life. Given the cold temperatures and high pressures likely seen in Europa's ocean, it could actually take in more oxygen than Earth's oceans could before its water reached its saturation point.
"I was surprised at how much oxygen could get down there," Greenberg said.
Too much of a good thing?
One concern about all this oxygen was that it might actually do more harm than good. The extraordinary reactivity of oxygen could in principle disrupt the chemical processes that are thought to lead to the origin of life and that may have been an aspect of early life.
On Earth, life had more than a billion years to evolve before oxygen became plentiful in the atmosphere, and that delay gave organisms plenty of time to develop genetic mechanisms and physical structures that allowed them to use oxygen, instead of being destroyed by it.
The delay of 1 billion to 2 billion years before oxygen in Europa's crust made its way into its ocean is roughly the same amount of time it took life on Earth to develop before oxygen became a problem, so life might have enough of a respite to develop on the Jovian moon. Assuming life on Europa respired at rates similar to fish on Earth, the continuous rate of oxygen delivery there could sustain roughly 3 million metric tons of life, Greenberg said.
One might not have to wait for a probe to land on Europa to detect any oxygen there. "Spectroscopy done by telescopes on Earth or in orbit can tell what substances are mixed into the ice," Greenberg said.
Greenberg detailed his findings May 6 in the journal Astrobiology.

subset: commoncrawl


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Dropping just a few pounds could significantly lower women's breast cancer risk, according to a new study. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that women who dieted and exercised to lose a moderate amount of weight also saw a drop in their levels of estrogen and other hormones associated with increased risk of breast cancer.
Previous research has shown that overweight and obese women are at greater risk for breast cancer; that's because fat tissue boosts the production of estrogen, which in turn fuels many breast tumors. The current study is the first to show that losing weight helps reduce that risk.
The study involved 439 overweight or obese postmenopausal women ages 50-75 who were sedentary and not using hormone-replacement therapy. "We know that after menopause, women make estrogens in their fat tissue, and overweight or obese women have high blood levels of estrogens after menopause," says lead researcher Dr. Anne McTiernan, director of the Hutchinson center's Prevention Center. "We wanted to test whether losing a moderate amount of weight, an achievable goal for most women, could reduce their blood levels of estrogens."
(MORE: For Successful Weight Loss, Forget Fad Diets and Pills)
The participants were divided into four groups: one group dieted, reducing both fat and calories, especially by cutting out sugary beverages and desserts and upping their intake of vegetables, fruits and fiber. Another group did intensive exercise: five 45-minute aerobics classes per week. A third group both dieted and exercised, by engaging in brisk walking. The fourth group did not change their diet or exercise habits.
By the end of the year-long study, women in the diet-only and diet-plus-exercise groups met the goal of the weight-loss intervention, having dropped an average of 10% of their starting weight. They also saw significant reductions in their levels of estrogen and other hormones. But even those participants who lost less weight — just 5% of their starting weight — lowered their hormone levels enough to affect their breast cancer risk. The study's authors estimate that a 5% weight loss may lower women's breast cancer risk by 22%.
Women in the exercise-only and control groups didn't lose weight overall nor did they lower their hormone levels. "Exercise didn't produce much weight loss — it never does reduce weight much without reducing calories — so we think the production of estrogens in their fat cells didn't change," says McTiernan.
(MORE: Q&A: Weight Watchers CEO Describes His Path to 'Weight Loss Boss')
The study looked at three forms of estrogen — estrone, estradiol and free estradiol — along with two types of testosterone, including total testosterone and free testosterone. Researchers also measured androstenedione, a steroid necessary for sex hormone production. At high levels, all are associated with breast cancer risk, and all are higher in overweight or obese women.
The researchers also looked at sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), which binds to estrogen and testosterone and takes them out of circulation, in turn lowering breast cancer risk. Here's how hormone levels were affected by the diet and exercise:
- Estrone levels fell 9.6% with diet, and 11.1% with diet plus exercise
- Estradiol levels dropped 16.2% with diet, and 20.3% with diet plus exercise
- Free-estradiol levels decreased 21.4% with diet, and 26% with diet plus exercise
- Free-testosterone levels declined 10% with diet, and 15.6% with diet plus exercise
- SHBG levels increased 22.4% with diet, and 25.8% with diet plus exercise
(MORE: Study: A 20% 'Fat Tax' Would Improve Public Health)
The main message of the study? It's never too late to reap the benefits of weight loss. "Of course it's best to make lifestyle changes earlier in life so you can avoid the weight gain that most American women are experiencing over time," says Dr. McTiernan. "But if you've gained weight and find yourself overweight in your postmenopausal years, it's not too late to make lifestyle changes to reduce calories and increase physical activity, and thereby reduce your risk factors for breast cancer."
The authors note the findings could also apply to overweight women who are being treated with breast cancer drugs that block estrogen or stop its production, such as tamoxifen, raloxifene and exemestane. These drugs are not recommended for use longer than five years and can have side effects in some women. "Weight loss in overweight or obese women therefore represents an additional option for long-term breast cancer risk reduction," the authors write.
The study was published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Journal of Clinical Oncology.
MORE: Exercising Your DNA


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Motorcoach Country Club (MCC) in Indio, Calif., is partnering with Liberty Coach to display the manufacturer's line of luxury motorcoaches, according to a press release.
"We wanted a place that reflected Liberty Coach's reputation as the very best in the business, in every respect," said Vice President Frank Konigseder, regarding the company's search for its first permanent location west of the Mississippi River. "And that's exactly what we found at Motorcoach Country Club in Indio."
Luxury Coach said that the Motorcoach Country Club offers "impeccable service and surroundings," while earning a 5W Rating from Woodall's.
"We'd been considering this move for quite awhile," Konigseder said. "And after our success last spring" – during which the company displayed a 2013 model from St. Patrick's Day through the end of April on at the country club – we knew it was time to act."
Liberty will display units on a lot overlooking the club's championship golf course, with the Santa Rosa Mountains in the distance. Konigseder plans to have a new coach on display throughout the desert resort's prime season, which runs from January through April.
Konigseder expects the MCC coach display to draw interest from throughout the Palm Springs area, which is home to several other exclusive motorcoach resorts, including Desert Shores Resort and Indian Palms Country Club and Resort, both also located in Indio. Plans are now being finalized for the official opening of the site, which will take place this winter.
"To me, this is the perfect way to cap off what has already been one of the best years ever for Liberty Coach," Konigseder noted. "Every company needs new horizons to aim for, new challenges to take on. Looking west is the next logical step for Liberty. I can't wait to get started."
With locations in Stuart, Fla., and Chicago, Liberty Coach has been providing leadership in the luxury motorcoach industry for over 40 years.


text: If you experience fire and water damage in your home, know the facts. Expert help is needed. After a fire in your home, the damage and toxic residue left behind can be both a health hazard and the cause of further harm to your home and property. Professional fire restoration and water damage clean up is needed to properly clean up and restore your home to a healthy condition after a fire. You can cause more damage and risk to your health trying to clean up on your own. Vacuuming, wiping down the walls, handling fabrics, and any other attempt at cleaning after a fire, can put you at risk of inhaling the hazardous chemicals present in smoke, soot and ash, and cause further damage to your property. Post-structural fires of any scale require specialized cleaning from trained fire restoration professionals. And if not taken care of right away, water damage from fire-fighting will continue to harm the floors, walls and belongings in your home, and can quickly lead to the growth of hazardous mould. At ServiceMaster Restore of Grande Prairie, we are available to respond immediately to address fire and water damage at your home, using advanced equipment and professional techniques to remove the water quickly and safely. We are fire restoration and water damage specialists, providing professional services for the cleaning and removal of smoke, soot, odours and excess water from homes, before further damage occurs. And throughout the process, we strive to minimize disruptions, answer all your questions, and guide you every step of the way. ServiceMaster Restore of Grande Prairie has been Restoring Peace of Mind® by providing professional fire and smoke damage restoration to homeowners. We work directly and collaboratively with our customers to provide a solid commitment. We will guide you through the fire and water damage restoration process to your home, every step of the way. Day or night, we are available to take your call 24/7, every day of the year. The experts at ServiceMaster Restore of Grande Prairie work to get the job done right and stay by your side until you are satisfied with the results. When the unforeseen happens, don't delay. Call the fire restoration and water damage professionals at ServiceMaster Restore of Grande Prairie. Should you have the air quality in your home tested after a fire? In the fire restoration industry today, more attention is being given to the toxicity of after-fire smoke residues. Tens of thousands of toxic chemicals, gases, acids, and hazardous substances can be created in the aftermath of a structural fire. After fire damage occurs in a home, indoor air quality testing should be conducted to determine whether hazardous chemical substances are present. This is especially crucial for situations where plastics, synthetic materials, electronics, or PVC have burned, because these materials can produce extremely hazardous chemicals including dioxin, one of the most toxic chemicals known. Should a fire occur in your home, contact a professional fire and water damage restoration company right away, to ensure that your home and contents are restored and the indoor air quality in your home is safe.


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Eve Jeffers
Name at birth: Eve Jihan Jeffers
Eve Jeffers hit the hip-hop charts in the late 1990s under the nom de rap Eve of Destruction, and by 2003 had branched out into feature films and landed her own series on cable television. Industry lore has it that Eve got her start through an impromptu audition for music producer Dr. Dre in 1997. She released the single "Eve of Destruction" in 1998; it was featured in the Warren Beatty movie Bulworth, but Eve was released from Dre's label Aftermath Records before releasing a full album. Thanks to rapper DMX, Eve was signed by Ruff Ryders, and her 1999 debut album, Eve: Ruff Ryders' First Lady, entered the charts at number 1. Her reputation as a tough MC continued with Scorpion (2001), and her acting career and duets with Gwen Stefani ("Let Me Blow Ya Mind") and Alicia Keys ("Gangsta Lovin'") proved Eve's appeal to mainstream audiences. In addition to having her own TV series (Eve, 2003-06 on UPN), she has appeared in the films XXX (2002, with Vin Diesel), Barbershop (2002, with Ice Cube), The Woodsman (2004, with Kyra Sedgwick) and Flashbacks of a Fool (2008, starring Daniel Craig).
Before she was an MC, Eve worked as a dancer in a strip club… Eve is known for her fashion sense and has her own line of clothing… Arrested in April of 2007 for driving while intoxicated, she was fined and ordered the following June to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet for 45 days.
Seemingly official site
Recap and episode guide to her TV show
Copyright © 1998-2018 by Who2?, LLC. All rights reserved.


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Chapter 38
Bezaleel and others make the altar of burnt offerings and all things pertaining to the tabernacle—Offerings are made by 603,550 men.
1 And he amade the baltar of burnt offering of cshittim wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof; it was foursquare; and three cubits the height thereof.
2 And he made the horns thereof on the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of athe same: and he overlaid it with bbrass.
3 And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, and the fleshhooks, and the firepans: all the vessels thereof made he of brass.
4 And he made for the altar a brasen grate of network under athe compass thereof beneath unto the midst of it.
5 And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grate of brass, to be places for the staves.
6 And he made the staves of shittim wood, and overlaid them with brass.
7 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, to bear it withal; he made the altar hollow with boards.
8 ¶ And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the alookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
9 ¶ And he made the court: on the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, an hundred cubits:
10 Their apillars were twenty, and their brasen bsockets twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver.
11 And for the north side the hangings were an hundred cubits, their pillars were twenty, and their sockets of brass twenty; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
12 And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver.
13 And for the east side eastward fifty cubits.
14 The hangings of the one side of the gate were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15 And for the other side of the court gate, on this hand and that hand, were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16 All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined alinen.
17 And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their achapiters of silver; and all the bpillars of the court were filleted with silver.
18 And the ahanging for the gate of the court was needlework, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen: and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, banswerable to the hangings of the court.
19 And their pillars were four, and their sockets of brass four; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their chapiters and their fillets of silver.
20 And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.
21 ¶ This is the asum of the btabernacle, even of the ctabernacle of testimony, as it was counted, according to the commandment of Moses, for the service of the dLevites, by the hand of eIthamar, son to Aaron the priest.
22 And Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses.
23 And with him was Aholiab, son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an engraver, and a cunning workman, and an embroiderer in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.
24 All the gold that was aoccupied for the work in all the work of the holy place, even the gold of the boffering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
25 And the silver of them that were numbered of the congregation was an hundred talents, and a thousand seven hundred and threescore and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary:
26 A bekah for every man, that is, half a shekel, after the ashekel of the sanctuary, for every one bthat went to be numbered, from twenty years old and upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men.
27 And of the hundred talents of silver were cast the sockets of the sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil; an hundred sockets of the hundred talents, a talent for a socket.
28 And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for the pillars, and overlaid their chapiters, and filleted them.
29 And the brass of the offering was seventy talents, and two thousand and four hundred shekels.
30 And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the brasen altar, and the brasen grate for it, and all the vessels of the altar,
31 And the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets of the court gate, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins of the court round about.


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The combined (state, county, and city) property tax rate for a Bowie resident is $1.6960 per $100 of assessed value for fiscal year 2024. This is up from the 2023 rate of $1.6860. While the Bowie property tax rate has been stable for the last thirteen years, residents may have seen their tax bills increase due to higher property assessments and the fact that Prince George's County raised its property tax rate by $.04 in fiscal year 2016. Property assessments are developed by the State of Maryland and are based on market rates.
The City's fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30.
The budget process begins in December and the budget is adopted in May.
Bowie gets its income from general property taxes, state shared revenue, licenses, permits, fees, fines, service charges, and funds from other agencies.
Correspond with the City Manager, and/or elected Councilmembers any time during the year. Attend one of the public City Council meetings (usually on Monday nights) and make comments to City Council during the Citizen Participation or Public Hearing portion of the meeting.
Learn more about City Council meetings.
Bowie uses its funds for general government expenses, economic development, public safety, social services, public works, parks, culture, and recreation.
Sixty percent of the fees from speed cameras goes to the City general fund and helps offset the cost of the Police Department and 40% is used for administration and maintenance of the cameras.
Bowie has two budgets: the operating budget and the capital budget. Both funds are covered by regular sources of income and are allocated by City Council each year depending on the planned improvements. At times, the City might issue a bond for a major capital expense.
No. The local water system covers only some of the neighborhoods in Bowie. All costs for the operation of the Water Plant and capital improvements are covered by the billings that go out to the users of the Bowie Water System.
The State of Maryland has increased the Bay Restoration Fee that appears on your water bill and these funds are sent to the State.
Bowie is on a "pay as you go" model, meaning that the City does not spend funds that it does not have or were not budgeted. There are specific debt policies which guide the City Council. Bowie enjoys a AAA credit rating.
Bowie maintains a reserve fund to provide a cushion in the event of unanticipated expenditures such as snow removal. These reserve funds may be used to balance the budget. If necessary, the tax rate may be increased.
Bowie continues to implement programs that reduce energy consumption or that enhance the environment.
In the past, Prince George's County provided police coverage for Bowie. This changed when Bowie voted to start its own police force in 2005. The City Police Department is fully funded by the City's general fund. However, the department receives State and County funding to offset some of its expenditures. The department continues to work in partnership with the Prince George's County Police Department. This partnership includes sharing training opportunities, joint initiatives, and information sharing.
The City does not pay for the Fire Department. This responsibility is handled by Prince George's County and paid with County taxes. The City provides an annual contribution of $167,000 to the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD) for various operational expenses. In addition, the City has $165,000 in reserves for the purpose of purchasing fire equipment for BVFD.
Fees are charged to participants, but in order to keep the fees low, the City provides additional funding out of the general fund to cover the cost of the Gymnasium and Ice Arena.


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The Ezra Klein Show
New York Times Opinion
*** Named a best podcast of 2021 by Time, Vulture, Esquire and The Atlantic. *** Each Tuesday and Friday, Ezra Klein invites you into a conversation on something that matters. How do we address climate change if the political system fails to act? Has the logic of markets infiltrated too many aspects of our lives? What is the future of the Republican Party? What do psychedelics teach us about consciousness? What does sci-fi understand about our present that we miss? Can our food system be just to
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Jeep History: Jeep started as the classic Ford-built Army vehicle popularized by World War II movies. The first civilian Jeep was the 1941 Willys CJ. Kaiser purchased Willys in 1953 and named it Kaiser-Jeep in 1963, then sold it to American Motors in 1970, who sold to Chrysler in 1987, who merged with Daimler-Benz in 1998. The Chrysler and Jeep names are now owned by the Chrysler Group, LL
$24,900 US Dollars
Feb 20, 2024


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CRS: Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests, June 18, 2008
From WikiLeaks
About this CRS report
This document was obtained by Wikileaks from the United States Congressional Research Service.
The CRS is a Congressional "think tank" with a staff of around 700. Reports are commissioned by members of Congress on topics relevant to current political events. Despite CRS costs to the tax payer of over $100M a year, its electronic archives are, as a matter of policy, not made available to the public.
Individual members of Congress will release specific CRS reports if they believe it to assist them politically, but CRS archives as a whole are firewalled from public access.
This report was obtained by Wikileaks staff from CRS computers accessible only from Congressional offices.
For other CRS information see: Congressional Research Service.
For press enquiries, consult our media kit.
If you have other confidential material let us know!.
For previous editions of this report, try OpenCRS.
Wikileaks release: February 2, 2009
Publisher: United States Congressional Research Service
Title: Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests
CRS report number: 97-690
Author(s): Jim Nichol, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
Date: June 18, 2008
- Abstract
- This report examines Kyrgyzstan's uneven political and economic reform efforts. It discusses U.S. policy and assistance for democratization and other programs. Basic facts and biographical information are provided..
- Download


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Mike Barrett
Activist Post
For many years government and health officials have been trying to push vaccination.
While childhood vaccine exemption rates have been increasing, we have been seeing an overall increase in the amount of people receiving the flu shot each year.
There have even been numerous occasions where legislators and others have called for mandatory vaccinations that could affect health care workers in particular.
In fact, many pediatricians are so angry with their patients who refuse vaccination that they are 'firing' patients and their families, refusing to play their role as doctor. That's right, pediatricians are refusing to help parents — and their families — if they aren't 'responsible' enough to vaccinate their children.
One study of Connecticut pediatricians found that some 30 percent of 133 doctors said they they refused to help a family due to vaccine refusal. Another survey of 909 Midwestern pediatricians found that 21 percent dismissed a family due to vaccine refusal.
While doctors are trained and told to 'sell' these vaccines, many people are becoming aware of vaccine dangers and risks. One study found that more than 1 in 10 parents are straying away from the traditional vaccine schedule, with the number to increase exponentially over the next few years.
For doctors to refuse care for those making a decision for their own health is irresponsible to say the least. Perhaps doctors should consider these truths about vaccines and the flu shot before 'firing' patients who refuse to be pricked.
- Flu vaccines have been shown to be quite ineffective. They simply aren't nearly as helpful as health officials make them out to be.
- Vaccines suppress the immune system which could actually increase your risk for contracting the flu for weeks or months.
- The flu shot "protects" against the influenza virus, but only about 20 percent of flu sicknesses are caused by influenza type A or B. The 80 percent remaining are caused by over 200 other bugs which make you feel like you have the flu.
- Flu shots have been linked to killer nerve disease.
- Vaccines contain chemicals called adjuvants, which are causing numerous health complications.
- Your immune system is the absolute best defense for any sickness.
- Vitamin D is over 800 percent more effective at preventing and reversing flu, with no side effects.
Explore More:
- Should You Follow Through with Vaccination?
- Doctors Often Withhold Information from their Patients
- African Country Threatens to Jail Parents for Skipping Polio Vaccination
- New Bill to Mandate Flu Vaccine for New Jersey Health Care Workers
- Swine Flu Vaccine Linked to Guillain Barre May Also Lead to Narcolepsy
- VacciNation: Duped by Medical Quackery
This article first appeared at Natural Society, an excellent resource for health news and vaccine information.


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Parshat Lech Lecha
Ten generations have passed since Noach. Man has descended spiritually. In the year 1948 from Creation, Avram is born. By observing the world, Avram comes to recognize G-ds existence, and thus merits that G-d appear to him. At the beginning of this weeks Torah portion G-d tells Avram to leave his land, his relatives and his father's house and travel to an unknown land where G-d will make him into a great nation. Avram leaves, taking with him his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, their servants, and those whom they converted to faith in G-d. When they reach the land of Canaan, G-d appears to Avram and tells him that this is the land that He will give to his descendants. A famine ensues and Avram is forced to relocate to Egypt to find food. Realizing that his wifes beauty would cause his death at the hand of the Egyptians, Avram asks her to say that she is his sister. Sarai is taken to Pharaoh, but G-d afflicts Pharaoh and his court with severe plagues and she is released unmolested. Avram returns to Eretz Yisrael (Canaan) with much wealth given to him by the Egyptians. During a quarrel over grazing rights between their shepherds, Avram decides to part ways with his nephew Lot. Lot chooses to live in the rich but corrupt city of Sodom in the fertile plain of the Jordan. A war breaks out between the kings of the region and Sodom is defeated. Lot is taken captive. Together with a handful of his converts, Avram rescues Lot, miraculously overpowering vastly superior forces, but Avram demurs from accepting any of the spoils of the battle. In a prophetic covenant, G-d reveals to Avram that his offspring will be exiled to a strange land where they will be oppressed for 400 years, after which they will emerge with great wealth and return to Eretz Yisrael, their irrevocable inheritance. Sarai is barren and gives Hagar, her Egyptian hand-maiden, to Avram in the hope that she will provide them with a child. Hagar becomes arrogant when she discovers that she is pregnant. Sarai deals harshly with her, and Hagar flees. On the instruction of an angel Hagar returns to Avram, and gives birth to Yishmael. The weekly portion concludes with G-d commanding Avram to circumcise himself and his offspring throughout the generations as a Divine covenant. G-d changes Avrams name to Avraham, and Sarais name to Sarah. G-d promises Avraham a son, Yitzchak, despite Avraham being ninety-nine years old and Sarah ninety. On that day, Avraham circumcises himself, Yishmael and all his household.
Life In The Fast Lane
"Go for yourself…" (12:1)
Very soon, only the speed of light will limit our ability to communicate a thought, a picture, a sound or a sentence from one side of the world to the other — and beyond.
The meaning of the word "distance" has changed forever.
Just as the electron has shrunk our world, so too there has been a quiet and maybe even more fundamental revolution in the way we look at traveling. We see nothing special in the fact that several hundred people can file into a large metal room and find themselves on the other side of the world in a matter of hours.
A little more than a hundred years ago, to circumnavigate the globe would have required months of arduous, dangerous and expensive effort — almost beyond our imagining. Nowadays, the major drawback in circling the earth in a plane is an aching back from sitting in a reclining chair that doesn't quite live up to its name.
We have breached the last frontier. Distance has become no more than a function of time spent in a chair.
The electron and the 747 have had their impact on our culture in other ways. Our cultural mindset mandates that speed is of the essence. "How fast can I get there?" vies in importance with "Where am I going?"
Immediacy has become an independent yardstick of worth. How fast is your car? Your computer?
Our age has sought to devour distance and time, rendering everything in a constant and immediate present. Now this. Now this. Now this. (Interestingly, the languages of the age — film, television and computer graphics — are languages which have trouble expressing the past and the future. They only have a present tense. Everything happens in a continuous present.)
All of which makes our spiritual development more and more challenging.
Spirituality is a path. And like a path you have to walk down it one step at a time. Your fingers cannot do the walking on the spiritual path. You cannot download it from the Internet.
Everything in the physical world is a paradigm, an incarnation, of a higher spiritual idea. Travel is the physical equivalent of the spiritual road. The quest for spirituality demands that we travel — but this journey is not a physical journey. Many make the mistake of thinking that hitchhiking around the world and experiencing different cultures will automatically make them more spiritual. The truth is that wherever you go – there you are. When your travel is only physical you just wrap up your troubles in your old kit bag and take them with you.
Spiritual growth requires the soul to journey. Our soul must notch up the miles, not our feet. The spiritual road requires us to forsake the comfortable, the familiar ever-repeating landmarks of our personalities, and set out with an open mind and a humble soul. We must divest ourselves of the fawning icons of our own egos which we define and confine us — and journey.
Life's essential journey is that of the soul discovering its true identity. We learn this from the first two words in this week's Torah portion. "LechLecha." "Go to yourself."
Without vowels, these two words are written identically. When G‑d took Avraham out of Ur Kasdim and sent him to the Landof Israel, He used those two identical words — LechLecha —"Go to yourself."
Avraham experienced ten tests in his spiritual journey. Each was exquisitely designed to elevate him to his ultimate spiritual potential. When G-d gives us a test, whether it's the death of a loved one or a financial reversal or an illness, it's always to help us grow. By conquering the obstacles that lie in our spiritual path – be it lack of trust in G‑d or selfishness or apathy — we grow in stature. We connect with the fundamental purpose of the journey — to journey away from our negative traits and reach and realize our true selves.
We "go to ourselves."


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A prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist has stepped into the middle of a long-standing controversy over a California tradition: open access to the state's famed beaches.
In a lawsuit filed this week, the Surfrider Foundation, a coastal protection group, alleges that the owner of a beachfront property south of San Francisco has violated the law by closing an access road that has long been used by local surfers and fisherman to reach a spit of sand called Martin's Beach.
"It's the most beautiful beach in San Mateo County," said Mark Massara, a lawyer for Surfrider. Massara says he surfs often at the beach and believes the law provides for access to everyone.
While documents list the owner of the property as Martin's Beach LLC, a person familiar with the matter says the owner is Vinod Khosla, a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and a prominent venture capitalist known for investing in clean-energy technology.
In California, unlike in most other states, all beaches are open to the public under the constitution. But private landowners are not always required to allow access to the coastline across their property, and many disputes have arisen over the years – often involving wealthy beachfront homeowners.
In the case of the Martin's Beach property, the previous owner had long allowed locals to access the beach for a fee. But the new owner, who bought the property in 2008 and soon after installed gates on the access road and hired guards to keep people out – infuriating locals, who staged a protest at the property on Thursday.
Lawyers for Surfrider say California's Coastal Act calls for permits around activities that change the use or intensity of use at a beach – permits Martin's Beach LLCfailed to acquire before installing the gates.
Joan Gallo, a lawyer for Martin's Beach LLC, did not respond to phone messages. A spokeswoman for Khosla did not respond to requests for comment.
The dispute echoes record mogul David Geffen's long battle to prevent use of a walkway near his Malibu home. In 1983, Geffen agreed to allow a pathway to Carbon Beach when he sought permits for a pool and other additions, but he later filed suit to fight the access. In 2005, Geffen settled the suit and allowed the public walkway.
More recently, heiress Lisette Ackerberg has been fighting an easement on her Carbon Beach property, where she has built a tennis court and a generator that block the easement. She is appealing a 2011 order from a California Superior Court judge that require her to clear the right of way.
The tiff also evokes some other neighborly disputes in recent years involving wealthy technology executives including late Apple <AAPL.O> co-founder Steve Jobs, Lotus founder Mitch Kapor, Lucasfilm founder George Lucas and Oracle <ORCL.O> founder Larry Ellison.
Jobs fought a bitter battle with neighbors in Woodside, California, over a 1920s-era house he owned but wanted to tear down and replace with something more sleek. He twice won demolition permits that were contested by preservationists; the wrecking ball finally came to the house in 2011, months before his death. The property is now vacant.
Also that year, Ellison settled a case he had filed against his neighbors over trees he said blocked the bay views from his house in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood.
Last year, special-effects pioneer Lucas, the creator of "Star Wars," got so fed up with his development-fighting neighbors in Marin County, California, that he scrapped plans to expand his Skywalker Ranch and said he would instead sell it to a developer to build low-income housing.
And this year, the California Supreme Court is reviewing a case that pits software mogul Kapor against his neighbors in the hills of Berkeley, California, where he hopes to build a 10,000-square-foot house.
In the latest conflict, Martin's Beach LLC lawyer Joan Gallo told the San Francisco Chronicle earlier this week that she welcomed the case. "All we've wanted from the very beginning was an opportunity to have a court decide the rights and obligations of the parties."
Khosla made his name as a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and later joined the blue-chip venture firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. He started Khosla Ventures in 2004, and the firm known for investing in clean-technology companies such as renewable energy company KiOR <Kior.O> and renewable-products company Amyris <AMRS.O>.
In 2011, Khosla committed half his fortune to charity as part of the Giving Pledge, an initiative started by Microsoft <MSFT.O> founder Bill Gates and BerkshireHathaway chief Warren Buffett.
But he is somewhat of a maverick who has complained about environmentalists. Last year at the Berkeley-Stanford Cleantech Conference, he said clean technology has been hurt by environmentalists more than any other group, because environmentalists back idealized solutions that "don't make any economic sense."
The lawsuit in Superior Court of California, San Mateo County, is Surfrider Foundation v. Martins Beach 1, LLC, case number 520336.


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30 Years in the Making, National PTSD Awareness Day Arrives
This past week, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution submitted by Sen. Kent Conrad [D-ND] marking today, June 27, as National PTSD Awareness Day. Boy, have we come a long way.
It's been three decades since post-traumatic stress disorder was first listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). Since then, the study of trauma has taken off, reflected in academic publications such as the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
In February, in fact, JTS devoted an entire issue specifically to combat PTSD as it has affected veterans and military families embroiled in our current wars in the Middle East.
A few stats from the issue's editorial [pdf]:
High-profile events such as the terrorist attacks on 9/11 have contributed to an increased public recognition of trauma as well as greater professional interest. The number of articles on disaster increased substantially from the period in the 5 years before 9/11 to the period 5 years after by 145% in specialty disaster journals and 320% in general medical journals, with the largest increase being 2,340% in the New England Journal of Medicine (Kelen & Sauer, 2008). Other high-profile events -- the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the bombings in London and Madrid, Hurricane Katrina, and the tsunami in Southeast Asia -- have undoubtedly had a similar impact.
KFYR-NBC out of Bismarck, N.D., broadcast news of National PTSD Awareness Day in a segment now online. In extended, a few informative videos including a recent PBS interview with Dr. Jonathan Shay, noted VA psychologist, author and 2007 MacArthur Fellow.
I hope today will help to further chip away at the stigmas associated with seeking help for those battling traumatic injuries of all kinds.
Part I
Part II
VetsPrevail - Veterans and Suicide


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OCEAN CITY – Ocean City's effort to ultimately obtain over 600 retired New York City "Red Bird" subway cars for its ever-expanding artificial reef system off the coast is cruising along ahead of schedule with funds raised already for one-and-a-half barges full, amounting to nearly 70 cars.
The Ocean City Reef Foundation, in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is in the process of acquiring as many as 630 of the recently retired New York City subway dating back to the 1960s. The city's Metropolitan Transportation Authority is making available 1,600 of the subway cars for artificial reef systems in coastal states throughout the mid-Atlantic and the Ocean City Reef Foundation has already raised funds for nearly 70 of the cars.
The local plan calls for acquiring 630 of the subway cars for the artificial reef system off the coast of Ocean City over the next three years as funding becomes available. The cars will be delivered to the reef sites by barge with about 40 cars on each barge. Because of the distance they must be transported, the cost is coming in at around $600 per car, which is a significant undertaking for the local reef program and will amount to more than it has raised and spent in the 10 years of its existence when the project reaches fruition.
However, the Ocean City Reef Foundation is ahead of its unwritten schedule already with $40,000 raised thus far, or enough for one full barge and halfway to a second. Each barge will contain roughly 42 cars and cost about $25,000 to deliver.
"We've raised a little over $40,000, which is enough for a barge and a half so far," said Greg Hall of the Ocean City Reef Foundation. "We've done pretty well so far and we have a lot more promises."
For the last decade, the Ocean City Reef Foundation has been steadily expanding the artificial reef system off the coast of the resort with eight sites ranging from as close to shore as one mile to as far as 20 miles. In that span, the foundation has submerged tons of pieces of material, from old boats to retired military equipment to discarded construction material, enhancing habitat for fish and other sea creatures, which, in turn, has improved offshore fishing for recreational anglers and created new opportunities for diving enthusiasts.
However, obtaining as many as 630 subway cars could double the size of the artificial reef system off the coast of Ocean City in one fell swoop. Hall said the foundation is hoping to obtain barges full of the subway cars in phases with three to four barge-loads the initial goal. He pointed out at around 40 cars per barge, it won't take long for the program to dramatically expand the growing artificial reef system off the coast of the resort.
"Put it this way," he said. "One barge-load is almost as much as we've done in 10 years and we're talking about three or four barge loads in this first phase."
Some of the subway cars acquired will be used to fill out existing artificial reef sites. Others will be used to create new artificial reefs on sites that are already permitted and are just waiting for material.
The latest effort to obtain retired New York City subway cars comes about eight years after the town of Ocean City rejected a similar proposal for as many as 3,000 of the cars, citing environmental concerns including the presence of asbestos in the retired rail cars. However, several states including Delaware, Virginia and New Jersey accepted the subway cars after Maryland balked eight years ago and the artificial reef systems in those states have flourished with the additions.
This time around, the retired subway cars, which have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have been completely stripped of any potential dangerous materials, essentially becoming stainless steel shells of their former selves. Once sunk to the bottom, they will quickly become encrusted with natural coral and other marine growth, expanding habitat and attracting and retaining several species of fish.
With $40,000, or about 70 cars worth, raised thus far in just a few short months, the reef foundation is out to a quick start with its fundraising efforts, but there is a long way to go to reach the ultimate goal of 630 cars. At around 42 cars per barge-load, the foundation will need to acquire 15 barges full of retired subway cars to reach the final goal, which will ultimately cost around $378,000.
Hall said he remains confident the foundation will reach the goal, given the enthusiasm surrounding the project so far and the informal promises for more donations obtained.
"Once we get one out there and delivered, we expect the enthusiasm to grow," he said. "Right now, the fishing community is lying a little dormant for the winter and people aren't thinking about this, but the weather is getting better and people will start getting back into a fishing frame of mind."
One can make a donation to the project, or any of the foundation's artificial reef enhancement projects, by visiting the website at www.ocreeffoundation.com.


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I have friends buried in a small corner of a rolling green field just down the road from the Pentagon. They're permanently assigned to Section 60. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it's 14 acres in the southeast corner of Arlington National Cemetery that serves as a burial ground for many military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are fresh graves there.
I spent my formative years in combat boots and all of my friends are in the military, were in the military, or married into the military. I have several friends buried at Arlington, and know of dozens more men and women interred in that hallowed ground.
Section 60 is a place I visit often.
I toyed with the idea of making the trip south from New York City this weekend to spend some time, reflect and sit quietly but decided against it. Some friend, huh?


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NOTE: What follows are selected excerpts from my open letter to constitutional activist Rick Stanley (2005.) Rick Stanley is one of my personal heroes. He stood up for America; he defended Liberty with no compromises. He is a genuine, Spirit-filled Christian and since 2007, he has been in prison, wrongfully and unlawfully convicted of the "crime" of exercising his God-given (natural) unalienable, constitutionally protected and guaranteed rights.
And where are the REAL criminals today? Are they in jail? No, they are still on the loose; still persecuting genuine Christians, patriots, whistleblowers and expositors of government corruption. Still running their COINTELPRO,and wreaking havoc in the lives of decent people who sincerely love this country and fight to save it from complete destruction.
Nothing could be more of an outrage!
October 12, 2008
Open Letter to Constitutional Activist Rick Stanley:
Selected Excerpts (2005)
Re COINTELPRO TACTICS
Dear Rick,
I want to begin by thanking you for posting my open letter to Noreen Gosch. So far, to my knowledge, you have been the only person with any sort of reading audience on the Internet willing to do so.
Predictably, Ken Adachi, the primary front man and apologist for ex-FBI agent and COINTELPRO operative Ted Gunderson, immediately seized his window of opportunity to add you to his "most wanted" list: That is, the people his controlling overlords, such as Gunderson, want discredited, come hell or high water. So, welcome to the club.
Considering the fact that only sincere patriots, legitimate whistle-blowers and defenders of the United States Constitution make the grade, I'd consider it an honor to be added to Adachi's list.
If you're libeled by Adachi, it can only mean one thing: You're the real deal, that you've proven through your actions (as opposed to the empty rhetoric being spewed out by so many of those claiming to be "patriots") that you are willing to fight to the death, if need be, to stand up for your natural, God-given rights, guaranteed under the Constitution.
Liberty or Death. Don't Tread on Me.
That's the flag I have flying in front of my house. I've put them on notice. And I can guarantee, that's the way it's going to be, at least for me, no matter what the liars, traitors and cowards who are destroying our country throw my way.
From reading your brief commentaries, also posted on Adachi's site, I see that you have now been targeted by the "Concerned Citizen" Tim White. He, like Adachi, now accuses you of being "duped" by the nefarious "CIA operative", Barbara Hartwell and her presumptive partner-in-crime, Stew Webb.
You are also now accused of being on a government payroll and, oh yes, lest we forget, of being a LIAR!...the usual rabid rantings of Tim White.
His rantings, that is, against anyone and everyone who becomes suspicious of his dubious "credentials"; anyone not ready and willing to buy into the conspiracy theories he is peddling (one of which is that "the CIA is out to get" him, but not to worry, he is, and I quote "protected"); or --God forbid!-- unwilling to tolerate his criminal harassment, which he perpetrates at the behest of his crime bosses from Division Five (5) of the Denver FBI, and some corrupt folks over at the Denver Sheriff's office who are all, of course, in collusion with Ted Gunderson and other criminal "ex" government officials.
If White indeed has any such "protectors", well, I think it's been fairly well established who they are. How long they will continue to protect him is another matter altogether.
Not at all surprising, Larry Lawson has also jumped into the fray with his usual melodramatic flair. Lawson uses lots of UPPER CASE LETTERS to get his message across, a message of RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION!!!! against his targets, displayed in lurid BOLD! RED! and BLACK!...just in case the readers miss the point.
In fact, Lawson had Tim White and his girlfriend-of-the-moment, Shirley Anderson, as guests on his radio program, called The Intelligence Report (Lawson should change the name to The Stupidity Report) a couple years ago, for the sole purpose of spreading lies about Barbara Hartwell and Stew Webb, calling us "false patriots"; "CIA disinfo agents", etc. etc.
But, just like Ken Adachi, Tim White and others who target legitimate activists and expositors of government corruption, Lawson does not EVER furnish any evidence to support his outrageous claims.
The reason is simple: None of these people are in possession of evidence. If they were, you can best believe we would have seen it by now. We haven't, so there you have it.
Perhaps the best way to make my case about the modus operandi of these government-sponsored provocateurs, would be to give an example, this one involving Tim White.
In this particular case we will see how a third party, Virginia McCollough, uses "information" furnished by Tim White to make an outrageous allegation about Barbara Hartwell, that is, implicating me in a murder.
I've taken this edited segment from material to be published on my new website.
VIRGINIA McCOLLOUGH: LIBELOUS ALLEGATIONS ABOUT A MURDER
An unscrupulous journalist, Virginia McCollough, a featured columnist for the publication, NewsMakingNews, has taken it upon herself (for reasons which remain obscure to me) to make a number of extremely damaging and libelous allegations against Barbara Hartwell, one of the latest among them (2004) an attempt to implicate me in a murder, that of investigative journalist Brian Downing Quig of Arizona.
This vile, unjust and totally unsubstantiated allegation was made in reference to a man, namely Quig, whom I had never met; did not know; and with whom I had NEVER at any time had any contact whatsoever, even by e-mail.
In point of fact, I had never even heard of Brian Quig until shortly before his death, when I happened to see some comments he had written about me on a public message board called CIA-Drugs, of which I am not, and have never been, a member.
Strangely enough, Quig's comments about Barbara Hartwell were based on disinformation (false claims re what I had written about 9-11) being spread by some of the COINTELPRO minions, including Brenda Negri (one of White's cohorts and a long-time Gunderson dupe) and thus had no basis in fact.
This certainly was not an unusual occurrence: I have come upon my name, in connection to many and various forms of disinformation, which seems to inevitably lead to all kinds of additional speculative comments, by people posting on Internet message boards. Evidently, in this instance, this included Mr. Quig.
Sometime later, I found an earlier message (2002) written by Brian Quig to Mike Ruppert on CIA Drugs. Here, an excerpt from this message, offered to substantiate the fact that I did not know Brian Quig.
[Brian Downing Quig wrote:
"Mike,, I do not know Barbara Hartwell but I have met Stew Webb several times."From what I later learned, from several trustworthy persons (including Stew Webb) who had known Brian Quig, it appears to me that Quig had been a legitimate individual, whose death was likely not "accidental" (as claimed, the result of a hit-and-run automobile incident, where Quig was struck down by a motorist while crossing a street.)
Not having known Quig; not having investigated the incident myself; nor having any evidence connected to his death, I cannot presume to say. But it does amaze me that my name could be brought up in even the slightest connection to the death of a man I had never had any dealings with nor even known.
Predictably (what else is new?) I was also accused by McCollough of working for an "intelligence agency" in connection to my alleged part in this dastardly deed (the death of Brian Quig).
And of course, McCollough's article, which supposedly focused on a posthumous tribute to Brian Quig, per the title, In Honor of Brian Downing Quig, was also posted far and wide by McCollough and her like-minded associates.
But it gets even stranger: The bulk of the article did not address Brian Quig, his life or tragic death. Instead, McCollough used most of the ink to libel and trash Barbara Hartwell, whom she blamed at least in part for this man's untimely demise, using the usual character assassination, her primary stock-in-trade.
Also as usual, McCollough furnished no corroborating evidence for her defamation.
Instead, she named a "source".
Ms. McCollough's "source" for these damning allegations about Barbara Hartwell?
The notorious Tim White, one of the amateur provocateurs being used as a COINTELPRO minion, answering to corrupt FBI operatives out of Division Five, Denver, Colorado (with whom he made a deal for a get-out-of-jail-free card, in 2002, in return for harassing and spreading lies about legitimate whistle-blowers such as Barbara Hartwell, ex-FBI agent Geral Sosbee and Federal Whistle-blower Stew Webb).
White also serves as a step'n-fetchit for ex-FBI agent Ted L. Gunderson, the head honcho of the COINTELPRO minions, whom White boasts is "a personal friend". Same boast he had made about current FBI agent Mark Holtslaw of the Denver Field Office.
Tim White, whom McCollough openly named as her "source" is also a predicate felon, drug abuser, sexual pervert, transvestite and a subscriber to child pornography, who has spread his malicious lies about Barbara Hartwell for years, in the form of libel and slander.
Tim White, of course, alleges that I am CIA. To be more specific, he calls me "that CIA bitch", an epithet he has posted on numerous message boards all over the World Wide Web and with which he has slandered me, to anyone willing to lend an ear.
This includes the listening audiences on various radio programs, among them those sponsored by Genesis Communications Network. I can only guess that the same Genesis executives who banned me from their network (for exposing the truth about the criminal activities of Ted Gunderson, John DeCamp and others) think it's just fine and dandy for a government dupe like Tim White to spread the lie that Barbara Hartwell is a "false patriot" who works for CIA. As long as the truth doesn't come out, they're home safe.
But back to Virginia McCollough: just one example, among many, of the total lack of professionalism and journalistic integrity which runs rampant on these "alternative" media websites.
McCollough (like many others) also thought nothing of violating my privacy by publishing confidential memos (totally irrelevant to the purported topic: the death of Brian Quig) which McCollough had promised to keep "off the record", and which I had sent to her quite a few years ago, in reference to another topic altogether. You guessed it: Ted Gunderson.
And contrary to McCollough's claim that I had sought her out (in the late nineties) and was "inundating" her with a deluge of unsolicited e-mail, I had never heard of McCollough or her publication, NewsMakingNews, until she first approached me by sending me an unsolicited e-mail message complimenting me on my writings (which she had received via a newswire service which distributed my work) at which time I added her to my mailing list, by her request.
She then took advantage of that list when I made an inadvertent mistake on one occasion by failing to send my newsletter by blind copies, my usual procedure. McCollough began sending her own deluge of unsolicited e-mail, promoting NewsMakingNews to everyone on my large e-mail list, which I had compiled for subscribers to my newsletter, The Hartwell Intelligence Report.
Several people on that list actually complained about McCollough's aggressive advertising scheme, some of whom blocked her e-mail address to avoid further spam. I made a public apology to my subscribers, taking full responsibility for inadvertently exposing their e-mail addresses to spammers, including McCollough.
Virginia McCollough purposely misrepresented the nature of my interactions with her, during a brief time span, years ago. She is a malicious liar and a scavenger with whom I have had no further dealings, for precisely these reasons, and yet she continues to libel me whenever the fancy strikes her.
Her "sources" (need I say it?) leave much to be desired, especially where credibility is concerned.
And lastly, I find it ironic as hell that she would attribute credibility to a source who answers to (and gets most of his "information" from) none other than ex-FBI Senior SAC, Ted L. Gunderson, a man whom McCollough has made her hatred and contempt for the topic of numerous reports for many years, mostly published in the "Gunderson Data Dump" on NewsMakingNews.
It seems to me that Virginia McCollough's spiteful behavior may be due to the fact that Barbara Hartwell has done a far more thorough and credible job of exposing the criminal activities of Ted L. Gunderson (along with Stew Webb and Jackie McGauley, the real whistle-blower in the McMartin Preschool Case for which Gunderson has tried to take the credit) in just a few short years (2001-2005) than she herself, despite the time and resources she has invested in her own efforts to discredit Gunderson, going back many years.
But in my opinion, McCollough has cut off her nose to spite her face. If she had any integrity, or any real concern for the truth, she would be thankful that others have come forward with the information we have, which could have helped her own work, the purported nature of which is to expose corruption.
Apparently, like many other journalists (such as the psychotic grandstander Todd Brendan Fahey or the "patriot celebrity" Alex Jones) McCollough's main concern is getting the jump, being the FIRST to publish, getting the "scoop". The truth itself gets lost in the shuffle.
And lastly, I will include another segment from the website, describing the nature of COINTELPRO and related operations by which I [yourself, Rick Stanley] and others have been targeted.
I have been targeted for vicious harassment (at times of a criminal nature) by many of the unconscionable, ignorant and misguided people who populate the Internet. This harassment has included libel and slander campaigns by various individuals, many of whom comprise a loose-knit network of dupes and minions of the FBI/CIA et al, broadly known as a COINTELPRO-style operation.
(CIA also implemented a similar program, Operation CHAOS, geared toward illegal domestic spying and sabotage of the activities of "dissidents"; however, COINTELPRO better describes the operation as it has been run by both agencies since the advent of the Internet, which only became a major venue for such operations about ten years ago.)
The purpose of the COINTELPRO operation: To publicly discredit those legitimate individuals who are telling the truth about criminals, tyrants and traitors in government; and to sabotage the work of genuine activists standing up against the New World Order.
COINTELPRO --instituted in the 1950s under the auspices of the FBI by J. Edgar Hoover-- involves, among other operations, professional intelligence operatives who organize amateurs (who pose as political activists; "patriots" or even "Christians") to target bona fide whistle-blowers, survivors of government black operations, sincere patriots and defenders of the Constitution, by demonizing their character; spreading lies and disinformation; Machiavellian divide-and-conquer tactics; as well as harassment campaigns by e-mail and phone, even stalking (cyber-stalking included).
These sowers of discord --provocateurs and saboteurs-- are nothing but stooges, patsies being used for a purpose they are not nearly smart enough to comprehend. They do not think for themselves and thus lack spiritual and intellectual discernment.
They are little nobodies, aimlessly drifting nowhere --that is, until they are set on a 'remote-control' course to execute someone else's agenda.
These pawns of the powers-that-be don't need credentials, training nor even a formal education and most have none of these advantages.
It's a no-brainer. The only 'credentials' these self-important pathological liars (many of whom are also delusional) need to get the job done are a loud mouth; a dishonest, deceitful and dishonorable nature; a worship of government authority figures; a willingness to blindly follow orders; a lack of scruples; and an axe to grind...close enough for government work.
Voila: The COINTELPRO operatives have rounded up some cheap-and-easy labor to carry out the low-level dirty work for Le Grande Frere, now conveniently protected under the umbrella of the fascist behemoth Homeland Security and the treasonous Patriot Acts.
The COINTELPRO minions not only serve as provocateurs, they are also what I call "time-wasters", as the targeted individual often uses up much precious time defending oneself from the unrelenting attacks, usually in the form of libelous disinformation being spread on the Internet or on radio programs.
I should add that some of these very foolish people (including Shirley Anderson and Tim White) previously exposed and listed in my reports, have actually accused me of being a "CIA assassin" and of drawing up a "hit list" or even a "death list" with their names on it.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Firstly, these pathetic losers wouldn't be worth the trouble for any real "assassin" from any government agency to target for elimination. The very thought is laughable.
They don't know anything; were never involved in anything important and are of no consequence in the larger schemes of political intrigue and government operations. They're merely stooges, dupes who inflate their own importance, often being delusional to boot.
But more to the point, I'm not a murderer, not an assassin and never have been...but being a warrior for truth and justice, I DO go for the jugular (figuratively speaking, of course) operating from righteous outrage over the perpetual harassment from these would-be, wanna-be, aspiring government goons and those who control them.
They've been warned and I can assure them they will pay a heavy price, spiritually (if not also materially) for disregarding my directives to cease and desist their harassment, cyber-stalking and vicious libel.
Most of the libel is presented in the form of brief "blurbs" in the sloppy hit-and-run style favored by most of the provocateurs who write and post them. They don't write real reports; neither do they bother gathering or furnishing facts or evidence.
They are not in possession of any facts. And their motto seems to be: We don't need no stinkin' evidence!
No, no....they do not concern themselves with such meaningless things as facts or evidence. After all, they are not journalists, not investigators; not professionals in any field or discipline.
They are merely a gaggle of rank amateurs, acting as provocateurs on orders from those above them in the COINTELPRO or DCS (Domestic Contact Service, an illegal domestic covert program run by CIA which also uses low-level snitches and provocateurs to target American citizens) chain of command.
These amateurs occupy the bottom rung of the ladder (more accurately, they are wallowing in the mud under the ladder) and there are none below them; thus they can't stoop any lower than they already are.
All provocateurs by nature are cowards. Many (not all) hide behind pseudonyms or silly screen names and thus have no credibility whatsoever.
Perhaps the most salient and ludicrous example of a screen name used by a notorious provocateur is "Ranger Rick" that of Brenda M. Negri.
Although anyone who has ever been targeted by Negri knows her real name, to the present time (January 2005) she has never used her real name, nor admitted that her many libelous posts under various screen names (even death threats, posted on public message boards!) were written by Brenda Negri.
And Negri has been at it (to my knowledge) since September 2001, beginning her malicious harassment of government whistle-blowers, including Barbara Hartwell, Stew Webb and ex-FBI agent Geral Sosbee, shortly after 9-11. Now, there's some food for thought...
It's best to remember that these provocateurs are all pathological liars. How else could they attempt to justify the unjustifiable: bearing false witness against their targets, most of whom are people they have never met; do not know, even by any form of casual acquaintance.
What they may think they know usually comes from the malicious gossip and libelous falsehoods being promoted by others of their ilk, other idiots with axes to grind.
As for the lies they promote: They will simply take one outrageous lie, the more outlandish the better, usually furnished by their dark overlords, such as: "Barbara Hartwell is CIA, once a spook, always a spook !" (Larry Lawson)...
...or "She's a nark --watch out!" (Spread by some of Alex Jones's cohorts, including Paul Joseph Watson, who posted such comments on Info Wars and Prison Planet after grandstander and false patriot Jones arranged to get me cut off in the middle of a radio program and then made sure I was banned from the radio station for good)....
...or "Barbara Hartwell is a rogue CIA operative with longtime connections to Wackenhut !" (Brenda Negri aka Ranger Rick aka The Fifth Horseman aka many other idiotic aliases)...
...or "Barbara Hartwell is a whore, that CIA bitch, she's George Bush's trollop!" (Tim White aka the Phantom.)
......And by far the most damaging character assassination of any of the vile lies being disseminated by a provocateur, "I had sex with Barbara Hartwell" (alcoholic whackjob Todd Brendan Fahey aka Larry McDonald aka Agent Provocateur aka spookyermomma aka many other aliases).
If you are a legitimate whistle-blower, genuine patriot or sincere Christian...you could be next in line to be targeted....
Here's how the scheme works: Each lie is posted and reposted ad infinitum, on every e-mail group or public message board the provocateurs can find --and there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of such places on the Web willing to accomodate these liars and provide a public forum for their libel campaigns.
Over time, many people (at least those lacking in intelligence and discretion) believe these outrageous lies to be true, simply for having seen them repeated so many times. They will believe anything they read, no matter how preposterous or improbable the lie; no matter how dubious the source.
Like so much horse manure, the lies are passed along by the trowel-full, used to fertilize the toxic grapevine which grows longer and more convoluted with each lie that sprouts from it. And so the cycle continues...lies fed in...lies sprouting out...lies fed in...lies sprouting out....


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i-Tree MyTree assesses the value of one or several trees using trunk measurement and location data. i-Tree MyTree part of the i-Tree which is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban and rural forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools. i-Tree MyTree allow users to estimate the benefits and values of individual trees including stormwater interception.
i-Tree MyTree


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PRESS RELEASE: Responding to the universal demand for quality cymbals at all price points, Sabian has introduced SBr, a new series of brass cymbals designed to offer improved quality and value for the entry level drummer.
Produced from a special-formula brass alloy at the Sabian plant in Canada, the budget-priced SBr is available in a full range of popular sizes and models, each featuring deep, large-peen hammering and pinpoint lathing. SBr is available exclusively in Natural Finish.
Said Sabian Master Product Specialist Mark Love: "SBr offers a new, higher quality of brass cymbal and sound for the entry level drummer. Despite its budget price, this series has been designed as a value-added cymbal that sets a new standard for quality at this price point in the brass category. To ensure this level of quality, SBr features the same hand-guided, high-pressure hammering and traditional hand lathing applied to more expensive professional cymbals."
The SBr series includes hi-hats, splashes, crashes, and rides. Also available are 'Sonically Matched' pre-packs including the Performance Set (14" hi-hats, 16" crash, 20" ride), the First Pack (13" hi-hats, 16" crash), and the 2-Pack (14" hi-hats, 18" crash ride).
SBr Facts:
Audience: Entry Level
Price Point Budget
Metal: Brass
Hammering: Jumbo Peen
Lathing: Pinpoint
Finish: Natural
Sizes: 10",13",14",16",18",20"
Model #:
10" Splash SBR1005
13" Hi-Hats SBR1302
14" Hi-Hats SBR1402
16" Crash SBR1606
18" Crash Ride SBR1811
20" Ride SBR2012
First Pack SBR5001
Two Pack SBR5002
Performance Set SBR5003
For more information, visit Sabian's official site
Information taken from official press release
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This article is more than 1 year old
Getting animated about a 6,000 core Soho supercomputer
Can you get me 413,138 mouse hairs?
London's Soho has become a thriving media rendering and animation centre, with creative media professionals using the latest model IT gear in shiny studios between buildings full of 'models' selling the oldest professional services of all.
Framestore is one of these new companies bolstering Soho's image. It did the post-production work on The Golden Compass, winning Oscar and BAFTA awards for its trouble. The armoured polar bear it animated for that movie had 200 million individual hairs which moved as the bear moved. Rendering it needed a lot of kit.
Framestore is the largest visual effects and computer animation studio in Europe. It has more than 20 years of experience in digital film and video technology, and employs 800 or so staff out of three buildings in Soho, with another office based in New York.
The Tale of Despereaux: How many hairs under that hat?
The company has just finished a two-year project rendering the Universal Studios cartoon feature The Tale of Despereaux, and that needed probably the largest CGI rendering supercomputer in Europe to do the job. The voice cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver and Robbie Coltrane. The movie is an animation of the 2003 fantasy book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo and it's about a cute mouse, Despereaux Tilling, who has exceptionally large ears. A rat named Roscuro, voiced by Dustin Hoffman, is the villain.
The Despereaux project wasn't quite as hairy as The Golden Compass though, as there were only 413,138 hairs on the rodent's head.
The work was complicated because the Framestore creatives had been briefed to create a 'look' for the full-length cartoon based on the Dutch Masters with relatively soft lighting and detailed shadows. There was a fixed deadline, meaning animation proceeded in parallel with the development of the processing needed to render the Vermeer-esque final look.
This parallel approach increased render farm and storage demands, because many intermediate stages of production data had to be retained to avoid unnecessary animation rework whilst the fine tuning of the lighting effects and colour was worked on. There were several specialist teams working in parallel with the rendering, the lighting work being concentrated more towards the end of the project.
The renderfarm supercomputer used 1,000 clustered vanilla Dell X86 servers linked by 4Gbit/s Fibre Channel to an initial 50TB of RAID-6-protected storage, front-ended with HP storage server processors, using Infortrend arrays. A Linux cluster file system was implemented and each Dell server core had 2GB of DRAM. The storage ultimately grew to 200TB.
Why Dell CPUs for the render farm? Framestore's technology director Steve Prescott said: "They're the people who can react the quickest. We ordered 1,000 cores and they delivered it five days later. HP just can't react as quickly."


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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review
- Holly McClure Movie Reviewer
- Updated Apr 30, 2013
Genre: Children's adventure/Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Rating: PG (for scary moments, some creature violence and mild language)
Release Date: November 15, 2002
Actors: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branagh, Robbie Coltrane, Tom Felton, Fiona Shaw, John Cleese, Devon Murray, Julie Walters, Kenneth Branagh, Jason Isaacs, Miriam Margolyes, Christian Coulson
Director: Chris Columbus
Special Notes: The next series entry, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, begins production next spring and will be directed by Alfonso Cuarón (A Little Princess). And who did Cuarón beat out for the job? None other than Chamber of Secrets star Kenneth Branagh. And then, how does a movie franchise replace an actor its producer calls ''irreplaceable?'' Richard Harris' death at 72 has posed a problem. He had hoped to play the 2,000-year-old wizard again in the third movie as well as the four sequels beyond that. Now, producers are considering Harris's body double for the role, Harry Robinson. He is the same age as Harris (72) and can mimic Harris's voice as well.
Plot: Harry Potter (Radcliffe) is fed-up with living with his muggle relatives and disturbed by a house-elf named Dobby who appears only to Harry and warns him of the danger that awaits him at school if he returns. But when his best friend Ron (Grint) appears at his window in a flying cat to rescue Harry, the two happily speed back to another year at Hogwarts school. Harry reunites with Hermione (Watson), Hagrid (Coltrane), headmaster Dumbledore (Harris), old professors (Rickman, Smith), a new "famous" one (Branagh) another professor who raises screaming plants (Margolyes), Harry's old enemy Draco (Felton), and his evil father Lucius Malfoy (Isaacs). As he settles into his classes (chasing Pixies, planting screaming mandrakes and playing Quidditch) he begins to hear a haunting voice that leads him straight to victims who've been paralyzed. After several students are attacked (including Hermione) the school's very existence becomes threatened, so Harry and Ron determine to save the school by discovering the truth. On that road to discovery they are surrounded by giant tarantulas in a dark and scary forest, and they discover the legendary Chamber of Secrets where Harry comes face to face with the ghost of a student named Tom Riddle (Coulson) and fights one of the most terrifying giant snakes you've ever seen.
Good: After Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone grossed almost $1 billion worldwide (not to mention the untold fortune from videos, toys, and other tie-ins), you could almost count on the fact that director Chris Columbus wasn't going to tinker much with his magical hit-making formula. From director to production designer, everyone is back for this adaptation of the second book of J.K. Rowling's which is darker and more dramatic but still opulent, enchanting, and filled with imaginative special effects, likeable characters, and magical scenes that are entertaining. This action-packed, special effects-filled movie has unique touches kids will get a kick out of, like a cloak that lets Harry disappear, a flying car, friendly talking ghosts, paintings that movie, an adventurous-fast-action, flying broom stick Quidditch matches, plants with roots that scream before they are planted, blue pixies that wreak havoc in class, a bird that dies, then is reborn with powers to heal, and much more. I was spell-bound by the details put into each scene and entertained by the strong ensemble of actors who are all very comfortable with their characters. I especially enjoyed John Williams's wonderful score which of course adds to the drama. Except for the whopping 2 hours and 41 minutes that some kids may find too long--but others won't even realize flew by--this is an entertaining, well-made movie that is strictly for mature kids who can understand the difference between fantasy and reality and adults who should go with them and further explain that difference to their kids afterwards.
Bad: This time (as with the book) along with enchanting and imaginative comes a progressively darker storyline that parents need to pay close attention to. This is NOT a movie for younger children or "kiddie" friendly because of the intense scenes and scary elements. In fact, I would suggest it for mature kids only at age 9 or up. From the emphasis on the cruelty of Harry's Muggle family and how he feels more at home with "his kind" and the subtle but negative Muggle-ish comments, innuendoes and put-downs about kids who are "mud bloods" or part human, to Harry's "gift" of speaking "Parselmouth" or "snake talk" with a snake, to a diary possessed by a ghost that takes Harry back in time to view the legendary Chamber of Secrets (then later tries to kill him), to messages written in blood--this is a clearly a story for an older audience. This time around the focus isn't as much on "how" to do magic as much as it is on practicing the magic already learned to get Harry and friends out of trouble or situations that require them to escape harm. Then there are the scenes that are just plain scary like when Ron's flying car lands in a giant tree and the branches try and kill the boys, or when Harry and Ron are surrounded by giant tarantulas and barely escape the creepy army as it attacks their car, or when Harry finds the secret Chamber and is attacked by a giant snake that towers over him and hunts him down through a labyrinth of underground tunnels. Heck, even the house-elf Dobby is creepy looking and sort of annoyingly scary as he pops in and out of Harry's life.
Bottom Line: Parents, think back to when you were a kid. Remember how much fun it was to see movies filled with fantasy and magic? Did you survive? Did it change your faith or lifestyle after you saw that movie? I guess that's the question you'll have to ask yourself before you take your kids to see this movie. I realize movies are different these days and have the power to affect and influence your children's lives, so that's why it is important that you be the gatekeeper for your children. There has been a long-standing argument about Rowling's books and whether parents should let their kids read her books or see the movies. One argument for the books is that Harry is simply the hero representing good triumphing over evil to save the day, and that's obviously what makes any story work. But the "good vs. evil" battle is all in the context of a school for witchcraft specifically designed to train and teach children (who are witches or at least part witch) to become skilled and trained in their religion, much as a convent, monastery, temple or theological seminary would do. So in truth, the premise is based on the battle between "good witchcraft vs. bad witchcraft" which clearly embraces and condones that religion and lifestyle and brings to the forefront the question--"Is there such a thing as "good" witchcraft?" In truth, when all is said and done, most older children or young teens who see this movie will probably walk out and simply enjoy it for the entertaining value it presents. Others, who may be searching for something that would give them power or excitement in life, might possibly be tempted to further explore witchcraft because of seeing this film. But that's where your job as a parent comes in. You are the only one who knows your child. You are the only one who can determine how and even if a movie could possibly influence your child's life. It is up to you to be the gatekeeper and monitor what your children can or cannot, comprehend and/or process--and I think that's the best place to leave the debate.


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Whether it's your Facebook page, your blog, your Linkedin group, or your private brand community, your social media home base operates like a sports bar.
You first go to a sports bar for the amenities. The TVs. The food. The beer selection. But you return again and again not for the elements that brought you initially, but for the people. The regulars. The characters. The waitresses.
In my pre-fatherhood days, I used to go to a place called Big Daddy's in north Phoenix. It was a little sketchy, but the food was decent, the beer was cold, and it was within walking distance. Then one Sunday, an ancient regular sitting across from me accidentally caught his oxygen mask on fire while trying to light a cigarette, and created an impromptu flame thrower that almost burned Big Daddy's down. That's the kind of humanity that builds loyalty.
Come for the Brand. Stay for the People
Social media is about community. And the connection between your customers and your company isn't one.
Sure, interest in your brand will get customers to investigate your brand community (as long as you give them a rationale). But unless you facilitate connections between your customers, and let them build bridges between one another, they'll show up, have a couple drinks, and keep moving.
I'm no visual information genius like David Armano, but I'll try to represent this difference graphically. Here's how the relationship between companies and their customers has historically been structured:
Here's how that relationship changes in social media (which is an improvement, but still not ideal):
How Can You Build a Triangle?
This is what you want. This is a community. This is sustainable:
To build the triangle, you need to find ways to not just humanize your company, but put a spotlight on your customers. How can you get your customers telling the story of your brand from their perspective, not yours? Can you interview your customers? Create a directory of them? Let them help one another solve problems? Introduce them to one another? Encourage them to meet up or tweet up in their own towns?
Make Your Customers the Star, Not the Brand
Here's an easy, relevant example from The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew, a Facebook group for homeschoolers. They feature a member each week, and tell their story via a Facebook note, giving the community the opportunity to learn more about that person and how homeschooling impacts their family.
How can you shine the light on your customers and build a triangle community? What examples have you found?


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High performance monads
Continuations are well known for being notoriously tricky to use: they are the "gotos" of the functional programming world. They can make a mess or do amazing things (after all, what are exceptions but a well structured nonlocal goto). This post is intended for readers with a passing familiarity with continuations but a disbelief that they could be useful for their day-to-day programming tasks: I'd like to show how continuations let us define high performance monads ala the Logic monad in a fairly methodical way. A (possibly) related post is The Mother of all Monads.
> import Prelude hiding (Maybe(..), maybe)
We'll start off with a warmup: the identity monad.
> data Id a = Id a > instance Monad Id where > Id x >>= f = f x > return = Id
The continuation-passing style (CPS) version of this monad is your stock Cont monad, but without callCC defined.
> data IdCPS r a = IdCPS { runIdCPS :: (a -> r) -> r } > instance Monad (IdCPS r) where > IdCPS c >>= f = > IdCPS (\k -> c (\a -> runIdCPS (f a) k)) > return x = IdCPS (\k -> k x)
While explaining CPS is out of the scope of this post, I'd like to point out a few idioms in this translation that we'll be reusing for some of the more advanced monads.
- In order to "extract" the value of c, we pass it a lambda (\a -> ...), where a is the result of the c computation.
- There is only one success continuation k :: a -> r, which is always eventually used. In the case of bind, it's passed to runIdCPS, in the case of return, it's directly invoked. In later monads, we'll have more continuations floating around.
Following in step with monad tutorials, the next step is to look at the venerable Maybe data type, and its associated monad instance.
> data Maybe a = Nothing | Just a > instance Monad Maybe where > Just x >>= f = f x > Nothing >>= f = Nothing > return = Just
When implementing the CPS version of this monad, we'll need two continuations: a success continuation (sk) and a failure continuation (fk).
> newtype MaybeCPS r a = MaybeCPS { runMaybeCPS :: (a -> r) -> r -> r } > instance Monad (MaybeCPS r) where > MaybeCPS c >>= f = > MaybeCPS (\sk fk -> c (\a -> runMaybeCPS (f a) sk fk) fk) > return x = MaybeCPS (\sk fk -> sk x)
Compare this monad with IdCPS: you should notice that it's quite similar. In fact, if we eliminated all mention of fk from the code, it would be identical! Our monad instance heartily endorses success. But if we add the following function, things change:
> nothingCPS = MaybeCPS (\_ fk -> fk)
This function ignores the success continuation and invokes the failure continuation: you should convince yourself that one it invokes the failure continuation, it immediately bugs out of the MaybeCPS computation. (Hint: look at any case we run a MaybeCPS continuation: what do we pass in for the failure continuation? What do we pass in for the success continuation?)
For good measure, we could also define:
> justCPS x = MaybeCPS (\sk _ -> sk x)
Which is actually just return in disguise.
You might also notice that the signature of our MaybeCPS newtype strongly resembles the signature of the maybe "destructor" function—thus called because it destroys the data structure:
> maybe :: Maybe a -> (a -> r) -> r -> r > maybe m sk fk = > case m of > Just a -> sk a > Nothing -> fk
(The types have been reordered for pedagogical purposes.) I've deliberately named the "default value" fk: they are the same thing!
> monadicAddition mx my = do > x <- mx > y <- my > return (x + y) > maybeTest = maybe (monadicAddition (Just 2) Nothing) print (return ()) > maybeCPSTest = runMaybeCPS (monadicAddition (return 2) nothingCPS) print (return ())
Both of these pieces of code have the same end result. However, maybeTest constructs a Maybe data structure inside the monadic portion, before tearing it down again. runMaybeCPS skips this process entirely: this is where the CPS transformation derives its performance benefit: there's no building up and breaking down of data structures.
Now, to be fair to the original Maybe monad, in many cases GHC will do this transformation for you. Because algebraic data types encourage the creation of lots of little data structures, GHC will try its best to figure out when a data structure is created and then immediately destructed, and optimize out that wasteful behavior. Onwards!
The list monad (also known as the "stream" monad) encodes nondeterminism.
> data List a = Nil | Cons a (List a) > instance Monad List where > Nil >>= _ = Nil > Cons x xs >>= f = append (f x) (xs >>= f) > return x = Cons x Nil > append Nil ys = ys > append (Cons x xs) ys = Cons x (append xs ys)
Nil is essentially equivalent to Nothing, so our friend the failure continuation comes back to the fray. We have to treat our success continuation a little differently though: while we could just pass it the value of the first Cons of the list, this wouldn't let us ever get past the first item of the list. So we'll need to pass our success continuation a resume continuation (rk) in case it wants to continue down its path.
> newtype LogicCPS r a = LogicCPS { runLogicCPS :: (a -> r -> r) -> r -> r } > instance Monad (LogicCPS r) where > LogicCPS c >>= f = > LogicCPS (\sk fk -> c (\a rk -> runLogicCPS (f a) sk rk) fk) > return x = LogicCPS (\sk fk -> sk x fk)
Remember that return generates singleton lists, so there's nothing more to continue on to, and we give the success continuation fk as the resume continuation.
The old data constructors also can be CPS transformed: nilCPS looks just like nothingCPS. consCPS invokes the success continuation, and needs to generate a resume continuation, which conveniently enough is given by its second argument:
> nilCPS = > LogicCPS (\_ fk -> fk) > consCPS x (LogicCPS c) = > LogicCPS (\sk fk -> sk x (c sk fk)) > appendCPS (LogicCPS cl) (LogicCPS cr) = > LogicCPS (\sk fk -> cl sk (cr sk fk))
These types should be looking awfully familiar. Rearranging this type a little (and renaming b→r):
foldr :: (a -> b -> b) -> b -> [a] -> b
I get:
fold :: List a -> (a -> r -> r) -> r -> r
Hey, that's my continuation. So all we've done is a fold, just without actually constructing the list!
Keen readers will have also noticed that the CPS formulation of the list is merely the higher-order Church encoding of lists.
The CPS transformed version of the list monad wins big in several ways: we never need to construct and destruct the list and appending two lists takes O(1) time.
One last example: the leafy tree monad (cribbed from Edward Kmett's finger tree slides):
> data Leafy a = Leaf a | Fork (Leafy a) (Leafy a) > instance Monad Leafy where > Leaf a >>= f = f a > Fork l r >>= f = Fork (l >>= f) (r >>= f) > return a = Leaf a
As it turns out, if we want to fold over this data type, we can reuse LogicCPS:
> leafCPS x = return x > forkCPS l r = appendCPS l r
To go in the other direction, if we combine all of the CPS operations on logic we've defined thus far and turn them back into a data type, we get a catenable list:
> data Catenable a = Append (Catenable a) (Catenable a) | List (List a)
To wrap (fold) up, we've shown that when we build up a large data structure that is only going to be destructed when we're done, we're better off fusing the two processes together and turn our data structure back into code. Similarly, if we would like to do "data structure"-like things to our data structure, it is probably better to actually build it up: the Church encodings for things like tail are notoriously inefficient. I've not said anything about monads that encode state of some sort: in many ways they're a different breed of monad from the control flow monad (perhaps a more accurate statement is "Cont is the mother of all control flow monads").
To quote Star Wars, the next time you find yourself entangled in a mess of continuations, use the data structure!
Addendum. CPS transforming data structure traversal has nothing to do with monads. You can do it to anything. It just so happens that the killer feature of control flow monads, nondeterminism, happens to really benefit from this transformation.
References. There are loads and loads of existing treatments of this subject.
- haskell.org wiki mentions CPS transforming monads for performance,
- This mailing list thread seems to imply that CPS transformation can make code slower, but in fact, they never ditch the construction of their data type.
- Representing variant types uniformly via executable code has a long and proud tradition under the term tagless. Some of them include Oleg's treatment for embedded languages and the GHC developer's Spineless Tagless G-machine under the hood.
- This ICFP presentation notes the similarity between the stream monad and the backtracking logic monad, and unifies the two with the moral equivalent of a fold.
I've probably missed a bunch of other obvious ones too.