text:
WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney made what seemed to be a presumptuous statement this week: that some countries — particularly Israel, the United States, and Chile — are more economically vibrant than their neighbors because of the cultures within those countries.
The comment triggered a firestorm, with Palestinian leaders calling it racist and his campaign trying to backtrack by saying Romney's remarks were taken out of context. But over the past several days — as Romney himself penned an opinion article standing by them — it has become clear that they illustrate part of Romney's core beliefs of the world, informing the underpinnings of his economic and global philosophies.
In one of his most striking, but little noticed, statements, Romney used a point made by author and former Harvard professor David Landes to state outright that certain cultures are better than others.
"The multiculturalism movement must be unmasked for the fraud that it is," Romney wrote in his 2010 book, "No Apology: The Case for American Greatness." "There are superior cultures, and ours is one of them. As David Landes observed, 'Culture makes all the difference.' "
Landes did not respond to several requests for comment.
In a campaign that has been criticized by some who say it has been largely empty of original and thought-provoking ideas — one that has degenerated into name-calling and charges of law-breaking — the concept has triggered a vigorous debate. It also sheds light on a rare intellectual lodestar for Romney, normally a data-crunching candidate who avoids philosophical discussion, andilluminates his views of the world.
But his critics, including the author of a book Romney has juxtaposed against Landes's, say the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is grossly oversimplifying the argument of what lies behind national economic success.
Jared Diamond, author of "Guns, Germs, and Steel," wrote in an opinion article Thursday in The New York Times under the headline "Romney Hasn't Done His Homework" that Romney had "misrepresented my views" and "oversimplified the issue."
Romney has repeatedly contrasted Diamond's argument that societies have grown as a function of their access to natural resources as a foil to Landes's emphasis on their human characteristics.
Referring to one Romney quote in which he said the presence of "iron ore on the land" explained how some peoples became rich and powerful, Diamond wrote, "That is so different from what my book actually says that I have to doubt whether Mr. Romney read it."
Diamond argued that Romney's summary that "culture makes all the difference" is "dangerously out of date." He said culture does play a role in determining relative levels of economic success, yet it is far from the only, or even the driving, factor.
A nation's climate, its geography, and its natural resources all play important roles in determining a country's wealth, Diamond said. Whether a nation is located on the water, for example, can determine whether it has access to trading ports. Tropical countries, where diseases spread more easily and farming is more difficult, tend to be poorer than those in temperate climates.
But geographic location does not tell the whole story, Diamond argues, nor do social mores.
"Rich, powerful countries tend to have good institutions that reward hard work," he wrote. "But institutions and culture aren't the whole answer, because some countries notorious for bad institutions (like Italy and Argentina) are rich, while some virtuous countries (like Tanzania and Bhutan) are poor."
In his efforts to explain both his economic and social world view, Romney has been quoting Landes since at least early 2005, when he first began laying the groundwork for his 2008 presidential campaign.
"If we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the difference," Romney told a conservative audience in Spartanburg, S.C., in February 2005. "The cultural underpinnings of America are pretty clear: Americans work. We work hard."
In making the point, Romney referred to Landes's book, initially getting the author's first name wrong, calling him Howard. But he would rarely stumble over his name again, as Landes would go on to become one of the authors Romney most frequently cites.
Romney mentioned Landes throughout his 2008 campaign, and has done so repeatedly this year in several of his prominent speeches — to promote his ideas on the economy at the University of Chicago; to inspire graduating evangelical students at Liberty University; and then, earlier this week, to a group of donors in Jerusalem.
It was there that Romney suggested that the Israeli culture was a key reason the country's economy was more successful than that of the Palestinian territories.
Romney in the past had generally avoided actually comparing different cultures, but in 2010 he began highlighting economic disparities among specific nations.
"I thought of having been to Israel the first time and remarking at the extraordinary technology that the Israelis had built in their society," he said at the National Press Club in March 2010. "And yet in the Palestinian areas, there was not that same level of technology and innovation. I looked at America versus Mexico. How could there be such a gap between two nations so close to each other? How can Argentina and Chile today even have such dramatically different prospects for their future, despite their proximity?"
It was a point Romney made again when he was in Jerusalem, in close proximity to the Palestinians, who were stung by the comparison. Palestinians contend that Israel's control over movements of goods and people at border crossings hamstrings their economic growth.
But Romney has stuck by his comments. "The linkage between freedom and economic development has a universal applicability," he wrote Tuesday night in his National Review Online piece, in which he seems to broaden the definition of culture to include political and economic institutions. "One only has to look at the contrast between East and West Germany, and between North and South Korea for the starkest demonstrations of the meaning of freedom and the absence of freedom."
Romney's campaign did not respond to questions about his beliefs, when and how he started developing his ideas about culture influencing the global economy, and who else influenced him.
In his comments about a cultural role in the economy, he doesn't address China, for example, a country whose political and economic practices he adamantly disagrees with but one whose economy is booming. He also doesn't address whether he believes that the current economic woes in the United States are in any way attributable to a change in the country's culture, or whether culture plays a role in economic differences in some of the poorer states in the South versus the wealthier Northern states.
It is unclear whether Romney has ever met Landes or spoken with him. During a 2008 speech before the Conservative Political Action Committee, Romney quipped, "He's a professor emeritus at Harvard University. I presume he's a liberal. I guess that's redundant."
Still, Romney's philosophy echoes a view expressed by his role model: his father, George, whose grandfather moved to Mexico and established a prosperous Mormon colony through what the family characterized as hard work. After they were forced to flee back to the United States, George Romney reflected on the tensions between Mexicans and Americans, once forced to live side by side.
"I was kicked out of Mexico when I was 5 years old because the Mexicans were envious of the fact that my people — who, when they went down there, were just as poor as the Mexicans they moved among — went to work with irrigation and dams and other things and became prosperous," George Romney wrote in his autobiography. "The Mexicans thought if they could just take it away from the Mormon settlers, it would be paradise. It just didn't work that way, of course."
Matt Viser can be reached at email@example.com.


text:
Please register at: http://www.fractal.cz/esug2006/ for the conference hotel http://www.suz.cvut.cz/pomoc/mkhotel/indexhotel.html.
Please pay your accomodation by bank transfer.
You can also pay the accomodation by credit card at the hotel Masarykova kolej when you check out.
The procedure for cc is thus:
In case of any query or if you need accommodation in higher hotel class, please don't hesitate to contact us:
e-mail adress: email@example.com<br /> phone number: +420 222 512 000.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
When code is being profiled, the Lisp process running that code is interrupted regularly at a specified time interval. At each interruption, the Profiler scans the execution stack and records the name of every function found, including a note of the function at the top of the stack. Moreover, a snapshot of the stack is recorded at each interruption, so we know not merely how many times we reach a function call, but also how we reached that call.
When profiling stops (that is, when the code being profiled has stopped execution) the Profiler presents the data in two tabs.
Note: The Profiler tool only shows the thread running code in the Code To Profile box. It does not profile other threads. To profile multiple threads in the Listener, see "Running the profiler" in the LispWorks User Guide and Reference Manual .
LispWorks IDE User Guide (Windows version) - 25 Nov 2011


text:
So. Purple tights and Official Rogue Blogger. Well, someone sort of said that to me, don't remember who it was, but I think their exact words were, "So you're the official blogger of the group." And they said it as we were filing into the building, so I didn't get the chance to respond, "Yes. And your sex tape is scheduled to be posted this afternoon." And you better believe I'm going to leave comments open.
I could start every paragraph from here on out with, "And it was just so surreal." I kept having to knock myself into real time to soak it in, but there I was walking to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building with all of these other people in expensive suits, and right inside the doorway was this set of pictures:
I may have blurted out I VOTED FOR THAT GUY! Okay, I did. I said that out loud. And when I looked around to get a HELL YEAH! I heard crickets. And a tumbleweed rolled past the open doorway.
I expected to have to survive a gauntlet of security checks, maybe be patted down by a litany of men in black suits, but getting into the building was FAR easier than boarding a plane to Las Vegas. Like, I didn't even have to take off my shoes! And believe me, I WANTED TO TAKE OFF THOSE SHOES.
A few winding corridors later and I find myself at the door of the auditorium where I check-in, stick my name tag on my dress and step inside the door. Just then a voice from over my shoulder says, "Ms. Armstrong, you're there in the front row." The wahhh? Are you talking to me? Are you somehow confusing me with Lance? Perhaps Louis? Okay, Neil. Neil has got to be here somewhere.
And remember, I'm trying to stay in the moment, trying not to topple over. So I turn toward the open fan of seats in the auditorium, shake my head to focus my eyes and I see that the front row has been reserved for about 20 people. And my name is on one of those seats.
And it was just so surreal.
And as people start filling the room, some of them at this point familiar with why I'm here, I see a few of them look at me in the front row, look at the open seats behind me, and then do an actual double take. Oh yes, my friend. Purple-tighted, pantless blogger is in the front row! Did the world just turn upside down! How did she get in?! Who is in charge here?! DEAR LORD, DOES SHE HAVE MY SEX TAPE?
Now, trust me. If there had been cell service or wireless Internet access, I would have been documenting this process in real time. But I think they had some sort of special government block on the whole thing, because I could not get a damn signal. Or maybe that was the special Rogue Blogger Block. Oh my god, I'm a conspiracy theorist!
Anyway, blah blah blah, I sit there for a half hour as people network and laugh with exaggeration, and then after a brief intro by Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, Michelle Obama walks onto the stage. Okay. Fact: I voted for her husband. Fact: I have always considered her a classy and strikingly attractive woman. Fact: Of course I'm going to be blown away simply by being in a room where we share the same air.
Truth: I was not prepared at all for the feeling that came over me when she walked into the room. I was not expecting to be so stunned. There was just something about her presence in the flesh that knocked the breath out of me, and I immediately got a rash of goosebumps up the side of my arm. A totally involuntary reaction, one that surprised even me.
You can watch her entire speech here at WhiteHouse.gov. But my favorite part was this:
As the parents of two beautiful young daughters, [workplace flexibility] is an issue that is particularly important to me and my husband, as you know… and it is true in our current life we are incredibly blessed. We have amazing resources and support systems here at the White House that I could have never imagined. Number one of them is having a grandmother living upstairs. We all need one of those. So can you figure that out?
(She motions her arms to the people gathered to figure this out.)
But we didn't always live in the White House, and for many years before coming to Washington, I was a working mother, doing my best to juggle the demands of my job with the needs of my family, with a husband who has crazy ideas.
And as I've said before, I consider myself as many of us in this room do as a 120 Percenter. Which means that if I'm not doing something at 120% I feel like I'm failing. And I know you all can relate to that.
So while I did the best that I could at work and at home I felt like I wasn't keeping up with either one of them enough. And I was lucky. I had understanding bosses, I had very accommodating jobs. In fact, in the last job I had before coming to the White House, I remember this clearly, I was on maternity leave with Sasha still trying to figure out what to do with my life, and I got a call for an interview for this position, a senior position at the hospitals. And I thought, "Okay, here we go."
So I had to scramble to look for babysitting, couldn't find one, so what did I do? I packed up that little infant, and I put her in the stroller, and I brought her with me. And I prayed that her presence wouldn't be an automatic disqualifier. And it was fortunate for me that number one, she slept through the entire interview, and I was still breastfeeding, if that's not too much information. And I got the job.
But, I know that I was lucky, number one. I was interviewing with the president who had just had a child himself and was very understanding and open-minded, but I know that most folks are no where near as lucky as I was. Particularly right now with the job market the way that it is, many folks can't afford to be picky about the jobs that they take. Many folks don't have access to any kind family leave policies whatsoever, no flexible working arrangements, many people don't even have a paid sick day. So they are struggling. Struggling every day to find affordable childcare, or someone to look after an aging parent which is becoming more the issue. Scrambling to make things work when the usual arrangements fall through. All of us have been through that.
I had a hard time not standing up after that last part there applauding and whistling like a mad woman. Like, perhaps, maybe, a blogger who is rogue. Or like someone who had such a violent case of postpartum depression that she wanted to commit suicide every day, and her husband wasn't allowed to take a sick day or they'd write him up.
President Obama is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to public speaking, no question, but you can quote me when I say this: Michelle Obama is better. She makes you feel like you've met with her for a cup of coffee, and she's talking to you like you've known each other for years, since that fourth grade teacher who used to wear polka dot suspenders every day and you'd both laugh about it during recess.
She's straight up: Here's what we're facing. Here's what needs to happen, but I can't promise anything. Although, you can trust that I understand. And I won't ignore it.
And then when she was done, she shook everyone's hand who was on stage, walked down in front of the audience two feet away from me and into her seat on the front row. And she sat there with us through the next 45 minutes of the first session of the forum. Without the Secret Service surrounding her. I kept expecting a team of suits to come in and rescue her at any moment, but when it was over and we all stood up to separate out into groups, she stood up with us. No, wait. Let me write that again: SHE STOOD UP WITH US.
And you know how cool Washington likes to play it, right? Nothing fazes anyone in Washington! Whatever, rest of the country, WE MAKE THE RULES (and can be bribed to bend them, for the right price). We see the White House every day, you Mid-Western peasant, BE GONE!
It's kind of like Hollywood this way. Like, you're sitting in a restaurant when Cindy Crawford walks in, and no one turns a head or bats an eyelash because that would be so uncool. Because everyone in that restaurant has written a script or operates a camera or runs errands for a production company. Except, four people have pooped their pants, and everyone else is going OMG OMG OMG Cindy Crawford is ten feet away. I WONDER IF SHE'LL HAVE SEX WITH ME.
Michelle Obama stood up, and I saw the entire room look around at each other, sizing up who was gonna do it first, because everyone wanted to do it, but how uncool would that look? PSHAW! The First Lady lives ten minutes from my apartment! We share the same laundromat!
And then BOOM! She was besieged. Twenty people swarmed her. I was still waiting for the Secret Service to break things up, but she stood there alone, graciously, talking and shaking hands, smiling and making everyone feel at ease. I felt incredibly lucky to be in the presence of someone who could teach me so much in just a short time. And as I walked by in my five-inch heels, she stood only a few centimeters shorter. So, yeah. SHE IS ALL THAT.


text:
White Company, The

 CHAPTER XXIII. HOW ENGLAND HELD THE LISTS AT BORDEAUX.

So used were the good burghers of Bordeaux to martial display and knightly sport, that an ordinary joust or tournament was an everyday matter with them. The fame and brilliancy of the prince's court had drawn the knights-errant and pursuivants-of-arms from every part of Europe. In the long lists by the Garonne on the landward side of the northern gate there had been many a strange combat, when the Teutonic knight, fresh from the conquest of the Prussian heathen, ran a course against the knight of Calatrava, hardened by continual struggle against the Moors, or cavaliers from Portugal broke a lance with Scandinavian warriors from the further shore of the great Northern Ocean. Here fluttered many an outland pennon, bearing symbol and blazonry from the banks of the Danube, the wilds of Lithuania and the mountain strongholds of Hungary; for chivalry was of no clime and of no race, nor was any land so wild that the fame and name of the prince had not sounded through it from border to border.

Great, however, was the excitement through town and district when it was learned that on the third Wednesday in Advent there would be held a passage-at-arms in which five knights of England would hold the lists against all comers. The great concourse of noblemen and famous soldiers, the national character of the contest, and the fact that this was a last trial of arms before what promised to be an arduous and bloody war, all united to make the event one of the most notable and brilliant that Bordeaux had ever seen. On the eve of the contest the peasants flocked in from the whole district of the Medoc, and the fields beyond the walls were whitened with the tents of those who could find no warmer lodging. From the distant camp of Dax, too, and from Blaye, Bourge, Libourne, St. Emilion, Castillon, St. Macaire, Cardillac, Ryons, and all the cluster of flourishing towns which look upon Bordeaux as their mother, there thronged an unceasing stream of horsemen and of footmen, all converging upon the great city. By the morning of the day on which the courses were to be run, not less than eighty people had assembled round the lists and along the low grassy ridge which looks down upon the scene of the encounter.

It was, as may well be imagined, no easy matter among so many noted cavaliers to choose out five on either side who should have precedence over their fellows. A score of secondary combats had nearly arisen from the rivalries and bad blood created by the selection, and it was only the influence of the prince and the efforts of the older barons which kept the peace among so many eager and fiery soldiers. Not till the day before the courses were the shields finally hung out for the inspection of the ladies and the heralds, so that all men might know the names of the champions and have the opportunity to prefer any charge against them, should there be stain upon them which should disqualify them from taking part in so noble and honorable a ceremony.

Sir Hugh Calverley and Sir Robert Knolles had not yet returned from their raid into the marches of the Navarre, so that the English party were deprived of two of their most famous lances. Yet there remained so many good names that Chandos and Felton, to whom the selection had been referred, had many an earnest consultation, in which every feat of arms and failure or success of each candidate was weighed and balanced against the rival claims of his companions. Lord Audley of Cheshire, the hero of Poictiers, and Loring of Hampshire, who was held to be the second lance in the army, were easily fixed upon. Then, of the younger men, Sir Thomas Percy of Northumberland, Sir Thomas Wake of Yorkshire, and Sir William Beauchamp of Gloucestershire, were finally selected to uphold the honor of England. On the other side were the veteran Captal de Buch and the brawny Olivier de Clisson, with the free companion Sir Perducas d'Albret, the valiant Lord of Mucident, and Sigismond von Altenstadt, of the Teutonic Order. The older soldiers among the English shook their heads as they looked upon the escutcheons of these famous warriors, for they were all men who had spent their lives upon the saddle, and bravery and strength can avail little against experience and wisdom of war.

"By my faith! Sir John," said the prince as he rode through the winding streets on his way to the list, "I should have been glad to have splintered a lance to-day. You have seen me hold a spear since I had strength to lift one, and should know best whether I do not merit a place among this honorable company."

"There is no better seat and no truer lance, sire," said Chandos; "but, if I may say so without fear of offence, it were not fitting that you should join in this debate."

"And why, Sir John?"

"Because, sire, it is not for you to take part with Gascons against English, or with English against Gascons, seeing that you are lord of both. We are not too well loved by the Gascons now, and it is but the golden link of your princely coronet which holds us together. If that be snapped I know not what would follow."

"Snapped, Sir John!" cried the prince, with an angry sparkle in his dark eyes. "What manner of talk is this? You speak as though the allegiance of our people were a thing which might be thrown off or on like a falcon's jessel."

"With a sorry hack one uses whip and spur, sire," said Chandos; "but with a horse of blood and spirit a good cavalier is gentle and soothing, coaxing rather than forcing. These folk are strange people, and you must hold their love, even as you have it now, for you will get from their kindness what all the pennons in your army could not wring from them."

"You are over-grave to-day, John," the prince answered. "We may keep such questions for our council-chamber. But how now, my brothers of Spain, and of Majorca, what think you of this challenge?"

"I look to see some handsome joisting," said Don Pedro, who rode with the King of Majorca upon the right of the prince, while Chandos was on the left. "By St. James of Compostella! but these burghers would bear some taxing. See to the broadcloth and velvet that the rogues bear upon their backs! By my troth! if they were my subjects they would be glad enough to wear falding and leather ere I had done with them. But mayhap it is best to let the wool grow long ere you clip it."

"It is our pride," the prince answered coldly, "that we rule over freemen and not slaves."

"Every man to his own humor," said Pedro carelessly. "Carajo! there is a sweet face at yonder window! Don Fernando, I pray you to mark the house, and to have the maid brought to us at the abbey."

"Nay, brother, nay!" cried the prince impatiently. "I have had occasion to tell you more than once that things are not ordered in this way in Aquitaine."

"A thousand pardons, dear friend," the Spaniard answered quickly, for a flush of anger had sprung to the dark cheek of the English prince. "You make my exile so like a home that I forget at times that I am not in very truth back in Castile. Every land hath indeed its ways and manners; but I promise you, Edward, that when you are my guest in Toledo or Madrid you shall not yearn in vain for any commoner's daughter on whom you may deign to cast your eye."

"Your talk, sire," said the prince still more coldly, "is not such as I love to hear from your lips. I have no taste for such amours as you speak of, and I have sworn that my name shall be coupled with that of no woman save my ever dear wife."

"Ever the mirror of true chivalry!" exclaimed Pedro, while James of Majorca, frightened at the stern countenance of their all-powerful protector, plucked hard at the mantle of his brother exile.

"Have a care, cousin," he whispered; "for the sake of the Virgin have a care, for you have angered him."

"Pshaw! fear not," the other answered in the same low tone. "If I miss one stoop I will strike him on the next. Mark me else. Fair cousin," he continued, turning to the prince, "these be rare men-at-arms and lusty bowmen. It would be hard indeed to match them."

"They have Journeyed far, sire, but they have never yet found their match."

"Nor ever will, I doubt not. I feel myself to be back upon my throne when I look at them. But tell me, dear coz, what shall we do next, when we have driven this bastard Henry from the kingdom which he hath filched?"

"We shall then compel the King of Aragon to place our good friend and brother James of Majorca upon the throne."

"Noble and generous prince!" cried the little monarch.

"That done," said King Pedro, glancing out of the corners of his eyes at the young conqueror, "we shall unite the forces of England, of Aquitaine, of Spain and of Majorca. It would be shame to us if we did not do some great deed with such forces ready to our hand."

"You say truly, brother," cried the prince, his eyes kindling at the thought. "Methinks that we could not do anything more pleasing to Our Lady than to drive the heathen Moors out of the country."

"I am with you, Edward, as true as hilt to blade. But, by St. James! we shall not let these Moors make mock at us from over the sea. We must take ship and thrust them from Africa."

"By heaven, yes!" cried the prince. "And it is the dream of my heart that our English pennons shall wave upon the Mount of Olives, and the lions and lilies float over the holy city."

"And why not, dear coz? Your bowmen have cleared a path to Paris, and why not to Jerusalem? Once there, your arms might rest."

"Nay, there is more to be done," cried the prince, carried away by the ambitious dream. "There is still the city of Constantine to be taken, and war to be waged against the Soldan of Damascus. And beyond him again there is tribute to be levied from the Cham of Tartary and from the kingdom of Cathay. Ha! John, what say you? Can we not go as far eastward as Richard of the Lion Heart?"

"Old John will bide at home, sire," said the rugged soldier. "By my soul! as long as I am seneschal of Aquitaine I will find enough to do in guarding the marches which you have entrusted to me. It would be a blithe day for the King of France when he heard that the seas lay between him and us."

"By my soul! John," said the prince, "I have never known you turn laggard before."

"The babbling hound, sire, is not always the first at the mort," the old knight answered.

"Nay, my true-heart! I have tried you too often not to know. But, by my soul! I have not seen so dense a throng since the day that we brought King John down Cheapside."

It was indeed an enormous crowd which covered the whole vast plain from the line of vineyards to the river bank. From the northern gate the prince and his companions looked down at a dark sea of heads, brightened here and there by the colored hoods of the women, or by the sparkling head-pieces of archers and men-at-arms. In the centre of this vast assemblage the lists seemed but a narrow strip of green marked out with banners and streamers, while a gleam of white with a flutter of pennons at either end showed where the marquees were pitched which served as the dressing-rooms of the combatants. A path had been staked off from the city gate to the stands which had been erected for the court and the nobility. Down this, amid the shouts of the enormous multitude, the prince cantered with his two attendant kings, his high officers of state, and his long train of lords and ladies, courtiers, counsellors, and soldiers, with toss of plume and flash of jewel, sheen of silk and glint of gold—as rich and gallant a show as heart could wish. The head of the cavalcade had reached the lists ere the rear had come clear of the city gate, for the fairest and the bravest had assembled from all the broad lands which are watered by the Dordogne and the Garonne. Here rode dark-browed cavaliers from the sunny south, fiery soldiers from Gascony, graceful courtiers of Limousin or Saintonge, and gallant young Englishmen from beyond the seas. Here too were the beautiful brunettes of the Gironde, with eyes which out-flashed their jewels, while beside them rode their blonde sisters of England, clear cut and aquiline, swathed in swans'-down and in ermine, for the air was biting though the sun was bright. Slowly the long and glittering train wound into the lists, until every horse had been tethered by the varlets in waiting, and every lord and lady seated in the long stands which stretched, rich in tapestry and velvet and blazoned arms, on either side of the centre of the arena.

The holders of the lists occupied the end which was nearest to the city gate. There, in front of their respective pavilions, flew the martlets of Audley, the roses of Loring, the scarlet bars of Wake, the lion of the Percies and the silver wings of the Beauchamps, each supported by a squire clad in hanging green stuff to represent so many Tritons, and bearing a huge conch-shell in their left hands. Behind the tents the great war-horses, armed at all points, champed and reared, while their masters sat at the doors of their pavilions, with their helmets upon their knees, chatting as to the order of the day's doings. The English archers and men-at-arms had mustered at that end of the lists, but the vast majority of the spectators were in favor of the attacking party, for the English had declined in popularity ever since the bitter dispute as to the disposal of the royal captive after the battle of Poictiers. Hence the applause was by no means general when the herald-at-arms proclaimed, after a flourish of trumpets, the names and styles of the knights who were prepared, for the honor of their country and for the love of their ladies, to hold the field against all who might do them the favor to run a course with them. On the other hand, a deafening burst of cheering greeted the rival herald, who, advancing from the other end of the lists, rolled forth the well-known titles of the five famous warriors who had accepted the defiance.

"Faith, John," said the prince, "it sounds as though you were right. Ha! my grace D'Armagnac, it seems that our friends on this side will not grieve if our English champions lose the day."

"It may be so, sire," the Gascon nobleman answered. "I have little doubt that in Smithfield or at Windsor an English crowd would favor their own countrymen."

"By my faith! that's easily seen," said the prince, laughing, "for a few score English archers at yonder end are bellowing as though they would out-shout the mighty multitude. I fear that they will have little to shout over this tourney, for my gold vase has small prospect of crossing the water. What are the conditions, John?"

"They are to tilt singly not less than three courses, sire, and the victory to rest with that party which shall have won the greater number of courses, each pair continuing till one or other have the vantage. He who carries himself best of the victors hath the prize, and he who is judged best of the other party hath a jewelled clasp. Shall I order that the nakirs sound, sire?"

The prince nodded, and the trumpets rang out, while the champions rode forth one after the other, each meeting his opponent in the centre of the lists. Sir William Beauchamp went down before the practiced lance of the Captal de Buch. Sir Thomas Percy won the vantage over the Lord of Mucident, and the Lord Audley struck Sir Perducas d'Albret from the saddle. The burly De Clisson, however, restored the hopes of the attackers by beating to the ground Sir Thomas Wake of Yorkshire. So far, there was little to choose betwixt challengers and challenged.

"By Saint James of Santiago!" cried Don Pedro, with a tinge of color upon his pale cheeks, "win who will, this has been a most notable contest."

"Who comes next for England, John?" asked the prince in a voice which quivered with excitement.

"Sir Nigel Loring of Hampshire, sire."

"Ha! he is a man of good courage, and skilled in the use of all weapons."

"He is indeed, sire. But his eyes, like my own, are the worse for wars. Yet he can tilt or play his part at hand-strokes as merrily as ever. It was he, sire, who won the golden crown which Queen Philippa, your royal mother, gave to be jousted for by all the knights of England after the harrying of Calais. I have heard that at Twynham Castle there is a buffet which groans beneath the weight of his prizes."

"I pray that my vase may join them," said the prince. "But here is the cavalier of Germany, and by my soul! he looks like a man of great valor and hardiness. Let them run their full three courses, for the issue is over-great to hang upon one."

As the prince spoke, amid a loud flourish of trumpets and the shouting of the Gascon party, the last of the assailants rode gallantly into the lists. He was a man of great size, clad in black armor without blazonry or ornament of any kind, for all worldly display was forbidden by the rules of the military brotherhood to which he belonged. No plume or nobloy fluttered from his plain tilting salade, and even his lance was devoid of the customary banderole. A white mantle fluttered behind him, upon the left side of which was marked the broad black cross picked out with silver which was the well-known badge of the Teutonic Order. Mounted upon a horse as large, as black, and as forbidding as himself, he cantered slowly forward, with none of those prancings and gambades with which a cavalier was accustomed to show his command over his charger. Gravely and sternly he inclined his head to the prince, and took his place at the further end of the arena.

He had scarce done so before Sir Nigel rode out from the holders' enclosure, and galloping at full speed down the lists, drew his charger up before the prince's stand with a jerk which threw it back upon its haunches. With white armor, blazoned shield, and plume of ostrich-feathers from his helmet, he carried himself in so jaunty and joyous a fashion, with tossing pennon and curveting charger, that a shout of applause ran the full circle of the arena. With the air of a man who hastes to a joyous festival, he waved his lance in salute, and reining the pawing horse round without permitting its fore-feet to touch the ground, he hastened back to his station.

A great hush fell over the huge multitude as the two last champions faced each other. A double issue seemed to rest upon their contest, for their personal fame was at stake as well as their party's honor. Both were famous warriors, but as their exploits had been performed in widely sundered countries, they had never before been able to cross lances. A course between such men would have been enough in itself to cause the keenest interest, apart from its being the crisis which would decide who should be the victors of the day. For a moment they waited—the German sombre and collected, Sir Nigel quivering in every fibre with eagerness and fiery resolution. Then, amid a long-drawn breath from the spectators, the glove fell from the marshal's hand, and the two steel-clad horsemen met like a thunderclap in front of the royal stand. The German, though he reeled for an instant before the thrust of the Englishman, struck his opponent so fairly upon the vizor that the laces burst, the plumed helmet flew to pieces, and Sir Nigel galloped on down the lists with his bald head shimmering in the sunshine. A thousand waving scarves and tossing caps announced that the first bout had fallen to the popular party.

The Hampshire knight was not a man to be disheartened by a reverse. He spurred back to the pavilion, and was out in a few instants with another helmet. The second course was so equal that the keenest judges could not discern any vantage. Each struck fire from the other's shield, and each endured the jarring shock as though welded to the horse beneath him. In the final bout, however, Sir Nigel struck his opponent with so true an aim that the point of the lance caught between the bars of his vizor and tore the front of his helmet out, while the German, aiming somewhat low, and half stunned by the shock, had the misfortune to strike his adversary upon the thigh, a breach of the rules of the tilting-yard, by which he not only sacrificed his chances of success, but would also have forfeited his horse and his armor, had the English knight chosen to claim them. A roar of applause from the English soldiers, with an ominous silence from the vast crowd who pressed round the barriers, announced that the balance of victory lay with the holders. Already the ten champions had assembled in front of the prince to receive his award, when a harsh bugle call from the further end of the lists drew all eyes to a new and unexpected arrival.

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In my campaign, one of my players is a hybrid rogue/assassin gnome. (Some of you can see my issue already.) He's level 2 and dishing out 30 damage.
He gets hit and triggers the gnome racial ability Fade Away. This allows him to become invisible and gain combat advantage. Since he has combat advantage, he can do a rogue Sneak Attack on his next hit (with the Backstabber feat adding +2d8). He also uses Assassin's Shroud as a free action (with the Lethal Shroud feat adding another +1d8). So he's doing 3d8 after becoming invisible -- that's not even including his attack.
What the hell am I supposed to do about this? I'm making bosses at level 3 that I consider overpowered, and they do overpower the other players in the campaign, but he comes around and does 1/3 the bosses' health in one round if he hits, which he usually seems to.
This is ruining my experience as a DM. I don't want to make every monster too strong, because it's not fair to the other players. Yet if I make anything with a remotely average amount of HP, he kills it in only a few rounds. It would not be fair of me to cater everything to his strength and make the other players suffer. He's a glass cannon, and it's hard to make monsters with high enough hp to withstand his damage and a high enough damage output to take him down without completely overpowering the other players in the campaign.
So what do I do about this? I have monsters and players doing 10-15 damage on average, then he comes along and doubles it almost whenever he wants. How can I bring him down a notch without affecting everyone else?


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New Movies: 'Insidious Chapter 2′ and 'The Family'
This weekend at theaters, we get the sequel to a popular 2010 horror hit by the director of this summer's smash, 'The Conjuring,' plus a return to gangster life for Robert De Niro (though not exactly 'Goodfellas' or 'Godfather' territory). Happy Friday the 13th!
'Insidious: Chapter 2'
The second entry in director James Wan's supernatural saga finds the Lambert family desperately trying to escape the spirits that have been haunting them.
Directed by James Wan
Starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye
'The Family'
When a longtime mafia family joins the Witness Protection Program, they get relocated to Normandy, France, where they don't exactly fit in with the locals.
Directed by Luc Besson
Starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Diana Agron


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Hi all,
For the past couple of days, I seem to be avoiding zazen. Procrastinating.
Yesterday I did managed to sit for about 30 minutes. But I had to force myself to do it.
Today, I have no desire to sit. I can almost hear my zafu calling me but I just walk by it. Too many things to do, too many things in my head, too many agitations in my mind, too many responsibilities, too many problems to deal with, too many...Argh!
I take refuge in the Sangha!


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SE Asia Scams
I had the pleasure of living in Southeast and Central Asia from 2004 until 2014, and it was an awesome decade. There was only one thing I absolutely despised (and still do when traveling) and that was when locals would try to rip-off tourists who they only see as walking dollar sign rubes rather than actual people. Traveling around in Asia can be a great experience, and this brief guide will hopefully make it easier to avoid some of the common scamming pitfalls.
Do you want to help someone who you perceive as less fortunate? Toss a few extra bucks to that honest mom and pop fruit vendor selling pomelo by the roadside. Discreetly (very discreetly) slip a few dollars to that hardworking guy sweeping trash from the curb. If you have a local friend, get their advice as to how to ensure your financial assistance goes to good, honest folks. DO NOT give anything to people who bother you. It makes you a target if the proposition is in public and you only reward that behavior. If you see an unsuspecting tourist or a naïve expat rewarding scammers by falling for a trap, then do your part and warn them off.
The background photo is of the royal palace in Bangkok, which is such a cool spot for fans of both architecture and history. But if you go up to a taxi (or tuk tuk as in the photo) in a touristy area and ask to go there, most drivers will lie to you, explain how its closed for some absurd reason, and then proceed to take you to a series of rip-off joints (gem stores, high priced massage parlors, etc...) where they make commission off of you. Educate/prepare yourself, and do not let this kind of situation spoil your experience or even worse: Taint your opinion of the local people overall who are usually pretty cool and honest.
Compendium of Major Southeast Asia Travel Scams - By Type
This informal but comprehensive anti-scam guide ONLY covers scams and not outright/blatant crime or general safety dangers such as muggers/pickpockets, getting your drink spiked, driving/transportation hazards, or the art of haggling (a skill deserving of its own guide) to avoid being overcharged. Further, it assumes that you have at least half of a brain. For example: If you are offered a Rolex for 30 US dollars and actually believe that it is real because the person hawking the watch claims it is genuine, then you probably need help beyond what is written here.
Certain cities/countries can be difficult to navigate if you don't have the luxury of a TRUE local friend...The best general advice is to both NEVER trust anyone who solicits your attention in a touristy spot or airport departure area and NEVER fully trust taxi drivers. It also helps not to rock a big, expensive camera around your neck and huge tourist map in your back pocket.
While not scam-free, in my experience the least "scammy" countries are Japan, Singapore, Brunei, Taiwan, and Korea. Conversely, the specific cities where I have experienced the most scams are Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta. I thought Thailand was on the road to cleaning things up when the new airport was built, but sadly they have regressed with their new "official" taxi service now running scams to trick customers into upgrading their car.
The point of this guide is not to be cynical about Asia traveling, but to prevent travelers from being screwed over and this in-turn will prevent them from unfairly judging an entire (and otherwise awesome) country based on the pond scum scammers.
"Never seek illicit wealth." -Confucius
Scammers love to prey on our desire to get things for dirt cheap. A cousin to the greed scam is the lust scam, which lonely, male rookie travelers can be especially susceptible to falling for.Real World Example:Many, many years ago I was a rookie traveler in Manila looking to hang out somewhere so I strolled into what from the outside looked like a standard bar/restaurant. I sat down at the bar and a decently attractive girl came over, shot the BS with me for a minute, and then asked me to buy us drinks. We had a fun conversation, and after tossing back a few, I was handed the bill which after converting from Peso amounted to roughly 250 US Dollars. This was my introduction to rip-off bars which are in all major cities in Asia.
Fake Tours:Don't be cheap and go with a super low price tour. The dirt cheap or "black tour" focuses on a bunch of boring shops where the "guides" make commissions off of the customers rather than seeing the real sites; for some reason the cheap crap tours in Thailand usually include a visit to a horribly maintained crocodile farm. The cheap-crap tour operators may also try to push some garbage "travel insurance" on you, which is good for absolutely nothing.
"Precious" Jewels or "Real" Handmade Batik:The gemstone scams are especially pervasive in Thailand. The mark will be persuaded to buy a gem - sometimes complete with fake certificate - for a duty-free dirt cheap "just for you" price. Varying tactics can be employed in this one, but the outcome results in the gem either being fake (probably some kind of sapphire or dyed quartz) or at some point a real one is switched for a fake. Many of these rip-off gem shops like to call themselves "factory export centers" which I suppose they think foreigners prefer to "jewelry store" due to it sounding more official. Anyway, There are REAL gemstones for good prices available in Thailand and great deals on REAL pearls and jade in China, but you need to do your homework and not implicitly trust that tuk-tuk driver or gemstore salesman. The Indonesian and Malaysian version of this scam usually involves batik garments or silk. Hong Kong has many infamous places that push fake "precious" antiques and bogus mammoth ivory. And, not to be outdone, Vietnam has their own variation that involves fake war relics.
Tailor/Copy Watch Touts/Fake Goods/Cheap Deals:The aggressive and hugely annoying tailor touts in Asia do not understand a polite "no", so either ignore them or be forceful when declining their offers. For some reason these guys are almost always of Indian or Pakistani descent. If you take them up on getting a suit, the construction might actually be ok but it is a safe bet that the fabric will be of terrible quality. Be wary of cheap deals in general, especially on electronics where a salesman can show you one model and secretly slip a different version or broken one in the box for you to take home. I know firsthand of a person who purchased an expensive camera that worked wonderfully while in the store, and then having been bait and switched at some point, discovered later that the onscreen menus were only in Japanese. Illicit goods, such as pirated movies or drugs, carry an even higher chance of you being ripped off since you can't report anything to the tourist police. I find fake timepieces to be blatantly obvious (hint: look closely at the font and the etchings), but if you happen to know absolutely nothing about watches and their prices then I'd advise caution when buying one in Asia.
Fake or Super Expired Consumables And Medicine:This could potentially be a problem if you are traveling in China and don't have access to reputable grocery stores with brand name products. Its kind of rare for a traveler to stumble across this stuff, but you could happen upon chemical eggs, cardboard noodles, or even fake cigarettes at the small stores in rural China. If the look of them doesn't tip you off, the prices will because they are dirt cheap. Unscrupulous street vendors in Vietnam, Indonesia, and China will sometimes refill bottled water with tap water, so if a roadside shop looks shady then check the bottle top for a seal. Sometimes, and this is a pretty minor scam compared to most, they will also remove the label from cheap beers and sell them as higher end brews. Watch out for fake medicine as well, as there are some seedy pharmacies in Cambodia and Thailand that sell fakes which are usually missing some minor but noticable details on the boxes. Also, just for your records, despite what you may have heard Chinese "monkey pick tea" is rarely picked by actual monkeys.
Card/Shell Games And Connect Four Kids:If you are approached for a game in a touristy area, then YOU are the game. At crowded beaches in Thailand local kids will challenge Western adults at Connect Four and give really good odds, though the problem of course is that it is nearly impossible to beat them.
Timeshare Opportunities:Much like in Western countries you can be approached with this scam at a resort area. And much like the scam in the West, you are taken to some shady seminar where salesman try to coerce you into buying a 40-year timeshare.
Your Famous!:There are legit acting opportunities for Westerners, albeit they come with horrible pay and accommodation, throughout the big cities in Asia. Every Asian drug kingpin has a "White Goon #3" or a "Black Goon #3". BUT, there are also plenty of fake opportunities where a "casting agent" approaches you and builds you up to be the next foreign superstar from the West. Naturally your new agent will tell you to pay for headshots, screen actor guilds registrations, and of course, the sizzle reel for all the acting gigs coming your way.
Dirt Cheap Hotels and Hostels:Using cheap hotels in Japan and Singapore is probably fine, but I've heard many horror stories from the 3rd World countries in Asia. I've had a few cheap hotels in Korea try to scam me with attempted "addon fees" and tricks like the old "rate is per person and not per room" scam. Staff at a "black hotel" can branch you off into many other types of scams, so I'd advise looking into more than just the "room rate" before booking. Also, be wary of the rip-off hotels that name themselves after the large chains so the scammer taxis can use that as an excuse when they bring you there. In Bangkok for example, very different from "The Peninsula Bangkok" hotel is the smaller, crappier "Peninsula Hotel" which is inconveniently located nearby.
The Buy Me a Drink:If you wander into an unknown bar and a girl immediately hits you up for a drink, ask to see the prices before you agree to buy anything as it could be rip-off hostess bar/club/disco. Nowadays they are usually obvious, but sometimes these clip joints (old school slang) will fly under the radar and a weary traveler not paying attention may not be aware until its too late.
Massage Parlors, KTVs, And Hookup Joints in General:There are legit places, and many other not-so-legit just waiting for guys to stumble into and be ripped off. Keep in mind that no matter what, the goal is to fleece hornball guy tourists of their money. So even if you think you know the prices upfront, that Chinese tea you ordered while waiting for the masseuse (or "masseuse") to arrive isn't free. And then there is tax, and service charge, and finders fee, and oh my God do they nickel and dime customers to death...Just be wary because with illicit services - much like illicit goods - the mamma-sans and pimps of the World know that you won't be running for the tourist police over disputes at these places.
Rookie travelers from Western countries are especially in danger of giving money to sympathy scammers.Real World Example:In the Philippines one trip I happened to be given an overly chatty driver who wanted to take me to his home almost immediately after us just having met. Shortly after bombarding me with an unsolicited earful of his hardships, I was taken to his home where there was an obviously staged meeting of his family. He then continued on about how tough life is and I was finally taken back to my hotel where I imagined I was supposed to feel guilty and eventually mull over how I was going to financially help him. Instead I arranged for a different driver who did a great job while occasionally engaging in normal unstaged conversations with me, and who I later tipped extremely well for hard work rather than insulting my intelligence with transparent sympathy scams.
Fake Monks:I despise fake monks, as they are a slap in the face to both real monks and to poor people who truly deserve alms from folks who are of means. If you have ever fallen for this cheap scam, then don't admit it to a veteran traveler. These bogus holy men throw on a robe, prayer beads, and maybe shine their shaved head before heading out to touristy areas and patrol for suckers. Its most prevalent in Hong Kong, but I've seen this one at touristy areas in other big Chinese cities and in Malaysia.
The Stranded Traveler:The stranded traveler scam is a basic confidence game played out in airports, train stations, and ferry terminals all over the World. Ignore anyone who claims to need a specific amount of money because they supposedly either lost their wallet or had it stolen.
Fake Charity Organization:Fake charity scams are popular in Hong Kong, especially in Tsim Shat Tsui and parts of Central. People - or handout monkeys afraid of doing real work beyond bothering passers-by - will stand around the street with paraphanialia for a charity that you have never heard of anywhere in the World and in actuality any money collected just goes into their pocket.
The Starving Artists:This one is popular in big cities in China. Basically a young couple will approach you alleging to be starving artists that want to practice their English, and after setting the hook they will at some point try to con you into buying cheap art which is really just mass produced junk.
The Poor Kid:This is a tough one, but you have to remain vigilant. A young child will approach, sometimes while the mark is in a car in traffic, and beg for money claiming to be hungry. Often times they will be holding something like flowers or a broken toy to make them seem more cute and sad. The money given to them does not go to the kids, but to the middle age guy nearby who pimps them out for donations as he actually receives the money from them. The real starving children usually aren't near tourists; just the actors. You will see this scam very often in the big cities in the Philippines and Indonesia. You can DISCREETLY (do not be obvious and make yourself a target!) give the kid food, but NEVER money. This is a good rule of thumb for beggars in general, as I've heard some scary first-hand accounts of travelers who made the mistake of whipping out a big wallet in public. The Cambodian version of the "poor kid scam" involves a slight twist, where a young kid will convince a Western tourist to buy them milk at a local store and then shortly afterwards the kid will sell the milk back to the store and his adult minder pockets most of the money.
Travelers who are new to a particular city and country without a local friend usually don't know how to find their way around, and scammers will swoop in on these poor unsuspecting victims like vultures on a fresh kill.Real World Example:Rather than arriving in Jakarta on an international flight and taking a domestic flight to my destination in Central Java, I decided to save time and fly directly to Semarang airport. I arrived and waited in an immigration queue, and then was pulled out of line along with several other white people. Next I was taken into a stuffy office where a sloppy looking "officer" looked at my passport, shook his head and continually grunting sounds as if something was wrong. I sat in a chair looking like I didn't give a shit (My visa was squared away and I had local friends so I was cool) and it turns out the guy didn't even have the guts to straight out ask for money, as he was waiting for me to act scared and say something to him. After noticing that I wasn't shaken (I actually propped my feet up on small chair and hummed a tune in his crappy office), he put me back in line and brought in the next Western traveler. Honestly, if this had been my first rodeo I would have been pissing my pants.
The Friendly "Helper": A large macaque monkey snatches your friend's purse during a visit to an outdoor Hindu Temple in Indonesia, and an absurd keystone cops style chase ensues with you running it up a tree. You shake the tree limb while "helpers" pelt the monkey with food that they just happen to have on them. The monkey finally drops the purse, and the "helpers" expect payment. Yes, this ridiculous situation happened to me one time. Anytime someone comes to your aid in a touristy area, expect them to hit you up for a dollar. It can be as weird as someone shoving seed into your hands expecting you to feed birds, or as simple as someone getting in a picture with you. A good general rule is that if anyone tries to hand you something in a touristy area, simply DO NOT take it. If they offer to take your picture, DO NOT give them your camera.
Rip-off Cabs, Boat Taxis, Tuk Tuks, Trishaws, Rickshaws, Jeepneys, VIP buses, And Other Transport Scams:These guys can branch you off into the other kinds of scams...Two rules of thumb is ALWAYS have small change because taxi drivers seem to never have change (much like how their English skills deteriorate rapidly when there is a dispute) and if you have doubts about the meter, then DEFINITELY haggle the fare beforehand. Be aware of a roughly average taxi fare to your destination in advance of course, and keep in mind that every country has specific tricks you can use to help weed out the good ones from the bad. For example, a clear tell if a Hong Kong taxi driveris a scammer would be a "modified driver certification" which is to the left of the driver and displays his name and other details. If it has been tinkered with (perhaps along with the taxi registration number on the receipt), then you have a potential scammer on your hands. Another example is Beijing, where legitimate Beijing taxi license plates start with a "京 B". So be sure to read up on the taxi rules and costs such as highway fare, luggage fee, etc...in the country you are planning to visit to be prepared in the event that the driver tries to charge you. If traveling as a duo with luggage, have one remove the bags from the trunk while the other waits in the car to help prevent an unscrupulous driver from peeling the hell out of there with your stuff. The same rules that you apply to car taxis also apply to boats and buses, who are equally capable of ripping off an unsuspecting traveler. Boat taxis (like the Mekong Boat Mafia) are notorious for raising the rate when there is no alternative option of transport. Simply put: Go with a trustworthy driver in a trustworthy vehicle when possible, even if you have to pay slightly pricey premium, and in the cases where you do have to use a scammer then make sure they play by your rules and not the other way around.
Fake Tickets: Some tourist attractions are free to visit, and scammers will try to fool foreigners at these places with fake ticket booths. I've seen this attempted at the Batu Caves and at Mao's Tomb. Be sure to find out in advance if you will need to get tickets at the entrance. You should also keep in mind that many real ticket booths will have separate prices for locals and foreigners. Fake ticket vendors and fake travel agents have also been known to set up shop outside train stations and ferry terminals.
Airport Terminal Cab/Shuttle Transport:This scam is popular at Jakarta airport, but I've heard it can happen at any slightly confusing airport in Asia. You arrive on an international flight to the terminal, exit and begin looking for domestic departures and naturally out of nowhere a "helper" (sometimes in a fake airport uniform) offers to drive you to it. If you had arrived in Jakarta and agreed to the proposal, you would be driven in a circle because the domestic terminal is in the same place as the international terminal.
Visa and Immigration/Border "Extra" Fees:If you are in an airport, you can usually brush off the immigration official's request for money as I have done in Indonesia on a handful of occasions. But if you are stopped at a land border, there may be no choice but to throw the customs officer a few dollars to avoid a lengthy wait or perhaps even their refusal to cross. Usually these kinds of situations combine confusion and fear scams, so try to learn as much as possible about what to expect at all borders you are crossing on your journey. In Indonesia and Malaysia if you enter on a business visa and list companies that you are working with on the forms, be advised that immigration may check up to see if the information is accurate and there would no doubt be a stiff fine in the event of a discrepancy. I've heard of employees at cheap hotels in Indonesia checking up on visitors for immigration departments; basically looking for an excuse to levy a nasty fine. Be ready if you cross the land borders amongst the Golden Triangle countries, especially in a "VIP" bus, for the guards/officials to attempt extortion (nonsense exit stamp fees, SARS free certifications, etc...). Most importantly, watch your passport like a hawk and never, ever go to the Cambodian border town of Poipet.
Money Under The Receipt, Short Change, Extra Credit Swipes, And Coin Dump:These basic scams are common in 3rd World countries. The old money-under-the-receipt scam involves a server attempting to hide a really flat high value bill under a large receipt that is clipped into a small guest bill folder. It can go unnoticed if the customer doesn't take the receipt and isn't paying attention because the rest of the change is on top of the receipt. The short change trick is pretty basic, so just be aware that some cashiers/tellers will try to take advantage of a tourist not being familiar with the local currency. It is pretty rare nowadays for someone to try doing an ATM skim or credit card swipe style rip-off, but just in case always keep your eye on your card and be sure to fill in the total on a receipt so a tricky waiter/waitress doesn't try to write in a tip after-the-fact. The coin dump is an old classic, and this scam preys on your dislike for carrying around coins and unfamiliarity with the amounts (Japanese Yen and Singapore dollar coins shouldn't be tossed around like pennies). The easiest way to avoid the trick being pulled on you is to tell the cashier/teller that you don't tip people who think you are a slot machine and they should take the hint.
Currency Exchange:You should be able to exercise common sense on this one. Never choose a currency exchange that is in an unsecure location and/or if the staff at the booth are desperately attempting to solicit your business, then avoid them and go to the one where everyone is mellow. Even if you are at an honest exchange place, hotel or real bank, allow the teller to see that you are paying attention to the rate and what he/she is doing with your money. If for some reason you are forced to use a shady ramshackle currency exchange shop, then you may want to additionally double-check to see if you are being passed counterfeit bills.
Internet Café And Wi-Fi Spoofing:This is closer to thievery than a scam, but I wanted to mention it anyway...Exercise caution at the many ramshackle Internet cafes that you come across and NEVER do online banking or PayPal related transactions there.
People tend to set aside common sense when they are afraid, and sadly scammers will take advantage of this all too often.Real World Example:I had a driver in Thailand one time try lead me to believe that it was the most dangerous country in Asia, and that for my personal safety, he should be my driver for the weekend. He was hoping that I would get so afraid that I would not think straight. So having detected an obvious scam, I naturally I told him to eat hot shit and then I enjoyed myself that weekend going with whatever driver I felt like using.
Personal Driver/Bodyguard/Buddy: You can stumble across good local folks who will be your friend, and those friendships will develop slowly and organically just like back home. Try to avoid the leeches, who will bleed you dry while they are "taking care of you". These "friends" usually hurry the friendship along and may try to fear scam you into believing that you can't get around safely by yourself. Much like "friendly helper" scams, the staged and artificial way that the "helper/buddy" rushes the friendship is so not organic (like friendships back home) that your internal alarm bells should be ringing.
Unofficial Toll Roads:This is getting into outright thievery territory, but in some 3rd World countries you may run into an unofficial roadblock where you or you driver have to pay a toll. Your options are to turn around or fight them, and since the fare is usually dirt cheap I hate to admit it but for this one you probably should bite the bullet. Attempting to plow through the roadblock will have consequences (then or later) that simply aren't worth the meager pittance of a few bucks.
Damaged Rental:The "damaged rental" is an old scam which combines the fear and confusion scams. You are rented some kind of vehicle, for example lets say you rent a jetski from a shack on the beach for some enjoyable watersports time out on the water. Later you bring it back to the rental shack to return it and the proprietor claims you dented, scratched, or otherwise messed up his jetski. There may also be a handful of goons hanging around to pressure you into paying restitution for the "damage". For reputable jetski, motorbike, or other rental needs you should check with your hotel or perhaps via online reviews. The Laos variation on this scam involves a thief (working for the rental place) stealing the vehicle from you while you aren't looking, and then returning it to the rental place as a "good samaritan" who naturally deserves a hefty reward from you. Don't rent anything without doing your homework.
Fake Police:You can of course be scammed by real police in 3rd World countries, but adding to complexity are scammers who dress up in uniforms of police or airport personnel. It can be difficult to tell the difference, even for veteran travelers, but just be aware that they are out there. At Dhaka airport in Bangladesh for example, there are fake airport personnel wandering around who will charge you for customs forms that are freely available! One thing you can try, though its not smoking gun evidence of anything, is to demand to see their National identification card to see if that matches their fake police/airport ID.
We want to immerse ourselves in a different culture when visiting foreign lands, and hopefully get a more personal and interesting experience by witnessing a traditional ceremony/ritual or meeting an "Asian mystic". In reality, without a TRUE local friend it is hard to know anything real about the country's cultural rituals and traditions.Real World Example:In the West people are fascinated with Asian mysticism. I've lived in Asia for a decade and only met ONE person who probably had something extra going on. He was an impressive feng shui expert in China who lived on the grounds of Confucius's home who read me like a book, and after we had an awesome conversation through a translator he didn't ask for single penny.
The Ceremony/Dance/Ritual:If you do your research and time your trips right then you could see a variety of real-deal culturally fascinating ceremonies in Asia and if you aren't careful, you can be subjected to bogus rituals that were invented strictly to rip-off naïve tourists. The most infamous of course is the tea ceremony scam in Beijing, where a con artist will befriend the mark on the street and take them to a tea house where a fake ceremony is performed and the mark is presented with an inflated price. Other versions of ceremony/ritual scams will weave religion into in the mix, like the old "burn super-pricey incense in a temple" scam.
Mystical Magical Healing Clinics:Use your noggin and avoid this nonsense. This scam targets Western tourists who are "just off the airplane fresh" and is sadly quite popular in China, and I would imagine India as well. Now certain alternative medicines/therapies, such as ear candling and acupuncture, may have some benefits and deserve some research before plunging ahead.
Lucky Man Fortune Tellers:This is arguably a scam, depending on whether or not you believe there are real fortune tellers. Touristy areas in Tsim Shat Tsui, Hong Kong are loaded with these guys. They usually dress like Sikhs and will approach you, often aggressively by getting in your way, and claim to read your fortune. If you entertain their offer, then cheap parlor tricks will ensue with the end result being their demanding money.
Southeast Asia Travel Scam Watch - By City (Biggest Cities in East Asia) : THIS SECTION IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
City | Taxi | Airport | Hotspots | Misc. |
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Browse the Agrilinks community to find individuals and organizations working in food security.
Marianne Gadeberg
Joined January 13, 2020
6 posts
May 12, 2023 - From Research to Impact: Towards Just and Resilient Agri-Food Systems
Marianne Gadeberg is a science communicator working with the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small-Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) and other research-for-development programs.
Katherine Smith
Joined May 23, 2019
1 post
May 31, 2019 - Catalyzing Entrepreneurship to Address Market Gaps in Timor-Leste
I am currently the communications manager for USAID's Avansa Agrikultura Project in Timor-Leste which is implemented by Cardno.I have eleven years' experience working in both profit and not-for-profit sectors in the USA,...
Marie-Charlotte Buisson
Joined June 05, 2018
2 posts
Jun 18, 2018 - What Does Male Out-Migration Mean for Women in Tajikistan's Agriculture?
Marie-Charlotte Buisson conducts research in Development Economics and Environmental Economics with a specialization in impact evaluation. She has expertise on sustainable management of natural resources, on the role of policy...


text:
Respiration is the name of the general process by which living organisms convert sugars and oxygen into biochemical energy. The process occurs in all organisms, including animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria (though in some cases other electron acceptors, like nitrate, are substituted for the oxygen). During respiration, carbohydrates are broken down, and the energy stored in the carbohydrates' bonds is used to produce ATP and other high-energy compounds that can be used throughout the cell to fuel the different processes necessary to support life.In addition to producing useful energy, respiration produces carbon dioxide and water as waste products. The overall equation for the process is given below:
Last modified August 16, 2006 by Jennifer Bergman.


text: In light of Russia's new anti-LGBT legislation, actor Wentworth Miller used an invitation to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival as an opportunity to not only come out in a rather subtle way but to simultaneously admonish the country for targeting LGBT citizens. "As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes. However, as a gay man, I must decline," the Prison Break star wrote in a letter posted to GLAAD's website Tuesday evening. He went on to call the "current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government … in no way acceptable" and concluded that he looks forward to a time when "circumstances improve" and he's "free to make a different choice." For their part, GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz praised Miller's bold show of support and hopes it leads to even more celebrities and corporations following the Stoker writer's "courageous lead in openly condemning Russia's anti-LGBT law."


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St Josemaria: God's Instrument for The Work
Cardinal José Saraiva Martins
Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
1. A divine mission
To understand what the Lord says to the Church through the saints, we must be clear about one premise: holiness is the fullness of divine charity; all the saints, each in his own way, soared to the heights of divine charity. However, all saints bring a special message, which should not only be sought in the heroism with which they "privately" (if I may use this term) exercised the Christian virtues, but also in the way they carried out their mission on earth. Their awareness of the task received from God, along with the daily struggle to carry it out, explains the heroism of the saints. The point which really qualifies a person in causes for canonization lies precisely in the proven radicalism with which the person carried out God's will, the way he or she fulfilled the mission entrusted to each (the papacy, the episcopate, the priesthood; religious life, or the call to holiness in the world: in the family, at work, and so forth).
The mission the Lord entrusted to St Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer can be examined from two aspects: the content and instrument. On the one hand, he was called to proclaim the universal vocation to holiness, and to show Christians who are called to serve God in the world, as the context of and material for sanctification. On the other hand and at the same time, he founded in the Church an institution entirely aimed at spreading this message and helping others, without distinction, to put it into practice. How did this priest accomplish this task? One element is particularly striking: he was fully conscious that he was the main agent of nothing, he did not have to invent anything, he had received it all from the Lord. Hence the great pains he took to interpret the founding charism faithfully, to apply it without variations and to pass it on whole.
The historical circumstances in which Opus Dei came into being explain St Josemaría's consciousness of the supernatural origin of his mission. Anyone who analyzes the facts reaches the conclusion that God explicitly intervened. Indeed, it all happened in a few moments. On 2 October 1928 in the morning, at a precise moment during the spiritual retreat while absorbed in prayer in his room, Josemaría Escrivá "saw" what the Lord asked of him. Later, he wrote: "That day, the Lord founded his Opus (Work)". He received a sudden illumination. He felt he was merely the instrument—and one that was "inept and deaf" as he then started to describe himself—to a divine plan. The very name—Opus Dei—by which the founder later (in 1930) began to call the pastoral phenomenon that had sprung from that illumination was a clear sign of his consciousness of this. One can observe that the Apostolic Constitution Ut sit!, with which the Holy Father established Opus Dei as a personal prelature on 28 November 1982, indirectly accepts the founder's interpretation of the birth of Opus Dei: "he acted", the text says, "divina ductusinspiratione" (ledby divine inspiration).
In the dedication with which he laboured all his life to fulfil his mission, he reveals his total conviction that he was an instrument. Hence his heroism, his fortitude in embracing the Cross and the daring of his apostolic initiatives. From this come his openness of mind and heart, his refusal of any kind of factiousness or pettiness, and his work, always at the service of the Church.... From this comes, finally, his struggle to begin over and over again every day, and many times a day, in his endeavour to correspond to this grace.
However, the content of the message (that we will now illustrate) in the light that emerges fromit, also offers enlightening prospects for evangelization. In its universality—that goes beyond every barrier of race, cultural background, or geographical origin—we can recognize the brilliant, perennial general lines of the Gospel.
2. Perennial timeliness
When he began his ministry at the end of the 1920s, his message seemed outstandingly new. On the one hand, he renewed the consciousness of the active role of the laity in the Church's mission; on the other, he called for a new theological perception of earthly realities: the world was no longer seen principally as the realm of sin, a reality to be kept at a certain distance to preserve oneself from contagion, but as a reality endowed with divine meaning, created by God and marked by his active presence, redeemed by Christ and in need of being led back to God today.
These new things were the result of the Holy Spirit's action in the history of the Church, they were born from an inexorable process of maturation.
In this sense, the message of St Josemaría belongs to the perennial patrimony of the Church, as the papal decree of his heroic virtues stresses: "This message of sanctification in and of earthly realities appears providentially timely in the spiritual situation of our day, so inclined to exalt human values, yet so prone to give in to an immanentist vision of the world, cut off from God. On the other hand, in inviting Christians to seek union with God through work, the perennial task and dignity of the human person on earth, this timeliness is destined to endure over and above the changing ages and historical situations, as an inexhaustible source of spiritual light".
In fact, to the problems of a society in rapid change, the teaching of St Josemaría offers the latest answers that have nothing to do with the fashions or trends of the moment. The decree of his heroic virtues continues: "Regnare Christum volumus! (We want Christ to reign). This was Mons. Escrivá's programme: to put Christ at the apex of all human activities: from every situation and profession his ecclesial servicepromoted an upward movement rising towards God of peopleimmersed in temporal realities, in accord with the promise of the Saviour in which he saw the heart of the pastoral phenomenon of Opus Dei: And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself"(Jn 12, 32 Vg.). In the Christianization of the world from within (its own realities) lies the special merit of his contribution to the advancement of the laity.
3. The heart of his message
The life of the founder of Opus Dei was the most eloquent application of his message. This emerged clearly from the cause of canonization. The lesson of every saint becomes explicit in the complementarity between his life, his preaching and his writings. St Josemaría spoke of "the mute eloquence" of works: "Love means deeds and not sweet words" (The Forge, n. 498). What do saints talk to us about? There is one, simple, inexhaustable answer: God. Each one of them throws light on a particular feature of the infinite riches of the mystery of Christ.
In an even cursory analysis of St Josemaría's works published so far, one finds a deep perception of the mystery of the Incarnation from which his charism flows. The three fundamental aspects of the doctrine that constitutes the backbone of the thought of the founder of Opus Dei stem from the same root. I am referring to the proclamation of the universal call to holiness in its subjective, objective and cosmic dimensions, which I shall explain briefly.
The subjective viewpoint. In Christ, the Son of God made man and the Redeemer of the world, we received the gift of the divine adoptive sonship. So in the Son, we are configured to Christ by the action of the Holy Spirit. Holiness can also be described as the fullness of the development of the grace of the divine sonship in the soul. The proclamation of the vocation of all men and women—regardless of their state—to the perfection of divine charity is founded on this primary truth. In an unforgettable mystical experience in October 1931, while St Josemaría was crossing Madrid in a tram, the Lord gave him an extraordinarily deep vision of the gift of adoptive divine sonship in Christ.
The objective viewpoint. Not only did he proclaim forcefully that every one is called to holiness; but also that all our ordinary activities are a means to, and an opportunity for, sanctification and do not constitute their own world, outside the ordinary one, within the reach of only a few. In the Word made flesh God assumed in himself and divinized the human reality, the whole of the human being. Every aspect of created reality is informed and transformed by this exaltation in God. Before the breadth of the panorama spread out before his eyes, Josemaría Escrivá, deeply moved, was able to exclaim, "The divine paths of the world have been opened up"(ChristIs Passing By,n. 21).
The Kingdom of heaven is established on earth through every human activity, even the simplest, as long as it is done in the Spirit of Christ who, for 30 years, worked quietly in Nazareth. The pattern of the usually unvaried daily life of anyone of the faithful, reveals an intrinsic divine dimension: "The days seem the same, even monotonous. But don't forget that our condition which is apparently so common has a divine value. God is interested in everything we do, because Christ wishes to become incarnate in our things, to vivify from within even our most insignificant actions" (ChristIsPassing By,n. 174). Daily life, professional work, as the place and material of sanctification: we will return to this point so full of consequences not only for spirituality, but also for pastoral work.
The doctrine of the universal vocation to holiness also possesses an undoubtedly cosmiccomponent: theChristian's work sanctifies the world. The Apostolic Brief for Josemaría Escrivá's Beatification says: "The revelation of the connection between the natural dynamism of human work and that of grace, while affirming the primacy of the supernatural life of union with Christ, expressesthe latter in an incisive effort for the Christian animation of the world by all the faithful. In this context, VenerableJosemaría Escrivá showed the full redemptive power of faith and its transfiguring force in individual persons and in the structures in which human ideals and aspirations are moulded". In the situation that these wordscall to mind it is impossible not to hear the echo of that well-known passage of the Letter tothe Romans: "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together untilnow" (Rom 8,22-23). Into this framework fits another mystic experience grantedto the Saint on 7 August 1931, during the celebration of Mass: "At the moment of the consecration while lifting up the sacred host, without losing my recollection andwithout becoming distracted ... there cameto my mind with extraordinary force and clarity that passage of Scripture: 'et si exaltatus fuero a terra, omnia traham ad meipsum' (when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all to myself). Generally, when confronted with the supernatural I am afraid. Then comes the 'ne timeas (do not be afraid), it is I'. And I understood that it will be the men and women of God who will raise up the Cross with the teachings of Christ placing them at the peak of all human activities.... And I saw our Lord triumphing and drawing all things to himself" (quoted by A. Vázquez de Prada, Ilfondatore dell'Opus Dei,Milan 1999, p. 402).
4. Daily life
In connection with the doctrine of the universal vocation to holiness, the Saint loved to use this threefold expression: We have to sanctify our work, we have to sanctify ourselves in our work, and we have to sanctify others through our work (cf. Christ Is PassingBy,n. 122). Look at this passage: "For there is no human undertaking which cannot be sanctified, which cannot be an opportunity to sanctity ourselves and to cooperate with God in the sanctification of the people with whom we work" (ibid.,n. 10). Thus work appears as the central point around which the person's life revolves and the focus of his whole life. For ordinary Christians, it articulates their daily response to the mission received fromGod on earth.
In the teaching of this man, a saint, work reveals—in Christ and in the Christian—a supernatural dimension which increases its value, to such an extent thathe did not hesitate to assert: "Your human vocation is a part—and an important part—of your divine vocation. That is the reason why you must strive for holiness, giving a particular character to your human personality, a style to your life; contributing at the same time to the sanctification of others, your fellow men; sanctifying your work and your environment: the profession or job that fills your day, your home and family and the country whereyou were born and which you love" (ibid., n. 46). It is hard to imagine a more convinced assertion of the lay state as a form of the saving presenceof the Church in the world.
From all this it can be seen that St Josemaría took work in the broadest sense, as an activity, the work of the human being. From this point of view, it becomes one with daily life: that series of events, important or seemingly insignificant, which are interwoven in the day of the ordinary faithful. This passage, from one of his homilies, offers a few evocative ideas for spiritual life: Speaking with theological rigour "Nothing can be foreign to Christ's interest without being limited to functional categories; we cannot say that there are things— good, noble or indifferent—which are exclusively profane. This cannot be after the Word of God has lived among the children of men, felt hunger and thirst, worked with his hands, experienced friendship and obedience and suffering and death" (ibid.,n. 112). Let us examine this point which, as said, plays a central role in the teachings of St Escrivá.
A few brief ideas from The Way: "'Great holiness consists in doing the 'small duties' of each moment" (n. 817). "Do everything for Love. Thus there will be no little things: everything will be big. Perseverance in little things for Love is heroism" (n. 813). "Have you noticed how human love consists of little things? Well, divine Love also consists of little things" (n. 824). It can be said that the entire work of St Josemaríaunfolds like a hymn, a hymn of praise for the supernatural and human value in daily life lived in union with Christ, the Word made flesh. It is not only the site, but also the material for holiness, where the most insignificant gesture becomes prayer. Those who glimpse the supernatural dimension in day to day life, those who live it as an active search for the encounter with Christ, take part in their own daily transfiguration. For the eyes of faith, even what at first may seem gray, flat or dull, reveals God's presence: "There is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations; and it is up to each person to discover it" (Conversations with JosemaríaEscrivá, n. 301).
At times his prayer reaches peaks that seemed to be reserved for the expressive power of the poet: "We are poor creatures, yet with the help of grace we find pure gold, emeralds and rubies where others can only see the bottoms of bottles", said St Josemaría.
In this regard he also liked to recall that Christians are the aristocrats of love, because everything speaks to them of God. These words offer poetry and theology at the same time: "Heaven and earth, ... seem to meet on the horizon, but where they really meet is in your hearts when you seek to sanctify your ordinary life" (Conversations with JosemaríaEscrivá, n. 301).
5. For the world's salvation
The Christian is the guardian of a patrimony that he cannot keep for himself. In the heart of St Josemaría's message, we find engraved with decisive traits the conviction that the universal vocation to holiness is a vocation to the apostolate. The decree of his heroic virtues says that, "he called all the faithful to be inserted in the apostolic dynamism of the Church, each one in his situation in the world". The reflection in The Way is truly unforgettable: "These world crises are the crises of saints" (n. 301).
If we go to the roots, once again we find meditation on the mystery of Christ as the power that feeds this consciousness of faith. Here is an important passage: "Christ has taught us in a definitive way how to make this love for God real. Apostolate is love for God that overflows and communicates itself to others. The interior life implies a growth in union with Christ.... And apostolate is the precise and necessary outward manifestation of interior life. When one tastes the love of God, one feels burdened with the weight of souls. There is no way to separate interior life from apostolate, just as there is no way to separate Christ, the God-man, from his role as Redeemer. The Word chose to become flesh in order to save men" (Christ Is Passing By, n. 122).
Once again we find the sign of professional work, of social relations that spontaneously but not casually are established in ordinary life, as the normal place of our apostolate. We have all been called to the faith to bring to others the same gift. Recalling a journey made years before to a seaside town, this new saint writes: "One day, after nightfall ... we saw a boat approaching the shore. Two dark men bounded from it, as strong as rocks ... so weatherbeaten they looked as though they had been cast in bronze. They began to pull in the nets ...: they were heavy with shining, silvery fish. They pulled hard, their feet planted in the sand, and with surprising energy. Suddenly a little child arrived ... he grabbed the cord with his tiny hands and began to pull with obvious clumsiness. He certainly melted the hearts of those rough, totally unrefined fishermen, and they let the child help them. They did not send him away although he must have been a nuisance more than anything else. I thought of you and of myself ... and of myself. Of our hauling in the nets every day, with such expectation. If we present ourselves before God like that child, convinced of our weakness but ready to back his designs, we will reach our goal more easily: we will land the nets, full of an abundant catch, because wherever our strength is lacking, God's power intervenes" (Friends of God,n. 14). Everyone's effort is necessary if the fruitfulness of the Church is to match God's plans.
After thanking the Lord for granting him to beatify and canonize so many Christians in recent years, including many lay people who became holy in the most ordinary living conditions, Pope John Paul II launched his now well-known appeal in NovoMillennio ineunte: "The time has come to re-propose wholeheartedly to everyone this high standard of ordinary Christian living:the whole life of the Christian community and of Christian families must lead in this direction" (n. 31).
This is a whole, great journey in the Church towards that holiness to which every Christian is called: the personal sanctification of the common Christian faithful so that each one, in turn, may become with his example and his words a centre of spiritual outreach for the salvation of the world.
Taken from:
L'Osservatore Romano
Weekly Edition in English
9 October 2002, page 2
L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See.
The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by:
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Baltimore, MD 21201
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text:
The house orchestra of Italy's prime time TV program I migliori anni ("The Best Years") is relying on Aviom's Pro16® personal mixing system to help take viewers on a trip back in time. The program which pins popular pop culture icons from two different decades against one another, is a live broadcast variety show which results in a winner and their respective "best decade."
Broadcast weekly on Rai Uno and hosted by Carlo Conti, each episode of "The Best Years" highlights two different decades from the 60's to present time, looking at the music, sex symbols and current events of those periods. The show features a variety of live dance performances, comedic skits, and musical performances with an orchestra conducted by Pinuccio Pirazzoli. After the performances, the in-house studio audience and the viewing audience at home are asked to vote for the winning decade. With the program being broadcast live, and involving music and dance performances from multiple musical genres, sound reinforcement engineer Fabio Spadoni has the challenge of providing the orchestra with a monitoring setup that ensures that everyone is on cue. The personalization that the Aviom personal mixing system brings to each musician helps Spadoni overcome that challenge week after week.
"With live television there are no do-overs, so every element of the show needs to be the best it can be – even the audio equipment," explains Spadoni. "The Aviom personal mixers allow each instrument section to have a monitor mix that works best for them, allowing them to focus on their performance rather than the equipment."
All mic inputs on the show's set are sent to a Studer Vista 8 console that has two Studer-built Aviom A-Net® output cards installed. Two sets of 16-channel monitor mix content for the musicians are assigned to the console's A-Net cards by the mix engineer. The cards' A-Net outputs are then each connected to an A-16D Pro A-Net Distributor – one for the rhythm, string and vocal sections and the other for the brass section. From the A-16D Pro, Cat-5 feeds are sent to the A-16II Personal Mixers for the four musician groups identified by Spadoni: rhythmic band (drum, bass, two guitars, two keyboards, percussion), brass section ( two trumpets, two sax, trombone), backing vocals and strings (three violins, two violas, two cellos). The Pro16 mixing system simplifies the show's setup each week and provides repeatable, high quality monitoring during both rehearsals and the live broadcast. At the same time it helps keep the musician's monitoring levels low on the set, helping to improve the overall quality of the show's broadcast audio by eliminating extraneous noise on the set from open-air monitor speakers.
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