text:
Electron Spectroscopies
X-ray Photoelectron (XPS), Ultraviolet Photoelectron (UPS),
Auger Electron (AES), High Resolution Electron Energy Loss (HREELS)
Several ultra-high vacuum (UHV) systems at FIRST are equipped for the study of surfaces and interfaces using electron spectroscopies (XPS, UPS, AES and HREELS). The Thin Film Synthesis and Characterization Facility includes instrumentation for XPS, UPS and scanning Auger Spectroscopy. The scanning Auger system can image and analyze samples with features down to sub-micron dimensions.
Adsorbates on surfaces can be studied with FIRST's high resolution electron energy loss spectrometer (HREELS). Energy resolution on the order of 1 meV can be achieved with this instrument. The instrument is also used in the development of a unique time-of-flight spectrometer.
FIRST is equipped with a unique Controlled Atmosphere Photoelectron Spectrometer (CAPES) which permits surface characterization by XPS in ambient atmospheres at pressures on the order of 1 torr. The system consists of a commercial XPS instrument modified by the addition of a differentially pumped movable aperture assembly. The instrument can either be used as a UHV XPS instrument (p < 10-9 torr) or, after insertion of the aperture, to analyze materials at ambient pressures of up to 1 torr. This unique configuration permits a variety of experiments that are otherwise impossible. For example, oscillating catalytic reactions of CO and O2 on Pd surfaces have been followed in real time using this instrument. In addition, chemical reactions associated with creep cavitation failure of Inconel superalloys used in turbine blade technology have been studied under conditions simulating realistic operating environments.


text: What a variety of old garden herbs - mints, etc. - are naturalized along an old settled road, like this to Boston which the British travelled! And then there is the site, apparently, of an old garden by the tanyard, where the spearmint grows so rankly. I am intoxicated with the fragrance. Though I find only one new plant (the cassia), yet old acquaintances grow so rankly, and the spearmint intoxicates me so, that I am bewildered, as it were by a variety of new things. An infinite novelty. All the roadside is the site of an old garden where fragrant herbs have become naturalized, - hounds-tongue, bergamot, spearmint, elecampane, etc. I see even the tiger lily, with its bulbs, growing by the roadside far from houses (near Leighton's graveyard). I think I have found many new plants, and am surprised when I can reckon but one. A little distance from my ordinary walk and a little variety in the growth or luxuriance will produce this illusion. By the discovery of one new plant all bounds seem to be infinitely removed.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This article is more than 1 year old
Microsoft welcomes OSI open source to Win8 store
GPL blocked at the door
Most, but not all, open-source apps are being welcomed by Microsoft into the Windows 8 Windows Store.
The Store's App Developer Agreement (here) allows developers to build their apps for download and installation on Windows 8 machines using any open-source licence as long as it has been approved by the Open-Source Initiative (OSI).
The OSI is the body that monitors all open-source licences.
Microsoft's agreement says:
"Your license terms must also not conflict with the Standard Application License Terms, in any way, except if you include FOSS, your license terms may conflict with the limitations set forth in Section 3 of those Terms, but only to the extent required by the FOSS that you use. 'FOSS' means any software licensed under an Open Source Initiative Approved License."
The invitation does not extend to GPL.
Microsoft's agreement continues:
"If your app includes FOSS, it must not cause any non-FOSS Microsoft software to become subject to the terms of any FOSS license." Although Microsoft didn't name it, it's talking about GPL.
Microsoft has been warming to open-source apps for years now, as a way to help sell more copies of the underlying Windows client and server operating system.
The company has been working with many different open-source projects to tune them for Windows; Microsoft, though, has assiduously avoided actually shipping open-source software with its own products, in case this left it open up some kind of legal or IP liability.
Now, though, it seems Microsoft is getting over this – at least in regards to the vast majority of open-source licences that are considered "business friendly". GPL remains out in the cold. ®


text:
From Windows Vista Secrets 2nd edition Chapter 3 (Hardware and Software Compatibility):
To help you determine whether your current PC has the performance characteristics and hardware and software compatibility needed to avoid issues before upgrading or migrating to Windows Vista, Microsoft provides a handy tool called the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.
The Upgrade Advisor performs an analysis of your PC, and is partly designed as a marketing tool, as it will "recommend" which version of Vista is right for your system. (Humorously, it almost always recommends one of the more expensive, premium versions.) But the Upgrade Advisor also provides real-world benefit outside of Microsoft's needs: It will tell you which hardware devices and software applications will need updates before they can work with Vista. And because the backend of the Upgrade Advisor application runs up on Microsoft's servers, it always provides up-to-date information.
While the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor is primarily designed to help users of previous Windows versions discover whether their PC can be upgraded successfully to Windows Vista, it also has a secret second use: It can also be run on Windows Vista and used to determine whether your PC is capable of running a more capable and expensive version of Vista.
The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor can be downloaded from the Microsoft Web site.


text:
PITTSBURGH, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mastech Holdings, Inc. (NYSE Amex: MHH) ("Mastech"), a national provider of Information Technology and Specialized Healthcare Staffing services, has scheduled a conference call to discuss the results of its first quarter ended March 31, 2011. The conference call will occur on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time and will be hosted by Mr. Thomas B. Moran, CEO, and Mr. Jack Cronin, CFO.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100507/NE01385LOGO )
The conference call can be accessed through a listen-only dial-in number or through a live webcast. To listen to the conference call, please dial 877-407-3980. The webcast will be available at www.mastech.com via the Investor Relations section. Investors should log on 10 minutes prior to the start of the program.
A replay of the call will be available for 7 days following its conclusion. Domestic callers can access the replay by dialing 877-660-6853 and entering account number 337 and conference number 371430. International callers can access the replay by dialing 201-612-7415 and entering the same account number 337 and conference number 371430. The webcast will be available for 7 days on Mastech's corporate website.
About Mastech Holdings, Inc.:
Leveraging the power of 20 years of IT experience, Mastech (NYSE Amex: MHH) provides Information Technology Staffing services in the disciplines which drive today's business operations and Specialized Healthcare Staffing services to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. More information about Mastech can be found at Mastech's website: www.mastech.com.
SOURCE Mastech Holdings, Inc.


text:
I'm definitely a latecomer to following the Delaware Senate primary between Republicans Mike Castle and Christine O'Donnell, but now that I'm aware of it, it's striking to me just how differently the two candidates perform in the new Rasmussen poll featuring each candidate against Democrat Chris Coons.
This is a case where the top lines truly speak for themselves. Castle leads Coons 48-37 (MoE 4.5) for an 88% chance of being ahead after this poll. However O'Donnell trails 36-47 for an 11% chance of being ahead. The results basically flip from Republican to Democrat depending on which candidate the Republicans nominate, with Coons going from down 11 to up 11 if O'Donnell manages to knock off Castle.
As I said before, O'Donnell's challenge in doing that is to find a way to get Delaware Republicans to vote against the very popular Castle, and Castle still shows as popular in this poll. His favorability ratings are lopsided in his favor at 67% favorable/30% unfavorable/3% not sure. I question how Coons at 49/34/15 can come back to win in the general against Castle, but I also question how O'Donnell at 39/44/17 can beat either Coons or Castle.
In particular, Liberty.com's attacks on Mike Castle, questioning his loyalty both to his party and to his wife, seem not to have moved the needle in Christine O'Donnell's favor.
If Castle weren't quite as popular among Delaware Republicans, maybe O'Donnell would have a shot. But I just don't see it happening for her. Delaware is a small state and Castle has done so much retail campaigning over the years during his runs for the House that it's all added up in his favor.


text:
Is Country Music Finally Improving? Aaron Tippin Thinks So.
"You've got to stand for something, or you'll fall for anything
You've got to be your own man, not a puppet on a string"
"And I wouldn't have it any other way
If there's a price for bein' me, that's one I'll have to pay"
Those words from the choruses from Arron Tippin's signature songs "You've Got To Stand For Something" and "I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way" seem to ring true today as they did in the early 90's when the songs crested the Billboard Country Top 10. Today Arron Tippin is still recording music and touring, and is currently working on a 25th Anniversary album, and is ringing a tune about how the tide might be turning for country in the right direction, finally.
This time last year or the year before, quotes from veteran country stars criticizing the direction of country music seemed to be nearly a daily occurrence. Now it seems the sands have shifted, or at least that's the sense Arron Tippin gets.
"Certainly country music went into an entirely different direction than what it was in the '90s when I was having hits," Tippin told Go386.com ahead of a show at the Peabody Auditorium in Daytona Beach on Tuesday, 1/27. "It got to where it was about the beat instead of the lyrics. All of us out of the '90s are all sitting around going, 'Wow, I wish a great song mattered again,' you know. I gotta say that here recently the industry seems like they're trying to swing back. There are songs out there that are starting to have some life to them, have some meaning. That's the core of great country music it's the songs."
As Tippin says, country music appears to be shifting away from so-called "Bro-Country" to music of a little more substance lately, and though there still seems to be much more work to be done and a few more Bro-Country hits could still materialize (or something even worse to take its place), positive signs that country is moving in a more positive direction are appearing. From Carrie Underwood cresting the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for seven straight weeks with "Something In The Water" while Florida Georgia Line's "Sun Daze" stands pat many slots back, to Florida Georgia Line releasing a song like "Dirt," the backlash against Bro-Country is starting to have an effect.
Arron Tippin says he wasn't immune from his record label trying to use him to chase trends back in his heyday, but most of his successes came from his own hand.
"…several times the record labels tried to whitewash me, take me in another direction," Tippin says. "Boy, every time we tried it, it was a mistake. I don't think they maliciously did it. They thought they were trying to do the right thing…Truth is every time we had success, only one time was it from somebody else's song. I'm not trying to say I'm the greatest songwriter who ever lived, but what I did matched me well. I think people related to that."
2015 counts 25 years for Arron Tippin writing, singing, and performing country music, and he has plans to celebrate the milestone by embarking on a 25th Anniversary tour and a new album that will feature both new music, and new versions of some of his older songs. Though Tippin missed being part of the "Class of '89" by one year—a class that included Garth Brooks, Clint Black, and Alan Jackson—he's one of the artist who's benefiting from the effort to put older country music back on the radio through NASH Icon and other more classic-oriented country stations.
"I can't believe it's been 25 years since I started this amazing journey," Tippin says. "It's so much fun to look back on these last 25 years and to still look forward to many more."


text:
Came across this article in the NYT about "art genome mapping." The idea is to create a massive data base of art through the ages which supposedly can analyze your artistic inclinations and direct you to works of art you may enjoy. Amazon has done this for years with books and Netflix does it with films and Pandora with music. Most internet sites selling things do the same to an extent. For some reason, I feel that the algorithm for predicting taste in visual art may be harder to crack than music and literature. We rarely can say what exactly catches our eye in a painting - the color, the composition, the subject matter, the light, the shadow, the reputation of the artist and sometimes even whether one comes across it in a tasteful museum setting or a roadside flea market. We can to a fair degree of accuracy say for ourselves or about others the *style* of artwork that could have an aesthetic appeal for a particular viewer but not a specific painting. I suppose the Art.sy project will be useful in putting a person in a particular artsy 'box' of sorts but I will wait to see how often its You may also like... recommendation hits the mark with art browsers.
I have written a fair number of times here what I think about formulaic thinking about visual aesthetics. Here is an old post which may be relevant to Art.sy's analytic scope.


text:
Merz Pharmaceuticals Joins Patient Advocates to Raise Awareness of Cervical Dystonia and Blepharospasm
"Make Your Mark" Campaign Debuts Today
Visit www.MakeYourMarkCampaign.com to Make Your Mark
GREENSBORO, N.C., April 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, maker of XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA), a botulinum toxin type A free from accessory proteins, today announced the launch of the "Make Your Mark" campaign. With the help of patient advocates, "Make Your Mark" celebrates the inspirational stories of people living with blepharospasm or cervical dystonia (CD), also known as spasmodic torticollis, and aims to raise awareness of these often debilitating conditions.
XEOMIN is approved in the U.S. to treat the abnormal head position and neck pain that happens in adults with cervical dystonia, as well as the abnormal spasms of the eyelids (blepharospasm) in adults who have had prior treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®).
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.news2know.net/mnr/merz/make-your-mark.php
"For those who suffer with chronic conditions like cervical dystonia or blepharospasm, self-expression and creativity play a part in how we feel," said Hallie Neill, an accomplished opera singer, actress and writer who was diagnosed with cervical dystonia in 2007. "When we express ourselves creatively through writing stories, making music, painting, cooking and dancing, we inspire ourselves and others, and make a positive mark on the world around us."
Cervical dystonia and blepharospasm are thought to be rare conditions but are possibly undiagnosed or misdiagnosed due to the lack of specific clinical criteria. According to a recent online survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, an average of 55 percent of cervical dystonia and blepharospasm patients surveyed reported that they experienced symptoms for one year or more before their conditions were diagnosed. In fact, 66 percent of surveyed patients on average say they were not diagnosed sooner because there is a lack of knowledge about these conditions or they were misdiagnosed with another condition first.
"I have cervical dystonia but it doesn't have me," said Dawn Brinkley, 2010 Mrs. North Carolina and an active volunteer who was diagnosed with cervical dystonia in 2004. "People may not know what cervical dystonia and blepharospasm are, and they may underestimate the impact of these conditions on a person's life. I make my Mark by helping others understand they don't have to just live with these conditions; there are treatments and resources available."
Alfred J. (A.J.) Deguio, a blepharospasm patient and support group leader in New Mexico, said, "I was diagnosed with blepharospasm 17 years ago, and I've made my Mark as a support group coordinator for over 16 years. The condition impacts me in many ways, but I've learned to adapt to it. It's important to me that others living with blepharospasm know they're not alone."
"The commitment that Merz is making to the cervical dystonia and blepharospasm communities is a great complement to the support and resources provided by advocacy organizations," states William Ondo, M.D., Professor of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and an expert on medical uses of botulinum toxin. "With the availability of XEOMIN in the U.S., we have another therapeutic option for the treatment of these conditions in appropriate patients."
Botulinum toxin is the only FDA-approved medication for cervical dystonia orblepharospasm. Speak with your doctor to see if XEOMIN may be right for you.
Survey Methodology
The "Make Your Mark" Survey was recently conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC, between February 17 and March 7, 2011. The survey targeted 500 U.S. adults ages 18+ who have been diagnosed with cervical dystonia (250 respondents) or blepharospasm (250 respondents). Respondents for this survey are members of the Benign Essential Blepharospasm Research Foundation (BEBRF) and/or the National Spasmodic Torticollis Association (NSTA). Survey data are unweighted and therefore representative only of the individuals surveyed.
Other Recent XEOMIN News
Reimbursement Support
Merz also recently introduced two comprehensive programs to provide patients with financial assistance for XEOMIN. The XEOMIN Patient Co-payment Program is easy-to-use and offers eligible patients, who are appropriate for treatment with XEOMIN as determined by their physician, assistance for their actual out-of-pocket costs for therapeutic treatment with XEOMIN. Eligible treatment-related costs may include the cost of XEOMIN, associated guidance therapy and related administration fees.
The XEOMIN Patient Assistance Program provides XEOMIN at no cost to eligible patients who are experiencing financial hardship, do not have third-party drug coverage, and who are not eligible for government-funded drug programs.
For more information about reimbursement support and financial assistance programs for XEOMIN, visit www.Xeomin.com, or call 1-888-4-XEOMIN (1-888-493-6646). Dedicated support representatives are available from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. (EDT), Monday through Friday.
About Cervical Dystonia and Blepharospasm
Dystonias are movement disorders characterized by abnormal, sustained muscle contractions that cause twisting, repetitive movements or abnormal postures in the face, neck, torso and extremities.
Focal dystonias, like cervical dystonia or blepharospasm, affect muscles in a single part of the body. Cervical dystonia causes contractions or spasms of the neck muscles which keep the head from its normal, upright position. It may also cause neck pain. While cervical dystonia may occur at any time, most individuals first experience symptoms near middle age.
Blepharospasm affects the muscles around the eye that you use to blink. It can result in involuntary contractions in the eyelids which can vary from an increased blink rate and intermittent eyelid spasm to eye closing for most of the day. Blepharospasm usually begins in the fifth to sixth decade of life and is more common in women than in men.
According to an epidemiology study conducted in Rochester, Minn., focal dystonia (which includes cervical dystonia and blepharospasm) is estimated to affect 295 per million people in the U.S.
About XEOMIN® (incobotulinumtoxinA)
XEOMIN is a prescription medicine that is used to treat adults with cervical dystonia to decrease the severity of abnormal head position and neck pain, as well as the abnormal spasm of the eyelids (blepharospasm) in adults who have had prior treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®). XEOMIN has been used around the world since 2005 and was introduced to the U.S. market in 2010 by Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC.
Botulinum toxin is a naturally occurring protein produced by the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin type A—the active ingredient in XEOMIN—is produced commercially from C. botulinum serotype A.
XEOMIN is injected into muscles to decrease their activity. XEOMIN blocks the release of a chemical messenger—acetylcholine—that conveys the signal from nerve terminals and causes muscle fibers to contract. Not all terminals are affected by botulinum toxin, so the muscles can still contract, just less forcefully. This allows the muscles to contract more normally.
XEOMIN® may cause serious side effects that can be life threatening. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of these problems any time (hours to weeks) after treatment with XEOMIN:
- Problems with swallowing, speaking, or breathing can happen after an injection of XEOMIN if the muscles that you use to breathe and swallow become weak. If these problems are severe, you could die. People with certain breathing problems may need to use muscles in their neck to help them breathe and may be at greater risk for serious breathing problems with XEOMIN.
- Swallowing problems may last for several months, and during that time you may need a feeding tube to receive food and water. If swallowing problems are severe, food or liquids may go into your lungs. People who already have swallowing or breathing problems before receiving XEOMIN have the highest risk of getting these problems.
- Spread of toxin effects. In some cases, the effect of botulinum toxin may affect areas of the body away from the injection site and cause symptoms of a serious condition called botulism. The symptoms of botulism include: loss of strength and muscle weakness all over the body, double vision, blurred vision and drooping eyelids, hoarseness or change or loss of voice, trouble saying words clearly, loss of bladder control, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing.
Do not take XEOMIN if you: are allergic to XEOMIN or any of the ingredients in XEOMIN; had an allergic reaction to any other botulinum toxin product such as rimabotulinumtoxinB (Myobloc®), onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox®, Botox® Cosmetic), or abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport™); have a skin infection at the planned injection site.
Before you take XEOMIN, tell your doctor about all your muscle or nerve conditions, including if you have a disease that affects your muscles and nerves (such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis [ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease], myasthenia gravis or Lambert-Eaton syndrome), as you may be at increased risk of serious side effects including difficulty swallowing or breathing.
Before you take XEOMIN, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you have: breathing problems such as asthma or emphysema; a history of swallowing problems or inhaling food or fluid into your lungs (aspiration); bleeding problems; drooping eyelids; plans to have surgery; had surgery on your face. Also tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant (it is not known if XEOMIN can harm your unborn baby); are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed (it is not know if XEOMIN passes into breast milk).
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins and herbal products. Using XEOMIN with certain other medicines may cause serious side effects. Do not start any new medicines until you have told your doctor that you have received XEOMIN in the past.
Especially tell your doctor if you have received any other botulinum toxin product in the last four months or in the past. Be sure your doctor knows exactly which product you received. The dose of XEOMIN may be different from other botulinum toxin products that you have received.
XEOMIN may cause loss of strength or general muscle weakness, blurred vision, or drooping eyelids within hours to weeks of taking XEOMIN. If this happens, do not drive a car, operate machinery, or do other dangerous activities.
XEOMIN may cause other serious side effects including allergic reactions. Symptoms of an allergic reaction to XEOMIN may include: itching, rash, redness, swelling, wheezing, asthma symptoms, or dizziness or feeling faint. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you get wheezing or asthma symptoms, or if you get dizzy or faint.
Other side effects of XEOMIN include: dry mouth, discomfort or pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, neck pain, muscle weakness, and eye problems, including double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, swelling of your eyelids, and dry eyes. Reduced blinking can also occur. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have eye pain or irritation following treatment.
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of XEOMIN. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see XEOMIN full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide, available at www.MakeYourMarkCampaign.com.
About Merz
Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC is a part of the Merz Group of companies and was established in 1995 to develop and commercialize products for the Merz Group. Areas of therapeutic focus include Neurology, Dermatology, and Podiatry.
With a 102 year heritage, the Merz Group is known worldwide for its development of original compounds and formulations for medical professionals and consumers in 90 countries. Globally, Merz is a leader in the development of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of neurological and psychological disorders as well as for aesthetic medicine. Global research is concentrated in fields that have a strong need for therapeutic innovation such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, tinnitus, chronic pain conditions, addictions, and neuromuscular disturbances.
XEOMIN is a registered trademark of Merz Pharma GmbH & Co KGaA. Patent pending.
Dysport™ is a trademark and Botox® and Myobloc® are registered trademarks of their respective owners.
SOURCE Merz Pharmaceuticals, LLC


text:
Guernica: Journalists in Mexico live in constant danger. A photojournalist from the newspaper El Diario was recently murdered in Juárez. The newspaper responded by printing an op-ed piece addressed to the cartels titled, "What do you want from us?" Can you speculate who is responsible for these attacks against the media and why?
Noam Chomsky: While I was in Mexico this year and the year before, I met with journalists and editors from La Jornada, who I think are extremely good. They gave me off the record information that they had dug up about the drug cartels and about the U.S. tolerance of them, but they said they couldn't publish it because that's a death sentence. The cartels have the power to kill anyone they want, so the media are intimidated. It's obvious why the criminal gangs don't want it published. I think El Diario knows exactly what the cartels want; they didn't need the editorial. [The cartels] want [newspapers] to stop publishing information about them. They still do publish some. La Jornada had an article reporting the inquiries of a professor at one of the universities, a specialist on drugs, who works for the United Nations's drug enforcement agency, and it was quite an interesting article. It goes further into why you can't report [on the cartels]; he said that about 80% of the businesses in Mexico are involved in one manner or another with the drug racket. Now once you start publishing things like that and looking into it, you're getting to the power centers of Mexican society, and they're simply not going to want to be exposed. If they can use the drug assassins to stop it, they will.
Guernica: Things are so bad that I wonder: Do you think it's a good idea for the Mexican government to suspend certain guaranteed constitutional rights in Juárez or elsewhere in Mexico until order is restored?
Noam Chomsky: You first have to ask what the Mexican government is trying to do, and that's a little opaque. It looks to some extent as if they're supporting one of the cartels against the other. If that's what they are trying to do, then there is no justification. If they want to stop the drugs, the drug rackets, I think they know how to proceed, and it's not with military action. You have to get to the heart of the matter. Part of the answer was given by the declaration of the three ex-presidents, Zedillo, Cardoso, and Gaviria. They came out with a study about two years ago in which they simply said that criminalizing drugs is just creating the problem, and that in some fashion the drugs should be legalized, like alcohol, and regulated. Then you wouldn't get criminal syndicates. That's part of the issue, but a deeper part is right here in the United States. The drug problem is in the United States, not in Mexico. It's a demand problem and that is to be dealt with here, and it is not being dealt with. It's been shown over and over that prevention and treatment are far more cost effective than police action, out-of-country action, border control, and so on. But the money goes in the other direction and never has an impact. When leaders carry out policies for decades that have no consequences for the stated goal and are very costly, you have to ask whether they are telling you the truth or whether the policies are for a different goal, because they are not reducing drug use. In fact, they are not even raising drug prices.
So why carry out these policies year after year at great cost if they're having essentially no impact on the stated goal, and if there are other policies which you know would have an impact and are much cheaper, like prevention and treatment? Only two plausible answers to that. All the leaders are collectively insane, which we can rule out, or else they are just pursuing different goals. Abroad, it's a counterinsurgency campaign, cover for counterinsurgency in Colombia. At home, it's a way of getting rid of a superfluous population. There is a very close race/class correlation — not perfect but close — and in fact, black males are being removed. If it were in Colombia, they'd call it limpieza social. Here they put them in jails.
Since the drug war started, there's been a very sharp increase in incarceration rates; the U.S.'s incarceration rate is way beyond maybe five, ten times as high as comparable countries, and its target is primarily black males, Hispanic males, some women, some whites — very disproportionately to the population. After all, think of the history of this country. After the Emancipation Proclamation, there were about 10 years in which blacks were formally sort of free, and then slavery was reintroduced by incarceration. By the 1870s the states had passed laws, and federal government approved them, in which essentially black life was criminalized. If a black man was found standing on a street corner, he could be arrested for vagrancy. If somebody claimed he looked the wrong way at a white woman, he'd be incarcerated for attempted rape. Pretty soon, you had the black male population mostly in jail, and they were a slave labor force. A lot of the American industrial revolution was based on slave labor from leased prisoners in U.S. steel, the mines.
This went on until the Second World War, when there was a need for labor. There was a post-war boom, and during that period black men could begin to integrate into the work force and get a job in an auto plant — a fairly decent job with wages — buy a house, send their kids to school, and so on. Well, by the '70s it was over. The economy was being financialized, production was being exported, there was a rust belt developing where the manufacturing jobs were essentially no longer available. So what do you do with the black population? Well, the answer was throw them back in jail under the pretext of the drug war. That's the consequence, and it's pretty well understood. So we have policies that are carried out that have essentially no impact on the stated goal, there are measures available which could have an impact and are not used. The consequences of the policies happen to be significant for power centers — carry out counterinsurgency operations in Colombia and elsewhere, and you can carry out social cleansing in effect, in a traditional American way.
All this is staring right at you. Try to find it [mentioned] somewhere. I mean you can find bits and pieces. You can find books that talk about incarceration and others that talk about post-reconstruction periods, some others that talk about the drug war, but it's very rare to see them put together.
The other part is the arms. Where are the drug cartels getting their weapons? They are being provided by the United States. Cut off that flow of arms. It wouldn't end the violence but it would have a big effect. If the drug cartels in Mexico want assault rifles, they just get them from Arizona.
Guernica: Do you think NAFTA, signed almost 20 years ago, continues to be an obstacle?
Noam Chomsky: Yeah that's part of the problem. In fact, I was told by journalists who can't publish it that there are in Mexico, close to the U.S. border, big areas that used to be devoted to agriculture that are now devoted to poppies. They say you can't get in there because they're guarded, first by the cartels, but also by the army, which goes hand in hand with the cartels. Well, these are among the predicted consequences of NAFTA, and in fact, it's pretty clear that the Clinton administration understood it. Remember that the Mexican-U.S. border used to be an open border, people crossed to see their relatives and so on. It was militarized starting in 1994. That's when NAFTA was passed. Maybe it's another one of those coincidences. I doubt it.
Guernica: Given all those conditions, what can Mexico do to counteract all of this?
Noam Chomsky: While I was in Mexico in September, there was an article in La Jornada reporting a study by economists at UNAM. It said that during just the Calderon years, real incomes for working people dropped by some spectacular amount, like 60%, and people were basically reduced to survival. Those are results of particular economic policies. Mexico has limited alternatives because the mafia Don is right next door but probably some.
Guernica: Is it possible for the United States to help its citizens and make them prosper without adversely affecting citizens in some other country, in particular Mexico?
Noam Chomsky: I think these policies are harmful to the United States too. Governments are not in the business of catering to their citizens. It's as old as Adam Smith. The governments work for their main constituencies. When the Republicans come into office with plans to increase benefits for the wealthy — like making sure that the super wealthy get tax cuts, making sure that the insurance companies and the financial institutions are unconstrained in their operations — that's not for the benefit of U.S. citizens. That's for the benefit of their constituency. Same when Obama poured money into the banks. That's his constituency. In fact, that's the main source of his campaign funding. The things governments are doing here that have harmful effects abroad are not being done for the benefit of the citizens here. In fact, for over thirty years since the financialization and the hollowing out of the productive system, real incomes have pretty much stagnated for the majority of the population. It's had the same effects as neoliberalism in Mexico, less harsh but similar.
Guernica: You mentioned the Cardoso commission. Making currently illicit drugs legal has been a topic of debate for many years. California, one of the first states to approve marijuana for medical use back in 1996, today has over 100 stores selling marijuana. Do you envision a day when marijuana will be legalized in the United States? Wouldn't that still leave the problem of other illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin to contend with?
Noam Chomsky: Legalizing marijuana would make a lot of sense, I don't think there's a single case of marijuana overdose on record and tens of millions of users. It's much less dangerous than alcohol, for example. The worst drug of all by far is tobacco; the death toll from tobacco is just overwhelming.
Guernica: But what about cocaine and heroin? They would still be there.
Noam Chomsky: They would. The fact of the matter is that they are far less dangerous than tobacco. Everyone is in favor of regulation, but what about criminalization? It's a topic that has to be considered carefully. In Portugal, for example, I think they're all legal, and there's been no detectable increase in drug use as far as I know. In fact, when drugs are legalized, use sometimes goes down, it's been claimed. Part of the reason is that teenage kids use illicit drugs because they are illicit. They are thumbing their noses at society. If they were legal, they might not. I don't think it's a simple question, it has to be experimented with. But the point is the idea that criminalization is the only answer is almost surely wrong.
Take tobacco. It's not criminalized. It's by far the worst killer. There is a recent article in the New York Times about deaths from cancer. Lung cancer is out of sight, it's beyond all the others combined, and furthermore, it's so rarely detected that it is almost always lethal. But tobacco use has declined. Not through criminalization; it has declined on a class basis. If you walk around MIT, you won't see any students smoking unless they're foreign students. If you go down to the nearby McDonald's in a poor urban area, everybody is smoking. It wasn't criminalized; it was education, and that is a way to do things too. It works.
Guernica: Education may be effective in preventing drug addiction, but once someone is addicted, it is very difficult to make them stop…
Noam Chomsky: Then they need treatment, but putting them in jail doesn't help. In fact, putting them in jail just creates cartels, criminal cartels, and you know what they're like.
Guernica: Do you think it's wrong for a sovereign country like the United States to make every reasonable effort to stop and deport illegal immigrants from entering the country?
Noam Chomsky: It's an interesting question to ask about the United States, where everyone is an illegal immigrant — everyone except the people in Indian Reservations. This is an immigrant society. The native population didn't have the power to prevent them from coming in, so they came in. The place where we're sitting was the territory of the Wampanoag Indians a couple hundred years ago.
At a certain point, until the late nineteenth century, entry was free. Then restrictions started being put in because the people who had already taken the country wanted to keep it their way. Should there be border controls anywhere? It depends. Suppose you believe in a free market. Nobody does, but take the people who claim to believe in free markets — they should say that movement of labor should be free. You go back to their saint, Adam Smith; free markets are based on the free circulation of labor. If you don't have free circulation of labor, you don't have free markets. Nobody talks about that either. Should there be border controls all together, should people be free to live where they want to live? That gets to the notion of nation states.
Should a community, say, a suburb of Boston, be free to enact legislation to say they don't want blacks? Now that's illegal. Fifty years ago it was legal. Is that progress or is that regress? That's a subcase of the question you're asking, a question that has complex moral dimensions. I don?t think you can give a simple answer.
Guernica: It seems degradation of education has happened in very different ways in Mexico and the United States.
Noam Chomsky: Take UNAM. It's a very high-quality university; it has a couple hundred thousand students. It's hard to get into, but it's free. In the United States, if you take the main public education systems, either you have to be rich or able to go deep into debt to go to school. In Mexico City, there is actually a college set up by Obrador that is not only free but open admission. Unheard of. So it's true that there are plenty of defects in the Mexican education system, but in some ways it is a lot better than here. You should have decent educational opportunities for everyone.
It makes sense for societies to make education compulsory for children. Children are vulnerable. They can't make decisions. But the decisions can't all be left in the hands of the parents. They can be irresponsible too. There is a social responsibility to take care of vulnerable people. It seems that a sensible social responsibility is obligatory education, but also decent education, and that is not happening. There is plenty more to say about it. So for example, the Boston Globe, which is a liberal newspaper, had a lead story recently describing the successes in education, and the main success was that they doubled the number of charter schools. Is that a success? From the point of view of business interest, that is a success. They would love to privatize the school system at public expense because it's [funded by] taxpayer money, but there is no evidence that charter schools are any good. In fact, the evidence is that they are more or less like public schools, even though they cherry pick their students. Why is that a success? It is a success if you accept the doctrines of private power. If you are concerned with the citizens, it's not a success. This is a liberal newspaper. It's an indication of how the ideology of the powerful has spread through society. We saw that in the last election. So I question phrases like "no child left behind" and charter school and so on.
Last year, I happened to go from Mexico to California directly. Mexico is a pretty poor country, but they are maintaining a free, high quality public education system, not for everyone of course but pretty substantial. California is maybe the richest place in the world. They're destroying the best public education system in the world. Tuitions are so high it's prohibitive. The main universities in the public system, Berkeley and UCLA, will probably be privatized and the rest reduced to vocational schools. In the richest part of the world, they are destroying the best public education system there was. In a poor part of the world, they are maintaining a free public education system.


text:
Cracked Round-Up: April Fool's Edition!
Yet another April Fool's day has come and gone. This year was much more subdued than it usually is. Most of the credit for that is due to the new "pipe bombs do not count as pranks" policy from corporate. The medical bills were cutting too far into our bottom line.
Our week kicked off with a groundbreaking article on human/zombie relations by Ian Fortey. Next, Bucholz advised our readers on scorin' wit da ladies. Cody mused over Seth MacFarlane's next move, while Seanbaby took on the fertile topic of boastful bullshit. Gladstone laid his addictive soul bare, while Dan O'Brien rants about midgets for some reason.
6 Things Men Do To Get Laid That Science Says Turns Women Off
It's amazing our species made it this far. |
Notable Comment:
"Confidence, by the way, doesn't mean thinking you can f**k anyone in the room. That's arrogance. Confidence is the self-esteem and willpower to do what you think is right. "
Good advice? In the comments section? Ceyla must be up to something.
6 Depraved Sexual Fetishes That Are Older Than You Think
Perversion is the only constant in human society. |
Notable Comment:
Read the comments section to learn way too damn much about the sexual habits of our commenters!
5 Animals That Are Terrifyingly Hard to Kill
We never thought we'd be jealous of a jellyfish. |
Notable Comment:
"Although the jellyfish doesn't die of old age, it can be eaten, can die of didease or from natural cataclisms. In fact, in the wild very few creatures die of old age, so it's immortality it's not a big difference. "
You're right, Libertariandude, functional immortality is in no way significant or interesting.
The 7 Ballsiest Pranks You Won't Believe Actually Worked
Some people take April 1st too far. |
Notable Comment:
"Hello everyone! I am a super rich multi-millionaire and I have decided to buy everyone a new car! Please go to your nearest Mercedes-Benz dealer and let them know you are here to collect your free car. Just tell them Hugh Jackman sent you. "
You better be on the level, Rockadoodie.
6 Horrifying Implications of Awesome Fantasy Movie Universes
Yeah, but what about all the intangible benefits of being an orc? |
Notable Comment:
"Pandora- you are taking a scenario from one culture (one night stand), imposing it on another culture where it probably would not occur, speculating on the implications, then drawing conclusions... weaksauce"
Ahahahahahahahaha. Folstar, you just made our week!
Scott Gairdner
If Juggalos Got Their Own News Channel
A terrible world.
If Online April Fool's Pranks Had Balls
We're practically giving money away! Wait, not practically. Totally. We're totally giving away money to people, people with mediocre to decent Photoshop skills. People like you. Wouldn't you like to be a person like you? This week, you can be by entering our latest contest, Disastrous Real World Uses of Fictional Technology
The First Time You Use The Nintendo 3DS
Like cartoons? And money? Every week Cracked's favorite artist Ben Driscoll puts up a new cartoon that YOU can finish. The winner gets $50 and everlasting Internet fame. Next week's contest is Google vs China.
"I just got back from the doctor honey, we're going to have a boy!" "...are you f**king serious?!"
by Ceveron
Editor's pick:
Last known whereabouts of every missing child for a three county radius.
by ESToledo
From Broadway's upcoming 'Saw: The Musical'.
by amjschmitz
Editor's pick:
Even after being decapitated in a horrible accident, Lianna still felt the need to hit the treadmill.
by LewScannon
Cannabis Prime never made it to the audition for the Transformer movie.
by Jokester
Editor's pick:
"My other car is a meth-lab!"
by Rhymenstein
San Francisco Stonehenge
by davestuckey
Editor's pick:
OK, fuck you IKEA. I'm not putting this shit together.
by Joey_09876
"Danger" is Sam's middle name. Of course, "Unnecessary" is his first name. His last name is "Jones", which isn't particularly relevant to this picture.
by Julius_Goat
Editor's pick:
by noreport
Pants sold separately.
by Me_No_Funny
Editor's pick:
Sad thing is, I don't think we can blame Japan for this one
by Joey_09876
There is a number for this position, but you need to use calculus.
by Julius_Goat
Editor's pick:
Stuff like this always looks demeaning when I'm not involved in it.
by LewScannon


text:
The film, produced by Nike's ad agency, Wieden & Kennedy, outshone its rivals after being shared more than 26 times a second this week. It has been viewed 4.2 million times and has been used in 140 blog posts.
Dropping five places to number seven is sportswear rival, adidas. The ad, created by Iris Worldwide celebrates Messi, Fifa's Player of the Year 2012. It has been shared more than 13,000 times this week.
Coca-Cola features twice this week at four and five but not with its high profile new anti-obesity film. Instead, the "let's go crazy" spot by Ogilvy & Mather, scores more than 26,000 shares, while "polar bears", directed by Ridley Scott, falls one place to become the fifth most-shared ad this week, with more than 20,000 shares across Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere.
Last week's number one, Fiat, "motherhood" by Krow drops off the Viral Chart altogether.
To view the most-shared viral ads from previous weeks visit the Brand Republic viral video board on Pinterest.
The chart, produced in conjunction with Unruly, ranks ads according to the number of times they have been shared on Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere.
Ads launched more than 30-days ago are not included.
1. Nike "no cup is safe" by Wieden & Kennedy263,935 shares this week All time: 309,236 shares |
2. Microsoft "illumiroom" by Microsoft Research112,294 shares this week All time: 146,289 shares |
3. Sony "Xperia Z" by King Edward Filmproduktion68,776 shares this week All time: 151,956 shares |
4. Coca-Cola "let's go crazy" by Ogilvy & Mather26,448 shares this week All time: 32,331 shares |
5. Coca-Cola "polar bears" by Scott Free23,157 shares this week All time: 60,858 shares |
6. YouTube "el currículum de precario" by Seedwell17,519 shares this week All time: 51,813 shares |
7. adidas "rewind youtube style 2012" by Iris Worldwide17,232 shares this week All time: 1,278,723 shares |
8. adidas "adidas celebrates leo messi" by Iris Worldwide13,307 shares this week All time: 120,959 shares |
9. Zoosk "heart friend" by Camp & King11,155 shares this week All time: 22,675 shares |
10. NBA "unbelievable is big" by Spike Lee8,137 shares this week All time: 27,855 shares |


text:
Course credits earned in universities abroad may be accepted for degree credit at CSULB subject to evaluation by the cognizant department or program upon admission of the student to the University. CSULB students who desire, subsequent to admission, to take courses at a foreign university for degree credit must have each such course approved in advance in writing by the Chair of the appropriate department or program.
The Center for International Education administers many international education and exchange programs. Students fully accepted into one of these programs may, in most cases, continue CSULB residency while studying in the approved foreign institution. Some courses taken through these programs do not have to be approved in advance.


text:
Pre-Shift Glossary
Find a Fish:
Tableside Information:
Legendary Spanish breed with incredible flavor & a succulent texture
CUT: Collar
Food Information:
Common Names: Iberico Pork, Pata Negra
THE PRODUCER: Jamones Aljomar. Aljomar is a family-owned and operated company specializing in the finest quality Iberico pork products from Spain. Jamones Aljomar is equipped with advanced, state-of-the-art facilities for preparing and processing Iberian products, which conform to the strict EEC standards and have the capacity to slaughter, process, and store 50,000 pigs a year.
THE PIG: Pasture-raised in Spain on a diet of grain, grass, forage and acorns. Protected from the central mountainous region of the Iberian Peninsula, the privileged microclimate in this area with its cold, dry winters and its short, mild summers is an ideal setting for our hams to dry and mature perfectly. In this area, with its unbeatable microclimate, every day hundreds of artisans, who are sons and grandsons of artisans, slowly and masterfully create the Guijuelo Iberian Ham, which is a 'one-of-a-kind in the world.'
Year Round
Range & Habitat:
Guijuelo, Spain
Harvest Method:


text:
A serial killer is stalking patrons of a popular sex club in Chicago; one of the victims is Melanie, Ella's best friend and occasional lover. When Melanie arrives at the emergency room in a coma, trauma nurse Ella wants to investigate the crime on her own. However, two hot detectives, Mac and Sam, get tough with the plucky nurse and her plans to find the killer. A bare bottomed spanking in the parking lot is intended to keep her away from the club and the investigation. But there are unexpected results when it becomes clear that Ella is turned on by their take charge style, and the hot spanking. Outside of work, Mac and Sam are both lifestyle Doms, who appreciate Ella's submissive tendencies. Knowing that she might be useful in their undercover investigation, they put the eager sub through a crash course in submission, to see if she has what it takes to enter The Loft , the private no-holds-barred sex club from where the killer's victims have been abducted. On separate nights, Ella submits to both men. Later she takes both at once, continuing to amaze the demanding detectives with her sexual willingness. For Ella, being submissive to two Doms is hard work. Rules. Discipline. And plenty of hard punishment for her errors. Once she's at The Loft , the demands get even more extreme as she's required to submit before a crowd of leering strangers. However, Ella loves it all: the sex, the punishment and even the exhibitionism. But is she getting too emotionally involved with the handsome pair? And what happens when the gig is over? Some surprising twists follow as this story plays out, leaving readers wanting even more from this kinky trio. A fast-paced novel filled with hot sex, sexy spankings and plenty of kink to make it one sizzling read.
Visitors also looked at these books


text:
Grow in average, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun. Prefers organically rich, sandy loams. Strawberries are a high maintenance fruit crop which can be grown all over the United States. Growing recommendations can vary considerably depending upon the climate, however, and varieties are often regionally adapted. Grow only certified disease-resistant cultivars. University Extension, University of Missouri-Columbia publishes a pamphlet called "Home Fruit Production: Strawberries and Their Culture" (G 6135) which provides some basic information on growing strawberries in Missouri and is available for inspection or purchase at the Center for Home Gardening.
Strawberries are a mainstay of the home fruit garden and are grouped into Junebearing and everbearing types. Junebearers produce one crop per year early in the season (typically June). The berries of Junebearers are normally larger than the berries produced by everbearing or day-neutral plants. They are sensitive to the length of day, and send out runners in spring as day length increases. Everbearing types produce a first crop in spring and then subsequent crops at six week intervals thereafter throughout the summer and into fall. Unlike junebearers, everbearers are not sensitive to the length of day. Both have five-petaled, white flowers with yellow centers. Flowers give way to large, glossy, red berries which mature in late spring to early summer. Some strawberries are grown for their showy flowers rather than their fruits and the flowers can range in color from deep, reddish-fuchsia to rose pink to white.Genus name comes from the Latin word fraga meaning strawberry presumably from fragrans meaning fragrant in reference to the perfume of the fruit.'Allstar' is a midseason, junebearing strawberry cultivar.
Strawberries are susceptible to a large number of potential diseases, including but not limited to: foliage diseases (leaf spot, scorch), root rots (red stele, black root rot), fruit rots (anthracnose, leather rot), gray mold and viruses. Tarnished plant bugs, mites, aphids, leafrollers, slugs, nematodes and strawberry weevils are occasional insect problems.'Allstar' reportedly has good disease resistance.
Strawberries have little special ornamental value and are usually grown as a fruit crop in a specific area set aside for the same.
Thank You!
The Garden wouldn't be the Garden without our Members, Donors and Volunteers.
Info for
Main Navigation
Quick Links
Missouri Botanical Garden
4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63110(314) 577-5100 hours and admission
Butterfly House
Faust Park, 15193 Olive Blvd. Chesterfield, MO 63017(636) 530-0076 hours and admission
Shaw Nature Reserve
Hwy. 100 & I-44 Gray Summit, MO 63039(636) 451-3512 hours and admission


text:
Phoci – responsive photography coming soon page is a small and modern photography, coming soon page built with HTML5 and CSS3.
Key features
- Responsive layout
- Multiple backgrounds
- 16 social icons
- Twitter widget
- Flickr widget
- PSD files included
- Google WEB fonts
- Counter with CSS animations
Heads up!
The theme is tested and working in the latest versions of Chrome, Opera, Firefox and IE10.
Nothing less than IE10 will work since there is no support for CSS3 animations.
It should be fine on any webkit based browser (android), except Safari 5+.
Safari 5 is currently not supported, since it uses hardware acceleration causing crashes on Windows when dealing with animations, you can read more in here.
For any other browser, please test before purchase!
Thank you :)


text:
- Lebanon History Web Sites
- Lebanese Media and Blogs
- Hezbollah Web Sites
- Lesson Plans, Activities, and more
Lebanon History Web Sites
GlobalSecurity.Org – Lebanon
GlobalSecurity.org, maintained by John Pike, has both historical background on Lebanon as well as frequent updates on the current situation. Subsections include an Overview, History of Lebanon, Religious Sects, Climate and Economy.
BBC News: Middle East Crisis
The BBC provides plentiful helpful contextual and current information on the Middle East crisis. Offers Top Stories on Middle East, In Depth coverage of issues, profiles of key players, BBC audio and video, maps, country profiles, stories of ordinary citizens, key documents, timelines, profiles, web links, and more.
BBC News – Country Profile: Lebanon
Offers an Overview, Facts, Leaders, Media, Timeline of key events, links to Lebanese media sites, and links to the latest news on the Middle East Crisis.
BBC News – Lebanon: Key Facts
Five excellent graphics illustrating the Summer 2006 clash between Israel and Lebanon looking at the Crisis, History, Population, Politics and Economy
BBC News: Israeli and Lebanese Debate
A frank discussion between two citizens on either side of the Israel/Lebanon border. An incredible war-time primary source.
Lebanese Global Information Center
The Lebanese Global Information Center has extensive information on the country of Lebanon and on the population of Lebanese Americans. The History section provides an excellent, article length background on the countries history and the section on the Phoenicians is particularly good. Be sure to also look at the Archeology photos in the Photos section for additional information on Lebanese Ancient History.
Middle East Web Gateway
Middle East Web Gateway is produced by a non-government organization in Israel and offers much in the way of news and views on the Middle East. The web log and Mewzine are currently full of good commentary on the conflict in Lebanon, with debate in the comments from moderates from both sides.
Library of Congress Country Study: Lebanon
An eBook published in 1987 by the Library of Congress with chapters on "Historical Setting," "The Society and Its Envrionment," "The Economy," "Government and Politics," and "National Security." It also contains an extensive Bibliography. When inside pages, use the Forward and Back buttons at the top and bottom of the browser window to "turn the pages." The book is concise and easy to read, but dated.
U.S. Department of State – Background Note: Lebanon
The State Department's country overview for Lebanon including sections on People, History, Government, Political Conditions, Economy, Foerign Relations, U.S. Relations, Travel/Business. Click on "Lebanese Republic" for more links to the U.S. Embassey in Lebanon and the Ambassador.
CIA World Factbook: Lebanon
The CIA World Factbook provides limited commentary and a wealth of statistics on Geography, People, Government, Economy, Communication, Transportation, Military, and Transnational Issues.
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Terrorism from Lebanon
Provides links to daily briefings on IDF activities in Lebanon. Excellent primary source.
Human Rights Watch: Lebanon
Information about Human Rights Watch's advocacy for obeying the laws of war and protecting human rights. Another good primary source.
Political Resources: Lebanon
Political Resources site on Lebanon has links to the Lebanese Constitution, Lebanon Search Directories, and all of the political parties in the Lebanese government, including Hezbollah.
Al Mashriq: Lebanon
A Search Directory about Lebanon (and the Levant more broadly) produced by Proffesor Borre Ludvigsen of Ostfold University College in Norway. Catagories include Archaeology, Constitution and Law, Geography, History, Peace and War, Religion, Social Welfare Issues and many other.
Columbia University Middle East Studies Internet Resources: Lebanon
A Search Directory about Lebanon produced by the Columbia University Middle East and Jewish Studies Department.
Lebanese Media and Blogs
Database for Arab World News and Media: Lebanon
A database with links to Lebanese media, organized by publication schedule and media (daily, weekly, radio etc.).
Lebanese Blogger Forum
The Lebanese Blogger Forum has an extensive collection of blogs from inside Lebanon, providing timely "citizen journalism" from Lebanon.
Hezbollah Web Sites
BBC News: Who are Hezbollah
An article summarizing the origins and aims of Hezbollah, the political party, aid organization, and militia with significant influence over Southern Lebanon and listed as a terrorist group by the United States and Israel.
Frontline World: The Party of God
A 2003 Frontline Episode and companion website detailing the rise of Hezbollah from the 1970s. The site contains links to streaming viedo of the program, an interactive timeline, and a basic overview of the country's geography and history.
Hizbullah – The Party of God
A collection of primary source documents published by Hizbullah and other essays about the group. While the overall tone of the site supports Hizbullah, links are to publications by organizations like Middle East Quarterly and Human Rights Watch.
Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, Activities and more
Global Citizens 2000: Civil War in Lebanon
This two period lesson plan comes from Rutgers University GC2000 project. According to the site: "The lessons for the Lebanon case include select journal entries of a leather tannery owner, Daud Khouri, from southern Lebanon, whose sons become deeply involved in the 1975 Lebanese civil war and the establishment of the Lebanese Front."
New York Times Daily Lesson Plans: Somewhere in the Middle
This one hour lesson plan comes from the New York Times Learning Network, dated August 16, 2006. According to the site: "In this lesson, students learn about the August, 2006, cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon. They then discuss the general geographic region known as "the Middle East," create maps of countries included under this regional designation, and annotate them with information on border and territory disputes."
New York Times Daily Lesson Plans: Muddle East
This one hour lesson plan comes from the New York Times Learning Network, dated July 19, 2006. According to the site: "In this lesson, students will explore the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. They will then research various perspectives, discuss the events in context, and write statements from the perspective of a country or organization involved."
New York Times Daily Lesson Plans: Signs of Withdrawl?
This one hour lesson plan comes from the New York Times Learning Network from March 9, 2005. According to the site: "In this lesson, students research Lebanon's recent history, from the 1975 civil war to the protest of occupying Syrian troops in 2005, and create a visual timeline for classroom display."
A Bash in Baalbeck: Creating a Lebanese Festival
This full week long unit explores the cultural of Lebanon and culminates in a traditional festival. The unit has basic background information on the country, an excellent section on Lebanese culture, lesson plans for a week of class, recipes for traditional Lebanese food, and a bibliography.


text:
20 Things Local Bartenders Want You to Know
(But That You Might Be Afraid to Ask About)
By Seattle Mag October 19, 2012
Bartenders are so awesome. They serve you drinks, they have stories a-plenty, and they tend to dress snazzily. But what would they tell you about bartending, bars, drinking, and cocktails if they didn't have to go make four more Ramos Fizzes? Well, now you can find out, as I asked four of our favorite local drink slingers what they'd like the people to know (we'll take it for granted that one should always tip well and be a decent human being at the bar). Here are their answers. Oh, and it should go without saying, but go visit each of the first three folks on the list at the bars listed. And watch for the last one sitting next to you at one of those bars.
Andrew Friedman, Liberty
1. Your bartender wants you to try something new. We probably like what you chose, but please feel free to ask us our opinion on another option. Because we spend a lot of time with bottles and cocktails, we know our way around them, and we may be able to introduce you to your new favorite spirit or drink.
2. Your bartender wants you to talk to the people around you. Bars are a proven social experiment, and everyone's experience is bettered by knowing with whom we're drinking. Great spirits and drinks are best shared with a good story and new experience.
3. Treat yourself. It should be no shocking surprise that a more highly-priced spirit is probably a bit tastier. No, it's true!
4. On that note, ask for a taste of a spirit that you've never tried before. If the bar and bartender are half-decent, they'll love to pour you a bit.
5. Introduce your friend to the bartender when you bring them into the bar for the first time. They'll remember you for it, and trust me – it'll work in your favor.
6. I like it when a guest orders from the menu. I always drop off menus because that's a list of the house's best drinks. They are the drinks that are dialed in, the drinks with syrups that are the most fresh, the drinks we just got finished researching, cross-referencing, and debating. A good menu will also have selections that suit every preference, mood, and occasion. When a guest tells me they "don't order off the menu" before they open it, I will happily engage in a conversation about their preferences knowing that there is a 95% chance that something on the menu is precisely what they are looking for.
7. Sometimes a guest will ask, "What are you working on at the moment?" That is a great question. Most good bars rotate their cocktails seasonally so the answer to the question is also, usually, somewhere on the menu.
8. When I use a jigger to pour you two ounces of whiskey, it is because I pour more 1-1/2 ounce highballs than I do good whiskey, and I want to make sure you get that extra 1/2 ounce.
9. I like making Ramos Gin Fizzes when I'm busy.
10. My least favorite drink to make is a White Russian because the Kahlua is always in the back of some dark shelf that is too low to the ground and the cream is wherever the last person who made coffee is.
Veronika Groth, Poppy (shown at top)
11. Seat yourself nearest the bartender and server station, and you'll be able to see all various types of drinks go out, and ask questions about them. More than likely, I will make a little extra of drinks going out to give you a sample. In my opinion, it's the best seat in the house.
12. In an average week we juice approximately 75 pounds of lemons and limes each. So know when you are getting a drink with these juices, it's FRESH.
13. The busier I am, the more naturally new drinks come into creation (i.e., when I'm busy and you ask, "Just whip me something up bartender" ).
14. My two favorite drinks to make are the Old Fashioned (which I use to introduce people to different liquors), any kind of drink with an egg in it (i.e., bourbon sour or a Pisco sour). There is something methodical about both these styles of drinks for me, and I love it. Weird, yes. Good, yes. Order one.
15. I use the wrong end of the mixing spoon, and the right end of the muddler.
Andrew Bohrer, Spirits Director, Vinum Importing (previously, Mistral and more)
16. When ordering, it's about drink family as much as base spirit — as in, if you like Margaritas and Daiquiris then you'll like a well-balanced whisky sour.
17. The bartender believes him/herself the king of the proletariat. If you treat him/her as such, you'll get better service and a better cocktail. That is to say, by flattering their ego, they'll serve you. Everyone wins.
18. Send drinks back. I would have become a better bartender faster if guests had sent drinks back. Shaken Manhattan? Send it back. Unless you are in an airport, you should expect a good drink for your hard earned money.
19. Drink at lunch. Iced tea is BS. Create an arsenal of low-alcohol cocktails to have at lunch like the Americano or just a glass of rosé wine. Even if you have just an Armagnac with espresso after lunch, just try having 1 ounce — it's delightful, and it won't get you drunk.
20. Blended whisky is better than you think.
Veronika Groth photo copyright Becky Selengut, 2012.


text:
Osama bin Laden's welcome detection and death recall the capture of another terrorist leader: Abimael Guzmán of the Maoist Shining Path of Peru. Had it attained power (which looked quite possible at one point), Guzmán's movement would have produced a Khmer Rouge–type catastrophe on a much larger scale than in Cambodia. Guzmán was captured in a comfortable house in the capital city, Lima, virtually under the eyes of the Peruvian military and government.
The two leaders remind us that it is not a lack of personal opportunity that drives men to found and lead large-scale terrorist movements that claim to be working toward the perfection of the world. Guzmán, true, was not the son of a billionaire, like bin Laden, but as a professor of philosophy he could hardly claim to have been one of his country's downtrodden: rather, he was on the fringes of its elite. Guzmán's movement was every bit as millenarian as bin Laden's. More than any other factor, unbounded egotism drove both men, a fear of personal insignificance. You can't inscribe yourself on world history by writing about Kant (Guzmán) or by continuing daddy's construction business (bin Laden).
Of course, Guzmán was caught (and not killed) by the armed forces of the country where he was hiding, not by those of a foreign power. Nor was his millenarian movement in practice quite as multi-national as al-Qaida's, though it had forged links with the PKK of Turkey and had ambitions every bit as great—and ridiculous—as al-Qaida's. More importantly, the Shining Path's collapse was almost total after Guzmán's capture, thanks to the fanatical personality cult he had engendered and encouraged; no such collapse of al-Qaida, unfortunately, is likely now that bin Laden is dead.
But the parallels remain. Anyone who reads one of the formative intellectual influences on bin Laden, Sayyid Qutb, will be struck by how much he appears to be reading a mildly theologized Lenin or even Nechaev, the ruthless nineteenth-century Russian psychopath. Qutb is distinctly this-worldly, more exercised by politics than by the state of his, or anyone else's, soul. He pours secular hatreds into a theological vessel; and in a way, bin Laden's appearance bore this connection out. He was half Mohammed, half flak jacket and AK-47. It was a toxic combination.


text:
Editor's Note: Ravi Agrawal is CNN's New Delhi Bureau chief and was formerly senior producer of the network's "Fareed Zakaria GPS." Follow him on Twitter: @RaviAgrawalCNN.
Story highlights
Indian economy moving again: Stocks up 25%, foreign investment back, rupee is stable
This follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election to office this year
He promises to enact tax reforms, clean up corrupt bureaucracies, and provide housing
Yet his real challenge will be moderating expectations at home and abroad
If you believe the mood here, India is going to be the next China, the new frontier of global growth.
Stocks are up 25% since the start of the year. Foreign investment is back. The rupee is stable. World leaders are in town regularly to meet the new government and strike business deals – the latest being Britain's George Osborne and William Hague.
They've followed a long line of top envoys from France, China, and Russia to visit India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in May.
Amid all the diplomacy, Modi himself has been mooting big, ambitious ideas: a plan to build 100 new "smart cities," a proposal to launch high-speed bullet trains, and a pitch to make India a "global Walmart" for space technology. Add that to promises to enact tax reforms, clean up corrupt bureaucracies, and provide housing – and toilets – to every Indian.
Modi has made all the right sounds. But as his government delivers its annual budget – the first official outline of its economic plans – is too much being promised? More importantly, is too much being expected?
Room to grow
On paper, there's no reason why India shouldn't begin a period of rapid growth. Certainly, it has room to grow, having missed out on the economic boom its Asian neighbors long enjoyed. Consider that just a generation ago the average Indian was better off than his Chinese counterpart. In 1990, per capita income in China lagged that of India's by 15%. Just 20 years later, Chinese income per head was three times that of India's. The potential was there but too many opportunities were missed.
Or consider India's struggles with poverty. In 1981, according to World Bank data, 60% of Indians were rated as impoverished. Today, that ratio has dropped to 32%. But the fall relies on India's immense population growth, from 700 million in the 1980s, to around 1.2 billion today. In reality, the actual number of Indians living in poverty has barely changed, staying at around 400 million for the past three decades.
The data shows that there is room – and a great opportunity – to improve all of these statistics. But why hasn't it happened already? It is a question that tempers the current optimism.
India has had its moments of optimism before. Analysts and investors have tended to either put India's prospects on an impossible pedestal – remember when India and China were mentioned in the same breath? – or they have taken to denouncing India's prospects in dire and abject terms (read: all of 2013).
None of the seesawing feels right; reality is probably somewhere in the middle.
India's vast population – four times that of the United States – is its greatest blessing as well as a potential curse. The median age in India is just 28. That makes for 600 million young Indians who could form the backbone of the next three decades of global productivity. But that's also 600 million Indians who are soon going to demand an education, jobs, health care, access to food, water, and basic infrastructure. Unmet demands could lead to all kinds of chaos – for India and the world.
Cutting red tape and costs
Modi's new government has some key strengths that position it well to correct India's lagging performance. It is making the right sounds on cutting red tape, improving infrastructure, and kick-starting growth. It is attracting money from all over the world.
Perhaps most importantly, it has a complete mandate and majority to enact a vision. The hurdles ahead are clear: subsidies have risen sharply from 1.4% of GDP in 2008 to 2.5% today. Meanwhile India's tax-to-GDP ratio has stayed roughly constant around 10% through all those years.
Quite simply, India needs to figure out how to raise money and cut costs at the same time. The answer will undoubtedly mean short-term pain for the people. Can Modi afford to be honest with his constituents?
Amid all the hype and hysteria in India this week, Modi's greatest challenge isn't his government's first budget – stocks will rise or fall a little, but not by much. His real challenge will be moderating expectations at home and abroad, creating a road map for the next decade, and then delivering over time.


text:
SOCHI, Russia — Sidney Crosby skated in alone on Henrik Lundqvist, faking Sweden's goalie to the ice with a textbook-quality deke and sliding a perfect backhand into the net.
Canada did everything by the book at the Sochi Olympics, winning all six games with a ferocious commitment to defense and discipline. When Canada's captain finally got his first goal of the games Sunday, it had none of the dramatics of Crosby's last Olympic goal four years ago in Vancouver.
But it was every bit as golden.
Jonathan Toews scored in the first period, Carey Price made 24 saves in his second consecutive shutout, and Canada defended its Olympic men's hockey title with a 3-0 victory over Sweden.
"We're just an amazing team to watch, the way we work together," Toews said. "We were just all over them. It's fun to be a part of."
Chris Kunitz also scored as the Canadians confirmed their worldwide dominance in their national game by winning the gold for the third time in the last four Olympics. No team in the NHL era has controlled a tournament like this group, which allowed just three goals in six games and never trailed at any point in the 12-day tournament on the shores of the Black Sea.
"Not quite as dramatic as the other one," Crosby said. "Just real solid all the way through. We knew the way we wanted to play, and the last couple of games, we were solid. With each game, we seemed to build more and more confidence."
By the final event of the Sochi Olympics, that confidence was unshakable. Canada became the only repeat Olympic champ in the NHL era and the first team to go unbeaten through the Olympic tournament since the Soviet Union in Sarajevo in 1984.
Canada won its record ninth Olympic hockey gold medal — its first outside North America since 1952 — and joined the women's team to complete Canada's second straight Olympic hockey sweep.
The Canadians didn't allow a goal in their final 164-plus minutes at the Bolshoy Ice Dome after the first period of the quarterfinals against Latvia, shutting out the U.S. and Sweden.
Steve Yzerman, the architect of this roster for Hockey Canada, called it the greatest display of defensive hockey by any Canadian national team. Yzerman also said he's stepping down as Canada's Olympic executive director.
The Swedes also were unbeaten until the final, but they couldn't compete with Canada's formidable defense and Price, a first-time gold medalist who played splendidly in Sochi, allowing three goals in five games.
"That was the hardest-working team I've ever seen," Price said. "I really can't say enough about that group of defensemen and that overall team in front of me. Our work ethic was what won us this championship."
The Canadians exchanged hugs and leaped over the boards at the final horn, gathering at Price's net for a celebration that had seemed inevitable since Crosby scored in the second period.
Toews, who scored on a first-period tip-in, and Crosby are among Canada's 11 returning players from the 2010 championship team. Kunitz, widely criticized for failing to finish chances earlier in Sochi, capped the scoring with a vicious wrist shot in the third.
If these games were the last with NHL players joining their national teams, Canada's pros put on a landmark show. The NHL won't decide for several months whether to allow its players to go to Pyeongchang.
"It is amazing to see the guys that have the raw talent and ability commit themselves to doing all the little things right," said Toews, who has two Stanley Cup titles and two Olympic gold medals at 25. "We knew that's what it was going to take in this tournament to win the championship, and guys were willing to do that."
Lundqvist stopped 33 shots, but the depleted Swedes couldn't keep pace with Canada.
While Canada got goals from its two best centers, Sweden had to play without its top three centers. With Henrik Sedin and Henrik Zetterberg already out for the tournament, Nicklas Backstrom was scratched shortly before game time. Swedish Olympic officials said Backstrom had a positive drug test because of an allergy medicine.
"With all the turnovers, Hank could only do so much for us," Sweden captain Niklas Kronwall said. "We thought that if we played a perfect game, we'd have a chance. … It doesn't feel great. I didn't feel like we gave ourselves an honest chance."
After both teams hit a post in the opening minutes to put a little buzz into the quiet Russian crowd, Canada went ahead nearly 13 minutes in when Jeff Carter threw a quick pass in front to Toews, who deflected it underneath Lundqvist for his first goal in Sochi. Toews also scored Canada's first goal in the gold-medal game in Vancouver.
Late in the second period, Crosby scored after forcing a turnover at the Canada blue line. Loui Eriksson couldn't catch him, and Lundqvist couldn't stop the backhand with his sprawled toe.
When Backstrom was ruled out shortly before game time, Sweden was left without its top three pivots. Jimmie Ericsson attempted to fill in between Daniel Sedin and Eriksson, but he's not a natural center, and he lost all six of his faceoffs in the first period.
"They had a good game plan against us, and they stuck to it," Sweden defenseman Erik Karlsson said. "We couldn't really break through a brick wall."
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here's why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.
Send questions/comments to the editors.


text:
CONTENT DISCLAIMER: added 22nd August 2013
This article had gather a series of trending photographs, coincidentally these photographers are from Indonesia.
We should not be stereotype, this is pointing towards a certain group of photographers- Pseudo-Nature; regardless of race, nation and border.
Please take note that i do not own the idea, write up and analysis of this article original content from here, written in Chinese (http://e.weibo.com/1195054531/A1W6Xw02n) or here magazine here. I merely translated it.
I tried to contact the rightful owner of the content through weibo but still no reply from their side.
There are series of trending photos, and they actually seem cute and amazing.
Indonesian Tree Frog holding an umbrella, a rare occasion with great impact.
When people are hiding indoors avoiding the summer heat, this resourceful frog holding an umbrella under the rain. This tree frog is photographed sheltering under a leaf in the rain for 30 minutes. The photographer is Penkdik Palme, 27. He said this riveting image was captured at his neighbor's garden.
Moreover, the photographer is from Indonesia, I am even surer that these photos are posed. There have been a lot of posed animal photos that crop out on the internet, and most of them are the works of Indonesian photographers. Their traits, they claimed their photos are captured naturally but that's a far-fetched reality. A nature enthusiast can easily tell that these animals are staged and posed, some animals are suspected to be abused. When I look at these photos, i can only say I am really amused.
Let's take a look at a couple more photos.
A crazy frog giving the fingers.
According to The Sun's March 12 article, Shikhei Goh from Batam, Indonesia recently captured a rare photo of a frog giving the fingers. He said he found the frog was beautiful. So he spent 3 hours following the frog. Fed up, the frog turned around and gave the fingers to the photographer.
Analysis: Did he just bump into a leprechaun of some sorts? It is a miracle he didn't pee his pants. The frog is actually a red-eyed tree frog (Agalychnis callidryas), it inhabit in the rain forests of Central and South America. They're not found in Indonesia rain forest, but they can be bought from pet store. Posed photographers like using pets as their subjects; you'll know when you look closer. A tree frog can't give the middle finger; its muscles don't allow it physically. I suspect Shikhei used a thread to force the frog to pose in these photo and removed the thread with Photoshop, because these animals seem to be arranged on a straight line when they're upright, as such:
There are a lot of similar photos, like:
Look, Bruce Lee kung fu frog!
Shikhei from Batam (AGAIN!), Indonesia said: "I like insects and animal, and i find it interesting to observe them. When this frog shifts its center of gravity to its left, it lifts its right leg up. It's swift as lightning and was gone in a blink of eye, but thank God, I managed to capture it.
Analysis: Nice try, it wasn't anything close to swift movements.
The cool dancing lizards.
These are some sick moves, these lizards sure know how to party! The owner of these dancing lizards, Shikhei Goh puts them on a reflective surface and observes them as they enter a trance-like state. They would use their limbs to stomp on the ground and shake their bodies. One of the photos show a
Indonesia-based Shikhei said: "Capturing them is difficult because they won't stop moving. But these fellas' movements are like dance moves. One of them look like it is doing a kick in Kung Fu."
Analysis: This is
POP QUIZ! How are these photos below captures? Who is the photographer?
Oh, by the way, a red-eyed tree frog supposed to look like this.
Photo from Jan Sevcik. (www.naturfoto.cz)
So do you still think these "amazing" photos funny?
These photographers are quite fond of snails as well, their favorite: East African land snail (Achatina fulica). They're native to African and have been introduced to a lot of countries including Indonesia. They can be found at pet store, dining table and around the houses.
Tiny snail climbs aboard mother's back crossing a puddle.
According to Daily Mail's June 6 article, Uda Dennie, 33, captured a snail carrying a baby Mollusc to cross a puddle. The tiny snail occasionally takes a peek at its reflection.
In fact, this series of photos by Dennie was not an easy task. He added, "In face it's quite a challenge, as I had to wait for a unique moment. The most important thing is patience, sometimes it takes hours to capture the moment. I was really surprised when I spotted the baby being carried by his mum on her shell- I've never seen this kind of behaviour."
Analysis: First thing first, they are not related. The larger one is an East Indian land snail and the smaller one, after examination from conchologist (Gondwana) is an Ariophantidae, a family of air breathing land snail. With this depth, it'll drown under prolonged times. Snail won't actively cross a river; their tentacles would retract when come in contact with water. So they will seek an alternative route. The river in the photo is just a thin film of water, because of angle, the water surface becomes reflective so it's hard to judge the depth. Don't believe me? Look at this:
Indonesian photographer captures exquisite insect shots.
According to Daily Mail's October 9 article, amateur photographer Nunu Rizani from Indonesia captured a series of crystal clear shots of insects taken after the morning dew had settled in his garden. Insects are on his marble table are playing with water or dangles on the tip of a plant stem and appears to gaze at its reflection. There is also a spider that realized the water wasn't deep, it started to revolve around the marble quite happily.
Analysis: See! He admitted the water is shallow and it's also a marble. Judging from previous pattern, he could easily say it is morning dew, but where did the spider get happier? The spider can be on its net quite happily, you put it on a puddle of water can scare it. And "revolve around the marble quite happily?" Really, that's called drowning! A normal spider will tip top when it walks, and this one is half-sunken. Admit it, you just beat it up, didn't you?!
Putting two animals together is very common as well. They'll make up a very interesting story; a surprised photographer is key to a good one.
Snail crawls over a frog.
Indonesian photographer Lacy Sebastian recently captured an interesting image of a snail crawling past a frog. He said it took the snail 8 minutes to finish the journey.
Analysis: 8 minutes?! Snails are slow, but definitely not that slow! Judging from the photo, the snail was moving at full speed at it could easily crawl past the frog in 15 seconds, maybe even 10 seconds. Oh Sebastian, can you guess why isn't the frog moving? Cause it is tired and been treated like a puppet. You're putting all sorts of things on its head, how can it not feel your hostility?
Moving on befuddled, I opened a new tab and saw a reversal: the frog is taking a lift on a snail.
Snail picking up a lazy passenger.
According to article by Daily Mail on 15 January 2013, Indonesian photographer Nordin Seruyan captured the cartoonish scene outside his home near a pond. He spotted the frog leap on to the shell of a snail and hitched a ride.
Analysis: I said: "I laughed when I first saw it and quickly pointed at Nordin and yell, you're crazy!"
Okay okay I'd calmed myself, let's move on. Wait what? New discovery? Lizard? Let's find out!
Indonesian photographer captures lizard's lightning fast feed!
According to an article by Daily Mail on 25 October, Shikhei Goh, 39, a photographer from Indonesia has recently captured an amazing sequence of pictures that shows a lizard feeding on. He said: "I was walking through this grass field. All of sudden, I stopped in my tracks because I saw this beautifully colored chameleon clinging to a long shoot of grass. The chameleon saw this cricket landed on a grass nearby and all of sudden it shot its tongue out caught its prey."
Analysis: Taking a walk and spotting a chameleon? Ho ho ho! After examination from Ricky SD and Saffron Von, this is a panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis), native to Madagascar. This cricket can be bought at a pet store as usual live bait.
Shikhei said he had to wait 40 minutes after spotting the lizard.
Analysis: Serves you right!
This Shikhei Goh is rather interesting. After some researches, he's apparently a winner of some world-class photo competition Nut Geo in the nature category. The winning shot:
Shikhei said, " I was taking my macro-shots as usual that time. I had other subjects in my mind and didn't notice this dragonfly. When I'm ready to snap a shot of it, the storm is coming. I was hesitating whether I should continue shooting, but the light was unbelievable. So i decided to keep shooting and the result was amazing.
Editors' Note, January 12, 2012: This caption has been edited to accurately reflect how Goh took the picture. The original caption said that Goh had taken the picture in a sudden rainstorm, which he has done in previous occasions—but not for the winning photograph.
Analysis: Storm, sunlight and strong wind, and a dragonfly that refused to give up: 4 unrelated elements coming together are pretty rare. But Shikhei's album has a couple more.
This is a miracle in meteorology; a palm size storm cloud raining at 5-25 degree on the dragonfly's face. And another storm raining heavily while the dragonfly is chilling under it. All these are captured by Shikhei?! I just have to learn from him.
Shikhei is not only a photographic maestro. He is also a Qigong master who can manipulate the weather. He says rain, rain is what you get! Really!
Note: A raised tail is a leopard gecko's defense mechanism; it means it is in a state of shock.
I'm getting a little fuzzy; I could only subconsciously look for other Indonesian maestro's works:
The ultimate of macro: little world, big story.
Indonesian photographer Fahmi Bhs's works are known for the story and he's skilled at creating dramatic tension, which is visually arresting. After the visual impact, it brings an intellectual experience, which will then elevate into an emotional experience.
What's up for the praying mantis flipping the toad over?
Battle between the praying mantis and atlas moth larvae.
Photographer captured a fire ant standing on one leg in an Indonesia village.
Robertus Agung Sudiatmoko, an Indonesian photographer was doing macro at Sebilong Village, he captured an army of ants' bizarre behavior. The most shocking was when one of them stood on one leg, "That ant suddenly stood on one leg and it looked like it is breakdancing. This is the first time I've captured something like that, I think it'll be hard to top that."
++ Content Update: to include Alex Wild's article ++
A Fake Makes it to the Smithsonian's Photo Contest Finalists
Alex Wild was surprised, I was astounded, my friends are flabbergasted! Biologists, Entomologists can bluntly tell without further investigation that this is faked, posed, staged, ants don't behave this way. These images were captured by Eko Adiyanto, West Java, an interview on Daily Mail 6 May 12, Adiyanto had described how incredible is the strength of ants putting onto a parade of defying gravity, balancing seeds above their heads.
Analysis from Alex Wild: Oecophylla smaragdina, the Asian weaver ant, is not shy about attacking intruders to its treetop territories. The scene can be set by taunting guard ants, who stand to attention and look around for something else to bite. If you hand an ant something into which she can sink her toothy jaws, she will grab and hold; this species is unusually tenacious and the guards will cling to offending items for some time. The strategy works well to deter attack by other ants, for example.
Weaver ants are strong- that part isn't faked. The ants build nests by pulling living tree leaves together and binding them with larval silk. The strength and grip involved in bending leaves and stems is unusual even among ants.
The patient observer can cajole the anry-but-not-terribly-bright insects into a pattern like that seen in Mr. Adiyanto's photo. It's clever. And I'd be fine with the image if photographer weren't trying to pass off a manufactured pose as natural ant behavior.
Mr. Adiyanto's circus ants might have a place in Smithsonian's "Altered Images" category. But they certainly don't belong among the "Natural World" offerings.
I know you may find these images funny, interesting and beautiful, but these are staged, experts explained that these creatures do not behave like this in nature. The ONLY thing about nature photography is to show the beauty of life surrounding us, its complexity and divergence. It's important to remember that you can really hurt an animal if you pull it away from its habitat. Life of the undergrowth are very much depend upon the plants you find them on, so even when you replace them for a shot, put them right back on the same kind of plant when finished. The same goes for amphibians, and practically any other kind of animal.
Article also discussed on:


text:
If you wish to stop receiving certain types of email communications, you can opt out of individual mailing lists.
If you wish to unsubscribe from ALL Maplesoft commercial email communications, enter your e-mail address into the form below and press submit. After unsubscribing, you will receive a final e-mail with instructions to confirm your request.
View our privacy policy for details about how Maplesoft uses personal information collected for our mailing lists.


text:
'BLACK SABBATH Story' Videos To Be Released On DVD
September 15, 2002FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BLACK SABBATH pioneered true heavy metal, and a fascinating look into the British band's turbulent history is covered on two individual DVD and VHS releases, The Black Sabbath Story: Volume One and The Black Sabbath Story: Volume Two, coming from Sanctuary Records on September 24, 2002. Each DVD and VHS is sold separately.
Each volume includes rare concert and television footage, music videos, in-depth interviews and much more. These titles are being released on DVD for the first time, and they include extras not present on the original VHS versions. They have been reformatted for DVD in the 16:9 letterbox ratio, and the audio has been remastered for both Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo sound. Bonus features on both titles include animated menus, an album gallery and band history.
The Black Sabbath Story: Volume One covers 1970 to 1978, when the original lineup of vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bass guitarist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward turned rock music upside down with its blistering originality. Albums like Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality and Volume 4 are still cited as metal milestones 30 years after their release by successive generations of rock fans. Osbourne, Iommi, Butler and Ward addressed the bleaker sides of life in their songs, and did so on a volcanic musical foundation.
This 85-minute DVD includes 10 songs: "N.I.B." , "Paranoid", "War Pigs", "Children of the Grave", "Snowblind", "Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath", "Symptom of the Universe", "It's Alright", "Rock 'N Roll Doctor" and "Never Say Die". One special feature is an in-depth interview with BLACK SABBATH's original manager, Jim Simpson, who describes the band's development.
The Black Sabbath Story: Volume Two picks up in 1978 prior to Osbourne's departure and traces the strange periods of all-star, revolving-door lineups up through 1992 during which Iommi was often the only remaining original member. After Osbourne left, he was replaced by RAINBOW vocalist Ronnie James Dio for a brief, turbulent but artistically rewarding period which yielded 1980's brilliant Heaven and Hell. Other vocalists included DEEP PURPLE's Ian Gillan and Glenn Hughes, and Tony Martin. Short-lived drummers included Vinny Appice, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA's Bev Bevan, the late Cozy Powell and future KISS member Eric Singer. The DVD ends with the reunion of Dio, Iommi, Butler and Appice for 1992's Dehumanizer.
The 10 songs on the 72-minute second volume are: "Hard Road", "Die Young", "Neon Knights", "Trashed", "Zero the Hero", "No Stranger to Love", "The Shining", "Headless Cross", "Feels Good to Me" and "TV Crimes". A bonus interview with BLACK SABBATH expert Hugh Gilmour is part of this DVD.
The Black Sabbath Story: Volume One and The Black Sabbath Story: Volume Two are valuable historical documents that chronicle the career of one of the most innovative rock bands in history.


text:
Please contact Utilities Customer Service at 575-541-2111 to turn services on or off.
Show All Answers
To have a new service line or gas meter installed, contact Utilities New Connections at 575-528-3657. When a new order is placed, it takes approximately 7 to 10 working days to install a gas service line. Then, it takes 24 to 48 hours to install a gas meter after an inspection has been completed and sent to New Connections.
To have a gas meter installed at an existing service, please call Utilities Customer Service at 575-541-2111.