text:
A force of lyrical storytelling
Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie. Bell Bridge Books, 2009. 315 pages
Some of the most poignant passages in literature are uttered by children: Tom Sawyer, Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Ree Dolly in Daniel Woodrell's Winter Bone — all are juvenile protagonists who relate the events of their lives with candor. Perhaps Kathryn Magendie gave her child protagonist a narrator's "voice" because when a children address us, they usually speak with unabashed honesty, relating without guile, the anguish of growing up in a families shattered by either alcoholism, mental illness or divorce. In Kathryn Magendie's Tender Graces, spunky, little Virginia Kate Carey must cope with all three.
Much of Virginia Kate's childhood is spent in "By God West Virginia" where she and her brothers, Andy and Micah are the hapless pawns of their parents, Fredrick and Kate Ivene Carey — two ill-matched alcoholics. Like most children in an unstable home, the Carey kids survive by clinging together. They are also adept at drawing on inner resources. Micah, the oldest, paints, and as he grows older, his childish scrawls turn into provocative depictions of the world around him. The youngest, Andy, turns to sports. However, it is "Bug" (Virginia Kate) who keeps a diary; as she struggles to make sense of her mother's violent rages and her father's repeated absences, she sometimes withdraws into a fantasy world filled with nurturing spirits (including her beloved grandmother, who perished in a suspicious fire) and a mythical horse, Fionadala.
At the heart of Tender Graces resides Kate Carey, who is a deeply troubled and enigmatic woman with a perverse need to injure and reject those who are closest to her. Eventually, she drives Frederick away, and when he ends up in Louisiana with a divorce and a new wife, Kate's destructive nature grows as she lashes out at her bewildered children and all of the attending relatives. Gradually, she banishes them, first Micah, then "Bug" and finally Andy, sending them to Louisiana to live with the Shakespeare-quoting, womanizer, Fredrick.
The traumatic impact of this dislocation is extensive, and all the Carey children will carry the subsequent scars for the rest of their lives. At this point, Tender Graces becomes a study in contrasts. West Virginia's lofty mountains, cooling breezes and colorful relatives are replaced with heat, mimosa and alligators. Instead of Kate Carey's dark beauty, her chaotic house and the ever-present smell of bourbon and Shalamar, Micah, Bug and Andy find pale, blond Rebekha and a neat house filled with color-coordinated rugs, drapes and towels. However, Rebekha is not the traditional Grimm Brothers fairytale stepmother, nor is the Louisiana household crawling with vicious relatives (Aunt Ruby in West Virginia is especially memorable) and carnal uncles. Gradually, the shame of being unloved is replaced with security, nurturing and kindness.
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Tender Graces contains a paradox. As the Carey children grow into teenagers, evolving into talented and capable adults, Virginia Kate continues to yearn for the approval and love of her unstable mother. Despite repeated rejections she harbors an irrational need to return to this selfish and drunken woman who has abdicated all of her maternal responsibilities. Eventually, it is clear that Virginia Kate's bond with her mother will only be resolved by her mother's death.
Kathryn Magendie has a marvelous talent for capturing the world of children. Andy, Bug and Micah emerge with distinct personalities, each with their own set of interests. Their daily lives are depicted with vibrant details. However, these children bear no resemblance to the usual characters in juvenile fiction. Magendie's children talk with their mouths full of food, engage in endless (affectionate) taunting and often curse like longshoremen, and they all have the marvelous gift of exaggeration, especially Bug! ("I couldn't talk because I had 40 frogs in my throat.") Their speech is filled with references to period TV programs (Rawhide, Lassie, Elvis, The Wizard of Oz) and food (Zero candy bars, Orange Crush, etc.) It is a fully realized juvenile world filled with color, sound and smells.
There are also some tantalizing mysteries. What happened at the cabin on the hill where Virginia Kate sometimes sees her father? What dark secret does Micah conceal about the death of his Uncle Arvelle? Who is the mysterious "adopted child," Anin?
Is there anything wrong with Tender Graces? Well, yes, although the flaws are minor compared with the numerous merits. These people eat too much! It is New Orleans food, of course, but I got heartburn. The latter part of the book gets dangerously close to a cloying sweetness and needed some brutal editing. There are too many characters — some of which vanish for such prolonged periods, I forgot who they were.
I suspect that there will be more books from Kathryn Megendie. In fact, Tender Graces probably needs a sequel. A book with this much vitality deserves a child/grandchild.


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There's a bit of writer Michael Chabon and Howtoons illustrator Nick Dragotta teaching their "How to Make a Super Hero" workshop (so wished I had made that!). There's proof about 2/3rd of the way through that thinker+tech publisher Tim O'Reilly indeed taught jam making. Nice to see Cyclecide's Laird Rickard having fun on his own Dizzy Toy.
Music from EBMMF's 2010 lineup carries the mood: the music of El Cerrito from Daniel Popsicle orchestra, lady-toy-hackers Toychestra, and one-man band Hungry Hungry Ghost. Vintage bicycle maker Slimm Buick makes tunes in a corner with a SPAM mouth harp, and Tin Can Banjo project generates jig with a homemade fiddle.
Makers, take a peek—Flaming Lotus Girls, Alameda County 4-H Club, Poetry Store, Ice Brain, Ace Monster Toys, Bucepheless, The Crucible, Nightside Studios, Paul's Rides, Church of Craft—so many of you in there, doing your thing and making people very happy.
East Bay Mini Maker Faire No. 2. is just two months away now. The Call for Makers closes at the end of the month—but please don't wait to let us know you want to participate. And watch for news and updates of makers, performers, and workshops. It's all coming very soon!

subset: commoncrawl


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13-May-2014 Source: IHST
As part of its ongoing accident analysis, the United States Helicopter Safety Team (www.USHST.org) has categorized U.S. civil helicopter data by U.S. state for the period of 2008 through 2013. It continues to see the West and the South as ground zero for the majority of accidents. Fatal accidents, for the most part, also follow this western and southern trend.
Half of All Accidents in Just Eight States
During the six-year period, there were 857 civil helicopter accidents in the U.S. The top eight states accounted for 426 of these accidents, or half of the total.
As for accidents that resulted in fatalities, a total of 155 were recorded across the country. Sixty-five of the fatal accidents occurred in the top eight states, or 42 percent of the total. The most prevalent activities being conducted when these fatal accidents occurred in these eight states were: Private Flying (12 fatal accidents), Repositioning/RTB (10 fatal accidents), Passenger/Cargo Flight (9 fatal accidents), Aerial Observation (8 fatal accidents), Emergency Medical Services (6 fatal accidents).
Milder year-round weather in most of these states allows for more helicopter operations and as a consequence, more operations can result in more risk and more accidents. These states also may include more residents who have their own private helicopter.
Fatalities During Routine Operations
Regardless of the demographics and geography, there is a troubling trend in the fatal accident data. Many of the activities occurring during the flight were very routine and not inherently dangerous. Too many accidents happened during private flights, simple repositioning operations, and during routine aerial observation flights. This highlights the fact that preparation and risk assessments need to be performed for EVERY SINGLE FLIGHT, even the most routine ones.
Whether a pilot is planning to fly across Texas or around Rhode Island, proper preparation and a careful and prudent attitude can be lifesaving actions. The USHST urges pilots to pay special attention to weather and visibility issues and to all possible operational risks, even during the most routine flights in sunny California or above the coastline of Florida.
More Accident Reductions Needed
The USHST and the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) promote safety and work to reduce accidents. The IHST organization was formed in 2005 to lead a government and industry cooperative effort to address factors that were affecting an unacceptable helicopter accident rate.
Prior to 2006, the number of worldwide civil helicopter accidents was rising at a rate of 2.5 percent per year. Since 2006, the number of accidents worldwide has been decreasing by an annual rate of 2 percent.


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The march headed off down Brockley Rise and then along the South Circular to Catford.
Lewisham Pensioners Forum turned out on the march...
Outside Lewisham Town Hall there was a rally, with a 'Lewisham Libraries' coffin being delivered.
All in all a good day, the only dischord being at the beginning where local Labour MPs Joan Ruddock and Heidi Alexander were almost drowned out by hecklers when they spoke. I'm all for people criticising Labour councils for implementing the cuts as well as the Tory/Lib Dem government for imposing them, and a bit of heckling's fine by me. But one of the good things about the march was that it wasn't just the usual Lewisham politicos, I spoke to some neighbours and work colleagues who had come along with kids and some of them felt uncomfortable with the rancour. If the anti-cuts movement is going to involve people like them, perhaps activists need to be a bit less self-indulgent. Just because what you're saying may be correct, it doesn't mean that you have no responsibility for the impact of how you say it or the atmosphere it creates. Plus chanting 'Labour Out' on its own -as some did - seemed rather a strange slogan and let the ConDems off the hook - remember their local reps are absurdly arguing that cuts in Lewisham are nothing to do with them!


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December 8, 2018
One of our favorite recommendations to guests is a trip to the Hiram Chittenden Locks, located in nearby Ballard. The Locks, built in the early 1900's, are similar to a mini "Panama Canal" that separates the salty water of Puget Sound from the fresh water from Lake Union and the Ship Canal. It's a lot of fun to pack a picnic and watch the tug boats and pleasure boats navigate the locks, as well as to see the salmon going through the fish ladder. The gardens are also gorgeous!
For the 22nd year, the locks will be hosting free concerts on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, usually starting at 2pm.
Before or after your visit to the Locks, we recommend lunch or dinner at nearby Ray's Boathouse for some of the best seafood in town.


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The 1988 Twentieth Century Fox film Working Girl is getting the stage musical treatment. Fly by Night writer Kim Rosenstock is crafting the book with Kinky Boots Tony winner Cyndi Lauper at work on the score.
"I'm really excited for so many reasons to start composing the score for Working Girl," said Lauper. "I love the film, and its story about a woman's very unconventional road to success in the '80s is something I know a lot about. Women are still fighting for fundamental rights and equal pay! It's also laugh-out-loud funny, which is why Kim Rosenstock is the perfect person to write the book."
The film Working Girl, directed by Mike Nichols, premiered in 1988 and went on to receive the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Working Girl featured many actors early in their careers including Melanie Griffith in a star-making performance, alongside Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin, Joan Cusack, Oliver Platt, Kevin Spacey, Jeffrey Nordling, Olympia Dukakis and David Duchovny.
A production timeline will be announced at a later date. There is no word on casting, but we can think of more than a few Broadway stars who can fill Griffiths' shoes. Let the dream casting begin!


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The Philadelphia Eagles have been spurned by a high-profile college coach once again.
Notre Dame announced Saturday via Twitter that Brian Kelly will be staying at the school. CBSSports.com's Bruce Feldman reported shortly before the announcement that Kelly would not be going anywhere.
"Like every kid who has ever put on a pair of football cleats, I have had thoughts about being a part of the NFL," Kelly said via the Chicago Sun-Times. "This decision was motivated purely by my love for Notre Dame and the entire Fighting Irish community, the young men I have the great fortune to coach, and my desire to continue to build the best football program in the country."
Kelly becomes the latest college coach to use an NFL team's interest to their own advantage. Penn State's Bill O'Brien and Oregon's Chip Kelly leveraged interviews with NFL teams to earn more money at their current school. (Not that we blame them.)
Reports in Philadelphia suggested Saturday that Kelly and Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Gus Bradley were the two leading candidates for the Eagles job. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk reported that Kelly was Philadelphia's top choice.
Of course, Chip Kelly was Philadelphia's first choice. This has not been an encouraging start to the post-Andy Reid era for the Eagles.
UPDATE: The Eagles soon released an update on their search for a head coach.
"There is no question we spent a considerable amount of time and effort looking at who we thought were the best collegiate candidates for our head coaching job. We did so knowing that there was a remote chance that these coaches would leave their current posts," the Eagles said in a statement.
"We understood that going into the process, but we wanted to leave no stone unturned while trying to find the best head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. We have no regrets about the effort we made in that direction and we will continue to proceed as planned in our search."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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NEW YORK -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been given a new five-year contract as the league heads into a key period of labor negotiations that could lead to a work stoppage in 2011.
Goodell replaced Paul Tagliabue on Sept. 1, 2006, and his contract was due to expire this September. The NFL said Friday that owners voted to award the new contract when they met in December, and Goodell's new deal runs until March 2015.
"We're going into a major negotiation," New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said during a telephone interview. "It will be very difficult probably in many ways, and we want to have someone who has his own views, who's going to have to make some hard decisions that maybe some of us won't like.
"But in the end, I think we're confident that he and his team will do what's for the best long-term interest of the league," added Kraft, who's a member of the league's compensation committee. "Having stability in our management team is critical."
Goodell's new deal and the NFL's latest federal tax filing were first reported Friday by Sports Business Journal, and the league then released the information to The Associated Press.
Next season, the last under the current agreement, is on track to be played without a salary cap. NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith said last week that the union views the chance of a lockout as a "14" on a scale of 1-to-10. That would end a streak of labor peace since the 1987 strike led to the cancellation of 14 games and three weeks of play with replacement players.
"Commissioner Goodell and his staff have done an outstanding job and this is a statement of confidence in Roger's leadership," said Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who chairs the compensation committee. "NFL ownership recognizes his already significant list of accomplishments and is fully behind his strategic vision for the future of our league."
While all terms of the new deal haven't been completed, Blank said Goodell's annual compensation will be unchanged.
The NFL said a year ago that Goodell voluntarily took a cut of 20 to 25 percent and he and other league executives were freezing their salaries for 2009. That announcement was made at the same time the league announced it cut 169 jobs through buyouts, layoffs and other staff reductions, a drop of just over 15 percent of a work force that had been 1,100.
The tax return for the year ending last March 31 showed Goodell made $9,759,000, of which $2.9 million was salary and $6.55 million bonus and incentive compensation.
[ For more on all 32 NFL teams, check out the latest from our bloggers.
» ](http://blogblitz.nfl.com)**Blog Blitz**
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig had compensation of $17,470,491 for the year ending Oct. 31, 2007, according to the sport's last available tax return.
"I think Roger and his team run the entire business in a way that in today's economic environment is just outstanding," Kraft said. "And I'm comfortable with the way we're rewarding him. He on his own declined to take a bonus that we wanted to give him last year because he didn't think it was appropriate."
Compensations listed for other top officials included executive vice president of media Steve Bornstein ($7,478,000), executive vice president and general counsel Jeff Pash ($4,845,000), executive vice president business ventures Eric Grubman ($4,453,000), executive vice president public relations and government relations Joe Browne ($1,741,000), executive vice president football operations Ray Anderson ($1,158,000) and chief financial officer Anthony Noto ($853,000). Tagliabue received $3,195,000.
In a separate filing, executive vice president Harold Henderson was listed at $2,087,000.
"It's a tremendous amount of money. But if you look at it on a competitive basis, you understand that we can't bring in people from the outside and overnight they know what they're doing," Kraft said. "We have to promote people from within because it's a complicated organization. They're a lot of nuances. So we have to find good people, develop them and then make sure we're compensating them very fairly. Otherwise, they would have alternatives of going to other places."
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press


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Recently I got the chance to sit down with a real life level designer and take a look at what it takes to move from modding to actaul game development. In today's climate of game devs not supporting modding, I was excited to delive into what it takes.
Muhammad currently works at tryarch and is, along with the rest of the guys over there is pushing through to get the latest interation of Call of Duty.
Here's what went on;
Could you tell me a little ... [ There's more ]
Modders are already starting to chip away at GTA 5, but this is arguably the biggest breakthrough so far: OpenIV, a modding toolset used to access and edit Grand Theft Auto IV and Max Payne 3, has been updated to support GTA 5. While you shouldnt get too excited about this right now, as the program does not allow for editing of the games files. But if we know the pc modding community it is only a matter of time.
Grand Theft Auto is a gaming series which has grown to the level of phenomenon since it originally launched way back in 1997, and the expectations for any new series are huge. This means a huge amount of pressure, but the online reviews have generally been extremely positive. These have praised numerous aspects of this latest instalment of the franchise – the first entirely new edition since Grand Theft Auto IV six years ago &nda... [ There's more ]
Boston, MA - April 12, 2014 - In front of a sellout crowd at PAX East 2014, ReedPOP, the world's leading producer of pop culture events, and Penny Arcade, one of the largest gaming communities on the Internet, announced the addition of a new PAX event to the calendar - PAX South. Slated to debut in San Antonio, Texas in early 2015, the southern addition marks the fourth PAX show and third to occur in the U.S., continuing the traditio... [ There's more ]
In case anyone here is local to Los Angeles + interested in video game development and / or "The Last of Us", the Creative Director and 2 designers from Naughty Dog will be giving a design panel this Thursday night @ the Art Institute in Santa Monica.
Trust is a critical part of a multiplayer game community - trust in the developer, trust in the system, and trust in the other players. Cheats are a negative sum game, where a minority benefits less than the majority is harmed.
There are a bunch of different ways to attack a trust-based system including writing a bunch of code (hacks), or through social engineering (for example convincing people that the system isn't as trustworthy as they thought it was).
For a game like Counter-... [ There's more ]
Infinity Ward scripter (now at Respawn) Mackey McCandlish is doing walkthroughs of stuff he worked on starting from CoD1. Some really insightful information both tech and design wise on how CoD came to be and is designed – you just have to be patient with him dying a lot (especially in Chateau), but he gets better in later videos.
Chateau -- CoD1 prototype / pre-proof of concept level for making a WWII game.
I found out today that AGX Posse passed away after a massive heart attack Friday night.....
Posse was a great friend of the community and his loss is huge. My condolences to his family and his friends. He never hesitated to share and to help. Rest In Peace my friend.
This from his clan leader......
-=AGX=- WyldManM
Once again we packed up our gear and headed out to Seattle for PAX Prime 2013. We came, we saw, we got t-shirts. Check out our special episode of MODSonair as well as the interviews we managed to get.
MODSonair Episode 375 Live at 12pm EST.
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The Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia is shown in this scene created from a preliminary elevation model derived from the first data collected during the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) on February 12, 2000. Sredinnyy Khrebet, the mountain range that makes up the spine of the peninsula, is a chain of active volcanic peaks. Pleistocene and recent glaciers have carved the broad valleys and jagged ridges that are common here. The relative youth of the volcanism is revealed by the topography as infilling and smoothing of the otherwise rugged terrain by lava, ash, and pyroclastic flows, particularly surrounding the high peaks in the south central part of the image. Elevations here range from near sea level up to 2,618 meters (8,590 feet).
This anaglyph was produced by first shading a preliminary SRTM elevation model. The stereoscopic effect was then created by generating two differing perspectives, one for each eye. When viewed through special glasses, the result is a vertically exaggerated view of Earth's surface in its full three dimensions. Anaglyph glasses cover the left eye with a red filter and cover the right eye with a blue filter.
Elevation data used in this image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense, and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, DC.
Size: 93.0 x 105.7 kilometers ( 57.7 x 65.6 miles) Location: 58.3 deg. North lat., 160.9 deg. East lon. Orientation: North toward the top Image Data: Shaded SRTM elevation model Date Acquired: February 12, 2000


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Sprout of the Argentine upper class: learning politics already in the cradle
The young priest never returned to Argentina, where his family name is still known among the elderly. The reason for this is that his grandfather Matías Guillermo Sánchez Sorondo and his father Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, are both well-known figures of Catholic right-wing nationalism in Argentina.
The grandfather Matías Sánchez Sorondo: Professor, Interior Minister, Putschist, Senator
The father Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo Sr. : Professor, putschist, publicist
Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo Jr.: the "political arm" of Pope Francis
"For decades, he understood how to behave more or less unobtrusively", says InfoVaticana.
Decisive turning point: the election of Pope Francis
The concern for the poor and the concern to get rid of the aristocratic stall odor
The networker: Bernie Sanders, Jeffrey Sachs, Paul R. Ehrlich, John Boongarts
The neomalthusian turn of the Vatican
Humanity experienced "magic moment"
"He never celebrates the Holy Mass, and neither does he pray the breviary"
"The chapel in the Casina where he lives remains unused.""Neither does he pray the breviary. He probably does not even have one. One day he was to take part in a Holy Mass, and it was rather funny to see that he did not even know the most essential parts of the Eucharistic Ordinarium."
"It also testifies to the terrible character of the Argentine, how despotic and disrespectful he is to the subordinates, especially women."
Image: InfoVaticana / Wikipedia / Hemeroteca Digital / UCV (Screenshots)
Trans: Tancred firstname.lastname@example.com


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U.S. Department of Justice | For Immediate Release: December 5, 2012 |
United States Attorney's Office | Contact -- BIS Public Affairs: 202-482-2721 |
Two Iranian Nationals Have Been Arrested, Including One on Charges of Exporting Carbon
Fiber – a Product That Can Be Used for Uranium Enrichment
Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, George Venizelos, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), James T. Hayes, Jr., the Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), and Sidney Simon, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Commerce Department, Bureau of Industry and Security's Office of Export Enforcement New York Field Office ("DOC"), today announced charges against four individuals for exporting various goods from the U.S. to Iran and China. These goods include carbon fiber, which has a wide variety of uses, including in gas centrifuges that enrich uranium and in military aircraft and strategic missiles. The four individuals charged are HAMID REZA HASHEMI, a dual U.S. and Iranian citizen who resides in Iran, PETER GROMACKI, a U.S. citizen and a resident of Orange County, New York, AMIR ABBAS TAMIMI, an Iranian citizen and a resident of Iran, and MURAT TASKIRAN, a Turkish citizen. HASHEMI, GROMACKI, and TAMIMI are in custody in the U.S.
HASHEMI is alleged to have violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ("IEEPA") by working with others, including TASKIRAN, to arrange for the export of carbon fiber from the U.S. to his company in Tehran, Iran. HASHEMI was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he entered the U.S. on December 1, 2012, and was arraigned in federal court in White Plains on December 4, 2012, before U.S. Magistrate Judge George A. Yanthis. U.S. District Judge Vincent L. Briccetti is assigned to the case.
GROMACKI is alleged to have violated IEEPA by using his company in Orange County, New York, to export carbon fiber from the U.S. to China. He was arrested this morning at his residence in Orange County, and was arraigned in federal court in White Plains before U.S. Magistrate Judge George A. Yanthis this afternoon.
TAMIMI is alleged to have violated IEEPA by working to export helicopter component parts from the U.S. to Iran, through South Korea. He was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he entered the U.S. on October 5, 2012, and was arraigned on October 9, 2012, in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: "The embargo and export laws that all four of these defendants are alleged to have violated are critical to protecting the national security of the United States and its citizens. Carbon fiber in the wrong hands poses a serious threat to that security, and two of these defendants are charged with arranging its export to Iran, where it most assuredly had the potential to end up in the wrong hands. The law enforcement actions we announce today should make clear that, together with our law enforcement partners, we will work tirelessly to enforce the laws that protect our country."
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge George Venizelos: "The law prohibits the exportation of goods to Iran and certain goods to China. Whether motivated by greed or otherwise, these defendants allegedly violated the law, including by arranging for the export of carbon fiber that can be used in uranium enrichment. The FBI takes very seriously its responsibility to ensure that strategically important goods and technology do not end up in the wrong hands."
HSI Special Agent-in-Charge James T. Hayes, Jr. said: "We are engaged in a daily cat-and mouse game with individuals who will go to great lengths to circumvent U.S. Customs law to export sensitive military grade technology to countries like Iran and China. If in the wrong hands, carbon fiber can be used to manufacture dangerous products that threaten our national security and the security of other nations. HSI works closely with federal law enforcement partners and foreign governments to prevent the illegal exportation of this sensitive technology."
DOC Special Agent-in-Charge Sidney Simon: "Today's arrests and charges demonstrate our resolve to work hand-in-hand with our law enforcement partners to pursue export violators anywhere in the world."
The following allegations are based on the Indictments and the Complaint:
From 2007 until his arrest, HASHEMI lived and worked in Iran, and operated a company in Tehran (the "Iranian Company"), which procured carbon fiber from various brokers. TASKIRAN was the Managing Director of a company in Turkey (the "Turkish Company"). For example, in March and April 2008, HASHEMI, TASKIRAN, and a Europe-based broker ("Individual-1"), successfully arranged for the shipment of carbon fiber from the U.S. to the Iranian Company. Specifically, Individual-1 bought carbon fiber from a U.S. supplier, and arranged for the supplier to export it from the U.S. to Europe. Individual-1 then used a European freight forwarder – a private company that handles large overseas exports – to send the carbon fiber from Europe to United Arab Emirates (the "UAE"), and arranged for the carbon fiber to be sent from the UAE to the Iranian Company operated by HASHEMI.
From 2006 until his arrest, GROMACKI lived and worked in Orange County, New York. In June 2007, GROMACKI arranged for the export of more than 6,000 pounds of carbon fiber from the U.S. to Belgium, which was then shipped to China. In addition, and in connection with this export, GROMACKI made various false statements on a shipper's export declaration form, concerning: the ultimate consignee of the shipment; the ultimate country of destination of the shipment; and whether an export license was required for the shipment.
Beginning in November 2011 and until his arrest, TAMIMI attempted to arrange for the export of helicopter component parts from the U.S. to Iran, through South Korea. The components were for a particular helicopter that can be used for military purposes, including for reconnaissance, tactical insertion, and as a missile platform.
None of the participants in any of the transactions described above obtained the requisite approval from the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control, or DOC.
* * *
HASHEMI, 52, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA, and two substantive IEEPA violations. He faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison.
GROMACKI, 48, has been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA, one substantive violation of IEEPA, and one count of making false statements in a matter within the jurisdiction of the U.S. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
TASKIRAN has been charged with one count of conspiracy to violate IEEPA and one substantive IEEPA violation. He faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
TAMIMI, 40, has been charged with conspiracy to violate IEEPA and one substantive IEEPA violation. He faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.
Mr. Bharara praised the extraordinary investigative work of the various law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation, including the New York Offices of the FBI, HSI, and DOC. Mr. Bharara also thanked the U.S. Department of Justice's National Security Division and its Office of International Affairs.
The case is being handled by the Office's Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher L. Lavigne and Jason P.W. Halperin are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Indictments and the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


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These fun little mats are the beach-lover's best friend. Instead of using your beach towel to sit on the beach, uncurl and spread out one of these funky imprinted promotional beach mats. Sturdy yet flexible, they provide a barrier between the user and the ground below. Sand won't pass through, and it won't stick. When you're ready to head home after a day of fun in the sun, simply give it a good shake and any sand will fall right off. Your custom beach mat will be all ready for the next beach day.
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text: A period of change, both for Fender and for American culture as a whole, the 1960s saw the Strat mellow as it grew up. The white pickguard was updated to mint green, and the fingerboard was switched from the original maple to rosewood, adding a smoother note to the Strat's clear, articulate voice. The American Original '60s Stratocaster keeps these refinements intact while adding modern feel and pickup switching to the iconic instrument that helped birth guitar rock as we know it.


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Angelo Codevilla has spent more than his share of time as a sojourner among America's ruling class. He was a key part of the Reagan transition and point-man in the Gipper's efforts to transform both the foreign and the intelligence services. Then later he served as a professor of International Relations at prestigious Boston University. From this vantage point, Codevilla was able to get a close look not only at the international relations elite, but at the entire American ruling class, from which the former are overwhelmingly drawn. I had the honor of sitting across a Skype line with Angelo Codevilla recently to talk about his views on foreign policy and on the ruling class in general.
As the ruling class wannabes, has beens, might've beens and I ams gather for today's inauguration ceremony to offer laud and narcissistic supply to the most perfect exemplar of the ruling class that they have ever seen, Codevilla's observations about the rapidly imploding ratio of competence to confidence among America's elite are a breath of contrarian sanity.
The discussion is available here. Although the first section is devoted to foreign affairs and the second to the ruling class, this column will focus on the second of the two topics. What follows are my notes from the wide ranging and fascinating discussion. I hope you won't limit yourself to my jottings about the conversation, but go on to the conversation itself. The following is a collection of paraphrased quotes from Codevilla.
· The Ruling Class of America is not up to the challenge of leading America in the world, partly because it has engaged for several generations now in a process of reverse merit selection.
· Our ruling class has practiced negative selection for several generations now. I point you to a very, very interesting piece of research by a man called Ron Unz.
· Ron Unz, a wealthy entrepreneur, has just conducted interesting research on the admissions policies of America's elite universities and has found that there is an iron quota against Asians in these universities: a limit of roughly 16 percent in these universities, even though the proportion of Asians relative to other ethnic groups among high achievers in the country has risen…they account for something like 40 percent of high achievers in the national merit scholar competition, national math and science competitions, etc.
· What you've got here is a ruling class in these universities which has perpetuated itself and has become more like itself, and has excluded alien elements. The element most excluded happens to be also the most numerous, which is to say 'white non-Jewish Americans,' and hence the overwhelming majority of high achievers. Yet the percentage of white non-Jewish admittees has continued to drop; there is especially a virtual absence of Christians among these admittees. The point being that this ruling class, which is increasingly styling itself as meritocratic, is anything but meritocratic and has renewed itself by cooption.
· This has nothing to do with fairness; this is not a moral argument I'm making at all…I'm saying that the people running this country are ever less competent to do their job. They are ever less able to do whatever the hell they do.
· They are ever more confident because they live in a bubble. They congratulate themselves. They give prizes to one another; they tell each other how smart they are.
· Having been a college professor for many years I saw students become ever more confident of their own intelligence and their own preparation while they were becoming less able to do the most elementary things.
· They are becoming more insular, less bright and less demanding of themselves.
· That's what happens so often to ruling classes: they protect themselves against their competitors. Their greatest interest is in perpetuating their own cushy positions.
· Let me give you one example, look at Mikhail Gorbachev. Here was a man who was invested with total power; a system had grown up built by Stalin which gave all power to the general secretary; this general secretary had risen in a system which had prized people like himself who believed their own press clippings and who was literally out of touch with what was happening. So here was a man who took into his hands all the levers of power nd pulled them all in the wrong direction and brought the whole system crashing down without knowing what he was doing.
· The Soviet system was completely closed. Our system becomes more closed as the years go on….today's American ruling class differs from even a generation ago…now they come to the ruling class almost exclusively from the most prestigious universities and through institutions which are connected to government. Very few people now rise independent of the ruling class itself: you have to rise through the ruling class to get to the ruling class…
· Given this kind of increasingly closed ruling class, given its tendency to go easy on itself…given the things that it does to guard itself against infiltration from the rest of the country…you have a class which is becoming ever less able to meet its basic responsibilities at home and abroad.
Me: Is Obama American Liberalism's Gorbachev?
· The point here is that one part of the American body politic, that part which is connected to government, is well represented politically. The Democratic Party is a good and faithful representative of that sector of American life…those who are not part of the ruling class do not have a political vehicle. There are roughly 3/4s of Democrats who say they are happy with their party, while only 1/4 of Republicans are happy with their party.
· Obama, the main thing that he has done is to denigrate the country class, to denigrate everybody else.
· In what way is Obama like Gorbachev: if they are alike at all, they are alike in that Obama has now made it perfectly clear to the country class how alien is the ruling class. Never has the ruling class been so obviously alien to the rest of the country.
· In the election of 2012 the country class was demoralized. In this the Republican Party helped. You had a candidate who did not in any way defend the country class in the accusations brought against it.
· When you see a horse that is misbehaving you shouldn't say, "Oh, what bad horse," you should say, "What a bad rider." This country, this wonderful horse of ours, has had a bunch of bad riders and the horse is gonna buck. May the next rider be worthy of the horse.
The paraphrased notes from above capture only a portion of our discussion about the ruling class, and none of our discussion about international relations. The latter topic deserves a separate column all together. But regarding the former topic, the ruling class: I came away from the interview with an odd feeling of exhilaration. America's ruling class seems to this economist's eye to contain the classic signs of a bubble: arrogance, narcissism, opulence backed by nothing other than the ongoing willingness of the patsies to go along with the con. And it is a con, as in confidence game. Our ruling class rules on the basis of sheer, unearned self-confidence. They are not up to running the nation, its economy, its markets, its school system, its philanthropies or its foreign affairs. It is a ruling class of pygmies who walk on stilts and call themselves giants. They are not giants and the moment the rest of us realize this, the long con is over.
Mr. Bowyer is the author of "The Free Market Capitalists Survival Guide," published by HarperCollins, and a columnist for Forbes.com.


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New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
Here is another great way to enjoy new potatoes. It's almost as simple to make as new potatoes with soy sauce and butter, though it uses a few more ingredients. Boiled whole new potatoes are panfried in a little sesame oil, then coated in a sticky sweet-salty-spicy miso sauce. The strong flavors of the miso sauce really go well with the blandness of the potatoes.
Recipe: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
- About 500g / 1 lb tiny organic new potatoes, washed and unpeeled
- 1 Tbs. sesame oil
- 2 Tbs. miso, preferably red miso, but any miso will do (not sure? See A Japanese Miso Primer)
- 1 Tbs. kochujang (Spicy Korean bean paste, available at Korean or Japanese markets)
- 3 Tbs. raw cane sugar or light brown sugar (or if you have neither, regular white sugar will do)
- 1 large garlic clove, grated
- 1 piece (about twice the size of the garlic clove) fresh ginger, grated
- Chopped green onions for garnish
Boil the potatoes in their skins until they are tender (if you poke one with a knife point or skewer, it goes through easily).
Heat up a large frying pan. Heat up the sesame oil. Add the potatoes, and pan-fry them until they turn brown and crispy.
In the meantime, combine the miso, kochujang, sugar, grated garlic and ginger in a bowl with enough water to make it into a smooth, loose paste, about the consistency of ketchup. (I use a microplane to grate the garlic and ginger.)
Add the paste to the hot pan and toss the potatoes around rapidly to coat them well. The water will evaporate and the sauce will turn very sticky. Take off the the heat before the miso burns.
Serve sprinkled with lots of chopped green onions.
This is a very rich and strongly flavored dish, almost a meal unto itself. In Japan it would be a side dish, eaten with rice and soup and a couple more dishes such as grilled fish or meat plus pickles or salad, etc. You could serve these as a side dish as part of a Western style meal. It's a great vegan dish - you could add some pan-fried tofu or seitan or something to go with it.
It's also very nice in bento, but I do prefer it when it's still hot from the pan.
For a non-spicy version, omit the kochujang and increase the miso to 3 tablespoons. This non-spicy version would be more traditionally Japanese, but I like a bit of heat to cut through the sweetness.
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New potatoes with miso sound
New potatoes with miso sound good. I've never tried potatoes with miso, so it's time to try. I have a box of miso in the fridge right now. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Maki!
UGH! I really want to make these miso kind of dishes, but i cant ever seem to get them right! Whenever i add the miso, it either just stays the same consistency and colour, so it doesnt really blend together, or it is way way too salty. I bought some miso from the supermarket, it was the Hikari brand of miso, but it is sooooooo salty. And i tried to make nasu dengaku, but it didnt work, the paste just stayed the same, i saw pictures of how its meant to be, but it just stayed like uncooked miso paste. EEK!!!!!
Is there something that im doing wrong? Am i not cooking it for long enough?
also, is the miso meant to
also, is the miso meant to taste sweet and yummy? Or is it meant to taste like pond water? Because i always end up with pond water. No offence if its meant to taste like that....
ok thanks for your help!!!!!
ok thanks for your help!!!!! I will definately take note of your tips! THANKS!!!
Hello! I was just wondering
Hello! I was just wondering if you have a recipe for that dressing that is always served in Japanese restaurants? Its yellowy brown, and it is abit pulpy. It tastes abit like sour cream and chives, and its usually poured over sliced raw cabbage. Have you heard of it?
Hi Maki. Thankyou for the
Hi Maki. Thankyou for the information! I just love this sauce!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this sounds so yummy! And I
this sounds so yummy! And I love new potatoes because you can eat the peel, which you can cook to a crisp.
I just made this for dinner
I just made this for dinner and it was delicious!
I ate it along side a soup - udon noodles, asparagus, broccoli and peas in a green tea & soy sauce broth - and some brown rice.
Looks delicious
This potato dish looks terrific. Those flavors sound great!
Be careful when cooking the
Be careful when cooking the miso glaze onto the potatoes - the sugar in the glaze means nice caramelization on food, and a nasty, sticky, blistering-hot blob that can spatter out and leave a second degree burn on your skin before you can get it under cold water. You'd think I'd have a firefighter's suit by now, considering how often I burn my hands in the kitchen.
super oishii!
Finally made these potatoes last night. They went down a treat. What a brilliant combination. I have developed somewhat of an addiction to kochujang sauce to recent months. Hubby liked them so much he is planning a large plate of them for dinner tomorrow night and nothing else!
When do I add the sugar?
I just tried this recipe today and it tastes absolutely fantastic! Definitely going to be making this quite often.
However, I only realized that you did not mention when to add the sugar while I was halfway through cooking. So I just added it to the miso-kochujang paste and it turned out well still. Thought I would let you know.
Thank you! Love the recipe!
I can't stop making these!
I love these potatoes. The flavor is wonderful and they are a snap to prepare at the last minute. Thanks!
This was yummy!
Hi, Maki - I love these potatoes (store didn't have new so I used red). I made them for dinner tonight along w/ chicken tsukune dumplings w/ carrots and bean sprout namul. I'm gluten intolerant so I substituted the kochujang with chili garlic sauce (the Vietnamese sauce w/ a pic of a rooster on the container) and it was delish. Actually everything was wonderful!
Freezing miso paste
Hi Maki,
I'm wondering if you can tell me if miso paste can be frozen. I read that your 'miso, tahini, and walnut paste' can be frozen but what about miso paste itself? I get conflicting answers from google :p.
Appreciate your thoughts. Thanks!
Miso with Potatoes = Wonderful
I just made this and it was so good... I didn't actually have any new potatoes, just regular ones and I also don't have the Korean bean paste, but it still turned out wonderful. The miso glaze is salty, sweet and so deep in flavor, perfect with the blandness of the potatoes. I will make this recipe again for sure. Thanks for posting it!
Heya Maki! Stumbled across your fun blog whilst searching for hamburg recipes! Glad to say we really loved it! I'm definitely looking forward to giving this yummy potato one & many more a shot too! grin*
Had this for lunch today with a sesame-spinach sunomono and tamago-yaki. It turned out well, though to get the "ketchup-like" consistency for the sauce I added a little bit of water.
Fantastic idea! I'm sure I'll be making it again. This dish could also fit into a Chinese meal with ease.
Re: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
Hey, sorry to post on an older recipe, but I have a question! I bought what I'm pretty sure is kochujang in order to make this, but it's spicy pepper paste, not spicy bean paste--no beans involved. Did I get the right thing? (I bought this brand: http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/1129527278/gallery_6134_119_22282.jpg because it's MSG-free, but most of the brands come in a jar) Thanks. :)
http://www.readableblog.com (for English learners)
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Re: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
Oops, I went out of town for a conference and forgot I asked! Hmmm...maybe I'm not allowed to link directly to the image. Anyway, here is exactly what I got: http://jayone.com/bbs.php?table=wn_newproducts&query=view&uid=7
There seem to be different versions. Some have soybeans as one of the last ingredients (along with MSG) and some don't. This was the only non-MSG one at my nearby Chinese market--I haven't gone to the local big Korean supermarket because it's further away and not easy to find (it's probably no more far away than Mitsuwa, the Japanese grocery store, but ...) The one I got has ingredients of red pepper powder, wheat flour, corn syrup, purified water, salt, garlic, green tea extract, alcohol, glucose. Do you think it'll be OK to use? :D
Sorry for bugging you! Thanks again!
http://www.readableblog.com (for English learners)
http://www.talktotheclouds.com (for teachers)
Re: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
Okay, good enough :)
I'll just see what happens, when I get around to actually cooking! Argh...
http://www.readableblog.com (for English learners)
http://www.talktotheclouds.com (for teachers)
Re: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
Yum! The whole family loved this. And I'm so happy to have discovered kochujang -- it's delicious, with just enough heat to make it interesting.
Re: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
Made this for the family, such a delicious recipe. No leftovers, and I'm kind of sad now.
Re: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
For what it's worth, y'all, I just made this with white sweet potatoes and it is fantastic. Thanks, Maki!
Re: New potatoes with sweet-spicy miso
The leftovers I had from this recipe actually made a really delicious addition to my breakfast the next day. I threw the leftover potatoes in a pan with a couple eggs and scrambled them together. Topped with some sharp cheddar and bacon crumbles, ooooh so good.
Your recipes really are the best. Thanks so much for posting them.
Re: kochujang (or gochujang)
is chili paste, with fermented soybean and other stuff. You can also describe is as fermented soybean paste, with chilies and other stuff;) If it is red and spicy/salty/sweet it is gochujang. If it is brown and pungent, but not spicy, it is fermented soybean paste, or doenjang. To simplify matters for us, the most commonly available gochujang and doenjang in the US comes in red and brown containers respectively, and the gochujang usually has an illustration of a chili on it.
Doenjang is very very umami, and thus much harder to love at first taste than gochujang-but critical for good home cooked Korean food. I don't know if it has any application in Japanese cuisine. Do you think doenjang could be used like a strong aka miso for flavoring/saucing (but not soup except when going for funky deliciousness)?


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"It sounds like a face-saving way of announcing a withdrawal," commented an Iraqi political leader yesterday on hearing that the US military commander in Iraq and the chief American envoy in Baghdad had said that Iraqi police and army should be able to take charge of security in a year or 18 months.
Yet the only real strength of the Iraqi government is the US army. In theory, it has 264,000 soldiers and police under its command. In practice they obey the orders of their communal leaders in so far as they obey anybody.
There is still a hopeless lack of realism in statements from senior American officials. It is as if the taste of defeat is too bitter. "This Mehdi Army militia group has to be brought under control," said the US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad at a press conference in Baghdad yesterday. But in the past few months most of the Shia districts in Baghdad –and Shia are the majority in the capital –have come under the control of the Mehdi Army, the militia of the nationalist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. It is all so different from that moment of exuberant imperial hubris in May 2003 when President George Bush announced mission accomplished in Iraq.
Where did the US go wrong? Saddam Hussein's government collapsed almost without a fight. Iraqis would not fight for him. Iraqis may not have welcomed American tanks with sweets and rose petals but they were very glad to see the back of their own disaster-prone leader.
The greatest American mistake was to turn what could have been presented as liberation into an occupation. The US effectively dissolved the Iraqi state. It has since been said by US generals –many of whom now claim to have been opponents of the invasion all along –that given a larger US army and a more competent occupation regime, all might still have been well. This is doubtful. The five million Sunni Arabs were always going to fight the occupation. The only Iraqi community to support it were the five million Kurds. The Shia wanted to use it to gain the power their 60 per cent of the Iraqi population warranted but they never liked it.
One theme has been constant throughout the past three-and-a-half years –the Iraqi government has always been weak. For this, the US and Britain were largely responsible. They wanted an Iraqi government which was strong towards the insurgents but otherwise compliant to what the White House and Downing Street wanted. All Iraqi governments, unelected and elected, have been tainted and de-legitimised by being dependent on the US. This is as true of the government of the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki today as it was when sovereignty was supposedly handed back to Iraq under the prime minister Iyad Allawi in June 2004. Real authority had remained in the hands of the US. The result was a government whose ministers could not move outside the Green Zone. They showed great enthusiasm for press conferences abroad where they breathed defiance at the insurgents and agreed with everything said by Mr Bush or Tony Blair.
The government can do nothing because it only came into existence after ministries were divided up between the political parties after prolonged negotiations. Each ministry is a bastion of that party, a source of jobs and money. The government can implement no policy because of these deep divisions. The government cannot turn on the militias because they are too strong.
It is also true that almost all parties that make up the government have their own militias: the Kurds have the Peshmerga; the Shia have the Mehdi Army and the Badr Organisation; the Sunni have the insurgents. In areas of Iraq where civil war is already raging or where it is impending, people look to these militias to defend their homes and not to the police or regular army.
The US has lost more than 500 of its soldiers, dead and wounded, this month. Every month this year the combined figure –more telling than that for dead alone –has been creeping up, as the area of US control is diminishing. The handover of security to Iraqi government forces –the long-trumpeted aim of American and British policy –is, in practice, a handover to the local militias.
The problem for the US and British is that many Iraqi leaders outside the government think the British and Americans are on the run. Wait, they say, and they will become even weaker. The US is talking to senior Baath party military officials in Saudi Arabia and Jordan who control the insurgency if anybody does. But it is unlikely that they would call a ceasefire except on terms wholly unacceptable to other Iraqis.
Can the US extract itself from Iraq? Probably it could but only with great loss of face which the present administration could not endure after its boasts of victory three-and-a-half years ago.
PATRICK COCKBURN is the author of 'The Occupation: War, resistance and daily life in Iraq', published by Verso.


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Press Contact:
Christy Lynch
Voltaire, Inc.
(781) 276-1571
Voltaire ISR 9600 Switch Routers To Support Ohio's High Performance Computing Linux Cluster
BEDFORD, Mass., NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo., and COLUMBUS, Oh.– January 12, 2004 – Voltaire and Advanced Clustering Technologies today announced that the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) has selected Voltaire's high performance InfiniBand solutions to support a large computational Linux cluster. Advanced Clustering Technologies, a reseller of Voltaire's complete family of InfiniBand solutions, will deliver a turnkey solution to OSC consisting of Voltaire ISR 9600 switch routers, host channel adapters and 256 dual Intel Xeon compute nodes. Voltaire's InfiniBand solutions provide seamless, high speed connectivity and scalability for high performance computing (HPC) environments.
OSC, a state supercomputing and networking resource, is using two Voltaire ISR 9600 InfiniBand switch routers, embedded with VoltaireVision management software, to build a 128 node cluster based on Intel Dual Xeon servers. The cluster will support the OSC's advanced MPI-based applications. Voltaire's ISR 9600 is the highest port-count (96 ports) to be certified by the InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA), distinguishing it as the most scalable, certified InfiniBand switch router on the market today. Voltaire offers a complete family of InfiniBand solutions for HPC applications that balance high-performance hardware with a production-ready, standards-based software stack. The result is unmatched performance within InfiniBand clusters and seamless connectivity with the existing infrastructure.
"We chose to work with Advanced Clustering Technologies and Voltaire because of their leadership positions in the HPC market and extensive experience in delivering customized, scalable solutions to technical computing customers," said, Al Stutz, OSC Chief Operating Officer. "With the addition of Voltaire's InfiniBand solutions to our cluster, we expect to gain significant performance improvements to our MPI-based applications."
"When looking at the computational needs of OSC, we chose our Pinnacle 2X200 compute nodes, because of their ability to provide the fastest possible interconnect speed when using Voltaire's InfiniBand solutions. It is our pleasure to continue our service to OSC with this new project, and build upon our relationship with Voltaire in providing high performance clustering solutions," said Advanced Clustering Vice President of Sales, Shelly Matthews.
OSC is a leader in researching InfiniBand technology's uses in high performance computing environments. In collaboration with OSC, Ohio State University researchers have developed software, called MVAPICH, to enable the use of message passing interface (MPI) on InfiniBand. Major clusters around the world, including those at OSC, use this software on their production systems. OSC researchers also are working with Voltaire to find ways to use advanced network features to improve file system and database operations.
"We are very pleased that OSC, a pioneer in high performance computing and networking, selected Voltaire InfiniBand solutions to power their Intel-based server cluster," said Arun Jain, vice president of marketing, Voltaire. "We look forward to working with Advanced Clustering Technologies and OSC to build a high performance computing cluster that delivers the performance of a mainframe solution at a greatly reduced cost."
About OSC
OSC is Ohio's high performance computing and networking center. The Center provides scientific computing, networking, educational outreach, and information technology resources to state and national high performance computing and networking groups. OSC empowers its academic, industrial, and government partners to make Ohio the education and technology state of the future. For more information, go to www.osc.edu.
About Advanced Clustering Technologies
Advanced Clustering Technologies is a premier provider of Linux based servers, workstations, and high-performance computer clusters for organizations involved in all types of research including, biotechnology, chemical modeling, weather forecasting, oil and gas exploration, and visual effects. Advanced Clustering Technologies is a privately held corporation based in North Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.advancedclustering.com.
About Voltaire
Voltaire is a leading provider of high performance InfiniBand solutions for enterprise data centers and HPC environments. Voltaire's InfiniBand solutions deliver significant return on investment to the data center by improving the performance and utilization of clustered databases, shared servers and storage. For HPC customers, Voltaire leads the industry with the largest InfiniBand Trade Association-certified switch to support clusters scaling from hundreds to thousands of nodes. With business headquarters near Boston, Massachusetts, Voltaire is certified by the IBTA's Integrator's List. More information about Voltaire is available at www.voltaire.com or by calling 1-800-865-8247.


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A 7% (and sometimes more) value-added tax (V.A.T.) is built into the price of all goods and services, including restaurant meals. You can reclaim some of this tax on souvenirs and other high-price items purchased at stores that are part of the V.A.T. refund program at the airport upon leaving the country. You cannot claim the V.A.T. refund when leaving Thailand by land at a border crossing. Shops that offer this refund will have a sign displayed; ask shopkeepers to fill out the necessary forms and make sure you keep your receipts. You'll have to fill out additional forms at the airport.
V.A.T. refund guidelines are particular. The goods must be purchased from stores displaying the "V.A.T. Refund for Tourists" sign. Purchases at each shop you visit must total more than B2,000 before they can fill out the necessary forms. The total amount claimed for refund upon leaving the country cannot be less than B5,000. You must depart the country from an international airport, where you finish claiming your refund at the V.A.T. Refund Counter—allow an extra hour at the airport for this process. You cannot claim V.A.T. refunds for gemstones.
For refunds less than B30,000 you can receive the money in cash at the airport, or have it wired to a bank account or to a credit card for a B100 fee. Refunds over B30,000 are paid either to a bank account or credit card for a B100 fee.


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After a brief hiatus, I'm delighted to bring you another episode of the Adventures in Arting Podcast! Today we're talking to mixed media jewelry artist, Jen Cushman.
Jen is a natural storyteller who found mixed media art 13 years ago and never looked back. She is drawn to the imperfect, the funky, the quirky, the artsy and the authentic: be it people or objects or art. She is the author of two jewelry books:
…Explore Create Resinate, and she writes a business advice column called "Art Chooses You" for Belle Armoire Jewelry, as well as a new how-to jewelry column called "The Mixed Media Metalsmith" for Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine. Jen is Vice President and Partner of Susan Lenart Kazmer LLC/ICE Resin. To learn more about ICE Resin, visit the company's website.
On the podcast we discuss Jen's career path, finding balance in your work and home life, what the difference is between an artist and a designer, life long learning, and so much more!
Be sure to leave us your comments and questions. I always like to know what's on your mind. Thanks for stopping by!


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This article is more than 1 year old
Microsoft unveils 'lightweight' Office for Web
Works in Firefox, Safari and IE
PDC Microsoft has finally announced a version of its Office productivity applications for the web with the next full edition of its suite.
The company said it's planning web applications for Office, a "lightweight" package of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote applications that'll "be compatible with familiar web browsers", including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.
A "private technical preview" is due later this year, before the tools are rolled into the next version of Office. In the meantime, Microsoft has asked potential beta customers to visit its Office Live site here for updates and information.
Web applications for Office is understood to allow collaboration and annotation of documents, but it won't be a replacement for the full money-spinner desktop package. Instead, users will be able to create, annotate and share documents.
The suite will be available to users of Microsoft's Office Live service through a hosted subscription or volume license. Finally, it seems Microsoft has reconciled it's crisis of having an online Office brand that lacked any Office apps.
When Office Live originally launched, there was speculation this would be a hosted version of Microsoft's suite. Eventually, it turned out to be a bundle of web space hosting, email, document management and collaboration.
Much remains unclear about web applications for Office and how it will fit as a business apps package. For example, how lightweight will this package really be? Will there be integration with desktop editions of the Office suite? Or servers like SQL Server that hook into the current desktop editions of applications such as Excel? How about storage and back up to Microsoft's Azure Services Platform via SQL Services.
Regardless, Silicon Valley will twitter this as potential competition to Google's Docs and Spreadsheets - and suites like ZoHo.
Underscoring this is the fact that business customers have been turning to the competition, combining Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Salesforce.com, for combined productivity documents and business applications. ®


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IRC, unknown channel, unknown date
<tschwinge> scolobb: In wiki edit 60accafa79f645ae61b578403f7fc0c11914b725
I see that you intend(ed) to use syslog for logging debug messages. I
thought I'd point you to
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-hurd/2007-02/msg00042.html -- no
idea if that's still an issue or what went wrong at that time. Perhaps
you can have a look?
<scolobb> tschwinge: Thanks for information! Currently I'm logging some
debug messages to a simple file, but I'll now check whether the issue
you've pointed out is still present.
<scolobb> tschwinge: I am getting absolutely abnormal results: when I call
syslog() from a simple C program for the first time, the message goes to
the system log. However, any further calls to syslog() do just
nothing... I am able to send something to syslog only after reboot (it
doesn't help if I restart syslogd).
IRC, freenode, #hurd, 2011-08-08
< pinotree> wow, `logger` + a simple C udp server can cause havoc
< pinotree> youpi: ever seen something like
http://paste.debian.net/hidden/72cf4b77/ ?
< pinotree> and then also other servers (like pflocal, pfinet, few more)
start becoming crazy (using 100% cpu)
< youpi> nope
< pinotree> iirc in one of the few tries i got the message "Resource lost."
from the closed ssh connection
< pinotree> i was trying to see why syslog doesn't work, but this basically
surprised me...
< pinotree> oh, i found an apparently working syslog daemon
< pinotree> dsyslog
< gg0> have you tried syslog-ng? IIRC it writes in /var/log/messages by
< pinotree> yeah, it seems to stop receiving messages are few
< pinotree> gg0: are you using syslog-ng?
< gg0> pinotree: I should fire hurd vm up. I seem I kept dirty-patched
busybox syslog, I don't even know if it works, at least it starts
< pinotree> maintainer said "not really"
< gg0> well, if all other syslogs use shm and sems, they won't work too,
< youpi> shm should work with the latest libc
< youpi> what won't is sysv sem
< youpi> (i.e. semget)
IRC, OFTC, #debian-hurd, 2011-11-02:
* pinotree sighs at #645790 :/
<tschwinge> pinotree: W.r.t. 645790 -- yeah, ``someone'' should finally
figure out what's going on with syslog.
<tschwinge> pinotree: And this...
<pinotree> tschwinge: i did that 20 invocations tests recently, and
basically none of them has been logged
<pinotree> tschwinge: when i started playing with logger more, as result i
had some server that started taking all the cpu, followed by other
servers and in the end my ssh connection were dropped and i had nothing
to do (not even login from console)
<tschwinge> pinotree: Sounds like ``fun''. Hopefully we can manage to
understand (and fix the underlying issue) why a simple syslog()
invocation can make the whole system instable.
<pinotree> tschwinge: to be honest, i got havoc in the system when i told
syslog to manually look for /dev/log (-u /dev/log), possibly alao when
telling to use a datagram socket (-d)
<pinotree> but even if a normal syslog() invocation does not cause havoc,
there's still the "lost messages" issue
<tschwinge> Yep. What I've been doing ever since, is deinstall all
*syslog* packages.
<tschwinge> This ``fixed'' all syslog() hangs.
IRC, freenode, #hurd, 2012-03-28
<braunr> i can see lots of CRON processes hanging around
<braunr> pinotree: crontab -l was hanging too when trying to quickly see
what went wrong
<braunr> so it may be an unreleased lock of some kind
<antrik> braunr: do you have syslog installed by any chance?...
<antrik> IIRC that bug has never been fixed :-(
<braunr> yes syslogd is running
<antrik> that's probably the culprit then
<braunr> ok
<braunr> i'll just disable it for now then
<antrik> the error has existed for years
<antrik> was similar for me though: for a long time I have been hearing
about this issue, and only suddenly I started experiencing it myself...
<antrik> it depends on how many things are actually logged. IIRC the hang
happens when some client sends 128 messages to syslog or something like
IRC, freenode, #hurd, 2013-02-09
<pinotree> tschwinge: looks like now you could disable syslog no
<pinotree> ... more
<tschwinge> It that working now?
<pinotree> should be yes, samuel fixed its issue many months ago


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Everyone's favorite TV barfly George Wendt makes a foray into the author world in Drinking with George: A Barstool Professional's Guide to Beer. Before your inner skeptic kicks in, consider this chapter-opening confession from a proud 0.0 GPA recipient during a sojourn at Notre Dame University:
"I'll be the first to admit that I lucked into the role of Norm Peterson, a character whom I'd been training to play my whole life.
Under one set of covers, Wendt gives you a mini-biography, a slew of interesting beer facts, funny beer anecdotes from his own life, and lighthearted fare regarding his Hollywood friends. None of these pile up too thick in any of this collection of 1-4 page essays, so like what the "born-on" date has done for Budweiser products, the book stays fresh.
This title has what is known in some circles as a crisp finish and clean aftertaste. The funniest and most interesting stories are in about the last third of the liter..er… book. But, hey, relax. We're not talking War and Peace here. Perfect for the attention span of the mead-swiller in your life.


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Believe it or not—and I know you want to believe it, really I do—I'm not too often prone to professional jealousy. My dislikes and resentments, and I admit, they are many, generally stem from who people are and what they do, what they stand for and what they don't, rather than any position they hold relative to my own. On the occasions when I do feel a pang of "I can't believe they gave him/her that job"-ness, I try to keep it to myself. But I have to admit I felt a bit of a twinge when I read earlier in the week that Michael Atkinson was taking the position of DVD reviewer at Movieline.
Now Michael's been reviewing DVDs for the IFC Independent Eye website for a while, I know. Hell, I even made fun of one of his DVD reviews there a couple of weeks ago. And while he and I have had our tussles on the internet (Jesus God almighty, is there anyone I haven't had a tussle with on the internet?), when all is said and done I consider Michael a fine fellow and a distinctive writer. A little blustery at times, for sure, but you know, he owns his bluster, much as I own my...raging dickheadedness? No, it shouldn't be that. It's something. But I'm not sure. But anyway. The point is that it really caused me no pain to learn that Movieline now wants to pay the guy to compose prose poems on Marlon Brando's jawline as said jawline is rendered in a leading home theater format. No, this was the sentence in the announcement that irritated me: "Michael will provide excellent reconnaissance from the DVD/Blu-ray front several times per week."
Blu-ray? Really? Goddamnit, I didn't write the book on Blu-ray (now that I think of it, that might not be such a bad idea), but I did write the Popular Mechanics article on it (the entirety of which appears to no longer be online, but here's the first page), and I made only one mistake in it, mixing up Super Technirama with VistaVision, which given the technical similarities of the format, could have happened to anybody!!!! Also: I started my career at a magazine named Video Review. Editing the Test Reports. You know, the ones with the luminance numbers and the signal-to-noise ratios and the goddamn footcandles/footlamberts. I've forgotten more about this technology than most of these schmucks who yammer on about this and that but probably couldn't set a goddamn clock on a VCR back in the day to save their life ever even learned. I was IN JAPAN to see the very first demonstrations of the MPEG video compression format that wound up MAKING DVD AND BLU-RAY EVEN POSSIBLE! ("This will never work," I said at the time, so crappy did the results look back then.)
Back when I was running the Home Guide at Premiere, I rather developed a horror of DVD reviews that functioned as de facto late critiques of contemporary pictures. My perspective was, well, the film critics have had their say, and if you're reviewing the disc version of the movie, then review that. (Although I recall that when Christopher Kelly was writing most of the reviews for the section, his perspectives could yield some interestingly counterintuitive results; a positive notice for The Other Sister, for instance.) Now obviously it's a whole other kettle of fish when you're dealing with classic or repertory fare on disc. Dave Kehr, who's completely The Man in this department, is invariably brilliant when discussing both the films in question themselves, and also how they've fared in the transit from celluloid to the digital domain. This issue is, I think, particularly crucial when you're discussing Blu-ray. I don't mean to sound rude or anything (well, maybe I do), but with rare exceptions I've got to say that unless you are Dave Kehr, I really don't give a shit what you think of any given movie on Blu-ray. I just want to know how it looks and why it looks the way it does. (See DVD Beaver...and even they can get it wrong, as they did here, a review that needs updating since the recent correctly remastered version.) The rest I can figure out myself. Whether Michael Atkinson's gonna talk about that in his Blu-ray writeups remains to be seen—I haven't seen him tackle a title in that format yet from his Movieline perch. But I wish him all good fortune in the gig in any event.
All this is also by way of guiding you to this week's topics, questions, and exercises at The Auteurs' Notebook, which contains a chat with Warner Home Video's Vice President of mastering Ned Price, about the gorgeous new Blu-ray of Doctor Zhivago (not depicted above, in case you were wondering) and the upcoming digital rethink of Citizen Kane, and a bit more. All very wonky and technical...just the way I like it when we're talking film preservation and Blu-ray and stuff.


text:
Facing combat ups depression risk in U.S. troops
Perhaps it's not surprising, but for members of the U.S. armed forces, combat duty in Iraq and Afghanistan increases the risk of depression, according to a new study.
Timothy S. Wells of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, studied more than 40,000 members of the U.S. military who had been free of symptoms of depression and had not taken medication for anxiety, stress, or depression before deployment. The subjects were in all branches of the military from some or all of 2000 to 2006.
Those who experienced combat had the highest rate of new diagnoses of depression - about 6 percent for men and about 16 percent for women. That compared with about 4 percent of men and about 8 percent of women who were not deployed, and about 2 percent of men and 5 percent of women who did not face combat.
Some of the differences in the group that was not deployed could be explained by the fact that only those who meet all of the U.S. military's health requirements are eligible for deployment, Wells told Reuters Health by email. In other words, It is likely that the nondeployed group had other risk factors, such as other mental health disorders and health conditions that placed them at increased risk of depression in comparison to those who deployed, but were not exposed to combat.
In their report in the American Journal of Public Health, the investigators note that male combat specialists had a lower risk for depression than men in health care or other supportive positions, suggesting that military hardiness may help lower risk.
Individuals who are expected to be exposed to combat may receive training that alters their risk for depression compared to non-combat exposed personnel, Wells said.
Male and female personnel with pre-existing PTSD were more likely to develop depressive symptoms, reflecting a well-known link between the two conditions.
Other risk factors for depression among men included younger age, smoking, alcohol dependence, and service in the Army or Marine Corps. Furthermore, women who were married, divorced, non-Hispanic white, on active duty, or served in the US Navy or Coast Guard faced an increased risk for depression.
SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, online November 12, 2009.


text:
Crux - The Southern Cross
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you must be south of latitude 30 degrees to begin observing Crux, one of the smallest, but most easily recognized constellations in the sky. Crux lies along the Milky Way and is surrounded by Centaurus, the Centaur, on three sides.Its brightest star is called Acrux, a combination of its Greek-letter designation (Alpha) and the name of the constellation. Acrux, which represents the foot of the cross, is a double-star system 200 light-years away. Despite its small area, Crux contains at least ten open clusters visible with small telescopes.
Because it is not visible from most latitudes in the Northern
hemisphere, Crux is a modern constellation and has no Greek
or Roman myths associated with it. Crux was used by explorers
of the Southern hemisphere to point south since, unlike the
north celestial pole, the south celestial pole is not marked
by any bright star.


text:
Hilbert Curve Coffee Table
In the gallery
While building it, I realized that there was a Dorkbot show at ON Gallery coming up, and I might be able to make it in time. That led to a final assembly night ending at 1:40am on the day I needed to deliver the piece, but after cleaning it with brasso in the back of my car at a Beaverton shopping center parking lot, I managed to deliver it in time for the show.
And, finally, here's a collage with a couple of cute little Ikebana vases I made out of the leftover pieces.


text:
- For starters, I know that the collar is too short for some reason, as it did not meet the placement markers on the coat front. I need to go back to check it with the pattern - I probably cut the wrong size collar.
- This is the second fitting of my first muslin; it has a 5/8" seam allowance. Initially, it was just a little too snug for wearing over sweaters and the like, so I let out all (7) seams (from 5/8" to 3/8"). I am NOT AT ALL good with fractions at all, but I think I reduced each seam 1/4", making my coat 1 1/2 inches larger overall (feel free to help me with the math). This could account for the collar being too small.
- I can see a problem with the back on the left side. (picture 3) There seems to be more fabric on the left - there definitely are more wrinkle lines. I'm thinking that taking in the center back seam in that area might help alleviate these wrinkles. What do you think.
- I don't think the wrinkling across my back waist area is too bad (pictures 3&5) - your thoughts.
- And what do you think about my sleeves. I can see wrinkles on the underside close to my body. (pictures 2&3) I am almost sure that the sleeve placement is correct. Maybe I'm holding my arms too close to my body??? The back seam of the sleeve is supposed to match up with the back princess seam - am I right?
- Sleeve wrinkles again. (picture 7) Do you think my sleeve placement is correct?
- Do you think the wrinkle pool across my back is being caused by the belt here?
I retraced the entire pattern per suggestions made by Gertie, and was going to sew up an entirely new muslin with 1" seams, but I just could not commit to all of the extra work involved. So I decided to just give this one more try. My kids at school took pictures for me this morning, and after seeing them I feel a whole lot better about this muslin.
NOW, MY FELLOW BLOGGER FRIENDS, I NEED TO KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND/OR SUGGESTIONS ABOUT MY MUSLIN. Please consider that I am operating with mid-week brain cells at the moment.
Coat construction is scheduled to commence: Monday, September 27th (my little sister's birthday).
Thought I'd include a picture of the ladies that greet me at 7:45 every morning - AKA My photographers.
SIDELINE SEWING RELATED NOTE: After much hemming and humming I did make it down to the fairgrounds on Saturday to submit my exhibit entries. Who would have thought that both my sewing buddies would be unable to participate this year because they are BOTH of town! Nevertheless, I am a big girl so I went it alone this time. Judging started on Monday of this week, but results won't be revealed until the fair opens (October 7-17). Be assured that I will let you know the outcome....


text:
The script for a morality play of sorts is being written.
The stage will be a San Joaquin County Superior Courtroom.
There are two tragic figures. One is a 14-year-old boy who cannot speak for himself. The other is a 19-year-old who faces prison.
The paths of Zach Gomez and Mia Aguiar tragically crossed in the wee hours of last Saturday morning.
In an instant the lives of five people that had just barely started life's journey were changed forever.
Zach is gone, killed when the 1995 Saturn that Mia was driving veered out of the travel lane and slammed into the group he was a part of that was walking alongside East Highway 120 near Comconcex Road just outside of Manteca. Two of Zach's friends were seriously injured while a third sustained minor injuries.
This is a multi-author morality play. One penning how it will unfold is Mia's attorney Gil Somera.
In an irony worthy of Shakespeare's finest stagecraft, Somera has devoted the last 10 years to the Every 15 Minutes program designed to warn teens of the fatal attractions of drinking and driving. Seniors from Zach's school — Manteca High — were in the stands listening to the message on Thursday. Drunken driving is impaired driving but it is also distracted driving although on a different level. Part of the message that Somera helps deliver is that if a teen gets behind the wheel drunk and kills someone they could be facing prison time. It doesn't matter, as judges participating in Every 15 Minutes in the past have told graduating seniors, if your intent wasn't to kill someone when you climbed behind the wheel drunk. A conviction means prison.
State law doesn't quite put distracted driving on the same level as impaired driving but it is close.
Mia is facing vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence charges.
The 19-year-old said she lost control of her vehicle when she looked over to the passenger seat to see where her cell phone was.
Somera agrees his client's actions had horrible consequences but has made it clear this is a case that may involve jail time as what he perceives as proper punishment if she is found guilty and not prison time.
There are, as he argues, two primary victims.
His argument is not meant to devalue Zach's life. That said, you can't help but think that is the case.
A jury of 12 men and women may ultimately decide Mia's fate. Unless they are imported from downtown New York City the odds are each one owns a car and drives.
Somera will be counting on them thinking, "it could have been me driving."
The prosecutor will try mightily to remind them Zach could have been their kid or them. It will be a tougher sell. Most drivers don't view themselves as pedestrians since they don't rarely travel long distances on foot. They also may wonder what a 14-year-old was doing walking along a stretch of highway in what is for all practical purposes is country at 1 o'clock in the morning.
The jury will wrestle in their collective minds and hearts with this one. The law and justice may end up being two different things in their eyes.
And while no one wants to throw away a large chunk of the life of a 19-year-old who by all accounts until last Saturday was a solid citizen, they must not forget the young promising life that was ended at the hands of another.
If the CHP reports are correct, that is what Mia did. She killed Zach. It's that blunt.
Yet most people given distance from the tragedy may not see it exactly that way.
That's a tragedy in itself on several levels.
Obviously in a way it devalues Zach's life and the loss of his family.
But it also would continue the wrong-headed thinking that all of us have that we are invincible behind the wheel and are capable of multi-tasking without consequences. Mia probably doesn't think that is the case any longer.
Unfortunately until society takes a zero tolerance toward those who allow themselves to be distracted while piloting 3,000 pounds of steel capable of killing and maiming the body count won't start dropping.
It took an ever escalating death count of innocent victims to spur a grassroots movement known as Mothers Against Drunk Driving to pressure lawmakers to increase penalties for killing others while driving drunk. Only then were inroads made in the annual body count from alcohol-related DUIs.
So here is the ultimate dilemma: Would making Mia pay the highest price possible for her actions eventually help start a trend to reduce distracted driving carnage or would having mercy simply remove an impetus for other drivers to change their habits meaning more Zachs will be killed?
In short, will justice in this case make a difference and if so, what exactly is that justice?
Is it taking it easy on a young person who perhaps should have known better but made a deadly mistake? Or is it a stiff prison sentence designed to send a message that distracted driving will not be tolerated?
One could hope for a jury — if the case gets to that point — that has the wisdom of Solomon.
Justice for Zach, no matter how it ends up, won't be the same as justice for Mia.
The best way we can all make something good come of this is to take the picture of the smiling, happy go lucky 14-year-old boy that most of us did not know and tape it next to where we lay our car keys.
Look at Zach's photo every time you go to drive.
And drive like Zach was your son, your friend or the kid down the street.
This column is the opinion of Dennis Wyatt and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Journal or Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA. He can be contacted at firstname.lastname@example.com or 209.249.3519.