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Markup: Bulletproof XHTMLSeptember 03, 2003
Evan Goer is a senior technical writer for Chordiant Software. He realized that web standards were important the day that Netscape 6 became available internally while working at Sun Microsystems, and he's been recovering from the shock ever since. Evan's main regret these days is that he has no sense of typography or graphic design whatsoever. Sooner or later he's going to take some classes, damnit.
The vast majority of today's "XHTML" websites are invalid. No, don't take my word for it — you can verify this for yourself by running the following experiment:
- Collect a random group of websites that declare an XHTML doctype.
- Run the home page of each site through the W3C validator.
- If the home page validates, validate at least three random secondary pages.
- Observe monstrously high failure rate. Lie down with cold compress on forehead. [Optional]
A naive observer might find these results surprising. After all, by definition all XML must be well-formed: this is what allows you to parse it with efficient off-the-shelf XML parsers, transform it with a standard transformation language, describe and manipulate its tree-like structure with a standard API, and much more. Malformed XML completely obviates these benefits. So why would anyone bother churning out pages upon pages of the stuff?
Why, indeed. Consider the humble browser parser (the browser component that is responsible for reading your markup). Modern browsers contain at least two parsers: one for XML and one or more for HTML. The lax HTML parser does its best to display pages no matter how mangled they are, while the strict XML parser chokes on the smallest error. Unlike its cousin, the XML parser is hard to trigger — you have to do something "special", such as serving up an unusual MIME-type. Since invalid sites rarely bother to trigger the XML parser, their pages are parsed as HTML rather than XML. Thus we are protected from the vast wasteland of invalid XHTML out there, and the proprietors of these invalid sites are none the wiser.
But what's so wrong with this picture, really? Let's take a look at a real world example of what happens when XHTML is treated as XML rather than tag soup.
Canary in the Coal Mine
Jacques Distler had a problem: he wanted to share equations on string theory and quantum field theory with his fellow physicists on the web. Although Jacques had never needed to pay much attention to markup languages before, he did know how to write equations in a language called TeX. TeX wasn't particularly web-friendly, but Jacques happened to have a tool that would convert TeX to a newfangled XML standard called MathML. MathML looked ideal for displaying equations on the web. How hard could it be to post a few equations?
Jacques discovered that the Mozilla browser could display MathML… if the MathML equations were embedded in a well-formed XML document. Fortunately, the W3C had thoughtfully provided an XML formulation of HTML called "XHTML 1.1" that allowed the embedding of inline MathML equations directly in web pages. Mozilla could display the equations if the page was valid "XHTML 1.1 plus MathML 2.0" and if the page triggered Mozilla's internal XML parser. So Jacques dutifully constructed a valid template, configured his server to serve up his pages to Mozilla with the recommended MIME-type for XHTML, and voilà — the equations displayed beautifully!
However, Jacques soon discovered that he was living on a knife's edge. Because he was using Mozilla's unforgiving XML parser, one little mistake — a mismatched tag, an unescaped entity — would choke his visitor's browser. And to his consternation, Jacques found that even if he wrote perfectly well-formed XHTML, other people were conspiring to mess up his web pages. By allowing comments, opening up trackbacks, and displaying snippets from alien RSS feeds, Jacques had opened up his site for any random visitor to crash that page with garbage markup. In order to produce 100% valid XHTML, Jacques realized that he had to "bulletproof" his site. Strip control characters. Validate comments. Batten the hatches. If he was going to take advantage of the power of XHTML, he would have to protect his site from his own mistakes and everyone else's.
The X in XHTML
At first glance, the conversion from HTML to XHTML seems straightforward enough. Just change a couple of lines at the top of the page, set everything to lowercase, quote your attributes, close your tags, fix a few nits here and there… and presto! Forward compatibility achieved. Right?
Well, not really. It's easy to do a one-off conversion to XHTML. The hard part is constructing a site so that it stays valid XML no matter what you or or anyone else throws at it. Jacques had to go through this process, and if you're going to actually use XHTML for anything, you will too.
As for whether XHTML is indeed critical for forward compatibility, that's still an open question. Let's take this at face value. Consider the following statement:
The future of the Internet is XHTML.
If that statement is true, then an unpleasant truth follows: if an XHTML site isn't bulletproof, then the site isn't forward compatible. Again, the reason XHTML is "more advanced" and hence "more forward compatible" than HTML is that all-important "X". XML's inherent strictness is the key that enables new functionality in XHTML. Thus, if you violate this strictness and serve up tag-soup XHTML, you've accomplished nothing — you haven't enabled your site to use any XHTML-specific features, either now or in the future. (Conversely, if the statement is false, then serving up tag-soup XHTML isn't a disaster. It's merely embarrassing.)
Note that when we speak of "forward compatibility", we must be careful not to conflate "clean semantic markup", "CSS layouts", and "good accessibility" with XHTML itself. You can meet (or fail) all these goals whether you use XHTML or plain old HTML 4.01. The key technical question is: will the web of the future require functionality that is not present in HTML?
Strange Days
And then there's XHTML. Here we're stuck back in the Dark Ages. There are very few uniquely-XHTML applications available today, aside from a few edge cases like Jacques Distler. And let's face it, most of us aren't physicists. It's a rare website that really needs MathML.
This lack of interesting XHTML applications makes it frustratingly difficult hard to understand what XHTML is all about — what it can do, what it requires of us. In fact, the whole thing is reminiscent of the state of CSS in 1998. You could read the CSS2 spec, but it was hard to imagine something like Fahrner Image Replacement when the tools of the day didn't support basic CSS layouts in the first place. And even after the first tools became available (starting with IE5/Mac), it still took years for the community to come around to the idea that standards matter. Maintaining a 100% valid XHTML website requires a similar philosophical shift — no more cowboy hand-coding without validating every change, no more trusting alien content. Real XHTML is a whole new ballgame.
The lack of XHTML applications has a more insidious effect in that it raises the cost/benefit ratio for converting to XHTML. We can convert, but most of us won't be doing anything with it — the benefit is low. As for the cost, that can be surprisingly high. For example, what's the best way to deal with comments? Even if you manage to programmatically strip out all control characters and unescaped entities, you're still faced with a tough decision:
- Disable comments entirely?
- Disallow markup in comments?
- Allow markup, but force all users to submit valid XHTML comments?
The first two options solve the problem easily, but they restrict your site's functionality. As for the third option, it simultaneously restricts and enhances your site's functionality. Your comment usability suffers, because you can't just dash off a comment and submit it in one easy step. However, your users can now respond in other flavors of XML (if you let them), such as MathML or SVG. If you have a highly specialized audience, this functionality could be critical.
In short, switching your site to XHTML is not a no-brainer, and the trade-offs and decisions only multiply when you get down into the details. Each designer must weigh these costs and benefits individually. There is no "right" answer.
So what about you, Mr. Author-of-this-article? A fair question. For me, the benefits are just too low. I don't have a strong technical reason to switch to XHTML, and so I'm sticking with the technology that meets my needs today: HTML 4.01 Strict. Don't get me wrong: I respect those brave souls out there, the trailblazers. I'm just not one of them. If I wait patiently, the "must-have" XHTML applications will arrive eventually (along with the toolsets to deploy them). This game's only just started.
- W3C Favelets Page. In particular, the "Validate This Page" favelet (or "bookmarklet") will speed up your validation and testing dramatically. Mozilla users might want to check out one of the many helpful toolbars out there, such as the PNH Developer Toolbar.
- Sending XHTML as
text/htmlConsidered Harmful. Essential reading for anyone making the leap from HTML-soup to standards compliant XHTML.
- The Road to XHTML 2.0: MIME Types. Mark Pilgrim's XML.com article on XHTML 2.0 migration also discusses XHTML 1.1 MIME-type issues and includes generic PHP code, Python code, and mod_rewrite rules for achieving MIME-type negotiation.
- Jacques Distler: Musings. If you're using Moveable Type, Jacques' site has all sorts of tidbits. In particular, see his posts on MIME-type negotiation, comment validation, and the StripControlChars plugin.
- MTValidate. A Moveable Type plugin that validates (X)HTML. Those of you who don't use Moveable Type might find Agresticism.org's VBScript validation approach to be useful.
Reader Comments
One more note: Evan is the originator and maintainer of the X-Philes, a growing list of sites that have successfully passed a stringent list of criteria. With a few 1.0 Strict exceptions, everyone on the list is serving up valid XHTML 1.1.
"For me, the benefits are just too low. I don�t have a strong technical reason to switch to XHTML, and so I�m sticking with the technology that meets my needs today: HTML 4.01 Strict."
Same here. I've gotten funny looks from some designers who are surprised to find that my site isn't marked-up in XHTML, just because I don't have a use for it in 2003. "But it's so easy…you just have to quote your attributes, close your tags, etc..!!!" Like duh…I *know* that and, in fact, I do those things now.
So many designers are converting their sites to XHTML with absolutely no reason for doing so. I don't have a problem with this, except if you are going to take the plunge at least do it right: make sure your pages validate and it wouldn't hurt if you at least served the pages with the proper MIME type to those UserAgents that can understand it.
"what�s the best way to deal with comments?"
Just a thought: perhaps embed your comments page into your site through use of the object tag so that if someone "breaks" the comments page it doesn't break the whole page. This probably isn't the best solution, mind you…
I guess I'll need to work a little more on my site before I re-release it, then! This was a very well written article and I would like to thank you for writing it. :)
For some new sites I'm developing, I've chosen the "why not?" approach. (See http://www.hostbaby.com/ )
The masochist in me enjoys having PHP set the mime header, then using Mozilla to test and build the site. Anything wrong, and it fails right there, without having to send it to w3.org for validation.
Then I get the comfort of knowing that JUST IN CASE there is some benefit of, or need for XHTML a few years down the road, my site is already ready to go.
I think it's a fun challenge.
Great piece Evan. You make some excellent and very down to Earth points. I had started with a lengthy comment, but that turned into a post of my own. If interested read on here:
Can't wait to see whose "voice" you have for us next, Dave.
"As for the third option, it simultaneously restricts and enhances your site�s functionality. Your comment usability suffers, because you can�t just dash off a comment and submit it in one easy step."
I have to disagree with this. It's very possible (and easy) to have a system that you can "just dash off a comment and submit it in one easy step" and have it appear as XHTML. All the tools to protect a site are already written.
I don't have the option of goofing around with the Apache mod-rewrite, and the only PHP option I've seen[1] still displays the Content-type as "text/html" rather than "application/xhtml+xml" …
Everything else I've read blithely assumes that I know exactly how to display the appropriate Content-type to the appropriate browsers. Sadly, I do not. Can someone point me in the right direction here? I seem to recall seeing a more thorough tutorial on content-type sniffing somewhere, but can't find it now.
For a comments section, you generally are going to want to allow users only a small subset of the html markup. If you allow only a small subset that means your going to have to parse the markup so that only that small subset works. Supposing that we are doing this, we can then just tighten up our filters on what we want to allow a user to enter into the comments section.
Honestly, I don't think this is much more of a burden then anything else, you would do for a web page with comments. If your not rolling your own comments interface then there is probably something out there that is easily hackable, and if you are rolling your own then you know what you need to do. I think that this particular problem is slightly overstated.
Bob, and anyone else interested in proper MIME-type dishing can take a look at this thread from last month: http://www.mezzoblue.com/cgi-bin/mt/mezzo/archives/000203.asp#xhtml11
ASP and PHP code examples abound. Note that a) Smarty Pants royally screws the quotes, and b) this was before I enabled auto-linking of URIs. Let me know if any of those examples are too badly mangled, and I'll go into the comment and try to rescue the code.
Great work!
"We can convert, but most of us won�t be doing anything with it � the benefit is low."
Exactly! If it works, don't fix it.
One thought though, as XHTML is no harder than HTML, and DOM based scripting is in fact quite easy, there's no reason for NOT doing __NEW__ sites in XHTML.
Being a bit of a control-freak about output, I prefer using XML/XSLT to completely control ALL output sent to the browsers. This way I control the output, not the users. (I think that the developers of Apache httpd use the phrase "defensive programming").
I start out by assuming that everyone uses Moz/Opera/Safari, and then afterwards cater to the majority of users that, sadly, still use IE. Just create another transformation for whatever buggy browser comes along. Eventually the "fix-errors" stylesheets/scripts/transformations becomes obsolete (not being served), without me having to do any work.
Whenever someone requires access to the site/application with a specific browser (IE5.0, NN4.x, PDA, whatever), creating a new transformation is easy.
This approach works very well for me, even in projects where the "target browser" is in fact IE6. The rewards are numerous, especially when working on "public sites" that have serious accessibility and cross-browser requirements.
Talking about the user submitted stuff like comments, etc. - I prefer using wiki style markup in comments, e.g. **text** for bold text, [[text]] for links, etc.; the script that parses the input text replaces html entities and substitutes the wiki markup to the valid (x)html markup. Of course, functionality is lost but why would one ever need that every visitor to one's page can leave a comment full of html garbage?
One can strip comments of html tags for security reasons (f. ex. someone can use actually any tag and, when specified, with a style attribute render the page monstrous) but then extended functionality is lost as well.
We have a mixed environment at work where we use XML/XSLT to output HTML. The transform can be done either client side or server side depending on who's accessing the site and what security is set for the specific page. Recently we wanted to switch to XHTML for all of our output. Unfortunately we ran into some significant problems with the parsers in the form of tag minimisation.
Running output method XML on the client side (MSXML3) seemed to work fine. On the server using XALAN/XERCES was another story. It seems that a large problem with the server side parsers we've tried is the inability for the parser to LEAVE THE EMPTY TAGS ALONE despite their validity. So if I output an empty div "

", which is perfectly valid, it get's minimised to "
". Likewise with script tags, textareas, and a host of others. This makes for unusable content on the browser end. We attempted to hack together our own solution and label it with the XSLT 2.0 output XHTML instead of XML, only to watch the client side parser cack on that.
So the problems essentially are how to get the parser to
2) Get the parsers to use output method XHTML on both sides (client/server).
We seemed to have no problems client side, it was only recently when we switched to doing server side transforms that we had to revert to plain HTML output. And I've seen hundreds of posts in the newsgroups with others have identical problems.
I know it's important for my business to have valid XHTML output, but how to get there with our current toolset?
"One thought though, as XHTML is no harder than HTML, and DOM based scripting is in fact quite easy, there�s no reason for NOT doing __NEW__ sites in XHTML."
I disagree. I assume you are talking about XHTML with a text/html MIME type (malformed HTML in actuality), as doing XHTML *properly* is, in fact, a lot more challenging than HTML. One little error won't break an HTML page. What does the DOM have to do with any of this? You can do DOM based scripting in HTML.
For the record: DOM based scripting is harder (than stuff like document.write), especially in XML.
All the difficulties when transforming to XHTML1.1: http://www.dionidium.com/2003/09/00112.html
Anne: "For the record: DOM based scripting is harder (than stuff like document.write), especially in XML."
Which really just illustrates the point. Those who claim "XHTML is no harder than HTML" probably aren't using it in anything but the most superficial of ways, and therefore reaping no actual benefits, but instead simply sending out malformed HTML. Which is especially ironic when they prominantly display "Valid XHTML" buttons.
Michael - now, I'm out of my league here, but I've gone through a process alike to, but not identical to yours. The problem in my case was that my weblog tool (Movable Type) is configured to use XML entities (", —, etc.) that, when copied and pasted into a comment, would come out as the literal character (", —, etc.). This broke my validation.
My solution was using a regular expression plugin (hopefully your server-side language is capable of them without much tinkering) to search for the invalid characters and replace them with the entities. Theoretically, you could do the same on your server as each page is dished up (therefore, after your server-side parser has done its damage). Search for any string starting with "<" and ending with " />", minus the kosher
s and
s etc., and replace at will.
And as you can see by the blasted "& amp;#8220;" I'm still working on it.
Odd how these things come in waves. I stumbled across a complimentary piece to this one that WaSP published today.
That's the one I was looking for, Dave. Thanks! I even dug around in some of the previous posts here in my search, but that wasn't one of them. 'preciate it! :-)
Your article could not have come at a better time because it was just this week I started playing around with MT and I have questions about valid XHMTL comments with it. Because even if I disabled HTML input, they can still throw in an & to mess up your code.
Great comments so far, guys! I'll just echo one of MikeyC's points. Creating perfectly valid HTML 4.01 Strict is about as difficult as creating perfectly valid XHTML – after all, the validator mostly squawks about the same issues for both languages, doesn't it? But of course the key difference is that the consequences of failure in XHTML are far more severe. Bulletproof HTML is a nice-to-have, while Bulletproof XHTML is a fundamental requirement.
Thanks Dave that might be a valid work around. We use JAVA so it should be simple enough to try. I'd just have to see what the time cost is for doing it.
Yeah, time costs are mostly irrelevant to me because MT does caching. Only when the file is saved does it have to run the list of regex's - each page served is completely static. Perhaps there's a further suggestion for you - caching.
A good idea for creating valid XHTML (e.g. without Tag Soup) is using XML / XSLT (e.g. with Tomcat) as the Basis (and that is "beautiful" as well).
I just can't find a reason compelling enough to give up HTML 4.01 in favour of XHTML (in any version). The arguments pushed by W3C (at http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/#why) seem to me all but empty. The first one, about future modular extensibility of XHTML, will stay a daydream for a log while; the second one, about reusing the same content for alternate user agents (WAP or else), simply doesn't survive a reality text. I've done my fair part of coding WML and SMIL when there was still hope something useful would come out of them, and I can wholeheartedly state that, with both WML and SMIL being XML-derived languages, the user-agent compatibility issue has not advanced one bit (in the specific case of WML, it's by far worse than for web browsers). The whole idea of keeping content in a flat (XML) file, by the way, falls on its nose as soon as you've got a quantity of stuff stored. What I actually do is keep the content in a MySQL database and send it to the client using user-agent specific PHP templates (read: Smarty). It actually works without a hitch even for RSS and SOAP, it's a lot faster than keeping tons of stuff in flat files only to start each time that XML-XSLT-XHTML and what else code soup, and you get the additional benefit of searching through it at database speed.
I've found time and again one more lame reason pushed for switching: to begin learning XML-based languages… I can barely believe somebody actually published such nonsense. When you start with a new language it won't be a lack of familiarity with the sintax to slow you, it will be the lack of readable documentation…
I think that XHTML is progress towards a goal. While not every platform and every tool handles XHTML perfectly, more and more tools and better support is emerging. Along with that better documentation and examples of use.
It's easy for some people to look at XHTML and see it as a failure. This typically occurs because they want everything NOW! Because everyone's not using it it must be a failure right? Since IE has poor support and MS isn't going to upgrade their browser to support it properly it must be doomed right? Wrong. XHTML Basic will become incorporated into WAP 2 replacing WML. Which brings up another sticking point for many people.
Many developers don't understand that there are different specifications involved in that blanket term XHTML and that even as we get more people using XHTML 1.0/1.1 there's also XHTML Basic, and then XHTML 2.0 on the horizon. So while XHTML speaks to a certain set of guidelines and tag use within that technology there are specialty modules that speak to specific devices when wanted. So essentially I could use the XHTML 1.1 to author a page that both a desktop user and (with care) a mobile phone user could use, but if I wanted to specifically target and tailor the view to the mobile user I'd use XHTML Basic. XHTML Basic is essentially XHTML 1 stripped of tags that cause problems in WAP devices (like frames and some other problematic tags).
Just a thought: You or I may not reap any overwhelming benefits to offering an XHTML site, but somebody else may — say, somebody who wants to screen scrape your site, and would prefer an XML parser to regular expressions. I think about the possible benefits of XHTML and elegant, 'semantic' markup every time I look at weather.com… (yeah, I know that various machine-readable weather services already exist. that's just an example.)
There is a fine line between using given standards correctly and impacting too much the world around us (which is not yet ready for full compliance). You have to weigh carefully the benefits along with the disadvantages. Unfortunately, nowadays the decisions are still based on some mythical profit margin and/or maximal cost effectiveness which so often defy the imagination altogether. Yes, but…
Evan - right, that was my point. I want bulletproof XHTML to be commonplace. It seems like most of the discussions concerning the benefits of XHTML have concluded that there are no tangible benefits unless you happen to be Jacques Distler. That seems to me to focus exclusively on XHTML authors and not XHTML consumers. A little conscientious XHTML markup could go a long way towards the potential usefulness of a web site — and if you make it easy for your site to be parsed, who know what some clever scripter will do with it?
"The whole idea of keeping content in a flat (XML) file, by the way, falls on its nose as soon as you�ve got a quantity of stuff stored."
Funny, because my site uses nothing but XML for storing content (in the file system). You just have to be intelligent about how you use it. After doing some projections, I can happily hold thousands of files with no degradation in speed. I suspect (although I haven't tested it yet) that because of the way I'm storing these files, it can increase considerably before hitting minor speed problems. The same can be said of any storage method.
Michael - very interesting that XHTML Basic is replacing WML in WAP 2. Current support for XHTML Basic in the real world is absolutely wretched… but perhaps now this will be changing in the next few years? Most of the wireless device companies seem blissfully unaware of web standards, but you never know. Hmmm.
Jacob - sure, that's another interesting use of the technology. However, your point only reinforces the need for bulletproof XHTML. If an XHTML site isn't 100% valid all-the-time, scraping it with an XML parser is a waste of time. If you don't know for *certain* that the site you're scraping is bulletproof, a regex scraper is really the only sensible choice.
Well, Jacob, "Who knows what a clever scripter will do?" is a pretty thin reed on which to hang your hopes. A more cogent rationale is simply to say, "I want to use XHTML to learn how to bullet-proof it. That way, when a compelling application comes along, I will be *ready*."
I've already found *my* compelling application. For you and the rest of the "X-Philes", I hope yours comes along soon. And when it does, I hope y'all are ready to serve up the most feature-rich XHTML website possible, with absolutely bulletproof content.
The two are not mutually-exclusive. And your job is to figure out how to reconcile them.
It may seem like a thin reed to you, but I see it as a reflection of a justified hope in bottom-up innovation (clever random individuals who bring us things like allconsuming.net) rather than top-down innovation (W3C who brings us things like SOAP). There's power, Jacques, wonder-working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the random scripting people.
Do you all mean to say that Zeldman is wrong? Even in his latest book, he claims to start using XHTML and its very simple to do that transition. What do you guys have to say about it? The reason I'm asking this is because I have started implementing his thoughts… stop me if I'm wrong.
There is *absolutely nothing* in Zeldman's book, or in any of his work that could not be done in HTML 4.01. What he is preaching – semantically-clean markup, with CSS for styling – is not in any way related to the XML nature of XHTML.
He is, to use Mark Pilgrim's phrase, selling "XHTML, the brand" rather than "XHTML, the technology." He'd like you to associate those good coding habits with using lowercase tags and trailing slashes. If that works for you, fine.
He doesn't expect you to (indeed, he warns against) send out XHTML with the right MIME type, or, indeed, to use any of the XMLish features of XHTML. When you get down to it, it doesn't even *really* matter if your site validates.
In the end of the day, if you are going to send out XHTML tag soup, the transition (from sending out HTML tag soup) is, indeed, an easy one.
Hi there,
Great article. I thought I should add some feedback from a XHTML user. Like some other commenters, it turned itself into a post of its own on my blog. See http://standblog.com/index.php?p=93113020 to understand how XHTML has saved my life once, and how comments can be managed not to break validation (careful Microsoft employees, my solution contains chunks of free software that may hurt you ;-)
"Evan�s main regret these days is that he has no sense of typography or graphic design whatsoever."
If you only ever read one book about typography, make it this one: The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst.


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I have never read anything by this author but you may rest assured that if she should publish another novel I will be first in line to get hold of a copy and, with any luck, be able to read it straight through.
Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes, Penguin Group, 369 pp,$27.95
I have never read anything by this author but you may rest assured that if she should publish another novel I will be first in line to get hold of a copy and, with any luck, be able to read it straight through.
This novel was loaned to me by a friend who had one admonition. She said, �Don�t tell anyone this is a woman�s book because it isn�t.� And I have to say she was so right. I don�t ever remember when I have become so immersed in a story that the hours flew by and I came pretty close to missing some meals.
To begin with, this story has a wonderfully written hook. It could be called a prelude but what it did for me is capture my attention and make me want to get on with the rest of the story. My mind kept asking me the questions, �And then what? What did they do next? How did they possibly cope with what happened and what is happening.�
Now I know that makes this novel sound like a cliff hanger but in truth it is anything but that. It could be called a love story and in a way I guess it is. It could be called a fighting story, a man and a woman against overwhelming odds. And in a way, I guess it is. This novel might also be called, with good evidence, a coming of age novel. And in a way it certainly is.
It could also be called one of the better novels written in the English language. And that certainly is true.
Let me put it this way. If you can finish this novel without a lump in your throat and the possibility of a tear in your eye then you must be either a stronger person or a less imaginative person than I am. I finished the book with both.
Someone much brighter than I has said that good writing, real good writing, must be more than effective. It must be affective. This novel certainly is both.
There are two main characters. The man is Will Traynor and he is a man who loves to live on the edge. He is wealthy beyond all reason. He is good at business and a wiz at making money. He also comes from a well-to-do British family. His father is the senior person at �The Castle� the main focal point of this touristy English town.
The woman is Louisa Clark, an ordinary girl living an ordinary British life in this same touristy town. She has been working very happily in a small restaurant. She knows all the patrons and calls them by name. She will probably marry her boyfriend Patrick who is a fitness nut and spends most of his time preparing for triathlons and working out with his other athletic friends. His idea of fun is placing well in a double or triple triathlon. He considers placing 147th a wonderful victory. Then Louisa loses her job. The restaurant is closing.
If you can find this novel I urge you to read it. It is beautifully written and exceedingly well plotted. This book is what good literature is all about. Stories of this quality, and this moving, are few and far between.
Ken Gruebel lives in New Bern.

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Sunday, September 21, 2008
I'm Into Goth Chicks
But here is the thing.
If I get in a bar fight with a vampire because he thinks I was hitting on his girlfriend when really SHE came up to ME and asked where I got my shoes, because, lets face it - they are pretty sweet. How was I supposed to know she was the bride of the undead? And seriously, Count, lighten up - I realize you don't ever get to see the sun so you might have a little Seasonal Affective Disorder but there was that one summer when I worked third shift and it didn't turn ME into an asshole.
Anyways let's say the Wahhh-pire and I get in a bar fight - and I get some of his blood into an open wound of mine. Do I turn into a vampire?
I mean it is pretty clear that the zombie virus is transferred by blood - and if you get zombie blood in your blood - you had better start practicing dragging one of your legs behind you and trying to catch Rachel Ray's "How to Cook A Human in 30 Minutes of Less!" BUT - does the same hold true for vampires?
Or are vampires like big mosquitos with bad hair and shitty accents? Do they HAVE to bite you and get some of their saliva into your blood stream?
I'd like to know how to defend myself against a possible Dracula attack - because seriously, dude's girlfriend is HOT.
21 comments:
- Mon said...
I think you would turn into the undead if you get their blood in your system. I mean...wasn't that in the Lost Boys? It is, after all...THE best movie that involves vampires. Besides Once Bitten...
- September 22, 2008 at 10:45 AM
- surviving myself said...
I bet she's a whore, so don't even worry about Drac. Just put on some Old Spic and she'll want you.
- September 22, 2008 at 11:04 AM
- Ben said...
High five for matching zombie references in today's posts!
- September 22, 2008 at 12:41 PM
- catscratch said...
You'll be cool. Just eat some garlic drenched food. You'll smell scary for a day or two, but it should treat it just right.
Why is it those kind always have such shitty Mcditty attitudes?
- September 22, 2008 at 12:41 PM
- Karen said...
"Where did you get your shoes?" is totally code for "I want to fuck."
- September 22, 2008 at 12:42 PM
- Deutlich said...
aaahh! blood swapping?!
no bueno!
- September 22, 2008 at 12:44 PM
- Leah said...
I think it's saliva-blood transmitted. Cause, when they bite you, they don't drawa their own blood!
- September 22, 2008 at 1:04 PM
- MsPuddin said...
onions? no cucumbers! No I mean garlic!!
fuck it. vegetables.
- September 22, 2008 at 1:07 PM
- So@24 said...
You got a girl to approach you and comment on your shoes?
They were a pair of Air Jordan's weren't they? British Knights?
- September 22, 2008 at 1:09 PM
- LBluca77 said...
I am going to use the "where did you get your shoes" line next time I see some boy who's neck I want to sink my teeth into.
- September 22, 2008 at 1:36 PM
- pj said...
I am pretty sure vampires are like snakes. The Venom is the dangerous part, hence it only comes from a bite. Snake blood is not harmful.. Actually I don't know but it makes sense. Mon is right though lost boys is the holy grail of vampire movies.
- September 22, 2008 at 1:38 PM
- Christina_the_wench said...
I don't think I've ever been that drunk.
*makes sign of the cross*
Stay over there just in case.
- September 22, 2008 at 1:51 PM
- Marie said...
Probably want to add a dash of holy water, bite on a piece of garlic and make sure ol' Drac doesn't bite you cause then I think you're definitely a goner. I'm going by Bram Stoker's instructions.
By the way, have something for you on my blog.
- September 22, 2008 at 1:57 PM
- Alexa said...
who gets into bar fights?!? apparently you do.
i like vampire weekend. same thing?
didn't think so.
- September 22, 2008 at 2:11 PM
- Kristen said...
I think you have to get the saliva in your blood to become a vampire. Also, they have to want to make you a vampire. It doesn't happen by accident.
I am an expert on vampires because I watched Moonlight for a whole season before they effing cancelled it.
- September 22, 2008 at 2:36 PM
- Nilsa S. said...
If you'd quite being such a metrosexual, you wouldn't have encounters like this, now would you?!
- September 22, 2008 at 3:28 PM
- c.watson said...
When in doubt just stake the guy. I think this rule applies for all important social occasions as well not just vampire encounters.
-Pizza guy took 34 minutes instead of 30? Stake him.
-Guy at bar hits yyour arm causing you to slosh some of your beer? Stake him.
-Bum asks for a quarter? Stake him.
See it really is so useful.
- September 22, 2008 at 3:55 PM
- Maxie said...
I'm like 99% sure you're going to turn into a vampire tomorrow.
- September 22, 2008 at 7:29 PM
- Angela said...
I'm pretty sure that in order to be turned into a vampire, the vampire not only has to bite you, but then you have to drink some of the vampire's own blood.
So. As long as both of those events did NOT happen, I think you're safe.
- September 22, 2008 at 8:49 PM
- just a girl... said...
I so dont get the whole zombie thing. But yeah I guess screwing a vampire is cool? Next time let us know more about the shoes. What color are they? WTF are they so cool? How about a damn pick of said shoe.
- September 23, 2008 at 7:50 AM
- Poetry Sue said...
In most scientific circles it is accepted that you must have been bitten by a vampire to turn into one. Since Vampires have no heartbeat it would be difficult to assume that they have blood of their own...
Hmm but it sure would be nice to watch a someone beat the crap out of a punk ass vampire whiner. If he had really known what he was doing he would have turned her into a blood slave and she would never have even noticed you...
- September 24, 2008 at 11:57 AM


text:
Why See Backstreet Boys?
DNA World tour
One nineties revival we can really get behind - the Backstreet Boys are back! That's right, Nick, Howie, AJ, Kevin and Brian are back and heading out on their biggest tour in 18 years, giving you the chance to re-live their biggest hits in areas across the nation.
Formed in 1993, Backstreet Boys (or BSB) were one of the decade's biggest bands, consistently releasing bop after bop including multi-million selling singles 'I Want It That Way','As Long As You Love Me','Everybody', and many many more. Now, following an eventful hiatus the boys are on the rise once more with a new record DNA, a single featuring Shawn Mendes, and this brand new tour. Discussing the news, Brian said "The journey is ongoing with us and there is so much left to do. We're living the next chapter that hasn't been told yet, and that's exciting." It certainly is boys!
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Polygon-shaped box with Lid
Create a 5-sided, 7-sided or even 13-sided box. The lid is separate and slightly larger, which can controlled by setting the "clearance."
You can choose any number of sides, as long as there are between 3 and 20 sides (inclusive). 4 would be boring, though…
Boxes with 3, 4 or 6 sides assemble beautifully into larger constellations when you make a couple or more of the same.


text:
The way this Formula Ford leaps into the air is one thing, but there's something better in this little video. Just look at the rear suspension wildly bouncing around. It's the funniest racing crash I've seen in ages.
It's like it's flailing its arms around. It's like a cat that accidentally jumped into a full bathtub. It's like the car is shouting
omigod omigod omigod what's going on omigod what is happening please help
The driver was Simon Hodge at the recent Formula Ford race in Sydney. He walked away from the crash unhurt.
(Hat tip to Gimmi!)


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Shibuya, E-Twins combine on no-hitter
'11 Draft pick strikes out six over seven innings in 6-0 victory
By Andrew Pentis / Special to MLB.com | July 16, 2011 6:26 PM
Shibuya pitched seven near-perfect innings, overcoming two catcher's interference calls, and Garrett Jewell and Steven Gruver finished off the no-hitter as the Rookie-level Twins blanked the Greeneville Astros, 6-0.
The trio of 2011 Draft picks also extended Elizabethton's winning streak to seven games.
"Obviously, most of the game is on Tim's shoulders. We wouldn't even have had the chance it wasn't for him," said Gruver, who record the 26th and 27th outs on strikeouts. "We didn't want to talk about [the no-hitter] too much in the bullpen, we didn't want to jinx it or anything. We all knew it was there. ... It was just cool to watch."
The no-hitter was the Appalachian League's first since Danville's Cory Rasmus pitched a seven-inning gem on Aug. 11, 2009. Elizabethton also became the second Minnesota affiliate this season to combine on one: Triple-A Rochester's Jeff Manship, Jake Stevens, Kyle Waldrop and Jim Hoey no-hit Lehigh Valley on July 6.
"That's probably the first no-hitter I have been a part of since Little League," said Jewell, who roomed with Shibuya while beginning their professional careers training at the Twins' complex in Fort Myers, Fla. "We've been friends the whole season so far, so this is nice for him."
Shibuya, a 23rd-round pick out of UC-San Diego, retired the first and final 10 batters he faced. In between were two bizarre plays that produced Greeneville's lone baserunners: Catcher Jairo Rodriguez was charged with interference twice in a three-batter span.
"I threw an 0-2 curveball to a lefty," Shibuya said, "and I don't know if it started coming back over the plate, but Jairo reached for it. ... I don't know what happened. I heard a little 'pimph' first and then the ball."
Then, with Chase Davidson in the batter's box, plate umpire Charlie Clemons cited Rodriguez again.
"It was a bad call; [Clemens] heard the ball hit the bat first, [but] the catcher's glove actually went backwards," Shibuya said. "I thought it was a foul ball."
To Rodriguez's credit, Shibuya (4-0) said he and his batterymate were in sync throughout the game. And it showed. Shibuya, who limited Kingsport to two hits over six scoreless innings in his second pro start on June 30, struck out six and registered 10 outs on the ground.
"It was in the back of my mind, but until we broke it open in [with four fourth-inning runs], I was more just making sure to keep the team in the game," said the 21-year-old right-hander, who threw between 86-89 pitches. "I have never come this close."
Jewell was an unlikely choice to keep the no-hit bid intact. He'd surrendered 10 runs over his previous 3 1/3 innings.
"It's almost like a pick-me-up," said Jewell, who started out as a position player at Southern New Hampshire and was surprised he was drafted at all last month. "The last few outings, I have been worried about other stuff [mechanics] instead of good outings."
Jewell, selected eight rounds after Shibuya, got off to an inauspicious start. The 21-year-old righty walked a batter, then had another on third baseman Miguel Sano's error but rebounded by inducing a double play and an inning-ending fly ball.
"The first batter, I plunked with a curveball. After that, I was like, 'OK, I'm not going to start off with anymore curveballs. I am just going to work down in the zone and let the guys get themselves out,'" he said. "It was nice to come through for Shibuya. I definitely didn't want to be the guy to give up the hit."
There was less drama for Gruver, a 22-year-old lefty chosen in the seventh round. He finished his 1-2-3 frame with back-to-back strikeouts.
"I was pumped to get in there," the University of Tennessee product said. "I had three outs. I didn't try to make a bigger deal of it than it was. ... I wanted to cap off what Shibuya did the whole game. It was a good feeling to end it that way."
The Twins carved out their six runs on seven hits, including five for extra bases, against starter Ricardo Batista (1-1) and Jeremiah Meiners, the first of three relievers.
Andrew Pentis is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.View More


text:
Sentimental Sunday – There is No Joy in Joyland Today…
by Sherry Stocking Kline
Sunday, September 5, 2010
There is no Joy in Joyland.
On Sunday, July 18th, I received an e-mail forward from a cousin that said "Stan Nelson, owner of Joyland died today."
So I checked Wichita Eagle's website at Kansas.com and found this article by Beccy Tanner "Joyland a theme in Nelson's life".
My cousin's email also included the link to a photo slide show by Mike Hutmacher, Wichita Eagle, with photographs of the long-closed and now sadly in disrepair Joyland. ( Click Here to view the slide show, complete with calliope music.)
It was the sideshow that prompted this post…
The slideshow begins, and there it is, Joyland. Larger than life when we were children; the stuff of dreams. There's the bridge we used to run over to get to the magic inside. Now it's covered with wind-blown leaves. Deserted.
And there are the rides. What's left of them. Where is the Merry-go-Round with its fiery steeds? And where are the bump-em cars that we drove fiendishly into all our friends with all the the precision of drunken sailors? Both gone.
The Tilt-A-Whirl, part of it, remains, looking like deserted teacups from a giant's forgotten tea party.
Can't someone please rescue the train…
And the little steam engine train that could (and did) take you around the park, in and out among the trees, over a little bridge, and by your family picnicking in the pavilian, while all the while going rackety-clackety-clack, and Whoooo-uh-ooooooo when it came to a crossing . The train, a favorite ride, sits waiting for passengers to go again. (Oh, please, can't someone rescue the train?)
And the roller coaster. Falling, faded white boards. Surely this can't be the terrifying ride that traumatized me so when our eighth grade class went there on a field trip that after one ride up, down, and around on the rattly track I wouldn't climb back on it , not for all the tea in China and not even for the chance to sit with the cute little green-eyed, blond-haired boy that asked me to go again? Surely this short, faded pile of wood isn't the same one.
And there's the ferris wheel, minus the little 'people buckets' that swayed and swung as you went up, over, and around and around, terrifying twenty-something young-mom-me, holding onto my tiny daughter for dear life, afraid to look down.
Joyland. Even the name brings back a kaleidoscope of memories: the night my nephew, Daryl, just barely younger than I pitched a fit so instead of staying home with a sitter, we all got to 'help' his folks chaperone the youth group, falling asleep in the back window of a car on the way home letting the stars lull me to sleep. (No seatbelt laws then and no seat belts, either.)
Church picnics, family picnics, and ride-all-night-nights…
There were church picnics and family picnics and ride-all-night-nights-for-$5.00 church nights. And my goodness, look at the sign, a ticket for a nickel. The rides are gone along with the prices.
And while the rides may be gone, and the grounds may be deserted, we still have the memories.
Thank you, Mr. Nelson….
6 Responses to "Sentimental Sunday – There is No Joy in Joyland Today…"
Lovely tribute and memories, enjoyed reading it, sad, sentimental, and moving. Thanx
I love the way you write Sherry, I swear I could smell the popcorn and taste the cotton candy. In Indianapolis where I grew up, we had Riverside Park. Uncle Sid would take all of his nieces & nephews there once a year and we looked forward to our annual night out with him like nothing else. Thanks for bringing back some fond memories!
Such memories! My family's home was probably a half-mile from Joyland and my elementary school (Sowers) was just across the street. I recall listening to the roller coaster and all of the other park sounds as I fell asleep on many hot summer nights. The Joyland pool was the best in the city and I loved those school fundraisers and Beech Employees Club days at the park. My last visit was during a high school reunion. I recall classmates telling their children stories of their own childhood Joyland days.
It was very difficult to see the photos with the park in such disrepair, but it was fun to recall the memories. Thank you!


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A 30-year-old felon was sentenced last week to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to a firearms charge.
At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Jan. 9, John Finocchiaro of Cortez apologized to the court, law enforcement and the victims. He claimed his drug use led to his downward spiral and criminal activity.
"I'm sorry," Finocchiaro said. "I'm at your mercy, your honor."
Facing a maximum three-year sentence, Chief District Court Judge Doug Walker did grant some leniency, imposing an 18-month prison term for Finocchiaro. Walker said the defendant's drug problem; however, was not the court's problem.
"Because of your drug problem, you're more dangerous than a normal person," Walker told Finocchiaro. "People like you endanger my freedom."
Finocchiaro has at least three previous felony firearms related convictions, dating back to 2002 for assault with a deadly weapon. He was last convicted in 2012 for felony menacing for use of force with a deadly weapon.
District Attorney Will Furse argued for a two-year prison term, citing the defendant was unable to follow the rules of law.
"Two years in a cage is probably enough, but I'm not sure," Furse said.
Public defender Justin Bogan said his client had an unhealthy fascination of firearms, but added that no one was injured in the current case.
"Mr. Finocchiaro thinks he looks cool with firearms," Bogan said, "but he's not a sociopath. He just needs to grow up."
Addressing the court via telephone, Finocchiaro's mother said she was very disappointed in her son's behavior. She too blamed her son's drug addiction.
"John is an addict with problems," she said. "He's loving and compassionate when he's sober."
Finocchiaro, also known as Fetus, was released from prison in August 2013 on the felony menacing conviction. He was arrested a month later for violating his parole, and pleaded guilty in December to possessing a small silver handgun inside a home with children.
The seized weapon will be forfeited.
Other court news
In other court news, proceedings were continued until Feb. 4 for former Montezuma County Undersheriff Robin Cronk. He was scheduled for a hearing on Friday, Jan. 10.
The former lawman faces a 17-count indictment for embezzlement, allegedly pilfering nearly $7,500 from taxpayers for personal expenses over a 26-month time span.
Also, arraignment hearings for suspected burglars Tara L. Montgomery, 31, and Mark D. Williams, 41, were rescheduled until Feb. 6, and Feb. 18, respectively. Both suspects appeared in court on Thursday, Jan. 9, on felony charges for theft and second-degree burglary. The case involves six co-defendants, Furse said.
Finally, convicted sex offender Andrew Allmon, 54, also had his arraignment rescheduled for Feb. 6. In custody under a $30,000 bond, Allmon appeared in court on Thursday, Jan. 9. He faces nine felony charges of sexual assault on a child. A plea deal is expected, according to a public defender.


text:
Sistema ADVIA 2400
The right balance of speed and efficiency
|Type of System
|Random, continuous access, batch, discrete processing
|Throughput Rate
|Up to 2400 tests/hour: 1800 tests/hour colorimetric, 600 tests/hour ISE
|Assays Capacity Onboard
|49 including 3 ISE
|Sample Handling
|Sample Tubes
|5 mL, 7 mL, 10 mL, 2 mL sample cups
|Sample Tray
|84 samples, positive sample identification
|Bar Codes
|Interleaved 2 of 5, code 39, code 128, Codabar (NW7)
|STAT Sample Loading
|84, not dedicated
|Automatic repeat testing from the retained pre-diluted sample
|Automatic dilution from retained pre-diluted sample
|Auto-reflex Testing
|Automatic ability to perform 3 additional tests based on results of first test
|Primary Probe
|Liquid Level Sensing, Crash Protection, Clot/Clog Detection, Short Sample Detection
|Sample Integrity Check
|Qualitative check for hemolysis, lipemia and icterus
|Microvolume Technology
|Automatic Sample Predilution
|Samples diluted 1:5 (30 μL sample + 120 μL saline generates up to 15 test results), retained for auto-repeat until results are available
|Predilution Tray
|120 dilution cuvettes
|Original Sample Volume
|2 to 30 µL; system uses an average of 2-3 µL per test
|Average Reagent Volume
|80-120 µL per test
|Storage Capacity Onboard
|20,000 tests average; Usage of concentrated reagents increases maximum capacity
|Reaction Area
|Reaction Tray
|340 reusable plastic cuvettes
|Cuvette Optical Path Length
|6 mm
|Reaction Bath
|Inert fluorocarbon oil circulation system, 37°C
|14 fixed wavelengths (340, 410, 451, 478, 505, 545, 571, 596, 658, 694, 751, 805, 845, and 884 nm)
|Light Source
|12V, 50W halogen lamp, cooled by forced water circulation
|Assay Methods
|Endpoint, rate reaction, 2-point rate, multi-point homogeneous immunoassay
|Reaction Times
|3, 4, 5, 10, 15 and 21 minutes
|Automatic Correction
|Serum blank, cell blank, measurement point change, sample volume change in reassay
|Point Forwarding
|Automatically extends linerarity over assay range samples
|Reagent Handling
|Reagent Tray
|2 trays, 50 positions each, refrigerated
|Reagent Capacity Onboard
|46 colorimetric methods
|Dispensing System
|2 probes with Liquid Level Sensing and Liquid Surface Verification
|Reagent Wedges
|20, 40 and 70 ml bar-code-labeled wedges
|Onboard Stability
|Up to 60 days
|Reagent Inventory Management
|Tracks tests remaining, lot number, onboard stability and expiration date
|Reagent Dilutions
|Capability to dilute concentrated reagents onboard
|Open System Capability
|200 channels, includes user-defined applications
|3rd Party Applications
|Varies by country, can be configured on system
|Indirect simultaneous measurement of Na+, K+, Cl-
|Sample Volume
|22µL for all three tests
|Automatic priming cycle
|Electrode Life
|30,000 samples or 3 months
|Throughput Rate
|600 tests/hour; 200 tubes/hour
|Calibration Interval
|Up to 60 days, tracked by software
|User-defined time interval or with new reagent wedge
|View Calibration/QC Data
|Graphical display of calibration curve and QC, Siemens Remote Service QC monitoring
|Calibration/Control Tray
|61 refrigerated positions for calibrators, controls and diluents
|Data Management
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|Host Interface
|RS 232C bidirectional
|Data Storage
|70,000 patient samples
Maintenance Logs
|Schedule and monitor routine maintenance activities via software
|Host Query
|ASCII; system requests work order or batch of work orders from host
|General Specifications
|Power Requirements
|100/115/200/220/230/240 V +/– 10%, 30 A, 50/60 Hz, 3 KVA
|Water Requirements
|Deionized water
|Maximum Water Consumption
|40 liters per hour
|Drain requirements
|Minimum of 10.6 gallons (40) liters per hour.
|ADVIA 2400: 52.8 (h) x 67.4 (w) x 34.1 (d) in, 134 (h) x 171.1 (w) x 86.7 (d) cm
|ADVIA 2400: 1,389 lbs. (630 kg)
|cUL, CSA, CE
|Noise Specifications
|Open cover less than 70 db, closed cover less than 45 db
|Average Heat Output
|5,374 BTU/hour
|Operating Temperature Range
|Ambient Humidity
|40% - 70%


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Last Edited on 2018-05-28


text:
About Us
Welcome to the Home Page of the Gift of Adoption of Alabama.
The Alabama Chapter is an emerging chapter of Gift of Adoption. The chapter is currently seeking leaders throughout Alabama to get involved as chapter leaders and help the chapter grow and reach more families.
Board members are responsible for building awareness and raising funds for this rapidly growing, energetic, national, nonprofit dedicated to putting adoption in reach for the millions of children world-wide without a family. Gift of Adoption inspires adoption by providing grants to qualified parents – giving children without families permanent homes and the chance to thrive.
Board members can be located anywhere in the state, but must be willing to participate in monthly calls and quarterly in-person meetings to support the development of a strong state presence – as we create awareness of this new philanthropic category and resource our vision.
If you would like to work with smart, dedicated people who believe that a loving family is a basic right for children everywhere, contact Pam Devereux, CEO.
Facebook Posts
Alabama Chapter – Golf Tournament
Friday, September 20, 2019
Fairhope, AL
100% of donations directly to the Chapter are used to provide adoption grants in this region.
[contact-form-7 id="21153″ title="Alabama Form"]


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CinemaVision began in 2014 as a collaboration to create content for use with your home theater, offering movie trivia slides and video bumpers. It has since grown to be THE PREMIER WAY to create and customize your preshow experience. Download the CinemaVision add-on for Kodi today from the official Kodi repository, and easily create a sequence of trivia, videos, trailers, home automation triggers and more that will bring the experience of a movie theater straight to your screen!


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Meltdown of Subsidized Battery Maker Zaps Obama Detroit Visit
"The work you're doing will help power the American economy for years to come."
-- President Obama in a Sept. 13, 2010 phone call to battery maker A123 Systems, congratulating the firm on using the bulk of a $249 million government grant to open new facilities in Michigan.
President Obama travels to Detroit today to talk about the need for increased taxes on top earners to finance federal spending, and is using an announcement of a $100 million investment from German auto giant Daimler to illustrate that his economic prescription is working.
Obama is not likely to discuss another big business story of the day – the sale of the assets of battery maker A123 to a Chinese competitor. A123 spent at least $132 million of its $249 million stimulus package grant to build two Detroit-area factories, including one in Livonia, right next door to Redford Township, where Obama is speaking today.
Assuming a bankruptcy judge and the Obama Treasury Department approve of the sale of A123's assets to Wanxiang Group, the Chinese battery maker would immediately become the dominant force in the industry.
So for $256.6 million, the Chinese firm would get all that the stimulus package purchased plus the company's existing operations in Massachusetts and Missouri and have the chance to pare down the company to profitability without the overhead of A123's debt.
A very good deal to be sure, but not one that American firms were willing to take on. As the president has often said, China and its economic central planners are betting very big on the battery business – for cars, for the electric grid, etc. And with A123, they get to take advantage of not only their own government subsidies, but those provided by American taxpayers.
An additional irony: Whatever share of the original $249 million stimulus grant that the Treasury borrowed from China will still have to be paid back. The boys in Beijing must be having a happy Monday. Obama gave A123 lots of subsidy money to expand to compete with subsidized Chinese firms and the subsidized Chinese firms win anyway.
The president today will be arguing on behalf of his proposal to raise taxes on top earners in order to prevent tax increases on middle-income earners and to pay for increased short-term domestic spending that can help lure firms like Daimler to expand and invest in the United States. By hiring more teachers, the American workforce will be better educated; by spending more on infrastructure, corporations will be encouraged to grow; etc.
This comes as the president is doing his best to scatter his Republican foes on the issue of higher taxes. Republicans keep looking to make concessions, but Obama keeps talking tough and staying on the campaign trail.
The growing realization in Washington is that the president means to make the so-called "Fiscal Cliff" not the end of a long-running series, but the pilot for a spinoff in which Republicans are cast as the villains again, but this time on the run.
A headline in Sunday's New York Times said it all: "Tax Arithmetic Shows Top Rate Is Just a Starter." The higher tax rates on top earners the president is looking at would only cover about a quarter of the $1.6 trillion in new taxes the president is seeking over the next decade.
Starting next year, the top 20 percent of American households will see their federal taxes go up by an estimated average of $6,000 to finance the new health-insurance entitlement created by Obama's 2010 health law.
In addition to that and the rate hike Obama is seeking in his negotiations, Obama will need lots and lots more tax revenue to finance his domestic programs, even while continuing to run $1 trillion deficits.
Investment taxes and inheritance taxes would make up another $526 billion of Obama's $1.6 trillion quasi-budget proposal, on top of the $442 billion that would come from higher rates. The rest of the money comes from some accounting changes and other gimmicky cuts.
Republicans are desperate to talk about cutting Medicare and Social Security, and would seemingly do anything to get on to that discussion. Party elders are increasingly urging Republicans to move on from all the tax talk so that they can get busy expressing their enthusiasm for reductions to beloved existing entitlement programs.
What Republicans seem less willing to talk about is what in the heck the president plans to do with the money. Obama isn't shy about telling people, even to the point of today being just a few miles away from the site one of the worst disasters of his stimulus package to tout the need for stimulus spending.
Obama invited House Speaker John Boehner to the White House over the weekend to talk about how the Republicans should concede on taxes, but today flies out to keep the pressure on Boehner for the need for more spending.
Obama is out talking about growth while Republicans are debating how much to raise taxes and how much to cut entitlements. Merry Christmas.
If Republicans can't use the example of Obama pitching spending in Detroit the day after beneficiary of a previous Detroit subsidy fell into the arms of the Chinese to make the case against his spending proposals, they might as well go home for Christmas now.
Chris Stirewalt is digital politics editor for Fox News, and his POWER PLAY column appears Monday-Friday on FoxNews.com. Catch Chris Live online daily at 11:30amET at http:live.foxnews.com.


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I'm exploring the web to find sites I like
Boulevard San Jose | Campo de Golf, San Jose Del Cabo 23410, Mexico
Posted by: Christopher on May 5, 2015
see all reviews
At Club Solaris Los Cabos, our 400 Mexican-style rooms are beautifully appointed with light airy decor, private balconies, luxurious marble bathrooms, spacious lounging area, Individual Air conditioning, Satellite Color TV with International programming, Direct dial access telephone, Private bathrooms with full set of amenities, hair dryer and irresistibly comfortable beds.
Share your experiences with others. Don't forget to send your review to Debbie by using an easy form.
Posted by: Christopher
on May 5, 2015 >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Visited on: May, 2015 | Leisure | Family and Kids
444 people found this review helpful
food was always cold! the Wi-Fi had to be purchased the alcohol was cheap there was not enough variety.
the whole stay was geared around trying to sell timeshares that are not worth the money!!
Room Number:
well appointed but no mini bar!
Restaurants and Bars:
the food was always cold at the buffets and restaurants .
The beach was not swim able the surf to violent to play in!!!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
The activities were geared for timeshare members, not guests. the guests were there to get whatever was left....
"great resort"
Posted by:
sita on Dec 4, 2014 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Nov, 2014 | Leisure | Family and Kids
445 people found this review helpful
I and the family had a great trip to this wonderful all inclusive hotel that we saw online, we booked it before we arrived, the review online was worth the visit and so we had to go to Mexico and visit this hotel ourselves. My kids loved it, my wife did too and they are already planning towards the next vacation we are going to have next here, it was nice to see them so happy with the resort. Considering that they had just gone through a hurricane, they were really up and doing and it is really nice seeing them pull through. The food menu was really great, had lots of options, the food quality was as up to standard as everything else in the restaurant. The weather was really great for vacation and going out to take a stroll with the family was always fun because the weather was welcoming. The staff was nice. Helpful and quite patient despite how rude some guests were, they still kept their cool so I appreciate that about them. The location is everything when it comes to this resort; it's close to all good sites as well as downtown. The rooms were nice, the cleaning service couldn't have done a better job because the place was really clean and they cleaned it well. The rooms were always spotless; we had no complaints when it came to cleanliness. We will be going back since my family loves the place.
"great and will be back"
Posted by:
hook on Oct 19, 2014 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Jul, 2014 | Leisure | Solo
442 people found this review helpful
This is more than a hotel but has taken damage due to the latest hurricane but once it gets fixed and back to it's old self, I will like to come back to it's awesome service and experience. This is an all inclusive hotel although I visited before the hurricane hit and I am giving this review because I noticed online that hurricane hit this beautiful hotel. It has a central pool making it sought of unique maybe for me because it is the first time I am visiting Mexico. The hotel is not even that big, it is on the small side and kind of low key but it is the best for me. I spent about a week here and throughout my stay, I was always visiting the pool by the beach side, it was fun for me as I met lots of friends and families who were also on vacation at the same place. The beach is stunning; you should make sure that of all the places to miss in this resort you shouldn't miss out on the beach. The weather as at the time I visited was warm so I enjoyed my stay. I alongside some other guests went on a road trip into the city and it was all fun for me. They have very good food selection and all through the time I was here, I never ate out for single day. I really enjoyed this place so I will come back.
Posted by: Helene
on May 4, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Apr, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
769 people found this review helpful
Just returned from a week in the Royal Solaris. Couldn't ask for a better vacation. The hotel was very clean , the rooms were spotless, the staff were friendly, and the food was great. They have an amazingly talented group young people called the entertainment team who's goal is to keep you entertained by the pool side daily and who put on a dance show almost everynight. The hotel is not one of those mega hotels where everything is a hugh distance. The other guests were a nice mix of families, couples and young people. For those who want the night life the entertainment team organizes a bus to Cabo San Lucos a couple times a week and accompanies the guests. it is just a short walk to town. i would definately recommend this resort.
Your Arrival:
Arrived April 23 and left April 30th,2010
"The accomodations are NOT what we expected and we are NOT time share owners"
Posted by:
S on Feb 25, 2010 >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Visited on: Feb, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
778 people found this review helpful
Your Arrival:
We were pounced upon immediately by sales people. We had NO intention to buy a timeshare.....
We booked a partial ocean view deluxe room. When registering we found out our room was on the main floor facing a brick wall. An extra $30.00 per night to have a view. All people we spoke with were also given the worst view accomodations. The hotel has this scam going. They can advertise what they want, but you arrive there and it is a different story. Very unhappy.
Restaurants and Bars:
The "timeshare" owners had a private breakfast buffet. The rest of us had to eat at the "other buffet". A number of nights per week, there are special dinner galas for the "TS" owners. We need to find other spots to eat
The entertainment pool side is extremely amateur. There is no quite time around the pool.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel:
Be very careful renting a car. We were touring around LaPaz and were prime targets for the policia. $100.00 US for apparent excess speed. Do you argue NO......
Other Comments:
After taking a whale watch tour, the boat broke down and we were stuck out on the ocean after dark, soaking wet. Not fun............. We returned from that, no clean towels in the room, called housekeeping and our camera disappeared from the room. We did not have a memorable vacation. Do not book at the Royal Solaris.


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Jacqulene "Jackie" Griffitts, 78, of Oak Ridge, passed away on Dec. 24, 2012, at Parkwest Medical Center.
Jacqulene "Jackie" Griffitts, 78, of Oak Ridge, passed away on Dec. 24, 2012, at Parkwest Medical Center.
She was born on June 3, 1934, in Tinsley, Ky., to parents, Dan and Lela Mae Brock Gambrel, and retired from Pic-Air as a machinist.
Jackie was preceded in death by her son, Danny Rutherford, and by daughter, Brenda Joyce Roberts.
Survivors include her husband, Clarence Daniel; daughter, Jo Ann Dicks (Dennis), all of Oak Ridge; sisters, Myrtle and Cora Gambrel; grandchildren, Michael Bryan (Sheena), Melissa Maupin (Jimbo), and Travis Haun; great-grandchildren, Brooklyn Bryan, Taylor Haun and Drake Maupin.
The funeral will be held at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 27, in the chapel of Weatherford Mortuary with Chaplain Thomas J. Rayford, Covenant Hospice, officiating.
A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday at Oak Ridge Memorial Park.
The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Weatherford Mortuary. An online guest book may be signed at weatherfordmortuary.com.


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A video on YouTube of a Golden Eagle snatching up a toddler turned out to be fake. Students from Montreal's 3-D technology school Centre NAD came forward to take credit for the viral video that appears to show an eagle snatching a toddler in a park.
The video shows a scene where a flying eagle swoops down, picks up a toddler with its talons and travels several feet before dropping the child and flying away.
Students Normand Archambault, Loïc Mireault and Félix Marquis-Poulin made the video in a production simulation workshop class, according to a statement from the school. The eagle and the toddler were created in 3D animation and added to the film, the school said.
The video was uploaded on Tuesday night and has received over 2 million views by late Wednesday.
Warning: Video contains graphic language
David Bird, a professor of wildlife biology at McGill University told the CBC that he doubted the authenticity of the video and said that he has never heard of an eagle snatching up a child.
"The public has nothing to fear from bald eagles in that regard of picking up their babies, and for that matter, even their pets," he said.
Alex Hern of the New Statesman was also skeptical from the beginning. He analyzed the video frame by frame and noticed that the right wing of the eagle becomes transparent three seconds into the video.
"'This video is unbelievable' was clearly my subconscious being more right than I thought, because I actually don't believe this video is true," Hern said.


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Baby's hair fell out,You as a doctor,let us to help him !
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Welcome to iigirl.com! We have the best design games for girls! New design games are featured everyday. If you want to play fun design games, this is the bast place!
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We have fation design games, room design games, accessory design games, food design games and more! Invite your friends and have fun on colordesigngames.com!


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If you keep experiencing the problem, contact Xbox Support.
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Flexible Hours - Lyft Driver
Lyft • California, MD
Posted 23 hours ago
Job Snapshot
Job Description
What is Lyft?
Lyft matches drivers with passengers who request rides through the Lyft smartphone app. Signing up to be a Lyft driver is the perfect opportunity for you to set your own schedule and be your own boss while earning extra money. Apply to drive today and start offsetting the costs of your car, covering this month's bills, or funding your dreams!
Why Lyft?
- Keep All of Your Tips: Earn tips from your passengers and keep all of it -100%
- Make More Money: Prime Time pricing during peak hours means more $ for you
- Receive Payment Weekly: Money is deposited directly into your account weekly
- Friendly Community: Our community is full of awesome, respectful people
How Lyft Driving Works
- Step 1: Open the app and turn on ""driver"" mode
- Step 2: Accept a passenger ride request
- Step 3: Pick up your passenger at their location
- Step 4: Drop off your passenger at their destination
*Once the ride has completed, payment is processed automatically and you're ready for your next ride!
Driver Requirements
- You're at least 21 years old
- You have a 4-door from 2004 or newer
- You own an iPhone or Android smartphone
- You have a clean driving record and auto insurance
This opportunity is for an independent contractor. Driving with Lyft is perfect for a those looking for entry level work, contract work, part-time work, hourly work, seasonal work, temporary work,or for those looking for a flexible full time or part time opportunity. Be your own boss, hours are completely flexible - drive mornings, evenings, weekdays or weekends. Drive when you want, Drive more to earn more. Drive parttime or fulltime-it is your choice! You can also cash out instantly. No previous experience as a transportation driver, truck driver, taxi driver, shuttle driver, courier driver or delivery driver is necessary. We welcome those who have driven with other peer-to-peer ridesharing networks or on-demand jobs, gigs, opportunities such as Uber, Uber X, Uber Eats, Uber Pool, Uber XL, Uber Black, or other services like Amazon, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Flex, Caviar, Door Dash, Eat24, Favor, Google Express, GrubHub, Handy, Instacart, Luxe, Munchery, OrderAhead, Peach, Postmates, Seamless, Sprig, Shyp, Washio, Wingz, Gett, Juno, Flywheel, DoorDash, FedEx, UPS, or USPS. Our drivers come from all backgrounds, industries, job, gig, internship types ranging from driving to retail, customer service, creative industries and general labor. If you are an actor, actress, admin, agency, artist, assistant, barista, bartender, broker, bus driver, cab driver, cashier, chauffeur, cleaner, college student, customer service agent, chef, contract worker, cook, courier, designer, dishwasher, dog walker, driver, entrepreneurs, fitness trainer, food prep, food services, freelancer, handyman, hostess, insurance broker, instructor, intern, janitor, maid, maintenance, messenger, manager, management, musician, maid, office assistant, office administrator, photographer, private hire, professional driver, realtor, retail associate, sales associate, sales person, security, server, students, teacher, tutor, valet, veteran, waiter, waitress who is looking for a flexible part-time, full-time or summer gig, apply to drive with Lyft to supplement your income this summer!


text:
Awkward Michael Phelps Encounter Reporter Wasn't Ready For
Michael Phelps has had a BIG couple of weeks in Rio, and with a rumour that he's hanging up the swimming hat for good in order to spend more time with his partner and new son, he's more sought after than ever.
So when a reporter thought he'd score the ultimate interview by catching Phelps on his way home from the Games, he certainly got a rude awakening.
Instead of a few words, reporter Marc Liverman got one of the most awkward responses ever, causing a cringeworthy moment for both Liverman and his anchors back at the station.
Liverman told DailyMail.com he respects Phelps' reasoning and understands he had just traveled a long way from Rio, but was surprised he didn't stop and take at least one or two questions from media gathered inside the airport terminal. Liverman and his cameraman tried to catch up to Phelps, and asked the swimmer how it felt to be back home.
Phelps, clearly not interested in stopping, told the reporter 'It feels good to be home' as he continued to walk away. What's the first thing you're going to do?' the reporter asked.
Phelps responded: 'I'm not answering any questions, guys. If you could give me that space while I'm trying to get my family home and safe I would appreciate that.'
With viewers watching at home, Phelps told the reporter to contact his agent to schedule an interview, as his partner walked ahead of him with their son.
'I appreciate you guys coming, but I'm trying to get my family home safe and that's what matters the most,' he said. 'Thank you for understanding.'
Source: Daily Mail


text:
Comics and cartoons have been inexorably linked since their foundations in the early 1900s, and we've seen everyone from Winsor McCay to Charles Schulz to Judd Winick jump back and forth between animation and comic books. And now one die-hard fan of the legendary cartoon series Looney Tunes is dusting off the under-appreciated history of Bugs Bunny and pals in comics form for a new blog called Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Comics.
"Ever since the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes [animated]series began in 1930, the characters have had a side career in comics, both newspaper strips and comic books," writes Matthew Hunter. Looney Tunes first hit comics in 1941 under the auspices of Western Publishing's Dell Comics, and for more than 40 years published a variety of titles featuring the stars of the brand. After that company shuttered in the '80s, DC Comics -- its parent company Warner Bros. owns the properties -- took over and continues to publish them to this day.
Since Hunter launched his blog in May, he's posted a number of great (and not-so-great examples) of Looney Tunes in print, with everything from 1940s Dell strips all the way to present-day DC work. Definitely great for some Saturday afternoon reading -- or ready any time, for that matter.


text:
Markets may be fixated on China's widely-anticipated growth data due on Friday, but some analysts tell CNBC investors should look beyond the figures and focus on several other indicators which, they say, paint a more dire picture of the economy.
According to Paul Gambles, managing partner at MBMG, China's gross domestic product (GDP) data — widely regarded as a barometer of the country's economic health — are among the "less reliable" figures from the government.
"We tend to take the view that the least reliable statistics that come out of China are perhaps the GDP numbers, the unemployment numbers and the CPI numbers," Gambles told CNBC on Wednesday. Instead, investors should place more importance on data like energy usage, new car sales external Purchasing Managers' Index, which he said pointed to a less robust Chinese economy.
Earlier this week, David Carbon, Managing Director of Economics and Currencies at DBS Bank, told CNBC that China's economy is accelerating again,basing his argument on the latest inflation data, which came in at a higher-than-expected 3.6 percent in March.
But Gordon Chang, author of the book "The Coming Collapse of China", argued that inflation in China is under-reported, and has in fact fallen in recent months.
"I think one of the big stories is that the rate of inflation has obviously come down very, very quickly over the last three or four months, which shows a deterioration in the economy," Chang said. "When you put that together with the bad electricity production statistics, bellwether car sales, new lending, all of those numbers point to either a contraction or essentially an economy growing at 3 to 4 percent."
Chang added that China can't be growing at 8.4 percent in the first quarter — as forecasted last week by Zhang Xiaoqiang, deputy director of China's National Development and Reform Commission.
"China's not going to grow at 8.4 percent. It grew in low-single digits in January and February, if you combine those two months, from any number of official statistics that the government issued. You'd have to have incredible growth in March, just to average out at 8.4," Chang said.
He also pointed to a contraction of the country's manufacturing sector, as reflected in the latest HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) reading.
The HSBC private survey of smaller factories released earlier this month showed a reading of 48.3 in March, declining from February's 49.6, largely in line with a preliminary PMI reading of 48.1. The figures seem to contradict the official PMI, which jumped to an 11-month high of 53.1 in March, up from February's reading of 51.
Chang however cautioned against reading too much into the official figure, which measures the activity of large factories.
"It's an official number and that number doesn't correlate with anything that we know either about the January and February period or March," he said. "And when you look at the HSBC number, it's much more consistent with the data that we know."
Gambles added that the official PMI seemed weak given the strong factory activity expected after the Lunar New Year holidays.
"Following Chinese New Year, you always expect a strong bounce in PMI and actually the bounce in PMI wasn't so great even on the official numbers. Something like 56 would be more in line with the post-Chinese New Year PMI, so I think the problems are still there."
Their views are far more bearish than those of majority market watchers, who expect China's full-year growth to exceed the 7.5 percent forecast by the Chinese government. Both Song Seng Wun, Regional Economist at CIMB Research, and Stephen Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University's Jackson Institute of Global Affairs, told CNBC earlier this week that China's economy could expand as much as 9 percent this year.