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Before they started snapping pictures, the amateur photographers of the 82nd Airborne Division whose work was recently made famous by the Los Angeles Times had official business to transact: bombings to investigate, corpses to identify, biometric information to collect. Their assignments were expressly visual: inspect, scan, document. It seems that they performed those duties. They got into trouble, however, when they started doing unauthorized visual work, posing for photos with the corpses to which they had been dispatched. Their transgression, according to George Wright, the Army spokesman quoted in the accompanying article, was "to pose with corpses for photographs outside of officially sanctioned purposes."
The implied distinction between officially sanctioned (and thus acceptable) photography of enemy dead and unofficial (and thus unacceptable) portraiture is crucial. But in a conflict where soldiers have to do so much work at the interface of death and the visual, perhaps it should not come as a surprise that they might occasionally find it difficult to discern or tempting to ignore these distinctions in the field. Consider last year's scandal about the photographic exploits of the 'Kill Team' in Afghanistan. One of the pictures in that oeuvre shows the soldiers ostensibly following standard visual procedure, crouching over a boy's corpse to obtain scans of his iris and fingerprints. No doubt, countless soldiers have performed this analysis countless times on countless bodies. This particular action was recast as criminal by its inclusion in their grisly montage of displayed corpses and carefully composed shots of severed limbs. The event became extraordinary because someone documented it. The photograph, in which we see the dead boy's body refracted on the digital screen of the device that the soldier positions over him, made visible that which is usually invisible, the officially sanctioned visual work of the war.
Sanctioned and unsanctioned visual practices coexist, bleed together. We see it in this recent pair of photos, too. In the first, one soldier leans intently over the insurgent body, ignoring the camera, while the other soldier, with the dead man's hand resting limply on his shoulder, turns his sweaty face away from it and smiles. In the second photo, some of the Americans are occupied with something beyond our view, while a few of their comrades insert themselves awkwardly into the frame behind the legs of a corpse, which the Afghan police suspend by its ankles, one looking impassively at the camera, the other gazing downward and intent at the remains. For all the clarity with which the pictures depict the viscera of the dead and the faces of the men sent to sort them out, they also testify to the murkiness of the boundary between visual practices that are sanctioned and those that are not. They document the ease with which a visual mission can devolve.
They also place us, as spectators, in an ambiguous position. We readily intuit that posing corpses for cheerful snapshots was extraneous to the mission, and hence gratuitous, objectionable, even criminal. But the military discourse of an officially sanctioned purpose implies an officially sanctioned spectator, who needs access to the photos for some kind of officially sanctioned purpose. Accordingly, even officially sanctioned photos of the dead are rarely made public, and for the most part, no one objects to this limited access; most of us don't have the time, interest, or inclination to look, and we trust in officially sanctioned people to be officially sanctioned spectators on our behalf. In the moments, however, when we learn of unsanctioned visual work, we often presume that we have a new visual obligation: to inspect the evidence and belatedly oversee what transpired.
When the Pentagon asked the L.A. Times not to reproduce the photos, citing concerns for troop safety, the editor crafted a compromise, republishing two of the 18 images and asserting that this "small but representative selection" would satisfy the papers' obligations to its readers and to the cause of public information while taking the Pentagon's concerns seriously. The selected number is arbitrary, and critics will surely fault the Times for publishing either too much or too little. The Times editors presumably acted in accordance with their standards and duties as they understood them. But no matter how well or carefully they carried out the paper's mission, they could not fully resolve the ethical problems created when the soldier-photographers strayed so wantonly from theirs.
For those of us who watch from home, with no institutional or legal guidelines to govern our visual practice, it is hard to know what our duties are. We have not been officially sanctioned to do any kind of visual work; indeed, military officials sought to prohibit us from seeing the photos at all. But we license ourselves, driven by an insatiable hunger for pictures, aided by mass media and inspired by a vague First Amendment sense of entitlement. Certainly, there are laudable reasons for looking, for wanting to look. But in order to keep our spectatorship from becoming exploitative, from replicating in even a small way the harm to which we seek to bear witness, we need to ask why we want to look, what we believe ourselves to be doing when we are, and what purpose we think it will serve. Moreover, we need to recognize that our consumption of such images is ethically complicated by the circumstances in which the photos were taken, by the fact of the deaths recorded within them, and by their vexed status as both evidence and implements of a peculiarly visual kind of violence.
Rebecca A. Adelman is an assistant professor of media and communication studies at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Her email is firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Becoming a cycle-friendly employer
Becoming a cycle-friendly employer
Many UK towns and cities have a traffic problem - too many cars, poor air quality, congested streets and limited car-parking spaces. This is particularly bad during rush hours, with mass migration of people to and from their workplaces.
This costs businesses time and money: staff are delayed because of traffic jams; company car-parking spaces are in short supply and mileage costs are rising. Cycling, however, is often faster than driving - particularly over short distances and when the roads are packed. It's easier for cyclists to bypass traffic jams, for instance, and they don't need much space at all to park once they arrive at work.
Encouraging employees to cycle to work and on business can result in a healthier, more productive workforce too. It is a known fact that cyclists tend to take fewer days off sick and save a company money.
There are a number of ways in which an employer can become cycle-friendly. In particular, they can:
- Enter a workplace challenge
- Offer a range of tax incentives
- Introduce a 'green' travel plan
- Make a fleet of 'pool' bikes available
- Support a workplace 'Bicycle Users' Group' (BUG)
- Provide washing, changing and drying facilities
- Provide safe, secure and convenient cycle parking facilities
The next few pages tell you more about all of the above ...
For Cycling UK's formal policy on cycle commuting and cycle-friendly employers, see our campaigns briefing. This briefing includes facts and figures, along with a range of background information.
Workplace challenges
Workplace challenges provide an engaging and successful way of promoting cycling at a workplace. They often involve organisations competing against each other to see who can get most people cycle-commuting. The results are impressive.
See the first National Workplace Cycle Challenge from Cycling UK, Cyclescheme and Love to Ride (2015), for example.
Tax incentives
These include:
- Mileage allowance - this is currently 20p a mile for staff using their own cycles whilst on business. As cyclists don't have to buy petrol, their mileage cost of is substantially lower than driving (45p a mile). This makes cycling a real, cost-efficient alternative, particularly over short distances, or in conjunction with travel by public transport for longer journeys.
- The loan of cycles/safety equipment/ (e.g. helmets, reflective clothing, child seats etc);
- The Cycle to Work Scheme, which allows employers to rent cycles for commuting purposes to staff, who then pay less tax.
Our guide to tax incentives goes into more detail.
Travel plans
These consist of a collection of practical measures to reduce car use for commuting journeys and for business travel. The Essential Guide to Travel Planning, from the Department for Transport, is a useful resource.
Pool bikes
A fleet of cycles, allowing employees to book out a machine for any kind of journey is a good way of building up a cycling culture at a workplace. It offers staff an efficient, cost effective and convenient transport option, especially for local meetings, travel between sites or lunchtime errands.
Strict health and safety requirements do apply to the provision of pool bikes. Cycle training for staff, insurance and liability issues are discussed in Transport for London's Pool Bikes for Business, a guide which offers much useful advice.
Showers, lockers and drying facilities
Showers help make some people much happier about cycling to work, especially during the summer. Many workplaces already offer showering facilities for their workforce in general, and they also benefit people who jog, go to the gym or exercise during their lunch breaks.
Lockers are useful for storing cycling clothes during the day and in the winter, having somewhere to dry them out after a rainy trip, is extremely welcome. This facility may be nothing more complex than a dedicated cupboard, with hanging rails and an efficient dehumidifier.
Bicycle User Groups (BUGs)
Supporting an active BUG, or a group of employees who share an interest in cycling, will help an organisation provide well for cyclists. In a large organisation, a BUG might meet regularly to discuss cycling issues; in a smaller workforce, an email list or dedicated noticeboard might suffice.
Some BUGs have stated aims, such as making the workplace more cycle-friendly; others are primarily for socialising or company on the ride home.
BUGs can:
- Recommend traffic-free or quiet routes to and from work;
- Provide tips on repairs and maintenance
- Help novice cyclists by acting as 'bike buddies' on their journey to and from work
- Order and supply leaflets/maps etc
- Meet with management to talk about cycling
- Organise rides, events, presentations etc
For more, see our guide to setting up and running a BUG.
Cycle parking
Secure and convenient cycle parking at workplaces makes all the difference – and accommodating several cycles is much less costly than providing space for just one car.
Ideally, cycle parking should be near the premises, easy to reach, covered, secure and well designed. If there is nowhere outside to build a shelter, there may be somewhere indoors that could be converted into lockable bike storage. Wall hooks are good space-savers (inside or outside).
Transport for London has published a good guide to workplace cycle parking.
The NHS - Britain's biggest employer
If you work in the health sector, promoting cycling to staff and the people seeking its services, makes a contribution to boosting the levels of physical activity. It also helps reduce the risks associated with driving to work - the NHS generates around 5% of all journeys.
Liability fears
Some employers' are reluctant to promote cycling actively because they - or more probably their Health and Safety advisers - are worried about liability issues.
Firstly and most importantly, cycling is not an unduly risky activity - a point we back up in our briefing on Road Safety and Cycling.
Secondly, Cycling UK argues that it is not the employer who's putting people at the risk by promoting cycling; instead, the threat comes from hostile road conditions (e.g. bad driving, poor infrastructure etc). In fact, by encouraging cycling rather than driving, employers are making road conditions safer because cyclists do very little harm to other road users.

subset: commoncrawl


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I finally got some shots from my backyard aquaponics system together!
It is a fluidized gravel bed system with approximately 140 gallons (530 liter) water volume with 60 gallons (230 liters) of 3/8" (.95 cm) pea gravel for media.
The rearing tank is a 110 gallon oval stock tank with a center bottom drain. It currently houses 6 shubunkin goldfish and 1 coy.
The center bottom drain is fitted with an elbow and piped horizintally into a plastic barrel. This barrel houses two pumps and bio-balls and is areated with a pond air pump. The small areation pump constantly runs and leads back to the top of the rearing tank. It has an elbow to give the large tank a slow clockwise rotation. The larger pump is controlled by a timer and floods the Grow bed through a PVC distribution network.
My grow bed is wood framed with a PVC pond liner. It is 4'x4'x8" deep, and is based on the square foot gardening method from Mel Bartholomew. Each of the (16) 1' squares is fed from two sides by the distribution network. The bed takes about 1 minute to fill to the top, activating the two auto siphon drains bulkheaded (ghetto stye) to the front of the growbed. They suck the grow bed down to about 1" of water in less than a minute. The rapid draining action is important because it creates suction and draws oxygen down into the gravel.
At about 1", there is less pressure pushing on the siphons and they reach equilibrium with the pump. The water is still running, but it is acting like a trickle system now. When the pump turns off, the siphons will break leaving about 1/2" in the bottom of the bed. There is about 2" of course lava rock under the gravel to improve flow. The siphons drains create a rapid counter-clockwise vortex in the rearing tank. Pump times are 5 to 15 minutes depending on the time of day. The pump runs every two hours by day, four hours by night with a 6 hour rest period from midnight to 6am.
Current water parameters
Total Ammonia .5ppm
Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Biggest problem right now is temperature stability. I plan to insulate both the rearing tank and the pump tank.
Next biggest problem. Spider mites!! I plan to spray the plants with a capsicum and garlic solution and try not to get it in the water directly! I have to admit that my bio-security sucks in this setup. I sooo wish I had a greenhouse, but you gotta start somewhere!!


text: Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni (Jones et al.) Veron and Chatelain (ATCC® 43446D-5™) Click here to learn about our Enhanced Authentication Initiative Strain Designations: Genomic DNA from Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni Strain MK104 [ATCC® 43446™] / Type Strain: no / Biosafety Level: 1 General Information Characteristics History Documentation Print Email Share Share this product Facebook Twitter Google+ Permits and Restrictions View Permits Verified By Whole-genome Sequencing Strain Designations Genomic DNA from Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni Strain MK104 [ATCC® 43446™] Biosafety Level 1 Biosafety classification is based on U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines, it is the responsibility of the customer to ensure that their facilities comply with biosafety regulations for their own country. Product Format dried Total DNA: At least 5 µg in 1X TE buffer Preceptrol® no Type Strain no Comments This preparation of high molecular weight DNA is appropriate for use in the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)* process and other molecular biology applications.*the PCR process is covered by patents owned by Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. Use of the PCR process requires a license. Name of Depositor ATCC Special Collection ATCC, DNA Cross References Nucleotide (GenBank) : AF167344 Campylobacter jejuni O:19 lipooligosaccharide biosynthesis locus, partial sequence. Permits These permits may be required for shipping this product: Customers located in the state of Hawaii will need to contact the Hawaii Department of Agriculture to determine if an Import Permit is required. A copy of the permit or documentation that a permit is not required must be sent to ATCC in advance of shipment. Basic Documentation Product Sheet Certificate of Analysis SDS FAQs Accessing genome sequencing dataDate Updated: 9/30/2019 Criteria for reference quality genomesDate Updated: 9/30/2019


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Two men with very fancy pants will collide on the televised portion of Strikeforce's next major event.
DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki (26-5 MMA, 0-1 SF) fights Lyle Beerbohm (16-1 MMA, 5-1 SF) at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," which takes place April 9 at Valley View Casino Center, and the event's main card airs on Showtime.
A Strikeforce official today confirmed the signed bout to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) after MMA-Japan.com earlier stated that the matchup was a done deal.
Aoki and Beerbohm have two things in common: a love of colorful shorts, and a need for redemption in Strikeforce.
Aoki made his promotional debut this past April at the CBS-televised "Strikeforce: Nashville" and faced champion Gilbert Melendez. In a one-sided and largely dull affair, he was controlled by the Cesar Gracie protege en route to a unanimous decision loss.
The fighter now known as "The Baka Survivor" rebounded with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Marcus Aurelio and Yokthai Sithoar in non-title bouts, but was knocked out cold in his most recent appearance, a mixed-rules bout against kickboxer Yuichiro Nagashima at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2010."
Meanwhile, Beerbohm is looking to erase the memory of his most recent fight, a unanimous decision loss to Pat Healy this past month that signified his first professional setback in 17 fights.
In his previous Strikeforce appearances, Beerbohm carries notable victories over Rafaello Oliveira, Duane Ludwig and Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro.
For more on "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.


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Solar Forward advances, names Hacienda CDC as next site
Through installation of approximately 2,000 systems by businesses and residents, Portland has seen its local solar electric capacity grow from under 4 MW to over 15 MW in the past five years. BPS's online Solar Map offers a dynamic way to view the growth and locations of residential and commercial solar installations throughout the metro area over the past decade.
Over the last two years, the clean energy team at BPS has researched various approaches to community solar. In 2013 generous funding from the Oregon Community Foundation's Penstemon Fund, Portfolio 21 Investments, Portland Development Commission, SolarWorld, Umpqua Bank and Wells Fargo launched the Solar Forward project. Solar Forward is a crowd-sourcing initiative that offers Portlanders a way to support the development of new, clean, local renewable energy.
At a recent media event, Hacienda Community Development Corporation (CDC) was named as the next solar installation site for Solar Forward. Hacienda CDC is a Latino community development corporation that strengthens families by providing affordable housing, homeownership support, economic advancement and educational opportunities.
The roof of Hacienda's new futsal court, part of the Ortiz Center, will soon host a 10 kilowatt solar photovoltaic array. The electricity from the system will offset some of the power used for the court's lights as well as the community center.
"Hacienda has long believed that environmental amenities should be available to Portlanders of all income levels," said Victor Merced, executive director, Hacienda Community Development Corporation. "We are excited for the opportunity to build on our commitment to green building in Cully with the addition of this partnership with Solar Forward."
Next steps for Solar Forward include coordinating a competitive RFP process to select a solar installation contractor later this spring. Visit www.portlandoregon.gov/bps/solarforward to keep up with project news.
Help Solar Forward build more solar in Cully!
Donate at bit.ly/supportsolar


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CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Best-selling Australian author Bryce Courtenay, whose first and final books drew on his tough early-life experiences in Africa, has died of stomach cancer. He was 79.
He started writing in midlife and called his first novels "practice books," but his debut was a success. "The Power of One" was published in 1989, translated into 12 languages and became a hit movie.
His publisher Penguin Group said Friday that Courtenay died at his family home in the Australian capital Canberra late Thursday, surrounded by his family and pets.
His 21st novel, "Jack of Diamonds," was published Nov. 12 and included a moving epilogue to his readers.
"It's been a privilege to write for you and to have you accept me as a storyteller in your lives," he wrote. "Now, as my story draws to an end, may I say only, 'Thank you. You have been simply wonderful.'"
Courtenay was born the illegitimate son of a dressmaker on Aug. 14, 1933, in the mountain town of Barberton in what is now the Limpopo province of South Africa.
By the age of 17, he was working in the dangerous mines of what is now Zimbabwe. The work paid his way to Britain, where he studied at the London School of Journalism. He met an Australian, Benita Solomon, whom he followed to her hometown of Sydney in 1958 and married.
He fell into a career in advertising with U.S. agency McCann Erikson at the age of 26 and rose to creative director. He had an epiphany at the age of 50 when he decided to fulfill a lifelong ambition to be a novelist.
"The Power of One" was to be the first of three "practice books" Courtenay planned to write over three years before taking two years to write a fourth book which he hoped would find a publisher.
"I was absolutely staggered when somebody wanted to publish it in the first place," Courtenay said in his official biography released by Penguin.
"Now its worldwide success and the fact that it's available in 12 languages still amazes me," he said. It became a movie starring Morgan Freeman.
Courtenay dedicated its sequel, "Tandia," to his third son, Damon, who died of medically acquired AIDS at the age of 24 in 1991 — two months before the book was published.
That tragedy inspired his third book, "April Fool's Day," that deals with the public fear of AIDS and was published in 1993.
In June, doctors told Courtenay that there was no hope of curing his stomach cancer.
Bob Sessions, Courtenay's longstanding publisher at Penguin, said the author would produce a 600-page book in six months, sometimes writing for more than 12 hours a day.
"He was a born storyteller and I would tell him he was a latter-day Charles Dickens with his strong and complex plots, larger-than-life characters and his ability to appeal to a large number of readers," Sessions said.
Courtenay divorced his first wife, Benita, in 2000. She died in 2007 aged 72.
He married his partner of seven years, Christine Gee, last year. He is also survived by his sons Brett and Adam.


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There are no Upcoming Shows listed for this comedian.
Shayla Rivera
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Shayla Rivera grew up with an avid interest in science. After High School she earned a degree in aerospace engineering from Texas A&M. She worked for NASA in the shuttle and space station programs, then went on to stress management and motivational speaking where Shayla discovered her comedic talents.
Shayla has been named "Funniest Latina Comedian" by the prestigious organization "Latin 2015", starred in her one-woman show "Rocket Science and Salsa," directed by Debbie Allen, which received two nominations, for best actress and for choreography, by the NAACP Theater Awards committee, and has appeared on many TV networks and on numerous TV programs including "Girls Behaving Badly," "Ultimate Revenge", and "Comics Unleashed." Shayla appeared in the Comedy Central special "Comedy Rehab" with Paul Rodriguez and hosted the 13 episode TV series "You're Not The Man I Married" for the Lifetime Real Women Network.
Among the many awards Shayla has received are The President's Volunteer Service Award from the President's Council on Service Participation and The "Mario Moreno Cantinflas Award" by the city of Los Angeles in recognition of entertainers who are involved and "represent the Latino Community with the same humor as the great Cantinflas did."
Shayla is very proud of entertaining US troops in Iraq and numerous other Military Comedy Tours over the years. Not only is Shayla a well recognized comedian, she is a motivational keynote speaker and often the host for gala's, fundraisers, award shows and festivals.
Shayla Rivera's Upcoming Shows
Shayla Rivera is Known For
|Lifetime TV's "You're Not The Man I Married"
|Reality Show
|TV Host
|Comedy Tours in Iraq
|Comics Unleashed
|Comedy Central
|With Paul Rodriguez


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Discover for free which first names would suit you or your baby !
Meaning of name Amos
Etymology : Means "carried" in Hebrew
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Origin : English
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Gender : boy
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Who are they?
Lively, communicative and adaptable, Amos and Franco are charming and very likeable. They remain somewhat reserved in order to protect their individuality and privacy, but they are nevertheless quite sociable characters who combine introversion and extroversion depending on how they feel at the time. They have a talent for expression and enjoy communicating with others, although their secret garden remains out of bounds. Rather wary at first, they are nonetheless frank and direct; however they need to feel reassured and comfortable before taking their personal relationships to the next level. On the other hand, once you have won them over they prove to be delightfully lively and talkative. It is often a case of all or nothing with them! Their independence is very dear to them and they aren´t lacking in imagination. Cheerful and optimistic, they have a good sense of humour and enjoy games, having fun and indulging in life´s pleasures. They sometimes have a gift for impersonation which they may use to convince, sell or simply amuse themselves. Curious and inquisitive, Amos and Franco are fond of knowledge and culture however they can also be rather eclectic and unfocused. It is precisely this inclination to instability or superficiality that will need to be monitored when they are children. Creative or theatrical activities are highly recommended, as is the learning of foreign languages. They are likely to be fascinated by modern technology, so a computer could be a very welcome addition to the family home.
What do they like?
Because they can be quite intellectual creatures, Amos and Franco are often fascinated by analysis, research and anything avant-garde or out of the ordinary - they don´t like to follow the beaten track... When it comes to love, they are rather enigmatic, alternately secretive and mysterious then animated by passion, capable of taking a step forward followed by two steps backwards... Could they be afraid of commitment, getting hurt or simply loving another person? They essentially seek a partner who shares the same interests, values and convictions.
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What do they do?
Communication seems to be their path of predilection, so they could be attracted to a career in teaching, marketing, languages, singing, acting, comedy, literature or journalism (especially if they were born on a 3rd, 12th, 21st or 30th; or if they have a life Path Number of 3)..., the specialized professions such as information technology (especially if they were born on a 7th, 16th or 25th; or if they have a life Path Number of 7), a career in liaison with travel, sales or advertising. Because they like change, they could be well suited to temporary work... (especially if they were born on the 5th, 14th or 23rd day of the month, or if their life Path Number is 5).
Discover others boys first names : Amabilis Amable Amadej
*To note: :
It sometimes happens that two different first names have the same meaning. This has nothing surprising: both first names have the same figures of numerology. It is as in astrology: two persons belonging to the same sign present the same characteristic...
Names compatibility
Test the compatibility of your names to know if your love relation is lucky to succeed. Friendship, love or passion?
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Your Name Horoscope !
Thanks to the numerology, we propose you daily a horoscope personalized for your first name. Love, money , Shape: discover what waits for you for today. In Bonus every day find your daily lucky figure .. Horoscope of the first names
Love :Couples: Harmony will once again reign between the two of you. Singles: Make the most of your own company, you are unlikely to meet "the one" today.
Money :Today is a perfect day to clarify your financial objectives.
Health:You're lacking in calcium and vitamin D Amos . Get enough sunshine and eat plenty of brocolli to keep your bones healthy!
Your Lucky number : 49


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Symmetric and assymetric counters
Posted by picard578 on October 12, 2013
War consists of solving problems that prevent accoplishment of the goal; this is also present in weapons design. This design involves compromises and weapon that is intended to be equally good at everything always turns out to be equally useless at everything. But this presents a question of what areas to focus upon and which solution to use for the specific problem. Solution can be obvious (symmetric), like countering enemy weapon by negating it with identical weapon, or countering need for greater range by increasing fuel load of an aircraft. It can also be assymetrical, by exploiting weaknesses in enemy approach, such as negating advantage offered by his weapon by preventing conditions required for its use from forming, or improving range of aircraft by reducing drag. Third possibility is semi-symmetrical, such as using identical weapon as enemy's while reducing enemy weapon's performance, or improving range of aircraft by using tanker, thus increasing its effective fuel capacity.
Ground combat
Problem: enemy has larger number of tanks superior in straight combat
Symmetric counter: design a tank that will be better armored and armed than opponent's
Semi-symmetric counter: use tank destroyers
Assymetric counter: use infantry and CAS aircraft
Examination: While it would be obvious to use tanks against tanks, opponent's superior numbers and per-tank quality mean that it is not a smart idea. Designing a "superior" tank would increase cost and reduce number of tanks avaliable even more. Thus, tanks are best left to hunt soft targets, such as fuel trucks and supply dumps. Tank destroyers, basically a huge anti-tank gun at tank chassis, are a relatively cheap and very effective counter to enemy tanks. Drawback is that they are less effective than tanks for supporting infantry, but if tank destroyers are tasked with destroying enemy tanks, actual tanks are left free to do exactly that. Infantry itself has proven to be extremely dangerous to tanks in urban or hilly areas (only areas where tanks are relatively safe from infantry are steppes and deserts) but on its own it lacks maneuver capabilities of tracked vehicles; APCs are almost as large targets as tanks while being at heavy disadvantage against them. CAS aircraft such as Stuka and P-47 in WW2 or modern-day A-10 have historically proven extremely valuable in destroying enemy armored vehicles, but unlike ground vehicles they can't be constantly present on the battlefield regardless of weather. Thus, combination of semi-symmetric and assymetric counter is optimal approach, whereas symmetric counter is relatively costly and ineffective. Even if opponent's quality and quantity of tanks can be matched, it may not be a smart idea as it might lead to ignoring tanks' true purpose: destruction of enemy support elements behind combat lines.
Air combat
Problem: enemy has aircraft with long-range radar
Symmetric counter: use aircraft with longer-ranged radar
Semi-symmetric counter: use stealth aircraft
Assymetric counter: use RWR to target enemy aircraft
Examination: again, symmetric counter is an obvious solution. Assuming that two aircraft have comparable RCS, one with larger radar will be able to detect another first. Stealth aircraft, instead of increasing one's own radar range, focus on decreasing opponent's radar range by decreasing one's own RCS. Both approaches lead to large, expensive aircraft with compromised performance. They also ignore the fact that user of radar is in same position as a person using flashlight in the dark: its user might find the enemy, but enemy will see emissions from his radar/flashlight far sooner than enemy himself is noticed, and even if detection device is not directed in a way that allows user of device to detect the enemy even from relatively close range. Radar warners are relatively cheap, and work by detecting enemy radar emissions – effectively forcing everyone to shut down their radars or at least use them very sparingly, thus eliminating radar's theoretical detection advantage – and rendering heavy radar-based fighters impotent. In this view, both symmetric and semi-symmetric counters are bad, but semi-symmetric counter is worse due to larger costs involved.
Problem: enemy is using VLO fighters
Symmetric counter: use VLO fighters
Semi-symmetric counter: use aircraft with long-ranged radar
Assymetric counter: use IRST and RWR
Examination: symmetric counter is again the most obvious one: if enemy has stealth aircraft, best way would obviously be to counter them with stealth aircraft of one's own. Most obvious and easiest way it is, but it is far from being the best one. Stealth fighters are hugely expensive to both procure and maintain, reducing force presence as well as pilots' skill. Second counter is to use aircraft with longer-ranged radar. This is even worse in some ways, as strong radar signal allows one to be detected very early on, and potentially attacked without seeing the enemy. Plus side is that it allows some amount of numerical superiority over the enemy. Third counter means remaining completely passive. If enemy uses radar, he will be detected first and may be in danger of being attacked completely passively. If enemy stops using radar (an only logical action), he automatically removes any advantage gained by using stealth aircraft. Thus assymetric counter allows for countering very expensive enemy capability comparably cheaply and effectively, whereas other two counters are far inferior to it from both tactical and strategic viewpoints.
Problem: range of aircraft being designed has to be increased
Symmetric counter: increase internal fuel capacity
Semi-symmetric counter: allow for more drop tanks or conformal tanks
Assymetric counter: reduce drag and increase fuel fraction by reducing aircraft's empty weight
Examination: Symmetric counter to problem of range, to increase internal fuel capacity, means that aircraft has to get larger and heavier. This in turn increases drag and forces stronger engines, which increases fuel consumption, starting a circle of weight and size increase – which in turn increases cost and decreases combat performance. Semi-symmetric counter allows aircraft to have comparably low fuel fraction by relying on sources of fuel other than its internal fuel tanks. Drop tanks can be discarded when needed, but they also increase drag and reduce maximum speed – consequence being that 25% increase in fuel capacity only translates into 10-15% increase in range. Another problem is that they take up external hardpoints, reducing aircraft's ability to carry weapons; they also have to be discarded if a fighter aircraft using them gets into combat (Eurofighter Typhoon's centerline tank might be an exception). Assymetric counter results in a more efficient aircraft, reducing fuel consumption and making aircraft lighter. This allows relatively small fighter to have very good range, and reduces both cost of aircraft and cost of fuel required to carry out a mission. As a result, assymetric counter is by far best one, though semi-symmetric one can be used as a patch when even more range is required by an already finished design. Assymetric counter also has additional benefit of improving aircraft's dogfight performance.
Problem: fighter aircraft has to have a good turn rate
Symmetric counter: increase wing area
Semi-symmetric counter: use high-lift devices and wing-body blending to increase lift
Assymetric counter: eliminate excess equipment to reduce weight
Examination: Symmetric counter is obviously worst; increase in wing area leads to increase in drag and increase in weight due to larger wing, stronger structure and stronger engine required to counter increased drag and stresses; this in turns requires even larger wing, resulting in growth spiral with lift and thrust chasing weight and drag. Semi-symmetric counter has no such problems, and provides for increase in lift-to-weight ratio without almost any adverse effects; however, it does not adress issue of inertia and thrust-to-weight ratio stays the same. Reducing weight allows for both increased lift-to-weight ratio, thrust-to-weight ratio as well as decreased inertia. Assymetric counter also eliminates both excess weight and excess equipment, reducing cost and improving reliability. But since weight reduction is limited by other requirements such as structural strength, range and provisions for pilot and weapons, combination of semi-symmetric and assymetric counter is the best idea in this case.
Naval combat
Problem: enemy has aircraft carriers
Symmetric counter: produce aircraft carriers
Semi-symmetric counter: use VTOL aircraft to turn any ship into impromptu aircraft carrier
Assymetric counter: procure more submarines and/or anti-ship cruise missiles
Examination: Symmetric counter in this case has both advantages and drawbacks, as do other two. Aircraft carriers can be useful transport ships and symbols of power (gunboat diplomacy). They also allow air support when establishing and maintaining beachheads, without requirement for a friendly nation being nearby. However, they are very expensive and visible; this, as well as their diplomatic clout, quickly turns them into magnets for varios types of high explosives. Semi-symmetric counter allows for ship-based air support without aircraft carriers; however, VTOL fighters are inherently incapable of outmaneuvering competently flown CTOL and STOL air superiority fighters and are thus at disadvantage even without accounting for huge production and maintenance costs. AIP submarines and anti-ship cruise missiles are excellent way to counter enemy aircraft carrier but also lack carrier's versatility, particularly for diplomatic role. Because of this, procuring low-cost conventional aircraft carriers as well as submarines and cruise missiles is the best option.
Problem: enemy is using AIP submarines
Symmetric counter: use AIP submarines of your own
Semi-symmetric counter: use nuclear submarines
Assymetric counter: use aircraft
Examination: as AIP submarines are very quiet and tend to stick around in littoral waters, where there is lot of noise interference, they are very hard to notice. Also, their small size means that they can maneuver in littoral waters comparably well. This means that using nuclear submarines to counter them is right out of window, as nuclear submarine's size will get it murdered against smaller and stealthier AIP submarine. Using AIP submarines is a comparably good solution, but one has to be prepared to lose few of them. Aircraft, on the other hand, are mostly invulnerable to submarines, and can be equipped with magnetic anomaly detector which is likely quite capable of detecting any submarine, even AIP ones (though it will still be more effective against nuclear submarines; and while there are ways to reduce submarine's magnetic signature, these are bound to be more effective when used on AIP submarines). Thus combination of symmetric and assymetric counters is the best option.
It can be seen that assymetric counters are very effective and cheap, but require understanding of nature of warfare, and are thus more difficult to properly implement. They are sometimes inferior in roles other than direct combat with whatever they were intended to counter, however, which means that in some cases more expensive weapons and approaches still have a role on the battlefield (for example, aircraft carriers). While assymetric and semi-symmetric counters can easily complement themselves to achieve low-cost dominance over the enemy, symmetric counters are in most cases inferior to and more expensive than such combination. This is consistent with the fact that winning a war is done by leveraging one's strength against opponent's weakness.
20 Responses to "Symmetric and assymetric counters"
October 12, 2013 at 4:17 pm
Excellent topic. I would like to add a little more to the Naval side.
In Naval fighting asymmetrical warfare involves using relatively inexpensive weapons to exploiting weakness in enemy weapons that are far more expensive and seemingly far more powerful. In the old days a dreadnought type battle ship was armed will all big guns and while overwhelmingly powerful in fleet action it could not defend itself against small boats armed with torpedoes.
In WW1 two Austrian dreadnought type battle ships where sunk by Italian speed boats using torpedoes. That certainly made the point that small boats armed with torpedoes could be lethal to even the largest battle ship.
To fight very fast small ships armed with torpedoes you require a more maneuverable ship with guns that have a higher rate of fire than those huge guns that the battleship had. The ship type that we know today as "destroyers" was developed just for this purpose. It was originally called "torpedo boat destroyers" but that name was eventually shortened to "destroyer". The destroyers had another quality; they where sea going ships with high endurance and more than enough speed to stay with the fleet so they became very useful in other missions but protecting against torpedo boats was their original one.
Incidents like the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan in 2009 by a North Korean midget submarine, the damaging of the Cole in 2000 by a small boat loaded with explosives, the Iranian speed boats swarm tactics that have been staged against US Navy ships, the planting of mines by sailors disguised as fishermen, the use of floating mines for terror, taking over off-shore oil rigs with small boats all the latter tactics used by Iranians, pirates in Somalia, weapon and drug smugglers in Africa and the Caribbean, etc. are examples of the type of asymmetrical warfare that we need to contend with in our days. All dirt cheap resources that target narrow vulnerabilities in much larger and much more powerful ones. Almost all of these incidents occurring in littoral areas or their near waters that can be reached by small boats. Almost all of them in lawless areas of the world or near rogue states like Iran and North Korea.
A big problem in dealing with these threats is that the littoral waters are busy commercial arteries.The Straits of Malacca sees nearly 170 ships go through it every single day, day after day. And in some parts of the world the sea is a vital sources of food. People living in the littoral waters are often forced to go to the sea even if there is conflict and war. Their alternative would be the halting of an industrial economy by lack of raw materials or hunger to subsistence seafaring communities in non-industrial economies. So not going to the sea is not an alternative for either. In this fighting environment the "good guys" has to find a single "foe" among a huge number of "innocents" using littoral resources for trade or living.
The United States is trying to develop resources and alternative tactics to deal with these threats. Eventually these alternative tactics might become as ubiquitous as destroyers are now. But at this time there is a lot of experimenting going on.
But a very real problem that was and continues to be into our day is that the asymmetrical threat is by definition far less expensive than its counter. Just like in the old days the "destroyer" was a far more expensive ship than the torpedo boat today the frigates and littoral combat ships that are designed to suppress a swarm attack or prevent the take over of an oil rig by small boats are also more expensive to built and maintain in station than the threat they counter.
The good news is that you can't win a Naval war with asymmetrical resources. At least I do not know of any that has ever been won like that. If the damage from these asymmetrical tactics becomes too bothersome the the Naval powers affected they will bring overwhelming resources to bear and the threat will go away.
Asymmetrical warfare is not the same as access denial type of naval warfare. The latter while less expensive it does use modern equipment and technology and it allows a smaller or less wealthy nation a degree of protection since the resources required to overwhelm this type of defense are typically available only to large Navies. Patrol boats and corvettes, shore based missile-batteries, diesel electric submarines, moored mines and patrol air crafts of all sorts are normal for this type of warfare and as you can see it requires technological expertise and it is expensive but not quite as expensive as an ocean going fleet that projects power beyond your shores. You will find excellent examples of Navies built around this concept among the Baltic nations.
October 13, 2013 at 6:03 pm
I agree… cost is not a guarantee of adequacy. The USA is no stranger to making expensive mistakes.
And the comments about the A-10 and the F-16 are right on the money. Efficient and effective. There is nothing out there to take their place.
I loved the comment that you made about range of aircrafts. It is one of my favorite topics to read about. Extending range and loiter time via aerial refueling is one of the lynch-pins of the USA way of air war.
The aerial tankers make the USA missions more efficient… the aircrafts can stay on station and use more or all their weapon load in each mission. So every sortie the USA makes is more efficient than those of their enemies. Eliminating the aerial refueling could place the USA aircrafts in the same situation as the British where with their Vulcans during the Falkland War or the German fighters during the Battle of Britain… very inefficient strikes or fighters very little time to fight (defeated because they lack the fuel to keep on fighting).
Since aerial tankers will be defended to the last war-plane then knocking them out in conventional air war will be very hard. An alternative tactic to compensate for that advantage could be for the enemy to operate just like you said. Using air crafts that have more endurance and in larger numbers.
But also important would be to use aircrafts that can fly significantly more sorties per day… more sorties per day could help make a few look like many. This has been done by the Israelis and the USA Navy with their aircraft carriers.
More sorties also leads to more losses. The USA Air force had a tolerable rate of loss per sortie with their B52 flying over Vietnam BUT since they flew so many sorties that rate accumulated to a loss of a significant number of total air crafts. This point is sometime missed… more sorties = more losses.
So more sorties could be another solution.
An asymmetrical tactic might be not to have an airforce. This is the path that Hamas and Hezbollah have been forced into in their fights with Israel. Same thing for their Navy… they have none. They use asymmetrical tactics like hiding rockets among the urban mass and using public opinion to defend them. Like all asymmetrical tactics this one can be defeated but firing at urban centers no matter with what level of exactitude will include collateral damage and that is a problem in today's world of limited war.
October 15, 2013 at 5:27 pm
Correct. Not just any aircraft could fly from Guam to Vietnam and back with a load of huge bombs so the loss of a B52 represented the loss of a scarce and finite resource while the loss of a SAM represented the loss of a resource that was in ample supply and active production and could be replaced. What you mentioned about the F22 and the Gripen is understood the same way.
I have to think that at some point in time that technology from the F22 and the F35 will find its way into cheaper aircrafts that can be made in larger numbers. The cost of those new aircrafts will seem reasonable if the development of the technology is already behind and paid for with the F-35 production.
October 15, 2013 at 11:49 pm
Another thing you have to consider is if the F-22 and the Gripen are in a bombing mission f-22 can only carry 2 1,000 pound bombs for a payload of 2,000 pounds in it's stealthy mode. Gripen can carry 11,700 pounds or ordinance, so not only more planes and more sorties but significantly more ordnance as well, if you compare all this it is a huge difference. True f-22 can carry more but not in the stealth mode.
October 16, 2013 at 6:26 pm
So how does the F22 fit into the USA Airforce plans? That is the question. It probably does fit in missions like targeting enemy radar early in a conflict when flying is the most dangerous and that might justify the low tonnage as long as the aircraft remains hard to find by radar.
I think that another question is would a small regional air force on a budget buy an F22 or an F35? I think the obvious answer is no. The cost, the tonnage, the sorties, etc. make it a poor choice for such an air force. Not just the cost of the F22 and F35 but the cost of the other aircrafts that go with it… the AWACS, the electronic warfare aircrafts, the tankers, etc.
Or what should you use for the sundry missions that take place after the enemy air force is suppressed? I do not think the F22 or the F35 are a good choice either. I believe that at some point the USA will need to come up with lower cost aircrafts. The technology might be borrowed from the F22 and F35 once it is paid for with that production but will be used on airplanes that would be more aptly described as descendants of the A-10 and the F16.
October 17, 2013 at 1:33 am
HGR you have alot of good points, and I agree with what your saying, I feel the F-22 at 425 million and the F-35 at 250 million with all development costs in is simple to costly with to much maintenance, small payloads, I mean imagine flying these planes in Afghanistan against the Taliban in the heat and fine sand flying all over the place from windstorms? what a nightmare that woud be, they can hardly get them to fly in perfect conditions.
If I was a dictator of a smaller country for the cost of 16 f-22 of 7.0 billion (I know the F-22 is no longer in production, and the usa would not sell the F-22 to anyone let alone a dictator)
I would buy…
40 PAK-FA for 4 billion, (I believe it to be the best fighter in the world once introduced for air supremacy and high end air dominance at a fraction of the trouble, costs and maintenance of the F-22) No plane on the planet will be able to do what the PAK-FA can at the cost it likely to be sold for, like stealth, sensor fusion, top end IRST, 5th gen ecm, 360 degree surveillance, High power Aesa radar, super maneuverability, super cruise etc…
60 Su-34 fighter bombers for 2.1 billion for strike missions or to be used in longer lower intensity wars like Chechnya, Afghanistan, or at higher altitudes, once another major airforce is at least partially suppressed.. Su-34 are cheap to buy, run, operate and can take off and land on short unprepared runways close to were they are needed and carry 8 tons of smart munitions, a armored flying tank that can fly under the radar day or night and be more able to invade radar completely compared to f-22 or f-35, including radars of all frequencies not just x-band.
60 new upgraded A-10d for 900 million, we know how useful these are in all kinds of wars for direct air support for ground troops and tank hunting and other missions. Again these are they are cheap to buy, run, operate and can take of and load on short unprepared runways close to were they are needed.
Total cost
4 billion + 2.1 bilion +900 million Total 7 billion for 160 aircraft
Same price but you can do so many more missions and you have an airforce much better and that is 10 times larger. Plus the F-22 stealth is not as stealthy as most think anyways.
October 17, 2013 at 9:21 pm
I would not underestimate the way the military uses technology that is already paid for to make a new project look good to congress.
The following comment is just one example, in this instance a jet engine that was developed for the B-1 and once it was paid in that program then used in others. It comes from Wikipedia…
" The B-1A's engine was modified slightly to produce the GE F101-102 for the B-1B, with an emphasis on durability, and increased efficiency.[72] The core of this engine has since been re-used in several other engine designs, including the GE F110 which has seen use in the F-14 Tomcat, F-15K/SG variants and most recent versions of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.[73] It is also the basis for the non-afterburning GE F118 used in the B-2 Spirit and the U-2S.[73] The F101 engine was the basis for the core of the extremely popular CFM56 civil engine, which can be found on some versions of practically every small-to-medium sized airliner"
In military budget accounting once a technology is paid for then it is free for others within the same military to use. You can argue that if they had followed GAAP the B1 was a less expensive aircraft than advertised and the F-14, F-16, B2 and U2S more expensive since the engine technology developed for B1 would have been amortized through-out the full production run of all five aircrafts types and not just one.
And of course the Civilian engines derived from that same B1 technology "which can be found on some versions of practically every small-to-medium sized airliner" should have paid royalties to the B1 project so potentially there are thousands of engines out there that should have helped pay for the development of that engine.
I anticipate something like this happening with the F22 and F35 technology and that is why I hope or think that cheaper but capable aircrafts will be available in the future.
The airforce is not the only one that does this. At this moment the Navy is shamelessly raiding the already paid technology of an advance ship class named the Zumwalt for use in other ships. The 600 feet long Zumwalt's production ended at 3 because of budget overruns but its already paid technology lives on as it is being exploited for use on other ships at zero cost to the latter.
October 18, 2013 at 2:11 am
You are right HGR
Another example of this is that the F-117 in order to cut costs and be developed in a reasonable amount of time, F-117 used alot of of other aircraft technology… For example the engines and landing gear came from a f-16, many other parts came from other fighter systems as well that were mature and cheaper to use.
For the F-35 for example aesa radar, irst, das, helmet mounted display, software, glass cockpit could now all be put in other aircraft or used to upgrade u.s 4th generation aircraft, or more cheaply put on a new aircraft altogether saving costs and developmental time.
Russia is the master of doing this, look at su-27, su-30, su-30mk, su-30mki, su-34, su-35 and now the Pak-Fa, they were able to cut costs and time by doing this, that is why the Pak-Fa costs only 100 million each as some of the technology was just put on the su-35, now it is being upgraded and put on the Pak-Fa during the flight testing while newer systems are being developed to be put on the Pak-Fa model when it enters serial production in 2016, saving lots and cutting maybe 5 to 6 years off of development time, it also greatly decreases risk on the project. This is why the Pak-Fa project has experienced little problems during the first few years of flight testing so far compared to western designs and is on time and on budget, same can't be said for F-35 or F-22.
October 21, 2013 at 3:03 am
I have to add something to my top post after having to think it all over.
If you think the F-35 cost 45 billion to develop, but aesa radars already existed, so did ram coatings and flir…
das just came from flir, even though 3rd gen flir already existed, yes F-35 got a new helmet display but it does not even work yet neither is the das even working yet as they all have huge problems. Now it took R&d to figure this out but still.
I would say 70% of the 45 billion went to pork for lockhead and profit… Also there is 50 F-35 doing flight tests right now, and lockheed on the F-35 has to fix 1,000 problems per month, so they have thousands of engineers trying to fix all these initial design flaws and other problems. So they have to rip apart each jet to fix all these problems then rebuild each one then test to see if it is fixed then build new planes with this new fix hoping it cured these problems without being totally fully tested with the new fix, so the entire thing is a disaster, so alot of the money goes to just keeping these 50 jets going and keep rebuilding them..
So yes technology things can be taken out of the F-35, but if you did the R&D separately it might equal 3 billion, so 42 billion has been lost on this disaster.
So if they could get this things working, they could put das, a new glass cockpit and the newer helmet on an upgraded f-16 among others, but then even those would have to fit the f-16 and it's design so more work would have to be done to get them compatible and the right size etc, so it might not be as much as a guy thinks.
So yes lots can be taken out of the F-35 for other projects but 90%+++ of the money was wasted if you just went to design the tech separately.
Thats what I think.
October 26, 2013 at 5:55 am
[…] Symmetric and assymetric counters […]
November 11, 2016 at 5:13 pm
[…] This recalls my old post, but more detailed and better explained: https://defenseissues.net/2013/10/12/symmetric-and-assymetric-counters/ […]


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Altair Ibn-La'Ahad
Correct version: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
The navigation does not support non-standard alphanumeric characters. The corrected name version of Altair will redirect here.
- Born: January 11,1165 Masyaf,Syria
- Died: 1257(aged 92) Masyaf Syria
- Time/Period: High Middle Ages
- Affiliations: Assassins
- Appearences: Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles,Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade, Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, Assassin's Creed 2, Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad (1165–1257) was a Syrian Assassin during the Middle Ages and, from 1191 until his death, the Assassin Order's Grand Master. Raised to be an Assassin from birth, Altaïr obtained the rank of Master Assassin by his seventeenth year. However, following his failure to obtain the Apple from Robert de Sable in early 1191, and subsequently allowing the Templars to attack the city of Masyaf, headquarters to the Order of Assassins, he was demoted to the rank of novice and sent on a quest for redemption.
Tasked with the deaths of nine individuals, who, unbeknown to him, made up the ranks of the Templar Order in the Holy Land, Altaïr began a quest to change his ways and liberate the Kingdom from the corruption of the nine. After every target was assassinated by him, Altaïr would use his Eagle Sense to speak to them before they passed, and every target spoke in riddles, and he would then travel to his trusted mentor in search of more answers, only to be challenged by more riddles. Throughout his quest, Altaïr learned of a plot far more sinister than originally believed. His ninth target - Robert De Sable - revealed to Altaïr the truth about Al Mualim, that the trusted mentor was in fact a Templar himself, and thus Altaïr went on to cleanse the Assassin's Order of its treacherous leader. Altaïr, now weilding the power of the Piece of Eden, rose to the rank of Grand Master, taking the Assassins into a new, more secretive direction.Altair died vary old in his libary right after he hid the apple of eden.years later Ezio Alditore da Firenze would find him in the libary as well as the apple of eden and another key with a message showing Ezio the last moments of Altair's life.
With the Apple in hand, Altaïr changed the ways his Order lived their lives; writing the details in his fabled Codex for later generations of the Order to read. Altaïr's vision of the Assassin Order was for them to be across the world living among the people and started setting up Assassin's Guilds during his tenure as Grand Master. During his adventures Altaïr strengthened the Order, stopped the Templars various times and was able to prevent the uprising of Genghis Khan.
His name would continue to resonate through the Order in later years, greatly influencing the lives of his descendants and other Assassins in years to come. His bloodline would go on to contain an important figure in the Assassin Order, Desmond Miles.
Early life
Training as an Assassin, Altaïr was born to Assassin parents; a Christian mother and a Muslim father, Umar. While Altaïr's mother died at childbirth, his father Umar was executed by the Saracens, in retribution for him killing a nobleman of their kind during the Siege of Masyaf, with Altaïr being 11 years old at the time. Moments before the execution, Altaïr frantically called out to his father before he was killed, leading to the event causing him much grief from that point. Ahmad Sofian, the Assassin who had revealed Umar's name to the Saracens under torture, felt responsible for Umar's death and some time after the event, he infiltrated Altaïr's quarters, before apologizing to Altaïr for his weakness under pressure and proceeded to commit suicide with a dagger.
Following this, Altaïr ran to Al Mualim's quarters with haste, informing him of the situation that occurred. Al Mualim advised Altaïr that he should not disclose any information that the two had discussed - not even to Ahmad's son Abbas - especially since Altaïr and Abbas would start their training under him together. Altaïr considered Al Mualim as more of a father figure to him than his biological father, even though he was aware that Al Mualim's love was "weak and dishonest." Altaïr grew up alongside Abbas, studying together and becoming best friends, with the two always being at one another's side.
One day, Altaïr, after having noticed Abbas' continued grief over his father, decided to tell him that Ahmad had killed himself, in an effort to console him with the truth. Upon hearing it, Abbas turned around in his bed, not saying a word. The following day, the two of them didn't speak to each other, spending most of the day in silence, until Abbas asked their combat instructor Labib if they could fight with real swords, instead of the wooden practice ones. It was then that Abbas revealed his hatred to Altaïr, believing him to have lied about his father, before attacking him in a frenzy - fueled with rage.
After the battle between the two entered into a struggle, with the two of them laying in the mud, Abbas holding his knife to Altaïr's throat; Abbas yelled out that Altaïr had lied about his father, with the commotion catching the attention of the other Assassins, the villagers and of Al Mualim himself. Deciding to try and quell Abbas' anger, Altaïr claimed that he had lied, and the two of them were brought to Masyaf's dungeon, where they both spent a month, after which they had to resume their training. With his crimes deemed more severe, Abbas was forced by Al Mualim to spend an extra year in training, whilst Altaïr was made into an Assassin.
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Artist Arena creates fan websites for artists including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Rihanna. Calling itself "the expert in captivating fans", it also managed to gain the attention of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after allegations were made that the firm illegally collected information about minors.
The company is a division of the Warner Music Group after being purchased by the corporation in 2010.
In a complaint filed in a New York district court on Tuesday, the FTC accused Artist Arena of failing to obtain parental consent before collecting the names and email addresses of children, according to Reuters.
Artist Arena maintains websites RihannaNow.com, SelenaGomez.com, BieberFever.com and DemiLovatoFanClub.net . As part of the registration process, users have to submit their date of birth, email address and name. The FTC claimed that as the site knew the child's age, the company knowingly ignored regulation and did not notify their parents.
FTC spokeswoman Claudia Bourne Farrell said that the fan website company has agreed to settle the case for $1 million, pending approval by a judge.
Artist Arena allegedly collected information from over 101,000 children aged 12 and under, according to the FTC complaint. Under America's 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), websites have to comply with FTC rules on users that are under the age of thirteen. Specifically, any website that requests information from minors must have the permission of parents, a privacy policy must be in place, and a set of data collection and deletion rules must be followed.
"These were fan sites that knew that a very substantial percentage of users were 12 or under," said David C. Vladeck, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection, the New York Times reports. "There is really no excuse for violations like these."
The Federal Trade Commission is currently in the process of updating COPPA's rules to place further restrictions on data collection by websites targeted at young audiences. The act is controversial -- as some believe it impacts on freedom of speech -- and many websites refuse to accept underage users due to the additional paperwork and checks required.
This post originally appeared on sister site CNET.


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By Sue Chang and Wallace Witkowski, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Apple Inc. started off a new quarter and a new month on the wrong side of the market, slumping more than 3%, while BlackBerry rallied to close above the $15 mark.
Top tickers trending
$AAPL : Apple /zigman2/quotes/202934861/composite AAPL +3.71% had a dismal Monday, closing out the first day of April sharply lower. The consumer-electronics maker on Monday apologized after coming under criticism in China for customer-service policies which were viewed as less favorable than in other markets. The stock slid 3.1% to $428.91.
$BBRY: In contrast, BlackBerry outperformed its global peers, including Samsung Electronics Co. /zigman2/quotes/209800866/delayed KR:005930 -2.58% and Nokia Corp. /zigman2/quotes/207421390/composite NOK -17.28% , to rally 4.6% to $15.11.
$EBAY: EBay Inc. /zigman2/quotes/204653455/composite EBAY -7.46% rose 2.8% to $55.71. J.P. Morgan raised its price target to $64 from $56, citing the company's strength in retail innovation and ability to grow its retail segment as it highlighted eBay's PayPal.
$NVS: Shares of multinational pharmaceutical companies attracted attention on Monday after India's Supreme Court refused to grant a patent for a cancer drug developed by Novartis AG /zigman2/quotes/203243705/composite NVS -0.37% /zigman2/quotes/203286410/delayed CH:NOVN -1.03% in the 1990s. The Swiss company has been fighting to gain patent protection for its drug Glivec in India since 2006 in a case that could serve as a road map for future patent applications by foreign companies in India. The drug is marketed in the U.S. under the name Gleevec.
Keep your eye on Apple stock
Steven Russolillo has three key stocks to keep an eye on for Monday's trading session, including Apple.
Shares of American Greetings Corp. /zigman2/quotes/208787863/composite AM -1.32% advanced more than 12% after Koch AG Investment offered $18.20 a share to take the greeting-card company private.
GameStop Corp. /zigman2/quotes/203755179/composite GME -0.76% shares added 6.4% after the video-game retailer posted better-than-expected earnings on Thursday before the market holiday on Friday.
Humana Inc. /zigman2/quotes/203095337/composite HUM -3.99% shares climbed 8.6% on expectations that a Medicare ruling on reimbursement rates will favor health insurers.
Shares of Molson Coors Brewing Co. /zigman2/quotes/205165133/composite TAP +1.43% rose 6.1% after Goldman Sachs upgraded the brewer to a buy rating from neutral.
Quicksilver Resources Inc. shares soared 16%. Tokyo Gas Co. /zigman2/quotes/204721803/delayed JP:9531 +3.07% said Friday it would buy a 25% stake in Quicksilver's Texan shale-gas project , its first foray into U.S. shale-gas development.
Tesla Motors /zigman2/quotes/203558040/composite TSLA +1.18% shares rallied 16%. The company said sales of its Model S car exceeded the target set in February, which is prompting a change in its first-quarter guidance to full profitability. Investors may also be watching for "really exciting" news due Tuesday, according to tweets from Elon Musk .
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Shares of Micron Technology Inc. /zigman2/quotes/205710729/composite MU +0.96% dropped 6%. On Friday, Micron said unsecured creditors of Elpida Memory Inc. filed an appeal in Tokyo to a court order approving Elpida's reorganization to become a subsidiary of Micron.
Red Hat Inc. declined 4.4%, the second-worst stock in the S&P 500, following last week's earnings that showed fourth-quarter sales below estimates.
Republic Airways Holding Inc. shares slid nearly 10% amid general weakness for airline stocks.


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Cocktails and Spirits with Paul Clarke: Know Your Local Booze
Weekly insight into the world of drinks with Paul Clarke from the Cocktail Chronicles and Imbibe magazine.
With more people adopting the locavore lifestyle, it was only a matter of time before people would start drinking locally too. As Toby Cecchini writes in today's New York Times, the goal to eat-local (or more accurately, drink-local) is becoming increasingly easy to reach in the Northeast, as the number of small-scale distillers booms.
Just a few years ago, such a change didn't seem likely. When Prohibition ended more than 75 years ago, states established a confusing array of regulations that limited, among other things, they way alcohol could be produced. Rules restricting home and small-scale brewing and winemaking gradually eroded, but it's only been in recent years that small-scale distilling has become even a possibility in most states.
This has certainly been the case in the Northeast. Cecchini writes:
"Stills once thrived in the Northeast, with rum in colonial Massachusetts, applejack that made Jersey Lightning an everyday term and Monongahela ryes from Pennsylvania and Delaware that were a staple before bourbon existed. Now distilling is proliferating again, not just with farmers like [New York apple grower] Mr. Grout adding value to their crops, but with disgruntled professionals abandoning desk duty to make gin and whiskey, craft brewers and small winemakers branching out into spirits, and young urbanites setting up stills the way their peers have set up apiaries and charcuteries."
New York and New England startup distillers are joining a rapidly growing group across the country. Oregon has long been home to a micro-distilling movement, and this fall Portland-area distillers took the "rising tide lifts all boats" approach and announced a joint effort to support and promote each other.
It's now possible to visit better-stocked liquor stores and online retailers and purchase gin from Pennsylvania, vodka from Idaho, brandy from California and whiskey from New York, much of it made by distilleries that didn't exist five years ago, prepared in facilities not much larger than a suburban ranch house's garage.
And while small distilleries such as Derek Grout's Harvest Spirits Distillery in Columbia County, or the apple-brandy still at Uncle John's Fruit House Winery in Michigan, are opening in rural farm areas, much as they did during the country's formative years, small-scale distilling is also going urban, with distillers such as Seattle's Sound Spirits opening within walking distance of big-city amenities.
Cecchini reports that the number of American distillers has increased by almost a magnitude of ten since 2001, when there were 24 in operation. And as he notes in the article, most of these distillers are using small-scale pot stills, which are more labor intensive but produce a spirit with a closer connection with the liquor's base ingredient, in terms of flavor and aroma, than do industrial-scale column stills.
As a result, many distillers are trying their hand at full-flavored spirits such as brandy and whiskey, where a distiller can demonstrate their skill and establish a unique identity, rather than (or in addition to) competing in an over-crowded vodka market where new brands are frequently lost in the shuffle.
Of course, not all spirits made by these small distilleries are good; to be honest -- and I say this as someone who tastes more than my fair share of new spirits and who has populist inclinations that lead me to root for the little guy - some of the spirits made by today's small distilleries kinda suck.
Hey, that's normal. Just because a restaurant buys extraordinary local, organic produce doesn't mean the chef knows how to prepare or serve it, and just because a distiller is putting gorgeous peaches or apples into a new brandy doesn't mean the stuff that comes out the business end of the still is going to be worth putting in a glass. But with more distillers trying their hand at the game, and as they continue to share information and tips among themselves, I think we're going to start seeing more truly phenomenal spirits showing up on liquor store shelves in the years to come. Soon? Don't hold your breath. But eventually? No doubt.
Are there gins, brandies or other spirits from small distillers that have really captured your attention? And are there brands nobody outside your tri-state area has heard of, that we all should get to know?
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Sonax TV Stands
Sonax TV Stands
Sonax make great contemporary furniture collections for your home and they're all made right here in North America! Their selection of TV Stands, consoles and credenzas will definitely change how you view television at home.
Read More
The Right Entertainment Center
Sonax are industry leaders when it comes to TV cabinets and storage that provide a stylish and trendy look while still remaining affordable. Their range of LCD stands is truly packed with features. If you need lots of storage for all your media, DVDs and amplifiers or if you just want something stylish to display your new plasma flat panel TV on, Cymax has you covered.
Hide the Wire Jungle!
Sonax TV stands have some great options for keeping your living room or media room looking trendy and tidy. For example, some of their HDTV stands offer wire management systems for keeping those pesky cables out of sight. The TV wall mount options are fully adjustable, ensuring your new TV bench fits right at home.
Sonax Collections
If you have other Sonax furniture from another collection such as the Sonoma, Sedona or Berlin collections you're in luck! Sonax provides matching TV stands to fit in with your existing collection. So if you feel like adding a new media stand to your bedroom or simply making a chic addition to your entertainment room you'll find the matching pieces right here at Cymax. Sonax has created an impressive range of bedroom furniture and outdoor patio furniture inspired by a classic West Coast vibe. You can buy them all here at Cymax at some of the best prices on the web.
Need to see the Big Game?
There's nothing better than catching the next big game in the comfort of your own home, be it hockey, football or just your video game console. A Sonax TV stand will hold everything you need with ample space for various media players, cable and satellite receivers, amplifiers, game consoles and more. You'll get great value and an attractive centerpiece for those times when it's your turn to play host!
Making Sure Your Stand Fits
Sonax has TV cabinets to hold all types of plasma, LCD and HDTVs from 20" right up to the latest 65" 3DTVs. When measuring the screen, these are taken from one corner of the screen, diagonally to the opposite corner so do make sure you're ordering the right stand to fit your space! Thankfully Sonax has a range of stands from upright space saving stands to large full entertainment centers.


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This Spring, join the Food Conspiracy Co-op for a series of fun, educational classes on a variety of homesteading topics, including:
Come to one or come to all four. All classes are in the Hoff Building, 425 E. 7th Street, behind the co-op. All classes are $5 for each participant; children must be accompanied by parents. Walk-ins will not be accommodated. You must pre-register.


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Off the Beaten Path: Beyond Dosai at Flushing's Southern Spice
I love dosa. What's better than a crunchy, ghee-greased conical crepe packed with spiced potatoes? It's so delicious that I've often wondered whether there's more to South Indian food. Until this week, I've never seen a dish besides dosa labeled as "South Indian."
Flushing's Southern Spice is an entire restaurant devoted to South Indian cooking. The menu proclaims, "Our first Southern style in Queens." It's located around the corner from the Ganesh Temple, whose canteen slings some mighty fine dosai. And then there's Dosa Hutt, which also excels at South Indian veggie fare. But at Southern Spice, there's nary a dosa to be found.
An appetizer of milagai bajji ($3), looks like South India's answer to the corn dog, but it tastes like a nuclear samosa. Each green hot pepper has been stuffed with potatoes and coated with chickpea and rice flours. They're crunchy and hot enough to make you want to suck down an Indian beer from the deli across the street.
Chicken 65 ($6) is a dish I could eat all day, and Southern Spice's version is exemplary. If the old story about the name is true, then I know only six of the 65 ingredients: cilantro, onions, curry leaves, fennel seed, mustard seed, and dried chili pepper. Like the rest of the dish, that dried chili on top packs plenty of heat. Forgive the flash folks, the lighting in this place skews heavily toward the yellow end of the spectrum.
It's not every day that I eat shark, much less scrambled South Indian style shark. Sura puttu ($9), literally translates to "scrambled shark," though shark hash is a better description. The heap of shredded shark meat is riddled with mustard and fennel seeds, cilantro, curry leaves, dried chilies and the occasional cardamom pod. Since it's boneless the chef presents the dish with the spine. Guess this is his way to let diners know they're not eating mystery meat. When I asked the waiter he said, "Yes, it's really shark. We get it from the Chinese store." And it's really good, too.
Thanks to Southern Spice I now have a reason besides dosai and Ganesh to come to this corner of Flushing. I'm particularly keen to try the karaikudi nandu varuval ($15), a slow-cooked crab made Chettinad style, which has to be ordered in advance.
Southern Spice
143-06 45th Avenue, Flushing NY 11355 (at Bowne Street, map) 718-359-3486
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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There's been a lot of talk lately about the next-gen consoles the - PS4 & Xbox720. Rumours of the type of processors they will use and
what their physical design will be look, are all circulating around the web. Now were going to be taking a look at the launch titles
we can expect the new consoles to come out with. so what have game studios been up to lately? lets take a look...
Your Opinion: Will COD be Exclusive to the next gen consoles, on every console, or just 360 and ps3?
I'm excited to see what SuckerPunch and Media Moolecule is working on. SP has a fresh new IP and MM seems to be working on something Play Create Share alongside a new project.
Manhunt 3 ps4 exclusive.
Half life wii u exclusive.
mario comes to psvita
halo goes to playstation 2.
and ps4 is called ps3 and xbox 720 is called box


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New Catholic Dictionary – Saint Blandina
(177) Virgin, martyr, died Lyons. She was a Christian slave, who, with the other martyrs of Lyons, suffered at the hands of the fanatic heathen populace. After being exposed to the wild beasts in the arena and remaining unscathed, she was scourged, placed on a red-hot grate, thrown before a wild steer, and slain with a dagger. Relics in the church of Saint-Leu, Amiens, France. Feast, 2 June.


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In Stock
- Description
Aino Aalto's simple and timeless glassware collection was designed in 1932. It challenged her contemporaries to accept radically new lines and forms. Aino Aalto glassware will sit comfortably in any scenario from formal dinners to informal parties. Beautiful set of two large glasses in Clear.
This challenging design was inspired by the rings made when a stone hits the water and this simle design has been making rings ever since it's first launch in 1932. A true test of a timeless design. Available in other colours.
Aino Aalto, wife of esteemed architect and glass designer Alvar Aalto, won the 1932 iittala-Karhula design competition in Finland and the gold prize at the Milan Triennale in 1936 for her functionalist glassware collection. Aino Aalto's namesake design is Iittala's oldest product and stands for the epitome of mindmade design. Aino Aalto's glassware and dinnerware are the first glass products intentionally designed with everyday use in mind, yet adaptable for modern production methods. Developed in the true spirit of functionalism, Aino Aalto's glassware is so simple and timeless in form it is no surprise it still graces tables around the world 80 years later. The Aino Aalto pitcher has the same beautiful ribbed sides as the rest of the Aino Aalto glassware. LIMITED STOCK
- Details
Colour: Clear Glass
Dimensions: 330 ml / 11 cm
Material: Glass
Iittala-glass is high quality, special glass, which is optically very bright. It endures chemical and mechanical wear well.
Iittala glass has been specially treated to be dishwasher safe. By following the instructions below, your Iittala glasses will bring you joy for a long time. Place the glasses on the upper level of your dishwasher so that the rims do not touch during the wash. Fill the upper level of the dishwasher with other objects, so that the spurts of water do not move the glasses. Rinse milk and buttermilk glasses with cold water before placing them in the dishwasher to prevent proteins from settling on the glasses. Use short dishwashing programs and low temperatures. It is best to hand wash delicate glasses, pitchers and jugs. Do not stack warm glasses immediately after washing as they may get stuck and break. When serving hot drinks, we recommend glasses made from special heat resistant glass. Iittala glass is not oven safe nor do we recommend you put them in the microwave.
- Reviews
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Orphan Black: A Sneak Peek at the New Series
Tatiana Maslany stars as Sarah, a woman who witnesses the suicide of a woman who turns out to be her clone
Creepy new series alert!
The upcoming BBC America original series Orphan Black premieres next month, but PEOPLE.com has an exclusive sneak peek at the new show.
Tatiana Maslany plays Sarah, a woman who witnesses a suicide and then decides to empty the bank account of the deceased (who happens to look just like her). But that's when the troubles begin for Sarah, an orphan turned street-smart chameleon, who discovers that she and the dead woman are actually clones – and there may be more of them.
"She's unlike any character I've seen on television," Maslany, 27, tells PEOPLE. "I've been in this business since I was 10 years old, and this has been the most challenging role of my career."
Viewers may recognize the actress from The Vow, in which she co-starred with PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive, Channing Tatum. The new series also stars Maria Doyle Kennedy, a.k.a. Downton Abbey's Mrs. Bates.
Orphan Black will debut on Saturday, March 30, at 9 p.m. ET as part of BBC America's Supernatural Saturday.


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Forum rules | FAQ | Technical help | Announcements | New members start here
Also, the weather was fair, and no injuries or other incidents.
I'm gonna go with the "a bit better radio." Not only does this jibe with my 60-vs-Baofeng experiences, it makes me feel better about spending 5x as much for an FT-60 that I hardly ever use, while wishing I had a VX-6R. That's a good day in the outdoors.
Does this translate to DEAD RESISTANCE ??
thanks... now that I know the term for it, i can have a further look when I find the time.
At risk of opening a real big can of worms....here is a link to a few of my antenna articles and manuals,download all you wish:https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5ZIZLZV4AwIdGhhUHpQejgxbHc
The best way to get started to help the authorities is through CERT. This is the first place they look for volunteers. Half of the CERT crew are hams in my county. Also if there is a biological emergency, the CERT team is one of the first to get the medicine to keep them alive.
Maybe we need to start another thread here covering more general survival-related techniques and radically simplified SOI's and the like.
Yes. More on process and procedures.
... a member of the [design] team told me he wanted to build "the prepper's radio".
NC Scout reviews the CommRadio CTX-10:https://brushbeater.wordpress.com/2018/11/24/commradio-ctx-10-reviewed/That link however is only a stub of the review, linking through to the real review at:https://www.americanpartisan.org/2018/11/commradio-ctx-10-tiny-radio-huge-capability/Well he likes it, and it does seem to be a darned fine radio. From the review:For all that it is still a QRP radio, albeit a 10 watt QRP radio; we've beaten up on QRP a lot around here in the past.There are many more pictures, an unboxing article in fact, at the SWLing Post: https://swling.com/blog/2018/10/the-commradio-ctx-10-has-landed/


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Saturday, December 19, 2009
Wire Cut
Posted by kurokei at 8:30 PM 3 comments
Homemade cookies!
Not by me of course. lol. I can't cook.
Thanks Chendy! I haven't eat them yet. The packaging's too pretty!
Posted by kurokei at 3:10 PM 1 comments
LOL. Siang sucks at drawing. =x
There's this Christmas gift exchanging event at my office and there's this wishlist where you can write whatever you wish to receive during that event.
I have no idea what to write so I wrote "Domo-kun doll (google if you dunno what is that) or any Domo-kun merchandise."
Majority of them doesn't know what Domo-kun is. LOL.
So I gave them a sample = my bag.
And so suggested by Beh, Siang drew the Domo-kun.
It was hideous LOL. He drew the right 1 without watching the sample and the left 1 with.
Who is the one that will be buying the gift for me I wonder? =D
Posted by kurokei at 2:04 PM 0 comments


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Used to be that automakers would introduce a new model each and every year. Think Chevrolet Bel Air 1953-1959. These days, they don't do that. But thanks to the relentlessness of blogs, busted embargoes and the obsessiveness of enthusiasts, we are treated to a constant trickle (if not stream) of spy shots and sexy rumors. So which potential product has you in the tightest tizzy? Chevy's Blue Devil? Jag's XF? That RWD coupe with the V8 from Hyundai? Audi's twin-turbo V10 RS6? Perhaps the Tesla? Ooh, what about the new ass-engined VW? What's hopefully going to float our boat? We're torn between the possibly reborn and M-powered BMW Z8/Z9. And well, frankly, the new Subaru STI. As it may come in wagon form only. Which we view as a form of payback. You?
[The Jalopnik Question of the Day runs daily unless we take off to San Diego for the weekend to brew and drink beer. Do you have a question you want answered? Email it to firstname.lastname@example.com with the subject line "QOTD"]
Spy Photos: New BMW Z9 Spotted Incognito; The Jalopnik Question of the Day [Internal]


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Right now, Mega, the zombie file sharing service currently only useful for people with infinite patience and/or dial up Internet, doesn't offer any sort of password reset or recovery system. If you forget your Mega password, you're shit out of luck. That's because the password you use is the master key in decrypting the files you uploaded. You cannot lose that password. For now.
Mega has announced that in the future it will allow you to reset your password. But unlike normal password resets, you don't automatically gain full access to all your uploaded files. Mega says:
- A password change feature will re-encrypt the master key with your new password and update it on our servers
- A password reset mechanism will allow you to log back into your account, with all files being unreadable. Now, if you have any pre-exported file keys, you can import them to regain access to those files. On top of that, you could ask your share peers to send you the share-specific keys, but that's it - the remainder of your data appears as binary garbage until you remember your password.
That means the password reset feature for Mega is going to be super secure and better than a typical reset. If someone tries to tap into your account by reseting your password, they still won't have access to the files you previously uploaded. You can only access those old files if you have the old keys. The annoying thing though? If you really just forgot your Mega password, you're going to be pretty annoyed that you can't access those files. So in the name of security, DON'T FORGET IT! [Mega via The Next Web]


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NYC Standardized Tests: No Dancing, Death, or Politics
The New York Post reports that the New York City department of Education has advised testmakers of 50 not very controversial "controversial" words to avoid when creating city-wide standardized tests. Among those singled out: dancing (except ballet – guess someone hasn't seen Black Swan), death, and politics.
And "creatures from outerspace," obviously.
The list of words, available online via CBSNewYork, was recently submitted to a number of companies vying for a contract to revamp the city-wide standardized Math and English tests used to measure student progress throughout the year.
The words were chosen over administrative concerns they might "evoke unpleasant emotions in the students."
Another topic that evokes unpleasant emotions in students: tests, which are not, as yet, scheduled for a ban.
Also on the list: all mentions of holidays, religious, pagan, and personal (Christmas, Halloween, Birthdays) and things that do not exist (dinosaurs, homes with swimming pools.)
Here are 10 films from Good Housekeeping's Top Family Movies of the Past Decade whose potentially child-upsetting plots make them Too Hot for Teacher:
- Monsters, Inc.: Children Dealing with Serious Issues (monsters), Psychological Abuse (intentional scaring), Celebrities (Billy Crystal), Running Away (to a world of monsters), Traumatic Material (Billy Crystal)
- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Dinosaurs (dinosaurs), Catastrophes/disasters (global ice age), Evolution (woolly mammoth)
- Finding Nemo: Children Dealing with Serious Issues (separation from parent), Death (Nemo's mom, RIP), Running Away (from an overprotective parent)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Emotional Abuse (Dursleys), Children Dealing with Serious Issues (protecting the world from a homicidal maniac; prepping for final exams at an elite British boarding school), Crime (murder; sneaking off school grounds), Alcohol (butterbeer), In-Depth Discussions of Sports That Require Prior Knowledge (Quidditch), Religion (scene with Christmas tree in it), Violence (tons), Parapsychology (Professor Trelawney), Vermin (Ron's rat), Traumatic Material (Buckbeak's execution), Witchcraft/Sorcery/etc. (Harry frigging Potter)
- The Incredibles: Children Dealing with Serious Issues (fighting supervillains), Violence (fighting supervillains), Weapons (fighting supervillains)
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Children Dealing with Serious Issues (preserving a magical kingdom), Religion (Jesus lion), Witches (Tilda Swinton), Violence, Weapons, and War (swords a plenty)
- Night at the Museum: Dinosaurs (bones of), Politics (Theodore Roosevelt), Crime (theft of artifacts), Divorce (Ben Stiller's character, according to Wikipedia), Loss of Employment (security guard/American Treasure Dick Van Dyke), Witchcraft (re-animation of the dead and wax)
- High School Musical: Dancing (tons of it – the devil's cha-cha), In-Depth Discussions of Sports that Require Prior Knowledge (basketball), Crime (criminally catchy tunes, haha, zing)
- Wall-E: Computers in the Home (space home), Vermin (roach friend), Junk Food (delicious)
- Up: Children Dealing with Serious Issues (stranger danger; childhood obesity), Death (I know you cried when Ellie died)
It's important to note that, while the inclusion of one of these topics "would probably cause a selection to be deemed unacceptable by the New York City Department of Education," there is, officially, no outright "ban" on these items. The department allows that some terms might be included on some exams "on a case-by-case basis." (Fingers crossed for "in-depth discussions of sports that require prior knowledge" on English tests.)
What words (besides "moist" and "baby bump," obviously) would you most like to remove from your child's educational assessments?


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Two storm systems in the corners of the country will be the main drivers of weather in the U.S. over the next week. Click through the linked stories below to read about the cut-off storm that will soon be hovering over the Rockies; the three waves of storminess expected on the west coast; and the cold front approaching the northeast.
Joel Gratz is a Meteorologist and the creator of OpenSnow.com.