text:
The hubris and incoherence of the Left 14
The sheer incoherence of the Left must surely sink it eventually!
Feminists who claimed for decades to be fighting for women's "liberation" defend the absolute subjugation of Muslim women. In their thousands, wearing silly pink baby hats, they bob about Linda Sarsour, a Muslima in a hijab, cheering her every lying word as she tells them how much better for women Islam is than the Constitution of the USA.
Americans who worked passionately for years to keep the teaching of religion – Christianity in particular – out of public schools, are now letting Islam be taught in them. And not just allowing it but insisting on it. And what is being taught is not even the truth about that horrible religion. We would not object if the truth were being told. No; what the children get is a false, prettified version written by deceitful proselytizing Muslims. A supremacist, totalitarian, misogynist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, murderous, savagely cruel ideology is presented to young scholars as a kindly, gentle thing, full of good-will and brotherly love.
And this happened:
So, after being maligned and threatened, Councilman Tom Harrison retracted his objection to Islam being included in the school curriculum, apologized, and groveled.
The idea of the separation of church and state does not exist in Islam. And it will no longer apply in all public schools in the United States, despite the First Amendment of the Constitution. At least, not when it comes to Islam. Islam, a blood-thirsty intolerant creed, is excepted.
Tolerance. Inclusiveness. Diversity. Buzzwords of the Left. Yet Leftists passionately support the intolerance, exclusiveness, and dogmatism that characterize Islam. They ignore its doctrine that everyone in the world must become Muslim or suffer dire consequences, including murder.
What the Left has never understood, not for a moment since the New Left prophets such as Herbert Marcuse changed the category of persons they declared themselves to be the champions and saviors of – substituting Lumpenproletarians, convicted felons, hoboes, women, Third Worlders for Karl Marx's romanticized workers – is that they are patronizing the subjects of their crusade. They are the most extreme of social snobs.
They claim to be acting out of compassion, but there is an awful lot of condescension in their compassion, and an awful lot of vanity in their condescension.
Very few of them ever leave their comfortable quarters in the schools or parliaments or penthouses or manors or leafy suburbs where they write their books, speeches and op-eds, to visit the unsafe regions of the world where the folks they have made their Cause actually struggle to survive. They know almost nothing about them, and do not want to know. How shocked would they be to learn that the most rabid hatred of other races, religions, tribes, or mere skin color, is to be found there, among the "oppressed", the "deprived", the "wretched of the earth"?
So yes, there is a privileged white patriarchy consumed with moral vanity. But it is not to be found on the conservative Right. Here no one cares what color a person's skin is. We do not think with our skins.
The privileged white patriarchy is to be found where ill-informed women march in pink baby hats. Where self-righteous students scream out their opinions against citizens' ownership of guns. Where George Soros signs his checks.
Ramadan – a month of murder 0
Today is the last day of Ramadan 2016.
Wikipedia says:
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon.
While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations. Muslims are also instructed to refrain from sinful behavior that may negate the reward of fasting, such as false speech (insulting, backbiting, cursing, lying, etc.) and fighting.
The excellent website ironically named The Religion of Peace keeps a daily record of Islamic terrorist attacks. Their toll of lethal attacks world-wide since 9/11 is reflected in our margin.
Here's its count of terrorist attacks and murders carried out during this year's month of Ramadan:
In the last few days, Muslim terrorists have been busier than ever, as if to crowd as much terror and atrocity into the month as they could before it ended.
The following list shows that the victims of the attackers were mostly Muslims, although the Koran and the Hadith, while commanding the killing of non-Muslims,* forbid the killing of fellow Muslims: "But whoever kills a believer intentionally – his recompense is Hell, wherein he will abide eternally, and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment." – Koran 4:93.
From a CNN report:
Multiple major terror strikes have occurred in recent days as the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches. Ramadan ends Tuesday evening.
ISIS either claimed responsibility or is suspected in each of them.
At least six members of Jordan's security forces were killed June 21 in a suicide car bombing launched from the Syrian side of the border. …
ISIS claimed responsibility through Amaq, its de facto media agency, saying the act was carried out by an ISIS fighter.
Six people died and 19 others were wounded following a series of suicide attacks in a mainly Christian area of northern Lebanon, close to the border with Syria.
According to Lebanon's National News Agency the first incident happened at around 4.20 a.m. last Monday when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a house in the village of Qaa, in the country's Bekaa Valley.
Three other attackers — with at least one wearing an explosive vest — then detonated themselves as rescue teams and locals gathered at the scene. …
Security analysts think ISIS could be responsible.
On Thursday, the army said it foiled "two major terrorist operation" planned by ISIS – one targeting a "large tourist facility" and the other targeting a densely populated area.
Five people have been arrested, including the mastermind of the operation, the statement said.
At least 42 people, mostly soldiers and one child, were killed when attackers launched four suicide car bombings at security targets in a major Yemeni city …
The attacks occurred last Monday in Mukalla, a southeastern port city in Hadramaut province.
At least 30 people were injured — all security officers except for five civilians …
One of the attacks targeted a military compound near a government intelligence building. The others targeted military checkpoints. A child walking near one of the checkpoints was killed.
The attackers were from ISIS, [the] group's media voice said.
Terrorists stormed Istanbul's Ataturk Airport last Tuesday, killing 44 people and injuring hundreds.
There has been no claim of responsibility, but hallmarks of the strike points to ISIS and the attack resembled the suicide bombings in March at the main airport in Brussels.
Reports have emerged about the identities of the suicide bombers as well as the organizer, … a top soldier in the ISIS war ministry.
Two of the three assailants in the terror attack at Ataturk Airport were identified as Rakim Bulgarov and Vadim Osmanov, according to Turkey's state news agency Anadolu, citing an anonymous prosecution source.
That report did not identify the third attacker and did not reveal their nationalities. But officials have said they believe the three attackers are from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and entered Turkey a month ago from Syria's ISIS stronghold of Raqqa.
Gunmen in Bangladesh killed 20 hostages and two police officers late Friday and early Saturday before authorities raided the restaurant and ended the standoff.
The massacre occurred at the end of the day when Muslims would have been breaking their daily fast for Ramadan.
Authorities released the nationalities of the 20 hostages found dead … after Bangladeshi troops stormed the cafe early Saturday morning, ending a nearly 11-hour siege. …
The attack took place in the city's diplomatic enclave, and those killed were from around the globe: Italians, Japanese, Indian, Bangladeshi and an American …
ISIS claimed responsibility, but … all the attackers in the deadly assault on a cafe in Dhaka were Bangladeshi citizens.
In that bloodbath, the terrorists spared hostages who could recite the Koran.
A suicide truck bomb ripped through a busy shopping district in Baghdad Saturday night, killing more than 200 people.
The strike in the Karrada neighborhood also left at least 175 people wounded.
Families had been gathering hours after they broke the fast for Ramadan and prepared for Eid al-Fitr – the day that marks the end of the holiday this week.
As people congregated, shopped and watched soccer matches, the bomb-laden truck plowed into a building housing a coffee shop, stores and a gym. Firefighters rescued wounded and trapped people in adjacent buildings.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the action …
For a video and many pictures of this atrocity see the Daily Mail here.
Kuwait security agencies foiled a number of ISIS plots in three preemptive operations on Sunday, according to Kuwait news agency Kuna.
Kuna reports the arrested ISIS members were planning to strike a Jaafari mosque in Hawali and a Ministry of Interior facility during the first days of Eid Al-Fitr, at the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia endured a wave of suicide bombings over a 24-hour period ending Monday, a coordinated string of attacks analysts are linking to ISIS.
The strikes occurred near the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, and a Shiite mosque in Qatif. The holy city of Medina was also a target. The strikes failed in Jeddah and Qatif. Four people were killed in Medina.
There has been no claim of responsibility. But Peter Bergen, CNN national security analyst, said ISIS called for attacks during Ramadan and "now we have them".
*eg. "Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves." – Koran 48:29. "Fight everyone in the way of Allah and kill those who disbelieve in Allah" – Ibn Ishaq/Hisham 992.
Atheists who do as Christians do 11
Atheists of the Left – "Humanists" some call themselves – often reveal with unconscious irony how close Leftism is to Christianity: the same moral myopia, hubris, and sentimentality.
In order to enjoy the cheap emotional satisfaction of feeling they are "good people", they go in for this sort of thing.
We quote from the Friendly Atheist at Patheos:
After the Daily Caller News Foundation posted a map of supposed "radical mosques" in the U.S., it wasn't long before threats were made against them.
But in a wonderful gesture on Monday, the Humanists of the Palouse reached out to the Muslims, sending them a letter of concern and offering whatever help they could:
To our Muslim friends in the Moscow/Pullman area,
Recently, we have been made aware of threats to our community, centered on the Pullman Islamic Center and it and many other Mosques being mis-reported as "radical". In today's climate, these threats should not be taken lightly, and we certainly do not. We fully support your right to practice religion free from harm and harassment.
We recognize your members as valued residents of the Palouse. The Humanists of the Palouse want you to know that we will always defend religious freedom and cultural diversity, and threats against these are threats against our very way of life. We stand with you, and offer our support.
If you feel threatened, please do not hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to accompany anyone who feels that their safety is at risk (e.g. grocery shopping, on a walk around town, or just for someone to talk to). If we can advocate for you in any way, please don't hesitate to reach out to us, and know that you have friends and allies amongst The Humanists of the Palouse.
The Center's Board of Trustees soon issued this heartfelt response:
The entire Board of Trustees of the Pullman Islamic Association joins me in thanking you and the Humanists of the Palouse generally for this powerful statement affirming civil rights in this country. We are especially moved that a humanist group so completely supports the local Muslim group, since Islam is the most disrespected group in this country. We have noticed that the correct way to define and appreciate humanist groups in general and yours in particular is as lovers and defenders of civil rights, individual and group democratic dignities and freedom of thought, not as haters of religion. Your group's neighborly defense of freedom of religion in the Palouse demonstrates your focus on freedom and social justice. We are impressed by and thankful for your firm support and offer of assistance and solidarity.
One of our Board of Trustees members is meeting with an FBI agent today, which demonstrates that the federal police are taking this threat seriously. Given this sobering reality of threatened arson and violence your support will always be appreciated by the leaders and membership of the Pullman Islamic Association. We hope we will not need to ask for your offered assistance, but if we do need or want such support, we will indeed reach out to Humanists of the Palouse.
That's how you do it, friends.
You can disagree on theological issues, but I'd hope local atheist groups around the country would be willing to reach out to Muslims who are actually being persecuted by overzealous conservatives eager to shut them down.
If they lose their religious freedoms, we all do.
Can they possibly not know that sharia law – inseparable from the ideology of Islam – condemns apostasy, which is what atheism is deemed to be? And prescribes death as the punishment for atheists? (Atheist men; women not always.) In some Islamic lands they are imprisoned rather than executed. But all risk their lives, and such freedom as anyone has in a Muslim majority country.
These are reports of atheists, apostates, free thinkers who have been sentenced to prison, and/or flogging, and/or death in Islamic countries recently – the crime of atheism often being euphemized into something else in court. And some who have been killed by their Muslim compatriots.
1. From the Economist, on Alexander Aan in Indonesia:
A MOB attacked Alexander Aan even before an Indonesian court in June jailed him for two and a half years for "inciting religious hatred".
His crime was to write "God does not exist" on a Facebook group he had founded for atheists in Minang, a province of the world's most populous Muslim nation. Like most non-believers in Islamic regions, he was brought up as a Muslim. And like many who profess godlessness openly, he has been punished. …
Sharia law, which covers only Muslims unless incorporated into national law, assumes people are born into their parents' religion. Thus ex-Muslim atheists are guilty of apostasy—a hudud crime against God, like adultery and drinking alcohol. Potential sanctions can be severe: eight states, including Iran, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania and Sudan have the death penalty on their statute books for such offences. …
Most atheists are prosecuted for blasphemy or for inciting hatred. (Atheists born to non-Muslim families are not considered apostates, but they can still be prosecuted for other crimes against religion.) Even in places where laws are lenient, religious authorities and social attitudes can be harsh, with vigilantes inflicting beatings or beheadings.
Many, like Kacem el-Ghazzali, a Moroccan, reckon the only solution is to escape abroad. The 23-year-old was granted asylum in Switzerland after people found out he was the author of an anonymous blog, Atheistica.com. …
Nahla Mahmoud, a 25-year-old Sudanese atheist … fled to Britain in 2010. …
Ibn Warraq, the pseudonymous Indian-born author of "Leaving Islam", a collection of essays by ex-believers, … lives in exile and has received death threats for campaigning on the behalf of apostates. … Arguments for the death penalty [he says] are usually based on a Hadith, one of the sayings which, along with the Koran, form the basis of Islamic law: "The Prophet said: whoever discards his religion, kill him." …
Ibn Warraq says that the nub of the problem is that sharia makes atheism the number one sin, ahead of murder. …
2. From the Guardian, on Ashraf Fayadh in Saudi Arabia:
A Palestinian poet and leading member of Saudi Arabia's nascent contemporary art scene has been sentenced to death for renouncing Islam.
A Saudi court on Tuesday ordered the execution of Ashraf Fayadh, who has curated art shows in Jeddah and at the Venice Biennale. The poet, who said he did not have legal representation, was given 30 days to appeal against the ruling.
Fayadh, 35, a key member of the British-Saudi art organisation Edge of Arabia, was originally sentenced to four years in prison and 800 lashes by the general court in Abha, a city in the south-west of the ultraconservative kingdom, in May 2014. But after his appeal was dismissed he was retried earlier this month and a new panel of judges ruled that his repentance did not prevent his execution.
3. From Patheos, the Friendly Atheist itself, on Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia:
December 26, 2013 by Paul Fidalgo [who is admirably scathing in his disgust – ed).
Saudi blogger and religious dissident Raif Badawi has been cruelly punished and toyed with by the Saudi legal system for about a year now, and things have taken a darker turn. According to Badawi's wife, now living in Lebanon, the high court will try Badawi on the charge of apostasy. If convicted, Badawi could be executed.
This comes after a court opted not to charge him with apostasy in January, but did put him up on charges of "insulting Islam and showing disobedience". How did they come to this decision? Badawi is the co-founder of a website called the Liberal Saudi Network, which is bad enough, but imagine the horror that washed over Saudi society with this kind of action:
The evidence against him included the fact that he pressed the "Like" button on a Facebook page for Arab Christians.
As a result of this heinous behavior, in July, Badawi was sentenced to 600 lashes and seven years in prison.
Which was horrifying enough. But now it looks like Badawi is being brought up on apostasy charges in earnest. Badawi's case is one of many being watched by the Office of Public Policy at the Center for Inquiry, where I work, and our Campaign for Free Expression. Browse the cases we have listed there, and you'll see that, sadly, Badawi's case is hardly unique.
Cases like this need more international attention, and those who position themselves as "allies" of Saudi Arabia, such as the United States, need to discover their consciences. How can the civilized world refer to itself as such when an ally practices such barbarism, it looks the other way?
The judge in Badawi's subsequent appeal stiffened the original 2013 sentence – seven years in prison and 600 lashes – to 1000 lashes, ten years in prison and a fine of $266,000. See our post, The punishment of reason, January 12, 2015, where there is an eyewitness description of the first of the series of lashings Badawi is being subjected to.
Badawi had written, "My commitment is… to reject any repression in the name of religion… a goal that we will reach in a peaceful, law-abiding way."
This was interpreted by the judge as "insulting Islam".
Badawi's health is now frail. He is unlikely to survive the lashings.
4. From Poetry Foundation, on Hashem Shaabani in Iran:
We were saddened and horrified today to learn of the death of Hashem Shaabani, who was executed on January 27th by the order of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
From Radio Free Europe:
An Islamic Revolutionary Tribunal reportedly had sentenced the poet to death, along with 14 others, last July on charges that included "waging war on God".
Press reports said Shaabani was hanged after his sentence was approved by President Hassan Rohani.
In a statement on February 5, Freedom House said Shaabani was subjected to severe torture and interrogation during his three years in prison.
Human Rights Voices also reports on the execution, writing:
To those who knew him, was a man of peace and understanding struggling to extend spaces of individual freedom within the despotic Khomeinist system … In one of his letters from prison, made available to use through his family, Shaabani says … "I have tried to defend the legitimate right that every people in this world should have which is the right to live freely with full civil rights. With all these miseries and tragedies, I have never used a weapon to fight these atrocious crimes except the pen."
5. From the Guardian on Avijit Roy and Rafida Bonya Ahmed in Pakistan:
No one could have predicted that the Bangladeshi writer Rafida Bonya Ahmed would make it to London last week. … In February, Islamist fanatics hacked her husband, Avijit Roy, to death with meat cleavers as the couple left a book fair in Dhaka. They nearly killed Ahmed too: slicing off her thumb and covering her body with wounds. …
Together, Ahmed and Roy ran a secular blog that promoted the writings of young liberal Bangladeshis They wrote on evolution and humanism; they condemned extremism fearlessly, as the title of Roy's 2014 book The Virus of Faith makes clear. Seeing and fearing a courageous opponent, the enemies of free thought killed him for his ideas. …
6. From a Reuters report on Ananta Bijoy Das and others in Bangladesh:
Third Atheist blogger killed in Bangladesh.
A blogger was hacked to death by machete-wielding attackers in Bangladesh on Tuesday (May 12), the third killing of a critic of religious extremism in the Muslim-majority nation in less than three months.
Ananta Bijoy Das, a blogger who advocated secularism, was attacked by four masked assailants in the northeastern district of Sylhet on Tuesday morning, senior police official Mohammad Rahamatullah told Reuters.
Rahamatullah said Das was a 33-year-old banker.
He was also editor of science magazine "Jukti," which means "logic," and on the advisory board of "Mukto Mona" (Free Mind), a website propagating rationalism and opposing fundamentalism …
According to the monitoring service SITE Intelligence Group, Islamist militant group Ansar al-Islam Bangladesh said al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) had claimed responsibility for the attack. …
Imran Sarker, the head of a network of activists and bloggers in Bangladesh, said Das was "a progressive free thinker and a good human being". …
Militants have targeted secularist writers in Bangladesh in recent years …
On March 30, Washiqur Rahman, another secular blogger who aired his outrage over [Avijit] Roy's death on social media, was killed in similar fashion on a busy street in the capital, Dhaka.
Their deaths followed the killing in 2013 of Ahmed Rajib Haider, who backed calls to impose the death penalty on Islamist leaders accused of atrocities in Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence.
Why do our fellow atheists – of the leftist "Humanist" persuasion – not burn with anger against the ideology that persecutes atheism, secularism, rationalism, and shun the company of its devotees?
If they think they are earning the goodwill and tolerance of the Muslims towards whom they're making this gesture, they're pathetically deluded. Their nice little letter is not going to change sharia law, or the minds of those who want to impose it on us all.
They seem simply not to believe that the Muslims they contacted might be members of "radicalizing" mosques – which is to say, mosques with imams who urge them to support terrorist groups or join ISIS. There's no hint that they explored the possibility. In their minds, the accusation must be wholly unjustified.
And one more thing. When those poor persecuted Muslims "in the Moscow/Pullman area" whimpered that "Islam is the most disrespected group in this country", they are lying. The president of the United States is the son of a Muslim and an Islam lover who has brought Muslim Brotherhood advisers into his administration – and has clearly formed policies on their advice..
At the time of this writing there have been 27,322 deadly attacks carried out by Muslims since 9/11. (See the tally in our margin, taken from The Religion of Peace.) Muslim terrorists do all they can to terrify non-Muslims, and then cynically accuse them of an irrational fear of Islam, calling it "Islamophobia".
Muslims are the target of few "hate crimes" in the US. But they perpetrate more than any others do.
We quote from an article by David J. Rusin at Islamist Watch. His staistics come from a December 2014 report of 2013 figures. (We await the 2014 report this coming December):
New FBI Hate Crime Stats: Another Blow to Islamist Fictions
There were 1,031 incidents inspired by religion last year, 625 (60.6 percent) of which were anti-Jewish. Anti-Islamic ones constituted just 13.1 percent.
On April 15, 2013, Muslim terrorists murdered three and injured hundreds at the Boston Marathon, prompting familiar warnings about an imminent anti-Muslim backlash. The FBI's findings are proof that such collective punishment did not materialize — as it almost never does.
How have Islamist groups greeted the FBI data? With silence. It is the sound of disappointment on the part of radicals who need Muslim victims, preferably real ones, to serve as human shields for the Islamist agenda. Bad news for Islamists is once again good news for the rest of us.
Heroic atheists 0
This article by Nick Cohen appeared in the leftist, anti-Semitic, Islam-loving Guardian. And yet – except where we have raised a few objections – it is an opinion we find we can welcome.
No one could have predicted that the Bangladeshi writer Rafida Bonya Ahmed would make it to London last week. That she is alive at all is a miracle – to use a word of which she would thoroughly disapprove. As I watched her deliver the British Humanist Association's annual Voltaire lecture , I saw a dignified and principled intellectual it was our duty to emulate and defend. I could not understand why anyone would want to harm, let alone kill, her.
But many do. In February, Islamist fanatics hacked her husband, Avijit Roy, to death with meat cleavers as the couple left a book fair in Dhaka. They nearly killed Ahmed too: slicing off her thumb and covering her body with wounds. To hear her talk about her murdered husband made me long to have met him. He was a typical intellectual – hopeless with anything practical but in love with literature, science and free debate.
Together, Ahmed and Roy ran a secular blog that promoted the writings of young liberal Bangladeshis They wrote on evolution and humanism; they condemned extremism fearlessly, as the title of Roy's 2014 book The Virus of Faith makes clear. Seeing and fearing a courageous opponent, the enemies of free thought killed him for his ideas.
Ahmed talked about how compromised the Bangladeshi state had become, and you could easily make the mistake of thinking her story had nothing to do with us. Yet there were guards at the doors of her lecture room, searching bags for bombs and guns. A widow, still recovering from the slash of meat cleavers, with no weapon to threaten anyone beyond the power of her thought, is as much a target in London as Dhaka.
The comparisons don't stop there. Immigration has meant that Bangladeshi politics are British politics too. You will never understand why London's East End returns politicians as grotesque as George Galloway or mayors as bent as Lutfur Rahman unless you know that Tower Hamlets is Jamaat-e-Islami's British stronghold. Grasp that the party of Bangladesh's religious right is always willing to lend its vote bank to politicians who bow before its prejudices and you will gaze on the East End's fetid politics with less bewilderment.
A bit of an annoyance there: "Bangladesh's religious right".
Religious Muslims are intolerant. Islam is intolerant. It is not surely a matter of "right" or "left" in an Islamic country, but of religious or not religious, and so intolerant or tolerant.
Above all else, the fear that religious terror brings, the lies it makes people tell and concessions it forces them to make are as familiar here as on the subcontinent.
Ahmed was in despair about Bangladesh. Islamists had not only murdered her beloved husband, but two other atheist bloggers. As Bangladesh's ruling party is officially secular, and as Islamists have opposed the state ever since Jamaat-e-Islami death squads collaborated with the Pakistani army in committing crimes that came close to genocide during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence, the naive might assume that the government would be keen to fight her husband's enemies.
Not so. After one prominent Jamaat activist was sentenced to death for his part in the 1971 war, Islamists responded by demanding that dozens of secularists who had allegedly "insulted" their famously thin-skinned religion be tried for blasphemy and condemned to death. The state did not reply that Bangladeshis had the freedom to believe what they wanted. It said the authorities would prosecute blasphemers under repressive laws that date from the British empire.
But were not made by the British!
Liberals in Bangladesh are therefore on both Islamist death lists and police arrest lists. If killers with meat cleavers don't get them, cops with warrants will. To Bangladesh's shame, the state has threatened friends and allies of Ahmed and Roy with prison for the crime of "hurting religious sentiments" and jeopardising "communal harmony".
Lenin said: "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which we will hang them." Islamists must feel the same about the "moderate" governments they want to destroy. Instead of taking extremists on and upholding human rights, Bangladesh justifies extremism by turning on the liberal critics of religion and treating them as criminals. In one of the most pathetic interviews you'll ever read, Sajeeb Wazed, the son of Sheikh Hasina told Reuters that his mother had found it prudent to offer only private condolences to Roy's family after his assassination. Although "we believe in secularism", the wretched man explained, the prime minister could not make a public stand "because our opposition party plays that religion card against us relentlessly, we cannot come out strongly. It's about perception, not about reality". …
Avijit Roy lost his life because he wanted to change reality, not perception. He knew the dangers, but knew too that there are fights that cannot be ducked. "Those who think victory will be realised without any bloodshed are living in a fool's paradise," he wrote before his death. "We risk our lives the moment we started wielding our pens against religious bigotry and fundamentalism."
Compare the bravery of Bangladeshi intellectuals with the attitude of the bulk of the western intelligentsia. Whole books could be written on why it failed to argue against the fascism of our age – indeed I've written a couple myself – but the decisive reason is a fear that dare not speak its name. They are frightened of accusations of racism, frightened of breaking with the consensus, frightened most of all of violence. They dare not admit they are afraid. So they struggle to produce justifications to excuse their dereliction of duty. They turn militant religion into a rational reaction to poverty or western foreign policy. They maintain there is a moral equivalence between militant religion and militant atheism.
We agree. There is no moral equivalence between militant religion and militant atheism. There is no moral equivalence between religion, which is the propagation of lies, and atheism which condemns the lies.
On occasion, they drop even that spurious attempt at evenhandedness and seem to suggest, as Professor Craig Calhoun, director of the London School of Economics, did recently, that the real menace facing universities is not students heading to Syria to rape and behead but secularists whose calls for free speech "challenge the faith and beliefs of religious students" and disrupt "campus harmony". David Cameron will clearly have trouble taking his mission to "root out" extremism to the LSE.
For all the similarities, there is no moral equivalence between Britain and Bangladesh. They have thinkers of the calibre of Rafida Bonya Ahmed and Avijit Roy, while we have liberals whom Karl Marx might have looked at and said: "Religion is the opium of the intellectuals."
But Marxism is another religion.


text:
Does your job involve making decisions about your company's IT policy? For modern IT, technology, security and database managers, choosing what is in your company's best interests can be nerve-wracking and, at times, extremely stressful.
Yet some professionals seem to be able to just breeze through the decision-making processes with enviable ease. Have you ever looked at them and wondered: "How do they do it?" "Where do they get their confidence from?"
In many cases, their trick is bearing three key principles in mind. Learning and apply them to practical situations can really change the way your company does business.
So check out our handy guide to becoming an influential IT decision maker (ITDM), and forge a path to the very top of your trade.
Help your business flourish by incorporating these traits – starting today!
Trait 1: Know the Business Inside and Out
Whether you role involves data management, running operations, making strategic information security decisions or streamlining your workplace with digitization transition efforts, it is imperative that you understand every single aspect of the business.
If an employee ends up taking an ITDM position in a field they are not knowledgeable of, it is easy to imagine that they might not last too long. If you hesitate when making critical decisions based industry movements, you – and your business – may miss out.
In a Harvard Business Review article exploring the characteristics of great executives, consultant Ron Carucci explains, "Exceptional executives maintain a solid grasp on the ever-changing context within which their business competes. Their natural contextual intelligence lies at the intersection of insights into how their organization uniquely competes and makes money, and what is most relevant to the customers they serve ─ even when customers may not know themselves."
And you can apply this same principle to just about any situation you find yourself in as an IT decision maker.
Make sure your industry education is complete and up-to-date, get into the habit of monitoring trends and keen abreast of corporate goals and directions.
Doing so can empower you with that most vital of commodities – information. Armed with this, just about every ITDM will be capable of making the best possible decision in any given situation.
Trait 2: Know Your IT
Meta-trends knowledge is essential, but you also need to understand the inner workings of the domain you work in.
Information Technology spans across a broad range of careers, responsibilities and skillsets, so any ITDM striving to reach a c-level position must be well-versed in all aspects of this.
IT new encompasses everything from software engineering, computer programming, web and app development, video game design, network architecture and data analysis. It also includes health information technics and information security, along with many other disciplines.
At first, this can all seem daunting, but if you delve deeper into the areas relevant to the way your company operates, you will be rewarded with success.
Industry experts, such as Samsung Printing Solutions, can also assist you with operational workflow and productivity tips that can span every sector of IT you need to work with. And this, in fact, leads onto the third trait.
Trait 3: Form Trusting Partnerships
Deep knowledge, however useful, will only get you so far in your career as an ITDM. The key to going further is to beef up your list of useful contacts.
While it is absolutely necessary that you establish exceptional relationships with people within your organization, of equal importance is forming bonds with partners outside your company.
Keen-witted ITDMs recognize the importance of creating industry allies that can provide timely guidance and advice pertaining to a whole range of practical subjects.
Samsung Printing Solutions' Managed Print Services (MPS) are designed to drive success in today's increasingly competitive market by providing ITDMs exceptional cost reduction, productivity improvement and enhanced security.
Developing a partnership with Samsung Printing Solutions can provide ITDMs with mobility, security, cloud integration and digitization, and will boost your business's presence to industry-leader standard.
Robin Bienfait, Samsung's executive vice president and chief enterprise Innovation Officer says, "It comes down to having the right people on your team, with access to the tools needed to forge ahead."
Stay on Top with the 3 Traits!
Remember: never stop expanding your wider knowledge of IT trends, stay abreast of your company's developments and maintain useful contacts, including Samsung Printing Solutions' MPS and other helpful services. Strength in these three areas can provide you with a competitive edge.
No matter whether you are a seasoned ITDM pro, a newly appointed decision-maker or just hopeful of making the cut one day, it is never too early or too late to adopt these three traits. Incorporating them will help you become an invaluable asset to any company serious about its IT policy.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
above, stars and clouds over the Tellico River Valley on 12-12-12 from Big Junction, NC
This photo is certainly the most popular one I ever put on the NG Instagram feed and a lot of people have asked me how I shot it.
I've wanted to shoot a time lapse sequence of stars moving over the North Carolina mountains for a long time but my time and the right weather haven't lined up the right way until this week. The generally cloudy, warm weather we've been having in the South was supposed to clear the night before the new moon. That combination of changing weather often leads to dramatic landscapes.
When I stopped at Big Junction just after sunset the sky was cloudy but clearing fast. This picture was shot well after dark. Fog has pooled in the Tellico River valley and the clearing clouds in the sky catch light from the towns of Tellico Plains and Etowah, Tennessee. The artificial lights give the photograph its golden hue.
The first few frames that I made were straight landscapes and did not work very well. The picture needed a person in it to ad to the sense of vastness. I was alone up there so this is a self portrait.
Now for the tech stuff that so many people have asked about.
The camera is a canon 5D MK III set to ISO 3200. Shutter speed is 30 seconds. The lens is a Canon 16-35mm zoom at f 2.8.


text:
What's up with the consumer? September Retail sales, up 1.1 percent, were much better than expected, and August was revised upward.
Not a single major category showed a decline — not motor vehicles, electronics, gas stations, sporting goods, clothing, personal care. (Read more: Retail Posts Rise on Boost From Surging Gas, Auto Sales )
Add that to Michigan Consumer Sentiment, out last Friday, also much stronger than expected, at the highest level since 2007.


text:
Sorry about this, we are in read only mode. You can browse the site as normal but you won't be able to sign in or make changes.
Explore events we are attending and speaking at, or go back to our team page
Your current filters are…
Showing 1 matching event.
Meet ... Share ... Explore ... and Learn ... from your Higher Ed peers!
United States
United States,
Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers
30th July to 1st August 2012
See the speaker directory
See all 7 people attending
Follow @lanyrd on Twitter.
Lanyrd on Facebook
· Blog
· Services
· Colophon
+ Cookies · Email us


text:
Undertoad Monday Oct 23 08:57 AM
October 23, 2006: Chinese waiters shave heads for business
skysidhe Monday Oct 23 09:00 AM
Sun_Sparkz Monday Oct 23 09:07 AM
so what does roman H, ok, and noodle have in common?
YellowBolt Monday Oct 23 09:31 AM
According to the Chinese webpage, the letter H is supposed to represent the Chinese word for "good" (hao). OK just stands for OK, I think.
binky Monday Oct 23 10:17 AM
Wow I think I will run out and shave my emploeyer's name onto my head
xoxoxoBruce Monday Oct 23 01:59 PM
They probably know what ok means, more than the thousands of westerners understand the oriental letters they get tattooed all over themselves.
Flint Monday Oct 23 02:06 PM
Trilby Monday Oct 23 03:24 PM
That's asking a bit much of your employees, no? I can imagine the job interview. "So. We like what we see, you seem like a team player, you've already got the Mission Statement memorized, you'll be a good fit! Now, shave a roman 'h' or the letters 'OK' on your head; your choice!-and, we're good! Can you start Monday?"
Torrere Monday Oct 23 04:56 PM
Sheldonrs Monday Oct 23 06:35 PM
Does this mean that if an employee is naturally bald, he is considered a handicapped employee?
xoxoxoBruce Monday Oct 23 06:41 PM
Nope, he not considered an employee at all.
Sheldonrs Monday Oct 23 07:11 PM
Thanks xoxoxoBruce. :-D
miss_chance Monday Oct 23 08:13 PM
ajaccio Tuesday Oct 24 11:14 AM
Flint Tuesday Oct 24 11:37 AM
When the Mr.Show guys were still doing a two-man stage act, they would use electrical tape to add facial hair. Their reasoning: the audience is not being "fooled" regardless of how flawless your wardrobe magic is. Plus, you can quickly duck off-stage and slap an electrical-tape-beard on.
xoxoxoBruce Tuesday Oct 24 06:12 PM
They fired this guy.
BigV Tuesday Oct 24 06:15 PM
OwenKL Wednesday Oct 25 12:19 AM
Is it just my imagination, or is what little hair they have left also dyed green?
ashke Wednesday Oct 25 01:10 AM
It's not an 'H', it's this word:
breakingnews Wednesday Oct 25 02:07 AM
mian (4)
ashke Wednesday Oct 25 04:36 AM
That's just traditional chinese, which they don't use in China anymore...
Nao Thursday Oct 26 01:56 AM
i'd visit their restaurant.
wolf Thursday Oct 26 02:33 AM
I wouldn't if they shaved their heads near the soup.
xoxoxoBruce Sunday Dec 17 10:35 PM
It seems when the novelty wears off, business drops off too, so they've started changing the style every two months.


text:
Auburn Basketball Improves to 6–1, Gardner-Webb Up Next
Auburn forward Desean Murray shoots against Dayton Flyers forward Matej Svoboda at University of Dayton Arena (photo: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports)
In the midst of Auburn's SEC Championship weekend, the Tiger basketball team added two more non-conference wins to its win column. Auburn defeated the University of Dayton 73–60 and George Mason 79–63 to improve to 6–1 overall.
This is the time of year when fans begin to transition from football to basketball, so perhaps a refresher is in order. Many of you know that the embattled Auburn program is without Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley. Purifoy was held out an entire year in 2015 when he couldn't make it through the NCAA Clearinghouse hurdles. Wiley played early after joining the Tigers in mid-December last season. Both have been held out this season as precautions in light of the the Chuck Person scandal. However, it seems doubtful that either will play for Auburn ever again.
Purifoy and Wiley being held out of play makes Auburn second or third to last in the SEC versus an NCAA Tournament team.
Just don't tell that to the other Tigers.
The rest of the roster has talent, but the team is already finding its identity to be different thanfrom last year. In particular, shooting guard Bryce Brown is morphing into a multi-dimensional player, a far cry from just an outside shooter. Brown set records hitting the long shot as a freshman before enduring a quiet sophomore season. The Brown that is on the court now is a different animal, taking defenders to the hole while scoring over 17 points a game, a full ten points better than last season. His numbers are up across the board. Though it was speculated that he would be a starter with Purifoy and Wiley in the mix, he's now taken on much more responsibility. Coach Bruce Pearl is relying heavily on Brown, who's averaging 31 minutes a game, ten more than last season. Brown had 11 points against the Dayton Flyers before kicking in 17 against George Mason on Sunday.
With Wiley out, Pearl has turned to …
Horace Spencer and Anfernee McLemore. Spencer has been a part-time starter and a large part of the rotation for two years, although he was far from the headliner.
McLemore was a member of last season's heralded freshman class that included Jared Harper and Mustapha Heron. McLemore showed much promise and elite athleticism last season and averaged 15 minutes per game. Although he doesn't always get the starting nod, McLemore has been a force for the Tigers. averaging nine points per game. But, it isn't the points that make him so valuable. McLemore has denied over three shots a game while adding six rebounds per contest. "Blocklemore" had ten swats in the last two contests on top of his 18 points.
While those two players keep stepping up, Mustapha Heron continues to improve his game. Heron came to Auburn as the first five-star basketball recruit in Auburn history and was very good as a freshman when he averaged 15 points per game. Thus far, he has been able to up that average to 17, but he isn't forcing things as he sometimes did as a freshman.
Point man Jared Harper is distributing the ball even better this year than last. He's doing more in almost every category except the one that matters: turnovers, which are down from last season. Freshman Chuma Okeke has been very impressive in part-time duty and has kicked in over nine points per game.
Dayton has been a solid team in the past, but the Flyers have struggled this season. George Mason put up a fight despite being down nearly 20 points early in the contest. Auburn played sloppily for long stretches before putting up two back-to-back threes to seal the victory.
Up next is Gardner-Webb, a team that also hasn't had an impressive start. It's allowed over 100 points in two of their losses, one a 116–74 drubbing at the hands of top-ranked Florida.
The matchup should be a good measuring stick for this Auburn team when it takes the court Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. The Bulldogs get most of their point production from a pair of upperclassman guards in Liam O'Reilly and David Efianayi. With Harper and Brown likely to draw coverage, expect a solid outing for the Tigers.
Make sure to follow me on Twitter @Best5Zach as I live tweet in-game action.
4 Comments
[…] coach Bruce Pearl said he's, "staying hopeful" that Daniel Purifoy and Austin Wiley will be able to play this year. With a 7-1 record, the team hasn't needed them thus far but that […]


text:
Infectious Amoeba: Naegleria fowleri
Prevalence of PAM in Texas
On very rare occasions, a naturally occurring amoeba (Naegleria fowleri) can cause a fatal infection, primary amoebic meningoencephalitis of the brain and spinal cord. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, from 1983 through 2010 there were 28 deaths from Naegleria fowleri infections in Texas—an average of about one per year.
How Does Infection Occur?
Infection can occur when water containing the amoeba is taken in through the nose while swimming or diving in freshwater, especially stagnant ponds, streams, or lakes in areas where the climate is warm. The amoeba may also enter the nose during nasal irrigation if the water has not been sterilized, distilled, or boiled.
Monitoring and Testing Water
The TCEQ and the Clean Rivers partners periodically monitor water bodies and assess overall water quality at about 1,800 sties around the state. This monitoring can identify issues and support efforts to manage water quality long term.
Naegleria fowleria is not included in the suite of parameters tested because it takes weeks to grow and identify the amoeba and there is no established relationship between detection or concentration and the risk of infection.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and related public-health agencies caution that natural bodies of water, especially warm and stagnant water, may contain organisms that can cause illness ranging from mild to severe and even life threatening.
Find Out How You Can Reduce the Risk of Infection
For additional information, please contact our Toxicology Division at 877-992-8370 or email@example.com.


text:
Ornate late 19th century grandfather clock fetches $10,000
An elaborate and stunning two-door inlaid cabinet which fetched $39,000 was one of many pieces to attract fierce bidding battles at Don Presley New Year's sale.
Presley keeping doors to So Cal gallery open
Auctioneer Don Presley reports city officials have approved his Orange, Calif., gallery is fit to hold online auctions, reversing a call to relocate or close his business altogether.
With gallery in limbo, Don Presley Auctions moves online
Don Presley offers Middle East photos online after city officials force him to shutter his Orange, Calif., auction house or pay as much as $60,000 to retrofit his auction gallery. While he investigates a new headquarters, Presley is brining more than 650 lots of fresh to the market goods to...
Tiffany & Co. tall-case clock should top $50K in 1000-lot auction
More than 1,000 lots of antiques, fine art and quality collectibles, including an outstanding Tiffany & Co. tall case clock, are up for bid June 9-10 in Orange, Calif.
Two California auctioneers team up on massive antique gun auction
Southern California auctioneer Don Presley will christen his new 18,000-sq.-ft. gallery addition with a Jan. 28, 2012 auction of antique, vintage and contemporary firearms produced in association with Gunslinger Auctions. The auction of approximately 500 lots runs the gamut from 17th-century long flintlock rifles to new firearms still in their factory...


text:
The Bitcoin community may not exactly be dancing on the grave of Mt. Gox, the oldest and once-largest cryptocurrency exchange, which officially filed for banktrupcy in Japan Friday morning. But it's happy enough to step over Gox's corpse and go about business as usual.
As of Friday afternoon, Bitcoin's exchange rate with the dollar remained at close to $550 according to the Coindesk price index average across the currency's exchanges, virtually the same as the currency's exchange rate a week earlier despite Mt. Gox's sudden disappearance from the web Monday and final bankruptcy announcement four days later. In fact, the currency rose more than 20% from its lowest point after Mt. Gox's vanishing act, showing signs of relief after years of suffering from the exchange's outages, hacks, and delays rather than the catastrophe some predicted after Gox's demise.
"The Bitcoin community responds well when bad actors are removed from the system," says Ezra Galston, a venture capitalist with Chicago Ventures who has considered investing in Bitcoin startups but doesn't yet hold stakes in any. "Whether the price in a year is $400, $800 or $2,000, I'm not smart enough to predict. But there doesn't seem to be a huge risk of Bitcoin not existing in a year."
The last so-called "bad actor" to be removed from the Bitcoin economy, Galston argues, was the Bitcoin-based black market for drugs known as the Silk Road, whose takedown by the FBI in early October resulted in the seizure of more than 1.5% of all Bitcoins in existence. Although the Silk Road seizure spark an immediate 20% drop in Bitcoin's price, it quickly recovered to reach values over $1,000 per bitcoin just weeks later.
Though Mt. Gox's initial signs of distress took a similar chunk out of Bitcoin over the past weeks, shaving hundreds of dollars off its price, the worst is over, says Andreas Antonopoulos, chief security officer of Bitcoin wallet Blockchain.info. "The market had pretty much priced in Gox's failure," he says. He points to new entrants in the Bitcoin industry who he believes will offer more stable exchanges, such as SecondMarket, Circle and Coinsetter. "This was an amateurish and incompetently managed company…it will be replaced by competent operators who run better exchanges."
In fact, Antonopoulos and others blame Mt. Gox for no less than five prior crises in Bitcoin that often had much more dramatic effects on the digital currency's value. When the exchange was first hacked in the summer of 2011, the news led to the first Bitcoin sell-off, plummeting its price from $35 to just a few dollars. Antonopoulos argues that Mt. Gox's hour-long delays in trading in April of last year was the cause of the currency's second major crash from a value of $266 to around $50. Mt. Gox's problems had become frequent enough that to be "goxed" has become a verb in Bitcoin-speak, meaning to be "fooled or trolled repeatedly" according to the Urban Dictionary.
Compared with those earlier price drops, the latest from the final death of Mt. Gox seems relatively tame. But Gox's problems still highlight real problems with Bitcoin, namely the ease with which it can be stolen from companies that don't take strict security precautions. Mt. Gox says its problems stem from a hack that made off with 850,000 Bitcoins that belonged to its users, worth more than $450 million. That reminder that Bitcoins can be stolen from an insecure vault–like any cash or commodity–no doubt played into the currency's slide from earlier in the month.
But Bitcoin startups are wising up to the security measures necessary to keep thieves hands' off their coins. Mt. Gox has been criticized for improperly safeguarding its coins in "cold storage"–the majority of its savings should have been held offline, where it would be impervious to even the most clever hacker. Instead, as my colleague Kashmir Hill points out, it seems to have held them in "lukewarm storage" that allowed the private keys to leak onto Internet-connected systems; That's not a mistake other legitimate players in the Bitcoin economy are likely to repeat.
"This has been tragic for the people who lost money, but we're putting it behind us," Antonopoulos says. "The silver lining is that we won't be goxed again."
Follow me on Twitter , email me, anonymously send me sensitive documents or tips , and check out the new paperback edition of my book, This Machine Kills Secrets: Julian Assange, the Cypherpunks, and Their Fight to Empower Whistleblowers.
Source: Forbes


text:
Apr 01, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC, April 1, 2014 — CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Apartments.com previously announced on March 3, 2014, creating the combined online information and marketplace leader in commercial real estate's $2 trillion multifamily asset class. CoStar is commercial real estate's leading provider of information, analytics and marketplaces and Apartments.com is a leading apartment rental marketplace.
"We believe that the two companies now together are uniquely capable of providing invaluable new services to both apartment seekers and apartment owners," said Andrew C. Florance, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoStar. "The combination unites CoStar's leading apartment information content and extensive online marketplace experience with the substantial brand, sales force, and online apartment marketplace experience of Apartments.com. We believe this in turn will lead to an even stronger platform for the Company's future growth and to increased shareholder value."
CoStar believes that the Apartments.com brand has significant value and plans to continue to keep and build on that brand going forward. "The Apartments.com brand is recognized by over 95% of apartment owners and used by millions of apartment searchers," stated Florance. "Our goal is to transform Apartments.com into the best consumer experience in the apartment space."
CoStar will announce financial results for the first quarter of 2014 following the market close on Wednesday, April 23, 2014. CoStar management will conduct a conference call at 11:00 AM EDT on Thursday, April 24, 2014 to discuss first quarter 2014 results, the closing of the Apartments transaction and to provide combined revenue and earnings guidance for 2014.
To participate in the conference call, please dial (800) 230-1093 (from the United States and Canada) or (612) 332-0107 (from all other countries) and refer to conference code 323568. To listen to the conference call over the Internet, please access the audio webcast link available in the Investors section of CoStar's website at www.CoStar.com/investors.aspx.
An audio recording of the conference call will be available for replay approximately one hour after the call's completion and will remain available for a period of time following the call. To access the recorded conference call, please dial (800) 475-6701 (from the U.S. and Canada) or (320) 365-3844 (from all other countries) using access code 323568. The webcast replay will also be available in the Investors section of CoStar's website for a period of time following the call.
CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and marketplaces. Founded in 1987, CoStar conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of commercial real estate information. Our suite of online services enables clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on commercial property values, market conditions and current availabilities. Through LoopNet, the Company operates the most heavily trafficked commercial real estate marketplace online with more than 8 million registered members. Including Apartments.com, CoStar operates websites that have approximately 16 million unique monthly visitors in aggregate. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar maintains offices throughout the U.S. and in Europe with a staff of over 2,300 worldwide, including the industry's largest professional research organization. For more information, visit www.costar.com.
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about CoStar Group's financial expectations, the Company's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements including words such as "hope," "anticipate," "may," "believe," "expect," "intend," "will," "should," "plan," "estimate," "predict," "continue" and "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management of CoStar Group and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause or contribute to such differences: the risk that the combination of the two companies will not produce the new services as and when expected, the risk that the combination of CoStar's leading apartment information content and extensive online marketplace experience with Apartments.com's substantial brand, sales force and online apartment marketplace experience does not result in an even stronger platform for the company's future growth or increased shareholder value; the risk that the company is unable to build on or realize all of the value of the Apartments.com brand; the possibility that the company's plans will change with respect to the Apartments.com brand; the risk that the company is unable to transform Apartments.com into the best consumer experience in the apartment space; the risk that synergies from the acquisition of Apartments will not be as expected, occur within the expected timeframe or drive revenue and earnings growth as expected; the risk that the combination and integration of Apartments will disrupt CoStar Group's operations or result in the loss of customers or key employees; and the risk that the businesses of Apartments and CoStar Group may not be combined successfully or in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements can be found in CoStar Group's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, filed with the SEC, including in the "Risk Factors" section of that filing, and the Company's other filings with the SEC available at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). CoStar Group assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
1331 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP) is commercial real estate's leading provider of information, analytics and online marketplaces.
CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP) is commercial real estate's leading provider of information, analytics and online marketplaces.
© 2018. CoStar Realty Information Inc.


text:
Story Views
|Last Hour:
|Last 24 Hours:
Shocking! Millions of People Claim to Have Watched a Movie That Never Existed in This Reality!
Click here to subscribe to the channel and SEE thousands more Effects like this one: https://www.youtube.com/user/MoneyBags73
#GenieMovie #MandelaEffect #SinbadGenieMovie
Yes this is correct. I was a teenager in the 80′s and had seen this movie many times. I first had seen it in a small town movie theater with some friends. We also had rented it many times for weekend film fest parties.
Who else was in it?
Give me some quotes.
Whats the plot summary if you saw it many times?
Where's the IMDB page?
Why isn't it listed in Sinbad's filmography?
What year range was it when you were "renting it many times"?
You say you were a teen in the 80s, some other liars are saying the movie is from 90s, and that it was super family friendly, so why would you be renting a kids movie "many times"?
"Give me some quotes."
"Get to the CHOPPER!!! rrAAAArugghhhhhee."
"Pull out your pants pockets. All kids in the future wear their pants inside out."
"You're not gonna die on the toilet Rodge."
"I am your father!"
"I am Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, your Senior Drill Instructor…"
"There ain't no way that you could come from my loins. Now I'm goin home and punch your mamma in the mouth."
"You remember Sully when I promised to kill you last? I lied."
"His name was Robert Paulson."
"I ain't got TIME to bleed."
"Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?"
"OH MAN, I shot Marvin in in the FACE!!!"
"We've lost Gorgeous George."
Ever notice how none of this MANDELLA CRAP ever has to do with movies EVERYONE REMEMBERS SEEING?
"I'll be back."
"Now I know what a TV dinner feels like."
"It's that rat circus out there, I'm beginning to enjoy it."
"That there is Cundalini… and Cundalini wants his hand back!"
"Where's your other hand?"
"He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!"
"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, a half pack of cigarettes, it's dark…
…and we're wearing sunglasses."
"Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son."
" FAIR? Who cares about fair? The world isn't fair. Truth is fair. Is it fair that you were born like this? NO! They're not expecting somebody like you in there, Ox. They're expected one of these slugs. You're different. You're weird. You're a mutant. You're a killer. You're a trained killer. You're a LEAN… MEAN… FIGHTING… MACHINE!"
"Great. Now we have to surrender our socks."
"I am honored and grateful that you have invited me to your daughter's wedding…
…on the day of your daughter's wedding."
"Where's your tattoo tattoo?"
"I hope you're not a mind-reader because if you are, I'm about to get my face slapped!"
"If my calculations are correct…
…when this baby hits 88 miles per hour…
…you're going to see some serious shit."
"It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen."
"If you and your undershirt will walk two paces backwards, I could enter this dwelling."
"A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms.
What are mine?
What draws my admiration?
What is that which gives me joy?
A man stands alone at the plate. This is the time for what? For individual achievement. There he stands alone. But in the field, what? Part of a team.
Looks, throws, catches, hustles. Part of one big team. Bats himself the live-long day, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and so on. If his team don't field… what is he? You follow me? No one. Sunny day, stands are full of fans…
What does he have to say? I'm goin' out there for myself.
I get nowhere…
…unless the team wins."
"June 29th. I gotta get in shape now. Too much sittin' is ruinin' my body. Too much abuse has gone on for too long. From now on, it will be fifty push-ups each morning, fifty pull-ups. There'll be no more pills, there'll be no more bad food, no more destroyers of my body. From now on, it will be total organization.
Every muscle must be tight."
This movie was on Australian TV about 15-20 years ago. The mandella effect is done by the Globalists that own all these companies.. There's NEVER been an alternate reality thats caused it.. It's prime evidence of what a psyop is. I have the original copy of the Berenstein bears golden book and also the garbage copy today. We've all stayed on this planet while the Globalists screw with our heads. It is real and they are doing it all in this one reality people… There's now thousands of examples of Brand names being changed. This is another one. SINBAD SHAZAM was the first time I was introduced to sinbad.. I remember thinking the movie had something to do with sinbad the sailors genie or something? I was young and didn't know.. Plus we don't get told shit in Australia and grew up on all American entertainment. We are the mini America nobody's asked for. Well that's what our government have done anyway.
CIA Reminder…. WILLIAM CASEY CIA DIRECTOR IN 1981 DIRECT QOUTE… We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is FALSE. WILLIAM CASEY FIRST STAFF MEETING 1981*
This is one of the reasons, many times, prophecies and predictions do not come true. We humans can literally change the course of history. By saying some things in public that may likely to happen, you can actually prevent such things from happening. If people had talked about the assassination of JFK before the event happened in 1963, the incident may have never happened. That is the power of the net and exposing the evils that may be brewing some dark corner of the society. There are infinite number of parallel universes and all of us are part of it to change the course for the better or worse, preferable for the better.
You idiots are thinking of a movie called Kazaam! starring Shaq.
There is no 80s movie with Sinbad called Shazam.
Or Shazmm, or Shazmn, since thats what the bad photoshop on the box looks more like it says.
Also, even for the 80s that box is way too low budget. And the font on Pure Magic is a give away, especially when combined with the THX Digitally Mastered on the box, indicating it would have been a newer release than super cheesmo 80s movies would have ever gotten.
If you think you remember this, congratulations, you're an idiot being sucked into internet gimmicks.
THX was available in the late 70′s. I know because I was there.
Actually there was a movie called shazam
AIR QUOTES SHILL AIR QUOTES: Once again you open your mouth and reveal your True I Q. Let me guess: You are probably about 22 years old, live in your mothers basement, are a nerd in the extreme , hate your parents, gripe about doing dishes, doing chores, am after disability, hate the world, and wish you were someone else> Am i about right? First of all dude, assuming you are a sort of male, you dont know know what your talking about. First of all the comments above are stating it was in the 90s!, NOT 80S! And oh yes i DO remember their being THX in the late 80s because I WAS THEIR!! I am a old fart who remembers movies like : Attack of the killer tomatoes, Zombie lake, Blackula, and the T.V. Movie Garghyles. Yes i did spell that wrong , but i am not a nerd , who has too have a spell check , or a fanny pack, or a pen pocket protector, LOL I dont have issues with Kirk or Picard from Star Trek. BTW if you want too watch a show about yourself watch the video by Weird Al Yankovich ( White and Nerdy ). Its all about you. My wife and I DO remember that movie exactly as shown, BECAUSE WE WAS THEIR! You young wooper snapper Xd. My advice — see a therapist. Work out your issues and please give your mother a big Hug.
Congrats, you're wrong on all your assumptions.
Except I AM a nerd, which is why I probably make more money than you, and am able to call out BS stories like this one
Did I say THX digitally mastered wasn't available then?
No I didn't.
But THAT THX logo, started around the remasters of Star Wars on VHS, which was in the 90s. IF that movie was real, which it isn't, it's very clearly super low budget, and would be highly unlikely to have that sort of THX branding.
My main point, and the one that you seem to be getting so mad about, is that fact that this story is garbage, that movie doesn't exist, and that box is a poor Photoshop.
Apparently that meant you had to rage on about a ton of things in my life, without any knowledge of who I am.
Have fun living your life like a blundering monster idiot, and have fun believing moron stories like this, shows your true level of intelligence if you do.
While were talking about levels of intelligence, how about you prove this story is true? Give me another picture that isn't a modified version of this Photoshop. Oh you cant? Because of some BS alternate timeline crap? Then where did this picture come from?
This story has more hoes than swiss cheese.
Sir once again you are incorrect. Google it. It was in 1983 that George Lucas started it . That was in the 1980s early 80s. wow you are a hard head. It was in 1983 that it began. , oh and btw yes you did say it. You said up above that it would have had too be later than the cheesmos 80s films too have the 80s movies would have ever gotten. I know you are saying that you believe the box is a fake, but its not, I lived then, and SAW IT in the video store , and so did many others here, and the point being—– THX was started in 1983! We all saw the box just like it showed up above, once again I was their. Its not a photoshop. , but im n ot saying its from a alternate universe or any far out crap like that , but rather a possible copy right infringment. Some people decide not too want a release too continue being out thier for others, so they buy the rights too a movie, and then take it off the market, which is possibly what happened here. But both of us here remember the box like that. Anyway have a good day, and please hug your mom.
I remember the movie and do not remember the box. But, the box looks wrong, I don't know why. In the movie he part time wore a turbine with a jewel. There are other movies missing. There was children in it and it was very family friendly.
My question is if some of these movies are found, can you claim patent rights on it?
x rated Muslim sex gay gangbangers, Obama got this movie for sure. /You only guess, and mine is as good as any.
I am a old fart lol, and yes i remember that movie, and cover. I remember it quite well because i wasnt into those kind of movies, and when i saw it i thought too myself omg another movie too keep the Kiddies happy. , sorry if some of you liked it , no harm intended.
But yes my wife and I both saw it in the rental places,. I dont th ink it had anything too do with ( Alternate ), realities or any crazy thing like that though. But why would the movie industry say it didnt exist? , how would that benefit them? Hmmmmm
Google image search Sinbad, you'll see the same face he's making on the box in one of the shots that come up, then it's photoshopped onto a body.
Also when you google image search sinbad, notice his body type in the 80s and 90s. Notice how sinbad is always overweight and never had big arms?
Also heres the box you're most likely thinking of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazaam#/media/File:Kazaam_poster.jpg
It doesn't exist dude.
You saw Kazaam staring Shaq at video rental stores, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazaam#/media/File:Kazaam_poster.jpg you didnt see this, because this doesn't exist.
Even if Hollywood stopped producing it due to whatever BS copyright you're trying to pull out of thin air to make yourself feel like this story is right, it would still be at thrift stores, posted online by people cleaning out garages, etc.
This picture is the ONLY picture of a movie you claim to have seen at your local video rental place? And NO other prictures of it exist ANYWHERE on the internet?
Think hard about that smart guy. Which is more likely, that a cheesy kids movie from the 80s or 90s got it's entire existence scrubbed from reality, to where no proof of it is present anywhere, or that some idiot just made a photoshop and people like you are confused from 25 year old memories?
Ahh correction on THX. My wife just looked up THX on the internet, and yes i was correct. THX was created by director George Lucas in 1983!!!, too institute Audio and film reproduction standards for Movie theaters. Later on it expanded from their. So yes Air quotes, IT WAS created in the 1980s, and The Box was and is correct. If you dont believe me Google hdguru.com
Show us the movie beling put in and played this will eliminate any doubt.
It's a VHS player and tape and yes that movie was made and Sinbad was the star of the movie. Geeze. There were also silent films before talkies before you were born. So no you won't remember it but plenty of us know there was a time Hollywood made all movies without sound.
There is no VCR in the picture…Just the VHS tape box.
There is no movie called Shazam starring Sinbad as a genie.
You can tell because there is no record of it anywhere.
Why isnt it on Sinbads IMDB page? Even unreleased movies end up with IMDB pages and Wiki pages.
Wheres the trailer? I can see commercials for almost every toy or movie from the 70s, 80s, 90s on the internet. Except this one.
Who directed it?
Who was the producer?
Who was the executive producer?
Who wrote the screen play?
Who was in it other than Sinbad?
None of that information is available anywhere, because this movie doesnt exist, and you're all confused, or lying because if it gives you a new fantasy to believe in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazaam#/media/File:Kazaam_poster.jpg this is the real movie.
http://beforeitsnews.com/contributor/upload/389668/images/C1HWlDrWQAQkcD3.jpg This is a fake photoshop job put online to confuse idiots, and to give people that want to believe in magic something to grasp for.
Speaking of Air Quotes.. I'd like to see just one quote from someone who claims they've seen Sinbad in Shazam "many times". heh..
Strange eh? I can quote from most any film I've ever seen but I've yet to see even one from this.
Yeah, the blundering idiots that believe everything posted on the internet are out in force on this one, even though none of them have ANY proof of it existing, and there is tons of evidence that it doesn't exist.
I was a child in the 80s and a teen in the 90s. Pretty sure I would have at least seen trailers on other straight to home video movies, but I didnt.
Yet the idiots claim to have seen it at rental stores. Which means it would have been out there, along with at least some promotional materials. Which means more than just this one twitter user would have a copy of it.
But they don't.
Because it's not real.
THANK YOU BOO: air quotes shill is trying too say something he doesnt know. I remember that cover, but it didnt last long. In my hometown their wasnt much too do in the early 80s so having a VH player and of course recorder was a huge t hing . So i remember it quite well. THAT BOX!, along with many other remakes of the same movie. Tell you what, I know im right, and my wife knows shes right, and im sure many others here know their right, so lets let it drop , geez dude , ill make a deal with you now . Go buddy up with the CERN people and when they are able too master , Time displacement technology, then please go back in time and bring forward a copy of This particular copy. As i recall , ( off the top of my head, from a long time ago), I remember seeing this copy of it in 1984. Anyway please go hug your mother, and dad. Peace
I'M trying to say something I don't know?
You're trying to defend a photoshopped movie box!
There is ABSOLUTELY zero proof to back up anything you're saying, except you saying "you remember it".
But you don't.
Because the movie doesn't exist.
No one bought all the rights to it and stopped it from being distributed.
Even if they did, what about all the copies out in the wild already? Like the one you think you saw? You think they sent out the Men In Black, to retrieve all copies that were ever sold to every video rental place and store in the 90s?
You have no logic backing up your claims in ANY WAY.
Movies that never even got released, still end up on the internet, why would you think a movie that you claim you saw up for rent, is magically gone from existence?
I have been looking for a spaghetti western for 5 years that I watch in around 1959. It does not exist either apparently. I saw the Sinbad movie on HBO a few times, the little ones liked it.
No, you didn't.
you know, the true absurdity here isn't actually about whether a film ever existed or not.. it's about perpetuating the ridiculous "Mandela Effect", which you and I both know is a fantasy that only exists in the minds of inhabitants of a flat earth in a galaxy far far away where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.
Yeah, Confabulation is a real thing, that perfectly explains the "Mandela Effect", but of course the Flat Earthers and the Hollow Earthers aren't going to believe in science when it's so much more fun and realistic to believe in magic.
They're too busy waiting for Nibiru to come next month, every month, for the rest of their lives.
Shaq did Kazaam that I personally know of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kazaam_poster.jpg
Yes, that movie being real, combined with this photoshop, combined with people suffering from confabulation, is all we're seeing here.
Every time I get downvoted, I know it's because I'm right, and someone is butthurt that they can no longer defend their stupid ideas.
Talk about ConFab! The B-52′s did a song called Love Shaq. I've seen the video.
In the vid, Shaq even does a cameo appearance dressed in drag.. (the tall one, during a dance shot).
quote: Love Shaq, Baby Love Shaq..
hah, people think I'm lying, but the government actually funded the production of the vid and inserted a coded message at 1:03 in the vid that says, "shaque d'amore".
a deep web diva hacked the studio that shot the vid and found a memo titled "shaque d'amore where an agent named "trufulla" threatened me for exposing the whole operation, Oct.1, 2011 at 10:12 PM. See for yourselves here:
it's a dangerous world. Glitter on the highway.
In psychiatry, confabulation (verb: confabulate) is a disturbance of memory, defined as the production of fabricated, distorted or misinterpreted memories about oneself or the world, without the conscious intention to deceive.
AIR QUOTES: i AM ONLY GOING TOO SAY THIS for the last time. YOUR name says it all ((((((AIR)))))) which explains what is going on in between your ears. If someone saw Jesus walking on the water in front of you and said OMG!, its Jesus walking on the water, you would be the one too say , ( NO its just a figment of your imagination, a delusionary image created by filtered light under unusual atmospheric conditions ), the image your seeing is imaginary, and cant be real. To which others would say, but really i see a man walking on the water and hes getting close!, and looks angry!, to which you would say , omg seriously i already told you its a false image!, but sir hes now in front of you and looks angry while looking at YOU! Once again you would dismiss it till he HIT you , and you fell too the ground, to which you would then say , ( Damn what a good Illusion!!!, that almost felt real, and this blood almost looks real )!!! Enough said!!!! Final comment from me on this issue.
"I know that you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and Im afraid that that's something I cannot allow to happen."
Yeah, final comment, and it addresses NOTHING.
I guess it would be my final comment too if I knew I had absolutely nothing valid to add to an argument, and wanted to admit defeat without saying it.
Shill, it has been humorous to watch the sheer denial present and you spearing the gullible. My thanks, sir or madam!
People have bad memories. Look at studies of eyewitnesses for court.
As for THX, I would hope readers are aware of what a licensing fee is. THX was reserved for blockbusters as the fee was quite high for several years. Now if your cheesy, fake movie had come out in the early to mid 90s, there's a slim chance it had THX audio but again, I doubt it.
"People have bad memories."
And overactive imaginations. Folks have taken a mere tic, a flaw of the mind, and turned it into perhaps THE most absurd conspiracy theory anyone has ever heard of.
Helpful Hint, Hoopleheads…
Next time you remember something incorrectly, at least consider the possibility that the error is yours — and not that Doctor Evil came to earth with his history altering secret weapon.
Trust me… life will be so much simpler if you heed the warning.
Yep. years ago in a backroom at DragonCon a few of the entities there were enjoying a bit o' the spliff.. no new news there..
"but I thought Mandela was already dead?"
"hey, me too!"
"and so did I!!"
Well then, it just of course follows that all had been subjected to an inter dimensional joyride to a looking glass world.
All these little mind warps are a ticket to ride. "I'm a Space Cowboy"..
But really who cares? Some have way to much time on there hands.
It was Kazaam, not Shazaam. Shazaam and Kazaam sound fairly similar, and the word Shazaam is more well known, so I can see how it's easy to conflate the two if you're searching the dusty back corners of your memory for an old movie ad. Thinking back, I do seem to remember seeing Sinbad dressed up like a genie, but the movie cover I remember matches the one with Shaq, so I assume it's the one I remember.
This does not match up with what I remember. I remember him standing over a lamp in a full on genie outfit with hat and the shoes that have the little curl on the toes. standing kinda profile with his arms folded and a big smile on his face.


text:
I'm not here to bury NiGHTS--but I am here to say that SEGA's HD update of their Dreamcast-era classic might night be past its sell-by date. Point of fact, I'm curious about how gamers without the weight of nostalgia will approach this 2D/3D platformer. That was actually how I approached it here, having never played the original and missing its re-release two years ago on the Wii.
What I found was a game that might have at once been incredibly inventive, but now feels like an artifact from a period where 3D design was still limited by the available hardware.
First off, a little about SEGA's revamp, which optimizes the game for 16:9 screens while sharpening some of the previously standard-def visuals. The 360 version of the game that I played renders the world of dreams with some crisp and colorful visuals, and the only time the low-poly count limitations really creep up during the ground segments with Will and Helen (their faces and the ground textures are rough at best, primitive at worst). Of course, the option to play with the original graphics and aspect ratio is there as well if that's something you're into.
But improvements aside, it's really not all that fun. If you've never played NiGHTS, the primary gameplay involves the title character flying around on a fixed track in a circular level with enemies that can be grabbed and tossed or flown through using Nights' spinning dash attack. Side paths give the game a sense of depth in the third dimension by accessing turn junctions, but it takes a bit to figure out precisely where the turns are--something you might not have the time to do given the ticking clock you're working under to beat the level's miniboss.
NiGHTS is a contemporary of Crash Bandicoot and Pandemonium, two other, slightly more traditional platformers that threw in a little bit of 3D interaction to seem fresh and new on the 32-bit consoles.
It's not that being an old-school platformer is the problem, per se--only that being able to occasionally turn left in the environment doesn't provide mucg in the way of compelling or unique gameplay when that's something we're able to do with frequency today. I know it sounds like I'm beating up on an old game, but nothing feels fresh, unique, or interesting here when so many more inventive platformers have come in its wake, while the level design is neither tight or clever enough to make it at least a curiosity.
For the nostalgic, Nights into Dreams... might be worth picking up, but for the average platforming fan, you should probably take a pass.
NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams is available now on PSN and XBLA.
Related posts:
SNES-Inspired Wii U Pro Controller Shows Up At EB Games
Club Nintendo Offering 'Pilotwings' on Virtual Console For 100 Coins
Follow @MTVMultiplayer on Twitter and be sure to "like" us on Facebook for the best geek news about comics, toys, gaming and more! And don't forget to follow our video gaming and TV writer @TheCharlesWebb.


text:
Vincent Michaud is one of the most recognized and respected coaches in Central Florida.
After a National Junior Career and a Pro Challenger lever career in France, he attended and graduated from the French Federation as a Professor of tennis.
Vincent went on to spend 5 years coaching at the tennis club de Paris, one of the most prestigious clubs in the capital. During that time he developed an interest in American Tennis, spent some time in Boca Raton (with former Sebastian Grosjean's coach, Vanderpool) and obtained his USPTA certification.
In 2000 he moved permanently to the US and worked at the Snowbird Canyon Racquet Club in Salt Lake City, Utah. Vincent relocated to Florida where he worked with top ITF players at the Hopman Academy. 2 years later he moved to Orlando to work with Jim Lohr at the Human Performance Institute (HPI).
In 2010 Vincent started his own high performance tennis academy (http://www.michaudtennis.com). Over the years Vincent has developed Regional and National players, as well as D college players.
Vincent is married with 3 kids, Alizee 18, Oceane 12, and Marine 8. He is very enthusiastic to share his experience with players from the Seattle area!


text:
An informal poll on our Facebook page strikes a nerve. Do you concur with some of the responses?
Water Cooler
Misconceptions About the Role of PR AboundJanuary 17th, 2013 by Matthew Schwartz
Is Subway's Short Footlong a PR Mess?January 17th, 2013 by Bill Miltenberg
A slighted Subway customer posted a photo of his 11-inch sub on the chain's Facebook page, which traveled all the way to the cover of the New York Post.
Boeing's 787 PR Problem: When Do Glitches Turn Into a Crisis?January 16th, 2013 by Scott Van Camp
Experts say all new aircraft go through growing pains, but after a serious of problems with its highly touted Dreamliner, at what point does Boeing go into PR crisis mode?
What Facebook's New Graph Search Means for PR ProsJanuary 16th, 2013 by Bill Miltenberg
While Facebook piqued the media's and its users' interest with its latest feature announcement, here is what it means for the practicing PR pro, so far.
Three Crucial Elements to Include in Social Media PoliciesJanuary 15th, 2013 by Matthew Schwartz
If communications execs want to own social media, one place to start is by developing formal social media guidelines.
Walmart's Pledge to Hire Veterans Is a Dose of Good PRJanuary 15th, 2013 by Bill Miltenberg
Walmart's announcement to hire any honorably discharged veteran within his or her first 12 months of active duty brought positive coverage from The New York Times, a rarity for the retailer.
SMB Advertisers Slow to Add Social to Communications MixJanuary 15th, 2013 by Scott Van Camp
Most small and medium-sized businesses have not yet adopted methods like promoted postings, sponsored tweets and social games/contests.
Editor's Pick: Video of the Week (1/10)January 14th, 2013 by Bill Miltenberg
For PR pros, the good professor offers this piece of sagely advice: Try to understand people (read: your CEO, CFO, etc.) and your clients by observing them. Check out this "60 Minutes" story on how to design breakthrough… Continued
Delta's Smashed Guitar Crisis: Like Déja Vu All Over AgainJanuary 14th, 2013 by Scott Van Camp
What did the airline learn from United's guitar-breaking lessons four years ago? Not enough.
Respect the Locals, Eh: PR Agency Angers Residents of Canada's Ninth Largest City With New CampaignJanuary 14th, 2013 by Bill Miltenberg
In seriously botching a civic engagement campaign for the city of Hamilton, Dialogue Parners learned some valuable lessons.


text:
DoubleX is starting a new partnership with The Washington Post Magazine . Each week our contributors will argue over a certain question, and we invite you to join in. This week: According to a recent issue of Wired magazine , women performed just as well as men in late 1950s astronaut training tests. What if a woman had been the first American in space?
Hanna Rosin : Instead of the airline stewardess as path-breakers, we might have had the astronaut. How cool would that have been? The women's movement would have been entirely different. Space would have been our frontier. "The Feminine Mystique" would have meant something much more badass. Wonder Woman would have been moot. Or, on the other hand, maybe space exploration would have become "women's work," figure skating with no gravity. And my husband still would not be changing the crib sheets.
Jessica Grose : A female astronaut would not have made a difference in the chronology of the women's movement. Look at Amelia Earhart: She was a pilot in the 1920s and '30s and a media darling. And yet, according to the most recent statistics I could find, fewer than 5 percent of cockpit crew members in the United States are women. Even if there had been an Annie Astronaut in the late '50s, it wouldn't have altered the grand scheme of women's lib.
KJ Dell'Antonia : What's with the xenophobia? Valentina Tereshkova went into space for Russia in June of 1963. She was part of a corps of women cosmonauts-all of whom had to be under 30 years old, weigh less than 154 pounds, and be less than 5'7". (Why do those requirements sound so much more reasonable for orbiting earth than for serving in-flight coffee?) NASA was shocked that the Russians had sent a "girl" and did consider-but eventually dismiss-the idea that lighter astronauts would require less fuel, less oxygen, and less food. Apparently, "from each according to his (or her) ability" had its good points.
June Thomas : A few years ago, I worked at a company where men dominated the most valued technical positions. There were all kinds of programs to draw more women into these roles, but when it came time to reward workers for shipping a new product, the jackets emblazoned with the product logo usually came in a choice of large and extra large. Times have changed since the 1950s when astronaut candidates had to be test pilots-a job that women were shut out of-but earlier this decade, NASA abandoned a program to develop a space suit for smaller women, deeming it too costly. Sizes speak louder than words.
Alison Buckholtz : I am fortunate to know many female military aviators, and confident that a phrase like "That's one small step for women, one giant leap for mankind" would never occur to any of them-or their hypothetical foremothers in flight. These women work so hard to overcome career barriers that they rarely draw attention to gender differences. Instead, I like to think about what the first woman in space would have brought with her. In my mind's eye, I see her holding her grandmother's small, sepia-toned wedding photo, creased along the edges, portraying an unsmiling young woman barely aware of what is about to happen to her. But the alchemy of space works its magic on the photo, and grandma returns to earth smiling, finally assured that her sacrifice was worth it.


text:
Additional information
|0.03 kg
A deciduous tree (70 mm high) in autumn foliage with an integral base.
Please see larger image for more details.
The figures are a 28mm handgunner (GW) and some 15mm US Infantry (Battlefront) to give an idea of size.
This item is being discontinued. Once the current stock has gone, it will not be replaced.
|0.03 kg
There are no reviews yet.
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.


text: InBusiness by Posted 11/7/2011 Updated 6 yearss ago CEO David Wolf InBusiness CEO David Wolf attributes a big part of the success of his Orlando-based internet marketing firm to its diversity. The 2-year-old company's 10 employees are as diverse as a U.N. subcommittee, hailing from India, China, Peru and the Dominican Republic, as well as the United States. The company recently moved to downtown Orlando after expanding earlier at the University of Central Florida's Business Incubator in Orlando.


text:
Financial stringency, Unemployment, Disease, Litigation, Marriage/Divorce, Strained husband / wife relationship, Mental disturbance, Accidents, Fire/Theft incidents, Harassment to son / daughter from in-law's side etc. can be rectified by adopting Free solutions as advised in this website. Or Send your building map to us by e-mail at email@example.com , It is must to mark accurate directions, height of neighbor's houses, open field, pool or any ditch. By the blessing of God, all the happening running in our life can be predicted by studing the our residence. And if we construct the residence according to Vastu principles, then all the problems be solve automatically. These are the laws of God.
Listen / DownloadDevotional Mp3 Music
Watch / Download Free Video Ramayan


text:
If you are a bowhunter, then you know who Fred Bear is—or at least you should. But while just about every archer has heard about this bowhunting icon, how much do you really KNOW about the legendary Papa Bear? Yes, he was a badass bowhunter who took more than his fair share of dangerous game with traditional tackle. But he was also a shrewd businessman who was instrumental in marketing archery and bowhunting to the masses. His combination of shooting skills, woodsmanship and marketing genius combined to make Fred a pivotal figure in the history of bowhunting, the likes of which we will probably never see again.
For those who recall Fred Bear vividly, and especially for younger bowhunters who know Bear only by his legend, The Sportsman Channel is presenting a special tribute documentary titled "Fred Bear: Father of Bowhunting" this Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern. The special is presented by Bear Archery, Bear's namesake company. Bear continues to make some of the world's top traditional and compound bows, helping to keep the spirit of its founder alive and well, and Bear officials I've spoken with say Friday's special is truly that—a "special" event you won't want to miss. Among the highlights will be interviews with many of archery's biggest names, vintage video footage from many of Fred's biggest hunts and never-before told stories about this true American legend.
Here's a quick video preview of the show:
I know I am anxious to see it, and I'll be setting the DVR to record, too!