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The Blog of BlowoutCards.com — filled with the stuff collectors are talking about
2014 Bowman Platinum
Scott Schebler is this year’s Adam Duvall — a hard-hitting Cincinnati Reds outfielder who’s come out of nowhere to hit a boatload of home runs.
Schebler’s present stat line stands at 15 homers and 29 RBI through his first 48 games where he’s hitting .247. It’s a home run mark that puts him tied for fifth in the majors and tops in the National League beside Bryce Harper. (Duvall is one shot behind them on the NL list.)
Unlike Duvall, whose arrival last year was at a time where he had no certified autographs, Schebler’s is one where he’s got autographs — but only in a single past release. | {
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The unstated rule on RJ, is that anyone posting such a question is to go first with his answer, before others. (And for added interest, you might also ask what would happen in this imagined sexual session - and don't expect any one to answer about actual encounters already had with other RJrs - with maybe one or two exceptions, we're all too discrete.) | {
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Premachandran: Afghanistan Roll With the Punches & Come Out Head Held High on 1st Day in Test Cricket
As they lined up, first in their smart blue blazers and then in their creams with the beautiful crimson cap, it was hard not to think of those who had been left behind. Hamid Hassan, pace bowler extraordinaire, who was Afghan cricket’s first superstar. Nawroz Mangal, who guided them up the first steps of the ICC ladder. Karim Sadiq, so desperate to play here that he offered to retire if given the chance. The Zadrans – Noor Ali, Shapoor and Najib. Men who had been instrumental in creating something out of nothing, those who put their country on the cricket map.
“The names you have mentioned have made huge contributions to Afghanistan cricket when we started,” said Asghar Stanikzai, the current captain who played alongside most of them, on the eve of this Test. “After ODI and T20 status, we have achieved Test status because of the wonderful efforts they have put in. It is a big moment for all of them also, and we [the current side] will take it from there.”
The Afghan mindset, epitomised by the rotund figure of Mohammad Shahzad, has been a revelation in the limited-overs arena, where their refusal to be intimidated by any opposition has played such a big part in them becoming the pick of the emerging nations. So much of the pre-match talk was of how they expected to take that attitude into the Test arena and thrive in similar vein.
But the five-day game is a strange beast. Afghanistan’s flair and aggression have served them well in the white-ball formats. Their quick bowlers hurl it down fast, the spinners give the ball a real rip and the batsmen give the leather a pounding. It’s simple, uncomplicated and seems to come naturally to them.
Test cricket so often is a strategy game played out on an oval, where discipline and patience are two of the greatest virtues. You can’t always blast batsmen out. And the magic balls that make the T20 highlights reels aren’t always that because the batsmen aren’t compelled to try and hit them for four or six. Experience matters, and this Indian team has it in spades.
Murali Vijay looked awful in the opening exchanges. His feet were going nowhere, he was flashing at balls he should have left, and fortunate that one he inside-edged missed the stumps. But Vijay is also an old pro with a decade of Tests behind him. He knew how to ride out the storm and get to the azure blue where he could calmly paddle along.
And then there was Shikhar Dhawan. The emotion of the morning ceremonies had no impact on him whatsoever. He may struggle on seam-friendly pitches overseas, but in these conditions, he’s one batsman you don’t want to bowl to if you’re struggling to find the right line and length. Pretty much every errant ball pinged off the middle of his bat and sped to the boundary. And he scored at such a pace that Afghanistan had no opportunity to take a breather.
Once Stanikzai refused Shahzad’s entreaties to use the Decision Review System (DRS) when Dhawan was on 23, the opening day’s plan veered off track. Bowlers couldn’t settle into spells, fields set couldn’t be maintained. And the runs came at nearly T20 pace. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, talked up so much by their captain before the game, got a pasting. Had anyone else been at the crease, they might have got the couple of overs they needed to settle into a rhythm. But the only rhythm they found was the thump-thump of the ball leaving the Dhawan bat.
Once the Dhawan Effect wore off, with Ajinkya Rahane, in particular, struggling in the final session, Afghanistan looked much more at home. Without the attacking threat that Dhawan, and later Vijay and Rahul, had offered, the bowlers could find their grooves. Rashid, especially, was a different bowler once the threat of caning was removed.
Before play began, in a nod to nostalgia, the BCCI had invited Salim Durani to present a memento to Stanikzai. Born in Kabul in 1934, Durani hit 15 sixes in his 29 Tests for India, in addition to taking 75 wickets with wily left-arm spin. Four decades before the IPL, he was the great entertainer, the one who tried to smack sixes on demand.
Now a frail old man, Durani wouldn’t have dreamed, even during his playing days that the country of his birth would one day be a Test nation. A decade ago, the team coached by Taj Malik and led by Mangal was eking out a nail-biting victory over Jersey, the hosts, in the World Cricket League Division 5. Countries like the UAE, Scotland, Netherlands, Kenya and Canada were all further along the road to international recognition. Most of them had an existing cricket culture and some facilities. Afghanistan had neither.
Now, here they are, having left each of those teams behind. Ireland also got Test status along with Afghanistan last year, but when they played their first match last month, the men who shared the new ball were 36 and 34. Had Ireland been given Test status in 2010 or ’11, where they were at the top of their curve, the increased funding and the buzz around it would have inspired even more youngsters to take to the game.
For Afghanistan, the timing is perfect. Rashid and Mujeeb may have had nightmarish Test baptisms, but their feats, both in Afghan colours and in the IPL, have inspired thousands. With a population nearly twice that of Sri Lanka and a side that are national heroes, they won’t struggle to attract kids to the game.
The nous will come with time. Afghanistan could have taken the easy way out and opted for a Test debut on a Sharjah pitch tailormade for Rashid and friends, against opponents who would be wary of that. Instead, they’re taking on the world’s. No.1-ranked Test side in their backyard. First lessons don’t come much harder, and Afghan cricket will be better and stronger for it. | {
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An extension of the Common Sense Journalism monthly column by Doug Fisher, former broadcaster, newspaper reporter and wire service editor. From new media to old, much of journalism is just plain common sense."In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Unknown (often improperly attributed to Thomas Jefferson)
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair
"Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire
"Common sense is instinct; enough of it is genius" - George Bernard Shaw
Wednesday, July 03, 2013
Columbia killing: And that she's a mother is relevant why?
So this is a story from my morning paper today:
Columbia police are asking for the public’s help in
identifying three suspects who killed a baker and mother of four.
Kelly L. Hunnewell,
33, of Pineneedle Drive, was found dead Monday morning at the bakery kitchen
where she worked at 93 Tommy Circle.
The woman died from
complications from gunshot wounds to the upper body, Richland County Coroner
Gary Watts said.
From the outside,
no one would know that a bakery is inside the white, cinder-block building just
off Beltline Boulevard. There are no signs anywhere on the building, only two
windowless doors and a larger bay door. The building is surrounded by fences,
and the backyard is full of overgrown weeds.
Police found
Hunnewell’s body after receiving a call from someone near the bakery who heard
a woman screaming and gunshots, according to Columbia Police spokesman Jim
Crawford.
Later,
investigators discovered surveillance footage that showed three armed men
entering the shop through a propped-open door. Seconds later, the men are seen
leaving the scene hurriedly.
Officers are still
trying to determine a motive, Crawford said.
“It’s truly a
whodunnit at this point,” Crawford said Tuesday. “We’re working on some remote
leads right now, but nothing concrete.”
Tommy Circle is off
Beltline Boulevard, near an ale house, a bail bond company and a hair salon.
The bakery is the last building before Tommy Circle turns into a residential
area.
There has been no
recent crime around the bakery, Crawford said.
And I'm still left wondering why her being a "mother of four" is relevant, especially in the lede when it is not referenced or backed up elsewhere in the story.
We really do have to stop doing these knee-jerk, sexist ledes. That's not to say there should be a blanket ban on such things. There actually can be justification for mentioning these things in context -- and the local TVs got it, instead of dwelling on the building and surrounding scenery:
Family members say Hunnewell had four children. They say she was working
early morning hours at the bakery so she could spend time with her
kids.
Bingo - all it takes is a little reporting! (And consider* a hyphen after "early" while we're at it.)
The State's online story has this lede: A search for three suspects in the killing of a baker entered its second day Tuesday. I can't tell if someone had the good sense to change it online or the poor sense to change it for the paper. (In one of the many continuing examples that newsrooms still don't totally get online, while the site date-stamps its entries, it does not time-stamp them.) And that story still has a headline "No suspects in killing of baker, mother of 5" (so maybe there's a numeracy problem too?).
----
*I've added "consider." Ah, nothing like throwing a hyphen into a roomful of journalists to watch the fun begin. My old friend Royal Calkins, over on Facebook where this post also appeared, declares it non-negotiable -- no hyphen with -ly words, be they adjectives or adverbs. Would that it were so clear-cut. As an example, the AP, following many newsrooms' recent aversion to hyphens, comes down on the side of not using it, but with blowback from commenters. So does National Geographic and Cambridge. On the other hand, "Working With Words," a standard guide in journalism classes and newsrooms, says this: "Use a hyphen in a compound modifier after any word ending in ly other than an adverb, such as the adjectives friendly, likely, seemly, timely and ugly or the noun family." Bill Walsh, in "Lapsing Into a Comma," generally follows the same path, and you can find style guides on either side of the issue. And there is vigorous debate among copy editorsI respect (the latter is Gramarphobia, by Patricia O'Connor, and note the use of the hyphen in the text on another subject). I've written before about the unloved hyphen and the journalistic move away from it (though the Wall Street Journal still cherishes the little buggers). So my best advice is to make your own decision or follow your favorite style guide. But, please, do not call it non-negotiable as Royal has. Very little in language is when it comes to usage and style (this is not a grammar issue) and punctuation. (And if it were, there wouldn't be so much dang debate on the Oxford comma - journalists would have to use it because it is the predominant American style. Not endorsing it, just sayin' ...)
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About Me
Yes, I do coaching and consulting. That is the only shameless commerce you'll get from me here. Go to the bottom of the blog for more details.
Who am I: A longtime print and broadcast reporter/editor/producer and then AP news editor who now professes journalism at the University of South Carolina. (But please note, nothing on this blog represents official university policy or sentiment. If it did, I'd be very concerned.)My point: That journalism is a great occupation, that most journalism is common sense and that our problems arise when we sometimes don't use it.What's covered: My interests center on editing and writing and on editors and the challenges they face in a changing environment. I'm convinced editors are not being trained enough to face these challenges, but that common sense rules the day. I'm heavily involved in Newsplex, the new-media newsroom at the University of South Carolina. But my interests are wide-ranging, so anything, from ethics to some aspects of Web design, is fair game.
Hope you find something here worthwhile.
Common Sense Journalism  Yes, I do seminars and consulting. Among those I have worked with are the SNPA Traveling Campus, S.C. Press Association, N.Y. Press Association, Georgia Press Association, Mississippi Press Association, Virginia Press Association, Landmark Community Newspapers, American Copy Editors Society, Society of Professional Journalists, Lancaster (S.C.) News, The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald, The (Sumter, S.C.) Item, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. Contact me for more information. | {
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AnTyx
Saturday, April 23, 2016
I'd arrived at Laban Rata after one o'clock, having done the climb in a little over four hours. Dinner would not be served for another three, and a clique of anglophones quickly formed at the tables. This is the social spirit of backpacking at its best: it happens not on the Thai beaches of a full moon party, and not at an Amsterdam coffee shop, but at a place like Laban Rata, or like Lencois, the base camp at the Brazilian national park of Chapada Diamantina. It is built on sincerity stemming from exhaustion, and a default respect awarded to everyone who is present at the table: none of us have gotten here other than through the crucible. Be it the greying Austrian who left his wife and kids at the seaside resort to come on an impromptu trek and was the first one up the mountain, or the two English conservation students who'd been traveling around Malaysia on a sort of extra-credit holiday, or the two blonde Danish girls just out of high school, or the horribly sunburnt American who turned out to be in possession of Estonian roots and a very Estonian name - about as Estonian as could survive for a second-generation Floridian whose father had been born in a German displaced-persons camp.
Over the next few hours, the conversation had gone through every plausible topic, from Eurovision (explaining it to the American) to how Europeans are not *really* racist towards visible-minority immigrants at home (I smile and nod, and wonder to myself if this topic could have been discussed as earnestly if there had been a non-
white European within earshot; and no, Asians don't count). The night ends in a round of six-euro beers. The Austrian and the American stay up to drink, but I stumble down to my dorm hut for some rest - my alarm is set for 1.30 am, and an hour after that, I start climbing.
The blackout is soon interrupted: a few Malaysian climbers stumble in, and say that a bunch of people are still on the trail, and terribly late. These guys are part of a group of 37 people from a Kota Kinabalu college, who chose to take the Mesilau Gate path - which is 2km longer and tougher than the Timpohon Gate one. They'd started around 9am, like everyone else, but through some combination of inferior guides, a lack of preparation, or whatever else, the first people in the party did not get to Laban Rata until well after sunset, around 9pm - which is to say, they'd been climbing in the dark. A lot of people from their group were still down there.
I ask the guy if he's doing the summit climb tomorrow, and his answer amounts to a resolute "hell no" - which, in the circumstances, is perfectly fair. So I borrow his headlamp - I was going to rent one from the hostel, but he won't be needing his until I get back down in the morning...
///
I wake up in the dark, and and decide the bush shower is not worth attempting. Maybe the people in the main building have hot water, but the outhouse next to my hut sure doesn't. I stuff my feet into my long-suffering ankle-high orange Timberlands and go up to the hostel for breakfast, wearing more-or-less everything I brought - which amounts to a black fleece with my employer's logo (mercifully discretely) sewn on it, the thin synthetic cargo pants I bought in a mall in Salvador da Bahia because it was literally cheaper than doing laundry, my Australian kangaroo-hide drover's hat, and my climbing gloves - which are actually cheap ten-euro fingerless leather gloves I got from my moto shop back at home: they are meant for cruiser riders, entirely useless as riding protection, but have decent padding on the inside of the palm.
Byron comes to collect me, dressed like a polar explorer. Departures are staggered by handicap: my guide gets me out early, probably because he is not too sure about my climbing speed. I wave to the breakfast crowd - see you on the trail! The Austrian is there with the others, but his guide told him he might as well sleep in.
The start of the final leg is even more crowded than the base of the mountain yesterday, but it quickly thins out as the Japanese school groups fall behind. My borrowed headlamp's strap is useless, it keeps coming off; I fiddle a bit, and find that I can actually attach the lamp itself to the horizontal chest strap on my backpack. Much better!
We proceed up a very long set of steps, a wooden staircase attached to the side of the mountain roughly as far as the treeline goes, and then bunch up again slightly at a chokepoint: a thick rope, like a ship's mooring cable, shines white against the grey rock face. We are well above the tree line now, and there is obviously nothing natural to grab onto. I shrug inwardly, and follow the procession of climbers. Later that morning, while coming back down, I will be astounded by how different it looks: in the daytime I would be incredibly intimidated by this section, and would be quite reluctant to attempt it uphill. But in the dark, there is no context and no alternative: I must simply trust that if everyone else is doing it, I can and must as well. So I grab onto the rope and scramble up the broken rock face.
Half way up the summit trail is a checkpoint, where a park employee reviews our passes and makes a note of our passage - I assume it is mostly to know who to look for in the event of a disaster, rather than weeding out those who did not pay the climbing fee, because the shack is surely not that difficult to avoid for a genuinely motivated scoundrel. After we get through, Byron calls for a rest break: this is how he measures progress, time until sunrise against distance left to cover. I sit on the rocks and take photos of the distant lights - Kinabalu City? Some other conurbation? It feels about as far as the view out of an airplane window at cruising altitude, though I know we are still below four thousand meters. I wave to the British girls as they pass by.
Beyond the checkpoint there isn't really a trail, just a general direction along a broad barren incline. In the darkness, I lose Byron, but it makes no real difference: I'm not feeling very chatty, and the faint points of headlamp light ahead show me where I must go. I follow the incline, at first straight up, then start zig-zagging to trade total distance for grade. The climb is cold, lonely, and seemingly interminable, but I know how long I've been up here and how long I have until sunrise. Yesterday was worse.
Beyond the crest of the tilted plateau lies the last stage of the climb: a boulder-crawl up to Low's Peak itself. Now that the end in sight, I am motivated, and progressing with three points of contact at all times is actually less strenuous than walking uphill. Before very long, I make it all the way up.
Time to have my picture taken next to the sign. Low's Peak, four thousand and ninety-five meters above sea level; achieved without any specialist climbing equipment other than biker's gloves and mall-common Timberlands, by a fat bastard who's not seen the inside of a gym in years. Never mind that this is the terminus of a well-trodden gringo trail; it's a goddamn accomplishment, and I'm proud!
It's at least an hour until sunrise. That was the entire point of the exercise: sunrise at Low's Peak. The whole procession is structured around this, designed to give us this singular experience, because in all honesty, there are not that many other experiences to be had up here. Borneo is a tropical jungle, so much of the Timpohon Gate trail is covered in vegetation anyway; and when you do get a window out onto the expanse, it's nothing but a sea of green. Kinabalu stands proud and alone. There is neither the civilizational sprawl of Rio or Naples, nor the volcanic spectacle of Japan, nor the stark visual overload of Finnmark. And as the temperature rises throughout the day, so does the mist; the point of sunrise on the summit is that if you arrive late, you see nothing but the wooden plank affixed into the rock.
That gringo terminus feeling is predominant. Low's Peak is literally that - a pencil-point sticking out of a wider mountaintop. No convenient shelter is available. The windchill is a major factor, so as the extended line of tourist climbers bunches up again at their destination, the place resembles nothing so much as a group of ants clinging to each other at the tip of a toothpick: every single patch of less-than-vertical surface on the leeward side is taken up by a miserable European, shivering and washing down their energy bars with cold water. Everyone is exhausted, everyone is sleep-deprived, but closing your eyes on this precarious encampment is out of the question. Besides, there's always some Taiwanese or Israeli girl climbing over you to get to a point of illusory comfort beyond the next rock.
---
Dawn comes and we stare at the sun, appearing out of the haze. The Benetton cluster turns towards the light, snaps one last selfie and begins to disassemble. Byron - now looking like an Arctic explorer in the full gear he'd hauled up just to wait out the predawn chill - finds me and urges me to start heading back. Fair enough, there's not much more to see here.
This really is the highlight of the climb - not the way up, not the sunset at Laban Rata, and not the appearance of the sun, but the magic first hour of crisp fresh light above the cloud cover. After a rope-aided descent from Low's Peak itself, where I feel I am getting somewhat good at this boulder-crawling thing, we have a long walk down the barren incline. This is where I take my best photos, of other distant peaks silhouetted against the deep blue of altitude. A bunch of guides are sitting at an enclosure of piled-up rocks, waiting for their respective gringos to get down. I'm feeling good now, going down is less strenuous than going up, and Byron tells me stories. On the approach towards the now-irrelevant checkpoint, he mentions how a few months ago, a Frenchman lost his footing and tumbled down the rocky plateau. Luckily for him, this is one of the two points on the trail - the other being Laban Rata itself - where a helicopter medevac is possible; so he got a quick ride down, not that he enjoyed it.
A few months after my trip, a major earthquake near Mount Kinabalu resulted in the deaths of several guides and tourist climbers who were on the Via Ferrata - an additional post-peak activity that I had intended to do, but decided to skip after all. They were climbing along special equipment affixed to a vertical mountainface, which was dislodged in the quake. Nobody on the Via Ferrata survived, but as far as I know, nobody else on the busy mountain at the time was killed. This is a testament to the professionalism and care of the local guides and emergency services. In addition, the earthquake resulted in the destruction of a few of the freestanding mountaintop formations - some of the peaks in my pictures are no longer there.After the rope section, which now becomes a brief unsecured absail, we dive back into the treeline. The stairs are definitely taking a toll on my knees, but I encourage myself with the prospect of breakfast and a nice sit-down at the hostel. I don't get much rest, though - I'm barely done with the hearty but uninspiring food before Byron drives me on.
As we leave the compound, I go through my pockets and show him the thing I bought specifically for this part of the trip, but that I did not end up needing: a bottle of high-strength insect repellent, the sort of stuff that is almost entirely poison. I brought some this time because I remembered not having it in Brazil - assuming I would be able to get it anywhere in-country; turned out it's really uncommon there. I'd ended up buying some regular beach-type stuff before going to the Amazon, and hardly needed it at all: my hostel on the acidic arm of the river was almost entirely devoid of mosquitoes in late February. So it is with Borneo, as between the dry season and the altitude, the insect life has been entirely unobtrusive. I toss the bottle to Byron and tell him to keep it, but not put it on synthetic clothing, because it will eat right through the fibers. The Malaysian seems fascinated and slightly frightened by the implication of a culture and climate that required the manufacture of such precautions on an industrial scale.
Ironically, because I set foot in Borneo, I was blocked from giving blood for a year. The rest of the trip - Thailand, Laos, Western China, Taiwan - was of no concern to the epidemiological authorities, and neither was the main body of Malaysia. Better safe than sorry, I guess.
As we descend, I begin to understand why the way down is scheduled to take as long as the way up, if not more. I missed a walking stick while climbing the mountain, but I am really missing it now. The summit trail is not steep enough to keep three points of contact with the ground or vegetation, but it is definitely too steep to be a taken at a brisk trot, as I would do with a downhill trail at home or in Europe. It is a series of large natural steps, and I have to jump down each one; I try to set a good pace at the outset, but the constant impact has a jarring effect on my knees. I may not have too much regard for my physical shape, but I did sort of expect the way down to be something of a walk in the (national) park. It is anything but. I know not to push too hard, as it is much easier to be injured in a fall on the downslope than on the climb, so as we keep going, I take increasingly frequent rest breaks. Mentally, this is easier than yesterday because I have my headphones on.
We meet the day's new shift of tourists going up, along with the cargo-carrying locals. Whenever I stop to rest, Byron is off to have a conversation - I'm sure that in his mind, he's already down the mountain and partying in town with his friends. At the halfway mark he goes off to the guides' hut to have his instant noodles, while I talk to a group of Westerners on their way up, and finish the last of my Pocky.
We dip down further into the treeline; the descent smooths out eventually; and I find myself facing a small but visible rise. It may be slightly daunting, but it's actually the end of the line; Timpohon Gate, the place where we started. We check out of the park, and Byron finds a little shuttle just about to leave for base camp. Once there, I say goodbye - he's eager to be off. The descent only took about four hours, which is a respectable pace.
I buy a polo shirt with the Mount Kinabalu logo and go down to a restaurant - this lunch buffet was part of my package trip. The food is not bad, but I'm far too gone to eat anything substantial. I get back to the parking lot and find the bus back to Kinabalu City. It is an astoundingly comfortable coach - it doesn't have the in-seat entertainment of Europe's nicer intercity lines, but the interior is ostentatiously appointed, and my deeply reclining seat affords me all the legroom I could want. If this is the standard of coach travel in South-East Asia, maybe my overnight trip from Laos to China won't be so bad!
I make an honest effort to enjoy the view from the panoramic window, but I zone out before the bus even begins to move, and spend most of the way to Kinabalu City unconscious. Back at my hotel, in a different room but reunited with my baggage, it is as much as I can do to take a brief shower and fall into bed. It's 5pm. I wanted to see some more of the city. I never did.
Thursday, January 07, 2016
I found the original text I wrote on the night train from Kuala-Lumpur to Penang. It describes the same thing as the previous post, but I can see no reason not to post it. The second part of it forms the start of the next chapter, but that's it for the reserves - everything from then on is recollected a year or more later.
I wake up at ungodly o'clock, surprisingly upbeat and full of nervous energy. I consider what to bring up to the mountain, and leave my large suitcase at the hotel before checking out - I will be back after a day and a night and a day. I've filled my fancy aluminium canteen with a liter of boiled water, and I also have a couple of boxes of Pocky from the nearest 7-Eleven in my backpack. No breakfast is available (at this hour or at all), and all I have eaten so far in Kota Kinabalu is the disturbing dessert. The last decent meal I had was on the plane. The last decent night's sleep I had was in Tartu.
I'm the last person on the minivan. Besides me, there is a young guy from some other part of South-East Asia, and a big bald American guy, from Hawaii as it turns out, with his Asian-American wife. They are doing not just the summit, but also the Via Ferrata on the way back - something I initially wanted to do, but reconsidered (wisely).
The road out into the countryside reminds me of Brazil, perhaps unsurprisingly - lush jungle, fringed with intermittent industrial sites and Catholic retreats. The extent of human habitation should not be surprising, but somehow is, to a European. Yes, people live on Borneo, and yes, all of them have a Samsung Galaxy.
At base camp, I am introduced to my guide, Byron (named after the poet - I asked). I see people carrying trekking poles, and wonder if I should get one, but decide against it. This will ultimately prove to be a bad decision. We get back on the bus, and it drops us off at the trailhead of Timphon Gate. There are four other climbers in our group, but as I have booked alone and paid for a separate guide, I suggest to him that we strike out ahead. I go first, at the pace that seems good to me; Byron is spotting me from the back. I feel a little bit of social awkwardness - were I alone, I'd just put in my headphones and listen to podcasts or an audiobook. I am absolutely certain Byron would not have been offended, but I still don't do it, electing to take in the high jungle of Borneo with all of my senses.
I love trekking because it offers me a means of introspection, a backdrop of physical effort that I can modulate to my own perceived stamina while meditating - a sort of living REM sleep. I also love verticality as only a person from a very flat country can. On a normal occasion, I could think of nothing more pleasant than a four-hour ramble along a verdant mountainside. So understand when I tell you: the Mount Kinabalu summit trail is many things, but it is not pleasant.
Indeed, it is open to the general public, and can be completed by anyone of reasonable physical fitness levels, without recourse to specialist climbing equipment or technique (other than gloves, a headlamp, and decent footwear). But all the reviews will tell you: it is tough. All of the marketing focuses on the achievement, not the enchantment. You start with a six-kilometer hike, during which you go from 1866 meters above sea level - already higher than most amateur trails in Europe - to something like 3200 meters. That is a gain of 1,4 kilometers, or around a 1-in-4 average grade (gaining 1 kilometer in height per 4 kilometers walked). Furthermore, half of that elevation comes in the last third of the trail. I had a tracker running on my phone for parts of the climb, and the maximum grade it recorded was 47%. To put that in context: there is a gorge next to the Highway Museum in southern Estonia, where road signs tell you in no uncertain terms to slow the hell down to 30km/h and drive extremely carefully. That is for a grade of, if I remember correctly, something like 13%.
I was doing fine for the first four kilometers - feeling the strain, but also feeling like I was within my stamina limits. I could do this. It would be tough, but I would feel better for having done it. At the four-kilometer mark came the lunch stop: at a roadside shelter, I ate the packed lunch provided by the tour operator - a few triangles of ham and cheese on plain white bread, and an apple: intentionally bland enough not to upset any guest's sensibility or stomach. While I ate, me and a couple other climbers - another big American with an Asian girlfriend, oddly enough - chatted with, or rather were aggressively chatted at, a jolly old Englishman in a woolen sweater and a Holland beanie, who volunteered various details about his life, such as having gone to prison for crashing a car after doing coke, and emotionally supporting a Mexican friend who was obssessed with getting back his wife who'd divorced him years before. ("He slept with one of the nurses, and told his wife." - "Well, there's his mistake," I quip back. "He should have slept with his wife, and told one of the nurses.")
After the lunch stop at the four-kilometer mark, though, the trail got significantly steeper. I kept climbing out of sheer stubbornness and resolve. By the five-kilometer mark, I had broken down, physically and mentally. It was only the innate composure and ability to suppress emotion that is the birthright of a North European that prevented me from weeping openly. The guides warned us to take rest breaks, but not to make them long - it would be difficult to start again. Several times, I simply stopped on the trail, unsure of whether I could start again - but I knew that there was no cable car with which to take a short-cut. A big part of why I travel is to put myself not just out of my comfort zone, but into a situation where I have to push myself, because there is simply no other recourse available. This was perhaps the greatest of these moments.
My guide saw that I was struggling, but of course, there was nothing he could do but encourage me. He did not know what I eventually realized - that I was doing this climb on a lack of sleep, and most probably a serious deficit of blood sugar. Looking up at the trail that was shooting ever higher above me, I sat on a rock, and closed my eyes, thinking of nothing and feeling nothing but the sun on my face.
Then I wolfed down a whole box of Pocky in one go.
The Laban Rata mountain refuge was just behind the next crest. I climbed breathlessly onto the volleyball-like pitch beneath the hostel building, as Byron high-fived me. I felt relieved, but only for a moment: this was the six-kilometer mark, and the stop for the day. I still had another three klicks, and eight hundred vertical meters, to go until Low's Peak - and I would have to do that at night.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
(The story starts back here. I could have sworn I'd typed up the next chapter on the overnight train from Kuala Lumpur, but I can't find it anywhere, so I am continuing as recollected.)
I wake up at an ungodly hour and semi-check out, leaving most of my luggage behind. Downtown Kinabalu is quiet, and the tour company's van picks me up for the two-hour drive to the national park. As the van leaves the city and meanders through the countryside, I start up a brief conversation with an American, a weightlifter type, and his Asian (but not Malaysian) girlfriend. For me, it's my first and biggest challenge of the trip; for them, it's one of many. The American's got a couple of walking sticks, for his bad knees, and pays to have his and his lady's bags ported up to the overnight hostel. I can appreciate that it's an affordable solution when your travel plans won't let you leave the bags in the city, but it still strikes me as odd and slightly presumptuous. You don't need your luggage for a two-day, one-night climb.
At the base camp, I get my mountain ticket and meet Byron, my guide. The park regulations mostly prohibit solo climbing, and my schedule is not conducive to finding clever workarounds - I'm not part of a group, so I've been issued a personal minder. As I stand in the parking lot with my packed lunch (cheese on white bread and an apple - maximally inoffensive), I look up at the towering Kinabalu. There must be something I'm missing. There's no way I'm climbing all the way up there, on foot, today!
We're shuttled to the park entrance, and I pass by my last chance to rent a hiking pole. I consider it, but am not sure, and then they run out. This will turn out to be a big oversight on my part; but for now it's morning, the sun is shining, it's not too hot, and I am full of energy. As we start up the trailhead at 1800 meters above sea level, I ask Byron if it's okay that we go on ahead. The others from my van are moving slowly, and I might as well take advantage of having a personal guide. It's not so much that I'm in a hurry - I just like hiking alone, at my own pace and with my own thoughts, without adjusting to others. Byron is happy to follow behind - his capabilities obviously far exceed any pace I can set. For a while, it's a pleasant climb, as we pass the porters going up and down the mountain with heavy loads, boxes of supplies for the hostel, luggage, and even giant cannisters of pressurized cooking gas, strapped to their backs valve-side down, like a third-world jetpack.
The first tourists we meet are a group of drenched Aussies sprinting downhill. Their guide follows behind, winded, exchanging discernible gasps of exasperation with Byron. The young Aussies are obvious professionals, mountain runners, from the same clique that comes here every year to set records. There's a plaque down at the park gate, displaying last year's top times. It will take me somewhere between four or five hours just to get to the overnight spot, then more to reach the summit in the darkness, and the rest of tomorrow to get back down. The record holder, a Spaniard, made it all the way to the peak and back... in under three hours, total.
There is a dozen-odd rest areas on the way up the trail, some more elaborate than others. For the first major section, I am happy with my pace - I may not have strength, but I like to think I have stamina. By the time we break for lunch, there's a respectable flow of last night's tourists coming downstream. The undisputed king of the lunch spot is a wiry old Englishman wearing several sweaters and a thick wool hat with floppy ears, a one-man ambulatory sauna. He tells us stories of bumming around South-East Asia with the missus on a creaky old sailboat, as well as his old mates from back home - including a tragic physician who desperately tried to recapture his wife's affections. "The poor dumb sod, he slept with one of the nurses and told his wife." (I wait one heartbeat and deadpan: "That's his mistake right there. He should have slept with his wife and told one of the nurses.")
I refill my metal canteen at the only waterhose that Byron dares recommend to a foreigner, and we continue uphill. Now it's a different story, though. I may have rested and eaten, but the upper part of the trail is significantly steeper. The cheer drains from me as my legs burn, but I have no choice except to push on. I stop bantering with Byron and focus only on the road ahead, and above me. I'm carrying my phone and earbuds, but I feel it would be rude to use them for distraction, so I let my mind focus on the drumbeat of random lyrics from a Lordi song. Onward and upward, only occasionally glancing back down the hill to measure my progress - by this time we are out of the jungle and there is some sort of view, although the fog has rolled in to obscure most of it. Byron urges me to rest, but my stubbornness wins out. I don't think I can afford to lose inertia, or I'll never be able to start back up again. I'd quit if that were an option, but this is not Mount Etna or Vesuvius, there is no overpriced cable-car option. It's Malaysia, it's Borneo, it's a mountain that admits us tourists on sufferance. The overnight hostel is closer than base camp, is all that matters.
Eventually I can't take it any more. It's Sunday afternoon in local time, and the last decent sleep I had was on Thursday. I've barely had any dinner, I've not had any breakfast, I've spent the previous day walking around Hong Kong, I've been up since five in the morning, and the two slices of plain white bread with even plainer cheese have not made a difference. Exhausted in a way I can't ever remember being, with no physical or mental stamina left, I sit down on a rock just off the seemingly near-vertical path and turn around to look out at Asia sprawling before me. I reach into my backpack, pull out my box of Pocky and wolf it down, waiting for the blessed rush of sugar, palm oil and processed carbohydrates to revive me. I close my eyes and just sit there, drained.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Jon Worth posted this link on Facebook and asked e-voting advocates to address the points in it, specifically as it concerns the prospects of e-voting in the EU.
So I did.
So Jon asked me to put them in a separate blog post for easy reference.
So I did.
(As always, I encourage you to read that entire post to understand my replies.)
Myth 1:
"How to verify that an eligible voter cast a vote that arrives at a voting system’s door remains an unsolved problem."
Wrong. Secure digital ID is a reality, and several countries have deployed state-backed PKI systems that identify persons online to a sufficient level of reliability (no lower than comparing the person in front of you to a passport photo). Now, most of the EU doesn't have digital identities deployed yet, but the eIDAS Regulation does stipulate that they ought to eventually. I know where they can buy an e-government-in-a-box, at very reasonable rates.
"They may have sent the correct credentials, but who is to say it was them who was doing the voting, and not some “helpful” malware installed on their computer?"
In the last couple of elections, Estonia has deployed a second-device authentication mechanism. You vote on a computer, and get a time-limited QR code that you scan with a phone app, it then talks to the e-voting servers and shows how your vote has been recorded. Furthermore, while many have tried, nobody has successfully demonstrated a viable in-the-wild attack on the authentication mechanism. As Jon knows, being subjected to such constant tests is how systems become more secure.
"Good luck with that when you have an online voting system, and malware to manipulate votes is discovered on many New Zealanders’ computers a day after the results have been declared."
Fortunately, e-voting allows you to re-do the process after malware has been cleaned out or the software changed to close the attack vector. And, like all critics of e-voting, this author makes the assumption that judges and scrutineers are infallible and incorruptible.
Myth #2:
Technology moves so fast that computer systems built today need constant maintenance, monitoring and patching just to keep them operational. In the case of an online voting system, defences against the latest threats and constantly upgrading underlying software and operating systems will make the cost even higher than for the average system. It’s likely the budget for these systems will be in the millions of dollars a year.
Only relevant if you set up a separate designated system for online voting. The eIDAS Regulation requires digital identities to be provided anyway, and the system easily pays itself in the savings on bureaucracy eliminated by e-government. Nevermind the general benefit to the economy of digital identities being widely available.
Myth #3:
"“21 percent of non-voters said they did not vote in the 2011 General Election because they ‘didn’t get round to it, forgot or were not interested’ to vote.”. In a word, disengagement."
Yup, and the way it's been done with us - a long period where e-voting is available, in a very convenient way, before a paper voting day - makes it much easier to get around to it. Plus, don't discount the driving factor of being able to share an "I voted" screenshot to Facebook.
Myth #4:
"What is missing from an online vote is a paper trail — actual paper that can be counted again if a result comes into dispute."
Anyone who has paid attention to, oh, let's say the referendum in Crimea, or recent municipal elections in Russia, can tell you interesting things about the inviolability of paper trails in paper elections.
"With an online system, it’s impossible to trust the results of the count, let alone a recount."
It is possible, though, to build tamper-proof databases and systems with end-to-end encryption. (They exist for specific government purposes; but the overhead means they are uncommon and not visible to most people. Here is an example I found with some very quick google-fu, of a tamper-proof solution in an environment where the receiver does not trust the sender at all and expects them to cheat.)
It is possible to build an IT system that is secure as long as you trust one or two core administrators - same as a paper voting system is only secure as long as you trust the returning officers.
Myth 5:
"What our system can’t do, is verify that our voters clicked on what they thought they did (hint: malware can change web pages), or rely upon showing the voters their choices later (not only did we just break the “secret” part of secret ballot, but our malware is back and changing pages again)."
Well, I described above how that's been solved in practice, although it's true that the functioning of the system would be much more transparent and understandable to most voters if you give up the secrecy of the vote. There are philosophical arguments for it as well, but I doubt they would be broadly convincing.
"Scrutineers are told to watch out for husbands hovering over their wives at polling booths. In an abusive household, the victim has no right of secrecy, making coercion by abusive or judgemental people far easier. Outright vote selling also becomes simple. And in families with voting-age children living at home with their parents and disengaged with the election process, maybe a parent will decide that one extra vote for them won’t hurt?"
Again, has actually been addressed in practice. This is why you get to e-vote repeatedly over a long period, and only the last vote counts; you can vote how your boss/spouse/school bully tells you to, show them that you did, then vote the other way a few hours later.
"It’s too hard for one person to manipulate thousands of votes."
But not too hard for a group of people. And I've talked before in these conversations about how e-voting actually makes it possible to set up independent voting watchdogs that are much more efficient than the Carter Center.
Myth #6:
Er, this is just babble. Not sure how I'm supposed to respond to that. "No, YOU're stupid"?
Thursday, June 11, 2015
The named characters to die off are, in order: a Japanese security commander, an Indian CEO, a snooty British nanny. Oh, sorry, there was also a comically fat security guard who got eaten. Meanwhile, Vincent D'Onofrio's operatically terrible villain is the only white guy in Costa Rica to have actually picked up a strong tan, just to make sure you don't feel as bad for him when he dies horribly (offscreen, in case he needs to come back for the sequel), while his mwahaha-ing Chinese accomplice escapes with the seeds of the next disaster. Over in the control room, the one tech who volunteers to stay behind gets hilariously and humiliatingly rejected by a girl, because he is a NERD and how DARE he try to play the hero, he is nowhere near military-trained enough to be a protagonist we actually care about!
Bryce Dallas Howard plays a female executive who spends the first act being hysterical and inept in the face of crisis, until she goes back to the man she once dumped - Chris Pratt as Bronaeris Stormborn - whose gruff manliness inspires her to get her shit together and modify her outfit for more cleavage, signalling readiness to take on the hazards of the Central American jungle without ever taking off her stilettos. Of course, she only starts being a worthwhile character when she forgets everything she'd learned in her career and is overcome with nice, Christian, motherly concern for her nephews, whom she previously abandoned, the evil witch!
The Bro of Dragons
The nephews in question are a precocious boy genius already coming into his own as the superhero Background Exposition Man, and his big brother, the sullen kid whose main purpose is to give the camera an excuse to pan over to the hot teenage girls he's constantly ogling. Never mind - they will be fine, because at a key moment we will be told that they had just happened to restore their grandfather's old muscle car together, so they know exactly how to quickly repair a Jeep that's been rotting in a Central American jungle for twenty years.
The Big Bad Monster is always exactly as capable and powerful as the plot requires, which is explained away with "well, you didn't know this, but it also has genes from THIS animal!" - including being impervious to tranquilizer darts, bullets, and anti-tank rockets! Of course, he is also conveniently vulnerable to the teeth of another dinosaur once it's time for the money shot. Oh, and a velociraptor gets thrown into a souvenier shop window and EXPLODES IN A BALL OF FLAMES. | {
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Even for the Dutch – tolerant to the point of national suicide – it was a tad much.
Martinus “Tiny” Muskens, Catholic bishop of Breda, told a television audience that Catholics should pray to Allah, as a way to ease tensions with their Islamic neighbors.
“Allah is a very beautiful word for God. Shouldn’t we all say that from now on we will name God Allah?” asked the bishop who spent 8 years in Muslim Indonesia. (Our Allah who art in heaven, hallowed be thy jihad?)
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) thought the prelate’s proposal a capital idea. “It reinforces the fact that Muslims, Christians and Jews worship the same God,” CAIR Spokes-thug Ibrahim Hooper told FOXNews.com. Then, why don’t Muslims begin praying in the name of Jesus, or use the Hebrew word Adonai (Lord) in their prayers?
Just for a change, why don’t Muslims do something to ease tensions? They fly planes into buildings, kidnap and behead, assassinate, try to blow up airliners and spread the most vile hatred imaginable – and it’s our job to reassure them.
“What does God care what we call Him? It is our problem,” Muskens declared. Hooper agreed, “I don’t think the name is as important as the belief in God and following God’s moral principles.” If Hooper said that in Islamabad, Riyadh, or Cairo – he’d be stoned to death by his ecumenically minded co-religionists. FYI: CAIR’s adherence to “God’s moral principles” may be seen in its status as an un-indicted co-conspirator in the federal trial of the Holy Land Foundation for aiding Hamas, now in progress.
If there’s nothing in a name, why didn’t Joshua order that on entering the Holy Land, the God of Israel would henceforth be known as Baal, to facilitate relations with the Canaanites? Why did Jesus instruct his disciples to pray in his name?
My friend Bill Donohue, the tough-talking president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights said the bishop “can pray to ‘Allah’ all he wants, but only addlepated Catholics will follow his lead.”
A poll in DeTelegraaf, the largest paper in the Netherlands, found 92% of the Dutch opposed to the bishop’s bootlicking.
The papers were filled with comments like “Sure. Let’s call God Allah. Let’s call a church a mosque.” Hollanders can also pray toward Mecca, dress their women in burquas and beat them when they’re “disobedient.” Why go half-way?
After the 2004 murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by a homegrown jihadist, the Dutch are starting to reassess their anything-goes ethos.
In a 2006 opinion survey, 63% said the Religion of Peace is incompatible with modern European life, 68% felt threatened by “immigrant or Muslim young people,” 53% feared a terrorist attack by Dutch Muslims and 47% believed that at some point in their lives, Holland would be governed by Islamic law.
In 1955, John Wayne made “Blood Alley,” a movie about a shipload of Chinese villagers dodging danger as they fled the Chi-Coms. Along with France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the Netherlands is beginning to look like Allah Alley.
Due to immigration and procreation, Dutch Muslims have gone from 22,000 in 1973 to more than 1 million today, roughly 6% of the population. In March, the Dutch government announced a 10 million Euro program to combat the radicalization of Muslim youth. The methods to be employed weren’t specified. Presumably, they will not include buying prayer rugs for Catholics.
Besides the slaughter (literally) of Van Gogh - because he had the temerity to do a documentary on the abuse of women under Islam - last November, four Dutch Muslims were convicted of plotting a terror campaign.
The ringleader, Samir Azzouz, had prepared a suicide video intended to “strike terrible fear into the Dutch people.” The cell’s targets included Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and former MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who renounced Islam and helped Van Gogh with his film.
In December, 2004, the Dutch Ministry of the Interior released a 60-page report titled “From Dawa (proselytizing) To Jihad,” which conservatively estimated that there are 50,000 Islamic radicals amongst the tulips and windmills.
According to the report, the Saudis have financed a number of mosques and Islamic organizations (never a good sign), including Amsterdam’s Tawheed mosque, where Van Gogh’s killer prayed, and whose imam refers to Christians and Jews as “kindling for hell fire.” Now there’s a good-will gesture for you – one guaranteed to ease tensions.
The report rated the ability of Dutch society to resist Islamic extremism “low,” though this seems to be improving. It also noted that the Dutch Muslim community is particularly susceptible to radical influences.
Like Romans in the dying days of the empire, Europeans have let barbarians in the gates, with predictable consequences. There are an estimated 20 million Muslims in Europe today. The percentage of Muslims in the population of the European Union doubled between 1995 and 2005.
Go to any major city in Western Europe and see who’s pushing strollers with two and three children. It won’t be Babette, Anka or Inga. In Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Brussels, the most popular name for baby boys is Mohammed – not in honor of the American boxer.
The birthrate of European Muslims is three times that of their non-Muslim counterparts (the latter well below replacement level). In less than 20 years, it’s estimated that one-third of all European children will be born into Moslem families. By 2050, one in every five Europeans will pray to the same god as Osama bin Laden and the Iranian ayatollahs.
Some Europeans are fatalistic.
An October 25, 2006 article published in The Brussels Journal quotes German author Henryk M. Broder, who told the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant that young Europeans who don’t want to live under a Caliphate should leave while they still can. Sitting on a balcony in Berlin, pointing to passersby, the author sadly commented, “We are watching the world of yesterday.”
Others choose accommodation, and even consider themselves heroic innovators for their pathetic gestures – like Britain’s Booby Prince Charlie, who says that instead of “Defender of the Faith” (a traditional title of British monarchs), he prefers to think of himself as “Defender of the Faiths.” (Why not skip the interim step and go directly to “commander of the faithful”?) This after a conspiracy of Muslim doctors tried to blow up a number of his mum’s subjects in July.
Less sanguine is a French-born rabbi serving a synagogue in Brussels. Writing in The Jerusalem Post last October, Rabbi David Meyer confessed: “I am frightened not just by the anti-Semitism, but by the collective European response of indifference and appeasement. Today, Europe worships compromise. It is ‘fanatical’ in its non-violence. It is a Europe that, in the face of Islamic fanaticism, is ready to stay silent” – or suggest that we all begin praying to the god of jihad.
“By refusing to truly battle the Islamist ideology, by refusing to firmly and consistently oppose the dangers of Iranian nuclear proliferation, by refusing to support Israel in its battle against the menace of Hezbollah, Europe is saying everything is ‘negotiable’” – even the faith of its fathers.
It’s fun to chuckle at the Europeans – feckless, faithless, gutless. But America too is on a suicide watch, thanks to the treason of the elites.
In September, New York City will open the first public school for Arabic-speaking students. One can imagine a typical math lesson: If Ahmed can saw through flesh and bone at the rate of an inch a minute, how many Zionists can he decapitate in an hour?
In May, the Department of Homeland Security announced a $15,000 grant to the Islamic Society of Baltimore, to help upgrade its security system. This is part of a $24-million program to aid non-profit organizations “deemed high-risk for a potential international terrorist attack.” Why international terrorists – who aren’t exactly Presbyterians – would want to attack American mosques is a mystery. The ever-helpful CAIR (which sits on the FBI’s community advisory board) is encouraging Islamic organizations to belly up to the bar. Giving an anti-terrorism grant to a mosque is like airport security doing a pat-down on an octogenarian nun, while expediting the boarding process for a flying imam.
In June, The Detroit News reported that the University of Michigan-Dearborn will spend $25,000 to install “foot-washing stations” on campus, to facilitate Muslim religious practice. That the university is a public institution apparently presents no problem for the “church/state separation” crowd. This at a time when college administrators – at public and private institutions – are busy removing crosses from chapels and renaming Christmas parties.
At its winter meeting, the Democratic National Committee was led in prayer by Imam Husham Al-Husainy of the Dearborn, Mich. Karbalaa Islamic Education Center. The Imam asked Allah to: “So guide us to the right path. The path of the people you bless, not the path of the people you doom.” According to the Koran, Islam is “the path of the people you bless,” while other religions are the “path of the people you doom.” The dumb Democrats didn’t realize they were praying for their own conversion. And, if they did, would it have mattered?
The State Department has issued visas to hundreds of fundamentalist Muslim clerics, who come from countries like Egypt, Pakistan and Jordan – areas of intense Al Qaeda activity - many of them recent graduates of Saudi-supported Wahhabi seminaries. Law enforcement agencies are urging the State Department to exercise more discretion here. But Condoleezza Rice’s boys are determined to prove to the Islamic world just how much we love that old religion of peace. (The Secretary of State calls Islam a “religion of peace and love,” and has referred to Hamas as a “resistance movement.”) Come to the land of opportunity, where the streets are paved with explosives! Come on over and create more Jose Padillas.
To honor the heroes of Flight 93, the brave passengers who fought back against 9/11 hijackers, by an act of Congress, our government is creating a national memorial in the shape of the Islamic crescent, which is called (I kid you not) “The Crescent of Embrace.” While the architect who designed this multicultural monstrosity maintains there’s no religious symbolism, if you stood facing the middle of the half-mile wide crescent, you would be almost exactly oriented toward Mecca. Tom Burnett Sr. – father of one of the Flight 93 heroes – says he won’t allow his son’s name to be used on a memorial that incorporates the faith of the killers. Imagine the uproar if they’d designed the World War II memorial in the shape of a giant swastika.
In the past, I’ve referred to contemporary leftists as residents of the Happy Land of Make-Believe, where the real world isn’t allowed to intrude on comforting delusions. In her new book, “The Death of the Grown-Up,” Diana West has another name for it – “dreampolitik” – an entrenched reality-avoidance which characterizes many of the ‘60s generation, who are frozen in an adolescent time-warp.
You’ll encounter them at Starbucks, ordering their favorite environmentally friendly beverage. You’ll see them zipping around town in their VWs, plastered with “War is Not The Answer” bumper-stickers. What is the answer, anyway – surrender, submission, slavery, self-destruction?
As he prepares for dhimmitude (the inferior status of unbelievers) in the coming Caliphate, Bishop Muskens may have forgotten that a year ago the people he’s trying to appease by adopting the name of their god were threatening to kill the head of his church.
When Benedict XVI quoted a 14th century Byzantine emperor to the effect that everything wasn’t groovy with the creed of the Prophet, Muslims from Jakarta to London were chanting “Death to the Pope,” and burning in effigy the spiritual leader of a billion Roman Catholics.
To show just how offended they were by the suggestion that Islam is violent, they shot a nun in Somalia, firebombed a number of West Bank churches and murdered some Hindus (who never imagined they were agents of the Vatican).
Despite the pope’s repeated apologies, an Iraqi gang predicted, “The day is coming when the armies of Islam will destroy the ramparts of Rome.” (They already have a beachhead and unwitting fifth-columnists to facilitate the conquest.) When it comes to Islam and every other religion, sensitivity and magnanimity are a one-way street.
To accommodate Islam, praying in the name of Allah may not go far enough. In the ultimate gesture of solidarity with those of the jihad persuasion, perhaps infidels should start cutting off their own heads – following the good example of the Bishop of Breda.
This column originally appeared at GrassTopsUSA.comand appears here with the author's permission.
Don Feder is a former Boston Herald writer who is now a political/communications consultant. He also maintains his own website, DonFeder.com.
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Pro-Newt super PAC launches voter fraud app
Want to be a poll watcher? Now there’s an app for that, thanks to the Winning Our Future super PAC.
The group made a name for itself early in the Republican election cycle when casino billionaire mogul Sheldon Adelson donated $15 million to support Newt Gingrich’s campaign for president. When Newt’s candidacy went bust, Winning Our Future went quiet - but with less than a week until Election Day, the group has reemerged by releasing its own voter fraud app for smartphones.
The app, called VoteStand, allows users to submit their own photo or video along with text to report “incidents” they see at their local polling place. It notes only in the terms of service that it is illegal to take photos or video inside of a polling station in many states. Users are able to agree to those terms of service without reading them, and there is no additional warning to make sure one complies with local election laws before a photo is taken. The app says all incidents submitted will be investigated, although it is unclear by whom.
The app also allows a user to browse the latest incidents, which on Friday included one photo that showed a picture of a grassy lawn littered with acorns. The “incident,” from Houston, Tx., home of Tea Party poll-watching group True the Vote, was titled ”A whole lot of ACORNS!” a likely reference to the now defunct voter registration group.
It’s unclear how many incidents Winning Our Future expects to receive, as voter fraud is rare. An exhaustive search done by News21 this year found only 2,086 cases of even alleged voting fraud since 2000 across the entire country. Over that time period, upwards of 620 million votes were cast. That’s a fraud rate of roughly 0.0003%.
VoteStand is not the only smartphone app conservatives will be using on Election Day. The Romney campaign has launched Project ORCA, which will arm 34,000 poll watchers with apps allowing them to keep track of who is and isn’t voting at precincts around the country.
In an interview on PoliticsNation Thursday, Sirius XM radio host Joe Madison said, “Jim Crow used a rope, James Crow Esquire uses an app. It’s all the same. It’s voter intimidation.” | {
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Additional AV equipment such as Overhead projectors, 35mm slide projectors, and speakerphones can be reserved thorough AV services by filling out the form located here: AV Reservation Form
Facilities services
For requests or inquiries about the physical classroom elements (i.e., chalkboard, chairs, window blinds, etc.), please contact Brent Wishart at [email protected] or (919) 843-8101.
If you plan to serve food or refreshments, you will be responsible for the set-up and clean-up of the space. If the room is rearranged for your event, please restore it to the original condition before leaving. | {
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Endless Endlessness Pt 1: Endless Legend
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Welcome. Welcome to the beginning of endless endlessness. Well, OK, I suppose the endless nature of this endlessness technically started with Endless Space, Amplitude’s rock-solid, ox-strong 4X space strategy. Now, however, the developer with Xs for eyes (they’re not unconscious; their eyes are literally the letter X) is headed in a markedly different direction with Endless Legend, a 4X fantasy about magic, discovery, and an impending, inexplicable apocalypse. It takes place in the “Endless universe,” so I guess that makes it a prequel? Or maybe a bunch of space ships will crash into your bustling metropolis at the last possible second, revealing that the two games were coexisting the entire time.
Endless Legend takes place in a world of impending doom and brutal, worsening winters. Your goal is to expand and thrive while also uncovering the magical mysteries of your grumpy wumpy piece of terra very-not-firma. And of course, there will be Xs. Many of them.
Explore legendary lands with one of the eight civilizations available both in single and multiplayer, as you adventure through seasons, striving to discover the secrets of Auriga.
Expand beyond the unknown and send your heroes in every corner of the world to find mysterious artifacts to equip your troops, and assimilate powerful minor factions which will help you overwhelm your opponents.
Exploit every opportunity by researching new technologies and magical powers while collecting Dust, luxuries and strategic resources tradable on the marketplace.
Exterminate fools who defy you with a genuine combat system where terrain and your unit abilities are key to take the advantage over the enemy armies.
Sounds like typical 4X, but the setting is obviously a pretty big game-changer. I worry that it’ll end up fairly rote fantasy in the grand scheme of things, but the story of these games isn’t the one developers tell. It’s what arises from your brilliantly orchestrated conquests, cheek-turning negotiations, and crushing, embarrassing defeats. So then, Endless Legend: who’s in?
All of the three great RPG series (Ultima, Wizardry, Might & Magic) had lots of sci-fi elements. Heroes of Might & Magic 3 was even supposed to have its own sci-fi faction, The Forge, but why that never happened is a story in itself.
So yeah, this might be more old-school that one would think.
It looks like they’re leaving at least one possibility for a sci-fi link in the new game, by using “dust” again as the monetary unit instead of the usual gold. That’s interesting.
There was a logical explanation in Endless Space for why dust was valuable (nanobots that can do useful things), but I wonder how they’ll rationalize why that’s the monetary unit in a fantasy setting? The Heroes in ES have essentially magical powers as a result of being infused by dust (or learning to control it, something like that). So maybe there’s a link there?
I do like the idea of exploring the Endless universe more. Despite a lot of great flavour text I didn’t get the sense that Endless Space had much plot development – for example, did my Pilgrims ever find what they were looking for? It would have been nice to learn something as you were going on (such as SMAC’s planet story that evolved in parallel with your development, for example).
Well, ES is supposed to be a traditional open-ended 4X game where you write your own story from starting conditions. There is enough background plot with the Endless precursors, dust, etc. to get things rolling. I’m not sure it needs a strong plot after the game starts. That can railroad things a bit too much.
Also, I’m not sure Amplitude are as good at writing plots and story lines as they are in UI design and mechanics. That’s why some people (including me) would describe the game as very polished, but lacking in a bit of soul, or personality.
There are also some glaring “plot holes” in the initial setup, like the fact that you can hire mercenaries from other races that you haven’t even encountered yet, and said mercs will gladly work for you to exterminate their own species. That never made sense to me, but it’s accepted as a given in the game. Hopefully, this new fantasy setting will be a little more coherent, and you won’t be hiring Heroes from unknown factions on the other side of the map.
I dunno, I thought what writing and plotting existed was fine. It just felt like there was a disconnect between what the background story was supposed to be and how the game played. The setup of each of the races was neat, but it had no bearing on the game. The Pilgrims and the Empire can have quite amicable relations, for example, and in any case each race starts with one planet, such that the initial story gumf with races already interacting makes no sense. It’s like there’s a gun on the mantelpiece in the first act and it’s occasionally mentioned in passing but it never goes off and sort of disappears by the last act.
It also has the same plot hole that SMAC had in that some of its factions’ back stories has them as spin-offs or rebels from another of the factions. But here we are all taking our first steps into space, with no idea where one another are. | {
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adidas Climacool 3-Stripe III Jersey
Adidas Men's Shirts and Tops Size Guide
1) Chest - Run a flexible tape measure across the widest area of their chest, keeping the tape measure horizontally.
2) Waist - Measure around the narrowest part of their waist, keeping the tape measure horizontally.
3) Hip - Put their feet close together and measure around the widest point of their hip. Keeping the tape measure horizontally.
MEN'S SIZE GUIDE
PRODUCT LABEL
XS 30/32 | 32/34
SM 34/36 | 36/38
MD 38/40 | 40/42
LG 42/44 | 44/46
XL 46/48 | 48/50
2XL 50/52 | 52/54
3XL 54/56 | 56/58
CHEST (in)
31 - 33"
34 - 37"
37 - 40"
40 - 44"
44 - 48"
48 - 52"
53 - 58"
WAIST (in)
27 - 29"
30 - 32"
32 - 35"
35 - 39"
39 - 43"
43 - 47"
48 - 53"
HIP (in)
32 - 34"
35 - 37"
37 - 40"
40 - 44"
44 - 48"
58 - 51"
51 - 56"
$11.25$45.00
You Save 75% ($33.75)
COLOR
Myrtle
Navy
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Black
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Train in the shirt trusted by the All Blacks and other top clubs around the world with the adidas 3-Stripe III Rugby Jersey. Made of adidas' patented Climacool material, these jerseys are ultralight and work well whether worn close to the skin or loose for a more traditional fit. Score this amazing jersey for an unbeatable clearance price while supplies last!
100% Polyester pique material is lightweight and breathable in all weather conditions | {
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02 November 2015
Image Comics | Weekly Comic Book Release List For 11/04/15
AXCEND #2
(W) Shane Davis (A/CA) Shane Davis & Various
SRP: $3.50
The virtual world, Axcend, continues to spill out into reality. We follow fiery pop star, Rain, as she is the next player to activate. Rain and the mysterious A.I. DOG must enlist the help of gamer, Eric Morn, to get to Ruin before he activates into a catastrophic rampage. Can the trio reconcile their differences in time to save our world?
Major Plot Point:
We follow Rain into the life and death of a pop star.
BLACK SCIENCE #17
(W) Rick Remender (A/CA) Matteo Scalera
SRP: $3.50
A bold new era in BLACK SCIENCE begins! New arc! New direction! New readers: join the Dimensionauts in a psychedelic journey of the soul!
NEW STORY ARC
CITIZEN JACK #1
(W) Sam Humphries (A/CA) Tommy Patterson
SRP: $3.99
A HORROR-COMEDY FOR ANYONE WHO HATES POLITICS! Every presidential candidate has a skeleton in their closet-Jack Northworthy worships the devil! A scandal-plagued, small town politician, Jack should in no way be president. But he's got a secret weapon: Marlinspike, a malevolent demon of high ambitions. Together, they're running for president in an outrageous campaign that America will never forget! Blockbuster writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Guardians of the Galaxy and X-men: Black Vortex) and New York Times bestselling artist TOMMY PATTERSON (Game of Thrones) debut a brand new ONGOING SERIES with a DIABOLICAL EXTRA-SIZED FIRST ISSUE!
Cover A
Cover B
DARK CORRIDOR #4
(W/A/CA) Rich Tommaso
SRP: $3.99
Mia, Pete and Johnny are caught up in a high speed, deadly car chase with a mysterious black 1970 Dodge Charger.
ELEPHANTMEN #67
(W) Richard Starkings (A) Axel Medellin (CA) Karibu
SRP: $3.99
In every war, there are casualties.
HUMANS #9
(W) Keenan Keller (A/CA) Tom Neely
SRP: $2.99
A bloody ride of vengeance is filled with the bodies of friends and foes alike as Johnny takes The HUMANS with him down the road to hell.
Major Plot Point: Many characters die.
LAZARUS #20
(W) Greg Rucka (A) Michael Lark (CA) Owen Freeman
SRP: $3.50
"POISON," Part Four
Johanna makes her move.
MONSTRESS #1
(W) Marjorie M. Liu (A/CA) Sana Takeda
SRP: $4.99
Astonishing X-men and Black Widow writer MARJORIE LIU returns to comics with artist SANA TAKEDA (X-23) for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Steampunk meets Kaiju in this original fantasy epic for mature readers, as young Maika risks everything to control her psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, placing her in the center of a devastating war between human and otherworldly forces. The adventure begins in a spectacular TRIPLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE, with SIXTY-SIX pages of story and no ads for this one-time price of 4.99!
NAILBITER #17
(W) Joshua Williamson (A/CA) Mike Henderson
SRP: $2.99
A brutal new serial killer strikes!
NEW STORY ARC
PAPER GIRLS #2
(W) Brian K. Vaughan (A) Cliff Chang, Matthew Wilson (CA) Cliff Chang
SRP: $2.99
The hottest new ongoing series of the year continues, as the Paper Girls witness the impossible.
RASPUTIN #10
(W) Alex Grecian (A) Riley Rossmo, Ivan Plascencia (CA) Riley Rossmo
SRP: $3.50
The October Revolution, the mystery of Anastasia revealed, and the final fate of Rasputin. A new life for the "mad monk" begins with the deaths of those closest to him.
SAINTS #2
(W) Sean Lewis (A/CA) Ben Mackey
SRP: $2.99
SEAN LEWIS and BENJAMIN MACKEY follow up their audacious debut with a wild . After heading to the suburbs to let Saint Lucy's parents know their daughter will be quitting her job to fight demons full-time, Blaise and the crew drive cross-country to find out the meaning of their shared visions. What they find is a terrified teenage runaway with a dark past and an even darker gift.
SEX #25
(W) Joe Casey (A) Piotr Kowalski (CA) Piotr Kowalski, Sonia Harris
SRP: $2.99
Some taboos are better left untouched...]
STRAY BULLETS SUNSHINE & ROSES #9
(W/A/CA) David Lapham
SRP: $3.50
VELVET #12
(W) Ed Brubaker (A/CA) Steve Epting, Elizabeth Breitweiser
SRP: $3.50
"The Man Who Stole the World" continues as Velvet's search becomes a race for answers amid politics, high business business, and murder!
WE STAND ON GUARD #5 (OF 6)
(W) Brian K. Vaughan (A/CA) Steve Skroce
SRP: $2.99
The bloodiest battle yet.
Hardcovers and Trade Paperbacks
COPPERHEAD TP VOL 02
(W) Jay Faerber (A/CA) Scott Godlewski
SRP: $14.99
What starts out as just another Friday night in Copperhead quickly escalates into a rip-roaring adventure featuring a botched date, a band of outlaws, and a desperate chase across the desert. | {
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There Is No Special Problem About Scientific Representation
Abstract
In recent years, philosophers of science have devoted considerable attention to questions about scientific models, and particularly to the issue of how models can represent the world. We propose that scientific representation is best understood as a special case of a more general notion of representation, and that the relatively well worked-out and plausible philosophical theories of the latter are directly applicable to the scientific special case. Construing scientific representation in this way makes the so-called ``problem of scientific representation'' look much less interesting than it has seemed to many, and also suggests that some of the (hotly contested) debates in the literature are concerned with non-issues. | {
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Tuesday, April 24, 2012
...and Then He Was Three.
Yesterday our sweet, cuddly, little boy left the world of two year olds and jumped into the world of three's!
Like every year, we have a tradition of taking one last picture of the birthday babe... the very last picture ever taken of them at that age... because come morning... we joke that they will look and feel a whole lot different!
So here he is... Tuck and the very last day he spent as a two year old...
That day was a great day for Tuck... he got to celebrate the day before his birthday with all his friends and family at his Johnny Cash Birthday Party! So this ear to ear grin was inspired by a successful party full of great food, cake, presents, and his favorite music.... Johnny Cash!
It was a great day!
I've always said, Birthdays are especially such a proud and sentimental moment for Momma's.
Proud because for three whole years I have loved Tuck. I have fed him, dressed him, changed countless diapers, and cooked thousands of meals. His and Daddy and I have I already taught him valuable lessons in discipline and character... we have kept him happy, healthy, and safe for three whole years!
Sentimental because I can hardly believe time has ticked so fast.
When Tuck was born he was whisked out of my arms and rushed to the NICU nursery. He couldn't be held or even touched for days. In that moment... that bubble... I couldn't even think of the future...
...and now look at where we are today!
I have the sweetest baby boy a Momma could ask for!By God's grace he is happy, healthy, and full of this "all boy" energy!
Tuck loves John Deere tractors and helping his Daddy mow the lawn.
He loves all trucks, cars, and things that go fast or make a ton of noise!
He LOVES music!
Especially Johnny Cash and Hank Williams... the good ol' country, thanks to his Daddy.
He is always singing or dancing. And when he hears music you can see him tapping his foot as he keeps the beat!
He loves cheeseburgers, broccoli, goldfish crackers, ice cream, and pop... and his favorite cartoon to watch is Peppa Pig!
His favorite color as he calls it is "lighter blue" and he loves to watch Star Wars with his Daddy.
In the summer he loves to play in his Daddy's boat. Anything comes up in conversation about that boat or fishing and Tuck will talk your ear off! He's a chatty little guy! :)
He is also a cuddly one and always has to be holding hands, touching you, or sitting on your lap!
But truth be told... he gives the best hugs, kisses, and snuggles.
He is my boy!
From day one he has captured my heart and truly blessed my life.
We can't wait to see where this next year as a three year old takes him!
We love you Tucker Loren Appleberry!
May this next year as a three year old be full of fun, new, and exciting adventures!
Always remember how important you are and
That Jesus loves you and so do Mommy and Daddy!
Now here's hoping potty training will be something to add to his list of accomplishments as a three year old!
About Me
I am a proud wife and Momma of two. My little family consists of my husband Loren, our daughter Greta, our son Tucker, and who could forget... the lovable family wiener dogs, Walter & Gus! I am a first born, a homemaker, an entertainer, a "crafter", a perfectionist, and sometimes a pessimist. My life is full of chaos but I am blessed and I can't wait to share my journey with you! | {
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Pros announce "Samsung ASP World Surf Tour" on TV
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 23 July, 2014 - The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the world surf league, announced the return of the annual Samsung ASP World Surf Tour to the United States. World Champion Kelly Slater and Big Wave World Champion Greg Long, along with current tour leader Gabriel Medina and other top pros, shared the news from New York City live on NBC’s Today Show.
This is the first U.S. professional surf tour coordinated by the new ASP -- which now broadcasts competitions live from aspworldtour.com -- where fans can immerse themselves in the athleticism, drama and adventure of surfing anywhere and anytime it’s on.
“ASP is a league on the rise. In all my years of surfing, the ASP is delivering the best sporting experience I’ve seen -- made for the millions of dedicated fans worldwide, the athletes and our partners,” said Slater, an 11-time ASP World Champion. “Athletes are competing at higher and higher levels, fans are engaged and the sport is reaching people who might not have seen it before and they’re loving it. It’s an exciting time for surfing.”
The group of elite surfers currently in New York City include:
Men’s: Kelly Slater, CJ Hobgood, Gabriel Medina, Julian Wilson
Women’s: Stephanie Gilmore, CoCo Ho, Courtney Conlogue
Big Wave: Greg Long
“We’ve built a new league from the ground up, with all the major events under one roof, to offer fans the very best of professional surfing,” said Paul Speaker, ASP CEO. “Since launching the new ASP, our audience is growing tremendously from Brazil to Australia and, to our surprise, in countries such as China, India and others.”
Coinciding with today’s New York tour, Samsung is premiering their film “Every Day is Day One,” available at youtube.com/samsung, in celebration of their partnership with professional surfing. The film showcases all levels of surfers from around the world and shares the message that every day, every wave is an opportunity for greatness.
The ASP organizes the annual tour of professional surf competitions that designate the champions in Men’s, Women’s, Big Wave, Longboard and Juniors. ASP also spearheads the Qualifying Series which is the main channel for up-and-coming surfers to earn a spot in the World Surfing Tour.
At aspworldtour.com fans can travel alongside the athletes to the most exotic locations in the world and immerse themselves in the sport of surfing with live event broadcasts, social updates, event highlights and commentary on desktop, TV and mobile.
The World Surf Tour was founded in 1976 to celebrate the elite athletes, diverse fans and dedicated partners that together embody professional surfing today. The ASP headquartered in Los Angeles, California with a Sponsorship and Sales Office in New York as well as offices throughout the globe, dedicated to: Bringing the athleticism, drama and adventure of pro surfing to fans worldwide; promoting professional surfers as world-class athletes and; acting as good stewards of the environment both in and out of the water. | {
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For our first test of the 2013 13m Frenzy we went to Angle Mountain since we wanted to try it with some terrain and on an actual ridge top. Wayne and I took turns testing it out and snapping a few pictures.
We wanted to get some time under this kite since we have some multi-day adventures lined up and the Frenzy and Summit fit the bill.
First off packing the kite on our sleds was easier since there’s no pump and hose to be careful with. Usually I’m careful not to crush my tube kite for the plastic valves in the cold. I always top load and don’t stack gear on my tube kite. With the Frenzy, I didn’t even have to think about it. Also, you’ll be interested to know that it comes with the best bag in the business. It’s better than most avy packs I’ve seen.
Immediately we were stoked on the ease of launch like usual. Throw some snow on the trailing edge and ride away as you unroll the lines. Once they’re rolled out you give a slight tug to let the air inflate the cells, check your lines, pull the front lines and ride away.
We’ve flown all sorts of foils, and one of my favorite kites was the 2005 Frenzy that was my first full size kite. My loyal 2006 Frenzy still sits strong in my quiver as a utility kite that’s trustworthy and will not die.
The first thing I noticed about flying the 2013 Frenzy was that at the bottom of a turn the outside wingtip held its shape better than ever, as well as through turbulence, I hear that that problem has been fixed every year, but this time it actually seems to be. Angle Mountain has many wind shadows you can push through and is a great place to test that quality of a kite.
It’s undoubtedly powerful and we were in overpowered conditions a number of times. It handles great at the high end, I did wish that the bar throw was a few inches further. I’d rather have more throw than have to keep trimming. There’s some advantaged to the short throw, like edging in deep powder you can relax and ride with the bar against the stopper. Or if you’re smaller you can easily reach the bar after spinning it. Wayne and I are both relatively tall with long arms.
Unhooked the kite fly’s so nice and light and resists back stalling like a C kite. The unusual characteristic of foils to fly up remains the same on this kite. It’s not necessarily a problem, but since the tube kite falls and the foil rises you have to get used to it. Often we kept 2 hands on the bar to actually fly the kite downwards as we descended a hill making turns, or hoping off little drops.
The loop is strong and constant. Makes the Frenzy a nice climber, just pin the bar in a full turn and kick back. The tube kite often shoots through the power zone from side to side stalling on the edge where you’ll flat spin the turn. You cannot however turn the kite (13m) sharp enough with the bar to stall turn or flat spin the kite. I found myself grabbing the outside line to miss some trees here and there. Unhooked loop tricks are very powerful. My first unhooked loop sent me like a banshee, but then I veered off and let the kite rotate back further and it was controllable. You’re standard hooked loops with rolls worked nice with a bit of practice timing the pull.
We tested the safety and it works perfect. Climbing to the bar and relaunching sometimes leads to a flyable line tangle as does most flagging.
Landing is easy, if you’re overpowered, just ride down wind and pull the break strap. Keep the kite level flying it in reverse till it lands. Loop the break around your ski or board and go get it. It holds its shape very well while backstalling and resting on the break.
Up close the construction is perfect like all Ozone Kites, from the stitching to the new Ronstan pulleys all look great.
Great review and photos. I'm stoked that everybody is loving the new kites. The reviews from my customers has been all positive as well. I still haven't had a session on the new kites yet. They are selling before I get the chance. I have another summit on the way so I am hopeful I get a session on it soon. The season looks like its in full swing for you guys. I am looking forward to more photos and videos. Keep up the good work Jackson kiters.
By the way. I will have all the Ozone foils available at the 10 annual Montana Snowkite Rodeo for your demo enjoyment. Come on out February 16-18th and get your fill. Check the website for the details.
we have some multi-day adventures lined up and the Frenzy and Summit fit the bill.
I assume you're talking skin to the goods and kite cross country when possible? I'd assume also you'd be pulling pulks to get enough gear out to the B/C areas? So - have you figured out how to pull a pulk under kite power on a snowboard? I have ideas but wonder if they match what you're conjuring up? Similar goals,and skis make it simpler but I'm thinking solid alum. poles hitched front & rear of the harness instead of side-side?
Maybe some of our Norwegian/Swedish/Greenland/AK brethren could share what they've used.
I usually ski for multiday adventures although I do have a split board. Snowboarding and kiting with a heavy mountaineering pack can be rediculious.
I have the Mountain Hardware BMG pack, and fit 2 days of winter camping and kiting stuff into that guy pretty easy. Even a tent and my own stove. I usually choose one kite based on the forecast. I fit everything inside the pack, but the shovel and Probe. Those new down filled sleeping pads really get small and that helps. I just topload the kite for easy access.
I use a pack instead of a pulk because we spend time skinning steeps and long sidehills. When you think about it, if you don't take a rope and crampons you're at about the same place as any mountaineer, and kiting with a pack like that isn't too bad but my thighs do get burning after a while. For true distance on flats, a pulk would be the way. We're just in more technical terrain situations too often. | {
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Batteries are a critical part of our everyday lives. From phones to laptops to cars to grid energy storage—batteries are essential to many devices. Lithium ion batteries have taken the lead in battery technology, with lithium iron phosphate batteries (LFP) performing particularly well. While it was known that LFP batteries could charge quickly and withstand many factors, the reasons for this were unknown until know.
A team of researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute and Toyota Central R&D Labs has discovered why LFP batteries can be recharged so rapidly. The team is comprised of ECS member Tsuyoshi Sasaki, past members Michael Hess and Petr Novak, and Journal of The Electrochemical Society (JES) published author Claire Villevieille.
The reason: the step-like concentration gradient gives way to a gentle, ramp-like progression of the lithium concentration. This is because, at higher voltages, the lithium ions involved in the charging process are distributed across the volume of the electrode particles for brief moments as opposed to being herded together in a thin layer boundary. As a result, the lithium can be set in motion more easily during charging, without the need for more energy to be added to negotiate the layer boundary. | {
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Michelle Miron Fine Art
Michelle Miron Fine Art
I grew up in the country in the \"thumb\" area of Michigan. The plants and animals of the nature that surrounded me every day have been featured in my art ever since I was a very young child, and they continue to have a major presence in my work even today. I enjoy working in so many artistic media, but drawing, painting, and photography are my true passions.
I attended the University of Michigan School of Art & Design where I obtained my Bachelor of Fine Arts. | {
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Big News for Bloggers; LiveJournal Sold to SUP
It has been reported by TechCrunch and confirmed in comments by Anil Dash that Six Apart has sold their LiveJournal product to the Moscow based company SUP. This is big news for a number of reasons, other than it allowing Six Apart to focus their efforts on their three remaining products, it also opens lots of questions for LiveJournal users as to what new security issues may quickly develop?
A quote from October probably sums up the situation best in regards to recent attacks by Russian hackers:
“Law enforcement has no incentive and no motivation to prosecute,” said Anton Nossik, a senior executive in Moscow at the company that oversees Livejournal.ru. “They say, ‘We are not receiving complaints,’ or ‘The complaints that we are seeing are not well formed.’ They find pretexts not to prosecute.” Russian Livejournal blogs are regularly hijacked.
Whether or not this will work out to be a positive business decision for Six Apart, SUP, and the users of LiveJournal really seems to come down to whether or not SUP is willing to go the extra mile to maintain or better yet improve the level of protection that they can provide to their users.
I hope that, by divesting itself of LiveJournal, Six Apart will be able to continue to improve their product offerings and I hope this will allow SUP to bring their resources into play and devote more time and energy to the next iteration of LiveJournal.
What do you think? Will this change make you leave LiveJournal? Or are you unconcerned? | {
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An article by Mark Loney called "The Strategic Defence Initiative" was later reprinted in Phlogiston.
Irwin Hirsh, in Apparatchik #80 (1997), wrote of this period of Australian fanzines, "Mark Loney, Michelle Muisjert and Julian Warner revived The Space Wastrel and soon had a solid genzine on their hands. These, and zines like The Notional, Fuck the Notional and Apocrypha had people talking about fanzines for the first time in years, and a critical mass had developed." | {
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Except for sailboats, brokerage sales slump in November
In recent months the U.S. brokerage market has ridden a cycle of highs and lows, sometimes at the same time. Whereas in October sales volume was at the highest level for the month since 2007, sales fell in November and were the lowest since 2008. Yet as powerboat sales cooled, the smaller segment of sailboat sales rallied.
As reported by YachtWorld member brokerages in their proprietary database, Soldboats.com, 1,670 boats were sold in November, down from 1,822 in November 2011. The number of powerboats changing hands, 1,257, was down 200 from November 2011; the number of sailboats sold rose from 365 to 413.
Generally speaking, sales were lower among smaller boats. The under-26-foot category was the hardest hit, with 401 boats sold, a decline of 87 boats from a year earlier. Very few sailboats were sold — 34 in 2011, 27 in 2012 — so nearly all of the decline was attributable to lower powerboat sales.
A different story occurred in the 26- to 35-foot category, where brokers reported 666 transactions — 468 powerboats and 198 sailboats. Those figures represented a decline of 74 powerboat transactions, offset partially by 20 additional sailboats changing hands.
Sales were up even more strongly for sailboats in the 36- to 45-foot range, with 158 closing, up from 122 the year before. Again in this category, powerboat sales fell, dropping from 310 in 2011 to 268 in 2012.
The total price paid for brokerage boats sold in November was $220 million, so even as total sales declined the total valuation increased by $9 million, or 4 percent, from the previous year. The gains were largely a result of higher prices in the sales of boats over 56 feet.
For the year through November U.S. brokerages reported 3 percent higher sales, with 27,941 boats sold. They seem likely to finish the year with a total number of transactions between 29,000 and 30,000.
The aggregate value of the boats sold declined by 7 percent, from $3.1 billion to $2.9 billion. Powerboat sales, which were higher earlier in the year, remained up 3 percent from 2011 with 22,811 boats sold.
Sailboat sales, with a small surge in the past couple of months, were up 1 percent, with 5,130 boats sold.
Caterpillar Inc. will close two facilities in Texas and Panama and is considering shutting its engine manufacturing plant in Illinois as part of a strategy to boost profitability and better handle business cycles, according to Reuters.
Danielle Brown, vice president and chief information officer for Brunswick Corp., was recently honored among the "Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America" as chosen by Savoy Magazine, a leading African-American lifestyle publication. | {
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Walden is dedicated to creating and sustaining a “culture of evidence” in which data about achievements in student learning and the experiences that support student learning are continuously collected, analyzed, and shared for the purpose of continuous program improvement. Responsibility for assessment of student learning experiences is shared by faculty from each program, the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, and the University Assessment Council representing each school and college, as well as key support services.
Assessment for continuous improvement at Walden takes place through five systems designed to provide faculty and administrators with multiple insights and perspectives on the student experience. These systems include:
Learning Outcomes Report (LORbook)
The Learning Outcomes Report (LORbook) has been issued since 2004 as a continuing document summarizing the outcomes assessment plans of each program within the university. Each year, program directors, faculty, assessment coordinators, and members of the University Assessment Council work with the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment to produce the report, which specifies program learning outcomes and their alignment with the program, assessments for each outcome, available data from direct and indirect assessments, interpretation of that data, and recommendations made and actions taken as a result of the previous LORbook. Once distributed to the greater Walden community, the LORbook is discussed with the Curriculum and Academic Policy committees throughout the university to gather feedback and recommendations to improve student learning. The report for doctoral and educational specialist programs is published annually in the winter. The report for master’s and bachelor’s programs is published annually in the summer.
Academic Program Review
Each degree program is expected to participate in an academic program review every five years. Academic program review is a comprehensive process designed to ensure that a program adheres to university values of quality, integrity, and student-centeredness and is accountable to academic and professional constituencies. Walden’s current academic program review process is aligned with standards set forth by the Council of Graduate Schools in 2005. In this yearlong process, a program review committee made up of academic administrators, faculty members, and operational partners completes a comprehensive self-study on the program’s organization, mission, curricula, faculty, students, and support services. A panel of faculty members from other higher education institutions then reviews the self-study, visits with the review committee at the academic headquarters in Minneapolis, and issues recommendations for program improvement. The program review committee uses the self-study and external faculty feedback to create a final plan with recommendations for program improvements that align with the budget cycle. These recommendations are then followed up after one year to check their status and determine whether additional support is needed.
Co-Curricular Program Review
Walden University’s co-curricular program review is a continuous quality-improvement process that engages internal and external stakeholders in systematic processes to evaluate the performance of a service unit in order to determine the effectiveness of the service unit in alignment with the university’s mission, vision, and strategic goals. The purpose of the co-curricular review process is to help ensure that each co-curricular service unit meets Walden’s requirements for performance excellence and achieving sustainable results. Each service unit is expected to select, collect, and integrate data and information for tracking its operations and overall performance in relation to the university’s mission, vision, values, and strategic goals. The service unit’s analysis and review of such data and information is a continuous process. Internal formative reviews of each co-curricular unit will be conducted annually, and formal summative reviews, including the participation of external reviewers, will be conducted every three years.
Course Evaluations
Course evaluations are administered by the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment to students at the end of each online course. The evaluations solicit information from students on instructor performance, course design and content, student learning and application of course materials, and student support services. Information from individual course evaluations is made available to individual faculty members and program administrators and allows for ongoing improvement of instruction and course content. Data from these evaluations is then compiled and reported on a quarterly basis for the programs and the university. These reports supplement other sources of data used by school and college leadership in planning for improvements to support student learning.
University Surveys
Each year, Walden conducts student, alumni, graduate, and faculty satisfaction surveys. These surveys ask about all facets of the student experience, including instruction, course design, online tools, residencies, field experiences, theses, and dissertations. Students, recent graduates, and alumni are also asked to reflect on knowledge and skills aligned with university learning outcomes, what has supported them in their experience at Walden, and how they’ve understood and practiced the university mission. Faculty members are asked about teaching conditions, support services, online tools, and governance and are asked to rate student knowledge and skills aligned to university learning outcomes. In addition, employers of Walden graduates are surveyed annually about their satisfaction with the professional performance of the graduates and observations of growth in professional skills (if employing the Walden graduate during the studies). Information from these surveys is compiled annually and disseminated to the Curriculum and Academic Policy committees, school and college leadership, and operational partners to inform improvements in instruction, services, and program design. In addition, learning outcomes data from these surveys are used in the annual LORbook.
Sources of Data on Student Learning
In accordance with best practice around outcomes assessment, the university refers to multiple sources of data on student learning. These include:
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By submitting this form, I understand and agree that Walden University may contact me via email, text, telephone, and prerecorded message regarding furthering my education and that calls may be generated using automated technology. You may opt out at any time. Please view our privacy policy or contact us for more details. | {
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The City Council of the City of West Hollywood, at its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 21, 2017, approved an item that directs City of West Hollywood staff to take steps in prohibiting West Hollywood City Hall from doing business with entities that provide financial or other benefits to the President of the United States or his revocable trust. The City’s Finance Department will review the financial institutions, hotels, real estate-related companies, investors, and direct affiliates with which the City does business and develop a list in order to evaluate next steps.
“Ultimately, this is an ethics issue and a legal issue,” said West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister. “We’re addressing public concerns that President Trump continues to benefit from his business interests while in office. The Domestic Emoluments Clause clearly states that the President shall not receive any gifts or benefits other than his compensation — no other President in this country’s history has so blatantly disregarded protocol and the Constitution. And, as Councilmembers, we take an oath to uphold the Constitution.”
Related to the action, the City Council approved a motion that directs City of West Hollywood staff to develop socially conscious banking policies rooted in the City’s Core Values. The development of such policies will include evaluation of the City’s banking relationship with Wells Fargo.
The City of West Hollywood, in December 2016, reaffirmed its commitment to its core values and is working diligently to defend the fundamental rights of its community members. The City is monitoring Federal proposals and is responding to policy changes that may have a harmful effect on West Hollywood’s residents, including LGBT residents, people with disabilities, seniors, people of color, immigrants, women, and others. | {
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There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,/Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.—Hamlet, Act I, sc. v
The Vengeful Djinn, by two scientifically minded experts in the fields of the paranormal and supernatural, is an important contribution to the ongoing pursuit of answers about the Unknown, an often attacked but nevertheless serious undertaking that attracts controversy and derision from both within its ranks and without.
Guiley and Imbrogno cover a large swath of study and territory in the book’s 260 pages, which include two appendices, a bibliography, and an index. They begin with a detailed and yet well-explained tutorial on quantum physical aspects of alternate realities and the idea of the multiverse, including “string theory,” setting up with science the plausibility of the djinn dwelling in a parallel plane to ours, which allows them to interact with us without being seen.
During my own research of the paranormal/supernatural, theology, and mythology over the past twelve years, I have come to see quantum physics as the nexus between Science and the Unseen, and this lead chapter lent a certain credibility to the explorations to follow, above and beyond what I already knew about the solid reputations of the authors.
This faith in Guiley and Imbrogno’s credentials and commitment to serious scholarship as opposed to the rampant hucksterism infamously attached to their fields of expertise is invaluable to a balanced and enjoyable experience with The Vengeful Djinn because, recalling the infallible insight of Socrates, when it comes to the Unseen, Paranormal, and Supernatural, we truly do know nothing. That is, after all, the whole point. From John Keel to the many disciples, imitators, and exploiters who have come after, there is a great deal of necessary interpretation and trying on of different theories in order to make some semblance of what is just beyond our senses.
Like any work of solid scholarship should, The Vengeful Djinn operates on a number of levels. First and foremost (and most appealing to the widest audience), it is a thorough and enlightening explication of the djinn, using primarily the Quran as well as other sources to historicize, categorize, and analyze their creation, hierarchy, motivations, and tactics. If it were nothing else, this book would be an excellent contribution to the literature of the Mythical and Mystical. The sections on their relationship with Solomon, their commonalities with angels and demons (and faeries and leprechauns!), and their various classifications and range of powers make for fascinating reading, as does the authors’ prescriptions for dealing with them.
But The Vengeful Djinn then goes a step further, out to where some would say the buses cease to run, as the authors apply the fundamental traits and habits of the djinn to a wide variety of areas of the Unexplained. This is dangerous territory, leaving the authors open to sharp criticism. But the scientific methodology and field experience they bring to the table work as a sort of talisman for Guiley and Imbrogno. Their anecdotes from around the world, with at times high-level politicians and military personnel, lend a helpful legitimacy to theories that would otherwise try to cling to steep, slick, and slippery slopes. Their well-known work in identifying and testing portals to other dimensions and planes using a variety of high-tech instrumentation (some of which I have also used) is invaluable in staying with their at times tenuous lines of theory.
Toward the end, the authors delve into the world of Shadow People and the less-than-peaceful agenda of the djinn and their continued manipulations of the human race. Perhaps my own fascination with the Mythological and Mystical and the nature of the Unseen Beings that seem without a doubt (and equally without a solid classification…) to be operating in and amongst us, if we but take the time to pay them some attention, precludes me from commenting too strongly in favor of the value of this exercise in exploration, but I will say that whether you read this book as scholarship, case book, or entertainment, or preferably some combination of all three, Guiley and Imbrogno’s The Vengeful Djinn is well-written, expertly organized, and well worth your time. | {
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LIFE IN LAGOS : SISI WEEKLY #EP 77 : "MULTI-TASKING MUMMY"
Hello Family! Hope you've had an amazing start to your week? I attended MTN's PRESTIGE CIRCLE OF DISTINCTION and this leads me to a very important question. Enjoy the vlog and if you are not subscribed join our family by clicking HERE and let's be friends on Instagram HERE | {
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From the editor’s desk
Published: Monday, March 10, 2014 2:03 p.m. CDT
As I write this on Monday, I think the warmer weather outside makes us all feel better. Even though the time change had us rubbing our eyes a bit earlier this morning than what we are used to, the sun and almost spring-like weather made it all worthwhile. Right now, I’m imagining a long line at the car washes in Bureau County.
As the weather thaws, you’ll want to be on the look out for those darn potholes. As villages/cities/the county and state work hard to repair those craters, be extra careful when you’re traveling. A good-sized pothole can wreak havoc on your vehicle. Slow down. Those potholes are especially difficult to see at night.
•••
Next Monday is St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you’re Irish or not, you’ll want to watch for our fun-filled St. Patrick’s Day feature in Saturday’s Bureau County Republican. We’ve included a listing of many of the places in the Illinois Valley that will be serving that ever-popular corned beef and cabbage ... plus a whole lot more. Watch for it!
An Irish saying: “There are many good reasons for drinking,One has just entered my head.If a man doesn’t drink when he’s living,How in the heck can he drink when he’s dead?”
St. Patrick’s Day toast: “Here’s to a long life and a merry one.A quick death and an easy oneA pretty girl and an honest oneA cold beer – and another one!”
They say everybody is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Enjoy!
•••
Just a reminder: We’d be happy to publish a brief on your organization’s upcoming event. Whether it’s a fish fry, a church dinner, etc., please send us the what, when, where and why to [email protected]. Remember to include your name and telephone number, so we can call you if we have any questions before we publish. Thanks.
•••
With warmer weather here to stay (I’m an optimist), please be careful as you drive. A lot of younger children will be excited to be outside and play after our brutal and often bitterly cold weather, and they might not use the best judgment when it comes to crossing streets, chasing after a ball, etc. Take a few extra minutes to slow down and watch for those youngsters. Thanks.
•••
The primary election is March 18. Don’t forget to cast your ballot. I’ve seen way too many elections decided by one or just a few votes. Your vote does count. Be informed, and make your voice heard.
Watch for contested candidate profiles in Thursday’s BCR, and check out our front page story today on early voting.
•••
Just for fun: One Sunday morning, a little girl and her mother go to church. Halfway through the service, the little girl tells her mother she’s going to be sick. Her mother tells her to go in the bushes behind the church. The girl leaves and comes back after about five minutes. Her mother asks her if she threw up.
‘’Yes,” the girl says. “But I didn’t have to go all the way ‘round the back. There was a box near the front door that said, ‘For the Sick.’’’
•••
Now that the weather is warmer, I’m hoping we can all get out and about a bit more. Let’s kick that cabin fever to the curb. I’m ready. How ‘bout you? As you go about your travels this week, please try to be gently with those you meet. And don’t forget to save some of that gentleness for yourself. | {
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This week the Sydney Morning Herald published an article by a property spruiker disguised as news which told us that property prices can't fall because rental yields are so high.
The article claimed that property is currently providing a 5.4% return (other RE data providers have returns closer to 5%, we personally pay 4.6%). When you play around with the numbers you can see how there's plenty of room for a significant correction. If you think 8% gross is a "normal" return then property here is currently 32.5% overpriced. If you take 5% as the current return and assume that the market will overcorrect then there's no reason we won't see a 40%+ haircut here.
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Did I mention 8 months of inventory in Richmond, yes over 8 months of inventory(and growing) of SFH.
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"Roshinsky, an agent for Royal Pacific Realty, listed Ms. S's home for sale at $700,000 the next day. Hours later, the developer signed an agreement to buy the house for $525,000.
On the same day, Ms. S signed an agreement to buy the apartment from C. Construction Ltd. for $245,900.
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"Roshinsky was fined $10,000, forced to complete a remedial education course and suspended for 30-days by the real estate council"
Cant you see what is wrong with the statement above and our society right now?
The fraudsters dont get prosecuted anymore. They settle.
Banks and executives rip off the taxpayer by billions and settle for millions, Tepco executives screw the Fukushima for generations to come and all they do is say a pathetic "Sorry" before the cameras while enjoying their extravagant lifestyle.
Heck, maybe I should try to go and rob a store for thousand of dollars and try to settle for 100 bucks.
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I have been away and was wondering how the market was doing now that I am back. I guess the March mortgage changes have really put a damper on things, hey?
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> Dave Says: May 13th, 2011 at 7:12 am @AG Sage: >You know it’s bad when a lawyer catches something unethical. >Sounds like a joke of a punishment but to be fair the devil is in the details. Was it hundreds of thousands? If so, there is no way he shouldnt have been booted. I guess they have low expectations. Well, the article said the house deal to his builder buddy was 525k instead of the list price of 700k and the apartment he sold her was also overvalued, so 25k would not be a stretch on that side of the deal. 200k is hundreds of thousands, admittedly, the lowest possible qualifying amount for that moniker. Don't mind me, this just really POed me today for some reason. Even just strip away all the morality, the criminality, everything and just… Read more »
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"I have lived here my whole life, my wife and I are mid career professionals (university profs) … We are actively looking to sell out and escape to either Alberta or Montreal…. There is no future in Vancouver for the next generation (unless one is off-the-scale rich)…"
Anecdote, and poster's opinion about the downside of trying to be a "world class city"…
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"Wait, Roshinsky tries to defraud an mentally deficient old lady of hundreds of thousands and not only does he not get jail time, he gets a measly 1k fine and 30 days suspension? WTF?
So, basically, what the realtor’s association is saying (in giant flashing neon letters) is fraud is standard operating procedure. Seriously. This is a joke."
total junk, the guys an asshole, hope this is all over the news so he never gets another client
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I would be interested to see the facts and all the details. I doubt their investigation process is very thorough considering the lack of punishment. I further doubt they are transparent with their processes and investigation.
This is actually quite a fucking joke and I am pretty pissed off too.
'Professional' organizations such as this as regulated by the Province. In this case, I would say the Real Estate Council of BC has seriously failed in their duties to the public. The Province should investigate this situation and fire the idiots who came up with this punishment. As a minimum, the guy should have been banished to only practice in Spuzzum. Write your MLA's folks.
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@Dave: "I guess the March mortgage changes have really put a damper on things, hey?"
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"But people are too good for common laundry rooms these days." sounds like you don't have kids 🙂 You would spend all your time in the laundry room with the mountains of laundry the little buggers spit out.
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Decisions of the Real Estate Council can be appealed, but it looks like you have to be the impacted party rather than a member of the public. http://www.fst.gov.bc.ca/pdf/guides/REGuide.pdf I would like to track down the lawyer representing 'Mrs. S.' and encourage them to appeal the decision. Anybody want to do some digging? Here's the 'realtor': http://www.royalpacific.ca/find-a-realtor/realtor… The realtor is actually lucky that the lawyer caught him early because it limited the damages. There are some very good realtors out there and they should be more angry about this than anybody else. It's stuff like this that damages their collective reputations. If I look at all the transactions I have been involved in, there have been way too many unprofessional realtors. When the number is 1/3 or 1/2, there is a serious problem. It's pathetic and they need to clean house.
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“Wait, Roshinsky tries to defraud an mentally deficient old lady of hundreds of thousands and not only does he not get jail time, he gets a measly 1k fine and 30 days suspension? WTF?
I'm not even sure why this is news. Realtards screw customers on every transaction.
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@Dave: For once, I can actually say I agree with your opinion wholeheartedly.
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Seriously, who wants to have to either wait for their laundry to be done or deal with selfish neighbours who dump your clothes on the floor if you're not back within 3 seconds of the cycle finishing? Some of them you even have to pay for with a stack of quarters! What is this, the 1940s?
The fact that almost every new build has insuite laundry tells you one thing – the market demands it. And I doubt it's because they feel they're "too good for common laundry".
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@Patiently Waiting: Well yeah because you don't know what kind of dirty dirt filled camping gear/stuff, or maybe dirty clothing soiled with poo, throwup, puke, puss, etc that the machine was washing right before you are planning to wash your underwear. Ok that's extreme but really when you are sharing, it only takes 1 to ruin it for everyone.
Also, take your view 1 step further, why have washer/dryer in houses and townhouse? Same problems can occur there. What are people too good for lauderymat?
Given the cause is improper maintainence, I fail to see how insuite laundry in a condo is really any different from a house/townhouse.
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@Dave: “I guess the March mortgage changes have really put a damper on things, hey?”
In terms of sales volumes, yeah you could say that without hyperbole.
You could say that only in terms of pulling sales into March from April. Not clear whether there are any significant longer term effects of these changes. March sales were about 15% higher than 10 year average (3800 vs. 3300) and April sales were about 15% lower than 10 year average (2800 vs. 3400). This market is just not doing anything interesting in either direction right now, areas like Richmond aside. It looks pretty 'balanced'.
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@Troll: "Not clear whether there are any significant longer term effects of these changes"
Agreed. Still, the evidence is that there WAS a slowdown post-March 18th. It is also hard to argue that there was some marginal effect on demand, given that payments for a same mortgage went up by about 7%, and prices haven't dropped.
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@Troll: "This market is just not doing anything interesting in either direction right now"
Agreed again! Vancouver is a sideshow. The proverbial "greased pig" main event is currently playing on the Kelowna stage. Way better value for your viewing pleasure.
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@AG Sage: Most realtors are slime, but this is disgusting even by realtor standards.
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@Anonymouse: …The fact that almost every new build has insuite laundry tells you one thing – the market demands it. ….
What it really tells you is that there's nothing in it for a condo developer to put in common laundry when they can install the fixtures and appliances in every suite and charge the buyer 4 times what they cost, and there's nothing to maintain in a common area – let alone provide the common area. Yes, there's a demand for in suite laundry, and it comes from the developers. | {
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Lola Wang, a 28-year-old marketing officer in Shanghai, makes a six-hour trip to Shandong to see her parents twice a year - once during the Lunar New Year and again during the National Day holiday in October.
"I feel like I should visit my parents more but having a job in the financial industry means I have to work long hours and sacrifice some of my personal time for work," Wang, an only child, tells CNN.
Wang's dilemma is faced by many young people in China, where a one-child policy and three decades of economic reforms have accelerated the decline of the traditional extended family.
It's also a matter of concern for China's new leaders as they grapple with the burden of supporting the growing number of elderly people.
Fighting for gay rights in China Boss held hostage by employees?
New law
A new national law introduced this week requires the offspring of parents older than 60 to visit their parents "frequently" and make sure their financial and spiritual needs are met.
"People are accusing young people of not visiting their parents enough," says Wang, adding she agrees with the aims of the law.
"Admittedly, some of them use their career and long working hours as an excuse. My problems are that I do care about my parents, but I have little vacation and my parents live far away."
According to Xinhua, China had about 185 million people above the age of 60 at the end of 2011. The figure is expected to surge to 221 million in 2015 and by 2050 a third of China's population will be classed as elderly.
Neglect
The "Law of Protection of Rights and Interests of the Aged" was amended by China's legislature in December after a spate of reports about elderly parents neglected by their children.
In one particularly horrific case in Jiangsu province, a local television station reported that a farmer had kept his 100-year-old mother in a pigsty with a 440lb sow.
Chen Shoutian told the station his mother had been happy to live there: "She wants to stay here because she feels it is convenient," he said.
A modest pension and social welfare system, particularly in rural areas, means elderly people are usually dependent on their children for support.
More than a fifth live below the poverty line, according to figures from the National School of Development at Peking University.
Changing values
Although respect for the elderly is still deeply engrained in Chinese society, traditional values like filial piety have been weakened by the country's rush to modernity.
"The traditional family support system is eroding for many reasons and I think the government would like to slow this process down," said Albert Park, the director of the Emerging Markets Institute at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The law stipulates that children cannot give up their inheritance rights in attempt to evade their duty to take care of their parents. It adds that children should pay a monthly allowance to their parents if they refuse to take care of them.
The legislation also allows for the elderly to sue their children but does not specify the process or what penalties they might face.
It may also prove difficult to enforce, says Ding Yiyuan from Beijing Yingke Law Firm. He told the Guangzhou Daily newspaper the law
fails to qualify the word "frequently." He added that few elderly people were likely to sue their own children.Controversial
The law's introduction has proved controversial. Some say it puts too much pressure on those who move away from home for work, study or other opportunities.
Cheng Zhegang, 50, whose only child is studying for a master's degree in the United States, said the law "distorts the parent-child relationship."
He hopes his daughter will head to a big city like Shanghai or Beijing to find a job on graduation and not return to the small town where she grew up.
"I don't want my daughter to have a burden both physically and spiritually," he told CNN.
"For me, my daughter's career is the most important thing. As the parent of an only child, I have spent so much time and money on my daughter's education and now I want her to be successful." | {
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Arnie, Jack can't say goodbye to Augusta
A few minutes later, Arnold Palmer trudged off the course. A gray, muddy practice round left him wondering whether he really should have called it quits here, the way he said he would after last year's tournament.
They are separated by 10 years and more than 10 strokes, but Jack, Arnie and the Masters go together like springtime and azaleas. The pre-eminent players of their generations are back, and it's hard to know who's happier - golf fans or Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson.
"I've been looking forward to that question, as opposed to the women's issue," Johnson said Wednesday, when asked about Jack and Arnie's return halfway through his contentious news conference.
Their goals this week are different - "I'd like to finish first, obviously," Nicklaus said - but they were united in the feeling that Johnson misstepped last year when he hastily drew up a rule to limit the lifetime exemption for past Masters champions to age 65.
Before the 2002 event, Johnson sent letters to aging former champions Doug Ford, Gay Brewer and Billy Casper, suggesting they not play. A little later, he announced the new policy, and that was partly why Palmer, who hasn't made the cut since 1983, said he wouldn't return.
"I don't want to get a letter," Palmer said famously last year.
Instead, the 73-year-old Palmer sent Hootie a letter of his own: the 63-year-old Nicklaus did the same.
They suggested to Johnson that taking away the past-champion's exemption would be a misguided step toward turning the Masters into "just another tournament."
"If we just resign ourselves to having the everyday tournament, and it has nothing to do with who won or why they won or how they won, then you lose some of the tradition that made the tournament what it is," Palmer said.
In what was certainly his strongest public-relations move during a year of questionable ones, Johnson relented last month, with the caveat that players police themselves, and decide when they no longer belong.
"I guess you might say that I overfixed our problem," Johnson said.
Palmer admits he has already reached the point at which he is no longer competitive.
His goal, though, is to play two more Masters to make it an even 50 - and given his history in the sport and at this event, nobody is going to argue.
"It's fun reminiscing and looking back," said Palmer, whose four wins here from 1958-64 were key in delivering a rich man's game to the masses.
Nicklaus, a six-time champion, is also returning, after sitting out a year because of back problems that ruined his swing.
"I've got to go and relearn how to play the game of golf," Nicklaus said. "I would love to have a golf game. I don't think I'm there yet, obviously."
But unlike Palmer, Nicklaus is not simply happy playing ceremonial golf. He's here to compete, and aside from winning, he feels a top-10 finish is realistic if he plays really well.
"You've got to have some goal," he said. "I've never enjoyed finishing 20th. I might as well shoot for closer to the top."
One good omen: The Golden Bear looks fit and lean and says he hasn't felt this good since the mid-1990s. In 1998, playing without feeling in his hurting left leg, he electrified the gallery by challenging for the lead and finishing sixth at age 58.
Of course, either guy would make the gallery happy just by showing up.
When Palmer made what was supposed to be his final walk up the 18th fairway last year, fans packed 20 and 25 deep just to catch a glimpse of The King. They didn't want him to go, and as it turned out, he didn't really want to leave.
Or at least that's what he thought. After spending some time on a waterlogged course eerily similar to the one that ate him up last year, Palmer knows he's got a tough two days ahead of him.
"It's very hard out there," he said. "But I'm going to tee it up because I said I would. That's the way I do things. I've made mistakes before." | {
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Balkan Romani (also known as Balkan Gypsy) is a specific dialect, spoken by groups within the Balkans, which include countries such as Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, etc. The Balkan Romani language is typically an oral language. This dialect is endangered because, not only is it looked down upon by other Europeans, but it only has about 763,670 speakers left in the world.[3]
Most of the people who speak Balkan Romani are Romani themselves. Another meaning of the prefix rom is someone belonging to the Romani ethnicity.[3] The Romani people are ultimately of Indian origin.[4] Speakers of the Balkan Romani language have constantly migrated throughout the years into all parts of Europe. Since these speakers have migrated to different parts of Europe, new dialects have formed. Although the Romani people originated in India, they are now widespread throughout all of Europe.[5]
The sound inventory of Romani does not differ significantly from that of other European languages, most of which belong to the Indo-European family.
The consonant system of Balkan Romani differs in one significant aspect from those of other European languages: it has the aspirated plosives (aspirated stops) characteristic of Indian languages. In the case of Romani, these are the voiceless aspirated plosives /ph, th, kh/, which in the majority of Romani variants, at least at the beginning of a word, have a semantically distinct function.
Turkish lexical influence is a defining and extremely important part of the Romani dialect in the Balkans. Most of the words however, originate from Persian origin. Loans from Persian, Armenian, and Byzantine Greek make up the pre-European lexicon. Ultimately, it is hard to trace the definite origin of all the words because the words of Balkan Romani originate from many sources and the sources of those languages creates a complex puzzle.[9]
Turkish grammar plays a large role in Balkan Romani. The use of Turkish conjugations is widely embedded within Balkan Romani and oftentimes, it is difficult to tell the difference between the grammar of the two languages depending on geography. Balkan Romani has compartmentalized grammar[10] originating from Turkish verbal paradigms along with some Greek influence.[11] Much of the morphology of the language has Greek and Turkish origins, which is why the language is viewed by many professionals as a "mixed" language and thus it is hard to see where one language ends and the other begins. All Romani dialects use Greek derived nominal endings, masculine nouns and loan nouns.[12]
The morphology of the Balkan Romani language is again heavily influenced by both the Turkish and Greek languages. Many people view this language as a sort of melting pot because there are so many different influences on it. Turkish and Greek might be the most influential languages on Balkan Romani but other languages, such as Armenian, have also influenced it. Part of the substrate of Balkan Romani appears to be derived from medieval northern Indian languages.[13] | {
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Luckily, there are resources that one could rely on in such situations, one of these resources are what we refer to as the process of initial public offering, or IPO. This is the process when a company opens its shares to the stock exchange trade and starts selling its first set of stocks. It is also called as a stock market launch, and the business who has gone through this process is now considered as a publicly traded enterprise.
How does a company earn money when going through an IPO? The whole process is fairly straightforward, when a company goes on to be a publicly traded enterprise, the financial resources gained from investors’ payments goes straight to the company’s pocket. And to top it all off, the business who sold its shares does not need to repay the capital sum to their investors. And so, if done right, an initial public offering really has the ability to raise a sizeable amount for a company’s expansion or growth.
But before going ahead and plunging headlong into an endeavor such as this, companies must understand that although a stock market launch seems to be a pretty simple process from the outside, it’s truly a tedious and somewhat financially draining procedure, especially for the ill-experienced. This is why many companies turn to the assistance services of a corporate service company to help guide them through the entire process, because there are numerous factors that should be measured and addressed before even considering to proceed through an initial public offering.
Working with a reputable corporate service firm helps the company find out if their plan for an IPO is viable or not, the corporate service team serves to assess their financial capability, internal structure, and whether or not they meet the requirements of the stock exchange they will be working with. Ultimately, this helps the company avoid needless losses brought on by a premature plan.
If you are looking for a corporate service team to work with, look no further, for Singapore Corporate Services can supply you with everything you need in the field of business of finance. Visit them at www.scs.sg to know more. | {
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ok I just read it and didnt wait for it to load. I happen to be a big time anti-circumsision person. So how could somthing making fun of the anti-circumsisioners do good here if almost everyone on YTMND hates jews (I dont hate them but I am just saying).
BRILLIANT!
I actually interperated the Nazi line upon one of my listens as well. Glad that you picked it up too. Although I always hear "noun" instead of "nun" but nun is more humorous. You receive 5.
http://frenchmuppetbabies.ytmnd.com
ht
"Its only perceived as the written text because you're trying to make it out. As
stupid as those backwords messages."
So? I'm Finnish so I'm having a hard time trying to actually hear the words written, but it still matches in a way that is funny
Would have been better if it said "Your school's baka" even though it doesn't sound much like a "k" but alot of the sounds didn't sound right anyway. But in that case baka means stupid too (for those who don't know) so it fits perfectly. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
CaaS Featured Article
NAKIVO Partners with Systemec
NAKIVO, Inc., a provider of virtualization data protection and cloud backup software, recently announced that its Backup & Replication solution has been selected by Systemec, a B2B full-service Internet service provider, system integrator, and cloud service provider. The solution will be used to deliver VM Backup-as-a-Service.
The Backup & Replication solution from NAKIVO delivers VM data protection for VMware environments. Built for virtualization, the product features an intuitive Web 2.0 UI which protects live VMs running applications and databases. The solution can seamlessly run backup and replication jobs as often as every minute, reducing the backup size with deduplication and compression. Moreover, it can speed up data transfer with network acceleration and enable full VM and granular recovery.
“NAKIVO's multi-tenancy and self-service has saved Systemec more than 20 percent in operational data protection and cloud services costs by enabling users to manage VM backups themselves.” said Marco Teelen, manager of Internet Services at Systemec. “NAKIVO helps us maintain reliable image backups for our VMs. The reporting, web based access, and simple process to do a restore saves us time while reducing calls to our helpdesk on a daily basis, and in the end results in happy customers.”
In related news, NAKIVO Inc recently announced that American Datacenters, a hosting and managed backup/recovery services provider across the US, has chosen NAKIVO Backup & Replication to protect client VMs.
American Datacenters provides data center services for SMB clients in hundreds of locations across the USA, helping them protect data from the challenges of technology. American Datacenters services range from basic colocation to managed on-site backup/recovery, off-site backup, replication, disaster recovery, production virtualization, as well as full outsourcing of production and disaster recovery services. The company found NAKIVO Backup & Replication to be the most feature-rich, intuitive, and far and away the easiest solution to implement and support.
Related CaaS Articles
Broadview Networks has just announced that it has forged a new partnership with Telecom Consulting Group (TCG). TCG is one of the premier telecommunications master agencies in the country and is poised to offer Broadview's OfficeSuite portfolio of cloud based products and services to both partners and clients across the country. Broadview has long been working to perfect its cloud-based services through OfficeSuite and now the company is able to offer clients what has been billed as something th…
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MegaPath is one of the world's leading providers of voice, data, security and cloud solutions announced last week that it had made yet another move that will allow the firm to focus on the cloud. The firm announced it has sold off another portion of the company to GTT Communications. This is the second move in the last few months where the firm has sold off a portion of the firm in order to better focus on what it does best. This particular deal is set to be officially closed on April 1.
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The traditional or legacy model that has been applied to run organizations is no longer a viable one in today's digital environment. While it can continue to function, it cannot compete with a flexible and scalable model that can use its workforce anytime and anywhere without limitations. Mobile technology and cloud-based services have made it possible for employees to access the resources they need and collaborate to get the job done anytime and anywhere. One of the technologies making this pos…
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} |
Found by Fairmile West
Flash storage spec doubles speeds on future smartphones
Smartphones already have storage speeds that rival PCs and they’re going to take another big leap soon. Standards group JEDEC has unveiled UFS 3.0, a new flash storage standard for mobile devices, Chromebooks, VR headsets and automotive devices that doubles the bandwidth of UFS 2.1 to a stellar 2.9 GB/s. That’s only a theoretical maximum that real-world devices won’t likely reach, however, and requires that the host device has the hardware to support it. | {
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Odella Wayne's radiant beauty is untouched by the ways of the world, but she knows wickedness when she hears it--the Fortune-Teller at the Fairground is a spy for the French! The Marquis of Midhurst receives Odella's news with gratitude--and a perilous request: to identify an assassin and save a Royal's life...Odella is dazzled by the grand and sophisticated Marquis, a veritable Prince Charming...and the Marquis recognizes in the country girl a pure and gallant Heart. As war rages abroad, the irresistible and serene Joy of True Love unites two brave, noble, and patriotic souls! | {
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Melt undercooling opens new solidification pathways for non-equilibrium phases and non-conventional microstructures. Several techniques, including the fluxing technique, have been developed in order to reduce nucleation sites and to produce high undercoolings for metals and alloys. In this work the fluxing technique was applied to Pb-25wt%Sn (hypoeutectic), Pb-61.9wt%Sn (eutectic) and Pb-90wt%Sn (hypereutectic) alloys to investigate the influence of the undercooling on the microstructure of these alloys. For the hypoeutectic alloy, an increasing of the undercooling (DTe) from 7 to 13 K resulted in interdendritic eutectic refinement. For the hypereutectic alloy, an increasing of undercooling from 8 to 16 K resulted in a reduction of the b-Sn primary dendrites arm spacing from 50 m to 30 m. For the both hypoeutectic and eutectic alloys, an increasing of the undercooling resulted in an interdendritic eutectic with anomalous morphology. The results indicated that the critical eutectic undercooling, DTe*, that causes a transition from lamellar eutectic to anomalous eutectic in the Pb-Sn alloys, is around 6 K.
Rapid Solidification Processing (RSP), of metals and alloys, can be established by applying high cooling rates (102 - 106 K/s) or high undercoolings under low cooling rates (1 K/s). The later situation occurs when nucleation sites are reduced or even eliminated. Melt undercooling opens new solidification pathways for non-equilibrium phases and non-conventional microstructures1. Fluxing technique is one of the techniques that have been developed in order to reduce nucleation and to produce high undercoolings in metals and alloys. In this technique the liquid is immersed in a material that isolates it from contact with the crucible walls and atmosphere, dissolving impurities or changing structures to make them less active. It also doesnt provide heterogeneous nucleation, which can increase the undercooling degree2.
The microstructures of important engineering eutectic system, such as Pb-Sn, are strongly influenced by the undercooling achieved prior to solidification, the nucleation characteristics of the alloy and the cooling rate. Microstructural evolution during solidification of Pb-Sn alloys has been examined in few studies3,4. Gravity-driven macrosegregation was observed in the studies using methods based on the reduction of catalytic sites4. Gravity-driven macrosegregation is typically caused by differences in liquid density due to gradients in composition and/or differences in density between the liquid and solid phases. The density difference between the liquid and solid phases, and the ability of the eutectic to be undercooled, are favorable for the study of macrosegregation and the influence of undercooling on segregation behavior in the Pb-Sn system. In the studies involving directional solidification5,6 it was observed that the development of controlled eutectic structures is important from the technological viewpoint, since eutectic structures generally give rise to a fine microstructural scale and thus exhibit superior mechanical properties. Besides the nature of the phases formed, the mechanical properties of a given eutectic alloy largely depend upon the eutectic spacing and the volume fraction of the phases. In the studies involving splat-quenched7,8 it was observed that the microstructures presented anomalous eutectic morphology because high cooling rate is applied in this process.
In an undercooled melt, the thermal gradient at the solid-liquid interface is negative, and it is directly related to the growth rate9. Thus, at a low solidification rate or at a low undercooling, the microstructure is near to equilibrium. However, at a critical growth rate, the diffusion field becomes shorter in extent than the microstructure scale. The diffusion process becomes localized with respect to the microstructure, and several morphological changes might take place. For example, the regularity of eutectics can be broken, and eutectic anomalous growth can take place or in some cases the primary arm dendrite refinement can occur10.
The present paper reports the influence of undercooling on the microstructures of hypoeutectic, eutectic and hypereutectic Pb-Sn alloys.
2. Experimental Procedure
The Pb-25wt%Sn (hypoeutectic), Pb-61.9wt%Sn (eutectic), Pb-90wt%Sn (hypereutectic) alloys were prepared, by weighting the appropriate amounts of 99,98% purity Pb and Sn. Quartz ampoules containing these metals were purged with argon and sealed under vacuum at 10-5 Torr. The materials were alloyed in a rocking furnace at 773 K for 10 h. The ingots were cut into several pieces of approximately 0.4 cm3 in volume (3 g). The sample and 30%P2O5 20%SnO 50%SnF2 (%mol) flux were loaded in a quartz crucible (10 mm diameter and 60 mm height) and several cycles of fusion-solidification were applied. The heating rate was about 0.6 K/s and cooling rate about 0.5 K/s. A mineral-insulated J type thermocouple (1.5 mm diameter) was used for the temperature measurements. The thermocouple was immersed in the melted sample to guarantee accuracy. The nucleation temperature was detected by finding the inflection point in the temperature versus time cooling curve. Cooling curves were recorded by a computerized data acquisition system. Microstructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the interlamellar distances of the eutectic microstructure were with resolution of 10-7 m. The Fig. 1 shows the experimental apparatus.
3. Results and Discussion
Cooling curves for hypoeutectic and hypereutectic alloys showed two nucleation temperatures, one for primary phase dendrites, Tn1, and one of the eutectic transformation, Tne. The eutectic alloy showed just one nucleation temperature. Table 1 shows the undercoolings degree of the primary phase, DT1, and the undercooling of the eutectic, DTe, obtained for the Pb-Sn alloys.
The microstructure of the Pb-25%Sn (hypoeutectic) alloy (Fig. 2) consisted of primary dendrites of Pb (light phase in Fig. 1) and interdendritic eutectic. No morphological change in primary Pb phase dendrites was observed in accordance with the small undercooling reached. However, the interdendritic eutectic presents an anomalous morphology for both the 7 K and the 13 K of undercooling samples, and a refinement of the eutectic was observed with the increasing of the undercooling.
The microstructure of the Pb-61.9%Sn (eutectic) alloy (Fig. 3) presented a coupled growth of the (Pb)/bSn eutectic. There is a remarkable change in morphology increasing the degree of undercooling with transition from regular lamellar to anomalous eutectic when the undercooling increases from 6 to 23 K.
The microstructure of the Pb-90%Sn (hypereutectic) alloy presented primary bSn dendrites (dark phase in Fig. 4) and lamellar interdendritic eutectic. Increasing the undercooling from 8 to 16 K resulted in a reduction of the dendrite arm spacing from 50 mm to 30 mm.
Increasing the undercooling led to a high growth rate in this alloy, hence morphological refinement occurred11.
Morphological change and refinement of the eutectic were not observed in hypereutectic alloy in accordance with the small undercooling reached.
The following mechanisms were proposed to explain the dendritic refinement in undercooled samples12: recrystallization due to stresses and/or dislocation; dendrite remelting during recalescence and coarsening; dendrite fragmentation and coarsening. Some works13,14 have reported dendritic refinement in undercooled samples, proposing that the most probable mechanism for this phenomenon is dendrite fragmentation. It means that, rapid growing dendrites become morphologically unstable and decay with a reduction of the interface area, as well as the driving force for such a process. This assumption is directly supported by the fact that the dendritic refinement or equiaxed grains in highly undercooled samples usually looks like dendrite debris.
It was observed that there is a substantial change in the eutectic morphology with the increasing degree of undercooling. Applying an undercooling of DTe = 6 K to sample A for the eutectic alloy (Fig. 3a) lamellar eutectic is the unique growth morphology, while applying the undercooling of DTe = 7 K to sample A for the Sn-25wt%Pb (hypoeutectic) alloy (Fig. 2a) anomalous eutectic becomes the unique growth morphology. There is a critical undercooling, DT*e, for which it occurs a transition from lamellar eutectic to anomalous eutectic in the Pb-Sn system. The morphology of the eutectic is lamellar if DT*e 6 K and anomalous if DT*e 6 K. Many studies13,15-17 have observed this critical undercooling in other eutectics systems. They have established a variety of propositions to explain the formation mechanisms of anomalous eutectic structures. Thus it is reasonable to conclude that anomalous eutectic is the product of rapid solidification whereas lamellar eutectic forms under slow solidification conditions. The most probable physical mechanism for this phenomenon is that a considerably high amount of interfacial energy is stored in the fine lamellar eutectic structure in comparison to the gain of volume energy. The reduction of the interfacial energy acts as a driving force for the on going fragmentation mechanism leading to a transformation from the lamellar eutectic microstructure to the equiaxed microstructure of the anomalous eutectic15.
Few studies have indicated that Pb-Sn system exhibit non-reciprocal nucleating characteristics4,18. It means that one primary phase will act as an effective heterogeneous nucleation site for the other phase, but not vice versa. For example, Sundquist and Mondolfo18 have found that the primary Sn phase will readily nucleates Pb phase at undercoolings between 0 and 0.5 K, while it seems that primary Pb phase does not nucleates effectively the Sn phase, which produces an undercooling as large as 55 K for Sn phase nucleation. The results of the undercooling obtained in this work, shown in Table 1, indicates that it was observed non-reciprocal nucleation. Only one work has applied the fluxing technique to study the Pb-Sn system4, concluding that non-reciprocal nucleation might be occurred. It is necessary other experiment applying the fluxing technique to confirm if there is or not non-reciprocal nucleation in Pb-Sn system.
deGroh and Laxmanan4 have also observed macrosegregation in the sample of the eutectic Pb-Sn alloy. They have concluded that in the non-reciprocal nucleation behavior, undercooling and the density differences between the liquid phase (Sn) and the solid phase (Pb) have influenced the macrosegregation. They affirmed that the macrosegregation increases for undercoolings up to 20 K. It was not observed macrosegregation in the eutectic alloy in this work, although the undercooling of the sample B is up to 20 K. It was probably because the small sample volumes used in this work (0.4 cm3), compared with the sample volumes used in the deGroh and Laxmanan work (3 cm3).
4. Conclusion
Pb-Sn alloys with hypoeutectic, hypereutectic and eutectic compositions have been solidified from the undercooled melt using the fluxing technique. For Pb-25wt%Sn (hypoeutectic) alloy, occurred only a refinement of the interdendritic eutectic with increasing undercooling (DTe) from 7 to 13 K. For Pb-90wt%Sn (hypereutectic) alloy, only a refinement occurred in the primary bSn dendrites with increasing undercooling. Increasing the undercooling led to a high growth rate in this alloy, hence morphological refinement occurred. The eutectic exhibited anomalous morphology with increasing undercooling (DTe). The results indicated that there is a critical undercooling, DT*e, which induces a transition from lamellar eutectic to anomalous eutectic in the Pb-Sn system. The morphology of the eutectic is lamellar if DT*e 6 K and anomalous if DT*e 6 K. The possible conclusion is that anomalous eutectic is the product of rapid solidification whereas lamellar eutectic forms under slow solidification conditions because a considerably high amount of interfacial energy is stored in the fine lamellar eutectic structure in comparison to the gain of volume energy. The reduction of the interfacial energy acts as a driving force for the on going fragmentation mechanism leading to a transformation from the lamellar eutectic microstructure to the equiaxed microstructure of the anomalous eutectic. | {
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How to Merge MIDI Tracks | eHow.comMIDI files contain music note data that can translate to real music using a . In some programs, the option will read “Group,” “Join” or “Combine. . a song medley or consolidate your MP3 song files, you need to know how to combine and.http://www.ehow.com/how_6968650_merge-midi-tracks.html
Great Value-
Creativity Cache - Composing a Medley - Full in depth reports on ...This Creativity Cache Starter focuses on composing a medley. . They then enter the melody lines, and consider techniques demonstrated in the sample or other techniques they may have heard to connect the . The O(h) Medley - MIDI File .http://www.soundtree.com/teaching-resources/articles/creativity-cache-composing-medley
Trad. - Irish Jig Medley sheet music - 8notes.comIrish Jig Medley sheet music - 8notes.com. . Not only is it pretty easy to play, but it sounds really nice when you play it, i defintely would like to see more like it!http://www.8notes.com/scores/7178.asp
If I move my daylilies will they bloom?
Sam Tsui | Facebookhi sam one request ,can you do cover song for any linkin park track,and according to me ur best cover was "Firework & Grenade MASHUP (Explosion Medley) .http://www.facebook.com/SamTsuiMusic
When do I plant?
The United States Air Force Band - Band Song ListJoin the Air Force . Four Ruffles and Flourishes (pause) and Hail To The Chief [ short version]. Four Ruffles and Flourishes . Armed Forces Medley. Air Force .http://www.usafband.af.mil/ensembles/BandEnsSongs.asp?Ensemble=-1&Genre=7
What do I do if I can't get my bare root plants in the ground right away?
Moulin RougeClassical Music · Traditional Music · Sheet Music · MIDI Files · MP3 Files · Film Music . In the Bohemian quarters of Montmartre in Paris, we seem to find a cultural mix ranging . The Elephant Love Medley takes place in this room, and is a very clever . The songs were adapted and re-recorded for this format, in order to join .http://www.mfiles.co.uk/reviews/moulin-rouge.htm
How much sun does a daylily need?
Pinball Wizard - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe B-side of the Pinball Wizard single is an instrumental credited to Keith Moon, titled . In the same year, this medley was covered by the Shadows, in instrumental . 2010: Les Fradkin (On his solo Ztar album Hyper MIDI Guitar); The University of . 1972: "Join Together" / "Baby Don't You Do It": "The Relay" / " Wasp Man" .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Wizard
The Second City to Receive NAB Spirit of Broadcasting Award ...Feb 6, 2012 . “Every day, millions of broadcast TV viewers bear witness to the influence it . with me on my BLog emanmakeup.blogspot.com Join my facebook page at ht. . A: The Music Animation Machine MIDI file player will generate a display . In a way the whole concert is one gigantic medley, while atleast what I .http://article.wn.com/view/2012/02/06/The_Second_City_to_Receive_NAB_Spirit_of_Broadcasting_Award/
Biography - Official Web Site - Claudio BaglioniIt started this way, the need to understand what it is, step by step, makes us who we are. . in which he plays keyboards, guitars and percussion MIDI-connected, mixed . May 22nd , 2003 Join the special first episode of Zelig in prime time on . a medely in the street with his best songs, and a wonderful version of Renato .http://www.baglioni.it/eng/storia.php
The easiest way we've found is to dig up the clump, shake off a the soil, lay the clump on its side and gently pry off pieces using a weeding fork as illustrated dvd for recording movies.
Bman's Blues Report: Robert Mugge - All Jams On Deck - Film ReviewMar 21, 2012 . I have had the pleasure to watch Robert Mugge's All Jams On Deck, . Percy Williams continues the jam with a cool trumpet solo and Sista Monica Parker joins mid song with some soul infused vocals. . Medely - Let's Buzz .http://www.bmansbluesreport.com/2012/03/robert-mugge-all-jams-on-deck-film.html
Planning a season of blooms
PodOmatic | Podcast - A Night at Pleasuredome with Neil LewisWelcome to the podcast of Neil Lewis' recorded sets from his nights at Pleasuredome. . swing open to release the sound of Neil Lewis beckoning them to join. . This four-part series bursts forth mid-track about 40 minutes from midnight, just . dreamy, classic - but a medely of juicy tracks stitched effortlessly together as the .http://friendsofneillewis.podomatic.com/
Paper Titlefor this data will enable the entire industry to streamline its ability to make content . Sheet music and midi files . medley. Each composition has different composers, arrangers, publishing . easily join today's new and all digital market place.http://www.nuemeta.com/files/NS_115_AES_Final.pdf
Marginal sites
Jordin Sparks - Music news, reviews, albums, concerts, and ...Apr 4, 2012 . Jordin Sparks to join 'In the Heights' cast on Broadway . She lip-synched her way through a medely of her hits, which included “Straight Up” . Sparks' new song is the Ryan Tedder-penned mid-tempo jam "Battlefield," off her .http://music-mix.ew.com/tag/jordin-sparks/
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The EWF Experience - Q&ASomewhere in the AOL Midi File library is an awesome version of Can't Hide Love. . Maurice joined them for 2 or 3 songs, but didn't do any singing into a microphone. . EWF did a medely (lip sync, the guys appeared sans instruments) of .http://www.homdrum.net/ewf/qa.html
Coventry Music: March 2010Mar 31, 2010 . (5) Phish Medely; Tweezer had “Jin stepped into the freezer” lyrics, Sayid, . Check out Ryan's recap and join the discussion at Hidden Track. . The Eastoner - General Midi - / The bass line in this song will lead her in the .http://phishcoventry.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html
The Tool Page: Opinion - 2006/05/12 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum ...Join Date: Apr 2006 . dedicated to the fucko behind me that spilled his whiskey and coke on me and then passed out for 2/3 of the show . In fact I'd have to say that all of his cymbals had way too much high end on them, not enough mid. . No greatest hits medely, cover versions, doodling innovations, .http://toolnavy.com/showthread.php?t=45289
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Bman's Blues Report: Robert Mugge - All Jams On Deck - Film ReviewMar 21, 2012 . I have had the pleasure to watch Robert Mugge's All Jams On Deck, . Percy Williams continues the jam with a cool trumpet solo and Sista Monica Parker joins mid song with some soul infused vocals. . Medely - Let's Buzz .http://www.bmansbluesreport.com/2012/03/robert-mugge-all-jams-on-deck-film.html
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PodOmatic | Podcast - A Night at Pleasuredome with Neil LewisWelcome to the podcast of Neil Lewis' recorded sets from his nights at Pleasuredome. . swing open to release the sound of Neil Lewis beckoning them to join. . This four-part series bursts forth mid-track about 40 minutes from midnight, just . dreamy, classic - but a medely of juicy tracks stitched effortlessly together as the .http://friendsofneillewis.podomatic.com/
Paper Titlefor this data will enable the entire industry to streamline its ability to make content . Sheet music and midi files . medley. Each composition has different composers, arrangers, publishing . easily join today's new and all digital market place.http://www.nuemeta.com/files/NS_115_AES_Final.pdf
Jordin Sparks - Music news, reviews, albums, concerts, and ...Apr 4, 2012 . Jordin Sparks to join 'In the Heights' cast on Broadway . She lip-synched her way through a medely of her hits, which included “Straight Up” . Sparks' new song is the Ryan Tedder-penned mid-tempo jam "Battlefield," off her .http://music-mix.ew.com/tag/jordin-sparks/ | {
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i really doubt that a 28 ft canopy would fit in the smaller nb6 container. i have packed nb6's and i gotta tell ya its tite.extending the container so a 28 would fit would not be legal as an emergency parchute.the faa approves military personel assemblies for use (i dont recall the wording in the f.a.r.s )but unless the container was built with extensions at the factory and there was a military drawing/ contract #, it would nt be legal for use as an emergency parachute.
of course if cossey DID somehow manage to put the much bigger (ABOUT 200 sq feet) and bulkier 28 ft canopy into the smaller nb6 container ,then cooper would likely have had an extremely HARD pull .remember,this was back in the days of cones(which the nb6 and nb8 containers had 4), NOT closing loops. rigs with cones exhibit higher ripcord pull forces than the same container with loops.
I really doubt that a 28 ft canopy would fit in the smaller NB-6 container. I have packed NB-6's and i gotta tell ya its tight. Extending the container so a 28 would fit would not be legal as an emergency parachute. The FAA approves military personnel assemblies for use (I dont recall the wording in the FARs) but unless the container was built with extensions at the factory and there was a military drawing/contract #, it would'nt be legal for use as an emergency parachute.
Poynter Volume 1 has a procedure for extending the side flaps of an NB-6 or similar, but it's clear that it's just for use as a sport back, with canopies like T-10 or PC.
Just to muddy things up a bit: Poynter's description of an NB-6 says it has a 26' canopy. The description of NB-8 is "Same as NB-6 except that it has a 28' white nylon flat circular canopy." I wouldn't think "same" necessarily means "identical dimensions." More likely, it means "similar in appearance." If so, I'd think it possible that jumpers/riggers of the time may have used the terms interchangeably, similar to the way we do now when we use "T-10" as a generic term to mean an green 35' parabolic canopy, including modified T-10s and MC-1 series canopies.
i really doubt that a 28 ft canopy would fit in the smaller nb6 container. i have packed nb6's and i gotta tell ya its tite.
I'm with you on this. I have packed a few NB-6's many a year ago and they are very tight.
Here is the funny part: Skyjack71 thinks it actually makes a difference. There so many variables to this whole thing that nothing makes sense. Oh, and the rate of descent is theoretical; Yes, I do know that rate of descents could have been measured but under what atmospheric conditions, not the same and on Cooper's jump. What if he had blown a panel on opening, then what about the rate of descent?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but you actually said you were able to get a stand up landing once with the 26 conical. Not that it matters much, I doubt Cooper had the conditions that alllowed you such a nice land (and remember he has a 22 pound bag strapped to his waist).
But, you're right... this debate is elementary. It certainly has some relevance if we want to determine how much pain Cooper may have been in.
The serious question to determine is the timeline. 8:15 seems a little late, but even at 8:15 there's small odds that he lands near a tributary, and by small, I actually mean he might be pushing 8:16... I don't know.
Someone said a typical fligth path is 8 miles wide, with +/- 4 mile tolerance to either side. Why I think that would not hold in this case is because this amount of leeway would put the plane directly in PDX airspace... and not that flight control at PDX wouldn't move everyone else out of the way for a hijacked plane, but why fly there when there's no need?
If the FBI & NWA were so certain that the timeline was no later than 8:12 (and this was after factoring in a +/- 1 min of tolerance) then why push it out to 8:15 if we can't even get Cooper to die at 8:15? (remember, he has to deploy his chute almost immediately, then land on flat landscape on a farm, and die upon impact and no one ever find him)...
If the 8:15 mark is so weak, there's really no point in discussing flight path because we know where the plane is between 8:10 & 8:12.
The thing about flight path though that certainly makes for a great debate... if the flight path really is 8 miles wide (and I may doubt this is true for V23), then there's REALLY no way Cooper has a planned escape route.
I'm sorry, all these theories about what gadgets he might have with him to tell him where he's at... and memorizing the turns on V23... if the plane can be that far off course, he could land as far as 8 miles from where he wanted to... it would seem to me that if Cooper planned his escape that thoroughly, then he sure made A LOT of assumptions and left a lot to chance.
Conclusion: Cooper had no definitive escape planned other than jump and possibly make his way home somehow.
From Coopers actions and requests it can be logically concluded Cooper wanted to jump just after wheels up. Cooper wanted to takeoff with the airstairs down, which could mean he wanted them down to insure they were open for his escape or he wanted to jump as soon as possible after takeoff.
Because Cooper began trying to open the stairs a few minutes after takeoff, it stands to reason he wanted out as fast as possible.
Cooper had problems getting the stairs to open and it was not until the captain slowed and leveled the plane that the stairs dropped. A few minutes after the pressure change occurred.
Cooper never requested a flight path, he never requested an update from the flight crew and no one reported he even had on a watch that he could have timed wheels up. Also, V 23 is not the only low altitude route south from Seatac.
Conclusion, Cooper had little idea where he was when he jumped. His original plan, based on what he thought he knew, was toast when the airstairs could not be open on takeoff. He now had to think on his feet. "no big deal, I'll just open them like they told and jump ASAP." More problems, the stairs won't open, "plan C" jump as soon as they do. Each minute that passes puts him a few miles from his original jump location. The stairs finally open, he tries to think what to do, "where am I, not where I wanted to be." tries to gauge it for a minute or two, then "F it, I am this far into it, I'll make it up as I goooooo........"
This smacks in the face of those that would say Cooper executed his plan down perfectly. It just doesn't seem that way, and therefore, discussions about an accomplice and discussions about him planning out his alibi are on precarious ground.
The arguments in favor of such suspects already have their flaws, and the lines of reasoning pointed out by Ckret only diminish what little possibilty remains.
In other words, those that would say this crime has been solved by two slueths, one of which has passed away, cannot be serious in their reasoning. If they are serious, then they either missed something or they failed to explain how they can make up this deficiency.
I can't say we can rule out anyone... but based upon what we know it sure appears 99% unlikely that it was Mayfield. Maybe I'm misinterpreting the facts... but then again, maybe we've all gone through a lot of mental gymnastics only to conclude who Cooper likely was and was not, and he just doesn't fit.
If forward throw for a body or bag of money is less than a mile (which it sounds like it's less than 3,000 feet), then I can tell you categorically that there's no way there was a no pull or a lost bag in mid-air.
Not unless we manage to absolutely push out the timeline and move the flight path out 2 additional miles east.
I agree with Ckret. Cooper was planning to jump not very long after takeoff, perhaps into suburbs or outskirts, but not wilderness. Even though it looks like he didnt necessarily plan to jump at night, he must have known it would be evening, and what does he wear? Not even a parka. No hiking shoes, etc. If he thought that he'd be making a night jump into the terrain we think he exited over, he'd have dressed differently, even if just for comfort rather than survival. This wasn't a spur of the minute caper formulated on the plane. He planned, built a "bomb" and researched 727 systems. He must have given some thought to suitable clothing for the jump. He didnt have to dress like a paratrooper. A parka and hiking shoes would not have seemed out of line for a passenger in that area. His attire tells me that he never anticipated exiting where he actually did. I'd bet he was familiar with the general area too and had a plan on how to quickly blend back into civilization unnoticed. That would require landing close to civilization.
I am beginning to think a no pull may have occured. Consider the circumstances: night, cold, high speed exit, possibly no freefall experience, unstable, unfamiliar gear, and maybe an NB6 packed so tight that a normal pull force wouldn't dislodge the pins from the cones, making him think he was pulling on the wrong piece of hardware and letting go of it.
Look how many skydivers have done a no pull after a cutaway, in daylight with very specific emergency procedures training. Some have even done a no pull without a cutaway. Look at Jan Davis's no pull off El Capitan in Yosemite using unfamilar borrowed gear.
If Cooper were depending on being able to see the ripcord handle he'd have some problems after an unstable high speed night exit. Also, the bag may have flopped up in a way that prevented free access to the ripcord handle.
I remember some of my earliest solo FF jumps in the 60s (no AFF back then)... spinning wildly, no altimeter, trying to get stable. It was very disorienting even with a slow exit in bright daylight. My jumpmaster told me stories (true?) about FF students going in pulling desperately at webbing until impact thinking it was their ripcord handle. He told me if I did that he'd kill me. He thought that was really funny.
If Cooper had a no pull, his body could be hidden by brush for many years, perhaps forever. If he was a total loner who had just moved away from his last place of residence and not yet put down roots, his absence may have gone unnoticed. I want him to have survived, but I am wondering if he did.
377, Very astute deduction. I've always wondered why he wore the outfit that he did. I had always thought maybe it was because he enjoyed dressing nice or he thought people would view him in a more sophisticated manner and take him more seriuosly if he was dressed up.
In other words, a guy wearing a flannel jacket, jeans, and boots may not be taken as seriously as a guy wearing a business suit, tie, and over coat.
But you're right... he had to give some thought as to the landing. If he thinks he's going to land in a metropolis, he'd want to look the part. (but if he's going to land in a metropolis, he also assumes no one finds it curious that he just parachuted out of the sky).
Do you think he pondered his selection of shoes? If he did, then do you also think he may have modified them in some way as to give them more chance of staying on upon exit?
There is one minor point of contention... According to the U.S. Naval Observatory Astronomical Applications Department,
The sunset for Seattle on Nov 24, 1971 was 4:25 and the end of civil twilight was 4:59.
In other words, by 5:00, it's dark. Even with the delays, Cooper assumed a night jump. This might explain his dark clothing... Because he left from Portland, it's somewhat reasonable that he had been in Portland the night before and knew it would be dark at around 5:00.
Conclusion: If Cooper didn't plan to jump in the dark, then he would reasonably know his jump would be a night jump. If he didn't plan around it, then he certainly assumed it.
If you assume this, even if based upon reasonable thinking, you still have to resolve some serious issues.
FBI & NWA originally felt strongly that the jump occured prior to 8:12. You have to account for this and justify it getting pushed to at least 8:15, and likely more like 8:16 as the plane flies past BTG-VOR.
If you tackle that hurdle, now you have to assume a heading much more eastern than it would have been. In other words, the heading would be a several degrees smaller than what's is assumed.
Let me show you what I mean... the eastern most point the plane was in at 8:12 is point O on Ckret's map (p47). The coordinates of that point are: N 45 51 32.37 W 122 36 24.13 Instead of a heading to BTG-VOR, let's put the heading directly to LC6, the closest NW corner of the tributary zone. That point is: N 45 43 43.47 W 122 32 58.74
The heading between each of these points is 162.944 deg verses 171.075 deg if he aimed for half a mile east of BTG-VOR and 174.538 deg if he headed directly for BTG-VOR. You can see, Captain Scott really has to shave down his turn.
If you tackle that hurdle, you have to account for forward throw by moving the flight path east 2 miles, or add another minute onto the timeline to place the plane squarely upon the target zone (it's an additional 2.8 miles). If you tackle this, now there's really no "brush" for his body to hide in as he's lying on a farm.
1... 2... 3 strikes you're out they used to say.
On what reasonable basis, other than how tough the jump might have been, can we logically conclude a no pull? All evidence that is known points in the other direction.
I really admire your careful analysis. I still think the flight path and/or exit point data could be erroneous. I have seen similar things happen in marine disasters, somehow a mistake is made and the assumed location of a distressed vessel is waaay off the mark.
When we would find floating wreckage or identifiable boat debris we'd figure out the upwind/upcurrent vector and go up it hoping to find survivors. There were many times that wreckage was found in places that could not be reconciled with the distressed vessel's last known position or dead reckoned assumed position or reported radar contacts. The obvious conclusion was that the position data was incorrect.
One SOLID piece of location evidence is the found money. The most likely explanantion is that it got there naturally and was not "carried and buried". There are no doubts about where it was found. If it doesnt fit with the assumed flight track then MY inclination is to doubt the accuracy of the flight track or exit point info rather than coming up with an unlikely (but admittedly possible) scenario involving post jump human transport of the found money.
The most likely explanantion is that it got there naturally and was not "carried and buried".
"Back and to the left. Back and to the left. Back and to the left!" - Jim Garrison played by Kevin Costner in JFK
I certainly see what you're saying, and I'm not trying to be obstinate... I'm just trying to tell you that there are serious hurdles the least of which are the timeline.
For your theory to hold true, the timeline will probably have to get bumped to 8:16 AND Captain Scott has to deviate far off course in the next 9.5 miles. We're not talking about hundreds of square miles out in the ocean, we're talking about a flight vector and a few minutes for him to take a heading that's way off course.
We have to violate a lot of rules just to support the "likely" scenario that the money floats down streams, floats into LaCamas lake, floats down the Columbia river and does this in a way consistent with the money found in 1980 (having been deposited within the last year).
As tough as the jump may be, the only "evidence" we have of a no pull or even worse, lost money in mid-air is purely conjecture based on opinion and what if's regarding all reliable sources of information.
You then have to say no one found his body or saw the money even after all these things.
I'm no scientist or statistician, but I'd venture to say one hypothesis carries a boatload more weight than the other.
One addtional thing, and this has been pointed out by others well before me.
1. No "missing" persons has ever been known to resemble or fit the Cooper crime. 2. No real, actual evidence has ever surfaced pointing to his demise. (as we've already discussed, the money actually points to his survival).
In the absence of evidence and in the face of strong evidence pointing in the opposite direction, would you still believe he died upon impact?
If this were a case you had to prosecute (he lived or died) which side would you seriously want to argue? If your career depended on winning, which way would you want to argue?
We know he has the money bag strapped around his waist. We don't know if he did something to keep it from dragging, but that's not really the focus of my next set of questions...
He obviously gets rid of the dummy reserve. How? We can only speculate. He obviously gets rid of the briefcase.
My question is, what does he do with the dummy? We talked about him trying to guage the winds by throwing it... is it possible he's dumb enough to strap this thing to his chest? He would need to jerry rig it. Next question: The reason I asked the prior question is, why would he strap the chest chute... it would not be harnessed on and it does not work. Even if he thinks it works, why wear it if it's not harnessed on? Next question: He pulled apart the reserve that was left behind. Presumably to store the money, and then when he figured this would not work, he used the cords to create a make-shift belt to attach the money. In other words, his plan was to wear the front pack, but not to use it as a chute.
Next question: what does he do with the contents in the briefcase? The reason I ask is because he may want some of the contents... if he puts them in reserve canister, he would have taken the chute he already pulled apart. We already know that he's willing to jump without a reserve (he was going to wear the other one to put money into)...
Next question: We have heard that the exit winds would create unbelievable force that could rip the money bag... this argument is based upon how people cannot hold hands and jump at this speed without flying apart at exit.
There's a problem with this line of thought... first, a 22 pound bag of money attached with the cords from a chute is not the same as a 160-200 pound person attached by hand grip.
The two are totally different.
I bring this up to ask my final question: Does Cooper attempt to jump with his briefcase?
That's a very big question... and perhaps we want to start somewhere else, such as, would he have done anything to attach it to himself? Even if he didn't attach it, a 3 pound briefcase with a handle on it would allow Cooper to maintain a solid grip... not two hands gripping where there's not enough force or friction to hold two heavy bodies together, but an actual handle.
If any of you go into a gym and grab a dumbell, I'm sure even the weakest 45 year old among us could hold a 100 pound dumbell... Would a briefcase containing a battery and some dynamite (or roadflares) produce more than 100 pounds of force upon exit?
I'm asking if the winds + the weight of the case are enough to yank the case out of his grip...
Maybe the best way to answer this question would be to determine an approximate weight of the case and it's correspondending force upon exit and then determine if it's humanly feasible for Cooper to keep a grip on it.
I'd love for us to have a discussion on this.
For your efforts, I will leave you with this: Let's assume for a moment that Cooper's bomb was truly dynamite and that it could ignite by attaching two wires the way that Cooper explained... do you honestly think Cooper would either A. Throw this off the aft stairs as he makes his way down, or B. Attempt to hold it as he jumps
In the case of A, sudden motion could bring two wires together or cause some type of destablization... it could explode at the rear of the craft endangering himself and the plane, and the same would go for case B.
Conclusion: The Cooper bomb was not a viable explosive. It likely contained no explosives whatsoever and was likely the way one suspect had mumbled, "road flares".
I'd love to see more of Tina's statement of what she saw to help determine the fate of these objects.
One addtional thing, and this has been pointed out by others well before me.
1. No "missing" persons has ever been known to resemble or fit the Cooper crime. 2. No real, actual evidence has ever surfaced pointing to his demise. (as we've already discussed, the money actually points to his survival).
In the absence of evidence and in the face of strong evidence pointing in the opposite direction, would you still believe he died upon impact?
If this were a case you had to prosecute (he lived or died) which side would you seriously want to argue? If your career depended on winning, which way would you want to argue?
There isnt enough evidence to prove either survival or death. If someone were being prosecuted for homicide for throwing Cooper out of the plane, you'd have a tough time proving that a death had occured much less who the alleged victim was. A motion to dismiss would likely be granted. With identity and death so uncertain, I dont think you could get the case to a jury if the accused had a good lawyer.
I used to think that the fact that nobody likely to have been Cooper turned up missing argued strongly for his survival. I no longer think so. An alienated loner who moves from his last place of residence without telling anybody where he is going could die and who would know? If he were essentially friendless, not close to any relatives, not collecting Social Security and were unemployed, how would his death become noticed?
I think the carry and bury explanation or any human transport explanation for the found money seems very unlikely, but still possible. Natural transport seems the most likely explanation to me, but yes, it is just a hunch.
The plane track is second hand position info and second hand position info can be wrong, even in extremely important situations. I'd be more aligned with you if we saw actual radar plots, overlayed on a map with confirmed radar to map registration, not people's conclusions about radar plots. As crazy as it sounds I think the 727 plot could easily be off by a couple of miles or more and the exit time be off by quite a few minutes. Mistakes happen, wrong assumptions are made, etc etc.
I do not think the found money points to Cooper's survival. It is just as consistent with his death the way I look at it.
I do agree that if he pulled he lived, but did he pull? I can think of a very likely no pull scenario given all the factors present that night. Although I jumped from a DC 9 jet, the highest speed exit I ever did was from a C 130. The Herc throttles were firewalled when we exited. The purpose of the high speed jump was to test some black boxes strapped to me and some others containing pressure sensing electronics. I was asked to make an unstable exit, so that was my excuse, but I think I would have been unstable no matter what my plan was. It was crazy, like being in a high speed washing machine. Had I not been a skydiver and known that I would be slowing down, it would have been a panicky situation. If Cooper had only done military static line jumps then a high speed exit at night might totally disorient and panic him.
I do a lot of hiking and in my area, Vultures find animal carcasses without fail once they start rotting. There must have been some savvy locals who knew that and were on the lookout after the jump made the news. What if someone found Cooper's body with a substantial amount of cash? What then? The guy is already dead so you don't have to harm anyone, the money is in small bills, you have some debts...
Suppose a bill actually would have shown up. People would say he lived, when actually you only have proof that *someone* spent at least one bill.
That's about the same level of proof that the found money provides.
If you think the flight path was off by up to several miles, the timeline way miscalculated, and the money managed to find its way into LaCamas given all there is to the contrary, then certainly you're entitled to your opinion and who am I to tell you that you're wrong?
Everyone else can make up their own mind: 1. The flight path is known up to 8:12 based on USAF radar. 2. The heading between 8:12 & 8:16 would have to be way off 3. The known timeline would have to get pushed back several minutes 4. The plane would have to fly into PDX airspace unless a "huge" compensating turn was made to avoid it, and by huge I mean "oh sh*t Bill! You're way off course, divert starbord now, divert starbord now!"... "flight control, this is Captain Scott NWA 305, everything is okay and we are now on an appropriate path. My apologies, I had nodded off there for a moment" 5. The bag has to rip from Cooper's body either before or after landing 6. The bag must remain intact during most or all of its 7 year journey 7. No one can ever find Cooper's body or the money, even though we've now moved the landing area from the forest to the pasture.
Personally, I think Oswald did it... but I'm obviously in the minority here. That's okay, all opinions welcomed.
The map that Ckret posted on page 47 was based upon radar information provided by the USAF. The map is good through 8:12.
From what Ckret has said, he does not have anything in his "old" FBI file that shows the flight path (based upon) USAF information after 8:12. All he has is a map with a dark line drawn in and some times jotted down on it. I don't think he knows how the flight path on this particular map was derived.
It could have been assumed, or it could have been more than assumed... either way, it's not as accurate as the Jan 72 landing zone map based on USAF radar & analysis by expert skydivers.
Also, this map that Ckret has mentioned (and has been photographed by the Seattle PI) does not show a wild diversion off course.
If he makes his way to any road, he might be able to average a rate of foot speed of 1 mph for 9 hours or a total distance of 9 miles.
Average hiking speed for people is around 2 to 3 mph at a regular walking gait, on smooth ground, like a road. Add hills, gullies, rough terrain etc., and it goes down real quick. But even on an ideal surface, you can't calculate distance with just speed x time. That's because human leg muscles tire, feet blister, and therefore 10 miles is quite a stretch for the regular person of normal conditioning. 20 miles of hiking in a day is extreme, regardless of the hours available in which to do it. So regardless of the time, a hiker is going to poop out around 10-15 miles and need a long rest.
Cooper would have been highly motivated to walk as long as necessary, but given 9 hours to escape and reach safety before daylight, in that terrain, I would expect he could only cover about 10-15 miles tops. Then if not to safety yet, he would likely have needed to hide-out somewhere during daylight hours, rest up, and continue his journey the following night. Maybe that shack that Joe mentions?...
Yes, a Victor Airway is defined as being 8 nautical miles (nm) wide. But, the interpretation of this fact being made on this board is incorrect.
When flying VFR (Visual Flight Rules) and not on a flight plan and not being followed on ďFlight FollowingĒ You need to be aware of the Victor Airways when you are 4 nm from the centerline. You need to visually identify the traffic (itís like crossing a highway). Remember not all aircraft are on a flight plan and being followed by ATC (in every condition). A VFR can go about anywhere (except for airspace restrictions).
A commercial pilot (or more properly a commercial flight) is always on an IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) flight plan. He/she has no freedom (except for safety of the flight) to vary from the flight plan (also, donít confuse a flight plan with a clearance). Once the plan was filed to use V-23 at 10,000 feet (which is not anything like a commercial pilot would normally do), then every navigation action is done using instruments. Remember this was before GPS.
The pilot would have gotten a clearance that took him southwest (my guess is to the MCKEN Intersection (some use the term Fix instead of intersection)). He would be flying the 178.00 radial off of the SEA VOR DME. When he was 35.62 nm out, he would turn toward the ONALS Fix. This is a 0 degree turn (in other words he would stay on the SEA VOR DME 178 degree radial).
He would know he was at the ONALS Fix when he was 50.15 nm away from the SEA VOR (still on the 178 degree radial) or where the 135 degree radial from the OLM VOR crossed the 178 degree radial from the SEA VOR. From the ONALS Fix he would continue to the MAYLAY Fix.
He would then continue on the 178 degree heading and would now dial in the 329.19 degree radial from the BTG VOR and note when he was on the 150.93 degree radial and 33.46 nm from the OLM VOR and then turn to the 329.16 degree and 41.12 nm from the BTG VOR. And so onÖ..
I may have missed something here, but the point Iím trying to make is at no time is the pilot wandering harem-skarem across the eight mile width of the Victor Airway. Instead he is on a very precise path along the centerline of V-23.
Another issue that everyone seems to have missed (or at least no one has commented about), is a puzzling statement in the NWA logs that Ckret provided us. The 7:57 PM or 8:01 PM transmission (Iím not sure of the logging format, so Iíll assume 8:01) My interpretation of what it says is:
Flight Operations: What is your altitude? Flt 305: Now at fifteen thousand, indicated airspeed is 160knts, Fuel Flow 4000 lbs/min (???I guess??), flaps at 15 degrees, gear down condition. Will stay at Ten Thousand until he has left. Flt Operations: Received message.
The first altitude reported is 15,000 feet, (not out of 15,0000 which would indicate he was decending). If a guy who says he has a bomb on an aircraft says: ďDonít exceed 10,000 feetĒ; then by God you donít exceed 10,000 feet. It might explode at a higher altitude (pressure switch). The log goes on to say he will remain at 10,000 ft, so does that mean the 15,000 feet parameter was a typo? If so, how much else is in error? Also, when reporting the flight parameters (flaps, wheels, etc.) there is no mention of the aft stairs. You know the aft stairs open, will change the flight characteristics. So, if it wasnít reported, does that mean, the aft door was still closed? At 15,000 feet with the door open (unpressurized) the pilots would need to be on oxygen (for any reasonable length of time).
The closest thing to facts we have in this case, come from Ckret (at least thatís my belief). So, when the material he supplies is full of contradictions, then we might as well be speculating.
Ckret, once again, can we get more of the RTTY log? It would be helpful in understanding if they were making mistakes due to stress or whatever? If there is a reason you canít supply them, just say so, and Iíll move on to something else.
So, find facts, speculate, or speculate about the facts we find, itís all the same. | {
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Give them credit: It's only January, but the new Republican-controlled House is already obnoxiously redefining "rape" in pieces of legislation. Under their plan, only abortions from "forcible rape" would be eligible for government funding, instead of the much simpler "rape."
The House Republicans' second major legislative masterwork since coming into power — the first being a symbolic go-nowhere bill to repeal the Democrats' health care reform law — is called the "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act." Direct taxpayer funding for abortion has been outlawed since 1976. But the new health care law brought back this debate about what counts as "taxpayer funding for abortion." What about government tax breaks or subsidies for plans that include abortion coverage? The GOP's new bill, among other things, would eliminate the health insurance tax-deduction for any plans that offer abortion coverage, meaning those plans would cease to exist.
But for years, there have been exceptions for abortions that are eligible for federal funding: In case of rape, incest, and when the pregnancy endangers the mother's life. The "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" would make some changes to trifecta! Mother Jones' Nick Baumann reports:
With this legislation, which was introduced last week by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), Republicans propose that the rape exemption be limited to "forcible rape." This would rule out federal assistance for abortions in many rape cases, including instances of statutory rape, many of which are non-forcible. For example: If a 13-year-old girl is impregnated by a 24-year-old adult, she would no longer qualify to have Medicaid pay for an abortion. (Smith's spokesman did not respond to a call and an email requesting comment.)
[...]
Other types of rapes that would no longer be covered by the exemption include rapes in which the woman was drugged or given excessive amounts of alcohol, rapes of women with limited mental capacity, and many date rapes.
The fact that "forcible rape" has no real meaning as a federal legal term makes this all the more obnoxious.
Oh, and what about the incest exception? "As for the incest exception, the bill would only allow federally funded abortions if the woman is under 18." You figure out the rationale on that one.
This bill almost certainly will die in the Senate, because that's what happens to House Republican bills. But some senator could always come along and singlehandedly screw up everything. That's the whole point of the Senate. | {
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Kyle Richards Is Reconnecting With Kim Richards On 'Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills,' Although It's A Slow Journey
One of the more difficult relationships to watch crumble on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is that of Kim and Kyle Richards. The two sisters have certainly had their highs and lows over the years, but at the start of the current season of RHOBH , Kim and Kyle were not speaking. Besides a few comments here and there, Kyle has remained relatively private about the current status of her relationship with Kim, but on Tuesday night's episode she gave a glimmer of hope to those rooting for a reconciliation between the two sisters.
At a lunch with Adrienne Maloof (a former RHOBH, who is now in business with her ex-husband Paul), Kyle revealed that she and Kim were reconnecting, albeit slowly. She shares with Adrienne that she and Kim are talking little by little, via texts, and it seems that there is some hopefulness in Kyle's voice that hints that things might be getting better for the sisters.
Obviously this is not an issue that can be solved over night. The two have a sorted history that runs a lot deeper than any of the other drama to ever exist on any Real Housewives franchise. The two have been through a lot together and hopefully there will be a day where they can find solid ground to rebuild their relationship.
Adrienne revealed that she has been speaking with Kim. Although she didn't go into the extent of their current relationship, Adrienne did say that Kim looks fantastic. It's not a lot to go on, but it's something and it's certainly a positive report from Housewives Nation.
Kim shared the above Instagram of her and her sister as children on Kyle's birthday in January. Without reading into it too much, it seems that there's progress being made for the two. This is undoubtedly a hard time for Kim, with the recent loss of her ex-husband Monty, but hopefully it is a time for Kim to be surrounded by those she loves and those that love her. Hopefully, one of those people is Kyle. | {
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Posts Tagged ‘la times food and wine celebration’
During Labor Day weekend, the Los Angeles Times held its first Celebration of Food and Wine at Paramount Pictures Studio in Hollywood, CA. The sun was shining, and food and wine lovers alike were out sampling the best of the best from the beverage and culinary worlds. We were lucky enough to be a featured winery at the event and were in great company in the VIP section with the finest in food and wine that Los Angeles has to offer. At our booth, we poured delectable wines from some of our member wineries includingBriar Rose Winery, Callaway Vineyard & Winery, Falkner Winery, Monte de Oro Winery, Oak Mountain Winery, Stuart Cellars, South Coast Winery Resort & Spa, and Vindemia Vineyard & Estate Winery. We were happy to be greeted by Temecula Valley wine fans who have visited Temecula Wine County and were excited to see that we had come out to the event. TheLA Times Celebration of Food & Wine was a huge success and we are glad to have been a part of it! Check out the slide show of our memories from the event below! | {
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Hello All,I am currently reading, "Edda" by Snorri Sturluson.It is an account of Norse myths and legends, writtenby Snorri (I love that name) around 1220.I am trying to get into the mind of that time andsee what he was saying and also trying to understandwhat it meant to the original Norse people that hadthese teachings before Snorri recounted them.A new world for me to discover.Take Care,Fieldthistle
Improviser:You definitely should read her books. I just read the first three chapters of The Caged Virgin and .... oh I can't even begin to tell you. honestly it kind of made me feel okay about MY feelings toward Islam and the brutality of women in their culture/religion. I think if she weren't once a Muslim herself and black she'd be considered racist and or ethnocentric--I hate to say that. her book Infidel was such an eye opener as is The CAged Virgin. She actually wrote the latter first but I didn't know till i was in the middle of Infidel. I could not put it down!
the next couple of books I plan on reading are:Knots by Farrah about a similar (fictional) situation between a Somalian woman living in Toronto.Lover of Unreason by Koren about the deadly disastrous effects of the relationship between the poet Sylvia Plath's husband, Ted Hughes and his lover and their child together.
The last two were Jefferson and Jackson. Good reading, about 2 great presidents !!!! Great books are treasures.
Last summer I read "Master and Commander" (they made a good movie of the same name a few years ago) by Patrick O'Brien. It took a little while to get used to the language because Mr. O'Brien used the English of 1800 even though the book was written in the 1990's, how difficult must that have been. It was one of those "can't put it down books".
But then I found it was the first of 20 volumes relating the adventures of the two heros and their families--I felt as if I knew them all well. Mr O'B died during the writing of book 21 and with him he took both families --- what a shame, I missed them.
I sent 3 copies of the book to 3 friends who read and appreciate good literature. From those three at least one lad bought the whole series of 21 and God knows how many more were bought to add to Mr O'B's estate.
Some others I have read and liked and passed on-----------
Pillars of the Earth by Koontz (wonderful) Angels of Death--Michael Shaara (didn't know he wrote two others, I will look for them) All of John Grisholm, and Robert Parker, Jack Higgins, and Dick Francis (one of the best), and John MacDonald, and Lawrence Sanders.
I agree completely on Clancy and Ludlam---both names are spoiled forever. Money has ruined them. I have liked some of Clive Cussler and Dale Brown but not all.
Read all of Mary Higgins Clarke, and Michael Connelly (saw his new one in Borders yesterday) Loved Inspector Morse stories written by Colin Dexter and Sue Graftons little lady PT Kinsey
Started reading during grammar school vacations with Agatha Christe and SS VanDyne, went through Zane Grey and Raphiel Sabatini and then Hemingway, James Cain and Howard Fast etc.etc. Have always found reading better than a sleeping draught (as Hercule Poirot would say), and so to bed !!!!!!!!!
Hello All,I am currently reading, "Edda" by Snorri Sturluson.It is an account of Norse myths and legends, writtenby Snorri (I love that name) around 1220.I am trying to get into the mind of that time andsee what he was saying and also trying to understandwhat it meant to the original Norse people that hadthese teachings before Snorri recounted them.A new world for me to discover.Take Care,Fieldthistle
Thanks Fieldthistle, I'll give that one a spin.
A couple others I have read (as mentioned above The Farfarers by Farley Mowat) "Westward before Columbus" by Kare Prytz and the "Vinland Sagas", translated by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Palsson.
The Norse were a brutal people, but also very adept seamen. I have read an online book that believes Vinland was actually on Vancouver Island. Apparentely, there was (gasp!) global warming back in the 900's (probably caused by all those fires the people in the dark ages built) and the Northwest Passage was open for far longer periods of time, allowing these early explorers to travel all the way around to the West Coast of North America. Maybe a bit far-fetched, but an interesting and thought provoking theory to say the least.
Currently, I'm reading "The Planets" by Dava Sobel. It's a fascinating look at each planet in our solar system, with lots of scientific, literary, philosophical, and historical information for such a slim volume. And the lady is a terrific storyteller.
I finished Ramsey Campbell's The Nameless the other day. Campbell's been praised by other horror writers like Stephen King and Peter Straub but I couldn't really get into The Nameless. It never really seemed to take off. I'll give some of his other books a try but not for awhile.
Stephen King's two boys, Owen and Joe, both have books out. I'm reading Owen's We're All In This Together, but I just started it. I'm on the waiting list for Joe's book, Heart Shaped Box. He writes under the name Joe Hill.
Improviser:You definitely should read her books. I just read the first three chapters of The Caged Virgin and .... oh I can't even begin to tell you. honestly it kind of made me feel okay about MY feelings toward Islam and the brutality of women in their culture/religion. I think if she weren't once a Muslim herself and black she'd be considered racist and or ethnocentric--I hate to say that. her book Infidel was such an eye opener as is The CAged Virgin. She actually wrote the latter first but I didn't know till i was in the middle of Infidel. I could not put it down!
the next couple of books I plan on reading are:Knots by Farrah about a similar (fictional) situation between a Somalian woman living in Toronto.Lover of Unreason by Koren about the deadly disastrous effects of the relationship between the poet Sylvia Plath's husband, Ted Hughes and his lover and their child together.
naxet, have you ever read anything by Marjane Satrapi? She's a graphic novelist who writes about her early life in Iran. Her graphic novels are terrific. Start with Persepolis, then Persepolis 2. Embroderies and Chicken With Plums are also very good.
Bomba the Jungle Boy Among the Slaves (1929) by Roy Rockwood, the 8th in the series of 20 books about Bomba, which spanned from 1926 to 1938. The adventures of a sort of teenage Tarzan that takes place in the Amazons. Pretty hair-raising stuff!
I just finished John Patrick Diggins' s biography of John Adams and Gary Wills' s biography of james Madison. Both were enjoyable reads. The big news is that with the completion of these two books i have now read at least one biography of each American president, completing one of my life goals.
I just finished reading All God's Children. Boy, it was quite distressing! I grew up in a very small town and living here in San Antonio now I hardly ever go near downtown and when I used to or on the occasions that I need to drive in the area the ony homeless people I've seen are older men,women I've not really seen groups of homelss youth as described in the novel. What do you mean that this book changed your outlook on these kinds of teens? I was appalled at all the services that the kids got...what a way to keep in living on the streets, huh?
i've also been reading books on the French Revolution, Henry VIII's children and what happened to them, and now I'm going to start reading the life of elizabeth I by Alison Weir.
For those who like fictional historical mysteries I recommend The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I read it about 10 years ago and to this day I will still pick it up and read it over again. It's about a serial killer in New York City in early 1900s (or late 1800s?) and an alienist is the name of a psychologist. It involves a reporter, a psychologist and several others trying innovative ways to catch this child sexual predator/serial murderer.
I just finished FAITHFUL by Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan. They started the 2004 spring training and wrote about the Red Sox 2004 season. I felt a little tear in my eye when I started reading about their victory over the Yankees. Three years later and I still feel it!! Man.
That's the only Stephen King book I've never read, Billyboy. I need to track it down.
Last night I meant to just dip into Mel Torme's autobiography "It wasn't all Velvet'" before going to bed, but I ended up staying up way too late and finishing it. I really enjoyed it. I've always been a big fan of Mel.
This is one of my favorite stories involving Mel http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL245.htm
I just finished reading All God's Children. Boy, it was quite distressing! I grew up in a very small town and living here in San Antonio now I hardly ever go near downtown and when I used to or on the occasions that I need to drive in the area the ony homeless people I've seen are older men,women I've not really seen groups of homelss youth as described in the novel. What do you mean that this book changed your outlook on these kinds of teens? I was appalled at all the services that the kids got...what a way to keep in living on the streets, huh?
One of the clients in the group home where I work left our system because she felt our "rules" were too confining. She went to live on the street, fell in with a family, and decided it was better to rob, steal, and beg, and was beaten up and put in jail. The group home idea came up when so many folks came out of the Oregon State Hospital and needed help integrating into the world. Now so many of the younger folks know all their rights but do not want to take on their responsibilities. Many agencies act on the runaway kid myths and are unwilling to face the fact that many street kids have made a willing choice to stay on the streets and live irresponsible lives. And the infrastructure is here indefinitely.
I am reading a book called "geek love" about a family of circus performers, the mother (who is a geek, which in old terms is a person who bit the heads off of chickens)deliberatly took drugs and exposed herself to radiation in order to have children who were deformed enough to make money off of them as "freaks" its narrated by thier daughter who is a humpbacked albino dwarf named Olympia. They have other children, Arty who has flippers and siamese twins, and a normal looking child who is a powerful psychic. Its seriously a very raw, emotional, visceral book and so far i am loving it...but than again i like anything macabre and on the edge of sanity.
Last night I stayed up way too late reading Stephen King's latest, Blaze. I really liked it. Don't go into it expecting a horror novel, it's much more of a crime story with just the barest hint of supernatural goings-on.
Finished American Stories by Calvin Trillin, a collection of his reporting spanning the years. I really liked it. The only other book by Trillin I'd read was About Alice, his memoir about his wife, which I also really liked.
Some highlights of American Stories include: a long profile of magicians Penn & Teller, a really interesting profile of Miami crime reporter Edna Buchanan, and some really in-depth murder stories. Highly recommended.
I'm currently listening to Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid on cd. I really like it. I should finish it on the way home today.
Am now reading "the circus fire" by Stewart O'nan about the Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey fire in Hartford CT back on july 6th 1944. I love historical books, especially ones that are well researched and this one is
Just finished "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini. It's the first Afghan novel written in English. It was good in some parts, but I saw the ending coming well before I got to it. It reminded me of the "Davinci Code" in that it sparked my interest in learning more about some of the things discussed in the novel (afghan culture, religion, male and female roles in society).
I'm working on "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson. I love it. He talk about growing up in Des Moines, ID in the 50s and 60s. A lot of the things he did with his friends reminds me a lot of my childhood.
I'm almost done with Dina Matos McGreevy's book on her marriage to Jim McGreevy, the ex-governer now turned gay of New Jersey; titled Silent Partner. I'm also reading Sex with the Queen by Eleanor Herman. It's about the royals from the past 400 years or so and their lovers, spouses, etc. and what became of each of them. She also wrote Sex with the King dealing with the same subject matter.
I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road over the weekend while camping at Bear Head State Park near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It was my father's day present from my son and is about a man and his son walking toward the sea in the aftermath of a world holocaust. Every night they made a fire to keep warm. Every night I too made a fire at the campground.
I finished The Yiddish Policeman's Union, the new Michael Chabon novel, last night. While it wasn't as awesomely great as The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Chabon's novel that won him the Pulitizer, I really liked it. It's a detectice story that takes place in a world where the Jewish Nation was set up in Alaska, not Israel. As the book opens, the Jewish land is set to revert back to U.S. control. A policeman must investigate the murder of a childhood chess prodigy. Anyone who likes mysteries or history should really enjoy it.
I read two great books last night. I ordered them both from McSweeneys.net, who were having a sale to help them raise funds to stay alive after their distributor went out of business. They had some great books going for ridiculously cheap prices.
Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out" (actual title) is a great collection of children's and young adult stories, including stories by Neil Gaiman, Nick Hornby, George Saunders, and others. Lemony Snicket wrote the introduction! I loved it particularly Gaiman's Sunbird, Clement Freud's Grimble, and Nick Hornby's story, which I'd heard performed on This American Life before.
David Garnett's Lady Into Fox is a gem. It's short but it's absolutely wonderful. I'd never heard of it or its author before. Published in 1922, it's the story of a man whose wife turns into a fox. Lady Into Fox is part of McSweeney's Collins Library which publishes and reintroduces obscure works. Highly recommended.
The Collins Library also released Harry Stephen Keeler's The Riddle of the Travelling Skull which is one of the most insane books every written. A mystery writer who had no patiences for mysteries, Keeler's plot jumps all over the place and makes no sense whatsoever. But the individual chapters are great and the book, while nonsensical, is a joy to read. Highly recommended as well.
"Heart Shaped Box" is the debut novel of Joseph King, the son of Stephen and Tabitha King. He writes under the name Joe Hill. I started the book around 8 last night, finished it around 1:30 this morning. I couldn't put it down. The story of a fading rock star who buys a ghost, it's a real page turner. I know the premise sounds silly but the author really makes it work.
I read Owen King's first book a few weeks ago and really liked it. Both of Stephen King's sons seem to be the real deal, talent wise.
I've been attending library sales the past few months. I'm slowly building up a library of autobiographies of great classic comedians and talents. Yesterday I read Name-Dropping by comic Alan King. I really enjoyed it. There some great stories about Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and other legends in there.
Finished American Stories by Calvin Trillin, a collection of his reporting spanning the years. I really liked it. The only other book by Trillin I'd read was About Alice, his memoir about his wife, which I also really liked.
Some highlights of American Stories include: a long profile of magicians Penn & Teller, a really interesting profile of Miami crime reporter Edna Buchanan, and some really in-depth murder stories. Highly recommended.
I'm currently listening to Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid on cd. I really like it. I should finish it on the way home today.
Trillin's one of my favorite writers. I also liked the Ben & Jerry's story in American Stories.
You need to read his "The Tummy Trilogy", incorporating "American Fried," "Alice, Let's Eat", and "Third Helpings". Tom Chaney, featured in "American Stories", was first met in one of the Tummy trilogy books.
I have been a Turtledove fan since "Guns of the South", and I enjoyed his series about an alien invasion during WW2. Jake Featherston is a favorite literary bad guy, and I like the way that the author is willing to let characters die. That said, I had a tough time getting through "Ruled Britania" , and didn't rush out to buy the new series about WW2, starting with "Days of Infamy". I bought "Days" last week and read it all within 24 hours, and then rushed out to buy the follow on volume. Both are in paperback, already, so I don't think that they did too well. Too bad. They are good summer reads. He has his groove back.
I've read Guns of the South and the first two books in Turtledove's WWII series. I need to read more of his books.
Friday night, I stayed up all night reading the latest and last Harry Potter book (the staying up all night til I finish the book is somewhat of a tradition for me). I really loved it.
This morning I finished Caesar's Hours, Sid Caesar's autobiography. My local library has some of the Sid Caesar show on dvd, I've got to start checking them out.
I'm alternating chapters of Michael Chabon's novel Wonder Boys with Avram Davidson's Adventures in Unhistory, which examines various myths such as dragons and werewolves and tries to find a factual basis for them. I'm really enjoying it. It's not a book I can read all at once. But I really like dipping into it a chapter at a time.
Just finished The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. I'd only heard of the Dust Bowl., probably in association with Woody Guthrie. This is an engaging and informative book.
Now I've started We'll Always Have Paris: American Tourists in France since 1930 by Harvey Levenstein.
Hey Improviser...yeah me too...it's Hawks Harbor...found it at Sam's club...hard cover for I believe under $5.00...don't know anything about it yet....but here's a website with a listing of all Hinton's books
Just finished Michael Crichton's "State of Fear" and will give a dozen or more copies as presents. Written in 2004 and I think it should be read by everyone concerned with the good old USA and the rest of the world.
Just finished The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. I'd only heard of the Dust Bowl., probably in association with Woody Guthrie. This is an engaging and informative book.
Now I've started We'll Always Have Paris: American Tourists in France since 1930 by Harvey Levenstein.
Sandy in 2009 a movie version of "the worst hard time" is supposed to come out.
I tend to read several books at a time, so my selections at the moment include:
Crazies to the Left of me, Wimps to the Right, Bernard GoldbergBall of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball, Stafan KanferLife on the Other Side, Sylvia Browne (I'm really enjoying this one!)The No Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America (to any O'Reilly fans here..I would HIGHLY recommend his new book Culture Warrior..I think I finished it in 2 days!)
Mr Mariner, maybe it's the fact that Michael Crichton is imparting this information in a novel -- despite the fact that he has an impressive set of footnotes that ARE REAL SCIENTIFIC DATA that supports the fiction of global warming, and fearmongering.
Just finished The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan. I'd only heard of the Dust Bowl., probably in association with Woody Guthrie. This is an engaging and informative book.
Now I've started We'll Always Have Paris: American Tourists in France since 1930 by Harvey Levenstein.
Sandy in 2009 a movie version of "the worst hard time" is supposed to come out.
That's interesting, Sushi Girl. I found it painful to read at times, knowing that these things happened. I hope H'wood doesn't try to turn it into some kind of sappy love story. It has a pretty strong environmental theme as well as being critical of the runaway financial speculation of the time: not usually blockbuster themes.
Pwingsx---it is really funny that you are an advocate of a green society.If it were still available I would give you the address of my web site.It was called "We Build Green Houses" and in the 5 pages I talk about much of the technology that we used, and which can be used to build homesthat use little or no energy. I received a lot of interested mail, butunfortunately it all happened at a time when my life changed completely.And then while still unable to handle things correctly I forgot to pay for the web site and it disappeared into cyber heaven. I would love tobuild a house using the wonderful stuff that is available but which mostpeople ignore.
By the way Donald Trump's name will be on a new restaurant at beautifulJones Beach on Long Island. Many of the features I fought for will be incorporated. Seven years too late for me !!!!!!!
I just completed two books on a related topic but from different generations. The topic is Military Signal Intelligence.
First is "Most Secret War, A History of Army Security Agency Operations in the Vietnam War".(Govt Printing Office, 2003) I served in this branch during the early years of Vietnam. While I was aware of some of the activities of my units during that period, compartmentization of information kept me from knowing the details of the scope of our operations. Now that the stuff has been partially de-classified, I have been able to fill in the blanks in my memories of SEA.
Second is The Expendables, by Ted Wildman, a personal diary of a fellow who was one of the Navy Cryptographers who worked on intercepting and deciphering the Japanese Codes before and during WW II. It was really interesting to me to read of his experiences in the field (China and Mongolia)in the 1930's and 40's. The primitive technology in itself is great reading for me...But for those of you who have enjoyed W E B Griffen's Series on "The Corp", reading a true version of the Mongolian Radio and Weather Station that Griffen describes in his fictional novels is all the more 'Alive'.
Of course, that might be because I haven't read a lot of Hemingway. I'll have to add more of him to the pile of books to read. That pile grows and grows and grows. Anyone else have that problem?
Oh MAN can I sympathize! I have three piles at home in three different rooms: One in the library, one in the living room, and one on my bedside table!
Just finished "The Covenant" by Naomi Regen. Story of four elderly women who survived Auschwitz and made a pact to always help each other, coming together when the husband and daughter of one's granddaughter is kidnapped in Israel by Hamas terrorists. Very moving, and very well researched too.
i usually have at least three books going at one time...the piles keep growing!i just read Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" and highly recommend it to anyone at all...it's informative, and entertaining, and provides a real grass-roots perspective on eating locally and how it can be tremendously positive for your family, community, and by extension, our country...the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook is full of fascinating stories, as well as recipes that i'm just drooling over - haven't cooked from it yet, however......i also just finished "The Detox Diet" by Alex Jamison...good info, seems like a great plan for life if you can spend the time cooking and money on organic and unprocessed ingredients - she's engaged to Morgan Spurlock of "Super=size Me" fame, and says her detox diet was what brought him back to optimum health after his Mcdonald's experiment for his movie...
Last night I read Kenneth Turan's Never Coming To A Theater Near You, a collection of his reviews for the Los Angeles Times and other outlets. I liked it but the title made me think it was going to be about lost films when it's actually a collection of reviews of smaller films that not many people saw. Even that's misleading, though, as several of the movies reviewed got extensive releases (Whale Rider, for example). Still, I enjoyed his criticism.
I keep telling myself that I'm going to read all the books on my shelves that I've never read before buying any more. Of course, there's a library sale on Sunday so I won't be able to keep that promise.
I just completed two books on a related topic but from different generations. The topic is Military Signal Intelligence........(part removed to save space)
This reminded me of an old favorite"Cuise of the LaniKai" (sp?) by Kemp Tolly. It may be out of print. My late father in law was blown into the water, but survived Pearl. He was always sure that something was fishy... This book backs Dad's claim.
Lt (later Adm) Kemp Tolly, in late 1941 was given command of the US "ship of war" Lanakai, which was in reality an old sail powered trader that had a few light weapons installed. He was to go on a "show the flag" mission near Japanese held islands. His opinion in the book, is that it was his mission to get the Japanese (not our enemy yet) upset enough that they would capture or sink him, giving the USA the chance to rachet up the pressure on Japan. Lucky for Tolly and his crew he found out about the attack of 7 Dec before he got into real trouble, and was able to abort his mission. The young Captain (of the "ship", his rank was Lieutenant) got to live and go on to a very distinguished career.
I just finished "Sky time in Grays River", a memoir of Robert michael Pyle's life in Grays River, Wa, a small community about 30 miles inland from the mouth of the Columbia river. It is an account of his life in the region arranged by time of year and personal whim. I found out about the book the day after I had driven through the area and seen the covered bridge that abuts his property. i marvel at his desrciptive skill and reccomend it highly to anyoe who appreciates good writing.
I just started reading "That Dark and Bloody River" by Allan Eckart, which is about the history of the Ohio river. I actually came recommended to me by a guy I sat next to on an airplane. It is a little dry so far, but it is interesting learning more about the history of the area I am from.
I just started reading "That Dark and Bloody River" by Allan Eckart, which is about the history of the Ohio river. I actually came recommended to me by a guy I sat next to on an airplane. It is a little dry so far, but it is interesting learning more about the history of the area I am from.
BB
It does read a little dry through out but the history it covers is awesome. This coming from someone who was raised 150 yds from that dark and bloody river.
I have a signed copy of this book, he was doing a promotion of the book at our local library and I had him sign it.
Lochry's Defeat happened less than a 1/4 mile from our old house.There are several historical markers around that area.
Laughery creek was named for Col Lochry. Most of the locals say it as LOCK ER EE.
If you like american history, he has written several books that are awesome. Wilderness war, Frontiers man, Wilderness Empire, Conquerers. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Old Fashioned Conservative
On a previous thread, Franco lays claim to being the only one of this breed on this forum. When asked to clarify, even being allowed to briefify his answers, he begins to act like someone from General Mills, waffling all the way prior to leaving the thread. IMO Having read several thoughtful posts related to the subject of fiscal conservatism, Franco's positions don't even rate JV consideration in comparison to many on this forum. I have to edit to say he finally answered, but will continue here any way.
The nation is facing deficits of around $1.5 trillion for several years. To balance the books will require serious cuts & policy that encourages private sector job creation.
The goal is identifying $1.5 Trillion in cuts? How do we get there from where we are, any ideas? If this is good enough I will forward to Senator DeMint, Speaker Boehner & Paul Ryan, we'll see how serious they are about doing the correct thing.
Please make this a serious discussion . If some would like to discuss the social stuff, please start your own thread.
On a previous thread, Franco lays claim to being the only one of this breed on this forum. When asked to clarify, even being allowed to briefify his answers, he begins to act like someone from General Mills, waffling all the way prior to leaving the thread. IMO Having read several thoughtful posts related to the subject of fiscal conservatism, Franco's positions don't even rate JV consideration in comparison to many on this forum. I have to edit to say he finally answered, but will continue here any way.
The nation is facing deficits of around $1.5 trillion for several years. To balance the books will require serious cuts & policy that encourages private sector job creation.
The goal is identifying $1.5 Trillion in cuts? How do we get there from where we are, any ideas? If this is good enough I will forward to Senator DeMint, Speaker Boehner & Paul Ryan, we'll see how serious they are about doing the correct thing.
Please make this a serious discussion . If some would like to discuss the social stuff, please start your own thread.
Hold Department of H&HS to 2009 budget, that alone would cut 1/3rd of the deficit.
Do not spend the unspent portion of the stimulus package, another 1/3rd of the deficit.
I put this answer on the other thread but I would eliminate the NASA budget (15-20 Billion)...sorry to the engineers and space explorers out there but it HAS to take a back seat to what is happening on this planet
All my Exes live in Texas
Originally Posted by lanse brown
A few things that I learned still ring true. "Lanse when you get a gift, say thank you and walk away. When you get a screwing walk away. You are going to get a lot more screwings than gifts"
I put this answer on the other thread but I would eliminate the NASA budget (15-20 Billion)...sorry to the engineers and space explorers out there but it HAS to take a back seat to what is happening on this planet
I could be wrong, but I have heard that every dollar spent on the space program, there are several dollars ($4-5?) spent in the private sector to support the govt side. Maybe not the best idea to cut NASA.
Drug tests for anyone receiving a govt check.
DeLuxurize prisons. Model them after Joe Arpaio's jail. No way criminals should have great meals, ac, recreational activities, and amenities that some of us working folk don't have time/money to enjoy because we are working and obeying the law.
On a previous thread, Franco lays claim to being the only one of this breed on this forum. When asked to clarify, even being allowed to briefify his answers, he begins to act like someone from General Mills, waffling all the way prior to leaving the thread. IMO Having read several thoughtful posts related to the subject of fiscal conservatism, Franco's positions don't even rate JV consideration in comparison to many on this forum. I have to edit to say he finally answered, but will continue here any way.
The nation is facing deficits of around $1.5 trillion for several years. To balance the books will require serious cuts & policy that encourages private sector job creation.
The goal is identifying $1.5 Trillion in cuts? How do we get there from where we are, any ideas? If this is good enough I will forward to Senator DeMint, Speaker Boehner & Paul Ryan, we'll see how serious they are about doing the correct thing.
Please make this a serious discussion . If some would like to discuss the social stuff, please start your own thread.
What part of my post on the other thread was "corporate" or
waffling"? I gave more cuts than you offered up.
Have you seen the actual budget?
Have you mentioned anything about cuts to Medicare and Medicade ?
Oh and BTW, I don't know of many Conservatives that falsely accuse others on POTUS for having an alias and then not publicly apologize to that person when they are wrong!
So if you want to attack my brand of Conservatism then you need to build some cred first
Last edited by Franco; 02-01-2011 at 08:08 PM.
Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery. Calvin Coolidge
I dont care to get into a urinating match as to who is more or less conservative on here...I know some are to the right of me and some are to the center left of me and to those to the right of me, you might think everyone except you is a RINO...because at the end of the day when we cast ballots I think we still vote in the same general direction..and the last Dem I voted(back in the 70's) for was my friend the late Ken Cory and he was one heck of a field trialer too
All my Exes live in Texas
Originally Posted by lanse brown
A few things that I learned still ring true. "Lanse when you get a gift, say thank you and walk away. When you get a screwing walk away. You are going to get a lot more screwings than gifts"
The Congressinol Budget is mind-boggling. Just try going through the Dept of Energy's section will make one dizzy.
Maybe they should look at the tough decisions Bobby Jindal is making to see how he is balencing the budget. He is doing it with decreased revenue from oil production as well. He was hired to do a job and he's doing it all the while pissing a lot of people off.
Obama is going to have to make huge cuts and be brave enough to handle the fallout. I doubt he'll do it and I'm not convinced the Republicans can do it either. Certainly not the deep cuts that will have to be made.
Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery. Calvin Coolidge
The first step in my budget cut(s) is the $598,292,101 (2009) assessed contribution to the UN regular budget -- 22%.
Only 1/2 a billion out of 1,500, but hey, gotta start somewhere.
If Cuba .043% of the regular budget & oil-rich Saudi Arabia .713%. think so much of it, let them pony up some extra change.
And if the UN wants to keep it's sweet space in NYC then they can cough up the going rate per sq ft for prime office location. Not only a cut but $'s coming back in.
Next come the the "peacekeeping" operations budget where the forces rape the local population (literally) and the cost of international courts and tribunals that consistently rule against our interests or have no power to enforce their "judgments". What's the point?. The level of these contributions is based on their assessed contributions to the regular budget plus variations which take account of permanent membership on the Security Council.
UN members also make "voluntary contributions" to UN specialized agencies and subsidiary organizations. The only thing "united" I feel like donating to right now is the USO.
No more paying for studies to self flagellate ourselves at Human Rights Commission report cards either. If other countries want to "dis" us, then let them pay for it.
Then comes any contributions to developing Indonesia's space program.
If we can't afford NASA, we sure as hell can't afford "shariah" satellites.
I don't care if PBO went to school there or not or even stayed there in a Holiday Inn Express, let the Muslim Brotherhood fund their own moon shot or Mars probe.
Next in my sights is foreign aid to countries that vote against us at the UN.
Yes, you're free to vote as you'd like but you don't get my dollars to do it.
"It's not that government is inherently stupid, although that's a debatable question."
Rand Paul CPAC speech 2011
I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. Thomas Jefferson to Archibald Stuart, 1791
________________________________________
Proud partner of (HR) WR SR Brian's 44Magnum Monster
co-owned by HR Rianne's 2nd Chance Hurricane Rebel
The first step in my budget cut(s) is the $598,292,101 (2009) assessed contribution to the UN regular budget -- 22%.
Next in my sights is foreign aid to countries that vote against us at the UN.
Yes, you're free to vote as you'd like but you don't get my dollars to do it.
Foreign aid is nothing but extortion money, a prime example is all that money we wasted pumping up the sham of a govt in the Philippines with Marcos, then to get kicked out by Aquino...since then the country has fallen to a bigger more corrupt ways and the emergence of Abu Sayef (Filipino version of Al Qaeda)...I'm with you on cutting foreign aid, humanitarian or not,lets take care of business at home....I will leave fundraising in Darfur to George Clooney, maybe if he sold the villa on the Riviera...
All my Exes live in Texas
Originally Posted by lanse brown
A few things that I learned still ring true. "Lanse when you get a gift, say thank you and walk away. When you get a screwing walk away. You are going to get a lot more screwings than gifts"
What part of my post on the other thread was "corporate" or
waffling"? I gave more cuts than you offered up.
Have you seen the actual budget?
Have you mentioned anything about cuts to Medicare and Medicade ?
Oh and BTW, I don't know of many Conservatives that falsely accuse others on POTUS for having an alias and then not publicly apologize to that person when they are wrong!
So if you want to attack my brand of Conservatism then you need to build some cred first
Franco, You are what You are & it shows in your posts. & it's certainly not conservative though you are not a RINO.
I believe I did post that I was somewhat sorry & though I believe I had enough ammo to back my statement will not pursue it any further. I got fooled by Dippity . I would post what my rationale was but dnf doesn't post on POTUS any more so couldn't defend himself, at least that's what he said .
Don't lump Medicare (a paid for benefit administered by the government) with Medicaid (a welfare program). They are not the same. The Drug benefit is something I have gone on record as opposing & would like to see it discontinued. I pay more for insurance than I receive in benefits, it's self preservation.
I'll get back later with more cuts, I'd like to see what others think. | {
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Unique Ways To Hide Unsightly Things At Home
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How to extract Windows 10 Product/OEM Key embedded in BIOS
Scenario: I recently purchased 5 systems with Windows 7 pre-loaded and up-gradable to Windows 10. Since my Internet was slow, the up-gradation on one PC took nearly 5 to 6 hrs and you know it’s not going to be easy to do the same on rest of the PCs. So I decided to clone the 1st machine on to the rest of the machines using Acronis True Image software. After successful cloning, the new machines were booted up and to my surprise, the Windows 10 OS was not activated! This was because the OEM keys with which the first machine was activated was not the same on the other machines, obviously! But then the CD’s didn’t contain any keys, as the OEM keys were embedded in BIOS (and that’s how these days the machines are shipped). So I decided to extract the OEM/Product Key embedded in the BIOS and thankfully the software called ShowKeyPlus was of a great help. ShowKeyPlus is a graphical tool to view Product ID, Installed Key, Original Key, Original Edition, OEM Key and OEM Edition on Windows 7, 8 and 10.
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And that’s it, now I have the OEM key to activate Windows 10. Thanks to Acronis and ShowKeyPlus which saved my day. | {
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Wage Subsidy
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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A new group dedicated to remove the recent re-emergence of the SSS. This group will take part in constant insults and will not tolerate disscussions with those targeted SSS members. The group will have meetings monthly to discuss recent and possible further actions to prevent the SSS Force. THIS IS NOT A JOKE> THIS IS AN EMERGENCY.
!WARNING!____Those SSS members who dare atempt to post on here may have their YLIT Account Deleted____
Join Today, Save the Yules Younger generation while we can. Apply via posting on this Thread. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
CNN: Viral photos of Meghan Markle's dad were allegedly staged
2018-05-14 (376 Days Old)Total Views: 80 | Last 7 Days: 1
Images of Meghan Markle's dad at an internet cafe checking out a website featuring his soon-to-be royal daughter - which sparked an "awww" moment on social media last week - were allegedly staged, her half-sister told a British network Monday.
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Despite marrying into the Royal Family, Meghan Markle will have to take the standard UK British citizenship test. CNN's Michael Holmes reports. >>
As royal wedding nears, brands benefit from ‘Meghan effect’. Meghan Markle's fashion choices are expected to pump millions of dollars into the British economy. >>
Harry and Meghan `look lovingly into each other´s eyes´.... It is the first time Meghan Markle has appeared on a UK coin by the Royal Mint. >>
How to dress like a grown up with Sarah Bailey: Wiggle your way into the new pencil skirt. British style expert Sarah Bailey reveals how you can smash the pencil skirt trend as seen on Meghan Markle and recent luxury brand catwalks. She also shares where to buy the item on the High Street. >>
If Meghan Markle wants to become a U.K. citizen, it may not be easy. If Meghan Markle wants to become a british citizen she is going to have to answer a number of questions that might be hard for non-Brits to answer. Veuer's Sam Berman has the full story. >>
Meghan Markle faces standard citizenship test. Despite marrying into the Royal Family, Meghan Markle will have to take the standard UK British citizenship test. CNN's Michael Holmes reports. >>
Meghan Markle's wedding dress needs to be approved by fiance's grandmother, the Queen of England. For most, choosing your wedding dress is a decision made with the help of family and friends — not the Queen of England. >>
Photos of Meghan Markle's dad were allegedly staged. Images of Meghan Markle's dad at an internet cafe checking out a website featuring his soon-to-be royal daughter - which sparked an "awww" moment on social media last week - were allegedly staged, her half-sister told a British network Monday. >>
Throwing your own royal wedding watch party? We've got recipes. If you’re going to a royal wedding watching party, or throwing one yourself, you know that the food will take the spotlight — after we all get a look at the wedding dress, of course. To help craft the perfect menu — a Cali-British mash-up worthy of Los Angeles’ own Meghan Markle and Britain’s Prince... >>
To get UK passport, Markle needs time, money and good memory. Meghan Markle will need time, money, a good memory for trivia and the ability to untangle red tape as she applies to become a British citizen >>
Video: Camilla chats to British media about her excitement over Royal Wedding. Charles and Camilla have chatted to British media about their excitement over the upcoming Royal Wedding during their visit in Nice today. The Duchess of Cornwall said it was "very exciting" getting to know Meghan Markle. >>
WATCH: New details on the royal wedding. British media is speculating that Meghan Markle's wedding dress will cost over $100,000 dollars. >>
Website lets shoppers 'get the Meghan look'. A British website is allowing Royal fans to virtually dress like Meghan Markle. >>
What’s on TV Friday: A Portrait of Meghan Markle and ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’. Learn more about Meghan Markle, who will become the newest member of the British royal family. Or relax with buddy comedies that all have something in common. >> | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Sleepy Hollow Season 2 Scoop | Video
Sleepy Hollow Stars Give Us the Season 2 Scoop!
Tom Mison is dashing on television as resurrected Ichabod Crane — and in person, his charm is basically a supernatural force. And that onscreen chemistry with Nicole Beharie? Yeah, that definitely translates in real life. We caught up with the antiapocalypse tag team on the red carpet for a special season two sneak peek of the breakout show. Check out the video to watch Tom and Nicole compete for bigger scaredy cat, give hope to fans who are rooting for Ichabod and Abbie aka "Ichabbie," and more!
Now hold on to your heads — we've got more behind-the-scenes stories from the Q&A panel featuring Tom, Nicole, and the show's producers. Tom described entering his trailer in the early days of shooting season one to "use the loo" only to find a man with no head reading the newspaper on his toilet — clearly this cast and crew like to have fun while fighting fictional forces of evil. Tom also playfully called out the "sadistic writers" who throw all the alliteration and tongue twisters they can muster at Ichabod's dialogue, all trying to be "the one to break Tom Mison."
Nicole explained why she relished playing such a complex female character, and Tom applauded the show's consistent passing of the Bechdel Test, which requires two named female characters to share the screen without talking about men. (You'd be very surprised how many popular series and films fail that miserably.) As a genre show that interweaves historical drama, supernatural, mystery, and thriller elements, executive producer Len Wiseman maintained that what grounds the show is real emotion, and "everything else is totally crazy."
Judging by the first look we got at the action-packed opening sequence of next season, the crazy is here to stay. The scene features Ichabod showing off his musket moves in the middle of a Revolutionary War battle only to be interrupted by a charging horseman and then rescued by dead-cop-turned-necromancer Andy Brooks (John Cho) in his getaway squad car. To find out what happens next, tune in to the season two premiere on Sept. 22 on Fox! | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Syndicate
Virus-L/comp.virus FAQ: Facts and Fibs About Computer Viruses
======================================================
= Section E. Facts and Fibs About Computer Viruses =
======================================================
E1) Can boot sector viruses infect non-bootable DOS floppy disks?
Any DOS diskette that has been properly formatted contains some
executable code in its boot sector. (There is some debate as to whether
this code should be called a program or not. The important thing here
is that this code is *executed* at system startup if the diskette is in
the system's boot drive.) If a diskette is not "bootable", all that
boot sector (normally) does is print a message (on a PC, typically
something like "Non-system disk or disk error; replace and strike any
key when ready"). However, the boot sector is still executable and
therefore vulnerable to infection. Should you accidentally boot your
machine with a "non-bootable" diskette in the boot drive, and see that
message, it means that any boot virus that may have been on that
diskette *has* run, and had the chance to infect your hard drive, or
whatever. So, when talking about viruses, the words "bootable" and "non-
bootable" are misleading. All formatted diskettes are capable of
carrying boot sector viruses.
Most current computers will try to boot from their (first) floppy drive
before trying to load an operating system off their hard disks. Because
of this and the fact that every floppy disk is possibly infected with a
boot sector virus, it is a *very* good idea to set your computer to try
to boot from its hard disk. Many newer PCs offer the option to select
boot order in their system CMOS setup routines. If your computer has
such an option, set it to try to boot from your hard disk first.
E2) Can a virus hide in a PC's CMOS memory?
No. The CMOS RAM in which PC system information is stored and backed up
by batteries is accessible through the I/O ports and not directly
addressable. That is, in order to read its contents you have to use I/O
instructions rather than standard memory addressing techniques.
Therefore, anything stored in CMOS is not directly "in memory". Nothing
in a normal machine loads the data from CMOS and executes it, so a virus
that "hid" in CMOS RAM would still have to infect an executable object
of some kind in order to load and execute whatever had been written to
CMOS. A malicious virus can of course *alter* values in the CMOS as
part of its payload, but it can't spread through, or hide itself in, the
CMOS.
Further, most PCs have only 64 bytes of CMOS RAM and the use of the
first 48 bytes of this is predetermined by the IBM AT specification.
Several BIOS'es also use many of the "extra" bytes of CMOS to hold their
own, machine-specific settings. This means that anything that a virus
stores in CMOS can't be very large. A virus could use some of the
"surplus" CMOS RAM to hide a small part of its body (e.g. its payload,
counters, etc). Any executable code stored there, however, must first
be extracted to ordinary memory in order to be executed.
This issue should not be confused with whether a virus can *modify* the
contents of a PC's CMOS RAM. Of course viruses can, as this memory is
not specially protected (on normal PCs), so any program that knows how
to change CMOS contents can do so. Some viruses do fiddle with the
contents of CMOS RAM (mostly with ill-intent) and these have often been
incorrectly reported as "infecting CMOS" or "hiding in CMOS". An
example is the PC boot sector virus EXE_Bug, which changes CMOS settings
to indicate that no floppy drives are present (see G8 for more details).
E3) Can a PC virus hide in Extended or in Expanded RAM in a PC?
Yes. If one does though, it has to have a small part resident in
conventional RAM; it cannot reside *entirely* in Extended or in Expanded
RAM. Currently there are no known XMS viruses and only a few EMS
viruses (Emma is an example).
E4) Can a virus hide in a PC's Upper Memory or in High Memory Area?
Yes, it is possible to construct a virus which will locate itself in
Upper Memory Blocks (UMBs--640K to 1024K) or in the High Memory Area
(HMA--1024K to 1088K). Some viruses (e.g. EDV) do hide in UMBs and at
least one, Goldbug, will use the HMA if it is available.
It might be thought that there is no point in scanning in these areas
for any viruses other than those that are specifically known to inhabit
them. However, there are cases when even ordinary viruses can be found
in Upper Memory. Suppose that a conventional memory-resident virus
infects a TSR program and this program is loaded high by the user (for
instance, from AUTOEXEC.BAT). Then the virus code will also reside in
Upper Memory. Therefore, an effective scanner must be able to scan this
part of memory for viruses too.
E5) Can a virus infect data files?
Some viruses (e.g., Frodo, Cinderella) modify non-executable files.
However, in order to spread, the virus code must be executed. Therefore
"infected" non-executable files cannot be sources of further infection.
Such "infections" are usually mistakes, due to bugs in the virus.
Even so, note that it is not always possible to make a sharp distinction
between executable and non-executable files. One person's data can be
another's code and vice versa. Some files that are not directly
executable contain code or data which can, under some conditions, be
executed or interpreted.
Some examples from the PC world are OBJ files, libraries, device
drivers, source files for any compiler or interpreter (including DOS BAT
files and OS/2 CMD files), macro files for some packages like Microsoft
Word and Lotus 1-2-3, and many others. Currently there are viruses that
infect boot sectors, master boot records, COM files, EXE files, BAT
files, OBJ files, device drivers, Microsoft Word document and template
files, and C source code files, although any of the objects mentioned
above theoretically can be used as an infection carrier. PostScript
files can also be used to carry a virus, although no currently known
virus does this.
Aside from the above, however, there is an increasing possibility of
viruses spreading through the sharing of data files. More and more we
see the ease with which software producers give their programs the
ability to embed "objects" of many kinds into document files, and into
fields in databases and spreadsheets. Perhaps the best-known of these
systems are Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) in MS Windows and the
OpenDoc format. As these embedded objects often have the ability to
"display" themselves we see that many files traditionally thought of as
data-only, will increasingly be containers carrying data and executable
code. We are not aware of any virus that specifically targets such
executable "objects", but it is now a trivial task to embed executable
files into some kinds of document files so they will be run when the
icon representing them is clicked in the finished document. There is
nothing to prevent infected executables being embedded in this way, and
thus for viruses to be spread through the distribution of "data files".
E6) Can viruses spread from one type of computer to another?
The simple answer is that no currently known viruses can do this.
Although some disk formats may be the same (e.g. Atari ST and DOS), the
different machines interpret the code differently. For example, the
Stoned virus cannot infect an Atari ST as the ST cannot execute the
virus code in the boot sector. The Stoned virus contains instructions
for the 80x86 family of CPUs that the 680x0 CPU family (used in the
Atari ST) can't understand or execute.
The more general answer is that such viruses are possible, but unlikely.
Such a virus would be quite a bit larger than current viruses and might
well be easier to find. Additionally, the low incidence of cross-
platform sharing of software means that any such virus would be unlikely
to spread--it would be a poor environment for virus growth.
A related, but different, issue is that of viruses running under
operating system emulators on machines other than those for which the
operating system was originally designed. This is covered in some
detail elsewhere in the FAQ sheet (see C12).
E7) Are mainframe computers susceptible to computer viruses?
Yes. Numerous experiments have shown that computer viruses spread very
quickly and effectively on mainframe systems. To our knowledge,
however, no non-research computer virus has been seen on mainframe
systems. (Despite often being described as such, the widely reported
Internet Worm of November 1988 was not a computer virus by most
definitions, although it had some virus-like characteristics.)
Many people think that computer viruses are impossible on mainframe
computers, because their operating systems provide means of protection
(e.g., memory protection, access control, etc.) that cannot by bypassed
by a program, unlike the operating systems of most personal computers.
Unfortunately, this belief is false. As demonstrated by Fred Cohen in
1984, access controls are unable to prevent computer viruses--they can
only slow down the speed with which viruses spread. If there is a
transitive path of information flow from one account to another on a
mainframe computer, then a virus can spread from one account to the
other, without having to bypass any protections.
Consider the following example. The attacker (A) has an account on a
machine and wants to attack it with a virus. In order to do this, A
writes a virus and releases it. Due to the protection provided by the
operating system, the virus can only infect the files writable by A. On
a typical system, those would be only the files owned by A.
However, A is not alone on the system. A works with B on some joint
projects. At some time, B might want to check how far A has progressed
in her/his part of the project. This might involve running one of the
programs that A has written--programs that are now all infected with A's
virus.
On a sytem with protection based on discretionary access controls (e.g.,
Unix, VMS, and most other popular OSes), the program that is being
executed usually runs with the privileges of the user who is executing
it--not with those of the program's owner. (In the few instances where
this is not the case, it presents a different kind of security threat,
unrelated to viruses.) That is, when B runs A's infected program, the
virus in it will run with B's privileges and will be able to infect all
programs writable by B.
At some later time, A and B's boss, C, might want to check whether they
have completed that joint project. Even if the boss has reasons to
suspect A (e.g., as a disgruntled employee), s/he is likely to trust B
and execute one of her/his programs. This results in the virus running
with C's privileges (which are likely to be significantly greater than
those of A and B) and infecting all programs writable by C. Quite
possibly, these programs will include many owned by other employees,
thus creating many more distribution chains that nobody suspects.
The virus may interfere somehow with C's normal work, which causes C
(who is probably not very knowledgeable about such things as computer
security and viruses) to ask the system administrator, D, for help. If
D executes one of C's infected programs (and s/he is much more likely to
trust a respectable person like C--who is quite probably D's boss as
well--than any of C's employees), this will cause the virus that A wrote
a long time ago to run with system administrator privileges and do
whatever it wants with the system--infect other users' files, attack
other systems, etc.
A trivial improvement of the above scenario (in terms of speeding up the
virus' spread) would be for the attacker to place the virus in some kind
of Trojan Horse--for example, in an attractive game or utility--placed
in a publicly accessible area.
Why, then, are there so many fewer viruses for mainframe computers than
for personal ones? The answer to this question is complex. First,
writing a well-made mainframe virus--one that does not cause problems
and is likely to remain unnoticed--is not a trivial task. It requires a
lot of knowledge about the operating system. This knowledge is not
commonly available and the typical youngster who is likely to hack a
quick-and-dirty PC virus is unlikely to possess it or be in a position
to learn it. People who possess this knowledge are likely to use it in
more constructive, satisfying, and profitable ways. Second, the culture
of software exchange in the mainframe world differs considerably from
that of the PC world--we don't see many VMS users running around with a
bootable tape of the latest game... Third, very often it is easier to
attack a mainframe computer by using some security hole or a Trojan
Horse, instead of by using a virus.
So, computer viruses for mainframe computers are definitely possible and
several already exist (see question F1). Also, some IBM PC viruses can
infect any IBM PC compatible machine, even if it runs a "real" OS like
Unix. For more information, refer to questions D6 and E7.
Forms of malware other than computer viruses--notably Trojan Horses--are
far quicker, more effective, and harder to detect than computer viruses.
Nevertheless, on personal computers many more viruses are written than
Trojan Horses. There are two reasons for this:
1. Since a virus is self-propogating, the number of users to
which it can spread (and cause damage) can be much greater
than in the case of a Trojan;
2. It's almost impossible to trace the source of a virus since
(generally) viruses are not attached to any particular
program.
For further information on malicious programs on multi-user systems, see
Matt Bishop's paper, "An Overview of Malicious Logic in a Research
Environment", available by anonymous FTP on Dartmouth.edu (IP =
129.170.16.4) as pub/security/mallogic.ps.
E8) Some people say that disinfecting is a bad idea. Is that true?
Disinfection is completely "safe" only if the disinfecting process
completely restores the non-infected state of the object. That is, not
only must the virus be removed from the object, but the original length
must be restored exactly, as well as any system attributes (such as time
and date of last modification, fields in the header, etc). Sometimes it
is necessary to be sure that the object is placed on the same sectors of
the disk that it occupied prior to infection (this is particularly
important for some system areas and some files from programs which use
certain kinds of self-checking or copy protection).
None of the currently available disinfecting programs do all this. For
instance, because of the bugs that exist in many viruses and because
some infection processes involve overwriting (part of) the objects of
infection, some of the information about the original object may be
irrevocably destroyed. Sometimes it is not even possible to detect that
this information has been destroyed and to warn the user. Furthermore,
some viruses corrupt information very slightly and in a random way
(Nomenklatura, Ripper), so that it is not even possible to tell which
objects have been corrupted.
Therefore, it is usually better to replace infected objects with clean
backups, provided you are certain that your backups are uninfected (see
D10), or from the original media. You should try to disinfect files
only if they contain some valuable data that cannot be restored from
backups or recompiled from their original source.
E9) Can I avoid viruses by avoiding shareware, free software or games?
No. There are many documented instances in which even commercial
"shrink wrapped" software was inadvertently distributed containing
viruses. Avoiding shareware, freeware, games, etc, only isolates you
from a vast collection of software (some of it very good, some of it
very bad, most of it somewhere in between...).
The important thing is not to avoid a certain type of software, but to
be cautious of *any and all* newly acquired software and diskettes.
Merely scanning all new software media for known viruses would be rather
effective at preventing virus infections, especially when combined with
some other prevention/detection strategy such as integrity management of
programs.
E10) Can I contract a virus on my PC by performing a "DIR" of an
infected floppy disk?
Assuming the PC you are using is virus free before you perform the DIR
command, then the answer is "No".
When you perform a DIR, the contents of the boot sector of the diskette
are loaded into a buffer for use in determining disk layout etc, and
certain antivirus products will scan these buffers. If a boot sector
virus has infected your diskette, the virus code will be contained in
the buffer, which may cause some antivirus packages to produce a message
like "xyz virus found in memory...". In fact, the virus is not a threat
at this point since control of the CPU is never passed to the virus code
residing in the buffer. Even though the virus is really not a threat at
this point, this message should not be ignored. If you get a message
like this, and then reboot from a clean DOS diskette (see G8) and scan
your hard-drive and find no virus, then you know that the false positive
was caused by an infected boot-sector loaded into a buffer, and the
diskette should be disinfected before use. The use of DIR will not
infect a clean system, even if the diskette it is being performed on
does contain a virus (see C8 also). Please note, however, that running
DIR on a diskette can result in the infection of a clean diskette if the
PC is already infected.
Despite our categorical "No" answer above, there is a small risk that a
virus infection could be transferred from a floppy through a DIR
listing. If you use an ANSI console driver that allows key remapping,
it is possible that a specially prepared diskette could reprogram your
keyboard so that pressing a particular key caused an infected program on
the diskette to run the next time the reprogrammed key was pressed. The
risk of such an attack is very low and can easily be negated following
the general advice for preventing ANSI bombs (see B14).
Mac users with system software prior to version 7.0 should be aware of a
greater threat in their environment. Various system resources (which
can contain executable code) are loaded from the automatic access to a
diskette that is part of the system building its desktop view of the
diskette's contents. When such a resource is required, the most
recently loaded one will be used. Thus, if a diskette with a virus-
infected resource in the Desktop file is in your Mac's drive, and an
uninfected copy of that resource has not subsequently loaded from
elsewhere, the next time that resource is required the infected copy
will be executed, along with the virus. This kind of attack was removed
with the introduction of version 7.0 (and later) of the system software,
which handles such things quite differently. A common Mac virus, WDEF,
uses this infection path, as do a few others.
Early versions of AmigaDOS are susceptible to a threat similar to the
Mac WDEF virus--on inserting a diskette into the drive, the operating
system runs the Disk Validator from the diskette. At least one Amiga
virus, Saddam, attaches itself to Disk Validator to help it spread.
Version 2.0 of AmigaDOS eliminated the threat of this type of attack by
removing the need for the Disk Validator.
E11) Is there any risk in copying data files from an infected floppy
disk to a clean PC's hard disk?
Assuming that you did not boot or run any executable programs from the
infected disk, the answer generally is no. There are two caveats:
1. You should be somewhat concerned about checking the integrity
of these data files as they may have been destroyed or
altered by the virus.
2. If any of the "data" files are interpretable as executable by
some other program (such as a Lotus macro) then these files
should be treated as potentially malicious until the symptoms
of the infection are known.
The copying process itself is safe (given the above scenario) although
you should be concerned with what type of files are being copied to
avoid introducing other problems.
E12) Can a DOS virus survive and spread on an OS/2 system using the
HPFS file system?
Yes, both file-infecting and boot sector viruses can infect HPFS
partitions. File-infecting viruses function normally and can activate
and do their dirty deeds, and boot sector viruses can prevent OS/2 from
booting if the primary bootable partition is infected. Viruses that try
to address disk sectors directly cannot function under OS/2 because the
operating system prevents this activity.
E13) Under OS/2 2.0+, could a virus infected DOS session infect another
DOS session?
Each DOS program is run in a separate Virtual DOS Machine (their memory
spaces are kept separate by OS/2). However, any DOS program has almost
complete access to the files and disks, so infection can occur if the
virus infects files; any other DOS session that executes a program
infected by a virus that makes itself memory resident would itself
become infected.
Also, bear in mind that generally all DOS sessions share the same copy
of the command interpreter. Hence if *it* becomes infected, the virus
will be active in *all* DOS sessions.
E14) Can normal DOS viruses work under MS Windows?
Most of them cannot. A system that runs exclusively MS Windows is, in
general, more virus-resistant than a plain DOS system. The reason is
that most resident viruses are not compatible with the memory management
in Windows. Furthermore, most existing viruses will damage Windows
applications if they try to infect them as normal (i.e. DOS) EXE files.
The damaged applications will stop working and this will alert the user
that something is wrong.
Virus-resistant however, is by no means virus-proof. For instance, most
of the well-behaved resident viruses that infect only COM files (Cascade
is an excellent example), will work perfectly in a "DOS box". All non-
resident COM infectors will be able to run and infect too. Aside from
DOS viruses, MS Windows users can also contract several currently known
Windows-specific viruses, which are able to infect Windows applications
properly (i.e., they are compatible with the NewEXE file format).
Any low level trapping of Interrupt 13, as by resident boot sector and
MBR viruses, can also affect Windows operation, particularly if
protected disk access (32BitDiskAccess=ON in SYSTEM.INI) is used.
E15) Can I get a virus from reading e-mail, BBS message forums or
USENET News?
In general terms, the answer is no. E-mail messages and postings on
BBSes and News are text data and will not be executed as programs.
Computer viruses are programs, and must be executed to do anything, so
the simple act of reading online messages doesn't pose a threat of
catching a computer virus.
There are a few provisos to be made. If your computer uses ANSI screen
and keyboard controls, you may be susceptible to an ANSI bomb (see B14).
An ANSI bomb may, merely by being placed in text read on the screen,
temporarily redefine keys on the keyboard to perform various functions.
It is, however, very unlikely that you will ever see an ANSI bomb in
e-mail, or that it could do significant damage while you are reading
mail.
Another possibility is that mail can be used to send programs. To do
this program files have to be encoded into a special form so the binary
(8-bit) program files are not corrupted by transfer over the text-only
(7-bit) e-mail transport medium. Probably the commonest of these
encoding schemes is uuencoding, though there are several others. If you
receive an encoded program, you normally have to use a decoding program
or special option in your e-mail program to extract it and decode it
before it can be run. Once you have extracted the program though, you
should then treat it as you would any other program whose source you do
not know, and test it before you run it.
A third possibility is with the newer, highly-automated online systems.
Some of these attempt to make online access much easier for the user by
automating such features as file transfer and program updates. At least
one commercial online service is known to have the capability of sending
new programs to the user and to invoke those programs while the user is
still online. While there is no reason to assume that any service that
does this *will* infect you, any time things are going on that you are
not being told about, you are at greater risk.
E16) Can a virus "hide" in a GIF or JPEG file?
The simple answer is "no". The complete answer is more complex.
GIF and JPEG (.JPG) files contain compressed graphical information.
Every now and then, rumors arise that is possible to infect those files
with a virus in such a way, that it will spread when you display one of
these images. This is technically impossible--no part of the GIF or
JPEG format contains code that is executed by the viewer program.
It *is* possible to use the least significant bit of the color
information for each pixel in GIF files to store additional information,
without visibly altering the quality of the picture contained in the
file. This is called "steganography" and is sometimes used to transmit
secretly encrypted messages. Since a virus is nothing more than
information, it is possible to "encode" it into a GIF file and transmit
it this way. However, the recipients must be aware that the GIF file
contains such hidden information and take some deliberate steps to
extract it--it cannot happen against their will. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
But not so fast! Is the Wiregrass Ridge Road identified in the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press releases really in Fieldbrook? LoCO reader/Fieldbrook defender Lisa Samarron wrote us to call BS and take issue with the fact that her community was getting a bad rap by being associated with such activities. She even sent us in a Google maps screen shot to show us how far away the two locations are from one another.
We present her concern below:
To Whom It May Concern,
Wiregrass Ridge Road is NOT in Fieldbrook! It is much closer to Titlow Hill and Willow Creek. Also, the Mad River Beach Smash and Grabber Anthony Wayne George does not live in Fieldbook according to a friend who knows him. On our Face Book Group’s, “Fieldbrook Neighborhood Watch’ and ‘Everything Fieldbrook’, not one person knows of Mr. George living in Fieldbrook.
These two stories within a week are making Fieldbrook look bad. We have a very friendly, peaceful and safe community here. Sure, we have our moments but for the most part the criminal intent comes from outside Fieldbrook.
Our Fieldbrook market will be opening soon. We are excited about our new management and do not want any unwarranted “news” to detour visitors from visiting our wonderful community and newly revamped store and deli.
I am also posting most of this letter to the comments for the July 11 2013 story, ‘Fieldbrook Arrests Lead to Marijuana and Meth.’ The comments to be posted have been reviewed and approved by members of the Face Book Group, ‘Everything Fieldbrook Caifornia’.
In case you can’t tell, we love and are very proud of our little community here in Fieldbrook.Please be a little more careful when associating us with your news stories.
I have attached a Google Earth photo to show the distance between Fieldbrook and Wingrass Ridge Road
Thank You For Your Time,Lisa SamarronFieldbrook California
Couple notes: Lisa wrote us back to say that she later heard that Mr. George did live in Fieldbrook years ago — maybe he never changed his address, she theorized. Also, that is not the map Lisa sent us above. (See hers here.) We made this one to show what Google considers the borders of Fieldbrook’s census designated place and the approximate location of one of the busts mentioned above. Interestingly though, when we plugged in the address to get the purple marker, it listed it as being (gasp) in Fieldbrook, CA.
We’ll leave it to y’all to decide the spiritual borders of Fieldbrook. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
You are here
Latest Video
Seattle Melody Kick presents Mark Diamond performing at Lavender Valley Farm in Maple Valley, Washington. Mark showcases his raw talent with his acoustic performances of two pop hits from his recent ‘Hummingbird One’ EP — ‘London’ and ‘Road’, and a lovely cover from one of his musical heroes. Sit back and relax as Mark’s elegant falsetto and achingly beautiful storytelling carry you through this session.
Remember to keep you content on topic and appropriate. Content determined to be spam or inappropriate may be deleted. Repeated abuse may get your account blocked. For more info see the UMG Privacy Policy and terms & conditions. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Prince of Lyonesse
The Prince of Lyonesse is HRH Lothian I, who is also Lord of the Lir & Elder Isles, Head of the Commonwealth, and Defender of the Realm. He was born Mark Thomas Lothian Lane, Lane being his given name to keep his identity a secret until he reached the Age of Ascension on his eighteenth (18) nameday. Angered because of this hidden truth, HRH Lothian I fled in rebellion to both, his lineage and his destiny for a time, joining the United States Army and serving there from 1980 to 1985 in the 2nd Ranger Battalion and the 101st Airborne Division. Returning home, he accepted the fact that his true identity had been hidden from him for his protection and began work on reclaiming that honor for his new emerging Family.
The Secrets of Wisdom
Following the footsteps of his grandfather on his mother's side, HRH Lothian I became a Freemason and rose upward and onward to become one of the Knights of God, a Knights Templar. At that time, being established in his community and gaining the respect of several "key" Families and followers, plans were put into motion for an ascension and reclaiming of the Throne of Lyonesse.
The Ancient Kingdom of Lyonesse was one made of myth and legend, handed down from generation to generation until it became lost in time and known only to the ancients themselves. It would have to be reborn in that same myth and legend and develop itself into a working, living nation, and one waiting on the true "King" in God Almighty, as a Principality. It would be through God that this new Nation would arise to sustain and regain its dignity and honor for future generations of Lyonians.
On January 1, 2012, the nine (9) Royal Tribes of Lyonesse were established, naming, and cornating their choice as Heir to the Lyonian Throne, HRH Lothian I by the grace of God of Lyonesse, PRINCE, Lord of the Lir & Elder Isles, Head of the Commonwealth, and Defender of the Realm. Further coronations were made to the Seneschals of the remaining eight Royal Tribes and preparations were studied and made for several months until Lyonesse was proclaimed a sovereign state, the Principality of Lyonesse. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Pokémon Go Removes Pidgey And Rattata From Eggs And Eevee Moved To A New Bracket
Pokémon Go community has discovered that Eevee no longer hatch from ten kilometer eggs. The popular Pokémon which is quite common in many areas now hatches out of a five kilometer egg.
Niantic heard the grievance of trainers who walked far too many steps only to hatch an Eevee. This normal-type Pokémon is a common favorite which spawns commonly in the wild. Ten kilometer eggs are rare and should be an exciting find as trainers are promised with an especially uncommon Pokémon once completed the distance required to hatch one. Lapras and Snorlax are among the more desirable hatch from a 10-kilometer egg.
Another interesting announcement from Niantic is the removal of Pidgey and Rattata from eggs. This shows that if enough people have a problem with a feature in Pokémon Go, there is a chance that Niantic will implement a change if it makes sense to do.
Trainers should also notice fewer spawns of Pidgey, Rattata, and Zubat in the wild as these are replaced with other Pokémon. This will be a welcome change and trainers are already reporting unique kinds of Pokémon found in their local area now.
Niantic is preparing for another big feature: Daily Bonuses, where trainers will be rewarded for logging into the game daily. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
NEW! April, 2007 release:
a new paper scale model kit (April, 2007 release) of a Soviet seaplane MBR-2. It is a large model of the seaplane, has green camouflage painting. It is detailed elaboration, a full internal interior, the engine is perfectly detailed. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Overview
abstract
Melanomas with unusual histologic features are very rarely reported in the literature and demonstrate the diversity of melanocytic expression. Three cases of malignant melanoma with osteoclast-like giant cells are reported. Two cases showed undifferentiated malignant cells without melanin pigment and one showed spindled cell morphology. Immunohistochemistry showed that the osteoclast- like giant cells expressed CD68, but not melanocytic markers (HMB45, Melan-A, and S100). Ultrastructural analysis further supports that these cells are reactive histiocytes rather than transformed malignant cells. This suggests they represent an unusual host response, similar to those rarely observed in other neoplasms. Awareness of this entity is important to avoid misdiagnosis of melanoma as a histiocytic tumor. Since only few cases have been reported, greater recognition and documentation may help to evaluate the prognosis of such cases with unusual morphology. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Dictionary
Life Cap
For an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), a limit on the amount that the enterest rate can increase or decrease over the life of the mortgage.
Line Of Credit
An agreement by a commercial bank or other financial institution to extend credit up to a certain amount for a certain time to a specified borrower.
Liquid Asset
A cash asset or an asset that is easily converted into cash.
Loan
A sum of borrowed money (principal) that is generally repaid with interest.
Loan Officer
Also referred to by a variety of other terms, such as lender, loan representative, loan "rep," account executive, and others. The loan officer serves several functions and has various responsibilities: they solicit loans, they are the representative of the lending institution, and they represent the borrower to the lending institution.
Loan Origination
How a lender refers to the process of obtaining new loans.
Loan Servicing
After you obtain a loan, the company you make the payments to is "servicing" your loan. They process payments, send statements, manage the escrow/impound account, provide collection efforts on delinquent loans, ensure that insurance and property taxes are made on the property, handle pay-offs and assumptions, and provide a variety of other services.
Loan-to-value (LTV)
The percentage relationship between the amount of the loan and the appraised value or sales price (whichever is lower).
Lock-in
An agreement in which the lender guarantees a specified interest rate for a certain amount of time at a certain cost.
Lock-in Period
The time period during which the lender has guaranteed an interest rate to a borrower.
Margin
The difference between the interest rate and the index on an adjustable rate mortgage. The margin remains stable over the life of the loan. It is the index which moves up and down.
Maturity
The date on which the principal balance of a loan, bond, or other financial instrument becomes due and payable.
Merged Credit Report
A credit report which reports the raw data pulled from two or more of the major credit repositories. Contrast with a Residential Mortgage Credit Report (RMCR) or a standard factual credit report.
Modification
Occasionally, a lender will agree to modify the terms of your mortgage without requiring you to refinance. If any changes are made, it is called a modification.
Mortgage
A legal document that pledges a property to the lender as security for payment of a debt. Instead of mortgages, some states use First Trust Deeds. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Commissions
I used to take on personal commissions. Most of the time these were fun to do. But my workload got too heavy and I had to stop. When I did stop, there were three commissions on my list that needed to be completed. This is a color comp of one I am finishing tomorrow. The original will be 16" x 20". It is the first traditional painting I have done in a long time. Thanks to a bout with insomnia last night I started the painting and I'm about 60% done. If you can't sleep, be productive. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Vietnam and China held the ninth round of negotiations of a working group on the sea area beyond the mouth of the Gulf of Tonkin and the sixth round of negotiations of a working group on cooperation in sea development in the central city Da Nang, on March 15-16. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
How to color a lizard: From biology to mathematics
From the clown fish to leopards, skin colour patterns in animals arise from microscopic interactions among coloured cells that obey equations discovered by the mathematician Alan Turing. Today, researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics report in the journal Nature that a southwestern European lizard slowly acquires its intricate adult skin colour by changing the colour of individual skin scales using an esoteric computational system invented in 1948 by another mathematician: John von Neumann. The Swiss team shows that the 3D geometry of the lizard's skin scales causes the Turing mechanism to transform into the von Neumann computing system, allowing biology-driven research to link, for the first time, the work of these two mathematical giants.
A multidisciplinary team of biologists, physicists and computer scientists lead by Michel Milinkovitch, professor at the Department of Genetics and Evolution of the UNIGE Faculty of Science, Switzerland and Group Leader at the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, realised that the brown juvenile ocellated lizard (Timon lepidus) gradually transforms its skin colour as it ages to reach an intricate adult labyrinthine pattern where each scale is either green or black. This observation is at odd with the mechanism, discovered in 1952 by the mathematician Alan Turing, that involves microscopic interactions among coloured cells. To understand why the pattern is forming at the level of scales, rather than at the level of biological cells, two PhD students, Liana Manukyan and Sophie Montandon, followed individual lizards during 4 years of their development from hatchlings crawling out of the egg to fully mature animals. For multiple time points, they reconstructed the geometry and colour of the network of scales by using a very high resolution robotic system developed previously in the Milinkovitch laboratory.
Flipping from green to black
The researchers were then surprised to see the brown juvenile scales change to green or black, then continue flipping colour (between green and black) during the life of the animal. This very strange observation prompted Milinkovitch to suggest that the skin scale network forms a so-called 'cellular automaton'. This esoteric computing system was invented in 1948 by the mathematician John von Neumann. Cellular automata are lattices of elements in which each element changes its state (here, its colour, green or black) depending on the states of neighbouring elements. The elements are called cells but are not meant to represent biological cells; in the case of the lizards, they correspond to individual skin scales. These abstract automata were extensively used to model natural phenomena, but the UNIGE team discovered what seems to be the first case of a genuine 2D automaton appearing in a living organism. Analyses of the four years of colour change allowed the Swiss researchers to confirm Milinkovitch's hypothesis: the scales were indeed flipping colour depending of the colours of their neighbour scales. Computer simulations implementing the discovered mathematical rule generated colour patterns that could not be distinguished from the patterns of real lizards.
How could the interactions among pigment cells, described by Turing equations, generate a von Neumann automaton exactly superposed to the skin scales? The skin of a lizard is not flat: it is very thin between scales and much thicker at the center of them. Given that Turing's mechanism involves movements of cells, or the diffusion of signals produced by cells, Milinkovitch understood that this variation of skin thickness could impact on the Turing's mechanism. The researchers then performed computer simulations including skin thickness and saw a cellular automaton behaviour emerge, demonstrating that a Cellular Automaton as a computational system is not just an abstract concept developed by John von Neumann, but also corresponds to a natural process generated by biological evolution.
The need for a formal mathematical analysis
However, the automaton behaviour was imperfect as the mathematics behind Turing's mechanism and von Neumann automaton are very different. Milinkovitch called in the mathematician Stanislav Smirnov, Professor at the UNIGE, who was awarded the Fields Medal in 2010. Before long, Smirnov derived a so-called discretisation of Turing's equations that would constitute a formal link with von Neumann's automaton. Anamarija Fofonjka, a third PhD student in Milinkovitch's team implemented Smirnov new equations in computer simulations, obtaining a system that had become un-differentiable from a von Neumann automaton. The highly multidisciplinary team of researchers had closed the loop in this amazing journey, from biology to physics to mathematics ... and back to biology.
Cell biology: Take the mRNA trainMessenger RNAs bearing the genetic information for the synthesis of proteins are delivered to defined sites in the cell cytoplasm by molecular motors.
Gravitational biologyAkira Kudo at Tokyo Institute of Technology(Tokyo Tech) and colleagues report in Scientific Reports, December 2016, that live-imaging and transcriptome analysis of medaka fish transgenic lines lead to immediate alteration of cells responsible for bone structure formation.
Biology's 'breadboard'Understanding how the nervous system of the roundworm C. elegans works will give insights into how our vastly more complex brains function and is the subject of a paper in Nature Methods.
Misleading images in cell biologyVirtually all membrane proteins have been reported to be organized as clusters on cell surfaces, when in fact many of them are just single proteins which have been counted multiple times.
BarCharts’ best-selling quick reference to biology has been updated and expanded in this latest edition. With updated content and an additional panel of information, this popular guide is not only an essential companion for students in introductory biology courses but also a must-have refresher for students in higher-level courses. Author Randy Brooks, PhD, a scientist and university professor, has a gift for making the complicated subject of biology easy to understand, from evolution to population genetics―without the fluff. In this new edition, you will find more coverage of the... View Details
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THE MADER/WINDELSPECHT STORY… The twelfth edition of Biology is a traditional, comprehensive introductory biology textbook, with coverage from Cell Structure and Function to the Conservation of Biodiversity. The book, which centers on the evolution and diversity of organisms, is appropriate for any one- or two-semester biology course.Biology, 12th Edition is the epitome of Sylvia Mader's expertise. Its concise, precise writing-style employs lucid language to present... View Details
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Committed to Excellence in the Eleventh Edition. This edition continues the evolution of Raven & Johnson's Biology. The author team is committed to continually improving the text, keeping the student and learning foremost. The integrated pedagogical features expand the students' learning process and enhance their learning experience. This latest edition of the text maintains the clear, accessible, and engaging writing style of past editions with the solid framework of pedagogy that highlights an emphasis on evolution and scientific inquiry that have made this a... View Details
Have you ever wondered how the food you eat becomes the energy your body needs to keep going? The theory of evolution says that humans and chimps descended from a common ancestor, but does it tell us how and why? We humans are insatiably curious creatures who can't help wondering how things work—starting with our own bodies. Wouldn't it be great to have a single source of quick answers to all our questions about how living things work? Now there is.
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Inspire To ActionWhat motivates us to take up a cause, follow a leader, or create change? This hour, TED speakers explore stories of inspirational leadership, and what makes some movements more successful than others. Guests include high school history teacher Diane Wolk-Rogers, writer and behavioral researcher Simon Sinek, 2016 Icelandic presidential candidate Halla Tómasdóttir, professor of leadership Jochen Menges, and writer and activist Naomi Klein.
#474 Appearance MattersThis week we talk about appearance, bodies, and body image. Why does what we look like affect our headspace so much? And how do we even begin to research a topic as personal and subjective as body image? To try and find out, we speak with some of the researchers at the Centre for Appearance Research (CAR) at the University of the West of England in Bristol. Psychology Professor Phillippa Diedrichs walks us through body image research, what we know so far, and how we know what we know. Professor of Appearance and Health Psychology Diana Harcourt talks about visible... | {
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The Communication Studies Program is a distinct program set in a unique location. Our program focuses on social justice and critical cultural theory, developing critical thinkers who are also engaged citizens. It is a perfect fit for students with diverse talents and interests.
Students have access to a rich cultural environment that is also a hub of civic activity. Saint Martin's University is located in a thriving arts community and a stone’s throw away from the state capitol. The Lacey-Olympia-Tumwater area boasts a
film society,
community television and
radio stations,
recording studios, live theater, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups,
the state legislature and a deep tradition of activism and originality.
Shaped by the Benedictine values of
stewardship, community and listening with the ear of the
heart, the Communication Studies Program utilizes
accessible media technologies such as cloud computing, mobile devices and social media, citizen
journalism and digital media production to encourage
creativity and build a solid foundation for a wide array
of professional endeavors.
Communication studies is an interdisciplinary program that uses critical and cultural studies to understand the central role of communication in society, with a focus on social justice. This program provides a broad overview of the different areas of communication, including the historical, institutional and social contexts of mass media and communication technologies; communication laws and ethics; rhetorical and semiotic analysis; as well as self-reflective citizen engagement and the creation of communication media (written, oral and visual).
Communication studies prepares students for careers in a wide range of fields, from public relations and advertising to media arts production to work in the public sector and more. Students also may continue to further their studies in graduate school, specializing in the humanities, social sciences, public relations, digital media, or filmmaking. This major offers the opportunity to pursue a production-focused or more theoretically oriented course of study and it is designed to provide a well-rounded understanding of the field of communication.
COM101 Introduction to Communication (3)
A survey of communication studies in social interaction, international communication, political communication, and communication technology and society.
COM201 Communication and Identity (3)
Investigates identity and cultural communication theories and their application for varying levels of human interactions - between individuals, within groups, and across cultures. Prerequisite: COM101.
COM300 Media Production (3)
Provides a hands-on introduction to the various pre-production, production and post-production processes and techniques used in the creation of media projects. Students gain practical experience in producing, directing, and editing media in field productions of narrative, documentary and/or experimental forms. Topic and media focus varies depending on instructor. May be repeated for credit.
COM303 Digital Journalism (3)
Introduces students to the theory and practice needed to write stories for the digital newsroom. Students explore tools of RSS, blogging, mapping, photography, audio and slide production. Prerequisite: ENG299, WRT299, COM299 or permission of the instructor.
COM307 Studies in Film (3)
How do films work? Critical survey of several narrative films in their historical context and exploration of filmmaking techniques — acting, directing, editing, screenwriting and other related topics — as a means of developing tools for analyzing films as art, popular culture and socio-political commentary.
COM317 Language and Culture (3)
Course examines the nature of language and its various functions, with an emphasis upon English and its cultural and historical contexts. Students explore the structure of language and its role in identity, power and history. Course content varies. May be repeated for credit.
COM320 Media and Culture (3)
Provides an overview of mass communication history and theory, with emphasis on the role of influential media forms in 20th century American culture and beyond.
COM360 Communication Law and Policy (3)
Social and legal questions over communication resources, rights and responsibilities. Examination of law and policy with respect to social communication practices, such as the First Amendment, media ownership and intellectual property rights.
COM385 Conflict and Peace Studies (3)
Examines conflict and leadership in global and local settings with a focus on the role communication plays in understanding, creating, negotiating, and transforming conflict situations. The class will emphasize the reconciliation movement over the past 25 years, particularly between modern nation-states and indigenous peoples.
COM390 Internship (1-6)
Approved by the department and carried out under the direction of department members and internship coordinators.
COM397 Directed Study (1-3)
Directed study allows students to pursue an area of interest as developed with their directed study instructor. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.
COM398 Media History (3)
A focused study of the evolution and cultural history, the distribution of information, and the creation of knowledge through the means of a specific medium. Media focus may vary, depending on instructor. May be repeated for credit.
COM399 Communication Theory (3)
Social and cultural theory of media and communications applied to analysis of media events and texts. Students will apply research methods and strategies to analyze media content. Topic may vary with instructor. May be repeated for credit. | {
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South Africa is known for hot sunny days but winter can be cold. Depending on the time of year, and the different provinces, but generally April to September is warm and dry during the day (17-25 °C) with cool to cold nights and early mornings (2-8 °C). October to March is hot with occasional showers and thunder storms, expected minimum temperatures (15-25°C) and maximum temperatures anything between 25°C and 35°C. | {
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Month: September 2016
My love has this AWESOME smile!
It’s a smile that even if you’re having a bad day, seeing him smiling makes you smile. Try though I might, I can’t resist it.
Today, Dale was a little down. Because of a new boundary we set in place and the fact I’ve got no money in light of just recently switching jobs, we’ve been pretty much spending every night with my parents, and, even I admit, it is quite exhausting. So, when dropping him home, I noted to him that he seemed off. Dale being off means he almost becomes cold with everyone. That can sometimes be put down to him being tired or processing (today he did a run, so I assumed it was that), and very rarely it could be something has upset him. All I know for definite, is that he’s not smiling, and it can take a fair bit of effort to get him smiling again.
This is Dale smiling. It’s glorious, happy, cute and infectious! Everything in his smile means he’s having fun. Whether it be him telling an awful pun joke, talking non-stop about trains or music or even him planning some crazy venture. I absolutely love seeing the Dale-Smile. And he knows it!
Today we were watching Cold Case.
It’s an American TV Crime show, based around detectives who pick up cases that have gone cold to solve them themselves. Today was batting very close to home. (I also thought this may have put Dale off… turns out it was absolutely nothing to do with it).
The show was centered around the deaf community. A young boy who was deaf was murdered in a deaf school. The detectives interrogated old girlfriends (one hearing and one also deaf), teachers, best friends (also deaf) and even his parents (also deaf). It was revealed that the boy became deaf suddenly when he attracted an illness. The boy used to play piano and was very good at it. He loved being part of the deaf community. He then met a girl who was hearing and who also loved piano. She had come to the school to teach while serving community service for a DUI. They had a brief relationship.
It was then revealed that the boy had considered a Cochlear Implant, but there was seemingly very heavy opposition to it from him best friend and parents. His best friend seemed to regard having an implant as betrayal. His parents not thinking too differently. The hearing girlfriend supporting him because of her knowing that he wanted to hear her voice and also hear music.
At the end of the program, it was revealed that the boy did get a cochlear implant, his dad supported it and his best friend did too, but after the boy had received his implant and was playing piano, the best friend became jealous (the best friend had also applied but was considered an unsuitable candidate) and hit the boy across the head with a Metronome, right where the cochlear was placed.
Throughout the program, there was the constant theme of this world – that world.
One of the detectives even asked about the separation, one of teachers saying that generally those who speak the same language, band together and form a community. The detective then saying that Sign was hardly a language as it was just hand movements, clearly showing the gap between the hearing and the deaf. Nevertheless, the detective tried to learn ASL (American Sign Language) to try and talk to witnesses/suspects. However, it wasn’t just the Hearing Character making the gap. The best friend himself was putting a huge gap between the Hearing and the Deaf. The Parents were also doing this by [originally] not being supportive of the cochlear implant, saying that it would mean that the person implanted would belong to neither Deaf or Hearing world; becoming a ‘freak’.
Now, this isn’t an old program, and Dale and I know full well the views of Cochleas by both the Hearing and the Deaf. Some people believe that, if God wanted someone to hear, he would have made them hear. Some others believe that what you never had, you wont miss, and some would rather be deaf then a computer hear for them. It’s a sad reality that such a beautiful gift can cause so much war between two persons.
If Dale had decided that he didn’t want the Cochlea, I would have been in full support of it. It’s his decision. Would it have been harder? Yes. Of course it would have. It would have probably helped with my signing a lot more, but communicating and the simple pleasures of life wouldn’t have been the same. Am I thankful that Dale did accept the Implant? Yes. Definitely. Because it makes him happy. It gives him that independency that he needs but also allows him to enjoy his favourite hobbies.
I’ve just started a new job which is 100% different to the whole waitressing gig.
I’m now working as Centre Manager/Teacher/Teaching Assistant at a Learning Centre which supports children who are home schooled; either because they can’t cope with mainstream school because of learning difficulties or other various reasons. I work at two separate locations; one location I am a Centre Manager and at the other I’m a Teaching Assistant. One is technically more hands on in regards to interacting with the students, but because of the size of the learning centres, both are pretty much the same.
Monday and Tuesday were completely different from today, mainly for reasons of it being in a completely different location, the other being completely different students.
I have taught Chinese, assisted in English lessons, not so much maths or science lessons as I’m not that confident in them subjects myself, so I feel as much of a student as my students.
Each child has their background and each child has their reasons for being homeschooled.
And they are, undoubtedly, amazing kids! They are so involved and so eager to learn, that in fact at my centre, they want to get involved in teaching! Some are quieter than others, but never-the-less are definitely a part of the crazy goings-on at the learning centre.
At one of the Learning Centreswe have one student who I’m definitely looking out for.
Under the Child Protection Act I am not to reveal the gender, age, name or locations of where specific children attend. I’m also not to go into detail of their histories as that is purely their business.
They have Autism. For the sake of this story, I’m going to call them Patty. It’s a little more serious than Dale, as they physically cannot stand touch or even sitting next to someone. At first they were a little shy, but very soon started to get involved, joining in a game of Rounders, 1 Truth 1 Lie and many other games that we play. They wanted to be very involved, very often trying to answer all the questions in the lesson or wanting to assist the teacher by writing on the board etc.
At the end of the day, when the students were about to go home, we played ‘Duck Duck Goose’. Now, this game can involve touching as it requires a child to walk round a circle of other children, patting their heads saying ‘duck’ until they decide on one child, saying ‘goose’ and then they have to run around the circle, trying to catch the ‘ducker’. While setting up the game and explaining, I did have to double check with Patty whether they were okay to be patted on their head, which good on them, they told me no. So we arranged that the ‘duck’ would hover over Patty’s head instead of tapping their head.
It was amazing to see each student go round the circle, patting everyones head and when getting to Patty, seemingly without thinking just hovered over their head.
There was once in the game, when a younger child (a younger sibling of a student) didn’t realise and did pat Patty on the head, which I did see Patty’s face drop. I didn’t want them to leave the game so I did keep an eye making sure they were okay.
And absolutely fantastically, Patty stayed in the game.
We then silently communicated that when a younger child was the ‘duck’, Patty would move into the circle to avoid being ‘duck’ed which they were happy to do.
I really really hope I see Patty again, if anything to see them grow. They are an amazing child, not afraid to let us know what they need to go about their business. In a sense I admire them. I’m not sure whether I’ll see Patty tomorrow but hopefully definitely next week!
Well Done Patty!
The Learning Centre is definitely an amazing organisation to be a part of. At normal School, children can be so vicious and sometimes very cold to one another. Here, they have a mutual respect for one another, and easily accommodate each others needs. Mainstream School, children see the differences and pick on them. This Learning Centre, the children seem to see the differences, and go “okay, this person is different, and that’s okay!”
It truly is a fresh sight to see, especially when I was seriously bullied at school myself!
I guess one of the benefits of dating an Aspie, is that they are FOREVER loyal and faithful to one thing. That doesn’t mean they don’t experiment or cope with using other alternative subjects though.
Dale is a self proclaimed Tea Snob, and there is one tea shop which he is undyingly loyal to. He even has his own mug there that when he goes in, the Tea Baristas serve the tea in. This little shop is Bluebird Tea co.They serve all sorts of tea, matcha, green and even some of their own weird blends. Me being a Coffee drinker, I’m not really adventurous in tea, but Dale seems to love it. In fact, he testifies that Bluebird made him the Love Potion Tea around Valentines day about 2 weeks before Dale and I had our first date. He is somewhat adamant that the ‘Love Potion’ got him me (he knows it didn’t, but it is a change coincidence even I have to consider).
Today, we met up for dinner and during our wonderings through Brighton City Centre, we rocked up at Whittard, which is another Tea/Coffee place. As we were closing in, Dale near enough whispered “Don’t tell bluebird!”. Funny Boy! After buying the tea, he then went on to diss Whittard on pretty much everything, including their tea and big up Bluebird on pretty much everything. (Here, I would just like to point out that going to Whittard was his choice. Not mine!). I’m not even sure why he goes there?!
Regularly Dale reminds me that he can’t lie, and if he were to ever lie he would physically have the compulsion to admit it and tell the truth.
That’s why I call him Spock, his catchphrase should be “Aspie’s cannot lie!”. Today, Dale had one of these moments (separate incident to the tea). This moment sent him spiralling into a Panic Attack. Why? Because in a moment of being honest with me, he thought he had lost me and that I would leave him. It was basically a worry about his loyalty/faithfulness so I admit, what he admitted to me was hard to hear and it has taken courage to remember that he chose me, but it took countless times of me reassuring him that what he did was good and that I’m glad he was honest when he could have quite so easily have hushed up about it (it wasn’t too much of a big deal which is why it is was quickly handled).
I think it’s safe to say that the Cochlear Implant has been a true gift and blessing in both mine and Dales life.
Approximately 1 year ago, Dale had his Cochlear Implant switched on and his (fairly short) journey of learning to hear again started.
If you’re curious about the Implant, this is my testimony of being with an Implant Patient:
Dale recovering after operation with an Á La Carté Hospital Meal
In the month of May, Dale had finally received his operation date; 16th July 2015. There had been much build up of Anxiety for Dale regarding it, especially since there had been no noise about the operation for months, even though he had been accepted in January. When he was accepted, he took a while to reciprocate the acceptance, having anxiety of the chances of success and chances of hearing music etc. Good on him, he accepted. After he got his date, it started a whole new round of Anxiety about whether he will be well enough to have the operation, whether I’d love him if he came out the other side completely deaf (the operation seriously diminishes natural hearing, and in some cases completely destroys it) and again, whether he’ll be able to hear music.
If there’s one thing I could do over on Op-Day, it would be being able to be with him when he had his cannula (needle) put in. FYI, I’m a needle phobic so it probably wouldn’t have worked well anyway. He was taken away to the operation room and that’s it. Neither mine nor Dales life would be the same. 3 hours later, we were told he was waiting in recovery.
I admit it, I did cry when I saw him lying there after the operation. He was miles high on anaesthetic and morphine, so he wasn’t all there. He repeatedly asked whether he had the operation and whether it was done. He also tried to sit up quite a few times, which he really couldn’t do. I mean, imagine trying to sit up and do things when you have a concussion. That’s pretty much the same thing.
Doctors came along and talked to us (mainly me as I was the only one of us hearing and they had no Sign Interpreter for Dale) and explained the aftercare and recovery process. They also explained all the after therapy and the process of learning to hear again. Dale also wanted to pick a bone with the Anaesthesiologist because apparently they told Dale he wouldn’t dream, but he did, so the Anaesthesiologist lied. Oh my silly Aspie. Dale ‘claims’ he remembers saying that, but I honestly don’t believe him. He was higher than cloud 9.
It wasn’t long before he was wheeled into his overnight room. We met his nurses who would look after him for the night and the following morning. After relieving himself and returning to the bed, he proceeded to ask whether the surgeon had removed his underwear to which the nurse looked dumbfounded, then replied, “Did you not see them when you went to the loo just a second ago?”. Queue much laughter from myself and the nurse when Dale replied, “Oh. Yeah!”.
1 month later, the Implant was switched on, and Dale began his journey of hearing again. The results were pretty much instant! With some difficulty, Dale could follow conversation better than I had ever known him to. We still had to be patient, and not tire Dale out too much. If he pushed himself too much, Dale could back track all the work he and the audiologists had done and at worse, risk the success of the Cochlear. He began hearing sounds that he had never been capable of hearing before.
Around October/November time, Dale began practising music again. At first, Dale struggled, not because he didn’t like the sound, but because the sound was vastly different that all previous memory of music was distorted and out of tune. Songs he had written, which to his old Acoustic Aid sounded fine, suddenly became droning and horrible sounding. He reworked some of his own compositions to better sound how he imagined. Some he didn’t change, adement that he would learn to hear them how he remembered. I don’t think they still sound exactly like he remembers, but he has learned to like the sounds.
His confidence has sky-rocketed in the last year; he has changed jobs, started a Punk Band and started actively engaging in conversation in group situations.
The Cochlear Implant has drastically changed mine and Dales life for the better and we don’t regret a single moment of it. The Implant has opened Dales life up to so many possibilities; The Implant Company sent him a waterproof Processor so that he can swim without the need to remove the implant, a Mini Mic so that he can listen to his music directly, like headphones wirelessly (pretty much like a personal hearing loop).
Dale has filmed with the Hospital a testimonial video of his journey with the cochlear implant which tells of his struggles and highlights of having the implant. If you would like to see it, watch it below:
If I could put a list together of all of the things Dale was ever anxious about, it would be a mile long and probably repeat and contradict itself numerously.
Something that tends to be misunderstood is that Asperger’s is a cause of Anxiety/OCD. When I was first getting to know Dale, I was silly enough to think that. I wonder how many other people think that?
Anxiety and OCD is a completely separate diagnosis to Asperger’s, and not every Aspie has them. Dale just so happens to have the whole kit and caboodle. Dale and I both agree that he copes with his Aspergers very well, but that doesn’t mean he still doesn’t have the down days where he can become depressed, wash his hands 20 times in an hour, become anxious over very small things and sometimes have anxiety over them things over and over again.
He does have his bad days and it is very obvious when he is having a bad day.
Dale has his sign posts that let me know ‘I’m not Okay!’.
One way of knowing, is when he rubs his hands together. He used to do this A LOT! In fact, whenever I’d look at him he’d be doing this even if it’s a situation he’d been in before. Then about a year ago, he just seemed to have stopped doing it. Since then, I’ve only seen him do it once; Today (I knew why though. His Cochlea Implant had run out of battery so he was completely deaf… and if there’s one thing Dale absolutely hates, it’s being deaf!).
Another way of me knowing Dale not all there, is when he’s unresponsive. I don’t mean in the sense you can’t talk to him, but when he keeps conversation short. VERY short. When it’s very bad, you can hardly get a word out of him. There’s been times when he’s almost seemed to be given me the cold shoulder. Luckily, I know that it just means ‘I’m processing something’. Eventually he’ll open up to me (mainly when we’re alone in the car or we’ll sign to each other) and let me know. He’ll very often apologise for himself, so he does recognise when he’s being off. One thing I’ve never known him to do, is lose his temper though. He’s very very patient it seems with both me and himself (although I do think he gets frustrated with himself sometimes).
Dale doesn’t withdraw as much as he used to, mostly because he’s trying to force himself to be social, which, rest assured, I do tell him that if he needs to decompress he just needs to let me know and I can either take him home or, if needs be, explain to people if he’s shut himself down; playing on his phone or something. We haven’t quite got to that point yet, so he’s coping well, but I’ll be ready for when he does need to escape.
As mentioned, when Dale isn’t 99.99%, his Anxiety goes at 120mph with no break pedal. It’s almost as if his head searches for things to worry about and to over-exaggerate. When this happens, Dale becomes incredibly tired and again, a little offish (what do you expect when his brain hasn’t given him a moments rest?). Gladly, when he’s having a full on day with Anxiety, when he sees me in the evening I’m able to cheer him up; either by talking the anxieties through with him, or just taking his mind off of the matter. Talking it through works the best I find. Also, surprise gifts cheer him up!
It’s harder to tell when he’s depressed. Mainly because he tends to deal with that in private and I’ve only been aware of him feeling depressed twice in my 1 1/2 years of being with him. I’m not saying that’s the only time he’s been depressed, it’s just the only time I’ve been aware.
If I had any pointers to give to people…
If you’re around people with Aspergers often, I would definitely advise learning their individual behaviours. Not everyone is like Dale, who can be quite verbal with what he is struggling with. Sometimes it’s a matter of trust. At the beginning of our relationship, Dale wouldn’t tell me things because he didn’t want me to think him being stupid or not being a Man. Luckily, Dale and I are in the kind of relationship where trust is very important, but it still had to be earned. I had to prove myself to Dale. It did come easy, but not without some speed bumps.
When they need to decompress or zone out, unless they’re like Dale and don’t mind touch, I would strongly advise to not abuse the situation and give into temptation to hug them. Even with Dale, I don’t hug him when he’s zoned out, and I’m one of Dales ‘safe people’. I’m not saying he would reject my hug if I did, but it would neither help the situation or help him feel better. I limit my touch to either a hand on the knee when it’s serious, which seems to have similar effect to a hug but with limited touch, or when he’s being a mega butt-head (when he’s not completely zoned out, just having a moment) I’ll put my hand on his cheek. That helps keep the situation light-hearted. When he worries about my thoughts about him, I’ll kiss him. I keep to these 3 without really changing them about so he doesn’t have to try and predict what I’m going to do or read into what the touch means.
Keep it real! Don’t flap about with eloquent metaphors or spinning fantasy tales. When Dales out of it, he needs cold hard facts. Things he can understand in plain black and white. Me telling him tall tales of wishy washy hopeful dreams wont bring him back to me sooner. If anything, it will confuse him. Most of the time Dale will prompt my answers through simple yes or no questions i.e “Do I have enough money for this?”, “Will I get ill?”, “I touched… and I didn’t wash my hands, is it hygienic?”. Yes you do, No you wont, Yes it’s fine. Dale can understand that. Not “Well if you save up [x amount of money] and in a couple of months you’ll meet a little man in a green suit who has money and then sure you can afford that” or “Uncooked chicken will make you ill, and because the chef was well trained and all the hygiene laws were observed, I’m sure the chicken wont give you food poisoning” or even “E-coli can travel from toilet seat to your hands, and then if you put your hands in your mouth, then you’ll get e-coli, but because the toilet seat was clean and you only touched it quickly, I’m sure you don’t have e-coli and it’s likely you wont get ill”.
Aspie’s can tell the time, but they can judge the amount of time. So saying in a couple of months it will be fine is a poor choice of words. A couple of months to me means maybe 2/3 months. To Dale, it could mean next year or next month. The uncertainty wont help him either.
So yeah, Sorry, that’s a long one, but we haven’t written in ages and nothing much has happened, however in the next month quite a few things are changing and happening. So hopefully more posts 🙂
As ever, thank you for reading. We may start keeping daily blogs which will probably be shorter and simply tell the day to day happenings rather then a lengthly boring blog for you to read. | {
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Jose Mourinho vs Arsene Wenger: Who is right?
Last week, Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho called Arsene Wenger a specialist in failure after the Arsenal manager told the press the league was Chelsea's to lose, sparking another squabble between two of the greatest managers in Premier League history.
Despite the fact the two do have some sort of friendship, they both like to play mind games to nerve each others respective teams as the Premier league title race enters it's final months with both Arsenal and Chelsea in the hunt for the countries biggest award.
So the question that many are asking is, is Jose Mourinho right when he says Arsene Wenger is a specialist in failure or is Wenger right when he says Mourinho is scared of failure?
Now, before I start with this debate, I would like one thing to be certain. These two managers are up there with the greatest managers of all time and however much they slag each other of, they will always be legends of the modern era.
When Jose Mourinho does state that Wenger is a specialist in failure, you cannot completely agree or disagree with his statement.
Since being appointed Arsenal manager in 1996, Wenger has won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and four Community Shields, winning these trophies playing beautiful attacking football and even going one campaign completely unbeaten in the Premier league 2003/4 season.
However, despite Wenger's success in his early days at Arsenal, his side have not won a major honour in almost nine years, which for a club of Arsenal's stature, is not good enough.
In those eight years, the Frenchman has worked with players like Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp, Ashley Cole, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie and new boy Mesut Ozil, suggesting that maybe the manager is the weak link.
Another thing Wenger has been criticised for is his lack of transfer activity.
The club record signing of Real Madrid play-maker Mesut Ozil was the first real money he had spent in a long time, and that was because the club had made a horrific start to the season and Wenger was rumoured to be in line to become the first sacking of the year.
With Arsenal top of the league in January, Gunners fans were screaming for Wenger to bring in a big name striker to fire them to the title.
Instead, he signed 31-year-old Swedish midfielder Kim Kallstrom from Spartak Moscow on loan for the rest of the season to provide back up for his small selection of central midfielders, despite the fact Kallstrom could not feature for a couple of weeks to a back injury.
However regardless of the fact he has had some very poor squads, he has always managed to get his team to qualify for the Champions League, an achievement maybe no other manager in world football could achieve.
This season, he has not had a clinical striker or much squad depth, but his side have been top of the league for the majority of the campaign.
Arguably Wenger's biggest attribute is his development of young players, turning them from nobodies to world stars.
The likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, Ashley Cole, Robin van Persie and Jack Wilshere have all been developed by Wenger and are now either former or current world class players.
But despite all these positives, you have to say Mourinho is probably right as success is everything these days and while Wenger is looking to end his eight year trophy drought with Arsenal, managers like Mourinho are continuing to win honours all around the world.
It's difficult to agree with Wenger when you consider that Mourinho won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one Community Shield in just three years in his first spell at Chelsea from 2004 to 2007.
The Portuguese tactician has also won another fourteen trophies at three other clubs in the shape of Porto of his native Portugal, Inter Milan of Italy and Real Madrid of Spain before returning to Stamford Bridge last summer.
These include two Champions league winners medals, two more than Wenger has ever won.
In this war of words, Mourinho is a clear winner. Wenger is a great manager and the job he has done at Arsenal has been terrific.
But maybe it is time for Wenger to move on to finally bring silverware back to Arsenal and make them the most feared club in the country again.
DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeSport Writing Academy and does not represent the views of GiveMeSport.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article. GiveMeSport.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.
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GiveMeSport.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.
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battlefield - hey! Good to read that you've got your head in the right space and consciously making good choices and appreciating what you have found in MA. There is a certain peace and purity of purpose found within movement isn't there? You'll find many stories, published works, personal experiences from all kinds of practitioners in sport and MA that resonate with your own realizations. Doesn't make your personal discovery any less worthy. Sorry to hear about the job situation, at least you're turning it into a positive. Just remember that all things are transient.
P.s. I totally feel jnp's envy that you can train so much!
Not sure what the other asshats in this thread are doing but it's par for the course on bs.net. devil is good in my books though.
When's your fight (is it in Sydney?)? Any chance I can watch?
"I'm reluctant to sound like a total fa66ot as well, but my background in sculpture gave me an edge in understanding how we're expected to move thru space." - The Other Other Serge
"He's the real deal, he only trains people in his driveway and only has 4 students and..." you know the rest. The guy is deadly. He doesn't do "what you do, for sport". The guy is super fast. The guy draws chi through the earth. The guy can **** around with your chi.
He showed me some footage of his master doing things with his arms very quickly. Useless things. Things that are not fight applicable. He's learning them thinking he is learning to fight. I didn't have the energy. I realised I'd become weary of arguing against bullshido in real life. I think because when I have come up against it in the past, I was overzealous and I may have spent all my zeal. If it is not fighting, I don't want to talk about it.
Originally Posted by battlefields
And if someone is running around telling people that they can block a punch with chi, I'm definitely going to want to test it.
OMG Battlefields is pouring his heart out on his upcoming fight. I strongly relate to emotions, despite SUBSTANCE of what is said. I'll now defend him with one of the lowest forms of rebuttal: teenage insults and dumbass pictures.
Cheng has made a clear case of why BF has shown to be a hypocrite here. On top of that, BF had to add that "I'm better than ..." bullshit, after Devil gave him sound advice.
Honestly, if I was BF, I'd ask you to stop defending me, it's fucking embarassing. | {
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Click on any picture to see it in high resolution, (it may require high bandwidth). When your mouse is over a picture, a box with the high resolution picture's size will appear.
Κατά το τέλος του 19ου και τις αρχές του 20ου αι. η Θεσσαλονίκη απέκτησε μια
σειρά θαυμάσια νεοκλασσικά κτίρια δημόσια και ιδιωτικά.
At the close of the 19th and the
begging of the 20th century
Thessaloniki acquired a series of
marvellous neoclassical public and
privately-owned buildings. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Singapore Corporate Investigation Services
Major Ponno Kalastree, Managing Director
Major Ponno Kalastree, Managing Director of Mainguard Security Services (S) Pte Ltd; is a successful developer of a Private Security Firm and presently running it on full glance with providing on-ground services of private investigations all over Singapore. From India to London, his early experiences to the international business world gave him the motivation to sharpen his business acumen for setting up a private security firm. His career highlights are inspirational as he is still having the full passion of providing the authentic services and also to establish the worldwide network. We have expertise in performing corporate investigations in Singapore and have served many corporations. Our services vary from case to case concerning to the matter’s demand and our basic layout of corporate investigations starts from Corporate Due Diligence, Asset tracing, Competitive intelligence, Corporate record research investigations, Corporate background checks and other important services are included which are needed for in-depth investigations.
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He also devoted some of his time in the sector of Trading, Shipping and in Insurance sector before entering in the field of Security and Private Investigation Industry. His vast knowledge and experience made him first in the race of leading developer.
SAS Meritorious Award 1997 for his dedicated service to the security industry in Singapore.
The Malcolm Thomson Award 1997 for his commitment to the development of the private investigation industry and presented by the Council of International Investigators.
The International Investigator of the Year 1998, which was awarded by the Council of International Investigators.
The Distinguished Service Award 2001 by the American Society for Industrial Security Region XXXII.
The Council of International Investigators, elected him as its President for the year 2001/2002, for being a professional committed to the security and investigation industry.
Our Corporate Investigations in Singapore are the unmatched process for the effective use of the clients to have the total protections of their business in Singapore. Our stronger ties with international or local partners enable us to provide all intelligence and investigative services to the clients located all over Singapore including Changi village, Geyland and Katong, Chinatown etc. We are committed to provide the thorough investigation with concluded and interpreted reports.
We are prompt in responding to all related queries with highly authenticated piece of advice. To obtain more comprehensive information related to our services, kindly contact us on [email protected]. | {
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*FREE UK Delivery on all orders over £25 *FREE Next Day UK Delivery on all orders over £40 (Mainland Only, Not All Areas Covered) | Free UK returns available (Terms and Conditions apply) | Fast worldwide delivery available
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Book Review: What Do You Fear? Book 1
First this definitely is not a typical horror novel rather an overabundance of violent actions layered with incredible twisted erotic storylines and compiled with horrendous actions, leading the reader through a maze of sinister tales diving further into the madness and depravity of the human nature. Author E.L. Jefferson writes from the standpoint of experience, having worked as a law enforcement officer, he takes these stories of fiction (hopefully) and convincingly portrays the cruelty that individuals inflict upon others all for their own sadistic pleasures. Jefferson who states “he’s not a fan of the vampire and werewolf stories, or the other typical monsters, rather [more realistic] stories of people harming others”. His concept likely remind most readers of the famous quote of Stephen King “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” This is his first novel, with no eBook available, but containing 10 short stories, hence give the writer a brief relief, as he definitely rushes to the finish line in some of the tales, especially in a 280-page book from 2012.
The stories within these pages tear open one’s mind, explore a few hidden and likely disgusting taboos, and make you examine your own fears, which perhaps sounds a bit like author Gregory Stock PhD’s The Book of Questions. However, the tales follow a pattern reminiscent of Tales of the Crypt but with a mature horror nature, that contains the ability to trap the reader forcing them to turn to the page to discover more unbridled misdeeds. One needs to note the book contains a few missteps, namely some stories foreshadow their likely intended conclusion such as in chapter 2 “Family Secrets” and a tad nuisance in the story “Night Drive” told in a POV mood, with many choppy short sentences emphasizing the pronoun “You” or a variation of it. In fact, on page 34 of this book, which travels through Night Drive it contains at least 50 “you” or a combination of “your and yourself” and one line has four “you” bunched together. Aside from these issues and hurried pace in these stories along with a misplayed “35,000” the book shows some positive attributes, with the story of “Three Blind Mice” providing a more fantasy filled occult storyline.
Let’s understand the positive of horror in general one to scare the reader and then to provoke, often authors play it safe, not wanting to offend, but the word of the genre already harsh, it needs to push, arouse, and make one look into their own soul. This novel does live up to my motto “The Extreme has a Lasting Impression” and as for the monsters they definitely are very real and exist through history taking the form of other people with sick perverse designs carve into society.
About This Site
This site will publish a new issue each month, covering both new and older horror movies, reaching into the depths forgotten treasures and the wretched disgraces. Also included are articles and interviews. In addition, reviewing thrillers, suspense, mysteries, dark dramas, perhaps a documentary and sci-fi flicks in the Other Worldly Cinema section, and proceeding onward through the twisted path of books, comics, soundtracks and music especially varied heavy metal genres and gothic/horror themed. Lastly, in an industry plagued with much memorabilia, and trying to determine what to buy or where to shop we cover that in Product Reviews, as well craving stories from aspiring writers and resurrecting reviews from our writers from defunct sites, all for your entertainment and hunger for more horror. | {
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Intimate partner violence declined from about 2.1 million victimizations in 1993 to around 907,000 in 2010, according to a report released today by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). This was a 64 percent decline in the rate of intimate partner violence over the 18-year data collection period.
The estimates in this report are based on data from BJS's National Crime Victimization Survey, which collects information from victims of crime. Nonfatal intimate partner violence includes rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault committed by a victim's current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend.
The overall rate of intimate partner violence declined from 9.8 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 1993 to 3.6 per 1,000 in 2010. Most of the decline in the rate of intimate partner violence occurred from 1993 to 2000. Over a more recent 10-year period from 2001 to 2010, the overall rate of intimate partner violence stabilized.
From 1993 to 2010, intimate partner violence declined by more than 60 percent for both male and female victims. The majority (85 percent) of victims were female.
Other findings showed—
Female victims ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34 generally experienced the highest rates of intimate partner violence from 1993 to 2010.
Most female victims of intimate partner violence were previously victimized by the same offender, including 77 percent of females ages 18 to 24, 76 percent of females ages 25 to 34, and 81 percent of females ages 35 to 49.
From 1993 to 2010, separated females experienced higher rates of intimate partner violence compared to married or divorced females.
From 2000 to 2005, the rate of intimate partner victimization remained stable for married females, while it declined for females who were never married (down 31 percent), divorced or widowed (down 31 percent) or separated (down 30 percent).
Females living in households comprised of one female adult with children experienced intimate partner violence at a rate more than 10 times higher than households with married adults with children and six times higher than households with one female only.
The report, Intimate Partner Violence, 1993–2010(NCJ 239203), was written by BJS statistician Shannan Catalano. The report, related documents and additional information about the Bureau of Justice Statistics' statistical publications and programs can be found on the BJS website at http://www.bjs.gov/.
The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has six components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.
Having a well-rounded brand strategy helps you identify the marketing channels you must focus on, and defines every aspect of how your business is viewed by your customers.
Marketing and advertising is an integral component of every business. The US Small Business Administration reco...
When you work with React app, it normally needs some data from the server to store it for immediate use (e.g., show it on the page). If the app works with some complex relational database the work than may be a bit challenging. In this article I am going to describe the issues with org...
Technology integration is complex and an evergreen business challenge for IT teams. Enterprises setup manual & point to point connections to exchange data from business partners. However, data disruptions emerge when the business IT systems expand and prevents organizations from sharin...
There's an impulse to roll one's eyes and think of legacy applications as problematic, almost by definition. They're old, and they may run on hardware that's slower or more difficult to maintain. But in many instances, that's too simplistic an assessment. Would you respond the same way...
Commerce has become both digital and global: Online sales are expected to exceed $1.6 trillion dollars by 2020. As a customer preferred way of doing business, ecommerce offers increased selection, value, and convenience. Online shopping also offers merchants increased access to custome... | {
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$230.00
Mechanical Quartz movement
CASE:Cushion
Diamond set
FUNCTIONS:Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Date
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Case diameter: 35.60 mm
New collections at Baselworld 2016. Just briefly after the close of the manufacture’s 175th anniversary celebrations, Patek Philippe is presenting a broad selection of debuts that will delight connoisseurs and admirers of fine watchmaking. | {
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What will baseball be like in the year 2044? If you said “umpires will use jet-packs, there will be minor league teams in Siberia, third basemen will be left-handed, female spectators will wear witches hats, and ‘The Detroit Bengals’ will be the most powerful team in baseball,” then get out of Jim Moore’s head, because back in the 50s he wrote a short story in which all of those things went down.
Oh, I should also mention, the star player for the Bengals was a fifth year player named Rocket Rigsby. If Bryce Harper plays until he’s 46, he could one day teach the rookie Rigsby a little bit about how Old School Baseball was played!
2044: 4 Wild Card teams in each league, starting pitchers go every 7th day, and 2 leagues both have 3 divisions of 7 teams each to assure constant inter-league play. Instant replay has not been expanded, unskilled umpires go undisciplined, one league has the DH and the other doesn’t, and Bud is promising to retire soon. | {
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Forgotten People Conference
Listen here!
Melissa Montana talks with Princess Zulu about the Forgotten People Conference that is happening tomorrow at Life Bridge Church from 8a-4p. They talk about one of the topics that will be covered during the conference and the opportunity that Christians have to help the forgotten people. For more information and for tickets, www.forgottenpeopleconference.com . | {
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} |
We require an Administrative Assistant/Receptionist with excellent customer service skills who is results and detail oriented and enjoys a fast paced environment. The candidate will ensure the effective day-to-day operation of the office by providing professional and courteous administrative support.
This is a 2-3 month contract commencing in February 2014
Job Description:
Prepare correspondence/spreadsheets/reports/sub-contracts/contracts/pre-qualifications/tenders for review and/or signature for the required individual
Provide daily reception relief
Open, sort and distribute incoming correspondence
Greet all clients and visitors to the office in a professional and courteous manner | {
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} |
11Jarrett Boykin WR
Player Updates
1422458946
Packers not expected to make offer to WR Jarrett Boykin
by Larry Hartstein | CBSSports.com
Packers wideout Jarrett Boykin is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and it's unlikely the team even makes him an offer, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Boykin lost the No. 3 receiver job this season to rookie Davante Adams, who outperformed any Packers rookie wideout since James Jones in 2007.
Boykin finished the year with the same number of catches as drops, three, the paper noted.
If Randall Cobb re-signs with Green Bay, the Packers will enter 2015 with Jordy Nelson, Cobb and Adams as their three primary wideouts.
The Packers received contributions from several role players during Sunday's defeat to the Bills in Week 15.
Backup running back James Starks rushed for 19 yards on four carries and caught one of three targets for 10 yards. Andrew Quarless and Davante Adams were each targeted four times but finished with only one grab. Quarless caught one pass for a 7-yard gain, while Adams came down with a 6-yard reception. Jarrett Boykin and Richard Rodgers were each held without a grab.
The Packers backup pass catchers did little Week 13 against the Patriots.
Richard Rodgers had the biggest impact, picking up a 32 yard score in the first quarter. He finished with two catches for 35 yards. Running back James Starks had a bigger impact in the passing game, hauling in two catches for 34 yards. He had one rush, gaining 2 yards. Tight end Andrew Quarless also had two catches, but finished with 17 yards. Jarrett Boykin had one catch, picking up 6 yards.
The Packers received minor contributions from several role players in a comfortable Week 7 victory over the Panthers on Sunday.
Tight ends Andrew Quarless, Brandon Bostick and Richard Rodgers each came down with one receptions. Rodgers was targeted twice and finished with 1 yard while Quarless finished with 9 yards. Bostick had just 2 receiving yards. Kevin Dorsey was targeted twice and finished with one catch for 4 yards.
Meanwhile, Jarrett Boykin, who was active for the first time since suffering a groin injury, but did not receive a target in a 38-17 victory. | {
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NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo poll results
Here are the results from our brand-new NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo poll on immigration: "White and Latino Americans are deeply divided over immigration, their allegiances to the nation's political parties and their opinions about President Barack Obama, according to a new NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo poll. And in the wake of Arizona's controversial anti-illegal immigration law, the survey suggests that Republicans could get an immediate political boost, but may face a long-term problem among Latinos, the nation's fastest-growing demographic group."
"'Are there areas where the Republicans can make short-term gains? Yes,' says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this poll with GOP pollster Bill McInturff. 'But the fear is that they have long-term losses.'" | {
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Eduardo "You dont stop until i say stop, you dont get tired until i say your tired, keep going."
Originally posted by Ralek
My cousin gave me some tapes of him doing tkd. I learned from those tapes. When I beat up an Akido instructor, and made him take rest breaks, I used TKD. I learned Bjj from watching ufc and pride and then I copied them and wrestled my cousin for practice. I choked him out and he tapped.
I'm sure the extra weight is extra muscle, but that doesn't make it any less a failure of professionalism than when Carano or Lutter does it. He has an established team and the tools to cut weight on a schedule. He's not some schmuck with two jobs.
Eduardo "You dont stop until i say stop, you dont get tired until i say your tired, keep going."
Originally posted by Ralek
My cousin gave me some tapes of him doing tkd. I learned from those tapes. When I beat up an Akido instructor, and made him take rest breaks, I used TKD. I learned Bjj from watching ufc and pride and then I copied them and wrestled my cousin for practice. I choked him out and he tapped.
The street argument is retarded. BJJ is so much overkill for the street that its ridiculous. Unless you're the idiot that picks a fight with the high school wrestling team, barring knife or gun play, the opponent shouldn't make it past double leg + ground and pound - Osiris
I'm sure the extra weight is extra muscle, but that doesn't make it any less a failure of professionalism than when Carano or Lutter does it. He has an established team and the tools to cut weight on a schedule. He's not some schmuck with two jobs.
Where did you get all of that from "Pitbull is not a fatass"?
Originally Posted by Sifu Rudy Abel
"Just what makes a pure grappler think he can survive with an experienced striker. Especially if that striker isn't following any particular rule set and is well aware of what the grapplers strategies are". | {
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Vajra Transpower is a transformer manufacturing company in Hyderabad which aims to deliver quality and standard transformers that are designed using a 36 years old testing system at affordable price and as per the customer requirement. It is one of the transfo | {
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Christmas is the best and what better way to celebrate it than in your shorts running with your friends and neighbors.
One of the great things about a virtual race is that you can run them anywhere. Challenge your friends and register early. There’s something powerful about running “with” your friends wherever they are.
Hi, I just found out about this race and would like to sign up. I was just wondering if there are t-shirts left if I sign up now? I know that I wouldnt get it before the race, but wondering if it would still be sent. Thanks. | {
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Tag Archives: children’s stories with morals
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy with stories to help children develop cognitive skills
I heard about Bloom’s Taxonomy a while ago and I decided to look into it to see how I could apply it to reading stories with my daughter and try to devise ways of helping her develop her cognitive skills.
I am hoping that this article will give you an insight into what Bloom’s Taxonomy is and provide some simple ways you can use it when reading children’s stories with your kids. Essentially, I’m hoping that by the end of this article you will :
Have an idea of what Bloom’s taxonomy is and why it is useful
Have some ideas on how you can help your kids build their cognitive skills by using some simple questions when sharing a children’s story together.
As a parent, I want my daughter to be able to think for herself, form and defend opinion and forge her own path in life. Understanding what is involved in performing that kind of attitude and thinking and knowing how to help her develop those abilities is another way I reckon I can do my best as her Dad.
What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?
Bloom’s Taxonomy is one of the most widely used references in education and, over the years, has even been translated into 22 different languages and is in use around the world.
Psychologist Benjamin S. Bloom was known for contemplating and extensively studying the process of how things worked and this included the process of “thinking”.
He believed that there was specific behaviours that could be noticed and were important in the in the process of learning and in 1956, Bloom’s Taxonomy was created.
There are actually three different domains that make up Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Cognitive – Mental skills and Flexibility (Knowledge);
Affective – Growth in Feelings or Emotional capacity (Attitude)
Psychomotor – Manual or Physical skills (Skills).
Each domain is then segmented into different levels for educational goals and objectives.
The Cognitive Domain of Bloom’s Taxonomy
The “Cognitive” domain is what is focused on when helping children learn how to read and think and this is what teachers put a lot of emphasis on in schools.
It is also the focus of this article and, if people would like to know more, I might follow up with the other domains in separate articles (so please do let me know in the comments).
Bloom’s Cognitive domain focuses on the knowledge, comprehension and critical thinking that a child uses or displays during reading time.
Bloom created six different levels of cognitive learning and suggested that each level must be mastered before the child can move onto the next level.
In the 1990’s, a former student of Bloom’s revised the Taxonomy which brought it into the 21st century and it was again updated in 2001.
The only thing altered in the revision is the names of the levels which now look like this:
Every child’s critical and cognitive thinking starts with the lowest level and gradually works up to the highest level
There are definite signs that a child shows when they have mastered each level and there are specific questions that you can ask of your kids which will encourage the mental stimulation needed to obtain the next level.
Here is a quick guide for each level that shows the signs a child might exhibit when they have mastered it and example questions that can be asked to encourage mental growth.
By noticing the child’s reactions and answers you will be able to tell when the child has reached a new level in learning and reward accordingly.
To give us a children’s story base line, I am using Little Red Riding Hood as the example book we’re reading. It is important to note that this applies throughout childhood and adolescence and arguably, we never stop developing these levels, so if you have a 4yr old, a 10yr old or even a stroppy teenager, you can and should still apply all of these idea.
Bloom’s First Level : Remembering
In this level the child will be able to recall basic facts about the book through memorising and be able to answer general questions about the book or objects that are in the book.
Help your kids master the remembering level by asking questions like :
Bloom’s Second Level : Understanding
At this level, our kids will be able to understand the main idea of the book, recognise characters and organise the facts.
Ask questions such as :
Why was Little Red Riding Hood walking through the woods?
Why did the wolf put on Grandma’s clothes?
These questions will help your child master understanding of the situation and concepts in the book.
Bloom’s Third Level : Applying
At this level, our kids should be able to show that they can use the knowledge and facts acquired from the book and apply it to other situations.
Ask questions such as :
Besides going through the woods, how could Little Red Riding Hood have made it to Grandma’s house?
Why is it dark in the woods?
What would happen if Red Riding hood had gone with a friend?
These kind of how and why and what if questions will encourage your kids to apply what they have learned from other aspects in life equipping them with the ability to do it at any time.
Bloom’s Fourth Level : Analysing
This level encourages the mind of the child to examine the facts of the book, distinguish differences and gather evidence to support what they think.
Questions around the ideas of :
Why is walking through the woods alone dangerous
If you were Little Red Riding Hood what would you do?
These kind of questions make your child concentrate on the scenario to gather important facts which will lead to a conclusion.
Classroom debates at school are specifically designed to develop this analysis and reasoning ability and having constructive discussions from different positions on a topic is a skill that’s well worth encouraging.
Make a game of it and challenge your kids to argue a counter position to an opinion they hold dear – Why Pop music is a bad influence, or why mobile phones should be banned from use at school for example. Make it fun and tongue-in-cheek (this is very important).
One of the many anti-bullying techniques used in schools in the uk is to have kids arguefroth for and against the motivations of a fictious classroom bully.
Bloom’s Fifth Level : Evaluating
In this level the child will learn how to evaluate the evidence that they use to draw their conclusion and justify or defend their opinion on the story.
To encourage the development of this cognitive skill, ask opinion questions such as :
Do you think it was wrong for the wolf to try to trick Little Red Riding Hood?
Do you think it what the wolf tried to do was fair?
Get your kids to justify their opinion by asking them why they think it was wrong or fair etc.
For older or moore developed kids: ask them whether they think there were any mistakes or assumptions made by the author (or screen writer if discussing a film). Where there any inconsistencies in the opinions or actions of the characters or story?
For those at exam age, these kinds of critical evaluative discussions often take the form of English or Science homework.
Bloom’s Sixth Level : Creating
In my opinion, this is perhaps the most fun level and because of that I think it’s actually easier than some of the earlier ones.
At this level, our children will be able to gather the information they have learned and create an alternative ending or construct a new scenario for the story.
Encourage the child to write a poem or song from the story or maybe have Little Red Riding Hood on the moon.
It is up to the child’s imagination what they develop from the story because the basis has already been set up through the original story.
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I just want to point out that while there are 6 levels, it is in fact a sliding scale and kids will develop different skills at different levels at different times, and you will also notice how each level stacks on top: requiring our children to use the skills developed at the lower levels in order to be able to develop the new ones.
Other bonuses of asking questions about a children’s story you’re reading together
As my daughter and I have discovered, there are all sorts of other bonuses from making this part of story time!
We have great little games where I ask question after question until she makes a big dramatic show and goes “Daddy, enough questions!”.
We make up alternative stories from scratch which leads to all sorts of adventures and games. It also gives me a chance to guide the story to deliver other morals or lessons.
Boring books and stories suddenly become more interesting as you explore possible made up back stories to the characters’ and situations and believe me : your kids will come up with some weird and wacky ideas!
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A good Google session will reveal all sorts of articles and resources on this, but don’t get bogged down with trying to learn all there is to know. The best thing you can do for your kids is to learn a little bit and give it a go with them. If you want a quick reference guide, then chthout this PDF which gives both hints at the kinds of words to be using as well as suggested questions and outcomes to aim for when following the taxonomy.
Whatever you do, enjoy story time. It should be fun and not “work” or a chore or else our kids won’t enjoy it. They’ll soon tell you they’ve had enough!
Story Telling Vs Reading Stories
There is more to telling stories than meets the eye.
I spend a good deal of time and effort finding and recommending books for you guys to read with your kids and parents and teachers around the world are likewise encouraged to read stories to their children and classrooms to enrich the imagination and introduce literacy.
However…
There is so much more to explore through storytelling than simply reading the words aloud off the page of a good book!
Of course, reading is essential to literacy development but storytelling delights and encourages children to listen to the music of words in different ways.
Why Tell a story as opposed to Reading one?
Both reading and telling are great ways to communicate stories to children but the differences between the two are quite considerable for both the parent/teacher and the children listening.
When reading stories, the reader must always be focused on the printed words while occasionally looking at the audience.
In contrast, telling a story gives the teller freedom to speak directly to the children, remaining in eye contact while having the opportunity to watch for their reactions to the story.
It is the teller who makes the story come to life through the sound of their voice and personality combined.
The storytelling becomes almost a personal experience for all involved.
3 Basic rules of children’s stories
There are three essential elements involved in storytelling;
the story
the storyteller
the audience
The story itself should be a narrative short enough to be told in one sitting.
It can be a fiction or non-fiction but more importantly something that the teller is interested in and enjoys.
There really are no limits to what type of story can be told.
Before the written word, storytelling was the only way a person could relate events to other people.
Traditions were passed down from one generation to the next with the use of oral stories.
Even today, libraries are filled with books containing the different folk tales from cultures all over the world.
If it were not for storytelling, these may have been lost and never recorded.
Linking the story to your audience
Linking the story to the audience is up to the storyteller.
The best stories are personal stories because they come from within the teller and I find that my memory (and imaginative additions) is much clearer and provides a wider base for everything from descriptive surroundings to sub-plots and hidden lessons.
However, an experienced teller can learn any story and make it their own (and reading and practicing the tips and hints in the free storytelling technique course will set you on the right path).
The beginner may feel more comfortable with a traditional well known story like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, or Little Red Riding Hood.
Personal stories however, usually hold the greatest interest for a teller and have the potential to produce the inner most enthusiasm while reciting remembered events – plus : The audience will enjoy the story just as much as the teller enjoys telling it.
Some people are natural born storytellers, but anyone who is willing to practice and devote time and study can become a good one.
There are certain characteristics that a natural storyteller may possess that gives them an advantage.
A creative imagination and a flair for drama will help bring a story to life so the children will be able to visualize in their own minds the characters and setting of the story.
It is also better to be prepared for the sometimes unexpected tidbits the children will want to add to the story themselves. Including their ideas and engaging with the audience will truly make for a successful storytelling session.
There is clearly more to telling children’s stories than one at first thinks and indeed the same can be said of reading stories, but you have to start somewhere right?
I want you to be able to feel confident to tell stories to your children from your memory or made up from your incredible imagination that speak directly to the third piece of the storytelling : your audience!
The great thing is that generally we know our audience quite well which gets us off to a great start and I hope that in coming weeks you’ll start to gain some ideas and confidence and a structure around how you can formulate and tell your own stories to your kids.
Telling Children’s Stories Using Story Sacks
In this article about story sacks (also known as “storysacks” without a space), we’ll look at what they are, why they help us tell stories, what is in one and how you can make your own!
I don’t think anyone viewing this website will disagree that one of the most important gifts children receive is a love of stories and reading.
Young children often find it easier to relate to stories and concepts if they have something concrete in front of them that help them understand what’s being discussed or told. This is one reason picture books and books with plenty of simple illustration are so popular for this age group.
Storytelling and Difficult Subjects: Divorce and Separation
With more and more families breaking up with parents separating or divorcing, there is an ever increasing need to help our children understand what is going on and why, should they find themselves in the middle of one. Even if your marriage or relationship is as solid as a rock, you can bet that your child will have friends in their class whose parents’ are (or have) separating/divorcing. Children’s stories and storytelling are great tools for broaching this stressful subject even if only to explain what your child’s best friend at school is going through.
There are many concepts and subjects that can be particularly stressful and even scary to address with our kids, and some which are just a little more difficult to know how to broach with children – which can also be communicated through storytelling techniques.
Using Storytelling to Start Conversations
Some of the subjects covered in contemporary children’s stories are undoubtedly the same that parents of all eras have wrestled with. Others may be unique to contemporary culture. Either way, storytelling techniques can be used as a way to touch on the more difficult lessons children have to learn. They can give you a way to easily bring up the subject with kids and can also be a means of generating additional conversations with your kids on those hard subjects.
Don’t underestimate your kids’ ability to handle these harder subjects. It’s all in how you approach topics with them. They learn from you and the methods you use in communicating about difficult topics can strongly influence how your children respond to these kinds of subjects. Putting good children’s stories to work for you is one of the best ways to broach more uncomfortable subjects with your kids. These books have been specifically designed to help you deal with difficult topics in terms that children can easily understand. Continue reading Storytelling and children’s stories for Divorce and Separation→
Storytelling and Life Lessons: Teaching Moral Themes with Story Books
All the history books and in every culture around the world, storytelling is and has been used as a technique for teaching children very early on about the importance of morals and ethics.
Bedtime stories for kids have been a way to teach even the youngest of children about acceptable social norms, moral ways of behaving and the association between cause and effect since humans were able to draw on cave walls.
Of course, storytelling serves many other purposes as well.
These can include getting kids interested in literacy and educating children about family and cultural history and beliefs.
Children’s stories with morals then can serve multiple purposes and the life lessons children are able to glean from these tales will stick with them throughout their lives. What kids learn in their formative years have a lasting effect and instilling proper behaviors in beliefs in your children when they are young helps stage them for success later in life.
Storytelling and Morals
Children’s stories can be very open about the fact that they are teaching an important life lesson. Equally, the moral of the story may be buried in the storyline itself. Books of both varieties can be very useful in teaching life lessons to children and parents often decide to use storytelling techniques which include both styles of writing.
Traditional Life Lessons
Classic life lessons like treating people equally, appreciating what you have, and sharing with others are common themes in classic children’s literature and many contemporary children’s stories. A few examples of newer books which teach kids lasting life lessons include:
For slightly older kids (I’d say five and upwards) The Juice Box Bully: Empowering Kids to Stand Up For Others by Maria Dismondy is a fantastic story about a new boy at school who’s trying to carve himself a space by being a bit of bully and how the rest of the class take a kind, but firm promise to help him to become a nice and kind member of the class. It takes the issue of bullying and instead of tackling the bully, it’s actually tackling the apathy and bystander effect and helps children learn to help eachother even if they possibly don’t deserve it.
Classic children’s stories which cover themes of central importance to building a strong character never lose their meaning.
Tales like those from Aesop and other fables teach children clear messages about right and wrong, moral or ethical and non-moral behavior, and the consequences of not exhibiting strong ethics and morals at all times and under all circumstances.
These stories teach children in non-threatening ways.
They don’t use scare tactics to get kids to understand the consequences of bad behaviors.
They instead play on the positive aspects of doing the right thing.
Storytelling techniques which are positive in nature have a healthier and more lasting effect on children’s own moral compass development.
New themes in children’s books
While some life lessons which appear in classic and contemporary children’s stories are the same lessons human have been teaching to their children for generations, there are also many relevant moral and ethical themes for today’s society. Parents who wish to use storytelling techniques to educate their kids on environmentalism, multiculturalism, and other similar concepts now have many options available in today’s kids books.
Incorporating ethical life lessons on these newer themes has never been easier.
Good bedtime stories can have somewhat complex themes that are broken down into easy to understand tales appropriate for young children. By making stories interesting and by parents employing good storytelling techniques, even complex themes are simple for kids to understand.
Don’t underestimate their ability to comprehend the moral behind the story.
Discussing Themes and Morals Outside of Story Time
Reinforcing life lessons learned during bedtime stories or other storytelling activities is also important.
The good bedtime stories you read to your kids are only the beginning of life lessons.
Use them as the jumping off point for a larger discussion on the topics covered in the stories and the moral or ethical lessons taught in the tales you read. | {
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You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.
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To Sir With Love
Rick Braithwaite is a young black man, born in South America, who just got out of the Air Force. Now in Britain, Braithwaite is looking for a career, mainly to pay for food, but things do not work out as planned. He comes to know the malady of prejudice very well, as he is turned down from job after job. Braithwaite describes feeling “caught like an insect in the tweezers grip of prejudice.” Teaching becomes the therapy to set him free. When Mr. Braithwaite took the job as a teacher, he did not expect his students to be barbaric savages. Braithwaite has a hard time as he counters the cynicism of his impressionable students and, now and then, that of his colleagues also. The difficulties he faces, in getting students to focus on aspirations in the future rather than the upcoming weekend are painfully true. The need for inventive and genuine approaches to these educational challenges is abundantly clear. Gradually, he wins over the minds of his students as he tries to wipe clean their minds of prejudices. With hard work and dedication, he turns this class of delinquents into a class of young men and women with class. The whole time, Mr. Braithwaite realizes that it is not his skin color that is holding him back, but his attitude. He reflects that, “At first it was terrible, but gradually I’m learning what it means to live with dignity inside my black skin.”
This book was again recommended by our school so we had to read it.But let me tell you,its an awesome read and u`ll all love it.The theme and background of this book is completely different from the other books i`ve read,so i really enjoyed it.The lesson from this story we get is that all people in this world are equal.We should not discriminate people on the basis on color or any other ideological background.Hence with this good thought in mind,i definitely recommend this book to all.I`ll rate it a 10/10 for how Rick found his way through the people whom he loved and who hated it and criticised him.Its by E.R Braithwaite.We also have a movie based on it,so you can even watch that.
Do read it and tell me your reviews.This is a question for all-Do u believe in racial discrimination? or have u ever witnessed any such thing? If yes do tell the reasons.Happy reading to all the bookaholics. 🙂 | {
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Tabs
3/30/2009
Movie Poster Math...
It's no secret that I think Tony Stark has the greatest facial hair ever. Heck, I even tried to grow a Tony Stark goatee of my own! And it's because of his alter ego, Robert Downey Jr., that I'm unbelievably stoked for Sherlock Holmes. The above poster was just snapped at this week's ShoWest conference in Las Vegas. (Picture via comingsoon.net) | {
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I have a friend who burns her unsuccesful paintings at the end of the year. I think that is a dangerous activity. The fumes of the paint and mediums burning cannot be a good thing. I much prefer to paint over a less successful painting and save a few dollars by reusing the canvas. I am all about recycling. | {
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#RealLife •Stories are 'mostly' Fictional•
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In Nigeria, Senate Approves Marriage of Underage girls.
In a move that would be seen as the climax to an unfolding drama following approval of 14-year jail term for gays on grounds
of religious morality, the Nigerian Senate
has approved marriage for underage girls
also on the ground of religious morality.
Abuja – Ahmed Sani Yarima, former
governor of Zamfara state, who in 2009,
sparked international outrage after he cited
Islamic law rather than concupiscence of a
strange kind, to justify marrying a 13-year-
old Egyptian girl in violation of Nigeria’s
constitution, finally succeeded in getting his
colleagues in the Senate to approve
marriage for underage girls.
According to THIS DAY, the Senate, sitting to
consider recommendations of the Senate
Committee on Review of the Constitution,
had earlier voted to retain the section of
the constitution stipulating that a woman
shall not be qualified for marriage until she
is 18 years old.
The Senate moved later to alter the
provision after Senator Ahmad Sani Yarima
(Zamfara West) protested claiming that it
violated Islamic law.
In spite of a Senate policy prohibiting repeat votes on clauses, Yarima convinced his colleagues to strike out the age
requirement for women on the grounds that it was “un-Islamic.”
The drama began after the Senate passed
75-14 a proposed amendment that says:
“Any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age,” with subsection (a) defining “full age” as “the age of 18 years and above.”
Soon after the vote, Yerima drew his
colleague’s attention to item 61 (2.) under
part 1 of the second schedule to the
constitution which prohibits the National
Assembly legislating on matters pertaining
to Islamic and Customary laws. He argued:
“Under Islamic law, any woman that is
married is of age and if you say 18 years
you are going against Islamic law.”
Senate President David Mark responded
saying that the amendment had already
been passed through a vote and that in
keeping with Senate policy the issue would
not be revisited.
The Senate then went on to vote on
whether states should be allowed to
establish prisons. After a vote against the
proposed amendment, the Senate President
held back the gavel from the block and gave instructions for a second vote because of noisy distractions and inattention during the process.
Yarima saw this as an opportunity to
challenge the earlier decision not to allow a
second vote on the matter of marriage
age. He threatened angrily to walk out
from the chamber if his request was not
granted.
His demand led to a sharp exchange with
Mark, who insisted: “Senate can revisit it
once more but not now because Islamic
scholars can argue it and we can revisit
later.”
However, Senator Mohammed Danjuma
Goje (PDP, Gombe), accused the Senate
President of “double standard.” According to THE DAILY TRUST, Goje said: “Why do we have double standard in this Senate? On two occasions you allowed votes to be retaken on other clauses but you disallowed Senator Yarima.”
Mark responded: “I take serious exceptions
to say that I am doing double standard.”
Yarima, however, insisted that he wanted
another vote. Mark rebuked him sharply,
arguing that a second vote would have been unnecessary if he had raised the matter appropriately at the committee before it reached the floor.
He, however finally conceded, saying:
“Because of the sensitivity of issues on
religion I am revisiting it.”
A Senate composed significantly of men in
polygamous marriages voted 60 to 35 to
remove from the draft constitution the
requirement of 18 years for women being
married.
The amendment which faces a good
prospect of final passage after it is
approved by the House of Representatives
says that a woman or girl who is married
shall be considered “of age” by virtue of her
status as a married woman, thus implying
that even an infant shall be considered to
be “of age” once married.
The Nigerian Senate thus approves
pedophilia in the constitution after having
passed a bill declaring homosexual relations
between consenting adults a crime.
According to The Daily Trust, the National
Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in
Persons (NAPTIP) investigated the allegation of child marriage against Yarima in 2010, but Nigeria’s Attorney General at the time, Mohammed Bello Adoke, said the Federal Government could not prosecute him because the marriage was contracted under Islamic law, which the constitution
recognizes. | {
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Kaitlin joined Vault via Pittsburgh, where she studied and landed internships at the venerable Andy Warhol Museum, the American Red Cross and Hornercom. She immediately made an impact on our team with her formidable writing skills, specifically in the area of technical writing and making complex subjects reader-friendly. The consummate professional, Kaitlin’s calm approach and no-nonsense style results in unmatched strategic counsel and extremely happy and loyal clients. And a side bonus? Her mom pops in every once in a while to make us lunch.
Born In: Drexel Hill, PA
Current Residence: Upper Dublin, PA
Aliases: Outside of work, I go by Kate. (Crazy, I know.)
Family: Husband Greg and son Nolan
Education: B.A. Communications Rhetoric from University of Pittsburgh
Proudest Professional Moment: Arranging successful media tours in New York City for the CEOs of several client companies | {
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IMPACTS UPDATE - COVID-19
Bosch’s No. 1 priority is the safety of its customers, associates and partners. The jobs done by our customers are essential, however, so it is essential that we do our jobs as well – in as safe and responsible a way as we can. It is our aim to be as transparent as possible about any changes or disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. So this is a place where Bosch Tools will share information about customer service operations, service centers, facilities, shipping, distribution and more.
CURRENT UPDATE
5/27/2020 Update – All Service Centers Are Fully Operational
As of today, all four of our Service Centers are fully operational and are operating under their normal work hours. They are open Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 4:30 pm local time. As a reminder, these service centers are located in Addison, Illinois; Anaheim, California; South Plainfield, New Jersey; and Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.
During this time, we have introduced limited contact drop-off and pickup. The drop-off instructions are available at each location. Each has a drop zone for tools to be repaired and a pickup zone for completed repairs. Three pieces of information are needed for the process: the model number (which is on the tool), the serial number (also located on the tool) and when the tool was purchased. The number to call when you arrive at the location will be posted. For more information, call 1-877-Bosch99 (1-877-267-2499)
Bosch's No. 1 priority is the health and well-being of our customers, associates and partners. At our service facilities, we continue to follow CDC and government protocols, so we can ensure that our employees work in a safe environment.
PREVIOUS UPDATES
As of today, operations at the Addison, IL service center are temporarily suspended until further notice. Drop-off and pickup at Addison is suspended. Operations of our other three service centers remain intact. We are rerouting E-repair services to our Walnut Ridge Bosch Service Center within our network, and we are still accepting E-repair requests. You may experience a service shipping delay, but we are working to get back to full service as quickly as we can. You can track your service request through E-repair. Bosch’s No. 1 priority is the health and well-being of its customers, associates and partners. We follow CDC and government protocols, so we can ensure that our employees work in a safe environment. For more information, call Bosch Service at (800) 346-4103.
5/11/2020 Update - Increased Service Center Hours
As of today, Bosch has increased the hours of operations at three Service Centers: Addison, Illinois; Anaheim, California; South Plainfield, New Jersey. These three locations are now open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm local time. For a full list of Bosch Service Center hours of operations, click here.
4/6/2020 Update - Shipping Delays
We continue to ship tool orders from our facilities in West Memphis & Walnut Ridge and we remain committed to getting orders shipped on time. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our shipping partners, FedEx and UPS, have announced shipping delays and suspensions of their shipping guarantees. Because of this, we are expecting shipping delays.
Our number one priority is the safety of our customers, associates and partners. We hope to get back to our standard service levels as soon as possible. Also, we have suspended our RapidRepair® five-day guarantee, until further notice. For more information, please contact us via the methods listed below. Thank you for your continued support during this time.
3/26/2020 Update - Customer Service
In continuing to provide transparency on the impact of COVID-19 on our customer service operations, we wanted to deliver an update from a previous communication. As of today, our traditional customer service methods have been restored. Please return to using the below options for all customer service needs
3/24/2020 Update - Supply Chain
Throughout the past week our distribution operations have been maintained at 100%. We continue to take steps to maintain our operations and shipments at this level to you our customers in these difficult times. While taking these efforts the safety of our associates is paramount and we are continuing strict hygiene, cleaning, and distancing within the warehouse. In the event of any change in our operations we will inform you. Due to an increase in rejected shipments, we would appreciate your support in notifying us if any of your locations are closed.
3/23/2020 Update - Suspension of Rapid Repair Guarantee
At Bosch, we understand that reducing downtime and getting back on the job is critical. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, however, our shipping partners, FedEx and UPS, have announced shipping delays and suspensions of their shipping guarantees. Because of this, we are expecting shipping delays and suspension of our RapidRepair five-day guarantee, until further notice.
3/23/2020 Update - Modified Service Center Hours
Our service centers will remain open, but with modified hours. Please see the list of service centers and hours of operations here.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
This current situation has disrupted the lives of all our customers. We know that they provide critical services; just know that our customer service team is up and running, here to help you during this time. Your complete satisfaction is very important to us.
Bosch’s four Service Centers are operational, be we have modified operating hours at three of them until further notice. Please see the list below.
We have introduced limited contact drop-off and pickup at this time. The drop-off instructions are at each location. Each location has a drop zone for tools to be repaired and a pickup zone for completed repairs. You just need to provide three pieces of information: The model number (which is on the tool), the serial number (which is on the tool), and when the tool was purchased.The number to call when you arrive at the location will be posted. For more information, call 1-877-BOSCH99 (1-877-267-2499).
Our traditional distributor service methods are available for your convenience. If you would like to check the status of or place a new order, please visit Boschlink. We are also available by phone, email, and fax. Please use the below options for all distributor service needs. Thank you for your understanding and continued partnership during this time. | {
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"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep," Obama cautioned. Young and charismatic but with little experience on the national level, Obama smashed through racial barriers and easily defeated ...
Former President Jimmy Carter in recalling former President George W. Bush's many contributions to Africa including HIV/AIDS relief and a peace treaty in Sudan, at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library, said he was "filled with admiration" about Bush's push to help "the most needy people on earth."http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/...It was a pretty amazing moment here on video.Just wish he had been more supportive of Iraqi human rights when he was criticizing Bush for freeing them from Saddam's tyranny.
Give us a break Carol! As bad as Saddam was there were 1000's less dead under his reign since Bush's so called liberation. Every day a new car bomb kills multiple ppl and its become so common the news doesn't even cover it sometimes. This is not counting 100's of thousands killed during the war. In Saddam's time had any bomber dared to try their hand knew Saddam would wipe out their family tree afterwards. So all this crap we see now was kept in check. Besides it was also useful for the US to have Saddam keeping the Iranians on their toes. All this went out the window when Bush liberated Iraq. Iran knew they didn't have to worry about them any-more so concentrated on their nuke arsenal and supply weapons to insurgents to keep the Iraq government in disarray. Over all I'd say its about as negative in outcome as you can get for the US and the West. So well done Bush, another republican lead foreign policy failure!
<quoted text>Give us a break Carol! As bad as Saddam was there were 1000's less dead under his reign since Bush's so called liberation. Every day a new car bomb kills multiple ppl and its become so common the news doesn't even cover it sometimes. This is not counting 100's of thousands killed during the war. In Saddam's time had any bomber dared to try their hand knew Saddam would wipe out their family tree afterwards. So all this crap we see now was kept in check. Besides it was also useful for the US to have Saddam keeping the Iranians on their toes. All this went out the window when Bush liberated Iraq. Iran knew they didn't have to worry about them any-more so concentrated on their nuke arsenal and supply weapons to insurgents to keep the Iraq government in disarray. Over all I'd say its about as negative in outcome as you can get for the US and the West. So well done Bush, another republican lead foreign policy failure!
<quoted text>The Government-Created Subprime Mortgage Meltdownby Thomas J. DiLorenzoThe thousands of mortgage defaults and foreclosures in the "subprime" housing market (i.e., mortgage holders with poor credit ratings) is the direct result of thirty years of government policy that has forced banks to make bad loans to un-creditworthy borrowers. The policy in question is the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), which compels banks to make loans to low-income borrowers and in what the supporters of the Act call "communities of color" that they might not otherwise make based on purely economic criteria.The original lobbyists for the CRA were the hardcore leftists who supported the Carter administration and were often rewarded for their support with government grants and programs like the CRA that they benefited from. These included various "neighborhood organizations," as they like to call themselves, such as "ACORN" (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now). These organizations claim that over $1 trillion in CRA loans have been made, although no one seems to know the magnitude with much certainty. A U.S. Senate Banking Committee staffer told me about ten years ago that at least $100 billion in such loans had been made in the first twenty years of the Act.So-called "community groups" like ACORN benefit themselves from the CRA through a process that sounds like legalized extortion. The CRA is enforced by four federal government bureaucracies: the Fed, the Comptroller of the Currency, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The law is set up so that any bank merger, branch expansion, or new branch creation can be postponed or prohibited by any of these four bureaucracies if a CRA "protest" is issued by a "community group." This can cost banks great sums of money, and the "community groups" understand this perfectly well. It is their leverage. They use this leverage to get the banks to give them millions of dollars as well as promising to make a certain amount of bad loans in their communities.
Yeah, every now and then some drags this article out like it's some kind of gem but in reality it's a piece of dreck. 50% of subprime loans were made by institutions that weren't subject to federal regulation or oversight and another 30% were made by those not subject to routine examination or supervision.www.businessweek.com/investing/insights/blog/... ...
<quoted text>The Department of "Injustice", Eric Holder, made sure the FBI were forced to step back from getting any more information from the Boston bomber. He read him his Miranda rights personally.Before Mr. Holder told the terrorist he had the right to remain silent, however, the FBI did discover there were 6 more bombs prepared to go off in Times Square.Too bad we will never learn of any other plots that might have been under way.
Carol, not only are you a liar but an incompetent one as well. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was read his rights by Federal Magistrate Marianne Bowler when he was arraigned in his hospital room the day after he was charged as part of standard legal procedure. Eric Holder didn't read anyone their rights in this case liar.The basis for Miranda rights is found in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitutions that clearly states that;“[No person]…shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself…”There were no six bombs set to go off in Times Square stupid, the bombers made a spur of the moment decision to do this but were prevented in doing so. They never got to Times Square nitwit so that's another lie. With one of the bombers dead and the other in custody any other plots they may have been planning is a moot point.You're an idiot Carol!
Here's a moron Obama supporter up past 2AM knocking capitalism. He is a prime example of why this country is in decline.
Always Right wrote:
<quoted text> carol, are you aware that higher taxes specially on the wealthy cut down the deficit? Or you're just ignoring the cards on the table and shooting off blanks? It's time to stop big corporation greed that only affects the middle class and the poor, notice most big corporations support republican candidates who of course support capitalism, if we had a republican president now, the gas price would have been well over 5 dlls. A gallon, sorry carol, i'll stick to what i think is right and read my my poster i.d.
Every browser connection or session is an ip connection. If you bring up twenty browser sessions, you can judge the Icons 20 times... This Multiple Judging icon can accomplished by having 2 internet accounts in your home and acting as if you are 2 people judging the topix judge icons...
I log in with multiple renewal IP numbers and spam the Topix Judge Icons for the replies to their post...running multiple copies of my browser, which will log in with multiple renewal IP numbers and spamming the Topix Judge Icons for the replies to the post... It can also be accomplished by using different browsers logged into the same thread with multple sessions... on the same internet connection...
It can also be accomplished by using different browsers logged into the same thread... on the same internet connection... Every browser connection is an ip connection.------- You can change ip numbers if you know how... You can also reset your internet modem box and it will DNS or resolve a new ip number... However that is not necessary. The way it works is to bring up multiple copies of your browser on the same thread and page and do the judging..
That's all that is required and wait depending on you network connection and topix server to record the vote and for the judging to take... I have done it and it can take up to 5 minutes on mine, maybe others different...
<quoted text>Hard work and personal responsibility are what made this country great, the dems are no longer interested in either. Nothing nor no one is keeping you from being the next Bill Gates.What America needs is less Oblamer, less demorats in office. The states doing well now are all republican controlled.$500 billion a year in welfare and freebies does not instill a work ethic in people and is not sustainable.
nothing is doing you from hitting the lottery but, the deck is stacked against you &, the chances of you doing so is slim to none.If the current system wasn't a failure, the extension of the Bush tax cuts, Obama raising taxes on folks making over $400,000 & families over $450,000, along with the sequester should've have live to the economy but, it didn't. Capitalism is a system designed to keep majority circulating amongst the top, & the middle class (poor) are the batteries that gives the machine the juice to operate, so in essence, the top use money & access to money to drain the life & blood out of the middle class (poor). Exactly how does it benefit America for billionaires like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey to make more money in a year then the average American will make in 2 lifetimes? Exactly, it doesn't & it benefits America even less when their type pays little to no taxes in their income. The govt at this point is forced to continue infusing capitol into the economy to money made by the rich & stashed in banks like can goods in a cupboard. The idea of you been make it if you try is smoke & mirrors, & nothing more than inspiration for the blind eye & dead mind to give their flesh blood & live to a evil corrupt system whom really doesn't give a shit about you!
<quoted text>Lying imbecile:I get so tired of educating those who refuse to acknowledge the truth. For the last time, the Bush Tax cuts resulted in 54 straight months of economic growth. The recession occurred after Democrats gained control of Congress and began wildly borrowing and spending trillions of dollars and implementing their bone-headed and supremely irresponsible fiscal policy.The economic numbers don't lie. Take a look for yourself:http://forecast-chart.com/chart-gdp-rate.htmlThe economy grew every single quarter until Q4 of 2008. That's solid continual economic growth that directly resulted from the Bush Tax Cuts.The economy didn't take a shit until a year and a half after Democrats took over Congress and their socialist policies were in place.
Leadass Lou was very pleased with his Enron Stock he bought in 1997. It provided several years of great growth. The idea that he then lost everything is not important. He still smiles about that growth it had. Leadass Lou isn't very smart.
<quoted text>Really, Doorknob?Gunner wrote:<quoted text>At President Clinton’s direction, no fewer than 10 federal agencies issued a chilling ultimatum to banks and mortgage lenders to ease credit for lower-income minorities or face investigations for lending discrimination and suffer the related adverse publicity. They also were threatened with denial of access to the all-important secondary mortgage market and stiff fines, along with other penalties.The threat was codified in a 20-page “Policy Statement on Discrimination in Lending” and entered into the Federal Register on April 15, 1994, by the Interagency Task Force on Fair Lending. Clinton set up the little-known body to coordinate an unprecedented crackdown on alleged bank redlining.The edict — completely overlooked by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission and the mainstream media — was signed by then-HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, Attorney General Janet Reno, Comptroller of the Currency Eugene Ludwig and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, along with the heads of six other financial regulatory agencies.
1) Denying loans based on race is illegal. They lost in court.
2) The CRA sais banks, in their communities, had to make more of an effort to help people get mortgages. They had to lower the down payment or the interest rate but mortgage buyers STILL HAD TO SHOW THEY COULD MAKE THOSE PAYMENTS.
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Expected payoff of call option and free forex krotoszyn
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Neto to Lead Semester Conversion Efforts
Posted on February 28, 2014
Dr. Francelina Neto, chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, will lead the university’s semester conversion initiative.
Dr. Francelina Neto, chair of the Department of Civil Engineering, has been named by Provost Marten denBoer as director of the semester conversion initiative. The campus will convert to a semester calendar in fall 2017.
Neto will chair the University Semester Conversion Steering Committee and oversee the university’s conversion from a quarter- to a semester-based system. Working with numerous individuals, groups, and offices across campus, she will lead the development and execution of a detailed semester conversion plan.
“This is a complex project that will require collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition from quarters to semesters,” Neto says. “I look forward to consulting and collaborating with faculty, staff, students and administrators and successfully transitioning to a new calendar system.”
Neto, who joined Cal Poly Pomona in 1998, has a range of service and leadership experience on campus, including chairing the civil engineering department and serving on the Academic Senate Executive Committee and numerous other college and university committees. In addition, as co-PI, she has secured several grants from the National Science Foundation, JPL, and the Army Research Office in 3D data collection systems and visualization techniques.
“I am delighted that Dr. Neto has agreed to take on this important task,” Provost denBoer says. “She commands great respect across the university, and her abilities and experience will be valuable to the success of this major university-wide initiative.”
The 23-member steering committee, which will have faculty, staff, and student representation, is responsible for developing and implementing a conversion plan, as well as monitoring the execution of the plan. A number of sub-committees will address specific components of the project. More information about the committee structure can be found at the Calendar Conversion website.
Faculty who are interested in serving on the steering committee or subcommittees should submit their interest to the Academic Senate. Students who are interested in serving should contact the ASI president.
About the Author
Esther Chou Tanaka is the senior coordinator of digital communication in the Office of Public Affairs at Cal Poly Pomona. She writes about central administration topics, and works on 75th anniversary projects, the university’s website redesign, marketing, digital communications and social media. | {
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Philadelphia: The next Hockeytown?
'Brennan played with St. John's of the Quebec Junior League last season and displayed enough skills to make him a bona fide prospect. His slap shot has been timed at 97 miles per hour and that's high end even for the NHL. But his expectations are realistic. He's a boy in a man's (6-0, 204 pounds) body. “I'm not going to play in the NHL in the next couple of years,” Brennan said, “but I'm going to do everything I can to get there.”' | {
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A COUPLE forced out of their 'dream' home to make way for a new highway say
the stress of the situation is slowly destroying them.
Graeme Mullis, 67, and his wife Jacquline, 56, were served with a Compulsory
Purchase Order on their two-bedroom house in Salobrena in June as part of
development plans for the A7.
They were given a month to move out and agreed a compensation package of
150,000 euros, which they were told would not be paid for at least two
years.
But despite being reassured by a government official in Almunecar that the
CPO contract could be used to secure a bank loan in the interim, the expats
have been turned down by six Spanish banks.
Mullis, originally from South Wales, said: "To go from being a very happy
couple living in what we felt was our dream home to living on a very low
budget with so many extra costs, we feel is slowly destroying us."
The couple is currently living in a small terraced house in Lanjaron - part
owned by English teacher Jacquline - but they stress it is only a temporary
solution and they may be forced to return to the UK.
"Everything I have worked so hard for all my life has been taken away
overnight, we don't know which way to turn." | {
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Charles R. Reppucci was elected to the Butler Hospital Board of Trustees in 1984. He is vice chair of the board, and a member of its Governance and Nominating, Strategic Planning, Compensation and Finance committees. He is executive director and chief operating officer and the senior non-lawyer executive of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLC, where he has served for more than 25 years. He is vice chair of the board of the Rhode Island Blood Center and past chair of the board at Vector Health Systems. He has also served as the treasurer of the Legal Aid Society of Rhode Island and chair of both the Quidnessett Country Club and St. Thomas More Parish Council. A former CPA, he earned a degree in accounting from URI and a master’s of business administration from Providence College. | {
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'Life Science University Krems' - implementing Bologna in the medical education: a proposal
Suche in Medline nach
Autoren
The Structure of Medical Education in Europe: Implementing Bologna – On the way to a European success story?.
International Conference hosted by the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK).
Berlin,
10.-11.10.2008.
Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2011. Doc08hrk15
Gliederung
Introduction: Recently, the Government of Lower Austria decided to establish a new university on life science with emphasis on medicine. One of the major driving forces for this decision is the fact that Lower Austria, although being the largest state in Austria, does not have a regular university, but only a college for continued education and several institutes for applied science which offer application-oriented studies only.
Under Austrian federal law only the federal government is authorized to establish public universities, all others will be private. Furthermore, all private universities have to undergo an accreditation, where the Bologna Process is evident thus giving the opportunity to discuss new ideas about the medical education.
Medical Studies: In Austria as well as in most European countries, curricula require at least six years or 5,500 hours of theoretical and practical work at a university or under the supervision of a university. After finishing the required studies at the university, regulations for further education and training differ in the countries of the European Union. In Austria, an additional 3- to 6-year cycle, a so-called ‘Turnus’ has to be performed at a university hospital or a medical consulting facility with a teaching license. If the three-year cycle is chosen, students get the ‘Approbation’ (license to practice medicine) and are allowed to work as medical doctors (‘Allgemeinmediziner’). The six-year cycle leads to the ‘Facharzt für …’ (specialist in …).
Prerequisite to enter the curriculum is 12 or 13 years of education at primary and secondary school levels with the ‘Abitur’ as final degree. For students who do not wish to work as physicians but rather as medical scientists and researchers or in related scientific fields like biomedicine, medical technique, medical information technology as well as hospital and/or nursing management or health care management, etc, the actual situation results in an unreasonably length of study. Such students have to satisfy all the actual requirements of the curriculum – which are six years of undergraduate study followed by at least a 3-year ‘Turnus’ – to get the academic medical degree even though they will never work as practicing physicians.
To ameliorate such an unsatisfactory situation, the Life Science University Krems proposes the idea of dividing the medical curriculum into two separate sections, a theoretical part, which after three years of successful study confers the degree of ‘Bachelor of Medicine’ and an extended clinical part, requiring an additional three years of study with the final degree of ‘Master of Medicine’ and, in combination with a thesis, the ‘Dr.med.univ.’ (doctor medicinae universae) which is the standard final degree at Austrian medical schools. To ensure that students in the Bachelor part also achieve knowledge about hospital-work, project work and short clinical phases are incorporated.
If students complete both parts, the content of their study programme will fulfil all the EU requirements and be identical to the programmes offered at public Austrian medical schools. The students then can enter the usual educational and training programmes to get their ‘Approbation' at the end.
Students who finish only the first, the Bachelor part may transfer to related technical, socio-economic or management studies, lasting two to three years, and finish with an appropriate Master Degree. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that these students will not be allowed to work as physicians, as they will not have attained the Master of Medicine, a required prerequisite.
Figure 1 [Fig. 1] shows a scheme of the medical Bachelor curriculum and the ensuing Master programmes offered at the Life Science University Krems (LSU). It should be noted again that the medical track (Bachelor of Medicine and the consecutive Master of Medicine) is the only way to become a physician. As mentioned above, students have to write a thesis to earn the final degree ‘Dr.med.univ.’ before entering the ‘Turnus’, after which they may be licensed to work as physicians (‘Approbation’).
Students of the first cycle would not only be confronted with the core medical curriculum, but also with many electives that help qualify them for immediate employment as well as to pursue other Master studies. These facts, especially the employability of the Bachelor, prompt an appropriate curriculum.
Bachelor of Medicine: Based on the qualifications of a Bachelor of Medicine, the question to answer was ‘what does a Bachelor of Medicine really have to know’ to equip them with adequate knowledge for continuing she/her studies or employment.
Additional to all subjects, who are common for undergraduate medical curricula, graduates from LSU will acquire substantial insight in the various fields of health care, management, medical informatics as well as how the Austrian health system functions. Students will also take part in a clinical training and introductory lectures about the main clinical subjects.
All subjects are arranged in four didactic blocks. They are put together according to their content and coordinated with each other based on a system of prerequisites. The Bachelor of Medicine Degree can be achieved after three years, having been awarded with 180 ETCS credits.
Master of Medicine: Students, who want to become medical doctors, have to enrol in the Master of Medicine programme. The concept of LSU has as goal to give its students a thorough clinical education by confronting them to a broad diversity of patients and diseases. The Master programme consists of rotations covering the clinical fields. Each rotation consists of a lecture part and its clinical integration. To achieve an effective clinical experience, students will be divided into small groups with a maximum of seven per group. After three years and having gained 180 ETCS credits, the students will be promoted to Doctor of Medicine (‘Dr.med.univ.’) which is the regular final degree for medical studies in Austria. It is worthy to notice that this Austria specific degree is a diploma degree and not equal to a PhD Degree.
The concept of the Life Science University Krems foresees to implement the Bachelor/Master programme into its medical education. It aims to achieve that the degree is completed within six years, not only on paper but also in reality. Although this may mean no shortening of study time, LSU students may in contrast to studies at a public Austrian university be sure to finish their studies in time. However, shortening could be realized easily by reduction of the term breaks and to increase student’s work load from about 1,500 hrs per year, as it is the actual number in Austria, to about 2,000 hrs which means about 45 hrs per week with 7 weeks per year vacation.
Additionally it should be noted that previous considerations were based on a five year curriculum but the EU directives on the recognition of professional qualifications requires a 6-year medical study programme. Therefore, LSU shifted to 3-year Bachelor and 3-year Master programmes. Figure 2 [Fig. 2] gives an overview on the concept of the medical curriculum at Life Science University Krems.
LSU is quite sure that the presented Bachelor/Master structure takes up the challenges of modern medical education and opens a way to its future. | {
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Use your head, that has nothing to do with how many tournaments you necessarily play.
The real number that is hurting Tomic is this-
Federer - 17 tournaments played
Tomic - 25 tournaments played
Either way, you can't really blame Tomic, he has yet to be anywhere near his physical peak (probably mostly because he has yet to find the right discipline to focus on his physical game) and he doesn't have the experience yet to manage a good schedule. I mean when you're that young, you feel like you have enough energy to go around playing every tournament, and especially since he needs all the points/money he can get at this moment, he'll be trying to chase after tournaments for a while anyways.
Give the kid a break. This has been his first year defending points and he has clearly felt the pressure. It takes time to get used to these situations and I'm sure he will bounce back next year. He's not perfect but he's nowhere near as bad as people on here make out.
At the moment, he may not have the problem of defending many points next year. And when his ranking slides, he'll play the seeds instead of the other way round. Things are not going to get any easier for him.
Tomic should stop whining and start winning some ATP tournaments (or make deep runs in 1000s, GS with some consistency) to back up all the hype. So far, he doesn't even have one ATP final to show for all the hype.
Give the kid a break. This has been his first year defending points and he has clearly felt the pressure. It takes time to get used to these situations and I'm sure he will bounce back next year. He's not perfect but he's nowhere near as bad as people on here make out.
your always making excuses for the things he say.
every single player feels the pressure of defending points. Its milos's first year defending points too and he didnt wilt under the pressure
Use your head, that has nothing to do with how many tournaments you necessarily play.
The real number that is hurting Tomic is this-
Federer - 17 tournaments played
Tomic - 25 tournaments played
Either way, you can't really blame Tomic, he has yet to be anywhere near his physical peak (probably mostly because he has yet to find the right discipline to focus on his physical game) and he doesn't have the experience yet to manage a good schedule. I mean when you're that young, you feel like you have enough energy to go around playing every tournament, and especially since he needs all the points/money he can get at this moment, he'll be trying to chase after tournaments for a while anyways.
He came out in his first match at a tournament around 10 times or so, no way you can blame physical game for that, he's 19 not 39
“There’s so many athletes, tennis players around the world,” he continued, trying to put his life into some kind of perspective, “they want to be the best in what they do. They want to succeed. Many of them, they don’t succeed in the end. I’m fortunate to have this opportunity and succeed.”
Interesting that the quotes in the OP seem to link his mental frailty with any physical exhaustion he feels, or am I inferring incorrectly?
It's good that he is acknowledging he has issues mentally and this (he feels) prevents him from playing at his best during a game. Surely the next step is to get a new coach to try and improve that, if at all possible? | {
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Sara and Matt – First Look and Wedding Ceremony at First United Methodist ChurchFort Worth, TX
What a perfect beginning to 2017! I absolutely adore Sara and Matt and I am so glad that they were my first wedding of the year! These two Horned Frogs were married at First United Methodist Church in Fort Worth. Sara and her girls were a hoot during getting ready and it took almost all of them to hold up the front of her dress while putting on her garter. Once they got Sara in her dress and all ready to go, it was time for her to see her future husband for the first time. While Matt and I were waiting for Sara to join us in the courtyard, I asked what he thought her dress looked like. He guessed that it would be big and poofy. He was right! Sara made an absolutely stunning bride and I think Matt had a little trouble holding back the tears. When taking in the vision that was his bride, he noticed that a strand of her hair was blue! Sara says that when she was younger she used to dye her hair blue and so this was a fun way for her to bring that part of her to her wedding day and it was also her something blue! It may have been a little chilly outside but boy did we have a fun time with all of Sara & Matt’s family and bridal party. They were having fun making their “fake candid” photos as they liked to call them which made me laugh. At last it was time to walk down the aisle. Sara was escorted down the aisle by her sweet daddy and he gave her away to Matt. They exchanged beautiful vows and officially became husband and wife! It brings me so much joy to be able to share these images with everyone and show the love and happiness that this couple and their families possess. Please check back soon for the rockin’ reception! | {
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Custom Athletic Mouthguards in Spring Valley
Numerous studies have proven the effectiveness of athletic mouthguards, citing thousands of athletes whose injuries could have been prevented through the use of a custom oral appliance. At Michael G. Hollingshead, DDS, Dr. Hollingshead genuinely cares about the health, safety, and beauty of your family’s smiles. In order to preserve those smiles on the playing field, we provide a complete range of custom oral appliances to both children and adults in Las Vegas and the surrounding communities.
Advantages of Custom Athletic Mouthguards
While it is true that you can find a variety of athletic mouthguards for sale at your local sporting goods store, these generic appliances simply do not offer the level of protection you and your children need during energetic gameplay. Without proper oral protection, athletes are at a significantly higher risk for orofacial injury, including the following:
Avulsed teeth (knocked out teeth)
Partially avulsed teeth
Cracked and chipped teeth
Concussions
Lacerations to tongue, cheeks, lips, and gums
Jaw fractures
The American Dental Association strongly recommends that athletes participating in the following activities wear a custom athletic mouthguard in order to avoid serious orofacial injury:
Football, soccer, and lacrosse
Baseball, basketball, squash, and racquetball
Bicycling and skateboarding
Gymnastics, acrobatics, and martial arts
Boxing, wrestling, and weight lifting
Ice hockey, field hockey, and extreme sports
Equestrian events
Skiing and inline skating
Water polo and surfing
While it is impossible to anticipate a situation in which you or your child may suffer a dental injury, it is possible to prepare for these emergencies and even prevent them with a custom athletic mouthguard. Dr. Hollingshead will carefully evaluate your dentition in order to ensure a comfortable, effective fit. Because you never know when you may be hit, knocked to the ground, or otherwise jostled on the court or on the field, your custom oral appliance should be worn during both practices and actual games. Dr. Hollingshead and our team are always here to answer any questions you may have about custom athletic mouthguards, and we invite you to contact us for more information about your preventive dentistry options.
Schedule Your Visit Today
Protect the smiles you cherish most with custom athletic mouthguards for the whole family. If you or your children participate in any type of sport or physically strenuous recreational activity, give us a call today to schedule your visit with Dr. Hollingshead. Our team looks forward to serving your every oral healthcare need with a gentle touch and the most advanced dental technology in the industry. Our state-of-the-art dental practice in Las Vegas, NV proudly serves families from throughout the surrounding areas, including Paradise, Summerlin, Spanish Trail, Spring Valley, and more. | {
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+ By Mobilsoftware.eu/ Content Support Scandinavia AB
Indian Garden, with the avail Indian cuisine in northern Europe is launching an app for you with your smartphone.You can order and pay for your takeaway straight to your Android phone.Over 120 rärtter to choose from. Waiting time between 40-50 minutes and you are ready to come to collect your spice-scented hot food. | {
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At this year's BRIT Awards, seven Warner/Chappell songwriters either won or contributed to the night's wins. Most notably, local London-grown grime act, Stormzy, pulled two wins in the Best British Male Solo Artist and Album of the Year categories.
There were wins for Rag N Bone Man, Kendrick Lamar and Gorillaz. Additionally, W/C songwriter IanKirkpatrick co-wrote both of Dua Lipa's singles, one of which ("New Rules") she performed at the ceremony. Dua also took home two statues.
Seen celebrating grime, before finding out their photo would end up running in one seriously grimy website are, are the pubco's Amber Davis (who signed Stormzy to W/C a couple years ago), manager TobeOnwuka, Stormzy and W/C honcho Jon Platt. | {
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V & W Motors Import
Address
27371 Gratiot AveRoseville,MI48066-2968
(586) 777-4190
About V & W Motors has been family owned and operated since 1968. We take pride in repairing your automobile and treat it as if it were our own. Whether your car is a domestic vehicle, a European style vehicle, or even an Exotic Automobile, we have the necessary equipment to service your vehicle and ensure it's top performance.
My long time mechanic doesn't repair foreign. When I purchased my Audi TT he couldn't help me. What he did do, however, is recommend V & W Motors. That was a big referral for me. They have done a number of repairs for me over the past few years. I couldn't be happier with the company, their staff and their great attitudes. They do great work for fair prices and are very responsive. They know what they are doing and I value them as a resource.
As usual a great job by everyone at V&W. Dennis knew the problem and came very close to the quoted price. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is that their labor is high, but sometimes you have to pay for quality work. It's nice to know you won't get ripped off when you come in.
Dennis was very honest and gave me an estimate up front for what was needed to be repaired the most. He did only the work that I approved and made a list of needed future repairs. Cost was actually less than estimate. I got no attitude or problems from them, as I have had in the past from other repair shops
Spoke with Mary. She said she has been doing business with this facility for the past 30 years. She has been very happy with them. They do great work. They are also very nice and professional. She has been working with the same people and that means a lot nowadays.
Recommended
This review was collected via phone interview by Customer Research Inc.
Address
27371 Gratiot AveRoseville,MI48066-2968
(586) 777-4190
About V & W Motors has been family owned and operated since 1968. We take pride in repairing your automobile and treat it as if it were our own. Whether your car is a domestic vehicle, a European style vehicle, or even an Exotic Automobile, we have the necessary equipment to service your vehicle and ensure it's top performance. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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